#one of the best and most beloved ships and it involves a black girl

[sunsis]

no black girl can pop out with a blonde boyfriend without getting percabeth allegations and i honestly love that for us and the fandom

[butterflyintochains]

Princess Shaena Headcanons

Just some little headcanons and thoughts about my desert dragon, I adore developing Shaena!

Shaena loves being outdoors. She loves nothing more than being outside in the fresh air and sunlight, and taking long walks alone whenever she can.

She also loves animals, horses and cats in particular. She comes to own several cats while in Dorne, and is a talented horse rider.

Her hair is something she also takes great pride in, it is the silver typical of her family, and she grows it quite long. It gives her great pain to have to cover it up after the rebellion.

Where Rhaegar's eyes are dark indigo, and Viserys inherits lilac eyes, Shaena and Daenerys share the pure amethyst eyes of their mother, Queen Rhaella. Shaena's are described as being 'wise' and 'those of a woman who has seen too much'.

Shaena is never far from her dragonbone bow - Defiance - keeping it close at hand at all times, sometimes even having it by the bed.

Post Long Night, Shaena becomes a kind of matriarch to everyone. Sansa writing regularly, Arya and Shaena become quite close, Bran confides in her about his visions, Jon and Dany treat her as a Regent.

Of all her animals, the one she comes to love most is her dragon, Nymerax 'The Scarlet Lady'. Born as her last nephew dies, amidst grief and darkness. Nymerax is the daughter of Caraxes and Syrax, and sister of Stormcloud, her egg being taken from Dragonstone to Dorne when Shaena wed Oberyn.

Shaena loves purple, it's the colour she most consistently wears aside from red and black.

As an adult, she gets herbal skin creams shipped to Dorne from Lys to protect her skin from the harsh sunlight, and to soothe her many scars.

A total mama's girl growing up, for obvious reasons if you read any of my fics involving her relationship with Aerys.

Shaena, unlike her brother, is not gifted at music. But, she is a lover of writing, becoming quite the poet in her adulthood.

Shaena grows up idolising Conqueror Queens Rhaenys and Visenya, Queen Alysanne, and Daena The Defiant - especially the latter, even naming her beloved longbow after the princess.

A loving mother to her eight children with Oberyn. Fostering all of their passions with pride, and providing them all comfort, love, and a listening ear for their secrets and worries. But, Shaena is rather loath to tell them her own story, finding it too difficult to do so.

Neither of her parents make it to her wedding to Oberyn. Owing to the secret nature of the ceremony, not wanting Aerys there, and Rhaella being forbidden. Shaena's protector, Cyrus Adarys, ends up presenting her, and her best friend, Aelinor Velaryon, carries her cloak for her.

She falls in love with Oberyn at Rhaegar and Elia's wedding, and is immediately set on marrying him and him alone.

In the post-Targaryen era, Shaena takes to covering her hair in public. Her violet eyes may be mistaken for Dayne or Velaryon, but her hair can't be. Under Robert, being who she is is dangerous to herself and her family, so her hair must be hidden. This only ceases in Joffrey's reign, his concern being the civil war instead.

Briefly trains as an assassin in Tyrosh after Alyssa is born, and puts her skills to good use. Killing The Mountain, among others.

Alongside her husband, arranges the marriage of her niece, Arianne Martell, to Gerold Dayne. Finally uniting the two major Dornish families under one banner.

Is said to have an eye for blossoming love between young couples, she puts it down to her dragon dreams.

While all four of Aerys' children inherit dragon dreams, Shaena is most in tune with her prophetic abilities. And, she even teaches Daenerys how to interpret them, and even control them.

It is difficult for her to differentiate her dragon dreams from regular ones or nightmares, however.

Shaena's favourite food is a simple chicken pie with a summer salad, a Dornish specialty she grows to love. She also loves strawberry desserts, craving them being the hint to Oberyn of her eight pregnancies. Overall, she has a really healthy diet.

The princess is an avid diarist, keeping a daily journal since the age of seven. The books have a permanent place on a shelf in the couple's office.

Rhaegar and Shaena also used to exchange letters every half week, Shaena has every single letter her brother wrote to her archived in a lockbox.

Interestingly, Shaena never considers Rhaegar as a name for any of her four sons with Oberyn. The grief too near, the man too irreplaceable in life, and the political implication too grave.

Does not trust Maesters or the Citadel, forbidding them from serving her family, or helping deliver her children. Instead, she hired eastern scholars and nurses.

Wins her first archery competition at a melee at Highgarden at sixteen years old, the first female to win the contest. The first of her nine wins across five contests.

Helps pioneer dragonback archery during the Long Night using Viserion as a temporary mount while Nymerax is still growing. Then, on Nymerax's back once she's big enough.

Is one of four people in Westeros who knows who Jon Snow actually is.

Shaena's arms and back are littered by scars from the years of abuse from her father, the scars still pain her well into adulthood. Requiring constant balms and icing.

Fluent in Common, High Valyrian, and Rhoynish.

Despite not knowing each other growing up, Shaena and Daenerys forge an unbreakable bond once they're finally united. Shaena even writing a family history book for her sister.

To the princess, Defiance is not a weapon or object. The longbow is her friend, her protector, a vestige of her brother, and an extension of her arm. She treasures her bow, and never lets anyone else touch it.

Her prized possessions are as follows:

Defiance Her mother's dragon necklace Nymerax's egg (prior to hatching) Her wedding ring (which never leaves her hand) Her valyrian steel daggers, called Dream and Destiny Rhaegar's last letter to her. Her journal. Her wedding tiara. Her Archon's Archers insignias.

Shaena takes on the moniker 'Shaena the Humble' in Dorne, due to her lack of aspirations for the throne and general contentedness with her life as it is. Her favourite epithet, however, is always 'The Desert Dragon'.

She also picks up 'The Dreamer Reborn' as a girl for her powerful seeing ability, and attains 'The Last Valyrian' after the rebellion.

Shaena and Oberyn are very protective over each other, and are each other's best friend and biggest supporter.

Is at her sister and nephew's side for the births of all six of their children. Having not had any family around her for the births of her own. She also gets to witness Rhaenys and Aegon's births.

Nymerax, mating with Rhaegal, produces the clutch for Rhaegar, Alysanne, Aemon, Rhaella, Benjen, and Lyanna's dragon eggs. Her nephews and nieces all have eggs that are the grandchildren of Caraxes and Syrax.

No one ever discovers the fact that she killed Gregor Clegane, she has to actually tell the Imperial council herself.

While not particularly religious, Shaena does believe in some kind of higher power, she just doesn't quite know what exactly it is. She feels like the traditional Gods abandoned her to her father's abuse, so hasn't been religious ever since.

Unlike most Westerosi noble/royal couples who sleep apart, Shaena and Oberyn cannot sleep without each other.

Following Dornish custom, Shaena hyphenates her name to Targaryen-Martell when she gets married. Her children are thusly called Martell-Targaryen. Their father's name coming first.

[quickspinner]

Snake in the Silk

Written for the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Sprint Challenge, using the @mlweeklyprompts Next Door Neighbors. The fic is supposed to be 45 minutes plus "editing," but I kind of doubled the length in editing, so...oops.

I received a lot of prompts for my 500 follower celebration that I never used (although I did end up writing a surprising number of them eventually, when I looked at the list), and I was sharing them with the sprint server as possible future prompts. One of them involved Luka getting an exotic pet, which collided with the neighbors thing in my brain, and thus this fic was born.

As always the irrepressible Dingo King belongs to Verfound, who's kind enough to let me use him.

Rated T, mostly for innuendo and language 

Find it on AO3

“I hate you,” Luka fumed, keeping the phone pressed to his face as he kicked his door shut behind him. “I hate you so much right now.”

“Not true,” Dingo said cheerfully over the phone.

“I’m serious, you jackass, I can’t trust you with anything!” Luka threw his bag in the corner with probably more force than he should have, and then winced. He set his guitar case down more carefully. 

“Also not true,” Dingo said, a little sheepishly this time. “Buuuuuuut I’ll grant that maybe you shouldn’t have trusted me with this.”

“I didn’t have a choice,” Luka snapped as he stomped through his apartment. “Juleka was with me, and Evan’s a freaking pansy, and—” Luka stopped dead and sighed as he stared at the empty cabinet—the cabinet he had personally, carefully refurbished and remodeled to be as escape-proof as possible. Not that any of that did any good, with the door sitting ajar. Luka swore and only barely resisted the urge to kick something. “If anything happens to him,” Luka warned his best friend, “I will murder you, do you hear me?” 

“Fair,” Dingo sighed. “Look, Lu, I seriously am sorry, and I would never have left except I had to work, and as soon as I can find an excuse to bail I’ll—”

“No,” Luka gritted out. “No, it won’t matter if you’re here or not. Don’t lose your job over it. I’ll figure something out.” 

“It’ll work out, Lu. That stupid snake adores you, he won’t stay gone for long.”  

Luka made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat and grit his teeth around the things he wanted to say. “I gotta go,” he finally managed to grind out. “I’ll deal with you later.”

“Right.” Dingo laughed nervously. “I’ll bring takeout and beer and then we’ll turn your place upside down looking for the little bugger.” 

Luka hung up without saying anything else, and jammed his phone in his pocket. He put his face in his hands and screamed quietly, then dragged his hands down his face and surveyed the empty enclosure again—as if Sass were just going to show up and slither right up his favorite branch and flick his tongue out like ‘Sup . 

Okay, he needed to think. It wasn’t the first time Sass had taken a little pleasure jaunt. Think. How many places could a four-foot corn snake find to hide in a small apartment like this? Luka didn’t even have that much stuff, so he shouldn’t be that hard to find.

If he was even still in the apartment. Luka swallowed hard. That had never been much of a worry on the Liberty, since while there were about a billion little crannies that a snake could crawl into, most of them were unpleasant for a cold-blooded reptile, and at least he couldn’t escape the ship entirely. But here, who knew? And this was the first time he’d escaped since Luka had moved into the apartment, so Luka didn’t know what his favorite places were likely to be, and— 

And standing here panicking was not doing anything to find his beloved pet. For all that Sass was a little shit of an escape artist, Luka had raised him for years and he loved the quirky little snake and his stupid little snakey face with those bright black eyes and— 

“Come on, Sass,” Luka muttered, looking around helplessly. “Don’t do this to me.”

Okay. First things first. Luka swung the front of the cabinet open wide, so that if Sass did decide he preferred his (very comfortable, Luka thought with a little pout, he had done a lot of work to make sure it was) home to whatever random, dusty corner he’d managed to find, he could get back in. Probably if nothing else, Sass would come back when he was hungry, if…

Luka sighed, and took Sass’s little pool out of the bottom of the enclosure to dump it out and refill it with fresh water. He made sure the heating mat was at the right temperature, and checked under the substrate and poked around among the various hides—damnit, he’d worked so hard to make this habitat, and that stupid, ungrateful little—

A muffled but clearly audible scream broke into his thoughts, and Luka froze. There was a second, yelping shriek— from the apartment next door, he suddenly realized, and he ran for his apartment door, knocking over his guitar case in his haste to get it opened. 

He’d barely had time to turn from his door to the next door down when it burst open and a young woman stumbled out of it, eyes wide in panic. She collided with Luka and he grabbed her arms on instinct. 

“Are you okay?” he asked stupidly, as she looked up at him. 

“I—there was—” she panted, clearly still panicked. “A snake in my panties!” 

Luka stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending as he took in big blue eyes, pink cheeks, and a soft mouth that was opening and closing without saying anything, and then she balled her hands into fists and closed her eyes and shrieked, “There’s a huge snake in my underwear drawer!” 

Understanding hit him like a lightning bolt. “Oh thank God,” Luka sighed, and the young woman gaped at him as he moved her aside and went into her apartment. 

“Wait, what are you—” she spluttered. “Where are you going? Hey!” 

Luka halted about four steps into the apartment, abruptly realizing that he didn’t know where he was going, and she crashed into his back in her rush to follow him.

  “Sorry,” Luka said, turning and holding his hands up placatingly. “Sorry, it’s just—my friend was watching my flat, and he let my pet snake out and I’ve been frantic to—find...him…” It struck him all at once that the young woman currently staring at him had wet black hair hanging around her shoulders, and a red and black polka-dotted silk robe wrapped haphazardly around her very nice body. It was still sticking to her in places and he suddenly felt like his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth.

“That thing is yours?” she demanded, pushing her wet hair back and gripping her robe more tightly closed with the other hand. “I don’t know whether I’m mad at you or just relieved the whole building isn’t...infested or something.” She looked around nervously. “So there’s no more? Just the one?”  

“No,” Luka laughed, burying the fingers of one hand in his hair. “No, no, no infestation, just one irresponsible best friend and my freaking Houdini-wanna-be pet snake. I’m so, so sorry he scared you, but if you show me where he is, I’ll get him out of here and you can get—uh, get on with your day, um….Miss.” 

“Marinette,” she sighed, tugging the robe around herself a little self-consciously, her cheeks turning an attractive pink. Shit, she was cute, and this was really awkward. Ugh, Luka was going to kill Dingo, and maybe Sass too for good measure. 

“Luka,” he said, offering his hand. “I live next door and I promise I don’t let my snake out all willy-nilly.” 

Marinette snorted and covered her mouth with one hand as Luka blinked at her, feeling his face slowly turning red. “I can’t believe I just said that,” he muttered under his breath, and Marinette laughed aloud.  

“Come on,” she giggled. “This way. Um, watch your step...I’m still getting unpacked and all and...okay that’s a lie, it’s always this messy, but it’s organized, I swear—”

“Hey, I’m not gonna judge your housekeeping choices, trust me,” Luka told her absently as he followed her down the short hall. “I don’t think I’m in any position to judge you at all, given the situation. Even if I did that kind of thing. Judge people, I mean. I—I don’t, or I try not to, at least—” He paused and took a deep breath, trying not to let it out as a frustrated sigh.   

Marinette pushed open a door and edged into the room—her bedroom, it was immediately obvious. She stayed pressed up against the wall. “It’s, um, over there,” she said, pointing to a pink and black chest of drawers, the top drawer of which was hanging open. “I just opened the drawer and there it was and I—” She fluttered her hands. 

Luka went over to the drawer and surveyed the contents. “I don’t see him,” he sighed. 

“What?” Marinette’s voice jumped several octaves. 

“It’s okay, he probably just—” Luka reached out, and stopped just before he touched anything, hand hovering over the rumpled pile of silk and lace in the drawer.  “Uh…” Luka looked back at Marinette. “I mean, do you mind if I…” he gestured weekly at the drawer full of underthings. “See if he’s underneath this stuff?” 

“Oh,” Marinette blushed again, but waved a dismissive hand, shifting nervously. “Go ahead. Do what you need to do. I just want you to find it.” She cracked a small smile. “Thanks for checking, though.”  

“Sure,” Luka grunted, carefully lifting a pair of lace edge panties from the top of what had probably been a neat pile before Sass decided to rummage it into a nest. He shifted things aside carefully, trying not to look too hard at any of it. “Come on, you little shit,” he muttered. “You’re killing me here.” 

“Um, could you actually, uh...maybe hand me a pair of those?” Marinette said, and Luka glanced back at her in some surprise. She was still pressed back against the wall and her face was red again, and she was clutching her robe tight around her, fingering her wet hair as she fidgeted— oh . 

“Oh, yeah, uh...any particular...color?” he asked weakly. She seemed like the kind of girl who liked to match. Which was such a weird thing to be thinking right now. He was definitely going to kill Dingo. Slowly . Maybe feed important bits of him to Sass before he murdered his beloved pet, too. 

“Anything’s fine,” Marinette replied, with a slightly hysterical sounding laugh. 

Luka lifted another pair, trying not to think too hard about which pair he grabbed and what it might say about him. He tossed the panties to her, and then quickly turned back to the drawer.

“I’m just gonna step outside for a minute,” Marinette muttered, and Luka swallowed as he heard her bare feet pad away. 

“This is the weirdest fucking day,” he muttered under his breath, carefully moving more underthings aside and trying not too hard to think about what other kinds of things a lady might keep in her underwear drawer. Ugh, why did the damn drawer have to be so deep—wait, was that—

Luka picked up a distractingly pretty blue pair decorated with black ribbons, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the familiar tip of Sass’s tail sticking out. “Got you, you little shit.” 

“You found him?” Marinette said behind him, and Luka jumped. She was wearing shorts and a t-shirt now, and she’d pulled her wet hair back into a ponytail. She stood on tiptoe to look around him, though she still kept back behind him. 

“Yeah, now I just have to get around to his head and get him out without spooking him,” Luka said, reaching into the drawer again. “The last thing I want is him musking all over your things because I grabbed him too quickly and startled him.” 

Marinette wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know what that means, but it sounds gross.” 

“Trust me, it is,” Luka said, removing another pair of Marinette’s underwear and adding it to the pile he’d been making on top of the dresser. “I am really, really sorry about this. I shouldn’t have trusted Ding—my friend. He’s got a good heart but he’s a little loose on details.” In the drawer, Sass shifted, and lifted his head, tongue flicking out curiously, a pair of teal, scale-patterned panties draped over his head. Luka bit back a laugh. “Hey, buddy,” he murmured, moving his fingers near Sass. Sass’s tongue flickered once, and then again, scenting, and then he moved forward, sliding out from under the pile of panties to glide onto Luka’s hand. “There we go.” Luka brought his other hand forward to move under Sass’s body, and finally, carefully, lifted the pile of snake out of Marinette’s underwear drawer. Far from looking stressed, Sass seemed as relaxed and laid back as ever, gathering his nearly four-foot length into Luka’s hands like nothing was amiss. It kind of made Luka want to shake him, but that would have been really dumb, so he didn’t. He sighed with relief instead, feeling his shoulders go slack as Sass poked his head up towards Luka’s elbow. 

“I wasn’t imagining it,” Marinette murmured, keeping behind him, but still leaning on his arm to peep curiously around him at Sass. “He really was that big.” 

“He’s pretty near his full growth,” Luka agreed, and lifted Sass up to eye level. “Which is why I built you that nice, big habitat and made it so comfortable, so that you had room to be you. I can’t believe you just bailed on it.” Sass swayed forward, bumping his snout against Luka’s face. “Yeah, it’s me, you little dummy.” 

“Does he bite?” Marinette asked, and Luka snorted softly, moving his hands to keep the snake supported as Sass began to slither up his arm. 

“Not usually. Sometimes he bites me just to make a point, but not enough to hurt,” Luka told her, “For the most part he’s well socialized, and friendly. Really, he’s harmless to anything much bigger than a rat. I promise, you were never in any danger from him. I’m sorry he gave you such a scare, though.”

“Can I...can I touch him?” Marinette asked, as Sass slithered across Luka’s shoulder and extended his head out a bit, tongue flickering. Luka grinned at her.

“Yeah, sure. Here, let’s just...” He backed up a step and sat down on the edge of Marinette’s bed, then reached up and took Sass off his shoulders to gather him between his hands again. Apparently no longer inclined to stay put after his little panty-nest nap, Sass began to slide up his arm again as Marinette set down next to him. She reached out a tentative finger to stroke Sass’s body as the snake moved up towards Luka’s shoulder. “Oooh, that’s so weird,” she said, but she was grinning, and Luka chuckled. 

“I’ve had him since he was a baby about the size of my hand,” Luka told her, closing one eye as Sass poked his snout into Luka’s cheek. “I was freaking out, thinking that I’d lost him. I’m sorry we interrupted your day, but I’m grateful you found him, and didn’t hurt him.” 

“Hurt him ,” Marinette laughed. “ He just about gave me a heart attack. I just moved in, you know, and—well, I’d seen a mouse a couple of times so I was already a bit jumpy, and then I saw that and suddenly I was sure the whole place was crawling with pests. Which was maybe a dumb thing to think, but I...it’s my first time living on my own and I guess I’m a little paranoid.” She shrank a little, reaching up to tug at her still-dripping ponytail. 

“I don’t think there’s any reasonable reaction to finding a snake in your...er, unmentionables.” Luka coughed as Marinette snickered.

“Unmentionables,” she snickered. “You sound like an old man.” 

Luka laughed with her, only a little self-consciously. “I, um... don’t think you’re going to have a mouse problem anymore,” he commented, stroking a swollen place in Sass’s belly. “I guess that’s why Sass ended up here. He probably smelled it.”

Marinette eyed the lump in Sass’s otherwise sleek form with a conflicted expression, but she only sighed. 

“If it’s any consolation, I’ve been here a few months and I haven’t had any pest problems,” Luka continued.

“I don’t guess you would,” Marinette laughed, looking at Sass. “They can probably smell him and stay away. Maybe I should borrow him sometimes.”

“Well, clearly I could use a better babysitter,” Luka chuckled. “So if you’re interested, we can definitely work something out.” He turned his head to look at Sass, who was draped along his shoulders again. “No more hunting, though. That mouse could have messed you up, you little jerk.”

Sass yawned, tongue flickering, and then stuck his head down the collar of Luka’s shirt. Luka rolled his eyes. “I should let you get back to your day,” he said, standing up. “And I should get this guy back into his cage.” Sass slid further into Luka’s shirt, and then reversed course, his head peeping back out. “What are you even doing right now?” Luka asked him. “Missing your heat rock?” 

Marinette giggled. “He’s kind of cute, actually. He’s very pretty, with those markings...wait, is that him?” She caught the edge of Luka’s sleeve, lifting it slightly to reveal the top of the tattoo on his upper arm. 

“Yeah,” Luka grinned, shifting so she could see it better. “I love that one. They made him look amazing.” 

“They really did,” Marinette said admiringly, and then her eyes widened slightly and she dropped his sleeve, moving back as her face reddened. “Um, sorry.” 

“No worries,” Luka chuckled. She was really adorable, and sweet when she wasn’t screaming. She’d certainly warmed up to Sass quick enough, too, so he gave her points for courage and open-mindedness. 

“Well, it was very nice to meet you, Sass,” Marinette said to the snake, bending down slightly to be eye to eye with him. “Next time I’d appreciate it if you’d wait for an invitation, though.” 

Sass slid up and away from Luka, stretching out toward Marinette as if planning to explore her shoulders next, but Luka put a hand under him and lifted away. “None of that, Casanova,” he told the snake, redirecting Sass back to his own shoulder. “Let’s get you home.” 

Marinette walked them to the door, and when she opened it, Luka paused on the doorstep. “Um, thanks again for being so understanding,” he said, trying not to stare at her too intently. “I’m glad to have met you, Marinette. If you ever need anything, well.” He gestured vaguely. “I’m right next door, and I owe you.” 

Marinette smiled at him, pink tinging her cheeks, and his stomach did a little flip. “Thanks, Luka. I’m glad to meet you too. I’m sure I’ll see you around.” 

“Yeah, definitely,” Luka smiled back, and then practically fled back to his own door. “See you.” 

She gave him a little wave before closing her door, and he was grinning widely when he opened his own. 

He took Sass straight back to his enclosure, and Sass eagerly slid from his hands, beelining for his favorite warming spot. “I’m really mad at you,” Luka told him. “I was worried. I’m definitely still killing Dingo.” He couldn’t keep his face stern, though, a smile twitching his mouth. “I might owe you big time, though. That was a hell of an icebreaker.” Luka sighed, and shut the enclosure, making sure it was securely latched. 

He went back to the door where he’d dumped his bags, and picked up his guitar case, leaving the suitcases where they were for now. He got out his guitar and settled down on the couch with a sigh. 

He lost track of how long he’d sat there, playing a soft tune that reminded him of blue eyes and giggles and silk. When his phone buzzed in his pocket and brought him back to himself, he could see sunset colors through the window. 

“Oi, mate,” Dingo said when Luka picked up the phone. “I finally escaped—ooh, poor choice of words...I mean I’m off work now. I’ll grab some takeout and meet you at your place so we can—”

“I found him,” Luka interrupted, wincing a little. He probably should have texted Dingo hours ago to let him know. 

Oh well, the bastard deserved it.

“You did?” Dingo repeated, obviously relieved. “Yes. Good. Okay. Welp, cancel that then—”

“Oh, no,” Luka interrupted him. “You’re not getting out of bringing me dinner. I still need to kick your ass.”

“Not exactly incentivizing, mate.” Dingo sighed. “You want your usual?’ 

“Actually,” Luka said, thinking fast. “I’ll text you my order in a minute.” He hung up before Dingo could protest, stuck his phone in his pocket, and went out the front door.

“This is stupid,” he muttered to himself, rubbing his palms on his jeans before he knocked on Marinette’s door. 

She opened the door and her curious expression morphed into a smile. “Luka.” She was fully dressed now and made up to boot, and just as cute as he remembered. 

“Hey,” he managed to get out, and hoped his smile didn’t look too manic. “Um, my asshole best friend is bringing me takeout to make up for being a dummy, and I’d really like to buy you dinner to make up for earlier.” 

“Oh,” Marinette’s expression shifted into uncertainty, and she bit her lip. “I’d hate to intrude…” 

“If you’d rather, I can just bring your food over when it gets here,” Luka offered. “But you definitely wouldn’t be intruding, I’d love for you to join us. Totally your call, though. You don’t even have to decide now. Do you like Thai?” He pulled out his phone to show her the menu.

“I love Thai,” she admitted shyly, taking the phone he offered her. “Um...but you really don’t have to…” 

“I want to,” he told her sincerely, and the smile she turned up at him made his heart rate kick up a few beats. 

“Okay,” she said, and he nearly stopped breathing as she pulled up his contacts. “How about I just add my number and you can text me when he gets here, and...I’ll come over for a little bit, if you guys really don’t mind.”

“Y-yes, yeah, definitely, go ahead,” he said quickly. 

Smiling to herself, Marinette did just that, and then sent herself a text before she handed him back the phone. “I’ll text you my order, it’s a little complicated,” she told him, “and then I guess I’ll see you in a little bit.” 

“Yeah,” Luka smiled at her. “Looking forward to it. I’ll text you in a bit.” 

He managed to make it back into his own apartment without cracking, and then he had a (very quiet, since she was still next door) freakout in his living room as he texted Dingo both of their orders and hit send. He found himself in front of Sass’s cage, trying to slow his pulse with some deep breathing. Sass was looking right through the glass at him, and if Luka didn’t know better, he’d have thought the little bastard looked smug. 

“I’m still mad at you,” Luka insisted, but the grin splitting his face probably wasn’t very convincing. “Don’t look at me like that.” He sighed. “Dingo’s never going to let me hear the end of this. If she’ll even speak to me ever again after she meets him.” 

Well. That was a problem for future Luka. Present Luka just got the number for the hot girl next door, and she thought his snake was cute, and—

“Yeah, this dinner with Dingo is going to be a disaster,” he laughed helplessly, flinging himself down on the couch. 

[the-piece-of-spadille]

Eustass Kid | Sorrow

Pairing: Eustass Kid x female reader

Notes: Mentions of death, and injuries.

Word Count: 2k

Killer was the first to hear the dreadful news, he was making his way down the street to the local bar where he was to meet back up with Kid. He heard a hushed conversation between two gentlemen and at first, he thought it was just another made up rumor. There’s simply no way that the Raven Pirates were dead. Their captain, (Y/n), is apart of the Worst Generation and has proven many times over, that she’s worthy of that title not only to the government but especially to Eustass and his crew.

It wasn’t until one of the men spoke about a fight that involved two Admirals that made the Killer’s blood run cold. He remained hidden and waited for any possible truth in the conversation. The names Aokiji and Kizaru came up a few times and that was enough for Killer to grab both men and drag them to his Captain. He knew, in the pit of his stomach he knew that something happened. If any part of the rumor turns out to be true, his captain is going to want blood and so will the rest of the crew. One simply doesn’t harm Kid’s beloved. 

The Kid Pirates soon found themselves sailing off to a winter island in the New World. Kid and Killer were able to get more information from the two men at the market before Kid destroyed the town in a furious rage. There was suspicion about an informant that tipped off the location of the Raven’s to the Government. A fight had already broken out between Pirates and Marines before the Admirals made it to the island. It was an easy win for the pirates until the Admirals showed. They don’t have the details, but the fight took a gruesome turn and many pirates lost their lives. No report has been made yet by the Government, at least not publicly. Which in turn means no record of who’s alive or dead.

Kid always said that he would be the one to kill them someday. (Y/n), the captain, got under his skin like no other. They both live bold and fearless lives and often they came into contact on the seas as enemies. That was before the incident with the Red Hair Pirates. 

It was (Y/n) who managed to keep Kid alive after losing his arm. She allowed him and his crew to recover on a winter island that the Raven’s use as a second home. It was then the relationship between the two captains began to shift. She would often check on the man, get him anything he needed, and most importantly, told him not to stop chasing after what he wants most.

It became evident that previous and new threats held no real weight to them. They still fought like cats and dogs, but it was different. The crewmates on either side saw what was forming between them and knew it was going to be a long road ahead before either side could truly rest. It turned into a long and agonizing game of who would fall victim to their feelings first. 

Ultimately (Y/n) was the first to fall, she grew tired of all the pent-up emotions and grabbed Kid by his signature coat and pulled him down to her height and kissed him. It stroked Kid’s ever-growing ego that he did not give in first and he paraded around the island as if he found the One Piece for weeks. With the warm memory in thought, he breaths a heavy sigh as he watches the passing sea. “You’re fine… you have to be.”

Starring out at the vast number of graves of the fallen crewmember, (Y/n) stood in the middle of a snowstorm. It’s been a total of three days since the lost of her crew. All but two members perished by the hands of the Admirals. It took two days to make it to their island and another to bury and lay them to rest, but she promised them she’d bring them back home.  “Please Captain (Y/n.) You need to warm up and rest. It won’t do you any good if you freeze to death out there” the voice yelled across the field of snow. Instantly whipping her head around, glaring at the last remaining crewmate.  

The words “freeze to death” played over and over in the captain’s head. That’s exactly what Aokiji did. He froze them to death while Kizaru pinned (Y/n) to the ground and made her watch as the other shattered her crewmates into pieces. Tears roll down her redden checks as she looks over at the graves for the last time tonight and whispers a “goodnight.” 

(Y/n) makes the slow tread back towards the warmth of the building. The injuries and cold catching up to her. “Sorry about the choice of words Captain, you need to rest. You’re heavily injured and you shouldn’t be out in that storm in your condition.” Avisa, the youngest and newest member of the crew being only eighteen, covers her captain with her own coat and holds the door open. Avisa was incredibly lucky to be mostly unharmed after what they went through. “We should probably change your bandages and disinfect them again… has your eyesight changed?”

(Y/n) groans from shifting the coat open and revealing the endless bandages wrapped around her body. “It’s… it’s as good as it’s going to get, I’m afraid. I lost about half the sight in my left eye.” The young girl shifts around, grabbing more bandages and disinfectant before settling in front of the captain and unpeeling the dirty bandages from the wounds earning a whimper of pain.

“Wait, before you start with the disinfecting, I could use a drink.” 

“Sure thing Captain, I’ll go fetch you some water.” Just as the girl began to move a loud boisterous laughter bounces around the walls of the otherwise quiet room. The two women jump from their seated positions at the voice of a man. “She means booze girlie” the voice snickers. (Y/n) pushes the girl behind her and does her best to seem threating but it’s proving to be hard in her state. This nearly makes the man laugh again but he gets a glance at the wounds scattered across her body. 

The outside lighting does little to show who’s at the door and it wasn’t until the man spoke again that (Y/n) recognized who was there. “Take it easy doll” Kid spoke, hand in the air stepping inside. “Kid” her voice wavers. Taking a few steps towards him but stops and clutches her side in pain. His smile falters as he crosses the room to grab her and keep her upright. 

He’s familiar with the layout and takes her to a bed in the closest bedroom. “Sit before you bleed all over the floor.” He walks out the room to motions for the rest of his crew to come inside. Killer follows his captain back into the bedroom to inspect (Y/n’s) wounds. Avisa, with a bottle of opened booze sitting on the table, had already unwrapped her wounds and had proceeded to disinfect her wounds.

There’s deep bruising along her ribs on the right, followed by three holes no doubt left by Kizaru, scatter over her torso. The worse being on her left shoulder. Kid grabs the bottle on the table and takes a generous swing before offering her more. “I did my best to stitch the wounds with what we had, I’m pretty sure her ribs are broken. She was…” the young girl had to stop keep herself from crying. Killer, as gentle as he could muster, touched the swollen and bruised area earning a sharp intake of air followed by a cry of pain. 

“I’d say three are broken and the rest are just bruised. What did you use for stitches? I see a few places that need to be touched up.” The masked man turns away from (Y/n) to talk to Avisa. “Horsehair. There’s a small ranch not too far from here.” He nods in thought, “we’re going to need more.” The pair leave the room to go retrieve more supplies and to fill in the rest of Kid’s crew on her condition.

Kid looks around for something to cover her body and he spots (Y/n’s) coat, or rather what’s left of it. It was a beautiful thick, long coat, jet black in color, and made of raven feathers, now it’s barely recognizable. It’s a lot smaller in length now from being ripped. More feathers decorate the floor than the actual fabric. It also mirrors the holes littered in (Y/n). It was a gift to her from him. “Say something please.” 

Kid looks over with an unreadable expression and shrugs off his coat and walks over. His hand traces over the new scars and wounds that littered across her. He pays extra care to the open wounds before his amber eyes meet hers. He brushes the hair out of her face to get a better look. Half of her left eye is clouded over with a faint scar to go with it. He knows now isn’t the time to get angry, but all he wants to do is tear the bastards heads off for hurting her. He can’t even begin to imagine what it feels like to lose her crew on top of everything. 

He takes a deep breath, something she has told him numerous times to do, and thinks back to what she said to him when he was in a similar situation. “It uh… adds character.” (Y/n) laughs until she feels the pain in her ribs. Kid scowls at her before dropping himself on the bed and his coat on her to cover her up. “Thank you for trying to cheer me up.” He makes a “tsk” sound before telling her to shut up. She grabs his hand and plays with his fingers to calm her nerves. “It was planned.” 

“What?” 

“It was Scratchmen Apoo who told the Admirals where we were headed. Had to be. He was trailing us for a couple days and when the Marines spotted us, they let him go.” A stray tear falls down her cheek before she can wipe it away. “We we’re cornered into an island, so we abandoned ship for the time being and fought. We were fine until those bastards showed. They started to take us down one by one. Kizaru trapped me underneath him and held me in place. Made me watch.” Kid wiped away her flowing tears and placed a long kiss to her hair. He’s never wanted to hurt someone so bad in his entire life. Forcing her to watch. “It was Avisa who saved me. And to think I almost didn’t let her join… she shot them with sea stone bullets.”

The anger rolling from Eustass can probably be felt in the next room. He recently formed an alliance with Apoo and was already having his own issues with the man. This is the final piece straw that broke the camels back. Kid knows he can’t be trusted, and he need to be brought to an end. “I’ll make them all pay!” 

Kid jumps up ready to storm out and take his frustrations out on whatever he can get ahold of but (Y/n) speaks up just as he’s at the door frame. “I want to be apart of taking them down. I need to. For the sake of my crew.” Kid turns around and stomps into your direction and places a heated kiss on your lips. 

“Hurry up and get better, because your sailing with me.”  

[kbsd]

not sure if you’ve answered this before, but what’s your process look like when you make an amv? i’m just curious and in constant awe of ppl who can make videos like you do :)

hello all!!! i have answered this before and i have a vid help tag with other asks i’ve gotten about stuff like this! but i’ve gotten several more messages along these lines so i’m just going to answer a bunch of them together (under a cut since i love to ramble about editing lol). i do just wanna say i’m definitely not the authority on video editing and obv everyone has their own techniques!

edit: i just finished typing all this up and it’s SO long so sorry in advance LMAO god bless anyone who reads this entire thing

so i work in news tv and we have a very specific workflow for writing scripts, sourcing video, producing, and editing. i’ve just applied that to making amvs! for every video i make, i copy the song lyrics into a google doc and adjust them to match the song i’ve cut (i often will trim songs for time and/or content purposes). then i start planning! i’ll mark down what clip i want to use for each lyric next to that line, and any sound bites i want to use (with episode numbers!). i’ll color code between video and sound bites and lyrics, so my scripts end up looking something like this (for my honeybee amv):

doing the planning ahead of time makes everything much easier when it’s a video that spans the whole show or involves a lot of sourcing, like honeybee or sports analogies. that way when i get to the actual editing process, i already know what i’m going to do and have a game plan. for videos like happy ending or believe it or not, where i’m mainly just pulling from a few episodes, i can just plan it in my head as opposed to writing it all down, and produce as i edit. obviously i do make in-the-moment decisions while editing—sometimes a shot doesn’t work the way i thought it would, or i go where the video takes me—but planning ahead definitely helps. i know some people use spreadsheets as well, with columns for lyrics, video clips, and sound bites if applicable. once you find a system that works, it actually goes pretty quickly.

as for sourcing clips themselves/finding clips within episodes, i talked about that here and kind of here. the short version is that transcripts are a must, and the supernatural wiki is hugely helpful by cataloguing all the hugs, prayers, phone calls, etc. in the show. gifmakers that tag episode numbers on their posts are your friends. it gets easier the more video you make—that’s another huge reason i make the google docs for each video (even the ones i plan in my head, i end up going back and making a loose script with episode notes just for reference). if i can’t remember where something is but i know i used it in another video, i can easily reference past scripts!

i also cut all my videos in the same project in premiere pro, so i can flip between them easily. instead of checking a past script, i can just go to the video sequence itself and copy the clip i’m looking for! this was especially helpful when i match cut together the 5x18 and 4x22 wall slam shots for my bestie video, and then stole it from myself for honeybee hahaha. at any given time i have at least 8 sequences open:

because of the sheer volume of videos i make, it’s worth it for me to download the entire show—i have all 327 episodes in HD, plus deleted scenes. if you think you’re only going to make a few videos, i’d start with scene packs. you can usually just google “destiel [or whatever ship/character you’re looking for] scene packs” and there will be any number of ones you can download. if you need other specific scenes, you can always download/torrent individual episodes or screen record netflix (that’s what i did before i got HD download links). i’m happy to share my links if you DM, but be warned it’s a lot of disk space (about 500GB on my hard drive). someone also compiled every destiel scene, downloadable here.

having every episode already loaded in premiere for all my projects also makes it a lot easier to source clips. once i use a clip in a video, i’ll put a marker on the episode file, so that after a while i have most of the important scenes/lines marked to easily find them. to give you an idea, this is my episode file in premiere for 12x10 lily sunder has some regrets (markers at destiel scenes, the car fight, hot girl cas, etc.). markers are the green tabs along the bottom:

premiere also lets you color code and name markers, so ONE DAY i will go back and color code them all. the ones above are all the same color, but in a perfect world, i’d have a myraid—for destiel shots like hugs, touches, looks; for important pieces of dialogue; for action shots; etc. but for now this works ok for me, so that’s a project for another time!

between detailed scripts, one giant premiere project, markers, the wiki, and my own memory, i have so many points of reference that i can usually find any clip i need in about 2 minutes max. sound bites are often harder to start out, or tiny specific shots i haven’t used before, and that’s when i turn to tumblr gifsets or beloved mutuals to crowdsource. but if you’re as obsessive about marking/keeping neat scripts as i am, it gets easier and easier with every video you make. that’s part of why i’m able to cut videos together so quickly. (also i want to stress i do this for a living and have to produce/edit a new piece for my show every day so i’m used to it. and compared to constantly updating content/sources and news that changes every day, 327 highly documented episodes that never change are much easier to handle hahaha)

this is all great for me since i make so many videos and plan to continue doing so, but if you’re only making a few, this level of work isn’t worth it imo. really it’s all about developing a system that works for you. whatever you do with episodes/sourcing, though, i cannot recommend planning things out in a script ahead of time enough. 

everything i just mentioned is producing, though. for the editing process, i usually do it in this order:

music first. any parts i want to cut, i make sure it all sounds smooth

then soundbites. i usually try to weave them into the lyrics—i have characters talk in breaks between lines or instrumental sections as much as possible. i’ll sometimes go so far as looped/extending an intsrumental part to make room for the soundbite i want there lol. if i do have dialogue over a line, i do the sound mixing/levels at this point as well to make sure everything is audible/one doesn’t overpower the other. (also i always include the video that goes with these bites when i drop them in, and decide later if i want to show the character speaking or have other clips cover the dialogue)

once i have all the audio locked in, then i bring in all my other video clips. sometimes i edit completely chronologically, sometimes jumping from section to section—it depends on the song or how i’m feeling

double check sound mixing. i usually listen to my videos through a few times, with headphones and without to make sure it’ll sound good no matter how people watch it

once i have picture and audio lock, i go through and color correct my clips. i’m basic and just use lumetri color in premiere, and usually just play with brightness, saturation, temperature, and tint until i like it

render and export! :)

i always have several audio tracks, but i try to keep my video tracks condensed. i’ll drop clips on a V2 level, and edit a section there, and drop the whole chunk down to V1 so i know it’s finished. that way when i leave and come back i can know where i left off/what’s done/etc. to give you an idea, this is the timeline for my what the hell video:

i always render as H.264 with high bitrate, and make sure to check “render at maximum depth” and “use maximum render quality” for the best quality. i’m sorry, but i don’t know what the equivalent options are in final cut, imovie, kdenlive, etc. i post on youtube mostly so i don’t have to sacrifice quality, but usually just using a lower bitrate will get you under the tumblr file size limit and it’ll still look good.

as for the anon who asked about “polishing”: first of all, thank you!! second of all, it’s in the details. all of this is a matter of taste and my own insanity, but here are some little things i always try to do:

after i color correct, i blur out any credits from the starts of episodes. i use gaussian blur for this, but really any blur tool works

as much as possible, i avoid clips where we see a character’s mouth move but don’t hear the words. in tv/film we call it “lip flap” and i just think it looks messy. also i’m trained to avoid it at all costs at work hahaha. it’s more for serious videos that this matters a lot to me (e.g. i think i did a really good job eliminating lip flap in my happy ending amv)—for comedy videos i don’t sweat it as much

i put audio fades on the start and end of every single audio clip i use, even if i don’t think i need it, to make sure everything sounds smooth

i use markers for timing, especially in action-y videos like what the hell. i’ll put a marker on the clip i’m using at the exact moment a punch lands, and in the song on the beat. if i have the magnet/snap in timeline tool on i can just easily snap them together instead of having to spend time finagling it

this is such a small thing but i dip/cut to black for a tiny bit at the start and end of every video. this way if i post with tumblr video player, there’s black between the loops, and it gives you a beat before the video restarts. i do this even on videos i post on youtube, just because i think it looks nicer/more professional

this is 1,500 words so i’m going to stop myself before i pull something. if you have follow-up questions feel free to ask and i’ll continue to add them to the vid help tag, but any more questions about sourcing clips or my process in general i’ll just link this post going forward. anyone who made it this far, i am sending to a telepathic kiss. thank you for reading and happy editing!

[ihopethisendswell]

My Computer Is Terrible So I'm Stating My Story Ideas Here Part 9: This is gonna be very f-ing vague but it has Lore Keeper Sonia in it and that all that matters.......and my oc x Leon ship I guess.

Okay okay okay

Swsh Fantasy/Medieval/Royalty Au

You love it. I love it. Will I write about it? Eh. Will I gush about it? Absolutely.

So so so

Some random things that I'm thinking about.

I'm going full ramble here prepare yourself.

Lore. Keeper. Sonia. My. Beloved.

Let her have an active role dammit

For what idk but it'll be something!

Also King Leon cause duh

With Raihan as his number 1 knight. The only one who can at least match him in battle

Also his bff( along with Sonia)

Being a young king Leon had less time to interact with those he cares about

Like Hop

Also Prince Hop My Beloved

So like

The plot is very vague but like

The basic idea is that there's a threat of a dragon or something similar to the sort

And ofc King Leon and his best knight will go to the threat themselves since soldiers they sent has note returned so better go themselves to not loose anymore men

So as they prepare to leave Sonia comes along and is like " I'm coming with you I know about these Legends of the Land that might help you" and Leon is like " No it's do dangerous" and they fight about while Raihan is in the background like " oh damn" before Leon uses his status as a king and orders Sonia to not interfere which really blows a whole into their already stained friendship

It also causes Raihan to question if his relationship with Leon is that they're actually friends or it's just of a king and his knight ( only professional)

Leon in all of this is feeling very bad but Rose is like " you did what you had to do" and tries to encourage Leon about his abilities/ status/ relationships.

Rose is Leon's counselor/ Duke/ idfc but he's there

Change in perspective: it's hops turn

His whole thing is that when he was really young he used to be bff's with this girl( Naomi) but the problem is that no has seen her AND one day she just disappeared like that one guy in the meme so no one believes him when he says that she exist

So up until now he was taught to believe that he was imagining things and that this girl didn't really exist until he started having weird dreams about someone calling him to fulfill some prophecy of sword and shield or whatever and each time this person mentions Naomi, his childhood friend

And in his dreams it's said that they have to go to the place Leon and Raihan are going to fulfill the prophecy

So now Hop's like " well dang I guess I have to fulfill this prophecy but there's no way that Lee would let me go with him-" ( cause he overheard Lee's and Sonia's fight) " so who can I ask?"

Piers that's who!!!

Idk if he's gonna be a duke or part of a gang of thieves not how tf does hop know about him but he does and we're gonna role with it

THIS IS GETTING ODDLY SPECIFIC FIR SOMETHING THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE F-ING VAGUE

Also Marnie tags along too because of course she does

They somehow tag Bede along who was going to stop them but they forced him to come anyway

BACK TO LEON

A day before they leave Raihan is like " we should head to the market for extra supplies " and Leon's like " yeah sure" so they head to the market

While they're there Leon bumps into a stranger with black clock with neon blue highlights aka Alexis!!!!

And Alexis drops a few things most notable a compass of sort but before Leon can say anything Alexis just snatches it out of Leon's hands and walks off without a word

And Leon's like " rude" but honestly doesn't think of it

So the next day they're actually leaving for real and after a long while on the road Raihan thinks that some snuck on their carriage only to find out it was just Sonia because she's a bad bitch like that

And Leon obviously makes a fuss because she went against his orders but she's like " I know more about * insert place* more than the two of you combined!" ( Well not really, and Raihan is fairly knowledgeable about Legends and history and and stuff but I need a reason for Sonia to be there okay)

They fight for a bit before Raihan gets in between the two and is like " we're too far to go back now and she might be a big help so stop fighting" and they stop for the time being.

Que travel sequence with both parties having shenanigans

Leon and Sonia fighting

Hop and Bede fighting

Marnie honestly vibing

Piers being tired of everything and rethinking his life choices

Raihan honesty having to be the middle man before snapping himself and now all three of them are not on good terms ( oh you thought it was just gonna be Alexis x Leon angst? Ha! The games gave me both to much and to little content to work with. Suffer)

Another perspective change but it's Alexis this time!!!!!

In the game canon he had a relatively light scar on his right eye. Well now it's worse :)

In this Au he was cursed by a certain green haired man( Ghetsis) (I'm going to dread tagging this aren't I ), who was an evil warlock and king( or Alexis' Homeland and by force I must add)that Alexis defeated cause he was once a hero

Bascically he's cursed to have the appearance and abilities to a half-dragon

So for the most part he looks human with a few things akin to Zekrom minus the tail.

To be specific his arms and legs are both seemingly chard black, with slightly visible lightning marks. they glow blue when he's using magic/ his powers. His eyes ( well eye) is like Zekrom's

While that sounds cool, his new abilities give Alexis a lot of pain, as his body isn't suited for it

And because big that he can't really control his new powers so he's not only hurting himself but also those around him.

As much as I want to go the route of he runs away from his family and friends to look for a cure and protect them this guy Formerly had no clue how magic worked he just used it, so he had to ask those around him who did to help him

Which involves the dragon that everyone is looking for as it is said to sap energy of any kind, which would reverse his curse.

This dragon is called Eternatus

The problem is that this same dragon is known to to use it's energy to cause destruction around it and Alexis is like yeah no, and goes off to find another way with Elliot and N since both Cheren and Bianca have they're own duties and N knows about the curse being Ghetsis' son

The compass is magic and it's away for each of them to tell where the other is and use for communication

It's also used to detect magic!

So yeah this compass is very important

Along they're travels the twins have this very strange dream regarding Naomi but they notice that A) she's wearing a necklace that was once owned by their uncle before he moved away to start a family.

So they rightfully assume that this girl is their cousin

The second thing they notice is that Eternatus is literally right behind her and is causing her A LOT of pain.

Bascically she's begging them to come save her because she's gonna die if they don't

If your wondering why she didn't contact Hop it's because she assumed that Hop had forgotten about her so she thought it would be pointless. Not the spirits/ the wolves though!

So know the twins have no choice but to go find Eternatus and rescue Naomi because why wouldn't they she's in trouble and they're cousin !!!!

So they tell N the gist and make they're way to the kingdom that Leon rules and Alexis bumps into Leon yada yada yada you get it

And after that they leave for Eternatus.

I have a lot more ideas but this is getting waaaaay to long so I'm just gonna make a part 2/ part 10.

Seriously this is very fun to think about as I love the fantasy genre.

TDLR: This is awfully specific for something that's supposed to be very vague. Also Lore Keeper Sonia my Beloved ( I know I didn't talk about her much but just know I love her dearly)

If anyone have any ideas or just want to brainstorm with me, feel free to tell me!

[lovelylogans]

Yes. Please Open The Box. I've been on hp brainrot cause I've been rewatching the movies with my mom. Please

i feel like i have a lot of opinions that are popular opinions, and fuck terfs, but nonetheless:

regulus black would have been the perfect example of a brave slytherin that albus was named after

arthur, hagrid, or remus could have served as other father figures instead of albus; tell me hagrid would not burst into tears upon hearing his child was named after him? also, arthur, for both ginny and harry!

i read the occasional drarry fic but it has to be very, very well-written; or, at least, it has to have the understanding that draco has to go through some sort of redemption, either through atoning for his own actions, or an au in which he already has—some fics make him the next-gen spy, a bit like snape

uh, draco and dudley are perfect foils, and people would simp after dudley if he was as “conventionally attractive” as tom felton

dudley had more of a canon redemption arc than draco did

fatphobia is rampant in the series—villains are the vast majority of fat rep, and even good fat characters like molly or hagrid still have faults (hagrid is “big and dumb,” a bit like dudley tbh, and molly is kind of just? a Mother? like that’s her defining character trait. nothing wrong with being a stay at home mom if that’s what you want, of course, it’s just that molly didn’t have much of a personality outside of her children until the later books.)

misogyny too—molly was so mean to hermione in the fourth book and fleur in the sixth, ginny was mean to fleur too, hermione gives off “not like other girls” energy especially concerning lavender and pavarti

poc harry and hermione—sure, jkr says she’s cool with it, but she gets a lot of credit for the bare minimum. she could have written them that way.

there’s a whole lot of white people in hp. wish there’d been better rep

same with dumbledore! it’s so clear she said he’s gay to get better credit for rep that’s barely there, but now she has the chance to expound in it in the fantastic beasts movies, she isn’t planning on addressing it. right. okay.

should i even get into the antisemitism of the goblins

most -isms jkr ticked, tbh, and described better by other people who these -isms directly affect, so i won’t get too much more into it

wish hufflepuffs had more house rep, in general, they mostly just get cedric, and i wish that “good slytherins” were expounded upon, especially concerning the whole “no slytherins stayed” for the final battle you cannot TELL ME that there wasn’t ONE slytherin who had ambitions to fight voldemort

(i’m a ravenclaw, btw)

cho, angelina, and ginny are all overhated; movie!ginny was albeit lacking a lot of the Spice of book ginny, and movie cho got shorted bc they didn’t include marietta as the betrayer of the da, but like. god. pls chill ppl

albus probably considered that sirius was innocent but decided to leave him in azkaban, even though he didn’t know for sure; albus probably also laid out the traps for the stone with eleven-year-olds in mind, just in case harry wanted to try and prove himself; albus was behind a lot of the machinations, and at the very least he left a child to be abused for years on end

i wrote a ten page essay on why snape is a garbage person for that college class i mentioned. i got a perfect score.

like seriously i could talk about how much snape sucks and why him having a crush on lily isn’t redemption, but like. we get it. c’mon. “i see no difference,” threatening to kill a student’s beloved pet, being that student’s worst fear....... come on.

harry should have been the dada professor when he grew up. like it’s right there.

tonks is genderfluid you cannot convince me otherwise

i love wolfstar as much as the next gal, but if we get a marauders tv show slash movie, you know she’d make that shit as straight as possible. no thanks.

someone on tiktok said florence pugh as helga hufflepuff tho and. yeah.

mmm jkr really should have kept her hands off a lot of the international schools; i know she messed up at the very least native american representation, even though native americans requested she not do that, and there are really big Colonization Vibes from those expanded schools. which like, i get, bc colonization was happening, but. still. so many fics have done better with those concepts.

speaking of! fic recs! these are all on ao3

the changeling: slytherin!ginny. takes her through all seven years and addresses various kinds of magic. i absolutely adore it. harry/ginny

boy with a scar series: takes various “what ifs” about the harry potter series and writes them; mostly canon ships

sunshine in my eyes: lily is raised by professor mcgonagall. jily

true, and unafraid of toil: a character study of autistic newt scamander

the dogfather: petunia turns down taking in her son, sirius escapes azkaban much earlier, and harry’s adopted by muggles. only the first year of hogwarts is written out in full, but there’s ficlets that follow through to the end of the wizarding war. wolfstar.

(the completely unwilling participants on) the bachelor: james is the first british bachelor; lily is a journalist who is sent on the show, undercover, by her shitty boss. james/lily

swung by serafim: a characterization of snape that i do not completely hate; i avoid the last two chapters, bc i do not like snarry, it squicks me out, and i didn’t see the tags for it until the very end of the work since it gets more textual in those chapters, and also it involves real life events that feels a bit strange to write about in fic, but. that’s just me. i think there’s cho/harry/cedric in there?

turn: genuinely just one of the best-written harry potter fanfics i’ve ever read. harry after the epilogue gets sent to an alternate universe where things went a little different. drarry

the debt of time: obligatory “hermione gets sent back in time to the marauders” fic; these were super popular on fanfic.net, where i started out, but i read this recently and really really enjoyed it. sirius/hermione, remus/hermione

the pure and simple truth: everyone goes out to a bar. drarry, romione

hogwarts, to welcome you home: harry as the dada professor from mcgonagall’s perspective

stealing harry: sirius never went to azkaban, but harry still went to the dursleys for a bit. it’s written up to part of the third book, but it has notes for how the rest of the series would have turned out. wolfstar

hermione granger’s hogwarts crammer for delinquents on the run: if harry was told he was a wizard at age seventeen, instead of age eleven. drarry

the reclamation of black magic: harry’s grandmother dorea was in a coma and never died. now she’s come to adopt her grandson and seek a reckoning on the wizarding world. this is unfinished and is in harry’s first year; sirius black/remus, for a bit, but also remus/female oc and sirius/male oc; probably harry/hermione, by the end of it.

if any of you have fic recs (especially fics featuring ginny, jily, or wolfstar) (i’ve been meaning to read atyd, i’m saving it) please let me know!

[raywritesthings]

Ship Meme

I was tagged by both @ciceroisthefamilycat and @the-white-w0lf, so thank you both!

1. favorite ship

Can’t do it, how dare you? Instead, I think I will summarize at the end of this list what I think my favorite ships all tend to contain.

2. first ship: (Mary Poppins and Bert, Mary Poppins)

These two were OTP before child me even knew what an OTP was. The only bit I liked from the stage musical more than the movie was them kissing each other on the cheek.

3. first ship you were crazy for: (The Doctor and River Song, Doctor Who)

Oh man, can I just sit there for hours thinking about these two. Doctor/River was probably the first time I got into writing fanfiction specifically for the ship as opposed to just playing around with the characters for fun (it’s all on a very old FFN account - no, I’m not sharing the penname). There’s just so many layers to their dynamic and a crazy amount of chemistry to carry it off. The only reason I don’t still write as much for them as I used to is just because I wrote so much I’d need to come up with new ideas; but every so often, I still do.

4. newest ship favorite queer-platonic ship: The Doctor and his Ponds (The Doctor, Amy Pond and Rory Williams, Doctor Who)

I haven’t been watching much lately, so I don’t really have any new ships at the moment and thought I’d highlight a dynamic that goes through a lot of different stages and results in so much depth and so much unsaid. The development of Amy and Rory’s characters and how their relationship plus their relationships with the Doctor and their growth into a three-person unit is endlessly fascinating to me (and I used to write a lot of fics about it, too). Not once did any character have to refer to the other two as a “fam” in order for us to get that they are family in every sense, and not just through marriage (as funny as that is). It’s a totally different dynamic than any the Doctor has really had with a set of companions, and I don’t think we’ll ever really get it again. And I’m okay with that. They are unique in the universe.

5. ship you like but no one else does: Karolsen (Kara Danvers and James Olsen, Supergirl)

Sue me, I thought they were cute in the first and only season I watched, and a big factor in my decision to not continue watching the show was hearing they retconned Kara’s feelings for James and broke them up before they even got to have a date (and then got her together with a white guy who owned slaves on his old planet but if I think about that for too long that’s not gonna be great for my blood pressure). The least the writers could have done was try out writing them as a couple since they spent a whole season building up to it.

6. ship you wish was endgame: Lauriver (Dinah Laurel Lance/Black Canary and Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, Arrow)

Anyone that reads my fics or my various Arrow ask game posts knows how much I hate what was done to these two. And frankly, by abandoning this relationship, the writers ended up completely sabotaging their protagonist��s hero’s journey to the point where he’s largely regarded as the biggest jerk in the Arrowverse, not to mention the heaps of disrespect they shoved onto one of DC’s most beloved heroines, and for what? Steadily falling ratings and a reputation of what not to do when making an adaptation. Should’ve just delivered on what you promised.

7. ship you wish had more screen/page time

As much as I believe Ginny needed to have a life separate from Harry for most of the books in order to disprove the “obsessed fangirl” argument people make about her, I still can’t help but feel like she would have been an invaluable asset in the Horcrux Hunt (plus she deserved to destroy one after the Hell she went through as a girl thanks to one). I hope blvnk doesn’t mind but tbh it’s her versions of the characters I picture more than the movies these days.

8. ship you wish has more screentime: HarleyIvy (Harleen “Harley Quinn” Quinzel and Pamela “Poison Ivy” Isley, Harley Quinn)

Now that these two finally confessed their feelings for each other in the season 2 finale, it’d be nice to see them navigate being an actual couple in season 3, whenever that may drop.

9. ship you wish was canon: (The Doctor and Donna Noble, Doctor Who)

It is bizarre how perfect these two are for each other, and yet... On one hand, I get that Donna was meant to be something different after two successive companions had crushes on the Doctor. But damn, if RTD didn’t accidentally just end up showing off how much deeper and truer the love between these two was than the infatuations or puppy love that came before. Doctor Who isn’t really a show designed to have a permanent canon couple, but I sure wish these two had had a chance to be for a little while at least.

10. ship you want to be believe was canon: Piercintyre (Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce and “Trapper” John McIntyre, M*A*S*H)

This show was made in the 70s and set during the 50s, so obviously any kind of confirmation of non-platonic bonds between same-sex characters was going to be a no-no. But c’mon.

So, to get back to question 1, overall I think my ship preferences tend to involve friends (oftentimes best friends) whose relationships grow from the platonic to the romantic (or sometimes even the reverse). Even when there isn’t necessarily a deep foundation/past to the characters, there has to be common, shared interests or goals beyond thinking the other character is hot. A lot of times these ships end up having different stages or layers and even sometimes complications to them, but when the chips are down they’re there for each other (unless the writers force them to make some ridiculous OOC decision to keep their idea of a plot going, but I digress...)

I tag @colorofmymindposts​ @basmathgirl​ @1-of-those-things​ and anyone else interested in doing this.

[palettepainter]

DO NOT REPOST/EDIT/COPY/TRACE MY ART OR OC!!! Warning to his backstory, mentions of abuse and murder Adding yet another Hazbin Hotel OC to my swarm of other characters, because why not? His backstory is still in the works but I'll dump some ideas I've had for his personality/character/backstory below -Captain Cutthroat hails from Safe Haven, born to a wimpy scullery maid and being born at sea, Cutthroat's (or Kennedy as he was called when he was alive) life has been a rough sail on the sea's from the start. His mother, a small frail looking thing was sold to his father, the captain of a famous fishing crew as a servant/errand girl. His father, a brash, crude leader to a gang or rotten, backstabbing crew of pirates, and his father found a sick liking towards the skittish, pale looking cabin maid. Cutthroat is born out at seas and right after a long hard night at sea through a long storm. Years to follow are filled with back breaking labor given to Cutthroat curtsy of his beloved 'father', all the while he's under the sharp eye of all of his fathers intimidating crew members. Swabbing the deck after the crew had a drunk night of celebrating, washing the laundry, cleaning the dishes after meals - but at least little Cutthroat has his mother, it makes things bearable. Sneaking away scraps of food, managing to weasel his way out of trouble by the skin of his teeth, being made a fool by the crew members while his father barks with laughter along with them. But having his mothers side to cry into, it makes life bearable. -Cutthroat and his mother make their escape from his fathers clutches when Cutthroat is at the brisk age of 16, he's just turned in after he's finished mopping the decks, and overhears his dear old dad gabbling away with another sea captain. His father, not keen to part with his gold, bets his mother. Cutthroat is frozen with fear, anxiously watching and listening through the crack in the door, as the other captain earns himself a win - it is decided, Cutthroats mother would be handed off to him first thing in the morning. Cutthroat has done his best to push the memory of that night from his mind, but that night he was body was shaking worse then a scrawny nobody in a storm as he woke up his mother, and hurriedly made his escape with her in the dead of night. Life on the streets was no better for them, cold nights and days without food left his mother sick and weak, and Cutthroat had to work tooth and nail just to scrape by with savings for food. Lie, cheat, steal, he did it all - the boy had it rough in his young adult days, selling whatever he had on him for whatever coins of gold he could get to care for his mother. Unconsciously he follows in the footsteps of his father, turning to the black market where anything and everything can be sold for cash - if you're clever enough to know the ropes. Cutthroat knew the black market was not the most moral of jobs: trapping and hunting sirens without drowning was rare, but their scales and fins where worth a pretty penny or two. Snaring griffins was a shot in the dark, but their skulls and feathers would pay them enough to live comfortably for half the year. The more magical the creature, the more it was worth - but money is money, and Cutthroat, young and desperate, was prepared to sell soul and left leg for it -His mother, despite suffering from the abuse and mistreat by his father, still tried to guide Cutthroat down a good path, one that wouldn't make him turn out like either of them. She genuinely tried, but in her sick state she couldn't do much, even when at sea she was not the best - she would sometimes forget to feed Cutthroat as a baby, she simply didn't have time, would spend days on end sleeping when Cutthroat was old enough to take the burden of tasks off her shoulders. To wee Cutthroat, his mother was an angel, and you can imagine his distress when his mothers sickness grows worse. She becomes sicker and sicker by the day, every day she's a little weaker, more colour draining from her face. Enraged at his own weakness, Cutthroat takes his mother to the nearest inn, slaps some gold in the owners face, and sets off to sea in search for his father. New at sea he doesn't fair well, he gets lost a lot, nearly gets himself killed a few times, but somehow, through spite and determination (but mostly spite) he tracks down his father. Cutthroat may not be a good sailor, but at the age of 20, he's become pretty darn good at playing his cards right - he's young, his father is old, and the black market has taught Cutthroat the best ways to throw a man off guard. Cutthroat infiltrates his fathers ship, putting up the facade of simple new lad on the ship, and one by one he poisons his fathers crew mates, slowly by surely riding his father of his little lackeys, no one to call for now. Daddy dearest he saves for last, the poison works on him slowly, Cutthroat WANTS his dad to feel every bit of pain. Cutthroat draws out the torture, taking his sweet time to give  back to his dad all the pain he put his mother through - just when his father goes to draw his final breath, he turns to give Cutthroat a pained crooked smirk, spitting blood before he slurs 'just like yer old man, eh boy?' - something within Cutthroat snaps, and he deals the final blow to his father with a knife to the throat (hence his name, Cutthroat) -With revenge done and his old man dead, Cutthroat spills oil upon the deck and sets the boat alight while escaping in one of the emergency boats, his fathers ship burns into the fog, and is left to crumble and rot at sea. Cutthroat, stronger and tougher, returns home, not regretting an ounce of his actions. Returning home to the inn, Cutthroat isn't prepared for the hord of staff and people crowded round his mothers room: There she is, laying in bed, face pale and forehead cold with sweat, bags under her eyes as a doctor tends to her at bedside. Pneumonia, and it's bad. Cutthroat is at his mothers side in a heartbeat, the tears already swelling in his eyes as he grips her hands, they're cold to the touch, and she can barely manage to keep her eyes open to look at him. When the doctor tells him that it is unlikely she was survive the month Cutthroat warns him to shut his trap, when the doctor offers for them to end her suffering humanly, Cutthroat has to hold the urge to throw a lamp. He yells at them to get out, to leave, and to never come near him or his mother again! As soon as the door closes, he breaks, leaning his head gently onto his mother as she weakly rests her hands in his wind swept hair. On top of having to get enough money for food, to pay to stay at the inn, and for whatever medicine he can find to ease the pain for his mother, Cutthroat decides it's time to skip town, he'll get her help elsewhere..They don't make it far, carrying his mother is not hard, years of working on his fathers boat built up his muscles - but the cold is not helping, and even Cutthroat needs rest. The pain is getting worse, his mother is struggling to breath, she's eating less, her coughing is becoming more violent. It takes three days of travelling for Cutthroat to realize the harsh truth, his mother wasn't going to make it, and he'd been putting her through hell by pushing her forward, when all she wanted to do was rest. Cutthroat asks his mother one day if she wants to rest, and his mother replies, barely above a whisper, that she is very, very tired. They both know what has to come next. Cutthroat ends her life, as swift as he can - it hurts him, hurts him so damn much - her death is sadly slow, Cutthroat does not have the power to make it fast and painless, so he cradles her body, his tears dropping onto her face as he howls with sobs, body trembling as she rubs her hands gently over his back one final time. Cutthroat gives her her own burial, in a nice field by the sea, which he knew she loved to look at -Cutthroat, having lost his only true family member, falls back into the ways of his younger, troubled self: he sells on the black market, does illegal trading, hunts down exotic creatures across safe haven and becomes a notorious criminal (the work nullifies the pain from his past, if he just keeps working, he'll forget it). Years later when hunting and trading of exotic creatures is banned in safe haven, that does little to stop Cutthroat, he continues about his way, not shy of getting rid of any lil sneaks that may run the risk of turning him in. Cutthroat eventually dies by a spear to his throat, the aftermath of a little disagreement between Cutthroat and another crew of traders that tried to swindle him of his treasures. It's no surprise to Cutthroat when he ends up in hell, and he makes himself very much at home at Hellside coast: Hellside coast is his turf, he owns that part of town, and even though visitors are scare, he does well to make his reputation known. He is a big dealer on the black market and a local hunter and trader of goods, he charges a high bargain, but is willing to trade for the right valuables. Despite his gruff and his towering height and strength, Cutthroat can be somewhat decent, he's a lil on the snarky side and makes playful jabs at visitors - jabs that often have a darker meaning or jabs that are meant to serve as a warning - 'Swimming eh? Knock yerself out meatbait, just make sure yet rugrats are attending too. All unattended children will be snapped up by a' sea serpent, don't stand a chance against those...HAHA! Lighten up, was just a joke..last year only half as many kids disappeared then usual' -Cutthroat, no matter what, deep deep DEEP down will always have a hidden soft spot for kids - he goes by the motto 'talk shit, get hit', if he sees someone being a prat or more so, sees someone being a prat to a someone who can't defend themselves, this man is quietly lumbering over to break things off, and this man gets violent very quickly when those who are weak are involved. This is mostly because Cutthroat, despite his reputation, understands what its like to be vulnerable and helpless. He claims he is not capable of being soft, but that's a big fat lie -He knows of Pip, and has actually grown fond of the little rats company. Pip came to Hellside coast when he was spending the weekend with his Uncle Angel Dust, he and Iridescence had been playing outside when a turf war broke out in the area they had been playing in. Pip, rightfully afraid, scrambled down to Hellside coast and hid in the first place he saw, inside an empty barrel by the coasts docks. Little Pip is then rightfully terrified and can barely manage to speak when the barrel is rolled onto the ship and the boat pulls out from the harbor. Hours go by, Pip is scared, his small body trembling from the cold. Deep below deck Pip finally manages to crawl out from his barrel, the sea tossing the boat and causing poor Pip to stumble his way along the boat, maybe he could sail back in one of the smaller boats? How far from shore could he be? News flash: Very far. Pip is very nearly tossed over board by the raging waves, until a firm hand grabs him by the scruff and drags him back inside, Cutthroat. Rightfully so Pip pushes himself into the furthest corner from Cutthroat. Cutthroat, rightfully so, tears Pip now with all his yelling and demanding 'What the BLOODY HELL where you thinking?!' - Pip, shaken and scared, soo begins to cry and the sight of Cutthroat and curls in on himself as the boat continues to rock...which is why he is very surprised when Cutthroat offers him a blanket (all be it a smelly one, but it kept him warm), a small meal and some water, and reassures him he'll make a turn around back to the docks as soon as the storm passes. Cutthroat roars with laughter when Pip meakly asks for Cutthroat not to throw him overboard, Cutthroat admits though he could easily toss Pip across the room no sweat, he isn't big on killing a helpless kid: maybe grow up a little first, then the next time you sneak onto his boat he'll toss you over, if that's really what you expect him to do. Pip becomes comfortable very quickly on Cutthroats boat, and Cutthroat quickly becomes annoyed at the boys jabbering and constant questions, as soon as he reaches shore the next day he drops the kid off at the hotel and makes his way back to his boat when he's sure the kid is A-okay at that fancy shmansy hotel. Every visit from that day on Pip visits Hell side coast, some days he'd simply watch Cutthroat do his thing about the docks, other days he'd follow behind him like a lost duckling, completely in awe at seeing a real pirate! Cutthroat is..50/50 with his company, he likes the attention, but he does love his peace and quite, and having a kid constantly chew your ear off made him realize how much he loved his silence in the afternoons, but somehow - he ends up liking the brat -When Pip excitedly told Cutthroat he wanted to be a pirate just like him, Cutthroat stared at him blankly, then replied with a casually: 'Heh, a terrible decision kid' - and told Pip to change his life goals fast. The day in which Cutthroat properly began to care for Pip was the day the little brat came running up to him, tears pouring from his eyes, Cutthroat didn't get a chance to ask what was wrong or scold him for fleeing up onto his ship with his tail between his legs, before two other men dressed in suits come rushing down the path. Cutthroat goes up to his deck to retrieve the boy when the two men approaching his ship, he goes to tell them his business for the day is closed and to come back tomorrow, but freezes when they explain they're looking for a little scruffy haired boy, how his father is looking for him, and demands that Peter be brought home. One scared look from the shivering boy is all Cutthroat needs to tell the two men that he ain't see no boy, and to get lost. Cutthroat couldn't pry all the details from Pip, but he quickly gets the impression that Pip's father, this Castello character, ain't a nice man. Cutthroat knows he's been through some stuff, he ain't the best person to be giving advice, but something about the sad slump in the boys shoulders and his messy untamed hair made him think back to a time when he was like that. From that day fourth, Cutthroat takes the boy under his wing. He asks Pip if he still wants to be a pirate, when Pip sniffles with a weak nod: Cutthroat says lil pipsqueak has a long way to go, ties a red bandage round Pip's shoulders, shrugs, and says that an old sea dog like him will just have to show him the ropes. The way in which Pip's face just lights up, it's hard for Cutthroat to not chuckle at. Pip becomes Cutthroats prodigy, at first, he spent time with the kid in hopes it'd make him feel better, but in the end, he too began to grow to enjoy their time together, his mouth would quirk up into a lazed but happy grin when he saw the pint size running down the beach to greet him, he couldn't help but be smug when Pip failed miserably to reel in an escaped fish from his net (may or may not have had several heart attacks when Pip was nearly swallowed by huge deep sea demonic lobster), can't help but ruffle that messy hair of his, can't help but tease at how utterly tiny Pip is, how terrifying he is for a pirate in training, he's seen scarier goldfish! Cutthroat loves that little brat, and also loves the free adoration and idol like praise Pip gives him. That's all for now! Had a tone of fun drawing this guy so I hope you like him! Cutthroat/Pip/Iridescence - me

[crimsonfacets]

💘 Jiggies this in here for the demon wifes uwu

send me 💘 + A SHIP and i’ll tell you—

where they first met and how

When Vaggie fell into Hell, she was drowning in a sea of tormented souls. It was a nightmare, and it was very, very painful. Charlie was the one who helped pull her to the surface and the first to hold her, as well as comfort her. It was a very impactful first meeting that led to Vaggie forming a very powerful trust in Charlie from the get-go, and for someone like her, that sort of thing is hard to achieve.

how long their ‘flirting’ phase was before feelings got involved

Long! Playful flirtations were part of their aesthetic, but of course, somewhere along the way, things got very, very real.

who fell for who first ( if applicable )

They’re a tale as old as time in Hell, because both started falling just around the same time. I’m not sure what happened, but I feel as though some sort of event happened with the two of them that begun their slip into a very deep, very true love with one another. I think it’d be fun to figure out what exactly happened. :)c

where their first date was and what it was like

I feel like Charlie might have suggested a bowling alley due to being so flustered, so their first date was at one of the most flashy and theatric bowling alleys in the First Ring. A very neon-palette place! Very fun, honestly. Vaggie wasn’t too sure about it since she’d never been bowling before, but they ended up having a blast! Vaggie even asked what took them both so long to do this. 

Afterwards, they both went for a drive to one of the best lookout points in Pentagram City and spent a few hours sitting atop the limo just.. snuggled up, and talking. Razzle and Dazzle wrapped them up with a shared blanket before leaving them to have their privacy. It was really nice, and they both just flatout fell asleep like that and woke up in Charlie’s room.

who asks who out and how ( with a sign? spelled out on a cake? just a simple ‘will you go out with me’? )

While I vibe with their canon story of them just having clicked together, I feel like after they both confessed, Charlie asked Vaggie out with panache; an enormous display of flowers formed into a heart with Vaggie’s name spelled out in the middle. Tons of stuffed toys and balloons. Cute cupcakes with little purple moths and goats on them. A bouquet of roses and being down on one knee.

Vaggie was very overwhelmed, but she loved it so much.

who proposes first

Charlie, for sure. Vaggie doesn’t have the confidence for it.

if they keep / kept their relationship secret or let everyone know right away

Pfff, as if they’d keep their love a secret. They’re proud of their love and are not hiding it! Everyone knew they were an item almost right away. Vaggie was a little nervous when it came to Charlie’s parents though, but Lilith&Lucifer had already far accepted her as a member of the family unbeknownst to her. The friendship she’s had with Charlie has a history and a fond one at that, so she’s been in the Magne fold for quite some time now. It was no shock to either of them that they both wound up like this.

where the proposal happens and how ( kiss cam at a baseball game? on a hillside surrounded by ducks? at a disney park? )

On Vaggie’s birthday. Charlie always does Vaggie’s birthday up big, even if it’s a closed event with just the two of them, plus R&D. This time, Charlie’s taken Vaggie up top to the Mortal Realm and they’re having a wonderful dinner in a very luxurious suite at a hotel that Vaggie has always wanted to stay in but had the funds to. It’s a private event and it’s a dream.

Charlie uses her magic and she summons some fireworks to enchant her beloved, and while she’s distracted, she gets on one knee and takes out a very gorgeous ring in an onyx band. Vaggie immediately senses something is going on, something more than it seems, and glances down, and nearly jumps out of her skin before immediately having tears just pour down her cheeks as she covers her mouth.

When Charlie pops the question, she even uses Vaggie’s real name. Priscilla López.

Of course, Vaggie says yes after tackling Charlie and smothering her in teary, teary kisses.

if they adopt any pets together

Maybe in the future when things are more stabilized and less at risk. A pet’s a big responsibility and they’re both very busy girls right now who are constantly on the go, and neither are irresponsible. I think a pet that’s independent could be good for them if they both wanted one, like perhaps a very regal and very lethal Hell Feline that’s warmed up to the both of them and incredibly loyal, and very protective. THAT could be cute. 

who’s more dominant

I feel like they switch, to be honest? One’s usually in the mood to take control, but they definitely have their moments where they’re both in the mood and “fight” for it lol. 

where their first kiss was and what it was like

Akin to the proposal being on Vaggie’s birthday, I like to think it was on Charlie’s birthday when they first kissed, brought on by Vaggie. She stole her Princess away from the crowd and used the Witching Hour to take Charlie to the mortal realm for an hour. There, she kissed Charlie under the stars, and it blew her mind. ♥

if they have any matching couples stuff ( mugs? sweaters? pillowcases? )

They have so much of this already people STRUGGLE with ideas of what to get them for their wedding. They have cups, they have pillowcases, they have shirts, they have shoes, they have bracelets, they have dinnerware, they have SO MUCH. SO MUCH.

It’s obvious they’re really into this. Like, really into it. Very sappy couple. 

how into pda they are

Incredibly. They do not care who sees them, they’re going to snog and snuggle in public as much as they want - they refuse to censor themselves or feel ashamed of their affections. It’s very common to see their arms linked, or seeing one wrapped around the other’s waist. Kisses and getting lost in one another’s attention is something they’re prone to do, Lilith bless ‘em.

who holds the umbrella when it rains

I feel like Charlie does this and Vaggie thinks it’s the sweetest thing. Leave it to her babe to always be prepared.

where their usual ‘date spot’ is ( if applicable )

Going with the first date, I think their fallback is that bowling alley for fun. It’s just an enjoyable locale overall where they can just kick back and enjoy the food, the fun and the atmosphere. There’s a skating rink conjoined to the place, so it’s not strictly bowling - they love to go skating, too!

This is subject to change of course if it’s not fitting for Charlie, it’s just what I drummed up. c: Essentially, a really neat Arcade in Hell.

No I am not imagining them taking their kids to the skating rink for the first time and skating as a family. No, I am not crying about it.

who’s more protective

Vaggie is incredibly protective (as the Pilot has shown us!), but when it comes to serious dangers, Charlie is the Princess of Hell and it shows. She’s kind, but she won’t let anyone disrespect her wife. You don’t take shit from other demons, and you certainly don’t let them treat your wife like it.

how long it is before they sleep together ( can be as in ‘had sex’ or as in ‘shared a bed’ )

They’ve shared a bed before since the earlier days of their friendship! They’ve always been pretty comfortable together, even if the thought gave Charlie internal *BI PANIC*. When it comes to intimacy, however, they slipped during their friendship stage. They’d been good friends for a while (at least a year in) then suddenly whoops, they became friends with benefits after a little too much flirtation and a little too much sexual tension went overboard!

if they argue about anything

They have disagreements, but they never let it escalate into arguments. They hear each other out and they talk civil, handling it maturely. No emotional screaming, no misunderstandings.

who leaves more marks ( lipstick, hickeys, scratchmarks etc. )

Oh, Vaggie for sure. She absolutely adores marking what’s hers and letting the entire world know just who Charlie belongs to.

who steals whose clothes and how often

Charlie loves to steal Vaggie’s clothes, especially her jackets and coats. Their styles are different; Charlie’s formal and snappy, and Vaggie’s more stylish and on the gothic side. She’s a little obsessed with her white feather jacket, and Vaggie just thinks that’s adorable. Meanwhile, Vaggie adores wearing Charlie’s dress shirts as sleep shirts. ♥

how they cuddle ( spooning? facing each other? )

Tucked into one another. They like zero space between one another when they cuddle! One head beneath the other’s chin, limbs all wrapped around the other. A sentient knot with fingers lost in hair and lips pressed to the top of the other’s crown. If not like this, their faces are mushed together. 

what their favourite nonsexual activity is

Besides affection? They really enjoy dancing together, and playing games where they get to be on the same team! They work very well together, if not sometimes losing focus because Charlie ends up goofing off and Vaggie ends up falling right after her lmao. 

But, dancing. Dancing steals the top spot, for sure. They could get lost in dancing together easily, and lose sight of everything around them just as much.

how long they stay mad at each other

Not long at all. Feels bad, man. They refuse to go a day where they’re on the wrong foot, going to bed on bad terms just does not settle well in their book.

what their usual coffee / tea orders are

I feel like they both like their coffee the same; black with a few spoonfuls of sugar. It’s shocking because people expect Charlie to like it super sweet, but she needs that pep to last her through the day, and Vaggie’s the same exact way. The stronger, the better! But it always needs sugar because they love that sweet note. They’ll always have a dessert tagged with it too, though. It changes, from fresh baked snickerdoodles to eclairs.

Tea, on the other hand, changes. They experiment and are always trying new blends! They’ll usually get whatever the place is serving as House rec. As a default though for home, they do enjoy their Darjeeling. Also, these girls take their tea time very seriously, especially when it’s been a chaotic week.

if they ever have any children together

Eventually, yes! Vaggie has her own issues to get through first; she’s not sure she could be worth a damn as a mother since her own screwed up with her own upbringing so royally, but with enough assurances and talking, she’ll come around. The idea of them both being mothers makes her heart flutter. :’)

I like the thought of them having a bunch of daughters, but I like the thought of them having just one, too. Depends on what we’re feeling if we get to that point! <3

if they have any special pet names for each other

Of course they do! Terms of endearment are regularly used between these two. Vaggie usually calls Charlie, “Mi Princesa”, while Charlie calls her a whole litter of names every day of the week. Sugarbear, Honeycup, Sweetie-face, Apple of my Eye.. you name it. Vaggie, astoundingly, keeps up and is impressed Charlie has not run out of anything yet.

if they ever split up and / or get back together

NO.

red is not a fan of these tropes and will avoid them like the plague.

what their shared living space is like ( messy? clean? what kind of decor? )

Clean with decorative clutter. It’s a very cool clash of worlds, with Charlie’s classy style and Vaggie’s more darker aesthetic. They have creepy-cute plushies everywhere and canopies galore in red, black and purple. The air seems to sparkle. It’s a bedroom befitting the Princess of Hell, molded with her lover. 

You have walls filled with posters of Charlie’s favorite musicals and memorabilia, and Vaggie’s more.. suggestive wall art and gothic posters ranging from original work she purchased to bands. There’s a wall they decorated themselves with their own graffiti and have tacked on lots of special things they both like!

There’s a corner of the room that serves as their online area; it’s a swerving black glass table with one computer that is Vaggie’s, and next to it is Charlie’s. Their areas are very personalized, but they have two little funko pop figures of themselves meeting at the middle of their sections that they mess with and change the positions of.

The bed is, of course, vast in size. Very comfortable, like laying on a mattress filled with feathers, which makes it very hard for Vaggie to get out of bed in the morning. The general blanket is black with a holographic effect that gives it a red and purple gradient, and the white sheets below are satin with the same property. There’s a lot of big, plump pillows too - black with gradients ranging from unicorns to moths and rainbows, depending on how the casing. 

They have a balcony they have their tea time on, with a black iron wrought table and chairs to fit. A porcelain tea set gifted from Lilith with an apple theme, although the cups were purchased by the girls. “Hers&Hers” theme along with the setting, from washable napkins to the silverware. To boot, the bottom of the tea cups say “I love you”. 

what their first christmas / hanukkah / etc as a couple was like

Wholesome. They’ve always had their Christmases together ever since they started bonding real tight, but this domestic vibe was added when they’d begun dating. It’s the same, nothing much has changed, but now there’s themes of romance and kisses beneath the mistletoe. 

It was very warm and tender. A very pleasant memory in both their minds, memories from the gift exchanges to preparing a dinner for four (themselves + R&D), then later visiting Charlie’s parents at the Castle. 

Vaggie loves the memory so much. She still can’t believe she can have a very beautiful Holiday like this in Hell, but Charlie’s here proving to her that it’s possible time and again.

what their names are in each other’s phones

On Vaggie’s phone: “💖 👑 𝓟𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓪 👑 💖 💍”

On Charlie’s phone: “💞 🥰 It’s Vaggie!! 🥰 💞 💍 ✨” 

if they have any ‘couple traditions’ ( buying a new mug for their collection every year? baking every friday evening? )

Tea time, as mentioned before. Tea time is so crucial for both their peace of mind and generally for having a really lovely time together that’s like a mini-date-at-home. It’s a dedicated moment they both use to slow their roll and take stock, too. They both get so caught up in the business of getting the Hotel up-and-running they can oft neglect important things like eating and drinking, and just, you know, taking a break. R&D stick them to it and pull them out of their busy bee mindsets. :’>

who falls asleep first and who wakes up first

My girl falls asleep FAST, but I feel like Charlie’s always the first to wake up and usually Vaggie’s own personal wake-up call!

who’s the big spoon / little spoon

They switch! Sometimes you’ll find Vaggie draped over Charlie, other times you’ll find Charlie wrapped up around the tiny lilac-gray ball that is Vaggie.

who hogs the bathroom

Their bathroom is enormous! There is no hogging, there’s using it at the same time! It’s honestly cute and hilarious to watch them both fuss around while groggily chattering, sometimes clattering together to use the mirror even though it’s like, six feet long. They just gravitate to one another and clog the other’s space, mushed together. It’s handy though, because usually they’ll help one another with brushing hair and fixing clothes!

who kills the spiders / takes them outside

It depends on who gets there first! Although Charlie’s gotten Vaggie into the habit of sparing their HELLISH little lives, she still prefers to be the one who shoos them out in case Vaggie just says, “fuck it” and SQUASHES. Hell Spiders are no laughing matter - They’ll Fuck You Up.

[starline148]

who are your top ten favorite black bulls & ships? talk about them!

Hi Anon, thank you very much for the question. It's going to be a long answer so I hope you feel like reading.

Top Ten Black Bulls Members:

Since there are actually 14 including Yami, instead of making the Top10, I will include everyone. I will say now that I really like everyone a lot despite having to do the ranking, like everyone to me are sceptional characters that deserves de world.

N01. Asta: It might be typical considering he's the main character, but Asta really seems like a very interesting character to me and he's my favorite of the Black Bulls. His way of facing the world, wanting to fight to protect his beloved people but respecting and empathizing with his rivals came to me from the beginning. Thanks to Asta we realize that the bad guys are not so bad, that maybe they have their reasons (I follow the Anime, so I don't know if it will continue to be like that in the manga, I've seen something but I don't want to spoil myself). Honestly Asta is not only the member of the Black Bulls that I like the most, but he is one of my favorite characters of all the time. In Black Clover only Julius surpasses him.

N02. Gordon: This one might be more surprising considering he's a secondary or even tertiary character, he's one of the Black Bulls with less screen time and I still love him. He seems to me to be a very tender character and with whom I feel identified. In the end, all he wants is to have friends and protect them and that goes straight to my heart. The first time he appears he looks like he's going to be a cool, serious character, but it turns out he's a cinnamon roll.

N03. Charmy: I think people like Charmy in general and I admit that I fell into her “charms” too, she is a funny character without being grotesque or humiliating and at the same time she is super strong and great. I love her magic and her laid back personality. Charmy knows how to make people love her and I love the battle scenes she has. Also, the fact that she wants to share her food even with her enemies says a lot about her for me, she is a wonderful girl and I hope they show more development of her. 

N04. Yami: Yami is a magnificent character, I love his personality and the way he fights. The magic of darkness could have easily fallen into the cliché, but as with the other characters, Tabata manages to make him unique. His fights fascinate me, he is seriously a character that you would like to see and know more about. His story with Julius and William is very tender and the fact that he embraces those people who others reject because he knows how to see the true potential of people, in my eyes makes him the best leader of all. And honestly, I would love for him to be the one to become the Wizard King. Although of course, it does not fit very well with his personality.

N05. Noelle: Female protagonist who is useful, strong and made to fight alongside the male protagonist without any fear. Superb. I honestly love her. Her personality, her story, and her resolve to avenge her mother. The development with her family was unexpected (honestly, I really disliked her brothers until it shows why Nozel does what he does, was it the best he could do? No, but that's the great thing. People don't always do their best and that makes him more human). The only thing I don't like is that she attacks Asta out of shyness, I know it's comedy but hmm, well; It is sure to improve as her relationship with Asta develops (if at all). As a bonus, the Valkirie Dress looks amazing to me, I love the design of the armor.

N06. Magna: I adore Magna, I honestly think he is a great character. He is not as strong as his peers and everyone knows it, yet he still strives to train and not be left behind. His scenes seem very emotional to me and his character is very funny. He has the design that I like the most of all the Black Bulls and I love that his magic is based on baseball when it does not exist (or so I think) in that world. I hope they develop him more, because for now they have left their background a little aside compared to the others, although if they do not do it I will not complain either because for me Magna is the average character that makes you want to try harder and harder for your dreams even if your skills are not the best; and that as such makes him one of the best characters.

N07. Finral:

Finral is a lovely character, I like him a lot, he makes me very tender and makes me want to hug him every time he appears. His background touched my heart very much, his whole relationship with his family (his brother) and wanting to improve himself after having been lost and feeling worthless. I think he is the character with the most precious heart (aside from Asta), and I hope he can achieve his goal and be happy with Finesse. 

N08. Grey:

Grey is a precious baby, as a character she is so shy that sometimes she is exaggerated for comedy. But being a very introverted and shy person myself, I understand Grey perfectly. I adore her relationship with others and she is a character that I like to see in action to see how she surpasses her limits. Her magic is very interesting to me, so I hope I can see a lot more of her.

N09. Henry:

Honestly, his design was very curious to me from the beginning, when I saw it and nothing was known about him yet. But his personality is super sweet. I love his story and how Yami saves his life by bringing noisy people to his house. Despite his limitation and absorbing the power of others, he manage to deal with them and that is wonderful to me, their scenes are very emotional for me. Although sometimes I get stressed because he speaks very slowly (surely that in the manga I would take it better).

N10. Secre:

Her design is super super nice, I love that she has little horns because of the forbidden magic and her personality is so calm… It makes a lot of contrast with the rest of her teammates. Her magic is one of the most interesting in my opinion. But above all it is her story with the first Wizard King that shocks me, so many years waiting to be able to be in peace… I imagined that Nero would be important for the story but wow, she exceeded my expectations. Anyway it makes me sad that she can't go with Lemiel.

N11. Luck:

Luck, despite not entering the Top10, is a character that I really like, the problem is that I like everyone a lot, hehe. He is a character that I find funny and irritating at the saime time, which for me is part of his charm. I like his magic and his determination to get into any battle; although sometimes I would like them to give his character a little more depth and that is why he is at number 11. But it is just my opinion, and as I say despite that I love Luck.

N12. Vanessa:

I have to say that even though I understand her background and the reasons behind it, I don't quite like the idea that she's always practically naked and drinking. It is the only thing for me, and I equally respect and love her character; But it happens to me like with Luck, sometimes I see them somewhat flat personality. However I know that it is not like that and that she is a quite complex character, I really like when she enters battle, her determination and her love for her friends is really incredible (I really liked the battle of Vanessa, Finral and Asta against Vetto, it is one of my favorite battles)

N13. Gauche:

If he wasn't so creepy with Marie he would have the 5th position on my list ... I mean, I understand that they do it for comedy and that there really is no incest or anything, he is just an overprotective brother (and I understand his reasons because his story explains everything very good), but I think the way to carry that humor gets a little out of hand sometimes. At least it sometimes makes me uncomfortable even though I know that there is no bad intention or anything, he is just a boy who lost everything and who only had his sister to protect. Apart from that, I find him a spectacular character and I have a lot of affection for him despite being almost at the bottom of the list.

N14. Zora:

As they work on his development I imagine that I will like him more, but for now he is the member that I like the least. Still, I repeat, I like them all so ... on a scale of 1 to 10, it would be 7.5, which is high. Only the others are more. Zora is a very curious character and his magic is too, but honestly for now I like his father more than him, Zara is a character that impacted me a lot and deserved the world. Anyway Zora fighting for his father's dreams is precious too.

Top10 Black Clover Ships:

Let's see… I'm not so much involved in Black Clover ships but here are my favorites:

N01. Mars x Fana: I find them especially adorable, after their hard childhood and all they have to go through, I sincerely hope they can end up happy together. Super cute this couple.

N02. Yami x Charlotte:sincerely I hope that it becomes canon because they have a dynamic that I love, I hope I can see development of both and that Charlotte overcomes her panic about being in Yami's presence and that Yami is interested in her, because sometimes he has the sensitivity of a shoe.

N03. Asta x Noelle:

Although I adore Mimosa and I hope she can be happy with someone if she wants to, the couple that I like the most is Asta and Noelle, Asta really cares a lot about Noelle, I hope that little by little he will find out more about his love side and not just friendship, I know that Black Clover is a shounen and such; but hey, who knows.

N04. Gauche x Grey:

They're so cute, aw, when Grey says she wants Gauche to look at her more… she stole my heart. I hope they develop them and that they can end up together.

N05. Magna x Luck: Mm, I like this couple although I am fine whether it develops (which I doubt) or if they stay in great friends because friendship is also something precious)

N06. Finral x Finesse:

Until Finesse appeared I liked Finral and Vanessa, but aww, how can one not be moved by these two? Finesse is a heaven of person and Finral more.

N07. Lemiel x Secre: I suffered a lot when Lemiel "dies" leaving Secre alone and tells her to live and be happy because pff, wow. Without having to be a couple or anything, losing someone so important ... But hey, it's a couple that I really like. Maybe in their next life they can be happy together.

N08. Litch x Tetia: Although they don't appear so much, they are one of the main pivots of the first arc. I cried a lot with their background but they are one of the couples that I like the most.

N09. Fuegoleon x Nozel:

These types of relationships are one of my weaknesses, I really like their dynamics a lot and I wouldn't mind if they became a real couple; although again it would be rare for it to happen in a shounen.

N10. Yuno x Charmy:

I find this couple very funny, it's not that Yuno is one of my favorite characters in any case; but I love how Charmy interacts with him by giving him food.

[letterboxd]

How I Letterboxd #7: Cinemonster.

Hooptober’s head honcho opens up to Jack Moulton about his love for Texas-born horror director Tobe Hooper, the joys of running Letterboxd’s most beloved Hallowe’en community challenge, and the “terrifying, magical” experience of seeing Frankenstein at the age of four.

“You can’t spell October without Tobe.” —Cinemonster

Cinemonster, known to his family and friends as David Hood, is a restaurateur in Pittsburgh by day, and the head honcho of Hooptober by night. Now in its seventh year, the horror film challenge sees participants set their own 31-day viewing agenda of 31 films, curated according to a list of criteria set by its creator.

‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (1974), directed by Tobe Hooper.

With over 5,000 films logged on Letterboxd and a growing collection of posters, DVDs, Blu-rays, laser discs and film memorabilia, Cinemonster is a literal monster of cinema. He has created more than 500 lists, including a ton of year, director, actor, actress, franchise and memoriam lists.

What brought you to Letterboxd? I found Letterboxd while I was doing a Google search for a horror film that I had forgotten the name of. I ran into a list that Hollie Horror had made and wound up starting a profile and it went from there. That would have been a little over seven years ago.

How freakin’ cool is last year’s Hallowe’en Easter egg with the dripping blood from our logo? [Pro members get this added to their pages by mentioning #horror in their bio.] I’m a fan.

Unfortunately I haven’t heard of a single one of your four profile favorites! What’s urging you to highlight these films? They are just lesser-seen and have something good or great about them. Eyeball is a great little underseen Umberto Lenzi film. Death Machines is an awkward, weird and wonderful film with kung fu and blood. Massacre at Central High is one of my favorite films and sadly lacking a disc release of any kind—anyone who has seen Heathers will recognize a couple of things if they watch it. Rituals is a criminally underseen stalked in the woods film from the ’70s.

In this this list description, you explain how the original Frankenstein (1931) hooked you into horror at four years old. Can you describe what you most remember about that life-changing experience? It was both magical and terrifying. The space, the creature, the little girl. I had trouble sleeping for weeks afterwards. No matter where I am in the world, if there is a screening of Frank, I’ll go. I watched most of the major universals by the time I was six or seven. I saw Alien and Jaws 2 with my folks and those stuck with me. Cable and a local UHF station showing Hammer films on Saturdays are what really allowed me to get sucked in.

‘Frankenstein’ (1931), directed by James Whale.

The horror films of 1980 and 1981 were the most impactful and are the ones that mean the most to me to this day; Fade to Black, Night School, Motel Hell, The Fog, Alligator, Altered States, Terror Train, Death Ship, Scanners, An American Werewolf in London, The Howling, The Funhouse, Dead & Buried, Hell Night, Wolfen, Ghost Story, The Pit and Evilspeak. I saw all of them five to ten-plus times on cable as a kid. They’re still all high on my list. I am glad that Fade to Black is on Shudder. People need to watch it. More relevant now than then.

What exactly provoked you to start Hooptober seven years ago? I moved into an old spooky house and had a backlog of Blu-rays to watch and the 4K of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was about to come out. I’d done some interactive stuff on Letterboxd previously and had a decent amount of people involved. I was also at a point in my life where 31 films in 31 days is tough, as it is for a lot of us now. So I thought ‘Why don’t I do something that starts a little early, clears some of my list out, and has some parameters that don’t feel like I am handing out an assignment?’ I grew up in Texas, Tobe [Hooper] is close to my heart, and with all the Hooper I owned and the 4K coming out, I decided to christen it with his name. You can’t spell October without Tobe.

What’s the most members that have participated in a Hooptober? The number of people who participated was a little more than I expected, but that wasn’t what I was surprised by. I never thought of it as a recurring event until I started to hear from people the following summer about ‘the next one’. I just kinda chuckled after about a dozen people had asked and I said out loud to no one, “I guess I’m doing another one of these”. We are well over 700 this year, and still climbing.

‘Fade to Black’ (1980), directed by Vernon Zimmerman.

Where do you get the ideas for the rules for films to consider watching? At this point, I look back at past years so that I don’t repeat myself. I look to the current year for inspiration. Is there a film from a sub-genre that was prominent? Was it a strong year for output from women, Mexico, Asia, Black filmmakers, something cultural, and so on? I may focus on effects creators, an actor or writer on a whim. I try to keep an eye out for blind spots I haven’t covered. Shudder, archive.org, the big streamers are all resources. Sadly, rarefilmm no longer exists.

In last year’s interview with Merry-Go-Round magazine, you mentioned plans to turn Hooptober into a film festival. How’s that going? In a post-pandemic world, how can we keep independent niche film festivals thriving? The world has not been agreeable, obviously. I’m not even sure how viable something like that will be next year. I’ve been taking a look at streaming options. Post-pandemic will require more creativity and outside-the-box thinking, and will probably continue to feed some drive-ins. Been a while since more than a handful of people wanted to put money into a drive-in, which is nice to see.

I’m going to do a tweet along to The Witch Who Came From the Sea in October, and I’ll give you an exclusive here: The George Romero Foundation and I are doing online Horror Trivia on October 11. I had been doing it live with them here in Pittsburgh until the pandemic.

Based on this year’s rules and conditions, if there was one essential you-can’t-miss film you could force all your participants to add to their challenge, which film would it be? Demons, Eve’s Bayou or The Witch Who Came From the Sea.

‘The Witch Who Came from the Sea’ (1976), directed by Matt Cimber.

What have been your own greatest film discoveries through your Hooptober adventures? A Tale of Two Sisters, I Drink Your Blood, Blood Diner, and though it is a bit of a cheat to list this one, The Amusement Park. It’s cheating because it didn’t exist as something that I or anyone else could have watched, prior to when I saw it.

Do you have any acclaimed horror movies still lingering in your list of shame? Eyes Without a Face, Upgrade, Cure and Scream 4.

Have you ever completed one of your own Hooptober challenges yet? Errrrrrrrrr, one. I’m on track this year.

What about the participants over the years—any Letterboxd friends you’ve made who would you like to give a shout-out to? Aaron, Sarah Jane and Chris Duck are people that I talk to outside of Letterboxd. There have been a few others over the years. Slappy McGee has helped me with Hooptober the last two years. They are great. Javo and David Lawrence are pretty great, too.

Before Hooptober, many of your lists invited discussion with your followers. In what ways is Letterboxd the ideal forum to foster a community of film fans? Fans exercise their fandom in so many ways. The platform is so flexible that it allows you to utilize it in a small and personal way, in a promotional way, or to dive into the community pool and see who’s out there that shares something with you or can show you something. The more people that we are exposed to and listen to, we are all the better for.

Which of your review—from any genre—are you proudest of? The Invisible Man or The Hustler, probably. I have a capsule of Hud that I like.

So, you’re the horror guy. Nobody is denying that. You are Cinemonster, after all. But when I look at your top movies list and see that Singin’ in the Rain is your all-time number one, I’ll need you to explain yourself. I go back and forth between that and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. They are 1A and 1B in some order. Singin’ in the Rain is a perfect film and the studio system at its best. I will ignore your implied insult. ;)

‘Fear of a Black Hat’ (1993), directed by Rusty Cundieff.

It’s true, even a horror aficionado needs some levity in their life. What other comedies pick you up from a dark place? Fear of a Black Hat always does the trick. Same with The Awful Truth, Murder by Death, Hollywood Shuffle, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Blazing Saddles, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Black Dynamite.

Who has been keeping you company during this tough year? I have watched thirteen Spike Lee films so far this year. I’ve taken a break the last few months, but I’ll probably knock out five or six more. With the exception of 25th Hour, everything is a revisit. It’s been a joy to go back through everything. Crooklyn is much stronger than I remembered, and Bamboozled just gets better and more impactful as time passes. I have loved Spike since the day I saw School Daze. His films have always connected with things that are important to me and to those that have been around me. Lee is still grossly under-appreciated as a narrative film director and a documentarian.

We’re bowing down to your epic Blu-ray and DVD collection. Which ones are your most prized possessions? Make us jealous. I have an Anchor Bay DVD of Dawn of the Dead signed by the cast and George A. Romero, a steelbook of Battle Royale, the first Slumber Party Massacre set before they had to reprint the box, the original Star Wars trilogy on Blu. I’m sure there are things I’m not thinking of. I have a lot of out-of-print and laser-only stuff. I’ll never get rid of my Holy Grail, Ghostbusters and Akira Criterion laser discs.

A selection of Cinemonster’s signed memorabilia.

I have a copy of Painting with Light signed by John Alton, John Waters and Steven Soderbergh I’ll send you a picture of. I used to collect movie posters, and I have the original Revenge of the Jedi one-sheet and the Drew Struzan Squirm poster. I do love those.

From your top directors list, let’s put one horror director on a pedestal. Who does the genre better than anyone else and why? George. They’re always topical, intelligent, thoughtful, personal and sometimes prescient. At their best they hold up both a mirror and a crystal ball. He was writing found-footage scripts in the early 70s, for god’s sake. Tobe is grossly under-appreciated. James Whale and Mario Bava could scare you in so many ways.

So, thinking beyond Ari Aster, Robert Eggers and Jordan Peele, which up-and-coming horror directors are you most excited about? Issa López, Gigi Saúl Guerrero, Benson and Moorhead, Shinichiro Ueda, Na Hong-jin, Julia Ducournau, Nia DaCosta, Jeremy Gardner and Leigh Whannell.

The 2010s were a great decade for horror. We have more money on-screen, moving away from the low-budget films of the 2000s. Which favorite horror film of the last decade inspired you the most? Get Out. What Jordan did for generations to come is unmatched in this century.

Chucky from ‘Child’s Play’ (1988).

Which probably-too-long horror franchise gets too much flak and is top-to-bottom a great time? Child’s Play. Chucky has always been treated generally as second tier. [That franchise] has tried a lot of interesting and out-there things during its lifespan that had no business working, but did.

I know it’s been a slow year but you haven’t logged many 2020 movies yet! Which is your most anticipated horror movie of 2020 or 2021? Peninsula, for sure; I love Train to Busan. Then Candyman, The Dark and the Wicked, Grizzly II: Revenge, Bad Hair, #Alive, After Midnight, The Platform, Bulbbul, Underwater, Shirley and Swallow.

Interview by Jack Moulton. Follow Jack on Letterboxd.

[spyritevesta]

HoaD’S Pirate!AU

Alright, I’m gonna make a proper timeline. That way, y’all will be on the same page, and we can jump around the timeline without getting confused.

Manny’s Kingdom; The Lunanoff Empire, is allies with Pitch’s Kingdom; The Black Empire. However, traitors inside Pitch’s court, a group collectedly known as Fearlings, kills his queen, kidnaps the princess, and makes it look like Manny’s the one that did it. They’re planning to kill Emily in Manny’s kingdom to really make a statement, but she escapes and almost drowns, getting rescued by a young mer named Jackson. The two become fast friends, and they try to find Emily’s kingdom, but neither of them can a) read a map, or b) find a point of reference for where they are. So Jack takes her home, and teaches her sea magic, which Emily is a natural at, and they grow up together as siblings trying to find a way for her to go home.

Meanwhile, Pitch is furious and heartbroken, as is his kingdom, and they declare war on Lunanoff. So now there’s a war going on, between these kingdoms, and they’re evenly matched, so it’s mostly a stalemate. There’s a temporary ceasefire that lasts around 10 years, but it breaks when the Fearlings yet again manipulate events. They send an assassin after Manny, and he almost succeeds, except someone intervenes.

Jackson, who has become the heir of the northern oceans, and a powerful sea prince in his own right, sets out to find Emily’s kingdom, so he can surprise her for her 15th birthday. He reaches the Lunanoff kingdom, and starts to travel on the land, under the name “Jack Frost.” Along the way, there’s an incident involving a young girl named Flee, and ice, and Jack gets a bad concussion, and amnesia. Flee’s mother helps Jack recover from the concussion, and then allows him to leave for the capital when he wants to go, just so long as he understands he is a part of this family now, young man. When he reaches the capital city of Burgess, he accidentally saves Manny’s life. Manny, realizes the white haired youth has immense magical power, quickly makes him a member of his “Guardians”, and Jack spends the next year guarding Manny and becoming beloved by the citizens of Burgess and the rest of the kingdom. The guardians don’t always have time for him, so it’s lonely. But during that year, Jacks memories start trickling back, until he visits the sea by Sandy’s province, and a bunch of his memories come back at once, including the mermaid thing. Jack realizes a) he has a home in the sea, and he doesn’t really belong here, not really, and b) Emily is gonna be pissed and worried, because he missed her birthday. FUCK.

So he leaves via the sea, and it’s summer, so now he’s got brown hair and eyes. But he makes a stop at a port town, because he remembers seeing a lot of maps in a shop there, and he can bring those back to Emily to try and find her kingdom. During this, Dagur attacks, and Jack gets taken hostage, because he was defending a child, and Dagur is an asshole who plays dirty. This would be bad, but literally not even three hours later, Dagur’s ship gets attacked. And Jack is introduced to one Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, who instantly gets a puppy crush on the human mer.

Jack decides to stick around on the ship for a while, because they’re heading in the same direction, and because he becomes fast friends with Snotlout. He’s intrigued by the close relationship between the pirates and the sea creatures they’ve befriended, and eventually decides that he wants to join their crew. And then he realizes he’s fallen in love with Hiccup, so they begin courting, and it’s sweet and wonderful and everything Jack didn’t realize he craved. Jack is happy, and life is perfect.

Emily, who was told by wind that Jack was alright, goes back to her day job of being the most powerful sea witch in the seven oceans. But she also realizes that the Guardians, who were panicking about where Jack is, have sent out ships looking for him. He doesn’t particularly want to be found, so she just... redirects a few of the scouting ships that get too close. But she also hears that Captain Drago is planning to attack Berk and it’s pirates, and so she packs a bag and goes to warn and help her best friend. And she gets there almost too late. A black shark is trying to attack Jack in the water, so she propells it back, and emergency teleports both of them away to a safe location. She then heals Jacks wounds, and when he wakes up, she brings him back to the site of the battle. There’s a ship that’s been wrecked there, and Jack recognizes it as Hiccup’s ship. He’s devastated at the death of his lover, and Emily comforts him through his grief and promises to help him take revenge.

Hiccup saw Jack go into the water, and then Toothless got controlled, and oh god no no no nonononono—

Hiccup is devasted and grieving, and he kills Drago by sending him into the sea along with the monster he used to kill the love of Hiccup’s life. Hiccup is grieving, and Berk tries to help him through it, with the help of his newly found mother, Valka, who had been protecting the sea creatures under Njordr’s protection ever since she got shipwrecked. But Valka hears that war is on the horizon, so she goes off to get in touch with some old contacts. Aka the Guardians. She’s shocked when she hears that they’re looking for Jack Frost, because she recognizes it as one of the names the mer prince was known to use. On their part, they’re shocked to learn Jack was not only a mer, but also royalty. But she promises to help them look for him, even as they all learn news that is as surprising as it is horrible.

Grimmel, who is the head of the Fearlings, has revealed his true colors, and has allied with the four pirate warlords of the south to invade and conquer both the Black and Lunanoff Empires. Hiccup and Berk, Pitch and his Knightmares, Manny and his Guardians, and their allies, now gather at the same spot to face the armada, and try to win. Unknown to them, Jack and Emily have finally figured out what her kingdom is, thanks to Jack’s maps, and they both head to the battle prepared to defend their friends, along with some of their allies, including Light, the arctic shark. Jack also at this point has heard news that Hiccup is preparing to face Grimmel, and is so, so full of joy at the knowledge his love is alive. And he’s not gonna let an asshole like Grimmel hurt him.

[idairsauthor]

Women On Fire reviews Once Upon A Time

So we have started watching Once Upon a Time and are midway through Season 2. PJ is very into it. It’s a bit weird for me for a specific reason: Because OUAT and WOF both use a lot of fairy tale/fantasy tropes, some things that I think of as very specifically WOF things show up sort of prominently in OUAT and...that’s weird. So when I watch it, I can’t help thinking about how this show would play with the WOF crowd. Behind the cut tag, some of them will be discussing their reactions. It’ll involve spoilers for seasons 1-2 of OUAT and basically all of WOF.

PLAIDDER: All right, so, for the sake of any readers who may remember this show well enough to care where we are with it, we’re about midway through Season 2. Emma and Snow have returned from the Bad Place, and Cora has followed them and has just faked Regina killing Archie, causing Emma et al. to turn on the partially-redeemed Regina, while actually keeping Archie captive on Hook’s invisible pirate ship. OK?

AINE: I suppose WOF’s plot would also sound pretty stupid if you had to summarize it in one paragraph. 

THEAMH: I don’t think it would sound THAT stupid.

PLAIDDER: ANYWAY! I just wanted to get your reactions to some of the...you know...correspondences.

THEAMH: Oh, you mean the whole reuniting the separated lovers thing? You know, “We will always find each other!”

ISTRIA: “But will we always lose each other? Is that our fate?”

PLAIDDER: To be honest I do kind of think that given that the show runs for seven seasons, it pretty much is gonna be their fate. The whole ‘waking the pseudo-dead beloved with true love’s kiss’ has already been done so many damn times and yet I fear it will happen with increasing frequency as we--

THEAMH: I’m sorry, you do not have a leg to stand on there. Istri, how many times have we--

ISTRIA: So let’s see...you lose me, you find me, you get taken prisoner, I find you. That’s all just up to Greenhaven. Then you get arrested by those traitors at Lythril’s old castle--

THEAMH: You lose me--

ISTRIA: Trial at Mypril--

THEAMH: You find me. Giant arani fight at Amranth--

ISTRIA: You lose me, you find me. 

THEAMH: I think that’s the last time. So that’s...

ISTRIA: No, no, we’re forgetting about “Homeswept.”

THEAMH: Oh FNAA. Idair’s HAIRPINS. Well I mean can you blame me?

ISTRIA: I cannot.

THEAMH: Yes. You lose me, I lose you, we manage to more or less find each other--

PLAIDDER: All right. Yes. I am a sucker for a good reunion. I mean as much as I bitch about it I actually sort of can watch that story line a fair few times before I get tired of it. It’s nice how reciprocal it is with Charming and Snow. 

THEAMH: Yes, that IS nice. Can I just ask though...why do all the men look the same?

ISTRIA: They don’t all look the same. There are two kinds. The blonde kind is a prince and the dark-haired kind is a dark user’s familiar.

PLAIDDER: Yes, I will say they made the Maerin figure a lot more interesting on OUAT. I actually kind of like both of them, which is strange, because I fucking HATE Maerin.

LYTHRIL: So do I.

PLAIDDER: Yes. Well, Lythril, since you’re here--

LYTHRIL: The reason you can...attach yourself...to Graham and Hook is that their dark users haven’t properly broken them. The bond is in the playful stage, where both partners are capable of enjoying each other. 

PLAIDDER: And...did you and Maerin have...a playful stage?

LYTHRIL: Of course.

PLAIDDER: I’m really glad I didn’t have to write that.

LYTHRIL: It was brief.

PLAIDDER: Well, as long as you’re here...I mean what’s it like for you watching Regina? 

THEAMH: Are you sure these people haven’t been reading your--

PLAIDDER: Yes, I’m sure. I’m very sure. Look, I saw Snow White just like everyone else and the evil Queen freaked me out just like everyone else and Lythril does kind of have the evil Queen’s vibe and that’s the transmission pattern. The film Snow White is the common source. WOF and OUAT aren’t borrowing from each other. I never watched the show while I was writing WOF, and I am 100% certain that nobody on the WOF distribution list ended up writing for a nighttime drama on ABC.

AINE: How can you be sure?

PLAIDDER: Look, I asked Lythril a question--

LYTHRIL: And because it will amuse me, I’m going to answer it: I find watching Regina EXTREMELY frustrating. 

PLAIDDER: Why?

LYTHRIL: It’s a very long list. 

PLAIDDER: Could we have the condensed version?

LYTHRIL: She doesn’t have the commitment. She doesn’t love the work. She doesn’t LIKE being evil.  

PLAIDDER: Oh, I think she does like it.

LYTHRIL: No. It looks that way at first, but then they give her this...

PLAIDDER: Backstory.

LYTHRIL: That simpering little girl with her stableboy lover--that was PAINFUL. There is NO way that girl grows up to be the most powerful dark user in the kingdom. 

TARIC: If I could--

PLAIDDER: Yes, of course, Taric.

TARIC: I don’t think I realized before that I was a...trope?

PLAIDDER: Yes, I did try to keep that from you. I’m sorry--

TARIC: Is that why I’m...you know...simple?

KEANRIH: Oh Taric. You’re not simple. You’re very complex. 

TARIC: No, I mean...not very smart, and not good with words, and generally...not really very interesting.

KEANRIH: Don’t SAY those things about yourself!

PLAIDDER: All right, look, there is this whole thing with girls and horses and even though I never had a horse I did sort of become fascinated with horses for a while and yes, you two were a trope, but so are Theamh and Istria. I mean there were people back in the day who categorized WOF as a Xena a/u. 

AINE: WHAT?!

THEAMH: Aine, just calm--

AINE: THERE IS NO SUBTEXT. THERE WAS NEVER ANY SUBTEXT. WE DISCUSSED THIS EXPLICITLY--

PLAIDDER: Aine, you cannot do anything about what people do with your story. You write, they read, what happens next is up to the gods. My point is: yes, Taric, you are a cheesy romance trope, I am very sorry, but I did do my best to give you the same kind of character depth that I gave everyone else, which is something that definitely DOES NOT happen with Daniel. So you are both the same trope but Daniel is a lot more...trope-y...than you are.

KEANRIH: Also I would never have turned you into a zombie.

TARIC: Thank you.

PLAIDDER: Look, speaking of zombies staggering around heartless, can we get back to Lythril’s take on--

LYTHRIL: Despite all the other fnaa you’ve pulled on me I feel almost moved to thank you for never giving me a backstory...if THIS is what it looks like.

PLAIDDER: Well...to some extent it inevitably does, because nobody’s just born evil. 

LYTHRIL: No, but not everyone has evil thrust upon them. Some of us chose it.

PLAIDDER: Well, Rumplestiltskin--

LYTHRIL: Do not SPEAK TO ME about that BLASPHEMY.

PLAIDDER: Well I don’t think they mean the same thing that you mean when they say “Dark One”--

AINE: Are you SURE they haven’t read your books?

PLAIDDER: YES I AM SURE!

LYTHRIL: She wants to be redeemed? She wants to be a better mother? WHY? Why does she want to be a mother at all? I didn’t want that for a steaming hot second.

PLAIDDER: Oh, you are obsessed with fertility. OBSESSED.

LYTHRIL: Dark magic and maternity are profoundly incompatible.

RENNA: My gleacha they are.

LYTHRIL: Your entire *existence* proves my point. Take Regina out of the Enchanted Forest and she turns into YOU. An idiot who would choose some child over magic and power. I hate Storybrooke Regina. Always weak, and incompetent, and--

RENNA: I was strong enough to kill YOU.

LYTHRIL: You had help.

PLAIDDER: I actually don’t hate Storybrooke Regina’s redemption arc. I mean I don’t know how it’s going to end, but--

ISTRIA: You call that a redemption arc?

PLAIDDER: Oh dear. 

ISTRIA: She doesn’t understand the FIRST DAMN THING about redemption. 

THEAMH: She yells at the screen a LOT when Regina’s on it.

ISTRIA: You’re all hurt when people don’t want to invite you to their parties. Of course they don’t! You ruined all of their lives! And except *sometimes* regarding Henry, you have done NOTHING to live it down!

THEAMH: Like that.

ISTRIA: Redemption is not about getting people to like you. It’s about taking responsibility for the harm you’ve done and trying to undo it. Whether people *like* you again is irrelevant. It’s not about you and what you want any more, that’s the point.

PLAIDDER: Listen, this cannot go on forever, and I don’t want to quit without talking about the hearts thing.

LYTHRIL: Yes. The hearts thing.

AINE: I just don’t see how you can be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN that nobody who writes for that show has--

PLAIDDER: For the love of Pete, Aine, in the story of Snow White the evil Queen says she wants the huntsman to rip out Snow White’s heart and liver and bring them back to her and that is where ALL of these chest-punching heart-ripping evil women in black came from.

LYTHRIL: It’s HILARIOUS. Nobody needs THAT many hearts.

PLAIDDER: Well I think she uses these hearts for different purposes than--

LYTHRIL: Every time I watch her or Cora do that I have to pause it because I’m laughing so hard. Where’s the blood? Where are the screams? Where are the broken ribs and the--

THEAMH: Could you not--

LYTHRIL: And this glowing red Lucite thing that comes out--

ISTRIA: I know!

LYTHRIL: That’s not a heart. I don’t know what that is but it’s not...hearts are bloody, they’re warm, they pulse, they’re--

THEAMH: They’re messy. Really, really--

LYTHRIL: That’s the whole POINT of a heart, that’s why people miss them in the first place.  

THEAMH: Yeah, they’re like...that’s where the whole soul/body thing happens, at least if you’re heart seated, and it matters that it’s all squishy and misshapen and--

LYTHRIL: They’re flesh. Hearts are flesh. They’re meat. That’s the point of hearts.

THEAMH: ExACTly!

[high-five begins]

ISTRIA: HEY! Are you both INSANE?

[high-five aborted]

PLAIDDER: Can I at least get your thoughts on Regina’s fashion sense?

[Everybody laughs]

AINE: Who is MAKING all those gowns for her? Who is doing her hair? Where does she get the materials?

PLAIDDER: And why does she lead with her cleavage, even in battle?

LYTHRIL: Oh come on. I have seen your illustrations.

PLAIDDER: What? They’re nothing like--

LYTHRIL: Shriias, back me up here: does she or does she not have me doing everything tits out?

THEAMH: I do have to admit--

PLAIDDER: No! Your outfits are--

LYTHRIL: Very tight. 

PLAIDDER: Well sure but--

THEAMH: At least she’s never drawn you naked.

PLAIDDER: LOOK.

LYTHRIL: I don’t mind. Sincerely, I do not mind being the sexiest woman in this universe--

[confused and vehement shouts of protest from all assembled]

PLAIDDER: All right all RIGHT! There will be NO MORE discussion of costuming! Or hearts! Or competitive sexiness!

CHANDRA: Are we not even going to TALK about Mulan?

PLAIDDER: And another country is heard from.

CHANDRA: You know I heard there was going to be queer-baiting in this show and all through season one I was like, where is it? All the men seem very very straight to me.And then Mulan and Aurora show up and it’s like, oh, I see it now.

PLAIDDER: Yes. Well...

CHANDRA: “I promised Prince Phillip I would protect you and I will fight both of these other hot women to do it!”

PLAIDDER: All right, point--

CHANDRA: Mulan literally holds Aurora’s heart in her hands and actually PUTS IT BACK IN HER CHEST--

PLAIDDER: Sure--

CHANDRA: I mean even those two over there never got THAT close. And then the NEXT THURKING LINE: “Let’s go see if we can bring my useless dead boyfriend back to life!”

PLAIDDER: I did notice--

CHANDRA: You’ve got this intense, smoldering woman in armor staring at you with love beaming out of her eyes and--I mean if you’ve got Mulan, WHO NEEDS PHILIP?

PLAIDDER: You know, some women ARE straight, and--

CHANDRA: Everyone ELSE gets to bring their true love back with a kiss but Mulan and Aurora have to do it through open heart surgery?

PLAIDDER: OK, but the coding makes it more intense and more interesting. Admit it.

THEAMH: You didn’t code us.

KEANRIH: Or us.

PLAIDDER: Yeah, well your story was never published, was it?

AINE: You regret that?

PLAIDDER: No. I really don’t. I honestly don’t know what would have become of all of you if I’d had to really try to make you marketable.

CHANDRA: But that was the 1990s. This was freaking 2011.

PLAIDDER: All right, this has gone on long enough. Are we going to finish Season 2 or not?

LYTHRIL: I think your spawn has doomed us to it.

PLAIDDER: Well...are you enjoying any of this?

LYTHRIL: I enjoy imagining ways to kill Cora.

PLAIDDER: You know, Lythril, we never found out what your mother was like.

LYTHRIL: Thank the Dark One for that.

PLAIDDER: Or if you’d ever been in love, before...

LYTHRIL: Never.

PLAIDDER: You sure about that?

LYTHRIL: NEVER.

PLAIDDER: Because something did go on with you and Ulnach at scoil, and I go back and forth on what exactly it was, but I will tell you, sometimes in my mind it looks a lot like a Cinderella AU.

LYTHRIL: You’re not going to actually write that, are you?

PLAIDDER: Probably not. See, this is kind of interesting to me as an idea, but if I actually committed to it, I think I would--

LYTHRIL: Because that would be a GREAT way to lose a heart.

PLAIDDER: Well look. We complain, but we’re all having fun here, right? I mean you’re enjoying getting together and making fun of your...counterparts?

ISTRIA: I will admit, it is sort of fun.

THEAMH: It’s better than talking about American politics.

PLAIDDER: All right, let’s wrap this up before Conn shows up. Thanks everyone; I’ll see you at the end of season 2, maybe.

[siriuslyblack12]

As We Grow Older

chapter 1

Summer had come and gone. Days bled into nights and sun bled into stars as September rapidly approached. It had been warm and peaceful, quiet in the way that vibrant flowers grew over green fields, given shade by the confident trees and given life from the minimalistic designs of watering cans and the green-thumbs holding them; but thrilling in the way that rollercoasters flew through the sky, friends laughing loud and hard as they made memories they would never forget.

 Remus Lupin appreciated the first much more, as he sat in his garden, book in hand, trying to enjoy the last few hours of his summer holiday.

 This is, no doubt, in stark contrast to his friends. James Potter had bought a season pass to theme parks all around the country that his family had driven between for the entire month of July, stopping at Lily Evans’s holiday cabin any chance he got. Peter Pettigrew had enjoyed concert after concert, dragging his friends to a few and his presumably unrequited crush Mary MacDonald to most. He’d even heard of all about Marlene and Dorcas’ trip to Spain, a trip that they’d been practically begging their parents to pay towards and labelled as a ‘celebration’ of their grades the school year prior.

 Then there was Sirius Black. Leather jackets and muscle t-shits, dark hair falling past his shoulders or loosely tied up in a bun that would come tumbling down minutes later. Brown eyes and perfect lips, spread over his face in a perfect grin that was usually accompanied by a hand clutching at his toned chest. He’d spent his time quite evenly between the three boys, thrill-seeking with James and his family, third-wheeling Peter and Mary and annoying every one of Remus’s neighbours with his antics. There was never a quiet moment in his summer, which was to be expected by the school’s most beloved trouble maker. All four of them were regarded as such, but Remus had always thought that Sirius was the main reason for their popularity.

 He was also hopelessly in love with him.

 Of course, this isn’t at all surprising. Most, if not all of the girls at Hogwarts High fawned over Sirius’s impossible good looks, his charm and flirty remarks, his laid-back, cool stance. Love letters flooded his locker and every one of his selfies got hundreds, if not thousands of likes and comments. He was certainly no stranger to the shallow pining, but Remus Lupin was a boy. A bisexual boy that wasn’t out to anyone. And he didn’t just like Sirius for his looks. That was definitely a bonus, something to make him swoon pathetically, but Remus saw much deeper than that. He loved his sense of humour, his laugh that could light up an entire room. He loved his personality, outgoing and confident but caring and gentle in the right company. He loved the way that his face portrayed every single emotion with such depth, and that his heart was worn on his sleeves. He loved everything about Sirius, but he couldn’t possibly tell him.

 “Remus, honey, tea’s ready.” His mum called from the back doorstep. “Come in before it gets cold.”

 Essentially, he was fucked.

 ~~

 Sirius Black woke up to the piercing sound of his parent’s shouting at him and Regulus to “get the fuck out of bed” and “stop being so fucking lazy”. He could tell they were more aimed at him than his little brother, which filled him with both relief and dread. He was grateful that swim training didn’t start again until next week, considering how awful this was at 8, he definitely couldn’t handle the same at 5:30. A muffled groan escaped from his lips as he rolled over, feet twisted in his silk sheets and a hand carding through his hair. It was finally September, after 6 excruciating weeks of blinding sun, and school was starting again. Not that he didn’t appreciate the rest, its just the only thing he truly enjoyed about it was the thing he had the least of: his friends.

 He’d spent as much time as humanly possible out of his house and away from his dear parents, but nothing could ever be quite enough. They’d been shouting a lot more recently, at him and each other, occasionally even Regulus, and his ears ached with the shrill voice of his mother and booming sound of his father. They weren’t even his mother and father, not really, that title would go to the Potters, whose house he promptly arrived at after he’d spent a good 20 minutes under the hot spray of his shower. He hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye as he marched out of his door with as much pride as he could muster, practically none of which was genuine.

 “Pads! I was actually starting to think you weren’t gonna show,” James announced as he greeted his friend with a tight hug, as if he hadn’t seen him just the day before.

 “Couldn’t miss the first day of school, could I? I’ve got a reputation to uphold.”

 “Sure you do, mate”

 He punched James lightly in the shoulder as the two of them laughed away any inhibitions they’d had about the first day of school. The two took their seats at the breakfast bar as Mrs Potter placed  plates of toast and fruit, always reminding her boys to stay healthy. She’d cut Sirius’s toast into 4 small triangles, exactly how he liked it, and they both ate as quickly as possible, excited for the year ahead.

 “You boys better get going if you want to make it before second bell, I’d rather not have to deal with that on your record” The kind voice of Mrs Potter sang through the room. A voice that made him feel safe, like this was his home.

 “Mum’s right, bet Moony’ll go mad if we’re late again” James added and finished with a kiss to Mrs Potter’s cheek. “Him and Peter are probably there already.”

 He couldn’t wait to see Remus again. And Peter. And the girls.

 “Well don’t just stand there Prongs, we have shit to start!”

 “Language.”

 “Sorry Mrs Potter.”

 ~~

 Remus’ stomach flipped and churned as he saw Sirius approach their table, James strutting by his side. He’s your best friend. Get a grip. He watched James’s eyes go right towards the head of red hair beside him, freckles dotted all over her face and arms and jeans cuffed above her ankles. Prongs had been not-so-subtly crushing on Lily for a few years now, and it was getting quite depressing to watch. Remus had suspected for a while that she did in fact have feelings for James, but it wasn’t really his place to comment. Besides, she’d most likely be too obstinate to admit it even if she did. Across from him, Mary, Marlene and Dorcas were excitedly discussing their holidays, the latter two occasionally pulling each other close and sharing a few kisses. They’d been dating for almost a year, and needless to say everyone in the school shipped them. Someone had even made them a fan account, which Marlene had admittedly found a little creepy, but Dorcas adored.

 “Moons! Is that a haircut I see? It suits you,” Sirius said matter-of-factly, taking the seat the other side of Remus, obviously growing bored of James’s childish pining.

 He’s your best friend. Best friends compliment each other. “Wouldn’t take you as one to notice, Pads.” What? What does that even mean?

 “Well, I did” he replied, before pulling out his phone and opening Instagram, mindlessly scrolling through and liking every other post. Sirius was one of those people who documented his entire life on social media, to the point where at any given moment the entire school knew where he was and what he was doing.

 A few moments passed, everyone exchanging fun stories, laughing at Peter’s animated retellings, smiling as Marlene laid her dead on her girlfriend’s shoulder when she recounted care-free nights. He’d missed this, and he could tell Sirius had too.

 They still had ten minutes until first bell, and they would all go to their first classes of the year. Remus had decided to take chemistry this year, a decision that he now deeply regretted after the amount of summer homework Professor Slughorn had given him, a decision that was definitely not made in the first place so that he’d be in more classes with Sirius. Definitely not.

 Usually on an occasion such as important as this, the 8 of them would pull a prank. He secretly lived for those moments, and had spent all summer planning some more intricate ideas. He was elated when Lily suddenly spoke, as confidently as ever.

 “Not that I don’t love hearing about all of your lovely holidays spent far away from your bitchy sisters and their loser boyfriends,” at that everyone nodded sympathetically, “but I’m in the mood to cause some trouble.”

 “And how exactly would we do that?” James questioned.

 Sirius chirped in, raising his eyebrows, “I think I might have an idea.”

 And that’s how Remus Lupin ended up counting down loudly with his friends, gaining strange looks from the rest of the canteen as James held five Mentos above a bottle of Diet Coke, both from Peter’s bag, that they would drop as they got to one. Sirius shook with laughter from his left, joining in with the countdown and leaning far too close to the bottle to ensure him safety from the explosion that was to come. Remus followed him as he leant further forward, silently vowing to follow Sirius wherever he went. The numbers they shouted got smaller and smaller, and the two boys got closer and closer. He looked over to his left and saw that Sirius had suddenly jumped far back, and before he could question it the bottle erupted right into his scarred face.

 The entire canteen erupted in laughter, including the boy behind him which quickly made Remus forget all about the state of his shirt and jeans. He would do anything to make Sirius happy.

 “Mr Lupin, I’m sure there’s you have an explanation for this,” They were quickly brought back to reality by the stern, Scottish drawl of Professor McGonagall. “And I’m sure it involves Mr Potter and Mr Black being their usual selves, yes?”

 “You’ve got it Minnie.” Sirius chuckled, earning himself and everyone else a lunch detention.

  James jumped on the opportunity to plead with her for a lighter punishment, only to be waved away non-commitedly. Lily sank into James’s side, defeated and slightly annoyed but amused nonetheless. Sirius bumped his shoulder to Remus’s, their faces only inches apart as a beautiful smirk settled itself on the first boy’s face. If Sirius noticed the deep blush that spread over the his friend’s face and neck, he didn’t say anything.

 Maybe detention wasn’t so bad if he could have that smirk directed at him.

 Stop fooling yourself, Remus. He’s straight. He doesn’t like you.

 Maybe not, he thought. But I might as well appreciate what I can while it lasts.

 ~~

 Detention went for the most part as expected: Sirius and James throwing paper planes at each other from opposite ends of the room, Lily doodling on a spare piece of paper on her desk, Marlene and Dorcas eye-fucking for the entire hour. But Remus’s mind replayed the same thought, over and over and over again as his fingers absentmindedly drummed on his desk.

 Sirius had given him his shirt.

 To anyone else, this information would mean absolutely nothing. He always kept a spare one in his bag for after swimming and had offered it to his friend to wear now that his was soaked through. It was fairly big on him, as Sirius was more built, and a few inches taller. It hung off of his shoulders nicely, and felt so comfortable. So natural. What wasn’t comfortable, nor natural, was Remus’s reaction. His eyes had widened comically as his heart imploded right there on the spot, and so Sirius had just placed the shirt simply into his shaking hands and stalked away to share a laugh with James and Peter, leaving a lovestruck Remus in his wake.

 Professor McGonagall left the detention room to run a few errands, and it was suspiciously tame considering the company. Why she would ever trust the marauders alone in a confined space would be a mystery to most. Remus and Lily had turned around in their seats to gossip with James and Sirius, mainly pointless topics to pass the time.

 “All I’m saying is, Dumbledore and McGonagall are definitely fucking.” James stated, arms in the air smugly.

 “Absolutely no way, I won’t accept it!” Lily laughed along with him.

 “You’re girlfriends right, Prongsie,” Sirius began, getting loud protests from both parties, “If anyone is fucking, it’s Dumbledore and Hagrid.”

 Remus’s breath hitched, but he was proud in how quickly he recovered and replied with, “Fair point, but McGonagall and Pomfrey must be considered, don’t you think?”

 The room erupted in laughter, Marlene and Dorcas vocalising their agreement with him and clasping him on the back.

 “Dumbledore and McGonagall are the most perfect example of solidarity my gay ass has ever witnessed.” One of them said, causing everyone to laugh harder.

 “Fucking Preach!” Sirius hollered, folding his paper aeroplane into a ball and throwing it into the air, which was then caught by James and hurled towards the bin with a soft ‘Lebron James’. The paper, unsurprisingly, missed it’s target which served as Lily’s cue to make fun of him even more than she was already.

 “I’d like to see you try, Evans”

 “You’re on Potter.” She sneered, folding her own piece of paper and throwing it towards the same bin that James had aimed for, the only difference being that hers landed perfectly. Remus held out his hand for Lily to high five, and Sirius praised her loudly. She bit her lip happily, eyes trained on James before she spoke.

 “Better not underestimate me again, Potter.”

 “Oh, I won’t.”

 With that, Remus settled back into his chair, and took another look at the brown-eyed boy that he couldn’t get out of his head, who had calmed down a little and was now, once again, scrolling through his phone. His hair fell into his face delightfully and Remus leaned back on his chair and he admired it quietly. He hadn’t even realised how dangerously far back he had leaned, before his back hit the floor with a thud and he groaned in pain. Once again the room was laughing and Sirius wore that smile that Remus loved so much.

 This was going to be a hard year.

 ~~

 “Oi, knobhead, pass the salt would you?”

 “Manners, James.” Sirius countered cheekily.

 “Oi, knobhead, pass the salt, please.”

 The next few days had passed uneventfully, if Sirius was any judge. He’d fallen into the comfortable routine of pissing about at school, pissing about at the park and then pissing about at the Potter’s, never going to his own house until it was absolutely necessary. At first, a few years ago, he’d felt insecure that he was mooching off of people too kind to know any better, but those thoughts had quickly dissolved.

 Mrs Potter smiled and looked between the two boys, elated that she could care for both of them. She’d never wanted to have an only child, but her and her husband had decided that it was for the best, which did nothing to stop the satisfaction that came with taking Sirius in as her own.

 “Are you excited to start training again, Sirius? Do you need me to drive you anywhere?” She questioned politely, silently hoping he says yes.

 “Of course I am,” He replied, mouth full of food. “And I’m afraid I have to decline your offer, as great as it is. My father insists being my personal taxi when it comes to swimming.”

 Mrs Potter nodded her head quietly, not realising the emotion in his voice that was masked by the potatoes he continued to stuff into his mouth. Sirius would be happy to be back with his team, in the water, racing again. It was his sense of normality, his clutch when his confusion got too much to handle. He was hoping that he could get his friends to see a few galas this year, especially the tawny haired boy that he couldn’t recall had ever seen him in the water.

 After they’d eaten, James and Sirius stood over the sink after promising that they’d wash the dishes, a promise that they now realised was perhaps not the best idea. James, sponge in hand, had been scrubbing at the same spot for what felt like hours.

 “How do you actually feel about swimming, Pads?”

 “I love it, of course I do,” Sirius began. “Why would you even have to ask that, mate?

 James gently put down his plate, still somehow dirty, and turned to face his friend. He gave him a look, that look that says ‘that’s absolute bullshit, but I’m gonna let you tell me in your own time.’ That look.

 “Well, my parents are a big part of it. My dad’s the only reason I started in the first place, but I do actually enjoy it. It’s more than them now.” Sirius admitted truthfully.

 “You would tell us if you didn’t want to go back, wouldn’t you?” James was always the mother hen of the group, taking care of everybody else. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

 Sirius sighed, muttered an agreement and picked up the plate that James was just working on, desperately scrubbing just as hard as the other boy was. It was almost visible how his walls had gone up, a blockade of ice that freezed over whenever his parents were brought into conversation. James wished he could press more, but he knew it wouldn’t work. He’d open up when he was ready.

 “Pass me that plate, I’m just gonna put it away and hope mum doesn’t notice.” James said.

 “Dick.”

 “Git.”

 “You love me,”

 “Keep telling yourself that.”

 They both smiled, the first genuine smile of the night.

[dungeon-architects]

Cosmological Chronicle - Salir, The Plane of Air

The plane of air is a land of freedom, open to both scholars and scoundrels. A place were one can travel on currents of air and find the finest goods in any realm. It is also a realm of freezing blizzards and scorching sandstorms where lighting is commonplace and even the most skilled of flyers may find themselves buffeted into oblivion. Currency While some merchants may accept gold or other mortal currencies, The only universally accepted form of payment in Salir would be Aetherium most commonly Lesser Aetherium Shards. Culture and Custom Unlike the other Elemental Planes, Salir’s culture is very intermingled and cosmopolitan. It is not unusual to see creatures from other planes travailing and trading in Salir, as such the plane has truly become a melting pot. That being said most natives to the plane tend to be nomadic and free spirited. Wealth, Martial Skill, and Knowledge are often the main factors in determining ones social status in Salir. Treats and Entertainment The most common of tasty treats in Salir are Sugar Cloud Puffs and Rimecones both of which come in an abundance of flavors. Entertainment in Salir is quite varied, street performers, magicians, and musicians are all common, more exclusive and impressive are the grand music halls. but the grandest spectacle are the cloud-ship races, where the best sailors in Salir practice for the Aether Grand Regatta.

Places of Importance

Hoarfrost The Citadel of Rime Lonely, isolated, and deathly cold, it is from this frozen citadel that Moroz watches over the wilds, and tinkers away in his workshop. While the fortress itself is nearly unreachable, any who do manage to pass through its massive sapphire doors will find warm clothes, hot chocolate, and a burning fireplace to greet them. 

Stratovas Academy Home to scholars and mages from across the planes Stratovos is Zyphyr’s proudest achievement. The academy itself sits upon several floating islands in The Hitaru Reach. 

Boralis City of Auroras This grand city attracts many artists, musicians, and playwrights to its crystalline spires. The entire city pulses with scintillating colors and patterns, always dancing for the inspiration of all.

Rashad City of Sand Rashad is a major trade hub floating upon a ever-moving sandstorm. craftsmen, traders, and soldiers abound in the city of sand. The city’s many domes and minarets are decorated in mosaic tiles, precious metals, and jewels.

The Redwind Sirocco’s flagship, racing yacht, and pleasure barge, this sleek airship has crimson sails, countless cannon, and a soaring bronze griffon figurehead.

Gale The Citadel of Storms Suspended above a colossal cyclone and wreathed in lightning, The ancient fortress of the storm giants has never fallen to a hostile force. 

The Sandstone Stockade  Rashabar’s prison, this solid tower of sandstone floats aloft in the eye of an unending hurricane, masked in fog, and buffeted by blizzards. None may come to this place save for Akaska herself. 

Individuals of Note

Akaska The Mother Of Winds A true and guiding wind Akaska is both kind and firm. She often appears as a wise old woman wearing the subdued garb of a queen mother. After being forced to imprison her beloved husband for the good of all, she handed administration of Salir over to her children. She only involves herself in politics to settle bickering between the children, Preferring to spend her time visiting with her husband in his prison. 

Moroz The North Wind The Eldest of Akaska’s children Moroz appears as a large rugged woodsman with a long white beard. His arms bear a tattooed script that is ever moving and changing. Despite his foreboding appearance Moroz Is kind and gentle, ever the friend of forest creatures and children.

Zyphyr The West Wind Calm and meditative Zyphyr is the scholar among Akaska’s children. Tall and gangly with flowing hair, he wears long robes and is a master of acrobatics. At times Zyphyr can be coy often choosing to test the intellect or skill of those he comes into contact with.

Sirocco The Southern WInd Adventurous and brash Akaska’s youngest child has a tendency to get himself into trouble. A skilled sailor he can often be found in daring battles with pirates and monsters alike. Sirocco is athletic with short fiery hair. He often dresses in red and orange outfits with a military look to them. While many see him as unreliable and aloofm when thing become dire Sirocco can always be counted on.

Zonda The Eastern Wind Taking more after her father then mother Zonda is temperamental and prone to outbursts of rage, followed by long dreary bouts of sadness and frustration with the unjust state of the world. She often appears as a poor girl clothed in rags with a mess of tangled hair. She tends to mingle among the common folk, often avoiding palaces and parties. It has been said that on the rare occasion that Zonda is dressed formally she is beautiful beyond compare. While harsh with those she does not know well, and practiced in cutting humor, she can be quite kind to those few who become close to her.

Rashabar The Black WInd Long imprisoned for his crimes, Akaska’s husband is a destructive force unlike any other within the plane of wind. It is said should he ever be released his wrath will scour all life from the land. No descriptions remain of Rashabar as all mention of him has been stricken from record.

The Lesser Winds Akaska has countless grandchildren whom command some measure of respect and power, but are too numerous to mention here.

Items of note

Windvein Compass This small metal disk projects an up to date map of wind currents in Salir, allowing one to safely and quickly traverse the plane.

Windsheer Blade These bladed weapons appear as a ornate hilt, however when swung they create a dense, fast moving line of air, more deadly then any metal blade. Windsheer Blades always have the finesse wielding and agile properties, and in addition they do an additional d6 of sonic damage.