#they were like. the world’s only considerate chaser

[binders-and-beanies]

Thinking abt when my ex asked how I feel abt the word bussy and I was like “I think it’s funny and accurate but if someone said it trying to legit be sexy I wouldn’t be able to take it seriously” and they were like “ok thank god bc same but I didn’t know if it was like. The correct gender word” like lmao that’s cute nah u can just say pussy

[lifeofkaze]

A Search for Balance

CHAPTER 46: BRIGHTER THAN A THOUSAND SUNS

Find the masterlist with all chapters of this story here, and the previous chapter here.

WORLD CUP RIOTS STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION. HOUSE-ELF OF HIGH-RANKING MINISTRY EMPLOYEE OFFICIAL PRIME SUSPECT

A summary of what the Ministry has let slip so far, collected suspicions and conspiracies, and one final look at the impending Quidditch season by the one and only Rita Skeeter.

Weeks after the convulsing commotion around the 422nd Quidditch World Cup, the Ministry of Magic has yet to clear the incident. While the house-elf of Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation, was allegedly accused of conjuring the Dark Mark, the identities of the witches and wizards posing as Death-Eaters remain unknown.

Meanwhile, the preparations for a new season of League Quidditch are well underway. With the Montrose Magpies opening the season this Friday, eyes are trained on their new Chaser, Elizabeth Jameson. After dominating the gossip column for the better part of the year, it will remain to be seen if Jameson can hold our attention with her performance as well.

Whether or not the Magpies will be able to defend their perpetual claim to the title will be for one of my well-esteemed colleagues to judge because, in the face of rumours stirring at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, my time as your trusted Quidditch reporter has come to an end.

The second half of the summer seemed to have flown by. It had taken a little while for everyone to settle into their routines again after the events of the Quidditch World Cup, but eventually, Lizzie felt like she had finally arrived in Montrose for good.

Every minute she wasn’t training with her new team, she spent with Orion. It was a strange thought at first, them being a couple again, especially with having to hide from everyone but their immediate family and friends.

After careful consideration, they decided to inform both their teams, too. It was a risky thing to do, especially for Lizzie, but she finally felt at home with her new club, and starting her time in Montrose with a lie didn’t feel like the right thing to do. As it turned out, there was no reason for her to be nervous. The Magpies weren’t as cold and unforgiving as Orion had experienced them, and with Lizzie’s effort against them during the season finale fresh on everybody’s mind, the team took it better than she could have hoped for. 

After weeks of rigorous preparation, the first match of the season had finally arrived. Lizzie had felt the nerves beginning to build days in advance, but by the time the Magpies gathered in their changing room and were putting on their robes, she was convinced she’d be sick on the floor if she only opened her mouth to speak.

As she sat amid the hustle and bustle, staring at her new black-and-white robes, Lizzie realised that, for the first time, she was all on her own. Her entire career, she’d had at least Skye by her side, and Lizzie suddenly found that she missed her loud, obnoxious friend greatly. 

Sensing her preoccupation, a couple of her new teammates gave Lizzie encouraging smiles, which she did her best to reciprocate, but it only helped a little. Stifling a sigh, she flexed her wrist; she hadn’t thought about her topaz necklace in weeks, but now she was acutely aware of the lack of the stone against her pulse. She put the thought aside. The necklace was gone, and it couldn’t be helped now; she had to do this on her own.

“Oi, Jameson! Where do you think you’re going?”

Lizzie’s head whipped around, her face splitting into a smile as she saw Skye marching down the path to where Lizzie and her team had lined up, waiting to be called onto the pitch. Behind her, Orion was walking, his hands buried in his pockets and a smirk playing around his lips. The other Magpies pointedly looked the other way as Lizzie broke away to meet her friends.

“What are you two doing here?” 

“Our match is tomorrow,” Skye shrugged casually. “Can’t hurt to check out the competition, can it?”

“You never said a word you were coming!” Lizzie called out, meeting Orion’s sparkling eyes with a laugh.

“Where would the thrill of surprise be if we knew everything the stars have in store for us?” he said. “Speaking of surprises - we have something for you.”

He held out a small, black box wrapped in white ribbon to Lizzie. Handing Skye her broomstick, she took it from him with her eyebrows raised.

“A gift?”

“No, a Mandrake,” Skye rolled her eyes. “Of course it’s a gift. So you won’t forget where you’re coming from now that you’re playing with the champions… for now. Better not get used to it.”

“We’ll see about that,” Lizzie grinned.

Clearing her throat, Skye passed Lizzie’s Silverswift to Orion and touched her fingers to her temple. “Gotta go and see what those new stands of yours have to offer. Don’t hold up our champion, Captain. Jameson.” 

Orion waited until Skye was gone. When he was sure no one was watching, he wrapped his arms around Lizzie and pulled her close.

“I’m so proud of you,” he murmured, and Lizzie smiled against his chest as she hugged him back. “You always were destined for greatness, and now you have surpassed us all.” 

He kissed her, shortly and sweetly. Holding her by the shoulders, the corners of his mouth rose into the slightly mischievous smile Lizzie loved so much.

“Don’t you want to open that?” 

Not having to be told twice, Lizzie undid the white ribbon and raised the lid off the box. Her eyes widened as she lifted the delicate gold necklace inside off its cushion, letting the glittering chain run through her fingers until its pendant rested in her hand. It was a yellow topaz, just like the last one, only this time, it was set in the centre of a blazing, golden sun. 

Her eyes found Orion’s.

“I don’t even know what to say.”

“Then don’t,” he answered with a smile. “A sun for a sun, to remind you of your light and fire, always.”

Swallowing the emotions rising in her throat, Lizzie let Orion wrap the necklace around her wrist. Having shared one last kiss and word of encouragement, he left, Lizzie watching him climb the stands until he was out of sight. 

Her heart fluttering in her chest, Lizzie returned to her team with a bounce in her step. Finally, all the pieces had fallen into place. She and Orion had followed their own paths, and through all the bends and turns, they had come out on top together. They were shining in their own rights now - one silver, one gold - but together, they were burning brighter than a thousand suns.

As the music began to play, Lizzie mounted her Silverswift. Beyond the gate, the announcer was calling their names, the fans cheering and chanting, Skye and Orion among them. The stadium walls began to flash in black and white, making them look like a giant magpie taking flight, and goosebumps spread on Lizzie’s arms as she pulled her thoughts from the ranks and onto the pitch in front of her.

Everything but the blue sky above her and the broomstick in her hands faded away. They were all that mattered now. 

It was time for her to fly. 

[acnelli]

Hiding

This is my entry for the Hinny FicFest 2021 hosted by @clarensjoy. Thank you for organising it! There were so many lovely prompts to choose from and originally I wanted to write something really angsty for this one, but then decided to approach this in a much more lighthearted way.

Thank you @accio-broom for beta-reading! You are the best!

Prompt 2: Ginny gets sick and won’t admit it Rating: GA Pairing: Harry/Ginny Summary: Ginny had a bad day, including an unfortunate injury, which she tries to hide from Harry.

Also available on AO3 and FFN.

Ginny walked out of St. Mungo’s with a limp and a glare that would put Hermione’s cat Crookshanks to shame. The world was against her these last couple of days; she just knew it. 

It had started with a horrendous loss against a team the Harpies were positive they would never lose to; the Chudley Cannons. The orange excuse of a professional Quidditch Team had beat them, and it wasn’t even a close match. They lost 590 to 120—an absolute disaster. 

Of course, her insufferable brother had lost his mind, along with all the other Cannon fans in the stands. It had been the first time the Cannons won in what must’ve been years, which resulted in the players not even hearing the referee’s whistle, signalling the end of the game. 

Ginny had given Ron the tickets to this match as a birthday present. As long as the Cannons lost every single time, and she could greet her brother with a smug grin, she was okay with Ron switching his Harpies jersey with her number on it to his orange Cannon one. This time though, Ginny found it nothing short of traitorous, and even her family, including Harry, had the gal to congratulate Ron. Her brother would make sure she would never forget this day, no matter how many times the Harpies would kick their arses in the future. 

The Harpies, quite demoralised from their previous match, had shown up at training the next day, as usual. After a pep talk by their coach, the team had pepped up, flying different manoeuvres and acting out the strategies for their game against Ballycastle the next day. 

Enjoying the wind on her face, as well as the feeling that only flying so high up in the air could provide, Ginny had forgotten all about their loss and solely concentrated on getting the Quaffle inside one of the three loops from every possible angle. She had been so engaged in training that she noticed the dangerous wheezing of the Bludger one second too late. Although she could dive away to avoid getting hit in the face, the ball collided with her left ankle, and the next thing she knew, she was lying on a stretcher as a medi-wizard treated her injury. 

A broken ankle usually could be treated by the team’s healers, but the young man insisted on transferring her to the hospital as he suspected a more complicated fracture. And because it was Ginny’s lucky week, he had been right eventually. 

The healer who treated her advised Ginny not to play against Ballycastle as the Skele-gro would cause a great deal of pain, and painkillers were strictly forbidden at Quidditch matches, especially pain-relief potion which had strong side effects, and therefore, were a danger to herself and others while on a broom. 

Against the healer’s strongest protests, Ginny refused the skele-gro and asked the middle-aged woman to stabilize her ankle and give her some light painkillers that would wear off until tomorrow. 

Ginny needed to play tomorrow. A few days ago, Oliver had tipped her off that the national trainers would be watching the game against Ballycastle, and there was just no way she would pass this chance to show them that she was the right choice to play for England. Even if they only let her join as a reserve Chaser, it would be her ticket to play international Quidditch. 

While the discussion with the healer had been annoying but without any chance for the St. Mungo’s employee to change Ginny’s mind, the real battle would be at home. If Harry got even the slightest hint about his wife’s injury, a fight would break out, fitting these infuriating last two days. 

Harry, usually being blissfully oblivious to most things, immediately noticed when something was up with Ginny. While most times, this little fact warmed her heart, it was rather unfortunate today. And ever since Harry joined the Aurors, he had become even more of a bloodhound when he sensed a secret. 

Ginny was determined to try her best to appear normal when she carefully walked out of the fireplace and into the living room of Grimmauld Place. As she expected, Harry sat on the settee, reading the sports section of the Daily Prophet. 

“Hey, Gin,” Harry greeted her, looking up as she walked over to where he was sitting, “How was training? Did Rodgers let you off earlier today?” 

The painkillers still in effect, Ginny leaned down to kiss her husband, carefully lifting her weight off her injured ankle. Kissing Harry always made her feel good, but after her dreadful day, it simply felt like heaven. 

With one swift movement, Harry pulled her down with him on the settee. She cuddled up against his side, inhaling his scent as she trailed kisses down his neck. As their kisses became more heated, Harry rolled on top of her, and just as she was about to sigh because of the sweet friction, a pained whimper escaped her when Harry hit Ginny’s foot with his leg. 

He immediately jumped up, eyes going wide, and Ginny knew that she lost her little hiding game. Carefully sitting up, she waited until Harry crouched down in front of her, looking at her worried. 

“Are you hurt? What’s wrong with your foot?”

“Just a small accident at training today,” Ginny tried to reassure him, “Nothing serious.”

Harry narrowed his eyes. “Why does it still hurt then? Your medi-staff can heal most injuries in a heartbeat.”

“I said I’m fine,” Ginny said, cursing her bloody Weasley genes as she felt her ears turning red. As graceful as possible, she stood up, heading for the kitchen. Besides the fact that she didn’t want to have this conversation, she was also hungry. 

Of course, the conversation was far from over because Harry followed her into the kitchen, watching her with a raised eyebrow as Ginny made herself a sandwich. When she turned to face Harry, she tried to casually stand on her good foot, pretending her ankle wasn’t throbbing in a more penetrant manner now. Obviously, the painkillers had already started to wear off. 

“Why are you hiding this, Gin?” Harry asked, sitting down on one of the kitchen chairs, “Why didn’t you just go to a healer?”

“Because they would give me skele-gro and a pain-relief potion, meaning I wouldn’t be able to play tomorrow.”

“So? Ginny, I know you are amazing, but I’m sure the Harpies can manage one match without you.”

“Yes, they sure can,” Ginny huffed in frustration, “But if I don’t play, the scouts for the English national team possibly won’t take me into consideration.” 

Harry stood up and walked over to his wife, leaning down to get on eye-level with her. “To quote your brother: Are you fucking mental?”

“It’s my career, Harry! Playing for England is the dream, and I refuse to let this silly little injury get in the way.” 

Instead of commenting on this, he gently took Ginny’s hand, leading her to sit on a chair. More out of discomfort because of her increasingly throbbing ankle than the willingness to sit down, Ginny complied anyway. 

“This is far too dangerous, Ginny. You can’t possibly hold yourself on a broom for-”

“This is not up for debate,” Ginny interrupted him, her tone clipped and her face now red from anger, “I’ll just grit my teeth long enough to play some of my best manoeuvres, and then I’ll ask for a timeout and Rodgers will put me on the bench.”

“And you think Rodgers will be alright with you playing injured? Or are you planning to hide it like you tried to hide it from me?”

“That’s none of your business.”

Harry sighed in frustration at her trademark Weasley-stubbornness but he took Ginny’s hand anyway. 

“Okay, let’s put this into perspective, alright?” Ginny wanted to interrupt him, but Harry just kept talking. “You want to play in a game, most likely showing only a mediocre performance because of your broken ankle. Ginny, these scouts don’t have to see you play in this particular game. They know exactly who you are and what you’re capable of already. If you’re not playing in this match, they’ll watch you play in the next one. Assuming they want the very best for the national team, they’ll sure enough not write you off because you couldn’t make it to this match.”

Harry could tell that Ginny’s resolve was already crumbling, but he knew better than to stop here. “There are also your brothers, and more importantly, your mother. Molly will kill me if she learns you hurt yourself even more, despite me knowing of your injury.”

“But I’ve been looking forward to this game for so long,” Ginny sighed, frowning at the unfairness of it all. 

“I know,” Harry said, leaning forward a little to softly kiss her pouting lips, “But you can’t play. It’s not just dangerous for you, but also for your teammates and Ballycastle.”

Harry’s words destroyed every resolve Ginny still had standing. The last thing she would want is someone getting hurt because of her stubbornness, and certainly not her beloved Harpies. 

“Since when are you the voice of reason.” she groaned, letting her head fall against Harry’s chest and draping her arms around his neck. 

Harry took this opportunity to swoop her up into his arms before walking towards the fireplace. 

“Let’s get you to St. Mungo’s then.”

Ginny rolled her eyes, sighing at the prospect of the knowing look the healer will give her when she comes back. 

Before Harry could floo over to the hospital, Ginny leaned up and placed a hot kiss against his throat. 

“If I have to stay at home all day tomorrow, you better keep me company, Potter.”

[wondernimbus]

stressful times — fred weasley

pairing: fred weasley x female!reader

request #1: Can I request soft Fred Weasley comforting his girlfriend when she’s not feeling well/on her period and falling behind in classes/ homework? Pretty please 🥺

request #2: Can you write a Fred x reader where the reader is on her period while at Hogwarts during a time when a lot of tests are happening and she needs to be studying but isn’t and Fred notices cause usually she’s like Hermione and always does homework/studies and he figures out why she isn’t and helps her feel better? 

a/n: THIS IS WAY OVERDUE IM SORRY but i decided to combine these 2 reqs bc they were pretty similar !! 

[Y/N] is stressed.

School has never been a piece of cake for anyone—not even for Hermione Granger, who is one of the brightest people at Hogwarts, and certainly not for her, one of the Gryffindor Quidditch team's Chasers, and on top of that, a prefect currently studying for her N.E.W.Ts.

Wood expects her to practice out by the Quidditch pitch every free period in preparation for the upcoming match against Hufflepuff. This goes for every member of the team—even the ones who, like [Y/N], are studying for the so-called "big exams". And despite [Y/N] wanting to do well in her tests, she also doesn't want to lose her position in the Quidditch team—so she goes to the practice sessions, anyway, even if it's at the cost of her sleep.

That—coupled with her prefect duties and schoolwork—is wearing her out. So far she has managed to miraculously plow through, but when that time of the month comes and she can barely even bring herself to get out of bed, [Y/N] begins to wonder whether giving up would be a better option.

She could do it. Drop everything and lay in bed all day for the next week or so with a bag of chocolates at her side and pillows cushioning her entire body.

She could—technically, anything in the world is possible—but she shouldn’t, because she has obligations. Prefect tasks; patrolling the corridors and making sure no first-years go astray in the Forbidden Forest (it already happened once—she's not going to let it happen again), N.E.W.T. revisions, homework, Quidditch practice, homework, and then even more homework—

The very moment she wakes up and feels the pain in her lower abdomen, she knows she is done for. She only barely drags herself out of bed and trudges to her classes the entire day feeling like pure and utter dung. Her entire body is sore and her entire mood cranky, but that hardly matters because she has homework to do. And classes to go to. And Quidditch practice and patrolling and studying and Merlin-knows-what-else.

The sourness of her mood doesn't go amiss by any of her friends, and certainly not by her boyfriend, Fred Weasley, who automatically just knows when something is out of the ordinary with her. And while her friends decide to leave her alone after noting her less than pleasant mood, Fred does quite the opposite.

Which is, of course, no different from what he does everyday: stick by her side like glue. And while they'd been best friends for a while, it's only been a few months since Fred finally sucked up the courage to ask her out. So naturally Fred has very little experience with, ah, women’s dilemmas.

To put it simply, he doesn't know how to deal with a girl on her bloody (no pun intended) period. For the love of Merlin, he can't even tell.

So he's a little surprised and his feelings are a teeny bit hurt when he nudges her in the middle of Charms class and whispers, "Was that an earthquake? Or did you just rock my world?" only for her to shake her head without even as much as looking at him.

And so Fred's thought process goes like this: he's done something terribly wrong. He doesn't know what, but he must have, and now he has to make up for it—whatever it is.

First, though, he has to figure out what.

—

It's midnight. [Y/N] doesn't know how on earth she managed to get through the entire day without passing out, but she did and now here she is in the nearly empty common room, sitting on the carpet in front of the fireplace with several sheets of parchment and open textbooks splayed out before her.

Jotting down History of Magic notes, her face is scrunched up in the utmost concentration. Fred watches her from where he's sitting on the couch, pouting a little.

"Don't you think you should be resting by now?" tries Fred, the concern in his voice audible as his gaze darts from her to her homework.

She doesn't respond. Fred sighs and gets up off the couch to sit down next to her on the ground. But even then, she doesn't look up from her homework, so Fred takes matters into his own hands and reaches out with his hand to gently cup her cheek, trying to tilt her head towards him.

"Not now, Fred.." she mutters, leaning away from him a little to keep writing. His hand hovers in mid-air, fingers now just barely brushing her face as she's moved away. "I have to.. finish this.."

Her tongue is poking out in concentration as she almost feverishly moves her quill over paper. Fred tries not to feel too dejected and lets her be, waiting until she's broken out of her trance enough to grab her attention again. In the meantime, he props his elbows on his knees, the pout on his lips very much evident as he watches her work. He still doesn't know why she's been acting so distant, and no matter how much he tries to mull things over in his brain, he still doesn't know why exactly she's angry at him. Or if she even is angry.

Was his pick-up line really that bad? Could it maybe be because he'd kept trying to play with her hair in potions class the other day? Or is it because of what he did last week, when he’d talked McGonagall’s ear off about how wonderful a girlfriend he had? Maybe Fred should've been a bit more considerate—[Y/N] has always been a teacher's pet, after all, and he knows that the teachers themselves were surprised when they found out that she was dating him, one-half of the devious Weasley twins who had six O.W.L.s combined..

[Y/N]'s hand stills, and for a moment Fred thinks she's finally finished her homework, but her shoulders have bowed a little and her eyes have closed. The effect this image has on Fred is instantaneous: the pout on his lips is replaced quickly by a fond smile as he lets out a quick breath of slightly dubious laughter and moves to gently tap her on the shoulder.

Slowly, slowly, her eyes blink open.

Another tiny laugh. "You fell asleep for a second there, love," says Fred softly, hand moving to touch her hair, and he's so bloody endeared by her it hurts. Voice a mere mumble like he’s afraid of speaking too loud, he says, "Reckon we should turn in for the night, yeah? You and me both."

There's silence as she exhales, leaning into his touch almost unconsciously as her eyes close and her shoulders slump. "I'm really tired," she tells him quietly, nose wrinkling a little as her mouth stretches open in a yawn. (Good grief, Fred's heart aches.) He scoots forward a little into her, gathering her into his lap where she almost automatically curls up, head on his shoulder and her lips just barely grazing the side of his neck.

Fred can't even remember what he'd been agonizing over just moments before. All his fluttering heart cares about at the moment is his sleepy girlfriend, who's shifting a little in his lap to get herself more comfortable, mumbling something inaudible in her half-asleep state. He has to physically suppress himself from throwing his head back and laughing out loud, because something about the situation he's in is making him feel oddly euphoric. He only has to think about if for a few moments before he realizes why: it's because of how adorable she's being. And Fred’s heart might be melting in his chest—should he be concerned?

"I'm gonna carry you up to your dorm, okay?" says Fred, tone just loud enough to make himself heard but quiet and soft enough so as to not jar her awake. He feels her nod a little against his shoulder. Carefully, he gets to his feet, one arm under her legs and the other supporting her back the way a groom would carry his bride. (The thought crosses Fred's head very briefly and just like that he's smiling goofily to himself.)

And the moment is romantic and intimate in a quiet, calming way, until Fred makes the big mistake of murmuring, "I'll fix up your homework and bring it to you so you can work on it tomorrow" and [Y/N] quite literally freezes in his arms. Her entire body goes rigid.

"Homework. Oh, crap." Fully awake now, she lifts her head off of his shoulder, looks back at her pile of homework still on the ground, and then, her panicked eyes meeting his, she says, "Oh, no. No. I can't—I've got to get it done now, Fred."

An incredulous sound tumbles past his lips. "I could've sworn you were asleep two seconds ago.”

She sighs, squeezing her eyes shut for a few seconds before peeling them open again. Fred notes that the bags under them look even more pronounced up close; something that has him frowning at her. “Put me down, please? I really have to get that essay done."

He huffs, shakes his head, and starts walking towards the staircase leading to the girls' dormitory. "What—" [Y/N] yelps, looking up at him with an expression that suggests he’s admitted to strangling a rabbit. "Fred, I said put me down—"

"And let you work yourself to death? No can do, love." Fred looks down at her, lips pressed together in a sorry smile as he shakes his head. He lifts his gaze back away from her as he begins climbing up the steps, trying not to jostle [Y/N] too much in his arms. His tone sing-song, he says, “You need to rest. The essay can wait."

[Y/N] opens her mouth to predictably retaliate, but Fred stops halfway up the staircase and presses a kiss to her lips, effectively cutting her off. At first she’s stiff, but it only takes her a few seconds to relax and melt into him.

When Fred pulls away with one last peck to the lips, he smiles down at her, eyes twinkling. “Have I changed your mind with my superior snogging skills?”

Unable to help herself, she lets out an exasperated laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. But even then her gaze lingers on her homework, still on the floor in front of the fireplace—totally not yet finished—

“But I’ve only got a few pages left to go,” she says in one last stroke of adamancy.

”And what kind of boyfriend would I be if I let you stay up all night without getting enough sleep?” They’ve reached the top of the staircase now, and Fred is fumbling with the doorknob of her dorm room, trying to open it with one hand without having to set her down.

“But Freddy.”

Fred pauses trying to open the door, lips unconsciously twitching up into an incredulous grin as he raises his eyebrows at her. Of course she had to use his one big weakness against him—he loves when she calls him Freddy. Or perhaps love is a severe understatement, because he always goes all putty in her hands whenever she sings it into his ear or shouts it at him from all the way across the hallways.

But Fred isn’t having it, not this time. “But [Y/N],” he mimics her tone, still grinning, and the voice in his heart tells him to peck her lips again, so he does. “I'm telling you, love, you need sleep. And besides, we’re already here—once I get this door open—aha!”

The door clicks open and reveals behind it the dark seventh year girls’ dorm room. Fred peers inside, unsure as he steps a single hesitant foot through the door, and then he withdraws back into the landing. “Suppose I'll have to drop you off here,” tuts Fred. “Can’t really barge into an all-girls dorm room in the middle of the night—even when I’m with you. Mum would have my head.” Gingerly, he sets her down on the ground, making sure she’s standing up completely before he takes his hands away. Grinning, he holds his palm out towards her and says, “That’ll be twenty galleons.”

”I didn’t even ask for—“

“A kiss, then.”

And her incomplete homework is still lingering in her head, bothering her—she really does need to have that done at least before breakfast tomorrow—but Fred is standing in front of her with the same playful smile that [Y/N] has never learned to resist so she sighs and stands on her tip-toes, places her hand on the back of his neck, and pulls him in for a kiss.

Fred is smiling—she can feel it against her lips. Eventually she starts smiling too, unable to help herself. When she pulls away, Fred cups her cheeks in his hand and pecks her forehead—and then her nose, and her cheeks, and her eyelids, and then she’s laughing, saying, “What are you doing?”

Fred lands another kiss to the tip of her nose, then drops his hands back to his sides. “You look far too lovely for someone in dire need of sleep.”

At the mention of sleep, a yawn tears its way out of her throat. Fred has to restrain himself from doubling over and sobbing because Merlin’s beard was that adorable.

”Fine,” [Y/N] says through yet another yawn, hand coming up to rub at her eyes. “Fine. Maybe I am tired.”

Fred gasps far too dramatically. “Who ever could have guessed?”

[Y/N] may be sleepy, but she still has enough strength within her to reach out and shove him lightly by the shoulder. Fred is as theatrical as always; he clutches the spot where she’d touched him as though he’s been fatally wounded.

She rolls her eyes, smiling. Another yawn. Fred drops his act and shoves his hands into his pockets, expression somber as he looks at her, eyes dancing over her own tired ones. “Go get some sleep, alright?”

She purses her lips, shoulders slumping in defeat as she nods. “Okay. Suppose I’ll just try to finish it as fast as I can tomorrow.” And then, voice going soft, she says, “Thanks, Fred.”

Fred is so goddamned endeared.

“And. Um.”

”Yes?”

“Sorry about being so bloody cranky. I'm—“ she pauses, eyes darting away for a moment as she gestures wildly to nothing in particular.

Fred raises his eyebrows.

“On my period,” she mutters. “Have I made it awkward? I'm sorry. I just didn’t want you to think you’d done something wrong for me to be acting.. you know.”

Fred’s brows have risen so far up his forehead he’s surprised they haven’t disappeared into his hair. His mouth has fallen open a little in surprise; whatever he’d been expecting her to say, it certainly hadn’t been that. But part of him is relieved at the knowledge that he hadn’t done anything wrong.

“So that’s why you’ve been acting like someone pissed in your tea,” says Fred teasingly. She rolls her eyes again—another yawn; the largest one so far, actually. He can’t help the fond laugh that tears its way out of his heart and past his lips. Reaching out, he places a hand on the back of her head and kisses her forehead. “Sweet dreams, love.”

She wraps her arms around his middle and nods into his chest, and Fred’s heart melts. “You too, Freddy.”

—

The next morning, [Y/N] wakes up to a mysteriously completed set of History of Magic homework and a bag of Honeydukes' chocolates on her bedside table.

[nutty1005]

The new and starstudded “A Dream Like A Dream”, is the starting point, not the ending point, of Xiao Zhans

Original Article: https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_12542131 Original Author: 程辉剧场手记 The author published this in Pengpai News and shared on his Weibo Post on 6 May 2021.

Andante Cantabile, my most beloved music by Tchaikovsky, came from his String Quartet No. 1 in D major, every time it would painfully touch my heart, poet Xi Murong also used this to caption a melancholic poem. I thought, using it to sum up Lai Shengchuan’s representative work, “A Dream Like A Dream”, would be most apt.

“A Dream Like A Dream” lasts for 8 hours, this is something rare in Chinese theaters. Using the doctor as the first person, Patient No. 5 recalled and narrated in his narration, a surreal stage arrangement, emotions, life, fate, culture and societal upheaval, bringing tears to fog up your eyes. After 9 years of continued changes in the crew, Yanghua Theater brought in a new version with actors such as Xu Qing, Feng Xianzhen, Ge Xinyi, Xiao Zhan, Yan Nan, Zhang Liang, Huang Lu, Kong Wei, etc. The new version rivaled the quality of its predecessors, but yet bestowed a new presentation and expression.

A unique city was the backdrop for its first showing and the chance fate of the characters within the play allowed us to truly understand the nature of impermanence. In the play, there was an important term called “self-exchange”, which was said to come from an ancient practice from South Asia, by “breathing” with the others, so as to gift health and happiness, and remove his pain and misfortune. “A Dream Like A Dream” was a play that spoke of the search for the meaning of life, did it also deliberately “self-exchange” with the audience then? Once we understood the concept of “self-exchange”, we could also see that it was also a request to communicate with the reserved hearts of the contemporary person.

The fates of Gu Xianglan and Patient No. 5 were the two main timelines in “A Dream Like A Dream”, and the other timelines served to supplement or trigger the former. Patient No. 5’s motive came from “searching”, Gu Xianglan’s came from “chasing”. The chaser is the key to enlightening the searcher, the searcher became the resolution for the chaser, although they had different obsessions in their lives, they both came together in the end. Gu Xianglan’s deathbed confession to Patient No. 5 was not simply just an apology in her dazed state, but also her most unforgettable, wonderful and romantic memories of love; Patient No. 5, with his concern, consideration and inquiries, was like the listener from heaven, the guiding light to aid the soul in letting go of her regrets.

The 2021 Yanghua version of “A Dream Like A Dream” maintained its previous feature of multiple actors to one role, and multiple roles to one actor. Xu Qing, Feng Xianzhen, Ge Xinyi acted as after going abroad, old age and before going abroad versions of Gu Xianglan respectively. From the “peerless beauty” socialite of the brothels in Shanghai Beach, to the Baroness of a French Ambassador, to an artist, then to a maid, a sweeper of roads and alleys, to the lonely elderly in the hospital, she went through indescribable ups and downs.

Xu Qing had acted as Gu Xianglan since the play’s debut, and in the new version, her portrayal had already been exquisitely refined, the Gu Xianglan in her prime is lovely and graceful, but yet proud and wild, sensitive and emotional, as though Gu Xianglan’s soul had fully occupied her body. In addition to the true to form portrayal of the amorous nature of Gu Xianglan, her performance was exceptionally focused on the details of the silent scenes. When she and Xiao Zhan’s Patient No. 5 gazed at each other, when teary eyes met with clear eyes; from afar it seemed like she was looking at her younger self about to go onto a journey of no return, the resigned helplessness and the restless hope looked at each other; when realizing that the lost Baron had once returned, her astonished and sharp glares of anger; when Wang Debao found the tiny loft she stayed in by chance, her stealing glances were surprised and flustered… They were all full of the character’s aura and emotional tension, and the pain took the audiences by their hearts.

Senior actress Feng Xianzhen’s portrayal of the elderly version of Gu Xianglan was quite different from the version by the previous actress Lu Yan, which allowed the audiences to experience the wonder of plays due to different characterization. Lu Yan’s version was one that remained elegant and proud despite her tribulations, there was more calm and temperance, which would make the audiences respect the tenacity of this legendary lady. Feng Xianzhen’s version was a Gu Xianglan who went to France from Shanghai, and back to Shanghai from France, twice she found freedom and twice she fell. The cruelty of fate had ripped away all of the pretentiousness, the charm of her past had been lost, she was like every ordinary person. She would scheme cigarettes from strangers, curse as she liked with phrases such as “bastard”, “no good-doers in Taiwan”, mock those relatives who came to look after her as those who came for their inheritance. She fully portrayed the effects of her unfortunate life and her bitterness at the world, which made the audiences sigh in sadness.

Facing these two powerful actresses in portraying the same role, Ge Xinyi as the young Gu Xianglan, had a lot of pressure. Her performance was more inclined to a lonely beauty, the purity despite her circumstances, so as to provide a solid motive for the Baron and Wang Debao’s unrestrained infatuation. As a newcomer to the theater, her steady control was not an easy task, and should be praised for it. If she would be more open, layered and flavorful in her portrayal, the characterization would be better. After all, Gu Xianglan was the top courtesan within the midst of love and affairs, and the quiet and calm of a learned lady would be quite different from that.

Patient No. 5 was a journeyman of life. In the beginning, he suffered painful setbacks from the death of his child and the loss of his wife, and started a self-exiled wanderlust. His marriage came by mistake, almost like a replacement for his wife’s frustrating relationship. Fate caused him to lose his spirit, but he was unwilling to give up, hence he wanted to search for his wife, as though he wanted to search for himself. His encounter with Jiang Hong, was the wanderers’ sympathy for each other and to rely on each other. Only when he walked into the French castle and saw the tranquil and woeful eyes of Gu Xianglan, he seemed to see himself at the far coast of the lake, the cumulative rage and sorrow in both their hearts, their collective unwillingness to concede suddenly exploded, and he decisively dropped everything to find the lady in the painting. He did not know what question was ignited then, but he started his search for the dream of life.

In terms of the control of this character, Xiao Zhan and Yan Nan definitely put in a lot of efforts, they were highly immersive. What was even more rare was that, although their performances had different focuses, but they were both very united in terms of aura, body language, speech, pace and habitual actions, as though the two actors in the same stage were truly one character. For such a complete creation, you need not only tacit understanding.

Xiao Zhan’s performance exceeded my expectations. Despite it being his debut in a play, his performance was not even the least bit disjointed, and he was even able to merge his own personality characteristics with the role itself. His actions, pace and emotions gave a smooth interplay between tension and relaxation. The portrayal of innocent, naive, youthful, kind and fragile Patient No. 5, his unpreparedness in matters of love, was especially suitable as a youth who just joined society. It made the random encounter in the cinemas as the prelude of love more believable, and also gave a firm foundation to his actions later on, the multiple setbacks in later on, his wanderings, and his endless searching. With his wife and Jiang Hong, he had different relationships, the former was a budding first love, the latter came from empathy, Xiao Zhan had slightly different portrayal for the different phases of space and time, the cycle from simple to confusion, from searching to questioning, there was careful understanding and detailed handling. After discovering Gu Xianglan’s tracks, the clear longing that Xiao Zhan gave off collided with the layered longing from Xu Qing after her tribulations, was like the undercurrents under a calm lake, it drew in the rousing emotions, and became the strong force that pushed the story forward.

Xiao Zhan has the ability and the reason to achieve much better results in future theater stages. With time, if he could become even more at ease with the control of his body, if he could be even more accurate during the changes of character condition, I trust that he could achieve another breakthrough, and create even more challenging characters.

Reprising Patient No. 5 after many years, Yan Nan was obviously even more in-depth with his understanding of the script and character, and gifted the character a melancholy aura similar to those of an ancient poet, the quiet tones and deep glances became the key feature. The sense of accumulation of the vicissitudes, merged with Xiao Zhan’s portrayal, realized the continuation of the character’s fate. His performance on the hospital bed contrasted with Gu Xianglan on her hospital bed in a different time, and manifested Patient No. 5’s enlightenment after his miles of wandering, the person on the bed is awake, but those not were instead still dreaming. His calmness held the strings of every timeline together.

Zhang Liang’s portrayal of the Baron was the surprise of the show. If the old version’s Baron and Gu Xianglan was like the contest between eagle and the wild pigeon, the huge difference in power created the tragedy that made the audiences sad. The 2021 Yanghua version’s Baron and Gu Xianglan was like a pair of heavenly cranes, but they sang different notes as they flew to each other, and became a pair of lovebirds who hurt each other as they fell. The Baron became more romantic, more gentle and loving, but he remained prideful as he was still a noble beneath that amicable exterior, this was Zhang Liang’s new expression to the character, this also elevated Gu Xianglan’s difficulty in her choice, and even more so contrasted Gu Xianglan’s “evil” in her woeful revenge, and also left a branching point to the remaining love. His love for Gu Xianglan was true, it was not possession, but he loved the Oriental beauty, the caged Gu Xianglan, not the wild and free Gu Xianglan. Letting go and abandoning was his hopelessness for his lover, he felt that Gu Xianglan was letting herself go, she was betraying and depraving her beauty, he felt that his efforts were painfully wasted, it was not an attack on an escaped prey. This kind of portrayal made us wonder – love, was it to love a person, or was it to love an ideal? Love was to give or to receive? Was the ultimate goal of giving receiving?

The tragedy between Baron and Gu Xianglan became a tragedy of conflict between culture, social status and ideals. The difference between Baron and Gu Xianglan, did not merely exist on levels of culture and artistic ideals, but it was down to different life goals due to different cultural influences. It was hard for Baron to understand that his love only moved Gu Xianglan from a smaller cage to another bigger cage, even if he loved her deeply; Gu Xianglan who struggled for survival in a twisted environment, simply wanted to escape her cage, even if it meant poverty. This type of tragedy could not simply be explained with the character’s personality. The energy from repeated characterization is evident.

Huang Lu as Jiang Hong was a character that was rather difficult to grasp in “A Dream Like A Dream”. In her portrayal, Jiang Hong was an ordinary girl, who went through multiple troubles but was always chosen, besides her strong sense of survival, I almost could not see more personality. I remembered that I had brief flashes of a parallel universe while cooking eggs one morning, that was the state that she could not find herself or her position in life. She claimed herself as “the original Jiang Hong was dead, the Jiang Hong who arrived in Paris never existed” wanderer, her “relationship” with Patient No. 5 was merely a chance encounter in life, both of them were scared and questioning whether they should “fall into another relationship”. Huang Lu’s performance was very restrained, controlled, and tried hard to make herself not stand out, to do it to this extent was quite difficult. When she was talking about her stowaway escape, there was a point for emotional explosion, but yet she had to control it within the fine line between “surviving the calamity” and “unable to calm herself”. For this actress who was nominated multiple times for international awards and also won a national acting award, this was a rare stage experience.

Kong Wei, who just took off her costume in “Thunder Rain”, portrayed Shi Li Hong, the Mama-san of “Fairy Court”, in “A Dream Like A Dream”. Scheming and cunning in worldly matters, but yet she maintained her own sense of righteousness with Gu Xianglan and her sisters, fleshed out the character with even more emotions. Especially when the drunk professor professed his love for her, her teasing and forced calmness was mixed with surprise and shyness, as every emotion came at the same time, she managed them with ease, not only was the set brightly colored, there was also the sudden exposure of the character’s personality. Wang Peiyu who acted as the young Wang Debao, also showed the character’s clumsiness and stubbornness, his portrayal of passionate love was on point, which was just as brilliant.

There were many characters in “A Dream Like A Dream”, the group’s shared brilliance could not be forgotten, many actors who acted as multiple roles displayed exceeding energy. This came down to the Yanghua creativity production team, lead by Art Director Wang Keran, who had astute senses in actor selection as well as careful detailing in every part of the creation.

Luo Yongjuan, who portrayed a puppet in “Jewish City” and Li Zonglei, who had many important roles in many dramas and plays, both portrayed over 10 characters, and outstandingly completed the character creation for all of these different roles. Ruan Li, who portrayed the cousin, the dancer, the child, etc, also contributed multiple talents. Wang Weiqian, who portrayed Aunt Jin, the tourist, etc; Sun Zhongyi, who portrayed the professor, the old servant, etc, they all left deep impressions.

To display the characters but not to display themselves, this was the forefront of all theater actors, this was done by Xu Qing and Xiao Zhan, Zhang Liang and other stars, this was the respect they gave the play, the stage, the audience and themselves.

When the first kissing scene appeared for Xiao Zhan, part of the audiences were controlled but there were still some excessive “fan” reactions, but this did not interrupt his performance pace, this reminded me that Xu Qing and Hu Ge version also had the same situation many years ago. We could see that the actors were immersed, they prepared mental homework for every segment and detail, this was the hard work and the goal of both the production and the actors. Putting in efforts into acting and solely seeking the effects of celebrity, these are two totally different things after all.

When rehearsing or refreshing old classic plays, most of the time, methods such as subversion, recreation or simple replay were used. 2021 Yanghua’s version of “A Dream Like A Dream” is a case of production relying on the new cast to continuously discover deeper understandings, to recreate, and then to give audience a new icing on the cake while ensuring the quality of the play.

I was interviewed after the debut showing and said that this play was the Xiao Zhan’s starting point and not his ending point, and I also hoped that more capable actors would come to the theater stage, focus on the creation of art, and from that we could forge our own generation of quality “full celebrities”, such as Jin Shan, Shi Hui, Bai Yang, Zhang Ruifang, Shu Xiuwen, Laurence Olivier, Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, etc, of China. On the international theatrical stage, this is just commonplace.

[travoltacustom]

HYPNOSIS MICROPHONE 4TH INTERNATIONAL POLL (DECEMBER 2020) Part 1: Consumption

Thank you for your participation! These are the final results for the 4th Hypnosis Microphone International Poll. After months of work on this, we have estimates for general fandom opinions. Do you agree or disagree with the general opinions? Please let us know!

The results were held back from original posting as we were waiting to post for a month before the 2nd DRB finals (which is on Doppo’s Birthday this year.) My deepest apologies for how long this took to get out. We will be releasing these results with a section per day, with the end of these results showing the Japanese side.

Click the READ MORE to view the results.

PREFACE

The data collection for this poll received 902 votes to give us an indication of the demographic of those who consume Hypnosis Mic. This poll was open to English speakers, and thus, results may be considerably Euro/American-centric. The word ‘international’ has been used to refer to how fans are from many places around the world, but the poll may also refer to this group as ‘English-speaking’ etc. The Japanese poll had a smaller respondent pool with 400.

This poll received the most activity through Twitter, given that the series is most active on that platform. The poll was also posted on Tumblr, Facebook and the HypMic wiki. Commentary has been given on sections of the poll. These results will be available in full on from this account. The Japanese poll results shall follow about a week with comparison to this poll.

The poll was conducted from December 2020 to January 2021. This poll is UNOFFICIAL and none of the composers of this poll have any relation to King Records whatsoever. 

This will be split into MULTIPLE posts due to the amount of data and limitations of tumblr.

PART 1: THE CONSUMPTION OF HYPNOSIS MIC

This section examines what percentage of HypMic's English fanbase consumes certain media.

How long have you been into Hypnosis Mic?

Before the project began -  Sep 2017: 3.7%

Since Pre-Battle Season 1 - Oct 2017 - Feb 2018: 7%

Since Battle Season 1 - Mar 2018 - Dec 2018: 19.4%

Since Post-Battle Season 1 - Jan 2019 - Nov 2019: 29.6%

Since Pre-Battle Season 2 - Dec 2019 - Dec 2020: 40.3%

NOTABLE DATES

Release of Enter the Hypnosis Microphone: April 2019

Announcement of Dotsuitare Honpo & Bad Ass Temple: September 2019

Announcement of the start of the 2nd DRB: December 2020

From this group of people, only 293 people, or 32.5% of respondents were around during the 1st Battle Season.

Looking at those who were around during the battle season 88.4% did not vote at all, while 11.6% did vote.

At the time of the 1st DRB, voting was only possible by buying CDs and certain merchandise, unlike the additions of the 2nd DRB where you could purchase a ticket to the lives.

How many of the HypMic drama tracks have you listened to?

Buster Bros!!! Generation Dramas: 69.7%

BAYSIDE M.T.C Dramas: 70.3%

Fling Posse -F.P.S.M- Dramas: 74.2%

Matenro -Aural Medicine- Dramas: 70.3%

B.B vs M.T.C Dramas: 63.7%

F.P vs M Dramas: 71.8%

The Champion Dramas: 63.1%

Enter the Hypnosis Microphone Dramas: 61%

Aikata Back Again: 64.7%

The Heart’s Conviction Can’t Be Broken: 62.6%

Helter Skelter: 61%

All in the same boat: 60.9%

The Loneliness, Tears, and Hope of a Puppet: 67.5%

Chaser from the Past: 60.9%

Guidebook Dramas: 31.7%

Manga Bonus Dramas: 27.6%

Have not listened to the dramas: 2.1%

How much of the HypMic manga have you read?

SOME of B.B vs M.T.C: 34.7%

ALL of B.B vs M.T.C: 45.8%

SOME of F.P vs M: 31.3%

ALL of F.P vs M: 52.4%

SOME of TDD: 32.6%

ALL of TDD: 53.3%

SOME of D.H & B.A.T: 64.2%

Have not read the manga: 10.5%

Thus, all together:

SOME/ALL of B.B vs M.T.C: 80.5%

SOME/ALL of F.P vs M: 83.7%

SOME/ALL of TDD: 85.9%

At the time of the poll, BB vs MTC, FP vs M and the TDD manga had completed, while DH vs BAT was incomplete. BB vs MTC +, FP vs M+ and Dawn of Divisions were announced during the poll’s conduction.

How much of other HypMic of other HypMic content have you explored?

Track 1: 69.7%

Track 2: 70.3%

Track 3: 74.2%

Niconama: 70.3%

HPNM Youtube: 63.7%

HypMic concerts: 71.8%

1st Spotify Radio (1-6 episodes): 63.1%

1st Spotify Radio (7-18 episodes): 61%

1st Spotify Radio (19+ episodes): 64.7%

NOTES

This question also asked about those who have watched the anime, but as respondents ticked multiple options of how much they had seen, these results were unable to be posted.

Track 2 & Track 3 were playing during COVID which may account for the lower numbers of viewers. Niconama streams have also been discontinued and have now been replaced by the HPNM Youtube streams.

What HypMic official merchandise have you bought? This does not include magazines that contain manga chapters or interviews.

Trading/blind goods: 29.3%

Paper goods: 11.3%

Plush goods:  35.1%

Apparel: 10.4%

Accessories or cosmetics: 4.3%

Stageplay specific goods: 2.7%

(Collab) Food:  2%

Magazine with HypMic content: 8.5%

Manga (any edition): 13.7%

HypMic Guidebook: 16.7%

Non-battle CD: 13.6

Battle Season CD: 7.4%

Subscribed to HYPSTER: 9.8%

48.3% of respondents have not bought a piece of HypMic official merchandise.

Most bought goods: Plush goods (35.1%), trading/blind goods (26.4%), the official guidebook (16.7%)

Least bought goods: Items from food collabs (2%), stageplay specific goods (2.7%), and accessories and cosmetics (4.3%)

These last are understandable as most food can’t be shipped internationally, as well as cosmetics like the perfume that contain alcohol.

Only 9.8% of respondents have a HYPSTER subscription.

Do you play Alternative Rap Battle (ARB)? It is fine if translations are used?

PLAY / DO NOT PLAY: 72.3% / 27.7%

READ ALL STORIES: 37.3%

READ EVENT STORIES: 14.7%

READ MAIN STORIES: 7.9%

DON’T READ STORIES: 40.1%

Since HypMic is not translated into other languages, how does this affect your consumption of the material?

Don’t understand Japanese & don’t use translations: 2.9%

Don’t understand Japanese so I use translations: 52.7%

Understand some Japanese but I use translations: 36.5%

Understand some Japanese & don’t use translations: 8%

With these numbers, we can see that:

55.6% of respondents know some degree of Japanese. This poll did not ask to quantify how much Japanese was known by fans. 44.4% do not know Japanese.

89.2% of respondents use translations. 

To the 2.9% of people who don’t use translations and don’t understand a thing that’s happening, please respond. Are you okay?

How familiar are you with Japanese hip-hop, the genre of HypMic?

Regularly listens to J hip-hop: 22.8%

Regularly listens to Western hip-hop but not J hip-hop: 12%

Regularly listens to Japanese music but not J hip-hop: 54.5%

Do not listen to Japanese music or hip-hop: 10.7%

With numbers, we can see that:

34.8% of respondents listen to either Japanese or Western hip-hop. 65.2% of respondents do not listen to hip-hop.

These numbers seem to match up with the later results that show that 79% of respondents do not listen to J hip-hop artists outside of HypMic and 69% of respondents do not listen to/could list Western hip-hop artists at all.

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To see the next part showing the demographics of the International fandom, please follow us to the next post.

NEXT

[royalynx]

(   *  💀  /  daniel ezra, cis male, he/him  )  —  is that kingsley shacklebolt i just saw rushing down the corridor? i hear they’re a twenty two year old gryffindor, returning for their seventh school year, but their friends would tell you that they are grounded & commanding as well as opinionated & strong-willed. if you want to know more about them, i guess i could tell you that they’re pureblood, and from what i hear, they’re currently allying with the order. when our divination professor looks into their crystal ball, they see: the calming presence in the back of the room, muggle records hidden in drawers, steaming mugs of tea, the warmth of a hug, the burn of quiet fury.

CHARACTER INSPIRATION: Luke Cage (Jessica Jones), Kingsley Shacklebolt (Books: Order of the Phoenix through Deathly Hallows), Jake Reilly (Private Practice), Terry Jeffords (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Alphonso ‘Mack’ Mackenzie (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Matt Simmons (Criminal Minds), Odafin Tutuola (Law and Order: SVU), Spencer James (All American).

TRIGGER WARNINGS: ???

LINKS: Pinterest (Coming Soon). Playlist (Coming Soon).

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒

I N T R O

full name ➵ Kingsley Akiel Shacklebolt

nicknames ➵ King; Kings; Kas; Shack; Shacklebolt; Royal

pronouns ➵ he/him/his

orientation ➵ bisexual biromantic

birthdate / age ➵ May 8th, 1957, 15:32 am / 22 years old

birthplace ➵ Birmingham, England

childhood home ➵ Birmingham, England

current residence ➵ Hogwarts, Scotland

religion ➵ atheist

occupation ➵ full - time student at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry

P H Y S I C A L

height ➵ 5 feet, 10 1/2 inches / 179 cm

weight ➵ 78 kg / 171lb

body type ➵ mesomorph ( athletic; generally hard body; well defined muscles; rectangular shaped body; strong; gains muscle easily; gains fat easily )

hair ➵ black, shaved/cropped 

eye color ➵ dark brown

dominant hand ➵ ambidextrous

FC ➵ Daniel Ezra

voice ➵ Daniel Ezra

special characteristics ➵

tattoo of a lion on the back of his neck that roars when danger is near

acne scars on cheeks

perfect posture

smells of ➵

broom wax

toothpaste

lavender, anise, basil, bergamot and lemon; geranium, ylang-ylang and jasmine; oakmoss, vetiver, tonka bean, patchouli, vanilla and sandalwood - Brut by Faberge

E M O T I O N A L

zodiac ➵ taurus sun (x); virgo rising; virgo moon

MBTI ➵ ISTJ (“The Logistician”)

positive traits ➵  grounded; commanding; courageous; considerate; observant; dedicated; forbearing to an almost mind-boggling degree; put-together; knowledgeable; self-reliant.

neutral traits ➵ fearless; calming; stolid; diplomatic; paternalistic.

negative traits ➵ opinionated; strong-willed; quiet; stubborn; high-minded; aloof to some; reticent; stoic; overcritical; has very high expectations of himself & others.

likes ➵ playing Quidditch; freshly baked bread; playing Gobstones at 3am; a warm bed; muggle record players; purple; watching the sea; forehead kisses; DADA; organized notes; wearing rings; honeycakes; David Bowie; dragonhide boots; chocolate frogs; firedrakes; Charms; Firewhiskey; watching the fire in the Gryffindor common room; twenty; red wine; laughing with Frank and Alastor; Transfiguration; The Beatles; his sister

dislikes ➵ legilimency; bigotry; raisins in chocolate; Divination; messy desks; foggy London; Sacred 28; people flaking on him; his team losing Quidditch matches; pumpkin juice; using school brooms; sushi; magic quills; pixies; History of Magic; the treatment of squibs by wizarding society; muddy orange; gigglewater; the texture of mushrooms; feeling unsettled; licorice; rollercoasters; toads; the word mudblood; Turkish delight

amortentia ➵

freshly cut grass

roast chicken dinner

aftershave

sandalwood

M A G I C

blood status ➵ pureblood

wand ➵ Alder wood with cherry trailed over the front like the path of a river, or a lightning bolt, White River Monster spine core, 14 and a 1/4 inches, solid

whilst Alder makes for an unyielding wood, its ideal owner is not stubborn or obstinate, but often helpful, considerate and most likeable. Whereas most wand woods seek similarity in the characters of those they will best serve, alder is unusual in that it seems to desire a nature that is, if not precisely opposite to its own, then certainly of a markedly different type. When an alder wand is happily placed, it becomes a magnificent, loyal helpmate. Of all wand types, alder is best suited to non-verbal spell work, whence comes its reputation for being suitable only for the most advanced witches and wizards. (Cherry, a very rare wand wood creates a wand of strange power, most highly prized by the wizarding students of the school of Mahoutokoro in Japan, where those who own cherry wands have special prestige. The Western wand-purchaser should dispel from their minds any notion that the pink blossom of the living tree makes for a frivolous or merely ornamental wand, for cherry wood often makes a wand that possesses truly lethal power, whatever the core, but if teamed with dragon heartstring, the wand ought never to be teamed with a wizard without exceptional self-control and strength of mind.) The use of a  White River Monster spine produced spells of force and elegance. 

patronus ➵ Lynx

E D U C A T I O N

Hogwarts class ➵ Gryffindor, 1981

extracurriculars ➵

Gryffindor Prefect / September 1980 - June 1981

Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team / September 1979 - June 1981

Gryffindor Chaser / October 1975 - June 1981

Charms Club / September 1975 - June 1981

Toothill Duelling Club / September 1978 - June 1981

Slug Club / December 1977 - June 1981

courses & exams ➵

Ancient Runes - O

Charms - O

Defense Against the Dark Arts - O

Herbology - O

Arithmancy - O

Muggle Studies - O

Potions - O

Transfiguration - O

Care of Magical Creatures - O

now studying Alchemy ( predicted an O )

M I S C E L L A N E O U S

health ➵

strawberry allergy

pets ➵ 

Archimedes; the family owl ( great horned owl )

handwriting ➵ Sebastian Bobby

F A M I L Y

Ora Shacklebolt (nee Kayoude) ➵ paternal grandmother; socialite; alive

Kingsley Shacklebolt I ➵ grandfather; Wizengamot member; alive

Yara Audley (nee Idowu) ➵ maternal grandmother; homeschooled; apothecary worker; alive

Akiel Audley ➵ maternal grandfather; homeschooled; Quidditch supply store owner; alive

Alaric Shacklebolt I ➵ father; Gryffindor; Senior Auror for the DMLE; alive

Meera Shacklebolt ➵ mother; homeschooled (opted out of attending Ilvermorny / Hogwarts); apothecary worker; alive

Eralia Audley ➵ maternal aunt; homeschooled; Senior Assistant to the Jamaican Minister of Magic; alive

Gabrielle Shacklebolt ➵ paternal aunt; Hufflepuff; Ministry employee; alive

Edward Shacklebolt (took wife’s name) ➵ paternal uncle; Hufflepuff; job; alive

Khenan Shacklebolt ➵ paternal uncle; Ravenclaw; curse breaker for Gringotts; alive

Kingsley Akiel Shacklebolt (II) ➵ self; Gryffindor; Future Senior Auror for the DMLE; alive

Bianca Omnira Shacklebolt ➵ sister; fifth year Ravenclaw; unknown future; alive

𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐌

his parents used to say he was born for diplomacy. that’s what they’d drilled into him since he was born: fight the good fight, be honest and good and stay calm, always. they can only catch you off guard when you aren’t. he’d always been somewhat of a natural diplomat — the oldest child, expectations hung from his shoulders as if they were coats and he, a coat rack. he’d always been a quiet child, somewhat unassuming, almost shy, content to play and be alone, often found even as a baby, simply amusing himself with his fist over crying, wailing for attention. when they attended the galas and balls befitting of a family part of the sacred 28, little changed. in fact, he was praised for it — how level-headed he was, even when all he wanted to do was scream and shout and set fire to the curtains by the window to stop them yammering on about the importance of blood purity and their precious, precious privilege, how he smiled politely and shook hands and never, ever made a scene. he hated them. he hated every last one of them. their fake smiles and empty eyes, how they hated for no reason and believed themselves to be superior — a kernel of a fallacy that kingsley, even as a child, could never subscribe to.

but kingsley was nothing if not a good man, and a good son, and so, he stayed silent — at least, to everyone who never crossed the boundaries of their home. to them, kingsley was a young wizard who showed particular promise in their circle, but to those who saw him at home, his internal torture over it was obvious. he had muggle neighbours, even muggle friends, people who made him laugh and gave his parents presents when his beloved baby sister was born, and he could not abide the dual life his parents were living. when they were home, they were tolerant — amused, even, by the muggles they surrounded themselves with, something his mother always said was to keep them grounded, because she’d already lost one sibling to pureblood mania and refused to lose herself, or her husband, or either of her children. when they were at the galas, they were cold, a little aloof, they laughed along with jokes at muggles expenses, they shook hands, ate appetisers, danced and never seemed to show any remorse for the roles they had to play those nights, though he knew they had to feel guilty (he hoped they felt guilty.) he knew they felt they had to do it to survive — to thrive, even, in a world in which they weren’t always welcome, but he hates it.

he loves his family. kingsley loves them with every part of him, loves his younger sister with his entire heart, is never not seen at home without her practically hanging off his ankles, and then his knees, and then his hips, until she’s too tall and too old for that, he loves his mother and relishes her hugs and the way she always knows what to say to make him feel better, he loves his father and that deep, slow river of calm that seems to run through him, the same river kingsley has always felt took root in him, but he hates their legacy. he hates their part in the sacred twenty eight. he hates every part of it. he hates that they agreed to this — to what feels like a mortal lock, an unbreakable vow, tying themselves to this until the end of time. he hates that he understands why — their blood runs pure, he knows, in other wizards standards, but knowing what the sacred twenty eight stands for? what it really represents? kingsley thinks that their blood is the blood that’s dirty, that they’re the ones who ought to be ashamed of themselves for their existence, that they’re the ones who value opulence and power over people’s lives and that makes them wrong and evil and undeserving of their magic. it’s the first time — the only time — his parents have ever seen him truly angry — he remembers it well, being fourteen and all uncontrolled fury for the first time, how the quiet anger had burned and swelled under his skin until he couldn’t hold it in anymore, and how he’d made all the glass windows in the dining room shatter, the glass raining like sand when his father waved it away with a swish of his wand, kingsley’s chest heaving as he yells, raging against their indifference, feeling oddly soothed when his mother pulls him into his arms and whispers that she’s sorry. she’s sorry. she knows, she knows. he wishes that were enough — that apology, that acknowledgement that they were — are — hypocrites.

even still, his love for his family, flaws and all, remains, though he’s slowly pulled back from any engagement with the pureblood world over the years. he’s very proud to be his father’s son — the son of an auror, recipient of the order of merlin second class — and his mother’s. he’s proud to be his sister’s big brother, her protector. he’s even more proud when he gets his letter to hogwarts, confirming what they all already knew — magic is strong in the shacklebolt family. he picks up the family wand, purchased in america in the early 1920s — alder with cherry trailed over the front like the path of a river, or a lightning bolt, white river monster spine core, fourteen and a quarter inches, solid — and he feels a piece of himself slots firmly into place. hogwarts is where his father went, where his father’s father went (over ilvermorny), and though he can no longer pretend to be complacent to their every whim in regards to the sacred twenty eight (something which both his parents have since begun to shun), he knows getting sorted into gryffindor would make them both proud, and that’s what he wants, so that’s what be did — the bat barely touched his head before declaring him a gryffindor. even now, as a twenty two year old seventh year on the brink of graduating into a fully fledged war, he wants to make them proud. he wants to be a pillar of strength, safety, tolerance, love, support, he wants to be the friendly face ushering people to safety, he wants to be the one raining hellfire down on the prejudiced idiots who think that they’re any different to anyone else, with magic or without, on this planet, that they’re superior in any way because of their blood.

[plounce]

my Concepts for aj2

so these are my thoughts and ideas about the game that would follow aa4 in a timeline where we got a coherent apollo trilogy rather than aa5 and aa6. as such, i am discarding aa5 and aa6′s apollo backstories because i find them incoherent as an arc and only slapped onto him for the plots of the games. etc etc. theorizing on squandered potential is me-bait. trucy and klavier get to have THEIR place in the narrative as important characters!! (sorry athena. you will get your own trilogy with good writing and a better design in this timeline too)

this is very stream of consciousness and while i think it’s fairly coherent it is also not chronologically organized as i build on ideas. i am genuinely sorry if the read more doesn’t work on mobile because this thing is stupid long.

containing:

apollo, trucy, and klavier being a firm Trio and getting character development and growing closer :)

themes about found family, letting yourself love/be loved, performance and persona, love giving you strength to do good, you being the one to determine your identity

exploration of the trio’s backstories and the development of their skills

prosecutor franziska chipping away at the corruption within the legal system

klavier being the assistant for a case

kristoph continuing to be a corrupt bastard

buildup to the sibling reveal & canon klapollo in the conclusion of the trilogy

- apollo is the main character

- phoenix is absent for like the entire game besides maybe a couple tiny flashbacks, later revealed to be working with edgeworth on anti-corruption stuff (which is also tied to kristoph & kristoph’s ties within the legal system, “old boys club” etc)

- trucy is assistant for first half of the game

- klavier is assistant for second half of the game. his hair is in a little bun or ponytail :) no drill hair for THIS individual person

- klavier is prosecutor for trucy assistant cases. in the 3rd case klavier was supposed to prosecute against apollo but things keep getting fishier and fishier and things keep reminding them of kristoph. klavier is ordered off the case from on high. mysterious replacement. klavier is too invested in seeing truth & justice come to light so he helps apollo

- franziska prosecutes cases 3 & 4. she has short hair and it’s super sexy and hot.

- kristoph set things up so that klavier is implicated in things. dig into how klavier and apollo feel unable to escape kristoph’s influence - “he’s too foundational”

- 4th case klavier is on trial. oh maybe 3 isn’t about kristoph but it’s just background stuff about the rampup to the 4th case - klavier is put on probation while things are investigated but he doesn’t know WHY, but he’s still committed to his ideals

- trucy is pursuing her magic career, klavier still loves music - has been releasing solo stuff maybe, just some EPs for free/charity, but isn’t touring. focusing on law

- case 4 has a family friend (NOT A WOMAN FOR THE LOVE OF GOD... A MALE DAMSEL PLEASE) get accidentally poisoned through something klavier gave them. that’s the trial itself. kristoph was the source. klavier is arrested. it’s more complicated that this but it gets to this point. day 2 of the trial is when klavier is implicated and he gets yanked into cuffs from the defense bench

- one of case 4′s pillars is a memory from the gavin brothers’ childhood. discuss how kristoph was as a child. klavier has been realizing how... odd certain things were, and trying to pass it off as like “haha yeah kristoph would dissect dead birds and convince our parents that every mess was my fault. i guess that makes sense considering how he ended up haha? I Don’t Feel Strongly About This I Just Think It’s Funny :)”

- apollo’s perceive abilities expanding to be able to perceive general emotional states as well - along with learning to practice more empathy, being considerate. No Klavier And Trucy, You Are Not Fine. this is kind of like athena’s thing actually huh

- trucy, meanwhile, is learning to be more like. emotionally... independent? no. emotionally... self-caring. both independent in that she’s a young adult and also caring in that she is trying not to force herself to take care of everyone all the time and show her less pretty emotions to apollo. take care of herself

- case 1 has to do with something happening at trucy’s show/her career/her school etc. she’s still a real person etc. trucy’s friends mostly being adults, her feeling isolated at school. nah wait this is a slightly absurd world she’s not overly weird for her classmates necessarily. yeah ok it’s about magic

- case 2 has to do with klavier being a rockstar, the pressure of celebrity and public fascination with his persona. stalker fans, music industry, talk shows, etc. someone trying to convince him to come back to music. klavier has to arrest someone he’s fond of again. no big stadium performance in this game

- the trio all dealing with themes of hiding and trying not to feel “bad” emotions: apollo going “im fine” and suppressing his problems & just trying to do his job so he can cope with how overwhelmed & stressed he feels constantly etc etc + trucy hiding the secrets of her magic which is sort of representative of her hiding a lot of her sad/”ugly” feelings because she thinks she needs to because she thinks phoenix depends on her being cheerful all the time + klavier dealing with having a public persona and the pressures of being Himself, trying to be the person others see him as/want him to be, who is klavier when he is not performing? who are all of them when they are not performing? who are they performing for?

- yes i am a “woman” yes i am obsessed with the idea of performance

- trio all dealing with/feeling lonely wrt family: apollo learning more about jove (possibly during the music industry case - someone knew his dad, who refused a big contract), who he was & one of the cases involving someone from his past in the foster system - maybe it’s even clay! - but in general feeling very disconnected from “family” in general esp compared to trucy&klavier’s family troubles being so immediate and raw for them + trucy feeling lonely and kind of abandoned as phoenix is increasingly gone in this game and seeming very distant from her, similar to how zak abandoned her, and also the pains of growing up + klavier’s parents either are dead or are somewhat estranged after he got kristoph imprisoned, klavier feeling very lonely in general after his pursuit of truth&justice has snipped many of his connections from him

- yes i am gay yes i am obsessed with found family

- franziska having a moment of “i get how it is and it sucks” with klavier about Complicated Feelings About Family

- she eventually does realize during case 4 that klavier is guilty but has to hide it in order to push one of kristoph’s allies out into the open. sorry kid uh... what do you like. i will buy you. an ice cream? or something. look do you want a gift card i’ll buy you a gift card

- kristoph’s lawyer shows up near the start of the game to give things to apollo which he is deeply suspicious of but ema tests them and they come up clean. guy shows up here and there throughout the game. maybe tries to bribe apollo or something. apollo gets invited to a Fancy Lunch because he’s the one that bested kristoph gavin and that shows Promise. in a sense. or something. apollo being manipulated by people who refused to hire him when he got kristoph convicted etc

- themes about being young in a world full of secrets and webs of alliance that you feel barred from because you have ideals and won’t compromise them and also either come from nothing or burned all your bridges. just aa protag things <3

- oh maybe there’s a new judge who is also In On Nefarious Plots

- catching these people doesn’t fix everything but - it’s something. they got a couple shitheads

- trucy continues developing her gramarye abilities. more emotional depth. more exploration on complex feelings wrt phoenix and her childhood and her adolescence and how she’s fairly well-adjusted as one can be but also... the shit still hits yk... she’s like 16 years old so she’s maturing

- ema is there. she and apollo get along a bit better. asks after phoenix. provides evidence against klavier, and then evidence for.

- followup on apollo-edgeworth klavier-phoenix parallels - who is the one bringing them further into the light, chaser/chased, the one who wants more/the one who pushes away, etc etc

- follow through on implied gramarye mafia connections

- klavier isn’t super in the first case besides the courtroom and maybe one appearance, but he is like. worried about trucy if there is cause to be worried about her. set up their dynamic beyond trucy just liking the gavinners

- trucy&apollo and klavier&kristoph compares&contrast

- franziska is(/appears to be) very doubting/dismissive of apollo’s belief in klavier bc it’s like... are you pursuing the truth? or trying to shield your friend?

- apollo does end up almost very close believing klavier was in kahoots with kristoph/kristoph’s friends because it just looks. really bad. like it genuinely looks VERY BAD. and he’s like “i have to find truth like prosecutor von karma said”. yknow how with a lot of aa cases it starts out “oh no it looks open and shut” and then is like “NO WAY THEY COULD HAVE DONE IT... BUT HUH”. this one is reverse. and then straightens back out again. dig the hole then climb back out

- yeah the theme is like. “are you trying to find truth or do you want to protect your loved ones. what is your duty as a person, your job or your loved ones.” this carries through on klavier’s thread from aa4 where he has to work against his loved ones. meanwhile apollo, who is a bit more cool-tempered irritable grump, is the one going “oh god, am i biased towards my friends?” so it sort of flips. what kind of stories will you weave to clear your friends of blame? kristoph’s boys club.

- echo back to “evidence is everything” - this line of thinking (in a certain way) is what saves klavier when kristoph is trying to punish him for his betrayal

- since phoenix is away, the gramarye siblings aren’t revealed yet. but more info is dropped to compensate - stuff about jove and apollo’s childhood in the foster system and how that’s shaped him into someone who keeps people at arm’s length to keep himself safe; trucy and apollo getting closer despite that, trucy busting down those barriers because she needs his support and he’s like “oh my god i have to support her.” older sibling stuff.

- maybe the trucy case involves like. a mafia guy trying to collect on debts or smth and tries to ruin trucy, and threatens apollo. there’s a hint that is very obvious to the audience but is like “wow apollo he thought you were my brother!” like the mafia guy calls apollo “the other child” and apollo is like “hey, i’m 24!” which is humorous but also the audience is like Oh My God I Know What That Means

- there isn’t a deliberate withholding of information from phoenix - he literally is not there to withhold it. but there is still tension and stakes and weight to their relation - apollo keenly feeling his absence of family and trucy feeling sort of abandoned by phoenix

- phoenix is like “ok trucy you’re almost an adult so i’m trusting you to stay safe and responsible while i’m away. apollo will technically be in charge but i’m still trusting you” and privately to apollo is like “If Anything Bad Happens To Her. Your Head Is On The Line.” so it is just them making it on their own

- klavier drops the line “watching you two is like what kristoph and i should have had” and then there’s a couple “...” dialogue boxes as the audience is like I KNOW WHAT HE MEANS and then apollo is like “... are you for real comparing me to kristoph.” haha funny but also THERE IT IS

- very carefully walked tightrope. acknowledged enough that there is still tension/suspense around it but not too much as to be slightly infuriating

- before the last case trucy gets mad at apollo for something - trucy is allowed by the narrative to be angry for real. stand up for herself. trucy and apollo come back together to defend klavier. they see each other in the detention center when theyre still mad at each other - trucy was visiting klavier (he wasn’t there for the fight). “you made fraulein trucy very mad, hm?” then during the trial trucy busts in dramatically with important help when things look very bad for klavier

- aj3 has emotional revelations/high points of the trio - siblings reveal and klapollo canon. aj2 is a lot of building of these connections and building suspense and tension. more more more of these relationships before they emerge fully formed in aj3

- the last trial echoes the “im the only one who can save prosecutor gavin” or whatever gay thing apollo says in the last trial of aa4 because he literally is. just a lot of hinting and them getting along. case 3 is very important because that’s when it’s just them and it’s “oh! we work well together! we’re complementary!”

- implement the dual investigation mechanic from dgs so it does feel collaborative

- just build on the fact that klavier is the first friendly, helpful, cooperative prosecutor. he wants to help you. make that a very positive, very important feeling while still making it extremely enjoyable

- resolves in “you can have truth AND the ones you love”. or smth like that but more nuanced. it’s very inspirational and sentimental etc

- you get to meet vongole and it’s a Pet The Dog moment for klavier. look! how nice he is. he truly loves this insanely sweet and lovable dog. trucy is enamored with vongole as well. “it’s strange that she was kristoph’s dog, hm? with how affectionate she is.” “well, i guess being owned by kristoph doesn’t means she’s an equally bad dog ... ER i mean--” “hm, you always struck me as a cat person, herr forehead?” “uh - well yeah, you’re right. but... that doesn’t mean i don’t think vongole is a pretty great dog.” IMPLICATIONS. SUBTEXT. TASTE IT IN THE AIR

- oh there’s definitely a moment in case 2 when you get to examine klavier’s apartment and you can look at a couple albums and for a gavinners album apollo is like “ugh” but then you get one of his solo eps and apollo is like “trucy made me listen to this. it... was okay. not as bad as the gavinners stuff. sounds more honest. or something like that.”

- oh also when you examine the guitar klavier offers to teach apollo some basics. hee hee (BUT ALSO... JOVE!!)

- maybe for case 2 The Industry Suits want klavier to stop releasing his eps for free/total charity so it’s a whole coordinated scheme. his manager, a devoted fan who hates to see him going his own way and being happier for it, etc. “we want you to be the person you were. the one we could possess.” be more like gavinners klavier instead of honest relaxed current klavier. be who we want you to be so we can make you dance like a puppet. music industry kristoph parallels.

- “i’m sick and tired of being a plaything for other people!” >:( face moments

- a fan broke into his house and defaced the solo stuff etc. >:( face.

- who determines who “you” are? what role do your loved ones have in your life? those who truly love you can save you and make you better. loving and being loved sincerely and genuinely and truly have positive effects on your life. letting people love you and letting yourself love them is good.

- ugh but this kind of contrasts with the “the old boys club is controlling and using/shaping the institution of law to amass wealth and power for themselves while throwing others under the bus.” well actually wait

- lunch with apollo = they don’t actually care about each other, would throw each other under the bus for their own benefit

- contrast between sacrificing the weak to protect the strong and protecting the weak to depower the evil strong

- love and bonds can motivate/enable you to chip away at the system and can help you make a difference. les mis etc etc etc

- the old boys club are all putting up fronts of appearing strong and tough and above everything and in control. real love and friendship let you show vulnerability and weakness and help you & your bond come out stronger for it. (tumblr voice) the mortifying ordeal

- additional stakes of “if you are found aiding this criminal and hiding evidence etc etc we will disbar you” or smth. stakes for sticking with klavier, for winning the trial, for demonstrating care. franziska is kind of like “... apologies. but you had nothing to worry about so don’t worry about it.” 

- klavier and apollo damned by association with kristoph, especially as a kristoph scheme was just found to happen, and it depended on kristoph being in jail, so maybe they were the ones to enable that part of the plan... it’s a long con...

- it feels like there should be another legal reform here to make aa4′s jury implementation but maybe this one is more about how reform is often very gradual and like chipping away at a mountain

- in aj3 the death penalty gets reformed. (tension there about kristoph being on death row and this game piles on a lot more GOD KRISTOPH SUCKS but then it’s like. no. we have to fight for True Justice and the legal system is extremely imperfect (how many of our clients narrowly avoided a wrongful guilty verdict!) so we have to prioritize protection over punishment)

- “it’s like chopping heads off the hydra. it feels like we’ll never actually change anything.” “yes, but hercules didn’t defeat it by himself. he had a partner that burned the stumps after he sliced off the heads. ... one person to hold the sword, one person to hold the torch.” NARUMITSU KLAPOLLO PARALLELS. HI

- okay i had some really good discussions on twitter w @henriettamarias about this and here’s a couple more things

- trucy’s case involves her inheriting the gramarye secrets and the legacy. the weight of tradition and the burden of what has happened in her family. trucy’s estranged grandmother shows up - it’s kind of similar to the feys kind of. the grandmother is a complex maternal figure who doesn’t know trucy and trucy doesn’t know her and it’s sort of the idea of... even if your “new” family is related by blood, you still have to choose them. and trucy’s like !!! because she’s openhearted but the grandmother disappears - doesn’t choose trucy. it’s not a Villainous Action it’s just... it’s complicated. maybe it’s to protect trucy or something. it wasn’t done to hurt trucy is what i’m getting at, but it still hurts

- one of the music industry people in klavier’s case is a gavin uncle/aunt/cousin who is pressuring him to go back to being an Extremely Profitable Rockstar. and klavier has to deal with more disappointment from a family that values extreme success and is sort of cold (this contrasts with the warmth of the WAA found family). they liked klavier when he was very successful and famous on two fronts but now he’s opened the door and invited in shame on their family’s name so everyone’s kind of mad at him. trucy and apollo get to be really defensive of him

- apollo’s case is one i’m still thinking on what it’ll be about because i’m deeply uninterested in his aa5+aa6 backstories but there’s not A Concept to go deeper into like trucy magic and klavier music... it does involve his past from being the foster system. i think maybe there’s a teen who he was kind of the older brother of for a while before the kid got adopted who contacts him for help defending himself.

- while trucy and klavier’s stories are about rejection from their blood family, apollo’s is about warmth with a boy who he met and made a familial bond with

- at the end of this case there’s some piece of evidence that mentions kristoph and this is never resolved within that case but it sort of leads into the next kristoph-focused case

- trucy doesn’t get angry at apollo over being like jealous there’s something else that happens in this case... it doesn’t end super satisfyingly and tidily wrapped up in a neat bow. there are a lot of lingering questions and it makes everyone uneasy

- in case 3 apollo gets injured and is feeling really defensive and kind of scared and trucy is upset with him for putting himself in harm’s way to save her and they have a fight and they’re both kind of hiding their true feelings with anger to cover up how scared they were (gramarye secrets) and it just. boils over. klavier tries to mediate but it’s... a lot. they both say some things they don’t mean. :(

- oh my god. the person who got poisoned in case 4 was apollo’s foster brother from case 3. and it HURTS because we’ve spent a whole case getting to know him and working so hard to save him from a guilty verdict and it’s like :D yay he’s ok! and then he just. dies. and it’s so fucking sad

- he got poisoned because kristoph looked through papers and found that him and apollo were close so he’s like “oh i can use that ^_^” because he’s a bastard. but klavier was the one in constant contact with him recently so it’s like UH OH! UH OH! plus other aa level complications etc

- the tightrope of trucy being mad at apollo and the tragedy of apollo’s foster brother dying is one that will have to be very carefully walked bc we don’t want trucy to look like an asshole because above all she does love apollo

- i guess it’s also apollo pushing her away because I’M FINE. STOP TRYING TO MAKE ME CONFRONT MY TRAUMA. IF I THINK ABOUT MY PROBLEMS I WILL GO INSANE. yeah that works

- OH and also she’s mad at him for not telling them about the lunch with kristoph’s lawyer friends. klavier is kind of mad about that too so apollo is like STOP GANGING UP ON ME

- so the setup of case 4 is: day 1: apollo and klavier investigating, in court klavier is implicated and is put in detention, day 2: apollo investigating by himself and missing his friends :(, franziska being like “where is your sister” and apollo being like “ok first she’s not my sister. second IM FINE I CAN BE ALONE, I CAN’T TRUST ANYBODY ANYWAY” and franziska is like “... yeah being betrayed sucks, i get it, but like. are you sure about that. fine whatever you idiot be a fool”, but then in court trucy busts in at a dramatic moment and narrowly saves klavier from getting a guilty verdict, day 3: trucy and apollo investigating and Saving The Day!!!!!

- for franziska in case 4 there’s this tension between her belief that klavier is guilty (because shit looks BAD and also kristoph sort of sent shockwaves through things etc) and franziska being older (she has short hair and it’s hot) and more emotionally mature and being like “baby lawyer. it’s okay to chill. it’s fine. you’ll be okay”. but also being extremely wary and hating the corruption and collusion within the law community because MvF dealt with a lot of that and she will be BETTER than that, she has to work hard to erase the harm that her father did. she’s kind of a superhero in terms of tackling a lot of corrupt-lawyer/cop cases - it’s her specialty now. god she is hot

- aw in case 4 ema is like. kind of reluctant to help implicate klavier. because while she thinks he’s annoying she doesn’t think he’s a bad guy. she feels really conflicted :( like she blusters to cover it up but she does say to apollo at one point “hey... you better do your job right. don’t slack. defend your client.” awww she care him

- kristoph gets brought out from prison as a witness in case 4. this really negatively affects klavier (and apollo too kind of but less so), but the strength of Found Family helps him be strong :) yay

- there’s mention made of kristoph having Secrets, but since apollo doesn’t have a magatama and phoenix isn’t there, the black psyche-locks aren’t explored. it gets revealed in aj3

- apollo does have a conundrum similar to the aa5 stuff where his perceive ability is going haywire at klavier’s entire emotional state because BOY is it screwy (suppressed memories from childhood??) so he just has to rely on plain old logic

- (cw animal death) god what if one of those childhood memories is kristoph poisoning klavier’s pet - experimenting, doing trials. klavier realizes that during the trial. jesus christ. evil bastard kristoph i hate his guts. at least klavier gets to go home and pet vongole so so much

- OH on a happier note we get to meet mikeko... mikeko loves trucy and klavier so much. it’s like a big gooey hint that LOOK APOLLO LOVES THESE PEOPLE - HIS CAT IS PURRING AND CUDDLING ALL OVER THEM :) Express Your Feelings, Apollo

- i think for aj3 it’s apollo & co having their own schemes and plans sort of. bc in this setup, klavier and apollo (and trucy too) are being yanked around by the machinations and plots of the older generation like in aa4. i think in aj3 is when they finally get a leg up and have control over things for once. good for them! good for them

- oh also in aj3, it’s revealed that thalassa has been held hostage by some bad guys, which is why she didn’t come back after some time away to figure herself out to tell them. and then apollo and trucy get to know they’re siblings :)

- okay that’s it. maybe i’ll add more if i think of more. hope u enjoyed :~)

[kimjoongs]

Where We Went Wrong ; Ateez Diary Film Series

For them, it was easier to pretend that nothing was wrong, it was easier to ignore their problems rather than face them head on. Together, they were the happiness surrounded by sadness. Apart, they were the sadness surrounded by happiness. Eight stories. Eight beginnings. One ending.

disclaimer: this series contains no romance whatsoever and is centered around the members and their interactions with each other as seen in the diary film. *links will be added as stories are posted*

I. INTRODUCTION - MEMBERS’ LOGS

II. MEMBERS’ FILMS

faded dreams and forgotten memories - p.sh

— Like shattered pieces of a mirror, Seonghwa was broken; he was lost. with nothing else to go by but an abandoned bracelet and a lingering scent of someone familiar, he spent his time wandering. His feet took him down the path which connected his dreams to his reality, unaware of the fact that they were one and the same. He racked his brain for something to hold onto– a memory perhaps, and was surprised to see that memory appear in the flesh. Seonghwa was lost, until he wasn’t.

➤ listen to | falling apart by michael schulte ✐ read here | faded dreams and forgotten memories

have mercy on me - j.yh

— Yunho was loving and compassionate– an absolute gem to anyone who’s ever had the pleasure of being in his presence. He was a dreamer, a believer in all things whimsical and wondrous. Yunho supported everyone’s endeavours, especially his older brother’s. But then a single moment came in and changed Yunho’s life for the worst– tearing the love and compassion right out of him, leaving behind a hollow shell of what once was in its wake.

➤ listen to | i’ll still have me by cyn ✐ read here | have mercy on me

what do you do with false hope? - k.ys

— Yeosang’s followed a roadmap his entire life, venturing to places his parents never had the chance to. His routine was strict and to the point, not a single detail out of place. Except for one. What Yeosang’s parents failed to take into consideration was that their son was a free spirit, and keeping him on the beaten path would only do more harm than good. Yeosang knew that too, which was why he decided to ditch the road map and follow the stars instead.

➤ listen to | mercury by sleeping at last ✐ read here | what do you do with false hope?

unspoken promises - c.s

— San can count on two hands the amount of times he’s moved houses. A cycle of packing and unpacking, making friends just to leave them a few months later– he was sick of it. He craved permanency. San didn’t belong anywhere or with anyone, and he thought it was about time for a change. All he had with him were the clothes on his back and a note with an address scrawled onto it.

➤ listen to | always by by the coast ✐ read here | unspoken promises

don’t let it slip through your fingers - s.mg

— Dreams were a luxury that Mingi couldn’t afford. For years, he lived off the idea that he was simply meant to live his life with no purpose. What use did a spiritless boy have in a world filled with dreamers and chasers? Mingi was content with waking up, going to school, coming back, and repeating it all the next day. Dreams were a luxury that Mingi couldn’t afford, but it didn’t mean that having one would cost him anything.

➤ listen to | feel something by jaymes young ✐ read here | don’t let it slip through your fingers

to be alone in this world - j.wy

— Bogged down by the desire for acceptance, Wooyoung was a force to be reckoned with– a blazing inferno wreaking havoc both interiorly and exteriorly. His choices were more so impulsive rather than premeditated, and they only served to further fuel the fire in his eyes and the determination in his fingertips. But like all uncontrollable flames, it was only a matter of time before something came in and extinguished it.

➤ listen to | blue by keshi ✐ read here | to be alone in this world

just one more chance -c.jh

— It was all right there in front of him. But due to the lack of consideration for himself and his surroundings, he lost everything. The people around him showered him in words of encouragement, but instead of gaining strength from those words, Jongho’s contempt and deep-rooted self-doubt continued to grow. He was a prisoner, locked up in the confines of his own mind, secretely wishing there was someone or something that would break him out.

➤ listen to | days gone quiet by lewis capaldi ✐ read here | just one more chance

where did i go wrong? - k.hj

— Hongjoong played a critical role in the game called Life. He switched back and forth between two dimensions: dreams and reality. In his dreams, he witnessed despair and tragedy. In his reality, he also witnessed despair and tragedy. The only difference between the two, was that Hongjoong’s reality was covered in hope; hope that he would one day recover those who had given themselves up to the darkest parts of their overworked hearts.

➤ listen to | are you with me by nilu ✐ read here | where did i go wrong?

III. CONCLUSION - MEMBERS’ LOGS

[dennou-translations]

Kagerou Daze VIII: Chapter 8

Children Record -side No.7-

Please feel free to message me about possible corrections. If you can, consider supporting the creators by purchasing the official releases in Japanese or in English. In case anyone is feeling generous: Ko-fi | PayPal. ( ╹◡╹)っ’･*

← Previous || Index || Next →

If “not forgetting” was the prerequisite for “having memories”, what was a “memory” once forgotten called?

I roamed my thoughts, not telling anyone about the “recollections” that I seemed dangerously close to losing.

The “goodbyes” that seemed to burn our chests, the miraculous “reunions”, the “future” that we’d reached our hands out to while readying ourselves for certain death – no matter how much we cherished them, it’d be a disappointment if we ended up forgetting everything.

“Forgetting” didn’t leave even loneliness behind. As if nothing had ever existed from the very beginning, the forgotten recollection would lose even the name “memory” and be gone without a trace. It was an utterly absurd story. No matter how dear our memories were to us, we couldn’t build a fence around them. We would fail to recall even the reasons to try remembering “memories” that were truly forgotten.

Right, we were there because we’d been “continuously forgetting”. By stepping over the dead bodies of memories that we couldn’t remember, we were moving forward one way or another.

That was the only thing I didn’t want to forget.

“He~y, you awake?” an insensitive voice echoed through the madder-red-dyed classroom.

Sitting in the last row next to the window and having been watching the slowly darkening diorama-like cityscape, I turned toward the owner of the voice. Illuminated by sunset glow, Ayano’s face was openly peeking at me from the seat in front of mine.

For starters, it was all too questionable that the concept of “sleep” would exist in this ambiguous world, where we were both alive and dead, so I wondered if she was joking.

No, that was suspicious. She didn’t seem to be thinking anything.

“There anyone who sleeps with their eyes closed?” as I asked rudely, I turned back to the cityscape out the window.

At the corner of my line of sight, Ayano shrank back a little. Seeing her that way, it looked to me like Ayano had started to get a slight inkling of things. I wasn’t trying to be mean to her or anything, but to be frank, I was irritated.

“C-Could it be... you’re angry at me for not going to you for advice?” Ayano asked with upturned eyes, stirring lightly in dread.

“About what?”

“Erm, like... I came over here by myself without asking for your opinion.” Hanging her head after saying so, Ayano flickeringly peeked at my complexion.

Well, she was mostly right.

At the very least, I didn’t hate her. She’d seemed friendly with me for some reason, and it hadn’t been just one or two times that I’d watched over her studies. Of course, given that we were a guy and a girl, I thought it was appropriate for each of us to keep a secret or two from one another. But even if that much was okay, as friends, I totally thought we had a relationship where one could rely on the other and be relied on whenever we were faced with great distress.

Still, this.

Hn, well~, there sure are things about her that I’ve never heard of from the Mekakushi-dan guys! Why, she went around on her own to investigate Clearing, and dear me, all her younger siblings had superhuman abilities, so she tried to enter Kagerou Daze alone after making up her mind – the more I dig, the more bargain sales I get of stuff I was never told before.

No, it wasn’t like I was vexed that she had kept it all a secret from me, or that I wanted to know Ayano through and through, or anything of the sort. Absolutely not. It’s just that, as her friend, I felt resentment at how she had done things in a reckless way without taking herself into consideration.

When I glanced at her, Ayano reacted to my gaze and her body shrank back uneasily.

Dammit... Acting like a little puppy...!

Trying to take advantage of my conscience would get her nowhere. Who knew how badly my heart had ached because of her during these two years?

Other men might end up easily forgiving you, but Shintarou-san isn’t the kind of skirt chaser who’d yield to that. Shintarou-san’s been severe lately.

“Well, things are the way they are. Even if I judge you at this point of the game, there’s no helping them.”

How regretful. Shintarou-san does wind up easily forgiving a girl when she fidgets at him.

Perhaps thinking that I was going to scold her or something, Ayano stared blankly at me for a bit, and then gave a faint smile, looking apologetic. “You’re as nice as ever. That’s why you ended up here, Shintarou.”

“Shaddap. You’re the same as me, aren’t you?” leaving my inward gags aside, I used rude language to dodge the embarrassing mood.

My bodily sense of time told me that it had been approximately one or two days ever since I was swallowed by Kagerou Daze. Still, in an environment where I could get neither sleepy nor hungry, there was probably not much meaning in relying on body sensations.

According to Haruka-senpai, there was a huge gap between here and outside regarding the flow of time. I had a rough idea of it from listening to Hibiya talk about how “the same day had repeated over and over”, and sure enough, there was no logic or reason to it. It indeed didn’t seem like I had been wrong about this being a world removed from common sense.

“But I was really surprised. To think Shintarou would be fighting together with everyone.”

“I was the last person who could’ve imagined something like that. Working my ass off to read deep into things for someone else’s sake just isn’t like me...”

“Nope, you’re wrong. I don’t know why, but I’ve always felt that it’d turn out like this. That Shintarou would do his best to protect everyone.” Ayano added, “That’s why I couldn’t tell you anything” at the end, shying out.

So she had expected that I’d fight.

Well, it wouldn’t not be inevitable that I’d get myself involved in this as long as Momo was an Ability User, but she shouldn’t know that Momo was an Ability User in the first place. If so, I couldn’t believe right off the bat that she had anticipated things would turn out like this, since I was “someone unrelated” to her in the end.

Hm. Wait a minute. Hahaan, don’t tell me...

“Could this be consolation for a ‘non-Ability-User’ like me?”

By some sort of karma, everyone I’d been involved with in high school had become an Ability User. Yet I was the only one who was still a newborn Bambi until now. I didn’t think hatefully of that, but I wondered if she didn’t think of me as inconvenient, since I was the sole person who hadn’t gotten his hands on an Ability out of our group of four friends.

Regardless, Ayano responded to my sarcasm-mixed words by shaking her head furiously. “I-I’m serious! I saw Shintarou fighting even in my dreams!”

“Hoh, what kinda dream was that?”

“Erm. One where Shintarou was standing coolly in front of everyone and flashily defeating the boss. You were wearing a bright red full-body unitard with the sunset on your back, saying, ‘Sorry for the wait! Here’s the unmatched super hero!’ and swinging an iron ball with a chain...”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!! What sorta perverted bastard is that?!! That ain’t related to Abilities by a single millimeter, and actually, it didn’t become true at all, did it?!”

Halfway tending to trip, Ayano, who had been imagining me swinging around an iron ball, abruptly returned to reality. “That’s true. Gee, I wonder if it was in a different dream...”

“More like, just how often have you dreamed of me...?”

It was repulsive to think that I played an active role inside her brain clad in a transformation suit of sorts. Nevertheless, Ayano herself said something spine-chilling, like, “M-Might’ve been pretty often...” with her face turning red for some reason.

“B-But y’know, there are many Eye Abilities, so it’s not weird that there’s a power like sharing a future, is it?”

“Well, I wouldn’t be surprised no matter what comes up at this point, but are you the Ability User who can see this future?”

“No way! I’m totally not that!” resolutely denying it, Ayano made an X using her arms with a smack.

“Then isn’t this theory a bust?! Don’t try to justify the version of me that’s haunting your brain. First things first, take off the unitard!”

“Eeh?! If the unitard is off, the cool part is gone...”

“Eh, then wasn’t I unnecessary from the start?”

How tiring.

Aah, I was remembering it. You’d need a huge amount of effort to talk to her; about as much as when talking to Ene. It was a meaningless conversation, almost as if we were speaking just for the sake of “speaking”... Not knowing to settle her tone down even after dying made her a terrifying fellow.

But these aren’t pointless conversations like the ones of back then, I guess.

Precisely because she had died, she had played a major role in the fight of the outside world. As proof of this, she earlier had talked about what had been concerning her for a bit.

Praying that it wouldn’t be a fruitless conversation, I opened my mouth, “Just now, you said your Ability isn’t the power to see the future, right?”

“Ah, yup. I did.”

“Then, what Ability did you get?”

Silence.

“Aah, that’s right! I had to talk about it!!” Pushing the chair with a clatter, Ayano stood up all of a sudden with vehement vigor.

“Hyan!!” and I, exceptionally surprised by it, fell backward while letting out an uncanny cry. Splendidly hit the back of my head. If this weren’t the inside of Kagerou Daze, it would’ve been an accidental homicide.

“Uwaah! Sorry, sorry! Well, about the Abilities...”

“W-Wait a minute, your tempo is too fast; at least lemme fix up the chair.” I frantically got up from the floor, putting the chair back in place with a rattle.

Just trying to have a proper conversation with her was that exhausting. Most likely, by the time she finished introducing the topic, my soul would have eroded and disappeared.

“Well, then.”

“Yeah.”

We pulled ourselves together and re-started the conversation.

“I think it’s better for me to begin explaining from the time I came to this world... to Kagerou Daze.”

“Sure. Got any confidence that you can explain it decently?”

“N-Not much, but... I’ll do my best.”

That’s the spirit. Let’s hear it.

“See, it’s about the day... when I did that thing on the rooftop.”

“W-Wait a minute. Can’t you stop talking this way? It’s too lighthearted, kinda like—”

“Geez~, and here I’d finally come up with a good explanation! Be quiet and listen!” Ayano flat and moderately hit the desk.

She was mad at me. I listened in silence.

“Right after I entered Kagerou Daze... I met a girl named Azami.”

“Azami”. The originator who had birthed the Abilities and the first victim of Clearing’s plot.

I used to have no idea about what had happened to Azami herself after she transferred Abilities to people on the outside, but this meant that she had been staying in Kagerou Daze while retaining her consciousness. I couldn’t think that Ayano would lie on purpose. If they had met, then that was probably the case.

“She was really weak. Until that point, she’d been existing as a spiritual body with the power of Stirring, which she gave to Takane-san, but then it was gone too, so it seemed she was at her limit.”

“I... see. So Enomoto became Ene after that.”

“Yep, yep. My, how can I put it...? Takane-san got a-all bright after that, huh?” Ayano seemed to be choosing her words most carefully out of respect for our senior, but as expected, the strain at the edge of her lips didn’t fool anyone.

Rejoice, Enomoto; your dear junior saw it all.

Perhaps having noticed my grin, Ayano said, “L-Let’s leave that aside” and resumed the talk, tending to tumble. “After losing her physical and spiritual body, Azami had only one power left. That was the Ability I received,” saying so, Ayano pointed at the corner of her eye.

“The last one... I also didn’t know about this.”

The “Ten Abilities” cited in Azami’s diary were mostly referenced by name. However, no matter how many times I counted, there were only nine names in it. Those nine Abilities applied to the powers residing in the people outside. In other words, the one residing inside Ayano was the Tenth Ability, which hadn’t been listed in the diary.

Tapping with the finger that was aimed at herself, Ayano spoke with slightly wavering words, “This is a bit of a weird Ability. It’s got a nature that’s a little different from the other Abilities, so to say; it’s an Ability that sprouted from Azami’s ‘heart’, like... Would you understand if I say it’s a power created from the feeling of ‘wanting to convey’?”

“Nope, don’t get it at all.”

“Thought so.” Ayano exhaled a prolonged sigh with a “haah~”.

My, you sure are doing your best for someone so bad at explaining stuff.

“Ah, that’s right. Then wouldn’t it be better if I did it like this?”

One instant.

Almost as if shaded with sunset glow, Ayano’s dark brown hair was pregnant with a dense orange color. That was the activation of an Ability, which I had witnessed countless times. Still, the “sense of pressure” that seemed to be released from Ayano’s two eyes was nearly non-existent.

“Y’see, I think it’ll probably the easiest way for you to understand if I do it like this... Can you accept it?”

Ayano’s words and the movements of her lips incited a natural nod from me.

“Thank you. Then, I’ll ‘convey’ it to you, ‘kay?”

The color that appeared to be swaying inside her irises flared up all the more intensely. Unable even to blink, I simply surrendered my body to the persuasiveness of those orbs.

“Favoring Eyes.”

I was in a dark place. There was no right, left, up or down. It wasn’t cold or hot.

It was that kind of place.

“You’ll disappear, won’t you, Azami?” a voice rang throughout the complete darkness. Even if I chased for the voice’s owner, I couldn’t find her.

And there was one more voice. It came closer as if to nestle with me, word overlapping upon word, “Yeah. I am glad I could talk to someone like you in my last moments. More than anything, I am sorry for not having been able to do a single thing for you all until the very end. Truly, I am sorry...”

“I don’t want you to cry, ‘cause I’m also holding back from doing it.”

“I-I am not crying. It was just snot that came out. Besides... my ‘memory’ has already been delivered to your heart, right?”

“Yep, it has. Azami, I’ve definitely received your ‘memory’. That’s why I’m not lonely anymore.”

“Is that so? Then I am relieved. In the future, this ‘memory’ might be useful for something. The ‘memory’ is not me but the precious ‘feelings’ I had when I was alive.”

“Really, you’re right. I can understand your ‘memory’... as if it were my own. You’ve been doing your best to live on for such a very long time, huh, Azami?”

“Ugh... hic...”

“Aah, sorry. I didn’t say it out of thinking about making you cry.”

“That’s not it; that’s not it at all. It’s just... I’ve never even dreamed that someone would say something like this to me.”

“You’re a real crybaby, Azami. It’s okay; ‘cause I-I... surely won’t forget...

“What, but aren’t you also crying?”

“E-Ehehe. We’re together on this, huh?”

Silence.

“It is already time. Lastly... I will leave this with you.”

“Egh...”

“It is my ‘heart’... the power named ‘Favoring’. It is the power to convey ‘feelings’ and ‘memories’... Surely, if it’s you...”

“Hic... u-ueeh...”

“Welcome back. Did it get properly conveyed?”

“Yeah, it did.”

The color of the classroom dyed in scarlet was unfading, softly enveloping my consciousness as I was pulled back. It wasn’t like I’d been “shown” or “told” anything, yet a memory of Azami and Ayano’s encounter found itself inside my head as if it were logical.

“Shintarou, could it be you’re crying?”

“I ain’t crying. It’s just snot that came out.”

Ayano stared at my face for a bit, and perhaps realizing the meaning of those words, she gave me a shy smile.

I started thinking about Ayano.

The environment encircling her when she was still alive was wretched to the point of making me sick. To think that she had lost her precious mother, that her father – who used to be her only foundation – went through a transformation, and that her siblings and school seniors were taken as hostages. It wasn’t the kind of story that would only go as far as making your insides boil.

And so, Ayano had jumped from the rooftop, entering Kagerou Daze through cutting her own life short. Kano had made guesses about it; that as a result of linking her mother’s notes to Clearing’s plans, she had probably thought she could hinder Clearing’s plot of “gathering Abilities to make a Medusa” if she got her hands on one of the Ten Abilities.

Through my meeting with the Mekakushi-dan guys and connecting the pasts that each of them had talked about, I had arrived to the true motives behind Ayano’s actions. I had been accompanied by inevitable rage. That was why I’d sustained myself on that rage and fought. I’d been beating the hell of out this shitty world, which had been making people like them – who were living in desperation – into fools, pushing ridiculous absurdity onto them, and trying to rob them of even their future.

And the outcome of that fight was as one could see.

There wasn’t a single means of salvation, and neither was any miracle going to happen. The plan I’d come up with through milking my brains out also hadn’t served to save everybody. There was really nothing more worthless than the fact that, if there was just one thing I could do, it was to talk to my dead friends.

Nevertheless, even if I died, even if I rotted, there was one truth that I couldn’t escape from. Outside of Kagerou Daze, the Mekakushi-dan guys were even now fighting against the enemy. Just because I’d died, there was no way I alone could put an end to it on my own accord. And it seemed I wasn’t the only one thinking so.

Ayano and I looked into each other’s eyes, and as if confirming one another’s wills, we exchanged words.

“Must keep it up until the end, huh?”

“Yeah, it ain’t over yet.”

At Ayano’s unfaltering words, I was convinced of one thing. Most likely, she and I were imagining the exact same conclusion for this battle.

In the first place, this fight had pre-existing conditions thrust into it from the beginning. The enemy was an immortal Ability itself, and the only one who could control it – the Medusa – didn’t exist in this world. So long as the enemy was immortal, if Mary didn’t turn into a Medusa and make it powerless, the Ability Users would all be brutally killed, no matter how much they ran or tried to buy time. Still, for Mary to become a Medusa, she had to draw the Abilities out of the Ability Users.

In other words, from the very start, the development where all of us would survive didn’t exist in this battle.

It was a cruel story that nothing could be done about, but it was the “reality” of this struggle. As long as we couldn’t all survive together, we couldn’t puff out our chests and claim that “we won”. And, albeit being aware of these prerequisites, everyone from the Mekakushi-dan had thrown themselves into the fight.

If only we’d managed to figure everything out sooner, faster.

It was too late for being frustrated over that or anything else at this point. Because, right now, everything had come to the moment just before the end.

Still, there was only one thing. It was a mere possibility, but there was something left in our hands. It was liable to turn out as meaningless, but if we hadn’t fought, we would never have been able to get our hands on it. Just as there was no “victory” for us in this battle, as long as we had that thing, there was also no “defeat”.

After all, the goal we carried was not to “win”.

“I left just one thing behind on the other side,” saying so, I took a cellphone out of my jersey’s pocket, put it on the desk and tilted my neck at Ayano.

“A phone? I think it won’t connect with the other side, though...”

“If you think on ordinary terms, that’s how it’d be. Except, there’re guys who ‘ain’t normal’ on the other side.”

It didn’t even serve as an all-or-nothing, and it seemed suspicious that it’d be as much as a one-in-a-million chance; that was the kind of bet it was. And even if it became true, that didn’t mean it could knock down the enemy. Simply for the sake of grasping an “extension”, I’d entrusted one last wish to that girl.

“Even if you thought it out, you normally wouldn’t do something like that.” Perhaps having understood my anticipations, Ayano gave me a strained smile.

“I might’ve stopped being ‘normal’ too.”

Seen from the sidelines, me betting my own life not for the sake of surviving or fighting, but merely for “choosing”, probably came off as an abnormality. And so, I ruminated inside my mind for our clichéd purpose, which we had decided upon in that hideout.

Our child-like objective of “not giving up on the future no matter what”.

[lifeofkaze]

8 for Seliot, 13 for Bradlyn, 21 for Fareva, 24 for Dylanielle, 25 for Lizion, 26 for Avarlie

Are these the right numbers and have I allocated them to the right ships? Maybe not, but let’s go with it anyway 😂💛

They do sound as if they make sense this time, so let's get cracking 😂💛

Ethel Hexley belongs to @the-al-chemist, Eliot Gerard belongs to @kc-and-co and Farid Sikander to @carewyncromwell

NSFW questions under the cut!

8. What were their first impressions of each other?

Selene thought Eliot looked always very stressed and somewhat confused. She figured he could probably use some cheering up, poor boy.

Eliot always thought Ethel's twin was a boy and in Hufflepuff but seeing Selene and Ethel together all day every day, he wasn't quite so sure he'd gotten it right. He did think she had cute dimples when she smiled, though.

13. Name something they would never do for the other person. 

Carolyn could never go against her logical assessment of a situation, especially if her instinct tells her she got it right. She mostly gets it right. Another thing she would never have done, for anybody, was to give up on her career prospects to look pretty on someone's arm.

Not even for Carolyn would Bradford abandon his rebellious streak and do what his parents expect from him.

21. How have they changed each other for the better/for the worse?

Being with Farid was never going to be the easy road and it broadened Reva's horizon and how she saw the world. Farid calmed her down considerably, but isn't also entirely blameless for making Reva go a little off rails with dating while she was at school. But hey, you're only young once.

Farid and Reva are like yin and yang and loving a whirlwind like Reva has certainly spiced Farid's life up in more than one way. He discovered he has quite the mischievous side, actually, when he started bending the rules of his faith in certain aspects in a very creative way to allow Reva and him to live an as normal life as possible during their engagement. Reva being the bad influence she loves to be, it got to a point where Farid enjoyed rule interpretation and teasing her within his boundaries maybe a little too much.

24. What is something they have each had to forgive the other for?

Dylan was not happy at all when Dana pulled the "You're her brother" card on him when it came to who should tell Reva that they had started a relationship. Also, sometimes it's hard for him to accept that Dana loves her friends from the Breakfast Club (@the-al-chemist @whatwouldvalerydo @kc-and-co) just as much as she loves him. But then again, it means quiet time for him, so overall, he's good.

Maybe Dana shouldn't have put the responsibility of talking to Reva on conflict-hating Dylan alone, but when she found out he hadn't talked to her at all when she asked him to and Reva had to find out with everybody else that her brother and honourary sister were a couple, she was more than a little mad with Dylan.

25. What moves do they know work on the other?

Lizzie knows exactly how much Orion loves to see her shaking her hair out and playing with it and she ruthlessly uses it to her advantage. Also, long and lingering kisses have never let her down so far.

When Orion started calling Lizzie (and back then, Skye too, actually) Chaser when they were on the Quidditch pitch, it was practical and part of his team philosophy. When it seeped out from Quidditch and became a nickname, it was funny. But let's just say, there's a reason the Captain/Chaser nicknames stuck around way longer than they were parts of the Hufflepuff House team.

26. What are their favorite parts about physical affection/sex?

Ava thinks about things, all day everyday, and sex is a way for her to effectively make her mind shut up and focus entirely on her body. It's one of her favourite ways to just be in the moment and not to worry too much.

If Charlie loves, he loves with all of his heart and soul, and wants to be with that other person in every way possible. For him, it's the ultimate closeness, physically and emotionally, that makes sex so special.

[bone-wolves]

Rowan’s Shade Pack Summary: Yr 1

Enit had emerged from the spirit world at the beginning of Spring, into a world of green, of sunlight, of multitudes of sights and scents that nearly overwhelmed the senses of her mortal wolf form. Her first months she spent experimenting with the mortal world, exploring different areas and inviting into the pack those wolves whose spirits she felt would work well in her pack.

Over the year the pack lived in the Deciduous Forest, the pack moved to the Swamp for the winter, and after careful consideration and discussion with her scouts, Enit has decided to move the pack to the Riparian Woodland now that Spring has arrived.

(to see a full story like write up of pack members click the read more! Fair warning, it’s LONG)

Her first pick, her partner, was Pietro, an intriguing and entertainingly arrogant young wolf who she immediately felt attached to. Having him scout new areas was beneficial to the pack as a whole, because while he was good at helping her get her pack shaped up, his know-it-all attitude and biting snark occasionally riled up the pack members more than she liked. When Enit had shared some of her spiritual aspects with him, she was not surprised to find that it had enhanced his toothy grin, making him seem even more intimidating than before.

Her second scout, Tara, was a blessing she hadn’t realized she’d been getting - Enit had considered her to be a smart and capable wolf on meeting her, but Tara’s dedication to her role surprised and astounded her! While Pietro may have claimed to be “the best, most adept and highly skilled” wolf in the pack, the true honor may just have lain with Tara - she traveled the lands, scouted out new trails, and discovered new areas with an almost supernatural ease, all while avoiding many of the dangers and illnesses that could befall a wolf in strange lands. Enit was not surprised to find that the spiritual aspect she shared with Tara granted her a phantom-like presence, allowing her to flit from place to place without attracting too much attention.

The hunting groups - oh, Enit had to work at picking the right wolves for them!

Her first group, Orion’s Pack, were a friendly and outgoing bunch, always full of energy, yipping and barking and howling and roughhousing all day long. Enit had to admit, she did enjoy their energy, and joined in on the wrestling often. It did help her feel more like a Real Wolf. They weren’t the most focused or best coordinated wolves, she had to admit - Rigel, who’d gained the hazy aspect from Enit’s spirit, most often stumbled upon a good trail as she idly wandered across a field or among the trees out of sheer luck and the fact that her presence was difficult to discern in certain lighting. The Chasers worked decently well together - Bellatrix could get over-enthusiastic and occasionally overshoot their target, but with Meissa and Saiph’s assistance and direction the three managed to get the prey to go where they wanted it to. Mintaka...well, Enit was relatively certain it was only her spirit aspect that gave Mintaka a larger, more robust set of teeth that helped her as a finisher - Mintaka was often distracted by something or the other and would jump at the prey sometimes at nearly the last second. Still, the group worked very well together and Enit enjoyed their presence in her pack immensely.

Her second group, Orion’s Club, was quite a different story. There were only three so far, though Enit had chose two of the adolescent pups to join once they were old enough, but those three could sometimes pull in more prey than her first group of hunters. Enit’s spiritual aspect had granted Alnilam More Sight, All Sight, More Eyes and More Vision, and between that and her exceptional scent skills she was a formidable stalker. Betel - Enit had to admit, Betel was a terror. Aggressive and domineering, she made an excellent Chaser all on her own, and with Enit’s spiritual aspect accenting her limbs, she could pull off maneuvers that made the rest of the pack’s heads spin. Alnitak had been meant to be a placeholder, her anxious and shy nature so at odds with Alnilam’s and Betel’s more outgoing and loud ones, but she had been blessed with the phantom presence much like Tara, deepened by her natural quietness to the point that much of the prey Betel chased to her didn’t notice Alnitak until she rose, like a ghost, to fall upon them and wrestle them to the ground. Enit hadn’t been sure about this pack of hunters, but she had to admit they were exceptionally skilled and she didn’t think her pack would do well without them, even if Alnitak and Betel tended to harass and pick fights with other members of the pack almost daily. At the very least they listened to her and backed down when she told them to. Keeping the respect of the more aggressive and domineering members of her pack was something Enit knew she had to maintain if she wanted her pack to continue to thrive.

Enit had chosen Persie as the pack herbalist out of necessity more than anything else - illnesses and injuries had begun to be a problem and when enit stumbled upon the herbalist bear in the woods she knew she had to send someone to learn from him, and soon - but the wolf’s dutiful nature proved to be a boon in that field. She paid careful attention to Herbert’s lessons, and noted each characteristic of every single herb with an extraordinary focus. She might not have been a very outstanding wolf at the beginning, but after months of hard work, learning, and practice Persie showed herself to be a valuable and important member of the pack. Without her Enit was sure her pack would be suffering, and some of her pack might not even have made it through the first year.

Aala was a young and serious minded Wolf that Enit had mistaken for Persie upon their first meeting - the two wolves were similar enough to be littermates, though they weren’t! Enit hadn’t been sure if the young wolf would be a permanent member of the pack, and Aala herself hadn’t seemed certain either. She seemed to waffle between staying and going, occasionally traveling out to the edges of the pack’s territory and traveling the boundary before coming back to the dens with a furrowed brow and thoughtful expression. Once the packs first pups were born, however, Aala found her purpose. She was a serious but caring pupsitter, taking care of all pups given to her care with skillful gentleness. The pups all loved their “AuntAla” and she in turn helped them grow into strong and capable young wolves.

Speaking of pups - most of the pups born the first year were, well, test pups. Enit wasn’t sure how pregnancy and pups worked really - spirits didn’t mate, didn’t carry anything inside of them, didn’t give birth. Sometimes spirits could become so full of energy that something split from them and became a spirit of its own, but the feel of it, the experience of it, Enit learned, was completely different than that of mortal mating, pregnancy and birth. She was honestly fascinated by the whole matter, both when it included her and when it didn’t, and she honestly influenced more pregnancies and births than she probably should have. Only after she started to think of the care the pups would need did she realize that she may have taken on too much for her pack to handle, and the situation had to be rectified. So Enit decided to undo some of the pups, or rather, the pup’s mortal forms. It was delicate work, and she had to hole herself up in the portal-den to do it, but it wasn’t painful or detrimental. As far as she knew. The pup’s spirits would continue on, their sparks returning from where they came, and only their mortal forms would be undone, crumbling away to return to the earth. Enit thought she handled the situation quite well - until she realized that the mortal wolves of her pack had little understanding of the spirit realm, and the eternal lives and cycles of spirits that inhabited mortal forms. It was an alien thing to them, something fearful and awe inspiring and so, so different from their own physical lives. She tried to explain that the pups hadn’t died, that they hadn’t suffered (at least she didn’t think they did, at least their spirits hadn’t), but the mother wolves couldn’t understand. Enit felt true hurt and sympathy upon seeing the sadness and pain in them - she’d never meant for that to happen. She did love her wolf pack, as much as a spirit as herself, one from a far different plane than the spirits of mortal beings, could love the physical containers of lesser spirits. So she went back to the portal-den, and clawed against the strands of existence as delicately as she could, her work as tiring as careful as before, and erased the memories of the pups from the pack’s minds until they were only vague half-dreams that returned to them, sometimes, in the darkest hours of the night.

There were three pups in the pack, however, that Enit had decided would grow to become new members. Two were of her own pack - a daughter of Pietro and Saiph, and a daughter of Pietro and Mintaka - who had caught her eye and her not-quite-mortal heart. That they were adorable when biting at each other and wrestling and rolling about helped her decision as well. The third was a young pup she had found at the edge of her territory while patrolling one day, a gray-and-white splotched pup with an independent streak that had told her she was “esploreen da hole wowld” all by herself. Enit thought she was wonderful, so she plucked the pup up and carried her back to her den, where Aala, ignoring the pale pup’s indignant growls, tucked the little one under a paw and told Enit she would make sure she stayed put. 

The pack had spent most of the year in the temperate weathered leafy forest where Enit had first emerged, but as winter drew closer and the mortal wolves began to speak of the chill of it, the lack of prey and the illness it could bring, Enit decided that a move was in order. As the last of fall waned, she took her pack and traveled to the warmer, and stinkier, but far more interesting swamps to the south. They spent the winter there, under the heavy boughs of the Rowan tree that moved along with them to the wonder and amazement of the mortal wolves, but as time went on Enit wondered if the choice had been a good one. Hunting was difficult - even though her hunters were skilled they could only bring back the smallest of prey, complaining of the damp stink of the place making it difficult to locate trails, saying that the soft mucky ground grabbed at their paws and slowed them down. Enit herself found the entire place absolutely wonderful, intriguing, full of sights and sounds and textures she could not get enough of, but she had to admit that raising a pack in the swamp did not seem to be the best idea. She consulted with Pietro and Tara, and sent them out to scout a new area for the pack to live in, and after many discussions they settled on a wooded territory threaded through with rivers. While the pack stocked up on what food they could and prepared to move, Enit headed out to ready the new territory and prepare a place for them.

[msukevin]

hello this is rina the 2nd speaking typing. i told myself i wouldn’t bring in a second muse...but hey, IT’S YA BOI, KEVIN SEO. i also said he was just a meme but now i kind of love him. super heavily inspired by nishinoya from haikyuu, and a sprinkle of taichi/banri from a3! i also put a considerably lesser amount of brain power and effort into this boy than i did malia (and i wouldn’t read his app unless u want ur brain to rot like mine did when i wrote it). i’ve sorta got a bio ( X ), profile ( X ), and plots/connections ( X ) up and running. you can catch me on discord ( pretty noya senpai#0884 ) for plotting or just some chats. but if you’d like me to slide into ur dms tho, smash that like button and i’ll be right over in a bit. otherwise there’ll be a little about kev under the cut.

so ya this is kevin, if your muse prefers it, his korean name minhyuk ( or u can call him tonight ;) AHA )

born in san fran, cali and is a true bay boy at heart

both his parents are muggles. his mom is from korea so he often would translate things for her in english when his dad was off working. pretty happy family and he goes back home to visit as often as he can. 

actually took a gap year to stay home with them since he was always away for school. didn’t even intend to go back to school, initially 

ur resident wannabe fukboi virgin

constantly shooting his shot and being rejected. the only relationships he’s been in were short lived and out of pity (for him) but it’s chill. he’s a hopeless romantic tho 🥺👉🏽👈🏽

he’s american but went to hogwarts bc his parents thought it’d be more comfortable for him to adjust to this whole world of magic (that they had no idea how to navigate) alongside his cousin claude who he loves and idolizes ( and also releases music w/ on soundcloud SEO AHNONYMOUS )

he was a gryffindor and is now geumseong strong here at mokseong

is the dumbest boy you will ever meet and constantly failing his classes (tutor connection, anyone? pls.......he needs it) 

i don’t know how he got into this school. he’s so dumb

however, he’s a really fast learner and picks up things relatively easy when he tries. but bc of this he can get a little cocky about his talents and think he’s the hottest thing in town ( spoiler: he isn’t)

he gets really serious when it comes to any of his club activities, which surprises a lot of people bc he practically becomes a whole new person with the flip of a switch

that being said, he’s in a few clubs on campus [ volleyball (libero), quidditch (reserve chaser), drama club, cheerleading, gamer club] bc 1) he needs an outlet for all the energy in his system and 2) he’s THAT GUY who got dragged into clubs bc they needed boys 

clout chaser / will do anything for the zim

ride or die for the homies but with everyone else he kinda just shrugs. ur problem, ur responsibility ( but shower him with compliments and ur now a homie what do u need?? )

he also works part-time at NIGHTOWLS so just hit him up if u ever wanna get in for free aha ( don’t tell his manager tho )

WOMEN are his absolute weakness. he loves them and will simp, no cap. he’ll do anything to impress them honestly. but as long as u pass his vibe check he’s cool with anyone

did i mention that he’s dumb???

oh he’s also a weeb and thinks that he is nishinoya yuu ( if u ever see me call him noya, no u didn’t )

aaand i think that’s about it??? kevin’s a simple dude. he’s just here for a good time. i hope yall have fun with him

[chaoswillfallrpg]

MARCUS OLLIVANDER is TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OLD and an ASSISTANT WANDMAKER for OLLIVANDERS in DIAGON ALLEY. He looks remarkably like ISRAEL BROUSSARD and considers himself aligned with THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. He is currently OPEN. 

→ OVERVIEW:

Born nine years after his sister ROSE it was safe to say that Marcus was not planned, despite this fact however his parents BEATRICE and GARRICK OLLIVANDER took the surprise in their strides and loved him whole-heartedly. Since he could remember Rose was always away at school and so he got the attention of both of his parents completely, except for the holidays which were always too filled with joy and happiness to ever notice he had to share them. Because of the age difference Marcus and his sister lived separate lives, she would spend time with her school friends whenever she was home and her lack of interest never really bothered him, he knew she loved him and would be there if he needed it and that was enough for him. The Ollivanders lived in a flat above their shop in Diagon Alley that had been undetectably extended more times than Marcus could count. Although Marcus was a social boy he also loved time alone, and his favourite place to go when he needed his own space was in his fathers workshop, he was enamored by the raw magic that was down there, half-made wands on every surface and jars filling every wall with their magical cores within. When his father wasn't looking he would pick up the wands and feel the life within them, testing every single one that was made to figure out which type he would get by the time his letter arrived and he could get his own. 

It was pretty obvious that Rose was interested in another path in life, and so on his seventh birthday his father took him down to the workshop and told him he was going to be his assistant. After that Marcus never needed to sneak downstairs, for he was always welcomed by his father with another lesson to be taught, he learnt all about wand lore and how exactly the wands go about choosing the wizard, and the day he made his very first wand, under the watchful eyes of Garrick of course, he was taken to Florean Fortescue's where he was told to order whatever he liked. Whilst his father was talking to the ice-cream parlor’s owner Marcus noticed a table in the window that was full of children his age, plucking up all his available courage he asked if he could sit, a girl slightly younger than himself looked up with a beaming smile and invited him to. That day he met PANDORA and PHAEDRA FORTESCUE and CELESTE, ELINOR and PARKER POTAGE and was tied to each of their hips from that day on. The group spent their days in the alleys, splitting their time evenly between the ice cream parlor, sitting by the fountain in Carkitt Market and looking at everything they would buy and take with them to Hogwarts in Gambol and Japes joke shop. As the years went on their group slowly dwindled, each getting their letter they would leave the alleys and head to school, when it was Marcus’ turn he was nervous but excited, the excitement only heightening when his father handed him a wand box with the most beautifully engraved wand he had ever seen, he plucked it out of its box and the world around him felt right, it would seem that his father had been watching each time Marcus had picked a wand up in the past and had created the perfect one for him to go off to school with. 

Setting off for Hogwarts was the first time Marcus had felt truly alone, his parents weren't there to ease his fears nor were his friends there to pry a laugh out of him. Adamant to make friends and make them quickly he looked through the carriages until he came across one with a singular girl that had worry etched across her face. Glad to see his inner turmoil so easily expressed upon this girl's features he marched into the compartment with the intention of making them both feel better. ROWENA ROWLE was a lovely girl and the pair spent the entire journey discussing Hogwarts. Being sorted into Hufflepuff with Rowena was the perfect place for him, he soon fit in with a group of his own, keeping his friendship with Rowena just between the two of them. RUFUS BELBY, SAMARA CLEARWATER and TIMOTHY VANE made excellent friends and studying companions, the four Hufflepuffs could often be found hold up in their corner of the library with piles of books surrounding them. Samara and Marcus especially would go well into the evening sitting with each other reading, Marcus wanted to read everything Hogwarts had to offer on wand lore to impress his father when he went home and Samara, a Muggle-Born witch wanted to know everything about the magical world, often spouting the most random and obscure questions at Marcus for him to answer. 

Throughout his years in Hogwarts Marcus took an increasingly large interest in Quidditch, and in his fourth year he applied for the position of chaser which he got. Through Quidditch he met EDGAR BONES a fellow teammate who then introduced him to his own misfit group SAOIRSE MACMILLIAN, AUGUSTUS ABBOTT, TILDEN TOOTS, EVE DIGGORY and SYBIL TRELAWNEY. Marcus had never felt more at home than he had in the Hufflepuff common room surrounded by his closest friends, and when the position of Head boy came into question he was told by all of them that he was a shoe in. When not with his new teammates and their friends you could still find him with Samara in the Library, their friendship never wavering they slowly but surely fell in to a relationship, hugs turned in to hand holding, hand holding turned in to stolen kisses and soon they had asked themselves why it had taken them this long to be together. His final years at Hogwarts he spent studying for exams, fulfilling his prefect duties and trying to juggle his down time between his two favourite girls, the only problem he seemed to have was that they didn't see eye to eye, Samara prone to jealousy whenever he spent time with Rowena. 

Leaving school with exceptional grades and a head boy's badge to boot there was no question about his future plans, working in his fathers shop as an assistant his life fell into place. Wanting to move out of the family home but not yet ready to move in with Samara he rented a flat above a shop in Carkitt Market with Rowena and Celeste after he introduced the pair and they hit it off. Sadly the move did not sit well with everyone, Samara having fits of jealousy whenever Marcus mentioned Rowena, and now that he lived with Celeste she also became untrusting of her too. The move meant the end of their relationship, sad as Marcus was about it he couldn't be with someone who didn't trust him. To distract from the pain of the break-up Marcus spent most of his weekends with his old Hufflepuff Quidditch team, playing friendly matches and then hitting the pub. Although Marcus would like to blame it on the adrenaline from the game or the three too many butterbeers he drinks afterwards he has started to develop a crush on Edgar, finding him a lot more dashing in his Quidditch uniform than he ever had at school. Spending more and more time with Edgar has led the boy to open up about other areas of his life, and once realising he could trust Marcus completely he introduced him to ALASTOR MOODY who spoke about the Order of the Phoenix. Until then Marcus had it would seem to have been living under a rock, he had seen no signs of a war brewing but after being told about it he couldn't stand by and allow this injustice to continue. 

Joining the Order meant having his eyes open to all the horrible things going on in the world, it also meant that he was gaining a better idea of what sort of people were joining the forces of the dark-side. After realising that Rowena was spending a considerable amount of time with her cousin and his friends, who were suspected members Marcus and Celeste, another member of the Order, spent many evenings worried and waiting up for the girl. Vowing to do all that they could for their mis-lead friend they spoke in length about their predicament and decided to slowly bring her over to the light, the pair taking on their own mission of slowly persuading her to join the Order. At present the Order had given him their own task to complete, he was to work with an older member PATRICIA RAKEPICK to pool together a list of known Death Eaters, she had asked him to spend his spare time listening in to conversations and also making a list of all known wands that were owned by suspected members to allow for the Order to put illegal tracking upon the wands in question, making it much easier to solve certain crimes and cases that are currently left open. 

→ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Blood Status → Half-Blood

Pronouns → He/Him

Identification → Cis Male 

Sexuality  → Bisexual

Relationship Status → Single

Previous Education →  Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Hufflepuff)

Family → Garrick Ollivander (father), Beatrice Ollivander (mother), Rose Ollivander (sister)

Connections  → Pandora Fortescue (childhood friend), Phaedra Fortescue (childhood friend), Elinor Potage (childhood friend), Parker Potage (childhood friend), Celeste Potage (best friend/roommate), Rowena Rowle (best friend/roommate), Rufus Belby (close friend), Timothy Vane (close friend), Samara Clearwater (ex-girlfriend), Edgar Bones (close friend/potential love interest), Saorise Macmillian (friend), Augustus Abbott (friend), Tilden Toots (friend), Eve Diggory (friend), Sybil Trelawney (friend), Patricia Rakepick (friend)

Future Information → N/A

MARCUS OLLIVANDER IS A LEVEL 5 WIZARD.

[travoltacustom]

HYPNOSIS MICROPHONE 4TH INTERNATIONAL POLL (DECEMBER 2020) Part 7: Japanese Consumption

Thank you for your participation! These are the final results for the 4th Hypnosis Microphone International Poll. After months of work on this, we have estimates for general fandom opinions. Do you agree or disagree with the general opinions? Please let us know!

The results were held back from original posting as we were waiting to post for a month before the 2nd DRB finals (which is on Doppo’s Birthday this year.) So my deepest apologies for how long this took to get out. We will be releasing these results with a section per day, with the end of these results showing the Japanese side.

Click the READ MORE to view the results.

PREFACE

The data collection for this poll received 902 votes to give us an indication of the demographic of those who consume Hypnosis Mic. This poll was open to English speakers, and thus, results may be considerably Euro/American-centric. The word ‘international’ has been used to refer to how fans are from many places around the world, but the poll may also refer to this group as ‘English-speaking’ etc. The Japanese poll had a smaller respondent pool with 400.

This poll received the most activity through Twitter, given that the series is most active on that platform. The poll was also posted on Tumblr, Facebook and the HypMic wiki. Commentary has been given on sections of the poll. These results will be available in full on from this account. The Japanese poll results shall follow about a week with comparison to this poll.The poll was conducted from December 2020 to January 2021. This poll is UNOFFICIAL and none of the composers of this poll have any relation to King Records whatsoever.

This will be split into MULTIPLE posts due to the amount of data and limitations of tumblr.

PART 7: Japanese Consumption Comparison

This section compares the percentage of HypMic’s English fanbase against the Japanese fanbase in how they consume certain media.

Before the project began - Sep 2017: INTL: 3.7% | JP: 2.5%

Since Pre-Battle Season 1 - Oct 2017 - Feb 2018: INTL: 7% | JP 9.5%

Since Battle Season 1 - Mar 2018 - Dec 2018: INTL: 19.4% | JP: 28%

Since Post-Battle Season 1 - Jan 2019 - Nov 2019: INTL: 29.6% | JP: 36.8%

Since Pre-Battle Season 2 - Dec 2019 - Dec 2020: INTL: 40.3% | JP: 23%

NOTABLE DATES

Release of Enter the Hypnosis Microphone: April 2019

Announcement of Dotsuitare Honpo & Bad Ass Temple: September 2019

Announcement of the start of the 2nd DRB: December 2020

From this group of people, only 264 people, or 66%% of respondents were around during the 1st Battle Season.

Looking at those who were around during the battle season (70%) did not vote at all, while (30%) did vote.

To compare, 293 out of 902 International respondents were around during the 1st Battle Season. 88.4% did not vote at all, while 11.6% did vote.

At the time of the 1st DRB, voting was only possible by buying CDs and certain merchandise, unlike the additions of the 2nd DRB where you could purchase a ticket to the lives. Additionally, it is much easier for JP fans to buy the CDs as HypMic is from Japan.

How many of the HypMic drama tracks have you listened to?

Buster Bros!!! Generation Dramas: INTL: 69.7% | JP: 85.3%

BAYSIDE M.T.C Dramas: INTL: 70.3% | JP: 86.3%

Fling Posse -F.P.S.M- Dramas: INTL: 74.2% | JP: 85.5%

Matenro -Aural Medicine- Dramas: INTL: 70.3% | JP: 87.5%

B.B vs M.T.C Dramas: INTL: 63.7% | JP: 82.5%

F.P vs M Dramas: INTL: 71.8% | JP: 86.3%

The Champion Dramas: INTL: 63.1% | JP: 78%

Enter the Hypnosis Microphone Dramas: INTL: 61% | JP: 74.3%

Aikata Back Again: INTL: 64.7% | JP: 85.8%

The Heart’s Conviction Can’t Be Broken: INTL: 62.6% | JP: 84.3%

Helter Skelter: INTL: 61% | JP: 78.8%

All in the same boat: INTL: 60.9% | JP: 81.3%

The Loneliness, Tears, and Hope of a Puppet: INTL: 67.5% | JP: 80.3%

Chaser from the Past: INTL: 60.9% | JP: 78.8%

Guidebook Dramas: INTL: 31.7% | JP: 74%

Manga Bonus Dramas: INTL: 27.6% | JP: 51.7%

Have not listened to the dramas: INTL: 2.1% | JP: N/A

OBSERVATIONS

As not everyone knows that most dramatracks are readily available on the wiki and finding translations themselves are difficult, it is inevitable that INTL viewership is significantly lower than JP viewership.

All JP respondents have listened to at least one dramatrack. Given that only 2.1% of INTL respondents have not listened to at least one dramatrack, it may be possible that those who have not listened to the dramatracks are in a very small minority.

INTL fans seemed to not have been as interested in DH and BAT’s introduction tracks, while JP fans showed similar numbers for DH and BAT’s introductions to the Main 4 Divisions introductions.

The least listened to tracks that are not considered bonuses (Guidebook + Manga) are:

International: All in the Same Boat (60.9%), Chaser from the Past (60.9%), Enter the Hypnosis Microphone Dramas (61%), Helter Skelter (61%), and The Heart’s Conviction Can’t Be Broken (62.6%)

Japanese: Enter the Hypnosis Microphone Dramas (74.3%), The Champion (78%), Helter Skelter (78.8%), Chaser from the Past (78.8%), and The Loneliness... of a Puppet (80.3%)

How much of the HypMic manga have you read?

SOME of B.B vs M.T.C: INTL: 34.7% | JP: 25%

ALL of B.B vs M.T.C: INTL: 45.8% | JP: 39.5%

SOME of F.P vs M: INTL: 31.3% | JP: 23.8%

ALL of F.P vs M: INTL: 52.4% | JP: 44%

SOME of TDD: INTL: 32.6% | JP: 24.8%

ALL of TDD: INTL: 53.3% | JP: 49%

SOME of D.H & B.A.T: INTL: 64.2% | JP: 64.8%

Have not read the manga: INTL: 10.5% | JP: 13.5%

Thus, all together:

SOME/ALL B.B vs M.T.C: 72.5%

SOME/ALL F.P vs M: 75.75%

SOME/ALL TDD: 79.85%

SOME/ALL D.H & B.A.T: 64.5%

At the time of the poll, BB vs MTC, FP vs M and the TDD manga had completed, while DH vs BAT was incomplete. BB vs MTC +, FP vs M+ and Dawn of Divisions were announced during the poll’s conduction.

OBSERVATIONS

This is the one of the few categories where International HypMic fans consume content more than Japanese HypMic fans.

How much of other HypMic of other HypMic content have you explored?

Track 1: INTL: 69.7% | JP: 30.8%

Track 2: INTL: 70.3% | JP: 25.5%

Track 3: INTL: 74.2% | JP: 33.3%

Niconama: INTL: 70.3% | JP: 52.5%

HPNM Youtube: INTL: 63.7% | JP: 58%

HypMic concerts: INTL: 71.8% | JP: 53.5%

NOTES:

This question also asked about those who have watched the anime, but as respondents ticked multiple options of how much they had seen, these results were unable to be posted. The same happened with the question on Spotify Radio episodes.

Track 2 & Track 3 were playing during COVID which may account for the lower numbers of viewers. Niconama streams have also been discontinued and have now been replaced by the HPNM Youtube streams.

This is the one of the few categories where International HypMic fans consume content more than Japanese HypMic fans.

What HypMic official merchandise have you bought? This does not include magazines that contain manga chapters or interviews.

Trading/blind goods: INTL: 29.3% | JP: 53.3%

Paper goods: INTL: 11.3% | JP: 32.5%

Plush goods: INTL: 35.1% | JP: 51.2%

Apparel: INTL: 10.4% | JP: 44.3%

Accessories or cosmetics: INTL: 4.3% | JP: 29.8%

Stageplay specific goods: INTL: 2.7% | JP: 27.8%

(Collab) Food: INTL: 2% | JP: 22%

Magazine with HypMic content: INTL: 8.5% | JP: 54.5%

Manga (any edition): INTL: 13.7% | JP: 72.8%

HypMic Guidebook: INTL: 16.7% | JP: 78%

Non-battle CD: INTL: 13.6 | JP: 61.3%

Battle Season CD: INTL: 7.4% | JP: 39%

Subscribed to HYPSTER: INTL: 9.8% | JP: 54.5%

Compared to the 48.3% of INTL fans that haven’t bought a piece of HypMic official merchandise, only 6.8% of HypMic fans haven’t bought merch.

Most bought goods: Guidebook (78%), Manga (72.8%), Non-battle CD (61.3%)

Least bought goods: Items from food collabs (22%), stageplay specific goods (29.8%), and accessories and cosmetics (29.8%)

Do you play Alternative Rap Battle (ARB)?

PLAY / DO NOT PLAY: 89.1% / 11%

READ ALL STORIES: 48.7%

READ EVENT STORIES: 10.8%

READ MAIN STORIES: 12.5%

DON’T READ STORIES: 28.1%

How familiar are you with Japanese hip-hop, the genre of HypMic?

Regularly listens to J hip-hop: INTL: 22.88% | JP: 54.3%

Regularly listens to Western hip-hop but not J hip-hop: INTL: 12% | JP: 5.5%

Regularly listens to Japanese music but not J hip-hop: INTL: 54.5% | JP: 32%

Do not listen to Japanese music or hip-hop: INTL: 10.7% | JP: 8.3%

With numbers, we can see that:

34.8% of International respondents listen to either Japanese or Western hip-hop. 65.2% of International respondents do not listen to hip-hop.

These numbers seem to match up with the later results that show that 79% of respondents to not listen to J hip-hop artists outside of HypMic and 69% of respondents do not listen to/could list Western hip-hop artists at all.

59.7% of Japanese respondents listen to either Japanese or Western hip-hop. 40.3% of Japanese respondents do not listen to hip-hop.

From these results, we can see that there is most likely accounts of piracy due to the high numbers of International fans that have seen the stage play or read the manga in comparison to Japanese fans.

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To see the next part showing the demographics of the Japanese fandom, please follow us to the next post.

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[the-greatest-story-untold]

This is the Neo Wave

Neo – a term to mean ‘new’: a new era, a new generation, even a new cultural phenomenon…

A full moon illuminates the night while the Alpha stands proud and attentive. The Protector, always ready and sturdy, perches on his right. His Reliable, the heart of his people, flanks his left, as should the heart be. Before him, the Alpha observes his people.

He watches as his sharp-witted Leonine friend amuses the whims of some young companions; the tinkling laughter of a young Pup with his bright youthful face, flowed seamlessly with the rolling baritone laugh belonging to the Adonis of the group.  The last companion of the four, the youngest in this little quartet, joined in too with the teasing and gentle banter of his older peers.

The Alpha smiles endearingly. Youngest he may be among them four, but the Alpha knows never to underestimate the heated passion in this young Chief. The younger has proven time and again to be absolutely full capable. Barely into adulthood, the young Chief had also led his own group of fellow confidantes to be the best of the best – the superior unit. And although the group of youths will always congregate around their chieftain, they are more than able to stand on their own too. They are all dream chasers; so young but yet so accomplished.

The Captain, ever the capable and dependable one of this dream group, fills the role of the family head when the chief is away. Meanwhile, his close companion Nurtures those around him with gratuitous kindness and affection. Then there is the Intellectual one, with his mind as agile as a fox; he may not be the leader despite being the oldest of them, but he is still able to lead with precision when tasked to. Two younger siblings follow after him. One Boisterous and loud while the other seemingly quieter and restrained, but ever as Playful nonetheless – a true pairing of two peas in a pod. And last, but never the least, the one embracing them all: the one who shines like the Sun. So infectious is his personality, it is nigh impossible not to revel in his warm presence.

With the Sun, the Alpha notes an additional member to the usually six companions. The Alpha kept a chuckle to himself as he sees the eldest of his people fit so seamlessly among the youngest. He wasn’t surprised though. For where the Sun goes, the Moon is bound to follow. It was said that the Sun gives people their spirit and the Moon gives people their soul. Watching his Sun and Moon, the Alpha couldn’t find a fault with that statement.

His sight then shifts and the Alpha moves on to complete his head count. He catches the eye of another. A silent acknowledgement passes between them. They both know what it meant to be in charge, although the Alpha will admit the other’s charges can be a tad handful.

The Eldest of the septet unit exudes the patience of a saint as he supervises his charges. First, the multilingual charge who holds a sharp tongue but moves with a Feline grace any can only envy. Next were the two charges that were the embodiment of Silent and Resolute. But where the Alpha had spent a considerable time nurturing one half of the duo, he was frankly unsure of the other. Still, he was confident in him all the same. Finally, a trio of mess completes the seven and the Alpha only means well in describing them as such. They were rambunctious and embodied chaos but beneath the exterior, he knows there were Gentleness, Sensitivity and Maturity.

Chaos.

The Alpha lets out a chuckle.  It represented whom they are, all twenty-one of them, himself included.

He gave one last sweep across the scene before him, recounting every last persons in his humble family.  As individuals, they were each incredible entities. But together, they were a force to be reckoned.

This is it – the new beginning. They are the new era.

The Alpha parted his lips. As though sensing his sentiments, every one looked up to their leader. The air hung heavy with anticipation as they sensed he was about to speak.

“We got to go get them,” the Alpha announces.

To the world, this is the Neo Wave.