#whether he sees me as some pretty smart girl who's 8 years younger than him. well.

[britneyshakespeare]

you know what it is. i talk about how vain he is and how he only talks about himself and that is the impression a lot of people have of him and it is the impression i favor leaning towards. he has a very coded way of self-disclosure; he often seems like he's trying to impress people but i know him to be not-the-most-assured in a lot of ways. when i first complimented him on his poetry and told him how much i liked a few pieces (and i loved some of what i read before i knew his last name, so when i read his poetry i did not assume the person whose poetry i so loved was, well, that retired male model i met in passing every now and then). when i told him that. he was very moved by it.

and i do talk about how vain he is; i do say he only talks about himself; but every now and then when he does say something about me it is not at all hidden that he does admire me. some of what he says that seems to coded to impress me or to get my validation, i know he is doing this towards me because he thinks im this smart poetry girl. and i am? i am that, he's not wrong. i think it makes me feel hopeless to think that he really does respect me and care what i think of him because i'd rather he didn't. i'd rather him be this charming but shallow pretty boy which i think he has been seen as by a lot of people throughout his life. despite that he is hardworking, despite that he has (or at least tries very hard to have) an intellectual side. perhaps what he says about himself is so often coded to please me even while it is fishing for my attention, and i want to see that as a reflection of his own self-regard but i don't know that it is.

i don't know that it's not, but i don't know that it is either and as neither of us is very frequently vulnerable with the other, it's not fair for me to say which is the case. or even that there's a "which" like it can't be both. i don't know that he admires me; i don't know that he sees me as this girl who is (or at least used to be) very charmed by him. i do know that he always comes to me and asks me about poetry because as far as he's told me, i'm the only one who has ever cared about his. for all i know that could also be bullshit, but then why should i assume it is either? i'm quite unfair to him in my assessments of him. i do have to admit, he has never actually seemed to have a disrespectful or unfair assessment of me.

[the-modernmary]

my best habit || aaron hotchner x reader (ch. 8)

Chapter summary: When Aaron gets stuck at work late and Jess has to go help out her dad, Aaron has nobody else to turn to but you to watch Jack. The only problem? Up until now, Aaron has been keeping his home life completely separate from you, and you have no clue how this will effect your already precarious relationship with Aaron.

Warnings: N/A

A/N: This was not part of the original plan at all for this story, but I couldn’t get it out of my head.

masterlist || read on ao3

In between What I find is pleasing and I'm feeling fine Love is so confusing, there's no peace of mind If I fear I'm losing you it's just no good You teasing like you do - Blondie, “Heart of Glass”

~~~~~~~ 

You were on your couch doing homework when you got the call from Aaron, and you frowned in confusion when you saw his name flash across your cell phone screen. Aaron never called you while he was working, and you especially didn’t expect a call from him today. He was doing a custodial interview with an inmate sentenced to death somewhere in Virginia, and you figured prison didn’t have the greatest cell service.

 “Hey there, jailbird,” you greeted. “Are you inviting me to the dance?”

“Very cute, Elvis,” Aaron joked, but it was half hearted. You could hear the exhaustion in his voice. “I need to ask you for a favor, and I want you to know that I wouldn’t be asking you if I had any other options.”

“Mhm, I love being the last choice,” you mused sarcastically. “You really know how to make a girl feel special, Aaron.”

  Aaron elected to ignore your last comment. “The prison just went on lockdown, so I’m going to be stuck here for at least a few more hours,” he explained, and there was an unnatural nervousness to his voice. “And Jessica has to go deal with an emergency with her father.”

You frowned to yourself, unsure of where Aaron was going with his explanation, and even more unsure of who this Jessica person was. A pang of jealousy shot through you, but you quickly bottled that feeling. 

 Aaron took a moment to compose himself before continuing. “Would you be willing to watch Jack for a few hours? I know it’s not ideal, but it would just be for a little while until either I get out of here or somebody else from the BAU gets off of work. I would even be willing to compensate you for your time.”

Oh.

OH.

Silence crackled through the phone as you took in his request, and you could practically feel Aaron’s nervousness. It shouldn’t have been as big of a deal as it was. It had been two months since you’ve been with Aaron, you slept over at his house enough, and you worked in the same building as him. It was pretty inevitable that of course you were going to meet Jack at some point, but you always figured it would be with Aaron there to mediate. You had pictured that it would probably be accidental, maybe Jack would wake up early and would catch you sneaking out of Aaron’s house. Or you would be invited to one of Rossi’s famous dinners and the kids would be there and then there would be no questions asked. You definitely didn’t expect to babysit.

“Yeah, of course, I can watch him,” you said finally, and you heard Aaron let out a sigh of relief. “And you don’t have to pay me… or worry about finding a replacement. He can hang out with me for as long as you need.”

“Thank you,” Aaron told you, still sounding completely drained. “I will send your address to Jessica, and she will drop Jack off at your place in about half an hour. I really owe you, Y/N. I have to go talk to the warden now, but please call me if you need anything, okay? Bye.” Before you could even answer, Aaron hung up.

You took a deep breath as dread settled in the pit of your stomach. How hard would babysitting be, really? You’ve babysat before - Aly had a little brother who basically became your little brother. However, a weird part of you was nervous that Jack wouldn’t like you, which was ridiculous. It didn’t matter whether or not Jack liked you.

Right?

Deciding that you couldn’t just sit there and panic, you chose to use the time to tidy up your apartment, just to make it extra presentable. The organized mess that was your homework space was quickly arranged so that all of your notebooks and papers were in a neat pile. You took down the half empty tequila bottle from forever ago that was sitting on the top of your fridge and shoved it into a cabinet somewhere. The throw blanket that you had been wrapped up in was refolded and placed on the arm of your couch. You wanted to at least give the illusion that you were prepared to babysit Aaron’s son, and not completely freaking out inside.

Right on schedule, knocking came from your door, and you rushed to open it. You were greeted by a blonde woman, probably a few years younger than Aaron, who you assumed to be Jessica. Next to her was the elusive Jack, with his blonde hair and missing front tooth. You had seen a few photos of Jack in passing, hanging up around Aaron’s house and whatnot, but you never got a good look at the photos.

“Y/N?” Jessica asked cautiously, and you nodded slowly. “Hi, I’m Jessica, Jack’s aunt.”

Jack’s aunt. A million emotions hit you at once. Oh god, she was Haley’s sister. Your stomach started to feel queasy, and it took you a second to realize that it was guilt, although you weren’t quite sure what you felt guilty about. 

Logically, you knew Aaron had a life outside of you. Hell, you had slowly become part of that outside life now that you were friends with his coworkers, but you really tried to avoid thinking about Aaron’s home life. When he wasn’t with you, it was out of sight, out of mind. He was his own individual entity.

Now you were face-to-face with just how insignificant you were in the grand scheme of Aaron’s life. The fact was that you were probably no more than a side storyline in his life, a character created just for Aaron’s own development. He had a life and a family that you barely knew about. There was evidence of his home life everywhere - the bins of toys at his house, drawings on his fridge, family photos in matching frames in the hallway, even a small jewelry box on his dresser that looked like it had been collecting dust for a few years - but you had gotten good at averting your eyes.

“Hi, yes, that’s me,” you replied, shaking Jessica’s hand. Then you bent down so you were closer to Jack’s height. “Hey dude, I’m Y/N,” you introduced, giving him a small wave.

Jessica took the backpack she was carrying and helped Jack slip it onto his shoulders. “Thank you again for doing this on such short notice. Aaron should have sent over my phone number if you need anything, but Jack’s a good kid. He just has some homework that he needs to get done,” she explained.

“It’s no problem,” you told her, giving her your best reassuring smile. “He’s in good hands here.”

Jessica smiled gratefully at you before kneeling down to say goodbye to Jack. You stood in the doorway awkwardly as you watched the interaction curiously. It was as normal as it could get, Jessica telling Jack to behave and that she loves him, but it also fascinated you, like you were watching a movie and all of the characters had popped out of the screen.

Jack gave his aunt a hug before she left, and the two of you stepped into your apartment. That same nervousness came back in full force. What kind of games did he like to play? You didn’t have any toys for him. What if you couldn’t help him with his homework? Do kids his age learn fractions yet, because you did not remember fractions. What if-

“Woah!” came Jack’s voice, breaking you out of your spiraling. “Can I please sit on the bean bag chair?”

Well, Jack certainly wasn’t nervous, which offered you more relief than you thought it would. “Yeah, of course, you can. It’s my favorite place to do my homework.” 

Jack flopped onto the bean bag chair, his tiny frame almost completely consumed by it. You could see the confusion growing on Jack’s face. “You have to do homework?” Jack asked.

“Yup,” you told him. “And I know you do, too, so we can do homework together.”

Jack jutted out his bottom lip in a pout. “Will I have to still do homework when I’m old?”

At that, you let out a genuine laugh, even if you were a little shocked. The kid had personality, you had to admit. “I’m not that old,” you halfheartedly protested, “And maybe. It depends on what you want to be when you grow up.”

“I want to be a superhero,” Jack said matter-of-factly. “Like Spiderman.”

You nodded, the movement playfully exaggerated. “Oh, well Spiderman is really smart. I’m sure he does a lot of homework, so you better get to work. Let me know if you need any help, okay?” You chuckled again at Jack’s increased pout, obviously disappointed in the fact that even superheroes had to focus on school. 

Jack reached into his backpack and pulled out a pencil and a brightly colored folder with papers sticking out of it every which way. He started on his worksheets, his eyebrows scrunched in concentration, and it hit you just how much he looked like Aaron. The blonde hair threw you off, but you had seen that exact look on Aaron’s face many times, eyebrows together and lips pursed ever so slightly. Like father, like son. You had to resist the urge to audibly coo at the sight. You were only human, after all.

You tore your eyes away from the boy and glanced over at your laptop, which was sitting open on your coffee table, the cursor blinking back at you teasingly, reminding you that you also had to get to work. You had essays to write and practice contracts to draft up. The two of you did your work in comfortable silence for a while, Jack occasionally asking you to help him read the instructions of his worksheet.

“Done!” Jack exclaimed proudly after a while, holding his packet of papers high in the air.

Just in time, too, because if you had to do any more criminal tax litigation work, you were going to pull out your hair from boredom. There was only so much corporate fraud you could read about in one sitting.

“With all of your homework?” you clarified, and he nodded so fast that he looked like a full-on bobblehead. “Good job, dude!”

“Did you finish your homework so that we can play?” he asked you.

“Yup, I’m all done,” you lied. Your paper wasn’t due for another week, anyway. “So what do you want to play?”

Jack tapped his finger on his chin as he thought about it. You were aware that you didn’t have much in the way of kid’s toys, but you had stuff to color or paint or play board games, and you were confident enough in your imagination to come up with a game if it came down to that. Jack looked around and suddenly his eyes got wide and he pointed to your Switch.

“Do you have Mario Kart?” he asked hopefully. “Can we play that?”

“That sounds like fun, let’s do that,” you told him, making your way to set up the console. “I’ll even let you be player one.”

  Jack was practically bouncing up and down in his seat now. “I’m really good at this game. I can even beat my uncle Dave!”

You laughed as the two of you picked your characters. Jack chose Yoshi, a solid choice, and you went with Toad. “You can beat your Uncle Dave? Wow, that’s impressive. I have to warn you, though, I’m also very good at this game. Do you think you can beat me?” you teased.

“Definitely,” Jack challenged, and the game began.

The two of you played for a little while, and Jack’s mind was blown when you told him about the shortcuts on each track. After about three cups and you telling him where every shortcut you knew was, the 7-year-old was starting to get antsy just sitting, so you decided to switch gears.

You brought out some leftover paints and canvases you had from a paint night with your friends, and you and Jack laid on the floor and did some painting, although you were not prepared for how messy it would get. Somehow, Jack ended up with his fingertips covered in blue paint, and you had a streak of green on your cheek from where you mindlessly brushed hair from out of your face. As you placed the artwork to the side to dry, Jack had already decided on the next game - the floor is lava.

Before you even realized it, three hours had passed and it was time to make dinner. Jack chose pizza, which you luckily already had in your freezer. The game was still going, but you and Jack agreed that the kitchen was the only safe place without lava, considering there were too many dangerous things in that vicinity.

Babysitting Jack was easier than you expected, and much more fun. Even in his more playful moments, Aaron was always a little bit guarded and on edge, so you had a hard time imagining what his child would be like. A weird part of you almost imagined a mini adult in a child-sized suit and a briefcase full of fruit snacks and crackers, as ridiculous as it sounded. But Jack was just like any other 7-year-old - goofy, a little loud, and excited about the world.

You wondered if Aaron was like that as a kid, or if that part of Jack’s personality came from his mom. Maybe Jack was a mini version of his mom. Now that you had gotten the tiniest taste of Aaron’s home life, you found yourself craving to know more, to see Aaron in dad-mode.

Selfishly, you also wanted Aaron to watch you interact with Jack, just to see his reaction. It was a gamble and you realized it. Best case scenario, Aaron would be able to breathe a little bit easier. There wouldn’t be that half second of awkward silence between the two of you every time he mentioned Jack’s name. That stupid guilt you felt so often would dissipate because, hey, you met Jack and now that was out of the way.

On the other hand, everything could come crashing down. Aaron could walk in, see you with Jack, and immediately regret his decision and regret you. It would solidify in both of your minds that you were no more than somebody he could call and fuck when he felt himself on the verge of breaking down. Any self-imposed importance you had placed on yourself in Aaron’s life, no matter how small it was (and it was pretty small), would be a lie. He had a shorter temper now than before, and maybe this would be the exact thing that would set him off.

You didn’t want that, of course, but you really did want to know what would happen, to see where you stood with him. Call it morbid curiosity.

You were pulling the pizza out of the oven when you heard the knock on the door. “Coming!” you called.

“Don’t touch the lava!” Jack reminded you from his spot on the coffee table, just as you were about to leave the kitchen. Your method of movement to and from the kitchen was the rolling chair from your desk and a broom so that you could push yourself where you needed to go, which you had to justify to Jack as being a lava boat.

You “rowed” yourself over the door and looked in the peephole. Aaron was on the other side, nervously rubbing his thumb over the rest of his fingers. It took some work, but you were able to open the door without falling off the chair.

“Hey, I know you,” you greeted Aaron, but your smile fell when you took in his appearance. His whole body was tensed up, like a rubberband about to snap. He didn’t have his tie or blazer on, and the cuffs of his shirt were undone. 

“Dad!” Jack shouted, waving excitedly.

“Hi, buddy.” Aaron smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He was scanning the room, studying the scene in front of him. Aaron’s expression slowly shifted to confusion as Jack bounded across your furniture to get closer to his dad. “Jack, what are you doing on the table?” Aaron’s eyes shifted to where you were, noticing for the first time that you were kneeling on a rolling chair, holding onto the broom like a trident. “And why do you two have paint on you?”

“The floor is lava,” you explained nonchalantly.

“And you’re going to get burned!” Jack pointed out.

You chuckled and swiveled your chair so that you could get a better look at Jack. “How about we give your dad a minute to find a spot, okay dude?” You turned back to Aaron, lowering your voice. “The kitchen is a safe zone, if you don’t want to have to crawl around on furniture.”

Aaron frowned, and you could see the wheels turning in his brain. “No, I should take Jack home anyways,” he finally said. “You’ve helped enough today and I don’t want to impose.”

“You’re not imposing,” you insisted. “Besides, we just made a pizza that I’m not going to be able to eat by myself. Come in, have dinner. You look like you need it.”

He really did. You were certain that he hadn’t eaten anything the entire time he was at the jail. He looked exhausted, too, and it was taking every bit of his energy to keep his usual stoic and stony composure.

Aaron wanted to argue, but instead, let out a resigned sigh. “Thank you. You, uh, said that the kitchen was a safe zone?”

“Mhm, and you might want to hurry because Jack is in it to win. Already tried to sabotage my chair boat.”

While Aaron’s face remained emotionless, his gaze softened as he stepped into your apartment. “Jack, did you have fun with Y/N?” he asked, making his way to the kitchen.

Jack hopped from the coffee table to the couch and onto a trail of pillows he had made. “Yeah! She taught me how to cheat in Mario Kart!” 

You rolled your way back to the kitchen, chuckling sheepishly. “Shortcuts aren’t cheating, it’s playing smart,” you defended. 

Jack just giggled and continued to animatedly tell Aaron about his day at school as you each started to dig into dinner. Well, Jack and you dug into the pizza, while Aaron took all off two bites and pushed his plate to the side. You had originally thought that it was the interview that caused Aaron’s tenseness, but you realized with a start that Aaron was completely focused on you. He was watching you curiously, like you had subtly changed your appearance and he couldn’t quite put his finger on what was different.

He was just intrigued by your interaction with Jack as you had been with Jack and Jessica’s interactions. You had thought that he was going to make a snap judgment and decide if he was ever going to want to see you again the second he saw you with Jack, but he was taking his time. He was profiling you.

“Hey Jack,” you interjected once he finished eating. “Your dad and I are going to do dishes, but I need you to do me a big favor. I can’t win Bowser’s Castle no matter how hard I try. Do you think you could do that race for me while we clean up?”

Aaron looked at you in confusion, but you kept your eyes on Jack, who was all too happy to have an excuse to get out of cleaning and go back to playing video games. He practically bounced back into the living room, leaving you and Aaron alone.

“Do you want something to drink?” you offered. Aaron was watching your every movement, studying you carefully. “I have tea, coffee… Irish coffee, if it’s that kind of night.” You added the last part as an afterthought, only partially joking.

The corner of Aaron’s mouth twitched upwards so subtly that if you weren’t looking for it, you wouldn’t have even noticed. “No thank you,” he answered formally.

You mindlessly traced circles on the tabletop with your finger, keeping your eyes downcast. You knew you couldn’t just outright ask what was on his mind, he’d never answer truthfully. “Do I want to know what that creep did to be put on death row?” you asked, keeping your voice as indifferent as possible..

Aaron shook his head. “I wouldn’t tell you even if you did,” he admitted and the two of you fell into silence again. It was the answer you had pretty much come to expect from him.

Despite the fact that, as a lawyer, you’d have to hear about all these awful things and see the evidence, Aaron tried to shield you from his work. He didn’t talk about cases, didn’t glamorize the work he did the way some younger agents would. In all the time you’ve known him, you could count the number of criminals you knew he took down on your fingers, and some of those were only because you learned about them in class. 

That was fine. You didn’t want Aaron to have to bring that to your bed, not when you were supposed to be his distraction from all that mess. And what a fun distraction you were.

Aaron looked at his watch, effectively ending the conversation. “We should go, it’s getting late. Thank you for watching Jack. And for dinner.”

You paused, debating your next move. “It’s no problem,” you said sincerely. “And if you need anything else from me… I’ll be awake for a while.” You let your offer hang in the air for a few moments, watching as Aaron seemed to be weighing options in his head, you just didn’t know what those options were.

You were just about to rescind your offer when he opened his mouth to speak. “Are you sure you don’t want any compensation?”

You waved off his offer. “I’m positive.”

Aaron shoved his hands in the pockets of his slacks. “Then let me buy you dinner sometime this week. It’s the least I can do.”

You paused, trying to keep your expression as neutral as possible. Aaron had never made an offer like this before, never took steps towards anything that could push this into something even remotely considered a relationship. It was easy to explain the constant sex. You could even justify the lingering morning-afters or the nights spent hunched over your textbooks while Aaron wordlessly refilled your coffee cup without you having to even ask by claiming that it all happened organically. It’s not like the two of you planned to stay up and debate the lost history of the term “beyond a reasonable doubt”. It just sort of happened, and who were you to turn down free coffee?

Anything more would complicate the carefully curated system, and neither of you had the time or energy for complicated.

Despite every logical bone in your body screaming at you to walk away and leave while you were ahead, you couldn’t help the soft “Yeah, I’d really like that,” that slipped past your lips.

You could have sworn Aaron smiled at your answer, but he didn’t say anything more.

The two of you walked back to your living room in silence. “Alright buddy,” Aaron called, ruffling Jack’s hair. “It’s time for us to head home. Say thank you to Y/N.”

Jack pouted as he exited the game. “Can Y/N watch me again soon? Please? It was fun!”

“We’ll have to see, she might be busy,” Aaron mused, looking at you so that he could gauge your reaction. It was enough of an answer to not crush Jack’s hopes, but vague enough that it gave you room to deny the offer. He was letting you choose how much you wanted to be around Jack, if you wanted to be around him at all.

You grinned down at Jack and held out your hand for a high five, which he took as an invitation to try and slap your hand as hard as he could. How could you say no to him? “Of course I can watch you again. I’ll even have Legos next time.”

For the first time that night, Aaron gave you a real smile, one that you could actually see. It was small, but it was genuine. “Thank you again. Goodnight, Y/N,” he told you and Jack echoed the sentiment, waving at you as they walked out the door. 

[hiccanna-tidbits]

5, 6, 7 & 8 for OTP asks with Hiccanna!!

HELL YEAH BRO

Soulmate AU: Who is eager to meet their soulmate? Who absolutely does not want to meet their soulmate?

Anna, hopeless romantic and “true love” fanatic that she is, is incredibly down to meet her soulmate. One of her biggest fears is being inherently unlovable and that no one will ever love her for who she is (parents dying and sister shunning you has to leave some abandonment issues babyyyy), so she takes a lot of comfort in the idea of a soulmate--at least one person is basically certain to love her, right?

Hiccup, meanwhile, is apathetic at best and annoyed by the idea of a higher power dictating who his girlfriend is at worst. Unlike Anna, he doesn’t really fear no one will ever really love him for who he is--rather, he just accepts it as fact. Growing up with no friends and an emotionally-distant father, Hiccup came to believe that he was never going to feel the kind of deep, boundless love he’d seen between other people--and he made his peace with it. Being a more introverted scientist and inventor-type, Hiccup tends to spend a lot of time alone anyways and believes (maybe not fully accurately) that he prefers it that way. Besides, the logician in him thinks the whole “magic cosmic soulmate” thing is probably bullshit, and he just can’t figure out how something like soulmates could ever be backed or supported by modern science. Ultimately, Hiccup figures he’s going to date who he’s going to date (if he can even find any girls who are interested, that is), and he really couldn’t care less what the stars have to say about it.

When Hiccup and Anna do finally meet, and eventually start dating (knowing how shy and awkward they’d both be about confessing, it would take months to years after them meeting to actually get together, even in a goddamn soulmate AU), it isn’t revealed that they’re soulmates right away. Maybe it’s revealed by their hearts glowing a certain color when they first realize they’re in love with the other person? Idk. 

When Anna finds out they’re soulmates, she’s absolutely stoked. Like the girl probably runs around their home for a solid 15 minutes planning a soulmate reveal party or something. Hiccup, meanwhile, is just kind of like “Oh! Neat!” and then immediately goes back to whatever he was doing XD

Anna is a bit hurt that Hiccup is so, ah...unconcerned about them being literally destined to be together. She’s mainly worried that it means that he doesn’t like...cherish their connection enough and whatnot. After he picks up on the fact that she’s kind of upset about his definitive lack of a strong reaction to the whole thing, he explains to her that he didn’t really care because he’d 100% date Anna whether or not she was his soulmate. Saying their souls were deeply connected was basically just putting a formal title on what he already knew.

And Anna has to take a minute, because honestly? Hiccup confidently saying he’d be with her in any reality, even one where he risks angering cosmic forces to do so, is actually much more romantic than them being supposedly “fated for each other” since the beginning.

Single parent AU: Which one is the single parent? (Alt. if they’re both single parents: Which one is open to starting a new relationship from the start? Which one is never planning on finding love again… Until they meet the other and are instantly smitten?)

I think I’ll have Zephyr and Nuffink be the single parent kids because I Just Think They’re Neat! That, and I honestly can’t bear to make lovechildren for Anna with anyone but Hiccup XD (those of you who know me will know making Krist/anna lovechildren in any context is RIGHT OUT).

So in this AU things didn’t work out with Astrid and Hiccup is pretty heartbroken over it :( I imagine she ultimately left him because she wasn’t really feeling the spark anymore, and they have joint custody of the kids. Meanwhile, Hiccup and Anna were neighbors growing up, and were pretty close friends as kids until Anna moved away and they lost touch. She eventually comes back to their hometown as an adult, and she and Hiccup reconnect. They’re also both like “ah shit, my old buddy got HOT” XD

I actually think Anna and Zephyr would really hit it off, mainly because Anna sees a lot of what she loves the most about Hiccup in Zephyr. Zephyr has Hiccup’s anxiety, cynicism, inventive streak, overall social awkwardness--and because Anna knows Hiccup so well and knows how to best accommodate all of his quirks and oddities, it’s not hard for her to extrapolate how best to befriend a younger version of him XD Zephyr, meanwhile, has had trouble befriending kids her age due to her bluntness and general “nerdiness,” so she’s always happy to find someone who accepts her unconditionally and takes a genuine interest in her wacky inventions--even if it’s her dad’s new girlfriend, who by all accounts should be a weird person for her to get close to XD Zephyr also devours science books like they’re going out of style, and is very pleased that Anna is more than happy to listen to her ramble on and on about random science trivia. Zeph still loves her biological mom, for sure, but she starts thinking of Anna as a second mom. She brags to all the kids at school that she has two moms, which leaves them very confused and wondering if Astrid ended up marrying another woman after she divorced Hiccup (which, to be fair, wouldn’t be entirely out of character).

Nuffink, meanwhile, is a little more unsure about the whole situation, if mainly because I headcanon him as a bit of a mama’s boy. He doesn’t dislike Anna so much as he’s just...wary of her, and doesn’t know how to feel about his dad falling in love with someone who isn’t his mom. He also can’t help but feel out-of-place when he, Zephyr, Hiccup, and Anna go out on “family outings” because he kind of looks like he doesn’t belong. With her reddish-brown hair, her blue eyes, her aundance of freckles, and her fondness for wearing twin braids, Zephyr could definitely pass as Anna’s daughter (I’ve even seen Anna used as an older version of Zephyr in video edits, which is hilariously ironic). Although Nuffink has his dad’s eyes, he very much has his biological mom’s hair and doesn’t look like he’s related to Anna at all.

I think what helps them finally bond is that they both have a love of combat! Nuffink definitely does some kind of martial arts or fencing training if he can access it, and Anna is more than happy to teach him some swordplay and spar with him if he wants! Because Sword Anna is best Anna, fight me. Nuffink is also open-minded enough that hey, if his cool big sister likes someone that much, she can’t be that bad. Hiccup is just...continually super impressed with how much Anna knows about fighting--and it makes him fall all the more in love with her, because he loves that in a woman XD Once Nuffink warms up to Anna, he’s constantly trying to impress her ith how tough he is--mostly shown by him ramming his head into walls. Poor Anna worries about Nuffink a lot XD

I imagine there’s a little bit of tension between Anna and Astrid in this AU. Not really because Astrid resents Hiccup moving on--she’s actually pretty happy for Hiccup that he found someone better suited for him than her--but more because she worries Anna is trying to replace her as the kids’ “true mom” XD Anna, meanwhile, can’t help but resent Astrid a little for breaking Hiccup’s heart and doesn’t get why they kids can’t just have two moms! The more people who love them, the better, right???

I don’t imagine Anna and Hiccup having any biological kids in this AU, because I think two stepkids would be plenty for Anna! Of course, since Zephyr and Nuffink are Hiccup’s, she loves them with all her being and tries to be the best stepmom she can be. But I think having more than two kids would stress Anna’s ADHD ass the fuck out, and she doesn’t strike me as the sort of person who would feel a need to have biological kids with Hiccup if she already had Nuffink and Zephyr to parent. Our girl is perfectly happy adopting!

Doctor AU: Which one is the longsuffering doctor? Which one is the patient?

Hiccup is the long-suffering doctor, although not entirely by choice. Often he wonders if being a doctor is actually what he wanted, but his dad was like “WELL SON! YOU’RE SMART, SO YOU GOTTA BE A DOCTOR SO YOU MAKE BIG BUCKS!” (I’m headcanoning in this AU Stoick is a professional athlete of some kind, and has made BANK since he was young. He can’t really conceive of his son NOT pursuing a well-paid profession). Hiccup doesn’t really want to disappoint his rather intimidating dad, so he goes along with it.

It’s not that he dislikes it, when all is said and done. He does care about people and wants to help them, although he hides it underneath about 10 layers of snark. Still, it’s stressful and thankless work, and often he worries about whether he took the right path. Too late to pursue something else now, he supposes.

Then he meets Anna, rushed to the ICU with a collection of third-degree electrical burns. She tried to plug all of her Christmas light strings into the same power strip, and uh...it did not go well. Hiccup is there monitoring her vitals when she wakes up, and she just kind of wearily sighs and admits to him that living on her own wasn’t nearly as fun or exciting as she thought it would be. As it turned out, Anna had insisted she could be trusted with putting up her apartment’s holiday decorations, and she very much should not have been.

Anna ends up having to stay a couple weeks. She needs a small skin graft (yeah, she fucked herself up THAT bad), and then needs a bit of time for the surgery wounds to heal. Hiccup is assigned to do checkups on her regularly, and starts to look forward to it. Her perky disposition (despite being stuck in the hospital with burn wounds) is contagious, and she never fails to make him laugh after a long, draining shift. As stressful as his job is, Anna becomes his one respite.

He has to admit, it’s nice to have at least one thing to look forward to.

Hiccup is a little sad to see Anna go. Of course, bumbling, socially awkward foot-in-mouth fool that he is, he doesn’t have the courage to ask for her number so they can keep in touch. That would, uh...probably be unprofessional or something. Besides, it would probably crush his heart and soul if she was weirded out by his soft spot for her so like...maybe best not to even open himself up to the possibility.

Then, not two weeks later, Anna shows up at the hospital again--this time having broken three bones in a hiking accident. Apparently she got too excited about a particularly nice view, and toppled right off the top of a very steep bluff. He, once again, takes on her care, and is delighted (albeit guiltily) to have her back. He, once again, has something to make work not suck as much!

Oddly enough, this turns out to be the first of many hiking accidents. Anna comes in next month claiming to have nearly burned her arm off in a rogue campfire, and then again the next month claiming to have been mauled by a bear (although Hiccup is pretty sure those bleeding gashes were just left by a very big dog, and Anna is too embarrassed to admit it). Odder still, Hiccup distinctly remembers talking to Anna during her first hospital stay about how much he loved hiking and the outdoors, and now all of her new string of injuries just happen to be hiking-related. He can’t help but be baffled about how her insurance even covers all of this, but apparently having a family lineage distantly related to Norwegian royalty has its perks.

On roughly her 7th hospital stay, Hiccup finally gathers up the courage to ask Anna for her number, if only because he figures it would be nice for them to see each other without Anna having to nearly get herself killed first every time XD

Bodyguard AU: Who is the bodyguard? Who are they protecting? Which one is secretly pining for the other?

OMIGOD SO

I HAD AN IDEA FOR THIS

What if Anna was sent to bodyguard Hiccup in an AU where Arendelle is a lot more militaristic???

Basically what I'm thinking is that this is in an alternate timeline, Hiccup didn't injure Toothless's tail when he shot him down. The beginning of HTTYD plays out the same, but Toothless can still fly and just yeets off after Hiccup frees him, supposedly never to be seen again. However, this still leads Hiccup to believe he may not be dragon-fighting material after all. The poor boy still yearns to find a way to prove his worth to Berk, though.

As Hiccup gets older, his strength doesn't really improve, and it becomes clear to Stoick that he's always going to be pretty scrawny. Because of this, he's hesitant to put Hiccup in dragon training for the sake of his son's own safety--and hey, Hiccup seems to have lost interest in dragon-fighting anyhow, so it's not like Hiccup will fight him on it. Nonetheless, the dragon raids are getting worse, and Stoick worries about Hiccup being able to protect himself at all. Knowing most of the older villagers are busy with dragon-fighting and other jobs, and honestly doubting any of the village's teenagers would protect Hiccup if push came to shove, Stoick sends out an appeal of sorts to neighboring villages and kingdoms requesting a bodyguard for his skinny disaster of a son.

Back in Arendelle, shut-in princess Anna is surprised yet intrigued when a messenger from the Viking village of Berk shows up at Elsa's coronation. In a timeline where Hans and Anna don’t have their chance encounter, Hans sets his wooing sights on the newly-crowned Queen Elsa (and fails), and no push ends up being strong enough to make Elsa lose control of her powers at the ceremony. Anna, however, still feels hurt by her sister’s seemingly reasonless rebuke earlier in the evening and finds herself aching to explore the world outside her castle and be close with someone--anyone--again.

When the Viking messenger requests a bodyguard for the Chief of Berk’s son, Anna is quick to volunteer. The messenger scoffs at first, but to his surprise, the soft-looking princess isn’t entirely unqualified. She filled many of her long, empty childhood hours training with the Arendelle guard, and her swordplay is admirable. To prove her worth, Anna faces off with one of the Berkian warriors in a duel--and holds her own shockingly well. While Queen Elsa is hesitant to let her sister run off to a faraway nation, Anna vehemently insists that Arendelle doesn’t need two monarchs, and this will be great for diplomatic relations in the long run. Of course, she also longs to explore and get away from the place she’s been trapped her entire life, but Elsa doesn’t need to know that part.

When Anna arrives in Arendelle, Hiccup has absolutely no idea what to make of his new bodyguard. On the one hand, a girl who’s good with a sword is hot, and he’s long since given up on Astrid anyways. On the other hand, Hiccup is definitely irked that his dad sees him as so weak and incapable that he’s the only Viking in the village who needs a full-on bodyguard, and he hates feeling like he’s being babied and coddled (not that this is Anna’s fault). Still, his bodyguard is essentially the only person who’s ever seemed to actually want to be friends with him in...well, his whole life, and honestly? He’ll take it.

Anna, meanwhile, still aching for love and connections of really any kind, is nigh-instantly smitten. His brains, his creativity, his constant snide jokes, his snark-coated good heart, his weird, messy hairdo--all of it has an 18-year-old Anna completely over the moon. Hiccup, feeling hopeless in the world of romance after being rejected by Astrid, is honestly just relieved to finally have a friend--to the point that it doesn’t even occur to him that Anna’s a girlfriend option.

Not long after she arrives in Berk, Anna is put into dragon training to prepare for raids. She does a bit of training of her own with Hiccup, teaching him some swordplay to try and boost his confidence. It’s not hard to tell that he has mixed feelings about having to have a protector, and Anna hopes that by teaching him some basic fighting skills he can at least feel a little better if he’s ever in a situation where she isn’t there to defend him.

As she gets deeper into her dragon training, Anna asks Hiccup why he never gave dragon training a go. Granted, him being as physically small as he is would be a disadvantage, but he could still learn to hold his own decently well using speed and stealth. It would help him be able to protect himself, if nothing else. Hiccup seems very reluctant to talk about the whole subject, but he says Anna needs to trust that he knows he can’t kill dragons. He tends to give the shortest answers possible to her questions, and nigh-instantly changes the subject. When Anna presses too much, he gets snippy.

As they get closer, Hiccup finally opens up to Anna about the time he shot down a Night Fury and couldn’t bring himself to make the final kill. He admits to cutting the creature free, and how the dragon nearly killed him--only to spare Hiccup just as Hiccup had spared him. “I saw more than just a ruthless killer when I looked into that dragon’s eye,” Hiccup tells her. “I saw myself. I think there’s so much more to them than anyone knows, but...you’re the only person I feel like would actually give me the benefit of the doubt on that.”

During the next raid, Anna pays closer attention to the dragons than before. She watches how they interact with the villagers, and notice that they never seem to go out of their way to go after people. They only fight Vikings when Vikings initiate, and the dragons’ main concern always seems to be taking sheep and fish. Left to their own devices, they don’t seem to want to hurt anyone.

Unfortunately, Anna standing off to the side and trying to watch what all the dragons are doing leaves her distracted--and vulnerable. She’s not prepared for a camouflaged changewing to melt out of the wall behind her, whipping around and backing her into a corner. Anna grabs for her sword but can hardly move, frozen in terror as the massive dragon stares her down.

She holds up an arm, bracing herself for a wall of fire, but none comes. There’s a swish of wings and a gust of wind blows her back. When she looks up, the dragon is gone.

It would’ve been beyond easy for the dragon to kill her. The creature clearly saw her--could have taken advantage in her moment of frozen stupor and burned her to a crisp. And yet...the dragon spared her. Just like the Night Fury had spared Hiccup.

Anna realizes Hiccup might be onto something.

Together, Hiccup and Anna decide they’re going to get to the bottom of what dragons are really like--and why they’re stealing the village’s food. While claiming to go out for “battle practice,” Hiccup and Anna track down dragons and study them in secret--observing them, writing about them, seeing how they behave and how they interact with one another. They’re surprised by what they see: left to their own devices, dragons are good-natured and compassionate, and they take care of their own. Strangely, they never seem to feed the stolen food to their young. Hiccup predicts they’re not actually keeping it for themselves, and taking it somewhere nigh unreachable for humans. For what actual purpose is anyone’s guess.

Anna starts using the info she gathers observing dragons with Hiccup in dragon-training. She finds ways to sooth them and calm them down in the ring by using things they seem to enjoy in the wild. Scented grass, bits of fish, soft touches, slow, gentle movements. The village marvels at her newfound skills, and can’t help but wonder where she developed such a knack for controlling dragons despite spending basically all her time around “Stoick’s little runt.” She couldn’t be training with him, of all people...could she? Astrid, for one, is definitely none too pleased about her spot at the top of the class being threatened.

Meanwhile, Anna and Hiccup can’t help but grow fond of the dragons they watch. They start becoming more bold, and leaving snacks of trout and mutton for the scaled creatures. Anna is delighted when the food ends up attracting none other than what she’s pretty sure is the same changewing who spared her, as well as a curious snaptrapper. She’s never gotten to see a snaptrapper up close before, and is completely undeterred by the triple-jawed four heads. Rather, she is far more preoccupied with coming up with the perfect name for each head.

“Omigod, he’s so PRETTY! And he smells like CHOCOLATE!”

“...you know they probably emit that scent to lure in prey so they can slice it in three, right?”

“CHOCOLATE, HICCUP!!!”

With each new meal, the local dragons grow more and more comfortable with Hiccup and Anna. After a while, the changewing and the snaptrapper even let Anna touch their noses. Anna falls in love with watching the changewing seem to melt around the forest as she camouflages, and rolling in the mud with the snaptrapper after a summer storm. Hiccup starts catching what seems to be glimpses of the Night Fury he freed, and it appears that the curious creature has come back to investigate him.

The Night Fury appears more and more, drawn in by Hiccup’s trout feast. Hiccup notices the dragon’s wing is injured, likely shot by someone from the village. Although he’s not completely helpless, he’s having trouble. Hiccup sets to work on his most daring project yet--making a “brace” of sorts that can mend the ripped wing.

When Hiccup and Anna attempt to distract the Night Fury long enough to climb up and put the wing brace on, something unexpected happens. The dragon shoots up to the sky, both unwitting passengers clinging onto his tail for dear life.

Once they get their bearings and clamber up to his back, the Night Fury (who Hiccup has nicknamed “Toothless” for his retractable teeth) takes them on a flight through the clouds. Unable to help herself, Anna laces her arms around Hiccup’s waist--if only so she can supposedly “hold on better.”

Hiccup, of course, still doesn’t get it.

The flight takes a sinister turn when Toothless takes them to the dragon nest, and Hiccup finally gets his answer about where all of the villages food has been going--to their queen. Unsure what to do or how to free their new friends from the Red Death, Hiccup and Anna promise each other one thing or sure--none of the rest of Berk can know about the dragon nest. If they attack it, it spells disaster for both dragons and Vikings--not to mention the question of how they got there is sure to dig up their secret dragon-related activities as of late.

With each dragon raid, Anna finds herself more and more reluctant to fight dragons--especially now that she knows what’s actually going on. She only does the bare minimum to protect the food and the village, never going out of her way to attack a dragon or landing a killing blow (although by this point, she’d definitely be skilled enough to). During one particularly intense raid, Anna is finding it harder and harder to fend dragons off without doing lethal damage. While driving out a particularly tenacious monstrous nightmare, Anna happens upon the same changewing she’s befriended in the forest, limping to safety.

It would be incredibly easy to finish the dragon off, but Anna refuses. The dragon knows she’s beat, and so Anna lets her leave without so much as a swing of the princess’s sword.

Unfortunately, Astrid sees.

After the raid, Astrid storms up to Anna and chews her out in front of the whole village, yelling about how weak she was to not go for a dragon kill when she had the chance. It turns out Astrid’s also been noticing Anna going intentionally easy on the dragons, and how much the Arendelle princess seems to hold back when fighting him. Astrid knows it’s not physical incompetence, or a lack of skill--she’s seen Anna subdue plenty of dragons in training.

No, it seems to be the princess’s heart that’s weak. Her kingdom must be nothing but a bunch of bleeding-hearted morons, and she’ll never be tough enough to really belong in Berk.

As he watches Astrid yell and the Berkians all turn to sneer at the scene, Hiccup feels a sudden rush of protectiveness for his friend. Tears are starting to form in the corners of her eyes, and something gives in him seeing her subjected to the very ostracization that left him completely alone for so many years.

He walks up beside Anna, and suddenly he’s shouting like he’s never quite had the courage to before.

“You’re wrong, Astrid! You’re all wrong!”

Before long, he’s spilling everything--how dragons are intelligent and caring creatures, how they’re only stealing food to feed a ruthless queen, how he’s sure humans have killed far more dragons than vice versa. The village stares, horrified. When Stoick storms forward, Hiccup and Anna know it’s nothing good.

Stoick is disgusted. The very bodyguard he had brought all the way out to Berk to give his son strength did nothing but fill Hiccup’s head with softness and dangerous lies. He banishes Anna, warning her never to set foot in Berk or speak to his son again.

Hiccup will not have it. He says if Anna’s leaving, he’s coming with her. He’s made his choice, and he’s standing by the only person who ever really treated him with unconditional love and kindness.

“Fine,” Stoick says simply. “We’ll be rid of two traitors, then.”

Cast out from Berk, Hiccup and Anna find themselves with a new mission: Find the nest before the rest of Berk does, and take out the Red Death once and for all.

With the help of Toothless, the Changewing (who Anna has nicknamed “Flicker”), and the Snaptrapper (whose heads Anna have very creatively named Leafy, Greeny, Spiky, and Badbreath. It’s beyond Hiccup how she tells all of them apart, but she’s very adamant about which is which.), they find the dragon hive again, and attempt the impossible--attacking the queen. It seems hopeless at first, but once more and more malcontented dragons see what they’re doing, they join in and rebel.

It’s a tough fight, but the two humans and the revolting dragons come out on top. Not before the Red Death has one last hurrah, though--letting out a final, massive blast of fire that knocks Hiccup askew and sends him tumbling down into the flames. Toothless, Flicker, Anna, and the Snaptrapper dive after, and are quickly engulfed in red and orange.

Meanwhile, the Berkians have sent out ships following Hiccup, Anna, and their dragons, guessing the nest is where they were headed. By the time they get there, the fight is over--and Stoick and Gobber just manage to catch a glimpse of Hiccup plummeting into the flames.

Anna screams Hiccup’s name until the smoke burns her throat so much she can’t anymore. She remembers swooping underneath him and just managing to grab hold of his limp body before everything goes dark.

When she comes to later, it’s still dark--but she feels something soft and warm in her arms, and feels scales pressed against her back. Her arm is searing with pain, but she barely notices it as her eyes adjust to the darkness. Hiccup is curled up against her--groaning, but alive.

Not sure she’ll ever get another chance, she puts a hand on his cheek and finally tells him the truth. “I love you.”

He opens his eyes and looks, gaze shocked until a slow realization washes over him. He smiles. “I love you, too.”

They both pass out, still wrapped up in each other.

When the flames clear, Stoick sees what looks like a pile of dragons, all pressed together with their wings folded in. Slowly, they lift their wings to reveal two humans--charred in places, but alive.

Wracked with guilt, Stoick realizes he was wrong. Hiccup’s new bodyguard helped his son become stronger and braver than the chief of Berk ever imagined.

It turns out taking down the queen saved the dragons and the humans, and thanks to Hiccup, Anna, and their dragon friends, Berk will never have to worry about dragon raids again.

It turns out Hiccup’s leg and Anna’s arm didn’t quite make it out of the fire. Luckily, Gobber has always been handy at prosthetics--and Hiccup manages to make a fairly dextrous and functional metal hand for Anna. Anna is utterly delighted with how cool it looks.

After the whole Red Death incident, it’s decided that Hiccup is probably competent enough that he doesn’t need his own bodyguard anymore. Nonetheless, Anna is welcome to stay in Berk as long as she likes. And with new dragon friends and an incredibly cute new boyfriend, she’s not going anywhere anytime soon!

***

This is in reference to this post! I’ve already done these questions for Moanida. Theoretically still willing to do any questions I haven’t yet for Hiccanna and Moanida, although these were exhausting to write out so I might not give as long of answers XD

[littlemspeachy]

This Conversation is Getting Older and Older

Part Two of You Keep Me Waiting 

Warnings: Cursing, Mentions of Murder, A character is racist 

Word Count: 3.8K (Yup y’all are getting more to read)

Draco stares at where Hermione was once stood and sighed before muttering a repairing spell that fixes the broken picture frame, then came organizing his notes for Yazmeen while he was out.

"Hey, Draco, it's Yazmeen. I came for your notes on the death eater case," Yazmeen announced, peeking into his office.

Draco shot the younger girl a smile. "Yeah, I was getting them cleaned up for you. I know how much you hate having to work with illegible writing."

She laughs and shakes her head. "It's fine, you're fine. It's other people on this floor I have to worry about. But um.."

Draco looks up at her, an eyebrow raised.

"Nevermind, I'll talk to you when you get back."

Draco nods and hands over his revised notes. "Take good care of them. They're the only kind."

"I'm pretty sure that I can read your actual notes. But thank you anyway."

Draco smiles at her and watches her leave before grabbing his things and following after her.

"You know, for such a smart wizard, I came in here easily." She says coldly.

Draco pauses in his living room, unsure how to start the conversation.

"Daphne, I made it sure you could come in."

"You need to sign them," Daphne says, pulling a pen from her purse and setting it down on the divorce papers laid out before her.

"Not before my father dies," He responded, voice tight.

"I don't really care about your feelings about your father, and he's practically a shell of a human anyway. Why do you think he's back at the manor?" She shot back, staring pointedly at Draco.

Draco stays quiet because she's right: His father doesn't do anything but look outside to the garden, and he isn't improving his mother's health either in fact, she's gotten worse because of his father being back/ He was thinking of killing him, but after working in law enforcement he wasn't sure how that was going to work.

"Just sign the papers. This isn't for you; it's for me, so get over yourself." Her voice annoyed at how long this situation was taking her.

He sighs because she was right: He was being selfish. Making them stay married even though they haven't been in the same room for longer than 10 minutes in the past 8 years unless it was an event that was centered around his mother. So he walks over to sign the papers.

"Your mother misses you, you know, and she wants an explanation."

Draco pauses the signing of his last mane to look at the woman in front of him before he goes back to signing his last name.

"I don't know why you continue to visit her."

"Because at least one of us to maintain the image of a proper person. We all can't go running around like children on the playground."

Draco rolls his eyes equally as annoyed at his now ex-wife. "Listen, here're the documents, just send me an owl with a court date, and I'll make sure to be there."

Daphne just sighed and slipped the papers into her purse, and leaves through the front door. "You need to talk to her. Also, I poured out the tea. It was getting old.

Draco simply stares at her leaving, leaving his house and his life.

Maybe it was better this way.

He steps out of Hermione's fireplace and into a living room. A room that he knew way too well for simply being fuckbuddies with her roommate.

"I thought you had better wards up 'mione." A familiar voice commented from the other room.

"I did. It was Yazmeen who let him in." Hermione said, watching Draco step out of her fireplace. Fred followed her gaze and watched as Draco got reacquainted with the apartment. Draco noticing their gaze on him.

"Are you two just going to stare at me? If so, I could've met you at the train station," Draco commented, annoyed.

Fred laughs. "Some people never change. I'll see you when you get back," Fred said, smiling at the brown-skinned woman. He pauses at the door. "Keep her safe, Malfoy."

That, for some reason, catches him off guard, but he manages to get out a quick, yeah.

Hermione watched Fred leave before turning back to the blond-haired man who has moved out of her living room.

"You ready to go? I need to call a cab." Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Don't know about you, though... Seemed a bit preoccupied." He shrugs, back turned away, looking at some artwork on the wall.

Hermione doesn't validate the statement and instead goes to call a cab. "One is in the area, and it'll be here in about 3 minutes."

Draco doesn't respond, so they exist in silence before Hermione asks, "You've been here plenty of times.. You don't stay over like you used to?"

Draco turns quickly to face the curly-haired woman. "Yeah, unlike like some of us, we have work to do."

"Now, what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It's obvious half your stuff isn't here, and with Fred being over, I'm going to assume it's at his place?"

All Hermione does is glare before going to look outside to her window. She notices the yellow cab outside, and instead of telling him of the new development, she simply grabs her bag and leaves but unfortunately for her, Draco is a smart man, and he quickly follows after her.

The ride to the train station is filled with tension and silence. Draco likes to think that he wondered if he overstepped a boundary, but then he remembered that he could care less about how he picked at her sex life. If she wanted to do that to him, he could do the same to her. But due to that pettiness, nobody spoke until they were on the train and even then, there wasn't much talking done.

"How are you?"

Hermione glares at him from her seat before rolling her eyes, annoyed at the question "You left me Draco,"

"You left me too; this wasn't a one-person thing,"

"So when were you going to tell me you were married?"

"I wasn't then, and I'm not now."

"Tell that to the gossip magazines."

"Tell that to the gossip magazines that wrote back to back articles about you and Krum? Since when did you listen to them? Also, when did you start caring for me outside of the bedroom?"

"I don't know but stop asking like you weren't the one knocking on my door at first."

The silence informs them both that neither of them have been good. Not that they were ever good, especially not back in college. Running to each other to find something familiar only to go back to hating each other the next day. That's what made the sex good, they both think. Too much passion made anything feel good during the moment, but it's in the morning that you have to wonder whether it was really worth it.

"So are you with him now? You hop from one ginger dick to another?

"Oh, I didn't know you were ginger, and it seems like we're both following patterns."

That one shuts him up because he realizes that he hasn't changed and only moved on to her intern, whose skin looks like the woman's sitting in front of them when the sun hits it just right.

"Also, I don't mind you having sex with Yazmeen, but having sex with every black woman in our office is.... A bit suspicious."

Draco doesn't know how to respond to the claim, so he simply changes the topic "Are you going to Harry's wedding?"

Hermione's eyes snap from the blond man to the window across from him. "Of course, I'm the maid of honor."

Draco isn't really surprised by the admission, "What an Honor. But you know it's surprising that she gave birth before being married."

"Not really.. Might have been going at it for a while, but unlike you, he can stay committed."

"What are you so mad at me for?"

"I don't know?  How about we start with the fact that you left Daphne right after getting married, only to start sleeping with me 3 months later. And then lying to her about it. She thought you loved her; I mean, sure, we all knew it wasn't going to last. But she wanted to at least make it work. But there we were fucking in the backseat while she was in the store."

"Listen, it takes two, don't pretend like you're innocent." He shot back-way too quickly for a man who wanted to seem unaffected from the claims.

"That would be a good claim, but there you were in my bed way past time for you to go, talking to me about the future and how uncertain you were and all that other bullcrap only for you to be in a dedicated marriage. It'd be a bit different if you both didn't give a damn."

Draco sat in silence because she was right. Always right.. Never wrong. Never wrong in the classes they were and certainly never wrong about the life they lived

"Well, we're getting a Divorce... to legalize the situation."

Hermione glares at him. "So that's what makes this better? A divorce after what? 5 years?"

Draco wants to say yes, but after knowing the woman sitting next to him for the past 18 years, he knows a warning sign he sees one, so he drops the subject.

They both know that they'll need to talk about this again, and they didn't need to read tea leaves for that. But just like tea, it can only steep for so long before becoming bitter, or maybe they were past that stage, and it just needed to be poured out.

The train comes to their stop, and they go to a cab that was already waiting for them; they both think that even though Sanchez is annoying and strict, he still knows how to be hospitable if hospitable meant a very homely looking hotel.

"Is this it? The place we're supposed to be staying?" Draco asked, voice full of disgust.

"Yea, this was the address given to me by Sanchez."

Hermione and Draco stared at the small white and brown homely inn that looked like its been around since the dark ages.

"Let's go. It's only a night." Hermione whispered, giving a nudge to Draco.

They climb out of the car and were preparing to go in before the driver rolled down the window. "I'm going to be here by 6 tomorrow evening to take you back to the train station and if need to floor just tell the lady at the desk and she'll help you. Good Luck."

They nod before walking in and realizing that the inside looks exactly like the outside. Homely and cold-one of the great perks of being in a city next to the water.

"Check-in for Sanchez," Hermione said, smiling at the hostess.

Draco stayed in the back and looked around, hoping to see something that would indicate the age of this inn, but unfortunately, nothing stood out but a pattern in one of the supporting beams.

"Hey, got the key," Hermione says, jingling the key in his face before walking down the hallway where the supposed hotel room was.

"15, 25, 35, and 45 is the lucky number."

"Why are the doors numbered like that?"

"I don't know you're the pureblood you tell me,"

Draco rolls her eyes at her response. "Why the hell would I know that?"

"The wizarding world is a weird place, and rich kids are supposed to be cultured," Hermione joked before seeing their bedding situation. "Of fucking course, how brilliant."

Draco was confused by her sudden change of tone until he saw what she was talking about: One bed.

One medium-sized bed in a room that was freezing cold.

As Draco starts to say something, Hermione cuts him off. "Listen, we can talk about this later," Hermione sighs before setting down her bag. "I'll go down and call us a cab to the station."

Draco watches her walk away with only her purse, confused as to why she never lets him talk. But he dismissed the thought when he casted a quick charm to keep their bags safe.

They get to the station and head over to sign in at the front desk "Officer Granger and Officer Malfoy is here to talk to... Your head officer, officer Pearce I believe, is the name, about the recent killings." Hermione says confidently while leaning slightly on the wooden desk.

"Why does he look so confused?" an officer asks while coming up behind the secretary that was checking her computer for confirmation.

"Listen, he doesn't do fieldwork; he does office stuff. This is his first time. Give him a break," Hermione confides, laughing slightly at the Blond man's facial expression.

The officer laughs and checks the computer that shows the confirmation. "Alright, let me check your IDs, and I'll get you guys back there." Draco and Hermione gave their IDs to the officer, and he nods that suggests they follow him to the back.

"Have you seen any pictures of the body? or any of the bodies?" Draco asks. He hasn't seen a dead body since the war, and even though it's been 10 years, the sight of them still can keep him up for days. He wonders how Harry moved on. He thinks he should ask him.

"No, we were only asked to get the statement from the old lady, and even then, it's a bit spotty."

"Well, can you fax a copy to our office so that we have a hard version in London? We're not going to take long." Hermione says, her voice more determined than usual.

"Yeah, I can do that for you. Alright, here's his office, by the way, he doesn't like this kind of stuff, so... You gotta be smart." The officer they were following says before knocking on a door that had the name of Anthony Pearce.

"Come in." A baritone voice commands from behind the door.

"Alright, good luck."

Hermione and Draco give the optimistic officer a nod before heading into the office.

"Hello Officer Pearce, we are investigators sent from London to talk to you about the report that was given to you after a recent murder against a young woman," Draco says, looking around the office before landing on the officer's face.

Hermione thinks that the officer looks like one of the men from Mama Mia.

"So when did they start sending in young ones with fancy outfits to deal with murder cases?" He inquired before lighting a cigarette.

"We aren't dealing with the murder it's self we're just trying to find out about the... uh.. designs being left on the bodies of the victims. I'm officer Malfoy, and this is my partner Granger." Draco shoots back at the man. He knew they were young for their field; there was no denying that, but they were good at their jobs, and there will be no one that questions that, muggle or not.

Officer Pearce raises a brow before tapping his cigarette into the ashtray. "Is that so? If you're only dealing with the designs, why do you want the lady's statements?"

"We want her statements because she was the last one to talk to the lady that was most recently killed, and she could possibly tell us some information that could help us understand what's going on," Draco responds with a slight huff.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Dracos body language 'how immature. You don't hold any power out here, pretty boy.'

"If that's the case, I could've just sent the report to your office. Why come all the way here for something we could've faxed you?" The older man responds, a demeaning edge to his voice.

"Because we're going to interview the woman tomorrow, and since we were in the city, we decided to question you directly. But if you don't want to comply, I can and will have you arrested for obstruction of justice." Hermione responds, a clear tone of annoyance in her voice.

Pearce stares at Hermione and then looks at Draco. "You should keep her around; she gets stuff done. And I'll get you the interview report, and I can't tell you anything because I didn't conduct it and what was said was nothing out of the usual... But I have received some pictures of the, uh, drawings." He says before going through a drawer and bringing out a manila folder.

"Can we look at them?" Hermione asked softly.

"I can make you a copy," He says, putting out his cigarette before heading over to the printer. "Now, why'd you come here? These murders have been happening for a while."

"It's because our office thought these were stand-alone cases. It's London.. And unfortunately, people get killed all the time." Hermione says slowly, making her seem sadder than she actually was.

"Understandable, but Liverpool does have its crime.. Luckily we're not in the city, so it's a bit easier for us." Pearce says before handing Draco the first page.

"If you don't mind me asking... Why were you so resistant to us knowing the information?" Draco asked, passing the page to Hermione.

"Because whoever is doing this is getting off scot-free. And they're sick cunts too. Imagine, instead of just killing the bloke, you carve patterns into their skin. I tell ya it's some of them, refugees."  Pearce says, handing them the next two copied pages.

Hermione looks up from the pictures. "Sir, this is obviously not Arabic. And it's interesting that a cop that is supposed to serve his community has those kinds of feelings for the people he's supposed to be protecting."

"Nah, none of them live around here, and a good thing too. Don't want them to be committing crimes and stuff." Pearce says, walking back to his desk and lighting another cigarette.

Draco noticed the fist tightly wrapped around the paper before speaking up. "Thank you for your time here, sir... If we hear anything thing new, we'll make sure to let you know."

Pearce simply nods before going off into his own world as they left.

"What a fucking bigot." Hermione angrily whispered. Draco stayed silent shocked at the bluntness of the officers' rudeness, but then he realized that his father was the same towards muggles.

They walked to the front and thanked the secretary, and then went to an empty-looking coffee shop across the street.

"My father was like that, wasn't he?" Draco asks while they were sitting down in their chosen seats.

Hermione looks up from the small menu provided at their table. "You think?"

Draco drops the subject before reaching over and grabbing the files.

"How may I help yous?" A bubbly waitress asked Hermione, almost completely ignoring Draco.

"I would like a cup of coffee, straight please." Hermione says with a smile that makes the younger girl blush.

"And I would like a cup of earl grey and some of the strongest stuff you have." Draco says dryly.

The waitress doesn't respond but jots the items down. "That'll be right out."

Draco watches the waitress retreat to behind the bar. "What the hell was that about?"

"Aww, are you mad that you didn't get attention?" Hermione teasingly giggled while picking up her well used legal pad.

Draco didn't respond.

"Hey, Malfoy, do you work with still work with ruins, or are your college years being wasted on artifacts?" Hermione asks, laying out the pictures in front of her.

"Mainly artifacts and studying the charms people put on them," He responds before the waitress came over.

"Here is your drink and alcohol, and your drink, ma'am, is still being made." The waitress says in a light, bubbly tone.

Hermione nods in recognition, but her brows stay furrowed in concentration.

The waitress leaves before Draco speaks up again, clear liquid in hand.

"Don't drink that right now," Hermione says, quickly looking up and snatching the glass of clear liquid. She sniffs if before confirming. "It's moonshine.. That's some powerful stuff, and if you want to coherent while researching, then I suggest you leave that for later." Hermione informs before pulling out an empty flask.

Draco looks at her curiously before pouring the clear liquid into the flask.

"Look, they didn't die graphically. There's no blood if that what you're worried about." Hermione says, looking up at the blond across from her.

"No..That's- I just.. If something big happens when we're on this case, we're going to become much more than researchers, and I just- I left the field for a reason, and I really don't care to be put back in. I was perfectly fine at my desk and perfectly capable of what I was doing."

Hermione looks at him deeply at him before looking back down at the ruins. "That's wonderful to know, and I understand I really do, but we've been working under Sanchez since our internships. And I know that he's smart enough not to let his head researchers go into the field blindly just to get killed. He knows we can handle ourselves out here. Meaning you gotta start trusting yourself. Plus, after this, we'll probably get a nice vacation offering once we're done, so suck it up and let's figure this out before more people die."

Draco sips on his tea, considering the words of the intelligent woman in front of him.

"Here's your coffee, ma'am... Buy the way it's on the house." The waitress interrupts, setting down the requested coffee.

Draco rolls his eyes at the "sincere" action before grabbing his wallet and handing the young woman 100 pounds. "Keep the change."

Hermione gawks at the exchange but doesn't voice her comment until the woman goes away.

"Do you know how much money that is?"

Draco sends her a confused look before replacing his wallet with his glasses. "All right, what are we looking at."

"Well, firstly, you're starting to look like Harry for one. I get you both are basically office mates but geez. And secondly, I think it's Egyptian. Like something found in tombs, but then there's more stuff that I can't really think of... Maybe Mayans?"

Draco grabs a pictured and stares before shaking his head. "Possibly, but there seems to be a mix of several curses among the charms. Those are most certainly from Egypt, and that's probably how the doctors died," He says before grabbing another picture. "Yeah, because they look like hieroglyphics, and so they decoded them and then cursed themselves. But how he got them on the body is what's' really confusing."

Hermione nods before asking, "Don't you have tea with you?"

"Yeah, but I know it's cold, and so I got a new cup."

A new cup indeed.

[violetwolfraven]

If you’re still taking requests maybe 1+4 for Sprace?

Canon-era in general

And

Soulmate AU

I am always taking requests, my dude. Anyway here we go! This is mostly in the musicalverse but if I reference a few movieverse characters as older Newsies during Race’s childhood...😏 Also there are a couple of ocs in here, and it gets a bit angsty towards the end. Enjoy!

Tw: Underage drinking, a couple of side characters are mentioned to have died, and homophobia is kind of implied, I guess?

...

Race had grown up knowing that he liked boys, and that didn’t really match up with what people said love was supposed to be, but that was just how Race was.

And it wasn’t like it was hurting anyone, was it? Being only a little kid, Race was too young to actually do anything, and if he sometimes paid attention to the way a friend looked really cute when he’d just woken up, it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like he had to or even could act on those little crushes.

It was like Manhattan’s leader, Waffles, said. He called it ‘puppy love’ when Jack snuck glances at a girl his age on the street or Crutchie shyly gave one a flower when he handed her mother a pape. Nobody actually acted on these things.

Little baby crushes when you were a kid meant nothing, and that meant that Race would outgrow this and start liking girls in time to meet his soulmate, right? Because soulmates meant a boy with a girl, and nothing else, right?

At least, that was what he thought, until he and Jack walked into an alley when Race was 8 and Jack was 10 and found a couple of older boys kissing—which Race was pretty sure you were only supposed to do with someone you loved.

Snitch and Itey jumped apart, staring at the younger boys in shock. Then they each grabbed one and dragged them into the Lodging House bathroom to tell them that Race and Jack could not tell anyone.

Race was too scared to speak (Snitch and Itey were significantly bigger than him) but Jack stepped in front of him and demanded to know why.

That was when Itey sighed, said that maybe it would be better if Waffles explained this, and gone to get their leader.

Race hadn’t really believed it at first when Waffles sat them down and carefully explained that Itey and Snitch were soulmates.

“That ain’t possible,” Jack argued, “They’s both boys.”

“Yeah,” Waffles said, “And maybe it’s a cruel trick of fate or a mistake or whatever the church thinks, but here with the Manhattan Newsies? We don’t care. Okay? We’s a family. We don’t turn on Itey and Snitch for somethin’ they can’t control.”

“Why would we turn on them?” Race asked, confused. That was what this was; confusing.

Waffles sighed, “Look, among family, it’s okay. We don’t care who your soulmate is. But the rest of the world does, okay? Adults don’t know nothin’. They think boys lovin’ boys and girls lovin’ girls is wrong.”

“Would Itey and Snitch get hurt if adults found out?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, kiddo, they would. And that’s why you can’t tell no one, okay, boys? Nobody outside the house finds out and no new kids either ‘till we know we can trust ‘em. Okay?”

“Okay,” they both said, and though, like most people, Itey and Snitch kept their soulmarks covered, as it was something intensely personal and none of anybody’s business, from there, Race started realizing that he should have seen something between them a long time ago.

It was fairly obvious, in how they shared a bed, snuck off occasionally, and sometimes let touches of reassurance or affection linger a bit longer than they probably should.

Race started noticing how the other older kids covered for them. How Skittery would knock something over, allowing them to slip out together under the excuse of not wanting to help him clean it up. How Boots would make a joke to draw attention to himself if they started getting too obvious. How Waffles would take on any new kid thinking of selling with them, himself, so they had an excuse to keep being just the two of them.

It was... nice, in a mushy kind of way that they had that support. And Race didn’t really think seriously about kissing his crushes yet, but he did wonder if he would have that if he did.

Race’s soulmark—the first name of his soulmate that appeared on his wrist on his 10th birthday—was Sean.

It was a boy’s name. That scared Race a little.

But every time he saw the older Manhattan kids go out of their way to make sure nobody noticed Itey and Snitch, he got a little less scared, but still a bit confused

He stopped being scared, at least mostly, when Jack came to him, nervously confessing that he liked girls and boys, and his soulmark said a boy’s name; David. There was something less scary about being different when you didn’t have to be alone in it.

Of course, among the Newsies, finding your soulmate was always a little complicated, because damn near everybody had nicknames. Honestly, Race‘s soulmate could be almost any of his friends for all he knew, but he liked to think he didn’t. He liked to think he’d know immediately if he found him.

Race was 10 when he started selling at Sheepshead, having a deal with a Brooklyn girl, Palomino. She got to use his cuteness for easy sales, and in return, she taught him to weaponize just the right combination of friendliness, flirtation, and annoyance to get people do to pretty much whatever he wanted.

Race asked her when he was 11 what she thought about soulmates, particularly same-sex soulmates. He wanted her opinion because while Palomino was kind of an asshole, there was one thing she was really good at, and that was survival.

And Race wasn’t sure what he thought about the fact that his soulmate was a boy yet, but he knew that just living as someone like that, you had to be careful to survive.

‘Mino just shrugged, “Love is unreliable, Racer. It never does what you want it to and more often than not, it’s a liability. Soulmates ain’t an exception just cause they’s supposed to be together.”

“What about boys lovin’ other boys and girls lovin’ other girls?”

“The fuck did I just say? Love’s a liability. Feelin’s get ya hurt—even more so if those feelin’s is illegal.”

Race struggled to get what he was really asking across, “But if it’s illegal... does that make it wrong?”

‘Mino’s face softened infinitesimally. No one who didn’t know her would even recognize it as softening.

“What did I teach ya, kid? Long as ya don’t get caught, nothin’s illegal. Whether ya love girls or boys or both ain’t my business—it’s still stupid. Now, come on. If we place our bets right, we can both go home with some extra dough.”

Yeah... Race never mastered the whole ‘winning bet-placing’ thing. He never accepted Palomino’s offers to teach him to pickpocket, either, though there were winters where he wished he did.

And he never believed her when she said love was stupid. Because Palomino might have a cynical, angry outlook on life, but Race didn’t. Whenever he asked Waffles or Jack or any of the kids back home in Manhattan, they always said love and soulmates were good things.

Of course, it wasn’t like her opinion mattered anymore. After that winter when Race was 11, he never saw his old mentor again.

Sure, Race didn’t know anything about love besides the platonic bond he had with friends, but he still believed in it with how he saw pairs of his friends fall into it more and more as he got older. Love and soulmates made people happy. That much, he could tell.

Race was 16, Jack was Manhattan’s leader, and he’d been selling at Sheepshead for years when he learned that it wasn’t always that simple.

He and his friend Spot were a little drunk, probably, because Spot had gotten hurt in a fight and hadn’t wanted to drink his cheap booze to dull the pain alone.

Race had met him when he was 12 and Spot was 13, not long after Spot became King of Brooklyn. In the last 4 years, they’d become close friends. He was Race’s best friend, to be honest, besides maybe Albert. Of course, Jack and Crutchie didn’t count because they were more Race’s brothers.

And if Spot was like, really attractive, that didn’t matter. He wasn’t interested in Race. Race didn’t even know if he was interested in boys, period. It was just never something they talked about.

Spot didn’t seem like a Sean, anyway.

“Hey, Spot, buddy, do you ever think about... like... soulmates?” Race asked, trying not to slur his words.

Spot laughed kinda tiredly, “Sometimes. Why?”

“Just ‘cause...” Race tried to think despite his mind being fuzzy, “What do ya think about ‘em?”

Spot just shrugged, “Love’s a liability. Soulmates ain’t an exception.”

“Ooh, I see you’s usin’ Palomino’s philosophy.”

They both laughed.

Was it just the booze making Race slow, or were Spot’s eyes lingering on his lips as he put his cigar in his mouth?

“Oh, Palomino,” he muttered, “That bitch. I ain’t thought about her in a while.”

“That ain’t nice—she’s dead, Spottie.”

“Yeah, which means she ain’t here to care what I say ‘bout her.”

Race’s laugh sounded drunk even to him, “She tried to teach me to pickpocket.”

“She did teach me to pickpocket.”

“Spot, you son of a bitch, you actually let her teach ya to steal?”

“She taught all the younger Brooklyn kids when I was little. She was older and smarter than me, so’s I kinda did whatever she told me. I don’t steal nowadays though, if I can help it. Ain’t worth the trouble with the bulls.”

“She was pretty smart,” Race admitted, “I dunno if she was right ‘bout soulmates, though.”

Spot looked away from Race’s face, taking another swig of alcohol, “She was.”

Race took another sip of his own drink, a bit disappointed, for some reason, “How do ya know?”

“Because Waffles was hers and they both knew it and it just hurt ‘em both.”

“Oh,” Race looked at the floor, “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah,” Spot laughed, “One pair of Newsies actually landed right side up and it was the one where both of ‘em died.”

“That ain’t funny, Spot.”

Race hadn’t thought about ‘Mino in a while, either. Honestly, he hadn’t even thought about Waffles, and that made him sad because they both deserved to be remembered and—

“Hey, hey, Racer, it’s okay. Don’t cry. That was stupid of me.”

Race remembered to hug Spot gently as his friend embraced him. They were drinking for a reason, so Race avoided touching Spot’s ribs. Instead, he wrapped his arms around his neck.

Spot didn’t hug often, but when he did, it felt special. It felt warm and safe, like home.

“I’m sorry, Race, I just... they actually wound up as a girl and a boy and they wasn’t together, but they should’ve been and... I’m sorry. Don’t cry.”

“I ain’t gonna cry.”

Spot pulled away enough to look him in the eye to make sure he wasn’t lying.

Race couldn’t say he was sorry that Spot kept holding onto him. Their faces were very close together.

“Do ya really think love is stupid, Spottie?”

Spot shrugged, “Everyone I know what’s in it gets hurt. I mean... you’s seen what it does to Cowboy and Mouth, right? Knowin’ all it would take is one bad person findin’ out ‘bout them.”

“But they makes each other happy,” Race pointed out, “Ain’t that what’s really important?”

“I dunno, just seems easier not to have to worry ‘bout it. Soulmates is just another person who can hurt you or be used against you, and besides— just cause the universe says you’s supposed to be in love don’t mean ya have to. I sure don’t give a damn about whoever mine is.”

Race smiled, tapping the piece of cloth Spot used to cover his soulmark, “What’s the harm in your best friend knowin’, then?”

“Why?” Spot teased, “Hopin’ it’s you?”

“I’m fairly certain it ain’t,” Race said, “We’s known each other for years. If we was soulmates, we’d’ve found out by now. Still, ya never have shown me your mark.”

“You haven’t shown me yours, either.”

“Fair.”

Race thought about it for a second.

“What if we showed ‘em at the same time? I mean, ain’t no harm in it, right? Only one of my close friend’s Marks I ain’t seen is yours.”

“Yeah,” Spot muttered, “Same for me, I guess. Showin’ ‘em at the same time sounds fair.”

“Course it is,” Race let go of him, still staying sitting pretty close, and untied the strip of cloth from his own wrist, “Ready?”

Spot untied his, “Set.”

“Go.”

They showed their soulmarks at the same time. By the time of day, it was almost too dark for Race to read the text on his friend’s wrist.

Almost.

Anthony.

“Shit,” Race mumbled under his breath, “Oh my God.”

Spot was still silent, just staring in shock at the name on Race’s wrist.

Any chance of it being a different Anthony was gone, now, by the look on his face.

“Spot...”

Spot finally looked him in the eye, and Race could see pain there, but also some kind of... relief.

Race knew exactly how he felt. He’d somehow... well, he hadn’t expected it, but it wasn’t surprising, either.

He was glad it was Spot. He was glad it was someone he already knew. Someone he already... already loved.

Race dared to lean a little closer, knowing Spot would read his intentions and pull away if he wanted to.

He didn’t pull away, though his deep breath was shaky.

Their faces were close enough that Race could smell what they’d been drinking on Spot’s breath.

He didn’t see any signs of him not wanting it, so Race leaned forward enough to kiss Spot as softly as he knew how.

For a second, he thought maybe Spot was kissing him back, and then hands were on his shoulders, gently pushing him away.

When Race opened his eyes, his soulmate had an extremely pained look on his face, and he was already grabbing his strip of cloth to cover his wrist again.

“I’m—“

“Don’t be sorry, Race,” he said quietly, “Just... go. You’s gonna have to run for it or you’ll miss the last carriage to hitch a ride home.”

A small part of Race was hurt and angry and wanted to argue that, no, they needed to talk about this and they needed to talk about it now.

But Spot looked agonized enough as it was, and the larger part of Race didn’t want to cause him any more pain.

He stood up and walked all the way back home.

[danyka-fendyr]

Absence of Good

Chapter 1: Masquerade

Okay so I’ve been talking about starting a Spencer Reid fic for 8 million years and now I’m finally going to do it. So anyway...ya’ll better reblog this and leave nice comments if you want the second part that I will write regardless of whether anyone validates me or not because this is half for myself. Don’t judge you know you’re in the same boat. Anyway, enjoy. Or don’t I can’t make you love me.

Permanent Taglist: @rhabakoli @dreamwritesimagines

Warnings: Extremely graphic gore, descriptions of murder, disturbing themes

Wordcount: 3234

“When people see some things as beautiful, other things become ugly. When people see some things as good, other things become bad.”

-Lao Tzu

The most intimidating part of a job was always the first day. You didn’t know anybody, you didn’t really know what you were doing, and you were still a little bit convinced that your boss was judging your every move and kind of hated you. The fact that Aaron Hotchner had not once smiled during your interview did nothing to assuage that fear.

However, here you were, in the elevator at Quantico, with a tray full of coffee, balancing a million creamers and even more sugar, because you weren’t sure what everyone liked but you were trying to win them all over with bribery anyway. A lovely day, truly.

You had wanted this job in the BAU for years. You were morbidly interested in serial killers ever since you were young, and fascinated with catching them. To most people it was...offputting, to say the least. People don’t really warm up to the girl who thinks that announcing how many people Gary Ridgeway killed is a good ice breaker. 49 confirmed, 71 claimed, by the way.

So naturally, you figured you should go somewhere your talents would be better appreciated. Unfortunately, every half-wit piece of muscle in the FBI wanted to be in the BAU, so it had taken you several years to get to where you were today. Frankly, you thought you should have been here much sooner, but it was a rigorous process, and so you had to wait until you were well into your 20′s. But hey, not like you were getting any younger over here, right? 

Okay, so you were bitter. What else is new?

Your first few seconds in the bullpen were utterly terrifying for the simple fact that nobody noticed you were there. This was not...how do you say...uncommon, for you. However, it was exceptionally awkward. Did you speak up? Did you just wait until someone noticed you trying to juggle too many coffees and so much sugar you could fill a bathtub with it because that’s how you liked your coffee? Fortunately, you didn’t have to decide.

“Agent Y/L/N,” SSA Hotchner said. “I see you brought coffee.”

That was almost a smile. You knew the coffee was a good idea.

“Oh, uh...yeah. I figured, first day, right? First impressions and everything.” You started unloading your coffee when Hotchner gestured you towards a vacant desk waiting for you. “I hope nobody minds the ridiculous amount of sugar. I just didn’t know how you guys take your coffee, and I like my sugar with a side of coffee you know, so...”

You stood back, swaying awkwardly on your stilettos a little bit and trying not to let your body language cave in on itself like you wanted to. To help with your anxiety, you noticed upon turning around that everyone had swiftly crowded around you. Awkward.

“Ha, you sound like our boy genius. He puts so much sugar in his coffee it’s barely recognizable anymore.” A tall, incredibly fit black man chuckled. “I’m Morgan, by the way, but my friends call me chocolate thunder.” 

He winked. Uh...okay. Somebody swooped in to save you from that though.

“Ignore him. I’m Jennifer but everyone just calls me JJ and the coffee was a lovely gesture.” The stunning blonde leaned forward to shake your hand, but not before cutting Morgan a glare.

“Emily Prentiss.” The dark-haired, serious-looking woman gave you a smile as she shook your hand.

“SSA Rossi, pleased to meet you.” The older Italian man gave you a little smile as he shook your hand.

The truth was you already knew a little about all of them, having read through their personnel files before starting this job. Which meant you were prepared when Dr. Spencer Reid began his introduction.

“Hi, I’m-”

Before he could finish his sentence, you were already pulling hand sanitizer out of your purse and applying some of it, stopping him dead in his tracks with confusion.

“Dr. Spencer Reid. Your reputation precedes you.” Now you were in your element, a little smirk on your face and a twinkle in your eye.

Stunned, he reached forward to take your hand even as he said, “You know, hand sanitizer actually only kills-”

“Spencer, please,” JJ interrupted teasingly. “Not yet. We want to keep this one.”

You laughed, already finding it easy to fit in with this crowd. “Oh, don’t worry about it. It would take a lot more than that to scare me away.”

You winked at him, and he blushed. Oh, you were going to have fun with this one. He was cute and smart, the whole package. You’d be damned if you weren’t already a little smitten.

“Oh, there’s a new person!” A cute blonde with absolutely wild style stopped dead in her tracks, surprised to see you. “You’re the new!”

“I’m the new,” You confirmed.

“Oh, hello! I’m Penelope, and unfortunately, I come bearing bad news.”

“There’s a case baby girl?” Agent Morgan spoke up.

“Right as always my sweet, sweet Chocolate Thunder.” Ah. So that was what that was about.

Heading into the briefing room, you and Reid ended up trailing a bit behind, causing you to lean into him to whisper. “Are they a couple?”

He laughed a little bit. “No. Just best friends. That’s just how they communicate.”

You arched an eyebrow. “Nice. I like it.”

“Yeah?” He smiled.

“Yep.”

Before you got the chance to say anything more though, you were officially being briefed. You absolutely couldn’t afford to talk during your very first briefing, so you just smiled at the handsome brunet before giving all of your attention to one Penelope Garcia.

“Alright crime fighters, brace yourselves because this is a bad one, even for our standards. The images I am about to show you are to be viewed with caution and it is not advised you continue on if you are pregnant, have a heart condition or are prone to seizures. I’m going to hit the button now and one of you is going to tell me when I can look again.”

True to her word, Garcia clicked a button on the remote and then shielded her eyes. You could see why. The images on the screen were absolutely brutal. They were women, or at least you were pretty sure they were women, who had had their eyes, noses, and mouths removed. Three of them, one after the other. You liked to think you had a pretty strong stomach, but this...this was giving you the heeby jeebies. All the Scary Mary R.L. Stein nightmares you had as a kid were coming right on back now.

“That’s...really something,” You breathed quietly.

“No kidding.” You were validated in your disgust by Agent Morgan, who looked just as perturbed.

“It gets worse, kiddies,” Garcia spoke, eyes still closed. “Their limbs were all cut off, but those were left at the crime scene. The missing facial bits though, and I deeply, deeply regret having to say this, were nowhere to be found.”

“Trophies,” Rossi said.

“Most likely,” Reid agreed from where he sat next to you. “Most enucleators take the eyes as trophies, and while it’s highly unusual for other facial features to be removed, it seems logical to assume that these would also be taken as trophies, especially given the complete disregard for the rest of the body.”

Garcia hit another button, causing different, less horrifying images to come up.

“Can I look now?”

“You can look baby girl,” Morgan reassured her.

“Oh thank goodness. You know I hate that part.” Garcia continued with the case briefing, letting you know exactly where you would be flying to.

“We’ve already made contact with the Miami police department. They’ll be ready for us when we arrive. Wheel’s up in 30,” Hotch instructed.

“Okay, so the victims,” you said, wanting to voice what was on your mind. “The taking of the eyes, nose, and lips is all extremely personal. But the cutting off of the limbs and then just leaving them there says quite the opposite. Like...there’s this loathing of the body but an obsession with the face.”

JJ nodded. “Agreed. It’s oddly matter of fact too. Very business-like. Look at these cuts,” she said, pointing to the photos. “Aside from the first victim, who’s a little rougher, these are clean, precise chops. Just get it done and over with. But the face, there’s detail there.”

“Agreed,” Rossi said. “Look at those cuts. Not a single piece is missing. It’s absolutely vital to this guy that he get the whole package. The eyes are perfectly severed from the ocular nerve, a clean removal, almost surgical in precision. And the nose...he had to cut through a lot of cartilage to get that kind of clean, flat removal. Our guy has to have some kind of history in the medical field.”

“It’s likely that they symbolize a depersonalization for him,” Reid said, hands bunching as he spoke. “The taking of all of the distinguishing features of the face indicates a sense of ownership. It’s as if he’s saying, ‘Look, I’ve taken who you are. Who people know you as.’ Some believe that the Ancient Greeks used masks in their plays to cause the viewers to focus on the character’s actions, rather than their appearance. All of our victims were relatively low risk. It could be our unsub sees these women as wearing masks, but he doesn’t like the actions that correspond with the face they choose to wear, or he believes their actions do not correspond with their mask and therefore they do not deserve to wear it. This taking of the self, of the soul if you will, could be symbolic of a dissatisfaction with how these women present themselves and how that conflicts with the unsub’s view of them.”

The rest of the team did not seem nearly impressed enough by this. You, for one, were awestruck. You had read about him, of course, but that was nothing compared to the real thing. He was beautiful.

“Okay, so we’re assuming that our guy probably knows his victims,” Morgan said.

“It would make sense. It makes it easier to get close to such low-risk targets if he does know them,” you said.

“You have a point,” Rossi said.

“Alright, well, first we need to determine whether or not our unsub is in the medical field or not. Y/L/N, Reid, head to the M.E.’s and find out what you can about the bodies. Morgan and Prentiss, you’ll head to where they found the last body, and...” Hotch continued dolling out assignments, and before you knew it, you were there.

“The media are already calling him the Face Thief,” the Miami PD chief told Hotch.

“Oh, that’s original,” you grumbled.

“Well, it does its job. People around here are terrified. This is like something straight out of everyone’s worst nightmares.”

Hotch nodded. “Well, don’t worry. My team and I plan on catching this guy as quickly as we can.”

Speaking of which, you and Reid needed to go talk to their M.E. Now, what did a girl have to do to get a dead body around here?

Spencer seemed to know his way around pretty well, probably having memorized the layout of the police station on the plane or something, and so you followed his lead.

“I take it you know where we’re going?”

“Yeah. Been here a few times before,” he said.

“Have you ever seen anything like this?”

He paused in the hallway. “No. This is some pretty intense stuff. And while I can’t exactly say it’s not like this all the time, well...”

“It’s not like this all the time,” you finished for him.

“Yeah, exactly.” He laughed a little bit. “So, you’re kind of young to be in the BAU already.”

It wasn’t a rude question. From anyone else, it might have been, but you could tell he was just curious. Plus you happened to know he was a child prodigy, and therefore was in no place to judge.

“Yeah, well, don’t make any mistakes. It took me forever and a day to get here. I just skipped a couple years of high school, fast-tracked my college education, that’s all.”

Spencer nodded. “I read your file. You finished your Bachelor’s in a year and a half, joined the FBI at 19 and gained your doctorate while working for the bureau. That’s pretty impressive.”

You smiled wryly. “Oh, you can’t fool me Dr. Reid. I’ve read your file too, you know. Now you, you are quite impressive.”

The man before you blushed beet red, stammering out something that sounded like the beginnings of an excuse, but fortunately for him you both found yourself in the presence of the M.E. before he had to come up with anything more than, “Well, I don’t know I-I mean-”

“Dr. Reid. Dr. Y/L/N. Let’s get right to it. This guy does some neat work, but he’s no doctor.”

“Really?” You asked, fascinated.

“Yep. Look at these cuts here around the mouth. They’re jagged. There are hesitation marks. Not because of inexperience with the action, but lack of expertise. You can see the same marks around the nose and eyes. And, I’m sorry to say, all of this was done anti-mortem, which did not make his job any easier.”

“He’s a sadist, then,” you deduced. “He gets off on their pain.”

The M.E. nodded before continuing.

“He started with the eyes, which I hate to admit is smart since those are the easiest part to remove wholesale, which seems to be this guy's trademark. After that, the victim usually passes out and dies from blood loss, which makes the rest of his job easier. But if you look closely you can see these aren’t surgical cuts. The only precision here stems from a purely obsessive desire to get things right. It’s good work for an amateur, but it’s just that, amateur,” she said.

“And the limbs?” Dr. Reid asked.

“Well, I can tell you a little bit more about those, since we still have them. They were cut off post-mortem, and it was a pretty quick job. It looks like it was done with some sort of power tool. There’s no beauty to those, and there’s no attempt to make it look pretty. And yes, the torsos do show signs of sexual assault. Additionally, it looks like he knocked his victims out first to incapacitate them before taking them to a secondary location and waiting for them to regain consciousness before beginning his..process.”

“I guess we can tick the sexual box in the sexual sadist checklist.” You sighed.

Reid nodded, leaning forward to more closely examine the nature of the cuts and the body.

“Okay,” you said, thinking out loud. “I’m the victim. You’ve got me tied up and you’re about to remove my eyes. I’m doing a lot of screaming. You scoop my eyes out. Here’s what I’m wondering. Why not start with the nose? If he’s a sadist, wouldn’t he want to like...see the look in their eyes or something sick like that?”

Spencer hummed thoughtfully. “It’s possible it’s an act of remorse, but that seems unlikely given the other details of this case.”

You thanked the M.E. before heading back out, but you stopped Reid in the hallway.

“Okay, indulge me. Let’s play this out. You’re the unsub and I’m the victim,” you said, leaning up against the wall and gesturing for him to get all in your business. “Okay, so you’re looking at me, and what are you thinking.”

Spencer stared at you, and you thought you caught the sharp bob of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed, but you brushed it aside. He took a step closer, fingers brushing across your cheekbones as he stared at you thoughtfully. For your part, you tried not to let your heart race, because you had sincerely not thought about how attractive the good doctor was before signing up for this experience.

“You’re right,” he murmured. “The eyes are the most expressive. But...maybe that’s what he values about them. They’re so beautiful.”

It was your turn to swallow hard. That felt deliciously personal, but you were trying not to read too much into it. His brow furrowed, expression changing.

“Maybe that’s it. This is more about the eyes than the whole face. The eyes take precedent because, if he’s removing the face to capture their essence somehow, what are eyes said to be the window to?”

You grinned. “The soul.”

“Exactly.” He smiled back at you, and you must have forgotten to put a dryer sheet in with your laundry because you swear you felt static electricity crackling up your spine.

For a long moment, neither of you moved, but then you snapped out of it. 

“We have to go tell Hotch!”

It was true that the eyes were the window to the soul, and they were the window to this guy’s soul too. Garcia had gone on the prowl for medical school rejects, people who watched too many YouTube videos about surgery without being nursing majors, and otherwise normal folks who just owned way, way too many scalpels. Before you knew it, you had a prime suspect. And uh, tip? If you ever decide to be a serial killer, try not to kill the people you openly have vendettas against. It makes you really easy to catch. So actually, you know what, go for it.

“I can’t believe this guy ran a whole blog based off of the people in his neighborhood he hates,” you said.

“A whole blog positively riddled with face fetishizing symbolism. This guy could go on for weeks about the masks people wear and how our eyes show who we truly are and blah blah blah,” Emily mocked.

You were in the car on the way to his address. Another girl had been reported missing, and you were praying you wouldn’t be too late to find her. 

As it turned out, you weren’t. In a stroke of good luck, you arrived just in time to save the day. You and Spencer ended up going in together, Spencer taking the lead in talking this guy down. You couldn’t help but admire the way he did it. It was like art, watching him. The careful way he played right into the fantasy, eased the unsub into trusting him. Masterful, right up until the moment he cuffed the guy and the show was over.

On the plane ride back to Quantico, you found yourself sitting next to him. “How do you do it?” 

“Do what?” He asked, confused.

“Play into their fantasies so well. Doesn’t that...I don’t know, mess with your head?”

He became quiet for a moment, and his face fell. You worried that you had said the wrong thing. Crossed a line.

“Yeah. It uh...it takes a toll on you, definitely. Some days, working this job, you’ll be afraid of your own mind,” he admitted quietly.

You didn’t totally know why you leaned into his side on the small couch, other than sheer sympathy. You didn’t totally know why he let you.

“Spenc-Reid,” you corrected yourself. “Do you think the people we deal with are evil? Do you think they ever stood a chance?”

“I ask myself that question a lot,” he said softly. “So many of the people we see behave the way they do as a result of trauma of some kind. That doesn’t excuse their actions by any means, but...it makes you wonder. What if things had been different? How many more people would be alive today? How many more brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons? It’s a ruthless cycle. And all because someone didn’t have anything good in their life, and so they passed that down to someone else. So...I don’t know.”

“Do you think it’s better not to think about it?”

“No. I think it’s important for our jobs to at least try to understand. Besides, it’s human nature to try to make sense of things. Even when it’s hard.” He stared at his hands, head hung low.

“You should get some sleep. Clear your head,” you said gently. “I’ll wake you up before we land.”

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Just as he settled in, he lifted his head one more time to speak to you. “Y/L/N?”

“Yeah?”

“Great work today.”

“Thanks, Reid. You too.”

Dr. Reid was smiling when he fell asleep.

“Darkness is the absence of light: when there is no light, there is darkness. Light is an existing thing, but darkness is nonexistent.”

- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

[lotus-duckies]

Boboiboy: What is it and why you should watch it

In this post, I’m going to talk about an amazing show that @findmeinthevoid and I have just absolutely fallen in love with, and all the reasons it is worth watching. 

A prior note is that I will aim this post towards the Miraculous Ladybug fandom because I think they would enjoy it immensely.

What is it? Boboiboy is a(n incredibly well-done) Malaysian children’s cartoon that is like Miraculous in that some kids got powers from [x] entity who thinks it’s a good idea to give babies powers and now they’re heroes. However, it is more than that and has it’s own outstanding qualities that make all the more reason to watch it.

So let’s get started.

1) Lack of the oversexualization of the characters (primarily females)

I think something I think most people have seen the heroes in the comics and shows: they all wear the skinny, sensual hero suits where the girls’ bodies look broken and the boys honestly also look suggestive too, even if they’re 14.

Boboiboy doesn’t have that. 

He is 14 Galaxy, and younger in the previous seasons. You know how he went around saving people? In a hoodie, baggy pants, and sneakers. (It’s more of a vest in galaxy, but you get the point).

An excellent example of one of the girls would be Yaya:

You don’t see this lovely young lady running around in a skin tight suit and she is very much clothed.

The characters still look aesthetically pleasing but they aren’t forced into costumes that they shouldn’t be wearing. (Honestly this can be applied to any super hero or magical girl series.)

2) No Romo (And extended clauses)

A number of shows aimed at a younger audience aren’t shy on romance and relationships in their writing.

Boboiboy has no romance, period.

The creators have a strong no romance stance on the show, so any occurrence of anything more than friends is none.

What does this mean for the writing, and how does it influence the viewers? Well for one, they aren’t constantly distracted and worrying about the person they like or if they did something stupid in front of their crush or that their crush likes another person. 

It also shows young viewers (primarily 14 year olds, but also younger) that they don’t necessarily need to experience romance and all that crap.

There’s also nothing to confirm nor deny your aro/ace headcannons so feel free to bring them to the party.

Also because of this no romo rule, they don’t have some of the more. . . odd flaws in heroism other hero series has. Secret identities, for example. They don’t have to worry about exposing themselves, heck, they don’t even have identities to expose. They’re themselves in front of each other and the people and don’t need to go through a whole Magical Girl Transformation to use their powers, even if it’s for personal benefit. There’s no drama about “oh i have protect the people I love so I have to keep it a secret.” 

What Boboiboy does have is amazing friendships. Seeing these kids and their genuine love and care for their friends, with no double feelings and just pure and wholesome platonic love is so life-giving and refreshing and it makes me so soft.

3) Representation?

As you may have noticed from previous reasons, there is a hijabi and she’s wonderful. Yaya is incredibly smart and she could probably murder a  man if she wanted to. She strikes fear into the hearts of her classmates with her authority, her power, and her cookies, while also being very soft and loving. 

Besides that, there is immense diversity on the cast, particularly on the main team alone.

There is a special for Eid as well, along with a couple of other holidays.

4) Responsibility is Important

You ever notice in some shows all the damage is just fixed within the next episode and everything’s fine?

Boboiboy doesn’t have that. They physically have to fix and clean up the collateral after their fights and have to deal with the lasting consequences. On some occasions, these consequences result in a whole different episode and even an arc because of what went down. By doing this, it teaches the important of facing and accepting one’s responsibility instead of just shoving it under a rug and acting like it never happened.

Also, when characters are injured badly enough, their injuries last for more than one episode and can influence the plot line of another. 

5) “It’s a feel good show.”

It is, it really is. I’m pretty sure for a majority of my time watching it, I’m smiling or laughing my self into a state of pain because it’s just really a feel good show. It’s funny, slightly ridiculous, but also soft and wholesome and cute. That is not to stay it doesn’t have serious, emotional moments but overall, it’s really nice like that.

A number of the shows and their fandoms that I watch have the tendency to give me anxiety, but Boboiboy doesn’t? I don’t feel like I’m dying? I love them so much?

6) Writing (A little spoilery?)

Lessons:

See Responsibility Is Important

There’s an entire arc on the important of recycling.

Generally primarily focuses on good habits to keep, rather than good morals like “Don’t jump to conclusions”, like staying healthy and crap like that. However, for a majority of the time, it’s very subtle and doesn’t get in the way of the plot line. This is kind of disregarded in Galaxy though.

Plot Development:

The continuity of the writing is amazing, watching arcs transition between one event to another with such fluidity. It feels like nothing is just random and isn’t just dropped for no reason. Little pieces are important to the grand puzzle.

There’s very few plot holes.

Character Development:

You can visibly see the characters mature and change over the course of the series.

Honestly, most of the characters are extremely lovable for one reason or another. 

7) Handling mental health

One of my favorites, honestly. Through the series, there have been characters who show signs of abuse, trauma, or anxiety and stress. But they aren’t just left to suffer. Their problems are addressed and they are reassured that they are going to be okay and they are helped and that is amazing. 

8) Creator-Fanbase Interaction

The best I can describe it is that the creators are like online creators and their hearts just explode knowing people watch and enjoy their series, and this shows with how they interact. They acknowledge the fanbase’s existence and provide information about the show and characters.

The instagram is a good example of that.

Did I mention that you can find all of the crap you need on youtube from the official Monsta channel.

9)

10) No Shoes In The House

To heck with your western homes where you track germs and dirt and scratch up the hardwood floors, and shows where they don’t have the care to animate the characters without their shoes, whether they be in the house or on a bed. 

It’s just nice to see them take such care with details like that. (wow, characters sleeping under blankets and they’re not wearing their shoes in the house and wearing pajamas).

Just, I can’t be the only person who cringes when I see characters wearing their shoes in the house.

11) Memes

These characters are living memes.

12) Animation

The animation improved exponentially since the first season, and Galaxy is stunning.

Have you seen my son? He’s not missing I just want you to look at him.

Conclusion: Please consider looking at my son and his friends.

[marshmallow-phd]

Innocent Intentions

Part of The Untamed - EXO Wolf Universe

Genre: Supernatural, Wolf Au

Pairing: Tao x Reader

Summary: There was one thing you couldn’t stand in all your years at college: playboys. And the campus was riddled with them. So when Tao - a player with a particularly well-known reputation - inserts himself into your life, you come up with a plan to get rid of him, whether he makes your heart race or not. But the more he’s the around, the more you just might find there’s a hidden layer underneath all the rumors, including a secret you never could have guessed….

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I 14 I Final

**

The earlier excitement of your date with Tao was now heavily weighed down by your encounter with Wyatt.

Your friend had some very valid points concerning Kendall. Would she really get that upset that you were basically seeing Tao now? It felt like the cliché devil and angel were sitting on your shoulders, tugging you back and forth, making you dizzy. The angel simply kept reminding you that Kendall was your best friend and she’d been there for you long before Tao ever came around.

On the other hand, the devil gave a very valid argument about how it was only one date between them and just this past weekend Kendall had mentioned she was talking to someone new. Besides, you were allowed to find someone to be with yourself, weren’t you? Was it a little selfish that you wanted it to be Tao? Yes. But wasn’t everyone allotted a little bit of selfness?

By the time your last class came to an end, you’d made up your mind. You were going on that date with Tao. You owed it to yourself to give it a chance. And you didn’t want to witness Tao’s disappointment if you turned him down after how excited he was this morning.

You really shouldn’t have been surprised to see Tao leaning up against the wall opposite of your classroom when you exited. This was a much better sight than Wyatt had been earlier in the day. However, while one was your friend and knew your schedule….

“Are you stalking me now?” you asked teasingly.

“It’s actually fairly easy to find out a student’s schedule here,” Tao smirked, throwing an arm around your shoulders as the two of you walked down the hall. “A school should really protect its students’ privacy better than that.”

You rolled your eyes. “So, you went to Jace in the front office again?” If that boy kept giving out your information, you were going to have to put the fear of god in him. Or at least, beg him to stop.

Tao shook his head. “Nah, I just asked around. Figured someone might know you. Turns out, I found a kid that was supposed to be your class, but he ran late so he skipped it all together and was hanging out in the lobby. Very convenient for me.”

“Oh, yes, very convenient,” you said dryly. No longer able to fully walk properly with the extra weight, you gently removed Tao’s arm from your shoulders. That earned a pout from the supposed bad boy, but he simply slipped his hands into his pockets, respecting your personal space. “So,” you turned to him with a wide smile, “where are we going?”

That mischievous gleam that you knew all too well to fear was back in his eye. “It’s a surprise.”

You groaned. You hated surprises.

“Don’t be like,” Tao whined as he stepped in front of you to block your way. “I’ve been planning this out all weekend.”

Shaking your head, you commented, “You’re like an attention-starved puppy, you know that?”

Tao shifted uncomfortably before clearing his throat, turning on his heels and telling you to follow him as he hiked across the courtyard. Was he sensitive to dog comments because of his reputation? That would make sense, you guess. Wyatt even called him a dog on that night of Kendall’s date.

A sense of excitement surged up your heart as Tao opened the passenger side door to his convertible for you. Taking your bag off your shoulder, you slid onto the leather seat, a smile unable to be contained. Tao took your bag from you and put it in the trunk of his car before hopping behind the wheel, once again opting to ignore the door. He really needed to stop doing that or you might have a heart attack one day. Smooth moves like that didn’t usually get to you, but Tao, as always, was the exception.

You were given absolutely no hints of your destination, just letting the wind kiss your face as Tao drove through the city.

At one point, while you were staring out at the side, watching the building pass by, he reached over and grabbed your hand, wrapping his fingers around your own as they rested on your lap. A furious heat exploded on your cheeks. You chewed on the inside of your bottom lip to discretely hold back the face-splitting grin your lips were currently fighting to reveal. While your face remained facing away from Tao so you couldn’t see his expression (which was probably much calmer and more collected than your own), you glanced down at your intertwined hands out of the corner of your eye at an interval of maybe thirty seconds or so.

His skin was warm – inhumanely so. For a moment, you worried that your palm would start to sweat from the temperature, but you refused to let go. It felt too nice, this innocent proximity, this comfortable silence. It didn’t feel like a first date, even with the jitters in your stomach. The boy next to you felt too familiar for you to be overly nervous about how this would go. You didn’t really know Tao, not like how you’d like to, but this relaxed state you were always in with him around was nice and different.

All too soon, Tao pulled into a parking lot, letting go of your hand to safely park the car and turn off the engine. Taking at your destination, you gulped.

The restaurant Tao had brought you to wasn’t the average first-date type place. Twinkling lights hung on the aesthetically faded red brick walls even though the sun was still very much present in the sky. From what you could see of the patrons that were seated on the large patio area, this was a place where you dressed up and expected to pay a hefty price per dish. While you weren’t dressed in sweatpants, you were still in your school day clothes of jeans and a comfortable shirt.

You were so focused on staring at the building you hadn’t realized that Tao had gotten out of the car and was now holding your door open.

“What are we doing here?” you asked shyly as he helped you out of the car. Tao at least was dressed a little more high end with his tight black jeans and designer jacket that was probably meant to be casual.

“This place looks expensive. Maybe we should go to a café or something,” you suggested nervously. There was no way there’d even be a table open given the amount of cars currently in the lot. If luck was on your side, that’d be the case waiting for you inside.

“Just trust me,” was Tao’s reply. Your nerves were in high gear as he led you to the front entrance, his hand back in yours. A smart, fiendish part of you was relishing in this scenario, as much as you hated to admit it to yourself. Tao had taken Kendall to a bar. Albeit, definitely one of the nicer bars in town, but you were being treated to a fancy five-star dinner in the pricey art of town. Perhaps more proof that you really were different to him?

“Mr. Huang!” The hostess greeted as soon as you stepped through the door, ignoring the others waiting around the lobby for seats to become free. “We have your usual table ready for you, just as you requested.”

Usual table? Not that special, apparently.

Your smile dimmed a little as the hostess showed you through the restaurant until reaching a rounded booth in a secluded corner away from the others. Sliding in, you kept a little distance from Tao, your eyes scanning every part of the room that didn’t put him in your view. Too easily that doubt crept up on you, making you wonder all over again if he was truly serious when it came to you. He’d given you more than enough evidence and yet here you were, poking at the sore spot, making it worse.

As if he knew exactly what was on your mind, he scooted closer to you, taking your hand as he gave you a small, crooked smile. “I haven’t brought any other girls here before.”

You pursed your lips. How did he guess that right away? “The hostess seemed to know you fairly well.” It was a bit sad that you’d become that girl who needed reassurance and explanations, but it was hard given that Tao constantly looked like he just walked off a runway in New York.  

“I come here with my brothers,” he told you. “I like the food and the quiet atmosphere. When I was younger, I’d come with my parents.”

You frowned. “You’ve lived here your whole life?” Granted, this wasn’t a tiny city by any means, but you’d think you would have seen him at some point.

Tao shook his head. “No. My family moved around a lot. But we passed through the city several times a year. Never failed to have at least one meal here.”

“Are your parents rich or something?” You meant it as a joke given the status of this place, but Tao nodded seriously. Well that certainly explained the car and clothes.

Tao didn’t seem phased by your hanging jaw. “It’s not mansions and private jets, but my father was always a good businessman. Our family stays comfortable.”

Comfortable. Exactly what rich people say. Their level of “comfort” is pretty high up there. You pushed all negative thoughts aside, mostly because they were hard to maintain with Tao’s fingers intertwined with your own.

The waiter came by, placing the menus down in front of you along with fresh glasses of ice water. You untangled your hand from Tao’s in order to figure out how bad this check was going to be.

Browsing over the offerings, you could almost feel the sweat forming on your forehead. Rich or not, these prices were ridiculous. How could such a small steak cost that much money? When the waiter came back, you opted for one of the cheaper appetizers, lying to a frowning Tao that you weren’t that hungry. In fact, your appetite had greatly subsided after reading over the menu, so it was only a partial lie.

“So,” Tao smiled at you the waiter walked away, “tell me about your family.”

Caught a little off guard, you nearly choked on the sip of water you’d just taken in. When you finally had your coughing fit under control, you gave Tao a death glare. He’d been giggling at you the whole time rather than actually helping you or being concerned like a gentleman.

There wasn’t much to tell about your family. Both of your parents worked which allowed you to live in a nice home with nice things, but it was nothing overtly grand or impressive. Your parents always taught you to give back and lend a helping hand, which was how you ended up both in the math lab and the children’s home.

Tao finally explained to you how he came into volunteering at the children’s home. His “brothers” (he also explained that the ones he lived with weren’t related to him by blood, just simply close enough to use that label) weren’t the ones who made him go. He was getting a bit too close to the wrong crowd, so they encouraged him to try spending his time elsewhere. There was a signup sheet at his high school. He’d always liked kids so he gave it a try. After that first time, he went back every day before he went traveling.

“But you said that you didn’t grow up here?” you pointed out, very confused.

“I didn’t for the most part. But when I was in high school, I settled down with Junmyeon and the others… for a little more stability,” he clarified.

“And your parents were okay with that?” You couldn’t imagine your parents ever allowing you to just live with someone else who was only in college when you were in high school.

Tao nodded. “Things are a bit… different with my family. They knew I belonged here. Right now, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

 You were sure that he just meant here in general, in the city, but the look in his eyes implied maybe he meant it a little deeper and that made your face heat up.

Dinner turned into a several-hours-long affair, the two of you mostly ignoring the food sitting on the table, only picking at it occasionally. There was hardly ever a quiet moment, conversation flowing easily inside that booth.

“Mr. Huang?”

The waiter shyly interrupted Tao’s story about one of his brother – Luhan – starting a fire in the kitchen while cooking and then blaming it on someone named Kris. “Yes?”

“We’re still about an hour out from closing, but I thought I should let you know how late it was getting. Would you like the check now?”

Tao nodded and the waiter handed over the black leather folder. Before he could walk away, however, Tao already had a credit card out and slipped into the slot ready to be run. The waiter was back in no time with the receipt and after leaving a generous tip, Tao led you out of the restaurant.

“Wow,” you sighed once you were in the car. “I didn’t realize we’d been here that long.” It was pitch black, only the waning moon gave light to the sky above. The twinkling lights on the side of the restaurant were fully visible now, giving the night a romantic glow.

“Do you want to go home?” Tao asked hesitantly.

Looking at him with a smile, you shook your head. “No, not really.”

“Good.” He threw the car into reverse and left the parking lot, taking you to who knows where.

Tao took your hand again as he drove, this time lacing his fingers through yours for a better grip. At one point, he lifted your hands together, shifting them so the outside of your hand faced him and placed his lips against your skin, kissing it softly. Your heart went into a frenzy. The only time you’d ever actually seen someone do that was in the movies or in a drama. Boys didn’t do things like that in real life.

He didn’t look at you as he lowered your hands, simply letting them rest back down on the middle console as he kept his eyes on the road. Occasionally he’d run his thumb across your knuckles, but you really wanted him to do the kiss thing again. If this was how you were acting now, you dreaded on how out of control your nervous system would be when he kissed you for real.

When? You nearly scoffed out loud. Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you?

For the second time tonight, Tao took you by complete surprise. You figured whatever he had planned next involved something just as fancy and mature, but when he came to a deserted park and playground, you were confused all over again.

Tao just laughed at your furrowed brow, motioning with his head, “Come on.” He took off from the car, leaving you behind and bewildered.

You followed him with complete trust. What could be so scary about a park at night?

Meeting him on the playground, he was already in one of the swings, swaying blissfully. He patted his lap. “Sit down.”

That made you laugh. “Are you serious?” He nodded. You shrugged, going with it since you couldn’t resist anyway. When you were settled in, he wrapped his arms around your waist and began gently swinging back and forth, his feet not leaving the sand pit underneath.

“This is quite the date,” you whispered. You meant it in a good way. It was different and sweet, not like the awkward ones you’d been on the past. Granted, those were a long time ago and it was possible that it was Tao himself that was making all the difference. The two of you were spending actual time together, getting to know one another and listening.

“I wanted to make it special for you,” he admitted softly in your ear. You didn’t know how to respond besides grinning to yourself.

For several minutes, the two of you sat there in silence, just taking in the moonlight and each other’s presence. Out of nowhere, Tao lifted you up, replacing you in the swing where he was sitting only a second ago.

“What-”

“Stay here,” Tao ordered before running back to his car. When he came back, he had a pair of Bluetooth headphones in his hands that he put over your ears. “I made you something,” he somewhat explained as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. “The quality isn’t the best. We used Chanyeol’s homemade studio.”

You frowned. Did he really-

The music started in your ears before you could asked out loud what he meant. It was a soft, piano based melody that came through the speakers; a ballad. The notes, as they pieced together, felt like an original soundtrack that – if you were a character in a movie – would play as you walked down the sidewalk, slowly, at a pace no normal person would go, but everything would be peaceful. A small smile would tug at your lips while you took in the scenery, maybe stopping at a park or a pier to watch the sun set on the horizon.

A small tear formed in the corner of your eye as the last measure faded out. When it finally fell, Tao reached out and wiped it away.

“Did you like it?” he asked eagerly. You nodded enthusiastically, unable to form the words to express how much you loved the instrumental song.

Your answer made him smile so brightly he looked like a little kid. Straightening up from his crouched position, he started to lean forward, his face inching closer to yours. In your own seat, you shifted closer to him as well, wanting to meet him halfway.

A bright light interrupted the moment, both of you squinting towards its source.

“Hey, kids, what are you doing here?” A cop asked as he approached, his flashlight on and raised to his eye level. Oops.

“Just hanging out,” you replied, standing up from your seat and removing the headphones. “Is something wrong?”

“The park closed at ten so I just making sure you guys are alright,” he said.

Oh, crap. You never thought about that. Was it really that late?

“I’m so sorry, officer,” Tao apologized quickly.

“Just head on home,” the officer suggested nicely.

You nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Grabbing your hand, Tao pulled you back to the car, chuckling. Back behind the wheel, he sighed. “I guess that was ruined, huh?”

He was probably talking about the second almost-kiss, but you disagreed overall. Even with that ending, this night was perfect. And there would always be another chance for a kiss.

“No,” you shook your head. “I had fun tonight. Thank you.”

“Well, I guess that means we can do this again tomorrow?”

“Uh,” you cringed. “I can’t tomorrow. I’m working at the shelter. But I’m free Friday?”

Tao turned to you, his face shining like it was midday. “Friday, then.”

If tonight was any indicator for how the end of the week would go, you couldn’t wait. If someone out there had mercy on you, this week would fly by at record speed.

[merritidings]

Character Questionnaire: Merrinyn Delorsath

BASICS -

1. Height?

5′5″. (She is of average height. At least in her former settlement.)

2. Eye colour?

Black. (It’s actually dark blue.)

3. Do they need glasses?

No. (That doesn’t stop her from wearing one whenever she feels like it.)

4. Scars and birthmark?

None. (It’s hard to get scars when you’re always far from the action, drowning in books. She did get a paper cut a few days after leaving her old settlement, settling for the surface to learn more about this part of the world, though that amounted to nothing more than a few minutes of annoyance.)

5. Tattoos and piercings?

None.

6. Right or left handed?

Right-handed. (For a time in her youth, she instead she was ambidextrous. That was until she figured out the word she was looking for was “amphibious”.)

7. Any disabilities? Physical or mental.

None. (She can’t pronounce the letter “R” if it’s in the last syllable of a word, as in “wafer” or “paper”, ending up either mispronouncing it as the letter “W” instead, as in “wafew” or “papew”, or accidentally speaking in a British accent. Don’t tell her I told you this. She’s very sensitive about her rhotacism.)

8. Do they have any allergies?

None. (...though she once almost died after eating crab. That was most likely due to improper cleaning of the food. It never happened again. Strange.)

9. Favourite colour?

Seafoam Green. Or blue. (She also likes pink.)

10. Typical outfits?

Whichever works, really. I prefer clothing that would not impede my mobility over clothing that’s all for show. (She used to wear simple sleeveless, collarless, pants-less garments made of coral, see below, until she moved to the surface-world where a kind old lady gave her common clothes for free because she looked “cold” and “very naked”. Still, she tends to rip out the sleeves and collars and even pant-legs of her clothes whenever she feels like it, usually when she’s near the water and there’s no tedious socializing to be had.)

11. Do they wear any makeup?

No. (She does, but only rarely and mostly during “special” occasions.)

12. What weapon do they use, if any?

Between my magic and my staff, I can be quite the formidable fighter. (She isn’t. She has also been thinking of acquiring a trident recently. Three pointed tips are better than one blunt head.)

PERSONALITY -

13. Are they more optimistic or pessimistic?

Neither. I dwell in between optimism and pessimism. Nothing is ever absolutely positive or negative. There is also the middle, and there I thrive. (Technically, she’s more optimistic, considering she’s always optimistic that each day holds new things for her to learn. She does get pretty pessimistic when things don’t go her way, though, especially if she becomes obsessed with learning about something and her progress somehow gets impeded.) 

14. Are they introverted or extroverted?

Neither. I am an ambivert. (Mostly true, though she leans more towards being an introvert, as she spends more time being an introvert, with all her research and reading; however, she doesn’t get drained as much when she has to be an extrovert, though she tends to avoid opportunities where she has to be one.)

15. What are their pet peeves?

When someone interrupts my research on anatomy by slaying the creature I am to observe. *very audible sigh* Brutes... (She also can’t stand people who can’t wait in line, even though she herself hates lines.)

16. What bad habits do they have?

Someone once said I’m terrible with making friends, though to be fair, I’m here to study and learn, not to make friends. (She spends way too much time with her books and research and not enough time connecting with real people. It’s uncertain whether this is because she’s such an obsessive sage or it’s just a triton thing.)

17. Do they have any phobias?

I fear nothing. Fear only exists when one does not understand something. I seek to understand everything. I do not fear. (Insects, especially flying insects, specifically cockroaches. She thinks they’re gross and they always have the high ground when it comes to the element of surprise. She’d probably like them if they were larger, though, since she’d at least be able to keep them from entering her orifices without permission. Oh, and falling from great heights. She hates that.)

18. How do they display affection?

I don’t. Affection is unnecessary. As long as you are useful and efficient, you are. (She really doesn’t. At least, she doesn’t know how to. Even her compliments are awkward and strange.)

19. How competitive are they?

Competition is good as motivation for personal growth, but only when it motivates a competitor towards personal growth. (She isn’t as competitive as others are, though it’s mostly because she’s a triton and tritons don’t really consider surface dwellers as competition. At least, that’s what she believes.)

20. If they could change one thing about themselves, what would it be?

No response. (It differs on a daily basis, more like it adds up, but she doesn’t take to it like changing herself because she doesn’t like herself. It’s actually more of changing something here and then something there to unleash the full potential of her existence. Like having eyes that see better in the deepest dark or gills that can allow her to safely breathe in any environment. It’s alteration in the spirit of evolution, not alteration because of emotions.)

21. Do they have any obscure hobbies or routines?

Is collecting forks an obscure hobby? (It is.)

BACKSTORY -

22. What are the names and ages of their close family members? Parents, siblings, etc.

My father’s name is Mernes and my mother’s name is Erryn. I have one older brother, Jharvas, and no other siblings.

23. Is their family alive and are they still in contact with them?

Yes, they are all alive and well. My father and my mother live together back home while my brother has also set out to, according to him, find himself. I’m certain he’s simply pursuing the vampire woman again. Men have never been quite as smart as us. (Her brother is indeed with a female vampire but he’s not pursuing her. They’re working together, trying to make a life with each other.)

24. Where are they from? City, nation?

I’m from the sea, the depths of which no surface dweller may survive. (Her settlement is within the oceans east of Hegaehend, far east. They call it the City of Sh'lafijn, though others simply refer to as Marai.)  

25. Did they have a childhood best friend?

I had childhood friends, though I don’t think it wise to select from them a singular best. (She does. Her name was Dhorimyn. They’ve lost contact over the years. The last she’s heard of her, Dhorimyn had left their settlement for parts unknown.)

26. Have they had any pets?

I had a pet shark named Kadita. (They’re dead now.)

27. Did they grow up rich or poor? What were their living conditions like?

We used to move a lot when I was but a young girl. It took my parents a while to settle down in a place of our own. We were neither rich nor poor. We were in the middle. 

28. What is their educational background?

I went through formal schooling, learned from the greatest mentors of my settlement, and grew into a fine sage. I learned more on my own than I did with anyone. (She’s not kidding. Her curiosity actually led to her amassing more knowledge about things outside of their settlement than the “greatest mentors” of their settlement, which were the only 10 triton scholars of their settlement.)

29. As a child, what did they want to be when they grew up?

I always wanted to be a scholar, and now, here I am. (At one point, she also wanted to be a kraken. She thought having more limbs would be efficient. She was three.) 

30. What advice would they give to their younger self?

If I ever, for some strange reason, meet my younger self, I would simply tell her to continue swimming towards her current path. She will become me, and I am the best she can ever be. (We’ll agree to disagree.)

31. Growing up, were they ever bullied or were they the bully?

I was never bullied. I never bullied anyone. I just didn’t have the time. All my focus were on my studies and my research. (She was bullied. For being too absorbed in her studies. She was often referred to as the “teacher’s suckerfish” by the other children. To this day, she still thinks it was a compliment because “a suckerfish assists its host by feeding off of its parasites.” She wasn’t wrong.)

32. Who do they look up to/who is their role model?

No response. (She currently doesn’t look up to anyone, especially since she’s out of the sea and she takes to surface dwellers as subjects to study, not mentors to put on a pedestal. She used to look up to an older mentor from her settlement but he died after trying to “befriend” a female shark as a male shark, so that was that. It’s a long story, and it’s not what you think.)

PRESENT -

33. Do they currently have a place of residence?

I rented a small place for me and my...friends in Arx, at the Whale Water Port. It’s close to the water, plenty of fish, and has access to several libraries and universities. It’s the best place for me here on the surface. (Remember the kind old lady who gave her free clothes because she looked “very naked”? That became her landlady. It’s a good place for someone living “alone”.)

34. What is their most treasured possession?

My most treasured possession? I suppose the letter from my late colleague could fill this role. For now. At least until I find the answer to his question, and I will. Eventually. (She’s not as into possessions as most people are, so having a treasured...item isn’t on her radar. That should change once she gets a particular trident, though, and maybe a particular cloak and a particular decanter to boot. Maybe.)

35. What is their drink of choice?

I don’t drink that much, but I seemed to have developed a taste for the drink called Bilgewater. It reminds me so much of home. (Bilgewater is of course the bluish-brown, sometimes jet black, concoction that's made by soaking the inner organs of various sea creatures soaking in a fermented brine and then running them through a sieve to remove the bones and viscera. It's usually on most tavern's menu for at least 5 copper pieces, or you can ask your friendly neighborhood fisher to brew you one for the same price. The only real side effect of this drink it that the lingering taste of rotten, brackish seafood remains on the palette for a few hours.)

36. Which king/queen are they loyal to, if any?

None have sought me out yet, so I’m loyal to none. That should change if any reach out and we find ourselves agreeing in our principles. (So long as she get to do her research, she’s not very picky on a monarch to side with, but only if completely necessary. She’d rather not get drawn to unnecessary conflict if they can avoid them.)

37. Have they ever killed anyone?

No response. (In every attempt at progress, there will always be a casualty or two. Maybe even three. It is rarely intentional, however.)

38. What was their last promise and did they keep it?

I promised my brother I’d stay with our parents, keep them safe... (She could not keep that promise.)

LOVE -

39. What was their first kiss like, if they’ve had one?

It was...wet. And pretty sloppy. The things we do to satiate our curiosity, right? (Of course it was wet. She was underwater. It was mostly sloppy because it was their first kiss, and her “research” partner was understandably nervous, especially since she secretly liked Merrinyn. They never spoke of it again, mostly because Merrinyn concluded that it was not a fruitful experiment and Dhorimyn decided to keep her secret her own.)

40. Are they in a relationship/have a love interest?

Love is an unnecessary distraction that I cannot currently afford. (She is too busy with her research to consider a relationship, any kind of relationship, at the moment.)

41. Have they ever been in love?

Like I said, an unnecessary distraction. (She has not, though she believes she has.)

42. Have they ever had their heart broken?

No response. (Numerous times: When her pet shark Kadita passed away, when her older brother Jharvas left them in pursuit of a vampire, when she slowly lost contact with Dhorimyn, and when her favorite mentor died to sharks while in the form of a shark.)

SPIRITUALITY - 43. Do they follow a god, if so who?

I don’t follow gods. I don’t have faith in them as much as others do. I only have faith in myself, in what I can see, and in what I can prove. (That said, she does appear to admire both Habbakuk and Melora, especially the latter whose stories and lore she views as quite inspiring.)

44. What do they think happens to them after death?

I cease to exist and my body decays to join nature and the sea. That’s it. That’s all there is to it.

45. What is their spirit animal?

A kraken. Definitely a kraken. (She’s more like a dolphin, but okay.)

[witchspiritualwhatami]

Valentine’s Day:

Signs of Truth (for me)

It’s weird, but Valentine’s Day has become a day that if I was in a relationship and it was doing poorly, if it wasn’t healthy for me, I would often get sick during Valentine’s Day. The week of, the day before or the day of, I would end up sick.

Seems sketchy when I have said that and not consistent. But there’s a pattern and it depends on the degree of how horrible things are going. It’s happened with three different guys.

Understand I never got incredibly ill till I was 16 and it often happened around Valentine’s Day, but keeping track, it’s when the relationship was going bad.

💔 Boyfriend A- he was emotionally abusive, manipulative, had anger issues, and sexually molested? Assuaged me (I say this and not rape, because clothes never came off, and he never went underneath underwear that I can recall but I still felt violated often and dirty).

The morning of Valentine’s Day while still dating him, I got the flu for the first time in my life. It was the stomach flu, had to go to the hospital I was doing so bad for I couldn’t stop throwing up and keep anything down. It was horrible.

Asshole only got me a card and it was half assets to where he just signed his name in it. In anger I kept the chocolate I originally got for him and ate it myself. Broke up with him months later in July.

Yes, I know too long, but hey, that’s how emotional abuse and manipulation works.

💔Boyfriend B- we had dated before Boyfriend A, but Valentine’s Day had been good for things were going good. He broke me heart in the fall of our first time together

We got back together and our first Valentine’s day, things were going well. I wasn’t sick.

By the next Valentine’s Day were had been struggling. He was being a piece of shit. We Both in college and there was drama involving my ex. Boyfriend A (he was talking to my ex about me and him{ boyfriend b}. To get into it more would be something I rather not do.

I got a sinus infection that Valentine’s Day.

A month later, a week after spring break, when I just went back home and spent time with him, I got back to college and within a week of being back at college, he broke with me over the phone. Despite I was just there last week.

This was the second time he broke my heart. (Yes, I know, why go after him again, but hey I thought ‘people change and I did still care for him).’ After that, I was fucking angry at him and a tiny bit at myself.

More so angry at him, for he took my second chance and blew it.

💔Boyfriend C- Ah, this is a fucking saga in itself. I was with him a long time. A long time. Longer than the average length that people are married in the United States (7-8 years is what I keep finding).

So for many years despite struggles things were going well. Than I became chronically ill after I got an illness that would forever change my life. Now, I separate that and don’t use it as a sign because it didn’t happen around Valentine’s Day, it didn’t start as far as I am aware.

Months earlier my exes mental state was growing concerning. I always had wanted him to go to therapy, but he would always put it off. He had a drinking problem and had gotten better, but he was getting worse again. To where even in my state of illness I would have to take care of him when super drunk despite being so ill myself some days I could bathe or feed myself.

Like I would find him drunk on the bathroom floor and passed out.

He also had anger issues and other undiagnosed mental illness he wouldn’t get help for that was growing worse. I knew he had depression and possibly paranoia, but his other behavior was scary and it had grown increasingly worse since I became sick.

I began to find tactics to help him calm down, out of fear he would hurt me. He had punched a wall in the past and would later in 2016 (long after Valentine’s Day) crack my headboard as he hit his head against in anger over something stupid.

Take note, this is now on top of chronic illness I dealt with.

❣️February 2016- the week of, I got the flu. It was bad and I felt miserable the whole time.

❣️February 2017- I was sick with a sinus infection starting the day before I believe.

(That year with being at home all the time because of chronic illness, I had a lot of time. I began to question the fact I had always wanted to kiss Lucy Lui starting at ten and thought her freckles were. The same when Natalie Dormer after I saw her in the tudors years later.

However with being bullied by girls so often more than I had by guys prior I grew to fear them, especially if pretty girls. I did find myself liking one girl and wishing to be her at the same time cause she was so pretty and smart while in high school, but I quickly glossed over that, than with growing up in a conservative household; my ignorance on lgbt issues, and how my mom also had a distrust of girls for she faces a lot of bullying growing up as well. Both of us were quiet awkward people.

This confusion was[ is] bound to be a thing....

I think the fact I had become so nervous of either gender thanks to my awful dating history and dealing with girls bullying me a lot when younger... I realized I may be bisexual. I know that’s very odd and long winded summary, but to put every detail down would just give me away.

Apparently there is a thing that you are so far in the closet, you don’t realize it? Yeah, that was/is me.)

❣️February 2018- I was sick for most of the month. I first got a sinus infection, then dealt with the flu and then developed bronchitis. That was a fun month.

(That ear I really began to confront internally the Catholic Church I grew up in and always struggled to accept in my heart since I was 12.)

❣️February 2019- got a sinus infection that week.

Broke up with his ass in July of 2019. He stated that he supposedly fell out of love with me, but still loves me. (Aka, I love you, but not in love).

Since I read other couples can face this during times of struggle and I was dealing with issues with him, I asked if he was willing to try to help make things work and fix things. He was indecisive like usual, I had enough and broke up with him.

He moved out in December and I could see the regret on his face as he was leaving, not out of what he had done or how it ended, but he realized we were no longer going to be a thing. I felt no sympathy.

Was painful when he moved out, but I was also relieved.

💖 💖💖February 2020💖💖💖

I’m single this year. For the first time in a very long time. I have so far not been sick this month save for usual chronic illness. It’s been really nice.

I got some things for myself prior to this day to enjoy. I’m going to see an opera tonight with my mom. She and dad never do anything on Valentine’s Day for they hate crowds, but I asked if we could spend time together since I knew otherwise it would be a difficult day for me. We are seeing Romeo and Juliet.

I still don’t feel like I have my shit together, but I am happier than I have been in a long time.

With being bisexual (I still feel weird saying that. I live with my parents because of my chronic illness and I haven’t come out yet. Although becaus I haven’t dated a girl before, [although I have kissed one and yes, I liked it....] I don’t know if it’s normal for it to not feel real.)

With being torn between agnostic and deists in my beliefs, I’m still trying to figure things out.

Either way, whatever I am, I’m okay. I can now work on myself, figure out myself, and begin love myself. Whatever I am.

This Valentine’s Day, I hope whoever reads this, doesn’t forget to love themselves. I’m working on trying to do this. Not let the abusive negative talk overwhelm me and rule my mind. Years of bad dating and relationships have contributed to my mental illness I already had since eleven years old.

After I broke up with my ex, I said- “No Dating.” Unlike others I have known and know that keep jumping from relationship to relationship like they are frogs in a lily pond fearing they will drown.

It has confused one friend who suggested within a month I create a dating profile. She recently suggested it within the past month and I said again, “I want to heal and take care of myself first. Love myself. I don’t need anyone to be happy.”

No, I’m going to learn to love and care for myself first. Even if I’m single forever, I rather be that than be with a piece of shit or someone who doesn’t deserve me ever again. I may not be the best of the best, not gorgeous like a Hollywood celebrity, not a genius, not wealthy, but I’m human and I still deserve to be treated with respect.

You can’t have a loving relationship, if there is no respect. Not just from your partner, but from yourself.

Whether in a relationship, dating, or single, I hope you remember you deserve love and respect. You deserve it and fuck anyone that says otherwise.

Take care.

Happy Valentine’s Day

[ice-creamforbreakfast]

Siblings Interview Tag: Zaid, Farrah, Farid and Khalid Al Farsi (Jasmeen is a bit young for this)

I was tagged by @treason-and-plot several centuries ago! Thank you so much, lovely! My subjects are left to right - Farrah, Farid, Zaid and Khalid. I would like to tag @titosims, @ninjaofthepurplethings​, @buckleysims​, @anotherplumbob​, @mysimsloveaffair​, @simsmidgen​ and anyone who wants to do this! Questions and Answers under the cut.

1. Which one of you is the older sibling?

Zaid: I am, by just over two years.

2. What do you like about your sibling?

Zaid: Farrah speaks her mind and stands up for herself, Farid smart, but doesn’t have a massive head about it and Khalid makes me laugh. Farrah: To be fair, Khalid makes all of us laugh...sometimes at him. Khalid: I heard that! Farrah: You were meant to. Zaid looks out for us all, which is great as I was a mess... Khalid: Were? Farrah: Oh haha...Farid makes me think about what I’m about to do... Farid: Sometimes... Farrah: What is this abuse? ...and he has managed to save me from doing a few stupid things and Khalid is a shit. Okay, I like that he might not be smart, but he knows what he wants and well...not many people do. Farid: Zaid really looks out for me, he’s probably my best friend... Farrah: I’m your twin you gobshite! Farid: Farrah is my evil twin. She’s confident and determined and Khalid is a lot smarter than he thinks he is. He’s growing up to be a really decent guy. Khalid: What they all said. I like Zaid for becoming a doctor so that the rest of us don’t have to. Farrah is great because she doesn’t judge when I screw up... Farrah: No, I just laugh at you and take photos. Khalid: True, you’re a total bitch, but that’s not always a bad thing. I was really shitty to Farid when you know...and he could’ve been an arse about it, but he wasn’t. He’s got balls for just being himself. Farrah: He’s neck deep in them, Khal! Khalid: Nooo! 

3. What annoys you about your sibling?

Zaid: Nothing major. Farrah: Saint Zaid! Zaid: Farrah talks over me and Khalid has way too much energy. Farid and I used to put headphones on and lock them out. Farid doesn’t annoy me, but he could be more confident in himself. Farrah: Zaid is just too perfect, What Zaid said about Farid and Khalid...how long have you got? Farid: Zaid doesn’t really annoy me, but he needs to put himself first sometimes. As for the other two..well I think that Zaid summed it up pretty well. Khalid: It pisses me off that they’re all so smart...even Farrah. When she wasn’t sneaking boys up to her room, she would get good grades. I wish that Zaid would lighten up and smile more. No one died. Zaid: I work in a hospital, lots of people die. Khalid: SEE? Farrah: I wish that Khal would stop calling himself stupid. That’s my job.

4. Describe your sibling(s) with three adjectives.

Zaid: Farrah is headstrong, determined and a risk-taker Farid is smart, self-conscious and kind Khalid is active, confident and loud Farrah: Zaid is intelligent, reliable and...boring Zaid: Thanks! Farrah: Farid is quiet, book-smart and a nervous-wreck Khalid is hyper, loud and dense. Farid: Skating over that... Zaid is intelligent, considerate and a good friend Farrah is brash, caring... Farrah: Whaaaat?? Farid:...and independent Khalid is athletic, determined and positive Khalid: Zaid is reliable, smart and...well you can trust him. Farid: Trustworthy, Khalid. Khalid: Yeah, that. Farrah is outspoken, stubborn and well...a bit of a bitch. Farrah: True. Khalid: Farid is helpful, shy and forgiving.

5. What is your sibling’s/siblings’ biggest talent(s)?

Zaid: Farrah is an amazing hairstylist and she has a way of putting outfits together that no one else could do...all with two inch nails. Farrah: Aw you’re so nice! I feel bad for calling you boring! Zaid: Farid has a way with numbers and I haven’t once seen him pick up a calculator. He can also wipe the floor with all of us when it comes to video games and Khalid can destroy anyone at most sports...apart from snowboarding. Farrah: Zaid can shoot juice out of his nose...but he also has one of those crazy photographic memories...he’s such a smartarse. Farid can get away with way more than the rest of us because he looks so innocent. He also finished all of our new videogames by the end of the Snowflake Day holidays. I don’t know how! Khalid can burp the alphabet, which is amazing as he can’t spell...I was once forced against my will to go to one of his football matches and he’s a great player. Farid: Zaid can pick up most books and finish them on that day or within a couple of days. I would get distracted! Farrah was able to sneak boys into her room, past our dad. If you know him, that’s an amazing talent. Farrah: I did offer to sneak you one too... Farid: She did. She’s also an amazing stylist and can fix all sorts of hair disasters. Khalid: Like when I turned your hair blue? Farrah: You’re a little shit, but I owned that blue hair. Farid: Khalid is an amazing football player. Khalid: So Zaid is really smart, like Farid said, he can read a book in a day or two! I can hardly...well I don’t really like reading much. Farrah can drink grown men under the table, it’s crazy! She doesn’t even get hangovers most of the time and Farid can count in his head...well he can multiply and stuff too...I don’t know the names of it all.

6. What is your sibling(s) really bad at?

Zaid: Farrah can’t admit when she’s wrong! She just can’t. Farrah: I’m never wrong. Zaid: What about the time when... Farrah: Shut up. Zaid: Farid is bad at making decisions. He needs more self belief and Khalid is bad at spelling and maths...sorry, Khal! Farrah: Zaid is bad at making jokes. I mean he tries, but he’s not really that funny. Farid is bad at speaking up, so I used to speak up for him whether he wanted me to or not. Farid: You used to say “Farid wants...” to get stuff for yourself. Farrah: A small price for my services. Khalid can’t spell or count for shit. Farid: Zaid is bad at putting himself first and he’s...I mean we laugh sometimes, but his jokes are a bit...stale. Zaid: Thanks... Farid: Sorry! Farrah is bad at letting things go, whether it’s a grudge or a joke and Khalid is bad at reading situations and expressions. Khalid: Zaid just isn’t funny, Farrah is bad at...well she can’t say things in a nice way. Farid: She’s as subtle as a brick. Khalid: Yeah...and Farid is bad at controlling his emotions. He was bawling at something on Jaime’s Drag Race last week. 7. Do you have nicknames for each other?

Farrah: Not really. Khalid is sometimes Khal though.

8. What’s one thing you can do that your sibling(s) can’t?

Zaid: Prescribe medication. Farrah: So serious! I can cause an all out war on M*msnet with a few choice words.  Farid: Complete Lubo the Llama 3. Khalid: Only because you hogged it. I can play football without tripping or breaking anything.

9. Did you get along when you were younger?

Zaid: Farid and I have always been really close. Farrah too, but she got really into fashion and we just...weren’t, so she made other friends a lot faster. Farrah: Sometimes they’d lock me out of their room. Farid: You were so loud and you’d ask so many questions and try to style us and dress us up! Farrah: You loved it! Farid:... Zaid: Khalid came along and Farrah hated it! She tried to sell him to our next door neighbour. She dropped him too, but luckily it was only on the sofa. Farrah: I tried my hardest. Khal and I would fight all the time, right up until I moved out, but I wouldn’t let anyone else mess with him. Zaid: Farid and I got on fine with him. Farid would always help him with his homework...they fell out for a bit, but it’s fine now. Khalid: I was a bit of a dick. Farid: It’s fine...we all get on now.

11. Are you closer now or when you were younger?

Zaid: We’re much closer now, but we’ve always been close. Farid: Definitely. Living in different houses is great.

12. Did you compete with each other?

Zaid: No, we all wanted different things. Farrah: Khalid and I would compete for attention. I went from being the only girl to being in the middle when Khalid came along. Khalid: Yeah, she was evil.

13. Which one of you is more likely to turn out like your mum or dad?

Zaid, Farid and Khalid: Farrah! Farrah: True... Zaid: Farrah is just Mum but younger, it’s scary! Khalid: Zaid is kind of like Dad though. Farrah: He is, but let’s be fair, even Zaid has more humour than dad!

14. Which one is most likely to have a big family?

Farid: Farrah. Farrah: What? Zaid has triplets and he’s adopting Lucie! I have Hadi. Farid: Come on, you have Hadi, Harry’s younger brother and sister still live with you...Lloyd and Jelena and you’ve got guardianship of Benny. You’re like Susan Kennedy with fashion sense. Farrah: I’m glad you added that last bit. Khalid: I could have lots of children that no one knows about. Farrah: You can’t get your pillow or your socks pregnant, Khal. Sorry!

15. What is one thing about your sibling(s) that has changed as you’ve gotten older?

Zaid: Farrah has become more responsible and it’s pretty scary! None of us would have guessed that she’d be a mum with a full house. Farid: Yeah, that was a shocker! Khalid has become a lot more mature and handles things a lot better without being... Farrah: A dick. Khalid: Hey...wait, that’s pretty fair. Farid: That pretty much. Farrah: Zaid is toning it down with the career stuff now that he’s a dad. It suits him a lot more and he’s happier. Khalid: Farid is a lot more...well he’s himself. He was always quiet and awkward and he still is, but we know he’s not hiding anything.

16. Who’s better at maths?

Khalid: Farid. Zaid: No competition there.

17. Who is more pessimistic and who is more optimistic?

Farrah: Farid can be a bit pessimistic, but Khalid and I are optimists. I don’t know about Zaid... Zaid: I’m a realist. Farrah: You’re something, but the label fell off.

18. Is there anything you don’t like doing together?

Zaid: Watching TV. Farrah and Khalid won’t shut up. Farrah: I’ll second that, you watch some shit on TV. Farid: Zaid is the only one who’ll really play video games with me. The other two are sore losers. Khalid: I hate playing football with Farid. Farid: I hate playing football.

19. Which one of you do you think will get married first?

Zaid: Sophie and I are engaged, but Farrah and Farid aren’t far behind! Farrah: Don’t scare me, I’ve had enough commitment to last me a lifetime recently. I wouldn’t discount Khalid, he could surprise us with Edyta...if she gets her act together. Khalid: No comment. Farrah: What’s that meant to mean? Farid: He’s already married. Farrah: WHAAAT? Khalid: I’m not...but Farid is taking Drew to Champ Les Sims to propose... Farid: Shut up. Farrah: Tell me everything.

20. Lastly, how often do you argue?

Zaid: Farid and I don’t really, but Farrah likes arguing. Farid: I’ve had a few arguments with Khalid too. Farrah: Khalid is a dick. I grew up with three brothers. It was a shitshow and they all annoyed me. Can you blame me? Khalid: Yeah, I can. Farrah: Shut up, Khalid.

[comicteaparty]

September 23rd-September 29th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from September 23rd, 2019 to September 29th, 2019.  The chat focused on Neguri-Senpai by Neguri Senpai.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Neguri-Senpai by Neguri Senpai~! (http://neguri-senpai.blogspot.com/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PDT), so keep checking back for more! You have until September 29th to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. Of all the strips in the comic, which joke/scenario did you find particularly relatable in terms of what it’s like to be at school or crushing on someone? In what ways did it make you reflect on life or how media portrays these situations?

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 4. Given the comic features a lot of pop culture references, which of those has been your favorite so far? What about it really made you smile, and what do you think the comic can teach us in terms of how pop culture can be used for comedy?

mariah (rainy day dreams)

1. My favorite scenes have been where Aoi tries to recreate Neguri-senpai in various forms of media. I found the video game one particularly funny X') I really like the contrast of how proud Aoi is of her creation but how off they are from the original. It reminds me of how much I loved all my badly drawn husbando fan art as a kiddo. http://neguri-senpai.blogspot.com/2019/02/neguri-senpai-new-game.html?m=1 2. I think Aoi's eavesdropping and creeping on Sana when it comes to Neguri-senpai is pretty relatable. I definitely have felt a similar anxiety about perceived romantic rivals in the past. I think the strip where it turns out Sana was just talking about her cat is a really good example of this. http://neguri-senpai.blogspot.com/2019/01/neguri-senpai-what-did-you-just-say.html?m=1 As far as reflecting on life and media goes, while I think the feeling captured rings true to life, it also makes me kind of bummed that these two's relationship is just fighting over a guy (who I assume is unattainable since he's a teacher? But then again who knows since it's playing on manga tropes). I feel like that kind of angst is common for the teenage girl experience, but I also wonder if part of that is because it's a trope that's so reinforced by media that it just becomes expected. Anyways, two girls fighting over a guy makes me sad if I think about it too long. This has been my TED talk.

3. I think Sana is my favorite character. Maybe exclusively for her goth socks XD Aoi is also very good. 4. Man, my only experience with JoJo is the one episode I watched and all the Twitter memes so I feel like most of those jokes are probably lost on me TuT I do really love whenever someone yells NANI??? though XD I laughed a little every time reading through. I also don't get a lot of the coding jokes, but the ones I do understand have really landed home

RebelVampire

QUESTION 5. What has been your favorite composition in the comic so far? What specifically about it do you like?

QUESTION 6. Do you believe that Aoi will ever be able to date Neguri Senpai? If so, how do you imagine that would happen? If not, how do you think the comic will comedically resolve Aoi’s crush on Neguri Senpai?

RebelVampire

1) My favorite strip so far I think is this one http://neguri-senpai.blogspot.com/2019/08/neguri-senpai-alone-on-roof.html where Aoi is suspiciously summoned to the roof but whoops, nope, it's just for a picture. I really like how this strip plays with the Japanese school roof trope cause it makes the comedic payoff that much sweeter when it's not any romantic or delinquent things. 2) A strip I found super relatable about going to school was this one http://neguri-senpai.blogspot.com/2019/07/neguri-senpai-finals.html where all the girls are discussing whether or not they failed a test. I think basically everyone has done that after a test, regardless of confidence, so it's just one of those moments that I think is universally connecting. I do not miss the stress of worrying about passing or failing a test. XD In terms of reflection, it did make me think that of all the school tropes media messes up, this is actually one that is very spot on to what real life is like, which is pretty rare. Yet, makes for good comedy because of this quality of being universally relatable.

3) My favorite character at the moment is probably Aoi. I just like how earnest she is, how crazy day dreamy, and how enthusiastic she is. It's the perfect combo where even her personality flaws really seem endearing, so I want to see her achieve happiness. 4) My favorite so far was this one where Aoi thought of Speedwagon: http://neguri-senpai.blogspot.com/2019/05/neguri-senpai-i-need-man-like-that.html While I don't know a whole lot about Jojo having been banned from watching it, my boyfriend really loves Jojo. So through him there is one fact I do know, and that's Speedwagon is a beloved character. So it really made me smile to see this show up in the comic and be proven true. XD In terms of what the comic teaches about how pop culture can be used for comedy, I think the biggest lesson is that it's a double-edged sword. If the people know what it being referenced, immediately creates that connection that's needed for comedy. But on the flip side, all those references will fall flat if the person doesn't know the references. So it's great to use, but also gonna be hitting some really niche audiences.

5) My fave composition is the last panel from this strip http://neguri-senpai.blogspot.com/2019/03/neguri-senpai-judgement.html WHat can I saw? I'm a big fan of angles and the whole dark overshadow thing to bring that nice oppressive atmosphere. It really sells the joke. 6) Until the end of the comic, I think the only date Aoi will get will be a joke one. Like one of those ones where she tots think she's going on a date but nah, Neguri Senpai just wanted her for some mundane reason. Like running errands for the school. But I do feel overall if and when the comic ends, it'll be on a happy note with Aoi getting with Neguri Senpai. If only cause there is no comedic rival yet after Aoi.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you?

QUESTION 8. Of the fourth wall breaks in the comic, which one did you find the most interesting and why? In what ways were this comic’s fourth wall breaks unique compared to other comic’s that do it?

Ash🦀

1. I actually really loved the lovingly recreated video game version of Neguri-San who dies five minutes later, as I found it to be the most relatable. I too take five hundred hours in character creation only to remember I have no hand-eye coordination. Also, I was quite glad when they showed Neguri-San’s younger self, because until that moment I thought he was another student and so I was quite confused. Not the dynamic I personally go for but it cleared up so much of my confusion. 2. When they’re all on the beach comparing bodies and Aoi’s like “but how will I compete with someone built so beautiful?” Man that was a MOOD. Been in a committed relationship almost 9 years though so I guess I figured it out. Also, if that’s foreshadowing Aoi’s eventual fall for Sana, that would be the best. 3. Sana is my favorite, because she plays off Aoi so well and seems like a capable and headstrong young woman. She’s really fun to watch. 4. The speed wagon joke was hilarious and you cannot change my mind. Also, wish I understood a lick of coding. 5. The strip when Aoi and Sana were in the classroom and Aoi was staring menacingly? Honestly? The best use of comedic tension that I saw. 6. I highly doubt it. She’s a student, and while it’s cute of her to have a crush, it would be inappropriate for it to be reciprocated. 7. I really enjoy Sana and Aoi interacting. I find their rivalry the most interesting, because Sana seems the most capable rival. She’s smart, she’s driven, and it’ll probably come to a final showdown with her. Also, her stand actually got me to nose exhale, which doesn’t sound like much, but before noon it is a monumental feat. I’d love to see them more directly interacting rather than talking about each other. and heck, maybe they’ll be the couple in the end. Love a good rivals to something more story. 8. Honestly I’m not too big a fan of wall breaks, but it does give me a chuckle every time they blame the author.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. What sorts of details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserves attention?

QUESTION 10. The comic also features a lot of references to computer science and programming, so which of those has been your favorite? Alternatively, which concepts do you wish you understood more to get the joke?

The Q

9. I think the layout is really funny. This comic wouldn't have worked as well with a "traditional" print-style format. The jokes are well-paced, too, something we don't often think about when we (well, I) read commics! 10. WHAT ARE STICKY KEYS FOR? I know them as the annoying suggestion that pops up everytime I use my shift key too much... In general, I can feel a lot of the programming jokes fly right over my head, which is too bad, but that probably just means that I wasn't ever the intended target audience anyway. And that's okay. Honorable mention: the last panel of this strip http://neguri-senpai.blogspot.com/2019/08/neguri-senpai-animal-friendly.html is adorable!

RebelVampire

7) I think I enjoy seeing Aoi interact with Sana. They just have a really cute but funny comedic rivalry that is enjoyable to see unfold. Even when they aren't directly talking to one another their attitudes towards each other is pretty entertaining in itself, which is always a good sign. 8) I really enjoy the merch plug strip http://neguri-senpai.blogspot.com/2019/06/neguri-senpai-what-big-number.html if only because Aoi's face and reaction to that is hilarious and seeing Neguri Senpai enthusiastic about something just...it's laughs all around. Which while there are certainly comic's that do fourth wall breaks like this for self promo, I find this comic to be a bit unique just cause of its execution of the comedy. It doesn't really toe the line with what it is (which is something I see a lot), so I appreciate the energy of upfront in the face nature about it.

9) I really like all the little programming inserts in the comic. Like a lot fo the jokes surrounding them are so specific that I think for a lot of people they fly under the radar. But I like the accuracy for them. It's like that sort of niche inclusion that doesn't hurt the other comedy but really adds a nice chuckle factor for when you do recognize the joke being made. 10) And speaking of the above, my favorite one was definitely this one: http://neguri-senpai.blogspot.com/2019/03/neguri-senpai-judgement.html I have been on both sides of that situation before, and like the accuracy is on point. You're always going to judge people for their code editor of choice regardless of language involved. But I like that even if you don't specifically understand that part about it, it's still relateable in that one of them is being singled out for a potentially bad choice in a comedic manner. So just all around, A+ for that strip.

snuffysam

Oh man, this comic is a lot of fun. I think this was the joke I laughed the hardest just due to the nonchalant pacing of it - http://neguri-senpai.blogspot.com/2019/01/neguri-senpai-what-did-you-just-say.html My favorite character is probably Neguri. He's seen as this god by all the girls, yet he's awkward and almost a literal blank slate character. That sort of subtle humor is just really funny to me, so he's my pick.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 11. What do you think are this particular comic’s strengths? What do you think makes this comic unique? Please elaborate.

QUESTION 12. Of Aoi’s rivals for Neguri Senpai, which one do you find the most interesting, especially in regards to their dynamic with Aoi? What other sorts of rivals are you hoping to see?

snuffysam

I think the comic's biggest strength is, for lack of a better word, how bizarre it is. Like the comic does have recurring themes of course (programming jokes, pop culture references, parodies of the school romance genre), but in terms of each individual strip I have no way of predicting what'll happen next.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 13. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

QUESTION 14. In general, what other sorts of comedic gags are you hoping to see in the comic? Alternatively, where are you hoping the loose story found within the comic goes?

RebelVampire

11) I have to agree with @snuffysam here on strengths. I think the comic is just extremely unique. Like individually you can find aspects in other comics, but all together it makes for a one-of-a-kind experience you cant really predict. And unpredictability is good for this sort of comic since its keeps things interesting. 12) It's definitely gotta be Sana imo. I think even if Neguri wasn't in the picture, they'd be destined rivals who would compete over everything. Yet they're both equally kind of exaggerated in personality in ways I would not peg for the typical sort of girl rivalry you see for school comics like this. In terms of other rivals, I hope Aoi has to deal with like a secret admirer one so that she can't exactly confront that rival. Maybe go the mystery detective route trying to figure out who it is.

13) I'm looking forward to more A+ programming jokes. They have some catching up to do if they want to compete with all the Jojo references. But also as I've complimented them, I just overall enjoy them a lot. 14) I'm actually hoping to see more gags with that one rival (whose name i forget) who is extremely blunt and vulgar about her intentions towards Neguri. Just the concept super entertains me, so I'm really hoping she gets to be in more gags that involve wordplays and stuff.

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Neguri-Senpai this week! Please also give a special thank you to Neguri Senpai for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Neguri-Senpai, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: http://neguri-senpai.blogspot.com/

Neguri Senpai’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/negurisenpai

Neguri Senpai’s Merch Shop: https://streamlabs.com/negurisenpai/merch

Neguri Senpai’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/NeguriSenpai

[travllingbunny]

The 100 rewatch: 1x06 His Sister’s Keeper

I’m a new fan of The 100, who first binged it last year, August to November. This is my first full rewatch of the show. I was planning to start it anyway and finish it before the season 6 premiere on April 30, and when I saw that Fox Serbia was airing a rerun (Monday to Friday, 40 min. after midnight, with repeats the next day), starting on 1st February, it was a great opportunity to start my rewatch in HDTV on my beautiful new TV. I decided to do write-ups and tag other fans on SpoilerTV website, as I did when I was first watching the show. But my posts turned into full blown essays. So, finally, after over a week, I’ve realized: Why don’t I post them on my Tumblr blog, too? I’ll copy my write-ups of the first 7 episodes, and then I’ll post my rewatch posts after I watch each episode. (The next one, 1x08, is on Monday’Tuesday.)

Spoilers below for all 5 seasons of the show. I go of on a tangents and make a lot of references to future events.

Rating: 8/10

Flashbacks to characters' past on the Ark are always one of my favorite things. i wish we'd get more of them. So far, IIRC, there's just been 3 episodes with flashbacks - 1x03, this one, and Join or Die in season 3. They really did a good job making both Bob and Marie look younger in the flashbacks. I do think that telling a 6 year old child it's his responsibility to take care of his sister is messed up, but on the other hand, what choice did Aurora Blake have? I can't judge her for it, since she was in a terrible situation, and it's the Ark system that's to blame for it all. And I've seen people hate on Aurora way too much. Some even go as far as to bring up that terrible "poor people should not have kids" argument, which is awful (classism, eugenics..). . (Another mini-rant upcoming) Speaking of weird things I've seen said in the fandom, I was really puzzled to learn that a lot of people did not realize Bellamy and Octavia have different fathers, and act like that's a big surprise, or that I've even seen people say that "the show never gave indication that they were half-siblings"?? WTF? The show never gave any indication that they were anything but half-siblings. For starters, I don't know why those two being full siblings would be anyone's default assumption, or why some people apparently think that women can't conceiving children with more than one man in their lifetime and that half-siblings are such a weird, rare and unheard of thing? But once you've seen this episode, the probability that they have the same father becomes microscopic. They're 6 years apart, there is no father in sight when Octavia is born, no one ever mentions a father, and Aurora is not in a regular relationship with anyone at the time Octavia is born. If Octavia's father died or was floated, it would have happened very recently, and they would have certainly mentioned it. In fact, I think that they would have definitely mentioned it if either of them knew they had a father who had been floated. I'm not sure what the deal was with Bellamy's father, whether Aurora had a serious relationship with him, whether he was around when Bellamy was very little and what happened to him (but even if he was in the picture at any point, he clearly couldn't have been around much, because Bellamy never mentions him), but in case of Octavia's father, he's clearly not in the picture and it's almost certain Octavia doesn't even know who he is. The two biggest revelations of the flashbacks were: that Octavia was discovered when Bellamy tried to let her have a life, for the first time, by taking her to see the Moon through the window and taking her to the dance to have fun and meet people; and that Shumway was the one who made Bellamy shoot Jaha in exchange for a place on the dropship. Not the greatest mystery The 100 has done - it was always going to be one of the few notable characters on the Ark, it was getting obvious it was not Kane, Diana hasn't even been introduced at this point, and the show never made the whole Jaha - Diana conflict remotely interesting or meaningful. Just how awful would have the lives of the Blake siblings been if they had spent their lives on the Ark? Octavia would have probably never met anyone other than her mother and her brother, never had a chance to have any kind of life except hiding. And Bellamy would have probably never had a real romantic relationship or a close friend (I always assumed he never had any of those on the Ark, because he kept people at a distance), never giving himself a chance to have a family of his own other than his sister, because of having to keep such a huge secret from everyone. Re: the Earth/present part of 1x06, it takes place fully on Earth (which was such a relief for me at the time, because at this point, I was sick of the Ark and hated pretty much every major character there other than Abby) and it's mostly about Bellamy taking a group of Delinquents (including Finn, who was asked to come as a tracker, and a bunch of kids who volunteered) to find Octavia, who was caught saved by Lincoln at the end of 1x05. One of the kids who volunteers is Jasper, the others include Bellamy's FwB Roma, John Mbege, some kid named Diggs, and Monroe (her first appearance). Three of those are redshits that end up killed by the Grounders. The rest almost meet the same fate, if Octavia hadn't asked Lincoln to help save her brother, so he used the signal horn to send a fake warning about the acid fog. which of course had the Grounders running away. I've seen a theory that Bellamy stopped sleeping around (minus that thing with Raven later in S1) because he felt guilty over Roma's death, because, as he says, she only joined the rescue party because of him. It may also be the turning point where he notably starts caring more about all of the Delinquents and not just his sister. As for the scenes with Lincoln and Octavia... eh. Lincoln will get much better writing and become one of my favorite characters in season 2, but in season 1, they were writing him really poorly. He was clearly meant to be mysterious and give the wrong first impression as a scary dangerous dude, which is why he doesn't talk until the very end of 1x07. But that doesn't actually make sense - there's no reason whatsoever, if he's already helping Octavia and doing things not sanctioned by the other Grounders, that he couldn't just talk to her and explain the situation, rather than chaining her up in the cave after healing her. The B subplot is again the love triangle. Or to be fair, the development of the relationship between Clarke and Raven, which is not just about the love triangle. Clarke reveals the info about the shelter to Raven (which Finn is not happy about) and they go together to search for things Raven could use to fix the radio with and contact the Ark. They have a conversation about their mothers, too. Clarke is still very angry at her mother because she blames her for her father's death, but won't talk about it, while Raven thinks Abby is awesome and wishes she had a mother like that, comparing her to her own alcoholic, neglectful mothers. We also learn more about Finn's role in her life - they knew each other as children, and he was the neighborhood boy who was giving her things and helping her survive. Which is consistent with Finn's character - he's always focusing on the girl he's in love with, doing everything for her and doing everything to make sure she feels that she needs him. 

Then Raven figures out that Clarke and Finn had hooked up, because she found the origami deer and she's smart, and confronts Clarke about it I don't like the way Raven is catty to Clarke here, as opposed to the fact that she later doesn't confront Finn about it (until much later, when she realizes he's in love with Clarke). I always hate it when women blame only the "other woman", but not their own boyfriend/husband who's the one who cheated. But, again, I love the fact that Clarke absolutely doesn't do the "catty and fighting for a guy" thing. Instead, she points out that she didn't know about Raven.,but also tries to smooth things between Raven and Finn by pointing out that they thought Raven and everyone on the Ark would soon be dead and they would never see them again. This is, however, way, way too generous to Finn, because he was flirting with Clarke already on the dropship and pursued her constantly from day one. But I'm not sure that Clarke is even fully aware of it. She may be thinking that he really wasn't planning on hooking up with her till that moment at the end of 1x04, when he lost hope in contacting the Ark. She has very little romantic experience, after all, and seemed too distracted by everything else happening around them, the fight for survival, trying to save Jasper, Wells' death, the drama with Charlotte etc. to even notice how much Finn was hitting on her. The same way that, in season 2, she was far too distracted by planning the war and worrying about Bellamy and the Delinquents at Mount Weather and didn't seem to notice Lexa giving her heart eyes, until Lexa surprised her by kissing her. She's really not the most attuned to these things. Raven\s remark that "he could have waited for more than 10 days" (yes, exactly) gives us the first explicit clue about the exact timeline. The painful Octavia/Bellamy confrontation at the end of the episode is one of the best dramatic moments on S1. It gets resolved at the end of S1, but now I can't help thinking that it's just the first of the many times throughout all 5 seasons where Octavia blames Bellamy for pretty much everything ever. I remember that Bellamy takes back what he said here in the S1 finale - telling Octavia his life didn't end when she was born, it began - but does Octavia take back any of what she said to him, blaming him for their mother's death and her imprisonment and all? I don't remember that, but I'll pay attention in 1x13.

Timeline and body count at the end of 1x06:

The first 6 episodes took place over 10 days. The first 3 episodes must have been something like a day, then there was a week between episodes 3 and 4, and 4--6 were about a day or two.

Body count: 

at least 320 dead people on the Ark, 10 dead Delinquents on the ground: 2 killed in the crash landing (and due to their own stupidity), 3 (Trina, Pascal, Atom) killed by the acid fog (that is, the Mountain Men) - though technically Clarke mercy killed Atom, 2 killed by the Delinquents themselves (Wells - murdered by Charlotte, Charlotte - suicide, mostly sue to pressure from Murphy),, 3 killed by the Grounders (Doggs, Mbege, Roma). "The 100" are The 90 now. As of the start of season 6, they'll be The 4.

[antmfunny]

3. Brawny Men

Allow me to take you back two and a half years ago to an interview where Tyra is asked about the possibility of casting plus-size men on ANTM:

While her answer isn’t “No fatties!” it also wasn’t the most the encouraging of responses. I get what she said about not wanting to give false hope to someone who couldn’t realistically book modeling gigs (Tyra would NEVER do such a thing!), however it’s way more exciting to see 2018 Tyra pouncing on an opportunity to promote some chunky and hunky dudes as soon as that market presented itself.

Yup, thats a genuine kudos to Tyra, with no joke or caveat attached. I know that seems out of character for me, but credit where credit is due right?

Tyra gathers the models for a shoot and explains how she was cruising Instagram and came across the world’s first brawny male supermodel. I swear, if Tyra scrolls through random social media accounts as often as she makes it seem, it’s time to check Tyra into rehab for internet addiction.

That male model is Zach Miko, and he seems like a genuine sweetheart. Most of the ladies gush over him, including Erin who says he reminds her of the Brawny paper towel guy. In reality, Zach looks nothing like the paper towel mascot, in that he’s not a lumberjack with a ‘70s pornstache, but Tyra uses the word “brawny” so much this episode that Erin must have incepted it.

Zach tells the girls they’ll be dripping in gold, which the girls wildly cheer for. Typically, the expression “dripping in gold” means wearing lots of jewelry, I can’t imagine they were nearly as excited when the PAs started dumping paint on them.

Zach won’t be the only male model, Tyra wants a few more big guys to appear in the shots, so she holds a casting call. Most of the guys aren’t even plus-size, though, and it’s unclear whether they just recruited entirely wrong or they already had their three models picked out and threw the other guys in for a beefcake scene.

I mean, I really don’t know what to make of these bow-tied twins who do a synchronized backflip. They’re scrawny as fuck, so why are we seeing them at all? I don’t understand at all.

To surprise of no one, Shanice uses the casting call as an opportunity to flirt. She asks full-bodied Kevin if he’s married, then he throws his clothes at her as he strips down. She never asked Kevin he had a girlfriend, though, which I guess would be a factor she considers irrelevant since she has a boyfriend herself. Nevertheless, Shanice admits there’s chemistry, and then the show doesn’t even bother to pair them together, which is such a fucking wasted opportunity.

What is surprising is how thirsty Erin is for these male models. She won’t do a tasteful (and covered) nude pose because of her kids, but she’s willing to make sexually suggestive comments about a man 15 years younger than her while she’s got a husband at home? Maybe now’s the time to consider what her kids will think about that.

Erin asks Miles if he’s into older women, then offers to break him in. Later at panel, she pretty much blushes about how she hasn’t been with another man in a long time and it felt like she cheated on her husband by posing with the male model.

While Erin talks about how beefy men are her type, Tyra says that Erin’s skinny body looks so fly that it makes her feel like she needs to work out. That’s not quite on theme with the body positivity of the episode, but all right.

Not everyone is as into thick physiques as Erin and Shanice. When Rio first finds out what the shoot will be, she gripes to her fellow competitors, “We’re posing with fat ass dudes.” The other women chide her for that attitude. Rio says, “I was just kidding everyone, I am not that insensitive of a bitch - promise.”

She IS that insensitive of a bitch, though, because she later says in confessional, “To be honest with you, overweight guys like that are not cute. Let’s work out, let’s get healthy. But, hey, do you boo boo.”  

Damn, Rio, if a rotund man is not your personal preference, fair enough, but as someone who’s often brown-nosing for the judges, at least learn to read the room. If Tyra’s calling these men sexy, and Ashley’s whole shtick is body positivity, how are you playing a smart game by making fat-phobic comments?

Simply put, chubby guys are looking WAY better than Rio after those ugly sentiments poured out of her mouth. Talk about not cute.

That said, if the male models DO decide to work out/get healthy, at least they know they can have a gym buddy in Christina. She works out EVERY DAY, remember.

Rio may be down for the cause herself, because she shows up to panel in what Tyra calls a “Jazzercise” outfit. It’s truly ridiculous. Ashley Graham wonders what Law would have to say about it if he were here and for once MAN do I wish Law was here to speak some truth to that look.

Per Tyra, Law is unavailable for panel today because he is off “image architecting” for someone. What, did Zendaya have a shoe emergency? More accurately, he’s probably off pursuing his true passion: bottoming… hopefully for a brawny man, so it’s at least on theme. (Aside to the producers - anytime a judge is unavailable, Stacey McKenzie should be your FIRST CALL for a fill-in.)

Anyway, the judges that are present decide that Rio is being outdone by brawny model Miles in her shot. I think it catches Rio a little off guard to find that an obese guy can out-model her but that’s just too fucking bad for her.

4 Funniest Moments of America’s Next Top Model Cycle 24 Ep. 8

[startofamoment]

B99 + Childhood Friends AU: in which Jake attends each of Amy’s eleven birthdays at the planetarium.

6 year old Jake alternates between pulling little Amy's pigtails and running around exhibits with her older brothers. 

He tires himself out and falls asleep halfway through the afternoon planetarium space show. Mrs. Santiago has to carry him around the museum for half an hour after that, until he's awake enough to walk around on his own.

7 year old Jake makes it his personal mission to win every single party game that year. Any other kid might cry over how competitive (i.e. mean) Jake is being, but Amy stands her ground and manages to beat him in nearly every game. 

In the end, Jake's the one who's in tears. Karen has to pick him up early because he's inconsolable after losing Pin The Ring On Saturn.

8 year old Jake is on his best behavior through the morning (partly because Karen gave him a lengthy talking-to on the car ride over, but also because he’s been kind of subdued overall since Roger left a few months prior). He does go ham on lunch, especially when they bring out Amy’s blue cake. 

Mrs. Santiago has to cradle him in her lap during the space show because he has too much of a tummy ache. (The Santiago brothers make fun of him for at least a week after that, but Amy defends him with her life and also sends him a Get Well Soon! card.)

9 year old Jake has just discovered Star Wars and spends most of the party trying to find planet models of Hoth and Tatooine. While the other kids just laugh at him, Amy informs him that Star Wars is both fictional and inaccurate then proceeds to tell him about how awesome the real universe actually is. 

The two of them unknowingly break off from the group at some point because Amy’s too engrossed in telling him about the International Space Station, and Jake’s just hanging on to every word she says. They’re officially lost for a whole 12 minutes, but Mrs. Santiago eventually finds them in the full-scale space shuttle replica, laughing and pretending to be space pilots slash jedi. 

Given last year’s "I Thought I Lost You Between Mars and Jupiter And I Didn’t Know How To Tell Mrs. Peralta” fiasco (along with every single Jake-related mess the years before), Mrs. Santiago assigns her oldest sons to make sure the 10 year old boy does not get into any trouble. 

Luis (who is visiting from college) and Miguel (who is a high school senior) keep a close watch on Jake throughout the party, which just means getting front row seats to their little sister listing off her favorite constellations and being the happiest she’s ever been.

Out of sheer boredom (because they’ve pretty much memorized all the exhibits at this point), they start betting on when Jake and Amy will get together. (”When Amy’s 11, for sure. I mean, have you seen them?!” “Yes, Miguel, I have seen them. They’re children.”) 

Amy’s other older brothers eventually join in on the betting pool. (The younger Santiago boys are excluded because they only have candy and spare change to offer.) 

11 year old Jake puts extra thought into coming up with a gift for Amy. (He settles on a sudoku book and a handwritten note with only one spelling error.) It costs him two weeks’ worth of allowance, but it’s all worth it when her face lights up upon opening his present. At the last minute, he sneaks a kiss on her cheek before running off to where Karen said she would pick him up.

One of Amy’s brothers sees this and immediately updates the others on their group e-mail chain. Miguel demands his winnings, but they refuse to pay up since the two technically aren’t dating yet. (A detailed list of conditions is made to avoid future confusion.)

Mr. Santiago overhears his sons talking about their bet and makes time to attend Amy’s 12th birthday party and meet (i.e. evaluate) Jake himself. (Victor had been busy with police work the years before but had always made it up to his daughter one way or another.) Jake sticks with one of the Santiago brothers the whole time, disappointing literally everyone. 

He does give Amy a shy smile on the way out, and his birthday card (with no spelling errors) makes her entire week.

Another girl schedules her pool party on the same day as Amy’s 13th birthday party, so only her brothers and Jake show up to the planetarium. She’s really sad at first, but then Jake cracks a joke and makes her smile. 

They get permission to roam the museum on their own and eventually end up in the space shuttle replica Mrs. Santiago found them playing in ages ago. The twinkling lights from the fake control panel somehow make Amy look prettier than ever (which should be impossible because she’s already way prettier than everyone else, even Jenny Gildenhorn), and Jake musters up the courage to kiss her for realz. 

The kiss (her first!!) is way too short because her little brother Alex spots them and promptly yells, “I’M TELLING MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” before running off.

Manny is so sure this means he’s won the betting pool, but the two still don’t start dating because Amy freaks out and Jake is convinced that her not doing anything means she’s not interested. 

A week before Amy’s 14th birthday, Mrs. Santiago asks her whether she wants to invite everyone or just Jacob to the planetarium. With her ears and cheeks burning, she stammers out: “Just Jake.” (Jake doesn’t realize he’s the only guest until Karen drops him off and he sees Amy sitting alone on the front steps of the museum.) 

He spends a good half hour wondering if this is a date / what any of this means, but his questions are answered when Amy casually slips her hand in his and laces their fingers together. 

They kiss again at Their Spot™ in the space shuttle... and in the back row of the space show, and behind the model of the moon, and on the bench outside the museum.

They officially start dating a few weeks after, and Mrs. Santiago wins the betting pool.

For her 15th birthday, Amy asks Jake to give her a guided tour of the museum. (”I’ve spent every birthday since we were 9 just talking your ear off! I want to see if you’ve actually learned anything.”) 

Jake, of course, spent those visits to the museum just gazing at Amy with heart eyes and thinking about how smart and pretty she is, so he ends up just pulling shit out of thin air.  

He does get the facts about Amy’s favorite star right, and that earns him a make out sesh through the entire space show. (They almost get kicked out, but the manager knows them and loves that they’re finally together.) 

16 year old Jake convinces the employees to let him turn one of the staff lounges into an “exclusive exhibit.” He leads Amy into the dark room, where one wall is covered in glow in the dark stars spelling out: “PROM?”

She rolls her eyes because Jesus Christ, her boyfriend is so Extra, and- “Jake, you didn’t have to do any of this. Did you seriously think I would say no?”

They pass by the gift shop to splurge on commemorative memorabilia since it’s her last birthday at the planetarium for the foreseeable future. (She expects to be out of state scouting out colleges during her next birthday.) 

Years later, Jake takes her back to the planetarium for old time’s sake. At the end of the space show, the constellations move across the dome ceiling to form: “Will you marry me?” (This would’ve cost Jake big bucks but the museum board members were moved by his story of what the planetarium meant to him.)

At this point, Amy’s not even sure she should still be surprised by how Extra her boyfriend is. 

She says yes. 

HI I’M BOTH SORRY AND NOT SORRY THAT THIS LIST WAS SO LONG. Also, major props to @the-pontiac-bandit, @peraltiagoisland, @stardustsantiago, @elsaclack, and @proofthatihaveaheart for listening to me yell about this AU!!! ♡♡♡

[dreaminglee]

Pentagon Hogwarts!AU

Gryffindor :

1. Hui

Sorted to Gryffindor in an instant, all of his family was Gryffindor student as well.

Courage and brave, ready to take a bullet for his friends.

Leader of the famous Frog Choir.

Sometimes reckless.

Well-liked and known by everyone, who doesn’t know the main vocalist-slash-the Leader of Frog Choir?!

Aside from his status in Frog Choir, everyone know him because he’s friendly as well.

Arrogant in terms of his musical prowess.

When you can’t sleep and went down to Common room at night, Hui will be glad to sing you a lullaby.

But also likes to nag at other Gryffindor student about everything. He basically cares for everyone.

The one who organized cool Gryff parties and invited other Houses only to brag. lol 

The one who come with ridiculous dare when playing Truth or Dare.

Also the one who will do any dare thrown at him.

Will start singing We Will Rock You at Quidditch match.

Ofc everyone will follow him.

2. Wooseok

School’s Prankster Mascot.

Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes’ VVVVVIP customer.

Also on Filch’s VVVVVIP detention list.

Dangerously reckless.

Almost fell down from the Owlery just because someone dared him to pet one of the sassiest owl.

Lots of pranks going wrong so he got quite a lot of bruises.

Madam Pomfrey scolded him a lot, but that didn’t stop him.

Gryffindor Quidditch Team’s Keeper

Because... come on, no one fits Keeper more than our Giant Wooseok.

Really use “You will like me because i’m a Keeper.” pick up line.

Surprise, surprise! Slytherin Yuto’s bestfriend!

Hogsmeade weekend trip go to : Spinwitches Sporting Needs. To check on Quidditch gear. Ofc with Yuto too!

In contrast with Jinho, he often mistaken as senior.

His Mom bought him an auto-grown uniform robes from Madam Malkin since he grow like a damn tree.

3. Shinwon

Gryffindor’s Catalogue Model.

Popular because his body proportion.

Kidding. He’s popular because he’s Go Shiwon, everyone loves Go Shiwon.

Surprisingly, member of the Rat Race Club.

One of the Quidditch Commentator Duo.

Extra af.

Lots of unnecessary comments during the match.

And a lot of roasting other Houses too.

“Nice dodge by that giant Gryffindor keeper over there! Really good at dodging Bludgers but unfortunately bad at escaping from Filch!”

“Go Shinwon!”

“Sorry Professor!”

“Back to the game, oh by the way Wooseok I heard you asked that senior from Hufflepuff on a date?”

McGonagall whipped out her wand and cast the mic on silent.

Favorite sweets : Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans.

Favorite Hogsmeade trip : following Yanan to Honeydukes.

Afraid of dogs and werewolf-type animal, nearly fainted when he met Fluffy.

Hufflepuff :

4. Jinho

Hufflepuff’s Head Boy

Hufflepuff’s Sunshine

Frog Choir’s Ex-Leader, left the Choir when appointed as Head Boy, but sometimes joined them on special occasion.

Moved to the Magical Creature Club, can be seen carrying around Bowtruckle on his shoulder.

Really likes Care of Magical Creatures subject, all the creatures loves him! even the Niffler and Hippogriff.

Everyone wants to hug him.

Come on, even when he’s the oldest amongst his friends, he’s still the most adorable.

Lots of first years mistaken him as a fellow first year. (so yeah, imagine their horror-stricken face when Yanan told them that the boy who’d they called by ‘bro’ for the past 1 hour is Jinho, the Head Boy, seventh year, and all that).

But he’s just laughing and told them not to be scared that much, after that, all Puff’s younger student idolized him.

Don’t be fooled by his appearance tho, because he’s really damn scary when mad.

One time Jinho blew up mad in front of lots of kids, even Hui and Hongseok had to drag him out of the room to calm him down.

Everyone got shocked to see him that mad even the younger kids starts crying.

But Jinho will go back to his usual self when the problem got sorted.

The one who will stand by with a glass of warm milk / coffee when everyone get hangover.

5. Yanan

Made in China

“Annyeong Chingudeul”

Loves herbology

Everyone’s friend, greets everyone, no matter what house or which year are they in.

Fat Briar’s bestfriend (?)

Every Hogwart’s Ghosts bestfriend tbh, this kid just love to befriend everyone, even the ghosts!!

Comes from a long line of Old Great Chinese Wizard Family, but no one realize because Yanan is too cotton candy looking to be the heir of ancient wizard family thing.

Don’t be fooled by that face because he won’t hesitate to kick your ass when he is mad.

His favorite part of the weekend Hogsmeade trip : Honeydukes.

From Acid Pops to Wizochoc, this boy right here have tried all of it.

On the top of his list : Fizzing Whizbees and Sugar Quill (because he can chew at it on class).

Treats puff’s younger kids who’s in a bad mood or sad to Honeydukes, sometimes you can see Shinwon by his side for a box of Bertie Bott’s .

Karamela Flume -the owner- sometimes give him bonus sweets, as Yanan is very polite and also bought lots everytime he come.

Favorite subject : Muggle Studies, Potion, and Herbology!

Muggle Studies because he really amazed by how Muggle world works, nowadays he’s fascinated by their cotton candy machine.

Potion and Herbology because his family is famous for their ancient chinese healing magic, Yanan can concocted various healing potions and his love for Herbology clearly helps him when making potions.

Ravenclaw:

6. Hongseok

Smart.

Straight O’s student. 

Instead of helping kids who cannot solve the riddle, he’ll helping them by giving hints.

Likes to have a deep talk with the Eagle Knocker.

Ravenclaw’s famous hot nerd.

But also pretty buff up, working out everytime he’s not studying.

Girls silently died when Hongseok rolled his sleeves just because

Dem muscular arms of him ofc *A*

Awkwardly tried to joked with others but mostly failed.

Very familiar with the kitchen’s house-elves altho he’s not hufflepuffs. It’s because he sometimes come to cook or grabbing snack for his late-night studying.

Good at food related charm. Don’t ask why.

Frog Choir’s fixed member, but he always said that he’s not and only performing because Jinho and Hui asked for his help.

He can see a person’s potential just by talking with him, and he’s a good adviser too.

Great observant. He’s good at sensing everyone’s mood, always know whether you’re in a good/bad mood or have some good/bad news to tell.

7. Kino

Metamorphagus.

Change his hair color on hourly basis, but only his close friends who know the meaning of his hair colors.

Transforms into other Professor to release Wooseok from Filch’s detention.

Only McGonagall and his friends who can tell Kino behind all of his disguise. (yeah, even Flitwick, his own Head house, sometimes got fooled by his ability. But he never gets mad)

Use his abiility to sneak out at night, to find Room of Requirement. (Again, Filch never realized the Flitwick he meet every night is Kino in disguise)

Why Room of Requirement? Boy need to practice his dance every day, and which room can fulfill his need?

The first one who will go whenever McGonagall held the ball dance practice. And he’ll be willing to help teaching the younger kids who can’t.

Needless to say, he and his partner will be the first one to hop on to the center of the hall @ Yule Ball.

Cannot control his appearance when he talk to the girl he likes. His hair color, nose and ear shape will change uncontrollably.

 A really, really sweet kid.

8. E’Dawn

The epitome of eccentric.

Likes to give vague answers to the door knocker. Makes other Claw student groaned because it means it’ll be a long time for them to get in. Also loves to argue with the eagle.

Only his close friends can call him Hyojung.

Can emitted a dolphin-like scream.

But also spitting rap like fire.

Sometimes use rap-rhymes when insulting people.

Throwing aegyos whenever he got the chance. Making people want to coo but also kick him at the same time.

Hardcore deadliner.

Transfiguration test at 11 A.M? This boi will only start studying at 10.45.

But then got the highest mark among his classmates.

Late-night, philosophy-related discussion with Hongseok.

A good listener, when there are other Claw students who can’t sleep or having a problem, he’s beyond ready to lend ears.

Great observant no.2. But different from Hongseok, he’s good at reading situation. Someone joked too far? He’ll steered the conversation so the jokee know that he/she crossed the line. Someone got uncomfortable with the discussion topic? He’ll change it naturaly.

Slytherin

9. Yeo One

Pureblood.

Have two persona. The cold, intimidating Yeo One & Bright, friendly Changgu.

You’ll get Yeo One at the first time you meet him, or if you’ve ever got on his nerves. And also if you insulted, or looking trouble with his friends/loved ones.

But when he trust you to be around him, you’ll see Changgu.

Even though he’s a pureblood, his family is the lenient one, he’s not that judgmental about blood status.

Cunning, good at making people to obey or doing something for him. But not in a bad way.

Slytherin’s Seeker.

Have a big fanbase among the other Quidditch players.

Good at fan service.

Loyal af. But never showed his loyalty in front other people.

Dare him to do something? He’ll do it to prove you wrong.

Girls like it when Yeo One styled his hair up because Yeo Chang Rude. they think he looks hotter with that hairstyle.

Pro at controlling facial expression.

10. Yuto

Transfer student from Mahoutokoro.

Beater in Toyohashi Tengu Junior.

Sorted to Slytherin when he transferred to Hogwarts and naturally scouted to Slytherin’s Quidditch team as Beater.

Have a small group of loyal fans who cheered him every match.

Surprise, surprise pt.2 ! Gryffindor Wooseok’s Bestfriend!

So it all started at 2002 Quidditch World Cup.

Yuto ride his mini broomstick outside his family tent, when he saw a kid taller than him riding his mini broomstick too.

They started a race (cute one ofc) and their family found them so cute, they exchanged addresses.

So Yuto and Wooseok become an Owl-pal and always met on a Global Young Quidditch Player Summer Camp.

Ofc Yuto jumped when an opportunity to be exchange student to Hogwarts come.

lol so done with Yuto-Wooseok backstory ppl.

Yuto is a shy puppy. But his flat expression make people mistake him as a scary, cold, typical Slytherin.

Will start blabbering in Japanese when caught off guard/shy.

But that’s his charm that make girls secretly like him.

A gentleman.

A hard worker.

Even when everyone always told him that he’s the best Beater Slytherin ever had, it didn’t stop him from training every day.

And he never forget to give credit to others.

“Oh no, of course we win because Yeo One Hyung caught the Snitch so quick!”

When Slytherin won a game but he thought that he did bad, he will go to the Training Grounds for another hard training.

A loyal friend, will silently support his friends.

When he smiled, everyone doted him. 

lol finally done with Pentagon Hogwarts!AU *dies* it took me almost 2 weeks because of work, lots of distraction lol, and mainly because I kept adding point to all members lol. I’m sorry if there are members who didn’t get as much background stories as the other :( and if my sorting is different with what you guys had in mind... I planned to make few short scenarios based on this also :> (after I finish one scenario request I got a few days ago omg so happy lol).

Hope you guys enjoy <33333333