#which is not your plot point but i do wanna share that particularly awful thought

[jennycalendar]

au of the wish where it's giles' wish instead, that angel's curse never got broken, so jenny would be alive, but it's wishverse so everything is terrible (spike & dru started tearing up the place without angelus' buffy obsession slowing them down) but giles doesn't want to undo the spell & lose jenny again, she calls him an idiot and does it herself when he confesses to her? or jenny dies anyway because inevitability trope? is that anything. idk if this is comprehensible it's bedtime

AHA HI i think your plotline is plausible and sufficiently heartbreaking with one caveat: it has to be buffy who makes the wish. buffy is the only person who would wish, specifically, that she never slept with angel -- giles, if given the chance would wish, simply and truly, for jenny to be there.

[opbackgrounds]

Alright, friends, you know the drill by now. Here’s Part III of Sarcasticles’ overblown thoughts on sexism in One Piece. If you haven’t already, go read Part I and Part II before proceeding. 

I promise after this I’ll be done. By hook or by crook, we’re getting through the point of the original question. To the Anon who originally sent the ask, sorry it took this long to get here, I hope it’s helpful.

Also, I allude to some very, very minor Wano spoilers, so if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing here’s your warning. 

Characterization? I Don’t Know Her

What makes a good character?

I’ve spent an awful lot of time talking about character designs, when, funnily enough, it’s one of the aspects I pay the least attention to when it comes to deciding if I like how an author portrays their characters. I personally don’t care for fanservice, never have and never will. But unless it’s particularly egregious, I tend to ignore it because there are other factors I think are more important. 

The secret sauce for building characters is hard to define, because a good writer can take a concept that has no right being any good and turn it into something incredible (Oda does this all the time) where bad writers will seemingly slot all the right information in the right holes and still have their characters come out of the developmental oven flat and under cooked. 

One of the biggest buzzwords floating around these days is agency. Is a character active in their own story, or are they jerked around by the needs of the plot? Is their voice heard? Is their voice unique, or do they blend in with the background?

This is particularly important, because the term Strong Female Protagonist has been warped into shorthand for “girl who fights a lot and looks pretty doing it”. You can have a girl strong enough to lift mountains and still have her be a shit character. You can write a girl who’s main motivation is to get married and have babies with phenomenal depth. What matters is execution. 

The Petition to Call A Group of Rescue Arcs a ‘Damsel’

Both Nami and Robin had to be rescued, their main arcs bearing similarities that are impossible to ignore. But these aren’t copies of one another as much as variations on a theme, and with the existence of Marineford and Whole Cake Island I think anyone would be hard-pressed to say that One Piece’s rescue arcs are a girl’s thing. At this point it’s a feature, not a bug. 

Which makes sense given how fundamental the idea freedom is to the series. Hell, the first thing Luffy does after becoming a pirate is free Coby from Alvida’s tyrannical reign. Then he frees Zoro from an unjust authority that would have killed him had Luffy not intervened.

Notice a pattern here? 

One Piece is written like Pachelbel Canon, in that a very simple core of ideas are repeated over and over with layers of complexity and nuance added over time, examining the same themes from every possible angle. 

And when you look at the Four Big Rescue Arcs -- Nami, Robin, Ace, Sanji -- you’ll see that it’s Ace who’s given the least agency throughout his arc. Nami chose to hijack the Going Merry, repeatedly chose to push away the Straw Hats until she reached her breaking point, at which she chose to ask for help, with Luffy only intervening once she does. 

Robin is a little less obvious, but during the post-Water 7 party chapters, Aokiji makes the interesting observation that Robin could have escaped CP9, but chose not to

Remember that before Robin’s backstory was shown, Luffy specifically said he didn’t care if she wanted to die or not, so long as she was with the Straw Hats when she made her decision. No one bullied her into “I wanna live”. It was a choice she made of her own volition after realizing the depths the Straw Hats would go on her behalf.

I know there are people who disagree with me, but Nami and Robin are well-written characters. I’ve expounded enough on my reasoning both here and on my main that I don’t want to spend the time belaboring the point. What I do want is to note that Luffy wouldn’t be able to attain his dreams without them. Nami keeps them on course while also severing as a sort of moral compass for the crew -- remember she was the one who insisted on saving the giant kids at Punk Hazard -- while Robin’s ability to read the poneglyphs is what’s going to get the crew to Raftel.

Robin admittedly doesn’t have the same presence within the Straw Hat Pirates as Nami, but I would hardly call that sexism. Since Water 7/Enies Lobby she’s been pretty content to go with whatever Luffy says, and the fact that she’s literally quieter than anyone else in the crew means she doesn’t get as much focus. I think there could be more scenes with her using her specific skill set, like her investigations in Wano and the forensic anthropology scene in the pre-Jaya chapters, but I’m okay with her being a supporting character. 

The East Blue Crew have consistently gotten the most focus of any of the Straw Hats. They are the core of the crew, something Oda admits in a roundabout way in the Color Walk where they all appear together for the first time in a color spread

With the main cast as large as it is, not everyone is going to have the same amount of focus or development. Robin is given a unique voice within the story because she doesn’t overreact the way literally everyone else does. Through her silence, she stands out. I find there to be very meaningful character development when she feels comfortable enough with the Straw Hats to start calling them by name in Thriller Bark, relaxed enough with her friends to comitt her first facefaults in a series lousy with them in both Dressrosa and Wano.

In an ideal world, Oda would better rotate through his cast, much like how Brook was the unsung MVP on Whole Cake Island (where Nami was also excellent in a supporting role) but I don’t think people realize how hard it is to juggle almost a dozen different people in a story that’s bloated exponentially over time. To his credit, Oda has handled his expanding crew better than most writers. 

I also find it hard to judge this aspect of the series because the manga’s not done yet. I don’t know how Robin and Nami will be used in the future. I mean, Robin never got a chapter title declaring her “The Seventh” which I find suspicious, so Oda could very well have events in store that completely turn our perceptions upside down. It’s impossible to say.

I will acknowledge that the lack of big fights is somewhat disappointing, but neither Robin nor Nami’s dreams revolve around them getting stronger. Robin doesn’t need to use her power to make people explode from the inside out, Nami doesn’t need to fry end-game bosses with her lightning stick. That’s simply not their narrative purpose. With the exception of Tashigi, I’ve found that the female characters advertised as fighters have lived up to their billing. Hancock came out of Marineford unscathed. Carrot’s sulong form was awesome, in the old-fashioned sense of the word. The whole climax of Whole Cake Island revolved around surviving Big Mom’s wrath. Not beating her, not fighting her, it took all the Straw Hats had to just survive. Once again you’re left with a number’s game where where there just aren’t enough female characters to even pretend things are balanced.

All said, I think if you’re going to complain about the lack of Robin fights then I think you also have to complain about the lack of Brook fights, and that’s just not something you hear about, especially after Whole Cake Island. You can’t have it both ways. Either there needs to be more even distribution of major fights throughout the entire crew, or you have to acknowledge that a character’s worth isn’t dependent on their fighting prowess. 

One Piece is a battle manga, and I do think that it’s fair to criticize when a character isn’t allowed to fight when they’re perfectly capable of kicking ass. But it’s also an adventure story, and that opens up entirely new space for a character to occupy, and that’s where I think Nami and Robin (but especially Nami) really shine

That Moment You Realize Humor Isn’t A Universal Language

I’ve spent so much time defending Oda’s designs and characters that it might seem like I’m perfectly okay with everything that’s portrayed in the manga. To be clear, I’m not. If the messages and comments I’ve gotten over the past several days have taught me anything, it’s that many fans share the same sticking points I do, namely in regards to some of the gags. 

I again want to be careful here, because I’m hardly an expert on Japanese culture and it’s really hard to tell if Oda writes his jokes because he thinks they’re funny, or if he thinks his audience will find them funny. I’m again going to default to somewhere in the middle, because if Oda truly found the perviness distasteful he probably wouldn’t have included it, and I’ve read enough SBS to know the guy likes his dick jokes. 

First and foremost, one must address the culture gap. Japan ranks last among G7 nations on gender equality, In 2004 two-thirds of Tokyo women in their 20-30s reported to being groped while on public transport. There are numerous barriers that make it difficult for a woman to succeed either in the workplace or politics. 

From what I can gather, some of these trends are reversing, albeit slowly and with great resistance. Contrary to what many people seem to believe culture is not always value neutral. And I say that as an American, recognizing there are plenty of things about my culture and country that are really fucked up. 

But who gets to decide who’s right and who’s wrong?

When inside that kind of environment, that kind of culture, it’s a lot easier to understand how a character like Sanji can exist. It’s easy to understand why Momo shoving his face into Nami and Robin’s boobs might be played for laughs. It’s not an excuse, but an explanation. And with Sanji failing more often than not, being the butt of his own joke as he slowly turns into a parody of what he once was, one could almost say Oda is pointing those types of people and saying, “Look how pathetic this guy is. Now go laugh as he gets a nosebleed so bad he needs multiple blood transfusions in order to not die.”

I say almost, because Sanji is never condemned for his actions, nor does he learn from them. Instead you have this character who’s supposed to be one of the kindest characters in the series decide to immediately go peep on a woman’s bath house after gaining the power of invisibility. 

Stay classy, Oda.

As distasteful as I find it, I don’t find fanservice to be an inherently evil thing that must be eradicated at all costs, and with Oda doing things like putting his entire cast, male and female, into skintight leathers you can hardly say that he’s excluding the men. 

Everyone will have their line in the sand, and mine goes back to agency. When Nami did her Happiness Punch way back in Alabasta, that was of her own volition. When Nami and Robin dress in clothes that show everything but the nipple, that’s something they chose and feel comfortable in. 

But when Smoker and Tashigi swapped bodies at Punk Hazard, Tashigi specifically asked Smoker not to strip, and he did anyway, opening her coat and removing her bra. This is especially egregious as Tashigi is one of the very few women in the series who is always shown wearing very conservative clothing. Oda specifically showed Tashigi getting upset at Smoker’s actions, and Smoker repeatedly refusing to listen to her.   

That’s where I draw my line. 

Some Final Thoughts I Couldn’t Fit Anywhere Else 

Thought The First--Oda has an interesting habit of turning his most despicable, scummy pieces of flaming human garbage into the butt of the joke. Villains like Crocodile and Doflamingo are certainly evil, but it’s the idealized, cool type of evil that makes you almost admire them. There aren’t very many real-world Crocodiles, but just about everyone knows a Spandam, or an Absalom, or a Vander Decken. These kinds of villains aren’t scary because of their physical prowess, but their unyielding obsessions and the power they’re able to wring from the system, and -- surprise, surprise -- all three are either actively trying to be creepy sex pests or coded as such with the visual language of the comic.   

And Oda turns them into a mockery. 

While there are some who feel like not treating serious issues like sexual assault seriously are doing a disservice to people who have endured similar experiences I think there’s merit to turning them into a laughingstock. As someone much smarter than me said once, if an opinion cannot withstand mockery it’s revealed to be ridiculous, and these scummy-scum villains are certainly ridiculous.

Thought The Second--It’s hard to say how much sexism is a thing in-universe. Kuina is the only one who is explicitly told her dreams were impossible because of her gender, but with the recent reveal confirming that her family came from Wano, which in turn is based on Feudal Japan, it’s hard to say how widespread these beliefs are. Tashigi brought it up again at Loguetown and Bellemere specifically told her girls that they lived in an era where “girls needed to be strong, too”, but otherwise it’s not a topic that’s been explored in any depth

Thought The Third--The in-universe fetishization of mermaids has some implications that I think are unintended but worth discussing. Shirahoshi has a reputation of being one of the most beautiful women in the world despite not leaving her tower for over 10 years (she’s 16). Mermaids whose tails have split are worth less on the slave market than those whose are intact. Even Zoro erased Kokoro from his memory after meeting the more attractive Caime. It’s one of those odd things that when combined with the more obvious racism themes could have some unfortunate implications, and I think could have been avoided had Oda show a little more restraint with some of his jokes. Unintended consequences are still consequences. 

Thought The Forth--There are many other instances throughout the series that people bring up with talking about sexism in One Piece. I feel like a lot of these can be explained away individually -- for example, both Belo Betty and Rebecca’s stripperific outfits were inspired by other media, the painting Liberty of the People and Red Sonja respectively; Lola chasing after an obviously abusive man makes a whole lot more sense when you meet Big Mom; Hancock’s love sickness could be seen as an emotionally stunted woman experiencing her first crush, etc., etc -- it’s when they’re all put together that they begin to read as “Problematic”. 

It would be impossible to go over all these individually, but I tend to fall on the side of leniency. In the end, everyone has to make their own decisions based on their own values. I’m hardly unbiased, and my enjoyment for the series will undoubtedly make me look the other way when another might call the exact same incident The Worst Thing Ever. The thing is, opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and most are convinced that theirs don’t stink. I include myself in that statement. In the end it’s a comic for kids. It’s supposed to be fun. 

Thought The Last--I have spent entirely too much of my time writing this up, but in the end I guess I have to go back to what I said when I talked about my thoughts on Sanji: Everyone has their own personal line of acceptable bullshit, and for me Oda does more good than bad. Sanji specifically gets very little leniency from me because I don’t like a lot of the gross behavior Oda passes over as a joke. But the female characters themselves, generally speaking? They’re fine. There are other mangaka that have more equal male to female ratios or have women play more active roles in the story, but Oda does a lot better than most other shonen titles I’ve read. 

It’s okay to be critical of media you enjoy. It’s okay to complain. But remember that One Piece is a very long series, and there are some fans who have been a round for literally decades. I myself started reading weekly around the time Duval was introduced, way back in 2008. Every time a new batch of fans comes in the same old arguments get stirred to the top of the pot: Sanji is a creep, Oda can’t draw women, why doesn’t Robin ever get to fight?

It can be exhausting to go through the same hoops time and time again. So if you’re someone who is being critical and feel like no one is listening, or that a bunch of fans are going out of their way to defend Oda, that could be one of the reasons why. They’re tired of having a series they enjoy be shit on. 

There are other fans who legitimately don’t think that Oda’s done anything wrong, that jokes are just jokes. If you happen to fall in that category, remember that not everyone feels that way. Art reflects life, which in turn reflects art. One Piece is a few million copies away from outselling Batman. To say it isn’t influential to young readers, both in Japan and abroad, is beyond asinine. 

I thank everyone who’s taken the time to read this so far. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how civil the discussion and my inbox as stayed. Even if I didn’t respond to your message, I promise that I did read it. 

I wrote as much as I did because I know this is a topic a lot of people care about, and also so I hopefully don’t have to write about it again. A lot of hours has gone into this project, and it’s been exhausting, but in a good way, if that makes any sense. I’m ready to put it to rest. 

I was joking with some friends that I think I’ve hit just about every hot topic issue now, so hopefully I can go back to fun questions like speculating if Wapol can eat a person and poop out a devil fruit. 

Until then, Sarcasticles, out         

[radbutsafe]

ALL FUCKIN 35 OF THEM SKLNWESDJFPXO

I SHOULDVE EXPECTED THIS FROM YOU

1. From one to five stars, how would you rate your writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

A three! I think I’m mid range cause I ain’t terrible but there is still shit I gotta improve and grow in my writing

2. Why do you write fanfiction?

to manifest what canon won’t give me and to write more! (though yes it is mainly about the smooching and the— I’ll stop there LOL)

3. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

Hm! My weird research details? I’m that “fun fact, did you know...” in my fics sometimes LOL! I plan on giving a penthouse for erina in a fic and I went through penthouse listings in Japan for floor layouts and locations💀 my research gives me inspo and depth to stuff I think I lack in comparison to others sometimes.

4. Are there any writers that inspire you?

In terms of fellow fic writers, one of them I can’t name here but she’s an inspiration with her exceptional gift for prose period and her lovely skill at comedy! I want to be as funny as her when I write, I love her ironic situational humor. Other fic writers are @takoyakitenchou, @royaldragonsevgisi15 who I always love sharing ideas with and motivate me to create more! For non-fic writers it would be V.E. Schwab, Leigh Bardugo, Oda, and Horikoshi! The last two may be mangaka, however they are writers as well to create their stories! The depth these creators have given their worlds and interesting characters theyve given life to are all what I aspire to be like!

5. What’s the fic you’re most proud of?

so far uh?? hm everything I’m currently writing are wips lol!! im proud of my wip that has been nicknamed ‘soma panics’ that is a multi-chapter fic that spans like probs 20 plus chapters maybe

6. What element of writing do you find comes easily?

dialogue! it’s so much fun! and character thoughts. I’ve said to people I may be better suited for script writing

7. What element of writing do you struggle with most?

I think it’s description, of like setting and showing action. also an expansion of my vocabulary LOL

8. Which character(s) do you find easiest to write?

erina! I think it’s because canon has shown us many of her different faces and range of emotion.

9. Which character(s) do you find most difficult to write?

SOMA!! chill ass mofo whos more carefree compared to the common shonen protagonist! for other shokugeki characters I’m not sure just yet because I haven’t flexed my fingers enough for the rest of them.

10. What’s your favorite genre to write for?

I guess I should say romance cause that’s what I mostly write LOL!

11. Who or what do you find yourself writing about most?

sorina and I try to get them to smooch eventually KEK and yeah it’s..usually romantic fluff lmao

12. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.

HONESTLY ALL OF THEM but “soma panics” is my brain child

13. First fandom you ever wrote for?

pretty sure it’s digimon....

14. What’s your favorite fandom to write for?

currently shokugeki no soma!!!!

15. What’s the weirdest fandom you’ve ever written for?

uhhhh I guess SNS? LMAO fandoms...all have their quirks to them.

16. Any guilty pleasure trope(s)?

characters cuddling!!!! or getting the urge to smooch!!!!

17. A trope you’ll never, ever write for.

unrequited love GOOD FUCKIN BYEEEEEE

18. Wildest fic you’ve ever written?

I have plot ideas thst can be wild potentially but so far nothing fits this criteria so far that I actually have written.

19. Do you prefer canon-compliant, AUs, or something in-between?

depends on the fandom, but if written well, all of it!

20. Gen fic or shippy stuff?

shippy 100% like I said I like smoochin

21. Favorite pairing to write for? (platonic or romantic!)

romantic is...*drumroll* SORINA! platonic, soutaku and erina and alice!

22. Do you listen to anything while you write?

Sometimes! There are times songs will be on loop and times I just shuffle a playlist. and if I’m writing in random bursts it’ll be with no music but it really does depend lmao I think music is when I’m forcing myself to write?

23. Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

completely independent ideas, I’ve realized in the past prompts shoot me in the foot often unless I luckily figure something out. but I’m often driven by my own sporadic self interest with shitty ping ponging attention

24. One-shots or multi-chaptered works?

multi-chap I guess cause I can post without being finished LOLLL but tbh can I really answer? I haven’t finished anything.....

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them!

I can’t answer this question imo because I haven’t finished a fic yet so technically stuff could all fit in the one fic?

26. Is there anything you’ve wanted to write, but you’ve been too scared to try?

MYSTERY AND CRIME! I love the genre and I have plot ideas once a blue moon but I can’t dive in because I want to make details that work and reduce plot holes where suspension of disbelief isn’t as needed. I need to study it more (I need to study all the details for any of my fics imo to be confident sometimes LOL)

27. What’s the nicest comment you’ve ever received?

I don’t think I can say one comment was the nicest because I’ve gotten comments that have given me quite the smiles to my face many times! I know this is a cop out but it’s true!

IS WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY UNTIL REINA SENT ME THE FOLLOWING ON DISCORD LIKE TWENTY MINS AGO:

and also rad. i am never this vocal about my emotions like EVER but this needs to be said your fics are obviously far from perfect, as are mine and everyone else's. but the thing about your works is that they're so well-sanded that it's impossible to find any rough edges or faults in them in terms of cohesion to a plot. your cast is never OOC and the amount of effort you devote to developing your takes on the characters as accurately as possible is unimaginably awe-inspiring.

BITCH I WANNA CRY 😭

28. How well do you handle criticism when it comes to your writing?

I’d like to believe I take it often well to try and improve because that’s always my goal. if someone is rude lol that’s not constructive snd is unhelpful. If I disagree with criticism I’ll explain why !

29. Have you ever gone outside of your comfort zone for a fic? How did it turn out?

Not yet, but I have some plot ideas I think will let me test this.

30. Tooth-rotting fluff or merciless angst?

F L U F F.

31. Do you have any OCs? Tell us about them!

elliott fuji, a japanese-american award winning photographer who is erina’s boyfriend in ‘soma panics’ which..causes soma’s panic LOL he’s 30 with slightly wavy black hair. I still haven’t pinpointed his personality just yet...he kind of humble brags for sure an artsy fucker and flirts maybe I’ll make him a lil shy though. he teaches sometimes, and becomes an adjunct photography professor in Tokyo so he can be with erina.

32. Summarize a random fic of yours in 10 words or less.

a cook is unfashionably late in realizing his feelings.

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process?

I am a slow. so slow. motivation who is she? I also write out of order, unfortunately a bit too often.

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

this should be for the fic ‘soma panics’ it’s either megumi or satoshi talkin to him rn, I’m leaning towards satoshi

“You thought she would always wait for you, didn’t you Soma-kun? To always welcome you home.”

Soma drags his palms down his face and groans. He doesn’t like this at all. He doesn’t shy from confrontation but this is a whole different ballgame. Soma doesn’t play any ball.

“I guess..?” Is his reply, because he thinks he isn’t sure how to answer that.

“You guess?”

Just being questioned again is enough to crack Soma’s pathetic facade as if it was dropped chinaware and he lets out the longest sigh.

“No.”

Coming home means coming home to Nakiri Erina too.

Nakiri Erina is his forever.

this is @takoyakitenchou’s excerpt she’s most proud of that I’ve written, which is also from you guessed it, the long fic soma panics

SOMA: I am, I mean I will be, I swear I will always come home to you, not spend as much time abroad, once I’m done with work I’ll come right back. I’ll make sure to message you. Nakiri, I’m in love you with you. Maybe for a really long time. You know how I say I dedicate my food to you? My dad—my dad said that the key to become a good chef is to find someone to dedicate your cooking to. A special someone. For my dad it was my mom, you know? For me it’s...

(this is a good piece of dialogue tbh so I am also proud of this)

35. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

I’ve mentioned it throughout this but the WIP I’ve nicknamed ‘soma panics’ is something I’m super excited to write, but it’s going on slowly...and almost completely out of order. out of all of my writing it showed off that particular habit of mine, along with “what is this, a shoujo manga?!” though the latter is currently being written chronologically now that I’ve posted chapter one and is pretty solid in direction. it was originally supposed to be a one shot but I got impatient and wanted to post at least something for the sorina / soueri fandom.

however, because ‘soma panics’ (I won’t call it that LOL) is my baby I want to keep true to my rule of refusing to post it until I have a draft of the entire fic finished and I’m satisfied with the main points pretty much. due to my writing out of order, I’m worried I’ll change my mind about scenes or want to reflect things in earlier chapters for later ones etc etc

I joined the SnS fandom extremely late, as season five was airing. I was a fan of the manga five years ago and dropped it because I forgot to check for updates when I caught up 😔 I really want to bang out the different fics and aus for sorina that I have before the fandom fizzles out entirely but tbh I’m writing for myself, I’m manifesting what I want to see and I’ll just share it with all my friends to read if no one else will. cause I’m slow broski I dunno what writing fast even is like LMAO I do really want to write faster though, so I can contribute more and let the words free from the discord dms....

[ryqoshay]

Tri-Arame: Ne, Wanna Bite?

Primary Pairing Trio: YuuAyuSetsu Words: ~1.8k Rating: G Time Frame: During their 2nd year in high school Story Arc: Stand Alone

Author’s Note: One of my favorite tropes is, and will likely remain, the sharing of food among couples. I’ve included it a handful of times in HL and am pretty sure I’ve done so over in HtHaN as well. If not, I guess I’ll just have to add a scene like that to the queue... though I suppose even if I have, it’s still as good an excuse as any to write more NicoMaki.

In any case, both SIFAS and the Niji anime depict Ayumu and Yuu casually trading bites as if they do so every day, and they probably do, but what might an observer think?

Also, I’ve seen Koppe Pan translated as either bread or buns, so I’ve used at least the latter as an occasional alternate noun for the food, but the actual name is just too fun to say that I couldn’t leave it out entirely.

“Ne, Setsuna-chan!” Yuu called, approaching her friend with Ayumu in tow, holding hands, as per usual. Ever the classic childhood couple. Practice had ended for the day and everyone was slowly filtering out of the clubroom. “Ayumu and I are heading to the mall to do some shopping, wanna come with us?”

“Very much so.” Setsuna confirmed with nod and a smile. “I was actually going there myself because the latest issue has been released for one of my favorite doujinshi series.”

Yuu grinned. “I know, that’s the main reason we wanted to invite you. I’m getting a copy as well.”

“You are?” Setsuna blinked. “You know I would be happy to lend you my copies whenever you desire.”

“Yeah, but after you lent me the first book, I was so hooked, I wanted to add it to my collection as well. Also, if I have my own copy, I don’t have to wait for you to finish reading yours so I can borrow it. We can read it at the same time!”

“Also, it’s easier for me to borrow them.” Ayumu chimed in.

“You are reading it as well, Ayumu-san?” Setsuna felt her heart start to pound with excitement; not just one, but two friends with whom she could talk about the story.

Ayumu smiled somewhat sheepishly. “You and Yuu-chan looked so excited talking about it last time that I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It’s been forever since I last read manga, but I’m glad I did; it’s really good.”

“I know, right?” Setsuna felt like she could jump with joy.

“I’m not quite caught up with you two, though.” Ayumu admitted.

“Oh, what chapter have you reached?”

“42.”

Setsuna nodded. “Very well. No spoilers beyond that point. But what did you two think about the battle with Jhank?”

The three girls chatted away their journey to the mall, dissecting each character development, romantic interest and plot twist. There was a bit of a line at the store, but none of them minded as it gave them that much more time to talk. Setsuna found it was incredibly freeing to be able to talk openly about her interests with others who were similarly interested.

Setsuna had several enjoyable conversations with Kasumi about idols once they were able to reconcile the fact that they viewed them very differently, but that was about where their shared interests ended. Kanata had trouble staying awake and Emma, though a kind listener, had a hard time contributing when she wasn’t nearly as invested. She had established that Rina watched anime but hadn’t had as much opportunity to talk with the reclusive girl. Ai had expressed interest, though Setsuna suspected it was mainly a means to get closer to Rina. And Karin, though not necessarily disinterested, wasn’t particularly interested either, the same seemed to apply to Shizuku as well.

But Yuu and Ayumu, particularly the former, actively participated in the conversation. They were engaged with the topic and happy to let Setsuna gush about anything and everything. Even when she realized she had been the primary one talking for several minutes and would pause to apologize, one of them would dismiss it and encourage her to continue. It was a wonderful experience, to say the least.

“Ne, are either of you two hungry?” Ayumu asked as the trio left the bookstore.

“I could eat.” Yuu replied. “Shall we get our usual?”

“Sounds good. Do you want to join us, Setsuna-chan?”

“Yes, please, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not.”

“By the way, what is your usual?”

“Koppe Pan!” Yuu said with a smile.

Ah, that made sense. Setsuna remembered regularly seeing the couple eating a variety of the packaged sandwiches in the club room as snacks. And Kasumi had recently taken to providing the two with the results of her experiments as she honed her skills. Kopee Pan really was their usual.

Setsuna watched the other two as they discussed the menu; what they had tried already and what possible specials they looked forward to in the future. However, having never been to this food stand before herself, Setsuna ended up getting the first thing that looked like something she might like.

It must be nice, Setsuna thought to herself a few minutes later, to be so familiar with someone. What does a couple care about sharing indirect kisses in public? She sat in awe as Ayumu even commemorated the occasion by snapping a shot of herself taking a bite of Yuu’s bun. The often-embarrassed redhead didn’t even so much as blush when the twin-tailed girl wiped a bit of filling from her cheek before putting it in her own mouth. Cute. And a bit enviable.

“Ne, Setsuna-chan.” A sandwich entered her field of vision. “Wanna bite?”

“Thank you.” Setsuna responded, accepting the offer.

“Good, isn’t it?” Yuu grinned.

“Indeed.” Setsuna agreed after swallowing. She blinked upon seeing an expectant expression on the other girl’s face. “Oh, here.” She held out her own bun.

“You can also try some of mine if you like, Setsuna-chan.” Ayumu offered.

“Very well.”

Ayumu giggled. “Geez, you’re just like Yuu-chan.” She reached over to clear something from Setsuna’s cheek and ate it.

“Aww… I was just about to do that.” Yuu pouted.

“Oops, sorry.” Ayumu smiled and stuck out her tongue, looking nowhere near apologetic.

Huh, so Ayumu-san really can tease Yuu-san in return sometimes. Interesting.

The next thing Setsuna knew, Ayumu had slid closer to her and was holding her phone ready. Mimicking Yuu’s actions from a minute ago, Setsuna held up her bun while the other girl leaned down before snapping a shot, then taking a bite.

“Remember to send me those pics.” Yuu said.

“Of course.” Ayumu nodded.

“So, which one was best?” Yuu turned her attention to Setsuna. “Ayumu’s or mine?”

“That is a good question…” Setsuna pondered. “They were both good, however, Yuu-san yours was more like a dessert meant for after a meal while Ayumu-san’s was more like an appetizer to tide one over between meals. Thus, as we have not eaten dinner yet, Ayumu’s was more appropriate.”

Yuu blinked. “But which did you like more?”

“I thought I just explained?”

“She preferred mine, Yuu-chan.” Ayumu clarified. “And that earns her another bite.” She smiled as she held her sandwich out again, earning another pout from Yuu.

“Thank you.” Setsuna accepted again before smiling as Ayumu gave in and allowed Yuu another bite as well. “Although, to be perfectly honest, my own was my favorite of the three.” She admitted. “I thought it might be good because it looked just like the one Akane ordered in Episode 7 of…”

Yuu giggled.

“Eh?”

“That way of choosing what to order is very fitting of you, Setsuna-chan. I love it.”

“O-oh…”

“And sorry for interrupting, what anime was that from?”

And just like that, conversation returned to one of Setsuna’s greatest passions. Ayumu and Yuu expressed interest in the series and Yuu ended up suggesting that they watch it together that night. Unfortunately, as a test was coming up and hanging out at the mall all afternoon had already cut into her studying time, Setsuna had to decline. Thankfully, she was able to agree to a raincheck over the weekend. With that decision made, the three girls parted ways to head home for the evening.

Setsuna glanced at the clock. Her parents should be in bed by now and she should no longer have to worry about them walking in on her unexpectedly. With mounting anticipation, she scurried over to her school bag and retrieved the doujin she had purchased earlier that day.

Given her level of excitement, Yuu had likely already read the chapter as soon as she had arrived home. As such, Setsuna fully expected to be able to discuss things tomorrow with her, being careful of avoiding spoilers for Ayumu, of course.

As she lay down on her bed, memories of the day came back to her. It really had been a lot more fun going as a group instead of sneaking out on her own.

A smile came to Setsuna’s lips as the dark-winged angel’s antics in the story resulted in the light-winged angel becoming flustered and blushing adorably. The two made a cute couple even if they denied being one. They were so familiar with one another, using exclusive nicknames, bathing together, sharing a bed, sharing food…

Sharing food… Indirect kisses…

Wait…

If the doujin had been in color, Setsuna’s cheeks would have matched those of the light-wing angel’s from a few frames back. Back at the mall, she had shared indirect kisses with both Yuu and Ayumu without even realizing it. They had both behaved so naturally with her, just as they did among themselves, that she hadn’t even noticed until now.

Did they behave like that with everyone?

Setsuna scoured her memories of her time with them in the clubroom.

There was one time that Kasumi told them to stop flirting while using her Koppe Pan to do so. This had earned an amused laugh from Yuu and one of Ayumu’s signature blushes, though Setsuna wasn’t sure anyone at the table bought their denial.

But that was about it. As far as Setsuna could tell, the couple kept such things between themselves. Yuu was openly affectionate with just about everyone, but certain things seemed to be reserved for Ayumu. And now Setsuna… maybe?

Setsuna shook her head. She had to be missing something. There was no way… was there?

Yuu had said she loved her. Several times, in fact. But she had dropped the line about as casually as she did with others. There couldn’t possibly be any deeper meaning than that of a close friend or of a fan expressing their adoration for an idol, right? Certainly, that had to be the explanation.

And what of Ayumu? Setsuna had little doubt of the redhead’s feelings toward her childhood friend, which were a major contributor to why she believed the two were a couple. But did Yuu not reciprocate? Was that why Ayumu sometimes behaved the way she did? No, she was pretty sure the two were dating.

So how did any of that explain what happened? What did it mean? Did it even mean anything in the first place? For the life of her, Setsuna couldn’t figure out the situation.

But… if nothing else, Setsuna had to admit that she had liked it. A lot. That feeling of familiarity truly was enviable, especially now that she’d tasted it herself. Literally. Even if she hadn’t recognized it at the time. And she wanted more…

But was that alright? Certainly, such a trope need not apply strictly to romantic genres, right? One could be that familiar with someone while remaining platonic, right? The last thing Setsuna wanted to do was to drive a wedge between two who were so close. But it was at least alright to want to be closer to them, right?

She wanted to see them again. To hang out with them again. To discuss anime with them again. To eat Koppe Pan with them again.

Tomorrow. She would see them again tomorrow. And Yuu would want to talk about the doujin…

With that thought in mind, Setsuna returned her focus to the book in her hands.

Author's Note Continued in Followup Post

[forestwater87]

Ok this is super embarrassing but you’re one of my favorite writers in this uh.. whatever this blogosphere is so!! I wanna try and take a crack at writing my own fanfic but.. I got no idea where to even start. Any advice?

Oh man, I feel awful about this! I didn’t know my inbox had any new messages, so some of these asks have been sitting here for . . . some time. 

Anyway, first off thank you very much! Secondly, the most obvious advice is just, you know, “do it.” But that’s infinitely easier said than done. I started writing fanfic when I was around 10 years old, so overthinking it wasn’t an issue, since I thought I was the world’s greatest writer. Assuming you’re not 10 years old and as blind to the concept of literary criticism as I was . . . well, the first step is obviously getting an idea. EDIT: Holy shit, this is long. I’m gonna have to break this bad boy up with headers, like it’s a real blog post or something.

Getting Ideas/Inspiration

I don’t know if you already have something you’d like to write about or if you’re still at the “gee that looks like fun” level of fanfic ruminating, but if you’re having trouble coming up with ideas, turning to the existing fandom is a great place to start! 

1: Filling in fandom gaps: I’ve found a lot of my best fic ideas by looking through what already existed and seeing where there was something missing; when I first started writing for Camp Camp, literally only @raenbowsofficial created anything for Gwenvid -- it didn’t even have a ship name yet, and I’m pretty sure the 3 people into it were still throwing “daven” and “gavid” around as well -- so there being zero other fics for it meant that if I wanted it to exist, I’d have to be the one to write it. (That’s also nice if you’re kind of insecure, because when no one else has tried the idea you’re interested in, you have no pressure to compare it to anything else.) 

Also, you could take a popular/already existing concept and write it the way you’d like to see it, if the existing fanfics do something with the story or characters that you’re not thrilled with. That’s handy because it gives you a general blueprint to work off of in terms of tropes and broad story beats, while letting you explore something new. Obviously, don’t rip off someone else’s fic note-for-note, but being inspired by someone else is a great way to kickstart your creativity! If you do have a specific author or story that you’re using as a jumping-off point for your own writing, I would strongly recommend linking them in your author’s notes at the beginning or end of the fic, and maybe gifting the story to them! You don’t have to, since the creation is entirely your own, but it’s still always nice to acknowledge the people who inspire you the most.

2: Fandom inception. If you want to be a little more direct and literal, there’s always the option of writing fanfic of a fanfic or fanart that you really love, if there’s a universe or story idea that you like, and you want more of it. As long as you give credit and notify the original creator, I think you’d have no issues in terms of fanfic etiquette, and I imagine they’d be honored to have inspired your own writing. Fandom is a very collaborative experience, after all, and we’re all in this together! :)

3. For more general “I have a vague idea of what I want to do (the ship, or maybe a tiny plot bunny) but I’m not sure where to go with it,” my biggest recommendation is music. Especially folk indie-rock music, which is 90% angst and 100% haunting. And again, looking at fanfic/art is a great way to get inspired -- I have a tendency to put up a particularly good or emblematic piece of fanart/fic in another window when I’m working on something tricky to write, just for something to stare at when my ideas start running dry (shoutout to @doritofalls, @ellohcee, and the aforementioned RA for being my go-tos when I need to stare at something pretty to feel inspired; there are absolutely others, because this fandom is filled with absurdly talented people, but those 3 are my heroes of inspiration and if you SOMEHOW don’t already know them, fix that immediately). 

Wow, that’s a lot and it’s literally just all about getting an idea . . . which you might already have. Yikes. For the sake of people who have to scroll past this, let’s put the rest under a cut:

Fleshing Out the Idea: An Ode to Outlines

Some people are able to just sit down and write something incredible from a vague idea, and the story just builds on itself without any sort of planning or organization to guide them along the way. These people are named Cipher/Campernetics, and we hate her for being unfairly talented.

For the rest of us, outlines are essential.

My outlines tend to be insanely specific, because I’m very afraid of letting a single idea slip through the cracks, and I build on them over time as I get increasingly sure of where the story’s going. The early outlines tend to be extremely vague, with lots of “and then something happens” connecting major plot points. An example for a current WIP I’m doing right now:

(Seriously, “Julia and everything”? Future Forest is going to be so pissed at current Forest when she reaches that point and realizes she has no idea what she’s doing)

And as the story starts to take shape and a plot eventually forms -- they tend to take at least 10 chapters to materialize, but they do generally show up! One of the great things about fanfiction is that plot is largely optional, though, so no worries if you’re starting without a full story idea -- I find myself writing more and more details down, if for no other reason than that I want to make sure I remember what I was thinking when I finally get to that scene (because I have absolutely gotten to a point in a story and forgotten what I’d had planned. It sucks). Here’s an example from another fic with pretty significant spoilers if you can figure out which one it is oops:

I’d recommend keeping your outlines pretty simple, at least to start with: words and phrases, rather than whole-ass sentences like the above. The complexity will develop as your ideas do, so no need to wrack your brain trying to write out the entire story in bullet form.

I use the bolded ideas as stepping stones, more or less; I’ll write out the piece of the story that each line represents, which can be as little as a sentence or as much as 4 or more chapters (RIP my most recent long-running fic), then delete that line and move on to the next. 

Bolding them isn’t necessary, but it does make it easier to differentiate at a glance what needs to be written. If you keep everything in the same hundred-page Google Doc like I do, this is very important.

Your outline doesn’t have to be well-written, and you can 100% use fillers like “and then something happens here.” I do that all the time -- again, another completely different story:

Now, the vaguer things are, the more annoyed Future You will be when it comes time to write whatever it’s bulleting -- there’s a reason I haven’t updated this fic, and it’s because I have zero idea what the everliving fuck “Pinky-and-the-Brain-ing all over the place” means -- but it’s really good for when you’re first getting started sketching out the vague outline of your fic. The more you panic trying to figure out all the twists and details at the very start, the less likely you’re ever just going to sit down and write the damn thing.

(This might be why I don’t write plot-heavy stories, to be fair. Mystery writers very well might have to have it all planned out from the get-go, and I’d recommend chatting with someone who’s a bit less “coffeeshop AU” and a bit more Agatha Christie for that kind of advice.)

Knowing When to Post

There are people that exist, who have amazing self-control, who can wait until their entire story is written and then release it in sections, at regular intervals, until the story is completed.

I am not one of these people, though I try to be with literally every single fic I’ve ever written.

Personally, I do this until I reach a point where I get stuck and need validation, and then post what I have in a giant chunk and then don’t update it for several months. This is almost universally known as the worst way to write fanfics, both in terms of getting interaction from fans and keeping readers from wanting to kill you, and if you have the ability to write the entire thing and sit on it until it’s ready to be shared, you are a hero.

Alternatively, if you can actually stick to a set schedule of writing it as you go and still update with a new chapter every X days, you are not human and I’m terrified of you, because if you find a way to weaponize this power you will rule the world.

Honestly, a good rule of thumb? Post it when you’re ready for people to read it, whether it’s done or not. Not all works will get done, and it seems mean to deny people the delicious little stub you’ve written even if you’re not going to finish it. When you’re happy with what you have -- or are so tired of looking at it that you need to post it or you’ll throw your computer out the window -- just do it and let out a sigh of relief, then either take a few days before going back to writing or just jump in immediately like a goddamn masochist.

(I have tried to get far enough ahead that I can start posting the already-written stuff on a schedule, figuring by the time I’m caught up I’ll have completed the entire story and won’t have any awkward gaps. Ahahahahahahahahaha that has never once worked.)

If you’re not certain about your writing, get a beta! The fandom is full of talented people who’d be happy to read over your work, and if the person you ask doesn’t have the time or spoons, they probably have a few ideas of other people you could reach out to. You don’t need a beta, but it always makes me feel better to have another set of eyes look over my writing before posting, and my beta always catches things I completely missed. Plus, you get a nice taste of that sweet, sweet validation we all crave.

This . . . is a bad guide. Just in general. The advice is . . . not good, and I think it’s largely useless. But I keep trying to think of useful things to add to it and coming up empty, so I hope something in here helped, and if you’d like to bounce your ideas off of someone, feel free to shoot me a message! Talking ideas over with friends is a great way to flesh them out as well, and I am happy to be anyone’s fandom friend.

[verminator-rex]

What Could’ve Been

Just for the fun of it, I thought I’d share a little tidbit of what “Fangs of Evil” was at some point. Please excuse the writing, this was in fact the first fic I’ve ever written. As such, I had yet to improve on my skills as well as what the general plot was.

***

In the dark of night in the Under City, Arkayna in her Mysticon form is on the move, making her way to a particularly bad part of town. Standing out like a sore thumb was actually a rather nice looking building, certainly nice for a rough neighborhood like this. This was definitely the home of the infamous crime lord Creed Slithers. Inside the top level of the building was Creed counting his profits in gold for the night, wearing a wicked smile on his snake-like face. Suddenly he notices his window open, a peculiar sight as he never opened it prior to entering the room. Then suddenly the lights went out. This didn’t frighten him however, point in fact he was actually expecting company tonight. Creed chuckled with delight.

“That’s very cute, not many can sneak into my office like that.” The camera moved a little to show Arkayna, with a look of seriousness on her face.

“Cut the chatter, tell me what you know about saving the Queen!” Arkayna said, with a hint of anger in her voice.

Creed Chuckled. “Right to the point are we? I deeply respect that. Won’t you have a seat Miss Dragon Mage?”

“Just Dragon Mage, and no, I’m more comfortable standing.” Arkayna flatly said.

“Very well, Dragon Mage. Or do you mind if I call by your other name…Princess Arkayna?”

This shocked Arkayna very much, How could he possibly have found out? “Wh - what?! How did you know?”

“Do I look like a fool child?” Creed replied, “You’re the exact same height, same hair style, same eyes, and same exact voice! Now one might think this is coincidence, but I never miss a trick. Not to mention you’re here when I mentioned my proposal to the princess? Remember?

Arkayna remembered all too well. A flash back reveals It was back when she along with Piper, Zarya, and Em were visiting the Under City, listening to one of Creed’s Charismatic yet exaggerative speeches about power and it’s uses. Being a princess, Arkayna has an entirely different view of power and spoke out against him. Amused by the gesture, Creed approached the Princesss with his smug grin, possibly seeing something that the residents don’t see. His closing statements to Arkayna were, “ I’ve heard about what happened to your parents Princess, you have my most sincere condolences. It would be a shame if you weren’t able to save them.” Arkayna scowled at the time, knowing that was just a lie he used to spite her. But, her attention was grabbed when he mentioned this, “Without my help.” She had a look of shock on her face, which ends the flashback and transitions to that exact same shocked look when Creed mentioned her name.

“You tricked me!” Arkayna said, furious.

“Ha!” Creed mocked, “Like it’s my fault you were so gullible. I knew you’d come the minute I mentioned. Of course, a little insurance never hurts either.” It was then he had 2 of his henchmen bring in two things that devastated the poor Princess… her bone statue parents. She looked on in horror at this despicable act. “ I know what you’re thinking, How did I manage to abduct them? Well that’s a story for another time dear Princess.”

Arkayna’s eyes began to glow green with the anger of 10 dragons, pointing her staff at Creed with hostile intent. “I have a good mind to destroy you right here and now!”

“Oh my, a little grim are we?” Creed said, still smug as ever, “Go ahead then, show me what you’ve got.” Creed was clearly testing her, knowing that she would never actually take a life. No matter how badly Arkayna wanted to, and she really wanted to, she simply couldn’t bring herself to commit such an act. With that she dropped her staff, her eyes stopped glowing, and she sank to the ground, sobbing her eyes out. Creed couldn’t help but chuckle. “Just as I thought, even with all that power you’re still pathetic and weak! *places a finger under her chin and raises her at eye level* Aw don’t feel bad princess, I never said I wouldn’t help.”

“Y-You will?” Arkayna said, wiping away the tears in her eyes.

“Of course.” Creed said, retaining his wicked smile, “Though I’m going to need you to bring me something in return, an artifact that even the mighty Necrafa Fears… the Hand of Gygax.”

“Hand of Gygax?” Arkayna said, with shock in her eyes, “But that’s just a myth!”

“Oh no dear it’s all too real, and it’s hidden deep within the Astromancer’s lair.” Creed said, walking up to the statues. “ I’ll make this very simple, you bring me the Hand of Gygax, and I’ll use it’s great power to restore your parents, and all is right with the world again. If you fail… well… *signals one of his henchmen with a hammer ready it to smash the statues* there won’t be much of your parents left to fill a match box. So, do we have a deal?”

Arkayna looks at her parents longingly, her being officially over a barrel. The screen fades as she makes her final descision.

***

And that’s that. Tbh, this was kind of intended to be a one shot, and for the longest time it was. One day, I received an anonymous review saying, “You sure you wanna leave it like this? I’d like to see it continue.”

I let it dwell for a long while, until one day: “You know what? He/she’s right, it’s so stupid to leave it as a one shot!” And so with lots of editing and thought process, as well as great help along the way (thanks to you @extremely-pearlmethirsty), it became one of my best, if not my best, works I’ve written so far.

[fandomwritingsgalore]

Heads Up for A Fairytale (Chris Evans x Reader)

Pairing: Chris Evans x Female!Reader

Warnings: Cavity inducing fluff, slight cursing

Part: 1/??, Read more here

Description: Reader and her friend take a trip to Walt Disney World and happen to run into one Chris Evans while waiting in line to board Space Mountain. To pass the time you decide to play the game “Head’s Up.” From pop culture references, flirty looks and Chris being his silly flirty self, you never thought waiting in a line could be so much fun. But the Disney magic has to end eventually...doesn’t it?

Author’s Note: This isn’t my best imo, but I’ve been out of writing for a while and wanted something cute and fluffy to ease my way back in. And I’ve had this idea for a while and wanted to finally get it out. This is pure Evans loving Disney self indulgent fluff. Y/N = Your Name, Y/F/N = Your Friend’s Name

Word Count: 4,410

“How crazy would it be if we ran into someone famous while we’re here?” Y/F/N asked dreamily.

“I thought you wanted to find Walt Disney’s frozen head?” you laughed as you strolled through the mass of people down Magic Kingdom’s Main Street. It was the first day of your week long Walt Disney World trip and you were already acting like kids. The Disney magic making you silly with excitement and anticipation for all the fun times ahead.

They grinned mischievously, “Who says we can’t do both?” You rolled your eyes affectionately and shook your head at the conspiracy theories. “Besides I heard celebrities have their own secret entrance to rides so they can avoid the public. Maybe we’ll see Robert Downey Jr.”

“If it’s a secret entrance then how would we possibly know they’re here? Besides, you still have a better shot at walking onto Flight of Passage with no line than running into Chris Hemsworth here.”

“Jason Momoa would be fine.” She eyed the surrounding crowd in front of the majestic Cinderella castle as though expecting to immediately spot the tall actor. Reaching up to adjust the Jack Skellington Mickey ears on their head, they whined, “These damn things are always so painfully tight. I don’t know why Disney can’t just make them looser instead of my head being squeezed to death.” She pulled them off and massaged the area where the ears were on.

You reached up to make sure your own Captain America shield ears were still in place.You were determined to get a photo with Baby Groot and Star-lord when you park hopped over to Hollywood Studios later in the day. Cap was your favorite, but they were the only Marvel characters currently in the parks, and you’d heard they were a really great meet.

“They probably do it so you can wear them on rides without worrying about them flying off,” you said dodging out of the way of another triple seat stroller barreling towards the entrance to Fantasyland and Seven Dwarves Mine Train, not caring which ankles they took out along the way. 


“You wanna hit up Space Mountain or Haunted Mansion before the crowds start picking up?” Despite wearing your sunglasses, you shielded your eyes from the blinding Florida sun to gaze to the right of the plaza as though you could see how long the wait time was from here.

“Space. I didn’t get to ride it on our last trip because it was shut down.” You turned in the direction of Tomorrowland and took off.

“The infamous purple wall,” you pointed out excitedly, passing the pastel purple instaphoto spot. “I’m going to be as Disney basic as possible later.”

You both gazed in awe of the future looking land as you made your way towards the ride. Even though you’d arrived at Magic Kingdom for rope drop the wait time was already at 30 minutes, but knew it would probably be the shortest wait for the day. You passed under the large arch into the silver and blue entrance.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Space Mountain, but how incredible would it be if they would turn this into a Marvel Avengers ride through space or something,” You gushed sliding your shades off and placing them in the cross body purse you wore.

“And Cap would call you ma’am?” she snickered.

“I mean I’m not opposed to that plot point. But seriously though, you could get put in the Iron Man suit or pick your favorite Avenger and either gain their powers or work with them and fly around New York and have the Avengers talk you through a mission. It would be an immersive type ride experience.”

“You could even punch Loki at Stark tower.”

“Or give him a much needed hug!” You countered, feigning offense. “But, a Marvel land would be a kick ass expansion.”

“You just want to save the world with 4D Chris Evans,” she laughed, knowing you all to well.

You continued winding your way through the long line. Hopefully, 30 minutes actually meant a 10 minute walk to the loading stations, but either way you were willing to wait. Space Mountain was one of your favorites. “I’m excited for the new Tron roller coaster they’re building though,”  you noted.

“Yes!” She all but moaned. “The concept art looks insane!”

“So does that new outer space restaurant over in Epcot,” a male voice behind you added.

It wasn’t unusual for people in long lines at Disney to form a sort of temporary solidarity with those around them while waiting, which is why you weren’t that put off by his eavesdropping on your conversation. It was something you enjoyed about the parks. Meeting people from so many different walks of life.

You deepened your voice and spoke like an announcer, “Space…the final frontier.”

“Traitor,” Y/F/N shouted thrusting a fist into the air, “Star Wars or bust!” You heard the guy laugh at your banter as you finally rounded the final corner and reached the end of the line.

You turned around, wanting to mention the new Star Wars hotel, but the words became lodged in your throat as you took in the chiseled jaw and piercing blue eyes, hidden under a Nasa baseball cap, of the man behind you. You heard Y/F/N gasp in recognition next to you.

Chris freaking Evans was your mystery eavesdropper.

“I like your ears,” he commented, with a knowing smirk. You immediately felt the heat rise up your neck in embarrassment not only because of the ears, but he’d clearly heard your previous fangirl conversation. Oh God, he also heard Y/F/N’s 4D comment. No! Of all the ways you’ve imagined running into a celebrity, particularly this celebrity, this was not one.

He’s just a person. A very famous and funny and breathtaking beautiful person, but still a person.

What a person…

Dear lord, get a grip! You chided yourself. “I thought you have a secret passage?” You blurted out suddenly. And here you thought you couldn’t be any more embarrassing. Apparently your mouth was on a mission separate from your brain.

“Sure do,” His eyes sparkled playfully as he held back a laugh, “it’s goes right past Walt’s frozen head.”

“I knew it,” Y/F/N whispered reverently.

He couldn’t keep his laughter in check anymore and as he braced himself on your shoulder, he doubled over doing that laugh that only he has. The one that is so distinctly Chris Evans that fans have made thousands of memes and gifs of. The one where he has to physically touch someone because he wants them to share in the humor as though it’s the funniest joke in the world. 

Although you were intensely aware of his hand touching a part of your body, you couldn’t help but join in, because his laugh was infectious. You wanted to make him laugh again and again because it was one of the best sounds you’d ever heard. It made him and this situation seem more real somehow? Like you could actually exist at the same time and in the same place as this man.

“Y’all are so mean to get my hopes up like that,” Y/F/N pouted before chuckling, too.

“Seriously though, don’t you have unlimited ‘skip the line’ access for being, well…you?” You met his bashful smile as he shrugged, suddenly really shy.

“I mean, yes, but I, uh…I kind of like to play the games in this line,” he rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled embarrassed. “Not very cool, right?”

“Are you kidding? I am a hardcore, Space Mountain pre-ride gamer who takes no prisoners,” You said fiercely, lightly punching his shoulder. “Prepare to get your ass throughly kicked Evans.”

He grinned wolfishly, “Oh, you’re so on.”

The heads in front of you slowly moved as the line pushed forward a few inches every few seconds. The three of you moved forward as one. It seems Chris Evans had officially joined your group.

“So, obviously you two know who I am, but what are your names?” He pulled his hat down lower acutely aware that he could be recognized by more people.

“I’m Y/N, and this is Y/F/N,” you nodded your head in her direction and she threw up a peace sign, making him smile. “What are you doing here on your own? Isn’t that a bit dangerous?”

He rolled his eyes annoyed. “Technically I’m here with my family, but they’ve all ditched me to go ride It’s a Small World.”


“It isn’t that bad,” Y/F/N shrugged, at the same time you shuddered.

“Small World before 9 am should be illegal.”

“Thank you!” his eyes widened in relief.  He swept you into an over-exaggerated dramatic hug like an excited puppy, “Finally someone understands!” He pulled back grinning and leaned down so that you were eye level.

The part of your mind that had left your body the moment he hugged you noted that when it came to Chris, the old saying that boys were unfairly blessed with incredible lashes was true. The rest of you down on earth froze as you could suddenly count every single one of those eyelashes framing his wickedly gorgeous blue eyes. He was in your personal space and you didn’t know what to do with yourself. He was just so close.

“We have to stick together, or they’ll get us with their singing dolls before breakfast,” he whispered conspiratorially with those damn kissable lips inches from your own. Your eyes were drawn down to them briefly before flicking back up to meet that hypnotizing gaze again. Being pierced by them in person was a lot more shiver inducing than through a screen. Something shifted and you realized he’d caught you staring at his mouth. The urge to pull him closer and give him a reason to have that stupid smug look on his face was overwhelming.

The line began to move again, and the moment passed. He dropped his hands from your shoulders and straightened as you all shuffled forward a few more inches. It certainly felt like you’d been in this line longer than 30 minutes already, but it could’ve been you secretly hoped the wait time would increase. 

You knew eventually you would reach the loading station and your time with Chris would be up and you weren’t quite ready for this crazy experience to end yet, or ever…definitely the denial taking over.

“Honestly, you two are the worst drama queens ever,” Y/F/N huffed, annoyed at the unspoken connection Chris and you seemed to form. You caught him grinning in your direction and quickly dropped your gaze to your feet trying to hide an embarrassed smile. He bumped your shoulder affectionately before chuckling and leaning back with both arms on the railing behind you.

“So, what do you two like to do while waiting in long lines?” He asked curiously.

Before you had time to second guess yourself, you leaned back against the railing so that your back was pressed against his arm and met his gaze challengingly. He quirked an eyebrow appreciatively at the bold move and slouched down a bit so that you were effectively tucked into his side. You couldn’t help the self satisfied smile that spread across your face.

“Well, it depends. Sometimes we’ll catch up with family and friends back home if it’s later into a trip…”


“Do you have, uh, someone in particular to catch up with back home,” he asked guardedly. He pulled and adjusted his hat and you realized this was a nervous habit of his.

“No…”

“Good.” You heard him whisper huskily to himself.

You felt your heart rate pick up and your skin start to buzz at the way he said the single word.

He had to be seeing someone. Probably someone much more gorgeous and interesting than someone like me, you thought to yourself. I mean he was Chris Evans. Hollywood A-lister and you were letting your feelings for him as an actor get mixed up with the reality that someone like him would ever date someone like you. Right?

“You?” You asked quietly.

He slowly shook his head, ‘no.’

You swallowed and tried to keep your voice level as you replied, “Good.”

The flash of a smug smile graced his features as he looked down suddenly extremely interested in his shoes.

“We also like to play ‘Head’s Up’ to kill time,” Y/F/N volunteered. She was watching in amusement as the two of you fumbled over yourselves.

“I love that game!” Chris exclaimed excitedly. “My family likes to play it during the holidays. Do you have it on your phone?”

“Yes!” You could literally see her bouncing in place in excitement at the thought of playing your favorite theme park game with the Captain America.

She pulled out her iPhone and got the app ready. “We usually play the Disney edition or the Mar…” she paused and glanced up with a giggle.

His eyes scrunched up as he beamed, “Oh, fuck yes. Let’s go Marvel.” She laughed and started flipping through to find the right category.

“I want to guess first!” You rushed over excitedly as Y/F/N handed the phone over and you swapped places. You loved to see how many Marvel characters you could guess and this way you’d have an excuse to look at Chris without it being weird.

As the timer ticked down from where you held the phone on your forehead, he rubbed his hands together in anticipation and winked flirtatiously, “Ready for this babe?”

“Bring it capsicle,” you said with a fervent grin.

“Oh!” Chris shouted excitedly. “It’s uh, fuck!” He scrunched his eyes and made that fanning hand motion trying to think of words to describe the character as he looked to Y/F/N for help.

“Um he’s the one who does the-“ she did a swatting motion with her hand and made pew pew noises.

“Guys, really?” You laughed. “Is it Iron Man?”

“No!” Chris said snapping his fingers. “It’s the one that rides the motorcycle and flame!” He made a whoosh sound at the end of his sentence.

“Ghost Rider!” You shouted excitedly. They cheered and signaled to hurry as you quickly tilted the phone up to the next character.

“Um, ok this one’s in X-Men,” Y/F/N began before pausing, “Can we say what movie they’re in?”


“I think so as long as it isn’t the name of the character, too. Like Thor,” you hurriedly answered. “Is it Wolverine?”

“No, the red head.”

“Jean Grey!”


“No her alter ego,” Chris said stretching and reaching forward as though he could draw the answer from your thoughts.

“Phoenix!” You tilted the phone.

“Woo, we’re on a roll,” He gave a big grin as he read the next name, “Fuck, um, Seb!” He waved his hand trying to make his mouth catch up with his thoughts.

“Sebastian’s character! The sad one!”

“Bucky!”

“Yes!”

“The sad one?” You laughed.

“It’s the truth,” he grinned.

After Bucky the characters seemed to be mainly ones who appeared in the movies and Chris quickly figured out the best way to have you know the characters was to simply shout the actors names as you continuously moved another few feet forward in line. Y/F/N would sometimes shout the actor at the same time as Chris, which would cost all of you seconds from laughing.

“Mackie!” He yelled laughing at you as you almost dropped the phone in haste as you shouted back, “Falcon.”

“Downey!”

“Iron Man!” Phone tilt.


“Crap he’s the big bad,” Chris was breathing hard with adrenaline as the timer started ticking down. He held his head in frustration as he tried to think of who the actor was.

“PURPLE THUMB!” Y/F/N screamed excitedly.

“Thanos!”  And that was the final phone tilt as the game ended. The older couple in front of you had been watching in amusement since the game started and they now joined in on celebrating the fun before turning back around.

Chris wiped tears from his eyes. His whole body shook from laughter. “Purple thumb? Really? I can’t believe that’s what made you think Thanos. That’s the best fucking thing I’ve ever heard.”

“It’s true though,” you said, playfully nudging him in the side. “Ok, Y/F/N’s turn.” You handed her the phone and as she quickly walked over to take your position.

You wiped the tears from your own eyes and fanned yourself to cool off. 

“Here,” Chris breathed, goofily speed fanning you with his hands before you did the same to him. You giggled as the timer started.

“Uh…Chadwick and Wakanda and…” you shouted trying to remember more Black Panther things. The thing about Head’s Up was that in the heat of the game it was like your mind would draw a blank even though you knew the topic, no matter which one it was.

“T’challa!” Y/F/N shouted excitedly tilting the phone.

“Elizabeth,” Chris said.


“Uh…” Y/F/N looked lost. “Who?”

“Crap, the red lady wizard…the one with the magic and leather coat,” you rambled off.

“Scarlett Witch!” Phone tilt.

Chris clapped his hands. “Oh, uh, Margot Robbie played her in the Suicide Squad movie.”

“Harley Quinn?” Y/F/N questioned confused.

“Yes!” He said frantically. 
“What is Harley doing in a Marvel game?” You chuckled.

“Focus babe,” Chris hip bumped you with a wink. You felt your skin light up at the contact and his nickname. You liked it more than you cared to admit.

With a glance at the screen as the next character flashed, the words, “My favorite character!” were out of your mouth before you realized it.

“Loki!”



“I’m wounded,” Chris clasped his heart in mock hurt and wiped a pretend tear from his eye. “And here I thought you were a good girl with a thing for the golden boys.”

“I have an inner bad girl Evans,” you whispered brazenly. “You just haven’t seen it yet.”

You saw his sharp intake of breath and the way his pupils dilated at the words, and chuckled darkly at the effect you had on him. You heard him mutter “fuck me” under his breath as you returned to the game.

The timer showed 5 seconds left as you quickly shouted, “Fast metal!” at the same time Chris yelled “Aaron!”

Y/F/N was laughing so hard she didn’t guess before the game ended. “What the hell was that last one?”

“Quicksilver,” you giggled.

“How many?” you all turned to the cast member to see you had finally made your way to the front of the line. It was almost time to board.

“Oh,” Chris said sadly. Your heart clenched. No, you weren’t ready for this moment to end yet! You didn’t even get to really talk with him… it can’t be over yet.

For the first time in your travel history, you wanted to have to wait longer for something.


“I kind of wish the ride would break down so that we could talk more,” he murmured longingly and echoing your thoughts as you followed behind Y/F/N to the final line.

You peered up into those striking blue eyes and saw your own feelings reflected in his. You smiled wistfully, “Me too.”

“Hey can I sign your ears before we get on the ride?” he asked quickly.

“Oh, uh, you don’t have to do that. It was just really nice to meet you and have this memory,” you said sincerely. You were slightly confused. You had honestly forgot to even ask for a signature or photo by this point and didn’t want him to think you only cared about “Chris Evans the Actor” and not “Chris” the sweet line guy

“Please? I’d really like to leave you a note so you can remember today,” he said with an earnest smile.

“Sure, I guess…” You mumbled humbly. “Although I doubt I’ll forget it.” You slid those Captain America ears, that had brought you so much luck, off your head and dug around in your bag for the permanent marker you had for meeting characters. You handed both over. “I need to save them up before the ride anyway.” He started scribbling on the back sides of the ears where it was mainly just red and blue fabric.

“Do you guys want to do silly faces for the picture?” Y/F/N asked softly, sensing your sadness. She met your eyes and squeezed your hand as a comforting gesture. You knew she was trying to cheer you up.  

Everyone made their way towards the three seated car and you felt the zipper on your bag open. You looked over your shoulder to see Chris slide the ears inside.

“Sorry, just wanted to make sure those beauties were secure.” He gave that bashful smile that you were starting to expect from him and pressed his hand onto the small of your back as he led you forward and into the car.

“Yeah, funny faces would be cool,” Chris grinned as everyone clambered in. “But nobody tell the other what they’re doing and we’ll all be surprised.”

Y/F/N got the front seat, you got the middle and Chris got in the back. You heard a groan and stretched your head as much as you could to see his long legs scrunched up in the small confined area and giggled at his predicament at being so damn tall. He playfully stuck his tongue out as the ride moved forward and you sat back in your seat.

The car moved into the dark expanse of “space” and prepared for the start.  As the ride took off, you got into your pose for the photo as the flash went off and then held on for your life. Space Mountain was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating since it was an indoor dark roller coaster that always made you feel like you were going to fly out of the seat. But, that was what made it fun. You screamed and laughed as you went around turn after turn and you could heard Chris’ whoops of glee behind you. 

And just as quickly as it started, the ride was over.

You were all breathing hard and buzzing on adrenaline as Chris quickly got out and extended a hand first to you and then to Y/F/N to help get out of the low seats. You couldn’t wipe the smiles off of your faces as you made your way to the photo section to see how the picture turned out.

Upon viewing it, the only thing you could do was hide behind your hands in embarrassment. Chris laughed and pulled you into his side as everyone stared at the pic.

Y/F/N had done a duck face with crossed eyes, you had both hands up in the rock and roll sign with your tongue sticking out and Chris blew the camera an exaggerated, scrunched up nosed kissy face with his hand under his chin. 

“I look absolutely crazy,” Y/F/N barked out holding her side in laughter. 



“You? I look like I’m possessed.” You pointed to your face again.

“That is my favorite Space Mountain photo of all time,” Chris said eagerly tapping his magic band to the Mickey eared device on the wall. Y/F/N and you did the same.

“I’m going check out the gift shop,” Y/F/N suddenly said with a mischievous wink in your direction.

“I really think I’m going to print this and hang it in my house,” Chris said glancing up at the photo again.


“Don’t you dare!” You chided with a scared laugh. “I can’t have your people thinking I’m a psycho.”

“Oh yeah definitely a psycho,” he glanced out the corner of his eyes to see your narrowed glare, before pulling you closer and kissing the top of your head. “But a cute psycho.”

The two of you stepped away from the wall of TV’s as the next round of people started swarming around. He pulled his hat down lower and grabbed your hand and you followed him into a quiet corner of the store.



“Thank you for that. It was honestly one of the best times I’ve ever had waiting for a ride,” he said tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ears. You felt your heart stutter at his close proximity and tried to control your breathing. He moved his hand to cup your cheek as he ran his thumb over your bottom lip. That dark look was back in his eyes. “I should meet back up with my family. They’re probably waiting for me.”

“It was really nice meeting you,” You whispered, not wanting him to leave. You knew that your Disney magic was about to run out.

He smiled shyly, and leaned down to press a chaste kiss on your lips and you felt your heart swell. And then, he was leaning back and you knew that time was up.


He ran his index finger once more down your chin, “I’ll see you around Y/N.”

He dropped his hand and took a step towards the sliding doors of the store shoving his hands in his pockets as he glanced back over his shoulder. You dazedly waved a hand in farewell and he beamed. His eyes shot open in remembrance, “Oh! Don’t forget to put your ears back on!”  And with a final wink and a wave he was swallowed by the crowd.

Y/F/N suddenly appeared by your side with a broad grin. “Chris freaking Evans just kissed you!”

“I don’t even know what just happened,” you let out a breathy laugh as you made your way out into the Florida sunshine.

“So, where to next? Although I don’t think anything will top that on this trip.”

You reached for your bag to see what Chris had written on the ears. And as you pulled it out and read the writing, you gasped. He’d created his own Head’s Up category.

On the left ear was a scribbled phone number and on the right ear was

Chris Evans. The one who likes you.

It seems the Disney magic was just beginning…

My Masterlist

[crimsonrevolt]

Congratulations Brooke you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Bellatrix Black!

↳ please refer to our character checklist

Bellatrix is such a complex character, so it was a delight to get an application that explores so many different sides of her personality! Her possessiveness, her addiction to torture, the vestiges of insanity, her love for her family -- it all came through beautifully in your app. I know she’ll be a much wanted addition to our mix, and I can’t wait to see how you explore her characteristics and allow her to grow depending on where the plot takes us. Congratulations and welcome!

application beneath the cut ( tw: death, torture, blood )

OUT OF CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION

Hi, my name is Brooke. I’m 26 and go by she/her. I live in EST time zone, USA.

ACTIVITY

I’m a teacher so my activity during the week can be a bit spotty if I have school functions, however I am active on weekends. So my number is anywhere from 6-8 given the day of the week. I also have the app on my phone and can post during my lunch breaks and when out and about.

TRIGGERS

*removed for privacy

HOW DID YOU FIND US?

I was RPing here a while back as Lucius, but RL got away from me so I had to drop him. My friend Orlik is still here as Umbridge so I felt like coming back now that my life is more settled.

WHAT HARRY POTTER CHARACTER DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST?

I love Luna. She is someone so utterly full of life and she gives no fucks in the best possible way.

ANYTHING ELSE?

I am a devoted Ravenclaw!

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER

Bellatrix- Means “female warrior” in Latin. This is the name of the star that marks the left shoulder of the constellation Orion.

Eris- Eris was the goddess of strife and discord

Black- a nickname given from the earliest times to a swarthy or dark-haired person

FACE CLAIM

Eva Green suits me fine! She has a wild beauty about her that fits my view of Bellatrix.

REASON FOR CHOSEN CHARACTER

Ah, Bellatrix Black. The infamous zealot for Voldemort’s cause. Wielder of the power of Occlumency. Bringer of pain and destruction. What’s not to love about our resident crazy witch? She’s wild, full of blood lust, and evil. These types of characters are a blast to play! It is a small chance to drop the modern niceties and bring out a wilder side of you. Yet, Bellatrix is a character who is not one dimensional. Yes, she’s mad, but there’s also passion, loyalty, and even love.

Bella (I’ll call her that even though I imagine she’d allow no one but her sisters and Voldemort to call her that) is passion incarnate. Every action she does is done with her full self. Nothing is half assed with her. At any moment she is ready to kill for her cause and kill she will, with brutal skill and violent strength. Such is her passion that she utterly defends her cause, her blood purity, and family.

This brings us to her next point. Loyalty. She is of course loyal to the Death Eaters, but I would even say her loyalty to her family comes before that. She loves her sister Narcissa and I think, deep down, even Andromeda, though her passion would never allow her to admit it.  The loyalty for the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black is so deeply ingrained in her that she’d stop at nothing to make sure it’s honor is upheld to the highest. Merlin help the person who dares sully their good name. This of course means Andromeda, which brings out a heavy struggle in the two sides of Bella. Loyalty and Passion conflicting at once.

But let us not forget love. Bella has memories of her sisters that are not easily forgotten, even in throes of passion and madness. She loves them dearly as she does her master. She may not understand her feelings as love however. She might see it more as possession. They are HERS and must be protected at all costs. How she manages her love among her other traits as the war develops remains to be seen, but it is clear it will be a struggle for all involved. Nothing will stop her from her goals, not even herself.

PREFERRED SHIPS // CHARACTER SEXUALITY // GENDER & PRONOUNS

Bellatrix uses sex as a means for power. Whether it be to sleep her way to the top or to get someone hooked on her extensive bedroom skills, Bella has no qualms about working what she has. She is bisexual with a heavy lean towards women. Women are so soft and delicate and so fun to break.  The sight of blood, dark and wet, makes her hot and she loves to break out the knives for a little fun. The feel of steel on flesh, lightly touching and teasing as it raises goosebumps on the skin makes her dizzy. But it all becomes clear once she plunges the blade into her unfortunate lover’s flesh. Muggles are particularly fun to play with, so innocent and trusting. You know that Bellatrix has been around if attractive young muggles begin to disappear at a frightening speed.

Bella does not feel love, per say. She feels possessive and things that she marks are hers are just that. HERS. Her sisters. Her master. All hers. The thought of her beloved Andromeda in the possession of anyone else fills her with rage. HERS. NO ONE ELSE’S. Andy will return, even if it means she returns to Bella in her burial shroud.

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER:

-A MOODBOARD-  http://www.gomoodboard.com/boards/P2Bme_9I/share

-A PLAYLIST

Starset- My Demons (theme song)

“I cannot stop this sickness taking over It takes control and drags me into nowhere I need your help, I can’t fight this forever I know you’re watching, I can feel you out there

Take me high and I’ll sing Oh you make everything okay (okay, okay) We are one in the same Oh you take all of the pain away (away, away) Save me if I become My demons”

The Offspring – You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid

“Slowly out of line And drifting closer in your sights So play it out I’m wide awake It’s a scene about me There’s something in your way And now someone is gonna pay And if you can’t get what you want Well it’s all because of me”

Nancy Sinatra- Bang, Bang

“Bang bang, he shot me down Bang bang, I hit the ground Bang bang, that awful sound Bang bang, my baby shot me down

Seasons came and changed the time When I grew up, I called him mine He would always laugh and say “Remember when we used to play?”

Lana del Rey- Ultraviolence

“He used to call me DN That stood for deadly nightshade ‘Cause I was filled with poison But blessed with beauty and rage”

Imagine Dragons- Thunder

“Just a young gun with a quick fuse I was uptight, wanna let loose I was dreaming of bigger things And wanna leave my own life behind Not a yes sir, not a follower Fit the box, fit the mold Have a seat in the foyer, take a number I was lightning before the thunder”

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

The following section should be looked at like a survey for your character. Answer them in character and feel free to use gifs. Or, if you’d rather, answer them in third person or OOC without gifs. Answers do not have to be extremely lengthy.

♔ If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it:

Skin is full of holes, you know. Did you know that? Little tiny holes. Openings. Entry ways. There’s a phobia for that, you know. Imagine. A fear of itty bitty little tiny holes. It makes one think of something sick. Infested. Infected. Trypophobia. Foraminissanguinem is my spell. Imagine a geyser. So beautiful. Now imagine three trillion of them erupting. Each from a point nearly invisible to the naked eye. So beautiful, no?

♔ You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one other character and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you’d want with you: There is one object I have always admired since I was a tiny pip of a girl. The Staring Glass Eye in Borgin and Burke’s. It’s quite a simple object. Unassuming. Small. Shiny. Yet it does so much more than meets…well, the eye. It resembles a glass eye. Of course, it does. A small, round, shiny glass eye with a blue iris. Pretty little thing. Would match my collection. I do so love the color blue. Once held, its owner is alerted to anyone or anything that attempts to sneak up on it. It sees through all things, solid or otherwise. Organic or otherwise. Such a useful tool, no? I believe I’ll inquire about its whereabouts. If lucky, it will remain at the store for my purchase.

♔ What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make?

None. What a ridiculous question. Next!

♔ What is one thing you would never want said about you?

That I were not the very image of blood purity. I am Bellatrix Eris Black, eldest daughter of Cygnus and Druella Black, of the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black. The blood of my veins is that of a pure blood witch. My lineage is pure and superior. To declare otherwise is to meet the end of my wand.

WRITING SAMPLE

The echo of footsteps reverberated around the abandoned alley. The man, breathing heavy, pulled himself along the wall with one hand. The other was wrapped protectively around his broken ribs. Each footstep was a burning agony. Each intake of breath threatened collapse. Yet, he continued on. The safe house was near. Just a bit further and he’d be with the others. They weren’t expecting him, but he’d be welcomed. The information he’d acquired…he shivered slightly, feeling cold. Was it the chill weather or the rapid loss of blood that brought on the shiver? He couldn’t say. A high feminine giggle echoed somewhere nearby. He paused, barely breathing. It faded in the night, leaving a haunting silence in its wake. He shivered again. Must keep moving.

Behind him, stalked a predator. The metallic scent of blood wafting in her nostrils. She shivered as well, yet for a wholly different reason. A sigh followed by another high pitched little giggle. What fun! Stooping down, one long finger reached out to touch the crimson liquid splattered on the cobblestone. A pianist’s fingers, he father used to tell her. In happier times, that is. The blood was still warm. The coated finger was raised to the woman’s lips. A fine color to match her already ruby lips. A tip of pink tongue darted out to taste the salty liquid. Another sigh, like one offered to a sweet-talking lover. Oh, this was fun.

So close. He just had to make it. She was closer, he knew. But there was no rush in her pursuit. She knew as well as he, that he was not going to make it. A tear slipped down his face, falling to mix with the blood on the stone. If he could just get close enough. If he could just find some way to alert them, then it would not be for nothing. They needed to know. He needed them to know. Another step. He stumbled and then fell. Black spots danced before his eyes, blacker than the night. The sound of footsteps drew nearer until they were right upon him. She tutted, sadly, before straddling the man. Her weight upon his broken ribs brought gasps of pain. She nuzzled him gently. Her finger, still coated in the man’s blood, stroked his stubbled cheek. A smear spread upon it, barely noticeable in his already bloodied features. She smiled, which tore a sob from the man’s lips. It was too wide, too toothy. She leaned in close, her lips almost to his ear, and whispered gently. His sobs came swiftly. “Did you really think I’d let you go so easily?” She pressed her lips to his cheek before sticking out her tongue. She licked the side of his bloodied face and shuddered heavily. “We’ve only just begun our fun.”