#how do i explain to my straight hp fan friends that i love hp but in a fruity way

[artist-issues]

Was thinking about the subject of interpretation recently. You've made clearer to me the truth that storytelling is always communicating something and that there's always objective facts to be observed in a story's quality. But what about the subjective elements or the elements that can be argued to be subjective?

To be more specific, you've talked about turning interpretation into rewriting before, largely in regards to the HP Marauders, which is when interpretation goes too far. So I'd first ask what you think is the correct way to handle interpretation in reading stories?

My second question, tying into that, is for cases like those of the HP fandom (and all fandoms everywhere, really) but where the audience claims not to be guilty of rewriting the characters or plot. When things get blurrier and people argue that they can, for example, interpret a character as gay even when that character has explicitly stated they aren't by arguing that - in their interpretation - the character was lying because they're in denial. Other similar cases include of course the thousands of characters whose sexualities and the inner thoughts of their relationships are headcanoned by fans however they see fit with all manner of excuses used to fit it into any canon context that might contradict their vision.

Those are the obvious cases to my mind, but there's also whether a character's motives are selfish or heroic, whether a villain cares about people deep down or is unrelentingly evil, whether the whole story isn't secretly Johnny Jim's fever dream that represents his trauma, etc. In so many cases, fans can make arguments that since their interpretation isn't technically contradicted by the narrative then it can be correct even if it's a pure addition to the story.

Long build up, but my second question would then be do you think that argument is a valid form of interpretation or has it crossed over into rewriting?

This is a tricky question. Because the truth is that humans can twist anything until it says whatever they want it to say. Obviously, if you simply say, "Well I know Lupin married and loved a woman and actively called Sirius a 'friend,'" but he was lying." And when you ask them for proof that he was lying, they ultimately don't have any. They can say "look at how close Sirius and Lupin seemed," or "think about how uncomfortable he was to be with Tonks," but you can easily explain those evidences—with the explanations given in the book by the narrator. "Yeah, they were close because they were friends. He was uncomfortable to marry her because he's a werewolf and she's younger, he literally said so."

Theres "evidence" on both sides, for each argument. But only one side takes all available evidence, as a whole, and still has a supportable conclusion. The other side, the side that claims Lupin and Sirius were romantically interested in one another, picks and chooses whatever lines up with their theory (like you said) and discards the rest—or has to add to the original material to make their interpretation make sense.

And what is "adding to the original material?" It's simply assuming god-like knowledge of a character you didn't create. Because Rowling didn't give you evidence for Lupin's straight love for Tonks and platonic friendship with Sirius being a lie. She could've. She's written liars and their behaviors before. She's written Lupin hiding the truth, too, so we know what THAT looks like.

Ultimately, I'd say:

The correct way to handle the interpretation of stories is to look at the story as a whole, first. Remember that every word, every line, everything said and left out, was a decision made by the storyteller. They're each building blocks for a whole. So you have to look at the whole, first. My method is to look at the good that befalls a character, and the bad that befalls a character, and trace the cause. Usually, the a good or bad thing happening to a character can be traced all the way back to a decision they, or some other character, made. Once you find that decision, you have to try and figure out why the character made that decision: what was their motivation? What belief drove them to make that decision? You act the way you act because you think the way you think. You can figure motivations out in specific characters by analyzing what events shaped their worldview, or paying attention to what words they choose when they speak in moments of conflict or tension. Dodger (in Oliver and Company) says "you're one of the gang. the gang means family." when he's angry with Oliver for wanting to leave. That's the first time we see Dodger hurt and angry with a friend. And that's the explanation we're given. And we can couple that with the times he's risked his skin: jumping in front of angry Dobermans, or refusing to eat until he gets to the others. So we know, after looking at all the evidence, that the most important thing to Dodger isn't food or safety or even "looking cool:" it's that core group of characters he considers "family." Then you've cracked him, as a character.

If a fan is adding something to a story that lines up with the character's purpose in the original material—or at least lines up with their character traits at some point in the original material—then it's an addition to the story. Cinderella 2015 zooms in on the fact that Cinderella loved and respected her parents: in the original cartoon, you're shown one scene of her crying at her father's bedside, and another of her adoring her mother's dress in the most stressful of circumstances. That's not rewriting. The foundation was there in the original material. They just reverse-engineered that parental relationship, looked at how something seemed to be keeping Cartoon Cinderella in high spirits regardless of circumstances (which is not a trait she could've learned anywhere OTHER than those briefly-mentioned parents, based on all the evidence) and built upon it. But, if they'd taken the death of the parents and said, "Ella desperately wanted to please her stepmother, because she barely remembered her real mother," it would have been a rewrite. Why? Because if you look at ALL of the evidence, cartoon Cinderella doesn't tell Bruno to "love Lucifer like I love my stepmother, we're all we've got." That's what she would've said if she felt that way about her birth mother versus her stepmother. But instead, she tells him to "look for his good points, even if it's hard." And she clearly shows excitement and adoration for her mother's old dress. And the opening scene shows us how much she loved her parents. So when you take ALL the evidence, you CAN'T come by the wrong conclusion, and make a rewrite, honestly.

I hope that answered your questions. Shoot me another ask if not.

#Asked #answered #writing #Cinderella #Bruno #Lupin #Sirius Black #Sirius #HP #Harry Potter #state of the fandom

[transmasc-wizard]

do you want to Rant about harry potter worldbuilding?

Yes. Yes, I do.

Preface

I love two things. Those things are any opportunity to dunk on JKR & everything she's made, and good worldbuilding.

There is only one thing that I love in this discussion, and it is not #2.

This will be split up into sections; hogwarts & its houses, magic, bigotry/things that make me go hmmmmm, and things that just generally don't make sense.

And just a note: Harry Potter fans? Get Off My (Blog's) Lawn.

With that out of the way:

Hogwarts & its Houses

I cannot stress enough that even when I was in my HP phase, I thought the houses were fucking stupid. You're telling me the four types of people are brave, smart, nice, and ambitious and there are no mixes or other options? You're gonna say that with a straight face? At 10 years old I was mapping out percentages of how I thought I and my friends/family members would fall, and none of them would fit concretely into just one house.

Like. If you know me moderately well, you know I have gripes with V. Roth's Divergent, due to the premise being "most people only have one personality trait and the protagonist is special because she has three". But at least Divergent showed people who broke out of that restriction. In Harry Potter, no one questions why people are sorted into groups that represent their core personality & values when they're ELEVEN YEARS OLD. (The closest thing to "mixing" houses would be the fact that the Hat had trouble sorting Harry, but like... in the end, it decided based off of his 11-year-old mind that bravery was his defining character trait.)

They can never even change, and they are expected to base their personalities around it enough that the Hogwarts house of grown adults who haven't been to school in 40 years is still relevant.

I hope I don't have to explain why even if people were built in a way that they all had the defining trait of brave, smart, nice, or ambitious, it would be extremely unlikely for that trait to stay the same from age 11 until the day they die. I really, really hope I don't have to explain how that's ridiculous.

Like. IIRC, the whole reason the Houses are like that in the first place is because four people founded it and based the houses on their own personalities. You cannot??? Categorize all of humanity based on one friend group??? Hufflepuff is extraordinarily unbalanced/messy because of this, imo; Rowling realized "hey, not everyone fits into these 4 categories" and so she made anyone who wasn't brave, smart, ambitious, or the typical Hufflepuff nice into Hufflepuff anyway.

Magic

there is no magic system in Harry Potter lol. Calling it that is way too generous. Magic works because it needs to for the plot. It is almost never inconvenient for the characters--it's just exactly what they need. (There's barely even any boundaries to what it can do except for... summon food? I think? idk.)

There's no information given on how spells are made, why they work, why you need a wand, why some people can do magic without wands, why you need to use potions for some things and spells for others, whatever the fuck is going on with Divination, how new spells get known/popular, literally how the fucking planets are involved (Harry takes astronomy and it's supposed to be relevant), how the magic of magical creatures is different or similar to the magic of humans, how people can do magic accidentally & without wands as children, how magic is viewed in different cultural contexts, how ALL OF THE TIME TRAVEL MAGIC was stored in one fucking place, where magic comes from, or even how magic itself works beyond "wave wand, say magic word, bam! spell".

For fuck's sake, you don't even learn why magic is colourful.

This isn't inherently a bad thing. There are well-done fantasy stories with super vague magic systems. But if you are going to have a story about a magic school where magic people learn how to do magic tricks, YOU HAVE TO TALK ABOUT THE MAGIC BEYOND JUST LISTING SOME SPELLS AND POTIONS.

Other people have said this more eloquently, but like. It's why Harry sucks so much. (See the joke of "no one's favourite HP character is Harry" that used to be vaguely (?) popular, at least where I was hanging around in my HP fan days.)

Harry is passive and does not notice or do anything even remotely related to the actual premise of a magic school where you learn magic, because then JKR would have had to actually think about how her magic works. He just cheats off of people or learns things in lessons she never describes because he was, like, staring out the window or talking to his friends or whatever.

Bigotry/Things That Make Me Go Hmmmmm

the race of slaves who like being slaves and whose rights are a joke that only one character genuinely cares about

the whole shit with "Native American wizards were so primitive and weird with their magic until European wizards came along and taught them to do better" (this is in companion material, not the OG series, btw)

similarly: using creatures from Native American legends as backdrops for her History of Magic in North America thingy, but not actually... talking to Natives or having Natives star in the story. (see: using the Pukwudgie as a Ilvermorny house name but not talking about the Wampanoag tribe, which it's from.)

the goblins, who are hooked-nosed greedy creatures that control all the money and hate the Wizards, and who also literally have a Star of David on their bank floor in one of the movies

the date rape potion that gets frequently mentioned that no one says is a date rape drug (makes the person think they're in love with whoever brewed it, or smth like that. when it wears off, they realize what happened. may i say: what the fuck?)

Unicorns only approaching girls because they're "safer" and "purer"; this is r*dfem rhetoric and gender essentialism. (No I am not saying misandry is real or that she's being sexist against men, I am saying this is the same foundation T3RFs use to hate trans women & TIRFs use to hate trans men)

Things That Just Don't Make Sense

Truth potions exist. They work 100% of the time. No one thought to use this in Sirius Black's trial, or any other criminal trials in the wizarding world, because JKR doesn't think about things.

luck potions exist. They work 100% of the time. No one thought to use this to shoot Voldemort in the face, because JKR doesn't think about things.

Time travel magic literally all being destroyed in one go. You're saying you cannot make more time turners??? They're just gone?? And you're saying every single one was in the Ministry basement?? yeah ok sure.

How that "taboo" thing works. Yeah that falls in magic in general but I hate this one specifically so it gets its own spot

The logistics of skill level in magic. Again, this falls under magic, but it deserves a special note. I have no idea what is easier or harder to do when it comes to magic, and it is never explained in a sensible way.

the logistics of having a fucking giant squid in a lake. what does it eat. does it eat the mermaids

how come humans can make babies w/some magical creatures (see: Fleur being quarter Veela) but not others, e.g. goblins?? (or,,, can they also have babies with goblins....? Never mind i don't want this one answered)

SERIOUSLY WHAT THE FUCK DO THE PLANETS HAVE TO DO WITH MAGIC AND HOW IT WORKS. FUCKING TELL ME PLEASE

In Conclusion

JK Rowling's Harry Potter series has weak as shit worldbuilding and a 12-year-old with a hyperfixation on unicorns or something could do better than she ever will. thank you and goodnight

#harry potter tw #fuck jkr #worldbuilding #asks #will/lee #nico rants

[moonlightdancer26]

Lonaw has clearly already come to their own conclusion and is cherrypicking canon for things that support that conclusion.

I wanted to highlight this part since you didn't comment on this specifically:

"his choices being limited to female staff"

This makes no sense. First of all, why only the female staff members? Oh yeah, Lonaw has already decided that Snape must be solely attracted to women, even though there is no hard evidence for that.

Even if he was strictly straight, why staff members only? Hogsmeade is just a walk away, and he can apparate to other wizarding places from there as well. Hell, he could pick up a muggle, he knows how to blend in and navigate the muggle world.

That part just pissed me off. None of their arguments make much or any sense.

PS: Honestly, calling everyone who has experienced unrequited love an incel is super harmful too.

PPS: Also there is the option that he is choosing not to have sex even though he could get it, like that option exists too. You wouldn't call a nun (or anyone else who is voluntarily celibate) an incel either.

Yeup.

Oh yeah, Lonaw has already decided that Snape must be solely attracted to women, even though there is no hard evidence for that.

Agreed, I thought about pointing it out, but in their defence, I think they were trying to argue against “my definition” (aka… the actual definition). But yes, for all we know, Snape could’ve been aro/ace or gay, Snape antis apparently deem it impossible for a man and a woman to be just friends.

why staff members only? Hogsmeade is just a walk away, and he can apparate to other wizarding places from there as well. Hell, he could pick up a muggle, he knows how to blend in and navigate the muggle world.

Very true! Never really thought about that, anon.

And I agree, no offence to them but none of their arguments made much sense. After I corrected their definition of an incel, they proceeded to supposedly correct me and describe introverted people that seem to have mental health issues, and they called Severus introverted and tact as though it was proof of his incel-ness. They literally contradicted themselves, they said “he only interacts with teenagers and people he hates, he has a quiet personality and wouldn’t show it” … then… then… why would you think he’s an incel? What makes these people look at Severus Snape and think “he’s an incel”? Seriously, what is it about him? Because he was friends with a girl?

Do HP fans (generally speaking btw) not realise they can’t use “well it might’ve happened in private” or “well it was Harry’s POV so we wouldn’t have seen it uwu” as an argument? It isn’t “equally canon” (boy do I hate that phrase).

PS: Honestly, calling everyone who has experienced unrequited love an incel is super harmful too.

Exactly. Unrequited love fucking hurts, it never fails to upset me when seeing these people say things like that. :/

PPS: Also there is the option that he is choosing not to have sex even though he could get it, like that option exists too. You wouldn't call a nun (or anyone else who is voluntarily celibate) an incel either.

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

You explained it perfectly, anon.

#anti snaters #severus snape #pro snape #pro severus snape #snape #harry potter #hp #ask #asks

[lilyevansgf]

i actually fucking hate harry potter

#i love harry potter but i hate harry potter WE EXIST #i’m looking at stuff from the books and it’s SO BAD #marauders fic writers u have spoiled me #how do i explain to my straight hp fan friends that i love hp but in a fruity way

[alastorseye]

About Remadora

When I say I really hate the HP fandom, I'm talking about the "fans" that hate everything about the saga, but still having Harry Potter accounts. They change the original story, claim that fanonical facts are canon, and launch hatred and death threats at those who simply like HARRY POTTER JUST THE WAY IT IS. Yes, I'm mostly talking about Marauders fans, which I joined after reading the books because I thought it would be interesting and funny. I suddenly realized how toxic and hateful that fandom was, it's like a cult dedicated to deifying Remus, Sirius, James and Regulus, and it seems that hating Snape, Dumbledore, and Remadora is a requirement to be a part of it.

At the beginning I used to consider Wolfstar as something funny, a bromance, it never bothered me, I mean... every fandom has fanon ships and I respect that, but the way they always hate Remadora and their shippers is something that MUST stop.

"You see!" said a strained voice. Tonks was glaring at Lupin. "She still wants to marry him, even though he's been bitten! She doesn't care!"

"It's different," said Lupin, barely moving his lips and looking suddenly tense. "Bill will not be a full werewolf. The cases are completely -"

"But I don't care either, I don't care!" said Tonks, seizing the front ofLupin's robes and shaking them. "I've told you a million times. . . ." And the meaning of Tonks's Patronus and her mouse-colored hair, and the reason she had come running to find Dumbledore when she had heard a rumor someone had been attacked by Greyback, all suddenly became clear to Harry; it had not been Sirius that Tonks had fallen in love with after all."

"And I've told you a million times," said Lupin, refusing to meet her eyes,staring at the floor, "that I am too old for you, too poor . . . too dangerous. . ."

When I read this part of the HBP I realized that Remadora was my favorite Harry Potter ship. Of course I wasn't aware of the death threats I'd receive later. I've read some "reasons" why some fans hate Remadora.

"Tonks forced him!"

We all know how insecure Remus was. I don't have to explain what's written in Wizarding World (Pottermore). This is the Remus bio:

Well, we can read that Remus was really attracted to Dora.

"Remus, so often melancholy and lonely, was first amused, then impressed, then seriously smitten by the young witch. He had never fallen in love before. If it had happened in peacetime, Remus would have simply taken himself off to a new place and a new job, so that he did not have to endure the pain of watching Tonks fall in love with a handsome, young wizard in the Auror office, which was what he expected to happen. However, this was war; they were both needed in the Order of the Phoenix, and nobody knew what the next day would bring. Remus felt justified in remaining exactly where he was, keeping his feelings to himself but secretly rejoicing every time somebody paired him with Tonks on some overnight mission".

This is so sad and cute, and that's undeniable. I cried when I read it. If someone still thinking that Dora forced Remus to marry her after reading this paragraph... I mean... they're probably talking about another book series.

"The age gap!"

I'm so satisfied to know that some Remadora shippers have explained this. When it's about a kid and an adult... OF COURSE IS HORRENDOUS! Because children are not physically and mentally prepared to have romantic relationships. Wizards are legally adults at 17, REMUS MET TONKS WHEN SHE WAS 21!

I mean, many old people abuses of young people innocence, or something. But we all know that Remus wasn't one of those! He really loved Tonks, and that's canon. I don't know what's doing in the fandom people who denies canon facts.

Remus and Tonks were two physically, mentally, and legally adults loving each other.

"Remus didn't love her!"

He was an introvert, Tonks was an extrovert, she made his life better. And of course, I loved the way he introduced himself when he was trying to prove he wasn't a Death Eater:

"I am Remus John Lupin, werewolf, sometimes known as Moony, one of the four creators of the Marauder's Map, married to Nymphadora, usually known as Tonks, and I taught you how to produce a Patronus, Harry, which takes the form of a stag." (Remus Lupin, DH)

Maybe I'm not the only one who perceive he was proud to be Nymphadora Tonks husband.

"I.. I made a grave mistake in marrying Tonks. I did it against my better judgment and have regretted it very much every since". (Remus Lupin, DH)

This phrase makes more sense after reading Remus bio. He used to think that he was "too poor, too dangerous" for her. He thought he wasn't enough for her. He never imagined that she would love him back. He was a werewolf, and of course he knew he was dangerous, you only need to be emphatic to realize he tried to get away from Tonks because he loved her, he didn't want to hurt his beloved woman!

If you don't believe me, read this again. It's in the chapter 11 of Deathly Hallows:

"Don't you understand what I've done to my wife and my unborn child? I should never have married her, I've made her an outcast!"

So, if Remus was trying to escape it's because he loved them, he thought he spoiled their lives. And of course, no one likes to feel that their influence is bad for someone they love!

"Their relationship came from nowhere! They don't have a development"

Well, the saga's name is HARRY POTTER, not The Love Life of Remus Lupin. The story is about the tragic life of this kid and everything he went through to save the world of a cruel and dark villain. I know many readers are young people in love, and they only want to ship everything, but that's not the main topic here, maybe mother's love would be the topic. Of course Ron and Hermione had a development because they were HARRY'S BEST FRIENDS, and they were always with him, from Philosopher's Stone to Cursed Child. Remus and Tonks are minor characters, and it's funny the fact that this usually comes from Wolfstar shippers, so... is Wolfstar more developed than Remadora?! I mean... they can ship whatever they want, Snape and the Sorting Hat, Dobby and Voldemort, anything, but that does not give them the right to disrespect such a cute, tragic and beautiful canon ship as Remadora.

"They are queercoded! Their relationship is homophobic!"

It's surprising to hear this. It's like... people gets angry just because the author doesn't make queer their favourite characters? I will explain why I don't think Remus and Tonks are "queercoded":

Whether through their dress, their behavior, their language, or other subtle forms of implication, queer characters were written or designed to communicate their unstated queerness to those who were searching for representation.

And this is the definition on the website Pride.com:

"Using LGBTQIA tropes and stereotypes to allude to a character's sexuality without explicitly confirming it in the text."

We all know that Disney used queercoding on characters like Ursula, Scar, Jaffar. And why do we know that? Because DISNEY WANTED TO PORTRAY THEM LIKE THAT, get it? Disney, THE CREATORS MADE THESE CHARACTERS INTENTIONALLY QUEER. How? BASED ON STEREOTYPES.

And going back to Remadora, I was really happy to see by first time a bada*ass woman, with short hair who wasn't portrayed as a lesbian just because the way she looks. This character didn't follow the: "Straight women have long hair and are girly", and "short dyied hair is for lesbians". I'm very very very surprised the fandom follows these stereotypes.

About Remus: I don't know how the phrase "being a werewolf is a metaphor about people with HIV AIDS" means "he's gay". Fenrir Greyback bit him when he was a kid. Many people interpret this as "r4pe". Okay, even thinking that it is the meaning of the "bite", I still cannot understand how being "r4ped" and "infected" makes him queer. Is this (again) a stereotype about people with AIDS and gay?

"JK Rowling created Remadora because she didn't like people shipping Wolfstar!"

It is true that fans love shipping everything, they queerbait and queercode everything. That's great, that's not the problem. The problem is when people starts bashing fans who ship canon straight couples. A very good example is the polemic on Falcon and Bucky relationship, some fans wanted them to be a gay couple, Anthony Mackie said that two men can only be friends, and there is no need to always give them a romantic connotation. People cancelled him, they called him homophobic. Yes, just because a person with authority (on the story they're following") didn't like the fact of queercoding their favourite characters. It's the same about Remadora.

Grindeldore is a very interesting and underrated couple by the way. You can love or hate JK Rowling, but the truth is that Harry Potter story is hers, and even if Remadora was "because she didn't like Wolfstar", she is the author, it was her mind where these characters first appeared, as a big Harry Potter fan I respect and like the original story, that's not a sin. An author has the right to make some changes if some characters were misunderstood by the readers.

(Yes, I wrote this a bit angrily since I've seen too much hate towards Remadora shippers)

#remadora #remus lupin #nymphadora tonks #harrypotter #anti toxic shippers #hp #ronks #harry potter

[bearpillowmonster]

Persona 5 Review (Confidants)

You can increase relationships with characters, increase your knowledge, guts, charm, proficiency and kindness in your free time for various uses in the future, it’s really intricate and interesting because you’re seeing so many storylines at once and uncovering other characters’ pasts, it’s really engaging. I guess it's possible to not have maxed social stats but I didn't really have a problem with it. I know that there are some things you can only do before or after a palace but I ‘usually’ try to get it done in one run as early as I can, it’s almost like the palaces are the break from taking breaks. Though if you do leave a palace, it restores hp and sp so that’s cool. Also, finishing a palace early opens up a lot of relationship opportunities because they aren’t nagging “You wanna go to the Palace today?”

So, if you can spend time with only so many characters then which ones did I spend time with and which ones do I recommend spending the most time on? Well first off, you can dabble, like just start someone’s route and if you don’t like it then just ignore it and move on, I like how it gives you a chance to meet everyone before any major commitments. Also finishing one up sometimes gives you exclusive personas you can make. 

Let me start with Chihaya, I like the Chihayafuru anime so I went along with it but I really just wanted my money back, I’m not sure if the star actually did anything but the story was just average and that money wasn’t coming back. I didn't spend a whole lot of time with her though I kind of wish I had because I saw a rumor that she helps with something significantly, as long as you have the cash for it, which is very apparent around endgame or even if you had the part time jobs.

Ryuji’s story was average but I use him a lot in combat so I wanted to increase my bond. I’ve seen headcanons that these characters do really crazy stuff and go to prison for it but it’s not true, they’re just a band of misfits, the prison that you see in promos is a metaphorical one, a dream prison held inside their own mind, it’s in the very beginning of the game, just want to clarify that because it worried me going into this game. I finished his confidant.

Queen’s is rather decent, as I mentioned, she was...She acts way too attached to not like him, I mean look at the way she’s clinging to him during that house break in scene, she’s always the one to take initiative and be second in command. What I don’t understand is that if you go somewhere with her and see someone, she’ll immediately play it off “he’s just carrying my books”. She’s also the one that went straight to Alibaba when getting hurt, I like that motherly aspect. I ship my Joker with Queen for him but Kawakami for me (it would be kinda weird for him since she's older and his teacher). It’s the amount of growth we see her character go through, she seems the most genuine even if her side story focuses on her friend.

Panther’s is alright but she wants you to help her get mentally strong, O..k..? I’m not exactly one for Panther so I didn’t choose her romantic route because I think she has more chemistry with Fox. Though she seems to be the most connected to Ryuji for some reason, despite bagging on him all the time. DNF.

Fox, I will say that spending time with him made me appreciate him more and I like the rewards and art that goes with it. He’s actually hilarious, this game has a sense of humor and when it comes to him, it’s just gold, he’s so passionate and proper which makes for the best type of lines and delivery. DNF.

Kawakami, I obviously have a soft spot for but I see that her story is a real thing that bothers her, I’m not a big fan of what she reveals half way through, that seemed kinda pointless other than keeping that a secret but if you have a decent amount of money, I would up her confidant as well, it certainly wasn’t anything I expected. I finished it relatively early but by the end she enables you to go out at night even if you’re tired from mementos or a palace. Imagine my surprise when I instantly like her and then the way they introduce her route...I’ll leave it at that other than I finished her confidant.

Speaking of, quick break in the section to mention this. You would think something as in depth as this game would include a meter or consequence of sorts if you start neglecting people or duties but it’s not as stressful as that, you don’t have a sleep meter so you can do stuff in the evening (though sometimes sleeping will enable certain things like dreams which give you points with characters you spend time with regularly)

Mishima is actually one of the more interesting ones to bond with because his story seems very casual but it’s interweaving with the main one until the end of it and I like where it heads, I usually tried staying nice to him for the most part but making sure he doesn’t go “too too far”. The big thing you get is being able to increase your “other” party members stats as if they were equipped in your main party which can be useful. He was one of the first I maxed.

Yoshizawa is the new girl in Royal, so I tried to get on her good side, I actually met her and thought she was kind of robotic because of how apologetic she was but as time went on and as I grew her her confidant, she became more appealing. She was the first I finished because she only has 5 ranks but it was alright, as I said, she’s new so her story is going to be in there anyway but ranking just gives a bit more context is all. Getting all 5 ranks doesn’t finish it. However, it never seems like it's actually "finished", of course I didn't do the romance route so it might've been longer that way but for the most part, from what I see, the romance routes are mostly copy and paste with different characters outside their confidants. Other than a few dialogue options with different context but they’re the same events. The field trip in particular is the main one that I’m talking about. (I know I just revealed I played Royal, I’ll explain why this review isn’t about Royal towards the end though)

If you want, you can help Caroline and Justine experience human stuff but it isn’t a confidant, it just gives you items.

Sojiro. I only did his about half way because he gifts kindness and sometimes enables you to get coffee which gives you hp or sp. Which is cool but I wasn't sure how the confidants worked just yet and was scared I would drag him into the story unnecessarily but that's not the case for any of them, the consequences are a lot different than you might first imagine. He takes calls from multiple people, some who we figure out, some we might not and then he dresses in that sketchy outfit and says "dress for the job you want." and the way he's dressed makes him look like a pimp so...that's concerning. DNF.

Akechi is a bit questionable but every now and then I would spend time with him. He reminds me of a lion. There isn’t much of story though other than that one thing about his parents. Most of these are just spending time with the character and they start to build more substance about half way through. DNF.

Oracle actually has a really cool personality, I think of her more like a sister type to my character though. You have to have a good level of kindness in order to do a lot (which is the hardest to obtain) Once you do though, it seems to tie into a side quest and it’s really dumb because you change a gamers heart...for cheating. And that leads to...

Shinya. Why does this character even have a confidant? It easily could have been Iwai to help with that sort of thing. I didn't even rank him up, sorry, just wasn't really enough of a reason to.

Hifumi is cool, I like how she’s in a church and plays Shogi, it reminds me of Hunter X Hunter with Gungi. Her story is kind of sad too but not too much different from the “I’m on all the magazines but don’t really want to” she just wants to promote the board game. I waited until after I maxed out Queen to get past Rank 4 for her though because I was wary of giving some of the girls the wrong idea especially since that meeting between her and Queen. But once my character and Queen were official, then I decided to come back to Hifumi. DNF.

Takemi has an interesting take, I ranked her confidant up but wasn’t psyched about it, it provided a source for the guts attribute for a little while, it’s really sketchy in hindsight but the story is a little bit similar to Kawakami, with being shunned and all but Takemi seems to embrace it a lot more. I maxed her confidant, it allowed me to get discounted prices for health items.

Noir. She’s actually what I expected Persona to be like, she’s the neutral in my eyes, kind of bubbly but cute about it instead of overly obnoxious. She takes certain events way better than I expected which is good for her but I think the story would’ve packed a punch during that arc if they went deeper with how she takes it. It’s poetic how she’s acting healthy while her father is not. Not to mention that it’s like she’s planting the seeds for her new self both metaphorically and literally. You can gain some pretty good items if you do it right, SP is always a welcome in my book. DNF.

Iwai. I’m not going to recommend which thing you should prioritize, that’s up to how you want to play the game, you should keep it balanced but this guy requires a pretty high guts level. He can mod your weapons for you which comes in handy, the story is kind of mysterious because you go undercover. You also get discounts. DNF.

I love the idea of Joker bringing around a talking cat the whole time, it’s a total aesthetic, sneaking him some of his food, keeping him in his backpack, he’s as big a part of the team as any, if not the biggest. You don’t really choose to rank him up though, he’s intertwined, you can still choose to be nice to him though. Even though he doesn’t act like him, Morgana kind of reminds me of Daxter with the dynamic, wherever Joker goes, Morgana goes. I let Morgana kind of take free rein and he ended up being the strongest on my team, you don’t know how many “1-More”s I’ve seen this cat do, he was probably the one that was most consistently in my party.

I didn’t mess with that political guy or the journalist.

Also make sure to have figured out what gifts go to which person because once you get the option, it may be hard to get it back if you refuse. Ranking up people outside of the Phantom Thieves affects who is there for the ending so maybe keep that in mind.

Now you may or may not have noticed I missed a specific character, I have been writing this review since I started the game, accumulating different opinions and such, as I mention some in the Palace section of my review. The final days of playing this have pissed me off. From here to the end, I’m going to rant so if you don’t want to hear it and just want to take what I’ve said and leave, now’s the time, I’ve written everything else without this burden on the game hampering my score. However, you need to know this if you want to buy Royal specifically.

Maruki is far and few between, not much substance but I don’t mind sitting down with him once in a while. I only got about half way through so if you want to increase his confidant, do it early because it’s not always available but he helps with SP like the temple in Kichijoji. That’s what I wrote, then I finished the game and I was like “Wait a minute...something isn’t right...” So I looked it up and apparently Maruki is a new character to Royal as well. Alright, fine, so what? Well you need to rank him to level 9, there is in fact a reason and I completely missed it because I played this game BLIND. Biggest mistake and the game doesn’t tell you otherwise. So with Persona Royal, you get an extra semester longer than the original game with new story and new content that deals with Yoshizawa and Maruki in particular. The regular additions to the vanilla game hinted at it but I never knew there was more to it. So, I could’ve played the regular version of Persona 5 and had the same experience. Oh, but to put the icing on the cake. You need to rank up Maruki by November 18th. I only ever had two save files and you know what the one I didn’t finish was at? NOVEMBER FLIPPING 19TH. But wait; How do you play the new content if you can’t go back to the save file? And to that I say “HA” You don’t. I screwed the pooch unless I want to play the entire game again on new game+, has to be the same ending I had too so no finishing early with one of the other endings. Even if I played on the easiest difficulty, have all the stuff from new game+, use all the strats that I figured out afterwards, it would still take forever. The shortest speedrun of this game is 16 hours, that’s enough for a whole other game, I beat Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood in less than that. Why isn’t there a function to skip to a certain section?! I’M PISSED so for now F- this game, if I ever manage to play through those sections at some point then I’ll update this review getting rid of this and making its own review. I’m not just going to look up the cutscenes either, I got Royal instead of vanilla for a reason.

#persona 5 #pissed #maruki #missed my chance #because i did it blind #kawakami #takemi #oracle #noir #queen #ryuji #morgana #chihaya #iwai #sojiro #shinya #hifumi #akechi #mishima #fox #inari #yoshizawa #panther

[hyrule-in-a-pokeball]

After having played the game, here are my thoughts on Sword and Shield. (SPOILERS)

RIVALS You’re stuck with yet another annoyingly happy friendly rival, though he does experience some character growth and becomes the most challenging of your three rivals. Bede and Marnie, while both better rivals characteristically, one a jerk who pulls a Vegeta and literally refers to himself as a “Super Elite” at one point, and the other how a friendly rival should be done, “I don’t hate you, but we’re rivals, not friends, and I’m gonna keep coming at you till I win” kind of deal, are sadly both are made easy by the fact that they’re mono-type users. Bede Psychic and Marnie Dark. VILLAIN TEAM Team Yell amounts to nothing. They are exactly as advertised. A bunch of hardcore Marnie fans from Marnie’s home town. Its Team Skull without the conspiracy. Chairman Rose’s, (The actual villain) plan makes no sense. He wants to awaken Eternatus, which causes Pokemon across the region to spontaneously dynamax, causing untold damage to the region and its people. He wants to do this because it will somehow solve an energy crisis Galar is not currently facing and won’t face for another 1000 years. How this works is never explained. His battle theme was awesome tho, it straight up sounded like something out of Final Fantasy. At times it felt like they were trying to comment on global warming. “Taking action today to solve a problem tomorrow”, but it framed it as a bad thing.

DIFFICULTY These games are more difficult than X/Y, but slightly less difficult than US/UM The gym leaders are finally free of their “3 Pokemon with only 3 moves” thing that plagued Kalos, but they’re not exactly “wall” difficult. There is no Whitney. They’re not rocking type-coverage moves or anything.

Hop is the only trainer to present you with any real challenge throughout the game, mainly because he changes his team up every now n then, even adding a surprise Snorlax out of nowhere.

I personally didn’t have any trouble taking down Leon, but I’ve seen him nearly wipe some people so idk. Regardless, his battle was really hype because he’s built up throughout the game as being unbeatable. He’s not a total pushover, but he’s probably the weakest champion to date.

MISSING MOVES You’re not going to miss any of the removed moves  and not as many have been removed as that list that was floating around was claiming.  GameFreak trimmed the fat.

QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE META GAME As far as breeding, raising Pokemon, etc for competitive goes? this is hands down the best Pokemon game to date. If you’re playing Pokemon solely for the meta game and you’re not hung up on some Pokemon being gone, then this is going to be the best Pokemon game in your eyes.

Mints let you change a Pokemon’s nature.

Ability capsule is only 50 BP now.

Egg moves don’t require breeding to be learned

Dittos with good IVs can be easily obtained in a specific raid den (I have two 4 IV dittos just chilling)

Move reminder/deleter is one NPC located in every Pokemon center and his services are free. (He’s also the name rater)

IV checker is a feature of the PC after you complete 6 battles in the battle tower in post game. thanks to the remote PC item thing, the PC is accessible from anywhere so you can check IVs where ever and when ever you want

Eggs seem to take less time to hatch now. That, or the wild area is just weird, because thats where I do all my egg hatching.

Hyper training is still a thing, with bottle caps you can boost a level 100 Pokemon’s IVs Getting your Pokemon to level 100 is easy because the game throws rare candies and EXP candies at you. Very easy to amass a bunch. You can also choose to feed as many as possible to the Pokemon at once, so no more one at a time crap.

Speaking of “No more one at a time crap”, you can now max out a Pokemon’s EVs with vitamins, where as in the past you could only use 10 of a vitamin max. It takes 26 to max out an EV. Expensive, but fast. Vitamins can be purchased for their usual price, or bought at battle tower for 2 BP each

PRESENTATION While the story wasn’t great, the presentation was. When they did a cutscene, they DID a cutscene. However this made the fact that there’s no voice acting very jarring. There are points in this game that legitimately feel like they were supposed to have voice acting. Maybe in the next one.

THE MISSING POKEMON I’ll be 100% real here. I didn’t miss them (and some of the Pokemon I use frequently didn’t make it in) And honestly, it shakes up the meta game. Meta game was getting stale for a while now. I just used different Pokemon and honestly found some new favorites because of it. 

MUSIC The music in this game is great. Not every song is a banger, but a lot of them are. All the major battle themes are absolutely fantastic. Sadly you’ll have to wait until post-game to hear the battle theme Toby Fox contributed. Or you can just go to youtube.

THE WILD AREA The wild area is a pretty good chunk of land, but at the same time I hoped it would be bigger. After you beat the Pokemon league, the Pokemon in the wild area all scale up to a minimum level of 60, with some of the raid dens having level 70 Pokemon

MAX RAID BATTLES Surprisingly fun, though the game will give you the absolute most brain dead NPC teammates if you play offline. You have 10 turns to take down the kaiju mon, BUT if it KO’s pokemon on your team 4 times, the raid ends. The “Playing raid battles with NPCs” experience can be summed up like this. “Oh the Pokemon’s barrier only needs 1 more hit to break and that hit will also result in us winning? And the Pokemon only needs to get one more KO to make us fail the raid? And everyone is on low HP and will surely get KO’d in the next attack? Lemme just... Rock polish real quick...” The game doesn’t take type advantage into account when setting you up with NPCs for raids so sometimes you’ll go into a raid against a fire type and the NPCs will all have things that are weak to fire, or just not good against fire. So for the love of god, play raids online with real people if its a high level raid

The game is a solid 7/10 9/10 if you’re in it just for the meta game

#Pokemon #Pokemon sword #Pokemon shield #Pokemon sword and shield

[szopenhauer]

Have you ever tried to walk on a moving vehicle and fallen over?: I didn’t fall When was the last time you were a passenger in a car and sat in the back?: I always sit in the back

What is the longest your hair has ever been?: to my butt Who does the grocery shopping in your household?: we all do but me and dad most often What is the best thing you’ve ever bought at a thrift shop?: I bought so many things! Have you ever been pulled aside by security at the airport?: not applicable Do you watch The Simpsons regularly?: I don’t but I like this show anyway :) Did you ever go to summer camp when you were younger?: twice Do you know anyone who is fluent in a second tongue?: me Have you ever been pressured into doing drugs? Did you say yes or no?: I said no

When you were younger, did you have a swing set or a playhouse in your backyard? had a swing Do you burn incense? I heard it causes cancer :(

Does being in love make you nervous? yep Have you ever been so quiet that nobody noticed that you were there? from what I remember Did you ever stop having feelings for someone and then started having those feelings again for them? yeah Do you stay home when you are sick or do you still go out? stay home What’s your relationship with the person you last texted? we’re datinh Have you had more than 3 gfs at the same time? nooo Are you in a good mood right now? sigh... Have you kissed someone with braces? I have XD Who’s your favorite redhead? real, celeb or character?

How do you feel about being in the house alone? cool When was the last time you burnt your mouth from eating something too hot? it happens often as I don’t feel it being hot most of the time :( Do you prefer instrumental songs or ones with lyrics? lyrics Do you have any old friends who you still kinda speak to but it’s awkward? sigh...  When was the last time you used a quote from a movie in real life? today? Do you forget things easily? depends/some

Would/Do you like having brown eyes? maybe Do you spend a lot of time on the internet? too much Have you bought anyone a Christmas gift? not yet

What is one of your favorite compliments to recieve? compliments are awkward :x Do you compliment other random people? rarely What do you use Facebook for? texting mostly Do you love cartoons? some are nice Do you paint your own nails? I did

Describe your style in one word. comfy Describe your current personality in one or two words. complicated Are you afraid of child birth/pregnancy? it’s one of the reasons why I don’t want any kids What are you favorite bottoms to wear? leggings or pajama pants Do you like dresses? not really Do you eat cake with a spoon or a fork? tiny fork but spoon is fine as well What is your favorite sex position? ;) I'm not a fan of sex What color will you paint your nails next? black if any Are you afraid of ghosts/hauntings? kinda What is your favorite game to play with family/friends? board games and/or car racing games with dad What is your beer of choice? I don’t drink beer Do you like glitter? could say so Have you ever owned a Ouija board? hell no Do you like to text? it seems If you had to be an animal for Halloween, what would it be? bat, cat or wolf (eventually a raccoon but it’s not a Halloween related animal) Do you have more dry skin or oily skin? mixed

Name something that starts with the first letter of your first name. zoo Name something that starts with the first letter of your middle name? - And your lastname. chicken Would you spend 20 dollars on a candle? no way What is the goriest thing you’ve seen in real life? hmm... Twilight or Harry Potter? HP Would you rather be a vampire or a mermaid? vampire P.E or Math? Math or Science? dunno What do you do when someone is really rude to you in public? hard to tell Do you argue with your significant other a lot? we don’t argue  Have you ever had a really painful breakup? they were painful to me What do you like to write with? my hands lmfao Do you prefer to be pale or tan? Don’t say in between. pale What is your favorite thing about Christmas? decorations and gifts but also spending time with my parents Do you prefer white or black electronics? black A stranger comes up to you and gives you a big hug, what do you do? :o Do your eyes tear up when you’re nervous? might Apples or Bananas? apples Water or Milk? water Would you milk a cow given the chance? it’s weird Where do you shop for your underwear? I don’t have a fav place to do that

Do you feel more comfortable sleeping in your own bed or in a hotel bed? my own 

Do you prefer to travel by plane, car, or boat? car

Who is your favorite travel buddy? dad

What’s the best souvenir you have ever purchased? can’t choose

What’s your favorite book to read during a long ride? I don’t read while travelling

What’s the most entertaining story you have about getting lost? me and my father been talking so loud that someone on the street just stopped by and told us where the place we’re looking for is ^^”

What was the most expensive trip you have ever taken? ask my family

Which songs are on your travel playlist? whatever

Which travel blogs do you follow? none

Do you complain when you are bored, or look for something to do? I’m never bored so I don’t complain about it

Do other people’s complaints ever get on your nerves? some/depends

How did you develop your specific taste in music? can’t explain that 

If you drink coffee, how do you like it (with cream, black, etc)? I don’t drink coffee

Did your parents sign you up for things like piano lessons and ballet? no and now I’m a loser

What is your favorite children’s song? Kokoszeczka

Are you good at telling jokes? I am

Other than gas, what do you frequently purchase at a gas station? I don’t purchase anything there

Ten years ago, did you think that this was how the world would turn out? ...

Ever think you might be better off living in a different time period? yup

Do you walk regularly? not regularly but often

If you could have the answer to one question, what question would that be? personal

Do you like any bands from other countries? obvi, most of those I like aren’t from Poland, I don’t like polish music 

When was the last time you mailed a handwritten letter? years ago

Do you still receive Christmas cards? my mom does

Do you know anyone who is really hard to please? sadly

What gets you through the day? I wonder myself

If you found out your bf/gf was homosexual, how would you react? I know she is - elseway we wouldn’t date (ok, she could be bi, I know)

If you are homosexual, and you find out your bf/gf is straight, then what? we break up 

Have you ever sung karaoke? What songs? Was it fun? it was Ich troje song *embarassed*

Have you called anyone today? What did you talk about? not today

Do you drive around the neighborhood to look at lights around Xmas? I like to look but I don’t ride around just for that

Why are so many single people bitter on Valentine’s Day? because they’re lonely and because this day is fake 

What is one tradition you hate participating in? personal

Have you made a fool of yourself today? probably

When was the last time you did something for someone else? recently

Do you let other people choose the radio stations in your car? but I don’t have a car 

Would you say that you are an accepting and openminded person? am not

Have you ever been convinced to try something you didn’t want to do? I have been

When was the last time you cheated–at anything? last time I used motherlode in The sims 4 game?

When you are mad at someone, how do you show them? depends

When was the last time you felt you had a reality check? blergh

Have you ever felt out of touch with reality? dissociation, derealisation, depersonalisation etc.

Have you ever had a tooth pulled? not since I was a kid

How long do you you usually chew a stick of gum? didn’t check the timing

Was there any teacher that made life living hell for you? it wasn’t THAT bad but it wasn’t good 

How about any student(s)? I’ve been bullied if it’s what you’re asking me about - still could be much worse

When was the last time you felt overwhelmed? 24/7

Do you have any coffee mugs with funny pictures/sayings? Did I just rolled my eyes out loud 

Describe something strange that you own? where should I start...

Do you think graffiti is a valid form of artistic expression? I don’t approve of it when it vandalizes property

Are you afraid to walk places at night if you are alone? I’m a petite woman so...

What do you think of people who are shy? hard to keep contact with them

Have you ever gone through a time when you had no friends? How did you deal with it? not counting my family - last several years - I was ok with it as I’m a loner, homebody, introvert

What is something that shouldn’t bother you, but does anyway? fuck off!

Has any food ever made you sick to the point where you’d be afraid to try it again? that happened more than once already

Can you hear traffic right now? I don’t hear anything :3

Have you taken a painkiller today? no

Have you had a nap today? neither

Are you currently in a relationship? If so, do you think it will last? don’t feed my paranoia...

Do you have a hyphenate name or know anyone with one? (eg. Carter-Brown) my sister

Do you take your Christmas decorations down before or after New Years? after

Have you made a large purchase today? I didn’t buy anything today, it’s Sunday

Have you ever used a leaf blower? we don’t own one, we’re not rich

You see someone running around naked in the street. Your reaction? if it’s neighbor’s kid that’s no surprise

Has someone close to you died of murder? no one close to me but still a family member of some sort

Would you ever have sex with the last person you texted? done

Do you abbreviate when you text? that’s lazy of me, I know

Is anyone in the room on the phone right now? I’m playing a game

[peachymess]

If attack on titan was in the Harry Potter universe, what subject do you think the veterans would have been teaching at Hogwarts (like all the veterans including Nile, Hannes, pyxis and such) and what houses would 104 been in? It’s okay if you don’t like au’s like that then you don’t have to reply, hope you have a good day :) !

Hi, anon! Finally, I’ll be answering your Harry Potter AU ask! I knowit’s been ages and ages – I’m really sorry about that. To pay you back for thelong wait, I’ve done headshots of the entire 104 plus some of the vets for thisAU. Please accept my apology-drawings, haha. Art posts for vets here, and 104 here.

For the vets, I assigned each of them one of the HP subjects, and I’m reallyhappy with where they ended up. I can see them all in these positions, and Ihope you can too; if you’d like a deeper explanation as to why some of themended up with what they did, just shoot me an ask about the specific charactersin question and I’ll be happy to explain.

 Erwin (Slytherin): Defence against the dark arts 

Levi(Hufflepuff): Potions

Hanji(Ravenclaw): Transfiguration

Moblit(Hufflepuff): Muggle studies

Mike(Gyrffindor): Herbology

Nanaba(Gryffindor): Flight class

Nile(Ravenclaw): History of Magic

Pyxis(Slytherin): Astonomy

Hannes(Hufflepuff): Groundskeeper

Petra(Hufflepuff): Divination

Oluo(Slytherin): Charms

Eld(Gryffindor): Arithmancy

Gunther(Gryffindor): Apparition lessons

Ness(Hufflepuff): Care of Magical creatures

Now, forthe houses, and where to put everyone: I have to talk about how I view the HPhouses first… 

To start off, I’m not the biggest fan of dividing young, impressionable kidsinto groups based on personal traits to begin with. I feel like it’s likely toshape – and restrict – how the kids view themselves and the people around them.I feel like someone who’s more like, say, a Ravenclaw, at eleven years old,might develop into more of a Gryffindor during their years of schooling (atwhich case, it would be inappropriate for their development, to put them intothe house they not yet fit into, just like moving them mid-school would be). Notto mention it can restrict what social interactions they allow themselves; onegroup villainizing another, or avoiding befriending those they won’t share acommon room with, etc. Even more, I feel like saying people are EITHER brave ORsmart OR driven OR loyal, is doing the complexity of personalities a massivedisservice. If I had a dollar for every person who’ve ever told me they areboth one house and another, or a little bit of all, I’d be… well, richer than Iam now. So. My point is, I’m not a fan of saying someone is one thing, as it can sound likeI’m saying they’re NOT the other three things – which simply isn’t true. HarryPotter houses is something a lot of people have a lot of emotional investmentin. As such, I’m sure some of you will disagree with where I personally see theSNK characters. That’s ok. For most of these, I struggled to settle on onehouse, and I’d probably be swayed to change my mind on many of them, ifpresented with the right arguments. However, I have set some guidelines formyself, and I’ve landed on something, following these:

I’veseparated the HP houses into two categories: action-driven (active) houses andREaction-driven (passive) houses: Slytherin and Ravenclaw are action-driven:while Gryffindor and Hufflepuff are REaction-driven.

Beingaction-driven, in this context, means you actively seek out something. ForSlytherins, this is a personal goal. Be it a wish to become the most powerfulwizard alive, the richest, or for your moral compass to be universallyacknowledged and followed. If your path is dictated by where you want to endup, your path is unfolding through the actions you take to get there. This isSlytherin. Ravenclaws, similarly, are first and foremost seekers of truth andknowledge. They spend their time actively improving their insight into whateverfield they find most worthwhile; their path is created from the steps they taketo improve on this knowledge.

Being REaction-driven,on the other hand – in this context – means that you are mainly passive,waiting for something to occurs that requires you to react; you respond to anenvironment, rather than cause an environment to occur. For Gryffindor, whosemain trait is their unwavering drive to withstand and overcome even thescariest, most personally endangering obstacles, this means they’ll REact tosaid obstacles by tackling them head-on, because it is the right thing to do(even when it’s also the hardest thing to do). Hufflepuffs, similarly, willrespond to an environment by letting their loyalty tell them how they shouldrespond, when situations occur.

Using theseguidelines, I’ve ended up placing the characters like this:

Eren(Slytherin): Let’s start this off by getting one thing straight: being aSlytherin and being driven by a personal goal, does not have to be a bad thing!By placing Eren in Slytherin, I am in no way saying he’s a bad guy or that Idon’t support him. No. Eren is here, because, after thinking about it, I can’tdeny that his drive, is an intense, active personal goal of making things rightin the world. Sure, his goal of making the world titan-free (and seeing thefree world later), has taken him down a dangerous path that requires him to bebrave – but he’s not driven by bravery as much as an idea that he just “has todo this, danger level being whatever it is”, for his goal to be reached. He’snot wrestling his fears as much as he is wrestling the danger of not winningwhat needs to be won to advance towards his goal. Lucky for us, his personalgoal, is to give all of us the justice and freedom that is our birthright. Eren’sstrength, is his relentless strength to pursue this freedom.Armin(Gryffindor): I’ve got two names for you to suck on: Hermione and Neville.These characters have taught us that there is no such thing as being “toointelligent” or “too scared” to have the brave heart of a lion. Armin is veryintelligent, and he’s also very human in the face of danger. He also has a dreamto explore (which could make you advocate for Ravenclaw), but more thananything, his dream remains a backseat driver to his rising to the occasionsthat occur; saving humanity before pursuing his own dream. He uses hisintelligence to very skullfully aid in the brave battles he end up in. His maindrive, is wrestling his personal demons, and rising to the occasions. He’sbrave – so incredibly brave – and he’s a Gryffindor.Mikasa(Hufflepuff): A friend of mine said “anywhere but Hufflepuff” when we talkedabout Mikasa. But I beg to differ. Mikasa is strong, and she’s proud. But she’sloyalty bound most of all. She has amazing skills that take her far in battles– but they are not the product of her facing her fears and being brave, butrather the product of her being willing to give it her all to defend what she’semotionally bound to. She’s peak Hufflepuff, because she’s got the skills toback up what she’s loyal to. Honestly, I’d say EMA are all the peaks of theirhouses. Jean(Gryffindor): I’d got Slytherin, had it not been for the fact that once hispersonal desires had to face off against the world’s need for him to rise to adifferent standard, he answered. Jean puts on a good “bad guy slytherin”persona, but his actions say something else. He’s very human, and he’s a slowgrower (as I’ve talked about before), but he DOES grow – and it’s in responseto the world’s need for him to, not for his own personal goals and gains. He’sa Gryffindor.Marco(Ravenclaw): To be honest, we just need someone in Ravenclaw at this point. Ibased this off of Isayama’s HS AU; Marco and Armin are both smart guys, butwhile Armin is shown to be a geek (more devoted to his interests outside ofschool; not being defined by his cleverness), Marco is a “nerd”; school smart –defined by his intellect. I’d say this is better shown in the AU than in canon,but then again, Marco didn’t have much time to blossom. That’s why I’ve chosento go with the context Isa has given us, and say he’s someone who strives toalways be better, learn more, gain knowledge – be it how to fight better, howto strategize more, or how to read situations.Sasha(Hufflepuff): Sasha very nearly ended up as a Gryffindor for me. I held backpartially because I love the idea of her and Connie being Huff-buds. And atfirst I felt like I was cheating; after all, the ways she saved that child andtook out a titan on foot, is still one of the most amazing moments of thisstory for me. Like if you cry every time… But I had to take a step back andremind myself that Hufflepuff is not BELOW Gryffindor. Hufflepuff is not alower tier than any of the other houses. It’s supposed to be your main note.And for Sasha, what we see her do most of, is being a very quirky, goofy, funnygirl who enjoys the simple things (good times with friends, food, etc.). To me,that’s a Hufflepuff. She’s sweet, and she’s fierce. Precisely like a Huff who’sthrown into a world where her loyalty is called upon a lot.Connie(Hufflepuff): He’s in the same boat as Sasha; he’s brave in the face of danger,and he’s the Lion’s heart worthy, but more than that he’s a simple guy who’soften shown to fit snugly into the simpler times-life. Who said Hufflepuffscan’t also be brave when they’re called upon by something or someone they careabout?Reiner(Gryffindor): To be honest, I’m the least sure about the BRA trio. Partiallyfor the sake of mirroring the EMA trio, I decided to put them all in differenthouses. But also, I partially wanted to emphasis that they all have differentpersonalities. Lumping them all into Slytherin and calling it a day, woulddoing them and their individual causes a big disservice. And at the end of theday, while Reiner was the left-over after I placed Annie and Bert, I do thinkReiner’s struggles warrant recognition in the Gryffindor way. After all, nobodyworked harder to get a spot amongst the shifters than him, he took on the roleas Marcel 2.0 after BRA were thoroughly lost, he kept going even after theintense mental struggles he suffered from that point onward, he genuinely triedto be just be best tm  - even though he’sstruggled to find out what IS the best. I’d say he’s got a drive to mimic aSlytherin, but on the other hand, he became very passive inside the walls, oncehe found a comfortable place to play pretend, so I’d say he’s more a re-actor.Annie(Slytherin): Since the beginning, we’ve seen that Annie does not put much stockin loyalty for the sake of loyalty. Sure, she can stick to a side/idea once shedecides on it, but how she decides on it, is driven by her own interest. Shejust wants to be ok, and to have a better life for herself. She’s not exactlyshooting for the stars with this goal, but it’s her final compass none theless. Again, she’s not bad; wanting to wathc out for yourself is not inherentlyevil – it just is what it is.Bertolt (Hufflepuff): Bertolt is loyal to the side he’s picked, preciselybecause it’s what he’s decided to stick with. Loyalty for the sake of loyalty.He says he’s not sure what’s the right thing anymore, but he sticks with Marleybecause that was his entry point. He’s also – while powerful – more of areactor; doing the work he knows he has to do, once it’s possible or asked ofhim. He’s a Hufflepuff to me.Ymir(Slytherin): Ymir’s selfishness is a front she puts on. It’s aself-preservation mechanism that kicks in, understandably, after everythingthat’s happened to her. She’s not a Slytherin because of this. She’s aSlytherin, because at the end of the day, she’s made the choice to follow thatfront’s example, and put herself first for once. Perhaps she’s a convertedGryffindor. All I know is, she’s chosen to put herself and her interest(s)first, and she’s actively sought out these benefits – Slytherin by fomula – butthe more I think about it, the more I want to replace her in Gryffindor.Historia(Slytherin): Historia may appear to be a selfless, brave Gryffindor, and sure,she’s in dangerous situations, like everyone else in 104 – but she’s therebecause that’s her goal. Her personal goal is to appear selfless. To me, herentire arc was about accepting and beginning to love and blossom as herSlytherin self. A Gryffindor wouldn’t say they didn’t care if someone was indanger in their stead (Armin standing in for her), nor would a Gryffindor telltitan Ymir to tear down the tower to save herself, dooming three other people (Connie,Bertolt, Reiner) to death in the process. Historia is not a selfless personfirst and foremost – and while I personally don’t appreciate her, I’m not goingto say she’s in Slytherin for being selfish. No; she’s there because her drivehas been facing inwards, and that’s ok. She’s had little choice but TO have herown back. And she was a child, and can thus not really be blamed for ending uptrying to tend to herself in a harmful way (attempting to die in a heroic wayfor how that will appear outward). But she is, in the end, a character drivenby self-preservation and (the search for) self-acceptance. And that puts her inSlytherin for me.

… And that’sit, anon. I hope you found this interesting and/or entertaining. I put quite abit of effort into this, and I hope something positive will come from it ^^

#snk #aot #snk hp au #hp anon #anon #ask #hp au #eren yeager #armin arlert #mikasa ackerman #jean kirstein #marco bodt #sasha braus #connie springer #reiner braun #annie leonhart #bertolt hoover #ema #ymir #historia reiss #levi ackerman #erwin smith #hanji zoe #moblit berner #snk vets #snk warriors #all the tags #viva la armin if you read this far

[raywritesthings]

A Little More Love

My Writing Fandom: Harry Potter Characters: Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger Pairing: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, R/Hr (implied) Summary: When Harry, Ron and Hermione happen upon someone unexpected during their camping out, their fortunes in the Horcrux hunt turn out for the better. Notes: This is yet another canon AU for HP, this time set in Deathly Hallows. It diverges with the chapter "The Goblin's Revenge" when Harry, Ron and Hermione overhear a conversation between Griphook, Gornuk, Ted Tonks, Dirk Cresswell, and Dean Thomas. In my version, I've added another character as well as changed some key events. Simply put, I always felt JKR cheated us of a truly awesome Ginny moment in DH, so I decided to try my hand at writing my own take. I hope you enjoy it! Title is borrowed from a line McGonagall has in Half-Blood Prince, and several lines from "The Goblin's Revenge" in Deathly Hallows have been either used or paraphrased. None of that is my own. Additionally, for anyone who might have a discord, I made a Hinny server for sharing fic/art recs, talking about the characters and pairing, and just chatting in general. Feel free to join! Here's the link: https://discord.gg/SSpsYcP *Can also be read on AO3*

Harry sat with Ron and Hermione in the tent, listening with the Extendable Ears Hermione had packed as the unknown men and goblins settled into their impromptu dinner twenty feet away or so. They each exchanged some of their stories of why and how they’d ended up on the run. Harry recognized Ted Tonks, the goblin Griphook, and all three of them were pleased to hear their old classmate Dean Thomas’ voice.

Judging by the shadows being cast over the tent from the travelers’ fire, there was perhaps one other witch or wizard present who’d yet to be named.

“And what about you, little lady?” The man named Dirk asked. “Arthur’s aren’t you?”

“Guilty,” said a voice that went straight to Harry’s heart, seizing it in a vice grip. Ginny. He and Ron both started up at once, and Hermione had to reach out and pull them both down.

She was right there, not a stone’s throw away. Sitting out in the cold with strangers. With Dean, Harry couldn’t help noticing with a twinge of pain.

“I’d wondered what had happened after — well, is it true what you did?”

“It is, yeah.”

“Sorry, what’s this?” Ted asked. “You never did get round to explaining why you’re out here, you being pureblood and all.”

“Yeah, you just told me Snape chased you off the grounds,” Dean added.

“That he did.”

There was a snort, which turned out to be Dirk’s. “After she tried stealing the sword of Gryffindor from his office.”

There were a few exclamations of astonishment that Harry couldn’t bother to parse out, too surprised himself. He could see Ron and Hermione exchanging wide-eyed looks, and it was taking everything for all of them to remain quiet in order to hear. He stood and went to the mouth of the tent, not stepping out but hovering just on the edge.

“Wasn’t successful, was it? I never heard anything in the Prophet, ” said Ted.

“Well you wouldn’t even if we had been, would you?” Ginny countered in her easy way. She sounded just like she always had, and yet it was music to Harry’s ears. Like her voice carried the power of phoenix song.

“True,” Ted remarked.

“Well go on, Ginny, what happened?” Asked Dean.

“I heard you got the case smashed open but Snape caught the other two on the stairs,” said Dirk.

“He was coming up just as we got it out, yeah. So I figured that about did me in what with my family being blood traitors and all. I smashed a window and took off on my broom.”

“Your broom?” Ted asked with a laugh. “What did you have it on you for?”

“Everyone on the Gryffindor Quidditch team’s taken to carrying theirs around. There were rumors the Slytherins were planning to jinx them.”

“And you were able to get off the grounds that way?” Asked Dirk.

“I was flying high enough that most of the Death Eater’s spells went wide,” Ginny answered. “That was after they even realized someone was making a break for it. Had a time of it getting past some Dementors down by the gates. They flew up to meet me. If Harry hadn’t taught us Patronuses in the D.A., I don’t think I’d be here.”

“I’ll say,” Dean agreed. “You haven’t...heard from him, have you?”

“Not a thing,” said Ginny on an unhappy sigh. Harry felt it like a physical weight on him. He longed to just step out of the tent and run to her, but even he knew how foolish it would be to show up in front of that many people, most of whom he didn’t know very well.

“You should not have troubled yourself,” Griphook spoke up. Then he laughed. “The sword was a fake.”

“Was it?” Ginny asked sharply.

“The sword of Gryffindor!” Ted shouted.

“Oh yes. It is a copy — an excellent copy, it is true — but it was Wizard-made. The original was forged centuries ago by goblins and had certain properties only goblin-made armor possesses.”

“Snape put the copy in Gringotts a few days after your attempt,” Dirk continued. “Suppose he’d gotten the say-so from You-Know-Who by then.”

“And you didn’t tell them it was a fake?” Ted asked.

“I saw no reason to trouble them with the information,” Griphook stated with a smug undertone. All the other men laughed. Harry couldn’t hear Ginny’s among it.

“What about my friends? Neville and Luna, did you hear anything about them? They say they’re alright, but…” she trailed off.

“They suffered no serious injury, so far as I am aware,” the goblin answered.

Harry looked back to Ron and Hermione and could tell they were both glad to hear that. Hermione still had a hand on Ron’s arm, ostensibly to keep him from rising and doing anything rash while wearing the locket; Harry didn’t miss how her thumb was rubbing circles over his wrist.

Ginny and the others were talking about Snape now, about whether or not he really had killed Dumbledore. Dirk seemed to be doubtful.

“You know, a lot of people haven’t believed Harry over the years,” Ginny remarked coolly. “And they’ve all pretty much been proven idiots. Were you interested in joining them?”

“Alright. I only mean to ask, if he is this Chosen One, or whatever you call it, where is he? Gone off to hiding. You’d think he’d be gathering a resistance or something.”

“There wouldn’t be many people resisting if he got killed while trying to organize it.”

They talked some more, and Dirk even floated the idea that Harry was in fact already dead and the Prophet was simply withholding that information, too. Eventually they all left the spontaneous campsite to sleep under the cover of the trees, and they footsteps and voices started to fade away.

The three of them pulled the Extendable Ears, Harry’s mind racing. “Ginny— the sword—”

“She’s there. She’s right there,” Ron practically moaned.

Harry reached into the mokeskin pouch Hagrid had given him for his birthday and dug around.

“Harry, what are you doing?” Hermione asked, her voice pitched high in worry.

His fingers finally closed around the slippery fabric of the Invisibility Cloak, and Harry hurriedly threw it around his shoulders. “I’m going to get her.”

“I’m coming with you,” Ron said immediately.

“We’d barely fit the two of us, and not at all with Ginny,” Harry argued. “Besides, you’re still wearing the locket.”

Ron looked down at the thing with a scowl.

“Look, you can help bring us back to the tent,” Harry said. “Once I leave the protections, I won’t be able to find the specific spot again. Just the general location. We’ll need you to bring us back in.”

“Oh, alright,” Ron agreed with a grumble.

“Harry, are you sure?” Hermione asked, and the two of them turned towards her in surprise. “I’d be happy to see Ginny, too, but how much can we really tell her? You did break up with her because we were going on this mission.”

“To keep her safe, and she’s not any safer out there,” Harry replied tersely. He did not want to think what would happen to Ginny if she was caught out there with rogue goblins and Muggleborn Dean Thomas and Dirk who’d been on his way to Azkaban before he’d escaped. Determined, he pushed back the flap of the tent and strode out into the dark, following the noises he could hear up ahead through the trees.

It didn’t look as though any of the wizards or goblins had a tent like the one they’d borrowed from Perkins. Harry slowed his pace as he came upon the first bedroll, and made his way around the perimeter of the spot they’d scoped out.

Ginny stood silhouetted by the tiny amount of moon visible through the foliage above. Her slight figure was only an arms’ length from him now. Whether she was not tired or merely waiting for the men to finish preparing their own sleeping arrangements before seeing to her own, he couldn’t tell.

“Mufflilatio,"  Harry whispered as he let the tip of his wand poke out of the cloak towards the others in the forest. Then, only slightly louder, he said, “Ginny.”

She whirled around, her hair fanning out as she did so, and her wand pointed just inches to the left of him. Harry carefully took the hood down part of the way, and he could tell the moment Ginny recognized him by the widening of her eyes.

He beckoned her to come with him through some more trees to better hide themselves. Even if the others couldn’t overhear them, they could still catch sight of him if he remained here.

“What’s your tattoo?” She asked him scarcely before he’d turned back around to face her again. Her wand was still raised.

“Er, I haven’t got one,” he answered. Then it hit him. “Oh, but Romilda Vane thinks I’ve got a Hungarian Horntail on my chest.” Harry held up a hand to stop her approach. “What did you give me when I fell off my broom in my third year?”

“A singing card.”

He hadn’t really been in doubt that it was her, but it was relieving to hear all the same. Ginny smiled, and it was radiant. Her hair was a barely combed mess and he doubted she’d had a wash in the last few days, but she was the most beautiful thing in the world. When she threw her arms around him in a hug, Harry was quick to return it. There was no flowery scent to her hair now, but it did not diminish in the least how fiercely Harry had missed her.

She was still wearing her broom strapped to her back with a bit of cord tied to each end, so it made it a bit awkward.

“I’m so glad you’re alive.”

“You thought I wasn’t?”

“No. But I couldn’t be sure. None of us could.” She pushed out of his hold. “Why didn’t you take your Galleon?”

“My what?”

“The D.A. Galleon, you prat. That’s how I was able to meet up with Dean once I got to the outside. Seamus wanted me to see if he was alright.”

A second wave of relief hit him upon hearing that Ginny was with Dean on behalf of someone else and not as her first choice. He thought she could tell what he was thinking judging by the shrewd look she was giving him.

Harry opened up the Invisibility Cloak for her to get under. “C’mon. Ron and Hermione are waiting.”

It was the most natural thing in the world to take her hand and lead her back the way he’d come. Harry told himself it wasn’t inappropriate; it was dark and the ground was uneven. They might trip or lose the other otherwise.

“We’re nearly there. Hermione’s got enchantments up, but Ron’s waiting,” Harry muttered under his breath.

“How’s he going to find us if we’re invisible?” Ginny muttered back.

Harry froze. “Er, right.”

A soft giggle left her as he took the cloak off both of them. Harry hoped he had stayed true in their course. He didn’t like standing out here without any sort of protection or disguise.

But an arm reached out and pulled both him and Ginny through an invisible barrier of sorts. Harry saw the tent and Ron embracing his sister hard enough to lift her off her feet.

“Careful!” Ginny yelped.

“Merlin, you wouldn’t believe how much I’ve missed you!” It was amazing to see the transformation that Ron had undergone. Even with the locket around his neck still, he was beaming from ear to ear, and some color had risen back into his cheeks if only for the moment. “Come on, we’ve got Perkins’ old tent. There’s not much in the way of food, mind.”

Harry followed the two Weasley’s in through the tent entrance.

“Oh, Ginny!” Hermione was standing just inside and quickly embraced the other girl as well. “I’m so glad you’re alright. What were you thinking?”

“Yeah, wouldn’t be Hermione if you didn’t start right in on the lecture,” Ginny remarked with a grin over her shoulder at Harry. “What are you three even doing here? How’d you know to be?”

“We didn’t,” Harry answered truthfully. “We’ve been moving locations every few days. Thought we’d been found when we heard you lot approaching.” He couldn’t seem to tear his eyes off her, real and standing in the tent with the three of them. They’d been so long without anyone else’s company that she seemed to brighten up the place just by being there. He wanted to hug her again, kiss her the way they had on his birthday. There was an ache in his jaw just standing there and holding himself back.

“Well, that’s luck for you.”

“You certainly did get lucky after trying to steal from Snape,” Hermione pointed out once again. “And all for a fake!”

“That’s the funny thing. I don’t know why Snape would’ve sent a fake sword to a vault in Gringotts,” said Ginny. “Because he’s got to know it’s a copy.”

“What d’you mean?” Asked Ron.

A sly grin played around the corners of Ginny’s lips as she reached around her back and under her robe. It turned out a broom wasn’t the only thing she was carrying on her back.

Hermione gasped. “You got it?”

For the first time in nearly five years, Harry was once again in awe as he stared at the ruby-encrusted sword of Gryffindor. It seemed to shimmer extra bright in the light cast by their lamps as Ginny held it out for their inspection. The sword, the real sword of Gryffindor, in their possession just as Dumbledore had wanted. Finally, something had gone right.

“Took it with me when I jumped. I wasn’t letting Snape have it. That was the whole point of the stunt. It’s Harry’s.” Her smile faded a little. “I heard from Fred and George that they’ve all gone on the run now. Mum and Dad are hiding out at Great Auntie Muriel’s.”

“But they’re okay?” Ron asked.

“Yeah, better than you. How come you’re so pale?”

“Ron got splinched a few weeks back,” Hermione explained to her own shoes. “It was my fault.”

“Alright, well have you been eating? Resting?” She sounded a little like her mother fussing that way, Harry privately noted.

“Not much eating around here,” Ron grumbled, closer to the moods he’d been exhibiting of late.

“Oh, really,” Hermione huffed, turning to busy herself with clearing away the tins of fish she had tried to cook.

Harry checked his watch. It wasn’t quite time to switch off yet, but he didn’t want to hear another row just as soon as Ginny had joined them. He didn’t want her thinking he was lost with no idea of what to do and little control over their group. “Alright, Ron, give me the locket.”

Ron pulled the chain from around his neck and rolled his shoulders, relaxing as he held it out to Harry.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t that one of the things we threw out in Grimmauld Place that summer?”

Harry laughed humorlessly as he put it on. “Yeah.” He glanced at Ron and Hermione. There wasn’t much room for privacy in the tent to discuss, but how much were they going to tell Ginny? Dumbledore had only ever given him permission to speak to his two friends about it.

And that had gone well, hadn’t it? Asked a voice in Harry’s head. Ron and Hermione were close to their breaking points, they were no further to defeating Voldemort than they had been after their breakin at the Ministry, and even now that they had the sword, Harry still had no idea what he was supposed to do with it. Because Dumbledore had never told him.

“Look, it’s sort of complicated. But basically, this used to belong to Vol—”

“DON’T!” Ginny dropped the sword with a clang and lunged forward, pressing her palm flat over Harry’s mouth to stop the rest.

He ripped away from her. “What?” Sure, Ginny had never quite said the name herself, but she’d never objected to Harry saying it.

“There’s a taboo on his name,” she explained, still breathing harshly from the sudden movement. “Anyone who says it trips an alarm that sends Snatchers to their location. Kingsley almost got caught that way.”

“Snatchers?” Ron echoed.

“Death Eater wannabes. They get money from the Ministry for rounding up Muggleborns and blood traitors. Anyone against You-Know-Who.”

“Oh, of course,” said Hermione. “Because only the really brave witches and wizards use his name, and they’re the ones they want to catch. Did Kingsley get away?”

“Just barely, was what I heard. I don’t know what protections you’ve got, but best not to chance it out here.”

Harry swallowed down his irritation and nodded. He was suddenly quite glad that Ron often insisted he not say Voldemort’s name, as that had probably unknowingly kept them safe the last several weeks.

Ginny pushed some of her hair that had fallen in her face back from her forehead. “Anyway, go on. You were saying about the locket?”

“Right. Well it was- er, his, and if we destroy it we’re closer to stopping him.”

“How so? It’s not enchanted is it?”

“It is. Sort of like — well, the diary,” Harry realized. All at once he felt rather stupid for not wanting to tell Ginny; she had just as much experience with Horcruxes as any of them, even if she didn’t know it. “See, this thing and the diary, they’ve got bits of- of his soul in them—”

“What?” Ginny took a step back, clearly horrified.

Hermione gave him a reproachful look, and Ron didn’t seem very happy either.

“She had a right to know! Look, the point is until these are all taken care of he can’t be killed. Not fully. He’ll just be a shade, like last time.”

“So how many of these has he got? How many of them have you gotten?” She asked.

“Just this one,” he admitted. “There’s only three more, we think.”

“You think or you know?”

“Well it’s not as if he told us himself!” Harry snapped. It figured that as soon as someone else got here they would start interrogating his leadership and find it lacking. Ginny would probably take off on her broom with Ron and Hermione to have brilliant adventures where they pranked Snape and everything was fun, while he was left behind in the tent. “The whole point of this thing is he has secret safeguards in place to keep himself from dying!”

“Oi, lay off her,” Ron growled.

Ginny held out an arm as her brother stepped up next to her, keeping him from moving forward. “It’s fine, Ron. Harry, take that locket off.”

“I’m fine,” he said stiffly. He’d only been wearing it a few minutes.

“You’ve been wearing a bit of his soul, and you really think that wouldn’t affect you?” She asked with one eyebrow arched. “Why would any of you wear it?”

“We don’t have a way to destroy it,” Hermione tried to explain. “We had to keep it safe.”

“And you couldn’t keep it in your bag? Wearing it’s probably what this thing wants you to do, just like writing in it’s what the diary wanted me to do.”

“It hasn’t talked or anything,” Harry protested.

She gave him a pitying look that made him feel rather thick. “Because you haven’t opened it, probably. It’s a locket.”

“But it doesn’t open,” said Ron. “We all tried that summer, remember?”

But Harry picked the locket up and stared at the snake on the lid. “Maybe because it only opens for some people,” he murmured. He stared at the snake, entranced by it.

“Harry.” Ginny’s hands were on either side of his face, wrenching his gaze up to meet her eyes. “Take it off. Please.”

Shakily, he did, holding it out to Ginny. She dropped it onto an empty chair, and suddenly it felt easier to breathe. He thought even Ron and Hermione both looked less tense

“Okay, so, destroying it. How do these things get destroyed?”

“There’s a few ways,” Hermione said, taking over and reverting to lecture mode. “Using the Killing Curse or Fiendfyre can work, but we’re not sure any of us could cast the first and the second is far too dangerous.”

“Tell that to Crabbe,” Ginny remarked with a shake of her head. “He’s been practicing it down in the dungeons supposedly.”

“So we’re dropping the locket off in the dungeons? Brilliant,” said Ron. Only when Harry looked and saw the twinkle in his friend’s eyes did he realize he was joking. It was a good thing he’d checked, because Harry had been about to snap again.

“Right, well the third way is with Basilisk venom,” Hermione continued. “But obviously, that’s very hard to get.”

Ginny blinked and straightened up slightly as she picked up the sword again. “Well then, here you go, then.”

Harry stared at it. “Er, not following.”

“Yeah, Ginny, that’s a sword, not a Basilisk fang,” Ron pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. “Well, you never had to listen to Great Auntie Muriel go on about her goblin-made tiara.” She cleared her throat and said, in rather good imitation of her great-aunt’s nasal voice, “Goblin silver never needs cleaned, dear. It repels all dust and dirt, only imbibing that which strengthens it. Not once in fifty years have I had need to polish it.”

“So?” Asked Ron.

But Harry got it. As did Hermione, with a shout of, “Harry!”

“I know!”

“Know what?” Ron asked with annoyance.

“Harry stabbed the Basilisk with the sword, which means it’s impregnated with Basilisk venom since that would make it stronger,” Hermione explained in a rush. “It can destroy Horcruxes!”

“That must have been how Dumbledore took care of the ring,” Harry realized. Finally the pieces were coming together, and his frustration with Dumbledore banked just as his gratitude and love for Ginny swelled. He took the sword by the hilt from her, then turned to face the locket.

“What are you waiting for, mate?” Ron was now just as invigorated as the rest of them, and Harry wondered if perhaps the worst of this quest was about to be behind them all.

Still, looking at the locket and thinking of Ginny’s words, he realized Voldemort probably had one last protection in place. “I have to open it.”

He looked up at Ginny, who was staring at the snake as well. She met his eyes after a moment, and Harry wondered if she had felt his gaze. “Parseltongue?”

He nodded.

Ginny blew out a breath. “Right.”

“I think the rest of us should all keep back,” Hermione suggested, moving over to both Weasleys and guiding them to the edge of the tent. “The less distractions the better.”

Harry turned back to the locket and placed it on the ground as he watched the snake on the front, willing it to seem real and alive. He thought of how cold and hungry and miserable he’d been the last several weeks, of his friends’ fraying tempers and all their anger at not knowing what Dumbledore had wanted them to do, at this first glimpse of hope they’d had since having to abandon Grimmauld Place.

The hope that Ginny had provided.

What was it that Dumbledore had once said? Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the hat.

“Hang on,” he said, facing them all again. “I think it has to be Ginny.”

“Sorry?”

She looked perhaps even more stunned than Ron or Hermione. Harry walked over and held the sword out. “You’re the one who risked going into Snape’s office to get it. Fleeing Hogwarts, making your way here. It will work best for you. At least this first go.” If Dumbledore were here right now, Harry was confident he would say the same, if in more eloquent terms than Harry had.

“Harry, I- I’m not good with these things.”

“No, but you learned from them. Better than any of us did. Ginny, you held Vol- Riddle off for a whole year, and you’re stronger now. I know you can do this. You’ve already beaten him.”

Ginny held his gaze for a long moment before stepping up to meet him, her hand closing around the hilt of the sword again. He let go and walked with her back over to the locket.

“I’m going to tell it to open, and then you stab it. Okay?”

Ginny nodded, expression grim as she raised the sword. “Do it.”

He looked back at the snake and tried to visualize it moving again. Then he hissed, “Open.”

The golden doors of the locket opened wide, revealing an eye — Tom Riddle’s eye, before it had turned red and slitted like a snake’s — behind the glass windows inside.

That was all Harry saw, for the sword crashed down into it a moment later. The hiss of Riddle’s voice that had only just started to emanate turned into a scream only matched by the clang of metal. The locket shattered and a bit of smoke rose from the inside. The Horcrux was no more.

He looked up at Ginny, who was breathing harshly, her eyes fixed on the shattered pieces. Then, slowly, her blazing eyes rose to his.

The sword fell with a thump, and Harry met her halfway, their lips melding together. Ginny’s hands were everywhere at once, while Harry found his buried in her hair. How could he have ever believed he could give this up? Wanted man or no, what was the point of living without this to live for?

“Oi,” Ron protested, far more weakly than he had on Harry’s birthday. They broke apart anyway. “You can’t keep doing that if you’re not dating her. It’s not right.”

Harry looked down at Ginny, still in the circle of his arms. Her gaze was softer now, but still held some of that fire from before. How could she be this utterly brilliant and still want to be here?

“I’m sorry,” he told her without a second thought. It was easy, effortless. “You were right, it was stupid.”

Her lips quirked upwards in a small smile. “Well, it is noble of you to say so.”

He felt his own smile return. “I guess we do still have some time.”

She nodded and lifted up onto her tip-toes to kiss him sweetly once more.

“And that’s it, then?” Hermione had her hands on her hips, and Harry thought she couldn’t decide between being cross or amused at the pair of them. “You’re just back together now? That’s all it takes?”

Harry and Ginny shared a look before saying at once, “Yeah.”

Hermione shook her head while Ron shrugged. “Who cares? We’ve gotten rid of one Horcrux, and now that Ginny’s here she can help with the food. Mum’s taught her loads.”

“Except I can’t use magic, prat. Still sixteen. The other reason traveling with someone else made sense.” She gave a start and reached into her pocket. “Speaking of, I’ll have to send Dean a message to let him know I haven’t been carted off in the night. I’ll leave your names out of it, shall I?”

“Yes, that would be best,” Hermione agreed. “And honestly, Ron, Ginny doesn’t automatically have to help with the cooking just because she’s the only other girl.”

“I only meant she knows more than all of us.”

As Ron and Hermione started up, Harry couldn’t find it in himself to get annoyed; their bickering was now far more reminiscent of their school days than the fraught arguments they’d been having only half an hour ago. The pall of Voldemort’s presence had momentarily been lifted from their tent.

Harry knew that could really only last so long. They still had three Horcruxes to go and no idea where two of them were, not to mention Voldemort himself. Dumbledore’s hints still only made a vague amount of sense. But as Ginny ducked under his arm to fit into his side while she worked on the message on her D.A. Galleon, he thought he could maybe start to see his own way through this.

#hinny #harry potter #ginny weasley #hp #ron weasley #hermione granger #my writing

[vacantbloodbones]

The Disappointing Crimes of JKR

so it’s 2 am and I have a fight to finally get home (i’ve been MIA for a while because I needed a vacation tbh) THIS IS A LOOOONG ONE, YOU’VE BEEN WARNED! but on one of my flights I finally got to watch FB2 and it’s taken me a while to gather my thoughts. Like, I knew the disappointing confusion I was signing up for... I had seen SO many YT reviews on the film and from HP fans to just FB1 fans had gathered their opinions... and it was all negative...  So I had my apprehension going into watching this (thank fuck it was free) and I’ve got a lot of my own opinions to say... So if you are aware of myself, you know that I actually loved FB1 and how the flow and characters went. Genuinely, I think as a stand alone film it was actually a good, comprehensive piece of story and film; you had exposition, build up, character development, tension, climax and fallout/outro/conclusion...  So, what went OH SO WRONG in FB2, in my humble-ass opinion?  Well, lets get into this adventure with me, pals... stick with me as I rant my good ol’ heart out, grab some snacks, a drink, maybe some liquor of choice (in my case).  In the beginning, there was... well, absolute confusion??? For an entrance into a film, especially a franchise that has a previous film, I firmly believe there needs to be SOMETHING that explains and ties the previous entry to the latest one... Especially since this series hinges on a handful of characters (Newt, Tina, Credence, Grindelwald, and Queenie + Jacob) and to just throw us into Gellert’s VERY confusing transfer to Europe’s Ministry to answer for his crimes... The intro threw me off; there’s a time jump and there’s an extreme LACK of having our previously established characters development and fallout from the first film being EXPLAINED so we (audience) can make a connection to this next entry.  Like, Credence’s survival (yes, I’m well aware of the deleted scenes that were actually supposed to be shown at the end of FB1 according to Yates...) because we don’t get to connect the dots on screen of HOW and WHY Credence and his Obscurus survived with the additional information of his Obscurus being HANDLED (like, wasn’t the premise of the previous film the urgency of how this THING was going to KILL him and EVERYONE in NYC?), him finding his adoption paper, getting to Paris and into a travelling circus (which, also... makes no sense??)... We’ll put a pin on that for a bit here...  Also, Tina and Newt’s relationship; we really are left wondering how and why they are even romantically involved as the first film established them as strangers to mutual friends at the end... Something that should’ve been shown on screen could’ve been Newt choosing to continue his Beasts studies and books over staying and risking himself being in America for his love interest, Tina. Again, put a pin on that for now...  But instead, I just felt the into to the film was as vapid as JKR’s writing when she simply just doesn’t care for CONTINUITY and actually making sense of ANYTHING.  But nnnooooo, we just get an hour and a half of meaningless exposition and threads that aren’t even expanded or given closure to...  Gellert putting Abernathy as his doppelganger really pissed me off, because we never are shown an inkling as to WHY Abernathy chose or perhaps had always been on Gellert’s side (could’ve even expanded on the idea of Abernathy playing a role in Percival’s capture/implied death in the first film)... Even Seraphina doesn’t mention or show ANYTHING about their most powerful wandless wizard being GONE... he was SOMEONE alive and WORKING in MACUSA for a substantial amount of time... that had connections, powers above anyone, and obvious trust and influence to Seraphina... which also begs the question, why is there such a heavy emphasis on Gellert using his wand magic, when he had been using wandless while impersonating Mr. Graves?  Now, to get into another huge issue; character development continuity: How did the time jump from the intro give us very DIFFERENT characters than the one’s we had been introduced, learned to love/hate be turned into vacant shells of all their development?  Like, I’m sorry but what in the actual FUCK did JKR do with Queenie’s character? She seemed like a genuinely sweet and subtly powerful witch that used her gifts to her advantage... to this, desperate, powerless, and lost character? The Queenie we were shown had a sparkle for adventure and curiosity that gradually came to admire Jacob and truly was heart broken when his memory was erased--to kidnapping him, putting a love charm against his will, and forcing him to go to London with her? She acted the very opposite of who she is and she seemed to have strong morals to stand by her sister’s side, help no-maj’s out, and using her powers for what she felt was right.... To being hapless in Paris, because she wouldn’t own up to her kidnapping and using magic on Jacob against his will, and then DECIDING to JOIN Gellert’s very VAGUE AND STRANGE CULT.  Newt seemed more like a confused boy the entire installment with flashes of him and his abilities with connecting to beasts, thrown into this second installment as a reminder that “fantastic beasts” is in the title of the movie...  Also the broken up dialogue; I DIDNT GET A SINGLE STRAIGHT ANSWER IN ANY GODDAMN CONVERSATION HELD BY ANY CHARACTER! like WOW for a two hour+ movie I got ZERO dialogue that made me go ‘ahhh i get it now!’ no, everyone was running away from each other like a grade-school gym dance.  Jacob was still, sort of, Jacob... but he and Newt’s friendship didn’t feel authentic in this film as it did in the previous. The banter (or lack thereof) was kind of just a callback to me of saying ‘ahahaha, dont you remember Jacob being funny in the last movie????? well look at this funny moment thats totally not needed!’  EVERYONE AVOIDING EACH OTHER FROM MISCOMMUNICATION LIKE THEYRE TEENAGERS REALLY MADE THE ADULT TONE OF THE LAST FILM JUST FALL FLAT... I had screamed internally every time some interaction happened and then someone RUNS AWAY! like, aren’t they adults??? even HP films has young TEENS being more accountable and willing to talk than every adult in this MOVIE.  Lets get into Gellert’s confusing vague cult of reasoning; Gellert’s wishes and aspirations and him killing people and children to comparing his reasoning that he will stop WW2 with his hookah skull... just didn’t make sense, I’ll also add that Gellert’s LACK of character really just pissed me off, like, Voldemort wasn’t revealed until waaaay later and even when he was a face on the back of someone’s bald ass head; made a more CONVINCING and REASONED character with his motives. Gellert just seemed like a casual shit disturber and running a murderous vague cult because Albus won’t do shit and he knows it... He’s like an angsty teenager that never got had someone sit and hug it out type deal. Also, the way he treats his followers and the lack of showing HOW he got so many followers; like, I’m sorry but how did this angsty man-baby get followers???? Oh, right, he used his words that... AGAIN, fall goddamn short even when we FINALLY got to see his “gathering” and “speech” that was so hyped for almost 2 hours... It didn’t make sense to his reasoning or why he was acting out IMHO.  Alright, now let’s get to the character introduction... or really, half-assed intro to the many people I COULDNT CARE FOR... Expect my personal surprise with Theseus, we’re introduced to a man that seems more compelling and complex than Gellert (seriously tbh). Somehow we’re led to believe a guy who constantly (as we’re shown) to reach out to Newt that HES the one making their relationship complicated? When it becomes apparent that Leta and Newt are the two with complicated history and Theseus loves them both deeply????? Enough that he just stands back knowing damn well Newt and Leta have a past but he’s secure in his relationship between all both people he just wants them all to get along. Now, I get that Theseus wants Newt to be an Aura, but we’re also shown he has his reasons to help Newt (ultimately); Theseus showed more character development than ANYONE in this ENTIRE MOVIE (well Albus is second in this) but him CHASING HIS BROTHER TO GET ANSWERS is somehow ‘BAD TEMPER’ according to Tina... like really, almost all the female characters were lacking level-headed sanity purposely written by JKR so I would resent the characters I had grown to actually like???? Nagini is just thrown into the plot as a mother-like figure for Credence but Credence is displayed as some selfish man-child, he can’t reason with Nagini and it leads to their strange relationship ending with Nagini feeling betrayed. And then there’s Leta and her over-played storyline to be cut short by her sacrifice that literally didn’t do anything for the plot but make me want to punch a wall because Theseus is left with a broken heart and a brother who will ditch him in a minute to talk to Albus...  There were other characters that were so lacking in development that if any or all of them died, I felt like I could still sleep like a baby knowing that JKR had made such shitty vapid characters and lack of development, I felt NOTHING for practically everyone. Albus, Theseus, and Queenie had the most emotional complexity but even then, I’m giving them kudos because everything else was lacking so much I clung onto whoever threw an emotional fit first.  The whole dynamic between Albus, Gellert, and Credence really just angered me. Red herring the entire premise of Credence wanting to know his identity so DESPERATELY he was willing to join Gellert’s vague emo posse of a cult, only to be revealed as not a Lestrange (which we had been hyped tf up to know) as, instead, THE BRO ALBUS AND NOBODY IN THE HP UNIVERSE APPARENTLY KNEW OR WAS EVER EXPLAINED JUST WHY ALBUS’ BABY BROTHER IS ON A BOAT TO AMERICA (i’M GUESSING THIS EXPOSITION WILL BE EXCRUCIATINGLY TOLD ONLY TO BE SOME OTHER LIE AND BAM CREE IS DEAD)???? But YES lets not elaborate on the queer baiting of Credence, Albus, and Gellert... JKR just wanted to hype us up for nothing and all of Credence’s development and complexity is summed up to ‘lol ur a dumbledore, cree’ really is a slap to the face. Albus being trapped a majority at the school was a half-ass way for us to not have Albus confront Credence to get him to fin d his answers at Hogwarts... Lets be real.  But basically, everyone wasn’t themselves, people we were introduced to were flatlined or placed in stereotypical tropes, and every exposition turn was a red herring thats never elaborated on or concluded... the lack of goddamn comprehensive dialogue, and we got queer baited by the ever infamous JKR....  and my final take: WHERE THE FUCK IS PERCIVAL GRAVES?????  So, this was my long-ass ranting about this movie and why I probably watched it for the criminal reasoning to hurt myself and be disappointed in the end... Was i surprised? NO.  Am I going to watch the next installment... maybe... just for closure to this epic failure of a second installment.  Thanks for making it to the end, I hope this was less painful than the actual film. 

#crimes of grindelwald #fantastic beasts #FB2 #spoilers #rant #thanks for tuning in #cog spoilers

[allthefilmsiveseenforfree]

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

I had a friend create a 10-category, 50-question Harry Potter trivia quiz for my 30th birthday. I have a Ravenclaw tattoo that takes up most of my right forearm. I’ve helped orchestrate an HP-themed baby shower. I’ve held multiple HP movie marathons. And when we were first dating and Wife told me she’d never read the books, I legitimately cried and then blocked it from my memory. When she told me for the second time, months later, I cried again. 

One could say I’m a fan of the wizarding world. 

So here we are, at the second entry in the second wizarding franchise, and the only question really worth answering is, is this a world that’s still worth visiting? Well...

Imagine someone you love - it could be anyone, but as an example I’ll use your best friend. Imagine your BEST friend, whom you’ve shared so much with, whom you’ve gone through ups and downs with. That one. Now imagine that every few months, your best friend’s mom sends you a text, or calls you, or puts up a billboard in your town that seems to be actively trying to get you to hate your best friend. Things like “She kicks puppies” or “One time, she made fun of a homeless man until he cried” or “She told me she wants to set fire to a hospital.” Like, real fucked up stuff. Would you maintain a relationship with that friend? With them both? Or would you cut ties completely and just hold onto the memories of the friendship you used to have?

I’m genuinely asking, because J.K. Rowling seems hellbent on shitting all over the things I love in some twisted effort to make me utterly baffled and repulsed by the world she has created. I never thought I’d say this, but Johnny Depp is the least of this movie’s problems, so welcome to Whose Crime Is It Anyway? where the timelines are made up and the plot points don't matter.

A spoilery summary! Our favorite Hufflepuff Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) is asked by Hot Dumbledore (Jude Law) to go to Paris and find Credence (Ezra Miller). You remember Credence, the sweet emo boy from the first movie whose death functioned as the climax of the film? JK JK death is meaningless and impermanent here! It’s the roaring 20s, everyone’s drunk. Newt needs to find him because Grindelwald (Johnny Depp, doing his best impression of day-old potato salad) is also looking for him. Credence is the subject of a prophecy that everyone’s familiar with but the audience, you see, and he’s currently trapped in a Parisian street circus with a woman/snake named Nagini (Claudia Kim, and yes, THAT Nagini). Jacob and Queenie (Dan Fogler and Alison Sudol) also show up again, because they were in the first movie too so they have to be here for this. Jacob’s memory has been restored because...~handwavey reasons~ and Queenie decides to join The Mayonnaise Man’s cause as a wizard Nazi because...she wants to marry a Muggle. Somehow I think she didn’t read the whole orientation flyer. Leta Lestrange (Zoe Kravitz) is engaged to Newt’s brother, Theseus (Callum Turner) but is mostly hanging around to look sad and reveal that Credence couldn’t be her long-lost brother because she killed her long-lost brother by switching him with another baby on a ship right before it sank at sea. And she’s right, Credence isn’t her brother - he’s gone over to the dark side, where the vaguely human amalgamation of cauliflower rice tells him he’s the long-lost brother of Albus Dumbledore! Because why the fuck not, nothing else in this goddamn thing makes any sense anyway.

I would also like to point out I left out at least 40 more characters, many of whom seem to be important but are never named or introduced in any way.

SEVERAL thoughts:

Visually, this world is stunning. The set designers have done an incredible job showcasing new magical settings in rich, vivid detail. The Parisian street circus and the French Ministry of Magic building were particular favorites of mine.

Likewise, the 1927-era costumes are drop-dead gorgeous. This franchise should really be called Fantastic Coats and Where to Find Them.

50 galleons seems so steep. I wonder what the wizarding inflation rate is.

Snakes can fit through bars of cages...

Performances - Redmayne is sweet, but virtually shoved out of the way in his own franchise; Kravitz is cold and removed - is that acting choice secret pain or constipation? Hard to say; Fogler is underutilized, especially after being the emotional MVP of the first film; Sudol is fractured and manic, completely devoid of her earnest warmth from before; Miller barely gets 3 lines, and mostly looks like he’s about to cry; Law is fine as hell and kindly and wise and doesn’t give off weird “I’m going to use children as sacrificial lambs without telling them or anyone else about it” vibes, so that’s already a big step up from the Dumbledore we get in the books; and then there’s Johnny. Johnny “lightly braised tofu” Depp is giving one of his most understated performances in years, to the point that he’s almost...boring? Most genocidal fuckheads are at least compelling speakers, but this dehydrated turnip just sort of glides about, while his followers do dastardly things for him. He doesn’t even kill his own toddlers, he outsources it to his followers. Does nobody believe in honest, hard work anymore? 

Basically all of the details - the set dressing, the costumes, the overall aesthetics and feel of the film - are beautifully realized. However, the foundation is made of smoke and sand and the distant sound of JKR’s maniacal laughter.

Cast and endorse an accused abuser who is teetering on the brink of public collapse? Check. Include outdated Orientalism cliches by casting an East Asian woman as mysterious, dangerous, and literally snake-like? Check. How about a white imperialist Imperius-ing Leta Lestrange's (black African) mother and literally forcing her into sex slavery with no follow-up or reflection on the part of the film or its characters? Check. It’s like some sort of perverse bingo game she’s playing to try to alienate everyone who might have seen themselves in the Harry Potter universe as belonging, because they understood what it was like to be an outsider, to be abused, to be shunned and made fun of and ostracized. Cause fuck all those people, amirite?

And that’s just the offensive choices from a purely political standpoint. How about the offensive choices regarding more trivial matters like linear time and space - like Dumbledore teaching Transfiguration, not DAtDA. Or like Professor MacGonagall being born in 1935, yet somehow teaching at Hogwarts in 1927. People apparating inside Hogwarts. Complete reversals of characters’ personalities and motivations. Characters being introduced and never seen again (where did Bunty go?? Did she die???) Characters NOT being introduced and never seen again (what up Jessica Williams, super psyched that you’re here, sure would be neat if I knew who the fuck you were playing or why that person was important!) If the references are meant for fans’ benefit, it fucking BACKFIRED, because most HP fans I know aren’t looking for a convoluted soap opera where babies are switched, people have secret brothers, everyone's amnesia gets reversed, and people come back from the dead.

Now that I think about it, the practice of confronting a boggart is super problematic. Like people have traumas. It's not all spiders and snakes, Dumbledore! God, Hogwarts pedagogy is shit.

I’m still not convinced that Jude Law’s tasty Daddy Dumbledore could possibly still be in love with this tuna salad sandwich from a vending machine at the DMV. That flashback in the Mirror of Erised is supposed to be full of longing but all I could think was, “is this how straight people think gay sex works?” Would have loved to hear that day in the writer’s room. “Maybe we could have them kiss?” “Too gay. What if they exchange blood vows and hold hands to form a magical amulet?” “Nailed it.” *everyone high fives and chugs a Red Bull* 

There’s just...so much. So much that I wish were different. I don’t quite know how it’s possible for a film to explain both too much and not enough, but here we are. The Crimes of Grindlewald isn’t just a title, it’s a prophecy of what audiences are forced to endure here - it’s not just separating art from artist, it’s not just cultural exploitation and othering, it’s not just queer erasure, it’s not just overplotted and underwhelming narrative, it’s not just cheap shocks and winking references. The rap sheet just keeps getting longer and longer, and I have to wonder when, if ever, Rowling will atone for these crimes.

#118in2018 #the crimes of grindelwald #the crimes of grindelwald review #fb tcog #fantastic beasts #jk rowling #wizarding world #newt scamander #eddie redmayne #johnny depp #jude law #zoe kravitz #dan fogler #alison sudol #ezra miller #claudia kim #movie reviews #film reviews

[athyrabunlord]

About LLSHP AU (Afterword)

[Brief note about School Term] [other LLSHP AU stuff] [YohaMaRuby concept arts] [ChikaYouRiko concept arts] [KanaDiaMari concept arts] [Hogwarts Staff]

[FFN link] [Pixiv Link] [Translated to Chinese by plin2290]

I’m just so pleased and happy to have made it! I have so many existing incomplete stories that it’s astounding for me to actually complete a multi-chapter story. Once again, I’d like to say a huge THANK YOU!! to my readers for staying with me to the end, providing me feedback and expressing interest, motivating and inspiring me enough to reach this point.

The following is really just about my rambling, about my thoughts, about the planning process and my decisions, so do keep reading if you’re interested in the makings of this story. I just feel like sharing (aka: blah blah blah) since, again, I actually friggin completed a story omg (´；Д；｀)  

===================

First of all, let’s go way back to near the end of October 2016, not long after LLS Season 1 ended. Yes this is so long ago lmao. After drawing several canon-related fanarts and writing short blips to satiate my thirst, I decided to create a complete whole AU so I can fantasize more XD I ended up picking the Harry Potter verse because, come on, it’s always fun trying to Sort your favorite characters and think about their abilities and whatnot.

Ideas started to whirl and initial sketches began. There’s an old post explaining why I Sort the girls into their respective Houses. That’s also when extra details were pondered over, the why and the pros in doing so. You should know by this point that I’m a complete useless 3rd Years trash, but as I brainstorm more, I realize that their story is more suitable to be a prequel, something that supplements a main story. And so, what should the main story be about? What kind of story do I want to present? Who would be the perfect main character/narrator for this?

Yoshiko. In canon, she’s already associated with (black) magic and, as a First-Year and Muggleborn, she would be perfect for a reader to immerse into this fascinating new world of magic through her perspective. As an old post says, I fudged up the School Term and age during the initial stage and didn’t realize until everything’s all finalized, that’s why I had to keep it as it is XD;;;;

Anyway, at this point, I’ve already decided Yoshiko to be a Horcrux, with the antagonist of this story to be Yohane, and how the last few chapters are going to play out.  Everything else, even the other characters’ backgrounds are all further elaborated and refined based off of this central plot. On a side note, how sexy is Aikyan’s solo in the 3rd Live, I mean, the white and black wing I could only think about Yoshiko/Yohane DX

Ahem, I’ve always found Yoshiko’s character fascinating, that there’s a Yohane side of her even though, really, she’s Yoshiko (a good girl). The Chamber of Secrets and the Half-Blood Prince are the main source of inspiration for this particular idea, but of course HP fans might notice many elements from the original story used or modified in my story. I’m also a strong believer that the Patronus Charm can do more than just warding off Dementors or Lethifolds (and Obscurus), hence its significance in this story, especially later chapters.

Therefore, each girl’s Patronus was tentatively decided at this early stage, with 1 or 2 possibilities. After this, I then thought of what ships should this story present. As much as I did not want romance/ships be The Major Point, I have to acknowledge that ships are what people go for in a story, myself included. I understand shipping might turn people away from even trying a story, that’s why I kept it secret for the first few chapters before confirming it on tumblr (where the chapters were first uploaded). I was just testing the waters, to see if people are interested in the story enough to keep reading even if the ships aren’t their preferences.

Back to planning stage - as a multi-shipper, I did not want to set in stone right off the bat what the ships are either. And thus I continued expanding on ideas and see where things would  go, keeping most of the initial interactions and important moments intact. This is why there are times it might seem there are multiple pairings even though nothing was specified (cough wee kanadia, youriko etc (｡･ ω<)ゞてへぺろ♡). Not to mention, as the main character, Yoshiko will always have moments with each of the 8 girls. I remember joking in an old post that, if this were a gal-game, there are various routes to this story, from the default path to those you have to unlock via certain conditions XDDD

Naturally, members of the 1st-year trio and Guilty Kiss get more screen time with Yoshiko. Then, as a fellow Slytherin and part of the tsurime trio, Dia does too. Not to mention Season1’s anime ED shows You & Angel together, You gets special moments too. Chika is Aqours’ leader who first accepted Yoshiko into the group as datenshi, so I tried to show that as much as I could given the circumstances in the story. And so, this leaves poor orca on the side lol. But yeah, YoshiMaru, YoshiRiko, YoshiRuby, so many possibilities! However, as more details get finalized, such as Yoshiko’s childhood, her Shiira-KANSU! Patronus and about the Augurey, YoshiMaru just happened. Things seem to click into place with their love as the focal point and I was able to keep expanding the story. First puppy love, innocent and pure. A dream that grew to become reality. Could other ships have worked? Yes, but then that would’ve given this story a different direction and it wouldn’t have been LLSHP AU – Yoshiko Tsushima and the Fallen Angel anymore. As I developed YoshiMaru more and more, I was very satisfied with my choice.

On a side note, I confirm Yoshiko did have a crush on You at first (and Hanamaru had a crush on Kanan) xD it’s mostly just physical attraction in a “the-senpai-I-admire” kind of way, and it soon morphs to strong friendship as this story progresses. I don’t know if this was obvious at all but that’s why these two girls always have a soft spot for Gryffindor Baka#2 and Baka #3 xD!!!

On the other hand, I was not expecting DiaRiko to form. Yes, it was my guilty ship but I didn’t intend for them to be a couple in this story, just close friends/confidantes. In canon, they’re already the straight man of their respective year trios (most of the time anyway, I’m looking at you ponkotsu penguin). Yet, given their respective pasts and personalities, they became intimately close and found solace with each other, and that kind of relationship is what I tried to show to the readers, especially through the Carbonado Interlude. They’re not predestined to fall in love but they did and found happiness. Out of the four ships, I was most worried about DiaRiko since it’s a rareship unlike the other three. That’s why I keep saying how pleased I am that it ended up being well-received by fans ;;A;;

ChikaYou came to be as I finalize the 2ndYears’ background and Riko’s part, while KanaMari’s story is set aside for the prequel and thus not given much spotlight in the main story (and also due POV effect). In spite of how much I adore ChikaYou, it’s also not shown much because of what happened in the story but also because I wanted to present their dynamic as a duo and CYR bond with Ruby (since that’s how Yoshiko perceives them most of the time anyway).  

Ruby, my widdle cinnamon roll baby, is left unpaired for a reason. I want to show that platonic/friendship love is just as wonderful and powerful. There’s a saying ‘lovers come and go, but friends are for life’, and that’s exactly what Yoshiko and Hanamaru meant for Ruby, and vice versa. Now, while I’m on this, I have a confession about Ruby’s fate. After the concept arts were drawn and uploaded, I was finalizing the details of the three Arcs before I toss the first chapter onto tumblr. The end of ch19 is definitely one of the biggest climax of the story - Ruby ended up being Yohane’s target instead of Dia. Originally, uh, yeah, Ruby is supposed to die because her wounds were too much. Regular healing spells do not work on sectumsempra, only a special counter-Curse could reverse the effects. I tried very hard to find a way around it to save her. I don’t want my baby to die, any of them really, and she still have so much ahead of her. Fortunately, I was able to save her through Yoshiko/Yohane which, in turn, saved this raven-haired girl as well. I was able to continue working backwards on finalizing the Arcs and individual chapters with a peaceful state of mind.

‘Yoshiko’, as in the one who’s been narrating the story from ch1-20, still died in a way, but at least I was able to change the story from Bad End to True End (?). True End is the ch21 I uploaded. Bad End route would have Ruby dead, Yoshiko gone and ch21 would turn out completely different. A Happy End would be Yoshiko the Narrator miraculously alive and the others not having scars or still recovering, but I just find that too unrealistic. I’ve minimized the, uh, damage enough as it is, given the circumstances. J.K. Rowling did go on a killing spree in Book7 but come on, with a psychotic maniac like Voldemort and all those magical spells, you can easily kill people. You don’t need Avada Kedavra to kill someone, a sudden Diffindo or Reducto is enough. I’ve chosen my sacrifice and one is too many already. And speaking of sacrifice, let me talk a bit about Riko and why she was the ‘first victim’. Omoi yo Hitotsu ni Nare. Even though this story was outlined even before the First Live, this song already stands out to me from the anime, a song where the 8 of them sang in Riko’s absence but her spirit is still with them. And so, I sort of portrayed that the way it is in this story. Even though Riko didn’t get any lines from ch12 onward until ch20, her role remains significant and is the pivotal point for the remainder of Arc2 and Arc3. In terms of the plot, I’ve followed my outline quite closely. All the core points remained unchanged as I write out the chapters, though how I write a chapter (ie the wording, the extra little details, and actual professor dialogues instead of just narration) did change as I go along, influenced by more of the official content. Facts about characters that are only revealed in Season2 or other media such as SIF etc were not incorporated into this story (for example, Kanan being afraid of ghosts and height). As I mentioned in an older post about wands, I would have chosen phoenix feather for Ruby’s wand core had I known about the Duo-Trio results. The Kazuno sisters would have been incorporated into the story alas, back then, very little was known about Saint Snow in Season1 of the anime. Yes… season2 was finished and, like, a total of 15 live performances have happened between the creation and the completion of this story LOL Back to the plot. Seven is said to be a magical number in the HP verse and that’s why each Arc has 7 chapters. Arc 1 is the Intro, Arc 2 is the turning point, Arc 3 is the climax and the resolution. Sounds easy and straightforward so I thought I would’ve finished the story within a year. Well. It ended up almost taking two years lmao. Obligations IRL aside, new ideas, more AUs, more fanarts etc also make sticking to the update schedule difficult. It’s the worst when it comes to writer’s block – you have the outlines, you know what’s supposed to happen in a chapter, yet the words just aren’t flowing and you’re stuck. Thankfully, with you lovely readers giving the feedback and encouragement I need, I made it over each bump on the road to get to the finale. Hanamaru wrote most of this story, yes. Each chapter titles with exception of Ruby’s interlude and ch18-19 also showed up in ch21. The title of the ‘book’ is supposed to be revealed in the Epilogue but, since I had to upload it onto Fanfiction.Net, I can’t just call it LLSHP AU so I had to reveal “Yoshiko Tsushima and the Fallen Angel” right away. Back then I called this a temporary title because I did think about giving this story an alternate title, since she didn’t write the interludes, ch21 and the epilogue. However, at the end of the day, this still suits the story best. After all, the individual titles for ch21 and the epilogue make up the story’s title.

“Yoshiko has always known that she isn't normal like everyone else. Surely, she would master everything about magic at Hogwarts, and become the amazing fallen angel she's meant to be. Little did she know, her school year would be more than eventful as she makes great friends, uncovers secrets, and learns what it truly means to be Yohane.” - this is the summary I put on Fanfiction.Net. It speaks from both Yoshiko the Narrator’s perspective, and Yoshiko from the Epilogue’s perspective. It probably sounds confusing but I hope you understand what I mean. So, what’s next? I’ve invested a lot in this world of LLSHP AU already and there are still so many more possibilities, especially with the rather open ending both ch21 and the epilogue presents, so I’m definitely not done with this AU! Since I have the memory of a goldfish, I don’t know if I’ve already mentioned this but the prequel will be told mostly in Mari’s POV. It will have occasional Dia and Kanan POVs too (because I’m a shameless 3yrs-oshi and writer privilege); Rather than taking forever to write and cramping the scenes into a massive interlude chapters, I’ve decided to split it in shorter chapters - this will roughly be a 12-part story that took place before the main story, showcasing segments of the kanadiamari’s first 3 years at Hogwarts.

This prequel is… relatively normal and lighter compared to the main story, meaning it’s more school-oriented and more slice-of-life episodes for the most part (at least, that’s the outline), and much more Professor cameos. There will be more N-card girls to be showcased as well, such as kanadiamari’s Housemates and Quidditch teammates. Overall, it’ll be shiny °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖° There will not be a full sequel to the main story. Instead, there will be blips/drabbles about events that happen after the main story, as teased in the Epilogue - the TriWizard Tournament for one XD And, unlike the main story, the ideas for blips in this sequel-timeline are more vague, so I’ll be able to incorporate new content into it (as in, from official content 2017 onward such as proper characterization of Saint Snow).

There are plans for omake/filler fun blips as well - little incidents that happened throughout the main story or, rather, ‘excerpts’ that Hanamaru wrote but didn’t make it to the final version of her book. The first Halloween, more scenes with the Professors, birthdays and so on.

There are also plans for character-exclusive blips as well, similar to an Interlude. For example, DiaRiko’s ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) cough cough.

My tentative plan is to keep going with the prequel, and maybe every few chapter or so I’d write a sequel-timeline blip. I’ll see how my muse and inspiration is in the future, I’m already extremely satisfied that I finished the main story XD And I do want to work on some of my other existing AUs (ie Animus AU and Mafia AU just because I’ve already invested time in creating the concept arts and so I don’t want them to sink into oblivion…) or who knows, there might be new AUs. I mean, pretty much every new SIF set is enough to inspire a brand new AU please allow me a moment to giggle like the trash I am over the DiaRiko UR set *pterodactyl screech*

AHEM. Another thing is illustration/artworks. Since most of my time was spent on writing, there are much fewer artworks than I would’ve liked for this story. I think I mentioned this somewhere that I’d love to have an individual cover art for each chapter alas, no time at all DX I’d like to have at least one illustration per chapter too but OTL I can only pick one and so for this AU I chose writing over drawing. Cry.

Anyway, I’ve rambled long enough and I think I’ve talked about everything I want to get off my chest. If you have any questions/feedback, go ahead and fire’em at me, since I’m now able to answer anything without fear of spoilers now XD (unless your question is about the prequel or things that happen in the sequel-timeline)

Thanks for reading the whole thing and, ofc, staying with me until the end of this story!

#LLSHP AU #athyra rambles #really just athyra blabbering #this thing is almost 3k #at least it's shorter than the Patronus Ramble lmao #but yeah I think that's everything #all that's left are the fun times with the prequel and blips #makings-of #I feel accomplished to have come this far #it really has been an amazing journey #yeah I think that's everything I want to say #it's not like this is the end-end... #prequel and other stuff

[whitewolfofwinterfell]

i'm confused about the JK Rowling thing. I mean surely not every story has to represent everyone right? I get that people are upset with the way she's responding, but why were they attacking her in the first place? Is it because it's so wildly popular that people think it should be more inclusive? I can understand that, but how would she have known that in the beginning? I don't know i guess i'm clouded by my white privilege but i don't quite understand what people want from her at this point.

I know what you mean, anon. Although I’ve been part of the HP fandom on here since I first created my Tumblr account, I don’t consider myself actively involved in it (by which I mean that I avoid current topics/gossip/drama), but for years I’ve been aware of the voices of the fans questioning JKR’s lack of representation in Harry Potter. It’s exploded again recently because of the reveal of Nagini as a person (more specifically, a Korean woman) in the new FBAWTFT film and there’s a post here that you can read that explains that. 

Warning, discussion below on sensitive topics regarding representation of minorities, race/racism, sexuality/homophobia, disability and colonialism. 

Firstly, you are right that no story has to represent everyone, because that would be impossible. The truth of it is that any writer has the agency and choice to write the characters and story they want to. Speaking from a personal perspective as someone that loves to write and is a straight, white girl with no disabilities or part of any minority group (that I’m aware of), it is significantly more challenging to write characters that are from minority groups. The reason for that is because I myself do not identify or fit into any of those labels (I can’t think of a more appropriate word, so I’m gonna stick with labels, forgive me if it’s a poor choice of word), so I don’t completely understand what it is to be gay or black or physically disabled and what if I can’t bring justice to a character that is those things? What if I offend someone that reads it that is gay, black or disabled? And these are the kind of issues that representation can pose for writers. Having said that, all of this can be resolved with one simple word - research. In my case, it’s very different because I only write for fun and recreational purposes (although there’s always a certain level of research that goes into my writing), but for a professional author, they should be working their asses off to do research to ensure they do their characters justice. 

Personally, I think concerns over representation being raised are always valid. We live in a world where there are more voices speaking out against injustices and particularly, injustices that are more subtle or that have been normalised and widely accepted, such as the lack of representation in popular culture. Having said that, I don’t agree with sending hate and/or being violent or aggressive in raising those concerns and at times, I think the HP fandom can be guilty of that. 

As I pointed out to the tags in my post, I really don’t think JKR did anything wrong in not having diverse representation in her books for a number of reasons. The most obvious reason is that she simply wrote characters that were relatable to her and that she was in touch with in her daily life. It’s important to bear in mind the context of the time in which she was writing - people, particularly young people, seem to forget how much progress has been made in such a short time and how much more liberal societies (I’m particularly referring to the UK here, since that’s where I live and JKR lives) have become over the last few decades. When I was a child I didn’t know anyone that identified as anything but straight until I was around 19/20 years old and then slowly I had friends and people around me that came out as gay, bi and pan; I didn’t meet anyone that was trans until I was 22 years old; at my school I only knew one child that was physically disabled; at my primary school there was only one child that wasn’t white. 

Obviously I can’t comment on JKR’s personal character since I don’t know her and I don’t follow her or engage with her through social media, but the lack of representation doesn’t immediately mean she’s inherently racist or homophobic or biphobic or erasing any kind of minority group deliberately. She was just writing what she knew. But what I said and you have agreed with is that she hasn’t handled things right. Her reactions to fans complaints have sometimes been childish and the Nagini incident shows that she’s grasping at straws to try and pacify people by providing them with the representation everybody is asking for, but it’s only making things worse for all the reasons the post I linked above explains. 

However, shifting away from the whole JKR drama and reflecting on what you said about white privilege - it’s a topic that I’ve been researching a lot recently for educational purposes (this is really just my opportunity to discuss an area of research I’m thoroughly enjoying and finding fascinating, so I apologise in advance if you don’t care about any of this lmao). I’m currently studying a module at university about Jim Crow in South America which is an exploration of black history in America starting from Reconstruction following the end of the Civil War right up until the 1970s (I think near the end of the module we may even touch upon Black Lives Matter). I’m also researching for my dissertation which is about experiences of African American soldiers in the Vietnam War and what’s fascinating to me through the research I’ve been doing is the construct of race and ‘whiteness’. It’s an issue that’s too complex to explain, and you may not care or be interested, but the short version is that race biologically and scientifically does not exist. There is no biological differences (except external appearances) that separate a black/brown/yellow person from a white person, it has quite literally been constructed by European white colonialists and scientists as a way to suppress people of colour, usually for economic purposes. You might be wondering why this is relevant, but it’s because until about 2-3 years ago, as a white person I had no understanding or knowledge of race and how it impacts people’s entire lives - socially, economically and politically. You’re right that white privilege clouds your judgement, particularly when it comes to issues of race, it clouds the judgement of every white person in the world, but what’s worse is that most white people don’t even recognise that white privilege exists. I see so many white people around me in my daily life and on TV (the most recent example I saw was on Celebrity Big Brother UK, which made me so angry I could create an entirely different post on that) claim “racism doesn’t exist anymore” or “this is a equal society” and it infuriates me beyond belief. White people don’t see racism because they don’t experience it and they’re not living it. 

To finish on a final point that’s relevant to your original ask, at this point you’re right that there’s nothing JKR can do to make fans happy. When a series is as popular as Harry Potter and has such a huge fan-base, there is always going to be someone complaining about some aspect of it. If it wasn’t an issue of under-representation, it would only be something else. Nothing in this world is ever perfect and there’s always room for improvement. Honestly, I think the best thing for JKR to do is leave the Harry Potter universe the hell alone. The series is not without its problems, but generally it’s so well-loved by millions of people globally and the fact that she keeps trying to add/retcon certain aspects of the universe and/or characters is what’s frustrating fans more so than anything else. She should just admit that it doesn’t have the representation it could’ve had, learn from that and in any future projects, she can be more aware to be diverse with the characters she writes. 

#answered

[dalzzo]

💕Jikook fics with a special place in my heart 💕

Hello, this is my rec list of jikook fics I love a lot, my all times favorites. I only read complete fics so this list is full of them :) It is mostly fluff (a little fluff and agnst here and there) Also, give the writers lots of love, they deserve it.

Falling for you again by Rose_gold71

Words: 30,985

Jungkook loses all memory of the last five years of his life.Jimin is scared he will never love him again.

Finish Line by vanillapeachesandcream

Words: 50,541 

Jeon Jungkook has spent his entire life in the entertainment industry, jumping from role to role until he finally reaches the top. Jungkook has also been plagued by dreams for as long as he can remember, dreams of a life different from this, dreams of a certain boy with pitch black hair and beautiful eyes. As the dreams escalate, Jungkook prepares to take on his next role, but the last thing he expects is to meet the boy of his dreams. When he begins to notice striking similarities between the movie and his dreams and becomes increasingly sure that actor Park Jimin is truly the same Jimin he dreams of, his life turns upside down in a race to correct the wrongs in their past lives and maybe achieve a happy ending along the way.

Baby boom by heyhosam 

Tags: Words: 26,288 

The doctor didn’t stop putting pressure on his tummy, turning her head to see Jimin’s wide eyes fixed on the screen at his side that showed a little curled up form that was supposed to be his baby. He swallowed harshly, the lump on his throat barely allowing him do much as breath.

Jimin was so fucked.

Present by pinkmonnie 

Words: 21,060 

“Sometimes I wish I could fall through this wall instead. Spend a few days with just you and the beach and no other distractions. I'd love some quiet in my life.”

One night, unable to take the solitude, Jimin writes a single word on the wall of the abandoned record store. He never expected to get a reply, least of all from a kind stranger all the way back in the real world.

One afternoon, as he's working on the repairs of the record store, Jungkook finds someone had written something on one of the walls. And he writes back.

Night Sky Feathers by Priska 

Words: 7,358 

Jungkook is more than gorgeous with his black and blue and purple feathers, wings sparkling as if he captured the stars inside, and mesmerizing silver eyes glow like the bright full moon above their heads.

Night Sky dragon is what they call him and it fits him perfectly.

I've Got a Lover Back in Japan by teecysh 

Words: 2,572 

It's no secret that Jungkook always aims for the best of the very best. The art of giving Jimin birthday presents is no exception.

(a bunch of silly, fluffy snippets of jungkook and jimin's trip to japan.)

Pull me in so there's no space between us by earthynamjoo 

 Words: 3,669 

“the—fuck! the doors won’t open!”

“stop pushing buttons! y-you might make it worse!”

jimin felt heat brush along his face as reality crashed down on him; he was stuck in this tiny little box with the insufferable junior he was forced to be around. he was in hell.

“how am i going to make it worse?” the taller boy merely commented as he tried pushing every button on the board. jimin felt a headache brewing behind his browbone.

“just, stop— i am not going to die with jeon jungkook of all people.”

The unlikely wingmen by mxinhyuk 

Words: 3,721 

The town he lives in houses a lot of wild rabbits, because he can’t go a single day without at least one rabbit following him to school, to work, or to his apartment.

He doesn’t know why its happening, he doesn’t why these rabbits like him so much, he just knows its inconvenient most of the time.

Or, Jungkook likes Jimin and Jimin thinks the bunny hybrid with bunnies following him everywhere is cute.

Feel a little more (and give a little less) by jellyfishes 

Words: 18,541 

Jeongguk knows he wears his heart on his sleeve, but he thinks that, given the circumstances, he does a good job of keeping a straight face. And it’s not a big deal. He can watch an interview of Park Jimin on a talkshow even though the last time he spoke to him was an awkward five message exchange on Jeongguk’s last birthday.

or

Jeongguk spends a lot of time thinking about Jimin in the eight years following BTS disbanding for someone who isn't still in love.

Touch Starved by krispy_kream 

Words: 4,602 

How had Jin described it when he was trying to explain it to Jungkook? Touch starved. And what a relief to know it had a name, that it was a real thing and he wasn’t just insane. Now that he isn’t starving it only takes a gentle hand at the small of his back to soothe his anger, an arm thrown around his shoulders to chase away his anxiety.

It only takes a bright smile from Jungkook to send the butterflies in his stomach into a frenzy.

When You Touch Me (I Die Just a Little Inside) by TrappingLightningBugs 

Words: 10,667 

Jimin's too proud to admit that he feels the most at home with Jeongguk's hands on him.

Lost Stars by pjungkook 

Words: 25,406 

Park Jimin has another maknae in his life and Jeon Jungkook is completely losing it.

Wander by pinkmonnie 

*ALL OF THIS FICS ARE SUPERIOR, BUT THIS ONE TAKES THE CROWN*

Words: 19,721 

"Your eyes are like the stars."

"Your smile is like the sunshine."

Jungkook takes a trip to the country to forget everything else and try to find some peace of mind. He thought perhaps he'd begin to understand and see things better, maybe even enough to start taking photographs again. He didn't think he'd end up falling in love with The Yellow House, or the forest and fields that surrounded it, or the beautiful, kind-hearted young man that managed the small hotel.

"And your hands are so small."

Flower Talk by soranosuzu 

Words: 3,280

Jimin works in a flower shop and Jungkook is a delivery boy who drives a pastel pink van. 

Nanny by Nochucomethru 

Words: 13,097 

“I can’t believe I’m actually considering being a nanny. What did I do wrong in my life?” Jungkook sighed, leaning back in his chair.

“Probably the entire sleeve tattoo that you couldn’t afford,” Taehyung said.

You give me purpose by TsingaDark 

Words: 6,475

While on their Wings tour in Japan, Jimin starts receiving gifts from an anonymous person, but it doesn't take long until he begins to figure out who the presents are from.

What the Fans Want by Shealezz 

*I waited so long for this one to be complete, believe me, the wait was worth it*  

Words: 78,894

Jungkook never imagined he would end up in a fake love with a tease like Park Jimin when all he wanted to do was dance. Unfortunately, this thing called “fanfiction” exists.

Start of Time by Fleurete 

Words: 33,673 

HP!AU. Perfect student Jeon Jungkook isn’t fond of new kid Park Jimin. He doesn’t care if its irrational, he just can’t stand him or his pretty face.

But as Jimin starts to worm his way into his life, everything Jungkook thought he knew about Jimin falls apart around him, and soon he is forced to discern for himself the truth of the mystery surrounding Park Jimin.

Blow Me Like Your French Horn by ohdizzy 

Words: 40,219

In which Jimin undergoes a transformation from Cinnamon Roll to Sinnamon Roll and Jeongguk is a little too competitive, a little too tsundere, and a little bit too moony-eyed for his own good.

(A tale of red converses, sandpit wrestling, shitty best friends a little too obsessed with playing Cupid, emotional constipation, existential crises, and that one body roll Jimin does that makes Jeongguk re-evaluate his life)

“i see that you adore playing your loud ass trumpet at random moments in the middle of the night, well fyi i happen to be a master at the French horn so fuck u i challenge you to a brass off” AU

Thank you for making it till the end, I hope you like them a lot ❤️❤️❤️

#jikook #jikook fanfic #jikook kookmin #kookmin #park jimin #jeon jungkook #fic rec #fanfic

[humanbludgers]

Just curious but why do you hate j*ly and h**ny? I'm actually genuinely really interested to know cause so many people love them!! (not trying to start anything)

[You got it, fam! Under a cut just in case, but it’s more anti-JKR/anti-fanwank than ship bashing. I don’t judge anybody for shipping them and they can be written in a way I’m fine with, which I describe below. It’s not like I go ragey every time I see them on the dash. I just have some hangups from an analytical perspective.]

[With Hinny, it’s not so much something fundamentally wrong with it as just the way it’s written in canon. It feels VERY forced and rushed. Ginny gets sidelined for aaages before swinging back in at the last minute to be Harry’s manic pixie dream girl, and she deserves better. 

There’s also the awkward detail that they both kinda chew up and throw away their non-white exes, as does Ron. Literally every interracial relationship in the series is presented as shallow and/or unhealthy, and FIVE are trampled underfoot to make way for the Hinny and Romione classic endgames with 2.5 kids and a very white picket fence. It’s like they all go off and have their Exotic Flings before settling down with the perfect fellow white person we all knew they were going to be with from Book 1. :/// I don’t think JKR is racist, but she can be rather dense, and I think she missed the implications of setting stuff up like that.

HOW TO REDEEM HINNY (to me): literally just give it some history and depth. I actually like seeing this RPed. Dw about the interracial ships, I’ve got them covered.

With Jily it’s the opposite. I don’t necessarily have a problem with how it’s written in canon so much as I dislike how sugarcoated it is by Marauder stans. I was surprised by its popularity when I first got into the fandom tbh? Like it seems to me like the typical “perfect popular girl dates jock bully” and I couldn’t be less interested in shipping it, myself. But to each their own. The issue is not that James is a bully. The issue is that people like to pretend he isn’t.

Yes, Sirius says he changed, and narratively it makes sense to believe he did, though realistically Sirius isn’t the most reliable source. But actions speak louder than words and we’re not shown any of that change. It seems like whenever a fan mentions what a jerk he is, someone else writes a 5000-word fic based on the line “his head deflated” and then points to it like SEE HE’S A GOOD PERSON and I’m like you do realise you just made all of that up right?? I sincerely doubt James was sainted in his seventh year, and tbh I think it’s a discredit to JKR to pretend he was.

(“Asher are YOU seriously defending JKR” she did so much wrong that she deserves to have the things she did well appreciated ok)

As I say often, one of the things that I found best-executed about HP was breaking down the dead angel parents trope, and in that sense I like James as a character even as I loathe him as a person. Sometimes people are losers and relationships are unhealthy, and it’s interesting to see Harry come to grips with the darker reality of James after building up this golden image of him all his life. In a series of one-dimensional stagnant characters, James is a really gloriously messy and complicated and controversial individual, and intentionally or not, canon emphasises his flaws. It’s unfortunate that the fandom is hellbent on turning him right back into a perfect dead angel parent.

tumblr: no means no. ‘boys will be boys’ is toxic. respect women’s right to choose what they do with their bodies and relationshipsalso tumblr: aww how cute that James wore Lily down by harrassing her for years and terrorising her best friend to literally threaten her into dating him. he was just trying to show how much he liked her! True Love™

To reiterate, I do not take issue with people shipping “problematic” things. The way I write Frangelina and all of Fred’s ships tbh is pretty unhealthy. It’s fiction; conflict is what makes it interesting. I actually wish more people would realise that, so they can stop trying to downplay or straight-up erase the ugly parts of their favourite characters and ships. Fred fans are the same way, and in my other main fandom people are always trying to push the narrative that Darth Vader spent twenty years crying over his mistakes when he was actually just straight-up slaughtering people. With ships especially, it’s like there’s this cycle of falling in love with a ship for its problems, realising “oh no I’m not allowed to ship problematic things,” and then desperately trying to explain away those same problems, defending things like bullying and abuse that they would never defend in any other context. You don’t have to explain anything ok?? Just stop???

HOW TO REDEEM JILY: Don’t deify James. Don’t pretend like he never did anything bad, the circumstances of his getting with Lily are perfectly healthy, and poor baby James is just misunderstood. Your fave is problematic. Accept it, get over it, and then ship whatever you want.]

#ooww #ask #anonymous #meta #anti jkr