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#in case. any mutuals would not want 2 be spoiled
crayonverse · 21 days
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the church wants my freak of Nature ass dead
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wangxianficfinder · 2 months
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In the mood for...
March 19th
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1. itmf
a) nhs and wwx friendship PLEASE, preferably with the same vibes as seen in crazy rich cultivators by shanaatoryteller (he called wwx by affectionate nicknames and was ready to throw down with lwj for him at the minor perceived slight), i just need nhs genuinely loving wwx in a non-shippy way
b) wwx support system! him having people who love and will help him in any way they can! him not having to shoulder so many burdens alone!
1A)
Story-Shaped by lingering_song (T, 13k, NHS & WWX, wangxian, Post-Canon, Chief Cultivator LWJ, Inventor WWX, Found Family, NHS needs a new hobby, And apparently that’s spoiling his Wei-Xiong, Mentioned Character Death, Alcohol, Protective NHS, WangXian Endgame, Not JC Friendly, Not particularly gentry sects friendly overall tbh) NHS finds WWX post-Untamed canon & helps him
🔒 like mayflies wandering series by RoseThorne (E, 21k, NHS & WWX, wangxian, Assassination Attempt(s), Introspection, Regret, Travel, Post-Canon, POV Third Person, POV WWX, Ghosts, Reconciliation, Exhaustion, Pining, Pre-Wangxian, Pining, Feelings Realization, Illnesses, ennui, Found Family, Porn Reading, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Manipulative NHS, Memories, WWX Needs a Hug, Pining WWX, Friendship, NHS Is A Little Shit, Qi Deviation, Resentful Energy, PTSD, Panic Attacks, Triggers, Fainting, Anal Sex, Getting Together, Love Confessions, Grief/Mourning)
1B)
拨云见日 by RoseThorne (G, 1k, WangXian,. Post-Canon, Justice, Anger, Sect Leader Yáo Bashing, Cultivation Discussion Conferences, Restitution, Self-Indulgent, POV Third Person, POV WWX)
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2. I wish to know what fics you're especially excited to read next from your TBR!
Something at the Door by Pip (Moirail) (E, 50k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, Modern Cultivation, background 3zun, Background Yi City trio, Intrusive Thoughts, Horror, Suicidal Thoughts, Temporary Character Death, Blood, Explicit Sexual Content, Mutual Pining, Angst with a Happy Ending, Mystery, Urban Fantasy) this one got recced by a friend on discord and it looked soooo interesting but time is not on my side
the past drifts away with the waves by thelastdboy (E, 52k, wangxian, WWX & Wen remnants, LWJ & LSZ & WWX, WIP, graphic depictions of violence, major character death, canon divergence, fall of lotus pier, major characger undeath, YZY being an asshole, implied/referenced child abuse, minor character death, major character injury, amputation, loss of limbs, transformation, merpeople, fierce corpse WWX, kind of, merperson WWX, resentful creature WWX, undead WWX, riverspirit WWX, it gets worse before it gets better, heavy angst w happy ending, no sunshot, hurt/comfort, politics, not cultivation world friendly, slow burn, getting together, revenge, demonic cultivation, WWX pov, dark WWX, monsterfucker LWJ, wen remnants live, sect leader WQ)
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3. Hey, I was wondering if there are any fics, after the whole story, where Wangxian's relationship with JC is extensive /repaired? @mihashi-kun
❤️ Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste for williedustice (T, 36k, WangXian, JC & WWX, Post-Canon, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Adoption, Family Fluff, Kid fic, Family drama, Fluff, 🔒[PODFIC] Attempting the Impossible by Ariaste by lunatique)
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4. Heellloooo <3 for the next itmf im looking for fics where wwx is lwj’s favorite person/best friend (apart from also being a couple/in love) like lwj seeking wwx out and looking for him, wanting to spend time with him, being shamelessly friends with him, and everybody knows that they’re a package deal
I Wish You Would by brooklinegirl (E, 51k, wangxian, LWJ FUCKS, jerking off, so much jerking off, wangxian/others, but OTP endgame, "straight" boy WWX, Modern Setting) is a friends-to-lovers with a nice friendship at its core. Focus is definitely on their path into a sexual relationship, though, it's not just about being friends, in case that isn't what you're looking for.
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5. Please give me some serious self harming fics. Real angst. I don't care if people think me cringe or weird for wanting therapy and comfort from a fanfiction, but I've been feeling self destructive lately and the deeper and deeper cuts on my arms are a testament to it. I cannot ground myself. I've been too alone and lonely lately. I love reading. Please give me some ground to sit down for a while
Twin Demons of Mò by XiaoFeiFei (M, 358k, MXY & WWX, WangXian, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injury, Abuse, Twin Demons of Mo, MXY Lives, Major Character Injury, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Angst, Minor Character Death, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Minor Implied/Referenced Incest, Implied/Referenced Torture, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, Canon Divergence, Self-Harm, Found Family, Sexual Abuse, Rape/Non-con Elements, POV Alternating)
could also check the Heavy Angst comp, there's sure to be something there
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6. Hello I'm here for wwx protection squad dynamics. Like I want fics where wwx doesn't have to do anything, before he wants anything or before anyone could do to harm him or anything, there are people defending him and keeping him safe.
🧡 the stone-filled sea by yukla (T, 9k, WangXian, LSZ & WWX, Post-Canon, senior wei defense squad, [Podfic] the stone-filled sea by yukla by Beria1021, the stone-filled sea [Podfic] by BrickGrass)
💖Teen Project to Change the World animeloverhomura (Not rated, 810k, wangxian, JYL/JZX, WIP, Watching the Show, With a bit of the Manhua and Book thrown in, scharacters watching the future, BAMF WWX, Fix-It, JGS is his own warning, Attractive WWX, Homophobia, disturbing imagery)
Song of Joy and Regrets by HelloKitten (Not Rated, 134k, wangxian, hualian, WIP, TGCF, Angst, Self-Harm, Child Abuse, characters watching their series, Time Travel Fix-it)
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7. Hello!!!!!!! Love all the hard work you put into this blog! I’m in the mood for fics featuring wangxian growing together, like fics with adorable kids wangxian and then awkward preteen wangxian and then finally growing into their skins young adult wangxian and all that
Thxxxxx
soft-hearted by sarahyyy (G, 6k, WangXian, Childhood Friends, Hurt/Comfort, Getting Together, First Kiss, Wedding Fluff)
Hope series by RoseThorne (T, 57k, wangxian, WWX & YZY, WWX & JFM, WWX & JYL, YZY/JFM, JC & WWX, LQR & WWX, LXC & JYL, Madam Jin & YZY, LQR & JFM, LXC & LWJ, Transmigration, Time Travel Fix-It, Illnesses, Family, Scars, Memory Loss, Angst, Crying, Music, Nosebleed, Fear, Recovery, Nightmares, Sharing a Bed, Flirting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Good Parent YZY, Referenced Sexual Slavery, Blood and Gore, Monsters, Sexual Tension, betrothal, Arranged Marriage, Grief, Adoption, POV Third Person, POV Alternating, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Good Parent LQR, Clairvoyance, Butterfly Effect, Kid Fic, Epistolary, Food, Secrets, Resentful Energy, Cultivation Sect Politics, Character Death)
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8. Hello! ITMF blind!Wei Wuxian? Canon or modern. thank you!
🧡 close your eyes, feel my heartbeatby ThatDesiGirl (T, 11k, WangXian, blind!WWX, Angst with a Happy Ending, Rewriting Canon, not a fix-it but a what-if, Golden Core Transfer) WWX is blind, but MXY isn't
The Darkness Before Dawn by PsycheStellata707 (M, 113k, WIP, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Time Travel Fix-It, Canon Divergence, BAMF WWX, Time Travel, Attempt at Humor, PTSD, Oblivious WWX, WWX-centric, Blind WWX, Sentient Burial Mounds, Self-Indulgent, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Oblivious Pining, Not Canon Compliant) link in #16
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9. hiiii hope you all are well!!! I'm itmf your favorite memory loss/amnesia fics pls! thank u and have a lovely day 🩷 @loveshinesbrightly
Love Song In Reverse by timetoboldlygo (T, 237k, WangXian, Amnesia, Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Falling In Love, Slow Burn, agressively mixing and matching novel and cql canon, No Homophobia, Mentions of Starvation, Parental WWX)
🧡 the river brought you here by chilianxianzi (Not Rated, 11k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, POV Outsider, Amnesia, Past abuse, Strangulation, Found Family)
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10. hii! for imtf: anything with true loves kiss or something really sad (or both) (no omegaverse pls). thank you!!
🧡 Weep You No More, Sad Fountains by athena_crikey (T, 48k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Fix-it fic, Whump, Curses, Fever, Delirium, Stabbing, Loneliness, Confessions) It's only a small moment, but a curse is lifted with a kiss
what else is there? by mme_anxious (T, 13k, wangxian, Canon Divergence, Swan Princess AU, Everybody Lives, who isn't already dead, Magic, Animal Transformation, Curses, Angst, Humor, Happy Ending, Kissing)
This Lantern Shines For You by apollonie (M, 10k, wangxian, Hanahaki Disease, Angst with a Happy Ending, Post-Canon, Pining WWX, WWX Needs a Hug, LWJ is a Disaster Gay)
with such a suffering, such a deadly life by cqlorphan (T, 7k, wangxian, post-canon, curses, curse breaking, getting together, angst w/ happy ending, fluff, hurt/comfort, affection, touch-starved LWJ, LWJ whump, cuddling & snuggling, love confessions)
a safe pair of hands by occultings (microcomets) (E, 11k, WangXian, Mutual Pining, Hurt/Comfort, Whump, Body Worship, Post-Canon, Case Fic, Sharing a Bed, Getting Together, First Time, Curses, Intimacy, Touch-Starved, Touch-Starved LWJ)
Turn Left by kianspo (M, 204k, WangXian, NieLan, Canon Divergence, Fix-It of Sorts, Friends to Lovers, eventually, references to child sexual abuse, not main characters, Neurodivergent LWJ, Slow Build, Lán Family Feels, specifically, Twin Jades of Lán Feels, lwj-centric, Twin Jades of Lán Dynamics, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Angst with Happy Ending) it's kind of true love's kiss adjacent?
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11. Hi! I was curious if there were any fics like, Seven Second to the End? Where basically Wei Wuxian sought out Lan Wangji as soon as he woke up in mxy body or there wasn’t the elaborate pretending to be mxy on wwx side?
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12. heyy hope you're doing good! do you know any fics that are similar to 'and the calm is deep where the quiet waters flow'?
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13. Are there anymore fics like " heaven has no rage " by flipfloppandas ?
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14. Hi! For itmf does anyone know of any Yunmeng-bros fics where they have a good relationship and Wei Wuxian returns to Yunmeng Jiang after his resurrection? Thank you so much!
❤️ By Any Other Name by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 31k, Wangxian, Canon Divergence, Crossdressing, Misunderstandings, Identity Porn, Identity reveal)
The Twin Blades of Yunmeng by GhostySword, ofmindelans (T, 89k, JC & WWX, wangxian, JC/NHS, Canon Divergence, Yunmeng Brothers Reconciliation, BAMF JC, protective LWJ, Golden Core Reveal, Swords and Feelings, WWX Resurrection, Canon-Typical Violence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Embedded Images, Sect Leader QS)
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15. ITMF cultivators having super senses? Like heightened eyesight, hearing, strength, etc. There is a sentinel/guide fic I really enjoyed, “Hyperprosexia” by malkinmalkout, that dealt with heightened senses and I would love more like that. Thank you so much!
Zhalyn series by meiqi (Silver_Shadow_09) (T, 16k, wangxian, WWX & WQ, LWJ & WQ, WWX & WN, WN & WWX & LWJ & WQ, Hurt/Comfort, Hopeful Ending, Golden Core, Golden Core Reveal, But not how you think, OP WWX, one self-sacrificial idiot and his two emotionally constipated best friends, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Madam Yu's A+ Parenting, Canon Divergence, Location: Cloud Recesses, Location: Lotus Pier, Good Friend WQ, Doctor WQ, Good Friend LWJ, Case Fic, LanWenWei besties - now with two Wens, Self-Discovery, WQ is So Done, LWJ Has Friends, Cinnamon Roll WN, Good Friend WQ, Good Friend WN, Team as Family, Annoying WWX) wwx has even stronger senses than most cultivators in this
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16. Hello again! Thank you for your recs!
I was wondering if you could rec some fics with sentient burial mounds, like- them being protective of wwx, sort of treating him like- either as the master/chosen/hier of burial mounds or something? Or any story with ghosts/spirits being protective of wwx or treating him as a sort of leader or something? Just want some wwx & supernatural goodness lol.
Also, any fics with wwx being sort of like- strangely in tune with nature? And maybe people being freaked out by his connection to the nature or dead. Like - cryptid vibes wwx lol
Thank you!!!
in the blossom season (in the pouring rain) by varnes (M, 13k, WangXian, Modern with Magic, [Podfic of] in the blossom season (in the pouring rain) by exmanhater)
What Lies Beneath These Hallowed Woods by meekome (M, 10k, WIP, WangXian, Sentient Burial Mounds, of the cosmic horror variety, Eldritch WWX, Monster WWX, Body Horror, Eventual Happy Ending, after a lot of whump Fix-It, Canon Divergence, WWX's Three Months in the Burial Mounds, Hurt WWX, Blood and Injury, but he gets better I swear, Suicidal Thoughts, WWX Lacks Self-Preservation Instincts, Protective LWJ, BAMF WWX, YLLZ WWX, YLLZ LWJ, Sunshot Campaign, Communication, Married WangXian)
The Darkness Before Dawn by PsycheStellata707 (M, 113k, WIP, WangXian, Angst with a Happy Ending, Time Travel Fix-It, Canon Divergence, BAMF WWX, Time Travel, Attempt at Humor, PTSD, Oblivious WWX, WWX-centric, Blind WWX, Sentient Burial Mounds, Self-Indulgent, Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Oblivious Pining, Not Canon Compliant)
To Be Named by Suibian_613 (T, 39k, WangXian, XuanLi, Canon Divergence, Out of Character, WQ is out of character, Everyone is probably ooc, canonical violence, Canonical Character Death, JYL lives, Somewhat Sentient Burial Mounds, WN and JC Rivalry, Sibling Rivalry)
Blood of the Black Earth by wirevix (M, 48k, WangXian, Canon Divergence, Xuánwǔ of Slaughter Cave, Sunshot Campaign, Sad with a Happy Ending, Ghost WWX, Monster WWX, Canonical Character Death, Although not at the canonical time, Grief/Mourning, Good Sibling JC, Horror)
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17. Hello! I'm looking for fics with:-
A) rich wwx!! As in- he's like rich af, but people don't know it? Like he's very normal about it but doesn't advertise the fact that he could buy everything he wants. I'd also like if he's big on donating, or just helping people in general and stuff.
B) wwx doing dangerous stuff like volunteering in places with natural disasters/civil unrest, etc. Him being very into activism and stuff
C) jealous sizhui...like- he's jealous of wwx paying attention to other kids and stuff. Maybe something like- wwx thinks sizhui has lwj as father figure, doesn't remember him, or maybe he'll be bothered if wwx acts too familiar or something? So he keeps his distance. It could be a modern au too, or any fic where wwx adopts other kids/is a mentor figure to them/has close relationship with them and sizhui is jealous of that??
I appreciate you taking the time to do this!
17A)
Come Around and Stay by trippednfell (M, 160k, wangxian, modern, slow burn, kid fic, found family, it gets worse before it gets better, PTSD, blood and injury, dissociation, trauma, angst w happy ending, musicals, alternating pov, JC & WWX reconciliation, hurt/comfort, panic attacks)
Sizhui's Smiles by RenaFair (T, 11k, wangxian, Possessive Behavior, A/B/O, Alpha LWJ, Omega WWX, Alpha LSZ, Mpreg, Minor Child Character Death, Read the summary between the lines) it has dark Sizhui jealous over wangxian's new baby
17C)
Rotten Work by ShanaStoryteller (Not Rated, 63k, WangXian, WWX & JL, Post-Canon, Protective WWX, Protective JL, Yunmeng Bros Reconciliation, Reluctant Matchmaker JL)
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If you didn’t get an answer to your ask here, don’t forget to make use of @mdzs-kinkmeme and MDZS KINK MEME on Dreamwidth. Authors actually do use them for ideas. You may get what you order!***Your prompt doesn’t have to be kink! Fluff, crack, whatever - it’s all good!***
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harmofud · 6 months
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Why Every BG3 Origin Character Could Work Romantically with Every Other BG3 Origin Character (Astarion Edition)
Just so everyone knows before reading this, I haven't finished the game yet so some of these might get updated later. I just started Act 2, but I was spoiled almost entirely for Astarion's, Lae'zel's, and Shadowheart's stories, partially for Durge's and Gale's, and almost none at all for Karlach's and Wyll's. Please do try and avoid putting spoilers in the comments and tags, because I would still like to experience some of these moments in game first.
Astarion x The Dark Urge: Astarion has a deep seated well of rage and fury that manifests into a very palpable bloodlust. He likes murder. He is a vampire spawn after all. His very existence requires causing some kind of suffering, and it is all made easier if he enjoys it. It's something he could either indulge in or struggle to unlearn, and Durge's character arc mimics that. Astarion also values trust, something he is afforded very little of because of his nature. In Durge, he would find someone who struggles with themselves and also struggles with the lust for death. They would either become the greatest and most horrific power couple there ever was, or they'd support each other in their mutual struggle to be good.
Astarion x Gale: Astarion craves power. Above all else, above even his want for revenge, he wants the ability to protect himself, whether that be through murder and theft or through a good-old fashioned illithid tadpole. Power for protection is his M.O. Frankly you could make a case for every character on this list being a potential romance because they have power and he wants it; however, he likes power that is from beyond the pale. Pure brute force is not something he tends to approve of unless it is an entertainment for him; if given the option, he'd prefer something subtler, something that can continue to give and grow. Gale fits that description perfectly, and is both subtle and not shy about his magical prowess: both things that would draw Astarion in.
Astarion x Karlach: He doesn't tend to like pure brute force, but Astarion does like hot people, and Karlach is Hot with a capital H. Not only do they have a shared experience of being taken advantage of and being forced to do the bidding of beings that they couldn't even pretend to hold a candle to, but that same feeling of requiring freedom no matter what unites them. They would both do whatever they have to to remain out of the clutches of those who want them back. There's also that wonderful dichotomy of Astarion being supernaturally cold and Karlach being supernaturally hot, and I imagine they'd find each other very pleasant to cuddle. Imagine being warm in bed at night for the first time in 200 years.
Astarion x Lae'zel: Of all the origin characters, Astarion and Lae'zel's morals and opinions match the most, even more so than Durge's. He likes being brutal and unforgiving, and Lae'zel is so much more pointed in both of those aspects than anybody else on the list. He would find her brutally strong in a cunning sort of way, someone who potentially could and would stand up to Cazador and any other number of enemies with him once she has marked him as an ally. I think he would view Lae'zel as a challenge to woo, and I think her almost complete refusal to engage with him in a way that he understands (she never smiles and her requests for a good time are blunt) would make him try all the more to get her to do something other than scowl at him.
Astarion x Shadowheart: At first, I think Astarion would find Shadowheart kind of cagey, but that's okay because he'd be cagey right back. She's cunning and manipulative to those she doesn't like, and he could very easily mimic that. I think they'd have a mutual distrust and dislike of each other that extends into a kind of regretful appreciation for the other's manipulation tactics. The two of them would ironically be the most real with each other compared to everyone else because they both know the other one is hiding something and hiding it well. They know what manipulation looks like, and Astarion might appreciate someone who knows how to manifest that. Also, they both carry secrets that would justify people murdering them/expelling them from society, and I think once they both reveal that to the other, they'd quickly become friends and companions, something they both sorely need.
Astarion x Wyll: The epitome of the 'I can fix him' arc. Wyll and Astarion could not be more at odds with their morals, and I think at the beginning Astarion would be upset at how constantly and unfalteringly kind and compassionate Wyll is, even to those he doesn't like and doesn't want to save (Karlach). After all, where was the kindness and compassion for Astarion in over 200 years, right? Why did no one stick their necks out for him? But when presented with the kindness over and over again, with Wyll making sure that Astarion is okay, I think he would warm up to Wyll. There's also the fact that both of them were/are under the thumb of something much more powerful than them, and Astarion would have some sort of pity in his cold dead heart for someone still clearly in the throes of a demon's grasp. I think he would try to 'fix' Wyll by making him care more for himself and think of himself sometimes over others. It also helps that Wyll is noble born, so things that Wyll would do for flirting and romance would be more graceful than Astarion is used to.
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an analysis of leona kingscholar and ruggie bucchi’s relationship | twisted wonderland
disclaimer: this analysis is a take on my own interpretation of the characters and their lore. if you agree and want to add on, feel free to do so! if you’re just going to argue without factual proof, i’d rather you save it for your own post instead. this is a safe space for both Leona and Ruggie lovers.
first, let’s start off with Leona Kingscholar. the second-born prince of Sunset Savanna, the one whose dreams are all dashed. Leona is clearly a very intelligent character; there’s tons of proof of this. i can go off on how mischaracterized Leona is, but i’ll save it for another post.
but in any case, Leona is smart. and that’s why he has Ruggie by his side.
to me, Ruggie Bucchi’s main goal is survival. and if he can get the easy life in addition to surviving, then why would he ever say no? Leona and Ruggie’s relationship is very much like a symbiotic relationship, where they both benefit off of each other. to Leona, Ruggie is a helping hand that can do a lot of the work he doesn’t actually want to execute himself, all for the price of a few thaumarks or a deluxe sandwich from the cafeteria or whatever Ruggie desires (that’s within reason, of course). meanwhile to Ruggie, Leona is someone who’s willing to provide for him as long as he puts in the work.
and it works for them! with Ruggie’s resourcefulness and Leona’s huge wallet, they both mutually benefit from their deal.
now i’m going to move on to book 2 and Leona’s Overblot. there’s quite a lot of arguments and hate directed towards Leona because “he almost killed Ruggie! he injured him! he’s a monster!”.
here’s the thing though: Ruggie quite literally kept badgering Leona. i’m not saying that Leona’s response was justifiable, but even Lilia says it; how Leona could never compare to Malleus (in terms of being king-like) because the way the latter reacted was like that of a child. he was acting like a spoiled kid because his dreams and scheme of taking down Malleus got exposed and ruined. and Ruggie, who probably didn’t think Leona would hurt him or even realized he was so close to Overblotting, was the closest person to Leona. so on top of him arguing with Leona about giving up, Leona’s already riled up about other matters. and again, while Ruggie didn’t deserve what happened, he’s also not innocent in the grand scheme of things. he was a willing participant in the plot to take down Malleus pre-comp.
and as i said before, i really think that Ruggie’s ultimate goal is always survival, even if it means he has to work a bit harder. he’s not stupid; Ruggie made it into NRC of his own volition and hard work. he didn’t even know Leona personally before NRC. it’s just that being at Leona’s side helps him a lot in many ways. if Leona was truly a danger to Ruggie, he’d scram. he wouldn’t put his life in jeopardy if he knew his chances of surviving were slim to none.
and in any case, as per book 6, those who Overblotted at NRC have all been checked and verified by magical professionals that ensured that they were okay, that their lives weren’t still in danger, etc etc. as such, Leona isn’t a danger to anyone anymore (at least, not any more than he was before). and Ruggie knows this. that’s why he still stays by Leona’s side, why he still chastises him without fear, why he still works for him.
additionally, Ruggie was well enough to play in Spelldrive matches during the tournament and was even after. he also continues to joke at Leona (especially laughing over Cheka’s “Unca!” entrance). so clearly, he’s not too fussed over what happened. he probably milked his injury to get stuff from Leona. and after book 2, they’re still seen together. i wish the writers for the game delved into this more (which leads me to another issue i have: how poorly written book 2 is. but that’s another issue for another post).
i know people will always have their difference in opinions on Leona and Ruggie’s relationship, but seeing Leona get so blatantly mischaracterized just never sat right with me. of course he’s not the only character to be mischaracterized, but i find that when it comes to the subject, his name often appears. you can accuse me of being biased because i love Leona, but honestly i could go on a rant about so many TWST characters and how mischaracterized they are by the fandom, because it’s not just Leona. i love Ruggie but even he isn’t the perfect angel compared to Leona. he also actively injured students to achieve his dreams alongside Leona.
these characters are all portrayed after villains, so they’re all going to do evil things!! so like,, please don’t act like certain characters are better than others morally when they’re not :,)
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sqwintersolstice · 4 months
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Hello, Swen!
The final steps are upon us. It’s time to put your works in the Swan Queen Winter Solstice collection, so they can eventually be revealed to the fandom! 💜
The deadline for posting your work(s) is midnight EST on January 22nd unless you’ve asked for an extension. (Click HERE to check what time that is in your area.)
Without further ado, let’s do this!
1. HOW TO GET TO THE COLLECTION
To start, head directly to the collection by clicking HERE, and then hit the Post to Collection button to submit a work to it.
If you have participated before in similar events, then feel free to skip the rest of this tutorial and create your work in the collection (the only exception might be if you’re posting a video, because we have a special formatting we’ve provided for displaying them on mobile. You might want to check it out in section 6.3).
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2. TAGS SECTION
The first section that will show up when you create a new work is the Tags section. Here you will add information about your creation: Rating, Archive Warnings, Fandom, Category, Relationships, Characters, and Additional Tags. It will look similar to the image below:
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The Rating and the Archive Warnings are very important steps, so please make sure they are accurate to your work. Make use of any of the options for Archive Warnings that might apply, keeping in mind that ‘No Archive Warnings Apply’ should only be used in case none of the others such as ‘Graphic Depictions of Violence’ or ‘Underage’ appear in your work. Otherwise, if you’re trying to avoid spoiling your plot for any reason, ‘Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings’ is a good option.
In Fandoms, you could add another besides Once Upon a Time (TV) if your work has a crossover; in Relationships, and Characters, feel free to add any others that might appear in your work besides Emma and Regina in case they’re crucial to the plot.
Additional Tags can include anything you feel might also apply to your creation, and that also might help people search for it. 
If there are any specific warnings you’d like to clarify, add them in. Is your plot set in an alternate universe? Or maybe it includes bed sharing? Are they being idiots in love? (Always.) Maybe they’re trapped together? Is there lots of fluff? Mutual pining? Angst? (Well, now that would be a plot alright.) 
Just don’t add too many to avoid overwhelming anyone, of course.
3. PREFACE SECTION
Now, to introduce your work to people. How will it be named and remembered? Here’s more or less how the preface section will look like once you’ve filled it in:
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In your Work Title, you name your creation. In Add co-creators, you add the name of your collab creator in case you have one. You put your Summary in its text box, explaining some of your plot — for writers and artists both, we recommend not leaving your summary blank! It gives a bit more insight into your work.
Specifically for artists — in the title, adding [Art], [Fanvid] or [Fanart] to the end of your title helps make it recognizable in the collection. (An additional tag with the same thing wouldn’t hurt, too!)
After that, we have Notes. You can have them at the beginning by checking the little box, or at the end (or both!). The first one is a good place for you to thank betas, cheerleaders, explain a bit about your idea, inspirations; while the second one can be another place to thank everyone, talk a bit more about your process, and remind everyone that comments are very very welcome.
If your work has multiple chapters, we recommend not marking ‘at the end’ for now unless you’d like for the same note to appear at the end of every chapter!
4. ASSOCIATIONS
Firstly, please check that SQWinterSolstice3 is still there in Post to Collections / Challenges — if you clicked directly on the link beforehand, it should be. If you don’t see it, type it in and you should be good to go.
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It’s possible to Gift this work to someone, too. You could gift it to your beta, cheerleader, or just a friend. Just type in their AO3 name.
This work is a remix, a translation, a podfic, or was inspired by another work — you can mark this if you worked with another creator. Just get the work’s URL from your collab partner, paste it in its box and AO3 will do the rest.
This work is part of a series — in case you’re writing multiple works set in the same universe, for example, you can mark this and create a series. Otherwise, feel free to skip it altogether.
This work has multiple chapters — as seen in the image above, when you mark the option you can type in the amount of chapters your work has, as well as name your first chapter. If your work does not have multiple chapters, just leave it unmarked.
Set a different publication date — do NOT mark it just yet! Once you receive your email with your reveal date, we will provide further instructions about this and when to change the date. If you set it to something different now, your work won’t show up at the beginning of the SQ tag once it’s revealed, so leave it alone for now.
Choose a language — select English and that’s it!
Select work skin — if you have worked with HTML/CSS before and have customized something for your work, select your work skin here. If not, leave it blank, or refer to 6.3 in case you’re posting a video.
5. PRIVACY SECTION
This section is completely up to you. While ‘Only show your work to registered users’ and ‘Only registered users can comment’ might limit mean comments, they can also make it harder for people to comment in general. ‘Enable comment moderation’ means you’ll have to approve comments before they show up on the page, so it’s a more viable option. Consider what’s best for you.
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6. WORK TEXT SECTION
Here is where you place your work. 
6.1 — Fics; 
6.2 — Fanarts, fanmixes etc; 
6.3 — Fanvids.
6.1. FICS
While you can use the HTML editor, we recommend switching to the Rich Text editor so you can directly paste your story from Word or Google Docs. Otherwise, your fic might lack spaces between each paragraph, making it harder to read. Most of the basic formatting will be retained from the original, such as bold, italics, paragraph division, etc so please make sure to change to Rich Text before pasting your work.
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If everything worked so far and feels correct, please refer to item 7.
6.2. FANARTS, FANMIXES ETC
Also using the Rich Text editor like shown above, to add an image click on Insert/edit image:
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This is what will pop up once you do:
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In Source, AO3 asks you to paste in the url of your work. There are a few options to get one. The easiest one is to post it privately on your Tumblr, grabbing the url from it. Please remember that anywhere you post it to get this url has to be private, since it hasn’t been revealed yet. Your URL has to end in .png, .jpg, .gif to be valid. AO3 also provides a few alternatives, if you want to check it out.
Next, we have Image description. Here you’re able to describe your work for people who use screen readers.
For Width and Height, leave it blank for now and see how your image looks posted before altering it. If it looks fine for all screens, then you don’t have to change it.
You might have to write something in the text box in order to have the image show up.
If everything worked so far and feels correct, please refer to item 7.
6.3. FANVIDS
Remember: your video has to be set to private until its reveal date! The following tutorial works for Youtube videos. It might not work if you’re posting it elsewhere.
If you head to your video, you’re able to click on Share and then Embed and copy the code for your video. While pasting that code on the HTML editor on AO3 works fine, it leaves it badly displayed on mobile. For this reason, we found a code from pigalle that embeds a youtube video and scales it correctly for any smaller screens.
It may be a few extra steps, but it does look a lot nicer for mobile viewers.
The first step is to create your own work skin so you’re able to apply it to your work. (You might have to save your work first as a draft in order to have your work skin showing up as an option to choose from. It’s necessary to refresh the page so the work skin shows up.)
So, to create your work skin, head over to your profile on the top right, then click on My Dashboard.
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There, click on Skins, then on the button My Work Skins, and, last but not least, Create Work Skin.
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Next, in the About section you can fill it in with any Title you’d like, as long as the Type is set to Work Skin. The description, preview and apply to make public options are not necessary, so you may skip them.
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Now, for the CSS part. The CSS is what sets the properties and values and decides how the HTML will look like. What matters is just pasting the code below in the box. You don’t have to alter it, just copy and paste it:
#workskin .mobilevideo {
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: 0;
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
}
#workskin .videoscale {
position: relative;
height: 0;
padding-top: 56.25%;
}
#workskin .videocontainer {
max-width: 100%;
width: 560px;
}
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After that, just click on Submit, and that will mean your Work Skin has been created!
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Back to your work, in the Associations section, Select Work Skin should have your recently created one as an option. Remember that you might have to refresh the page for it to show up, so make sure to save it as a draft first so you don’t lose any changes you made.
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And then, in the HTML editor of your work, paste the code below:
<center><div class="videocontainer"><div class="videoscale"><p><iframe class="mobilevideo" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO ID HERE" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p></div></div></center>
Then, when you go to your video on Youtube, grab the ID portion of it like the one highlighted below:
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Simply copy and paste that into the code where it says VIDEO ID HERE, like shown in the picture below as an example:
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If everything worked so far and feels correct, please refer to item 7.
7. POST SECTION
And that’s it! Please double-check if everything is correct, though you’ll be able to edit it later. If you’d like to take a look at it first, click on Preview. If you’re confident about it, just click on Post.
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If you’ve clicked on Preview, it will show how your work looks like on AO3. If something’s amiss, go back to the previous page by clicking on Edit. If it’s good to go, just click on Post — it’s the only way to have it be submitted to the collection, otherwise we won’t receive it.
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7.1 HOW TO ADD CHAPTERS AND EDIT YOUR WORK
If your work is one with multiple chapters, or you’d like to make it one, on top of the posted work you’ll find several buttons. Clicking on Add Chapter or Edit will provide you with the option to create a new chapter for your work.
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In case it only has one chapter and you’d like to edit it, just click on Edit and you should find the same page from earlier. Simply scroll down until you get to the Work Text section, and then click on the Rich Text button to edit your work.
8. HOW TO FIND YOUR WORK LATER
Once your work is posted as a Mystery Work, you can bookmark the page on your browser — the url will not change after it’s been revealed. It’s the easiest way to not lose track of where your work is and edit it later.
But don’t worry! If you lost your work’s url, there are a few ways to get the url and save it.
On your dashboard on AO3, there is an option on the sidebar that says WORKS. From there, you can either click EDIT WORKS (which displays all your works) or WORKS IN COLLECTIONS (which displays all your works currently in a collection). Either option will show you your unrevealed work.
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There we go! Now you’re all set. Thank you so much for submitting your work!
We will be emailing you your reveal date(s) soon, so don’t worry if you hear someone has already gotten it and yours hasn’t arrived yet. In the email you’ll have more details on what to do for your reveal day, so please make sure to check your email so you don’t miss it!
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] preferably, or on Twitter @SQWintrSolstice.
Sincerely,
Swan Queen Winter Solstice Mods
7 notes · View notes
oraclekleo · 4 months
Note
Hello! Thank you so much for this game. I choose kpop idol Sunghoon from group Enhypen. I love his photoshoot cover he did for Cosmopolitan!~The mv I like most of him in is the "Pass The Mic" official MV.
The fashion I am most comfortable wearing most of the time is just jeans and good ole t shirt. When I do dress up its 90% the time cowboy boots, flare jeans, and a nice top.
-Maria♑ 21+
Oh and you can choose whichever deck hehe:)
Hello Maria!
I’m happy you want to participate in my little game.
As usual, I attach the cards I pulled, just in case they hold a special meaning meant only for you.
Let’s start with your reading!
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At First Sight = The first impression or vibe you would give when meeting chosen celebrity
(10 of Cups, XIII The Death - Tarot in Wonderland, Sacred / Starfish - Wild Mystic Oracle)
You give an impression of a person who leaves nothing unfinished or incomplete to Sunghoon. You like a certain symmetry and order in your life, maybe you like to use organisers for your things, maybe you have an agenda notebook where you keep important meetings noted. You know that when you start something, you should also bring it to an end. It doesn’t have to be the one you planned initially but you find the end. You don’t take life as a playground, it’s a sacred thing for you, you know there will be an end to it at one point in future and you try your best to manage as much as you can. You love life and you really don’t want to waste it. You are likely to have very strong bonds with those you love. Once you successfully implement a person as a piece of your life jigsaw, you are not likely to let them go after the first row. Your approach might be something Sunghoon would truly admire and notice first.
Action! = How would your first date with chosen celebrity most likely look like
(III The Empress, 2 of Wands - Tarot in Wonderland, Rest / Bear - Wild Mystic Oracle)
In your busy schedules, both of you might forget to rest properly. Your dates might therefore become self-care events where you go for couple massages, or spend the date relaxing in a jacuzzi. You might also just stay home, apply sheet masks on your faces and watch a movie or show. You pamper and spoil each other on your dates with Sunghoon. You make sure your physical needs are met, that your muscles relax, your body has the time to rest and rejuvenile properly. Because you know that life will speed up once you part again.
Seduced by the Moonlight = How could you seduce your chosen celebrity
(I The Magician, II The High Priestess - Tarot in Wonderland, Secrets / Raven - Wild Mystic Oracle)
You have two major arcana cards and a Secret card here. You truly know how to completely twist Sunghoon’s head, don’t you. :-) All the cards depict a mirroring and reflection of some sort, while also speaking of secrets. It’s possible and you and Sunghoon would withhold some secrets (as any person always does) and the moment of mutual revelation is the one where Sunghoon falls completely for you. You might find out that you have much more in common than you previously thought. That your lives mirrored to a certain degree in some aspects. This long-term and mostly hidden connection between you that was there even before you met, is what seduces Sunghoon.
Thank you so much for requesting the reading!
I'm always grateful for any feedback.
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5 notes · View notes
daxwritesstories · 2 years
Text
Jordan's Fate - Book 1: Chapter 2
DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. All of the characters and events in this story are completely made up.
Trigger Warnings: None for this chapter, but other chapters may have some.
Chapter 2 - Let The Bad Times Roll
The rest of the school week was awful, but to Jordan’s surprise it wasn’t as awful as she thought it was going to be. The office informed her that her class change request had been approved but the schedule still wouldn’t be ready until the next week. They also let her know that her two morning classes would not change as the arts program didn’t include IT and gym. 
With this knowledge, Jordan decided she should try making friends in those classes. As much as she hated talking to people, the semester was going to be hell if she had to keep to herself and be alone every morning. She decided to start with her IT class. The sporty girl who sat next to her seemed nice enough and didn’t talk to anyone else so Jordan thought she could try talking to her.
She put on a brave face and went to sit at her usual spot. It took her a few minutes to think of what to say but eventually she pushed herself to greet her.
“Hi, how are you?” she said.
“Tired,” the girl responded. Her voice was softer than Jordan was expecting. “How are you?” she asked.
“I’m tired too,” Jordan said. It was the truth. She never got enough sleep since her anxiety usually kept her up at night.
The girl next to her didn’t say anything else so Jordan decided to introduce herself.
“I’m Jordan by the way.”
“I’m Nina.”
“Nice to meet you,” Jordan said politely. Nina gave her a polite smile and nodded.
Class commenced soon after and the two girls didn’t speak again for the rest of class. It wasn’t ideal but at least she now had a goto partner in case there was a group project.
~
Next up was gym class. Jordan decided it would be best to wait until the next day to try making friends so she didn’t tire herself out before the end of the day. Instead she would just scout the class for girls who seemed nice. Her classmates in gym were mostly boys and Jordan had learned from recent experience that boys didn’t make for good friends. So she would have to find friends from the small group of girls that the class did have. Ashton might be a favorable option. She had never spoken to her before, but other people she knew in middle school seemed to like her.
Jordan made her way to the gym hallway and entered the change room. It was a small room, too small in her opinion, with walls that were lined with tiny cube-shaped lockers. There were a couple wooden benches in the middle of the room and there was a hallway at the back that led to the showers. Just like the rest of the school, everything looked old and worn out. The benches had small pieces chipped away from them and the laminate flooring was discolored and scuffed in many places.
Heading straight to her locker, Jordan started changing right away, not wanting to be late. A few girls, including Ashton, were chatting and joking around near her locker. Jordan listened in, wondering what they were talking about.
“There aren’t even any hot guys at this school, I’m disappointed!” said one girl. Jordan was pretty sure from listening to attendance that her name was Sahara.
“That’s why I’m glad I already have a boyfriend,” said another girl. Jordan couldn’t remember what her name was. She was a petite girl with long black hair. Sahara looked similar to her except she had darker skin and wore more makeup.
“I don’t know what you guys are talking about, you’re spoiled here,” Ashton chimed in. “At my middle school there were hardly any boys, right Jordan?”
Jordan froze in the middle of putting her shirt on. She was surprised that Ashton knew her name. She wasn’t popular at all in middle school and she and Ashton were never in the same class. But it was a pretty small school so maybe they had a mutual friend or something.
Jordan finished pulling her shirt down and spun around to face the girls.
“Yeah, there were only a few,” she agreed.`
“You two went to the same middle school?” Sahara asked.
“Mhm, she knows my boyfriend, Clay, too,” Ashton said happily. Sahara smiled at Jordan and stepped closer to her.
“Jordan, right? I’m Sahara,” she said.
“I’m Lisa!” said the other girl, pulling up her gym shorts.
Jordan laughed nervously. She wasn’t expecting to have to talk to this many people today, but at least she didn’t have to start the conversation.
“Nice to meet you,” she said politely. 
Sahara reached out and gently grabbed a strand of Jordan’s hair and ran her fingers through it.
“You’re so pretty, I bet you have a boyfriend,” she said. Jordan’s face immediately went red. Even though she was in high school now she still couldn’t handle pretty girls being nice to her. It made her heart flutter. She looked down and shook her head.
“No, I don’t.”
Sahara giggled in response.
“I don’t believe you,” she sang. Jordan glanced over at Ashton who gave her a knowing look. She had hoped Ashton didn’t know about her past relationship but apparently their entire grade knew so she wasn’t all that surprised.
“You should join our group for class today,” Lisa suddenly said. “Sahara’s ditching us for her other friends and we need a third member.”
“I’m sorry! I promised them we could group up today,” Sahara explained. 
“Yeah, yeah, you’re popular,” Lisa teased. “Come on, Jordan, let’s go.”
The four girls went to class together, chatting and giggling. Jordan mostly stayed quiet, her shyness getting to her. She grouped up with Ashton and Lisa when class started. They were supposed to practice throwing a football but Jordan’s group just talked to each other for the majority of the class. Ashton and Lisa mostly spoke about their boyfriends and Jordan quietly listened. 
Near the end of class, a boy who Jordan didn’t know the name of approached the girls.
“Hello,” he greeted. 
“Hi,” Lisa responded. The boy looked Jordan up and down and it made her nervous.
“Are you anorexic?” he asked. Jordan had no time to respond before Ashton yelled at him.
“That’s rude! Leave her alone,” she scolded. Her reproach seemed to work and the boy walked away without another word. 
Lisa glared at him as he left. “That was disgusting,” she spat. “Don’t listen to him, Jordan.”
Jordan just smiled and nodded in thanks. She wasn’t even bothered by what the boy said, she was just amazed by her group members’ kindness. These girls just met her an hour ago and they were already defending her. She suddenly felt a lot safer.
~
As the week went on, Jordan became a permanent member of Lisa and Ashton’s gym group. It was nice to have friends in at least one of her classes. She kept trying to make conversation with Nina but the two didn’t really have anything in common. Thankfully the IT class was mostly individual work so Jordan just tried to focus on the assignments.
Lunch was the only time she actually had any fun since she got to see her friends. It was nice to see them but she noticed that the vibe was a little different than lunch time at Willow Creek. Jordan initially thought that she and Ruby were the only ones having a hard time, but it was starting to feel like everyone was struggling. Even Zoe wasn’t as cheerful as usual. 
On Thursday, Jordan decided to try something to cheer them up.
“So… feel free to say no, but does anyone want to have a sleepover this weekend?” she proposed. 
“I’m down,” Zoe said. 
“I might be busy so I don’t know,” Alice replied.
“Okay, well just text me and let me know,” Jordan told her. Alice smiled and nodded then went back to eating.
“What about you, Ruby?” Zoe asked. All eyes turned to Ruby, who was unwrapping a sandwich. She took a moment to think before answering.
“I want to but I don’t really want to leave my house,” she said honestly. 
Jordan tried to think of a solution. It would be fun to have a sleepover with just Zoe but she preferred to be in groups. One-on-one things made her nervous, even if it was with one of her closest friends. Suddenly, she got an idea.
“What if we had the sleepover at your house, Ruby?” she suggested. Ruby looked like she was thinking again.
“Hmm.. that could work,” she said.
“Sweet!” Jordan exclaimed. “Now we just have to get rides to Ruby’s house.”
~
The school week finally ended and Jordan felt relieved. The week felt as though it had been a month long. Now she could finally relax and spend some quality time with her friends.
Jordan had convinced her mom to drive both her and Zoe to Ruby’s house on Saturday night. Alice told them that she couldn’t make it and Jordan invited Jane but she was busy too. So it would just be the three of them.
They arrived just after dinner, greeting Ruby’s mom when she answered the door.
“Hi, girls,” she said politely. “I think Ruby’s still in her room, I’ll go get her.”
“Thanks!” Zoe said. The pair brought their bulky bags and pillows into the den area. They spent most of their time in that room whenever they went to Ruby’s house. The room’s size made it perfect for sleepovers; big enough for everyone to have their own place to sleep but still small and intimate. The only downside was the hard linoleum floor that was covered with just a flat rug, so whoever had to sleep on the floor was going to have a sore back. The area was furnished with a couch and two chairs so luckily no one would have to tonight since it was just three of them.
“What should we do tonight?” asked Jordan. Zoe shrugged.
“Watch anime?” she suggested. Jordan smiled at her approvingly.
Just then Ruby entered the room. She was also carrying pillows, probably brought down from her room.
“Sorry guys, I was drawing,” she apologized, sitting down on the huge couch.
“No worries!” Zoe said. “Jordan and I were just trying to think of what to do tonight.” Ruby gestured to the large projector screen on the wall.
“Let’s watch anime,” she said. 
Jordan giggled. It seemed they were all on the same page. The majority of their time together over the past year was spent watching anime. It was always a lot of fun and there were so many different shows to watch. It could keep them entertained for hours on end.
The three girls watched episodes from a few different anime for most of the night. Inuyasha, Soul Eater, Black Butler, and some other ones that Jordan wasn’t very familiar with. Around 11:00 they got bored so they decided to turn the TV off and just talk.
“So I finished Portal 2,” Jordan announced. 
“Finally!” Zoe exclaimed. “You were playing that all summer.”
“I’m sorry I’m bad at video games,” Jordan joked. Zoe reached out to pat Jordan on the shoulder.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get better,” she reassured. “So, are you getting your new schedule on Monday?” Jordan cringed and covered her ears.
“Ah! I don’t wanna think about school,” she exclaimed.
“Me neither,” added Ruby. Zoe sighed in response.
“I know, but it’s the only thing we did this week,” she explained. “What else are we going to talk about?”
Jordan thought for a minute. Zoe did have a point, but talking about school was only going to make them stress out when they were supposed to be relaxing. She had to change the topic quickly.
“Why don’t we play Truth or Truth?” she suggested. Truth or Truth was a game Jordan liked to play with her friends at sleepovers. It was just Truth or Dare but without the dares, since they usually would play the game late at night when they couldn’t be loud or leave the house. In this version of the game, you would be asked a question and, if you didn’t want to answer it, you could ask for a different question. You had to answer at least one of the two questions.
“Okay,” Zoe agreed. “I don’t have any good questions though.”
“I’ll just look up questions on my iPod and we can take turns picking them,” Jordan said. She grabbed her bag and pulled out her iPod which was encased in a pink, rubbery protector. She had to use that instead of her phone since her phone plan didn’t allow for internet access. 
Opening the browser, Jordan searched for Truth or Dare questions. A lot of options came up but she just picked the first website.
“Okay Zoe, truth or truth?” Jordan asked humorously. 
“Hm.. I think I’ll go with truth,” Zoe said, going along with the joke.
“Who do you have a crush on?” Jordan asked. It wasn’t even on the list of questions, she just wanted to know. It was her favorite question to ask.
“No one,” Zoe answered right away.
“Of course,” Jordan said, disappointed.
“We’ve only been at school for a week!” Zoe argued. “Why? Do you have a crush?” 
Jordan paused, realizing she had been called out. She wished she could have a crush on someone, but every time she started to like someone the feeling would be soured by a pain in her chest. Letting go of the past was proving to be extremely difficult. 
There was one person she had been having on and off feelings about, but unfortunately she couldn’t name her since she was sitting in that very room.
“Well… no,” Jordan admitted. She glanced at Ruby, who was patiently awaiting her turn. “Okay, who’s going next?”
Zoe reached out her hand and Jordan passed her the iPod. She skimmed the page, looking for a question.
“Ruby, what is th-”
“No! You have to ask truth or truth!” Ruby said, cutting her off. Jordan giggled at her friends being cute.
“Oh right, sorry,” Zoe apologized. “Truth or truth?”
“Truth.” 
“What is the last lie you told?” Zoe placed the iPod in her lap and waited for the answer. Ruby stared off into space, thinking hard.
“Probably saying I was sick so I could get out of doing something,” she admitted. Jordan nodded in agreement. She did that a lot too.
Zoe handed the iPod to Ruby who scrolled a bit before settling on a question.
“Jordan, truth or truth?” she asked.
“Truth please!”
“If you met a genie, what would your three wishes be?”
Jordan furrowed her brow. What kind of question was that? They weren’t going to get any spicy information out of her with that question. She really needed to teach her friends how to play this game better.
“That’s too easy,” she protested. 
“Then answer it if it’s so easy,” Zoe retorted. 
Jordan giggled, she couldn’t argue with that. She leaned back on the couch behind her and thought about it. What would she wish for? She had to think of three things that she really wanted, but couldn’t obtain herself. That’s what genies were for, achieving the impossible so you didn’t have to. At least that’s what Jordan gleaned from all the stories about them.
“My first wish would be for a girlfriend,” she began.
“Naturally,” Zoe teased, making Jordan giggle again.
“My second wish would be for a million dollars, and my third wish…” she hesitated. She was going to say she wished for more friends, but now she was having second thoughts. She didn’t know if that was what she actually wanted. She already had some amazing friends and she was on her way to making even more so it wasn’t totally impossible. She had to think of something that she didn’t think was possible.
“Hmm.. I think I would wish for bravery,” she said. Her friends gave her a quizzical look.
“But you are brave,” Zoe argued.
“No, I mean I don't want to be afraid of anything anymore,” Jordan explained. “Then I could finally do all the things that I want to do.”
Zoe and Ruby just smiled at her, understanding what she meant.
“Actually, I would probably only need that last wish,” Jordan continued. “Because then I could get the other two things myself.”
Her friends burst out laughing. 
“What?” 
“Nothing,” Zoe said. “You don’t need a genie, Jordy, you already have everything you need.”
Jordan rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the smile growing on her face. Maybe her friends were right, even if it was incredibly cheesy.
~
The game went on for a while until the girls started getting tired. Eventually they decided to call it a night and try to sleep. Zoe and Ruby fell asleep pretty quickly but Jordan, as usual, couldn’t sleep. Instead, she decided to browse Tumblr on her iPod. 
It still felt a little weird to go on the internet at night. Her mom had just started to let her bring her iPod up to her room with her. There were still a couple rules, she wasn’t allowed messaging apps like Skype and if she started losing sleep then she couldn’t bring it up with her anymore. The second rule was easy to follow. Jordan didn’t sleep much anyway, staying up late to go on her iPod was no different than staying up late to stare at the wall. The first rule wasn’t as easy though. Skype was still Jordan’s only way of communicating with Xia and she didn’t dare miss an opportunity to talk to her. To get around the rule, Jordan would install the app at bedtime and uninstall it again before she fell asleep. It was tedious, but she couldn’t risk being caught. Even though their friendship had faded and Xia only messaged her once in a blue moon, Jordan still reinstalled the app every night just in case.
Jordan soon got bored of scrolling Tumblr and opted to play one of the pre-installed games on her phone instead. She reached into her bag that was on the floor next to her and swapped the iPod for her phone. To her shock, there was a new text notification. She had just checked her phone less than an hour ago, so she wondered who was texting her this late at night.
Unlocking the phone, Jordan realized the message was from Hillary. She opened it and quickly responded.
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[Image ID: A text conversation with Hillary. The texts read as follows.
From Hillary: Jordy, are you free next weekend?
From Hillary: Like not this weekend but the next.
From Jordan: I’m free.
From Jordan: Why? /.End ID]
Hillary replied soon after. Jordan was nowhere near ready for what the message said though.
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[Image ID: More texts from Hillary. The texts read as follows.
From Hillary: Xia and I are going shopping.
From Hillary: You should come with us. /.End ID]
Jordan’s heart fluttered with excitement. Hillary always knew exactly what she needed. When the two were texting on Monday, Jordan didn’t hide how distressed she was about being at a new school. Even if she did hide it, Hillary would have seen right through it anyway. 
Now her friend was giving her the opportunity to see Xia again. That would definitely help her feel better. But.. there was one huge problem with that.
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[Image ID: The same conversation from the previous image. The texts read as follows.
From Hillary: Xia and I are going shopping.
From Hillary: You should come with us.
From Jordan: IDK if I can. /.End ID]
Jordan sent her reply and put her head in her hands. She wasn’t allowed to see Xia in person. There was no way her mom would let her go. She wanted to just turn the offer down before she got her hopes up.
Soon, her phone buzzed again. She unlocked it and prepared to tell Hillary that she couldn’t go.
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[Image ID: Another text from Hillary. The text reads as follows.
From Hillary: Tell your mom it will just be you and me. /.End ID]
Would she really do that? Hillary was probably Jordan’s closest friend, but she didn’t know if she would go as far as to lie and cover for her. It was something Jordan had never asked of her. 
She figured there was no point in questioning her friend. Jordan was too tired for that anyway. Hillary had never let her down before, so she had no reason not to trust her now.
Jordan typed her reply and laid down again, deciding she should try to sleep again before she started overthinking.
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[Image ID: Jordan’s reply to Hillary. The texts read as follows.
From Hillary: Tell your mom it will just be you and me.
From Jordan: okay. /.End ID]
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jawsofbalmung · 2 years
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my final (detailed) thoughts on the two most controversial games in the aa series, now that im done with them (contains spoilers):
dual destinies
overview: dd is one of those games that is decently fun, but not really that good. you can definitely see the difference in the writing style, and while i think all ace attorney games are good, and i did enjoy playing it, this one is by far the worst one in the whole series. i love simon though, prosecutors are always perfect.
my biases: i had to play dd on a very slow emulator which ran at 30-50% speed the ENTIRE game (slower on trials) so this game, especially monstrous turnabout, took me absolute AGES to finish. also i was... a little spoiled about fulbright, but not that much, honestly.
turnabout countdown: as far as first cases go, this one is fairly alright, but overall just kinda eh. its a bad mix of both predictable and confusing, but it's actually kinda funny in spots and not too egregiously horrible. 3.5/10
monstrous turnabout: i have a personal vendetta against this case. it took me two whole weeks to finish, when a case usually takes me two to five days on average with my pace. the actual content of the case was negligable, i liked the tenma family as characters, but the end result was very predictable (the fact that we were shown the killer in the beginning animation is inexcusable in my opinion). i could blame the length of the case on just the shitty emulator, but the fact is monstrous turnabout took me way longer than any of the other cases in this same game on the same emulator, and i can only blame its penchant for endlessly dragging out every single point, and throwing in many compounding twists when they're really unneeded and the case would be a lot better if it was simpler. they tried to make up for you knowing the killer right away by making it impossible to predict anything else, but it ended up just making the whole case frustrating and obnoxiously long. 2/10
turnabout academy: this is probably one of my favorite cases in the two games. its twists are a lot more satisfying and understandable than monstrous turnabout, and the character value of this case is very high. i love hugh robin and juniper, and i like how their friendship ties so deeply and intrinsically into the mystery of the case. a little cheesy, and as is expected with dd, not the best writing ive seen in ace attorney, but overall a pretty good case, and has probably the funniest killer breakdown. also klavier cameo is very much appreciated. 6.5/10
cosmic turnabout: i feel like there's not really much to this case, since it mostly serves as a bridge into turnabout for tomorrow, so they didn't put a lot of love into writing the episode itself, but honestly i think that's okay, cosmic turnabout does its job well, and i like how it takes the time to introduce important characters and concepts without stuffing too much into turnabout for tomorrow. as for the case itself, its honestly so hard to separate it out, and i feel like it was pretty short compared to the other episodes. 5/10
spirit of justice
turnabout for tomorrow: probably the most controversial case out of the two games in terms of fan opinions, but i frankly love this case. it's engaging, it's high stakes, it's got all the punch and intrigue that a final case should have, and on its own it's definitely one of the best. unfortunately, i wish the fulbright reveal was foreshadowed even a little bit. a mutual of mine said that since they were spoiled about fulbright being evil, they enjoyed turnabout for tomorrow a lot, but someone who went into it blind would probably find it confusing and out of left field, and i have to agree with that. it's definitely a case you want to spoil yourself just a little bit for it to be satisfying as you figure out the rest, because dual destinies seems to be allergic to Actual foreshadowing, and seems to be made up along the way. im also probably pretty biased in a weird way because ive seen a lot of fan content and meta about turnabout for tomorrow that makes it Better and Cooler and Make More Sense in a way that it certainly is not in canon, so that makes me both love it more for what fans have extrapolated out of it, and simultaneously resent that it didn't live up to its full potential. 8/10
turnabout reclaimed: this case sure was.... dual destinies. turnabout reclaimed is one of those cases that gets a lot of publicity in the fandom just for being absurd, but is actually not one of the good ones if im being honest. the twists fall flat, it drags on a bit too long, and it's honestly pretty forgettable. it wasn't awful to play, i certainly had some fun with it in spots, and it was nice to go back and play it after i finished spirit of justice mostly just to see simon again, but overall it's a very mid case, and im not too stoked about how they represented marlon rimes either tbh. 3/10
overall (averaged) score for dual destinies: 4.5/10
overview: everyone seems to hate spirit of justice and i don't know why. honestly, soj is way up there in my list of favorite ace attorney games ever. it feels more based in the feeling of the original trilogy, i love the way all the existing characters are written, and love the introductions of the new ones. nothing wrong with soj in my book, especially once i figured out that the portrayal of khura'in isnt nearly as racist as initially expected. the divination seances are a very fun mechanic that had a lot of potential beyond how they used them, and i would have liked to be able to do them every case if you ask me.
my biases: i am in love with nahyuta to a worrying degree, and dhurke is one of my favorite characters as well. the character value, which is what i automatically focus on the most, is very high in this game, so while im trying to rank these cases by how well-written they are, i can't help but adore spirit of justice for its character work. i also had a few spoilers, but nothing too strongly story-based.
foreign turnabout: once again, a first case is a first case, and foreign turnabout does its job in that respect. it establishes khura'in well, and helps lead into the complex opinion of it that you're eventually supposed to form throughout the game, but i do have to say it starts in a pretty deceptively xenophobic place in this case. kind of an underwhelming case, but ahlbi is adorable and it's certainly a fun start to throw phoenix into a new place out of the blue, and again it does its job as a first case satisfactorily. 4/10
magical turnabout: this case was fun! i like how the second case, while not connected to the overarching plotline, still had the spirit of the rest of the game imbued in it, and while i do think ace attorney shouldn't rely on the Twin Twist as much as they already do, they seem to handle it pretty well and it often makes sense when they slip it in. many funny moments, high stakes, good twists, fits in well with the game, and i love that we get to see trucy as a defendant, because it felt like a long time coming on that. 6.5/10
rite of turnabout: this case is more emotionally hard hitting than the final case of this game, if you ask me. it's juicy, it's strongly tied to the plot of the game, all the twists make so much sense and everything ties together so well, and it comes to a supremely satisfying end, which keeps hopes high for the last two cases. intrigue and immersion are high in this case, i love love love the introduction of rayfa as a weird little girl investigative assistant, and the revisualization sequence in this case is one of the only ones out of the two games where it exists that actually surprised me, and felt both satisfying and exciting at the same time. i haven't gotten a lot of those yelling "OH!!!!" as the pieces suddenly slide together moments since the original trilogy, so this case has to go down as one of the best ones in my book. 8.5/10
turnabout storyteller: y'all, i know this is a filler case, but god damn is it good!! it's enjoyable as hell, the perfect amount of challenging for me, a nice bitesize length that a filler case should be, not too predictable or too random (though i will admit i was spoiled about geiru because of the iconic tumblr posts about her whoops), and i got to see simon again, so i'm very happy with it! plus, the only realistic and respectable portrayal of DID i have ever seen, especially in murder mystery media! i could say so much about this case, and i already have on this blog before, but i do adore it. it's one of my faves tbh, especially for a very non-plot relevant case. 9/10
turnabout revolution (the name of this case still makes me laugh): learning that this was the longest case in the whole series, tied at 12 hours with rise from the ashes, came as no surprise. this is an absolute GIANT of a case. i think it's fun and fresh to split it up between two related trials in two different places the way they did, but i have to say i had a lot of expectations that went unfulfilled. the civil case and its investigation were very fun to do, especially how it seemed to bleed into more of a story-based visual novel format for a while, but i feel like they missed the opportunity to show us everything from phoenix's point of view as well. i adore dhurke, i love how he interacts with apollo and nahyuta, i love slowly parceling out the reveal of his death in a way i haven't really seen in aa yet, i think this case is very carefully and lovingly written and takes its time to stop fucking around and deliver the real meat of this game. unfortunately, i think the very end seemed kind of rushed and flat, and the characterizations of ga'ran and amara needed more work and at times were confusing or annoying. whereas dual destinies was a kinda underwhelming game with a fantastic ending (had it been foreshadowed more), spirit of justice was a fantastic game with a kinda underwhelming ending (that was properly foreshadowed, just not well excuted). but i don't think all of turnabout revolution suffers because of the very end of it, i think its a phenomenal case that brings the spirit of the old games along with the new ideas of the modern ones, and for the most part caps off the game in a way that makes sense with all the other information in all the other cases and closes it out as a very good game. 7.5/10
turnabout time traveler: compared to the other dlc case, this case is a lot more fun and engaging, though it doesn't have the gimmick that everyone talks about like turnabout reclaimed does. the killer is a little predictable right away from the first investigation, but i think the path to get there is fun anyway, and it's a pretty solid aa case with good characters and interesting twists, miles is there, and pierce nichody is hot as fuck, so i'd say it was a pretty good case! 6/10
overall (averaged) score for spirit of justice: 7/10
conclusion: i see a lot of hate and a lot of love for both these games, and while i definitely don't hate either of them, because i do love all aa games, i see where the animosity for dual destinies comes from and can somewhat agree. i think both have their merits, spirit of justice moreso than dual destinies, and their shortcomings. i love all the new characters though and always will, i adore how the waa is expanding and how phoenix interacts with new characters and old, and i think these two games do have a proper home in the aa series and in my heart <3
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miu-miiu · 3 years
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♦ busting SYNASTRY MYTHS ♦
11th HOUSE SYNASTRY - THIS SYNASTRY DOESNT MEAN SOMEONE SEES YOU AS A FRIEND OR YOU ARE BETTER OFF AS FRIENDS, STOP REPEATING THIS SURFACE LEVEL SHIT YOU’VE BEEN EATING UP FROM MODERN ASTROLOGY POSTS. This is the house of wealth and gains, it’s the fullfillment of our desires and sudden profits. It’s an indicator of your sources of income and allies. So of course, you will have strong foundation with someone you have 11th house synastry with because it will be built on a ground of trust and support. Along with emotional connection, there’s also a mental connection that makes you share your secrets and ideas to them as you would do to a friend but that’s only one piece of the puzzle WHICH DOESN’T MEAN THAT YOU WILL BE GOOD FRIENDS (you can’t make that comment for any type of relationship in this synastry because if 11h is afflicted by malefics that will most likely bring a negative result which can make you enemies or drain one another’s life force lmao). More than anything, especially if you have your 7th house lord in your partner’s 11th house you will gain so much from them in so many ways including oppurtunities and finances and helping you achieve your earthly desires. They will be your ally and support, supporting you in your pursuits and opinions. It’s like a debate team with financial support lol. It can also indicate you will go back to university and complete your education or get a new degree after you get together with this person. Most of this also goes for 3rd house synastry.
5th HOUSE SYNASTRY - “This indicates a fleeting romance” FUCK NO. That’s one of the most trumped-up interpretations i’ve heard. You CAN’T predict the longevity of a relationship based on house overlays. Ever heard of Davison charts? Anyway, prominent 5th house is anohter EXCELLENT synastry. It often donates a relationship where you can discuss ANYTHING - your wildest thoughts, plans and experiences. Someone you jump from topic to topic. Very often the planet person is the “childlike” one which the house person adores and takes inspiration from. Planet person becomes a ball of joy and energy that makes the house person destress and cheer up, thought it can feel like an ‘overdose’ sometimes. Both parties become some sort of an energy source for each other. You play games together, indulge in fun activities, create things (can even be an invention) together. Even doing nothing and just talking to each other feels fun and full of laughter (unless there are some other placements disturbing this synastry). This is the synastry of never-ending honeymoon. A couple with rahu/mars in 5th house might have a son as the first child. If venus is there with the nodes, it might be a son with venusian qualities. You can also get more popular or lucky if you are with someone you have 5h overlay with. The house person also pushes you to focus on your studies more.
12th HOUSE SYNASTRY - There’s a lot of stigma around his house (8h as well) and people often fear it. Weeeeeell...It IS a karmic house so people you have this synastry with are likely to be karmic partners. HOWEVER, don’t take this to oH NO this is not my TWIN FLAME this is a KaRmiC pErson shit. Literally almost everyone is a karmic partner lmfao, there’s a difference between good and bad karma. This synastry can play out good or bad depending on your own individual karma with this person and how you are managing your life. You can look to Rahu/ketu & saturn to get more info on the karma and to see how it’ll play out. Basically the planet person becomes your escape especially if their sun/moon falls into your 12h. They can end up being your savior. There’s an undeniable theme of profound change that this synastry brings. It often leads you to liberation, through a path of restriction. You need to overthrow the restrictions the other person brings to achieve total liberation. This is often a part of the soul’s karma. A couple with this overlay often keeps a secluded relationship from their relatives (maybe even ghost their families lol) and tend to travel together. They often open up to each other surprisingly quickly about their past and traumas, though there’s a really odd distrust within the couple.
6th HOUSE SYNASTRY - People have a very poor understanding of the 6th house, it’s often condensed to ‘service’. 6h synastry is similar to 12h synastry as they are the same axis anyway, but the difference is 12h’s effects are more abstract meanwhile 6h’s effects are much more physical and can be observed on a practical level. The theme with this house is “either serve or die” and has a karmic tone to it too. It’s not often this dramatic tho lol but usually a couple with 6h synastry feel a deep sense of responsibility towards each other which can make it hard to leave even if it turns toxic. Planet person often triggers the house person’s instincts to ‘serve’ the planet person in one way or another - the house person may do random gestures, buy lots of gifts, support them every way possible etc. so in this way it’s a very cute and beneficial synastry, because they are very much involved in each other’s lives and make a visible impact. They often make one another’s daily routines change, so they can spend time better. Though, one of them can treat the other like an assistant or in worse case scenario, a slave. Think I’m a slave 4 U by Britney Spears lol. They can begin constantly demanding things and get mad when the other doesn’t live up to their expectations. They can also become a disciplinarian for the other (this can also apply to 10h synastry) 
OTHER NOTES ♥☺
If you have a mutual mars overlay with someone in 10th house (your mars in their 10h, theirs in your 10h) your aggressive energy as a couple will most likely be public. Meaning you are prone to have public arguments or fights. Alternatively you can also do illegal business or outlaw activities together, often involving some sort of violence or marsian quality.
If someone’s rahu falls into your 4th house, they will feel peace in our presence but they might drain the peace out of you, meaning they can emotionally and physically drain you, bring conflict and chaos into your life. It may become addictive in some cases. Rahu person will keep wanting more. If at the same time your rahu falls into a water house in their chart (so if ur rahu falls into their 4h,8h,12h houses) you will keep giving more and also find it addictive and hard to get out of. It will push you to surrender.
Rahu in 7th overlay indicates a pre-destined marriage/partnership
Moon in 1st or 2nd house is a very common overlay between soulmates and married couples. Moon in 2h is especially a very auspicious placement in terms of material wealth. The planet person often spoils the house person and knows EXACTLY what to get to the house person as a gift, they have a natural understanding of what the planet person would like and their needs (unless afflicted or outweighed by other malefics placements)
[personal experience] Gemini moon men always try to make me talk about myself so they can gather and store information about me, all the while i’m a sagittarius moon (so sidereal scorpio and in opposition to their moon) and i never reveal anything important or “deep” about myself - i can make myself look like i’m being vulnerable and intimate but when the conversation is over, they realize i didn’t reveal to them anything that is actually valuable and important SHDAIWHJGJGKJG which is why after some time...like in about 2 days they even start trying harder. One of them literally begged me to talk about myself and i think this is a good example of the synastry between this axis
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sunsents · 3 years
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Empty - F.W (1/2)
Gah daym this was a JOURNEY to write. I swore to myself to never write angst because, well I suck at it. But here we are, I swear this has a good ending because my heart can't bear that. I could've written this much better, so I promise to bring my A GAME for chapter 2. Enjoy, also Lee in this is a hate crime. This is very story telling-esk so I hope it flows well.
I wouldn't have written this chapter without the help of my good friend @mochiixjimin she helped me edit and spice up this whole thing so thank you so much to her! She's an amazing writer, go check out her work and show her some big love right now or else!! her wattpad
Chapter 1 out of 2 (Backstory)
Summary —> Life has always been a cruel joke to you, yet you simply play along. Overshadowed by Eva Burke your whole life, watching from the sidelines while everyone flooded each other with love, it would always feel like a joke.
Pairing: fredweasley x fem!reader
Word count: 6.1k
Warnings: ANGST ANGST ANGST (with a fluffy ending in the second part) / One mature scene (18+) and then it's angst again <3 / Some slander / Offensive language
Rating: 18+
DON’T REPOST MY WORK
You were a bright child.
Beaming bright enough to keep a tight lipped smile during flu-shots, and enough to put on a happy façade when your dad threw away the drawing you had done of your family dog, rather than hang it up on the fridge.
Children have foolish dreams, and that was yours. Your friends in preschool boasted about their pictures being hung like trophies on fridges, with decorative magnets and even bigger pink bow ties.
The fridge in the Y/L/N manor was empty. Always empty, just how Ms. Y/L/N liked it. Empty marble floors with empty rug designs, and empty rooms with even emptier people living in it. They were both empty people. Hollow and void of any emotion, at least towards you.
You were different though. You were filled to the brim with ambition and hope and so many positive emotions that your parents never seemed to reflect on you. You were like those Disney princesses. The princesses always had hope, and when you have hope good things happen.
Right?
Your dad never meant to give you false hope. He just wished you’d keep your mouth shut as he worked until late hours. Using big words and having big aspirations, you shouldn’t have.
Mr and Mrs Y/L/N weren't bad people per say, just busy. They didn't know how to raise a child, this was obvious, because the purpose of even having a child was to fix their marriage. But a temporary fix wouldn't do it, it never did. There was always that hole on the roof, leaking rain of despair into their falsely built home that no bucket big enough could hold back. Because it always found a way to overflow.
They didn't know how to show their love, so they did it with money, clothes, toys and crayons that you would later use to draw pictures of your family, only to have them end up in the dumpster once again.
They spoiled you rotten, bought you gifts you never even dreamed of asking. You just shut up and enjoyed it, what else could you do? Whine and demand attention? Risk losing their favor? There was no favor to lose.
You got yourself a fat A plus on your third grade math test. Star stickers on your chest, you entered through the glass double doors of your house with a crooked smile - two front teeth missing of course - making your joy all the more endearing. Your backpack strapped tightly over your narrow shoulders, hanging low with all the crammed books you pushed before leaving school because you were just so excited to show your parents.
You received a big sloppy kiss from your Nanny, who practically was like a second mom to you, and dashed right into your fathers office to show him your new accomplishment.
"Good job, I'm proud of you."
You froze. You found a way to actually get their attention. The attention you so craved, the recognition you would die for. This was revolutionary. Basically a new era for you.
Nanny made you a star shaped cake that night, and sat with you while gently stroking your hair and listening to you blabber about how easy the math questions were. It felt warm, motherly love. Even if it was false, it would never compare to the love of your own mother, a love you would never get.
You spent all your night studying, your eyes burning under the harsh light of your lamp in the early mornings and your pencil, ebbing away over sheets and sheets of blank paper. Writing away your little hands off until they ached, just to snatch another A and get a good job.
This was good, it worked out very well. You became that student who looked forward to class, just to get a good grade and have the validation of your parents. The sight of your father’s lips quirk up even in the slightest, and how your mother’s eyes shone briefly in appreciation of your hard work, even if it was for a quick second, it was worth it.
Until the new neighbors moved in.
Mr. Burke was a round, cheerful man with an even rounder belly, and a big fat pipe that always hung on his lips. Mrs Burke looked and acted like those fairy godmothers you adored. You couldn’t believe such people existed. Mr Y/L/N invited them over for dinner, for courtesy. He was not happy about said courtesy.
He ended up liking the couple, they had a little daughter called Eva, who was small and adorable with round red cheeks and big doe eyes. Not only Mr and Mrs Burke, but the Y/L/N’s adored Eva as well. She was happy, always smiling, and her teeth weren't nearly as crooked as yours, not to mention she had pretty long hair like a princess.
You liked her a lot, took her to pick flowers, showed her the drawings you had prepared for the empty fridge; in case Mr Y/L/N ever had a change of heart and hung them up, you had been trying for three years and weren't giving up any sooner.
Eva was nice, kind enough to share her M&M's and very used to compliments unlike you. She seemed to get a lot from her parents and yours. The adults were so kind to her, always smothering her with love and kisses. You were happy for Eva, happy that Eva somehow managed to gain the favor of your parents before you did.
Little girls tended to be jealous, you weren’t. You were just glad to have a friend so cool, she didn't blush and stutter under praise and apparently her drawings were pretty enough to go on a fridge.
It was a Thursday afternoon when your mom smiled at you for the first time since your last exam grade. "Look, Eva drew us a picture, isn't it pretty?"
The crayola stash under your bed was no longer needed, they appeared clumsily dumped in the neighborhood trash the next day, most of them stomped under the pressure of your little sneakers. And the bundle of drawings you hid under your pillow, wishing on fairy godmother that one day they would be hung up too, were ripped; clearly a struggle given. You had paper cuts on your hands, and your Nanny thankfully applied ointment before Ms and Mr Y/L/N noticed, or rather, stopped to care.
Though you knew that even if you paraded herself with bloody fingers dripping to your elbows, they wouldn't care.
Nanny did, she was there. There when you were haunted with nightmares when the moon was particularly dark, cooing at you and letting you sleep next to her in that small bed of hers. There when you tripped and fell, small scratch resulting in a screaming tantrum. She was gentle, sweet, paid well.
You decided to go and pick flowers with Eva, and make a pretty flower crown for yourself, months after your drawing incident. Of course, you didn't have such silly dreams anymore. You didn’t wish to have your pictures hung, to have your mother wear the flower crowns you made and frankly you didn’t care for the sight of the sparkle in your parents eyes. Nanny’s was enough.
Eva agreed, dressed in a pink tutu Mrs Y/L/N gifted. You didn't comment, though deep down you gazed at the skirt in sparkling envy. Your mother never bothered to get you such pretty things. The two of you gathered saturated petals and nice ribbons while giggling amongst yourselves. Until, you accidentally caused Eva’s flowers to levitate.
Eva ran home, crying and calling you a witch. Mr and Mrs Y/L/N’s dirty looks made her feel shameful, and even dirtier when a letter addressed to her was dropped by a pretty owl you insisted on petting. It was from a school called Hogwarts, in the faraway land of London, and it seemed, not only you but Eva got the same letter the next day.
Though the Y/L/N’s and Burke’s were proud of Eva’s letter. They weren’t with yours.
— — — —
The ride to Hogwarts was interesting to say the least. You had so many questions unanswered, were you a fairy godmother too? Was that your destiny? Was that the reason you never got any attention, because you were destined to give instead of receive?
Eva was cheerful as always, making fast friends in newly bought uniforms and holding a pretty, long and thin wand, with designs flowing across the premise. Your wand was...functional. You were sad you couldn't choose, and that the wand chose the owner. It didn't make sense, what if you didn't want this wand? What if you wanted something charming like Eva’s? It should have been mutual.
It was while trying to find your way to the bathroom that you met the Weasley twins. Quite handsome, a year older and absolute fucktards. A word you learned from the two. Though you always found yourself laughing more at Fred’s jokes, you liked them both equally.
“Hey George! Look.” Fred had exclaimed, clinging onto his brothers shoulder and dragging him across. “Who's that girl?”
You introduced yourself, happy façade on, gentle words slipping out of your mouth like nectar. They had to like you, you told yourself. Just this once, more than Eva.
When sorted into Gryffindor, Eva, you and the twins became inseparable. Your group grew in second year, when Katie, Lee and Alicia Spinnet joined the bunch. You would make fun of the ghastly Potions Professor Snape, and imitate Dumbledore in the hallways to mess with the older students.
You loved your time at Hogwarts, and the adventures that came every year. Especially when Harry Potter joined.
“Hey Fred.”
Fred, who was fiddling with his bracelet you had bought him hummed in response, not bothering to look up.
You sighed, “Do you think the flowers can feel it when we pluck them?”
Fred turned at that, his bracelet was now tightly secure after his struggles. “I hope not.” he smiled, a faraway look on his face whenever he gazed at you. “You know, some people like pain.” he winked.
You merely looked at him confused, clearly way too young for...whatever that is.
He started laughing loudly, slapping his knee and causing you to scoff and slap him on the shoulder.
Third year was when it bloomed. The slight girly attention you gave Fred grew. Fred was...Fred. A handsome ginger, beater for their house's Quidditch team, always charming and charismatic that somehow oozed out of him whenever he did anything really. It was not unusual, every girl in school had a crush on him. That wasn't the case, Fred was one of your best friends, and you refused to entertain the idea of a possible...relationship.
Yet sometimes, you'd find yourself thinking about hugging and kissing Fred like you’d seen couples in your favorite movies did and you’d fall asleep with reddened cheeks and a boy with even redder hair in your mind.
But feelings couldn’t be controlled, nor easily hidden. Eva found out in your fourth year after hearing you mumble his name in your dreams. Fred Weasley was getting more handsome as years passed, and you found it hard to contain your feelings. You were crushing, hard.
Eva was...Eva about it. Happy, but nothing changed. She didn't tease like George did when he found out, nor did she act any differently towards Fred.
“Hey ____!” Fred had sat next to you, shaking the entire couch because he grew that tall during summer. “Got a new girl after me.” he looked at you, almost expectantly, as if you wouldn’t react the way you always reacted.
“That’s great Fred.” you smiled, gulping whatever lump that was forming in your throat and struggling to come out as vulgar words you wished to yell.
“Yeah,” Fred sighed, “It’s...great.”
Fred Weasley was a ladies man, and he wasn't afraid to show it. It was okay, because you were happy enough to be one of his closest, and that was enough. He often boasted about getting girls, and how successful his jokes were, and you always loved snapping back to him cockily, even more cockily than him. Playful banter was easy, comforting between them and when he turned away you would love to shyly entertain the idea of being one of those girl’s Fred talked about.
Fifth year, you had a sudden growth spurt. That was also the year where you discovered Cosmopolitan, Vogue and of course Witch Weekly. Hair no longer in a ponytail, legs shaved and smooth, short skirts with no nylons, you were a new person. After getting your period in third year, your spurt came late, but sudden. Way too sudden in the time of three months. It was hard to handle the changes occurring to your body. It was all too much that you had to become a lady and the fact that you didn’t have your mother to help was a pain you hid deep within.
It was as if whichever god above decided to squeeze your entire life into a summer and call it a day, because it was simply too busy. How ironic. No one saw your growth except old Nanny Gladys. Not Eva, nor her parents considering they went on a getaway and the Burke's, who had gone to Brazil.
But you were over that, you discovered the great telephone, and the great Hermione Granger, package deal with Ginny Weasley. You guys would talk on the phone for hours upon hours, Ginny obscuring your personality and Hermione altering your view on your parents. And Hermione was right, they were assholes. You didn't give a flying fuck about empty praises anymore.
You had become almost too tall for your older clothes, and your breasts were way too big to fit in the training bra you bought not even a month ago. Your hips, now wide and swaying as you walk became graceful, were decorated with long gem bracelets.
You cursed like a sailor that summer, ran around fields with family - your family being your dog, Jambo - bare feet. You stomped on flowers you used to pick as a little girl, stomping on those silly fairytale dreams you used to nurse, and never felt freer. For the first time ever you felt that maybe being empty could be more freeing than having false hope weighing you down.
Returning to Hogwarts was a big deal to students. Who changed, who glowed up after what happened last year - nothing, it was all childish drama.
Before your parents could even see your new self, your escapade to the Granger household was successful. The Y/L/N's didn't care, nor did they write. You knew it should’ve hurt, but frankly, you didn’t think having the pain in your chest was worth it. Hermione was awestruck, of course, after laying her sights on you for the first time since May and insisted on walking into the Entrance Hall, arm in arm with her and Ginny to show you off like some sort of revelation.
It was a revelation all right, at least to the boys, and some girls. It seemed no one saw you as a girl before. George oogled, and Lee was so shocked to find out that you were actually a girl with a pretty figure and an even prettier smile that he stopped clapping you on the back like he always did. Not a girl, you have become a woman. It was far too sudden, new uniforms and a whole new wardrobe had to be bought.
"____? You were a girl?" Fred joked, ruffling your hair like nothing changed between you. And that's when you realized, no slutty skirt, how much pushup your bra, or no matter how pretty your hair looked, Fred would always see you as ____, the girl with crooked front teeth and who once ate a worm in second year. Your teeth weren't crooked at all anymore - thanks to a few years of braces - and finally clear of uncomfortable metals but you felt as if Fred would always see the ghost of them on your pearly whites when you smiled.
He had this view of you that blinded him, caused him to treat you as he treated Ginny while he flirted and played footsie with other girls, including Eva.
That did not stop Eva from giving you false hope, and you took the bait, naive like always. Hope, that's what ruined it all. "You're beautiful now, of course you have a chance!" she said, rubbing your shoulder reassuringly, as if she had warmth to begin with.
It was all false, yet you still believed. You always had. Like a fool.
Ginny didn't like Eva, and maybe that's why you gravitated towards her. She was the first person who had ever met Eva that wasn't charmed by her kind smile and attractive words. Eva was...displeased. She grew up having the attention of everyone around, so when Ginny Weasley told her straight to her face that she wasn't shit, Eva seethed. The attention of Ginny changed nothing though, because Eva was the main character. Everyone - except Ginny, and secretly Hermione (though she would never say it) - loved her, they followed her around like puppies and praised her on her wonky wand work.
The upcoming Yule Ball brought great upswing to Hogwarts.
You were far too busy with her classes to take interest in the tournament - even though the dragon race was the gnarliest sight you had ever seen. Your goal was set, become a badass Auror and move out as soon as possible, so you didn't have to face your parents (except Holidays, yuck.)
But the Yule Ball was your chance. A chance with Fred Weasley.
You could ask to go as friends and maybe, just maybe a little hope and the night would end much more romantic than you had anticipated.
Plucking up courage was the hardest part, you practiced with your bathroom mirror so long that Ginny had to blast through the door and drag you out of her dormitory.
Fred Weasley agreed, why wouldn't he? You, his closest friend, asking to go as a group and drink all night while gossiping? It was a win win. At least that's what you told herself.
That was a lie, it wasn't a win win.
You gave it your all getting ready, dress silk, makeup and expensive shoes. You took a long shower, scrubbing and shaving yourself to a smooth gliding porcelain, only for it all to be washed down with reddened eyes and a boy with even redder hair.
Fred greeted you the same, danced the same, and you chatted the same; you were reminded again, for the second time, that you stood no chance.
Fred told you that he was going to get drinks, a quick trip to the booth and mumbled I'll be back in a second. He was not back in a second. Several minutes passed, and your worries caused your feet to follow after Fred's footsteps.
You ran, trying to find him in the empty corridors of Hogwarts, tears welling in your eyes because he wouldn't. He wasn't that cruel, life wasn't that cruel.
But it was, and in a distant empty classroom you saw Fred Weasley, on his knees and between Eva's legs, groaning and praising her like a starved man. Worshipping her like everyone else had, burying himself in her and completely forgetting the drink he’d bring back in just a second. He’d left you thirsty and alone in the Great Hall and left you to drink from a cup he hadn’t known to be forbidden. Yet Eva did.
Eva's perfect dainty hands tangled in his ginger hair, thighs clamping shut while her high pitched moans flooded your mind and echoed around your head. They were so loud that she couldn’t even hear the loud echoes of your footsteps and the woeful cries that left your lips as you ran. It wouldn’t be the first time she had ignored your pain for her own selfish reasons.
Your heart shattered, and suddenly you were six again, watching your parents praise Eva, hang her drawing on the fridge. A soft breeze tickling your bare toes, dangling from the small cushioned seat you sat on while you watched Eva braid Mrs Y/L/N’s hair. Emotionless, silent, not asking for anything, knowing that you won't receive in return. Eva's small hands carefully placed the flower crown on Mrs Y/L/N’s pool of hair, and she smiled, heart warming and hopeful. Suddenly you remembered the feel of your own hands tangling in between your locks as you stood on your tiptoes, trying to imitate your mothers braid on yourself in the mirror you couldn't reach. You pretended, only for a moment before it twisted into knots.
What a cruel joke, you thought as you watched Eva receive the world from Fred, from your parents, from your friends and from every damn person you had met.
You cried on a big set of stairs that night, your wails echoing as you asked whoever, whatever what you had done. What you had done to deserve such treatment from the people around you. It was rather cliche - and maybe a bit too dramatic. It was an uncomfortable seat of course, and your body, as well as your heart, ached. Pain, misery, false hope and enough hair spray to melt the ozone.
The princesses always cried on big sets of stairs, uncomfortable stone floors causing them to shiver while they hid away their beautifully animated faces in their perfect hands. This was different, there was no fairy godmother to fix your makeup and clone a gentlemanly Fred Weasley, a perfect prince. You knew, because you cried, and prayed and cried and prayed until your throat was sore. There was no fairy godmother, it was all a lie. There was no happy ending. There would be none.
No one came to find you that night either, and you had to drag yourself back to the Gryffindor common room, feet bare, mascara, blush - anything else you put on in hopes of being able to become like Eva even only for one night - practically nonexistent from the way your tears washed them away.
You didn't sleep that night, and your head was unusually clear, pounding, but clear. You laid awake, eyes blood-shot and stinging while your dress shuffled uncomfortably between your sheets. You were too tired to change, and your dress was far too pretty to be worn so short.
Ginny's words replayed over and over again. "They're not worth it." her voice was so clear, and true. Mr and Mrs Burke weren't worth it. Your parents weren't worth it. Fred Weasley wasn't worth it. Eva wasn't worth it. The midnight chirping of bugs invited themselves in from your open window, and blue moonlight streaks beaming down in lines from the tulle curtain flowed with breeze, it was calming.
You felt calm, for the first time in sixteen years. You felt calm.
Fred and Eva started dating that week. Everyone acted like they expected it, and you realized just how blind you had been. Eva Burke and Fred Weasley, golden couple of Hogwarts.
You watched them, emotionless, as they embraced with love and so much passion that you felt embarrassed. Embarrassed at how you’d blushed and squeal over Fred in front of Eva and George and anyone who had found out because now you knew. Now you knew that their amused smiles were probably pitying grimaces because they knew that you two were never meant to be. It was always Fred and Eva.
Fred was an amazing boyfriend, making sure Eva was taken care of, lovingly staring at her whenever and wherever, arm looped around her waist at all times; you realized they were truly not worth it.
"You disgust me."
You didn't mean the words to escape so carelessly, but when you said them, you realized you didn't want to take them back. The growing pit in your stomach felt weightless. "Excuse me?" said Fred, stopping his nibbling on Eva's neck, who was just as shocked. You scoffed, Eva already had enough purple bruises to parade around so why did Fred have the need to add more?
"You heard me right," George, Lee, Ron, Harry, Katie and whoever sitting in their circle stared at you, wide-eyed, Ginny and Hermione, however, were grinning devilishly. Kind ____, wouldn't hurt a fly, quiet at times and didn't know how to stand up for herself. It was shocking, but you were done pretending. You didn't want to be like that anymore, you wanted to say whatever came to mind and not worry about the consequences. "You guys disgust me, I know I should be supportive but you don't match, at all."
You turned to George. "And you, no you can't talk about Katie like that." George went pink. "You're disgusting for sleeping around carelessly and telling girls you'd write, stop giving people false hope. Grow up. You’re nearly an adult and you can’t even treat a girl right."
"And you Lee," Lee went quiet. "What gives you the right to make fun of me like that. I'll wear whatever the fuck I want, just because you don't have the courage to wear a headband. If you can talk about my breasts, I'll talk about your shrimp."
"Ron, you take advantage of Hermione then lead her on. Open your eyes, asshole."
"Harry, you're not the main character. You're not always going to be the center of attention, nor do you have the right to yell at your friends."
"Alicia, god you're so stupid. I'm sorry, you're great but such an airhead. No, you can't ride a Thestral if you can't see them, and stop eating quill ink they're bad for you."
You stood up, grinning proudly, heart loud in your chest you feared someone might hear. "Frankly, I don't wanna be friends anymore. I'm done with this façade, except you two, 'Gin, Hermione. The rest of you are just so fake." she gestured to them. "Boys," she nodded again. "Don't talk to me anymore, and Lee, give me back the money, think it's about time don't you think? I've been paying for you since third year."
And with that, you left. You left Three Broomsticks, grin wide and chest heaving. Hermione and Ginny ran behind, whooping and cheering you on as they laughed.
The news of your outburst spread fast like wildfire caught in wind. That week was bliss, you no longer had to watch Fred and Eva, nor did you have to act sweet to anyone. You didn't have to laugh along Lee's sexist jokes and look away to wince, it was pure bliss. You realized that the feeling of being free didn’t have to be momentary.
Pansy Parkinson was surprisingly a good friend, she didn't have the same fakeness to her, the one Eva had where her smile was too kind. She spoke her mind, though every Slytherin did, and you liked that. Ginny wasn't happy with your new found friends, but she couldn't separate you. You made your own decisions from now on. It was refreshing.
You told your new friends everything, eager to get it off your chest and breathe, and they listened. For the first time, someone listened. You didn't have to get good grades, nor did you have to act like a sweet angel.
You teared up the first time Pansy said; "It's not your fault,". You knew it wasn't your fault, but hearing someone else say it with such genuine eyes made you believe. Actually believe.
It started off with you watching from the sidelines as Draco and Blaise pranked, insulted and shamed whatever your old friend group did. It wasn't unusual for Draco to act this way, but he got especially irritated after hearing what you told them. Blaise, someone usually quiet, had stepped up and decided to somehow release the pent up anger he had for the Gryffindor students.
The year ended, and you had started to sneak in an insult or two towards Fred and Eva. It felt nice, like finally, step by step you were clearing your years of hidden jealousy. But, there was no one to tell you that this simply wasn't the right way.
That summer, you stayed at the Burrow. Ginny had invited you and you were quick to say yes; obviously a fact forgotten. Fred, George and whoever you had insulted last year stayed in the same house. You simply didn't want to go home, and if this meant seeing Fred Weasley then you had to endure it.
Molly Weasley was the sweetest person you could ever meet, and it was genuine. It felt genuine, you feared your teeth might rot if the woman got another word in. Molly greeted you as if you were her own daughter she hadn't seen in years. You felt valued, seen.
Until Eva was there, Fred invited her. You had to watch the only person you were able to love, introduce the only person he was able to love to his mother. It wasn't you. It would never be you.
And you realized, even after everything, Eva had once again found a way to be more loved than you.
The grin Molly broke out was nothing short of beautiful, and you couldn't help but smile as well. The smile wasn't directed towards you of course, and you sat on that small kitchen chair, celebrating a relationship that caused your ruin.
Eva didn't care that your friendship was over, nothing budged in her life. She still got the same attention, still received the same love from Fred. The same affection, the same attention and the same everything. Or so it seemed.
Though unlike Eva, Fred merely watched you with sad eyes.
You stayed clear of the couple and the rest. You hung out with Ginny and Hermione only, ignoring the dirty looks Ron and Harry gave you. The secret, whispered insults Eva threw your way. George didn't say anything, but he didn't object either. This was enough to show how he felt. At this point you really didn't care. Why would you, when they didn’t either?
You held your head high just like Ginny and Hermione told you to, and you spoke in a loud and clear tone whenever asked something. Eva didn't, she stuttered when you spoke to her directly. Her words scrambled against each other when she tried to voice her insults in louder statements than a whisper. For the first time, you felt relief. You felt intimidating, protected by the barriers you had built around yourself.
Longest day of summer hit, and it boiled. Tanning became a distant dream, you would bake in this weather, and you were thankful to the big AC box you had brought from home. You couldn't sleep that night, sweat beads falling down your forehead that was already covered in a thin sheen. You had decided to get a cold glass of water, not sure how you ended up face to face with Fred Weasley. His wand tip shone with blue light, and his freckles were much darker because of the sun. It seemed the sun decided to be cruel to Fred Weasley back and wash Fred over with it's deathly heat. He was sunburnt, this was an understatement. He was burnt.
You couldn't help but start laughing when you met, ignoring the proximity, ignoring the sleeping house, dead silent and a big leap from the lively Burrow, ignoring Fred's soft breaths he let out every other second. You couldn't live off on false hope anymore.
Suddenly it wasn't so funny anymore, and your face quickly fell. You took a big step back and inhaled, ready to ignore him like you had been doing for the past year. But Fred Weasley was a persistent man, and he gripped your arm and looked at you with determined, doe-like eyes. "Tell me what I did wrong." he said, adamant on fixing this, whatever this was. You both didn't know.
You stood silent.
"Please flower,"
"Don't call me that." you said, stern and gaze sharp. Fred didn't react, he kept on insisting.
"Please, tell me how to fix this. I can fix it," he pleaded, a plethora of empty promises fell out of his lips like nothing. He lied like it was nothing, he was oblivious to everything he and everyone around them had put you through. It was infuriating.
You didn't say anything. You knew he would not fix anything but maybe staying silent would give him the false hope that spinned mockingly in your head for the past eighteen years.
"I'm sorry, just please. I can fix this, I promise, don't be like that." empty tears fell down from his eyes. He looked empty, tired. They lacked the charm they usually shined with and you wondered if it was only you that caused such dullness. Eye bags prominent that you never noticed before. It all felt like a lie, a cruel joke.
Fred Weasley was simply a cruel joke. His presence could only be compared to a shot of whiskey, especially when you down it like how Hagrid nurses a Firewhiskey filled pint glass. You never know how it will hit you. But in the end, you'd always find yourself curled next to the toilet, crying your eyes out because your headache was simply too much.
He was sobbing now, hanging onto your waist like you would simply vanish and you let him. The grip he had on was like steel vice - almost concerning - but you didn't touch him, didn't say anything. You just let him be, like he did to you. Allowed him to hopelessly hang off you before you would eventually leave him alone, like he did to you. "Where did I go wrong? How could we end up like this? What went wrong?"
‘You’, but your voice couldn’t be found.
Questions were useless when the answer was already right in front of his eyes. You didn’t let a single tear fall, you wouldn't forgive yourself if you cried in front of him.
You blinked, and that night was over. Summer continued on like nothing happened, like it didn't leave you heart broken and in such shame yet again. You continued on ignoring Fred as he looked at you with sorrowful eyes. Looked at you more, with more than he did his own girlfriend.
You blinked and the school year started again with another terror looming around the corner. There was simply no need to keep up anymore, because school was easy. You attended classes, got good grades, a few scar here and there from Umbridge's torture chamber, a woman who stood at a whopping five foot three yet still teriffied an entire school.
You blinked and you had already become a proud member of Draco's insult the Gryffindor's club. You didn't even feel bad, being horrible to the people you hated for years felt like a breath of fresh air. You didn't go as far as physically hurting any of your old friends, but coming up with damaging insults was such fun. A lot more fun than sitting around with a fake smile.
You blinked, and you were already moving out from your childhood house. Mr and Mrs Y/L/N were unusually happy, this was a given. They would have a new empty room and make another office, like they didn't have enough already. You feared they would start getting rid of bathrooms once too into their work, and they would have to do their business in bushes or buckets. Scratch that, you didn't fear that, it would be fucking hilarious.
You blinked, and when had time passed too quickly? Where did all those empty childhood years had gone? You were already graduating, on your way to become an Auror. You had lost contact with all your old friends now, regretfully Ginny and Hermione too.
The war had hit too quickly, luckily you survived, so did your friends. Unluckily, it left you with a nasty scar right across your left brow. It looked sick, but the hit wasn't worth it. It hurt like a bitch. You could see, it was a close call but vision wasn't an issue. The trauma though, god did Bellatrix's breath smell bad.
When it was all over, you had seen Fred hugging his family tightly. It seemed the Weasley's all survived, and you gave them each tight lipped smiles while holding a bunched up rag to your head to stop the blood gushing out. This wasn't the reunion you wanted to have with Ginny, but hey, you take what you can get after a revolutionary Wizarding war you barely made out alive.
Before a franticly running Fred could reach you though, you apparated to your flat in Diagon Alley, ignoring the thrumming of your heart, and how you practiced in front of a mirror to congratulate their successful joke shop that morning.
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pale-silver-comb · 4 years
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So I know absolutely nothing about Leverage except what I've been seeing you post lately and I have to admit you're making it look tempting to watch! Can I ask what are some of your favorite things about the show/reasons you would suggest people watch it? And is there really a poly relationship that is canon?
Okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. I am going to do my best not to just “asdfghkjl” at you and answer coherently.
In a nutshell, Leverage is about 5 people. 4 are criminals (Parker, Hardison, Eliot and Sophie) with different and unique skill-sets and 1 is an ex-insurance investigator (Nate) who, at one point or another in his career, has tracked down (or at least attempted to) the other 4. The whole show is essentially: man reluctantly reforms 4 criminals to use their criminal powers for good and 4 criminals move into man’s life and stubbornly refuse to leave because, goddammit, now they have morals. 
I’ve got a lot of favourite things about the show but the main ones are as follows:
1. Found family. And I’m not talking about loners who come together to fight crime and happen to co-exist to the point where they realise they happen to have found themselves a family. I mean, Nate and Sophie are the Drunk Uncle and Wine Aunt who somehow become Mom and Dad to 3 beautiful criminal children. Mom and Dad love their criminal babies and the kids love them (as well as each other, but we’ll come to that in a moment). You get amazing family moments such as: Mom and Dad packing the kids lunch before sending them out to kick corporate greed’s ass; Mom and Dad giving the kids ridiculously expensive and personal Christmas presents causing their most Grumpy Kid to go very very quiet and soft as he runs off to gleefully play with his new murder toy; the kids interrupting Mom and Dad’s big Movie Style Kiss to ask if they can please keep their new underground layer and huffing and puffing when Dad tells them no.
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2. Found family: the OT3 edition. To answer your question, the OT3 is indeed canon, confirmed by the creator. Now, usually, “confirmed by the creator” infuriates me because most of the time it’s a way for a creator to be seen as “progressive” without doing anything to actually be progressive. That isn’t the case here. The OT3 are built up carefully and while it is obvious the creators didn’t originally intend for all 3 of them to become a relationship in the romantic sense, by mid-season 5 we are given a very clear picture of where Parker, Hardison and Eliot are heading in their relationship. There aren’t any kisses at the end to signal this but there are solid marriage vows in not only one but two episodes. (And by marriage vows I mean literal equivalents of marriage vows: “for better or worse” and “’til death do us part”. I’m not even exaggerating). The OT3 also doesn’t need explicit romantic narratives to convey how much they love each other. Their love is laced through the whole show, from the way they teach each other things to the way they respond to each other and work as a unit. The way they fiercely protect and admire each other. Like someone once said, if you need characters to kiss or say I love you to let the audience know they love each other, you are writing them wrong. 
Aside from that, each of the parings in the OT3 are just. Gah. They are so well done, with friendship being the solid basis for them all. The creators never expect the audience to assume anything about them or fill in the gaps. They give us their relationships on screen and reference many things off-screen to show us how these relationships continue to build in between episodes.
Hardison and Parker are a canon couple and date in the show: it’s approached slowly and they are so goddamned sweet. They are basically every fluffy slow-burn trope with a healthy dash of mutual pining in the mix. They are basically that quote “love is patient, love is kind”. (I would like to add their romance never becomes the focus of the show or overrides the importance of any other relationship they have with the other characters, especially Eliot.)
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Hardison and Eliot are the Old Married Couple and from day one are already bickering and looking at each other/making comments that are found in every UST fic ever (not to mention Hardison has a very good knack for making Eliot grin like a little kid, when usually he’s basically an Angry Little Chef Man). They argue, they play, and love each other plain as day. 
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Parker and Eliot are more subtle but every bit as wonderful. They have an unspoken connection and understand each other on a level no-one else can. Parker and Eliot are not good with giving themselves over to affection for different reasons (and Hardison plays a central role in helping them realise it’s okay to want it and have it- that boy has endless patience) but there is something so beautiful in the way the two of them come together on their own and develop their own special bond that works for them. Parker and Eliot are that trope where the characters don’t need to speak to understand each other perfectly. They just do. Their love language is a lot of the time non-verbal but speaks volumes. (Parker also likes to annoy the hell out of Eliot and Eliot....just.....lets...her. Because he’s soft. The softest, grumpiest boy.) 
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I could go into so much depth for each pairing and their dynamics as a 3 but that's for another post.
3. Subverting stereotypes. There is the occasional hiccup in the show regarding stereotypes but ultimately, Leverage gets an A+ when it comes to writing characters and making them 3 dimensional people who are not defined by certain characteristics or events. Nate could so easily fall into the White Man Pain trope where he uses the trauma of losing his kid as a reason as to why he is entitled to act like a dick. Nate is a dick but he doesn’t use his pain to excuse it and I appreciate that. Hardison is a black man who is soft and nurturing. Easily the most empathetic and patient of the group. He’s nerdy, an actual genius, and has the biggest heart of all the characters. Nate is maybe the glue but Hardison is definitely the heart. Media’s usual aggressive, amongst other, racist stereotypes can fuck right off. Parker is canonically autistic (I am sure this was confirmed by one of the creators) and she is not defined by it. It’s not written as some kind of singular personality trait. It’s part of what makes up Parker but it’s only one facet of who she is and not once is her actions, thoughts or feelings treated like a joke. Sometimes people don’t understand why she does and says the things she does but it’s met with patience and fondness over the course of the show. Equally, it’s not met with over-caution. Parker is just Parker. No-one tries to change her. The other nice thing is Hardison, who always makes sure Parker knows she’s amazing because of who she is and not in spite of it. Finally, Sophie is in her 40s. She’s not treated like she’s past her prime. Ever. She’s sexy, smart and never is she pitted against or compared to Parker (who is younger) for anything. Sophie is amazing and there’s never even a conversation of “I may be older but I am still *insert adjective typically associated with younger women here*”. Sophie is possibly the first female character I’ve ever seen who isn’t just unapologetic about her age but has never had to apologise for her age. It’s a non-issue and that’s that. The women on the show are written so well, right down to secondary characters and it’s beyond refreshing.  
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4.) It’s just fun. The show has a “monster of the week” type format. Except instead of a ghoul or a ghost, the monster is some corrupt wealthy and powerful individual or organisation. The show draws on real-life individuals to do this and therefore closely parallels real-life people and events. It addresses important political, economical, social and environmental issues while at the same time remaining fun and light-hearted. The characters constantly get the chance to play dress up and by GOD do they have fun with it. You get to watch Eliot beat up bad guys in the most delightful of ways, usually after a witty non-sequitur and with a weapon you’d never think could be a weapon. The dialogue and back and forth between the characters is everything. And finally - my favourite thing- the team can never resist striking a dramatic pose after they’ve taken down the bad guy, making sure the bad guy sees them. I mean, they COULD just walk away, satisfied they’ve taken the person down, but nope. They gotta be dramatic bitches 24/7 and pose like they are models for every single month of this year’s Criminal Calendar.  
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5.) Competence Porn. So. Much. Competence Porn.  
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Honestly, I could list a thousand reasons for why Leverage is amazing but to list them would to be spoiling so many amazing moments you’d get to discover for the first time on your own if you do choose to watch it. It’s the kind of show you can watch with an eagle-eye and sink your teeth into. But it’s also the kind of show if, you would prefer, put on in the background for something entertaining while you do something else. Each episode is about the job at hand but it’s made up of so many moments between the characters that show how much the creators and writers care about them. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll do whatever it is you do when something Soft and Wonderful happens that makes your heart melt. I am so beyond grateful for Leverage. It’s everything I always wanted in a show. Nearly every show I’ve watched in the past 10 years has disappointed me in some way, usually either because the writers run out of steam or characters who I love are treated poorly or given some kind of unnecessary “shock value” arc. Leverage doesn’t do that. Leverage is what it says on the bottle. Fandom isn’t something I joined because I needed canon fix-its. Fandom only enhances and celebrates an already excellent canon. 
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sk-lumen · 3 years
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Hi! I am 18 years old and I have no women in my life to advise me. I would like to ask, what is the line drawn between being a high value, independent women and being spoiled & pampered by those around me? I have recently encountered a rather persistent man who I have plainly stated I am not interested in. He is of the same ethnic background as me and has said that he 100% understands & just would like to be friends. Should I accept this man paying for me when we dine together, buying drinks, giving me gifts, etc, if we are not in a relationship and I have zero interest in him? I apologise if this sounds foolish or mundane. I have never been in a relationship before and all my male friendships have been strictly platonic - entering adulthood, I am struggling to understand the dynamic between men and women because I don’t think platonic friendships really exist anymore. I live in a generation that screams about ‘city girls’ mentality and letting men provide for me, but where is the line drawn? Do you think this is the wrong mentality for young girls to follow, or are there positives from it? I don’t want my lack of experience to allow me to get manipulated or hurt. Thank you <3
Hi darling,
This will be a lengthy answer as you are so young, I feel a more in depth advice would be of great value. 💌
The difference between a high value woman and a spoiled girlfriend? They are not mutually exclusive, in fact there’s a significant overlap, although they are not the same. Let me clarify. Being a HVW is about being the whole package as an individual of high value, whereas a spoiled gf is about how you are treated by your significant other - certainly it can and should influence every other aspect of your life in a beneficial way, as that is the entire purpose.
To me, "spoiled girlfriend" is such a curious term. It feels redundant. The way a (spoiled) girlfriend is treated is the norm to me, it is how partners should treat each other, how a man of high value should treat a woman of the same caliber. He would want her taken care of, her beauty regimes maintained, any financial burdens handled, any professional goals invested into, no? Essentially, as a man, as a provider, he shows that he can take care of her, by investing into her present and future.
You mentioned you are not interested in this man. Since you are very young, I would advise some mindfulness and self-awareness, to determine why that is? Is it about chemistry, about appearance, about personality, or about a gut feeling? With time, you will learn to discern what is your intuition telling you & that it always steers you right… and what is simply the emotional baggage left behind by society, by family, by upbringing - those unconscious behavioral patterns that can make so many women fall for the toxic relationships or men of low caliber, simply because it mirrors the male figures they’ve had growing up and were familiar with.
If it is a gut feeling, always trust it. We as woman are incredibly intuitive and perceptive, we have a higher sense of knowing even when everything around us proves the opposite, but we know the truth.
Now, if your intuition is fine but you’re simply disinterested in this man because chemistry is lacking, or other such details that are not deal-breakers… It is in fact a great opportunity and great way to start dating, to garner experience. You mentioned he is persistent - when done right, this can be a quality of HVM; that he respects your decision - as he should. If he is still respectful even after your rejection, that is a good reflection of his values. (Often times, a clear indicator of low caliber is when a man disrespects a woman who he does not feel attracted to, or who rejects him.)
There is nothing wrong with casually dating, with letting him court you and spoil you with gifts. (Important note: just because he does those things for you, does not for a second mean you owe him anything. What a lot of women don't understand, is that your body is not a currency for anything a man does for you. There are a lot of toxic signals in society, in the media, which have programmed this nonsense into the heads of many. Anything a man does for you, he does on his own accord, and it is your choice what you respond with in return. Your time, your energy and attention, your company are a currency, a very precious one at that.) If you are clear on your interest or lack thereof, and he understands yet still elegantly courts your attention, I see no problem with it. Only in the second where you feel uncomfortable, where a boundary of yours feels threatened, or any such case, then pull the situation to a halt until you decide what you actually want to do.
If you are just getting to know each other and spending time together, I see that as an advantage as you are 1) accustoming yourself to high value dating, as you should be, 2) setting a high precedent for any following dates/relationships, 3) gathering experience and getting comfortable with yourself as a developing young woman. Even as friends, it is perfectly fine if the man pays since he is the one offering to do so. It is simply masculine energy (protective, providing) extending into the area of friendship as well.
In conclusion: if there isn't any dealbreaker, take advantage of the opportunity to dip your feet into the dating market, especially since it seems you're starting off the right way. Nothing wrong with giving a fair chance to what seems like a classy gentleman who's eager to spoil you, only so long as you feel comfortable doing it.
Best wishes, and hope this helps. 💞
-Lumen
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serial killer tomarry fic recs please? 🥺
[Evil laughter] I got you, Amanda...
Of Shadow and Blood by Wolf_of_Lilacs
Even serial killers should exercise caution when picking up hitchhikers. Who knew? (Certainly not Tommie Riddle, with a pathological fear of death and a taste for the macabre.)
I love this one to pieces. Femslash, vampire Harry... glorious.
The Matchmaker by TanninTele
'The Matchmaker' is a serial abductor whose modus operandi consists of pairing two same-sex individuals together in a coffin, six feet underground - buried alive. He isn't a killer. He's a kidnapper with morals, and Detective Chief Inspector Tom Riddle finds himself obsessed with solving the case.
Unfortunately for Tom, the Matchmaker is just as intent on knowing him.
This one is a personal favourite. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say Tom is the detective here.
Mania by Angel_of_Mysteries
Harry and Tom have been together for two years, and Harry’s finally ready to take their relationship to the next level. Little does he know, so is Tom.
Hm, yes, this one is pain. My own notes on the bookmark are spoilers, so I won’t post these here, but let’s just say there’s no happy ending for Harry here.
City Lights by tarouhi
The Puppeteer has made a name for himself in London. The infamous serial killer's eccentric methods of killing brings havoc for the authorities. It escalates until one Tom Riddle and his team are assigned to the case.
It's a good thing that Harry always comforted him when he's home.
This one is quite sweet, actually! Tom is the detective once again, and Harry is his boyfriend. It’s a WIP at the moment, with four chapters, but a definite favourite.
In Essence, Divided by Wolf_of_Lilacs
Her phone read 2:13 a.m.
Super spooky. Femslash. Would recommend, 10/10.
Through A Glass Darkly by Wolf_of_Lilacs
The night is dark and full of terrors. Look away. There is naught but disquiet here. (Always femslash.)
Who am I kidding, have the whole series. Delicious.
You’re bleeding because you don’t floss by Arualiaa
Doctor Riddle harbours a dark secret. With an artist's soul and a steady hand, he cleanses the world of imperfection, one careless patient at a time. When Harry Potter shows up at his clinic, he finally finds the perfection he'd been looking for.
It is right then and there when Tom Riddle, odontologist and serial killer, decides that he must protect that smile at all costs.
This one is so weird. And so sweet.
Murder Husbands by Prince_of_Pharaohs
Tom Riddle is the infamous, well-known serial killer: Lord Voldemort. A terrifying killer who has never been seen, not even a silhouette or anything. Harry Potter, on the other hand, is the notorious murderer edgily named: Master of Death. An alpha-hating serial killer, who, as you expected, only targeted alphas.
They were two rival serial killers whose motives are completely unknown. Disturbingly, sometimes they even used their murders to communicate with each other, challenging the other.
Both of them are married to each other, not knowing the other was their rival. Then one thing led to another, and Harry is straddling his husband with a knife in hand.
Now, I’m not usually one for ABO, but this is good. Very good. Featuring rival serial killers, married. WIP, two chapers.
Depraved by IvoryRaven
Harry meets a stranger at his favorite cafe and they fall in love almost instantly, bonding over mutual interest in Harry's writing and murder.
Harry is a murder mystery writer. Little does he know that his new boyfriend is the notorious serial killer Voldemort.
This one is good, very good. No angst.
Ashes to Ashes by watchingvfall_n_drown
Tom's hands were made for destroying. He should never have tried to hold on to something so beautiful in the first place. He couldn't go on denying his nature for long, could he? And now, the only thing he had ever treasured in the whole world was turned to ash by his own hand.
Short, but incredibly painful.
Light House by teecup_angel
Hermione is a new recruit of Scotland Yard. A week after her placement in Remus Lupin’s team, they get a case of highest priority: the abduction of Harry Potter.
This one is pretty good. It is a WIP, though, with two chapters remaining, and was last updated in 2016. Be warned.
And now, hijacking fic recs to rec my own fics...
darling, i’ll dream of you when you’re gone by goldenzingy46
Tom Riddle is a perfectionist serial killer, looking for ways to murder his next victim - the optimistic, dreadfully pretty Harry Potter.
But wait, something else happens too.
(For the Distractions' Halloween Big Bang.)
No happy ending for Tom in this one.
My Heart Beats Against Your Silver Knife by goldenzingy46
Harry Potter was never the kind of man to care about his life, eating cheap food in a cheap flat and never bothering to futher himself - why should he?
He cared, however, when it came to solving crime - and the latest murder mystery was no exception, sending him all over London in hopes of solving it and many crimes associated with the help of the charming Tom Riddle from Riddle Manor, just up the hill.
But there was something slightly off about Tom Riddle...
(Still not happy with the summary.) WIP, not abandoned, involving detective Harry and serial killer Tom, who ‘helps out’ as a profiler.
long fingers for a woman by goldenzingy46
Tommie Riddle is a serial killer who likes to choke the life out of men.
Harriet Potter likes to wear drag.
Mistakes are made, but all in all, the ending came out fine.
Femslash, crossdressing, serial killers, happy ending.
Send in asks for any fic recs you’d like!
Fandoms can be found in the previous message, but a quick reiteration: Lucifer, Good Omens, Sherlock, Marvel, Harry Potter - if you’re interested in fic recs for these fandoms, check out the last fic rec post for what I can offer.
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scorpiosanssexy · 3 years
Text
Pick a Card Reading: Who is your Soulmate
If you are a hopeless romantic like myself and you wanna know some traits, what your relationship will be like and even a possible meeting place you are in like with this pick a card reading.
Below are pictures of some Haikyuu Team banners, look at each one and decide which one you feel most drawn too (it could be the messages or just the colours) once you have decided scroll down and read your reading.
The banners are in order from 1 to 5 (left to right). I would suggest only picking 1 or 2 banners in order to get an accurate reading . The waltzes are taken from waltzing in a ballroom by Lia Wang on Spotify.
I hope this resonates and have a wonderful day
Carla
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 Itachiyama (Pile 1) 
Personality- what type of person is your soulmate 
8 of Cups- your soulmate is always on the go, their life is anything but stagnate and they constantly always on the lookout for a new adventure (which they will happily let you join them). BIG TRAVELLERS, they wanna see the world with you, take some cute couple selfies all that jazz. Cups represent the element of water so I think this person can be quite deep and introspective and is constantly trying to become the best versions of themselves.  Will 100% go backpacking with you 
The Lovers- this person definitely has an equal split between divine masculine energy and divine feminine energy, being good at logic and emotions. I also got the impression that this person is extremely romantic, like a scene that popped into my head is in the Addams Family where Gomez and Morticia declare their love for another and he (Gomez) kisses her arm, that’s the kind of person they are. The lover’s card shows up in readings when you are asked to be your authentic true self so I feel they are naturally themselves, no persona. Also, they have 100% cried whilst watching the notebook and if they haven’t seen it they will in the future. 
Ace of Pentacles- very opportunistic, if they see something they just go for it (including you wink). I feel like they have been very lucky in regards to wealth in their life, either they were born into a rich family or are just very strategic with their money. They may swap careers often in their life or just love the idea of a challenge however what I can confidently say is they are pretty damm cunning and resourceful, leave the money-making to them because they have a natural knack for manifesting wealth and abundance into the physical world. Some people may describe this person as lucky however that is not the case they just know which opportunities to capitalise on. Work smarter not harder energy, just very savvy 
Astrology Notes - Gemini in their big 3 (Sun, moon or rising) with some water and earth influences 
Relationship- what is your relationship like with them? 
The Devil-  I promise you they are not the devil however they might as well be because of how much they will spoil you. In tarot, the devil is represented by Capricorn (aka the sugar daddy of the zodiac) so of course they have to indulge in their baby girl/boy. I feel like they low key become obsessed with you not in a creepy way but whenever you are not with them they always find themselves thinking of you or dropping your name subtly into conversations. They want to provide for you, make you comfortable, in their ideal world they do not want to make you lift a finger. Also think you are the most attractive thing to walk on this planet like they get flustered at the thought of you, low key a very big simp. Incredibly passionate in and out the bedroom, I feel like in the beginning stages of your relationship they will try and suppress their desire because they are worried they will scare you off. 
If you wanna find out more I suggest reading up on Capricorn Venus because I highly suspect that they might have it in their chart. 
How you meet- pretty self-explanatory 
Page of Swords- out of all the piles I found this pile to be the vaguest in regards to this question. The energy from this card is new ideas, collaborative work and just general communication. You may meet one another simply through a friend of a friend or maybe you are working on some sort of project together. I decided to have a look at the bottom deck to see if I could find any clarifies and drew the Hanged Man, this could maybe be a passion project (not one for work) in which you meet one another whilst embarking on it. The Hanged Man indicates rest so a time in your life where you are taking a break from the world around you, just having fun and socialising with friends. You will meet when you are feeling care free and feel like you no obligations- a spontaneous outing. 
Advice 
: Blue Moon - “Believe in the Impossible”
You never know what can happen, the universe may be giving you a rare opportunity in regards to your soulmate 
Make sure you believe in it, believe that you are deserving of love 
Miss the chance and it might not come back soon 
What happens may happen once 
Believe in your dreams 
The person you are inquiring about is a rare find 
Affirmation: I am lucky 
Your Waltz: Mystery of Love by Hanah Stater 
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Aoba Josei (Pile 2) 
Personality- what kind of person is your soulmate 
The Lovers- this card has come up in ⅗ piles which suggest that many people seeing this reading are destined to have very passionate soulmates. I have always the lovers card to be grandiose and romantic so I feel like this is a primary characteristic to sweep you off your feet. This card is ruled by Gemini so your soulmate is gonna be one smooth mother fucker, mr steal yo girl energy. The lovers is a combination of both divine masculine and divine feminine energy so your soulmate is both very good at being logical whilst tapping into their emotional intelligence. They are naturally themselves and are proud of who they are 
10 of Cups- this card aka the happy ending card, I think your soulmate has an idealistic stand point on the world , the image that came to mind was Sugawara from Haikyuu shouting Negativity begone. I think this person radiates calm energy, I just imagine them to have a very soothing voice. This is the kind of person you could confidently bring home to meet your parents (in which they would automatically love them). Also I feel like family is very important to them, mummy’s boy or daddy’s girl vibe, I can imagine they are also extremely good with kids too and maybe have some career which involves this. Very protective of their loved ones honestly as I am writing this i am literally gushing, this person is the sweetest bean alive. 
3 of Pentacles - all I could think about when I drew this card was how incredibly hard-working your soulmate is. Pentacles is all about the physical world so your soulmate definitely has one hobby they are super passionate about (sports or something creative) which they love to spend time on. This card is an indication of teamwork so your soulmate is a huge team player, making sure that everyone is alright before checking themselves, they naturally bring people together and perhaps others view them as a leader. Also not a procrastinator by any means, they love the feeling of completely goals and ticking off their to-do lists in which they encourage friends and lovers to do the same. 
Astrology bits: Gemini in their big 3 (Sun, Moon or Rising) with some cancer and earth influences 
Relationship- what is your relationship like with them? 
Judgement- I promise you that it does not mean they are going to judge you actually I do believe this is the exact opposite. The judgement is a very heavy card in the sense that it represents spiritual awakening and revolution, your soulmate 100% believes you were the missing piece in their life. You have changed their life for the better. I feel that this soul connection is based more on deep emotional understanding rather than physical attraction. Your romance is that 50k word slow burn fic with the friends to lovers, mutual pining and comfort tags. I know that you cannot see it but on this card you see two people looking up towards this beautiful angel and I am can confirm that this angel is you. Your soulmate views as the person that set them free as you offered them new life perspectives. Perhaps your soulmate uses the pet name “angel”. If I could describe this relationship in one word it would be Ethereal. 
This person may have a Scorpio venus or venus-pluto aspects in their chart. 
How do you meet? 
10 of Wands- The image that I first thought of when drawing this card was like cramming for a final week or something and you both meet one another at a library or something however this might not be for all of you. I can tell you however you will be meeting them under a time of great stress, perhaps you accidentally volunteered to do more overtime or you have a presentation due very soon, you are most likely going to be in a state of fatigue (and be very flustered)  when you first meet. Just from their nature, I imagine they will help you carry the wands or in this case the ever drowning work. 10 is the number of completion so you may meet them in a point in your life where you have nearly completed a goal (them being that final push to do it) or it could represent month number 10 like October. 
Advice
Waxing Moon - “the energy is gaining momentum” 
The Situation is full of potential- your soulmate may be near 
You may need to take more action on your part 
Keep moving forwards 
Universe has given the green light so just go for it 
Your dreams can come true 
Affirmation: I know I’ve headed in the right direction 
Your Waltz: Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy 
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Inarizaki (Pile 3)
Personality- what kind of person is your soulmate
6 of Cups- this card in tarot represents nostalgia and familiarity, I feel your soulmate definitely likes their home comforts, perhaps preferring to have quieter dates rather than over the top ones. For some reason I just imagine them being a hoarder of some kind, like any little trinket you get them they will keep it or they might be into scrapbooking. They love to keep their memories close. Again I feel like they are really into history and would love to take you to a museum or perhaps a historical castle, they give me dark academia vibes. I feel like your soulmate had to perhaps grow up too quickly and perhaps through this connection they hope to find their inner child again (which I believe you will definitely bring out in them) 
Queen of Pentacles- not be a simp or anything but your soulmate is one of the most caring and nurturing people ever. A scene that plays in my head is that after a really long day you come home from work or whatever and they are just there cooking you your favourite meals and being like “welcome home sweetheart”. Whilst the Queen is a caring figure we do have to remind ourselves of the Pentacle energy. Your soulmate does prefer the finer things in life, taking you to bougie restaurants or having a mini spa day together. They do like to live a luxurious life and believe you should too, never settle for anything less. Your soulmate is definitely a tidy person and knows how to keep their life nice and orderly and finds joy in organisation, also probably quite a private person. Even though the Queen court card represents feminie divine energy I feel like your soulmate has an even split of both masculine or feminine energy they are good at both logic and emotion. 
Page of Cups- this is one of my favourite cards in the deck, the page of cups represents someone who perhaps sometimes has their head in the clouds and can be a little bit innocent. Your soulmate is naturally very creative and takes inspiration wherever they go, for some reason I pictured them being into to photography but that might not be the case for all of you. Also I believe they may refer to you as their muse, you know the anime duos where there is the light and the shadow, the shadow helping the light shine and getting inspiration for them to keep going (think Akaashi from Haikyuu or Kuroko from Kuroko no Basket), I feel like your soulmate is your shadow helping you cast you light into the world. I feel your soulmate does have a hard time to express their emotions so doing so using a creative medium really helps them. The type to make handmaid gifts for their friends on their birthday. 
Astrology Notes: Taurus in their big 3 (Sun, moon or rising) with some water influence 
Relationship- what is your relationship like with them? 
The Chariot- this is not the most romantic card in the pack however there is one thing I can tell you about your connection your soulmate is devoted, they are the CEO of long term commitment like your relationship gives me the same energy as Carl and Elle from Up, just very pure and filled with love and support. The Chariot represents self-control and focus and a funny scene that popped into my head was your soulmate being kind of prudish at first when it comes to the more physical aspects of your relationship, they get easily embarrassed however I feel like their love language is acts of service. You will 100% be their focus in their life, they do love to spoil you rotten with attention and want to be your protector. They may be a little bossy but they just want to see you thrive, like they may leave little notes to remind you how much you love them. The kind of people to make an itinerary for a date because organising things for you is their love language. Overall, a very sweet relationship based on kinds acts of service, the married couple before being married. 
Your soulmate might have a Cancer Venus or Venus-moon aspects so if you want some further detail you can read up on those 
Where you will meet- pretty self explanatory 
The Hanged Man- Because this is a major arcana card I feel you meeting your soulmate will be quite a significant event in your life. The Hanged Man represents a time for letting go and a time of delay, perhaps you will be meeting your soulmate during a time where you are letting go of the past, this could be getting over an Ex, letting go of negative thoughts or even changing careers. I also got the image of you both meeting when you are volunteering, doing something for the community as this card is ruled by the planet of Neptune. Maybe be relaxing and doing something creative could be potentially when you meet them, ie: dancing, singing. I do know that it is during a time when you are moving on from something or your life has entered a limbo stage, nothing exciting happening. I wanted to see if I could find any clarifiers to this because I thought it was too vague and the bottom deck was the Devil Card, perhaps when you start to let go of limiting beliefs about yourself your soulmate may finally appear or perhaps getting over an addiction of some kind. The devil is ruled by capricorn so perhaps a creative project more for work may be potentially another place. 
Advice
: New Moon in Leo - “Confidence is the Key to Success” 
This is your time to shine so show off your talents
Be proud of yourself, you have come so far 
Spoil and pamper yourself because you have earnt it (just like how your soulmate does) 
It’s your turn in the spotlight do not shy away from it because you deserve the success and recognition 
Make sure you work on your self esteem first before seeking romance 
Make time for fun 
Affirmation- “ I am compassionate towards myself as well as others
Your Waltz: Once upon a December by Emilie Pandolfi 
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Dateko (Pile 4) 
Personality- what is kind of person is your soulmate 
The Lovers: this card has come out in ⅗ piles today so you may have been drawn to more than one school banner. With the lovers card I can definitely imagine your soulmate to be passionate and romantic and wants to recreate all those cute couple things you see in the movies. They have a flair for the dramatics and can be naturally creative people. They are smooth operators when it comes to flirting so you might have a couple of pickup lines thrown your way (which by the way are actually good) this is because the lovers card is ruled by the zodiac sign of gemini in which are renowned to have silver tongues, teasing might be there love language. For some reason whilst writing this interpretation all I could think about was the character Tamaki Suoh from Ouran High School Host Club so perhaps your soulmate kins him. 
4 of Pentacles: whilst the other 2 piles containing the lovers card are very authentic I feel like this person sometimes uses their flirty persona as a mask, to protect themselves. Your soulmates are very possessive. I can imagine they have only a select few people who they are really close with and hold them near and dear to their heart. However a good thing about the 4 of pentacles is that this is the card that indicates it’s time to save money so as you can probably guess your soulmate is very good at saving money they may even be a money saving expert (martin lewis is that you). You can bet they know where to get the cheapest things from so if you ever need to go bargain hunting they are your person. I can imagine them being really good at DIY as it is a way to save money. I feel like in the past they may have had low self esteem, you may have also been drawn to Shiratorizawa pile because 4 of pentacles feature in this one too. Probably a tsundere 
9 of Pentacles: Your soulmates tagline is confident, independent and self-sufficient. I believe they were 100% the gifted child at school and are naturally very intelligent, and may have a tendency to brag about this too. I feel like this person can maybe be a little high maintenance and perhaps they are perfectionists also. With the number 9 it means not quite completion (seeing as number 10 represents completion), this means your soulmate is always striving to achieve more. Looking at the three personality cards as a whole I think that missing thing in their life is an emotional connection, they are extremely talented in whatever field they work in however they do find it difficult to make friends because they may be slightly above average in lots of areas of life (High IQ or plays a high level of sports). Whilst they may be show offs when in a relationship with you my goodness do they love to brag about all your amazing qualities. Words of affirmation may be their love language
Astrology Notes: Gemini in their big 3 (sun, moon or rising) with some earth influence 
Relationship- what is your relationship like with them
The Hierophant- this card may represent the strict teacher figure however for you, you will get to see their much soft side. They honestly want you to have all the success in the world and will be your number one cheerleader. With none of the other piles I never really specified ages and such but for this one I get a clear picture that this person may be a bit older than you, they have more life experiences than yourself. The Hierophant represents tradition so of course your soulmate will court you in the proper manner making sure to always respect your boundaries, a true lady/gentlemen. At the beginning stages of your relationship I feel like your soulmate used to excuse of “study dates” to be able to have a proper chance of getting to know you (as we already have established they can be a bit of tsundere). Your relationship is incredible strong and steady, others may describe it slightly mundane however it is the simple things which make this connection really work (every saturday day nights, cuddling whilst watching netflix and honestly the amount of flowers they buy makes your home look like a garden centre). They want to show you the world and want to be relied upon as it boasts their confidence when they can help you with a task. 
I suspect that they might have a Taurus Venus 
How you meet
The Emperor- This card being here for me makes a lot of sense just by looking at your soulmates personality (over achiever and incredibly witty). It is also a major arcana card so this meeting will have a great impact on your life or it will be a vivid memory. The emperor represents organisation, structure and achieving your goals. I can definitely see the pair of you meeting in a work setting in which you may both have to do collaborative work. You may meet your soulmate in a time in your life where you are trying to organise it and come up with a long term plan, maybe at a point where you have to pick your college major or perhaps a lots of job offers have just come in. They may even give you advice. If you are planning on going to grad school then maybe you may meet them there. What I can tell you is that your meeting will not be a relaxing one as the Emperor is a bit of a workaholic so after your first meeting it may be weeks before you both have a proper time to wind down and relax. I also got the image that perhaps you see them as the emperor figure when you first meet them, like they could be your boss or a co worker who is top of the class sort of thing. 
Advice 
: New Moon in Virgo- “A time to give rather than take” 
Gradual Improvements are coming in regards to your soulmate 
Be of service to others and abundance will follow 
Your soulmate is very reliable so try not stress too much 
Make sure to stay organised, eat and drink plenty and have a proper sleep schedule 
Pay attention to detail
Affirmation: “I am capable, hard-working and ready to complete my goals” 
Your Waltz: The Great Fairy Fountain by the Video Game Music Box
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Shiratorizawa (Pile 5) 
Personality- what kind of person is your soulmate
King of Pentacles- Ambitious, protective and calculated, these are all words to describe the King of Pentacles and in turn your soulmate. Your soulmate is somebody who is extremely driven and has lots of success in their life however this didn’t come from blind luck. They are a very responsible figure and are definitely involved in some leadership role most likely to do with their career. The king is a generous provider so I’d imagine your soulmate has an abundance in wealth, sugar daddy/mummy vibes, gift giving may be their love language because I do feel like they have a serious and aloof disposition. Do not be alarmed by this, they are very caring people however they do an “image” to maintain but if you are close with them you may see them in a more real light. Whilst I was typing this description all I could think about was Kyoya Ootori from Ouran High School Host club so perhaps your soulmate kins him in some shape of form. 
5 of Cups- This isn’t exactly the happiest card in the deck but one that means disappointment and having trouble letting go. I feel like your soulmate in the past has been disappointed by people, perhaps they have left them or betrayed their trust, looking at both of these cards I feel like it might have been because they found it hard in their childhood to form emotional connections. This is not to say they cannot do this I believe it just takes time with this person, however you know what they say- slow burns are the best. A message popped into my head when thinking about this aspect of them, I believe they have a hidden creative talent in which they learn to express their emotions through that, the piano was a striking image but it could be art or any other form too. I feel likethey are perfectionists but only because they believe you only deserve the best from them, very touch starved like please give them a cuddle it will make them melt. I feel like over time and as they have grown up they have a realistic kind of approach to the world. Whilst writing this I felt incredible sad for this person, my heart goes out to them
 4 of Pentacles- aka the tsundere card, this card makes sense in this in the personality part. This person is incredible protective and loyal to their loved ones as I believe it is hard to get to know them at first but once you do you have one very loyal “bodyguard”. These people are very money savvy and for some reason I can picture them having a career in finance or economics. Can perhaps be a bit frugal with themselves and don’t like to treat themselves often but love to pamper others. This person likes to be in control in all aspects of life and has a very commanding aura about them (which I think is incredibly hot), I believe it brings them a sense of comfort. Lastly whilst they may find it hard at first to be more open more emotionally they are the most helpful souls on the planet when it comes to career, education or even just general organisation, I believe it gives them great joy to help others out in this area as not only does it boast their self-esteem but they love seeing the smiles on other peoples faces. 
Astrology Notes: Capricorn in their big 3 (Sun, moon or rising) and may lack water placements in their chart
Relationship- what is your relationship like? 
They may have Aquarius Venus or Venus-uranus aspects so check those out for more info 
The Fool- the minute I drew this card I literally squealed and had to take laps because this card compared to the personality spread were just so opposite. To but it briefly you make them act like a bit of a fool (not in a bad way), like they are very blushy towards you and at the beginning stages they would get so flustered if you held their hand it is simply adorable. Looking into this card, the fool represents new beginnings, adventure and idealism. You bring new hope into their life, you know those soulmate AUs where everything is black and white until you meet your soulmate and the world turns to colour. I feel like emotionally that is what happened to them forming a union with you. You bring the fun and zest into their life, offering them a chance to relax instead of doing work all the time which they are forever grateful for, you definitely make them feel young again. Not to be sappy but I do believe you have turned their life around, the fool represents new beginnings so your connection will be a massive turning point in this person’s life. Of course, the fool represents fun too so this relationship will be filled with adventures and lots of funny memories, I feel like the pair of your friendship groups will get on really well and that you too will love to tease one another or even give the other a playful kiss. I just sense an incredibly low maintenance light hearted energy and I believe that is a great way to sum up this connection. You free them. 
How will you meet
The Tower- looking at this card with the fool card they both make a lot of sense seeing as once rules Aquarius and the other rules Uranus. Whilst the Tower does represent chaos I believe it doesn’t mean bad chaos in regards to your meeting. The tower is very random bringing in live events which change your life, I believe you will meet your soulmate in the place you least expect it the most, like the most random location you could possible think of, a couple that came to my head was the Supermarket, in a Bank or at bagage reclaims (these were just some random locations that pooped into my head when writing this). However this card can also be an indicator of you meeting this soulmate at a time in your life where you are having a massive change, like you could move abroad to a random country, start a completely new career or just when you do something that is a little crazy. Perhaps you are going through something that is chaotic and your soulmate helps you sort it out. With the tower card the possibilities are endless but what I can tell you is that you will very shocked (in a good way) and it will be a meeting you will never forget
Advice
: Mutable Moon - “Nothing is set in stone” 
Staying adaptable is the key to success 
Make sure you have not become too distracted in your day to day life, stay focused 
Stay with it ( don’t lose hope) 
Don’t let others lead you estray, your intuition is high listen to that gut feeling 
The situation is far from being finalized you have the power 
Affirmation: “ I know the best will unfold for me” 
Your Waltz: Merry-go-Round of life by Nuvo Orchestra 
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sqwintersolstice · 1 year
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How to Post your Work(s) to the AO3 Collection
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Hello, Swen!
The final steps are upon us. It’s time to put your works in the Swan Queen Winter Solstice collection, so they can eventually be revealed to the fandom! 💜
The deadline for posting your work(s) is midnight EST on February 6th unless you’ve asked for an extension. (Click HERE to check what time that is in your area.)
Without further ado, let’s do this!
1. HOW TO GET TO THE COLLECTION
To start, head directly to the collection by clicking HERE, and then hit the Post to Collection button to submit a work to it.
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If you have participated before in similar events, then feel free to skip the rest of this tutorial and create your work in the collection (the only exception might be if you’re posting a video, because we have a special formatting we’ve provided for displaying them on mobile. You might want to check it out in section 6.3).
2. TAGS SECTION
The first section that will show up when you create a new work is the Tags section. Here you will add information about your creation: Rating, Archive Warnings, Fandom, Category, Relationships, Characters, and Additional Tags. It will look similar to the image below:
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The Rating and the Archive Warnings are very important steps, so please make sure they are accurate to your work. Make use of any of the options for Archive Warnings that might apply, keeping in mind that ‘No Archive Warnings Apply’ should only be used in case none of the others such as ‘Graphic Depictions of Violence’ or ‘Underage’ appear in your work. Otherwise, if you’re trying to avoid spoiling your plot for any reason, ‘Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings’ is a good option.
In Fandoms, you could add another besides Once Upon a Time (TV) if your work has a crossover; in Relationships, and Characters, feel free to add any others that might appear in your work besides Emma and Regina in case they’re crucial to the plot.
Additional Tags can include anything you feel might also apply to your creation, and that also might help people search for it.
If there are any specific warnings you’d like to clarify, add them in. Is your plot set in an alternate universe? Or maybe it includes bed sharing? Are they being idiots in love? (Always.) Maybe they’re trapped together? Is there lots of fluff? Mutual pining? Angst? (Well, now that would be a plot alright.)
Just don’t add too many to avoid overwhelming anyone, of course.
3. PREFACE SECTION
Now, to introduce your work to people. How will it be named and remembered? Here’s more or less how the preface section will look like once you’ve filled it in:
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In your Work Title, you name your creation. In Add co-creators, you add the name of your collab creator in case you have one. You put your Summary in its text box, explaining some of your plot — for writers and artists both, we recommend not leaving your summary blank! It gives a bit more insight into your work.
Specifically for artists — in the title, adding [Art], [Fanvid] or [Fanart] to the end of your title helps make it recognizable in the collection. (An additional tag with the same thing wouldn’t hurt, too!)
After that, we have Notes. You can have them at the beginning by checking the little box, or at the end (or both!). The first one is a good place for you to thank betas, cheerleaders, explain a bit about your idea, inspirations; while the second one can be another place to thank everyone, talk a bit more about your process, and remind everyone that comments are very very welcome.
If your work has multiple chapters, we recommend not marking ‘at the end’ for now unless you’d like for the same note to appear at the end of every chapter!
4. ASSOCIATIONS
Firstly, please check that SQWinterSolstice2 is still there in Post to Collections / Challenges — if you clicked directly on the link beforehand, it should be. If you don’t see it, type it in and you should be good to go.
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It’s possible to Gift this work to someone, too. You could gift it to your beta, cheerleader, or just a friend. Just type in their AO3 name.
This work is a remix, a translation, a podfic, or was inspired by another work — you can mark this if you worked with another creator. Just get the work’s URL from your collab partner, paste it in its box and AO3 will do the rest.
This work is part of a series — in case you’re writing multiple works set in the same universe, for example, you can mark this and create a series. Otherwise, feel free to skip it altogether.
This work has multiple chapters — as seen in the image above, when you mark the option you can type in the amount of chapters your work has, as well as name your first chapter. If your work does not have multiple chapters, just leave it unmarked.
Set a different publication date — do NOT mark it just yet! Once you receive your email with your reveal date, we will provide further instructions about this and when to change the date. If you set it to something different now, your work won’t show up at the beginning of the SQ tag once it’s revealed, so leave it alone for now.
Choose a language — select English and that’s it!
Select work skin — if you have worked with HTML/CSS before and have customized something for your work, select your work skin here. If not, leave it blank, or refer to 6.3 in case you’re posting a video.
5. PRIVACY SECTION
This section is completely up to you. While ‘Only show your work to registered users’ and ‘Only registered users can comment’ might limit mean comments, they can also make it harder for people to comment in general. ‘Enable comment moderation’ means you’ll have to approve comments before they show up on the page, so it’s a more viable option. Consider what’s best for you.
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6. WORK TEXT SECTION
Here is where you place your work.
6.1 — Fics;
6.2 — Fanarts, fanmixes etc;
6.3 — Fanvids.
6.1. FICS
While you can use the HTML editor, we recommend switching to the Rich Text editor so you can directly paste your story from Word or Google Docs. Otherwise, your fic might lack spaces between each paragraph, making it harder to read. Most of the basic formatting will be retained from the original, such as bold, italics, paragraph division, etc so please make sure to change to Rich Text before pasting your work.
If everything worked so far and feels correct, please refer to item 7.
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6.2. FANARTS, FANMIXES ETC
Also using the Rich Text editor like shown above, to add an image click on Insert/edit image:
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This is what will pop up once you do:
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In Source, AO3 asks you to paste in the url of your work. There are a few options to get one. The easiest one is to post it privately on your Tumblr, grabbing the url from it. Please remember that anywhere you post it to get this url has to be private, since it hasn’t been revealed yet. Your URL has to end in .png, .jpg, .gif to be valid. AO3 also provides a few alternatives, if you want to check it out.
Next, we have Image description. Here you’re able to describe your work for people who use screen readers.
For Width and Height, leave it blank for now and see how your image looks posted before altering it. If it looks fine for all screens, then you don’t have to change it.
You might have to write something in the text box in order to have the image show up.
If everything worked so far and feels correct, please refer to item 7.
6.3. FANVIDS
Remember: your video has to be set to private until its reveal date! The following tutorial works for Youtube videos. It might not work if you’re posting it elsewhere.
If you head to your video, you’re able to click on Share and then Embed and copy the code for your video. While pasting that code on the HTML editor on AO3 works fine, it leaves it badly displayed on mobile. For this reason, we found a code from pigalle that embeds a youtube video and scales it correctly for any smaller screens.
It may be a few extra steps, but it does look a lot nicer for mobile viewers.
The first step is to create your own work skin so you’re able to apply it to your work. (You might have to save your work first as a draft in order to have your work skin showing up as an option to choose from. It’s necessary to refresh the page so the work skin shows up.)
So, to create your work skin, head over to your AO3 profile on the top right, then click on My Dashboard.
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There, click on Skins, then on the button My Work Skins, and, last but not least, Create Work Skin:
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Next, in the About section you can fill it in with any Title you’d like, as long as the Type is set to Work Skin. The description, preview and apply to make public options are not necessary, so you may skip them.
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Now, for the CSS section. The CSS is what sets the properties and values and decides how the HTML will look like. What matters is just pasting the code below in the box. You don’t have to alter it, just copy and paste it:
#workskin .mobilevideo {
position: absolute;
top: 0;
left: 0;
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
}
#workskin .videoscale {
position: relative;
height: 0;
padding-top: 56.25%;
}
#workskin .videocontainer {
max-width: 100%;
width: 560px;
}
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After that, just click on Submit, and that will mean your Work Skin has been created!
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Back to your work, in the Associations section (refer to item 4 if necessary), Select Work Skin should have your recently created one as an option. Remember that you might have to refresh the page for it to show up, so make sure to save it as a draft first so you don’t lose any changes you made.
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And then, in the HTML editor, paste the code below:
<center>
<div class="videocontainer">
<div class="videoscale">
<p>
<iframe class="mobilevideo" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO ID HERE" width="560" height="315" frame border="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</p></div>
</center>
Then, when you go to your video on Youtube, grab the ID portion of it like the one highlighted below:
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Simply copy and paste that into the code where it says VIDEO ID HERE, like shown in the picture below as an example:
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If everything worked so far and feels correct, please refer to item 7.
7. POST SECTION
And that’s it! Please double-check if everything is correct, though you’ll be able to edit it later. If you’d like to take a look at it first, click on Preview. If you’re confident about it, just click on Post.
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If you’ve clicked on Preview, it will show how your work looks like on AO3. If something’s amiss, go back to the previous page by clicking on Edit. If it’s good to go, just click on Post — it’s the only way to have it be submitted to the collection, otherwise we won’t receive it.
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7.1 HOW TO ADD CHAPTERS AND EDIT YOUR WORK
If your work is one with multiple chapters, or you’d like to make it one, on top of the posted work you’ll find several buttons. Clicking on Add Chapter or Edit will provide you with the option to create a new chapter for your work.
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In case it only has one chapter and you’d like to edit it, just click on Edit and you should find the same page from earlier. Simply scroll down until you get to the Work Text section, and then click on the Rich Text button to edit your work.
8. HOW TO FIND YOUR WORK LATER
Once your work is posted as a Mystery Work, you can bookmark the page on your browser — the url will not change after it’s been revealed. It’s the easiest way to not lose track of where your work is and edit it later.
But don’t worry! If you lost your work’s url, there are a few ways to get the url and save it.
On your dashboard on AO3, there is an option on the sidebar that says WORKS. From there, you can either click EDIT WORKS (which displays all your works) or WORKS IN COLLECTIONS (which displays all your works currently in a collection). Either option will show you your unrevealed work.
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There we go! Now you’re all set. Thank you so much for submitting your work!
We will be emailing you your reveal date(s) soon, so don’t worry if you hear someone has already gotten it and yours hasn’t arrived yet. In the email you’ll have more details on what to do for your reveal day, so please make sure to check your email so you don’t miss it!
If you have any questions, please contact us at [email protected] preferably, on Twitter @SQWintrSolstice, or find a mod on Discord!
Sincerely,
Swan Queen Winter Solstice Mods
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Bobby’s Playdate Part 2
Part 1
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The pandemic is keeping Tom idling in London by himself. One positive is that wearing the mask helps him avoid recognition, allowing him to wander in the park with his dog, Bobby. On one of their walks, Bobby becomes smitten with a dog named Lulu and Tom is equally enchanted by her human. Can the Hiddleston men manage to find a way to see the lovely ladies again?
Tom Hiddleston/OFC
Chapter 2 of4
Rated M - Pandemic, Fluff, Quarantine, Masks, Adorable Puppies, Meet Cute, Second Part May (will) Contain Smut
@yespolkadotkitty @just-the-hiddles @hopelessromanticspoonie @wine-and-whines @arch-venus25 @caffiend-queen @devilish–doll @enchantedbyhiddles @hiddlesholic @i-do-not-fangirl-i-fanwoman @kellatron55 @ladyoftheteaandblood @latent-thoughts @gorgeous1974 @maryxglz @myoxisbroken @nuggsmum @nildespirandum @pedeka @redfoxwritesstuff @sinfully-lustful-darling @vodka-and-some-sass @wrathkitty @kingtwhiddleston @wolfsmom1 @poetic-fiasco @shiningloki @dangertoozmanykids101 @bookworm-christina @thecutestlittlebunbunfairy @amwolowicz @delightfulheartdream @frostbitten-written @what-a-flammable-heart @tom-hlover @nonsensicalobsessions @myraiswack @loki-yoursaviourishere, from-hel-i-with-love, @sweetsigyn, @fictiondoesitbetter, @ms-cellanies @evieplease @viviennes-tears @turniptitaness @cynic-spirit @spooky1980 @ghostypau @viviennes-tears @lady-loki-ren
I am so sorry I took so long to update this! First I was distracted by a super busy week, and then I decided to rework what I had in store for it. It took a while to redo, but I have decided to make it a 4 part story. Hope you enjoy, and that the wait was worth it!
The day had started out like every other since the lock down began. Leia had slept late, having no where to go. A cold, wet kiss on her nose from Lulu woke her up when the pup could no longer wait to be let out and grumbling she had taken her out for a quick walk up and down the block. After two cups of coffee and some melon, Leia had realized that after three months of enforced solitude, both she and her dog had gotten decidedly surly. It was time to get out, even if it was only to the local park.
Lulu’s excitement when she took out the little pink and white checked dress had been enough to put a smile on Leia’s face. Really, the small dog was a ridiculous creature, but she could be such a bundle of sunshine. After they were both outfitted – Lulu in her dress and Leia in a comfy outfit and mask, they made their way to the nearby park, enjoying a leisurely stroll around the newly green paths. She wished that Lulu was not too timid to play in the dog run, but after spending a year in the shelter the poor thing was terrified of other dogs.
That was why she was so surprised when Lulu’s tale began to wag excitedly. Normally she would have been cowering and whimpering in fear at the sound of another dog approaching, but for once her reaction was completely different. She jumped up from where she had been snuggling on Leia’s lap and perked up her ears, tongue lolling out happily. When the chocolate spaniel came trotting around the bend, she even jumped of Leia and strained at the leash to meet him.
Keeping a tight hold on Lulu’s leash, Leia let her eyes travel up the lead attached to the strange dog. It was quite a long trip, as it happened, past a pair of long legs in torn jogging pants, a faded shirt that would once have been bright blue, and a plain black mask until she got to a set of smiling blue eyes that made her heart stop.
“I’m sorry,” the man said, “I promise he is completely friendly.”
She had known who he was instantly, of course. No face mask could disguise those cheek bones, the copper curls that brushed his collar, or the baby blues that had sent a million fan girls swooning. If she had had any doubts, one word from that sinful voice, a verbal caress of polite friendliness, would have stamped it out. She had seen almost all of his movies, after all, and quite a number of his promotional appearances as well.
“It’s okay, so is she,” she replied struggling to keep her voice normal and grateful for the mask that hid her stunned initial gape. “You know, she’s usually quite shy, but she seems to like him! May I pet him?”
And then Tom Hiddleston –  The Tom Hiddleston! – had sat down on the bench next to her while she petted Bobby and struck up a casual conversation! She had kept her eyes on the pups at first, afraid that if she looked at him, he would see the excitement and intimidation in her eyes. He introduced himself, needlessly, of course, and she gave him her name in a kind of daze. She realized that he had only provided his first name and had the quick flash of insight that he might be enjoying the idea of anonymity. If that were the case, she would not want to spoil it for him by gushing. Uncertain of what to do, she let the obvious joke about her name lead her to mentioning Marvel characters. That way, she decided, he would have a segue to talking about his career should he want to. When he let it slide and quickly changed the subject, she decided that her assumption must have been correct.
Which was absolutely fine with her! She was sitting and talking to Tom Hiddleston! While she would, of course, love to pick his brain about Loki, or Shakespeare, or any of a dozen projects, she was more than happy to listen to him discuss his dog in that proud pappa voice. By the time she had told him the story behind Lulu’s dress excitement she was reasonably settled and could actually manage to look him in the eye without blushing.
She had met a few famous people in her time as a London tour guide, and many of them had been a colossal let down. Tom was not one of them. He was everything she had ever imagined or hoped he would be. Kind, funny, clever, a little prone to talk on about any subject he happened on, but in all a delightful conversation partner. She was disappointed but not surprised when he had to leave, but she didn’t want to be too greedy; it was already one of the most magical afternoons of his life. When he mentioned running into them again, she almost squealed with excitement, just barely managing to keep her face impassive.
Thus began a fairy tale of month for Leia and Lulu. After two days of rain, during which she was certain he would forget all about her, they had found the boys again at the same spot. Leia half wondered if she were simply dreaming, but if so, she had no desire to wake up. They met up with Tom and Bobby most days, walking for hours sometimes as they discussed London, their childhoods, school. She learned quickly that he changed the subject instinctively whenever anything came up that might lead to his career. She could respect that. It must be hard, she thought, being always in the public eye. For her own part, Leia tacitly decided to keep the subject of her book a secret. After all, a fantasy story based on Norse Mythology, with Loki playing a leading role, was bound to bring up the sort of conversation he obviously wished to avoid.
As time went on, she began to forget he was a movie star and just think of him as her friend, insane as that struck her when she stopped to look at it. Oh, she was still absurdly attracted to him, but it was no longer for his stunning character portrayals or teasing banter with interviewers. No, the teasing banter she was interested in now was much more personal for her. He was delightful company, unfailingly polite, quick with a wickedly funny comment or a profound musing on life. In short, Leia was well and truly smitten. Hopelessly, she thought with a sigh.
When he invited her to his home, she could barely believe it. A casual acquaintance in the park was one thing, a dinner chez Hiddleston was completely different. She knew it was in large part for the sake of the puppies, and that was fine. Lulu was as besotted with Bobby as Leia was with Tom, only in this case it was obviously mutual. Leia would just have to be careful to guard her heart. She was not a part of his real life, and she needed to remember that, even if they never discussed it.
***
Bobby started barking seconds before the buzzer rang, his tail wagging back and forth at a frantic pace. Tom, scarcely less excited, gave a quick glance in the mirror before slipping on his mask and opening the door.
Leia stood on his doorstep looking even more lovely than usual. Her simple leggings and long tee had been replaced by a pretty, floral sundress in shades of red and yellow and her hair, usually tied up or back, was long and curling about her shoulders. Tom swallowed and tried to keep his eyes from doing too obvious an up and down of her body. It was difficult, considering the shape of her legs and amount of them showing. Lulu’s yip drew his eyes down to her, and he saw that she was dressed in a purple polka dotted number for the evening, her hair sporting several sparkly clips to keep her braids from coming undone.
“Hi, welcome!” he greeted them, straining to keep Bobby from leaping out the door. “Won’t you come in?”
“Thanks,” she smiled with her eyes as he ushered her inside.
“You found the place alright?”
“Your directions were perfect,” she assured him, glancing around at his newly bare entryway. “It’s quite the posh street you live on! I don’t think I’ve ever been into one of these houses.”
“Oh, it’s just like any other home,” he said modestly, feeling stupid as he did. His house had an electronic gate (that he had left unlocked for her) and a private surveillance system. He knew it was not the usual home. “I can give you a tour later if you like.”
“I’d love that. Whatever you have cooking smells delicious!”
“Thanks. I’ll have to check on it in a bit. For now, though, why don’t we go out back? I have some drinks chilling.”
He gestured for her to proceed him and subtly steered her past the kitchen and living room and out the sliding glass doors into the back. The yard was pretty, a nice square plot with flowers growing along the fence on three sides and one large tree giving shade. A table with four chairs and a grill stood on a little stone area, and Tom had set it up with a selection of glasses for beer, wine, and mixed drinks. A pitcher of iced water stood next to a bottle of dry rose in an ice bucket, and another small bucket contained iced beers.
“Here you go, Bobby,” he unleashed the spaniel who instantly tore off around the yard, looking for his favorite toy. “Why don’t you two have a nice frolic.”
“Oh Lulu, this will be fun!” Leia cooed to her pup, also removing her dog’s leash.
As the little dog scampered off after Bobby, Tom took a deep breath and turned to her owner. Now was the moment he had been waiting for.
“I suppose since we are alone and outside and all… as long as we stay six feet apart… would you mind?” he gestured towards his mask.
“Not at all. Oh, and I got my negative test results back. I have a copy on my phone if you want to see them!” she offered.
“No need, I trust you,” he was quick to assure her. “I got mine as well.”
It was strange – until a few months ago he would have felt tremendously awkward wearing a mask around another person. Even when he had needed to wear one for a few scenes in Only Lovers Left Alive it had seemed tremendously cumbersome and rather silly. Now though, Tom realized that he could not remember the last time he had been around another person without one. There was something shockingly intimate in the act of taking it off in front of Leia, and he found himself feeling almost shy. Blushing a bit, he unhooked the straps from around his ears and took the fabric from in front of his mouth, setting it on one of the chairs.
His eyes fastened on her as she reached up to do the same, the red mask peeling away to reveal a small bow of a mouth, pink lips curved in a slight smile. Her chin was slightly pointed and had a cute little half dimple to one side. Smile lines were just barely visible and added to the appeal of her face. It was a very kissable mouth, he decided.
“Hi,” he said, rather fatuously, face breaking into a sheepish grin. “I’m Tom.”
“Hi Tom,” she smiled back, and his heart skipped a beat. “I’m Leia.”
They stood there for a moment, staring at each other, until he cleared his throat and pointed to a chair.
“Please, have a seat,” he managed to say. “As you see, I have wine, beer, water, or I could make you a cocktail if you’d rather. Or lemonade if you prefer a soft drink…” he realized he was babbling and cut himself off.
“Wine would be nice,” she said, sitting down and crossing one long leg over the other, giving him a lovely glimpse of her thigh.
“Right, wine it is,” he said, uncorking the bottle and grabbing a glass. “I hope it’s alright. My sister loves this brand, she brought it when she was here last, and it is better than anything I would have known to get.”
“Not a wine guy?” she asked, accepting the glass from him.
“Oh, I like a good hearty red with a steak now and then, and I will definitely have some with dinner tonight – I hope you like Italian, by the way – but for casual drinking, I’m more of a beer or scotch fan myself.”
While he prattled on Tom opened up one of the beers and poured it into a pint glass. When the foam had gone down a bit, he raised the glass and tilted it towards her.
“To deepening new friendships,” he dared to say, eyes finding hers.
They clinked their glasses, and he took a long sip of the hoppy beverage, hoping he hadn’t over stepped.
“To embracing human interaction!” she added. “Selectively, of course.”
Well, she obviously didn’t recognize him. That was a relief. He had been half worried that she would shriek, or become tongue tied, or worse. It was remarkable to him how many women seemed to have extreme reactions to meeting him. He was so ordinary! Just an overgrown ginger kid from Wimbledon. It wasn’t like they were meet Daniel Day Lewis for god’s sake. On the other hand, he couldn’t help feeling the tiniest twinge of disappointment. He worked hard at his job, after all, and was proud of the reputation he had developed and of the work he had done. It was strange, with how up on everything Leia always seemed, that she didn’t have any knowledge of Marvel at least, or The Night Manager. Still, some people didn’t watch a lot of movies and TV, or if they did it was more intellectual fare.
They both leaned back in their chairs and watched the dogs play chase back and forth. Tom found his eyes drifting back to her, staring at her mouth. He had never realized just how much a person’s mouth said about them. Leia’s smiled as a default, giving her a more youthful look than she had when it was covered. There was something fresh and approachable about her that he was drawn to.
The conversation was light and easy. Neither of them had been doing much of anything lately, so they resorted to telling older stories from their childhoods. Tom was amused to think of Leia playing with her friends, insisting that no, she wanted to be Han Solo despite what her thoughtless parents had named her. Tom, of course, had wanted to play all of the characters, and delighted her with his spot-on Darth Vadar and Grand Moff Tarkin impressions.
“You were a terror, weren’t you?” she laughed as he described bossing his sister about the correct way to make the light saber noises.
“A bit, yeah,” he admitted. “Emma and Sarah would probably say more than a bit. They had it coming though.”
“I’m sure they would agree with that, too,” she said sarcastically.
“It’s not my fault they couldn’t take direction,” he grinned. “I’m sure you would have made an excellent Han Solo. With the proper lessons.”
“Perhaps you can make me your student after dinner, if we have enough wine,” she suggested.
He knew she meant it innocently enough, but he felt a blush creep up his cheeks at the image her words planted in his mind. Leia in a schoolgirl outfit, bent over his desk flashing through his brain was enough to make him reach for his beer and gulp down more than was advisable. She seemed to realize after a moment, as she too reached for her glass and took a long swallow.
Lulu chose that moment to break away from where they had been digging around the tree and came running over to them, something grimy hanging from her mouth.
“What have you got there, peanut?” Leia sked, sounding a bit relieved.
“She seems to have unearthed one of Bobby’s treasures,” Tom smiled, glad of the distraction himself.
“Here, princess, you want me to throw it for you?”
Leia held out her hand and she happily dropped the toy into it. Tom looked at the toy and felt his jaw go slack and his eyes frantic. It was Loki. Of course it was. One of Bobby’s favorite toys, naturally, given to him during the lead up to one of the movies, the thick ropes of green and gold formed a long God of Mischief chew toy/tug of war combo, complete with horns. Tom licked his lips, glancing quickly at Leia, only to see that she was smiling down at her fluffy pup.
“Oh, Lulu, Look! It’s just like yours, only a bit more loved,” she said with a laugh. “Good girl, saving the handsome prince from a shallow grave. Loki never stays dead for long!”
With another laugh she took the toy and threw it across the yard, Lulu and Bobby both quickly scampering off after it. Tom gaped at her, uncertain what to say.
“You must have a lot of those,” she commented off handedly.
“You… you know?” he stammered.
“Know what?”
“Who I am?” it sounded stupid and conceited to his own ears.
“Well, I hope so since I’m in your home.”
“No, I mean you know what I do for a living,” he ground out, feeling like an utter ass.
“Of course,” she told him, quirking her lips.
“Since when?” he choked out.
“Since the first day. You’re not exactly easy to mistake, Tom.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“You didn’t seem to want to talk about it. I figured it must get old, people falling all over themselves around you, treating you like you’re not even human.”
“Yeah. Yeah it does.”
“So I took my cue from you.”
“I see,” he was completely flummoxed. “And you have a Loki toy? For Lulu, I mean?”
“Of course, he’s our favorite! Poor, misunderstood boy. You know, I am glad I have the opportunity to tell you now how good you are. And not just as Loki. You were breath taking in Betrayal.”
“You saw Betrayal?”
“Twice. Stunning work.”
He knew his mouth was opening and closing stupidly, but he couldn’t seem to stop it. She had known, all this time. She had been humoring him by not talking about it. He was not entirely sure how to feel about that.
“Tom is everything alright?” she asked, sounding concerned.
“Was that why you talked to me?” he heard himself asking. “Why you agreed to come over? Because I am famous?”
“No,” she said slowly. “I came over because you asked, and because I like you. Yes, I was a bit star struck at first, but I got past it. Are you angry? I just assumed you realized.”
“No. No, I didn’t. I… I should go check on dinner.”
“Tom, really, are you okay?”
“Yeah, absolutely. Be right back.”
Turning tail, he fled into the house, mind in complete turmoil at the new turn of events.
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