#lily; verses | [ there’s never much to read between the lines of what we need and what we’ll take ]

[lostxdrcams]

Tag Drop | Lily Evans | Harry Potter

#lily; visage | [ with a heart as pure as gold ] #lily; interactions | [ i'm surrounded by trouble makers ] #lily; loves | [ i think i could need this in my life ] #lily; desires | [ i don’t need you to sell me on reasons to want you ] #lily; musings | [ what makes magic so magical? ] #lily; headcanons | [ i don’t need you to fix what i’d rather forget ] #lily; relationships | [ we were meant to be together ] #lily; verses | [ there’s never much to read between the lines of what we need and what we’ll take ] #lily; answered asks | [ seekers of truth must only ask the right question ] #lily && james; relationship | [ you're such a toe rag ] #lily && harry; relationship | [ my dear sweet child ]

[lollypopsx]

Flatmate!Harry: I'll Make It Up To You - Part 2

Please like if it’s not too shabby, reblog for anyone who may enjoy this and follow if you want to see more! Any suggestions are happily taken for future writing! I love you all! be safe and be kind x

Warnings: Hints of depression and anxiety

Part 1 - Part 3

—————————

Days had passed since the audition, and while you were sat on your laptop every hour searching for new jobs, new projects, more auditions and pure hope of some miracle, you couldn't help but starting to feel like you were failing slightly.

You liked to write happy songs and create stories using your music, but you were finding it harder to find the inspiration. Usually you and Harry would sit and talk ideas for hours, but since he made you miss your audition, you were distant from him, it was only the last day or two that you had been getting slowly back to normal.

Every day since the incident when Harry came home after working at the studio, he would open the curtains to make sure you had fresh air and daylight after cooping yourself up on the sofa all day, in the dimly lit living room. Not only that, he would check the cupboards, fridge and the sink to check that you were eating enough. He had seen you stressed and upset before. He had been there through some difficult moments in your life, and had always been your rock throughout the years, especially when your mental health was struggling during these times. But this time was worse. He couldn't help being concerned for someone he loved and cared for.

"Hey pumpkin..." He whispers softly, settling himself down beside you after completing his daily routine "Have you done much today?" he gently combs his fingers through your hair before dropping his arm round your shoulders.

You just sigh softly, looking ahead blankly at the quiet TV, simply shaking your head. If only he could see what was going on in that pretty mind of yours then maybe he could make everything better.

"I see you used the piano and the guitar today though..." he states, although it came out more like a question.

Minutes of silence filled the room until out of the blue, some words left your lips. "...Adam came to get the ring today" you whisper, feeling the tears brim your eyes once again, for what felt like the millionth time today.

"Oh darling" He frowns, pulling you into his chest tightly, just like he did the night you found out your (now ex-) boyfriend, Adam, was cheating on you. Unfortunately, you happened to find out minutes before he proposed to you, in front of all of your friends, including Harry. You didn't know what to do, so you took the ring, said you'd think about it and you left him standing alone. This all happened months ago, and you really thought that you was totally over it.

"Everything that's happened this week...I-I just...I feel like such a failure Haz. It just feels like I...I-I'm falling...falling apart and nothings going right! Why isn’t anything going right! I can’t even write one stupid song that makes sense" you let out hard sobs as your hands fisted his clean white t-shirt.

"No...no, no, no don't say that...please don't ever say that." He frowns, pulling away from you, but still staying close. His warm hands press against your cheeks as he lifts your face gently "hey, hey look at me" he whispers, begging you to look at him.

Your sad wide eyes flickered up into his, gentle tears falling down your face. "I know...I know it's hard at the moment. But everything happens for a reason. And everything will get better...I know it will. Do you trust me?" He whispers, his eyes gazing deep into yours, almost like if he looked hard enough, he could read your mind.

You give a hesitant nod as he pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead before wiping the tears dampening your cheeks. Being affectionate together wasn't anything unusual for the two of you, you really were the best of friends.

"I'll go make some dinner okay? Pasta sound good?" You just nod your head gently at him as he leaves your side. You let out a deep sigh and head over to the living room window, watching the sunrise beginning to set over the busy London town. "So...how's the studio going?" You ask him curiously, your gaze still at the window.

"I erm..." He clutters around in the kitchen. His job was a topic he had been avoiding for the last few days. He didn't want to rub it in that he was busy writing an album for millions of fans, who would be screaming his lyrics back to him all over the world in years to come. "It's...good. I mean, its tiring but I...yeah. It's good" He nods.

"H, you don't have to avoid it. I forgive you for what happened. I know you would never have done it out of spite...and you deserve your life style, you work hard!" You say as you head into the kitchen, re-filling the water in the vase on the table, your vibrant roses and lilies still looking as beautiful as the first day Harry bought them for you.

"You work hard too!" He frowns softly "Harry I don't think moping around on the sofa, drowning in my sorrows, is the definition of working hard" You let out a gentle chuckle.

"So...how's it really going?" You hop up onto the stool beside the kitchen counter.

"Well, we have 4 songs so far...and they are...different to the last album. I mean they reckon three of them will be on the pop charts...maybe even a number one slot there" He sighs softly.

"Oh wow, that does sound different to before...and you...don't want that?" You ask curiously, judging by the lack of excitement. "Well...it's not that. I just...it's hard to write another album when the last one did well, and you have to make sure it's better than the last one." He sighs softly as he cooks. "They want me to write some slower, more emotional songs. I just can't...well the words don't fit right. I'm just not feeling emotional about anything, so I don't know where to get the emotion from"

"Well you can't put a price on emotion Haz, you can't just go and buy it in Gucci. You have to really feel it. Even if you aren't thinking about something specific or direct to you. I used to find that sometimes when I was trying to write, I'd create these characters in my head, and I'd give them all these different stories and personalities. And I...I used that to really help me write music. It's not easy." You explain while getting two of the plates from the cupboard and pouring two drinks for the table.

"You used to? You mean you don't use that method anymore?" He asks curiously, while giving the pasta one final stir.

"I...I think I've decided that I'm not going to write music anymore" You shrug softly, your eyes unable to life to his. "I need a proper job. And things aren't going well with auditions lately and I make a total fool out of myself every time I go into a meeting. It's time I looked for a proper job. Besides, the price of bills in this house keeps going up and up."

"What?! Y/N you're so good at writing songs and music! You can't throw it all away now! That is your proper job. And I love hearing what you write, it inspires my own stuff!" He frowns, his brow furrowing, trying to understand you. "Think of all the songs no one will get to hear"

"No one hears them anyway...It's different now. The entertainment industry is changing more and more by the day. Maybe the stuff I write just isn't as trendy anymore." It was difficult for you to admit, but you knew you had to accept it.

"There's a fine line between us Styles, because the difference is, you're already there. You have the whole world in your hands Haz, you can go anywhere and do anything. You could sing a song to a fish and the whole world would be adored by you still! If I did something like that...I'd be laughed out of every interview, audition and meeting for the rest of my life. But we’ll be alright" You smile and shrug, your mood had certainly been hit and miss the last few days, but you knew you had to carry on with your life.

—————————

“Hey Y/N come here!” Harry calls from the living room. You were currently in your room, scrolling through your Instagram, while in a pasta coma after dinner. You rush over to the living room “What’s up?” You ask, seeing him sat at the gleaming white piano, which as always was sat under the window.

“What do you think?” He starts to play a few notes on the piano, looking between the scruffy paper notes cluttering the top of the piano and his hands. 

“Can’t put a price on emotion...it’s something that you just can’t buy...you...you’ve got my devotion...but....but” He sighs softly, playing around with the notes and the wording on his notes. 

You smile softly as you recognise his acknowledgment of your earlier conversation “...but man, I can hate you sometimes” you sing gently, testing to see how it could fit.

“Hey that’s mean! Why would you say that!” He fakes a pout up at you “I thought we- hey actually...you’re right! That really fits!” He chuckles, pulling you onto the stool beside him. “Can you try a G chord, B chord and....lets try a C...” You nod and smile as your fingers gloss over the keys effortlessly, while Harry fits the verse together and tries to find the right tempo.

“Wait...it doesn’t sound right. Maybe lets try a D instead of C?” You suggest as you re-try, playing those three chords over and over again.

“You...are...a genius!” He grins and wraps his arms around your waist. ”Keep going!” He smirks, pushing more lyrics in front of you. Sometimes having a fresh pair of eyes really helped...or perhaps he just wanted to prove that you had talent.

You peer down at the pages upon pages of words flooding your view. “...I don’t want to fight with you....and I...and I don’t like to sleep in the dark...we’ll get the drinks in...I...I can’t stop thinking of her...” 

Harrys fingers join yours at the piano “We’ll be a fine line....We’ll be a fine line...”He smiles softly as he taps on a few random keys. 

You pull your fingers away gently “It...your song sounds...really good H. It’s beautiful actually.”

 “You mean our song...” He whispers.

“Harry no, it’s your song, all the pieces, I just put your jigsaw together” You smile. “I know how it is writing songs and the first draft is never the same as the final version. You might decide to change it all completely” You whisper.

“Not with your lyrical genius ability and words of wisdom...your name will be all over this track” You felt a shock of electricity ripple through your veins as you felt his eyes burning into yours. His lips pressed gently against your forehead, lingering against your skin longer than usual. That sort of affection was normal from your best friend...so why did it just feel like something completely different? And what did he mean about my name being all over the track?

—————————

Tag List: @harryhoney-bee - @sunandherflores - @sad-capuccino

#harry styles #harry styles imagine #one shot #hslot #flatmate!harry #roommate!harry #fine line #lollypopsx #fanfic #imagine #request #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #Harry styles fluff

[insomniactalks]

I noticed during the second chances song when they reached the stage, When Gina started to sing her verse it focused on Ej what were your thoughts?

I noticed that too! There's SO much to analyze about the "Second Chance" video. Lol. But I'll focus on what ur asking about. 😅 I'll be talking about the part of the vid where the Core 4 are up on the stage (2:00 to 2:41). I'll also be using my own gifs (which is something I've never done before so forgive the poor quality. I don't know what I'm doing. I tried. 🤷🏽‍♀️😂) Now, on to my response!

Before addressing the specific part ur referring to, I wanna talk a little about what comes a bit before:

In this part, EJ actually sings "It was just another chance to fall" (w/ Gina also singing the italicized words). When the Core 4 are finally on stage, the first transition we see is between Portwell (from EJ to Gina). They both harmonize on “chance to fall” b/c that’s just it! They both fell for e/o hard. Then Gina sings “I wonder” on her own b/c she’s wondering how things could go so wrong b/t her and EJ. She thought she got it right this time, unlike with Ricky. Of the four characters, EJ seems the most hopeless voice during the song b/c he feels so dejected by the miscommunication brought on by Jamie. In contrast, Ricky’s and Nini’s verses and tone of voice seem the most hopeful. Gina’s is somewhere in b/t. In the shot above, you can clearly see the camera pan to include the stage light during her part. In that transition, there’s a literal and metaphorical light burning b/t PW. Gina’s still “wondering” what could happen to change things b/t her and EJ. One minute, they had a risotto date planned, next minute, he’s backing out. How did it go so wrong in just a few hours? She desperately exclaims, “I wonder” b/c she’s still holding onto the hope things could change, that the metaphorical tide could turn (obviously by the end of the episode, we all know it does!😉) Granted, the same stage light is also b/t Ricky and Gina, but there’s something to be said about the fact he’s also separated from the core group (EJ, Nini, and Gina). Their shippers could deff make the case that maybe there’s s/t burning b/t them still, I could see that. 🤔 To me, it reads more like Ricky still being uncomfortable being a theater kid and being onstage, hence why he’s separated from the group (EJ and Gina have always appreciated the spotlight, and Nini has found her voice and wants to step into the light) but it’s up for interpretation🤷🏽‍♀️:              

Ricky also sings "what can make the fire burn" as he walks on stage, which, to me, sounds like his relationship with music and performing moving forward. He's not always the most committed to the musical each season, so maybe S3 will allow him "to begin again"? 🤷🏽‍♀️ Or maybe it's gotta do w/ Gina and Ricky? Who knows? 😅 Anyways, enough of that tangent. Back to Portwell! 😚

As Nini sings her refrain, "I'm finding who I wanna be", and Ricky sings, "begin again", the camera focuses on Gina. We see her reaction to those specific lines, which I think is intentional. Gina starts S1 as the new transfer student at East High, where she had to figure out who she wanted to be and literally begin all over again b/c of her constant moves. These lines speak to her. That's a part of her journey in S1 and S2.

What stands out to me in the part above is EJ singing "I thought I knew what I want" while the camera focuses on Ricky. We don't even really see EJ while he sings that part, he's just blurred in the background. Ricky's simultaneously singing "begin again", which makes me think he's gonna realize that what he thinks he wants in S3 is gonna prevent him from truly beginning again. What I mean is that Ricky thinks he can begin again w/ Lily, that what he needs is to be in another relationship to move on from Nini. He's gonna have to rethink what he wants in S3 once Lily's exposed for her sneaky ways (i.e. the harness). 🤨 I don't think Ricky beginning again in S3 includes being in a relationship...🤐 Now, to get to the specific part you are referring to in ur ask😅:

As Gina sings, "I'm safer when I'm on the run", the focus fades from her to EJ. We are meant to see his reaction to her refrain. You can clearly see that at this moment, EJ is hurting just as bad as Gina's feeling. This is not a one-sided, unrequited relationship. Gina's hurting. EJ's hurting. Gina's wanting to run away. EJ's wanting the same. Just like Gina feels like she's safer when she's on the run, EJ does too. He even tries to quietly excuse himself from the afterparty at Slices to escape the pain he's feeling b/c of the miscommunication. EJ tries to run away from his feelings to protect himself, until our girl stops him in his tracks. 😂 But guess what? The running doesn't stop. Gina and EJ end S2 running towards each other b/c that's what makes them feel safe. They make each other feel safe. 🥰 Gina sings about feeling safer when she's on the run, and the camera focuses on EJ? Ughhhh I love them so much. 🥰😍🤗 "Second Chance" was definitely foreshadowing how Portwell's story ends in S2 and how it begins in S3. 😚

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts analysis #hsmtmts s2 #hsmtmts speculation #hsmtmts s3 #portwell meta #gina porter #ej caswell #portwell #ricky bowen #nini salazar roberts #jamie porter #gina porter meta #ej caswell meta #hsmtmts lily #second chance #thanks for the ask!

[graciecatfamilyband]

No Memories But These

A/N: Just in time for @ouad-week, part 1 of your classic “Dmitry leaves Paris without uniting with Anya” AU. Dmitry is back in Paris again and it’s harder than he had hoped it would be. 

I would love to post one or two more (much) small(er and even less well edited) fic(let)s in this ‘verse this week, but I am at the mercy of physical forces beyond my control.   

The rusted key turned in the latch and the wooden door clicked open. Dmitry placed his suitcase—the same one he’d left Paris with the first time—in the doorway as he examined his new flat. It was one room, as expected. The walls were bare but clean. The floor could do with a sweeping. There was a table and a chair. And a real bathtub—so what if it was in the kitchen? No mold either. Not a complete shithole.

Dmitry crossed the room. The bed didn’t even hit the opposite wall when he pulled it down; he’d lived in smaller. The thinness of the mattress wouldn’t matter so much if he could get an extra blanket or two to put atop it. He could afford such extravagances these days.

To the right of the bed, a thirteen-by-thirteen centimeter window looked out onto bricks. Orange light slanted across the wall in spite of the closeness of the building next door and in apparent defiance of the laws of physics. Dmitry noted there was no shade. Another window—more of a grate with glass, really—still small by most standards, but the clear highlight of this room—opened at the ceiling. He guessed that, if he laid down and propped himself up, he would have a perfect view of the fading sunlight as it glinted off the gold cross rising from the Nevsky Cathedral. There’s certainly a sky tonight. Dmitry knew he should appreciate that, but somehow it made him ache.

The spareness of the room, though—that suited him. It was a relief from the whirlwind that was Paris. The boulangeries, cafes, galleries, street traffic, river traffic, and the spring blossoms had all crowded Dmitry as he’d made his way from the train station. The gas streetlights had come on at sunset to turn the city warm and fuzzy. It was entirely too much like it had been three years ago. It may have been to his taste then, but it wasn’t anymore.

Dmitry hauled his suitcase onto the bed and opened it. He was done aching. He had plenty to think about that wasn’t her. He started moving clothes into the small set of drawers in the corner. His two suits—he had two now!—needed ironing. He’d have to find a way to hang them up, too. A professional image was more important to maintain now than ever. (A bourgeois image, his father might have said, probably with some regret. But what was Dmitry supposed to do? For all its flaws, he liked his job. And it beat petty crime by a long shot.)

Yes, he had plenty of other things to think about, he reminded himself as he put his toothbrush by the kitchen sink. There was an ironing board by the bathtub, but where was an iron? He’d have to scrounge up some dinner as well. His coworkers had gone out for the evening—celebrating their new town and new raises—but he didn’t like to spend money he didn’t have yet.

It had been three years. He should be over it by now. He’d actually come out quite well from the whole thing. Not immediately richer, unless you count the first suit, but out of Russia—and no arrests. He’d landed this job, or rather, the job that got him this job. Worked his way up to something. He’d kept getting lucky; he’d made his own luck. He should be happy. And he had been happy, he’d told himself. Until this transfer.

When Melyukov had informed him the Russian Emigrant Children’s Association was moving its headquarters from Strasbourg to Paris, Dmitry had tried to refuse, to stay at the smaller branch they would be leaving behind. His boss had waived his objections away: “This little town is too small for you, Dmitry. You have a big city energy.” How could he tell Melyukov that if he’d wanted to be in Paris, he’d have been in Paris?

“We can do great things there!” Melyukov had assured him. "Much bigger than we can do here.”

And that’s how Melyukov had got him. Dmitry’s proposal. He knew it was good, and he knew his boss was right—as long as they were in Strasbourg, they wouldn’t have the infrastructure, human capitol, or opportunity for financial support to pull it off. If he wanted his plan to see the light of day, Paris was the answer. And if he wanted it to be done right, he had to go there with it. Damn.

And so against his better judgment, Dmitry had gritted his teeth and talked himself into the transfer. Paris was a city of almost three million people. It wasn’t like he moved in the same social circles she did. It would be a place like any other; all he had to do was focus on work and to keep his head down.

But the street car ride to the edge of the eighth arrondissement had proved that, for him, the city was still steeped in her. Dmitry didn’t want to remember walking down the Champs-Elysées with Anya on his arm. He didn’t want to remember wearing a suit for the first time in his life, Vlad scolding him for pulling at the collar that was closing around his throat, as they stood outside Chanel waiting for Anya. He especially didn’t want to remember Anya finally emerging in white or the way the dress gently hugged her figure and the fabric rustled at her knees. “Well?” she’d asked him. “Not bad,” he’d said—what an idiot he’d been.

In their new clothes, people smiled at them. Everyone assumed they belonged there and belonged with each other. Anya moved as if she had been born in that outfit and worn it her whole life. Restricted and fumbling as he felt, Dmitry didn’t care. He’d never seen such freedom as Paris. A stiff collar beat armed guards at every corner any day of the week.

And the bookstores! A person could just walk in and find anything. Dmitry had made Anya go into every one that passed that first day. No, not made—he’d simply asked, and she’d laughed and said, “Again?” But in a way that felt like she was laughing with him.

She hadn’t complained as he riffled through the shelves of yet another politique section, holding up titles for her to translate with her bafflingly fluent French. There were texts on Marxism, Capitalism, Anarchism, Liberalism, Conservatism, women’s suffrage, the labor movement, and so on. In Petersburg, just holding some of the books would be enough to get a person disappeared to a camp; selling them would get you shot on the spot. His father would have loved the bookstore, though Dmitry was sure he would have had plenty to say about the French government too. Nor had Anya commented when he had finally declared he was purchasing The Conquest of Bread in a language he didn’t speak, let alone read. She had simply touched his shoulder in a way that made him think she understood. Who could understand better than her?  

She’d been so free with her affection in those heady days: looping her elbow around his, squeezing his arm to get his attention or to silently signal her opinion, laughing against him. The line between them had felt so thin as they took in the Arc de Triomphe, the Tour Eiffel, endless jazz—which he’d liked—and even more paintings—which he hadn’t, except for the lilies. Seeing Paris, and seeing her seeing Paris.

At night, they’d gone dancing. Anya had arrived at and left the club with him, but it had seemed every man wanted to dance with her. Dmitry hadn’t pressed his claim; she could choose to dance with whoever she wanted. He had plenty of options himself. Still, all that practicing, and he hadn’t even gotten to dance with her. His dancing was bad anyway—he’d improved though. She’d improved him.

And finally, of course, there was the ballet. Anya—Anastasia, in that blue dress. Straightening his tie. Her left arm in his right, her free hand coming back to his bicep again and again. The way she had allowed him to slide his hand into hers after she had made confetti out of her playbill, and how tightly she had held on.

And then—Anastasia's hand on his chest, pushing him away from her. Accusing him of all the things he’d actually done. Telling him she hated him. He’d deserved it.

The last time he’d seen her, through the doorway of the hotel room, she had been home. Finally. That should be enough for him. But knowing that she hated him left him raw. He never wanted to see another ballet again as long as he lived.

#dimya #anastasia the musical #dmitry sudayev #i made dima sad #omg what will happen you guys?!?! #not as well edited as i would like #also it needs a better ending #but #to quote izloveshorses #conceptually its there #we do what we can #this is the first thing i've written since i've been sick #so i'm pretty proud of myself #ouadweek2019 #fic #no memories but these #we'd said it was goodbye 'verse #musical compliant #part 1 #rated t #for language #something i actually wrote #my-anastasia

[homenum-revelio-hq]

Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix, Gina!

You have been accepted for the role of SEVERUS SNAPE with the faceclaim change of Aneurin Barnard! We really enjoyed Severus’ ambiguous motivations that might come back to bite him in the butt later on! Your personality section was on point and we’re looking forward to having the resent grump come back to the Order. We are so excited to have you as part of this roleplay!

Please take a look at the new member checklist and send in your account within 24 hours! Thank you for joining the fight against Voldemort!

OUT OF CHARACTER:

NAME: Gina

AGE: 25

TIMEZONE: MST-Arizona

ACTIVITY LEVEL: First and foremost, I’m a promotions producer at a local news station, so I’m on call if breaking news happens. Thankfully, for my job, doesn’t happen too often. Also, my boss is currently on maternity leave, but will be back mid-March. In the meantime, I’ve been given a lot of extra tasks that sometimes make me work 60 hour weeks. Luckily, The Academy Awards was one of our biggest nights with deadlines, news, etc., so things have somewhat calmed down. Thank goodness! Weekends are usually when I’m on the most. I’ll try to get on during the week – especially on my early days. All that being said, I’ll definitely will be able to post at least once a week! As long as writing is still fun, and doesn’t feel like a chore, I’ll be on the dash frequently (and I’m very good about keeping admins informed if there’s ever going to be an issue with activity check)!

ANYTHING ELSE: trigger: non-con.

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Severus Snape

AGE: 21

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Cis-Male, He/Him, Heterosexual.

BLOOD STATUS: Halfblood

HOUSE ALUMNI: Slytherin

ANY CHANGES: Request FC change: Aneurin Barnard. I can see Adam Driver work as well. Either way, I am comfortable - just happen to have more resources of Aneurin.

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

Generally, Severus is seen rather than heard.

The mind of Severus Snape is complex – to be sure. Filled with calculations, fragile threads of truths and lies he’s told and webbing them all together, and innovations for many different forms of magic. To keep all of these thoughts collected, Severus keeps a journal that he has heavily bound to keep secret. There, he states the deepest parts of his soul, creates new potions, spells, and whatever else he deems worthy. It is protected by a blood spell that only he knows the enchantment to. Like him, everything is kept very private and close to his chest.

While Severus has plenty of thoughts coursing through his brilliant mind, he does not initiate conversation. In fact, he says much more with his eyes. Even if they can be cold. However, this does not mean Severus will keep silent – nor is it out of shyness. When Snape graces others with his opinions or ideas, they should not be taken lightly. Every single word uttered has meaning.

Being around Death Eaters and the Dark Lord, he’s kept a keen eye – finding everyone’s tells and when it is best for him to speak his true sentiments. As well as this, if he feels provoked or given an opportunity to speak freely, he will not cower. Often, his retorts have a bite to them, thick with sarcasm or bitterness; or both.

Severus Snape is profound in potions – and dare we say even more skilled in the Dark Arts. Books were a comfort for him growing up, finding company with leather-bound pages and becoming well-versed in their contents. A strength he chooses not to boast about is his ability to create new spells, new magic, even. Most of these, however, were being saved to get a slight revenge over his old school enemies. And therein lies the rub. Snape’s insecurities are tightly bound to Hogwarts and being bullied – not to mention his inability to reveal his true feelings toward the one girl who showed him kindness all those years.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY:

A broken family. That was the home of Tobias Snape and Eileen Prince.

A Muggle father and a Pureblood mother. Such parents didn’t give Severus an opinion on blood purity – but rather if an individual could prove themselves. While his parents may have had married for love at some point, something shifted their feelings.

For Snape’s father, nothing seemed to please him. Except for, perhaps, a bottle of gin. This instilled a primal instinct for Severus to do better; be better. Strive for power.

As for Snape’s mother, she grew sickly and thin. Her grief taught him empathy. It also made him value any comfort; starving for any sort of love and affection. This was, most likely, the cause for Severus’ immediate interest in Lily Evans – and the roots of his near-obsession with her.

Both of his parents were unhappy, and let it affect both their home and their son. Living near-destitution, the Snape house was filled with hateful words, arguments, loud shattering of priceless heirlooms or objects, and other things that still haunt Severus to this day. When thinking back on his past, Severus prefers the memories of when they both neglected him altogether, rather than any other aspects of his upbringing.

OCCUPATION:

Potions Apprentice to Professor Slughorn.

Invaluable to the Dark Lord, the talents of Severus Snape brought him closer to his inner circle. For Voldemort, it also meant he could manipulate the young man’s talents to foil any plots that the Order may have against him. Knowing his passion for potions, Voldemort encouraged Snape to take on an apprenticeship with Professor Slughorn – while also peeking behind the curtain at Hogwarts and keeping an eye on the Headmaster.

ROLE WITHIN THE ORDER/THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ORDER:

**I read the following note: “Severus will not be in the plotline until a player is accepted in his role. Him turning on the Death Eaters and coming to the Order as a spy will be considered a “roulette” plot drop whenever he becomes a taken character. Until that happens, players should write as though he is not yet in the Order.” AND he plot drops, *so I’m writing him as if he’s newly joined the Order at first as a DE spy, but now as a means to win Lily’s friendship back. 😊

Walking a thin line between hero and villain had never once crossed Severus’ mind. Yet, here he was. An Order member. At first, in a plot for the Dark Lord, carrying out the order to spy on the organization; find out how it could crumble. The young wizard had already grown steadily in their ranks, garnered enough trust, and was even listening to Voldemort’s other requests like his employment. All for the sake of war. It was a task daunting enough for anyone; however, Severus knew pretending to be an Order member would bring him closer to Lily. That, and potentially erase any suspicions Frank Longbottom might have if he thought he saw the Slytherin’s face during the arrest. At first, it was all an act.

Now, within the Order, Severus is a black sheep. Many of his childhood bullies are within their ranks, and many who distrust him. Although, with Severus’ lust for power, proving himself is nothing new to him. In fact, he thrives on it. No more fighting behind a mask…watching those he cares for nearly meet their end. An easy task to spy, being a great reader of both people and their minds. However, an overwhelmingly difficult task to want to continue fighting for something he didn’t believe in. Not that he believes in the Order either, but his lust for power has now been overcome with a desperate need to win an old friendship back. Perhaps to take Lily Evans far away from any wars as well, forgetting the two sides; no more choosing between what is right, and what is easy. Severus faces this new challenge, while fighting off those he once stood beside. For now, he’ll leave it to fate – if he’s able to win Lily’s friendship back. Maybe even try and win her heart as well.

SURVIVAL:

Severus Snape survives purely relying on his skills – and providing them to whichever side he feels is winning. It was part of the reason why he joined the Death Easters in the first place. Unfortunately for the Order, Snape believes the Dark Lord will win; that they will fall – and not rise from the ashes, as their namesake. A lust for power has blinded him most of all. But with it, he’s earned the trust of Voldemort, become invaluable. A faithful servant. Once the war s over, Severus believes he will be rewarded for his acts. At least, as long as he continues to do his bidding…

While with the Order, Severus has taken up housing in Hogwarts during the school year under his apprenticeship with Slughorn. During the summers, he’s found a small flat down near Hogsmeade to keep close enough. Beforehand, he often stayed with Lucius Malfoy in their incredibly large manor. It made it easy to stay near his comrades and to carry out any dark deeds.

Until there seems to be a clear winner, Severus will carry out his work as a spy. Even if it means slightly changing sides to do it as time goes on. The skills he carries with Occlumency are not to be trifled with. It seems he’s one of the few to have mastered such magic, making him the perfect soldier for espionage.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Severus’ relationship with Lily Evans was broken long ago. However, he will try and make peace with her, at the very least. If they rekindle their friendship, Severus would likely switch sides; happily die for her and prove himself. If it blossomed even more (something he fears even daydreaming about will jinx it), Severus would give up everything with the Dark Lord and his following. Everything with the Order. All to be with her – away from the rotting parts of the Wizarding World.

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

Ships: Snape/Lily & Snape/Chemistry.

Anti-Ships: None

WHAT PRIVILEGES AND BIASES DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE?

Having gone through a very traumatic animalistic incident in his years at Hogwarts, Severus has a large bias against werewolves. The whole experience left a nasty memory for him, left in complete shock and disagreement with Dumbledore. And having Fenrir Greyback at the Dark Lord’s disposal certainly didn’t make matters any better.

There is one thing that will never chance for Severus Snape, and that is his hatred and bitterness towards certain Gryffindor boys he now has to work with in the Order. The thought alone makes his blood boil and skin crawl. Yet, he will do what he must for his cause…and maybe even throw in a snide remark or two every so often.

Muggleborns are something of a mystery to Snape now. When he first met Lily, he thought she was different from any other one – slumping the rest together with the likes of his father. Although seeing how fierce Dorcas has become – and so well integrated with the Wizarding World – Severus has gained a new understanding. Of course, he’s still untrusting, at first, and even a little cold; but, that doesn’t mean his mind cannot be changed.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

Jess and I were talking because I’ve been itching to write again. She linked me to the RP, and there was a spark to my muse once more! Had to apply because I love the Wizarding World and exploring it. This is an interesting take on the Marauders era, in that it’s concentrating on one organization and its inner workings. I’m excited to explore that!

PLOT DROP IDEAS: 

There was a head cannon I had once read where Irma Prince is actually Severus’ mother in disguise. That might be something to play around with! Perhaps to prove his loyalties to the Dark Lord, he must eliminate his parents. Instead of this, Severus uses his connections to hide her as the librarian at Hogwarts and keep her safe.

ANYTHING ELSE? Super excited to be applying! 😊

#homenumaccepted #harry potter rpg #harry potter rp #marauder rp #Marauders RP

[frost-feathers]

persona

college has been a bitch but i wanted to complete all the weeks for the event. forgive this mess

---

He’s such a small thing when he’s born. Massive ears and a tiny, tiny body. His parents worry that he's going to trip over those ears until he grows into them, but somehow he manages to stumble about before his eyes even open all the way. 

It takes his parents a few days before they finally decide on a name for him. By that time, his eyes are shining amber as they gaze at their green surroundings. He follows twittering birds and swift butterflies wherever they go, so much so his mother has to put him in a pen to keep him from wandering off.

“What do we name him?” His mother asks.

“Zaheer.” His father responds.

---

The first thing they notice that is wrong about him is his absolute refusal to read. All other progenies are already well-versed in grammar but he won’t pick up even a human’s children’s book. He doesn’t write down his notes in class, nor do the readings at home. Most nights, his mother is forced to read the books for him until she eventually creates a golem to do it for her.

But what is strange is that he is at the top of his class despite never touching a book. 

They decide to take him to a doctor. A few tests later, and they get their results.

“Well, it seems like your son Zaheer has a very rare ability,” the doctor says. He takes one of Zaheer’s still oversized ears and holds it up. “He can remember everything he hears. No matter how long ago it was. I asked him to recite last year’s lessons and he did it perfectly. He refuses to read because even at this age, he knows there’s no use for it.”

His mother gasps while his father looks at him with wonder in his eyes. “The perfect auditory learner…” 

Zaheer just blinks up at them and smiles.

---

He becomes famous among the other progenies after his diagnosis goes public. What college professor wouldn’t want to show off their son’s incredible talent? Zaheer doesn’t mind all the attention, but he wishes he had more time alone to himself. Hearing so many voices all day is exhausting.

He looks to other popular progenies to see how to act. Jaxx is aloof, seeing himself as above the flock of lower IQ progenies that follow him like sheep. Iilya full on bullies everyone around her that doesn’t meet her expectations. Zivv acts as if no one else exists. So Zaheer takes on a persona too: a cocky know-it-all that drives any foreign visitors crazy when they try talking to him. 

He’s exhausted by the end of each day keeping that persona going, but he wants his reputation to stay strong. All well-known asura take pride in their abilities, even if it means walking the thin line between that and arrogance. But let’s be honest, it’s mostly arrogance. So he sticks to that persona and thrives in the community. Even the great Zojja notices his work, and he breezes through classes like they’re basic level courses. 

---

The Durmand Priory practically begs for Zaheer to join their ranks right when he finishes his studies. He accepts, of course. They need a walking index if they want all their knowledge to be completely secure. Scholars come to him when they need to remember certain texts or artifacts. He spends hours listening to Gixx document everything from the smallest piece of parchment to the massive crumbling statues of the human gods.

Of course, being one of their most valuable assets, he’s susceptible to, uh… being kidnapped. After the first attempt by the Inquest to learn his secrets, he now has at least one other Priory member with him at all times. After awhile, he begins requesting individuals to accompany him places. Like the duo of the cheery sylvari and gentle norn. Or the cute archon that showed him how an idol of Balthazar has laser eyes that incinerate objects when you press the right button.

He likes her a lot. Her name’s Kirra, but everyone calls her Mouse for her abnormally circular ears.

But he has a reputation to uphold, and he can’t afford being sweet with any of the ones he likes.

… Okay, maybe just a little bit for her.

---

Five years later he’s been promoted to explorer, has a wonderful, precious girlfriend that he adores and adores him back, and he’s in the middle of a jungle running from a very angry, very large plant monster. He doesn’t know how he’s still outrunning the creature on his tiny legs, but he clutches the artifact closer to his chest and keeps running. It took him too long to find this tablet and by the Eternal Alchemy, he is not letting it go now!

Oh, did he mention he’s screaming the entire time too?

The loud, nasally shrieking must have notified the other scholars, because not moments later a group comes rushing out of the bramble. He expects pale Priory blue on every individual, but instead gets an array of colors and the all too familiar garb of none other than the Pact Commander.

She strides between him and beast, extending her hand and slowly forming a fist. The Mordrem husk crumbles to its knees, clawing at the invisible force that crushes the heart in its chest. Once it falls forward, still twitching but unable to move, she makes a swift motion like she’s ripping it out of its chest, and the beast is dead.

“Holy fuck…” is about all he can manage to say.

The commander turns to him and he squeaks when he recognizes her face. One claw shakily points to her, “Y-... You’re, you’re that… You’re the norn! The one with the cheery plant! Lili-something! You’re the Pact Commander, now?”

She scowls so harshly his ears drop in fear. “It’s Libitira. And I seem to recall you being more… courageous, Zaheer.”

He’s so caught up in the shock of the moment he completely forgets about the persona. He sputters, coughing to regain his composure before letting the personality drape over him like a cloak. 

“A moment of weakness, that is all.” He waves it off like he wasn’t just screaming bloody murder. “I had the situation under control. Though I do appreciate the little help you offered.”

One of her companions, a human woman in dark colors, scoffs as the other norn’s face grows confused. Commander Libitira just rolls her eyes. “Drop it already, Zaheer, we all know you’re not that cocky. Everyone in the Priory knows you babytalk your little bee golem when you think you’re alone.”

His jaw drops and his eyes follow her as she casually walks past him as if she hadn’t just outed one of his biggest secrets in front of her entire party. Had he… really been this transparent the whole time? He thought he pulled the personality off perfectly! Her companions begin to follow her back in the direction from which they’d come. Ears flicking upwards, he runs after the group.

“Hold on, hold on- Who told you?!”

“Who do you think?” Libitira calls back, before cackling madly. 

“Mouse!”

#gw2 #gw2 fanfiction #tyriaslibrary #tyriaslibraryevent #scout zaheer

[owlways-and-forever]

Summary: The Marauders are getting older, and that means so many things. Mischief, heartbreak, and trying to figure out who they really are. They’ll face problems within their group, prove their loyalty to each other, and discover the ugliness that is brewing in the wizarding world at large. Welcome to Years 2-4 of the Marauders time at Hogwarts. **This piece is a sequel to Behind the Mango Tree, however, you do not have to have read the first installment to pick this up. It does stand alone, but there is some carry over from the last book, especially with inter-character relationships. Basically, you don’t have to have read BtMT, but it certainly helps. Word Count: (5256) 9786 Links: FFnet | ao3 | tumblr: Ch 1, Ch 2

A/N: Happy hump day everyone! I hope you didn't think I forgot to update! This chapter is pretty long, and I think somewhat emotional, but I hope you guys enjoy it! See ya next Wednesday!

Chapter 3: Home for the Holidays

"Come in," Dumbledore called from inside his office, after Remus knocked on the ornate wooden door.

Slowly, he pushed it open, dreading the conversation they were about to have. In the year and a half that Remus had been at Hogwarts, he had been in the Headmaster's office a handful of times, and never for anything good. Not that Remus was one to get in trouble, but his condition sometimes necessitated these chats, and Remus had no doubt that that was why he was there.

The Headmaster was sitting at his desk, fingers steepled together and eyes closed in calm consideration. Behind him, Professor McGonagall stood, looking altogether more intimidating, her lips pursed as usual. Remus approached them, taking a seat in the chair across the desk and dropping his bag at his feet.

"Mr. Lupin, Professor McGonagall and I would like to discuss the upcoming winter holidays with you," Dumbledore began, fixing his blue eyes on Remus.

"There's a full moon on the second night," he answered, shrugging slightly. He paid close attention to the lunar cycle, and he was well versed in when his transitions would happen.

"We've talked to your parents, and they don't feel... prepared... to keep you safe during your transition, and they thing it would be better if you remained here over the holidays," Dumbledore continued, watching Remus carefully.

"They don't want to see me?" Remus asked, unable to contain his disappointment, or even hide it.

"Of course they do," Professor McGonagall interjected kindly, her expression softening. "They just think that we can provide for your needs better here. Madam Pomfrey will be on hand to help you recover from any injuries, and you'll be safe in the Shack as usual."

"Right, of course," Remus agreed, his mind stuck on his parents and feeling undeniably rejected. He had thought that they would be excited to see him, even more so since his sister's death, but they didn't want him at all. "I should get back to the library, Professors, some of the end of term projects are rather difficult."

Remus stood and grabbed his bag, turning to go before he could start crying. He felt very emotional, and he didn't want to break down in front of the Headmaster and his Head of House.

"Mr. Lupin," Professor McGonagall called out to him as he reached the door of the office, "your parents care for you very much."

Remus nodded and swallowed thickly, but at that moment he felt distinctly like Professor McGonagall cared more for him than his family did. He knew his father thought his kind were monsters, and his mother only really knew about his condition from muggle fairytales and his father's work, and he wasn't sure which gave his kind a worse reputation. But he had always believed that, even though they thought he was disturbing, his parents had still loved him. Maybe not as much as his sister, who had been perfect in every way – in his eyes as much as theirs – but he had thought that they loved him somewhat. And yet, here was the proof that Remus had been mistaken, that he had been fooling himself this entire time.

A few floors down from Dumbledore's office, Remus ducked into an empty classroom, quickly locking the door behind him. He collapsed into the professor's chair, letting his head sink onto the desk. The cool wood felt nice against his skin, which had grown hot with emotion. Tears began to flow freely across his cheeks, making little puddles on the desk, and Remus was happy to let them come.

After half an hour, maybe more, Remus heard a small click that meant someone had unlocked the door. His tears had stopped several minutes earlier, but it had only left him feeling defeated, rather than better, so he had stayed where he was. But as the door opened, he straightened up and wiped at his face, trying to erase the evidence of his tears. To his surprise, Lily Evans walked through the door, a curious look on her face.

"Remus?" she asked, closing the door behind her. "Is everything alright? Only I heard noise and it sounded like someone was upset..."

"I'm fine, just having a rough day," Remus sniffed, giving Lily a weak smile.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she offered, sitting down on one of the students' desks.

"I dunno," he shrugged, and Lily was kind enough to sit quietly, waiting for him to decide. "My parents don't want me to go home for break."

"I'm sure that's not true," Lily said automatically, but she frowned when Remus gave her a withering stare. "Well, did they say why?"

Remus was quiet for a moment as he considered what to tell her. He didn't like lying to her, Lily had always been kind to him, but he couldn't tell her the truth about his condition.

"They just think it would be better for me to stay here," Remus answered at last, trying to toe the line between truth and lies.

"Because of your sister?" Lily asked, her brows dipping down in concentration. "I guess that makes sense, they think it'll be too hard to be at home without her."

"Maybe, but I thought they would miss me even more," Remus replied, frowning.

"I'm sure they do," she said. "But maybe they need more time to grieve on their own. It's a big change for them, and I'm sure it takes a long time to deal with. They might be worried that if you come home, it'll be even worse when you leave to go back to school again."

Remus was torn. He knew that it wasn't the reason that he was being set aside, but he couldn't tell Lily that. Yet at the same time, her words made him feel slightly better about the situation. She might, at least, be right about them missing him, and oddly that made a difference in the situation.

"But I still want to go home," Remus said at last. "I miss my parents and I want to see them."

"Then you should tell them that," Lily shrugged, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "Remus, your parents love you, and if you really want to go home, I'm sure they would let you. Or at least, maybe you could stay with James or Sirius or Peter for the holidays? I know it wouldn't be your family, but it might be better than staying at Hogwarts."

Remus appreciated her words, but he knew that staying with any other families was completely out of the question. Deep down, he knew that his parents were right. He would be better of turning at Hogwarts, and everyone else would be safer. His werewolf form was growing as rapidly as his human self, and he could no longer simply be contained in a soundproofed basement. The days when Remus transformed into a cub were long gone, and now he was easily strong enough to break through a door. The thought of what he could do to innocent villagers if he got out was enough to make him shudder with fear. No, everyone else would be much safer if he stayed at Hogwarts. But even knowing that it was for the best, Remus was filled with sadness.

"You should talk to the others about it," Lily said, pulling Remus from his thoughts. "James, Sirius and Peter. You should tell them what's going on. They might be able to help you."

"I don't want to burden them," Remus answered, shaking his head lightly. "They won't be able to change anything, so there's no point."

With a sigh, Lily stood and collected her bag, scooping up the rolls of parchment that had fallen out. She felt more than a little exasperated at boys and their stupid need to do everything themselves. Why didn't they realize?

"Friends are meant to share your burdens," she said, looking over her shoulder at Remus, "even the ones they can't change."

With that parting wisdom, Lily walked out of the classroom, leaving Remus to the company of the misery he was resolved to keep.

Lily made a beeline for the Great Hall, where she knew that she was most likely to find the boys. She didn't particularly care if Remus showed up there, but she felt pretty confident that he wouldn't. In his mood, he would probably sulk in the classroom or hole up in the dormitory. Predictably, James, Sirius and Remus were sitting at the table, stuffing their faces with food. They didn't even seem at all concerned that Remus had been called away, that he hadn't returned yet, and Lily felt a surge of disgust roll through her stomach. She liked Remus well enough, and Peter was alright. Both of them were prone to self-pity, which thoroughly annoyed Lily, but they were good people besides that. But James and Sirius were complete idiots, often jerks, and they consistently made Lily's blood boil.

"The three of you could look a little more concerned that Remus got called to the headmaster's office," Lily huffed, coming to a stop next to Peter.

James looked between her and Sirius in confusion, and Peter looked up at her, frozen, with food halfway to his mouth. But Sirius just rolled his eyes at her and shrugged, and Lily had to suppress the anger boiling inside her.

"He get's called to Dumbledore all the time," Sirius answered nonchalantly.

"And how often does he leave those meetings and go cry in an empty classroom?" Lily snapped, anger flashing in her eyes.

"How is this your business?" Sirius retorted, his mouth twisting into a sneer.

"Because I'm the one who found him!" Lily answered, crossing her arms against her torso.

"So?" Sirius scoffed. "It's not like you're -"

James reached out and put a hand on Sirius' shoulder, stopping him in his tracks before he could say something regrettable.

"What happened, Evans?" he asked, and Lily turned her glare on him.

"His family told him not to come home for the holidays," she answered, a bit more sharp that necessary. "He's pretty cut up about it, feels like they don't want him."

"We'll take care of him," James assured her, though his tone was stiff.

"Thank you for letting us know," Peter said quietly, dropping his fork to his plate.

Lily turned and stalked away with a huff, her mary janes clicking against the stone floor. Overhead, the stars began to wink out as storm clouds drifted through the sky.

"Why does she have to go about, sticking her nose where it doesn't belong?" Sirius mumbled, poking at his food aggressively.

"But it was good she told us," Peter countered, his eyes round and sincere.

"I guess, but still, what does she care? She's not Remus' friend, she hasn't given a hippogriff's behind about him before," Sirius argued heatedly.

"Look mate, normally I'd agree with you," James cut in. "Evans can be bloody annoying most of the time. But I think right now we just need to focus on Remus. We have to make him feel better about this somehow."

"He could come spend the holidays with one of us," Sirius suggested, as if that solved the entire problem.

"Don't you think that would really just be rubbing in that his family doesn't want him at home?" James countered, shaking his head. "No, that's no good. We'll have to do something else..."

"What if... what if we all stayed here too?" Peter offered, looking nervous. "I'm sure it's a rubbish idea, but..."

"No, actually, I think it's brilliant!" James replied, smiling broadly at Peter.

"Look, normally I'm as chuffed as anyone to avoid my parents," Sirius said, "but won't your parents' mind you not coming home? Not to mention, I don't think Remus would take it as well as you think. He doesn't like people doing things for him, especially if it means sacrificing something."

"My parents will be sad not to see me, but they'll understand," James answered, and Peter nodded in agreement. "But you might be right about Remus. What if we just... don't tell him..."

"You want to lie to Remus?" Peter asked, incredulous.

"I think it might be the only way to get him to accept the situation," James said, giving Peter a tentative smile. "Isn't a white lie alright if it's to help someone?"

"I'm not sure..." Peter answered, looking uncomfortable.

"Peter, you know Remus would never let us give this up for him," Sirius argued. "Not that there's much to give up, really. But he would see it as a sacrifice, and he'd be upset. It's the only way."

"I suppose," Peter admitted, reluctant.

"We'll have to come up with different excuses," James reasoned. "And tell him at different times."

"Well my excuse is simple, I just don't want to go home," Sirius shrugged.

"You should go last, once we're all staying, you can say that you'd rather stay here with the rest of us," James said, nodding.

"I suppose I could say that one of my parents is sick," Peter suggested, hastening to amend his words when the others looked at him wide-eyed. "Nothing life threatening! The flu or something, just contagious enough to keep me away."

"Alright, well, I guess my parents could be traveling, they might not return before Christmas. If they were abroad, a storm would be enough to delay them," James considered. "I can go first, I'll send myself a fake letter from them and get it in front of him tomorrow. Peter you can go a day or two after that, and then Sirius, you last. We'll have to do a fair bit of acting to sell this though."

"Good thing we've had a fair bit of practice acting to get out of trouble," Sirius replied with a mischievous grin.

"When have you ever gotten out of trouble?" James scoffed, laughing lightly at his friend. "We all know you're the master of getting into trouble."

James pulled a small roll of parchment from his bag and extracted his quill and ink. He dipped his quill and began scratching a note out, imitating his father's handwriting flawlessly. When he was done, he held it up, satisfied, and blew on the ink lightly to dry it. He waved his wand at the base of the letter, and it tore cleanly away from the rest of the roll and folded itself neatly into a note.

All three boys got up from the table and left the Great Hall, making their way to the Owlery. James found his owl, Driscoll, and gave him specific instructions to bring the letter to him in the Great Hall at breakfast the next morning. When it was all arranged, they returned to Gryffindor Tower, finding Remus surly and brooding over his textbooks.

He said nothing about staying at Hogwarts for the holidays, and with an exchange of looks, the other three boys agreed it was better to pretend not to know. That way, when they announced they would be staying, it would be more plausible that it wasn't all for him.

Remus' mood had not changed by breakfast the next morning. He stared at his plate sullenly and pushed around bits of food without eating anything, though he had skipped dinner the night before. He didn't even notice when Driscoll swooped low over the Gryffindor table, landing gracefully on James' shoulder and dropping the letter in his lap. James opened the letter and did his best to look upset, tossing the letter down on the table and sulking into his beans on toast.

"Something wrong?" Sirius asked, nonchalant as ever.

"Mum's written, she says that she and my dad won't be home for Christmas," James answered, keeping his eyes on his plate and frowning seriously. But he saw through his lashes that Remus was looking up at him curiously. "They've been traveling a bit, seeing some of her extended family in India and friends in Egypt and Greece. But there's some big storm happening I guess, and she says they won't be able to get back in time, so I'm to stay here for the holidays."

"Really?" Remus asked, his voice a touch more upbeat. "You're staying here?"

"Looks like it," James said glumly, poking around at his breakfast. "Wish I didn't have to though. It'll be rubbish here alone for Christmas. Although I guess some people are staying. I think Benjy and Stebbins are both staying, since Hanukkah will be over by then."

"Well, I'll be staying too," Remus admitted, a little sheepish.

"You will?" James answered, markedly happier.

"Yeah, I found out yesterday," he said, shrugging. "I guess my parents are just... not feeling very festive this year. They're not ready to do the whole Christmas thing, so they want me to stay here."

"Well that's excellent!" James replied, cheerfully. "I mean, not... not that your parents aren't... but it'll be much more fun with you here!"

He stammered through the end of his speech, blushing slightly as he tried not to imply that everything was fine and dandy. If what Remus had said was the truth, then he must feel awful for not being wanted. But as it was, James suspected that there was more to the excuse than what had been said, and if Remus didn't feel like he could tell them what it was, then it was probably very upsetting.

Peter waited two days before announcing over lunch that his parents had both gotten bronchitis, and they didn't want him to come home and get sick, so he really ought to stay at Hogwarts. Neither James or Sirius had any idea what bronchitis was, but it seemed sufficiently contagious that Remus accepted the explanation without question. Peter had been brilliant – he'd gone to Professor McGonagall's office to tell her about their plan, and when he came back, he pretended to be all doom and gloom and said that she had called him in to tell him the news.

Sirius didn't even bother saying anything at all, but when Professor McGonagall assembled all the Gryffindors who were staying over the break, he followed them. When Remus gave him a confused look (which James and Peter were quick to replicate), Sirius just shrugged and said, "Much better to stay with you lot than go home to my family." Remus mere shrugged in reply, used to Sirius' oddities and dislike of his family enough not to be surprised by the decision. And just like that, all four boys were spending their first Christmas away from their families ever.

Most of the students left two days before Christmas, leaving the castle empty and quiet. Of the Gryffindors, only a handful remained, and mostly from the upper years. Alastor Moody and Iseult Courtenay wanted to stay to prepare for N.E.W.T.s, while Straton Faulkner wanted to study for the O.W.L.s, and Frank Longbottom wanted to spend the holidays with Alice Matthews. A few younger students stayed, but most had gone home, missing their families. Nearly all the Jewish students remained – they always had special permission to Floo home for suppers with their families during Hanukkah, the high holy days, and pesach, if they didn't fall during the breaks – which meant that Benjy Fenwick and Daniel Stebbins were staying, as well as Leon Wycliffe and Simon Beringer, although it was a shame that Rosaline had decided to go home to see her family anyway. Only two students in the entirety of Slytherin stayed at Hogwarts, Vortigurn Warwick, who was being made to do extra Charms lessons, and Emma Vanity, who hadn't been assigned a new foster family yet. Altogether, there were only 23 students staying for the break. The House tables had been replaced by one long table, with professors sitting interspersed among the students, and the decorations in the Great Hall had been scooched in closer so that the room didn't feel quite so vast and empty.

Remus was peaky and tired as break began, and the boys assumed he was just gloomy about being away from his parents. They tried everything to cheer him up. Together with Foxtrin Flint and Benjy Fenwick, they started a wizarding chess tournament, after finding a hidden passageway to Hogsmeade Sirius snuck bottles of butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks, and they even talked about setting off some of the stink bombs they had to trick Filch. But Remus seemed to only half enjoy all of it.

On Christmas Eve, Dumbledore declared that they would have a pajama ball after supper, and everyone should come dressed for the occasion. It was a bit odd, seeing students from other years and houses, even professors, all in their pajamas, but they had a blast. Professor McGonagall, predictably, excused herself early, and Remus said goodbye as soon as dinner was finished, the sun dipping low in the sky, and the ceiling of the Great Hall stained pink and orange.

"I'm going to go for a walk," he said, pushing his chair back and looking up at the ceiling. "I don't really feel much like partying tonight."

"Right, sure," Sirius replied, jumping out of his seat. "Let's go!"

"No!" Remus answered quickly, a bit louder than normal. "I mean, no, thank you, I... I feel like being alone."

"Oh... okay..." Sirius slowly sank back into his seat, looking confused and a bit disappointed.

Remus ducked between two Christmas trees, slipping into the shadows and out of the Great Hall. Professor McGonagall was waiting for him in the Entrance Hall. As usual, she was carrying a dark cloak to help hide him as they walked through the grounds, and she handed it to him as they stepped through the doors.

"Do you think Remus is okay?" Sirius asked, looking at James and Peter.

Around them, the Great Hall was transforming from a cozy dinner room to a festive night club. Most of the professors began to dip out, leaving the party in a respectable manner, without too many drinks. But the students took advantage of the free flowing butterbeers and the music echoing from the rafters. It was tame as far as parties go, no one was stumbling drunk or making out on the dance floor, they were all just letting a little loose and having fun.

The night dragged on, and the full moon climbed higher in the sky, bathing the Great Hall in light. Peter stood on the edge of the room, looking up at the ceiling. He didn't much feel like being at the party. As much as he agreed with what they were doing for Remus, he did miss his parents, and he sort of wished he was home with them. He supposed life was good at Hogwarts, and he was happy here. He had friends and didn't get bullied as much, but... but he wasn't like Sirius. He loved his parents, very much, and it was hard for him to be away from them so much. He huffed a breath of air and squinted at the moon, trying to make out some detail of its surface, even just one crater. Something clicked in his mind then, and he thought back to Remus' words, his behavior for the past few days, and suddenly he knew. But it wasn't his secret to know, much less to tell the others. Peter could guess though, why his parents had really told him to stay at Hogwarts, and he was more glad than he had been before that they had all decided to stay.

Half an hour later, James started yawning and dragged Sirius away, finding Peter. The three boys left the Great Hall, waving goodnight to the other students, and returned to the Gryffindor Common Room, making a beeline for their dormitory. The fire was crackling in the warming stove in the center of the room, making them even sleepier. Remus' bed was still immaculate, so he clearly had not returned from his walk yet.

"I think I'll stay up and read or something until Remus gets back," Sirius said, as all three boys got ready for bed.

"If you like," James shrugged, crawling under his comforter. "He's probably fallen asleep in the library or something though."

"Maybe," Sirius answered, but he was a little concerned.

"I might stay up for a bit too," Peter chimed in, but he didn't expect Remus to come back that night at all.

"Goodnight, then," James said, drawing his curtains around him, and his friends echoed the sentiment.

Try as they might, Peter and Sirius were both too tired to stay awake for long, and both drifted off to sleep within the hour. When Remus snuck in not long after sunrise the next morning, he found Sirius asleep sitting up, a book about Megaera the Magnificent fallen, abandoned, on his chest. He smiled, knowing that his friend must have tried to wait up for him, before crawling into his own bed to try and get a few hours of sleep before the others awoke.

Peter was the first to wake the next morning, looking over to find Remus asleep soundly in his bed. For a moment, he began to wonder whether his conclusion was wrong, but he saw fresh cuts on Remus' hands, and knew that he'd been correct. Quietly, so as not to wake the others, Peter slipped out of bed and padded over to the stove, warming his hands by the fire.

They each had a pile of presents at the base of their beds, delivered in the night by teams of owls. Peter examined his carefully, and saw a few from his parents, one from each of his friends, and one small, oddly shaped parcel that he couldn't identify. Remus had a similarly modest pile of presents, but James and Sirius both had small mountains of gifts at the base of their beds. With a sigh, Peter returned to his bed, pulling his Herbology textbook onto his lap and cracking it open.

He'd read a chapter and a half when James began to stir, stretching his long limbs and cracking his joints. He sat up, pulling the curtains of his bed aside and blinking sleepily at Peter. Then, without a word, he grabbed his pillow and threw it at Sirius, hitting him in the face. Sirius groaned and wrapped his arm around James' pillow, sinking deeper into his bed.

"Oi, wake up you muppet," James mumbled, and Sirius grumbled in response.

"Let them sleep longer," Peter said, watching as Remus rolled over onto his stomach and yawned.

"But it's Christmas!" James answered, his voice brimming with excitement, and he reached out to grab one of his presents.

"Even more reason to sleep in," Peter retorted, exasperated with his friend.

"What's got your wand in a knot?" James asked, grimacing across the dormitory.

"Nothing, but neither of them slept very much last night, and we haven't got anywhere to be, so what's the rush to wake them up?" Peter snapped, a bit louder than he meant to.

"'S'goin' on?" Remus mumbled, sitting up and yawning, running a hand through his very messy hair.

"Peter thinks I'm being a twat for wanting to wake you two," James answered as Sirius blinked his eyes open.

"I didn't call you a twat," Peter said, gritting his teeth. James was really trying his patience.

"Well, it doesn't matter, we're awake now, right Sirius?" Remus replied pacifyingly, scooting down to the foot of his bed. "C'mon let's see what we've got this year."

Peter's annoyance dissipated fairly quickly as his friends woke up and began tearing into their presents, whooping excitedly. Even Remus seemed a bit happier than he had been the day before, although he looked positively exhausted. Still, he was smiling and happy as he opened his presents, and Peter relaxed a bit.

It was a good haul for all of them that year (not that it ever wasn't). Sirius' parents had sent him a few things that he hated (a book of his lineage, really?) but they'd also included a bunch of chocolates and a few treats made by their kitchen elf. The Potters had more than made up for Mr. and Mrs. Black's poor choice in presents, sending Sirius a bunch of fun gifts, many of them mirroring things James had gotten himself. They'd also sent James a new broomstick, with explicit instructions that it was for practicing quidditch ONLY and that if he broke this one, he would be buying the next one himself. Sirius cackled at the note, but James blushed scarlet, looking horrified at the memory. Remus' parents had sent him a framed photo of him and his sister when he was young, which left him in a teary sort of smile as he opened the rest of his gifts. Peter had gotten some clothes and books and sweets, nothing big or fancy, but he was more than happy with his lot. The oddly shaped package turned out to be a small plant from Professor Sprout. It looked like a little succulent, and it emitted a kind of soothing energy. He could feel it leeching the anxiety from his brain and almost instantly felt more relaxed, even happier. He placed it on the nightstand by his bed, making a mental note to spend a few minutes holding this plant each morning and night.

When they had finished opening all their presents, the four boys made their way to the Great Hall for a fabulous Christmas breakfast. The spread was fit for a king, and they couldn't help but grin as they tucked into their meals.

"You know," Remus said after a few moments of idle chatter, "this Christmas hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be."

"No?" James asked, grinning happily.

"Nah," Remus answered, echoing his friend's smile.

"And we still have days before everyone else returns!" Sirius added. "Loads of time to get into all sorts of trouble."

All four boys giggled delightedly, thinking of the different pranks they could pull and thinking about sneaking out of Gryffindor Tower. It felt like the world was their oyster.

"Really though, thank you all for staying," Remus said sincerely.

"Dunno what you're talking about," Peter denied, but his smile told a different story.

They all knew what had transpired that Christmas, and more than anything, it had cemented their friendship. Beyond friendship, really. They were family now.

#gen writes #hp #marauders #remus lupin #hp ff #hp fic #sirius black #james potter #peter pettigrew #lily evans #QiMH #Better Together

[sciencespies]

The True History Behind 'Six,' the Tudor Musical About Henry VIII's Wives

https://sciencespies.com/history/the-true-history-behind-six-the-tudor-musical-about-henry-viiis-wives/

The True History Behind 'Six,' the Tudor Musical About Henry VIII's Wives

Meilan Solly

Associate Editor, History

Inspiration struck Toby Marlow during a comparative poetry class at Cambridge University in fall 2016. Participating in a discussion on William Blake, he found his mind wandering and began scribbling a series of unrelated notes: “Henry VIII’s wives → like a girl group … Need Lucy!!” 

Then an undergraduate student tasked with writing an original show for the upcoming Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Marlow brought his idea to classmate Lucy Moss, who agreed to help bring his vision of a Tudor-themed pop musical to life. The product of the pair’s collaboration—Six, a modern reimagining of the lives of Henry VIII’s six wives—premiered on London’s West End in 2019 to much acclaim. (A cast soundtrack released in September 2018 similarly became an unqualified success.) Now, after an extended delay caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the musical is finally making its Broadway debut.

L to R: Abby Mueller (Jane Seymour), Samantha Pauly (Katherine Howard), Adrianna Hicks (Catherine of Aragon), Andrea Macasaet (Anne Boleyn), BrittneyMack (Anna of Cleves) and Anna Uzele (Catherine Parr)

Liz Lauren

Six “didn’t come out of a love of the Tudor period particularly,” says Marlow, 26. “It came from us having an interest in the representation of women in musical theater, having women on stage doing funny and hilarious things.” Moss, 27, adds, “What we were interested in doing was reframing the way that women have been perceived in history and telling their side of the story.”

The Tudor period, with its “soap opera”-esque political machinations and rich cast of female characters, offered the duo the opportunity to explore contemporary issues like feminism through a historical lens. Though Six prominently features the rhyme historically used to describe the fates of the Tudor king’s queens—“divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived”—the musical moves beyond these reductive one-word summaries to present its subjects as fully realized individuals. “With all of them,” says Moss, “there was so much of interest beyond the moment they got married or divorced.”

Marlow and Moss drew on a range of sources when writing Six, including Antonia Fraser’s The Wives of Henry VIII and documentaries hosted by historianLucy Worsley. The musical’s layered repartee deftly balances references to Tudor culture with nods to modern music, like the line “Stick around and you’ll suddenly see more” (a play on “Suddenly, Seymour” from Little Shop of Horrors). Still, Marlow explains, the show’s goal isn’t to convey history with 100 percent accuracy. Instead, “It’s [asking], ‘What if Anne Boleyn was like this?’ And how does that change the way you think about this very famous historical figure?”

Six frames its story as a makeshift talent competition in which the wife whose life was most tragic “wins.” The rules are simple: “The queen who was dealt the worst hand … shall be the one to lead the band.” Each wife sings a solo summarizing her experiences, engaging in acerbic banter in between verses. (During these numbers, the other wives act as both backup singers and dancers; beyond the six solos, the 80-minute show features three group numbers.) Ultimately, the women decide to form a girl band instead, leaving the king out of the narrative and imagining an alternate future featuring far happier ends for all of them.

Historian Jessica Storoschuk, who has written about Six extensively on her blog, has found that in school and popular culture, the queens are usually only talked about in terms of their fate. “[Six] is this kind of ridiculous satire of [that],” she says. “It’s a really intelligent way to explore their experiences, or, I should say, one part of their experiences, because their downfalls are not all of their lives.”

Below, find a song-by-song (or wife-by-wife) breakdown of the true history behind Six. Click through the interactive tools to learn more about specific lyrics from the show.

The song: “No Way,” a Beyoncé- and JLo-inspired “girl boss feminism” anthem, says Moss

Though Catherine of Aragon’s marriage to Henry lasted 24 years—collectively, his five other marriages spanned just 14 years—she has long been overshadowed by her successors. The daughter of Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, Catherine came to England as the bride of Henry’s older brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales. But Arthur died shortly after the pair’s wedding, leading the Spanish princess to (eventually) marry his heir, Henry. 

By all accounts, the couple enjoyed a loving relationship that only deteriorated due to a lack of a male heir and the king’s infatuation with Anne Boleyn. In the late 1520s, Henry sought a divorce from his first wife, arguing that her previous relationship with Arthur was the reason for the couple’s lack of a surviving son. Determined to protect her daughter Mary’s rights, Catherine refused to concede.

Apple News readers, click here to view this interactive.

Six’s account of these events, “No Way,” takes its cue from a June 21, 1529, meeting at Blackfriars in London. After years of debate over the validity of the royal couple’s marriage, a papal court was conceived to address the king’s so-called Great Matter. Appealing directly to her husband, Catherine fell to her knees and delivered an impassioned monologue:

Intending (as I perceive) to put me from you, I take God and all the world to witness, that I have been to you a true and humble wife, ever conformable to your will and pleasure. … If there be any just cause by the law that ye can allege against me, either of dishonesty or any other impediment to banish and put me from you, I am well content to depart, to my great shame and dishonor; and if there be none, then here I most lowly beseech you let me remain in my former estate, and receive justice at your princely hand.

A 1544 portrait of the future Mary I, Henry and Catherine’s daughter

Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Portrait believed to depict a young Catherine of Aragon

Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

After uttering these words, Catherine left Blackfriars, ignoring the clerk’s calls for her to return. Without turning around, she declared, “On, on, it makes no matter, for it is no impartial court for me, therefore I will not tarry.” The queen was correct in her assessment: Henry had no intention of remaining in the marriage. Determined to wed Anne, he broke from the Catholic Church in order to make her his wife.

Catherine’s Six solo could’ve been a “super emotional [sad] ballad,” says Moss. Instead, she and Marlow chose to emphasize the queen’s defiance, emulating Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)” and setting the tone for the rest of the musical.

The real Catherine followed through on her fictionalized counterpart’s pledge to remain “queen till the end of my life,” refusing to acknowledge her marriage’s annulment even on her deathbed in 1536. Catherine’s legacy, historian Julia Fox told Smithsonian magazine last year, “is that of a wronged woman … who did not accept defeat, who fought for what she believed to be right until the breath left her body.”

The song: “Don’t Lose Ur Head,” a “cheeky” number modeled on Lily Allen and Kate Nash, according to Moss

Arguably the most (in)famous of the six wives, Anne is alternatively portrayed as a scheming, power-hungry seductress; a victim of her callous father’s vaulting ambition; or a worldly, charismatic woman who rose to the kingdom’s highest office only to be targeted by jealous men.

A near-contemporary painting of Anne Boleyn

Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The truth of the matter depends on which scholar one asks. Most of Anne’s letters and papers were destroyed following her May 1536 execution on contrived charges of adultery, incest, witchcraft and conspiring to kill her husband, so much of what is known about her comes from outside observers, some of whom had reason to paint her in an unforgiving light. Even the queen’s date of birth, writes historian Antonia Fraser, is a fact “that can never be known with absolute certainty (like so much about Anne Boleyn).”

Anne’s song in Six, “Don’t Lose Ur Head,” draws its name from her method of execution: beheading by sword. Moss says she and Marlow view the number as a playful response to historians’ continued vilification of the queen as “calculating and manipulative”: “We were like, wouldn’t it be fun to mock [that trope] and make it that she was like ‘Well, I’m just living. I did this thing randomly, and now everything’s gone crazy.’”

Apple News readers, click here to view this interactive tool.

Though the tone of “Don’t Lose Ur Head” is intentionally more irreverent than the real queen, who Storoschuk says “was incredibly shrewd, very well educated, well read and well spoken,” the broad strokes of the song are historically accurate. Anne spent her teenage years in the courts of Margaret of Austria and Francis I of France, gaining a cosmopolitan worldview that helped her stand out in England. When she caught Henry’s eyes, she was a maid of honor in service of his first wife; rather than becoming Henry’s mistress, as her sister Mary had, Anne refused to sleep with the king until they were married. To wed Anne, Henry broke with the Catholic Church and established himself as head of the Church of England. Finally, the once-besotted king fell out of love in dramatic—and, for Anne, fatal—fashion just three years after their long-awaited marriage.

The song: “Heart of Stone,” a slow, Adele-like ballad

Henry’s third wife, Jane Seymour, has gone down in history as the “boring” one. According to Fraser, she was intelligent and “naturally sweet-natured,” with the “salient characteristics [of] virtue and common good sense.” Historian Alison Weir similarly describes Jane as “endowed with all the qualities then thought becoming in a wife: meekness, docility and quiet dignity.” 

Moss and Marlow tried to flesh out these descriptions by highlighting Jane’s political savvy. During her comparatively brief courtship with Henry, Jane drew on many of the same tactics used by Anne Boleyn, most notably by refusing to sleep with him until they were married. Presenting a submissive front may have been a tactic, says Moss. It’s also worth noting that Jane used her position to advance causes she cared about, including restoring her stepdaughters, Mary and Elizabeth, to their father’s favor and speaking out against the closure of England’s religious houses.

Apple News readers, click here to view this interactive.

On one occasion, Henry reportedly dismissed his new wife by advising her to “attend to other things, [for] the last queen had died in consequence of meddling too much in state affairs.” “Heart of Stone” acknowledges this risk, but Six’s version of Jane chooses to remain steadfast in her love of Henry and their son, the future Edward VI.

Following Jane’s death in childbirth in 1537, Henry memorialized her as “the fairest, the most discreet and the most meritorious of all his wives”—a distinction no doubt motivated by the fact that she’d given the king his only surviving male heir, writes Weir. (Edward took the throne “Six” reflects this enviable status by identifying Jane as “the only one he truly loved.” As she herself acknowledges in “Heart of Stone,” however, Henry’s affection is conditional on her ability to provide him with a son.

Henry chose to include Jane, rather than his then-wife, Catherine Parr, in this dynastic portrait. Painted around 1545, the work depicts Edward, Henry and Jane at its center and Mary and Elizabeth in the wings.

Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

Speaking with Vulture last year, Moss said, “The idea was about the strength of choosing to love someone and committing to someone, and that being an equally valid feminist experience.” She added, “I love that [Jane] gets to say, ‘I wasn’t stupid, I wasn’t naïve.’”

The song: “Get Down,” a 16th-century take on the rap and hip-hop “trope of being popular and bragging about your Ferrari and your Grey Goose,” says Moss

Anne (or, as the musical calls her, Anna) of Cleves was, in some historians’ view, the most successful of Henry’s six queens. After just six months of marriage, she earned the king’s enduring affection by agreeing to an annulment. Then, she proceeded to outlive her former husband, not to mention the rest of his wives, by a decade. “[Anne] did get pushed to the side in a rather unceremonious way, but she had a pretty good life,” says Storoschuk. “She was given several properties. She gambled a lot. She got to go hunting, she had the best clothes and the best food. She was loved at court.”

A 1540s portrait of Anne of Cleves by Bartholomaeus Bruyn the Elder

St. John’s College, University of Oxford, via Art U.K. under CC BY-NC-ND

“Get Down” focuses on this victorious period in Anne’s life, celebrating her independence as a wealthy, unmarried woman at Tudor court. In line with the musical’s goal of reclaiming the narrative, the number also reframes the incident that led to Anne’s annulment. Henry, enchanted by a flattering Hans Holbein portrait of his bride-to-be, was reportedly repulsed by the “tall, big-boned and strong-featured” woman who arrived in England at the beginning of 1540. Declaring “I like her not! I like her not!” after their first meeting, the king only went through with the wedding to maintain diplomatic ties with Anne’s home, the German Duchy of Cleves, and other Protestant allies across the European continent.

After just six months of marriage, Henry, eager to replace his short-reigning queen with the young, vivacious Katherine Howard, had the union annulled on the grounds of non-consummation and Anne’s pre-contract with Francis, Duke of Lorraine. Anne, from then on known as the “king’s beloved sister,” spent the rest of her days in luxury.

Apple News readers, click here to view this interactive.

Moss studied history at Cambridge and says much of her schoolwork centered around early modern German visual culture. Six actually includes a standalone song, “Haus of Holbein,” that satirizes 16th-century beauty culture and Henry’s portrait-driven search for a fourth wife: “Hans Holbein goes around the world / Painting all of the beautiful girls / From Spain / To France / And Germany / The king chooses one / But which one will it be?”

Given Holbein’s reputation for accuracy and Henry’s own declining looks (at the time of the couple’s wedding, the king was 48 years old), Marlow and Moss chose to turn the tables, having Anne proclaim herself a fan of the much-vilified portrait. Further cementing Anne’s mastery of the situation, “Get Down”’s refrain finds the supposedly unattractive queen hanging up her likeness “for everyone to see.”

The song: “All You Wanna Do,” a catchy number modeled on the work of “young pop stars sexualized early on in their careers,” like Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and Ariana Grande, as Marlow told Vulture

For much of history, Henry’s fifth wife, Katherine Howard, has been dismissed as a wanton woman of little import. Writing in 1991, Weir described her as a “frivolous, empty-headed young girl who cared for little else but dancing and pretty clothes.” Fraser, meanwhile, wrote that “[h]ere was no intelligent adult woman, wise in the ways of the world—and of course courts.” More recent scholarship has taken a sympathetic view of the queen, with Gareth Russell’s 2017 book, Young and Damned and Fair, leading the conversation. As Russell argues, “[Katherine] was toppled by a combination of bad luck, poor decisions, and the Henrician state’s determination to punish those who failed its king.” 

Katherine’s Six solo, titled “All You Wanna Do,” echoes Russell’s characterization of its subject as a victim of circumstance and predatory older men. Though her exact birthdate is unknown, Katherine may have been as young as 17 when she was beheaded on charges of treasonous adultery in February 1542. Henry, comparatively, was 50 at the time of his disgraced wife’s execution.

Apple News readers, click here to view this interactive.

The king was far from the first man to sexualize Katherine. “All You Wanna Do” details the queen’s relationships in heart-wrenching detail, from a liaison with her music teacher, Henry Manox (the song suggests that he was 23 to Katherine’s 13, but as Storoschuk points out, he may have been closer to 33), to an affair with Francis Dereham, secretary to the dowager duchess, Katherine’s step-grandmother. When each new romance begins, the teenager declares herself hopeful that this time will be different. By the end of the song, however, she realizes that all of her suitors have the same goal in mind.

According to Moss, she and Marlow wanted Katherine’s song to start out with a “sexy, seductive” tone before transforming into a “narrative of abuse” with echoes of today’s #MeToo movement. Marlow adds, “It was kind of like us talking about what happened to one of the queens and finding a way of relating it to something that we would recognize as a modern female experience.”

Katherine’s “life was so tragic,” says Storoschuk. “She was so young, and she really had very little agency over her own life. ‘All You Wanna Do’ really encompasses that.”

The song: “I Don’t Need Your Love,” a soulful, Alicia Keys–inspired love song

Often reduced to the one-word summary of “survived” or the role of nursemaid to a succession of ailing husbands, Henry’s sixth wife, Catherine Parr, was actually a renowned scholar, religious reformer and perhaps even protofeminist. In Six, she takes ownership of these attributes, refusing to be defined by her romantic relationships and instead listing her manifold accomplishments: “Remember that I was a writer / I wrote books and psalms and meditations / Fought for female education / So all my women can independently study scripture / I even got a woman to paint my picture.”

Apple News readers, click here to view this interactive.

As the last of the six to take the stage, the fictionalized Catherine has dual obligations: namely, sharing her story and setting up a satisfying musical finale. “We needed one of the queens to be like ‘Wait, we shouldn’t be competing with each other. We should support each other,’” says Moss. “Fortunately, [Catherine’s role] as a writer, educator and advocate for women helped with that.” Encouraging the wives to take back the microphone, Catherine calls for them to assert themselves outside of their marriages to Henry. “It’s not what went down in history,” the six admit, “[b]ut tonight, I’m singing this for me.”

Catherine Parr’s fourth husband, Thomas Seymour

Public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The real Catherine led a rich life beyond what’s captured in “I Don’t Need Your Love.” As alluded to by the song’s first verses, which find Catherine telling a lover that she has “no choice” but to marry the king, the twice-married young widow initially had another suitor in mind: Thomas Seymour, the dashing younger brother of Henry’s third wife, Jane. (The would-be couple wed soon after Henry’s death in 1547, but their marriage was tainted by Thomas’ improper conduct toward his new stepdaughter, the future Elizabeth I.)

Despite being forced into a relationship with Henry, Catherine made the most of her position, pushing her husband to embrace Protestantism and encouraging him to restore his daughters to the line of succession. She narrowly escaped an attempt by the court’s conservative faction to have her executed on charges of heresy, winning back Henry’s favor even after he’d signed a warrant for her arrest. Catherine died just a year after the king, succumbing to complications from childbirth in 1548.

Based on a True Story

British History

Elizabeth I

England

Henry VIII

Kings

Medieval Ages

Monarchs

Musical Theater

Pop culture

Queens

Theater

Tudors

#History

#History

[pulaasul]

Second Chance - Cast 4 [Ricky, Nini, EJ, and Gina]

Ao3

During the Second Chance music video in the season 2 finale, we were given the context for each verse via the characters who sang the verse. I don’t think its quite that simple and clean tho. I think that each verse also reflect the other three who did not sing the verse.

For example the verse about running away could also be about Ricky, Nini and EJ.

Who knew that love could be so bittersweet Oh, when it finally meets the end? But there is somethin' in this summer wind A moment to begin again.

At first glance, the verse could refer to Ricky’s journey of love. It makes sense considering it’s Ricky who is singing the verse.

The verse also applies to Nini, herself. While she may have broken up with Ricky,this second time mutually, it doesn’t change the fact that she’s still in love with him. 

I think this also applies to EJ. We knew how devastated he was when he and Nini broke up, she literally ghosted him, I don’’t think there’s even an actual break up scene between the two. All we know was that Nini ghosted him and blocked his number.

But we know, when EJ decided to let go, He can have a moment o begin again.

The verse could reflect Gina, while her wish to be with Ricky never came to fruition, mostly due to that fact that Ricky is still in love with his childhood friend and ex-girlfriend, it also made it clear that she’s ready to begin again with someone who’s she’s ready to have her first kiss with.

I know that every time a door is shut A window opens up for me It's all wide open down this road I'm on I'm findin' who I want to be

Nini’s the one singing the verse, it definitely represents her time with YAC and her deciding that the school wasn’t for her. The Windows opening signify her future with Gina’s brother, who is a music producer.

The verse can also apply to Ricky. Although, Ricky’s metaphorical door could either be his relationship with Nini or a complete family with his biological mother and father, in turn his metaphorical window would be either be Lily, by the end of Season 2 or having a family with step mother in the form of his drama teacher or someone else.

The verse also applies to EJ, his metaphorical door is Duke and we still don’t know what his metaphorical window could be. Before S2,finale,  it could have been the phone call Mr. Mazzara received, but that was the STEM teacher’s window, not EJ’s.

and of course, the verse also applies to Gina. Her metaphorical door was her moving out of East High, but her metaphorical window are the Caswells. Ashlyn let her stay in her home, and they are rooming together,to let her stay at East High.

Was I a fool to read between the lines? Did I misread the signs that much? Who would've thought we'd come this far as friends? Maybe that should've been enough

EJ’s the one singing this verse, and it for sure reflects his feelings for Gina. the same can also be said for the inverse for Gina, but I digress. The song could also refer to Nini, they did meet at theater camp and got together.

From former statement, the verse also reflect Gina’s character. Remember this song describes the emotional and mental states of our singers. Gina had said that she had been wrong once, she doesn’t know whether the signs she had read before were romantically coded or simply platonic in nature. And when she finally read those signs as romantic, the guy cancels the date that they had been planning for days.

The verse could also reflect Nini’s and Ricky’s characters as well. The two of them seeing that the both of themi vibe much better as friends than as lovers. They’ve gone in sync with each other as soon as the two them made the decision to mutually break their relationship.

Maybe I'm safer when I'm on the run No time to open up my heart Maybe I'll hide behind my walls again Instead of tearing them apart

All four of them have instances where they felt safer running away.

Gina in particular because she’s been always on the move that she closed her heart and built walls around her heart not to get close to anyone, because she knew she won’t be in a place long enough to foster and grow those friendships, until East High.

Then came Ricky and EJ, first Ricky hurt her so much especially after she confessed her feelings towards him.

EJ hurt her when he cancelled the date with her.

Ricky’s way of running away, was when he lashed out at Ms. Jenn because his drama teacher and father were dating each other. He was still running away from the reality that he would have to live his remaining days as a teen in a blended family.

EJ’s version of running away was him closing himself off from any and all potential girlfriends because of what Nini did to him when they broke up. (Did they even have a break up scene?) He was also running away when he learned that he did not get into Duke. It took Gina convincing him to stand his ground not to take the privilege his father gave him to be in Duke.

Nini’s is clear cut. The Ricky said he was chasing her and her response was “I don’t like running away.” Because at some point during their second chance in a relationship, Ricky started chasing after Nini and the constant she gave his life, and Nini started running away, not wanting to be shackled by Ricky’s need to have something constant.

My justification for thinking in such a way is how the chorus relates to the four verses. Yes a song’s chorus is usually connected to all the verses within the song, however, there’s more to that connection in Second Chance.

I've got a second chance to fly I've got a second chance to fall What can make the tide turn? What can make the fire burn?

The one connection the verses and chorus is that the chorus gives hope despite the situations that the verses has described. The first two verses also gives that same feeling, but the underlying hopelessness and uncertainty plagues those verses whereas the chorus is just an anthem of hope

#hsmtmts #ej caswell #nini salazar roberts #ricky bowen #gina porter

[lostxdrcams]

Tag Drop | James Potter | HP

#james; visage | [ i’ve always been another pretty face ] #james; interactions | [ you are the only thing that’s right about this broken world ] #james; loves | [ i think i could need this in my life ] #james; desires | [ i don’t need you to sell me on reasons to want you ] #james; musings | [ i would break the laws of gravity ; kill it for you in the first degree ] #james; headcanons | [ i don’t need you to fix what i’d rather forget ] #james; relationships | [ you cause a thunder in my veins when you’re around ] #james; verses | [ there’s never much to read between the lines of what we need and what we’ll take ] #james; answered asks | [ seekers of truth must only ask the right question ] #james && lily; relationship | [ spend the night looking into your eyes because i want to remember them if i ever fall blind ] #james && lily && remus; relationship | [ i think we’d make a lovely mess ] #;tag drop

[adelmortescryche]

R u ready cuz i got me a LIST. I'll send prompts in separate asks and if u don't like any feel free to disregard! First off is Victuuri, with "I'm not very good with commitment, or soulmates, or love." Preferably said by Yuuri bc i l o v e angst. A lot.

hah, can i just say that i was fcking delighted to get this one with Yuuri being the one to say the line. i mean, as i mentioned before, i’d have had yuuri say it either way, but then i registered that that was exactly what you wanted anyway. such a lovely coincidence. this turned out fluffier than expected, but hey, it’s still mildly angsty.

an explanation in advance, if it isn’t obvious: soulmates live their lives in this ‘verse with sensory deprivation of some sort. so they’re all actually impaired to a certain extent until they meet their soulmates. soulmates don’t necessarily have to be romantic or stay together. guess what side of the argument these two dorks are on.

In response to this post. salty soulmate prompts ftw.

Victor supposed that he should have seen this coming. He’d spent his entire adult life wondering what taste was, read books about flavor and food, and stared at cooking shows, wondering if food was really more than just aesthetic appreciation and matter being shoveled in for energy and nutrition. Whether there was actually someone out there, a destined someone who would who would bring flavor and taste into his life like a tidal wave. He’d heard Chris think about smell in the same way until he’d met his dashing mystery man, too - if it was real, if something as mundane as the way things smelt was worth the hype.

The first thing he’d done in the aftermath was drag Chris into a flower shop. And had weathered the teasing about being a pathetic romantic while Chris all but buried his face in a vase full of lilies.

So, yes. He should have seen this coming. He’d spent enough years as a precocious teen scoffing at the thought of something as ridiculous as fate and a soulmate deciding anything about his life. He’d spent many more as a lonely adult thinking that it might not be that bad, having someone promised to you so soundly. He should have seen this coming. 

Yuuri, for his part, just looked uncomfortable. And maybe a little tired, eyes just a bit puffy and red. His fingers were tight around the edge of his door, holding it in place like a shield to hold Victor at bay. Ridiculous. As if Victor needed anything of the sort to keep him back when Yuuri-

“Sorry. I’m just… not very good with commitment. Or soulmates. Or love. We had this discussion already, Victor, I’m-”

Not good with people, Yuuri had said. Not good with relationships, casual or otherwise. Just not comfortable with social interaction outside the bare minimum at all. Funny how Victor had assumed that meant people who weren’t soulmates. Relationships that didn’t involve him. Because he was- because Yuuri was-

“Sorry.” Yuuri repeated, and slammed the door shut in his face.

 *

“You look like you need a drink.”

He blinked muzzily down at the table, then forced himself to lift his head enough to peer up at the red clad form kneeling on the other side of the table from him.

Ah. It had gotten rather quiet, hadn’t it.

“Sorry, I’ll go back up,” he mumbled, a few more blinks making it easier to recognize the form as Mari. Yuuri’s older sister.

She just shook her head, though, gesturing for Victor to stay where he was, then proceeded to settle into a more loose-limbed crosslegged posture. It took a little longer for the situation to compute, but when it did, Victor’s head drooped a little lower. 

“You heard us.” It wasn’t a question.

“Aa. You were very quiet, but…” she shrugged, unapologetic, and Victor had to give a tired laugh. Fantastic. Obviously he shouldn’t have brought the topic up at the inn. But it was either the inn or the rink, or the walk between the two. Or assorted restaurants that Yuuri had been willing to introduce him to. If nothing else, the inn had been more private than the other options.

They were silent for a moment of companionable silence, long enough that Victor suddenly found himself wondering if Mari had met her soulmate yet. What her take on the topic was. Yuuri had made his stance very clear, but that didn’t mean all the Katsukis felt the same way.

“My brother… he isn’t shy.”

Mari’s words were blunt. Abruptly so. They made Victor blink again, confused, but she barged on before he could actually understand what she meant.

“He isn’t shy, but people make him uneasy. People who want his time make him break. Ah, I mean-” she paused, looking irritable, but Victor nodded slowly in response, willing to take her at face value. Even if the thought of Yuuri breaking made something sick settle at the bottom of his gut.

“He gets very uneasy, when he does not know what someone wants. It is always better to tell him what you want.”

Victor frowns at that, and wants to argue that that was exactly what he’d done. He’d come clean. He’d said that flavors had bloomed in his mouth only after he’d met Yuuri. He’d even left himself open to hurt, and said that he was happy that Yuuri was the one to return his missing sense to him. How much clearer could a man get?

Mari just looked vaguely exasperated, though. Maybe a little long-suffering. She was older than him, Victor remembered distantly. It had been so long since he’d had peers who were older than him that actually mattered.

“You want that drink?” she asked.

Victor shook his head.

“Then you sleep. Go. And talk to my idiot brother in the morning. Oyasumi.”

“Oyasumi,” Victor parroted dumbly, watching as she pushed herself to her feet and walked away. Not sure if he should take issue with the appellation, then deciding that if anyone had the right to call Yuuri an idiot, it was his older sister.

By the time he got himself to his room, Makka was already curled up and half asleep on top of the covers. The sight makes him pause by the door, an odd smile pulling taut across his face. Even when Makka lifting her head to stare at him questioningly, wondering why he hadn’t already gotten into bed already, didn’t erase the smile from his lips.

Well. He still had Makka, didn’t he. This didn’t change anything. Yuuri didn’t change anything. Soulmates didn’t change anything. He could still try coaching for an year, be thankful for the break and actually enjoy eating food.

So what if he’d been right all along, as a teen. His seventeen year old self would probably laugh to see how far he’d fallen.

Makka whined, and Victor stepped into the room, the action a reflex more than anything else. Her stare was enough to get him switch off the one lamp that was still lit, and get under the covers without much more thought.

“You’re more disapproving than a mother with a teenager under her roof,” Victor muttered into the curls topping her head, once she’d flopped down on top of him, all but burying him beneath herself. 

No response, but then, he’d never needed one, from Makkachin. He could always tell when she wanted him around. Now if only Yuuri were that easy to re-

A cool, dry nose nudged at the hollow of his throat, sudden enough that he almost yelped in surprise. When he pulled back, he found Makka staring up at him accusingly. It had him bursting into snickers that he promptly buried into her fur, much to her sleepy irritation. Not that she protested. She never did.

Okay, then. Sleep. Actual sleep, without working himself into the ground thinking about Yuuri, or fate or anything else that was liable to leave him awake through the night. He was a coach now, after all. And if his student was avoiding him… Well, then he’d just meet his student halfway. Soulmate or not.

*

A few days down the line proved early on that Yuuri was not an easy man to meet halfway. Not when he seemed stubborn and embarrassed enough that he was doing his literal best to skedaddle whenever Victor got anywhere near close enough to ask to talk.

It was enough to drive a man crazy. Especially when Mari slowly went from looking exasperating to commiserating to amused. Hiroko and Toshiya weren’t of any help either, clearly just as amused as their daughter, and while Minako was kind enough to split bottles of sake and plum wine with him, but she wasn’t kind enough to not laugh at his plight.

“You seem to be doing something right, at least. Yuuri sure as hell wouldn’t act like this with a coach.” Minako crowed, while Victor knocked back the last dregs of whatever had been left in the flask before them.

“It’s not like it helps. He won’t even talk to me!” he snapped back, and immediately regretted it. A friendly listening ear aside, Minako was still Yuuri’s old ballet teacher. Lilia would probably smile with perfect poise in a similar situation, all the while plotting to murder anyone badmouthing her students.

Minako, thankfully, just laughed some more, and patted him roughly on the back. Hiroko, in the process of bringing out yet another bottle of wine, most likely for Minako because Victor was stopping while he was ahead, reached out to pat him on the shoulder, murmuring something in Japanese that just made Minako laugh even harder. Victor wasn’t sure if he wanted to know or not.

The mean glint in Minako’s eyes told him that he was really better off not knowing.

A clatter near the entryway had Victor glancing that way reflexively, only to find Yuuri in the process of leaving, most likely for an evening run. Yuuri barely met his eyes for a split second before he dashed away, though. It was barely a surprise at this point.

“See? That’s not how he’d treat a coach. I should know, I’ve been his teacher since he was a tiny kid. Hell, I stood in for a coach a whole lot when he’d been a kid, too.”

Victor’s not sure how it matters, when the equation there was so different from whatever was getting built between him and Yuuri. Maybe that was where he was supposed to start in that talk. Mari though he should tell Yuuri what he wanted, but… that didn’t seem to be helping at all. Maybe he should just ask what Yuuri wanted instead.

Something of the frustration brewing in his head must have shown on his face, because Minako nearly cackled. And proceeded to fill his ochoko with another shot of sake.

“Drink up, boy, clearly you’re going to need it. And then maybe you can consider going on a run to catch up with Yuuri-kun.”

“Maybe,” Victor agreed, the smile on his face a lot more plastic than it had been in a while. No way in hell was he going to go chasing after Yuuri. Not only could he set a terrifying pace when he was focused, Victor suspected that trying to catch up with him after that momentary traded glance earlier would backfire a lot more than any other attempts he’d made so far.

So no. Maybe he could try to catch him at the rink in the morning. He felt safer near the ice, right. That’s what Nishigori and Yuuko had implied, at any rate.

Well, Victor could say the same. Neutral ground! Maybe that would help, if nothing else did. Honestly, he didn’t even care as much about soulmates any longer, not after the last few days he’d been through. No, fate and destiny could go fuck themselves, all he wanted was Yuuri, acting normal again. His fledgling student, the fellow competitor who’d managed to sweep his heart away well before Victor even registered that he’d returned his missing sense as well, the man whom Victor had slowly begun to realize would be a worthy friend to have, too, aside from everything else.

Morning. The ice rink. It was on.

*

“…Victor, are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

Victor, in the process of getting his skates off, eyes hard in his head, started in surprise. When he regained enough control to look back at Yuuko, who’d managed to sneak up on him when he’d been busy knocking the ice off of his blades, she just looked more alarmed than her voice had suggested.

The expression did little to soothe his ire, but he did take the time to offer her a smile. It’s not her fault that her friend is starting to feel roughly as stubborn and bratty as Yura. Victor was tempted to shove that in Yuuri’s face, just to see how he’d react to it. 

“It’s nothing, we’ll be taking a break today, i think.” he replied, smile firmly pasted in place, and Yuuko stared at him for an uncomfortably long moment before finally coughing out a laugh.

“Don’t be too hard on him. Yuuri isn’t shy, he’s just-”

“Really not good with people. Yes, thank you, I’ve figured that out now.” Victor completed cheerfully, something in him very tempted to drop the smiles to the wayside just this once, because he was tired, damnit, but Yuuko didn’t deserve the vitriol buried beneath them, just waiting to be unleashed. 

She looked uncomfortably knowing when she waved him out of the rink, all the same. 

Cycling back to the inn in the cold air managed to cool him down somewhat, enough so that he’s relatively calm by the time he’s kicking his shoes off in the genkan and trading them in for his own pair of indoor slippers.

He runs into Mari when he’s heading up the stair, and she only needs a single glance at his face before she lips tugged apart in a delighted smirk.

“Finally,” she declared, sounding aggrieved. “Do you have any idea how irritating the two of you have been these past few days. Please go tell him what you want from him so he can stop hiding in his covers.”

“Thanks, Mari,” Victor replied pleasantly, not bothering to correct her, and somehow that just made her smirk broaden. She didn’t say any more, though, instead continuing down the stairs without giving him any grief.

By the time he gets Yuuri’s door open to drag him out to the beach, he’d almost completely managed to convince himself that he’ll be okay with however this is going to end. Even if everyone else seemed to have their own opinions about what’s going to happen. 

*

“-and even if I couldn’t actually feel her arms around me back then, something about that situation left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I just- shoved her away. Because she was making assumptions about what I was feeling, and was forcing her emotions on me… It’s never been something I’ve been comfortable with. I need space, Victor. To just exist, maybe to figure out what I want. And no one I’ve been with in even the flimsiest of a relationship till now seems to understand that, outside of my family and friends, here. I’m not weak.”

And so the unease about commitment. And love. And soulmates. Victor tightened his grip around Makkachin involuntarily, only relaxing it when she whined, confused. 

Yuuri sounded exhausted, and vehement, almost like the words he’s said had been clawing at his throat ever since they’d stopped talking to each other.

“No one thinks you’re weak, Yuuri. I certainly don’t. This entire time, all I’ve wanted was to ask you what you wanted out of this. I said that I’m certain we’re soulmates, but that doesn’t have to mean anything more that you want it to. Did you want me to be a father figure to you? A sibling, a friend, a lover-” Victor paused when Yuuri’s hand abruptly reached out to cover his mouth. 

When he looked over to the side, Yuuri’s face was flushed enough that it bordered on unhealthy. He seemed determined, though. So Victor waited, curious.

The next thing he knew, Yuuri was standing up and bowing, at a perfectly formal 90 degrees, arms steady at his sides. It’s enough to make Victor fumble in place, eyes going wide, but before he could say anything, Yuuri was speaking, Japanese spilling smoothly past his lips, in a stream fast enough that Victor had no chance of understanding any of it. It wasn’t much, only a sentence, but at the end of it, Yuuri eased off on the bow enough that Victor could see his face again. And the small, impish smile playing on his lips, too.

“Pleased to meet you, thank you for returning my tactile sense.” He said, this time around in English, and Victor choked on a surprised laugh, delight budding bright in his chest.

“Yuuri-”

Yuuri just cleared his throat rather pointedly, though, and Victor sighed, smiling a little helplessly as he pushed himself to his feet. 

“Pleased to meet you, thank you for returning my sense of taste.”

“There. That was better.” Yuuri said, actually laughing out loud when Victor rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

They stayed on the beach for longer, simply walking by the water, throwing a ball for Makka whenever she got bored, segueing into more casual topics of conversation, even discussing what it felt like to have a sense returned to them. Apparently Yuuri had been stuck in bed for weeks because of how bad the pain had been for him, years of ballet and figure skating without any tactile sensation finally catching up with him. Victor had cringed at the thought, in turn offering up photos of all the different food combinations and cuisines he’d taken to trying out once he had a fully functioning sense of taste.

It wasn’t until they were ready to leave that Yuuri slowed down to say that he didn’t want Victor to be anything but himself. Because Victor the Person, his coach and possibly his friend, was at least a little more important than whatever had destined for them to be soulmates.

It’s enough to make Victor think, if only for a split second, that he’s very relieved that Yuuri was the person that had been destined for him after all.

*

A few months down the line and Victor’s tackling Yuuri to the ice, heedless of the screams and the lights and sound of thousands of camera shutters flashing, hellbent on smothering him in kisses. He’s still not sure if that’s more because Yuuri was his soulmate or because Yuuri was Yuuri, and Yuuri was never going to stop surprising him, but by that point, Victor really couldn’t care less.

#boycottromance #fanfiction #yoi #soulmate au #katsuki yuuri #victor nikiforov #mild angst #fluff #relationship negotiation #prompt fill #thank you for the ask! #my writing #gah it's been a while since i've posted anything hasn't it #i hope this is a fun read #sensory deprivation soulmate au 'verse #katsuki mari #okukawa minako #nishigori yuuko #adel writes

[odderancyart]

The New Girl

So this is a human/partially genderbent AU I and @kyuko-chan have talked about which also takes place in the non-Undertale version of the NRS-verse (Natéa).

So this is a thing now.

The classroom was loud and the atmosphere good-natured. Blue giggled loudly at a joke one of her classmates a few rows away had told the class and replied in kind. She received more laughter in return. Fell, her best friend, chuckled quietly at her side. The taller, black haired, leather-clad girl was leaning back in her chair and rolling her eyes in hidden amusement. She might seem intimidating, with her scar and edgy clothes, but Blue knew Fell was just a big softie at heart. Once you’d gotten past all that Fight Me, at least.

The few students who had tried to read before the lesson had given up and joined into the chattering of the class. As the bell rang, their teacher walked in. He cleared his throat and shook his head, making the bells on his horns jingle. Some students fell silent, some didn’t. Sky blue strands of hair tickled Blue’s nose, and she blew them out of the way. Shifting impatiently, she had had enough of sitting here already. Sitting still for more than ten minutes was awful. She sighed as the teacher finally got everyone to shut up and he began to talk.

Leaning onto the desk, Blue did her best to pay attention. But it was Engineering and it was freaking hard. Fell was much better; a natural talent. Blue much preferred math or physics, if she had to choose between theoretical subjects. P.E. was her favourite class though. Getting to run and climb was much better than being stuck in a classroom.

Then the teacher said something that got her, and everyone else’s, attention, “We’ve got a new student, everyone. Do come in, Razz.”

The door flew open, and in marched the edgiest girl Blue had ever seen. Glancing at Fell, she nodded. Yup. Even edgier than Fell. The new kid – Razz – was quite pretty, Blue had to admit. Long purple, curled hair. Striking purple eyes. A long scar running just to the side of her – it seemed to be a her but you never knew of course – right eye.

Black, spiked leather jacket. Her arms were obviously muscled beneath. Torn jeans. Purple stiletto boots, even higher than Fell’s. It was impressive how the other seemed to move so easily despite them. Blue would never understand how people did that. There was a reason she never had higher heels than two-three centimetres. Dear stars.

There was also something about the aura of the girl. The expression was cold, closed off, as she studied them. There was also something very lonely in it. Blue’s dad always said she was a great people person, and she could taste that this new girl was lonely. It was something with the tense posture, the expression on her face.

“Everyone, this is Razz Valkyria. Your new classmate. Do you want to introduce yourself?” the teacher asked, and Razz threw him a disinterested glance.

“No.” The short, simple answer was the only thing needed to throw him off the line. The teacher blinked in surprise a few times before he raised an eyebrow.

“Not even to tell us why you choose changed school? What are your interests?” he tried, and Razz rolled her eyes, scowling.

“Because everyone at Desroches was a piece of shit,” she said, even though she was talking to a teacher. Blue heard Fell’s snort in amusement. “Mounted archery, all horse sports, fashion, not getting crap from idiots. Can I sit down now?”

The teacher nodded, looking completely shocked. Without another word Razz went to sit at the only free desk, two rows behind Blue and Fell. The two of them exchanged glances. Desroches High was one of the fanciest schools in the country, built five hundred years ago by a Waeldéan princess who married a Beobyrian prince. What would someone rich enough to go there do at Lilypond – a public school? Blue turned in her chair to look at the new kid, waving slightly. A scowl was her only response. Blue tilted her head, studying her for a short moment before shrugging and turning back toward the front of the classroom.

Leaning toward Fell, she smiled.

“Can we befriend her?” she whispered. Fell shook her head, chuckling.

“If you want, Blue.”

After class Razz disappeared quickly. Blue and Fell hadn’t even gathered their books before she was out the door. They hurried up, and Blue’s heart pounded as they almost ran through the hallways to find her. She wanted to befriend the new kid, and if she wanted it she would. As they passed by Fell’s twin brother Red, she waved.

“Hey Red, are you eating with us or Stretch today? Or by your own?” she called as they passed, receiving a shrug in reply. Red didn’t even look up from his phone, but that was normal. He wasn’t very interested in being social and a bit of an asshole.

They were by the door to the school garden when they found Razz again. She was leaning against some lockers and talking to a blond boy who was even taller than Fell in heels. Slowing down, Blue grabbed Fell’s hand as they walked up to them.

“Hi! I’m Blue!” she greeted, smiling widely at them. The boy returned the smile shyly while Razz only scowled again. “This is Fell. You seem interesting. Want to eat lunch with us? The cafeteria’s got macaroni and meatballs today.”

Opening her mouth, Razz looked like she was going to deny them. She didn’t have time to, though, as the boy grabbed her wrist and nodded.

“We’d like to,” was all he said, voice almost inaudible. Blue raised an eyebrow as Razz twisted around, staring at him with wide eyes.

“No, I don’t-“

Once again, the boy squeezed her wrist, and she fell quiet even if she looked both disgruntled and impatient. He bowed down to whisper something in her ear, and she rolled her eyes. Yet when she turned back to the two of them she nodded once.

“Fucking fine, we’ll eat with you,” she decided. “I’m Razz. This is my brother Slim. Don’t ever hurt him or I’ll kill you.”

Blinking, Blue turned to Fell. The other looked just as bewildered, staring at Razz in confusion.

“Why in Natéa would we do that?” Fell asked, frowning. Razz didn’t reply, just staring at them. Blue hunched her shoulders slightly, feeling uncomfortable beneath that gaze. She put her bright smile back on her face, leading the way toward the cafeteria.

After grabbing their food, they went outside to eat. Due to all the different species the students in the school were, they didn’t have to stay inside while eating. For example, the dryads got rather jittery when caught up in the chaos that was the school cafeteria for longer whiles. Blue and Fell just preferred to sit outside when it was sunny and warm.

Razz was still scowling when they took their usual picnic table by the pond the school was named after. It was a big pond, full of white water lilies. The water sprites liked to play there during break. Blue was tempted to tell Razz to stop, or her face would get stuck like that but she bit her tongue. They didn’t know her well enough. Yet.

Red was already sitting at the table, nose stuck in a physics book. He didn’t look up when they sat down, only put another meatball into his mouth. Fell rolled her eyes in exasperation at her twin, but didn’t say anything.

“So, Razz, Slim,” Fell said, taking a bite of  her food. She twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “May I ask why someone rich enough to go to one of the finest private schools in the country would move to Lilypond?”

“Like I said in the classroom-” Razz replied, staring into the sky. Her eyes were narrowed and her lips were pressed together between words. “-everyone was jackasses and morons and we didn’t want anything with them to do. So we changed schools, and this one is close to home.”

Blue was extremely tempted to ask more, but it was obvious the other didn’t want to talk about it. Biting her lip, she let her eyes travel to find something else to talk about. She grinned. Razz had put her phone on the table, and on her phone case there was a picture of a horse. Blue remembered the other mentioning something about liking horses in class.

“Is that your?” she asked, pointing at the case. Razz followed the motion with her eyes and nodded slowly.

“Yes,” she replied slowly, swallowing the food in her mouth. “That’s Marmalade. My Flatland horse.”

A choking noise came from Red, who hit his chest a couple times, gasping over the table. Rolling her eyes again, Fell leaned over and hit her twin’s back hard until he stopped and was able to breathe again.

“Thanks,” he muttered before returning to his book. Blue agreed with the sentiment, though. With wide eyes, she stared at Razz.

“Isn’t Flatland horses like… super expensive?” she gaped, only to receive a nonchalant shrug in return. Slim nodded once, but didn’t appear very concerned either.

Despite the risk of appearing rude, Blue fished up her phone. A quick search told her everything she needed to know, and she held it up to Fell whose red eyes widened as well. A normal Flatland horse costed twenty thousand eight hundred Imperials. That’s more than her dads earned in a month. Not together, but on their own. And according to this site the cost of owning it was thousands of Imperials a month even after, with veterinary and food and such things. That’s insane.

Razz were staring at them now. She looked slightly confused at their reactions.

“What? Paying for her is the least our parents owe us,” she said.

Blue started at that, heart skipping a beat in slight worry for this stranger. That was an odd thing to say, especially in such a flippant way. Blue could also hear a well-hidden edge of anger, only because she often listened for things like that. It was concerning. But it was obvious it wasn’t something she could ask about. Not when they hardly knew each other. Slim was watching them carefully as he leaned toward Red, looking at the book. A small glint of curiosity had appeared in his eye.

“Red, show Slim your book,” Fell commanded her brother, apparently having noticed as well. Red glared at her, but moved his book so the other could see.

“Whatever, Boss,” he grumbled, making both Fell and Blue snort. Blue remembered when Red had begun calling Fell that. They’d been eight at the time, and Fell had been a pretty demanding child. Was a pretty demanding teen. So while it had started as a joke siblings between, it was now used more than her actual name by Red.

Taking a deep breath and ignoring exactly how rich this new girl must be, Blue did her best to keep Razz involved in the conversation. Slim didn’t even pay attention anymore, just reading Red’s book, so she didn’t have to worry about him. Razz didn’t make much of an effort, eventually just picking up her phone and doing something, but Blue was determined.

Then the break was over and they didn’t have any classes together for the rest of the day.

The next morning Blue and her little brother, Stretch, stepped of the school bus just in time to see a fancy car pull over next to the school yard. The entire bus load of kids stared as the chauffeur stepped out of the driver’s seat. They went to the passenger seat and opened the door with a blue-skinned hand, holding it open for whoever was inside. Blue blinked as Razz stepped out, nodding once to the driver. Slim followed, and they went toward the school entrance as the car drove away.

She wasn’t going to pass up the chance to talk more to Razz. Quickly saying goodbye to her brother, she ran after them, boots smattering against the asphalt. Blue was fast – she had even come 3rd place in the district finals in sprinting (the winner had been a young vampire, and they were naturally faster than humans)  – and quickly caught up with the Valkyria siblings.

Razz sighed as she saw her, and sent a glare. But Blue hadn’t been Blue if she had let that stop her. It was obvious Razz needed friends, or she wouldn’t have that lonely aura all the time, and Blue was determined that she and Fell would be those friends.

“What do you want now?” Razz almost hissed, jerking at the shoulder-strap of her bag.

“To be your friend!” Blue replied honestly, smiling widely. “Didn’t I make that obvious yesterday?”

Razz scowled deeper, and her shoulders hunched slightly into a defensive yet passive-aggressive body language.

“Look,” she spat out. “I’ve understood you’re the popular girl in this school, and I’m sure you’re used to getting what you want, but I’m not fucking interested in making friends. I’m not going to spend any time with you and your buddy pretending to be my friends to get to my goddamn money, alright? So stop following me around.”

Blue, as well as every student around who had heard what Razz said, stared at her with wide eyes. Blue was gaping. Well, that explained a lot. Razz threw her another glare before grabbing her brother’s wrist and starting to walk away. Blue didn’t know what to reply to that. Jessamine, a werewolf a year younger than them, suddenly took a step toward them.

She smiled slightly, and shook her head as she stared between the two of them.

“Hi, we haven’t met,” Jessamine said, a bit shyly. She tugged at one of her wild hair locks. “But I feel that I need to tell you that Blue would never do that. She’s the kindest person in this school. That’s why she’s so popular – not because she stomps on people.”

Blue felt the corners of her mouth tug upwards. It warmed her heart to hear.

“Thanks, Jessie,” she replied warmly, smiling at the other. Razz didn’t say anything else, just continued her way away.

At lunch, Blue didn’t suggest they’d find Razz. If Fell thought anything about this, she didn’t say anything. It wasn’t quite fair to pursue the girl if she didn’t want them to. And Blue was nothing if not fair. Hopefully someone would get Razz to believe people didn’t just want her money. She and Fell were just changing the subject from the president’s latest policies to the latest music video from their favourite artist when Fell raised an eyebrow and pointed to something behind Blue.

Turning around to look, she found herself looking at Razz and Slim arguing. The taller didn’t seem to be saying half as much as Razz, but with her expression he seemed to be winning anyway. Eventually she threw one of her hands into the air before marching toward them.

Blue stared at her as she almost threw her food tray on the picnic table and sat down next to them. Razz sent a glare her brother’s way, before sighing and looking at Blue and Fell.

“Alright,” she stated. “I’ll give you a chance to be my friends.”

After exchanging a surprised gaze with her best friend, Blue smiled brightly at Razz and gave her the thumbs up.

“Lovely!” she exclaimed. “We were just talking about Ianthe’s new music video. Have you seen it?”

#i wasn't sure whether to publish this or not #but what the hell #what's the worst that can happen #my writing #natéa #human au #partially genderbent au #underswap #underfell #swapfell #us sans #blueberry #uf papyrus #uf sans #sf sans #sf papyrus #us papyrus #ocs #high school au #HSAU #tales from natéa

[violetfaust]

Season 6B as it should have been: with Belle.

I’m sorry, I just CANNOT stop with this. It would have been so easy to give Belle the presence she deserved--which the story NEEDED--in this arc. Without interfering with the other characters’ arcs or adding a ton of screentime. 

So I’mma do it. I’m a little handicapped because I only watched half the episodes (which is three times as many as for 6A and more than in S5 entirely), so cut me some slack where needed. 

Under a cut because it got long as fuck. 

6.11: Keep the cut scene in which David and Killy betray Belle by siccing Zelena on Gideon, and Belle does something to save him. This is the scene referenced in Rumbelle’s well conversation when she talks about fighting for Gideon and trusting the wrong people. I’d also make this the scene where Zelena loses her magic--Gideon takes it to defeat her. I’m not sure what could have been cut to fit this in; the Boozer Hook scene in the Wish!Verse stands out as filler, but it was pretty funny. Probably some of the August stuff could be condensed. The cut scene was so important since it showed (or would have) that Belle would compromise her principles for her son, and would set up the Charmings vs. the Stiltskins (and align Rumbelle, and show Belle how much Killy is NOT her friend) right off the bat.

6.12: This was the David/Killy ep? I’m fine leaving Belle and Rumbelle out of it.

6.13: I’m honestly okay with an ep that focused on Rumple’s relationship with Gideon...considering that he had none in 6A, it needed building. But Belle shouldn’t have been left wandering in the woods for all of it. They could have fit in 20 seconds of a scene between her and Blue where Blue apologizes for losing Gideon and Belle forgives her and expresses her guilt, saying Gideon’s fate is all her fault. And then after Rumbelle meet in the woods, Belle could say she was going to the library to research, or whatever--something that made it clear she was being active in the quest to help Gideon. 

6.14: I didn’t even remember what happened in this--it was the Split Queen resolution. So I looked it up, and it was pretty packed--Rumbelle can stay out of it. My change would be to make the Queen and Robin together kidnap Zelena to hold for ransom (instead of the Queen kidnapping Robin). That allows for Zelena to have a scene where she expresses regret for what she did to our Robin, and the sisters become closer when Regina rescues powerless Zee. (And Zee does something useful, whatevs, I don’t care.) 

6.15: Killy ep. A big part of my rewrite is cutting Killy’s excellent adventure completely. In 6.14 he chickens out (no help from Gideon) and leaves with Nemo; in 6.15 he has his centric that goes pretty much the same, and he decides to go back and ~~fight for his wuv~~. Jaladdin wish him back to SB with a parting gift of whatever doohickey he eventually was handed by Tiger Lily. Emma doesn’t fall into his arms and tell him it’s her fault he lied, either. Something something (who cares), they’re not re-engaged; they’re going to work on it. (I don’t care how they get together--barf--but I’m not cleaning up the whole season by getting rid of CY altogether. That’s a bigger project.) Belle and Rumple have a tiny scene when they are also seen at the bar for two-for-one night. (It’s NOT a date, they both agree; but they’re exhausted and need to eat; that’s it; 20 seconds in which Bobby and Em have more sexual tension and longing than CY do in a year). Belle is a witness to Gideon stealing Emma’s tear for some stupid reason (was that ever explained?) and is horrified. Belle/Gideon 10-second exchange of angsty eyes. (I will NEVER EVER EVER  get over Belle not having a single one-on-one scene with her baby boy when he’s all grown up and destroying people.) 

6.16: Gideon ep. Since we’ve gotten rid of Killy/Blackbeard we have about six minutes to play with to split between Belle’s and Zelena’s plots. (So Zee helps Regina with Henry’s author problem. Mills family bonding. Zee can express remorse for killing Henry’s father.) Belle doesn’t just hang out in the shop while Rumple goes to the mansion looking for Gideon; she’s with him every step of the way and sees that Gideon is a betraying betrayer and Rumple is a Big Damn Hero who saves Emma. At the end when Emma tells Belle her kid is dead meat, Belle has seen exactly how bad Gid can be but she defends him all the same. Room for a longer Rumbelle bonding scene.

6.17: Again, no Killy gives us time for Belle and/or Zelena. Since Moe was around filming for (cut, of course) flashbacks for this ep, we finally get the (present-day) scene where Belle confronts him for abandoning her in the sleeping curse, and Rumbelle/Rumple fans get Belle’s realization that Rumple was the only person to fight for her and the baby when she was under the curse. Belle tells Moe that Rumple is a much better father than he will ever be (stand up and cheer moment). Killy does something useful to support Emma (who cares) so their engagement’s back on; Regina still saves Snowing by having the town take the curse; Belle and Moe are among the townspeople who drink the potion along with Archie, dwarves, Zee, and randos. Big but quiet beat between Belle and Regina because Belle is helping the people who are still determined to kill her child if necessary. At the end, Belle is with Rumple when he tells Fifi that he knows she has Gid’s heart; Rumbelle stand united against her, but Fi dismisses Belle and tells Rumple THEY will be a family. Belle is troubled; her face asks, Can she trust Rumple? Will he choose her or Fifi? 

6.18: This is the big one. Sorry, Zelena. It’s a Belle centric in which she finds a way to get to the Dark Realm, and she and Rumple go to try to rescue baby Gideon, or get some deus ex mechanism that would allow them to save him (maybe his heart’s back in this realm? I dunno; I can’t plot worth crap but no one is paying me $$$$ to do it either). Flashbacks: Baby Belle and her mommy, and why Belle can speak/read fairy. (Maybe the BlF made a play for Belle when she was a child.) We also find out the plot of Her Handsome Hero: the knight Gideon faces an evil sorcerer; to defeat him he has to go on a quest for a lot of doodads; he’s aided by a woman who turns out to be the evil sorcereress; Gideon and the sorceress respect and forgive each other for the past; he saves her from vengeful and misguided villagers (a mob with a Gastonish lead) by talking them around, and thus becomes her handsome hero. (This is my version of reconciling what Belle said about the book in H3 with the bit she read to Jack and Jill’s kid in 6.9.) Present: Rumbelle work together all the way, but whatever they try to do fails (of course) and Belle basically loses it and has an “I failed” breakdown, blaming herself for everything. This is the big apology scene that some people want, but it’s more about Belle’s long-term inferiority complex finally coming to the fore. Rumple supports her completely, takes the blame for what he did, and tells her that she’s his hero (echo of the Miller’s Daughter phone call). At the very end, Rumbelle realize that some random thing they discovered in the Dark Realm can protect Gideon from being controlled, but only in his dreams. (This fixes the plot point of whether the BlF can control Gid in dreams, and if she can’t, why he was being such a dick in the first place, trying to break up Rumbelle and engineer his own kidnapping.) Belle thanks Rumple for not giving up, and he says, “When you find something worth fighting for, you never give up.” (Cue sobs from Belle and us.)

6.19: Plays out almost exactly as it did. Belle giving Rumple her trust has much more weight now, though, because we’ve seen him earn it back onscreen. (And maybe they both decide to “kidnap” Emma to the dream world because they can’t trust her.) The main difference is that Belle is the one who saves Regina from the BlF by running out into the street (the fight takes place ten seconds from the pawnshop) and braining Fifi over the back of her head with Her Handsome Hero. (Stand up and cheer moment.)

6.20: Snow mentions at the bachelorette party that Belle sent the dresses but couldn’t come because she’s spending time with Gideon. Two seconds of communion between Snow and Emma how weird and hard and yet somehow cool it is to have a child your own age, and how they hope that Belle and Gid can become as close as Emma and Snow are. (Or a little more bittersweet, acknowledgment that maybe Emma and Snow have not always been as close as they want to be. Big hug. Uses Belle and Gid as a springboard for a Snow/Emma beat.) Cut the Rumple/Killy scene, which only served to make Killy into a vengeful asshole on his wedding day and make his vows to Emma look like lies. Replace with Belle and Gideon on the Jolly Roger, packing up Belle’s stuff because they are both moving into the Pink Palace. We can leave the mystery in this scene about whether Rumple has filled them in on his plan, or whether he’s actually working with the BlF and is a betraying betrayer who is keeping them in the dark. Belle shows Gideon some of the stuff she bought for his baby self (the teddy bear, some little onesies), and plays him the tape Rumple made of the poem. They are so happy to be together now, but aching because of what they’ve lost and what Gid’s childhood turned out to be. Very very bittersweet; ends with Belle singing a few lines of a lullabye (her contribution to the musical; maybe she starts singing along with Rumple’s voice on the tape). Cut to Gideon’s tears and mine.

6.21/22: Since Belle has had so much more presence through the REST of the season, it’s actually okay with me if she’s offstage for most of 6.21 (as she was).to keep the mystery of whether Rumple has his memories. But it feels as if their scene in the murder house was definitely cut short; so weird for Rumple to just nope out with a  “Okay, sorry to bother you, just keep cowering back there, never mind me.” So continue it for a minute or so, with Rumple gently coaxing cursed Belle out, giving her the courage to come meet her son. He takes her to the pawnshop with him, to Fifi’s horror. Angsty moment and tears between cursed Belle and cursed Gid. (Possibly she kisses him and breaks his personal curse, the way he did for her in 6.1?) Fifi then shows the whole family that Gid is under her control, with agony for all that he is being forced to blacken his soul despite everything they’ve all done to save him; maybe Gideon actually says something like he wishes he’d never been born. (Or something else so we know grown Gid is okay with being rebabyfied.) Fifi poofs him off to kill Emma, and makes her offer to Rumple that he can have this family and also Baelfire. Belle witnesses Rumple choosing reality and killing his mum. Then everything proceeds as in the real ep. Rumbelle go to the mines to find Gid’s heart. I’m a little torn here because I love the fact that Rumple (like Regina and UNLIKE a certain other someone) always resists temptation and does the right, heroic thing WITHOUT someone pointing him in the right direction and waving pompoms to cheer him on. So keeping his scene between him and his DO imp private would be good. I guess Belle doesn’t sprain her ankle, but they split up because the mines are labyrinthine and they’re trying to cover more ground. Rumple does the right thing, but it fails. He goes back to meet Belle, they comfort each other in their darkest moment, and then baby Gideon appears--only this time there’s some callback to SOMETHING they did in the Dark Realm rather than it just happening out of the clear blue sky. And we’re back to the episode as written.

(via @belle-gifs)

See? WAS THAT SO HARD? With the exception of adding Belle’s centric, most of these changes would give her only about a minute or two more per ep--but they are significant minutes. 

#belle french #rumbelle #anti-kitsowitz #WAS THAT SO HARD? #op

[athina39]

ibo s2 e14/e15 thoughts!

a bit late and long so here goes!!!

• • • re: OP song & symbolism - so the flower that features prominently in the OP is the red spider lily (lycoris). now, it's possible to read too much into op sequences, but since lycoris is pretty well-known in jap hanakotoba/legends AND gundam ibo has lots of flower symbolism already in place in canon (iron flower, ice flower, etc), i'm guessing that there's definite meaning behind it here. so lycoris has a LOT of legends attached to it. it's generally attached to death/funerals/reincarnation. the flower appears mostly in Mika's scene at the beginning & end, as well as Orga looking out into the distance with the flower petals fanning around him. so, some legends!

(a) when its flower blooms, the leaves fall; when the leaves grow back, the flowers wilt. the corresponding legend is that the flower & the leaf are star-crossed lovers fated to never meet again. it's interesting that the blooming/wilting has been foreshadowed in the S2OP1 as well (the one where Mika leans down in the field, then Orga rises to his seat).

(b) legend/hanakotoba for lycoris states that lycoris will be seen blooming if two person who may never meet again (aka, death) meet (for the last time). so definitely death flags between orga & mika, as they both see the flowers bloom (though it's leaning towards orga being the one left behind by mika's death, given that orga's observing the flower whirlwind)

(c) lycoris' other hanakotoba is it being the flower blooming on the sanzu river, therefore helping guide the dead to the reincarnation. so both orga & mika dying is also plausible, and they'll be "reincarnated" (e.g. their wills will live on tekkadan, if the Baby Project succeeds, then both kudelia and atra will get pregnant, one will be baby orga, another baby mika, or something)

(d) or it could just be trolling because the spider lilies ARE pretty lol

• • • re: The Baby Project - can i just say how much of a dick move that is? i know it was a possibility since before the break, but hearing atra explain her idea explicitly, confirming all my worst fears, is just. wow. what the fuck.

(a) personally - i hate hearing that rationale of "have a baby to have a fulfilled life". i hear it all the time in my own life; i've heard it a lot of times with others. and i gotta tell you - it doesn't work. if the person already has other priorities in life / don't even care for babies, having a child added to their life isn't gonna solve whatever problem they have. which is basically what atra wants - he wants mika to not continue pursuing his life and be fulfilled instead by raising a family.

(b) the ENTIRE TIME they were discussing it - they have NOT, for one second, thought about what MIKA HIMSELF wanted. it's all about what they think is correct, what they want. true, mika's on the self-destructive path - but it's for a reason. it's his decision, his resolve. he doesn't even want girls (see s1e1, for the often-forgotten line of mika not caring for women - said way earlier than orga's line). he doesn't even want to live outside of orga's orders (see, every episode ever). he wants to farm, but given that he knows the state of his body, he doesn't even want that anymore. he thinks babies are like ham. he doesn't want to live in peacetime. this is not a guy who wants to live a happy ever after w/babies involved.

(b.1) AND EVEN IF, atra/kudelia manages to get pregnant - what then? obvious choice would be mika will continue to fight. if he dies (which is foreshadowed to hell and back), what will happen to the baby? to atra? to kudelia? they'll be single moms. baby will not know their father. if he lives - he'll still be crippled. and i'm not saying crippled people can't be parents - but he's gotta be connected to barbatos to move properly. he can't fully help/support in raising the kid. IF mika has a change of heart and discovers that BABIES!!!, then what? who the fuck would fight all the enemies tekkadan made? they'll fucking lose everything and they'd all be dead/not have livelihood.

(b.2) again. they DON'T EVEN DISCUSS WHAT MIKA WANTS. and this is my main beef with atra (&kudelia, to a lesser extent). atra is mika's supposed childhood friend. orga and mika met each other first, but orga/mika met atra fairly early too. the three of them have lived/survived/interacted with each other since they were young. atra... should know that mika listens to orga. everyone in tekkadan knows it. even merribit, who has only joined them for a few months, knows it. even hush, the newest recruit knows it. atra, who's known them the longest... SHOULD know it. and she knows orga. why couldn't she talk to orga if she feels mika's being too headstrong? if she has to go around mika anyway, why not talk to orga first??????????????????? (it's a lesser extent to kudelia because she hasn't known them that long and she might have reservations talking to orga, as their relationship is more business compared to atra/orga, BUT STILL.) everyone fucking knows that to get mika to listen, orga just has to say the words.

(b.2.5) they don't know orga's concerns about pushing mika (as those are between orga/naze, orga/biscuit, orga/mika, to a lesser extent, orga/merribit & orga/old man (lol)) are they... worried that orga will not listen? doubtful, as orga's always shown himself to be The Good Boss. are they... worried that it will not work because mika will not listen? because news flash, if mika doesn't listen, it's because he doesn't want it. therefore if they push through the baby plan / or do whatever to prevent mika from fighting ----- they're forcing mika to do something he doesn't wanttttttttt

(b.3) i've seen some support The Baby Project because atra's idea of a mika harem was inspired by naze's....... and just no. atra has completely missed the point of naze's harem if she wants to tie mika down. as the latest episode confirms (RIP), naze's harem isn't a standard harem in which they're all tied to naze - instead, they're women who naze invites to attach to himself as they're lost/at their lowest points/still finding their way, and they're welcome (i would say encouraged, really) to "leave" their attachment to naze once they're steadier, more secure in their life/life choices. it's the exact opposite of tying someone down and forcing naze (mika, if we go for the comparison) to be the pillar who can never leave. the women in naze's harem aren't chains holding him down. naze isn't a pillar holding them to one place. turbines stay together because they want to - and they know that they can leave if they want to.

(b.3.5) it's not as heavy-handed, but the latest episode also shows a different turbines parallel - naze/amida/turbines vs orga/mika/tekkadan.

- naze/amida met way before turbines (orga/mika met before tekkadan/cgs) - naze (orga) is more of the silver-tongue, businessman who hires/recruits someone (amida/mika) who's more into battles, but doesn't physically look it (i know, women and kids can be strong too, but amida/lafter/azee had a lot of lines before saying about how women/kids don't look like they should be in battle, but look at them now, that sort of thing, so it's an accepted way of thinking in ibo-verse) - naze/orga about accepting the physical "flaws"/marks left behind by fighting on amida (scars)/mika (paralysis) - naze/amida being the "parents" of the group they're in, a group that allows people from all ~walks of life join, but allow them to live whenever they need to (e.g. TAKAKI.) - naze/amida otp, so... orga/mika otp too lol

ANYWAY. good god, i can write a few more about this, but just. the entire concept is so WTF ATRA NO

• • • re: vidar's "i want to understand mcgillis' motives": NOOOOOOOOOOOOO lmao i had a mini heart attack when vidar used "shinyuu" to say "true intentions" re: mcgillis, because you know what else is a "shinyuu"?! that was used in a dialogue re: gaelio/mcgillis?! it's shinyuu = one true friend, the term mcgillis used to describe his relationship w/gaelio. and okada is very good about all these dialogue references all throughout so i'm confident that this was on purpose.

• • • re: Akihiro/Lafter: YES PLEASE

• • • re: the other plot points: so worried about mika's impending death, about azee & cute mechanic girl (they're not in the op), vidar (bec he's along the dead people banner in the op), teiwaz get your shit together, etc

phew that was a lot lol

#athina rambles #gundam ibo #gundam ibo spoilers #gundam: tekketsu no orphans #gundam: iron-blooded orphans #episode ramblings

[a-2-da-g-2-da-u-2-da-std]

So here it is. this is only like 5 songs Katie and hasn't been spell checked and needs a lot of development but these are the rough ideas basically.

UsUK cardverse Raleigh Ritchie au

Story begins before music plays, with a monologue of sorts from narrator[Arthur] set out like a fairytale beginning, but with mentions of darker things, death and famine and plague.

Werld is mine-light intro and humming like a heartbeat to the song. Begins on the light piano with Arthur stalking through a lavish castle, passing deep, age old tapestries hung up, with the view being glimpses of Arthur caught, a glimpse of a crown, the footfalls of soft leather riding boots in black that reach mid calf, a ring finger weighed down by a deep cobalt sapphire. All dark ambient lighting, as if something sinister is unfolding. As the bass kicks in more, enter a glimpse of Alfred, just as passing as of Arthur, both glancing over at one another as servants rush around, preparing and preening the monarchs ,heated loaded looks between the two rulers.  1st verse delves into memories that correspond with the lyrics. ‘Fucks given at an all time low’ flashes back to Arthur, head held high and a dangerous glint in his eyes. At ‘sticks and stones.. I don’t know any better’ more flashbacks to show glimpses of their journeys to being together, of how they started apart, with hatred, and have grown closer, how they are now in love and in power. Slow focus in on both getting dressed and made into their royal images. ‘Take take me away’ Arthur is shown leaning in for a deep kiss and Alfred inhales as if Arthur’s his oxygen, as the ‘I wanna live forever...but honey this world is mine’ plays, and the focus is back again on Arthur, who has a small smirk and a put upon self confidence that carries his hidden past, and the audience sees the first real look at both monarchs together, something dark and fiercely protective and utterly in love between them.  Back to piano is focused on their achievements. ‘I wanna live forever’ focus on their deep relationship, flashbacks of their love. ‘I wanna be better’ their royal relationship focus on their crushed velvet robes and glinting crowns. ‘I wanna be scared’ personal turmoil, war, plague, famine, all part of a rulers plight. Ending of the two walking out to face a full audience of court, heads held high as last line is sung, ‘this world is mine’.

[the next ones Stronger than ever and it shows their bond and sort of delves into their relationship. its introduced by another monologue, which speaks of a pair of lovers so deeply infatuated that theyd tear the stars from the night sky if they should so scald the other. a king and queen so deeply in love that the ruled alongside one another, in tune with one another, as no such monarchy had done before, or with such a deep dedication]

Stronger than ever-Beginning to show how they got to the throne, Alfred’s background as hes growing up and trained from a young age how to be a king, how he must be a soldier from a young age and fulfil his duties to his kingdom. and Arthur’s brief background, how he was on the verge of death so often, a bastard child of some nameless whore, thrown out onto the streets from the day he could walk, growing up on an empty stomach and only his own grit and wits. and now how they have so much power and grace, and how they support each other, how their pain has brought them to where they are. When gets soft ‘this is easy’ shows a scene of marriage, a softly illuminated scene in a grassy field, beneath a silk canopy and the softly setting sun. both are in crowns of wildflowers and loos white clothing without shoes or any significance of royalty, the lighting surrounding them orange and gentle as they look over at one another fondly. (note arthurs bouquet.White lilies - Virginity; Purity; Majesty; It's Heavenly to Be with You.Yellow lilies- I'm Walking on Air; False and Gay. ORANGE BLOSSOM IVY - Wedded Love; Fidelity; Friendship; Affection. FERN - Magic; Fascination; Confidence and Shelter.FERN Maidenhair - Secret Bond of Love - Innocence; Eternal Love; Marriage and Fruitfulness. AMBROSIA - Your Love is Reciprocated. AZALEA - Take Care of Yourself for Me; Temperance; Fragile Passion) then the drop in the music, and theres a sudden flash of two perspectives, both of theirs, of war and pain, and then the mention of family is them back to back, looking as though the shaodws falling across their faces were closing in on them. The soft next part shows them facing trials together and rising better from their experiences.

Was not always this way . cue some dramatic monologue

Bloodsport- shows forced marriage between the prince who is grieving, and despises the impoverished background of Arthur. Arthur is trying to earn his respect, fighting against him, for the people, in political matters. Shows shouting and sparring, until soft part where they dutifully pick each other up. I am all yours is Alfred knighting Arthur, begrudgingly. As the song picks up again they seem to keep disagreeing and fighting, yet still picking each other up, though Alfred still distrusts Arthur greatly which causes them to fail as one monarchy unit. They’re shown in a carriage in soft silence, Alfred refusing to look at Arthur, Arthur looking out of the window resignedly.  Just before slow soft part around 230 the scene breaks to heavy bootfalls and fire, the monarchs being ambushed on their carriage ride. Alfred thrown out the carriage and Arthur grabs his hand helps him up, beginning to kill their ambushers, ‘ill protect... might need me later’ Arthur takes a knife wound instead of Alfred, both meeting eyes, alfred gaining respect. Flashbacks to their sparring at the castle as outro plays, then Alfred catching Arthur before he falls.

[Arthur gets medical help as narrator talks of this event spurring on the beginning of an alliance between the two monarchs, and then a conversation can be overheard between the two monarchs in the carriage ride home, Arthur pale and leaning heavily against Alfred. The scene is slow and soft and the beginning of a curious love between the two. ‘So where are you from, Arthur?’ ‘N- Northern peninsula.. Albion- in a fishing village not far from one of the main ports.. i.. I forget the name of it..’ ‘oh? Friends, family there? What’s your story?’..’ my story?’] 

I Can Change- focuses on arthurs upbringing, parents no where to be seen, a starving toddlers, turning to a street urchin, up to a sneaky teen, to a 16 year old kissing a girl against an alley wall. ‘see my lady’ focuses on the lovesick daft grin on his face despite their surroundings. Arthur leans in again and resurfaces signing contracts he cant even read to be enrolled in a higher purpose. Switch to ‘this is my calling’ and ‘more mature’  enrolment into the army, and an aggressive  fight between Arthur and his lady, as she screams and tells him hell never find better and that no poor man gets in and that to even attempt is showing her how little worth she is to him ‘cant live without..’ shows clips of the army training, and how he almost beats a man to death whilst thinking back to the fight, having to be dragged away by officers. Cut to the officer speech as Arthur is displayed before the rest of the army, being beaten and flogged. Cut to him ‘rid of the excess pain’ boarding a sailors ship, when the outro plays it shows arthurs ship getting blown to pieces by a pirate ship, and Arthur being tied up with the rest of his ships crew, when a pirate offers him a hand ‘seen enough of those army pigs to know a good fighter flogged.. make your choice, well not cause you that flogging..’ the music fades as Arthur grabs the pirates hand, being welcomed with a warm  embrace to the pirates family.

[’they’re the family I ‘ad, that ship.. ‘til we got cocky, too far intae naval waters. Captured us in th’name of th’ king, s’mthin’ about a queen’s mark. Course I ‘ad it. Took me aboard, locked t’others in dungeons..’scene is Arthur lying, bandaged, in the castle, drifting into sleep with Alfred sat beside him ‘ill get them out, I swear, arthur’ ‘ta, Alfred’ and shows Arthur fall asleep. narrator speaks of how since then the two found company in one another, visiting more often through the weeks of arthurs recovery, culminating at a soft warm early summer evening, when Arthur and al sneak out in the evening]

Keep it simple- Alfred and Arthur sneak into the small seaside town, grinning and playing as commoners, Alfred grabbing arthurs hand at ‘I know I don’t know you’ marvelling at the sights, sounds, the gaslamps and the seaview, walking along the ports promenade, following the lanterns above their head celebrating the beginning of summer, until ‘im full of shit sometimes...’ when Alfred glances over at arthur fondly, as Arthur looks around in quiet awe and soaks in the smells of fresh food and the salty breeze off the sea. Alfred is pulling Arthur onto a ship, and Arthur grins as they pull it away from port, Alfred watching in slow gentle awe of love as Arthur controls the ship with practiced ease, hanging from ropes in commoners clothes with practised ease as if this is comfortable for him more than riches. Alfred smiles, and shakes his head- scene cuts to Arthur laughing and shaking his head at Alfred fondly as Alfred shoves food into his mouth, both adorn in flower crowns, walking back to the castle arm in arm, tipsy and warm and looking both at each other with the same awe and love that was never before realised. Scene fades to the night sky, and then to Arthur smiling up at Alfred as Alfred presents him with plans to improve the naval fleet, with Arthur being allowed his old crew and ship back, and free reign over spades expansive seas of spades and the whole naval fleet, and a faint, sincere thank you is heard as the scene fades to narrator. 

[lostxdrcams]

Tag Drop | Remus Lupin | HP

#remus; visage | [ the flesh reflects the madness within ] #remus; interactions | [ a million lines for a billion hearts ] #remus; loves | [ i think i could need this in my life ] #remus; desires | [ i don’t need you to sell me on reasons to want you ] #remus; musings | [ you took my sorrow and you took my pain and buried them away ] #remus; headcanons | [ i don’t need you to fix what i’d rather forget ] #remus; relationships | [ you wrap your arms around my heart just like you always do ] #remus; verses | [ there’s never much to read between the lines of what we need and what we’ll take ] #remus; answered asks | [ seekers of truth must only ask the right question ] #remus && lily; relationship | [ oh baby girl you know we’re gonna be legends ] #remus && lily && james; relationship | [ don’t make a sound because i’ll be with you the whole way down ] #;tag drop