#all while exchanging them for little hints about how phoenix was doing and what he was doing and if he was all right

[the-judicial-assistants-notebook]

oh yeah i hate this btw. lmao:

#so she didnt know phoenix had a daughter but she knew kristoph well enough to imitate his voice and parallel his sprites? #cool cool cool aha *explodes* #ema skye #kristoph gavin #ace attorney apollo justice #it's the. implications of it. the idea that phoenix wasnt talking to her and she got assigned to the prosecutor who took him down #and then she has to work with /another/ gavin but this one is. nice. strange maybe but nice. #and the only other person around who seems to fully be on phoenix's side. his one real ally aside from her and one he actually talks to. #her relationship with apollo shows that she's willing to cooperate with DAs so long as they're connected to phoenix and kristoph was #so she probably had no qualms helping him. i wonder how much info about him he got from her and how much he used her #all while exchanging them for little hints about how phoenix was doing and what he was doing and if he was all right #i wonder if she passed the pin phoenix wears in his beanie through kristoph. just to remind him she was still there if he ever needed her #aa4 explain ANYTHING about kristoph challenge (impossible) #im pretty sure she got it from him too? no one else around her really crosses their arms like that. #phoenix doesnt klavier doesnt lana definitely doesnt... mayyyyybe edgeworth? but he tends to tuck his left hand under which is opposite #and the way she folds her arms in the investigation games is different. there she DOES tuck her left hand out of sight like edgeworth #so it's like she did imitate him a little at one point and kristoph somehow overwrote that. like he overwrites miles's place in nick's life #ahaaaa anyway im so normal about them

[tragedytells-tales]

A Found Family

Notes - GN!MC, fluff with a hint of angst, hurt/comfort, inspired by 'Can you Imagine that?' By Emily Blunt & Nathaneal Saleh / 'I'll save you' By jordan sweeto, and THIS POST by @lorkai + Raz Feat. MC, Solomon, and OC orphans ( teens, kids , and toddlers )

Summary - MC and Solomon make their monthly visits to the devildom orphanage!

Warnings - extremely self indulgent and written simply because I wanted to!

Tw - minor injury mentioned

So, perhaps we've learned when day is done / Some stuff and nonsense could be fun / Can you imagine that?

MC could barely sit still as the orphanage crept closer into view. They barely recognized the smile that was slowly growing as they organized their bag for the day. Solomon chuckled from beside them as the car came to a stop, he too organizing his own bag of tricks.

MC hooked the bag onto their shoulders and nearly sped-walked forward. "What's so funny over there, chucklehead?"

Solomon struggled to keep up for a few seconds before he found his footing, he flashed MC a fond smile before turningback to the building. "Nothing at all. I simply admire how you're still this excited as if it's our first day despite this being our, what, one year anniversary of this?"

MC flashed Solomon their own excited smile in return. They thought back to memories of the kids with glee as their excitement built all over again. "What can I say, it's impossible for me not too! The children's smiles always make it feel like the first time!"

"Hmm, can't disagree with that." Said Solomon.

"So-" he grabbed one of his spell books "-how do you say we introduce ourselves this time?" He finished while flipping through it.

"Hm, well-" MC started, this was cut short as they saw little eyes glow with excitment as they waved. They didn't have the chance to wave back as the little demon rushed off. "-I think someone already beat us to it."

MC and Solomon exchange mischievous smiles before racing eachother to see who could reach the door first.

"MR. SOLOY, MX. MC!!! YOU'RE HERE!!!!"

MC cackled as Solomon quickly became a make shift jungle gym. Solomon got his pay back when MC had to catch a kid when they jumped into their arms.

Solomons arm slowly became tired so he summoned a solution and decided on making the kids levitate. Each of them let out their own giggles, chuckles, and belly laughs as they swam throughout the air. Solomon let out a soft sigh at the kids happiness.

A young demon pulled on Solomons pant leg and bounced on his heel while making grabby hands. "Me too, Mr. saly, me too!" Solomon bent down to pick him up and tossed him to to air, much to the kids delight, "As you wish Lux!" And with that the kid let out a delighted squeal as he was sent flying.

MC pulled headphones out of their bag and placed it on a younger demons ears. Phoenix had been clutching onto them for some time now, they leaned down to their level and showed them kind eyes. They spoke in a low tone and brushed firey bangs out of their eyes. "Are you okay nixe?"

They nodded and continued to clutch onto MC. The elder human thought for a second, "What happened to your other ones, nixe?" The young one pouted and signed about a kid at RAD stealing them. MC shook their head and shot Phoenix a confident smile, "Mkay, then you can borrow these until that lil theif is caught!"

Phoenixs' eyes slowly widened and they nodded rapidly, they signed their appreciation with a thankful smile and crinkled eyes before rushing off to one of the older teen demons a few feet away. She picked up her younger sibling and called out from across the room, "Thanks your highness!"

MC waved as they watched the two go play with the other kids.

"What are ya makin Delta?" The demon in question placed down their paint brush and held out their hand for a handshake. "Sup your majesty! I was just painting is all!"

MC glanced at the painting with awe, "is that neverland?" Delta stood beside them and nodded enthusiasticly "Yeah! I was struggling with coming up for a project idea til I remembered the story that you read yesterday. So decided to paint a scene from it."

Delta began listing off the differences and similarities between the story and the painting, they explained the story behind it while talking with their hands, they became so engrossed in their tale that they didn't notice the small crowd that gathered to listen.

"And that's it!" They finished while placings their hand on their hip. Their eyes flickered with shock as the rest of their housemates clapped, some others pat them on the back and asked questions about the painting.

When they looked up and met MCs eyes, they were met with pride as MC ruffled their hair. "You're gonna do amazing Dels."

And amazing they did.

MC and Solomon made sure to stop by their classroom to see the presentation. Their proud smile never left their faces, they listened attentively and nodded along. And when Delta eventually got their grade back, MC and Solomon made sure to remind Delta of just how talented they are.

Even if it was with ice cream and junk food, it was the most fun Delta had had in awhile. They smiled till their cheeks were sore and laughed till their throat went raw under fairy light lit trees as a projector played some of their favorite movies.

That night MC and Solomon made sure hang up the painting in the entrance of the building.

Solomon glanced around at the destroyed room and knocked on the slightly burned door. The teen in the corner decidedly ignored the knock to curl in further on himself. Solomon leaned against the wall and sighed, not in dissapointment, but instead out of worry.

"Sorry to interrupt, but those burns on your hands look quite serious."

"Just leave me alone your highness. It's not important anyway."

Well that didn't ease his concerns. Solomon shut the door behind him which caused the room to become pitch black. He took careful and quiet steps forward until he was met with reflective gray eyes. He sat down a few feet away from the curled up ball and held out his own glowing hand.

His eyes eventually softened as hiccups turned to harrowing sobs. The demon eventually reached out his semi burned hands while Solomon made quick work of cooling, healing, and wrapping them.

Even when Solomon was done, he didn't let go of the young demons hand until he was ready. Solomon never asked what happened, never pushed the boy to open up, he instead quietly held him until the sobs died down and his breathing began to even out.

He glanced around the room one more time before helping him stand. Comfortable silence blanketed the room as the two stood their for a moment longer.

"Would you like to step outside for a bit, Avis?"

Avis took a few more deep breaths before nodding in response. Solomon stepped back a bit and ruffled the teens hair. He grabbed Avis' hand and lead him out the room. Avis kept his eyes to the floor and his bandaged hands in his pockets.

MCs eyes flickered from Avis to Solomon as concern covered their gaze. Solomon simply shot them a carefree smile as he exited to the back gardens. MC watched them leave before walking off to the kitchen.

Solomon sat down with Avis right outside by a fountain. Avis stared up at the stars as the days exhaustion washed over him. Solomon allowed Avis to rest his head on his shoulder, even if Avis hesitated, he knew the offer was appreciated as Avis soon fell asleep next to the wizard.

The two woke up in a cuddle pile of pillows, blankets, and other housemates. Avis' sister Kana could be seen a few inches away. She plopped a few more blankets on the two before falling asleep herself. MC could be heard putting away their book before turning down the lights and passing out on a nearby couch.

"Is Avis okay?" Whispered a younger demon as they tugged on Solomon sleeve. He squeezed their hand and promised that their friend would be a-okay before sending them off to sleep.

Solomon watched Avis fall asleep with a small smile on his face and made a mental note to teach him other ways to cope before falling into the pull of sleep with own smile.

"Ooooh, Mx. MC, whatcha makin?"

MC leaned down to pick up the child up and gave them a peek into the pot. They eventually set the child back down as they went back to stir the Malloreddus. "I'm making Malloreddus, fried chicken, and sausage ginnoch for dinner tonight!"

The child tilted their head for a second before climbing on a stool. They peeked at the dish for a second before turning to MC with a curious stare "what's Melloradus?"

MC chuckled and handed them a piece of ginnoch to munch on. "Well, Malloreddus is the national dish of Sardina, Italy. The term mallolus means morsel, or small piece of food!" The child nodded along as they swallowed their food. "What's Sardina?"

"Sardina is a human world island off the coast of Central Italy, another human realm country!" MC explained while setting the food aside. They lifted the child off the stool and went to go set the table.

The child followed beside MC as they helped them set up the table by pushing in chairs and handing out name plates. They puffed out the chest with pride when MC pat them on the back and thanked them for their good work.

MC got to work carrying the food to the table and setting up silverware and bowls. The child continued to munch on another piece of ginnoch that MC had handed them. MC set out condiments and toppings and went to double check on any allergy meds they might have missed.

When all was said and done MC and the child shared a high five to celebrate their good work and MC sent them away to go wash up. By the time they came back, a few of the seats had been filled and they found that their own had been pulled out for them. They thanked their friend next to them and the two shared a hug.

Once the rest of the group had sat down to eat and food had been brought to the sick ones. Everyone began to eat and share stories about their day or how things went at RAD. MC and Solomon eventually got challenged to see who could come up with the greatest story, which MC, naturally, won. Much to Solomons dismay.

Solomon pouted for a bit before starting a makeshift magic show, which he even wore a magicians hat for. No one knows where it came from, but MC decided not to question it.

MC pulled out a book from their bag as children surrounded the spot on the floor. Solomon began entertaining his own group of kids off to the side aswell.

MC began reading Stellaluna by Jenall Cannon, while Solomon began to illustrate the kids wildest dreams. Horses and dragons could be seen dancing above head as wide eyes watched in awe. Others could be seen slowly closing as they began too feel drowsy.

Colors of Cobalt, Burgundy, and Sangria flowed across sleeping faces, while some of the older teens set up their own sleeping spots. Solomons magic slowly diminished as the wizard fell asleep while surrounded by demons, some even on top of him.

MC finished off the story as they maneuvered a few of the children into more comfortable positions. They felt a few children curl up to their side and felt a warm smile crawl up their face.

They muttered the last few sentences to their story and held both Solomon and the children closer as they felt sleep claim them.

"How can we be so different, but feel so much alike? Mused flitter. And how can we feel so different and be so much alike? Wondered pip. I think this is quite the mystery. Flap chirped. I agree, said Stellaluna, but we're friends, and that's a fact!"

AN - I have a lot of world building Headcanons, Devildom orphanage included. That and I adore the thought of Solomon being good with kids.

Divider credit - X

#obey me shall we date #obey me gn!mc #om solomon #oc insert #omswd fanfic #omswd

[heather-ouo]

Last minute 

Khalique x Gender neutral! reader

:)

Things to remind

(Y/n) - your name

(H/c) - hair color

Khalique - my oc

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Masterlist

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“ Remember me now, time cannot erase. I can hear your whispers in my mind~ ”

“ Khalique.. ”

“ Hm? ” The white haired looks at you.

“ Why.. do you always sing the same songs over and over again? ”

“ . . . Making it part of your muscle memory. ”

Making it part of your muscle memory.. that line always confuses you, whenever the tension gets quiet between you two, Khalique starts to sing the same song to ease the quietness.

“ I've become what you cannot embrace. Our memory will be my lullaby.. ” she holds out her arms as a bright red Eagle size bird flies towards the duo.

* screech *

“ Hello to you too, Phoenix.” The girl smiles, Phoenix lean down a little and boop her nose with his maxilla.

“ I wanna try that too! ” 

“ Hold out your arm. ” The (h/c) quickly holds out their left arm and Khalique tips her head and hints the bird to stand on your arm.

You watch Phoenix jump from Khalique’s arm to yours and you can't help but to awe at this scene. A real life undead creature! Standing on your arm!

“ Did you raise Phoenix when it was an egg or? ” 

“ I made him. ” you start to get confused, truth to be told you never got clear information about her ability as a Herrscher.

“ You forgot what my title is? ”

“ Ehhhh?! Creating live things is also part of your ability?! ” the (h/c) can’t help shouting out loud, giving Phoenix an unstable platform so he quickly jumps to the handrail that’s beside the duo.

“ Living beings come naturally from the first humans made by gods as for the ones who secretly create lives will pay a price for a soul to reside in the shell. ” Khalique points her index finger at Phoenix's chest.

“ His price was a massive amount of Honkai and Gem of Haste. ”  A red gem appears before the bird’s chest.

“ Can you tell me about how you made him? Pretty please?~ ” 

“ Not until I die~ ”

“ Come one Kha! Let me Kno……..

. . .

 . .

  .

“ Khalique wakey wakey… ” you pats Khalique’s face 

The (h/c) never thought that this day would come so soon… the scene they fear the most. With fainted Khalique covered in her own blood in their arms, Phoenix, who covers the duo with his original body size, lays beside them low screeching in pain.

It happens so soon after everyone and you defeat The Last Herrscher, people cheer around but are interrupted with Khalique’s bloody screaming as she shouts everyone to get away from her.

You try to go near her only resulting in Phoenix who quickly takes you away backing up a long distance between Khalique and you with the survivors.

Massive golden chains swam up from the ground ties around the girl which she broke the moment it wrapped around her, everyone prepared themself for the upcoming attack and you? 

You are scared, Khalique told you about this before, she was forbidden to help the current era’s humanity in exchange for a human vessel to live on Earth, if she ever helped humanity again.

After humanity defeats The End. 

Khalique will be the last one who is forced to destroy every bit of Earth.

“ FRONTLINE FALL BACK! ” Durandal yelled while riding on her way to the Valkyries that's in danger.

Few small explosions can be heard with a few Valkyrie screaming in pain, a Golden round force-field spread out, causing some Valkyrie who brings The HW reader with them and are inside the force field to explode.

“ ALL THE READERS HAVE EXPLODED! ” One of the Valkyrie shouted as they run back.

Chaos. 

Pure Hell.

And someone’s manic laughing followed with the sound of chains slamming the ground.

All you can do is stand there and watch the hell unfold before you. Suddenly you spotted a figure who broke their way through crowds of Valkyries as someone yelled your name.

It was her price to pay.

And now she is paying for the rule she broke.

Moving like a loosen puppet.  

Oh.. who’s she kidding? Khalique doesn't have control of her body. Killing every life sign is her main priority, yet that one (h/c) with a gigantic red bird stands out in the battlefield.

Who are they..? Why.. are they giving off a familiar feeling to her? And why does… she want to rush to their side? Endless questions of your flow through her mind while Khalique body unconsciously ran to your direction.

The herrscher stops in front of the (h/c), it pains you to see Khalique’s dull golden eyes and wounded hand dripping golden blood on the dirt.

She raised her right hand up then…

A Greatsword suddenly cut off her hand, Blood splatter on your face and Phoenix feather. The person grabs Khalique's remaining hand and throws her away to get some distance from each other.

“ (y/n)! Are you alright? ” the person- no.. Kiana turns a little to see you are okay then turns back to face Khalique.

The herrscher is surrounded by remaining Valkyries with their weapon ready to attack, and Kiana makes her first move.

“ Flamethrowing sword! ” Kiana swings her flame sword at the Herrscher.

“ Mimicry : [ Shield ] ” 

Droplets of golden liquid from the ground and Khalique’s hand(s?) start to form into a Shield, despite its made of blood but nevertheless it works like a real shield.

* CLANG!! *

“ !!! ” 

The intense vibration from the sword slam against the Shield causes Kiana to drop it. 

“ Mim..icry : {/ key of ca..stigation \}. ”

 As the Katana forms in the Herrscher hand, waves of attacks thrown by the Valkyries send her flying into a broken down building.

“ Moonlight Throne… ” the (h/c) mumbled.

You can't help to see the force-field spreading out at a fantastic speed, Valkyries who happen to stay in the field within a few minutes turn into zombies.

“ Kiana! Notice Principal Theresa we need The Moonlight Throne! ” you shouted.

Kiana nodded and immediately summoned a portal then disappeared to the other side.

  . . .( gonna skip it, if i write more. 

   . .

    .  It’s gonna spoil my honkai storyline ending part )

It..

Turns out the one who’s controlling Khalique’s body was The Honkai God.. she still has her consciousness attached but is empty.

Phoenix almost lost his form during the fight, surprisingly he didn’t turn into a mindless beast the moment The core was extracted from him, nevertheless it also weakened him.

How long has the time passed by? 

Few minutes? 

Hours? 

You held Khalique’s shattered core close to you, its usual warmth gone, replaced with icy cold and leftover blood when the (h/c) violently grabbed the core out of her body.

When Durandal uses the Abyss Flower on Khalique, nothing happens other than her wounds start to get worse. At least she is awake

All the Honkai… are gone.

The Bringer of all start and the end…

Is gone.

And the price?

A Created Life for all.

You only can watch in despair as Khalique’s body slowly breaks down into ashes despite leading all the Honkai energy you have in your body to her.

Khalique gently grabs your hand and a familiar lyrics enters your mind.

“ W..ait a second, let me catch my breath.. ” She then cups your face, she is warm.. but not for long.

“ Remind me how it feels to hear your voice….” 

“ Khalique…. ” 

Khalique opens her eyes a little, knowing the ending like this but… she wants to hear your voice one last time… busted eardrums didn’t not help at all.

“ Your lips are moving,… I can't hear a thing. ”

“ Livin’ life as if we had a choice…” 

“ ..Don’t miss me too much, okay? ” 

“ I guess.. I can.. ” you see Khalique's confused face and realize she can't hear you.

The (h/c) quickly form a smile on their face for the white haired girl to know they understand. Khalique smiles back in return as the ashes reach her head.

“ Humanity.. has won. ”

In your arms is replace with bouquet of Spider lilys and few Gentians mixed in and her Core lays in the middle.

——————————————————————————————————

Masterlist

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Search up the flowers :)

And sorry for long wait

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Tag list ( permission asked :D )

@azukaa

#Honkai Angst #Honkai impact angst #honkai x reader #honkai impact x reader #honkai fanfics #honkai impact #Honkai Oc x reader

[heavenlyeros]

All this recent lore seemingly pointing us to draw the connection between Umun’arath’s corruption and Saladin slowly falling to the darkness himself is driving me crazy. Is Xivu Arath whispering dark temptations to our favourite angry warmonger? We don’t know, but it sure seems like it. And then, of course, we have the emotional rollercoaster that Osiris has been going through. Naturally, I can’t help but look (respectfully) at these two arrogant and extremely competent men 👀 They have both spent a very long time with only themselves, and they are both acutely aware that they are good, so it’s no surprise they’ve built fortresses around themselves - and blinded themselves in the process, too. It’s been exciting and terrifying hearing these two grow to respect each other over the past few weeks, but while Crow sways Amanda to acceptance... I was not quite expecting Osiris to be swayed to Saladin’s views. He was always quite firmly in the middle, for what’s logical for the greater good if nothing else, and it makes sense, but it hurts. And that exchange where Osiris confirms his support were Saladin to split from the Vanguard and go against their wishes? Sign me the f up.

I wrote a thing about this, of course: my interpretation of what’s been going on in Osiris’ brilliant, idiotic bird brain. Warnings for angsty O14, Sagira, and general sadness. This is only how I see it (hint hint please come scream about lore with me whether you think the same or different), shaped in part by some amazing lore people in the community (check out r/destinylore and also tumblr user homosiris’ essay on Osiris if you haven’t because dayum, that’s some good shit that echoes my angsty feelings just right): 

Picture this: you wake up one day from your forever-slumber with no memory of who you were before. The little drone who appears to have brought you back - your ghost - explains that the Traveller has gifted you with Light. You have infinite questions. You might not precisely remember the world you came from, but you know it has changed. Everywhere you go is a battle: the hive, the fallen, even your own kind - war lords versus iron lords. You find out that not many were given this gift. There is no other logical option, of course, but to keep fighting these battles to protect those who cannot. You don't understand, but every day answers a new question, and you have faith that the machine god in the sky must have chosen you for a reason. Years pass, outright wars, the weight of leadership. Your questions take different shape. Reason chips away at blind faith. You realise, one day, that the only gift your people have been given is the gift of war - that the Light's gift for you was to be a warrior. Endlessly. Your questions make others uncomfortable. Eventually you are exiled. Your student, your colleagues, your friends - they don't stick up for you. But you've been bearing the gift of dying to protect others forever. You must carry on. And despite all of your doubts and all of your anger, the Traveller's shackles, your ghost, your little light - she sticks by you. She never stops supporting you. She is your dearest friend. The two of you spend what feels like an eternity in the corridors of time. Not lost, but always searching. You make echoes, countless reflections of yourself, but for centuries upon centuries the only voices you ever hear are Sagira's, and your own. No one reaches out. They did not listen before, and they will not now. You carry on fighting in your isolation, forever seeking an answer to the most frightening of questions - how do you stop the end of everything you hold dear, the annihilation of your people? The few who paid some mind to your so called "prophecies" are little more than fanatics. It lends you little credibility. You are not only an exile, you are a pariah; you are alone and that extends beyond the simulated limitlessness of the infinite forest. You would not admit to it, but you are lonely, too. Time changes you. Confined within these confluxes, doubt takes roots, and you realise your mistakes. No one ever came to apologise to you. But more painfully than that - you have no one to apologise to. Would they give you the chance, if you were to return? Would they even be there at all? Or would everything you failed to prevent have crushed them into nothingness? You must fight on. Time also makes you powerful. You were always amongst the very best, but in the forest you hone your skills into the closest thing your kind has had to godhood. If nothing else, you have faith in yourself. If no one else, you will prevail. Something changes, one day. In the blink of an eye you are lost in the inevitability of the vex's machinations. You lose Sagira, too, for her own good, maybe for good. No matter; you must fight on, you must continue in your mission before the calamity has time to sink in. But another Guardian shows up. They carry the fight where you couldn't. They bring with them Ikora, too, and she seems willing to listen. She invites you to come back - come home. But what you did get back was your little light, and a million more timelines to explore, infinite new questions, and you know there will be no place for you in the City that threw you out. You have become invincible, and with that invincibility comes the wisdom of knowing where you cannot take another blow. You have spent eternity preventing untold histories repeating outside the realm of your control. You have grown skilled at not repeating history. Amongst the people who left you behind - whom you left behind, a little voice that might not always be Sagira's nags in the back of your mind - was the one that you loved most. You would never say, you would never risk it. So when you find out that he did not abandon you at all, but has come on a crusade to get you back -- you don't know what to feel. Joy. Horror. Love. Fear. Only, you don't know what you fear most. And suddenly it feels like your whole life's work has come to exactly this moment. It is now your turn to get him back. It strikes you, all at once, the suffocating loneliness you have endured. The tether to your sanity that was your clear purpose. It terrifies you, the hurt Saint has been subjected to. It terrifies you, too, the purpose that has kept him fighting. You don't know what to make of it. But in the end, you don't have to. You don't succeed. You wouldn't ever let your countless failings eat at you, but this failure is like a dagger through your chest. It is the Guardian, once again, who recovers Saint. Time is funny and cunning like that. You know where to find him. You know you would be welcome back, too, but time has made you see open arms as little more than a cage, a trap waiting to close in on your lungs and crush them. The guilt, most of all, cannot be reasoned with. Saint is good. Saint represents every ounce of Light you wouldn't believe in but cannot help still having faith in, even after all this time. Saint would not see in you the hate that you do. You cannot put him through that. Saint deserves the world, and even in your egotistical confidence you know that you are not it. So you must fight on. For the world that Saint deserves. Sagira, of course, is as always by your side. You don't know how it happens. One moment you are a fury of light in its every shape, and the next you are alone. Truly alone. You had accepted time has finally come for you. You were ready to die. Not... not this. But you must carry on fighting. You have nothing else left. It is once again the Guardian who saves you - this time because you asked. Not to save yourself, but to avenge her. Days and weeks and months pass and all you can do is drown in the fight. You must do it for those you love, so you do not lose any more, even if they will not have you back. The fight takes a different form now, but it is still a fight. You are confined to the City. The place that exiled you, now become prison. All because you dared ask the questions that terrified them! And you paid dearly for it. You are heartbroken and tired and underneath it all you are angry - an anger that bubbles pleasantly to overtake all of the pain. You must not give in to it. You are invincible. This, too, time will heal. So you tell yourself you fight because of love. Your love for the people, your love for this prison-City, your love for Saint. You catch glimpses of people looking at you with pity and it fills you with rage. You cannot escape this anger. It keeps you fighting because you are so, so exhausted, and there is no place for you to rest your head. You have made your loneliness into a way of life. You do not need their pity. You will prevail, as you always have. Sagira might be gone, but you will learn to carry on. You always have, you will prevail. You will fight for those who are hurt - you will not fight just to hurt those who hurt you. That is how it's meant to be. And you are always right. You are the Vanguard Commander's advisor now. It feels like a mockery - the mighty phoenix, now little more than a flightless canary in a gilded cage. You remind yourself these people care about you. That after all this time, and after all of your perceived wrongs, they have taken you back. You remind yourself it is them you fight for, any way you can. It is a slow road back up now that you cannot fly, but you will make it out. You will come out soaring. Victorious. You know it is true; you are always right. You work alongside Lord Saladin. He carries the same exhaustion you are all too familiar with less gracefully than you do. You see him be consumed by countless traumas, you see him for what he is - a shellshocked veteran flailing in resemblance of fight, clinging desperately to a place he used to have in a world that has moved on. He doesn't sleep, doesn't care for himself, his living quarters are a mess. You almost pity him, but you have to stop yourself to laugh at just how similar you are. Saladin is past forgiving. Saladin is past compromise. He has let the hate consume him, make him blind - but in his anger you see him come alive with a fire you know you shall never again harness. Perhaps Saladin is right. Perhaps you were wrong. Perhaps the only way to not give up is to give in.

#destiny the game #season of the chosen #destiny 2 #lord saladin #osiris #destiny osiris #destiny #i have a lot of feelings and all of them hurt #if there is an ounce of potential for angst and pain in something you bet i will latch onto it like the hungriest monke #these two angry assholes? yes #i could have had something wholesome but no #give me the idiots #someone needs to slap some sense into them #at first i hoped osiris would slap some sense into saladin #and honestly? he is well known for playing the long game #he might not be the wisest but he is smart and a good strategist #so maybe this is all just a ploy for osiris to do exactly that #osiris has a voice line i think in presage about saint saying hello #he is not an island #he has a support group #i just really don't think he's actually accepted that whatsoever #maybe he will #or maybe he'll fuck up again he's good at that #tell a man you don't agree with him once and he will go fight literal god all by himself #anyway yes #p a i n o c l o c k

[vivithefolle]

I was always confused by Hermiones behavior towards Ron in OOTP. Was she trying to hide her feelings? because she didn't really gave him any signs. Why she was so nasty at him with the teaspoon thing. Was she trying to make him jealous with the letters? What did or didn't she understand from Ron giving her the perfume. Is all this just JKR being stupid because she don't want them together before the very end. Sry for all these questions but I am rly confused can you plz help Vivi?

Once again, I’ll copy one of my Quora essays!

it’s a stereotype to say that girls resort to underhanded tactics when it comes to dating, or like to “test” their partner’s love… but it’s a stereotype for a reason: there are teenage girls who resort to those tactics.

The archetype of the Tsundere exists as an exaggeration of the traits some teenage girls demonstrate when they find themselves in a position of vulnerability such as “having a crush on someone”.

For someone as prideful as Hermione is, having a crush on someone is extremely threatening.

Hermione prides herself in her logic and intelligence. The validation she receives from getting good grades is something she needs, because she’s very insecure deep down. She thinks all she has to offer is her intelligence, and as she goes from a little girl to a young woman, this causes her grief because she doesn’t want to be just “intelligent”. As her body develops and changes, she finds that being the smartest one in the room isn’t enough anymore - she still loves being the smartest in the room, but she wants more than just that, she wants validation for other things. That’s why she was extremely hurt when Ron tactlessly (and Rowling-ly) remarks “you’re a girl” - she wants to be seen as a girl, as a woman, as more than a walking brain. She wants validation that she is a girl, and beautiful, and sexy, and capable of making heads spin. She needs “sexual” validation, for lack of a better term.

Of course she doesn’t really realize those feelings. All she knows is that it hurts when Ron seems to consider her “one of the guys”, or looks at girls that aren’t her. She likes it when he compliments her, but she’s also angry at him because he only ever seems to compliment her intelligence and damn it, she wants him to compliment something else! She wants him to look at her, REALLY look at her! Look at her like he looks at the pretty girls!

Little does she know that Ron does look at her, but he probably thinks he’s a pervert for doing so. Because - because she’s Hermione! She’s not like other girls, she’s not - she’s not the kind of girl you ogle! She’s the kind of girl you gift flowers to - roses, they’re her favourite - the kind of girl you have long, meaningful talks with - not sure if they’re always meaningful, but they sure talk a lot together! - she’s the kind of girl you… the kind of girl you love, not the kind of girl you just look at…

*wistful sigh* Mutual pining, mutual admiration, slow burn, +100k words…

But truth is, many people go around saying that Hermione treating Ron harshly and treating pretty much every boy (with exceptions like Draco Malfoy) more gently is because she actually doesn’t like Ron, and likes anyone but Ron.

When the truth actually is that… Hermione is awful. No, no, seriously, when Hermione is in love, she’s terrible. She can be a nice friend but when she’s in love with you she’s horrible. Especially since she’s a teenager.

Hermione is a prime example of a Tsundere.

The cute, blushy, giggling Hermione who flirts with [insert character here] and cries delicately when she’s rejected? Pure fanfiction. Canon Hermione keeps her love aggressively hidden behind countless iron walls, only letting it peek through when she’s absolutely sure the person she likes isn’t looking.

“How was practice?” asked Hermione rather coolly half an hour later, as Harry and Ron climbed through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room. “It was -” Harry began. “Completely lousy,” said Ron in a hollow voice, sinking into a chair beside Hermione. She looked up at Ron and her frostiness seemed to melt. - Order of the Phoenix

Rare footage of the Hermione Granger, scientific name Selfinsertus Overratedus, displaying interest in specimen of mighty fine hunk

Hermione isn’t sweet and tender and kind with the one she loves. At least, the teenage Hermione isn’t. She’s harsh, she’s disdainful and only gives out breadcrumbs of affection once in a while as part of the complicated mind game she’s playing.

You see, Hermione is never going to make the first move. You must be the one to ask her out, because she sure as hell ain’t going to do it for you.

This is due, I think, to the events of Goblet of Fire. Viktor Krum asks her out because Rowling absolutely wants Hermione to be the ugly duckling who transforms into the beautiful swan, so she brings in Cardboard Cutout With No Personality Aside From Being Famous to woo her self-insert.

Now Hermione has gotten the experience of being asked out, and being a rather socially awkward person who also hates being vulnerable - more on that later - well, now she just assumes that if someone asked her out once, then anyone who does like her can do the same.

Which is why she doesn’t realize that Ron is actually aware he loves her. There’s a big comedy of assumptions going on in Romione’s love story.

Hermione believes that Ron either 1) likes her but is oblivious to his own feelings and so she thinks she has to “give him hints” to make him realize it. Emphasized best by this exchange:

Hermione laughed. “Harry you’re worse than Ron [at understanding girls]… well, no, you’re not, “ she sighed, as Ron himself came stumping into the Hall splattered with mud and looking grumpy.

“I’ve sent him so many signals and yet he doesn’t notice. Woe is me!”

2) doesn’t actually likes her, but sees her just as a good mate or worse, as another sister.

Hermione keeps flip-flopping between her two assumptions throughout the series, all because of her biggest assumption: she thinks that if Ron was interested in her, he would ask her out. Because Viktor Krum was interested in her, and he asked her out, so why wouldn’t Ron do the same? They’re both boys and she’s a girl, after all. Isn’t that how it works?

This is also why Hermione’s “““invitation”““ to the Slug Club isn’t even an invitation - really, it’s worse than Ron’s invite to the Yule Ball, at least he was actually offering her to come:

“We’re allowed to bring guests,” said Hermione, […], “and I was going to ask you to come, but […] I won’t bother.”

“I was going to ask you to come but I won’t bother.”

This is literally what she says. It’s more of a “look Ron! An invite! If you’re good maybe I’ll think about letting you have it!” than anything else.

It’s because this is Hermione’s last resort. The ultimate humiliation. She has to resort to inviting Ron when in her mind, he’s supposed to be the one asking her out. He’s the boy! He’s supposed to do it! (And this is why I laugh at all the fools who claim that Hermione is the pinnacle of feminism. Seriously, the girl is more of a misogynist than any other character in the series.)

Hermione failed to take into account that Ron’s insecurity cripples him worse than she imagines, and that he copes with it differently than she copes with her own insecurities.

And this is the part where I explain about Hermione’s hatred of being vulnerable.

You see, I can relate quite a lot to Hermione - I see a lot of me in her, and a lot of people who hurt me in the past as well.

Bullied because she was an easy target, being the know-it-all and local teacher’s pet? Yep. Bullied for her appearance (I got braces when I was 8 and have been wearing glasses since I was a toddler, she had her bushy hair and buck teeth)? Can relate. Cried easily? Super check. Rule enforcer when the teachers weren’t around? Mega check.

And naturally, when you’re such a water fountain as I was, there’s nothing more humiliating than ending up crying in front of your bullies. You quickly learn that it will bring you nothing but more bullying. More humiliation. More vulnerability.

Hence why you start despising any form of vulnerability you find in yourself.

Obviously, being in love? That’s one of the most terrible things you can find yourself in when you’re afraid of being vulnerable. Because, oh god, your feelings are completely insane around the person. They make or ruin your day. You keep wanting to show them how cool / great / impressive you are, and you try desperately to mask all your little faults so they will hopefully return your feelings.

Given that Hermione is already not the most socially-aware battering ram in the knife drawer, she acts especially nasty to Ron, because she’s overcompensating for the vulnerability he makes her feel. And she most likely isn’t even aware of it! Forget Fanfic Hermione cringing as she realizes how mean she sounds, welcome Canon Hermione who just doubles down on a pointless argument just to drive home how totally in control she is and how Ron has absolutely zero effect on her, no siree!

In short: Hermione overthinks. She overthinks everything. She’s overthinking every of Ron’s actions, she’s assuming he’s either out to get her because she assumes he’s perfectly aware of her crush on him and he’s just toying with her (this is the very insecure, pessimistic Hermione speaking), she’s assuming he’s completely oblivious to her feelings and so she uses the ages-old technique of the “subtle hints” to make her feelings known to him (and fails miserably because she doesn’t want to put herself out there too much in case he rejects her, which would be the ultimate humiliation and the worst possible thing to happen to her, in her teenage girl mind), and she’s assuming he’ll never like her the way she likes him, all the while being woefully oblivious to the fact that Ron does want to be with her but she keeps sending him signals that she sees him as a troublesome child rather than a potential partner.

All in all, a teenage Hermione in love is utter torture. She’s her own worst enemy, and it’s only when she decides to let go of it all - of the mind games, of the distancing, of the passive-aggressive; of the overthinking - and just takes a chance that her efforts bear fruit.

There was a clatter as the basilisk fangs cascaded out of Hermione’s arms. Running at Ron, she flung them around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Ron threw away the fangs and broomstick he was holding and responded with such enthusiasm that he lifted Hermione off her feet.

(As much as I’m disillusioned with Romione, this kiss is still one of my favourite parts of the series. They mutually sweep each other off their feet for god’s sake, you wish your ship would.)

#vivi answers #ask #romione #hermione granger #ron weasley #ron weasley defense squad #ron weasley defence squad #hp fandom #hp meta #character analysis #hp analysis #romance #teenagers

[chibinekochan]

How to become a Demon Ruler 205

Part: 00 I 01 I 02 I 03 I 04

Gender Neutral Reader insert

taglist: @ayesha95 ; @nomnomcupcakesworld ; @fex-phoenix ; @depressed-bixch ; @kitsune-oji ; @witch-o-memes : @gallantys ,@tanspostsblog ; @undertaker-02 ,

---------------------------------

The walk to the school is pretty pleasant. Since No. 2 is so small I'm a bit slowed down but it's kind of nice regardless.

I can't get enough of looking everywhere. The devildom is so similar but so different compared to the human world.

Then we come by a huge mansion. It looks old but refined. I can't help but stare at it.

Then I see a familiar pair of demons.

It's Asmo and Mammon.

Asmo waves to me happily. Mammon looks rather sleepy.

"With this, my job is done. See you later, papa." No. 2 waves to Mammon.

"Hold on, I'm not your papa and besides what do you mean by your job is done?" Mammon seems honestly offended.

"Well, it would be too suspicious for me to go to school and I have better things to do." No. 2 shrugs.

"He isn't wrong, don't be such a grouch. Only because you got forced to do this task doesn't mean you have to have an attitude about it." Asmo shakes his head and shrugs. "You are more than welcome to go ahead without us Mammon."

"Ain't gonna happen. You will just use that chance to fool around. Lucifer would be so pissed off about it." Mammon sighs.

"You aren't wrong about that but I promised to be a good boy." Asmo plays innocent.

"So you are bringing me the rest of the way?" I'm slightly confused since nobody told me about this.

"Yep. Beel and Belphie will bring you back home later." Asmo seems pretty happy to be here.

"We should start going, if we are late I will get strung up by the ceiling." Mammon sighs deeply.

It sounds silly but he looks so troubled that I doubt it's a joke. "That's a pretty extreme punishment."

"I know right? Lucifer is so unreasonable." Mammon shakes his head.

"Don't listen to him, it's a pretty common punishment for Lucifer to give us." Asmo must see my frown and tries to explain it to me. Somehow it's not that helpful to me.

"So… I'm off then bye." No. 2 is getting impatient.

"See you later No.2," I say goodbye to him.

"That little guy is such a pain in my butt." Mammon sighs deeply.

"He is kinda cute in a way." I shrug.

"So that's your taste?" Asmo chuckles.

"Not like that. I mean cute in a little puppy way." I roll my eyes and laugh lightly.

"I can't agree with that." Mammon shakes his head.

And so we head towards the school. Talking about random stuff. It's pretty nice. It makes me calm down greatly.

Soon we arrive at the huge school. There are students everywhere. There are demons in all shapes and sizes, even more than on the ball. I have to try to not stare.

Soon we run into the other brothers.

"Good morning everyone. Now I feel like I'm late." I'm not at all but it seems strange to see them all so early here.

"That's because we are part of the student committee." Satan quickly explains.

"Yeah, that's something Lucifer forced on us. I want to sleep." Belphie yawns.

"It's not bad. We get lots of snacks." Beel seems pretty chipper.

"I guess we should head in before someone gets an attitude again. The new students are also supposed to come today. They all probably will get the welcome speech." Mammon doesn't sound interested at all.

"Well, I don't mind. I have to show the newcomers my amazing self after all." Asmo smiles brightly while fixing his hair in a mirror.

"It's gonna be so awkward being in front of all these people," Levi mumbles under his breath.

I feel bad for him. "It probably will be over before we know it." I try to encourage him.

"Beats being in class." Mammon shrugs.

"See you later." Beel waves to me before they all head into the room.

I wait slightly awkwardly in front of the door, knowing they will open the doors at a specific time later.

The school is even bigger than I expected. I wonder how everything will be going.

Then I notice a commotion in the garden just outside. I step outside to see what is happening.

I see a group of demons surrounding two students. One of them looks like a child. Maybe he is lost? I keep looking and notice the demons seem hostile.

"We don't need your kind here." One of the demons aggressively shouts towards the taller students.

"Right go home yo u stupid angels!" Another Demon glares at them.

So these must be the angel exchange students. I get ready to step in, if I hate anything it's bullies. I had enough of them for myself.

Before I even manage to reach them I see Diavolo emerging behind the crowd." Please, everyone. This is a place of learning and coming together. If you don't like it feel free to go home but if you stay I won't accept another bad word from anyone." Diavolo speaks with a smile but his tone is clear and allows no talking back.

All of the demons stop talking and pretty much run away. It's pretty impressive.

"Are you both okay?" Diavolo looks worried at the angels.

"We are fine, thank you for caring for us." The older angel seems calm. Maybe he is used to demons treating him like this?

"Demons like these don't scare me." The younger angel says, with a shaking voice.

"If anyone should bother either of you please tell me or the school committee right away. I want this to be a place of happiness not hate." Diavolo smiles at them.

They seem to be unsure of Diavolo's words. "Thank you." The older angel hesitates. The divide between them is undeniable.

"Oh, there is the human exchange student. Come meet the angel exchange students." Diavolo smiles, seemingly a bit unsure of how to address me.

I walk towards the angels. "Hello, nice to meet you." I wonder how they see humans.

"Hello, I'm Simeon and this is Luke." Simeon smiles at me, I can't see a hint of resentment. This is reassuring at least.

"I haven't met a human before but I hope we can get along." Luke seems more hesitant towards me. I can't fault him for that. "I hope we get the opportunity to get closer in the future. I can't believe I'm meeting two angels. A week ago I didn't even know demons were real." Honestly, it's still hard to believe.

"I certainly hope we can live up to the expectations." Simeon chuckles lightly.

He seems to be a pleasant guy. I wonder what his thoughts are on all of the realms becoming closer.

"I'm sure you will. Why did you decide to come to the devildom anyway?" I can't help but wonder.

"Well, we have our reasons." Simeon doesn't seem to want to talk.

I don't dig deeper.

We keep standing together, waiting to be called into the room.

#obey me #omswd #obey me fanfic #demon ruler 201 #how to become a demon ruler #obey me diavolo

[refinedbuffoonery]

Mr. & Mrs. Claus

You should know that I wrote this whole thing just for the bad pick-up line Mac uses. And then I got hit with major baby fever while writing the end and....you’ll see.  Merry Christmas, y’all! ❤ 

Established MacRiley AU

*****

Riley’s only warning to Mac’s arrival was the slam of the front door before he yelled, “I’ve got the rings!” His boots clunked on the hardwood floor as he walked down the hall to their bedroom. “Let me get dressed and then we can go—” 

Riley met Mac’s eyes in the bathroom mirror. He stood in the doorway, slack-jawed, taking in the full effect of her costume. Smiling to herself, Riley finished applying her mascara, arching her back and sticking her ass out for his benefit. 

Mac cleared his throat. “Wow. You look incredible.” 

She twirled to give him the full effect. The stretchy, ribbed material of her off-white sweater dress clung to her body, stopping just below her knees and leaving nothing to the imagination. Her favorite black, high-heeled boots gave the outfit just a bit of edge. But the real showstopper was her coat—crimson velvet trimmed with fake fur, swirling gold and silver embroidery, elegant bell sleeves. It even had pockets. 

“This is my favorite part.” Clasping her hands behind her back, Riley swayed back and forth, watching the bottom of the knee-length coat swish like a bell. 

“It’s stunning,” Mac said, still a little stunned himself. He finally closed the gap between them. “You’re the hottest Mrs. Claus in LA.” 

“Literally,” Riley joked. “This outfit is toasty, and in case you didn’t realize, it’s definitely not cold outside.” According to her phone, the high was supposed to be 74 degrees. 

Mac rubbed her arms. “In all seriousness though, you look beautiful.” 

Even after all this time, Riley still blushed. “Thank you,” she murmured against his lips as she pulled him down for a quick kiss. 

She sat on the bed, unashamedly checking her boyfriend out while he changed into his own Santa costume to match hers. He fished around in the pocket of his discarded jeans and pulled out a pair of rings. “Matty said we, and I quote, have to return these to the Phoenix tomorrow, so no using them to build a homing beacon or something.” 

“Got it,” Riley said dryly. “No homing beacon.” She reached for her ring, but Mac seemed to have other ideas. He handed her his ring instead—a white gold band with a thin, but ornate border. 

Mac spoke in a deep, announcer-like voice. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Mrs. Claus, you may go first.” 

Riley held his left hand in hers, playing along. “Do you, Santa Claus, take me to be your wife?” She tried to be serious, but her lips curled into a smile without her consent. 

“I do.” Riley slid the ring on. Mac continued, “Do you, Mrs. Claus, take me to be your husband?” 

Riley made a show of thinking it over first. “I do.” He slid the ring—an engagement ring and wedding band fused together—onto her finger. She’d worn it before. Like Mac’s, it was white gold, but the tiny diamonds set into the bands made it glitter in the light. The engagement ring part had a princess cut diamond surrounded by more tiny diamonds, making the whole thing walk the fine line between opulent and gaudy. 

She looked up, and Mac’s soft smile made her want to melt in a puddle. “I’m going to kiss you now,” he announced, lacing their fingers together. 

“Okay.” Riley wrapped her arms around his neck. “You do that.” 

*****

They drove Riley’s Jeep to the hospital, since someone forgot to go to the gas station on his way home, and they were already late. They’d gotten a little distracted after their fake wedding. 

Mac rested his hand on Riley’s thigh while she drove. She leaned away from him, resting her left elbow on the door and holding the top of the steering wheel with her right. When Mac didn’t take the hint and started caressing her thigh instead, Riley batted his hand away. 

“Oh no,” she scolded. “We are not doing this right now.” Mac pouted in the passenger seat. 

They arrived at the hospital, hauling two massive bags of presents with them. The hospital administrator met them in the lobby to escort Riley and Mac to the children’s wing, thanking them and the think tank profusely for the entire duration of the walk.  She and Mac exchanged the same sly look they always did when someone referred to the Phoenix as a think tank.

Meeting the kids went by in a blur. Altogether too many young, bright faces swarmed the waiting room, clamoring to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus. With each kid she met, Riley was in awe of how they were all so positive and happy and full of laughter, even though many of them were so sick and would be spending Christmas in the hospital. 

The kids gravitated to Mac like moths to a flame. He sat and talked to each one, asking how they were doing and what they wanted for Christmas. They asked him ridiculous questions, like what snacks the elves like best and who his favorite reindeer was. In a classic Mac moment, he explained to a wide-eyed group of ten-year-olds that male reindeer lose their antlers every winter, so his reindeer are actually all females. 

Every time Mac walked past—which Riley suspected was far more times than necessary—he squeezed her arm or grazed a hand down her back, and Riley couldn’t help the smile curling her lips each time he did it. 

After a while, Riley gathered the kids and read a picture book version of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Pausing to show her young, captivated audience the pictures, she flicked her gaze to Mac. He stood in the back of the room with his arms crossed in a very un-Santa-like manner, chatting softly with one of the pediatricians. The rainbow lights of the Christmas tree behind him cast him in a warm, pink glow. 

The kid closest to her tugged on her coat, and Riley turned her attention to the girl. She was probably ten or so, with intense, dark eyes that probably never missed a thing. Including Riley’s wandering attention, apparently. “Are you checking out Santa?” she questioned. 

Caught. Riley cleared her throat. “Um—” Giggles erupted throughout her audience. “So what if I am? He’s very handsome.” 

The girl scrunched up her face. “Gross!” Riley joined in on the second wave of giggles before returning to the story. 

Later, after the chaos of opening presents, the adults rounded up all the kids and settled in to watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The hospital administrator set it up so the movie projected on an empty wall. Mac pulled up a pair of chairs behind the projector and motioned for Riley to sit. Lacing their fingers together, Mac leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for doing this with me.” His expression was raw and unguarded. 

Riley squeezed his hand twice in response. “Are you kidding me? I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” 

They’d barely made it ten minutes into the movie when the shyest kid—a six-year-old boy wearing Spider-Man pajama pants who looked like a tiny version of Bozer—crawled into Riley’s lap. The boy didn’t say a word; he simply nuzzled his face into Riley’s shoulder and wrapped his tiny arms around her waist. Riley let go of Mac’s hand to pull the boy into her chest, where he fell asleep for the remainder of the movie. 

Afterward, Riley carried the boy back to his room while Mac started to say goodbye to the other kids. They’d been there more than half the day, and for many of the kids, it was time for blood tests or scans or chemo. Or maybe just a nap. 

Riley hugged the last kid goodbye with a bittersweet smile on her face. The little boy in her arms was so young, four or five at the most. Behind him, his mom mouthed, Thank you.

When the boy finally let go, Riley looked him square in the eye. "You be good, okay?" He giggled, nodding furiously before returning to his mom.

The boy and his mom walked away, leaving Riley and Mac alone in the waiting room. Riley stared after them. That had to be so hard, watching your kid have seizure after seizure and then spending days in the hospital, waiting for answers the doctors didn't have.

"Riles." Mac's low voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "You okay?"

She blinked. "Yeah, I was just thinking about that kid."

"I know," Mac sighed, rubbing his face. "He asked me if I could stop his seizures for Christmas."

Riley's heart clenched. "What did you say?"

"I told him I'd try my best."

Riley swallowed, trying to dislodge the lump in her throat. Without thinking, she drifted into Mac's embrace, hands finding purchase on his chest and resting her cheek on his shoulder. His arms circled her, pulling her tightly against him.

She couldn't string the right words together to describe how she was feeling. Sorrow, for the kid whose childhood was now destined to be filled with doctors and hospital trips. Empathy, for the single mom trying her best to remain positive for her kid's sake. Admiration, for the way Mac smiled reassuringly at the little boy despite the tears welling in his eyes. Riley settled for, "I love you." She kissed Mac's cheek.

Pressing his lips to the crown of her head, he said, "I love you too."

They stayed like that for a long time, only parting when Riley said, "Let's clean up and go home."

Remnants of wrapping paper and plastic packaging littered the floor—all that was left from the bag of presents they'd brought. Well, that and the glitter. The ungodly amount of glitter that was, to Riley's horror, everywhere.

She picked up a wad of half-crumpled wrapping paper, sending a flurry of gold glitter airborne. Most of it landed on her clothes. Great. She'd be finding those damn gold flecks for months.

Mac chuckled behind her. She whirled on him. "It's not funny!" she said with mock offence, sticking her tongue out at him.

But he wasn't looking at her face. His eyes tracked her every movement, lingering on the places where her off-white sweater dress hugged her curves beneath her long, red coat.

Riley made a show of brushing the glitter off her dress, starting from her knees and working upward, drawing Mac’s attention with her movement. When Mac's gaze finally reached her eyes, she winked before resuming not-so-innocently picking up wrapping paper. Riley kept her back to him, waiting for Mac to make the next move. 

Hands locked on her waist. Mac tugged her closer, his lips grazing her ear as he spoke. "I'd put myself on the naughty list for you."

Smirking, she replied, "Oh really." Riley glanced over her shoulder and had barely even realized Mac's face was still right there when his lips landed on hers, and he spun her to face him fully. The pile of wrapping paper she was holding fell to the ground at their feet, covering their boots in more glitter.

The kiss wasn't very good. Riley couldn't stop smiling, no matter how hard she tried to pull herself together enough to kiss him back instead of bursting out laughing. I'd put myself on the naughty list for you. He said that as if he were on the nice list in the first place. They broke way too many laws on a weekly basis for that to be true. Not to mention, Mac's non-consensual cell phone breaking alone was enough to put him on the naughty list for life.

"Are you just going to keep grinning like an idiot, or are you actually going to kiss me back?" he teased.

It took all of her concentration to pull off even the most chaste kiss. A little too eagerly for being in a hospital waiting room, Mac sucked on her lower lip and slid his tongue into her mouth, his hands sliding under her coat and caressing her sides.

Riley had just gotten it together enough to slip her own tongue in without getting a mouthful of teeth or fake beard when she heard a faint giggle. Her eyes snapped open, and she saw the cutest little girl peeking around a Christmas tree. 

“Santa, we have an audience,” she warned. 

Mac pulled away, blushing faintly, but his hands lingered on Riley’s stomach for an extra second. He gestured for the little girl to come closer. Sheepishly, she rolled out from behind the tree. Tinsel covered every available inch of her wheelchair, and the wheels lit up when she rolled in a way that reminded Riley of the light-up sneakers that were popular when she was a teenager. Not that she'd actually owned a pair, of course.

Mac squatted in front of the girl, whose wild blonde curls were equally unruly as Riley's own hair. "Were you spying on us?"

"Maybe," she said with a shrug.

Mac twisted to look at Riley. I like her. "What do you think, Mrs. Claus?" he asked. "Do spies get put on the naughty list?"

Yes. She winked. "I think this one can stay on the nice list. She managed to sneak up on Santa, after all. Very impressive."

The kid beamed. She had no idea.

"Yes," Mac said slowly, "very impressive." He turned back to the girl. "So, what do you want for Christmas?"

The girl listed a whole bunch of presents, claiming she wanted to give Santa options. Mac listened intently, nodding at all the right points.

Something warm bloomed in Riley's chest as she watched the scene unfolding in front of her. To say Mac was good with kids would be an understatement. When a kid spoke to him, he always gave them his full, undivided attention and took every word very seriously. When a kid was being serious, Mac was serious, and when a kid was acting silly, Mac would be twice as silly. And as a result, he could crack even the shyest and grumpiest of kids, and, more importantly, they would trust him. 

A thought popped into Riley's head. I want to have his babies. As if her body was reiterating what it already knew and her brain had just figured out, her hands unconsciously drifted to her abdomen. 

The same spot Mac's hands hands had lingered a minute ago, she realized with a start. Did...did he want kids with her too?

Riley wanted kids—she wanted kids with Mac—but she also knew that neither of them were ready to give up their job. They couldn’t keep doing what they did with a kid in the world. After growing up with absentee parents, they’d never risk leaving their kid to grow up without one or both parents. 

But when the time finally comes, when she and Mac are ready to trade in getting shot at and making stuff explode for stability and mundane normalcy, she won’t be able to wait any longer to start a family with him. 

She waited until they were in the Jeep before broaching the subject of kids. Tentatively, she began, "What were you thinking about back there when you put your hands on my stomach?" The look on his face then said he was definitely thinking about something, but Riley didn't want to assume what. 

Mac dodged her question. "Sorry, I didn't realize I did it." 

Riley knew that was a white lie, but she didn't call him on it. He'd answer honestly in his own time. Since it was too big a subject to outright ask him, Riley took a more subtle route instead. “Do you see yourself having kids?” 

His eyes widened in response. “You know I want kids.” 

That wasn’t what she meant. Wanting them and actively reshaping your life in order to have them were completely different things. “Yeah, but do you see yourself settling down, getting a safe, normal job, and raising kids?” They’d vaguely talked about this before, long ago, but Riley suddenly needed to ask him again. 

Mac was silent for a long time, staring out the front window. “Yeah, I do,” he finally said. “With the right person.” He glanced over at her, eyes softening. 

Me too, Riley wanted to say, but she choked on the words. It took her a couple tries, and the words came out strangled, but she was pretty sure Mac understood. Neither of them needed to say it directly in order for the other to understand: I want to have kids with you. 

Riley spent the rest of the drive fantasizing about the kid-filled Christmases in her future. She glanced down at the ring on her finger. First step, she thought. Get a real ring. 

#beth writes #macgyver #macriley #christmas fic #established macriley au #macgyver fanfiction

[askaceattorney]

Dear forceofnatureandcorn,

...Really?

............................................................Okay, fine.

*Ah-HHHHEM!*

Our good friend Mr. Grossberg is given very little development or backstory in the Ace Attorney series (he sort of disappears after the trilogy, in fact), but I also believe Capcom did a good job of making a lot out of a little with him -- in the first game we see him in, he only has two different sprites, and is never seen anywhere outside his office (not even in cutscenes).  In the second game he appears in, he’s given a simple color scheme change, has a button removed, and has two additional sprites, and even in that game he doesn’t go anywhere outside the courtroom and defendant lobby.  A character who fits that description might sound like a very minor one, but Mr. Grossberg’s role in the Ace Attorney story is in fact one of the biggest most important ones.

When we first meet him, he seems like a friendly (if a little pompous) sort of fellow.

But there’s at least one thing that can cut his pride down to size a little -- namely, his history with the Fey family.

Phoenix mentioning Maya’s name is enough to make his countenance change in an instant.  For reasons he’s clearly afraid to say, he refuses to take Maya’s case, regardless of the fact that he’s her sister’s former mentor.  He seems to remember Mia fondly, regarding her as a fast learner and a passionate attorney, so why would he be so quick to abandon Maya?

Luckily for her, Phoenix manages to step in at the last minute, but we’re left to wonder what (apart from his hemorrhoids) could be bugging Mr. Grossberg until after the first session of Maya’s trial.  Before seeing him again, though, we learn something about him from an acquaintance of his.

The plot thickens gets more interesting, as they say.

It turns out “Grodyburger” at least had the decency to come to Maya’s trial, but he still refuses to admit why he wouldn’t defend her in the first place.  Being the clever lawyer he is, Phoenix finally manages to squeeze some of the truth out of him (sorry to put that image in your head) by connecting him to Redd White after he notices his missing painting.

Phoenix’s timing couldn’t be better, as Grossberg has been dealing with a heavy tough burden for many years, and is now all too eager to confess it to someone.

15 years ago, he made a deal with the devil (or in this case a close relation by the name of Redd White): wealth in exchange for information.

By leaking the fact that the police had used a spirit medium -- who happened to be Mia and Maya’s mother -- in attempting to solve the DL-6 Incident, Grossberg made himself a bit richer, but the money wound end up costing him dearly.  When the police began searching for the one who sold them out, White made him another offer.

On top of the immense guilt he’s had to carry ever since then, he’s had to pay off Bluecorp the whole time.  Defending Maya would’ve only made his situation that much worse, which finally explains where his reluctance came from.

At this point, it's clear that Grossberg is guilty of being both a greedy rat and a coward, but there’s still a tiny part of me that feels somewhat sorry for him.  While he has no one but himself to blame for what’s happened to him, it’s at least good to know that he feels some level of shame for it.  It would’ve been nice if he’d felt like doing something about sooner, buuuuuuut it’s better than nothing, I guess.

Thankfully, he has the decency not to leave it there -- he decides to put Phoenix on White’s trail by offering him a hint.

This act of kindness ends up being the spark that ignites Phoenix’s flame, so to speak, and in the end, Redd White and his blackmail-powered corporation are finally stopped in their tracks.  (At least I assume so, or else they probably would’ve come up in a future game.)  Thus Grossberg turns out to be a crucial ally for Phoenix, redeeming himself ever-so-slightly.  It’s a shame we don’t get to see any interaction between him and Mia or Misty afterward, but at least his story ends on a happy note.

...Oh, right.  There’s still a bit more to his story, isn’t there?  *sigh*

Two cases later, Phoenix pays him another visit, this time bringing Maya along.  After some pleasantries between her and Grossberg (whom he apparently knew when she was younger), and some lamenting over a lost painting, Phoenix inquires about a murder victim who happened to work in Grossberg’s office some years ago.

When the DL-6 Incident suddenly comes up again, Grossberg helps Phoenix and Maya connect a few dots, and then we discover one more interesting tidbit about his involvement in it -- specifically with Misty Fey, the woman whose reputation he had unintentionally ruined.

Knowing what we know about how why she needed his help in the first place, his reaction to Maya’s gratitude should be no surprise.

The sad irony gives his words a completely different meaning, doesn’t it?  It might not make him any less of a greedy rat or a coward, but I still can’t help feeling the tiniest bit of sympathy for him.  There’s no telling how Maya would react if she knew the whole truth, after all.

So, to sum it up, Grossberg is...

...Oh, right.  There’s still a bit more of him in T&T, isn’t there?  *sigh*

There wasn’t very much different about him five years earlier -- he looked the same, talked the same way, and was just as pompous as he is today.

Nevertheless, he does a fine job of helping a poor, frazzled young Mia Fey make another go at it as a defense lawyer.  Much like she ends up doing for Phoenix some years later, he helps her to stay calm, focus on the task at hand, and finally pull off a win (all while explaining some game mechanics to the player).  He’s also there to complain when she makes rookie mistakes.

By the way, I love how Mia carries this over to Phoenix when it’s her turn to get bummed out by his forgetfulness.

Just like with two of Phoenix’s cases, Grossberg’s role in Mia’s second case turns out to be crucial as he not only supports her in the courtroom, but does some important research behind the scenes for her.  In fact, his general attitude during the case can be summed up in one of his lines:

It’s hard to believe someone like that sold out the police and the spirit medium who helped them, but it’s nice to have a look at his more virtuous side for a change.  Could’ve done without all the hemorrhoid talk, but that’s probably where his name came from.

I also happened to notice something about one of his sprites that somehow evaded me before I started writing this essay -- his mustache twitches sort of like a rabbit’s nose.

Whether he smells something or just has sinus issues, we’ll never know (which I’m perfectly fine with), but I just thought I’d mention that.

Anyway, while it’s (*Ah-HHHHEM!*) unfortunate that we don’t get to see anything more of this veteran attorney -- what happens to him after the first game, whether he ever shared the whole truth of the DL-6 Incident with Maya, or the “glorious days of his youth” -- he makes for an interesting side character with a complex story, a jovial attitude, and, er...a rather unusual sense of humor.

Okay, gotta go wash my hands now.

-The Co-Mod

#Marvin Grossberg #forceofnatureandcorn #Mod Post #Co Mod #Character Essay

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 100: The Order of the Phoenix

Tiffany Smithi  co-authored this chapter with me and will continue to do so for the next five. Hope you enjoy!

HPHPHPHP

There was more coughing and pain-filled groans going on than usual, and that was really saying something. Remus lay miserably and awkwardly on his side on top of something, but as he didn't feel any immediate pain and nobody was shouting he was about to die, he couldn't care enough to find out what as he licked his lips and let his mind linger just a few moments longer on his brief euphoria of his stolen moment with Sirius.

Regulus looked around balefully as he realized he'd gotten his wish in the end regardless, luck be kind he even seemed to have found himself in the exact spot he would have placed himself in. A nice little dark patch set up under a tottering pile of clothes in the family attic. Surprisingly though, the place didn't seem as much in disuse as the rest of the house.

There were distinct footprints all around, too old to be from anyone in here who were all still getting their bearings and hadn't even moved yet. The place did reek though, the stillness in the air lingering even more up here, but it didn't seem to be clogging his throat anymore. Then he snorted at himself in disgust and got upright, scolding himself. That was just because he liked this place the most, nobody had any reason to frequent up here, least of all Sirius, no matter why he was back in this house. Even Kreacher, who snuck him up food here from time to time when his parents were arguing, had even less reason to be up here if Mother wasn't having him fetch things.

Apparently he wasn't the only one curious about this though, he would have summoned the book to himself to find out what Sirius of all people was doing back here if Lupin hadn't done it himself and read out the chapter title. Thank Merlin, they were hopefully going to get more answers on whatever this Order of the Phoenix was aside from whatever a couple of teenagers had pieced together.

He did incline his head curiously when Harry received about as warm a welcome as he himself would have, it was at least a new experience to see his brother being surly to someone else besides him for a change.

He gave a rather surprised start, however, when the Sirius in the book said he was the last Black left. He and Sirius exchanged startled glances, and Regulus saw a moment of unguarded concern in Sirius's eyes before his older brother looked back to the book, clearly intent on dismissing such a thing until there was proof of that. It wasn't an unsound idea, considering the last person presumed dead was decidedly not, so Regulus said nothing either, for now.

Nothing of note was happening though, people were apparently just milling around in the kitchen and a few conversations struck up, so Regulus kept listening with one ear while watching the others explore, carefully.

Frank had landed closest to the trap door and quickly tried to make his way to Alice, who had landed in the farthest, dustiest corner, too quickly. He'd knocked over several old boxes, and the two were now curiously going through a few. They were holding an old stuffed dragon head Uncle Arcturus had supposedly slain, and avoiding looking it in the eye as if it were a basilisk instead.

Evans was flipping through a dusty old book with a pinched look on her face, but whatever she held kept her flipping to the next page in fascination. It was too dark in here for him to make out the title, but from where she was, he'd guess it was one of Uncle Alphard's rarer collections.

The four Marauders stood off to the side, Potter holding his lit wand aloft for Lupin to keep reading, none of them seemed to be talking much. Peter kept looking around more than at them really, like he was waiting for something else to happen. His eyes landed on Regulus several times and he smiled warmly, but gave him his space, which he appreciated right now. He'd wanted to come up here for some quiet after all when they'd been thrown up here regardless.

The preparation of dinner was underway, and Sirius struck up an immensely moody conversation with Harry; Potter and Peter were throwing him concerned looks, and Lupin opened his mouth several times to say something, but thought better of it.

Lupin paused for a moment over Sirius's bitter mention of Wormtail serving Voldemort and spilling their secrets; there was an awkward silence for a long moment before Lupin rushed on, and the topic was changed quickly. Peter didn't even have time to back away from them again even if he were going to.

Dinner was served and things seemed to be going all at peace for once, both for Harry now that he wasn't yelling at his friends and in here as no one was looking to start any more yelling, a blessed relief for Regulus. He was just beginning to relax back and let his eyes flutter shut, Lupin's calm voice reading this was hardly welcome, but at least peaceable enough as some old cod named Mundungus Fletcher regaled a tale about some old con of his, but then Lupin's voice took a bit of a hard change when Molly Weasley and Sirius started talking to each other, and Regulus immediately sat back up as well in concern.

Apparently he wasn't the only one who could feel the fight brewing when Molly snapped that Harry wasn't James.

"I would never!" Sirius protested.

"The you in the future doesn't know Harry as well as we do by this point," Frank reminded him quietly.

Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but then stopped, looking confused and uncertain. He cast a guilty look at Potter, who motioned Lupin to read on.

It only escalated from there, as any conversation with Sirius was want to do, Regulus began looking around the room carefully, curiously, while Molly and Sirius began verbally questioning whom was best to be making this decision for Harry and expecting at least someone in here to chastise Sirius for his future self.

To his complete astonishment, no one seemed to be. Evans was frowning at him for certain, but she didn't even seem to be biting her tongue, and it's not as if she didn't have a weighted opinion on the subject, even she wouldn't deny that now, he was sure, with how much she'd been paying attention to Harry lately.

Potter was beaming at Sirius. "That's my Padfoot," he said. "Go on, Remus!" he added impatiently when Lupin paused for a moment.

All eight of them listened, as Sirius actually seemed to win the fight. Molly, for all her kind declaration in stating Harry as good as one of her own, found herself with no ground to stand on to usher anyone else except her only daughter out, neither of whom gave in with grace. All distractions set aside temporarily as Sirius outlined Voldemort's current status, relying on what he'd done back then, as in their time.

"An army?" Regulus asked slowly. "From right now, in our own timeline?"

The Marauders exchanged excited looks, and Regulus knew what that meant - the moment they got out of this... place... the four of them would take off on another one of their adventures to figure out every secret even hinted at, and the rest of them would be left to go back to their old lives as if nothing had happened.

But Regulus couldn't do that. Sitting here, in the attic of his home, he realized nothing would ever be the way it was before - not for him, not for Peter, and certainly not for Potter and Evans, however much the fiery girl might try to deny it. All their lives, beyond a doubt, would be forever changed, but whether they would go through it together... Regulus shook his head and tried to focus on Lupin's voice reading out what Regulus can't help but think of as the gloomy dark of their futures - or, at least, most of theirs. He, Potter, Evans, Longbottom and Smith aren't even alive in the future apparently.

All Regulus was concerned about was getting back home, figuring out his life, and getting a straight answer from Sirius about whether or not they'll be involved with each other.

Lupin warned that the chapter was about to be over, and read the last line before they were all whisked away to their next destination.

HPHPHPHP

This fic is officially half done! Technically, as there's an odd number of chapters, it'll never be 'half', but semantics!

#Harry Potter #fanfiction #reading the books #HP #Marauders #wolfstar #Jilly #Ootp #Remus Lupin #Sirius Black #James Potter #Lily Evans #Peter Pettigrew #Regulus Black #Alice Smith #Frank Longbottom

[lightningx]

you know what time it is~ wandavision theory time :D

btw this is just a continuation of my last theory post but that one was getting a tad long

☆ first of all, EPISODE 7 IS LITERALLY CALLED BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL. it is a combination of modern family and the office in the way it has the characters speaking directly to the audience. we also see agatha interviewing wanda at one point where wanda says “you’re not supposed to talk”.

☆ can we just take a moment to appreciate the number at the top of the license plate in episode 7. 122822. stan’s birthday. :)

☆ it was revealed that agnes is actually agatha harkness. while i was expecting this, i didn’t expect her to be so evil as that is not how she is portrayed in the comics. however, i think we can all agree that her “it’s been agatha all along” theme song is the catchiest thing ever~

☆ this is completely random, but i just realized that one of “geraldine’s” outfits bears an extremely close resemblance to the fantastic four uniform. yk the one with the scoop neck, the long denim vest, the blue and white colors. darcy also detects cosmic microwave background radiation in one of the first episodes. the fantastic four gain their powers after being exposed to cosmic radiation (maybe the same thing?). idk if this is a stretch but i feel like they’re dropping ff hints?

☆ another small thing, but the cereal that wanda keeps eating is called sugar snaps. this is a subtle reference to thanos and the snap.

☆ the mysterious disappearance of tommy and billy is definitely interesting. agatha may have turned them into a bug and rabbit as the camera so obviously pans to these two creatures. on another hand, though this is a little dark, she may have eaten or murdered the two boys. we do see faint blood splatters in agatha’s basement and she did mention that she has bitten children before.

☆ i have a ton of theories on what the book in agatha’s basement could be:

i think that marvel may be teasing the appearance of dr strange or the arrival of something darker. in agatha’s basement, we see a book. there is much speculation that this is the darkhold, a book created by the elder god chthon (whose powers connect to wanda’s origin in the comics). the darkhold is essentially a spell book that holds the key to all magic in the marvel universe and appears in marvel’s agents of shield and marvel’s runaways. dr strange has also been in possession of this book before. the most important aspect of this book, however, is that chthon created it to construct a gateway between his realm and earth. like a sort of way to jump through dimensions. like a multiverse. the book was also glowing the same orange color as the soul stone. it may be possible that agatha fed the twins’ souls to mephisto?

there are a couple other options for the book. it could be the necronomicon, a powerful tome of black magic derived from the darkhold. or, it could be the tome of zhered-na. another option is the book of cagliostro from the ancient one’s private collection which would connect to dr strange.

☆ perhaps it is time to revamp the grim reaper (eric williams) and wonder man (simon williams) theories? i doubt marvel “accidentally” hid an animated version of the grim reaper’s helmet in episode 2′s intro theme song. could hayward be eric williams? or, could hayward be ultron? in the avengers assemble show, ultron did take human form as a government official to take out the avengers. this could be why hayward wants vision’s corpse so badly. kevin feige has said, “i love bringing back characters people think they’ve seen the last of”.

☆ i’m still wondering if mephisto has something to do with all this. he could be agatha’s rather absent husband ralph, or señor scratchy, (mr. scratch being another name for the devil) her rabbit. at one point agatha does say “the devil’s in the details bev” and at one point dottie says “all of this is for the children” in a very alarming way. mephisto collected wanda’s children in the comics. agatha also has a son named nicholas scratch in the comics who i believe worked for mephisto? idk just something to think about.

☆ another thing on mephisto: we see a small clip of mephisto in a stained glass window in the loki trailer. from leaked set photos of tfatws, we see men wearing black leather jackets with the face of a red demon. wanda and mephisto do have quite the history in the comics. could this villain be carried throughout all of the upcoming series? are all of the upcoming series somehow intertwined or connected with one another?

☆ ok ok so they finally introduced the superhero photon (which in case yall missed it was also maria rambeau’s nickname) aka monica rambeau. we see her get her powers from going through westview’s barrier. in the comics, she gets her powers from being bombarded with extradimensional energy (something similar to the barrier) and was introduced as the second captain marvel.

☆ since i didn’t go over these in my last theory post, i wanted to continue my commercial theories here:

the fifth commercial is about a shark that offers a boy a yo-magic (which sounds like your magic) yogurt, but the boy can’t get it open until one day he withers into a skeleton. the slogan is “yo-magic, the snack for survivors!”. if the boy represents wanda, it could be representative of her survivor’s guilt (we see pietro with bullet wounds for a brief second in this episode). the shark also talks about “hunger” and a gift of unusable “magic”, which seems like it is indicating something like a “deal with the devil”, aka mephisto. it is the first commercial with a child as the main character which could have something to do with why episode 6 is the first time we see children in westview.

the sixth commercial is most definitely one of the most intriguing. it is about “nexus”, a type of antidepressant. some interesting lines of the commercial are “a unique antidepressant that works to anchor you back to your reality, or the reality of your choice” and “nexus: because the world doesn’t revolve around you, or does it?”. before i get into the broader meanings of nexus, we have heard the term before in aou where it was established as the biggest internet exchange point in the world (now this just seems code for multiverse). however, in the comics, nexus (also called the nexus of all realities) is a cross-dimensional gateway, providing a path to any and all realities. there are several characters in the marvel universe who are considered nexus beings. some examples are wanda maximoff/scarlet witch, kang the conqueror, and jean grey/the phoenix. given this commercial, another possibility for the book in agatha’s basement may simply be a portal to the multiverse.

#wandavision theories #..marvel

[rinadoesstuff]

Secret Soldiers

Chapter Fourteen

Georgia, Camp Toccoa, 1942

The next morning, Maggie woke up with an unusual smile on her face. The night before had been different but a good different. Though she wasn’t planning on falling asleep with her shoulder resting on George Luz’s shoulder, she was glad she had. The moment had shown her that she could trust the men, they’d allowed her to sleep even though she had been vulnerable in that moment. Although she hadn’t expected them to do anything untoward, they hadn’t seemed like the type, the thought was always in the back of her mind when it came to all men.

Letting out a yawn, Maggie checked the time on her watch that was still sitting on her wrist and realised she still had almost an hour before breakfast that morning. The sun was slowly rising, some light peeking through her window into the small bunker she lived in. Deciding now would be a good time to grab her mail, Maggie quickly changed into her OD’s and made her way toward the mailroom. 

As she had thought, Maggie didn’t pass anyone on the way over - most of the men would still be asleep, getting as much in as they possibly could. She didn’t know how long they had been up the night before but they had all been playing poker still when Maggie had woken up. Although she offered to walk back over alone, George had insisted he make sure she got back safe. 

Wanting to build that bond up even more with the men, Maggie allowed him to walk her over. It had been a nice feeling, not any hostility between the two as they walked to her small ‘home’. She was hoping that the men would be kinder to her, let her join in with their laughs a little more. 

Entering the mail room, she had a quick conversation with Rice before he went to grab her mail. She had two letters, one with the SOE seal imprinted on the back and one she recognised as Camilla’s handwriting. Bidding Rice goodbye, Maggie left the mailroom and tucked her letters into her pocket. She wasn’t usually one for a cigarette but Maggie took one from her pocket, stuck it between her lips and lit it. 

The nicotine rush was one she needed, still feeling the tiredness from the night before. As she took a drag, she noticed a group of soldiers coming her way. Standing off to the side so she wasn’t in the way, Maggie tried to work out if she knew them. The faces weren’t familiar, they could have been from one of the companies she hadn’t had the chance to meet yet. 

As some of the men went into the mailroom, one of them came over toward Maggie with a small smile on her face. “Bum a cigarette, Lieutenant?” Maggie gave the man a look, raising an eyebrow as she grabbed her pack and tossed it at him. 

“Do I need to give you a light as well, private?” She wore a lazy smile as she took another drag, the soldier laughing gently as he leant against the wall beside Maggie. He grabbed his own lighter, showing it to Maggie with a grin before lighting his cigarette. There was a silence before Maggie spoke. “Which company are you with, Private?”

She turned her head gently to look at the man, significantly taller than she was. “Dog company, ma’am. You’re with Easy, right?” Maggie nodded, taking a final drag of her cigarette before dropping it into the ‘butts’ bin beside her. 

“I best be off, have a good day,private.” The man gave a lazy salute, making Maggie smile gently. Even though the man had no idea who she was, he hadn’t seen her as just a woman. He had treated her as an officer and even a friend, giving Maggie the smile that she now wore as she headed back toward her bunker. She had a bit more time before breakfast, giving her the chance to read the letters that had been sent to her. 

Settling down on her bed, Maggie opened the one from the SOE to begin with. 

Agent Walters,

With intel received, we are pleased with the progress you have been making with the US airborne. We have received some more intelligence about the plan of attack for the US airborne however you do not have the clearance for us to tell you. All we can tell you is that there will be another operative in the future, when a move of base is pushed ahead. There is not a lot we can tell you except we wish you luck and hope the two of you will work together before joining this war alongside the US troops. 

GodSpeed, Agent. 

Agent Frost, SOE.

Dresden, November 1942

The snow from the previous day wrapped the city of Dresden in a beautiful white one could only describe as almost magically but the blonde woman had something different on her mind. Looking down at the watch on her wrist, Claire let out a yawn before hiding her bare hand again in the warmth of the pockets of her coat. “I definitely have to sleep more.”

“You have absolutely no reason to complain, Clara.” Despite his own obvious lack of sleep, Hans was quick to respond. Leaning against the brick wall, the man let out a groan as he closed his eyes. “I have no idea how I’m supposed to get through my classes without falling asleep.”

“Well,” Claire started as she pulled her blue scarf further up into her face. “Maybe you should take a break from going out so often at god forbidden hours.” 

“Yeah, just wait until you see what we did. It was worth it.” With a proud smirk on his face Hans rubbed his hands together in an attempt to get some warmth. “You’ll like it.”

Just humming in response, Claire shifted her gaze up towards the window on the third floor of the building they stood in front of. She freshly falling snowflakes made her task of making out movements on the other side of the window quite a bit harder but nevertheless a quickly moving shadows caught her attention. “Does Ilse know? You know, what happened a few nights ago?”

“Yeah I stopped by last night and spoke with her about it. She thinks it’s pretty amazing but don’t worry, she swore not to tell anyone.”

Nodding, Claire turned back to Hans with an unsure smile on her lips. “Alright, uhm, thanks for still trusting me. It means a lot.”

“Considering that you kind of held a gun pointed at me, I took the best chance by avoiding making you mad.” They both knew that it wasn’t meant to be serious but Claire couldn’t help herself and as a response she smacked Hans against his shoulder. The man only chuckled as he playfully rubbed his arm. “Oh you know that I love you too much not to trust you.”

Hearing this, a big smile formed on Claire’s lips. It was by no means the first time that she heard this from him and usually she knew that it didn’t mean much but weirdly enough this time it felt like more. She was about to respond but a door falling into its lock behind them caught both of their attention.

“Sorry that I’m late. My alarm didn’t go off.” Ilse had a hint of pink on her cheeks as she hurriedly closed her jacket. After a quick exchange of glances the brunette woman pulled her bag a little closer to her body. “Did I interrupt anything?”

When no response came from neither Claire nor Hans, Ilse just nodded in a dismissive manner and interlocked her arm with Claire’s just like they always did. It felt so normal to them by now that just like usually they started walking and chatting away, leaving Hans to follow them looking almost like a lost puppy. 

Due to their lateness today, Claire expected the promenade leading up to the university buildings to be rather empty but the closer they got, the more they had problems passing the groups of students. 

Claire reached behind herself and grabbed Hans’ hand out of fear of losing him in the mass as Ilse also tightened her grip. Not being able to see enough, the blonde woman stood on her tiptoes. After her eyes scanned the walls of the entrance her gaze fixated on the formerly well visible swastika on the right side of the wooden entrance doors. Half of it was broken out of the stone and it has been over painted in a thick black while a certain word was written right next to it.

Letting out a gasp, Claire quickly got down on the heels of her shoes again. Looking at Ilse and her desperate tries to see past the crowd all while having a curious look on her face, Claire was quick to realise that Ilse had nothing to do with this.

The brunette gave up after a few more tries to see something and instead looked at Claire expectantly. “Vive la révolution?” After not receiving an answer Ilse turned to Hans who wore a proud smirk on his lips “Are we starting one?”

Hand just pulled the two women closer to him as he leaned down so only they could hear his voice. “What do you say, Veritas? Are we starting one?” 

With a mischievous grin, Claire turned from Ilse to Hans. “We are starting one.”

With a sudden burst of pride flowing through her, Claire squeezed Hans’ hand as she turned back to the large letters painted on the wall.

Veritas

It was her name. 

Now the Nazis know who they are up against.

• • • • • •

Taglist:

@wexhappyxfew @pierrespandas @trashgoddess600 @junojelli @kmorecoffee @vintagelavenderskies @order-of-river-phoenix @adamantiumdragonfly @happyveday @alrightnicelighter @easy-company-tradition @keoghans @ultralillylove @pxpeyewynn @pinkesfaultier @madstertb

#band of brothers #band of brothers oc #band of brothers fanfic #fanfiction #historical fanfiction #Alternate History #secret soldiers #claire #claire harding #maggie #maggie walters #hans müller #Ilse Berger #Easy Company

[angel-tries-to-write]

Tease

Rating: Teen and and up, mild sexual content Pairing: Mac x gender neutral reader (at least I tried) Word count: 3692

You've been dancing around each other for years, time to shine now. I suck at summaries, if you hadn't noticed yet.

You two have been teasing each other forever. Okay, maybe not forever, but definitely since you've met for the first time. You've been recruited to CIA by Matty Webber straight from college and a couple of years later you were offered a job in Phoenix Foundation, where she had transferred earlier. Director Webber wanted to have you in her team, so it was obvious that sooner or later you were going to meet the other agents. Especially this particular agent, whose blue eyes and smug grin made your heart jump a little in a way you didn't like, and you didn't know whether you wanted to punch him or kiss him. Both were really tempting. None of you seemed to be aware of the fact, that you couldn't even talk like normal people. Every one of your conversations just had to become the aggressive flirting that you were oblivious of. Not even constant 'get a room!'s managed to give you a hint of what you were exactly doing. Well, there just had to come the time when things started to get out of the hand.

You loved missions which required wearing a formal dress, heavy make-up and attending a fancy party. You liked blending in, pretending to be someone else and having way more fun than you were supposed to. Currently you were sitting by the bar, sipping slowly some probably expensive drink, which you almost spat out when a man sat nearby. The characteristic smell of his cologne gave you goosebumps, made your knees weak and sent a strike of heat into your lower abdomen. You knew that scent very well, it was sandalwood. One of your big turn-ons. No one said it was going to be an easy mission. You tried to breathe, but it wasn't helping at all, luckily, the man hadn't stayed nearby for long. He ordered his drink and went away right after getting it, only then you could let out a sigh of relief. It'd be better to keep that secret. The universe, on the other hand, had different plans.

A few minutes later Mac and Jack identified the target of your mission. They've been chasing it currently and you'd gladly help if you wore some comfortable shoes. Or at least you could run more carelessly, without having to mind your steps. You joined them only when they lost the track of the target. You walked into the almost empty room and you felt the same feeling you had at the bar. That familiar scent again.

“Don't waste your time, (y/n), we already checked there” said Dalton, trying to hide how disappointed he was.

“Who do we even chase?” you asked. That couldn't be a coincidence that you smelled this cologne here.

“This man” Mac showed you a photo of the man you've seen earlier at the bar. Bingo! That's why you smelled his cologne.

“Well, then he has to be here” you entered the room and looked around. The faint scent seemed to be stronger by one of the walls. You looked closely and saw a narrow chink in the wall, hidden under the decorative wallpaper. Clever, Mr. Bad Guy, but not clever enough. “There. Something is here.”

The two agents exchanged a surprised look and approached to see what did you find. None of them could understand how did you do that.

“Not bad for you” Mac teased and started to work his magic to open whatever was in this wall.

A few hours later the mission was completed and you were on your way home.

“Hey, (y/n)” Jack spoke suddenly. “How did you find that dude?”

“My secret” you answered, not even opening your eyes you closed a few moments ago.

“Tell me” he pleaded like a kid.

“Fine. I smelled his cologne. It contained sandalwood and it's my favorite scent” you admitted, too tired to resist.

“Isn't it an aphrodisiac?” Riley asked, rising an eyebrow.

“What's that?” asked Jack.

“Basically you smell it and you get horny” explained Bozer, not bothering to be subtle.

“Well, it doesn't work on me this way. I just think it smells nice” you lied, trying to avoid comments. You started to worry that Mac wasn't saying anything, you hoped he was asleep or lost in thoughts, but it wasn't really possible. You bet he was up to something and you were sure you would find out what soon.

A couple of days later Matty called in the team. You were first in the war room, sitting on the armchair and checking something on your phone. You barely noticed the others coming in, except for one person. You first smelled, then felt his presence, finally seeing him. On the armrest of your chair was sitting your favorite blonde boy and he smelled like never before. You could easily identify sandalwood in his new cologne and it smelled so good on him, that you couldn't focus on anything else, feeling your arousal rising.

“(Y/n), are you alright?” you heard Matty's voice. “You seem distracted” she said and you could only imagine how big shit-eating grin Mac had to suppress.

“Sorry. I got a slight concussion on the last mission” you lied easily. “It must've impacted on me a little.”

“So that's how we call Mac from now on? A concussion?” Bozer muttered to Riley and they both chuckled quietly.

“I heard that” you said, sending them your best death glare.

“Girl, I'm just saying you look weird since he entered the room, it's not my fault I'm this observant” typical Boz tried to save his butt as usual.

“Can we focus on the debriefing, please?” you snapped angrily. “Having fun, Macgyver, aren't you?” you growled quietly, making sure he's the only one who heard it.

“You have no idea” he replied, very amused indeed.

After a few days you managed to get used to his new scent, especially after one situation. You were in the field, under the fire, waiting for a bomb to explode and therefore Mac's trap to work. When it went off, you two acted by a pure instinct, he pulled you into his chest and you clung to him, burying your face in his shirt. You regretted it immediately, he smelled like your favorite cologne and sweat with a faint tone of metal and chemicals, which was a surprisingly good mix. Of course you remembered enough biology to know it was no magic or silly love, but a chemical reaction. His pheromones just happened to be very compatible with your nose and brain, which was of course problematic, but not weird or something. And it was easier to tell yourself that, instead of admitting you were in love. Anyway, when you got used to this new scent, it was easier to stay focused. Although you were about to find out, that things were about to get worse. Or maybe better? Depends on the point of view.

It was just a regular celebration of Mac's birthday. Gifts, cake, party in his home. The usual. One thing that was different, was Jack, who made you all participate in a karaoke session. He obviously didn't take 'no' for an answer. The good part of it was that he let everyone pick their song, so you could sorta punish him.

“Come on, (y/n), your turn!” Dalton commanded. You typed the title in the searching bar and everyone groaned?

“Really, dude? Despacito? The most popular and annoying song no one knows lyrics of?” Bozer was clearly unamused.

“I know the lyrics and I think it's beautiful” you protested.

“Do you know it to the point to not watch the screen?” asked Jack and you knew he was up to something.

“I do. But I'm not going to dance, if that's what you're thinking about” you said, crossing your arms on your chest.

“How did you-”

“I just knew” you shrugged. “But I think I might have a little problem, since I don't know the original version, just a cover I adore. And it'll be hard to get an instrumental version for this cover.”

“Then pick a different one, come on, we don't have all night for this” Riley rushed you.

“But I want this one. To make sure Jack will never come up with such a terrible idea again.”

“I can always play for you” offered Mac and you all but Bozer looked at him surprised. “What? I'm not a pro, but I'm also not bad. Besides I think I know which song you have in mind” he said getting up and he took the guitar that was always in his house and everyone simply ignored it. You found the right chords for him and after a few moments Mac was ready.

He started very similarly to the original version, even playing a bit Latino way, pulling the strings separately, not in a classic way.

Comin' over in my direction So thankful for that, it's such a blessin', yeah Turn every situation into heaven, yeah Oh, you are My sunrise on the darkest day Got me feelin' some kind of way Make me wanna savor every moment slowly, slowly

You started with a shyness and hesitation, your cheeks blushed while singing, especially in English. When the Spanish lyrics started, you felt more confident. No one could understand you anyway.

¡Oh! Tú, tú eres el imán y yo soy el metal (You, you’re the magnet and I’m the metal) Me voy acercando y voy armando el plan (I’m getting closer and coming up with a plan) Solo con pensarlo se acelera el pulso (oh yeah) (Just thinking about it accelerates my pulse) Ya, ya me está gustando más de lo normal (I’m already enjoying it more than normal) Todos mis sentidos van pidiendo más (All of my senses are asking for more) Esto hay que tomarlo sin ningún apuro (This has to be done without a hurry)

Despacito (Slowly) Quiero respirar tu cuello despacito (I want to breathe your neck slowly) Deja que te diga cosas al oído (Let me whisper things in your ear) Para que te acuerdes si no estás conmigo (That you’ll remember when you’re not with me) Despacito (Slowly) Quiero desnudarte a besos despacito (I want to undress you with kisses slowly) Firmo en las paredes de tu laberinto (Sign the walls of your labyrinth) Y hacer de tu cuerpo todo un manuscrito (And turn your body into a manuscript)

As the song continued, you couldn't tear your eyes off Mac. You knew you were singing for him, that your feelings were flowing through you. The second part of the song was different, however.

The club isn't the best place to find a lover So the bar is where I go Me and my friends at the table doing shots Drinking fast and then we talk slow (despacito) Over and start up a conversation with just me And trust me I'll give it a chance now Take my hand, stop, put Van the Man on the jukebox And then we start to dance, and now I'm singing like

Girl you know I want your love Your love was handmade for somebody like me Come on now follow my lead I may be queasy, don't let me see

Oh boy Ya no hablemos más (Let's not talk anymore) Toma mi cuerpo y frótalo contra ti (Take my body and rub it against you) Ven y sígueme hasta el fin (Come and follow me to the end) Ven, ven y sígueme hasta el fin (Come, come and follow me to the end)

I'm in love with the shape of you We push and pull like a magnet do Although my heart is falling too I'm in love with your body Last night you were in my room And now my bed sheets smell like you Every day discovering something brand new I'm in love with your body

Oh I, oh I, oh I, oh I I'm in love with your body Oh I, oh I, oh I, oh I

Oh, despacito This is how we do it down in Puerto Rico I just wanna hear you screaming, "¡Ay, Bendito!" I can move forever cuando esté contigo (when you are with me) ¡Bailalo! (Dance!) Pasito a pasito, suave suavecito (Step by step, gentle gently) Nos vamos pegando, poquito a poquito (We’ll get closer, little by little) Cuando tú me besas con esa destreza (When you kiss me with that skill) Veo que eres malicia con delicadeza (I see that you are malice with delicacy)

This part was definitely about Mac, he was just the real life definition of "malicia con delicadeza". Well, you were ready to admit that maybe you would like to do all what the song was about and a lot of more. After this part, the end was just a formality, you didn't actually need it.

I'm in love with the shape of you We push and pull like a magnet do Although my heart is falling too I'm in love with your body Last night you were in my room And now my bed sheets smell like you Every day discovering something brand new I'm in love with your body

Oh I, oh I, oh I, oh I Despacito Oh I, oh I, oh I, oh I Come on, be my baby, oh yeah

You finished the song and finally looked at the others. They were genuinely impressed by either you, Mac or both. Jack was speechless and you thought it was the best thing that could ever happen, at least you could appreciate a few moments of silence before they started to talk. Bozer spoke first, complimenting both of you, the others joined him quickly.

After a few hours of having a good time it was time to say goodnight. Matty left first, then Bozer with Leanna, Riley, and Jack was the last one. You were supposed to leave either, but you wanted to stay and help with the cleaning. No one could convince you to not do that, because you were this type of a friend who would always clean up, even if you were a guest. Besides you felt in the house comfortable enough to not care and just casually start to wash the dishes.

“Are you doing that to spend more time with me?” Mac asked, when he finished his part of the cleaning. You were almost done either.

“Of course not. I really don't like to leave a mess, even if I'm a guest. Besides, I know it's easier to clean up together than on your own” you answered honestly, giving him a smile. You hadn't drunk much, but enough to feel his presence more intensively than usually.

“I appreciate that a lot” he said and started to do something around the kitchen while you finished your job. It was almost like he wanted to spend more time with you.

“You know, I've been thinking... maybe we should go out from time to time? Like... just the two of us” he said after a while.

“Are you asking me for a date?” you looked at him slightly surprised. Was that possible he felt about you the same way you felt about him?

“I guess I am” he looked at you with his adorable puppy expression and you couldn't help but giggle.

“Then I guess I say yes” you answered and before you thought, you quietly added in Spanish: “Besides, you're so cute it's hard to say no.”

“I bet not as cute as you singing that song and thinking no one understands you” he replied also in Spanish and you were grateful you finished washing the dishes, because you would certainly drop whatever was in your hands if they weren't empty. Your face paled, then reddened furiously.

“I... No... It's...” you tried to say something, but words didn't want to form in your head. How could you be naive enough to think he doesn't know Spanish? This golden boy obviously could do everything.

“Hey” he put his hand on yours, but you took it away.

“Stop before I'll do something I'm going to regret” you whispered, looking into his blue eyes.

“Let me do something first.”

“Okay.”

As soon as he heard your permission, Mac leaned down and pressed his lips to yours. That was certainly not something you expected, but you didn't waste your chance and kissed him back. You wanted to both stay and run away, torn between listening to your mind and heart.

“I should be going” you whispered finally between kisses, but clearly not wanting to let him go.

“Stay” Mac pleaded and his fingers ghosted over the skin under the hem of your t-shirt.

“I want to, but I really shouldn't.”

“Baby, it's cold outside” he purred, kissing your neck. You smiled widely but your breath hitched.

“Alright. So where would I sleep?” you asked teasingly, unbuttoning his shirt slowly.

“In my bed?” he followed the game, sliding his hands under your clothes.

“But I have no pj's” you smirked, exposing his chest which you traced gently with your fingertips.

“You won't need them” he kissed you hungrily and lifted you up, then carried you to the bedroom. Not that you minded.

When you woke up in the morning, you didn't actually know whether you were supposed to be happy or scared. Or maybe both. Last night was either making your dreams come true, or a total disaster and the end of your friendship. Everything depended on what Mac thought about it. But the blond agent was still asleep, so you got up silently, took his shirt and left the bedroom. You didn't take any of your things, in case Macgyver woke up. You didn't want him to think you vanished and left him all alone. And you were right, by the time you came back with breakfast, he was awake.

“You scared me” he said and yawned.

“Why?” you asked, putting the tray on the nightstand and sitting comfortably in bed before you put in on your lap.

“I woke up and you weren't there. I thought you left, but then I saw your clothes.”

“It would be difficult to go anywhere outside without them” you chuckled, cutting a bit of the pile of pancakes with a fork and then offering it to Mac. “Besides, I didn't even want to go. I was just hungry. And I wanted to think what to do next” you explained, taking another bit yourself.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that we should talk about us. Without teasing and jokes, just seriously talk about our feelings and-”

“I love you.”

These three words silenced you for good. Jack told you once that you and Mac have too big brains for your own's sake and you tend to overanalyze simple stuff. While relationships, according to Dalton, were no quantum physics, these stuff were simple. Well, you could swear physics was more simple than dating. But apparently Mac listened to his friend and decided to think less, act more.

“I... totally didn't expect that” you admitted, still shocked.

“I thought it was obvious. All that flirting, teasing, your favorite cologne... Everyone knew. They told me last night” he said sheepishly.

“You know what they say, "love is blind"? I was so in love that I didn't see anything at all. I seriously want to laugh at my own stupidity” you giggled, trying your best to not spill the coffee. “I was sure that if you ever found out how I feel about you, it would ruin our friendship. I was too focused on hiding my own feelings that I didn't notice yours.”

“We would make a perfect couple” Mac chuckled and kissed you.

“We will make a perfect couple” you corrected him, breaking the kiss. “You don't really think I could give up now? I love you too, Macgyver, whether you like it or not.”

“Oh, I do” he smirked. “Let's eat and I'll show you how much I like it.”

“Sounds fair. Unless you tease me again.”

“I can start to. As soon as we finish” he took the fork you held and fed you with pancakes just like you did before. Once you finished, he unbuttoned his shirt you were wearing and kissed you.

Of course it was the perfect moment for Matty to call. You wanted to suggest he shouldn't answer, but you knew a little too well that she would kill you both.

“Hey, Matty, what's up” Mac answered the phone with a speaker, so you could hear the boss too. He used a very convincing sleepy voice.

“I'm sorry to wake you up, but there's an emergency. Get ready and better be in war room in an hour. Also, do you know anything about (Y/n)? Her phone is dead and she didn't reach her home last night.”

“I'm sure she's fine” he said as you literally held your breath.

“Mac, this is serious, if something happened to her, I will search the whole world until I find her.”

“I mean it, Matty. I assure you she's fine.”

“Do you happen to know something I don't?”

“Maybe...” he tried and you sighed. There was no point in trying to fool her.

“Just don't tell Jack, okay?” you spoke. “And Bozer or Riley.”

“I'll just say it's about time. In this case I guess I can give you two hours” Matty's voice sounded way more amused than you wanted her to be.

“It's fine, we were about to get up anyway” you said embarrassed.

“No, you weren't, don't try to fool me. I know you better than you think and Ican tell you counted on a lazy day in bed.”

“Okay, enough. See you in Phoenix” you said and Mac ended the call, agreeing with you.

“So, we have two hours. I suggest we should use them well” he smirked and for the first time you didn't have the dilemma whether you want to punch him or kiss him. You just leaned in and kissed him hard. These two hours were going to be the best used time in your life. You were sure of it.

A/N: Used song is obviously “Despacito x Shape of You” by my favorite Pentatonix

#macgyver #macgyver 2016 #macgyver cbs #mac x reader #macgyver x reader #my fic

[dorcasrises]

d o r c a s   b e t h a n y   m e a d o w e s

basics:

name: dorcas bethany meadowes (selwyn). pronunciation: dor·kuhs behth-uh-nee medoʊs. meaning: dorcas- good deeds and gifts of mercy, gazelle. bethany- house of affliction or figs. birthday: february 13th. age: twenty. pronouns: they, she & her. sexuality: bisexual. siblings: esther ruth selwyn. parents: apollo selwyn & mary meadowes. other family: arias selwyn (grandfather), alanis selwyn (grandmother), alice fortescue (cousin), edith fortescue (cousin). languages: english, a little french. current residence: the selwyn townhouse. hometown: bristol.

wizard fun:

hogwarts house: gryffindor. year of graduation: 1978. occupation: order revolutionary. pet: a pet frog named toad. blood status: halfblood. species: witch. patronus: coyote. the coyote can be seen as power-hungry, as their ambition is what fuels them. they are stubborn and wildly expressive, often using this trait to make an impression on others. they start most of their relationships as a way to get something they want, rather than as a friendly gesture. they can begin to care about people after they get to know them, but at first glance they rarely do. they could be considered selfish.  understanding that all things are sacred–yet nothing is sacred, intelligence, ability to laugh at one’s own mistakes, shape-shifting, teaching balance between risk and safety, illumination, stealth, clowning and humor, wisdom of folly, prankster, insight, playful.  boggart: there is nothing that dorcas fears more than seeing the family she’s finally found falling apart during the coming war. she will do anything to protect them all. amortentia:   crackling fire.  the smell of a crackling fire in a hearth or on the lawn is associated with the best memories of dorcas’s life. there is almost always one burning in gryffindor tower. to her, it’s the real scent of home.  ice cream.  her cousin lived above an ice cream shoppe, so dorcas has grown to love to sweet, cold scent. it’s a swift reminder of midnight treats and long awaited adventures. it is sleepovers and laughter and freedom to be.  silver polish.  as much as she would hate to admit it, there is something comforting about the biting smell of silver polish. her grandmother’s house elf would polish their wares every thursday evening for the majority of her life. it grounds her. wand type: 11 1/2″ cypress wood, dragon heartstring, pliant and swishy.  cypress wands are associated with nobility. the great medieval wandmaker, geraint ollivander, wrote that he was always honoured to match a cypress wand, for he knew he was meeting a witch or wizard who would die a heroic death. fortunately, in these less blood-thirsty times, the possessors of cypress wands are rarely called upon to lay down their lives, though doubtless many of them would do so if required. wands of cypress find their soul mates among the brave, the bold and the self-sacrificing: those who are unafraid to confront the shadows in their own and others’ natures.  as a rule, dragon heartstrings produce wands with the most power, and which are capable of the most flamboyant spells. dragon wands tend to learn more quickly than other types. while they can change allegiance if won from their original master, they always bond strongly with the current owner.  pliant wand owners are eager, enthusiastic, and tend to be very easily impressed and/or naive. they often have a zest for life that is rare and unrivaled in most populations. a swishy wand will either surprise its owner by being surprisingly loyal or surprisingly unloyal and is most often known for doing the unexpected. It is usually great for charm work. affiliation: the order of the phoenix.

appearance:

height: 5′9″. hair color: chestnut. eye color: amber. typical hair style: typically, dorcas’s hair is wily and curly. when she’s working or concentrating, it is pulled up into one or two messy buns. when she’s going to be doing something physically exerting, she braids it back. when she’s in a mood to miss her grandmother, she will use straightening potions and style it back.  fashion style: growing up, dorcas wore a lot of sleek clothes in dark colors similar to her grandmother. eventually, her style developed to a more relaxed and comfortable fit. dorcas likes jeans or shorts with crop tops, t-shirts, and bomber jackets. she owns one bra and only wears it if she has to. if dorcas is dressing up, she still likes very disco inspired clothes. she loves warm colors and funky patterns. [ fashion ] distinguishing features: dorcas has an eyebrow piercing over her left eye which hides a scar from an old quidditch accident. she has a small tattoo of a fox on her side. dorcas also sports a tattoo of a phoenix on her arm, a sun on her wrist, a sunflower on her ankle, and a rubber duck on her ass. she almost always has the hint of a smile on her face and a certain noticeable fire in her eyes. dorcas almost always has tired rings beneath her eyes and is particularly known for her long legs.

personality:

positive traits: determined. spontaneous. academic. negative traits: ruthless. defiant. obsessive. theme song: heroes by david bowie

headcanons:

dorcas writes in a small nearly illegible mix of print and cursive. her brain is often moving faster than her hand can possible write so she has the tendency to slip into shorthand and scrawl the words as she goes. however, her handwriting does not appear messy at first glance. it looks like a very beautifully written diary. it’s only when you look close that you realize it’s mostly nonsense and only dorcas knows what was actually written down.

dorcas is not a great riser. seeing as she’s usually only crawled into bed or fallen asleep on the spot a few hours prior to wake up time, she’s bleary when first coming to. it takes several blinks and eyes rubbing for her brain to catch up to the world around her. if she’s being roused by another person, dorcas has the penchant for seriously irritability and occasionally, swinging at whomever is interrupting her sleep. if she comes to on her own, dorcas will usually start back at whatever she fell asleep doing, or she heads to the bathroom first thing.

while dancing was never so practiced a skill as piano, dorcas still has a natural proclivity towards it. she has a natural grace and fluidity to all of her movements that is only accentuated by the confidence and fearlessness by which she controls her body. it carries over into both her ability to duel or fight and her quidditch prowess. however, dancing never required so much forethought as those and dorcas will let herself get lost in it more often than anything else.

biography:

dorcas’s father, apollo selwyn, was born and raised among the sacred twenty-eight pureblooded families. he was a rebellious soul and musician that went travelling to play in bars both magical and not through the country. he is also a man who fell deeply in love with a muggle woman named mary meadowes. he pretended to know nothing of the magic world to keep her as close as possible and was disowned by his own family for being a blood-traitor. the two were married and by the time dorcas was born, he was committed to living in the muggle lie for the rest of his life. however, dorcas was no more than three months old when she started showing magical abilities. she would levitate toys into her crib and turn the lights of her nursery on and off. her mother was convinced they’d moved into a haunted house or were cursed.

eventually, apollo broke down and told the truth of the magic world to his wife. the news did not land well. she was a devoutly christian woman and now felt as though their entire relationship had been a lie. she was appalled that her daughter was a witch. her mother ran from them both, and dorcas’s father had no idea how to raise a child on his own. he was never the paternal sort. not to mention, he was frantic to retrieve the love of his life. in an act of desperation, he left dorcas with his own mother who was living alone as her husband had since passed. in exchange for dorcas’s grandmother to raise her, her father promised that he would not interfere with the child’s life again nor ask for her back to his home.

alanis selwyn was not a kindly old woman. she felt like she had failed in raising one child and would not do so again. she had high expectations for her grand-daughter whose blood by birth had already made her a disappointment. due to her mother’s muggleborn status, alanis would not even allow her granddaughter to keep the selwyn family name and instead insisted she go by her mother’s surname. it left dorcas with an obsessive need to prove her grandmother wrong at every turn. as a child, dorcas was put through all the lessons, training, and education as any pureblooded child might have had. yet, no matter how well she performed, it was not considered good enough.

dorcas grew up surrounded by the pureblood society who looked down their nose at the ‘embarrassing halfblood bastard’. needless to say, she didn’t find very many friends in these families. the few she did meant the entire world to her. they were her lifeline and hope that there was something better out there if she could find it. it was hogwarts that saved her. she cried with excitement the night she received her owl.

the sorting hat took it’s precious time in sorting her to gryffindor. he debated slytherin, but dorcas adamantly refused. she knew and hated too many in those walls. ravenclaw was a close second, as her passion for academics is well-noted, but eventually it was settled that due to her growling, she belonged with the other lions. truly, she found a home and a real family with her peers. dorcas worked endlessly to make perfect marks in school. both to prove to her grandmother and the rest of the purebloods that she was just as skilled and talented as any of them. perfection was all she could accept. there were endless nights of studying far beyond the curriculum which had been set, and delving into books well above her year. there was a desperation to know more and be more than just what she was. even the headmaster took a special interest in that drive she had.

in dorcas’s fourth year, her friends finally pushed her to get outside of the library a little more and pursue some hobbies for fun instead of simply ‘being the best’. dorcas’s humor had finally returned to her, and despite her desire to be perfect in her magic abilities, she finally felt more comfortable being herself with all the rule-breaking and fierceness that came with it. she took up a position as a keeper on the gryffindor quidditch team. it proved to be one of the best things that she ever did as it sparked a love of exercise and adventure. it steered her towards the decision to become an auror after graduation. who better to fight these dark art purebloods than someone raised among them, right?

however, not everything goes to plan. after graduation, dorcas did indeed begin on the track to becoming an auror for the ministry of magic. the training was hard, even harder than she’d expected. still, dorcas rose to the challenges and embraced them. all the while, she had pledge to work alongside the order of the phoenix as dumbledore invited her to join the revolutionary group. he had been grooming her abilities and her passion for justice for years. it seemed as though she was just able to manage both jobs, ever the overachiever, until her grandmother’s recent passing. it took an unexpected toll. dorcas quit auror training and began to work full time for the order. with her inheritance, there was no need to struggle for money, and there was a need in the order for dedicated people who were willing to sometimes put their morals on the backburner to be able to accomplish what was best for their side of the war.

again, her efforts did not go unnoticed. more and more she was given the jobs that others were hesitant to take. slowly but surely, people began to turn to her when things needed to be done and there was no one else to do it. it was easy to listen to her words of hope, her passion to keep the other’s safe and well, and the results of her years of rigid perfection in her casting made her a force in a duel. then suddenly and unexpectedly, dorcas was given a position of leadership among the group. she is still struggling to find her balance, often she feels like a lost lamb to slaughter, and can’t be certain she deserves the role. still, she is no stranger to adversity. dorcas is still driven by that need to be the best, but how long can she hold on when it feels like everything is always falling apart?

#ahintro #;about #;biography #;dorcas #;inspo

[tillmays]

mind your business

Matty calls for a new mission. They Enter into the war room and see that matty is not there. All exchanges concerned looks and a video call pops on the screen. It's Matty.

Bozer- matty where are you?

Matty- im at the CIA.

Riley-what are you doing there?

Matty- mind your business.

Riley- ok.. *Mac laughs*

Desi- so what did you called us for?

Matty- something surged in Atlanta i need you guys to go and bring back a laptop and a pen drive that was stolen to an agent of the CIA.

Mac- so that's why you're there.

Matty- nope. Go do your job blondie. Riley i will send you the details.

riley- ok 

They are in the jet and started speculating what's the reason matty was in the CIA.

Bozer- I think we're getting a new boss. Which desi replied She not leaving the phoenix. I don't think she would do that.

mac- yeah me neither boz. definitely it's not that but is something.

Riley- or is nothing and yall overreacting.

Atlanta Georgia.

they landed in atlanta and arrived to this fancy hotel. bozer went to make the reservation, as soon as he reached to the receptionist he asked are you Wilt Bozer? bozer answered nervous yes.. and yelled Mac! come here! 

mac- yeah? what's the problem?

bozer- he asked for who am i! he knows my name dude!! 

the receptionist- miss matilda reserved the presidential suite for you, enjoy your stay. *mac laughed grabbed the card key and said thank you and smiled *

they entered the room and were really excited. they got set up everyone picked a section of the suite.

riley-  i think i speak for everyone when i said that this is weird why matty reserved a suit for us?

bozer- i don't know but this is amazing.

desi- i think we are going to have some fun.

bozer-  hell yeaah

mac-  hey riles did matty send you the information yet? 

riley- let me check. * she opened her laptop and and grabbed her phone*  yes she just sent it. *she starts to go thru the files* 

desi- so where we going? 

riley- well whatever you guys were waiting for today's mission... isn't what you expected... 

mac- what you mean? 

Riley- *she turned around looking at them and started to explain the situation* the laptop and the pen drive were destroyed, matty send me the location of the hackers and apparently i have to fight from here i have to get into their system and get the info back without them knowing what i'm doing. 

bozer- but that nothing new for you. 

riley- yeah i know, it's not gonna be that easy, they really have a good system, but not that good. *she smiled and hinted that she could do this* 

boze- wait, so we came all the way to atlanta for this? 

riley - apparently that wasn't the plan, the things we were going to get back got destroyed when we were on our way, they didn't want to leave traces.

desi- but what about the hackers? we left them free? 

riley- matty said that they aren't important, the CIA know who they work for. they just need to get the archives back. 

desi- so we have to wait until you hack them? 

riley- * typing in her laptop* yup das it. 

desi-  i guess we aren't having fun today. 

mac-  definitely no.

its 3:00 pm riley is still working, while bozer is busy ordering room service and watching his favorite movies. desi and mac are on the other side of the room talking.

desi-  do you really think she can do it? i mean it seem that those hackers know what they are doing.

mac- riley is the best hacker i have ever know, she's the best at her work trust me, you have to trust her. 

desi - i get it but what is she don't? 

mac-  you don't know Riley.. she will.

but they didn't know that this mission was especially for Riley. it's 5:15pm and Riley is tired but hasn't stopped since they got there still working without a break. her hands hurt from pressing the keys for hours. then mac approached to her to see how she was doing.

mac- hey how you doing, you almost done?

riley- yeah almost.. this guys are really good, their system is like..

mac- hey come on, stunt these guys, they won't know who hit them. but please can you hurry up bozer want me to read a script he wrote about some aliens.    *she laughed* 

riley- i heard you two back there. she looked at him in the eyes.

mac- *looked at her nervous* hey don't get mad at her it's just shes new to the team.

riley- i don't care about that, but thanks for trusting me. 

mac-  i'm here if you need me.* he looked at her and make one of those mac’s smirks*

Riley-  i got it. 

mac- what really *he got closer to her to see the screen and gave her a little push on the shoulder as he saying you did it* 

Riley- damn it. 

mac- what, what's going on? 

Riley- they found out. i'm sending it to matty. * she send it and deleted it from her laptop* i gave them a fake location so we can gain a little time. 

mac- we have to go they found out. *he said to bozer and desi while he was rushing to the door* 

it's 7:30 they are outside the hotel on their way to the car and the hackers were walking in front of them and bozer started to run and the hackers immediately knew it was them so they started shooting.

bozer- Riley i thought you gave a fake location . *he said yelling and running to the car* 

riley- i did but it was a matter of time to they to found out.* they got in the car while desi and mac were fighting the bad guys* desi left three of them  unconscious and mac trow a the other 2 inside some garbage cans* they got in the car and leaved as fast as they could.

los Angeles.

They are at the phoenix, as soon as they entered the room matty was there waiting for them. she looked really anxious. 

matty- what quite of a mission was that uh? 

mac - hah yeah it was * he said while crossing his arms and looking at Riley, and she looked at him and  raise her eyebrows*

matty- so i didn't know if i should said this to Riley alone but i prefer to said it to all of you instead. 

mac- * looked at everyone in the room and said: its something wrong? *Riley looked scared and anxious but did not showed her emotions she kept herself calm*

bozer- matty what's going on?

matty-  this mission was specially for Riley... Riley the information you recovered was from a mission this agent of the CIA was getting from a undercover job, unfortunately he was removed of the job, we don't know why. 

desi-  but what does that have to do with riley? 

matty- this mission was a test, if you could get the information back you would go undercover to finish the job instead of the other agent.. 

mac and bozer jumped and said at the same time: woow... hold on.

mac- matty are you sure about this?

bozer- yes matty don't they have like a bunch of agents there. desi, bozer and mac just looked at Riley 

riley- stayed in silence. and just nodded. and asked: but why me, why did they choose me?

matty- they want someone with your abilities and this is an important mission, Riley youre ready for this next step and i'm not asking you have to do it, its your job. and the rest of you can leave. 

mac and bozer looked at her angry. desi looked at them calm and then they left  the room and everyone went home except for matty and Riley.

matty- sit down.*Riley sat in the arm of the couch. matty got closer to her*

matty- i know this is a though one. and it was harder for me to accept that this work was for you... Riley you're like a daughter to me, never doubt that you're a very important part on this team, you need to know that this is a next step in your work, IN your life, i believe that you can do this. *riley’s eyes got teary* jack will be proud of you.

Riley- Matty, thank u, and as you said this is my job i have to do it so i will. 

Matty- good, they want you to start tomorrow but i talked to them so they can have you in 2 weeks. *Riley smiled and Matty gave her a hug* and matty continued and gave her the last details.

      ............................................................... 

I hope you liked this one i know is loong and probably not that good but whatever i wanted to write a little about Desi just cause she is a badass woman and i like her:) maybe tomorrow (well it 4:38 am where i am lol ) or today will post the 2 part, if you guys liked this one.

credits to the photos: @smoakgenius​  (the story is more about riley i know but i couldn't  stop looking photos of lucas lol)

#macgyver #macgyver 2016 #angus macgyver #lucas till #riley davis #wilt bozer #matty #desi #desiree nguyen #tristinmays #macriley #fanfic #mine #writing

[razberryyum]

Why I love the Phoenix Mountain Hunt: an essay

(with novel spoilers)

Ok, firstly, the beautiful WangXian elephant in the room: I honestly never expected us to get the blindfolded kiss scene or anything close to that, though I was hoping for at least a mild hint at it involving Wei Wuxian being blindfolded and Lan Wangji at least somewhere nearby before they fade to black or cut- away, but I think what they gave us instead was just as awesome since it completely captured the spirit of the stolen kiss. For me at least, that blindfold scene was essentially LWJ being so overwhelmed by his feelings for WWX that he actually broke probably every moral code he’s lived by to uncharacteristically act upon his urges, pretty much taking advantage of WWX in his self-imposed vulnerable condition (although, how WWX could ever mistaken LWJ for being a female cultivationist, even if she’s especially arduous and STRONG, is beyond me…I mean, who has he SEEN at the hunt that would even fit that bill??? I probably could write a whole other essay just to figure this one out). With the “confession” scene we got instead, it feels like we basically got everything we wanted from the blindfolded kiss scene except without the actually kiss…which is pretty damn fine, all things considered. LWJ still was so overwhelmed by his feelings for WWX that he uncharacteristically almost demanded of WWX what his status in his life is and then pretty much eagerly pledged his continued devotion to him. To make things better, WWX was the one who came up with the word 知己 (more on that later) to describe how he felt about LWJ…which is actually a step up from how it was in the novel, where WWX, although aware of LWJ’s existence all of the time, mostly seemed to just enjoy teasing him for his own amusement. They definitely weren’t at the point where WWX would refer to him as a soulmate for life (and my God does it take a while to even get to anywhere near that point…not complaining but just…all the mostly one-sided pining on LWJ’s part in the novel hurt me).

I actually loved how the confession scene began with WWX immediately happy from seeing LWJ passing by and instinctively wanting to call out to him, only stopping himself because he remembered the talk he and big bro Lan Xichen had…which was not in the novel, completely original to the drama. I loved that change since that talk the two future bro-in-laws had just made me love LXC even more and also informed us further of just how much LXC is aware of his little bro’s feelings for WWX. But then LWJ was finally the one to spot WWX first and as he heads towards him, WWX has just the most heart-meltingly soft expression:

Like he’s so relieved and just happy that LWJ realized he’s there on his own so now they can finally converse. And then of course the conversation they have…so meaningful.

Now, tbh, for most of my life I thought the word 知己 actually just meant “dearest friend”, which would’ve been good enough already considering they can’t straight out say anything more intimate than that, but then upon finding out that the word can also mean “soulmate”, I was of course overjoyed. And considering the emotions involved in that scene and the way the two wonderful actors played it, along with the beautiful WangXian score coming in and their lingering looks, I don’t doubt that both LWJ and WWX did mean “soulmate”, especially considering how more developed their relationship was already by that point, thanks to the changes in the live action.

What I also love about the Phoenix Mt Hunt in terms of WangXian is just how WWX-focused LWJ was. It’s like he couldn’t take his eyes off of WWX the majority of the time, and he was constantly concerned for him. Other than the cute ribbon exchange at the beginning and the aforementioned conversation scene, my other favorite WangXian moment between them was when LWJ held WWX back while they were in hiding behind the tree, eavesdropping on Shijie and Jin Zixuan:

…because of the expression on LWJ’s face. It’s obvious he sees through Jin Zixuan’s facade, that the Jin dork is actually already crushing on Shijie, hence LWJ’s almost smile in that moment while trying to pull WWX back from ruining the two future lovebird’s alone time…

It felt like the reason LWJ understood JZX’s feelings was because he too was trying to hide his true feelings from the one he is enamored with.

And then of course there’s all the physical contact between WWX and LWJ…

Another reason I love the Phoenix Mt Hunt is because of Shijie, Jiang Yanli. I don’t post much about anyone else other than WangXian because Tumblr freaks out on me when I post about something more than once or twice a day so I have to pick and choose my loves, but I pretty much loved Shijie the moment she appeared in the live action. They could not have chosen a sweeter, more loving looking person to play her. I was already a fan of her character right from the get-go, but when she stood up for her little bro, WWX and her sect, I just about burst out crying cuz I was so damn proud of her. I wanted to reach into the screen and just hug her so much. She was simply amazing in that scene, the actress and the character, and I felt like we saw some of Madame Yu in her.

I’m still not very convinced that JZX deserves her, cuz he’s still kinda a dick to WWX, but if that’s the man she wants, who am I to deprive her of anything. Give her the world, please, cuz Shijie deserves it.

Oh and this moment, I really appreciated as well:

That look of utter fear on WWX’s face…which I feel wasn’t just due to the fact that he was worried for his Shijie’s safety, but because he knew there was no way he could protect her due to his condition. Bless LWJ again of course for coming to his rescue…which actually makes me wonder why he hasn’t said anything to WWX about his golden core considering it’s pretty obvious he knows something’s up. It’s actually still driving me a little crazy that LWJ continues to keep that to himself even though he clearly knows or is at least suspicious enough that he’s constantly coming to WWX’s rescue…during the Sunshot Campaign and now even at the hunt.

I also love of course how LWJ seems to be in constant fear that WWX would just lose it completely and then do something irreversible…which, of course we know that he eventually will, sadly, but my heart just ached on behalf of LWJ and the non-stop concern he must’ve been feeling for WWX like 24/7. I mean, leading up to the hunt, we know he was breaking sect rules to look up ways to help WWX, while WWX on the other hand got to enjoy life in Lotus Pier. All of it just makes LWJ’s words to his big bro, where he talks about wanting to just hide WWX away, that much more heart-breaking. It was already poignant in the novel knowing that he would even want to do something like that (after what happened with his parents) just to keep WWX safe, but somehow it felt worse in the live action because of all the build up to that moment, where we see how almost desperate he is to keep WWX on the right path and safe.

Lastly (omg, this thing is already 3 pages long), what I also appreciated about the Phoenix Mt Hunt is the stuff that happens to Jin Guangyao. First off, against my better judgment, every time he pops up with LXC, I can’t help but smile cuz it IS so damn cute how the two of them are like always attached at the hip…they just appeared together here…like, I guess they just ditched their crabby older bro to wander off together?…lol. 

And then, when you see just how shitty Madame Jin and even that ass-weasel Jin Zixun treats JGY despite the fact that he’s basically helping them run their freaking sect now, really makes a good case for why he doesn’t feel any love for his so-called family, even before we find out his history. Not that that justifies what he does, especially considering how much he hurts those we do love, but we can see the Jins really don’t make a good case for themselves. Not to mention, at the start of the hunt, with how they use the probably innocent Wen members for archery targets, the line between the Jins and the Wens became really blurred, despite the Lanling Jin’s more angelic looking outfits. Again, I don’t get a chance to talk about this enough, but part of the reason I love Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed is that surrounding the beautiful love story between WWX and LWJ there is a legit fascinating story about the world of cultivation, the sects and families within it, which is populated by characters that are just as interesting and dynamic as our two protagonists. I think the Phoenix Mt Hunt really highlights this fact by giving us a glimpse into all these different aspects of the two main stories at play in one event…and not to mention, WWX just looked cool AF doing all that stuff with a blindfold on…which is why I love the hunt so much.

Thank you for reading my thesis. I will continue to work hard to earn my doctorate degree in MDZS/The Untamed.

#The Untamed #陈情令 #CQL #Mo Dao Zu Shi #WangXian #MDZS #Phoenix Mountain Hunt #episode 25 #novel spoilers #Wei Ying Wei Wuxian #Lan Zhan Lan Wangji #Jiang Yanli #Jin Zixuan #XuanLi #Lan Xichen #Jin Guangyao #XiYao #Long post

[vivithefolle]

I love your analysis about the Cho/Ron interaction, but I'm just curious as to how Harmionie shipping Quorans would respond to it if you post it there. Knowing them, they'd probably see it as more proof that Harmony works because "Look! Hermione doesn't care when Harry is tactless but she can't stop nagging Ron when he is tactless!" 🤣 Seriously, though. Hermione is WAY nicer to Harry than she is to Ron. Come to think of it, Hermione is nicer to most people than she is to Ron.

Aaaah, well that’s simply because Hermione is… awful.No, no, seriously, when Hermione is in love, she’s terrible. She can be a nice friend but when she’s in love with you she’s horrible. Especially since she’s a teenager.

Hermione is a prime example of a Tsundere.

The cute, blushy, giggling Hermione who flirts with [insert character here] and cries delicately when she’s rejected? Pure fanfiction. Canon Hermione keeps her love aggressively hidden behind countless iron walls, only letting it peek through when she’s absolutely sure the person she likes isn’t looking.

“How was practice?” asked Hermione rather coolly half an hour later, as Harry and Ron climbed through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor common room.“It was -” Harry began. “Completely lousy,” said Ron in a hollow voice, sinking into a chair beside Hermione. She looked up at Ron and her frostiness seemed to melt. - Order of the Phoenix

Rare footage of the Hermione Granger, scientific name Selfinsertus Overratedus, displaying interest in specimen of mighty fine hunk

Hermione isn’t sweet and tender and kind with the one she loves. At least, the teenage Hermione isn’t. She’s harsh, she’s disdainful and only gives out breadcrumbs of affection once in a while as part of the complicated mind game she’s playing.

You see, Hermione is never going to make the first move. You must be the one to ask her out, because she sure as hell ain’t going to do it for you.

This is due, I think, to the events of Goblet of Fire. Viktor Krum asks her out because Rowling absolutely wants Hermione to be the ugly duckling who transforms into the beautiful swan, so she brings in Cardboard Cutout With No Personality Aside From Being Famous to woo her self-insert.

Now Hermione has gotten the experience of being asked out, and being a rather socially awkward person who also hates being vulnerable - more on that later - well, now she just assumes that if someone asked her out once, then anyone who does like her can do the same.

Which is why she doesn’t realize that Ron is actually aware he loves her. There’s a big comedy of assumptions going on in Romione’s love story.

Hermione believes that Ron either 1) likes her but is oblivious to his own feelings and so she thinks she has to “give him hints” to make him realize it. Emphasized best by this exchange:

Hermione laughed.“Harry you’re worse than Ron… well, no, you’re not, “ she sighed, as Ron himself came stumping into the Hall splattered with mud and looking grumpy. “Look - you upset Cho when you said you were going to meet me, so she tried to make you jealous. It was her way of trying to find out how much you liked her.”“Is that what she was doing?” said Harry, as Ron dropped on to the bench opposite them and pulled every dish within reach towards him. “Well, wouldn’t it have been easier if she’d just asked me whether I liked her better than you?”“Girls don’t often ask questions like that,” said Hermione.

“I’ve sent him so many signals and yet he doesn’t notice. Woe is me!”

2) doesn’t actually likes her, but sees her just as a good mate or worse, as another sister.

Hermione keeps flip-flopping between her two assumptions throughout the series, all because of her biggest assumption: she thinks that if Ron was interested in her, he would ask her out. Because Viktor Krum was interested in her, and he asked her out, so why wouldn’t Ron do the same? They’re both boys and she’s a girl, after all. Isn’t that how it works?

This is also why Hermione’s “““invitation”““ to the Slug Club isn’t even an invitation - really, it’s worse than Ron’s invite to the Yule Ball, at least he was actually offering her to come:

“We’re allowed to bring guests,” said Hermione, […], “and I was going to ask you to come, but […] I won’t bother.”

“I was going to ask you to come but I won’t bother.”

This is literally what she said. It’s more of a “look Ron! An invite! If you’re good maybe I’ll think about letting you have it!” than anything else.

It’s because this is Hermione’s last resort. The ultimate humiliation. She has to resort to inviting Ron when in her mind, he’s supposed to be the one asking her out. He’s the boy! He’s supposed to do it!(And this is why I laugh at all the fools who claim that Hermione is the pinnacle of feminism. Seriously, the girl is more of a misogynist than any other character in the series.)

Hermione failed to take into account that Ron’s insecurity cripples him worse than she imagines, and that he copes with it differently than she copes with her own insecurities.

And this is the part where I explain about Hermione’s hatred of being vulnerable.

You see, I can relate quite a lot to Hermione - I see a lot of me in her, and a lot of people who hurt me in the past as well.

Bullied because she was an easy target, being the know-it-all and local teacher’s pet? Yep. Bullied for her appearance (I got braces when I was 8 and have been wearing glasses since I was a toddler, she had her bushy hair and buck teeth)? Can relate. Cried easily? Super check. Rule enforcer when the teachers weren’t around? Mega check.

And naturally, when you’re such a water fountain as I was, there’s nothing more humiliating than ending up crying in front of your bullies. You quickly learn that it will bring you nothing but more bullying. More humiliation. More vulnerability.

Hence why you start despising any form of vulnerability you find in yourself.

Obviously, being in love? That’s one of the most terrible things you can find yourself in when you’re afraid of being vulnerable. Because, oh god, your feelings are completely insane around the person. They make or ruin your day. You keep wanting to show them how cool / great / impressive you are, and you try desperately to mask all your little faults so they will hopefully return your feelings.

Given that Hermione is already not the most socially-aware battering ram in the knife drawer, she acts especially nasty to Ron, because she’s overcompensating for the vulnerability he makes her feel. And she most likely isn’t even aware of it! Forget Fanfic Hermione cringing as she realizes how mean she sounds, welcome Canon Hermione who just doubles down on a pointless argument just to drive home how totally in control she is and how Ron has absolutely zero effect on her, no siree!

In short: Hermione overthinks. She overthinks everything. She’s overthinking every of Ron’s actions, she’s assuming he’s either out to get her because she assumes he’s perfectly aware of her crush on him and he’s just toying with her (this is the very insecure, pessimistic Hermione speaking), she’s assuming he’s completely oblivious to her feelings and so she uses the ages-old technique of the “subtle hints” to make her feelings known to him (and fails miserably because she doesn’t want to put herself out there too much in case he rejects her, which would be the ultimate humiliation and the worst possible thing to happen to her, in her teenage girl mind), and she’s assuming he’ll never like her the way she likes him, all the while being woefully oblivious to the fact that Ron does want to be with her but she keeps sending him signals that she sees him as a troublesome child rather than a potential partner.

All in all, a teenage Hermione in love is utter torture. She’s her own worst enemy, and it’s only when she decides to let go of it all - of the mind games, of the distancing, of the passive-aggressive; of the overthinking - and just takes a chance that her efforts bear fruit.

There was a clatter as the basilisk fangs cascaded out of Hermione’s arms. Running at Ron, she flung them around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. Ron threw away the fangs and broomstick he was holding and responded with such enthusiasm that he lifted Hermione off her feet.

(As much as I’m disillusioned with Romione, this kiss is still one of my favourite parts of the series. They mutually sweep each other off their feet for god’s sake, you wish your ship would.)

#ask #vivi answers #hermione granger #ron weasley #analysis #hp analysis #character analysis #harry potter #romione #shipping #hermione granger critical #hermione critical #ron x hermione #ron weasley defense squad #ron weasley defence squad