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starlit-meloncholia · 1 year

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17, 25, 30

For the D&D ask thing:

17. What are some house rules your group has?

Oh, we have several! One such example is contested ties; if you meet an armor class or DC exactly, if the situation fits I can call for a contested roll where each party rolls a d20 and the higher roll wins. This can represent things like arrows snagging in someone's shirt without actually hitting them, or a trap just barely missing your head

Another example is Sleep Checks: If a character is sleeping soundly, they have to fail a Con check for them to wake up (any amount of damage is an automatic wakeup, though!) The Barbarian in our old party had a habit of sleeping through ambushes if no one kicked him awake :p

The most-used example would have to be the Rule of Cool/Rule of Funny. If something would be cool or funny and enough people want to see it happen, mechanics and story be damned it can happen. It helps to facilitate fun stories where you can do vaguely ridiculous or incredibly badass things, like when the paladin taught a hostile Weeping Angel-esque gargoyle to (badly) play a pipe organ that was sitting around as dungeon flair instead of fighting it

25. What have your players done that you never could have planned for?

I actively encourage my players to try and stump me, so I have several examples. One of my favourites would have to be a quest where the party was hired to assassinate a politician. The politician himself was a normal 4hp gnome, but he was holed up in his manor with a ton of guards and they couldn't just murder him in the streets without becoming wanted criminals in a land filled with plenty of other mercenary companies and bounty hunters.

The Paladin went door to door gathering information under the guise of recruiting children for a Young Squires Association (this was very successful, and he had to deal with a pack of wealthy brats offloaded by the senator's neighbors bc rule of funny. He also got plenty of information about the house and senator, such as that the back door is busted and flaps in the breeze and he's been married for centuries). The Paladin then took his horde of children and left to try and return them, as he didn't want a dozen rich spoiled brats.

Using the tips gathered by the Paladin, the Rogue then tried to sneak in the back door (intended path) alone (not intended), where she was found by guards pretty quickly after breaking a vase. Not wanting to fight an encounter alone (smart), she pretended to be an investigator hired by a local HOA, here for a surprise inspection due to reports of a damaged door (this became a running joke). She was escorted off the property and was assured that it would be repaired and that a complaint would be filed against the HOA for the lack of notice. Giving up, she went to a tavern to drink and flirt with the quest giver. The sorcerer went with her.

The druid, then, went and knocked on the front door. When it was answered by a mook, she burst into tears and explained that she had heard from her mother that her missing father lived here (she was like 30). She explained she was a bastard born out of wedlock and she just wanted to meet her father. They denied her, so she started screaming and crying in the street for him to meet his child and stop being a deadbeat father. Eventually she got enough attention that the politician asked to see her in his office.

The guards escorted her to the office and left her alone with him. He questioned her, she successfully convinced him she was his half-gnome bastard (she was a Yuan-Ti Pureblood and like 6'1"). She then proceeded to tearfully explain she just wanted to know and have a relationship with her father; her "father" denied this and escorted her to the front door to kick her out, giving her hush money to not ruin his reputation and 200-year marriage. She walked with him out of the private and secluded office, past all the guards and servants (undisguised), and out into the street with him before casting Poison Spray in his face and garroting him in public before leaving to the tavern, collecting her pay, and skipping town before the guards caught up to her.

She got paid twice for that job and got a bonus from the quest giver for making it look like it wasn't politically motivated.

30. Are your players diplomatic or are they murder hobos?

My players lean towards the diplomatic, as you can probably tell from the earlier anecdotes lol. Any time an enemy is neutralized, the XP is given; this means the party never loses out on XP for not killing something as long as they still dealt with it and made sure it was no longer a threat. I also give bonus XP (up to half the original value) for solutions that I didn't plan for. With that freedom and incentive, a lot of creative and often nonviolent things come out of quests and dungeon situations.

One more recent example is from a quest where the party was hired to clear out the sewers of a major city suffering a monster epidemic that they caused. The party allied with a tribe of ratfolk that were mining in the sewers and killing those who approached, and then led them into a turf war with a hive of tosculi that were kidnapping people from the city above.

That's not to say that they haven't committed war crimes of course, but who hasn't bisected kobold prisoners for trying to escape? A real murder hobo would never have taken a prisoner in the first place lol.

#whew #this turned out to be pretty long #d&d ask #thanks anon!#asks and replies

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huxianposts · 3 years

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I COMPLETELY forgot who posted this but there was this one tumblr that posted Pegoryu with ‘Koi no Yokan’ and I was like OMG YES, but then after a while I think an anon sent in ask about that and was like ‘Okay hear me out—Koi no Yokan and Coup de Foudre cause Ryuji’s Zio and lightning and thunder and he was the flash of lightning that made Akira fall in love’ AND I WAS EVEN MORE LIKE YES YES YES YES

BUT NOW I CAN’T FIND THE POST OR BLOG SO I FEEL I SHOULD JUST LET YOU KNOW OF THE EXISTENCE OF THIS AND HOPE YOU CAN SEE IT FOR YOURSELF ONE DAY

I ain't gonna lie, for hot a minute I thought Koi no Yokan was a band, and that Coup de Foudre was a song, and I was like, I don't think I've heard of them before but I will do it for pegoryu-- AND THEN MY PEA BRAIN REBOOTED AND WENT, YOU DINGUS, THEY ARE WORDS WITH DEFINITIONS. And THEN I remembered where I heard Koi no Yokan before and I went on a fever manhunt through my tags for it and I believe it is this post by @kareofbears!

here's the link to reblog ahaha! Though, I did not see/cannot find the Coup de Foudre follow up, sorry (￣y▽,￣)╭

but YES, YES YES YES!!!! We have the definition phrase for koi no yokan, but for coup de foudre, I've found, it's "an astonishing occurrence; especially : overwhelming love at first sight", and for your bit you mentioned "The moment when "lightning strikes" or something unforgettable occurs that you want to capture forever".

And I am literally shaking. It's so perfect for them. Not only am I shook at the slow burn aspect, but the lightning metaphor and imagery is so immaculate. Like holy shit!!!!!!

Anyway, long ass talk (me just rambling bc i haven't slept for a while LMAO) under the cut, sorry! But know that my Pegoryu heart just got reignited, so thank you, anon 😎

In my headcanons, I honestly see Akira being the one that falls first. He looks and acts reserved restrained, but he gets attached to people fast (the power of friendship, babyyyy-- my boy is a shonen jump protag), and Ryuji being that first re-connection back to the rest of the world, literal zio, lightning storm, thunder-- To Akira, there is a time before Ryuji, and then there is a time after Ryuji. Ryuji is... someone, something, an event that happened to him. Lightning strike that shifted the world a few degrees different.

Like, of COURSE, if it were anybody else-- I do believe Akira would've saved them, would've stood up, would've become someone more than what was given to him. But there is something so narratively delicious that he meets Ryuji first, and this is the person that woke up something in him, that he took one look after that first dungeon and sees recognition-- that core trait of protection being reflected back. I've said it in some posts before, but like, there was a writing choice for Akira to fully start his journey with the Chariot arcana, rather than Magician; The Chariot tarot card is all about overcoming challenges and gaining victory through maintaining control of your surroundings.

Akira at the beginning of the game is someone defined by loss: of his old life, reputation, and of control. I know the awakening theme for P5 is about rebellion, revenge, anger-- and he does embody all of that! But his core is to protect. That's what got him into his situation; the world punished him for standing up for someone else, tried to tell him it was a mistake, and it was wrong. Even after having dreams about Igor hinting at his future, meeting Sojiro, seeing how weird Shujin is-- it's meeting Ryuji, accidentally going into the dungeon, and having this stranger try to protect him-- that's what wakes Akira up. His lightning flash moment. Ryuji happened to him, and validated his core drive to protect; Ryuji looked at Akira, a stranger, and didn't debate on the merits of saving some guy who could be good or bad-- he just did it.

Akira woke his persona to save others. And as defined by the Chariot-- he overcame his challenge (fear of action due to what had happened before) and gained victory through control of his surroundings (reconnecting with the world and people, gaining a persona granted him control of his circumstances, etc.).

Ryuji is the overwhelming, unforgettable lightning strike.

Maybe Akira doesn't fall in love right at that moment. But I do believe he falls a lot faster, and that he recognizes the impact in meeting Ryuji. But again, his restraint does not let him voice any of this (because Akira is still very defined by fear); he knows what he feels, he just lost his voice in admitting anything truly vulnerable.

Now, on the other side, I headcanon Ryuji embodying koi no yokan perfectly. A lot of it is also Atlus having everyone adore Akira (which, deserved. Akira deserves good things), but it's my headcanon and I'm explaining the process.

I honestly believe it takes Ryuji longer to truly connect in a way that HE finds matter. It's easy to help strangers, but it's hard to let down your guard to allow someone at your soft belly; this is exemplified with Ryuji's prickly countenance, and his quick reaction to anything that could cause harm to others/the group. A lot of that is from the stuff that happened to him prior the game: Kamoshida breaking his leg, ostracization by his team and school, his own guilt, and hell, the lightly mentioned family history in his SL.

Like, chains are a big symbolism in P5: restraint, being literally chained down by society, yourself, etc. And in comparison to the main cast, his story happened outside of P5 plot (no connection to Shido, and his story was not jumpstarted by the Metaverse); Ryuji... just happened in the plot. Things happened to him. And he's been living his life defined by those things, chained down by external forces but also by his mistakes.

That's why, on a narrative level, it really makes sense that Ryuji's whole SL is about recovery, progress, and freedom. Everyone else is finally stepping into their story, so to speak, but he's the one moving on, because his story was done before the game even began (and that Atlus just did not give attention to, lbr), and change is an inevitable part of life.

But there is also the delicious juxtaposition of Ryuji's themes of freedom mixing with inevitability, though. Just the possibilities of internal struggle, you know? Like, if my life can change because I will it, because I seek freedom and that is an active process- how does inevitability play a role? Fate isn't real, it can't be (because does that mean half the bullshit in my life was doom to occur?), because that is a painful thought-- but. Akira.

Akira is someone that became inevitable to Ryuji's story; just as Ryuji was the lightning strike to Akira's life to wake up and recognize himself again, Akira is the inevitability of change for Ryuji's stagnancy. Because Ryuji is an active person in many ways-- staying in one spot, staying stagnant is what hurt him most, and just meeting Akira was.

It felt like the tide pulling from the shore, the sun setting, moon rising, world turning on its axis every day. Normal, devastating inevitable forces.

Their meeting was by chance, but did Ryuji really think he could stay the same? Did he think he could stay the same in his loneliness, after having met Akira?

He didn't fall first, but on some level, Ryuji knew that all the roads he ran on would lead back to Akira.

And while Ryuji may struggle with his own themes of freedom and inevitability-- I think he ultimately accepts what he feels for Akira, and makes new meaning of the two concepts for himself: "I guess bein' free...it's like how I feel when I'm talking to you, man."

Finding freedom in that inevitable love, because at the end of the day, Ryuji has the choice to choose that written piece, or reject it. And he chooses take it and make it mean something, changing in the way that matters to him.

Anyway. Thanks for reading this far LMAO. But anon, whoever you are, thank you for your ask, because I am literally this image rn

#thank you for the ask!#anon #pegoryu #sorry for the balls to the walls of text #but irl has been whooping me and then you remind me of the koi no yokan post and suddenly my p5-pegoryu heart started to beat again #thank you anon #i miss these two so much #i owe you my life for reminding me of how soft i am for them #again these are my headcanons wooooo #don't take it too seriously... unless? 😳

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writesowhatnext · 4 years

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can I get that in writing? // seamus finnigan

Summary: Slytherin!reader has a little crush on Gryffindor’s favourite Irishman. Unbeknownst to her, the feelings are very much mutual. Not the best timing though, is it? With a war going on and all.

Request: I adored your writing and was wondering if you'd write for Seamus Finnigan with a Slytherin reader the angst/fluff prompts of 44. “You’ve always felt like home.”?

A/N: I actually had no idea where to start with this bc I had a general vibe I wanted to aim for but couldn’t figure out where to beginnn, sort of pleased with how it turned out though

Reader: female

Warnings: spoilers I suppose? Mentions of the battle of Hogwarts, abuse, the Carrows, injury, sewing I guess??

You couldn’t come up with a good enough reason to justify your crush. It wasn’t without effort on your part, either. You’d lost a good deal of sleep and favour with your teachers during sixth year for how distracted you were by the whole ordeal; as if their best student dipping a little was their biggest fish to fry with a war on the horizon. If you were to make a pros and cons list of crushing on Seamus Finnigan, there were no pros. Just cons. Only cons. He was a Gryffindor, for a start, if that wasn’t enough. He was also completely incapable of performing any magic without somehow blowing something up. And he swore like a sailor. And he had those annoying Gryffindor traits of never thinking anything through ever and not having even a single ounce of self-preservation. And it was hardly time for a crush. But he was Seamus. And, Merlin, was he funny – especially when his potions were disastrous. He was brave too. He’d been part of Dumbledore’s Army, so you’d heard, before the Umbridge fiasco. Bugger having feelings.

To say you knew each other would be a stretch: you knew of each other. You shared some classes and he hung around Harry Potter so you’d seen him around because, obviously, Harry Potter. The first time you’d spoken to him, actually, was in sixth year. You’d seen him from afar before then, of course. What, with his tendency to get explosive. But after disagreeing with Draco Malfoy on a shockingly Potter-related incident (he had said Potter was an awful seeker, you merely recalled statistics), you were temporarily shunned by many members of Slytherin – as if you hadn’t been already for being a halfblood. And so, you became a lone wolf in many subjects for a short time near the end of the year. You hadn’t intended to strike up a conversation with your crush; it had just sort of happened, but thinking back, you were grateful. You’d watched from the bench opposite Seamus, in Potions, as he attempted to brew an Alihotsy draught.

He was hopeless. With him throwing ingredients in without much regard, you were more than surprised that the potion hadn’t exploded. Thirty seconds later, it did. His hair stuck up away from his face, his eyes wide and green dust all over his skin. You didn’t mean to laugh, and certainly not maliciously, but you couldn’t escape your giggle at his frazzled and frustrated expression. He looked up at you at first with angry, embarrassed eyes: he saw your tie, heard you laugh and immediately took a disliking. Then he remembered something he’d heard from Parvati about you defending Harry to Malfoy. He also noticed how pretty you were when you laughed. And so, he laughed back.

“Not my finest.” He said to you, almost bashfully.

“Not your worst.” You replied with a teasing smile.

And that’s when you- sort of- became friends.

You didn’t speak to him for a while after that. You smiled in corridors, though, and across classrooms. And the great hall during meals. You’d hoped after so long that your crush might disappear, but it only grew. You knew how he felt about Slytherins and honestly, you weren’t too fond of Gryffindors either. So, it’s not like you held out a lot of hope for the two of you: you both had your houses’ reputations to upkeep. Reputations became irrelevant, though, after the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. You’d seen friends of your parents and your friends’ parents hurt in that; fighting on the wrong side. And even though he was the head of your house, Snape’s new post as Headmaster after Dumbledore’s death did not sit well with you. To say Seamus was far from the forefront of your mind through this would be an understatement.

You did think of him, though, when you started seeing DA slogans on the walls at Hogwarts. Slytherin became a hard place to be in seventh year; especially if you disagreed with You-Know-Who, even subtly. The treatment of muggleborns made you sick and you knew you had to do something. Anything. Your fear stopped you to start with: you saw what the Carrows were doing. Practising curses on students had your heart in bits and most Slytherins didn’t speak to you, either too scared or too blinded with power and hatred. Hearing about Neville Longbottom, a wizard you didn’t know well who appeared to be the spearhead of the movement after Harry Potter’s disappearance, being persecuted was what made you snap. You began to speak out against the use of unforgivable curses on students for detention. You didn’t turn up to the muddle studies class – unable to sit through the lies Alecto Carrow sprouted.

They beat you more for being a Slytherin than they had any of the other rebelling students and you knew if you didn’t hide, you wouldn’t last. You couldn’t leave Hogwarts - your parents were on the run for being muggle and blood traitor. Being one of the more astute Slytherins, you knew where everything was in the castle. You guessed that the Room of Requirement would give you some salvation at the least. You didn’t expect to see the DA hiding out there, but you were grateful for your luck. When you walked into the room to see a dozen missing Hogwarts students shocked to see you, you realised that being in Slytherin at a time like this was truly being stuck between a rock and a hard place; distrust wherever you went. You recognised people from all houses but your own. It took seconds before their wands were pointed at you and through his bruises, you recognised Neville Longbottom at the forefront.

“I’m here to help.” You said, hands in the air, wand tucked away. “I just want to help.”

“How can we trust you?” a voice shouted from the back.

“Look at my face.” You said, fully aware of your split lip and the purple-coloured skin around your eye. “I’ve been fighting this just like you.”

“But you’re a Slytherin.” Another voice called out.

You looked around them almost desperately, knowing you’d probably be killed if you went back to the dungeon. You recognised Seamus despite his bruised face; you couldn’t help but offer him a small smile.

“That didn’t stop them.”

There was a deafening silence.

“I say she stays.”

You looked up at Seamus, somewhat shocked. You didn’t expect him to vouch for you. He shot you a half-smile, turning to the rest of the group. “We’ve all taken beatings for the cause.”

To say you were accepted into the army with open arms would be a falsehood of massive proportion. Whilst nobody was rude, they were all wary; though, it was a great deal warmer than the chilly atmosphere of the Slytherin dungeon. One day in early April, there was shouting from the entrance of the room. Two boys were dragging a third in over their shoulders. Neville, the boy on the left, was shouting.

“I need help, now!”

You went over to see what you could do, a few others following. A circle formed around the boy. His face was bloodied and unrecognisable and for a second, you worried that you hadn’t seen Seamus around today. But that didn’t matter. Whoever it was needed help. You bent down in front of him, aware of dozens of pairs of suspicious eyes on you, and took out your wand. A simple spell your father had taught you to make cleaning your room a lot easier erased the blood from his features and you couldn’t help the lump in your throat when you saw Seamus’ face.

“I can fix him.” You said quickly, looking up at Neville. He, too, was bruised from whatever they’d been doing. You just stared at each other for a moment as he debated trusting you. He didn’t speak, only nodded.

“I need a needle and thread.”

You pulled Seamus’ head into your lap, looking at a deep gash on his forehead.

“What happened?”

A Hufflepuff girl dropped a first-aid kit next to you; you made an effort to smile at her in thanks. Neville said down in front of you and watched you work. The rest of the army dissipated, either to leave you to it or cause more havoc elsewhere.

“We were writing on the walls. The Carrows found us. Seamus fell and hit his head when they stupefied him.”

You nodded, beginning to sew the gash shut. Neville watched you closely. You didn’t take it personally. When you were finished, you held the needle in your mouth, tying off the end of the thread.

“How do you know how to do that?” Neville asked, looking you in the eye for the first time.

“My mum’s a nurse. A muggle nurse.”

“Your mum’s a muggle?”

You nodded, smiling slightly as you brushed Seamus’ hair back from his face.

“He fancied you, you know.” You looked up at Neville, frowning. “He wouldn’t shut up about you last year.”

You huffed a laugh. “I fancied him too.”

You were surprised to see Neville smiling at you. Maybe you’d made a friend after all.

You stayed awake all night, waiting for Seamus to wake up. You were sat by his bed, back against it as he slept peacefully. It must’ve been the early hours of the morning when you felt eyes on you. You weren’t sure you were still awake but you could hear birds outside somewhere and figured you had better things to dream about. You turned around to see Seamus sat up slightly, watching you. Neither of you spoke. He sat up with a groan, squeezing his eyes shut and holding his head.

“Easy there.” You said softly, offering him some of the water you’d placed near him. You barely thought about the way you instinctively placed your hand on his back or the brush of his fingertips against your own.

“What happened?”

“Neville said you took a nasty fall after being stupefied.”

He groaned.

“He also said you fancied me.”

“Christ,” he said, rubbing his head as you sat back down, smirking. “A man gets stupefied once and all his secrets come out.”

“So, it’s true?”

“Blimey.” He muttered.

“Because if it is, that’s quite convenient.”

He frowned, his muttering stopping after a second. He looked at you, clearly confused.

“I had quite the crush too.”

“Had?”

You didn’t reply, only smiling as you grabbed his arm and pushed him back down to get some rest.

“You’ll be here when I wake up, I suppose?”

“Nowhere else to be.”

And that’s when you became sort-of more than friends.

Though there were much more pressing matters leading up to Battle of Hogwarts and lots of much bigger feelings, you and Seamus enjoyed what you had going. You never talked about it explicitly though, not really. You laughed together, a lot, and he was constantly teasing you. You returned the favour though with your fair share of flirting. You bandaged each other up whenever you needed to and he even introduced you with pride when Harry Potter finally returned. You were happy about that, of course, but you knew Potter returning would mean something big.

And you were right.

That’s why you were currently running down a corridor after Professor McGonagall in a desperate attempt to find Seamus. You pushed through some other students to reach the front doors.

“Boom!” McGonagall said, Neville on her left and Seamus on her right. As you got closer, you saw her gesturing to the Wooden Bridge; no doubt she was hoping destroying the bridge would stall the invasion.

“Wicked,” Neville said, as you pushed behind another student. “But how are we gonna do that?”

You were right behind Seamus, reaching out your hand to grab his arm.

“Why don't you confer with Mr Finnigan? As I recall, he has a particular proclivity for pyrotechnics.”

“I can bring it down!” Seamus insisted, moving away from you unknowingly.

“Seamus!” you called out, following him, Ginny Weasley and Neville towards the bridge. He stopped, waiting impatiently for you to catch up with a frown on his face. You were acutely aware of the sounds around you, the battle already underway.

“You have to be safe,” you said, now face to face. “You need to get home safe.” You smiled slightly. “Back to your ‘mam’”

He just stared at you for a moment, a smile twitching at his lips. And then he leant forward, very slowly, and kissed your lips. A short and sweet kiss that made your heart sing.

“You’ve always felt like me’ home.” He said, smiling and tilting his head to the side. You stared at each other for a moment longer before Neville interrupted, hurrying the moment along impatiently, reluctantly.

“They’ll be more where that came from when I get back,” Seamus said, walking backwards away from you. “Believe me.”

#seamus finnigan #harry potter #Harry Potter imagine #seamus finnigan imagine #seamus finnigan x reader #writing #imagine

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vore-scientist · 5 years

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What if,,, someone asked Yonah if he could eat them because they would like to experience being eaten? Maybe they've heard that he eats people occasionally. Maybe they know that some of those people get away, and they've always wanted to curl up somewhere safe inside of someone to get away from their outside problems for a bit?

Meet Gittel Midoora: trashy (but sexy) fire witch

They heard exactly that and thought “Wow, I bet that’s a wild experience, I will have to make some time to visit this ‘Yonah Ha’Esh’ and ask if he will eat me!”

Yonah was suspicious at first but also wasn’t about to say no for no reason bc firewitches are DELICIOUS. He basically never gets to eat any. And one waltzes into his tower asking to he eaten!?

So, if it was just any random person, he’d probably refuse. It’s very evil to deny someone of fun times (this is a canonical thing to EFC. An evil uncle keeps his evil credentials by enrolling his crown prince nephew in boarding school rather than locking him away in a magical castle dungeon like the nephew wanted).

Yonah doesn’t want to be known as someone that can just be, used like that? It’s counter to his reputation as a cantankerous hermit and a vicious man-eating giant.

Gittel heard from Yonah’s colleagues at The Academy, because of buzz about some ridiculous safety charm some weirdo professors designed XD , And heard about the evil giant firewitch who sometimes lectures from the students!

(If you are wondering, I have written snippets+vague outline for this.... this is something I came up with many months ago)

#mystic woods #mystic woods extras #mystic woods art

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cubedcoffeecake · 6 years

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Dudley is Magical AU

* The Dursley’s would have refused to put Dudley in Hogwarts if they were any other family

* But they had Harry, so Hagrid chased them down, and couldn’t bear the thought of a magical child being denied the chance to go to Hogwarts

* So as Harry’s stomach dropped, Hagrid took both Harry and Dudley off to Diagon Alley.

* But Harry was quiet where Dudley was involved, and Dudley extra loud where Harry was involved

* So right from the beginning, Harry was ignored in favor of Dudley, even though Hagrid meant his best

* Because the loudest kid gets the most attention

* Dudley was difficult, and Harry was easy. Dudley complained loudly and frequently, and Harry did whatever he was told, and picked things up quickly

* Most of Hagrid’s well meaning information and speeches were inadvertently turned toward Dudley, and Harry wasn’t paying quite as much adoring attention as he might’ve

* At Madam Malkin’s Draco didn’t make attempts to befriend Harry—Dudley attempted to monopolize Draco’s attention, but Draco was very unimpressed

* Instead of being turned off by Draco’s behavior Harry was quietly snickering with him

* Draco judged Harry as likely awful for being related to Dudley, but Harry wasn’t terribly offended—he would have made the same judgment about someone associated with Dudley

* Dudley wanted the owl Hagrid was picking out for Harry’s present, and Harry didn’t want any more of Uncle Vernon’s ire than he’d already earned

* So Harry insisted he wanted Dudley to have his gift—a cleverly worded excuse that it’d be a gift to see his cousin happy

* And Hagrid was so taken with the sweet, quiet little boy’s devotion to his cousin he didn’t question it.

* Harry didn’t learn he was rich

* Assuming that Uncle Vernon’s money was being taken for his stuff as well as Dudley’s, and Hagrid didn’t think to say anything to the contrary.

* So, Harry is a tag along when the Dursley’s take Dudley to Platform 9 and 3/4

* They’re not happy about all this magic nonsense, but they’re gonna support Dudley anyway

* And Harry’s dragging his own trunk, in horrible clothes, locking his jaw and keeping his eyes on the ground

* Dudley settles down in the first empty compartment he can find and shoves Harry in too

* Starts mocking him, that he’s a waste of space in the magical world too

* And Harry is growing more and more determined to find a place in this new world WITHOUT Dudley in it

* So Ron comes in, and Dudley immediately starts lavishing attention on him

* And lovely as Ron is, he’s always wanted a friend who just sees him

* Harry grits his teeth, knowing that Dudley sees him as a minion, not a person

* But Ron has already latched on to Dudley, and you’d bet Ron’d believe him if he denounces his delinquent cousin over there

* And Hermione comes in, and Dudley sneers, and Harry slips out

* And he finds Draco, who’s looking for Harry Potter, because Harry Potter’s the same age as him and Draco just knows he’ll be on the train

* And Harry asks what’s the big deal with Harry Potter

* And Draco launches into how he defeated the Dark Lord and brought an end to the greatest Wizarding War of history! and so much more because this kid has read everything there is to know about Harry Potter and remembers everything his father had ever told him (and he’s 11 too and hasn’t quite learned to keep some cards to himself yet) (especially when he has a rapt audience)

* Because Hagrid never realized exactly what it meant that Harry didn’t know about the Wizarding World

* And Draco finishes and Harry has hope because he’s not just a waste of space

* And he lifts up his hair and shows Draco his scar and Draco realizes that this kid from Madam Malkin’s is Harry Potter

* But before he can get angry, even if he would

* Harry thanks him for explaining, and quietly, a bit sharply comments that his cousin hadn’t asked about wizarding history when they were brought to Diagon Alley

* And Draco realizes invites his childhood idol to his compartment, and Harry happily joins him

* Slowly Draco begins to piece together that something is very wrong here and Harry really knows nothing about anything and that’s kinda weird?

* So he politely asks about Harry’s cousin this time, instead of judging him on his family connections

* And Harry doesn’t tell him much, but Draco was raised a Slytherin and he can read between the lines

* Harry does not hold to those muggles at all, and he dislikes his muggle cousin more than Draco ever could

* So Draco decides that he’s gonna be Harry’s friend

* And in this world, Harry doesn’t have a problem with that.

* Draco tells Harry everything he can about everything as they head up to the castle—the ceiling, the sorting hat, random facts he read in Hogwarts a History

* And Harry’s endeared, because Draco has made it his mission to make sure no one can rag on Harry because he had the disadvantage of growing up outside the Wizarding World

* The sorting begins

* D comes fast, and after a near hatstall Dudley gets GRYFFINDOR

* (he’s heard about it all train ride—it’s the best house, it’s the right house, everyone who isn’t in Gryffindor is a pushover or nerdy or evil)

* And M comes with an instant SLYTHERIN

* So P comes, and the hall goes silent, and Dudley is confused (later he’ll be fuming)

* And Harry is told he isn’t a waste of space—he can be great

* And the way to greatness holds his new friend (his only friend)

* Harry hasn’t heard any slander against Slytherin in favor of Gryffindor

* But he’s heard Draco talk and talk and talk on the train about all of the great people who’ve come out of Slytherin and all that they’ve done

* Great potion masters who changed the way healing was done, and headmasters who are still household names, and politicians who formed the modern Wizengamot

* And he doesn’t argue with the hat against SLYTHERIN

* The hall is a bit silent for a moment

* And Draco’s too smart to clap before the rest of his table

* But when the entirety of Slytherin does bring up a bit of applause, Draco is the only one whose applaud is more than golf claps.

* The rooms are in the dungeon

* Prefects explain what will be expected of them grade-wise

* But also all of the many tools Slytherin will offer them to meet those expectations

* Tutoring, and extra resources, and office hours w their head of house

* Who dramatically entrances to give them his own speech, more focused on Slytherin’s rich history and the wonders it boasts

* Harry barely holds back a smile when he realizes that this sounds so familiar bc Draco had been reciting from it

* So Harry goes to bed happy, maybe for the first time ever, really,

* Bc he has a home. A home. These people have rules he shouldn’t break for his safety and the house’s reputation (he’s watched Aunt Petunia’s managing the social ladder his whole life; he gets that part), these people will offer him help when he needs it, and hold him up, and maybe, just maybe, some people will enjoy his company, like the nerdy rich boy he seems to have become friends w, if Draco’s rants about “Obviously I should be bedding next to him! We’re friends, if you didn’t notice” are to be believed.

* Dudley has quickly become famous in Gryffindor, too

* By the time they go to bed, it’s common knowledge that Harry Potter really is a snake, has always been an attention seeking problem child, and Dudley’s not surprised he slayed a Dark Lord, he probably wants to be one!

* Snape believes his own speeches about unity far too much to be rude to the boy while giving the unity speech

* But he’s already planning out detentions, and he’ll be having a very serious conversation w that brat if he starts pulling his godson into any trouble.

* Harry wakes up, and gets to wear new robes and they fit

* And Draco claims the green matches his eyes wonderfully

* Draco also tells him all about what they should be learning in their classes that day, and shares w him the answers to all the questions he thinks they might be asked

* And Harry doesn’t remember a half of what Draco’s saying, but he listens attentively bc he’s so touched that Draco cares that he does well his first day in class

* (Not hand-dyed uniforms and being required to fail his classes)

* Breakfast brings jeers from the whole Gryffindor table

* And Harry tenses bc he can see Dudley’s behind it

* And Draco tenses bc how DARE they disrespect HIM, a Malfoy, and Harry?!

* So he sneers and tells Harry that Gryffindors will judge anyone based on nothing

* And don’t know Harry at all

* (A day is quite a lot of time to get to know me, apparently)

* They just want a new reason to vilify their ancient, noble house

* And Harry knows that Dudley doesn’t need a reason to chase you and hit you

* So it’s not a stretch that the rest of the Gryffindors are like that

* And Harry doesn’t sneer, but he’s long perfected an icy glare meant specially for Dudley that is now given to the whole red house

* Draco and Harry sit down and calmly ignore the idiots across the hall as they enjoy breakfast and chatter about how wonderful what they’ve seen of Hogwarts is

* But Draco... he’s a little lost with the food

* He’s always had perfect meals given to him, not a buffet

* So Harry happily steps on to point out what’ll go well together

* “Just wait for potions! If you know so much about food and putting ingredients together, you’ll love it!”

* Professor Snape watches, and plots a little less—a LITTLE—bc this boy will be a menace, but at least he might be a Slytherin of a menace, not a Gryffindor one

* PETUNIA’s son seems to have THAT covered.

* In classes, Harry picks up a bit of Draco’s excitement to learn and they both listen attentively and do pretty well

* Tho how much is natural talent and how much is keeping his cool and letting Draco boss him through the practical Harry doesn’t really know—doesn’t particularly care, either. As long as Draco quiets down when he asks, Harry is happy to let his new friend talk as much as he wants to

There is actually more! I’ll post it to my Ao3 (cubedcoffeecake) at some point—or here, if y’all really want it.

This was written back in May of this year, and then I totally forgot about it. But like... this is technically my first HP fanfiction? I was really surprised by how much I like this as I read back thru it. I hope you like it too!

#my post #fanfiction #harry potter #draco malfoy #dudley durlsey #the dursleys #severus snape #ron weasley #first year #au #dudley is magical au #hp #bulletpoint #gen #slytherin harry

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klrkwall · 7 years

Text

— pick your poison

— he always returned, he was the antibiotic to the poison samson's been surviving off of for the longest time in his life.

nikola has always returned to samson, the former templar never had to worry if he would be back or not. nikola is responsible for rehabilitating him, under commander cullen and the inquisitor's orders. they have personal history.

nikola and samson return!! i wrote a fic for my beef( @rangertabris ) bc he deserves it and he bought me dream daddy love u !

“Nikola.”

Natural. That’s what it made him feel. No longer did being called Nikola overjoy him each time somebody called him it, it was his name. He is merely only being talked too; a man being talked too. He waves as he approaches the former Templar who sat on the concrete grounds, pulling weeds that grew in between the cracks in boredom. "I apologize for being late, were you waiting long?” Samson shrugs as he opens his palms and allows his collection of weeds to fall and rest against the ground once more. “

’Dunno. I lost track of time after the first two hours.” Samson jokes, the prince grins and sits next to Samson. The bags under Samson’s eyes were heavy, Nikola always wondered -

"Do you...-

-...ever sleep?”

Nikola glances up from his overload of paperwork. On the other side of his desk is Samson, his eyes shoot towards the closed door then back at Samson. “Occasionally.” Nikola chuckles, focusing his attention back onto his paperwork. The former templar rolls his eyes and without Nikola noticing, walks around the desk and snatches the writing utensil, holding it up high.

“Excuse me!” He reaches up for his writing utensil, while still being seated in his chair. Samson chuckles, shaking his head. “Aight’ Nikola, you can be excused. From working.” Nikola’s hand shot down and a soft ‘tsk leaves him. “I really, need to do this. And last time I checked you were under my command to rehabilitate yourself –“ Samson’s left eyebrow rose, chuckling once more. “You really… have plans to rehabilitate me? You didn’t just bring up that whole damn speech in fronta’ the Inquisitor and Cullen to bring me back to your sweet little self.” His face was close to Nikola’s now, a smug grin lifting his lips. Nikola waved him away.

“Your breaths stinks, now give that back to me and allow me to finish these documents. I must have them done by the end of the day.”

“Yeah, sometimes I sleep. I wouldn’t be alive if I didn’t, sweet thing.” The nickname delivers a soft blush to the Prince’s cheeks, not noticeable by Samson since it was deep in the evening and no lights were on. “You just have heavy bags.”

“How in the hell can you see these when it’s dark as hell out?” Nikola shrugs. “I guess I just know your face that well. We aren’t exactly strangers.”

"Thank the Maker, I don’t know if I would know how to approach you right now anyways.”

“You almost sound sweet.” Nikola points out, grinning as he felt Samson’s hand slide over to cover the top of his. “I’m sweet for some random prince.” He jokes, and Nikola laughs.

“What are you even working on?” Samson’s curious, and Nikola knows the former Templar would stop at nothing until he sated his curiosity. Without looking up from his work, he delivers a flat reply. “None of your concern.” Samson leans his head back, stares up at the ceiling. A chandelier hangs off of the ceiling, it’s golden with many crystals made onto it. “Could you at least take a damn break and we eat somethin’? I’m dying here.” Nikola continues to write, delicately. “I’m sure the prison could be feeding you right now, if you wish to go there.” He glances up over to Samson, an eyebrow rose as he waits patiently for his response. Samson raises his hands up in defeat. “You already got me out, princey. You couldn’t just send me back, you’d miss me too much.”

‘Hm.’ He resumes his paperwork, and Samson groans loudly, making it crystal clear that he was indeed bored in just sitting in Nikola’s personal quarters for the day.

“Do you remember that one time, when we for some fuckin’ reason were throwin’ rocks up at Meredith’s office and your brother had to come get you out of trouble and you bailed me out too.” A soft snicker is heard, which Samson could have missed if he wasn’t focused on Nikola. The prince finally lays his writing utensil down and glances up, a small smile lifting the left side of his lips up. “Yeah, we were lucky not to be arrested, hm?”

“Ain’t you ever been told by your mother or something to get your frustrations out by doing something good?” Nikola watches Samson pick up a small rock from the pile on the ground with an uneasy look. He crosses his arms and leans against the bricked wall which blocked off the entrance to the circle. “By Kotthis, yes - but I’m sure the woman meant something relatively normal!”

Samson, still bent over turns his head slightly to look over his shoulder and towards the distressed younger man. “What is relatively normal? You literally worship gods that aren’t considered normal here.”

“Ignoring that! And I don’t know, writing in a book or something. Writing down what makes you feel angry then crumple it up and throw it at a wall.” Samson tosses a rock up and catches it with his hand, a large grin on his aging face. “Yeah, you could be borin’ or…” Samson pauses and his attention immediately turns to the tall building, there is a window with small light coming from it. Nikola predicts it’s a candle. Samson brings his hand back as far as it can go, and whips the rock up high into the air where it disappears for a second, hitting one part of the tower then coming back down to the ground.

“Shit! So close!”

“You’re like a small boy, pulling some dumb trick that’s going to get your arse kicked.” Ignoring him, Samson picks up another rock and tosses it to Nikola whose reflexes act fast and he catches it with both hands. “You throw it, if you can hid Meredith’s window you’ll get a prize.” The prince’s eyebrow raises as he continues to lean against the wall in protest. “I’m not getting arrested for some foolish grudge you have against some woman who looks as if she is a jester.”

He snorts. “This isn’t some foolish grudge, Nikola. She’s a terrible woman and she looks worse then a jester, aaaand you would get arrested anyway since you’re out here with me.” Samson nods towards the road coated with darkness from the night, quietness from the winds. “You could walk away, if you wanted too.”

"For the sweet love of Sylveta, I am not going to leave you here on your own.” Nikola doesn’t move, he leans up from his back against the stone wall and tightens his arms he has crossed around the other. Samson whips another rock up - missing the window yet again. “Why not?”

Tension that had been building from the whole night one by one finally was noticeable, Nikola gazes at Samson with eyebrows arched into bridges.

“Why don’t…

...You just walk away?”

A pang of sadness stabs Nikola, in a non fatal spot. “I’m supposed to be taking care of you, rehabilitating you so you aren’t rotting in some dungeon, forgotten about while they all drink to celebrate you being behind six bars in a room that will just bring you harsh shivers and loneliness will creep up on you.”

Samson challenges him, he continues to taunt. He wants Nikola to snap. The ache for Nikola to jump out of his chair, with one hand, slide all of his papers right off the desk despite their importance and yank him over the desk to kiss him like hell. Let Samson know he has done wrong, yet Nikola still craves him, wants him and this to work. The former Templar did too - but he showed it through taunts. “Why don’t you want that for me? I fucked everything up did I not?”

“You screwed up your reputation, Samson. The Champion gave you a chance by speaking to Cullen about bringing you back, I don’t condone Cullen simply wanting to throw you in prison and leave you there until your skin melts and your bones are the only memory of you. That’s why I spoke to the Inquisitor and Cullen, they agreed to release you into my custody because they see you can be rehabilitated.”

“And so they choose you.” He sounds disappointed, but he is not one bit. The only possible thing he felt was anger, it burst through his bones as he thinks of Nikola having to see him in this state. He is a broken man, once a respected Templar now a crippling addict with the memory of his addiction piercing through his pale, nearly rotting skin. More strands of black fell off his head each day. Samson is a corpse, a walking dead man. “Yes, they chose me. Because I care for you and I care for your rehabilitation. You aren’t a bad person, Samson.”

His voice cracks when he argues. “I follow the Elder One to do his biddings, he seeks to destroy this world so he can become the next huge God. Tell me,” His hands rest on Nikola’s desk and he bends down. Desperation. He’s desperate with his risen eyebrows, sunken eyes and head close with curiosity. “...Tell me, how am I not a bad person?” The prince shoots straight out of his chair, his hand reaches over his desk and bunches a fist of Samson’s rarely cleaned shirt. He yanks the former addict towards him with meaning, half of him on his desk and presses his lips to his .

Over a year, it had been since he felt the lips that hardly ever lingered when kisses were left behind.

After what seemed like forever, the two separate and Nikola nervously chuckles. His cheeks are a blush, Samson finds him to be close to perfect. A hand crawls up his back and gently rests against his dark curls. A whisper travels from his mouth and into Nikola’s ear as he presses soft, ghosting kisses along the warrior’s jawline and up to the side of his ear.

“I see forever with you.” Forever was a concept once, a story parents would tell you before they were torn apart by death, infidelity or any other falling out. Samson never believed it, never believes it. Yet even when faced with hitting rock bottom, the younger man who he knows as Nikola stays. He stays.

Stay. stay. Stay. He never has to beg, never has to hug him when he leaves, scared of if he will ever return or not.

He always returns. Even when he left Samson behind, he still returned..

“Why-” Nikola continues to press hard kisses against Samson’s thin, cut pale lips. “...do you-” Another kiss. Samson finally pushes Nikola away gently, he still remains close but Nikola keeps his head where it is. Soft pants leave the both of them, Samson finishes speaking. “...Why do you do this? Why do you think I’m some good person?”

“Why do you still think I’m a good person after I left you?”

Samson’s hands hold a harsh grip on the rusting metal bars. “Because I know you are doing good elsewhere, and one day you would return. You always return.”

“Because you joined the Elder One since he was the only one who could take you, you convince people you’re a terrible person so they’re afraid of you and that is just because you are a stubborn fool who is drunk on poison that you’re some terrible person and the truth is you’re afraid of yourself. But the Elder One fears nothing, he took the poison you fed yourself and fed you a different kind. You were relieved by the different taste,” Spit from the prince splashes on Samson’s face, he pauses as he reaches out to wipe off his own saliva. “...you were so relieved for a different reality you didn’t know it was poison.”

“Let’s say I believe your bullshit for a minute. How do I not know you’re some different poison?” A finger strokes Samson’s cheek, softly brushing against sharp red shards. “Because I was here before any of this, I’m here to stay.”

Samson is the one to softly kiss him now, it’s gentle and not at all like the first one they shared in over a year. Despite the uncomfortable angle, Nikola fully rests his hand against Samson’s sunken in cheek, slightly cocking his head as he fishes for the taste of him.

“You always return…”

#raleigh samson #samson #dragon age #da2 #dragon age 2 #dragon age fanfiction #fanfiction #dragon age inquisition #da:i #dragon age inquisition fanfiction #oc #ocs #original character #bloodyfruits;writing

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