I’ve realised that what I miss about fantasy is it being truly escapist. I miss it depicting places where I would actually want to go.
Every dang kid I knew waited for their Hogwarts acceptance letter. Reading the books and seeing it on screen gave you this warm, fuzzy feeling and a feeling of longing, even when they were in danger and fighting monsters and evil wizards, you want to be there.
You want to go to Middle Earth, see hobbits and elves and dwarves and run through this land of incredible beauty, mysticism and magic.
You want to be in the TARDIS, seeing the universe.
The more recent trend of fantasy is this gritty, dark realism and places where you would just never want to go. I don’t want to go to Westeros. I don’t want to be in The Hunger Games, I don’t particularly want to be in The Witcher universe. I’m living in the world of Black Mirror and I hate it.
Fantasy used to say “hey our world kinda sucks but here’s a cooler one”, but now it says “hey our world kinda sucks, but here’s an even worse one.”
That isn’t to say that the above are bad. They’re not.
But I miss beautiful, escapist fantasy that gives me a break. That takes me somewhere magical, somewhere otherworldly and gives me messages of hope and optimism in the face of darkness. I really, really miss that.
It’s morning. Astoria wakes up, first thing she sees is Draco’s face, eyes closed in a deep sleep, and she feels like she doesn’t want to get up. However, she has the habit of drinking something and read a newspaper. A naked man on the other side of the bed wouldn’t change that. She gets up, puts her robes around her body. She approaches the table in the bedroom and skillfully conjures what she needs to drink with her wand. She sits down to enjoy the coffee and a reading. Only when she turns the page - five minutes later - she realises Draco is awake, though still in bed and heavily asleep.
“Well, good morning” she says, smiling.
He’s eyeing her with lazy curiosity.
“Splendid” he replies, and points to the newspaper she’s holding. “Something more interesting?”
She notices the ton of his voice. His way of saying I want your attention. “I wasn’t sure how long you like to sleep so I didn’t want to wake you unnecessarily.”
“I’d hate that” he says ironically and then in the next minute he’s walking to the window to open the curtains for her. "Do you know, reading in such dark room can damage your eyesight?”
“I’d hate that.” She’s completely aware he didn’t bother to put any clothes on. “Thank you. Join me for breakfast?”
“Yes.”
This time he puts his robes and comfort himself in front of her on the small table in his bedroom. Draco drinks her coffee, but immediately makes a disgusted face.
“Sugar completely ruins the experience of drinking it for me” she explains, laughing about his expression.
“Very peculiar.”
“At least you didn’t pretend you liked it.”
“You will never see me pretending anything.”
He says that with such seriouness in his voice, Astoria looks at him intently and deeply and she knows that’s why she’s there. That’s why she slept with him.
“That can be too much, sometimes” he warns, even though he doesn’t seem worried about that. Astoria decides that’s what Draco likes about himself, and that’s what she likes as well. “If I’m too honest, and I hurt you-”
“You wouldn’t hurt me with honesty, Draco. I can be brutally honest, as well.”
“I’ve seen that. Any other examples?”
“Like what?”
He pretends to take time to think.
“Like when we were fucking.”
Astoria didn’t blink.
“A constructive criticism, then.”
“Criticism?” he raises an eyebrow, and without noticing, he drinks the coffee again. “I don’t know why I drank that again.”
Why couldn’t she stop smiling? So stupidly smitten. He was genuinely preocupied when he begins defending himself before she could say anything about last night.
“It’s been a while since I practiced.”
“Oh cut it. You knew exactly what to do.”
He doesn’t pretend that her statement made him feel better.
“Well, it’s easier when the person on the other side is absolutely…”
She waits for his word. He just didn’t know how to describe her insane beauty, body, movements, lips, kisses, without sounding too cheesy.
“Loud.”
She laughs, and this time he joins her. Seeing him laughing feels intimate and nice and she doesn’t want to leave so soon. She doesn’t have too.
“I was surprised about that as well” she admits.
There is no denying they had a great night, maybe like no other before. It’s just different, when there are feelings. Astoria knows it.
“Is there something you like, especifically?” he asked.
“In sex?”
“Anything. It’s just extremely satisfying to satisfy you. I want to know everything I can do.”
“Somehow I trust you will know.”
“You trust too much in me.”
“Somebody has to.”
He finds her hand over the table, brushes his long fingers over hers and stays quiet for a while. He observes when she touches the Death Eater scar on his pulse. He likes that with Astoria he never expects her to run away.
I've got so many things to tell you.
七夕快乐!Happy Chinese Valentine's Day!🥳🥳🥳
(well half an hour late but fine)
stop everything, this is bitty doing research for his thesis
there’s more lmao, unhinged bitty energy
I love this so much, I’m gonna start saying “nuts” we need to bring it back
Introduction of Pollution (Good Omens deleted scene)
if you love me, you don't love me in a way i understand
wishbone, richard siken
OH MY GOD LOOK AT THIS POSTCARD FROM 1880 IN THE MANCHESTER MUSEUM ARCHIVES
“festive image of Pleistocene mammals”
“a rink in the glacial period”
THIS IMAGE HAS SINGLE-HANDEDLY PUT ME IN THE FESTIVE MOOD
MERRY CHRISTMAS
And after endless engineering calculations the result is achieved.