Gonna Tell My Kids That This Is True Love

i see your text posts on Harry going to Hogwarts and getting a Howler from Sirius saying they’re going to a concert or praising him for getting in trouble while Remus is saying Sirius no in the background and I raise you this:

1st morning at Hogwarts Howler: “HARRY, HARRY THIS IS SIRIUS YOUR GODFATHER SIRIUS HARRY ARE YOU OKAY ARE YOU ALIVE WHAT HAVE YOU HAD TO EAT ARE YOU DRINKING DRINK MORE LIKE SEVEN GLASSES OF WATER JUST DRINK IT ALL AND DID YOU SLEEP OKAY *remus in the background: Pads leave the poor kid alone* IF YOU’RE SCARED YOU JUST TELL US AND YOU CAN COME RIGHT HOME *remus: in other news, we miss you, Harry* I DO NOT MISS HIM I'M FINE I’M SAYING HARRY’S HOMESICK *it’s okay to miss the boy you’ve been raising for eleven years, Pads* ELEVEN THAT’S RIGHT HE’S ONLY ELEVEN DO YOU HEAR ME DUMBLEDORE THAT’S TOO YOUNG THEY’RE PRACTICALLY IN DIAPERS *oh, we’re talking to Dumbledore now, are we? Tell him I say hello* HARRY YOU OWL ME RIGHT THIS INSTANT *are you crying?* OR I’LL FLOO THERE YOU KNOW WHAT I’LL JUST GO RIGHT– *I’m so sorry, Harry, have a good day, we love you!* [sounds of struggling and cursing fade away]

2nd morning: “HARRY, HARRY THIS IS SIRIUS YOUR– *oh for fuck’s sake Pads it’s 3 a.m.!*”

3rd morning Dumbledore receives two letters:

1:

Here is a list of all the parents who think the current DADA teacher is incompetent. Luckily for you, I know two exceedingly handsome and competent men ready to take up the position right now. Like, today right now. RIGHT NOW. Remus and I would like our room to be in the Gryffindor tower preferably next to the first year dormitory. At the very least, fire that Divination woman and hire us that teacher is buLLSHIT AND WE ALL KNOW IT I DESERVE THIS MORE

2:

Dumbledore,

How has the new school year been treating you? As you may have assumed, Sirius is finding the separation anxiety to be more difficult than anticipated. The signatures he sent you are all forged, but I have heard some curious rumors about the current DADA professor Quirrell. I trust your judgment above all else but if you were to find yourself in the position of needing two people to joint teach DADA, it would be much appreciated if you contact us. 

Now, I must go prevent Sirius from hacking the Floo network to your fireplace, again. 

Warm regards,

Remus J. Lupin

4th morning: “HARRY, HARRY THIS IS SIRIUS I HAVE GREAT NEWS HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT THE NEW DADA TEACHERS–”

Alright. I found this on Pinterest....

SOMEBODY EXPLAIN WHAT THIS IS TO ME!!!!!!!

#help #igiveup #whydoesthisnothappentome #harrypotter #makethispopularplz

Rick Riordan is so savage like he made it seem like his books were just gonna be like every other kids series out there and then once he’s ensared all these people into reading this world he’s created, he adds a gay couple that actually gets more than just a mention or two, a genderfluid character that is shown to be an utter badass and as capable and human as anyone else, and a Muslim girl who despite literally being involved with the Norse gods, still keeps her faith and religion close to heart. He even made the choice to give Apollo a backstory that envolved love stories with both men and women. He knew that if he included all these things from the start that not as many people would have read it, so he waited until there was an entire world filled with these characters you‘d grown to love, and then added ones that may have detered you from reading the very first book had that character been in it. And yet because you’re already so enthralled in this storyline of mythology, it doesn’t matter that the characters are different. Of course there are going to be those people who drop out, but for those who stay, you’re teaching that representation matters. That even in a world filled with demigods and valkyrie and all sorts of mythological beings, being like those characters that were added is perfectly alright. It’s more normal than Mount Olympus being at the top of the Empire State Building. Imagine what kind of effect that’s going to have on the kids who grow up with Magnus Chase and Trials of Apollo. They’re going to look at characters like Alex or Sam or Nico, and they’re going to think, “I wish I could be just like them.” Rick Riordan is a legend and you cannot argue otherwise.

Writing Sibling Relationships

A sibling relationship is perhaps one of the most complicated things to realistically write about. Your character dynamics and personalities will help determine their relationships but here are some things to consider:

Building their past:

Think about how they were raised. Upbringing plays a large role in impacting a person’s character, and it also helps shape relationships with siblings.

Consider their favourite memories. Good memories are important to a person, and people often seek to create new memories similar to the old good ones.  On the other side, also think about their worst memories.

Who was the oldest? Who was the baby? Birth order does have some impact on personality. It also is especially important for the earliest memories.

Think about the roles that they ended up in. Siblings do, to some extent, define themselves by how they are different from each other. They pursue different interests, take on different roles, and explore different identities. These roles can be a source of self-realisation and sometimes frustration. 

Giving siblings personalities:

Choose personality traits for each sibling. Even if the sibling is only a minor character, it’s important to know their basic personality.

Think about each character’s dreams, hopes, and struggles. What do they want in life? What are their goals? Every character needs something to strive for.

Figure out their insecurities. Everyone feels insecure about different things: skills, personality traits, perceived physical flaws etc.

The siblings in your story might have similar looks, qualities and characteristics. However it’s important to make them their own person too. 

Keep in mind that siblings might have the same habits, sometimes without even realising it. (Personal example- My eldest brother and I do not look the same. He has green eyes, mine are brown. I have dark hair, he’s blonde. Our faces are shaped different. He takes after our mum, I take after our dad. However, we have a lot of the same habits and mannerisms. We both carry ourselves in the same way, we both quirk our eyebrows in the same manner when confused. Little things like that, that when growing up I’ve picked up from him and vice versa.)

Things siblings do: (This is a generalisation)

Siblings know how to push each others buttons.

Usually they spend so much time with each other, they know exactly how to annoy their sibling and the best way to do it.

Whatever annoys your character, his (or her) siblings already know about it. If your character’s siblings decide to get on his nerves, it shouldn’t take them very long.

Most (if not all) siblings make fun of each other to some degree. Usually they are just messing with each other. Depending on the circumstances, the insult may be forgotten almost immediately.

But it’s important to consider how siblings react when someone else is picking on their brother or sister. A lot of siblings will get defensive in this situation.  Unless you have set up a reason otherwise, make sure your siblings know how to tease each other but also how to protect each other.

They rarely call each other “sis” or “bro” unless they’re trying to be annoying. This is seen a lot in films and TV but it’s not common. The occasional greeting like that is fine, but overusing it just sounds strange and unnatural.

Sibling conflict:

Siblings will argue other pretty much anything. Most of the time it’s just to get a reaction. Sometimes one will start an argument just because they’re bored.

The silent treatment! A lot of siblings, particularly children teenagers and young adults will give each other the silent treatment over the pettiest things. But it’s incredibly hard to ignore someone living in the same house as you for a long period of time.

The sibling on the receiving end of the silent treatment will usually do absurd and annoying things to get their brother or sister to speak. 

Common things siblings argue about:

The tv remote

Who is going to use the bathroom first

Someone is taking too long in the bathroom

Who gets to sit in the front seat of the car

Who the favourite is

Estranged siblings:

“Sibling relationships are our longest, but it’s also an accident by birth. There are no guarantees that the siblings will grow up with similar personalities, interests or like each other,”

You should be able to find plenty of conflict amongst brothers and sisters. But most of the time there is a resolution.

If you were to fall out with a friend, you can unfriend them, you can’t un-sister a sister, whether you like it or not you’re stuck with that person in some sense.

However, some siblings do fall out and never speak to each other again. It happens, but if this happens in your story there are a few things to consider: 

When asked about their family will your character acknowledge that they have siblings? Or will they claim to be an only child?

Why did they stop speaking?

Would they reconcile in times of crisis? For example, if a family member died would the siblings put aside their differences to deal with the situation?

Do they tell stories about their childhood that include the sibling? 

It’s important to remember that if someone has a sibling, a lot of their childhood memories and stories from growing up will have some reference or include that sibling. It’s hard to complete cut them out, they will be mentioned at some point. 

Given the entangled, long-lasting bond, what’s the price paid for suspending or ending it? 

Does the sibling have other brothers or sisters whose relationships are satisfying? “

“If they have no contact with a sibling, it’s losing a shared history and there can be a sense of guilt,” 

Or are your character’s relieved? Do they express a sense of relief. 

“Like the end of a marriage, sibling estrangement is always sad, even when it brings relief. It’s not what anyone hoped for, but sometimes it’s the wise and necessary choice.”

Ways of bringing together estranged siblings:

Write compassion between your characters. Show them trying to see things from the sibling’s viewpoint alongside their own.

Have them say what they want from their sibling moving forward. Don’t just have your characters vent all the time. Your reader might grow tired of that.

Confirmation of love and affection:

Are the siblings in your story the type to talk about feelings? Maybe they don’t talk about it but the feeling is still there. Consider showing the depth of their relationship through actions.  

(Personal example - When I was born my brothers were 4 and 6 years older than me. From what my mum has said they were both excited to have another sibling and would fight about who got to hold me first. When we were younger we used to cuddle on the sofa and play together, and frequently said I love you etc,  however as we got older that stopped. I can’t remember the last time I said I love you to either of them, which sounds terrible. But it doesn’t change the fact that I know they love me and that they know I love them, we just show it and say it in different ways.)

Relationships with parents:

How did parents or caregivers react to fights between siblings?

Was there parental favouritism, real or perceived? How did the non-favourite sibling(s) react?

Do your siblings stick together when arguing with their parents?

Would your characters lie in order to prevent their brother or sister being told off by their parents?

Some siblings will join forces to tease their parents. 

What if the siblings don’t have a good relationship with their parents:

If this is the case in your story, research it, google is your friend.

Try and read up on real life experiences.

Consider how the siblings view their parents. Do they stand together with the same opinion or do they have conflicting recollection of events?

Do the parents have a healthy relationship with each other? How has this impacted their children?

Writing siblings who have abusive parents:

If the siblings come from an abusive home, how has this affect their behaviour? 

Do the siblings ever talk about what happened? 

Do they have the share the same experience? Do they ever argue about the situation?

Are they over protective?

Has their own relationship become strained? Have they drifted apart?

Do the siblings ever acknowledge the past? If not, does this cause friction?

Common assumptions about sibling age order:

Oldest child: people pleasing, bossy, organised, punctual, natural leader, controlling, ambitious, expected to uphold family values, caretakers, financially intelligent, responsible

Middle child: flexible, easy going, independent, sometimes feels like life is unfair, sometimes will engage in attention-seeking behaviour, competitive.

Youngest child: silly or funny, risk-taking, creative, sometimes feels inferior, easily bores, friendly, outgoing, idealistic, the baby of the family.

Only child: close to parents, demanding, leaders, spoiled, self-absorbed, private in nature, may relate better to adults to kids their own age, independent, responsible

While these are common assumptions, they are not strictly true and it’s important to consider your characters personality before you apply any of these stereotypes because it may clash with how your character truly is.

Half siblings:

Half-siblings can run along several lines:

They might act like full siblings, depending on how long they’ve known each other.

They may view each other as space takers.

Your characters may feel “eh” about their half- sibling, they could just be someone who is there but they don’t have a relationship with. The half-sibling may even be a complete stranger.

Consider that they might be rivals. Are they friendly rivals or bitter rivals?

Don’t get caught up in trying to build their relationship based on what “should be” in accordance with society. As you establish these characters, let your own imagination lead you to what their relationship is. But remember that their relationship will be impacted on how the parents treat them too.

(@its-the-tear-in-my-heart ​ thanks for asking about sibling relationships. This post is more generalised than your question but I hope it helped in some way.)

Queen Susan the Gentle during The Golden Age

a winter gift for @thesokovianaccords

Edmund: “Lu, do you think that caterpillars know that they’ll become butterflies?”

Lucy: “Or maybe they are just going about their lives wondering just why they’re making this sticky blanket around themselves?”

Susan: “It’s 3am you two: Go. To. Sleep!”

……

Peter: *sitting up* “but do they know?!”

Edmund and Lucy: “Exactly!”

Harry: I want a dog

Sirius: you’ve got one. Me.

Harry: No, I want a REAL one.

Remus: Did you hear that Padfoot? He wants a REAL dog-

Sirius: Listen here you little-

“My nails clench at the walls, scratching them. I scream but the wind covers it, I kill, but my innocence hides it. They don’t understand I’m a wild monster ready to be released, ready to kill, ready to destroy. Instead I sit primly and wait for this to be over.”- PoeticInjustice

Honestly I just wanted to draw a fake dramatic anime screenshot, but it turned into Jason and Piper angst :’)

And if you guys know any other Fanfiction sites plz let me know!