#first off there’s the whole ‘I may be dying already but all be hexed before I let /you/ kill me; I’m going to survive out of spite’

[scarletspider2the2ndpower]

“Into the Grave: Part 1,” Scarlet Spider (Vol. 2/2012), #21.

Writers: Christopher Yost and Erik Burnham; Pencilers: Carlo Barberi and David Baldeón; Inkers: Terry Pallot and Victor Olazaba; Colorist: Chris Sotomayor; Letterer: Joe Caramagna

#Marvel #Marvel comics #Marvel 616 #Scarlet Spider vol. 2 #Scarlet Spider 2012 #Scarlet Spider #Kaine #Kaine Parker #I like this page because it really is a very distinctly Kaine response to the situation and further proves how different Kaine is #from his ‘source material’ #first off there’s the whole ‘I may be dying already but all be hexed before I let /you/ kill me; I’m going to survive out of spite’ #which has been Kaine’s schtick since the Clone Saga (and I love it each time that obtuse stubbornness of his pops back up) #but there’s also that interesting resignation about/peace he has made with his past #simultaneously that he has done some pretty horrible things but that he’s also made for those somewhat #whereas Peter’s whole schtick is that he perpetually rakes himself over the coals #and his guilt is a pretty core part of his character/motivation #Kaine’s a bit more square with his guilt and I guess can metaphorically look it in the eye and sit with it a bit more #if that makes any sense??? #Throughout the whole clone saga’s theme of questioning identities I can believe that there is an argument to be made that Kaine #knows himself best

[duchessnibenhu-ofpyromania]

Puppy Adoption

Warnings: Slight blood mention, a few swear words. I don’t think there is anything else, but feel free to tell me if there is.

This is an OC, but can be read as a reader fic as Puppy is just a nickname. Not beta read. I haven’t seen series 7 of Agents of Shield yet so forgive any errors. I hope this ok, this is my first fanfic in a long time and of all time for writing for the Marvel universe.

Inspired by this post. Thanks to @gerardpitts for the inspo on the allergy and lactose intolrance, I hope you don’t mind me using the ideas.

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Peter paced the corridors of the hospital, everytime a doctor or nurse walked by he would look up, hoping they had some news to give them. Bucky and Sam were sitting nearby, watching him a little warily.

It had been about a month or two until the Hex incident and Peter had been coming to terms with the fact that he was in another reality. Jimmy Woo and Monica Rambeau  had both helped him to get back on his feet, though at first he had felt a little bounced around.

Monica had handed him over to Jimmy, who had then handed him over to some sort of organisation known as S.H.I.E.L.D. Peter had guessed by the name, that it was a partner of sorts to Monica’s S.W.O.R.D and he had been right.

The person he had been introduced to was someone they had referred to as Puppy. He had raised an eyebrow at that, and wasn’t quite sure what to make of her before he met her, but when he did. Puppy had grinned at him, ok first she had practically jumped Jimmy when she saw him, giving him a big hug and saying how good it was to see him again. Peter had given a little snort at the look on Jimmy’s face when this happened, causing Puppy and Jimmy to turn towards him.

“Is this he?” Puppy had asked, with a friendly smile and looking Peter up and down, who did the same to her, taking in her ginger hair that was dyed red at the tips and hung in a ponytail. Nothing about her suggested she might be some sort of werewolf, which Peter had assumed the reason why she had that nickname. At her hip she seemed to have some sort of short staff dangling off a belt, and a long black coat, which Peter had to admit looked pretty cool.

“It is,” Jimmy answered, handing her over a tablet, Puppy took it and looked at it, bouncing on the balls of her feet a little. Peter watched on, a little nervous.

“Okies.” She turned to the agent behind her who had been watching the whole scene unfold with a slight smile on her lips. “You should probably send that to Mack while I talk with our new friend here.” The agent, an asian woman who looked like she took no shit from anyone, nodded and took the tablet.

Puppy went closer to Peter, looking him over. “So, Jimmy told me you’re from an alternate reality” She started, tilting her head a little, the smile never seeming to leave her lips.

“Uh, yeah.” Peter said warily.

“He also told me you have super speed?” PEter nodded and went to say something and was slightly surprised when Puppy cut in, Peter being interrupted so quickly was a rare occurrence. “You should meet our own super speedy,” Peter’s eyes went a little wide at that. “We call her Yo-Yo” Puppy explained further, her smile going fond and giving a little chuckle, which Peter couldn’t help but repeat.

“Yo-Yo? Cool.” He chuckled.

“What do they call you?” Puppy asked. “Like, what’s your codename, I guess you could call it?”

“Quicksilver.” Peter answered.

Puppy grinned. “That’s a great name, I love it. What do you think, May?”  She turned to look over at the other agent that had come with her, who was handing Jimmy back his tablet. She didn’t look very amused, her face not giving anything away on whether she liked it or not. Peter started to feel a bit nervous.

“Sounds good.” May answered, crossing her arms and turning to look at them both, her voice also not giving anything away about her thoughts. Peter swallowed slightly, feeling like she was already judging him.

Puppy turned back to Peter. “May is sometimes called the Cavalry, but she doesn’t really like that name so we don’t use it often. Ok, we’re going to need to know if you have any dietary requirements, if you’re allergic to something, if there’s foods you don’t like, if you need anything at all just ask and we’ll see what we can do, the worse is we can say no.”

Peter nodded, letting the woman talk, vaguely starting to wonder if she had super speed with the speed she was talking.

“So?” Puppy tilted her head again. “Is there anything you're allergic to? I know we’ll probably need to order in more food, because of your’s and Yo-yo’s heightened metabolisms, so if you crave something I would speak up now, or soon.” Puppy made a small gesture, shrugging her shoulders lightly.

Peter gave a small shrug himself. “Um, only allergic to tomatoes, do like my twinkies though. They still do those, right?” Peter also had a lactose intolerance, but he had a feeling if he mentioned that, then he probably wouldn’t get his twinkies. Besides, it hadn’t really done him any real harm before, and he was able to get it out of his system pretty quickly.

“Well,” Puppy drew out, “They did stop doing them a while ago, but started doing them again.” Puppy quickly added when she saw Peter slump a little. “So, long story short, yes there are still twinkies, we can make a quick stop to get you some if you like.”

“No we can’t.” May spoke up from behind Puppy.

“No we can’t, sorry.” Puppy repeated. Peter wondered if he would get in trouble for going to get some now, but decided against it, he was pretty sure it would piss May off, even if he was super quick about it.

“And you could have just said yes.” May pointed out. Puppy did a little shrug. “We should really get going, you can talk to him more on the jet.”

Puppy nodded and turned to go. “Come on, Pete.” She said gesturing for him to follow, only for Jimmy to stop them, a grin starting to cross his features, like he was a little excited about something.

“Wait, have you bonded yet.” Jimmy asked, pointing between Puppy and Peter, the latter of which scrunched up his face a little in disgust.

“What?”

“No, not yet,” Puppy said, causing the smile to fall from Jimmy’s face in disappointment. “But that’s alright, I don’t think he trusts me yet.” she turned back to Peter. “I make bonds with people, they are invisible, but can be extremely useful at times.”

“So, you’re a mutant too?” Peter cut in quickly.

Puppy grinned and nodded. “In a way. You’ll learn more about  that later, for now, let’s get you to your temporary home.”

Peter couldn’t help but feel even more deflated at the words ‘temporary home’, but he followed Puppy and May to their jet.

On the way to S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters Puppy and Peter had talked a little more, Puppy had asked if Peter had any hobbies and when he had mentioned video games, Puppy had lit up and started telling him about the games they played back at the compound, telling her about the racing games, laughing as she told him about the crashes, which Peter found to be a bit infectious, and about co-oping in shoot ‘em ups and going against her friends. Puppy even showed him Among Us on her phone, which he found interesting.

This all helped Peter relax a little. And over the next few days he came to know more about Puppy and the other Shield agents, but of most all Puppy, and why she was actually nicknamed Puppy. It was because she kinda acted like one. The little head tilts, the excitement at seeing her friends, even if they had only been gone a day, actually she was generally excitable, and, which Peter found a little odd at first, she liked to be stroked. He would sometimes see some of the agents give her little pats on the head, or even absentmindedly stroke her hair. It was never anything sexually, but Peter found it rather odd.

One day Peter had been in the kitchen, grabbing something to eat, Puppy was in the kitchen, sitting at the breakfast bar, sipping her tea. Peter had also felt a strange sensation the past few days, but had brushed it off to his training regime that Mack had insisted he start if he wanted to become a Shield agent and help them out.

“Hey Pete.” Puppy had called out, not sure if she had said it in time as Peter was using his super speed. Peter came back in a split second and stared at Puppy.

“How did you know it was me?” Peter had asked in a rush.

Puppy grinned at him. “We bonded a couple of days ago, you might have felt it.”

Peter quirked an eyebrow. Then realisation came over him. “The strange tingling sensation I’ve been feeling, I thought it was because of training, I mean it doesn’t hurt, it’s just weird.”

Puppy gave a little chuckle. “You’ll get used to it, it’s a little different for everyone. But I know how each one feels to me, so I sensed you, rather than saw you.”

Peter grinned back at her. “Guess that means we’re friends, right?”

“Right!” Puppy’s eyes sparkled in delight and crinkled in the corners, as Peter chuckled, patted her on the head and then zoomed out of there.

A few days after that exchange and Peter had gone on his first assignment, some terrorist organisation had made themselves known and had threatened to blow up an Underground Train Station, Peter and Yo-Yo had managed to get the people out quickly while Puppy and Daisy had tried to find the bomb and disarm it.

A few weeks after that Peter and Puppy had gone on an assignment with Bucky and Sam who had been following leads about the same Organisation. This time they managed to get there before the bomb could be set. Or so they thought. That was why they were now in the hospital, with Peter pacing, blaming himself for not being quick enough.

“Will you relax, none of us knew that bomb was going to go off.” Bucky said, his voice a mixture of stern but also kind. He was holding onto Puppy’s staff, which Peter glanced at, he still wasn’t sure exactly how the thing worked, just that, Puppy could extend it and fight pretty good with it, and that she could also fire out some sort of energy field or beam with it, which knocked out those around her. She had dropped it in the explosion and Bucky had picked it up, while Peter and Falcon had raced to her side.

Peter had picked Puppy up, brought her to the hospital, he had felt the sensation of the bond lessen slightly and it worried him. What would happen if she died? Would everyone she was bonded to feel it? Peter’s thoughts momentarily went to Wanda, wherever she was right now, knowing she had a bond with Puppy too. Puppy had been so upset that she hadn’t been able to be there for Wanda and possibly help her. Would Wanda feel the bond break, realise she had lost yet another friend? Would Wanda blame him for it?

Peter sighed and ran hand through his hair looking down. That’s when he realised he was still in uniform and that uniform was stained with blood. Puppy’s blood. Peter let out a shaky breath. Walking backwards until he hit the wall, he slid down and covered his face with his hands. “What if she doesn’t make it?” He muttered, not sure if he wanted to know the answer to that question.

Bucky looked down at Peter, who looked up, tears in his eyes. Bucky sighed. “You know how the bond works. It helps her to heal, quicker than normal.” Bucky swallowed, it didn’t stop the uneasy feeling of the bond itself wavering.

Peter nodded, he knew that, like he knew it would also help him to heal quicker than was normal, which was already pretty quick for him. “But what if the bonds aren’t enough?” He whispered. A question no one wanted to ever find out the answer to. All of them had already lost too many friends.

A doctor approached them in the hall. Peter was slightly surprised to see it was Jemma Simmons. She smiled at Same, Bucky and Peter. “Puppy’s stable now, there was a lot of shrapnel in her body, and she lost quite a bit of blood, but we’ve managed to stabilise her.” All three of them let out a sigh of relief.

Bucky handed Peter Puppy’s staff, who took it with a quizzical look. “We’re headed back out there, we need to stop these people, do a bit of avenging.” Bucky answered the unasked question, with a small smirk. Peter nodded. “Good luck.”

Peter turned to Jemma. “Can I go in and see her?” Jemma nodded in response and indicated the way, giving Peter the signal to follow her. “Of course.”

#Peter Maximoff #peter maximoff x reader #Agents of Shield #X-Men #Wandavison

[imagine-lcorp]

Mustang Ride (Part XI)

A/N:OMG YOU GUYSSSS! like there’s so much stuff going on in this story, i don’t even knooooooooooow what’s gonna happen!! but i guess we’re gonna find out!!! also this one is dedicated to all of you who have been asking me, like i said this is a WIP i promise you we’re gonna reach the end of this story!!!! love y’all!!!

Lena Luthor x Shapeshifter R//Word Count: 1, 667

#Mustang Ride: Part I - Part II - Part III - Part IV - Part V - Part VI -  Part VII - Part VIII - Part IX - Part X - Part XI - Part XII (WIP)

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"If this was a paternity test (Y/N) would definitely be the absent parent." Winn commented before Alex narrowed her eyes at him. He lifted his hands and mouthed an apology that went unnoticed by a shocked Lena.

"How's that even possible?" Lena whispered to herself, not believing what was on the screens.

"We do not know yet but the incompatibility of the DNA is what's causing the septic shock." Alex pointed out. "They are dying trying to emulate (Y/N)'s powers."

"You guys found anything?" Kara's voice made them turn their heads, except for Lena, who couldn't take her eyes off the screens.

"The autopsies from the three suspects arrived." Alex cleared her throat. "We have some news."

Whatever it was, Kara expected the news to be good, but she was quickly disappointed as Alex explained to her the autopsy results and the DNA analysis they had done.

"And Roulette is doing this?" Kara looked at the screens with a confused frown. "How?"

"She's not." J'onn came a moment later. "There is someone else involved in all of this."

"The polar bear suspect had more on his mind than I expected. I didn't have a chance to reflect on what was on his properly considering (Y/N) is missing but it seems I'm not the only one that couldn't rest."He said looking at everyone on the room and knowing how worried they were about you."So, here's what I found."

They all listened as J'onn explained the few memories he had seen in polar bear guy's mind. Bits and bits of images, locations, faces, and one name in particular.

"Jeffrey Hex?" Winn frowned and moved towards his computer.

"Is that all?" Alex asked.

"That was the only specific thing I could get from his already messy memories. We know they were subjects of genetic experimentation, but there was no clear information about the warehouses or labs they were in, or about the people they worked with, but that name came up the most." J'onn explained.

"We need to find everything about him. He may be the only connection we have to-"

"Got it!" Winn didn't gove Alex the chance to finish her sentence as he spun around his chair with a triumphant grin. "Meet Jeffrey Hex, everyone."

The screens changed, showing a mugshot of Jeffrey, several pieces and information and his overall criminal records.

"Looks like he's been on the criminal business for a while." Kara mentioned.

"Even more." Winn typed something on his keyboard and a set of files filled the screens. "He used to be a bounty hunter and you're not gonna believe this, he is a descendant of Jonah Hex."

They all looked clueless except for Lena, who kept looking at the information on the screens and listened cautiously.

"Okay, so according to his records, he's kind of a legend. He comes from a long line of bounty hunters, starting with Jonah Hex, who was the best in the Old West. Jeffrey started his career at a young age an became one of the bests of his generation, but there's a twist. This guy right here didn't just hunted criminals. He started to hunt aliens too and we know this because-"

"He worked with Roulette." Lena finished.

His criminal records were clear on that point. Jeffrey Hex did not only hunt as a service to the law but as a form of entertainment. Humans went to jail while aliens went to the ring. So when Roulette had first started her underground club of illegal fights, Hex had been her biggest provider of contenders.

"Now, here's where everything get a little more complicated." Winn showed them the last police report on him. "Last time he was seen was on Roulette's last party."

"You mean at the raid where you found (Y/N)." Lena realized.

"Yes and not only that. It says he was shot and fatally wounded during the whole chaos but he managed to escape. After that, he vanished too. No one knows what happened to him." Winn read on the screen.

"Well, now we know." J'onn pointed out.

"So, he's our link. We find him and we find Roulette and thus we find (Y/N). Then he can tell us everything he knows about those experiments." Kara looked at the mugshot of the screen.

"It won't be that easy. The only leads we had about him are dead now, and Roulette will be hiding until she decides it's time for her big reopening. And even then, we have no idea when or where that will be." Lena's voice starter to grow with irritation.

All of this had done nothing to ease her worries. If anything, it all had only served to show just how clueless they were about it all. They kept finding all this information that ultimately lead them nowhere.

The rest of the group looked at each other. Lena was right, as she always was. They had no more leads but a single name and some hope about finding the subject in question.

"We may just need a little more time to work on this, but we're not stopping until we find (Y/N)." Kara approached her best friend and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I promise."

Lena felt a pang of guilt on her chest. She knew they had been working nonstop since you were captured and this had been the most they had managed to find. It may not have seen like much yet but this was all they had at the moment and following the breadcrumbs was possibly the best chance they had at finding you.

"Yes. I know, I'm sorry." Lena closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"We miss (Y/N) too." Kara said softly and Lena nodded.

"Maybe I should call Eliza too. She can help us figure out how they are doing this." Alex tossed the autopsy analysis back on the computer desk. "And I'm going to ask Maggie if she can find anything else on this guy."

"In the meantime, I want all of you to take the day off." J'onn crossed his arms and looked at every single person in the room. Just when Lena was about to speak against it he reassured them. "Finding (Y/N) is out top priority, I assure you, but we are of no use if we are tired. That's an order." Then he left.

No one protested after that and they made their last errands before leaving the office. Alex called Eliza to ask her if she could come to help them with the case and she told Alex she would be coming as soon as possible. Winn sent the files on Jeffrey to Maggie, hoping the police department could have any other information about him or about his connections, whatever and whoever could give them clues about him. He also asked about Roulette. If she had you, they would have to find you quickly.

When Lena and Kara were the only ones left in the office, Kara noticed the way Lena looked at the files on Jeffrey Hex, like she was trying to find a phantom thread that could lead her directly to him.

"Lena, we should go." She said softly, approaching Lena.

"In a minute."She responded, not taking her eyes off the screens.

"Lena." Kara repeated with some disapproval.

"Sorry, I'm just..." She sighed. "Since J'onn found about this man, something about him is bugging me."

"What is it?" Kara looked at his picture. "I mean, he already has the whole bad guy wrap going on but what else about him?"

"I don't know yet, but I'm gonna find what it is." Lena said as convinced as she could be.

At that same moment, you started to get back to consciousness. You tried to move the slightest making sure you still felt your whole body, not wanting to miss any part. Then you felt your back and regretted instantly the little fight you tried to pull on Lillian and her mad doctor. The needle had gone all the way towards your spine no matter how much you had struggled and now it was hurting almost as if you had broken it.

You would have been more worried about it but the shadow that loomed on the corner of the room made you shift your attention.

"They should have put you in a cage." You heard a raspy deep voice call across from you. "You are an animal."

When your eyes fully adjusted and your mind was clear enough, you focused on the figure slowly approaching you. You had never seen him before but he looked strangely familiar.

"I think I'm already in one." You could barely said as you tried to pull yourself up from the bed with. It made your back hurt more and you discarded the idea at the same time he decided to come up to you and push you down by squeezing your throat.

"This is a luxury compared to the place you should be in." He said taking his hand off you. "You're lucky she needs you. Otherwise, I would have already put you down like the animal you are."

"You don't know what I am." You said with a hint of rage. You had been called that before and it wasn't something you liked.

"Oh but I do, (Y/N) (Y/L/N)." He said your name with a sneer. "I have known you for a long time. In fact, I think I was the first person you ever showed your powers to."

A memory came rushing to you from the back of your mind. You were nine, alone in the woods with a band of bullies, that had ran away, leaving you to howl at the trees alone.

You were left speechless at the realization and, as if he had known what you were thinking, he answered with a grin. "I told you I was going to send the hunters after you, didn't I?"

#mustang ride #mustang ride series #lena luthor #lena luthor imagine #lena luthor imagines #shapeshifter #Shapeshifter!Reader #shapeshifter reader #lena luthor x you #lena luthor x reader #part xi

[kusunogatari]

[ ObiRyū October | Day Twenty-One | Sacrifice] [ @abyssaldespair ] [ Uchiha Obito, Suigin Ryū ] [ Verse: Of Monsters and Men ]

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“All right...there we are.” Gathering up the mixture of herbs, spices, and tea leaves, Ryū carefully bundles them in some cloth, tied shut with a ribbon. “Whenever a nightmare strikes, brew this in hot water and drink. It will ease your mind and urge your body to sleep.”

“Thank you...you’re a blessing, you are.”

The woman just gives a soft smile. “Thank the earth and its bounties, not me. I just know how to use them. Take care of yourself.”

Making his way out, the man plagued by ill dreams takes his leave, dipping his hat to another just making his way in. The second figure lingers a bit stiffly in the doorway, his own hat removed from his head and instead nervously wrung in his hands as he waits for the healer to notice him.

“Oh!” She comes up short, turning and seeing him at last. “I’m sorry - have you been waiting long?”

“No, just a moment. I, er…”

“Has it been a fortnight already? My how the time flies…”

“Yes ma’am, it...it does.”

“May I take a look?”

Nodding, the man comes further into the cabin as she flares the lamp hanging from the rafters. With careful hands, she takes and tilts his face to the light to better examine it.

Along one side, horrible claw marks mar the surface of his skin. Half-healed now, they look clean and healthy.

“They seem to be doing well...you’ve been keeping up with them, then?”

“Yes, ma’am. Every night, and every morning. Like you told me.”

Ryū smiles. “Good. I’m sorry I didn’t realize the day, I’ll have to mix it now. Do you mind a short wait?”

“Not at all. The rain forced us back, so I’ve nothing to do until it dries.”

“Yes, the weather has been something atrocious lately...soon Winter will be here.” Moving about in the one-room cabin, she begins pulling ingredients from drawers and cutting them from hanging samples. A mortar and pestle are taken from their shelf, herbs thrown into its groove to be mashed. “I dread the thought, but...it’s as Nature intends. We’ll be thankful come Spring thaw and planting.”

“Do you ever have a sour thought, Miss Suigin?” the man then dares to ask.

She offers a soft laugh in return. “Oh, I do. But I keep them inside so as not to sour the air, too. I’d much rather make it sweeter.”

“Oh you - you do that just fine.” His lips flicker upwards in an uncertain smile. Was that too forward…?

“Well aren’t you just the sweetest thing!” A warm smile lifts her lips, and he finds his chest fluttering. “Mister Uchiha, you’ll make me blush with compliments like that.”

“Well, it’s true! You’re the kindest soul in this little town, and you do well by all of us with your medicines. A kind word is the least I can spare you.”

That seems to leave her without a retort, working at her mixture for a moment in silence. “...I appreciate it. I do dote on everyone. Life out here is harsh, so...any little thing I can do to help folks along is good enough for me. Hardships are easier to face when we work together, and that’s done best with everyone of sound mind and sound body.”

Obito just watches as she goes about her mixing and mashing, wondering for the hundredth time how she knows all she knows. A score of books line a shelf...maybe it’s something written that she follows?

“All right...I think that’s done it. You know enough by now, but I’ll say it for my own peace of mind: take a sample on your finger and run it along each mark until they’re all covered. Let it sit overnight, and for as long as you can stand it in the morning before you wash it off. A few more weeks, and we’ll have those wounds scarred shut. It might not be the prettiest thing, but...it’ll keep the wounds clean and minimize the scarring.” She then gives him a curious tilt of her head. “And the rest of your symptoms?”

“Hardly notice them, ma’am. None of those strange headaches, no flashes of anger. All gone.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“Thank you, miss Suigin...truly, I -?”

She waves aside his thanks, having heard it many times before. “I know well enough by now how grateful you are. But save your breath for yourself, and take care. If something goes awry, let me know straight away.”

“I will.”

“Go on, then - get some rest, it will be dark soon.”

Nodding politely, he takes up his medicine and takes his leave. By now the downpour has faded to a light misting, the smell of cold air creeping into the evening. She’s right...Winter is just around the bend, and he still has so much to do before the first snow falls.

Around the corner of the cabin, he doesn’t see a pair of jealous eyes watching him, turning from the window and fading into the dark.

Once home, he lights the lamp by his bed, taking it to the broken mirror he’s got hanging on a wall. Every time he catches sight of his reflection, he has to grimace. Whatever that beast was that attacked him that night...it sure left its mark. But thanks to the village healer’s efforts, the angry red tissue is calming, finally starting to close. The pain is nearly nonexistent now, and the strange feelings he’d felt have all but disappeared.

She really is amazing…

Pushing the thought away as his face warms, Obito carefully unravels the hide the paste she’s made him rests in. It smells oddly spicy, but never stings. Practiced fingers delve into it, watching his reflection to carefully trace it along every mark.

It feels oddly cold...but maybe that’s just because of his prior blush.

Once it’s all in place, he fixes himself some supper to let it dry, lest he smear it on his pillow. The stew he’d left to simmer while out working it’s a bit dry, but edible. The recipes his grandmother taught him before passing have served him well, but...he can’t help but wish he had a wife to do so alongside him.

Traitorously, he thinks again of the healer. Oddly enough, despite what he considers to be great beauty and soothing manners, she’s yet to be married. Part of him wonders if her position keeps most folks at bay, or...if it’s the quiet, lingering superstition about her. While most everyone depends on her concoctions, some find her skill with them...odd. Add in her unique appearance, and some have dared to whisper witch.

But no one has outright accused her, so the clergy of their little village have yet to act. Obito finds the notion ridiculous. Some plants harm, some plants feed, and some plants heal. Knowing the difference doesn’t take otherworldly knowledge, or whispers from the devil. Anyone daring to call her some evil spellcaster would be deeply mistaken. Only has she ever helped the people of their little town, never harmed!

Someday...he might muster up the courage to ask her. But for now, it doesn’t feel proper. His work in the village crop fields earns him a miser’s pay, and his cabin is hardly suitable...it needs work. He’ll only make her an offer once he feels that offer is worthy.

So for now, he’ll sit and sigh at the thought.

He tides up after his meal, gently prodding the poultice to ensure that it’s dry before slipping into bed. He’ll have to do the same routine come morning, then the next night. Over and over until the wounds are fully closed. But he doesn’t mind the effort if it means keeping himself whole.

And getting to see the healer every fortnight for more.

Autumn continues to pass at pace, the weather slowly chilling as Obito and the rest of the farmhands work to bring in the last of the harvests and store them away for winter. Animals too are butchered, salted and dried to cover the long Winter months. It’s often a narrow window that they survive the harshest part of the year. At least one life is typically lost. But they all fare far better together than they would apart.

But two days before he once again needs to visit the healer...something changes.

On his way to the fields, Obito slows as he spots an odd sight. A rather sizable group is gathered outside the local church. It’s not Sunday...they aren’t congregating for that. Then what…?

Trying to weave his way to the front, he realizes the crowd forms a ring around a space just before the doors. And at the center is the pastor...and the healer.

Her face is taut with apprehension. “If I’m to be tried, then I want to face my accuser.”

“So you can hex the poor soul? I think not. They will be kept out of sight for their safety, should you decide to loose the devil upon them. They claim to have seen you practicing the dark arts within your home more than once. These accusations must be heard, and you must be tried for your crimes.”

...oh no…

“I’ve committed no crimes! If mixing plants for a person’s health is a crime, then so is any other harmless task! How many of you have benefited from my work, my knowledge?” She turns imploringly to the crowd, desperation in her eyes.

To Obito’s amazement, not a single soul speaks up, all glancing aside in shame as they refuse to admit it. In his chest, he feels a growing heat of anger.

“Me!”

At once, they all turn to him, parting as he shoves his way forward. “Me, and nearly everyone else! If this woman’s intent was to harm, she would never help us! How many wounds has she patched? How many fevers has she broken? If her intent was to harm...she would never have lifted a finger for us. Half of us would be dead or dying if not for her help. That sounds far less like the work of the devil than it does of an angel.”

Across the gap, her face alights, staring at him hopefully.

“A ruse to cover her tracks,” the priest hisses in retort. “She lulls us into a false sense of safety, of security...while in the dark she conspires with devils and demons! She is cunning...but the eyes of the righteous have seen through her veil!”

Obito’s teeth grit, and he tries to move forward. But arms hold him back, even as he struggles. “Those eyes lie!”

“Throw him in jail to keep him out of the way,” the pastor orders, looking down his nose at Obito. “We cannot let his infatuation with this she-devil interrupt our just and legal proceedings. If God demands a sacrifice to keep our village pure...so be it. Let the trial commence!”

Grunting and yowling as he’s dragged away, Obito does his best to fight back. But it’s one against many, and he’s soon thrown into the singular cell of their little jail.

Hands grip the bars. “Let me out! She’s innocent! Innocent, I tell you!”

The men who dragged him only sneer, turning their backs and shutting the door behind them.

With the slam of the entrance, a sense of finality seems to overcome him. He can hardly escape...and he’s the only one willing to defend her. Surely they’ll convince themselves of her guilt to lay blame on one soul: let her bear their collective sins and be washed away.

No...no!

Slowly, he sinks to his knees, hands still gripping the bars. It’s not fair...how could they do this…?

...he never got to…

The agony of silence and unknowing is torture. The town constable brings him scant meals, refusing to speak as Obito peppers him with questions of the goings-on. A day passes, then another, and another.

That third day, he realizes two things. That he has not been applying her poultice, and that today would have been the day for his next visit. The knowledge clenches his heart. As before, a headache has been creeping up on him, his temper fraying...but that may just be his present circumstances.

He has to get out of here...he has to free her…! But how...how…?!

As the day fades, night slowly blanketing the village...Obito realizes it’s too light. Beyond the single barred window, flickering light begins passing by.

Torches.

Hauling himself up, he gasps as - haloed against the darkness of the woods beyond the village - her cabin goes up in smoke. Hungry flames reach skyward, as if seeking to consume the stars.

“No…!”

Not far from it, a pyre has been erected. And led from the courthouse, fighting and screaming, is Ryū. Hands bound, she’s fitted amongst the kindling and straw to the wooden pole at the center.

They’re going to burn her…!

Rage seems to fill his veins with molten magma, burning from the inside out. Hollering incoherently, he pulls at the bars despite knowing he cannot budge them. Torches are laid at the base of the pyre, and like her home, flames begin to climb.

And then, atop the fiery halo, pale moonlight breaks over the scene as clouds shift aside to bare the full moon.

Like a blow to the head, Obito’s headache reaches a fever pitch. He collapses, clutching his head with a howl of anguish. His entire body seems to pulse with anger and pain. It burns...it burns…!

Outside, the crowd turns to the jail as a ragged wail breaks through the night.

And then, with a shower of stone, the wall bursts forth. Eyes a molten gold, a dark beast crawls from the rubble, teeth bared with a chest-shaking growl.

“Monster!”

“I-it’s come for its mistress!”

Roaring with a flare of spittle and glint of pearlescent teeth, the creature lanches forward as the terrified villagers scatter. He wants to tear, to gut, to destroy!

But first!

With a leap, he reaches the pyre, ignoring the flames and clawing her bounds to shreds. She coughs and wheezes from the smoke, but gestures desperately to the singeing fur of his side.

“O-Obito…!”

But he spares no time for himself, easing her over his shoulder as her form goes limp, too exhausted to stay awake. Lip raised and snarling, he stares down the villagers with their muskets and pitchforks. Oh how he longs to shatter their bones and carve their flesh!

For now, however, there are more important things he must do.

In a half-lope, he lowers to three limbs, one spared to hold her as he flees. A few foolhardy humans try to chase, but he’s swift as the wind, disappearing into the moonlit trees and underbrush. Soon, the only sounds are those of his rushing breath, pluming in the cold as they leave the village behind.

Only once he feels they’re a safe distance does he slow, coming to a stop at the bank of a creek. Gently, he sets her along the sandy shore. A whine crawls up his throat. The hem of her dress is singed, heat blisters along her bare feet where the flames had crept close. As carefully as he can, he urges them into the cool water.

A gasp sounds, and he balks as Ryū suddenly wakes at the feeling. “A-ah…!” Her voice is raw, growling and wincing from the smoke she breathed. Struggling to sit upright, she looks to her feet before her gaze lifts to her companion.

She doesn’t look at all afraid...but rather, sad.

“...I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I thought I could keep it at bay, but...without your medicine…”

He crouches beside her, head tilting.

“...there was wolfsbane in the poultice. It was treating your wounds, but...also the infection of the beast you were marked by. If they’d closed without you missing a dose, then...it would have been held at bay. But now...there’s nothing I can do. With every turn of the moon, you’ll change. It’s all my fault…”

Ears falling, he lets his snout come to rest at her cheek. It wasn’t you...it was them…! He longs to speak, but can’t muster words in his shifted form.

Rather than retreat, she carefully raises hands to hold his massive jaw. “...your burns…!”

Looking at his side, Obito realizes he was indeed wounded...perhaps this hide is too thick to feel?

Ryū begins urging water up to the melted flesh, earning a flinch. “Sorry, sorry...but we need to keep them clean. I think I can find what I need here to make a poultice…” From the plants along the bank she does her best to make a mash with a clean river rock, tearing the hem of her skirt to bind it. “...it’s not perfect, but...it should help. You’ll bear these marks as a man, too. And all for my sake...but...thank you. You saved my life.”

There’s another careful nuzzle to her throat.

“...they were right, you know.”

He pauses.

“I am a witch,” she admits softly. “But not the kind they believe in. I come from the earth, I know its secrets, I bend them to my will. But never could I harm someone. I’m inspired not by the devil, but by the mother of us all. I knew it was only a matter of time before they accused me. Their beliefs always lead them to the wrong conclusions…”

The pair go silent for a time. The creek serenades them with its gentle trickles.

“...I know not where we’ll go. What we can do. But...we are alive. And come morning, when the moonlight fades, you’ll be a man once more. That, at least, is something. But Winter is fast approaching...we’ll need to be swift.” Gentle hands stroke at the coarse fur of his snout. “...will you go where I go?”

Obito brightens, declining his head in a nod.

“...then together we will go.”

     OKAY...I actually really like this one xD It could be longer but I need to catch up dfkjggh - still managed to hit my 3k goal mark though! Hopefully tonight I can get another one done and be back on track lol      We have a proper werewolf this time, not a Nightwalker werewolf xD And he is ANGER! Do not touch his witchy waifu! Also I didn’t use any other characters cuz...I didn’t know who to use so it’s just the duo this time lol so fill in the blanks any way you want!      Anyway, I have irl things to sit and wait for (and...actually do) so I better run for now, but hopefully I can be back in time to get more done today! Thanks for reading~

#obiryū october #abyssaldespair #uchiha obito #suigin ryū #of monsters and men [ au ]

[skznct127treacting]

My Stalker - Bang Chan (1/4)

October. A time for endulging in whimsicals fancies of corporate candies, horror movies, spooks that are camp and creeps that are chilling and for your small town - the Halloween carnival. The carnival had been a tradition for as long as you could remember, coming for the weeks leading up to Hallowe’en, with the main attraction being a haunted house - the likes of which had won numerous TV awards for being one of the scariest attractions in the country, with it being particularly popular amongst your age pool - adolescents and young adults.

You, yourself had never been. Perhaps it just wasn’t something of interest to you, or perhaps you were, like all your friends said - scared. What was there to be scared of? Well a lot. There’s a clown room for one, a maze room with a masked chainsaw man chasing you, a serial killers basement… need I go on? 

Regardless. This year. The year of 2019, was slightly different. Because one of the scare actors had caught your attention. Bang Chan. He had started the year late, but had somehow managed to weasel his way into your classes course. He was reserved and quiet, kept to himself mostly. He sat at the front of the class and was always early, he didn’t volunteer much but got 100% on almost any test he took. When people tried to engage with him he would laugh and be sarcastic and cynical and look at them with such intensity that you could swear he was burning a hole right through their skull - it was a look of superiority and confidence. Most people didn’t see that though, they just took his jokes at face value, but there was something cutting about them, something with an aura of uncomfortable truth to them.

He favoured dark clothes, sportswear mainly, he had an athletic build and was constantly slouching, making him appear shorter than he actually was. 

The first week you didn’t talk to him much, not having a reason to, but then the most peculiar thing happened. A week after he arrived you broke one of your pencils in your bag, it must have been crushed by your lunch, or your water bottle, or the endless notepads and folders you carry. Regardless, you put it on your desk intending to bin it after class but forgot to pick it up. 

The next day however, after class ended Chan pulled you to the side just as you were leaving, as you felt his heavy hand on your shoulder and turned to see he had your pencil - perfectly fixed and glued together, so meticulously that you couldn’t even trace the cracks.

“You should be more careful Y/N,” He teased, in his charming but acidic way as you stood there confused and unable to process why he had done this for you.

“Is this my pencil from yesterday?” You asked rolling it between your fingers, surely he had just bought another one or given you a spare. Which was equally weird, but hey it was a more logical explanation.

“What? No?! I fixed it for you Y/N,” he said - drawing out your name again as though enjoying the way it tasted. “I’ve seen you use that one a lot, it’s a pretty cool pencil with the sparkles and rainbows. It’s cute.”

Now your face had been peppered with a pink blush, the strange compliment leading your wave of confusion to be overlapped with that of fluster. 

“I’m Chan by the way,” He said loudly as though intending for you to hear his name. To remember it. You already knew his name of course, having been curious about him for some time. Your friends had done the whole social media stalk and found his facebook page filled with pictures of nights out with his friends, photos at the beach, his dog, his soccer activities. Your friends Josie and Eve were already in relationships though, and having seen the slight gleam in your eye when looking at his pictures - well, they both tried to push you into speaking to him. 

“Oh well nice to meet you. I saw you moved halfway through September, that must have been tough for you. How are you settling?” You asked putting the pencil in your pocket staring up at him only to look away, as though his bright glare was like that of the sun.

“It’s been alright so far, I’ve managed to catch up with classes,” He shrugged moving restlessly from side to side. “Well some of them…”

“I thought you were doing really well all things considering you seem to be getting full marks.” You smiled at him, and for the first time you saw his smile, as he beamed back at you. It was the type of smile that lit up his face and made him appear less intimidating, it was at this exact moment that you felt your heartbeat jump.

“Yes well from speaking to people everybody says your the best at this module, which isn’t surprising, I mean the only times I’ve seen you outside class you’re always in the library studying,” He said still with that charismatic smile, his movements becoming more animated, it was like as though for the first time you were meeting the real him. Of course this second outburst of compliments only deepened your rouge cheeks to scarlett.

“I mean I know some of it but-”

“Well if I ever get stuck I know who to come to for tutoring. Besides your in my debt now,” He smirked looking down at the pocket you had put your pencil in. “Well I’ll see you round Y/N~”

And as he set off the oddest thought crossed your mind… how did he know your name? I mean you had found his out through him telling it to other people when he introduced himself but he had never witnessed no such interaction on your part. He didn’t even sit near you. And what was with the pencil? Who does that?? Why??? Why does he need help? Why did he arrive late to school? All the while your head felt light, dizzy with the interaction, you had never acknowledged his looks and charm for yourself before, you had never felt like this before, nobody had taken such notice of you before. All the while Chan’s footsteps paced the hallways growing lighter, his smile widening, for he knew all the answers to your questions. 

That had been the first interaction, and after you had told Josie and Eve they brushed off the whole pencil thing as creepy, along with him, he was a creep, and they took back every good word they had ever said about him. The three of you were out that day, rummaging through shops for a decent Hallowe’en costume, it may only be the start of term but everybody’s mind was on the Monsters Bash on the 31st October which your school was running, it was to be an outside ball on the sports field with marquees and fairy lights and bunting, cheap alcohol would be provided along with Hallowe’en candy and students were already planning where they would pre drink and where the after parties would be and the buzz was only intensifying as the event neared.

“Slutty witch, slutty nurse, slutty cat, slutty clown… huh slutty scooby doo,” Josie rattled as she sorted through the outfits on the railings. She was a tall girl with a lithe build, long brown hair, pale skin and with an effortless beauty that you envied, she could make anything look stunning. Even a slutty scooby doo costume. 

“Imagine how many people are going to go as the Joker this year,” Eve said, rolling her eyes as she stood on the opposite side of Josie, she was the shortest of the three of you with dyed red hair that was constantly in some type of complicated braid, with her sweater sleeves always pulled over her hands and her shoes always a worn out pair of black converse. 

“I know! I’ve already had to persuade Jack that we’re are not going as Harley and the Joker, I upset him, and now we’re not doing a couple costume anymore.” Josie pouted.

“Same!! Me and Daniel couldn’t agree, I’ve told him for the millionth year that I’m not dressing up as Sally and Jack. It’s just so unoriginal.” Eve shot back with equal passion.

You stood there unable to contribute to such talk of relationships as your mind swirled to thoughts of Chan, what would he dress as this year? Would he even attend the Bash, did he even have anybody to go with? Like sure he had friends, but he didn’t have friends that he could go with. The thought of inviting him crossed your mind, but that was wayyy too ahead of yourself, but perhaps, if you talked to him more and got closer maybe you could go together. Maybe for once you wouldn’t be the 5th wheel in your friendship group.

“What are you going to go as Y/N?” Josie said pushing all the clothes on the railing to one side in dismay as you left the shop.

“Hm I’m not sure yet,” You said pausing your train of thought on Chan.

“Well I got an idea looking at that scooby doo costume.. how cute would it be if we went as the Hex Girls from that show, we can have our own couple costumes,” Eve piped up as Josie shook her head.

“No way! Who's going to get that reference?” Josie replied.

“Erm.. the intellectuals!” Eve laughed. “And if we don’t win best costume, I’ll literally sue the school.”

“So you’d be Luna, I’d be Thorn and Y/N can be Dusk?” Josie said, slightly coming round to the idea.

“Oh my god it’ll be soooo cute!” Eve gushed as you just nodded your head. 

So that was that on October 31st 2019 you and your 3 friends were going to the Monsters Bash as a 90s goth girl group from Scooby Doo, if that didn’t win round Chan.. what would??

Well after that shopping trip at the weekend Monday rolled around. It was the first day that you’d see Chan again since your class together on Thursday and you had spent the whole weekend playing out scenarios in your head like a bad fanfic. When you arrived to class you were surprised to see he hadn’t arrived yet which was verrry unusual for him so you sat in your usual seat towards the back and began to unpack your stuff. Too focused on this activity you had barely noticed somebody come and pull a seat next to you as you looked up to see Chan.

It may be because you had gotten a crush on him but damn he was looking way more handsome than you  thought he was. His dark eyes glanced at you as his dark brown hair, had been dyed a sludgy green over the weekend which was the first thing you complimented him for, it framed his face differently to his blonde hair, made him seem even more mysterious and alluring, his cheekbones more defined, his jaw sharper, his hair cut shorter slightly as you noticed several ear piercings down his ears. 

“Good morning Y/N,” he said cheerfully, although you could see how tired he was from the shadows under his eyes and a sheepish paleness to him.

“How was your weekend?” You asked, only thinking now that maybe it was a bit forward that he had just sat next to you today, with it being the only day he had been late, but those thoughts were pushed out with concerns for him and thoughts of his looks and your curiosity and- and- and-

“It was decent. I had a lot of practice to do though. I somehow managed to get a job at the ghost house and we’ve been doing rehearsals all weekend,” He said slamming his notebooks onto the table next to yours. You noticed him pull out a little red notebook by accident which he quickly shoved to the bottom of his bag which he kicked to the ground and under the desk. “What about you?”

“Oh that’s so cool. I’ve never been to the ghost house myself but I love the carnival. Well we went costume shopping for the bash but didn’t find anything, but we decided what we wanted to be though,” You said, subconsciously smiling at him.

“Whose we?” He asked raising his eyebrows.

“Oh just my friends Josie and Eve, they’re in different classes to me,” 

“And you’re going as….?”

“We are going as the Hex Girls if you know who that is, I’m going to be Dusk, you know blonde hair, green dress.. The drummer..” 

“That’ll be really cute,” He nodded as you felt that dizzy feeling again from his compliments, you were about to reply but with that class had begun.

#bang chan #chan #stray kids #hyunjin #seungmin #woojin #jeongin #changbin #kpop reactions #kpop scenarios #stray kids reactions #skz

[ofcloudsandstars]

This week was a wild Samhaintide ride. I’ll post more about it in the read more

Here's yet another selection of stories from my witchy life I am ready to dump on you all so get ready lol:

Wednesday night was the party at the occult shop Treadwells where we met a new witch friend who joined us for the Samhain festivities. I have already made a post about it here but her name is Letitia and she is a beautiful sapphic Taurean witch who loves gardening and cooking (duh she's a Taurus) and all the goddesses she worships and bought an incredible pumpkin pie to the ritual.

Halloween

So the day begun with me making candles for the ritual. I bought a skull candle, a candle the shape of a jackolantern and then I made several candles which were three mini pumpkins hollowed and filled with black wax that’s pumpkin and bourbon scented, then four tea light spell candles with black wax and four tea light spell candles with a special wax my sag witchy friend bought for me from Edinburgh from a witchy shop. The wax melt was made with herbs and was called 'thinning the veil'. I’ll elaborate later. I also had to walk to the post office to pick up the ouija board. I had a feeling I'd finally get my hands on it on Halloween. Its a very aesthetic round one and I was excited to use it.

We chose to gather in Queenswood in the north of London. It was already SUPER SPOOKY cause there was a murder nearby so all of the buses were being redirected lol. We gathered all in black with our witch hats and delved deep in the woods. It was so beautiful and the ground was completely coated in gold and red leaves so you couldn't even see the path. We found a clearing in the thick of the woods with an old tree that grew sideways so it made a semi circle. We made a HUGE circle that we drew in the earth with a dead stick and went over with dragonsblood incense and black salt.

We opened the space by lighting the pumpkin candles and begun with centering our energy. There were several parts to the ritual we planned, but first we begun with a 'putting it to rest' spell since autumn is the time to let things go and samhain is about death so it was like officially bringing things to an end. We wrote down what we wanted to end in our lives on a piece of paper (such as not seeing coworkers from a toxic job that someone was leaving or the retrograde made my friend run into her abusive father that she had binded from seeing her for YEARS so she wanted to put that situation to rest) and ignited it in my cauldron. When it burned down to ashes we chose a spot (under a goblin-like tree) outside of the circle to open the earth and bury it in. After we put it in it's grave we all said a few words of departure and said: rest in peace. lol.

In my case I wrote down names of these models that are obsessed with this Italian guy (who is the son of a huge fashion designer) who is in love with my sister. They are obsessed with him for his connections to the fashion world and that he is rich and are jealous of any 'hoes' he's currently into so they posted instagram stories on Halloween with them in witch hats taunting that they were going to curse him and all of his lovers or whatever in cutesy filters and my sister knows I practice witchcraft so she told me. So I binded and banished them and the next day they unfollowed her lol.

Anyway, afterwards we focused on what we should reflect on by pulling tarot cards for mercury retrograde in scorpio that was beginning on that day as it's going to be like two weeks of descending into our own underworlds. After we got a card we lit the black tealight candle as a road opening spell to manifest a helpful path with overcoming our retrograde's lessons.

Then I lit the skull candle and we had a moment to reflect on our ancestors and those that we loved that have been lost that year. We each shared stories then lit the white tea light candles with the wax that was for thinning the veil. When we lit it we thought about our loved ones or ancestors.

Finally we did a dance for thinning the veil. I had flying devil oil that was some fragrance oil I got from a hoodoo shop and we dressed ourselves with it and ran around the circle and chanted in the leaves. We then ate the pumpkin pie the lovely Taurean witch bought also some maple sugar fudge she bought (what a champ), and halloween candy. We used the Ouija board but it was really challenging. We thought maybe it was cause we needed to be less grounded so we put it away and cleaned up the ritual space and headed off.

The Taurean witch was going to head home to cook a feast, my French aries witch friend went to her friends she's staying at to have a party and my Sag witch friend went home to cook a dumb supper for her and her mom. I went back to my place to nap then get ready for the night. I met my Sag friend at a music venue to watch Honeyblood which is SUCH a witchy band. The performance really reminded me of some scooby doo hex girls shit. It was a lot of fun (until some grown ass men with no sense of self awareness took the mosh pit to mean something more of a Jailbreak riot and started throwing their whole 6ft man bodies everywhere despite not everyone being gladiator sized. It was really ridiculous but golden when Honeyblood sang "Glimmer" with lyrics like "she can put a hex on you" thats when this one guy in some sailor outfit shoved his body into us and we BOTH looked at him with such evil at the same time and he like.. stopped.. and like hastily moved to another part of the room..)  If you don't know Honeyblood you should listen to them, they are such a babe witch band.

We then went to a bar nearby to get flaming shots of absinthe as its a personal tradition (also a way to 'cross the veil') and someone took candids of us at the bar! (I added the picture above), for some reason we really caught the attention of everyone though we just were in witch hats like EVERYONE was like: OOO WITCHES and like we even had some lady take pictures of us at the bar? Like ok it was cute I guess. My friend was drunk then so every time someone was like: oo a Witch! She'd holler back YASS BITCH 365 24/7!!!! Like o' dear.

Final part to the night was the house party my Aries witch friend (she's the one who's apartment I almost burned down once when I was making spell candles). It was a place around the corner from mine with a host who was HIGH OFF HER FACE on drugs. There was the counter of alcohol that kept us going all night, we had a lot of mingling with everyone there then when it started to get a little less wild we claimed an empty bedroom and tried the ouija board again since we were definitely less grounded than in the forest. Unfortunately the results were still a bit weak but we got a little bit of consistency with movement. There was some guy there that seemed interested but as time went on it turned out he was more interested in me than the board. I am a touched starved human being and he was playing with my hair and I was drunk so I did not care then after we ended up kissing while my other witchy friends and some new comers were chatting about the dead. My Aries witch friend lives on the other side of the city so she asked if they could stay at mine and I was like yea plus it was like 4AM at this point and this guy was getting very handsy like I just wanted my hair to be played with so I was like ok nice meeting you I gotta go. And He was like oh no please come say one last goodbye. I was too drunk to realize that he was in the bathroom and he closed to door to make out with me and I was like this is nice you do have nice flowy long hair that covers your big shiny forehead that I am now noticing in this bright fluorescent lighting but I gotta go. And he's like: No I wanna take you home I wanted to the moment I saw you. And he WHIPS OUT HIS DICK AND SAYS: this is for you. I am DYING like honestly I found it hilarious, I was so drunk I like forgot that there were other people on the other side of the door so I barge out of the bathroom like: WE ARE GOING HOME and my witchy friends saw his dick and were howling with laughter and that 10 minute walk home they would NOT LET ME BE IN PEACE about it.

Samhain Day

Anyway my friends stay over and in the morning I make tea and a light breakfast since we are hung over and we watch The Worst Witch 1980s Halloween special where we fucking Howl at laughter at everything especially Tim Curry flying around in that Cape. The rest of the day is really quiet since most of it is me sleeping trying to recover from the day before.

At 4 PM I call my relatives to say I love them and stuff cause I felt like my closest relatives on the other side of the veil wanted that. I made a feast for myself which consisted of Mashed sweet potato, a salad of chopped royal gala apples, carrots and beetroots and duck sauteed in maple syrup and bourbon. It may sound sweet but the bourbon balanced it out and duck tastes a bit sweet so it blended well with the maple flavor. After I had sticky toffee pudding for dessert. I made a plate for my ancestors and then got ready for fireworks with my other witchy friend who is the sound healer at Alexandra Palace.

I nearly missed the MASSIVE fire effigy burning cause the commute there was a NIGHTMARE since everything was still being redirected. (Thanks mercury retrograde). The fireworks were incredible though. There were so many it was like being bombarded with fiery psychedelics. My friend still wanted to show off her sexy angel outfit for Halloween so I asked if she wanted to hang out with us tomorrow night to party.

Saturday Night

She came over like at 4 and we got ready. She looked a bit like the angel from the remake of Romeo and Juliette with Leonardo decaprio but in lingerie with a long white lace robe. I dressed as a poltergeist though I don't think it came off that way but I had a sheer black dress on with a skeleton body suit, a glow in the dark wig and pale tulle. I just wanted to be a spooky ghost. We had to sneak into a members club that I work at cause I am NOT allowed to be there and I was terrified of them finding out so it felt like Danger Partying. They had a day of the dead party so I blended in but I felt like some staff that recognized me were like staring at me all night. We still had fun and spoke about our Samhain experiences. My friend is also a medium so she gave me some ouija tips so hopefully that can help me in the future.

Sunday Morning

I went to a workshop in the food forest about fire starting!! It was beautiful and magical and the forest was in full autumn mode. I learned how to chop wood with different axes and carve wood and start fires with either two pieces of wood (which is extremely hard on your own like you better be in the dryest place possible and you better have a bow), and how to start fire with flint/magnesium which is 1000% easier would highly recommend. There's so much magic in nature and so much magic in those workshops. We learned which trees were best for firewood and which were toxic and how to use bark or forage for fire starter materials. I am getting more drawn to fire as an element to work with in magic so I loved learning the techniques and also that you can start fires with the back of a knife (the teacher had a specific wood carving knife that was thick) so its like if you get a specific Athame which is ruled by fire you could also use it to start fires too if you got a fire steel key. (It's a rod of magnesium and you'd strike it with the back of the knife hard and fast and sparks will shoot out like fireworks).

Anyway that was my week so far!! It was so much fun and adventurous I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I have today off so I had a moment to reflect and get myself together for work tomorrow but afterwork I am celebrating Bonfire night with my sag witch friend at Victoria park so I am excited to take part in that!

I hope you all had a great Samhain!

#halloween #personal #samhain #celebrations #I wish like every sabbat was this eventful #some parts could have been a movie #Some parts I wish I was more in the moment for but it was also a bit emotional with the retrograde

[nomattertheoceans]

I don’t idolize Severus Snape

I think I might have already made this distinction in my post about Tamlin from ACOTAR, but I'll just do it again for good measure :) I'm here talking about Snape as a person. His character is very complex and really interesting to read about. But him as a person? Awful human being in my opinion.

I’ll try to make this post logical and not get too carried away hahaha I’m working off memory of my last reading here, and it’s been like a year and a half, so I might not get everything correct, feel free to correct me, and to let me know what you think.

So first, let’s take a look at his actions as a teenager

He was already extremely prejudiced before they even went to Hogwarts. You can see that he despises Petunia because she’s a muggle, and he’s only nice with Lily because he’s “in love with her” (I’ll come back to the love part a bit later)

We see in the flashbacks from their first year that when Lily and Severus meet with the Marauders in the train to Hogwarts, there’s instant hatred between them. But it’s mutual, it’s not just James and Sirius bullying him, it’s the three of them instantly despising each other. And may I remind you of another instant hatred relationship we get to see in the books: Harry & Draco.

Ok probably the biggest point that's brought up when people defend Snape’s actions: the flashback from the OWLs. We follow the Marauders, Harry discovers how arrogant his father was in school, and witnesses him hexing Snape. This scene alone is certainly good at presenting Snape as the poor guy that was bullied through school and couldn’t get out of it. I mean, James does attack Snape without any reason. But what do we learn later? That Snape used to hex the Marauders as much as they hexed him. We learn again that their hatred was very much mutual, and that it's his worst memory, not because of the bullying, but because his shit treatment of Lily got her to abandon any hope of friendship with him. Which leads me to my next point:

He insults someone who's supposed to be his best friend, with the worst possible insult in the Wizarding world. He humiliates her in front of an entire crowd. And even if the insult kind of comes out without him thinking about it, it shouldn't have, because a non-bigotted person wouldn't have had the reflex to use this word. And this comes from the fact that even when he was a teenager, he was already...

A Death Eater. That's right, in one of the flashbacks, he clearly states that he considers the use of an unforgivable curse on a muggleborn a joke.

Also,

Sectumsempra. Need I say more? He invented a potentially deadly curse in school, and didn't hesitate in using it, since we have an account of Remus saying it was his “signature move."

Granted, all of this happened when he was still in school, so somewhat immature. So let's take a look at everything he did afterwards, as an adult.

Working for Voldemort even though, once again, he was targeting primarily people similar to the woman he supposedly "loved."

Not hesitating in giving Voldemort the prophecy, knowing full well that he would kill any threat to his power, so giving away innocent people.

Only feeling remorse about the prophecy when he realized it concerned Lily

Being ready to let her husband and son, the people she loved, die, because he only cared about keeping her alive.

Begging Voldemort to keep her alive, again not caring about the people she loved.

Only turning on Voldemort's ideas because she was in danger, and then only starting to want redemption because she was dead.

Once Harry gets to Hogwarts and the books begin, a whole new lot of awful is in store. Snape is a professor at that time, he is supposed to help his students grow and be confident about themselves, he's supposed to teach them potions, but also be helpful to them (they're in a boarding school, so the kids don't have their parents with them and the teachers have a much bigger role to play in their education).

He is biased, he's deliberately advantaging his house by giving them unfair points, and unfairly taking points away from other students.

He destroys Remus' career out of spite, even though he knows damn well that Remus is not a danger to the kids, and actually a good and beloved teacher.

He's ready to let Sirius be kissed by the Dementors because of their old school hatred, even though he knows he's innocent (or at least suspects it).

He stops teaching Harry occlumency , once again out of spite. Harry doesn't want the lessons either, but he is a teenager, and it should be Snape’s responsibility to keep the lessons going.

And the biggest problem, he is a bully.

He bullies Hermione, calling her a know-it-all, and calling her out on a physical trait she's not comfortable with, when she's thirteen.

He bullies Neville all throughout his school years, treating him like he's worthless, becoming his worse fear by third year (and probably before). Snape actually tries to murder Neville's pet, and he's upset when the potion turns out not killing Trevor, actually taking points from Hermione because she helped him save his pet!!!!!

And finally, he bullies Harry from day one. Harry arrives at Hogwarts, it's the first time he's away from his abusive family, he's very eager to learn everything there is to learn and he's very humble. And what is the first thing Snape does? He asks him a bunch of trick questions to humiliate him in front of all his new comrades. Then, he spends the rest of Harry's school career bullying him, angering him into getting detentions and losing points, telling him his father was the most awful person to ever live when Harry never even got to meet him, and trying to get him expelled from Hogwarts.

And there's nothing to justify acting that way towards Harry. Yes, Snape holds a grudge against James, yes he never got over his feelings towards the Marauders, and yes, it angers him that Harry looks so much like his father. But these are no reasons to bully an innocent child. In comparison, could you imagine Neville (canonically teacher to the New Gen) treating Scorpius that way just because his father used to bully him?! No? Me neither. Because Neville is a good person.

His "love" for Lily

One last thing before we part. I don't think he was in love with Lily. I think he was obsessed with her. Because when you love someone, you don't treat them like crap just to please your new racist friends. When you love someone, you don't humiliate them in front of the whole school when you're hurt. When you love someone, if they find love and happiness somewhere else, you don't want their family to die.

He stole the photo and the letter that Lily sent to Sirius. He found a photo of her laughing at her family, and cut them out to keep the illusion she was smiling at him. He found the words of love that she'd sent willingly to a close friend of her, and stole them away, to keep the illusion that she was in love with him.

Again, I can't stress this one enough: Snape was fine with the idea of James and Harry dying, as long as Lily lived. He didn't care about her losing the man she loved, didn't care about her losing her child. That's not healthy, that's not love.

The quote "Always" is creepy. Because it's supposed to be this grand gesture of love, showing undying love even after years apart. But that's not undying love. That's unrequited, one-sided obsession.

Also, little bonus because I don't believe this scene is in the books, just in the movies. But who enters a room with a crying baby in it, and instead of trying to calm down the baby and hug him, goes to the corpse of the woman that's always been rejecting them? That is so creepy, I can't even emphasize it enough so here's the scene:

Anyway, all of this to say that while his character is one of the most well-constructed of the books, it makes me extremely uncomfortable to see that a lot of people see him a this white knight that couldn't do any wrong, whose bad actions were all redeemed by the sole fact that he was indeed working for the good side at the end. Working for the good side doesn't excuse racism. And it certainly doesn't excuse bullying.

If you want to read my other thoughts on stuff

#sorry i went a little overboard with this one! #but i have so many feelings about snape #hp #harry potter #snape #severus snape #the marauders #james potter #sirius black #remus lupin #voldemort #lily potter #lily evans #hermione #hermione granger #neville #neville longbottom #bullying #anti snape

[quartusbellum-blog]

KARLI for the role of  JAMES POTTER, using the faceclaim BOB MORLEY.

Everything about your application brings me such glee. I love James, but I also love seeing him break, since he’s such a strong, positive force in canon. In the writing sample, you balanced James’ principals with his desire to keep his family safe perfectly. My favourite part of this app, however, has to be the tulips. That was some stunning writing and I can’t wait to see what you do with James in this game!

ooc details

Name: Karli

Age: 27

Pronouns: She/Her

Activity Level: I can be around every day, but mostly on mobile throughout the week until the evening (CMT timezone). I work 11 hour days on Tues/Wed and likely won’t do as much posting then. I will have no problem meeting the requirements and can likely post more than that as well, usually at least once per day.

Other: No triggers or questions or anything else.

Acknowledgement: I acknowledge that the themes of this game may include triggering elements. I also acknowledge that my character may be harmed, coerced, or even killed (with player’s consent) during paras/events or may cause harm to or kill others during paras/events.

                                                  ჻ ჻ ჻ ჻

general ic details

Name: James “Prongs” Charlus Potter

Age: 20

Ships: I ship chemistry, but I do have a special place in my heart for James/Lily. That being said… I think it’s pretty important to know that James views himself as part of that ship, due to having been in that relationship before his capture and now with his belief that the Death Eater’s have Lily. I don’t necessarily think this has to be an actual ship, though. Lily and him have been apart for a while now and anything can happen. Right now, James’ main purpose is less on ships and more about trying to get out of the situation he’s in (and get his memories back in order), so I don’t think a lot of hot and heavy romance will be happening regardless. I think Lily is extremely important to his character in this roleplay, however.

Gender/Pronouns: Cismale. He/Him

Face Claim: Bob Morley. Secondary: Ashton Moio. (If you don’t like either, I’m willing to explore more suggestions. I’ve been stuck for days on this FC question!)

                                                  ჻ ჻ ჻ ჻

biography:

(Just as a warning, I do not follow the guidelines of Pottermore’s backstory for James or his family. This bio also revolves about Bob Morley as a FC, due to his Filipino background. If another FC needs to be chosen, this bio will have to be revamped to reflect that ethnicity.)

Charlus and Aizel Potter met late in life, long after Charlus’ years as an eligible bachelor. He’d given up, at that point, in hopes of finding a suitable wife and had poured himself into is work at the Ministry of Magic’s Department of International Magical Cooperation. He’d met Azelia during his work in the Philippines, her upbringing far from his own, and had fallen in love with her. They were old enough, they’d thought, and decided not to wait. Married within just a few short months, Charlus had taken her back to England with him to live at the Potter Estate, tearing her away from her country, her entire family, and all she’d ever known. With him working and her at home, it wasn’t long before their first – and only – son was born. It had been a hard pregnancy due to Aizel’s age and the healer had recommended against trying for a second. It did not matter to either of them – James was enough. A pureblood son who was brilliant and charming and handsome rolled into one.

James had a rather lonely childhood, however. Living without close neighbors and with all of his parents’ friends having kids much older than him, James found ways to pass the time on his own. His mother taught him from home, where he learned the basics, such as how to read, write, and do arithmetic, along with an introduction to magic. She had a spirituality about her that came from a long line of her family back home. She’d talked of a different sort of importance rather blood status – and his father agreed. Or he’d said he did. It was the more polite thing to do, of course. Prejudices were less becoming in more recent days – what with new laws and rights for muggleborns. Back in his day, Hogwarts had barely allowed them into the school, after all. But Charlus could not understand what the whole fuss was about. There had already been changes in the world – why were some groups calling for more?

When James had finally gone to school, he’d revered the house of Gryffindor and was eager to make friends. It had come on quickly – Sirius on the train and then Remus later, finally ending the group with Peter. It felt right. There were a few comments from the older students towards James – saying he could’ve chosen anyone for his friends and yet he’d picked a group of outcasts - but it turned out to be one of the best things James ever did. By the time their fourth year rolled around, even people from higher years were looking at the self-proclaimed Marauders with a wishful look in their eyes, hoping that perhaps they could fit one more. Only James thought the number four seemed quite appropriate – he’d choose a night with his mates over a large group of people any day. They enjoyed pranks and sneaking around the grounds and castle. It didn’t matter to any of them that, sometimes, they had to turn into animals so they didn’t get eaten – an adventure was an adventure, James always said! And maybe those adventures meant hexing a few people along the way but, come on, it was just a laugh. And nobody really wanted to miss out on the opportunity to point at Severus Snape, would they?

However, things grew darker as the years moved on. There was that incident with Snivellus and the Whomping Willow to deal with, of course, but it was mostly outside the walls that James worried about. By his sixth year, a full-fledged war was being fought in the Wizarding World, wix on wix, beast on beast. It was brutal and bloody and James noticed for what might have been the first time ever that he was one very small person in a very large world. He was eager to get out and fight. His true testament of growth, however, did not stand in his Head Boy badge (which he did get) or his offer to join in training camp for the Appleby Arrows (which did happen) or even the fact that he’d ended up as Lily Evans’ boyfriend (which was the talk of the school for a while) – it was the fact that, when Flich had confiscated the Marauders Map, James did not encourage his friends to go and get it. They had to leave all that behind. They were about to fight a war.

It seemed only fitting when Dumbledore recruited them to the underground group called The Order of the Phoenix. James himself loved the idea of such a secret rebellion. Hadn’t he spent an entire lifetime breaking the rules? Shortly after graduation, his parents’ death hit him hard, one after another. Nothing sinister about them – old age and dragon pox never did mix – but James grew more focused, more determined. Only he hadn’t prepared on how much he would have to see – how much he would have to endure. The Order began to tear itself apart. People were dying every day and James himself had been in enough scraps that he no longer thought himself invincible. When Lord Voldemort offered his hand out – again and again – James, of course, said no, barely escaping his own brush with death. It was affecting even his friends. There was a spy in the Order and fingers were pointed. Sirius thought it Remus – and Remus was so far off the grid that he couldn’t exactly defend himself. James held firm – none of them would betray another, he’d argued over and over when the conversation broke out amongst the Order members.

Only his luck was bound to run out eventually. His trust proved destructive and Peter, one of his best mates, had deceived them all. James’ confidence did not wane – he would lead the revolt in Dumbledore’s honor. Only things did not go as planned (James, after all, had never been the best at looking at things from all angles) and he’d wound up in the hands of the Death Eaters, the One Army. His body tortured, his mind played with. Now, he doesn’t understand why his memories don’t add up. He believes that Lily has been captured, held hostage, their baby with her. There’s been no indication to him that there is no baby. With his belief that she’ll die if he doesn’t obey, he’s taken the Mark. He does what he needs to do for his own survival and his family’s. He hopes to get her back – and get back to his friends – only there’s blood on his hands now and he can’t quite wipe them clean this time.

Evan Rosier holds the strings, after all. James is just the puppet.

                                                  ჻ ჻ ჻ ჻

my character is:

Please Describe a Belief your character has that is wrong.

Pretty much all of what James believes to be true actually isn’t. After Dumbledore’s arrest and James’ subsequent capture, he spent just over six months in captivity, being tortured and played with by Evan Rosier. His memories are now befuddled. He thinks he knows why he’s doing what he’s doing, but he’s completely wrong about that. During those six months, new memories were planted, old ones scrambled. James finally took the Mark after being convinced - no, that’s not right, he actually remembers it happening, doesn’t he? - that his pregnant girlfriend was taken, too. In the dungeons, his baby was born. A boy, Evan had told him.

James took the Mark to keep his family alive and has been doing the Death Eaters’ bidding since then until he can get them out. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone, of course - but it’s them or his family and, for the first time, James doesn’t have a way to get out of it. Nothing makes sense, but the one thing that he’s certain of is that there actually isn’t a choice at all. He would die to defy Voldemort if he had to, but he’s not willing to risk the lives of the people he loves. So, with his wand raised, he’ll think of his son locked in captivity and cast an Unforgivable. Pain, he���s had to decide, is something inevitable in this war.

Please Provide a description of either Your Character’s Job and Address the differences between what your character is currently doing and what they would prefer to do?

James does not have a job outside of being a Death Eater and working with One Army. Everything he has, he’s given to them. He handed over his estate, watched his childhood home be destroyed. They’d cleared out his vault at Gringotts. He’s even given his freedom, which is probably the worst of it all. But he does it to keep his family alive and to hopefully one day get back to his friends. By all intents and purposes, his work is as a Death Eater. It’s a job he’d never thought he’d be doing - a Mark he never expected to take. But it’s his life now, isn’t it?

James would prefer to be doing literally anything but this. He’d rather be running with the Ashen Phoenix - or even underground with the Radical Alliance, if his mate’s group would have him. He doesn’t exactly want to be a werewolf or vampire, but if it meant he could get away from his current situation, he’d gladly take that Mark over his own. Only - that doesn’t help Lily. That doesn’t help his child. So he stays and he does what he’s told. He’s heard the names of his friends - Remus in the woods, Sirius on the run. And, confusingly, he’s heard the name of Lily Evans in the Ashen Phoenix, too. But he assumes it’s just another trick. Just another way to mess about with his memories, another form of torture. That can’t be his Lily, not if he remembers her down in the dungeons. Something he’s determined to do, however, is get to the bottom of what’s going on. He needs to find Sirius and Remus. Needs to get out of here with his family intact.

ooc questions

Writing Sample: (I have included Evan in this para sample since James revolves a lot around him, but if we get an Evan who views him differently, with a different sort of dialogue, this can easily be changed!)

This thing itched. Was it supposed to itch? James’ fingers toyed with the Mark, tracing the outline silently, eyes watching the dark snake crawling from the skull. How many times had he seen this above a house, waiting for someone to find the people dead inside? He’d always wondered how anyone could do it. Follow Voldemort - take the Dark Mark - murder innocent people. He’d judged them for it. It wasn’t as though his entire life in war had been without bloodshed. No, he had spilled enough to know that battle was bloody - but he’d always been spilling Death Eater blood. The wrong side. He was supposed to be the good guy. But now - now he didn’t know. Things were much more complicated than a life of good and bad. People did things for a number of reasons, it seemed. James was living proof of that.

Evan moved from the house and James quickly pulled down his sleeve. He’d been left alone and hadn’t run. He hated himself for giving Evan the confidence to have James go ahead of him. They both knew James wouldn’t go anywhere. He had a reason for staying - a reason for living. A long time ago (it seemed like an entire lifetime), he would’ve rather died than become one of them. But it wasn’t his life he was protecting anymore. His son… his son had been born. James had taken the Mark for him - though, at the time he’d agreed to it, he hadn’t known it was a boy. He remembered Lily telling him she was pregnant; he’d been taken shortly after, Lily’s own capture following his eventually. But Evan had kept him informed of her progress. She’s getting bigger every day, he told James. She asks about you. She’s very pretty, isn’t she?

That last part had caused James’ blood to boil, to spit in Evan’s direction before another round of curses hit. But he hadn’t let himself die - because he knew it would mean her death. Their baby’s death. And, finally, when he was given a choice of the Mark with the assurance they would let the baby be born, James had agreed. Just raised his head in the dungeon, body aching from the Cruciatus, mouth bleeding from a teeth-pulling jinx, and said he would join them. Not a Gryffindor, after all.

Now, he stood to wait for his true master - sure, Voldemort was in charge, but he wasn’t the one controlling James - to come down the steps. The plan was to Apparate to the meeting point. James never got all the details of these little missions, so usually had to be guided to the location by Evan. It wasn’t his first ride along, but he hadn’t grown used to them yet, either. Mostly, he just stood around, doing what he was told, trying to hurt as few people as he could. He was their puppet and they knew it. James hated them. Hated himself. Wordlessly, he held out his hand and tried to ignore Evan’s smirk, taking the proffered arm. They turned on the spot together, James being wrenched somewhere he didn’t know. It was a small house with white shutters, flowers in the yard. Bellatrix stood in the shadows, Peter next to her, and James glowered, but kept his mouth shut. He was getting better at biting his tongue these days.

Bellatrix had approached Evan with a furious look in her eyes, violently gesturing around about the Dark Lord’s wishes. Apparently, they’d been late. Peter’s eyes connected with James, who stared back for a few moments before looking away. The power between the two men had changed and there was an ache that moved through his heart because part of James still loved Peter. Or, at least, the Peter who liked vanilla-flavored sugar quills and once made James laugh so hard his stomach had hurt for over an hour after. It wasn’t every day he ran into his old friend - and Peter did not gloat whenever they did, for which James was grateful - but the worse missions were the ones where they were together.

James clutched his wand. It was pathetic - they allowed him to have a wand, turned their backs on him. He was so clutched in their grasps that he didn’t even think about jinxing Evan from behind anymore. “Potter!” His head snapped up. “Apparently Bevan Vexx here has been helping Mudbloods get false papers. It’s time to teach him a lesson, don’t you think, Potter?”

“If you say so,” James replied, the answer easily on his lips, not the first time he’s agreed in such a manner.

“I’d like you to help me. Teach you a new trick or two. I’m afraid it’s not exactly a request, but I do hope you’ll agree that you might benefit from learning some new magic.”

“What do you want me to do?” Though James had a feeling. He couldn’t get away with not killing someone for very long, after all. His heart began to race, his grip on his wand grew tighter.

Evan smiled and it was such a fucking pleasant grin that James wanted to scream. “How about you follow my lead and then we’ll discuss your progress after, okay? We’ll have you practice securing the Dark Mark above the house, as well.”

James took a deep breath, thought of his son - he wanted to live to find out his name - and Lily down in the dungeons. His eyes moved around the yard again. Someone in the house must be very proud of their tulips. He wondered if it was Bevan. He was ready. In his head, he said the curse. He had to mean it for it to work. Hadn’t that been the problem the first time Evan had asked him to perform it? Avada Kedavra, Avada Kedavra. He could do this. He stepped over the Tulips to get to the front door.

Exploration:

1) There’s a lot that might be done with James’ memories. He thinks Lily is down in the dungeon, yes, but what else does he think he’s sure about? Evan has control over everything with him and I’m willing to throw James under the Knight Bus and have him fuck things up due to his false-memories. I would love to get an Evan Rosier because that’s such an interesting dynamic for James. I want to see Evan’s ability to convince James of things that aren’t true. I’m not afraid to make James hurt or kill people - hurt other characters in the rp, even! - because he’s working as a Death Eater and that’s what he needs to do to keep his so-called family alive. I want to get to the nitty-gritty of what being in the One Army entails. I don’t want to shy away from that.

2) I think it’s pretty important to find ways that everyone is forced to come together. Right now, the groups are pretty separate and there’s not a lot of room for a casual run in, since half the cast would be arrested. I could see some sort of battle happening, though. Perhaps the Ashen Phoenix decides to throw an explosion into Hogsmeade. Or maybe the Radical Alliance is caught selling vampire blood on the black market. I’m eager to see how it all plays out.

3) I was thinking that there is potential for James to end up siding with the Silent Daggers at some point. Right now, he doesn’t even know they exist but, if he ever found out, he may just have to crawl with his antlers down towards them because they’re at least a step in the right direction to what he wants. He can’t just go out and join the Ashen Phoenix, but working with other Death Eaters might not be so suspicious. So there’s potential for that.

4) Here’s a fourth because why not: Dumbledore’s escape!! What will it mean for the groups? For James? I like that idea. It would also be interested if it were a botched escape. Or let’s say they do get him out - he wouldn’t be the same Dumbledore anymore, would he? Ariana’s ghost has been haunting him for over a year. I’d like to see how that all changes things. Perhaps the Ashen Phoenix will need to stick by their new leaders, rather than their old.

Extras:

Here’s a few more interpersonal things I’d like to explore:

1) There has been a lot of time lost since the last time Lily and James saw one another. He’s been thinking she’s captured, yes, but he also expects her to be waiting around for him like he has with her. I personally don’t think that has to happen. They’re still so young and have dated for less than two years. She has the right to move on, especially during the times where she didn’t even know if he was alive or not. But James won’t see it that way, which I find incredibly interesting.

2) Severus Snape and him have always been enemies - and they are still on opposite sides now. Only it’s flip flopped. I’d love to see how this dynamic works with the both of them, given James has taken Severus’ place in One Army, while Snape has moved onto the Ashen Phoenix. For once, James can’t say that Severus is in the wrong here.

3) His relationship with Sirius and Remus is incredibly important and, right now, unable to exist much outside of wishful thinking. Sirius is trying to keep everyone and everything together, which is normally James’ job. So I’m excited to see how that dynamic will play out, especially with the betrayal of Peter having already happened. If we ever got a Peter in game, then he and James would have a lot of potential for interaction, given they’re both on the same side.

#marauders era rp #harry potter roleplay #hp skeleton rp #lsrp #marauders rp #james potter #james potter bio #quartusbellumaccept

[pottergerms]

Ouch, my heart: an analysis of the Sectumsempra

Well, well well…. look who’s back from the dead (me, if you couldn’t guess).

First of all, I want to apologise for not doing these for so long. Things got a little insane in my life. I haven’t had time to blink these days, but here I am, because I love you all.

First of all: thank you and sorry it took me over a year to do this. And second of all: of course I can! 

I think this is the post everyone was waiting for and I have no idea if I'm ready for it. Wait. I know I'm not.

But since I'm either a masochist or already too numb from all the pain this ship causes me, I'll try anyway. Fuck the police.

I'll open this discussion with Harry's last thought about Draco before the horrible tragedy that we call Sectumsempra:

Was it his imagination, or did Malfoy, like Tonks, look thinner? Certainly he looked paler; his skin still had that greyish tinge, probably because he so rarely saw daylight these days. But there was no air of smugness, or excitement, or superiority; none of the swagger that he had had on the Hogwarts Express, when he had boasted openly of the mission he had been given by Voldemort … there could be only one conclusion, in Harry’s opinion: the mission, whatever it was, was going badly.

Ok, let's start by the fact Harry says Draco has a "swagger". Not my words!

And also: Yer a stupid wizard, Harry.

The boy is falling behind in classes, he's sad and lonely, he looks sick, you know he's terrified he's not pleasing Voldemort. So instead of trying to help him, you go and use a spell for enemies on him. A boy genius.

I don't even know why I'll point this out again, but it's not normal to keep noticing those things about people you don't care about, ok? It's just not done. You're fooling yourself!

Meanwhile, Harry is getting desperate here. If it's because Draco looks sick or because he couldn't find out what his mission was, we'll never know. But he knows he's running out of time, and he has other personal problems to deal with, like the horcruxes and his huge crush *sarcasm* on Ginny.

And coincidentally his crush on her seems to grow, suddenly. Almost like it's a distraction... hm. She's exactly like the opposite of his true crush, I mean, obsession, I mean... Malfoy. She makes him forget, instead of making him feel like everything is falling apart; she doesn't have any problems besides boys and Quidditch, while Draco's buried in shit.

But still, he thinks about her far less than he thinks about *someone else*. Because a constant in this book is that nothing is more pressing than Draco Malfoy. Not the Prince himself, not the horcruxes, not girls or Quidditch. Nothing.

In the midst of all his preoccupations Harry had not forgotten his other ambition: finding out what Malfoy was up to in the Room of Requirement. He was still checking the Marauder’s Map and, as he was often unable to locate Malfoy on it, deduced that Malfoy was still spending plenty of time within the Room.

Oh yeah, in the midst of his problems, one being he didn't know if Ginny was worth upsetting Ron (and if that's not an indicative that she's not your one true love, Harry, I don't know what is), he still has plenty of time to obsess over Draco Malfoy.

Just healthy, really.

And now, because I didn't forget the real issue here, let's read what brilliant thoughts Harry Potter has about the Sectumsempra:

...he saw the Sectumsempra spell, captioned ‘For Enemies’, that he had marked a few weeks previously. He had still not found out what it did, mainly because he did not want to test it around Hermione, but he was considering trying it out on McLaggen next time he came up behind him unawares.

Oh yeah! He was considering trying the Sectumsempra on Cormac! That's how much of a genius he is. Harry, go study some latin before you use a fucking spell, will ya?

I mean, you would think that a boy who lost both parents to a curse and studied Charms for 6 years would think to at least check the etymology of a spell before using it on another human being. Or not, if you're stupid as fuck!

Ok, so are you ready for the heartbreak? *takes deep breath*

Harry made his usual detour along the seventh-floor corridor, checking the Marauder’s Map as he went. For a moment he could not find Malfoy anywhere, and assumed he must indeed be inside the Room of Requirement again, but then he saw Malfoy’s tiny, labelled dot standing in a boys’ bathroom on the floor below, accompanied, not by Crabbe or Goyle, but by Moaning Myrtle.

First of all, Harry, why??? What kind of dodgy business could he be planning with the ghost of a muggleborn girl murdered by Voldemort? If anything, that shows he's really not who you think he is.

It took me years after reading this book to realise Draco was confessing to a mudblood, and a victim of Voldemort. To me, that's a symbol of how his views were changing and how, in the end, he was a victim, not a villain. He was like her in a way. 

Also, how fucking lonely he was. *sobbing*

God, that makes me so mad! This is the only time Harry really disappointed me and I think he fucking knows it. He disappointed himself too.

Draco Malfoy was standing with his back to the door, his hands clutching either side of the sink, his white-blond head bowed.

‘Don’t,’ crooned Moaning Myrtle’s voice from one of the cubicles. ‘Don’t … tell me what’s wrong… I can help you …’

‘No one can help me,’ said Malfoy. His whole body was shaking. ‘I can’t do it … I can’t … it won’t work … and unless I do it soon … he says he’ll kill me …’

And Harry realised, with a shock so huge it seemed to root him to the spot, that Malfoy was crying – actually crying – tears streaming down his pale face into the grimy basin.

To be honest, I can't choose what's worse about this whole thing. Draco confessing to a ghost, because he has no one (and not just any ghost, but the one everyone can't stand)? The fact he is crying because he's so scared?

Or maybe the fact that Harry is just so stupid he can't use simple logic and understand that, whatever this is, Draco doesn't have a choice???

Ouch, my heart just broke real quick.

Malfoy gasped and gulped and then, with a great shudder, looked up into the cracked mirror and saw Harry staring at him over his shoulder.

Malfoy wheeled round, drawing his wand. Instinctively, Harry pulled out his own. Malfoy’s hex missed Harry by inches, shattering the lamp on the wall beside him; Harry threw himself sideways, thought Levicorpus! and flicked his wand, but Malfoy blocked the jinx and raised his wand for another –

(...)

There was a loud bang and the bin behind Harry exploded; Harry attempted a Leg-Locker Curse that backfired off the wall behind Malfoy’s ear and smashed the cistern beneath Moaning Myrtle, who screamed loudly; water poured everywhere and Harry slipped over as Malfoy, his face contorted, cried, ‘Cruci—’

I can't imagine how humiliated he feels, and how terrified he is, because not only was he crying because of Voldemort, but now Harry Potter knows too much. And Harry won't help him, he's sure of that.

You know what breaks me? They start do duel with childish hexes and curses, and it escalates so quickly, before any of them can take a moment to realise the seriousness of it.

And I wish Draco was going to say "Crucifix nail nipples!", but we know he was not. But do you wanna know what I believe? If he had time to finish saying the word, nothing would happen, and Harry would be able to see he's not evil. He obviously didn't mean the Crucio. 

But before he has that chance, Harry goes and fucks up royally:

‘SECTUMSEMPRA!’ bellowed Harry from the floor, waving his wand wildly.

Blood spurted from Malfoy’s face and chest as though he had been slashed with an invisible sword. He staggered backwards and collapsed on to the waterlogged floor with a great splash, his wand falling from his limp right hand.

‘No –’ gasped Harry.

Slipping and staggering, Harry got to his feet and plunged towards Malfoy, whose face was now shining scarlet, his white hands scrabbling at his blood-soaked chest.

‘No – I didn’t –’

Harry did not know what he was saying; he fell to his knees beside Malfoy, who was shaking uncontrollably in a pool of his own blood.

To be honest, Harry never in a million years thought that would be a lethal curse. Never. He wanted to test it on McLaggen!

I can't stand this moment, I can't. I makes me tear up every time.

Because there is Draco's physical pain, which was probably horrible, then there's his emotional pain, because he's at his most vulnerable moment and it's such a betrayal! Harry is one of the good guys. He was afraid Voldemort would do something like that to him, not Harry. And that is so so so sad.

And there's Harry's pain as well, because he's fucking terrified. He knows Draco is dying, he knows he did something unthinkable, he knows he fucked up. Sometimes I can't believe Draco actually saved Harry after that, because this probably haunted him for a long time.

Just imagine seeing someone surrounded by their own blood, with deep cuts and shaking in pain. I don't think you can forget it that easily. Especially if you were responsible for it.

And you know what makes me angry? That Harry compartmentalises what he's feeling so well that it's like two different people: one when he's alone, looking at what he did, and one once he finds his friends. It's maddening.

But there's a reason for that, and we'll get into it soon.

“Harry was still watching, horrified by what he had done, barely aware that he too was soaked in blood and water. Moaning Myrtle was still sobbing and wailing overhead. When Snape had performed his counter-curse for the third time, he half-lifted Malfoy into a standing position.

‘You need the hospital wing. There may be a certain amount of scarring, but if you take dittany immediately we might avoid even that … come …’

He supported Malfoy across the bathroom, turning at the door to say in a voice of cold fury, ‘And you, Potter … you wait here for me.’

It did not occur to Harry for a second to disobey. He stood up slowly, shaking, and looked down at the wet floor. There were bloodstains floating like crimson flowers across its surface. He could not even find it in himself to tell Moaning Myrtle to be quiet, as she continued to wail and sob with increasingly evident enjoyment.”

I love the way JKR describes how Harry sees it, how vivid are the consequences of what happened. And I obviously love how Snape tells Draco it might scar, possibly more for Harry to hear than for him. Snape knows him well, he knows the guilt trip he could go into and is trying to push him into it. And Harry deserves it.

It doesn't happen, though, because immediately after, he goes to find his friends (and Ginny), who make him forget about his feelings.

But before we get into that, I'd like to talk about the symbolism of Harry finding the room of hidden things when he's trying to hide the book. It's the room he's been trying to get in all year, and it's almost like a physical representation of Draco at this point.

It's very interesting how he can suddenly get in, almost like the barriers are all down, almost like Draco stopped caring about hiding it from him. Almost like he's so sad and hopeless he stops trying. Thinking about the wave of disappointment he must be feeling, it's very possible that Draco's feelings were an influence in the door showing up for Harry.

Anyway, then Harry tells his friends about what just happened and they respond exactly like you would expect them too, almost to a stereotypical extreme.

“I won’t say “I told you so”,’ said Hermione, an hour later in the common room. ‘Leave it, Hermione,’ said Ron angrily.”

Isn't it interesting how none of them we just horrified by the whole thing? How Hermione just focuses on the book, not on the teenager almost bleeding to death?

“(...) Malfoy had already been visited in the hospital wing by Pansy Parkinson, who had lost no time in vilifying Harry far and wide...”

I just love this sentence. First of all, with all her flaws, I love Pansy. She's just the best friend Draco could have in that moment, because she takes no bullshit. And to be fair, Harry deserved to be vilified. And you can sense his opinions on what he's done are changing because his friends just excuse what he did, especially Ginny:

“Give it a rest, Hermione!’ said Ginny, and Harry was so amazed, so grateful, he looked up. ‘By the sound of it Malfoy was trying to use an Unforgivable Curse, you should be glad Harry had something good up his sleeve!”

I hated her so much in that moment. What Harry did it's inexcusable, and he knows it. So it hurts my eyes to see her say something so dismissive. Draco would not be able to actually Crucio him and, deep down, Harry knows it. He doesn't even try to convince himself he's faultless, that it was self-defense.

Ok, so let's expand on Ginny's rare presence being right in this chapter.

It's no coincidence this is the same chapter where Harry kisses Ginny for the first time. Remember what I mentioned in the beginning of this post? The whole of Half-Blood Prince is built using a parallel between Harry's relationship with Draco and his relationship with Ginny to move the plot in the right direction.

“Hermione and Ginny, who had always got on together very well, were now sitting with their arms folded, glaring in opposite directions. Ron looked nervously at Harry, then snatched up a book at random and hid behind it. Harry, however, though he knew he little deserved it, felt unbelievably cheerful all of a sudden, even though none of them spoke again for the rest of the evening.”

I mean, come on. He literally buries his guilt in giddiness because Ginny is defending him. Defending him against something he knows is his fault. She's helping him forget Malfoy. Again.

And this chapter is so cleverly written it splits his feelings with the places and situations he's in: when he's with Snape, in the dungeons, he can feel the guilt as a physical presence. Snape makes sure he understands that the detention is about making him feel guilty:

“Mr Filch has been looking for someone to clear out these old files,’ said Snape softly. ‘They are the records of other Hogwarts wrongdoers and their punishments. Where the ink has grown faint, or the cards have suffered damage from mice, we would like you to copy out the crimes and punishments afresh and, making sure that they are in alphabetical order, replace them in the boxes. You will not use magic.”

When he thinks about Gryffindor and Ginny, he forgets about any negative thing happening with him: 

“And while he copied out all their various offences and punishments, he wondered what was going on outside, where the match would have just started … Ginny playing Seeker against Cho …”

To be honest, that is one of the things that always bothered me with this ship being canon. Ginny never sees the Harry we see, she always sees someone who's always right, someone who's the hero. And Harry only sees Ginny as a ladder to a life he wants so desperately. A life with no complications, with a family, with giddiness and lightness. He holds onto her because she makes him forget all the horrible things he has gone through, and that's one reason why he never tells her anything: he wants her in a bell jar, untouched by his traumas.

And we all know that's not who he really is. The final proof is how this chapter ends:

Harry looked around; there was Ginny running towards him; she had a hard, blazing look in her face as she threw her arms around him. And without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that fifty people were watching, Harry kissed her.

(...)

The creature in his chest roaring in triumph, Harry grinned down at Ginny and gestured wordlessly out of the portrait hole. A long walk in the grounds seemed indicated, during which – if they had time – they might discuss the match.”

This moment is like a completely different book. It's a fantasy. Something Harry knew couldn't last. It was escapism.

This chapter is also the last before Malfoy finally figures out how to fix the cabinet and Harry goes with Dumbledore to retrieve the horcrux. It's almost like a tragic farewell to the relationship the two of them had prior to thing getting fucking serious. It all changes after that.

The Sectumsempra in itself changes everything. Harry, someone who we know as heroic and honourable, commits an act that shifts what we know about him, and at the same time Draco, who up until then we see as a bidimensional character, comes alive and gets layers on top of layers. It's the only possible introduction to what happens in Deathly Hallows. Tragic and horrible, but beautiful to watch.

I mean, I could go on and on. If I had the time, I would probably debate every single sentence in this book that, to me, is the most symbolic and crucial of them all.

But I do have a job, so this will do. Hope you guys enjoyed it!

#draco malfoy #harry potter #drarry #my work #my post #half-blood prince

[werewolfin]

Flame Headcanons

@i-w-p-chan​ asked me to explain some xover thoughts between Katekyo Hitman Reborn flames & Boku no Hero Academia characters, so buckle up ‘cuz it’s a long post under the read more! Headcanon, ho!

To explain my numbers, I gotta explain a buncha other shit too, lmao.

So basically I got some inspo from micronecro way back when (the post here on my tumblr if you're curious) that Earth Flames & whatnot were all combination Flames. Swamp is Storm+Sun, Forest Sun+Lightning, Mountain Lightning+Rain, Desert Rain+Mist, Glacier Mist+Cloud, & that last mysterious flame being named Geyser for Cloud+Storm.

I also wanted a third part of Flames for the water aspect (Earth is obvs earth, Sky is a combo of fire & air for skies themselves), so I also came up with Ocean Flames & that entire set. The feeling was only reinforced by an offhand comment by nordiamus over on FFN in their Game On xover, really.

So if Sky is the most purely Flame set & Earth is combo, shouldn't Ocean also be some sort of combo? But if the Sky is so common & Earth heard of but not really heard of, then wouldn't Ocean be even more rare?

I eventually settled on a natural 3:4:5 ratio, but to have a ratio I needed to have numbers, so I had to math shit out & also needed to have shorthand symbols so I didn't inevitably confuse myself while making sure they actually showed up in both Notepad & Excel, colors for much the same, & characteristics for the Flames themselves too. Took a long while, but I got everything settled out.

I chose 108 for the point system because it's already a trope, lol. I also made use of Umei-no Mai's Black Sky's headcanon that you actually needed around 5% of each Flame to develop properly, though I had to use it as 6% b/c the math would've become bad math otherwise. This means any singular Flame can only be a value between 6 to 76 out of 108 (6-70%), b/c there’s gotta be at least 6 points (6%) on everything. Here’s a handy chart:

Yellow is where I folded percentages together, red is the tens on the point side, with green the tens on the percent side. A general guideline I use is that you need at least 18% to produce a visible Flame. You can do it with smaller percentages down to 10%, but it requires exceptional control & possibly small reserves (which can also be called depth). (this scenario would also produce a functional sky but it’d be a fairly weak one since it was both not activated as such and not a full state of being for them).

Dying Will Flames of the Sky: NAME: hex code, attribute, symbol (reason if needed) (the link has interesting info), type of resolve (HC from Gokurdera being able to light 5 Flames but not all at once); appearance

STORM: #EB1C23 brilliant red, disintegration, ♋ (looks like hurricane cell; I'm aware it's actually the symbol for Cancer), to take down; low-heat smoldering, smokey upcurls & tongues

SKY: #FFA719 vivid gamboge, harmony, at least 10% (11/108) on all, ☰ (this the trigram symbol for heaven you see), to keep/stay; most like fire w/ flares, wisps, & overall more ethereal movement

SUN: #FFC70F amber, activation, ☀, to improve; like starlight in that it’s constant jetting outwards, more a shining than a straight-up fire

LIGHTNING/THUNDER: #23B04B malachite, hardening, ϟ (this is the only lightning-shaped symbol to show up tbh, it's technically the lowercase Greek letter for Q), to defend; electricity w/ small arcs between branches

RAIN: #99D8E8 cerulean, tranquility, ☂, to slow down; pool water with refraction in slow-motion, more round & globular than a fire except it gives off (what it’s user thinks of as ‘relaxing’) heat

MIST: #3F49CC phthalo blue, construction, ♒ (I couldn't find anything that was explicitly 'fog' or whatever, so I had to make do with whatever worked; it's the symbol for Aquarius, though it also symbolizes wind which is the next best, since mist is a groundbound cloud anyways), to confuse; wispy, almost entirely see through, with off center diffusion of color, the palest of the Flames

CLOUD: #A249A3 moderate magenta, propagation, ☁, to overtake; like puffs of smoke with a natural reach of twice the length of everything else in the Sky set (whole hand length minimum)

Dying Will Flames of the Ocean/Sea: NAME: hex code, attribute, symbol (reason if needed); appearance. Funfact: this set has the most desaturated colors as though it’s deeper in the sea, though if you go for max 240-value saturation they’re still discernible from the other sets.

WHIRLPOOL: #DE7C66 light scarlet, combustion (rapid burning), ☁/♋/☀, ♓ (Pisces symbol, yes, but fish live in pools; also what the fuck, I see literal fish as the symbol everywhere else but this fucking site); elongated fingers of flame that seem to spin or spiral their entire length rather than just the tips like Storm does, like screws or a helix

OCEAN: #FF7700 vivid orange, encompass, 12% (13/108) on all with remainder divided, ☵ (the trigram for water yo; easily distinguishable from both Sky & Earth, even has a mini horizon on there to make a "between the Earth & the Heavens" metaphor); heavy fire, somewhat similar to a tri-pronged crown or W that flutters like it's in the wind

VOLCANO: #C2AC1D moderate gold, acidification (pH cycling), ♋/☀/ϟ, ☈ (the symbol for thunderstorms which I find appropriate, b/c volcanoes can actually spawn these); smokey & partially see thru w/ green halo edging, fuzzy-looking around the edges, tho for a better visual of what I mean, look up fire opals

CURRENT: #85B357 moderate chartreuse, magnetism, ☀/ϟ/☂, ☄ (actually symbolizes comets, but it's theorized comets brought water to Earth anyway); clumps together, lengths loop each other to form a field, look at your hand in the process of turning into a fist, it’s like that

WATERFALL: #306D78 arctic blue, binding, ϟ/☂/♒, ♆ (fuck yeah, the symbol for Neptune sure, but rivers were his children &/or domain as all rivers lead to the ocean); elastic & flexible with no purely set expression beyond naturally long reach (the longest Flame overall)

MOON: #9999CC deep periwinkle, reflection, ☂/♒/☁, ☾ (obvious); moves like a shadow where there’s three or more overlapping areas w/ a natural wave pattern, if you’ve ever seen the sun during a heatwave it’s like where it wobbles due to the thermal air currents so the sun itself doesn’t look like a full disc

TIDE: #CFA7C3 light fuchsia, expansion, ♒/☁/♋, ♎ (the symbol for Libra & the alchemical symbol for the subliminal; also looks like the moon rising from the sea); light, aggressively more magenta when hyper-layered, leaves afterimages like when staring into a bright light, strangely behaves like a less intense Sun Flame where it’s an overall but softer & rounder glow rather than jetting out

Dying Will Flames of the Earth/Soil: NAME: hex code, attribute, symbol (reason if needed); appearance

SWAMP: #FFB482 tangelo, fermentation (living things), 28% (30) ♋/☀ each, ☣ (biohazard was a perfect fit); almost flat but highly agitated w/ irregular flares & flickers, highest temp behind Earth in this set, technically shortest Flame at half a finger height (knuckle to first joint)

EARTH: #BD3900 vermillion, gravity, 14% (15) all, ☷ (trigram for earth); dense & exceptionally rounded fire, appearing like a split V flame that doesn’t move about as much as an actual fire, more pulled together

FOREST: #A6DE5D electric lime, growth, 23% (25) ☀/ϟ each, ♣ (club suit b/c it looks like a little tree); thin, finely branched & erratic fire, with unpredictable sparks

MOUNTAIN: #62BD8E spring green, compression, 28% (30) ϟ/☂ each, ▲ (it's a triangle, but it doubles as a mountain symbol on maps); almost opaque, w/ a fat bottom and narrow top (shaped like a deflated balloon if such a thing floated in your palm) & slow sinuous motion (the widest Flame at the base at around twice the width of the palm holding it, picture lava lamp wax)

DESERT: #1C6BFF cobalt, emergence (big patterns that appear b/c of small things, ex. ripples in sand from wind movement pushing grains around, or the uniqueness of snowflakes) (also influenced by InsaneScriptist's One Piece/KHR xover fic Xanxus' Adventures in Parenthood Piracy where Desert flames are many illusions stacked onto each other), 32% (35) ☂/♒ each, ✿ (black florette b/c I can't really see the white one, & desert flowers are very pretty); perfectly transparent but for a tint, warps the coloring immediately around it into the blue spectrum, a place where it’s just inexplicably blue above where it’s being held, like staring into a mirror reflecting itself greener and greener, but if made visible to others it might give an appearance of sand because it’s also not a very “even” or “smooth” Flame

GLACIER: #C68CFF light violet, fortification taking the form of crystals as it’s just that intense, 37% (40) ♒/☁ each, ♦ (diamond suit b/c that's a basic crystal shape, also to not leave Forest as a card by itself); upside down kite shape w/ barbed &  jagged edges like frost, not see through like you almost expect tho it’s the whitest one in general w/ bright vivid color at the edge

GEYSER: #99007D red plum, extension, 32% (35) ☁/♋ each, ♨ (hot springs are close enough to geysers for me to the connection); like heated water complete w/ dense steaming, and the leading edge even redder

Have a handy little mnemonic pic to remember how to get what.

And just who can forget Night Flames either? I headcanon that Night was one of the 3 human Flames before the Earthlings like Kawahira were forced to pass the other 3 sets onto humans to sustain life; Snow, Void, & Night were all buried under and/or split between the newer sets, which is why no one ever pulls them forth until Bermuda has his Flames torn out by his Pacifier being taken by Checkerface.

SNOW: silvery-white, absorption (base reason for why humans can become all sorts of creatures, but never back), prevalent ☀ &/or ☂ &/or ☁, ☊ (ascending node, alchemical symbol for sublimation). Appearance: aerogel if it was fire shaped, glowing around the edges like a halo, pale silver-ish, a defined or captured mist spray.

VOID: (perfect) gray, preservation, ☰ &/or ☵ &/or ☷, ⊕ (alchemical symbol for verdigris, symbol for Earth the planet). This was basically the first version of Skies, Oceans, & Earths for humans. Appearance: a blooming iridescence, like summoning a faint rainbow upon a slick surface but in petaled flower silhouette (inherent control of it’s user imparts the number of petals).

NIGHT: black*, perpetuity (grim determination to do this ONE thing & damn the consequences, to carry on), prevalent ♋ &/or ϟ &/or ♒, ☋ (descending node, alchemical symbol for purification). Appearance: invisible unless moving, black & heavy looking when it does almost like a smear or smudge, with a type of simmering heat to it, an absence of light (resulting in a clear pacifier). *You know the video game thing/unresolvable YouTube video error where it’s supposed to be dark but it’s actually just a dark grey that feels creepy to look at too long? That color.

(I got a lot, seriously a bunch of other shit attributed to each Flame too, but this thing is already long enough. If I get interest, I’ll just make another post).

This has Earth-set Flames absurdly specialist but still very possible by accident, while leaving the Ocean-set harder to achieve any other way but naturally feeling the resolve for each separate component Flame. It also makes Oceans & Earths fundamentally Skies, just denser or even-keeled if you can get that. (compare phases of matter as gas [always chaotic], liquid [clumping together but still fairly energetic], and solid [at least mostly rigid in state]).

You also don’t need to be part of the same set to be considered an element, either... folding down anyway. A fully realized Earth could only truly bond w/ only Earth-set Flames, an Ocean could bond w/ Ocean-set Flames, but a Sky could bond w/ anyone by latching onto just one Flame, disregarding if it’s part of a composite Flame. Earth and/or Ocean Flames might identify more as a Sky than their ‘proper’ label as a matter of self-preservation as their elements are so rare, so would feel more at home pulling in Sky elements rather than Ocean or Earth elements. (not that it’d stop them if given the choice).

This all neatly dovetails into headcanon Flames for Class 1A for BNHA, arranged by set then seat.

From the Sky-set, you got:

Asui Tsuyu: ♋: 6=6%; ☀: 37=34%; ϟ: 11=10%; ☂: 37=34%; ♒: 6=6%; ☁: 11=10%; (☀, ☂). You can’t tell me she talks with that huge tongue without having to Actively shoot it, right? Rain because she’s just so naturally calm.

Mashirao Ojiro (6): ♋: 6=6%; ☀: 9=8%; ϟ: 9=8%; ☂: 6=6%; ♒: 6=6%; ☁: 72=66%; (☁). Because he seems kinda distant to me like most of KHR Clouds seem to be in theory, idk why. I do think he’s cool tho.

Kaminari Denki: ♋: 6=6%; ☀: 36=33%; ϟ: 24=22%; ☂: 6=6%; ♒: 6=6%; ☁: 30=28%; (☀, ϟ, ☁). Sun b/c his lightning is actually yellow so I theorize he’s actually Propagating his natural Activated bioelectricity via Cloud, but there’s enough Lightning to leave him intact doing so and lend his bioelectricity it’s more elongated shape. A further headcanon is that his family’s lightning quirks all effectively have different colors.

Kirishima Eijirou: ♋: 6=6%; ☀: 13=12%; ϟ: 48=44%; ☂: 17=16%; ♒: 8=7%; ☁: 16=15%; (ϟ). That’s some classic Lightning right there.

Jiro Kyouka: ♋: 9=8%; ☀: 18=17%; ϟ: 18=17%; ☂: 14=13%; ♒: 9=8%; ☁: 40=37%; (☁). To make the sound of her heartbeat exponentially louder like a boss. Also introduces sensitivity problems.

Tokoyami Fumikage: ♋: 22=20%; ☀: 6=6%; ϟ: 6=6%; ☂: 26=24%; ♒: 40=37%; ☁: 8=7%; (♋, ☂, ♒). Mist to materialize Dark Shadow, Rain to be dense enough to interact w/ which when paired w/ Storm fucks w/ him when Dark Shadow gets too powerful (ie overwhelming him & largely destructive).

fuck Mineta, let’s replace him

I can’t believe I have shamed myself into including him

Mineta Minoru: ♋: 6=6%; ☀: 30=28%; ϟ: 7=6%; ☂: 6=6%; ♒: 26=24%; ☁: 33=30%; (☀, ♒, ☁). While he can inherently multiply what’s essentially wads of his hair, Mist is what imparts it’s special properties (otherwise he’d stick to his pillows & his clothes would catch on when he gets dressed), & Sun lets him naturally produce more. This is where overuse comes into play; too much Sun Flame in too short a time frame splits the skin, though thankfully the bloodflow washes out anything that might’ve evolved into cancer cells before it begins healing. I figure if he trains more & CAREFULLY, he might start using Sun to more enhance Cloud allowing him more stamina w/ his quirk.

From the Ocean-set, you get:

Ashido Mina: ♋: 30=28%; ☀: 20=19%; ϟ: 25=23%; ☂: 10=9%; ♒: 15=14%; ☁: 8=7%; (♋, ☀, ϟ) / (☈): she adjusts pH to get what she wants. It’s fair chance she was born with near-Sky values.

Iida Tenya: ♋: 19=18%; ☀: 21=19%; ϟ: 19=18%; ☂: 7=6%; ♒: 22=20%; ☁: 20=19%; (♋, ☀, ϟ, ♒, ☁) / (♓, ♎w). Combustion engine, baby! He’s exploding things to go faster. His family’s been cultivating this particular quirk so long his line is close to producing Skies!

Uraraka Ochako: ♋: 6=6%; ☀: 22=20%; ϟ: 23=21%; ☂: 24=22%; ♒: 19=18%; ☁: 14=13%; (☀, ϟ, ☂, ♒) / (☄, ♆w, ☾). Manipulating magnetism to cancel out a lot of the gravity by making it attracted to itself & only itself so repelling everything not itself, & reflection to drop them back into gravity by touching her own fingertips. Her Cloud attribute isn’t actually able to manifest outside of her body b/c it lacks outward-manifesting strength; it makes up for this in being able to apply Moon w/ extra depth & precision. The depth part is what makes her nauseous. She’s actually got a hidden attribute in Waterfall/binding! She might be able to functionally (seek a) target where she drops stuff later on if she discovers it.

Mezou Shouji: ♋: 22=20%; ☀: 12=11%; ϟ: 6=6%; ☂: 6=6%; ♒: 28=26%; ☁: 34=31%; (♋, ♒, ☁) / (♎). Expansion materializes new body parts with the help of Mist, Cloud to shorthand remember bodyparts he’s already got, & Storm to reabsorb them when they’re no longer needed.

Hagakure Tooru: ♋: 6=6%; ☀: 6=6%; ϟ: 6=6%; ☂: 36=33%; ♒: 30=28%; ☁: 24=22%; (☂, ♒, ☁) / (☾). She’s just straight up reflecting most if not all light that hits her body, which is why you can see her clothing but not her. HC she’s got excellent night vision; you might see a bit of eyeshine even!

Hmmm... for funsies, how about:

Shinsou Hitoshi: ♋: 6=6%; ☀: 6=6%; ϟ: 36=33%; ☂: 30=28%; ♒: 24=22%; ☁: 6=6%; (ϟ, ☂, ♒) / (♆). He takes control by binding his will on top of yours, like puppet strings. He reroutes your actions to his command w/ a combination of redirecting your natural electrical signals in your brain (which is why getting jarred will return your action to you) & Mist enabling him to do it in ways that won’t get detected until he does it. He’d be unstoppable if he ever worked out how to do it without the invitation; though as it’s partly psychological he might stop himself from ever overcoming that limitation.

And lastly from the Earth-set, you have:

Aoyama Yuuga: ♋: 30=28%; ☀: 29=27%; ϟ: 28=26%; ☂: 6=6%; ♒: 8=7%; ☁: 7=6%; (♋, ☀, ϟ) / (☈) / (☣). He’s fermenting the bacteria in his stomach by changing the acidity of his stomach acids whenever he shoots his laser. Boy’s gotta eat if he wants it to recharge.

Kouda Kouji: ♋: 6=6%; ☀: 37=34%; ϟ: 37=34%; ☂: 11=10%; ♒: 11=10%; ☁: 6=6%; (☀, ϟ) / x / (♣). He can communicate w/ living things b/c he’s basically making them recognize him as a friend (not that he doesn’t make friends with them anyway, tho).

Satou Rikidou: ♋: 6=6%; ☀: 22=20%; ϟ: 32=30%; ☂: 30=28%; ♒: 11=10%; ☁: 7=6%; (☀, ϟ, ☂) / ☄w / (▲). He compresses sugar to allow his body to process it quicker without it having to be digested first.

Sero Hanta: ♋: 35=32%; ☀: 6=6%; ϟ: 6=6%; ☂: 7=6%; ♒: 6=6%; ☁: 48=44%; (♋, ☁) / x / (♨). He produces something sticky then extends it very far.

Yaoyorozu Momo: ♋: 6=6%; ☀: 7=6%; ϟ: 6=6%; ☂: 35=32%; ♒: 35=32%; ☁: 19=18%; (☂, ♒, ☁) / ☾w / (✿). This is obvious, but I will say she gives whatever she makes true form because she’s using both knowledge to give it form & real energy derived from her body to give it material, which is why nothing dissolves away once she turns away from it.

You might have noticed a few missing. Here’s Todoroki w/ some calculations for his family members! Yeah!

Enji Todoroki/Endeavor: ♋: 49=45%; ☀: 6=6%; ϟ: 6=6%; ☂: 25=23%; ♒: 9=8%; ☁: 13=12%; (♋, ☂). Storm because fire (named Hellfire because it curls strangely & the fact it could burn everything), Rain for upping temperature by effecting density (meaning a thinner stream of fire).

Touya/Dabi: ♋: 37=34%; ☀: 6=6%; ϟ: 6=6%; ☂: 17=16%; ♒: 9=8%; ☁: 33=30%; (♋, ☁), Storm has the lowest energy & temperature imo, and Cloud’s b/c he can make a LOT of fire; I HC it’s more than Dumpster Fire could manage (that guy’s more of a precision over power kinda guy Flame wise, even if still pretty powerful). This Todoroki bro is just that good with his quirk, to produce blue fire by pure willpower.

Fuyumi: ♋: 13=12%; ☀: 6=6%; ϟ: 7=6%; ☂: 34=31%; ♒: 29=27%; ☁: 19=18%; (☂, ♒, ☁) / ♎w, ☾w. She’s totally a Rain, you can fight me on this. Her quirk’s gotta be something Asshole would consider useless for Hero work, so I’ll venture it might be Chill: temperature manipulation with a leaning towards cooler temps. If she ever became truly aware of the possibilities she could conjure, she’d obliterate him. Have fun sparking fire when everything refuses to heat up, bitch, lmao.

Natsuo: ♋: 8=7%; ☀: 6=6%; ϟ: 13=12%; ☂: 16=15%; ♒: 49=45%; ☁: 16=15%; (♒). Mostly so every single Todoroki has their own major element, though it’s still an entirely possible outcome from his parents. I don’t think he’s publicly quirkless because if that was a possibility his father would’ve gotten a new wife/brood mare b/c he’s THAT asshole. However, his Mist is strong enough that even if he was, he could’ve become an Active Flame user at a young age, and Mist’s pale blue color and gaseous form (if seen) might’ve made him seem like another temperature manipulator, thus also useless for his father’s ambitions. If he’s the type, he might be using it as a more physical support for himself, such as running longer or lifting more without injury than should be possible for someone who doesn’t exercise, that kind of thing.

Shouto: ♋: 6=6%; ☀: 6=6%; ϟ: 6=6%; ☂: 6=6%; ♒: 42=38%; ☁: 42=38%; (♒, ☁) / x / (♦). He’s the ultimate ice maker, & the fire side is just genetics making a general fire. If he ever became able to use Flames instead of fire, the fire would instead be a violet color rather than the yellowish one that it is now. Mist & Cloud are higher than his mother’s due to some very mild combination with his father’s values. It also makes his ice & consequently his fire VERY strong, considering every scrap not needed by the others is fed into his ice.

Rei: ♋: 6=6%; ☀: 6=6%; ϟ: 7=6%; ☂: 9=8%; ♒: 40=37%; ☁: 40=37%; (♒, ☁) / x / (♦). Ice, but a bit more spread out for variety. I’ve given her a common surname Yukimura, 雪村 "snow village" that alludes to her ice quirk, Flame, & the fact she seems to have had little support over the years.

Here’s Bakugou & Izuku!

Bakugou Katsuki: ♋: 30=28%; ☀: 30=28%; ϟ: 13=12%; ☂: 13=12%; ♒: 11=10%; ☁: 11=10%; ☰, (♋, ☀) / x / (☣). A first generation Sky. Fermentation applies to various bacteria that’s present in his sweat b/c they live on his skin, with Storm killing them & Sun activating whatever is left behind. He doesn’t always use Storm, which just leaves Sun sparking his palms, a holdover from his father also being a Swamp user.

Midoriya Izuku: ♋: 18=17%; ☀: 14=13%; ϟ: 26=24%; ☂: 14=13%; ♒: 14=13%; ☁: 22=20%; ☰, (ϟ, ☁) / ☵, (♓, ♎). A legacy Sky from his mother’s side (she’s an Earth as is most of the family on that half of his tree), though it’s completely chance he managed to be an Ocean b/c the values his father had lowered just the right higher Earth stats his mother had. Lightning & Cloud have high values enough to be secondaries, which actually shows up whenever he uses One for All which is naturally propagating to begin with. He’s got the proper Lightning appearing & everything. Whirlpool & Tide are an accident of numbers but also greatly appreciated by enabling better control? allocation? of One for All’s power.

Here’s everyone else who didn’t fit anything else above, like teachers & secondary characters!

Midoriya Inko: ♋: 18=17%; ☀: 15=14%; ϟ: 15=14%; ☂: 18=17%; ♒: 21=19%; ☁: 21=19%; ☰, (♒, ☁) / ☵, (♓, ♆) / ☷. She pulls things like gravity, ‘nuff said.

Hisashi Midoriya: ♋: 19=18%; ☀: 6=6%; ϟ: 31=29%; ☂: 7=6%; ♒: 22=20%; ☁: 23=21%; (♋, ϟ, ♒, ☁) / ♎w. Aways from being a Sky, but any potential offspring have a fairly good chance of being one with the right spouse/Inko. His ϟ deals with plasma, ☁ gives some projection so he doesn’t light himself on fire, ♒ a bit of fireproofing to the body parts & organs involved in fire-beathing, & ♋ some true (excuse the pun) fire power to what he can disintergrate w/ the fire produced. End result is a whitish-yellow flame between 2,200 °F (1,200 °C) & 2,400 °F (1,300 °C). I HC that he doesn’t have a very far reach with his fire-breath, about an arm length maybe unless he’s so emotional he lights some Cloud so it’s a full body length or longer. I also HC he took his wife’s name when they married, so I use Teiko (醍醐 "Good liquor, fine wine; clarified butter, ghee," w/ a pun of 大悟 "enlightenment") as his previous surname.

Aizawa Shouta: ♋: 20=19%; ☀: 7=6%; ϟ: 6=6%; ☂: 29=27%; ♒: 25=23%; ☁: 21=19%; (♋, ☂, ♒, ☁) / (☾). He’s sending a cancellation wave (the reverse reflection, no?) but the pale color of Moon is overpowered by his visible Storm which gives his eyes a visage of red & makes them dry af. He releases it in waves w/ Rain being the largest component meaning it floats his hair & gives the appearance of being underwater. Doubly powerful in that Rain, Mist, & Cloud are divisible by both points and percentage.

Camie: ♋: 7=6%; ☀: 6=6%; ϟ: 21=19%; ☂: 30=28%; ♒: 38=35%; ☁: 6=6%; (ϟ, ☂, ♒) / ♆w / (✿). I made her a Desert rather than just a regular Mist because I had another calculation, tbh. I also figure Desert would be more fitting since while dramatic she’s also fairly chill and likes a good laugh, & Mist always seemed like a “effect self” more than “effect others” kind of utilization (not that it’s not possible or anything, obvs). Waterfall is for when she finally gets that little niggle in her technique that will allow her to greatly expand the range she currently has, as in “will hold until she lets it drop” kinda range.

Hawks: ♋: 6=6%; ☀: 6=6%; ϟ: 49=45%; ☂: 14=13%; ♒: 26=24%; ☁: 7=6%; (ϟ, ♒). His wings can do and handle some crazy shit because they are made of reinforced (ϟ) crazy shit (♒), and that’s just how he is.

Villains!

All For One: ♋: 11=10%; ☀: 19=18%; ϟ: 20=19%; ☂: 12=11%; ♒: 35=32%; ☁: 11=10%; ☰, (☀, ϟ, ♒). Mist for it being a mostly mental power for all that it effects his body, Sun to pull up the right genetics configuration FOR the quirks he’s taken, Lightning so his actual DNA is protected or lets him revert back to his own.

Shigaraki Tomura/Shimura Tenko: ♋: 71=65%; ☀: 6=6%; ϟ: 6=6%; ☂: 6=6%; ♒: 8=7%; ☁: 11=10%; (♋). Simple. Got deep reserves & relatively high quirk stamina from Nana's side thru his father.

Since it’s a common headcanon that Skies will vie for elements until they got a full arc & put themselves against other Skies in order to get the ones they want, Bakugou & Izuku were put into an instinctive conflict when Bakugou got access to his quirk. Oceans Encompass so Izuku seriously just did want to be friends for a good while for all he wasn’t Active, but Bakugou doesn’t or didn’t get that because he saw Izuku as a potential or possibly actual disruption to his own Harmony.

And since to have Flames the Earthlings need to have existed, I’m proposing that the Trinisette was disrupted by whatever, such as a mission for potential Arcobaleno resulting in all of them dying with/without ever bonding to the Pacifiers or Kawahira dying either before Bermuda could come into being/Bermuda got a lucky shot in before abruptly staying dead from backlash, & quirks are what appeared from Flames spiraling out of control. Flame distribution is fairly unique even among close family members, resulting in equally unique is similar quirks.

BNHA-verse has gotta prepare for a big storm, is what I’m saying.

+edit: Maybe All for One was one of the first Quirked people to be born to that first disruption wave & discovered he could take Quirks, went out of his way to get powerful ‘Quirks’ first (or what he thought of as Quirks/super powers, but might have been Flame abilities specialized or not), resulting in a shortage of any potential emergency Arcobaleno if Kawahira didn’t die off suddenly.

#my shit #reference #khr #flame theory #meta #long post is long

[amwritingmeta]

1x09: The Wonderful Parental Figure that is Missouri Moseley

Let’s look at this episode briefly. Let’s glance at it. Let us take a gander, you might say. Without me outlining it for you because I’m assuming you’ve watched this episode and if you haven’t, do it, right now, watch it, then come back to this and let’s see if you see what I see. 

Here’s what I see:

Starting with her first scene, Missouri is both a liar and someone who will hit the boys with the truth: they see her lie to her previous costumer about his wife having an affair because, as Missouri tells the brothers “People don’t come here for the truth, they come here for good news.” What does this tell us? It tells us that she tells people exactly what they need to hear, not what they want to hear, and what they need to hear isn’t necessarily to be taken for truth.

So with that in the back of our heads, we plow on.

Missouri remembers both brothers, saying they’ve grown up handsome, adding “And you were one goofy looking kid” to Dean. I don’t know if it’s safe to assume, but I am going to safely assume, that when she delivered her compliment to them Dean’s thoughts went something along the lines of “Duh”, which is why she threw in that derogatory comment about him as a kid.

See, the way I read Missouri’s real role in this episode starts right here.

It starts here because she immediately takes on the guise of mentor and guide. Put more plainly: she’s acting like a mother figure.

And she is, without a doubt, teaching Dean Winchester to mind his manners.

Firstly, look at the above gif. Look at Dean’s face and consider what dismissive thoughts must have accompanied calling Missouri a “psychic”. It’s offensive, and we know it’s offensive thanks to Missouri’s reaction. She’s not overreacting, she’s putting Dean Winchester in his place and, in no uncertain terms, making it clear to him that he should think before he speaks.

Then, of course, we get this -->

“Boy, you put your foot on my coffee table and I’m gonna hit you with a spoon.”

Consider how soft that threat is. She’s a mind reader, this one. We know - SPOILER ALERT - that John is there, right now. We know she knows how toughened Dean is. This hitting him with a spoon thing is almost comical. It’s not a threat of violence, but of a lecture - like slapping someone’s fingers away when they try to get a finger full of whipped cream off that cake you just decorated. (no I don’t have a pie analogy) (enjoy the cake!)

It’s also interesting how Dean is defensive here. He’s not taking too easily to being lectured. Big fat surprise. He’s never liked being told what to do because he’s a control freak. Doesn’t mean he won’t fall in line and follow orders every single time, but in his mind beats against it, and this whole episode is such amazing exposition for the workings of Dean’s mind in relation to John as well, and a great setup for how the season is moving towards Dean breaking away from always putting John first and Sam second. 

(there’s good and bad in the situation changing, of course) (the codependency finding it’s true roots because Sam adopts more of Dean’s deep loyalty to family) (while Dean sees the value in rebelling and finally questioning his father’s choices) (also this whole thing reminds me so much of someone else’s storyline and core character traits that I’m just falling in love with the narrative all over again) (I do that every time I watch an episode) (damn it to hell)

Manners. ^^^

Dean is soft and smiling with Jenny (now, this is actually an echo of the first time the brothers knock on Jenny’s door, where Sam takes the lead and interrupts Dean, who is about to introduce them as feds and make the visit a professional bullshit visit, rather than a personal one: Sam reading the situation, the fact that Jenny is a mother, and opting for the truth, however veiled it may be) - so when Jenny now says it’s not a good time, Dean makes the mistake again of not reading the entire situation, too focused on what they need out of Jenny and acting unfeeling towards the fact that she’s said no. 

Missouri, with that slap to the back of his head, is saying that the ends don’t always justify the means.

Her calling him “not the sharpest tool in the shed” to me has more to do with his lack of manners and how to properly relate to Jenny’s mood than it has to do with him actually being, in any way, stupid. It’s another soft dig for Dean to shape up, take stock of the situation, think a step further. She wouldn’t say this if she didn’t know he has the ability to - she’s not telling the truth, here, she is telling Dean what he needs to hear to reconsider his perfunctory and habitual approach based on Need Entrance Now To Save You.

They gain entrance through telling the truth. Again.

And this is where Missouri’s already mentioned second role in this narrative takes hold: mentor.

She’s being dismissive for a reason. It’s not the kind of dismissive that is meant to gauge a hole in someone’s heart and leave them feeling like shit, it’s the kind that is supposed to motivate to do better. Sure, the Gordon Ramsay’s of the world have to take it on faith that the people who put themselves in the path of their foul-mouthed critique are willing to have a hole gauged into their hearts by the tough-love, but Missouri Moseley can read minds and let’s remember that we’ve already been told she knows exactly what Dean needs: being told he’s not doing something as well as he could be doing it, this is a motivator for Dean, not a hole-creator. 

Oh, he’ll curse you in his head (look at that look he gives her) but he’ll take stock and realise that the person delivering the criticism has valid reason. Compared to Missouri, most people are amateurs. 

The scene is intriguing as well, because Dean also steps up and shows where he is not an amateur: “One thing’s for damn sure - no one else is dying in this house ever again.” And Missouri knows he means it, knows there is every reason for why that claim is valid, and she respects it. 

Also, this is a turning point for Dean in this episode. He’s not been weak or scared or hesitant, but he did call his father because he didn’t know what to do, how to handle this thing that could be what killed Mary, killed his mother, the thing they’ve been hunting his whole life, and now he might have to face it alone, with his brother whom he’s sworn to protect, putting Sammy in a life-or-death situation, without John there to guide him. Overwhelming as fuck.

All of that, to my mind, is also the reason why Missouri isn’t molly coddling him. She’s read him before he ever walks into her parlour, right? She knows that Dean responds to tough love, that’s just how he’s wired: meaning if you challenge him, he’ll focus. He also called his dad, which Missouri knows. His dad who can’t be with them. Missouri takes on the parental guide role in John’s stead to offer a sense of comfort and stability.

And it works, guys.

After Dean steps up and says no one else is dying, we get this:

Dean working on making hex bags for protection, under the guidance of Missouri. She’s given the ingredients, but Dean knows how to make the hex bags - this is him again showing her that he’s not all amateur. He also gets that smile from her because he makes a softly sarcastic comment on how knocking holes in the plaster to put the bags inside the walls of the house will leave Jenny thrilled with their work. 

So he’s thinking about Jenny’s reaction to what they’re doing, rather than merely getting the job done. Progression from the smack on the head at the door, showing Missouri he is - all be it reluctantly - accepting her lessons and thinking a little farther and wider than before.

They meet Mary, who saves them. I’m not going into that here.

Then Jenny comes back to a trashed house and Sam promises they’ll pay for everything. That statement makes Dean pull this face -->

Yeah. He’s most likely thinking “The fuck he just say?” or something to that effect. Which is why, since he’s being callous again, Missouri says:

And he’s not happy about her ordering him about, but he complies. Of course. Especially after her telling him not to curse at her, because man, that is just so disrespectful, Dean. Tut tut. He grumbles about doing the clean up, but this is, all of it, a mother’s way of teaching her boy how to behave like a man.

And Dean needs it. 

Because Dean Winchester is a child.

But he goes from blatantly disrespectful to this -->

Supporting Missouri down the steps, because he’s spent enough time with her to not only learn some lessons in manners, but through them learning to truly respect her as well. 

In an episode focusing so brutally on the brothers’ past and the loss they’ve suffered, it’s only fitting that there’s a parental figure to take the reigns. What has me jumping up and down is the fact that Dabb and his writers delighters is literally tying back to this episode in 13x03. 

I mean, talk about picking up a dangling thread and making it work for the narrative as a whole, right? 

1x09 circles Mary’s death and the questions surrounding it like a great big bird on great big wings and what will 13x03 deal with? That’s right! Again, the narrative deals with the loss of Dean’s mother, but with the enormous difference that Dean will now be put in Sam’s shoes. We know he will be because they’ve already mirrored Sam/Jess/Sam/Eileen with Dean/Cas on numerous occasions. Dean will be grieving, he’ll be vulnerable and all grown up. He’s a man now. And I cannot wait to see how Missouri relates to him this time around.

Consider it: Missouri and Jody are both strong mother figures, mentors and guides for Dean - exactly how low will he be by 13x03 to need two such women to step into the place now vacated by Mary? Dean needs his mother, and I can think of another time when he was absolutely freaking out, thinking he’d lost Cas because he did not recognise the guy staring back at him, pulling out his phone -- and calling his mom.

This time Cas is truly gone. This time Dean needs some motherly advice and guidance because he just might be losing himself in that fact. (but of course this is speculation and we shall see!)

And I’m not saying Dean isn’t upset about losing Mary as well. But she’s not dead, no matter how much he’ll be thinking he is, he knows that there is hope. Because he’s held on to that type of hope before. Dean Winchester is not a quitter. “You keep grinding” remember? Saving Cas was the fuel for most of Dean’s actions and fighting spirit in S11, so one wonders why he might have lost, or be on the brink of losing his fighting spirit now. I suppose he might just need a swift kick in the butt because all he can focus on is his anger. 

(though from what we’ve seen I honestly doubt they’re taking him down the purely angry!Dean route) (grieving!Dean in stages feels more likely) (and I am so hoping these two women are key for him moving into acceptance and learning to live with his grief) (letting go is such a huge step forward for his character growth) (because he has to ease up on his need for control) 

Anyway, Missouri comes into Dean’s life to give him a few lessons, but do you know what the biggest lesson I can think of is? The lesson that he didn’t fully learn, but that he’s needed to learn throughout all the years since meeting her? You know, the one that will help him let go of the anger and be able to have just a little faith that things happen for a reason? I’m talking about the character trait that might afford him a moment’s respite in order to understand that all that happens is not his responsibility, because he cannot control every single thing.

Yeah, the lesson is patience.

#spn meta #missouri moseley #is going to kick ass #spn 1x09 #spn s13 #spn 13x03 #spn s13 spec #dean winchester

[marlmckitten]

(She Had) Just Enough Time ~ Chapter Four: Fruitless Quarrels

A/N: Just as the name implies, this is more or less pointless and just carrying them though until I have more plot to write about when they are fifteen. ;) Essentially, I’m sorry but I wanted to post something because I’m loosing momentum pretty fast. But coming up next chapter: Marlene joins the Quidditch Team and surprisingly bonds with one James Potter.

In their forth year things got tougher. Their classes seemed harder and their homework loads were heavier. And the impeding dread of knowing that it was only going to get worst when their fifth year rolled around and OWLs popped up seemed to keep morale low. Marlene had fallen behind in a few classes and was annoyed when still Sirius flew by without even trying. He was frequently showing up to class late or sometimes not at all. She didn’t understand and refused to attribute it to anything to do with his blood status. But he had long forgotten about that. When they bickered it was about their hair, or looks, or wardrobe, never about blood status or family nobility. Marlene noticed the shift easily but she never mentioned it. It did make him a little more tolerable though. Because he was still an ass, but his arrogance was wavering. She had overheard him on occasion asking his friends about various traditions and facts his family had misinformed him of, and wondering just how offence some of them were. Those moments almost made Marlene smile, but he quickly became just as intolerable when girls from every house started to swooning around him. Sure, he had been growing up fairly attractively. And as time progressed he became more of a ‘bad boy’ with his muggle leather jacket, his parties, his cigarettes and everything else that came with it. But still, he wasn’t impressive enough for girls to be drooling over him in Marlene’s opinion. So the blonde would still verbally attack him in the halls whenever he did something stupid, almost as frequently as he would pester her whenever an opportunity arrised. One day in Herbology they were forced into partners, which resulted in both parties ending up in the hospital wing.

“I didn’t say you should STICK YOUR FINGER IN ITS TEETH!” Marlene yelled on their way to Madam Pomphrey.

“You told me that I wouldn’t do it, and I proved you wrong.”

“Yeah, then it got angry, nearly bit off your finger and proceeded to throw some venemous seeds into my face, you complete prat.”

“Your’e the one who thought it would be a funny prank.”

“I WAS BEING SARCASTIC YOU DUMB TWAT!”

The argument went on until they got to the matron, who promptly separated the two on opposite sides of the hospital wings and curtains were drawn up around their beds.

Lily came in to visit and scowled over at Sirius all the while, until James walked in to see Sirius and stopped along the way to pay attention to the red head, “What are you doing here Evans, not thinking of cheating on me with my best mate are you?”

Lily rolled her eyes, “It’s kind of hard to cheat on someone you’re not actually dating Potter, get out of my face.”

“Suppose you’re right, so does that mean we have a date so you can officially cheat on me?” He attempted.

“I’d rather not, you should go tend to your boyfriend before Madam Pomphrey has a third student to take care of,” she threatened, and James gave up, scampering away to Sirius.

From across the room, Marlene could hear Black telling Potter that he was being an idiot and to stop constantly hitting on a girl so far out of his league. James insisted that his persistence would eventually pay off, but then Marlene turned her attention to Lily who was clearly trying to pretend she couldn’t hear the whole exchange.

“I bet you’re disappointed it wasn’t Potter who was stuck in here instead?” She smirked to her best friend.

Lily snorted, “I am always wishing for that.”

Mary entered shortly after and sat with Marlene and Lily. “Too bad there’s not a different wing for them to be in,” she chirped in, never having much of a problem with the boys herself, but knowing that it was most likely what the other two were talking about.

“More special privileges for Potter and his gang? I don’t think that’s necessary,” Lily almost spat in reply, which shut up both girls from the topic of Potter in general and awkwardly brought up the Herbology lesson again. They compared notes and discussed whether or not it would show up on their exams until it was time for them to leave the Wing.

Lily left first, leaving just Mary and Marlene. They looked over absent-mindedly at James who starred as Lily left the room. “How does he think he has a chance with her?” Mary asked in disbelief.

“I can hear you, you know!” Potter yelled back.

But Mary just remained looking at him, “Okay, then answer my question.”

But he didn’t have an answer so both girls laughed before Marlene replied, “I think you’d have a better chance with literally anyone else in the school, Potter!”

“Fine, either of you two ladies free later?” He inquired cheekily.

Neither girls needed to reply though, they knew he wasn’t serious and they would never humour it anyway. First of all, they would never do such a thing to Lily and inflict his presence on her any more than it already had to be. And secondly, they were not actually interested in dating the boy at all. Talking quieter so they wouldn’t eavesdrop ay longer, Marlene asked, “Do you think that if you went out with him, Black would just tag along too?”

“Oh Merlin, probably, and I don’t know which would be worse!”

Marlene wrinkled her nose, “I’d rather not think about either.”

The two girls stayed up gossiping for some time, until Madam Pomphrey ushered everyone away, including Sirius who would apparently be fine and it was only Marlene who needed overnight attention. She cursed Black as he left, a smug smile on his face.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~*

The night Marlene had to spend in the infirmary only intensified their name calling. If they so much as passed one another in the hallway, Marlene would mutter the first insult that came to her head and he always returned it. A few times, she would raise her wand if she was in a bad enough mood, but always resisted actually hexing him.

“Shut it, you narcissistic cow,” Marlene snapped towards Black one afternoon when they were waiting for their class to start and Sirius was talking too loudly to his friends about the girl who had her lips around his ‘little Sirius’ the previous night.

“You’ve got to work on your insults, Kinnon!”

“I have to do no such thing,” she replied, leaning against a wall. They were all waiting for The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher to show up, but he had been late for every class all year and rumours were that he would be sacked by the time the year ended.

“You still call me ‘Poodle Head’.”

“Because you have a stupid Poodle Head, you plonker.”

“A little better, but try some creativity.”

“I don’t need any, you insensitive tit-fuck.”

“Did you just make that up?” Dorcas asked her, interrupting their pointless argument.

“Whether she did or not, that is detention for you, Miss McKinnon,” their Professor finally showed up and Marlene groaned loudly, using another few choice curse words which also lost her some points from Gryffindor.

Sirius had managed to stay out of detention for the rest of the day and was on his best behaviour. Marlene wondered why until the evening came and he hung out over her, watching her clean some of the trophies by hand, clearly having kept his night clear for this reason alone. “Get out of here dickface,” she groaned but Sirius only tutted her.

“Words like that may loose us more points, don’t you think McKitten. Now behave like a good little kitty and-“

His words, combined with the angle of his stance and Marlene being on her hands and knees got them both into further detention. However once Marlene explained what happened, Professor McGonagall, reversed it and made Sirius finish her duties while letting her go early. Marlene was sure it was the best memory she had made at Hogwarts so far. She skipped away, briefly looking back at Sirius who’s eyes were starring daggers at her, probably already trying to plot his revenge.

* ~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *

It was half way through their forth year, and Sirius suddenly had a reputation with the ladies. He had slept with enough of them now everyone was dying for their fifteen seconds of fame with Sirius Black. Marlene was disgusted by the whole thing. Not that her own reputation was much better at this point. Everyone started calling her easy because she went from boyfriend to boyfriend, each one lasting somewhere around two months. But she shrugged off the comments and rumours easily. Other people making assumptions about her sex life didn’t bother her, but the double standard was not missed on her or on Lily. While Sirius was being praised and everyone was falling in love with them, Marlene was being called all sorts of things for the same sort of habits. And yet again it only added to the dynamic of how much the two disliked each other.

“Careful Black, that one is falling for you. Maybe spend at least two nights with her.” Marlene said dryly when she watched a girl practically drooling over him

“I’d rather a good two nights than a mediocre two months,” He replied with a passive aggressive wink, causing some of the people around them dropping their own conversations to listen to see if it would be Marlene and Sirius’ next big fight.

“I wouldn’t talk about things you don’t actually know, Black. A bunch of older girls each only lasting one night could just as easily mean that you don’t know what you’re doing down there.”

“If  that were the case, then I don’t think any other girls would want my attention.” He reported simply.

Marlene rolled her eyes, arms crossing against her chest, “There are plenty of dumb girls at this school. Maybe they’re just after the Black fortune.”

Sirius laughed, “Well I hope not, because my mom is giving that to my brother for sure!”

And it went on. Every day. Until the end of the year. Even Lily had grown tired of it and as they went home for the summer she said what she was most looking forward to was not having to listen to Marlene complain about Sirius for two whole months.

#Marlene McKinnon #Sirius Black #fanfiction #Sirius x Marlene #Marlene x Sirius #Blackinnon #Blackinnon fanfiction #pointless and I am sorry #marlmckitten

[loquaciousquark]

2nd Cloudreach. Still cold for the season, but not as cold as last year

It’s been a while, journal. Longer than I would have liked.

I don’t even know where to start. So much has happened since the last entry, and I don’t...

From the beginning, I suppose.

Sebastian found the people that orchestrated the coup against his family (and, by proxy, the whole damned royal house of Starkhaven). I shouldn’t be surprised by now that every noble house in Kirkwall is built over an ancient crypt, but so it went, and so I was, and by the time we finally dealt with the demon that had been feeding off the whole family I’d learned more about the Harrimans’ innermost desires than I’d ever wanted.

I need to talk to Sebastian about it, but he keeps saying Andraste has given him peace over the deaths and I haven’t yet found the most tactful way to call him out on his right and utter bullshit. Not that I’m known for my tact anyway, but I’m also still feeling very tender in my own grief. I’m not quite ready to take on someone else’s on top of it.

Am I even lying to myself now? I’m so selfish. Not an ear to lend him if it’ll make me take a single step out of myself, and I’m still blaming him for the suffering.

Get a grip. Talk to Sebastian before next weekend, and that’s all there is to it.

3rd Cloudreach, because Toby came begging for a walk yesterday and who was I to tell the most adorable mabari in Thedas that I’d more interest in a quill than a leash

Anyway. That’s been the primary topic of discussion around our (stained, sticky, cracked, beloved) tables lately. Isabela in particular has not been able to quit giggling about the feather thing despite Sebastian’s rolling eyes. I wouldn’t mind forgetting it, though I will say I had no idea Fenris’s eyebrow could climb quite so high.

As for the rest--it’s not that I have anything against the qunari, but Maker take me if they’re not letting this city tear itself apart. Last I wrote they’d let a false chemical formula slip out with a thief, then made peaceful overtures to the Viscount that ended in the entire delegate being slaughtered at the stake by a fanatic. Funny, most of my memories of Lothering have hardly any high-stakes political disaster in them at all.

The city’s not doing well with it. They’ve cordoned off areas of the docks around the qunari compound--not with rope or fence or anything so obvious, but with a much more dangerous silent agreement throughout the whole hex. No one goes by the compound gates now except the guardsmen and me, and the eyes that always watch me make no secret of their hatred.

It’s simmering, Kirkwall. And as long as the qunari stay in that compound, even if they don’t ask for a damned thing, that low, deep heat’s only going to get worse.

That said, I went to the Chantry after Varnell’s slaughter to light candles for the qunari bodies. The Arishok may not have been overly fussed, but I was, and no matter the cause an innocent dead ought to have someone there for their passing, even if there’s no one to mourn them properly. Even so, if the sisters had known who I was lighting them for, I suspect they’d have been just as delighted as the Arishok, so perhaps it’s better they went quietly after all.

Dumar’s written asking me to come consult on a matter of some urgency. And secrecy, I think, given he’s told me to bring no one with, though by now he knows I’ll probably tell them anyway. Fenris keeps smoothing over my gaffes with the Arishok in dealing with my own side of the mess; if he needs to do it for me with the Viscount, too, I’m sure he’d be overjoyed to help.

Well. Tolerant enough to cooperate, maybe.

Maybe not.

6th Cloudreach. Muggy, warmer, not even the slightest breeze, which is terribly inconsiderate

The guards always let me pass now without a single word, only nods. It surprises me every time. What business in the world could a Fereldan farmgirl have hobnobbing with a city’s viscount, I ask you? Aside from being a very talented (and conveniently conscience-leashed) murderer, I suppose.

I don’t want to think of this, but I don’t have much of a choice. Dumar’s son has gone missing. I know Seamus well enough--he’s been in Mother’s circle for ages and I’ve danced with him at least twice at some of the otherwise forgettable parties. He’s a bit younger than me, but means well enough for his foolish, childish naivete.

Perhaps that makes me jaded. All I know is he’s got a father who loves him and wants him safe and sound and he’s thrown it all away like so much worthless refuse, and I can’t help but hate him a little for it.

Dumar thinks he’s defected to the Qun. If I have to go to the docks one more time to put my fat foot in my fat mouth in front of the Arishok, I’ll eat my least favorite feathered hat.

Later. I forgot to mention it this morning and I feel like it ought to be written somewhere before time and memory take it back

Completely unrelated to everything else--

I remembered something this morning. I know it was from before Lothering because I was hiding under the kitchen table with the oak spindles, and we didn’t take that with us in the move. I remembered Papa’s legs as he sat down, and Mother’s voice from where she was standing at the wall; they talked for a while about something I don’t recall, and then he sighed and said, “There’s too much grief in the world already, Leandra. I won’t hold onto mine if I can help it.”

I don’t remember what they were talking about. I don’t even know why it came to my head so suddenly this morning, save for the fact that I got up twice to make Mother’s tea before I realized I didn’t need to.

I told Aveline about it, and she said it was wise advice in her opinion. She’s lost both parents and her husband, too. I keep forgetting she knows about this grief.

It passes, she says.

It passes. It passes. It passes.

It must.

7th Cloudreach

Seamus is dead. So is Petrice.

I have never in my life been quick enough to stop someone from dying. I don’t know why I thought this would be any different.

10th Cloudreach. Cold today. Sharp breeze off the sea, heavy salt

She killed him in the Chantry.

I think that’s the part hardest for me to believe. She lied to him and killed him in the Chantry and knelt him before the altar, like he was praying, and believed in the deepest places of her heart that this would serve the Maker.

She posed him. Killed him in close quarters and cold blood and put him where he would hurt the most. She knew he believed in the Qun and made him kneel before the Maker’s altar and I just

Which is more profane in the eyes of the Maker, I wonder? The murder at Andraste’s feet, or the mockery she made of the worship after?

Poor Seamus. Poor fool. I wish I hadn’t said those things about him, even if I was bitter. No one should die like that--alone and suffering.

I hadn’t thought of my mother until this moment. I wish I still hadn’t.

Elthina turned on Petrice. Came at the end, after the blood spilled and spilled and spilled and she saw dead Seamus and the dozen dead blessed faithful that Petrice had persuaded to fight for her. I killed them all. Varric and Fenris and Anders helped, but it was my decision to kill them before Andraste. I could have wounded some, taken them out of the fight, but Seamus was dead and it hurt and I wanted them to hurt for him.

How will I ever look Sebastian in the face again?

Elthina turned on her, and a qunari sten in the shadows of the stairs put an arrow through her heart, and another between her eyes. No one flinched, not even Elthina, and there was such vicious joy in me when she fell I had to look away.

I was there when Dumar came for his son. Fenris waited for me outside, but Seamus was innocent and I couldn’t let him pass alone, not when I failed to save him. I mourned for Seamus. I grieve for Dumar more. How much more can he take before he’s worn to the bare weft? His lines have deepened more in three months than they have the last three years combined.

They call it a sanctuary. He held his dead son at the Maker’s altar, and his blood was on the silver censer.

Sometimes I wonder if the Arishok is right. There is nothing of faith in such a place.

15th Cloudreach. Warm again, foundry smoke beginning to float through Hightown again. Oddly comforting

They held Seamus’s pyre this morning. By now I can recite the service start to finish for the attending sister if she ever wants to take a day off, though the Transfigurations passages are infinitely more comforting than the Benedictions they always insist on using.

Dumar looks so old. He’s never been a young man, but I swear he’s aged thirty years since I saw him last. This city’s going to kill him.

The crowd was quiet, but there was such anger in it. Fenris thinks the guard will hold, but he and Aveline both looked uneasy at the thought tonight at WG.

17th Cloudreach. Winds off the sea all day

Merrill’s clan’s turned on her. Had one kill himself on a varterral rather than speak to her face-to-face. She’s got her little tool now, though, but at what cost? The people she’s trying to save can barely look at her.

I’d wonder if Meredith ever feels like this, except I don’t know if she’s trying to save anyone.

21st Cloudreach. It’s only nine in the morning and I’m already behind

Everything’s happening at once, and I’m not broad enough to cover it all. Isabela’s found her relic after who-knows-how-many years, Castillon’s going to kill her for it (I think? Might just be steal it from her; wasn’t perfectly clear given how damned loud she and Av were getting at each other), Aveline’s got a pair of elves defecting to the Qun for protection after a murder, and somehow both of them are expecting me to fix it all at once. Flames and pyre, I’m not paid enough for this.

Because I’m not paid at all, get it? Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

We’re to go to Lowtown tonight to meet Isabela’s contact for this whatever. Aveline’s not happy about the wait, but of the two Isabela’s seems the more likely to end in personal injury, so I promised her I’d help her first.

Something feels so wrong about all of this. On the one hand, the city rising to a roil around me has been so distracting I haven’t thought of my mother in almost four days. On the other, it’s also been so distracting that when Fenris helped me up after a minor skirmish in Darktown, it took me a full minute of pointed glances from Varric to realize he hadn’t let go of my hand again after. He dropped it the moment we both realized and looked off to where Merrill was searching with the bodies, but the warmth lingered, after, and I kept flexing my fingers to try to keep it. Damn him. Damn me.

Aveline’s just sent me a note via a very short, angry runner. Not even a hello, rude. We’re to go straight from Isabela’s thing this evening to meet Aveline at the qunari compound for the Arishok. Guess I ought see if Fenris has plans, seeing as my night’s now been fully booked by everyone else.

It’ll be fine. It’ll be fine, and we’ll all be fine.

Why have I got such nerves over this?

[The next page is blank, followed by several pages written in many different hands. They include a page in short, square lettering that describes a climactic duel in a throne room wherein a city is successfully defended by its champion, though the prose is somewhat lurid; a page in a looping hand that means to wish well, but is often distracted mid-sentence by anecdotes of other friends; and one corner with a few crude anatomical drawings, an apology, and the phrase “Don’t look for me for a bit.”

There is also a folded letter of some length tucked between the pages that refers to several Chant passages regarding swift healing; a short, direct missive in a strong hand expressing personal gratitude, and that her husband will send food as soon as the reader is strong enough to eat; and a few lines in a tall, narrow hand with instructions on deep-wound care and the changing of bandages, as well as a schedule of several medicines.

The last is a familiar hand with tense, unpracticed lettering that reads, “This will never be enough to defeat you. Wake soon.”]

#fenris #hawke #fenris/hawke #dragon age #quark writes #hawke's journal tag #holy smokes i wrote a thing #it's been so LONG and it's probably horribly horribly unpracticed #i'm so sorry in advance #i created this fic to be an explicitly low-pressure warm-up exercise for this exact situation #but my gosh am i nervous about this #guess who's done with act 2 #this hawke technically :O

[oyevans]

Why I hate... #1

“The headcanon that James changed for Lily" 

 There is no evidence whatsoever that James Potter changed for Lily Evans. It’s something that fans have decided is ideal to want. 

The main quote–if not the only–referencing James changing is from Order and the Phoenix, Career Advice (The chapter after Harry finds out Lily ‘hated’ James). 

keys:

[my thoughts]

{summary}

quotes/quotes

The conversation goes as follows:

When he had finished, neither Sirius nor Lupin spoke for a moment. Then Lupin said quietly, “I wouldn’t like you to judge your father on what you saw there, Harry. He was only fifteen–” [He was actually sixteen at that point since his birthday is in March, but whatever.]

“I’m fifteen!” said Harry heatedly.

“Look, Harry,” said Sirius placatingly, “James and Snape hated each other from the moment they set eyes on each other, it was just one of those things, you can understand that, can’t you? [We know this is true from the flashback of them meeting in Deathly Hallows.] I think James was everything Snape wanted to be–he was popular, he was good at Quidditch, good at pretty much everything. [Snape does complain to Lily about how great everyone thinks James is in DH.] And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to his eyes in the Dark Arts and James–whatever else he may have appeared to you, Harry–always hated the Dark Arts.” 

{Harry says James attacked Snape for no good reason. Lupin explains how they were the height of cool and sometimes got a bit carried away. Sirius and Lupin reminisce, and Harry says he thought James was a bit of an idiot. Sirius replies they were all idiots, “Well–not Moony so much.” Remus says how he never told them to lay off, and Sirius says he made them feel guilty sometimes.} 

“And,” said Harry doggedly, determined to say everything that was on his mind now he was here, “he kept looking over at the girls by the lake, hoping they were watching him!”

“Oh, well, he always made a fool of himself whenever Lily was around,” said Sirius, shrugging. “He couldn’t stop himself showing off whenever he got near her.” 

“How come she married him?” Harry asked miserably. “She hated him!” 

“Nah, she didn’t,” said Sirius.

“She started going out with him in seventh year,” said Lupin.

“Once James had deflated his head a bit,” said Sirius. [Notice he says “a bit,” and not had a change of personality like in a numerous amount of fanfics.]

“And stopped hexing people just for the fun of it,” said Lupin.

{Then they start talking about James and Snape and them hexing each other and whether Lily was okay with it.} 

The point is James had more important things to worry about than if a girl he fancied didn’t like him. Also, nowhere in that passage does anyone refer to him as changing, I mean he stopped doing things and deflated his head a bit but his essence was still the same (hated the Dark Arts, didn’t care about blood status, a good friend), he just grew up. 

Such things being:

Sirius said he (as in Sirius not James) ran away when he “was about sixteen.” When Harry asked where he went he told him he went to James’ place and that James’ parents “sort of adopted [him] as a second son.” Sirius' birthday, according to Rowling, is November third meaning he turned sixteen two months into fifth year, so ran away before sixth year started seeing as he has no chance to runaway after he returning to Hogwarts for sixth year but before he turns seventeen. He either ran away during Christmas or Easter break during fifth year or the summer before sixth year. But seeing he could have stayed at Hogwarts or just stayed at James’ (Harry never needed his guardians’ permissions to stay at Ron’s house during breaks), it’s more likely he ran away during the summer. And James grew up after fifth year but prior to dating Lily in seventh year. And Sirius running away could be part of the reason.

Also, Voldemort was on the rise (knowingly and not) while they were students at Hogwarts:

By the time that Remus was four years old, the amount of Dark magical activity across the country was increasing steadily. While few yet knew what lay behind the mounting attacks and sightings, Lord Voldemort’s first ascent to power was in progress and Death Eaters were recruiting all kinds of Dark creatures to join them in their quest to overthrow the Ministry of Magic. 

Eugenia Jenkins (1968-1975) Jenkins dealt competently with pure-blood riots during Squib Rights marches in the late sixties, but was soon confronted with the first rise of Lord Voldemort. Jenkins was soon ousted from office as inadequate to the challenge.

So Voldemort was known to be on the rise at latest late in their fourth year or early in their fifth year (between January 1975–fourth year–to December 1975–their fifth year). 

If the roles were reverse:

If Lily and James switched roles no one would say Lily changed for James, Meaning if Lily was the bully who hated the Dark Arts and taunted James’ non-popular Dark Arts obsessed friend who hated Lily and followed her and her friends around to get them in trouble and fancied James, and James was the mature one who stood by that friend no matter what his other friends said until that friend called him a slur because Lily was humiliating them and made James realize (after years of denial) what that friend was becoming. If James rejected her because he didn’t like how they hexed people and acted like they owned the place. If James was the one who ‘hated’ Lily, then Lily changed and stopped hexing people (except for the ex-friend who also hexed her) no one would say Lily changed for James.

No there would be an uproar about how a woman doesn’t have to/shouldn’t change for a guy to like her. And people would say Lily didn’t change for James but grew up for the war and her friend who ran away from a family who believed in pureblood mania. Which is what likely happened in James’ case.

Why it Matters:

It matters because (as far as canon goes) James did not change for Lily. By saying James changed for Lily, you’re implying that he changed specifically for someone to like him. You’re diminishing his character; James fancied Lily (he wasn’t in love with her as far as we know, prior to dating her), and at the age of fifteen/sixteen he was an idiot and a bully. But you know what, a lot of teenagers are (not that that makes it okay), I was a victim of bullying for several years by various people, and I witnessed some of those people grow up and become nicer people than when the younger version of me knew them. You know why? Because people grow up. Are you the same person at the age of seventeen that you were at fifteen, at eleven? Likely not, because we go through experiences that change us and make us grow up. There was a war and people dying, they wouldn’t have stayed the same people. 

Harry at eleven befriends people others wouldn’t (Hermione “know-it-all” Granger, and Ron “Poor Pureblood” Weasley) and makes a rival.

James at eleven befriends people others wouldn’t (Remus “werewolf-but-just-says-his-mum-is-sick” Lupin, Sirius “I-come-from-a-pureblood-family-that-believes-in-pureblood-mania-and-are-always-in-Slytherin” Black–also keep in mind that James hated Slytherin yet continued chatting well with Sirius despite knowing his whole family was from Slytherin, and Peter “I-look-like-a-nobody-and-people-overlook-me” Pettigrew) and makes a rival.

Harry at twelve gets annoyed with a fanboy of his following him. Saves Ginny Weasley.

James at twelve finds out his friend is a werewolf and continues to be his friend and tries to find a way to help him (along with Peter and Sirius).

Harry at thirteen Harry uses his invisibility cloak to throw mud at Malfoy for taunting Ron about being poor and for Hagrid. Spends most of it (along with Ron) mad at Hermione. Time travels to save Sirius and Buckbeak. 

James at thirteen, tries to become an animagus (along with Peter and Sirius).

Harry at fourteen gets jealous and avoids using Cedric’s advice as long as possible because they fancied the same girl–which would have come back to bite Harry in the arse if it hadn’t been for Dobby. Saves Fleur’s little sister along with Ron (and waited until Cedric and Krum had already rescued Cho and Hermione respectively before taking them up) even though it wasn’t his responsibility. 

James at fourteen, tries to become an animagus (along with Peter and Sirius).

Harry at fifteen attempts to use “Crucio” after his godfather dies and is constantly going through teen angst. Tries to save his godfather and stands up to authority no matter what it cost him.

James at fifteen saves a guy that he hates (Snape) and had been following him and his friends around in hopes of getting them expelled from a werewolf (after his other friend told him where to go, but it was partly Snape’s fault for going even when he already suspected Remus of being a werewolf). Became an animagus (along with Sirius and Peter) to help Remus. May have used an illegal hex (along with Sirius) on Bertram Aubrey–I say “may” in terms of James’ age, since we don’t know how old he was when it happened. Fancies Lily Evans. May have made the Marauder’s Map along with Moony, Wormtail, and Padfoot–again, I say “may” in terms of his age.

Harry at sixteen, has to handle his godfather’s death. Used sectumsempra on Draco not knowing what the spell did only that it was “for enemies.” Saves his mate's life. Fancies and later starts dating Ginny Weasley, and then breaks up with her for a noble reason. 

James at sixteen, was a bully (I’m talking about the SWM scene, since it happens when he’s in fifth year, but he’d be sixteen at that point in time). Takes in his best friend who ran away from home. Began to deflate his head. 

Harry at seventeen, used Crucio and Imperio. Lost more of his friends. Sacrificed himself for the wizarding world.

James at seventeen, became Head Boy. Began dating Lily Evans. Had his head deflated. Still hexed Severus Snape (who hexed him as well).

Also note that I wasn’t going to explain everything good and bad James and Harry did at their different ages because respectively we don’t know everything about one of them in canon and it would be too long if I wrote everything good and bad the other did.

At any age we do things we regret and things we don’t. Do you think James or Lily would have used Dark Spells? No. Yet Harry does. Younger Harry wouldn’t have even considered it, but older Harry didn’t feel like he had a choice if he was going to save the world (he uses Crucio on one of the Carrow siblings after they spat in McGonagall’s face and Imperio in Gringotts on one of the goblins when they were close to losing their covers–as Hermione was disguised as Bellatrix). 

Back to James, by saying he changes for Lily you diminish the character he became. Sure it’s a romantic thought (although, I’ve always found it annoying in books), but you’re giving Lily too much credit and power over James. And it sends the wrong message of ”change for someone and they’ll fall in love with you” rather than “be yourself, whoever doesn’t like you is obviously not the right person for you.” You may ask: but he changed (grew up), so did Lily not really love him (or a variant)? Yes and no, yes he changed (grew up), but not for her. I’m not saying he didn’t take Lily’s comment to heart, but changing for someone and changing because you realize you don’t want to be a certain kind of person is different. Lily didn’t like the former James because of his former ill-behaved mannerisms, but he grew up and realized he likely didn’t want to be this person and again there was a war. He stopped being arrogant all the time (but he was likely still a bit arrogant, he’s James Potter) and acted more mature but kept a playful and loving manner–even if he still hexed Severus Snape who hexed him as well. 

James Potter didn’t change for Lily Evans to love him. 

Citations:

Rowling, JK. "Remus Lupin.” Pottermore. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June 2017. <https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/remus-lupin>.

Rowling, JK. “Ministers for Magic.” Pottermore. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June 2017. <https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/ministers-for-magic>.

Rowling, JK. “The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.” Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. New York: Scholastic, 2013. 111 . Print.

Rowling, JK. “Career Advice.” Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. New York: Scholastic, 2013. 670-71. Print.

#pro james potter #marauder era fanfiction #jily fanfiction #james potter #lily evans #pro jily #padfootpost

[misunderstood-shadows]

The Ripper: Chapter 5

I was laid out on a table in the courtyard. Elijah cradled my head while Klaus demanded Marcel to bring Davina down. I gurgled on my own blood. I had died once on the short journey from the hall to the courtyard but I had been resurrected faster than usual. I was starting to panic now; was this what my victims felt like when I killed them? ‘’Alessandra, you need to calm down. Your blood is pumping too fast; you need to slow your heart rate.’’ Elijah implored. I nodded, or tried to. I closed my eyes and focused on breathing as evenly as I could. Behind Elijah stood a dark haired girl. No, not again. Please not again. She smiled, then disappeared around a corner. Then the blood stopped. I could feel the wounds heal. I coughed up blood as my airways cleared. I gasped in a lungful of clean, blood free-air. After a moment I flopped back down on the table.

‘’I. Fucking. Hate. Witches.’’ I growled, leaning my arm over my eyes. ‘’Language,’’ warned Elijah. ‘’What the hell was that?’’ Hayley demanded. ‘’That was a hex. A coven of bitches put it on me for an unknown crime I supposedly committed.’’ I sighed. ‘’I thought hexes killed you in a few days, like Father Kieran; the feeding thing has been going on for weeks,’’ she said. ‘’This one doesn’t kill, apparently. It just torments.’’ I sighed. ‘’Do you have any ideas who could be torturing you?’’ Klaus asked. ‘’We got a name and visited her earlier today,’’ said Elijah. ‘’She and her two friends disappeared during questioning.’’ ‘’Right then. I’m going on a witch hunt. Nobody hurts my family and lives.’’ He strode towards the entrance. ‘’I’m coming.’’ Hayley followed behind him and I saw Elijah watching after her.

‘’I’m sorry; I’m taking up your time with Hayley.’’ I said. The blood on the floor had congealed and I stared at the small puddle. ‘’I can assure you, you’re not. She doesn’t want to talk to me. Not since…’ He trailed off. ‘’You don’t need to watch me all the time. Go mend fences with her.’’ ‘’Why are you so obsessed with me talking with Hayley?’’ he glanced at me in confusion. ‘’I see the way you two look at each other. You love her and now she’s immortal. You could spend eternity together.’’ I looked at the ground. It broke my heart to say that, but it was true. My feelings for Elijah were obviously not reciprocated. There was no point in denying him happiness. ‘’There is nothing going on between us,’’ he insisted. ‘’Uh huh. And I’m the Pope.’’ I smiled. He gave me a sly side grin.

‘’Here.’’ Davina handed me a jar of the green drink. I took it, nodding thanks. She had arrived soon after Klaus and Hayley left. ‘’Take it every three hours if you have to go out in public. I’m looking for that coven as well. I haven’t found anything but I did get something about your hex. The aim is to reveal the ‘crime’ to the victim. It worsens the traits the species of the person is. So humans become greedy and power-hungry. Witches want more power of a bigger coven. Vampires- ‘’ ‘’Obsess over feeding.’’ I finished. ‘’What’s the point?’’ ‘’Witches used to use it to torment prisoners or traitors. They would feel the trait thing first, then they would be tormented by hallucinations which increase slowly over time… which eventually drove them mad and either the coven killed them, or the victim committed suicide.’’ She said hesitantly. I nodded. ‘’Ok; so my hallucinations begun a few days ago, I haven’t had one since then so I’m probably in the early stages. That means it’s going to get worse and they’ll drive me mad. Then they’ll either kill me or I’ll spend eternity insane.’’ Davina nodded grimly. ‘’So how do I break it?’’ ‘’Like most spells, it can only be broken by the blood of the witch who cast it, or one of their relations.’’ ‘’How do we find out who cast it?’’ ‘’I can do a spell, but it’ll be extremely painful. The way the book talked about the hex, it sounded like a living thing. It will detect threats and retaliate. It’s very likely that the spell will make it worse. If I do this, you may not come out of it sane.’’ I sighed. ‘’Davina; have I recently told you how much I hate witches?’’ ‘’No offence.’’ I added. ‘’No, I understand.’’ She gave me a small smile. ‘’I’ll leave you to think about it. Let me know when you decide.’’ ‘’Thank you, Davina. I know that you and Klaus are- ‘’ ‘’You’re not Klaus, Tallie. You’ve always been kind to everyone, I’m not going to punish you for knowing Klaus.’’ I nodded thanks and she turned as left, glaring at Klaus as she passed him. ‘’I do like her.’’ I said, when Davina was out of earshot. ‘’She’s got spunk.’’ ‘’What are you going to do?’’ Elijah asked. He was sitting the corner chair. His hands were pressed together in front of him. ‘’I think I’ll do the spell,’’ I said. ‘’If I do the spell I could go crazy. If I don’t I will definitely go crazy. I don’t know about you, but a permanently crazy Original vampire doesn’t sound like a good thing.’’ ‘’Well, if it comes down to it, we could always dagger you.’’ Klaus offered. ‘’Fine.’’ Elijah open his mouth to protest but I held a hand up to silence him. ‘’But only if I start endangering people. Both of you promise me.’’ The brother nodded. ‘’Now, if you’ll excuse me, I want to rinse this blood off me.’’ ‘’Of course, sister.’’ Klaus nodded and strode from the room. ‘’Elijah- ‘’ I begun. ‘’I think you should do the spell.’’ He interrupted, standing up and buttoning his jacket. ‘’There is a chance, however slight, that you will come out whole. I think we should accept before you get worse.’’ ‘’But if I do go nuts- ‘’ ‘’Then we’ll… disable you until we find a way to reverse it. This family had lost too many members already; I’m not going to add you to that every-growing list.’’ He stated. I nodded. ‘’Ok. I’ll trust you but please make sure that I don’t hurt anybody else. I can’t kill any more people.’’ ‘’I give you my word.’’ He said solemnly. ‘’Thank you, Elijah. For everything.’’ He nodded and left the room. When I was sure he was gone, I turned to the girl in the corner. ‘’What the hell do you want?’’ I growled.

‘’Mother, that’s no way to treat your long lost daughter.’’ She chided. Blood and dirt coated her face, as if she had just crawled from the grave.

‘’You’re not real; I’ll speak to you however I please.’’ ‘’That’s not very nurturing of you. Did you enjoy our little present earlier today? The blood is going to stain that top.’’ ‘’Tell me; what is the point of this? Why is the coven tantalizing me?’’ ‘’The hex serves to punish those who’ve sinned. Each ‘episode’ serves as a clue to your crime.’’ ‘’And what happens when I figure out the crime?’’ She walked over to my dresser, picking up bottles of perfume, reading the labels and replacing them. ‘’Normally, you’d die. Painfully. But you can’t die I have no idea. Maybe you’ll get trapped in an endless cycle of living and dying, always in pain. That sounds fun!’’ ‘’So are you a clue?’’ ‘’Maybe.’’ She grinned. ‘’That’s all we have time for. Bye.’ She disappeared and I was let standing in an empty room, mind reeling.

#the returned series #the ripper #elijah mikaelson #oc #fanfic #supernatural #the originals crossover #werewovles #witches #vampires #tvd

[pleuvoiirs]

happy extremely belated birthday to you, @casual-boys-end , love you heaps x

to everyone else, i’m finally delivering on my promise for the hogwarts au. happy reading!

i don’t love you as if you were a rose of salt, topaz,    or arrow of carnations that propagate fire:    i love you as one loves certain obscure things,    secretly, between the shadow and the soul. 

i love you as the plant that doesn’t bloom but carries    the light of those flowers, hidden, within itself,    and thanks to your love the tight aroma that arose    from the earth lives dimly in my body. 

i love you without knowing how, or when, or from where,    i love you directly without problems or pride:  i love you like this because i don’t know any other way to love,  except in this form in which i am not nor are you,    so close that your hand upon my chest is mine,    so close that your eyes close with my dreams.

-          one hundred love sonnets: xvii, pablo neruda

you’re all my heart ever talks about

♥

two left feet, one beautiful smile (she’s sweet like marmalade and tastes like ooh la la) – sally, thundamentals

One week before the Yule Ball, Reynie Muldoon is beginning to panic about his lack of a date. He’s sitting glumly at the Slytherin table when Martina Crowe slides onto the bench beside him and starts piling her plate with cinnamon buns.

“Muldoon,” she says curtly.

Reynie rolls his eyes at her.

“Martina, I’ve known you for five years, you really don’t need to keep addressing me by my last name.”

She flicks her hair over her shoulder and raises one manicured eyebrow. “Actually, I have a reputation to maintain. I can’t be seen fraternising with any friend of Kate Wetherall.”

Her lips quirk up into a smirk.

“Speaking of which, who are you taking to the Yule Ball?”

Reynie narrows his eyes. “What are you plotting?”

Martina cackles. “Absolutely nothing. And if I was, it wouldn’t be any of your business,” she pauses to inspect her fingernails. “So, who’s the lucky person, if there is one at all? I must say I’m curious because it’s getting very close to the ball and I know that there are several very good-looking Beauxbatons students that are still dateless. I’m sure I’d manage to con one of them into going with you.”

Reynie flushes and looks down at his hands, trying to think of some excuse to give Martina – the queen of setting people up on terrible dates. If Martina picks a date for him, it could end up even worse than last year’s Valentine’s Day at Madam Pudifoot’s, where he spilled a whole cup of tea on Peter Costa and spent the next two months trying to make it up to him (Peter was not the forgiving sort).

Martina is staring at him like a bird of prey surveying its next meal.

Grasping at straws, he says:

“Actually, I’m already going with someone. Kate.”

And immediately regrets it. He cringes.

Martina’s face lights up with glee (or something more malicious) and she claps her hands together.

“That is the most excellent news I’ve heard all day. I must go and discuss this with her,” she calls over her shoulder, already walking away. “See you around, Mr Wetherall.”

Reynie leaves his toast on the table in his haste to find Kate before Martina does.

…

Kate is in the library. She’s reading a book about domesticated dragons and taking notes for her Care of Magical Creatures class when Reynie skids to a halt in front of her, all flushed cheeks and toast crumbs on the front of his robes.

“Kate, have you seen Martina today?” he tries to ask casually.

Kate may not be as good at reading emotions as Reynie is, but she’s known him long enough to be able to tell when he’s upset.

“No. What’s she done now?”

Reynie sits down next to her and takes a very deep breath.

“I may have accidentally told her that we were going to the Yule Ball together, and she’s looking for you so you can chat about me and the date that I definitely did not ask you on,” he says, but it all comes out a little bit jumbled in his nervous haste to explain.

Kate looks at him with an expression of disbelief on her face and he winces. A few beats of pained silence, and then, surprisingly, she breathes a sigh of relief.

“Is that all? I thought you were going to tell me you were about to die or something. Way to give a girl a heart attack,” she says, punching his arm a little too hard.

Reynie looks up at her, frowning. “You’re not mad? I can just tell Martina that you changed your mind and we’re not going together anymore if you’d like me to?”

Kate seems to consider this for a minute, and Reynie bites his lip, preparing for the crippling embarrassment of rejection from one of his best friends.

But she just laughs and claps a hand on his shoulder. “No way! Martina will make fun of you for the rest of your life and then she’ll try to humiliate you further by asking Peter Costa or some French girl for you,” she beams at him. “So we’re going on this fake date. There’s no one else I’d rather go with, anyway.”

Reynie grins up at her brightly, and strangely, Kate’s heart skips a beat.

…

Reynie cannot believe that he brought this upon himself.

Everything was going to be fine – he would just tell Martina that he and Kate weren’t going together anymore and her reaction would hopefully involve as little public humiliation as possible.

This is much worse than anything that Martina could have schemed up – Reynie gets to go to the Yule Ball with Kate and she’ll probably wear something jaw-droppingly beautiful and they’ll have to slow dance together and then Martina will watch them leave with glee, expecting a goodnight kiss or something of the sort.

And he has to do all of this while pretending he’s not hopelessly in love with one of his best friends in the whole world.

…

Surprisingly, Martina doesn’t question Kate too much. She simply asks: “So when did he ask you?” and rests her elbows on the table to look attentively across at Kate.

“Oh, I asked him,” Kate replies, unfazed.

They’re ‘studying’ in the library for the Charms test on Tuesday morning – Hufflepuff and Slytherin share the class and although Kate excels at the subject, Martina can’t remember wand movements to save her life and needs all the help she can get.

“It was last weekend when we went to Hogsmeade,” Kate continues. “We went to the Three Broomsticks and he was giving me some tips for Transfiguration, which you know I’m rubbish at, and I thought it would be nice if we went together, so I asked, and here we are.”

Martina seems happy with this answer. “That’s sweet. I thought I was going to have to ask you for him, which would have been a little bit pathetic.”

Kate rolls her eyes, exasperated.

“Come on, Tina, he’s not that bad.”

Martina looks at her, positively gleeful. “Oh, dear Kate, you are so clueless when it comes to matters of the heart. Reynie was never going to make the first move because he’s scared of being rejected and values your friendship too much, and on top of that, he’s so polite he doesn’t want to make you uncomfortable in any way.”

Kate wrinkles her nose.

“How do you know all this?” she asks accusingly, frowning.

Martina flicks her glossy black hair over one shoulder and winks.

“You two are the biggest will-they-or-won’t-they of our year. I pay attention,” she declares, sliding her textbooks and parchment back into her bag. “And Constance tells me things sometimes.”

…

On Monday, Professors Curtain and Kazembe shuffle the Slytherin and Ravenclaw fifth-years into the Great Hall to give them dancing lessons. Constance and Reynie joke their way through a waltz, Martina dances with a Ravenclaw boy who keeps sweating and looking nervously at her like she’s going to eat him (but she’s too busy glancing at Isabel across the room to notice), and Professor Curtain deducts thirty points from Ravenclaw and hands out two detentions.

Professor Kazembe demonstrates at the centre of the room with Charlie Peters (Professor Curtain refuses to dance, so stands with his arms crossed and a thundercloud-scowl on his face), and Constance hexes a group of boys leering at her.

“Martina told me you’re going to the ball with Kate,” Constance says plainly. “But I weaselled some information out of our good friend George Washington, and he says that you’re just going as friends.”

Reynie makes a noise of distress and drags his hand down his face. “You cannot tell Martina anything. I’ll never hear the end of it.”

Constance mimes zipping her lips shut and waves him off.

“Don’t worry about it. Your secret’s safe with me, Romeo,” she says with her signature know-it-all smirk. “And your other Kate-related secret, too.”

Reynie blanches, eyes widening. “How do you know about that? I haven’t told anyone except Sticky!”

Constance huffs out a dry laugh and puts her hands on her hips. “Well, I had my suspicions. You just confirmed them for me, so thank you.”

Reynie bites his lip and looks behind her at Professor Curtain, who is reprimanding Isabel for snickering at a scathing comment Martina just directed towards her dancing skills.

“I didn’t mean to, you know,” he says softly, looking down at the floor.

Constance glances at him, and for a moment, so short that if Reynie had blinked he would have missed it, her expression is soft, too, the smallest of smiles on her face. Then it’s back to the Constance she puts on every morning before getting out of bed, raised eyebrows and a devilish grin.

“It’s not so bad, you know. You could be dying,” she declares, putting her arms back on his shoulders so they can continue their dance.

Reynie is not convinced.

…

It’s Sunday afternoon and Reynie is sitting in the library with his Advanced Potions homework when Kate and Will stride in, laughing. The librarian, a rather stern woman by the name of Jillson, who Reynie secretly believes should not be trusted around books, shushes them and they snigger at her behind gloved hands.

Will abandons Kate to sit in the corner with his Herbology report, and Kate saunters over to Reynie’s table in the corner. She slides into the seat across from him with a thunk. They stare at each other for a couple of seconds, and then Kate huffs and grabs Reynie’s parchment out of his hands.

“’An Introduction to Wolfsbane’,” she reads. Kate drops the sheet from in front of her nose to look at him disdainfully. “How terribly interesting.”

Reynie rolls his eyes and looks over at her, all raised brow and eyes crinkling at the sides as she smirks. He sighs to himself, resigned to eternal torment.  

“What do you suggest we do instead, then?” he says, and smirks right back at her.

Kate’s smile is full of trouble as she leans back in her chair.

“I suggest we throw Martina off the trail by finding her a date.”

…

That night, Kate and Reynie watch from behind a corner as Isabel stops Martina in front of the Slytherin common room. In one swift movement, she drops dramatically down on one knee in one of the most cliché but sort of elegant ball proposals Reynie has ever seen.

Martina puts a hand to her mouth, her usually cool exterior fading for a moment as she nods. Kate and Reynie glance at each other in the gloom of the hallway, and then back to the scene unfolding in front of them, where Martina and Isabel are hugging each other tightly. The former’s eyes are closed, the smallest of smiles gracing her features.

Kate looks over at Reynie, beaming with bright eyes, her hair falling around her face, and he feels something in his stomach twist.

They hold each other’s gaze for just a second too long, and then Kate offers him a whispered ‘Goodnight, Reynie’, with a hand that lingers on his shoulder. She disappears around the corner, leaving Reynie standing there in the lamplight, feeling happy and sad and nervous all at once.

…

It rains again on Wednesday afternoon, so all Quidditch practice is cancelled, resulting in a lot of unhappy students traipsing around the school with sour expressions on their faces. Avoiding the gloom inside, Reynie spends his afternoon sitting under the eaves in the main courtyard playing a game of wizard chess against Sticky. Constance watches them, mostly disinterested, still chewing the bubble gum she’s had in her mouth for about an hour. Will and Isabel sit ten metres away from them, engaged in a conversation that involves hushed tones and a lot of hand gestures.

The light would normally be nice at this time of the afternoon – casting glowing golden rays on the old oak right in the middle of the courtyard, little brown sparrows singing in the branches, students milling around on the grass, soaking up the sun. Instead, the ground is sodden and devoid of life. The slow patter of rain on the roof above them is rhythmic, the air is filled with the smell of growing green things, and Reynie is in his element.

“Checkmate,” Sticky says, struggling to keep a grin off his face. Reynie sighs and scoops his pieces back up.

The relative silence is broken when a pair of Durmstrang students still in their red tunics and black scarves stride over to the three of them, boots tapping loudly on the cement.

One of them, the boy, who is tall and has wide green eyes, has his hands clasped in front of him in what seems like an almost nervous gesture. He pushes his fringe out of his eyes and clears his throat, and Sticky and Constance finally look up from where they’ve been squabbling over who’s going to take the chess set back to the library.

“Um, hello,” the boy says, his voice softer than most of the students from Durmstrang.

“Hi,” the three of them reply together.

Reynie and Sticky glance at each other quickly out of the corner of their eyes and then look back at the boy, trying to look as friendly as possible. Will and Isabel are staring now, too.

“I’m Eustace, and I was talking to that girl from your school – Kath, is it?” he asks.

“Kate,” Reynie says a little too quickly, and Constance smirks at him.

“Yes – Kate!” he turns to Sticky, now, biting his lower lip. “She told me that you didn’t have a date to the Ball, George.”

Sticky bristles, waiting for some sort of insult, but it never comes.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go with me,” Eustace asks, rubbing the back of his neck.

Sticky looks up at him, slightly bug-eyed, then glances back and forth between Constance and Reynie like he can’t quite believe what he’s hearing.

Will chooses this moment to stand up, dropping his soda bottle on the ground with a clang that shocks everyone. He stands there for a moment, opening and closing his mouth a bit like a goldfish, and Reynie looks between and Sticky, finally realising what’s going on. He bites his lip to contain the smile that’s trying to work its way onto his face. Sticky looks over at Will painfully, and then back to Eustace, who looks incredibly hopeful.

“I’ll have to let you know,” Sticky says quietly, and looks up at Eustace with a sympathetic expression on his face. “But thank you for the offer, I’m flattered.”

Will sighs noisily in relief, then frowns when everyone turns to look at him. Eustace seems to understand, and nods at Sticky, smiling as kindly as possible as he walks away with his friend.

Later, when Reynie is sitting across from Sticky at dinner, Reynie winks at him and gives him a knowing smirk.

“Shut up!” Sticky says, burying his face in his hands and blushing bright red.

“George Washington! I never expected to hear such profanities come from your mouth!” Constance shrieks and some mashed potato flies off her fork and onto the table next to Kate’s plate. Kate flicks it at Reynie, who laughs and retaliates by flinging some peas off his spoon at her, and soon the four of them are engaged in a mini food fight that has them sent out of the room and tasked with cleaning up after dinner.

They’re lined up on one of the benches outside the Great Hall, Constance engaged in a thumb war with Kate that she’s going to lose in about two seconds, Sticky trying to wipe gravy off his tie while telling Reynie about the newest theory about life on other planets, when Reynie decides that it wouldn’t be so bad if the four of them just stayed best friends forever, nothing more.

…

Friday night finds Kate Wetherall standing across from Reynie Muldoon in the Hufflepuff common room, her arms draped across his shoulders as they twirl slowly around on the carpet. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s voices float tinnily out of Milligan’s record player, perched precariously on top of a stack of textbooks. Reynie had winced when he saw it.

The soft orange light from the fireplace casts long shadows on the carpet. It’s almost uncomfortably warm despite the thick winter chill settling in outside. Their coats lie discarded on the worn armchairs in the corner, and Kate is down to her yellow Quidditch shirt and a pair of grey striped pyjama pants. Reynie’s eyelids are starting to droop – they’ve been like this for about an hour, shuffling their way through a standard ballroom waltz, his hands at her waist and hers on his shoulders.

Reynie brings his hand up to his mouth to stifle a yawn, and Kate gives him the smile she’s come to realise she’s reserved especially for him.

“Come on, it’s probably time for bed,” she whispers, too close to his ear.

“Yeah. Yeah, okay,” he says, and rubs his eyes before moving over to grab his coat.

Kate walks him over to the door, one hand on his elbow, and they stop to look at each other. Reynie’s face looks a bit pink, but Kate puts it down to the heat of the fire.

“Well, thanks for practising with me,” she says, quietly. “I really needed it.”

Reynie smiles cheekily at her. “It was no trouble.”

Kate looks down at her feet in embarrassment, then reminds herself that Kate Wetherall doesn’t get embarrassed. When she looks back up, Reynie’s smiling at her with his head tilted slightly to the side, and he looks so happy and soft in the firelight that, against all better judgement that tells her this is not what best friends do, she leans in closer.

Kate’s lips graze his cheek lightly, and she can feel his heart beating where she slides her hand up to the back of his neck. Reynie’s breath hitches, and then he moves his hand to find hers, clutching tightly. If she just moved a little to the right –

A seventh year and his girlfriend burst through the door behind Reynie’s back, giggling and dripping rain onto the carpet.

Kate and Reynie pull away from each other in embarrassment. She squeezes his hand for a second before he leaves, and he looks at her like she’s the sun and moon and stars, face flushed so that his freckles stand out more than normal. Her hand burns where they were just touching.

“Goodnight, Kate,” he whispers, and waves shyly at her before slipping out the door.

…

It’s six o’clock on Saturday evening and Reynie is waiting anxiously at the bottom of the main staircase in his navy-blue dress robes, wringing his hands. Martina slinks past him in her dark green velvet dress, hand in hand with Isabel, both sipping butterbeers and rosy-cheeked in the glow of the tiny lanterns floating just out of arm’s reach.

Sticky, who eventually turned down Eustace because he just didn’t know him that well, or, as Constance put it, was “too hung up on his Hufflepuff sweetheart” to even think about going with someone else, is standing beside Reynie in classic black. He tries to look casual when said Hufflepuff sweetheart walks past looking dashing with his blond hair pushed back, but fails epically. Reynie grimaces and silently prays that they’ll sort their issues out before the end of the evening.

He’s just about to go and get the two of them something to drink when Sticky nudges him and nods upwards.

Kate descends the stairs, and Reynie can feel his heart thudding in his throat. Time doesn’t slow down or stop or anything like that (because secretly, Reynie thinks Kate is jaw-droppingly beautiful even without the red ballgown she’s wearing or with her hair loose from its ponytail), but Reynie does smile brighter than he can remember doing in a while, and takes Kate’s hand to lead her down the final three steps. They stop in front of each other, grinning, hands clasped together tightly. Kate leans down to kiss his cheek. Martina yells “get it, Muldoon” somewhere.

The Triwizard Champions (including Will’s older brother Sam – a Gryffindor) and their dates have their dance to the soft ballroom music the band is playing. Then, Kate extends a hand to Reynie to ask:

“May I have this dance?” with a twinkle in her eye.

Reynie lets Kate lead him to the middle of the dance floor, and then places his hands on her waist. Hers come up around his neck, and they stand there, still for a while, communicating without saying any words. The band starts playing a Muggle song, Frank Sinatra this time, and Kate and Reynie start to step into the dance they’ve practiced so many times – backwards, sideways, forwards. Reynie has to reach up to twirl Kate as the song finishes, and she laughs, bell-like against the chatter of the Great Hall.

The lights floating above their heads glow prettily and cast a golden glow across everyone’s faces as Kate and Reynie exit the ballroom floor to watch Constance dance with Rhonda, both sisters with genuine smiles stretched across their faces.

Martina and Isabel are kissing in the corner of the room under a branch of mistletoe that Martina probably placed there herself, and Reynie realises that Sticky and Will are dancing together in the middle of the ballroom floor, giggling at a private joke with matching shy smiles.

Reynie takes Kate’s hand.

…

Out in the garden, the air is still. Kate and Reynie are laughing about Sticky and Will finally getting it together when they realise they’re still holding hands. Reynie looks down at them clasped together and stops laughing, but then he smiles up at Kate, who’s biting her lip and trying not to grin.

“Good thing you’re so scared of Martina and public humiliation, huh?” Kate says, and she leans in, just as she had a couple of nights ago in the common room.

Their noses bump together. Kate pulls back for a second, laughing, to look at the stars in Reynie’s eyes, and the way his face looks in the moonlight. Then, she leans in and kisses him. Just like that.

The crickets are chirping in the background, they can hear the soft bass from the music inside, and Reynie slides his arms around Kate’s shoulders (she’s still slightly taller). This time, it does feel like the world slows down a bit as she winds a hand through his hair and smiles against his lips.

Kate tastes like butterbeer and the thrill of soaring through the air on a broom. Her heartbeat is steady against Reynie’s chest, and when they break apart to breathe, her face is flushed, eyes crinkling at the sides in her ‘for Reynie’ smile.

Reynie tastes like honey and the way it feels to sit by the fire on a cold afternoon. He’s blushing, but not with embarrassment. Happiness, maybe. Kate brushes her thumbs across his hot cheeks and kisses him again, slowly, sweetly. She moves her lips to his jaw, and his breath hitches slightly, heart rate speeding up.

Kate would be quite content to stay there forever under the honeysuckle, Reynie’s hands on her waist, the cool winter breeze on her face, but eventually Constance saunters out and coughs, eyebrows raised.

“Well, it’s about time,” she says, grinning at the two of them. “I hate to interrupt, but the band’s about to play David Bowie and I thought you might want to be there for that.”

Kate and Reynie glance at each other, still holding hands. They follow Constance inside to the warmth of the ballroom, faces flushed from the cold, hair a mess.

“Do you think we should tell Martina the truth?” Kate leans down to whisper.

“Nah,” Reynie says, a smile in his voice.

Outside, the first snow of the season begins to fall.

thank you so much for reading + supporting my work, it really means a lot to me. there’s also a playlist that goes with this fic that you can find here, and it’s appropriately sappy and cute

#the mysterious benedict society #mysterious benedict society #mbs #kaynie #mine #wow guys its been a while?? #i hope you enjoy this as much as i enjoyed writing it #did you get my joke about martina eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast #ALSO #fun fact all the names except peter costa came from the series so there you go