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carewyncromwell · 1 year

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“All I want is the wind in my hair -- To face the fear, but not feel scared...”

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🌹 HPHM Cardverse developed by @ariparri // learn more about Abraxan Derby here! 🌹

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Abraxan Derby was a sport both native to and most popular in the Land of Clubs. This didn’t mean, however, that it didn’t have its fans elsewhere. Even in the Country of Spades, where street cars were pulled by mechanical creatures rather than flesh and blood ones, there were those who loved the freedom that the white winged horses represented. One of those such Spades was the young woman who would eventually become the Queen of Hearts -- Carewyn Cromwell.

From the time she was a little girl, Carewyn had always been enamored with the idea of flight. She found peace looking out from the highest height she could whenever she most wanted to be alone, and her older brother Jacob -- who worked for the Jack of Spades, Duncan Ashe -- used to love treating Carewyn to rides in the royal zeppelin whenever he could wrangle it. The young redhead’s love of flight also extended to winged horses. Although growing up in a rather poor home had made it so she couldn’t afford to travel and thus had only ever learned how to ride mechanical horses, Carewyn loved the thought of one day riding a real horse, especially an Abraxan. She got her chance, surprisingly enough, the day that the Country of Spades’ university hosted an Abraxan Derby competition.

The Land of Clubs and the Country of Spades shared a border, and it couldn’t have been more stark. As soon as one left the perimeter of the trees of the Clubs’ northernmost forest, they would be immediately greeted by a wide-open, industrial landscape decked with high-rise buildings made of iron and glass. It was only this forest and these buildings that separated the grounds of the Land and Country’s respective universities...and it was to hopefully foster good relations between these two schools that this competition was held.

Carewyn herself wasn’t attending university yet -- she was still only a lass of fifteen, though a very capable one. She’d more than made an impression at the court of Spades, after all the times she’d gone to visit Jacob and his “boss,” the Jack of Spades. Some even suspected that the hard-to-please Ace of Spades wished to enlist Carewyn to work for her in some not-too-distant future, though Carewyn didn’t show any particular enthusiasm for the idea. Instead Carewyn chose to work as a shopgirl part-time, so as to help financially support her family. As soon as she was done with her classes, she’d immediately dash out to catch the trolley, putting on her best shoes and her nicest pair of gloves while riding to the general store, and then she’d quickly fix her short ponytail and give herself a quick look-over in the shop windows she passed on her way over. Once she’d arrived, she’d immediately get to work behind the counter, bustling about to help the store owner with his customers and setting out on foot to deliver packages of goods across town.

This day in particular, at the end of her shift, the store owner sent Carewyn southward to deliver some packages to the university dean’s house. It was an address Carewyn was used to visiting -- the dean had a wife and several daughters, all of whom he loved to spoil with gifts, so him ordering stylish new dresses, jewelry, and shoes was a regular occurrence. Carewyn tried not to feel too jealous when she saw the pretty pearl drop earrings one of the dean’s daughters took out of the smallest of the boxes: the only earrings Carewyn had been able to afford were the rusted, clumsily-carved, flower-shaped studs she was wearing now.

Once Carewyn had finished her final delivery, she set off on foot back uptown so she could take the streetcar home. Her way was halted, though, by the commotion in the streets.

During the first round of the university’s Abraxan Derby, a particularly nasty foul had resulted in one of the Land of Clubs’ horses getting badly spooked by some firecrackers in the Spades’ side of the stands and its rider getting thrown off his horse as it took off into the air. This very same Abraxan ended up just as spooked, however, when it flew right into the path of a zeppelin, weaved down right into the path of a very loud construction site, and then finally zipped right into the very loud incoming traffic of several dozen streetcars.

Alarmed by the sight of the poor, panicking creature, Carewyn pushed her way through the bewildered, wary bystanders, fearlessly rushing up toward the winged horse. Although truthfully she hadn’t known how to calm a real, living horse any better than anyone else around did, Carewyn tried her best, speaking to the white steed as calmly as she could.

“Easy now,” she whispered, taking off her black lace gloves as she approached, “easy...”

The horse flapped its wide wings as if to ward her and everyone else off, but Carewyn nonetheless stood her ground. Several law enforcement officers tried to intervene, whether by urging Carewyn “out of harm’s way” or to grab the horse’s reins, but their loud voices only served to make the Abraxan more nervous.

“Stay back!” Carewyn hissed at them under her breath.

She turned back to the Abraxan, keeping eye contact with him as she kept a respectful distance. The creature was not going to let any of them get any closer, even if they did want to help -- that much was obvious.

Carewyn racked her brain, trying to think of what to do. She had to calm the poor thing down...

The red-haired shopgirl took a very careful step forward. The Abraxan padded the ground anxiously, its eyes locked on her. Not entirely sure what made her do it, Carewyn offered the horse as brave of a smile as she could and started to sing to him.

“The pale moon was rising above the green mountain...

The sun was declining beneath the blue sea

When I strayed with my love to the pure crystal fountain

That stands in the beautiful Vale of Tralee...

She was lovely and fair as the rose of the summer,

Yet ‘twas not her beauty alone that won me --

Oh no, ‘twas the truth in her eyes ever dawning

That made me love Mary, the Rose of Tralee...”

It was a modest, old-fashioned melody -- a folk song, full of admiration. And perhaps because of the sweetness of Carewyn’s voice and the smile that made her voice and eyes sparkle, it held the Abraxan’s attention, making it focus on her enough that it slowly settled down. Finally Carewyn was able to get close enough to touch it, but she moved slowly, holding her hand out in mid-air a foot or so away from its nose for the horse to smell. At last the Abraxan blustered softly through its teeth and bridged the gap between them, bringing its soft, velvety nose up to her hand. Carewyn’s eyes shone like stars as she brought both of her hands gently along its snout and stroked its neck.

“Oh, you are beautiful, aren’t you?” she whispered. Trailing a hand along its back and wing made her wistful in a way she could hardly explain. “You poor, sweet creature...it must be so much louder here than you’re used to. It’s no wonder you’re so frightened...”

“Indeed.”

Carewyn looked up.

The crowd parted for a young dark-haired man only about a year so older than Carewyn to pass through. He was dressed all in loose-fitting, breezy green, and something similarly bright white walked alongside him. The young man’s Abraxan’s wings were folded up at its side as he led it through the crowd toward Carewyn.

“I’m afraid the stables and woods back home are remarkably quiet, in comparison to your city,” he said calmly.

His black eyes ran over Carewyn’s hands up onto the horse’s face and then back onto her with interest.

“...I must thank you for restoring some peace to her spirit.”

Carewyn blinked at the young man in surprise.

“...She’s yours, then,” she surmised.

“My teammate’s, yes,” said the green-dressed man.

Before he could say anything else, however, the traffic in the street seemed to reawaken. It seemed that now that the Abraxan wasn’t flying around like crazy, all of those people who’d been on their commute home or to work had lost their patience.

“Oi, can you take it outta here?!”

“Get outta the way, will ya?!”

“Move it already!”

The Abraxan started to neigh restlessly at the blaring horns and clanging bells, and Carewyn hurriedly tried to calm it by stroking its mane.

“You horrid people!” she scolded them. “Don’t you see you’re making it worse?”

“Clearly they don’t,” the man said very coolly.

Bringing a tanned hand through his own horse’s mane, he quickly leapt up onto its back and took hold of the reins.

“Can you ride, miss?”

Carewyn was taken aback. “...I know how to ride a horse, yes.”

A mechanical one, at least.

“Well, then,” the man said, undaunted, “best be off.”

With this, he took off into the air.

Carewyn glanced at the white Abraxan at her side and then up at the green-dressed man flying just over her.

Well, it really was the best way to get this poor thing back where she belonged, Carewyn supposed.

Despite her slight misgivings, she climbed up onto the winged horse’s back. Taking hold of its reins, she then took a deep breath.

“Let’s go, girl,” she whispered in the Abraxan’s ear.

She flicked the reins. The Abraxan reared back, its wings fully extended, making Carewyn’s heart slam against her ribcage as she clutched its neck harness for support -- and then, just as abruptly, the horse had taken off, soaring up into the air.

It was stunning. Oh, Heavens above, was it a thrill! To be so weightless and so above it all -- it was like pure, exhilarating freedom was coursing through her veins with the heat of hot iron!

Carewyn felt her face flushing with joy -- she felt like a child, uncaring that her hair had come loose of its usual ribbon or that it was flapping loose in her face. She didn’t care how she looked in that moment, or what anyone might say. In this moment, here -- she’d never been happier, in her memory.

The green-dressed man flew up alongside her, his soft black eyes and large white smile rather bright as he considered her.

“Your course is worth several rubies,” he said.

Carewyn glanced up at him questioningly.

“You are a very skilled rider,” he clarified himself. “You’d be an admirable opponent, or ally, were you to fly in the derby.”

Carewyn shook her head modestly. “Thank you...but I’ve only ever ridden mechanical horses, prior to today. I’m hardly experienced enough.”

“But does your inexperience not make your talent all the more remarkable?” the young man challenged her. “You bonded with your steed with nothing but heart and instinct, rather than tried-and-true knowledge or experience.”

“Yes, but if people were relying on me to help them succeed, I wouldn’t want them to choose me just with their hearts,” Carewyn said very firmly. “I’d want them to know I was the best choice, that I’d be the best I could be -- be everything they need me to be, and then some -- and that I’d do the best I could for them, too.”

The green-dressed man cocked his eyebrows. “It seems your standards for yourself are even higher than your flight trajectory.”

He soared around her in several graceful loops, his hands not even touching the reins. Carewyn watched him with admiration despite herself -- he was a very, very talented rider.

“Urge her up with a light tug to the reins,” the green-dressed man encouraged her. “Then lean to one side, pressing your foot up against her flank.”

Carewyn did so, and soon she was soaring up and over him. Her face brightened with a smile, and the green-dressed man grinned at her as they weaved back and forth.

“What’s your name?” he asked her.

“Carewyn!” she cried over the wind. “Cromwell!”

He swept right up alongside her, their horses’ wings brushing up against each other’s.

“I am Orion!” he answered as he passed.

Orion came up and over Carewyn, completely upside down, before charging ahead.

“Are you a performer, Carewyn Cromwell?” he called back over his shoulder.

Carewyn flicked her reins, determined to catch up.

“No! I’m a shopgirl at Pique’s General Store. And a student -- though I hope to work in law someday -- ”

She came right up alongside him, so close that their shoulders touched.

“And what of you, Orion?” she asked him. “Are you a professional Abraxan Derby player? Or do you hope to be?”

Orion beamed. “I wish to fly free. That is all I dream and wish.”

Carewyn felt her smile widen, both empathetic and charmed despite herself.

“And to win your matches, I would think,” she said a bit more coolly.

“That wouldn’t hurt,” Orion said amusedly.

For the next half-hour, Carewyn rode alongside Orion, perfectly matching his speed even as he weaved up over and around her. At several points she even overtook him, dodging and soaring like a shooting star around him. Orion’s black eyes sparkled brightly as they flew together -- as brightly as Carewyn’s own blue eyes were, if any outside observer were to have taken notice.

At last, the two made it to the university, to where the rest of the Derby players were waiting. The next match was set to begin, and the Land of Clubs had been a little tense about how long their captain had been gone. Orion, however, soothed their concerns with relative ease, his smile and aura remarkably calm.

“A rider without his steed is akin to a shooting star pinned to the earth. Although yes, one could shine brightly while stationary, that star would lament being so locked in place, unable to fly across the sky.”

His eyes flitted over to Carewyn brushing her loose hair out of her face as she disembarked. As she did, she reacted with surprise as her hands ran over her ears and a flash of faint resignation rippled over her face.

Orion approached her, and Carewyn immediately put on a smile as she faced him.

“Well...” she said slowly, “I suppose I’d best be getting on. I hope your match goes well...with how good of a flier you are, I’m sure you’ll be brilliant...”

“You’re welcome to stay and watch,” Orion invited her.

Carewyn’s smile softened. “Thank you...but my brother will be getting off work soon -- he’ll be worried, if I’m not home when he gets there...”

She curled her loose hair behind her ears. Orion noted immediately that she was only wearing one flowery earring made out of crudely-shaped steel.

“Did you lose your earring?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Carewyn said offhandedly. “I suppose it must’ve come off, while I was riding. But it’s all right -- I’ll save up for a new pair.”

She extended a hand to Orion. He looked down at it, before gently taking and shaking it.

“My team and I owe you a debt, Carewyn Cromwell,” said Orion. “Thank you.”

“Nonsense!” huffed Carewyn. “Why, I only did what anyone would’ve done, in my place...”

She brought a gentle hand along the back of the Abraxan she’d ridden, and the winged mare brought her nose up to Carewyn’s cheek with an affectionate murr.

“Perhaps,” said Orion, “but you were ultimately the only one who did it.”

He inclined his head to her, his black eyes glinting with a touch of mischief as he smiled.

“I lament that we probably won’t meet again, unless by chance. But perhaps if you were to become a performer, as I supposed you might be, you might have more reason to travel to the Land of Clubs.”

Carewyn beamed. “Or maybe once I graduate university and have made my own way in the world, I’ll have more chance to go where I want. Then I can visit you, just as well as you can visit me.”

Orion’s eyes sparkled. “May we both chase that freedom.”

~*~

By the following night, Orion had already departed back to the Land of Clubs. That next week, though, Carewyn was startled to receive a tiny package in the mail, addressed from the Land of Clubs. Inside was a pair of sparkling emerald green earrings shaped like clubs and a very short note --

I hope these are a suitable replacement for the one you lost. As much as your talent in flying is worthy of rubies, I thought the stone of intuition better suited your aura. If nothing else, a green clover seems good company for the Rose of Tralee.

I sincerely hope our paths will cross again.

Fairfarren,

Orion Amari

Carewyn wore those earrings nearly every day from then on, taking exquisite care of them all the while. She even wore them after she moved to the Kingdom of Hearts and -- not long later -- became their Queen. By that point, Orion had likewise become King of Clubs: a role that Carewyn knew very well Orion would’ve likely never chosen for himself, however much he felt an obligation to his people, country, and allies to care and provide for them.

As much as the two royals had to perform on protocol, though, they still always enjoyed whenever they had the chance to collide again. At least then, for part of that time, they could chat, banter, and confide like ordinary people...as friends would...free of their duty and obligations, if only for just a little while.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #cardverse au #hphm cardverse #carewyn cromwell #orion amari #my writing #aesthetic #moodboard #yay queen of hearts and king of clubs!#yeah I kind of intend to leave their relationship vague in this universe #you can see it either romantically or not because really either way these two really respect and understand each other #I love giving these two a history with abraxans though because in my canon for them they both have abraxan patronuses!! ;~;#the rose of tralee is a traditional irish folk song that was popularized in the victorian era #so yeah -- its era fits the steampunk country of spades and its theme suits the woodsy land of clubs!#'pique' is what the french call the suit of spades :D

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slytherinliththorne · 4 years

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Lith Thorne’s Profile

New Template by @cursebreaker-lilith

~BASICS~

Name: Ailith Thorne Rosas.

Nicknames: Lith, Witchling.

Name Meaning: Idk man I don’t remember :b

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/her

Age: 16

Birthday: December 10

Zodiac: Sagittarius

Blood Status: Half-Blood

Sexuality: Biromantic asexual

Ethnicity/Nationality: Mexican

~APPEARANCE~

Body:

Height: 1.65

Build: Slim

Eyes: Golden

Hair: White

Skin: White

Misc: She has a rune in her chest product of her curse. A small scar in her forehead from when she was little and fell, it’s almost unnoticeable.

Material Items:

Clothing: Hogwarts uniform mostly. Lith has almost no fashion sense, so she resorts to comfy hoodies, plain shirts and jeans. She also owns a few stylish and girly clothes, but won't use them unless necessary.

Accesories: An amethyst earing in later years, a necklace with a feather of Talbott’s and a teeth of Jacob.

In their school bag: Her sketchbook, pens, pencils and chalks, a deck of cards, her wand, a woven bracelet, her amethyst charm that becomes an earring in later years.

Reference:

Face claim: None

Voice claim: None

~PERSONALITY~

Traits:

Positive:

Lucky: For some reason, Lith has super good luck for the most trivial things, like managing to get a cauldron just before Potions class starts because she forgot hers. She assumes it must be the universe’s compensation for cursing her.

Resourceful: To any problem she encounters, from a forgotten homework to escaping death, she will always have a set of solutions already elaborated in her mind. They might not always work as she wants, but they certainly save her ass.

Intelligent: She is a nerd and an overachiever. She enjoys learning and hyperfixates on a lot of interesting subjects during the course of her life.

Neutral:

Introverted: While she can handle big groups, Lith gets stressed out quickly. She prefers being on her own or with a few friends.

Daydreamer: Lith’s head is always on the clouds, she has whole worlds inside, but never actually gets to express them, not that she minds. She also has a very vivid imagination.

Negative:

Insecure: She gains more confidence as she grows older, but she will always doubt her abilities and her own worth.

Workaholic: No matter what she does, she has to give her best. That causes many sleepless nights and some eyebags once in a while.

No emotional intelligence: When it comes to matters of the heart, she has no clue how to proceed. She finds it difficult to read the mood of a room or identify when someone is feeling down. In the same way that she has a hard time figuring out her own emotions and naming them.

Description:

Something something I’ll write it later

Other:

Likes: Solitude, art, books, muggle trinkets, sweets, winter.

Dislikes: Blood supremacy, loud places, summer, heat.

MBTI: INTP

Alignment: Neutral Good

~HOGWARTS~

Hogwarts House: Slytherin.

OWL CLASSES:

Astronomy: E

Charms: O

DADA: E

Flying: A

Herbology: A

History of Magic: O

Potions: A

Transfiguration: E

OWL ELECTIVES:

Care of Magical Creatures: A

Apparition: O

Divination: A

NEWT CLASSES:

Charms: O

Transfiguration: A

History of Magic: E

Extracurriculars:

Art

Muggle art

Best Classes:

Charms: Lith was taught charms by Jacob since he began Hogwarts when he noticed his sister had a particular proficiency with them, so when Lith arrived she was a bit ahead of her peers and continued to hone her skills on more advanced charms on her own.

History of Magic: Lith has always been a History nerd and History of Magic was a class she enjoyed and easily excelled in. Not much because of the Professor but Rowan and the study groups they would organize.

Worst Classes:

Flying: When in her human form, she is terrified of heights and hates flying.

Herbology: Lith and plants is something that is just not meant to be.

Favorite Professors:

Silvanus Kettleburn: He is eccentric, he is encouraging and he cares not about the world except for his beloved magical creatures. Lith admires his dedication and appreciates a non conventional teacher like him.

Patricia Rakepick: While Lith never fully trusted the curse breaker, she would be lying if she said that she did not enjoy Rakepick’s classes. She was probably the best professor of DADA she ever had.

Least Favorite Professors:

Severus Snape: Despite being her Head of House, Lith never liked Snape. He could mean well and she would be grateful for that but please be at a minimum distance of 6 feet apart. His attitude was the opposite of encouraging and she hated it.

Madam Hooch: She is scary :(( please don’t yell at her for not knowing how to fly she doesn’t need a broom anyway ;-;.

Affiliations/Organizations:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Slytherin House

The House of Thorne

Circle of Khanna

The Werewolf Support Squad (with Jae, Talbott, Chiara and Rowan)

The Silver Coven (with Summer Charn and Catherine Stark)

Professions:

Freelance curse breaker.

Independent Rescuer.

Part-time artist and painter.

~MAGIC~

1st Wand:

Willow wood

Surprisingly swishy

Unicorn hair core

“Willow is an uncommon wand wood with healing power, and I have noted that the ideal owner for a willow wand often has some (usually unwarranted) insecurity, however well they may try and hide it. While many confident customers insist on trying a willow wand (attracted by their handsome appearance and well-founded reputation for enabling advanced, non-verbal magic) my willow wands have consistently selected those of greatest potential, rather than those who feel they have little to learn. It has always been a proverb in my family that he who has furthest to travel will go fastest with willow.” (Pottermore.)

2nd Wand:

Macpalxochitl wood

113/4

Slightly Yielding

Huactli feather core

Disclaimer: this is my own lore.

Macpalxochitl, or the Devil’s Hand Tree, became a popular wood to make wands out of when the afrancesamiento of Mexico began. Old chroniclers would often refer to this tree as “worthy of any castle and palace”, so it was sought by wizards of high status. Nowadays it’s existence is very rare and only a few wandmakers are allowed to handle this tree. Wands of this wood tend to be stubborn, but they will remain loyal to their first owner. It is said that it’s better suited to healing magic, but that doesn’t mean it’s not able to turn to the Dark Arts.

The Huactli is a strange eagle-like bird that feeds on snakes. Its peculiarity is that it’s is able to speak the language of men and predict their future. It is said that if you hear it laugh, it means good luck, but if it mutters sadly, it can translate in danger, sickness and death. Wands of this core make powerful spells, but are often unpredictable and difficult to tame. Their loyalty is easily gained and easily lost, though this may vary depending on the wood.

Boggart

Form: A big twisted grackle like humanoid with bright golden eyes.

Riddikulus: The grackle suddenly doing the chicken dance.

Amorentia

What they smell: Hot chocolate, books and oil painting (turpentine lmao).

What they smeel like to others: Mint, paint and parchment.

Patronus

Form: Jaguar (for Jacob), Eagle (after Talbott).

Memory: Family reunions on her Mother’s side of the family. All her cousins running around while the adults played cards.

What they see in the Mirror of Erised: Jacob and her, side by side, with the marks of their curse erased from their chests. As the years pass, more people are added into the picture behind them, like Chiara, Rowan, Talbott and Jae. After Rowan dies, their image takes Jacob’s place by Lith’s side.

~FAMILY~

Father: Daniel Thorne.Pureblood wizard.

Curly white hair (not due to the curse tho), white skin and golden eyes. Her dad is her greatest supporter, anything she wants to do he is right behind her cheering for her. He is a little bit eccentric but he loves to indulge his children's interests and spoil them. However, he is not available in the emotional department, he doesn’t know how to deal with those problems.

Mother: Perla Rosas Villareal.

Muggle. Curly brown hair, brown skin and brown eyes. Her mom is strict but loving. Lith always seeks her for emotional support, she listens patiently and offers help only when asked. She is the one who makes her question things and they often get into arguments because of that.

Brother: Jacob Thorne Rosas

Half-blood wizard. The reason for all this mess. Curly silver hair, brown skin and golden eyes. An introverted and sweet guy, but very naive and trusting. The relationship between the Thorne siblings had always been good. Sure, they fought and argued, but they got along pretty well. After the Vaults, Lith became wary of her own brother, but when it all ended they began to reconstruct their relationship, though it will always be damaged.

Pets:

Onyx (Grackle): He is not exactly her pet, he is the other half of her soul aka her Companion.

Nox: A black cat that stayed back at home with her parents.

~FRIENDS~

Best friends:

Rowan Khanna

Chiara Lobosca

Jae Kim

Good friends:

Badeea Ali (they are art rivals but in a friendly way)

Charlie Weasley

Bill Weasley

Tulip Karasu

Friends:

Penny Haywood

Barnaby

Murphy

Andre

It’s Complicated:

Love Interests:

Talbott Winger (he is the only one I have a description for atm, the others are in another post if I remember correctly lol)

They met when Lith was trying to break her curse via the animagus potion, a thing that obviously didn’t work.

After the failure of the potion (of which Talbott is not aware), they began to notice they shared similar hiding spots, such as the Owlery, and started to acknowledge each other’s existence by simply saying hello.

Then Lith started to get closer again, asking him about the potion and being an animagus. He got suspicious and ended up discovering Chiara and Lith were trying to turn Jae into an animagus to accompany them during Chiara’s werewolf transformation.

He agreed to help them and became a member of the Werewolf Support Squad, a little bit against his will but he warmed up to them eventually.

They started to get close during those night escapades. They hung out more together (with the Squad) even after the full moons.

Recovering Talbott’s necklace was the first time they got close one on one. It was also the moment they began to develop feelings for each other, even if they couldn’t name them yet.

They like being alone together, and started acting as a couple before they actually became one.

The moment Talbott realizes he has fallen for Lith is a morning after the full moon, when they are all in the Room of Requirement trying to get some sleep and the only thing he can look at is her.

For Lith it takes more time to realize her massive crush. It happened when Talbott fell asleep in the library while studying together. Tulip comes in and says something like “could you tell your boyfriend to wake up, Lith Thorne? We are having a House meeting soon.” Lith’s like “he is not my boyfriend tho??” and Tulip just answers “Really? Thought you were dating for months.” And leaves. That’s the moment when Lith looks at sleeping Talbott and omg he is cute and we certainly do look like a couple oh fuck.

Yet neither of them thinks the other is interested, so they continue like normal.

Until they stay behind in the Room of Requirement one time and they accidentally confess and bam guess they are a real couple now.

They graduate. Talbott gets his own place and works as an auror, Lith travels the world as a curse breaker. They meet sometimes and go on dates.

The year of Voldemort’s uprising, they have a fight and they both go their separate ways, though they never once mention breaking up.

They reunite in the Battle of Hogwarts, Talbott almost dies and they apologize to each other.

Lith moves in with Talbott after that and they marry and adopt two kittens.

Dormmates:

Merula Snyde

Ismelda Murk

Rowan Khanna

Doesn’t interact:

Merula Snyde

Ismelda Murk

Diego Caplan

Bea Haywood

Enemies:

Merula Snyde (formerly)

Patricia Rakepick

~STORY~

Childhood:

Lith was born in a middle low class family in the Valley of Mexico, with a malediction in her blood. Her early childhood consisted of playing with the children in the same street and Jacob. Since insecurity was still not that high in the city, her mom would let them go out of the house on their own. They attended a public elementary school until Jacob received his letter. After that, Lith couldn’t bother with school anymore but was forced to attend. As she grew up, children started to distance themselves from her, all the neighbourhood thought it was suspicious that her brother had gone to a boarding school when they barely had the money to pay for all their expenses. It got worse when Jacob disappeared.

HOGWARTS:

1st Year: Befriends Rowan, Ben, Chiara and Penny. Makes enemies with Merula. Finds Ice Vault. The Werewolf Support Unit is formed by Chiara, Rowan and Lith.

2nd Year: Ben Cooper disappears. Befriends Bill Weasley. They enter another common room. They open the Ice Vault.

3rd Year: Befriends Tulip, Barnaby and Talbott. Tries the Animagus potion. Attempt to turn Jae into an animagus. The Werewolf Support Unit becomes the Werewolf Support Squad with new members Jae and Talbott. They open Fear Vault.

4th Year: Befriends Charlie Weasley. Patricia Rakepick arrives at Hogwarts. Sleepwalking curse. Open Forest Vault. Goes to the Celestial Ball with Rowan and on a “date” with Talbott.

5th Year: Befriends Jae Kim, Badeea Ali, Liz Tuttle and Diego Caplan. Detention in the kitchens. Beatrice Haywood is trapped in the portrait. Rakepick becomes the new DADA teacher. Lith realizes she has feelings for Talbott. They open the Portrait Vault.

6th Year: Ben goes dark. Lith and Talbott start to date. Rowan dies. Meets Ty Blackwood and finds out they are related. Circle of Khanna.

7th Year: Who tf knows?? :))

ADULTHOOD:

After graduation: Lith goes to become a cursebreaker, taking jobs others would not. She quickly gains a reputation among shady witches and wizards. She lives like this for a year, not having a stable place to stay and traveling from country to country carrying only her backpack. She grows tired of it and decides to drop it all. She goes back to Mexico and moves in with a few muggle roomies. She studies plastic arts at a university and graduates early. She goes back to England to return to her curse breaker activities when Voldemort comes back.

Order of the Phoenix / 2nd Wizarding War: Lith never joins the Order of the Phoenix. She becomes an independent Rescuer, working by herself or for third parties (the Order included) to rescue Undesirables and get them out of the country. She even crafter fake papers to get them out. She does get in contact with members of the Order sometimes, like Carewyn Cromwell, who is one of her main contacts within the Ministry. She fights in the Battle of Hogwarts and saves Talbott’s life after reuniting with him.

Post-War: She decides she has had enough adventures for a while and moves in with Talbott, who quits as an auror and becomes a poet. They get married in a small ceremony which basically was just signing the papers and getting dinner with friends afterwards. After Jacob dies and her nephew Icarus is left orphaned, she takes him in with Talbott and they all move in with Ty at his much bigger home. Lith returns to her curse breaking job to support the whole family, since she doesn’t want Ty to pay for all of their expenses. Charlie moves in too after dating Ty for a while, which was a surprise for all. And they all live together whoo.

Old Age & Death: After retiring definitely, Lith dedicates the rest of her life to art. She even sells some of her works. She paints until her hair starts to turn black and she grows feathers, she paints until her arms don’t obey her anymore. She dies on her bed, with her precious Companion resting on her chest, as they both merge together, accompanied by Talbott, Icarus and her loved ones.

MISC

When they were children, Jacob lost one of his fangs during a sudden transformation and a collision with the door. Lith keeps it as a necklace charm and gifted Jacob one of her own feathers. Because of this, she believes the first black quill is the one he carried as a necklace charm too.

Before they start dating, Lith gives Talbott one of her feathers, which he wears alongside her mother’s. Lith also wears one of his as a necklace, but when she grows older she turns it into an earring. This is one of the reasons why people believe they were already together.

Lith has a habit of drawing on her skin, which is why she sometimes has her legs covered in little doodles. She later starts drawing on her friends.

She hoards art supplies.

She is a gambling addict, so she will get intense during exploding snap games. She knows a lot of card games from her Mother’s side of the family, challenge her at your own risk.

She never learned how to drive.

She learned a bit of mexican magic from her cousins, who attended Aztlán (the mexican wizarding school) created by @tsikuri.

She definitely sings in the shower, but not during her Hogwarts years.

Her taste in music is broad, listening to almost anything except banda.

She has a sweet tooth and cannot stand spicy food, causing the teasing from her whole family, who all, as proud Mexicans, eat chili with everything.

After she graduates, her schedule shifts entirely. She wakes up at 2 pm and goes to sleep at 3 am.

Her love languages are physical touch, but she is too shy and hyper aware to actually approach people and touch them, and gifts.

If you give her food, you will now be on her “Good human, Angel from Heaven :-:” list.

Her wand core comes from a bird that can predict death and misfortune, this curiously can be linked to her manifestation of the curse.

Most people think her new wand is ugly, and she did too. But she had to carve it herself to obtain it from an old Mexican wandmaker. The form is also inspired in the flower from the wand wood tree.Lucky: For some reason, Lith has super good luck for the most trivial things, like managing to get a cauldron just before Potions class starts because she forgot hers. She assumes it must be the universe’s compensation for cursing her.

#I took a whole day to do this omg #about lith #hphm mc profile #lith thorne profile #Lith Thorne #hphm #hphm mc #hogwarts mystery mc #hogwarts mystery #Harry Potter Hogwarts mystery #jacob thorne #jacob’s sibling #i´ll do the masterlist as a pinned post tomorrow good night #NEW TAGS #this made me so nostalgic ill probably draw again for the fandom #especially #my werewolf protection squad hc

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cordonia-continued · 4 years

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Captivated

Chapter 6

AU- TRR Liam x MC (Riley Taylor - I know a Brooks so I just couldn't use that name Sorry!)

A/N - Set after the Tariq scandal is cleared. Liam ends his engagement to Madeleine and proposes to MC as per the original story, but from there it is set in an alternative universe - apart from the Homecoming ball (Chapter 7) - that’s been kept in but re-written keeping pretty much to original story line with a slight change. Catch up here.

This is a very slightly darker and more controlling Liam than in the actual series, but he’s still a sweetheart. Features some old characters and a few new.

All characters belong to Pixelberry.

1,929 words

Chapter 6

Maxwell hears the crunch of tyres on gravel and springs up from his seat on the worn sofa of the great room to look out of the front window that overlooks the driveway. Riley’s already half an hour late for her meeting with Jacob from CTA and Maxwell has been nervously filling the silence in the room with mindless chatter that he can’t seem to control, he needs Riley in here quickly before he inadvertently divulges state secrets.

As she pulls up to the front of the house, a sleep deprived Riley is in no hurry to leave the cozy confines of the warm SUV that’s transported her back to the Beaumont Estate from the Palace. She smiles lazily as she relives the memory of Liam following her into his spacious shower where they both lost track of time, him unknowingly keeping the British diplomat waiting downstairs for their early morning meeting. By the time they emerged from the warm steam that clouded out of the bathroom behind them, Liam’s assistant had left five messages, each increasingly more frantic than the last. When they were eventually decently attired and descending the grand staircase together, his assistant was waiting for him at the bottom, Riley was sure she could detect a scowl aimed at her on the young woman’s face.

The driver opens the rear door for her and Riley climbs out of the car, feeling the burning ache between her thighs. She smiles to herself knowing she’s going to be in Liam’s arms again later that night at the Homecoming Ball. Warily she pushes the door to the house open and can hear Maxwell’s voice carrying out into the lobby from the great room where he’s talking to Jacob. She takes a deep breath and pushes the large oak door of the great room open.

The great room of the Beaumont family estate is warm and inviting, unlike the stuffy formal rooms of the Palace. Cherrywood furniture and matching bookcases fill the large space, two large stylish but worn chesterfield sofas sit at its centre opposite each other, pairs of brown leather wing back armchairs at either side. A large oval coffee table sits in the centre of the room displaying a huge antique porcelain bowl of colourful mixed flowers. Large intricate antique Turkish rugs in hues of gold and burgundy fill the floor, covering the wooden parquet flooring. Floor-to-ceiling windows cover one wall and rich tapestries in elegant dark reds, blues and purples cover the others. The main focal point of the room is a large white marble fireplace with an ornate gold mirror hanging above it and huge brass candelabras on either side. The corner of the fireplace mantle is missing a chunk of marble where, Maxwell had previously informed her, a drunk Leo once accidentally struck it with a sword while duelling with Drake during a legendary Beaumont bash.

Sitting in one of the wing backed chairs is Jacob Henley. He’s good looking in a polished hipster kind of way. Lean and tall with a nicely cut, expensive looking navy blue slim fit suit. An open collared pale pink tailored shirt worn casually with no tie shows off the silhouette of what appears to be a well toned body underneath. His perfectly placed brown hair is swept into a modern side part style. Designer stubble sits around a strong jaw, his full lips give way to dazzling white straight teeth, perfect except for the pointy incisors that give a slightly fox-like look to his features that becomes even more pronounced when he grins. He rises from his chair when he see Riley entering.

“Lady Riley hi, thanks for joining us.”

Riley doesn’t know him well enough yet to tell if he’s being sarcastic due to her tardiness or if his welcome is genuine.

“Hi.” She smiles at both men with a full genuine smile “Sorry I kept you both waiting, I got tied up.”

“Literally I expect.” Maxwell stage whispers to her and she shoots him a look, her face reddening to match the marks left on her neck by Liam.

If Jacob heard Maxwell’s quip or notices the bite marks he chooses to ignore them. Instead he smiles widely at her, looking ever fox-like once again and moves towards her. She takes his outstretched hand in hers expecting him to shake it, but instead he pulls her in and places a kiss on her cheek, his hand lightly touching her waist. She can’t help but feel that his greeting is over friendly for only their second meeting, but she lets it slide. She motions for him to sit and takes a seat on the couch next to Maxwell.

“Jacob here has been telling me about his most high profile clients Riley.” Maxwell gushes. “Did you know he represents Chris Winters the movie star here?”

“No. I didn’t realise that agents were specific to a location, I would have guessed that most Hollywood actors would have agents in LA or possibly New York.” She raises a querying eyebrow to Jacob, who doesn’t seem fazed at all by her scepticism.

“They do, they just pass the buck onto me when they want something done around these parts. I guess you could say I’m more like a sub contractor.” He gives a small tinkling laugh that sounds forced and put on. “Cordonia is trying to raise its profile within the arts, especially in the film industry. It’s already a favourite filming location amongst the top production companies. It’s been used as a location for several blockbuster movies, the most notable being The Last Duchess. We hope to eventually compete with the likes of Cannes for globally recognised film festivals.”

Riley makes the appropriate ‘ooh’ noise and nods at him, the smile plastered on her face making her tired cheek muscles hurt, which in turn makes her blush as she remembers why her cheek muscles are tired.

Jacob, seemingly so wrapped up in his story doesn’t notice the blush. He has a chatty loose manner, as if he’s making small talk at a BBQ with a beer in hand. His smooth patter could be seen by some as arrogance but oddly Riley likes what she’s seen of him so far. He reminds her of the cocky business men who would come into her bar after work, sitting at the bar ordering beers and trying to better one another’s stories.

“Well that sounds exciting doesn’t it Max.” She internally cringes as she hears herself and makes a mental note not to sound so condescending. “So have you had any luck with arranging an interview with Ana de Luca yet Jacob?” She deftly steers the conversation back to his reason for being here.

“Actually I have.” Jacob smirks, looking pleased with himself. “I think we need to strike while the iron is hot so to speak, and line it up for later this week to get it out in next months edition. It’s already been 4 days since the press release regarding the termination of the Kings engagement was put out, we don’t want to drop the ball on this one. We’ve got a real window of opportunity here, we need to use it to our leverage. I’ve already been negotiating with her team and we’ve very nearly got all our ducks in a row.”

“Riiiight.” Riley’s both amused and in awe by the way the way Jacob tosses out meaningless management speak like he’s feeding breadcrumbs to the birds. “Um about that, I need to give you a list of questions that I don’t want to be asked, and that if I am asked, I won’t answer.”

Maxwell raises a quizzical eyebrow at her and she avoids his gaze.

“Of course, that’s not uncommon with these type of things, just email it through to me and I’ll review it and send it off to Ana.” Jacob steeples his fingers and rests his chin lightly on them, his hazel eyes fixed on hers. “Just remember Riley this is your interview, don’t allow the list of approved topics to be too narrow. You want to come across as open and honest to the nation. Not as the Kings mouth piece.”

Riley’s eyes widen and her mouth opens at Jacob’s accurate but bold quip. He notices and shifts uncomfortably in his chair.

“I’m sorry if I spoke out of turn Lady Riley, it’s just...I think it’s clear to all of us who’s pulling the strings here, and he has a whole team of press officers at his disposal to spin anything in a good light for him. This is your life, your chance to shine.” His sentiments echo what she was saying to Liam last night and it comforts Riley’s doubts. He pauses and Riley can feel the hesitation in his voice. “You don’t need to tell me anything about your relationship with the King if you don’t want to, but I’m not wrong that there is one am I? And it’s why he called his engagement to the countess off isn’t it?”

Riley looks at Maxwell with uncertainty, he nods his head at her and she in turn shakes her head at Jacob.

“No, you’re not wrong.”

“I thought so.” Jacob replies.

Suddenly aware of how awful it must sound Riley’s quick to try and defend herself.

“Please don’t think ill of me, I’m not a home wrecker, it’s not like that, it wasn’t…I wasn’t, you know…Um it’s just…complicated” Riley stumbles over the right words to say as she tries to explain the situation to Jacob. Maxwell gives her knee a small pat for support.

“Hey, hey it’s ok. This will work best if we’re open and honest with each other, but it’s entirely up to you how much or little you tell me, ok?”

He flashes her that dazzlingly white fox-like smile again and Riley nods mutely.

“And I promise I will sign all the NDAs that he wants me to.”

That puts Riley’s mind at ease and she makes a mental note to get a non disclosure agreement sent to him immediately.

“Thanks for understanding Jacob, I appreciate it, and I’m sure Liam will too.” He nods encouragingly at her.

“Oooh that’s good Riley." Jacob smiles at her. "That empathy there in your voice, remember how to do that, we can use it to our advantage. I can see it now.” He looks wistfully into the distance. “Mystery Woman turned Scorned Suitor turned Triumphant Queen. The Tonight show will lap it up. I’ll put a call in to the CBC office and see what I can get lined up.” Riley rolls her eyes at Maxwell who lets out a small giggle, covering it with a cough.

“You need to work on your explanation of the engagement situation though, any weaknesses in it and Ana will be all over them like a rash. Anyway, back to the here and now – Trend want a full cover photo shoot to go along with the exposé, it’ll be a two page centre spread. They’ve not had a royal story this big since Prince Leo’s abdication. They will have their own hair and makeup stylists, I’ve already had several up and coming designers requesting to send in samples of their autumn collection for you to wear. We’ll leave it to the Trend team to pick out what they want if that’s okay with you? It is their bread and butter after all.”

“Oh, of course that’s fine, I haven’t really thought that far into it to be honest.” Riley responds honestly.

“I love that flippant nonchalance Riley, keep that up, we can work that angle. Paint you as a confident, successful woman too busy to deal with the trivial issues in her life.” He smiles his foxy smile at her again. “Although we may need to work on that a bit more, the people need to be enamoured with you, not see you as superficial. Don’t worry we’ll work it out.” He adds, rubbing the designer stubble that sits on his chin thoughtfully. “Anyway I’ve got plenty to be getting on with so I’ll leave you two for now, call me if you need anything. I’ll be in touch soon.”

He stands reaching to shake Maxwell’s hand. Riley stands and holds out her hand for him to shake but he ignores it and once again places a hand lightly on her waist leaning in and kissing her on the cheek. It’s in that instant that she knows Liam is going to hate Jacob no matter how she plays this.

“Oh and Riley that Parisian fashion house are very keen to have you on the runway as a celebrity guest for their new collection at Paris fashion week, I’m still hammering out the details with them but I’ll keep you posted. You know how big a deal this is right? Lancelin St Claire was incredibly taken with you when he met you during the engagement tour you know.” He winks at her and strides confidently out of the great room, Maxwell trailing behind him.

Riley flops back down on the cream Chesterfield just as Maxwell re-enters the room.

“Well that’s was interesting.” She breathes out a puff of air from her cheeks.

“Oh my god this is going to be so cool.” Maxwell is virtually buzzing with excitement. “And why did you not tell me about Paris Fashion Week?” He lets out a squeal. “Oooh I’m so excited for it already.”

“Maxwell calm down already will you. We need to get this interview under our belts before we plan anything else. I’m not sure about all this now, it doesn’t seem like such a good idea any more.” She nibbles at her thumb nail nervously.

“It’s gonna be great Little Blossom, you’re going to be on the front cover of Trend. Do you know how much of a big deal that is? Next stop Italian Vogue here we come!”

“Oh god.” Riley groans. “You’re even starting to sound like Jacob now.”

Maxwell chuckles.

“Come on, there’s no time to rest.” He pulls her up by her wrist. “We need to sort your outfit out for the Homecoming Ball tonight, the limo is picking us up at five so we need to get a move on, and I’ve got facepacks and mani-pedis booked in before then.”

#choices trr #TRR Riley #trr mc x liam #trr maxwell #trr fanfic #liam x riley #liam x mc #king liam #the royal romance #pixleberry

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Marvel’s What If…? Reactions Pour In

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains spoilers for Marvel’s Loki.

Are you ready to ponder What If…? Some lucky people have already done so by getting early access to the first few episodes of Marvel’s upcoming animated series, and they’ve now taken to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the show before it debuts. Reactions for the latest Disney+ project are a little bit more mixed than the streamer’s live-action fare to date, but it looks like we’re in for a wile ride nonetheless.

What If…? springboards off the season finale of the Tom Hiddleston-led series Loki, which opened up a can of multiverse worms for both new and established characters of the MCU. Following the recreation of the Marvel multiverse, What If…? will go on to explore various branching timelines that are no longer being pruned by the TVA to halt the arrival of infinite Kangs, and we’ll get to see some major moments from past Marvel Cinematic Universe films happening quite differently.

Jeffrey Wright leads the huge voice cast as Uatu, a member of the alien Watcher race who observes the multiverse. Other MCU actors have also returned to add a new sprinkle of weirdness to Phase 4, including Andy Serkis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benicio Del Toro, Chris Hemsworth, Clark Gregg, Jeff Goldblum, Jeremy Renner, Kurt Russell, Mark Ruffalo, Michael Douglas, Jon Favreau, Josh Brolin , Karen Gillan, Kat Dennings, Paul Bettany, Paul Rudd, Sebastian Stan, Seth Green (as Howard the Duck!), Taika Waititi, Tilda Swinton and Natalie Portman among a host of others. And, yes, Hiddleston too.

What If…? also features a last performance from late Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman in an episode where T’Challa becomes Star Lord.

“It was amazing being able to work with him,” said What If…? director Bryan Andrews “We only got a small moment because our episodes are so short. I think he was one of the first actors to sign on. He wanted to read scene descriptions in between and built it out like a play. None of us knew what he was going through at the time He was excited to play this particular version of T’Challa because it was different. Because it was a version of him playing the King, but the King without the mantel, the royalty and everything else that goes along with it. He could lighten it up and get more jokey with it. He was excited to bring back that flavor to T’Challa.”

Here’s what early viewers are saying about Marvel’s What If…? so far:

I got to see the first three episodes of #WhatIf. This is probably the most "made for TV" concept of the #Marvel #DisneyPlus shows so far. The animation is pretty good, but it's a style that takes a minute to settle into. Nice, brisk, 30 minute episodes. pic.twitter.com/FUTxBhvEyB

— K⁤ａ‌‌i‍ｔ‍l‍⁡y⁠⁠n‌‌ ‍⁣Βоｏｔｈ🎆🏖🎇☀️ (@katiesmovies) August 1, 2021

.@Marvel's #WhatIf is a fascinating and incredibly satisfying look at what might have been. When I did my show with @StanLee, he once told me that he loved thinking about other ways stories could have gone. It made me think of him. That's the best compliment I can ever give. pic.twitter.com/gmpuext3g5

— Jenna Busch (@JennaBusch) August 1, 2021

Watched the first three episodes of #WhatIf this week. Impressed with what’s basically Marvel’s version of the Twilight Zone, they make some bold, out there decisions that I don’t think you’d get away with in live action and I’m looking forward to seeing things Get strange (1/2)

— Tom Percival (@twpercival1) August 1, 2021

I’ve watched the first three episodes of Marvel’s #WhatIf and I’m hooked. Each episode is better than the last w/ the third being my favorite. Love how they take a story we know by heart & twist it in all kinds of ways. It’s like the MCU’s Twilight Zone – weird, wild, good fun pic.twitter.com/PQ9deD1Yyl

— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) August 1, 2021

#WhatIf is a colorful and fun new twist on your favorite MCU stories. The animation makes everything sighing the frame feel like a comic book in motion. And @jfreewright is the perfect storyteller to guide fans on a journey of what if’s & hypotheticals. pic.twitter.com/LHbat3NQ9W

— Michael Lee (@IamMichaelJLee) August 1, 2021

After 3 episodes, Marvel’s What If…? has potential to be their best D+ show yet. Yes, it’s funny and exciting but the way each twist snowballs in hugely surprising ways kept me guessing and engaged too. Ep 2 in particular (with T’Challa) is one of my fave Marvel things in years. pic.twitter.com/KC66EnIQty

— Germain Lussier (@GermainLussier) August 1, 2021

Saw first 3 episodes of #whatif . Loved the comic so I’m obviously primed to enjoy the series and it delivers. 2nd episode is T’Challa as Star-Lord and it’s a great episode that features @chadwickboseman’s voice and cool surprises. 3rd episode is a better mystery than some movies pic.twitter.com/l0SX2xEY86

— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) August 1, 2021

Marvel’s #WhatIf is a whip-smart and refreshing twist on the narratives we know and it commits. Each deftly crafted episode manages to be the perfect length but leaves you wanting more. The look, feel, and tone are all spot on. Great for adults, kids, die-hard and casual fans. pic.twitter.com/9AOKAdB7HA

— Simon Thompson (@ShowbizSimon) August 1, 2021

I've seen the first three episodes of #WhatIf and cannot say enough good things about this show. @MarvelStudios definitely hasn't disappointed with its first foray into animation (it looks amazing), and the premise works brilliantly…you WILL love #CaptainCarter. @whatifofficial pic.twitter.com/TNI39bZicx

— Josh Wilding – ComicBookMovie.com (@Josh_Wilding) August 1, 2021

#WhatIf is… fine? Has tons of fun ideas on what these familiar stories could be. Has crazy easter eggs that will send fans into a frenzy. Animation feels stiff at times but really comes to life when the action ramps up. What really makes me scratch my head is the voice work.. pic.twitter.com/elAvKywU1O

— Charles Villanueva (@cfsvillanueva) August 1, 2021

Marvel's #WhatIf offers compelling twists on the #MCU along with stylish animation and outstanding action. However, the abridged storytelling creates a disjointed feeling, and lacks the Marvel magic and heart of the movies. Plus, many MCU stars are not great voice actors.

— Ethan Anderton (@Ethan_Anderton) August 1, 2021

Maybe it’ll get better as it goes along, but I was not particularly inspired by the episodes of Marvel’s WHAT IF…? sent to critics. Leans too heavily on the “Isn’t this crazy?” factor, never telling particularly compelling stories. Voice acting feels literally phoned in.

— Jacob Hall (@JacobSHall) August 1, 2021

Marvel’s What If…? will be streaming on Disney+ from August 11. The 10-episode Phase 4 series will wrap in October before Hawkeye arrives in November, but a second series is already reportedly in development.

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jillmckenzie1 · 5 years

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Does Whatever A Sequel Can

This review will thoroughly spoil Avengers: Endgame. Proceed at your own risk.

Stan Lee used to talk about “the illusion of change.” It was a concept they used at Marvel Comics, and I imagine it’s still in use today. If you’re a comic book writer for one of the major publishers, you have a very fine line to walk. You need to make it seem as if the life of your character is changing, but have them remain essentially the same.

For example, Peter Parker starts off as a geeky high school kid. He has trouble dating. He never has quite enough money to do much of anything. While big-time superheroes like The Avengers enjoy fame and adulation, Peter has to deal with newspaper headlines about his costumed alter ego reading, “SPIDER-MAN: THREAT OR MENACE?”* He’d move on to college, move on to a job, yet the same problems would swirl around him. The core of Peter Parker in the comics was a good guy constantly getting crapped on by the universe when he either avoids his obligations or doesn’t balance them properly.

That’s the way superhero comics functioned traditionally. These days, film in general, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in particular, can’t operate the same way. Audiences are by and large savvier. They expect character development in tandem with their thrills, and if they can’t get it theatrically, they only have hundreds of options to pick from through streaming services.

If you’re a cog in the vast machinery of the MCU, you have one chance to get it right. So how are you supposed to follow up an extinction level event and the deaths of some very popular characters in Avengers: Endgame? Simple — you take a vacation. Spider-Man: Far From Home is about exactly that, the idea that everyone needs a breather after big stuff happens, but the real world is always there waiting for you.

We can appreciate why Peter Parker (Tom Holland) needs a break. Just when he’s starting to get comfortable juggling his life as a high schooler with his career as a crimefighter, a shouty purple guy named Thanos arrives on Earth and poofs half of all life out of existence. This is known as The Blip, and Peter is one of those people. Five years later, he’s resurrected along with everyone else, just in time to be plunged into an apocalyptic battle. Thanos is defeated, but Peter watches his mentor Tony Stark die. Poor Pete has to acclimate himself to a world that’s moved on without him. Everywhere he goes, he sees reminders of what he’s lost.

The good news is, his school has put together a two week trip to Europe. This is a golden opportunity for Peter. He’ll have a chance to tourist up, hang with his pal Ned (Jacob Batalon), and confess his growing attraction to M.J. (Zendaya). His Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) thinks the trip is a good idea and suggests he might consider bringing along his Spider-Man duds. Just in case.

Pete isn’t feeling the jumping and thwipping while he’s on vacation and politely declines. He also politely and repeatedly declines the phone calls from super-spy Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), who thinks Peter would be a dandy recruit. Why? It turns out there are reports of rampaging elemental creatures across the globe. Complicating matters is the arrival of the enigmatic Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), also known as Mysterio. He explains that he’s from an alternate universe, one where the elementals destroyed his world. He says he’s here to help. Fury believes him, and orders Peter to assist.

Did I also mention that Peter is bequeathed a stylish pair of glasses from Tony Stark? Code-named “EDITH,” these shades give Peter absolute control over all of Stark’s A.I. and technology. It’s keeping in character that this was a Very Bad Idea on the part of the late Stark.** Now, Peter must juggle destructive elementals, a mysterious ally, a Nick Fury who doesn’t respect personal boundaries and finding just the right moment to tell M.J. that he’s kinda crushing on her. All in a day’s work, right?

If Avengers: Endgame was a multi-course feast capping off the MCU, Spider-Man: Far From Home is the mint. Instead of sturm, drang, and bittersweet endings, this film acts as a palate cleanser. It puts a period on Phase Three of the MCU in a way that’s light and very funny.

Returning from Spider-Man: Homecoming is director Jon Watts. He’s one of the best fits in the MCU, as he’s able to balance comedy, creative action, and a smidge of intrigue, all without too much of a sacrifice in terms of pacing. While Homecoming maintains a tight focus throughout, Far From Home occasionally meanders. The first half feels slightly too cutesy, but Watts never allows it to meander too much, and he’s able to nab our attention with cleverly shot action sequences. There are a couple of moments of heavy surrealism plucked directly from the comics that I adored. He’s stitched together a high-school comedy and a summer blockbuster, and everything fits cleanly. Plus, I liked that we’re not confronted with world-ending stakes again.

Writers Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna also return, and like a number of films in the MCU, they have an occasional bad habit of undercutting moments of emotion with a quip. It’s a minor annoyance, considering how strong their approach toward character is. The core of Spider-Man is the idea that with great power comes great responsibility. Go back and watch the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, and you’ll see Tobey Maguire playing a guy either consumed with guilt or resenting his bad luck. That approach fits the character, especially during his early days. In Far From Home, Sommers and McKenna shade that concept of reacting to responsibility differently. Their Peter will immediately deal with obligations in the short-term but frequently blow them off in the long-term. Here, Peter is a little more innocent, a little more wistful, a little more like a teenager fumbling into adulthood.

Everyone in Watts’ cast has a moment to shine. Zendaya does nice work as the deadpan M.J., using intelligence and snark as an emotional shield. As Mysterio, Jake Gyllenhaal is having a blast. He’s playing a blend of the cool uncle for the benefit of Peter, and a guy who’s a little too sure of himself. Tom Holland isn’t given a moment with the same kind of power as the one in Avengers: Infinity War, but he doesn’t need one. This isn’t that kind of movie, and his Peter is a charming and likable kid who wants to do the right thing but is cursed with being a tiny bit of a flake.

Granted, Spider-Man: Far From Home lacks the blazing creativity of last year’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. That’s okay! Along with a couple of hugely entertaining post-credits scenes, the film cements the character of Peter Parker while pointing him in an intriguing direction for the future. It looks like there’s real change on the horizon. I can get behind that.

*I always loved how in the comics, The Daily Bugle was Fox News before Fox News.

**Before you treat that as a poorly written subplot, consider that the MCU has established a precedent in which Tony Stark impulsively has ideas that are equally brilliant and idiotic.

from Blog https://ondenver.com/does-whatever-a-sequel-can/

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carewyncromwell · 3 years

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Hi guys, no written update for the POTC AU, but I went ahead and did a reference sheet for Duncan Ashe, both above water looking like a human and below water in his real merman form! (Honestly, it’s little wonder why Jacob did a double-take, seeing his First Mate and boyfriend's true appearance for the first time.) Naturally when Duncan is partially out of the water, i.e. back before he became Jacob’s partner when he was trying to charm a human, he looks a bit more half-and-half, like a more stereotypical image of a mermaid/man --

Rather like the mermaids seen in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Duncan (or “Ashe” as Jacob almost exclusively calls him in just about all universes, no matter how much time passes) becomes more and more human, the more he’s out of the water. The more wet his scales are, the more visible they become -- as they dry out, his skin becomes much more flesh-like, the webbing between his fingers slims down, his arm spines retract, and his tail and flippers separate into legs and feet. Above water his brown eyes also adjust for the difference in light and look like a human’s -- otherwise they appear much more fish-like with no white in the eye.

Merfolk in general I see as carnivores, even when they are like Ashe and have decided not to actively eat people, so you’d best believe Ashe is rather disinterested in eating much of anything that isn’t meat. Hardtack in particular he loathes like few things in this world. He tends to eat fish more often, for obvious reasons, but while living as a human, he’s also acquired a taste for traditional blood pudding, eggs, and pork sausage. Ashe has also learned to like most types of alcohol as they’re easier to keep on board ship than fresh water.

Merfolk also by and large are not family or pack-oriented, except for a few lone exceptions (for instance, AU!Kai Williams and Keira Jones @hphm-brooke, who are a merman and mermaid who actively hunt together) -- sometimes they will hunt in groups if their prey outnumbers them, but they’re rather like octopi in the way that they’re abandoned quickly at birth and don’t live together in families. This is partially why Ashe found Jacob and his intense affection for his younger sister so particularly odd and why he’s become so attached to Jacob overall. Never having known anyone who would so willingly and without hesitation put their life on the line for the sake of someone else (as opposed to for their own benefit) before, Ashe sees Jacob as singularly unique among humans and is understandably very protective of him, especially now that Jacob has extended that same level of devotion to Ashe himself. He probably would’ve ripped Rakepick’s throat out with his teeth for trying to kill Jacob, if they hadn’t been surrounded by a regiment of soldiers and time wasn’t of the essence. This doesn’t mean Ashe is always very good at expressing his intense feelings for Jacob, though -- he’s more likely to show his attachment through physical touching and close proximity more than compliments or declarations of love, though he sometimes will give gifts. He himself was particularly touched when -- after he and Jacob first became a couple -- Jacob split up a pair of gold doubloon earrings so they could each wear one, to indicate their partnership.

Finally, like the mermaid Syrena in response to Phillip, Ashe has the supernatural ability to sense the emotions and intentions of humans, when in close contact with them. He pretty instantly picked out that Jacob was different from the other pirates on board Howell Davis’s ship when he first took time to pay attention, even if he was too far away to get a proper fix on Jacob. Upon colliding with Carewyn for the first time, Ashe pretty quickly deduced that she resembled Jacob in her courage, selflessness, and cleverness (evident by how she overcame Charles Cromwell), but upon getting a better look at her, he could also sense a very different attitude, one much less aggressive, impulsive, and eccentric than Jacob’s. Ashe also could sense, while they were in Jacob’s cabin, that Carewyn suspected that Ashe was more than he appeared, and yet also was completely sincere in her gratitude to him for saving Jacob. This was the thing that makes Ashe actually now feel some flickers of respect for Carewyn, to the point that he might come to see her as a “second exception” to his general distaste of humans.

#potc au #duncan ashe #jacob #jacob cromwell #carewyn cromwell #my art #now why you see why I have the tag 'oh boy here i go' on my home blog LOL #oh also ashe is kind of confused by orion amari #he can sense that he's different from a lot of other pirates too but he's just so...'nice'#AKA pacifistic #it kind of weirds ashe out #also yes ashe's hat is based off will's at the end of the first movie #he's the stylish one out of him and jacob in all universes #also d'oh! I forgot to draw his earring on his merman form #oh well #a real update will come soon I swear XD;#hopefully y'all will like this anyway...#also if you'd like anything more in-depth about some of the other AU players in the story feel free to send an ask!#I could do these for AU!bill jacob carewyn rakepick whatever to fill in the gaps where I can't do full updates #I anticipate as the election approaches I might not be able to update every day...

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medproish · 6 years

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SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you want a completely spoiler-free experience going into “Avengers: Infinity War.”

“Avengers: Infinity War,” a.k.a. “What If Marvel Threw a Superhero Party and Everyone Came?,” feels like a movie that the American Entertainment State had to get out of its system. It’s the 19th entry in the Marvel Comics Universe, but it’s the first to push to the wall, to the max, to the ultron the notion that the MCU really is a universe: a vast intermeshed thicket of comic-book icons, destined to be an army that’s greater (in theory, at least) than the sum of its parts. If, for decades, the metaphor for propulsive blockbuster filmmaking was the “ride,” then watching “Avengers: Infinity War” is like going to a theme park and taking three spins on every ride there.

Set in deep space, and in half a dozen lands (New York, Wakanda, Titan, Knowhere), the film presents a galactic battle for the fate of the universe that throws together the six original Avengers; the follow-up wave of Marvel superheroes who’ve only recently been given their own origin stories (Black Panther, Dr. Strange, the rebooted Spider-Man); the Guardians of the Galaxy; and a sprinkling of other figures who’ve been there on the fringes. (I had to scratch my head to remember what Vision’s powers are, but he remains the coolest shade of Revlon.) The movie is a knowingly gargantuan Marvel mashup, so jam-packed with embattled uber saviors that you may feel, at times, like all that’s missing is Dwayne Johnson, Jesus Christ, and the cast of the last two “Star Wars” films.

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So is the movie a jumbled, top-heavy mess of cynical franchise overkill? Sort of like the bloated and chaotic “Avengers: Age of Ultron” taken to the second power? Far from it. It’s a sleekly witty action opera that’s at once overstuffed and bedazzling. The directors, Anthony and Joe Russo, as they proved in the two “Captain America” sequels, are far more stylish and exacting filmmakers than Joss Whedon, who made the first two “Avengers” films. “Infinity War” is a brashly entertaining jamboree, structured to show off each hero or heroine and give them just enough to do, and to update their mythologies without making it all feel like homework. At the same time, you may begin to lose hold of what made each of these characters, you know, special.

Early on, a donut-shaped alien spaceship lands in midtown Manhattan, allowing the effete Continental sadist Ebony Maw (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor), who’s like a kick-ass version of the Ghost of Jacob Marley, to ring-lead some FX street mayhem. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), after trying and failing to match Ebony in wisecracks and firepower, gets sucked into the ship, and it’s up to Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) to rescue him, with an assist from Spider-Man (Tom Holland), a pop-culture geek who wonders if he’s in the middle of an “Alien” film, and who Tony outfits with anti-gravity armor. Once Tony and Strange are thrown together, you can’t help but notice that both are imperious quipsters with matching goatees, and they razz each other exquisitely, the main difference being that Strange keeps forming those light circles that look like they’re made out of sparklers. Tony, of course, has his zippy metal power suits, but a number of the other characters do, too, including Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), who after the opening fight spends the entire film trying and failing to call forth his inner Hulk.

“Avengers: Infinity War” can, at times, make it feel like you’re at a birthday party where you got so many presents that you start to grow tired of opening them. But taken on its own piñata-of-fun terms, it’s sharp, fast-moving, and elegantly staged. It also has what any superhero movie worth its salt requires: a sense that there’s something at stake.

The urgency derives, in this case, from the film’s villain, Thanos, the malevolent Dark Lord of the wrecked planet Titan, played by Josh Brolin (in a supremely effective motion-capture performance) as a towering armored walking-statue demon with a chin sculpted like Abraham Lincoln’s beard, and a demeanor of soft-spoken Nietzschean intelligence. He’s like Hellboy, the Hulk, Darth Vader, and Oliver Stone rolled into one eloquent sociopath. Thanos’ master plan could hardly be simpler — and neither, despite its gushing river of characters, could the film’s storyline. Thanos is on a mission to gather all six of the Infinity Stones (candy-colored gems named for Mind, Soul, Time, Power, Space, and Reality), several of which are in the hands of our heroes (Vision, played by Paul Bettany, has one of them embedded in his forehead). If Thanos succeeds, it would allow him, in a mad instant, to destroy half the beings in the universe.

This seems like the most dastardly of plans, and is. Yet Thanos thinks of himself as a genocidal humanitarian (sort of like Chairman Mao). The universe’s resources are limited, and he intends to slice the population in half so that what remains of it can thrive. Brolin infuses Thanos with his slit-eyed manipulative glower, so that the evil in this movie never feels less than personal. It also feels like a force that might just require 20 superheroes to stop it.

At a few key moments, the war really does get personal, as when Thanos is reunited with Gamora (Zoe Saldana), the adoptive stepdaughter he rescued as a girl in the midst of wiping out her planet. She won’t give into him now, even when he’s got her android half-sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan), suspended and torturously stretched into her metallic body parts. Saldana, in a ripely emotional performance, plays Gamora like a raging refugee from an abusive home, and the resolution of her conflict with Thanos gives “Infinity War” the (rare) moving moment it needs.

Gamora’s fellow Guardians, meanwhile, are off doing what they do: saving the cosmos (to the tune of the Spinners’ “The Rubberband Man”), but never letting that endeavor get in the way of their ability to take the piss out of each other. The two Marvel franchises come crashing together — literally — when the bloody, barely sentient Thor (Chris Hemsworth) bumps into the windshield of the Guardians’ ship. There is much mooning over his muscles (Drax: “It’s like a pirate had a baby with an angel!”), which is funny, and so is the rivalrous back-and-forth between Thor and Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), who in contrast to the stentorian stud of Asgard has never seemed more of a dude. He feels like he’s got to lower his voice just to keep up with him.

The Guardians split into two factions, with Rocket (Bradley Cooper) and the sulky, video-game-playing adolescent Groot (Vin Deisel) heading off with Thor, who refers to Rocket as “the rabbit.” Then, just when you’re sure that the film has more than enough spinning subplots, along comes Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans in a beard that, frankly, is less becoming to his role than the one sported by Thor. Hemsworth wears his facial hair as a sign of the character’s battered-but-unbowed soul, but in Evans’ case it looks as if it’s not just Rogers but the actor who has grown a bit depressed at the prospect of being Captain America. The team he’s leading — he’s got Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and War Machine (Don Cheadle) in tow — feels like the least exciting, and the most extraneous to the main action.

“Infinity War” brims with tensely spectacular combat sequences, even if the question of who’s going to win each one has that extravagantly arbitrary could-Mighty-Mouse-beat-up-Superman? quality. Luminous daggers get plunged into bodies, to no effect. Thor, after meeting with his weapons guru (Peter Dinklage, acting very Shakespeare) and bracing himself against the burning force of a star, gets a new super-hammer — an ax, actually — which is presented as an ultimate tool until it fails, at a crucial moment, to do what we think it’s going to do. (The weirdest thing about superhero movies is that they’re bombastically physical…and metaphysical. Which often doesn’t make sense.) The climax is set in Wakanda, where T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) doesn’t have much to do besides orchestrate a battle against an army of squishy alien beasties. It isn’t until the arrival of Thanos that the sequence takes off not just visually but dramatically.

Of all the things that have ever happened in an MCU movie, there will be much chatter about the ending of “Infinity War.” It is dark and spooky and, in its way, chancy and shocking. Do any of our beloved characters die? Well, yes. But, in fact, the ending is so audacious that you realize it’s all an elaborate card trick. Despite what it shows us, these movies are rarely about more leading to less. Count on the sequel — due one year from now — to demonstrate that more, in the MCU, will lead only to more.