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she-posts-nerdy-stuff · 5 months

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Symbols I would be making sure were present (or adding) if I were producing the Six of Crows TV show

(Btw I’ve been writing my own script for a bit of fun since the cancellation news so if anyone wants to see that I’ll tag you, and the save S&B petition is also on my page if anyone wants the link)

EDIT: Sorry I should’ve put this I forgot; SA reference warning for the second point, nothing explicit but in talking about Inej’s experiences and the experiences of women in Greek mythology 🖤

FLOWERS. I want geraniums on the Exchange balcony from chapter 2 and I want reference to the geraniums at 19 Burstradt, I want Matthias the big brooding yellow tulip contrasted with the red tulips laid on his chest and in the water after his death, I want crocuses at the Hoede manor, I want jurda blossoms in Jesper’s flashbacks and maybe Kaz’s too (and probably crocuses in his), I want geraniums hidden all over the caravan and circus tent in Inej’s flashbacks, I want wild flowers in Wylan’s hands on the way to St Hilde’s that get discarded in the lobby, I want wisteria growing outside St Hilde’s, I want blue tulips painted on the floor tiles at St Hilde’s, I want white roses all over Nina’s room in Ketterdam and I want to hear the comment about how all the flowers at the White Rose are perfumed by hand, I want a cascade of geraniums falling all over Kaz and Inej as they tumble of Goedmed Bridge, I want lavish flower arrangements at the Menagerie accented by peacock feathers, I COULD TALK ABOUT THE FLOWER SYMBOLISM IN THESE BOOKS FOR YEARS I WANT IT NOTICED LET’S GO

BIRDS. I want crows, I want pigeons, I want nightingales (that one’s my personal addition but oh boy do I have reasons; Nightingales are a symbol of immortality in literature and could be painted on the tiles at St Hilde behind the wisteria for all the same symbolic reasons the wisteria’s there; in Greek mythology Philomela prayed to the gods to escape her Tereus, who had raped her and intended to kill her, and they turned her into a nightingale, representing freedom and imprisonment at the same time because she’d lost who she was so this wasn’t true freedom DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW BADLY I NEED A NIGHTINGALE TO CROSS THE SCREEN WHILST INEJ CONTEMPLATES HAVING COMMITTED MURDER AND HER PERSONAL MORAL AND RELIGIOUS IMPLICATIONS OF THAT!!?? I’m going crazy), I want more emphasis on the bird cage in Heleen’s office because in its three seconds of screen time in season one I was SOLD on how genius it was, I want peacocks EVERYWHERE, I want to be so committed to the birds vibe that we can start throwing in a whole load of new birds for other symbolism!! Let’s have owl symbolism around Wylan and Jesper, let’s have heavy emphasis on Nina as the little red bird, let’s talk about the nightingale again because I’m obsessed

KOMEDIE BRUTE. I have talked before about how I think the costumes each character wears are symbolic and directly linked to their arc but it was a long time ago and I updated it a few times based on replies so if anyone wants a full updated version of my thoughts on that lemme know, I also wrote a thing about how I think Mr Crimson could possibly be an omen of death so again if anyone’s interested let me know - I’ll either tag you or write a post fully involving all my Komedie Brute thoughts. I want Nina as the lost bride, Wylan and Inej in matching grey imp costumes, Kaz in the madman’s mask, Jesper and Matthias as Mr Crimson, all of them as Mr Crimson with a black tear in their masks, silver coins thrown all over the staves, costume shops on Ketterdam streets. I want Jackal masks and Drüskelle “costumes” in plain view on market stalls and in shop windows, and as an add on to that I want references to Nina’s fake Kefta being Kerch-made and uncomfortable to wear.

PURPLE. I want purple stadwatch uniforms, I want purple kruge notes, I want purple decor in the Geldrenner, I want purple silks in Inej’s flashbacks.

TREES. I want so many reminders that trees are sacred to Fjerdans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This has already been done really well in the show but I would want to maintain it; I want to see Matthias praying when Wylan fells the tree before the Ice Court heist, I want his indignation over the relevance of the sacred ash tree, I want to see the look on Nina’s face when she realises Brum has walked her all the way around the sacred ash instead of crossing underneath it (at the time she thinks it’s because she’s pretending to be a prostitute but later we understand it’s because she’s Grisha and I know we couldn’t have had Nina’s internal thoughts in this scene even though I wish we could have but we can still have hints!!!)

SEALS AND STAMPS. I want to see a blue wax seal with a peacock feather pattern, a black seal with a crow, a pale green stamp for the bank, a purple stamp for government correspondence, I want a stack of letters with unbroken red seals with a laurel wreath crest hidden under Wylan’s mattress.

RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS. Ok there’s loads we could say here but specifically I want “rich as saints in crowns of gold” contrasted with “if it was worth anything Heleen would have taken it. But this is just a simple token of faith that my mother stitched”, I want the imagery of Ghezen contrasting the imagery of the Saints contrasting the imagery of Djel, and I so so badly want “Djel is the god of life, not death”

#someone save this show and then hire meeeeee #I have too many ideas #save shadow and bone #save six of crows #grishaverse #six of crows #crooked kingdom #leigh bardugo #inej ghafa #kaz brekker #nina zenik #jesper fahey #matthias helvar #wylan van eck #kanej #wesper #helnik

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spinningalbinoturtle · 6 months

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Lotr characters and their dogs (and other pets)

Frodo

Canonically not a dog person but also just has cat person vibes

He has two cats one of them is a chubby gray kitty named Luthien and she is incredibly spoiled. A birthday present from Bilbo

His other cat is a stray who hates everyone but Frodo- its super scrangly and Sam calls it Gollum and it stuck

After the Quest Frodo gets a little beagle service dog that helps him with PTSD and other medical stuff

Sam

Pre Quest had an old basset hound named Fingon. His dad said they didn’t have room for it but Sam insisted on feeding it and when he moved in with Frodo it came along.

Post quest he has a border collie named Ellie (short for Galadriel) who helps him replant the shire

He also keeps chickens at Bag End and spoils them a bit. They are just for eggs

Also has a little dairy cow for fresh milk. Her name is Bell after his mom

Merry

The Brandybucks have a pack of mastiffs and they love Merry. Frodo is terrified of them

They also have several feral maine coones that lounge around their manor and also love Merry but hate everyone else

Has a full size horse post quest which he is very proud of and scares the other hobbits. Its name is Theoden

Pippin

Lets be honest with ourselves Pippin has a lab who has the exact same personality as him and they go everywhere together. Its name is something really basic like Buddy

He also keeps turtles and has a whole menagerie for them. They’re all named after different foods

Aragorn

Aragorn has a husky/malamute that he found on his travels north. He howls back and forth with it and is convinced he can understand it. When he becomes king it sits at the foot of his throne and occasionally will randomly howl in the middle of a meeting.

Horse girl all the way. Brego is his bestie. Man takes excellent care of his horse and buys all kinds of extraneous shit for it.

Boromir

Denethor has a pack of vicious looking dogs but Boromir has a Dalmatian that loves him so much

Faramir adopts it for a while after Boromir dies but Faramir is much more of a cat person, so ultimately its adopted by Aragorn and becomes mates with his husky. The puppies go to his and Arwens kids

Legolas

This could go one of two ways-either he has a super graceful hunting dog like a greyhound or whippet or he has a little pomeranian he dresses up and treats like a baby

He has tried to domesticate the spiders with little success maybe because he’s also killed a lot of them

Gimli

Gimli is a terrier person. He has a little Scottish terrier who sits on his lap all the time when he’s working. Gimli made it a little sweater and it hates Legolas (its jealous of Legolas stealing Gimli’s attention).

He also keeps canaries and they are very well cared for and all have names and he’s the only one who can tell them apart

Eowyn

Has a massive Rottweiler who is super intimidating to everyone except Eowyn. It has bitten Grima multiple times. Around Eowyn it acts like a little puppy.

She also loves her horse as all Rohirrim do.

I could also see her as raising ferrets or chinchilas as well

Faramir

Firmly a cat person

Doesn’t mind dogs but vastly prefers cats

Has six of them and they’re all rescues. Their names are : Mithrandir, Radagast, Varda, Melian, Beren, and Pippin.

Eowyn indulges her crazy cat husband even when their house is overrun with kittens

Arwen

Also firmly a cat person

She’s fine Aragorn’s dog but that’s just cause its well trained

Usually just has one or two cats at a time. They’re a special breed from Lothlorien and they’re really beautiful. They like to sit on her lap and purr. They’re also vicious mousers.

Eomer

Has a big great dane who hangs out in Edoras. Its super sweet and dorky. Everyone loves it.

#lotr #frodo baggins #eowyn #aragorn #sam gamgee #merry brandybuck #boromir #legolas #pippin took #samfro #arwen undomiel #gimli #faramir

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delicrieux · 3 months

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𝑻𝑰𝑴𝑬 𝑻𝑶 𝑷𝑹𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑫, 2. summer 1972, august

pairing for this chapter—regulus black x f!lestrange!reader warnings for this chapter—none! word count—2.3k

regulus can get quite mean in the sweltering summer heat.

masterlist | buy me coffee☕ | ttp masterlist | < back | next >

the grandiose patio is lined with wet footprints. yours. and regulus’. the sunshine is too unkind to him – burnt easily, he seems even more miserable in summer. he’s not much fond of water, even if you constantly drag him into the depths of the pool. the chlorine reeks, he had said displeased, trying to swat away his wet hair from his eyes. you had fought, tooth and nail, not to state, you reek. it would’ve obviously been a joke, and sirius would have laughed so merrily at your boundless wit, but regulus would have flushed in embarrassment and confined himself to silence.

you don’t like much when regulus is silent. in fact, you don’t fancy silence at all. father’s silence usually entails bad news, and mother is always silent. your house is too big to retain any noise, and rodolphus is contemplative and rabastan doesn’t take up enough space. with bella here, perhaps things will become more rowdy.

already, she’s turning everything upside down in what she has dubbed ‘the great upheaval.’ the new lady lestange has expensive taste and moody preferences, and so the walls are getting painted, and all sorts of curious trophies and relics from the depths of gringotts are being brought as decorations. she had let you practice explosive magic to knock down a bookcase she believed to be misplaced. you had been very thrilled to help.

now, though, the pleasant buzz of nature is satisfactory. the gardens and the orchard have remained untouched, though the greenhouse has been smashed completely. the remnants of glass glimmer on the sun-sparkled grass, a perfect spot to avoid as the pool beckons your return. not that mother's menagerie had been of much interest to anyone for years. the servants had tended to it, but it remained vacant of visitors, except the rare moments rabastan felt particularly sentimental. all those exotic butterflies spilled into the crisp, open air. it was quite magical. regulus was particularly down that evening.

of course, bella hadn't given much faff for any of it, so you don't dwell. a morning in the sun is a morning in the sun, after all. and, surely, if mother isn't to care for her property, then why should you?

"you recon sister will hire more staff?" you muse aloud. regulus has languidly settled under an olive tree, the leaves framing the thin, half-naked body like an all-too-pale depiction of pieta. his head hangs, the burn-warmed skin glowing, "without me to help she’ll hardly be able to manage all of these household duties."

regulus raises a brow at that, "what have you done exactly to help," the way he says it is half-chiding, half-mocking. as though he thinks that's the way to speak to the owner of the manor, "you blow up bookshelves."

you turn away from his stare, and keep yourself upright against the pool, knees scraping against the pebbles.

"well," you reply with a sniff, "if you had not noticed, she has taken a shine to me."

"shines are used for small jewels."

you hit his leg in a mindless display of violence.

his sharp inhale isn't playful – "what was that for?!"

"that was for talking down to me." you scoff. and his cheeks grow red, but not because you caught him in his error.

his next response is bitter. "i see how it is," the pitch of his voice rising ever-so-slightly, a subtle crack in a violin string, "you grow more pompous every day."

with his legs folded under his chin, arms crossed tightly, his discomfort in his position isn't masked as well as his emotion is. his wide eyes belie an even wider sadness. a hunger, a wanting for the type of affection a mother provides. something you'll never want to think too hard on because you understand, but also have been told by father not to ponder on.

"was that you attempting to speak down to me again?"

"no!" he snaps back, before muttering, "not that you wouldn't deserve it."

your temper has spiked. that isn't fair, what did he know of all that you must put up with! father expects a lot, and yet you are not given enough to do, but your brothers still complain at everything, and then you must put on a smiling face in front of bella, and how rude is he, really, to disrespect you so!

regulus doesn't receive a single hint of a reply from you. if his plan to make you more malleable to conversation wasn't working, he could start something of his own.

"have you made up your mind," the subject switch makes you jump, "about what house?"

oh. he hasn't stopped prodding since the end of june. that's almost cute of him.

"why are you obsessed about this?"

regulus makes a face. "don't try to understand. i just am," he pauses. for once, he regards you carefully, head tilting slightly to one side, "so you have made up your mind."

"slytherin sounds lovely," you admit, as you have been practising this speech in the mirror for a fortnight now. it feels more real coming out of your own mouth and not an apparition's. you could never admit to gryffindor, as your secret would unravel. regulus would spot his brother’s influence, and he would know, with certainty, that you prefer sirius to him. he must know already, but chooses to ignore it, like you chose to ignore all things inconvenient.

regulus stills for a moment. "wonderful," he comments, and resumes the snootiness of his demeanour, but more distant, "i'll definitely be in slytherin,"

yes, clearly, he would suit the snake very well. and he would fit in, like cissy. no matter the apparent fragility to him, it seems to be hiding a will stronger than all of yours combined. his eyes glitter and gleam when the sunlight hits them just right, but their core seems deeper, darker. no cracks or fissures. just an endlessness.

"and so would you," he finishes the sentiment.

"wh- whatever do you mean?!" you cry in his face, startled out of the depths of your musings.

"dear cousin," he simpers, "for how much time must your father spend pontificating on how utterly useless you are before you realise i'm in your same boat."

he may not mean it, but the insult is unbearable. and perhaps there's a sliver of truth that irks you. that your own kin think so lowly of your abilities. but, nonetheless, "behind my back, at least," you sound, "please, regulus, don't say such things to my face!"

he snorts, faintly amused at your ridiculousness, "will it make you feel better if i apologise?"

you huff. your pride has been bruised. he has, as always, thrown you into a sulk, which will be harder and harder to get over now. especially with you sitting a little more self-conscious than you had been ten minutes ago. and really, it had been such a pleasant afternoon. sweltering, and you bask in sunlight like you're famished for it. the rivera had been sweet, always bright and sunny, but england is hardly ever not gloomy. yes, the weather is worth more mental effort than regulus black, you decide. you would rather converse with a house-elf than him. he, yes, is useless, but you have some use, surely.

"think before you speak," you warn, not very menacingly, "honestly, if my life is already doomed, you'll not aid in ruining it any further."

"what life? father dotes on you endlessly. even if you've got not a single brain cell, he still fancies you," he drawls, "really, you're like a pet. a mooncalf. not a thought behind those eyes."

there it is. the nerve that tics. and though he'd spoken in a lazy, pensive drawl, your response is razor-edged and dagger-thorned. you're the blight. the aphids that sully. the plagues of locusts, “so what!" you counter, and you're barely standing on the border, "what is it my trouble? at least my father loves me, which is too much to say of your own."

regulus rises sharply. it is the fastest he's ever moved in all his life. that face would strike a serpent cold, you imagine. "take. that. back." his tone is chillingly even.

but a quick wit has always served you best, "no. not till you're nice to me."

"fine," the sun casts an angry, dark shadow of his figure over the pool. only eleven, yet he might be the most daunting creature you've ever encountered. all long lines, jutting ribs, and pale skin. and those eyes. downturned, forlorn. a regal hazel. the lids are flutter-thick.

the silence that settles is thick with discomfort. you think of your mother’s room at the top floor, how hot she must be with the heavy curtains drawn. it would be good to air it, lest she grows sicker from breathing in all of that old dust. yes, you shall let a servant know as soon as you finish chipping away at regulus’ resolve with your withering glare.

finally, slowly, carefully, "you won't tell mother i upset you, will you?"

"aunt walburga has much to preoccupy her. of course i won't."

he takes this as enough an acquiescence.

you find a part of him has softened. the edges, maybe.

"why should i apologise anyway," he adds, as if by way of an attempt at conversing in your manner, "the truth needs no apology."

his voice, not that of his father's but certainly not the poshest, has something odd about it.

he waits for a few more seconds, in what you gather, is a wait for an excuse to take the blow off of himself. you keep thinking, and these thoughts blunder quickly about. of mother’s room and father’s study, of rabby down in the cellar, of rodolphus prancing around his new wife. of sirius locked in his guest room, all of his muggle trinkets confiscated. sirius would have a laugh if he wasn’t too busy sulking. this impish row would cheer him up.

you've accepted the role now. it feels like a coronation. the signet ring would fit. pretty thing.

"regulus," you start, but can't keep your straight face. his stare bores into you, until the laugh finally escapes.

"you twit!" he accuses you, "i thought you were really angry for a moment! good thing i wouldn't actually worry, with how loose tongued you are. and stupid! to think, everyone always bellows about how pleasant and intelligent you are."

"could hardly be talking of me," you say, feeling not very bitter, but the taste of it is tart on the back of your tongue. this is a new pattern. a childish bickering, or even teasing, "i've never wanted to know anything. everyone else is terribly inquisitive."

regulus just eyes you in bewilderment. as though your view on the world is rather strange. regulus is fond of reading, and he has a plethora of curious facts to share to anyone who would listen. he had been more vocal of them when he was younger, but at eleven, he's growing very reserved and respectable.

to anyone but you, it seems, because he's rude and standoffish in your presence, even if his cheeks start to burn when you catch him staring at you. maybe you should've let him know. it'd be sweet to see his eyes widen in surprise, or his lips purse. that'd be worth all his rude jokes and unwarranted insults. his silence has allowed him to believe that all his sentiments are harmless. but they are not.

perhaps you are useless, not even a little bit useful at all, if a mere boy who's still gangly and graceless has you wound around his little finger, while not even knowing it. you can't decide if that's better or worse than knowing. it doesn't really matter anyway. when the family meetings took place late in the evening, and you were pointedly dismissed, you had decided you shan't ever want to know anything. to live in simple bliss of a fantasy, to enjoy what you're good at enjoying, and never touch the dirt of any of their messy problems. the end of childhood doesn't concern you, no more than any of the scandals you overhear and promptly ignore. gossip you adore, but only if it's mindless, like a poor matching colour of a robe.

the rest you are well off without.

pretty thing, mother had once called you when awake. her gaze had been vacant. you refused to decipher the meaning, if there was any to begin with. pretty things needn’t be sensible, they only need to be admired.

regulus offers you his hand. a rarity, him touching you, because he rarely is one for contact. especially with you, it had seemed. the small, slim fingers don’t tremble in their wait, "want to swim?"

your earlier mood melts away like the heat waves over the warm stone. the blood has flushed both your skins, but his more.

it's not important anyway.

"thought you don't like water," you say smugly, happy to lord over this very basic information you know of him over his head, "you'll look like a prune."

regulus wrinkles his nose in distaste at the idea. his pale complexion is so easy to scorch and scar. the redness blooms on him beautifully.

but then, all he says is, "you're my favourite, you know that, right? always have been."

the pleasantry, in such an instant, brings another surge of blood to your cheeks.

"why?" you have to know.

a shrug, then, a smile. not malicious at all, and you've always enjoyed it when he can't hold the pretences up in your company.

"dunno," and his expression goes blank again. his gaze roams somewhere far, "so do you want to go swimming?"

his offer has something more, and the confusion lingers.

"it is very hot," is all you find to say.

and what else, but to hold onto his outstretched palm?

#regulus black #regulus black x reader #regulus black x you #the marauders #the marauders era #the marauders x reader #imagine #imagines #harry potter #hp #harry potter x reader #reader #reader insert #xreader #hogwarts #fluff #angst

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vanessamooney · 11 days

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The Age of Us Pt. 2 - Draco x Reader

Prompt: Glimpses into your lives through the years

Pairing: Draco x Slytherin!Reader

Part 1. Part 3 coming soon!

In Second Year you're starting to stand on your feet properly. You've come to Diagon Alley with Draco and his father just before the semester has started to collect the year's new spell books and props. The list sent out by Hogwarts was longer than last years and you'd become increasingly worried about being able to keep up between 'Gadding with Ghouls' and 'Holidays with Hags', all written by Gilderoy Lockhart no less.

The alley streets were bustling with witches and wizards of all sorts, pointed hats bouncing around comically and brooms alike. You had already run into fellow classmates from Hogwarts and stopped a plethora of times for polite conversation and familial introductions. Lucius has now excused himself from the two of you, trusting Draco with a satchel filled to the brim with gold galleons, instructing you two to meet him in front of Flourish and Botts with the books ready in exactly thirty minutes.

'I trust you'll be on time, Draco,' he sneered at his son, tapping his back with the serpentine cane he never parted ways with. When he turned to give you a polite nod and pat on the head with a heavy hand, he did so with a strange upturn of the corners of his lips. He had always liked you.

You weren't sure what Lucius had gone off to do or where he was doing whatever exactly, but you relished in the freedom because you'd been eyeing Magical Menagerie the second you all floo-powdered into the shopping district and had been scheming to convince Lucius and Draco to take you there.

Glancing at Draco with softened eyes, he's looking a little bit low-spirited and the weight of the galleons makes one of his arms hang lower than the other, so you pull him along by his shorter hand and shoot him a smile that lights up your entire face and makes his heart oddly skip a beat.

'Come on, Draco,' You egg him on, scratching the inside of his palm with your nails because you know he is ticklish there, and you know it will cheer him up, even if only momentarily.

He lets out a giggle only you can hear but you don't pay much attention because when you arrive outside Magical Menagerie you're bewitched by the sight before you: a grey kitten small enough to fit into your hands locked in a cage at the storefront. You coo at it, immediately forgetting about the blonde boy awkwardly trailing behind you.

'Wolfcat,' you read aloud the silver tag on the front of the rusted iron bars, 'female, 10 galleons,'��

You whip around to your best friend and grab his free hand, squeezing it in excitement for all that you've got.

'Draco, how incredibly adorable she is!' you squeal, watching his stormy eyes soften at the sight before him.

He walks up to the front of the cage, poking a wiggling finger in through the bars to antagonise the creature and he is pleasantly surprised to find it rub its head against him, her yellow eyes big and glaring.

'I suppose she is,' He shrugs his shoulders, pulling a sulking Y/N along to Flourish and Botts in spite of your silent protests in the form of your pouts and glances off into the distance.

You had spent the entire time shopping for school books talking Draco's ears off about the kitten from earlier, so much so he was having to double check you were picking up the right copies of the books as you had placed the wrong ones in the basket too many times.

'Oh Draco, she was the sweetest thing' you went on, lazily dropping a copy of 'Intermediate Transfiguration' into the basket you tasked Draco with carrying.

When the two of you waited patiently out of the front of Flourish and Botts just as you'd agreed prior, you continued chatting as Draco seemingly zoned out, a heavy head in his hand. He thought about a peculiar bit of conversation he had overheard in your family's manor just a mere few weeks before first year began: 'The family owl is enough trouble,' your father would groan, his fingers squeezing the top of his nose bridge.

Draco himself didn't bring one of the three permitted animals to Hogwarts because he himself thought it was all too much effort for a companion and he already had his hands full with Crabbe, Goyle and you, not that he minded having his hands full with the latter.

With a sudden thought, he handed you the pile of textbooks that mere moments ago sat in his lap, practically shoving them into your hands.

'Ow, Draco, that's heavy, what are you…' you trailed off, watching his retreating form as he ran in the opposite direction of the meeting point.

'I'll be back soon!' he yelled back, but you were left all alone, confused and surrounded by hoards of strange witches and wizards.

Lucius finds you sitting on the stairs outside Flourish and Botts with a puffy pout on your lips, the stack of new books placed carelessly to your side. You've got your chin resting comfortably in your palms just as Draco did and you look to be in deep and confusing thought. He's got with him his own leather-bound book now clutched hard in his hands and he scans the rest of the crowd, but his son is no where to be seen. Pah. Of course.

'Y/N, where is Draco?' He askes, lending you a firm hand to help you up off the steps and you carefully slip your hand in his and jolt up, dusting off your robes with a sheepish smile.

"I'm not sure, he left some minutes ago and went that w…' you trail off when you glance in the direction Draco ran, gasping as you see the devil himself running towards you, eyes wide as dinner plates when they land on his father whom by now has turned to see his son making a fool of himself. He is clutching in his arms something that appears to be squirming and you squint to try and make out what it is.

A grey wolfkitten lands into your arms and Draco is so out of breath from running when he looks at your dazed expression but he still manages a smirk as you press a well-earnt kiss to his rosy cheeks.

Lucius taps his son on his back softly with his walking cane, raising an eyebrow and managing his own twinge of a smile tantalising the corners of his lips. He watches his son proudly as he is watching you.

The blurs of the everyday witches and wizards spinning around you don't catch your eye because you're mesmerised by the creature in your arms; mesmerised by your best friend, too. You catch a glimpse of the blue sky and see within it the night.

'I think I'll name her Cassiopeia,' your eyes twinkle like the constellation that falls from your lips and Draco watches the stars swirl within you.

╺╺╺╺╺╺╺

You're running through the hallways, Draco's hand in yours as you lead him to the Clocktower Courtyard. You are giggling and glancing back to him to make sure he's still keeping up with you and the opulent perfume in your hair blinds his senses. You shiver into him from the bitter winter breeze that stalks you through the castle and he grips your hand harder when he feels your vibrations.

You come to a stop when you're surrounded by greenery taking over archways, absorbing the glory of the courtyard with your eyes closed, taking in its sweet earthy aroma. An old water fountain lays in the middle of it all, guarded by four magnificent stone gargoyles on each corner. Moss and water has stained them a muddy grey, but your eyes are still enchanted from the view; you always liked coming here.

'Why are we here at this dingy old fountain, Y/N?' Draco groans, stretching a gloved hand to lean on a gargoyle. You gasp as his disrespect and you click your tongue, making him flail his arms as he tries to regain his balance.

'A dingy fountain?' You're scolding him like his mother usually does, repeating back his absurd view of the world around him. 'This isn't just any fountain,' you say, slithering around it, dancing your fingers from stone to stone, your gaze never leaving Draco's. 'Legend has it if you flick a knut into it while making a wish, it'll come true,'

The plush rabbit earmuffs on your head rises slightly as you speak, and with a gentle sigh Draco tenderly adjusts your earmuffs back down while anxiously avoiding your eyes as he tenderly touches you.

'Is that so?' he mumbles.

You nod eagerly at him, presenting two knuts in your gloved palm that you'd been saving in your pockets. He reluctantly takes one, giving you a strange look but you beam in elation anyway, enchanted by the glistening promises of the fountain. Draco holds the knut in his hand, his expression a mix of scepticism and curiosity. He takes a deep breath, feeling the weight of his wish on his heart.

With a mischievous grin, you look into Draco's stormy eyes and say, 'Alright, on the count of three. One… two… three!'

Simultaneously you both flick your knuts into the fountain, watching as they disappear beneath the surface with a small splash. You pat your flushed face with an awkward flutter of fingers, seeing if you feel any different, inspecting the grass below your feet just a little closer. The moment stretches, filled with anticipation and hope from the both of you.

'What did you wish for?' your voice is barely above a croaky whisper but you're unable to contain your excitement and ask anyway.

Draco hesitates for a moment, his gaze flickering between you and the fountain. He doesn't dare to admit he wished for you and the weight of his silence crushes you.

╺╺╺╺╺╺╺

Gilderoy Lockhart's charm filled the air like a sweet perfume, ensnaring the hearts of the young Gryffindor girls who hung on his every word. With a flick of his cape, he shed the garment, letting it fall carelessly into the eager crowd below, who scrambled to catch a piece of the famed hero.

You, however, had never been taken by Lockhart's facade. Even in the best of times, you found his antics grating, feigning ignorance whenever your dorm-mates gushed over his supposed heroic feats. One night, out of curiosity, you had reluctantly flipped through his autographed autobiography, but each boastful comment and exaggerated deed only served to deepen your disdain. Despite your love for reading, you couldn't bring yourself to admire a story painted in lies and arrogance.

But as Draco Malfoy was summoned to the stage by Snape to duel Harry, you found yourself eagerly pushing through the crowd of Slytherins to get a better view. You cheered when Draco sent Harry flying across the stage and winced when the tables turned, but it was when Draco summoned the snake that your heart skipped a beat. Watching in horror as Potter seemingly controlled the creature with a strange tongue, you were pulled away from the midst of the chaos by Draco's urgent grip, and he whisked you into the safety of the Slytherin common room.

"That Potter is downright evil, I'm telling you!" Draco seethed, his frustration palpable as he slammed his fists onto the desk. He was a hurricane when he wanted to be, pacing around with a heavy energy, turning from a constellation into a supernova. Potter did this often to him, and although the others insisted he was masterfully exaggerating, you never seemed to think so - something wasn't right with Harry, and now this.

Motioning for him to join you on the worn leather couch, Draco sank down beside you, his head falling heavily into your lap as he let out a weary sigh. You gazed down at him with wide eyes, offering silent comfort as you gently traced circles on the back of his hand. You were always there to trace circles on the back of his hand.

╺╺╺╺╺╺╺

When Draco tells you he has made the Slytherin Quidditch Team you're sat on the banks of the black lake. The sun is dancing upon the surface of the water, casting reflections within it that didn't quite seem to match with the gentle surroundings you're enveloped in but you pay it no attention because as Draco's words sink in, the world around you fades into insignificance.

The muggle book he despised that was grasped within your fingertips moments before hits the ground with a soft thump and the paper warps, staining with the green and brown of the ground. There is no room for a pregnant pause because before you can think of a congratulations worthy of Draco's achievements, you've already tackled him in a hug and twigs and dandelions have already intertwined in your hair and clothes; you're already grinning with glee, your faces already inches away and Draco has already licked his lips in anticipation but you press an adoring kiss to the side of his cheek and whisper to him how proud you are of him, in a way intended only for him to hear.

You don't notice the flash of disappointment in his eyes when your lips miss his, or how awkward his movements become. Nothing else matters, because your best friend is Slytherin's brand new Seeker and you can't possibly think of anything else.

╺╺╺╺╺╺╺

Christmas morning brings with it a myriad of thoughtfully wrapped packages from your family and friends, appearing under an evergreen pine decorated with baubles and ribbons in the Slytherin common room. You yawn audibly, rushing to flatten the wrinkles out of your Christmas pyjamas before you run down the stairs from your dorm. Draco is already waiting for you in the common room, leaning patiently against the oak table, his hair slicked back and his own pyjamas ironed completely straight. When he spots you paused at the top of the stairs, his eyes soften and he stretches his arms out in anticipation of feeling you nuzzled into his chest.

The decision to spend Christmas at Hogwarts this year didn't come easy, and you recall with a smile how you and Draco were making fun of students who did just a mere few weeks ago - after all, what else shows your parents love you other than stuffing you away in school over the holidays? But between the entertainment from the Chamber of Secrets being opened and the winter travels your parents embarked on without you, you and Draco both agreed to spend winter this year together at Hogwarts - despite Narcissa and Lucius' best wishes.

Crabbe and Goyle had also decided to stay the festive winter season to keep Draco and you company - despite your best wishes - and they now watched with narrow eyes from the couch as your petite figure floated down the girl's staircase and straight into Draco's arms. When he twirled you around the room they audibly wretched in disgust, but you felt like a princess anyway and they became TV static in the background of your mind.

To find a gift for Draco did not come easy. The lead up to Winter break was spent with hours of frustration and punctilious reading in the castle library as you diligently worked to fabricate from the thin Yule air a charmed snow globe containing a singular, shared memory:

Perched atop the dew-kissed grass surrounding the grandeur Malfoy Manor, air heavy with the scent of blooming night-flowers, the myriad of stars scattered across the heavens blinked like diamonds strewn upon midnight velvet. You saw within the stars a constellation that bore his name, the boy laying so arrantly next to you: Draco. And with a quiet reverence, you pointed upwards in awe, seeing within the stars him, and within him the very stars he had been named after.

With a soft smile tugging on your lips, you direct Draco to the pine, breaking your gaze buoyantly when you lean down to cradle the parchment wrapped globe that sat so patiently beneath the tree, a swirl of memories replaying in it persistently under its cover.

'For you,' you hand the package to him, biting your lip in anticipation, and you feel within you a twinge of constraint but your eyes gleam anyway, 'Merry Christmas, Draco.'

Draco couldn't break his gaze from your glowing face. As he tore the parchment away he did so neatly, mesmerised by the mere existence of you. The background of Christmas morning occupied by the calamities swirling in the black lake just outside the common room windows and the intrusive nature of his friends meant nothing to him because in that moment when his eyes found the memory you so tenderly illustrated within the snow globe, he could think of nothing else - and he didn’t want to.

╺╺╺╺╺╺╺

You're standing in the castle's greenhouse, its windows fogged up with humidity cut through by the slow paths of common snails as they journey into the unknown. The air outside is cool, Winter has started to take its course and the frost of its greedy air snaps; but inside the safe haven of the greenhouse the air is warm and pungent with earthly aromas.

The vastness of the greenhouse is filled with magical plants and fungi alike stretched out before you but you're humming as you tend to a healthy collective of starthistle, mushing its millets between your fingers to release the powder contained within them. You carefully collected the fine dust in tiny cork bottles and placed them neatly in organised lines on the gardener's desk, just as tentatively asked by Madam Sprout.

With a flick of your quill, you've checked off another task on the consciously written list and you whip around to work on the next task: watering the asphodel and pruning their tender leaves as needed. You'd been under the instructions of Madam Sprout for the last few weeks, working diligently in the greenhouse and taking care of the housekeeping for the hoards of students taking herbology.

You couldn't quite put into words why the greenery drew you in, perhaps

it was the sense of tranquility that enveloped you as you worked among the plants, or maybe it was the reward of nurturing life and watching it thrive under your care. Whatever the reason, the greenhouse had become your sanctuary, a place where you felt truly at peace and you'd often visited to escape the chaos of the castle.

As you carefully watered the asphodel and delicately pruned their leaves, you couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of nature. Each plant seemed to have its own unique personality, its own story to tell. Some were robust and hearty, while others were delicate and fragile, requiring extra care and attention.

Lost in a swirl of thoughts, you didn't notice the approach of another or the creak of the greenhouse doors until a familiar voice broke through the silence of the mist.

'Slaving away to pass herbology?' Draco coaxed, his tone teasing yet warm as he stepped into view from behind swarms of the alihotsy tree foliage.

You glanced up, offering him a smile as your hands continued to prune. Draco had taken to visiting you in the greenhouse whenever he could steal a moment away from his studies or Quidditch practice. Though he often teased you about your love for plants, you could've sworn to see genuine fondness nestled in-between the specks of blue in his eyes.

'Someone has to keep these plants in line,' you replied playfully, gesturing to the lush greenery around you.

Draco chuckled, stepping closer to inspect the asphodel with interest. 'I must admit, I would much rather attend Sprouts lessons than McGonagall's,'

'They're all the same anyway,' Draco grumbles, reaching to absentmindedly mush a leaf between the pads of his fingers.

'Are they?' You beckon, giving him a knowing stare as you pat the soil around the asphodel a little harder than before.

'Potter,' he sneers, gaze lowering. Something must've happened.

But instead of delving deeper into the matter, you decide to shift the conversation to something lighter, knowing it is best to not scratch at fresh wounds.

"Well, since you're here, how about lending me a hand with the watering?" you suggest, flashing Draco a mischievous grin, your eyes sparkling as they always do.

Draco raises an eyebrow, but a playful smirk dances across his lips. "I suppose I could manage that," he concedes, rolling up his sleeves as he joins you at the watering cans.

╺╺╺╺╺╺╺

Draco entered the Slytherin common room cursing the puffing lady in the painting, his steps quiet against the plush carpeting. Crabbe and Goyle had snuck out in the middle of the night to threaten house elves for leftovers again, despite Draco's orders. In spite of his best efforts, Snape had already caught his cronies, muttering scolding admonitions, and sending the trio back to the dorms; but not before confiscating a pile of blueberry muffins nestled into Crabbe and Goyle's arms.

The dim light of the flickering fire cast a warm glow over the room, and the henchmen were ordered upstairs, their heavy footsteps shaking the dungeons. But as Draco made his way upstairs after them, he couldn't help but notice a figure slumped over one of the tables, surrounded by a scattering of books and parchment.

Curiosity piqued, Draco approached, recognizing you, nestled amidst your study materials. Your head rested on your arms, your breathing steady and deep as sleep claimed you in the midst of your studies. Draco couldn't help but smile softly at the sight, finding a certain charm in your dedication to your studies, even if it meant falling asleep in the common room and spending less time with him.

With gentle hands, Draco carefully gathered your belongings, setting aside your books and parchment before lifting you into his arms. 'A Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi' he scoffed gently and to this you stirred slightly, murmuring soft nothings in your sleep, but didn't wake as Draco cradled you against his chest, your head nestling against his shoulder.

With practiced ease, Draco made his way through the common room towards the staircase leading to the girls dormitories, your soft purrs of sleep tickling his chest in a way that shortened his breathing and sent a flutter through his heart.

As he reached your dormitory door, Draco hesitated for a moment, admiring the peaceful expression on your sleeping face. Gently, he pushed open the door and stepped inside, carefully laying you down on your emerald bed and tucking the blankets around you.

For a moment, Draco lingered, watching you sleep with a soft smile before quietly slipping out of the room, leaving you to rest peacefully in the warmth of your bed.

Unbeknownst to him, Pansy lay awake in her own bed, observing the scene with narrowed eyes, her mind already scheming with endless possibilities.

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piedpiperart · 1 year

Text

💖PIPER’S MASTERLIST💖

Here’s a list of all my comics on tumblr and links to where you can find them!

Ghost Hero

Danny Phantom in MHA universe

Quirkless Future

Izuku comes back to the past and decides to not take OFA

Invader Izuku

Invader Zim and MHA crossover where Dib is reincarnated as Izuku

On the Run

Deku is a vigilante with a healing quirk

Stowaway

Izuku has a quirk that makes him 5 in. tall and he lives in Aizawa’s walls

BatBat 2

Tim Drake is magically turned into a bat

Rewind

Izuku rescues Eri early and is turned into a child via Eris powers

Catnapped

Izuku and Aizawa get turned into cats and get stranded in a forest

Remembering Robin

Dick Grayson is reincarnated as Izuku Midoriya

Plantzuku

Izuku has a plant quirk

Cat Cafe

Izuku has a cat quirk and breaks into a cat cafe frequently

Monster

Izuku has a quirk that lets him turn into a scary monster

Mothzuku

Izuku is mothman

Lost Unicorn

Eri gets kidnapped and saved by mermaid Izuku

Menagerie

Izuku has a fusion quirk (like Steven Universe)

Zombie Deku

Izuku is turned into a zombie

Tim Ten

Tim Drake gets the omnitrix

Marked for Death

Tim gets de-aged detective Conan style and then gets adopted by Jason, who is looking for the missing Robin

Phantom of Gotham

Danny Phantom moves to Gotham and meets Red Hood in the streets and Tim Drake at school, leading to his stay at Wayne Manor

Can We Keep Him

Robin!Jason finds a meta Tim Drake in the trash and brings him to the manor

You Could Know Me

Peter Parker gets transported to DC universe and wakes up in a Lazarus Pit

Four Can Keep A Secret

On a case, Red Robin finds Jake Long and Randy Cunningham trying to break Danny Phantom out of a GIW facility

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tyrantisterror · 2 months

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Recently I'd been rewatching the No Small Feat campaign and I started wondering something during the Menagerie Arc (my favourite arc of the campaign so far btw). You've been pretty transparent about this campaign's fairy tale motif, from general archetypes such as Leonie being a take on the Disobedient Girl to characters and plots taken wholesale and placed into Midgaheim like Sir George and Jack and the Beanstalk. Even the one other arc I couldn't name a particular fairy tale equivalent, the Heartless Witch, feels enough like a fairy tale plot to fit, but the Menagerie arc, aside from the significant presence of Sir George, seems like the odd one as a fantasy flavoured Jurassic Park homage. So is there some fairy tale inspiration to that arc I'm missing, or did you really just decide to diverge from the rest of the campaign's theme for that one arc as an excuse to introduce more of Midgaheim's various fantasy beasties (this is valid btw, it is as said above mt fave so far)?

Ok, I could bullshit that Jurasisc Park is, in its own way, a fairy tale - a rich king commands the finest wizards in the land to bring dragons back from the dead and place them in his menagerie, defying the gods with his hubris, only for them to prove unruly and destroy the kingdom in the process, leaving the king humbled and destitute by his hubris. It's a morality play about folly and hubris and not breaking the rules of the world as much as, say, the story of Grandfather Death - is bringing dinosaurs back that much different from using Death's shotglass to subvert the natural rhyme and rhythm of the cycle of life?

I could do that. I could claim that bullshit is true.

But the fact is that @dinosaurana pitched a character who wants to build a pokedex of 100 monsters, and I was figuring out how to make sure we encountered at least 100 monsters (with some to spare in case my players missed some of them). And I've always been enamored with the idea of a medieval take on Jurassic Park - of finding some obscure rich weirdo who's captured a bunch of dangerous, rare mythic animals, and all hell breaks loose. I tried it out in a couple of my earliest D&D campaigns, in fact, but was never quite satisfied - and I ultimately realized this campaign would be a good fit.

It may break the pattern of the fairy tale homages that the other arcs have, but it's not like any of them were particularly bound by fairy tales - the story of Kaboldt's manor turned out quite differently than Bluebeard, after all, and so on with the others. And, well, to go back to that bullshit above, while a Jurassic Park homage may not fit the theming of the allusions in this campaign, it does fit the overall theme and structure of fairy tales if you think hard about it.

Plus, I got to throw in a shit ton of monsters.

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sheeple · 10 months

Text

Miracles don't exist | 12: Innocent defiance

Genre(s): Riddle!reader / Slytherin!reader / kinda slowburn / little happy moments Fandom(s): Harry Potter Pairing(s): Theodore Nott x Reader / Harry Potter x Riddle!reader Summary: Being the Dark Lord's daughter and raised under the strict supervision of the Malfoy's is no easy life. Especially if you start crushing on your father's arch-nemesis, Harry Potter. And that while being engaged to one of his follower’s sons. Warning(s): Cute Theo / Moldy Voldy / crucio / torture / all the good stuff A/n: I'll be on vacation until the 22th and I won't take my laptop with me. Idk if I'll be able to post the next chapter next week (16th). Otherwise two chapters the week after that (23rd). [Masterlist] [Mini masterlist] [Playlist]

You're standing in the alley between Oliviander's and Magical Menagerie. Just like you and Theo agreed to meet up in your letters.

You're glad to get out of the manor. All sorts of strange figures started to visit Malfoy Manor, paying their respects to the Dark Lord. Because of that, you don't really leave your room. Only when you're sure that nobody is there to gawk at you, you make a move for the gardens ─ if it is good weather at least ─ or towards the muggle town a couple of miles away.

The library, what once was your safe space, is being occupied by Voldemort and his followers. They conduct their super secretive meetings there, the door charmed with muffliato.

You've been called in once after Mister Nott has come and gone, giving you a slight bow. You had to give all the letters you've received from Theo and had to account for your replies. It was a wonder you've gotten the okay to go hang out with Theo… with no chaperone.

But you see the hooded figure stationed at the end of the street and you know he is sent by your father.

After waiting not more than ten minutes, Theodore appears with a big smile. You straighten your back and bounce over to him. Hugging him, you whisper into his ear, "I'm being monitored."

You feel his hold on you tighten before he lets you go. He makes sure his back is turned towards the figure. "I've spotted him. We just have to make sure to lose him then."

Theodore grabs your hand and pulls you along. You weave through the crowd, acting casual and holding hands to make sure you don't lose each other.

"Do you still see him?"

You stop at a stall and subtly look over your shoulder. "I don't spot him, but who knows where he is."

The brown-haired boy hums, his eyes darting around. "I know how we are going to get rid of him." he sends you a smile and waits for you to smile back in confirmation.

This time, you're the one who grabs his hand and you let him lead you towards an alley almost at the end of Diagon Alley. He lets you enter a small alcove first before he grabs his wand and taps a half-dying flower bush.

"The Leaky Cauldron is not the only entrance and exit. There are secret passages all over London."

Theodore lets you pass through the passage first and makes sure he closes it behind him.

"Where are we?", you ask as you look around. You've appeared from behind a tree in a courtyard.

As he grabs your hand again and tugs you towards the exit, Theo looks down at you with a small smile. "It's an unofficial passageway in and out of Diagon Alley. It's a little further away than where I want to take you, but that's no problem."

A smile of your own grows on your face. "And where will you take me?"

"That's a surprise.

He leads you down an escalator and onto a metro platform. You've been holding each other's hands the whole time. Only when you're entering the train cart, you let go to take hold of the pole. Theo stands facing you and he wraps his hand around the pole, just a little above yours. His pinky barely touches your pointer.

You feel your cheeks head up and you study the people around you. Muggles from all walks of life take the metro. They're quite fascinating, to be honest. If it was up to you, you could spend all day roaming around the metro system of London. Hoping on and off trains, listening to conversations around you. The cute puppies also bring a smile to your face.

A sudden turn in the train tracks makes you lose your balance, but Theo is quick to grab your middle and steady you. You blink and look up.

It seems like time has slowed down. Theodore's dark hair curls slightly at the nape of his neck. His lashes graze his cheeks when he blinks. The way he wets his bottom lip as he watches you, both of your faces close together.

"This is our stop", he whispers before taking a step back and getting out of the rail cart.

Shaking your head, you quickly follow after him in fear of losing him in the crowd of something.

After getting out of the underground and walking for a short bit, you arrive at your destination. Your eyes fill with glee and you bounce on the balls of your feet. "A film theatre?! Oh, Theo! How awesome is this?"

You've always wanted to go to a muggle film theatre, but you were never allowed. But now, with Theo, it could be your little secret together.

Theodore smirks and holds the door open for you. "I thought you would like it. I already got the tickets, so if you want something to snack on?"

"Do you want to share a popcorn bucket?", you ask and turn towards the boy with a beaming smile. He nods and motions for you to get to the register. He orders the popcorn and slaps the money needed onto the counter. When you suggest paying him back, you get a stern glare that says enough.

Theodore lets you take the lead and makes sure you're in the seat nearest the middle. To be fair, he doesn't give a shit about muggle films — or muggles in general. But seeing you smile and shine brightly on the ride to the theatre and when you realised you were going to watch a film… he would give up his magic for that.

After the film — Jumanji — finishes, Theodore makes sure you're floo-flamed home safe. All the while to the Floo Network you're excitingly bouncing up and down the streets, recalling the story to Theodore. He just smiles and shakes his head, occasionally pulling you to the side so you don't bump into people, trash bins, or cars.

And when you appear in the entrance hall of Malfoy Manor, you're still chattering away.

"And when that drum came! I felt it in here!" You press a hand to your stomach. "And how they did the effects! Do you think they used really monkeys and lions?"

Theodore runs a hand through his hair before placing a hand on your shoulder. "Who knows, maybe it was magic all along that they have the muggles believe it's special effects." He leans closer and softly presses his lips to your forehead. "I'll see you sometime, right?"

With your face heated up like coals, you nod. Theodore turns around to enter the Floo Network to go back home. "Theo wait!"

He turns around with raised eyebrows. You pull him towards you by his sleeve and give him a small kiss on his cheek, right below his birthmark. "Thank you for everything, Theodore. I really appreciate it."

The dark-haired boy, whose cheeks are almost Gryffindor red, gives you a shy smile and disappears into the fireplace. He is gone with green flames and a call of his home address.

You turn around with a bright smile and warm cheeks, but it falters as you see your aunt and uncle standing in the opening of the entrance hall, solemn looks on their faces. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"The Dark Lord wants to see you", is the only thing Uncle Lucius says before he turns around and walks, presumably, to where your father is waiting for you.

Glancing at Aunt Cissy, you hope to get some information about what is happening from her. But the duo-tone-haired woman looks at the marble floor.

You follow after your uncle. Everything points to having this great day ruined. You can feel it. Can't you just have one day where everything is all right and happy while at Malfoy Manor?

Entering the large dining room, you see your father standing with his inner circle. A figure with its head covered by a bag sits at the foot of one Death Eater.

"My Heir."

A shiver runs up and down your spine in the almost whisper-like way he says it. "My Lord."

He motions for you to come closer. And when you stand next to him, he flicks his wand and the figure gets dragged in front of the two of you. You eye the person warily but keep your face as passive as possible.

"As my Heir, it's important that you follow in my footsteps. And as you are old enough to court the young Master Nott, you are old enough to prove yourself."

A frown forms on your face. Old enough to prove yourself? For what?

The bag gets ripped from the figure's face and you can't suppress the gasp that leaves you. It is one of the nice clerks at the diner you stop by sometimes when you need to escape the manor. He is bruised, and bloody, and has obviously been put through hell and back.

Voldemort wraps two claw-like hands around your shoulders, making sure you can't escape. "As much as I desire you put an end to this pathic muggle's life, I recognise you are not ready for that yet. You've been raised by minds not like our own, and you have to be moulded."

A cold hand slides down your arms and presses something into your hand. Your wand.

"Go ahead. Perform the Cruciatus Curse on this filthy Muggle."

He... no! He can't be serious, right?!

You look up with big eyes and a trembling jaw. "I... I don't know... I don't know how to pref--" You can't even finish your sentence with the shock you're in. You can't crucio somebody! You don't have the will to ever inflict that horrible curse on somebody. Let alone someone innocent!

"Then...", Voldemort raises his wand with a flourish, "let me demonstrate. Crucio!"

A green flash hits you. The pain is so intense, so all-consuming, that your legs can no longer support your body. You drop to the ground, writhing in pain. White-hot knives pierce every inch of your skin, and your head feels like it is going to explode with pain. You are screaming more loudly than you've ever screamed in your life.

The agony stops after a while, and you lay drained on the floor. All your energy has disappeared from your body.

"Get up!", hisses the Dark Lord.

Pushing yourself up with shaking arms, you stumble onto your feet. You are going to collapse any second, you are sure of it. You don't know if you survive another hit.

Gasping and rasping, you raise your wand to the poor clerk. He shakes violently his head, tears streaming down his face. His pleas and cries transform into screams and cries of agony when you do as you are told.

You muffle your own sniffles and drop your hand next to your side, an iron grip on the wood.

The Dark Lord looks satisfied at your curse. "Very well, my Heir."

With one swift Avada Kedavra and the clerk drops dead. A petrified and pained look on the poor man's face.

Turning towards you, Voldemort grabs his wand — the tip is still scalding hot — and presses it against your underarm. You scream, feeling the burning seep into your skin and flesh, twirling around and nestling. You feel something enter you. You throw your head backwards, your spine arched, your mouth and eyes wide open.

Satisfied, Voldemort pulls back and you drop to the ground. Violated, you curl into a ball and clutch your arm.

You look down at the black snake in your skin. Until the end of time, you're officially a Death Eater and there is no going back. You're one of them now and nobody could help you. Not even if they wanted to.

Taglist (bold means I couldn’t tag you): @the0doreslover @lqndkxlmqma @st4rrry @choppedpartymuffinwinner @ledtassoo @literallyobessed @lestat-whore @vanishingcherry @harrysnovia @pietrobae @ireallywannasleep127 @yeolsbubbles @fruityfrog505

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befuddled-calico-whump · 3 months

Text

T$$ Menagerie AU (summary)

cw: mentioned/implied captivity/enslavement, torture, noncon drugging, noncon, and death

AU Masterlist

×~×~×

When a wealthy man gets it in his head that he wants to start his own private zoo, he’s determined to create something that's a cut above the rest. Instead of simple animals, he wants to fill his manor’s gardens with Mythos, rare, sentient creatures known throughout myth and folklore.

Benji, a jistu, is the first to be taken after he's caught in a robbery. The hopeful collector, Adam Roth, hears of his arrest and pays off law enforcement to hand him over to the menagerie instead.

Kaius, a banished kinnara prince, is the next. He's offered refuge when running from enemies in his human form, and drugged at dinner once Roth realizes he's a Mytho. Jericho, a mer who regularly makes trouble for ships, and Joy, an anggitay, are captured a few weeks apart; after being spotted in the wild, Roth decides he wants them for his collection and hires freelance hunters to bring them in.

Now with four mythos on his hands, he also hires two well-known hunters, Vic Shepard and Ander Sahota, to act as guards and enforcers.

The duo have been working together for years, and they share a secret: Sahota is a Mytho himself, a selkie. Vic stole his pelt and trained him as a hunter to prove a point that any Mytho had the potential to be dangerous, no matter how harmless they may seem.

Roth has a lot of respect for both of them initially, but once Vic makes him aware of Sahota's true nature, he starts treating him with something almost like disdain.

The final acquisition for the menagerie is Hunter, a kumiho.

All five are given gilded cages and put on full display for visitors. They're initially allowed to roam the grounds by day, as Roth underestimates his captives and assumes they lack the intelligence required to coordinate and unite against him. Vic advises otherwise, and he reluctantly listens, moving the cages further apart so they can't talk as a group, and making it so that only one or two of them are allowed to be out of their enclosure at a time for exercise.

The captives are also made to wear custom collars that are designed to track them and subdue them in the event they're disobedient. In addition to that, Vic and Sahota keep the area under guard.

On the first day Hunter is allowed to roam the gardens, he books it, powering through the electrical shock delivered by his collar and making a break for the gardens' wall. The rest of the prisoners can only watch as he's brought down by an unsympathetic Sahota. He and Vic drag him to the edge of the gardens and lock him in a small cage that offers no protection from the elements, telling the rest that this is what awaits if any of them steps out of line. He's left there for a day as punishment, and his collar is adjusted to deliver a more powerful shock.

In spite of all their restrictions and the threat of punishment, the captives find ways to communicate. Jericho, who has experience with coordinated attacks due to past scuffles with fishing vessels, ends up the group's unofficial leader. He and Joy lead the charge in planning an escape. They learn of Kaius's gift with strategizing, and rope him into it, breaking through his reluctance to let himself be a part of the group. Benji, on the other hand, is eager to make friends, and Hunter, while distrustful of anyone else, is eager to escape.

Planning anything is difficult with the tight leash they're all kept on, and it’s months before they're able to carefully map out their surroundings and develop a solid idea of what to do.

In that timeframe, Jericho notices that Sahota seems to be treated poorly by both Vic and Roth, and tries to connect with him, with little apparent success. Meanwhile, Hunter continuously gets himself punished by acting out, snapping at guests, and making his own escape attempts. Joy is frustrated with this, and after one too many instances, yells at him for ruining everything for the rest of them.

After this incident, Vic, who's suspicious that the Mythos are up to something, notices that Hunter’s starting to isolate himself more, and seizes the opportunity to catch him alone.

Attempting to scare him into a confession, Vic tells him there's no way they'll all escape, and alludes to letting Hunter go free if he helps him nip any trouble in the bud. Hunter refuses and tries to get away from him, but Vic has Sahota cut off his escape. Once the pair has him cornered, Vic pins him down, but realizing his intentions, Sahota yanks him off, allowing Hunter to get away.

Despite Sahota trying to frame it as following Roth's interests since Vic didn't get permission from him, Vic is furious, and throws him in the punishment cage.

Hunter tells no one about the attempted assault, so the rest are unaware of the reason why Sahota has been locked up, assuming it's due to a dispute between the hunters. Having a general dislike for Sahota because of his role in keeping them trapped here, they don't have much sympathy for him. The only ones who do anything about it are Jericho, who sneaks him water once it starts getting hot, and Hunter, who sits quietly beside him, grateful, but unsure how to express it.

Jericho once again tries to reason with Sahota, insisting that even if they're on opposite ends of this conflict as hunter and Mytho, they seem to share a common enemy in Vic. Sahota brushes it off, saying he earned his punishment by acting rashly.

Later that week, Jericho and Joy are fine-tuning the escape, planning to kick it off on a day when Benji is the one out of his cage, so he can use his lockpicking skills to free the rest. Sahota overhears their plans, but lets the pair know that just this once, he'll forget he heard anything. Joy is skeptical, but after days go by without any additional security measures implemented, she figures that he was telling the truth, and she and Jericho share this information so that the rest of prisoners know they have a tentative ally.

Not long after this, Hunter is once again cornered by Vic, and when pressured, lets a little too much slip, also accidentally hinting at Sahota's involvement. Despite this, Vic doesn't seem overeager to act on the new information, and Hunter once again hides this from the rest, both ashamed and afraid that they'll completely cut him off if they hear about it.

Meanwhile, Roth is growing bored of the menagerie. At Vic's suggestion, he makes plans to sell a few of his Mythos off, and at least profit from his flight of fancy. He discusses the matter with the hunters, saying that he'll get rid of the troublemakers and the more “boring” members of his collection, and only keep one or two.

Vic suggests he sell Benji to a brothel due to the whole “fucking like rabbits” stereotype, and Jericho to a restaurant for exotic sushi. Roth also wants to get rid of Hunter, since he's the biggest troublemaker, and Vic offers to buy him.

Roth wants to keep Kaius, due to him being the flashiest of the bunch, but plans to keep him sedated in order to prevent him from causing trouble. He considers keeping Joy and using Kaius's well-being as a way to keep her in line, but reasons that if she proves to be a hassle, there's probably another rich man out there who'd love to have her in his stables.

Though he tries to hide it, Sahota is horrified at the idea, and tries to talk him down. When pushed, he tells Roth to just let them go. Roth is amused by this, but also pissed off at his boldness, and tells Vic to "get a handle on his pet".

Vic leads him away, hangs him by his wrists and uses him as a punching bag, then brutally whips him. Before Sahota passes out, Vic reveals that he knows about the escape plan, and he knows that Sahota learned of it but kept it from him. He tells Sahota that “if he wants to side with the animals, he'll be treated like an animal”, and covers Sahota with his seal pelt, knowing he can no longer control his own shifting due to the pelt being damaged by Vic. Vic then dumps his unconscious body into Jericho’s tank, leaving it up to fate whether or not he survives.

Jericho, unaware of Sahota's true nature, is quick to aid the wounded seal, gently holding him to ensure his head stays above water. When Sahota weakens to the point that he can no longer remain in his seal form, he shifts back, shocking the mer. Barely conscious, he manages to warn Jericho of Roth's plans, telling him they need to make their move before it's too late. He also tells him that Vic knows, so they'll have to be extra careful.

Jericho passes the message on to Joy, who's initially angry at Sahota, assuming he lied about keeping their plan secret. When Hunter hears about this, he feels immensely guilty, and reluctantly fesses up that he's the one who told Vic.

Joy is upset, but says they'll talk about it later. Right now, they just need to get out.

With Sahota's help, Joy and Jericho disable the collars, and the group puts their plan in motion, starting a fire to distract Vic and Roth, and making for the planned route. They barely make it past the gate before Vic shoots Joy. Unwilling to leave her behind, the group is heavily slowed down. Though barely able to stand, Sahota tells them to run, saying he'll hold Vic off as long as he can.

Jericho is torn, but knows they need to get Joy out of there fast, and reluctantly leaves him behind. They make it to Roth's garage, where Benji hotwires one of his cars for the getaway.

Back in the garden, Sahota faces off against Vic, managing to hold his own long enough to buy the other Mythos time, despite his injuries. Vic overpowers him, and forces him to watch as he throws his pelt into the fire that's consuming the gardens, telling him he can never go home.

In a final, desperate move, Sahota manages to get the gun away from Vic. He shoots him in the chest, but it looks like neither of them will make it out of the gardens. Vic is quickly bleeding out, and Sahota is too weak to escape the fire. Then, as the flames are closing in, Roth's car crashes through the bushes, and Jericho jumps out, managing to grab Sahota before it's too late.

Injured but free, the crew drives away, leaving Roth to his burning manor.

#and then they go to the woods where joy kjows all the survival shit and heal and build a community #t$$ menagerie AU #synopsis #yes i make it as whumpy as possible ahaha #whump

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minecraftrelatedrandomness · 6 months

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a few denholm brothers headcanons which may or may not have canonical basis (probably not but they make sense to me):

the heron faction canonically has a tradition to keep their treasure in the base of the ship's front mast (re: the old man quest). p!scott keeps his snacks there instead.

after p!acho left the isles, p!scott basically ran around the whole island asking for where star went and so all the faction leaders (incl. marnie) know about the familial relation… especially considering the denholm parents probably kept p!acho's existence a secret for most of stars life (given the lore hints and how everyone else reacted to the familial relation revelation)

imagining the brothers playing hide and seek as little children throughout the manor house…

seriously, there are so many nooks and crannies around the house, it's insane. there's a parkour course along its outer AND inner walls. secret passageways leading to hidden rooms and storage spaces.

p!acho's room was in the attic btw. it just makes sense to me

so many silly bets and competitions based on the most trivial of matters. it eventually grew a lot more competitive (in a /neg way) as they grew older, but by the time of the smp (i.e. canon-era), they're back to being silly

p!acho calling sandro caravel "sandro caravan" is from a childhood inside joke but also out of rejection for their parents' teachings (like as an act of rebellion, esp. against the faction system)

p!scott being assigned home tutor for free, especially when the folks in charge of teaching p!acho were NOT DOING THEIR JOBS RIGHT (totally not projecting shhhh)

you've heard of p!scott falling asleep in the menagerie animal enclosures, now get ready for p!acho and the massive doggo cuddle piles

only the gods know if these two ate worms and bugs as kids (to much parental disapproval)

p!scott used to be a lot more reckless and spontaneous, not usually the kind to think ahead. i daresay this changed after p!acho left.

p!acho's first word as a baby was p!scott's name (op was in a linguistics class when this one happened, but yes, i have in-universe reasons for this too)

#pirates smp headcanon #smajor1995 #ggacho #pirates smp #denholm bros #my post #isleposting #long post #scurvyblr

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the-paper-monkey · 8 months

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hello! what would you say is the best draco characterisation you’ve ever read in a fic? and what have you read recently that you really liked and would read again?

also, i love everything you write :) thanks in advance!

I once saw this fanart that depicted the three main forms of Draco in Drarry and I have to say it's the most accurate thing I've ever seen lmao. My personal preference is somewhere between 'nutcase' and 'fake it till you make it' Draco. For light-hearted fics, I like those that capture the meanness of Draco's humour and his difficult personality; for serious fics I enjoy those where he truly wavers on the line of moral ambiguity.

Away Childish Things by lettered

Harry gets de-aged. Malfoy has to help him.

A great exploration of all the parts that make up the whole of Draco Malfoy.

any day now by oknowkiss

Draco Malfoy considers the circle.

I like this Draco for his moral greyness, self-preservation, internal conflict and risk aversion

Temptation on the Warfront by alizarincrims0n

Draco Malfoy is forced into hiding with the Golden Trio and dragged into their search for horcruxes. What ensues is a journey of redemption, unexpected friendships and an unwanted, turbulent romance with Harry Potter. Warnings for swearing, sexual content, and dark themes.

This is probably one of the most plausible DH-era Draco's I've ever read. The way he speaks to Hermione alone is enough to put it on this list. It's rare to find contemporary Drarry fics that are willing to commit to his nastiness and bigotry.

Such Great Heights by aideomai

Draco Malfoy, wide-eyed and pale and in a decidedly ragged shirt, was crouched next to the pile of whatever the dragon had been eating. Harry threw himself to a halt and yelled, “Merlin, how many times do I have to save your life?”

Draco's crabbiness and difficult personality here is so good. This Draco has always been a major influence for me. This line in particular is iconic:

“Due respect, sir,” Draco said, because apparently even weird romantic feelings or whatever they were weren’t enough to keep Draco from throwing Harry under the bus the moment an authority figure appeared, “I haven’t done anything. I’ve been working nearly non-stop the past few weeks - you can ask Mr Borgin—”

Lorelei in the Menagerie by BelladonnaLee

"I think my dead son is haunting the manor," says Draco when Harry runs into him in an antique book shop. Driven by yearning and suspicion, Harry offers his help and is drawn into a web of secrets and half-forgotten nightmare.

I think anything I say about this fic would be a spoiler but I really enjoy Draco's twisted grieving here. Also considering my usual character preferences, I think you'll see why I like this one so much if you read it.

Heal Thyself by astolat

"Are you going for the course?" Lovegood asked. "You have the NEWTs.”

“What course?” Draco said, then, “No, don’t be ridiculous,” when he realized she meant the notice pinned up on the board he’d been staring at: Applicants To The Introductory Mediwizard Course For The Coming Term Shall Present Themselves In The Chief Mediwizard’s Office By August 24th.

“Oh, I thought you might,” she said. “Well, goodbye.” And off she wandered again in her addled way.

Amoral, ambitious character accidentally becomes a good person in their pursuit of status/money/power is one of my favourite tropes. It's also why I like Tom Riddle Snr in In the Bleak Midwinter so much. Astolat in general writes a great Draco.

What We Pretend We Can't See by gyzym

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

Despite the heavy sounded summary, this is actually a crackish humour fic. Certainly an excellent example of nutcase Draco. The villain reveal at the end is 100% my favourite part I stg.

#sorry im like a month or two late on this anon #asks #anon #fic rec #as for what i've read recently - i haven't really been reading much draco content recently tbh #it's all tom

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howlingday · 11 months

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The Forgotten Schnee

Jacques: My chikdren are champions! Except for Jaune.

Willow: Which one is Jaune again?

Jaune: (Sneezed on by a deer, Sighs)

---------------------------------------------------

Klein: Master Jaune, your parents called. They have decided to extend their trip to Vale by one week.

Jaune: But... But my birthday is tomorrow.

Klein: Indeed. (Sets birthday cake down, Cake falls over)

Jaune: Are... Are my sisters coming?

Klein: They send their regards from military and reform school respectively.

---------------------------------------------------

Jacques: Gather 'round, Schnee family. You've been gathered to Schnee Manor to uphold our most grand of traditions; the annual rankings of the Schnee children. Klein, remove the names from the board.

Klein: (Scrubs names with push broom)

Jacques: You each have one minute to defend your worth. Whitley?

Whitley: I have just made partner at my firm. I have also seen to it that the case is resolved to our benefit. After all, is it not every Faunus' right to work themselves to death for the SDC without any benefits to his surviving kin?

Willow: Weiss?

Weiss: I have just ended my six-figure singing contract to pursue my one, true passion. Freelance huntress service!

Jacques: Our cup zero is becoming a hero! (Snorts) Jaune.

Jaune: O-Oh, uh, my job is super important, too! I just, uh, can't talk about it, or the tiny nano-bots will explode my brain.

Jacques: Yes, your "classified" job. (Sighs) I can't help blaming myself... for not blaming the staff hard enough for raising you weak! You've always been an embarrassment! Unlike Winter, here, who will surely carry the family name!

Winter: My campaign for Mantle Chairman airs it's first commercial tonight. Truly, this campaign could not have happened without all of you.

Jaune: (Watches everyone self-praise) W-Wait. Are ALL of you working on Winter's campaign? Why didn't anyone ask me for help?

Jacques: With what?! Slowly draining your trust fund?! Klein, up top! (High fives Klein)

Klein: Savage burn, sir.

Winter: No offense, Jaune, but you have always been a sort of... spineless yes-man.

Jaune: I'm not spineless! The doctors just say my spine is huggably soft...

Willow: Well, Stardust II just had her first foal, so it's a tie for fourth.

Jacques: All those in favor of Stardust II in fourth!

Schnees: AYE!

Jaune: ...Aye.

Jacques: Bring out the will, because that horse is getting a beach house in Menagerie!

#rwby #inside job #jacques schnee #willow schnee #jaune arc #klein sieben #weiss schnee #whitley schnee #winter schnee

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whimperandabang · 1 year

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six of crows + “you can never go home“

originally i was going to write this in the tags of this post, but i hit tag limit before i even got halfway through. so i’m making it its own post.

the idea of “you can never go home” is core to each of the six crows which is why it’s such a jewish story. if you don’t want to read through my long rants, here’s the short version:

kanej can never go home because the children who belonged in their homes are dead.

jesper can never go home because to him, home represents shame. wylan does go home, but his homecoming is born from being set adrift much the same way as the other crows are.

helnik can never go home because their loyalty to their homes has wavered, and they can never come back from that.

ok rant time. first: kaz. kaz can never go back to his original home outside of lij because the boy who belongs there is kaz rietveld, and kaz rietveld is dead. maybe you could call ketterdam his new home - he probably would - but that’s even more tragic in a way, isn’t it? he’s so tied down to ketterdam. he’s unable to return to one home and unable to leave the other. (shameless self promotion time: my wip the sower explores this; it probably won’t be published on ao3 for a long while but if you’re interested to know what that’s about and get progress updates + teasers you can check out my fanfiction sideblog @tealquills, everything related to that wip should be under the tag “the sower”.)

now inej. my favorite diaspora girl. inej can never go home because of who she’s become - “a suli girl who had become a killer”. she can’t unbecome the dangerous girl, the girl with claws who names knives after saints. she can’t unbecome the wraith. and the wraith doesn’t belong in the suli caravans. the girl who did “died in the hold of a slaver ship”. she loves her family deeply and wants to be with them and still be loved by them, but she cannot go back home with them. the wraith can’t settle, especially because she always seeks justice. she’s no longer complacent, and she could not bear complacency. she feels purpose and drive to save others from what she endured at the menagerie. between these two things, is it any wonder she takes to the sea?

jesper can’t go home because his home is too entwined with feelings of boredom and shame. after aditi’s death, the monotony of farm life became unbearable. the shame and guilt associated with his durast abilities became unbearable. most of all, the grief became unbearable. it was no longer viable for him to live in novyi zem, at home with his father who loved him so much and failed him so profoundly. and so he went to kerch, and there was no going back.

for wylan, too, home is a place entwined with shame. jan van eck made him feel ashamed for his disability, building up intense feelings of worthlessness and guilt. wylan’s story is interesting in that he does go home, quite literally. he ends up living in van eck’s manor with jesper. in this way, he’s not really living a “you can never go home” story arc the same way as the other crows. but that idea is still core to his character, because for awhile, it was true. after the attempted murder on the boat, wylan had no home. he was set adrift in the same way kaz was after using jordie’s corpse as a raft, in the same way inej was after her time in the menagerie, in the same way jesper was after aditi’s death. wylan can only find his way home again after he experienced what it was to be without a home, and he will always carry that with him.

nina can’t go home because she’s realized she wants a life beyond that of a soldier, and ravka will never give her that. through matthias, she learns to aspire to peace and betterment rather than being a cog in the machine. she loves her country, but she can never quite be loyal to it in the same way again. the world but specifically ravka and fjerda will never let her and matthias be more than grisha and drüskelle, and she can’t accept that. even in king of scars and rule of wolves when she’s working for the ravkan government again, she can’t stay long. she goes to fjerda, and while she’s there, she takes up matthias’s mission. she starts building bridges. she tries to end the war. she falls in love again.

and finally, matthias. oh, my tragic boy. matthias can never go home because... well. you know. after coming to love nina, he can never be truly loyal to fjerda again, but it’s still his country. he spends all of six of crows and crooked kingdom trying to find a way to reconcile the truly awful parts of the country he calls home with everything that he believes makes it worth saving. he wants to go home so badly in a way that even inej can’t quite match. but in the end, he can’t go home because his wants are not enough. because one man’s personal journey cannot save an entire nation. because his love redeems him, but it can’t redeem fjerda.

#six of crows #crooked kingdom #six of crows duology #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #jesper fahey #wylan van eck #nina zenik #matthias helvar

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