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mecachrome · 4 months

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pre-mclaren oscar piastri primer (ft. maxf, landoscar)

0. introduction

for a few months now i've been wanting to make both an oscar primer and a timeline of pre-mclaren landoscar moments, but i couldn't figure out which one to prioritize… then after some deliberation i finally realized i could just combine the two things together! so. here is an oscar-centric timeline that is mainly about his racing background, moving to the uk, and how he became acquainted with other members of the rfm pack—aka lando, maxf, and logan. i don't know whether any of this information is useful or even vaguely interesting, but i mostly just wrote it for myself and thought i'd share what i had in case anyone else wanted to check it out. please feel free to comment or shoot me an ask if anything here is egregiously incorrect; i've checked and linked as many sources as i could but it's of course possible that some errors remain :)

1. background, rc racing, early karting days (2007-2015)

oscar piastri was born on april 6, 2001 in brighton east, a suburb of melbourne not far from albert park circuit, as the son of chris and nicole and to-be oldest brother to 3 younger sisters. a love for all things automotive ran deep in the piastri family: both of his grandfathers were mechanics and his father had also co-founded his own vehicle diagnostics software company, hp tuners, aka oscar's sponsor throughout his racing career. thanks to his father's business, oscar's family was objectively well-off and managed to contribute a fairly substantial amount of support toward his junior career, but they also weren't swimming in cash by multi-millionaire motorsport standards either.

(L-R) mae, edie, hattie, and oscar, from nicole's twitter — each sibling is ~2 years apart (source)

while most drivers on the current grid were introduced to motorsport through go-karting, usually at or before the age of 7, oscar's path to single-seaters differed slightly. he first developed an interest in racing via remote-controlled cars at the age of 6, when his father brought him a monster truck as a souvenir back from a business trip in america. oscar began racing them that same year, eventually moving to safer electric track vehicles and even winning the second class of the national titles in 2010, at the age of 9. he was so small then that he often needed to stand on a milk crate to see the cars on track, and the next-youngest competitor at the time was twice his age. (source)

youtube

oscar on the podium at age 8 (nov 16, 2009)

oscar with his father chris, who often competed alongside him in a separate class (dec 21, 2010)

by 2011, oscar and his father were seriously considering his potential of pursuing rc racing as a viable career path, but things changed when he was introduced to karting via a friend's daughter in the rc community and his aspirations slowly shifted toward racing from inside a car. oscar was an unsurprisingly sporty and competitive child growing up; he'd played some cricket and aussie rules football and knew that all he wanted to do was race professionally, full-stop, at the time thinking along the lines of australian racing categories like v8 supercars. he was still competing in remote car racing as late as 2013, but he began karting seriously within australia in 2014, placing respectably in the junior categories of several regional karting series against relatively senior and more-experienced racers, and even going to france for a one-off event where he finished on the podium of the iame international junior x30 final. this outing affirmed his potential to his father and motivated the two of them to split time between australia and europe in 2015 as they juggled his karting future; plans for two more european events that year fell through, including the cik-fia world championship at the kfj level (which logan sargeant would go on to win), but at this point they were officially looking to take his career to the next level and commit fully to european karting in 2016.

this is when ricky flynn (and the hypothetical idea of lando norris!!!) comes in. before we get into rfm and karting professionally in europe, it's important to note that the defining aspect of landoscar's junior careers is that their pathways never once intersected. in fact, they don't even seem to have met properly before oscar entered the f1 grid as alpine reserve, although they'd spoken over social media and oscar was familiar with several people around lando's life—for example, maxf, logan, guanyu, and even lando's older brother oliver, who had also raced for rfm.

in short, you could say that landoscar's biggest hindrance was their parallel excellence. oscar was good enough to catch up and even surpass everyone else at lando's level, but lando remained untouchable throughout the years. oscar is only 1.5 years younger than him, but their f1 careers are offset by 4 years (2019 vs. 2023 debut) because of exactly two things: oscar's 2022 gap year in alpine and his two attempts at formula renault eurocup. on the other hand, lando sped through all of his junior categories in blistering fashion, falling short of the championship only once: the year he placed 2nd in f2 behind george russell. this is significant because many talk about the clinical nature of oscar's rapid single-seater ascension and three b2b2b victories (still very impressive, especially given his limited karting career!), but all of that speaks equally to the illustrious nature of lando's junior success and the sheer magnitude of faith placed in him as mclaren's "golden boy" coming up the ranks. to put things into further perspective, lando was teammates with maxf and jehan daruvala at rfm until 2014, jehan competing in the same class and max one below, yet by the time oscar was racing max and jehan—in f3 in 2020 and f2 in 2021, respectively—lando was already into his 2nd and 3rd years of f1. here's a chart that hopefully makes a bit more sense:

majorly simplified timeline showing lando, guanyu, maxf, logan, and oscar's junior careers + the karting classes they primarily competed in each calendar year. maxf did not complete his 2nd f3 season and many of them contested multiple/different formula renault series, but this is just a rough overview of their feeder series experience.

2. moving to europe, rfm, regional formulae (2016-2019)

back in australia, oscar was a member of the oakleigh go-kart racing club and being actively mentored by james sera, a multi-time australian karting champion and fa kart dealer who worked with young karting talents alongside his cousin david. in late-2015, he presumably helped oscar and his father reach out to ricky flynn, who ran ricky flynn motorsport (rfm) and whose team was at the time enjoying exorbitant success in the karting scene; lando had won the world championship at the kf level the year prior, and logan would soon clinch the kfj title in 2015, results which further drew oscar's interest toward the team. ricky flynn agreed to take oscar on and have him and his dad move out to europe, and by november 2015 oscar announced on social media that he would be joining rfm the next year. in january of 2016, he and his father moved to hertford, uk, so that oscar could begin a 100-day karting program and travel extensively around europe to attend races. this is where he met logan sargeant, who was in his final year on the team but competing a class above, now at the ok (previously kf) level. oscar himself was only competing in the okj class.

not oscar-related, but as you can see guanyu, logan, and maxf were already acquainted before oscar and logan met, since the three of them and lando had been in rfm together as of 2014 — (may 11, 2014) & (feb 6, 2015)

oscar and logan in 2016

in an interview published on june 7, 2023, oscar reflected on leaving australia and committing to his racing dream, saying:

"i think if there was a turning point, it was probably when i started finishing towards the front in australia, and i started winning a couple of races here and there and finishing in the top three of championships and stuff, and then went to europe and fully committed to going down that route. [...] there's obviously a very big commitment at that point when you move halfway across the world without family and stuff. so i knew at that point that i really wanted to become a professional because, firstly, that's what i want to do anyway, but, secondly, now i'm sacrificing seeing my family, and stuff like that to be able to do this — which was a sacrifice i was more than willing to make."

like the majority of oscar's karting career, his time with ricky flynn can primarily be summarized as decent. none of his performances were particularly stellar, and in november 2016 he placed 6th in the fia world championship final behind the likes of victor martins and théo pourchaire (he mainly competed against guys like them, dennis hauger, caio collet, etc… once again logan was a class above and lando/maxf had already graduated to single-seaters), but he showed promising racing foundations and a great capacity for improvement, especially given that he'd moved to europe the same year and was still adjusting to life and racing on the opposite hemisphere. about 6 months into his new karting venture, oscar had settled in reasonably well and his father decided he would return to australia to continue on with his life, so they made the joint decision that oscar was to begin boarding at haileybury's uk campus and continue racing in europe entirely on his own. uk and australian school years are misaligned, so my personal understanding is he moved to europe after finishing year 9 in australia, attempted online school/took a few months off (he says he did online coursework here, but mentioned here that he was out of school, so it sounds like it must have been a very half-hearted effort…), came back to australia over the uk summer to do some more karting, then began boarding in september 2016 as a year 10 student. he spent ~4 years there and eventually received his a-levels in 2020, except his final year was disrupted by covid and he never sat his exams. (blog post mentioning his a-levels + btg transcript excerpt about his exams; his website says he attended haileybury from 2016-19, but i think this mainly encapsulates his boarding period, as he was still doing remote work in april 2020.)

oscar in f4 with his gcse revision guide, 📸 sebastiaan rozendaal (may 20, 2018)

2016 is also when oscar began his well-documented super-liking of several of lando's social media profiles. i think understanding oscar's time in rfm and his extremely british single-seater origins helps better paint his history with lando and maxf; my personal understanding of pre-mclaren landoscar is that while oscar never formally met lando or maxf during his karting days, he knew of them quite well through rfm and thus followed them on instagram/twitter after moving to the uk. of course, oscar has a fairly active social media presence in general, so young oscar quietly liked instagram posts and tweets from many different people, but i do feel compelled to note that in the early days he liked lando, maxf, and logan's posts with seriously impressive frequency compared to anyone else on the grid (or anyone in general, really); after creating his twitter account in may 2016, some of the very first tweets oscar liked were from maxf, and he also liked a multitude of mundane lando tweets from 2016 until… today, while on the other hand he didn't start liking george's tweets—another similarly-aged young british talent—until late 2017. (he does have some fun george-admiring moments though, but that can wait for another time!) outside of rfm, other people oscar was familiar with during his early racing years were british f4 teammate ayrton simmons, to-be series champion jamie caroline, and old australian karting friend christian pancione, who appears to still be one of his best mates (if not his best) as of today. fun fact is that christian raced for the carrera cup as a support event to the australian gp in 2023; here's oscar allegedly checking the quali live timing at lunch during his own media day.

so, to conclude, oscar's early lando focus basically traces back to the motorsport path he took at the behest and guidance of his early rfm connections in the uk. the thing is that despite growing up in australia and vaguely admiring several aussie drivers in f1 as a child (read: mark webber and eventually daniel ricciardo), oscar has never had a specific driver he consistently mentions when pressed for his racing "idol," likely since his personality inherently resists idolatry and he instead views successful people more as actionable benchmarks or reference points for self-improvement rather than as unattainable paragons of accomplishment. as a kid forced to grow up almost entirely on his own, the majority of his racing aspirations were molded independently in the uk—he completed his karting career in the uk, boarded at haileybury for 4 years (fun fact: other drivers to attend include jehan, callum ilott, and clément novalak; callum was a few years above oscar and finished school in 2017, but the two would later become quite talkative over social media anyway), raced in british f4, became a brdc member, contested eurocup under a british license and therefore had the british flag raised and british national anthem played during his wins, stayed in the uk even at alpine since the factory is based in enstone, etc. oscar basically moved to the uk from australia without having really met anyone significant in the racing scene (other than jack doohan, or more importantly jack's father mick, but jack is younger and did an extra year of karting) and pretty much didn't have anyone specific to "look up to" at the time. oscar's first acknowledgement of lando's online existence was in december 2015, when he liked one of lando's instagram posts prior to moving to england, so it can be assumed that lando basically functioned as his most accessible reference point in the junior ladder as a 14 year old dipping his toes into the european racing scene for the first time. that is my highly subjective analysis of the situation!

select quotes re: oscar's inconsistent responses to his motorsport "hero" (or his favorite driver / a driver he looks up to in general):

(f1fs; mar 9, 2022) "i started watching f1 in… 2009 was the first season i properly watched. so when brawn came in, obviously mark was the only aussie on the grid at that point, so i was kind of naturally going for him. then joined by daniel, so obviously going to support the aussies, but i think watching lewis has been nothing short of spectacular, and a very good role model. [...] i think when i was first watching, i supported mark, but, you know, and i hope he takes no offense to this—vettel was winning everything at that point. so i was supporting mark, but vettel was doing most of the winning. i think now that i understand more about racing though, i would say [the driver i look up to the most is] lewis, mainly. the way he goes about things on and off the track is quite exceptional."

(mcl youtube; mar 29, 2023) sporting idols mentioned: ayrton senna, alain prost, michael jordan (see also ultimate athletes list)

(p1; aug 10, 2023) "i would say i never had like one specific idol. when i was growing up watching mark webber was at red bull, and obviously being australian, red bull being very quick at the time, i kind of naturally followed him. i mean—even like some of the guys in the junior ranks above me. like lando was always kind of two, three years above me, winning… most things on his way up. so i guess kind of him in some ways?"

(eff won; dec 4, 2023) "i don’t really have like one specific [idol]. i think what lewis has been able to do in terms of getting to seven world championships was incredibly impressive. i think what max is doing now is also very impressive…"

the first lando post oscar liked on instagram (dec 21, 2015)

the first maxf posts oscar liked; instagram (feb 26, 2016) & twitter (may 9, 2016)

anyway, back to british f4! despite his initially unconventional foray into motorsport, oscar's journey progressed in a much more orderly fashion once he stepped up to single-seaters. his actual debut was in f4 uae, which he ran 3 rounds of between 2016 and 2017 (another fun fact: this is where he briefly acquainted himself with mclaren indycar driver david malukas, who would later recall him being very intelligent and whom zak brown allegedly spoke to oscar about before appointing to their indy team). after cutting his teeth on actual car-racing for the first time, oscar decided against moving up to the ok class as he felt confident in his ability to be competitive in single-seaters. his first full season was therefore the 2017 british f4 championship, during which oscar signed with arden while logan went to reigning champions carlin (lando had won with them in 2015, then maxf in 2016). oscar made his way to the top step 6 times in the season and placed just barely above logan for 2nd in the championship, finishing behind the considerably more experienced jamie caroline. arden was also founded and is currently owned by red bull team principal christian horner, so it was during oscar's time there that christian took note of and interest in his talent; oscar reportedly did a few runs in the red bull simulator but was passed over for joining the academy, which christian later voiced regret on. (source)

maxf, logan (center), and oscar (to max's right) on a day maxf was visiting the 2017 british f4 grid (april 11, 2017)

linus lundqvist, oscar, and logan on the podium at snetterton (jul 30, 2017)

jamie and oscar, who were… er, mathematically in the main championship fight. for some reason they made them take these photos (sep 30, 2017)

after a successful f4 outing with arden, oscar returned to the team for his first season of formula renault eurocup in 2018, a renault series that ran in its specific configuration until 2020 before merging with the parallel regional series frec to become what is today known as freca. this season proved to be less competitive for oscar, as arden was relatively inexperienced in this series and oscar's three teammates were afflicted with what can colloquially be referred to as a "skill issue," making it difficult to collectively develop the car throughout the season. (blog interview) the series was thus returning driver maxf's to lose, who at the time was racing for reigning champs r-ace with teammates that included oscar's fellow rookies logan and victor martins.

despite the unideal environment, oscar managed to prove his worth by placing a respectable 8th in the series, scoring 110 points as a rookie driver and capping the season off with 3 podiums and a top-finish of 2nd place—a jarring contrast to his teammates' joint total of 12 points. this result attracted the attention of r-ace and granted him a seat with them for the 2019 season, at which point maxf and logan both graduated to f3. thankfully that wasn't too much of a concern for oscar since he'd always intended to do two seasons of eurocup, and now he finally had a chance to win the first serious championship of his racing career with an established racing outfit.

oscar, max, and yifei ye on the hockenheim r2 podium (sep 23, 2018) [full gifset]

oscar's second season of eurocup is when he truly started proving himself as a driver, or at least to the people whose names, money, and opinions mattered around the paddock. his main competition in 2019 was again victor, who was now racing for mp and had been made a member of the renault sport academy back in 2018 after a strong performance in french f4. despite a close title fight, oscar managed to hold him off for the championship in the final race of the season, kicking off what would soon become an impressive string of consecutive single-seater series titles. even sweeter was the fact that all eurocup champions were awarded a renault sport academy spot that could be left or taken as they pleased, and of course—while the finances weren't nearly as impressive as alpine would later proclaim in their baseless smear campaign—oscar's connections in the racing world were limited as an australian driver almost exclusively managed by his father, so he gladly accepted the offer for the many venues of support renault presented to him.

see also: bby oscar briefly mentioning lando after winning eurocup in 2019 (@ 1:10)

oscar being lifted by his team (r-ace) after placing 4th in the abu dhabi finale and winning the title by 7.5 points

3. renault sport academy, lockdown, f3 (2020)

many things happened in 2020. one: oscar became an official member of the renault sport academy, joining the likes of max (who'd been picked up on merit after winning british f4 in 2017), guanyu, christian lundgaard, caio collett, and fellow new recruit hadrien david (victor had been strategically demoted after oscar's win because renault is a notoriously unserious organization, but again this is not the post). two: by the time oscar was ready for f3, moving up the ladder proved to be exorbitantly expensive, and he realized he needed better funds and managerial support to sort his career out. he'd been offered a spot in prema's f3 team by team-owner rené rosin at the end of his eurocup season, who'd named him for the post-season test before the championship was over and stressed that the spot was his no matter where he finished. (source) prema is unquestionably one of the top—if not frequently the top—teams one can drive for in most junior series (though there is also somewhat of a self-selection bias; if you ask oscar he is not a significant beneficiary of prematax!), having absolutely demolished the f3 competition that same year and achieved a clean sweep of the drivers' standings with rob shwartzman, marcus armstrong, and jehan at 1-2-3 consecutively. oscar completed post-season testing with them in spain alongside to-be teammates logan and fred vesti in october (source), before confirming on jan 26, 2020 that he would be joining them for the f3 season as a renault junior.

so, where does mark webber come in here? apparently mark's trainer from red bull and wec had also been oscar's trainer since 2016 (i'm pretty sure this is australian physiologist simon sostaric), and it was through their joint connection that oscar was introduced to mark. according to mclaren's 2023 season preview, "the pair hit it off, and webber took his countryman under his wing," signing oscar to jam sports management, aka the management agency he runs with his wife ann. mark's support would become a major factor in helping oscar progress through the feeder ranks and establish himself in f1, mainly because he had actual connections and could help oscar network with sponsors and negotiate his way during future signings. of course, more on this later.

as an aside, here are a few things mark has said about oscar:

"he’s got that white line fever when he puts his helmet on and turns into a different character, which is sensational." (mar 1, 2020)

"one of oscar’s biggest strengths by a mile, compared to everyone he is competing against — and this will be a huge string to his bow when he makes it to f1 — is his composure. he has immense levels of composure. [...] if you are weak mentally you won’t make it. he was on his own from an early age. he did brilliantly with his studies. but the racing disease would not go away, he wants it very much." (sydney morning herald; dec 11, 2021)

"he’s a prost, mate. he’s such a thinker and so calm. at first i thought i needed to inject a bit of urgency in him, but actually no, he’s got his own frequency. that’s just where he is." (the race; oct 7, 2023)

estimates provided by chris piastri on the cost of oscar's junior career, stressing the million-dollar commitments of running a single season of f3 or f2 (source)

anyway, back to the chaotic events of 2020. i think something that's good to keep in mind when discussing oscar's time in the renault sport academy is that he was actually a relatively new recruit, as in he only participated in a single training camp with the other juniors in 2020 and most of them (max, christian, guanyu, the temporary ghost of victor) already knew each other before. oscar essentially met with renault's factory team in early 2020, filmed promotional material with other juniors in january before attending the season opener together in february and then heading to winter training camp later that month, after which he and max left early for f3 pre-season testing in bahrain on march 1—a blessing in disguise, seeing as caio, hadrien, and christian remained behind and would soon be stuck quaranting in a hotel in tenerife—then briefly spent a week at school before returning home for what was meant to be a quick pit stop at the australian gp, which at the time had yet to be canceled.

then, of course, lockdown happened.

simplified breakdown of renault junior stints, notably showcasing the academy's struggles to meaningfully promote any of its juniors

oscar at the 2020 renault season opener alongside then-academy director mia sharizman, then-tp cyril abiteboul, alain prost, f1 drivers esteban ocon and daniel ricciardo, and the other academy juniors: fewtrell, lundgaard, zhou, david (feb 12, 2020)

oscar and maxf behind the scenes of the same event (feb 12, 2020)

stuck in australia for three months, oscar would end up participating in two fia virtual races, one for f2 and another for f1 (jun 7, 2020). a fun landoscar tidbit is that he finished 5th in the virtual gp right behind lando, so they technically had raced each other before 2023, depending on... well, whether you count a 2020 sim race wherein george russell and alex albon lead the pack as a real race. nevertheless, this was a time when drivers were becoming much more active online, seeing as streaming was the best way to keep their images relevant and connect with fans, and despite oscar expressing little interest in streaming on twitch he would still experience a considerable uptick in his online activity and twitter reach that year.

racing resumed on july 4 at the red bull ring in austria; oscar had been granted an exemption to travel to the uk and complete a 2-week quarantine back on may 27, a reassuring indicator to the motorsport world that the f3 season would run after all. now that he no longer had to attend school, having received 2 b's and 1 c for his maths, physics, and computer science a-levels, oscar relocated from hertford to oxford in june to be near the renault facilities, which he visited nearly every day to train at, and began living independently (as in in a flat) for the first time since 2016, rooming with fellow renault junior caio collet.

as i said before, this season is when oscar's online presence and "memeability" began to really conceptualize, enabled primarily by the fact that he was a) finally living outside of a school dormitory, and b) now, of course, signed at prema, a team notorious for its social media visibility, literal family atmosphere, and frequent youtube pandering. according to this f3 article, his twitter followers jumped from 795 at the start of the season to 11.6k by the time he won the championship, an audience built significantly off the self-deprecating string of jokes he used to tweet regarding drs and general reliability issues faced throughout the season.

what i guess i want to touch on here is how oscar's online presence has always been concentrated around the bare fundamentals of his personality: dry humor, candid words, sparing emojis, a few humorous photos detailing the mundane reality of his everyday routines, and at most the occasional inopportune meme or reaction gif (#thepiastri 🤷‍♂️, f2 in baku, jetpack guy, so on). he's bantered frequently with callum on twitter and near-obsessively liked memes, videos, and other updates lando shares with his audience, but he also has seemingly little interest in building up his own "brand" the way lando so smartly has with ln4 and quadrant, and quite frankly seems viscerally incapable of wanting to engage one-to-one with fans or otherwise leveraging the popularity of his material image. basically what i like to say is that oscar enjoys being adjacent to "lad humor" and will happily enable it, but he really has no interest in being the one to initiate it himself!

"there's some things you want to share, some things you don’t. in today's age and sort of having the profile that us drivers do, we kind of just have everything shared,” piastri said. “but (social media) can be used for good, certainly within the profiles that we have. but in some ways, it can be negative, and there's always going to be people out there that don't like you for being you.” piastri tries to write as many of his posts as possible, and he checks those written by his team to be sure they sound authentically him. (the athletic; jun 29, 2023)

along these lines, oscar does enjoy the spotlight, only he seems to prefer it concentrated in a specific lens toward a specific productive end. he's endlessly capable of seeing the objective upside of a situation, joking after he was made a meme in baku following his f2 sr1 collision that he was all for it if it got him popularity. after his eurocup championship he also said: "i think everyone loves a bit of spotlight on them. i think that's just human nature, so a bit of attention's always nice." which is interesting to me!

but back to racing. this season would unexpectedly become two things: maxf's last competitive season in motorsport—especially disappointing considering that he'd gone into the championship expecting to put on a second-season title charge, instead failing to gel with the hitech team to the point that each increasingly poor weekend made him spiral mentally—as well as oscar and logan's last season racing against each other before f1, since logan would later encounter financial difficulties that left him stranded in f3 as oscar catapulted himself to f2 victory. 2020 was obviously a weird season in general because of covid and the gap from pre-season testing, so it also meant that oscar had gone into the season fairly rusty; he managed to win the first race of the season, but on top of his drs rollercoaster he did struggle with middling results in qualifying and was met step-by-step throughout the championship by logan.

maxf's last race in f3 was the barcelona sprint race on august 16, with three rounds left to the end of the season. he dnfed in an unfortunate first-lap incident mere moments after oscar charged his way up from 5th on the grid to the front of the pack, where he would eventually breeze his way to victory and pull himself near-level with logan for the championship lead. i recognize that this is an oscar post and not a maxf post, but i think their time in f3 during an extremely isolated and covid-affected period speaks to both an interesting dynamic between them (the little kid who always lagged a series behind you suddenly beating you on merit) and their respective temperaments toward racing. while at renault, max reportedly lived with jack aitken during the week but would return to his family home on weekends, so it makes sense that he struggled to adapt when covid hit and drivers were collectively forced into very regimented sporting bubbles. mark webber, who worked for channel 4 as a commentator and had access to the f1 paddock, basically couldn't see oscar in person and instead spoke to him over the phone every day on race weekends. maxf said of his decision to quit:

"normally [...] i’m able to stay calm under pressure and i don’t let many things get to me but when you have a bad qualifying result and you see guys up there that you know you’re capable of beating, it definitely takes a dig at you inside and it’s been a lot to process throughout the year." (source)

while then-academy director mia sharizman, who worked closely with the renault juniors, spoke of oscar's inherent propensity for independence and how he adapted well to the pressures of living on his own:

"if you look at oscar piastri, he has been living on his own, [away] from his family who are in melbourne for the past five to six years. because he has been living on his own in boarding school, he learns how to live on his own, and he thrives in that. we have to force him... 'have you spoken to your father?!' it's just things like that, but he thrives in that. that's why he thrived in those weekends racing. he loves being on his own without anybody. on the other hand, we had max fewtrell, for example, who can't – he couldn't survive the 11 weekends racing, because he always needed his family to be around him. so those are the things that suddenly you see and, i think that that we see now, after a few years a driver who is quick, a driver who has the talent, and then the driver who is stable." (source)

2020 is also when lando and oscar spoke to each other on twitter for the first time. yay! after lando went semi-viral for having a meltdown over a hornet on three separate social media platforms, oscar first joked with him about it on august 24 (this was incidentally also the day maxf announced his functional retirement, which oscar liked as well 😭), before referencing the incident again a few weeks later in september.

(aug 24, 2020) / (sep 10, 2020)

outside of drs tweets and trying desperately to banter with lando norris, oscar's popular tweets at the time included several food-related mishaps and home appliance tragedies. while this isn't actually a lando moment, he was also slandered by the LN4 twitter account a month later on october 17 for reasons that remain a mystery, resulting in this set of interactions:

(oct 17, 2020) / (oct 19, 2020)

bonus: maxf's tweets @ oscar (when you aren't close enough to just text him.......)

but back to f3. similarly to his second season of eurocup, oscar would go on to clinch the title in only the final race of the year, this time even more stressfully—he never got pole that season and won arguably off of consistency, benefiting from errors and unfortunate collisions involving his primary competitors. after a hectic qualifying and string of contentious grid penalties set for the before-last round in monza, he began the feature race 15th on the grid but put on an impressive performance to finish on the podium, buffing his points lead after logan was tapped by clément and put out of the points. he, logan, and fred all dnfed in race 2 (read: the novalak pendulum swung away from oscar's favor to maintain stringent cosmic equilibrium, while logan and fred threw away a points opportunity with a teammate4teammate love tap), and oscar went into mugello with only an 8-point lead over logan and a 24-point lead over pourchaire. this weekend proved equally hectic, as is frequently the case with f3 racing standards, but in short oscar and logan entered the final sprint race level on points, with théo approaching terrifyingly near in their rearview mirrors. logan was unceremoniously taken out of contention on the first lap after contact with zendeli, and oscar managed to squeak his way to 164 points in the championship by placing 7th in the race; théo finished 3rd, with 161 points, two positions away from claiming both the race and the championship title.

a succinct summary of an eventful season! (posted jun 30, 2021)

despite winning the f3 championship in far-from-dominant fashion, oscar's career was now steadily on an upward trend. on october 30 he was rewarded with a private test in the r.s.18 at bahrain alongside christian and guanyu, and a month later confirmed that he would be racing for prema again in f2 (december 1, 2020). as a rookie f3 champion there was a moderate amount of interest in him, but no one really expected him to carry home the f2 title on his first try and so one of the main favorites going into the next season was his second-year teammate and 2019 f3 champion rob shwartzman.

4. f2, alpine reserve duties, #piastrigate (2021-2022)

at the start of 2021, fernando officially took daniel's place at renault and the team rebranded itself as alpine, parting ways with team principal cyril abiteboul and functionally replacing him with new ceo laurent rossi—part of a no-tp management structure, frankly a self-evident infrastructural faux-pas from a million miles away. the renault sport academy was then also renamed to alpine academy; again i know that this is an oscar post so i won't get too into the details of Alpine Being Alpine, but understanding how the academy functioned does help better contextualize the inevitable unfurling of piastrigate.

the main issue, really, would always be laurent rossi, or at least the values laurent rossi had been hired to represent and which he willingly peddled during his controversial tenure at alpine. after rossi's appointment it was reported that "the renamed alpine academy was now being tugged in two directions between director mia sharizman's ideal as a creator of future f1 drivers and alpine's chief executive officer laurent rossi's commercially-led preferences." (source) mia directed the academy from january 2016 until may 2022, and had been the one to restructure its recruitment process by demanding better funding and robust testing programs to cyril:

"when we first restarted the team in 2016, it was, we didn't even have a two-year-old car program at that time. we had to use a 2012 program using the [lotus] e20. [...] then in 2018, i went through it, and i said to cyril abiteboul, "look, let's try and do this." we needed financial resources. i needed a head start with financial resources to kick start the program whereby you entice drivers, and you offer [a place] to the academy drivers. it was more to see how they are... it was more of an evaluation process... that was what the first idea was. then we developed the program to develop the drivers to suit their formual 2 program." (source)

(note: mia also believed that 2020 was a disappointing year for all of his juniors save for oscar's performance in f3, which is a whole other thing. but rossi's greatest shortcoming was that he had singular, insulated vision, and he resisted any external input to the detriment of reactionary business decisions, a fact that alienated alain prost and soon led to his exit from the outfit in 2022. not a good look!!! prost would later call rossi "the best example of the dunning-kruger effect, that of an incapable leader who thinks himself able to overcome his incompetence with his arrogance and lack of humanity toward his troops." 🤌)

so basically, the cracks of mind-boggling incompetence within the team's leadership structure were long evident. on a brighter note, oscar's 2021 f2 season would quickly become his strongest single-seater contest ever (f1 youtube has a good summarizing video of his season, if interested); because of covid, f2 was experimenting with a three-race format this year in which quali set the reverse grid for sr1 and sr1 results then set the reverse grid for sr2, which essentially meant high qualifiers were rewarded for simply maintaining composure in the first sprint and running cleanly in the top 10 in order to secure a favorable grid spot in sr2. oscar adapted well to this format, building off his reputation of smooth, consistent driving on top of slowly improving his qualifying results over the course of the season, finally breaking through with his first feature-race win in monza.

oscar with mia sharizman

this is also around the time when lando mentioned oscar in official f1 media for the first time, reading off a question about him to daniel in an interview posted in october:

"this one's not even about formula one. it's about oscar piastri. oscar pias-tree! [...] he's been on it this year." — (full video) (oct 1, 2021)

of his own f2 campaign, oscar said:

"i thought that i could challenge for race wins, but i probably wasn't expecting to be so consistently at the front. consistency is something that i’ve had as a trait throughout my career, and i was expecting to be consistent in my results this year — but maybe a bit lower down!" (source)

not only did he end up being consistently at the front, he became virtually unstoppable in the second half of the season. on december 11, oscar clinched the title in abu dhabi with two races to spare, ending the season with 5 consecutive poles and 4 consecutive feature wins, 60.5 points above his previously-favored teammate in the standings. #notbadforashitqualifier!

by now oscar was a hot commodity in the paddock; the only problem was that alpine didn't really care, mainly because rossi had enthusiastically re-signed ocon to a three-year deal in 2021 and held zero intention of actually promoting any of its juniors to one of the race seats, plus the one open spot at alfa romeo had instead gone to guanyu and his considerable financial package (though oscar has always been vocally defensive of guanyu's appointment to his detractors). instead of moving to another series, such as indycar or super formula, oscar recognized that he'd proven everything he needed to prove within the feeder system and opted to remain on the grid as alpine's reserve driver, mainly so that he could embed himself in an f1 team environment and—most crucially—avoid being left "out of sight, out of mind," because once you go to america you usually don't come back.

i'll keep the rest of this post brief since i feel like everyone already knows What Went Down, but a quick highlight for fellow landoscar enjoyers was the 2022 australian gp on april 10, during which oscar accompanied rosanna tennant for the post-race show and awkwardly participated in a chaotic lando & alex interview. as far as i know, this was landoscar's first time interacting on-camera!

o: "i haven't raced either of them, no." l: "not yet!" o: "not yet. hopefully soon." — (full video) (apr 10, 2022)

then silly season started, and everything was thrown into disarray when sebastian vettel announced his imminent retirement and fernando subsequently took his place at aston martin; alpine scrambled to recover from this blindsided move and prematurely promoted oscar to an f1 seat, to which oscar eventually posted The Tweet—claiming he'd never signed a contract with alpine and would not be racing for them in 2023, thus kicking off #piastrigate. or the piasco, or whatever you prefer to call it.

here's a good article that properly summarizes the crb ruling, but tl;dr: mclaren and alpine had come to an agreement back in march to loan oscar to mclaren's stable of reserve drivers after daniel contracted covid; mark webber, who was close to andreas seidl from their time at porsche in wec, quietly negotiated a contract with mclaren for 2023 that oscar would then sign on july 4, which was reportedly initially a reserve deal with an upgrade clause to a full-time drive given a dr buyout; alpine's legal team turned out to be essentially one overworked legal director who mishandled the situation thanks to a lack of organizational support, while a concrete williams deal never actually existed no matter what people continuously allege, and any proprietary right to oscar's services that alpine purported to have for the 2023 season would soon be voided by crb rule on september 2. in other words, they dun goofed.

because tumblr dies when i try to include it in this post, here's a link to a condensed chronological timeline version of this post.

that's it for now. i'm sure you know how the rest goes!!!

#oscar piastri #*m #quite possibly the dumbest thing i've ever written and most likely of no use to anyone at all. but i had fun so no flames pls 🥲☝️#there's so much more i could have said this is quite frankly the condensed version... scrapped a whole separate section on just his psyche #i need 2 be normal.........

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yellosnacc · 8 months

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Been keeping this away for long since its a very out of context specific stuff.

These are the Heads - the mostly spiritual leader of the central Foru micro-state collective. Their role is to be a guide for all the leaders (archs) in central Foru and speak for all of them on an international level. They also bless lands and people and generally are well-liked by them. They can make big decisions, but it's ultimately on the archs if they comply (but the pressure is strong).

Every head has a more specialized role, each representing a 'sense' of their one shared soul (hearing, seeing, touch, thought...) and people they are patrons to (the old, the "rich", the leaders, the priests...). Each central Foru micro-state usually has its favorite head that they want to see the most in their community when bringing them news or blessings.

here are closeups

The Heads are the center of a religion practiced in the region. In short - the Heads share one spirit that in ancient times belonged to a priest who misused their power to get to the spirit world and instead became forever stuck in the material world. After many reincarnations, the priest became a wise leader who learned to speak with the spirit world and make final peace between the worlds of spirits and the material.

I would need to go into more religion details to go over that but that can be a separate post. Let's talk about how they get their role.

A 'competition' is held to determine the best leader, most spiritually attuned, most well-thinking, and best-presenting individual. The Heads in position at the time with a few other high-ranking individuals will judge the participants and then make their pick at the choosing ceremony. Luckily there are not too many to choose from, there are many requirements to participate.

However, the one picked isn't one that will become a head, they would be far too old at the time. Instead, they will force their system to make a rare phenomenon happen. This means making more of themselves with cloning (having babies grow out of diploid cells with no need for another person). This is usually achieved when under high amounts of stress and loneliness.

The uniima egg naturally holds 4 larvae but usually only 1-2 develop fully while the rest becomes food for the surviving ones. This clone egg has 4 identical whites (pre-babies) in them that get special care to ensure at least 3 survive. There have been heads with one member before and with 2 and 3, but 4 is a miracle as the bottom corner larva almost never develops enough to hatch. This egg is very lucky.

The identical quadruplets are given to be raised in different environments. These environments will decide what they represent as adults. It will also give them better perspectives of the world, making it easier/more difficult to make big decisions when the time comes.

Additionally, because there are 4 heads this time, a new environment had to be introduced. This environment was that of small communities, minorities, and generally people living in poorer conditions (yes, for the past Heads, war was more important than their people suffering (it's a very central Foru thing)). Unfortunately for The Ear, they are not respected everywhere, and many people assume them to be a fake among their siblings.

You can also see the heads have each their own signature and each Head generation has their own symbol that is recognized outside their writing systems.

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soobnny · 1 year

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imagine (a world like that) — yang jeongin.

trope. exes to not so lovers. bittersweet ending. a story of first loves. jeongin is an idol here.

synopsis. a trip back to busan on his break reunites jeongin with his first and only love — and it has him wondering, if one thing had been different, would everything be different today?

word count. 3k words

warnings. none, just on the angsty bittersweet side

note. been wanting to write a first love reunion fic for a while (the 1 cameo and a line inspired from everything everywhere all at once). thank u to yun for instigating my terrible thoughts my 4lyfer and to ten for the Beautiful header ur massive big brain talent

Yang Jeongin stands on the train platform, cheeks colored red from the gust of the winter wind that greets him at the station.

He pulls his scarf closer to his nose.

When he decided to travel home by train, he didn’t anticipate it would take three and a half hours to arrive. On normal days, the travel towards Busan from Seoul usually ranged from 2-3 hours, but it took longer than usual due to the snow.

Jeongin doesn’t spend a long time in the station, opting to blend in with the chatter of people around him as he swiftly makes his way to the streets of Sujeong-dong. It’s still snowing, but he doesn’t seem to mind the snowflakes littering his hair and eyelashes.

Instead, he looks up at the sky, trying to see where the snowfall is coming from.

It rarely snows in Busan as it’s located in the least snowy region of Korea, but Jeongin is grateful for the gentle drizzle of white and the cold that’s just enough to leave visible puffs of warm breath when he sighs.

In his pocket, his phone is buzzing with the screen flashing a picture of Chan, probably to ask if he arrived home safely as he hasn��t had the time to send a quick text to their group chat.

Pulling a glove off, he slips his hand in the pocket of his coat, swiping right on the phone call. And it seems his hypothesis is correct when concerned spews bounce off of his phone’s speakers, Chan speaking at an unusually fast pace you’d be convinced he was the main and lead rapper.

He smiles fondly at the obvious care dripping from Chan’s tone, immediately informing the eldest member he had arrived well and intact (with a little teasing) before hanging up the call shortly after.

Jeongin moves through his hometown slower than usual in contrast to his busy, bumbling schedule the past year. He concedes to time, grateful to just be able to slow down for a second and appreciate the gentle snow and the cold breeze without shifting his attention every second.

Knowing his family would arrive home a little later in the day, Jeongin doesn’t feel the pressure to reach a destination right away. Instead, he lets his feet and mind wander to where they felt like going.

He should’ve known himself better to not be surprised at where he’s landed himself in.

On a different day, a few years back, Jeongin could still remember the feeling of a hand gently intertwined with his and the sound of starry laughter on the exact same path.

The memory leaves a foreign feeling in his chest.

Walking up the stairs to occupy a seat on the second floor of the traditional teahouse, Jeongin feels a gust of wind knock straight into his sternum at the sight that greets him. He isn’t to blame. This is the first time he’s seeing you after your teary goodbye’s a few autumns ago, and you seem just as surprised to see him.

He still remembers you as you were when you ended things. Your eyes were strong, but grief persevered in your irises as you told him you understood. Besides, you had been there to hold his hand through every audition, and you knew more than anyone how much he wanted it and how hard he worked towards achieving it.

So, you learned to trade your love for his dreams.

That day, as leaves fell from the trees, so did both of your hearts.

“Jeongin?” Your lips pull into a short smile, although it grows wider the moment you’re able to discern that this moment was real and Yang Jeongin was actually standing a few feet away from you. You could recognize those eyes anywhere.

“Hi.” He remains unmoving as he drinks you in, everything about you down to your movements. Your hair’s a little shorter now, and you preferred a different shade of lipstick.

All he can think about at this moment is how you look so pretty smiling, and how your lips must be so cold from the winter.

“Your hair’s black again. It’s nice.”

His hair is back to its original color, after dyeing it multiple times for comebacks and events, and it falls just above his eyes (with some strands moving past). It’s longer, and he can’t find himself to dwell on your compliment at the thought that you knew his hair wasn’t black before he came home.

A small, shy laugh leaves his lips as he scratches the back of his head. “Figured it needs a little rest before the company decides to dye it again.”

You mirror his laughter — that same starry sound that held light whenever you laughed, the same one Jeongin fell in love with.

You find it humorous how most of your conversations in this teahouse had held frustrations over your highschool, but now he was talking about his company and his hair he never thought to dye years ago.

“Would you like to sit with me?” You’re looking at him with your thoughtful eyes as you gesture the space across from you. On normal simpler days, he would’ve simply made his way towards the seat next to yours — but now you’re considerate enough to ask if he was even allowed to be sitting with you. That maybe you’d be caught and his image would be ruined.

Jeongin’s rushed to decide whether to pass on your offer or pull you back into his life (even if it was just for a few minutes). He finds it isn’t much of a difficult decision as he makes his way to your table, sitting comfortably by the window. He plants himself on the same ground that had given him so many treasured memories with you and that had taught him of hard lessons when he had to let you go.

Jeongin scolds himself for allowing himself to fall right back into you, not that his feelings had ever left. The bitter taste of heartbreak has always sat at the back of his throat, but it has always been easy to hide behind his busy schedules.

Under the guise of time, he convinces himself he’s moved on. Besides, it’s been years since you both said goodbye.

Time is cruel, and it is also one of the biggest liars.

“How have you been?”

You’re well aware it’d only take a five second search to find out what he’s been doing and what his group was up to, but you were genuinely curious to know how he’s feeling about everything.

It’s not like life teaches you to handle fame and pressure at such a young age paired with the peering and judging eyes of strangers who seem to want you more than anyone before.

People were never meant to grow up in such a cruel manner.

Your question snaps him out of his self-pity, but the genuineness in how you ask him has his heart twisting in the most painful way possible. He doesn’t know if the feeling is of love or of grief.

Jeongin doesn’t know how to respond either. He feels the crack in his facade widen, and all he wants is to run in your arms and cry and tell you how difficult it’s been and how horrible it is to forget how your hug feels like.

Instead, he settles with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He doesn’t think he has the right to hold you without your permission anymore.

“I’ve been good.”

His response is genuine. He couldn’t possibly wish for anything else — he was grateful for the opportunity to chase his dreams, for the 7 boys he crafted a family with, for the genuine love and support from so many people all around the world.

When he thinks back at the years, he feels eternally grateful, despite the exhaustion. It just sucked that the universe didn’t have a place for you in all that.

You push him to tell more stories, especially of his world tour, and he tells you how much more humid it is in the United States, or how lovely it is to walk around Japan, or how big the serving size of food is in Europe. He tells you of blue skies and loud screams and how fun it is to perform on stage.

What he doesn’t tell you is how much you would’ve loved to experience all that too. How much more fun it would’ve been if you were by his side.

He doesn’t allow himself to dwell on the thought too much. God knows how many nights he’s spent alone with the same questions of what if’s.

“And you? How have you been?”

“I’ve been good too. College feels a little repetitive, but somehow I’m grateful for that.” You hum, sipping at your tea before settling it back down neatly on the table.

An indefinable look flashes on Jeongin’s face when you mention college.

Within seconds, he looks everywhere in the room but you as he nods his head. He doesn’t tell you he doesn’t want to meet your eyes for the fear of seeing the life that could’ve been with you if he hadn’t forgone with his dream.

“You know… I’m so proud of you, Jeongin. I never had the chance to tell you before, but I’m so so proud. You’re so big now, I can’t even hug you anymore.”

His name sounds different falling from your mouth because it holds so much history.

I.N. is two letters he goes by now, but to you, he was still Yang Jeongin — the kid you grew up with, and the boy you end up falling in love with down the line. He wasn’t just a noun that followed a group’s name. He was much more than that.

He was your Yang Jeongin, the boy who defended you from towering bullies, the boy who hugged you as you cried on his shoulder, the boy who held your hand when you were afraid.

And maybe that, paired with the statement of you being proud, is the reason why his lungs twist and his eyes water a little. You’re tempted to reach out for his hand that’s resting on the table, but opt out of it.

“Greatness and success has always been waiting for you, and I’m so happy to see you’ve finally met it.”

There is nothing but truth behind your words. So many restless nights have led him to this moment, and you couldn’t be more happy. You’ve always known on the invisible string that tied Jeongin to success.

“I just wish you’d been there to meet it with me.”

His voice is just above a whisper as he stares down at his lap. You had always played a big role in his self-confidence. When he came to you in the form of a flightless bird, you taught him how to spread his wings so wide that he could finally fly.

“I’ve always been with you. Maybe not in the way you want, but I’ve always been there.” You break a smile, leaning forward against your will to finally tap his hand gently. “And I will always be there.”

His lips twitch, and he moves closer, craving for more of your touch — the touch he’s missed, the one his memory has so carelessly forgotten. You know by the way he stares at your hands that he got the message.

You both don’t say much after that. You simply enjoy your tea with each other’s presence, looking out at the pretty view from the window.

And this moment makes Jeongin so happy. Something as ordinary as sipping tea in the quiet with someone he’s fond of. Something as ordinary as the gentle snowfall in Busan, and the pretty view of the sun slowly starting to set beneath the mountains.

It’s new. But he likes the quiet, and he likes the peace, and he likes being home and having you as company.

He allows himself the time to recollect the moments he had with you in the same stout table with the same pillows on the wooden ground. It’s funny, looking back now, how the sound of your voice and the look in your eyes are no longer the ones with child-like wonder in them, but that of two people who had made it far down the line.

Jeongin’s trip back to Seoul in a few days will strip him of the chance to do ordinary things like this with you again, and the coming months and years will be one of loneliness again — despite being around people who loved him.

A part of him wishes you hadn’t asked him to sit down with him. Maybe then he wouldn’t have to relive the grief. He wouldn’t be left to wonder if your lips feel the same as a few autumn’s ago?

He doesn’t want this moment to feel like a distant memory in the years to come too. Will he forget the feeling of your hand gently tapping on his again?

“It was nice seeing you again, Jeongin.”

He lets his gaze drift back to your face, and in your transparent eyes, he sees the same grief persevering. “You’re leaving already?”

“I have classes tomorrow. I’m sorry.”

If you didn’t know him so much, you wouldn’t have noticed the way his eyes fall a little and how his smile grows a little stiff at the mention of you leaving.

You make your way to where he’s seated, and you ask if it’s okay to hug him, and he responds by gathering you in his arms like it’s the last time he’ll ever feel it again (because he knows it will be… at least for a long time).

He hugs you with the prospect of memorizing the feeling of your arms around his body and your fingers rubbing gentle circles on his back and your face that fits so perfectly on his neck. There’s a pained look on his face that wants to solicit tears but he doesn’t allow himself to.

He doesn’t want your last memory of him to be teary-eyes.

Jeongin pulls you in his lap and leans back against the window, burying his face deep in your hair and hoping his memory won’t betray him this time.

His back is pressed against the glass, and if anyone were to walk by right now, they’d see him and your silhouette bunched up in his arms but he doesn’t seem to care about any of that right now.

All he cares about is your warmth and how close you are to him right now.

When you move to pull back, he whispers “one more second” as he grabs you back by the arm and presses you against his chest one more time.

His throat itches to tell you he loves you, but doesn’t think he can bear the response he’ll hear from you — whether it was an ‘I love you’ back or not. Especially when he’s leaving again and living an entirely different life than what could’ve been.

In the background, he can make out the high-pitched whistle of the kettle making tea, and the footsteps of customers flooding the teahouse. But all he can focus on is your heartbeat flush against his.

If he closes his eyes, Jeongin can picture himself with his gray hoodie you love so much, and his messenger bag from high school — walking you back and forth to your classes. Maybe he’ll join a sports team in your college, maybe he’d be in the dance program. He can picture himself kissing you again and again so freely, and hugging you just like this.

On his side of the world is life filled with so much opportunity, and everyday is loud like fireworks and extravagant and he could get whatever he could’ve ever wanted, but he finds himself wanting to stay a little longer in your side — where it’s quiet, where he can do the ordinary, where he’s just Jeongin.

When you finally let go from your hug, there’s a stifling silence as you walk to where the stairs are. But before you can make it far, Jeongin’s voice cuts through the winter breeze.

“(Name)?”

“Hm?” You look back one more time.

He breathes in and out.

“In another life, I would’ve really liked going to college with you, just holding your hand and… doing ordinary things.” He confesses quietly, but no matter how soft and vulnerable and shaky his voice is, you can still hear him.

You smile at him, albeit bittersweet.

“I would’ve really liked that too.”

You hope you were able to tell him everything that you needed to, and he hopes you can see in his eyes that he still cares for you deeply, and he will always care for you this much.

There is a sharp feeling in his chest when you finally descend from the steps, and a cry is brewing at his throat waiting to erupt when you’re no longer able to hear him. There is only so much he can do when you’re walking out of his life again.

It has always been his fate to go after his dreams, and it has always been in your fate to let him go.

The teahouse gives him another hard lesson. Perhaps his grief and love was always meant to coexist. That Jeongin can love his life right now, but still grieve over the life he didn’t get to live with the people who are no longer traveling beside him. Maybe it was always meant to be like this.

But he knows, from the way you looked at him for the last time, that there will always be a place in the world that’s waiting for him — not Stray Kids I.N., but just Yang Jeongin. That even when he falls in exhaustion and is stripped off of everything that’s shaped him to be desired by the public, he would still be loved and wanted.

Someone from home will always be waiting for him.

Your distance grows, and all Jeongin can do is stare at you long enough so he can brand you in his memory.

He begs the universe to be a little kinder to the both of you in your next life.

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ideavian · 2 months

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Every time you post I just wanna know more about EE and Rarity. This is your excuse to just talk about it, I wanna read whatever you say

Ahhh that means a lot! I’m glad you like them :D I’m just going to use this ask for general trivia alsjsksk thanks for the opportunity to ramble!

1. EE was heavily inspired by Ludwig II of Bavaria and his architectural projects! EE takes after a lot of the aesthetics and elements associated with him in both the puppet and the superstructure. He also shares his idealisation of past eras and focus on preserving beauty, to the point of neglecting functional/material concerns.

2. Originally my idea for the campaign was supposed to revolve more around Rarity’s purpose as a mobile memory conflux, so it was more about going to different areas and documenting the environment. Each area successfully documented was supposed to symbolise a corresponding tie with the world, so that Rarity would essentially carry the world within its cells. This would mean that it wouldn’t be able to ascend after entering the void but would simply continue to record until it returned to the material plane with its newfound knowledge. Anyway I scrapped this idea because I had no idea how it would work gameplay wise and also couldn’t come up with that many unique areas :’)

3. The pearl garden region was a result of EE trying to create Rarity. His first attempt of merging biological tissue with pearls was successful but uncontrolled, and the result was too unstable to be any useful in retaining information. The material has high reproductive capacity but an extremely short lifespan, so it infects any living being and basically turns them to pearl statues. Over time, the material spread from the test site and covered the island EE is situated on, wiping out the ecosystem and beginning to strangle the superstructure. EE appreciates the aesthetic value of the infection even though he is very dying.

4. The echo which gives Rarity max Karma, Ten Chimes over Deep Water, was a member of EE’s maintenance crew and also EE’s favourite musician. They were very attached to EE and admired his artistic capabilities, but didn’t share his philosophy that beautiful things should be preserved forever, alive or dead. Chimes was, like other Ancients, used to the world, and they found its lack of novelty tiring. They were therefore enthusiastic about ascension and curious about the world beyond. Nevertheless, they were the last to leave EE’s superstructure for mass ascension. EE viewed their departure as a betrayal and forbade them from ever returning, so Chimes’ echo lingers on the far shore.

5. Rarity is solar powered and well adapted to the barrenness of EE’s surroundings. It likes sleeping in the sun :3 The rain in the region is gentle but floods are common due to poor drainage, so hibernating is still occasionally necessary.

That’s about all I’ve got for now! Might add on more if anything comes to me aldjsksk thanks for the ask!! Also feel free to ask question from here if there’s anything you’d like to know :D

#rain world #rain world oc #eternal enigma #rarity #chimes #thanks for the ask!

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earenwen-leafwhisper · 7 months

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Not wanted (part 1)

Pairing : Daemon Targaryen x Chubby fem reader

Summer : "The silver hair of the prince was blown by the slight breeze, his purplish gaze burned with an anger worthy of his dragon. Y/n although set back could observe the scene unfolding in front of her eyes. Daemon was in front of her father, Dark sister in hand."

Author’s note: hello, I post the first part of "Not wanted" now, so you don’t wait as much. Part two will probably be published during the week or else it will be two publications on Sunday. I hope you enjoy this first part. Enjoy your reading.

Trigger warning: mistakes have undoubtedly had to pass my vigilance, English not being my mother tongue they will be corrected.

Ao3 profile : Earenwen_Leafwhisper

---

There is a feeling, or will it be instinct, which tells you quietly that you are not wanted in a place, it can happen everywhere, whether in school, in the street, at work, but also in the family.

This feeling grows over time and it is not pleasant, the worst being the evening when the truth comes out. When your father is drunk with all the alcohol he has drunk since the beginning of the afternoon explains to you that you will never be born, that your life you owe to your mother who wanted more than anything in the world a child. That explains, a lot of things, like never having a "congratulations" when you achieve something, or a "I’m proud of you, I love you my daughter". No. Never, just "Did you see how fat you are?" "Stop reading", "Why don’t you read?" , being cut off at every moment, "Shut up!" followed by "Why don’t you answer me?". Little by little, all your self-esteem eventually crumbles, by a member of your closest family. There is also this question, "What would I do alone?" The moments when you imagine running away.

Being born on Westeros is not a dream life, whether we are peasants or nobles, we have our own personal hell. Yours is your father. Although not wanted, your father decided to do something with you, and marrying a second-rate lord was a good solution. His son, born of a first union, was already married to a lady from your region, strengthening the ties of the two families.

His son, he saw it differently, for him he had nothing to reproach himself. But to all the others, he was a frightful asshole, who amused himself by threatening servants and lords of smaller house than yours. Manipulating everyone around you, going so far as to threaten you, morally and physically, explaining clearly, that the day your father died, he would put you at the door of your castle. But you were just a ball and chain. Your father did not want to marry you, at the very beginning, prefer that no one speaks of you or shows interest, waiting for the coming years, he ends up wanting to see you leave with a lord, he could not see you when he was drunk, insulting you with various sentences, more or less painful, explaining that nobody would want you, the least that nothing. Deep down, he was bubbling, refusing to accept that someone was interested in you.

During the various tournaments in which he participated as spectator, he tried to find you a husband in vain, he reproached you, while it was his fault, because no lords had seen you in the flesh. The lords are trying hard to convince him to get you out of the castle, wanting to see who this misterieuse young woman was.

A date was chosen, those of the games organized by Lord Baratheon, for the adoubement of his eldest son.

---

To say that you were surprised would have been an understatement, your father, one morning sober, warned you or rather ordered you to be present at the games organize for the son Baratheon. Your mind worked very quickly, you felt fear mounted within you, your whole body became warm, your heart throbbing, you felt your blood flowing at the level of your temples, your hands became sweatly. With time you had learned not to believe the good news coming from your father because to each of them, hid a dark face, turning against you.

You instinctively understood that something was wrong. He had never wanted you to accompany the "family", you learned to appreciate the fact of not participating in banquets, the only semblance of banquets in which you had participated was in your very young childhood, during which only the houses vassal to yours participated and at the same time make your acquaintance, having seen you as a child at your mother’s side. Whether it was a courtesy visit or in the most difficult moments, you, the child who tried to do well to please his parents, but ended up seeing his father drunk, yelling at the guests who contradicted him on anything, (whether on the land or on the alcohol he ate) and who fell asleep on one of the benches aligned against a wall of the room, a knight winning up to your nurse in order to sleep safely.

As you grew up, you would stay back, observing in the dark the rare events taking place in your castle, seeing from your apartments, your brother’s wedding, do not participate in the festivities. In a sense you were grateful, you did not want to play this open-air play, where false pretenses were common, you could only wish good luck to the servants, knowing more than very well, that their work and reprimands would be much more severe than usual

Now you had to participate, was it a new way to humiliate yourself? To have you away from the castle so that your brother could make it his stronghold and abandon you in a place that you were unknown?

All possible reasons paraded in your mind, not even trying to find optimism in them.

---

The area of your family was quite far from the stromlands, the journey was long and winding, the summer was coming to an end, the roads formed of a mixture of earth and large stones, you avoided the forests anticipate the slightest attack of bandits who could have hidden in the trees and depths of the forest. You were traveling for the first time outside your castle and your father did not want to worry about looting in addition to having you nearby.

There were two carriages, in the first was your father, a mestre and his advisor. You were present in the second, more modest, made only of wood, without ornaments, made of the rest of the wood of an old carriage, a servant was at your side, helping you to sew a new dress, for the dinner in which you and your father would participate, dinner to help you find a husband. «New», was not the right word, you used fabric of old dresses that belonged to you to make your work. The jerky movements of the carriage made it difficult to sew, more than once you had pricked your fingers, fortunately there was no taste of blood spilled.

Your journey was calm, you stayed in the carriage most of the time, leaving only when you had no choice, escorted by your servant and a knight, you avoid your father, who over the days used up the small reserve of wine he took with him when you left. The less alcohol there was and the faster he started to be irritable. The slightest thing that was contrary to his desires was directly criticized, whether it was the singing of birds early in the morning, the wind blowing a little too loudly, or a knight of one’s armor needed to be oiled. Everything was a pretext for his moods, the rare moments when he was sober and asked how you lived the journey, and his drinking crises where he remembered for an eternal time painful moments for all and reproaching you, even if you had nothing in it.

---

After more than a fortnight of travel, you finally arrived on the edge of the ramparts of Storm’s End, gave you the impression of being gloomy, all its shades of dark color, made you think of the tales that your nanny told you before going to sleep. Your servant looked through the opening of the carriage opposite to yours, observing the little distance that separated you from your destination.

"My lady! Look! In the sky!"

Surprised by her sudden change in behavior, you looked, trying to understand why she had reacted in this way.

You squinted slightly, trying to look towards the clouds that were beginning to gather above the stromlands. It was just clouds, nothing new, just big gray clouds with white reflections. Whatever… There you seemed to see a darker point, moving, appearing and disappearing, moving in movements that did not seem to come from the wind. The more you concentrated, the more you had the impression that it was getting bigger and bigger. Your throbbing heart, you didn’t understand what you see.

"Sir Percival, do you see this form moving in the clouds?"

Sir Percival was a knight of of family who was loyal to yours for several generations, long before the conquest of Westeros by Aegon the conqueror. Percival seemed to be close to your father’s age, as far as you could remember, you had always known her. He had always encouraged you when you were a child doing a task that seemed impossible to you, unlike your father who always found subject to criticism.

Sir Percival mounted on his horse’s saddle, lifted his head, you could see from his profile that he was concentrating, you could see fine wrinkles forming in the corner of the eye that you could see.

“It seems Lady Y/n, that it is, a dragon.”

"A dragon?"

“Lady Rhaenys Targaryen is a cousin of the Baratheon House through her mother. It would not surprise me that other Targaryen would have been invited. Although tensions are still high between the two houses, with regard to the iron thrones. "

“Thank you Sir”

"With pleasure Lady Y/n"

When you put your head in the carriage you began to imagine how big the shape could become, what their dragon riders might look like. Lost in your thoughts, you whispered a sweet.

“Dragons…”

---

Tents stood against the ramparts of the city that was facing the castle. The long and heavy linen fabrics covered them, a ballet of color paraded on both sides of the central aisle. Shades of blue, green, yellow and other warm and cold colors contrasted against the walls of an anthracite gray. The tents closest to the doors were intended for the most noble houses and more precisely for their knights, small paths were formed between the tents, taking visitors in the direction of the tents of the vassal houses, whose tents became increasingly modest according to their ranks and riches.

From inside the carriage, you and your servant could smell scents of roasted meats, grilled vegetables and soups. The smells came from the outskirts of the enormous camp, where servants of vassal houses prepared meals on oak tables, suspended above the campfires, stood pots where various soups and stews marinated. Looking from the openings of the carriage, you could see the knights helping from their squires moving armor, swords, masses and shields towards the forges moving from the city to the camp. The noises they heard were a mixture of words, metal clapping, the neighing of horses and clogs clapping on the ground.

The coach stopped slowly arriving at the level of the places defined at the location of the future tents. Your house was not one of the largest houses of Westeros, but had known to keep its independence from the largest houses, bend the knee only in front of the Targaryen house, after several years of fierce war. Some people in your family had kept a deep resentment towards silver hair, prefer to have links with other houses in Westeros, hence their placement. Coming out of the carriage, you looked around, taking the time to remember every moment, knowing that she would risk being married to a person she did not know at the end of the games.

Your house was placed between the Stark and Tully houses. You had never met a person of the two houses, hearing of them only by the few bits of words coming from messenger or by the books about the conquest of Aegon. The people coming out of the main tent of the Stark house were preparing the beds, moving the weapon and armor racks, they too had to arrive shortly before you.

"You do not speak without permission, you do not look a lord or a lady in the eye, keep your head down, and most importantly! Don’t make me ashamed!"

The words of your father came out of your thoughts, since your departure from the castle, he had not spoken to you directly, you understood that he would not speak to you more, and kissed the head you understood that it was the best solution for the moment, no one present knew you except the knights of your house, no one would have stood up for you.

Sir Percival descended from his horse, standing beside you. He put his hand against your shoulder.

"Don’t worry Lady Y/n, I’m here."

You sighed softly, feeling the weight of the years under your father’s yoke continue to pressure you.

"Shall I wait here until the tents are up?"

"No my lady, your father allows you to go around the camp, under the supervision of a knight."

"In that case, will you be prepared to accompany Sir Percival?"

"Of course."

Sir Percival, bowed gently in the direction of the young woman, letting his young squire take the reins of his horse, helmet under his arm, the knight began to walk beside the young woman, understanding more than his lord that the young woman needed it.

---

You felt several glances resting on you, despite everything you tried to keep your head high, constantly repeating to you, that your father did not see you, that he could not have concrete proof on your posture. The lord closest to your father looked at Sir Percival, recognizing the knight who at times accompanied Lord Y/f/n, they all watched the young woman round, recognizing for the most observant, the few features she shared with her father. So she was the young woman?

Murmurs began to roam the tents, first of all the less noble houses, clearly understanding that it was their chance to assert their houses in order to win ranks to theirs. The noblest houses were the most reluctant, the lords knew enough Y/f/n to know that your presence was hiding something. Never had your father talked about you, no hint, nothing. You could be legitimate just like a bastard they knew nothing about. A union between the two families by your blood did not guarantee the loyalty of the Y/h/n family, or even your legitimacy. There was still a positive point, your house, was known to have stood up to the Targaryen, it was powerful, but the disadvantage came from one man. Lord Y/f/n Y/h/n. Your father. Who of his problems with alcohol, became one of the most detestable men of Westeros, be it his words invaded with a hatred towards any man not thinking in the same way as him, refusing the slightest annoyance, and his bad manners, he turned and farted without any shame, whether during dinners, the shawl or in interviews when they took place at night.

Some shameless lords were already beginning to want to bring their sons closer, thinking they understood that your father could be overthrown quickly in case of an alliance, but the knight accompanying you watched over the grain, He threw black glances at people who observed too insistently his protégé. Fortunately all the families present were not insistent, greeting you simply out of politeness, resuming their activities just after.

From your walk in the central aisle, you could see the affinities of noble houses from their positions, the north remained mainly between them, the south with the south and then there were some houses that did not remain according to their geolocations on Westeros, But by their wedding rings, the children came and went from tents to tents, laughing at each other in a game that annoyed adults.

Looking at them you felt a slight pinch in the heart, you had never known a real moment of innocence to play with other children except one or two children of servants who ended up punished. Only your nanny and some knights kept you company, trying to alleviate the boredom of the little girl you were.

But of all the looks on you, you could never have imagined that one of them would have made you miss a heartbeat.

---

From both ends of the long alley stood two very large tents, of red and black color. From the location that the house Y/h/n, moving in the direction of the right stood the largest and most flamboyant in its shades of red, it was almost contiguous to the large door, this one raised flags of a red tricephal dragon on a black background. Many knights and servants moved in and around the tent, but no silver heads were visible.

“The king is very weak, he must have sent fighters on his behalf for the games.”

It was Percival, who saw the curiosity in your eyes, had spoken.

“In this case, who owns the second tent? It also carries the dragon.”

Percival concentrated, trying to understand why the Targaryen could have been divided into two parts. The Velaryons stood between the royal tent and the knights fighting under the banner of the Baratheon. In this case, the crown wanted to show that the union between the houses was maintained, although the princess was not the future queen. Who was in the second tent? To this Percival had no answer.

"I’m afraid I don’t know, lady Y/n. "

“It is nothing, we will probably learn in the coming days.”

You were right, when you returned to the tent of your house, you could see the second Targaryen tent grow. Unlike the royal tent, it was mainly composed of linen from a jet black. Two banners in the colors of the Targaryen were placed on both sides of the opening. There was very little movement around, the tent seemed almost deserted.

Almost.

A snap of armor was heard, you turned around at the same time as Percival and saw several knights walking quickly in your direction, Percival just had time to grab your arm and shoot at him, preventing you from being rushed. Slightly under the surprise, you did not pay much attention to the number of knights, or even to the fact that they did not apologize. The only thing that captivated your attention was a hair color that you had never seen beyond book to screen, silver hair, your eyes very easily found those that belonged to the person with silver hair. The purple eyes were almost hypnotic, you never thought possible that it exists, it took you a few seconds to turn away, not without fighting. In front of you, a man who seemed barely older walked, he was dressed in black with small touches of dark red. If at first the man’s gaze was surprised, it was quickly changed by a smirk. You felt your breath stay in your throat, time seemed to you to last an eternity. Although in reality your exchange of gaze did not last more than two minutes.

Percival with his protective arm around you, looked at the man younger than him, he growled. He understood why a second tent was present. Prince Daemon Targaryen would participate in his games, and this no longer in Percival. The prince since the appointment of Viserys as successor to the throne, was in dispute with the royal family, rumors about his adventures in the bordelles spanked numerous as his disrespect for people he did not see as his equal, refusing the arranged marriage with Lady Rhea Royce. The rogue prince was not someone the fathers wanted their daughters to meet. Percival though merely your protector feared that the prince would fall under his spell, not for the punishment he would have had, but he only wanted to protect you.

---

On the first night, Y/f/n ordered his knights and servants to keep you inside your tent, refusing to let you speak to anyone before he begins the bargain of your future marriage. He didn’t want you to undermine his progress, not noticing your look lost in the void.

Although you could not get out of the tent, the servants kept the entrance open allowing everyone to see what was happening outside, finding agreements with the servants of the nearby noble houses to say nothing to their lords.

You were sitting near the entrance and looking out, seeing that the movements of the day had faded by the time the noblest houses had come to the opening dinner of the games. You kept hoping you could see the silver-haired man again before your father came back, but he didn’t seem to have left his tent.

This is what you believed, because under a cloak with the hood up, the young prince was out, wanting to enjoy the night outside the large camp. He saw you from the corner of his eye, a servant was taking care of your hair (long/short, thin/thick, lise/curly/frizzy, etc.) y/hair/c.

Daemon was intrigued, he had already met your father on very rare occasions, as well as your half-brother. Oh more than once, the desire for murder had risen in his mind, he could still bear the Baratheons, but these two men, were detestable. Daemon wondered who this round young woman was, having never heard of her. Something in her attracted him, but he did not know what it was and he did not like it.

---

The night gave way to the days, the first games started at dawn, the archery tournament was on the outskirts of the city, long lines of targets next to each other butted in front of wooden bleachers. Ropes prevented the peasants from meeting the nobles. Your house was divided in two, the closest to the ground you were sitting with your servant, you had to keep your head low, feeling the heavy look of your father in the back, this one was two rows above you.

Daemon, from his place, standing back from the royal family, held a goblet of wine in his left hand, he tried to keep his gaze in the direction of the archers who were advancing, but was without hope. His gaze turned away at the slightest opportunity in your direction, he could see that since night, your posture had changed. From a straight posture, you had bent the spine letting appear some curves that he had not yet seen and which did not displease him, observing what was behind you, he saw Y/f/n, of which the black look was directed in your direction, while he seemed to speak with the lord next to him. Daemon despised this scene.

“You seem to be more interested in the Y/h/n house than in the tournament, my prince.” a lord who Daemon had forgotten the name, just spoken.

"If you please, my prince, it would seem that Lord Y/h/n wishes to bride his daugther although with her age I doubt that the lords are interested, they prefer them younger."

This lord annoyed Daemon, whether by his words or by his innuendo.

“At the same time, what did he think of his daughter, she only whas the second child, and of a second wife, his son will inherit everything.”

The second child… Daemon knew what it was like to be the second, more than anyone else.

---

#daemon x reader #daemon targaryen x chubby reader #daemon x chubby reader #daemon targeryen x reader #house of the dragon fanfiction

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15-lizards · 8 months

Note

As the fandom’s resident fashion historian, do you have any thoughts about wedding dresses/apparel in Planetos? Personally, I weddings are a great place to showcase the differences between the regions especially with traditions, superstitions, economy, and skills. For example, IRL there is a superstition, if a bride makes her dress, each stitch a bride makes is the equivalent to the tears she will shed during the marriage but I can’t see that translating to Westeros where the small folk or even every member of house Frey or house Reed aren’t getting a custom dress. Maybe it’s traditional to wear colorful dresses in Dorne and heavy jewelry made by talented blacksmiths in Westerlands and trading cities use dresses with pearls (because in Meereen pearls=fertility) and myrrish lace to flaunt wealth but the North cause practically and reusability over fashion and maybe they pass down dresses, the Reach probably produces cotton so I imagine they would have more stylish and intricate designs, Qohor might have headwear with religious figures hanging from the fringe... I’ve thought about it a bit but I’d love to know your thoughts! 💚💛🖤💚💛

This will also include the other wedding asks I got and will probably be a two parter since there’s a lot to cover!

Wedding fashions part 1!

I’ve mentioned it before, but I like the idea of a Dornish bride “wearing” her dowry. Usually this consists of a veil made out of coins, or stitched into her gown, or placed into her headpiece. The fabric of the gown itself is also the finest the family can afford, and is expected to be sold if necessary (though noble families don’t usually do that). This practice isn’t only a tradition to show the groom’s family that he is not being swindled out of the agreed upon bride price, but is also a way for the family of the bride to show off their wealth. If a girl is especially wealthy, she may not even be able to wear the entire dowry, so her maids, ladies in waiting, animals, and every other thing she is bringing with her is decorated in wealth as well and presented to the groom

Stormlands women tend to be both proud and practical, so their dresses are made from the best materials they can afford, but practically cut and layered for the constant rainy weather. They’re also sacklike and large with very few adjustments so that the fabric can be repurposed later on. Most new gowns look like this anyway for the same reason, and wedding gowns are usually new. A woman’s dress will usually be in her family colors, and be patterned with their symbols as well, or maybe quartered with the grooms symbols and colors. If it’s not repurposed for other things, a gown might be reworn many times for social events, and even refashioned into a more stylish silhouette.

In the Riverlands, there’s no one type of wedding gown, as it’s so large and many of the brides will just wear one of their nicer gowns they already own, but the typical long flowing sleeves and loose overdress are common. Flower, vine, leaf, and other nature motifs are incredibly popular due to their connection to the fertility of the riverlands. So many girls will take a dress with a pattern, or embroider flowers onto it, or maybe pin real flowers onto their gowns, if they cannot afford to embroider or have a patterned gown. There’s a superstition that a bride with not enough flowers will not have any children, only have sickly/weak children. So the small folk especially incorporate as many flowers they can into their weddings

The Reach women’s favorite wedding tradition is seeing who can have the most expensive dress of the season. They’re even more ostentatious than their regular fashion, if that’s even possible. The puffed and slashed sleeves are made from the finest tulle and softest silk. Bodices trimmed in Myrish lace, patterned skirts that took months to make. Gold jewelry and hairpieces imported from the westerlands. Heavy wedding cloaks that are more pearls and thick embroidery than actual fabric. The cost of the yards of fabric used to make the gown is enough to make a Pentoshi merchant swoon. Essentially reach wedding gowns are just upping the ante of their regular dresses.

The wedding gowns of the westerlands are a bit less openly ostentatious than those of the reach, if only because someone doesn’t want to embarrass themselves in front of Tywin or Tywin-adjacent lords, who think to be too showy is a sign that you’re trying too hard. However the overdresses are still made of detailed brocade, necklines are decorated with pearls, and the lower sleeves are still big enough to drag. They still clearly rival the reach, but are also clearly having far less fun with their clothes. It might be a tradition for a woman to start wearing a type of hood on her wedding day, as a way to honor the mother and start promoting herself as lady of a noble house instead of an unwed girl

#asoiaf #asoiaf hair and clothing #you are going to take your Borgias inspired reach outfits again and you are going to like them

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blogforfauna · 2 years

Text

Canis lupus

Grey wolves are the largest canine species, usually weighing between 75 and 125 pounds (34 and 56.7 kg). The largest wolf ever recorded weighed 175 pounds (79 kg). This was a Mackenzie Valley wolf, and they are generally a lot larger than other grey wolf subspecies.

Although wolves in captivity have been observed with rigid roles in their packs like alpha, beta, “mid-rank”, and omega, this is not how it works in wild wolf packs. There are vague positions wolves have in a pack, but these are exaggerated in captivity when wolves are kept in close proximity to each other. Dispersal wolves, which are wolves who have left the pack they were born in, do sometimes join the packs of unrelated wolves, but wolf packs are usually just families. And in a family, of course the parents are going to be the most dominant. They are the “alpha” wolves. What people consider to be beta wolves would generally be older siblings- obviously less dominant than their parents but more dominant than siblings from newer litters. “Omega” wolves are believed to be extremely submissive, rejected, outcast wolves. It might appear to be like this in some cases, especially in captivity, but this role along with alpha and beta are clichés and rarely influence wild packs.

There is probably only one “true” wolf species in the world, and that’s the grey wolf. Many people believe that the Arctic wolf, timber wolf, or Eastern (Algonquin) wolf are different species, but they´re all subspecies of the grey wolf. Critically endangered red wolves are currently considered to be their own species, Canis rufus, but recent studies show that these wolves are likely the result of interbreeding between grey wolves and coyotes.

Domestic dogs are wolves too. They are considered to be a subspecies of the grey wolf just like Arctic and Eastern wolves are.

Just like red foxes aren't always red, grey wolves aren’t always grey. While the most common coat is agouti, which is a banded fur pattern consisting of grey, tan, black, and white, their coats can also have distinctive patterns or be solid colors. Wolves with mostly black fur are considered melanistic, which is sort of the opposite of albinism. They got this trait from domestic dogs that interbred with them centuries ago. Grey wolves very rarely come even close to being solid white, with the Arctic subspecies as an exception. Except for when they are young, since all wolves are born with brown fur, these Arctic wolves are almost always a solid white or cream color.

Found throughout much of North America, Europe, and Asia, grey wolves are second only to the red fox when it comes to distribution size among canines. In North America they generally hunt large prey like elk, moose, bison, and musk ox. In Europe and Asia they target musk deer, roe deer, and wild boar. Wolves in different regions or even individual packs specialize in hunting different prey. All wolves tend to hunt in a similar manner, running prey down using incredible stamina and sometimes chasing prey 30-40 miles (48.3-64.4 km) in a single day.

Many people believe that wolves howl at the moon. This is a cool idea, but it's a myth. Wolves do tend to howl with their faces pointed up towards the sky, but they only do that to help the sound carry farther. This way their howls can be heard up to 10 miles away. These howls are used to communicate with other wolves, sometimes to find members of their pack and other times to scare strange wolves away.

SUPER LONG POST OOPS

I rate the grey wolf 20/10. This is the animal ever

Photo credits:

(1) livingwithwolves.org (2) William Ervin (3) Jim Brandenburg (4) William Ervin (5) Michigan Technological University (6) Ross Forsyth (7) National Geographic

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legacygirlingreen · 9 months

Text

Part 4: Chapter 1 "Leave Me" // Sebastian Sallow x Reader

Summary: Things are finally going down with the final repository and Rookwood. I decided to make this stray very far from canon to make it more interesting. The next few updates should be full of lots of angst... so I apologize. This section is also quite sporadic jumping around to different locations/people since everything happening is within the same time but different spaces!

Notes: I would like to thank @strawberrypinky again for the continued support, seriously this wouldn't have been possible without you! This is a continuation of my longer story so feel free to read the rest!

Warnings: angst, violence, hints of assault, etc.

Word Count: 12,000 words +

Part 4 - Chapter 1: “Leave me”

I have been conversing with Dorran as several members of his herd have gone missing over the last few days. He planned to look further south along the coast, asking if we would be willing to scout the Feldcroft region in search of clues since you’ve become familiar with the area. If we leave after potions we should hopefully be back in time for dinner.

With urgency,

Poppy Sweeting

Also, bring your broom, I would like to practice my flying.

She couldn’t help but sigh reading the message passed to her during class as she left the greenhouse with Sebastian. He sensed her frustration, pulling her gently into his side as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Pulling her slightly off to the left side of the stairs when they entered the library annex, he set their books down on the ground as she ran a frustrated hand through her tangled hair.

She had gotten in late the previous night from helping Amit with an astronomy table. The day before it was Imelda with a broom trial. And Natty the day before while trying to rescue a boy taken by rookwood’s men. This had led to a series of days where she had improperly taken care of herself simply out of exhaustion. The night before specifically had left her unable to take the time to run a brush through her hair, resorting to throwing it in some messy style along with her wrinkled clothes. Looking down for the first time all day she realized she had forgotten her robes in her dorm that morning, suddenly feeling the chill without them. How could she forget something so simple? Why was it always her responsibility to drop everything for the sake of others to forgo rest? In fact, she couldn’t recall the last night in which she got a full night's rest.

A silent tear slipped down her cheek as she did not have the strength any longer to fight her exhaustion. Knowing this brief pause was useless, as professor Sharp would most certainly give her and Sebastian detention if they didn’t show up in the next few minutes for potions class. However… a small part of her liked the thoughts of having a night off from her responsibilities, even if it was served in detention. She could be there with Sebastian, and not feel the weight of the world on her shoulders… No. She couldn’t think like that. Now was not the time to give up. Taking down Rookwood was a priority.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong? What did that note say?” Sebastian asked in a soft tone, drawing her into his arms as she started to shake. The last thing she saw before being pulled into his worn Slytherin robe was the concerned look he sported. His bushy eyebrows raised, chocolate brown eyes full of worry and the corners of his plush lips slightly downturned. She both loved and hated that he could always sense how close she was to breaking. Rubbing circles onto the small of her back he tried to calm her, and do so before they got in trouble for being late to potions.

It finally dawned on him as he felt the warmth of her skin through just her vest and dress shirt that she wasn’t wearing a robe. He figured she had taken it off for herbology, but looking around he realized she had forgotten it entirely. When he pulled back some, looking down to see her face he also noticed she was wearing two very different shoes : one brown and one black. The eye bags she sported along with the obvious exhaustion clueing in him that she was simply just stretched too thin.

“Who was it this time?” He asked her, knowing whoever passed the note must’ve once again been asking for her assistance with a task.

“Poppy.” She mumbled into his light green blazer.

“Ah. How urgent is her request?” He inquired, knowing that while he already had plans for the afternoon he could arrange for Ominis to entertain her while he was down at the Craigmire coast once their class let up.

“Quite. The centaurs who helped us save the snigits need help. They’ve had several members of their herd captured by poachers. Finding them may help me locate or get more information on Rookwood since it’s his men.” She knew Poppy’s request was well intended, and that ultimately she would go help, didn’t mean she was thrilled with it cutting into her ability to rest. Mentally she had hoped to steal Sebastian away, simply just to nap in his dorm bed while he poured over research for Anne.

“That sounds like it could be dangerous. Wouldn’t it be wise to wait until tomorrow? It will be the weekend, and you can hit the road after a full night of rest.” He suggested, knowing there was no point in trying to discourage her from going at all.

“We are simply trying to locate them, we will let the centaurs handle it once we locate where they are being held. Just some stealth digging then returning. Should be back before supper.” She said reassuringly and Sebastian got the vibe it was more for herself than him. She was well aware he trusted her and her ability.

“If you believe you are up to it…” he said.

“I am. Besides we are searching the Feldcroft region… would you like to come with us? We could eat with Anne and Solomon perhaps.” She suggested.

While normally he would be jumping at the chance to see his sister, he was unsure how long it would take for him to complete his errand, one she specifically couldn’t know about.

“I uh, actually promised Sirona I would go collect something for her from the far southern coast… I may not be back in time for dinner…” he said sheepishly. He felt horrible rejecting her attempt to spend time with him, as they had seen each other much less since being back at school between his working on the weekends and her constantly running errands outside the castle.

“Oh.” She spoke very deflated.

“You go see them, and I will join you all when I am finished. How does that sound?” He offered a secondary plan and she seemed to accept his proposal.

“Let’s go to class before we are late. I can see you and Poppy off as well.” He stood in front of her, sliding his school robe off, delicately wrapping it around her shoulders and clasping it in the front, before stretching out his hand.

She accepted both, allowing him to slide his warm robes over her shoulders, as his woody masculine smell surrounded her as their fingers intertwined.

One class then a small errand with Poppy before she could rest. How bad could it truly be?

“Be careful, please.” He spoke against the skin between her eyebrows as they stood near the front gate to the castle.

“I always am.” She said, clear exhaustion in her tone, but still undeterred by her heroic nature.

“Usually, you are, I will agree. But I mean it… please. No unnecessary risks…” he said, unsure why he felt that sinking feeling in his stomach once more. Last time he’d felt it, she came home, hole through her chest, bleeding out in his childhood bed. Taking in a shaky breath he moved her to look at him by lifting her cheek in his hand. “I need you to come back to me in one piece.” He explained with a shaken breath.

When she noticed the look of concern in his eyes she softened, pulling him in by the back of his head, slotting their lips together. Feeling him sigh into her mouth, she opened her lips, letting him slide his tongue inside. He gave little regard to Poppy standing only a few feet away as he pulled her closer by the waist.

Eventually Sebastian pulled away, eyes stinging slightly before he cleared his throat, trying to keep himself from allowing tears to properly form in his eyes. “Promise me you’ll come back.” He all but demanded, tone pleading with her as their fingers remained locked together.

“I promise.” She told him, seeming more confident than she had before.

While Sebastian still had a lingering bad feeling he decided to press one last kiss to her lips, stepping back as she mounted her broom, giving him one last wink before her and Poppy prepared to set off.

“Keep her safe Poppy, you know how she always needs to play hero.” He said, trying to break the tension in the air.

“Of course. Not even a scratch. I promise”. Poppy told him, looking off to the horizon as they both set off in search of captured Centaurs.

Sebastian took a few steps to the left, feeling the weight of the coins in his pocket as he also left the castle grounds using the floo flame.

“I thought you hated broom travel” she shouted over the wind to Poppy.

“It’s been growing on me…” the quiet hufflepuff responded, face blazing red, and her short brown hair a mess.

“It doesn’t have anything to do with a certain quidditch playing roommate of mine does it?” She teased, knowing that Poppy had been going off grounds with Imelda for weeks now as the girls desperately wanted alone time away from the prying eyes of their classmates.

“Perhaps… does she ever… talk about me?” Poppy asked, not quite sure what she was expecting in response but curious nonetheless.

“Poppy Sweeting! How could I betray my dear roommate by divulging such information!” She pretended to be horrified at the thought and her companion must have not realized she was being sarcastic.

“right, of course… I am sorry” Poppy told her, attempting to speed ahead but y/n easily caught up to Poppy on her own broom. Bringing them both to a halt over the town of Irondale.

“Poppy, I’m only messing with you. Truly you should see the way she’s always a mess before you all go fly together. Always pacing, asking me to help with her hair knowing the wind will send it flying anyways. I don’t know the full extent of what you get up to, but I know she enjoys spending time with you. The smile on her face when she comes back is always so bright.” She explained, looking at the racing course atop the hill before signaling Poppy to follow her.

The pair made their way over to the flying course she still held the record for, the one that brought her friendship with her dorm mate through mutual respect of flying. Hoping off her broom she made her way over to a discovery she recently had made while out on a flight with Sebastian, making a point of not mentioning it to him.

Bringing the Hufflepuff girl around one of the wood planks at the back of the landing pad she crouched down slightly, pointing to a new carving. Now in the grain of the wood “I + P” inside of a crudely carved heart. Whoever did it must have struggled and she couldn’t help but know it was Imelda given she helped dig a splinter out of the girl's hand not long ago.

Poppy didn’t speak as she ran her fingers over the plank, smiling to herself as her face flushed.

“How did you-?” She asked

“Revealio. Plus Sebastian isn’t exactly the fastest flyer. I got bored waiting for him to finish the course” she explained with a laugh and a shrug

“I didn’t want to say anything earlier…” She started by trailing off while looking down.

“But?” Y/n pressed the girl, unsure what she was alluding to.

“You both just seem very good for each other… I think if anyone could find even half the love you both share, they should consider themselves lucky.” She explained.

“What makes you say that?” She asked, curiously kicking a pebble under her shoe, realizing they should attempt to make some sort of progress before the sun goes down.

“You and Sebastian are just so in sync. I don't really know how to explain it. The way he looks at you, or you look to him. The way he is always there with a hand offering without you even needing to ask. You two both are just so attentive towards one another, honestly I find myself jealous of it most days. Not because I want him..” Poppy started to defend herself but the girl just laughed.

“I am well aware of what you meant Poppy… thank you for saying that. I feel as if some days our peers would believe us to be moving too fast. That most of our feelings are sudden, and may not be genuine. I appreciate knowing your insight.” She felt sort of relieved knowing her best friend since starting Hogwarts was more understanding than their peers, and saw them without judgment.

“Of course… thank you for showing me this carving… we should continue our search” she said, once again mounting her broom and nodding off towards the coast. Y/n mounted her broom and followed her off into the sunset as they made their way over the Feldcroft region together.

Sebastian stepped into the small hamlet along the southern coast, tracing the steps he’d taken a few times now in the past few weeks. Having followed Solomon’s advice, once he’d gotten the money from Sirona, he reached out to a metal worker in Cragcroft. The older man had been the same metal worker that his father had used when selecting a ring for his mother. The man, strangely enough, remembered the exact design he had done for the deceased Sallow’s. While his mother had always adored the ornate emerald ring given to her by his father, he wanted to put much more thought and care into this.

It took much convincing to talk the metal worker down from the lavish and over the top designs he had been doing for about a decade now, as muggle ring designs were slowly becoming more and more popular. Sebastian couldn’t imagine his witch with a large and gaudy piece of jewelry like the ones he was initially recommended. Instead he thought about their relationship, and elements of it that truly mattered to him.

He thought of the moment he first saw her, busting inside the great hall and how beautiful she looked when her robes turned green. He thought about the moment they met, and how bright her eyes were in the firelight. He thought of the moments they’d shared in Feldcroft and how alive she was in the hamlet. He almost decided on something to represent her dance in the snow but it wasn’t quite enough.

Eventually it all came back to that moment, very recently, where she’d compared him to stardust. Since that night, Sebastian couldn’t help but feel an invigorated sense of confidence whenever looking into the mirror, seeing the freckles she compared to constellations in his reflection. The morning after she had done so he stood in his dorm room, staring into the small vanity as he went to shave, seeing all the blemishes and he couldn’t stop smiling at the lovely compliment she had given him. He remembered touching them so reverently, appreciative to the fact she adored them enough to compare him to the night sky.

He thought of how she often came alive in the night, when they would sneak off the school grounds together tracking leads for the keepers trials and the goblin uprising. She always looked downright ethereal in the moonlight and starlight. Beyond that she felt like a beautiful and bright source of light in his life, much like the sun. How her very essence was that of the cosmos, of a goddess in the heavens. He knew he had to do something for her with that imagery, since that is immediately what his mind went to when he thought of her.

The old man took his ideas to heart, trying to find a way to incorporate the idea of celestial art into gold for him. At first he tried to convince Sebastian that she would like a large, ornate ring with a large center stone and several small cut stones surrounding it that resembled a star. The bloody thing looked ridiculous to him even in a sketch as he couldn’t imagine such a large piece of jewelry on her small, dainty hands.

Slowly he was able to convince the man that the smaller, and simpler the better. In fact, his ability to convey that he would prefer more detailed wedding bands as a consolation prize, with a less ornate engagement ring seemed to pique the man's interest. The jeweler confided in Sebastian that the only variety usually in the wedding bands he did were the metal themselves, as people usually cared less about the design for those rings. Having more of a challenge with the creativity in that arena finally led the two of them to a place they agreed… after weeks of pondering, trial and error.

Sebastian realized he may have been deemed foolish to get all of them at the same time, but deep down he knew there was little reason to think she would reject his proposal. They had discussed life after Hogwarts and it always included some version of the two of them as husband and wife. Having them ready to go at a moment's notice in case Anne took a bad turn with her health also seemed like a good idea to him.

So when the older man finally showed him the concept sketch for the entire set he was actually excited by the hard work they’d both put in. Walking over to the booth in Cragcroft now, he couldn’t help but be excited to finally be seeing the end result. In fact, he was so excited he could almost feel his hands shaking with the anticipation to have them in his possession finally. He had already paid for the majority of the work upfront, only owing a little more for the end result.

“Ah Mr. Sallow” the older man spoke, seeing him walking up with a proud smile on his face. He couldn’t help but notice the way the young man walked confidently, with his chin held high in the golden sunlight. When the young Sallow had first approached him, he first questioned the age and maturity of him, as Sebastian did have a young appearance due to his boyish grin and freckles. Even after he explained that he was in fact 17, legal in their world’s laws, it still took some convincing. Over the course of their time working together, he came to realize the young man was wise beyond his years, and already of age within the wizarding world. Despite this he couldn’t help but recall his very faint memory of the boy’s father, who also purchased rings at such a young age.

“I got your owl, and I came as soon as I could, '' Sebastian explained. The man reached back into a small chest, using an unlocking charm to open it, before removing a box about the size of a small tome.

“I have to say, this has been some of my best work to date. It is quite unique. You have a great eye and attention to detail Mr. Sallow.” The Jeweler spoke as he opened the box, which contained two smaller ring boxes inside. One, very ornate, and dark green while the other was simple. Beneath the boxes laid the few pieces of parchment that detailed a sketch of his work as well as notes from their time planning together. The jeweler lifted his wiry hands to select the green box, handing it off to Sebastian as he held onto the rest.

Sebastian stood there for a moment simply staring at the outside of the box, his nerves getting the better of him. He noticed the way even the box looked so small in his large hands. Eventually he found the anticipation too great and opened it.

Inside he saw the beautiful center stone, clear and radiant. It was set in a simple design that replicated a star. Along the thin band, off to the side of the center stone were small radiant white gems on each side to highlight the design of center. It looked so small and simple, but he couldn’t help but smile, finally seeing it in person. It combined both her unique sort of style while also maintaining a level of elegance. It was dainty and avoided the gaudiness of most rings he had seen. It lacked much of the height he had seen other rings have, which would suit her well as it was less likely to get caught on things. It was perfect.

“I am speechless… this is better than I could have imagined.” He said, still admiring the way it caught the light of the setting sun, sparkling inside the box. He couldn’t help but try and think of what it would look like on her finger and how he would feel sliding it on for the first time. Eventually he closed the box, handing it back to the man, who passed him the second one.

“I am glad. I must admit, I found it to be such a charming piece and I admire your commitment to making something so perfect for your soon to be finance. I am certain she shall love it. I hope the bands themselves are also to your liking” he gestured to the box as Sebastian also took his time looking at them.

Inside he found two golden bands. One significantly larger than the other, as well as much thicker. Unlike every other wedding ring he’d ever seen, the one intended for him had a simple star, the same shape as the one on her ring, engraved in the center. His parents' rings had engravings on the inside, but this was proudly on the outside, as it was integral to the design. The other was much more ornate, having many small stars and constellations depicted on the thin band, as well as some small stones sporadically placed inside some of the larger stars. They were exactly what he had hoped they would be. Hers showcasing the night sky, while his showed just a small, simple aspect that he was in fact hers.

“I don’t know what to say… these are incredible” Sebastian spoke still looking at them.

“You should make sure yours fits” the man recommended, offering a hand to take the box from him as Sebastian removed the larger gold band. He stared at it a moment, before sliding it onto his left ring finger. He’d never worn a ring, finding the way the cool metal sat along his hand to be an odd sight as well as an odd feeling. He turned his hand over, examining it. When he looked at it, he couldn’t help but feel like an adult, as it marked such an important milestone he was actually excited to take part in. The thought of himself, as a married man, was slightly odd. Not that he didn’t want to be, just to admit it to be something he wanted sooner rather than later, brought forth an excitement, nervousness and other emotions he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

Sebastian also thought of how his mother would lift his father’s hand when he would become stressed, as she gently kissed the simple silver band he hardly removed. Sebastian could almost hear in his mind how his mother would gently whisper “I’m here Sampson” against the skin of his knuckles and the wedding band as his father would sigh. In the limited years he got with his parents he rarely saw his father take his wedding ring off, keeping it on while he worked, slept, and only removing it on occasion to wash. His mother did the same, only taking it off when she would clean dishes, hanging it on a nail his father drove into a beam by the kitchen sink.

When they died, and he and Anne were given their parents wedding rings, he realized that the entire time he’d seen his parents rings, he’d never once noticed the engraving on the inside of their plain matching silver bands. Ad Astra was on the inside of each silver ring, a phrase he knew in Latin meant, “to the stars”, but the significance of why it meant so much to them remained to this day a mystery. Just another reason he felt himself inclined to ask the man for something celestial for him and his beloved. For a moment he almost forgot where he was standing, as well as the fact that he wasn’t alone until the man spoke.

“I take it the smile means you are satisfied with it” he said, commenting on Sebastian’s expression.

“Yes, I just… it is going to take some getting used to seeing that soon, I suppose,” Sebastian admitted, racking a hand through his brown hair, staring down at the ring on his left hand. One day that ring would go on and rarely come off. He imagined that there would be times he would twist it around his finger when he was distracted, or perhaps his witch would toy with it when holding his hand in hers. He would see it when he was getting ready for the day. He would see it during moments they weren’t together, a reminder that he had a home in the heart of someone else. He would also get to see that ring on his hand that would be holding onto her bare body, as she writhed beneath him. He shut down that train of thought quickly, before slipping it off and handing it back to the man who placed it back in the box, handing him everything.

The man had been gracious enough to disguise the box as a book, so that it would look inconspicuous to anyone who might stumble upon it from the outside. He could probably place it on his desk along with the rest of his literature until he would need it. Sebastian reached inside his pocket, grabbing the leather pouch with the remaining money and handing it off to the man.

“I must admit, I haven’t spent much time this far into the highlands in a while. This region is quite pretty this time of day. I can understand why you live here” Sebastian admitted, watching the way the sun was starting to set over the wheat field.

“It is lovely. Have you by chance found a home yet? Or a place to build one?” He inquired.

“I have not. I suppose that is next on my list of things to do.” He explained.

“Well, a friend of mine lives in Marunween. He said recently a couple fled their home on the outskirts of their hamlet due to the recent goblin activity, deciding to relocate to America. He bought their home in order to help them get the money they needed to leave, but he is trying to find someone to purchase it. I looked it myself, considered the change in scenery, but I don’t think I can leave Cragcroft… I do believe it may be a wonderful it if you are interested.”

Sebastian thought about the man’s words for a moment before he asked him “I don’t have much money for anything fancy. Most of my inheritance went towards my sick twin sister”

“I also know of an old house atop the hill, in the same hamlet that used to belong to my sister, but a storm knocked a tree through the roof. It would require much work with transfiguration, but it still has a good structure. Visiting it breaks my heart seeing a place a beloved sister loved so dearly in such disrepair. I would love to see it restored and being put to good use.” the man retorted.

“Maruween you say?”

“Yes at the top of the mountain that the hamlet is built under. It has such a lovely view, and a jobberknoll nest out front”

“But a tree through the roof?” Sebastian asked with a wariness at the prospect of fixing such damage.

“It’s not that far from here I could show you if you’d like. It will take some work, but it may not be a bad option for someone as young and resourceful as yourself“ the man gestured to Sebastian‘s Slytherin robes as he said resourceful.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to just check it out, that is if it’s not so much trouble for you?” Sebastian knew it would put his return time further back but having a lead on a home would be nice to have.

“I was already heading that way to meet with a friend so it’s no bother at all. I think it admirable how maturely you carry yourself young man. Besides I think knowing that beautiful location is being utilized once more would be a comforting thought. With ranroks activity in the area people are fleeing. Building a future for the region is an importance people aren’t considering right now.” He replied, collecting a satchel.

“Well I still think the Feldcroft region is more of where I’d like to end up but if this place is as affordable as you say, it may be worth considering just so we could start a decent life together.“ Sebastian said realizing it may be a smart decision.

The man offered his arm for Sebastian, and the two apparated away.

Poppy and her were making their second lap over the region when Poppy finally spotted something.

“Look down there I see movement near those tents. We should land and track up on foot to get a closer look“

The pair set down in the trees about 100 yards away before casting disillusionment and slowly traversing the rocky landscape to the edge of the poachers camp. There were about 20 people milling about in the camp, along with the normal traps, cages, firs, and other items associated with poaching. They crept closer and waited behind the small Stonewall at the edge of the camp while listening for anything that might indicate the centaurs location.

Time passed, and no word on the missing centaur’s location was mentioned, so they went to leave when she overheard something troubling from two of the poachers at the edge of the camp. Her and Poppy moved closer to hear what the two poachers were saying…

“Why’s the boss got us out all this way?”

“He’s got us keeping an eye on some former auror he’s been extorting. Trying to make sure he doesn’t go to the ministry. And keeping an eye on a curse he’s been developing… he usually checks in every now and again himself but he’s been preoccupied by that student”

Immediately she had a sinking feeling in her chest over what she hoped wasn’t true about the words the poachers spoke. Surely they couldn’t be talking about the sallows…

She abandoned Poppy, attempting to follow them as they walked towards a tent at the edge of the camp. She stalked behind them quietly trying not to lose track of what they were saying but when they slipped inside the tent she no longer could hear them.

“Blast.” She whispered under her breath as Poppy, still under disillusionment like herself, caught up.

“What were they talking about? An ex auror? A curse? That doesn’t sound like centaurs…” poppy asked looking confused

She couldn’t help but grimace. Reaching over she clutched Poppy’s hand, pulling her backwards a tad before casting silencio over the two of them.

“No it doesn’t… but I wonder…” she trailed off once again. She didn’t want to believe that Solomon might’ve known the whole time what truly happened to Anne. Or that her love’s dear twin was suffering as the result of Victor rookwood trying to develop nasty incurable curses.

“Poppy, I need you to listen to me right now. I am worried that the curse they are discussing is related to Anne Sallow… and the former auror is their uncle and guardian Solomon… I don’t have much time to explain but I need to get in there and figure out what they know. I don’t expect you to come with me given the risk. But I can’t let this opportunity slip through my fingers if there’s a chance it could help save her.” She explained to Poppy, feeling the girl’s fingers shake around her own.

“You think they may have more information on what curse is killing Sebastian’s sister?” Poppy asked for clarification and she nodded.

“They may or may not but I am surely not going to neglect to find out. I can hope to slip in undetected, maybe find some more information. You should wait here” she didn’t want her friend putting herself in harm's way over something that was growing to be a more personal matter.

“Are you sure? You don’t know how many of them there are inside that tent.” Poppy asked uncertainty laced in her voice.

“If something goes wrong I am going to need to rely on you to get help.” She explained knowing Poppy could get back to the castle and get the professors.

“Alright. I will wait here but please… be careful. You know the poachers are incredibly upset with you specifically.” Poppy sounded more concerned than she’d heard the hufflepuff in the past.

“I’m always careful. Wait here.” And with that she slipped after the two poachers she’d spotted and headed closer to the tent.

Hoping over the small stone fence she slipped around the back of the tent, mindful to be quiet. Eventually the voices she had been chasing returned to earshot.

“I still don’t know why Victor has us doing his dirty work. Why should we have to stalk some farm girl to see how poorly she’s doing.”

“But feldcroft of all places. It’s so utterly boring. Not to mention rookwood castle is no longer available to us with those blasted goblins haven taken over victor's home”

That was all she needed for confirmation that it was in fact Anne they were stalking. Some quick thinking made her realize that perhaps drawing them out of the tent to see what she could find inside may be a decent idea.

Slipping around near the flap of the tent, she quietly whispered “confringo” setting some crates at the far edge of the tent on fire. She continued with “bombarda” causing a tree limb to fall on their cart. The ruckus served as enough of a distraction because both the poachers ran out of the tent to investigate as she slipped in behind them.

Inside the tent remained empty of other poachers thankfully. Only a few desks with various pieces of parchment sat on one side with the rest of the space seemed to be more for living as it had bunk beds and tables filled with belongings and food.

She stalked over to the desk, carefully sifting through the parchment. Reading the tops to see if their contents proved useful.

Most of them seemed to be detailed notes for moving magical creatures through the highlands instead of Anne. Until she came across a small, leather bound journal without a label. Opening the ties around it she turned to the first page seeing December 31 1889 across the top. The date alone made her want to lurch knowing that Sebastian and Anne’s birthday was the same time in which Anne was cursed. Pocketing the journal she continued looking for more relevant information when she heard a chuckle behind her before her disillusionment charm was forcibly dropped.

Expeliarmous! Her wand flew from his hands as she truly began to dread what was to come. Was poppy okay? Had they discovered her as well?

“Well well… What do we have here? Looks like someone has wandered too far from the castle…” she turned to see the man, grinning at her like a deranged lunatic. The other man standing next to him came closer, ready to grab her as she clutched her wand and the journal.

“Wait till the boss hears about this. You sweetheart… are going to make me rich. Rookwood put out quite the bounty on your head you know… go get the others!” he said to the other man who quickly apperated away as he came closer.

“Come here, I don’t bite” he said, snatching her into his arms as he grabbed the journal out of her possession.

“Stealing things you shouldn’t… naughty girl. I ought to teach you a lesson before the boss gets here.” He said, voice sliding into a concerning tone.

“Get your hands off me!” She struggled but he pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her waist as his other hand grabbed her by the hair.

“Not a chance. I’m not letting you get away this time. Besides, you’re such a pretty thing…” he said, his arm around her waist dipping lower to grab her buttocks as she continued to struggle.

“I said get off!” She screamed at him as he laughed.

“Not a chance. The boss has had eyes on you for a while now. How was Christmas down in Feldcroft with the Sallows? Tell me again, what’s that boy's name? The one you let hold your hand? The one you let kiss you? I must say… getting to watch him put his hands on you has been one of the only enjoyable things about being stuck all the way out here…” he said as she panicked knowing he had been watching them closely if he’d seen her and Sebastian. It made her stomach turn now realizing they weren’t truly alone in those moments.

“Cat got your tongue lass? I do wonder truly how much you’ve allowed that Sallow boy to do to you… has he gone so far as to deflower you?” He hissed against her neck as she continued to try and break free from his arms.

“Perhaps I ought to drag him in here. I can ask him myself… and if he hasn’t… well I’ll let him watch as a real man-“ his words were cut off as she heard a loud bombarda sound in the air. The man’s grip was ripped away from her as he went flying across the tent, his head smacking one of the beams as he fell to the ground, limp.

Poppy must’ve been alright. Suddenly the hufflepuff in question ran inside and up to her.

“Are you alright? I saw them follow you and when I got closer I heard him talking. What happened?” Poppy’s questions ran together as she looked around.

“We don’t have time, we need to get out of here. I need to find my wand” she explained searching for her wand eventually finding it.

The sounds of many people apparating filled the air and the two looked panicked at one another.

“Shit. Poppy you need to leave. You need to get out of here. Please. Take this” she said, thrusting the journal and the parchment into the girl's hands as she brushed herself off ready for the fight.

“Not without you. I promised sebas-"Poppy started but she was stopped by the girl.

“No. I don’t care what you promised him, this is more important. That journal may contain the key to saving Anne. Go to Feldcroft immediately and warn Solomon they are coming and to get Anne to Hogwarts. Then leave, take the journal back to nurse Blainey. After you make sure she has it, go get professor Sharp. Tell him where we are. Tell him what’s happened. If you have time, find Ominis and tell him that Solomon knew this whole time what happened to Anne and that I sent you.” She rushed out an explanation as she ran out of the tent seeing the field absolutely filled with rookwood’s men. Poppy ran out behind her seeing over 2 dozen men waiting for them.

“You there, stop!” They shouted at the girls as y/n began firing spells and to protect them both. Poppy joined in for a moment, but with holding onto the journal and parchment, trying to avoid dropping them, she became distracted, missing a poacher lurking behind her.

“Poppy look out!” She shouted blasting him, as a curse from the opposite direction struck her in the back. She struggled but kept herself upright. Looking into the scared brown eyes of her friend she felt herself being blasted with a curse that sent electricity through her body.

Turning around she tried to cast protego around the two of them, to no avail.

“Poppy go, you must!” She shouted over the fighting. The girl shook her head refusing to listen.

“Poppy please, you must… I can’t let her suffer. I can’t let him suffer any longer” she explained, out of breath.

More poachers appeared as she struck them down. The fight seemed like it would be never ending. Lifting her wand she drew down a cloud of her ancient magic, attempting to level the field some and reassure poppy she could leave.

“Poppy go, I’m right behind you. If you don’t warn them now I fear they’ll be in trouble” she explained and poppy nodded sadly accepting the situation.

“I’m coming back for you, I promise. Just hold them off "Poppy said just as she heard the words crucio muttered behind her. The last thing poppy saw before she apparated away was y/n falling to the ground writhing in pain as several poachers crept closer.

Well… the house certainly wasn’t what Sebastian expected. When he and the old man appeared in front of it, he was amazed at the view. It overlooked a massive lake and a small hamlet. There was a tree filled with jobberknoll flying and landing all around them. The view was something out of a dream… the home however.

Had a tree through the roof.

“I know it’s not ideal and will take a lot of work to get the tree out and the roof fixed but it’s got a solid foundation, and you can’t beat the view. Plus I honestly couldn’t think to make you pay much for it. The only thing worth a sickle is the land itself” the man explained. He did have a point but Sebastian worried this sort of transfiguration was above his pay grade.

“It’s not going to be an easy one, but I think it could be…” Sebastian wasn’t sure what possessed him to say “fun” but he did.

The old man chuckled, finding it amusing that a young man would consider this to be the home for his bride to be, and that the insane amount of hard work it would take to restore it would be enjoyable.

“That’s one way to put it for sure.”

“I enjoy a challenge, and I’m quite resourceful. Besides my witch, she’s actually quite the novice at transforming spaces using magic” he explained thinking this might actually be a worthwhile idea. Taking a step inside he could see where the second level used to be and that for the most part only a destroyed potions station remained.

Anne would cringe seeing a potions station destroyed.

Anne. He was supposed to go meet everyone in feldcroft. They were probably waiting for him right about now.

“The fireplace is hooked to the floo network, so once restored it will make traveling easier,” the man explained as he walked around trying to imagine the space being a place that was actually livable. While difficult I'm in its current state, he could almost imagine coming in and seeing her baking bread at what could be the kitchen. Or him playfully chasing her up stairs that they could conjure, as he laughed trying to catch her. Sebastian could build library shelves into the wall so that his books had a home. He could see a small section they could add on; when they needed room for a nursery someday…

“How much would you want for it?” He asked the man.

“Before the tree and the goblin activity in the area I might’ve been able to get a decent penny for the place but now… 50 galleons?” He responded.

Sebastian almost fell over knowing that the man practically intended to let him have the place for a few shifts at the three broomsticks. Money he actually had on him currently.

“That’s all?” He asked, trying to clarify.

“It has become more of a burden to track all the way out here to make sure there’s no squatters if I’m honest. I would be happy knowing a very resourceful young man who seems intent on handling things respectfully is taking care of the place my sister used to love.” He explained and Sebastian pondered.

Should he wait for her? Should he buy it and worse comes to worse they could sell the land and find somewhere else? What if she wanted to live closer to school? It wasn’t Feldcroft but it wasn’t that far knowing they had their own private floo.

“If you’re sure… I think it may be a fun idea for us to fix it up together. I can see that with some love it could be a very beautiful home” Sebastian said after a moment.

“I can send the deed via owl, since I have it back in my home, but if you want to just scribble out a written agreement on those parchments there “ the man pointed to the table and Sebastian nodded, handing him the parchment and quill.

Sebastian reached into his pocket, finding the money Solomon had given him, counting out the gold as the man wrote a loose contract before he signed, handing him the gold and taking the paper.

“I should be going now to meet my friend” the older man explained and Sebastian thanked him, knowing the man had single handedly helped him in many ways with securing a happy future.

As the man left, Sebastian took a look at the home and plot of land, jotting down some crude notes on what he knew he would need to fix and sketching out the current layout, with plans to illustrate things he intended to do. After a long time examining the home he took a walk to the tree out front.

Climbing up its branches he sat upon a decent sized limb lookin out as the sun started to descend, turning the sky brilliant shades of purple and pink. It was quite peaceful from up this high.

He thought of his future, their future. How he could come home every day and see her, happily tending a small garden. He knew she would be thrilled to see the jobberknoll so close to their home, maybe even introduce more beasts to the area. Would she bring her vivariums and protect others? They could build a small wooden table and place it out front and eat dinners on days like this and watch the sunset together or enjoy morning tea or coffee outside.

He could wake up each morning in a double bed instead of his current single and hold her close before they descend the stairs together, perhaps bathe together to get ready for the day. Maybe he could build a swing in the tree and they could relax next to one another overlooking the hamlet.

When she would get sick he could carry her from a spot on the lounge upstairs to their bed, tucking her in and making sure she kept fluids and potions in her. Whenever she was having a bad day he could collect a book from the library he could build, because Merlin knows he loved to read, and he could cheer her up by reading aloud and acting out the voices.

On weekends they could walk down to the coast together, and enjoy a quiet picnic on the beach. When they ran low on things like eggs they could travel down to the hamlet below together and say hi to their neighbors. Then they could walk back, cooking breakfast together as he undoubtedly would make a mess and she’d laugh while attempting to clean it up.

She could help him shave with the razor she got him, the one he was always so happy to use in the mornings even now. He could jokingly make her think she’d nicked his skin just to see her reaction before he’d laugh and allow her to continue. Perhaps he’d even allow her to cut his thick brown hair when it got too unruly as the thoughts of allowing her gentle hands to do so didn’t seem frightening.

They could stay together and share secrets and stories and never grow tired of one another. He’d never known what he wanted in life until he met her and now it all made such sense. Every mundane thing seemed wonderful if it meant it would be with her.

Realizing the time, Sebastian knew he should be heading back, that he should go to Feldcroft and see his family, not to mention: her. But he couldn’t find it in himself to leave this daydream that was slowly becoming a reality. Perhaps he could stay just a little longer and happily continue thinking of the future…

“Mr Sallow! Mr Sallow!” Poppy banged on the door of the home y/n had described as Sebastian’s frantically as she looked over her shoulder. Taking her advice she tucked the journal away, no longer fully trusting Mr. Solomon as she continued trying to get someone to open up. Eventually the door swung open.

“What is Merlin's name?!” The very angry face of a man poppy could only assume was Sebastian’s uncle opening the door. Poppy noticed the way he shared the same brown eyes as Sebastian and Anne but his hair was much darker, with streaks of gray and he had a beard.

“Poppy? Poppy Sweeting?” A timid voice called out behind the man as Poppy pushed her way inside with no regard.

“Anne! Mr. Sallow! We need to leave. I need to get you both out of here.” She said frantically.

“Not until you tell me what the hell is going on here Miss. Just because you go to school with my niece and nephew doesn’t mean you can just barge in here on a Friday nig-“ he started but Poppy interrupted.

“Y/n is in trouble and there are about a dozen of Rookwood’s men most likely headed here this instant. She sacrificed herself so I could escape and warn you both. Please don’t let that be in vain. I need to get her help and you need to leave before it gets too dangerous. We haven’t got long!” She explained hoping to appeal to Solomon’s better nature. Realization crossed the older man’s features and then his eyes hardened.

“Have you no proof for what you speak? I refuse to leave my home on the words of a student.” He explained.

“Uncle Solomon, if she is in trouble we need to help her. You can’t possibly leave y/n to Rookwood’s men all alone. I trust poppy… if she says we need to leave-“ Anne tried to reason but it seemed in vain as Solomon interrupted her.

“I don’t care what you think, we aren’t leaving” he said stubbornly.

“I am. I am no longer a child and you cannot keep me here. If you want to stay here and fight poachers, be my guest” Anne said, grabbing her coat and following Poppy to the floo flame near the home.

“Anne, get back here!” Solomon called behind her but the girl broke out into a faster walk.

“Anne, we have to hurry… y/n also found more information about your curse. Let’s get to Hogwarts and we can go from there "Poppy explained as they approached the floo network, disappearing in time to miss the poachers that ascended on the hamlet, charging towards the Sallow residence.

Solomon, deciding not to fight, went into the home, grabbing what possessions he knew were irreplaceable before apparating away from the home.

He heard something about Hogwarts, knowing he would have to appear off school grounds before heading towards the school due to its charms. So he started after the girls, hoping that his fear of y/n and miss Sweeting discovering his knowledge of Anne’s curse was just in his head…

As Poppy and Anne made their way into Hogwarts, ascending to the hospital Poppy filled her in on what had happened. About the poachers in the area, that Rookwood had been the one to curse Anne, and that she had made out with the journal detailing what exactly he had done to her. How Sebastian’s love had bravely faced a small army of men on her own to ensure Poppy could escape. The only thing she neglected to tell Anne was that Solomon might’ve known the whole time…

Handing the girl the journal they discovered,Anne shook almost violently realizing that it hadn’t been goblins to curse her this whole time and that there was more to the story. The two quickly rounded the top of the stairs, rushing into the hospital ward.

“Nurse Blainey, I believe we may have discovered more information about the curse that affects Anne, if you could look over this journal and notes we discovered for a possible cure, I need to go find professor Sharp,” Poppy explained and Anne grabbed her arm before she left.

“Wait, don't leave me!” Anne said fearfully that once Solomon caught up he’d drag her from school.

“I need to find Professor Sharp to help y/n since he will know how to handle it being an ex auror, since your uncle refused to help. I will see if I can find Sebastian or Ominis, and I will tell them what’s happened I promise "Poppy told her before running off to find help. Just as she left the hospital she was intercepted by Garreth Weasley, climbing the stairs to get to his Aunt’s room.

“Woah, slow down Poppy, you keep running like that you’ll fall down the stairs' ' the ginger joked playfully but when he saw the almost tears forming in her eyes he moved to catch up with her.

“What’s wrong Poppy? What happened?” he asked her, searching for an answer.

“They took her. Rookwood’s men, they have her. I barely escaped. She told me to leave her… Sebastian is going to be so angry with me” she said before dissolving into tears as she continued rushing down the stairs.

Garreth didn’t know who the Hufflepuff was referring to until she said ‘Sebastian’ and then it dawned on him that Sweeting was referring to the new 5th year. Merlin.

“Where are you going? You can’t possibly be going after her on your own?” Garreth exclaimed as Poppy shook her head. Stopping only to catch her breath and explain to him what happened.

“We figured out that Anne Sallow was cursed by Rookwood, and that he had men keeping an eye on her for months now. I am not sure fully why or how, but somehow the twin’s uncle knew more than he’s been letting on. Then we got surrounded and she covered my exit so I could warn the Sallow’ and get Anne out of their home. When I told Solomon what happened… he refused to go back for her, almost didn’t let Anne and I leave. We came straight here. She’s with the nurse going over what we found to maybe see if there’s a cure. But I need to go get Professor Sharp, he will know what to do. He’s a former Auror.” She explained running past a door with a large tortoise shell outside when Garreth stopped her again.

“He won’t be down in his classroom this time of night. Professor Sharp goes to his home away from Hogwarts on the weekends to see his wife.” Garreth explained, and if it hadn’t been for the moment of high stress she’d have inquired how Weasley knew so much of the potions master’s private life.

“Where can I find him?” she asked, worried Sharp would’ve already left the school grounds and she would have to go to Hogsmeade to track down officer Singer, as she was already devising a plan to track down Natty to help locate the officer when Garreth pulled her arm to stop her once more.

“Slow down for a moment. This door right here is Sharp’s quarters. If he is still on school grounds he will be in here. Come on” the tall Gryffindor boy said, dragging her up the few steps, knocking on the door as they waited to see if the potions master was still around. Eventually they heard shuffling behind the closed door and Poppy sighed in relief as the stern and angry face of Aesop Sharp opened the door.

“Mr. Weasley I thought I told you to stop bothering me in my place of residence. I am already late, and my wife Rebecca is already expecting me home…” he trailed off, noting Poppy standing beside the boy with tears on her face and twigs in her hair. His instincts as an Auror kicking in, as he realized something was deeply wrong “Miss Sweeting why are you crying what has happened?”

“I am going to get my Aunt!” Garreth said turning to run when Poppy yelled after him.

“Please try and track down Ominis or Sebastian, they need to know what’s happened” she explained as Garreth nodded, rushing up 3 stairs at a time as his long limbs quickly carried him out of sight.

“Miss Sweeting, I demand to know what happened this instant,” Sharp said, extremely concerned.

“Sir, Rookwood’s men have her. When I escaped they were using the torture curse on her. It was awful.” Poppy said while beginning to cry once more, filled with guilt once more that her friend took an unforgivable curse to make sure that she survived. Unable to explain the situation further she continued to cry as Aesop panicked seeing the young girl filled with anguish. Bending down to her height, despite his injured leg protesting, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Softening his tone he forced the girl to look up at him “Poppy who did they take? Where were you? I need you to help me here. I know this is upsetting but we don't have much time” he explained. Professor Sharp knew the young girl’s past. He had several run-ins with her parents over the years, as they were well known poachers, and had a bounty on their heads. As a professor, he rarely used student’s first names, only really in anger at students like Garreth blowing up cauldrons, however sensing the girl’s distress and needing to find out information quickly, he resorted to breaking formality in order to comfort her.

“The new fifth year. We were near Feldcroft…” Poppy explained, omitting details about what they were doing there.

“How many of them were there?” he asked, still attempting to pry information away from the student as Professor Ronen, having heard the noise up the stairs, came to join them.

“Aesop, what is going on here? Miss Sweeting, are you alright?” Abraham asked, looking down at the girl worried.

“A student has been taken by Rookwood. Go get Professor Fig, as it is Miss y/l/n and I am sure he would like to be made aware she is missing. Miss Sweeting, I need you to show me where you both last were.” Professor Sharp sighed as he looked back in his quarters, knowing his weekend away from the school would be put on hold. Summoning a quill he quickly jotted down a message for his wife, informing her he was going to be late coming home, as an urgent matter involving a student’s safety had taken priority, profusely apologizing before he turned back to Poppy.

“Sir… there’s something else you should know” Poppy said, having finally calmed down.

“Yes?” he asked, trying not to sound annoyed as he filled a satchel with potions and started off towards the bottom of the faculty tower to the floo network.

“Mr. Sallow… Anne and Sebastian’s Uncle… he knew that she had been taken, possibly even why she was taken and he refused to help her… he also was mad that I brought Anne to the school” she explained quickly as confusion crossed his face.

“Solomon Sallow knew the girl had been taken and didn’t try to help her? Correct me if I am wrong Miss Sweeting,” he said, rounding the last flight of stairs with her as adrenaline slowly filled his body with the strength to ignore the pain in his leg “as much as I try to ignore my student’s personal lives, it's been a tad hard to neglect noticing… but isn’t Miss y/l/n involved with Sebastian Sallow? I admit it appears the girl has been a fine influence on the boy either way” The thought that Solomon would allow his nephew’s friend or sweetheart to be hurt by criminals confounded the man, however having worked with him at the Ministry for some time, it wouldn’t fully surprise him. Solomon Sallow often walked too closely to the line of dark wizard’s for his taste.

“Yes sir. They are courting Sir. Quite seriously I may add… she spent the holidays with them in Feldcroft” Poppy explained as they came to stand near the flame, poppy holding out her pouch filled with power.

“Remind me to have a word with Solomon regarding the matter.” he said sternly as they both used the Floo network to disappear off school grounds.

Sebastian’s stomach rumbled as he decided that it was well past the time he had intended to meet the others at his home. Stepping back one last time to look over the peaceful view of Marunweem he finally decided to apparate to Feldcroft to join his family.

He was expecting the normal quiet sounds of the hamlet when he arrived: the birds chirping, the wind blowing, the distant sound of waves breaking on the shore, the occasional cow mooing. What he was not expecting was to be thrown in the midst of his neighbors trying to fend off Rookwood’s men.

Small fires filled the hamlet and lots of shouting sounded in the air. Curses and spells being called out all around him.

“We must fend them off and drive them back out of the village!” Bernard the merchant shouted as Sebastian frantically looked around for Solomon and Anne. Not seeing his uncle, who should’ve been leading the charge as a former Auror with the most combat experience, his stomach dropped.

Sebastian rushed over to his childhood home, seeing it swarming with poachers. When he made it through the front door, which remained ajar, he blasted the first man he saw into the wall, not caring for how hard the man’s head smacked into the brick there. His mind went unconscious as he only briefly scanned the faces of those who had invaded his home, only making sure it wasn’t his uncle or sister, before blasting them into oblivion.

He tore through every single one of them, with little thought as they all fell to the floor, incapacitated and some possibly even dead judging by the looks of it. He hardly cared, as defending his home was a priority over the criminal's lives.

It wasn’t long before he felt a hand on his shoulder, aggressively shoving the tip of his aspen wand in the face of Mr. Ndiaye, who’s wide eyes at the sight of the light wood looked startled. Sebastian lowered his wand, recognizing the man as his neighbor, not another poacher.

“What happened?” Sebastian asked frantically, looking around to see if anything had been taken from his home, attempting to douse a small fire in the corner.

“We are not sure. I heard a small argument between your sister and Uncle, along with another student. Anne left with the girl and as Solomon left to follow after them, Feldcroft was suddenly under attack by Rookwood’s men. They were looking for something in your home. Solomon did not stay to help.” Mr. Ndiaye said, sounding shocked that their long time friend had left them to defend themselves against dark wizards.

“Solomon left you all?! What student? Was it y/n?! Was she here?” he said frantically, looking around before cupping his mouth and shouting her name to no reply.

“No it was not. It was some girl who must’ve been in Hufflepuff… she wore yellow and looked frightened.” Bernard explained and Sebastian almost felt his legs give out under him. Poppy. Poppy was in Feldcroft. Without her. Poppy wouldn't have been alone unless...

“Are you sure she was alone? That she didn’t have my… that y/n wasn’t here with her” Sebastian asked hoping the man had mistaken what he’d seen.

Mr. Ndiaye looked down reverently and shook his head. “She was not here Sebastian…”

Sebastian took a step back from him, running out of the house, and down the hill some. He started shouting her name, praying to Merlin that by some miracle she was out there, where she could hear him, and that she would come running to him. After a while of shouting, his voice went raw and he fell to his knees, feeling the ring box in his pocket as he sobbed into the cool air of the night…

To be continued...

#hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow #anne sallow #fluff #ominis gaunt #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow x slytherin!reader #sebastian sallow x you #sebastian sallow/reader #aesop sharp

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alola-reblogging · 3 months

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Got any team skull headcannons you could maybe write hehe I personally hc the grunts have rap battle night lol

Yes yes yes I have a thousand team skull headcannons omg thanks so much for requesting hehe ♡

• So the majority of team skull are kids who couldn't begin the island challenge and felt left out, or those who attempted the island challenge and gave up.

• Some of the grunts had just came from broken homes, and Guzma sympathised with them and let them stay instantly

• Friends or siblings or cousins of grunts then joined, and the team skull family got bigger

• I mean it's cannon Plumerina sees herself as everyone's big sister, and the grunts go to their big sis with all their problems

• Relationship problems, period pain, battling tips, and to Plums annoyance, to settle the dumbest arguments

• Plums tries her best to support all the kids, and give them 1 on 1 time

• She teaches the grunts life skills, such as battling, type match ups, gives advice on the best move set and so on

• She even teaches the grunts some cooking (not that she's great at it but she's a fairly decent cook), she usually supervises in the kitchen though as there's been more then one eight times incident in the kitchen

• The grunts who have an interest in makeup, Plums teaches them too. All of Alola may be fearful of Team skull but they can't deny their eyeliner is immaculate

• Yeah I can TOTALLY see them doing rap battles lol

• Every Friday night is rap battle night, and all the grunts are welcome to participate, the majority of everyone writes their own raps

• Many of the grunts know how to beat box

• Some of them will rap, others will back up the track beatboxing

• When Guzma joins in all of the grunts get so excited!!

• Both because the boss is in their presence, and because Guzma's sic on the mic

• They have game nights too

• They play loads of different games like Monopoly, Twister, Cludeo, they even play video games too

•It usually ends in boards being flipped, controllers being thrown and someone sulking in the corner

• Of course they have battle nights as well

• I mean, they battle every day, but once a month they'll hold a mini tournament and all battle one another

• It was something Plums came up with to help the grunts grow stronger together

• Spray painting is also a big past time of the grunts

• Most of them just tag places with the skull logo or some anarchy logos

• A few of the grunts are quite artistic about it, and all throughout alola you can see beautiful works of art that most would refuse to believe were created by a member of team skull

• And someone *cough cough guzma* spray painted ACAB on the wall of the police station

• Nanu hasn't bothered to clean it off

• In her spare time, Plumeria likes to watch anime and read manga, she has a secret soft spot for slice of life stuff

• If you mention it though she'll probably crush you.

• She also enjoys watching pokemon battles online from past champion defences or big matches from tournaments, she especially loves watching poison type trainers

• She's got a crush on Raihan from the Hammerlocke gym in the Galar region

• She follows him on social media and has seen all of his matches

• Its a secret dream of hers to battle him

• It's no secret Guzma holds a lot of anger towards Kukui and Kahuna Hala, but there's times where he truly does miss the times when he and Kukui were kids, and would just chill at the beach, eating malasadas and catching pokemon

• He misses Molayne too, and just the three of them doing absolutely nothing but cracking on and having a good time

• He would never admit to anyone, and it pisses him off when he has thoughts like that as he considers them weak and worthless

• Usually when he thinks about his old friends and the fun they had something ends up getting heavily destroyed

• When Guzma recruited Gladion as the enforcer of team skull he offered Gladion to come stay with them in Po Town

• Gladion refused, simply because the grunts annoyed him to point of going insane, and he knew it was best to be alone to get stronger, and he didn't want so many untrustworthy eyes of Null

• Plumeria and Guzma knew he was living rough, and felt bad for the kid, so Guzma fronted Gladion the cash for his motel room

• Gladion insisted on paying Guzma back but he refused to accept the money, stating to Gladion that it was nothing and in return he can back up the grunts when needed and do odd jobs for them

• Gladion was instantly thankful, though he had a difficult time expressing it

• Gladion usually had to defend the grunts against island challengers when they were loosing in battle

• The odd jobs consisted of many things, like stealing supplies from warehouses, finding and catching a specific pokemon, sometimes even doing drop offs for some not so legal products Guzma was selling on the low

• Gladion tried to keep away from Po Town and Team skull whenever he could, but the money was decent and Gladion was desperate

• He knew he had to feed his Pokemon, as well as himself

• He doesn't regret his time in team skull because he knew it was do or die but its not his proudest moment

• Gladion is always invited to game nights or rap battle nights by Plumeria but he always refuses, insisting he's got no time for nonsense with people below his level

• There was this one time he was at the mansion late delivering some stuff he picked up for Guzma, when a tropical rainstorm ensued and the trails was blocked off by mini floods, so he had no choice but to spend a night at the mansion

• It just so happened to he rap battle night

• Gladion hid in a corner watching in utter horror as all of the grunts danced around, spitting bars and blaring music throughout the mansion

• Guzma pushed him to the centre where he utterly froze and refused to participate

• This is where the grunts distsin of him really began, they already didn't like that he refused to live in the mansion and wear the team skull uniform, but they went absolutely mad when their boss paid for a motel for him too

• The grunts were jealous of the favoritism that Guzma showed Gladion, so when the boss himself wanted Gladion to rap and he refused, that was pretty much a death sentence for Gladion in the grunts eyes

• One of the grunt girls have a little thing for Gladion, and they're always overly flirty with him

• Gladion shows her no interest and is extremely uncomfortable with her advances

• She doesn't stop though, and overtime he just becomes irritated

• A lot of the grunts took this offensively that Gladion wasn't interested in their friend, just adding another reason to their hatred

• When the grunts gang up on him, it ends in pokemon battles, although there's been occasions its ended in a fist fight

• Plumeria always tries to keep the peace but even she has been at the blunt end of Gladions sharp tongue in the past

• do you guys remember when gladion called plumeria a whore in the manga omfg

Tysm for this ask it was fun ♡

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wartakes · 1 month

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Firewatch (March 2024 edition, Part 2)

(This is Part 2 of my innagural edition of "Firewatch" becuase I was dumb and didn't realize what the character limit is. Read Part 1 here). Full piece beneath the cut.

Smoldering Embers

These are the conflicts that, while not yet to the point where the flames are rising and heating up, smoke is starting to billow (or has been billowing) and there's potential for a real blaze to suddenly flare up at a moment's notice. You may have heard about them in the news here and there, but they're likely only popping up for your attention once in a blue moon because they haven't gotten bad or dramatic enough yet to fully grab the world's attention amid everything else going on.

West Africa/Sahel

The Sahel regions of West Africa are no stranger to crisis and conflict. Multiple countries in the region have already been dealing with internal political discord and armed conflict for years, but now multiple factors and various players seem to be converging in this part of Africa, positioning it to take a number of different paths forward in the coming months and years – few of which look very good.

West Africa and the Sahel are feeling a series of different pressures converging all at once. Since 2020, the region has seen a historic number of coup d'etats – both failed attempts and successful ones – which often come with a large amount of public support amid frustration with institutions and leaders that appear to be failing them. One reason for this frustration (among others that should be unsurprising, like economic troubles) is increasing amounts of instability throughout the region. Affiliates of both Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State both have footholds in the region, and are engaged in insurgencies against the governments of Mali (its most recent coup being in 2021, and also fighting a simultaneous insurgency by Tuareg separatists), Burkina Faso (most recent coup in 2022), and Niger (most recent coup in 2023), with Nigeria also dealing with a well over-decade old insurgency against Bokho Haram.

Niger's coup last year, in particular, seems to have been a watershed moment for the region and beyond. The country was strategically important both for its mineral resources (which unsurprisingly have not translated into economic and social development for the people of Niger themselves) and as a geographically well positioned outpost both for France (who's colonial legacy hangs heavily over the region) and the Untied States and other foreign powers, who all had troops stationed in the country to conduct counter-terrorism operations. The coup was seen as serious enough that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) issued an ultimatum to the Nigerien junta this past summer, threatening that if it did not cede power back to the elected President that ECOWAS would intervene to restore the legitimately elected government (as it has in the past).

Ultimately, the ECOWAS threats have not come to fruition and don't seem likely to – despite some apparent moves to do so in the aftermath of the coup. But out of those threats, Niger has joined into a new political and military alliance called the Alliance of Sahel States with both Burkina Faso and Mali (all of which had been suspended from ECOWAS due to their respective coups) to provide for collective self-defense against foreign intervention. Since 2023, French troops have been forced out of both Burkina Faso and Niger – with Niger now seemingly on the verge of doing the same to the remaining US troops in the country, while Vladimir Putin's Russia has seemingly been on a charm offensive to befriend the members of new alliance signing economic and military agreements and even reportedly dispatching troops – with mercenaries such as those from Wagner already having been active in the area (now operating under the new name of the "Africa Corps").

All these factors and more combined suggest that things in the Sahel are liable to get very interesting in the near future. As stated before, a number of different paths seem to unfold ahead for the region: if the ongoing radical insurgencies continue and are victorious, we could see a new territorial caliphate in West Africa and the Sahel mirroring that of IS in Iraq and Syria in the 2010s (and all the horrors that came with it). Barring that, as Russia deepens its ties to the AES, it could further turn the region into even more of a battleground in the multilateral Cold War we find ourselves in (as Russia is not the only authoritarian power seeking to deepen its influence in West Africa, as Turkey under Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also attempting to get involved there). Those are only two potential options out of many, and the myriad of other options in a region that is heavily populated and on the radar of multiple great powers means that it bears continued monitoring going forward.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo/Rwanda

Now this is one that I imagine is probably flying under the radars of most people who aren't deeper into my field, but is probably one of the most immediately pressing in Africa. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has been fighting against a rebellion by the armed group known as "M23" in its East for a decade now – that much isn't new. But now the conflict is threatening to turn onto a state-on-state war in Africa's Great Lakes region, as M23's primary back of neighboring Rwanda seemingly steps up its direct involvement into the conflict.

Rwanda has been backing M23 for some time now, with both Rwanda's government (under long-time President Paul Kagame) and M23 itself being primarily led by members of the Tutsi ethnic group. Rwanda also has a history of armed interventions in the DRC as well, so that in itself is not new. But in recent months the long-running tensions and low-level conflict between the DRC and Rwanda has threatened to boil over into outright, full-scale war, amid a series of fresh escalations – one prominent example being Rwanda firing on a DRC fighter-jet that it claimed violated its airspace. The high level of tensions has been further evidenced by more direct US involvement recently than is typically seen in this part of the world, with the United States and other governments attempting to broker some kind of peaceful resolution between the DRC and Rwanda. These efforts do not seem to have made much headway, with this past month the United States resorting to publicly urging both the DRC and Rwanda to "walk back from the brink of war." US mediation efforts may well be undermined, however, by it's (and many other Western countries') cozy relationship with Rwanda – despite its autocratic leader.

The trajectory for the current crisis remains unclear. A sideline meeting during the African Union summit in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa appeared to make some progress in at least getting both the DRC and Rwanda to sit at one table and discuss a return to a peaceful dialogue to resolve their differences. However, that same day, the DRC accused Rwanda of having launched a drone attack in the city of Goma – a key objective of M23's advances, seemingly pouring cold war on the idea of constructive and peaceful reconciliation for the time being. Most recently, the DRC appears to be acquiring drones of its own, with China reportedly set to supply the DRC with nine CH-4 armed drones (apropos of nothing, China has also supplied a fair amount of military hardware to Rwanda in recent years, as well as military training).

With little other news available on the crisis since February (with other global events taking precedence), it remains unclear where things with the DRC and Rwanda go from here. There have been reports that the DRC and Rwandan leaders may be preparing to meet face-to-face once more, through mediation by Angola. At the same time, little seems to have changed with the personalities at play. DRC President Felix Tshisekedi was recently re-elected (under conditions labeled a "farce" by the DRC opposition), and has previously taken a hard line on the crisis, threatening to "march on Kigali" if re-elected and the issues with Rwanda persist. The DRC's acquisition of drones from China seems to reinforce that it has no plans of backing down in its confrontation with M23 and Rwanda, even if Tshisekedi doesn't follow through on his more bellicose threats. Meanwhile in Rwanda, Kagame announced his intent to seek a fourth term as President – amid criticism for lifting term limits in order to stay in office longer (criticisms that he has made clear he cares very little for if at all), and so has an impetus to maintain his own hard-line on issues with the DRC.

A further ticking clock has been added to the DRC-Rwanda situation by the fact that the United Nations mission in the Congo – which has been assisting the DRC fight against rebels (including M23) for almost two decades – will now be leaving the DRC by the end of 2024 at the request of the DRC government, stating that the force had not been able to resolve the war with M23. This comes after the DRC government also ordered troops from the East African Community (EAC) that had been present in the country as well to leave in late 2023 – for the same reasons it ordered the UN force to leave. While the DRC may well be right that neither force has helped it to beat M23, the withdrawal of these troops may very well shift the entire balance of the conflict and not necessarily in a way that the DRC wants. The South African Development Community (SADC), led by South Africa itself, is seeking to fill the gap left by the UN and EAC, but it remains to be seen how quickly they can do so and if they can change facts on the ground any more than the UN or EAC could. Once again, we see a number of potential factors on a collision course, and while cooler heads may still prevail, we see the prospect of yet another major war in the heart of Africa's Great Lakes regions that could have significant impacts for the people of the region, the continent, and the world. It is definitely worth keeping an eye on this developing situation (to the extent you can even find news on it).

Ethiopia

Ethiopia, like Myanmar, is a country that has shown up in the past when I've done a round-up on pertinent conflicts in the world. However, unlike with Myanmar, I'm afraid I can't report that things are getting better in Ethiopia's case or that there's much cause for hope at this point. In fact, things seem to be getting actively worse.

The last time I substantively talked about Ethiopia, the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was engaged in a war in the Tigray region against the Tigray People's Liberation Force – even allying with his former long-time adversary of Eritrea to do so in a war that threatened to rip the country apart while engaging in brutal authoritarian actions that I'm sure are making the Nobel Committee really regret giving him that prize in retrospect. After a seesawing of the fortunes of war back and forth for both sides, the conflict was seemingly brought to a close by the signing of a peace agreement between the TPLF and the Ethiopian federal government. All's well that ends well, done and dusted, right?

Well, actually: no.

Just less than a year after the Tigray War ended, Abiy apparently tripped over his dick into a new internal conflict in mid 2023, this time with Amhara people and forces in the eponymous Amhara region (Ethiopia's second most populous) rather than Tigray. The spark for this conflict was apparently born out of the haphazard way in which Abiy ended the previous one. One of Abiy's key allies in the Tigray War were militias and security forces from the region of Amhara, including an influential armed group known as the "Fano." However, the peace deal that Abiy struck with Tigray did not sit well with many Amahara people, who felt betrayed by the deal due to Tigray claims on their territory (as well as the fact that the Ethiopian federal military and security forces had been unable to prevent the TPLF from occupying Amahara territory during the war). This rift was only made worse by crackdowns by Abiy's government against the Fano, coupled with a plan to absorb Ethiopia's regional security forces into Ethiopia's federal military and security forces, which was not received well among the Amhara. These tensions and more came to a head from April through August 2023, with the result being Abiy's government facing down a fresh and ongoing revolt that doesn't appear to be ending soon.

The result of this bridge burning by Abiy has been a growing war in Amhara occurring under the umbrella of an ever prolonged state of emergency in Amhara that gives Ethiopian authorities broad powers to carry out arrests, impose curfews, and ban public gatherings. This is a continuation of the Abiy's playbook of gross human rights violations from the previous war in Tigray, with accusations being leveled against his government of arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial executions, and indiscriminate killings – including indiscriminate drone strikes against targets such as schools and public transit stations (apropos of nothing, once more, Abiy has acquired his fleet of armed drones from Iran, Turkey, and China – as well as purchasing new fighter jets from Russia). If you're wondering why you haven't heard more about all this, its because Abiy has made heavy handed use of another favorite tactic of his from the previous war (and that it has even used against Amhara in the past), which is information and specifically internet blackouts, which make it very difficult to get information out of Amahara as the conflict drags on (as it did in Tigray during that war).

Abiy's uncanny knack for burning bridges and making enemies isn't limited to within his own country, but has made tensions rise throughout East Africa. At the start of 2024, Abiy signed an agreement with the breakaway region of Somaliland in Somalia, which reportedly gives Ethiopia a naval port on Somaliland's coastline in exchange for recognizing the region's independence from Somalia (something that no other UN member state does). All of this appears to be part of Abiy's quest to regain Ethiopian access to the sea (lost after Eritrea became independent), which has included efforts to re-establish the Ethiopian Navy. The reaction to this deal has been, unsurprisingly, poorly received in Somalia, with Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud even threatening the possibility of war if Ethiopia follows through with it and accusing Ethiopia of outright trying to annex part of Somalia. Somalis are not the only ones unease about Ethiopia's quest for access to the Red Sea, with other East African states such as Djibouti, Eritrea, and Kenya all having previously voiced concern about Ethiopian actions.

There's also the matter of Ethiopia's previously mentioned issues with Egypt over the Nile River, in particular Ethiopia's construction of a massive hydroelectric dam known as the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (or "GERD") on the river that Egypt worries could have a devastating effect on its water supply downstream if Ethiopia acts without considering Egyptian concerns. Despite numerous efforts to come to an agreement over the dam and the river, every attempt thus far has ended in failure, with Egypt continuing to refer to GERD an "existential threat." Egypt has also made it clear that it stands squarely with Somalia regarding the sea access debacle, with Egypt's autocratic President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi asserting that "Egypt will not allow anyone to threaten Somalia or affect its security," creating a fresh avenue for tension between Egypt and Ethiopia in addition to the GERD issue. This is all in addition to concerns that both Egypt and Ethiopia could be drawn into the aforementioned civil war in Sudan, with numerous potential negative consequences for all involved.

The long and short of things when it comes to Ethiopia, is you have no shortage of opportunities for more intense conflict in the near future, both within and around the country. Abiy's continued heavy handed approach to both domestic and foreign politics creates an ever increasing possibility that one day he will bite off more than he can chew, and potentially spark a conflict of such scale and scope that it could engulf all of East Africa in a major war and potentially even destroy Ethiopia – the second most populous country in Africa – as a polity. Given the potential consequences, this is a part of the world meriting very close observation going forward.

"Do You Smell Something Burning?"

In this final section, I want to touch briefly (as I've already gone on for a few thousand words) on some hot spots in the world that are cause for concern and have been for a while, but have nothing major going on at this moment in time. While they may be quiet (at least relatively speaking, compared to everything else we've just talked about), they have the potential to spark up in the mid to long term and become a problem once again.

The Korean Peninsula

By this point, we're probably all used to North Korea (under its dictator, Kim Jong-Un) shooting off missiles and making bellicose statements. That's par for the course for them. But in recent months, Kim and his government's rhetoric have taken a new and more hostile turn. North Korea has stated it has abandoned the idea of peaceful unification with the South, instead naming it North Korea's "principal enemy" which it will "annihilate" if it is provoked. This comes as North Korea continues weapons tests and conducts multiple military drills – with Kim often in attendance.

While I wouldn't worry about a continuation of the (yet unresolved) Korean War just yet, this may well be cause for concern. While tensions are typical on the Peninsula, we haven't seen rhetoric like this from the North in quite some time. And while full-scale war may be unlikely at this moment (though not impossible), 010 showed us that under the right conditions, the Peninsula is never far from violent skirmishes and incidents between the two Koreas, such as the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island and sinking of the South Korean Navy corvette Cheonan. While wider conflict was avoiding in those cases, now that South Korea has a more reactionary President wanting to present a hard line towards the North, it raises questions about it may react to provocation. Again, while I wouldn't be panicking just yet, it may be worth keeping your ear to the ground on this one to keep from being caught unawares if tensions suddenly spike further.

Armenia and Azerbaijan

Well, they finally did it. I've also written about this conflict several times now, and it looks like by all accounts, Azerbaijan has gotten exactly what it said it wanted. After the world stood by and did largely nothing in its 2020 war against the ethnic-Armenian enclave of Artsakh (AKA: Nagorno-Karabakh), Azerbaijan decided to finish the job once and for all with a fresh offensive on the heels of a nine-month blockade this past year. With next to no prospect of outside assistance, and weakened by the blockade, the Artsakh forces quickly folded, and almost the entirety of the ethnic Armenia population promptly fled in the ensuing days and weeks to avoid violence at the hand of Azeri forces, leaving Azerbaijan free to complete its cultural genocide of the region. But now that its over, surely Armenia and Azerbaijan can find a way to live in peace with this new reality? Right?

Ha ha, no.

In what should be surprising to absolutely no one, Azerbaijan has celebrated getting what it wanted in Artsakh by shifting the goal post once more. Now its new demand is a land corridor connecting it to its ethnic exclave of Naxcivan on the opposite side of Armenia – referred to as the "Zangezur Corridor" (after the Azeri name for the Armenian Syunik province that it would pass through). Armenia seems highly unlikely to agree to such a demand, which it views as an unacceptable infringement on its sovereignty, which likely means – as has been the case after every war fought between these two countries in the past – a new war is almost certainly on the horizon as Azerbaijan will not stop until an outside force compels it to stop and will use the Armenian rejection as an excuse for fresh conflict. 2024 has already seen fresh skirmishes on the border between the two countries, showing that the tensions remain very much present.

It's not clear when this new war will occur, but we can only hope that in the interim more nations step up to actually assist Armenia. We have seen hopeful signs of greater support from other countries, with France and India selling arms to the country to help it defend itself. However, I can't take any of that for granted, with how the world has left Armenia out to dry time and time again. If Azerbaijan does decide to go to war for a land corridor, it also risks potentially sparking a wider regional war, as Iran has called such an action to cut off its land border with Armenia a "red line" (though whether or not it would really take military action in response remains unclear). Anyway, keep your ears to the ground on this one, because like with the other wars Azerbaijan has launched it'll likely come out of the blue.

I'm Very Tired.

I've just thrown a lot of information at you, so I'm going to try and keep this conclusion short and sweet (for me). First, I'll lay out a few takeaways about the wider world situation, and then some general closing thoughts.

Looking at the general state of things with the conflicts I've laid out, I'm going to infer a few things about the general state of global security. For one, Africa is in a dire state in multiple regards and seems to be the biggest place to watch for trouble on the horizon at the moment, as it has several crises that seem ready to boil over into major wars in the near future – if they haven't already in some cases. These crises and conflicts have the potential to pit some of the most populous countries on the continent against one another, and also to rip some of those same countries apart internally. Short of that, Africa is also seemingly getting teed up to be the sight of a new round of intense great power competition for influence and resources the likes of which we haven't seen since the Cold War, with said competition not just involving big players like the United States, Russia, or China, but attracting newcomers to the influence game too – as the UAE's involvement in Sudan's civil war has shown. Finally, it's also worth noting that now that we're in a post-Russian invasion of Ukraine world where large scale state-on-state conflict is back on the menu after many "experts" thinking it was dead and gone, it makes some of the fault lines we're watching here even more important to keep a close eye on.

There's almost certainly more that I say here, but these are just some big overarching themes to take away from this round of observation. Now, for the closing thoughts:

I know you're tired. We all are. I am.

That being said, we can't give up in our fight for a better world for everyone living in it. That requires remaining well informed (to the extent that you're able) about what's going on in that world. This is especially true if your government is playing a role in it (for good or for bad), or it isn't and it should be. Information is, in its own right, power.

I know that your emotional energy is precious, and likely being eaten up but a number of different things at any given moment. I'm not ask you to drop everything and devote all your time and energy to these causes or others, nor am I trying to shame you for not paying as close attention to them as I or others have. Simply, to add them to the Rolodex of your brain as something that matters and that you should check in on once in a while so you're not caught unawares when new developments occur that may affect you and others.

There's only so much that all of us can do about any one issue, either at home or abroad. But we do what we can, and in order to do that, we need to have an idea of what's going on. So take that as you will after reading all this (or anything else that I write or post, for that matter).

On that note, I'll let you get back to whatever else you need to do. But thank you for taking the time to read this and potentially learn more about events you may not have known much about and their potential impacts. I'll hopefully see you again for my next essay, but in the meantime: stay safe out there and don't give up.

Photo credit: africanews/AFP.

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