#Learning dark magic to bring him back from the dead is NOT a good first date idea D'arce! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fictionismyreality3 · 4 months

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CAN YOU GIVE US MORE OF JASON STALKING?? I SWEAR TO U, IS REALLY HOTTTT AAAAH

I loved your writing btw

Omgomgomg hi babes!!!! You’re my first ask ever!!! You’ll forever have place in my heart 🥲 but really that is so sweet of you, and toTALLY STALKER JASON IS SO HOT HERE YOU GO

A Little bit of Sunshine

Jason Todd x Reader

Tags: stalker!jason todd, innocent!reader

Warnings: stalking, mention of drugs

Notes: I’m actually dying at picturing getting stalked by Jay 😩 like that should not be hot but it is??? If people like this I might make it into a mini series or something 👀

He was going to stop the first night.

At least, that's what he told himself.

Since Jason had come back from the Pit, being alive was something of a nuisance. Whatever weird ass magic they used to bring him back to life had made it harder to control himself in every way. He went on a year-long violent rampage, much to Bruce’s disdain, that left Gotham in shambles.

Only now was he actually putting a good face behind the name of the Red Hood. It’s not like he wanted to hurt people, but when everything was so vivid, it was hard to listen to Bruce’s non-lethal policy. But as much as he hated to admit it, he wanted Bruce to trust him again.

So, when Dick was called out of Bludhaven for some other crisis, Jason volunteered to help with patrol.

It was the third day of what was supposed to be a week-long shift in Bludhaven, and nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Sure he had broken the legs of a few robbers when they tried to run from him, but it was all in good fun.

In fact, Jason was dying for some fun. Bludhaven was somehow even darker and dingier than the rest of Gotham, and it was getting tiring only having drug dealers to play with. The rain was coming down, casting a foggy overcast to the darkening sky, and most of the sane residents had retreated to their homes. Everyone who had ever been to Bludhaven knew that nighttime was when the dangerous criminals liked to do their work.

Which is why Jason was a little astonished that a seemingly random girl was stupid enough to walk home in the dark.

Living in Bludhaven wasn't ideal, but the rent was cheap and that's all that mattered. You had been working at a donation center for the homeless for the last few months, wanting to help out the city in any way you could. It wasn't that you were trying to be a hero or something, you just didn't like seeing other people suffering. It also helped that volunteer work looked killer on a resume. The staff loved you, and quickly entrusted you with the keys, giving you the last shift of the night.

You usually walked home with one of your co-workers, a woman in her 60s named Rose. It wasn't the typical company for someone your age, but her never-ending stories were nice to zone out to after a long day of work. Rose was sick today, which meant you had to walk home alone. Looking out the window, you saw that it was already dark. Definitely not ideal. But, you had made the trip hundreds of times and knew all the shortcuts to get you home quicker.

Jason watched as the girl walked down the dimly-lit streets. He was going to just leave it, and let you learn your lesson the hard way, but then he took a second glance at you.

He thought the Pit bringing him back to life was the closest thing he'd ever get to seeing heaven. But now?

Now he knew he was dead wrong.

A soft face with pretty lips and pretty hair and pretty everything. Jason felt his heart beat inside his chest with a vigour that betrayed the dead man he thought he was. All of the lonely, unclear and dangerous thoughts in his head suddenly vanished. His breaths were heavy and he couldn't tear his eyes away from the pretty little thing walking all alone. He felt like there was blood flowing in his veins again. He felt alive.

If you were walking alone at this time of night you were either innocent or stupid, and the innocence was practically rolling off you in waves. You were far too sweet for this place. His eyes scanned the logo of the bag you were carrying and his heart exploded and regrew in his chest all at once. The kind face you had made sense if you were generous enough to work at one of Bludhaven's seedy donation buildings. His mouth went dry at the idea of anything remotely distressing happening to you.

Fuck it.

He was just gonna make sure you got home safe. That's all it was.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Jason silently followed you as you walked home, watching from above like a twisted guardian angel. He was always on high alert, he was raised to be vigilant, but he found himself paying extra close attention to every single movement he saw out of the corner of his eye. Logic was telling him that if he was going through all this trouble to make sure a random girl was safe, he should just jump down from the roof and walk you home instead of watching like some-

Oh, that was cute.

Jason's gaze followed your hands as you pulled your keys from your bag. The fabric keychain they were attached to was dotted with tiny drawings of the sun. He hadn't even realized that you'd gotten home. Perching on a rooftop, he kept you in his vision while he quickly scanned the area where you lived. It wasn't the best, nothing in Bludhaven was, but at least it wasn't at the south tip of the city.

You had finally gotten home after a long day. Oddly, the walk didn't feel as scary as you expected. Sighing, you took out your keys and unlocked your front door, slipping inside your apartment. After making sure your door was locked, you kicked off your shoes and hung up your jacket, a yawn falling from your lips. You were definitely gonna call it an early night.

The soft clicking of your front door shutting brought Jason's attention back to the present. You obviously got home safe. He should get going. He should get going.

But he stayed rooted on the spot.

The rain fell around him, hitting the concrete rooftop he was frozen on. His helmet suddenly felt claustrophobic and he took it off gasping, the rain soaking his hair. The cold rush of despairing thoughts that he had grown used to flooded back into his brain. His heart grew still in his chest and he felt his smile disappear.

He had smiled?

He hadn't smiled since the pit. He hadn't smiled since he died. You retreated into your apartment and took all the sunshine with you. The sunshine that hadn't been able to reach his skin for years. With a sickening thought, Jason realized that he was about to make a very, very, very bad decision.

Who was he to deny himself happiness? Didn't he deserve to be happy after everything he had been through? He argued with himself as his gaze remained on your front door, trying to will himself to push away the wickedly possessive desire that he felt for you. Jason ran through all the possible outcomes that could come from.. whatever this was, but nothing held a match at the prospect of having you. He had to have you.

Fuck it.

Locking away the part of his mind which screamed at him to stop, he leapt from the rooftop, landing softly on the balls of his feet. Carefully, his head on a swivel for anyone walking by, he took out his phone. His finger hovered over the photo button, his mind telling him that if he did this, there was no going back. He snapped a photo of your apartment.

As he made his way back to the safehouse he was staying in, he could feel you being cemented in his mind. Every raindrop that hit his skin felt like it was washing away everything that he thought was important until only you remained. The image of your precious face became ingrained in his mind. By the time he got back to his safehouse, the only goal he had was to know as much about you as he possibly could.

He was already at his computer, his helmet tossed to the other side of the room. His clothes were still soaked from the rain, but he didn't care. This was more important. You were more important.

Using Bruce's tech, being careful not to leave a trace, he uploaded the photo he had taken of your apartment and began to run a search. Within less than 5 minutes he had everything he would need to keep you for himself. Your school records, social media posts, and more were at his fingertips. He took the liberty of adding himself to your bank account, hacking in so he could be aware of every transaction you made. Soon he would be the one making them for you.

Jason spent the night scrolling through your information. For once he was glad for Bruce's training, as his disciplined mind allowed him to commit everything about you to memory. His eyes burned from lack of sleep, and he was vaguely aware that it was well past 3AM, but he was enraptured reading your search history.

How to change a lightbulb?

Cute.

As soon as he could get a copy of your key made you would never need to change a lightbulb again. Every so often he would come across a photo of you dressed up for some event; a christmas party, a graduation, whatever. When he saw those photos, every doubt that was trying to creep back into his mind was pushed away by his increasingly twisted desire for you.

Jason knew he had gone off the deep end, but if this is what drowning felt like he would gladly let you kill him all over again. When he went to bed that night, he fell asleep knowing you now belonged to him.

And you didn't even know it yet.

#oneshot #jason todd x fem!reader #jason todd x y/n #jason todd x you #jason todd x reader #jason todd fanfiction #stalker!jason todd #jason todd

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cherryslyce · 1 year

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Second Son (III) | Regulus Black

Series Synopsis: Forbidden from contacting Harry over the summer, you opt to explore the eerie halls of Grimmauld Place where you stumble upon a lonely portrait of the House's second son.

— Chapter Synopsis: The school year begins and all seems lost when Undersecretary Umbridge is assigned as the new DADA professor. That is until Hermione and Ron approach Harry and Y/N with the idea to form Dumbledore's Army (Regulus disapproves, naturally).

Part II / Part IV / Series Masterlist

Pairing: Regulus Black x GN!Reader

Notes: Cursing, Not Canon Compliant

The talk with Sirius and Co. was tiresome. Actually, talk was a lenient way to put it, it was much more of an interrogation. Apparently, Sirius and Kreacher got into a spat (what a surprise) and the house elf let it slip that you had "found Master Regulus".

Hermione and Ron tried to dissuade Sirius from making it into a big deal, but alas they were unsuccessful (not to mention they wanted answers as well).

Luckily, Sirius had very little faith in Kreacher and you only told him that you found old photos of Regulus, and Kreacher happened to stumble upon your discovery.

Kreacher was very willing to corroborate your story in order to get back in your--Regulus‘, good graces.

For now, your explanation satisfied the others, but you knew that Harry had an idea that there was more to the story than you were letting on. Fortunately, Harry had always been a loyal friend and he wouldn't push you to tell him anything if you didn't want to.

It seemed you had a penchant for finding reliable friends.

Regulus was displeased with the turn of events and looked ready to scold a mournful Kreacher, but opted to just let out a disgruntled sigh.

"It doesn't matter anymore, I knew you'd be able to take care of it." Was what he told you after Kreacher left with a grateful cry.

Summer receded off the coast and autumn began to roll onto London, first painting the trees in kaleidoscopes of oranges before bringing tides of cool wind.

Your fifth year at Hogwarts was about to kick off and you were practically bouncing around at the prospect of being able to bring Regulus with you.

"Harry's hearing went just as I presumed it would."

"Oh? Looking to take up a post as Hogwarts Divination Professor, Reg?"

The boy merely rolled his eyes, deciding to grace you with the gift of an answer despite your smart mouth.

"It was obvious that Fudge would aim to discredit Harry. But, Dumbledore is quite the political force, and many are still willing to side with Harry even if they think he's lying about the Dark Lord. Harry may not feel it though. Bad press will always stand louder than uncertain support."

Ever the intellect.

"I guess so. Harry's still riled about it, but there's not much he can do since he was cleared of his charges. Merlin forbid he was expelled. I can't even imagine how dismal Hogwarts would be without everyone's favorite lion."

You continued to pack away your textbooks in your school trunk, murmuring tiredly under your breath at the idea of the inevitable increase in workload and the studying for O.W.L's.

"Are you excited?"

"Reg, you do understand that we face a new threat every single year, correct? Of course I'm excited."

There was no sarcasm in your tone, and you were being completely honest. Threats to your life would only serve to teach you further about the constraints and possibilities of magic. After all, you were certain the Dark Lord would stop at nothing until you were all dead, so you might as well learn as much as you can in the meantime.

"Just be cautious."

"Are you getting soft on me, Reggie? If you keep going I might think you actually care for me."

"Don't be daft, you know how I feel. Now, don't forget about the pouch I gave you."

You weren't going to antagonize him because you were almost certain he did care for you, but you weren't sure if you'd live long enough for him to actually tell you.

Reaching for the emerald green pouch laid atop your bed, you eagerly pulled it open. You never got the chance to examine its contents due to being interrogated by Sirius, but you were sure it was something important because of Regulus‘ insistence that you take it with you.

Reaching inside, you feel around the velvet interior until you feel something cool press against your fingertips.

Pulling it out, you gape as you realized it was a ring. A thick silver band with two snakes wrapping around it.

"Reg?"

"It's a gift. It was the ring I usually wore around in my youth. It's charmed to heat up when someone tries to use legilimency on you or when you're near poison. It served me well, now it will help you."

You twirl the band around your fingers and a small smile paints your lips as you try to suppress the burning in your eyes.

"Thank you Reg. I'm touched that you trust me so much with your possessions. I guess now I really have no excuse if I die."

"Exactly. So try your best--no, you have to live." His eyes were hard with conviction before they softened again when you nodded, "Good. You should put it on later, Sirius will definitely recognize it."

You couldn't find it in yourself to move on from Regulus‘ gift, even now as you were weaving around people.

The ring pressed gently against your chest as you walked with Harry down King's Cross, your new precious item was hidden away underneath your shirt on a necklace chain.

Regulus was tucked away inside your jacket like usual, the rectangular frame occasionally hitting against your ribs as you moved.

Sirius was paces away in his animagus form, too reluctant to let Harry leave with a simple goodbye at the door. You were happy that Harry had such a supportive adult figure in his life, but a part of you couldn't help but want him to leave quickly so you could slip on the ring.

The dog-man quickly trotted into an empty seating room, Harry leaving your side to talk to his godfather. As Moody and Tonks guarded the doorway of the room, you opted to give the aurors a brief nod before making your way to the platform first.

You admired them both to a varying degree, but you couldn't quite warm up to Moody after your Fourth Year debacle with his death eater imposter.

It was still hard to get the image of him, or rather the image of polyjuice him, making Neville uncomfortable in class.

Navigating your way around the swarm of people, soon you found yourself on the familiar platform.

Reaching into your shirt, you pulled out your necklace chain, twirling it around your neck before unclasping it and sliding Regulus‘ ring out.

It was a pretty thing, and you found yourself imagining the two snakes on the band as you and Regulus.

Propping your trunk up against one of the brick pillars, you fix your necklace before slipping the ring onto your left index finger, spelling it to fit you.

Thank merlin for magic.

Raising your hand up towards the sky, you observe the way the sunlight reflects off the silver. As you continued to admire it, you realized that someone's stopped beside you.

"Merlin! Harry?!"

The boy in question jumps at your exclamation, the distant look in his eyes being drowned out by realization. It was apparent that he was only present enough to recognize you in the crowd, but too lost in thought to realize what was going on.

"Oh, sorry. Should we board now?"

Without waiting for an answer, he reaches behind you and lugs your trunk behind him, starting to get lost in his head again as he walks towards the train.

As the both of you sit and wait for Hermione and Ron, he wordlessly reaches into his pocket, pulling out a folded photo. He hands it to you with a forlorn look in his eyes, watching as you carefully unfold the paper.

Are those?

As if reading your thoughts, he supplies you with a quiet answer, "My parents. And the Order."

"Fuck. From Sirius?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck."

Running your finger over the smiling faces of Lily and James Potter, you send a silent thank you for their sacrifice.

Your concern for Harry only ceased once you arrived at the castle.

Sitting down in the dining hall brought a surge of serotonin through your body. It was the closest thing you had to a home and being able to greet the cold walls and aged windows after every summer brought you great joy.

Looking in Harry's direction, you frown in concern as you see him eyeing the staff table in shock. Your confusion is swept away as a high-pitched voice cuts through Dumbledore's welcome speech.

A woman who was strangely reminiscent of a toad carefully made her way around the table and towards Dumbledore. From the way Harry began to furiously whisper to Hermione, you were certain that she was the reason for his sudden change in behavior.

Dumbledore and Snape looked faintly displeased with her interruption and your eyes started to hurt from the abomination of pink monotone that made her stand out.

You had an unfortunate feeling that the source of your fifth year misery had arrived.

And you were correct. Of course.

It had only been a week into your classes and you were seething violently, much like the rest of your friends.

"And do you know what she said Reggie?"

"What?" He mused in curiosity, his eyes alight at your foreign frustration.

"We're only going to be learning the theories! Because apparently if we know the theories well enough, the application of spells will just magically come to us!"

Your hands were flying around wildly as you recalled her words, your body bouncing around on your bed due to your gestures.

Regulus chuckled at your despair, eyes twinkling brightly like he had just received the best news of his life.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it off. I'm glad my misery is enjoyable to you, but I'm being serious! I just don't know what we should do! The DADA curse is really screwing us over here."

Seeming to take pity on your genuine distress, he begins to placate you, "Y/N, it's fine. I'll teach you if you want. Just tell me what spells and theories you're covering and I'll guide you."

Oh?

The grin that stretches across your face almost hurts and you fall back onto your bed, letting his offer run around your head with a content sigh.

"Y/N? Have you died?"

"Still here." Your answer comes out muffled as you bring your hand to cover your bright smile.

"Don't seem too happy, I'm a strict teacher."

"Yeah, yeah. Reg. I could kiss you right now! Seriously, thank you, you're too good to me."

Regulus doesn't respond to your words and he was sure that you weren't even aware of what you were saying, but he was glad you couldn't hear the way his heart was racing.

"No matter, just get some sleep."

"Hm? What will you do then? It's still pretty early."

"I'll just watch over you like always. Prop me up on your nightstand would you, I want to see outside."

"Yes, yes. Anything else you require my liege?" Your teasing is met with a deadpan look as you carefully rest his portrait frame against the stack of books on your nightstand.

"Y/N, sleep."

You let out an indignant huff and turn your body towards your bedside, facing Regulus as he begins to gaze outside your dorm window. Luckily, your nightstand was on the far end of the dorm room and would be out of view from anyone coming through.

"Goodnight, Reg."

"Sweet dreams, Y/N."

Luckily, slumber came quickly that night.

You should have known that your brief period of rest would soon be interrupted. It was basically the first warning that came attached to being involved with the Golden Trio. You just didn't realize that your peace would be disturbed the very next day.

"Are you positive that this is a great idea?"

"If Umbridge refuses to teach us, we need someone who will."

You stare at Hermione in consideration, "And that person is Harry?"

She nods confidently, her eyes blazing in determination. Clearly, they were going to move forward with this plan whether or not you were in.

"Okay. So Hog's Head then?"

"Yes. We can't possibly manage to keep this under wraps inside the castle walls. We'll come by and get you tomorrow."

"Merlin ‘Mione. I hope that this turns out well. For all of our sakes."

"It has to. Sirius said it himself, You Know Who is on the move."

Bloody Dark Lord and his murderous agenda spoiling your years of childhood.

There wasn't much that needed to be said after that and you both bid each other a quick farewell. You quickly headed to your dorm and let out a sigh of relief to see the room empty.

Plopping down on your bed, you flip open the charms textbook Regulus recommended, eyes darting around for a possible communication charm.

This was going to take forever, might as well get some help.

Fishing around your robes, you pull out Regulus‘ portrait and beam down at his unimpressed face.

"There's no way you're actually considering running along with that ragtag defense club now, are you?" Isn't he just pleasant today.

"Nice to see you too, Reg. Hermione's idea sounds interesting enough, besides friends need to support each other's endeavors."

Regulus looked like he was a few moments away from releasing a snort, but just shook his head. His neat curls jumped around his face and you had to stop yourself from getting too entranced by the sight.

"I suppose that makes sense, after all I would do the same for you. Though, you are already learning from me, no?" Regulus‘ words made your heart skip a beat, but you tried your best to play it off.

"Yes, and as much as I love Harry, you will always be my number one teacher." He looked all too pleased by your words and you shook your head fondly, "Don't let it get to your head though. Now, let's read through this book together, shall we?"

And as you both read through the pages of the book, you couldn't help but selfishly want more. You couldn't help but wonder how different everything would be if Regulus wasn't a portrait, but rather alive and well and attending Hogwarts with you.

It just added to your fury towards Voldemort. He had taken enough from the world, and you couldn't wait to drive a curse through him and live the rest of your life in peace.

tag list: @krazyk99 @venomsvl @valsarchives @bunny24sstuff @novella12nite

#regulus black #regulus black x reader #regulus black imagine #regulus black imagines #regulus black fluff #regulus x reader #regulus black scenario #regulus black deserved better #regulus black series #harry potter series #harry potter and the order of the phoenix #harry potter #harry potter imagine #harry potter fanfiction #regulus black fanfiction #the noble house of black #sirius black #hermione granger #ronald weasley

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kingmagnificoofrosas · 4 months

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Analyzing King Magnifico

Oooh boy, I have a lot to say! This is gonna be long. So brace yourself. But first 👇

‼️Note, this is my very personal opinion‼️

I'm honestly glad how the multitude of people realizes that we don't have a villain here. And honestly, while some nag and whine around that they didn't get one, I'm not mad at all that we got Magnifico the way we got him.

So in the end, it doesn't matter to me if disney actually failed to create a villain or purposely created a good guy who changes to be the antagonist.

Ok, now to the analizing part

The very first thing we learn about Magnifico is that he has a pretty dark past. He lost his home and his entire family, anyone he ever loved, all in one night. And in a very curel way. That banner tells us a lot!

First of all, if we study the picture, we see a palace in the back, some houses and right down below young Magnifico and his parents. Now, why is that so important? Back in the days only very important people were potrayed on banners. Such as royals, families of very high status or knights. Banners and wallrugs were also used to tell important stories. And since the palace is on the banner, I'm pretty sure we have a royal family here. That would mean that Magnifico had been royalty from the very start.

Further we see that the bottom got burned. This tells us that there was a big fire. Which leads me to conclude that what Magnifico saw and experienced was most defenitely hell on earth. Imagine, his family, his home, everything burns. Screams of terror everywhere, the stench of dead burning flesh and smoke that nearly suffocates you! And he was very young when that happened. So we now know that the king has big time PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) Keep this in mind, because it's literally the key to this whole analysis.

Out of his trauma, Magnifico strived to build a safe haven, where he could make sure no tragedy like the one he'd suffered would ever happen again. He build his kingdom, (on top of already existing buildings, as we know from the art book) He taught himself magic to actually have power to protect. He made sure his people are safe and live well. That no one has to suffer, endure hunger or hardships. Sounds like a evil rotten monster right?

Just look at the way he looks at the (wishes) dreams of his people. He appreciates and treasures them!

His genuine desire to protect and keep safe has always been good!

We only see him snap after Asha triggers him. And while ptsd people react overly sensitive or exaggerated, it is understandable once you know where they come from.

Analyzing Magnifico's ptsd closer and how it influenced his actions and decissions

Magnifico had looked for an apprentice that truly understands where he comes from and shares his ambitions. But the first thing Asha asks as soon as she gets the feeling she has the job safe, is if he can grant her grandfather's wish. I understand, that she cares for her grandfather but I also see Magnifico's feelings. Can you imagine how used he must feel? Constantly feeling the pressure of "I must protect what's dear to me! I must make sure my past never repeats!" And yet, the most people see him as is the "wish-granter".

Trauma shapes you, it shapes the way of thinking and if something triggers a response, you just react. If you like it or not. And oftentimes you're not even aware you're acting up. I can tell from personal expirience ...

So what about him being slightly vain and wanting respect?

Respect is earned. Generally everyone deserves to be threated with respect unless someone gives you a solid reason not to.

So let's recap some of the things Magnifico actually deserves respect for :

Surviving a horrible tragedy and still standing

Building up an entire kingdom and reigning it well (protecting his people fiercly and sucessfully bringing order)

Being selfless

Being king and carrying a freaking lot of responsibility

Now, let's look at Magnifico's "vanity moments" more closely and examine the things he does and says with questions of why?

The thing with his hair. He makes sure his hair looks nice. Ok, is this a bad thing? Does this make one ultimately vain? No. Being content with your hair and wanting to have it look good isn't vain. Neither is being happy about it. Or looking at yourself in the mirror and like yourself. You even should be able to look at yourself and love what you see. Pure vanity is something different.

What about what he says about himself in his song?

I can't help it if mirrors love my face

It's genetics! Yeah, I got these genes from outer space

Lets consider the situation and emotional state he's in. He's pissed. And I'm pretty sure this a way to try and lift himself up a bit. I mean, like mentioned above, there is nothing wrong with liking your appearance. And he IS freaking handsome. He's not lying when he acknowleges that fact.

Of course you could twist his words and say, oh he's arrogant and vain. But people can say lots of things and not actually be a bad person.

And while true vanity is a bad trait, it doesn't make one a villain. Let's compare Magnifico to Gaston for a second.

Gaston is rude from the very beginning. He's selfabsorbed and narcissistic all the way and the only thing he cares about is himself. He shows off to be praised simply for selfgratification and because he thinks he's the center of the world.

Magnifico cares immensily for others and wants acknowledgement for it. Who wouldn't? If you do something great and constantly care for others and still aren't really appreciated for it, who wouldn't be like, "I do all this and you thank me by doubting me and wanting even more? How ungrateful can one be?" And the only things we see people acknowledge him for, is 1. His ability to do magic and grant wishes, and 2. His handsome looks.

I totally understand that he's fed up at one point. Deep down wishing someone would see him for the man he truly is below all his abilities and appearance.

Gaston would walk over dead bodies to get what he wants and in order to look good. He has 0 compassion and 0 remorse.

So, even though Magnifico is a "little" vain, he's not out of evil reasons! It literally doesn't harm anyone and it doesn't cause others to suffer. If someone tells him "You're handsome." He replies, "I know."

Good! Too many people look into the mirror and hate themselves. Of course, humbler people would just reply with "thank you." But still, this isn't a solid point to call someone a villain or bad person.

Ok, now. So far we have absolutely no reason to assume Magnifico is a "villain" so let's skip to the part where it get's interesting!

The thing with the shape shifiting entity (star) happens. Something that is outside of Magnifico's power, something he doesn't understand and it terrifies him! Why? Not because he's a power hungry psycho, not because he enjoys controling people out of complacenty and is afraid to lose that. No. It's the desperation of feeling helpless, the terror of losing control, the fear of having the past repeat itself. That is what drives him mad.

Ultimately he becomes desperate and anxious enough to let himself get possesed. Even during the whole process, he says that he never wanted this, he swore he'd never let himslef be posessed. He further says, "To this book, I don't wanna be tethered, but desperate times call for desperate measures."

Let's hear that again folks! Real loud for all those in the back! He tell us 3 times, 3 times ! How he doesn't want to turn to darkness but he feels forced to do so. Why? Because of his trauma! Not because he's a villain. He doesn't want to lose his control out of fear!

Let me show you something.

There you have it! 🫴 it's that simple. I'm tired of traumatized characters being labeled as villains.

Oh yeah but he literally goes bonkers after he let himself be possesed by the evil from this book!

Yeah, sherlock, of course he behaved EVIL after that. That's literally the evil that possesed him! This doesn't make him a villain! It make's his whole situation even sadder and more tragic. The actions are obviously bad, "villainous" if you wanna call it that, but it doesn't make him a villain!

What happens to a scared animal that you force into a corner? It bites. Does this mean the animal is evil because it bit? No. It doesn't make the bite ok, but it doesn't make it evil either.

So, I, like many others also underline that Magnifico is in no way a villain but a traumatized good guy who sadly slipped.

His personality

Composed when needed

He can be bubbly as much as he can be calm. One of the first things Amaya tells Asha is that Magnifico likes to talk a lot, yet we never truly see him talk a lot! He is more calm than he is loud.

When Asha has her interview, he gives her room to talk rather than showering her in lectures of what he wants and what he expects. He's like "Go ahead, you tell me! Imma listen."

I actually feel this very personally because I'm someone who loves to talk. If I'm comfortable around someone and I made sure I can trust them, I can ramble for hours. I can talk and talk and talk like a waterfall. But at the same time, I can also be intensly quiet and listen well.

Childlike behavior

One of my absolute favourite characteristics in Magnifico is his childlike goofyness. He has this really pure cuteness to him and a bombastic humor. He doesn't pay heed if his behavior could seem akward to others, he just acts however he feels like. He's one of those adults that would still do all the things they enjoyed doing as a child or things that children normally do and I love that!

I cannot stop chuckling over the fact that he hippity hopps down one of his corridors, giving cookies to knight armors. If that isn't adorable I don't know what is! 😂

Also, please, that whole scene! The dance moves, the excitement, the expressiveness! Aaawwww!

He has a whole miniature model of his kingdom and he makes little interactive figures! I laughed tears because it's so funny and adorable! Like he's that kind of man that would cheer at the simplest accomplishments like a child unwrapping the toy the really wanted on christmas day.

There is so much we can find in here. He's :

Playful, creative, quirky, funny, passionate, imaginative, spunky, talented - the list goes on!

But let's keep going and listen to what else shimmers through the things he sings.

I'd give the clothes off Benito's back, if you really needed that

I'd be the first one to volunteer if your home were to crumble, or if you were in trouble

He doesn't just blabber nonsense here or lies. He truly would do all those things! Why else would he sing this while alone? He has no one around so one could say he's saying this on purpose to look good. He's frustrated, offended and slightly hurt and is speaking his mind and emotions. And we are shown this as an audience.

What do these lines tell us then? They tell us just what he actually is! Altruistic. It leads us right back to what we found at the beginning. His actual desire to help, keep safe and protect.

Why would he be the first one to volunteer if a home crumbles? Because his did. A king actually doesn't need to get his hands dirty. He has enough people to do things for him, yet he'd go out of his way to take matters into his own hands because he genuinly cares!

I let you live here for free and I don't even charge you rent

Doesn't sound like a power hungry, wealth loving, gold hoarding dictator to me. Get this, you are living in a kinddom for fee! No rent! The most money you make you keep and only a bit of it goes to the king to sustain the community. That's pretty awesome if you ask me.

I clean up all your messes and I'm always there when you need to vent

So he's not only selfless but a good listener as well. He doesn't judge. He, well -

I give and give and give and give-

He wants to make sure everyone is pleased. That's actually impossible but he still tries and is secrerly suffering deep down from it. If a person only ever gives and hardly gets anything back ... it's like you fill a container with water and there is no hole to drain it. Eventually you are so overly full of others problems, you suffocate or overflow.

It's SO sad that he doesn't have ANYONE to really talk to. He runs across half the palace to let out his emotions rather than seeking comfort from someone. (Which would be the oportunity to talk about Amaya but this is for another post!)

Charming, charismatic, proud, confident

The characteristics that make him attractive besides his looks. He's a gentleman, he knows how to use words well, he isn't afraid to speak his mind and carries himself with confidence, which is displayed in the way he walks. He either strides, has a light bounce to his step or a heavyness.

Ok, now, that we have the positives, we can acknowledge the negative and neutral ones. And everyone has negative traits. Again, some of Magnifico's negative traits are caused and or intensified by his ptsd.

Idealistic and perfectionistic -Magnifico constantly obsesses over how things should and could be. Chaos irritates him. He feels safe in clear structures and always strives for the best outcome for things. If something doesn't make sense for him, he feverly searches for answers until he finds them. If not, he panics. The tiniest feeling of potentially failing wrecks his nerves.

Impulsive - He's got a short temper. Yes, he can swallow a lot but if one crosses a certain line, he snaps. His emotions control him more than he controls them. And that goes both ways. Happy, sad, angry. He feels everything intense and reacts intense.

Stormy and insecure - He reacts very sensitive to stress. He feels a certain degree of urgency in his feelings and tends to be sucess-oriented. He always wants to improve and thus pressures himself.

Controlling - Magnifico's obsessive feeling of need to control comes from his traumatic past. As long as he's in control, he feels secure. He feels safe. Control is his safeplace. Not because he has evil motives but because in reality he's deeply insecure and anxious.

Paranoid and pessimistic - Again a trait that has been heavily altered by his ptsd. Originally he'd belong to the more cautious kind. Being cautious isn't something negative, it can be very helpful since one analyzes and observes carefully before choosing to trust or do something. But his trauma causes him to always assume the worst. He becomes critical where he wouldn't need to be because of his fear. (We see this with his decissions over wishes. He disregards some not because of ill will, ignorance or arrogance but because of his anxiety)

Stubborn - If Magnifico has set his mind on something he could go through walls with his head. Once he's determinded to do something, it's nearly impossible to stop him.

Distrustful - His paranoia and pessimism makes it hard for him to trust others. He becomes hard to read and hard to understand.

Now, once the evil that has been trapped in the book posesses Magnifico, he becomes ruthless, cruel and cynical. He steps into "villainous behavior" but is it what he truly is? NO! Of course not! If people talk about a classical villain, they mean a purely evil person from the very beginning of a movie/story. If we have a originally good guy, who, through circumstances, starts reacting and making wrong choices, we're talking about an antagonist.

And good grief, Magnifico was more than redeemable! If someone actually hadn't been blind to the true struggle of his soul, if someone had actually cared enough to save him! If someone had only truly loved him. He was used, wronged, backstabbed, betrayed, left alone and dropped like a hot potato the second he snapped. Poor Magnifico. He deserved better. Far better.

Thank you for reading! I'll soon post more of my analyses. 🧐

Also, creating a redemption story for Magnifico is the most fun I've had writing in a long while. 🌹 I'm excited to eventually share it with you, once it's done.

#disney wish #wish 2023 #king magnifico

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tea-earl-grey · 5 months

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Voyager character dnd classes

see the other series here!

Janeway: paladin. literally no question she literally made an oath to get her crew home, she is a prototypical paladin. i started this series of posts because i realized how much of a paladin Janeway is.

Chakotay: paladin. i struggled a bit with Chakotay but he is obviously someone very dedicated to truth and justice and was willing to go off on his own path to fulfill that dream of justice when he joined the Maquis and that's very paladin of him.

Tuvok: monk. i think a lot of Vulcans have big monk energy due to their intense almost monastical studies and devotion to logic and Tuvok is a prime example who is highly trained in both physical and mental discipline and sought to help others (Kes, Suder) exercise that same discipline.

Torres: sorcerer. Torres very much lacks the formal training that a usual Starfleet engineer (or wizard) would have but (in my opinion) has even more natural talent for ambitious engineering and manages to be a miracle worker not through some pact or intelligence but just through sheer force of will.

Kim: wizard. look in the show, Torres and Kim were kind of presented as opposites (the Maquis vs Starfleet) with the personality differences to match despite having a vaguely similar set of skills and capabilities. so it really makes sense that if Torres is a sorcerer, Kim would be a wizard with all the traditional by the book learning that entails.

Paris: fighter. Tom Paris is a fighter and i don't have much of an argument other than ~vibes~ and the fact that only a fighter would think he could tank the damage from going warp 10 and then start turning into a salamander.

EMH: cleric/bard multiclass. look the EMH was literally designed to be a doctor. when he was first activated that was his entire purpose and nothing else so i don't think i can really argue that he isn't a cleric. but as he started to exist for longer, he consistently wanted to be something more (specifically a singer, see Virtuoso). i need to emphasize. he's not a good bard. he doesn't provide inspiration or support to anyone. but the fact is that he needs to prove he can be something more.

Neelix: bard. do i have to explain myself? Neelix is very much a jack of all trades master of none kind of character. he dabbles in pretty much everything and 90% of his scenes exist to give support and encouragement to other characters.

Seven: warlock. even in-universe, the Borg (when they're at they're best) are portrayed as this eerie eldritch entity so i think it would make sense that in dnd mechanics, even though Seven broke away from the Borg, she maintained that pact with them in order to keep performing sorts of magical acts (like her increased strength and like. bringing people back from the dead). but she also very much has that same darkness and melancholy that a warlock has from a pact with an ambiguously evil being.

Kes: druid. no question about this one. she has an affinity for plants and vague but powerful supernatural abilities drawn from the literal energy of the universe.

please feel free to reply with your own headcanons! i'd love to read them.

#voyager #star trek #kathryn janeway #chakotay #tuvok #b'elanna torres #harry kim #tom paris #emh #neelix #seven of nine #kes #star trek dnd fusion #i'm this close to starting to type up everyone's character backstories and pretending like i'm actually going to write something #but for real voyager would make a great ttrpg campaign (whether it's a dnd skin or not)#my posts

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the-anastasia · 5 months

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Dark Rise Summary

Leaving this here for anyone else about to read the second book and who remembers f-all from the first one. (And since I couldn’t find a good one online.) Spoilers ahead, obvs:

Will came to London to find out who killed his mom. It was Simon’s dad, Edmund, the Earl of Sinclair. He worked on Simon’s ship and tried to subterfuge it. His mom’s old servant finds him and gives him a medallion. He was caught by Simon’s men and shackled down in one of Simon’s ships. All Simon’s men got a brand on their arm, a letter S. Tom was there that day to get the brand and his sister Violet followed him. Stewards attack the ship trying to get one of their own back from Simon - Marcus. They fight. Justice fights Tom and when they fight in the ship a crate opens and it’s the corrupted blade and it starts destroying the ship and it can kill people with a touch but Will manages to sheathe it and tells to Violet to get everyone out and she does but then comes back to help Will. Since Justice found them there on the ship he assumes they were both Simon’s prisoners and takes them to an inn and tells them the ancient history. Violet tries to go back to her family but overhears her dad saying he only kept her alive cause she and Tom are both lions and Tom needs to kill another lion to get his full powers so she sashays away. Justice takes Violet and Will to the hall of Stewards (formerly the hall of kings). He thinks Will is the blood of the lady cause of the medallion. The lady is who killed the dark king in the past. They train in the hall of stewards and the elder steward tries to get Will to reach the light inside him and bring a dead hawthorn tree back to life but he can’t. Elder Steward tells Will the dark king will be reborn and Simon is trying to bring him back. The first step is to unleash a shadow.

One night Will and Violet hear some Stewards returning from patrol and sneak out to eavesdrop. Justice and others heard where Marcus might be and went out to get him but it was a trap. James was there. In old world he was servant of light but turned and started serving the dark king. He’s called the betrayer and he is a reborn so he can use magic and almost killed them all. Will thinks they want Marcus back so desperately cause he knows how to summon a shadow. Violet says she could find out how to get him back.

They sneak out back to London and she goes to back to her family and overhears where James will be alone and when. Will goes to secretly meet Simon’s fiancée Katherine and they develop a thing. When they return to the hall they are taken and shackled. Apparently Cyprian never trusted Violet, an outsider, so he followed her. They tell her they know she’s a lion and lions fought for the dark king so she must be bad. They try to tell them they know how to get to Marcus but no one trusts them. Then surprisingly Cyprian comes to free them and sneak them out. Marcus was his brother (The high janisarry adopted them both after “losing his son”). Cyprian says if there’s even a small chance they’re telling the truth and they could get Marcus he’ll risk it.

They corner James at Robert Drakes Ivory shop. Devon the last unicorn works there. He hides his identity. They capture James and slam some anti magic shackles on him and bring him back to the hall. The stewards have a severed unicorn’s horn (Devon’s) and it compels someone to tell the truth but you gotta stab them. Will takes it and with a slow, homoerotic precision stabs James in the shoulder. They learn that the High Janissary is his real dad. He was kicked out as a child when they found out who he was. Scared and alone he found the only person willing to take him in, Simon’s dad. They learn where Marcus is being held. That Simon is looking for a powerful artifact and that a man named Gauthier had come to England with it. But then James also tells them all the truth about the cup of the Stewards. The cup is what the novitiates drink from to get their steward strength. But it’s cursed and eventually turns them into shadow. Four kings of the Hall were offered great power in exchange for a price by the dark king. 3 of them agreed and drank from the Cup. Those who drank gained extraordinary physical abilities for a time. But when their time was done they turned into shadow kings controlled by the dark king. Chaos in the hall ensues. Everyone realizes the stewards are desperate to get Marcus back cause he about to be shadow boy. They plan a full frontal assault to get him back.

Will tells Cyprian and Violet there might be another way. They sneak out and Will goes to meet up with Katherine. They kiss and a Hawthorne tree in the garden by her house blooms. Katherine freaks out and asks Will “what are you”. Her lady’s maid came out looking for her but before they parted Will tells Katherine Simon is not a good man and if you ever feel in danger come to the marsh (where the hall is) and you’ll be safe. Failing to get any useful information from Katherine the three return but Marcus had already turned and came into the hall and killed everyone. Elder Steward managed to fight him and kill him cause she was almost shadow herself at that point before dying herself. The only survivors were her two janissaries, Grace and Sarah. Janissaries fail the test and so don’t drink from the cups. They become knowledge keepers, scholars, artisans, etc.

They go to find Gauthier and James is already there. A novitiane (Emery) had freed him after they left cause he had the feels for James. They overpower and shackle him again. Apparently the mighty artifact Gauthier has is a collar that controls James. Ones its on it can never be removed. The Dark King used it to control James then had him executed so he can be reborn with him. The executioner kept the collar and it was passed down through generations to Gauthier. It’s dark power ending their family line to one sad old man hanging on to the collar. Will decides to free James and gives him the collar.

Katherine and her little sister Elizabeth do come to the hall after she overhears Simon talking about killing people. She says Simon said he needs the blood of the lady to release the shadow kings from a stone they’re trapped in and that will make the dark king return. Will realizes Simon can use the blood of his mother where she was killed so he sneaks out and goes to the place. He kills Simon’s remnants and then Simon (but not before he managed to release the shadow kings). Simon tried to kill Will with the corrupted blade but of course it didn’t work on Will cause surprise surprise he’s actually the dark king reborn. Turns out his mom had tried to kill him. Katherine and Elizabeth were her daughters who she gave away to protect them. Devon appears there and tells him he knew who he is all along and calls him my king for some reason (even though the dark king slaughtered the unicorns who were fighting with the stewards). Devon also kills his boss and friend Robert after Robert steals his horn back and gives it to him saying he knew all along. Frankly, Devon just doesn’t make any sense. Katherine apparently followed Will and overheard everything. Will tells her she’s the one who made the tree bloom and she’s the blood of the lady. They can hear two shadow kings coming for her. Will commands them back to the stone. Katherine is scared of Will. She picks up the sword to fight him but the corrupted blade kills her.

Back in the hall Elithabeth stumbles and touches the dead tree and it comes to light and they realize she’s the blood of the lady. The third shadow king is there and breaks through the hall wards. Violet tells them all to run and stays to fight the king. She defeats him with a lions shield that was hanging in the hall as a relic of the old world.

Will goes to an inn to write a letter to Katherine’s aunt and uncle who were taking care of her. James shows up there. He doesn’t know who Will actually is and tells him he’s there to follow Will. Will says “Of course you are.”

Characters:

Will Kempen - the dark king (Sacrean) reborn. Dark king gave the order to kill all his servants so they be reborn with him.

The Lady - her and dark king loved each other and she killed him.

Eleanor Kempen - Will’s mom. The Lady’s descendant. Sister Mary was killed by Simon. Also mom to Katherine and Elizabeth.

Mathew - servant who worked for Will’s mother. Gave him her medallion.

Violet - Will’s friend. Half Indian on mother’s side. Half brother Tom. Super strength. Father kept her alive so Tom could kill one like him in order to come into his power.

Simon/Lord Crenshaw - Descendent of dark king who wants to bring him back. Coat of arms: three black hounds.

Tom - Simon’s lion. Super strength. Violet’s bro.

Stewards - keepers of the last flame. And of the knowledge of the old world. Fighters for the light. Wear white.

Janissaries - those who don’t wanna be stewards or fail the tests. Wear blue.

Novitiates - training to become stewards. Wear grey.

Marcus - Steward. caught by Simon. Cyprian’s brother. Turned to shadow.

Cyprian - the book’s Draco Malfoy. Novitiate.

High janissary Jannick - Cyprian’s and Marcus’ adopted father. Biological dad to James.

Justice - Steward. Was sheildmate to Marcus.

Elder steward / Euphemia - the wisest and most powerful Stewards.

Grace and Sarah - Elder Steward’s janissaries. Grace is more put together.

Leda - Steward captain

Katherine Kent - Simon’s fiancée.

Elizabeth Kent - 10yo. Katherine’s sister.

James St. Clair - Dark kings sexy boy toy. The Betrayer reborn. Used to be on side of light before the king slapped a collar on him and used it to control him and possibly also took him to bed.

Remnants - have part of ancient dark kings inner guard’s armor. The book’s Nazgûl. All living things wither at their touch.

Valdithar - Will’s brave horsie

Devon - unicorn. Clerk of ivory merchant Robert Drake. Sometimes a runner for Simon.

Gauthier - descendant to Rathorn, who executed the betrayer.

Objects:

Magic Mirror - in which Will looks into the past and sees the lady. He finds this mirror in a warehouse by the docks. It’s never mentioned again.

Medallion - inscribed “I cannot return when I’m called to fight so I will have a child” AKA the hawthorn’s flower, The lady’s medallion. Will’s mom had it. It got passed on to him.

The corrupted blade - used to be sword of the champion, Ekthalion. Corrupted by one drop of blood of dark king. Legend has it a champion can restore it.

The final flame - atop the hall

Shield of rassalon - shield of the first lion

The hawthorn tree - The tree stone in the hall of Stewart’s used to be tree of light. The lady’s touch will bring it back to life and make it shine

Cup of the stewards - they drink from it to get strength but eventually it turns them dark. “calico del re”. That’s why they’re in pairs and have shield mates. To watch for change and kill the other when the time comes.

The shadow stone - 3/4 kings made bargain with the dark king. They got power but upon their death turned into creatures of shadow. Are trapped in the stone. Will commands two back into the stone after they’re released. One is killed by Violet.

Gold collar with rubies - controls James. Never opens once it’s on.

Quotes: “Kindness is never a mistake, somewhere in the heart it is always remembered.” Pg104 (nothing to do with the summary I just like it.)

#dark rise #dark heir #cs pacat #will kempen #james st clair #dark rise summary

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girlfriendsofthegalaxy · 22 days

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tuesday again 4/9/2023

the best photo i took this week

listening

i have not been keeping up with either the tuesdaypost spreadsheet or the tuesdaypost playlists so there's a strong possibility i have already talked about Joywave's It's A Trip! off the 2017 album Content. spotify

youtube

driving ten hours in one day is ideal for listening to albums and i listened to almost every joywave album on my way home from the eclipse. american indie rock band from rochester ny, i have loved them since early college. i think they were made in a lab to get to stuck in my head bc they tend toward lower register synthier tracks that deceptively amble cheerfully along and talk about dealing with fear. songs for a male protagonist to splash water on his face, look at himself in the mirror haunted by what he's seeing, linger in his children's bedroom doorways, and then drive off into the night for the finale.

i think i listened to this song for an hour on loop yesterday bc the chorus so perfectly got stuck in my brain

When you've gotten what you want (Maybe I should start over) There's nothing left to want (Up and at 'em again) You don't know what you want (Yeah, I'm thinking it over) Just tell me what to Want

they have spent a lot of time figuring out how to have longevity as a band: "The record kind of attempts to figure that out but it doesn’t end in a definitive place. For me personally, it’s just to create things that matter as long as I possibly can, and to make things that are going to outlive me that people can hang onto for at least five to six years after I’m dead." they are deeply cranky about virality/content churn, especially in this interview. i appreciate this in an artist.

could not tell you how i first found them. i think i would have to go back to the proto-tuesdayposts of 2018.

reading

when you're not sleeping well you can average a book a night!

Uprooted by Naomi Novik destroyed me. (image from here)

“Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human sacrifice, and he were a real dragon. Of course that’s not true: he may be a wizard and immortal, but he’s still a man, and our fathers would band together and kill him if he wanted to eat one of us every ten years. He protects us against the Wood, and we’re grateful, but not that grateful.”

my best friend real-life influenced me into reading this book and i have since managed to convince four other people to read this book bc i won't shut up about it. the descriptions of the physicality of magic and how different kinds of magic and different families of spells Feel was only part of the coolest magical system ive ever read about. this is not a dark romance but it is a little brutal in a brothers grimm/this is how battles shake out sometime kind of way. i think a companion piece of media written from the Dragon's point of view would nicely parallel that post going around about how Howl's Moving Castle the movie is from Howl's point of view and Howl's Moving Castle the book is from Sophie's point of view. i would die for Agnieszka.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (image from here)

Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders… but her father isn’t a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife’s dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty–until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers’ pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed–and finds herself more than up to the task. When her grandfather loans her a pouch of silver pennies, she brings it back full of gold. But having the reputation of being able to change silver to gold can be more trouble than it’s worth–especially when her fate becomes tangled with the cold creatures that haunt the wood, and whose king has learned of her reputation and wants to exploit it for reasons Miryem cannot understand.

i don't know if i've ever read a book with seven points of view before? i think it was well handled, but it required significantly more brainpower than screaming through three of kingfisher's light fantasy/romances in two days and it threw me a little. saying this book is about debts cheapens it a little, i think. it is concerned with debts but also safety, and it is very much about cost in a very fairytale way and in the horrible everyday calculus of survival way.

Swordheart, Paladin's Hope, and Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher. god these go down So smooth. kingfisher has a niche and i respect that. i am reading the Saint of Steel tetralogy out of order bc even four library systems can only do so much, and i don't think you particularly need to read them in order.

i'm a bit cranky that the terfs took feminist fantasy from me, bc when the protagonist got her period in Paladin's Strength a little alarm bell went off in my head and i had to put it down and google some stuff (the answer is no btw). there is a way to write female-focused lightly historical fantasy without being terfy and kingfisher does it, but it's so rare that i was genuinely expecting some sort of. weird agenda to be at play.

these were all fun, fast reads and i don't have much else to say about them! not that they are better or worse than novik's books but they will not live in my head quite as long. there are fewer tantalizing hints about systems of magic that make me want to graph things out u kno

watching

kanopy has Animation April as their focus this month which is how i saw The King and the Mockingbird (1980, dir. Paul Grimault) which is a longer piece adapted from something he'd been working on since the 40s.

youtube

This animated fantasy tale follows the romance between a lovely shepherdess and a handsome chimney sweep. The land's imperious king falls for the beautiful woman and tries to thwart her relationship, but a kind mockingbird assists the lovers in evading the ruler. At the king's command, the chimney sweep and his bird friend are imprisoned, and they must escape in order to rescue the young man's true love.

GOD the animation in this. there are so many references to early animation and silent film. there are so so so many gadgets and methods of conveyance in an absolutely architecturally dizzying castle. there is a ROYAL MECH that plays its own theme music. the backgrounds have a very Chuck Jones quality in that they are exactly as detailed as they need to be for the gag to work. the castle is lush and beautiful but not dizzyingly, overwhelmingly lush. there is a clear vision to every shot and a clear path your eye is meant to travel, which i appreciate very much. i think a lot of technically impressive animation (i am specifically thinking of the Nimh movies) muddies itself by trying to jam too much on the screen. just a fucking delight of a film. a delicious confection

playing

nothing specific to say about genshin this week ur welcome

making

painted a frame (it was a dead basic michaels frame i got at a yard sale and it was giving little boy's room) and framed a thing. this is a poster that came as a freebie with a 1997 album, and i actually bought this CD case without the CD inside bc i was so delighted with the poster. scuff sanded the frame with 120 grit, i went with a matte black acrylic bc i felt that disguised how the poster did not quite fit the frame a little better? and also bc it was what i had in the house.

i did not bother with a mat, i just used the lining paper with the stock photo and painted the back of that. do not do this with particularly valuable or beloved pieces. i do not think this is necessarily acid free and there is some danger that the paint may transfer to the back of the poster over time.

#tuesday again #tuesday again no problem #Youtube

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thisisallthehattersfault · 29 days

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I'm so intrigued by ritual behavior in animals. Many animals practice what we can only describe as funerary rights and veneration of the dead, while certain species of ape and elephant have displayed behaviors not unlike sun-worship, being aware of and showing some kind of reverence for celestial bodies.

I like to think, if the Straw Hats were ever to worship Luffy, Chopper would be the first to do it. It would be an instinctive thing, and maybe worship wouldn't be the right word for it. Reverence doesn't fit -- he has been elbow-deep in his captain's chest, he has seen Luffy (seen all his crew-mates) reduced to sweat and blood and vomit. He has washed the filth of survival from their faces and tipped water to their lips and held death at bay with sutures and splints and antidotes. The flesh is not a holy thing; the body is not be sanctified (except of course that it is, it is, and no one knows that better than a doctor.)

Chopper is less animal now than he was before he ate his fruit, but he is nature’s creature still. He can feel the seasonal climate of a new island in his bones as they approach. His fur prickles when danger is near. When his crew forage for supplies in strange new places, Chopper follows the scent of clean water and green, growing things until it leads him to resources he can bring back to the herd.

And when the sun rises, he tips his face into its light and feels the warmth seep into him.

There is a profound gratitude winter creatures feel towards the sun. Nights on Drum were always so very long, and the snow so thick. In deep winter even the evergreens had a hard time catching enough of the gray, watery light to keep themselves alive. It wasn’t uncommon for Chopper’s original herd to spend hours or days foraging and only find barely enough to eat. When the sun emerged enough to melt the snow and pull tender, edible shoots up from the earth, coax sweet green leaves to bud on the tips of barren branches, it always felt like a gift to be cherished.

After he ate the fruit and became something that is neither reindeer nor human and not quite a proper mix of the two, something that is maybe not only difficult to classify but downright incorrect — when he became whatever he now is, and gained the ability to perceive a world so much greater than himself, he felt that was exactly what the sun was: something greater than himself. Something greater than his herd, or the human settlements, or either of the good Doctors that raised him. Something greater than the evergreen forests or the snowy fields. Greater even than the long, dark winter. Doctor Hiriluk taught him, of course, what the sun is made of, but that didn’t make it seem any less like magic to Chopper. This huge, burning thing, so far away and unimaginably powerful and yet it reaches its fingers down and down and down into the snow and tugs up plants for the reindeer to eat. Ancient and unreachable and unapproachable, but still it warms his fur. Still it melts the snow caps into streams of clean, clear water that teem with life in the summertime.

Right from the beginning, Luffy does for Chopper what the sun does for the snow fields. He gives warmth and persistent, blinding light until the icy top-layer has gone to slush and everything beneath sprouts anew, growing strong and reaching up towards the sun. Chopper boards the Going Merry for the first time and his bones ache like spring has come, and under Luffy Chopper does as all green things do in the sunlight: he grows. He learns and trains and overcomes, until he feels less like those tender spring shoots and more like the evergreens, standing tall, unbowed by the winter.

It makes sense to me for Chopper to be the first of the crew to look at Luffy and understand that he is something else. Something more. Something greater than himself. Maybe not consciously, but instinctively, not in mind but in gut and marrow. If Luffy is to Chopper what sunlight is to the snowfields then it’s only right the rest of the world, too, should get to tilt their faces to the light of the sun and feel it’s warmth seep into them. The crew learns about Nika and Joyboy and ancient prophecies and Sun Gods given form, that Luffy is something that is neither human nor god and not quite a proper mix of the two, and Chopper tucks his nose into Luffy’s hip and digs his horns into Luffy's belly until Luffy reaches down to pat him, and thinks, I could have told you that.

#One Piece #monkey d. luffy #tony tony chopper #sun god nika #joyboy

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mxlfoydraco · 1 year

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Hello, do you have Drarry Fic Recs centered around Christmas or the Holiday Season? :) Love your blog, best regards

Apparently, I know more Christmas fics than I thought I would? Considering that I'm not a Christmas person at all lmao. Another caveat that I took a 2 year hiatus, several friends have written advent/holidays fics but I'm not very up to date!

Humbug (A Christmas Tale) by Snegurochka (80k)

Draco has been taking his casual relationship with Harry for granted. Visits from four key ghosts the night before Christmas just might shake up his priorities in life.

All Roads Lead Home by dracogotgame (14k)

Draco is strong-armed into spending the first Christmas after the War with the Weasleys. And Harry Potter.

The Safe House by emmagrant01 (10k)

Aurors Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are forced to spend Christmas together in a safe house. Bet you can guess what happens. ;-)

A Lick and a Promise by @tackytigerfic (55k)

Something sinister stirs in Hogwarts! When magical creatures and students at the school are hit with a debilitating blood curse, Minerva McGonagall approaches the Ministry for help. Star Auror Harry Potter seems to be the obvious choice to go undercover—as DADA Professor, naturally. He’s going to need the help of the Ministry’s foremost expert in blood magic to get to the bottom of the mystery, though, and he’s not entirely convinced that going back to Hogwarts with Draco Malfoy is a good idea. Things are complicated between them—what’s new?—but they know they have to learn to work together (and keep their hands off each other in the corridors) in order to solve this case. Luckily for them, Hogwarts itself wants to lend a hand. A tale of love, lessons, and learning to really live.

Un Noël très parisien by @femmequixotic and @noeeon (14k)

When Draco crossed paths with Auror Potter at a political function in Paris, he was not expecting their former animosity to change into something rather more intriguing. But he could be certain their casual flirtation would not last more than the night, couldn't he?

The Light More Beautiful by @firethesound (81k)

Thirteen years after Draco accepts Potter's help escaping the horror of his sixth year, he returns to England where he makes the unfortunate discovery that Potter is still as obnoxious as ever. And worse, more than a decade overseas hasn't been enough to dim Draco's obsession with him.

And a Malfoy in a Pear Tree by lauren3210 (7k)

Draco works in a coffee shop. Harry drops by every day to get his fix. Of coffee, Ron.

Settle in in my slow-burning heart - orphaned (10k)

"So maybe it really actually starts like this: Draco is gifted a truly horribly ugly Christmas jumper by his mother, and is guilt-tripped into wearing it at work. Apparently Harry takes the hideousness of the jumper to mean that Draco is okay with receiving terribly ugly things for presents, because the next time he’s abroad – in bloody Chicago – he brings back an eagle with the American flag on its back that is capable of singing the first three lines of the American anthem if you press it on the stomach back for Draco." __ Five years after the war Draco is working a tech developer job in the Auror Office, and it's all great except this one thing: Harry Potter works there, too. Things only become stranger when Harry starts bringing Draco ugly souvenirs back from his work travels. When Harry then shows up injured in Draco's flat, Draco considers the possibility that he's going insane.

Anatomy of a Wolf Heart by @clytemenestras (40k)

MALFOY HEIR FOUND ALIVE IN WEREWOLF FIGHTING RING Three years ago at the tragic Battle that freed our great Wizarding World from the grip of a megalomaniac Dark Wizard, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, our world lost many Witches and Wizards. Among the dead and missing was Draco Malfoy, the only son of notorious Death Eaters Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, both of whom volunteered their home for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to use as a headquarters. Sources have confirmed that the young Malfoy took a vow to follow in his parents footsteps by taking the Dark Mark. Inside sources have uncovered that the Malfoy heir has been found alive. Aurors recently went undercover to expose a fighting ring involving illegal potions and unregistered werewolves. Among those rescued was Draco Malfoy.

It’s No Great Mystery by @agentmoppet (57k)

Who on earth decided that bringing back the Yule Ball for their eighth year would be a good idea? It feels like the worst day of Harry’s life, watching everyone get glammed up like the war never happened, like the last Triwizard Tournament wasn’t such a colossal failure. And then it happens again. And again. And again.

come with me into the light by @tryslora (21k)

Everything has changed by the time Harry returns to Hogwarts for his second attempt at his final year. He no longer wears glasses, he mourns dead friends from the war, and Draco Malfoy walks the halls as if he is a ghost as well. When Pansy asks Harry to help snap Malfoy out of his silence, what else is he supposed to say? Malfoy needs to be saved, and that's just what Harry does.

The One Where Everybody Finds Out by @slytherco (8k)

Prompt: "That’s mistletoe we’re standing under.”

---

Remember those few legendary F.R.I.E.N.D.S. episodes where Chandler and Monica thought they were SUPER sneaky with their relationship but all their friends found out one after another? Well, here's just that - in Drarry flavour.

Come Back to Me by Sophie_French (28k)

Lily Malfoy-Potter could ask Father Christmas many things: a beautiful doll with glittering pink and purple robes, a stuffed kneazle just like her cousin Rose’s or even a colour-changing diadem like the princesses in the bedtime stories her Papa tells her. But she won’t. No, this year, she will only ask for one thing: for her Papa and Daddy to get back together and be happy again. She just can’t wait.

A Room Up There (And You In It) by @the-starryknight (59k)

When Preservationist Draco Malfoy was assigned to work on Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, he was excited to delve into the gorgeous Black family antiques. His excitement quickly ended when something in the House decided it did not like his presence one bit. Featuring a grumpy antiques lover who most certainly did not sign up for this, encounters with a vengeful apparition, and a healthy application of Christmas spirit.

A Melody of You & Me by @academicdisasterfic (64k)

Draco Malfoy has a Christmas choir competition to win, and Harry Potter has an orphanage that needs funding. When Luna Lovegood intervenes, they agree to help each other out: Harry will join the choir if Draco chooses to sponsor his charity. But agreeing to work together also means getting to know each other again - in new and unexpected ways. Ft. a chaotic festive choir, scheming friends, a healthy dose of mental health issues, one very irritating ex, and boys learning how to love and be loved.

All I Want For Christmas (Is For You To Stop Talking) by @femmequixotic and @noeeon (162k)

The Niffler's Garden is the most prestigious wizarding nursery school in England and has been for the last century or more. Harry Potter's boys are both enrolled as pupils at the Garden. When he volunteers to assist with the Yule pageant, he has no idea that he'll be working closely with another parent, Draco Malfoy. Although they haven't seen each other much since their own school days, Harry faults Malfoy for not being a hands-on dad to little Scorpius. Will the intense weeks of preparation fan the fires of enmity or something else entirely? Warnings: Background discussion of divorce, coming out, parenting, very brief mention of difficult pregnancy.

All Must Draw Near by Saras_Girl (61k)

Harry doesn't have time for rumours; he has a shop to run. Which is just as well, really.

The Light That is Blinding Me by @acciotomriddle (22k)

After Flourish and Blotts stop stocking the books of Harry’s favourite author, he is directed to a queer bookshop and discovers it’s owned by none other than Draco Malfoy, who has more in common with Harry than either of them realise.

#drarry #drarry fics #drarry fic recs #drarry fic rec #fic recs #my recs #christmas drarry #drarry fic #draco malfoy #harry potter

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genesis-king · 1 year

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Teen Wolf: The Movie released in 2023 should NOT exist and is an ABSOLUTE ATROCITY. Here’s why:

Not only was it absolute bullshit that Jeff Davis killed Derek the same way his family was killed, by burning him alive! But he also had Derek’s 15 year old son WATCH him die. JUST LIKE how Derek watched his family die from a fire when HE was 15!

Where the hell is Stiles, a key character to the series? So major of a character that when he didn’t appear in the beginning of season 6 of the original series, views decreased SIGNIFICANTLY. And when he returned in season 6 episode 11 (with Derek, might I add), views SKYROCKETED like crazy.

A majority of the movies plot points don’t line up with the original show. For example: Chris Argent and Isaac Lahey took the jar containing the Nogitsune with them when they went to France. So why is it on a shelf, let me repeat: a GOD DAMN SHELF, in Japan?! Another thing is that in the original show Derek (as an alpha) was able to survive a wolfsbane bullet wound for almost, if not, 24 hours. While in the movie Chris says Scott (also an alpha) only has a few hours to survive before the poison kills him.

Stiles would never abandon not only his Jeep, as stated in season 4 episode 1: The Dark Moon, but ALSO Scott and Lydia, his two best friends.

There’s so many other things that just don’t line up but it would take way too long to explain and that’s not the reason I’m posting this. The reason for this post is up next. So moving on…

Since Jeff Davis HAS decided to give us this movie with its OUTRAGEOUS plot line and BULLSHIT ending (no offense to Davis entirely, he did very good on the original series but he honestly should have left it there), I have decided (as I’m sure others have as well) that there needs to be a sequel to fix it. Here’s some of the things I think need to happen in said hypothetical and much needed sequel:

Eli’s the main character (not Scott McAsshole) and we learn who his other biological parent is (most likely Kate because even if everyone hates it, it would serve as a very interesting plot).

Stiles comes back because the show is absolute SHIT without him. AND he’s pissed about Scott & the pack not calling him for his help, resulting in Derek being DEAD! He’s also mad at Scott because he, an ALPHA, allowed one of his betas to SACRIFICE himself. In front of his KID no less! The TRAUMA the poor pup will have now. (Can’t there be ONE Hale generation that DOESN’T have life altering trauma and hogwash happen to them!)

Isaac should also return so we can see his reaction to Allison being resurrected and Derek being dead. His reaction is so important to me because when Allison died they were dating and Derek was his original alpha & took him in after his dad died.

In fact, since we’re bringing Stiles and Isaac back, let’s bring EVERYONE that was still alive at the end of the original series and were still part of the pack (or once was) back. Let’s have them make a major debut for an amazing kick ass battle against some new big bad. (Possibly “Captain America: Civil War” style. ✨SCOTT vs STILES✨ …That’s actually not a bad idea. I’ll post about that next, but first we got to continue with what else needs to happen.)

Derek isn’t ACTUALLY dead! Yay! He should be in bardo because 1: he’s a stubborn, self sacrificing pain in the ass who has been wronged in SO many ways. And 2: he has realized his mistake of sacrificing himself (while needed in the movie, it could have easily been prevented if Stiles was there) causing him to leave his son and outright REFUSES to fully die. PLUS, right before Derek died we saw his eyes turn RED, meaning that he is now a True Alpha. That changes a LOT of things! I don’t care if there’s no body and he can’t logically return to this plane of existence physically. He’s in bardo. Plain and simple. The show has already broken so many perceived supernatural rules, what’s one more?

Stiles has ✨magic✨ (as hinted on by Deaton saying he has a Spark MULTIPLE times throughout the series) and brings Derek back from being almost-dead-but-not-quite-dead.

And finally, what a MAJORITY of Teen Wolf fans (myself included 😌) have been waiting for *drumroll*: STEREK!!! FINALLY it happens! *jazz hands*

BOOM! DONE! STORY FIXED! Your welcome!

Feel free to comment what you think is wrong with the movie and what should be added to the hypothetical & desperately needed sequel.

Until next time…

~Peace,

Genesis. ✌️

#teen wolf the movie #teen wolf #stiles stilinski #derek hale #eli hale #teen wolf fix it #scott mccall #isaac lahey #sterek #sterek is eternal #jeff davis #lydia martin #allison argent #alan deaton #chris argent #mccall pack #kate argent

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legacygirlingreen · 8 months

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Part 4 - Chapter 2: Revelations // Sebastian Sallow x reader

Warnings : Mentions of blood/torture, slight mentions of assault and unwanted touching. This is one is dark folks!

A/N: I'm back with the second chapter of this part, and things are heating up. Thankful to everyone who keeps reading... hope you all enjoy....

word count: 7,500 words

Masterlist for series: https://www.tumblr.com/legacygirlingreen/713709759369560064/part-1-becoming-a-proper-gentlemen?source=share

When she came back to consciousness she could feel her arms tied above her head, feet dangling off the floor as she was strung up from a structure in the camp they discovered not far from Feldcroft. Looking down she saw her shirt had been torn to shreds and she shivered feeling the cool air around her. It was then she realized she was soaking wet, and that water had been thrown at her.

“She’s awake boss” a voice called behind her and she heard a tent flap raise before footsteps made their way closer to her. She couldn’t see what was going on, but she could tell it wouldn’t be good.

She closed her eyes, waiting for another blow to be landed upon her body. All she could remember after Poppy left was being surrounded, hit with a variety of hexes and curses before she blacked out. She had never felt the torture curse used on her before, however Sebastian had taught it to her one evening in the undercroft, in the unlikely even she may need it some day. They shared a similar mindset that despite being dark magic, hiding from it in the educational sphere was dangerous. One should always know what they are up against.

Feeling it used against her however, despite Sebastian’s best efforts to help educate her, were worse than she could ever have imagined. In fact, even now she could feel its lingering effects on her body. The way it coursed through her bloodstream like lightning, burning every single part of her body from within.

Not feeling another curse she opened her eyes, seeing the cold steel eyes of Victor Rookwood staring directly into her own as she screamed, the sound muffled by a cloth gag, frightened at how close he was. She struggled against the restraints holding her as he chuckled, seeing her distressed.

“Come now, there’s no need for that. You aren’t breaking free. Save your energy girl… you will need it.” He explained as he cupped her cheek in mocking comfort and she tried to move her face away from his hand.

“Have you no curiosity about why this camp exists? It appears you have learned about the curse affecting the Sallow girl, but you have no idea as to why… I thought you would like to know seeing as you have become close to that boy… What is his name again? The tall one with the dark hair and all the freckles�� charming young man. I would hate for him to get caught in the crossfire of this wouldn’t you…” he threatened with a smug look in his eye as he brought a gloved hand up to the cloth tied around her mouth, releasing it as she sucked in a fresh breath of air. Her eyes had already welled up with tears at the thought of Rookwood hurting Sebastian and she made no attempts to stop them from spilling out as he stared directly into her eyes with a grin.

Walking away to a table to the right of where she was strung up, he grabbed a small tankard, bringing it close to her lips, allowing her to drink water. At first she was apprehensive, not sure what it may contain, but the more she thought about it, if they wanted her dead they would’ve already killed her.

“Why her?” she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper with her failing strength as Victor removed the tankard and his aggressiveness returned, as he pulled her hair back so his lips were level with her ear.

“I will ask the questions.” Taking a step back he circled her, and she couldn’t help but feel exposed, having only a camisole covering most of her modesty as her main shirt had been torn on her frame. Victor stopped directly in front of her again, looking her over as a curious gaze took to his face.

“It appears I have the information you want, and you have the power I deserve,” he explained, removing the gloves from his right hand before proceeding to the left.

“You are working with Ranrok-” she started but he stopped her.

“Not anymore.” he hissed. She recalled the last time she had seen him. The same day that Lodgok had died. Victor and Ranrok had been fighting, and vaguely she remembered seeing Rookwood blast a curse at the goblin before she brought the cavern in on itself to destroy the drill Ranrok had been building.

“What do you want from me?” she asked, confused why he would want her help. Only she could see and wield the magic, so it would be useless to him.

“How much have they told you? The keepers,” he asked her, as she saw him lift something off the table from the corner of her eye, while she slowly spun around from the place her hands were joined above her head.

“Not much I am afraid… they have been making me complete trials… but they are hiding something… I have been told very little… The last of the keepers does not trust me. He has refrained from allowing me to even start the last trial or inform me of where the ancient magic repositories are stored. The only one I know of was the one under Rookwood castle. The rest are a mystery to even me. I know that Isadora was the one who created that form of ancient magic corrupted by pain, and that the keepers disagreed with her usage of it…” she explained and the honesty for which she spoke confounded her. She hadn’t intended to speak so openly to him…

“You know nothing else of the repositories? Not even the one under the school?” he asked her, suddenly surprised at her lack of knowledge on the subject.

“There is one under the school?” she asked, half delirious and half surprised.

“You are much less valuable to me than I previously thought… however it is true that you can wield it can you not? Like Rackham and Morganach?” he asked her, stepping closer as his hand stilled her movements. Victor had taken off his staple top hat and he suddenly looked less menacing standing in front of her with his short cropped sandy brown hair and confused gray eyes.

“I can see it. I have slowly been learning how to wield it… however I will never be able to understand how to properly use it without the help of the keepers… well that and the books we stole from the ruins of Isadora’s home and workshops.” she explained feeling the words spill past her lips without a thought. Her eyebrows furrowed as she realized something was wrong for her to be spilling all she knew on the keepers and ancient magic with a criminal such as Rookwood.

“What workshops?” He asked for a moment unsure of what the girl had meant, as he only knew of the keepers, and a connection to Isadora’s home in Feldcroft.

“You were digging in her estate… but within the basement there was a passage to a secret place within Hogwarts… only someone who could see ancient magic could find them. Sebastian and I have been tracking down these locations Isadora was using to test various forms of ancient magic and we stole much of her research” she said now realizing he must’ve slipped her something, as she hadn’t even told professor Fig what her and Sebastian had been doing in secret. Rookwood noticed her eyes go wide and he smiled.

“Veritaserum, only a few drops and it will have even the most hardened people speaking the truth… What do you know about Ranrok’s plans?” he asked her curiously. She knew they were working together but for him to be asking the goblin’s plans meant he was not as intricately included in the rebellion as she had initially thought.

“He is building drills. I imagine if you know of a repository under the school… my guess is he will start trying to access it. That puts every student and professor there, not to mention wizard kind at large, at risk if that magic is not protected from him.” she explained, the effects of the truth serum starting to wear off as she caught herself from speaking too much.

“What do you know about Solomon Sallow?” he asked her, coming close enough that she could see the wrinkles around his eyes.

“I… he is Anne and Sebastian’s uncle… he took them in after their parents died… and he is a former auror… he can be quite cruel sometimes from what I’ve seen and been told by Sebastian…” she told him.

“Do you know why he was released from the ministry?” Victor asked, raising something to trail along the skin of her exposed back. The feeling made her shudder.

“No, I do not…” she said, worried about what was currently touching her and where it would continue to go.

“He used the killing curse, you are familiar with it are you not?” he asked, trailing whatever he had in his hand so it started its descent to her lower back and buttocks. She only nodded, too focused on what he was intended to do with her physically.

“He used the killing curse on a constituent of mine. Someone like a brother to me. He killed an unarmed man. And all the ministry did was sweep it under the rug.” he explained, placing his mouth once again by her ear as she listened to what he said. Surely he was not speaking the truth.

“Is that why you cursed Anne? Revenge?” she asked him and the sudden slap to her lower exposed back with what felt like a piece of leather caused her to scream out in pain.

“I told you, that I ask the questions…” he trailed off, once again coming around to view her from the front.

“I have always felt that using magic to harm someone is lazy. Sometimes one needs to get their hands dirty, to ensure that the pain lasts longer… but creating a curse that inflicts excruciating pain until the person dies is a decent enough consolation prize I suppose… however I still prefer using my own hands…” he explained, stepping closer to her, grabbing her chin in his sweaty palm, forcing her to look into his eyes.

“I can assure you that I will keep you alive, as your ability to see that magic is valuable to me, but let me be clear… I am under no obligation to keep you in a pleasant state.” he hissed, suddenly looking down at her ripped shirt and soaked camisole with a vile grin.

“I must hand it to the Sallow boy… you said his name was Sebastian? No matter, he has wonderful taste… after all, you are quite a pretty little thing aren’t you?” With that he reached forward, tearing her camisole down the middle leaving her bare from the waist up as she hung from the ceiling exposed to him. A cry died in her throat as she felt the cool air. He came closer as she whimpered not wanting to meet his eyes again.

In her mind she tried to draw forth an image of Sebastian to distract herself. She could see his bright and wide smile in the sunlight of her vivarium. See the way the breeze played with his dark brown hair and the way the golden light made his eyes look more auburn. If she could just keep focusing on his face…

Whack! A sudden slap across the face caused her to open her eyes again as she stared back at Rookwood.

“Please no…” she begged looking at him, hoping he would stop.

“Quiet.” he spoke calmly as he brought what she now saw was a leather belt down across the skin of her chest, much harsher than the last time.

The scream that tore out of her throat made him laugh as he continued to observe her. He walked closer to her again, and she tried to move back the best she could with the restraints out of instinct but there was no use. He stood directly in front of her, pushing a lock of her hair out of her face almost gently.

“I promise not to send you back to young Sallow, too unrecognizable…” With that he brought his other hand up, the tip of a sharp knife directly eye level as he let her see it, before he brought it down against the skin over her right eyebrow, pressing down as her screams filled the night.

“Where exactly are we going, Miss Sweeting?” Professor Sharp asked as they arrived south of Feldcroft in an abandoned hut along the coast. He reached an arm out to stop the girl, who was insistent on rushing around without help to get back to her friend as quickly as possible.

“There is a camp just north of here, it is not too far but we must walk there on foot to not attract too much attention” she explained as she attempted to slip from his grasp.

“We will not be barging in there without a plan! I refuse to go in without warning as to what we are getting ourselves into. That would be reckless.” he told her, realizing that the lack of caution was what ended them up in the position to be begin with.

Poppy looked back at the potions master, realizing he had a point, but still looking undeterred to wait much longer for her friend’s sake.

“Can you at the very least recall the layout of the camp? And roughly how many men were there when you left?” he asked her, walking the two of them out to the shore as he passed her his cane so she could draw it in the sand.

Poppy quickly drew a crude map of the poacher’s camp, explaining to him how she had overheard Rookwood’s men discussing the curse affecting Anne, and how she had attempted to go in for more information when she was apprehended. Poppy also explained how she attempted to get her friend out, and what direction more men came from as she left her.

Aesop Sharp watched with a frustrated sigh at both how reckless, but also brave these girls had been, to brave poachers and possibly even Victor Rookwood for a chance at saving the young girl who’s ailment prevented her from being at school any longer. Reaching a hand up through his long dark hair, he pulled it back from his face while looking back at her sketch of the camp.

“I still do not believe you and I alone are going to be able to take on so many men without help Miss Sweeting… we may need to consider other options-” he started to explain and she abruptly cut him off.

“No! You don’t understand! Victor Rookwood has wanted to capture her for a while now… if she is even still where I left her, she could already be dead! We don’t have much time!” Poppy explained to him, as worry filled her when she thought of the fact that y/n could already have been killed. Sebastian was truly going to murder someone when he found out what happened…

“I understand perfectly clear Miss Sweeting but we cannot just barge in there, the two of us and expect good results. You are nothing more than a student and I cannot move the way I used to!” he yelled at her and she suddenly went quiet as he aggressively clutched his hair again, annoyed by its presence in his face.

“I am sorry… but we can not do this alone. Especially if there is a chance Rookwood himself is there…” he sighed, trying to figure out a possible solution when she looked up and saw a bird flying from the west.

Poppy’s eyes lit up as she waved to the hawk, attempting to get it to come closer and when it started flying towards her she lifted out an arm for it to land. Professor Sharp looked confused towards the girl, curious why she was suddenly so excited, and by a mere bird no less.

“We won’t be alone.” she explained with a smile as the ground below them started to slightly shake. Pushing the student behind him, the professor grabbed his wand ready to face whatever appeared when she pushed his arm back down.

Suddenly, Dorran along with several members of his tribe came rushing from the hill above, stopping just shy of Poppy and Professor Sharp.

“Dorran, I am so glad you came… we need your help.” she explained looking up at the Centar, who Sharp was shocked to learn she was on a first name basis with.

“What has happened, child? Where is your friend? The clever one?” he asked, looking around, finding only the potions master instead of the student who helped him save the golden snidgets.

“They captured her while we were looking for the members of your herd. We don’t know if she is still alive, but they were torturing her when I escaped.” she explained looking to them for assistance saving her friend.

“And who is this?” Dorran asked, gesturing to Aesop standing next to her.

“He is a professor from Hogwarts… he is a former Auror. He was just saying that we needed help trying to rescue y/n from the poachers and now we have it." She told him as Sharp looked absolutely awestruck that the young student was ready to lead a centaur army into a poacher camp to rescue her friend.

Dorran nodded at her before turning to the rest of his men, “Let me go speak with the others while you discuss how you wish to proceed. Did you discover any information on my kind?”, he asked and Poppy shook her head. Dorran grimly nodded before walking away.

“Miss Sweeting, however did you become in league with a herd of centaur? What on earth were the two of you doing all the way out here?!! Sharp asked her as he looked at the young girl who was simply holding the hawk out on her arm, stroking its head gently.

“It’s a long story, professor… and to be frank I am not sure where to begin… we were trying to help Dorran since he helped rescue the snidgets -” she started when he once again cut her off.

“Snidgets are long extinct! What are you talking about?” he asked her as she shook her head.

“My Gran had been tracking the whereabouts of the last of them for decades. The poachers went after my Gran, and… the centaurs had been helping to hide them for generations. They helped us locate them to keep them safe from the poachers… Y/n has been keeping them safe inside the Room of Requirement actually…” she explained softly as she reached inside her robe, producing a singular golden feather as the potions master snatched it from her hand inspecting it.

How had all this been happening underneath the Faculty’s nose the whole time?!

“I will need to have a lengthy conversation with Matilda about this.” he gruffly said under his breath as he looked at the young girl. He so often mistook her quiet and shy demeanor in class to mean that she was timid. That could not be further from the truth.

“The members of my herd have agreed to help your friend.” Dorran’s calming voice called out from behind them as Professor Sharp turned around.

“Thank you Dorran” Poppy said happily as she looked up at the large centaur who brought his bow from over his shoulder, notching an arrow.

“What do you recommend…” Dorran trailed off, remembering that wizard kind preferred to address each other with formalities and not wanting to anger the teacher who was responsible for the young girl.

“Aesop.” Professor Sharp said, allowing the use of his first name.

“How would you best like to rescue the girl, seeing as you are both responsible for their safety, as well as have experience with poachers Mr. Aesop? ” Dorran asked him as the others came to stand nearby.

“I suppose Miss Sweeting and I can head to the camp where we can attempt to locate the missing girl quietly and then signal you all as a distraction so we can rescue her during the chaos. They will not be looking for people during a centaur raid.” he spoke calmly, limping over to the map of the camp, showing them most likely the best route to take given what Poppy could recall of the poachers' hideaway.

“That sounds like a plan, let me make sure my men are ready to move and we shall follow.” he said once again explaining the plan to the members of the herd while Aesop turned to the young Hufflepuff student. She looked as if she was attempting to mask her anxiety with a brave face, but it was a look Sharp knew all too well.

He came closer to her, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder to offer comfort.

“We will get your friend back. I am not sure how you have managed to get an army of centaur behind you, but I dare say you are quite brave and resourceful Poppy. 50 points for hufflepuff.” he told her with a small smile.

“Thank you professor Sharp… I am sorry this is cutting into your weekend at home… I know that Garreth said that you like to visit your um… wife?” she asked cautiously, unsure what level of his personal life he was willing to share with her.

“Ah yes well… having a home to go back to is always nice but I can assure you that my wife would be quite upset knowing I left a young girl to the devices of poachers knowingly. She herself has quite a love for magical creatures. She works for the ministry as a zoologist.” he said with a chuckle watching as Poppy pushed her dark hair behind her ears, and rolled up her sleeves in preparation for a fight.

“She sounds brilliant” Poppy said with a smile, looking at the proud look he wore speaking of a wife she had no knowledge of until now.

“She is. Perhaps I could see if she would like some assistance this summer… if that is of interest to you… If I know my Becca, I am sure she would love to research those snidgets if you all do not mind.” he explained looking to the girl, sensing a great deal of excitement at the prospect of working alongside a professional.

“That would be wonderful sir, thank you!” she said happily looking at Dorran, who nodded his head.

Aesop realized it was now or never. With haste he reached inside his pocket, grabbing a small cloth tie he usually kept for potions bottles, before grabbing as much of his long dark hair as he could, crudely tying it back out of his face before looking at Poppy. “Don’t mention Miss Sweeting. Now lead the way.”

With that they set off to find the camp, centaurs in tow, hoping to get there before it was too late…

Sebastian wasn’t sure how long he sat there, at the bottom of the hill below his home, screaming into the night. He only stopped when his voice was giving out from the strain of his cries. Deep down he knew that there were only three likely explanations if her and Poppy had been separated: she reported back to Hogwarts for something urgent, she had been captured, or she was…

Sebastian couldn’t allow himself to think that way. Surely if she was gone he would’ve heard something by now. However, a lingering thought continued to gnaw at him: why did Solomon leave Feldcroft in the midst of an attack?

Hoping for the best, Sebastian decided that returning to Hogwarts now would be the best course of action, all things considered. So as he rushed back up the hill, he decided to double check nothing had been stolen from his home by Rookwood’s men.

Sebastian was horrified, stepping back inside the small home. Luckily some of his neighbors had drug the dead poachers out of his home - the ones he had killed - so all that was left was the mess. It appeared to him that they had been looking for something, but what that was he did not know. He checked under Anne’s bed, making sure the box of trinkets from his parents was still there, and intact. After a brief glance over the house, he couldn’t pinpoint what they’d have been looking for, and nothing seemed out of sorts.

As he turned to leave he found a book, lying on the floor in the rubble. A copy of “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” that he had never seen before, lay in the chaos. Sebastian recalled his own family’s copy of the book, with its sage green cover and gold lettering. This one was dark purple, with a rabbit on the front. Odd.

When he lifted it from the ground, Sebastian was horrified to see that the cover gave way to a cavern, instead of the children’s stories. Inside was stuffed full of letters, tied together with string, along with money. Sebastian decided for time’s sake, he could investigate it later, but whatever this was being hidden by Solomon, must’ve been what they were after. Placing it inside his enchanted pockets, he headed back to the school, hoping perhaps to find answers on what had happened.

Knowing that she so often was with Professor Fig when things went awry, he decided to start with the older man’s classroom as the best place to start. Tossing in the floo powder, he quickly found himself inside the castle, staring at the door to the magical theory classroom.

Just as he was about to barge in, the door swung open and a very disheveled Elezar Fig stood before him, coat on and a determined look upon his face. Upon seeing the young Slytherin his eyes grew wide, startled to see someone so close to his door this time of night.

“Mr. Sallow? What are you doing out so late this evening? Should you not be back in your common room by now? Why are you covered in soot?” he asked, seeing the boy’s freckles temporarily being hidden beneath ash from all the fire spells he had cast defending his home.

“Something has happened - I am not sure what exactly… I am trying to find her.” he tried to explain as the old man’s face twisted in confusion.

“What do you mean something has happened? Where is Miss y/l/n? I was just looking for her. We don’t have much time as the Goblins-” Fig started to speak but was interrupted as Professor Ronen charged at the pair, full speed and very much out of breath.

“Elazar there you are! I tried looking in your quarters but you weren’t there - Mr. Sallow? What are you doing out of your common room?” Professor Ronen asked.

“I, I was off school grounds running an errand. I planned to meet my family, along with y/n at my home in Feldcroft. When I apparated there, the entire hamlet was under attack and there was no signs of anyone. My neighbor said that Poppy Sweeting had warned my family to leave, and that Solomon abandoned them amidst a firefight, and I assume she had been separated from y/n. I came here searching for what happened and where she is.” he explained to them both, worried starting to sink in.

“Poppy Sweeting came back for help. She says that the new student was taken… by Victor Rookwood’s men. She left with Professor Sharp hoping to retrieve her. But your sister is here Mr. Sallow, as is your uncle…” Abraham explained, hoping the good news he bore would outweigh the bad.

“She was taken by Rookwood?! No, that’s not… oh Merlin” Sebastian said, fingers pulling along his brown hair at the thought of her being alone with Rookwood in a camp. He then realized the remainder of what the charm’s professor said: “Wait, Anne is here? At hogwarts?” he asked, confused.

“Yes, in the hospital ward.” he explained as Sebastian suddenly felt extremely torn between his beloved and his sister, both who seemed to be in need of him.

“Is she okay? Was she hurt?” he asked, instincts to protect Anne taking over as the charms professor prevented him from rushing off with a gentle hand.

“She is… from what I overheard of Miss Sweeting and Professor Sharp’s conversation, I believe that Miss y/l/n discovered information concerning the curse affecting Anne, collecting a journal from the camp that she sent with Sweeting before getting captured. Nurse Blainey is currently looking through it now, but things sounded… promising before I came to find you Elazar.” Ronen said, explaining as Sebastian’s eyes welled up with tears.

Of course she would sacrifice herself to help Anne. She risked her life to save Anne, as well as Poppy. All this time they had thought goblins wielding ancient magic to have been the one to curse Anne, but now it made marginally more sense to him.

Reaching inside his pocket he turned to professor Fig, to ask him why he was looking for her.

“I assume the last trial is ready, that’s why you went to find her” he spoke and Fig nodded, affirming Sebastian but confusing his colleague.

“Trial, what trial?” Abraham asked.

“Like I said we don’t have much time but… the new student is able to wield a form of ancient magic… the same kind that Miriam had been researching when she…” he started and the ever understanding man that Ronen was, simply nodded as if that was enough explanation.

“I suppose I need to return to the map chamber to inform the other keepers of this development… unless…” Fig trailed off noticing Sebastian standing there.

“Sir?” he asked.

“Sebastian, has she told you where the map chamber lies?” Fig asked him, pulling his cloak around his shoulders as Sebastian nodded. “Good, I need you to go down there, explain what has happened. They had already sent me to scout ahead for the last trial. Explain the direness of the circumstances and that she’s been captured, perhaps they will allow us to continue without her for the time being…” he explained.

“You want me to complete the trial in her place? But how do we know the keepers will even allow that? I cannot see the magic that she does… she explained the difficulty of the tasks in the past… this sounds like a death sentence if you ask me. After all, should we not be going after her to get her back from Rookwood?” he rambled.

“Professor Rakham is understanding given the situation, and while they have not met you personally, trust me they are quite aware of who you are Mr. Sallow… Tell them that she’s been taken and we need to know where the final repository is and how to access it in order to defend it. I will go ahead and meet you when you arrive… as for rescuing her, Professor Sharp is handling it.” Fig said, without allowing him to respond and quickly left the boy, leaving him with professor Ronen.

“This is quite a predicament Mr. Sallow… but I trust Elazar… would you like me to send word to your sister?” he asked, knowing that Sebastian was more than capable of holding his own, especially with Fig.

“Just tell her I am alright. Can you… could you please hold onto something for me? The poachers raiding my home in feldcroft were looking for something, something I believe belonged to my uncle. I found it, and haven’t had the chance to examine it, but it appears… troubling… can you please make sure that he does not get a hold of it…” Sebastian said, handing the fake tome to the professor who nodded before climbing back towards the hospital ward.

Sebastian then took off to the dungeons, remembering that she said the entrance to the map chamber was just down from the sleeping dragon statue, in a gated room, and then down several stairs. Before long he found himself inside the blue and bronze chamber, ruin symbols he’d come to recognize quite well adorning the wall as he sucked in a breath. He knew that while he desperately wanted to go track down Poppy and the professor, that she would be angry with him to learn he had neglected something this important. Pushing open the doors, he was greeted with a sight familiar through the descriptions she gave.

Four large portraits stood against the far wall and a beautiful map upon the floor of Hogwarts and the surrounding regions. A section along the far southern region he had been in this very afternoon was lit up. He inquired where he was to meet Fig after leaving here. Standing in this glorious chamber, he was both awestruck, and worried, not to mention angry. These keepers, so often put his love in harm's way with little to no regard. They kept secrets from her, kept Isadora’s story from being told. Yet, he would need their help locating the last of the important artifacts on this journey she had taken to understand her ancient form of magic.

“You are not the professor, nor the student, so who are you?” asked a female portrait off to the far left.

“Sebastian Sallow Ma’am. Professor Fig sent me, he told me that you all needed to be informed as to what has happened” Sebastian said standing in the middle of the room, looking upwards.

“It can’t possibly be the trial already, Bakar you said the student hadn’t entered yours yet?” an older gentleman in the front spoke.

“No, that's what I am here to explain…” Sebastian sucked in a deep breath. “Y/n has been captured by Victor Rookwood… we don’t even know if she’s… if she is alive right now.” he said looking down, hating himself for saying the words out loud.

“Sallow, you said your name was dear?” the Irish woman spoke again and he nodded.

“We have heard a great deal about you Mr. Sallow… She speaks very highly to your wisdom and knowledge… how you have helped her thus far.” the final man, a short and plump one at that, spoke.

“I care for her. I do not wish to see her harmed in the pursuit of this knowledge. But it appears, that has happened regardless. Professor Fig spoke of the urgency and has asked me to see if there is any way in which you would allow him or I to enter the last trial in her place, as we need to stop Ranrok from accessing the repository and are running out of time.” Sebastian could care less about these portraits and their stipulation upon rules. Of course they could not lend worry to the safety of others, as they were long gone and the magic they claim to protect has been used for evil this whole time. Whether Sebastian agreed with what Isadora was doing, the fact she felt the need to hide exploration from them caused him concern over their loyalty.

“You cannot be serious. I hardly allowed Miss y/l/n to be able to complete my trial, and now you expect me to allow some boy, with whom she has allowed herself to become distracted enough as is, to do it in her place.” The man on the far right spoke.

“Bakar, if it is true that my descendant Victor has taken the girl, that magic needs to be protected regardless of whether or not she is alive. Does your trial require ancient magic usage directly or not.” The short man spoke and Sebastian was able to at least piece together that as Charles Rookwood, the one keeper who always seemed to respect his witch’s opinions from what he’d been told.

“Well no but-” he started to argue but was stopped by the oldest man.

“Then we need to allow someone to retrieve the last artifact so that the professors within the school may prevent goblins from obtaining it. I will not have this question Bakar. Wizard kind will be in danger if that goblin is able to enter the chamber.” he said before turning to Sebastian “How good are you with magical creatures Mr. Sallow?”

“Good enough I suppose. Why?” he asked, curious as to why it would be relevant for entering a keeper trial.

“You shall soon see. Highlighted on the map is where we have sent Professor Fig. Please go, retrieve the artifact and collect the memory for later viewing. Do you know how to apparate?” the man asked.

“Yes sir I do, but the school has charms against-'' he started but was interrupted by the woman once more. “Those charms do not extend this far. You shall be able to apparate in and out of this chamber. Once you have completed the trial you will need to use it to exit the chamber as the only way out is accessible by use of ancient magic.” Sebastian nodded at her words, taking one last look at the map, before apparating away to meet the professor.

She wasn’t sure when exactly she had passed out, but she came back to her senses with a loud groan. Unsure what remained of her eye, as it had been practically sealed shut due to the dried blood, she looked around the tent with her limited view. For the time being Victor had left her, and when she completed a full slow turn, she realized she was completely alone.

Had she not been so tired she might’ve attempted to find some way out of this mess, but knowing that she likely wouldn’t get far, and doing so might make things worse, she resided in her fate. Poppy knew where she was, and likely by now others had come looking for her.

Despite this she couldn’t help but weep. By now Sebastian had most likely been informed about what happened, and if she knew anything about the young man, he would likely bring fire and brimstone upon every inch of the highlands if it meant rescuing her. Recalling the threat Rookwood had made earlier, she hoped that he was staying far away for his own sake.

It wasn’t long before the heard movement behind her and an arm moved around her waist, pulling her bare back into a warm frame.

“Ah… it appears you are back to the land of the living” Rookwood spoke in her ear as his hands danced around her exposed body. She tried not to shudder at his touch, but she couldn’t help it. His hands felt entirely sickening against her. She felt too exposed, too vulnerable. And while this was not her choice, a small part of her felt as if she was betraying Sebastian.

She could only find it within her to groan and Rookwood chuckled as she let go, circling her once more.

“You will need to get your strength back. I am not finished with you… You did steal my research, and I suspect by now the sallow girl is healed. No matter. I will just find someone else to try it out on. Maybe your lover will get caught in the crossfire sometime… After all… It was originally supposed to be him that got the curse that night…” Victor chuckled and her blood ran cold.

“What… what do you mean?” she asked, lip quivering as she tried to rationalize what he meant.

“Oh I see you didn’t take much time to read my records. I had been in communication for a long time with Sallow… told him if he thought of going to the authorities my connections at the ministry might conveniently reveal what truly got him fired and he’d find himself with a one way ticket to azkaban. Being the coward he is, he agreed to allow me to test this curse on one of the children in his care, as long as I promised to use it on the boy. In the midst of the chaos I couldn’t locate him, so it went to poor sweet Annabel… but It was always meant to be the boy. He’d have been stronger, much more fun to watch wither away. I did think it odd that Solomon seemed so insistent on the fact that it would be alright for me to curse his nephew, and not bravely offer himself up instead. He must truly think little of the boy…” Rookwood explained and without much warning she gagged, hard enough that stomach bile rose from her throat and she threw up all over herself.

“Merlin!” Rookwood said moving away quickly, disgusted with her reaction. She continued to sob once she stopped lurching and the man looked to her with a sly smile as she did so.

“Can’t you imagine it? He has grown so much since a year ago… what would it be like for him to slowly lose all that strength he’s grown to have. You’ve seen how thin sweet, innocent Anne has become, can you picture him just as sickly? The color, gone from his face. His body would writhe in pain every day. His screams echoing into the night…” Victor continued to taunt her as she cried, no longer wanting to imagine Sebastian in the state being described to her.

“No…” she continued begging for him to stop but he wouldn’t.

“You cost me my hard work on the Sallow girl. You’ve cost me a fortune with what happened at horntail hall. Give me one reason why I should stop!” he demanded. She truly didn’t have a reason to give him.

“Perhaps that is what I will do then. He was spotted in Feldcroft not long ago. Maybe I should have some of my men retrieve Sallow, bring him here. Make him watch as my men play with you. Make you watch as I inflict that curse onto him this time.” he threatened and she kept weeping, wishing for it to stop. Wishing for this all to stop.

“Nothing to say? I must say I find it quite rude that you think you can’t respond when I am talking to you.” he said, once again lifting the knife from his coat pocket, dragging it across her chest this time, dragging it down her sternum as she screamed.

“Where would he have gone? Where was he before he arrived in Feldcroft?” Rookwood asked her, seeming insistent on knowing how to locate Sebastian. She shook her head, partly because she refused to betray him, and also because she had no idea truly.

Rookwood didn’t like her rejection, pulling her hair back roughly spinning her around again before he shoved her hair over her shoulder, leaving her back exposed. Taking the knife he started carving into her back, in a pattern she didn’t recognize as she continued screaming.

“You are going to cooperate with me whether you like it or not.” he said, slapping her now sliced open back with the leather from before as she kept crying out. All she found it within her to do was whimper.

Initially she thought it might’ve been just the ringing in her skull, or a sound brought on by the blood loss, so she doubted the authenticity of the loud bang she heard outside the tent.

It wasn’t until that bang was followed by shouting that she realized it wasn’t in her head, but in fact very real. The only thought she had at the shouting was worry over the thought that she was being rescued and Sebastian would be in tow, as this was the last place he needed to be right now. Dread filled her as she waited to see what had caused the disturbance.

“Perhaps that is loverboy now,” suddenly the line holding her arms above her head was cut and she fell to the ground, arms still tied. Before she had a moment to process, Victor lifted her from the ground, pushing her towards the exit as he replaced the gag she had when she woke up.

“Let’s go see if lover boy is here to rescue you after all. I for one would really like to make his acquaintance wouldn’t you…” with that he drug her out into the night air, exposed, bloody and hoping by some miracle Poppy had not told Sebastian what had happened before coming to rescue her. She didn’t know what was about to happen on the other side of that tent, but deep down she knew it wouldn’t end well. She only hoped Sebastian was far away from the danger in the meantime…

To be continued...

#hogwarts legacy #sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow x slytherin!reader #sebastian sallow/reader #sebastian sallow x you #anne sallow #aesop sharp #poppy sweeting #fanfiction #hogwarts legacy fanfic #hogwarts legacy fic #hogwarts legacy fandom

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jaxs-beanie · 4 months

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Zachary James' Hadestown headcanons

Zachary James, the West End Hades, posted a video on Cameo about his headcanons about the role and his relationships with the other characters, including a REALLY dark Worker headcanon! West End Workers have it ROUGH :(

Hades and Persephone have the greatest love of all, it's lasted millions and millions of years. "She has to leave 6 months out of the year and…I think at first it was 'okay we can do this' but…over time it's driven him mad. And he's in deep despair. Always wondering what she's doing up there, he has fear of missing out because he can't go run through the fields and all the wonderful things she does, and it affects her too." She comes back to the underworld and she doesn't have fun anymore. There's been a lot of turmoil to the relationship and he's become someone he doesn't like and she doesn't like, and because of the resentment, fear, and jealousy he's unable to be the beautiful, loving self that he was at the beginning of their relationship.

With Eurydice, she's new on the scene and he sees her and is like 'You look good. come with me. I have something to offer you, you're cold and hungry; I have food and warmth. 'I think for the Workers…he calls them 'my children' and that's what they are, he takes care of them, at a great cost to them but he doesn't see it as a great cost, he's like 'I've given you a job and you have a home and you're warm, and…y'know. And it's complicated because he really cares what they think about him…in my interpretation, he really cares. That's his only family that's always there. He's always there, they're always there, Persephone is not.'

Eurydice is just a new recruit, and he has had many recruits before--there are 5 Workers onstage, 6 with Eurydice, but it's complex because you know he has brought many, many Workers down. And I'm thinking 'it didn't work out' and when it didn't work out the Workers go to their death and their bodies are used for fuel. Cause he says he fuels this enterprise with the fossils of the dead', obviously fossils from the earth but I also interpreted it as fossils from…the Workers that didn't work out, or disobeyed.'

The power play is that if they disobey or don't do their work or whatever, they don't get to play anymore. so when ORPHEUS comes into the picture, the great challenge is that he's losing his sense of security and his sense of power and he's not powerful anymore because this guy comes in who's very charismatic and has this power of music! And music is love, right, so it's a pure love, which…contradicts the love Hades feels for things, for Persephone, for his environment, for the Workers. And when he meets Orpheus and sees that pure love, it's an existential crisis, that he's like 'Oh there's another way, I remember what that felt like, but I don't have that anymore and I can't have that anymore because of circumstances' and he questions his purpose. Hades sees Persephone loving Orpheus and the magic of Orpheus the way she used to love him, and it's very complex and painful.

Zachary definitely doesn't think of Hades as a villain, but as someone who's doing what he thinks is best, it just happens people are hurt by it. He's learned as an actor to not judge his character, cause if he thinks 'Oh I hate how he treats Persephone' it gets in the way of embodying the character and making him likable and bringing out the positive in him. 'I think he's a really tender guy and he has more feelings than anyone and that's what makes him so interesting to play.'

#hadestown #hadestown west end #hades #persephone #eurydice #the workers

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twoidiotwriters1 · 2 days

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The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: The urge to use Imagine Dragons songs is coming back and I'm gonna let it win -Danny Words: 2,104 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'End Of Beginning' -by Djo

XLVI: I Develop a Parasocial Relationship With the Voices

Ara gasps as her friends fall face-first into the room, she tries to run to their side with Hazel and Leo following. Then Clytius moves, standing in their way.

"Clytius, you've lost! Let them go, or you'll end up like Pasiphaë!" Hazel exclaims.

Annabeth sits up and talks in a voice that's definitely not hers. "I am not Pasiphaë. You have won nothing."

"Stop that!" Hazel gasps in fear.

"Not quite dead." Now is Percy talking with the giant's voice. "A terrible shock to the mortal body, I would imagine, coming back from Tartarus. They'll be out for a while. I'll tie them up and take them to Porphyrion in Athens. Just the sacrifice we need. Unfortunately, that means I have no further use for you three."

"Oh, yeah?" Leo scowls. "Well, maybe you got the smoke, buddy, but I've got the fire."

They realize his move is a mistake a little too late. Leo bends over in pain as dark smoke encircles his body and forces him to his knees. "No!" Hazel tries to get closer but then Leo starts talking for Clytius.

"I would not. You do not understand, Hazel Levesque. I devour magic. I destroy the voice and the soul. You cannot oppose me."

The black fog covering Leo spreads across the room and Ara hears a buzzing ahead, the Doors of Death are fighting against their enclosure. "Hazel," Ara says tensely, nodding at the doors and reaching for her Octopi to rummage through it for the right bomb to throw.

"F-fire," Hazel stammers, trying to distract their opponent. "You're supposed to be weak against it."

"You were counting on that, eh? It is true I do not like fire. But Leo Valdez's flames are not strong enough to trouble me." Annabeth responds.

"What about my flames, old friend?" Hecate speaks behind them.

The giant tenses, his anger is palpable when he talks through Percy. "You."

"Me. It has been millennia since I fought at the side of a demigod, but Hazel Levesque has proven herself worthy. What do you say, Clytius? Shall we play with fire?" The goddess asks, lifting her torches.

"Bold words." Clytius continues, the fog getting thicker. "You forget, goddess. When we last met, you had the help of Hercules and Dionysus—the most powerful heroes in the world, both of them destined to become gods. Now you bring... these?"

Leo winces and curls on the floor, Ara's heart leaps at the sight. He's not dying today, she'll make sure of it. The girl turns Almighty back into a sword and stands tall, her cloak moves behind her covered in dirt and stinking like the Underworld, but showing all of her seven blessings.

"Hazel," she speaks lowly, "bring them back to us."

"On it, Strategus," Hazel stretches out her palms, and somehow, the girl transports Leo, Percy, and Annabeth to their side of the room.

Hecate smiles faintly. "You're right, Clytius. Hazel Levesque and Arae Jackson are not Hercules or Dionysus, but I think you will find them just as formidable."

"What's going on?" Leo coughs out, coming back to his senses. "What can I—"

"Watch Percy and Annabeth." Hazel orders. "Stay behind us. Stay in the Mist."

"But—" Hazel glares at him and Leo shrinks in his place. "Yeah, got it. White Mist good. Black smoke bad."

Ara tosses her Octopi bag at him and he barely catches it. "Help Percy and Annabeth."

"Formidable?" The giant's voice sounds all around them. "Because the girl has learned your magic tricks, Hecate? Because you allow these weaklings to hide in your Mist? Arae Jackson... She's just a puppet of the gods."

Ara's ancestry has nothing to do with blood or place of birth, it's who came before her, who stood where she stands, and who got her to this point. The lessons her friends and the sons of Olympus gave her are what she's valuing in herself from now on.

Clytius makes a sword appear in his hand, made of stygian iron like Nico's. "I do not understand why Gaea would find any of these demigods worthy of sacrifice. I will crush them like empty nutshells."

Hazel screams and thousands of precious stones hit the giant like bullets. Ara runs forward, dodges the bad guy, and slashes the chains on each side of the elevator's doors.

"No!" The voice bounces off the walls. "You worthless—"

"Worthless?" Hecate hums. "I'd say Hazel and Arae know a few tricks even I could not teach them."

"So, daughter of Pluto, do you really believe Hecate has your interests at heart? Circe was a favorite of hers. And Medea. And Pasiphaë. How did they end up, eh?"

Clytius is trying the classic brainwashing move. The problem is Hazel and Ara have had enough encounters with manipulative jerks by now that they're immune to this tactic.

"Hecate will not tell you the truth. She sends acolytes like you to do her bidding and take all the risk. If by some miracle you incapacitate me, only then will she be able to set me on fire. Then she will claim the glory of the kill. You saw how Bacchus dealt with the Alodai twins in the Colosseum. Hecate is worse. She is a Titan who betrayed the Titans. Then she betrayed the gods. Do you really think she will keep faith with you?"

"I cannot answer his accusations, Hazel," says the woman. "This is your crossroads. You must choose."

"Yes, crossroads." The giant's laughter echoes. "Hecate offers you obscurity, choices, vague promises of magic. I am the anti-Hecate. I will give you truth. I will eliminate choices and magic. I will strip away the Mist, once and for all, and show you the world in all its true horror."

"You give no hope for a better outcome, and I already have too much of that crap in me," Ara expands her shield and Almighty turns into a javelin. "The Doors of Death are gone, so I have no reason to waste more of my time here."

"You can't seriously believe you have the strength," Clytius sneers. "What will you do, pelt me with more rubies? You'll bury me under a pile of compliments, daughter of love?"

Hazel and Ara share a look. Men. Then they charge. Ara gets his rear while Hazel strikes his front, the giant's unsure of who to attack first, and Ara forgets about being calculating and sneaky. He'd said that he fed on magic, voices, and soul, then Ara would use none of that, and he won't be able to stall her.

She makes use of nothing but fast and easy brute force. No blessings, he could absorb them and she won't risk losing that advantage. It's her, Almighty, and Hazel. Oh! And her flintlock. She shoots unsure of his weak point, if he has any, but she's trying hard to find it.

Clytius fights with wild rage, and before she can help it, he hits Hazel. The girl rolls away, clutching her ribs. "It's over, child of Olympus. Without your blessings, you alone cannot weaken me, and if you use them, I'll drain you out."

"Alone?" She turns her weapon back into a sword. "I've got Achilles and Hercules in Almighty, I carry Olympus on my back, and as the General of all armies, Clytius, I will personally kill you in the name of all demigods, Greek and Roman."

The air in the room shifts, Ara looks over her shoulder and spots a new group of people stepping into the scene through a newly made door: Frank, Nico, Piper, and Jason all ready to help.

"Sorry we're late," Jason speaks. "Is this the guy who needs killing?"

Ara laughs—one of her loud and melodic ones. "Took you long enough!"

When they move, Leo joins the fight without asking for permission. Ara panics for a moment, thinking it might be dangerous, and then scolds herself. She doesn't want to see him as a weakness anymore.

Nico's Stygian sword seems to suck in the fog that comes out of Clytius, and Ara remembers Lily's weapon and turns to Percy and Annabeth. "Lily's dagger!" She calls urgently.

Both teens are standing, though they're barely able to. Annabeth unsheaths the blade and slides it across the floor. Ara stops it with her foot and picks it up. Almighty and her shield shrink, the first to become a dagger and the other back into a hair-tie around her wrist.

Her hands have equal-sized weapons, and Ara feels ready to end this. It's a little hard to get back in without getting hurt on accident, but she manages to. "Leo, Jason! I need a grenade and a lift—in that order!"

Leo pulls out two grenades of Greek fire. He tosses one to the giant's face and temporarily blinds him as when Clytius eats it, and then he dumps the second into his breastplate. "Duck!" He screams.

Everyone drops and covers their heads as Clytius's armor blasts into pieces. Jason lifts Ara off the ground several feet up and throws her on top of the dazzled giant. The girl slashes his chest with Almighty first, then just as quickly she sinks Lily's dagger deep into the wound, absorbing the giant's energy.

"Good luck draining this," she mutters.

Clytius faints and Ara slips off, yanking the stygian dagger out in the process. The rest of her friends gather around her, and Hecate steps forward. "And so it ends," she says.

"It does not end." Clytius's words are slurring. "My brethren have risen. Gaea waits only for the blood of Olympus. It took all of you together to defeat me. What will you do when the Earth Mother opens her eyes?"

Hecate doesn't dignify that question with an answer, she just stuffs her torches in the giant's head, igniting his body so quickly that Ara doesn't even get to feel grossed out.

Hazel breathes in harshly and Ara snaps out of her murderous fit. "Broken rib," Ara says with concern. "We have to get you out of here."

"Yes, you should go now, Hazel Levesque. Lead your friends out of this place." Hecate tells her.

"Just like that? No 'thank you'? No 'good work'?" Hazel asks through gritted teeth while Ara helps her up.

"Let it go, Haze," Ara whispers.

"You look in the wrong place for gratitude," the goddess replies. "As for 'good work,' that remains to be seen. Speed your way to Athens. Clytius was not wrong. The giants have risen—all of them, stronger than ever. Gaea is on the very edge of waking. The Feast of Hope will be poorly named unless you arrive to stop her."

"We will stop them," Ara responds. "I've got a good crew."

There is a shadow of a smile when the woman talks to her. "Well, you are the voice of all demigods, so I shall trust your judgment." The ceiling starts crumbling and Hecate tenses. "The House of Hades is unstable. Leave now. We shall meet again." And just like that, she's gone.

"Never expect gratitude," Ara talks while Nico approaches and takes Hazel from her. "You can't control their sentiment, but you can rely on binding rules. Hecate will keep an eye on you now because you're her servant, that might save you one day."

Hazel looks up at her with soft eyes and takes a shaky breath. "Thank you."

Ara smiles. "It's my job."

"Birdy got taller?" Percy's hoarse voice catches their attention.

"Dude." Jason reaches Percy and wraps his arms around him in a crushing hug.

"Back from Tartarus!" Leo howls and whistles. "That's my peeps!"

Piper hugs Annabeth and cries, Frank goes to Hazel and takes her from Nico. Nico reaches Ara and offers to shake her hand. "Well done, Birdy. I told you the cloak would help."

She stares at his hand and then at his face. "I'm so sorry for what I'll do, please don't stab me." Ara wraps her arms around him and takes a deep breath of relief. Nico tenses for about five seconds, then stiffly and lightly pats her back.

"Thank you," she sniffs. "Without you, I wouldn't've gotten my brother back. Thank you, Nico."

"I promised I would," he responds curtly.

"Birdy?" The girl looks towards the voice calling her: Percy's clothes are torn, he looks sickly, and his eyes are bloodshot... but his gaze is soft and full of relief.

"Brother," she chokes out.

Ara rushes to them and pulls him and Annabeth into a hug that feels like heaven after a month of literal hell. The girl sobs as she squeezes them tightly against her, and uses her empath touch to absorb their ailings.

She kisses his brother's cheek and Annabeth's forehead, not needing to stand on her toes to do any of those since she's almost as tall as Annabeth. "I'm so sorry—"

"I'm not," Annabeth cries tears of joy. "But I'm sorry your T-Rex wasn't as lucky as us... it burned to death."

Ara laughs tearily and shakes her head. "I don't care—I've got my family back."

Next Chapter –>

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