#but i only think they say that bc it has a super dark story and ppl automatically think a dark setting = a good story (think m*doka) | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

evilwickedme · 4 months

Note

hey it’s me from the Batman posts! (the one that left the tags abt wanting to get into Batman but having no clue where to start)

If its not too much trouble, I’d love any advice on where to start with Batman or Batfam(?) stuff, I saw someone suggest reading the Batman: Wayne Family Adventures thing on webtoon as an intro to the characters so I’ve been doing that, but I’ve got no clue about any of the official comics or shows/movies/etc. I’ve never read a comic series before so everything is super new to me.

I know different series(?)/versions(?) can be wildly different bc of different writers and stuff, I definitely trust your taste on what would be good / enjoyable bc the posts you’ve been reblogging are like 90% of whats gotten me interested in the first place

Thank you, and absolutely no rush!!

Hey I am legit SO happy that you sent me this ask this is literally my favorite thing to do!!!!

So to start with I do actually agree that wfa is a good starting point but for a different reason than I feel most people would recommend it. The thing about wfa is that it has a consistent design for every character, is humorous, touches not only on the main batfamily members but also many extended members, other noteworthy people in Gotham, and the batfamily's cast of friends and teammates as well. This means that while its approach to characterization is incredibly fanon-y, it's a good basis for how to continue. You read wfa, and you know that Dick is the first robin, wears ridiculous costumes, was batman for a bit, is nightwing, part of the teen titans... this isn't a lot, but it's just enough to orient yourself before jumping into some of the most convoluted art ever created, aka the comic world.

Another tip I'm gonna give you is to let yourself be confused. I think the people who end up sticking with comics are people who are aware that if they pick up a comic it's very likely the writers and artists have read and worked on comics that you haven't read yet or even heard of, so you're always going to be missing something. That's fine. If something is really important to the plot, it gets explained; if it's not, it's windowdressing. Often there'll be little boxes saying what comic and issue they're referencing, so if you find it interesting you can just go read it - otherwise, if it's not there, you can google it, or go to any comic fan and ask "hey do you know what this is about?" and if they know, they will answer. There is nothing a comic fan wants more than to explain how to get into their favorite character/s, trust me.

Anyway this has been a very wordy intro but here are some potential starting points for the batfamily!

Bruce Wayne

You know who he is. Pick up an issue of Batman or Detective Comics and he's there. Pick up an issue of any other DC comic and there's like a 30% chance he's there too.

Batman: The Long Halloween

Noir style, investigative, early in batman's career, two face's origin story

It has a sequel-ish story called Batman: Dark Victory that's almost as good

Batman: Hush

Batman: Year One

Frankly there's not going to be much information in this comic you don't already know, but also, it's a classic, so might as well

Batman: A Death in the Family & Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying (crossover with the new teen titans)

First story is Jason's death, second is Tim's introduction and arguably the start of the batfamily being a family

Tim drags Dick back into the fray in ALPOD. It's just sort of the kind of thing he does

Do NOT confuse A Death in the Family with Death OF the Family, which is a much newer story, and Not Good

Batman: Under the Red Hood

Jason's villain arc! More details below

Batman himself isn't actually my favorite but you know he's got some decent stuff since he's, uh, the main character. DC doesn't have a multiverse the way Marvel does - and getting into that would be a whole separate ask - but their elseworlds are stories about the characters in different situations. Some ones I've heard good things about include Gotham by Gaslight, Dark Knights of Steel, Batman: Last Knight on Earth, and I keep meaning to get into Batman: White Knight, which is a whole other universe on its own. I've been trying to get into more modern batman stuff and unfortunately I just haven't clicked with anything.

Dick Grayson

Guy has been in a lot of things. If you read a random Batman comics from before 1980, there's a good chance he'll be there.

Teen Titans and The New Teen Titans and Titans (1980s-2000s)

I haven't read enough of these to say much of anything, but he's a founding member of the TT

Nightwing

His post-Robin superhero identity. At first only present in NTT and occasional Batman comics, but eventually he gets his own miniseries in the early 90s, followed by an ongoing. Recently-ish started reading them and they're angsty and very 90s in a lot of ways but I'm enjoying it

Modern Nightwing titles also exist. For sure.

Batman & Robin by Morrison

In one of DC's ten million crises, Bruce "dies", and after a short story called Battle for the Cowl, Dick ends up becoming Batman. Damian is his Robin. It's an interesting time for batman comics, although not necessarily the best writing that Dick has ever gotten.

Batman: The Dark Mirror

Also a great story for the Gordons. Bruce is back from the dead, but Dick is still Batman in Gotham. This was my first even Batman comic and it's really good.

Obviously there's other stories, such as Grayson, where he becomes a super spy for a bit. There's a million and a half reading lists for Dick out there as he's a massively popular character and he's one of the characters DC is pushing the most right now. As with all the rest of these, these are good entry points; from there I trust you to find your way

Barbara Gordon

The original Batgirl, sort of (nobody really brings up bette kane unless they're pointing out that babs wasn't the original Batgirl, she's just not important). She appears sporadically in silver and bronze age batman comics and detective comics, but she quits being Batgirl shortly before being raped and shot in the spine by the joker in Batman: the Killing Joke, which I purposefully did not put on my rec list.

Birds of Prey

Babs-as-Oracle at her best.

Batman: The Dark Mirror

Babs' long lost brother comes back to town. It's fucked up.

I've been reliably told to stay away from her Batgirl runs - most people who are a fan of the character don't like that they retconned Oracle away and it's mostly not very well written. There's a comic called batgirls that lasted about a year that included her, and it's okay.

Jason Todd (my beloved)

MY MAN

Batman: Second Chances

Collected edition of Jason as Robin, so much fun. Extremely silly at times since it's the 80s.

Batman: A Death in the Family

For obvious reasons.

Then he's just sort of dead for 17 years. He shows up in heaven in a Green Arrow issue and is occasionally brought up or shown as a hallucination, but that's about it.

Batman: Under the Red Hood

There's a new crime lord in town and he's so smart and talented and hot omg I wonder who he is!!!!

The collected edition also comes with the annual that reveals how he came back to life

Task Force Z

This shouldn't be as good as it is.

Jason gets recruited to work with a team of undead villains

Jason gets called a hot a bunch of times, and is shirtless a lot. This doesn't matter but you know, like, yeah it does.

For Robin!Jason there's also Batman: The Cult - which I finally got my hands on recently but haven't read yet. For Red Hood!Jason there's lots of stuff, but most of it isn't very good or is actively bad. Most people will tell you to stay away from Red Hood and the Outlaws, and they're right, although the 2016 run is better. Most people will tell you to read Batman & Red Hood: Cheer, and they're wrong, it's ass.

Tim Drake

Frankly this boy has no flops. Or very close to it.

Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying

Tim figured out who Batman and Robin are at AGE NINE. Respect.

After this he appears in various Batman and detective comics issues, I haven't read any of these.

Robin

The first Robin to get his own ongoing! Like with Nightwing, it started with a miniseries (a few of them, actually) and got turned into a long running series from there. Lasted like 200 issues, too.

Tim FUCKS.

Not Steph's first appearance, but most of her appearances pre-2009 are in this series.

Young Justice 1998

It's insane in all the best ways. Cars have sex on panel. They play baseball to save the world on an alien planet. A power of friendship speech prevents the end of the world. In the first issue, a woman develops breasts so big she falls on her face.

This team eventually breaks apart and Tim along with 3 other teen heroes nicknamed the core four (Superboy, Impulse, & Wonder Girl II) become part of Teen Titans 2003, which I haven't read and is also a bit of a flop era fashion wise for everyone anyway. I do have the volume of TT03 where they meet the versions of themselves from the future and I plan on reading that soon-ish.

In the mid 2000s basically everyone Tim loves dies. Steph died in 2004 ish after a very short stint as Robin. Tim's mom dies, then his dad is murdered, and it's unclear what happened to his step mom, but she was in Bludhaven, which had an atomic bomb dropped on it. Impulse becomes kid flash becomes the flash becomes murdered, and superboy gets killed while saving the world. Steph does turn out to not be dead after all and Impulse and Superboy come back from the dead eventually but by God he's having a tough year BEFORE Bruce "dies".

Red Robin 2009

After Bruce "dies" and Dick becomes Batman, Dick makes Damian his Robin and nobody believes Tim that Bruce is still alive, so he steals the Red Robin costume and goes on a mission to save his dad!

Not a comic to read first because it's so uncharacteristic of Tim as a person, but definitely something to read as soon as possible, because it's ridiculously good.

After flashpoint/n52 Tim doesn't have his own ongoing for a while, but he does come out as bisexual in an early issue of Batman Urban Legends (2021) and he got his own ongoing called Tim Drake: Robin in 2022 which was ugly AF and yet cancelled far too soon. There's a Young Justice run from 2019 I haven't read yet.

Stephanie Brown

For her I would go to Google, bc I haven't gone down the rabbithole enough for her yet. I know her first appearance was in a batman comic where she became spoiler to spoil her dad's plans - her dad being a third rate villain called the cluemaster - and she almost kills him, so good for her. Afterwards she appears every once in a while in various comics, most notably in Robin, where she and Tim as Robin start dating despite him knowing her identity but not the other way around.

Robin 60s (I don't remember the exact issues)

Steph gives birth and gives her baby up for adoption

Robin 126-128

Steph becomes Robin when Tim quits for his still-alive-but-not-for-long dad.

War Games

Steph does a fucky wucky and accidentally starts a gang war which gets her killed

There's another Robin arc where she comes back and it turns out she was never dead, Leslie (the family doctor) simply faked her death and sent her to Africa to recover

Batgirl 2009

Her first and only solo ongoing, but it's really good

She also appears a lot in Cass's Batgirl ongoings, and occasionally shows up in yj98. Her most recent series in Batgirls, which isn't very good but her interactions with Cass are very gay, and we've all been shipping it for 20 years at this point, so frankly it's long overdue. Unlikely to become canon tho, unfortunately.

Cassandra Cain

She doesn't use a lot of words, so neither will I. Probably.

No Man's Land

Frankly I am terrified to read this, it's so many goddamn issues, but this is her first appearance. I have one "volume" and it's as big as the fucking Bible.

Batgirl 2000

She's the first Batgirl to get an ongoing. The one from 2008 I've been reliably told isn't very good. She's absolutely terrifying in the 2000 one, I approve.

Outsiders 2016

Supposed to also be good for Duke content. I think at this point she's going by Orphan? Idk she's had a lot of names.

Idk I prefer Black Bat

Spirit World

Mini series that recently ended. Soooooo good. Alyssa Wong is a top contender for favorite modern writer.

She's mostly a background character. Bc DC is both sexist AND racist. She was also in batgirls.

Damian Wayne

Frankly he's my least favorite of the batkids, but that's not his fault, he's been a victim of a lot of really racist writing.

Batman: Son of the Demon

Somehow both his origin AND an elseworlds that doesn't count. Not required reading, but Bruce and Talia are madly in love in this.

Batman by Grant Morrison

After UTRH and before Dick was forced to become Batman Morrison reintroduced Talia's son, who in this version was a rape baby bc apparently brutalia weren't in love and Talia drugged Bruce. Fucking fine, I guess.

His character growth during his time as robin is sweet tho.

Robin 2021

His only solo ongoing, pretty good

Super Sons

He had two team up comics with then fellow child Jon Kent, son of superman, and it was fucking adorable. Then they aged up Jon to 17, so they're still friends, but Jon has his own shit going on.

Duke Thomas

He's REALLY new, and I haven't read any of it, I'm sorry.

Robin War

Batman and the Signal - I finally got my hands on the first issue of this last week!

The Outsiders 2016

Frankly they should capitalize on the Duke & Cass friendship/siblingship more often.

Alfred Pennyworth

I haven't read it, but there's a series called Pennyworth about his days as a spy for the crown. Supposed to be pretty good.

Kate Kane

The Jewish lesbian batwoman of our dreams

Batwoman: Elegy

Her introduction

Also, it's written by Greg Rucka, and if he can do one thing, it's write sapphic women. I'm not even joking.

Get the newer edition that has both of her original Rucka stories

Batwoman ongoings

She's had a couple, they're both supposed to be pretty solid, I've only read a few issues here and there

Batman in other media

Animated: I'm currently watching Batman the Animated Series for the first time and it seems to really get Bruce as a character, even if Robin will be there one episode and his existence will be a plot hole in the next. The Justice League animated series has also been fun so far. Teen Titans have gotten a number of animated adaptations all of which have pretty strong followings. There's an animated show called "Young Justice" which is a Teen Titans show and I refuse to watch it (it has a very devout following, but all that means is that the Young Justice - All Media Types tag on ao3 is just the same as Young Justice Cartoon and I have to filter heavily when looking for yj98 fics). Lego Batman is a REALLY fun film, and I think it turned into a whole franchise.

Live action TV: I have watched the first season of both Titans and Gotham, but both of those were before I was into the batfamily as a concept. My impression of Titans is overall negative and my impression of Gotham is overall positive.

Live action movies: There are so many Goddamn Batman movies. I like the Dark Knight Trilogy, but even calling it "based on" the Dark Knight comic trilogy is giving it a lil more credit than it deserves. The Batman 2022 is massively popular with the comic fandom for a reason - I'm not a big fan of it, but I did enjoy laughing at the movie so at least there's that. Batfleck sucks. I haven't seen anything else, up to and including the Joker movie. Oh, and Birds of Prey was really good, but that's not Cass.

Video games: The Arkham trilogy is well loved and I have indeed just bought it, but I haven't gotten to it because I'm currently working on Gotham Knights and uh. Okay so listen. This game is a lot of fun and I will be finishing it. But it's like. Got a massively antisemitic plot point. I can't even say I don't recommend it, I'm genuinely enjoying the game a lot. But I've never seen anybody bring this up, and it's bugging me.

ANYWAY I'm sure I've missed a LOT but this is introductory so you know I'm giving myself grace. There's characters I completely skipped and I'm sure mega fans of characters I haven't read much of will be offended that I said such and such about them but you know it's only been about a year and a half since I started reading dc comics and I'm still figuring it all out. And I probably will still be figuring it out for the next decade. To me that's actually part of the fun of it.

#batman #bruce wayne #dick grayson #jason todd #tim drake #stephanie brown #barbara gordon #cassandra cain #damian wayne #kate kane #duke thomas #alfred pennyworth #batfam #dc #reading list #gail speaks #ask #fageles

110 notes · View notes

victimsofyaoipoll · 10 months

Text

Round 1

Propaganda Under Cut

Allura

Lots of people (myself included tbh) ship klance (Keith and Lance). In s8 the creators made Allura/Lance canon (but then they killed her off and left the ending ambiguous it was weird). Anyway the fandom treats her like she's the most terrible bitchy woman ever but all she wants to do is end the war and avenge her destroyed home planet. Yeah she wasn't always the nicest or always the best, but you could argue some other characters in the show aren't either and they aren't treated near as bad as allura. people really just hate her bc Lance liked her. I don't think allura/lance are good together, but I still liked her as a character and thought she was interesting and had a lot of growth during the show. she DEF is not evil like some people portray her as in fic or talk about her in captions on posts. I've seen people say that they HATE her and that she's the worst and I'm like ??? let her live (well sort of ig she is dead now). lots of fic writers use her as the villain which is so interesting to me bc the show literally has villains like use them. anyway allura so perfectly fits the bracket description she deserves better.

I hate to acknowledge my time in this fandom but I hate the way the fandom treated her more. Allura was treated like shit no matter what side of the Great Ship War you were on because she was always a threat to the biggest ships (klance and sheith). At best she got put into Background Lesbian or Consolation Prize Shallura (Space Mom-zoned) (She was not a motherly figure btw. She was just Black). At worst she was violently demonized for being ~racist~ (kinda not cool with the alien race that blew up her planet for a few episodes), complete with misogynistic language hurled at her (she got called a bitch sooo much). Allura was a good and cool character and the show did her dirty but the fandom was somehow worse.

i apologise for speaking the dark magicks, but amidst the voltron fandoms many, many transgressions, there were a particular subset of people who just hated this girl. the infamous klance wars of the 2010s kept this perfectly fine childrens cartoon character in the sights of shippers everywhere, and she (and her voice actress im sure) were subjected to years of petty squabble blown up to global perportions. ive seen hate, ive seen rants, ive seen fanfics that made her homophobic. girls been through the ringer, and even though voltron was never the show its fandom wanted it to be, i believe allura deserved better

Kayano Kaede

shes genuinely a really tragic character who had potential for a really compelling, effective arc concerning grief, identity, healing, and finding trust again all while going through the inherent ordeal of being 15 years old….if she werent a female character in a shonen anime 😭😭 instead she gets sidelined during the show up until her big plot twist reveal after which shes immediately sidelined again. whatever i still love her and know her to be a character of all time who has suffered more than jesus. in my experience shes perhaps the female character who like. ive seen most *obsessively* hated due to her “getting in the way” of the ship b/w the male protagonist + deuteragonist (bc of her proximity to the both of them) u woild think shes the devil incarnate and not just. 15 and traumatised

She had a crush on Nagisa and they kissed and a lot of fans ship him with Karma so theyre mad that Kaede is there. She is super silly and nice but the fandom hates her for standing in the way of karmagisa.

she's a sweet person that was an actor and loves her sister. she is the main love interest of the main character but doesn't interact with him more than most of the other characters for a majority of the story. Often I have seen them removed from the story only to become some homophobic jerk that's desperate for the main characters love instead of letting her keep the good friendship that her and the main character had before the romance.

#poll #round 1 #allura #princess allura #voltron #voltron legendary defender #kaede kayano #kayano kaede #assassination classroom

174 notes · View notes

lucky-clover-gazette · 2 years

Text

thinking about how bodily autonomy is a really consistent motif in the zelda games... the amount of times link is forced into alternate forms or zelda is possessed/transformed/literally removed from her body is really interesting. off the top of my head we have wolf link, link's forms in majora's mask, link's forced aging in oot and revelation that he isn't kokiri, link doing a sort of tactical drag in botw, zelda being sheik, zelda being possessed in twilight princess, zelda preserving herself in time as the goddess in skyward sword, midna being cursed as an imp, batreaux, and the skulltula people in oot. there's also so much cross-dressing (i know that term might have a negative connotation but i don't think it should in this context) and gender nonconformity. bodies are constantly changed as a reflection of a character's arc and actions, and often a character regaining control of their own body is a resolution to their arc.

but i feel like the more you think about it, the messier it gets, both in good and bad ways. for example, i think there's a reason lots of trans, gnc, and queer people connect to zelda games because of the many ways gender and transformation are weaved into the stories. that's great. but i also think there are some huge failings on nintendo's part in terms of representation and transformation of bodies, mostly in their characters of color and lack thereof. like, tetra. just tetra. and that's not even mentioning the way they gave me the ick re: her forced gender presentation as zelda. also some designs like the gerudo esp in the earlier 3d games and holy shit the bokoblins and gorons in twilight princess (seriously they're bad) are obviously informed by racial stereotypes. and it's extra super not great bc there are not many hylian/human characters who have dark skin, or even tan skin. it sucks. it's just a shame that these fantastic games, some of which are 20+ years old, experiment with gender presentation in such a fascinating way (hell, even link was designed so that everyone could see a bit of their gender in him) but very little attention was placed on representing non-white players. in fact, some of the use of racial stereotypes and exaggerated features is just more alienating and dehumanizing, hence the not-good side of zelda's focus on bodies. holy shit, i say again, why did they do that with tetra! i mean i know why they made her white as zelda (racism) but they sidelined her in a way that seems uncharacteristic compared to sheik in oot!

just, so many choices were made in the zelda games re: bodies and some are fantastic and inspiring and some are huge disappointments. not to be blunt, but nintendo should absolutely be putting dark-skinned Black characters into their games. tetra and the gerudo are fairly light-skinned and lack many features (hair textures for example) that a large amount of poc have. it would just be nice if in future games the scale tipped from some great stuff and some bad stuff to mostly great stuff, bc the series has so much potential for future stories about bodily autonomy and the world(s) are not bound to any real-world or historical structures. they could do whatever they want and make it work, and should seek to improve! it would only contribute to the already sophisticated and nuanced themes consistent in the series.

#loz #legend of zelda #the legend of zelda #ocarina of time #majora's mask #wind waker #twilight princess #skyward sword #botw #breat of the wild #link loz #link #zelda #tetra #tetra loz #nintendo #also im sorry i tried to add a read more but mobile didn't let me

763 notes · View notes

colorfullpaperbird · 2 months

Text

Taste in books i think each of the sides on Sander Sides would have

Logan: Easiest side to tell since he says his book taste in canon lmao, mistery books guy, agatha christie, sherlock holmes, murders on rue morgue, he just really enjoys a good mistery (he’s just like me fr). He also probably reads books about scientific discoveries and psychological studies on a day to day basis (since he seems to have an answer for everything), either really likes or really hates sci fi depending on the scientifical explanations the books gives

Patton: Ok so, im gonna be honest, i don’t think Patton reads much? In fact hes probably the one who reads the least out of all sides, but he does seem to know his stuff, quoting studies in some episodes ( ‘Can lying be good?’ being the one who comes to mind ), so he probably reads a few articles about Morality and philosophy, also when i imagine Patton reading i imagine children’s books with deep messages like Dr Seuss, so personally i think Patton’s taste in books would be books like “The Tao of Pooh” which explains philosophy in a simple fun way taking inspiration from children’s media.

Roman: Roman’s my favorite side and although i would like to dump my personal taste on him i am aware that he canonically hasn’t read my favorite book and dislikes dark retellings of fairytales, leaving me to tears since those are my favorite kind of story. However i will indulge a bit and say that Roman would love Shakespearean plays ( His favorite would be Hamlet bc it inspired Lion King ) and typical fantasy books. Im also 100% sure that guy has a shelf full of Disney Movie Books like the novelization of Beauty and the beast and the villain’s origin books by Serena Valentino, also has those super pretty Disney Classics books ( lucky mfer ). And obviously he would have the original novels of multiple musicals ( Wicked, Be more chill, Dear Evan Hansen…) and some ballets/non-Disney classics as well (The nutcracker, The wizard of oz, Swan lake… ). Also Harry Potter i guess, since that’s canon 😒

Virgil: We all know what im going to say, Horror fan. Likes Edgar Allan Poe’s stories and classic horror books that inspired movies/series ( Carrie, Ring, the haunting of hill house… ), also reads a concerning amount of True crime about unsolved murder cases, and he has a special edition of the novel of The nightmare before Christmas somewhere trust me. And to self indulge a little, Dark retellings of fairytales, especially the Horror leaning ones.

Janus: I feel like Patton would read simplified philosophy books while Janus would grab shit like The gay science by Friedrich Nietzsche at the local library (never read this book, hilarious title tho), Overall i think Janus’s taste on books would consist of either philosophy and sociology books (especially the ones that annoying people read to keep gloating about how smart they are, except he actually likes them), and influential plays like Shakespeare, The Odyssey, The Iliad, Medea, Phantom of the Opera etc… His taste is the perfect combination of annoying Theater kid with pretentious philosophy kid (He is the guy they strive to be 😭)

Tw: Remus and everything that comes with him

Remus: YES, REMUS READS, YOU CANNOT CHANGE MY MIND ON THIS, The books he reads? Very simple, Dark romance and horror, the books are his inspirations for new creative ways to annoy the shit out of the other sides, he is slowly but surely making a list of new horrid murder and torture methods he learned via horror books, also dark romance for him is just romance since he thinks normal romance books are boring and lack taste, some other side definitely walked in on him reading once ( picture him reading on the sofa twirling his hair and bouncing his legs in a very stereotypical teen girl way ) and asked what he was reading only for him to answer something like “ ‘Taken Hostage by the Hot Mafia Boss’ :D” Also definitely read the Kam4 Sutr4.

Bonus: Remy/Sleep has a book detailing the multiple different ways on how to brew coffee and Picani has every Kids Show Book he could find ( Gravity Falls 3rd Diary, Star vs the Forces of Evil Book of spells etc… )

ALSO WARNING: If you want to buy any of the books i talked about here be aware there is currently a boycott of Disney and any other properties that have ties to the genocide committed by Israel!! And mainly, i would recommend to grab any book i mentioned in the library since they’re one of the only public community spaces that haven’t shut down yet, support your public library to make sure it stays that way!

#sanders sides #roman sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #remus sanders #janus sanders #just a silly little post about books and Sander Sides #because i love books and sander sides #i hope none of these are ooc #i tried to keep them in character #also i didnt say it in the post or it would be way longer than i intended #but they all read Pride and Prejudice at one point #Its Roman’s favorite and Remus’s least favorite

23 notes · View notes

bylrlve · 2 months

Text

youtube

To add to yesterday’s observations about Will and how his feelings for Mike are being hammered home, there’s an insane sequence in the VR game - Chapter 4, the good stuff is from 50:00 onwards. To put it concisely: Vecna tauntingly asks Will how to get to each of his friends, then tries to get into each of their heads by targeting their weaknesses. He uses Dustin’s friendship insecurity, but Dustin ignores him because he’s watching TV lmao. He uses Lucas’s desire to succeed, and tries to tell him that his friends are holding him back. However, Lucas is on a drive-in movie date with Max. he uses Mike’s guilt over losing El at the end of s1, and Mike doesn’t even seem to register Vecna’s presence in his mind. Why? Bc he’s too busy playing D&D with the boys, trying to get his Nana impression on-point. Two dice are rolled, one red and one rainbow, and those visually wipe away the Vecna part.

Vecna then returns to taunting Will, saying awful things about how he’s alone, his friends hate him, he’s going to rip him apart. Will’s nose starts bleeding heavily. Mike? Mike springs into action, grabs Nancy’s old white shirt, and physically wipes the blood off, getting super close to Will. His actions and words contradict what Will is being told by Vecna in that moment

I want to note something I haven’t personally seen observed. In this play through, anyway, it goes Dustin, Lucas -> Mike. Before Lucas and Mike, Vecna asks mockingly how to get into their minds. The nosebleed happens right after he tries and fails to get to Mike. We’re then treated to a full 90 seconds of Mike getting right up in Will’s face, tenderly wiping his face clean and asking if he’s okay, serving as the ‘light’, to quote Max, that drags Will from the darkness that is Vecna, that disproves everything Vecna says.

Is the implication that Vecna uses those tactics because that’s what Will thinks his friends’ big Achilles Heels are? What does that say for Mileven? I’d love insight from someone who’s played it.

Oh, and Mileven was low-key/high-key shaded in the Elmax section.

@will80sbyers has posts with screenshots of the full quotes.

(X, Y)

It’s very interesting that mileven is barely an afterthought, and treated very coldly and impersonally. To get to Mike, Vecna says, and I quote “more of that game. He’s distracted. You’ll never find her, Mike. The greatest person you’ve known forever is gone because you didn’t try harder. And now you’ll never know what could have been-” only for it to cut to Mike still talking about the particulars of his Nana impression. ‘Greatest person’, ‘cool’, ‘different’, ‘amazing’, only for any guilt re: her to not move him at all. Did I mention the consultant was Paul Dichter, story editor on 108 and every s2 and 3 ep, and main writer of Will the Wise and Dear Billy?

#byler #stranger things virtual reality #stranger things vr #el and mike #mike wheeler #will byers #el hopper #Elmax

22 notes · View notes

mandoatsea · 1 year

Text

darling, dearest | prologue

pairing: regulus black x f!reader

rating: mature but don’t worry, it’s gonna get spicy

word count: 6k

warnings: angst, mentions of execution and murder, references to cults (sorry death eaters), forced marriage, some iffy coping mechanisms (nail picking, pain), enemies to lovers, divergence from canon (just a little bc the first wizarding war is such a bummer and james deserves a baby sister), friendship turmoil, some manipulation because sirius is desperate, albus dumbledore jumpscare, tiny baby sprinkles of wolfstar if you squint ... i think that’s it, but please let me know if i missed anything!

a/n: helloooo! i was shocked at how many people saw the sneak peek and let me know they were excited for the first chapter! welcome to the first installment of the dumpster fire that is my regulus black obsession. he deserved so much better, and i’m dedicated to giving him a happy ending. i decided to start with a prologue, as this one is more of setup to the main story. i took a little liberty with the court system and marriage because they’re not super detailed in the books as far as i know. i hope you enjoy, and join the taglist if you want to keep up!

⭒☆⭒

If you were asked what you thought about the end of the Wizarding War, you would have to say it all felt rather anticlimactic. One minute you were obsessively checking the radio for news of attacks and casting wards every hour, and the next – everything was quiet.

"It's quite eerie, isn't it?" James remarks from the end of the dining table, glasses crooked. His green cardigan hugs his shoulders – broad but thinner now after months of stress. His spitting image, Harry, is bouncing happily on his father's knee and chewing on his knuckles. You wince as drool hits the knee of James' slacks.

"It's lovely," Remus moans from the couch, an arm thrown over his eyes and his long legs crossed at the ankle. His dark gray cardigan practically swallows him as he blindly spins his wand between long fingers. "Only you could find an issue with the end of a war, Prongs."

You grin at him, fingertips tapping nervously at the grain in the wood. Your brother pouts at Remus and Harry seems to pick up on his disdain because he turns and frowns at his father until James grins at him cheerfully.

James practically glowing as he carelessly wipes slobber from Harry's chin, declaring half-heartedly, “Don’t be a prat, Moony.”

"Has anyone heard from him yet?" Lily asks as she glides into the room, her wand suspending four mugs of tea that trail after her. Her long red hair is tied back in a plait. The question makes you swallow nervously. Two of the mugs land in front of you and James, the other settling neatly on the floor next to Remus, and the final one settles against Lily’s palm.

"Nothing," James sighs, expression suddenly pinched as Lily settles in the chair next to him and tugs Harry into her lap in response to his grabbing fingers, tapping his nose with her finger and earning a delighted squeal. "The trial was supposed to end hours ago."

"No news is good news," you offer rather unhelpfully as your stomach continues to twist itself into knots, "maybe he took him to celebrate."

Silence hangs over the room. The chances that anyone is going to be celebrating tonight are dismally low.

Remus seems to pull himself from his dozing, sitting up on the couch and lifting his mug of tea cautiously to his lips and your fingers curl around your warm mug.

"I've cooled it, Moony," Lily calls with a soft smile, "it shouldn't be too hot." Remus smiles sheepishly in thanks over his mug, taking a healthy swallow. You focus on a rip at the bottom of his sleeve, worrying your bottom lip with your teeth and relishing the slight sting.

More silence.

"It shouldn't be too bad," James says rather factually, though his voice is pinched with nerves. "He did help at the end–"

"James." Remus cuts him off quietly, his eyes serious. "Let's just see what happens." James sinks slightly in his seat, draping an arm over the back of his wife's chair.

You swallow, nausea beginning to stir in your gut. Remus is more knowledgeable about the Wizengamot than anyone you know, and his guarded expression leaves you feeling sick.

"Poor Sirius," Lily's normally cheerful voice is pained and Harry has dozed off against her neck, "I hope it's not too–"

The silence is broken as someone apparates into the living room with a sharp crack.

Sirius stands in the middle of the living room, hunched slightly at the waist as though he’s about to be sick. Your heart sinks like stone. Remus and James stand and Remus crosses the short distance as Sirius' knees appear to buckle. Remus gathers him in a firm hug and you stare in disbelief as Sirius hugs him desperately.

Sirius Black's usually amused expression is twisted into one of profound grief. His black robes are rumpled and his hands shake as they twist in the fabric covering Remus' back. Purple smudges of exhaustion from the war are nearly black now and his curls have gone limp and frizzy – most likely because he's been tugging at them all day.

"Sirius," James says worriedly as Remus guides him to the couch, and he crosses over to his friend, "what's happened?" Remus sits next to Sirius, his brow furrowed and his lips pursed in concern.

Both you and Lily watch worriedly as Sirius swallows a few times. His shaking fingers worry at the fraying hem of his robes.

Voice wrecked, his voice is barely a croak as he announces, "He's getting Kissed."

You suck in a gasp of disbelief. It feels like someone has wrapped a hand around your lungs and squeezed as tightly as they can. Lily's slender fingers press against her mouth, her green eyes are suddenly shiny under the light of the dining room.

Remus stares at Sirius blankly, though you can see that his knuckles are white where they're gripping the edge of the couch cushion. You watch as your brother merely shakes his head.

"That's not possible," he says, voice hollow, "he... he was the one who destroyed–“

"James," you say firmly, "stop." Sirius has begun to rub frantically at his eyes. You’re not sure how you make it from the dining room table to kneeling in front of Sirius, but you do. Your hands wrap around his wrists and pull his hands from his eyes – his skin is clammy and cool.

Sirius whimpers quietly, brown eyes red and full of tears. He looks like he's going to be sick, his light complexion washed even paler. Your throat squeezes tightly and you lace your fingers with his, giving him a gentle squeeze as James rests a shaking hand on his shoulder.

"It's my fault," Sirius chokes, and you shake your head immediately, his figure wobbling as your eyes sting with tears, "I should have never left him in that fucking house."

You’ve never heard the entire story of the night Sirius fled Black Manor and ended up shivering on their doorstep, stinking of Dark magic, his eye bruised, begging for James. The guilt he harbors over that night is something he rarely shares with anyone. All you know is that leaving his baby brother was something Sirius never fully recovered from.

Terror strikes you now. You’ve seen what happens when Sirius closes up, locking everyone out and weathering his emotional storms all alone. Maybe it's a skill he learned growing up – the ability to throw up walls and barricade himself deep in his subconscious. The last time – when he'd found out about the most recent legion of Death Eaters and their Dark Marks – he didn’t leave his room for days.

He’d refused to talk to anyone, even Remus.

"It's not your fault," is all you can tell him, "it's not, Sirius."

Don't shut me out, you think, squeezing his hands as he shudders, please, let me help you.

You love Sirius the way you love James – deep, undying love. Regardless of the endless pranks and infuriating overprotection, he's one of the most important people in her life. The sight of him so devastated has you breathless – floundering for anything that might stop the course he’s on.

"He took the Mark when he was sixteen!" The words break as Sirius spits them furiously. "He was a fucking child!" His head tips forward as a sob splits loose from his chest.

"We'll fix it, Sirius," Remus says quietly, "surely there has to be something we can do." He locks eyes with you as a tear makes its way down your cheek.

"The end of the week," Sirius whispers, "they're going to kill him at the end of the week with all those bloody murderers." You brush a limp curl behind his ear before James pulls him into one of his tight, nearly suffocating hugs. Sirius’ panicked heaving is muffled against James’ shoulder.

It takes an hour and a vial of Dreamless Sleep to finally get Sirius to bed, and you lean against the wall outside of his bedroom, waiting for Remus to reappear. The door opens slowly and Remus emerges, brow furrowed as he shuts the door as gently as possible.

"Is he alright?" You ask him. Remus rubs an anxious hand along the back of his neck, his sleeve pooling at his elbow. Thin, pale scars along his forearm shimmer slightly before he tugs the sleeve back to its rightful place and his arm falls back to his side.

"No," he sighs heavily, hand closing on your upper arm, pulling you into his chest, "no, he's not." You hug him tightly, fingers buried in the soft fabric of his robes. Your eyes sting and you press your nose to his shoulder, inhaling the smell of clean cotton and mint.

"There has to be something we can do," you whisper.

Remus knows the ins and outs of the Wizengamot like the back of his hand. After applying as an Auror, he’d been questioned for ages – hours in front of the members trying to convince them that he was still fit for training despite his “affliction.” He had practically lived at the Ministry for months.

"I'll stop by tomorrow and talk to Doris," Remus remarks quietly against your hair, referencing the advocate that had been assigned to his case, "maybe there's some way we can get him out in a few years. Sometimes it's just a matter of showing them what they want to see. I doubt he had a third-party advocate." You nod and the door to James and Lily's room opens cautiously.

"Is he asleep?" Lily asks, stepping out into the hallway as you and Remus step apart.

"Passed out," Remus tells her, James stepping into the hallway after his wife. "He didn't stop shaking for a good ten minutes, but I think the potion finally kicked in."

"Merlin," James' voice is crushed as he leans against the wall, "hasn't he been through enough already?"

"He's bound to feel some guilt," Lily states factually, "he probably thinks he would have gotten the Mark instead if he'd stayed."

"Of course he thinks that," Remus says, voice tinged with rare anger, volume raising, “that’s what his parents made him believe before he left.”

You could wake him, you realize rather suddenly, and place your hand on Remus' arm to quiet him, earning an exhausted sigh. The last thing you need is for Sirius to hear you confirming his worst fears. Nibbling anxiously at your thumbnail you vaguely recall a few books in the manor's library about Azkaban and the Dementor's Kiss – a rather morbid fascination of your father’s for a few months at the beginning of the War.

"Remus is going to The Ministry tomorrow," you announce quietly to James and Lily, "I'm going to do some research of my own. Maybe we can find ... a reason for an appeal, or a loophole. There has to be something. He helped The Order, it should count for something." James seems to perk up at the idea and Lily smiles fondly at you.

"I'll go with Remus."

"No." You and Remus say simultaneously, earning a shocked and disbelieving pout from James.

"Someone has to stay with him, Prongs," Remus says pleadingly, "I don't know what he'll do if we leave him alone. He needs a Calming Draught and about a hundred cups of tea. Please stay with him."

Almost immediately James sags, bobbing his head of dark curls once in understanding. Lily slides a hand up his back, rubbing comforting circles between his shoulder blades.

“We should all get some sleep,” she announces and you nod immediately, stretching your arms above your head with a groan, muscles stretching taunt in your shoulders, “we can worry about all of this in the morning.”

“Alright,” Remus agrees, slumping as though someone has cut the string holding him up, “I’m going to crash on the couch.”

Normally you would argue, protesting about his back, but your attention is almost solely on the books. By the time you all go your separate ways, you’re so absorbed in which titles to pull first that your feet practically carry you to the library – you stay there until the sun creeps over the horizon and your hand aches from its grip on your quill.

⭒☆⭒

James catches you on your fourth trip to the library in as many days. You and Remus have barely spoken, ships in the night as he leaves for the Ministry and doesn’t return until late. Sirius has spent days pacing the living room, eyes cloudy with exhaustion, or passed out on the couch after another Calming Draught. Much to your frustration, none of the books have offered any useful information.

“Moony and Padfoot are in the study,” your brother tells you, “it seems important.” Hope flares in your chest and you nod hurriedly.

“Yeah, alright,” you say, already turning back around to head to the study, “are you coming?”

“I’ve got to drop off Harry,” James says with a shake of his head, “mum and dad have been dying to see him. I’ll be back in a bit.”

“Sure,” you call, already heading down the hall to the study, “tell them I miss them, please.”

“Sure, love.”

Rushing down the hall lands you in front of the study rather quickly. You knock twice before swinging the door open. Remus and Sirius are talking in hushed, tense voices at the large table in front of the fireplace. The side of Sirius’ face is illuminated with firelight, reflecting his nearly manic expression. His eyes are wide and pleading as Remus stares at him with a disappointed expression, shaking his head in disapproval every few seconds. His normally bruised under-eyes are even darker with exhaustion.

“When did you get back?” You call in greeting, hesitant to interrupt their tense discussion. Remus’ head lifts immediately, softening at the sight of you. A pleased grin lifts the corner of his mouth, pulling a very faint scar on his cheek tight. Sirius’ throat bobs before he turns to look at you as well.

“Hi, darling,” Remus greets, “I only just arrived. I’ve been with Doris all night.” You make your way across the study to the table, squeezing Sirius’ shoulder as you settle at the table.

“You must be exhausted,” you remark sympathetically, worrying welling as you take in Remus’ drawn expression, “are you alright?”

“Fine, fine,” he brushes you off, “I’ll head home in a bit.”

“Did Doris tell you anything helpful?”

Your question seems to land like a bomb.

Remus’ lips press in a thin line and Sirius turns to look at you, his expression open and full of hope. He looks so young that it takes your breath away.

“Remus talked to Albus Dumbledore,” he tells you, “he said–”

“Sirius.” Remus snips, his gaze cool. “Don’t.” Sirius deflates slightly at the reprimand but appears to steel himself before looking at you again.

Sirius' voice has taken on a pleading quality when he says your name, his dark brown eyes brimming with sorrow, "Darling, you know–" his voice breaks and you suck in a breath. "You know I would never ask you to do this if I had a choice."

“Ask me to do what?” Your eyes flicker between them.

"The Wizengamot would be inclined to pass down a more lenient sentence," Remus informs you quietly, "if it could be proven that he had a motive to help The Order." Disdain colors his tone.

"Motive." You parrot blankly. Your mind is swimming. The Wizengamot has been in disarray since the start of the war and lately, they seem to be doing all they can to move cases through the court as rapidly as possible. You’ve heard a few previous life sentences cut down to a few years in Azkaban or house arrest when new information is presented. An unsettled feeling has begun to churn in your gut as Sirius worries the edge of his sleeve between his long fingers.

"Remus thinks maybe if he had been in a relationship with someone in The Order, people would more easily believe he destroyed the locket." Sirius' voice is hopeful. "Helping The Order would get him a few years of house arrest, they probably wouldn't even hold him in Azkaban."

You shake your head, brow furrowing. You can't remember any relationships other than James and Lily throughout the entirety of the war. Maybe Frank and Alice Longbottom, but you hadn't been particularly invested in romantic drama – no one was. It was too much energy to waste when everyone was exhausted by stress and grief.

"Who was he with?" You ask, locking eyes with Remus. His expression is pinched, hair falling over his right eye, making him look boyish and haughty. "I don't remember him even speaking to anyone, but maybe if we can find some witnesses–"

"He wasn't seeing anyone," Remus says quietly, "no one in The Order would have wanted to touch a blood purist anyway." There's a bite in his voice that earns him a sharp glare from Sirius, and you feel dread crawl its way up your throat.

"I don't understand." You confess tightly. "Why are you even exploring that as an option?"

"It's the only option," Sirius says sharply, "there's nothing else we can do. This is the only way we can–"

"I still don't understand why–"

"I'm asking you–" Sirius' voice is shaky and he lifts his brown eyes to yours, "to marry him."

Static buzzes in your ears, quietly and then louder as the seconds tick by. Remus grimaces at his hands, thumb pressed against the pale scar that runs along his thumb and disappears under his sleeve. The world feels faintly tilted, and you shake your head in an attempt to rebalance yourself.

The second the statement leaves Sirius' mouth, you know you’ll do it. It’s an absent, emotionless conclusion. Anything Sirius asks of you, you'll do – because you love him. You want his trust, and to earn that trust you’ll do whatever he needs. Anything to keep him out of the unreachable place he flees to in times of grief. Losing his brother would kill him, and if you refuse he'll never forgive you – something you can't risk.

You come to the additional deduction, as you look at him, that he knows all of this. The request doesn't come from a place of clouded or misguided desperation – the look in his eye is calculating rather than manic. You realize, suddenly, that he has already added up the cost of this request and the consequences it will have on your relationship.

He just doesn't care.

You stare at him for a few more seconds in suffocating silence.

"You're asking me to marry your brother." You confirm quietly. Sirius' expression falters for a moment before he tips his chin up, emotions shuttered.

"It's the only way they'll let him out." He tells you, his voice flat. An ache opens up in your chest and you have the fleeting thought that you’re not going to recover from this for a long, long time. "I don't have any other options."

"Don't decide now. This is..." Remus starts to plead with you, openly devastated. "It's an impossible choice you have. Please, for me, sleep on it–"

"I'll do it." You interrupt him, earning you a disbelieving stare. "Assuming he agrees, I'll do it." You look at Sirius sharply. "You already knew that though, didn't you?"

The only response you get is the twitch of his jaw, his eyes falling to the table. Very suddenly, emotion wells in your throat and behind your eyes – suffocating in its intensity. In a panic, you stand from the table and make for the door.

"I'm sorry," Sirius calls out to you as you reach for the doorknob, "I hope one day you'll forgive me."

The only response you give is the violent bang of the door shutting behind you.

⭒☆⭒

The wait to leave for The Ministry is passed in silence.

James' knuckles are white and his grip on your hand borders on painful. His jaw clenches furiously as he stares at the fireplace, flames flickering in his blank expression. It feels as though you’ve gone numb – unable to even summon the energy to soothe your brother. Your gaze is locked blankly on your free hand, throat tight with anxiety and dread.

"You don't have to do this," James whispers furiously, abruptly abandoning his stewing to stare at you, "I can't believe he asked you to–"

"James." You tell him quietly. "It's fine."

"It's not fine!" He continues to whisper, turning to you fully now. "The bond is forever. It's an Unbreakable Vow. He's a fucking Death Eater. He's a blood purist."

"If you knew," you ask flatly, "that you could do something to save my life, would you?" You turn your head and meet his eyes. Surprise flickers on your brother's face before his lips press in a thin line. "Would you?"

"Of course, I would. I would do anything." James says, the words hushed, "But–"

"I would too." You tell him, squeezing his hand. "For you or Sirius, I would do anything." Your lips quirk in a wry smile and you return your gaze to your fingers. "It's just my luck that I have to."

James doesn't seem to know how to respond to that particular conclusion, and he sinks back in his seat – squeezing your hand.

Marrying a Death Eater was, without a doubt, not part of your plan. You can't say you ever really had an image of whoever would be on the other side of the bond – but a murdering blood purist was certainly not on the table. Faintly, you recognize that it is all sort of funny. You’ve spent the last few years obsessing over how to dismantle Voldemort and his followers, only for you to marry one of them.

The urge to laugh evaporates quickly when you realize the life you wanted has gone up in flames. Your parents have always set the marriage standard since you were little. Fleamont and Euphemia have been soulmates since their first year of Hogwarts and they've never wavered in their adoration for one another – even when raising two children and through a devastating war. When James and Lily got married, it only further cemented your surety that one day it would happen for you. You believed that everyone in your family was just lucky with love.

The irony is enough to make you faint.

A light knock on the doorframe pulls you from your thoughts – which is quite fortunate, you think, as an embarrassing set of tears have begun to make their way down your face. Rapidly, you pull your hand from James' and wipe your eyes, cheeks burning from the fabric of your robes. Remus steps into the living room, gifting you with a soft smile.

"Alright?" He asks, with his natural way of conveying that he already knows. You fist your robes, nodding and giving him a faint smile. "I think we're about ready to leave." All you can do is nod again, and all at once, the room feels like it's rapidly losing oxygen. Remus seems to sense your spike in anxiety and he pads across the carpeted floor to crouch in front of you – wincing as his back pops.

"It won't be too bad, darling," he says, taking your hand and squeezing gently, "they won't make you take any Veritaserum or anything frightening. I think they all want this case to be over rather quickly, and no one wants to upset The Order." You nod, tongue feeling thick in your mouth. "They'll ask you a few questions, reach a verdict, and then we can go home."

"Will he–" your voice cracks and James' hand settles on your shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, "will he be there?"

"Probably," Remus tells you honestly, and you take the tip of your tongue between your teeth. "He'll be sitting in the back most likely, and probably surrounded by Aurors. He won't be anything to worry about."

That's rather nice to hear, you think drily, seeing as I'm marrying him tomorrow.

Remus glances at his watch, lips pressing together in a flat line. Your anxiety begins to climb.

"We should go," Remus says quietly, and James squeezes your shoulder again before standing and helping you up off the couch. Remus retrieves a small pouch from his pocket, making his way to the fireplace as he takes a small pinch of powder between his fingers. Tossing the tiny amount of powder, the flame roars as it turns emerald green. Remus turns and offers another quick smile before he steps into the flames and disappears with a whoosh.

You’re next, staring at the green flames with burning eyes until James drops your hand and nudges you forward. You inhale deeply, squeezing your eyes shut before stepping into the flames. The room blurs around you before you appear rather suddenly at the entrance to the Ministry. Remus is standing at the edge of the fireplace, arm out for you to take as you step out and onto the marble floor. James appears with a gust of air behind you and stumbles out of the fireplace with a cough, brushing soot from his shoulder.

“Merlin, I hate that,” he mutters, coming to stand beside you.

Wizards in all colors and styles of robes bustle past you, some alone and some in groups. A few carry briefcases and some wear heels that click sharply on the immaculate marble floor. Chatter bounces off the walls of dark brick that tower over your head and you marvel at the stunning statues lined down the enormous hall – a variety of glimmering witches, wizards, centaurs, and countless others. Only Remus' hand on the small of your back pulls you from your admiration and rather quickly back to reality.

"The courtroom is just a few halls down," he explains as the three of you enter the throng of movement and make your way through the Ministry, "we're just a bit early." Sweat begins to bead on your forehead and your robes feel suffocating, the fabric clinging to your arms and chest. You fight the urge to place a hand at your throat to ensure you’re still breathing as Remus continues his quick explanation. "There will be a few formalities, just some legal rubbish. You’ll give your testimony, he’ll affirm it, and then they’ll reach a verdict."

Two large wooden doors come into view, large ornate letters reading WIZENGAMOT. It would all come across as incredibly posh if you weren't on the verge of a panic attack. Remus comes to a halt a few feet away from the doors and turns to you.

"Alright?" Remus asks you, the words heavy with concern. He reaches for you, a cool palm settling on the side of your neck. The gesture is grounding. His hazel eyes are full of comfort. You manage a weak smile, nodding just once, and Remus nods back before turning to the doors. His wand raises, and with a slight flick of his wrist, the large oak doors creak open.

The courtroom is quiet, save for the low murmurs from members of the court. All at once, you feel the weight of several pairs of eyes on you. Without thinking, you cast your eyes up toward the court.

The unsettling blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore are the first you catch, plum robes stark against his long, white beard and pale skin. His stare is curious, almost amused, but deeply unsettling. You clench your jaw, pulling your gaze away as you follow Remus to the bench. Sirius is already sitting, his posture rigid and his hair pulled back in a low bun. Briefly, his brown eyes meet yours before they flicker away. Your heart gives a pitiful, wrenching throb before you swallow it down and settle in your seat.

The minutes pass in agonizing silence. Your nerves leave you to pick at your nails, avoiding the harsh stares by keeping your focus on your lap. The cuticle of your thumb begins to bleed and you bring it to your mouth with a curse, nausea swarming as the metallic taste fills your mouth. The heavy wooden doors continue to open and shut with heavy slams. Occasionally, you accidentally meet the chilling gaze of one of the members. Every glance is welling with pity or disdain.

You’re not sure which is worse.

Dumbledore's clear, sharp voice startles you as it breaks the low mumble of noise. “All rise, for the opening remarks.”

Your knees wobble as you stand and you grip the back of the bench in front of you to keep yourself steady. The remarks pass in a blur, and at some point you return to the bench, hands anxiously smoothing down your thighs. A lot of jargon you don’t understand, a summary of the charges, and a quick introduction of the appeal. Relational motive is the term they seem to prefer when referring to the appeal. You fight the hysterical urge to snort. Finally, the speech comes to an end as Dumbledore clears his throat.

“Will the accused be brought forward for the court?”

Heavy, black doors, that you’ve somehow missed, creak at the far end of the courtroom. Sirius straightens, his fingers clenched into fists. The low hum of muttering fills the court again. Slowly, the doors grate against their hinges until they shudder to a stop, revealing a dark hallway.

Two tall, serious-looking Aurors step out onto the marble floor. One is taller than the other, both in the dark robes of their profession. Their wands are drawn, but relaxed. Your fingertips press into your thighs, relishing in the grounding sting.

Behind the Aurors, a tall, lean figure makes his way to the center of the room. Black, shaggy curls are limp and greasy, his head bowed and hiding his face. Broad shoulders make clear impressions against the gray uniform, the bones far too defined. Sirius lurches forward in concern as the figure’s steps falter – almost as if he wasn’t sure his legs would hold him for a moment.

Despite his bedraggled appearance, there’s a certain aristocratic air to him. It seems to be a piece of his very essence. Long, elegant fingers are clasped together tightly at his waist, silver restraints clasped around his wrists, linking them together. Two more Aurors emerge behind him, the doors swaying before slamming shut.

Your fingernails continue to dig into your thigh.

Dumbledore cuts through the murmuring as he announces, “The appeal trial will begin as soon as the accused is seated.”

The murmurs crescendo.

One of the Aurors mutters something to the man handcuffed in the middle of the room, his head tipping slightly as they speak to him in a low voice. Two of the wizards make their way to the chair in the center of the room, standing on either side. The Auror speaking to him seems to inform him of something upsetting – his knuckles white as his fingers clench, shoulders pulling up to his ears.

He lifts his head, light hitting his face, and a pit of dread opens in your stomach as you meet the flat, dark gaze of Regulus Black.

⭒☆⭒

taglist: @coffeeaddictednymph @wbellab @houseofblackbaby @ainasadge

244 notes · View notes

phantom-bleu · 5 months

Text

So i said my piece abt everything to the mods and long story short i dont support the morning brew zine anymore and ive said theyre welcome to remove my contribution. I left after saying what i did so idk what the moderators' responses were but it seems to me theyre asking contributors if they want to remove their pieces so hopefully my & other ppl's wishes are respected

This news didnt quite reach tumblr but basically a writer featured in the zine, mooncake_madness, has written multiple espresso/madeleine fics involving sexual abuse between them. Im still not really sure who was in the dark vs who was afraid of speaking out about it but i want to make it very clear that its not the fault of the contributors that this was allowed; their s/a works on ao3 are either set to user-only or whatever equivalent of that exists on the site so this was already obscured from people like me who dont have ao3 accounts, but at minimum 2 of the mods knew about it or were personal fans of this writer's work and they made a deliberate choice not to mention it to any of us.

Like imo there was a purposeful cover-up to allow this writer on the zine, and really which contributor knew what makes no difference because the moderators should have made sure EVERYONE knew. There shouldnt have ever been an attempt to hide or even feign cluelessness on the part of the moderators ("their works are publicly viewable so you had to have known" THEYRE NOT EVEN PUBLIC) like all i wouldve wanted is to not be strung along to contribute to a zine for a pairing i love alongside someone who wants to write like 4 fucking fics about espresso being raped, and the fact of the matter is i (and everyone else) was led into doing so because of simple negligence.

Like i think the ONE warning they gave abt mooncake's ao3 was "beware of nsfw content" on the public twitter which is really funny because they made no comment like that to us contributors, and also "nsfw" is a hilarious way to avoid saying "CONTENT WARNING FOR RAPE." I wonder why they Did Not Say That. And 1 of the moderators is a confirmed previous fan of mooncake's stuff so its super fucking cool that they prioritised including their favourite s/a author over the personal boundaries of the artists and writers making their zine happen. For free.

So yeah. there were a lot of cool ppl on this zine. its upsetting that all of our work got overshadowed by the inclusion of one fucking guy the mods thought would slide under the radar. I dont even think it was an hour before people started talking about it. the zine is apparently on hiatus rn (Hopefully to give time for contributors to decide whether they want to follow through w the project) so there isnt any way to view it anymore. but i think in the coming days there will probably be people posting their pieces independently of the zine and where i can ill share their work, because everyone put a lot of heart into their pieces over the course of 3 whole months and i dont want that passion and dedication to be ruined by shitty moderation. The pieces in this zine were all motivated by everyones individual love for espressleine and i think it shows. and equally if theres anyone who decides not to pull out of the zine (bc there are valid reasons for that) please give them a chance too

#I dont think we need to worry abt this on tumblr but equally dont harass anybody involved #i still dont know who was unaware who was afraid to speak up and who was actually complicit #and the latter was an extreme minority so ive chosen not to name names in case i accidentally drag innocent parties into this

20 notes · View notes

doodlegirl1998 · 3 months

Note

Hey, on the topic "quirks are diseases" again, I do think it would divided people here. Bc if you are born with Momo's quirk, wow, you made in life.

If you are born with Mineta's quirk? Tough luck.

But here a few things I want to say:

1) I talked about Rede and yes he wouldn't like people thinking quirkless are better( I think is lile at best 5% of people who do have powerful quirk) and soon a civil war would happen. Well, a dude who has a powerful quirk will be "liberate" in using 100% and envy speaks loud. Rede's end goal makes no real sense but is better than afo.

2) how the quirks came to be? Like overhaul was spreading this theory. So he lie...meaning people could have acess to this info. Quirkless are healthy one...does all schools teach about that?

3) if so, why Izu was abused? Ok say Aldera is mega shitty and never taught that. Ok. Still doesnt justify how shitty Izu was treated and he was healthy among his peers.

4) I have a hc now...that quirks users have a short lifespan compared to quirkless. Again, an intetesting concept hori wont touch with a 10 feet pole.

5) what this revelation proved? Nothing, aside Hori shitting on Izu AGAIN.

6) ok so...I do think Hori was influced by MCU but then started seeing the boys...and fails miserable. The boys does take dark concepts and explores (spoiler: they have a drug that can kill supers) it has a built up and consequences. Hori? Shits on Izu and wanks Bk's dick.

Like to sum up, this chapter proves how Izu shouldnt have been treated like that and he would be better off not being a hero. I just saw a sgdk fic where Inko - in an angst moment where she is right- asks in tears why Izu's dream has to cause him harm? Why he cant have anothet dream? Fair. He wants help people? Doctors exists. Fireworks too.

To this day I dont get why the MC wants to be a hero.

Bk? I know why ...and hate how it makes sense.

Hi @mikeellee 👋,

I think even if born with Mineta's quirk, you'd be set for life. The grape is cowardly but you can't deny his quirk could be highly useful as a hero. But I do get your point, quirks are a sickness no one wants a cure for.

1) ReDestro wanting people to be liberated in using their quirks makes sense - however the practicality of this not so much.

2) I bet schools (especially if some are hunting grounds for MPA recruitment) do not teach that quirkless are the 'healthy ones' because that wouldn't benefit them in any way.

3) Canonically, Bakugou being an abusive little shit is the main reason for Izuku being abused for being quirkless (although he even abused him before that point - being quirkless just have Bkg more fuel to torment him with.)

4) that's an interesting plot point - one Hori wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole. But under a better writer, resentment from quirked people over them not living as long as the quirkless would make sense.

5) the revelation of quirks being from a virus meant nothing! Nothing at all! It only harmed the story - and added a heavy bias against AFO and OFA's nameless, homeless sex worker mother (thanks Hori *sarcasm*).

6) Hori may have been inspired by other superhero stories but fails in incorporating the origins of quirks in MHA.

Despite going to UA being how Izuku met his idol and friends - being a hero has only brought Izuku suffering, canonically speaking, he would have been better off doing anything else to help people.

I hate how MHA and Izuku's story has become THIS.

#mha critical #bnha critical #anti bakugou #anti bakugou katsuki

17 notes · View notes

gutsybitsies · 1 year

Text

finished TSATS and hmm (slight spoilers below)

i'm gonna meet it where it's at and what it's trying to do, and say it was okay. well, meh to okay.

so my initial expectations were that as long as it's entertaining, then its fine by me. but the pacing and the dream/narration sequences was really off and made the story very draggy right up until nyx enters the picture.

the central conflict was strange and not too fleshed out, because usually the stories intertwine outer conflict (for example eros withholding staff of diocletian bc he just happened to have it and his nature dictates truth of love before giving it away) and internal conflict (nico's inner turmoil over his sexuality and feelings for percy clashing with the quest).

also another example: piper's repeating dreams about a cherokee creation myth linking her two heritages together and her saving the day with that by using the cornucopia to release fresh water in MOA.

but this time the conflict is....uh. meh? first or all, i fucking loved Nyx here. I think she's the coolest, the story became 100% more entertaining when she came in and started bitching at her kids. I understand why she chose to capture Bob the Titan. I don't get why she's obsessed with Nico. There is no satisfactory external conflict giving her a reason why she needs a demigod, nico specifically, to stay in Tartarus. And that makes the internal conflict that nico has feel weak.

i understand where the book was coming from, it wants to show nico accepting the "dark" parts of himself. personally i thought the personified cacaedemons were cool and cute as fuck. but i don't know why will was written the way he was? because narratively it doesnt feel like he was very conducive to helping nico accept the dark part of himself. at least not in a way that makes him sympathetic.

will's actions only serve to confirm nico's fears that hes unwanted and hard to love? his initial reaction to the underworld is that it's creepy, and he hates it. valid reactions! but this is paired with the view that the reason nico doesn't get along with others is that nico is the one who pushes people away, rather than other people being put off by who nico is. well, nico identifies strongly with the underworld, and will is very put off by the underworld, but still we're supposed to think that everything nico said about people's reaction to him is in his head?

i don't get why he's there, written the way he is, if what the book wanted to do was to write a story about nico seeing past his darkness and accepting it + accepting other people and letting them in. i get that they probably wanted to tell a story about two imperfect people getting together, but you can make will imperfect in ways other than confirming his boyfriend's biggest fears about himself.

will does end up apologizing for his reactions and tells nico that he's wrong for sometimes treating nico as something to "fix", but in NICO's pov he's still thinking that he himself is the biggest roadblock to acceptance with other people.

ALSO his last conversation with piper? was strange. i'm assuming that this meant that he and piper became super close right after the Giant war and before she left for school, but this was never hinted at throughout the book and then BOOM? if i was still in middle school and picked up this book having never read any of the other books i'd be very, very confused.

anyway. if you enjoy riordanverse i would still give this a read, because it does contain some cute moments, and i loved nyx and her army of monster children. narratively i think it could've done better, but nothing was a huge surprise.

#tsats #the sun and the stars #spoilers #tstats spoiler #nico di angelo #will solace #there's some lore stuff that seems like worth exploring but ehhhh

44 notes · View notes

horsetailcurlers2 · 1 month

Text

YET ANOTHER long and obnoxious stream of my thoughts while watching greys anatomy for the first time (S19 bc i’m finally caught up, babey!!!! (phew))

-i hope this new class of residents isn’t as one dimensional as the last one

-“you say please to bhokee!” hell yeah you do schmitt. (i love that she did say please he was just so ready to jump down her throat about it lmoa)

-DEREK’S NEPHEW ?????!!! WHICH SISTER? my money is on nancy bc i always thought she was the oldest so she would have the son old enough to be out of med school

-okay i’m too curious (for some reason i’ve always just been curious about the shepherds) so i’ve gone back to S15E21 (good shepherd) to see if i could get a better look at nancy’s wall of family photos. i see one of nancy with a young curly haired girl, kathleen with a light haired child, and two photos that are just groups of kids. my assumption is that these two are all of nancy’s kids because if she had photos of her nieces and nephews i feel like they would include their parents. both photos show two boys and two girls. it looks like the same four kids just at two different ages. the oldest (or at least the tallest) in both photos is a boy with dark hair. this may support my theory that nancy is lucas’s mother. the rest of the photos aren’t very clear. the only thing is that all of the kids look very fair and lucas is not. they also clearly wrote this episode way after they shot the scene with amelia looking at the photos so they may have not even bothered with details that were meant to be sort of irrelevant at the time.

-okay this is a very tragic story with (griffin??? griffith??) and makes her lateness and weirdness understandable but am i the only one who thinks it’s insanely bizarre to be sharing your tragic life story to your superior on your first day?

-idk about this season yet. i feel them trying to sort of mirror season one in some ways, focusing more on the interns (which i think i like), trying to connect back to old characters, but it feels a *little* forced so far

-i like mean and snappy teddy

-have we ever seen this library before?

-“i tried to implement similar changes at various times and was always met with resistance” ???? when did bailey try to implement those changes to the residency program? she implemented changes but they for sure weren’t these ones

-why is it better for them to think he’s sleeping with her????? jfc lucas

-ADDISON LOOKS SO HOT. i like this costuming for her. very reminiscent of her private practice wardrobe

-i really like baileys braids this season btw. and i like that she has a special scrub cap that can cover them all

-lucas’s dad is from barbados. idk what to do with that but it is another clue lmao. if nothing else, i’m hooked on this season just to find out who his mother is

-no comment on the dancing

-helm looks really cute as a bartender

-owen when teddy isn’t super happy and content with him after he fucked them over and put their children’s well-beings at risk: 😯

-addison and tom should have met

-oh my god just tell them you’re a nepo baby!! they think you’re fucking your aunt!

-it made complete sense to bring addison back for this storyline. i hope they explore it a little more and keep bringing her back.

-i’m so confused about lucas’s whole complex. wouldn’t he have grown up with his dad’s last name anyway? why has this been an issue “all his life”??? and until he went to med school i doubt anybody even knew the significance of him being a shepherd

-what planet is owen living on where he thinks they would let him be chief again rn

-i can see myself shipping mike chang and mary queen of scots once they develop their characters a bit more. simone and lucas i like in theory but idk about the chemistry

-“i am not going to beg you to love me” good meredith bc that didn’t work out so well the first time u did it

-intern house is back!!! i really like that actually

-a full time administrative assistant is completely reasonable. richard had patricia when he was chief

-looking very hot for having just been hit by a car

-winston definitely had a point at first but at this point he’s pissing me off. it’s reminding me of that big meredith and cristina fight in the sense that it feels like he’s deliberately taking everything she’s doing and saying in the worst possible way.

-richard and addison’s dynamic is so underrated

-this is incredibly random but it just popped into my head. it’s so weird that amelia has never brought up her friend michelle on greys. you know, her friend from pp that committed suicide bc she had huntingtons which ultimately kickstarted amelia’s relapse. i feel like it could have been relevant to a few cases

-pru is so fucking cute

-so many people keep leaving i don’t really have a reaction to it anymore. but i will very much miss maggie. ik a lot of people don’t like maggie (prob bc they thought she was trying to fill the spaces that lexi and cristina left behind) but i really liked her. i think i found her very relatable in a lot of ways. even/especially when she was a little annoying lol

-why is this guy specifically requesting bailey? (not that she’s not great at her job it just has suspicious vibes) is he one of the anti choice harassers? nervous for that especially since addison is here so i feel like it will be about that storyline

-jesus christ i knew it. bc it’s so “pro life” to threaten a child!!!!!! go kwan though. and teddy!

-JUJU!!!

-yasuda x helm <3

-cristina mention !!!!

-i really like that there’s no intern/attending relationships lately

-i’m doubling down on thinking lucas is nancy’s bc i think if he has adhd, kathleen likely would have noticed bc she’s a psychologist. obviously it’s possible she wouldn’t have, everyone has blind spots but i think this makes the most sense still. and ik he could still be liz’s but i’m still unsure on if the ages work out and i think they were banking on which actress would be more likely to make an appearance later on and neve campbell is less likely to come back than the others.

-uggh why do i HATE simone’s wedding dress.

-omg i’m a terrible person i didn’t realize it was her late mother’s. i’m so sorry the fit of it just looks off

-i wonder how they’re going to ruin/derail this wedding? they’ve already done leaving at the altar, objections, elopements. maybe the twist is that she actually goes through with it?? or they’ll just be boring and so the same thing they’ve done before

-i like that they still call it “joe’s” even though we never see joe anymore

-winston is getting on my nerves. he always starts off having a point and then he gets all immature and petty about it

-dude that is not how a DNR works

-aww yay for bailey

-side note amelia looks great

-TEDDY!!!

#greys anatomy #you guys this was a lot but i did it #i didn’t watch the latest ep of season 20 but other than that i’m all caught up #i’d like to thank my agoraphobia and my unemployment for making it possible for me to have watched this much television #on my knees praying to any deity that addison shows up in s20 but it seems unlikely #i don’t even like the shoe anymore i just don’t want to give up now lmao #meredith grey #teddy altman #addison montgomery #amelia shepherd #these are all tagged under #greys reactions

7 notes · View notes