therealvinelle

[therealvinelle]

What if that night in Godric's hollow Lily chose to let Voldemort kill Harry and stepped aside when Voldemort asked her to?

Self-preservation kicked in! No one knows how they will react facing death. She should not be blamed for protecting herself.

Would she be honest and tell people what really happened or make up some believable story? What would happen to her after that night? Does she leave England? How would the Order/Sirius/Dumbledore react to the events? Would Severus go after Lily and tell her he is her hero? Would this be a better AU for Lily and the wizard world?

Woof.

Well.

It's not good.

Would She Be Honest and Tell People What Happened?

We don't really know much about Lily's character is the thing. I make a lot of things up for my own benefit, but that's my taking and running with the very little we see in canon.

We really don't know how she'd react.

The way I characterize her? Feeling guilty over her husband's death (who died for her and Harry) and the fact that she survived her son (who she perhaps could have protected) she'll confess to what happened. She wants people to blame and hate her so she can punish herself for this.

And judge and punish her they do as this is something the Order and the greater public just can't understand. I'm sure rumors of how and why Lily was spared also fly and soon Lily goes from the truth of simply stepping aside (and being spared because of Snape) to having slept with Voldemort to save her life to being his spy the entire time.

What Would Happen to Her After that Night?

The gossip against her is massive and I imagine the Order never quite trusts her again. They may not kick her out, though I'm sure some (certainly Sirius who is mad with grief over James's death) vote for it. Lily may leave of her own free will out of guilt and so as not to give the Order a black eye.

The Prophet may or may not run smear campaigns against her both to distract from the realities of the Ministry not managing anything against You-Know-Who and because this is such a shocking awful story.

Lily becomes persona non grata but is presumably left alone by the Death Eaters as Voldemort chose to spare her life and the order has been passed down through the ranks (and as Voldemort is alive he keeps Bella and the Lestranges and Barty in check in a way he didn't at this point in canon).

Lily lives a miserable life in which her husband and son are both dead, she's of no help to the cause, and she's trying to get on with it.

How Would the Order/Sirius/Dumbledore React?

See above but I imagine ostracization.

Sirius would never forgive Lily for James having died and Lily just selfishly allowing Harry to be killed. I imagine he'd blame her in his mind and believe that she had betrayed James personally by doing this. Not to mention what kind of a person/Gryffindor steps aside to let her baby be murdered?

The Order at large would likely have mixed opinions but the Weasleys for example would vocally condemn Lily and despise her for this.

Dumbledore would, I imagine, think much lesser of Lily and start saying things he says about Merope about how Lily just didn't love her son enough/wasn't a very strong woman. He wouldn't condemn her quite as much as Sirius or Molly but there'd be an undertone of "this happened because you are weak".

Would Severus Go After Lily and Tell Her He's Her Hero?

Severus is home free, you bet your ass he does.

Lily's probably out of the Order, James Potter his greatest enemy is dead, Sirius is out of the picture because of James's death, even the hellspawn Harry Potter is dead and out of the way.

They can now go back to exactly what they were and the Dark Lord did hold to his promise after all (and oh dear god Severus betrayed him behind his back, hope he doesn't find out about this).

I imagine Severus would try to reconnect and either:

lie about being a Death Eater entirely (probably won't work)

say he's realized the error of his ways, admit to giving the information to Dumbledore to save Lily's life, but he can't leave the Death Eaters because of the mark/he'll certainly be killed

Probably he goes with option 2 as he can't exactly pretend he never held his views or wasn't a Death Eater at all and he firmly believes that he took this huge risk, saved her life, and he's completely redeemed now.

Would This Be a Better AU for the Wizarding World and Lily?

Well.

Lily's son and husband died horribly, she's haunted by survivor's guilt forever, all her friends hate her and she's completely isolated, Snape is back on her doorstep believing she should be grateful to him for his actions and he deserves instant forgiveness, and the Dark Lord is still alive and well, has the future minister's son in his pocket, has infiltrated the government completely, and can take over any time he pleases with one out of two prophecy children dead (and Neville... probably doesn't last long after this).

So.

No.

It's better for 0 people.

It's actually much worse for everyone except Tom.

Tom is enjoying not being a wraith in Quirrel's head, thank you very much.

#harry potter #harry potter meta #the carnivorous muffin #thecarnivorousmuffinmeta #lily evans #tom riddle

[therealvinelle]

How are Fred and jaspers gift different? Is jasper more powerful

Fred's gift is to make you feel an overwhelming sense of disgust in his presence, you just want to leave. He was, canonically, that guy in high school. It's possible to grit your teeth and remain physically close to him, Bree does this all the time, but you will feel really gross doing it.

Jasper's gift is to sense and influence emotions, either for individuals or entire crowds. If he wants you to feel a certain way, you will, even if you know what he's doing and you don't agree to it (See: Bella knowing he's doing his thing and being angrily calm because he made it so she's calm now).

The fact that Fred's gift can be ignored, that he can't (as a newborn at least, he might learn to control it better) single out individuals he wishes to impact, all point to his gift being less dexterous than Jasper's.

Worth noting, Jasper should be able to do what Fred does, but Fred can only do a fraction of what Jasper does.

#fred #jasper hale #twilight #twilight renaissance #twilight meta #twilight gifts

[therealvinelle]

Man needed traits.

why does your alphard black have self esteem issues?

Anon, I think you win anon of the month, for asking why a character @therealvinelle and I essentially made up has traits we essentially made up.

As opposed to... other traits we could have made up instead I guess.

The real answer is "read the fics".

#my fic #the carnivorous muffin #the carnivorous muffin fic

[therealvinelle]

Ooh, anticipation!

And can confirm, especially as the transition from arc 1 to 2 is a slide, not very post-one-at-a-time friendly.

Sonce you guys are currently in Part 2 of Secret Fic, any plans on posting part 1 soon? Very excited to read if you do choose to post it.

Sadly the answer is no, and this is because as has been mentioned before, we've stuck it in a private collection on Ao3 which is great for editing (hooray) but bad for revealing things one chapter at a time.

It also lets us go back and edit things we need to in past chapters which does come up now and then.

So secret fic only when secret fic is done.

Look, @therealvinelle, anticipation!

#secret fic #my fic #the carnivorous muffin #the carnivorous muffin fic

[therealvinelle]

I haven't read any of the fic updates for months now and the asks y'all keep getting about new chapters makes me unsure I want to ever read them..... (Joking, I'll have a horrible time eventually reading them but I'll love it)

... I can only wonder what you make of Alphalord, then.

Hope you enjoy the fics once you get around to reading them! And that the nonsense on our blogs will make sense to you then.

Look, @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin, praise!

#my fic #the carnivorous muffin #the carnivorous muffin fic #atomicniire

[therealvinelle]

If a male vampire were kicked in the groin would it still hurt

Once upon a time I wrote a useful post, vampires and pain is a bullet point in it.

TLDR: no, because that's not how pain works for them.

#already answered

[therealvinelle]

And Albus would follow up with, "And that's okay!"

are Scorpius and Albus gay

In words Scorpius would likely say "super duper" gay.

#the best two hp characters are the ones jkr didn't write herself #cursed child #albus severus potter #scorpius malfoy #albus/scorpius #the carnivorous muffin #harry potter

[therealvinelle]

Aisle!!

Aro/Carlisle ship name

Contestants have battled, and only two prevailed. Tonight we poll for a true winner!

#aisle #shipname debacle #twilight shipping #twilight renaissance

[therealvinelle]

:')

Lily Evans/Tom Riddle Shipname Finale Poll

You chose, now choose again forever. Last round baby.

#motherkiller #shipname debacle #harry potter shipping

[therealvinelle]

Ooh, praise!

And agreed, Tom would find it mortifying. As would Alphard, they'd have to break up.

I really liked the scene in which Alphard gets into muggle clothes, and looks at himself in the mirror, comparing himself with Tom. It feels a lot like the Prince and the Pauper, but only on Alphard's head. Like, the idea of himself not being a Pureblood, or worse, not being a wizard at all, seems a rather close thread of thought he could have easily reached. And I know he would be horrified and, to his horror, intrigued by.

It all comes together when he compares himself with Tom. Because Tom is beautiful, is talented, is everything a wizard should be except for the fact he is muggleborn. And, for a moment, Alphard thought, or almost thought, about what it could be if they exchanged places. And he knows he would be even more invisible and plain than he already sees himself.

And Tom seems excited by the idea of Alphard dressed as a muggle. Aroused too. And a perverse part of me wonders, I must admit, if this whole line of reflections could end up as them role-playing. One in which Alphard is muggleborn or a muggle (since, after all, he already is acting as muggle when he becomes Tom's fiancée), and Tom as a Pureblood. On the other hand, Tom in your fics seems too socially conscious and resentful to actually want to be a Pureblood, other than because of the privilege and power it may give.

I think a lot about those two. Alphard somehow became one of my favorite characters in HP, and he is barely even mentioned in canon. I really love what you (as in you and Vinelle) created when writing him.

Amulette d'Amour by me and @therealvinelle

Ooooh, thank you, anon! Look, @therealvinelle, praise!

I'm deeply flattered, anon, very deeply flattered, your thoughts are beautiful, and I love every word of this, but I'm also laughing because "I think a lot about those two" and this chapter you're describing came out yesterday.

Yesterday.

(And Tom is both very socially conscious and resentful and, at this age especially, he uh... would be very conscious period of any kind of 'I'm a bad bad Pureblood prince and you're my naughty Muggle sex serf' routine.

The man may want to be a pretend Dark Lord, a very serious occupation he assures you, but notice that his pretend Dark Lord was not going to form himself a pretend harem or build a pretend sexual dungeon.

And yes, this is where Tom's head immediately go if suggested any kind of 'role play' even though he and Alphard could role play anything they want or do what they're already doing where they entertain little old ladies in costumes at dinner parties and pretend they're getting married.

Tom would die, just die, if Alphard accused him of wanting this,

"It's not like that, I swear, I really am just a bad bad man.")

#amulette d'amour #my fic #fic meta #the carnivorous muffin #the carnivorous muffin fic #alphalord

[therealvinelle]

It's a fantastic book, but I think better suited for the podcast format as there's the review itself, then the more individual episodes for various aspects we feel should be highlighted.

In the meantime I strongly (strongly!) recommend people read it themselves, it's incredibly entertaining, full of Spartacus moments.

Could you elaborate on your thoughts on the Cursed Child? I'm very interested to hear them.

Too many. Too long.

In seriousness the last time we brought this up @therealvinelle and I promised to do an @rankheresy series of episodes on them because there's... a lot (both in our general thoughts on what goes on in the play, the bit of heresy of 'actually this tracks with what we see canonically and everyone else is wrong and weak and here's why', some things in the play that we... don't think are what is said to our faces or what we're supposed to take away from it.

I could talk for days about Cursed Child.

But the people voted to hear HP things first in @rankheresy so we've been putting out those in the meantime.

Someday.

#cursed child #rank heresy #rank heresy podcast #the carnivorous muffin #thecarnivorousmuffinmeta

[therealvinelle]

Ooh, praise! And that is very nice of you, anon.

I'll go ahead though and say (since we cowrite to the extent that we do I'm assuming the request applies to both) that I won't be posting update announcements for my fics here on tumblr. I'm deeply flattered by anon though, and happily reblog posts about my fics when I see them.

you should post your fics on here when you update them so i can share them on my blog and scream. i love the writing you two do!

Y'know I never thought of it that way (and am very flattered, thank you). I figured that if people were interested they'd subscribe and no need for me to shout from the rooftops.

Thoughts, followers?

Look, @therealvinelle, praise!

#the carnivorous muffin #the carnivorous muffin fic #my fic

[therealvinelle]

wait tell us more about the deleted fic where the professor who is more competent than Tom (and capable of breaking the curse) gets fired bc Dumbledore hates him

Asker is referring to me mentioning a deleted fic I cowrote with @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin.

It was one of those failed ventures that had a great many wonderful things in it, but it ultimately wasn't... good. We chose to scrap the project, and the things we liked in it have been recycled in other fics, with that one big exception of the DADA teacher storyline.

To get ahead of follow-up questions:

Mine and the Muffin's approach to writing is to always outline first. We start with the premise, and let the idea play out in a bullet pointed play-by-play synopsis. This way we know where we're headed when we write, and even if we end up completely disregarding said outline we have the benefit of having thought things through. We sometimes do outlines for chapters, and while writing a fic we will frequently write new outlines as we write (first outline described the path from A-F, we get to C then write C-H, if that's at all illuminating - marking out the path as we go).

The whole point of this is having thought the fic's progression through before writing. It has helped us make important decisions regarding the plot, as an optional path wouldn't actually go the places we want it to. More importantly, it has sometimes revealed to us that a fic that was in the planning stage should never be allowed to get further. (This was actually the case with a recent Rank Heresy writing competition, as we confidently set about to outlining our idea only to realize that it wasn't... good...)

The big scrapped fic stands out in that this process failed us, we outlined up until a point and set about writing, getting several chapters in before having a sudden "Wait a minute, where is this going?" moment that led to a "How can we salvage this?" crisis mode that turned into the horrible realization the fic as a whole could not be saved as the idea itself was bad.

Absolutely tragic, but very educational and has led us to asking far more critical questions ahead of writing (such as "Can we actually write this?", "Do we want to write this?", or "Is this something we've already written, or that could be incorporated into an already existing fic instead?") rather than just plunging in.

The volume of Twilight fics, many of whom wound up extremely similar and treading parallel ground, is also a lesson in that we learned to think very carefully before launching a new one. Is this an original idea, or did we just repeat a previously written fic?

Thanks to the outline, and seeing a suggestion to how the fic would play out, we've been able to say early on and before actually writing anything that "Yes, this is just (insert fic name) with (insert small tweak). YIKES" and scrap the idea.

So with that, know that the deleted fic was scrapped with good reason but that the best parts of it live on in fics that are available on our Ao3s.

#my fic #fic meta #writing #the carnivorous muffin #the carnivorous muffin fic #stay-rayney

[therealvinelle]

Who is faster: Edward or Victoria?

Oh anon.

#the Debacle

[therealvinelle]

Do u think Bella will be able to successfully ghost Renee as a vampire?

Already answered!

#already answered

[therealvinelle]

pleeeeeease tell me all about christie thoughts i want to know it too

Oh my Agatha Christie thoughts are many and depend on the individual books. This applies tenfold to my thoughts on the adaptations.

I will say this on a general basis: Agatha Christie wrote her books in a very different time, and her books serve as a self-aware window to a bygone world that changes as the decades of her authorship rolls past. The observations an aging Miss Marple has in The Mirror Crack'd (the one I'm currently campaigning for @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin to read) on all that was familiar to her now becoming archaic and expired, as youth culture (that is, the 1950's) rises up are just as captivating to me as the murders and everything else that Christie has to offer.

I enjoy the people as Christie describes them, these varied and fascinating people who find themselves driven to murder not always because they were bad, but because their lives worked out the wrong way. That, or they're awful people who say "I can, so why not?"

I lastly enjoy that Agatha Christie approaches characters and narrators the way I prefer, which is that anybody could be lying or mistaken about anything at all. I have a post discussing one book that's a particularly good example of this.

Terrific author, deserving to be called the queen of crime. No one else will come close to dethroning her.

#agatha christie #literature

[therealvinelle]

I have another horrible and very cringy ship name: Snake Crossed Illness

1) Snake for all the reasons listed in SnakeSnake

2) Illness since that is how Alphard refers to his crush on Tom

3) Play on the phrase star crossed lovers because their relationship is forbidden both for homophobic and blood purity reasons

Alternatively I offer Dormmates in reference to the famous vine "And they were roommates! - Oh my god, they were roommates."

Oh my god.

Oh anon. I didn't see you!

Know that I love your beautiful suggestions, I love you, and I'm so sorry you didn't get to war against the other suggestions for a winning position. Snake Crossed Illness is beautiful to me and I might have voted for it.

... And I just remembered why I didn't post, I did see you. Unfortunately I was so taken out by your last sentence there and the realization that @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin and I have become completely obsessed with a real bona fide enemies to lovers, "oh my god they were roommates", ship.

I had to exit tumblr to recover, and subsequently forgot this entirely.

Well.

I'm sorry to you and to myself.

#alphalord #shipname debacle