#WE WILL NEVER GET VIKTORS BACKSTORY

[monimoonn]

My husband died at war (they cancelled Ice adolescence)

[ballerinarina]

𐙚Okay, brellies, theory time!

I decided to rewatch TUA S1 and I noticed a detail that chilled me, and that somehow I missed the four times before.

In EP2, when Five gets lost, his first instinct is to call VIKTOR and BEN. Their NAMES.

Which means at this time the kids already had been named! I always thought Five was called Five because they were named after he went missing!!

That rented a triplex in my head and I could only think: So he has a name too? What is his name? Why doesn't he use his name?

And then I tried to search about it, because I was sure I was the only person that never noticed that, and you guys can't imagine my surprise when I discovered ANOTHER detail I missed.

MAX'S DELICATESSEN

MAX!

No way! I mean, it's a Five's cafe, created by five where all the Fives visit! Who else would be Max? Only him!

But that doesn't answer my questions:

Why doesn't he use his name? And why did he use it this time to name the cafe?

I really need answers, theories, opinions, anything, guys.

[EDIT] UPDATES:

The dear @bookbutterfly1999 showed me two old articles about it, one where Gerard Way talks and another with Aidan's interpretation about the matter! (Tysm!)

According to WAY Five not being numbered is integral to his character development. [...] “Maybe they [Luther and Diego] will learn the numbers don’t matter, as Five did, which is why I feel he embraced his number as a name instead of a rank, and rejected an actual name (which I hope we see one day!).”

&

GALLAGHER: “In Season 1, they referenced each other by name there, and Five was in that, but he’s never gotten a name. I suppose Grace was choosing names for the children, and there may have been one for Five, but it’s my understanding that he rejected it. That’s how I think about his relation to a name. A number always superseded him. It was almost a resentful, spiteful action, in the face of Hargreeves. I don’t really think he cares about such things as a number. Five has always been this brilliant, very cunning, and weird little mind, so a number suited him, in a way, and he grew accustomed to it. [...] He probably rejected the name because he thought it was petty, or something like that. [...]”

It's just so interesting to have the answer to why he rejected his name! Five is such a complex character.

Since Gerard insinuated that we could may see his given name someday, I think that the theory that it's Max is still super valid!

Which makes the question remain: what guided him to give this name to the delicassen? I would love to have this answer someday! Theories?

[LINKS TO THE ARTICLES]

[queermediaismypassion]

so i've been seeing people complain that the vander and silco backstory with the girls' mom retconned season 1 and i'm absolutely baffled by it

i always found the bridge scene a little confusing because of how trusting the girls were of vander after seeing him beat people up. sure, he wasn't in an enforcer uniform, but i'd still be scared of a big man like that who was just beating people to death lol. knowing they already knew eachother before the bridge, that he helped raise them as sort of an uncle, makes it make more sense. (i never saw it as a flaw of the scene, it was always really touching, but the added context helps)

the thing i see most people bring up is the fact that the girls would've known silco. yeah, and ? they never state that they have no idea who that man is, do they ? just because they don't talk about his past with them in season 1 doesn't mean introducing that in season 2 is retconning anything, it adds context.

i imagine silco is a sore topic for vander, and powder was so young who know how much she remembers of him. it makes complete sense to me that they wouldn't really talk about it and only focus on who silco is now in the present.

now as stated above, we don't really know how much powder remembers of him. we don't see him be as involved with raising the girls as vander in the flashback, but that doesn't necessarily mean he wasn't as involved. we see the flashbacks through viktor poking around in vander's brain after all.

we don't knowwhat powder is thinking when she tackles him with a hug; whether she was just desperately seeking comfort from the nearest person or from silco because she knows him. it does, however, add some context to how easily silco gave in and hugged her back instead of following through and killing her. not only did he see himself in her, he was close with her mother and watched her grow up. we know silco is more than willing to exploit and threaten kids. he was fully intending to kill powder until the moment she hugged him, but i'm not so sure he would've taken pity on just any child who did that if he had no history with them.

i'd love to see some arguments for why you think the backstory retconned season 1 if there's others, but the ones i've seen so far just makes me think people jumped to conclusions without actually thinking back on season 1 and just went with their understanding of it that was formed with missing context.

don't get me wrong, you're allowed to dislike the backstory if you liked the story better thinking vander was a complete stranger when he took them in and/or that silco and powder/jinx were complete strangers. disliking it and saying it retconned season 1 are however two completely different things.

[psychic-refugee]

I agree with pretty much everyone that the season was rushed. They had so much going on and just didn’t do any kind of exposition or building of the storyline. Even if they had the normal 10-episode season, I don’t know how they would have done anyone’s storyline justice.

So, even for a Netflix season, it was short and rushed.

I think it could have been a really good season if they had the time to actually tell the story.

Some things I wished they had developed.

The bond between Jennifer and Ben. Or just having a backstory for Jennifer at all. She was literally just there and I felt I knew nothing about her. Marigold made 43 gifted children, did Durango only make Jennifer? If Marigold gives powers, does Durango make them even more ordinary? lol

They could have had a plot where maybe both particles give powers, but when they are in proximity to someone with the opposite particle, their powers get nullified.

If Lila and Five were gonna go Timeline hopping, they could have shown several timelines where Jennifer and Ben keep meeting tragic ends when they meet each other. I would have loved it if they were “Star Crossed Lovers” on steroids where literally every time they meet, they either die or bring about the end of the world.

I wished they played up more the idea that the Umbrella Academy as a unit/existing at all meant doom for the Universe.

Where if Ben and Jennifer don’t meet/die early enough, then Viktor causes the apocalypse. If Viktor doesn’t cause the apocalypse, then it’s Five with his wrecking the timeline to the point it creates a kugleblitz. If Five doesn’t cause it, then show how the others all bring about the doom.

Klaus always awakens too many of the dead and they kill everyone, zombie apocalypse style.

Alison’s ability progresses to the point that anything she says becomes reality, and she inadvertently causes the world to end because she gets pissed and wished “everyone would drop dead” or some other kind of Monkey Paw consequence to a misguided wish.

Diego is blamed for every assassination because of his abilities, and it starts a nuclear war between countries.

Luther gets captured by a shady government entity where they want to use his DNA or recreate Reginald’s serum to create super soldiers, as his powers are the most coveted for a fascist regime. They’re successful and there’s an apocalypse created by world wars.

Instead of Viktor getting two seasons of ending the world and Five and Ben getting one; It should have been a 7-season storyline where they each end the world in their own way and they continuously try to fix it. Season 7 is where it ends with all of them voluntarily being absorbed by the Cleanse because they realize, “It’s me. Hi, I’m the problem it’s me.”

I wish they had gone deeper into Abigail Hargreeves, and not only on her research for Marigold and Durango, but her apparent resentment of being brought back to life. Like, how did she come to the plan of putting the Cleanse in motion? They couldn’t have at least done a montage of the six years between the resurrecting time reset and the beginning of season 4?

It would have been nice to see the dynamic between Reginald and Abigail. Is he so self-centered that he never noticed his wife was plotting to end the universe as they knew it? Was she horrified at the lengths he went to in order to resurrect her? Was he completely different around her? Soft, caring?

Did she try to live a happy life with Reginald, but couldn’t knowing that because Marigold and Durango still existed, that it was only a matter of time before it went to shit?

Was Abigail aware of the broken timeline and the inevitable eternal loop of apocalypse and resets, and that’s why she chose the Cleanse?

Season Four wasn’t finished, IMO, and we really only saw the Wiki version.

[applebuttercringe]

Arcane episode 7 initial thoughts

-OMG why won’t my internet work

-Ok it is here

-EKKO?

-Aw it’s adorable

-Aw it’s traumatized

-is he in an alternate dimension?

-Woah! Jinx without the trauma is adorable. So this is an alternate universe where the bad stuff didn’t happen? A canon fix it fic?

-IDK about the Imagine Dragons hate, this theme song is a banger.

-The song! Is this the Viktor and Jayce song?

-Is this a free Zaun?

-Not powder calling me out about my sleep schedule.

-Canon timebomb? Trouble in paradise?

-Claggor and Mylo.

-Oh that girl used to be a kinder in the other dimension. Mylo likes her.

-I hope this universe isn’t destroyed.

-Powder has a pink hair streak. Is it a Vi tribute? Is she dead? Is that the catch?

-Zaun is so much brighter here

-Heimer waiting for years is so on character.

-aw Vi is dead isn’t she. They’re gonna visit a grave huh.

-Jayce content!!!

-A lot of vomiting this episode.

-Is it the mage who gave him the gemstone, here to teach him like it’s the ghost of Christmas future? Or is it Viktor? Or both?

-called it on Vi being dead

-Does this alternate universe make it so that the only thing keeping Piltover and Zaun apart was the invention of Hextech and Avis arrest. That’s kinda lame? They weren’t this friendly before. The oppression is the character fault?

-I’m getting Fallout from the Jayce parts.

-There we get the leg injury.

-Are these the caves where Viktor met Singed?

-How did he find stuff to build a fire?

-oop he got Hexcore in his blood

-Won’t he starve, what is he eating? This is a lot to montage through.

-How long was it?

-Vi is badass

-Is he encouraging her to go crazy?

-A new generation of visionaries

-Aw they’re falling in love

-Jinx spent weeks helping them build a device and never asked what it does?

-Aw man

-Is Viktor gonna be in the orb?!

-SILCO SILCO SILCO SILCO SILCO VANCO VANCO VANCO?

-The made up in this universe? That was possible?!

-THOSE MEN ARE MARRIED

-timebomb prom. This is a fanfiction. Pure wish fulfillment. I love it.

-Are they gonna kiss? This is adorable. I love them. The almost kiss!

-THE ACTUALLY KISS

-Meanwhile jayce is fighting for his life

-Aw man, he has to leave. This was inevitable but still.

-Is the wizard someone we know? Jayce in the future? Viktor?

-Is heimerdinger leaving?

-Is heimerdinger dead? Is Ekko dead? Or is just leaving the Ekko he was inhabiting here behind?

-awww

Tbh the Jayce stuff fell flat for me. They used the most intense and non character specific trauma imaginable to turn him into a different character and put a montage over most of it.

Also the portrayal of Piltover and Zaun if there was no hextwch? It was adorable, tons of fan service. But it was also just…too perfect. The harmony defies the broken world the show started in. Hextech didn’t create the oppression Zaun experiences. Vi being alive didn’t prevent Silco and Vander from making up. I just don’t see how the changes we know happened would lead to this world.

The episode was entertaining, soul food. But in another way it was disappointing. The fact that this is Jayce’s backstory/justification was a wasted opportunity.

[cl-0v3r]

Any hopes or protections for act two or even three!? (Im asking for a friend(totally not just shy))

HIIIIIIIII ♡♡♡

I do infact have hopes and predictions for act two or even three !!! Not a lot of three tho because a week isn't enough time to think 😭

First of all, I think Mel is going to suffer the most in this act out of the other acts, she is in LeBlancs hands and leblanc tends to torture people she finds interesting (aka people w magic), not to mention she's her enemy's daughter. Wether its physical or psychological torture, she will make sure Mel will be on edge if it serves her an advantage. I feel like this act is when Mel sees, hears and learns about things that she'd never known before, so that really tips the cup for her into changing her course of action. As for if she will get out of it or not? I'm not really sure. She has armor, but we don't know how effective it is towards leblancs magic, I really hope she does get out and she most likely will find a way.

For act 3? there is nothing I could think of. I've heard people say something about how the trailers are mostly ~act 1- act 2, and honestly it all makes sense for it to be that way. I feel like act 3 is where everything ends, redemption starts, characters start going back to who they were at their core, characters pay the price, characters go through guilt and what not. So sum it up, its going to be more focused on characters emotional wellbeings rather than actions. I do think there will be an after-shock lf the war too, perhaps its where re-building happens.

Secondly, I think Jayce and Viktor are going to go through the ACTUAL break-up this act, with actual violence, considering there may be a timeskip? Viktor could've became machine herald already, and Jayce has grown a beard so, after sitting through viktors WONDERFUL MOSES SHENANIGANS he met his limit and went to stop him, or viktor finds Jayce in the undercity and approaches him. We also see caitlyn with a new gun so that could mean Jayce is still present on topside rather than completely focusing on ripping viktors head off.

Okay so caitlyn scares me, it scares me that Ekko is not there and caitlyn KNOWS where the firelight base is, I hope not but she might go there for god knows what, and lead the enforcers with her or soldiers or whoever, which could cause abseloute hell in the base.

I think the arcane will start appearing in random yet specific places too, the corruption will affect piltover and zaun negatively which could cause hindrance to everyone.

For ambessa, I feel like the reason she goes against the enforcers/vice versa is either because those aren't actual enforcers, but Inx/people of zaun. We saw vi carrying an enforcer on her back, which i don't think shes an enforcer here.. I think ambessa is going to go THROUGH IT with enemies all over.

Ekko, I think he builds his Z drive from wherever he is, I dont think it will be complete, but its going to be there. And he will actively be trying to find Jinx in admist of it all.

I think Jinx, Sevika and Isha will stay in the undercity for the most part, perhaps for preparation, or taking a rest, or maybe Jinx could be building things for everyone. but once they hear of them all being imprisoned she gets off of her ass and gets them out.

I want to see more character backstories too, that would make things so much more detrimental.

Im honestly not sure whats going to happen, I just hope Mel is safe and im really curious to know where they're going to take Viktor and Jayce, i need to see more of Ambessa aswell. I'm very excited for act 2 this week was LONG ENOUGH

THANK YOU FOR SENDING ME THIS ASK <33333

[stealerofthe2ndbraincell]

ARCANE ACT 3

LIVEBLOG TIME! 🎉🎉

(Once again, more like a reaction then a live blog but sssh)

S2 Ep8: Killing Is A Cycle

Mel in the Ebenezer Scrooge chains again (I know it was Jacob Marley that was in the chains throughout but still) :(

THIS TRANSFORMATION IS SO COOL.

Would be a bit cooler if she wasn't screaming bloody murder throughout but I get it.

They really took some of the excellent bits of her design and decided to really lean into them more for this.

I kind of wish the internet hadn't fucked over the word "empath" cause that made me giggle.

We can't see the sorceress from here but is she meant to resemble the girl from Mel's backstory?

I need to stop pausing to say this immediately before it happens.

Okay so it isn't her, duly noted. I would suck in a fight against this thing.

Did it really say "yeah you're cool but you can still be stabbed, so how powerful are you actually 🙄🙄".

Calamity and Red seem to be associated strongly cause I immediately thought of Breath of the Wild.

I'm living for this backstory.

She must be so cold.

It's all coming back :((

OH SHIT VIKTOR'S IN THE ORB NOW.

God. That's terrifying. Viktor is suddenly extremely terrifying to me.

I'm surprised Ambessa isn't remotely surprised at him mentioning Jayce. He was probably missing for months at this point.

"I will evolve all those willing" so everyone? Everyone in your cult, Viktor? Because they're a literal hivemind so I doubt he'd have much problem.

VI I MISSED YOU.

YOU DID NOT HAVE TO HAVE THAT ISHA FLASHBACK OMG:((

Why does it look like a pokeball? That's so distracting lol

God Maddie is failing across the board, it's embarrassing, girl...

This argument between Cait and Vi was so deserved to be honest.

Maddie is probably hearing all of this...

I never considered Jinx would surrender.

Is Jinx not eating?

Damn what if you just punched me in the gut wow...

Her nails bleeding HURT me so much

"no amount of good deeds can undo OUR crimes" I'm so interested in the "our" from Caitlyn....

Jayce, love ya, but I am not on your side in this argument.

Although, Mel I think calling him and Viktor a "wise investment" in this moment is probably not the move either but still

I was slightly concerned that Jayce's flashbacks (? Would that be the right term for these) would stop once Viktor was "killed". Apparently not.

I'm happy for this turnabout.

I thought in Act 2 he reminded me of S1 Jinx and I'm pushing with that idea now.

Oh nevermind. He almost shot Viktor again.

I know it is very likely one of his followers and not actually Viktor, but damn that robot waist line lmao

Poor Mel probably has very little clue what's going on right now.

I'm distracted by Jayce's design tbh. The black and red colour scheme is sooo nice on his new look.

....

...Well that caught me off guard...

He STILL wants Jayce to be his partner WHAT :'(

"My partner died in this room." OUCH

MEL, MY GIRL!!! 👏👏👏👏

I want to be more enthusiastic for her, but she looks borderline in pain whenever she uses her magic so far :((

WHY ARE YOU PURPLE, JAYCE??

WAIT SO WAS VIKTOR WAITING TO SEE IF JAYCE WOULD JOIN HIM BEFORE STARTING THE EVOLUTION?

After last episode I legitimately, for a second, thought Silco was still alive.

He's not a nice person at all obviously, but in Jinx's hallucination he seems to sound harsher to her?

I did not need to see her spit that out up close.

Wait. It actively fell from her mouth where is it?

O W

I AM SO SCARED, JINX. WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'RE GOING TO "BREAK THE CYCLE"

Is there a reason Mel needs to wear the cloak?

"You will never be a passenger". Listen , I was actually hoping for more from my Jayce and Mel interactions. Both scenes they feel very off-kilter and standoffish of each other. A lot more tense then before (for understandable reasons considering what they both just went through) that I was hoping would start to heal.... but has'nt. However, that line hit.

I am obsessed with the designs of these background characters.

Am I missing something? Who is that playing that random piano??

I feel bad. I don't recognise him.

This entire sequence hurts.

OH. Wait I think I get the inclusion of the piano man. I hope I do otherwise I've just completely forgotten a character lol

[lylathewise]

S2:E5 First thoughts

Man, that guy will never keep his jaw, if Vi has anything to say about it

Ugh, that one Silco goon. Ick

They're legit reuniting? I'm bouncing about this

Aww, I was kinda hoping Ambessa was dead. I was all pumped to write about how Caitlyn would steadily lose more allies and people she could talk to, becoming more unhinged and descending while Jinx rises and becomes more stable with friends and allies, showing that support means everything. I still think that's where this is headed

Caitlyn looks like a vampire, and then she's surrounded by all this gore?

Ooh, the visualizing thing came back

Damn, Singed isn't dead and is now in the hands of Piltover? Although, maybe Salo will come looking for him?

Literally how do they know Singed summoned Warwick with his blood?

Mel, my baby, what did they do to you?

The prison cell looks dope though

Yay!! I knew they'd at least show her brother!

Big ol mouthful of marshmallow fluff

Ooh, they're really having it out

The shade! Stop, Jinx, she's already dead, just look at her hair!

God, this is such sister fighting, it's great

That little flash of who I assume is Singe's daughter? Chilling

YOUNG SILCO, I REPEAT YOUNG SILCO

So they did keep the backstory where Silco was the one who initiated the riot by throwing a molotov cocktail, getting Powder and Vi's parents killed

The contrast between the young Jinxs eyes, yeesh

Ok, so Singe merged the faces of himself and Silco in Vanders mind? And also made him hotter? His working eye? The longer hair? I'm not ok

Kino is such a charming rebellious son

Of course the writing on the wall is the way to get out

Is Kino working with Black Rose?

The daughter's room is beautiful

I love this way of taking Mel out of her regular zone of influence and really letting her shine

Aww, I'm kinda sad Kino really is dead, but the show can't handle another character to focus on

Mel going Super saiyan wasn't on my bingo card, but I love it. I'm a little sad that she isn't just a regular human, everybody has to be super special in some way

So did Silco kill Vanders wife by accident? Or was he already angry about it and Silco pissed him off?

Blisters and bedrock, their mining motto, I love it so much

The way she said "Vander, no" like telling him not to be on the couch

Vi is chasing the monsters away from Isha

Young Vander! So cute!

YOUNG SILCO!!! I'M GOING TO LOSE MY MIND

look at my little revolutionary scribbling with that bun!!!

Ok, that nail polish and that voice, she's absolutely Vi and Jinxs mother

We get silco smile?! Oh Silco community, we fucking ball

Vander doing the same juice routine for Jinx as he did for her mother while the same song plays? What if I cried?

Soft Silco and Vander? I feel like I'm dreaming

Ohhh Silco loves her. Oh no

Ohhh, no wonder Silco was so fucking furious. Vander completely gave up on her memory, at least that's what he thought, until he took in one of her daughters too

Yay big hug!!!

Aaaaa big hug!!!!

How did Salo get fixed??

How's it feel to be forever physically scarred by the results of your actions, Jayce? How's it feel?

Ohhh, he went to Viktor! Of course, when the Messiah comes around, you gotta go!

Do you want to speak to your ex? Ha, no time for an answer, here he is!

Woooowwww, basically no hesitation in mercing Salo. Respect, Jayce

This is my new favorite episode, I got post breakup Vi, Sisterly fighting, My beloved ratman, Big family Reunion, Two exes seeing each other after divorce, and Jayce not fucking around anymore 10/10

[ink-and-dagger]

We need to know, what do you think so far of this season ?

I haven’t fully gathered all my thoughts yet but I’ll put the ones I have under a read more just in case

Fortiche really put their entire Fortussy into the animation so far this season 🔥

They packed a lot of action into the first 3 episodes (maybe too much??). Felt like there was barely a second to breathe and get your bearings, idk but hopefully they’re setting up for some slower, quieter story/character moments in act 2&3

The start of episode 2 man 😭 I’m really glad that they addressed how much Jinx and Sevika miss Silco, and I just really hope that he remains a presence throughout the whole season and that we get the backstory of what happened with him and Vander.

Fish Silco 🐟

Ella Purnell is putting all the other voice acting to shame imo atm

Was not expecting Viktor Jesus arc but pop off my robo boy you go and turn water into machine oil(?)

Obsessed with Sevika’s new deranged carnival arm, it’s the most Jinx thing ever

Also very much enjoying that Jinx has accidentally picked up a daughter, I just know that Silco is cackling bout that in his watery grave

I never liked Caitlyn and my opinion of her has plummeted even further

But overall I think it was a promising start. Doesn’t match up to season 1 for me yet, but I’m looking forward to seeing what they’ve done with the rest of the season

[lightshiningforth]

The third season of TUA had Allison, grief-stricken and desperate, go down a dark path. She allied against her siblings with (a version of) their abusive father to build a new world catered to her (and his) wishes. Then, in the fourth season, all of that gets brushed over.

Why don’t we get to see Allison adjusting to the world she made? Struggling with the uncanniness of it, the ethics? She has her husband from the 1960s, Ray, and her daughter from the 2010s, Claire. How does that work? Is this a world in which Ray is Claire’s biological father… in which case, does Allison feel like an ache hidden deep in her heart that this is NOT the daughter she lost, the original one she had with Patrick? Or, is Patrick still Claire’s father, and if so… where is he? Did Allison write a world where she and Patrick are still divorced, but here, SHE gets custody? Or did she write Patrick out of existence, and Claire is a staggering anomaly. A girl whose father isn’t dead, isn’t absent, but never existed. How does Claire remember her childhood, given that she sprang into existence fully formed at the age Allison remembered her? Does Claire ever get a creeping sensation that her memories are off? Does Allison feel guilty that she conjured Claire from memory and robbed her of her true past? Or, does she feel righteous and justified about getting a do-over?

And Ray, oh, Ray. How does he experience the world? They fell in love specifically as activists in the 1960s. Does he remember? Did she build him an alternate backstory? Do his memories go fuzzy around the edges if he thinks about them too hard? Does he leave her, leave this woman about whom an alternate version of himself said, “I would take this year with you over a lifetime with anyone else,” because something in his gut screamed WRONG WRONG WRONG? Or does he know, does he remember everything they went through… and he leaves her because she knew how he felt about staying in his own time and world and she took him from it anyway?

How does Allison cope when the perfect family she went mad to make starts falling apart?

And the siblings, the siblings… at the last moment in season 3, Viktor powers down and decides to trust Allison. The others don’t make that call. Where’s the confrontation with them? The brothers railing against her for working with Hargreeves for her own ends, while she shoots back that they didn’t care when SHE lost everything? Where’s the anger from Luther, from Ben, that this glorious new world doesn’t have Sloane in it?

What was the point of constructing such a juicy, conflict-ridden situation only to brush right by it?

[drspencereidshairtie]

The Umbrella Academy Season Four: A Retcon

- they never get their powers back

- they have to navigate just being human

- they work actual realistic jobs (NO CIA)

- they have to find their place in society

- five has to go to highschool or college or whatever?

- basically the whole szn but like the first episode kinda?

- klaus didn't cut his hair (at least not that short) 😭🙏

- no gross-out v*mit scene (seriously, I hated that!!)

- absolutely no marigold and django. worst plotline ever.

- jennifer could just be ben's girlfriend he met at her coffee shop or café or whatever, no django weirdness.

- allison goes to therapy. in fact they all go to family therapy. just...therapy. PLEASE. GO TO THERAPY.

- they let klaus actually stay sober??????????????????? instead of forcing him to be flanderized back into 'im a junkie alcoholic there's no other choice'?? which just felt insanely invalidating towards actual addicts who have... overcome their addictions?? and I'm not even an addict?

- lila and diego go to couples therapy or get divorced or separate or whatever the fuck instead of all that insane bullshit that went down.

- I actually really really really liked what they did with viktor this season. No notes there, keep that going.

(also is it just me or is anyone else irked by the fact that the two characters with squid / octopus related powers and backstories are asian and also romantically entangled or am i just being overly sensitive? Lmk)

I genuinely would rather a boring ass anti-climactic final season like this over what we got. They could have done a lot with them being normal people.

They could even have had another apocalypse if they really wanted, but have the umbrella academy have to navigate it as REGULAR HUMANS for once. Let them have to work through their limitations, or let the 'cure' just be that they have to die in an apocalypse rather than avoiding it to fix the timeline. (NOT THE CLEANSE).

There was so much potential for season four..............but unfortunately we happened to live in the timeline where all of it was squandered. #Earth616sucks

[lavendersugarplum]

I‘M JUST COMING ON HERE TO SAY THAT SEASON 4 WAS SO ASS!!

LIKE WHO WROTE THE SCRIPT?! FANFIC WRITERS?

I'm beyond relieved that I had already decided to rewrite this season to salvage Zero's character because there's no way I'm accepting this garbage as canon.

Let's be real - Seasons 1 and 2 were the peak of this show. Everything went downhill from Season 3, but I foolishly held out hope that they'd turn it around. Boy, was I wrong. This season was straight up ASS. To be honest, I might even do a season three rewrite as well.

No Sloane? No Umbrella Ben?  Don't even get me started on how they literally RUINED Five's character. Five would NEVER betray his brother like that. I can guarantee you that Zero would absolutely hate him this season. Honestly, she would've already checked out from the family as soon as they arrived in that new reality. Him falling in love with Lila was so out of character and almost disgusting to me, because you've known this dude ever since he was in a 13-year-old body. It's just weird to me. I just can't believe that this franchise would ruin probably the most loved character in the fandom. And then they went and made the last part all about his feelings.

Like mother like daughter, I guess. I've never liked Lila's character in the first place, but this season just solidified my stance. She was basically used as a shipping tool. She was already a Mary Sue before. I was just starting to warm up to her in season three because I already had predicted that we were basically stuck with her. They basically turned her into Y/N, and not the likeable kind. That love triangle was completely unnecessary and poorly executed. JUSTICE FOR DIEGO. He should've ended up with Eudora. They should've revived her somehow.

They completely abandoned plot threads from the end of Season 3. What happened to Allison's husband? What about Ben in the subway? And Luther's search for Sloane? It's like they forgot their own story.

The ending was so full with plot holes. They conveniently ignored the existence of other children born from the marigold, which was a crucial part of Lila's backstory. If the timelines are bleeding together, these other children should have caused major issues. The show's always had continuity problems, but ignoring a fundamental part of the story's premise is just inexcusable.

The Jennifer and Ben storyline was a complete waste of time. In previous seasons, they took care to develop new characters like Sloane, and the new Ben in Season 3. Jennifer's story was so rushed and disconnected that I couldn't bring myself to care about her at all. They ditched Sloane for THIS?! Ben's attachment to her made no sense either. It's a terrible way to create an end-of-timeline scenario with a character no one knows or cares about due to lack of screen time.

Killing off the entire cast in the finale is an enormously risky move that can backfire. You need a rock-solid narrative reason and the audience's complete buy-in to pull this off. The Umbrella Academy failed miserably. It felt rushed and lazy, like they couldn't be bothered to explore any other options. We've seen Victor extract the Marigold from Harlan before, so the alternatives DO EXIST.

Klaus's character was criminally underutilized. This dude ALWAYS came through for his family in the end. This time, his character was completely wasted. And don't even get me started on how Allison gets a free pass after all the horrible things she did after they treated Viktor like crap, for the whole third season.

This season was an insult to fans who have invested time and emotion into this show. It's clear the writers have lost their way and have no idea how to properly conclude this story. I'm beyond disappointed and frustrated with how they've ruined what was once a promising series. In Netflix, a series is either canceled or they F up the franchise. They should've just left this show at three seasons and ended it anonymously. Can't believe we waited two years for this?

[real-frog-girl-shit]

list of things they didn't explain further pissing me off about umbrella academy season 4:

-why was jennifer in the squid

-how did jennifer get the durango in the first place

-what was the end goal of hargreeves keeping jennifer alive in that town at all? he clearly has no issue killing the kids, why not just kill her once he found her?

-how would jennifer know what 'the cleanse' was when she got out of the squid?

-did jennifer have a family? was she just born in a squid? why a squid? they used to to connect to ben but like...why

-why do jennifer and ben have a connection at all other than the fact that they both have squids in their backstory?

-how the fuck would claire, grace, and the twins (also were they ever named? insane if not) be alive after everything? their parents quite literally do not exist

-how did ray get into this timeline? this might be something i missed from season 3 but like... what? and where is he now? i keep seeing quotes being like he felt out of place in this timeline, so he's what, just gonna go out by himself and still live in this timeline? what?

-why did lila get laser eyes

-which version of five ended up leaving the book in the subway? and why? he said it was his handwriting and he was surprised to see it. i thought we would see him live out a life outside of lila and leaving it there for himself to find but nope...he just happened to find it hiding in a subway track. its not even like something made him go look there, he just dropped his flashlight

-why did the cleanse turn ben and jennifer into...that

-how would ben know what the "original timeline" is supposed to look like to even show viktor

-what the fuck was abigail's deal like for real what the fuck. why do all of that. and why now. literally made no sense

-how is grace alive at that age in the 'original timeline' when she was a fuckin robot in modern times and her human equivalent was that age in the 60s

-never fully explained throughout the whole show what the deal with the technology was. there was nary a cell phone to be seen until the 'original timeline'. never got an explanation for that

-how did they still have marigold in this timeline at all? and if abigail wanted to cause all that destruction in the first place and knew about jennifer, why not just go to jennifer herself with the marigold she had and just start the apocalypse herself

i'm sure there's so many other things i'm forgetting and this is not even touching on the absolute character assassinations and plot holes. i'm so tired and just gonna patiently wait for the comics to continue cuz my gawd this was a mess

[clonerightsagenda]

Arcane S2E6

The further we get into the season without the sex Netflix keeps warning me about appearing the more nervous I get. Sex jumpscare

"That isn't Jayce. There is another will at work within him." Pot, meet kettle. Interesting that astral plane Viktor looks like his old self and emotes, whereas real world Viktor looks off.

Imagining doing laundry for all the white robes in Viktor's commune… bold color choice

Is that really Sky after getting devoured by the hex core, or is that something else wearing a face that Viktor's guilt will respond to? The same way something pretended to be Mel's brother?

Emo bangs sisters

Hell yeah let's have fun with stylization again. This season sure likes its music videos

God damn it Singed

Viktor is still dying, huh? Man cannot catch a break

Caitlyn jumped Vi and started beating her with a rifle butt before even knowing who she was. What, does she just clobber everyone she comes into contact with now

One petname and Caitlyn cracks immediately. Most spineless military dictatorship figurehead

Is Jayce seeing possible futures, something he's being shown to mislead him, or is this Truesight?

Why did Shimmer give Jinx cool powers without any bodily distortions or side effects like all the others? Again. Is Jinx Dead

Where is Ekko. Is Ekko coming out of the orb with his time powers

I know in original LoL lore Jayce and Viktor were never on great terms and I feel like the show wrote a closer backstory for them and then went oh shit but they gotta fight later and so now Jayce is possessed by the spirit of League of Legends canon. Please do not get in my notes explaining how League of Legends isn't even League of Legends canon anymore. That post is getting so many notes rn that notification blocker keeps breaking and I keep seeing people um actually-ing me.

How many times can these sisters have their parents get killed in front of them. When is enough enough. I mean I assume he's sticking around in some capacity bc the werewolf guy is a playable character but his time with fragmentary memories is probably over.

Well at least I don't have to look at that guy's beard anymore

There goes Isha as predicted. Good luck hanging onto your hard won scraps of stability now, Jinx. They love putting her on the alignment merry go round

Maybe the plotlines will converge in a great and elegant way in the last 3 episodes, but this season is really lacking the tightness of season 1. I think it could have reasonably tackled half of this

[doctorho]

Holy Darkness, pt. 1

hello! my peeps! what's up!!!

it's here! the vampire au! i have no idea how long i'm gonna make this thing, we'll see where the Vibes take us.

this is going to be vampire!Viktor x gender neutral reader multichapter fic

2,3k words, no warnings. i mean, general spooky vibes, but we all know he isn't actually evil okay. i mean the reader doesn't know that. yet. but we know that. right?

(some backstory for this fic idea here and here)

I mean. It’s not like you meant to trespass on the property of the nocturnal hermit living in a rundown abandoned library.

Or maybe you did. A little bit. But that’s not the point. 

The point is that you’re there now, in the quiet darkness, surrounded by the scent of wet leaves and heavy silence; the kind that drips down the back of your neck and tingles as it curls around your spine. 

It had been a perfectly ordinary night, so far. You’d closed up the small bookshop you worked at, quietly getting everything ready for the next day, swept the floors, just like you always did. You’d eaten dinner alone in your small quiet apartment, just like you always did. You’d put out some food for the too-thin stray cat that hung around your street, and wished, bone-deep, that something in your small quiet life would change.

Just like you always did.

It wasn’t bad, your life. It was actually pretty good, considering. But it was boring. Stagnant. And you just…wanted something more. The town was small and quiet and nothing much ever happened – the most exciting event of your week was usually the gossip you overheard at the weekly book club meetings, which didn’t exactly make you feel better about your own life. A good percentage of the elderly ladies in the book club (or their neighbors) seemed to lead more exciting lives than you did. 

You shouldn’t compare yourself to others, you knew that. But your life was boring, and you spent your days surrounded by books; epic adventures, romances that made your heart melt, countless stories where someone gets thrown into a land straight out of your imagination, fantasies where there’s a whole other world just a breath away from this one– 

It made your own life seem even more boring in comparison. 

And it didn’t exactly help that the only thing this town had going for itself – besides the book club – was that there was an abandoned library that was, allegedly, inhabited by a hermit, who – allegedly – might have been a vampire. 

You weren’t sure how much of that story was true. Yes, there was the abandoned library, condemned to be closed down years ago after some unfortunate water damage and lack of funding to rebuild it. Yes, there seemed to be someone living in there. Sometimes you saw lights on in the windows, things that had moved around as if on their own. Someone seemed to be taking care of the property, too, at least to some extent. 

Yes, no-one ever really saw this person out during daylight hours. 

All anyone knew was that 1) there seemed to be someone living there, 2) the collective guess was that it was a man, probably pretty young, and definitely a loner.

And at some point the collective understanding had also accepted that this man was, allegedly, a vampire.

You weren’t sure you believed that last part. Vampires were, technically, not recognized by science. You’d never met one, that you knew of. But…they were a stable factor in local folklore, and all those stories had to come from somewhere. Right?

And…the longer you stood there, watching the dark building and the dim golden light pouring out from the windows, the more you started to entertain the thought that maybe vampires existed, and maybe this man was one of them. 

He seemed to lead an unusual life, and yeah, maybe he was just a hermit, but…for some reason you couldn’t quite convince yourself of that. No-one just appears out of nowhere and sets up camp in an abandoned building, never to be seen in daylight again.

You’d seen his shadow in the window a few times, passing by. You couldn’t see much of his features, but he was lean, like people had said. You stayed hidden the best you could – this was the first time you’d gotten this close – and just…tried to win this internal fight with yourself about whether you should turn around and go home right now or just get a little bit closer. Just stay a little bit longer. 

(You weren’t sure which side of your brain you were hoping would win).

You knew it was stupid, being there. 

You didn’t know how dangerous this man was, vampire or not. For all you knew he could have been 100% human and still been a murderer or something. 

But you were curious. 

That’s all it boiled down to. 

You didn’t want anything from this man. You just wanted to know. Who he was, what he was doing in there–

and if vampires really existed. 

Maybe you should be blaming all those fantasy books in your shop, but – dammit – you wanted to know if something more than this boring human existence really was out there. It was like an itching in your bones; you wanted to know. Your soul refused to settle, and it got more and more restless the longer you went on with your normal little life.

Besides, the man lived in a library. You had no idea how many books were in there that no-one in this town even remembered anymore. 

You wanted to know. 

That’s what makes you stay. Even when half your brain and most of your blood was constantly telling you that you should go, leave, now. 

You don’t really even have a plan. It’s not like you’re going to just knock and go up to him and say hey, I was wondering, what’s your deal? 

Yeah. You weren’t going to do that. 

What you were planning on doing was just…sort of circling that idea, the possibility of maybe running into him. Walking just on the edge of the property, telling yourself it’s not on purpose. Stopping to see if there’s a light in the windows tonight. That’s it.

It’s not like you were planning on actually going to talk to him. 

So when he’s suddenly standing in front of you, you don’t know what to say. Or do.

He is standing there, all sharp-edged in the shadows, dark and tall and silent, and looking at you with the most intense eyes you’ve ever seen. 

There’s a moment, when you’re just staring at him, where you feel like your heart beats a hollow beat and everything in the night is silent. The shadows seem to twirl around him, though that was probably just your imagination. Probably.

“Is there a reason you’re lingering in the shadows out here?” He asks, his voice a quiet, captivating drawl. 

He seems calm, the kind of stationary bottom-of-the-sea calm that you’d only seen in very intelligent animals before. 

(You try to quiet the part of your brain that tries to substitute ‘animals’ with ‘predators’, and you try your best to keep your breathing even. It takes more effort than it should).

His eyes were golden, deep golden, and that definitely wasn’t usual for…humans. 

And there was something about his features that made you instantly accept that if vampires existed, and this man was one, you wouldn’t be the least bit surprised. 

“No,” you answer, and the word is so light that it feels like a lie as soon as it leaves your lips.

You’re not sure what kind of vampiric powers this man might have, but you’re suddenly worried that he might be able to hear your heartbeat, which was definitely way faster than it should have been. 

“Hm.” He says, still looking at you, as if he was studying you.

You both pretend that he isn’t the reason you’re there. Or, you pretend he isn’t, and he pretends he doesn’t know that. 

You take a deep breath.

“What are the chances you would just go back inside and forget I was ever here?” You ask, trying to sound like you weren’t worried about what the alternative to that might be.

“Very low,” he answers, straight-forward, and then he tilts his head slightly and his eyes trail over you. 

He was still studying you.

“I don’t get many��visitors.” He says, and then he smiles. It’s a small, knowing, stupidly attractive smile, and, god, yeah, the man definitely has small fangs. Christ. Was it like a feature that vampires were attractive to like, lure you in? Was that a thing they did? 

He couldn't read your thoughts, could he?

“So it is not likely that I’ll forget you were ever here, no.” He continues, “but if you want me to, I will go back inside.” He meets your eyes, “if you tell me why you’re really here.”

You swallow. 

Fine, that was reasonable. You were on his property. 

Well. Technically it was still probably the town’s property. But still. In essence it was his now. 

You take a deep breath and try to silence the annoyingly rattling part of your monkey-brain that was still tugging at you to run away, be smart, please-  

The longer you dissect this situation in your brain though, the clearer it becomes. 

Yes, you were currently in a dark secluded space with a stranger. Who might be a vampire.

But…he hadn’t actually done anything to scare you, had he?

He hadn’t threatened you. 

He seemed quite reasonable, actually. 

And if he wanted to hurt you, he could have done that already. Many times over.

But instead, he was out here. Making civil conversation.

Did you really even want him to go back inside?

Wasn’t this why you were here? To find out more about him? 

You swallow, lick your lips, and then meet his eyes. Take a breath. 

“I was curious.”

“About?” He counters, watching you, tilting his head, as if he didn’t already know. 

You furrow your eyes a little bit. Just look at him for a few seconds. He just waits for you to answer, patiently. 

“You.” You finally answer. Hold his gaze.

“Ah.” He says, then nods slowly and smiles again, faintly. “Me.” 

Then, he looks at you again, now with something more purposeful in his eyes. More…interested. “Why?”

You blink. Go through a quick mental check of what your choices were here; you could lie – and say what?

Or you could tell the truth, and see where it took you. 

And – honestly? You were still curious. 

So you shrug with one shoulder, trying your best to seem casual about it. Pretend your heart wasn’t still pounding. 

“I was curious,” You answer, “about the mysterious stranger living in the abandoned library.”

He looks at you. Studies you. Nods slowly. 

"Hm." he says again. "Well, here I am." 

You take a deep breath. 

He shifts his weight. 

"What would you like to know?" He asks, remarkably casually. Like an offering. Or, possibly, a bait.

You take it, whichever one it was.

One way to find out.

"Who are you?" 

You start with the obvious, though you're not really sure what kind of an answer you're hoping for. 

"My name is Viktor." He says, simply, still with the ghost of a smile on his face. 

Nice. A name. Progress. 

Viktor.

That still didn't tell you much about what he was really doing here, but it was a start. 

You offer your own name in return, hoping not to seem rude. Not that he'd do much with your name; it wasn't very likely that you two would become pen pals or something. 

"And you've just…been living in our rundown library?" 

"Yes," he answers, shifting his weight a bit again, and again, looking at you like he was inspecting you. Waiting for something.

"Why?" 

He tilts his head a little. "That is," he says, "not a one-word answer." 

"Most answers aren't." You answer, before you can really think it through. This whole situation was absurd; were you really out here just… having a casual conversation with this cryptid of a man? 

He makes a sound that is… close to a chuckle. More of an exhale, but still. You can hear it loud and clear in the quiet darkness, and that makes it feel like he’s much closer to you than he actually is. Like the small sound fills the air around you.

"That is true." He says after a moment. Then, he takes a breath. Visibly. 

So he wasn't at least entirely undead then. 

"How about we make a deal." he offers, "I'll tell you," he meets your eyes again and smiles a little, "for a price."

"And what might that be?" You ask in return, entertaining the idea, and trying your best to seem casual about it.

His smile widens. "One of those strawberry pies from the bakery, and your favorite book."

You blink. How he knew about the strawberry pies, you weren't sure, but you weren't about to question that now. The answer could have been a lot worse, so you'll take strawberry pie, sure. 

"Do I need to point out that you literally live in a library?" 

He shifts his weight again, leaning more heavily on his cane. "A library that hasn't gotten any new books in years."

You look at him. Really look at him. 

So this alleged-vampire, nocturnal cryptid hermit of a man, had just offered to tell you his life story, in exchange for a pie and a book? 

Yeah, if you were honest with yourself, you were never going to not take that deal. 

"Okay," you tell him, "my place or yours?" 

His lips quirk up a little. "Mine," he answers, "I think that's probably best." Then, he nods slowly and meets your eyes. "It's quiet and peaceful in there."

He smiles, just enough for you to get a glimpse of his teeth again, and it's the most sharp-edged-beautiful thing you've seen in a while.

Something curls around your spine in the darkness, and you're still not sure if it was a bait or an offering that you took.

You're not sure you care.

[magicbystarlight]

Him, Not It

*Bonus Content*

Series Masterlist

Summary: You'd been training under Madam Pomfrey since the beginning of the year. The TriWizard Tournament been the perfect opportunity for you to learn the basics of Healing. By the Third Task you thought you were prepared for whatever happened. This is backstory to “Before I Knew You”.

Word Count: 2,719

Warnings: 18+, Injuries, Death, Ministry Officials being shitty, grief, sleep deprivation. Minors DNI.

Horror rooted itself in your lungs as you watched Fleur Delacour brought in the Medi-Tent, her body limp but breathing. Her piercing scream from minutes before still rang in your ears over the rapid voices of those scurrying around her. Whispers you caught as they tried to determine what had done this to her, their diagnostic spells turning up no physical injuries. It was obvious to them all, but the thought of it seemed impossible.

She'd been hit with some dark magic somewhere within the walls of the maze that had made their attempts at casting the reviving spells ineffective. It was unclear what exactly had hit her, but it was evident that no creature that had been set loose in the labyrinth could have done it. The only other option was one of the three people who had been in there with Fleur. Three people you would have never thought capable of such a thing.

Before the reality of that could take hold, Viktor Krum's frozen body was carried in. His diagnosis was less worrisome, only one Medi-Wizard pulling off from Fleur to work on him. Stunned. It did, however, leave the questions of why. To win? Had Harry or Cedric taken out the others to improve their chance? 

"Rennervate!"

Viktor shot off his cot, his wand still clinched in his fist from when he'd been hit by the spell. His head whipped around, assessing the space. The wizard tried to speak with him and get him to return to the cot, but Viktor paid him no heed. Instead his gaze locked on Fleur and his body went rigged. Not like when he’d been Stunned, but as if there was some unseen strain on him his muscles flexed and chest heaved. 

It was then as he blinked that you saw it. The familiar dark brown of his eyes was dulled, like something was obscuring the color. His hand shook as his wand began to rise, mouth parting.

“Stupefy!”

The red jet of light hit his shoulder and silenced the tent. A dozen sets of eyes danced between the Stunned Bulgarian and the wand you had pointed at him. “He’s Imperiused.” 

Questions flew at you. 'Who let the child in here?' 'How do you know what the Imperious Curse looks like?' 'What can we do to reverse it?' 'Who cast it?'

A joyous roar from the crowd in the bleachers outside the tent cut through them. Someone had won. Hogwarts had won. At what cost?

"He's dead!" "He's dead!" "Cedric Diggory! Dead!"

The Medi-Witches and Wizards ran from the tent, but your feet did not move. Cedric. Cedric dead. Ced—

You pushed it down. Not now. Not yet. Viktor was alive. Fleur was alive. They needed help. You stepped forward, overly aware of how poorly trained the others had been to have completely left them here alone. A dozen of them and not one thought to stay behind.

Professor Moody’s words echoed in your mind. “Only an exceptionally strong will can break the curse. Otherwise, it can only be removed by the caster or upon the caster’s death.”

The jinx you'd cast was already beginning to fail. Viktor's cheek began to twitch. A cart of potions sat between the cots. A bottle of dark purple caught your eye. Sleeping Draught. You swiped it and turned to him. He blinked. "Sorry, Vik."

You pulled out the cork, placed the rim on his lip, and tipped it. He was already falling back onto the cot when the potion emptied. It would keep him out for a few hours. 

Turning to Fleur you had the terrible realization that Viktor was not the only Champion who had an Unforgivable cast on them tonight. A quick diagnostic spell confirming again there were no physical injuries.

“A person will lose their mind if they suffer it long enough. Some last longer than others, but,” Moody had shaken his head with a deep sigh, “no one can suffer it forever without something breaking.”

Her scream had been brief, doubtful she’d experienced the Cruciatus Curse long enough for any extensive mental harm. But the only way to be sure was to wake her. Again, you looked at the cart. Draught of Peace to ease the anxiety of what she’d suffered and Invigoration Draught to wake her.

You adjusted the cot to have her upper body raised and poured each potion down her throat like you had for Viktor. It took longer for her to wake than it had for him to fall asleep. 

“Where am I?” she asked, her perfect features scrunched in confusion.

“The Medi-Tent.”

The answer seemed to stir her memory. A good sign. “I was attacked! I was hit by something from behind, a spell, I think? I heard a spell. It hurt like nothing I have felt before.”

A response died on your lips as the others returned to the tent. A cot carrying something covered by a cloak floated behind them followed by the Minister and Mr. and Mrs. Diggory. The Medi-Wizard who’d attended to Viktor tripped over nothing and fell to the ground. It appeared he’d been the one to cast the levitation spell on the cot as it too came crashing down.

Horrified gasps came as Cedric rolled across the ground until he finally stopped, his blue eyes empty as they stared at you.

-

The Common Room was quiet despite the entirety of Hufflepuff occupying the space. Professor Sprout had wanted everyone together. A few quiet conversations scattered amongst those left awake and a handful of snores. Compared to the sounds of grief that had filled it two hours before it, it was near silence.

Cedric was dead.

“A terrible accident,” Fudge had called it. A lie. There were already two Champions who’d suffered Unforgivables, it wasn’t difficult to recognize Cedric had suffered one too.

The scene of the previous night replayed your head again and again as you watched the crackling fire. Cedric had sat where you did now with a wide grin as your housemates suggested the things he could buy when he won. He'd been adamant about getting the whole Quidditch team new brooms. He'd blushed cherry red when asked if he'd also buy a new broom for Ravenclaw's Seeker.

There had been no color in the face of the corpse.

The gentle call of your name pulled you from the memory. Professor Sprout was there, a pitying expression as she stared down at you. "I'm very sorry, dear. I tried to tell them it could wait until tomorrow, but…" you followed as her gaze drifted to the entryway where a man and a woman stood. Ministry. "...they have a few questions for you."

You nodded, standing from the couch. 

"Would you like me to come with you?"

A shake of your head was all you could offer. You followed the Ministry officials silently as they led you through the dungeons, past the ground floor, and up onto the first floor. It was a familiar path. The doors of the Hospital Wing were ajar as you walked through. Only two beds were occupied. One held a sleeping Harry Potter. Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and an older woman with fiery-red hair you didn't know were asleep in chairs around his bed. 

The other held a disheveled but awake Professor Moody missing his usual magic eye and seeming rather annoyed by the Ministry man he was speaking to.

Why was he here?

In the very back of the wing were Madam Pomfrey, Headmaster Dumbledore, one of the Medi-Wizards from the tent, and a man whose face was scrunched in distaste. "This," he asked the Medi-Wizard, "is who determined Unforgivables were used? An actual child?"

"A very intelligent young woman," Dumbledore said calmly. "She was the most equipped in that tent to identify such things, as we have told you."

"Forgive me for being skeptical of the stories you have told tonight," the man sneered. What else had been said tonight? "I'd like to question her alone."

Madam Pomfrey was outraged. "You cannot question a child alone!"

"Which is it? Is she a child incapable of answering questions? Or an intelligent young woman who can identify Unforgivables?"

Some piece of you snapped. The Ministry was trying to sweep this under the rug and claims of your incompetence would only further their agenda. Cedric deserved the truth, whatever it was. As did Viktor, Fleur, and Harry. You spoke for the first time since you'd left the tent hours before, voice dry with disdain. "It's fine. Can we use your office, Madam Pomfrey?"

Your mentor looked unwilling as she nodded. Dumbledore assured you they'd be outside the door and that you could end the questions whenever you wished. 

It irked you how comfortable the man seemed to be as he sat in Pomfrey's chair. 

“So," he began, the chair creaking as he leaned back, "why were you in the tent tonight?”

You had to unclench your jaw to answer. “I've been training under Madam Pomfrey to become a Healer.”

“But Madam Pomfrey was not in the tent.”

Obviously. “No, she wasn’t. She was here in the Hospital Wing.”

“Then why were you in the tent?”

“Because Madam Pomfrey ensured my inclusion in every medical aspect of the tournament so I could learn as many valuable skills as possible, even if she herself was not there." You spoke slowly, hoping the words would take root. "It was approved by the Ministry and St. Mungo's."

"That doesn't tell me why you were there." 

"I was in that tent to learn how to quickly identify and heal bites and scratches from the various magical creatures and plants they’d placed in the maze. Instead," you said leaning forward and poking at the desk, "I witnessed a dozen Ministry assigned Medi-Staff fail to recognize the effects of two Unforgivable Curses and leave two patients of unknown status unattended for an extended period of time.”

The chair squeaked as he adjusted himself and folded his arms. “Or given your lack of experience and young age, you misdiagnosed them.”

He wasn't dense. He was looking for a way to discredit you.

“Viktor said nothing after he was revennerated. He's not a man of many words, but the last time he'd been Stunned—which was only a few weeks ago by the way—he was quick to explain exactly what had happened to him. And his eyes were cloudy! Like, like there was something over them. He was raising his wand at Fleur to attack her again, but he was struggling. He was under the Imperius Curse, but he was fighting it. That's why I Stunned him and gave him the Sleeping Potion. I was afraid the mental toll would harm him."

His chair squeaked again as he sat forward. "What do you mean he was going to attack Miss Delcour again?" It seemed that tidbit of information hadn't been passed around.

"Fleur was hit by the Cruciatus Curse in the maze. Given how Viktor responded in the tent, it seems obvious that he was the one who cast it."

It took a minute for him to process that. He cleared his throat before saying doubtfully, "Or you're jumping to conclusions."

"I'm not. Fleur had no signs of any physical injuries. Not on my diagnostic and not on the ones the Medi-Staff did. But when she woke up she said she'd been hit with a spell from behind and it was excruciating. That sounds exactly like someone hit her with a Cruciatus."

"Diggory or Potter could have cast it, couldn't they?" More doubt.

"No, they couldn't have."

"But Krum could?"

"Under the influence of the Imperius Curse, yes. Otherwise, he'd be incapable of it." Viktor had a strong dislike for Dark Magic.

His fingers strummed against the desk. "How do you have any idea what these Unforgivables do? Or what they look like?"

"Because Professor Moody taught us. I saw first hand what it looks like when someone is Imperiused and what it looks like when they're fighting it."

"Ahh," he said, straightening up. There was a gleam in his eyes that sank your stomach. "It seems to me that you were under quite a bit of stress. It can't have been easy dealing with school and having all the extra responsibilities of your training. You were exposed to Dark Magic in the classroom, a great failing to you by this school." His eyes danced as he made irrelevant connections. "All that combined," he interlocked his fingers and gave you a pitying smile, "skewed your perception of the things you saw tonight." 

"It seems to me," you snarled, grief fanning the flames of your rage, "that the Ministry is trying to cover up its own failings in what happened tonight instead of looking for the truth. There is someone out there who mur—" you choked on the word "—murdered Cedric and hurt Fleur and Viktor and you're doing nothing about it."

"Cedric Diggory's death was a terrible accident. What happened to Miss Delacour and Mr. Krum were unfortunate accidents. I am very sorry that you had to experience these things tonight. You are far too young to be put into this position and the Ministry will reevaluate your training."

—

"When's the last time you slept?"

It took a moment to comprehend the question, blinking at Alastor Moody—the real Alastor Moody you'd learned—as he laid in the only occupied bed of the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey had told you what she knew. That all year Professor Moody had been locked in a trunk while a supposedly dead Death Eater working for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named assumed his identity. That he'd somehow gone unnoticed as he carried out a plan to bring him back. That Viktor had been Imperiused and Fleur had been Crucioed and that Harry had witnessed Cedric's death with the Killing Curse. That He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had returned and the Ministry refused to believe it.

"But we must believe it," she had said. "War will come as it always does and we must be ready for it."

"I'm not sure," you admitted. It had been a long few days. The Third Task, Cedric's death, a fight with the Ministry to keep your position in the Hospital Wing that you'd only won with the support of St. Mungo's. Cillian had been there offering support. Held you when you'd gotten the news of the burial. He'd tried to coax you to relax, but you couldn't. Couldn't close your eyes. 

You had a task. A potion Alastor was meant to take. There was a bottle in your hand full of a dark purple liquid. What was it? The letters on the label were neat and precise, but indecipherable as they blurred the longer you stared. Then it was gone. Seemingly disappeared into nothingness. Perhaps it had never been there at all.

A sharp pain in the back of your knees had you collapsing into a chair you didn't remember being so close to the bed. You'd walked into it maybe.

"You're going to hurt someone," a voice growled. All you could do was blink at the man in the bed as he held out a glass bottle of dark purple liquid. "You need to rest."

Your head shook. "I can't." You couldn't see it again. Wouldn't.

“You have to,” he said gruffly, pushing the bottle into your hand. “Cedric would want you to.”

Cedric would have wanted that. But Cedric was gone. Gone. Senselessly. Mercilessly. Gone. “And I wanted him to come back.” The tears were cold as they fell. “But he didn’t, did he?”

Softly he said, “Potter brought him back.”

“He brought back a corpse. It wasn’t him, it wasn’t Cedric.” He hadn’t seen it. Trapped in a trunk, he didn’t hear the wails of Cedric’s friends and family as they saw it. He hadn't seen the eyes. “Not anymore.”

“He is still Cedric. He’s not just a body.”

"It doesn't matter. They've already buried it."

"Him," he said harshly. "Not it. The dead still deserve respect. Cedric still deserves respect."

You were silent, watching the liquid swirl. Him. Him. Him. Him. Him. Him. Him. Him. Him. Him.

"They buried him," you finally said, uncorking the bottle. The potion was easy to drain down your throat. "They buried him and I didn't even get to say goodbye."

Part Five

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