#also agatha and sophie might be in it

[nitemirz]

now if i were to say that i might currently be working on a dovesso au where they are rival veteran models in the fashion industry (lesso was an opportunistic nepo baby and dovey is 10 years her senior and bitter abt lessos privilege but is very passive aggressive abt it) like HYPOTHETICALLY how would this be received by dovesso nation

(not a fic btw i dont write but its a bunch of illustrations and comics because i somehow mashed my obsession w dovesso w my obsession w vintage fashion shows)

also evelyn and lesso are ex wives in this au

some wips

[pigfacedbitch]

Dating Hort of Bloodbrook

summary : general headcanons of dating Hort while being the princess of Camelot.

word count : 0.7k

type : headcanons

pairing/s involved : Hort x Reader, Sibling! Tedros x Reader

warning/s : discrimination against Nevers and Evers.

here is my masterlist!

Note : I know this is late but this has been on my unfinished works since the movie came out. I fell in love with Hort, he is so cute and loyal to Sophie 🥹. I haven't read the books but I might soon when I need to escape reality again.

You will likely be a year younger than Tedros.

Because of the heir and the spare™.

I know it sounds bad but some rulers actually do those.

Tedros is extremely overprotective over you, especially when Queen Guinevere ran away with Lancelot and King Arthur died.

He's like the typical older brother you see in movies; handsome, buff, (kind off) a meathead, and annoys you to know end.

Will also be the first one to come to your defense.

When you got to the School of Good, you were determined to destroy the image of being Tedros' little sister.

Which results to you preferring to be a hero in your own story than being a queen in someone else's.

As expected, you quickly became friends with Agatha.

Not afraid to stand up to those who think girls are inferior to boys.

While the other Evers found the Nevers horrible for being future villains, you have a neutral perspective towards them.

After all, the School of Good has many stuck up and vain students.

Meeting Hort was definitely a memory to remember. It was when Professor Dovey took the first years to the Wish Fish (Let's pretend Agatha didn't free them).

When you put your hand on the water and begin to think of a wish, you didn't feel the water swirling like Agatha told you she experienced,

Instead, it was hand that intertwines its finger with yours.

And it harshly pulled you down the water.

The girls' screams and the professor calling out your name in panic caught the boys and Tedros' attention, running to the 'rescue'.

Under the water, you see someone smiling at you, or at least that's what you hopes he's doing.

A Never named Hort, son of Captain Hook.

Tedros immediately pulled you out of the water, with Hort in tow.

The angry professor commands the nearby guards to bring him back to the School of Evil and how Lady Lesso will surely punish him.

"It seems like I'm your wish, my lady."

He expects you to be disgusted like the other Evers. To his surprise, you give him the sweetest smile he has ever seen in his life.

"That you are, Hort of Bloodbrook."

To say Hort is surprised was an understatement.

You didn't only smile at him but also knew his name.

Cupid's arrow struck him at that moment. His villainous smirk drops, staring at you with wide eyes as much as he could before they were out of sight.

Tedros, who saw the whole thing, was not pleased and gave you a warning on how Nevers can't be trusted.

After your encounter, Hort seeks you out more.

You didn't mind, he is an odd yet funny companion.

He also doesn't care for one's physical appearance like the girls do or how you're nothing but a pretty face with a royal title like most guys think.

He encourages you to be yourself, like Agatha does.

You two would get judgmental looks from both sides.

Sophie was pissed, not only because Hort was losing interest in her but being the princess of Camelot is everything she wants to be.

So is Tedros. And everyone else who sees you together.

Agatha is just worried and would remind you to keep your guard up.

But you enjoy each other's company, that's what matters.

Hort was in love with you the moment you met but it took you a longer time to realize your feelings for him.

You only told Agatha about it but Tedros overheard.

Believe me when I say that Tedros will demand you to be examined.

"She's not under any spells, my prince."

"Are you certain?"

"Oh my God, I love Hort and there's nothing you can do about it!"

Everyone in the hall heard you.

Silence before a giddy howl ensues.

Hort runs to you and gives the biggest hug you could ever receive.

Despite being initially embarrassed, you returned it.

Before he could kiss you like he always dreamed of, Tedros stops him.

He pulls out Excalibur and points its tip on Hort's neck. Your brother will mercilessly give the poor boy threats if he broke your heart or hurt you in any way. Agatha joined in without words, just sending a warning glare on his way.

Hort would be lowkey terrified but so happy at the same time.

I mean you love him back. He could take a fucking army if you command him to.

Lady Lesso and Professor Dovey would only look at each other in disbelief, worried for what happens next.

[frie-ice]

Hear me out before you start to throw stones, but with the past events in the Rise of Red having the Queen of Hearts and Cinderella as friends, there is a chance that the film might get people to ship Bridget and Ella. I'm just saying it now to get it out in the open, as well as having "Bridgella" as a place holder when coming up with a ship title. People have already considered shipping their daughters together. Along with comparing Bridget and Ella with Sophie and Agatha from The School for Good and Evil.

There are theories that Bridget's path to villainy started after something got her and Ella to end their friendship. I wouldn't put it past Uliana for breaking up their friendships for kicks. If you remember, Ella looked like she wanted to get back at Uliana for bullying her friend. So that is one possibly, with the trailer subjecting that Uliana is the reason Bridget goes bad, but there might be more to the story. Like Ella's step family possibly destroying her friendship with the Wonderland princess, we all saw how they reacted to her catching the eye of a prince. Who's to say that they didn't want to prevent Bridget coming to her friend's aid, like taking her away from her cruel step family and giving her better life in Wonderland.

Descendants has a similar theme to Ever After High, subjecting that some point during their time at Merlin Academy the two are told what their future paths are. Ella is to be a heroin known as Cinderella and Bridget is fated to be the villain who goes by the Queen of Hearts. If you recall how quick the Fairy Godmother was to say "No" when Uma mentions Wonderland, it subjects that she might know what happened between them. With Fairy Godmother's teenage self, Fay, also being a student at MA, and how both she and Ella were destined to be part of the same story. Even those who are seen as a good have done something bad in their past, like Fay possibly worrying or was told that Ella's friendship with Bridget might have led Ella a stray and prevent Fay from fulfilling in her future role.

But those are just my theories, as we have to wait for the film to come out to get our answers. Please be kind to this collage and ship, if you have nothing nice to say about it keep it you yourselves. After all, I have seen people ship Maleficent with Cinderella and Belle.

[liketwoswansinbalance]

Round VII of Excerpts from The One True School Master of Vault 41

Someone has “revenge” on the brain. I thought the first excerpt might be funny and could stand on its own out of context. The actual context makes it funnier, in my opinion, but I unfortunately can’t spoil it because it involves possibly the most insane shock in the entire fic.

Admittedly, I’m slightly proud of myself for managing to not burst and to hold back on revealing the plot twists, particularly with major events #2, #3, and #4. Otherwise, there'd likely be zero surprises left.

Though, plot twist #1 is sort of foundational to the premise, so I gave it away! (Sophie is nominated for the position of School Master.)

Also, a strange observation about my own plot occurred to me: contrary to what I or others might think, the plot is actually quite simple. Or, at least, from my view at the moment, it is. I’d originally thought it was complicated, but no. Actually, it’s simple masquerading as complex because there are complications thrown into the story, like wrenches, via a few different elements/events. So, that’s something, I guess?

If I could summarize the plot in one sentence, it would be: three souls enter a crystal ball, and some of them emerged scathed, changed, or both at once.

That’s probably the easiest way to put it, without spoilers.

Anyway, here are the excerpts (from two entirely different sections of the fic):

⸻

That was it. To say it irked her was to put it mildly.

Assuming they were both alive by the end of it, the first moment she got after all these crises were over with, she was taking him for a haircut, whether he liked it or not!

She would march him directly over to the finest salon she could find in the Woods, posthaste, like a prisoner if he resisted—all for the sake of a nice, neat trim.

So be it if it ended up botched. His Doom Room had done the same to her. So what did it matter?

⸻

Rafal glared at Agatha as if to signal: don’t let on that you’re hurt.

“Why are you both limping?”

Agatha stole a quick glance at Rafal who found himself turning to stare intently at a Stymph on high.

He shook his head with the slightest motion. She couldn’t know what it had cost them, or she would intervene.

The movement caught Sophie’s eye, and she turned her attention to Agatha for the truth.

Agatha shrugged wordlessly.

Sophie narrowed her eyes. “Well, it certainly wasn’t bird-watching, that much I can gather.”

Agatha shuffled, and Rafal observed her shove one foot behind her other ankle, but in her gaping, oversized clumps, one sock slid down to reveal an inflamed, red welt.

Unfortunately, Sophie traced his sightline to Agatha's foot. “Agatha? What happened?”

[starrylayle]

Soman’s failed POC and Queer rep in the SGE saga — And why criticism is essential to the movie (franchise)

[repost]

Before I start though, I’d like to say that if you have any argument about forced representation, dni. I don’t give a shit that ur faves aren’t white anymore — and please stop fucking harassing Soman and the cast about this non-issue.

Now onto the racial criticism of Soman’s work, which I don’t see talked enough about.

Being a person of colour does not mean you are exempt from racial criticism. I’m sure this is known by now, but in the books, literally everyone is white. Like EVERYONE. And not only that, the beauty standards he portrays and tries to critique (but then fails miserably at unfortunately) are so Eurocentric it’s quite disheartening actually - pale skin, small noses, coloured eyes, etc. The themes are also quite Eurocentric as well — if you had told me that the books were written by a white author, I would believe you.

Now, I’ve always given him the benefit of the doubt here, considering he was writing a middle grade series as a marginalised author, which was a lot more difficult at the time, and because he does genuinely try to improve his POC rep in the later books (even if that does include retconning character’s previous descriptions lol). In that same vein, the cast is also noticeably more diverse, and I truly applaud Soman for that. However, he has not said anything in regards to the racism the cast have been getting, which considering his influence on the fandom, would have been much appreciated. (The only casting choice he actually spent some time defending was brunette Tedros 💀💀 — like mate, get your priorities together!). Also, since whiteness is quite intrinsic to the core themes of the story (I’ll make a separate post on that later), I worry that the movie will unintentionally be pushing it. And if that’s the case, people should be allowed to critique this (hypothetical) poor depiction of race, without it being considered racist. (As previously mentioned — this excludes those fucking weirdos who just hate on the cast coz their faves aren’t white anymore 🙄🙄)

Ok so, in regards to the queer-coding/queer-baiting:

Just like being a POC doesn’t mean u can’t have internalised racism, being queer doesn’t mean u can’t have internalised homophobia, especially to other members of the community. I don’t know why exactly Soman struggles with writing queer rep so much (I mean I can understand in 2013 — but now plenty of middle grade books include queer characters), but he barely has any canon gay rep.

Tristan/Yara, who is not even specified whether they are gay or trans, is one of the first characters to die, with absolutely no resolution to their arc whatsoever - and their queerness is never mentioned again. The next confirmed queer couple are two backgrounder guys who barely have any significance to the story. The couple after that are two evil white boys, who are only confirmed to be queer after they both die. They are are the only relevant gay characters at this point — yet ofc they’re dead, white and evil. This wouldn’t be a problem if there were other (good) queer characters, but since that is not the case, it just comes off as rather… icky.

Now notice how all these couples, as poorly written as they are, are all (white) gay men? There are hints that Hester and anadil might be in a relationship, but it’s never explicitly confirmed.

In addition, sophie and Agatha are explicitly queer coded — (I made a post about it on my acc for anyone’s interested) — they even kiss!! Of course people are going to be mad that they were baited into a relationship that ended up being incesteous! Especially, ESP, considering that Agatha is now a Black girl in this adaptation. We barely see any white canon wlw couples in media — Black sapphics are almost unheard of in the mainstream, especially as leads. first kill, one show that featured a Lesbian Black girl lead (a Dark-skinned one at that!)— got cancelled. And this happens all the time. Lesbians/sapphics, esp sapphics of colour, ESP Balck sapphics are barely given any time of day in our media in favour of centring gay white men in queer narratives, and thus they have every right to be upset at the queer baiting.

I’m not Black, but as a queer woman of colour, Agatha’s character has always been very special to me. I’ve always thought she should be a POC considering how different her and her mum are from the rest of her cookie-cutter village, and queer because she did not fit into conventional notions of femininity. It would be so awesome to see Agatha, a queer woman of colour, as the lead in a high-budget fantasy series. But alas, that is too many marginalised identities for the general audience.

Not only that, the twin reveal was just plain bad writing. It had absolutely no bearing at the story whatsoever and is never mentioned again. It was just done purely for shock value, and for that, I will absolutely critique Soman.

I know that this discourse is tired and worn out — and understandably so, it’s been years. However, now that this movie is approaching mainstream — At worst, this queer baiting can already add to the whole ‘lesbian relationships aren’t serious’ and other terrible stereotypes. At best, it deprives sapphics of much needed representation in mainstream fantasy films.

Remember, unlike with the books, we as fans have the power to influence the story. If the creators see how unpopular the twist is with the public, they can probably change it. We can make a difference! Btw, this doesn’t mean sophie and Agatha should be endgame — I’d like for them to be in a short term relationship and be confirmed as canonically queer — Tagatha can still be the end couple! (Not hophie tho, coz sophie is a lesbian and I despise Hort lol).

[sea-owl]

I just wanted some modern besties Phillip and Penelope vibes being single parents and raising their kids together with occasional visits from crazy uncle Michael. Kinda like Full House style.

Phillip and Penelope met when her cousin Marina and his brother George started to go out with one another. Both being the quiet introvert types they got along well. When they both realized they were going to the same university they started to hang out more.

Sadly tragedy struck when George, who was a solider, was killed in action. This news made Marina, who was already suffering from postpartum, fall into a deep depression. So bad that she ended up taking her own life. The parents left behind a pair of twins Oliver and Amanda Crane.

Phillip ended up stepping up and adopting the twins. He didn't trust anyone else to take care of them despite the doubts he has for himself, and he felt like he owed George for taking care of him all those years ago.

Penelope herself also ended up having twins, Agatha and Thomas Featherington, after a drunken one night stand with "a random man in London."

"Penelope!" Michael laughed. "How scandalous! You don't who your baby daddy is?"

"Nope," Penelope said, rubbing her pregnant belly. "Black out drunk. My mother is not happy either."

The three friends were at Phillip's ancestral home visiting. Well, Penelope was actually hiding out after revealing to her mother her pregnancy, and Michael likes drama, so of course, he had to come hear the story.

"You know you could just stay here," Phillip offered later that night. "This house is too big its not like three more will make a difference and the twins love having their Aunt Penelope around."

Penelope happily accepted her friend's offer. The two friends happily live with one another doing their best to raise the kids. Michael came to visit every once in a while. Making sure to bring gifts and sweets for the children.

Things took an interesting turn, though, when the Crane twins were 8 and the Featherington twins were 6.

The cousins were playing in the park when Penelope heard another mother say. "Did I have another son?"

Penelope looked over. A pretty blonde, pregnant woman who could be Cinderella come to life was looking down at four boys. One of those boys being Penelope's son.

Penelope sighed. While both her children could be little troublemakers, just like their older cousins, Thomas has this charm about him that could get him almost anything he wanted.

Picking up Agatha Penelope made her way over to the other mother. "I'm sorry, I think our sons are playing a prank."

Penelope looked down at the four boys and whoa. They really did look a like. If Thomas eye's weren't emerald green, Penelope might not have been able to tell them apart, especially with the oldest boy.

"Oh, it's alright," the blonde woman laughed. "You think I would be used to this. My children's cousins all look alike to some degree and some could potentially switch places with one another." She held out a hand. "I'm Sophie Bridgerton."

[madwomansapologist]

Can I request about Agatha Harkness and how she fall in love the first time she saw R?

another magical girl in town | agatha harkness

Masterlist | Rules | Taglist | Library | More Agatha Harkness | AO3

synopsis: Agatha Harkness has arrived in a new village, looking for a new quiet and peaceful life. Or at least that's what she tells the neighbors. Agatha didn't expect that the perfect boring place she found would decide to burn a witch. Or that the witch wouldn't be her. [1K]

warnings: burning people alive. gn!reader.

ps: it took me some time, but I did it! hope you like it! i'm think I'm on my witchy fase because all I wanna do is write for those kind of characters. she's just a great villain. like she's bad, but she's also a bitch about it and thats perfect of her.

Agatha Harkness is a widow. A gentle, warm woman who almost lost everything when her husband suddenly died. No children, no husband, no family. It was only a question of time until such a young woman decided to move into another village and search for a light in her life.

At least that's what Agatha told them.

"Oh my," Agatha followed the woman's group with big smiles and kind gestures. "I don't think a widow should appear alone on important meetings for our village. I will stay at my house, please go without me. I don't wanna be a burden."

When they weren't looking, Agatha rolled her eyes up.

Her new house is settled way further away from the village's core, Agatha has privacy to study and to practice. That's why she's there. Stronger than ever, Agatha need space and time to evolve. Before running away, Agatha stoled everything from her deceased coven's library.

"We won't be interfering with anything," the leader of the group told her. Agatha can't seem to remember her name. Elizabeth? Sophie? Whatever. "We'll just watch the judgment."

That wasn't new. "Who robbed milk this time?" Agatha won't learn if everyone keeps trying to make her interact with the village's stupid matters.

"Oh, you don't know?" A blonde lady smiled. That's how she think about them: the blonde, the tall brunette, the short brunette, and the leader. "They gonna judge a witch."

But that was new. "A witch?" It took a lot of strength for Agatha not to laugh.

"Exactly," the short brunette said. "That lying maggot. I know honored women shouldn't be talking like that about someone..."

"But you're right. A lying maggot." The leader guided them towards the village's path. Agatha decided to follow them, curious enough to forget about her studies. "I saw the collection of books. The herbs. I've been inside the hut. And their husband died with poison marks."

That's why Agatha haven't even tried to like anyone there. They are so stupid. So blind. Just another person that would be judge without even knowing what a coven is. No one ever suspect that she might be a witch, and Agatha travelled around a lot of villages. They are sightless.

Walking around the village, a lot of groups move towards the trial. Even kids where running towards the streets. Fools. If only they knew about all the times Agatha used them as a guinea pig. Despite knowing there where no other witches there, Agatha didn't stop the women from leading her into the main square.

But hher blase attitude faded away as soon as she saw a stake mounted. Hay and wood adorned it. It scared Agatha. Two weeks ago there was a trial, but they declared the woman not guilty. There wasn't even a stake. They wouldn't burn her anyway, but now...

That made Agatha remember. And she hates when people try to mess with her mind.

They wouldn't burn someone, would they? Are they that blind because of their faith? The witch hunt has little to do with witchcraft itself, it's just a delusion of faith. They believe that people have lain with Satan. Or so they say. As far as she knows, the person who burns is usually someone who bothers others. Someone they would like to disappear. Witch? No, this is about feuds.

The square was crowded, but she could see the figure tied to the stake. Agatha could see the person writhing, could almost feel the rope burning against her skin. She didn't need to imagine it, she just remembered. Trapped in ancient memories, memories that seem like from another life, Agatha didn't even heard what the priests said.

She is not a person. Agatha has no problem admitting this. Agatha is not a good person and doesn't want to be one. Agatha longs for eternal life, full knowledge, comfort and security. Kindness is not needed for this. But this does not mean that Agatha is a cruel beast.

Going against everything she'd done for the last few weeks, Agatha decided to intervene. People of faith? She will let the stake be set on fire, and then will put out the fire. They will think it is an act of their god. A deity showing that there is innocence to be protected.

Heedless of the women, Agatha walked into the crowd. She squeezed, pushed, and with effort managed to move forward. And when she was close enough, she saw you. And suddenly she couldn't do anything.

Agatha is not a good person. She already understood that. She wasn't born to be good and settle for little. Agatha wasn't born to be a person who pleases, who cares, who tries. Agatha is not a good person but you made her wish she was.

No. It's not that. Agatha would like you to think highly of her. That maybe in another situation, another time, you would look at her and think that Agatha is someone you want in your life. Agatha may not be a good person, but she would be good to you.

Then they set fire to the stake. It burned slowly, but the fire spread. Your startled cry shook her to the bone. With the slightest movement of her hand, Agatha doused the fire. The priests would decide that God had forgiven their sin and it would all be over.

But it started burning again.

Agatha did the same incantation, but this time the fire didn't dim. It just swelled and swelled, getting closer to your startled figure. She whispered a spell, but nothing happened. Agatha closed her eyes and tried to look for which rune could stop that, but your scream made her turn her head.

You were burning.

Desperate, Agatha whispered every possible incantation. Nothing happens. You burned. You suffered. Fire covered your body. You were dying and she couldn't do anything.

How could she be so powerful, have stolen power from so many witches, broken all the rules of her coven, and be unable to put out a prdinary fire? Was this divine punishment? Was it some deity punishing?

Someone started to laugh. Agatha's blood boiled. Who dared laugh at such a moment? Who enjoyed the suffering and scourge of an innocent person? She turned around, searching for the fool soul. Who dares to do something like that when someone is dying?

Then the heat subsides. Agatha looked up and saw that the fire had been extinguished. The fire is out. And you where there, no longer tied to the stake, laughing. Alive. Not even soiled by the embers. You looked like nothing happened.

People started screaming. Some runaway, but most couldn't do anything but watch. The priest said something. He fall to his knees. Was he begging you for forgviness? Was he praying to his god? You stopped laughing. You silence lead the crowd.

"It's too late to fix anything", you smiled. And it was so beautiful. Mesmerizing. "Farewell."

A blue cloud spread from you. Slowly, perhaps just to scare even more whoever was there. Those who hadn't run finally began to move. Except Agatha. She recognized the spell. Agatha just watched it spread.

And as the cloud reached the people, they stopped moving. No screams, no pain, no torture besides the fear. The skin hardened, twisted, until it turned to marble.

Agatha could have stopped you. She could have canceled her spell. She could have done so many things. But she didn't want to.

While everyone else was suffering, you took flight. And of course Agatha went right after you.

GENERAL TAGLIST: @suakemi @notanalienindisguiseblink

if you enjoyed, please reblog! i promise it makes a difference ♡

@ madwomansapologist.tumblr.

[carpexdiemm05]

Never After (SGE x Reader) - Chapter 1

Also read on Wattpad!

Foreword

Just a quick A/N before you get started:

1. This story is NOT edited as of January 2023

2. I don't own SGE plot or characters

3. Some lore is used from Lost Boy by Christina Henry

4. Description is taken straight from Soman Chainani's work

5. Will be based on SGE books 1-6

6. Characters are aged up to 18+

Enjoy!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tonight, the children of Gavaldon writhed in their beds. Each knew that if the School Master took them, they'd never return. Never lead a full life. Never see their family again. Tonight, the children of Gavaldon dreamed of a red-eyed thief with the body of a beast, come to rip them from their sheets and stifle their screams.

Not that I cared. I was indifferent to the whole thing. In my eyes, it was simple—those taken had the ability to transform their lives into ones worthy of the fairy tales we readers devour here in Gavaldon. And if they didn't, well, that was on them. The School for Good and Evil was just another opportunity for some. Fate was what you made it.

I inhaled deeply. From my position on the roof, I could feel the morning breeze much clearer than had I been sitting on the ground instead. I always liked being in high places. It made me feel relaxed. Detached from the rest of the world. Free, even.

My nose scrunched when aromas of rose and cucumber curled beneath it. A glance at the cemetery gates revealed Sophie, dressed in pink like always, pushing them open. She made her way across the dark tombstones and decaying branches that decorated Graves Hill until she reached the porch steps.

It was then that I slid off the roof, landing right in front of the girl.

She screamed and stumbled backwards. Upon hearing my laugh, however, she regained her composure and scowled. "Y/n."

I shrugged, grinning. "Sorry."

She sighed and brushed imaginary dirt from the front of her dress with one hand, the other clutching a basket. "Is Aggie home?"

"Yes, Agatha is inside," I said pointedly.

Reaper chose this moment to slink across the front porch, stopping right at the doormat. Sophie shrank back.

I rolled my eyes and lightly kicked him along. "Move, cat. You're in our way." After I had a clear path, I rapped on the door.

"Go away," came a gruff voice.

"Agatha, it's me."

"Oh. Sorry. I thought it was Sophie coming by for another visit." The door swung open, revealing a girl with a dome of black hair in a hulking black dress. Her bulging ladybug eyes narrowed when she spotted the blonde behind me.

"And you would be correct," I said, smiling bitterly.

I never really. . .liked Sophie. I didn't dislike her, really, either. She was just rather annoying sometimes. When I was in her company, more often than not I found myself subject to complaints of anything and everything.

Some might call me insane, but I preferred being around Agatha. She didn't talk of shallow things and, when you got to know her, you'd find her to be quite funny.

Besides, I was around her all day, what with me being her adoptive sister and all. I didn't really know much about myself besides what Callis told me—I was left on her doorstep as a baby with a note telling her my name and nothing else.

The click of Sophie's heels dragged me back to the present. "I thought we'd all go for a walk," she said.

Agatha leaned against the door. "I'm still trying to figure out why you're friends with us."

"Because you're both sweet and funny."

"My mother says Y/n's bitter and I'm grumpy," said Agatha, "So one of you is lying."

She reached into Sophie's basket and pulled back the napkin to reveal dry, butterless bran biscuits. Agatha gave Sophie a withering stare and retreated into the house.

"So we can't take a walk?" Sophie asked.

Agatha started to close the door but then paused. I could see the gears turning in her head.

Eventually she sighed. "A short one." Agatha trudged past us both. "But if you say anything smug or stuck-up or shallow, I'll have Reaper follow you home."

Sophie ran after her. "But then I can't talk!"

After four years, the dreaded eleventh night of the eleventh month had arrived. In the late-day sun, the square had become a hive of preparation for the School Master's arrival. The men sharpened swords, set traps, and plotted the night's guard, while the women lined up the children and went to work. Handsome ones had their hair lopped off, teeth blackened, and clothes shredded to rags; homely ones were scrubbed, swathed in bright colors, and fitted with veils. Mothers begged the best-behaved children to curse or kick their sisters, the worst were bribed to pray in the church, while the rest in line were led in choruses of the village anthem: "Blessed Are the Ordinary."

Fear swelled into a contagious fog. In a dim alley, the butcher and blacksmith traded storybooks for clues to save their sons. Beneath the crooked clock tower, two sisters listed fairy-tale villain names to hunt for patterns. A group of boys chained their bodies together, a few girls hid on the school roof, and a masked child jumped from bushes to spook his mother, earning a spanking on the spot. Even the homeless hag got into the act, hopping before a meager fire, croaking, "Burn the storybooks! Burn them all!" But no one listened and no books were burned.

Agatha gawped at all this in disbelief. "How can a whole town believe in fairy tales?"

"Because they're real," Sophie said.

Agatha stopped walking. "You can't actually believe the legend is true."

"Of course I do," said Sophie.

"That a School Master kidnaps two children, takes them to a school where one learns Good, one learns Evil, and they graduate into fairy tales?"

"Sounds about right."

"Tell me if you see an oven."

"Why?"

"I want to put my head in it. And what, pray tell, do they teach at this school exactly?"

"Well, in the School for Good, they teach boys and girls like me how to become heroes and princesses, how to rule kingdoms justly, how to find Happily Ever After," Sophie said. "In the School for Evil, they teach you how to become wicked witches and humpbacked trolls, how to lay curses and cast evil spells."

"Evil spells?" Agatha cackled. "Who came up with this? A four-year-old?"

"Well, the faces of the missing Gavaldon children illustrated in the storybooks is evidence enough for me," I chimed in.

"I don't see anything, because I don't read dumb storybooks."

"Then why is there a stack by your bed?" I asked.

Agatha scowled. "Look, who's to say the books are even real? Maybe it's the bookseller's prank. Maybe it's the Elders' way to keep children out of the woods. Whatever the explanation, it isn't a School Master and it isn't evil spells."

"So who's kidnapping the children?" Sophie asked.

"No one. Every four years, two idiots sneak into the woods, hoping to scare their parents, only to get lost or eaten by wolves, and there you have it, the legend continues."

"That's the stupidest explanation I've ever heard."

"I don't think I'm the stupid one here," Agatha said.

Sophie clenched her fists. "You're just scared."

"Right," Agatha laughed. "And why would I be scared?"

"Because you know you're coming with me."

Agatha stopped laughing.

"Either you or Y/n."

My gaze moved past Sophie into the square. The villagers were staring at us like the solution to a mystery. Good in pink, Evil in black. The School Master's perfect pair.

But who knew which of the witches were to be left behind.

"No," I said, shaking my head, aiming for nonchalance. "We're not close enough to either of the two extremes to be taken."

"Let's go," said Agatha.

I turned. Her eyes were locked on the mob.

"Where?"

"Away from people."

***

As the sun weakened to a red orb, three girls, one beautiful, one ugly, and one in between, sat side by side on the shore of a lake. Sophie packed cucumbers in a silk pouch, while I flicked lit matches into the water.

Sophie threw me a look.

"What? It relaxes me," I said.

Sophie shook her head and tried to make room for the last cucumber. "Why would anyone want to stay here? Who would choose this over a fairy tale?"

"And who would choose to leave their family forever?" Agatha snorted.

"Except me, you mean," said Sophie.

We fell silent.

"Do you ever wonder where your father went?" Sophie asked.

"I told you," Agatha said. "He left after I was born."

"But where would he go? We're surrounded by woods! To suddenly disappear like that . . ." Sophie spun. "Maybe he found a way into the stories! Maybe he found a magic portal! Maybe he's waiting for you on the other side!"

"Or maybe he went back to his wife and pretended I never happened."

I chuckled. "And maybe he's with my dad, warning him never to go back to Gavaldon unless he wants to reclaim the bitter child he abandoned here."

Sophie bit her lip and went back to cucumbers. "Callis is never at home when I visit."

"She goes into town now," said Agatha. "Not enough patients at the house. Probably the location."

"I'm sure that's it," Sophie said. "I don't think a graveyard makes people all that comfortable."

"Graveyards have their benefits," Agatha said. "No nosy neighbors. No dropin salesmen. No fishy 'friends' bearing face masks and diet cookies, telling you you're going to Evil School in Magic Fairy Land." She flicked a match with relish.

Sophie put down her cucumber. "So I'm fishy now."

"Who asked you to show up? Y/n and I were perfectly fine alone."

"You always let me in."

"Because you always seem so lonely," said Agatha. "And I feel sorry for you."

"Sorry for me?" Sophie's eyes flashed. "You're lucky that someone would come see you when no one else will. You're lucky that someone like me would be your friend. You're lucky that someone like me is such a good person."

"I knew it!" Agatha flared. "We're your Good Deeds! Just pawns in your stupid fantasy!"

Sophie didn't say anything for a long time.

"Maybe I became your friend to impress the School Master," she confessed finally. "But there's more to it now."

"Because I found you out," Agatha grumbled.

"Because I like you guys."

I flicked another match.

"No one understands me here," Sophie said, looking at her hands. "But you two do. You see who I am. That's why I kept coming back. You're not my good deed anymore, Agatha. Y/n." Sophie gazed up at us. "You're my friends."

I cocked my head at her declaration, pleasantly surprised.

Agatha's neck flushed red.

"What's wrong?" Sophie frowned.

Agatha hunched into her dress. "It's just, um . . . I—I'm, uh . . . not used to friends."

Sophie smiled and took her hand. "Well, now we'll all be friends at our new school."

Agatha groaned and pulled away. "Say I sink to your intelligence level and pretend to believe all this. Why is either Y/n or I going to villain school? Why has everyone elected us the Mistresses of Evil?"

"No one says you're evil, Agatha," Sophie sighed. "You're just different."

Agatha narrowed her eyes. "Different how?"

"Well, for starters, you two only wear black."

"Because it doesn't get dirty."

"You don't ever leave your house."

"People don't look at me there."

"For the Create-a-Tale Competition, Y/n's story ended with Snow White eaten by vultures and Cinderella drowning herself in a tub."

"I thought it was a better ending," I defended.

"Agatha gave me a dead frog for my birthday!"

"To remind you we all die and end up rotting underground eaten by maggots so we should enjoy our birthdays while we have them. I found it thoughtful."

"Agatha, you dressed as a bride for Halloween."

"Weddings are scary."

Sophie gaped at her.

"Fine. So I'm a little different," Agatha glared. "So what?"

Sophie hesitated. "Well, it's just that in fairy tales, different usually turns out, um . . . evil."

"You're different, too, Sophie," I said. "You dress like the fair maiden in a fairytale. You spend hours grooming yourself. You act as if you're already the princess of some faraway kingdom even though the closest you've gotten to going anywhere else outside this village is tasting the berries collected from the forest."

Sophie didn't say anything for a long time. My gaze softened. "Why is it you want to leave here so badly? That you'd believe in stories you know aren't true?"

Sophie met my gaze.

"Because I can't live here," Sophie said, voice catching. "I can't live an ordinary life."

The tenor-tolled clock sang darkly in the valley.

I stared at the blonde for a moment longer. Then I stood, dusted off my pants, and headed home, wanting to get this night over with.

[rebel--hearts]

so i think a crucial part of sophie's character is her need to be loved. it's a fundamental part of her motivations throughout the series and it informs so many of her actions

i think stefan and honora are possibly Not the best or most loving parents, and i think she was old enough when vanessa died that she can remember what it felt like to have a parent who really adored her - it's very telling that when rafal tricks her into kissing him at the end of awwp, the ruse he/evelyn use is to disguise him as vanessa and tell sophie that this would bring vanessa back to life! sophie just wants her mom back in her life 😭 which makes it so much worse when it's revealed in book 3 that vanessa was a terrible person

anyway. i think she's just absolutely desperate to be adored and to be somebody's most important person! because she's very much Not the favourite child (i actually think this one might be book canon - stefan prefers the two younger boys (jacob and adam?) over sophie, partly for Vanessa Reasons and partly because ✨ sexism ✨) (please take this with a pinch of salt bc i haven't read the books in almost a year)

her driving force in the first trilogy is just to find somebody, anybody, who loves her - tedros, agatha, rafal - and then cling on to that person for as long as she possibly can. she's desperate to keep tagatha apart, because for the last... decade or so? idk the timeline is weird - anyway, agatha's been one of the few people who cares deeply about her, and she is absolutely terrified of losing that!

anyway, the point of all of this is: she desperately wants to be important to people, which feeds into what im dubbing her Princess Complex. i think she also feels the need to be important in general - which is explored in the movie, with vanessa telling her she was destined for greatness - and, of course, ruling a kingdom is a good fast way to be important.

she's scared of being irrelevant, imo, both wrt the people in her life and the world in general: she's afraid people will stop loving her, and she's afraid of not making any impact on the world.

this is completely incoherent i suspect, im just in a sophie mood today, but one final thought: she's desperate to be loved, and that makes her an easy target for men who want to take advantage of that! (RAFAL IM LOOKING AT YOU)

[mosthomoeroticenemies]

Yeah the Sophie and Agatha thing is really weird! Because they do have super homoerotic vibes (in my opinion) in the first couple of books, and then in the third one they they just randomly find out that they're twins? It feels like it comes out of nowhere and it's just very strange

I definitely agree on the Vibes™ in the first book at least, I remember getting the second book (literally titled A World Without Princes, sounds kinda gay idk) but I didn't end up reading it for some reason. It does feel very sudden. Also I might be remembering wrong but didn't they LITERALLY kiss On The Mouth at the end of the first book or did I make that up

[princessofwoodsbeyond1]

Movie Review

-first off, i really liked it overall and i’m so happy that it got made

-second, writing this a day after watching it for the first time and i don’t remember everything

My favorite parts:

- the little scene where they are eating lunch in gavaldon in the beginning(it was so cute and i loved seeing them be actual friends)

-the wish fish/stymph scene(really well done and also tedros was so proud of himself and agatha just straight up punched him)

-all the little tagatha scenes were so cute and i loved that they built them up a little more(especially when they hugged in that basement area)!!

-hester and sophie’s fight(freya is absolutely amazing and i loved seeing the coven support her)

General Thoughts:

- the pacing was a little off and i wish they had kept some of the original stuff(trial, circus, mirror scene)

- i liked that they added the idea that rafal was purposely working against good by making them vain, it was an interesting addition to the balance between good and evil

- I LOVE GREGOR AND IM SO GLAD THEY ADDED HIM

- lesson and dovey were really fun together and anemone was interesting and i like the idea that she’s a lot smarter than she seems

- however, i wish dovey was a bit more kind and more truly good than the surface level stuff

- the new school master stuff was interesting and i love kit young but it felt a little weird(that might just be because it was so different)

- the acting was amazing overall, but the main trio, hester, beatrix, and gregor were really amazing

- i wish we’d seen more of agatha and the coven, but hopefully we’ll get more if they make a second

- speaking of, i’m glad they left it on a sort of cliff hanger so they could make a second if it does well

- but also, HIS ARROW PIERCED THROUGH DIMENSIONS??

- anyway, overall great movie, cried and screamed multiple times, so so so grateful to everyone that worked on it

[missvifdor]

Tsfgae : Tome 2

I recently bought and finished volume 2 of the school of Good and Evil.  And loved it and can't wait to get book 3!  Like last time, I'm going to give my general opinion and on the characters, trying not to spoil the plot!  I'm going to start with our heroines, ending with the new character that we were given to discover.  So:

SOPHIE : At the beginning of my reading, I was able to find the Sophie that I had discovered in volume 1. Egocentric, Her funny and annoying personality, her contempt for her father and her love of the spotlight. But we also feel that her experience at school has also changed her and we feel her fear of becoming the horrible witch she once was, which is why she clings so much to Agatha that she now considers no only as her saviour, her anchor, but also now really her friend in a much less superficial way. We FEEL that she needs Agatha by her side to convince herself that she will never again become the horrible thing she turned into. Of course she remains quite despicable towards the other villagers of Galvadon but now she is trying on a deeper level to be better. She wants to convince herself that she is capable of doing good and I feel her struggle with it throughout the book. And then when things start to heat up, I think she really matures and is a much better friend here than she was in book 1. The ending broke my heart and because of the fears and from the suspicions of those she called the people who matter to her, she actually ended up becoming what they feared she would become again. And it's all their fault. From my point of view, Sophie really tried and, I think, swapped roles with Agatha in this volume 2. She has so much faith in Agatha and their friendship, it was overwhelming. Also, her search for true love (now that I know the deeper meaning) makes her an even more interesting character to me, I really enjoyed Sophie in this read and she goes back to the top of my list of my favorite characters by Tsfgae.

AGATHA : I loved Agatha in volume 1. In this one, I think she goes down to second place of my favorite characters in the series at the moment. Her fears and suspicions are valid, after what she endured at school before returning to Galvadon I think she has a right to feel the way she does. However, now it is she who refuses to see the truth about her deepest desires, as was the case with Sophie in volume 1, which is what led them into the disastrous situation in which everyone is at school (although of course, Sophie has her fair share of responsibility). What breaks my heart is that the Agatha in volume 1 would never have doubted Sophie despite his actions, but it's very different in volume 2. She also wants her "True Happy Ending" so badly. Agatha forces herself so much to believe that she trusts her friend (trust that she doesn't feel at all) that it's almost sad. And also breaking my heart, she broke Sophie's with mine in the process. I think if Agatha hadn't been so scared of the witch's return, they might have had a chance.

TEDROS: First of all... TEDROS WHAT DID YOU MAKE SO FUCKS?! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR SPIRIT?! Tedros was already on a thin layer of ice in Book 1 but boy...I get he's from a place where he's instilled that to get to his happy ending you obviously have to kill the "bad guy" but man... think with your brain! Didn't his meeting with Agatha teach him anything?! And then he goes from bad to worse (and okay, it was a misunderstanding) but what happened with the Grand Master should have taught him a lesson! But noooo, sir prefers to think with his ego! In the end, he is almost better and then... he becomes a fool again! Someone give this boy a working brain and rid him of his Mommy Issues, please! I feel like taking my sandal, throwing it in his face and insulting him with the worst French insults I know! Anyway welcome to the BI family, Tedros, even if irritating and stupid you are on some level, I'm glad you discovered yourself on a deeper level.

HESTER: She is in my top 3 characters that I will defend body and soul! This girl is awesome and even though she sucks at being Dot's friend, she's still one of my favorites!

ANADIL: Same thing for Anadil as for Hester.

DOT: I was so happy and sad for Dot, she finally felt accepted and loved school. Anadil and Hester are not tender with her, despite everything she remains their friend. I just think she deserves better.

HORT: My poor darling! Not only is he heartbroken but they don't even treat him well in his school when he does everything to make himself useful 😭 I was hoping he would be better in Volume 2 but obviously he continues to be everyone's punching bag, he doesn't deserve that! Volume 3 better give him the happiness he deserves!

BEATRIX : Our number 1 bootlicker didn't change much in the end, trying to be the favorite of the new character from book 2! Besides, I will add that many of the Ever girls were still as much of a hypocrite as possible. Maybe Kiko was the least hypocritical of them all.

TRISTAN : MY HEART IS BROKEN ! THIS ENTIRE BOOK WAS INTENDED TO BREAK MY HEART AND CRUSH IT INTO A THOUSAND PIECES!

LADY LESSO: In Volume 2 we got a lot more insight into our favorite Dean for Evil and I'm so glad! His secret didn't really surprise me because I was spoiled before reading this volume, however, I think it adds a little depth to his character and I'm waiting to know more about his background.

PROFESSOR DOVEY: Much less present but still nice to see anyway. And I always hear about his interactions with Lady Lesso 🤭

EVELYN SADER: Here she is, the new face of faculty and characters. Suffice to say that from the start of its appearance in the book, I was intrigued. Her physique, her personality, her intriguing insects following her everywhere (her outfit is pretty cool, it made me want to draw her for later). His powers are as intriguing as they are cool and dangerous, in my opinion. I loved and hated her in a common measure, especially when she had this "discussion" with Lady Lesso and what she did to Sophie. Very happy with her fate at the end, hoping that she will not make an appearance again in the next volumes. There's some new stuff she brought to school for girls that I can appreciate, however the rest is really stereotypical (even if it's less than what Evergirls was asking for in Volume 1, the rest seems incredibly ridiculous and dangerous).

[chussyracing]

What books you like? Favorites, genres

I got into reading is little by fantasy books but I was also obsessed with new knowledge so I borrowed out a whole shelf of encyclopedias in local library too.

Later on, I was keen on mysteries and thrillers and horrors for many many years, basically into adulthood.

Ever since I started university I mostly only read local authors, classics, older literature. But in my free time, I like to relax with good detective stories, feuilletons, politics satire.

My guilty pleasures are Agatha Christie in any form or way, Jon Jonasson, all of ancient plays and colections of poems (you name it, I read it), Rudolf Křesťan, Franz Kafka. Out of classics that you can find in english and might know better than any Czech authors i could list here, i'd say Austen, Wilde, Poe, Atwood, Orwell, Fitzgerald. I also unironically love Shakespeare and Molière.

If I always hated something, it was romance (besides Austen, but that's mostly because of the characterization and a long time gone crush on another lit major). I also don't really enjoy the mainstream stuff that came out fairly recently. I didn't enjoy Rupi Kaur or Amanda Lovelace, I couldn't get past few pages of Coleen Hoover or Jojo Moyes I found in my sister's room.

Out of the new-ish authors I enjoyed, from top of my head: Nadia Terranova, Jonas Jonasson, Josh Malerman, John Grisham, Paula Hawkins, Harriet Tyce, Sophie Hannah....

[liketwoswansinbalance]

SGE Characters as Literary Things

(Not all of these are actual literary or rhetorical devices; some are just writing techniques, forms, genres, mediums, etc.)

This is a bit abstract, so I’m curious about how subjective these might be. Does anyone agree or disagree? And feel free to make additions if you think I left anything out, or request another character that isn’t here.

Hopefully this makes (intuitive?) sense. As always, I'm willing to explain my thought process behind any of the things I've listed.

Also, anyone can treat this like a “Tag Yourself” meme, if you want. Whose list do you most relate to, use, or encounter?

⸻

LANCELOT (I know—how odd that I’m starting with a minor character and not Rafal, but wait. There’s a method to my madness. Also, watch out for overlap!):

Metonymy, synecdoche (no, literally, to me, these are him.)

Zeugma

Analogy

Figures of speech

Slang, argot

Colloquialisms

Idioms

TEDROS:

Simile

Metaphor

Rhyming couplets

Rhyme schemes

Sonnets

Commercial fiction

Coming-of-age genre

Line enjambment

Overuse of commas

Cadence, prose speech

Waxing poetic, verse (not prose)

Alliteration

Kinesthetic imagery

Phallic imagery/sword sexual innuendos (sorry)

The chivalric romance genre

AGATHA:

Anaphora, repetition

Semicolon, periods

Line breaks

Terse, dry prose

Semantics (not syntax)

Elegy

Resonance

Consonance, alliteration

Pseudonym

Narrative parallels

Realism

Satire

SOPHIE:

Sophistry (yes, there is a word for it!)

Imagery

Italics, emphasis

Em dash

Aphrodisiac imagery

Unreliable narrator, bias

Rashomon effect

Syntax (not semantics)

Diction

Chiasmus (think: “Fair is foul and foul is fair.”)

Rhetorical purpose

Provocation, calls to action

Voice, writing style

Rhetorical modes: pathos, logos, ethos

Metaphor

Hyperbole, exaggeration

Sensationalism, journalism

Surrealism

Verisimilitude

Egocentrism

Callbacks (but not foreshadowing or call-forwards)

Narrative parallels

Paralepsis, occultatio, apophasis, denial

Hypothetical dialogue

Monologue

JAPETH:

Sibilance

Lacuna

Villanelle (an obsessive, repetitive form of poetry)

Soliloquy

ARIC:

Sentence fragments

RHIAN (TCY):

Unreliable narrator

Setup, payoff

Chekhov’s gun

Epistolary novel

RHIAN (prequels):

Multiple povs

Perspective

Dramatic irony

Situational irony

Chiaroscuro (in imagery)

Endpapers

Frontispiece

Deckled edges

Narrative parallels

Foreshadowing

Call-forwards

Foil

Death of the author

RAFAL:

Omniscient narrator

Perspective

Surrealism

Etymology

Word families or 'linguistic ecosystems'

Latin

Verbal irony

Gallows humor

Narrative parallels

Call-forwards

Circular endings

Parallel sentences or balanced sentence structure

Narrative parallels

Foil

Juxtaposition

Authorial intent (“return of the author”)

HESTER:

Protagonist

Allusions

Gothic imagery

ANADIL:

Defamiliarization

Deuteragonist (second most important character in relation to the protagonist)

Psychic distance

Sterile prose

Forewords, prologues

Works cited pages

DOT:

Tone

Gustatory imagery

Tritagonist (third most important character in relation to the protagonist)

KIKO:

Sidekick

Falling action

Dedications, author's notes, epigraph, acknowledgements

Epitaph (Tristan)

BEATRIX:

Pacing

Rising Action

Climax

HORT:

Unrequited love

Falling resolution

Anticlimax

Malapropism

Innuendo

Asides

Brackets, parentheses

Cliché

EVELYN SADER:

Synesthetic imagery

Villanelle

Foreshadowing

AUGUST SADER:

Stream of consciousness style

Imagery

Foreshadowing

Coming-of-age genre

Elegy

Omniscience

Rhetorical questions

Time skips, non-linear narratives

Epilogues

MARIALENA:

Diabolus ex machina

Malapropism

Malaphors, mixed metaphors

Slant rhyme

Caveat

Parentheses

Footnotes

MERLIN:

Deus ex machina

Iambic pentameter

Filler words

BETTINA:

Screenwriting

Shock value

[locklylenerd77]

I was so disappointed that Sophie ended up with Hort, not because they weren't cute together but because she never actually showed any interest in him and I dislike the message they give off to young readers: if someone rejects you, wait around for them to love you. Eventually they will.

The way Hort could never let Sophie go was so unhealthy and she literally treated him like dirt in book 3 and 4. Only in book 5 did she MILDLY begin to acknowledge him and that was pretty much just because he sacrificed himself totally and completely for her, again SO UNHEALTHY.

Hort was obsessed with sophie from day one because of how she LOOKED, she never actually displayed any kindness to him for Hort to be attracted to. She treated him like a servant in book 4, manipulating him and playing on his feelings to get him to help her be noticed by boys.

Suddenly in book six she has this great realisation and when she comes running, Hort is STILL THERE, waiting for Sophie.

To be honest, it feels like by book 6 Sophie still hasn't found "the one", and hort was just her automatic happy ending.

I really loved sophie's struggle with her identity in books 4-6 because she was unsure about her place in the world and trying to understand what she actually, truly wanted.

And I think she still doesn't know. A boy never did, and never will, fill that void.

Sophie was better off as an independent woman. She learned to appreciate Agatha in book 6 as a person who loved her infinitely and I thought that was really healthy. Sophie might still long for a man, but in reality she was never desiring love, only the idea of prince charming. This is established as early as the end of book 2.

Sophie was never in love. She still isn't. She's in love with the concept, and terrified of loneliness. Also, she's never actually experienced true attraction. Every love interest she's ever had has been actions for show (Tedros and rhian), or status (Tedros), or appearance (literally everyone), or prince (Tedros), or promise of acceptance (Rafal), or simply the last option left (Hort).

Honestly, a better end to her arc would be that she realises she doesn't actually want that anymore, she just WANTS to want it. She wants to feel that towards somebody.

But it's just...vacant.

I rest my case.

#savesophie #sophieisaromantic

[sea-owl]

Oh my gosh how did I not see it before. Portia is the perfect candidate to have someone isekai as! Might have to steal this idea later though lol. As for Michael and Simon I have a thought on that. With Portia making a name for herself as a business woman, no doubt Agatha Danbury would take notice and invite the baroness for tea with Mary Sharma where Kate and Simon meet and become quick friends which leads to Simon meeting the others. At some point this also leads to little Gareth joining the group.Philip meets Michael when he’s 12 at Eton and brings him home one summer and ever since he’s been apart of the family. Plus it lead to Portia gaining a business partner in Michaels mother and aunt. Now villain stories.

Simon: a man abused by his father leads him to grow cold and unfeeling despite being a rake. Not the biggest villain in the series, but Anthony seduces his mistress Sienna away from him, he decides to get revenge on him by seducing Daphne but refuses to marry her after they are caught kissing in the garden leading to Anthony killing him in a duel (though it was often debated in forums that Simon purposefully lost and was suicidal).

Michael: After his fathers death, his mother dealt with her grief by staying at his cousins house and doting on her nephew while frequently comparing her son to the future earl and having him fall short. As a result, Michael doesn’t tell his mother when one of maids starts touching him inappropriately when he’s 13 and later forces herself on the younger boy. All this leads to Michael being obsessed with his cousin John, viewing him as the perfect person, while trying to find comfort in the arms of many, many women. When he meets Francesca Bridgerton he falls in love at first but seeing her married to John causes him to go mad but rather than hurt either John or Francesca, he commits suicide instead.

Gareth: Another boy who was abused by their father and thus turned to a life of debauchery. Felicity hires him to seduce and ruin Hyacinth but along the way he falls in love with her and decides to kidnap her to Gretna Green only to be killed by her love later on. After befriending Agatha (well more like business frenemies) she casually mentions how one of her acquaintances heard about Gareth’s father drunkenly bragging about how he treats his young son. Cue Lady Danbury removing Gareth from that house and Simon taking him under his wing.

Lucy: Abused by her uncle and his friend, engaged to her gay friend who turns a blind eye towards how her uncle and his father touch his betrothed, her only light seems to be her best friend Hermione. Hermione doesn’t care that Lucy isn’t a pure maiden and takes her under her wing. Actually Hermione is the real villainess, with Lucy as her minion. Hermione, jealous of how Gregory Bridgerton has moved on from her, has Lucy try to seduce Gregory away from his lady love. But seeing his kindness towards her, Lucy warns the girl Gregory loves of Hermione’s plan and takes her place, resulting in her dying in a carriage accident. Of course, Hermione then lies to Lucy’s brother that Gregory Bridgerton planned his sisters death and the two scheme their revenge. Yeah Portia couldn’t care about Hermione much, but she will be damned if she doesn’t save Lucy! It’s actually quite easy, all Portia had to do was prevent the accident set up by Lucy’s uncle to kill her parents and her uncle is tossed in jail while Lucy grows up in a loving home and Lucy instead befriends Felicity and Gareth.

Will this work for how it ties in?

I should be fair to the others and give them an in with Portia's wayward home for villains. Original post here. 

The first post will have Kate, Sophie, Phillip, and Penelope’s book villain backstories. 

(Also I love seeing people create their own versions of my aus or adding on their own head canons. If anyone feels inspired please feel free to write or draw or whatever medium you want to use. Then tag me! I want to see it!)

Ok so here are my interpretations for their backstories/How they were as villains in book order:

Simon: Simon Basset is the first villain in the series. Being deemed useless since his birth his father basically had him locked away and isolated. This took a massive toll on his psyche and made him paranoid. It did not bode well when Simon’s father realized he could torture him more by throwing him in school where he would never be alone. Simon traded one prison to another, only this had horrible neighbors. The worst of these neighbors was Anthony Bridgerton. Anthony and Simon never got along, while Anthony acted as a teen boy would Simon was jumpy and was constantly stuck in survival mode. The final straw for Simon was a prank gone wrong and had broken the one thing Simon was able to smuggle from his mom. Fine, if Anthony did not care for other’s precious things, then Simon would destroy what was precious to Anthony. One ruined sister could ruin them all. Doesn’t Daphne debut in a year or two?

...

Michael: Michael Stirling is the villain in the 6th book in the series.  Much like Kate Michael turned cold after being constantly found lesser compared to his cousin John, but unlike Kate he wanted that warmth back. Michael first thought that he had to be perfect like his cousin. When that did not work, Michael had tried to get it back through losing himself to debauchery. But then he met Francesca Bridgerton. Francesca, John’s fiancé, brought back the warmth that Michael craved so dearly, but she was engaged to John. John didn’t need this warmth like Michael did though, John had others that gave him warmth like Michael’s own mother. Michael needed that warmth, Michael needed Francesca. The night before John and Francesca were to wed Michael objected and stole the bride

...

Gareth: Gareth St. Clair is the co-villain of the 7th book in the series. The second, illegitimate, son of Baron St. Clair, his adopted father had seen it fit to neglect him to the point where he was living in poverty and starving. Despite Baron St. Clair’s attempt to kill him Gareth somehow miraculously survived. Desperately wanting the life of his much-loved older half-brother, Gareth had made a deal with devil. Felicity Featherington was back and wanted revenge for the execution for the only family member she loved and loved her. She thought a sister for a sister was fair. She seduced Gareth with the promise of the missing Whistledown money and the title if he helped her kill Hyacinth Bridgerton. 

...

Lucy: The final villain in the series is Lucy Abernathy in the 8th book. A fan of the Featheringtons’ work she modeled her killings after by exposing her victims scandals and carving them into their bodies. If they just so happen to be suitors Hermione rejected and if people looking for a connection led to her, well no skin off Lucy’s back. Hermione shouldn’t have used her just to fuck with Lucy’s scum brother. Lucy supposed she hasn’t always been this way, but after the death of her parents she had become numb. It didn’t help that her uncle kept selling her to the highest bidder. The challenge of the hunt was the only thing to give Lucy a thrill, and she just set her sights on her biggest challenge yet, Gregory Bridgerton. 

Now let me see how we can add the others in:

Simon: Simon was back in London for five minutes before his beloved godmother pushed him into her carriage and set out for the countryside. 

“Aunt Agatha where are we going?” Simon asked her. 

“There have been some rumors whispering about and I want to see if they are true,” Lady Danbury said, almost cryptically. 

Simon knew he wasn’t getting anything more out of her so he just settled in and waited to see where they ended up. 

Simon didn’t know what he was expecting when they pulled up to a country estate but what greeted him and Lady Danbury was nothing he could have imagined. The only way he could really describe it was chaos. 

There were two girls practicing shooting with shotguns, they looked to be the oldest and youngest of them. 

Three girls, two red heads, and a blonde, all about the same age, sat in a circle with different art supplies and they seemed to be drawing a boy who sat in the middle of the circle wearing nothing but a kilt. 

The last group seemed to be the calmest as they were only reading until Simon listened in and heard that they were acting out different death scenarios for some sort of story they were creating as they went along. The book they had was on different poisonous plants. 

Sitting under a tent with a pitcher of lemonade between were two women who Simon was guessing were the mothers to at least some of this brood. 

“Lady Featherington,” Lady Danbury called. 

The red head of the two women looked up, surprise on her face. “Lady Danbury, this is a surprise.”

Of course, his aunt didn’t even tell the host they were coming. She did love her dramatics. 

“Simon, go introduce yourself to the other children. You need more friends,” Lady Danbury said with a wave. 

Simon sighed, but then tensed up. He feels like he’s being sized up. Turning around he could see all the groups stopped what they were doing and were openly staring at him. 

The one wearing a kilt came up to him and began to lead him to the others. “So we hear you need more friends.” 

...

Michael: 13 year old Phillip had done half a year at Eton before deciding absolutely the fuck not. He would get a better education at home, and it was cleaner, and in the countryside. He takes his crazy ass best friend and his pseudo sisters before dealing with these animals again. The only saving grace about this place was his new friend the 16 year old Michael, and Phillip was about to pull a Penelope and drag Michael home with him. Phillip wrote to Portia that he was coming home and bringing a guest. 

During the next break Michael had indeed gone home with Phillip, but that was more to do with the fact if he went back to Scotland he would have to listen to his mother and aunt dote on John again. Michael loves his cousin, honestly, but dear god could it get annoying. Besides Phillip’s home sounded interesting, he said he was a ward, and that he was the only boy in the house. 

So Michael went to visit, and then never left. Phillip was right, there was a better education to be had here, and he quite enjoyed the shenanigans he got into with Phillip and the girls. Portia did force him to write home and visit once in in a while, but now that he wasn’t constantly around his family all the time Michael found his relationships with his family improved greatly. 

...

Gareth: Upon the return to London Felicity is feeling lonely. Which is understandable, Kate, Sophie, and Prudence were all just launched into society, Philippa is getting ready to for her own debut next year, Phillip is getting ready to go to University, and Penelope and Edwina are looking at possibly starting to make business transactions under their mothers' guidance. It also didn't help that Felicity was the youngest at the age of 7 while the next two closest in age to her were 14.

One day Felicity comes across a ten year old boy in the park trying to read. Felicity was confused, she was only 7 but she could read better than him. For over an hour she sat with him and helped him get through a few chapters. When Felicity asked why he was struggling so much the boy told her that his father never taught him nor let anyone else teach him. Felicity gasped, education was important in the Featherington household, and then immediately took him to Portia.

"Mama this boy-" Felicity stopped herself and turned back to the boy. "What is your name?"

"Gareth St. Clair," the boy answered.

Felicity nodded and then turned back to Portia. "Mama this boy's father refuses to teach him how to read!"

Portia recognizes the name and immediately began scanning the boy over for any injuries. He was too skinny, she could see his ribs through his clothes, and his skin looked pale. The boy honestly looked like a stray wind could blow him over. No wonder Felicity dragged him to her so easily.

The next time Portia saw Lady Danbury she mentioned that her daughter had met Gareth, but the boy didn't seem to be in good health. That sent Lady Danbury after St. Clair where she immediately removed Gareth from the household and into her's. She and Simon began to try to play catch up for all the things Gareth was neglected for his health and education. Gareth went over to the Featherington household a few times a week to get some reading lessons from his new friend Felicity.

...

Lucy: Like Gareth Felicity had discovered Lucy. Portia could tell Felicity was getting bored at home now that Gareth was at Eton, so she signed her up for a watercolor class. There she had met Lucy and Hermione. Over the course of three months the girls had grown close. Close enough that Lucy felt comfortable enough to ask an important question. 

“Felicity, do you know how old your sisters were when they first got their monthlies?” Lucy asked in a hushed whisper. 

Felicity thought about it. The only one she could really remember when they got their first first monthly was Penelope and she had been about 13? Yeah, that sounds about right. “About thirteen.” 

Lucy looked surprised, and disappointed. “Oh.”

Felicity’s new sibling senses kicked in. “Why do you ask?”

Hermione answered, “Lucy’s uncle said when she had her first monthly she would be ready for Haselby.”

“Hermione!” Lucy exclaimed. 

Hermione’s answer didn’t sound right to Felicity, who had gone home and repeated it to Portia. Portia marched down to the Abernathy household and left with a new ward that same day. No one’s quite sure how she did it. They did know however that Richard could visit his sister, but should their uncle step a single foot on their property Portia will let Felicity use him as target practice for her shotgun. 

...

For those that need a quick flow chart here’s the official order everyone joined the family and their ages. If they weren’t there in the first part when they probably should have been after this we’re just gonna ignore it and pretend they were:

Phillip became a ward when Penelope dragged him home when she was 8 and he was 10. 

Michael comes to visit and just never leaves when he is 16, Phillip is 13, and Penelope is 11. 

Sophie is taken in as a ward at 16. Penelope is 12, Phillip is 14, and Michael is 17. 

Kate is 19 when they meet the Featherington. Penelope is 13, Phillip is 15, Michael is 18, and Sophie is 17.

Simon meets everyone about six months after Kate was introduced. He is 25 and everyone else is roughly the same age. 

The year everyone returns to London Simon is 26, Kate is 20, Michael is 19 Sophie is 18, Phillip is 16, and Penelope is 14. Michael went traveling to India based on Kate’s stories, and Simon is busy with running Clyvedon. They were there for the first ball though.

Gareth also gets introduced the first year back in London. He is ten when Felicity finds him and she is 7. 

Finally Lucy is 10 when Felicity, also 10 befriends her. Simon is 29, Kate is 23, Michael is 22, Sophie is 21, Phillip is 19, Penelope is 17, and Gareth is 13. 

The year the Bridgerton boys ask the girls to dance Simon is 31, Kate is 25, Michael is 24, Sophie is 23, Phillip is 21, Penelope is 19, Gareth is 15, and Lucy is 13.