#analysis about hphm

[ariparri]

Undeserving

HPHM Cardverse Masterlist | Blog Masterlist

The Hogwarts Mystery Cardverse is an AU that takes place in a fantasy land called Cinderhaven. There are five regions, four of them representing a suit of cards; Spades, Clubs, Hearts, Diamonds. The final region representing the Jokers.

Here it is, finally! Rakepick's backstory and motive! I kept this one short since I didn’t plan to make her backstory too long, just a good enough description on why she’s the way she is. To put things simply, she’s mad because the newer official role holders are all younger than her and some were literally handed their positions on silver platters while she worked her damn butt off to get her position.

In the illustrious Country of Spades, where work flowed like the rivers and power lay in the hands of a select few, Patricia Rakepick was born into the esteemed House of Rakepick. From her earliest years, she was immersed in a world of privilege and expectation, the weight of her family's legacy pressing down upon her young shoulders like a suffocating cloak.

Raised within the imposing walls of her family's estate, Patricia's childhood was marked with rigorous education and training. Her parents, stern and unyielding, demanded nothing short of perfection from their daughter, instilling in her a relentless drive for excellence that burned bright within her.

But it was in the hallowed halls of the military academy that Patricia truly found her calling. She excelled in her studies, displaying an insatiable hunger for knowledge and a keen intellect that set her apart from her peers. Improving her skills in combat and strategy, driven by a burning desire to prove herself worthy of her family's legacy.

As she ascended through the ranks, Patricia's ambition knew no bounds. She set her sights on the coveted position of Ace of Spades, the highest rank in the country’s military hierarchy, a title reserved for only the most skilled commanders. Her prowess on the battlefield became legendary, her name whispered in awe and fear by those who knew of her exploits. But even as she carved out her place among the country’s elite soldiers, a shadow of resentment lingered in her heart.

Unlike Patricia Rakepick, who had clawed her way to the top through sheer force and will, Duncan Ashe had been handed his position on a silver platter, his ascent to becoming the next Jack of Spades was swift and seemingly effortless. Under the watchful eye of his mentor, Ulrich Scheller, the mastermind behind the country’s intricate web of finances and policies, Duncan had risen through the ranks with alarming speed, his youth and charm masking a cunning intellect that belied his years.

Even as he was still attending university, Duncan's influence within Ulrich's cabinet was already felt far and wide. His reports and recommendations were eagerly awaited by those in power, his insights and analysis proving invaluable in guiding the country through troubled times.

As Duncan was appointed the new Jack of Spades, another figure emerged from the shadows: Coby McQuaid, the king who never truly sought the crown. Coby's ascension to the throne was a twist of fate orchestrated by his closest friend and confidant, Duncan Ashe. Coby McQuaid never envisioned himself wearing the crown. His days were filled with adventure and laughter, not with the weighty responsibilities of rulership. Despite his initial reservations, Coby embraced his newfound position with characteristic optimism. He may not have been well-versed in the intricacies of governance, but he possessed a deep love for his people and a genuine desire to see them thrive.

As Patricia Rakepick's thirst for power intensified, so too did the darkness that lurked within her soul. Fueled by resentment and driven by ambition, she became a formidable force to be reckoned with in the Country of Spades. Overhearing the conversation between King Coby and Duncan about the possibility of adding Veruca McQuaid, Coby's sister, to the council only served to stoke the flames of Patricia's anger. In her eyes, it was yet another example of undeserving individuals being handed positions of power without earning them.

Determined to prove herself superior to Coby and Duncan, Patricia's ambition twisted into something darker and more insidious. She became ruthless and cunning, willing to cross any line to achieve her goals, no matter the cost. With each passing day, Patricia's thirst for power grew, consuming her from within like a relentless hunger. She manipulated events and people with calculated precision, leaving a trail of destruction in her wake.

But as she climbed the ladder of success, leaving a path of devastation in her wake, Patricia's grip on reality began to slip. The lines between right and wrong blurred, and she found herself teetering on the edge of madness. Yet, even as the darkness threatened to consume her, Patricia remained determined to claim her rightful place among the elite of Spades. For in a country where power was the ultimate currency and ambition the driving force behind every action, she would stop at nothing to emerge victorious.

As Patricia Rakepick's fame as a war hero grew, so did her influence within the Country of Spades. Leveraging her reputation and military prowess, she capitalized on the dissatisfaction brewing among the people regarding King Coby's laid-back nature and perceived ineffectiveness as a ruler.

With a shrewd understanding of political maneuvering, Patricia exploited Coby's relaxed style of governance as a potent weapon against him. She paid off news reporters to spread gossip about Coby's extravagant spending habits, painting him as out of touch with the needs of the common folk. The whispers of discontent among the council members and the general populace provided fertile ground for Patricia to sow seeds of dissent. As she positioned herself as a strong and decisive leader, contrasting sharply with Coby's perceived weaknesses, she garnered widespread support among the disillusioned masses.

Patricia's promise of swift and decisive action resonated with many, particularly those who longed for a return to old-school traditions and values. Veterans, in particular, rallied behind her banner, viewing her as a champion of stability and order in a time of uncertainty. Under Patricia's leadership, she demanded absolute loyalty from her supporters, particularly from her military forces. Those who dared to question her authority or stray from her path were swiftly dealt with, sent off to the metaphorical "gulag" as a warning to others.

While some embraced Coby’s vision for the future of Spades, others clung stubbornly to the past, resisting change and viewing Coby's carefree demeanor as a sign of weakness. Yet, as the winds of political upheaval swept through the country, it became increasingly clear that the days of Coby's reign were numbered, and the era of Patricia Rakepick's iron-fisted rule was on the horizon.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

hello Blair 👋 I saw you mentioned Alanza and I’m showing up bc despite jc completely fumbling her, I still like her

I think the two biggest issues is when she’s introduced and that the game does not know what to do with her. She should have been introduced before Rowan’s death. That way we get to know her as her own character instead of “Rowan’s replacement.”

Since she’d be the new student for the year, I’m pretty sure people would still suspect her of being the mole. My guess is that jc dropped her because so many people seem to dislike her. There’s a whole can of worms on how hphm handles its numerous characters. I will have to save that for another day.

Alanza was set to be an interesting character and I do wish we had learned more about her days at Castelobruxo. I’m ignoring my own numerous headcanons to flesh her out. Main things that stick out to me is her time surviving in the rainforest as a first year. She has this very cheerful demeanor but surely that must have had an impact on her eleven year old self. Then she’s supposed to be from a prominent Brazilian wizarding family. What are they like? How do people treat her as a member of an at least somewhat famous family? She seems to enjoy adventuring so of all the characters to join the vault hunt, she should’ve been included. Then the wiki says she was part of a band back at Castelobruxo (it also says she can play nine instruments which I do not remember.) What if we saw her bonding with the Weird Sisters over music?

Jumping into headcanon territory: I’ve headcanoned that Alanza’s upbeat demeanor contrasts with her parents’ more serious selves. When her grandmother was alive, she was able to mediate between Alanza and her parents. However after she died, things became more tense at home. It also didn’t help that their fame meant Alanza was constantly being compared to her family. She decided to become an exchange student partly to get a fresh start where people will judge her as her own person and also bc like I mentioned earlier, she likes an adventure.

to be nice to hphm, Alanza’s design is my favorite from this game. I don’t have some deep analysis on it; I just think she’s cute. Plus I like the mole she has.

Oh, I like her too. She just...feels like a one-off, like a character introduced in a TLSQ who then slides into the background.

Instead, like you talked about, the story drops everything to introduce her - right after Rowan dies and The Circle is formed, no less - and not long before The Mole is first mentioned. They had to know, right? The writers had to realize the circumstances surrounding Alanza were suspicious, so I think she was a deliberate red herring. Especially giving her a loose connection to Rakepick. But she's a red herring who never gets herring'd, because the characters never outright suspect her.

I didn't even realize she was widely disliked, is that true? Because I liked her just fine. I was suspicious of her past and her motives, and it wasn't lost on me how the story tried to insert her into a "Rowan" like role (which it later did more directly with Corey) but hey, that wasn't exactly her fault, and assuming she was totally genuine in her nature, then she was a good person, right?

The Rain Forest Incident is so telling. I've always had the headcanon that Rakepick rescued her from that bit of trouble. Because despite what Alanza says, despite what the writers might want us to believe, there is no way she could have known Rakepick smelled like cinnamon without having gotten close to her. MC didn't even know that.

As far as her time in Castelobruxo, I'm getting...Weasley twin vibes. Popular with the students, nightmare for the staff. If she comes from a prominent family, that's already easy mode for popularity like it was for Draco. Not to mention she's in a band and is apparently multi-faceted? Nah, this girl had friends. But then again, none of them write to her when she moves out to the U.K, so maybe it was all just surface level? Sad to say...

Oh man. What you're describing is...so familiar. It reminds me a lot of Tulip and her situation with her own family, right down to having grandparents who mediate. The idea that Alanza joined the exchange program to get away from - at least part of - her family is devastating, but it makes sense. She chose to remain at Hogwarts for another year, and neglected to mention why. But she would have been 17 by that point, so, it would be her choice, right?

The Casteobruxo robes look superb, they really do. They're one of the few costumes that genuinely look like something people in this world would wear, because yes I'm still hung up on how none of them wear robes in the movies. As far as her face goes, she is adorable, that's for sure!

[missnight0wl]

everyone hates the prank arc, but it would be soooo much cooler if during the final prank, the portrait that peeves gives us gets wet or something and the paint comes off revealing the vault portrait. Think the Thomas Crown Affair style. I think it'd have much better resolution than the actual ending. you're the writer, so what are your thoughts?

Oh, I totally agree with you that it’d be a really dope reveal! In fact, I still believe that it’s supposed to happen that way. I actually talked about it like two years ago, when those events were being released for the first time (I got the idea from the video of WillBits, actually).

See, soon after we talked to Peeves, we had this conversation with Penny, for example:

And you just can’t tell me that it doesn’t sound like they’re building the ground for the reveal that: “Oh, snap! MC had the right portrait all the time!”. I’m pretty sure there were more similar mentions, once or twice. It simply feels too random to be a coincidence. Especially that the frame of both portraits and even its size were exactly the same.

I know that on the one hand, it’d be pretty frustrating. That it could feel like everything we did was for nothing. But I personally think that it’d be a good kind of frustrating. You know what I mean? Like, the whole pranking plot would’ve been so much better if the narrative focused more on the fact that MC was absolutely desperate at this point, and having a peak of it filled with pure frustration would be a great opportunity to talk about MC’s emotions.

Moreover, it’d be a brilliant moment to show that things are not always how they seem to be. Let’s remember that the game is called Hogwarts MYSTERY, and the theme of using misdirection to build the said mystery was already kind of used in the story. For example, look at Ben in Y4. The game wanted us to think he’s suspicious, then that he wanted to hurt MC – only to reveal that he was being controlled. It was pretty prominent in Y5 as well when we were learning about Jacob’s past. Then again in Y6 and Y7 when Verucca talked to Merula and later to Madam Xeep etc.

I dunno, I just feel that the revel with the portrait of Peeves being the vault portrait in disguise would fit all of that very well. Like, MC’s whole life is basically about being deceived. They even had that dramatic moment in the Portrait Vault after Jacob left:

So, why not add a cool reveal with the portrait into that?

Also, such a trick is even more in Peeves’s style, in my opinion. Like, imagine how hilarious would it be from his point of view if MC was doing all of his wishes while already having what they wanted to get.

[gayandvibin]

7, 10, 34 and 41 for the asks? 💚

Thanks for the asks Calix!! x

7) What element would your OC be?

Robbie is kinda loud and outgoing, just sorta overly energetic and lively to be around - so something firey definitely suits him! 

Also like.... LIGHT SYMBOLISM HNYEH

Jacob is a much more secluded individual - he likes his space and a chance to just be alone with the world. He would’ve been a fan of the forests around the Flores estate, so an old foresty spirit is the sort of vibe this gives me .

10) What deadly sin would best represent your OC?

hh it was hard to sort of figure these ones out, but Robert is pride, especially when he’s younger. 

He initially takes a lot of power and happiness from his family’s standing, and the luxuries he’s been afforded in life (though he’s not aware at the time that these are luxuries). It’s a sort of childish naivety that he’s just been allowed to harbour for so long that he never really questioned it. 

Effectively the opposite, Jacob is envy - both of his younger brother and of others as a whole. He was forced to grow up too soon, and seeing that other people have never had to experience the same sort of things as him is frustrating - kind of a mix of the idea that people will never really get it, and that he’s pissed he missed out on just an average childhood. 

34) What social groups and activities does your character attend? What role do they like to play? What role do they actually play , usually?

(I cannot believe that I’ve made this boy a jock what the hell have I done? Himbo rights tho ig???) 

I stand by the notes I made two days into the game that Robert is successful at quidditch almost entirely by dumb luck and has only once intentionally done something tactically beneficial for the team. 

So Robbie is on the quidditch team, and he takes part in the school choir - in both of these settings he is the absolute mum friend, which plays a lot into his later career as a healer. He just... wants people to be happy and well, though I can see him trying to tone it down a notch once people start pointing it out (this does not go well when Skye inevitably gets nailed in the face with a bludger and Robbie tries to call off an entire house match)

Jacob: I will cause problems on purpose!! I will destroy Snape’s reputation as head of Slytherin!!

Also Jacob: Ok but actually I have anxiety and would rather not... Hey hey guys maybe this is a bad idea and I really cannot risk getting expelled over this - WE HAVE AN EXAM TOMORROW REALLY I DONT THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA

In a similar way to his brother, Jacob is definitely trying to keep his friends out of harms way, but at the same time... if its gonna be funny, you need someone there who’s able to tell the story later at least. (So he’s a shit-stirrer, but he will keep you from getting yourself killed)

41) What does your character do when they’re angry? Why?

Most of the time Robbie gets super cold. Part of is to try and prevent anything spiraling into a bigger conflict, but most of it is because he’s a petty child. This brat man will not let you win until months have passed, and even then he’s not actually going to acknowledge it.

If it’s something a lot more serious and threatening though, I figure he’s willing to completely cut people out without a second’s notice.

Jacob on the other hand just gets very emotional - it’s annoying because its one of those things where you’re mad, so you don’t want to be comforted by anyone because you’re PISSED, but now you’re crying and you can’t explain that actually these are angry tears and I’m going to unplug your fridge sir so don’t you dare.

He’s just a real one to bottle everything up and then explode everything in an ugly mess that no one can really escape from.

[heleneplays]

Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars (I could use a wish right now)

Summary: Brain said Patricia/Helene (Adler) & María/Helene (Spillane) angst so I wrote a little thing about them during the missing time.

Fandom: Relics of the Lost Age & HPHM (rewrite!) fusion aka I'm stealing characters (Patricia Rakepick & Helene Adler my beloved) and adding them to this to spice up life <3

Characters: Helene Spillane, Patricia Rakepick Sánchez, María García Pérez, Helene Margarethe Adler

Pairing: Helene Spillane/Patricia Sánchez, Helene Spillane/María García Pérez (Mentioned), María García Pérez&Helene Adler, Patricia Sánchez/Helene Adler (Mentioned)

---

"I still want her."

The whispered confession broke the silence between them.

"Of course, Spillane. I know."

"Sánchez..."

"No, listen."

Patricia moves to face Helene in the eyes.

"You've got a big heart, Spillane. But you've already given it to her. And that's fine, because... I also have-- had someone else."

"Oh."

"This arrangement we have... it's fine. It's just two women seeking comfort with each other. God knows there's little trust to find ourselves good trysts these days."

Silence reigns for a few moments before Helene inevitably wisecracks.

"Which part am I good with, then?"

The brunette waggles her eyebrows, and the redhead supresses an eyeroll. Instead she just moves again to be on top, pinning Helene down.

"Why don't you be a good girl and remind me, then?"

---

Much, much later, Helene and Patricia lie back, satisfied.

"So..."

"So?"

"Don't make this weirder than it has to, Patty-dearest."

The redhead sighs, and runs a hand through her hair.

"You're lucky you're cute."

"I know. My looks are my second best asset."

"What's the first?"

"My boobs or ass, take a pick."

Patricia laughs, not expecting that answer.

"Very crass, Spillane."

"Fine, you spoilsport. Sharp mind, alright? You can pick with it later. Now spill!"

"Ugh, fine. Her name's Helene--"

Helene immediately interrupts.

"I have so many things I want to say about that right now--"

Patricia takes a hand and lazily slaps it on to the brunette's lips.

"Let me finish, damn."

Helene's eyes crinkle in delight, nodding once to let the redhead know she'll be quiet now.

"Alright, as I was saying. Her name's Helene. Helene Adler."

///

"Adler."

"García."

Hazel and Cerulean orbs clash. Both women tense, before forcibly calming themselves.

"We are not speaking of this to anyone, is that clear?"

"Crystal. That said, would you like breakfast, or would you rather leave now?"

María stares at Helene, calculating.

"What's your angle, Adler? Why be so... nice to me?"

"None as much as basic courtesy drilled by a... former partner."

The redhead knits her eyebrows for a moment, before her face smoothes over.

"Then I suppose there's no harm with breakfast before I go."

Helene moves out of bed and pads to the closet to take a robe from its hook.

"Very well. You can wash up on the baths to the left of this room."

The blonde leaves without a second glance, most likely to the kitchen. María sighs as she leans into the pillows, groaning quietly as the alcohol-induced, emotion-filled night turned into an overnight cuddle session between her and the scientist fills her mind.

[Flashback]

"Long night, García?"

"Is it ever. Can't complain about the pay, though."

The blonde snorts, rolling her eyes.

"As you always say."

She orders herself a whiskey neat, more for show than anything. Nearby, a group of soldiers let out mixed cheers and groans as someone lays down their playing cards, ending their game.

"Why are you pestering me, Adler? Don't you have some sort of mission or analysis to take care of? Or were you bored playing scientist with a bunch of fanciful loons?"

"Oh they're as tedious as ever. Don't have to remind me of that."

"Just checking."

"Hah!"

Helene sips before continuing.

"New assignments and all, but it's cute that you noticed. Sadly it seems i'm travelling with the circus next."

The redhead looks at her for a long time... then makes a face.

"Oh god, don't tell me you're--"

"Oh I am. Orders from the top, apparently. You're getting the official notice tomorrow. Forewarned is forearmed and all that."

"Is this a punishment for you or me? God."

"God long left, María."

Helene's deadpan delivery has the redhead snorting into her drink, which she should've really stopped with, 4 glasses ago.

Nearby, the soldiers have started singing and making a ruckus, agitating a nearby patron. Both women slide their gaze to the scene, before looking at one another. The blonde places her half-finished drink alongside her payment and tip to the bartender, while the redhead sighs and shrugs on her jacket.

"I'm leaving. No need to get caught up on what's coming."

"Nightcap? No strings if you're worried about that."

"Mmm."

Helene and María leave together for the night.

---

"What are we doing, García?"

"Oh shut up and take off your clothes, Adler."

"María, you're drunk, I'm not going to--"

Hazel eyes glared at her.

"I know, which is why I'm giving you the privellege of just going to sleep together."

"Gee, a whole honor it is, your highness."

"Thank you. For my first order, you can shut up and get in bed."

"Kinky. I don't suppose you'd be the small spoon, then?"

"I don't trust you."

"Fair enough. Spoon me, then. It's been so long since s-"

"...Oh?"

"Seriously. I get cold, you know. You're the closest approximate substitute."

"Fine then."

Helene settles in, her back turned on María. The redhead sighs and moves her arm to wrap around the blonde.

"So who did you use to do this for?"

"Hm?"

"You're not fidgeting, nor is you distance off, which suggest it's not your first time spooning someone."

"None of your business, but you're right that this isn't my first time spooning for whiny little brats. You're lucky I'm in a giving mood, Adler."

"Well, the more you know."

Privately, Helene thought about a certain brunette in a ponytail, who she's 99% sure was the one the redhead used to do it for.

"...Who did this for you?"

"Hm? Oh, just someone from my past. P- She's much like you, to be honest."

"No one's like me, Adler."

"Yeah. You're one of a kind."

...She's fucked.

"What is it with all the Helenes that come into my life..."

---

Helene wakes up alone, as per usual with Patricia's schedule. On the nightstand lies the brass statuette she's been looking for for months, and she finally breathes a sigh of mixed annoyance and relief.

"Well played, Sánchez. Well played."

---

On the other side of the ocean, Doctor García and Doctor Adler enter a conference room filled with officers, researchers, and most importantly, a certain cruel, straw-haired operative.

It was time.

[elite4steffi]

Why I Stopped Playing HPHM: An Analysis

I wanted to offer some analysis as to why I’ve essentially stopped playing the mobile game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (HPHM). Please keep in mind that much of this analysis will be based on my own personal experiences with the game, but I hope many of you will still find it relatable. Basically, I stopped playing HPHM because it lost the direction and emotional hook that made it enjoyable to play. (As a disclaimer, this will contain spoilers for the game up until Year 5).

Part 1: Why HPHM Was a Fun Game

I think that I speak for many players when I say that I started playing Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery because I was seeking wish fulfillment. As someone who grew up in the late 90s and early 2000s, Harry Potter was inseparable from my entire childhood experience. I remember reading the books with my dad, discussing them with my sister, and riding around on my bike, pretending I was playing Quidditch. So, when a game came out advertising that this was my chance to go to Hogwarts, I was delighted! That’s what I’ve wanted all along! But, while this may be the reason I started playing the game initially, it’s not what kept me playing.

The game has a very strong emotional hook in what I once considered the main storyline: a sibling’s search for their missing older brother, Jacob. The reason the main character (MC) starts searching for the infamous Cursed Vaults in the first place is not an interest in the lore or a future career as a cursebreaker, but simply because they want to see their brother again. As someone with siblings, this storyline was very easy to relate to and become invested in, and I was compelled to play chapter after chapter because I wanted one thing: to find Jacob. 

My love for the game was amplified by its amazing fandom. The HPHM fandom is a tight-knit community of fan artists and writers, who showed love and support to each other, unlike any I’ve seen in my almost 10 years on Tumblr. Artists were constantly drawing their own and others MCs, and leaving tags, comments, and messages that encouraged people to draw and write more. It was so wonderful to be part of this fan community, and it enhanced my gameplay experience without a doubt. 

Part 2: It Starts to Fall Apart

So, if I was so enamoured by this mobile game, why am I writing this essay? I think it all starts with a general misunderstanding of what this game would be. First and foremost, I had no idea what this game would actually be about when I started playing it. And so, based on the title alone, I assumed it would be some sort of detective game, somewhere in the vein of Professor Layton or Detective Pikachu. I expected to have to remember information given to me so that I could make dialogue choices that showed I had correctly solved the Hogwarts Mystery. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The player has no role in solving any of the mysteries presented in the game. Dialogue options have little to no bearing on outcomes in the game. Now, this is clearly based on a personal misunderstanding, but I would like to pose the question: What is the point of playing this game if my actions are inconsequential?

In addition to this growing realization that I would never get to be a wizard detective, many of the original fan creators in the fandom began to distance themselves from the game and fan community. I want to be clear: I do not blame anyone for this. This started becoming really prominent about 2 years after the game’s release, so most people were just ready to move onto something else. But, as I mentioned, the fandom had truly enhanced my play experience, and so, once the amount of fan creations started to dwindle, so did my enjoyment of the game. (NOTE: This is not to say that there are no fandom creators left- there are some incredibly talented artists and writers who still find inspiration from this game, and I will always love the content you make! You’re amazing!)

Part 3: Year 5 Ruins Everything

Yes, I’m being a little overdramatic. But, I think that Year 5 can really be pinpointed as the point in which I fully stopped enjoying HPHM. A lot of this can simply be attributed to chapter length. For comparison: Year 1 is 10 chapters long. Years 2 and 3 are 11 chapters long. Year 1 actually had 11 chapters originally, which implies that perhaps all years were planned to have 11 chapters. However, by the time most players reached Year 4, the Year was incomplete (This may have actually started in year 3, I don’t remember, sorry!). So, players had to wait for updates in order to continue the story. You may notice that this is also when Years start getting longer (and, some may say, less well-planned). Year 4 has 17 chapters. Year 5 has 34 chapters- the same length as the first 3 years combined! Year 6 is the longest yet, currently standing at 46 chapters- almost 5 times the length of Year 1!

Now, you might say, “But, Stephanie, more chapters means more content! Isn’t having more chapters a good thing?” Well… no. Because with such a slowly progressing story, it lacks the sense of accomplishment that players would seek from a video game, especially an app. Players leave each chapter no closer to their goal than when the chapter began. It also means that plot points become a lot easier to lose. There are characters that I have literally forgotten ever existed in the game because it’s hard to keep track of a plot that is (thinly) stretched over 46 chapters! An easy example of this is that the player has learned legilimency. This is a fairly large plot point but it’s sandwiched in with so much other information, some of it useful and some of it not, that I am constantly forgetting about it. 

As a consequence of the longer Years, some of the chapters started to feel less like important story points and more like sidequests. For example, there is a Year 5 chapter in which the player makes a cake for Filch- that’s right, that happened as a normal, story chapter, not a sidequest! 

Speaking of sidequests, I think they deserve some attention here as well. Remember how I mentioned that the game was incomplete at its release (and still is incomplete as of my writing this essay)? Well, in order to keep players engaged while waiting for new chapters, sidequests were introduced. At first, they were really fun! The Celestial Ball in particular stands out to me as a point in which the game and the fandom were at a peak of enjoyment. However, I soon found that the time limits placed on sidequests made them essentially impossible to play as a working adult. There were times that I would set alarms so I could wake up in the middle of the night and play a sidequest before the time limit ran out, or complete an 8 hour event I just didn’t have enough energy for. This was clearly becoming unhealthy. In addition to the nature of sidequests, so many have now been created that the player is bombarded with sidequests. The oversaturation of sidequests in the game causes players like myself who have a completionist attitude to feel unable to play the main story, in favor of sidequests.

Part 4: Year 5 Continued, Or: The Game Just Stops Being Fun

I would like to remind you of the original reasons I mentioned that I became invested in HPHM: childhood wish fulfillment, interest in the great emotional hook, and engaging with an incredible fandom. During Year 5 of the game, almost all of these reasons are abolished.

Let’s start with wish fulfillment. In Year 5, I became increasingly disappointed in the actions of MC. In Year 5, MC starts to venture into Knockturn alley, learns unforgivable curses from Rakepick, and spends more time with Merula than, say, the Weasley brothers.  Your character no longer cares about school, they just want to take down R. MC’s approach to their Hogwarts journey represented the exact opposite of my own sentiments as a player. I’ll get more into the whole Jacob thing later, but now that Jacob was found, I could care less about Rakepick and the whole R organization. I just wanted to go to class so I could get good grades and graduate!

Speaking of Jacob, Year 5 was extremely significant in that we find Jacob… and it was so, horribly disappointing. We see him in the portrait- the portrait he’s been trapped in for at least 5 years at this point. He immediately recognizes you as his sibling, but what does he say? Does he thank you for finding him? Congratulate you on following his clues? Express the love that an older brother feels for his younger sibling? Well, if you said none of the above, then you’d be correct. He tells you to… open the column. Very shortly after finding him, Jacob leaves to chase after Rakepick. Keep in mind that looking for Jacob, your missing brother, was the emotional backbone of the story. Finding Jacob left the player with no emotional hook to keep them invested in the storyline, and so the story faltered and lost all direction.

Which, finally, brings me to the fandom. As I mentioned before, a lot of the big fan creators stopped creating as they stopped playing the game. Again, this is completely fair, since it happened a couple years after the game’s release, and, as I’ve established, the game was no longer fun to play. I continued to post fanart for months after I stopped playing the game out of a desire to engage with the fandom- I still do! Even though I love this fandom, it’s not enough to make me want to actually play the game.

Conclusion

After a pattern of disappointment and loss of emotional hook, Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery became unplayable. In all likelihood, I will continue to make and post fanart, since, much like the source material from which it is derived, this fandom has developed a life outside of the game. I wanted to offer some explanation and analysis as to why I no longer play Hogwarts Mystery. Thanks for reading if you got this far! I would love to hear about your own thoughts and experiences.

[callmederok]

3-13-14-19 for HPHM from the salty asks list~

Thanks for Asking and I hope I’ll answer properly to your questions ^_^

3. Have you ever unfollowed someone over a fandom opinion?

I do this all the time… I’m not even sure how many hphm blogs I follow at this point… I do this mostly for the sake of my how nerves(it’s related to question number 19, so just read that answer)

13. Unpopular opinion about XXX character?

Unless you tell me about which character… I can’t give you an answer…like at all because I don’t think there is a character named XXX lol.

14.  Unpopular opinion about your fandom?

Not sure if it’s unpopular but(it may be connected to question number 19): I think the fandom has gone too far with some characters in many ways…either to love them or hate them: it’s like watching Family Guy…it’s so absurd, so out of the limit, that it’s almost funny…but after a while…it’s just boring…it’s trashy…

19. What is the one thing you hate most about your fandom?

The level of blind bias over Merula, but it’s not about Merula specifically (but it happened most of the time when I was making some analysis/critics about her, trying to figure out stuff and having some calm debate with people) It’s more about how far people can go for the sake of “forgiving” a character that doesn’t have any redeemable traits…or it’s just plain boring…

I would give you some examples…but they would be pretty much Merula-related…and this fandom worships her like a goddess…and although I don’t care about anon hate…because anyone who uses the anon for sending hate, in my opinion, is a coward that doesn’t deserve any form of respect… I mean: why should I care about the opinion of a nameless NPC? That’s what I feel about anon hate.

So yeah, in conclusion, the thing I hate most is how people treat character(from a poorly written game) as idols/gods even when they’re so poorly written that they should feel ashamed of themselves…

[batgirl-87]

Hogwarts asks: 4, 10, 21, 24. (I was going to send these earlier but I was away from my laptop--I hope they can still rescue you from boredom at some moment!)

I’m happy to get asks any time! Thank you! 😄💜

(I’m assuming this is for the Harry Potter asks? Since I asked you from that ask game, but if it’s for the Hogwarts Mystery MC just let me know! 😊 I may just answer those questions for both those asks if I have nothing else to do anyway =p

I’m always readily available to answer any questions about my MC and/or Jacob from these ask games - HPHM MC ; Jacob Asks - or any other question you may have 😉 )

4. Favorite character and why?

Sirius and Remus, Fred and George, Fleur, Draco, Oliver Wood, Bill and Charlie, Tonks…. How do someone pick just one?!

I discuss Sirius more in the next question so…

Listen, I love Remus Lupin. I would kill for Remus Lupin. I would even die for Remus Lupin. He deserves so much happiness and love and all the chocolate his heart desires! 

But I would like to discuss a couple more characters I love who I feel do not get enough love and attention, particularly in the movies - Fleur Delacour and Oliver Wood. 

I’ve always loved Oliver Wood and his Quidditch obsessed self (and admiration of Charlie Weasley =p) Maybe I just related because I have a hockey obsession (and too love Charlie Weasley - he’s so cool, I get it!) And Fleur is such an amazing, strong, badass character, who is part Veela, and I feel all of that is overlooked which is such a shame! I could write a novel on Fleur and handling being ogled, only viewed as pretty/sexualized for probably her entire life, never having anyone listen to her her respect her opinions, views, abilities and skills, protecting her little sister from being treated as such as best as she could as well. Willingly participating int he TriWizard Tournament, moving to a country where she barely speaks the language and knows no one to improve herself, disguising herself as Harry to help the Order, deciding instantly she wanted William Weasley and getting him =p Fenrir be damned, she loves the cool Curse-Breaker, not allowing Death Eaters or a war stand in the way of her happiness with the man she loves, and also has the cutest cottage! She doesn’t get enough love and appreciation I feel (although I see a lot of love for both Fleur and Oliver on Tumblr so that makes me happy!) **

10. Which character do you relate to most and why?

I always related to Sirius very strongly. I’m not sure exactly what it was. I think I’m a very loyal person and very protective of my friends, I definitely have a mischievous and rebellious nature, and I admit I can be dramatic and petty =p I’m witty/sarcastic/funny and can put on a confident front when actually I’m very insecure and falling apart inside… family issues… Worried about being viewed as a failure and disgrace. I also struggle with constantly being somehow pegged as the bad guy - something I am very over. 

I was also always envious that Sirius was able to find some good, true friends and create a sort of new family through them and hope I am able to do that myself.*

*This is a very brief explanation/analysis, clearly. 

**Sorry these are not longer explanations/analyses, it has been a long two weeks and I’m exhausted - too exhausted to go more in depth unfortunately right now but I’m also trying not to write novels all the time =p

21. What would your boggart be?

Spiders (I feel you, Ron!); public speaking to a large, unresponsive, unamused audience; having a mundane, routine life, 9-5 job, etc. (I feel you Newt?); and the ever classic - failure. Working so hard and never achieving anything/being good enough (story of my life)

24. How do you feel about Cursed Child?

I honestly don’t know much, if anything, about Cursed Child and I’m pretty okay with that. 

~*~*~*~

Guess who’s bored so decided to answer these for the HPHM MC Asks too?! =p

4. What career do they want to pursue?

Honestly she doesn’t expect to survive until graduation (but her friends don’t like when she talks like that!) so she doesn’t really have a plan. If Jacob is unable to pursue his dream career of playing Quidditch professionally she has considered pursuing that for him.

But she clearly has a gift for Curse-Breaking and is very close with Bill and with his encouragement she may become a Curse-Breaker but only if she’s able to work with Bill so they can be Partners in Curse-Breaking! However, she would prefer doing it more “freelance” instead of working for Gringotts and helping other cultures regain their lost artifacts instead of giving everything they find to Gringotts.

So while she has no actual plans for her future, career or otherwise, (besides her belief she might not survive this she can’t waste time worrying about that when she has so much to worry about in the present) she has some options!

(Which is what my headcanon is tbh. Jacob as a professional Quidditch player and Keira and Bill as Curse-Breaking Partners which would spin-off into their own series =p And somehow Charlie finds himself brought into some adventures. When Bill “retires” for the Order idk what she’ll do because he’s really the only reason she took the job!)

10. Any pet? 

A Siamese cat

(There’s obviously a lot more in the game but for what pet she actually has and brings with her it’s her beloved Siamese cat)

21. Any relatives at Hogwarts?

Not currently. They have either already graduated or have been expelled (wtg Jacob)

24. What house would they want to be in if they had the choice?

Keira was a hat stall between Slytherin and Ravenclaw. But if it was up to her she would have chosen Slytherin. Water brings her much comfort and peace, but besides that she hates taking all those stairs! She complains every time they have Astronomy class. And she would refuse to answer a riddle to get into her Dorm - just let her in, damn! It’s her Dorm! Plus she hates the wind and would find it very distracting and not relaxing at all!

Gryffindor, again, no to all those stairs and Hufflepuff would have been fine Common Room and Dorm wise but she knows she’s not a Hufflepuff.

[usernoneexistent]

Thanks for the good points with Angelica and I did read the ‘Lets discuss Jacob’s age’ and I really liked your points, particularly with Jacob’s wand. This was more of a let's take a jab at this as an amateur theorist.

I just want to say thank you for responding and giving your thoughts to this theory. As I mentioned earlier with the prefects, I was strechting there since they would only have a couple months to really interact and I agree with your points on Angelica. It was the hardest part to tie in this theory considering I took all years from the Wikipedia articles, which I’m assuming are the canon years.

Side note: In universes that have been established e.g. The Harry Potter universe, I like to stick to the canon but the more I’m reading on deep analysis and theories on HPHM, the more I realises how Jam City kinda messes with it, an example is with quidditch. Don’t get me wrong, I get why they do it but it kinda erks me. That might be the autism in me but I wanted to see how the years worked with everyone as it just bugged me and yours plus some points I found on the Jacob's wikipedia talk page show some points that Jacob should be born later but as said i wanted to take a crack at it.

Apparently Jacob was expelled 1980/1981 according to Jacob’s wiki page.

But again as you mention, there are many holes in this timeline and my only conclusion right now is that the writers at JC are really inconsistent and that we are probably digging really deep into this while Jam City are sipping their tea forgetting about this. I really hope they rectify this and at least give us some dates that we can work with or at least make them make sense. But also makes me sad that my headcanon that Snape and Jacob maybe being friends will most likely not happen haha. I apologise for this long response but once I’m sucked into a rabbit hole, it’s hard for me to come out of it. Can't wait for more analysis from you, thanks.

Quick edit: I did read about the part of you debunking this theory that Jacob had to be expelled before 1981 but this is what I was factoring in for my theory.

Okay, so this thought has been stuck in my brain for a while which is that Jacob could have possibly known Snape much closer than I realised and I decided to take a shot at a timeline for the main characters.

So the timeline just covers everyone’s overlapping Hogwarts years and who could have meet who during it all. A little note, the plus after Snape stands for the marauders and Lily since they are all in the same year as Snape and also all the dates I got, are pulled from the Harry Potter Wikipedia pages so let’s get cracking.

Lets start with the easiest one which is Rakepick, she was in 5th year while Snape was in 1st year. Great it works, moving on.

Now, for Jacob, I’m basing it that he was born in 1962/1963. Yes, Jacob and MC have roughly a 10 years age gap between them. My thoughts are that while it is unusual to have such a high age gap between siblings but maybe Jacob was planned and MC was not or the Parents had fertility issues, who knows. And he starts 1st year after Rakepick graduates so they just missed each other. This also means that Snape was in 3rd year when Jacob started, meaning they are closer in age than expected.

Now, for an interesting theory I came up with after reading @missnight0wl​ analysis who the third person is in Jacob’s notebook and she believes it is Snape. So what if Snape and Jacob were friends, like that could explain Snape knows quite a lot about the Vaults but they had a bitter falling out and that’s why it seems that Snape is always out to get MC but at the same time seems to be protecting us in his own way. He probably witnessed how the vaults affected Jacob mentally and doesn’t want MC to fall down the same way as Jacob. It could also explain why Jacob is so good at legilimency, Snape could have taught him. So yeah, this is my new head canon. Now back to analysing.

For Jacob’s expulsion, it has to be after September 1980 when he just started 7th year and is about 17/18 because that is when he can meet the prefects. Now I know it’s a bit of a stretch, that the prefects only know Jacob for a couple months and that Angelica has a crush on him but I guess it still kinda makes sense. For Angelica at least I could imagine that she has a cute high school crush on the resident, older, popular, “bad” boy and I would say that Jacob was probably popular or at least people were talking about him and the cursed vaults. So the prefects would have at the very least heard many of his exploits and at most had some interaction with Jacob in the couple months he was still at Hogwarts. 

The fact that Jacob is at least 17 at expulsion means that he can just leave without any Aurors searching for him since he is no longer a minor and his family can’t do anything about it. Apologises that I just ended up rambling on and it might be a bit incoherent. I struggle to properly organised my own thoughts in writing haha. That’s my analysis for now and feel free to add your thoughts and let me know if there are any holes in this theory. 

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Do you think Merula was even being honest about wanting to leave R? After what happened in these last chapters I’m starting to doubt it. She was still lying even then because she claimed that R approached her after the final vault but that can’t be true because of several reasons.

About that? Yes.

I don't think Merula is even remotely happy inside R. I think she's realized just how dangerous it is to be part of The Cabal, and how utterly devoid of love they are for each other. She was led to believe that R could be her "true family." But it's clear now that they don't give a damn about her, and unless she delivers results, she's a dead witch walking. But leaving might not be so easy for her, even if MC's hand is still outstretched to her. (Which it may not be, for a lot of players.) The Cabal seems to be like the Mob, and the Death Eaters. "You don't just hand in your resignation note to Voldemort. It's a lifetime of service, or death." Not to mention that, depending on when they actually approached Merula in the first place, this may have been her reality for most of her formative years. I still think it's most likely that R made her into the mole all the way back in Year 1, possibly before she even arrived at school. Especially now that we know her aunt and guardian is a member. I don't think Merula feels like she has any means of escape from R, no matter how much she might want to leave.

Now that said, does that mean we can trust her? Hell no. It breaks my heart to say as much, but Merula has lied to MC's face too many times, and shown a lack of willingness to commit to their side, for them to ever be able to safely trust her. I don't hold it against her, what she's done and said, I genuinely feel like this is a Draco Malfoy case, where she's trapped and no matter what she does, she betrays someone she's supposed to be loyal to or care about. That's why Rakepick said that she's playing both sides. Because Merula doesn't want to fully commit to R, she doesn't have the stomach for it...but she also doesn't have the nerve to fully commit to MC. She's afraid of R, and they're basically all she knows, all she has. More than ever, I want to talk to her parents, but even if that doesn't happen...Merula has lied about too much for her to ever be a reliable and trusted ally. That doesn't mean we should stop trying to flip her, just that MC needs to be prepared to take everything she says with a grain of salt, and have a contingency plan in case Merula lies or betrays them again. Frankly, it may be smarter to just give up on Merula, and I'm sure a lot of players would prefer it that way. But I don't think the game will even let us do it - sorry, Merula Antis...she's just too important to the story.

One final note...whether or not Merula is ever honest with MC, I think we can infer that her claim to be fighting for them wasn't wholly a lie. It's worth noting that she must have known about Peregrine and his relationship to MC for a while now. Rakepick said that Merula had met the Leader, and for her to know about it, then it must have happened no later than Year 6. Earlier in Year 7, Merula also claimed that there were things MC didn't want to know. As silly as it might sound, I think Merula was able to guess just how much finding out the identity of the Leader would break them...or even worse, that it might make MC reconsider joining R. On one hand, R doesn't yet want MC to know the Leader's identity at this point, so Merula can justify it to herself and her superiors that she's simply keeping MC in the dark because she's supposed to.

But I also think she's trying to spare MC the pain that she's endured. The lack of autonomy she feels. Because to Merula, to have family in R is to be chained to them. That's what she would have been raised to think. So in her mind, if MC finds out who the Leader is, they no longer have a choice about joining R. Does that make sense? But in general, I think Merula is also very conflicted. Part of her probably does want MC to join. If only because that's literally her entire assignment - to bring them into the fold. But I also feel like, whatever she might say or do, she does feel something for MC. Not even getting into shipping right now, but purely in terms of the story, I think she's more fond of them (platonically or otherwise) than she cares to admit, even to herself.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Year 5 Rakepick isn’t any better though, she was literally lying to school kids & manipulating them. Idk why you’d have a soft spot for her at all. Just cause she saved MC’s life doesn’t mean she actually cares about them. She wouldn’t go on to do what she did if that were true. Idk about the first time but she most likely only did it in year 5 cause R needs MC alive & she probably needed MC to still see her as trustworthy then. Imo you’re kinda just setting yourself up to be hurt if you’d seriously choose to be on her side against Moody. I mean won’t it sting more if the person you trusted enough to side with stabbed you in the back?

You know, I don't know why either. Like, she's a horrible person and always has been. And considering how much I've condemned Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape, you would think that I'd despise her. But on the other hand, for as much as I hate them as people, I do love Snape and Dumbledore as characters, as fascinating three dimensional people, who change the fate of the story. And I don't mind Harry's son being named for them either. This is despite the fact that I am now so far down the rabbit hole of exploring the depths of Dumbledore's crimes that I'll surely never come out. So why doesn't Rakepick invoke the same level of inherent rage from me, considering her child-manipulating tendencies?

Well, ironically, part of it comes from her being an outright villain instead of a character who claims to be heroic or benefits from the protection of the heroes. But I'll get more into that in a moment. At a guess, this is because Rakepick manages to have a more likeable personality than Snape or Dumbledore. You know what, let me rephrase that. She is less of a petty asshole than Snape, she's more charismatic than him, in a way that Dumbledore is supposed to be. And yet, you know what she isn't? Pretentious. Dumbledore would have you believe that he cares about you, has your best interests at heart, when you're just a pawn to him. Setting aside the obvious double agent status...Rakepick never pretends to be something that she's not, if you really think about it. It was clear from the start that she was a shady and abrasive liar, that she was powerful and would flex that power. She betrayed MC, but with the way she acted, most people either saw it coming, or accepted that it was a possibility.

She was never a fit caretaker for children, but she also didn't claim that she was. She talked down to MC and overpowered them, but she did that to everyone. MC's age wasn't a factor, just that they were simply less powerful, and Rakepick occasionally gave the sense as well that she wanted them to unlock their true potential. Which she may or may not have actually wanted and even if she did, it would have been for her own reasons...but still. It is, again, different from the likes of Snape, who would use his power as an adult and a teacher to abuse Harry and his friends...for no other reason than I guess to fill that hole in his life. It was cowardly. Rakepick isn't bitter the way that Snape is, she doesn't hold grudges. She's a shady and untrustworthy character, but unlike Dumbledore...Rakepick just doesn't seem to give a shit if MC trusts her or not. Which, ironically enough, made me trust her more.

It would totally sting more if a person that you trusted stabbed you in the back. That's exactly how I felt after the Portrait Vault because against all odds, I believed in her. By that time, I honestly did, and I was burned. Of course, I was burned again at the end of Year 6. It hurts. But ultimately the question isn't about who is a better person or more trustworthy between Rakepick and Moody. That isn't even a question if we're just factoring what we know. Let me just put it this way: Whatever else they might be and no matter who they ended up working for - Year 5 Rakepick did a much better job, in my opinion, of earning the player's trust than Year 6 Moody did.

[missnight0wl]

This post is made in reference to >this ask<. I was informed that it was supposed to mention the Headkid TLSQ in specific, therefore, that’s what it’s gonna be about. So, do I still think that Rowan is alive, regarding the Headkid TLSQ? Honestly? Yes, I do. In fact, I don’t think it changes much at all.

To begin with, let’s cover quickly the “ghost” thing. I think it was pretty clear that Rowan in this quest was just MC’s dream. MC talked quite a lot about how tired and sleepy they were before they saw Rowan. Also, Duncan later pointed out that Rowan didn’t even look like a ghost – yes, they were semi-transparent, but while all ghosts are greyish blue, Rowan was actually “in full colour”. Of course, just because Rowan is not a ghost, it doesn’t mean they’re alive – but I gave my arguments for this claim in my previous post linked above.

Now, let’s address another thing. Wouldn’t the Headkid TLSQ become meaningless if it turned out that Rowan is alive? Well, I don’t think so. And that’s mostly because, in my opinion, the quest wasn’t about MC accepting Rowan’s death – at least not primarily. It was about MC accepting that they still have their friends’ support.

And this so important because of two reasons.

First of all, guilt is written into MC’s character. Unfortunately, Jam City is not very consistent about it, and this issue definitely doesn’t get enough attention, if you ask me. But it’s there. In the Flying Solo TLSQ, this is one of the options we can choose:

In the Patronus TLSQ, it’s just a part of the main narrative:

In Y5, MC had this line in one of the DADA classes:

Later, they can also blame themselves for Rowan’s death:

And here’s the thing about options in choices-based games: they all should be considered canon, even if they’re contradicting. And here, they can totally co-exist! Like, on a rational level, MC might be aware that it was Rakepick who cast the Killing Curse, but also still feel guilty that they’re the reason why this situation happened.

So, seeing how the guilt followed MC even before Rowan’s death, it’s not that hard to imagine that it’d be stronger after that event. But then, we had the Headkid TLSQ that said: “Hey, your friends believe in you and nobody blames you. And if they don’t blame you for this, they surely also don’t blame you for other shit R did in the past or they’ll do in the future”.

Now, the second reason why it’s important that the focus in this quest was on all of MC’s friends is the contrast that exists between MC and Jacob from the very beginning. You see, one of the first things we learnt about Jacob was that he was a loner (Y3Ch2):

Yes, of course, we heard about him before that, but it was always rather about his obsession with the Cursed Vaults – not really his personality. The only meaningful thing before this information from Hagrid is Sprout telling us a chapter earlier that we’re as thoughtful as Jacob was when we asked her about her summer. Either way, I think it’s a pretty important characteristic of our brother. I mean, notice that we never learnt about his friends at all. Yes, we know about Duncan, but that’s pretty much it. And Olivia Green? Well, technically, it was never confirmed if they were friends or just classmates who happened to became victims of R’s manipulation.

I just don’t believe that that contrast between Jacob being a loner and MC having a lot of friends is a coincidence. Yes, MC having friends makes the game more appealing from a technical point of view. But Jacob could’ve been made popular as well. Why wouldn’t he have many “friends” who he was exploiting? It’d make sense for the story, too. But no, it was important for the original writers to make it clear that he was a loner. And you know what? I believe that Jacob being mostly alone in all of that was his big weakness.

Moreover, I’m pretty sure that one of the people who realised it is actually Dumbledore. That’s why he keeps pushing us towards our friends – or at least that’s one of the reasons (the additional advantage for him here is that he seems to be a good Headmaster who tries to keep his students from the Cursed Vaults...). One of the great examples of that is the All-Wizard Tournament TLSQ. Because what was the moral of that quest?

And that’s also why the Circle of Khanna was created. Because dealing with the Cursed Vaults and R is a task which you can’t overcome if you’re alone. But MC was never alone – they just have to fight their guilt to accept their friends’ help. And what was the reason for creating the Circle given in the main story?

MC needed the force to bring them together with their friends – THAT’S why Rowan had to die. Couldn’t it be taught otherwise, though? Isn’t it too extreme? Absolutely! But that’s also why I keep insisting that Rowan’s death had to have something to do with the Cursed Vaults. And that’s why R wanted to kill one of our friends. That’s why Duncan died as well – the only person we know for sure was Jacob’s friend.

Now, I know that people sometimes say that Rowan being alive would make MC’s suffering pointless, but… I really don’t see why it would be that way. It wouldn’t change what they learnt. It shouldn’t suddenly make MC question their friends or whatever. It’d still bring MC where they needed to be. Rowan being alive wouldn’t make that “death” meaningless.

I admit that Jam City screwed up here by ignoring the Circle of Khanna in the Sunken Vault. All of our friends started doing all that work: the Creatures Team, the Spying Team, Badeea’s map of the Black Lake… and all of that for nothing. But I still hope that the Circle will play a bigger role in the future as I also doubt that we’re really done with the Cursed Vaults. And there are just so many elements fitting together that I can’t believe that Rowan’s “death” wasn’t planned already by the original writers, so it could lead to the creation of MC’s “army”.

[aneshkablack]

@weasley-adoptee, I agree with you in many points of you analysis. It's better than the canon could give us. I like the idea R is worse than JC says. I love the idea Merula is only a spy to MC, how R manipulate her to do everything in the canon, brainwashing her make to believe in their purpose.

I think the Duncan's death isn't aleatory, too.

In my Isolde's story, is necessary a sacrifice, not only to be a R's member, but to awake a power in the members of Hiwatari family. And R knew about it. They wanted to use the Hiwatari siblings. Jacob was the fail; with Isolde they want try to manipulate and control her.

-----

@greedyprince, ya somos dos. Y eso pues básicamente es tenebroso, porque varios grupos de delincuencia organizada usa esa táctica en la vida real (por ejemplo, el narco acá en México. Además que saben que no los procesarán como adultos). A esa edad, en la adolescencia es la etapa en donde los jóvenes forjan su personalidad, pero también buscan pertenecer a grupos y son fácilmente influenciables.

Es lo más probable, romper a MC a tal grado que desarrolle un Síndrome de Estocolmo por esa organización, y eventualmente busque tomar el poder de ésta para garantizar su sobrevivencia.

I don’t see how R can expect MC to join them after they’ve done so much to hurt them and their friends. Like sending threatening letters, having one of their members betray them then torture one of their classmates then kill their friend and send someone else to kidnap(?) them and all the other evil crap they’ve done. Why would MC want to join a group of ruthless assholes after all that? They could’ve at least made it sound a little appealing smh. The only person who’s somewhat tried to appeal to them was that healer from St Mungos but everyone else has been so forceful. They sounded like they were nicer to Merula when they got her to join so idk why they weren’t like that with MC

Frankly, I doubt they had to work very hard to convince Merula. We don't know exactly when she was recruited, but I'm going to guess that it was very early on, possibly when she was eleven years old. Meaning they preyed on a child who had no friends, who had just lost her parents, who was angry at the world and wanted nothing more than power. The power she would need to dominate everyone and never be seen as weak. I think R offered her that power, she accepted, and it was as easy as that.

MC has been more difficult for R to get their hands on, but it's also essential that they do. Merula doesn't matter. She was likely recruited for no other reason than to spy on MC. So, in other words, she's part of the plan to get MC to join. By contrast, as the future leader, it's a given that MC must join, but for whatever reason, R doesn't simply want to approach them and offer a position. That's probably because MC is their second choice. Jacob is the first born child, and we know R was after him during his time at Hogwarts. But that went up in flames, and now MC is all they have. The failure with Jacob proves that getting MC to join them is no simple matter. Hey, come to think of it, maybe that's what Rakepick was talking about...she failed to recruit Jacob, and then she failed to recruit MC. Her second chance. No wonder she assumes R is done with her.

I think R doesn't really know what to do, or how to go about getting MC to join them. By all accounts, MC doesn't want to, and they aren't the kind of person who would ever be susceptible. They're too much like Jacob. Merula is the kind of person who could easily fall victim to a cult, but MC seems to be much more resistant, regardless of player input. As time goes on, R is getting more desperate as they already lost one future leader, and now their plans to recruit the backup are crashing and burning. I also don't think R necessarily knows how to play nice. Consider this - they sent Rakepick to train MC, and I think that was their attempt to play good cop. Rakepick. Seriously.

They also might not want to play nice, and have MC turn out soft. They'd want to put MC through hell so that MC can proceed to govern hell, if that makes sense. I suspect this may be the reason why they killed Rowan. Because they also killed Duncan (I refuse to believe it was an accident) and part of me wonders if this isn't a tradition of sorts, a rite of passage. That R always kills a loved one of the person who will one day be leader. Why? I don't know, probably in the hopes of pushing them toward the Dark Side. Possibly to send the harsh message that R is all they have, and that they're willing to kill anyone else MC cares about if that's what it takes to get that through their head. And if MC wants to stop them, well, they can always play their part and eventually assume the throne - and then they're the one who can decide who lives and who dies.

[carewyncromwell]

Hi guys! I thought I’d start this HPHM AU Ships Challenge, just for funsies! Feel free to steal and pass it along, if thou dost wish!

Tagging @dat-silvers-girl, @annabelle-tanaka-official, @angellazull, @lifeofkaze, @samshogwarts, @drinkyoursoupbitch, @kc-needs-coffee, @cursed-ice-spirits​, @thatravenpuffwitch​, @cursebreaker-lilith​, @cursebreakerfarrier​, and @cursebreakerelmswood​! 💖💛💙💚

What HPHM characters (or MCs) could you see your MC dating, in an AU? What would their relationship be like? Why did you ultimately decide not to go with that ship, or do you still hold a torch for it?

My answers for my girl Carewyn are under the cut!!

(Sorry, I couldn’t resist starting with a recycled doodle of my canon ship, the HMS Carion. 🥰)

Andre Egwu

Alright, right off the bat, we should discuss Carewyn’s canon ex, Andre. Carewyn and Andre attended the Celestial Ball and dated until their fifth year, breaking up right after the All-Wizard tournament. Fortunately despite their break-up, they’ve stayed on good terms and still greatly respect each other -- but truthfully, I never intended for them to be a long-term match in any universe. If you’d like to read more about why Carewyn/Andre didn’t work out, you can consult this analysis, but to put it very simply, Andre was someone Carewyn admired deeply, but couldn’t ever be completely herself around. And from a personal perspective, my parents are one of those rare couples who remained friends even after divorcing, and I’ve always found their relationship really fascinating, as no one can deny they do still sincerely love and admire each other, even if it’s no longer romantically. Carewyn and Andre know each other in a way no one else does, so it gives their friendship a depth that it didn’t have before -- so unlike with a lot of relationships, their bond actually strengthened after they broke up, rather than falling apart. 

Bill Weasley 

In Carewyn’s canon, Bill ends up becoming Carewyn’s best friend. Although at the start, their relationship had much more of a surrogate big brother/little sister dynamic, over time the two ended up on much more equal terms, both as Cursebreaker partners and as unofficial “parents” for the rest of their friend group. Bill is Carewyn’s right-hand man both while dealing with the Cursed Vaults and while leading the Circle of Khanna, and even though Carewyn wants nothing to do with Cursebreaking after dealing with the Vaults, she’ll still drop everything to help Bill with his work, should he need her. Bill is the one who came up with the nickname “Carey” for Carewyn, and he’s also arguably the friend who understands Carewyn best after the death of Rowan, given the similarities in their personalities and how long they’ve known each other. I actually did write out a post guessing what a romantic relationship between these two might’ve been like if they’d become a thing, but honestly, I’ve never really shipped these two. Carewyn may not be entirely based on me (she’s got elements of my mum too), but one aspect of the wish fulfilment for me early on was that my girl could have a ride-or-die best friend like Ron was for Harry in the original Potter books. In the end, that friend ended up being Bill, Ron’s eldest brother and a character I loved when I first read the books and only became fonder of through the game. And honestly, we could really use more sincerely loving, but completely platonic male-female friendships that never bump up against romance!!

Talbott Winger

Talbott and Carewyn are truly “birds of a feather,” though one would never know it based on their respective masks. Talbott is the sort to put a gruff facade on to hide his more sensitive feelings, while Carewyn is the sort to put on a pretty face to hide her angrier and sadder feelings. Underneath, though, they both are stubborn, intelligent, and distrustful people with a strong desire to fight evil and a creative spirit. After becoming an Animagus, Carewyn would frequently fly around the school grounds with Talbott in robin form, singing songs for both herself and Talbott, and even though Talbott teased her about it, he did sincerely enjoy it. Carewyn loves reading Talbott’s poetry, and Talbott is also one of the few people who can get Carewyn to laugh a lot, since their senses of humor line up really well. Last but not least, they become a lawyer and an Auror post-Hogwarts, so they end up working together A LOT, especially post-War. I did write a prompt once about what a Talbott/Carewyn romance would be like, and I admit, I could see them being a relatively good couple, particularly since I headcanon both of them as being on the ace spectrum. That being said, though, I ultimately didn’t go with Talbott for Carewyn for two reasons. One, I thought they’d be too similar in a lot of ways (most notably, they’re way too friggin’ serious -- give each of these two some sunshine, will you??) -- and two, on a much more superficial note, Talbott was so popular that I kind of hesitated before having Carewyn ask him out. (Plus come on, for that date, how much of a b*tch would you have to be to break Andre’s heart and then snatch up an outfit he made for you to wear on a date with his dormmate?! Just -- COME ON.)

Chiara Lobosca

When I first started playing HPHM, I strongly considered shipping my girl with Chiara, once she broke up with Andre. From the moment Chiara and Carewyn met, Carewyn just knew she had to know Chiara better, and that ended up being because -- thanks to her latent Legilimency potential -- she could subconsciously sense that Chiara and she were similar in a lot of ways. Most importantly, Chiara was very lonely and desperately longed for a friend, which reminded Carewyn of how lonely her pre-Hogwarts life was, especially after Jacob disappeared. Once Carewyn earned Chiara’s trust, Carewyn proved herself to be a very loyal friend, even learning how to become a robin Animagus so she could keep Chiara company and cheer her up with twittered songs during full moons. Both Carewyn and Chiara are sensitive “Healer” type personalities (though Chiara is a bit more literal of one) who fight against their own crippling self-loathing to try to nurture others. This, in the end, though, is why I hesitated on making them official and why I’m ultimately glad I didn’t. Like Talbott, Chiara in some ways is too similar to Carewyn, and I think in a romantic relationship, they wouldn’t grow as much as people through their interactions. I did come up with quite a few ideas about what their relationship might be like -- but ultimately I couldn’t help but feel that Carewyn’s happy ending couldn’t just be about peace, but about finding someone who could challenge and contrast her.

Diego Caplan

This  started off as a crack ship for me before actually gaining some legs and becoming Chiara/Carewyn’s main opponent, when it came to my debate with myself regarding Carewyn’s romantic future. In contrast to Chiara, Diego is pretty much Carewyn’s complete opposite. Carewyn is a planner. Diego is spontaneous. Carewyn is meticulous. Diego is flirtatious. Carewyn is serious. Diego is anything but. Carewyn is ace. Diego I headcanon as pan. And yet they both have their romantic and creative sides and are both seasoned fighters and loyal friends. Diego would definitely be able to bring some levity to Carewyn’s life, while Carewyn could bring some grounding to Diego’s. Diego even has a cute little nickname for Carewyn from their time in the Circle of Khanna: “general!” In short, these two would be perfect leads in a rom-com chick flick. But this, ultimately, ended up being why I hesitated on making them official and why I’m ultimately glad I didn’t. Diego/Carewyn is a ship that could really only bloom and blossom under fair conditions, and I had trouble seeing Diego being equipped to deal with Carewyn’s darker emotions or even her more intellectual bent. Just like with Chiara, I came up with plenty of ideas about how these two could be as a couple -- but I really felt as though Carewyn needed more than just “fun” as a happy ending. And ultimately, this conflict between peace VS fun ended up coming to an end when I discovered Carewyn/Orion, as Orion could provide Carewyn with both.

Jae Kim

Okay, honestly? When I first encountered Jae as a character, I didn’t think he and Carewyn would have anything in common, but in a weird way, they sort of subvert their respective house’s stereotype by exhibiting values from the other’s house! Gryffindors are seen as these rash, reckless, show-off hero types, but Jae showcases a lot of Slytherin-worthy cleverness, resourcefulness, and disregard for rules and what others think of him. Slytherins are seen as these cold, cruel, ambitious villain types, but Carewyn showcases a lot of Gryffindor-worthy courage, nobility, and selflessness. And so even though Jae is generally a rulebreaker and Carewyn is generally a rule-follower, when circumstances made it ideal for them to be on good business terms (namely, working in detention together and Carewyn needing an ally who knows Knockturn Alley and Jae needed an ally who was a Prefect), they soon found a lot of common ground. Add to that how much Carewyn encourages Jae’s cooking talent while respecting his privacy, and it’s little wonder that post-Hogwarts, when Jae opens up his own pub on the border of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, the two still meet up very frequently to swap news from their respective corners of the world. I admittedly don’t know how well Carewyn’s job as a magical lawyer would be conducive to her being anything other than friends with Jae, and I don’t think they’d ultimately have many interests in common, so I do much prefer them as friends, but their dynamic is full of fun contrasts! 

Ben Copper

Hahaha, oh god. So. Obviously Ben in-game is still very polarizing, but in my canon, Ben and Carewyn’s relationship is really complex and honestly one of my absolute favorite friendships for my girl. Ben was one of Carewyn’s very first friends, so he -- like Rowan, Bill, and Penny -- knows Carewyn in a way few others do. He befriended her before she became known as the poised, perfect Slytherin “Mama Bear,” but unlike her other friends, he was a bit disappointed by her abrupt transformation between her third and fourth years. While those like Bill, Penny, and Andre saw it as Carewyn coming into her own, Ben noticed how much Carewyn put herself “over” the rest of her friends, becoming their protector more than their equal, and Ben lamented it, disliking how he felt like a responsibility to Carewyn more than her friend. But Ben kept those feelings inside, not knowing how to properly express them when he did still cherish Carewyn’s friendship. After the events in the Portrait Vault, Ben went through his own dramatic change, and Carewyn sure enough didn’t end up liking it any better than Ben had liked hers. But ultimately the two had a heart-to-heart and realized that they both had become very different people than the kids who’d befriended each other in first year. After Rowan’s death and the formation of the Circle of Khanna, the two reforged their friendship on more equal terms. I did actually write out an AU roleplay where Ben and Carewyn’s confrontation in Jacob’s room ended up hinting Ben/Carewyn, but I ultimately think that the people they ultimately become are way too different to be a great romantic match. It makes their friendship fascinating, as it makes you wonder how such a tall, suspicious, reckless Gryffindor ever befriended such a poised, methodical, lady-like Slytherin...but even if they do feel a lot of deep platonic love for each other and I personally headcanon Ben being on the ace spectrum like Carewyn, I ultimately think they’d have very different dreams in mind for their future and would each need something different in a romantic partner. 

Barnaby Lee

Barnababy!! 💚 Yeah, Barnaby Lee is my personal favorite HPHM character, and yet I have never really shipped him seriously with Carewyn, even though I love their relationship and could see potential chemistry. Barnaby and Carewyn are both amazingly sensitive, loyal, and modest Slytherins with a love of magical creatures and a strong sense of honor, but they also contrast each other in some fun ways too. Carewyn may put on a happy face a lot, but she’s actually rather pessimistic. Barnaby’s unblinkingly optimistic and he wouldn’t even dream of putting on a mask to hide his feelings. Then of course there’s the fact that Carey-Bear is this tiny and rather physically weak thing, while Barnaby is a perfectly dashing tank. 😂 Barnaby and Carewyn are both protective of each other, as seen by Barnaby throwing himself in front of Carewyn to shield her from an Imperiused Rowan’s spell and Carewyn verbally tearing into Ismelda when she learned she planned to use a Love Potion on him. Barnaby was the one who really taught Carewyn about how deceiving appearances can be, and Carewyn was the one who really taught Barnaby about how generous and selfless friendship could be, so they both respect each other a lot. For all that respect, though, there’s a significant slant to their relationship. Carewyn supports Barnaby emotionally infinitely more than she would ever let him support her, so their dynamic comes across as very “mother/son”-like rather than complete equals. Plus, honestly, I think Barnaby and Carewyn’s dreams for their respective futures -- namely, to be a magizoologist traveling the world and to be a magical lawyer for the Ministry of Magic -- don’t match up in the least bit. I could also see Barnaby wanting a large family, and Carewyn has no interest in bearing children herself and would prefer a quieter home life. 

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

They gave us more info on Tulip’s dad in the Christmas activity. Apparently he set the tree on fire once so they had to get a new one. I think he’s an kind of a absent father cause Tulip was like “what do you get for a dad that’s hardly ever around?” in one of the flavor texts. I think he became more absent as she got older though, because she also said he used to play wizard’s chess with her every day after work, so yeah.

That's interesting. I haven't played the new Christmas activity, (Though as I recall, Tulip takes Rowan's place, and I haven't gotten to the point of losing them so I doubt I would have seen this anyway.) But maybe I should check out the holiday minigames more because they do offer some fun flavor text and details, like about how Rowan has a brother.

Either way...damn. That's a hollow thought. It almost suggests that Tulip's dad used to be more fun, but changed with time. Like, if he set the tree on fire...I'm sure it was an accident, but I don't know, it just suggests a more mayhem-oriented thought process, if that makes sense? What if Tulip's passion for chaos isn't just because she likes it, or to rebel against her parents, what if...what if she's trying to relive happier days of her life? Before her parents got strict and unforgiving, before they sent her away, back when they were willing to have fun with their daughter?

It's practically textbook for Tulip to rebel, especially if Mr. Karasu was an absent father on top of being a strict one. What, he's never around to actually see her, but he's gonna have all these rules about what she can't do to entertain herself when he isn't around? Speaking as someone who was a defiant child without strict parents...yeah, that doesn't surprise me. Especially if quality time with her Dad went away with time. Man, they should add a Wizard's Chess friendship mini-game. Why haven't they done that yet?

Y'know...(Tinfoil hat on) If the Karasus are indeed working for the Ministry...and R is there...I wonder if there's some connection between them becoming less involved with Tulip's life and the existence of the Cabal within the Ministry's ranks. Whether the Rotfang Theory is true or not, The Karasus might know something, or be involved, or have crossed paths with R. They might have crucial information and not even have any idea. Or maybe they do. Didn't Tulip once say they used to be sent dark artifacts? Yeah, it probably doesn't mean anything, but I smell blood.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

I remember in an earlier ask you said you disliked Hooch and I was wondering if you could elaborate. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone have any strong feelings on her, so to say. Any other characters you have a similar feelings towards (in the game or the books)?

Oh, I can, for sure. It’s honestly more of a gut feeling than anything else. 

I don’t hate her, my negative feelings aren’t as strong as they are for someone like say, book Snape. But ever since I was a child, she just rubbed me the wrong way. (Which is funny since I love the actress, she was also on Doctor Who.) Speaking of live action, a bit of a disclaimer: Philosopher’s Stone is the one installment where I remember the film better than the book, because the first film was how I originally got into Harry Potter and I watched it more times than I care to admit. So maybe this conversation is slightly different in the book, but nonetheless...

Hooch totally dropped the ball on that first Flying lesson. Like, she screwed up so badly. The students are her responsibility, and if the brooms aren’t safe for first-time fliers, that’s a pretty serious problem from the ground up. Neville was completely unprepared and clearly afraid. When he tried to do something as basic as kicking off, his broomstick took him on a joyride. Seriously, how did that happen? Maybe he was “steering” maybe not, but either way...I feel like Hooch should have like, done something about it, rather than yelling “Come back down this instant!” Like...can she really not tell that he doesn’t know how to do that? And again, at least based on the film’s blocking...it is pure luck that Neville did not die. If his clothes hadn’t caught on that torch, that fall would likely have killed him. As it is, he had a broken wrist and the torch’s spikes probably scratched up his back. 

But it gets worse. Hooch then escorts Neville to the Hospital Wing, leaving all of the First Years behind with their broomsticks. Look, I understand, Neville needed immediate medical attention. But that’s why you cancel the lesson or fetch another teacher to take over. Well, as long as you’re doing that, you can have them take Neville to the Hospital Wing...the point is that she’s out of her mind if she thinks threatening expulsion is enough of a deterrent to stop these cocky, wide-eyed children from playing with their new toys and showing off for each other now that there’s no adult supervision to stop them. As Harry and Draco prove within seconds. Even if every single first year was like Neville, timid and unassuming and not wanting trouble, well...we saw his broom kind of take on a life of it’s own and take him for a ride. So I would argue that it’s not safe either way. 

Throughout the rest of the books, she takes on a backseat role. There isn’t much she does that bothers me. I like the sequence where she tries Harry’s Firebolt and starts reminiscing about old types of Broomsticks. I thought that was funny, and I still want to see the Silver Arrow make an appearance in some capacity, even if they go out of production...trying to think if there’s anything else from the books that I didn’t like. I can think of one thing, but I’ll freely admit that it’s more of a personal problem. In OOTP, she uses the Impediment Jinx on Harry. Granted, she does this to stop him from beating up Draco. I...I don’t know why this has always bothered me as much as it does. The jinx didn’t hurt Harry, all it did was stop him from hurting someone else. Yet I just...am very uncomfortable with the knowledge that Hooch used a jinx on a student. I might just be weird that way. 

Moving onto HPHM, that “gut feeling” that I talked about only got worse. I don’t know what it is...but the game’s Angry Expression plugged into Hooch’s character model...it just does not look right. She comes off looking scary, and far too mean. I don’t want her to come within ten feet of Luca. HPHM Hooch does have her moments, like I will never not laugh at the story of McGonagall heckling Quidditch games and challenging her calls. But then there are moments like her aggressively accusing MC of lying, admitting that she has no proof, and then ending the conversation with “Don’t ever let me catch you in a lie again.” I’m sorry, what do you mean again? You didn’t catch MC in a lie. Sure, you happened to be right, but you have nothing on them and you know it. That sequence has always bothered me. And it’s very satisfying later on, to have that conversation where MC insists that they didn’t fly out of the forest because that would be breaking the rules. Practically gloating about the rule-breaking that no one caught them doing. 

Moving onto Quidditch, I’ve made long posts before about how in Season 2, Erika Rath has every reason to resent MC or not trust them...and one of the points I referenced was that the supposedly impartial Madam Hooch helped chip in to buy MC a broomstick. This is on top of how Murphy is pretty blatant about how he’s not actually impartial. Hey, far be it from me to complain about MC getting a free broomstick, but Hooch really shouldn’t be balancing the scales like that. Then comes Season 3, still young of course, but people are already complaining about how unfair it is for Rath, Skye, and MC to face punishment for the actions of their teammates. 

Wow this got longer than I expected. Seriously, she’s not a character I have particularly strong feelings about. But as I wrote Luca’s growing distrust of the Hogwarts staff (sans Flitwick) I found it was pretty easy to justify them disliking Hooch. She’s just not very nice.