#babelrpgtalk

[leiaorganawrites]

archetypes

[billieweasley]

a mix for Billie Weasley

hell to the liars - london grammar // my boy builds coffins ( live ) - florence + the machine // transcendental youth - the mountain goats // hollow body - many rooms // youth - daughter // the wanting comes in waves/repaid - the decemberists // welcome home, son - radical face // epilogue - keaton henson // l i s t e n 

[atomickarenina]

betamax, answering machine, powerbook !!

betamax: a notable NPC in the character’s life

Charlotte Moody Henshawe

There have been many things Alastor has grown to regret as he’s neared old age, but his greatest regret is what has become of his relationship with his estranged daughter, Charlotte. His time spent as a husband and father was one full of neglect, not neglect in the sense of violence or anger, but instead in the form of constant inattention. In his desire to become a great auror, Alastor allowed his home life to fall into disarray, choosing to spend more time hunting down dark wizards than doing such things like eating dinner with his family, or taking Charlotte to Diagon Alley to pick out her first wand. It was not that he didn’t love his wife and daughter, very much the opposite in fact, but his obsessive nature and close guarded emotions proved fatal when it came to the bonds of his family.It has now been twelve years since he’d last spoken to his daughter, and although he does miss her more than he cares to think about, he has stopped trying to reestablish communication with her, realizing the damage he’d done in her youth is beyond repair.

answering machine: what’s something you’re putting off dealing with?

“Uh, I’ve got a tooth that’s been bothering me, um what else…. I keep forgetting to renew my subscription to the Daily Prophet, but honestly I think I’ve been better off without it. It’s certainly done wonders for my ulcers.” 

powerbook: describe the character with a gif or meme

[roman-winter]

TED & NYMPHADORA TONKS (for @babelrpg)

Dear Forgiveness, you know that recently we have had our difficulties and there are many things I want to ask you. I tried that one time, high school, second lunch, and then again, years later, in the chlorinated pool. I am still talking to you about help. I still do not have these luxuries. I have told you where I’m coming from, so put it together. I want more applesauce. I want more seats reserved for heroes. Dear Forgiveness, I saved a plate for you. Quit milling around the yard and come inside.

                                    “litany in which certain things are crossed out,” richard siken

[spookygemz]

polaroid, email!

polaroid: a random headcanon

Marlene knows how to play the piano, or at least they did before the war. The McKinnons all grew up with a baby grand in the house, and throughout their youth and adolescence it was a home full of music. They were never as good as their older brother Gabriel (who was just a genius outright at whatever he put his mind to) or their younger sister Thalia (whose love of music and musical instruments was unparalleled), but it’s always been something they enjoyed. As a result of their lessons, Marlene is also ambidextrous, which comes in handy. Their hands aren’t as flexible as they once were, of course, what with the scars… they aren’t even sure they’d be able to play again if they ever tried to. But even now, one of their many nervous habits is to play out familiar songs on whatever surface is available to them, fingers ghosting over an invisible keyboard, melodies sounding only in their mind. And piano music still does something inexplicable to Marlene, setting them into a kind of trance whenever they hear it.

email: three letters/messages you never sent and one you did

To their mother; scribbled out, smeared, tear-stained, & crumpled up on their desk:

why did they save me? Why bother? I would have rather gone with the rest of you than be left here alone. 

only I’m not alone am I? That’s the worst part… 

Sometimes I hate him because he’s the only thing keeping me chained to the earth, otherwise I’d have flown off long ago… I’d be with you.

It’s not his fault, god what am I saying? he’s the one who’s trapped here. he’d probably be glad to be rid of me as long as I unlocked the door first…

god I miss you. I miss how you knew me and how you said my name and how your hand touched mine. I can’t feel that anymore… I suppose it’s a fitting punishment.

Why would they murder innocent children in their beds and spare me? My baby brother My nephew, and my little niece still in a crib… My little sisters… Fuck

I’m glad you’re there to watch over them… It’s good that I’m not there. I don’t deserve it I couldn’t save any of them

I didn’t save anyone

please tell them I’m sorry

To Lily; burned:

I used to look up to you… now… I can’t believe that you’re even the same person… In my nightmares you’re not Lily at all… you’re someone else wearing her skin… something else maybe… a former Death Eater that’s been choking down Polyjuice Potion for the last ten years, who’s still harvesting hair off the real Lily locked away somewhere… 

Is that it? Do you have the real Lily locked up? Because I don’t recognize you, and I don’t trust you.

Think of your son, Lily. please for the love of god think of your son. he wouldn’t want to see you like this…  you’d terrify him, just as you terrify me… 

You might just be the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen…

To Mary; torn up & burned:

I wish I could make you see things how I see them… it’s not like I’m a prophet or a genius or anything I just… 

you’ve missed a lot… it seems like an impossible gap to bridge doesn’t it? maybe it is easier to burn it all down instead of letting the ones who took it all away from you keep it without consequence. I wish I knew how to fix it all, babe, I really do. but the world’s beyond fixing now…

I miss you. I miss talking to you. I miss your fucking voice so much. 

but I can’t help but think of all I’ve lost every time I see you in my mind… you remember my siblings right? you loved them too. and now they’re gone, burned up by someone’s anger… 

Are you gonna burn up whole families and babies in their beds, Mary?

I love you. Please don’t do this.

To Moody; sent at 1 AM after half a bottle of firewhiskey:

listen if you have something to say to me I’d appreciate you just coming out with it… I know lurking is your MO but I gotta say, it’s not exactly stealthy. especially not the cigar butts… believe it or not we don’t really have the right crowd for that in my neighborhood.

so anyway why don’t you come in and finish this bottle of Ogden’s with me? still your drink of choice? it’s been too long since we last talked, we could trade horror stories and you could watch me from a little closer. I wouldn’t mind.

misery loves company right?

love, Marley

[babelrpg-blog]

MUSIC FOR THE WORLD OF BABEL

           we expected something            something better than before            we expected something more     

                                                       ( 8tracks | youtube ) 

                                                plot . characters . ask . talk

[chrysalis-writes]

in my dream last night, i stopped praying; learnt to set fire to the world instead. ( x )

[lamortwrites]

name/alias/introduction

Hey all! I’m Jay/Adam, he/they pronouns, and my cat keeps trying to jump on my keyboard so hello from him too

what’s your hogwarts house?

I spent nearly an hour searching for a hiss hiss motherfucker gif bc I honestly thought it was a meme but google said no??? So uh. There’s no real coming back from that and I guess I should just admit I’m the least cool Slytherin you’ll ever meet *finger guns*

who is your favorite marauders era character?

That we have a decent amount of canon information about, Kingsley 300%. That I’ve spent time writing and fleshing out and growing to love, Amycus Carrow, the actual love of my life

which skeletons are you looking forward to seeing?

I feel like everyone is too much of a cop out answer but it’s true!! If I had to pick only a few, Regulus, Minerva, Alastor and Atticus would be the ones to make the list

would you have wanted to see the statute of secrecy ended if you were in the world of babel?

Magical technology is my favourite fucking thing so, yes, definitely. (But then the philosophical part of me can’t help but wonder are we really ready for the wixen world??)

what song do you currently have on repeat?

Early teens me is thrilled about the fact that I’ve been getting back into Evanescence recently and atm it’s a toss up between Farther Away and Everybody’s Fool

describe your current mood as a gif

[leiaorganawrites]

I closed the book, and felt this strange mixture of wistfulness and hope, and I wondered if a memory is something you have or something you've lost.

- babel rpg: alice longbottom

[leiaorganawrites]

in my head, i play a supercut of us, all the magic we gave off, all the love we had and lost. and in my head the visions never stop, these ribbons wrap me up, but when i reach for you there's just a supercut;  

alice & frank longbottom: babel rpg

[leiaorganawrites]

polaroid, camcorder!

polaroid: a random headcanon

Alice still lives in her and Frank’s old home, right next to Frank mum’s old mansion. She has taken over her husband’s greenhouse and she takes good care of all the plants there hoping, maybe foolishly, for the day when he’ll wake up. Since he was a little child, Neville enjoyed going to the greenhouse with his mum as well. His favourite plants are his dad’s singing mandrakes, but of course he wasn’t allowed to go near them until he turned ten, and even now, he obviously has to wear earmuffs when he tends them. 

camcorder: one memory you never want to forget

“Another easy one, the first time I held Neville in my arms.” This one she hasn’t forgotten about at all, she remembers every detail, and she thanks whatever mystic powers are out there for that. Alice always wanted to be a mother - she knew that as much as she was sure she wanted to be an Auror. However, when the war started and she joined the Order, she wasn’t sure bringing a child into such a chaotic world was the best idea. And then she found out Neville was coming. She was terrified, not because she didn’t want him, but because she was afraid she wasn’t going to be able to make the world safe for him. However, once she was born, when the healers put him in her arms, and he smiled up at her and then fell asleep; she felt all her fears and insecurities go away. That was most likely the happiest moment of her life.

[atomickarenina]

camcorder

camcorder: one memory you never want to forget

There are several memories that come to mind when Alastor first hears the question, all differing in the reason why he should want to never forget them, and all personal enough he saw no advantage in divulging such truths. For sentimentality reasons there was the first time he’d beaten his eldest brother in a duel, the blood soaked smile that cut across his features as the elder wizard stare shocked at him from the ground. Then of course there was the first time he’d held Charlotte, all screams and wails until she was tucked safely into the arms of her father. If he closes his eyes he can still remember the smell of her already full head of brown messy locks, and the overwhelming feeling that this was what he was put on this earth to do. 

There are other memories he wishes never to forget for different reasons. The sight of the lifeless body of his first kill is still burned into memory, where he wishes it to stay, never wanting to allow himself to forget the empty stare of a life he extinguished. Nor does he want to forget the feeling of immense guilt and disappointment that weighed on him when he helped put into motion the events that led to the imprisonment of not one, but two of his former comrades. 

None of these events find their way to Moody’s tongue however. The answer he does come up with is one far more cryptic in meaning, even with the small traces of a subtle smile forming at the corner of his mouth.

“Why the election of Lily Evans as Minister of Magic, of course.”

[atomickarenina]

betamax & floppy disk

betamax: a notable NPC in the character’s life

father / Alfonso Bertram Moody

Much like many Moodys before him, Alfonso was an auror and an incredibly accomplished one at that. His great claim to fame would be an undercover operation he was involved in that led to the capture and eventual imprisonment of several of Gellert Grindelwald’s closest allies. The mission overall was deemed a great success, and allowed Alfonso to make great leaps in his career, but it did come at a cost. His undercover work had put him and his family at great risk, painting a large target on their backs to anyone who was a Grindelwald sympathizer. As a result Alfonso would grow increasingly suspicious of everyone and everything around him, and became obsessed in ensuring the safety of his family. Much of Alastor’s skill in magical combat is due to the strict training he and his siblings were put through by their father, as well as his vast knowledge of surveillance magic, and such tricks like how to tell if your food has been poisoned. When Alastor was young he found his father’s complete distrust in everyone rather odd, and a bit over the top given the circumstances. It wouldn’t be until his father’s death in 1953 when Alastor realized just how right his father truly was. The official cause of death was ruled as a stroke caused by an undiagnosed brain aneurysm, but Alastor has never believed that ruling. 

floppy disk: what accomplishment are you proudest of?

“This morning I managed to flip two eggs over easy without bursting a single yolk.” 

[atomickarenina]

Floppy disk, answering machine, gameboy!

floppy disk: what accomplishment are you proudest of?

“Hmph, waking up this morning.” 

answering machine: what’s something you’re putting off dealing with?

“The dishes… cleaning out the ash pit in my chimney… the barrage of paperwork that’s currently on my desk… trying to figure out this new muggle tech the ministry keeps shoving down my throat…. We could be here all day really.” 

gameboy: what do you like to do to blow off steam?

“I don’t really have the time or patience to pick up a hobby, so I’m not sure what you’re wanting to hear exactly. I mean fuck, I’m fifty years old, my standard Friday night consists of a bottle of Ogden’s, a stogie, and whatever trash is playing on the Wizarding Wireless Network that night.”

[spookygemz]

polaroid, dial up, powerbook

polaroid: a random headcanon

The fire that killed the rest of their family occurred on Christmas Eve, 1981. Marlene was burned over approximately 60% of their body. From about the waist down, scars remain- the burns were most severe on their legs, forearms, hands, pelvic area, and stomach; with lesser damage to their abdomen and back. It was suggested by Healers at St. Mungo’s that they had gotten up after the fire had already started and moved around the house, perhaps trying to rescue what members of their family they could. Unfortunately, their endeavors that night were for naught, as not one of their eleven relatives present in the family home that evening survived.

The scars themselves are somewhat faint... fainter than they would be without magic, certainly. They display an almost metallic quality in certain lights, tendrils of silver and gold creeping over their skin; a side-effect manifested by the magic of the Mediwix that healed them rather than a byproduct of the fire itself. They aren’t disfiguring... not physically. But they have a tendency of swelling and causing chronic pain, and the psychological toll is extreme especially when considered alongside their other issues... The worst part about the physical mark left behind is that it serves as a constant and inescapable reminder of that horrible night, and the utter cruelty of the fate that befell them. They now feel the souls of their loved ones with every step they take, and through their paper-thin fingertips.

Of course, the mental scars are much deeper. They run wild, twist and wind throughout Marlene’s entire psyche like a maze. And although they have healed, in some ways, they have also caused further damage over the years. They stopped recognizing themself in the mirror a long time ago. Now all they are is pain, and all they can see instead is what they’ve lost.

dial-up: what is your favorite piece of muggle technology?

“Probably a record player? I’ve just always liked the quality of sound, I suppose... Not perfect. But honest, in a way? I don’t know I’ve just always thought... There’s just... something so real about how voices sound on vinyl, it’s... hard to describe really...”

It’s captivating, enchanting... as real as any magic they’ve ever seen or done... It makes them feel like they’re standing in that moment with the singer, when they expose their vulnerable heart to the world. And despite what Marlene believes, it’s a trait they greatly miss about their former self. On top of that, records remind them of their mother, who had an extensive collection herself. But, they leave these observations unacknowledged in the hope that their own feelings and weaknesses won’t be turned against them.

powerbook: describe the character with a gif or meme

[atomickarenina]

polaroid, floppy disk

polaroid: a random headcanon

eye injury-

There are several rumors as to how Moody injured his left eye, and being the man he is, he has allowed such gossip to run rampant and to grow to monstrous lengths. Most of the tales are fairly plausible from deadly duels to the close run-in with a werewolf, his absolute favorite though is that he’d acquired the injury during a drunken brawl with two house-elves during the Ministry’s annual Christmas party. Unfortunately the story isn’t nearly as exciting or amusing on his end. 

In reality Moody lost sight in his left eye before he even made it to the Ministry. In his fourth year Moody was in potions class when he’d made the mistake of completely putting the stopper down on a potion flask while it was being heated. When the pressure grew too great in the glass bottle it exploded right near Moody’s face, leaving several small scars around the eye and blinding it completely. The eye today appears milky and completely opaque, there have been several instances where he’s considered getting a prosthetic, but he’s yet to completely make up his mind on the matter. 

floppy disk: what accomplishment are you proudest of?

“Hell, if I should know.... Getting head auror felt nice, but I’m pretty sure I only got the job because I was the oldest fart still left breathing, and I got too fat for fieldwork.”