#becoming an expert

[fastlane-freedom]

The Power of Purposeful Practice: Become an Expert by Strategic Effort

Researcher Anders Ericsson coined the term “purposeful, deliberate practice” to describe the type of practice that leads to expertise. This specialized form of practice builds the mental representations or “chunks” of knowledge and skills that set experts apart from non-experts. It’s no surprise that experts invest more time honing their craft. For instance, Eleanor Maguire‘s study found that…

[casscainmainly]

Jason and Cass' opposing views on murder is so interesting. Their conflict is not purely moralistic - that is to say, it's not purely that Jason thinks murder is okay, and Cass doesn't. It's their identities, their original and most fundamental worldview. Jason is a murder victim and Cass is a murderer. Yes, Jason kills people as Red Hood, and yes, Cass dies multiple times, but this never truly erases how they see themselves. Jason will always have been murdered, and Cass will always be a murderer. They are unable to fully extricate themselves from those roles, and thus will never approach life or death the same way.

[hyakunana]

A Wizard and a Rogue walk into the Archive

[peachdues]

Enjoy a peek at Giyuu learning how not to act like a virgin when with the person he loves in TGW Part II

“Well, if you want her first time to be special –”

“It’s not her first time.” Giyuu said bluntly before feeling his ears heat slightly as Tengen raised his eyebrows in surprise. “We – before the final battle –”

“Tengen’s mouth curved into a wicked smile. “Ah, so you just couldn’t wait, huh?”

“Well, obviously it’s hard for women to reach completion their first time, even when you properly prepare them –”

“Prepare?” Giyuu interjected, looking quizically at the Sound Pillar.

“Well, y’know, the stuff ya do before you actually put it in.” Tengen clarified, but he paled at the vacant look in the former Water Pillar’s eyes.

“Y-youd did prepare her, didn’t you?” Tengen demanded, sitting up straighter as his eyes narrowed.

Giyuu only stared back at him with that same, blank look, though Tengen could see the blush creep down his ears and to his neck.

The former Sound Pillar pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, eye screwed tightly shut. “Are you telling me,” he grit out. “That you just shoved it in without even stretching her out a bit first? Or at least making sure she was properly lubricated down there?”

Giyuu felt slightly affronted at his friend’s tone. “What do you mean by ‘prepare?’”

Tengen groaned. “Giyuu. Did you use your fingers or your tongue before you put your cock in her?”

He was silent as he thought for a moment. “Was I supposed to?”

Tengen stared in disbelief at the stoic ravenette, before dragging a hand over his face. “Y’know, you shouldn’t be intimate with someone until you know what you’re doing.” He grumbled. “Even Shinazugawa came to me for help before he got with his girl.”

Giyuu cocked his head in confusion. “It’s not like we planned it in advance – it just happened.”

The Sound Pillar’s eye widened in horror. “Giyuu,” he hissed, bracing his hand on his hip. “I’ve seen you change before – you’re not small.” He groaned, loudly at the confusion on his comrade’s face. “Unbelievable – that poor girl.”

“It’s not as though I was rough –” The Water Pillar countered, his tone indignant, but Tengen held up a hand to silence him.

“It doesn’t matter how many times my wives and I get together – I always make sure to prepare them beforehand. Thoroughly.”

Tomioka remained quiet, so Tengen asked, “Do you want to be intimate with her again?”

Giyuu nodded as enthusiastically as someone like Giyuu could, and Tengen sighed. He lowered himself to sit on the large boulder and crossed his legs. “You might as well get comfortable, Tomioka, because you’ve got a lot to learn about female pleasure – and that’s assuming Y/N even lets you back into her bed.”

[ventique18]

🐉: "People used to make gargoyles with human features as well. Also referred to as Chimeras, these human-like gargoyles are famously known for being a hybrid creature with human faces or parts. Many common gargoyles are also called as such because they combine several different features from different animals such as its face, tail, wings, and body type."

🐉: "... But this is not your area of interest, so I likely must be boring you, no? Apologies. Let me instead think of something related to things you enjoy."

🌸: "No,

[blu-ish]

8 year old Sonic "raised by crabs and chao" hedgehog thinks taking care of a few months old fox kit is easy.

[slyvester101]

Caboose and Wash bonding over their head trauma.

Caboose and Wash sharing tips on how they remember things and keep track of dates and names and where they are versus where they’re supposed to be.

Caboose and Wash both being at risk/susceptible to seizures due to their head trauma, so all the sim troopers have to learn how to help them through it.

Caboose and Wash having panic attacks because they can’t remember an important detail about their lives (they should know this they should know this they should know this why don’t they know this?)

Caboose and Wash both being able to remember Tucker’s name. Always. First try. Easiest thing to remember. (Tucker being scared of the day they don’t.)

Caboose and Wash hating the giant gaps in their memory, so they spend a lot of time trying to fill it.

Caboose and Wash sharing stories all the time because they don’t want to forget…

What were we talking about again?

[jeeaark]

There's something deeply unsettling about Greygold having expressionless solid black eyes.

[bartlebythebloggener]

My wife is competing in a video game competition next week. Should I get a custom t-shirt made that just says "wife" in big letters so people are aware that I am just a nice set of tits at this event?

[xgermankittycatx--commsopen]

i can’t believe this ship still has me giggling and kicking my feet

i swear i’m going to post something else... SOMEDAY

[possamble]

Do you have any headcanons or thoughts about Falin having a crush on Marcille pre-canon? Especially during her later years at the school/the years she was with Laios.

Just full on "awkward and slightly gnc teenage lesbian has a massive crush on the touchy-feely girly girl straight best friend" tropes everywhere. Even better bc it's the "best friend is also the popular girl while lesbian is the slightly ostracized quiet one" dynamic in school. Falin gets so so so good at not having a heart attack every time Marcille gets in her personal space. But she's so resigned to never saying anything bc why would a girl as blinding as Marcille ever like her back. She also doesn't make an effort to get over it either, she's just content to be trapped in that stable dynamic of silently being in love with Marcille while getting to enjoy CLEARLY being Marcille's favourite person. She gets so used to it that it's almost just background noise most of the time-- it would have to be, unless she wanted to be freaking out 24/7 bc Marcille is so goddamn affectionate.

Her feelings also definitely change throughout the time that they're in school together-- at first it was this "whooaaah pretty older girl" puppy crush that you can clearly see developing in the flashbacks we get (I think she doesn't even like... realize her fixation on Marcille is romantic at all until years after it starts, when she's 12-14 ish and all the other girls around her are talking about crushes). But then they get closer, over the years Marcille starts getting really attached and letting down her guard, and Falin gets to see the ridiculous side of her. She gets to calm her down from her tantrums when experiments don't work out, or help her clean up when something explodes in her face. I feel like the progression of her feelings from "schoolgirl infatuation" to "unrequited love" probably almost exactly corresponds to how slowly Marcille goes from trying to keep Falin at a polite but friendly distance (like she does with everyone else) to her facade completely eroding as she becomes her cheerful and ridiculous self again for the first time since her father died.

That's probably the saddest part: Falin knows that she's clearly Marcille's favourite person on the surface level, but she doesn't quite fully grasp the enormity of what that means to Marcille. She doesn't get that she's the person who made the world colorful again for Marcille, that she is the first person outside of Marcille's family to really and truly make her laugh. She just thinks she's the beloved but dinky little short-lived sidekick, one of many that Marcille has had and will have.

Part of it is that, despite Marcille becoming such a clingy and affectionate best friend, I think her initial demeanour already did its damage. You see Falin being super adventurous and weird at first, bringing Marcille berries and other stuff, only to be rebuffed by Marcille exasperatedly saying she's working or looking kind of put off by it. And by the time you see her a little older, shes already quieter and better at masking -- and I'm not saying that that's entirely Marcille's fault (being the weird girl at an all girls academy for almost the entirety of her teenhood must have been brutal, my god) but she definitely learned that she's a potential nuisance to Marcille if she doesn't tone herself down. She learned that Marcille most likely sees her as a weird little kid following her around bc she has no other friends. And for the most part, she was never given any reason to unlearn any of that.

And that all very very smoothly transitions into Marcille being her "first love that was never meant to be anyway" when she leaves the academy. Chapter closed in her mind: she loved and pined from a distance and that was that. Every now and then she'll see another woman with Marcille's build or her shade of hair and be like ":( I miss her..." But then just kinda move on with her day. Same with when she's going through her own spellbook and finds a note that Marcille left her/correction that she made-- she'll smile fondly and reminisce about how much Marcille doted on her, and then move on.

Sometimes she thinks about contacting Marcille but convinces herself that it's too late (she spent too many months focusing on getting Laios healthy again and didn't mean to go no contact, but ah well). It's only when she has a practical reason to be reaching out that would also benefit Marcille ("Marcille is studying dungeons and we need a trustworthy mage to go with us to the dungeons") that she feels like she's allowed/that it wouldn't just be 100% a nuisance.

I almost think she didn't expect Marcille to reply at all, only to get a telegraph (or some in-universe equivalent of express mail, maybe magical pigeon carrier) that's like. EN ROUTE TO ISLAND. LETTER TO FOLLOW. and she freaks out like AAAA LAIOS SHE SAID YES WE HAVE TO CLEAN UP NOW.

I do think getting a response accidentally sparks a little hope in her, judging by the way she acts in the chp 57 flashback-- she's pouty that Marcille sees her as a kid, gets really worked up about being presentable, and then tries to play it cool when she actually meets Marcille (as if she didn't freak out and force Laios to shave while rambling a mile a minute about Marcille). She's an adult now, really and truly, and she's seen and survived things that her 18 yr old self would have never even imagined-- then all of a sudden, the person she was in love with since she was ten years old appears, and she's so desperate to be seen as mature and competent. She's trying soooo hard to impress Marcille with her newfound combat and dungeoneering experience...

Only to fall right back into their old dynamic. RIP. At least she gets the girl eventually, even if it takes dying twice and being the core catalyst behind an almost-apocalypse.

[nero-neptune]

“Roy was the engineer, and anything related to engineering, in any specialism, would have to pass through his hands. This included assembling the plane’s radio, just like he’d fixed the small battery-operated Spika radio and made it work.

“Adolfo sat down beside him. He explained to Roy that it was not a matter of expertise in electronics but one of ignorance, and pointed out that Roy was the least ignorant of everybody in that department. Roy argued that he had never seen an airplane radio in his life, not even in a book. Adolfo put his hand over Roy’s. ‘I know that, Roy. We all know that. I only wanted to tell you that you were the best one at handling the wires and the terminals, that’s all. But right now that’s a lot, it makes a huge difference … you are the engineer.’

“Roy, almost breathless, added something that his older friend already knew: ‘I am barely in my first year in Engineering, I’m only twenty years old, and the only time I’ve ever been remotely close to anything like this was when I helped instal a damn audio system for my cousins.’

“‘And you fixed the Spika radio,’ Adolfo responded, as if it were a thermonuclear station and not a basic portable radio the size of a pack of cigarettes. Before Adolfo even said the next sentence he knew clearly that it was as painful for him to say as it was for his friend to hear it. ‘Roy, the group needs your abilities. All we’re asking is that you try.’ ”

– “Is Anybody Listening?” from Society of the Snow: The Definitive Account of the World’s Greatest Survival Story by Pablo Vierci

LA SOCIEDAD DE LA NIEVE | SOCIETY OF THE SNOW (2023) dir. J. A. Bayona

[pop-punklouis]

had a very vivid dream last night that we were all speculating when harry was releasing new music because there were signs of him making moves and trying to keep things hush hush. we thought he was filming music videos and training for a potential tour etc. when in reality….

headlines dropped one day that confirmed he was joining the ballet and ditching music entirely.

[iamnmbr3]

love that draco knows harry well enough to immediately know Harry wasn’t opening the chamber of secrets even when many other people suspected him and despite his parseltongue powers

[kumaronoa]

My first bunny painting ~

(i've been sketching bunnies a lot,learning how to draw them has been really fun.)

[faustinio27]

BONNIE HUTCHINSON - Character profile (HL OC)

GENERAL

Full name: Bonifacia Wilhelmina Hutchinson

Nicknames: Bonnie, Bonnie Minnie

Age: 15 (5th year)

Gender: Female

House: Hufflepuff

MBTI: ISFJ (Defender)

Blood status: Pure-blood

Social status: Aristocrat

Wand: Unicorn heart

Patronus: Bat : "The bat Patronus is representative of rebirth, honesty, and empathy. Though a bat commonly represents fear, the casters of this Patronus understand that facing your fears is what helps you grow as a person."

Animagus: Swallowtail butterfly (non-registered)

Boggart: Her disappointed mother

Amortentia: Vanilla, petrichor, gardenia

Favorite class: Herbology

Favorite teacher: Professor Garlick

Least favorite teacher: Professor Howin

APPAREANCE

Old Disney princess energy

Hair: Type 4a, black

Eyes: Droopy, black

Skin tone: Deep dark

Height: 1m72 (5'6)

Distinguishing features: Teeth gap, mole under her right eye, thick eyebrows

Clothing style: Classy, Princess, Cottagecore aesthetic

Elegant and always clean-cut. She doesn't wear the robe of her house, just the puffy shirt and long black skirt, with the characteristic yellow Hufflepuff ribbon. With the uniform, she always has a pair of earrings that can vary, and her frizzy hair is tied back with a pastel-colored ribbon. She wears almost nothing but dresses or skirts. Outside school, she wears luxurious outfits. Although she likes to dress in pastel colors, most often yellow, green and white, she sometimes wears gloomy black and purple outfits, the colors of her family. She loves to wear clothes with plant, flower or butterfly motifs, and has a soft spot for ribbons. She has a lot of body hair and shaves regularly.

PERSONALITY

Bonnie is a very gentle and sweet person, like a calm sun. She lights up the surroundings with her smile and optimism. Pacific by nature, she always chooses kindness and belief in others, which can make her seem naive. But she remains strong for her ability to choose peace when she has the capacity to hurt. Very popular for her beauty and gentleness, everyone has a crush on her. She's very sociable and is friends with everyone, but has few close friends. Only they know about her teasing side, which she hides, because it tends to bewilder others. You'll never see her get angry, unless she catches you mistreating plants or other harmless creatures. Coming from a good family, she's well-bred, polite and courteous. She can also be "appreciated" for her beauty and status alone, and faces many hyporcrites.

Bonnie is passionate about herbology, and confident in her abilities. Plants are her whole life, and she cherishes them as if they were her own children. She doesn't like when people see them only as tools, whereas she treats them as living beings. Many people think she's only good at looking after flowers and other pretty but useless plants, but what she prefers are dangerous and venomous ones, which tend to surprise people when they find out. Moreover, she has an attraction for all things normally repulsive and frightening: spiders, Sombrals, trolls, toads… Which makes her open-minded and not judge people by their appearance. But she tends to hide it, so as not to be linked to her family's dangerousness and to be feared. It's hard to scare her, as she keeps her composure, and she may appear reckless in dangerous situations. The Hufflepuff spends most of her time in the school greenhouse taking care of her plants, or can be found in the forest.

We might think that Bonnie lacks of ambition, because she doesn’t aspire to much. If she has to take over the family business and become a ruthless businesswoman, she dreams of a simple life, where she would live with her wife and children, and would take care of her plants in a small cottage. She has resigned herself to such a life and blindly follows the orders of her family, but still hopes to find the strength to break free from them. A certain Slytherin could help her…

Traits: kind, patient, romantic, calm, sociable, sensible, empathic, peaceful, naive, passive, idealist but tend to be fatalistic

Likes: plants (Tentacula venenosa are her favorite), tea parties, picnic, sweet fruits, wake up with the sun, Sombrals, spiders

Dislikes: gossip, close-mind and hateful people, dark arts, being seen as a fragile and defendless things

Good at: herbology, potions, singing, dancing, playing a harp

Bad at: defending herself, Quidditch, not being pretty

Hobbies: taking care of her plants, flying with Imelda, walk in the wild

Fears: losing Imelda, disappointing her parents, fire

RELATIONSHIP

Partner:

Imelda Reyes: The two students didn't get along at first. Imelda saw Bonnie as a silly girl, living only in her haughty little artistocrat world, and Bonnie saw her as cruel and contemptuous for her own pleasure. They spoke little to each other, had no friends in common, no shared passions, and tolerated each other for classes. Still, Imelda was stung in her ego that the Hufflepuff who liked everyone didn't like her, and Bonnie was vexed that she didn't reciprocate the kindness she showed. And so the years went by, Bonnie ignoring her and Imelda sparring, until Imelda came to her with a request for a potion to help her improve her Quidditch performance. From there, an exchange of favors between the two teenagers led to them spending more time together, learning more about each other, and growing fonder of each other. Until they fell in love.

Bonnie is the calm sunshine and Imelda the grumpy storm. Despite appearances, Bonnie loves to tease her girlfriend by flirting with her without warning, even though she knows it's unladylike. They support each other in their respective passions, even if they know nothing about them. Imelda appreciates her gentleness and optimism, while Bonnie appreciates her honesty, bravery and admires most of all her self-confidence. Both have learned to see beyond appearances: Imelda learns that kindness is an act of courage and use her strong personality to help her girlfriend, and Bonnie learns to stand up for herself and not let others do it to her while keeping her convictions. Bonnie confided to Imelda her secret of being an animagus, encouraged by the latter to show her true strength. Imelda gives her the confidence to assume who she is. The Slytherin loves her for who she is, not for how rich she is or what she's asked to be.

Fiancee:

Ominis Gaunt: Ominis and Bonnie were engaged as children. The Huntchinsons want to mingle with the Gaunts to rise socially, and because it's an honor to link up with such a powerful and noble family. Especially because of their shared pure-blood ideology and hatred for the Muggles. Fortunately, the two children get along well and have become friends, and Bonnie's mother is counting on this alliance to rebuild her daughter's reputation. The children support each other through the difficult times caused by the toxicity of their respective families.

Now teenagers, the two don't talk about their union at school, which no one (except Sebastian) knows about. Although friends, they suspect that neither is in love. But they don't think they can escape an arranged marriage, and prefer to get married with a friend, rather than separate and risk having to marry someone they don't like. Until Bonnie fell in love with Imelda. Ominis found out, and encouraged her to follow her heart and defy her family, giving him the courage to do the same. They remained on good terms for the rest of their lives.

Friends:

Adelaide Oakes: One of her roomates. They hit it off right away, with their calm, warm personalities. It was when Bonnie saw Adelaide persisting in her studies and her hobbies that she realized the gap in wealth that separated them: Bonnie's future was assured (if she decided to follow the path set out for her), but her friend had to fight to be able to have a decent life. Nevertheless, there's no jealousy between the girls, and they enjoy gardening together.

Samantha Dale: She and Bonnie got on well together, thanks to their passion for botany and their qualifications for potions. Samantha is a great talker when they're together, and likes to discuss anything and everything - classes, boys, fashion, etc.- when it's not about herbology. Bonnie wishes her friend were a Hufflepuff so they could spend even more time with together. They regularly form a trio with Adelaide around their passion for plants, and are known to be Professor Garlick's favorite students.

Natsai Onai: Bonnie is the first student that Natsai went to see when she arrived at Hogwarts, thinking she was also an African student. Although this was not the case, they became friends and she helped him quickly integrate into school and Scottish society. In return, Bonnie often asks her to tell stories about her home country, where she has lost its customs. Natsai tells her everything with pleasure, and wants to help her learn their language, as well as handle magic without a wand. Bonnie admires her bravery and determination, which she lacks of. She would like to be able to tell her that she is an animagus to fly with her, but hasn't told her. Bonnie is worried that some members of her family are taking a little too close interest in Natsai, being a pure-blood witch with her father killed from a muggle hunter, and to corrupt her with their anti-Muggles ideas.

Leander Prewett: Like her other friends, Bonnie and Leander have bonded over their shared passion for botany. He enjoys her company, not least because she's not stingy with compliments, and he finds himself invigorated after spending time with her. He also has a crush on the Hufflepuff that everyone seems to see except her (or she deliberately ignores him, because it's not mutual). Even if Bonnie is often asked why a girl as popular as she is spending time with such a loser, she simply replies that she enjoys his company, which is true. She doesn't regard him as a nobody nor with pity and defends his honor with composure, resenting anyone putting down her friend, even more if it's supposed to "compliment" her.

Family:

Mother Wilhelmina (animagus: black widow): Wilhelmina is a cold woman who could easily be nicknamed "Lady of Steel". She never smiles, and keeps her family under her thumb. Nothing is more important to her than the honor of the Hutchinsons and keeping her daughter in line with tradition. Wilhelmina has often been envied by those around her, especially her younger brother Augustus who envies her position as heiress, and who has passed this resentment to his sons. When Bonnie was born, she decided to not have another child, to avoid the same jealousy as her brother. But this puts even more pressure on Bonnie to live up to her expectations, as she is the only direct descendant. Wilhelmina loves her deeply as a child, especially as she had difficulty getting pregnant, and wants to keep her away from the toxicity of her relatives. Nevertheless, she fears her daughter's recklessness and raises her firmly to force her to toughen up. She's stingy with her compliments, but reminds her that she's doing all this because she loves her, and to protect her from their family of vultures. Unfortunately, Bonnie seems to prefer empathy to severity.

Their relationship has worsened with each passing year, first after the discovery of her daughter's butterfly animagus, then her entry into the Hufflepuff house, which has brought her ridicule among her own kind. Seeing that the situation is not improving, and that the whole family is beginning to think that her daughter is not fit to lead them and does not deserve her status as heiress, Wilhelmina is torn between her duty as family leader and her love for her daughter. Unfortunately, it's the former that takes precedence over the latter, and their relationship deteriorates to the point of toxicity.

Bonnie loves her mother deeply but is dependent on her and her opinion, finds it hard to assert herself and is afraid of disappointing her more than anything else in the world. She'd like to find a situation where she can live the life she wants, without it causing a rift between them. She would later talk about her relationship with Imelda, naively hoping that her mother would accept her daughter's pure love. All she received was anger and disappointment. Two main problems: Imelda is half-blood with a pure-blood mother and a muggle-blood father, and she couldn't have biological children with her (not to mention that the Reyes were neither wealthy nor influential). Wilhelmina tried to work out an arrangement, such as letting Bonnie take Imelda as her lover as long as she married Ominis, but her daughter remained adamant about a love marriage, causing an even greater rift between the two.

Father Lawrence: Bonnie doesn't have much of a relationship with her father. While her mother looks after their manor house and family business in the surrounding area, her father is busy expanding their market to Scotland and even the world, leaving them little time to see each other. Lawrence is a quiet, serious man, as is Wilhelmina. Both know that their marriage is about business, not love, and that he was chosen because of his pure-blood status, his disdain for the Muggles, and his business acumen. It was his wife who decided to take charge of their daughter's education, and he relies entirely on her. He hopes that Bonne will follow the path that seems so clear to her.

Uncle Augustus (animagus: onychocerus beetle): Augustus is Wilhelmina's youngest and first brother. He's charming and charismatic, serious and implacable. Augustus has always been jealous of his older sister, believing himself to be better than her in every way, and more capable of leading their family to better days. He thinks it's unfair that she should be the heiress only because she's the eldest, whereas he thinks he's more competent than her. He works with her in their family business despite their tensions. He only wants one thing: to see his sister and daughter fall so he can take over the family business and make his sons the heirs of the Hutchinsons.

Aunt Ahutiare: Ahutiare was a gentle, kind and cheerful Tahithian by nature. She had fallen head over heels in love with Augustus during their time together at Hogwarts, as he was a popular, wealthy, charming and gentlemanly student who promised her the world. Ahutiare had little confidence in herself, coming from a wealthy family of purebloods fresh to London, and that was exactly what interested her lover: a docile, submissive woman of pure blood like his own. They married soon after graduation, and she became pregnant not long after her husband insisted on having children as soon as possible. Little did she know that his sole motivation was to have heirs before his sister did. Year after year, the mask crumbled and Ahutiare caught a glimpse of the narcissistic pervert she had married. He took her children away from her and raised them with the help of a wet nurse. Ahutiare became a shadow of her former self, receiving no affection from her husband after giving birth, only luxurious jewels and fine clothes to show her like a trophy to his relatives. She blindly follows her husband and agrees with everything he does and says. She spends most of her time at home, and only goes out if he forces her to. Her zest for life died a long time ago.

Cousins Ambrose and Archibald (animagus: bullet ant / harvesting ant) : The Hutchinson twins take after their father, who taught them and instilled his values. They are two years Bonnie's senior, and will soon have completed their studies at Hogwarts, during which they have given their cousin a hard time. Despite being the oldest of their generation, they think it's unfair that Bonnie should be the heiress. To say they despise her would be an understatement. Ambrose and Archibald are brilliant, charismatic boys who are cold, ambitious and ruthless. They're very popular, especially among the Slytherins, who rally to their cause rather than to the Hutchinson heiress, not to mention the support of their own family. The twins are never without each other, but their friendship hangs by a thread, as they would be ready to kill each other to define who would take over the family. One of them seems to have a particular interest in Natsai…

Uncle Hugh (animagus: scolopendra millipede): Hugh is the youngest of his siblings. When he entered Hogwarts, he was to have been sent to Ravenclaw, but begged the Sorting Hat to send him to his family house, even though he didn't have the values. Being the youngest, he knew he'd never have a high position in the family and didn't seek it, fleeing the rivalry of his elders. Hugh is a coward, a man who prefers to run away from conflict to be safe and go with the flow. Nevertheless, he's an inquisitive scholar who thrives on science and books, although no one has ever had anything to do with his shyness. Lacking business acumen, he is relegated to the background of the family business, but has an equally important role: inventing new formulas for their potions and poisons.

Aunt Vera: Vera is the daughter of a bourgeois family who married Hugh for no other reason than to rise socially in the sphere of nobility. She loves him only for his status, and would have preferred to marry his older brother Augustus, whom she finds more charming, more ambitious, and closer to becoming heir to the Hutchinsons. Vera is eager for power, not to rule, but to take it easy and find a comfortable situation where she has nothing to do but flaunt her wealth and gossip.

Cousin Eugenia (animagus: giant silk glass caterpillar) : Eugenia was born a few months after Bonnie, and they're both in the same class. Eugenia is terribly envious of her older cousin: she envies her position, her talent for potions and herbology, her beauty… Although Eugenia has nothing to be ashamed of, she does her best to be noticed, but she lives in the shadow of her cousin, who is the heiress to their family. As a real pest, she doesn't hesitate to slander and gossip about Bonnie, finding comfort only in putting her down. She's shallow and hopes to find a good match, as her father is only the youngest of his siblings, so she knows she can't hope for a better position in their family.

Cousin Basil (animagus: bee) : Basil is an 8-year-old boy who loves his cousin Bonnie. He's not interested in his family's stories, and prefers to concoct a new prank to play on them. Energetic and mischievous, a future Slytherin with a big heart, he's tireless and loves to involve Bonnie in his games. His big sister Eugenia often chases him away because "she's too old for these pranks", and they spend their time bickering. Basil is the fresh air Bonnie needs in her toxic family, and she cherishes him with all her heart.

HUTCHINSON'S STORY

The Hutchinson crest. The apple for freedom, the castle for wealth, the sun for their superiority, and the scorpio for their ancestor's animagus.

The family's most distant recognized ancestor was called Ousmane. He was an African wizard who was captured and sold as a slave to a wealthy white master in Scotland in 1675, to work on a tobacco plantation. Like all slaves of the time, he was mistreated and lived in atrocious conditions, which marked him forever. He refused to use magic, terrified of being discovered as a wizard and killed. But as the years passed, his anger only increased, and he decided to devise a plan of escape. One night, he entered his master's home as a thick-tailed scorpion, his animagus, and stung him. His deadly venom killed him, and Ousmane took the opportunity to steal his fortune and escape before dawn. As a runaway black slave, he hurried to the Scottish wizarding world to seek refuge, unconcerned about the fate of the slaves left behind.

From that day on, he rebuilt his life. He decided to stay in Scotland and used his former master's fortune to live a comfortable life, raising himself to the rank of aristocrat. He specialized in poisons and venoms of all kinds, and was particularly appreciated by the dark wizards for this. By frequenting them, he came to share their anti-Muggles ideas, to whom he dedicated a hatred without name. He accused them all of being slavers, not only against the Blacks but also against the wizards they hunted and burned. He never returned to the Muggle world because he didn't belong there due to his skin color and magic, and his descendants would never mix with them or with wizards of Muggle or mixed blood. They'll all become Slytherins, and it's frowned upon to come from another Hogwarts house.

The Hutchinson family became known for being a refuge for Black wizards who wanted to settle in Scotland, but they had to submit to their conditions and ode of thought, such as muggle hatred. She is also known to free all the house elves she buys, due to her trauma of slavery. Thus, all house elves are free servants, paid and treated well, who can stay and work for them or leave if they wish. The family is criticized for this, especially by dark wizards, but the Hutchinsons remain faithful to this rule. Denying one's Black roots is frowned upon, such as straightening one's hair for girls.

Nevertheless, to better integrate into Scottish life and aristocracy, Ousmane abandoned his African surname, native language and traditions, except for one that has become the family mainstay: becoming an animagus. All direct descendants are known to be venomous insects, the most distant being deadly (but not venomous) insects or venomous animals (not insects). The business of poisons and venoms is passed down from generation to generation. The eldest child becomes head of the family, regardless of whether it's a boy or a girl. Spouses are not required to be animagus or Slytherin (or to be Black), but it's always appreciated. They must, however, take the name of their husband or wife to keep the family heritage, whether they are men or women.

BONNIE'S BACKSTORY

Bonnie came into the world with one goal: to be the heiress to the Hutchinson family, and to take over as head of the family when the time came, with the duties that go with it. Despite these demands and a strict upbringing worthy of a young noblewoman, her early years were quite peaceful. She took part in all her chores without complaint, and her particular interest in herbology delighted her parents. If her peaceful nature didn't worry them more than that, everything changed at the animagus ceremony when she turned 7. The family gathered to celebrate the animagus of a new child in the family -and here, being the heiress, the interest was more than special. Only her parents could witness her first transformation, before it was revealed to the rest of the family. Bonnie knew she came from a line of animagus insects, so when she transformed into a beautiful yellow butterfly, she was delighted. Until she became human again and found her parents astonished. Not only was she not a venomous insect, like all the direct descendants of their distant ancestor, she was just... a harmless insect. With the animagus representing the personality of the wizard, she would be directly labeled pretty, but useless. It was such a shame that her parents preferred to reveal that she hadn't succeeded in her transformation, hoping to gain time to help her become another animal. Even so, it was a laughing stock for her family, who already saw her as unfit to rule them if she wasn't able to reveal her animagus. Since then, Bonnie has been strictly forbidden to speak to anyone about this event, and to transform herself, making her feel as if she were being restrained not fully herself. Her parents were convinced that they had been too gentle with her and that this had an impact on her animagus.

From then on, although they were already strict, they became nothing but cold to their daughter. They tried their best to instill hatred, ambition and firmness in her, but Bonnie only thrived on empathy and love. Despite her efforts to compensate for her perceived weak personality, she redoubled her efforts to appear perfect in their eyes: she studied poisons with more interest, took her lessons in good behavior to be a respectable girl, maintained her relationship with Ominis and the Gaunts, but could not adhere to her parents' hateful ideas. When she was taken out to Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin, she ended up sobbing, knowing that she had disappointed them yet again. Which she did: it was yet another reason to prove to the rest of her family that she wasn't worthy of being the Hutchinson heiress. Her parents wanted to take her through the Sorting Hat ceremony again, but it refused.

Bonnie finally found a place that accepted her for who she was. Although she had difficulty making friends at first due to her status and to the Hutchinsons' ruthless reputation, her sociability and kindness helped make her popular, especially as she grew older. The people around her at school reinforced her peaceful values, but she felt torn between her morals and her duties. She had accepted her destiny as an heiress, until she fell in love with a half-blood and found a reason to fight for what she wanted.

FUTURE

At a family dinner near the end of her fifth year, Bonnie's mother was given a choice: leave her place as heiress to her brother and sons, or use any means to force her daughter to take her role seriously. Bonnie was unaware of this deal, and announced the breakup of her engagement to Ominis (absent that evening). With a heavy heart, Wilhelmina tried to cast an Impero spell on her daughter, but Basil narrowly warned her, and she could dodge it. Bonnie fled, her whole family on her heels to catch her, some to hurt her, others to prevent her from leaving. It was then that she was able to jump from the 4th-floor window. Her family exclaimed in terror, thinking she was going to kill herself, but she transformed into a butterfly and flew off, making everyone aware of her previously hidden animagus.

Bonnie fled to Imelda, who took her in with her parents. Her parents already knew her and welcomed her happily. Unfortunately, Wilhelmina tried to force her daughter to return home by getting Headmaster Black on her side, and threatening to remove her from Hogwarts. Bonnie took her aside and threatened her in turn, encouraged by Imelda, to reveal all the darkest secrets of their dark wizard family to the Ministry of Magic. Indeed, some time after running away, Bonnie secretly returned to their home to retrieve some of her belongings, as well as compromising documents, with the help of a house elf. Her horrified mother left her alone and disinherited her, and Bonnie was able to live with the Reyes in a warm cocoon. For although Bonnie lost her inheritance and her wealth, she found true love. She felt infinitely indebted to the Reyes, yet worried that her family would try anything against them. Fortunately, they were happy for her to disappear, leaving them free to designate a more worthy heir.

After Hogwarts, Bonnie and Imelda married. They live in a cottage in the middle of the forest, surrounded by nature. Bonnie works as a seller of plants of all kinds, spending her time pampering them and selling them to enthusiasts. She encourages Imelda in her career as a professional Quidditch player and is her greatest supporter. The wives adopted two children:

The first, a young disabled witch and future Gryffindor, is forced to stay in a walking (not rolling) chair because she can't use her legs. She has a strong personality and dreams of becoming a Quidditch player like Imelda, who encourages her to do so, and inherits more of her traits. Turbulent and hyperactive, she thrives only on sport and sweat, and hates magic theory. After Hogwarts, she was refused entry to all teams because of her disability. Not content to take it lying down, she went on to create the highly successful Parasports Quidditch, helped by Imelda.

The second one is a young werewolf whom Bonnie finds wounded near their home in the forest. He has been disowned by his pack of werewolves who live apart from the wizards because of the lack of wildness in him. The boy is physically imposing, but very shy and has trouble with social relationships. He will be homeschooled and Bonnie will take care of his education. Although his sister and mother encourage him to take advantage of his body to play Quidditch, he will thrive on quiet activities and prefers to spend time in Bonnie's garden. She will accompany him to the forest every full moon as a butterfly, and tries her best to make his situation as pleasant as possible.

Bonnie may have cut ties with her family, but her cousin Basil, now grown up (whom she hasn't seen since she finished her studies at Hogwarts), found her and they renewed contact. He tells her that since she left, Ambrose and Archibald have been fighting a mortal battle day after day to see who will become the leader of their family, splitting it into two distant clans in the process. He keeps his distance from the toxicity of their family, and is happy to meet Bonnie Reyes' new family. He will always be welcome and will visit them regularly.

The modest family will live happily ever after.