#being the one person to sympathize when finding out the headmaster died

[doctorweebmd]

I’m vibrating at increasing frequencies as me and my partner are getting through the Cannibalism arc. Yes YES it’s all coming together soon you will SEE

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY doesn’t follow the fairytale characters to a T: Emerald is evil when Aladdin wasn’t, and the point of Oz's inner circle is to SUBVERT their original counterparts, Oz is a wizard pretending to be a regular guy, Leo gave in to his cowardliness, Ironwood lost his heart (tho very poorly), and Qrow lost his brain (joining with Tyrian was ALLEGEDLY supposed to be dumb on his end, not that that stops the FNDM from victim blaming)

RWBY definitely doesn’t follow the inspirations to a T, however, I don’t think I agree that the big three here are subversions. Rather, up until Ironwood shot Oscar they seemed to be following the arcs of their counterparts rather closely (or at least, the arcs as laid out in the film. I admittedly can’t speak to the original novels): 

Ozpin - Yes, he’s technically a real wizard here, but he still follows the same path as the Wizard character. That is, moving from someone who is perceived as nearly all powerful, all knowing, all important to someone who is just as flawed and scared as the rest of us. Like pulling back the curtain, Volume 6 reveals Ozpin to be just another fallible man. He is a regular guy. He might have actual power - like the Wizard has actual influence - but that doesn’t make him the omnipotent being people chose to see him as. Both were normal men who stepped up to help: the Wizard a mere carnival worker who tried to give the Emerald City the symbol they wanted; Ozpin a mere fighter, with magic like many others in a Humanity 1.0 world (that power doesn’t appear to have originally been unique) who agreed to become the defender of Remnant. Both try to help their Dorothy character and fail: the Wizard with his balloon and Ozpin with his schools, leaving both girls to find another solution. Personally, I think there’s far more parallels between their stories than subversions. A subversion would have been actually making Ozpin as wise and all knowing as the Wizard initially appeared. Instead, this is revealed to be this: 

Ironwood - Same here. Ironwood is meant to appear like he’s heartless to the audience (and those of Remnant) at first glance. Here comes this man made of metal, with his stern looks and military persona, making calls that a lot of people don’t agree with. However, the story quickly reveals - to us if not the entire world - that the Tinman always had a heart. That’s the lesson of the film. You never needed someone to teach you how to care, or supply some magical means of achieving that. You’ve done it all along. Even if others - and at times you yourself - can’t see it. A subversion would have been to make Ironwood an actually heartless character, or at least someone who has to learn how to care like his counterpart assumed he had to. Instead, Ironwood is merely perceived as this, but is shown to actually be this: 

Qrow - Finally, like Ironwood Qrow is introduced as the brainless fool but, like his Scarecrow counterpart, is shown to have always had a brain. We’re introduced to him getting drunk in a bar and picking an idiotic fight with Winter. He reveals sensitive info to a group of students, destroys the courtyard, is revealed to have not kept in contact with his team, and then continues drinking. It’s easy to write him off as the brainless troublemaker of the group but, again, as we get to know him it’s revealed that Qrow is actually a genius spy. He’s thoughtful and strategic - never dumb to begin with. This is revealed to be this: 

(Sorry it’s hard to find a picture of Qrow being smart. Not because that intelligence doesn’t exist, but because it’s not easily reduced to a single image. So I just went with him being badass instead lol.) 

So I’d argue that RWBY was keeping very closely the moral messages of the Wizard of Oz, rather than subverting them: the man you see as an all powerful savior is human too and cannot fix all your problems, the man who appears cold and heartless has always cared about others, the man who appears brainless at first glance is actually quite astute. Even Emerald follows her Aladdin pattern by being the one person in Salem’s inner circle who we’re supposed to sympathize with. Emerald is the one who gets long close ups to show how uncomfortable she is with things. She’s the one questioning if this is the right course to stay on. Like Aladdin, she’s technically a villain (thief) but is primed to leave that life once better prospects are presented to her (I found a genie/I’m given a way out of Salem’s employment). From Dorothy/Little Red Riding Hood still being an innocent hero in Ruby, to the Good Witch still being a good “witch” (her semblance might as well be magic) in Glynda, to Pinocchio having always been a real person in Penny... I’d say RWBY follows the lessons attached to their allusions far more than they subvert them. Which isn’t to say there’s no subversion at all. I think having Adam really be a beast rather than someone whose “curse” is broken by Blake is one. Yang presented as the dumb, reckless blonde who is actually a brilliant and caring big sister is another (even if RWBY has messed this subversion up in more recent volumes). As is Lionheart. He is indeed a previously loyal lion who was revealed to be cowardly... but he’s also notably barely a character. We know almost nothing about him. He existed to give the heroes something to work towards - gotta get to Haven to talk to the headmaster - and then as a means by which all the other, important villains engage with the cast. Then he dies. It’s much easier to subvert (or accidentally write something that looks like subversion) when the character barely exists on screen. Lionheart has no character to complicate. Ozpin, Ironwood, and Qrow though? Their stories have all been (very basically) following the path of their inspirations. Until Volume 7. 

I don’t agree that Qrow is now subverted due to teaming up with Tyrian. Don’t get me wrong, it’s absolutely a stupid move. Arguably the stupidest I’ve seen in RWBY to date, but the story doesn’t seem to realize that. That decision isn’t treated like the Scarecrow has now lost his brain. Rather, it’s treated like a good decision that then led to ~totally unexpected~ consequences. If the story thought Qrow had made a dumb call we could have gotten any number of details to imply that, including but not limited to him regretting the choice he just made while Clover dies, rather than blaming Ironwood for it. So we as the audience might recognize that it’s dumb, but that doesn’t mean the story does, which undermines any argument that it’s a deliberate subversion. Though this may change depending on how Qrow views his actions in Volume 8 and/or if others call him out on it.   

Which finally leaves us with Ironwood. Yeah, it could be a subversion to give the Tinman a heart and then have him lose it... but why now? If you’re going to do that work then do it from the beginning, not only so that there’s proper setup for it - as you say, very poorly done - but also so that the audience doesn’t devote nearly six years of emotional energy into a characterization only to be told that we’re reversing course now. A character’s downfall takes time. A character’s reveal that they were secretly bad/evil/whatever all along takes planning. As @leonhaxor points out, you can also introduce an influence like the lamp. How and why did these characters suddenly become their opposites? Because an outside force is influencing them, but even then you have to plan for and think through the complexities of that situation. What happens when the lamp is removed? What happens when the characters actually talk about these problems and realize they simplified things horribly (i.e. Qrow’s belief that everything he’s done is meaningless)? How are you going to maintain that new characterization if the reason for its existence is so flimsy? When you spend years developing characters, it’s no easy feat to chuck that characterization out on a whim. 

RWBY did none of these things though and thus Ironwood’s sudden shift is neither believable nor satisfying. It’s not a subversion to write a classic Tinman for six years and then suddenly, in literally a few minutes, insist that he’s evil!Tinman instead. Imagine you read about a detective for six books who appears cold and unyielding, but is actually revealed to be a vulnerable hero doing his best to solve these cases. And he does. Not perfectly, but he does solve them, helping people in the process, and you adore his flawed-but-ultimately-very-good person. Then suddenly, in the last few pages of the most recent novel, the detective attempts to murder his assistant out of the blue and you’re left gapping at where the previous six volumes of characterization went. Other readers go, “Well, he and the assistant once got into a fight so it’s totally believable that he’d shoot him" and the author goes, “You never expected the detective to be the criminal, huh? See, it’s a subversion.” Except it’s not. Is the concept of a detective who is actually the criminal a cool subversion? Absolutely. Dexter is right there showing us that. But you have to introduce that from the start, plan for it, and develop it in a believable way. Writing a good guy for almost the entirety of the story’s run (Ironwood didn’t arrive until Volume 2) only to turn around and change your mind about them - without proper setup - is just bad writing. We could have gotten a persuasive and compelling fall from grace that culminates in Ironwood shooting Oscar... but that would require really basic things like him not losing his arm/making hard calls in the name of helping others just a few minutes before. 

[ardentmuse]

At All Costs (Charlie Weasley x Reader) - Part 5

Harry Potter - Charlie Weasley x Reader

Wordcount: 5.4k (this one is a doozy!)

Masterlist // Series Masterlist

A/N: Warning: talk of violence, sexual harassment, and some much-needed fluff. And yes I am using Outlander gifs. That’s my Charlie :) 

“A toast!” Voldemort called from the head of the table at Malfoy Manor. The forces were three-chairs deep tonight, the numbers having grown with the take-over of the Ministry, but also with the eagerness of those on the outskirts to fill the seats of the close advisors lost in the previous two battles.

“To rightful control of the Ministry of Magic!” he said with a raise of his glass, “And Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!”

Voldemort took a sip of his beverage. You watched from your seat next to Snape as a long tongue escaped between Voldemort’s lips, licking at the liquid that ran down his chin. The sight was revolting and as you tried your best not to wince, you felt Snape’s eyes upon you.

Snape. You hate the man. Dumbledore trusted him and then to do what he did was the lowest thing you could think of. But you also needed him. He was the only person among this crowd who had seen your skills at Hogwarts, who knew truly what value you brought to the table beyond the rumors, the Skeeter articles, and the battle victories. He knew your potential and had even a few times encouraged you to cultivate it in indirect and albeit brutish ways. As much as you hated to admit it, he was an ally here. A traitorous, self-serving, useful ally.

You turned to meet his gaze as you took your sip in time with the crowd. His eyes narrowed upon you, like a robot scanning your features for signs of treachery. After a moment, he too swallowed the wine before him in a single gulp before turning once more to the captivating roar of his master.

“We have instilled our puppets within the Ministry, along with our own men, to assure an orderly transition. Yaxley has overseen those efforts and for such will be rewarded,” Voldemort nodded his head towards the right length of the table where Yaxley sat among the other ministry employees, each with shit-eating grins upon their faces, all except the Malfoys.

“And Severus,” Voldemort continued with a turn of his head towards your side of the table, “will oversee our efforts at the castle with the assistance of the Carrows.”

Snape let out a long breath beside you before picking up his voice.

“My lord, might I make an additional request?”

Voldemort took a moment as Nagini slithered up beside him and rested her head on the arm of his chair.

“Speak,” he commanded as he began to pet the creature on his left.

With a large squeak of the chair, Snape stood. He only looked forward at the ghastly man before him, never even bothering to acknowledge the brood of death eaters who shared the room.

“I would like to bring another along to Hogwarts. As Hagrid, the groundskeeper and teacher of Care of Magical Creatures, participated in the Seven Potters a few weeks ago, I believe we would be justified in removing him from his position as faculty. That would open up a third spot, one that I would like to see taken over by Y/N.”

You felt all the eyes in the room turn to you. You could hear all the murmuring around about the “Weasley-fucker” and “Potter-sympathizer” and more than a few voices pointing out how you had yet to “prove your loyalty.”

Certain members of the collective did support your position among them, though. Bellatrix surprisingly enough had been praising your tricks and malice after having witnessed you launch your ex with great force across the Weasley wedding tent and considered you feisty for the way you took out your handler. She was thoroughly amused by your eagerness to take down your old loved ones on your own and break a few rules in the process, something she knew too well, and had been putting in a good word for you among the women. Even Ismelda believed herself to have been wrong about you. But for the majority of the crowd, a few weeks of sitting among them and staying quiet was not enough to prove yourself an ally.

“Silence!” Voldemort screamed from the front of the room, his fist slamming hard upon the table. As the room returned to quiet, he added, “Explain your reasoning, Severus.”

“I seem to remember that Y/N here had quite the knack for getting into trouble and finding hidden things throughout the castle,” Snape said, with a particular emphasis on hidden that you wondered if he might be trying to convey something to you that he hoped the rest of the table might not pick up on.

But it was Voldemort who perked up at the choice of words.

“Yes,” he hissed as he waited for Snape to continue.

“And I believe keeping someone so untested close might prove a safer strategy than letting them roam free.”

Voldemort’s hand returned to stroking the snake beside him. You felt this dark eyes bore into you as he examined you with intensity.

“And how do you feel about this plan, Y/N?”

You swallowed and stood beside Severus, holding your hands in front of you and bowing your head slightly. You took a moment to think. This was not a part of the plan, being at Hogwarts. You were a fighter, a dueler, a powerful magic wielding who would assure that certain spells didn’t meet their intended targets, just as you had at Bill’s wedding. At Hogwarts, you would be away from the fray, but back in your comfort zone. If anything at Hogwarts should prove useful, you’d be in the best position to serve the Order. Not to mention, if the Carrows were as dumb as their appeared, you might be able to train the third years and above in defensive magic without raising a ton of suspicion.

“My lord, if it will serve your cause, then I will gladly take up residence at Hogwarts and assist Professor Snape to the best of my capabilities.”

Voldemort snorted, “It is Headmaster Snape, dear, but I do appreciate your input. Severus, I approve of this plan. And wait on my word as to when Y/N’s talents might be best put to use.”

“Thank you, my lord,” Severus said as you both took your seats. The room began to grumble again with complaints about your presence but you had seemed to impress upon the people who mattered that you were of value.

Beside you, Amycus Carrow placed a hand firmly upon your thigh. Your eyes shot up to see a baleful grin just inches from your face.

“I’m looking forward to working with you, Y/N,” he said with a squeeze, nearly cutting off circulation to your leg, “Very closely.”

You heard the whip of Snape’s hair beside you as he hissed out in whisper, “Take that hand off Professor L/N, Carrow, unless you wish to lose it.”

Immediately, Amycus pulled away.

When you turned to thank Snape, he refused to meet you gaze, instead looking straight, at Draco, Lucius, and Narcissa, making it very clear that he was doing you no kindness, as much as seeing order be maintained under his rule.

“What do you think it means?” Molly asked her son as they both took a seat upon the guest bed, each on the verge of tears. She sat the clock between them, and watched your smiling face looking up at them, completely unaware of your new position among the rest of the hands in mortal danger.

“I’m not sure, a deviation from the plan maybe? Like everything up to this point was in Y/N’s mission briefing and now something’s changed? Do we know anything about what is going on or are we completely blacked out with the Ministry takeover?” Charlie was leaning forward with elbows upon his knees, running his hands across his scalp like he could pull out the thoughts he needed with his bare hands.

“Pretty much,” Molly confirmed as she stood to begin pacing the room, “We may not know much but we can be reasonable. Y/N isn’t necessarily in any more danger than the rest of the family. Maybe nothing has changed.”

“I can’t just accept that, mom, and you know it,” he said as he stood. He put the bag over his shoulder, “I’m going.”

“Where?” Molly asked, but did nothing to stop him.

“To Rowan, maybe. Penny? Ben? Even Merula if I have to. Maybe someone has heard something,” he was beginning to sound frantic as he pulled the bag a little tighter on his shoulder. “But, mum, since I saw Y/N at the wedding, with those horrific people, I have never been more scared in my life. My love is out there, in the mouth of the lion’s den, playing along to whatever game they want until they decide to end it. At any moment, someone makes a wrong statement or wants to prove a point and Y/N’s dead. I know I need to trust, but I just can’t. I hoped getting back to work would help me forget, that I could just pretend this was like every other mission and wait for the owl like I always do, but this is different. This is too much and I need to do something. Anything. I just can’t lose Y/N. Not again. Not ever.”

And with those last words, he fell against the wall in tears.

Molly immediately on the floor, holding her son against her chest. He had long ago grown too big to truly find comfort in her embrace, but she did it anyway. It was lending her some strength too.

“I know the owl isn’t coming, mum. Either Voldemort dies or Y/N does. There is no other way that this ends. And I can’t just sit here and wait any longer.”

“I know, son, I know,” was all Molly could say as she swayed back and forth, holding the shell of her son.

There was a knock at the door and Molly looked up to see Ginny standing before them.

“News from Hogwarts,” she said with a shake of the Daily Prophet, “Snape’s in charge. And you aren’t going to believe who he’s selected to take over for Hagrid.”

“L/N, may I have a word?” Snape asked as the rest of the professors began to leave the staff room after your first assembly upon your arrival back at the castle. You stopped your walking at the sound of your name.

Seeing so many people you loved again should have been a pleasant reunion but none of them trusted you, at least not yet. Professor McGonagall had even smiled at you, but upon seeing your arm, shook her head and walked away without even an hello. And honestly, you just wanted to go to your room, curl up in your bed, and brainstorm how you could pull this whole thing off, help the children and build alliances with the professors, without giving yourself away to Snape and his death eater cronies. And you only had a few days to plan before the students arrived.

You desperately needed a good cry.

You took a swallow before addressing your new boss as he sat at the end of the long conference table with confidence, “Yes, headmaster?”

Snape watched behind you as the rest of the faculty fled the room. He waited until the door shut behind Sinistra to address you further.

“I am aware that given your previous… occupation, this position may not be the ideal fit for your skillset,” Snape said with a slow drawl that made it clear he was choosing his words very wisely, “But given your affinity for creatures and your boyfriend’s occupation, I trust that you will do your best to keep your courses up to our educational standards.”

“Ex,” you whispered under your breath before meeting Snape’s eyes.

“As you say,” he said as he stood from his seat to take slow, methodical, steps towards you. “It has been requested that Defense against the Dark Arts be retired from the curriculum, so as you see, there really is no more fitting position to offer you.”

He came to stand in front of you, his dark robes bellowing around him like a wall of black blocking out the candlelight. You felt the cold darkness encompass you immediately, but did your best to keep a strong, confident face.

“L/N, there will likely come a time when your other... skills will be called upon, by me and by our lord. I need to trust that you to follow my lead and to do what is in the… best interest of this school and its students. Am I understood?”

If you were being honest with yourself, you didn’t really understand. There was something hidden in his words, you could tell, but what was quite unclear. You knew you had the best interest of Hogwarts and its students at heart but you also trusted that you and Snape had very different ideas of what was best.

And so you said the one thing that you knew wasn’t a lie.

“I will follow your lead as headmaster and do what is in the best interest of the cause and of our students, sir. That is why I am here, after all.”

Snape’s eyes narrowed as he assessed you, but you did not budge. You simple stood your ground, your face affectless under his gaze.

With a swallow, he turned with a swish of his robes before projecting to the back wall, “You may go.”

You didn’t waste any time before leaving the room and the man who would still remain a reluctant ally.

As the sun set on the first of September, Charlie landed his broom in a clearing of the Forbidden Forest, a good trek away from the lake edge where he had requested that Ginny ask you to meet him. Having his little sister play messenger was not his favorite part of the plan as it certainly put her at risk, but he could think of no other way to get the message to you without putting you even more at risk. Your previous relationship with the Weasleys was no secret, so Ginny approaching you would raise little suspicion.

He practically ran out of the forest, so eager to even just look upon you again. He knew he was early. Honestly, he hadn’t a clue when you would be able to see him, if at all. But he also knew he would stand in rain, sleet, snow, or hail to see you again. He’d stand for a year if you asked him, two if you didn’t.

But lucky for him, an hour was all it took you.

“Charlie,” said the voice of his dreams, so foreign and angelic that it took him a moment to process it was real. He dug his feet out of the mud to turn to you and upon seeing your face, very much alive and very much yours, he felt all the tension he had been holding in his chest ease.

He watched you at the top of the hill, your form illuminated so delicately in the moonlight, and he couldn’t help but smile. You started on a run, allowing gravity to assist you as you moved with speed towards him. Your robes were billowing behind you like a full dress and he found himself imagining Bill’s wedding again, though this time with you by his side, dancing in time with the trumpets. The sight alone had him in tears.

“My love, my love, my love,” his brain chanted with each of your paces, with each of the beats of his heart that grew louder and louder as he counted down the milliseconds until everything was right in the world again as he held you once more.

Before he could even take two steps towards you, you flung yourself into his arms and forced the air from his lungs. But he didn’t need to breath. You were life and oxygen all on your own, the only thing he needed to sustain his soul. His other half had returned to his side, even if only for a moment, and for the first time in well over a month, he felt completely whole.

You didn’t even bother with words, instead choosing to cover his face and neck in kisses, each quicker and more desperate than the last. It was taking almost all the strength his legs had in them to keep you both upright. And just as you began to move your mouth to the hollow of his collarbone, the one place you knew was enough to turn any innocent affection into a heated exchange within seconds, he found the will to pull himself away from you.

“Y/N,” he breathed out as he looked down at your face. Your breathing was labored and your eyes mostly lidded. It took you a few blinks before you regained yourself and looked upon him properly.

“Charlie,” was all you managed before you were leaning forward to kiss him once more, but firm hands on your shoulders held you back.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too,” you said, offering him a smile. Charlie lit up the moment your lips spread, like a child told that Christmas came a day early.

“I never gave up on you,” he whispered. He reached out to stroke your cheek, feeling the delicate skin again upon his fingers, something he missed more than he could express. His yearning for you was not eased by your presence. Not one bit. Talking was proving difficult when each of you just wanted to feel again, to know the solid form of the other permanently against your skin.

“I didn’t think you would.”

With a sigh, Charlie pulled you against his chest, taking in the scent of your hair and the feel of your warm limbs around his waist.

“Moody?” was all he asked, like it answered every question.

“His idea,” you confirmed, “All of it. Well, except this,” you added with a gesture to your robes and formal hat, ones fit a professor.

Charlie could do nothing but sigh and hold you tighter. He knew how much you loved Hogwarts, how you dreamed of retiring from your work as an auror and teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts someday, just as he would leave Romania and open a sanctuary for the Hebridean Blacks and maybe assist with Care of Magical Creatures once the sanctuary was self-sufficient. And now this, this taint upon this place and all it held for you. He hurt for you more than he hurt for himself, for the life you wanted to live destroyed with this war and with your sacrifice for the good of all wizard kind.

“The good news is I am much better positioned to help the innocent children here than if I was in the thick of the war still. Snape has also taken a liking to me, if you can believe it. I think he suspects something and wants to keep me close, just in case.”

You let out a shuttered breath with the cold and on instinct Charlie ran his palms up and down your arms. But he didn’t get very far before he felt the upraised, tarnished skin of your left forearm. He rolled up your sleeve and pulled your arm up into the moonlight. And upon seeing the black ink swirling in demonic shapes upon your skin, he wanted to cry for you all over again.

You bit your lip at his inspection.

“This had to be real,” you said in justification.

Charlie didn’t meet your gaze but instead focused on the skin under his palm, skin he had kissed time and time again, had held against his chest as you found sleep upon him, had wrapped in his jumpers on cold nights like today. This skin he knew better than his own some days. To see it so changed was something his mind couldn’t process.

He leaned forward and kissed the snake and skull that filled your arm. He ran his fingers across the lines gently and slowly, studying and memorizing this new part of you.

“Thank you for this,” he said as he kissed your forearm once more before returning it to your side. He saw the tears pricking at your eyes again at his tenderness. The man you loved was always willing to see the good in you, always looking for reasons to love you more and better.

“What do we do?”

“I’m not sure,” you responded as you ran your fingers through his hair, so much shorter than you liked it. His beard was growing in too, shades red and blond and orange in the light reflecting off the water, masculine and seductive without even trying.

“Can we send owls? Can we see each other in the forest? Can you provide me updates somehow?”

“Monday nights in the forest grove? Where we used to—“

“Where I used to make love to you in spring,” he interjected with a grab at your hips. The smile upon his lips was enough to make you want to drag him there now, to have him lay you down in the wildflowers and have you like he did back when you were seventh years.

“I was going to say where we used to meet the centaurs but that, too.”

Charlie laughed, “I’ll bring the blankets and the wine.”

You leaned up to kiss him once more. “I must go before they know I’m gone.”

You went to pull away but Charlie wasn’t having it. He took your left hand and pulled you forward once more against his chest, hard and strong and warm, home to you in so many ways.

“That morning you left me,” Charlie whispered into your ear, “I had a gift I never got to give you.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out something so small and delicate you couldn’t see it. But when he held it up for your inspection, the light hit it just right and you saw the gold ring, polished and glistening between his fingers.

“Please, love?” he asked, “I said it that morning and I will say it again; if this war ends and I don’t have you on the other side, we won’t have won at all. Not to me. I need you when this is over. Please? Please be mine?”

You ran your hand down his chin, through the alluring hair that now covered his jaw bone.

“I’ve always been yours,” you told him, “But I’ll gladly marry you. I love you, Charlie.”

Charlie let out a large puff of air, a release of tension at your words.

“I love you, too,” he said as he slipped the band he forged upon your left finger. He kissed the ring and then moved his lips to kiss the brand once more, a promise to love you, all of you, for the rest of his days.

Just then, there was a rustling in the trees from which you came.

“Go!” you said in a loud whisper, pushing Charlie towards the forest.

He took a few steps but then turned again.

“Y/N!’ he called as you watched the trees for the source of the noise. You quickly gave him your attention.

“Tomorrow. Nine o’clock. Tap your radio and say, “Weasley.” And remember when you feel surrounded by snakes that you are a fearsome beauty and you will conquer them all. Thank you. I love you.”

You raised an eyebrow at him but he simply blew you a kiss and disappeared into the forest.

You watched just moments later as a tall, imposing figure came through the tree-line before you. You could identify those hooded eyes and long nose from a mile off and the sight instantly had your skin crawling.

Amycus Carrow walked with measured steps towards you, his common intimidation tactic of looming while in your presence even visible in his walk. You did your best to cross your arms in front of you and smile as bright and welcoming as you could muster.

“Your enthusiasm sickens me,” he said as he reached you, though the grin upon his face seemed to say otherwise.

You took a moment to compose yourself, to step into the pious persona you cultivated so well these past few weeks.

“I only wish to serve,” you said with a faint smile on your lips.  

“Oh, I can think of a few ways you could serve me,” he hissed as he stepped even closer into your space. You tried your hardest not to puke.

“Simply say the word. I believe Professor Snape has given you a few instructions as to how I might be of most use to this new administration.”

At your ignoring of his advances, Carrow scoffed. He reached a hand around your neck, grabbing in a way that from him was menacing but from Charlie might have been seductive.

“The first thing is not running off into the woods during dinner, little pet. Your presence is required at all faculty functions.”

You felt his fingers gripping into your collar bone. You knew you needed an excuse, one that would distract long enough for Charlie to leave. And so you stepped forward, pressing your chest ever so slightly against Carrow’s robes, enough to feel his breath hitch and his hand loosen upon you, enough to seduce but not enough to arouse suspicion.

“But it is such a beautiful night,” you pouted, looking up at him through your lashes, “Far too lovely to be cooped up in a castle. I know these grounds better than most. Should I not enjoy myself a stroll?”

With the last words you grabbed at the edges of his robes and tugged. You watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard. You were close enough to feel a small rise in pressure in his slacks. You immediately regretted your course of action. But it was too late to go back.

“But of course, my dear,” Amycus offered sweetly as he slid his hand from your neck around your shoulder, pulling you into his side. “But you shouldn’t be out here unaccompanied. It simply isn’t proper.”

And with that, he began to guide you around the lake, mocking the way a gentleman might hold you, tight against his side and all menacing. You wanted more than anything to pull away, to push him and curse him for daring to defile your skin with his fingers, but this is what was needed to stay alive here and to help Harry and all the innocent students who would be victim of this man’s sadism. And so you swallowed and walked in time with the man beside you.

Charlie watched the exchange from just beyond the trees. He couldn’t hear what you were saying but he saw the touches and the tension. Godric, it took everything in him not to curse the man who might chose to prey upon his betrothed in such a way.

Charlie raised his wand, prepared to protect you if the situation called for it. He trusted you to handle yourself but he simply couldn’t stop. If he had it in him to protect you, he would, just as he always had. Long before he had even promised himself to you as a lover, he protected you as a friend.

And as you began walking, just as Charlie watched the sinister man’s hand slip dangerously low on your back, caressing the top of your rump, squeezing the flesh there with his long, bony digits, you snapped your gaze into the woods.

You didn’t meet Charlie’s eyes. Your look was a few feet to the left and just a little high. But the tightness in your brow and the intensity of your stare conveyed the message clearly: do not engage.

Charlie swallowed. Watching another man touch you was almost torture, but he slipped his wand into his pocket and made to turn towards the grove where he left his broom. But he decided to take one last glance at you as you moved along the collection of shrubs that lined the northern edge of the lake.

You pulled forward out of Carrow’s hold ever so slightly. As you did so the moonlight caught the gold upon your finger once more, the metal Charlie had bend and shaped himself in the fiery breath of Norberta, a call to the time he used the mission from Ron to save the beast as an excuse to visit you during auror training. You had written him a little later that you had nearly failed your tracking exam the next day because you kept getting distracted by the smell of him upon your skin and in your hair. Charlie had felt a little bad at the time, but upon reflection as the years went on, he often looked on the memory as a sign of the purity of your love. You were each other’s biggest weakness, yes, but also your greatest strength.

And that sight was all he needed to know you would be safe. That and the promise of seeing you in just a week’s time, in the grove where he learned to love your body just as much as he loved your spirit.

The following night you were running a little behind as a meeting of the professors had quickly turned heated. It was five past nine when you entered your quarters. You secured the room with locks and silencing charms before setting yourself down at your desk beside your radio.

You did as Charlie instructed, tapping the device with your wand and using the password “Weasley.” Just saying the name made you happy. Maybe you’d make it your own when you were married.

Suddenly, a voice you recognized sounded through the room, a friend of the twins. Lee, was it?

“We have formal report that Smaug has officially made contact with his mate, whom we’ll be calling Medusa for safety, Medusa was once presumed dead but is currently residing at Hogwarts among the lot of death eaters and is working to protect the students within. Chief-Death-Eater believes he’s found a hidden weapon in Medusa, but Medusa is still a strong supporter of Harry Potter and is dedicated to fighting for us from the inside. So if you have children at Hogwarts, make sure to listen in to the Hogwarts report later in this broadcast for more details.”

You found yourself laughing.

Medusa. Of course Charlie would call you Medusa. A beauty surrounded by snakes. If only you could turn them all to stone with a look. But that was sort of what you were doing, weren’t you? These monsters weren’t looking at you, at least not at the real you. They were seeing you through a mirror like Perseus, the reflection of the sort of monster they wanted you to be, not the strong, fearsome auror who would sacrifice life and limb for the good for all wizards, regardless of blood, that you were underneath.

And eventually you would strike, using the snakes they had given you as both a curse and a crown against them.

All tags: @fangirlandnerd, @aerdnandreaa, @thisisbullshytt,  @cancerousjojian, @whovianayesha, @themarauderstheoutsidersandpeggy, @luna-xxxxx, @sleepylunarwolf,

At All Costs tags (crossout means I couldn’t tag you):@trentadepresso, @pollytypes, @tatlikar, @semicharmedkindofali, @sly-vixen-up2nogood, @cucumberinmyass, @sugarrusheb, @kaitlynnn27, @soosahya, @sugerquill, @allonsymexgirl, @fuckboylukey, @dooriha, @igotmadskills, @thatlittlered, @rupard7, @awkwardcora, @tessimagines, @ineeduhnap, @caramiriel, @starryrevelations, @otherthingsinhead, @reallykosborne, @anarchtayreads. @agirlwhoneedalittlelovingtonight, @humblemei, @littlegeekwonder, @owlsarebirdstoo, @miniaturesandwichmaker, @oboewan-kenobi, @jayrart, @bees-love-books, @theboywhocriedlupin, @earthwaterfall, @amberisnotcrazy, @jesslovesfandom, @justducky0423, @bananafosters-and-books, @stellar-amo, @indicisive-af, @yhound, @batgirl-87, @tellmyselflies, @graymountaingal, @blxxdy-hell, @missihart23, @one-stately-raven, @lonikje, @thatswhatmakesyoumiserable, @lady-efriyeet, @i-padfootblack-things, @diamondgirl1111, @hypotheticalforest, @lunarinne, @b0rkk, @fandoms-allovertheplace, @cinnamoncam, @cutie-bug, @bloodangelballerina, @maralisa124, @arthurianbisexual, @0-lost-in-stereo-0, @basically-hayley, @weasleyismyking540, @bethanystan, @fandomfindings , @sassyvetstudent, @that-new-york-girl. @dancing-in-embers, @eh-ilikestuff, @broken-pieces, @fearlessmaxima, @mybabys-gunsnroses, @comanderquinnmoore, @hogwarts-is-home-gryffindor, @sp00ky-elf, @wnygirl2012, @firekissedwitchbitch

[killypool-archived]

canon;; pre-dp, dp, dp2, post dp2

QUICK STATS:: status: open to anyone for plotting, starters, ask memes age: birth (technically) 39 - 42+ location: varies

for anyone not familiar with the deadpool movies, this is a synopsis of the events of the two movies if you are unable to / have no interest in watching the movies. this information is also available on wikipedia and the following information is only my rewording of the events. god this got so much longer than expected. under a read more for length. if anyone wants a TLDR of the two movies, i might be able to not write 10000 words on that.

pre dp  /  dp

following a dishonorable discharge from the military after 14 years of service ( 10 as a green beret special forces sniper ) wade adopted the mercenary lifestyle. he lived alone in a shabby apartment in new york city, the only person he could consider a friend the bartender at sister margaret’s home for wayward girls - the bar full of mercenaries and low lives. after his latest ‘hit’ - threatening a teenager to stop stalking another teenager, a hit he did for free and without injuring the stalker - he met vanessa - a sex worker who had wade falling head over heels. after a lovely first date at an arcade, wade and vanessa begin a whirlwind romance over the course of the year (january - december). 

in december, wade proposes to vanessa. a voice over reveals this was just a temporary commercial break of happiness from the trainwreck his life normally is - and would continue to be. immediately following his proposal, wade passes out in their bedroom. a trip to the doctor reveals that wade has stage 4 cancer - starting in his liver, the cancer has already spread to his prostate, lungs, and brain. vanessa urges him to seek treatment, and wade and vanessa embark on a ‘cancer world tour’. upon this tour, wade discovered doctors scamming patients, claiming to remove the tumors without surgery by using sleight of hand and animal organs. enraged, wade attacks and murders the crook in broad daylight. it’s then he understands that he’s snapped. he’s gone too far, and treatment alone won’t make him the wade vanessa still needs.

he’s offered one last opportunity. a creepy man in a suit sells him promises of superpowers. unable to make vanessa suffer through his last moments, wade agrees and goes to the workshop. it’s there he’s tortured for weeks. he’s injected with a mutant gene, but it’s suffering and the need to survive that will activate it. weeks are spent in icy cold water, lashes, drowning, fire. but still wade’s snark remains. making an enemy of the man torturing him - ajax (francis) - wade is forced into an air deprevation chamber that suffocates him, keeping him just on the brink of death. it’s now that he finally mutates. but it comes at a price. 

his body is now able to recover from everything. his cells are constantly regenerating, constantly healing. but his skin is scarred, his vocal chords scarred, his appearance so horrifying and disfiguring that wade can’t go outside without suffering debilitating panic attacks. attempts to talk to vanessa are met with panic. after reducing the workshop to ash, there’s nothing left for wade to do besides track down francis and find a cure for his appearance. 

a year is spent tracking francis down - bringing this organization that trafficks mutants as government weapons to its knees in the process. but wade is not a superhero. adopting the name deadpool and creating a suit to hide his ghastly appearance, wade’s attempts to kill francis are thrwarted by colossus and negasonic teenage warhead - an x-man and x-man trainee sent to stop his rampage. he narrowly escapes, going home injured to his elderly blind (and former mafia) roommate, blind al. his plans to recover and strike once more are ruined with the news that francis knows where vanessa is. going to finally reveal himself to vanessa, insecurity pulls wade away from his once fiancee just long enough for francis to kidnap her. 

final battle ensues with wade asking colossus and negasonic for help. vanessa is rescued (though not completely without injury) and wade is allowed a final confrontation with francis. but francis laughs at his search for a cure for an appearance, unknowingly sentencing himself to death in the process. though colossus tries to stop wade from murdering francis, wade fires the gun after realizing that there’s no way to save his appearance. 

cue sappy face reveal with vanessa, who is able to embrace his scarred appearance and him, appearing thankful just to have him back.

dp 2  /  post dp 2

in the wake of going so long away from vanessa, wade atones for his mistakes by trying to be a hero. mercenary business in full swing, wade goes after mafia, gangs, high level crime syndicates in an attempt to make the world a safer place for the love of his life. he returns home after trying (and failing) to take out a particular bunch of baddies to see vanessa on their anniversary. it’s here vanessa announces his gift is the removal of her iud - birth control device. together once more, they can begin a family. 

it’s after a heart to heart about wade’s insecurities of ever being a good father (as a result of his own abusive father) that disaster strikes. seeking revenge, wade’s apartment is attacked and at the last second, a bullet meant for wade hits vanessa. fueled with rage, wade is the only survivor that night. 

the next months pass in a blur of alcohol and attempts at his own life, though no death is ever permanent. each time his heart stops beating, he’s able to see vanessa once more, unable to reach her. ‘your heart’s not in the right place,’ she tells him. with the riddle confusing an already broken wade, wade latches onto colossus once colossus brings him back to the mansion to rehabilitate him. after a confrontation with the lawful good man of literal steel, wade adapts to a homely life inside the mansion - embracing doing good. 

a confrontation with russell (firefist) changed that. reluctant to go out into the field, colossus brings wade on a mission to subdue an angry 14 year old setting fire to the orphanage he was held in - the essex home for mutant rehabilitation. using minimal violence, wade gets russell subdued enough to be handcuffed only to approach him. unlike everyone else seeing only an angry, violent, dangerous child, wade recognizes russell as a victim of abuse - burns from a cattle prod on his neck. unable to let a child abuser go free, wade withdraws his guns and immediately begins firing on the staff of the essex house. 

colossus, filled with rage and unwilling to listen to wade’s explanation, has wade arrested, a collar inhibiting his mutant abilities snapped around his neck. with this collar, he’s unable to heal and his cancer is able to grow uninhibited. the next few days pass painfully in the prison with russell as his cellmate. a heart to heart reveals that russell is completely alone in the world, no one to protect him, and he’s become jaded. he understands now that no one is going to save him - a thought reaffirmed when wade pushes him away. russell confuses wade pushing russell away because he doesn’t want russell to watch him die as wade’s rejection.

this only continues as a break in occurs in the prison. a man from the future - cable - comes with only one plan in mind - the murder of russell collins. wade is able to - during his fight with cable - escape the prison, though russell hears wade stating he ‘doesn’t give a shit about the kid’ and turns away from wade. russell takes wade’s earlier advice and befriends the scariest, largest guy in the icebox - the juggernaut. 

an attempt to rescue russell from a convoy moving him to a new facility is thwarted once more by cable, despite the team of heroes wade gathered for help (especially since all but one immediately died jumping out of a plane.) his attempt to save russell only pushes russell further into juggernaut’s arms and wade is left (literally) torn in half. domino, the sole survivor of the x force, takes him home to blind al to recover where cable decides to pay a visit.

rather than attacking wade once more, cable asks for help. he explains that he came to the present (his past) to kill russell because after russell kills the abusive headmaster, russell murders the entire orphanage and continues on to kill cable’s family. though wade sympathizes with cable, he’s unable to agree to the murder of a child and asks for a chance to set russell on the right path.

he tries once more to appeal to colossus, begging for help saving russell only for colossus to refuse him. angry, wade leaves the mansion and goes to save russell with only domino and cable at his side. giant fight scene proceeds, and colossus agrees to fight, assuring wade that he won’t give up on him and that wade shouldn’t give up on russell. more fight scene. a lot of death. many murder. 

finally, wade and cable are able to confront russell, pleading not to kill the headmaster. every attempt to steer russell straight fails, russell burning wade and throwing him back, telling him that ‘i can’t trust you. i can’t trust anyone.’ convinced that russell is unable to change, cable goes to shoot russell. in a last ditch effort, wade snaps the mutant collar around his neck and states ‘if you’re going to kill someone today, it’s gonna have to be me.’ and immediately proceeds to jump in front of the bullet cable fired.

once russell realizes what wade has done, he experiences a change of heart - the effects of this change evident as cable’s daughter’s teddy bear goes from burnt and blood stained to clean once more. fatally injured, unable to heal, and refusing to let the collar be taken off, wade is surrounded by friends and allies as he dies, giving his farewells and cracking jokes to keep spirits high and because he was afraid in his last moments no one would care if he died. while he finally passes and is able to greet vanessa in heaven, cable is torn with guilt and uses the last charge of his time sliding device to go back to just before the battle, slipping the skee ball token he stole from wade under wade’s katana straps, saving his life. 

going to leave the scene, dopinder is able to slide in and murder the headmaster, fulfilling his dream of becoming a killer in the last minute, and wade and his gang walk off into the sunset to pat benatar’s we belong. 

the end credits see negasonic teenage warhead fixing the time slide device, which wade proceeds to use. first to save vanessa, to save peter (a harmless middle age man who joined the x force for fun), to murder deadpool in the wolverine movie, to murder ryan reynolds before he was able to film green lantern - you’re welcome, canada, and finally, to murder baby hitler. 

all post dp2 threads will disregard the end credits scene. all post dp2 threads with a vanessa (or unless specifically requested) will have wade go back to save vanessa with the time slide device, but will follow the same plot of wade needing to save russell. only now, the x force doesn’t die and wade has a reason to live after. 

the end.

until the next movie.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

Haven Raised- Chapter 5

Summary:  Harry’s life is completely changed when his aunt and uncle are forced to take him to a funeral at a relatives. Now being raised by Primrose Evans, her sister Grace and the citizens of Havenfall, his life is going to be a roller coaster.

On AO3

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0 Harry was utterly terrified as he walked onto the platform. He really wanted his mom or aunt. But he was a big kid and his mom said she was proud and…

No panicking. No panicking. Just breathe. Just breathe. He told himself, gripping Spot’s leash tightly. He was happy he'd gotten permission to have the dog with him. He wouldn't be able to stand it otherwise.

“Hello!” A voice said, startling Harry and causing him to almost fall over. Spot barked. “Whoa! Sorry about that.” An older boy moved to stand in front of Harry. “Didn't mean to surprise you. He your guide dog?”

“Companion animal,” Harry said honestly. The boy nodded and offered his hand.

“I'm Cedric Diggory. It's nice to meet you,” the boy said.

“Harry Potter, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He said like his mom usually did when she was in a situation with strangers. The boy looked surprised before he smiled.

“Would you like a hand with your trunk… oh! You got a shrinking one?”

“My mother’s idea. She said it was a better idea then having to haul one around for the next seven years.” Harry told the boy who nodded.

“Fair,” Cedric said. He did help Harry find a nice compartment though- commenting about Hedwig.

“My uncle believed it would be a great idea for me to contact him this way. I moved to America when I was young and while we have a mailbox an owl is quicker for him and me.” Harry told Cedric who nodded his understanding. He left to go find his friends and Harry pulled out a book on magizoology while petting Spot. After a while, the door opened up and a red-haired boy came in.

“Do you mind? Everywhere else is full.” The boy said.

“Not at all,” Harry said. The boy blinked and looked a little nervous but sat down.

“I'm Ron Weasley.” He said cautiously and Harry took a breath.

“I'm Harry Potter. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Ron looked shocked.

“You are?!?” Harry winced, unable to control that. Ron also flinched seeing the wince. “Sorry.”

“It's…” His mom's voice came into his mind, saying never apologize for his feelings. “Alright. I… had an unpleasant experience living with my aunt and uncle before I went to live with my adoptive mother. I'm not a fan of loud noises.” Harry pet Spot a bit more. Ron looked confused but shook his head.

“Where do you grow up then? In the Wizarding World in America?”

“No. My mother is a muggle though she does have contacts with the magical world. I grew up in a small town in Indiana- a State in the US.”

“Wicked,” Ron said. “Do you have any siblings? I've got six of them.”

“That's quite an amount!” Harry said in surprise. “I don't have any siblings really. My mother’s younger sister is only seven years older then I and she's always been more of a sister than an aunt but she is still my aunt. We were raised together.”

“Cool,” Ron said. “I'm the youngest boy. Every single one of my brothers has done something great, meaning if I do something awesome they've already done it.” He looked gloomy as he spoke. Harry could sympathize. Some of JD’s stories or Razi’s comments about their siblings being better than them came to mind.

“My mother’s boss- Razi- has an older sibling he says was always better,” Harry said slowly, remembering the talk Razi gave him when he was upset at not getting the highest grade in the class. “He currently runs the family business and is known as one of the kindest men in town. It doesn't matter what your siblings did- it matters how you do them.”

“... thanks,” Ron said, smiling a little. “Umm… what house do you think you'll be in?”

“I don't know. This is the first item I encountered a House system truthfully.” Harry shrugged.

“They don't have it in America?” Ron asked in surprise. Harry shook his head.

“Not at all.” Harry hummed. “Truthfully I feel Hufflepuff would be the best choice for me. I am hardworking and my mother often taught me that being a hard worker is all it takes to succeed. As well… she's always been a loyal woman. She chose to give up her dreams for me and Grace- her sister- because she didn't want us to be raised by people who didn't care for us.” He shrugged.

“She raised you and her sister?” Ron asked.

“Her parents died when she and Grace where young and their grandmother died when she was given a scholarship to a culinary school- a cooking school,” Harry clarified at Ron’s confused look. “She's worked herself to the bone to be a good parent for me and a good sister for Grace.”

“Wow.” Ron hesitated. “You know, my mum was one of the top five students in her year. She chose to be a stay at home mum with my older brother Bill. And then she kept having us and she could have…”

“You don't realize how much your parents care until it's staring in your face,” Harry said. Ron nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. Spot barked from Harry’s lap and Harry happily pet him.

“How do you have two pets?” Ron asked then, curious and a little jealous though he wouldn't admit it.

“Hedwig was a gift from a friend of my biological parents so I can keep in contact with him. My mother and I have a mailbox set up I can carry with me to send letters and magic proof phones.” Harry explained. “Spot is a companion animal for my anxiety and panic attacks.” Ron winced then.

No longer jealous at all.

“I've got Scabbers,” Ron said then, pulling the rat out of his pocket. Spot suddenly lifted his head to stare at the rat for a long moment before putting his head back down. “He was Percy’s rat for a few years but he got an Owl for being Prefect-”

“What is a Prefect?” Harry asked in confusion. Ron blinked at Harry.

“Blimey, you really are not used to this school huh?” With that, Ron launched into a description of the school. Harry listened carefully, nodding to show he understood some comments.

The door opened after a while when the conversation turned to Quidditch- a game that Harry was fairly certain his mother would have a panic attack herself if he played. A witch pushing a trolley was outside the door.

“Anything off the trolley dears?” Ron winced and pulled out a sandwich while Harry pulled some coins out of his pocket. His mom had figured that there would be someone there with food but had still given him a lunch, just so he could buy some treats but not just eat junk food.

“Ron, can you help me pick?” Harry asked him, redhead. “I'll buy you something as well?” Ron blinked and looked uncomfortable but stood up. They bought a small collection of treats- Harry thinking of Dr. Diego’s look if he bought too much. The downside of his mother is friends with a doctor, something he told Ron about.

“Aren't doctors those nutters who cut people up?” Ron asked in confusion.

“No. A doctor is… like a healer.” Harry said, remembering the word in a book. “Dr. Diego is the town doctor and usually handles colds or immunizations or other things. He does do surgery at times- which is cutting someone open but there have been hundreds of years of history to figure these things out.”

“Huh. Cool. And he’s friends with your mum?”

“Yes. He's friends with her boss and often comes to her workplace for a drink and the two talk.” Harry shrugged. “After school, I would go to the bowling alley to do homework and chat with her.”

“Bowling alley? That where she works?”

“Yeah,” Harry said, getting more and more used to Rob and dropping the formal tone. Ron noticed but didn't say anything. “It's like a second home. Razi helped me a lot through the ears and JD’s fun-”

“JD a coworker of your mums?”

“Yeah. They're pretty hilarious.” Harry said. Ron looked confused again and Harry elaborated. “They're nonbinary and always having Sheriff Hunt come in to yell.”

“Sheriff?”

“Hmmm, I think the term I can use is Auror? She's the boss of our town’s division.”

“Wicked. JD causes trouble? And what's nonbinary?” Harry began explaining some of JD’s funnier stories while also explaining what nonbinary was. The two boys had a laugh and ate their packed meals first. “That's American food then?”

“Yeah,” Harry said, munching on his burger his mom had bought for him from Stop and Go and put into his enchanted lunch box. “It's my favorite. Mom takes me out every once in a while to get one. She did learn how to cook Indian food from this woman named Chetas but like… I really wanted a burger before we left.”

“Cool,” Ron said, nodding. The candy was weird to Harry though he really wished he could give JD some of the Every Flavoured Beans for a laugh. They would be so angry it would be funny.

“I'm not a huge pure chocolate person,” Harry said, looking at the chocolate frogs he had gotten Ron.

“Why not?” Ron asked. Harry shrugged.

“Dunno.” The door opened then and Harry’s spine stiffened. Ron noticed it and frowned as a bushy-haired girl came into the compartment.

“Have either of you seen a toad?” She asked in a bossy voice. “A boy named Neville has lost his.” Harry shook his head as did Ron.

“Terribly sorry but no we did not,” Harry said politely. The girl looked at him and frowned.

“Dogs aren't allowed at Hogwarts.” Harry frowned in turn.

“I received special permission to have Spot with me,” Harry said. The girl scowled.

“That's unfair. The rules are there for a reason and you flaunting them is wrong!” She said, huffing. Harry simply stared at her, feeling his heartbeat picking up. “I'll talk to the Headmaster and-”

Harry began breathing raggedly, his lungs compressing and eyes widening. No, no, he can't lose Spot. He can't-

“Harry!” Ron said, standing up as Spot barked and moved to sit in Harry’s lap fully. The girl looked shocked. Ron turned to her, glaring. “Get out. You're being rude and mean and we don't want you in here.” The girl looked hurt as Ron went to Harry, keeping back a bit and feeling lost.

“Uh, Harry ummm… can you breathe, please? Just breathe okay?” Ron said in a nervous tone. The girl left, running off to find someone as Harry hugged Spot, shaking and having a hard time breathing. “Look if you have permission they won't take Spot, promise, alright?” Ron said, guessing what it was given Harry had said the dog was a companion animal and not a pet.

“Hey-” a third year wearing yellow and black robes came in. “Heard the commotion… shit.” The boy said softly. “Panic attack. Harry- it's me, Cedric. You met me this morning. Can you take a deep breath and hold it?” The boy asked soothingly. Ron watched like a hawk as the boy calmed down Harry even when Percy showed up with the girl. Percy held her back and watched carefully.

Once Harry was calm he also looked incredibly embarrassed, hiding his face in Spot’s fur.

“Panic attack?” Percy asked. Cedric nodded. “Alright- Ron, give him a bit of space yes? He’ll be alright. We’ll inform the teachers just in case but he's okay now.”

“What about his dog!” The girl demanded. Ron turned to give her a nasty look.

“Shove off!” He told her. She looked incredibly offended as Percy frowned.

“Please be polite Ron, and I assume it's a companion animal. He's here for health reasons and thus he was given special permission to have him.” The girl scowled.

“He could have-”

“He said he had special permission and you made him sick!” Ron told her, glaring at her. She looked upset as a boy came up to them.

“Umm Hermione? Have you found my toad?”

“Missing your pet? Here, I'll teach you a quick charm-” Cedric said, standing up and ushering the group out, leaving Ron and Harry alone. Percy went with them, obviously realizing they needed to leave the compartment.

Ron stood there, glaring at the door while Harry took shallow breaths.

This girl had caused a kid who looked like he had a bit of a hard time in life to have a panic attack- whatever that was- all because of her stupid want to be right from what Ron could tell.  Whatever house she was in, he didn't want to be near. Even if it meant following Harry to Slytherin, that girl was annoying and rude!

-0-

Harry and Ron had just changed into their uniform after the battle when the door opened again, Harry tensing and Ron moving in front of Harry slightly. Harry was thankful to Ron for that, feeling a bit calmer now that his friend was with him.

“I heard Harry Potter was in this compartment,” said the blonde. He looked annoyed for some reason as he spoke. Harry swallowed.

“That quite depends on who is asking,” he said, mimicking his mother’s tone when she was trying to be polite but cold to people. The boy scowled but tried to hide it.

“Draco Malfoy.” Harry immediately remembered his mom and her talks about the Malfoy family. She had said to be careful but not to think the worst of the son. That was rude and cruel.

“I see,” Harry said in as neutral a tone as possible. Ron snorted himself. His dad had hated the Malfoy patriarch ever since he had cut funding to their office. Luckily with the truth about the whole seat not being there's coming out, they got more money coming in now- meaning he and his siblings all had new wands now which was great.

It was nice to remember that moment of happiness on his dad’s face.

“Think my name is funny to do you?” Malfoy sneered at Ron who scowled at him. “Red hair, muggle clothing? You're either a mudblood or a Weasley.” Ron snarled at that. You did not say that word! That was disgusting!

Harry frowned though. That sounded like an awful word and this kid was using it?

“I can help you Potter,” Malfoy said. “Show you that some Wizarding families are better than others?” He offered his hand. Harry ignored it.

“I believe I am more than able to find the right sort for myself. Now please leave. Spot is hungry and I'd rather not pull him off you.” The dog growled and Draco looked nervous before snarling at Harry wordlessly, leaving the compartment with a bang.

“That was brilliant,” Ron told Harry. Spot barked happily and the two boys traded smiles. It was the start of a great friendship.

The train soon arrived at school and the boys left, Spot having to be left behind while the boys were gone, but Harry felt safe with Ron honestly. He had already stuck up for him! It was a nice feeling. Sure some of his friends back home were cool but… they wouldn't have done this.

The guy calling all the first years over was huge! Harry was a little nervous about him but he smiled at everyone and just gave off this cheerful vibe as he got them all to come over to a bunch of boats.

“No more than four to a boat!” The giant man called. Harry and Ron, as well as two girls who looked like twins, got into the boat. They waited patiently as everyone was seated and then off they went.

The first sight of the castle made Harry’s breathe hitch, eyes wide as he stared at the amazing place. He heard Ron gasp as well, staring at the sight.

There were no words to describe it, other than amazing.

At one point in their journey, Harry suddenly felt like he was back in the safety of the bowling alley, having a cup of hot chocolate and chatting with Razi, but it faded rather fast. That was weird. Maybe it was a ward to help them feel protected in a certain place? He had always felt the most protected at the bowling alley.

Once they got to the castle, they were introduced to a woman that the big man called Professor McGonagall. Harry sort of remembered her from when she visited with Dumbledore. She looked as impressive as she did before.

She was giving some speech he didn’t pay much attention to, instead, he was looking around and trying to see if the girl was around. He’d prefer to avoid her, definitely.

They had to wait for a little while in the room, while Ron was wondering about the sorting.

“It can’t hurt. Can you imagine parents letting their kids be hurt?” Harry asked Ron softly when he mentioned his brother saying it hurt.

“Nah, guess you’re right mate… you doing alright?”

“Yeah.” Harry agreed quietly. “Just hope this ends sooner than not.” A handful of ghosts came through the walls then, all chatting about something.

“Oh!” New students said one of them, acting incredibly surprised… and remarkably like JD when they were acting innocent. Harry’s eyes narrowed as he watched the rest of the interaction.

“That looks staged,” he told Ron as McGonagall came back in. Ron blinked and then looked thoughtful.

“Huh. I suppose it was. Weird.” Ron shook his head but followed McGonagall without much more thought. Harry just thought it made sense for it to happen like that. Introduce the kids to ghosts early so they didn’t freak out later.

There was a hat on a stool in front of everyone in the huge hall they entered. Harry felt nervous, staring at it before it suddenly began to sing.

As it sang, Harry just stared, feeling shocked and confused. That was… that was weird. What?

“We just have to try on a hat?! I’m going to kill the twins- they went on about wrestling a troll!” Ron grumbled.

“That hat just sang,” Harry said, blinking. He shook his head. “Magic, right. At least it sounded better than JD’s death metal.”

“What?” Ron asked.

“A type of music,” Harry told Ron. The two watched as people went up to the hat and said hat would shout out names. Some took awhile, and others were fast.

The girl who had accidentally triggered a panic attack was named Hermione Granger apparently, and she went into Gryffindor which was the House of the Brave. Ron looked horrified and Harry just hoped he got into Hufflepuff as he wanted.

Malfoy went into Slytherin, something he also decided he wanted to avoid.

When his term came, everyone was whispering in awe and shock as he walked up to the stool, trying to ignore everyone as he sat down, focusing on Ron who was looking at him and mouthing encouraging things.

When the hat was dropped on his head, it blocked everything. Wow he was small

“Well, well, well. What an interesting mind…” mused the hat on his head. Harry took a quick breath in surprise and gripped the seat of his stool. “Such a strong mind, such talent… oh, what interesting people you know young Mr. Potter… now where to put you…” Harry’s mind turned to Hufflepuff, the loyalty his mother showed to him and Grace, the fact she worked so hard for him and Grace to be happy. He thought of Sheriff Hunt and her strengths, her hard work. Of the people in Havenfall and how strong they were, their loyalty to one another, even if they didn’t like each other. Like the time JD’s brother rolled into town and they turned him away. Even Luce.

“Well, seems I know the answer.” The hat said. “Better be… HUFFLEPUFF!” Harry let out a sigh of relief even as what felt like shock gripped the hall. McGonagall removed the Hat, but her face was shocked Harry noticed, the boy standing up and ignoring the shocked looks.

And then Ron began clapping. And soon a yellow and black table burst into cheers and shouts. Harry sat down at the table with a grin, next to a boy named Ernie who shook his hand happily. Harry grinned and waited for Ron’s sorting, feeling very nervous.

Ron himself felt nervous, sitting underneath the hat. He didn’t know what he wanted. He knew what Harry had said about loyalty, about doing something different… and…

“Well if you’re sure… better be… HUFFLEPUFF.”

Meanwhile in Havenfall…

Prim propped her head on her hand, staring at the wall of the bar. She was already missing her kid terribly. Barely eight hours ago she’d dropped him off- though everyone thought it was yesterday- and all she wanted to do was see him again.

“Hey, why the long face?” Asked one of the men at the bar. She gave a half smile.

“Hello, Stan. I’m just… a little tired. A little sad. My kid’s gone off to school now and I’m feeling old.” She joked. The man laughed.

“Eh, you can say your old when you're my age. Your kid will be fine, yeah? He got into some special boarding school I heard?”

“Yes, he is.” Prim agreed. Very special.

“Well then, he’ll be fine! He’ll have a bunch of stories to tell and fun new things to try. And you can have some fun, huh?” He teased and Prim laughed.

“Thanks, Stan. Want your usual drink?”

“I’d love it, thank you.” The old man smiled at her and she grinned back. Diego who was sitting near Stan gave him a look.

“Mr. Lee, need I remind you that you are not to drink too much?”

“Bah, let me have fun. When you get to my age you take what you can get.” Prim giggled at the two, smiling to herself.

Harry would be just fine.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

I would like to dedicate the small part at the end to Stan Lee, may his legend live on.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I do want to address the part with Hermione, Now, before anyone says anything- Hermione is the beginning is an annoying and bossy little girl. I like Hermione!! She's an awesome character and a sweet kid. I really do like her!! I just also know that neither Ron or Harry would like her in the beginning. I needed a solid reasoning for this dislike when I put the boys into Hufflepuff and the idea of her accidentally triggering a panic attack came to mind. So here we are!! Don't worry- she'll be best friends with Ron/Harry soon!!

Small plot point:

Why no Goyle or Crabbe? The Malfoy family lost a lot of clout with their bull with the seat. Meaning the boys don't want to be near Draco, too dangerous for their standing in the house.

[penniesforthestorm]

On Jane, Part 1

In Which I Yell About One of My Favorite Books

What do we talk about when we talk about Jane Eyre? After nearly 175 years, this novel remains lodged in the popular consciousness, enough that most people have at least a baseline familiarity with the story. An orphaned young woman, with little knowledge of the outside world, becomes employed at a mysterious mansion, and falls in love with the owner, who is harboring a Deep Dark Secret. Misty moors, bumps in the night, cruel relatives, an angelic child who dies of tuberculosis, a brooding anti-hero: so far, so Gothic. It’s been adapted and interpreted by the likes of Orson Welles and Franco Zeffirelli, referenced by C.S. Lewis, and been thoroughly dissected by hordes of scholars.

            But I want to talk about it some more. Be forewarned: I’m not coming at this from any kind of ‘academic’ perspective. I’m not an expert on anything (though I have been told I shoot a pretty good game of pool, and my baked goods have lately been in demand at family gatherings). I am a Person Who Likes Things, and likes writing about those things, so that’s what I’m going to do.

            One final caveat: if you have not read this book, this may not be the greatest introduction, as I’m going to spoil the heck out of it and also be discussing it from the perspective of someone who has read it many times. But I’m not going to stop you; I trust your judgment. To quote Rik Mayall in Blackadder: “Let’s dooooo it!”

             Right. So, who exactly is Jane Eyre? In the opening pages of the book, we get a vivid portrait of our protagonist. When we meet her, she is ten years old, orphaned, and living a miserable life with her wealthy, widowed aunt and cousins. She is subjected to bullying of both the physical and emotional variety, treated as less than a servant because she is a ‘dependent’. But little Jane is a feisty creature: she fights back against her wicked cousin John, dealing him a well-deserved punch to the nose. She is roundly punished for this, locked in the bedroom where her uncle died, and she broods on the fact that his unquiet ghost might just visit her.

A visitor does come, in the form of the local doctor, called in after Jane faints from fear. For likely the first time in Jane’s life, someone listens to her, and takes her seriously. He suggests that Jane be sent to school, and her aunt is seemingly only too happy to be rid of her, though not before calling in the headmaster of her school of choice and putting a flea in his ear about Jane’s ‘deceitful nature’. In return, Jane boldly informs her aunt that she knows her dead uncle would disapprove of her treatment, and calls the older woman a liar to her face—which, honestly, is pretty hardcore for any ten-year-old.

This is something that I think people tend to miss about Jane, and often the reason why adaptations of her story feel miscast. Her appearance, throughout the book, is described as petite and unremarkable, her manner quiet and shy. But Jane is not fragile—no little porcelain doll. Her inner spirit is as bright and hard as a diamond.

Consider her in contrast to the first friend she makes at school: the gentle, but doomed Helen Burns. Helen is thirteen—nearly a grown-up in Jane’s eyes. And crucially, she sees and acknowledges Jane in a way that no one else has, taking Jane under her wing and trying to give her some guidance.

But Helen is already ill when we meet her, and, though she doesn’t say it explicitly right away, she knows that she is dying. Consequently, her mind, genius though it is, is turned away from the world—she dismisses her own intellectual prowess and cautions Jane against over-valuing human attachment. It’s cruel, because if her flame had been allowed to burn, it would have blazed, but instead, it’s snuffed out in the space of a few pages.

Helen is undoubtedly good, and her love for Jane is clear, but both the reader and the young Jane understand that her ascetic detachment is no way to live. After Helen’s death, the narrative skips ahead to Jane at the age of eighteen, now teaching at the school she passed through. And Jane wants to get out and see the world. Though the school itself has improved from the miserable place it used to be, it’s still a stifling atmosphere, and Jane wants to change her situation.

This, I think, is one of the most important elements of the book: Jane’s journey to control her own destiny. At the beginning, she is utterly at the mercy of authority figures, and though she makes some stabs at independence, she is largely acted-upon—things happen to her. But now, here she is, taking action and advertising herself as a governess. Soon enough, she is called to Thornfield Hall.

A word about the job of ‘governess’ is necessary here. For a woman in Jane’s position at that time: educated, but no family ties or sponsor of any other kind, being a governess was one of the most respectable things she could be doing (outside of marriage). Jane’s specific situation is an excellent one: only one child to look after, room and board provided, and a salary of 30 shillings a year. (I don’t know the conversion into modern figures, but consider this: in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Bob Cratchit makes 15, and he’s got a wife and six kids to take care of, and they’re squeaking by. Jane isn’t exactly going to get rich, but in theory, she’ll at least be able to lay some aside.)

This new position brings three brand-new figures into Jane’s life. The first is the kindly housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax, who takes an immediate liking to Jane and makes an effort to secure Jane’s comfort. The second is Adele Varens, Jane’s charge. Adele is the daughter of a Parisian dancer, and though her situation is much easier than Jane’s was at that age, Jane sympathizes with her, because she’s in a foreign place, utterly dependent on the ‘kindness and charity of strangers’. The third, of course, is Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester, master of the house and probable father of Adele. When Jane arrives at Thornfield, Rochester is away, but soon enough, the two of them meet, in a moment that, to me, represents another step on Jane’s path to self-determination.

Jane sees Rochester on the road to Thornfield on a winter evening, when his horse slips on ice. She offers aid, and it’s grudgingly accepted by this gruff stranger. As far as Rochester knows at first, Jane could be a visitor to any of the nearby houses, or someone’s daughter—again, he is able to see her without context. Likewise, Jane is undaunted by any fear of ‘impropriety’ toward her boss—he’s just a man who needs help, and no one else is there to do it. So she steps forward, laying the foundation for everything that will come after.

I have come to the conclusion that I’m going to need to split this into three parts; I hope you’ll all stay tuned. Before I go, let me say one more thing: during my most recent re-read of this book, one thing that leaped out at me was the beauty of the prose itself. Yes, the language is flowery and elaborate, and there’s a ton of rumination, but if you’re patient, you’ll find plenty of gorgeous phrases. Like Thomas Hardy, Charlotte Bronte was devoted to the land itself—in her case, the moors and ancient woods of Yorkshire. The countryside is just as much a character as any of the humans, rendered with vivid life, and tracking the seasons through the progression of the story is a fascinating experiment. I guess that’s all for now, but come back for Parts 2 and 3 if you like what you’ve read so far!

[a-crack-in-the-universe]

Midnight for Charlie Bone Summaries/Analyses: Chapters 7-9

Spoilers under the cut.

Chapter 7: Hypnotised!

On Friday night Grandma Bone marks Charlie’s completed questions. They are all correct, but Grandma Bone accuses Charlie of cheating. She gives Charlie ten more questions to do, just because, but Charlie gets out of doing them the moment Grandma Bone falls asleep.

Charlie heads over to Benjamin’s where, to his surprise, he finds Mr Onimous and the Flames. The Flames try to open the case using a strange fiery magic, but are unsuccessful. They and Mr Onimous leave soon after, but not before Mr Onimous reveals how they moved the case into the cellar and wishes Charlie luck on his quest. Once he’s gone, Charlie has the idea of asking Fidelio for help with the case.  

Early the next morning, Charlie and Ben go to Miss Ingledew’s to find the right key for the case, but are stopped by Manfred and Asa. When Charlie fights back Manfred hypnotises him. Charlie finds himself in a moving car:

“The world outside Manfred's coal-black eyes began to disappear, and Charlie found himself inside another world: inside a car to be precise. The car was traveling at great speed through a forest, and Charlie appeared to be driving. The coal-black eyes were beside him now, and the sinister voice repeated, "Look at me!"

There was a sudden, violent jolt and Charlie was being dragged from the car. He knelt on the rim of a great pit while the car -a blue one- tumbled over the edge. The silence of the forest was broken by the scream of birds and then, far, far below, came a low, echoing splash.”

This clearly shows how Lyell’s ‘accident’ happened. Interestingly enough, Charlie is seeing it from Lyell’s point-of-view. It always confused me as to how the Yewbeams and Bloors managed to drag Lyell out of the car, considering it was moving at a very high speed, until I remembered how Zelda was able to telekinetically move Fidelio during the ruin game. So, I think it’s possible that the Bloors/Yewbeams enlisted the help of a telekinetic or two to get Lyell out of the car before it crashed.    

A while later, Charlie comes to. Benjamin tells him what happened and why they were going to Ingledew’s (since Charlie can’t remember). They return to Filbert Street. As they do Charlie begins talking about what he saw while hypnotised, and realises that what he saw was how his father died. Charlie decides to go back home because he feels ill, which worries Ben because he’s never known Charlie to be ill. (Hey, just like Maisie in chapter 1! I guess that’s where he gets it from.)

That night, Charlie tells Paton about what happened on the way to Ingledew’s, and also the truth about the case. Paton is concerned, especially for Miss Ingledew’s safety. He decides to return the keys for Charlie while Charlie’s at Bloor’s. He also insists on being there when Charlie opens the case, as an extra precaution because they don’t know what’ll come out of it.

Then Grandma Bone appears to tell Charlie to go to bed already. As Charlie goes he hears Grandma Bone shouting at Paton, asking him which side he’s on and complaining that she can’t trust him anymore.

 Chapter 8: Breaking the Rules

Fidelio and Benjamin arrive at Charlie’s house the next morning at the same time. Fidelio’s fine with Ben joining their musical session, and eager when Charlie and Ben ask for his help in hiding the case from the Yewbeams. He readily agrees and comes up with a good idea on how to move it without any spies noticing.

The night before Charlie goes to Bloor’s, Amy gives him Lyell’s old school tie to take with him. I love how Lyell’s tie becomes important in the very next chapter—I mean, ‘you never know when you might need it’ practically screams ‘chekhov’s gun’, but I just really, really love how it ended up being used to discover that Lyell’s not really dead.    

On Monday it is Charlie’s first day at Bloor’s. Charlie and Amy go to Bloor’s Academy by taxi. As Amy and Charlie walk toward the school, Amy feels someone watching her from the Music Tower. (I know that it’s never mentioned which tower it is, but all the evidence points to that tower being the Music Tower.) Of course, we all know who’s watching her—Mr Pilgrim (aka Lyell). He’s trying to recognise her. This moment gets me every time, because it’s just so sad to think of Lyell trying but unable to recognise his own wife, and Amy getting spooked and leaving quickly without realising that Lyell was right there. Though I do wonder if she did see Lyell’s face but dismissed it as her mind playing tricks on her.

So, Amy leaves quickly, and Charlie is left by himself. Not for long though, since the other students start arriving on the Academy buses. Charlie is reunited with Fidelio, and they enter the building.

In the hall, we get to see Olivia Vertigo for the first time (:D), where she ‘breaks the rules’ and gets detention. Charlie and Fidelio kindly help her pick up her stuff before she gets whisked away by Asa.

And then there’s assembly. Fidelio points out all the teachers and shows Charlie where to sit, before going to sit with the orchestra. Charlie notices Mr Pilgrim for the first time.

(At this point, I can’t help thinking, ‘it’s your father, Charlie!’ It’s so obvious that it’s kind of funny, but at the same time it’s really tragic. Seeing Charlie and Lyell in the same room together but not recognising each other is kinda heartbreaking.)

After assembly, Charlie has his first lesson—music, with Mr Reginald Paltry. Mr Paltry turns out to be shockingly abusive toward his students, and is particularly mean to Charlie because Charlie’s endowed and Mr Paltry hates the endowed. Soon enough that’s over and done with, and it’s time to go outside and run laps.

Unfortunately, when Charlie returns to the blue cloakroom after that, he finds that someone’s stolen his brand-new cape and all that’s left to wear is a tattered one. Charlie refuses to wear it. Fidelio begs him to put it on, but Charlie doesn’t listen. (He really, really should have.) Anyway, the two boys go to English class, where Charlie is inevitably kicked out for not wearing ‘the essential garment’. Even worse, he’s noticed standing in the hallway by Asa Pike, who marches him straight to Manfred’s office. Olivia’s there too. :D The head boy gives Charlie detention, which means he has to stay in school for part of the weekend. Charlie of course protests about that, and mentions his mother. Manfred and Asa’s reply:

"Mom?" said Manfred scornfully.

"Mom?" repeated Asa. "We don't talk about moms in here."

"Moms don't exist in here!" Manfred added darkly.

  Chapter 9: The Red King’s Room

Charlie and Olivia leave Manfred’s office and seek refuge in the purple cloakroom. Charlie is despondent over his detention, but Olivia tells him that it’s not so bad. (And she’s right. The detention literally consists of them doing worksheets for a couple of hours, and then they can do whatever they want. Like explore. And in a place like Bloor’s Academy, exploring sounds pretty cool.)

Charlie tells Olivia about the cape-switch, and she suspects Gabriel Silk as the culprit and advises Charlie to wear Gabriel’s cape until he can get his own cape back. Charlie agrees, relieved. So when he returns to the blue cloakroom he puts on the tattered cape, and this is how Fidelio finds him sometime later. Fidelio is shocked that Manfred gave Charlie detention during his very first week, saying that ‘Manfred must really have it out for [him]’. Charlie tells Fidelio about Gabriel and the cape, and it’s agreed that Charlie will try and switch back the capes when Gabriel is asleep.  

At lunch the boys get a good look at Gabriel Silk. Charlie is introduced to Miss Chrystal, Fidelio’s violin teacher and a very friendly person. Also doesn’t seem to be a very serious person overall. She certainly has some wonderfully-scented perfume. :) Too bad she’s really an evil witch (or will be soon).

During dinner Dr Bloor singles out Charlie in front of the entire school (I’d be so embarrassed if that was me) and tells him that endowed children study in the king’s room after dinner. While that’s happening, Charlie takes a good look at the headmaster and realises that he was the one who took Dr Tolly’s baby.

After dinner, Billy Raven guides Charlie to the king’s room, where he meets the other endowed children for the first time. There’s Lysander the African (good), Tancred (good), cheerful Dorcas (neutral), Zelda (bad), Bindi (neutral/semi-good), Beth (bad), and Emilia Moon (neutral). Emilia looks surprisingly quiet and dreamy, not even lifting her head to say hello. Charlie also sees the Red King’s portrait for the first time, and seems to feel a certain connection to it.

After homework time is over, it’s time to go to the boys’ dormitories. Charlie is sleeping in a bed next to Fidelio’s, and the bed on his other side happens to be Gabriel Silk’s. After light’s out, Charlie uses Fidelio’s flashlight to check if the cape Gabriel was wearing is his. Once that’s confirmed, Charlie takes it and attempts to swap it with the tattered one.

That’s when Gabriel suddenly wakes up. Sounding panicked, he begs Charlie not to switch the capes back. It turns out that he has an endowment that allows him to feel emotions in clothes. The tattered cape was given to him by the Academy after his brand-new cape was accidentally destroyed, but Gabriel can’t bear to wear it because he can feel that something horrible happened to the last person to wear it.

Sympathizing with Gabriel’s plight, Charlie eventually agrees to keep wearing the tattered cape. In exchange, however, he asks Gabriel to wear Lyell’s tie and tell him ‘anything about the person who wore it’. Gabriel does so, and says that the person who wore the tie was happy once, but now they’re lost, and that they don’t seem to know who they are. Charlie seems to completely ignore what Gabriel says after the ‘lost’ part and automatically assumes that it means that Lyell’s dead (even though Gabriel refers to Lyell in present-tense and not past-tense). 

After that, Billy comes up to Gabriel with a blue scarf (which I am 100% sure was his father’s) and asks him to wear it. Gabriel does so: "Well, this person was always in a hurry. Here, there, everywhere. He just couldn't stop, and now, I'm afraid, he's dead." Billy asks if Gabriel could hear what the man was saying, but sadly it doesn’t work like that. And the messages become weaker if the person who wore the clothing is dead.                    

Finally Charlie realises what he should have realised straight away, and asks Gabriel why he said that Lyell was lost, because Lyell died when Charlie was two years old. Gabriel assures him that Lyell is lost and definitely not dead, before bidding Charlie goodnight and going to sleep himself.    

[furriescentral]

The Republic of Furland

(I got bored and decided to make a fictional nation called the Republic of Furland. Here’s its history, and later will post of statistics and demographics ans stuff. Disclaimer: I know a lot of you will find the names silly or you’ll see a lot of parodies, just go along with it. Also to thsoe of you who catch the occasional “History of Japan” references from Bill Wurtz’s YouTube channel, I love you).

Furland was a group of islands at the time that had loads of different animal species on them and they had clans together. These clans would be in the form of small villages around 50-500 people each and we’re run by a headmaster. In 3000 B.C. nothing really grew in Furland as these small villages just remained the way they were but now they started researching military, religion, law, and transportation.

By 2,000 B.C many villages started coming together to form city-states in what are modern-day large cities in the country. They also established many fishing villages and tropical fruit farms along the Avian Islands. The city states constantly went to war with each other and usually they would fight their neighbors on their own islands. This changes once Navy ships were created using wood, and copper weapons could be made. Villages formed loek crazy along the Furr valley, and they formed many farming communities that later became the city “Furr Cuida” is was called and it changed dramatically the government, now a heavenly super person or “emperor” for short. He controlled all the farms throughout the kingdom and established Anthropism as the official religion and suited Furlandians with a common currency, language, measuring system, and passport. One could travel any island as they pleased, not sectionalism discouraged that. So Temples and shrines were built throughout the country in favor to the Furlandian demigods (pretty much the big popufurs that they thought were important) in all the islands and they tried to unite Furlandians under this religion.

By 500 B.C. a clique of 5 important furs decided to control the country by establishing a united military in which all the islands would contribute troops to help them out. Many people didn’t support their new emperor clique for their oppressive government and targeting of folfs, and committed genocide of over a quarter million of them, wiping them out, all in the period of ten years. At the same time in 490 B.C furs would uprise in the East in what is now Confurdia and establish their own government, now called the Eastern Confurdian kingdom, which now dominated as an agrarian society and focused on food and religion and military.

It’s now 300 B.C and the west finally organized itself under the main islands of New Fur-Califurnia Prefecture, Caninious-Felinious Prefecture, and the Foxington prefecture, and the northern half of the Avian Islands. The the islands were no longer at war with themselves, but they east west divided can clearly be seen, even today. As the east focused on agricultural the west focused on technology so it established the “Teknocuida” in what is San Josefur and the San Furncisco bay area, which today is still the “silicon valley” of Furland. In 276 B.C. the Western capital moved to Foxto (what is Foxington) and established a temple and finally stopped making the government so oppressive by making western Furland progressive, for the next two hundred and fifty years western Furland flourished as an egalitarian society, and the east saw their progress and made their own freedom, but not as much as they were strict religious traditionalists. So western Furlandians were now all equal regardless of who they were, and anyone who disagreed were usually killed by hanging.

It’s 30 B.C. And it’s now a time of revolution. The east declares war on the west since a western military boat attacked an Eastern one, and they went to war for over 30 years, resulting in what was an estimated 500,000 tragedies, and many cities in ruins, luckily by the end of the war, iron swords were discovered and metalsmiths were on the rose, resulting in a western victory in 10 A.D at the battle of Pogo in Pogo, Caninious, and the treaty of Pogo was signed, which the created the Furlandian union. By 12 A.D the Furlandian union building was built in Nu Furr Cuida, which is now a city of over 1,500,000 residents, and it said that -temples and shrines were protected -houses of worship had to be protected* (this wasn’t enforced as well at it turned out to be) -government buildings had to be protected -no Furlandian state could attack another -all powers are split evenly among the states -prefectures were created to micromanage the local governments -they must all be united with a common currency, language, transport, government, measuring system, religion, and culture After the end of the war the country was experiencing a golden age as peace arose the people, and the Emperors that ruled were very wise and unbiased, production was at its highest and the population boomed, expansions in medical science made Furlandians live longer, and the government created a sort of social security after printing its first paper currency.

250 A.D brought Furland to a renaissance of culture and art as it went through a restoration under emperor Meiji, and boats went overseas to present day Indonesia to see what was there, only to see unhappy, angry faces that wanted to kill the crew, so they fled to China where they were accepted in open arms and received much needed technology. Trade grew among the two and as the Gonccu treaty made peace and trade dealing with china, and later the Jonikk treaty in 273 would make a trade deal with Japan, and even receved much influence from the Country as they had a military shogunate government, which was appealing to the Furlandian emperor. Korea joined in 298 by making the Vinecc treaty which grew trade and relation over there. Furland was loved for its art, literature, and music as many humans had never seem Anthros before.

After much disorder in government, a sort of “constitution” came into place on 337 A.D in Nu Furr Cuida at their city hall. This said that it made a top court (supreme Court), a mid court (prefecture courts) and low court (county and city courts) and a military court to prosecute treason or any form of mutiny in the military. The emperor had full control on top but he has a council of 100 Furlandians that would help him out (technically a Senate) and the kind also had someone behind him to go after him, usually a son, brother, or nephew. Finally it established that the military was your friend, not your enemy, and that any make Fur can be drafted at any time so they were required to be healthy.

The capital later went to be a centralized government, with the council in Foxto and the Emperors in Confurdia and the high Court in Nu Furr Cuida. This worked out well and the government was stable for a long time. The Furlandian people by 399 A.D were finally introduced to democracy as they could elect their local mayors, prefecture leaders, and county employees, and by 659 A.D. their governors, but not the Emperor. One day in 701 A.D. after later heading to South America for the first time, a Fur crew returned saying about their travels heard about the Inca, and thought he was crazy so he was sent to mental asylum as they couldn’t believe what they were describing. Caing, an emperors in 730 was then sent to hang to death because of his sympathizing with incan gods.

But before the trial he got his son to take over, only to have his brother wants to take over. They both fought for the top but failed when they were both killed by an anti-emperor group in 733, now no one could rule the country, and the country split into clans (regions) and all fight for power, and it’s anybody’s game. In 786, The Katoku clan wanted to take the capital of Confurdia which right now is puppets with no to control them, but first it has to get through this smaller clan, the ccaccu clan. Surprise, the smaller clan wins, and it takes the capital and have Glendakú from 786-797 as their emperor. He’s halfway done taking over the empire when someone who works for him kills him, and somebody who works for him kills them and he nailed emperor and finishes conquering Furland.

So then Jassu, the new emperor who ruled for the next 35 years, he gets greedy and claims he wanted to conquer China and Japan and Korea and confiscated everyone’s swords. He failed and also died. The next three hundred years saw me peace and tranquility after all the “upper management” disputes, and technology increased dramatically as paper codex books came in, public education (which brought much controversy), and public transportation finally came into place.

1022 was finally the day the music died, a plague spread among Furlandians that brought millions to their deathbeds and with little symptoms, and from 1022-1028 over 25% of the Furlandian population died off. The only safe zone was the designated “ínforgú” or “impenetrable zone” which was the cities of: -Nu Furr Cuida -Foxto -Confurdia Anyone got sick from the disease regardless of species or wealth. But Emperor Skoro blamed dragons on the plague because of it being called “Draconian flu” so he ordered a mass genocide of dragons, which also brought the Emperor to being the most hated leader in Furlandian history. He also made skunks seem as high power as canines and felines, who were the top of the socioeconomic status chain, but the next emperor changed that.

In 1049 emperor Skoro II decided to change the eugenics species ladder with an economic ladder of -class 1 upper class (emperor staff, merchants, traders, Goldsmiths, artists, jewelers, scientists, etc.) -class 2 upper middle class (business owners, landlords, scholars, preachers, etc) -class 3 middle class (bakers, chefs, military grunts, civil servants, blacksmiths, etc.) -class 4 lower middle class (seamstresses, shoemakers, bricklayers, miners, etc.) -class 5 lower class (laborers, servants, farmers)

And in 1071 emperor Skoro III made a feudalism ladder similar to Japan’s and Europe’s which changed Furlandian life forever. Which only created Skoro IV in 1134 to be killed of by greedy military general Dakuntú II and he established a shogunate government in Nu Furr Cuida (which later moved to Confurdia in spring 1182) and the Emperors FolFox I, II, and III decided to overthrow the shogunate in desperate back and forth attempts. This only lead to both the royal family dying off and the shogunate unstable. The Furlandian people were sick and tired of the fighting and arguing so they “appointed” an Emperor themselves, and this only lead to a quick deterioration of the Furlandian government. In 1189 However, luckily the Kontú family came in and ruled for the next three hundred and thirty years and they brought much needed growth and prosperity to the islands, and art, poetry, music, and architecture changed in the process.

Schools were built, roads were built, business increased, the military grew, population increased, species relations were the best they have ever been ever. Kontú established a Parliament that made laws for the country and he had to approve or veto the laws, he set taxes and set standards for everything. 1530 brought an end to the rule but luckily a more progressive and democratic government came in and they made a true progressive era and many furs reinstituted the egalitarian doctrine from centuries ago. The church (Anthropism) suffered from this as they faced a serious issue between the eastern and western church suffered differences in certain beliefs. The east wanted a centralized, no sect government that was a theocracy while the west wanted sects and no theocracy that was still centralized. The dispute lead to many revolts and riots in many cities but government forces didn’t want religion government as in the past many people were still divided on what controlled what and what was moral or not. And the Furlandian people thought of the church as something traditional and ceremonial not something in their everyday lives. So from 1532-1548 a war went on in Furland as western forces controlled by ssonssu and eastern forces led by Vernus made a huge naval and water battle, which lead to a mini civil war. Luckily, the government attacked both sides as they saw this as destroying the country, but in the end the west won as they wanted a secular, non theocracy region.

the first humans were the British in 1559 and then the Spanish in 1667 and then the Netherlands in 1681 all in Furland in modern day new Fur City, where they encountered an “endless city”. Japan wanted its first colony so it claimed What is now New Hamster (you’ll see a lot of Japanese named villages and schools and streets there). The Dutch claimed the Kingdom of Mirandum as a colony and established the capital in Mirandum City. Then Japan claimed the northern coastal regions of Lynxdon in all of 1664, and Britain quickly made another colony in spring of 1665 in Lynxdon in a flat valley where they made a temple. In summer of 1669 Califurnia made missionaries and built missions and made San Dingo (after a Dingo who converted to Catholicism and Los Anthros as “the Anthro(pomorphic)s” and then finally Portugal made a trading post in the southern tip (a small area in southern South Avia that is the lowest point in Furland geographically) in the fall of 1669, which lead to and conflicts and made New Fur City “the neutral zone” on the Anthro-Sapien treaty in what is around South Furhattan (ish). And then came the Anthro-Sapien war from 1689-1701.

The war devastated every city and millions died from this conflict until finally treaties and leave talks were signed and Europe saw them and the crossroads to pacific trading.

The Emperors were killed off and disease did kill some Furlandians, but not many, however lizards were victims of mass genocide as they believed to have brought the “bad humans” over, and finally the country was left unstable for a period due to this and human did rape, enslave some furs, and took over local governments. But luckily by 1703 the Emperors got power again and Furland declared itself a republic. They drove out any bad humans and made strict rules to humans entering but trade was relaxed and humans were still seen as a slightly higher power than Anthros.

Restoration of the country could be done as European architecture changed cities landscapes forever and english was made the common language according to almost every prefecture, which the lead to the government making English the official language in 1710. The country had a population boom as food, minerals, oil, and military equipment and the country had one of the best standards of living in the Pacific. New technologies rapidly advance the country to its peak, and Christianity started to grow in Furland.

This all change when a human hating fur named asaralón became emperor and drove out the European and threatening genocide and war with European powers. From 1730-1760 humans were all driven out and Europe became infuriated as they heard the news. Emperor Çún came into power along with empress Fúíl, the first female leader in Furland that had legitimate power (not just symbolic or ceremonial) by 1770 and they faced a twenty five year war with the European powers, many wanting to simply take all the islands.

In 1786 saint and Anthropic temple leader (of the Wuffy temple) Chubeko Koneko helped along with a small group of prefecture administrators and governors to assist Fúíl and Çún to help out as they wanted to restore relations with humans again. After many peace talks, millions of more deaths, corruption, violence, infrastructure deterioration, and a brutal war the Furlandians finally made with a peace treaty and a free trade agreement with Europe and any Asian powers that left the region because of conflicts, and finally Furlandian could rebuild.

Chubeko Koneko sadly was killed in 1789 as she was stabbed by a Folf because she sympathized with the Emperor. The emperor was later killed in 1801 and her wife fled the capital, and a new shogunate was made in Foxto which they renamed Foxborough, and they ruled Furland from any outside threat for decades. The newly established Parliament now rolled out a new constitution and modem courts and prisons were out on the island, along with a rail system and many more universities and research centers were built, along with a national telegraph system.

New Fur City was then the central hub for the Pacific as it’s metro area boomed to 10.2 million. And the Furlandian population reached 53.9 million.

By 1900 Furland became close allies with many countries and stayed neutral during world war 1 but wanted a prime minister and a democratically elected government as the new government taxed the citizens like crazy for their military industrial complex. So from 1912-1919 they formed a Republic of Furland, and the Emperor in desperation signed the King’s Treaty in Lynxdon to make the Emperor ceremonial but still influential.

WWII came and now Furland had been seized by Japan, and the country was split at this decision but decided to revolt after the United States bombed New Fur City, Lynxdon, Confurdia, and the atomic bomb dropped on Foxborough. They gave up on Furland and the country became independent again. The country received a lot of money and trade in hope to become allies again by rebuilding infrastructure, schools, government buildings, military protection, and business.

In 1950 the GEN 3 Constitution was signed by the progressive Parliament and Furland became what it is today, businesses grew and take expanded and the population jumped to 100 million by 1990 and major reform came in this period. -free trade -social security -legalization of same sex marriage and lgbt rights -women’s rights -workers compensation -the civil rigths act of 1954 -the rent cap and national public housing program -environmental protection

Between 1950 and 1999 Furland allowed roughly 7.6 million human residents, under the condition they would not allow a human to have many children. Many were okay with the policies as Furland got overcrowded gradually overtime. Immigration was tight and many were from southern and eastern Europe, Latin America, or north America. Eventually immigration was cut off around the later half of 1999 as the government saw an influx of Chinese migrants.

By 1950 Furland became a In member by 1980 a WHO member and by 1990 a OECD Country, and finally by 2014 Furland has an estimated 4 trillion gdp and 107 million residents and one of the best educational systems and public transport and civil liberties to its citizens of any country in the planet.