#i love my read head baby

[feroluce]

I have finally finished 2.4 and oh my GOD watching Dan Heng be so protective of his friends nearly killed me, MY HEART.

And yes, the cutscene where he pushes the trailblazer out of the way and even cushions their fall with his own body, but I mean even before that! When he was already trying to protect them and March 7th from Feixiao and Lingsha!!

Because if you watch the dango trio throughout the main quest, you'll notice that they often position themselves in the same way, which is a detail that makes me super happy that Hoyo thought to include- when the three of them aren't evenly spaced, March 7th and the trailblazer tend to gravitate towards each other and stand very close together, frequently side-by-side. And by comparison, Dan Heng usually stands slightly away, and often even slightly behind them, where he can pull on their leashes to wrangle them keep an eye on them.

This is probably a habit learned through experience, since March 7th said during Belobog she is the "queen of unannounced disappearances" fjdksajfkldjsak

And of course at least a little bit of it is just done for like, aesthetic purposes. It's a video game. Things have to look nice for the player. The trailblazer and Dan Heng are the same height, March 7th is a bit shorter, and Yanqing is even smaller. It makes sense to have the trailblazer and Dan Heng stand on the ends, with March 7th and Yanqing in the middle, it just looks nicer and more balanced that way. But still! Even when they're accommodating for Yanqing in this quest, they still all arrange themselves the same way, almost every time!

But this changes after Dan Heng and Yanqing become suspicious of the visitors from the Yaoqing.

The dango trio still stand around relaxed and in their usual manner when they go to the artisanship delve and meet Skott,

but Dan Heng takes notice of Lingsha when she arrives, and he and Yanqing mentioned her specifically when discussing their worries.

Yanqing worrying so much about Jing Yuan got me right in the heart, he's such a good boy WEH

And when the four of them go out to the alchemy delve to meet Lingsha for tea, the pattern breaks. Suddenly Dan Heng is standing right up front, and even walks in and enters the scene before March 7th and the trailblazer to get to Lingsha before them. He stays a step in front of them the whole time, too.

And then when Dan Heng and the trailblazer have to go be interrogated by Feixiao! The same deal! Dan Heng walks in ahead of them and stays in front of them! Noticeably so! Enough that even Feixiao takes note and voices it!

Dan Heng is so so fiercely protective of his companions, and I love it, I adore hyper vigilance in the wake of trauma like this, I'm so excited to see what else he does in 2.5, I hope we either get to see him get fucked up or the trailblazer gets fucked up in his place, I wanna see them run through the meat grinder!!!

[sysig]

Two skeletons in a trench lab coat (Patreon)

Bonus:

He’s very careful! Everything was fine before you interrupted!

[skimpilydressedwithanaxe]

Anytime I question my rnm hyperfix and I feel myself inching closer to the conclusion it’s gone I look back at my closet to find this guy hanging

its not going ANYWHERE

[boyfhee]

യ CRUSHED : PARK JONGSEONG TEASER

SYNOPSIS : fifteen years, a lost love, untold feelings, a breaking heart— crushed. they say if you wish desperately enough for something, the whole universe gets together to give it to you. perhaps, it's the reason why you find yourself back in your highschool, fifteen years ago, with a fluttering love, some lingering feelings, a doting heart, and your first heart break— park jongseong.

or wherein, life gives you another chance with your first love.

GENRE : fantasy, angst, romance, time travel

WC : teaser is 0.7k, est 10k+ for fic

WARNINGS : angst but with a happy ending guys trust me, a lot of mentions of crying, alcoholic drinks, more will be added in the main fic post

NOTES : i knew my jay era would give birth to a jay long fic i say we cheer :› NO BC THIS MAN IS SO FINE just like this fic i'm planning saur. please read. i hope u enjoy the teaser, send an ask / drop a comment to join the taglist

it’s the invitation you’ve been looking at for ten minutes now, standing outside the venue. papers coloured rose, golden letters engraved, names and air spilling with love. it’s the mood of the day, the flow of a typical august wednesday that carries you inside the venue, to the celebration hall. the air inside smells of fresh roses, it’s expected when you see a huge bunch used as decoration in every corner and on table tops. and then you look at the invitation again.

joo miran weds park jongseong.

your best friend weds your other best friend, your first best friend. your first crush. your first love.

the subtle silence in the air was deafening until you see jay sneaking into miran’s suit, or so you assume, although it’s true. from sneaking into her classes to sneaking into her room at night to take her out for a midnight date, sneaking across hallways to catch a glance— just one look, even a fraction of a second is enough— to now, sneaking around the wedding hall to savour that ‘just one look’ at the bride, his bride, as if a lifetime isn’t waiting for them. 

“i thought grooms and brides weren’t supposed to see each other before the wedding,” it’s your voice that stops jay from kissing her cheeks, although you know he would’ve still done it if he wanted to.

“ah well—” he rubs the back of his neck, it’s a habit that gives away his nervousness. habits are hard to change, let alone letting go of one. “do you really expect me to hold back when she looks like this?” and he looks at her as if she put the stars in the sky, or as if she’s a star herself, graced upon earth for him, and only for him. knowing jay, he would say it. 

“you look good too,” you look perfect, you wanted to say. however, you don’t. you don’t know why, it’s normal for friends to compliment each other. you don’t know how many times you’ve called him handsome, you don’t know the last time you called him that. “congrats, by the way,” 

and loving jay is a habit. 

“thanks,” she smiles, looking at you. “wouldn’t have been possible if not for you,”

it’s something you can’t get out of yourself. no amount of blind dates can do it for you, no amount of heartbreaks can colour him bad. 

“no really,” his voice pulls you out of your thoughts, and you unconsciously smile a bit more. “thanks for setting me up with miran,” 

no amount of time can push you forward to move on from him. fifteen years, a lost love, untold feelings, a breaking heart— crushed. the world moved on, you did too, yet your heart is still there— gyeonggi suwon international school, fourth floor, the first class from the stairs. fourth desk, the one right next to the window, a view expanded across the school ground, a way for you to watch jay’s football matches between lessons. 

his heart is with someone else while yours is where you realised your feelings for him, left behind— crushed. 

and it’s a shame to live like this, as if there’s no point to life. to hold back tears at your best friends’ wedding, to force a smile when they kiss, to stare from a distance when she threw the bouquet, to cry in the washroom after all is done. head buried in your hands, muffled sobs as you hear a few women talk outside your stall. you don’t pay attention to them, you couldn’t. you had realised you couldn’t pay attention to anything that wasn’t him or about him. so you just sit there, head buried in hands, eyes closed, not paying attention to anything.

yn.

you hear your name. 

once.

yn?

twice.

“yn,” thrice. “are you okay?” and you turn around, it’s the same scenario— gyeonggi suwon international school, the fourth desk by the window, the sunlight falling upon. your eyes meet his, and then his smile. your best friend, your first best friend.

your first heartbreak.

“wanna get ice cream on our way back home?” you nod instinctively, habitually. it’s how things went fifteen years ago when you had realised your feelings for him. it feels the same, fluttering love, lingering feelings, a doting heart, and park jongseong.

crushed. 

[gen4grl]

messy expression sketches + colouring with my oc clem who looks alot like her dad lol

[imthegayone]

A Broken Rib (drabble)

Summary: You broke a rib during a stunt, earning yourself a scolding by your girlfriend.

Warrnings: mention of bruising? and some errors (reread this maybe twice)

Author's Note: A small little drabble cause I wanted to get something out for you all but these wips are kicking my ass rn. Also this is inspired by an interview where Britney Snow (i think) broke a rib during a stunt where she had to ram against a car to break it's widow and a fic I read a bit ago were Jenna sprains her ankle at work when she's distracted by a video of reader. (sadly I can't find it or I'd link it) Hope you enjoy 🩵

Word Count: 431

________

“You’re never doing that again.” Jenna reprimands a look in her eyes that says there’s no room for negotiation. However, it was an accident, you knew that and she knew that. The stunt was easy, even your manager agreed that you could ram yourself into the car for the scene. It didn’t stop Jenna from worrying though, the second she was told about your hospital visit a nervous pit settled deep in her stomach. 

“Jen.” You groan, you’re in need of sleep and just want to be held in the shorter girl's arms while you watch your favorite comfort movie. “Don’t Jen, me I’m not the one in trouble, you are.” Crossing her arms, you finally notice just how high her anxiety was. Understanding exactly how much stress someone could put themselves under when not knowing the condition of their loved one. You had experienced the same mounting fear when she sprained her ankle on set a year ago.

You sigh, never wanting to make her sick with worry especially when you were fine. “Baby, I’m okay. It’s one broken rib, plenty of people get broken ribs and survive.” 

“I’m just a little sore.” You add, prodding at the growing colors splayed across your abdomen. “And bruised.” Jenna mumbles knowing she’s not gonna get anywhere with you. You grab her hand placing it above your heart. “I’m fine. We got the shot, neither I nor Naomi need to redo it.” 

“She’s doing all your stunts from now on and I mean it.” Jenna gives you her best stern eyes but she knows you, you’re just like her when it comes to things like this. If you can do it yourself then why not? 

“You know I can’t promise that.” Jenna sighs knowing you’re right. She gently wraps you up in a hug, careful not to hurt you further. She’ll have plenty of time to scold you but for now she’d rather get you into bed to rest. “Just take it easy next time, okay? If you need a break, take one.” 

“I will. I promise.” Promising sincerely, your y/e/c eyes boring into her soft brown ones. “Too bad there’s not gonna be a scar though, I heard women love scars.” You tease, breaking the tension.

“Oh my god, please shut up.” Jenna says hiding her face in your neck at your embarrassing statement. Unable to contain her chuckle at your silly excuse for flirting. “I love you, even though you’re a reckless idiot.” 

“Yeah but I’m your reckless idiot.” 

Squeezing her tighter in your hold. “I love you too.”

[sciderman]

and water is wet

[crnl-chicken-tots]

poolverine is hot rod and kup coded to me

[welcometogrouchland]

I miss them so bad (Dick and Damian)

[necrotic-nephilim]

for the ask game

tim creates a clone of kon, but this is dicktim tim has to carry the fetus or breastfeed it, but dick suddenly gets a mommy kink and immediately falls in love

for the ask game!

DICKTIM MOMMY KINK. how did you know i have such a thing for just about any Batcest ship where the other person calls Tim mommy. i don't even know why i just think that shit is so fun.

it'd have to be Omegaverse for me, that's the only scenario i personally could write m-preg. i like the thought of no one knowing that Tim has gone on this crusade. and after 99 failures, Tim's so desperate and angry he tries in vitro fertilization. the first few times it doesn't work so he doesn't take it too seriously, at this point it's just a compulsion. he gets to a point he stops taking the pregnancy tests. so when about a month later, he's experiencing morning sickness and he's missed his heat, Tim has an 'oh, shit.' moment. and well. telling Dick first is his *natural* answer. (i think he'd also go to Steph, but in canon she'd be "dead" at this point) Tim doesn't know what to do, he didn't think he'd get this far. Dick is comforting and grounding, agreeing to help Tim hide this the best he can. Tim has to time it right, fake a bad injury so it makes sense he's benched and wearing baggy sweaters for a few months.

it's platonic at first. Dick is an alpha but his bond with Tim is more of a pack bond and he's just trying to help Tim through this awkward situation he got himself into. (and not laugh at him too much in the process bc well. only Tim. only Tim could manage this.) the pregnancy hormones have Tim all over the place. he's seeking comfort and Dick is trying to keep it platonic and professional, even when he's cuddling Tim or bringing him weird cravings at 2 am. the trust in Dick and Tim's bond makes Dick Tim's only real support system. (also just bc the Titans were a goddamn mess in this era) maybe at some point they tell Bruce the truth but Bruce is dealing with Jason so. bigger fish. it forces them closer as Dick is the only one who can help Tim with the awkward sides of pregnancy. Dick is basically living with Tim and because Tim can't satiate the itch to be in the field (he's tried sneaking out, it earned him a lecture from Dick and a warning that Dick would handcuff him to the radiator if Tim tried that again) so Tim runs comms. for anyone who asks, but mostly for Dick, to the point he's in Dick's ear even when Dick doesn't need the backup, just to keep each other company.

i think, as the pregnancy went on and Tim's chest started to fill out and his hips are bigger, that's when Dick's feeling shift. one second Tim is just his pack, the next Tim is suddenly a very pretty, very vulnerable omega that's Dick is protecting and his wires get all kinds of crossed about it. he starts dousing himself in scent blockers so Tim doesn't notice the change, can't smell how much Dick wants him. which makes Tim annoyed because Dick's scent has been a consistent calming factor keeping the worst of his hormones in check. it'd lead to an awkward fight where Dick is dancing around the truth and Tim just wants to bite him out of anger. finally, Dick admits it and. Tim kind of bluescreens bc sure he's had a crush on Dick for years, but it's sort of like your celebrity crush calling you up and asking for a date. it makes no sense and he can't wrap his head around it. he almost thinks Dick is making fun of him, because Tim is super self-conscious about the pregnancy and mortified he put himself in this situation. it takes a lot of reassurance and a long conversation, but. well, they do end up having sex.

Dick doesn't *mean* to call Tim mommy the first time. he knows Tim hates being emasculated as an omega, and knows Tim is vulnerable about being pregnant. their sex is gentle, no matter how much Tim insists he can take it because Dick doesn't want to hurt the baby, or Tim. it's when Tim finally huffs with annoyance and flips them over -reminding Dick that Tim is still trained and deadly, even like this- to take control and actually get the rough sex he needs right now, when it slips out. there's something just very pretty about Tim taking control and taking what he needs from Dick, but still being whiny and squirmy on top of him. so the first time Dick calls him mommy is an accident and they're *both* startled by just how much they like it. their sex life goes from soft and caring to *very* interesting overnight, where Dick doesn't hide how much he likes Tim's chest. and well. breastfeeding kink. for completely scientific reasons, of course. just to help the milk flow and make sure Tim's body is adjusting well. definitely not bc of the noises Tim makes when Dick does it no sir.

when Tim finally has the clone baby, they're both smitten with this tiny clone. i think they'd end up mating and either say it's Dick's baby or they adopted it. (the lie only works short term bc well, sooner or later that baby's going to start lifting trucks. not to mention Kon does come back to life and is perturbed by how much Tim's kid looks like him.) it's a very cute, fluffy happily ever after sort of deal, with plenty of mommy kink. i think Tim would be huffy and annoyed at how long he'd have to wait for sex bc in my mind, Tim uses sex as a stress relief and is very annoyed when he's deprived of it so, they'd find creative ways around it.

[each-uisge-enthusiast]

every locked tomb cav plays rugby in any modern au btw. issac also plays and him and jeannemary probably tried to petition their school to stop gender segregating the teams bc they wanted to play together. didn’t work (schools really like gender binaries over here) so they ended up joining a local club instead which is honestly just the better option to begin with. magnus only ever played for his local club but likes to tell the kids he swears he could have made the regional team at least (…love you king but probably not). gideon wants to join the black ferns, which is how i justify forcing her to wear all black. camilla absolutely got offered for the regional team (at least) but said no because that seemed like too much fuss. babs has what i’ve dubbed the rugby nose because he’s really good at getting his nose broken and the only reason his entire face isn’t on a lean is because he’s so annoyingly fond of staring at himself in the mirror that he has a bunch of little rituals to keep himself (mostly) symmetrical. colum was sort of a prodigy given that he’s got the resilience of a mule but never got to do anything with that because his weird family started hissing and screaming at the concept of him having personal dreams and aspirations. protesilaus is a mourned hero who was on track to join the all blacks (he was his regional captain) but dropped the sport entirely to spend more time on his family, his garden, and looking after dulcie after she had a nasty little illness flare up. marta. well i have a lesser grasp on her as a person but i think she’s either playing for her local club or regionally i do not believe her willing to make the national team. i think she’d say no. probably locally only, given that i fully believe she has a full time job doing something far too professional for me to comprehend.

[lillymakesart]

my new OC: cempaka!

she is based on the story/universe that my friend @haydardotjpg's OCs indra and yuwei exist in! pls go checkout haydar's art he is amazing!! his ocs can be found more easily on his ig but if you're lazy this is his oc indra (cempaka's one-sided love interest) and yuwei (indra's fated lover)

also, cempaka means "magnolia" in malay!! (she gets a flower name bc my name is lilly which is also flower c:)

bonus first iteration under the cut!

i accidentally had "poinsettia" flower in mind when i did this iteration instead of an actual magnolia, hence the color scheme. but yeah, this is as self-insert as it gets LOL like she's literally MEEEEEE but still very different and i love her as she is <3

[vampireboba]

wanted to share this fic that i have been obsessing over day and night since i read it.. 🥹 i love it sososo much pls give it a read!!! ♡

[seleneprince]

Snape's gang (following the fem! Severus au)

Sevrina Snape-Prince - Slytherin

-Also known as Ina or Rina by her gang and other close friends, like Lucius and Narcissa. None of them call her Sev or Sevy. They have a silent, unspoken agreement about that.

-A magical prodigy, but doesn't get the recognition she deserves (except for her friends)

-Her skills in Potions are unmatched. Not even Slughorn stands at her level. It's a common saying within her friend group that "Seeing Snape brewing something is more terrifying that seeing her with a wand".

-"Give her a cauldron, ingredients, a quiet space, and she'll conquer the world" - Evan Rosier

-Whenever she hears the teachers claiming that a certain feat is "impossible", she takes it as a challenge (and she mostly succeeds)

-She keeps her hair short for the majority of her time in Hogwarts because it was easier to handle. Also, short hair is harder to grab or pull, a lesson she learnt from the Marauders during her first year.

-Dark humour enthusiast. She crackles at the most fucked up jokes and also shares some of her own. It's also her copying mechanism.

-She has a glow-up in her sixth year, when her friends finally step in and force her to take better care of herself (while also distracting her from her fallout with Lily).

-Until fourth year, she didn't comprehend she also liked boys. The bi awakening hit her hard (you can guess who triggered it)

-She has secretly improved multiple potion recipes for her own benefit and to help her friends, and even invented some of her own. Same goes for spells. She's constantly coming up with new ideas and doesn't stop until they become reality.

-She's the kind of girl that would come up with a cure for Blood Curses when she was in the shower, or create an improved version of the Wolfsbane simply because she was bored.

-She's an overachiever. It started as an effect of the harassment and insecurities she faced, making her eager to prove herself that she was better than everyone else. Now it's more of an extension of her own ambition. She just loves the feeling of achieving something.

-During her first years in Hogwarts, she struggled to afford basic tools, like notebooks and clothes. She relied heavily on Lily and any Slytherin kind enough to lend her anything. This also applies to basic hygiene products, which is why her appareance was so neglected initially.

-The main reason her hair often looks greasy it's because of the amount of time she spends brewing, since the smoke of the cauldrons gets in her hair. She combats it by insistently washing her hair afterwards, but it doesn't always fix the problem.

-She and Aurora are the responsible ones. She voices out her disaproval for the others' antics, but rarely stops them. She can be seen standing close, with faux disinterest and a glint of amusement in her eyes. She only intervenes when they're about to hurt themselves or get caught. If there's a chance of Gryffindors becoming collateral damage, that's when she actively joins the games.

-Snape's angry mom voice is well known by the entirety of House Slytherin and they all know that when she uses it, they must listen and obey. Surprisingly enough, Barty Jr and Regulus Black are often spared from this.

-Addicted to coffee, goes crazy if she's deprived of it for more than a day. Since it's forbidden for students, she acquires it from the muggle world and sets up a secret stash that only the gang knows about. Only shares it with Aurora and Evan, and charges them for it.

-She smokes occasionally, either alone or with Mulciber and Avery.

-A natural Occlumens with a proficiency in Legilimency, courtesy of her Prince heritage.

-Has had multiple jobs in the muggle world to substain herself, including illegal ones. She occasionally sells some of her potions illegally in Knockturn Alley too.

-She never does anything for free. If you want her help, you have to pay up. There's little she's not willing to do for money.

-Eventually settles down for a job in a muggle restaurant during the summer, as a chef. Charity, Aurora and Barty become regulars only to ask for the "chef" to come out everytime to praise her. Snape pretends to be annoyed, but she feels warm at the gesture.

Edmund Avery Jr - Slytherin

-Rarely anyone calls him Edmund. He's known as Avery by everyone, including those who've known him before Hogwarts. The gang calls him Ave, or Ed, but this one is rare.

-He doesn't think highly of his father and it's annoyed that he's named after him, so he prefers to be referred to by his family name.

-He suffers from a Blood Curse, the result of a failed ritual one of his ancestors attempted centuries ago. It appears each generation and it's similar to anhemia. He coughs blood and can't engage in physical activities too much, as it strains his body. That includes flying.

-Childhood best friends with Mulciber. He's the only person Avery trusts before the gang is formed. He rather cut off his hand than admit this, but is very emotionally attached to Mulciber.

-He's a mean bitch 24/7. It doesn't matter if you're pureblood or not, he'll insult you and make fun of you simply because he can. He's known for making people cry with few words.

-Calls Snape and Charity "mudblood" on the daily. They're used to it already, but he can't get enough of the horror and anger in other people's faces when they hear him.

-If anyone else calls them that, he laughs at it, but secretly curses that person later. They might be mudbloods, but they are his mudbloods.

-He believes in blood purity, but in a cynical way. While he thinks that pureblood wizards are naturally superior and deserve to have privileges in the wizarding world, he has nothing against half-bloods and muggleborns. To him, it's just the way things are, and there's no reason to hate on people simply for being inferior.

-Which is way he frowns upon those who go out of their way to harass non-purebloods. To him, it's a stupid reason to go after someone and a waste of time.

-He mocks people and hexes them for his own entertainment or for revenge.

-"I only make decisions out of spite or greed"

-His parents have always referred to non-pureblood wizards as "mudbloods", so he's grown to normalize that word. He doesn't see it as a slur, just a regular term for those with muggle blood, and doesn't understand the heavy meaning it carries for those who fall into that category.

-He and Charity have a complex relationship. You can't tell if they really hate each other or if all those insults and death threats are just their love language. If they're not being snarky with each other, they're either talking shit about others together or enjoying Charity's secret stash of weed.

-Smoke buddies with Mulciber and Snape. It only makes his breathing problems worse, but does he care? Absolutely not. And it's not like he would admit his weakness anyway.

-Deeply resentful of his condition and hates being deprived of so many things, so he takes it out on the world and everyone around him. That's the main reason of his assholery.

-Aside from his sickness, his magic presented later than normal, so his parents began to assume he was a squib. They grew cold with him and conceived another son to replace him, a healthy and strong boy whose magic manifested soon enough. They doted on him while Avery watched from the sidelines, slowly being removed from the family's picture.

-All changed when his little brother fell from his broom one day and entered a coma. Their parents tried everything to save him and, in the meantime, Avery's magic awakened and his health improved a little. His brother ended up dying anyway and his parents began to pay more attention to Avery, but he ignored them or brushed off their words.

-It's rumoured that he caused his brother's death to absorb his magic and ensure he was the only heir to the Avery fortune. He has never acknowledged this rumour.

-Hates bright colours, which is another reason he clashes with Charity.

-Dark humour enthusiast #2. He's usually the one telling the jokes while Snape laughs at them.

-Secretly craves the same level of comfortability with skinship and affection as some of his friends, but can't bring himself to join them. Doesn't know how to, so he convinces himself he's above that.

-Raging homosexual. He struggled to accept it at first, not because homophobia, but because he couldn't stand being attracted to anybody.

-Needs a can to walk most of the time. However, he's ready to withstand the pain to run away from consequences or to spite people.

-He and Wilkers are more than friends. They haven't labelled it yet but their friends know and are waiting for the shoe to drop.

Bruce Mulciber - Slytherin

-Also known as Mulci by his friends. Pretty much like Avery, very few people call him by his first name.

-He was named after his uncle, one of Voldemort's first followers, who ended up in Azkaban for his crimes in the First War and lost his sanity. He grew up hearing stories about him, about his "bravery" in fighting for the Dark Lord and the "cleansing" of the wizarding society. As he becomes older, he becomes terrified of ending up like his uncle.

-He feels that naming kids after dead relatives is like placing a curse upon them, as well as an unnecessary heavy weight on their backs

-He and Aurora are distant relatives, both of them being related to the Zabini family. They've known each other before Hogwarts.

-He and Avery have known each other since they were on diapers and they've been glued to the hip since then. He's the one who "translates" Avery when he's being a rude bitch, by just repeating what he said with easier words.

-Group clown #1 and a prankster. When he's not giving the marauders a run of their money with Avery, he's joking around with his friends. Rarely takes anything seriously.

-The tallest of the group, a trait that he makes use of a lot. He also looks older than he really is.

-He has an older sister, who's openly favoured by their parents despite not being the designated heir. She and Mulciber have a cold relationship.

-He uses humour to deflect personal questions and hide how he really feels.

-"If I can laugh about it, then it doesn't hurt"

-Has a dark sense of humour, but it's not really sadistic. He doesn't see the point of inflicting serious pain without a reason.

-He doesn't trust muggleborns, simply because they haven't been raised with the same culture and so he believes they would disrupt the magical society. However, he thinks, if they assimilated the wizarding traditions and left behind the muggle world, he could accept them.

-He feels contempt towards muggles and refuses to interact with them personally. His family has had bad experiences with them in the past and he sees them as destructing creatures that ruin things because of their greed.

-Like Avery, he won't go out of his way to hurt non-purebloods without provocation. He doesn't see the appeal.

-Sees Dorcas more as a sister than his biological one.

-Plays on the Quidditch team as a Beater. He doesn't have the best aim, but makes up for it with his strenght and fluid movements.

-He tends to forget Snape is actually a girl, so he treats her the same as any other dude he's close to and sees nothing wrong in her hanging out with them in "boys activities".

-His friends tend to steal his clothes for themselves because they're so big and warm. He doesn't bat an eye anymore.

-He's a subpar student and struggles a lot, so he gets Snape and Aurora to tutor him.

-It's really attached to Avery and can't imagine a life without him. He doesn't say it, but he's perpetually worried that the blood curse might take him away one day.

-Due to spending a lifetime together, he can sense when Avery is about to have a seizure and knows all the procedures to assist him when this happens.

-Has been weirdly fixated on Mary McDonald since fourth year, much to his embarrasment and his friends' amusement. Because of her muggleborn status, he doesn't dare to approach her but he can't ignore her either.

-In the privacy of the dorms, he's a bit more calm and serious than people think.

Dorcas Meadowes - Slytherin

-Dorky or Dork for her friends. Anyone else that calls her those will get hexed until they cry.

-Plays as a Beater along with Mulciber. Her bludgers always leave marks and she makes it so the pain lasts for a couple of days.

-A mean lesbian

-The only living heir to the Meadowes family, so whoever marries her would have to acquire her surname instead

-She and Marlene McKinnon have a complicated past, and it has led to a tense relationship in the present that not even they can grasp. Both groups of friends try to avoid these encounters.

-Childhood friends with Mulciber and Avery, which means she has also witnessed Avery's seizures as they grew and knows how to handle them.

-Her friendship with Mulciber and Avery is no longer what it used to be, but they still care deeply about each other.

-She doesn't agree with the blood supremacism and bigotry. One of the reasons she distanced herself a bit from her childhood friends.

-Has a lot of friends from other Houses, specially in Hufflepuff.

-She was bethrothed in her second year with a fellow Slytherin classmate. They get along fine but they're not friends. Acknowledging his existence can be uncomfortable for her at times.

-She and Snape hooked up at some on their fifth year, after Slytherin won a match against Gryffindor. Prior that, there had been some intense sexual tension between them for weeks.

-Only the gang knows about this, thought. One of their many little secrets.

-She can be impulsive and reckless, getting into fights for what she believes or simply to defend her pride. There's no between.

-If she thinks she's right, she'll make sure her point gets across and the other person feels stupid for talking back.

-She gets off men's tears

-Fascinated with muggle inventions and eager to know more. She bombards Snape and Burbage with questions at any chance.

-Mostly an average student, but shines in Defense Against the Dark Arts. She's terrible at Transfiguration, though.

-You wouldn't guess she's from a noble upbringing. She's a troublemaker, with a rash attitude, wearing her uniform in a messy manner and curses like a sailor.

-But if the situation calls for it, she knows how to pull off the etiquette and act like a perfect aristocrat lady

-"My mother didn't raise a fool. A psychopath, maybe, but not a fool"

-She's overprotective of her friends and more than willing to beat someone into a pulp for them.

-She's a bit of a tsundere. She bullies her gang constantly and acts like she doesn't care, but the minute they're in minimum danger she's freaking out and ready for war.

-She's open about her sexuality and has never felt asshamed because of it. She only feels frustrated because she knows she wouldn't be able to follow her heart after she graduates.

-She almost ended in Gryffindor, but the hat ultimately decided she was too ambitious and cunning for it.

-Hates Voldemort and the Death Eaters, seeing it as most of her family and friends are being sucked into that cult, while she can only watch. She leaves when someone in the common room brings up the topic, or else big ass fights ensues.

-She's only few inches shorter than Mulciber. She loves the feeling of towering above people and make them nervous.

Evan Rosier - Slytherin

-Only the gang calls him Evan. Snape calls him Eve sometimes.

-Plays as a Chaser in the Quidditch team and it's also the vice-captain. He's considered the best Slytherin has had in years and has beaten records in his broom.

-He's grown up in the centre of a tough succession crisis, where he suffered multiple attempts on his life from his own relatives, and so it forced him into a permanent state of paranoia because he couldn't trust anyone or anything in his family.

-His cousin Pandora was the exception, since they were engaged at that time and so she couldn't benefit from his death, but they didn't talk much until Hogwarts.

-The engagement was called off by their own accord, since they grew to love each other as siblings, which made the idea of marriage disgusting to them. Althought, it's rumoured they had other reasons to do it. More personal reasons.

-When he arrived at Hogwarts, he was a fucked up kid in expensive robes and became known for lashing out at the slighest provocation.

-He was unpredictable and dangerous, like a tickling bomb, and so people stayed away from him, even his fellow Slytherin.

-He met Snape on first year when she sat next to him during some class. He was used to people being too afraid of him to aproach, so he was shocked that someone finally got the never. And a half-blood, no less.

-"I've been treated like a monster for so long that I forgot what it feels like to be looked at as a person"

-He and Snape clicked right away, and he was the first to accept her as a fellow Slytherin despite her blood status.

-He shares the room with Mulciber, Avery and Wilkes. It was a hellish experience at first, due to Evan's paranoia, until they were finally friends.

-He has improved a lot on his trauma, but there are still situations that trigger his extreme survival instincts, like someone touching him from behind.

-For obvious reasons, he's a light sleeper, and keeps his wand under his pillow.

-He also checks everything before eating it, changes the bedsheets himself and basically refuses to let anyone do stuff for him, in case it's manipulated.

-Because of this, he's an hyper-independent person and knows a lot of skills most rich pureblood kids don't, like cooking and cleaning.

-If he even eats or drinks something you made, it means he'll trust you with his life.

-Very protective of Pandora and sensitive to any comments that sound remotely offending towards her. He has sent people to the infirmary in her defense.

-Asking for help it's like saying "i love you" for him. He's admitting vulnerability to someone.

-He's incredibly good in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Again, for obvious reasons.

-His favourite subject is Potions, mostly because he loves watching Snape shine in the class.

-Has been invited to the Slughorn Club, but refuses to accept unless Snape goes too.

-Doesn't really buy into the blood supremacy rethoric, but believes the muggle and wizard world should remain separated and never interact with one another.

-His family trauma has left a permanent mark on him, in the form of sadistic tendencies, insomnia, and a very high pain tolerance.

-Beneath his calm and smooth demeanor, he's still that feral child willing to torn anyone into pieces if he deems it necessary and fantasizes about bathing in his enemies' blood.

-Another dark humour lover, but like, very fucked up. There are times only Avery laughs while the others look at them concerned.

-He's cousins with Bellatrix, Andromeda and Narcissa through his father's side, so he's grown close to House Black.

-Snape and Pandora are the only people who can calm him down when he's mad. He'll only listen to them.

Wilhelm Wilkes - Slytherin

-He prefers to be called just "Will" by his friends. Wilkes is for everyone else.

-They also call him WilWil to mess with him. He shakes his head when they do, but he's instantly smiling.

-Formerly a Durmstang student, until he transferred to Hogwarts in third year, for unknown reasons.

-German father and British mother, so he's fluent in both languages.

-The hat considered putting him in Hufflepuff, but it eventually decided he was better off in Slytherin.

-A cinnamon roll that could and would kill you

-People have a hard time linking him to Slytherin because he's so sweet and kind with everyone all the time. He stays out of trouble and the teachers like him. Younger students look up to him.

-Classy gay that gets along better with girls than with boys, and cares a lot about his appareance.

-Big and bulky, gives the best hugs and makes you feel protected.

-Quidditch team captain and Keeper.

-He and Pandora were bethrothed in third year to unite both families. He wasn't thrilled with the idea, but he prefers Pandora over some stranger. They also have some secret agreement regarding the union.

-He has psychopathic tendencies, but hides them well.

-Sunshine boy. Even Gryffindors are somewhat friendly with him.

-He trips a lot and clashes with things.

-The clumsiness dissapears when he's duelling, though.

-Always in a good mood, greeting everybody when he arrives to class with a huge smile. It's rare to see him serious or angry.

-"Don't mistake my kindness with naïvety. My reluctance to violence doesn't mean I'm uncapable of it"

-The only person that enters History of Magic with a smile and actually asks questions to the teacher. His housemates see this as another proof of his madness.

-He's not as innocent as he looks. He's a Slytherin for a reason.

-The only time his clumsiness dissapears is when he's duelling.

-Secretly, his favourite subject is Herbology. It gives him joy to care for plants and helps him relax.

-Naturally good with children and animals, so the younger slytherins often go to him for help or comfort.

-He and Avery are golden retriever/black cat coded.

-Excuses Avery to people when he offends them and drags him out of the conflicts.

-He often agrees with the boy's mean comments and chuckles with him, but doesn't let it show because of his good boy reputation.

-He sneaks into the girls' dorms a lot to spend time with them and even sleeps there sometimes.

-Due to his good grades and reliable nature, he was chosen to be Prefect.

-Extensive knowledge in Dark Arts, courtesy of Durmstang.

-He rarely gets angry, but when he does, it's absolutely terrifying.

-People have a hard time denying him anything because of his face. His puppy eyes are deadly effective.

-He and Pandora get along great despite their arrangement. He's very fond of her and viceversa, and they both agreed to try make the best out of the situation when it comes to it.

-He's very physically affectionate. Cheek kisses, forehead kisses, hugs, cuddles, cute nicknames. Everything. It's hard to discern when it's platonic or romantic.

-He has a lot of admirers.

-Actually indifferent to violence, unless the victims of it are people he cares about. If he saw a random corpse, he would simply shrug it off and go call someone to check it, or examine it himself out of curiosity.

-He and Avery have an on-and-off relationship, but they always remain fiercely loyal to each other. It's an emotional mess no one else is allowed to meddle with. Unless they want to suffer.

Pandora Rosier - Slytherin

-Mostly known as Dora by her loved ones. She's not as attached to the Rosier name as Evan is.

-She was raised separatedly from the crisis succession mess, in a different house from his relatives. She only saw them all in family dinners, where fights were strictly forbidden.

-The reason for this was that she was born with a rare gift, an extension of Legilimency that allows her to see people's emotions and their thoughts without even trying. This made her very valuable for her family, as they all coveted such gift.

-Which is why she was engaged to Evan. They wanted to ensure the gift remained in the family, away from others.

-Until she learnt how to shut it out, she was constantly hearing everyone's minds at once in her own head and sensing their emotions as if they were her own, overwhelming her to the point of anxiety and several bursts of accidental magic.

-She can also project her own thoughts unto others and show them what she's thinking.

-She knows everything before anyone else does. She's always one step ahead in most situations. Like nothing ever surprises her. She keeps what she knows mostly to herself.

-There are rumours she might be a Seer too, but only a fool would believe that, right?

-She's very introverted and wary of people. Her overprotective upbringing thwarted her social skills, along with her gift.

-Most people who have approached her hadn't done it with genuine intentions, so it fed her general distrust towards others.

-She and Evan didn't have a close relationship until Hogwarts, despite being engaged. They broke off the contract on their first year, despite their family's protests.

-Snape is the first person she hasn't been able to read instantly, which sparkled her curiosity and fascination towards the girl.

-When she found out Snape was a natural Occlumens with a spark of Legilimency, she was delighted at finally meeting someone similar to her in that way.

-But mostly, she was happy to meet someone she could actually get to know like a normal person instead of already seeing everything about them from the first moment.

-This new found obstacle in her gift frustrated her, because she relied on it heavily to navigate the world around her, and also thrilled her, because it was something new for once. A change.

-As they grew closer and began to trust each other, Pandora was able to see more and more of Snape, but only as far as the girl allowed.

-She and Snape talk to each other a lot through their Legilimency. It's common to see one of them chuckling or frowning out of nowhere and throw a knowing look at the other, with no words exchanged.

-Due to her struggles with verbal communication and getting people to understand her, she usually shows her thoughts to Snape or Evan first and then they help her put them into words.

-(She has Helaena Targaryen vibes. If you know her, that's pretty much Pandora's character)

-She's very eccentricy and chaotic, which only fuels people's waryness of her. The only reason she's not downright bullied is because of her family (and Evan).

-Careful, though, she's far from naïve. She's every inch of cunning as any other Slytherin and doesn't forget a slight against her or her loved ones.

-"The thing about always seeing people for what they are it's the never ending amazement of how utterly fake people can be"

-After breaking off the engagement with Evan, her parents hurriedly tried to set her up with another pureblood, pressuring her to accept a good match soon. Out of all the candidates, Wilkes was the only one she remotely liked.

-Her favourite subjects are Astronomy and Divination.

Charity Burbage - Hufflepuff

-Also known as Cherry. Don't you dare call her that if you're not her friend. She'll take it as an insult.

-She comes from a traditional British rich family. Very strict but loving.

-Muggleborn. Doesn't give a shit about being called "mudblood" and would answer to it with a smile just to be petty.

-She's the third of four sisters.

-Her father runs a line of restaurants, one of which is the where Snape works in the summers. After finding out the odd jobs her friend was taking to survive, Charity inmediately got her the job.

-The fact that it gives them the perfect excuse to meet more often during holidays and Charity can boss her around is pure coincidence.

-Looks like a cinnamon roll but could actually kill you #2

-The type to insult someone to their face with such grace that they don't process they're getting insulted until a while passes.

-Gossip queen. She knows everything about everyone, and it has nothing to do with a mysterious gift. She's just nosy and sneaky like that.

-A typical spoiled rich girl with a rebellious vein. A mean girl with an angel-like facade. She's a demon dressed in pastel colours.

-When she's really pissed at someone, all etiquette and grace goes out of the window and unleashes a torrent of curses that shocks even Snape, who's by far the most foul mouthed out of the group.

-"I'm an awful person. But I'm also rich and pretty, so it doesn't really matter"

-Fighting to get Hogwarts their own cheerleader team for the Quidditch matches because c'mon, can't they see how perfect it'll be?

-Also, she would have an excuse to design the uniforms and be the captain, because of course she would be.

-Bisexual. She's dated a lot of people before falling in love with Aurora.

-Charity had no chill and made her interest in Aurora publicidly known when asking her out. But she didn't harass her like J*mes Potter with Lily, until Aurora finally paid attention to her. Instead, she waited patiently as she wooed her and knew when to stop.

-She has a passion for gardening. Her room is fully decorated with different plants and flowers she religiously cares for. Because of this, she possesses an uncanny talent for Herbology, rivalling Professor Sprout herself.

-She's specially proud of the stack of weed she's been cultivating for years behind the teachers' back and that she only takes out for inter-house parties.

-She takes advantage that her common room is right next to the kitchen to sneak in for snacks whenever she wants to or to meet up with Snape when the girl is having insomnia again.

-Because of this, she has befriended some of the elves and knows their names.

-Cares a lot about her appareance and always makes sure to look her best in any situation, including emergencies. The type to take her time to escape during a fire because she doesn't want to be seen on her pyjamas.

-She's the one that gets Snape out of her shell. Convinces her to go out to Hogsmeade with Aurora and herself, drags her out of the library to take breaks, helps her with her social skills and overall just reassures Snape that she also deserves some happiness.

-Very clingy. Skinship comes of as necessary for her as breathing, so she's seen wrapped around people like a koala and cuddling with her friends. It makes her feel loved and safe.

-Knows more about people than she lets on. She has enough shit to blackmail them and even ruin someone's life.

-When she gets really angry, she becomes considerably quiet and uses few words. That's a sign she's plotting your ultimate demise.

-She and Avery have a confusing dynamic. They hate each other most of the time, either arguing or throwing insults whenever they're in close proximity, but they are times where they're civil towards each other in an almost friendly manner. They've been caught getting high together with no one else around, and judging people together as they sit side by side, all like it's an everyday activity for them.

-She enjoys when her friends rant to her about their passions, even if she doesn't always understand theml. She just loves seeing them so open and expressive with her, and she encourages those feelings.

-She aspires to become prefect only to share her duties with Aurora and spend more time with her, but her grades aren't high enough yet. She's constantly bitching about the female prefect because of this.

-She's very, very petty. Doesn't ever forget a slight and goes great lenghts to return the favour.

-Loves pastel colours and country music. You know she's been in the Slytherin common room recently by the colorful pamphlets and flowers she leaves behind to "light up the place" (although she does it mostly to piss off Avery).

-She does ballet since she was little. She practices whenever she has free time and performs in muggle shows. Gets the best seats for the gang, and not even Avery dares to miss a show.

-Because of this, she's very flexible, and combined with her short height, she can fit basically everywhere.

-She convinces the gang to go through a complete self-care routine with her. Face masks, snacks and everything. No one can ever say no.

Aurora Sinistra - Ravenclaw

-Also called Rory by her friends. Charity lovingly calls her Roro sometimes.

-The voice of reason, constantly reminding them what the rules are and warning them when a certain idea is definitely going to get them in trouble. She never tries to stop them tho.

-She's usually the responsible one, but enjoys breaking the rules from time to time too. She blames her friends for being such a bad influence.

-One of the best students at Hogwarts. Straight A and a perfectly clean record. Gets along with the teachers. No one would ever suspect she's done anything wrong in her life.

-She does. Quite often in fact. She's just really good at hiding it.

-The Sorting hat considered putting her in Slytherin, but her thirst for knowledge eventually placed her in Ravenclaw.

-She excells at Astronomy and Ancient Runes, two of the hardest subjects in school. Hence why she's considered a brilliant student.

-Her long-term dream is to become a teacher at Hogwarts, specifically the Astronomy teacher. The short-term dream is to win Ravenclaw the House cup.

-She was selected as a prefect by both the teachers and her classmates.

-Lesbian. She kept a low profile about it until she fell in love with Charity.

-They met in a study group, on their third year. They clicked instantly, despite their differences, and became close friends quickly. They found every chance to meet up and spend time together.

-When she realized she had a crush on Charity, she panicked for a moment because she was afraid of ruining their friendship, and she wasn't ready to come face to face with her sexuality yet.

-Until Charity confessed her own feelings too and decided to make her courting with Aurora as publicidly as she could.

-Seeing Charity being so open about her love and her own identity gave her the confidence to embrace herself too, and so that's how they began.

-Her mother was born in the Zabini family, just like Mulciber's mother. She's particularly close to Belladonna Zabini (Blaise Zabini's mother), who sees herself as a mentor figure for Aurora while they're at Hogwarts and a big sister for Mulciber.

-It was Belladonna who introduced her to the intricate art of poisons and ancient runes. Aurora goes to her whenever she needs a certain substance for her own plans.

-Comes from a very rich, privileged background, but she was still taught the importance of hard-work and sacrifices. She knows that, in order to achieve her goals, she needs to earn them first.

-Charity introduced her to muggle shows and now she's obsessed with them. She's working a way to bring electronic devises to Hogwarts purely to have a TV where she can watch them.

-She befriended Snape when Charity brought her to one of their study group sessions. Instead of being put off by the girl's snarky nature, she found her entertaining and a worthy intellectual rival.

"Attempted murder. Can you imagine how would that look in my reference letter? Everyone would know that I failed at the task"

-She already met Snape in their second year, when they were paired together for a Potions project. Aurora has always known of Snape's intelligence and respected her for it. The only reason she didn't reach out earlier was the girl's obvious retinance to anyone that wasn't Lily Evans or a fellow Slytherin.

-She never starts a fight, but she knows damn well how to finish one.

-When she wants to get back at someone, she doesn't do it right away. She waits it out, letting the person think it has been forgotten, and when they moved on, she surprises them with a carefully planned out revenge that they wouldn't recover from in a while.

-She and Snape sneak into the Restricted section of the library together whenever they can. They haven't been caught yet.

-She also loves research and developing new runes or spells. As long as she's gaining knowledge, she doesn't care if it's morally correct.

-If you want to do something forbidden or morally wrong, she's the person to go. She won't stain her hands for you, but she'll tell you step by step how to do it.

-She and Mulciber met through Belladona, but became closer when they both joined the gang.

Bartemius "Barty" Crouch Jr - Slytherin

-Or if Daddy Issues was a person.

-His father has always been an absent but extremely demanding figure in his life and his mother tries her best to make up for it. It's not enough.

-He's completely, one hundred-percent devoted to be the best at everything so he can impress his father and win his approval. It's the thing he craves the most.

-He met Regulus on the train and talked his ears off the whole ride. They've been inseparable since then.

-He arrived at Hogwarts touch-starved and insecure, so when second year Snape showed him some kindness without second intentions, he glued himself to her and the gang like a lost puppy.

-If he decides to befriend you, he's going to do so. You cannot escape. He got all his friendships by annoying the shit out of them until they relented.

-"Bad attention is better than no attention at all"

-As a result of his lonely upbringing, he's actually very socially awkward and doesn't understand most social cues. He genuinely thinks that friendships are made when someone picks a person and "brands them" as their friend.

-ADHD. Since these disorders aren't widely known in the magical world, everyone just assumed that Barty was lazy sometimes and purposely loud. His parents considered him another case of a difficult child and tried to suppress that kind of behaviour by strict means.

-Despite this, he's managed to be a brilliant student and never get anything beneath an Outstanding in all subjects.

-He has hexed himself a few times to force his brain to concentrate at the task, but he only hurts himself and worsens everything.

-His friends helped him come up with methods that allowed him to concentrate in a way his brain could handle. He feels less stressed and anxious thanks to it, but he still puts a lot of pressure over himself.

-He and Snape bonded over their terrible fathers. Barty tries to defend his, while Snape straight out calls both men out on their shit.

-Has hyperfixations and struggles to keep his mind on just one thing at a time. Physically uncapable of staying put in one place for long. He needs to be moving and doing things.

-It's a vital rule in the gang to never let him taste coffee.

-He knows a lot of silly facts about all kind of topics he gets fixated on and he'll rant about them for hours to whoever is willing to listen. Usually Regulus.

-He was expected to end up in Ravenclaw, just like his parents and most members of his family. Him getting sorted in Slytherin was received with dissapointment in his house, particularly his father.

-He's been physically punished when he displeases his father or his performance isn't good enough to his standards.

-Loves quidditch and really wants to join the Slytherin team, but his father doesn't approve because "i'll distract him from his duties", so he simply goes to every match he can to watch.

-(He's canonically the only character to have taken 12 OWLs. Not to mention he managed to fool Dumbledore himself when he was posing as Alastor Moody and also manipulated the entire Triwizard Tournament so Harry could win, and no one suspected a thing. Boy is a fucking genius)

-Speaking of which, he and Snape are friendly academic rivals, like Aurora. They're constantly trying to outdo the other in class and get the most points.

-He and Regulus look up to Snape a lot and see her as an older sibling figure. In Barty's case, almost a maternal figure.

-The one thing he wants most in the world is validation. He spends every breathing moment in his life seeking it and drinking the smallest drops he gets of it. Seriously, anyone that shows him some sort of approval, will instantly win him over.

-His aspires to follow his father's footsteps and become a Minister, most likely to take his place after he retires.

-Takes his studies very seriously and gets mad when people distract him from his homework or studying sessions.

-Gay. Homosexual. Gay.

-His worst fear is dissapointing people.

-Panic attacks are to be expected during exams week and when doing homework. Or when his father mails him after the seeing the results. Or right before he returns to his house.

-He's been conditioned to turn away from any source of entertainment or superficial interests because "he can't afford getting distracted". Now he'll gladly join his friends in any fun activity they propose and plan them (as long as his father doesn't hear about it)

-Indifferent to the pureblood supremacy rethoric, although a bit prejudiced due to his father's teachings. He doesn't care if someone is a muggleborn or half-blood, but can be condescending towards them without realizing.

-A lot of repressed anger that's bound to explode.

Regulus Arcturus Black -Slytherin

-Reg or Reggie for his loved ones. No one outside them is allowed to call him that. Unless they don't mind getting hexed.

-Was kind of a little shit when he arrived to Hogwarts. Snobby, arrogant, and prejudiced, pretty much like Draco. He slowly improves with the gang's influence, but not too much.

-The Seeker in the Quidditch team. He's good at it, but not exceptional.

-Contrary to popular belief, the Blacks aren't really royalty among purebloods, but they consider themselves as such. Regulus is no different.

-He's grown up spoiled and without ever having to lift a finger for anything. The type of rich guy that thinks dirtying his hands for something is below him, so convinces other people to do it for him.

-He used to be close with Sirius growing up, since they spent all their time together and they were still too innocent about the world they lived in. The relationship grew strained when Regulus started to envy Sirius' position and the latter began to reject the family's beliefs.

-By the time Regulus arrived to Hogwarts, they were more like acquaintances than anything. Sirius had his friends already, all of them so utterly different from the people Regulus was supposed to mingle with, and that was it.

-Deep down, he feels sad for having lost the contact with his brother, but comforts himself that "Sirius made his choice".

-One of the reasons he stood up with his parents against Sirius during the disagreements, besides the fact he genuinely agreed with them on their beliefs, was because he didn't want them to get mad at him too. He never understood why Sirius just couldn't play along and make thing easier for everybody.

-His relationship with his mother is loving but complicated. He cares deeply for her and values her opinion a lot, but he feels her love for him is transactional. It'll exist for as long as he remains a good son in her eyes, and if he dissapoints her, she'll turn her back on him.

-Because the concept of hard work hasn't been drilled into him and he's used to get what he wants easily, he's not really a great student. He manages well enough so his parents don't get mad at him.

-He looked down on Snape at first, since she's a half-blood and so he believed her sole presence tainted Slytherin's prestige. Seeing how talented she was, surpassing him and many other purebloods, made him dislike her even more, because she defied everything he was raised to believe and defend ("purebloods are naturally superior and blah blah")

-He began to look at her differently when he saw Narcissa took the girl under her wing and openly doted on her. If his cousin deemed the half-blood worth of her attention, he trusted her judgement.

-Slowly, he grew to begrudgingly respect Snape and trust her. He still has prejudices and struggles to see her as an equal, but they're getting there.

-Deep down, he cares a lot about Snape and thinks of her as family. Although he much rather face a Crucio than admit this.

-While his views regarding half-bloods and muggleborns aren't quite the same as they were in his first year, he still believes firmly in pureblood supremacy and sees the non-pureblood wixen as second class citizens.

-Thinks that there should be separated schools for pureblood and those who aren't. This way, it'll all follow the "natural order".

-He avoids talking to Sirius, but when they cross paths, they usually throw snarky comments to the other.

-He plays a big role in helping Barty out of his shell and pushes him to have fun. In return, Barty motivates him to work harder.

-He and Barty are glued to the hip. You'll rarely see one without the other.

-Physically, he takes a lot after his mother.

-Always dressed in the finest clothes and using the most expensive tools. Appareances are a must for him.

-He and Wilkes are the only ones that genuinely enjoy doing Charity's self-care routines. Might be the only muggle thing he doesn't disapprove of.

-Doesn't know how to swim, but can keep himself afloat. He refuses to learn because "a man of his status doesn't need to learn such skills".

-Quite an egocentric, due to his upbringing.

-Secretly, he likes being coddled, but it's too embarrassed and proud to let it happen.

-He claims to find pranks childish and unbecoming of a pureblood heir, but he actually loves them. He'll cough and turn his head away to hide his reactions.

-Very close to the Black sisters, specially Narcissa. Refuses to admit it, but felt heartbroken when Andromeda left.

-He likes the Rosier cousins too, with Pandora being one of his best friends.

-He used to dream about becoming heir and prove he was better than Sirius, but when it finally happened, he realized such title came with new responsabilities and expectations he never had to face before, and he's not sure he can keep up with it.

-He can be very possessive with people and has a hard time "sharing" them.

[almonddirge]

I love how MXTX plays with perception vs reality of characters. Wei Wuxian is introduced on page not through narration but first through hearsay. People can’t even agree on what the truth is about him, and we don’t learn the full story until well into MDZS.

There are many examples across all three novels but I love how she wrote it for Mu Qing specifically.

Not only are there things like him canonically haunting the dreams of people who make ugly statues of him and him literally pretending to be his own subordinate to avoid facing Xie Lian as himself, but also the rumors. Much like Wei Wuxian, there’s a lot of murk around what he actually has or hasn’t done. Unlike Wei Wuxian, though, it’s never fully cleared up. (At least, to the best of my memory.)

We see that Hua Cheng resents Mu Qing for kicking him out of the army, but we never see why. Was it for Hua Cheng’s good? Was it resentment?

Did Mu Qing kill Jian Lan? He says he didn’t, but no everyone believes him. I don’t know. We aren’t meant to know everything about Mu Qing. It makes him all the more fascinating to me.

There are things that are cleared up about him, like him not being Cuocuo’s father and him no stealing the red pearl earring, but I find it more fascinating when we just don’t know.

[joeytime]

Maxiel Hogwarts Au...

If you asked Max what he thought of Hogwarts, he would likely make a joke about pigs and insult their quidditch teams.

He isn't sure it's smart to do that now, in the middle of the Hogwarts' grand hall, completely surrounded by Hogwarts' students and staff. He isn't sure he could escape even if he had his broom.

"Wow, you really hate Hogwarts." The dreaded hat says atop his hair.

Shut up! Max thinks furiously at it. Get out of my head!

Everyone stares intensely at Max, not daring to breathe while the fate of the member of the national quidditch team is being decided. Even the teachers are at the edge of their seats, other than Dumbledore, he seems to know where Max will inevitably end up.

"Little quidditch champion. Everyone is expecting" The hat says, as if it's life of forever moving from head to head to call one of four words is somehow a greater destiny than Max's.

It's not. Max knows he will go on to succeed in life, and win as many quidditch championships as he wants and then retire on an island in The Maldives with a butt load of cash while the hat is left in a dusty room, waiting for it's yearly use. Max wants to reach to rip it up but it would not be wise to do so in front of Dumbledore himself. His hands stay in his lap, frown etched on his face.

"Impatient. Immature." Max's fingers twitch slightly. There is only so much backtalk one can take from a hat.

"Violent and uncaring, wherever will I put you?" Max doesn't agree with that description, he cares plenty, about winning that is.

"Foolish. Foolish boy." It doesn't hurt, Max has heard those words plenty of times.

Max sulks.

It's a beat of silence before the suspense reaches its climax. "Hufflepuff! " The hat hollers, not bothering to consult Max on it's decision. Which is very rude and impolite.

The entire room erupts into chaos, screams of "What! " and "No way! No way!" echo throughout the hall.

Max can't help but agree, he thought he might end up in Gryffindor or Slytherin, maybe Ravenclaw if he was super unlucky. But Hufflepuff? His father was going to disown him. The media are going to have a field day. Well they were going to already, regardless of which house Max was put in.

Dumbledore moves to pull the hat off of Max, the treacherous thing whispers one last time: "Things will make sense in time. Be patient. Do not mope."

Max doesn't mope. Verstappens can't mope, so he doesn't.

Dumbledore gently guides a slightly speechless Max to the Hufflepuff table, pushing him into the seat before winking and walking off.

Max wants to burn down this school.

Cheers erupt from the Hufflepuff table, hands coming to pat him on the back and fawn over him.

The other tables seem miserable at the prospect of losing out on a quidditch champion.

"Oh my god! Hi! Hi! Oh my god! It's you!" A boy excitedly chatters to his left, other students crowd around him and Max suddenly finds that he can't breathe. It's like he's small again, after being knocked off his broom by an overly excited big kid. He had fallen to the ground, too exhausted and overwhelmed to get back up.

His father had been mad, really mad. He hadn't slept well again after that.

"Guys! Guys! He doesn't look so good. " Whoever that is, is definitely right, Max can hardly breathe, he tries to use the breathing technique his father taught him after his first match, control his breathing. It doesn't work, it only causes the panic and urgency in his veins to surge. It did work, it's purpose was to put him on guard, not calm down.

He curls into himself, hands around his ears to protect from the deafening sound of crowds cheering. His bubble of personal space is of course pried and poked at. Fans never had any self awareness when it came to these matters and his father never did have sympathy for personal space.

Hands are pried away from him, he can hear outraged screeching at the action. His own quidditch team's screams when he was 6 years old and pulled away to join the older kids. They thought it wasn't fair that a small boy climbed the ranks faster than they did.

"Hey! Hey! Everyone back up right now!" The entire opposing team bombarding him in an attempt to stop him. The referee's reprimand that fell on deaf ears.

The people at his sides are replaced and gentle hands hold him back up, out of the ball he curled himself into.

Max doesn't dare look up, too afraid at the thought of seeing his father's judgemental look.

"Hey, are you okay? " Max turns his head, soft, gentle, warm eyes, concerned. Jos was never concerned, he was the uncaring one! Not Max!

"I'm fine. " A repeated response, practiced again and again every time he came home to his mother.

The teen with the soft eyes gestures for another boy to sit on Max's other side. The boy opposite Max looks on in concern.

"Hello. I'm Daniel Riccardo, I'm a prefect of Hufflepuff, it's nice to meet you." The gentle boy says, eyes still filled with concern.

"Max Verstappen. " Max manages to choke out.

"The boy on your left is Yuki Tsunoda and that's Lando Norris." Daniel gestures to the boy sitting opposite Max, who waves shyly.

The ruckus Max's sorting caused calms down and everyone settles down to listen to Dumbledore's welcome back speech which luckily does not mention Max.

Max feels strange between Riccardo and Tsunoda, like dread wrapped in false cotton. Norris also peers at him from time to time, creep.

They're sent back to their dorms. Max tells Riccardo that he can get there on his own but the older boy frowns and insists that he takes Max. Max thinks his father would be disappointed at his complacency but he doesn't have the strength to fight it.

Riccardo leads him to the kitchen, Max wants to snap some insult about him being a goody two shoes and how this is none of his business. He holds his tongue.

Riccardo gestures to a specific barrel, looking more worn out than the ones around it. He taps a certain beat, perhaps it's a secret code. That's childish, Max decides, they are not children playing in a fort.

The barrel swings open.

Max grimaces at the small tunnel.

"Here, you try tapping it." Riccardo puts Max's hand to the barrel.

Max repeats the rhythm perfectly. Memory exercises were part of his training.

Once Riccardo is satisfied, he points at the tunnel, almost as if he wants Max to crawl through it.

Max scrunches his nose, seriously? The older boy points more urgently and Max relents, shoving himself through the tunnel.

Well, not shoving, he's not really big, a fact his father loathed, putting him on diets with large sums of proteins and even attempting to use transfiguration spells before it was put to a stop by his mother.

Max wished his mother had not stopped his father. Maybe he would have an excuse not to join this god forsaken house.

It's an agonizing 5 second crawl before he pops out the other end right in front of Lando Norris, the boy before.

Daniel appears behind him, putting a hand on Max's shoulder.

"So Max, this is the Hufflepuff house. You know Yuki and Lando. That's Oscar, Nico and Valtteri." Riccardo urges the boys to come forward.

"It's Verstappen. " Max declares, Riccardo quirks an eyebrow and the rest of the boys look equally confused.

"Hi! I'm Lando! I'm like a huge fan, do you mind signing this for me? " The boy's yellow robes are somehow orange.

Max's PR training kicks in and he smiles one of those sickly sweet smiles that his father loves to wipe off his face before ordering him to smile again. His posture straightens and he reaches a hand around the younger boy's shoulders, patting him on his back once, twice. Just like he rehearsed.

"Sure! " His tone is so obviously a faux sweet as he reaches to retrieve the black marker from his back pocket. The boy has stars in his eyes and Max feels guilty, he always does. He's a fraud.

He signs the hat from his national team, the one he left behind.

He wishes he didn't.

"Hey, are you okay Max? " Riccardo asks, looking weird again.

"I'm doing great, how are you? " His PR trainer said asking back these questions were endearing, cute. Max's father had mocked him for that act, his trainer had been fired after that.

"How about I bring you to your room? Would you like that?" Riccardo asks, Max smiles again, nodding.

"Sure." Norris waves enthusiastically as Riccardo leads him out of the common room and into his private room.

"Are you alright? Max?"

"Call me Verstappen."

"Verstappen. Are you alright?"

"You can go, Riccardo. "

"... Call if you need anything."

When the prefect leaves, Max wants nothing but to burst into tears. He flops onto the bed.

The next day he drags himself out of bed. Even if classes don't start till 9 and the sun hasn't risen yet.

Jos expected him to continue his strict training regime. He was almost tempted to skip it and lie to his father but he thought he better not after his humiliating sorting from yesterday.

Now, alone, Max can see the Hufflepuff room properly. It's... It's all gentle lighting, none of the bright fluorescent lights his room had. The chairs looked comfy and the many plants lazing around the common room tempts him to join them.

Perhaps that would be a better fate, turning into a plant to live the rest of his life in the common room. His hand lingers on his wand, mind on a spell his professor taught him when he was just 9. He didn't.

When he had crawled out of the Hufflepuff room, fully dressed, broom in hand, the sun was just peaking from the horizon.

The halls are empty, some portraits mutter as he walks by. His father's portraits never moved, other than those instructed to. For example, a painter that never stopped moving his brush or a surfer never to take a break from the sea.

Making his way to the Hogwarts field, he stretched, slow and patient. His bones crack from the exhausting day he had before.

The field is decent sized, not as big as the one he played in during national championships, bigger than the one his father made him run laps around till he fainted.

He glides through the air easily, flying comes easily to him. If he were to be given his own time and freedom he thinks he would likely still be a top player in the school leagues.

It's better that he was hurled up though. Better to have reached the top by sheer force of his father's training.

He thinks about his national team, he's a reserve, too young to play officially but the team has him in some practices and he attends smaller competitions for them. Max suspects it's more about having a claim on Max when he comes of age.

He's 15, he still has 3 years to choose which team he wants to go to. By then, he will make his own choice. He will not do whatever pleases his father anymore.

The golden snitch twinkles near the end of the field. Max pretends not to see it.

It is fun, sometimes, tricking the golden snitch, allowing it a false sense of security. Like a tiger cub playing with a cricket.

His father would get mad at him if he did it for too long, he was upset his son couldn't catch it at once. Which Max could, he just didn't see the fun of it.

The fluttering golden ball is in his hands before it can even think of escaping.

Max briefly wonders if the snitch can possibly think, he lets it flutter away, repeating his game once again.

In the golden light of the sun and shaded path of the clouds, the wind whizzes past his ears, he falls into the familiar rhythm of flying, sometimes he makes his own obstacle courses, weaving through imaginary hoops.

By the time the sun reveals itself fully to watch Max fly, he realizes that a crowd has gathered around under him, star-struck Hogwarts students watching, mouths open and everything.

He flushes slightly, he may have had many adoring fans due to his membership in the national team and young age but come on! These were his peers.

Max lowers down, checking his watch to see that it is indeed 8.30am and he has to run if he wants to get to class not drenched in sweat.

He waves slightly to the crowd, zipping to the house dorm even though he's probably breaking several school rules.

He knocks the tune and enters quickly, still high from the adrenaline of flying.

He climbs out of the tunnel only to come face to face with Daniel Riccardo, his face stern and stony.

"Verstappen! You can't just sneak out like that!" Daniel's expression softens when he sees Max.

Max knows he feels pity even if Riccardo knows nothing about his life.

"I of course did not sneak out, I left my room and went to the field." Max doesn't think early hour training counts as sneaking out, going to parties in the dead of the night is sneaking out.

"Max, we were worried. I went into your room and you weren't there. Thought you'd been kidnapped by the other houses to play quidditch for them or something... "

Max considers this briefly, Riccardo knocking on his door gleefully, freezing when he doesn't get an answer. Did his blood pressure spike? Did he throw Max's door open in desperation only to find the room empty?

Max grimaces.

"I went to go training... Sorry..." Max stands awkwardly, hands by his side like a child being punished by a parent.

Riccardo sighs. Max wants to cry.

"Please forgive me, I'm of course sorry, I will do anything!" Max cringes inside, begging with someone other than his father is a foreign concept.

Riccardo has a cheeky smile on his face, Max is almost scared.

"I'll forgive you... Only if you call me Daniel!"

Max groans inwardly, well he's also partly relieved but Daniel doesn't need to know that.

"What will it be Max? Will you call me the d word? Or will you suffer in my never ending spite! "Daniel's grin grows.

" Fine. "

" Fine, who? "

"Fine. Daniel."

Max flushes, weird.

Daniel looks elated.