#matilda's mail

[now-imstruggling-tofreemyself]

hello,,, *waves awkwardly*

hi!!!!!!!!!

[jiminrings]

Miss Hannah aka jiminrings I have to kiss your pretty brain for giving us a free fic (stopped my subscription bc I’m broke rn, RIP😔🤞🏽) but also I have to vent on my ig’s cf right now bc with all due respect your mc’s and the boys too be pissing me tf off, like Jungkook’s grown ass can’t understand the mc is his partner not his child? like bitch what lesson can you teach me? how to change the weather? Boy bye. But nonetheless we got sugar daddy jin endgame who is approved by everyone in the fic and myself

no worries at all friend 🫡 LMFAOOOOOOOOO THANK U THANK U THANK YEWWWWW FOR LETTING ME DEBUT IN UR IG CF!!!! matilda jungkook is absolutely himself (derogatory) n Trust that second lead jin will be doing more than second leading heh !!!!

[vamphorica]

How would a female Mello, matt, and Near be?

absolutely wonderful question, anon, thank you so much. if you've been on my blog for any length of time, it is probably not surprising that i've given this a lot of thought and, putting aside my intricate transgender speculations for the time being, let's gender swap the wammy's creatures, and consider how that could impact their narratives within death note.

note: i will still be referring to all three using he/him pronouns, but this is not intended to be intentionally contrary. feel free to substitute whatever pronouns your heart desires throughout.

♀ mello -> mihaela may be a little bit obvious, haha, but if mihael is a croatian name that means 'who is like god', and we need to retain the letter 'm' for obvious reasons, i think it works well as a feminine alternative name. mello is relatively androgynous as an alias, if not slightly masculine, but i think it is fine given what i'm about to talk about.

mello's canonical gender expression is already nonconformative, so it is interesting to speculate what he would he look like if he were a girl. one of my absolute favourite genderbent depictions of mello is this piece by thekatzone because it still retains mello's visual ambiguity but in the opposite direction. i do think he would dress more masculine as a woman not only because his subversive appearance is a very significant aspect to his character, but also because of how it might relate to his position in the mafia.

mello spends a significant amount of time in the manga and anime in hypermasculine environments despite his presentation, and i think it is important to retain this idea even if he were to be genderbent. i do think mello would have had a much harder time, if it was at all possible, in attaining a leadership position within the mafia as a woman. the women who frequent the base are implied to be sex workers, and so i'm genuinely curious as to whether mello would have felt able to approach the organisation as a masculine presenting woman, or whether he'd seek out a different group. in which case, what would that group be? would he have been able to effectively carry out his insane plans in the same capacity?

i have very little doubt mello would still have been ambitious, but i actually don't think that he would have been able to pursue his goal to catch kira before near as he went about it in the series. certainly light would not have taken him seriously if the voice he heard down the phone was higher pitched, and that alone could have greatly impacted how sayu's kidnapping played out, as underestimating mello could have easily resulted in her death.

♀ matt -> apparently mail as a name means 'pleasant', and that is very funny to me. i quite like the name maille, which is irish, so fits nicely with a vague headcanon i haven't fully developed. i also learnt it is the name for a brand of mustard, and i think he would appreciate that. matt as a pseudonym might have to be changed to matilda, or martha.

while i am under no illusion that matt would be the kind of girl to give a shit about their appearance, i do think in another life, he would have made an excellent e-girl twitch streamer. i can imagine him wearing cat ear headphones and miniskirts, and referring to "chat" every five seconds. rest in peace, mail, you would have loved twitch subs.

regarding matt's gender identity in the canon series, i think that it worth considering how he might have responded differently to surveying others as a woman rather than as a man. i think matt's approach to watching others is very informed by his own personal biases, which I think are definitively masculine. The most clear example of this is how he describes misa as "an awfully cute japanese girl" which, while isn't necessarily the worst thing said about a woman in this godforsaken series, demonstrates that matt's perspective on women is superficial at best. this isn't helped either by the fact that he completely fucks up when guessing misa's age, even going so far as referring to her as a "child".

i think a female matt would probably feel the most overwhelmed of the three by societal expectations of women, and may even distance himself away from femininity. i'm not trying to suggest here that matt's comments imply he's misogynistic, but i actually think matt is the most masculine of the wammy's kids, which may be controversial, i don't know. i believe that he retains his masculine personality in this genderbent scenario.

♀ near -> i love the japanese pronunciation of near's name, nia, as a girl's name that he could use as an alias. natania has the same meaning as nate – 'gift of god' – which does not match his character at all, haha, but that is what i managed to come up with.

near is the easiest to consider gender swapping because to me, he's a girl anyway. you can point to his female voice actors in the anime, or his long hair in the 2020 manga one-shot, but he is also so clearly coded as a feminine character, a contrast from not only mello's aggressive impulsivity, but the masculine environment of law enforcement. with halle as a notable exception (who herself is very masculine, but another post, perhaps), near is markedly different from every other character in the series. some might say he resembles his predecessor, but i think they are very distinct from one another as characters.

my personal opinion relating to mello and near's gender identities (which you may disagree with) is that mello expresses his gender ambiguity externally whereas near does so internally. essentially, if we interpret them both as androgynous, mello's appearance is far more expressive of this, whereas near's behaviour is his more nonconformative trait. this can be a slightly tricky area to navigate as it's important not to dive headfirst into gender essentialism, but i think near's mannerisms can, and should, be explored here.

girl near would still be able to work as head of the spk, without the disadvantages girl mello would face to become head of the mafia. i really don't think there would be much in the way of significant plot deviance if near was female, other than maybe light freaking out over the fact he was caught by a woman, which would be very funny. in the one shot, near's internal androgyny has manifested itself as a more external expression, and i really like that decision.

to conclude, i do love the concept of the wammy's girls, and i think it invites some interesting discussions relating to how femininity is often dismissed in death note. there's a lot of creativity in genderbending characters. mello, matt and near each have complex and interesting traits that are very fun to explore when thinking about them from this perspective.

[autumngracy]

October Movies Watchlist

Cozy Autumn Vibes

When Harry Met Sally (1989)

You've Got Mail (1998)

Mona Lisa Smile (2003)

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Clue (1985)

The Good Witch (1999)

Autumn in New York (2000)

Legends of the Fall (1994)

Dead Poets Society (1989)

October Sky (1999)

Big Fish (2003)

The Lake House (2006)

Rip in Time (2022)

Little Women (2019)

Knives Out (2019)

Anne of Green Gables (1985)

Cider House Rules (1999)

Remember the Titans (2000)

Nostalgic & Kid-Friendly:

The Halloween Tree (1993)

Matilda (1996)

The Iron Giant (1999)

Halloweentown (1998)

Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (2001)

Halloweentown High (2004)

Return to Halloweentown (2006)

James and the Giant Peach (1996)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

Monsters University (2013)

Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie (2005)

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

Pagemaster (1994)

Into the Woods (2014)

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Don't Look Under the Bed (1999)

Spirited Away (2001)

Mary and the Witch's Flower (2017)

The Corpse Bride (2005)

A Monster in Paris (2011)

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022)

Coraline (2009)

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)

The Karate Kid (1984)

The Last Unicorn (1982)

Jumanji (1995)

Earnest Scared Stupid (1991)

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation (2018)

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (2022)

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

Twitches (2005)

Twitches Two (2007)

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

Little Monsters (1989)

The Witches (1990 or 2020 remake)

Labyrinth (1986)

The Gate (1987)

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)

Mom's got a Date with a Vampire (2000)

The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)

The Little Vampire (2000)

Haunted Mansion (2003)

Muppets Haunted Mansion (2021)

The Dark Crystal (1982)

Beetlejuice (1988)

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)

Five Nights at Freddy's (2023)

It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

Hocus Pocus (1993)

The Addams Family (1991)

The Addams Family Values (1993)

The Addams Family (2019)

The Addams Family 2 (2021)

ET (1982)

Return to Oz (1985)

Paranorman (2012)

Monster House (2006)

Toy Story of Terror! (2013)

The Scream Team (2002)

Double, Double Toil and Trouble (1993)

The Secret of NIMH (1982)

Ghostbusters (1984)

Ghostbusters II (1989)

Ghostbusters (2016)

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

Wolfwalkers (2020)

The Secret of Kells (2009)

Song of the Sea (2014)

Goosebumps (2023)

Goosebumps 2 (2018)

The Goonies (1985)

Casper (1995)

Disney's Tower of Terror (1997)

Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman (2000)

Mad Monster Party (1967)

Wendell & Wild (2022)

Under Wraps (1997)

Under Wraps (2021)

Phantom of the Megaplex (2000)

Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School (1988)

Scooby Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf (1988)

Scooby Doo on Zombie Island (1998)

Scooby Doo and the Witch's Ghost (1999)

Scooby Doo and the Alien Invaders (2000)

Zombies

Zombieland (2009)

Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)

Autumn (2014)

The Wailing (2016)

The Night Eats the World (2018)

The Dead Don’t Die (2019)

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse (2015)

City of the Living Dead (1980)

The Beyond (1981)

The House by the Cemetery (1981)

Rec (2007)

Rec 2 (2009)

Quarantine (2008)

Quarantine 2: The Terminal (2011)

28 Days Later (2002)

28 Weeks Later (2007)

Train to Busan (2016)

Seoul Station (2016)

Cemetery Man (1994)

World War Z (2013)

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Shawn of the Dead (2004)

Zombi (1978)

Zombi 2 (1979)

Zombi 3 (1988)

The Plague of the Zombies (1966)

Resident Evil (2002)

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010)

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2017)

Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)

Vampires & Werewolves

Dracula (1931)

Dracula's Daughter (1936)

Horror of Dracula (1958)

The Brides of Dracula (1960)

Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

The Empire of Dracula (1967)

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968)

Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970)

Count Dracula (1970)

Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)

The Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)

Scars of Dracula (1970)

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Van Helsing (2004)

Last Voyage of The Demeter (2023)

Renfield (2023)

Vampyr (1932)

Mark of the Vampire (1935)

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)

The Vourdalak (2023)

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)

What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

Interview With the Vampire (1994)

Queen of the Damned (2002)

Dark Shadows (2012)

Abigail (2024)

Blade (1998)

Blade II (2002)

Blade: Trinity (2004)

Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)

Fright Night (1985 or the 2011 remake)

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

I am Legend (2007)

Daybreakers (2009)

The Lost Boys (1987)

Salem's Lot (1979)

30 Days of Night (2007)

Underworld (2003)

Underworld: Evolution (2006)

Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (2009)

Underworld: Awakening (2012)

Underworld: Blood Wars (2016)

The Howling (1981)

Ginger Snaps (2000)

Werewolf of London (1935)

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

Silver Bullet (1985)

The Company of Wolves (1984)

Howl (2015)

Moon of the Wolf (1972)

Dog Soldiers (2002)

The Wolfman (1941)

The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)

The Wolfman (2010)

Slashers

Psycho (1960)

Candyman (1992 or 2021 remake)

Pearl (2022)

X (2022)

Child's Play (1988)

Child's Play 2 (1990)

Child's Play 3 (1991)

Bride of Chucky (1998)

Seed of Chucky (2004)

Curse of Chucky (2013)

Cult of Chucky (2017)

Scream (1996)

Scream (2022)

Happy Death Day (2017)

Happy Death Day 2U (2019)

Friday the 13th (1980)

Friday the 13th Part II (1981)

Friday the 13th Part III (1982)

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985)

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)

Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)

Jason X (2002)

Freddy vs. Jason (2003)

Friday the 13th (2009)

Children of the Corn (1987)

Halloween (1978)

Halloween II (1981)

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1986)

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989)

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

Halloween Resurrection (2002)

Halloween (2007)

Halloween II (2009)

Halloween (2018)

Halloween Kills (2021)

Halloween Ends (2022)

Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Black Pumpkin (2020)

Hauntedween (1991)

Dark Harvest (2023)

Monsters

The Invisible Man (1933)

The Mummy (1932)

The Mummy (1959)

The Mummy (1999)

Frankenstein (1931)

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Son of Frankenstein (1939)

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)

The Monster Club (1981)

The Monster Squad (1987)

Hellboy (2004)

Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)

Hellboy (2019)

The Gorgon (1964)

Gremlins (1984)

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

Pumpkinhead (1988)

Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994)

Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes (2006)

Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud (2007)

Cloverfield (2008)

Jurassic Park (1993)

Jeepers Creepers (2001)

Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)

Jeepers Creepers 3 (2017)

Jeepers Creepers: Reborn (2022)

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (1973 or 2010 remake)

Tremors (1990)

Tremors 2: Aftershocks (1996)

Tremors 3: Back to Perfection (2001)

The Mist (2007)

The Descent (2005)

The Descent Part 2 (2009)

Bird Box (2018)

Aliens

The War of the Worlds (1953)

War of the Worlds (2005)

Annihilation (2018)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Slither (2006)

Forbidden Planet (1956)

Signs (2002)

Mars Attacks (1996)

Evolution (2001)

Color Out of Space (2019)

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Paul (2011)

A Quiet Place (2018)

A Quiet Place: Part 2 (2020)

The Faculty (1998)

Prey (2022)

Predator (1987)

Predator 2 (1990)

Alien vs. Predator (2004)

Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)

The Predator (2018)

Predators (2010)

Alien (1979)

Aliens (1986)

Alien 3 (1992)

Alien: Resurrection (1997)

Prometheus (2012)

Alien: Covenant (2017)

Alien: Romulus (2024)

Nope (2022)

Apollo 18 (2011)

Dreamcatcher (2003)

The Thing From Another World (1951)

The Thing (1982 or 2011 remake)

Evil & Hauntings

Annabelle (2014)

Annabelle: Creation (2017)

Annabelle Comes Home (2019)

Sleepy Hollow (1999)

The Curse of La Llorona (2019)

Ghost (1990)

Ghostwatch (1992)

The Uninvited (1944)

Hellraiser (1987)

Spawn (1997)

WNUF Halloween Special (2013)

The Lady in White (1988)

The Deep House (2021)

Ready or Not (2019)

The Woman in Black (2012)

The Woman in Black: Angel of Death (2014)

The Haunting (1963)

Ouija (2014)

Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)

The Others (2001)

La Llarona (1960)

Gothika (2003)

Poltergeist (1982)

Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986)

Poltergeist (2015)

The Shining (1980)

Doctor Sleep (2019)

The Brothers Grimm (2005)

The Conjuring (2013)

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

The Exorcist (1973)

Constantine (2005)

The Frighteners (1996)

1408 (2007)

Mama (2013)

Crimson Peak (2015)

The Grudge (2004 or the 2020 remake—OR, Ju-on, the og Japanese 2002 version)

The Sixth Sense (1999)

The Devil's Backbone (2001)

The Evil Dead (1981)

The Evil Dead 2 (1997)

Army of Darkness (1992)

The Evil Dead (2013)

The Evil Dead Rise (2023)

Skinamarink (2022)

Kill Baby Kill (1966)

Burnt Offerings (1973)

The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)

As Above, So Below (2014)

A Haunting in Connecticut (2009)

Shutter (2008)

The Mist (2008)

Pulse (2001)

The Eye (2008)

Ringu (1998)

The Ring (2002)

The Ring Two (2005)

Sinister (2012)

Insidious (2010)

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

Insidious: The Last Key (2018)

Insidious: The Red Door (2023)

Grave Encounters (2011)

Grave Encounters 2 (2012)

Paranormal Activity (2007)

Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)

Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin (2021)

Aterrados (In English: Terrified) (2018)

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

High Spirits (1988)

Veronica (2017)

The Omen (1976)

The Omen 2 (1978)

The Omen (2006)

The First Omen (2024)

Thirteen Ghosts (2001)

The Babadook (2014)

Phantasm (1979)

Phantasm II (1988)

Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994)

Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998)

Phantasm V: RaVager (2016)

Devil Dog (1978)

Jennifer's Body (2009)

Lights Out (2016)

Kwaidon (1964)

Ghost Ship (2002)

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

The Devil Rides Out (1968)

Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)

Witches & Magic

Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

The Witches of Eastwick (1987)

Practical Magic (1998)

The Witch (2015)

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000)

Blair Witch (2016)

The Wicker Man (1973)

The Wicker Man (2006)

The City of the Dead (1960)

Bell Book and Candle (1958)

The Witches (1990 or 2020 remake)

Black Sunday (1960)

El Espejo de la Bruja (In English: The Witch's Mirror) (1960)

I Married a Witch (1942)

The Craft (1996)

Apostle (2018)

The Love Witch (2016)

Burn Witch Burn (1962)

Horror

Creepshow (1982)

Creepshow 2 (1987)

November (2017)

The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

Trick r Treat (2007)

Bad Candy (2020)

The Barn (2016)

The Barn: Part II (2022)

Tales of Halloween (2015)

Willy's Wonderland (2021)

Eyes Without a Face (1960)

Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970)

The Midnight Hour (1985)

The Curse of Bridge Hollow (2022)

The Birds (1963)

Cape Fear (1960)

Horns (2013)

M3GAN (2022)

The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

The Phantom of the Opera (1943)

The Phantom of the Opera (1962)

The Phantom of the Opera (2004)

Viy (1967)

Haunt (2019)

Diabolique (1955)

The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)

Rosemary's Baby (1968)

The Lodge (2019)

The Mask of the Red Death (1964)

The Premature Burial (1962)

Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)

Dark Night of the Scarecrow 2 (2022)

Buried Alive (1990)

Midsommar (2018)

Island of Lost Souls (1932)

Honeymoon (2014)

Session 9 (2001)

The Blood of Satan's Claw (1971)

Black Death (2010)

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

Pet Sematary (1989 or the 2019 remake)

It (1990)

It: Chapter One (2017)

It: Chapter Two (2019)

Hereditary (2018)

Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)

Re-Animator (1985)

Bride of Re-Animator (1990)

Beyond Re-Animator (2003)

Lisa Frankenstein (2024)

V/H/S (2012)

V/H/S/2 (2013)

V/H/S: Viral (2014)

V/H/S/94 (2021)

V/H/S/99 (2022)

V/H/S/85 (2023)

V/H/S/Beyond (2024)

Eyes of Fire (1983)

The Red House (1947)

Deadly Blessing (1981)

Dark Water (2002 or 2005 remake)

The Substance (2024)

Thinner (1996)

Cobweb (2023)

The Happening (2008)

Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)

House of Wax (1953)

House of Wax (2005)

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

The Devil-Doll (1936)

The Man They Could Not Hang (1939)

Black Sabbath (1963)

Cabin in the Woods (2011)

The Ruins (2008)

Summer of Fear (1978)

Fear Street: Part One, Two & Three (2021)

The Ritual (2017)

Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965)

The Black Cat (1934)

Teeth (2007)

Late Night with the Devil (2023)

I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

Freaks (1932)

The Old Dark House (1932)

Mr. Sardonicus (1961)

I Bury the Living (1958)

Plague Dogs (1982)

Watership Down (1978)

Ringing Bell (In Japanese: Chirin No Suzu) (1978)

Felidae (1994)

Psychological

Lake Mungo (2008)

Shutter Island (2010)

The Dead Zone (1983)

Donnie Darko (2001)

Us (2019)The Village (2004)

Carnival of Souls (1962)

Carnival of Souls (1998)

Deus Ex Machina (2014)

The Lazarus Effect (2015)

It Follows (2014)

Get Out (2017)

Comedy/Satire

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Death Becomes Her (1992)

Hubie Halloween (2020)

Scary Movie (2000)

Scary Movie 2 (2001)

Scary Movie 3 (2003)

Scary Movie 4 (2006)

Scary Movie 5 (2013)

[whinlatter]

Hi! Just wanting to say I adore Beasts. Well- I adore all your fics that I have been making my way through, but Beasts has just been marinating in my brain quite happily lately! I enjoy how you don’t shy away from the complexities of what it would be like for our characters in post, pre, current, and then post again war time conditions.

I was wondering since you brought up the McGonagall vs Kingsley or more specifically Hogwarts vs Ministry and who is responsible for the youth or the abuse that said youth experienced- how would that impact the canonical abuse/neglect Harry experienced both at the Dursleys but also the fact that he had an attempt on his life every year he was at hogwarts. I have always wondered in that ever really coming to light- who would the public be saying should be held responsible? I know people in fandom tend to place all the blame neatly on Dumbledore (which I personally disagree with) but how about the ministry? Child services?

Would his abuse by the Dursleys cause an upturn in anti muggle sentiment? I remember in the fourth book when Hermione was receiving hate mail in regards to her “hurting” Harry she had people simultaneously supporting Harry for stopping Voldemort but also being wildly blood supremacist towards her in the same breath. I could imagine for Kingsley, trying to face a wildly anti muggle status quo culture, if it got out the nature of Harry’s relationship with his muggle relatives people might actually riot.

Along with the “telling each other things” part of their relationship and Harry realizing how he needs to be better at providing more emotional support for Ginny and how much support Ginny already provides for him- if the nature of his abuse or even mentioning the cupboard ever came out how that could potentially shift things. The fact that we never know for certain if Harry ever even TOLD anyone about the cupboard in canon actually blows my mind

thank you so much for this interesting question, anon, and for reading beasts and and enjoying it and having a good ol think about it (every fic author's dream, having your story camp out for a bit in someone else's head - makes me beam). have tried to answer said interesting question - on what harry’s friends, family and a wizarding public would make of his time at the dursleys, and broader wizarding cultural ideas about child welfare and protection - below!

TW: generalised, non-specific references to child abuse and neglect

your question is interesting because it raises the question both of wizarding perceptions of muggle child-rearing and norms in wizarding society about the idea of child protection. i've written a bit before about how i tend to think about harry's abuse at the hands of the dursleys, which to try and put it in context as a literary trope in a particular genre (eg. the dursleys as roald dahl-esque pantomime anti-orphan villains) that the series outgrows and then tries to sidestep dealing with. harry's abuse at the dursleys is one of the most glaring examples of the series' tonal shifts and muddy, dissatisfactory space between genre conventions: a series that begins with harry as a matilda-esque figure dealing with pantomime cartoonish child-hating baddies and by the end is busy heavily implying the fact of egregious, gruesome violence against children (ariana dumbledore, for instance). morfin gaunt's violence against his daughter merope, as depicted in HBP, is absolutely not supposed to be farcical quaint slapstick, and as such it jars with the way harry's relationship with the dursleys is depicted early on in the series, which is a much more light-hearted story of ten years of dodging frying pans wielded by baffoonish, ridiculous cariactures of suburban english tories.

the dursleys exist for the young reader to jeer at and immediately hate rather than be taken seriously as portraits of child abusers. that somewhat colours how i personally tend to approach writing about harry's views of his upbringing - eg. don't spend too long trying to make the dursley plot consistent because the author certainly didn't.

i also tend to take cues from how harry the character canonically seems to reflect on and process his upbringing (ie. he recognises it was abuse, but he also recognises he didn't deserve it, and while he is certainly shaped and affected by it, he is not singularly traumatised by it, particularly relative to all of his other terrible teenage experiences). i think harry isn’t hiding the dursleys’ treatment of him from his friends. but nor is he talking about it all the time. as of book 2 the weasleys have decided his treatment is horrific and worthy of a jailbreak, which doesn't suggest they're all in the dark about it ('they were starving him, mum!') - i think they follow his cues on how much he wants to talk about it and have filled in the blanks well enough.

what a broader wizarding public would make of harry's treatment by the dursleys if they knew about it is tricker to think through, and asks us to read between the lines of the text re wizards' expectations/understanding of child welfare and children's protection, and how they might collide with wizards' varying attitudes to muggle culture, which range from polite fascination all the way to wanting to slaughter muggles en masse and hunt them down for sport.

(here's miss trunchbull from matilda, fulfilling genre conventions as only she can, also demonstrating what is likely a popular wizarding pastime: yeeting children).

on the one hand, there doesn't seem to be any kind of child protective services in the wizarding world or responsibility on the part of the state for child welfare. when it comes to children’s health and wellbeing, the wizarding state is hands off and happy about it. a few examples:

bob ogden's visit to the gaunts, for instance, ends in arrests, but seemingly not for child abuse - morfin and marvolo go to jail for attacking muggles and ministry employees, not for abusing merope, suggesting at a minimum there isn't much appetite for prosecuting child abuse or, in an unlikely but still possible reading, there are no express laws against abusing children in the wizarding world under which marvolo and morfin could have been charged.

muriel is critical of the dumbledore family's treatment of ariana ('though to take it to the extreme of actually imprisoning a little girl in the house and pretending she didn’t exist - '), but in the same breath also reveals that ariana was never examined or treated by any healer working at st mungo's, suggesting a distinct lack of scrutiny over children's health and wellbeing.

filch, longstanding school caretaker kept on under dumbledore (who, for all fandom’s ire at him, is a progressive among wizards on all sorts of things including on education and child welfare), frequently expresses a desire to 'whip students raw' and string them up by their ankles. the day umbridge tells filch she's going to sign an approval for whipping is clearly the happiest of his life, and filch exits the text having been outdone as a child abuser only by the carrows (eg. the two who literally encourage child on child torture), which is saying something. mcgonagall calls him a 'fool' (what are you like, argus!) and then lets him supervise the evacuation from the castle. just caretaker things!

does this mean witches and wizards don’t care about child abuse? i don’t want to say a flat no to that. as the muriel point on ariana suggests, even old-fashioned wizarding elders seem to think there is a right and a wrong way to care for children, and believe there are lines that can be crossed in terms of what’s fair and right to do to children under your care. umbridge cites a concern for the vulnerable children of hogwarts in making her case for more ministry interference at hogwarts, a case that makes her popular with many in the wizarding public, which implies some cultural sense of children as innocents who need to be protected. at the same time, though, we also see even progressive witches and wizards use corporeal punishment (the weasleys smack their children for particularly severe transgressions, as many middle class british families did well up to the millennium), and poor neville gets dangled out of a sodding window and his family are supposed to be kind of goodies. as we’re also told in canon witches and wizards are hardier and more durable physically than muggles, we also might expect that may shape wizarding attitudes to what you can do to a child in punishment without lasting damage or moral qualm. so it seems that wizards do have a cultural understanding of child abuse, even if they’re a bit hazy (or more forgiving) in what counts as abusive.

but. the example you mention - a wizarding public who are happy to hate harry but also happy to ride to his defence if they think a muggleborn tart has wronged him because of their kneejerk blood supremacy - is a really good one. canon is clear that hypocrisy is wizarding's britain's bread and butter. so i can absolutely see a right-wing commentariat doing what right-wing commentariats love to do most, which is selectively care about imagined or real violence against children only when it suits their political agenda. given the wizarding press canonically implies dumbledore has sinister intentions with harry potter the troubled youth (nonce allegations abound), i don’t think it would be a surprise if an anti-dumbledore camp seized on knowledge of harry’s experiences at the dursleys as proof of dumbledore’s hypocrisy, cruelty and dishonour.

as you mentioned ginny i will indulge myself and say a few remaining words about our girl. the question of how ginny would think about harry’s upbringing, and specifically what she would make of dumbledore leaving harry to the dursleys’ neglect for the greater good, is - i’m afraid - very interesting to me. ginny lives out ‘for the greater good’ in her war in lots of different ways; for one, she has to accept the likely prospect of harry’s death because of it. now, we know ginny names her son after albus dumbledore. i don’t think this is an act of charity, but a statement of how she and harry come to think of dumbledore and the sacrifices his plan demanded of them and others around them — ie. ultimately, they accept and support them, even if they acknowledge the terrible cost incurred. it’s not a particularly popular view in fandom at the minute, because (understandably and not entirely wrongly) audiences now see the surrendering of a very young child to abusive parents as part of a broader political and military strategy as perverse. that’s a changing-cultural-tastes-genre-trope issue as much as anything. but any of our revulsion at the idea is not how these characters - or even a wizarding public en masse - would necessarily would come to think of dumbledore’s decision to leave harry at the dursleys. (thinking of sirius’ very sad, very important line from OotP here: that ‘there are things worth dying for’).

[thelaurenshippen]

Out of every film that exists, give one to each of your podcasts. I wanna see what vibes you think, cause I rlly wanna listen to some!

ooooooh GREAT question. this has me fully stumped, because I really don't watch a ton of movies? I'm much more of a TV person. but I'll do my best.

The Bright Sessions - depending on the season, this could really change. but, at its core, TBS is an emotional sci-fi story that's super queer, so...Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets Love, Simon meets...like, the non-saving-the-world parts of The Incredibles or...idk, Matilda.

Breaker Whiskey - Another Earth meets Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

Bridgewater - Hereditary is a horror movie about family trauma, right? So that, but not as scary or sad, plus cryptids.

Maxine Miles - Harriet the Spy meets The Goonies, but with environmental anxiety.

New Year’s Day - take The Prestige and The Illusionist, shake, add a dash of The Greatest Showman and then make it gay.

Surviving Hawkins - I mean, obviously, the TV show this is most like is, uh, Stranger Things (this was the official ST podcast I wrote lol), but actually it's closer to Dead Poet's Society or The History Boys, especially since there's no Upside Down business.

Passenger List - I really just want to say that Idris Elba Apple TV show about a plan hijacking but I'm committed to the movie thing--there's an element of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in here, plus maybe Flight Plan or...Shutter Island even?

and, honorable mentions (shows I produced but didn't write):

In Strange Woods - this is tricky because it's a musical but...Into the Wild meets Spotlight (but not sad in the same way) meets....a musical.

Life With LEO(h) - Her but, like, fun and actually romantic. Her + Pride & Prejudice + Nora Ephron movies.

Look Up - I have never seen it, but Briggon loves the movie Handsome Devil so I'm putting that here along with, like, the tiniest little sprinkling of Moonlight.

Greenhouse - jesus, there are not enough fun sapphic romance movies. Imagine Me & You meets You've Got Mail.

but I'd LOVE to hear all your thoughts, listeners!!

[igncrxntripley]

could you maybe write a rhea fic based off of matilda by harry styles?

matilda

a/n: this combines two of my favorite things i knew i needed to do it so ty to whoever suggested this

synopsis: rhea ensures y/n that it's okay to leave the bad things behind and grow (based off matilda by harry styles)

mentions: mentions of childhood trauma (no detaisl, nothing graphic), overall SFW, fem!reader, slight break of kayfabe

taglist: @auburnwrites @thesithdiaries @ripleyswhore

some people weren't lucky enough to escape a bad home life. they were stuck in the same cycles that had been repeated in their families for generations and were stuck in the same sad stories with a different retelling.

you, however, were one of the lucky ones. turning eighteen meant a new freedom for you, even if it was just as scary as what you'd endured your entire life. it meant teaching yourself how to live your life without being in fear, how to love what made you unique, and how to give love to others in ways that you'd never learned. it was incredibly difficult, but you met someone who made that process just a little bit easier.

demi came into your life at a time in which you were incredibly vulnerable. day to day life was tasking, you could barely look in the mirror without being ashamed of what you saw, and building connections with other people was almost impossible; but demi, or rhea as her fans knew her, lit a new flame inside of you. you were working as a member of the medical team during her time at NXT, and you were able to move up to the main roster together. during the course of your relationship you not only got to travel together, but you moved into a home together and you built a life with someone who truly cared about you.

what demi didn't know, was all of the baggage you'd been carrying on your shoulders. she knew bits and pieces, like that you didn't keep in contact with family or that you'd been in and out of therapy for some time, but she never knew the extent.

that all came crashing down on your birthday, though. when you went to grab the mail that day, a name and an address you hadn't expected to see was written on an envelope that clearly contained some kind of card.

you didn't even want to open it. the card sat on the coffee table for at least two hours as you stared at it with unease, and it may not have been the best idea, but you decided to open it with trembling hands. in a way you were proud of yourself for doing this, especially without demi home as she was at the gym, but the card also probably needed to just go into the garbage where you could forget it ever existed.

reading through the sickly sweet note written by your mom was stomach churning. she spoke as if nothing was wrong about your upbringing, as if she hadn't spent your entire life calling you awful names and pretending like you didn't exist. she gifted you some money - the only birthday present you'd ever received from her in your entire life - and your inner child was screaming in pain and sadness. how could your mom do this? how could she pretend like nothing was wrong about the way you were raised?

there was only one person you wanted in this moment, and it wasn't the person who wrote you this birthday card.

tears ran down your cheeks as you dialed demi's number with shaky hands. you did your best to hold back the sniffles and tears as you waited for her to answer, but the floodgates only shattered even more once you heard her beautiful voice on the other end.

"hey, birthday girl! you miss me already?" she teased softly. her accent always made you smile and she always knew how to brighten your day, but today felt so different. you didn't even have to say anything before she noticed how off you were and heard your sniffles. "honey, what's wrong?" demi asked softly. "are you...are you crying?"

you almost couldn't answer her, but somehow you found the courage to do so. "i-i need you..." your weak voice said quietly. "i just...it..." you could barely find the words to even articulate what you needed.

demi didn't need to hear another thing, though. she started packing her bag again and shot an apologetic look to her friends. "don't even worry, baby. i'm on my way." she said softly. she stayed on the phone as she rushed through the gym to get to her car. "i'll be home soon, and we're gonna talk all about it."

that thought alone made you sob harder; you'd gone this long without telling demi, and now you had to be prepared to spill everything. in a way it was your fault because you should have told her earlier, but nothing about this conversation was easy or desirable. "o-okay." you sniffled softly. "i'm sorry-"

"hey, don't apologize." demi interrupted. she never let you apologize for feeling the way you felt, as it was something you were used to always doing. "you sit tight, i'll be home in a few minutes."

demi was home in in a matter of ten minutes, and as soon as she walked through the door you were her main focus. "babygirl..." she said softly, taking in your puffy eyes and wet cheeks from where you were curled up on the couch. she dropped her things and sat next to you, pulling into one of her tight hugs that always felt like a protective shield. "it's okay, i'm here."

you hid in your girl's neck and let out soft cries, your fingers playing with her short hair. her hands rubbed your back as you got everything out of your system, and she looked down at you with her own sad eyes. "what happened?" demi whispered.

if you didn't tell demi now, it was never going to come out. so once she asked you what could make her girl cry so hard on a special day, you let everything out. you explained the birthday card, all of the hurtful things your mom had ever said, and why you distanced yourself from your family to begin with. she sat and listened patiently the entire time with her arms around your body. every so often, her thumb would come up to wipe away the tears from your cheeks and you could've sworn you saw her getting emotional as well.

eventually you finished your retelling of your life story; you'd ended up in demi's lap quite some time ago, and you looked down at your own as silent tears continued running down your cheeks. "everything about it just seemed...normal." you admitted quietly. "but i just suck it up, i guess. move on and pretend like it's not a big deal."

demi's hands came up to hold your cheeks. "look at me." she whispered softly, your eyes moving to meet hers. "you know you're allowed to move on, right?" you bit her lip and stared blankly at your girlfriend, almost to answer her question in the negative. "you don't have to be sorry for leaving and growing up."

the same sentiment had been communicated to you many times in your adulthood, but hearing it from demi was something that you couldn't describe. but you finally gave a small nod as more tears rolled down your cheeks. demi wiped those tears and gave you a gentle kiss on the forehead. "i'm your family now. you don't need them." her arms wrapped around you in a hug again, gently rocking you in her lap as she let you process her words.

from that moment on, demi promised to show you the love you'd never been shown. she was going to make you feel cherished every day she was with you, and knew in that moment that she was meant to be yours for the rest of your lives.

[holmesandtheroman]

not to bring up hp discourse but why tf didn’t Ravenclaws make it their year’s goal to maliciously comply to umbridge’s educational decrees? like I would have made it my life’s mission to bog that bitch down with so much paperwork she would HAVE to quit. all weasley products banned? all right, bet… any literature or research published by former professor Matilda Weasley that might be part of the curriculum is off the table. please revise the curriculum and submit it to the ministry for approval. all incoming and outgoing mail will be under review? fine, guess who just signed up for literally every wizarding catalog EVER which means that you now have piles of my mail to go through? we’re banned from discussing “the upsetting incidents from the previous year”? very well… what constitutes as upsetting? Is any event I consider to be upset prohibited? I’m sorry, I’m afraid I can’t use the curriculum I did last year to facilitate this year’s studies; it was very upsetting to me. we must submit complaints about Hogwarts staff in writing? guess who is going to be receiving an extremely detailed tome of every single professor’s every action that mildly inconvenienced me since I started school? I would make that bitch QUIT

[secretmagicalgiftswap]

Secret Magical Gift Swap: November Newsletter

Hi everyone! There is a week left to sign up for the 2024/2025 New Year Swap! The deadline is November 28th and you can sign up here!

Please also give a warm welcome to our new Newsletter editor, Matilda, who does not have a Tumblr but has done a marvellous job on this first Newsletter! We plan to expand this in the future with short interviews with various practitioners, a recipe here and there and maybe the occasional spell or feel-good ritual, along with witch tips and maybe even some divination - such as a Tarot card of the month. We decided to keep our first Newsletter short and sweet, but plan to write them as the year goes on with more pages and potentially in a digital magazine-like style. If you have any suggestions for what you would like to see in these Newsletters, please let me know on Tumblr either here or at @fernsinthemist or reply to our e-mail if you are subscribed to our e-mail newsletter. We'd love to hear from you!

And our Discord server is coming soon too!

Without further ado, here is our Deity Spotlight for this month! Do we have any Boreas devotees here?

(All images used with the exception of the SMGS banner have been found on stock websites - please let us know if you are the owner and do not want us to use them)

[grapefruiters]

List of My Favorite Movies that I Adore

The Muppet Movie Muppets Take Manhattan Muppets: Most Wanted Little Shop of Horrors Chicago Cabaret Moulin Rouge Romeo + Juliet West Side Story Annie Mary Poppins Matilda Steven Universe: The Movie Tangled Princess and the Frog Coraline American Psycho The Truman Show Clue Knives Out Knives Out: Glass Onion Heathers Theater Camp Little Miss Sunshine Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind When Harry Met Sally You've Got Mail 500 Days of Summer 10 Things I Hate About You But I'm a Cheerleader The Birdcage The Watermelon Woman The Boys in the Band Falsettos The Royal Tenenbaums Grand Budapest Hotel The Godfather Oppenheimer 12 Angry Men

[now-imstruggling-tofreemyself]

yitzhak memories? happy or sad idc i'm just like wayyyy in a hedwig kinshift rn

i stole your makeup once. i don't know if you noticed, but you were out doing something or other, and i didn't have anything to do so.. i returned it. you either didn't notice or didn't care.

[paintlesscanvas]

hello! any mail boy/girl/enby id packs? /nf!! tyvm if you accept!

and, just wanted to say..

UR BLOG IS GEN SO HELPFUL HELP LIKE ITS SO NICE AND COOL??? LIKE THERES SO MANY STUFF ON THE LISTS I CANT/pos

✉️ . MAILPERSON SNPTS . .

System Names: carrier doves, the mailboys, the mailgirls, the mailpeople, the travelers, those that walk through the city, those that run away from dogs, the deliverers of packages, those that tip their cap, the package pigeons, the stamp collection, the postpeople, the envelope senders, the satchel carriers, letter lovers, dove coos, pigeon squawks, those at the post office, those sorting through letters, the package receivers, the mail truck drivers, those that open mailboxes, carriers of gifts, deliverers of surprises

Usernames: mail4you, wowtherestrees, runfrmdogs, wavetopeoples, down.town, enveloves, pooostoffice, parcelpigeon, penciiilpals, quiet.townn, ghostatthepost, postprince[ss], carrierpige0n, stiiickersss, penpaaaals, flimsypaperrs, doodledanny, envelopunny, maaailbox, inkyyprints, cloudy.town, deliverydutyy, flutteringd0ve, deliverydove, givingdove, giftsfromyrstruly, doodlesforyoodles, no1postman, penmanshiip, heresanote, pitterpatter, boxesrsoheavy, owboxes, writemealetter, smilingparcels, scaredofbarrrks, atthepostoffice, darlingparcels, packagepirate, envelopes4youu, st.ampsss, inkstaaiins, no1letterlover, siillynotes, sentfromaway, organizetheoffice, summerstrolls, envelopesfrmyou, parcelpwr, lettersletters, ilovemail, messyletters, sendingstuff2you, youvegotmail, letterlvr, lovelylettr, mailmale, smilesformiles, parcelfromadove, writingacrssthewrld, prrttymailgrl, prettyparcelsss, g1ftg1ftg1fts, greetingyouu, dizzypackages, ssillystamps, scribblesilly, dancingletters, mailbooooy, hidinginurmailbox, notesfrmthesky, brightdaaay, proudserviiice, in2urmailbox, bewareofd0g, mailtruckdrvr, openbxes, sootcasee, stackofletters, boxoflovers, envelopeoflove

Names: alexander, alfred, alice, annette, archer, archie, arden, arlo, atticus, august, augustus, autumn, barnaby, bartholomew, basil, beatrice, beau, benedict, benjamin, bennett, birdie, blake, cedric, charlie, chester, cliff, clifford, clive, clyde, cornelius, cory, cullen, darwin, diggory, dom, dominic, dorcas, earnest, edgar, edith, effie, elijah, eliza, emerson, emilio, emmanuel, eugene, everett, fennel, flint, florence, flossie, floyd, ford, gale, galina, genevieve, gideon, glenn, greyson, gwendolyn, harriet, harvey, hattie, hayden, holly, ink, ivan, ivy, josette, josie, july, june, kane, kate, katherine, kay, kendell, kinley, kip, kleo, leo, logan, maeve, maggie, malcolm, marion, margot, marlowe, marshall, matilda, mayfaire, melvile, meredith, milton, minnie, molly, mortem, mortimer, nadira, nancy, nannie, navy, neith, nelda, nellie, nells, nettie, ninette, noah, noel, noemi, norman, note, oakley, odette, oliver, orson, orville, oswald, otto, parcel, parker, polly, posey, presley, quill, quinton, ralph, randall, raymond, reed, reid, rhett, romee, rory, rowan, rye, sabina, sawyer, scout, silas, sloane, spencer, stanford, stanley, summer, susan, tallulah, tatum, thelma, thena, thisbe, thomas, tibby, tillie, timothy, tinker, toby, tom, torin, trey, troy, violet, virgil, walden, walter, warren, willard, willow, winnie, woody

Pronouns: letter/letters, mail/mails, write/writes, pen/pens, ink/inks, note/notes, deliver/delivers, gift/gifts, scribble/scribble, doodle/doodles, carry/carry, give/gives, walk/walks, hum/hums, parcel/parcels, package/packages, box/boxs, stamp/stamps, sticker/stickers, smile/smiles, proud/prouds, newspaper/newspaper, envelope/envelope, sun/suns, mailbox/mailboxs, pencil/pencil, scrabble/scrabble, sketch/sketchs, house/houses, satchel/satchels, bag/bags, hello/hellos, twine/twines, string/strings, wrap/wraps, town/towns, cloud/clouds, clutch/clutchs, send/sends, post/posts, office/office, sort/sorts, organize/organizes, rain/rains, flimsy/flimsys, thin/thins, street/streets, apartment/apartments, greet/greets, pass/pass’, road/roads, home/homes, locker/lockers, wave/waves, cheerful/cheerfuls, joy/joys, old/olds, weathering/weatherings, service/services, dog/dogs, truck/trucks, fence/fences, sign/signs, slot/slots, city/citys, drawer/drawers, pin/pins, 🫶, 🌳, 🍃, 🍂, 🪹, ☀️, 🥖, 🥠, 🪃, 🛹, 🎫, 🎼, ♟️, 🚐, 🛞, 🚦, 🚏, 🗽, 🏢, 🏘️, 🏙️, 🎞️, 📺, 📻, 🕰️, 💵, 🪙, 🩹, 🧺, 🚪, ���, 🧧, ✉️, 📨, 💌, 📦, 🏷️, 🪧, 📪, 📫, 📬, 📭, 📮, 📜, 📃, 📋, 🗞️, 🗂️, 📔, 🧷, 🖊️, 🖋️, 🖇️, 📝, 🧳

Titles: the cheerful giver, prn who presses stamps to letters, the delivery thing, bringer of mail, prn who delivers packages, the penner of letters, the deliverer of mail, the mailboy, the mailgirl, the mailperson, prn who walks the streets, prn who drives the mail truck, gifter of deliveries, prn who strolls through the city, prn who gives mail [to those who need it], the mailman, the mailperson, the mailwoman, the carrier pigeon, prn who carries mail through the sky, the carrier dove, prn who drops mail from the skies

[jacaela]

"Rhaenyra brutally killed Vaemond, so the greens usurped her, they feared for their lives." - someone from reddit.

First, she ordered Daemon to cut off his head, and fed the dead body to the dragon. Secondly, this was done with the light hand of Viserys and Corlys, because Vaemond violated the royal order. Nobody cared about his death, neither the greens, nor even Corlys. A little surprise that will burn your asses:

His brother Lucerys agreed, insisting that he and Jace were men, or near enough to make no matter. “Our uncle calls us Strongs, but when the lords see us on dragonback they will know that for a lie. Only Targaryens ride dragons.” Mushroom tells us that the Sea Snake grumbled at this, insisting that the three boys were Velaryons, yet he smiled as he said it, with pride in his voice.

Luke’s young brother Joffrey (Jace was still away on his mission north) swore a terrible oath of vengeance against Prince Aemond and Lord Borros. Only the intervention of the Sea Snake and Princess Rhaenys kept the boy from mounting his own dragon at once.

Having outlived all of his children and suffered the betrayal of his nephews and cousins, the Sea Snake seemed more than eager to accept these newfound grandsons.🤣

Yet none of these losses were felt so deeply as that of Jacaerys Velaryon, Prince of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne. Rhaenyra’s youngest son seemed lost as well. In the confusion of battle, none of the survivors seemed quite certain which ship Prince Viserys had been on. [...] It is written that when the Sea Snake was congratulated on his victory, the old man said, “If this be victory, I pray I never win another.”

And most importantly, at the green council no one even mentioned him, so this argument has zero value. The reason Rhaenyra was usurped is misogyny. Alicent and Otto had been plotting to usurp her long before she married Laenor. For the same reason, the greens refused to send a raven to the Arryns.

“King,” insisted Queen Alicent. “The Iron Throne by rights must pass to His Grace’s eldest trueborn son.”

One-eyed Prince Aemond, nineteen, was found in the armory, donning plate and mail for his morning practice in the castle yard. “Is Aegon king?” he asked Ser Willis Fell, “or must we kneel and kiss theold whore’s cunny?”

GRRM: “The Civil War in England between Stephen and Matilda, which was over whether a woman could in fact inherit the English crown. And they passed her over but she was pissed about it and went to war and that war ripped England apart.”

"Rhaenyra would have killed greens"

“I offered her an honorable peace, and the whore spat in my face,” he declared. “What happens next is on her own head.”

Broken by the loss of one son, Rhaenyra Targaryen seemed to find new strength after the loss of a second. Jace’s death hardened her, burning away her fears, leaving only her anger and her hatred. Still possessed of more dragons than her half-brother, Her Grace now resolved to use them, no matter the cost. She would rain down fire and death upon Aegon and all those who supported him, she told the black council, and either tear him from the Iron Throne or die in the attempt.

Rhaenyra rejected her stepmother’s proposal with scorn. “Your sons might have had places of honor at my court if they had kept faith,” Her Grace declared, “but they sought to rob me of my birthright, and the blood of my sweet sons is on their hands.” “Bastard blood, shed at war,” Alicent replied. “My son’s sons were innocent boys, cruelly murdered. How many more must die to slake your thirst for vengeance?”

Sunfyre, it is said, did not seem at first to take any interest in the offering, until Broome pricked the queen’s breast with his dagger.

[lunefuforu]

I've been making a long list of funfacts I've came up with for my lackaocs, I decided that I may as well share these publicly now tho just so you guys can get to know them better.

It's a lotta word vomit so be prepared for that lmao

I will be continuing to add more over time whenever I think of new things, or if anyone has any suggestions that I like enough to add n make canon. If you have questions then shoot me an ask to my inbox.

⸻⸻⸻

Gale: Trans and Bisexual

Matilda: Bisexual

Marie: Trans and Asexual Demiromantic

Tony: Gay

Riley: Pansexual Demiromantic

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Gale 6'0

Matilda 5'8

Marie 5'11

Dot 2'9

Tony 6'0

Riley 7'2

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Gale's voiceclaim: John Mulaney

Matilda's voiceclaim: Jessica Rabbit

Dot's voiceclaim: Shirley Temple

Riley's voiceclaim: Geoff Castellucci

Marie's voiceclaim: Jennifer Tilly

Tony's voiceclaim: Aizawa Shouta [English]

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Gale's nicknames for the others;

Matilda: May, May dear, Darling, Love, My Beloved, Honey, Sweetheart, Belle, Muffin, Sugarplum, Baby, Babe, Beautiful, Amour

Riley: Big guy, Buddy, Bud, Cousin, Sully

Marie: No nicknames for her, he just calls her Marie. Or Ms. Brooke formally.

Antonio: Tony (casually, most of the time), Antonio (formally, usually), and Mr. Brooke (more formality). Though sometimes he may call him Sheik.

Dorothy: Dot, Sweetie, Peanut, Button, Princess

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Matilda's nicknames for the others;

Gale: Darling, Honey, Babe, Baby

Antonio: Tony, Old man, Menace (these are of endearment)

Marie: Angel Eyes, Daisy

Dorothy: Dot, Small one, Sweet pea

Riley: Big one, Brooder, Dove

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Marie's nicknames for the others;

Matilda: Hilda, Dear, Blossom, Sister

Antonio: Tony, Dear, Dimples, Daffodil, Brother

Dorothy: Dot, Dear, Sweetheart, Rosebud, Babydoll, My Angel, Little lamb, Ladybug

Gale: Gale (most of the time), Mr. Wolfgang (formally), Dear, Smiles, Sunflower

Riley: Riley (most of the time), Mr. Sullivan (formally), Dear, Honey, Wallflower

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Tony's nicknames for the others;

Matilda: Tilly, Matty, Baby sister, Sourpuss, Bitsy

Marie: MarMar, Lil sister, Sunshine, Angel Face

Dorothy: Dot, Dotty, Kiddo, Shortie, Little one, Thumbelina

Gale: Wolfgang, Bright eyes, Wonder boy, Screwball

Riley: Sullivan, Big man, Mac, Chap, Goliath

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Riley's nicknames for the others;

Gale: Cousin, Little man

Matilda: No nicknames for her, he just calls her Matilda. Or Mrs. Wolfgang formally.

Antonio: Tony (casually, usually), Antonio (formally, most of the time), and Mr. Brooke (more formality)

Marie: No nicknames for her, he just calls her Marie. Or Ms. Brooke formally. Though sometimes he calls her Ma'am.

Dorothy: Dot, Little one, Sweetheart, Pumpkin, Precious

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Gale is that malewife ken-coded husband to his wife he will do anything for.

Matilda is the girlboss wife, she wants to become a detective, though it's very difficult. Sometimes she has to do dirty work in order to get what she wants.

Gale may or may not be willing to do the same, though not in the way Matilda does it. She does things methodically and quietly. Taking advantage of word, minds and weaknesses.

Gale on the other hand, does things more hands-on. He's worked on railroads for many years before his current journalist job, so he's extremely physically fit.

On off days, the pair like to dance together, while Gale sings to his wife. It brings her immense joy.

Matilda has many plants, she's not a gardener like her sister, but she shares a similar green thumb interest. Though hers are more towards ferns, ficus, and other such greens than flowery plants.

Gale and his cousin Riley don't talk much, Riley still wonders why Gale left all of a sudden because Gale never gave a reason why. But Gale does mail to him, and well as to his mother, who is sick in a hospital. Gale's father left a long time ago.

Matilda, Marie, and Tony's parents are both still alive and around, just two old folks living peacefully at home.

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Marie will give you a flower nickname once she gets to know you well. Being a florist, she just loves flower symbolism.

She also calls everyone dear on default. She has that sweet motherly energy to her that warms the heart.

Despite how unconditionally sweet she is, if she senses any of her loved ones are in danger, she will use physical force if necessary. She is far from a pushover.

She's lactose intolerant, but she still can't help but consume dairy products sometimes.

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Because Tony feels indifferent to words, he's more of an "action speak louder than words" kind of guy. You want to impress him? Show him, don't tell him, otherwise he doesn't give a damn. You want him to know how much you like him? "I love you" isn't going to cut it on a first date, how is he supposed to know how genuine you are? You absolutely despise him? Attack him. He doesn't care about your mean little words, you better show him how much you hate him.

He has a knack for ice skating and ballet, two skills that were crammed into him when he was younger, but he doesn't mind them that much. Though he likes his piano skill more.

Because of his knowledge on medical procedures when he was working to become a surgeon before quitting, he is a great help if you need some assistance fast but don't want or can't afford a hospital. Just don't tell anyone because he doesn't technically have a medical license.

Tony has hyperopia (farsightedness), meaning things up close are blurry for him. Which is why he has glasses, but usually he doesn't need to wear them all the time doing regular stuff, he mainly uses them for work so he can see what he's doing precisely and clearly.

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People often mistake Riley for being scary because he's big and doesn't talk much if not at all, but in actuality he is just socially inept and would rather give you a pat on the back than punch you in the face.

If he's at a party, a place with a lot of people mingling, he would not talk at all. Complete silence. All you would get from him are nods, headshakes, facial expressions, and grunts.

The bigger the crowd the less he speaks.

The only exception of this is if he's on the job. Lots of people could be around or in a burning building, but he still has to give orders, call out to victims, etc.

He has a pet dove named Petunia.

Since Riley lives up north, his fur is usually always very fluffy all the time, especially during the winter. If he goes down south and stays for a while, he's going to shed a LOT. Expect clumps of fur in shower drains.

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(I got bored one day and decided to plan out Dot's future so yea)

After 18 years pass from 1927 into 1945, when Dot is 23, she begins her career as a singer/musician. She plays several popular genres at the time throughout the 40s, like country, jazz, etc. Trying to find her footing. She has a few song that are received really well, but nothing big. Yet.

Years pass and it's 1954, rockabilly starts and is growing. Dot is 32 at this point and she goes into rockabilly which evolves into rock and roll and Dot evolves with it, that's when she started to become a big hit. She specializes in rock music, becoming one of the most popular female singers, even at age 50 in 1972 she's putting on shows and cameoing with other singers/bands. She's not one who retires as she ages, she wants to make music til the day she dies.

Until at age 61, 1983, she has a big vocal chord injury which stops her from singing for some years, something she was warned about in her 50s after she experienced some vocal strain back then. Though despite the damage done to her voice, 7 years later after some rest and surgery, age 68 in 1990, she come back to record some more original songs and features in others, but less bombastic and more mellow since her voice was a bit deeper and raspy. Which was a good move since she couldn't sing rock anymore, and her new voice went well with the genre shift.

She did so for 10 years until her voice forced her to quit singing altogether age 78, 2000. Though she didn't stop playing guitar, her main instrument of choice since she was young, making a few instrumental tracks and cameoing in other songs, until her death in 2008 at age 86. Playing music until the end just like she wanted to.After 18 years pass from 1927 into 1945, when Dot is 23, she begins her career as a singer/musician. She plays several popular genres at the time throughout the 40s, like country, jazz, etc. Trying to find her footing. She has a few song that are received really well, but nothing big. Yet.

Years pass and it's 1954, rockabilly starts and is growing. Dot is 32 at this point and she goes into rockabilly, which evolves into rock and roll, and Dot evolves with it. That's when she started to become a big hit. She specializes in rock music, becoming one of the most popular female singers, even at age 50 in 1972 she's putting on shows and cameoing with other singers/bands. She's not one who retires as she ages, she wants to make music til the day she dies.

Until at age 61, 1983, she has a big vocal chord injury which stops her from singing for some years, something she was warned about in her 50s after she experienced some vocal strain back then. But she did still make music with her guitar, her main instrument of choice since she was young, like instrumental tracks and cameoing in other songs. Just because she couldn't sing didn't mean she couldn't still make music.

Though despite the damage done to her voice, 7 years later after some rest and surgery, age 68 in 1990, she come back to record some more original songs and features in others, but less bombastic and more mellow since her voice was a bit deeper and raspy. Which was a good move since she couldn't sing rock anymore, and her new voice went well with the genre shift.

She did so for 10 years until her voice forced her to quit singing altogether age 78, 2000. Though she just went back to what she did when she lost her voice last time, making instrumental tracks and cameos. Until her death in 2008 at age 86, playing music to the end just like she wanted.

⸻⸻⸻

I started to like Marie and Walter the drummer getting together. Marie doesn't mind being on the sidelines she just wants a happy quiet life, then there's this guy who is always on the sidelines ignored all the time. I imagined Marie giving him flowers, making him feel special, but also helping him feel content in being an average joe that's not caught up in a lotta things. I just think it's pretty cute

⸻⸻⸻

Just like his cousin, Gale is also good with kids! But not in the way Riley does it. Riley is tender and nurturing, Gale is fun and silly. But that doesn't mean he's irresponsible, he wouldn't go give a child a knife. In fact, someday in the future, Gale and Matilda become parents. The amount of children they have are unknown yet since I haven't decided.

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Like it says in Gale's bio, he is partially deaf. It's his left ear that cannot hear anything at all, the most would probably be faint muffling if you get up real close to it, but that's weird so don't do that.

He's had several instances where people mistake him for being completely deaf in both ears, sometimes it caused some people to scream directly in his face, thinking that if they are loud enough he could hear. He's had to correct that he can hear you loud and clear from his right ear, right after it stops ringing-

Sometimes they think they can say whatever they want as clear as day right next to him. It got awkward when Gale turned to look at them.

Sometimes he's even had a couple cases of people mistaking him for being blind, not deaf. Those were very awkward instances.

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Riley doesn't respect cops. He despises people who take advantage of their position of power. Considering his own job and what he's lost and the many other things he's witnessed on the job, it's no brainer.

Riley still lives in Rochester Minnesota, he can't uproot his job to leave. If he's ever downstate, he's just visiting his cousin, but he won't stay.

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If you recall that one short comic where Mitzi was getting pictures of Mordecai with her camera, then commented on his baggy clothes to get a silly pic of him, she also mentioned getting him some fitted clothes. Well, I had an idea that Tony was actually the tailor that made Mordecai his new fitted and symmetrical clothing. I presume this was back in 1920-1921 cuz that's the years Mordecai worked with lackadaisy, making him 21-22 at the time. Tony was 24-25 at that time, and already had a tailor shop going, he started it when he was only 18. Risky move starting his own business as a young man, but it paid off because he made a name for himself with his work. That's why he was recommended to Mordecai, and ever since then Mordecai goes to him for his tailor needs.

Also if you look at Tony's design, he's pretty symmetrical, which I think would give Mordecai a lil incisive to trust him with the clothing lmao

⸻⸻⸻

[TW HEAVY HEALTH STUFF ABOUT GALE'S MOM]

The sickness that is debilitating Gale's mom to have to live in a hospital for 24 hour care is cancer. The doctors don't predict she'll live much longer. She was diagnosed a year before Gale left the state, after years of feeling weak and unable to do most tasks. Gale wishes he could be by her side, but he can't go back. He's made mistakes.

The moment at the beginning of the guardians of the galaxy movie where Peter doesn't take his mom's hand then runs away, I imagine it went down like that for Gale. After a year of her being in the hospital, and the day after Gale makes his big mistake, he goes to see his mom one last time. She reaches out to him, asking him to take her hand. Time feels like it moves slow, Gale has so many thoughts going through his mind. The pain he feels looking at her is immense, the look in his eyes says it all…if he takes her hand, he'll never want to let her go. He runs the other way, running out of the hospital, then fleeing the state.

That inspired this doodle here

A big part of Gale is he's trying to run away from the past, run away from pain, running forever and ever. He does things for his wife to help her dreams, but also because he's convinced himself this is just how it's meant to be for him. He's a man stuck in the past and doesn't believe he deserves a second chance. He doesn't want that on to his family, which is why he ran out the hospital, and why he never told Riley he left until after he was already gone. Riley actually had to track him down himself. The letters Gale sent to him and his mother were not sent through mail but by more secret means, so his address were never on the letters. (<- MAY CHANGE THIS) And it's also why he's never told Matilda what he does for her, she doesn't know a thing he does. She is only aware of her deeds, and she doesn't want to tell him about them because she wants to protect him (even though he is aware), but she's unaware he's doing much worse things than she is doing.

Gale's a good man in his heart, at his core. But he doesn't think that. He believes his kindness is an act to hide what he really does, even though he truly is kind, he just thinks he's acting.

(MAY CHANGE THIS A TAD, BUT OVERALL GALE IS STILL A GOOD MAN AT HEART)

⸻⸻⸻

The Brooke siblings do love their parents and their parents aren't bad people per say, but they do have personal issues they've never worked on that do strain their relationship with their kids sometimes because the parents are not aware of their own problems and how they're acting it out. (But even if it's pointed out, they ignore it or flat out deny it.) Especially to Tony, being the eldest he's been dealt the brunt of it. If it's something not directed towards him, he makes it directed towards him so his little sisters don't deal with it. Their family is complicated, it's not all black and white on who's the bad guy and who's the good guy. It's just parents who have repressed issues from their past that they are too stubborn on getting help for. Which is another reason why Tony deals with it the most, because he's the oldest, they want him to lead an example.

Just a lil more deeper explanation on why Tony is so laid-back and unphased by things, as said in his character bio.

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Tony was the first one Marie came out to, when she was little. She told him she wanted him to call her Marie, and he did so no questions asked.

Marie's softness back then was more of a timid soft than her current kind yet firm softness, so she was too quiet and scared to stand up for herself. But if she got bullied, Tony would scare them away. Matilda although youngest, would do the same, though her threats were more visceral than Tony's which made her scarier than Tony to some.

As Marie aged she learned to be more stern and unyielding, but she kept her gentle nature, believing she doesn't have to be mean to be strong.

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Because of Tony's experience in medical practices and sewing/knitting, he's skilled with sharp objects, as mentioned in his bio. He's very quick with them, so quick that he could thwip a needle straight at your throat, puncturing an artery, without you even processing what just happened. He likes too keep needles in his pockets just in case, plus they're easier to hide than a gun tbh, not just cuz he's skilled with em.

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Gale is very skilled with a large hammer because of his previous railroad job.

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Thinking about Gale's backstory, I'm gonna change up his attitude when he disposes of someone.

I used to have him be like "I'll do anything for my wife I will get her anything she wants by any means necessary" and then kindly kill someone like yor does in spy x family "May I take your life?" But thinking more on it, he wouldn't really be like that tbh-

Again like I mentioned some messages above, he thinks he is a bad person so he thinks it's in his nature, even though it's not. Deep down he feels guilt, but masks it by believing he deserves it.

SO he would only dispose of someone if they are an actual threat to his wife, not just like- some guy who declined a deal she proposed. He'll just try to convice them to change their mind, sometimes using scare tactics if it calls for it, but not with the intent to kill. And even when he does kill someone he is vocally apologetic to them.

Mind you he's still a "I love my wife I will do anything for her" but now with less mindless following and more of a morale and motivations lmao

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The situation to cause Gale to leave the north without a word was a train accident that he believes to be his fault since there was no indication given it to be otherwise at the time, which scared him so much on going to jail and how the situation would affect his family that he left in a panic. Little does he know there was ulterior motives behind the accident, and he was just a scapegoat since he was a railroad worker at the time. The work he did had been tampered with, but he just thinks he did the work wrong.

Gale is very new at this whole "running from the law" thing since he's never really done anything wrong, which means of course there are slip ups in his attempts. Like he hasn't changed his name, that's the first thing you do when you wanna hide is get a new name, but he didn't like the thought of abandoning a name given to him by his mother. The second is the letters he sends to his mom and cousin. He does his best to keep them a secret through his sending strategies, but sending a letter at all is not hiding yourself well. It just goes to show that ultimately he has no idea what he's doing at all despite how secretive he can come across.

Luckily for him the state ruled it an accident so he has no part in the statement, though investigations are still being looked in to since some investigators believe foul play. Even some not-so-savory people want it to be looked in to, since that train contained some important not-so-savory passengers that perished. At that might catch up to Gale, whether he likes it or not. Not to mention his wife who is working to become an investigator herself, who has a very keen eye on things and probes questions very diligently, he can't really keep secrets forever.

(MAY CHANGE THIS WHOLE THING)

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As stated above, Dot will grow up to mainly be a guitarist and singer, but she does have an appreciation for drummers too because of her mom's partner being a drummer himself. Also she started playing guitar when she was 12 years old.

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Since Riley design changed so much I'd like to update that he is no longer 6'10 tall he is now 7'2 tall, and I will be editing that to the height list at the top. Totally not a nod to him being a werewolf noooo

The bracelet Riley wears is a nod to his girlfriend's color scheme (his gf is a friend's oc)

btw if you notice that I gave Riley an earring as well. In the 1920s it was mainly just sailors that wore [an] earring[s] if it were a man. Sailors believed that if their bodies were recovered at sea the person finding them could take the earring as payment for a proper burial, or they were used as a status symbol for sailing around the globe or just being out at sea for a long time in general. The great lakes in north america are considered "inland seas" and Riley lives in Minnesota. So yea Riley used to be a sailor

He hadn't sailed for too long, just his teens and a bit of early adulthood too. He joined the fire department at age 22, but he still knows his way around a boat, been out sometimes for leisure rather than work now. In fact, he probably would have stayed being a full time sailor in the great lakes if he never experienced his parents perishing in a house fire, that's what gave him the drive. He's had a fascination for the fireman job growing up, but never really thought of it as something he'd do til that happened.

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Tony got married to @pestiforousalt's oc Peter Davis

[aesopsharpmybeloved]

Tess' Sharpuary - 20. Hogsmeade

It's the first day of school, and professor Sharp enjoys a few final hours of peace before starting the term off.

chapter specific tags: slice of life

relationships: aesop sharp & parry pippins, aesop sharp & matilda weasley

20. Hogsmeade (1k)

tw: nothing i think? drinking before noon? 😅

“Ah, professor Sharp! It has been a while, hasn’t it?” came Parry Pippin’s accented voice the moment the Hogwarts potions master entered the small shop. “Good day to you, Pippin,” the tall man replied, grimacing slightly as his leg gave a painful throb. He didn’t usually walk all the way here, and instead relied on correspondence and deliveries by owls. It wasn’t every day he felt up to the task of dragging his sorry leg all over to and through Hogsmeade, and when he did, it was more common for him to enjoy a drink or two in either The Three Broomsticks or Hog’s Head Inn, rather than peruse the shops from which he could simply order by mail.

Well, perhaps Honeydukes was an exception…

However, today was different. Yesterday’s events left Aesop Sharp incredibly confused and disturbed, and instead of using this morning to sleep in and relax before having to teach his first class of the term in the afternoon like he planned to, he set out to take a walk through Hogsmeade, clear his head, visit Pippin’s shop and such. Matilda, having heard his new plan, approached him just outside the Great Hall and pressed a couple of galleons into his hand.

“You know, I did ask for a raise, but I imagined the money would be transferred to my vault at Gringotts as always,” he said dryly. Matilda merely smiled: “Good to know you’re in the mood for jokes on the first day of school, I’m certain your students will appreciate it. Seeing as you’ll be going to Pippin’s anyway, perhaps you could deposit the money for our new Fifth year’s items. I managed to convince Phineas that the school should replace the items lost during the dragon attack.” 

Aesop whistled. It took a special kind of person to be able to talk Phineas Nigellus Black into dropping a few coins. Correction, it took a special kind of person to be able to talk the bugger into dropping a few coins for a Muggleborn… Maybe he should ask Matilda to also convince the Headmaster to finally replace that one potion station in his classroom. It was still working well enough, but Aesop knew that the heating was getting a bit uneven, which could soon become a problem for whatever unfortunate student was stationed there. But he digressed.

“Besides, while you’re there, you can also see whether there is something else the girl might find useful in her studies,” Matilda Weasley finished cheerfully. Aesop gave a little wince: “Liquid luck then, because the poor girl’s going to need a lot of it to be able to handle all of this... And I don’t think you gave me enough money for that.” The Deputy Headmistress clicked her tongue. “She seems a very sensible, clever young woman, I’m certain she’ll be alright,” said the astute woman, and pretty much shooed him off.

Matilda Weasley was a Gryffindor through and through, but she did have a few Slytherin traits.

Still, as he stood in the small shop, he had to admit this wasn’t the worst idea. He wanted to discuss a few things with the owner apart from the new student anyway. First things first, however.

“A girl will come to pick out these items, here is the money for it,” he limped over to the counter and placed the galleons upon it, along with a roll of parchment containing the list of items needed. Pippin gave him a curious look: “Surely I could have that sent to her? Who is this girl, anyway, to get such special treatment? You usually don’t even come all the way here for your own goods.” Aesop leaned against the counter to take some weight off his leg: “She’s only now starting Hogwarts - in her fifth year if you can believe it. She already had the things needed, but they got destroyed en route. Don’t ask, you wouldn’t believe me anyway…” Pippin unrolled the parchment, studying its contents.

“Simple enough, and I’ve got all of these in my stock.” Pippin walked further into his shop, presumably to begin gathering the recipes as well as a few ingredients to have them on hand for the girl to pick up later, while Aesop peered down on the parchment: “Actually, maybe the recipe for Edurus would be useful too. I’ll try her out in class. The coins should be able to still cover that.” 

While Pippin still busied himself with preparing the necessities, Aesop adjusted his position to be more comfortable: “Have we already discussed the potential healing and curse-binding powers of aconite?” 

They spent the following half an hour discussing the properties of various ingredients and their usefulness in a possible cure for his leg. “Whatever you do, don’t forget to inform me. I too am curious as to what you figure out,” Pippin finished. Aesop gave a wry grin: “But not enough to also try to make something new, hm?” “I think my father would rise from his grave and come to kill me if I blew up the shop,” was the older man’s only answer. 

And with that, Aesop bid his farewells and left the shop. The village was rather empty, which of course made sense - classes were in session, people were at work. The day was quite nice, the lingering warmth of the dying summer’s sun gently embraced his skin and the cool breeze blew through his hair.

He was happy nobody seemed to pay him any mind as he slowly dragged himself over to the Three Broomsticks – Sirona’s cooking wasn’t that of the house elves, but her company and conversation weren’t exactly a punishment. Besides, he might as well get himself a glass of Firewhisky, or a pint of ale to go with his meal and help him digest.

Happy with his little plan, Aesop smiled momentarily before entering the pub.

---

Thank you for reading! ❤

[AO3] - [Sharpuary 2024] - [Masterlist]

[dragonjanusisthebestjanus]

The Dragon Lord

Pairing: Janus x Logan (Loceit)

Logan becomes the first ever mage to study in the dragon lands.

Trigger warnings: Fire, depictions of violence, attempted drowning.

Read it on ao3 here!

Taglist: @prince-rowan-of-the-forest @sleepy-nova-tea

Logan quickly tucked the mail into his messenger bag. He raced back up the stairs to his dormitory, attempting to avoid any students in his way.

“Excuse me, Pardon me, coming through!”

He finally reached his room and threw open the door.

“Patton,”

His roommate looked up from where he was studying his potions textbook.

“It’s here!” Logan gleefully plopped down next to Patton and dumped his bag all over his bed. Quills, ink, scrolls, binders, papers, and multiple letters fall from the bag. Logan quickly snatched the one sealed with a green stamp, and quickly opened it with a letter opener that had also come from his bag.

“What’s it say what’s it say?”

“They… I… I…” Logan put the letter in his lap, eyes wide and jaw agape.

Patton slipped the letter out of Logan’s hands. He read it and then wrapped his friend in a hug.

“Oh my gosh Logan! They said you can go! You get to be the first wizard to study in the dragon lands in a thousand years!”

“I get to, I’m; I’m,”

Logan’s smile widens. He returns his friend's hug; then stands and spins them around their room.

“I GET TO GO STUDY IN THE DRAGON LANDS!”

…

Logan hugged his roommate again as Headmistress LeFay opened the portal to the Swamplands.

“You’re gonna do great, Lo. I know it.”

“You are too! You get to study potions with Matilda the Swamp Hag!”

“I know! And it’s a dream come true for me! But it’s nothing like what you get to do, Logan. You have to tell me all about it next semester!”

“I will Pat, I promise.”

The roommates let go and Patton waved goodbye as he stepped through the portal.

“Alright, Crofter. You’re the last one. Are you ready?” Logan nodded at Headmistress Le Fay. She opened a new portal, and Logan took a deep breath as he stepped through.

“Good luck.” Headmistress Le Fay said.

“Thank you, Headmistress.”

The portal closed behind him. A few moments later a large, golden dragon descended in front of him. Logan stood in awe as the dragon transformed in front of his very eyes. A bright, golden glow appeared, then a man about a foot shorter than Logan appeared.

“Logan Crofter, I presume?”

“Um, yes, yes sir.”

The dragon chuckled. “No need to worry, Dragon’s don’t bite.”

Logan continued to stare in awe.

“I’m… I’m sorry. I tried to engage in what you humans call ‘humor’. Was that, was that not humorous?”

Logan shook his head. “I’m sorry. Yes, I suppose it was, humerus. I apologize, this is, this place is, amazing!”

The dragon around and took stock of his land.

“Yes, yes I suppose it is.” He turned back around. “So, you are Logan Crofter, correct?”

“Oh! Yes. Yes. I apologize again. I am Logan Crofter. Do you have a name? There isn’t much information on dragons in our realm,”

The man held out his hand, stopping him. “Yes, something I am trying to rectify. Beginning with allowing you to study here.” The man took a deep bow. “I am Janus, the New Dragon Lord. It is my pleasure to welcome you here, Mr. Crofter.”

…

Logan had the best time of his life.

He had learned Janus had recently won the title of Dragon Lord in The Gauntlet of Fire, after the previous Dragon Lord died of old age.

“So, you’re Dragon Lord for life? The old Dragon Lord’s child won’t try and usurp the title from you?”

“Of course not. I won the title fair and square. Is this not how it works in the human world?”

Logan shook his head.

As it turned out, The Previous Dragon Lord had been the one who kept the dragons isolated from the rest of civilization. Janus was now determined to reunite them with the rest of the world.

“It can only make us stronger. Why wouldn’t we want to be the best we can be?”

Logan had learned dragons were extremely vain. It made sense, from all the legends about them collecting gold.

Or other pretty objects.

Logan didn’t miss the ever-revolving rotation of pretty boys who left Janus’s chambers every evening.

“Janus, do dragons usually partake in…”

Janus had laughed from his throne. “As many sexual escapades as I? No. But being Dragon Lord certainly has its perks. And honestly Logan? I don’t even have as many as you think. Most come to me for this.”

Janus pulled down his shirt collar and showed Logan a bright red gemstone.

“Whoa…”

“Whoa indeed, my little mage. This is the last remaining Fire Ruby. It is the only thing that can heal any ailment any dragon may suffer. It is my duty as Dragon Lord to protect it.”

Logan sat on the armrest of Janus’s throne. “May I?”

The Dragon Lord nodded. Logan unbuttoned his shirt, fully exposing the Fire Ruby.

“It’s gorgeous.” He said.

“So are you.”

The mage allowed The Dragon Lord to connect their lips. Janus pulled him into his lap, and ran his hands under Logan’s shirt.

“Wait- wait.” Logan pulled away.

“Is everything alright, Logan?”

Logan stood up and took several steps away. “No, no, I just-“ he shook his head and sighed. “I don’t want to be another notch in your bedpost, Janus.”

Janus rose from his throne and took the human’s hand.

“Have you learned anything about how dragons court, Logan?”

“N-No.”

“You know dragons are jealous, possessive creatures Logan. If a dragon wishes to court another dragon,” he pulled the human back towards him. “They attempt to make the other dragon jealous by…bedding others.” He pressed kisses to Logan’s neck. “I understand now humans don’t see it that way, but,”

Logan’s eyes widened. “You’ve… you’ve been courting me?”

Janus nodded. Logan turned and pressed their lips together again.

…

Logan’s going away party was supposed to be magnificent.

Janus had mandated every dragon in the land show up. He spared no expense to make sure it had the best food, decor, and entertainment in all the lands.

“You promise you’re coming back?” Janus was in his halfling form, with his wings covering them both, his tail wrapped around Logan’s waist, and claws tangled in his hair.

Logan chuckled and pressed a kiss to his lover's ear. “Yes Jan, I’m coming back I promise. But I have to return to school and present my findings. Then I have to see my family for a little while.”

“Hmmm. I don’t see why I can’t write to the Headmistress. Insist you need to stay here. Then your family could come stay here! You can all be under my protection.”

“A tempting offer. However I doubt my Aunt Patty could make the trip. And before you offer to fly her here! I doubt she could manage the rocky terrain either.”

Janus grumbled and nuzzled back into his lover’s neck.

“I promise Janus. I will come back to you.”

The day was supposed to be perfect.

Logan happily watched the party from beside Janus.

“Why does that weak human get to sit by the Dragon Lord?”

Janus had gripped Logan’s hand.

“Yeah, like this whole party is already for him. Let someone else have a turn!”

Logan placed his other hand atop of Janus’s.

“You know, I could probably eat him in two bites! If we were allowed to be dragons, that is.”

“You know, the human probably knew we could! The human probably convinced the Dragon Lord to make the ‘halflings or humans only’ rule for the night.”

Janus had started to growl.

“You know they won’t try to do anything. Not with you around.”

One thing Logan knew: as self absorbed as most dragons were, nobody challenged The Dragon Lord.

The thought seemed to calm Janus. He slithered his tail around Logan’s waist again, although it was much more possessive than it had been that morning.

The two dragons that had been gossiping soon moved on, allowing Janus and Logan to resume enjoying the party.

After it was over, Janus and Logan indulged themselves by taking a long walk along the river outside Janus’s castle.

“You promise you’re coming back?”

Logan rolled his eyes. “Yes, love. I promise I am-“

A fireball appeared in the air. Janus quickly shifted into his dragon form and tackled Logan to the side.

“What the-“

Another fireball headed towards them. Logan quickly cast a spell, reducing it to nothing.

“Hold on,”

Logan hugged Janus’s neck as he took to the air.

“WHO DARE FIRES UPON THE DRAGON LORD?”

Another fireball came, specifically aiming for Logan. Janus spun in the air, allowing the flames to breeze past them.

Logan closed his eyes as he felt fire literally form in Janus’s throat. He let out a blaze all around the cavern, reducing several rocks into ash.

“SHOW YOURSELVES!” Janus roared.

Another fireball was launched. It would have hit Janus’s wing, had the dragon from earlier not came and swallowed it.

“You?”

“I’m, I’m sorry my lord! I was… I was aiming for the human.”

Janus snarled at the dragon.

“How dare you,”

The other dragon from earlier flew out and knocked Logan off of Janus. Logan watched the two dragons struggle for a moment before he cast a floating spell.

“Janus, look out!”

The second dragon came flying back around. He bared his teeth and bit Janus’s right hind leg. He kept it between his teeth as he dove towards the river, only releasing The Dragon Lord when his wings were in the water.

“Janus!”

Janus was struggling to keep himself above the water. Logan flew down near him, but ended up having to dive into the river when the dragon came back.

“Gostir, what the hell are you doing?”

The dragon didn’t reply to his friend.

“Logan! Logan!” The Dragon lord started thrashing violently, creating large waves in the river.

“Janus, Janus calm down-“

Logan was swept under by one of the waves. He tried to cast another spell, but his head hit the side of some rocks, knocking him out.

…

When Logan awoke, he was laying in a plush field beside a forest.

“Logan, Logan thank the gods! I thought I’d lost you!”

Logan coughed and tried to sit up, but Janus pushed him back down.

“You’re, you’re bleeding.” Logan pointed to Janus’s leg, which had bright red patches all down it.

“I don’t care.” Janus pulled his lover into a hug. “I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.”

Logan returned the hug, but noticed something.

“Janus, the Fire Ruby?”

Janus shook his head. “It’s… it’s gone. I-I lost it going after you.”

“What? Janus! You-you should not have done that! The Fire Ruby is much more important!”

“Not to me.”

The two managed to somewhat pull themselves together. They tried to travel into the woods, back towards the Dragonlands. However, it soon became apparent that Janus’s leg was going to be a problem.

“Love, you’re, you’re limping. Here, let me make you a walking stick,”

“NO!”

Logan was taken aback. Janus had never yelled at him before.

“I’m, I'm sorry my love. But I am the mighty Dragon Lord. I have a reputation to protect.” Janus looked around, and eventually spotted a small cave. “Why don’t we stop there and rest for a while?”

Logan nodded. He took Janus’s hand and led him into the cave.

He worried about when they would be able to come out.