#op hermione

[harmonyandco]

Gods amongst mortals.

Arch-Magisters or as they are referred to Arch-Mages were always exceptionally rare. In ages past there might have been one in a 1000 magicals who could claim that sort of power. Gifted from birth by whatever creative force watched over human kind, that upon finding their soul mates they would come into their power properly. In those long forgotten ages they were often mistaken for divine entities. Gods if you will. A mistake made easier by the immortal or at least NEAR-immortal natures of many of them. Unfortunately, times takes a toll on all things. The cataclysmic civil war on Atlantis slew most of the Mediterranean Arch-Magisters and their lines. Atlantis survived, albeit hidden, but the nascent 'gods' were slain en-masse in battle. Countless wars, plague and an increasing bent towards inbreeding slowly sapped many ancient and powerful bloodlines of their power and numbers until it is literally unheard of for someone to reach Arch-Magister levels of magic in the modern age. Even the most powerful witches and wizards of the Modern age might only barely tickle the label 'mage'. However, fate, chance or perhaps divine right have changed that. Harry Potter's magical blood is literally seething with potential. His father was born to two powerful lines. The Potter's descended from the Peverells and their connection to death. And the Blacks, with ancient magics dating back to Ancient Egypt. Between the two James Potter was deeply magically strong, but that is nothing compared to his son. You see Lily Potter nee Evans was descended from a line which squibbed out during the Norman Invasion. Her distant ancestors were Norse, of bloodlines related to Arch-Magisters like Frigga and Odin. Harry's own potential may have laid dormant, powerful, but full potential unrealized, had he not met his soul mate. Hermione Granger. Her mother's blood is from a squib line that had in ages past intermarried heavily with Veela. And while Hermione herself has no Veela potential or allure she did inherit their deeply magical nature and propensity for fire. It's her father's line that is rather more interesting though, pushing her potential to a level equivalent to Harry's own. You see the Dagworth Grangers squibbed out a few generations back, this is true. However in the deep, long forgotten annals of their family history they descended from a Pictish Witch by the name of Morgana. Morgana, also known as Morgan Le Fay in modern times was half-sister to King Arthur Pendragon, who's own children all died too young to carry the bloodline. As such, in the twisted and confusing way that these things often go Hermione is in fact the current heiress to the line of Pendragon. This too might have lain dormant or been lost entirely had she not found her soul mate. The Power He Knows Not. Is not love. Though both Harry and Hermione have that in abundance. It isn't even the power of the Deathly Hallows. It is their shared potential to be the first full-blooded Arch-Magisters in over one thousand years. With power beyond modern comprehension. Had they lived in ancient times Harry might have been mistaken for a war-god with a propensity for lightning, and Hermione for a Goddess of Fire and Knowledge. Together they have the ability to defeat the Dark Twisted Mage Voldemort and reforge the world into something new and beautiful. If they can overcome a few troublesome stumbling blocks along the way. Such as an interfering busybody who thinks he knows what the prophecy means, and some idiots who think messing around with a prophesied soul bond is a good idea. Of course, who says their troubles will end with the Blood Wars of the British Isles? Who knows what fate will bring?

[letteredlettered]

Another post just reminded me of an important PSA

Sokka is a better Ron Weasley and Xander Harris than Ron Weasley and Xander Harris ever were

Katara is a better Hermione Granger and Willow Rosenberg than Hermione Granger and Willow Rosenberg ever were

Zuko is a better Draco Malfoy than Draco Malfoy ever was canonically, but Spike is pretty great, even though yes, okay, we know, Zuko's redemption arc will always be superior

fight me

[demonhuntingcaterpillar]

“Not all men.”

You’re right. The High Reeve would never.

[tavtiers]

A hypothetical god tier for Hermione Granger from Harry Potter: the Witch of Light.

A Witch of Light is among those who explore knowing and perceiving. They are motivated by themselves to manipulate awareness. (x) The Witch of Light constantly wishes things were different and enjoys knowing things others don't. (x) They are the Harbinger Scholar, defined by fixing awareness. (x) Their opposite is the Heir of Void. Their inverse is the Seer of Void. They share their personality with the Seer of Time. The Witch of Light would quest on a planet similar to the Land of Clarity and Light, reigned over by Hemera (Goddess of Daylight) or Apollo (God of the Sun). They would rise to ascension on the wings of moths. (x)(x)(x)

[cruelsummer-ficfest]

“I got a phone!” she beamed into the line. “Now you can call me wherever. I got a flat. In London. Not far from where you used to shop, Mum.”

“By yourself?” her father asked. 

“And did you end up looking into university?” her mother chimed in. 

“Well, no, I got a job at the ministry, remember? And no. Ron’s here too.”

“Don’t you think you’re a little young for living together?” she could hear the judgment in her mother’s voice. Could picture it on her face. “It can’t be that serious of a relationship. You’re only nineteen.”

“But after the year in the tent, and…”

They didn’t say anything back. She’d always prided herself on being smart, but somehow, her own parents made her feel like she knew nothing. 

[jk-scrolling]

Mmhmm, I'm sure your perception of whether she's "dominating the conversation" is eminently fair, and this isn't just you propagating the trauma done to you by your own gendered socialization onto a young person under your control.

[warmpants]

my nightmare blunt rotation is hiram and his cohorts at the end of season two (malachai, minetta, penelope, penny, clifford)

[isalisewrites]

Hello! I saw your posts about JKR's bad writing and my eyes were opened! How do you feel about JKR constantly repeating concepts? For eg. in book 4, she highlights the mudblood concept more than necessary. She has to spell out why the Malfoys don't like Hermione when it should be obvious by now. She has to say mudblood is an offensive slur when Draco calls Hermione that in the forest when this was literally done in book 2!

Yooooo, this is a GREAT question. This is such a good issue to look into and to watch out for as a writer, especially if you're trying to write original works. I think this is a great topic for the next post because this is something writers can easily do by mistake. I know FOR SURE I've likely done this for multiple concepts in my own work, especially Terrible, But Great since I've been writing it for over two years now. It's so easy to forget.

In the case of JKR, I suspect it's carelessness or forgetfulness. Chamber of Secrets was published in 1998 and Goblet of Fire was published in 2000... Hang on a minute... Pardon me for going on a tangent, but--

HP1 word count: 76k. Published June 1997

HP2 word count: 85k. Published July 1998

HP3 word count: 107k. Published July 1999

HP4 word count: 190k. Published July 2000

HP5 word count: 257k. Published June 2003

HP6 word count: 168k. Published July 2005

HP7 word count: 198k. Published July 2007

Oh, god. I just learned something today. Well, all right then, there's our reason. THIS is the reason why the writing isn't as strong as it could be in the Harry Potter series. It's because she was writing a book per year for the first four books. I remember her talking about getting stuck for HP5 and that was why it had the largest time difference.

She was rushing the drafting process. I bet she did very little self editing at this pace. You just can't if you're writing a book per year.

Fucking hell, no wonder.

Okay. Quick side tip to all my writing buddies. Yall, don't rush, okay? It's okay to push yourself to reach goals, but don't overdo it. The drafting process is important, but giving yourself the time and space to edit your work will always help you grow as a writer.

Anyway, OP, this was a great topic to bring up and I think I'll go into much further depth with it in the next post of the series. Thank you for this ask!

[indigo-scarf]

Crabbe and Goyle are not the same person

Crabbe and Goyle often seem to be a monolithic caricature of a large-bodied and thick-headed bully, almost always being mentioned together and acting in unison. However, if we look closely, subtle differences between their personalities reveal themselves in the text.

It’s unclear whether that’s intentional, or whether it’s based on the careless assumption that if something is said about one boy, it automatically goes for the other. But even if the cause is the latter, the result is that what the books do say about each of them is not exactly the same.

I. Dumb vs. Dumber

Beyond their physical descriptions — “They were both wide and musclely; Crabbe was taller, with a pudding-bowl haircut and a very thick neck; Goyle had short, bristly hair and long, gorilla-ish arms.” (PA) — one difference between the two characters is that Goyle is considered even more stupid than Crabbe.

Both of them are frequently described as stupid, with lines such as: “Crabbe and Goyle were sniggering stupidly” (CS), “Crabbe and Goyle guffawed stupidly” (GF), “Crabbe and Goyle had evidently failed to achieve the required O.W.L. grade…” (HBP) — but Goyle’s slowness gets extra emphasis on top of that:

“[Harry and Ron] had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he had passed [his exams], too.” (PS) “Ron, who had been gazing at Harry, said, ‘You don’t know how bizarre it is to see Goyle thinking.’” (CS) “‘That looks more like Goyle,’ said Ron [about Harry looking bewildered]. ‘That’s how he looks every time a teacher asks him a question.’” (CS) “‘Azkaban — the wizard prison, Goyle,’ said Malfoy, looking at him in disbelief. ‘Honestly, if you were any slower, you’d be going backward.’” (CS) “‘I’ll make Goyle do lines, it’ll kill him, he hates writing,’ said Ron happily. He lowered his voice to Goyle’s low grunt and, screwing up his face in a look of pained concentration, mimed writing in midair.” (OP) “[Said Hermione,] ‘Your potion wasn’t nearly as bad as Goyle’s, when he put it in his flagon the whole thing shattered and set his robes on fire.’” (OP)

Additionally, Crabbe enjoys being part of Draco’s attempt to discredit Hagrid in Skeeter’s article, as when Harry got incensed at the claim that Crabbe “got a bad bite off a flobberworm”, “Crabbe was sniggering, apparently very pleased with himself” (GF).

In contrast, Goyle can barely keep up with a similar attempt to discredit Hagrid the next year: when Umbridge asked Goyle about injuries in the CoMC class, “Goyle gave a stupid grin. Malfoy hastened to answer the question” (OP).

And it’s suggested that Draco sometimes favours Crabbe for his slightly higher intelligence and magical ability: picking his second for a wizard’s duel, “Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle, sizing them up” and chose Crabbe (PS).

But on the flipside he might favour Goyle for more physical tasks, such as carrying him inside a dementor costume: “It looked as though Malfoy had been standing on Goyle’s shoulders” (PA) — though that might just be because Crabbe was tall enough to play a dementor by himself.

II. Cruel Crabbe vs. Greedy Goyle

Both boys are portrayed as violent and cruel:

“[Hermione] didn't even notice Malfoy and Ron rolling around under her seat, or the scuffles and yelps coming from the whirl of fists that was Neville, Crabbe, and Goyle.” (PS) “Crabbe and Goyle flexed their muscles threateningly.” (PA) “Crabbe and Goyle were now flexing their arms, closing in front of Malfoy, ready for the fight.” (OP) “Some people are into [practicing the Cruciatus Curse on people who’ve earned detentions], though; Crabbe and Goyle love it. First time they’ve ever been top in anything, I expect.” (DH)

And both are portrayed as greedy (at least according to JKR’s fatphobic logic):

“They lurked in the deserted entrance hall after Christmas tea, waiting for Crabbe and Goyle who had remained alone at the Slytherin table, shoveling down fourth helpings of trifle.” (CS) “Grinning stupidly, they stuffed the cakes whole into their large mouths. For a moment, both of them chewed greedily, looks of triumph on their faces.” (CS)

But each of them gets individual moments where one of those traits is highlighted. For Goyle it’s greed for material things:

“Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron...” (PS) “‘Count yer coins! An’ there’s no point tryin’ ter steal any, Goyle,’ [Hagrid] added, his beetle-black eyes narrowed. ‘It’s leprechaun gold. Vanishes after a few hours.’ Goyle emptied his pockets, looking extremely sulky.” (GF)

While for Crabbe it’s cruelty:

“‘It was that thug, Crabbe,’ said Angelina angrily. ‘He whacked the Bludger at you the moment he saw you’d got the Snitch — but we won, Harry, we won!’” (OP) “Neville, who was trapped in a stranglehold by Crabbe and looked in imminent danger of suffocation.” (OP)

And although by Deathly Hallows they are both said to be casting the Cruciatus and enjoying it, only Crabbe is shown also using the Killing Curse and Fiendfyre:

“It’s that Mudblood! Avada Kedavra!” (DH) “Crabbe wheeled around and screamed, ‘Avada Kedavra!’ again.” (DH) “Like it hot, scum?” roared Crabbe as he ran. But he seemed to have no control over what he had done. [...] Harry, Ron, and Hermione pelted along in his wake, and the fire pursued them. It was not normal fire; Crabbe had used a curse of which Harry had no knowledge.” (DH)

III. Goyle never turned against Draco

The third and most important difference was the whole reason I started writing this, but it will have to be its own post. Stay tuned.

[saintsenara]

happy birthday ginny, here's a fic with you and both of your dark-haired orphan simps.

Nerve

When she was five, Auntie Muriel had given her as a birthday present a small china figurine of a cow.

And, since she was five, and all she wanted to do was ride brooms and fall out of trees and throw gnomes at Percy, she had laughed derisively the second she opened the gift and called it ‘a bit rubbish’.

Mum had been furious, and the telling-off Ginny had received - as Muriel stormed out of the house with her nose in the air, ‘Weasley children are ungrateful whelps, the lot of them’ ringing around the Burrow - had managed to impress upon her an important lesson: no matter how shit a present is, pretend you like it.

---

- and Percy got a brand new owl when he was made a prefect, and that happened the day before I turned ten, but I didn’t get anything new that day, it was all second hand. Except my Auntie Muriel gave me a box of drawing pins. But who wants a thing like that?

That sounds ghastly.

It was! Obviously I wasn’t rude. I just -

I know it sounds really silly, but I just want my own things. I want to be special. I want everyone to notice me. Nobody notices me.

That doesn’t sound silly at all.

You’re sweet :) 

---

The lesson had held for ten years. It was fracturing today, as she turned fifteen and unwrapped Fleur’s gift to her - presented with a beatific, ‘I ‘ope you will like ‘ow it stops you being so - ‘ow you say - disorganised’ - and saw the embossed scarlet leather cover, her initials on it in gold, of an extremely beautiful and obviously stupendously expensive diary.

‘Oh,’ said Ginny.

Fleur seemed happy enough with that, leaning into Bill’s arm - wrapped around her shoulders - with a contented (read: smug) look on her face. Harry and Ron were both shovelling birthday cake into their mouths, but Hermione was looking at her with the sort of stricken, wobbly expression which made Ginny nervous.

‘Cheers. It’s great,’ she said to Fleur, in an effort to communicate to Hermione that she needed to keep fucking quiet and not bring up my previous diary-related fuck-ups at the dinner table. Fortunately she got the hint, although Ginny knew there’d be plenty of whispered nagging about whether she’d ‘properly dealt with everything’ later.

But she couldn’t help staring at Bill, as if to say, ‘thanks for not spilling my most embarrassing secret during your pillow talk’ and ‘hey, you know how there’s a war on? Maybe you should tell your fiancée that your sister was fucking possessed by You-Know-Who for a full year, so she knows exactly what sort of mess she’s getting into.’

He just looked at his cake instead.

---

- and I told mum I didn’t want a victoria sponge cake. But she made one anyway, because it’s dad’s favourite. But it was my birthday. I wanted a chocolate cake.

Does that make me sound really spoiled?

It does, doesn’t it?

What kind of birthday cakes did you have, when you were my age?

I have never had a birthday cake.

WHAT?

How???

I was born in an orphanage. That’s a Muggle institution for children whose parents are dead. There was hardly enough to go around normally. Birthdays were out of the question.  

Oh.

I’m sorry.

I survived.

Harry’s an orphan as well.

Is he indeed?

---

‘I’m so sorry,’ said Hermione later, bustling around Ginny’s room brandishing a hairbrush like a wand. ‘The nerve of her! She had no right to do something like that.’

‘She didn’t know.’

‘But Bill should have told her.’

‘Yeah. Maybe.’

Hermione sat on the end of Ginny’s bed and looked at her earnestly. ‘You can say if you’re upset, you know.’

‘It’s fine.’

‘I mean, I’ve never thought you’ve ever properly dealt with everything, and I -’

‘I said it’s fine, Hermione. For fuck’s sake, give it a rest.’

---

Hermione was still in a mood the following morning.

The diary sat on Ginny’s bedside table, the cover shimmering softly at her.

‘I suppose the colour was meant to be nice - Gryffindor, you know - but it’s just ended up being another cruelty,’ sniffed Hermione, when she’d decided she was no longer angry with Ginny and she ought to have another go at nagging her about her life.

‘What d’you mean?’ said Ginny, round a mouthful of chocolate frog.

Hermione looked at her as if she was as dumb as Goyle. (Ginny could see why quite a few people didn’t like her). ‘Well, it’s like his eyes. Isn’t it?’

She looked so convinced she was onto something that Ginny didn’t have the heart to tell her that her him had eyes the same polished tortoiseshell brown as Hermione’s own.

---

I could make him a valentine’s card, couldn’t I?

You could.

I could say he has nice eyes. He does have nice eyes.

So you’ve said.

They’re very green. I could say that. ‘You have very green eyes.’

That’s not very romantic, is it?

I could say, ‘you have eyes so green they’re like…’

I dunno.

A fresh pickled toad.

Or an emerald.

Pick the emerald.

I like the toad.

Pick the emerald.

They aren’t emerald green, though. They’re fresh pickled toad green.

I just think -

I’m going to say that his eyes are as green as a fresh pickled toad.

Or do you think he’d hate that? 

I think you should say his eyes are like emeralds.

He will hate it, won’t he?

Would it matter if he did?

YES.

Picture me rolling my eyes.

Tom. I’d DIE.

Imagine if he laughed at it. 

And if he didn’t?

That isn’t possible.

Ginny.

Anything is possible if you’ve got enough nerve.

---

She dropped a blob of ink onto the page and waited for the inevitable.

She realised she had been staring at it for hours when mum called her down for dinner.

---

She could never have explained to the other three why nothing happening was as much of a disappointment as a relief.

They were bound together so tightly you’d have thought they were one-and-the-same. It didn’t seem to occur to them that their friendship was abnormal. Or, maybe, that hers were. That, maybe, it isn’t normal for a fifteen-year-old to not see her boyfriend all summer, or not to have friends visit, or not to Floo off for house-parties and trips to Diagon Alley. That, maybe, her position in a clique of ‘popular’ girls was tenuous, something light and meaningless and easily discarded.

That, maybe, the best friend she’d ever had was a piece of disembodied soul which had very nearly succeeded in killing her.

---

I don’t think anyone understands me like you.

You’re my best friend in the whole world :) 

I’m delighted to hear that. The feeling is mutual.

Now. I need you to do me a favour.

Anything :)

You will walk down to the gamekeeper’s hut.

I will walk down to the gamekeeper’s hut.

---

‘I don’t think Harry will get back together with Cho,’ said Hermione one evening.

Ginny snorted. ‘Yeah, obviously. He fucked that right up.’

‘Dean’s nice.’

Ginny tried to ignore the jittery feeling in her stomach. ‘Yeah. Yeah, he’s brill.’

Fortunately Hermione was already yawning into her pillow. ‘Did you have a nice birthday, by the way?’

‘Yeah.’

There was a brightly-coloured bang from outside.

Hermione jumped up, brandishing her wand. ‘What on earth was that?’

---

I wish I was with mum and dad for Christmas. On New Year’s Eve we always have hot chocolate and watch the fireworks from the village. You can see them really well from our garden.

I spent all evening crying. And now I can’t sleep. 

Are you awake?

Is it New Year’s Eve today?

Yes.

Ah.

It doesn’t feel very festive though.

Go to the North Tower, and - just before the Divination classroom - you will see a painting of three house elves wearing a trench coat. Poke the middle one on the nose and the painting will swing open to reveal a window. Climb through the window and you will find yourself on a flat bit of roof, with an uninterrupted view towards Hogsmeade. At midnight, there will be fireworks to celebrate the new year. 

But there will be nobody else around, and they will feel as though they are for you.

---

‘Relax, Hermione. It’s just someone letting off fireworks.’

‘God. I thought it was the Dark Mark or something. Honestly, who lets off fireworks in the middle of August?’

‘You never know. Maybe they’re for me.’

[limetameta]

I need tombraxas fics and your opinion on it

I'm about to go OFF under the cut so beware

If you're looking for HEALTHY tombraxas I can offer you the following:

TOM RIDDLE HATES SOCIAL MEDIA

Summary: They're in high school it's modern au, the most dramatic thing that happens is that they know Walburga Black in person, who's trying to be an influencer. This is the cutest tombraxas I've ever written and I love it so gosh dang much. They're just so soft with each other and they love each other like lovesick teenagers can. Tom is a lil repressed and scared because he's a foster kid and Abraxas is a nepo baby and that's bound to create problems, but Abraxas is just so SAFE for Tom.

TOM RIDDLE THE IT GUY

To this day I believe I've peaked with this writing and that I'll never write anything funnier. Take the Riddle era kids, age them up, and shove them in a no magic office au. I'm laughing as I'm writing this honestly every time I remember this fic I giggle.

NOW IF YOU WANT TOMBRAXAS AS KIND OF THE DRIVING FORCE FOR PLOT, BUT SEEN FROM AN OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE MAY I OFFER YOU:

KNIGHTS AND (PRINCES)SES:

Voldemort Wins the 2ND WAR AU - Ginny falls in love with Luna, but parallel to them Tombraxas is out here being divorced toxic and learning to reconcile because Luna is Voldemort's favourite student and Ginny is Abraxas' favourite student. I like this fic a lot. MAINLY because I love writing Voldemort wins fics that make Voldemort depressed.

THE ARITHMANCY FIC

Trans Harry AU. Abraxas is SICK AND TIRED OF DIVINATION. HE'S GONNA GET VOLDEMORT AND HARRY POTTER TO FUCK OFF WITH THEIR PROPHECY BULLSHIT IF IT'S THE LAST THING HE DOES. Featuring Voldemort being very domestic with Abraxas.

NUMBERED DAYS

Every adult in Harry Potter's life has failed him as a mentor figure. Enter Abraxas Malfoy, who's like I BET I CAN SPEEDRUN my man Tom winning this war and not having him deal with Harry Potter - I'LL BECOME A PROFESSOR AT HOGWARTS! SECRET MARRIAGE TROPE, VOLDEMORT AND ABRAXAS DISS DUMBLEDORE FOR HAVING A GAY RELATIONSHIP LONGER THAN HIS ONE SUMMER ROMANCE ASS. Harry Potter is not harmed. Who knew that was an option???

SNAPSHOTS

This is a story of tombraxas as told through a series of moving photographs.

RUIN

The first time I ever wrote a fic with tombraxas in it (Abraxas doesn't appear, but Voldemort talks about how that peacock man can get it)

it's old 2016 writing tho so beware.

YOUNG SNAKES

Albus Dumbledore gets sorted into Slytherin and how this changes the course of his life. Tom/Abraxas are side characters but they're together and it's clearly stated in text.

TOM RIDDLE SR.

Tom Riddle Sr raises his son. His son is gay for the peacock man, but this story focuses more on the father son dynamic than on them.

SIBLINGS

Hermione time travels to the past and acts as Tom's sister. Tom is flustered by Abraxas lots in this fic and they are together.

NOW ONTO MY MORE EXPERIMENTAL WORKS THE ONE WHO BRINGS COLOUR

Voldemort dies as per canon but he winds up in a hellish world devoid of colour and his senses. As he travels farther and farther out and gains more of his senses, it isn't until he finds Abraxas that colour returns to his life. I like this fic a lot.

THE CHANGELING

Tom Marvolo Riddle (the human) is switched at birth with a fairy changeling. The Fairy AS TOM RIDDLE grows up in muggle london and goes to Hogwarts and has a liaison with Abraxas and becomes Voldemort and all that. Meanwhile Tom Riddle (the human) grows up in the Fairy world and fucks shit up for the Unseelie Queen. I like the prose in this one a lot.

AWARENESS

Voldemort and Abraxas in this fic are not endgame but they are together. Endgame for Voldemort is finally being happy and healthy. For Abraxas it's Minerva. The two of them are still very much clearly codependant on each other and very open, and they do fuck.

AND NOW!!! FOR THE CREME DE LA CREME, FOR THE OP OF ALL MY TOMBRAXAS FICS, THE HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION, THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE, THE MAGNUP OPUS OF MY AO3

RETIRED PROMETHEUS

FUN FACT: The very first fic Abraxas ever appears in my writing, the one that set the precedent for all the other Abraxas in my works FIRST APPEARED IN Retired Prometheus - the LONGEST TOMBRAXAS FIC WRITTEN ON FFNET AND AO3 to date. This fic has truly taught me so much about writing. These two in this fic are so deeply convoluted and yet in love with each other in a very toxis way. I adore them. I adore the messiness, the codependence, the nobody will ever love you as I love you, my love for you is monstrous, but that's fine, I'll love you with all of my monstrous being. Everything that you see in the fics listed above this one CAME as a direct influence Retired Prometheus had on me. This is the OG. This is the abyss that stared at me and had me churning out Tombraxas fics for YEARS. This is the, even though I'm a terrible human being, I deserve to be loved, too, and nobody can do it better than you, you, Hercules, who've come to rescue me from myself, from my punishment from the Gods.

[starplusfourletters]

I read vision of the future (hand of thrawn book 2 aka Who Scams the Scammers)

(spoilers) and once again it turned into a liveblog, apologies

Hold up are we doing Warrior Cats? Is this Warrior Cats Planet??

What base is “arm around your waist to serve as a psychic translator conduit”

Omigod I WISH my Warrior Cat name were “Jaded of Mara”

Everything I know about Soontir Fel I learned from x wing but I would not have guessed his primary motivation to be "dirt"

@ luke and mara: the girls are talkingggggg

North Barris Spaceport has me twitching

Ghent not remembering who the president is and just assuming it’s probably Leia. I mean fair

What base is "holding hands to brace yourselves over a swarm of flesh eating insects"

So we’re finally asking why Mara ISN’T actually dark side and the answer is… shrug emoji?

Man Zahn really is stuck on “character bonding hike” as a device huh. But consider I eat that shit up

Oh No Lando is racist

LMAO at “so oblivious you need a child pterodactyl to tell you to just kiss already” to “besides I don’t want my life to be like spiderman three I hated that movie” to “kissing with dubious consent” ALL ON THE SAME PAGE like Zahn finally realized he really needed to get this show on the road

LMAO at Ghent getting a free pass from Pellaeon to hack the empire. Like you’re just going to get the thing you need and not steal all of our military and political secrets right? Riiiight? Even more LMAO at the fact that that would probably not even occur to Ghent

When everyone assumes they're the protagonist so finding this one macguffin is their job personally. Like guys I like the energy but maybe we've got enough different plans to do the same thing (the exception, hilariously, being Luke) (and Oh No it turns out Luke is the one to find the macguffin because You Have to Follow Your Heart and Let the MacGuffin Come to You. I eat that shit up also)

Mara’s just... So great.

Not to make everything about my blorbo but absolutely to make everything about my blorbo I do wonder to what extent Ahsoka’s characterization post-Rebels doesn’t click for me is because a lot of the more obvious directions for Oldsoka overlap with Mara, and the powers that be didn’t want to reinvent the Mara Jade wheel. Not to say they have similar characterization – Mara has terminal sam coded dean girl syndrome – but idk, in dynamic range maybe? Calling out bullshit, weaponizing her own abrasiveness, covering insecurity with humor, being Kind of a Lot with a side of trust issues at any given moment – there are modes Mara and Youngsoka share that didn’t pass to Oldsoka apparently. Idk possibly all this is just me wanting them to TALK

Establishing that you can do evil things for selfless reasons without necessarily being in any danger of falling to the dark side is... Philosophically interesting

We interrupt this tale of political espionage to bring you Jedi Relationship Counseling (spoiler alert: communication is key)

"That part of her life [Mara’s time with Palpatine] had died unmourned" I mean mourned a little bit. Mourned for at least a book and a half

I've been willing to suspend my disbelief on everything in this book until "both Luke and Mara forget that ysalamiri exist"

I will never not be a sucker for The Movements and Transferred Ownership of Emotionally Significant Weapons

Oh No thrawn made a second foundation

The Aing-Tii seem OP but whatever

Oh No the second foundation forgot to close the garage doors

(Re: The Jade’s Fire) I know Mara’s having a Moment, and I promise I’m taking it seriously, but when the warrior cat asked “What is it you want, Mara Jade” my WHOLE BRAIN responded with "I want Hermione Granger! And a rocket ship!"

Moranda has real Kevin from home alone energy and I'm living for it

Is it bad that I’m actually kinda happy the Imperials’ Bothawui shield plan worked? Like, they had a really interesting plan and I’m happy for them. They earned it

WAIT IS MORANDA DEAD FR?

What base is “full mind meld while you’re fighting for your lives”

Who would win: ~1.5 Jedi, 2 sentinel droids droidekas, or Artoo with a sauntering gun

If I had a nickel for every time this duology explicitly established Jedi can’t go completely without oxygen, even when in a trance, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot but which makes me feel like the Ahsoka show had a weirdly specific axe to grind with the source material

Luke’s proposal to Mara is Just. The. Funniest. Thing. That’s some Anakin-level cringe and the prequels aren’t even out yet. He truly is his father’s son.

I mean POV there’s this guy and for a couple years you want to kill him, and then you realize that’s more of a You Problem, so then you’re friendquaitances for a decade mostly because you don’t approve of the shit he’s getting into, and then you have one (1) honest conversation and get caught in a death trap and he’s like “so I think the next step for us is marriage”

LEIAAAAAA! Full Jedi Knight Leia is both terrifying and hot. I would run.

“So it is treason” – Some random guy

Lando needs to be on the New Republic payroll simply for being willing to speak to any of the other characters and also he needs a raise. This poor guy getting called on to command the entire New Republic fleet mid-battle and he’s like “I’ve been a civilian for 15 years and also I knew you would pull some horse piss like this steve”

Mara Jade, Imperial protege. Skills include: Identifying load-bearing walls. (Now all I want is Property Brothers: Sith Edition)

Mara please. Luke please. These absolute idiots. This is some pear scene shit. I hope nothing bad happens to them ever

The whole back half of this book has been an emotional rollercoaster for me specifically because I wanted Flim to be Thrawn FR soooooo baddddd. And now I’m sad. His name literally means scam don’t do this to me Zahn

I’ve been amused by all the Star Wars universe idioms but I gotta take a moment to specifically showcase “burned your sky-arches.” Karrde is a delight to have in class

Having an independent intelligence agency that’s supposed to work for both the New Republic and the Empire seems absolutely unhinged but go off I guess

When the New Republic and Empire sign peace accords and Luke can’t even be bothered to show up

Mara is great and her arc is fuckin hilarious to me. The narrative has identified her as The Damaged One and I’m like???? She came to terms with her troubled past, drew her own boundaries regarding the Dark Side, recognized that there are people who care about her instead of pre-emptively pushing them away, and resolved to form deeper emotional connections. Smash cut to ROTS Anakin whose physical and psychic damage has literally turned his brain into oatmeal

Again I know this was before the prequels Mad points for explicitly saying Mara needed to form attachments to become a Jedi. Zahn being pretty gangsta there

OH NO THEMB

[cruelsummer-ficfest]

They meet in the darkness of the Malfoy Manor library. As Astoria pushes the door open, finally letting her shoulders drop at the realization of solitude, a strip of dim lighting from the arched hallway falls to the hardwood floor and runs towards the little alcove by the window—Astoria’s favorite spot. She follows its trail in quiet anticipation and lets out a shocked gasp as soon as her eyes land on the lonely figure with a half-empty glass of firewhiskey in hand. 

The figure is Hermione Granger. 

Hermione is, somehow, graceful in her leisure, almost even regal in a way that never came to Astoria naturally. Her blazer lies on the floor—crumpled up in an uncharacteristic show of untidiness—next to hurriedly kicked-off heels. The sleeves of her cream-colored blouse are carelessly rolled up in a way that will no doubt leave a multitude of wrinkles; most of the top buttons are undone in a manner that has Astoria leaning forward, craning her neck and swallowing harshly as she catches the sight of a lacy corset-like bra. 

[dark-elf-writes]

Oooh interesting. The last Magical Mob I vaguely remember reading in HP fics were in one of the "Mr Black" fics where Harry went around Wizarding Europe being increasingly mistaken as a Super OP Dark Wizard Hunter. One thing that still stands out in memory is that the magical criminal underworld existed. Like straight up Italian magical mafia and whatnot. The mafia are terrifying enough with mundane methods. Giving them magic is so much more terrifying.

That said?

I can see the Trio catching on fairly quick that Ron's and Harry's new partners are Very Much Not Legally Minded Fellows. But as long as there's clear limits and the people they're dating don't have Death Eater mentalities (aside from "no one's allowed to leave/betray the family"), I can see it working out. Especially since the Trio had to fight the literal government in more than just Book 7. Hermione was super quick to turn to illegal use of magic in Book 2 anyway.

Ron's family? "As long as your happy," might be a thing. Hermione's? ... okay I'll never not be upset over how any interpretation of "Hermione erased their memories and set them up in Australia" could be taken. The less said about the Dursleys the better but I'd like to think that Post Less Of A Dick Dudley might be fine if he knows.

The trio have always been… flexible in their morality considering Hermione set a teacher on fire at eleven and not a single one of them thought it was even a little too far. Between that and their general distrust in the government that wasn’t going to go away after everything, they’re pretty okay with the whole crime families thing as long as certain guidelines are kept.

Tbh I feel deep in my bones that Molly Weasley would be thrilled about Ron’s choice in partners legality be damned.

This woman lived through two wars. She lost her brothers. She fought and bled to protect whatever she had left. She killed for her family without hesitation. Having someone who would love and cherish her a baby boy and was willing to do whatever it took to keep him safe? She welcomes Blaise with open arms.

[iamnmbr3]

❤️🧡💛

If you had to remove one major character from the series, who would you choose? What is a popular (serious) theory you disagree with? What is a popular ship you just can't get behind, and why?

1)

Oooh! Not sure! I think if Ron didn't come back or died in book 7 it could've been really interesting and would make for fodder for a nice AU. I also felt like Ginny's characterization changed a lot in book 6. I liked how she was written much better in book 5. So I wish book 5 Ginny could've been in book 6 and 7 lol. But yeah for real in general I think the characters in the series are overall interesting and dynamic and I like them and the narrative potential they have, even if I feel JKR doesn't always allow them to live up to that potential so there aren't really characters that I'd want to excise, even if there are definitely writing decisions I'd like to remove.

2)

I personally hate the theory that Regulus was forced into becoming a death eater. He literally had a little Voldemort mood board in his room. And he joined up when Voldemort was active and being pretty clear about what he stood for. Plus he seems to have liked his family - he painstakingly hand painted the Black family crest in his room. And we know from Kreacher that he very excitedly and enthusiastically talked about how wizards were going to rule over all the Muggles etc. Which isn't surprising given the family he grew up in. Acting like he was a soft uwu baby who never made any bad decisions and was forced into everything robs the character of agency and makes him far more shallow and less nuanced than he is. Which is such a shame. Because Regulus is fascinating. Let characters make mistakes and suffer the consequences. Let characters be flawed. Let characters be hypocritical and complex and interesting!

Something else that I don't feel as strongly about but am a bit iffy on is the idea that Harry literally became the Master of Death in the end of the series. Look, I've read some great and compelling meta on Master of Death Harry and I've also seen some fics that do it well. But generally speaking, it's not an interpretation I enjoy. I tend to prefer the idea of the Hallows as very powerful magical objects with a lot of mythology around them. (And possibly some connection to the Veil in the Death Chamber which may be what the "bridge" between life and death in the story is based on).

In general though I'm not thrilled with like the idea of them actually being three things that if united literally give the user power over life and death. To me that feels just a bit op to the point of being underwhelming (yes I understand I am saying this about the series with a magic luck potion and time turners). It's just narratively kind of uninteresting and unsatisfying to me and it feels way too abrupt to introduce it so late in the series since it fundamentally changes the world building, feel of the story and style of magic we see in the series. And it's just...usually not that cool to me. Plus, I don't think it's even really especially supported by the cannon. I think JKR's intent was to leave it ambiguous or even to hint that there is no such thing as a true Master of Death, and in this case I think she did a decent job of executing on that intent. That's just my read though.

3)

This is hard for me to answer because I'm very much of a ship and let ship mindset even when I don't personally back something. One ship that I haven't yet found content for that I enjoy is dramione. I've nothing against it, but I feel like a lot of dramione fic tends to reduce Hermione to a Mary Sue and get rid of all her complexity and flaws and rough edges, which is a shame. I feel the same about a lot of tomione fics too, which is also a shame because Hermione has a bit of a ruthless streak that could be very interesting to explore in that context if done right. Maybe I just haven't found the right fics tho. Also in canon, Lupin/Tonks. Just what? It always felt like it came out of nowhere to me and didn't feel like it had enough buildup to make sense. It always felt very weird and random and jarring to me.

[terastalungrad]

Wanted to buy some keyrings for the spare house keys. Where do you get keyrings, eh?

Timpsons keyrings were rubbish. Tried Forbidden Planet - nothing inspiring there either. Ended up getting Lego keyrings.

"We've got these new Star Wars ones," said a man I hadn't asked for help. "And if you give me a minute, we've got a load of new Dumbledores and Hermiones from Harry Potter! ... if you're interested in that."

"I'm not interested in Harry Potter," I said.

So I looked at what remained. Just Star Wars and Marvel. And not a rich range of either.

I picked a Darth Vader and a Wanda Maximoff. They'll do.

"Who'd win in a fight between these two?" asked the man behind the counter.

I can't tell you why I loved this man so much, when I'd been so irked by the other guy. But I DID love him, and I really wanted to answer his question in a fun way.

"... I mean, it'd be the Scarlet Witch, wouldn't it," I said. Because it would be. I'm not that interested in "who would win in a fight?" questions with anyone other than my wife. Nobody else's opinion in this matter interests me. But ... Scarlet Witch can rewrite the whole world. Darth Vader can, at best, strangle you without needing to get up.

"Yeah," said the man. "I love Darth. But Wanda's broken."

Broken! lol. I like the idea of analysing characters based on how well-balanced they'd be in a video game. Tell you who's REALLY broken - God. I just think he's a bit OP.

In retrospect, I wish I had bought a Hermione Granger alongside my Wanda and Anakin. A transphobe's idea of an activist against two characters known for killing children. No contest.