#regulus choosing violence

[lulublack90]

Prompt 9 - Owl

@wolfstarmicrofic September 9, word count 503

Previous part First Wolfstar part

“You absolute twat!” Regulus yelled at him when he sauntered back into the camp. Regulus fired off a slew of hexes at him, but Sirius lazily batted them away. 

“Good afternoon to you as well, my darling brother. Yes, the transformation was fine. There was a slight issue during the night, but that has now been rectified and shouldn’t happen again. How was your night?” He said pleasantly. Regulus lowered his wand and sighed heavily. 

“Sorry, Remus told me what happened. Are you alright?” 

“Yes, as is the muggle, I think. Actually, we should probably track him down and wipe his memory.” He said, turning to Remus. 

“Marcus is already on it,” Remus told him, a stern look on his face. Sirius ducked his head, he was in so much trouble. 

“Sorry, Moony,” He apologised. 

“I told you not to do anything stupid, and you barrelled right into a stupid idea, didn’t you?! Sirius, anything could have happened.” Remus’s face softened.

“I know and I’m sorry. I was reckless and stupid, but I did get some rather vital information from Father,” He dangled the titbit in front of them, hoping to be forgiven. 

“We also have some information to share,” Regulus added. They walked into the forest. They set their usual privacy charms and started to swap information. 

“What the actual?! Mother said I was the heir, the entire family has been calling me the heir!” Regulus was not happy about the first thing Sirius decided to share. 

“Don’t worry Reggie, you’ll always be a little Lord in my eyes.” He had to dodge a few more hexes before James tugged Regulus closer and placated the spitting firecracker. “But anyway, I also asked him if any of the death eaters had been walking a bit taller, looking a bit too pleased and wouldn’t you know it there does happen to be one little death eater who has had a shit-eating grin on his face since Lestrange Castle was mysteriously attacked,” He paused for dramatic effect and then continued. “Actually Reggie, you know him. Your best friend from Hogwarts, Bartemius Crouch Junior,” He grinned when he saw Regulus’s jaw drop. “Looks like you're about to have a little reunion. I’d say send him an owl and set up a meeting, but you’re meant to be dead, so breaking and entering it will have to be,” Regulus did not like the sound of that either. 

“Well,” James said, breaking the silence. “We think we might have discovered where the diadem is,” Sirius’s face lost all joviality and became serious. 

“Where?” 

“The come-and-go room in Hogwarts,” James told them. “We tried to have a look for it, but the room it could be in is huge and full of floor-to-ceiling junk, it would have taken us forever to go through it, so we thought we’d come back and pick up our own sniffer dog,” Sirius’s face spilt into an ear to ear grin and he transformed into Padfoot, barking happily. He was going back to Hogwarts. 

Next part

[crimsonlovebartylus]

Regulus waited almost two decade to be finally reunited with the love of his life (Barty) in the afterlife, just for them to never meet again.

[coyotelip]

think about sirius in 1995, sitting on the floor in regulus's room, reading all his journals one be one chronologicaly, searching for answers he didn't have back in 1980.

think about sirius being so close, there's only one last journal left for him to read, when he dies.

he believed he had time, he wanted to read them chronologicaly too feel regulus's by his side again.

[loserboyfriendrjl]

regulus’ boggart is walburga and orion, with sirius standing in front of them, laughing at him. they tell him that he’s nothing but a shadow, a dimmer star in their family. that he will never be good enough or shine as bright as they do

[pearlynia]

Regulus "do something bebe, say something" Black

And

James "lose something bebe, risk, something" Potter

[sofoulandfairaday]

1 for the ask game

from: choose violence ask game

1. the character everyone gets wrong

Err... all of them? I'm not even kidding. More on this here.

Bellatrix: fortunately there's been progress in the fandom, but for years everyone loved to describe her as an overly sexualized, crazy, shrieking mindless slave, when she's actually quite the opposite. She is sadistic, but not insane, she's passionate but not irrational (she is the only one who knew Snape was a traitor; to me, it's because of a peculiar mix of rationality and intuition that shows her to be actually quite intelligent). Nothing suggests her being promiscuous in the text and I would actually argue the opposite of her (why would she ever lower herself to sleep with someone who she deems her inferior - so basically everyone -, even just to satisfy mere physical desires? This post, to me, is Bella at her core).

Narcissa: this is canon Narcissa, all of you are perfectly entitled to your soft babygirl headcanons, of course, but then again you are perfectly entitled to be wrong <3 [also, shameless self-promo: x]

The blorboification continues for every single member of the Black family and I hate it so much you have no idea:

Andromeda: somehow described as a soft little girl who loved her mean, mean sisters so much and had to run away? Bitch stood up to seven centuries of tradition, and abandoned her sisters and parents, to marry a boy she had fallen in love with maybe two years prior (we know this based on Tonks' age). Good for her, but as I have said previously, both Narcissa and Andromeda (and Sirius, really) strike me as a bit selfish. The one with the romantic attachment to the idea of her family, the child most like Walburga, is Bellatrix.

But this is nothing, NOTHING, compared to what this fandom does to Regulus and Sirius.

Regulus: canonically a Voldemort fanboy, with newspaper clippings of him everywhere, and a blood supremacist. Sirius says it better than anyone: Reggie is soft. But not in the way the fandom believes, nope. He's just a coward who, much like Draco years later, was super excited to be like Bellatrix (Lucius) until he realized what killing really meant, what fighting a war really was, and most importantly because Voldemort touched him personally (Kreacher, whom he loved). Voldemort was probably a little more deranged than he had been at the beginning of the First War, and someone that had inherited the Black pride/haughtiness probably didn't like being branded like cattle and treated like a slave, on top of everything else.

Sirius: fanon Sirius is basically another character. Canon!Sirius is: tall, canonically incredibly handsome, quite masculine (in an explicit and toxic way, especially as a teenager in the fucking 1970s - the skirt-wearing, feminist one-liners spouting version of Sirius is something I just cannot get behind), a dick, a bit classist ((don't come @ me with your "oh, but what about Moony?!" because a) we don't know Remus' wealth when Lyall and Hope were still alive, we only know he can't get a job as an adult because of his condition and b) Remus is Sirius' exception, in the same way Lily is Snape's when he calls her a Mudblood - everyone else is in his eyes)), brave to the point of recklessness, quite cruel, funny, witty, magically talented, loyal to a fault, extremely charismatic and everything else outlined here. For the same reasons, I'll say Remus too.

Don't even get me started on Severus Snape. Other people have spoken on this better than I could ever. At least here on Tumblr, though, it seems to me that things are getting a little better after years of absolutely bizarre takes. Or maybe I've blocked all of the idiots idk.

Dumbledore. More on this here and maybe I'll outline my ideas better in a future post.

Also: I do not accept any characterization of Evan Rosier, Barty Crouch jr, Reggie, and Rabastan Lestrange as anything less than violent blood supremacists. Yes, they can be nuanced and gay (and only for each other might I add), but these people are the KKK (metaphorically, of course, because I hate comparing real-world tragedies to completely fictional ones, but still).

Lucius: a complete dick, but definitely not abusive. The man couldn't raise a hand to Draco if the Dark Lord threatened to kill him over it.

Speaking of which: my darling Lord Voldemort. Not much to say about him really because I know that some people do write him in a very interesting way (and I am open to interpretations of his character even if they are different from how I see him - and I have a very fucking specific vision of him). The problem is that perhaps three (3) of these people write him with Bellatrix and that saddens me.

Now, I mostly read First Wizarding War stuff or Death Eater stuff so I can't really speak to many other characters, especially in Harry's generation, but anything other than cowardly Draco is not a good Draco characterization to me. Ron is hands-down the best one in the Golden Trio and Ron Weasley bashing is pathetic. Hermione has faults but is ultimately a strong, take-no-bullshit girl and I'll take that over basically any and all female YA protagonists. And Harry is sassiness personified, but with a heart of gold, and oh-so-caring. Which is also why I can't read dark!Harry for the life of me. It just makes me giggle.

[saintsenara]

Hi, for the choose violence ask game 🔥🔥🔥, I'd like to hear your opinions on 10, 13, 16 and 22 (if some don't inspire you, you can skip them ^^)

Btw, I discovered your blog around a week ago and let me tell you, I think I binged all of your one-shots and commented on practically all of them, + I passed way too much time on your Tumblr blog/AO3 account, something I didn't do in YEARS, so thx for making me go back to my fanfiction obsessed phase xD

thank you very much, anon - this is absolutely lovely!

[choose violence ask game here]

10. what is the worst part of fanon?

‘the class system is good, actually.’

as someone who is also annoying, vaguely sinister, and spends a remarkable amount of time with the dead (because i’m a doctor, rather than a serial killer, i promise), i am one of lord voldemort’s ride-or-die girlies. what i am not a ride-or-die girly for is the tiresome pro-aristocracy fanon which infects so many death-eater-centric fics.

the sacred twenty eight is not real (it’s a pisstake of things like debrett’s), lucius malfoy doesn’t have a seat on the wizengamot, when sirius says his parents thought being a black made them ‘practically royal’ it is with utter disdain and not a statement of fact, aristocrats are not better or more special than people who are not aristocrats, just as purebloods are not better or more special than people who are half-blood or muggleborn.

class is the central theme of the harry potter series, absolutely - just as it is the central theme of pretty much everything in britain - but that doesn’t mean that glorifying it is good or enjoyable or a way of sticking it to jkr. if you meet real-life aristocrats, they’re almost exclusively all cringe. don’t give them a veneer of being sexy and fun that they don’t deserve.

13. who gets the worst blorbofication?

regulus black.

someone with a scrapbook about terrorist activities is not a sweet little baby.

16. what is a trope, characterisation, headcanon etc. that you can’t understand why people like?

ron being written as dumb or abusive.

ron is incredible and i love him. he’s emotionally mature, kind, obviously a wife-guy, clever, a big-picture thinker etc., and i hate when he gets turned into a violent boor just for being a dick about viktor krum (he was acting up because he’s bi and he fancied krum, for one; hermione is just as bad about how ron acts around fleur and lavender, for two).

i especially hate it when he gets turned into a violent boor to enable hermione to run off with either severus snape or draco malfoy. two men whom i always associate with the phrase ‘not prone to jealousy’...

22: what is your favourite part of canon, which everyone else ignores?

that they’re wearing pointy hats on nearly all occasions.

[leogichidaa]

14, 16, 25 for violence asks please!

14. that one thing you see in fics all the time

Cartoon villain Walburga and Orion. Which is usually in service of absolving Regulus of any wrongdoing because he's just a sweet little boy who loves muggleborns, actually, and his bona fide Evil parents are forcing this life of crime onto him. Related: Regulus hating his mother is like nails on a chalkboard to me. I cannot.

Also, this isn't as common as it used to be, but historically, it was sidelining Peter. Huge pet peeve.

16. you can’t understand why so many people like this thing (characterization, trope, headcanon, etc)

Regulus being besties with Kreacher. Regulus being friends with the marauders. Regulus having friends.

25. common fandom complaint that you’re sick of hearing

That teenagers are ruining the fandom. Over the us vs. them mentality.

[firendgold]

If you’re doing the violence ask game, can you do 9, 13 , and 19?

oooh, yes. I am indeed. Let's not delay. My friend the read-more is here to help.

choose violence ask game

9. worst part of canon

This is a very 2007 era, "I just finished Deathly Hallows" opinion, but even after all this time, I think the epilogue really is the worst part of canon. Not just because I personally dislike the canon ships, but because JKR (hereafter referred to as That Woman) had the opportunity to do some more "show not tell" for Life After Voldemort, to flesh out what the characters' priorities would be after defeating the figurehead of Wizarding Britain's prejudice and a few of his public cronies, and she just... didn't.

I probably could have stomached the canon ships if more attention was paid in the epilogue to the reforms that were made or being made to society, the ones that have only passing mentions in Pottermore or post-book interviews—the reformation of Azkaban/removal of dementors, actually seeing Harry as an Auror/Department Head (perhaps chasing down some minor league foe?), or any sort of follow up on the themes That Woman set up in the series. In DH alone we have heroes falling from pedestals, the gritty realities of war for the average people, hostile takeover of an already corrupt government, falsely torturing and imprisoning innocent people, the fallout of being betrayed by peers and/or superiors you trust, more kids becoming orphans... I could go on. There's many, many issues for the war's survivors to tackle once the dust has settled.

But we don't get that. Instead we get "here, look, the main characters got married and had kids! even Teddy is dating someone! you remember Teddy right? last time you saw him he was a baby, and now he's all grown up with a Weasley girlfriend! love love love! kiddos off to Hogwarts again! isn't that charming?" Eh... not really. I, uh, wanted to know if society has improved at all...?

I definitely get the appeal of having the "back to normal" feeling of Kids Boarding the Train at the Platform, I do... it just wasn't what I expected for the end of Harry Potter. In my not-so-humble opinion, "and then they got married and had kids" is boring in literature of any kind. It's just so boring. And it's worse for a world of magic where the characters could be doing anything else.

13. worst blorboficiation

I'm becoming such an old I had to look this up to make sure I knew what it meant before giving my opinion. :')

Am I allowed to say more than one person? This is me choosing violence, so I'm going to list off all the HP ones that came to my mind once I knew the definition.

Remus Lupin. Holy shit, bro. This fandom has ruined this character. I get that people like him. (I like him too!) I get that he's very hard to pin down because he's one of the more mysterious people, but (until recently) I've never seen a character who's pretty neutral in canon get so positively inflated by the fandom. And it's literally just because of wolfstar. Sirius gets inflated too (more on that in a sec), but Remus gets inflated just because long ago fans decided that the two of them were obviously together and, by extension, would be perfect, flawless co-dads for Harry. You could argue that Remus doesn't really show much romantic feeling towards Tonks until DH, but you'd also have to argue that he doesn't show much romantic feeling (or feelings at all, besides grief and nostalgia) for anyone.

But like... I'm not a total Debbie Downer. I get the appeal of wolfstar alone and wolfstar dads, really, but they're hard to completely buy into (especially when the latter usually turns into a Dumbledore bashfest). Sometimes fans act like their ideal of who Remus is and what he is to Harry, Sirius, and other characters is canon when it's not. Preferable to canon, maybe, but not source material at all. The wolfstar-partner-raising-Harry!Remus is nowhere close to the real Remus. The real Remus:

is unaccounted for for the first 10 years of Harry's time at the Dursleys, and for his first and second year, with no retroactive explanation given

doesn't contact Harry after year 3, and indeed isn't even seen or mentioned again until year 5

is only briefly around Harry in year 6 (you know, the year right after Sirius dies)

consents to starting a family and then almost immediately tries to leave that family behind once he finally gets bit by the "oh, maybe now I should try being Harry's surrogate parent" bug, then doesn't understand why that pisses Harry off

So. Yeah. You teach a kid the Patronus charm one time and suddenly you're the man who can Do No Wrong in 99.3% of all fanon material. It's irritating. Ships and/or found family stuff could wrangle with the man Remus is, they just choose not to in favor of recycling old fanon archetypes.

Sirius Black. Much of the same said above about Remus applies to Sirius tenfold. Sirius cares about Harry, sure, but lots of fans like to sand over the part where Sirius made one little protest about Harry going to the Dursleys, then fully committed to going after Pettigrew in 1981 without telling anyone about the Secret-Keeper switch, or anything that would have kept him out of jail even in our aforementioned corrupt wizarding society. In their minds, that evil meanie Dumbledore forced him to not whisk Harry away to Black Manor or whatever to raise him. *eyeroll*

Sirius is a character who is developmentally delayed in canon, but some of his fans downright infantilize him. Poor Sirius, he just wanted to be a baby gay and raise Harry but the Ministry/Dumbledore/That Woman just wouldn't let him. (You can argue the last one, but it is SO RARE to find a fanfic where Sirius has to grow the fuck up and face the consequences of his early choices, while also actually taking steps to be better and be a good surrogate dad for Harry.) Just because Sirius is Harry's godfather doesn't mean he's a perfect one. And he's not dealing with a typical kid either. Sirius and Harry wouldn't easily or neatly slot into typical familial roles because they've both Been Through Some Shit—and that's why their relationship is so compelling.

And I haven't even gone into the other side of fanon!Sirius, the one who's this devil-may-care man who Got All The Ladies in his time, is mostly physically and mentally unaffected by his Azkaban stint, and is only around to: support Harry in whatever independent!Harry schemes he has going on (screw Dumbledore! run away from the war somehow! become a Cool Dude! fight the power!), blather on about Lordships and fanon shit the real Sirius wouldn't give one toss about, or to give him girl advice on whatever girl (or harem) Harry is being shipped with in that particular fic. The only reason this version of Sirius isn't an obvious homophobic backlash to the "Sirius is gay" version is because I'm pretty sure this version came first chronologically in fandom. I'm actually not sure which version of Sirius is more annoying to me.

last but not least, we have:

Daphne Greengrass. Technically I shouldn't be able to put her here, because she doesn't even HAVE a canon personality. Everything about her besides her name, her House, and her sister('s relationship to Draco) is completely made up. But fanon has come to a Consensus on her, and this consensus is THE MOST annoying made-up persona in a fandom where we also have "he's just misunderstood/traumatized by the Muggle wars/going about things the wrong way!" Tom Riddle/Voldemort, "he was just being mean to Harry for his cover/Harry deserved it" Severus Snape, "brightest witch of her age And No Other Personality Traits" Hermione Granger, "he WAS going to change sides, really!" Draco Malfoy, and "purebloods wanting to gatekeep magical society and call uppity muggleborns slurs is fine actually" fanon discourse, among other irritants. Maybe it was intriguing the first time I read it. Now, it's not.

Every single time I see "politically-neutral blonde/black-haired ice queen who teaches Harry about Noble Houses/convinces him that Not All Slytherins/gets him on the Right Political Path For His Future" I want to throw up in my mouth. It's so fucking boring. It's not what Harry Potter is about to me, it's not what it should be about, and it's not even what I look for in other media. (I think the Sword of Truth series is the only series I read where there's actual politics that I care about, and it's still high fantasy!) So much Daphne and Haphne fandom content just feels like a bunch of people missed the point of the series, which is that pretentious family nonsense is just that and pureblood tradition shit doesn't matter. And Daphne's "backstory" is not even logical. Neutral factions? "Gray" factions? Do you really think that 1970s era Voldemort, at the top of his game, would have been okay with a supposedly prominent and influential pureblood family sitting out the war in the way the Greengrasses are often written? Like, actually saying "no thanks, our clan has always been capital-N Neutral" to him? No. Fuck no. He would have murdered them all and skipped away, leaving them to be found by other "fence-sitting" purebloods as an example. Yes, there are people who are neutral in wars, but not in the HP universe when Voldemort asks you directly. And the fanon Greengrasses would have been asked directly to get that skull tattoo.

I've even been bamboozled in the past into reading Haphnes that I think are going to be different but then start treading down this same stupid road, like the comments are getting to them or something. (And readers, why the fuck would you want to read the exact same fanfic 1,000 times but written by 1,000 different people? Hello??)

It's gotten to the point where it's actually refreshing if Daphne shows up in a fic and isn't shipped with Harry, or if she is but she has a completely different personality than the above. I'm reading a few Haphnes now that I can stomach because they are different or the plot is interesting enough for me to ignore the tropes, but it's been a long time since an HP fanon "collective character headcanon" or ship other than wolfstar has left such a bad taste in my mouth or caused me to actively avoid content with that character.

...oop. I know I said "last but not least" above but I forgot to mention Regulus Black so I'll briefly do so here. I don't know what happened in the last five-ish years but this man went from "devoted Voldemort follower who did one decent thing because he liked his slave, thank goodness, even though he slowed down the locket's destruction by taking it away" to "OMG my BLORBO he was fighting the GOOD FIGHT and also he's probably in love with James Potter!! and Lily is evil for keeping them apart!!" Huh?? Fanon's gonna fanon, but is one fanfic really responsible for all this? Jegulus and "secret freedom fighter Regulus" are just beyond my comprehension I guess. Mostly because it seems like fandom picks and chooses when they want a character to be evil-aligned-but-complex, and when they want to just sand over their rough edges and make them an Unsung Hero Who Did Nothing Wrong Ever. And also because I firmly believe that if James was gay, he'd have been with Sirius.

19. you're mad/ashamed/horrified you actually kind of like...

Teacher/student ships. (I mean, of course. I'm running this blog.) Of course IRL I don't condone that at all, but some of the most fascinating pairs in the HP universe are bonds between some of the professors and some of their students. Albus and Harry speak for themselves. But you've also got Minerva and Hermione to a lesser extent, and Snape with Draco in the early years (not so much later). And even those are nothing compared to the most interesting partnerships, which imo are between adults who at one point weren't both adults. Consider Albus and Minerva, who have been teaching, working and living together for at least five decades, before which Minerva was probably one of Albus' better Transfiguration students. Consider Albus and Snape, with Snape being the person who so recently graduated from being one of Albus' pupils to being one of his closest confidants. Consider Horace Slughorn and... well, Tom Riddle was my first choice, but really him with any student, because imo that man is very weird about networking with children. Hell, consider Albus and Tom because you know that was the most awkward seven years either of them has ever had, both being so powerful and skilled while intensely disliking each other. They're all so good. Playing with power dynamics can be fun. Especially when (and this is the only time I want politics in my HP fics!!) the older party potentially faces consequences, or doesn't, for taking advantage of the younger one, precisely because of who's involved and who's on the Hogwarts Board of Governors and what war's going on right now in the background and...

I think that's all the violence I can dish out for these questions! Thanks for the ask.~

[paperbackbunnies]

James: *decides to go on walk because it brings him peace*

Regulus: *gets up behind him* fine, i’ll be your peace.

[hxdrostorms]

@eternalstarlights has sent: "Father... no, sorry, Asmita! No, wait..." That wasn't Asmita. Asmita was no longer here and he could tell that this saint was not Asmita. "I am so sorry. You must be the new Virgo Saint Athena has told us about. It is just you look exactly like Asmita." (Regulus to Shaka, I know Regulus won't make the same mistake again but this is just funny to send to Shaka haha)

Although his eyes never opened, it was still possible to tell just how miffed, he was at being mistaken. Not once, but twice and back to back as well. His eyebrows twitched slightly, and his lips curled up in such way, that hinted at the shift in his current mood.

It took Shaka awhile to respond to his words. So, for a brief moment, Regulus was left in an awkward silence. The entire time, the 20th century's virgo saint faced the boy's general direction.

"I have been called many things in my life, thus far. This is the first time I have been referred to like that... And hopefully, it will be the last one." Although the tone in his voice remained ever so smoothly and calm, it should still be possible to pick up on the aggressiveness his words carried. Following it up, he faced away from the Leo saint. "If your successor were here to hear your little mishap, he likely wouldn't let it down."

[lulublack90]

Prompt 16 - Godric's Hollow

@wolfstarmicrofic September 16, word count 455

Previous part First Wolfstar part

“What are you doing?” Remus asked him when they were getting ready to leave. The pack needed them, and they hadn’t exactly told anyone where they’d gone. James hadn’t tried to use the mirror, so obviously they weren’t worried. Sirius put the finishing touches to his prank and stood up. 

“A parting gift for Flitsy.” He told Remus as the bathtub began to fill with multicoloured bubbles. The tub soon overflowed and Sirius turned to Remus to flash him his best smile. “Better get out of here, those things are going to fill this room in a minute,” 

“Flitsy is going to kill you when she finds this,” Remus shook his head but followed Sirius out.

“Nah, she’s bored here all alone, this gives her something to do,” He’d get a whack from her spoon the next time he dared to show his face, but she wouldn't hit him that hard, after all, he and the little elf had a good relationship, and she had a wicked sense of humour. 

It hadn’t taken much to convince her to interrupt James and his brother at every turn. He chuckled under his breath when he remembered the look on Regulus’s face when Flitsy had left the bunny slippers in the library for him. It made him think of the time they’d gone to the house in Godric’s Hollow for the Christmas market and Monty had charmed the nifffler slippers he’d presented to the pair just before they were meant to leave and convinced them to try them on. They’d had to follow Effie around the stalls and stand in the crowd while they waited for the hundreds of candles to be lit in the humongous tree, unable to remove the slippers from their feet. Monty hadn’t removed the charm until three days later, when the smell had got too bad and Effie had banished them to the garden. 

They arrived back at the camp and went in search of the others. 

“Have a nice nap did you?” Marcus asked, snickering when they approached. “Ouch!” He yelped. Sirius looked around, trying to figure out the source of Marcus’s sudden outburst. 

“I do not want to hear about why my brother and his boyfriend have been getting up to since we parted,” Regulus drawled as he put his wand away. Marcus grumped as he rubbed the sore spot on his arm. Sirius walked past him and looked in the cauldron.  

“So what’s for dinner? I’m starving, Remus has taken it out of me. You wouldn't believe how much stamina he has,” Sirius barked out a laugh as he dodged his brother’s flurry of hexes. They could plan later. For the rest of today, they’d have a bit of fun.

Next part

[aithusarosekiller]

The black brothers are those siblings that talk shit behind each others' backs all the time to literally whoever will listen but the second someone else is picking on their sibling they are DONE for

Like I know a girl whose younger brother is awful and nobody likes him, she'll complain about him and call him dumb and embarrassing until her last breath but she once heard someone in our year was talking shit about him and had to have on call brought up bc she tried to start a physical fight with them bc he was her baby

That is Sirius black. 'My brother? He's a fucking idiot who needs to learn to think for himself for once, I swear he can't do anything without embarrassing himse- hang on, the FUCK did they say about him? Get your cowardly ass back here RIGHT NOW you lying little gossip'

Regulus is even more vicious about it bc he's younger, ofc he is, it's the rules (see: my little sister). He chooses instead of using physical violence or confrontation to spread the most diabolical rumours about whoever is involved. He tries to be subtle about it but sometimes (if they're talking) he'll talk to Sirius about it and it's just obvious he's mad and he's planning smth. He'll spend so long planting lies so they're almost impossible to disprove and he'll glare at them until they physically explode. He'll also deny it forever.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

do you think there are similarities between Petunia & Lily and Sirius & Regulus' relationships? P and S are older siblings, and L and R are younger "golden childrens", because i somehow feel jealous in olders and incomprehension in youngers in both cases, plus youngers died earlier, actually due to Voldemort's fault

Like, yes, there are similarities, but I think it's the opposite sort of similarity.

Like, we know Lily was the golden child on her family:

Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to that — that school — and came home every vacation with her pockets full of frog spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was — a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!” She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years. “Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you’d be just the same, just as strange, just as — as — abnormal — and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you!”

(PS)

A golden child whose sister felt abandoned by. Which makes Petunia sound more like Regulus and Lily like Sirius.

I think, that when Sirius and Regulus were children before Sirius ran away, Sirius was the golden child, not Regulus:

“Well, anyway, he was a big pal of your father’s at school. The whole Black family had been in my House, but Sirius ended up in Gryffindor! Shame — he was a talented boy. I got his brother, Regulus, when he came along, but I’d have liked the set.”

(Slughonr in HBP)

He had the same dark hair and slightly haughty look of his brother, though he was smaller, slighter, and rather less handsome than Sirius had been.

(DH)

Regulus is consistently described as "less" than Sirius. Less handsome, and less talented, and I think that was true at home, too. I think the reason Regulus went all out on blood purity and the Black family pride was that he was the second best to everyone except Kreacher. He wanted to prove himself worthy.

I headcanon Sirius was Walburga's favorite child. Kreacher does say that Sirius leaving broke her heart:

“Master Sirius ran away, good riddance, for he was a bad boy and broke my Mistress’s heart with his lawless ways. But Master Regulus had proper pride; he knew what was due to the name of Black and the dignity of his pure blood...”

(DH)

Sirius, contrary to popular fanon, wasn't unloved at home. I think Walburga and Orion loved him. I think Walburga saw herself in him. I think leaving them, realising everything they stood for was wrong hurt Sirius as much as it hurt his mother. After all, in OotP we see he chooses to stay in his parents' bedroom in his depression, not his own. He left Regulus' bedroom untouched, like a mausoleum. He still misses them, he loved them, and it makes his story all the more heartbreaking. Because you can love people who are wrong and who you know have evil ideologies, it doesn't mean you stop loving them instantly.

So, I think there is more of a connection between Lily & Sirius — golden, preferred children who are different among their families. Lily is the only witch in her family, and Sirius is the only Gryffindor in his family. Both are the smarter, more talented, more attractive sibling. Both of them ended up leaving home, leaving their families, for James Potter.

Then, you have Petunia & Regulus — stuck being second best, craving their parents' love and affection. The less talented, less attractive sibling. Both stick as close as possible to their society's version of "normal" to get the affection and pride they crave. Both hang out with people who are probably more extreme in these views than them and are more violence-prone than them (Death Eaters, Vernon).

So, yeah, I think there are similarities, just, not quite the ones you illustrated.

[sleeplesssmoll]

Reverse 1999 Analysis: Why do people follow Vertin?

There is a common theme among arcanists in the Foundation, Manus Vindictae, and the Timekeeper's department: desperation.

Note: You'll see snippets from my other posts and Asks in here since I used them as the outline. If you have deja vu, its me not you.

Before looking at Vertin, we should take a step back and consider the world of Reverse 1999 as whole. There is a long history of humans associating arcanum with demons, evil, and witches. Humans are the majority in Reverse1999 and consider arcanists dangerous due to their unpredictability and powers. The discrimination against arcanists precedes the Storm, however as Manus Vindictae makes the Storm public, arcanists realize they have yet another enemy in a world that doesn’t want them.

With that established, we can look at each faction.

Both Manus and the Foundation use fear and hysteria to herd arcanists like sheep. The Foundation weaponizes humanity’s paranoia against arcanists while Manus utilizes the Storm for their agenda. Both factions also steal the agency and freedom of their followers. 

The Foundation seeks out children because it's easier to train and indoctrinate them to die as martyrs for mankind. They provide basic necessities but they strip their martyrs of their identities and cultural backgrounds. Conformity is a way to instill control. Diversity introduces too many factors and inspires ideas. The Foundation uses lies and corruption to hide the abuse they put arcanists through in the name of humanity but they also provide “shelter”. To choose the Foundation is to choose to be a dog on a leash (unless you're human), but at least you'll be safe from the Storm and you’ll have a roof over your head. They also capture “rogue” arcanists like Regulus if they deem them dangerous.

While the Foundation parades as an important and noble cause for the peace of mankind, Manus Vindictae plays the role of “savior” for suffering arcanists. However, revenge and violence are at their core. You can even see this in their name. 

Vindictae: ceremonial act claiming as free one contending wrongly enslaved; vengeance 

While players usually see these extremists as evil mustache-twirling villains, it's important to look at the role they play in the bigger story. In Nouvelles et Textes pour rien we can see an example of propaganda where they airdrop resources and pamphlets near the Foundation. This is a common tactic used in real life by rebel/fringe groups. If they only caused destruction, no one would join the cause. Their acts of "kindness" are part of a bigger scheme to recruit people to their cause by playing the part of the hero. “You don’t bite the hand that feeds you," encapsulates this mindset. They must bring people to their side to raise an army and grow support for their war against humanity. They will provide the desperate with food and shelter. In return, the arcanists must fight in the name of revenge. Then they brainwash them to take away their agency. However the fear of the Storm and the discrimination against arcanists make them one of the few viable options for arcanists seeking shelter from a world that despises them.

Finally, we can look at Vertin. Why do people follow her? 

Many of the arcanists Vertin’s recruits are cornered and don’t have many options to begin with. 

Regulus recognized the fact the Foundation would chase her down no matter how much she runs, which isn’t the freedom she wants. Jessica is scared of isolation and rejection from the outside world. Joshua is a troublemaker who doesn’t conform and suffers consequences. These arcanists already have a motive/reason to follow her. Another thing to consider is what would happen if they did not? They would be stuck in their current situations for who knows how long. Vertin gave them a way out.

Another important tidbit is Vertin’s approach. In the most simple terms, Vertin listens to people. Unlike the other factions, Vertin hears people’s concerns and addresses them directly. She isn’t herding them with lies or manipulating them with fear, she finds the source of their troubles. She does not make false claims and outright admits she will do what is in her power.

Examples: She wanted to understand Schneieder’s anger and reason for obeying Forget-Me-Not even while under fire. She appealed to Regulus’s love of freedom and appeased Jessica’s fear of rejection by the world. She recognized Druvis’s grief and tried to show her a glimmer of hope.

It’s important to recognize each character’s decision and situation instead of giving all the credit to Vertin. She should be receiving credit for her empathy and understanding of the situation, but not the final decision the arcanist made.

Unlike Manus and the Foundation, she genuinely wants to save people like the other factions claim to do. She’s proven it from her scheme with Regulus after Sonetto appeared in the Suitcase and when she tried to fulfill people’s wishes in Tender is the Night. In comparison, you had the corrupt Foundation taking bribes in Chicago and Forget-Me-Not blowing up people’s heads. Also, Her allies witnessed her and Schneider sacrifice themselves in order to slow Druvis down so the others could escape. Sotheby, Druvis, Sonetto, and their men all witnessed this sacrifice. If we look back in the story, we can see Vertin's selfless acts are done in the presence of others, meaning they know more than just talk.

Vertin is a girl, not an institution. She still depends on the Foundation. She was an insignificant piece of a larger machine where her only job was to record the end of eras. However, she earned very powerful allies because she cared about their wellbeing. Suddenly, the Foundation gave a damn. They were unsettled by her little army. 

Vertin is only as strong as the people behind her and her crew took that risk. They chose to stay with her and fight for her because she fought for them too. Vertin was trying to keep them under her protection instead of letting the Foundation have their way, which is the conversation she had with Madam Z.

Later, Constatine ordered to have her held hostage in a coma and her legs bruised for good measure to hinder Vertin's efforts. Luckily she had Madam Z and Sonetto to pick up her baton.

Vertin is the hero in the player's eyes but in the larger picture, she’s a girl who dared to care too much in an unforgiving world. This is why I believe the crew needs more credit because they are not only fighting for their freedom, they want to enjoy it with the person who gave it to them. Dare say, they have their own motives and compassion. They made these informed decisions on their own so it's not fair to attribute everything to Vertin being a charismatic cutie pie (but she totally is and I get how it's easy to overlook their contributions since we see most of the story through Vertin’s eyes).

[littleliterarylesbian]

MORE APOCALYPSE AU RAMBLES !!! Please 🥺 I am literally so in love with this au idea, I just know it’s going to be lovely

I AM LITERALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF WRITING THE FIRST CHAPTER ALREADY LOL

I shall mention some things that are going to be written in the first chapter as well as some new rambles (along with some of what i have alrdy written down under the cut :3)

First off, Regulus doesn't even remember his own name. He's super chill for the first like 1k words despite being surrounded by dead bodies and blood and waking up in a surgery room.

This is def going to be rated E. not even for violence i also plan to add some little steamy bits later teehee

Harry's last name? Fuck! Who knows! Not Regulus that's for sure!

Also Regulus is convinced that Harry isn't his kid due to how much Harry looks like James. (theres some reg in there too, Regulus just doesn't know what he looks like beyond having pale skin)

Harry is going to be causing problems right from the bat. He's a screamer. Loud baby he is.

Also sorry to disappoint but jegulus and the Black Brothers don't meet (or well... find each other) for a WHILE. I have people to kill off before hand.

But! Sirius and James (Peter is there too guys dw) are together being as codependent as ever (its actually so much worse)!

Regulus on the other hand starts out with nothing but a baby yall, he's kind of fucked.

anyway snippet!!!:

He stands, feet squishing against the tile as he walks up to the screaming infant. As soon as his face comes into view for the baby, it settles down. He watches it, tilting his head as it reaches up to him with wet eyes. Their skin is dark, darker than his own for sure, already has a head of hair with small curls already growing in. Grey eyes stare back at him, they're slightly too big for the baby's face he notes. There's a scar too, a staggering line branching out into other, smaller, lines. It's still slightly puffy, new. He pulls his eyes away from the baby's face when it raises their arms, still pouting and reaching out for him.

He takes a step back, ignoring the whine it brings out from the infant. It doesn't look like his baby. He looks down at his hands, staring at the pale skin that stretches across the bone and presses his lips together. It doesn't seem like his baby at all, why should he choose to care for it? He begins to take several steps back, going to continue looking around the room when the baby starts to wail again now that it can't see him. He looks to the crib and his eyes catch on the name on the side of the crib. It's slightly blood splattered, just like the metal of the crib itself, but it's there in big black ink. Harry J. Po- the blood covers everything else but something in the back of his mind twinges. Like a forgotten memory trying to push to the surface. It aches slightly, and the feeling i for nothing in the end as no memory comes to mind. He frowns, but pushes the thought away for later.

He steps back up to the baby and the wailing quiets down to sniffles. His frown deepens but he finally steps up to take the infant into his arms. A small grunt escapes from the back of his throat unbidden as he raises the baby, Harry, up. They're heavier then he first thought, though a big baby is a healthy one he supposes.

He takes a step back unconsciously, bare foot sliding for a second before he rights himself. He doesn't remember how he knows that. He can't remember if it's a saying or a general fact and that thought starts to eat at him. He rests Harry against his shoulder and the baby doesn't hesitate before burrowing his face in the crook of his neck.