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dark-elf-writes · 1 year ago

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Clone Shiro didn't know he was a clone.

Do you think Allura and Coran would sense the horcux inside Harry ? Because I can imagine with Allura powers and their technology can remove from inside Harry.

Also, Harry become best friends with the mouses . If they are not with Allura they are with Harry doing something.

The paladin created rules around Harry like the no swear around Harry.

Somehow I can see Harry being able to communicate with all the lions and they show some of their past to Harry. Basically they teach him history and funny events about their previous paladins.

Something like

" Harry? What are you doing here in front of the black lion ?" asked Shiro

" he was talking to me..... Shiro ?"

" yes ?"

" he is sad.... because he couldn't prevent his paladin to fall in the dark side"

I could definitely see an argument for them being at least aware of the horcrux even if they weren’t able to fully remove it due to the differences in magic or what have you. Not fully sure what I want to do with the Harry Potter side of the canon yet.

(Imagining Allura skating her finger’s over Harry’s brow only for both of them to gasp like they’ve been burned, each pulling away with wide eyes as they try to work through what happened. Imagining Allura pulling Harry to the infirmary for an in depth scan, twisting her fingers and pacing as she waited on confirmation. Imagining Allura, jaw set as she had been taught when receiving bad news as her shaking hand clench hard enough that her nails cut into her palms.

What was done to this child was horrific.

She has to find a way to help him. She will help him.)

All of them are incredibly protective of Harry both physically and mentally and emotionally.

When he came to them he was clearly not in a good state. Was a skittish little thing that was all skin and bones and bruises from far larger hands. Besides Keith the first person he bonded with was Pidge and considering they are the youngest and smallest of all of them…

None of them really know how to raise a kid, but they do know what their parents did and that includes attempting to limit their cursing (to varying levels of success Pidge and Keith curse like sailors at the best of times) and trying to remember what they were learning in school at eight years old (“not calculus pidge!”)

Harry definitely is regularly saying fuck by the time he’s ten, knows how to wield a variety of weapons, and could probably test out of muggle high school if he wanted because in space there’s not a whole lot to do other than learn things.

God little Harry sitting cross legged in front of the seemingly dormant lion with his head tipped to the side and tears in his eyes when Shiro finds him.

“Harry? Bud, it’s late what are you doing in here?”

“He’s sad, Shiro. Cant you feel it?”

(It’s hard most days to know what he felt on the other side of the connection. The lions are alive yes but their emotions are different than how a human would feel. Shiro has picked up the occasional twinge of regret? Melancholy? Sorrow? From his lion even if he wasn’t entirely sure what the source of it was)

So he sits beside Harry, pulling the kid, blanket and all, into his lap while they looked up at Black.

“Did he tell you why?”

“His friend left him. Hurt the others. He feels… bad for missing him sometimes.”

Shiro gets it. He really does. Not everyone you loved was good to you. Good for you. But that didn’t meant the feelings always went away.

You can love an idea.

You can love the past.

“Well,” He says both to the Lion he can feel stirring in the back of his mind and to the drowsy child leaning further and further into his chest, “we’ll just have to help him make some new memories with us, won’t we?”

He isn’t fully sure what the exact emotion he could feel swirling through the connection with black was, but based off of the warmth and the way Harry’s lips tugged into a contented smile he was sure it was something positive.

Something a lot like love.

#the elf talks #voltron #Harry Potter

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curse-04 · 2 years ago

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Written for @hinnyfest

Prompt 1: First I Love You

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A/N: This scene is from a prologue to a fic I was thinking of writing. It changes HBP a little bit, and it changes DH completely. But mostly it's an After The War fic that covers the time from Dumbledore's Funeral till the time Harry and Ginny get married (so about 3 or 4 years).

This scene isn't necessarily based on the prompt, but it does fit the requirement, and I couldn't think of anything else that others weren't already doing.

Also, for context, Harry and Ginny get together in March instead of in May in this story, and Ginny is born in September 1980 (to avoid the Trace).

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"We need to talk," Harry said.

Ginny looked at him and nodded. Unable to do anything else but accept the fact that he would tell her that they would have to break up because he, Ron, and Hermione weren't returning next year. He hadn't told her why, and she hadn't bothered to ask. Hermione did tell her that they were going on a trip though, which made absolutely no sense to Ginny.

He stood up and offered her an arm. She linked hers through it, and he led her away from the Funeral and toward their most frequented spot near the shore of the Black Lake where he cast a Muffliato around them as they sat down.

"I've been keeping something from you," he said, playing with the hem of his robes.

"What is it?" She asked after a few moments passed in silence.

He looked her in the eye, seemingly weighing his decision before he nodded to himself.

Then, he told her everything.

The Meetings with Dumbledore, Tom Riddle's past, the fact that Dumbledore had suspected a possibility that he would not live past this year, all the Spells Dumbledore had taught him as a result that he hadn't even told Ron and Hermione about, the Horcruxes, and he finished it up with telling her about the Diary, and what it actually was.

She listened attentively, grateful that he was revealing such a deep secret to her. At least, until she heard about the Diary, which was when her face had lost all color, and she had to fight herself to not throw up.

Five minutes later, it seemed that she had won the fight against her body, and she leaned against a rock. "Got any other Erumphent Horns you want to drop on me?" She asked in a joking manner, but for the first time, Harry missed it.

His face closed up, revealing not a hint of emotion, but when he spoke, his voice was filled with regret. "I'm sorry," he said, looking at the floor. "I shouldn't have told you that."

"Harry," she said, placing her hand over his arm. "I was just joking. I don't mind keeping your secrets."

"There's still so much you don't know," he said, shaking his head.

"That's alright," she said, trying to sound consoling. "You can tell me in your own time. Or not tell me at all."

Harry shook his head. "You deserve the truth," he said, looking her in the eyes.

"Why?"

"Because I found out something very recently," he said. "And… erm, well… I love you."

Her mouth dropped open in shock. She had never once doubted Harry's feelings over the course of their three month old relationship, but she'd never expected him to come out and say it like that. At least not now.

All of that, however, didn't stop her heart from melting into a puddle of goo, nor did it stop the smallest, most lovesick smile from forming on her face.

"I love you more than I have ever loved anyone," he continued, looking back down at the ground again. "Dumbledore always told me that my ability to Love was my greatest strength. I always thought he was just being a barmy old man. But then you and I got together, and everything was- everything is… better. You make me happy, and I know this is a selfish ask, but I don't want to let you go- let us go," he gestured between them.

"What are you saying?" She asked softly, hoping she wasn't pushing too much.

He took a deep breath. "Will you come with me?" He asked her, biting his lip and finally meeting her eyes

"On the… trip that you, Ron, and Hermione are going on?" She asked.

He blinked at her phrasing. "It's not a trip," he said. "We're going to go find these… things, and destroy them."

"Do you know how?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah," Harry said. "I'll tell you that later, though. Along with Ron and Hermione."

"And do they know you want me to come?" Ginny asked.

"Hermione doesn't," Harry began, grimacing. "Ron seemed to know I'd try and pull something like this. But he didn't seem to mind the idea if the lack of punches he threw at me were any indication."

Ginny's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "He has matured, I'll have you know," Harry said, smirking at her.

"I know," she said, fully meaning it. Ron truly had 'grown up' after the Death Eaters had invaded Hogwarts. "It just surprised me is all."

"Yeah," Harry said, smiling. "Surprised me too if I'm being honest."

"You're sure about this? All of this?" She asked.

"Very," Harry answered. "I need you, Gin. And I know you can help, if you choose to come."

"Well then, count me in, Captain Potter," she said.

He blinked at her. "Really? You… don't want time to think about it or anything?" He asked, sounding like he really didn't want to.

She gave him an honest answer anyway. "The thing is Harry," she said, scooting closer to him. "I love you, too. Have done for over… well, half my life, really. And if I can help you bring Tom down, do you really think I wouldn't do so?"

He shook his head no, and it looked like that pretty much sealed the deal for him, so she stood up, offering him a hand. "What will you tell your parents?" He asked, allowing her to pull him up.

"I've got a month to think of something," she said, shrugging. She only hoped she would be able to find something believable.

"I'm glad to have you on my side then," Harry said softly, cupping her face and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"Glad to be there, Harry," she whispered.

He smiled at her, a genuine smile that didn't seem like it was plastered onto his face, and just seeing that smile reinforced her decision. Tom Riddle wouldn't come between them. She wouldn't let him.

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This story won't be out till I finish my current WIP (A Song of Lightning and Fire). I do hope to write this someday, but till then… yeah.

#hinny #hinnyfest #harry x ginny #harry potter #ginny weasley #harry/ginny

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sk1fanfiction · 4 years ago

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the many faces of tom riddle, part 1

-no hate (this is merely my humble opinion) but i strongly dislike tom hughes as tom riddle, and here’s why-

FULL DISCLAIMER THAT THIS IS JUST MY OPINION OF A CHARACTER WHO DOESN’T HAVE THE STRONGEST CANON CHARACTERIZATION, AND THUS ALL THIS IS BASED ON MY CONCEPTUALIZATION.

Just personally, this fancast induces a lot of cognitive dissonance for me, but this is the first time I’ve been able to sit down and articulate properly why it always throws me for a loop.

Now, does he fit the visual/aesthetic archetype?

Yes. I understand completely why people like this fancast. We know that he is studious, intellectual, and (at the time people generally fancast him for) involved in the criminal underground, and he more-or-less fits the physical description.

And, to be clear, it’s not that I don’t think Tom Hughes could play Tom Riddle, it’s that I don’t think the character he plays in the fancasts is a close enough approximation of Tom Riddle.

For me, herein lies the issue.

Tom Riddle’s character is all about the emotions bubbling under the surface. He’s a disaster waiting to happen -- he’s angry, he’s lonely, he wants revenge, he feels empty and hopeless and desperate, he’s irrational...

Not sure what movie/show the Tom Hughes clips come from, but the character he plays isn’t that at all. the character he plays is very self-possessed, poised, self-aware. Reflective. Remorseful (there are clips of him crying when/after he shoots someone). Introspective.

That, to me, is not Tom Riddle at all.

Yes, he does deal with moral conflict, but it’s never at the forefront of his mind. It’s not something he’s constantly grappling with. He doesn’t really... brood in this Hamlet-esque way.

Tom doesn’t think. Sure, he plans, he ruminates, he rationalizes a posteriori. But he’s very unaware of himself (in fact, it’s one of his fatal flaws). It’s not that he doesn’t have emotions; just that his internal state is a mystery most of the time.

He doesn’t connect with his own emotions; he is completely estranged from them. Tom cannot tell you whether he is happy or sad (not just because of his pride). He keeps his emotions and moral compass (which are highly uncomfortable things), in a locked little box, swallows the key, and disregards them. And yet, this character connects so deeply with his emotions that even the audience can see exactly what he’s going through.

(There’s an openness -- an ease of vulnerability -- that Tom Riddle doesn’t have)

The thing about Tom, is that he hates himself just as much as he hates everyone around him. Creating Horcruxes to save himself from death is not an act of self-love, or even narcissism to the extreme; instead, forcibly ripping your own soul seven times is the most literally and metaphorically self-destructive thing a person could possibly do.

"Of the Horcrux, wickedest of magical inventions, we shall not speak nor give direction —"

If we go all the way back to Book 1, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, you’ll remember that the eponymous material (first described in the Epic of Gilgamesh) is capable of producing the Elixir of Life, a magical substance that makes its drinker immortal, as long as you have a steady supply. Not only that, but according to the beliefs of historical alchemists (such as Nicholas Flamel), it was capable of curing any disease. In the alchemical tradition, it symbolized perfection, enlightenment, and heavenly bliss.

If all Tom Riddle was concerned about was prolonging his life, this is the obvious (and better) option.

Here’s the alchemical symbol of the Philosopher’s Stone. Looks kind of like the Deathly Hallows symbol, right? It represents the interplay of the (at the time, believed) four elements of matter -- a sort of periodic table, if you will.

The mature Philosopher’s Stone was believed to be a red stone (for making gold), and the immature one a white stone (for making silver). Rubeus Hagrid and Albus Dumbledore, anyone??

"So he's made himself impossible to kill by murdering other people?" said Harry. "Why couldn't he make a Sorcerer's Stone, or steal one, if he was so interested in immortality?"

And Dumbledore responds:

"But there are several reasons why, I think, a Sorcerer's Stone would appeal less than Horcruxes to Lord Voldemort.”

"While the Elixir of Life does indeed extend life, it must be drunk regularly, for all eternity, if the drinker is to maintain the immortality. Therefore, Voldemort would be entirely dependent on the Elixir, and if it ran out, or was contaminated, or if the Stone was stolen, he would die just like any other man. Voldemort likes to operate alone, remember. I believe that he would have found the thought of being dependent, even on the Elixir, intolerable...”

And while, yes, he did try to steal it rather than make it, I am sure that in the time it took Tom to make all of his Horcruxes, he could have learned enough alchemy to produce it for himself (or wheedled the information out of Nicholas Flamel). While Dumbledore hypothesizes that it’s because Tom hates feeling dependent, this must be irony, because he spends the first book as a literal parasite, the next three as a virtually helpless creature, and the remainder still reliant on his Horcruxes.

"Well, you must understand that the soul is supposed to remain intact and whole. Splitting it is an act of violation, it is against nature."

But, like me, Dumbledore is making guesses at Tom Riddle’s internal state, and in this case, I think, he’s made an oversight. Horcruxes make him equally as dependent as the Philosopher’s Stone would have. It’s been established in canon that you cannot make yourself immortal without help; either you rely on the continued existence of your Horcruxes or your supply of the Elixir.

And while the Elixir represents the positive aspects of eternal life, like renewal, rebirth, and the cyclical nature of the universe (see above the ouroboros of Cleopatra the Alchemist, one of the four women who knew how to make the philosopher's stone), a Horcrux is antithetical to life. It represents disorder, and once the creator of Horcruxes dies, they are unable to move on from Limbo -- shut out of the cycle. Harry describes Tom’s mangled soul as looking like a flayed and mutilated baby -- permanently immature and stagnant.

This theme of destruction is furthered by the Golden Trio’s discussion on how to reverse the process:

Ron: "Isn't there any way of putting yourself back together?"

Hermione: "Yes, but it would be excruciatingly painful."

Harry: "Why? How do you do it?"

Hermione: "Remorse. You've got to really feel what you've done. There’s a footnote. Apparently the pain of it can destroy you. I can’t see Voldemort attempting it somehow, can you?"

With this in mind, we can surmise that Tom is either (a) impatient, which we know he is not (b) there was some deeper reason for favouring Horcruxes -- so, yes, I believe that either metaphorically or literally, this was self-harming behaviour.

He takes on the name of Lord Voldemort because he hates himself, Tom Marvolo Riddle. He hates the Muggle part of himself so much that he’s willing to tear apart his entire being.

"Voldemort, is my past, present, and future, Harry Potter..."

If that isn’t renouncement of himself, I don’t know what is. He was clearly not born Voldemort.

While of course, this does NOT excuse ANY of his actions, I find it vastly implausible that the likes of Malfoy, Mulciber, Carrow, etc... would have been welcoming in any way, shape or form to an assumed ‘Mudblood’ in scruffy secondhand robes from a London orphanage, and as such, indoctrinated him into his fanatic belief in blood-purity via antagonizing him.

(Imagine Hermione, but poor and without parents, in the 1930s/40s. She would not have been treated well in Slytherin, either.)

Children are more vicious than you think. And while Tom probably gave as good as he got at Wool’s Orphanage (and was possibly an active aggressor himself), Hogwarts wouldn’t have been a level playing-field. (I’ll talk a bit about this and the significance of the Gaunt Ring in Part 2).

In other terms, I think Tom was bullied for having dubious origins. That’s often the swiftest way to radicalize someone, and would have left Tom with a crippling sense of self-hatred that I don’t think he would have even picked up from the orphanage.

(And it’s possibly this early experience with relational aggression that results in his constant need to be on the offensive/defensive, distrust of others, and fear of vulnerability. To me, this is an archetypal response of someone who was a past victim of bullying.)

Why else would an extremely powerful half-blood subscribe so strongly to those beliefs? (Rather than discriminating via amount of raw power or something -- because what Tom is immensely proud of when Dumbledore meets him is his ability, not his parentage). But I digress.

Now, Tom Riddle is never, ever quietly menacing like this. The mask is either completely on or completely off. We never see this character angry. Tom Riddle, when the mask slips off, is fury incarnate. Anger is the one emotion he doesn’t find weak; the one emotion he’s completely and utterly honest with.

Besides, that brings me to my next point. Tom’s not quite so austere. In fact, he’s quite witty, and often quite pleased with himself.

Just look at the difference in their body language. Tom has much more fluidity (he’s circling Harry, the head-tilt, the eyebrows move and he smiles a bit) than the other character, who has so much tension. Yes, they’re both menacing, but in completely different ways. Tom is comfortable with his actions, no matter how shitty they are. This other guy doesn’t like doing what he’s doing, but he’s going to do it, anyway.

Contrasted with the above, Tom’s unawareness of himself is such that we end up with a character who has a bizarre mix of extreme self-hatred and high self-esteem -- he always believes he is in the right -- in this case, doing Salazar Slytherin’s noble work -- while going to extreme, self-destructive lengths, such as tearing himself in half at the mere age of sixteen.

So, sorry... I kind of get the appeal, but... I don’t like the fancast.

(More unpopular opinions coming at 5:30 PM EDT tomorrow!)

#tom riddle #the many faces of #tom marvolo riddle #character analysis #character study #tom hughes #unpopular opinion #i am so getting cancelled #look i spent actual time trying to get those two gifs on the same line but it just wasn't happening #they line up if you make your window narrower #tw: mention of self-harm

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phantomato · 3 years ago

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What are your thoughts on Voldemort’s horcrux creation? Do you see that as a form of self-harm? (I know you have a fic with V and Orion where there’s some discussion around his self-harm, but it had a tw agains verbal humiliation so I didn’t read it 😓)

Ah, yeah, Galleons is tough! It’s a smart choice to stay away from that one if degradation is a squick for you; Orion is quite mean to V. It has some fun ideas about horcruxes, but it’s a rough ride. If I recommend any of my fics for a look at the horcrux experience, it’s Lay Down the Quilt or Busy Seeing Red. Though, I must admit, horcruxes are not my favorite inspiration—prepare for reading into implications.

I do see horcruxes as a form of self-harm. For me, they represent an attempt to pull off parts of himself, to discard things like his hopes for his father (ring) or mother (locket) or childhood excitement for the wizarding world (diary) or any attempts to live a normal life in that world (cup)—you get the idea. I don’t think it works, of course. I think it’s more symbolic than anything, a set of emotions imbued through soul magic into an object, but those memories/feelings are not totally removed from his system. That’s the self-harm bit. He feels like it’s doing something, so he keeps chasing that relief, the moment of tearing oneself apart and the temporary emptiness or pain that follows.

It also helps me deal with the huge gaps in his horcrux creation history. Two in his mid-late teens, under the stress of discovering his heritage (what a disappointment) and realizing that he has no glorious future in the wizarding world. About ten years of work without one, because he has something getting him out of bed in the morning (and in my stories, usually a friend or romance to keep his focus). As that phase of his life begins to fall apart, he fixates on the founders’ items that Hepzibah Smith happens to have, and oh, look, another self-destructive pattern of murder and horcrux creation. One more during a decade of travel abroad, which is, again, not much—perhaps he finds the diadem at a low point, after months or more of fruitless searching, but the travels are otherwise productive. And then none at all during the first war because, well, he’s got productive (not nice, but productive) things to occupy his time and keep his self-hatred at bay. I see the final year leading up to Halloween ‘81 as a spiral into anxiety, so there’s Harry, and Nagini in the second war—well, that‘s the second war.

Disclaimer that the dates for all horcruxes are variously debated, and I don’t care about that debate at all, these are the assumptions I use.

I don’t particularly enjoy writing the idea that horcruxes make someone mad. It is a time-honored tradition, a totally fair choice, but I don’t like to imagine Voldemort as insane at any point. It bores me. It’s far more fun for me to imagine that he has his faculties when he’s making decisions about his wars. So the horcruxes become an expression of his mental unwellness at the particular times that they were created, rather than breadcrumbs leaving a trail from ‘fully sane and rational Boy Riddle’ to ‘the nutcake that is Lord Voldemort.’ If we take those times in his life as moments of extreme emotional vulnerability, they form a really fascinating portrait of a man who struggles with self-hatred throughout his life, who might throw it off and have periods of contentment but who is never miraculously healed from the base condition of himself as someone who was primed by two societies to not see his own inherent value. It’s tragic, and so I love it. I want to imagine the various ways he struggles and I want to imagine the ways he might be able to build a lasting sense of peace.

#ask #horcruxes #tom riddle #voldemort #tw self-harm

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dalekofchaos · 4 years ago

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Why Voldemort is a terrible villain and how I’d improve Voldemort as a villain

As much as I like Voldemort, when you look back on the books. Voldemort is a terrible villain. Yes he has the Horcruxes and has loyal followers...but that’s it. In this post I will be examining why Voldemort is a terrible villain in Harry Potter and how I would improve Voldemort as a villain.

Let’s look at Voldemort’s track record

No clear motivations. The movies do absolutely nothing to flesh out Voldemort, but that's understandable, they're the movies. But even in the books, there is no clear reason for Voldemort doing any of the things that he does. During the flashbacks in the Pensive, Tom is a disturbed child who has a tendency to torture animals, lure other children to creepy caves and steal stuff - all of this is bad, yes, but why? Why is Tom Riddle "evil"? I know the explanation that the canon somewhat provides: that Voldemort doesn't know love/friendship/connection because he was conceived under the trickery of a love potion, and his mother was abused But, even if you accept that explanation, that does not justify Tom Riddle being innately evil and monstrous. Why is he racist/supremacist? If he really is a natural genius with a detachment from human emotion, shouldn't he also be detached from things like blood supremacy, ancestry and mortality? Just because he's a sociopath doesn't mean he will automatically turn into Hitler.

Wages a Wizarding war, but couldn’t even conquer his own Wizarding Nation

He couldn’t become Minister Of Magic. Instead he dicked around in Borgins And Burkes and instead wanted to become Defense Against The Dark Arts Professor.....for reasons. He could’ve used his power as Minister Of Magic to gain followers, especially the fanatic pure blood families and the impressionable Slytherins and cover for his Horcrux murders. But nooo.

When Voldemort DOES take power by force during the second Wizarding War, he does barely anything with it. Voldemort owns the government and has an army of evil. Where does he plan to launch his attack on the world? At a god damn highschool. Yes I know he attacked Hogwarts because of the last Horcrux. Didn't need to get that far if he didn't act like the world's worst Bond villain and monologued for enough time to let Harry either escape or for the Deus ex machina to arrive on que. The first two times it happens, yeah I get it. You're a villain who is up himself, shit happens. But by book 5 when he is still doing dumb shit it's unforgivable. How hard is it to issue a kill on sight order to your hordes of evil? I mean FFS you have legit werewolves on your side, who can sniff out a drop of blood miles away and yet you do nothing with them? Not only do you fail to kill a defenseless baby but you can't evil kill the kid when he's locked up in your second in commands basement.

He isn't particularly charismatic or a decent leader. He does have tons of followers, for reasons. Seriously, except for fear and opportunism I can't understand why anybody would want to fight for him. I mean, I get that he is basically magic!Hitler, but actual Hitler could at least hold speeches. Actual Hitler had arguments why his rule would be good for the German people. Voldemort doesn't. Voldemort treats his followers like shit and tortures or kills them if they aren't useful any more.

He didn't do his homework and doesn't knows the magic lore good enough. He manages to kill himself two times because of lore he really should have known about. The first time he fails to see the magic love-charm, the second time he doesn't recognizes the arcane rules of wand ownership. Those are stupid, avoidable mistakes for somebody that is supposed to be the greatest dark mage of his time.

He isn't even a particularly good mage. He manages to get statemaled by Harry and defeated by Dumbledore. He never does anything truly remarkable with magic that we haven't seen other characters do the same or better (the cave in book six is pretty good, but that's already has best showing). All we see is “AVADA KEDAVA.” Cool, I’ve seen every damn villain use that stupid fucking spell and yes it is a terrible spell.

His plans are... well, they are shit. If your plans get permanently foiled by a bunch of meddeling kids, you should think about retirement, not world domination. The plan in "Goblet of fire" only works out because of dumb luck. "Orden of phoenix" works out because of Harrys incompetence. The plan to kill Dumbledore only worked cause Voldemort used logic and had one of his followers do the work for him. The rest of his plans fail gloriously.

Voldemort's goals. He... wants to be immortal, but why? Because he's afraid of death? Why is he afraid of death? He literally spent his childhood cutting open rabbits. He excelled in all fields of academia and is arguably very intelligent; intelligence tends to negate superstition. Okay, fine; let's assume he's afraid of death. But even if we look for another explanation: maybe he wants to live forever in order to stay in power.

Voldemort wants power...Why does he want power? Why does he want to, quite literally, take over the world? It makes no sense. He has no reason to care about any of that. Even if he's prejudiced against Muggles, what exactly gives him the willpower to actually gather followers, build a legion of darkdoom evil squad and kill everyone? His motivations are never explained, and he is introduced to the story as a 2-dimensional "bad guy". Even from the 4th book onward, Voldemort is never actually fleshed out. He simply goes from bad guy to "extremely bad guy/"super fucking evil". It's shallow. It's a bad character. He isn't even a character. He has no depth, nuance, relatability or layers to him. He's just a textbook douchebag who exists simply to give the protagonists something to do, because otherwise the stories would just be about magic school.

Let's look at the closest and most obvious reflection: Adolf Hitler. It's painfully obvious that Voldemort's movement is based on Nazism. But if you read Mein Kampf, Hitler actually believed what he was doing was justified, and provided reasons for it which he thought made sense. Even if it was objectively flawed, he believed it. That's what makes a good character in fiction; even if they're actually batshit fucking insane and critically evil, you can make them relatable if you go inside their head and show the audience why they're doing what they're doing. Even if the audience doesn't agree with the character, the audience understands why the character thinks this way. Unlike Hitler's diary, Voldemort has no level of self-introspection, no actual justifications. He's a walking plot device, and that's ridiculously bad for a 7-book-long story where he's the main antagonist. I don't remember a single interaction, scene or exchange where Voldemort is shown to have any degree of self-awareness. The youngest we ever see him is when Dumbledore visits him in the orphanage, and by that point he's already evil as balls, for seemingly no reason. Even when Harry is talking to him in their final fight, Voldemort only hisses and spits out superficial threats and a shallow understanding of the events around him, and actually has no idea who he is, or why he's doing what he does. . If he were a realistic character, this lack of self-awareness would build up over time, would create self-doubt in him, and he would go through a character arc where he "found himself" and learned what he really wanted. And then, maybe he comes back and does some crazy shit, but this time he does them with glorious conviction, and has no shame in admitting it. The audience knows him now, and he's a great villain. But that's not what we got. Remember the 13-odd years Voldemort spent floating around like a puff of gas, possessing rats and squatting in Quirrel's turban? Why did his character not develop? HE HAD THIRTEEN FUCKING YEARS TO REFLECT ON HIMSELF. He literally had nothing else to do. He could've become such a complex character. Think about it: a bland, textbook villain gets cucked into infinity and now can't actually do anything but bide his time. It would clearly affect his personality, especially if it lasts 13 goddamn years. But when Voldemort is revived in book 4, he's still just "look how evil I am.exe". He had literally no character arc of any kind. That's actually impossible. No sentient human being can have the same personality, goals and motivations after over a decade of exile. He's a badly-written villain, plain and simple.

It seems like a very poor decision to make the antagonist of 7 thick books this unrelatable and bland. It also makes no sense because Rowling has written consistently excellent characters throughout the series. Why not make Voldemort a real character?

So here is how I would improve Voldemort as a villain

Motivation. So since it's universally accepted that Salazar was against Muggleorns because he grew up in a time where Wizards and Witches were being burned at the stake. What if Voldemort had similar intentions cause he grew up in a time during WWII and the Cold War and saw how powerful and dangerous the Muggles were becoming with their nuclear weapons and wanted to protect magic kind from the Muggles and viewed the Muggles invading a possibility. So he became Lord Voldemort and formed the Death Eaters to finish Salazar Slytherin’s work to protect magic kind against Muggles and Muggleborns. It could’ve started out as noble, but turned racist and evil in the end.

As Tom Riddle, he becomes the Minister Of Magic or given a position of power secondary to the Minister Of Magic. The Lord Of Magic. It’s important that prior to becoming Lord Voldemort, he should hold a position of political power within the Ministry Of Magic. In Hogwarts, it is said as a student Tom was charismatic, charming and a wolf in sheep’s clothing. So why not use all that for politics? He could use his charm and political power to turn the Ministry Of Magic against the Muggleborns and against the Muggles. He would write a book explaining in detail why he believes in what he believes and that gives him the following he needs. The Book in question would be called “Magic Is Might!” The old Pure Blood magical families and impressionable young Slytherins would follow him like moths to a flame. He could use his newfound political power to research all forms of magic and even the dark arts. He could make Horcruxes in secret. As Voldemort he would gather allies who were rejected by society like Werewolves and Giants. But despite what the Horcruxes do to his face, he could use magic to keep up appearances. He wouldn’t just be seeking to wage war with the muggles and muggleborns. First Voldemort has to take over the Wizarding world.

Treats his followers like allies. Voldemort does not use fear and the threat of death and torture on his most trusted allies. Tom Riddle’s the Knights of Walpurgis hold key positions in Tom Riddle’s administration and then the Death Eaters are born and Voldemort treats them with respect and admiration. In a sense, he treats the Death Eaters like family.

The First WIzarding War should have been about Voldemort waging war on the other Wizarding nations. This would truly show how terrifying and powerful Voldemort really is. Would also explain why the other nations did not interfere in the second war, cause they were that terrified of Voldemort. The Order Of Phoenix was barely able to win and drive Voldemort from power.

Voldemort’s fall was because he was desperate. He was ousted from power and Dumbledore, the OOTP and Aurors are on his trail. His body is failing him, so he desperately needs to create a new Horcrux. So he kills The Potters. He fully knew that Lily used the love charm to shield Harry from him. So He saw a way out. Voldemort purposefully destroyed himself so he could gain a new Horcrux.

Plus, we can have Voldemort hide the Horcruxes in the nations he conquered. So Voldemort can hide them in -Russia -Germany -America -Hogwarts -France Obviously Nagini would be by his side at all times and well Harry is the last one. For context of how Voldemort conquered these nations. Imperio, subterfuge, and mass hysteria. He took out the Wizarding governments and implanted them with his thrawls.

Make Voldemort as hated as Umbridge. Here’s how.

In my hypothetical scenario where Voldemort hides the Horcruxes in different Wizarding Nations, make 8 books. Book 7 ends with everyone graduating from Hogwarts and the fall of the Ministry.

This way, after graduation, the Ministry has fallen and it ends with the Big Seven on the run. In Book 8 they are all on the hunt for the Horcruxes. Not just for Horcruxes, but international allies to unite the Wizarding world against Voldemort. It ends with the final confrontation being at the Ministry. Voldemort's endgame plan is not just to wipe out the Muggleborns, but wiping out the Muggles. He has the Magic equivalent to a Nuclear bomb. Voldemort wants to destroy the Muggles and recreate the world in his image. Magic Is Might! He plans on using it and Harry has to stop him before it's too late

Voldemort fails because the Horcruxes are failing him. It isn’t immortality, it is only temporarily longevity and every time one of his Horcruxes gets destroyed, his body breaks down and his soul is in an even worse shape. When Nagini is destroyed, it is over. Voldemort thinks if he can kill Harry, he will live forever as the prophecy states “only one can live forever.” so he believes if he could just kill Harry, he can win. But Harry deflects his curses and sends it right back at him. Voldemort dies as he did in the book. Powerless, alone and human.

#Harry Potter #Lord Voldemort #Tom Marvolo Riddle #Anti JK Rowling

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meganswish · 5 years ago

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do you know what I find incredibly interesting? that so many of us believe that Snape is redeemed through Lily - or rather, his love for her - when that's clearly not the case.

because for many people, Snape being redeemed because he loves Lily is a truly dissatisfying redemption. the love involved is not as untarnished as Dumbledore's love for Ariana, as selfless as Regulus' for Kreacher, as dramatic as Narcissa's for Draco. all of these love-based redemptions have one thing in common: Evanna Lynch's thesis (for the purposes of this text post, JKR didn't write Harry Potter 🙃) that love, if allowed, can be a transformative force. Andromeda Tonks, for example, turns her back on bigotry because of love. but the if allowed is very important; the Malfoys are all presented from the very beginning as people extraordinarily devoted to and concerned with members of their own family - Narcissa's redemption, however, is pinpointed at the moment where that love compels her to act, and act in the way that is right. everybody loves - except potentially Voldemort, which is what makes him such a perfect villain for the series - but in Harry Potter, your love absolves you of absolutely nothing until it overpowers all the darkness within you.

that translates very well to the readers. we all understand that Regulus' redemption, whilst motivated by his love for Kreacher, was him sacrificing himself and attempting to destroy the horcrux. we all understand that Narcissa's redemption, whilst motivated by her love for Draco, was her lying to the Dark Lord and allowing the Light to triumph. we all understand that Dumbledore's redemption, whilst motivated by his love for Ariana, was him turning back on his relationship with Gellert and devoting himself to the true greater good for the rest of his life. (depending on your opinion of Professor Dumbles that's more of a backstory than a redemption, but we can roll with it for this.) but Snape's redemption is always characterised as loving Lily (or being sexually attracted to Lily, for some reason?) and not the actions that came with it.

I find this very intriguing. Regulus kept newspaper cuttings of Voldemort's crimes in his bedroom to study because he hero-worshipped him so much. he joined willingly, he was marked. Narcissa never took a Dark Mark, but she sat at the Dark Lord's table, and she only began to act against him when Lord Voldemort began to punish their family for Lucius' failure. even then, the Unbreakable Vow did nothing to stop the assassination attempts - it was meant to preserve Draco, not the intended victim. at their darkest, we have very little evidence to believe either of them to be better people than Snape. (Dumbledore did comparatively very little for Grindelwald's regime so I'm leaving him out of this, but I find it fascinating that despite that, I'd say that the fandom dislikes him more than either Narcissa or Regulus.) so why are their redemptions more convincing, more touching, more acceptable, than Snape's?

I think it has a lot to do with Harry as a narrator. Harry's softest emotion towards Draco Malfoy is probably pity, and even that pity is perhaps dosed with a little contempt. he has little understanding and no appreciation for Narcissa's lifestyle. he and Kreacher get on better during Deathly Hallows, but we can't forget how troubled their relationship initially was. and Harry never relates to Kreacher in the way he does to Dobby, simply because of his servitude - because unlike Dobby, Kreacher internalises the bigotry and belief system of his household as well as the abuse, something that Harry never does.

Snape, however. Snape's object of love is Harry's mother. Harry idolises her maybe more than even his father or Sirius (and that is saying something.) not to mention that throughout Snape's memories, we see that Snape harboured a strong dislike for Petunia, and that throughout most of his childhood he was neglected, underfed, and dressed in clothes too big for him. they show him as a target of bullies, as an underprivileged, miserable outcast with no support system. Snape is so like Harry, and Harry strongly emotionally identifies with him. the parallel is mentioned before the Deathly Hallows - when Harry sees Snape's 'worst memory', his first instinct is to put himself in Snape's place and view the Marauders as Dudley's gang, which is part of the reason he's so horrified. in sixth year, Hermione points out that Snape's speech as their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher has some remarkable similarities to Harry's own whilst he's addressing Dumbledore's Army. the two characters do have their differences, don't get me wrong, and I'm talking glaring differences - but the connection is certainly there. and I don't think it's coincidental that both of their first friends were a warm-hearted redhead who could relate to them about magic.

Harry responds to Snape on an emotional level. his reaction to finding out that Snape is a Death Eater in Goblet of Fire is almost gobsmackingly underwhelming if you compare it to him finding out that Snape was bullied by his father in Order of the Phoenix. he loses his temper when Snape insults his dad, insults Hermione, insults Neville, but he couldn't care less when he joins the Order ("he's still a git," says Ron, and that's the prevailing attitude going forward). it makes sense, after all. Snape's duty is constantly in conflict with his emotions. he saves Harry's life when Quirrell jinxes his broom, he refuses to provide Umbridge with Veritaserum to use on him, and he sends him Gryffindor's sword, sure - but he'll still try and provoke, belittle and punish Harry at every turn, because he didn't like James Potter and he doesn't like Harry either. Hermione, who is very goal-oriented, bases her opinion on Snape on whether or not he appears to be on their side, but for Harry, that's not good enough, because their interactions are defined by their mutual dislike of one another and not by the fact that for all intents and purposes, they are working towards the same goal.

and so for Harry, a large part of his forgiveness, in turn, is emotional - our narrator is far more concerned with the fact that Snape truly loved his mother and that this motivated him to protect Harry than he is with any of Snape's actual redemption. and therefore, the effectiveness of the chapter is strongly affected by how the reader perceives Snape. are we able to identify with him as Harry does? is our gripe with him mostly formed by his daily, schoolteacher-style malice? or are we more concerned with Snape's political positioning - do we want to be assured that he isn't a Death Eater? if the answer to the latter question is 'yes', it's easy to come away angry, because whilst it's made very clear that Snape is not a Death Eater, that doesn't really feel like it's supposed to be our takeaway because it's not Harry's. when he finally confronts Voldemort, their discussion about Snape revolves around '[his] mother, [his] common, Muggleborn mother', because Harry views Snape's devotion to Lily as all important. more important than even his sacrifices and work as a spy.

this may make little to no sense and there are probably tons of other reasons why we view Snape in this way, but I think this one is the most interesting. Harry is a human narrator, and the way that that impacts the story is fascinating.

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itsclydebitches · 5 years ago

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RWBY: The Horcrux Theory

Yesterday when I answered the lovely @leonhaxor‘s ask, I was surprised by the number of people who said they hadn’t heard about this theory before; people like me who are invested in the characterization of Volume Six and presumably would have come across it. I figure then that I either saw this theory on another blog and it didn’t spread in the way I assumed it would, or I thought of it myself, forgot it, and upon remembering it assumed I’d seen it elsewhere. Considering both of these things have happened to me in the past more than once (woo shit memory!), your guess is as good as mine. The important thing is the theory is here now and I’d like to take the time to lay it out in a more organized---and hopefully more persuasive*---manner.

(*As a bit of a disclaimer, I’m really just working with what I perceive as a valid interpretation of the text, not a theory in the sense that I expect Rooster Teeth to implement it in Volume Seven. If that were the case, I’d have expected our finale to paint Ruby and the rest as less heroic/justified in their actions, instead emphasizing how OOC they are, thereby setting up a situation wherein they would eventually question why their outlook and behavior has changed so drastically. But we didn’t get that. So this is less, “Sincere expectations for Volume Seven!” and more “Based on what Volume Six gives us, this is a plot twist that could work for these reasons...”)

Let’s start with the title. For anyone who may not know, a horcrux is a magical object within the Harry Potter universe that houses a piece of someone’s soul, a way of ensuring that they live on even if their body is killed. Within the plot, Voldemort (our primary antagonist) creates multiple horcruxes, one of which is carried by our heroes over a long journey. The object’s dark nature as well as its limited ability to think for itself results in a dramatic change in the group over time. They become moodier, more prone to fighting, and one character in particular, Ron, succumbs to a number of doubts and fears he’s been carrying since we met him at the start of the series. Thanks to the horcrux’s influence, he ends up acting in ways he otherwise never would have, including saying things he does not mean (“Your parents are dead. You have no family!”) and settling on courses of actions he later regrets (abandoning the group).

We can see some similarities then between the two situations, both in the Relic’s potential influence on those who carry it---to the point where, the longer they hold onto it, the more likely they are to act in ways contrary to their nature---and in the concept of a magical object being able to think for itself. Obviously Jinn is far more of a person than a sliver of a soul is, but the point is each has a certain amount of agency. As leonhaxor points out in response to my original post, there are also numerous similarities between this potential setup and the ring from Lord of the Rings. There we have another powerful, semi-sentient magical object carried by our heroes over a long journey, slowly corrupting them overtime. I think the variety of source material here is worth noting. Meaning, it doesn’t matter which comparison between stories is “best,” but rather that such comparisons are common. The Corruptible Object is an established motif in fantasy storytelling and RWBY is a web series that is highly invested in re-creating standard setups (such as fairy tales) and then attempting to subvert/complicate them. It makes a great deal of sense then that they would use a trope seen in two of the most popular fantasy series ever created, and then work to update it: the Relic is not a simplistic, pure evil thing like the ring or a horcrux is. It functions in similar ways, but---like most else in RWBY post-Volume Three---has a more complex morality attached to it. Jinn seems kindly at times, the Relic was created by the God of Light, etc. Form then, our expectations for how Rooster Teeth pulls from popular storytelling and incorporates those elements into their narrative, can be used as a potential bit of evidence.

But onto the juicier stuff.

The first thing that’s worth establishing is that all of Ozpin’s plans and choices function on multiple levels. For example, take letting Ruby into Beacon. He seems to have done this because she’s a prodigy, and because she has an excellent moral compass, and because a Silver Eyed Warrior is useful in the fight against Salem, and because Beacon is the safest place for someone belonging to a group that Salem has actively hunted in the past, and because she’s now drawn attention to herself by fighting Roman and Cinder. Phew. There’s a lot at play here. This sort of thinking is important because even if we introduce the possibility of the Relic encouraging negative emotions, it means we needn’t undermine any of the already established reasons for Ozpin’s choices in regards to its safety. Why does he put the Relic in a massive, underground vault that looks like it exists in its own pocket of reality?

Obviously to make it difficult to get at, but also, perhaps, to make sure that the Relic is as far away from humanity as possible, unable to influence them. (As a side note: creating what essentially looks like a mini-dimension removed from the real world would definitely drain someone of their remaining magic.) When Yang first enters the vault we see bits of dirt and sand floating upwards, defying gravity, much like how the snow stops when Jinn appears. The Relic appears to have an impact on its environment, perhaps one that grows stronger the longer it stays in one place. Ozpin hides it deep below the earth, in its own little pocket of reality, because otherwise having the Relic sit in one place for too long is going to cause real problems.

Why put it under a school? Both so that there’s extra protection and because these are the people most equipped to deal with the Relic’s influence. If it does still manage to produce negativity---and as a result draws more Grimm---do you want a bunch of untrained civilians dealing with that, or the people used to both managing stress and fighting monsters? Why take the Relic immediately to Atlas? Because, as said, safety works in a multitude of ways. You’ve put the Atlesian army between both Salem and any Grimm the Relic may call; you’ve put the Relic in the city that’s most prepared to deal with the consequences attached to it. All of Ozpin’s choices remain logical even if we introduce the possibility that the Relic is capable of more than just answering questions.

But I’m actually getting ahead of myself. We’re still working under the assumption that the Relic produces negativity at all, so let’s take a moment to lay out some evidence for that.

In short, it comes down to the fact that the Relic attracts Grimm. Ozpin says straight out that he's not “entirely sure” why this is the case, but he clearly has theories, one of which has to do with the Grimm’s “origins.” AKA, the God of Darkness who we know after this episode created beings that are both physical representations of, and are attracted to, negativity. That’s their origin.

The simplest explanation here is that the Relic is somehow producing the thing we already know the Grimm are attracted to: negativity of any sort. Rather than introducing another, convoluted bit of lore---Grimm are attracted to negativity AND now any objects explicitly created by the gods---it would make sense to streamline things. The Grimm are still attracted to the same things they’ve always been attracted to, it’s just now we have an object that actively produces that. It would explain why Ozpin describes the attraction as “faint, but undeniable.” After all, there’s plenty of negativity in the world. Nearby Grimm might get distracted by something bigger and nastier, but you’re more likely to become a target if you’re in the presence of something that eats away at your ability to remain optimistic and generate kindness. This explanation would also function well thematically, both for the trope reasons discussed above, and due to the nature of djinns and genies. I’ve laid out elsewhere how Jinn herself is rather manipulative, subtly encouraging cruelty towards Ozpin as well as reckless behavior in Ruby. Jinn is the lamp, so if that’s her characterization, why not extend that a little further? As an entity she actively does what the lamp passively does: encourage fear, mistrust, and anger towards others.

What’s immediately notable to me then is how negative moods seem to follow the Relic around, literally coming and going as the Relic does. One of the happiest moments in Volume Six is when everyone gets on the train and the girls are settling into their room. It’s just like old times with arguments about video games, Qrow coming in to tease his nieces, Weiss getting playfully annoyed at Ruby, etc. Sure, we also deal with some of Blake’s lingering doubts in regards to Yang, but it’s an incredibly optimistic conversation. Everyone is supporting one another here, everyone is smiling... and notably Ozpin, carrying the Relic, is absent. It doesn’t register as odd to us because Oscar and Ozpin have been removed from most group gatherings that don’t relate immediately to the war, most obviously when Oscar doesn’t join the re-united groups for their celebratory dinner in Haven. His absence makes sense, but it also happens to coincide with one of the last truly happy scenes we get this Volume (the other being the reunion with Jaune’s sister). If we buy into this idea that the Relic can impact people over time, Ozpin’s absence might also help explain why things don’t start going south until the train. As established, he keeps his distance within the Haven house. Except for explaining the Relic’s function---which lasts for only a minute or so, wherein the conversation presumably ends and Ozpin leaves the group to their chit-chat, taking the Relic with him---and other logistical details in regards to their journey, Ozpin and Oscar might have kept to themselves, thereby limiting the rest of the group’s exposure to the Relic.

From then on though the group is forced to keep close quarters with Ozpin and the morale very quickly takes a nosedive. Whoever is holding the Relic and whoever else is in its immediate vicinity demonstrates an incredibly short fuse, starting with Oscar getting into a fight with Dudley and Dudley getting mad enough to shove him in the middle of a fight.

We then see the group’s knee-jerk fury over Ozpin’s new bit of information while back on the train, Yang antagonizing him in the snow, all the way through to the group drawing their weapons on Qrow, an ally and uncle, for merely saying, “Hey.” As myself and others immediately pointed out when the episode aired, that is not a normal response for these girls, especially when Qrow isn’t even the one they’re mad at. What’s difficult in analyzing a theory like this is that we have to acknowledge that all of these emotions are still real. The Relic is just taking them to an extreme that results in unexpected and inappropriate behavior. The Relic isn’t producing these feelings of anger and hurt and confusion---fans are right to establish that it’s natural for the girls to be upset here---but it does seem to be escalating things at an unnatural rate. Which is why I chose the horcrux as a comparison. Just like Ron under normal circumstances, outside of the necklace’s influence, would never say or do these things, neither would the group outside of the Relic’s influence. They’d all feel the same things, they’d just a) be experiencing the normal amount of those emotions and b) be better able to manage their response to them.Things like drawing their weapons, punching Oscar, slamming him up against walls, abject pessimism, rejecting adults, deciding to steal an airship, insisting on fighting Cordovin, or letting out a furious, “He was watching us?” when you learn Ozpin just saved your teammates’ lives are all pretty unexpected explosions among a group that’s normally more diverse, more level-headed, and more compassionate. Volume Six is absolutely stuffed with examples of extreme behavior, actions and knee-jerk reactions that don’t fit the crime and don’t fit established characterization. We can chalk it up to terrible writing, or we can theorize that maybe, just maybe, something is encouraging them to act in this manner.

With these explanations in mind, consider how Ozpin reacts to Ruby merely touching the Relic. It’s quick, but when he finds out she has it his response is wide-eyed fear and an immediate, “Please hand it over.”

Based on what we already know, this makes no sense to me. Why would Ozpin be fearful? Ruby quite literally can’t do anything with the lamp until she has Jinn’s name---his secrets are safe. Even if they weren’t, or even if his trauma is convincing him here that Ruby might somehow divine that there are questions left and find a way to use one of them against him, I can’t believe that Ozpin would deal with that situation in this particular way. Meaning, the guy has a pretty level head and he’s good at putting people at ease. How do you get your Relic back without drawing attention to the fact that it’s still usable? By expressing relief that Ruby found it. Oh good. It’s safe. Wonderful, I’ll just casually take it back now. Yet Ozpin is incapable of doing any of that here. He sees Ruby holding it and is blurting out an instinctual request: “Please give it back.” It implies that his only concern is to get it out of her hands as quickly as possible, which in turn suggests that merely holding it has some sort of consequence attached. This isn’t a problem (questions) that he can take the time to carefully coax a solution to, this is a problem (her holding it) that needs to be solved now. Right this instant. Please drop the magical object that encourages depression and fury in people nearby. That’s my burden to (literally) carry.

He even reminds them then that it’s a “powerful item” (again, what power is at play if Ruby can’t summon Jinn?) and that it’s “[his] burden to bear.” Blake picks up on that implication and asks for us, “Why does it matter who carries it?” but Ozpin isn’t inclined to answer. He simply begs them to listen to him and then Oscar takes control, revealing Jinn’s name. But the question still stands. Why does it matter who carries it, provided that no one else has the word needed to access the Relic’s one, established power? Ozpin’s behavior here suggests that there’s more he’s worried about than just his (well founded) fear that they’ll somehow ask a question.

In my recap of “Uncovered” I theorized that there was a consequence to using the Relic given Ozpin’s non-violent desperation to get it out of Ruby’s hands. If you’re concerned only with keeping your own secrets... just take the damn thing. Ozpin might be in Oscar’s body now, but he’s still incredibly powerful. He could snatch the Relic out of Ruby’s hands easy-peasy, but only if he’s unconcerned with her mental and physical health. If, on the other hand, you’re likewise concerned with keeping her from using it because it would harm her in some way, you’re not going to exacerbate that problem by putting her in even more, potential danger. Instead you beg. You plead. You try to reason. You charge with an open palm, looking like you want only to knock the Relic out of her hands.

That assumed consequence could be a sort of double-dose of whatever negativity the Relic is already producing; an emotional whammy thanks to the increased interaction: someone near the relic won’t be as impacted as someone holding the relic, who in turn won’t be as impacted as someone who actually uses it. While re-watching some scenes for this meta, it struck me that twice now we’ve seen characters collapse immediately after that close interaction:

Granted yes, both Yang and Ozma are reacting to already terrible news: Yang that Raven has officially abandoned her and Ozma that he presumably can’t beat Salem. Visually though it’s an intriguing detail. Those who touch/use the relic tend to buckle under its weight. It literally and figuratively generates the sort of emotion that causes people to collapse in despair. So why don’t we see any more of this? Why isn’t Ozpin falling over in Haven and Ruby on the rest of their journey? Potentially because of either their Silver Eyes or what Silver Eyes represent. We know that Ozpin’s magic is what created children with Silver Eyes in the first place, so it could be that his original magic---Light’s magic---helps to act as a buffer against the Relic’s influence. Ozpin and Ruby are both able to interact with it more easily than others because of that buffer. That is, up until Ruby has been carrying/sleeping with it for days on end and is now mistrustful of Ozpin and throwing herself into canons; up until Ozpin has been carrying/sleeping with it for days on end and is now much more snappish towards his students than normal. Or, a related theory, it’s just their innate natures that do the trick, no literal magic involved. Ruby is the “simple soul” of our story and Ozpin the one who believes simple souls hold the key to success. They’re both already optimists at their core and therefore it takes longer to eat away at those beliefs. Unlike someone like Yang or Qrow who is already grappling with anger and pessimism. They fall right under the Relic’s influence.

All of this would, put plainly, explain a whole slew of issues in Volume Six. Why are our characters so OOC? Because magic is seriously putting them off their game and turning them into people they wouldn’t normally be inclined to become. Why wasn’t there an overt downside to using Jinn like many fans expected (given the mythology attached to her)? There was, we just haven’t acknowledged it yet. Why did everyone have a near identical reaction to the Relic’s information, despite being different people with different experiences and worldviews? Because magic created a blanket uniformity of anger, despair, and eventual superiority. What was up with that side quest to the farm that didn’t lead anywhere plot-wise? It’s thematic work, even more-so than the already established “Oh, our characters have doubts about their mission and here are Grimm that literally make them apathetic!” Those moments may also function as a pseudo red herring. No one is theorizing about “things that magically change your mood” because we already got that this volume. Whole episodes worth. It was those Grimm and then the group set them on fire, freeing themselves... except what if there was more than one magical thing influencing them right from the start? It’s the sort of thematic detail you might include to help establish a plot twist.

As said at the start though, I don’t actually believe very strongly that we’ll see this revelation in Volume Seven. There’s too much else that, if I were setting up such a reveal, I would have changed with this information in mind. But I think it’s still a possibility given what we’ve seen and it’s absolutely something I would accept moving forward. I would much rather be able to say, “Ah. Everyone went OOC because of this conflict with the Relic you were setting up. Far from perfect execution, but you still pulled it off.” Rather than what we currently have, which is, “Team RWBY is turning into a bunch of violent, arrogant, and cruel people entirely of their own volition. This is what ‘heroism’ now looks like in the RWBY-verse.” Magical influences, to my mind, are the preferred explanation here.

#rwby #mymetas

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mayhemxmugglesxmagic · 5 years ago

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Ginevra Molly Weasley

FC: Luca Hollestelle Gen: Golden Trio Hogwarts - Gryffindor Blood Status: Pureblood Sexuality: Pansexual

Headcanons

Aesthetics

Musings

Playlist

Bio: Ginny Weasley was a pureblood witch, the youngest of Arthur and Molly Weasley's seven children, and the first female to be born into the Weasley line for several generations. She and her older brothers grew up in The Burrow on the outskirts of Ottery St Catchpole in Devon.

Ginny began to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1992 and was sorted into Gryffindor House. During her first year, she developed a crush on Harry Potter and came under the influence of the memory of Tom Riddle's sixteen-year-old self. Having been touched by a horcrux, possessed by it, dependent on it Ginny fell into a depression after the diary was destroyed. She poured her heart into it, only to be left without an outlet, and while the dark magic was gone it still lingered within her flesh until Voldemort was defeated. Her crush on Harry continued throughout her time in school.

After the Second Wizarding War, Ginny became a professional Quidditch player for the Holyhead Harpies and moved from the family home to an apartment in London she shared with Luna Lovegood. She and Harry dated for a short while but ended the relationship mutually and remained close friends. She saw her crush by this point as just that a crush. She cared for Harry deeply, but she wasn’t in love with him, wasn’t attracted to him -- not the way she wanted to be. Ginny needed time, space, and freedom to find herself, and that’s exactly what she got.

ok here’s the thing about Ginny Gin Gin…

She’s secure in herself, overtly confident, to the point if you don’t like her then that’s fine. She doesn’t need you. She’s an independent queen. She’s thick headed when she thinks she’s right, and it’ll take a lot for her to change her point of view. She can be observant with the people she cares about, and will call them out on their bullshit.

Ginny is in many ways the hero of her own story. A quidditch star, determined as hell to make it. If just to prove to herself that she can. The movies did her character a huge disservice. Ginny is witty, and quick, and loud. She’s the youngest of a whole heap of boys. How else would she have survived?

Ginny as a kid was this little hellion. Who drove her brothers insane and was allowed to (to an extent) because she was the first Weasley girl born in generations. It’s an unconscious favoritism that creates divide within the home and affects her relationships with her brothers and Molly. I see Ginny, (as she gets older and learns the language to express how she’s feeling and what she’s seeing) calling Molly out on it all. As a kid she’d be endlessly annoyed when she’d get away with something Ron didn’t, so she’d go a step further to see how far she’d be able to take it before getting in trouble. Which would lead to all sorts of trouble. She has an innate sense of fairness and justice within her that no one is exempt from. It’s why she and Hermione get on so well.

Her Patronus –

Her Patronus is a horse, a universal symbol of freedom without restraint. Riding a horse is seen as freeing oneself from your bindings. Horses can symbolize either destruction or victory. It’s an archetype that symbolizes impulsiveness, impetuosity of desire, the instinctive impulses that motivate people. Darker aspects of it are often linked with deep human drives, such as virility and sexuality. Characters associated with horses often carry characteristics such as fidelity, sensitivity, strength, selfishness, anger, and stubbornness. In psychology it can be the unconscious, subhuman side that acts without thought – the gut impulses that I see Ginny following, trusting her intuition. They’re highly associated with aspects of war. Ginny is a fighter, and her Patronus shows us that. After the war her Patronus could change, but I don’t see it doing so until she’s made big life changes.

In regards to romance -

I see Ginny as primarily attracted to women, save Harry (which is a very complicated bundle of emotions and trauma and the societal expectations she felt were being pushed on her that I will one day actually bother to write out). She does love him… just isn’t in love with him and this realization spurs her to move out on her own, away from her family and away from Harry.

Ginny’s love language is very much proximity based. She likes to be near the people she loves. Likes to do things with them – every day things, like going to the shops, getting a coffee, lounging lazily on the sofa, watching/playing quidditch. She wants to be part of the things they like, learn about them, and actively participate in their relationship.

Socially –

Ginny is very extroverted. She loves gong out with a large group of friends, and drinking, playing games, causing a little a trouble. After she leaves The Burrow she appreciates her own space, and wont let anyone into it she doesn’t feel deeply for. She values privacy and her own space after not having it for so long. This leads to her wanting to go out more, not invite others over. There’s a very select few she lets into her apartment, her home, and even then certain areas such as the bedroom are off limits.

#ginny weasley #bios #character bios #main verse #c: Anything's possible if you've got enough nerve (Ginny)#canon divergent rp #new muse

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theacerbicprince · 5 years ago

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Answering Harry Potter Tag Questions

So my darling @xweofmanyfaces answered this in video form but I don’t do videos because I don’t know how to edit and stuff. Really, all I can do is type and prance so I’m going to type out my answers to these questions. It may be long, I apologise in advance. If there are any other questions you’d like to ask me that I haven’t answered then let me know.

What house are you in?

I am a Gryffindor which surprised me initially but if I think about it makes a lot of sense because I am very loyal to the people I care about and I don’t think I’m brave but I know people who would disagree with me just based on the challenges in my life.

What is your Patronus?

My patronus is a white stallion according to pottermore. I read up on what it meant on the lexicon and it was amazing how similar it was to me.

What is your wand?

My wand, as on pottermore, is Pear wood with phoenix tail feather, 13 and 3 quarter inches, slightly yielding flexibility. According to pottermore, there has never been a recorded instance of a pear wood in possession of a dark witch or wizard.

Favorite book?

I liked the Deathly Hallows because it gave us so much and it wasn’t as badly paced as some of the other books were and it moved me emotionally, very much so and it revealed so much of my darling boy.

Least favorite book?

Probably the Chamber of Secrets if I’m honest.

Favorite movie?

From an aesthetic point of view, the Half Blood Prince. Overall favourite movie in terms of soundtrack is the Deathly Hallows Part 2 but overall, tying everything together would probably have to go to Order of the Phoenix. I live for Imelda Staunton in that movie and ugh, just that bit where Alan manages to inject that much snark and sass and condescension into the one word ‘obviously’.

Least favorite movie?

Goblet of Fire, I think a lot of people might agree with me on that one, it’s not universally that well received.

Is there a movie you preferred over the book?

The Chamber of Secrets movie is better than the book for me. I actually feel very emotional about the ending of that movie probably because of Chris Columbus to be honest and some of the shots are amazing and the music too, John Williams excellent.

Favorite quote?

I love this so, so fucking much.

“It is good to see that six years of magical education haven’t been wasted on you Potter; ghosts are transparent.”

Favorite character?

Severus without a shadow of a doubt. He’s my boy even when he’s being a total jackass and he just brings so much joy to me because he makes me laugh so much.

Least favorite character?

Ron. I hate getting on the ship in that sense but yeah, I don’t like Ron as a character although a lot of that comes from the fact that I just don’t see him ending up with someone like Hermione. This does not mean I don’t want to write with Ron because Molly loves all of her children regardless of their flaws but I don’t personally like him. I like him even less in the movies because they took away some of his kinder, more human moments and he was like 95% jackass.

Favorite professor?

Minerva is an absolute boss, always, that never changes. She teaches the kids so much and she’s so supportive but at the same time she doesn’t take any shit. I will always have to defer to my home boy though because he’s an amazing teacher even though he is a giant asshole about it. He is multi talented because he can teach more than the one subject and he can teach them well. He fully understands his subjects and he takes them both so seriously, more seriously than his other professors I would say. He doesn’t express it the right way but he cares a lot about the welfare of the students. There’s a reason he loses his shit when Neville fucks up so badly at Potions that Severus is practically apoplectic, because the boy is dangerous and he doesn’t want to be responsible for a death or severe disfigurement.

Favorite villan?

Bellatrix Lestrange. She’s a great villain in that she is so unstable and you don’t know what she’s going to be doing next really. She is the sort of villain where you are constantly on edge around her and we actually get to see her in action properly and we get a full, real sense of why she’s so terrifying. A lot of that was missing as far as it went for Voldemort because we didn’t get to see much of him or how he earned his reputation.

Favorite weasley?

Molly, she is my girl but she is also super strong, super loving and she has dealt with so much in her life and so deals with it all with barely any complaint. She is so giving to everyone, she takes everyone in and is so welcoming and approachable and it’s not something that she thinks about doing, it’s just natural to her.

Favorite marauder?

Remus because he isn’t a giant douche. Remus is also the one that seems more understandable to me. I think we’ve all been there at one point or another where we have seen an injustice and we have to decide what we are going to about it. He didn’t actually want to kill anyone, he didn’t take a savage delight or really any delight in what was going on and he’s apologetic about it. He doesn’t come up with excuses for his actions or lack of actions, he accepts the responsibility of what he’s done.

Are there any characters you felt differently about in the movies versus the books?

Gilderoy Lockhart and that is just because Kenneth Branagh is just amazing, he is a stunning actor and I admire him greatly as a professional and he made Lockhart far more likeable.I actually enjoyed watching him in the movie whereas I hated reading him in the books.

Which character do you think you’d have the closest relationship with?

Probably Molly if I’m being honest, we are quite similar in some senses. Severus would struggle to tolerate me but I think he still would put up with me.

Which class would be your favorite?

I am a huge history fan so yeah, History of Magic would probably be quite high up on my list. I think I’d like DADA too, combat you know.

What would your boggart be?

My daughter (from my dreams) desperately wanting my attention because she needs me but I’m too out of it to be able to help her, my darling Penny with my health conditions. Oddly specific I know but it is a massive fear.

What position would you play in Quiddich?

Seeker probably, I have good eyesight and good hearing too.

Would you be a pure-blood, half-blood or muggle born?

I would be half blood, just makes sense for me. My mother is Scottish and my father is English so it makes sense that I’d be half and half magically.

What job would you want to have after leaving Hogwarts?

It really depends on what my specialisation would be to be honest. I might teach for a while, I really enjoyed being a tutor (which was my job up until September last year).

Which of the Deathly Hallows would you choose?

The invisibility cloak. I don’t need great power in my life and my loved ones would drive me insane because I would want to see them so often, to touch them and I couldn’t. The invisibility cloak is remarkably useful.

Which spell would be the most useful to learn?

A healing spell of some sort, always useful.

Do you have any unpopular opinions about the series?

MY HOME BOY IS A GOOD MAN! It is not creepy that he was in love with Lily for that whole length of time. Stop having a go at my man, he’s not a creeper.

Either or/if, would you rather:

Wash Snape’s hair, or listen to Lockhart ranting about himself for a day?

Do you even have to ask that question? I would massage that scalp aaaall day.

Duel an elated Bellatrix, or an angry Molly?

Angry Molly would be terrifying but an elated Bellatrix is guaranteed to torture me to the point that I am desperately crying out to die.

Travel to Hogwarts via Hogwarts Express, or a flying car?

Hogwarts Express, you can get up and walk around the train, stretch the legs which is good for me because of my nerve damage and pains in my hips etc.

Kiss Voldemort or give Umbridge a bubble bath?

Kiss Voldemort, I do not want to see Umbridge naked.

Ride a Hippogriff or ride a Firebolt?

Probably the Hippogriff, I think it’d be far more comfortable and I could actually talk to the Hipprogriff and not feel like a lunatic. Who talks to their broomstick eh?

Hallows Or Horcruxes?

The horcruxes are a fascinating and interesting concept especially when you look into the whole process and splitting the soul. Is the soul split every time that you kill?

If you could own one of the three Hallows, which one would it be and why?

Invisibility cloak, this was addressed earlier.

If you could bring one character back to life, who would it be?

This motherfucking question right here. I’ve been thinking about this question for hours, honest to Lords hours. You’d think I would want to bring Severus back to life but there is one person in particular who comes to mind because it’s just so tragic and I would want to change it so badly and that is Tonks. I want Teddy to grow up with his mother and Andromeda to not have to deal with the loss of her daughter as well as her husband.

#ooc #harry potter #harry potter tag

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imagitory · 6 years ago

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Tory Ranks the HP Films! [review]

Hi everybody! So I was chatting with a good friend of mine the other day about our favorite films in the Harry Potter series, and...well, the whole discussion got me thinking, so I decided to jot down my personal rankings!

I’ll just discuss the eight films based on the original books for this, but if you want my thoughts on the Fantastic Beasts series so far, you can read this FB-centric response and this review for CoG! These rankings are unique to me, but will be affected both by how much I personally enjoy the movie as well as how well it adapted its respective book. Hope you enjoy -- if you want, feel free to like and reblog, and of course reply/reblog with your own thoughts about the HP films!

8) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I’ll be honest, I was torn between this film and the one just before it as my personal worst, but in the end, I had to acknowledge that this one, out of all of the films, was just the least interesting of the lot, not just from a story perspective but also in the visuals and music. Everything was so gray and murky and dark: the only faintly creative visuals I really remember from this film were the inky effects in the Pensieve scenes (which didn’t match up with the established continuity of previous Pensive scenes) and the juxtaposition of a bird’s cage in the corner of a shot where Draco is walking down the hallway, and the only music track I remember liking at all was the choral piece In Noctem. Plus the plot itself was pretty tedious, as the filmmakers apparently decided that the book’s romantic side-stories were more worthy of focus than the main villain’s entire backstory. I mean, come on -- Harry making goo-goo eyes at Ginny and Ron being a complete idiot when it comes to the girls in his life is somehow more interesting than Dumbledore and Harry learning about the Gaunt family, Tom Riddle’s past as a neglected, but vindictive bully, and Riddle turning objects that meant something to him into Horcruxes, which sets up the Golden Trio’s quest to find them in the next book/movie? Good call on that one. Speaking of Riddle, the two new actors that were cast to portray him in this movie are also easily the worst performers in the entire series, and the completely unsubtle, black-and-white characterization of Riddle in the script didn’t do them any favors. After how much Voldemort was built up in the films, Riddle being so ridiculously obvious in how evil he is makes everyone around him (like Dumbledore and Slughorn) look like an idiot for not seeing he was bad news from the start. This film makes me a lot less angry than the #7 slot, partly because HBP is my least favorite of the books, but it also prompts just about no positive feelings either, and if there’s anything Harry Potter has never been, it’s “boring.”

7) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

*dodges knives* LOOK. I know this is a lot of people’s favorite HP film, and I understand why. From a cinematography perspective, it’s easily one of the best. It’s very pretty to look at. The shot composition is excellent. The visuals are creative and striking. But all of that beauty is at the cost of the story and characters. Not only does Hermione become even more of an idealized Action Girl, losing even more of her wonderful, three-dimensional book characterization and flaws -- not only does the film break away from every bit of continuity established from the previous installments or even within its own film, from changing the layout of Hogwarts and the students’ uniforms to having Harry constantly light up his wand with magic no problem only ONE SCENE before getting punished for using magic outside of school -- not only does it make no sense unless you’ve read the book, given that the script just assumes that you’ll remember details like Lupin and Snape having seen the Marauder’s Map, which explains how they knew Sirius and the Golden Trio were in the Shrieking Shack -- not only does it add things that I don’t like and really don’t think fit in the established Wizarding World like the shrunken heads and a slide projector being used in Snape’s DADA class -- not only did this film depict its characters blatantly showing off their supposedly “secret” magical artifacts with no repercussions, such as Harry under his Invisibility Cloak stealing a lollypop from Neville and whamming through a crowd of people and Hermione not even trying to hide the Time Turner around her neck -- not only did Ron lose one of his best scenes in the entire series, where he stands on his broken leg yelling at Sirius that he’d have to kill him and Hermione to get to Harry, and was downgraded to the point that he pretty much became dead weight -- not only did Lupin’s werewolf form look more like a half-bald monkey than the hulking, terrifying mass I’d wanted to see -- not only did Lupin and Sirius talk to Harry about Lily almost exclusively and barely mention their best friend James -- not only was everything Crookshanks did except him chasing Scabbers left out -- not only did the script never explain that Lupin, Pettigrew, Sirius, and James were the Marauders and the reason behind the pen-names -- not only did the film originally MISSPELL “MOONY” WHEN IT WAS WRITTEN DOWN IN THE FRIGGIN’ BOOK -- but this film ruined the best part of the entire story. The descent into the Shrieking Shack and the revelation of who really betrayed the Potters took three whole chapters to unravel because of how much information was revealed and how many emotions were packed into it...yet the film decided to spend less than TEN MINUTES on that three-chapter-long plot twist. TEN. And most of the exposition dialogue was shouted haphazardly across the room in about five minutes of that time. It’s honestly little wonder to me that director Alfonso Cuaron originally hadn’t wanted to read the book before making the film and had to be convinced to do so -- he clearly was more interested in putting his own stamp on the story than respecting what was already there in the books or even in the previous films, and although yes, the darker tone and more unique visual style did help the series in the long run, I just wish that it hadn’t been done in the adaptation of my favorite book in the series. Azkaban deserved a more faithful adaptation than this.

6) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

In a way I almost feel bad for the filmmakers trying to adapt this book. GoF is the longest in the entire series and arguably has the most subplots and tiny important details casually slipped into the text out of all of them, which would be difficult to adapt in a three-act feature film. I can’t help but feel it should’ve gotten the halfsies treatment the way Hallows did, given that it would’ve been difficult to fit every little important thing into one movie, even a long one. That being said, though...yeah, this film really is incoherent unless you’ve read the books. How do you even try to tell Goblet’s story if you’re going to cut out all of the Crouch family’s backstory? Answer: by revealing the twist ending in the first ten minutes by showing Crouch, Jr. is alive and turning him into an uninteresting, one-dimensional character, I guess. David Tenant is a wonderful actor and he could’ve been a wonderful Crouch, Jr., but in this adaptation he had just about nothing to work with. Then of course they also cut out Winky, Dobby, Hermione’s SPEW movement, the Quidditch World Cup game, Bertha Jorkins, Ludo Bagman, Percy Weasley joining the Ministry, the Weasley twins and Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes, Rita Skeeter getting her comeuppance, and Crouch, Jr. getting Kissed by dementors before Fudge could hear his testimony about Voldemort’s return. I also wish they hadn’t turned Cedric, Viktor, and Fleur into such one-note, one-dimensional characters either -- Robert Pattinson got the most to work with out of the three actors, but the characters still seem very shallow compared to their book-originals, and considering Viktor and Fleur get no further development in later films, their characters pretty much start and end with the little material their actors get in this movie. Even Voldemort’s depiction I’m somewhat torn about: I like Ralph Fiennes as an actor, but I had sort of hoped he’d look a little scarier and that he’d have red eyes the way he had when he was attached to Quirrel’s head in Sorcerer/Philosopher and as described in the book. As much as I sympathize with how difficult the task was to adapt this story, Warner Bros. still could’ve made a longer movie and kept in more of the stuff needed to understand what was going on. Still, there are some good visuals in this film and I like a lot of the new music tracks, too.

5) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

The Hallows films overall I sort of just see as “okay,” mainly because they and Prince’s adaptation are so dark that at some points I think they forget what made the stories so likable in the first place -- namely, the characters. Sure, we can’t have as much humor here, but where’s the love? Where are the distinct personalities, where’s the friendship? And really, one of the few answers this film gave was in that OOC Harmione dance scene, which...yeah, not only did it have no romantic chemistry (which I suppose I should be glad of, as that would be even more OOC than the scene already is), but it also had very little friendship chemistry too. It was just awkward and stilted to watch. Even Ron’s return wasn’t as strong because the film adaptations went so far out of their way to marginalize Ron and not make him an important part of the trio...so yeah, contrasted to the book where Harry and Hermione mourned Ron’s absence, the awkward dance scene attempting joy and failing miserably just falls even more flat. There are some good moments, like Luna and Harry interacting at the wedding and the break-in at the Ministry, and there’s a lot less stuff cut from this film than in others, but there’s also a lot less that I can say I loved in this film than in others.

4) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Part 2 is pretty even with Part 1 for me, as it doesn’t cut as much out but also left a lot to be desired. Because of the lack of explanation about what things Voldemort would turn his Horcruxes into, Harry has to rely solely on deux-ex-machina visions to tell him what to do next, Harry breaking the Elder Wand felt like such a cop-out, and the Battle of Hogwarts, although not bad exactly, really never showed off the scale of the damage and loss the way it could’ve. Fred’s death isn’t even given its proper screen time! But at the same time, I found more memorable scenes in this movie -- the Room of Requirement confrontation, McGonagall taking charge before the Battle of Hogwarts, the ending at Platform 9 3/4 that actually used the Leaving Hogwarts track from the first movie the way I’d dreamed that they would when I first read the book -- and of course every moment of Alan Rickman as Severus Snape. Yes, Rickman portrayed Snape as a much more likable, much less gray character than he was in the books, but he was still wonderful to watch every second he was on screen.

3) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone

I acknowledge nostalgia might play more of a role in my judgement of the first two films, given that I was a young teenager when they first came out...but I’m sorry, aesthetically, Columbus’s films were the most true to their source material. The darkness didn’t really start in the books until GoF, and since Cuaron jumped the gun on the darkness in Azkaban, we lost that gradual fading of the light from the original novels. And really, the Wizarding World was charming! It still is! And with the departure of Columbus, we kind of lost that charm in future films, even during the parts that were supposed to be less dark and gritty. We never got it back, and yes, one could see that as somewhat reminiscent of childhood innocence -- but I disagree, charm can be appreciated at any age. Even in my darkest days, I still could appreciate it. If anything, charm in the midst of despair and gloom became all the more precious. But regardless...Sorcerer/Philosopher is one of the most true to its subject matter -- it really does depict things almost exactly the way I’d imagined them while reading the book. The score John Williams wrote for the first two films in particular made everything feel just as magical as when I was first reading the first two books, and as the films went on, we lost that recurring score that favored the reuse of certain themes to instill various emotions: instead we just got individual themes for each film that were rarely used outside of that particular film. But I acknowledge Sorcerer/Philosopher doesn’t take nearly enough risks, the details cut so as to compress scenes sometimes create plot holes (like Snape protecting the Stone and supposedly bullying Quirrell to find out how to get past his defense, even though both their challenges were not included in the film), the CGI is pretty outdated, and a lot of the child actors were at the beginning of their learning curve. Really, the only stand-out performances among the child actors in my opinion were Tom Felton and Rupert Grint -- Dan had his moments, but Emma and a lot of the more minor actors like Devon Murray as Seamus at points sounded like they were acting in a school play. And when you placed those kids alongside great adult actors like Robbie Coltrane and Richard Harris, it could be a bit jarring. Still, I’d be lying if I said I don’t really enjoy watching this movie, almost as much as I did when I watched it as a kid so many times that after a while I could recite the entire script from memory.

2) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

I was fortunate enough to see this film opening night with my mum and best friend at the time, and really, Chamber just built on Sorcerer/Philosopher’s cheesy yet charming, book-loyal formula. Like the previous film, there are some important details cut and not that many risks taken from a visual or film-making perspective and the CGI often doesn’t look that great (Dobby in particular hasn’t aged that well), plus some of the scenes aren’t that well-directed (i.e. the fight between the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams lacked any real anger or energy, and even the Dueling Club scene was oddly slow and lacked excitement)...but even so, I think the child performances are better here, and we got a lot more scenes with excellent adult actors like Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy, Julie Walters as Molly Weasley, and Kenneth Branagh as Lockhart. I also laugh a lot watching this one! Lockhart gets a lot of his great, funny lines from the book, but young Rupert Grint also shows a great talent for comedy that, I must be honest, is kind of lost after Chamber, as he becomes less of a distinct character who happens to say funny things and more of just a wimpy, tag-along sidekick who’s often made the butt of a joke. Even now, my mum and I smile at the memory of watching the film in theaters and laughing and cheering with the rest of the audience when Lockhart cries, “Amazing! This is just like MAGIC!”

1) Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

This film adaptation is based off my second favorite book in the series, and as much as it cut from that book, I think it overall captured the spirit of the book the best out of the series while also making a visually distinctive film. Yes, it cut out Marietta Edgecombe and the moral grayness her inclusion represented, Sirius’s passive-aggressiveness, pettiness, and cruelty toward Kreacher and the depth that it gave him as a flawed father figure, Harry’s lashing out at Dumbledore and how real it made both Sirius’s loss and Harry’s grief, Percy’s alienation of his family and the exploration of the cost of standing by one’s ideals, Neville and his family at St. Mungo’s and the pathos and complexity it gave his character, Umbridge running Hagrid out of Hogwarts and McGonagall being injured and how much that cut Harry off from the Order, and Umbridge’s revelation that she’d sent the dementors after Harry and how neatly it tied up all the loose ends. But at the same time, I hated Umbridge in this film just as much as I did in the books. I felt the sorrow of Sirius’s loss just as much as I did in the books. I felt the satisfaction at seeing Neville grow through joining the D.A. and becoming a more three-dimensional, heroic character despite his shortcomings just as I did in the books. I felt for Trelawney when she was being forcibly evicted from Hogwarts just as much as I had in the books. I felt the triumph of the Weasley twins’ rebellion against Umbridge just as much as I did in the books. I felt the camaraderie of Dumbledore’s Army just as much as I did in the books. I felt the love that Harry had for his friends and believed in both his hopelessness and his desire to fight for them just as much as I did in the books. And yet there were also film-only additions that I really liked -- the emphasis on Harry’s friends being the reason he resists Voldemort’s control, the montage of Umbridge sinking her Inquisitorial claws into Hogwarts, the music written to accompany the scenes at the Ministry and featuring Umbridge, Sirius punching Lucius Malfoy in the face and calling Harry “James” by accident. Even in a visual sense, it wasn’t too dark and gritty, but not too rosy and colorful either. Yes, this film had dark moments, but it never lost sight of what the original book series was about -- not the doom and gloom, not the action and thrills, not the drama and intrigue, not even the flights of fancy, but the love. What even are our heroes fighting for, if not the ones and things they love? Why do we even care? Why would we even watch any of these films at all, if not because of the love? In Order, I never forgot what Harry was fighting for. It balanced out the doubt and fear with kinship and nobility, just as I felt the books always had and the films often didn’t. So as many important details are shaved off, it at least still felt like Harry Potter. Not perfect, but hey, what adaptation is?

#oh boy here i go #analysis #reviews #opinion #harry potter #harry potter and the sorcerer's stone #harry potter and the philosopher's stone #harry potter and the chamber of secrets #harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban #harry potter and the goblet of fire #harry potter and the order of the phoenix #harry potter and the half-blood prince #harry potter and the deathly hallows #harry potter and the deathly hallows part 1 #harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2

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headcanonsandmore · 6 years ago

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So I came across this on quora. 'Hermione doesn’t care about Ron’s insecurity. We see this throughout the entire series-she will speak her mind, whether it hurts him or not. She just assumes he will be logical and unemotional about it, and take it just as a way to explaining Harry’s popularity. She doesn’t care about Ron’s inferiority complex. That’s why they’re a terrible couple' Thoughts??

Hmmmm.

Well, this reasoning for them not liking Ron and Hermione as a couple actually makes more logical sense than the old ‘Ron doesn’t deserve Hermione’ chestnut.

The sad thing is… I can completely understand this viewpoint.

Because there is quite a lot of evidence to suggest that Hermione doesn’t realise just how extreme Ron’s insecurities and self-doubts actually go. From her perspective, Ron’s just a bit insecure because of his brothers and Harry. But here’s the main problem; this understanding of Ron’s insecurities that Hermione has never actually changes in the book series.

In the books, Hermione never realises just how insecure Ron actually is. Heck, no-one in the series really understands just how bad Ron’s insecurities are. Harry is the sole exception to this, and even then he only found out because of the Horcrux locket.

Like you quoted, Hermione does have a tendency to assume Ron will be logical and un-emotional about discussing Harry’s fame. Just look at the way she went on about Harry’s supposed-fanciableness in HBP whilst ignoring Ron completely. To her, it’s just facts and logic. But what she doesn’t realise is that Ron is the complete opposite of her in that respect. To him, emotions and feelings hold far more sway, and a throwaway line from Hermione can leave a devastating impact on Ron’s already low self-worth. She would never even realise that he would internalise it; she calls him ‘stupid’ in a middle of a row, and he’ll be thinking about it three months later, beating himself up about it.

I wouldn’t say that Hermione doesn’t care about Ron’s inferiority complex. She knows that he has it and wants to help him (she even points this out in Harry in GOF), but the main problem is that she doesn’t realise just how deep his complex goes. Her understanding is that Ron’s inferiority complex is based purely on being over-looked compared to his brothers and (later on) Harry. To her, it’s a simple idea that Ron struggles with, but he will overcome because he must know how much people care about.

Unfortunately, what Hermione fails to realise is that not only does Ron have these insecurities about being over-shadowed, but that he honestly thinks he IS (and always WILL be) completely eclipsed by his brothers and Harry. Ron genuinely thinks he’ll never match up. And- honestly- he has very little evidence to deny that people seem to care less about him than they do about those around him.

His mother favours Percy, Harry and Ginny, and it probably didn’t escape Ron’s notice that his parents stopped having children after Ginny. There’s an elephant in the room when it comes to Ron’s existence; the fact that his parents (especially Molly) were hoping for a girl, but instead got Ron.

Ron cares so much for Harry, but it’s no secret that Molly treats Harry far better than she treats Ron. That’s not to say that Molly doesn’t love Ron, but the horcrux wasn’t wrong when it said he was the “least loved” of his siblings. Deep down, I think Ron genuinely thought (for most of his young life) that he was an after-thought to Molly, from the clothing she gave him (the maroon jumpers and his horrible second-hand robes) to the way she rarely takes his opinion into account.

There’s also Hermione herself. Ron genuinely loves Hermione warts-and-all, and he’s constantly showing her appreciation (going beyond even the normal level that friends typically give each-other. But Hermione rarely reciprocates this appreciation. Hermione doesn’t realise that Ron actively needs appreciation to maintain his self-worth (since he has so little self-confidence), and therefore, she rarely makes the same effort that Ron shows to her. There’s also the fact that she was terrified that showing appreciation for him in any way would alert him to her feelings, resulting in the possibility that he might not feel the same way.

Add in Ron’s growing romantic feelings for her as the series progresses, and you’ve got a perfect recipe for Ron’s self-worth getting repeatedly pummelled into the ground. To Ron, Hermione acts like she considers him an idiot, and that she doesn’t show him the same affection that he shows her, meaning that she clearly only sees him as a friend and nothing more.

Combine this with the fact that Hermione (like Harry) gets a lot of attention at Hogwarts. She’s the brightest witch in the year, and the teachers (bar Snape) are constantly showing her praise. And Ron loves this about Hermione; he loves her intelligence. But he also understands that he is constantly pushed into the background whenever the golden trio are in public. Harry’s the boy who lived, and Hermione is the brightest witch of her age. So why’s this random redheaded boy hanging round them; what does he even contribute?

Hermione thinks Ron’s inferiority complex is based around how he compares himself to Harry and his brothers, but she doesn’t realise that it’s also based on how he sees himself compared to her. Next to her, what are his talents? Where’s his ambition? Why does she even bother hanging around him? She’s a shining star; how could he ever compare to her?

It’s hard enough being in love, but it’s even worse when you believe the person you love is your superior in every way.

From an early age, Ron learns that he’s never going to get attention, so he might as well just give up. What’s the point in trying if no-one even notices when you succeed?

Therefore, it’s impossible for Ron to overcome his insecurities in the way that Hermione thinks he can. To her, he should because he should know how much people care about him. But to him, there is very little evidence to suggest people actually do care about him. He’s never a priority for anyone (aside from Harry and Hermione), and-even then- on the occasions where Ron needs that support, neither Harry and Hermione seem to actively care (Ron getting his prefect badge, both Harry and Hermione missing him winning the Quidditch cup so they could see Gwamp). Ron is the support role in the trio, but he barely ever receives that same support back from his friends.

This is what Hermione doesn’t understand about Ron’s inferiority complex; that he honestly thinks he’s useless, worthless and unwanted. That no-one would look at him twice. Why would they; when everyone-else is so much better at everything that he is?

Unless Hermione began to understand this in the post-second war period, I’m honestly not sure how their relationship-as-it-was-DH would survive. There is the worrying potential that their relationship could become toxic. With Ron never standing up for himself and Hermione refusing to compromise at all, it’s a recipe for potential disaster.

That’s why I love fanfics that explore Hermione realising just how bad Ron’s insecurities are, and growing as a person due to this understanding. It’s only a recent phenomenon in Romione fanfiction, and would have been inconceivable in the 2000s, when Ron-bashing was at it’s zenith and most Romione fanfics had the ‘Ron is the idiot that Hermione clears up after’ dynamic going on. Thankfully, the RWDS happened, and people are becoming more aware of how badly the character was previously treated in fanfiction.

I hope that answered your question, @istanronweasley; apologies for going into a rant about this, but I’ve been wanting to get this analysis off my chest for a while.

Thanks for the ask!

#ask #ron weasley #hermione granger critical #tw: insecurities #tw: self-esteem issues #tw: self-doubt #tw: self loathing #tw: mental health #the poor bloke just wants to be appreciated by those around him and it almost NEVER HAPPENS AND I NEED TO GIVE RON WEASLEY A HUG RIGHT NOW!#rant

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douxreviews · 6 years ago

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Cloak & Dagger - ‘Rabbit Hold’ Review

Ty: "How do you know how to do that?" Adina: "Some things you never forget."

Ty finally begins exploring his coolest power, thanks to Tandy's decision to enter him and have a look around.

Look, it's not as creepy as it sounds.

I know I mention this almost every week, but wow, this show really pulls off some beautiful visuals. The image of Tandy standing in front of the five mirrors, each one reflecting a different aspect of who she is, contrasted with the sharp darkness of the location, was a particularly striking shot. Honestly, just lovely.

Since the first announcement that they were going to be doing a Cloak and Dagger show, I've been waiting for the developments we got this week. Apologies in advance for this, as you really shouldn't have to be familiar with the source material in order to watch the show, but I think in this case it helps to have a little background.

In the comics, Cloak is basically a gateway to something that they refer to as 'The Dark Dimension.' In that dimension there's nothing but darkness, as you might have guessed from the name. Within that darkness is something they used to only refer to as 'the predator,' who is basically some sort of demon that feeds on the light that Dagger generates, but is also happy to chow down on the terror that people experience when they're absorbed into Cloak's cloak and are forced to relive all their fears. Dagger, meanwhile, generates that delicious light that the predator eats, but if she doesn't release it regularly enough she basically burns up from the excess energy.

That's the symbiosis that ties the two of them together, and the fact that their powers are completely dependent on one another if they aren't going to run out of control is one of the fundamental planks of their relationship.

It was nice, then, that even while the show was finally exploring Ty's big portal they were also underscoring the symbiotic nature of their powers. Tandy had to give up her light powers in order to 'proceed on the journey' through the dark dimension and find Brigid, and tangentially Connors. That, unfortunately, comes at an inconvenient time for Ty, since he's spending some quality time with his Mom attempting to not be killed by gang members.

The character development we get here as we explore Ty's relationship with his mother is fascinating. Adina is a timely depiction of the constant worry implicit in raising a child of color in today's America. Her worry and the actions it leads her to take all feel very real.

The two parallel journeys that Ty and Tandy take this week, him running from the gang and her finding her way through the dark dimension's shopping mall, bounce off each other well, culminating in what I suspect was the point of exercise, the deliberate contrasting of Ty telling his mother the story of human trafficking hundreds of years ago intercut with Mayhem relating to Tandy some harsh facts about human trafficking today.

The point that they're making is clear and well presented. Human trafficking is not a thing of the past. It's not a story from history. It's never gone away. The showrunners deserve a lot of praise for the way they approached the issue.

Meanwhile, in the dark dimension, we finally get an explanation for something that's been bothering me a lot so far this season. Namely, why Tandy has been so incredibly prone to victim blaming in her domestic abuse support group. It made sense that finding out that her idolized father was really an abuser would cause an emotional crisis for her, but that didn't really track with how angry she was at Mikayla for not leaving her abuser.

Now of course it makes sense. She didn't just find out that her father was an abuser. We see very clearly here that she knew all along. She chose to 'not see it,' as we see by her literally choosing to walk out the door to avoid hearing her mother being abused. Of course she's projecting anger toward victims who allow the abuse to continue. The visual metaphor of the memories as records still in their shrink wrap was an inspired choice. Well done.

Lastly, and again I know I say this a lot here, but they continue their proud tradition of making changes from the source material that make everything better and stronger. I mentioned above the predator that lives inside Cloak in the comics. Here they've updated that, and very wisely used the move to New Orleans to justify replacing the predator with Papa Legba, who apparently greets all those who enter the dark dimension and guides them on their business. That just works, on every level. Instead of 'scary thing in the dark' we have 'mysterious guide' and there's a lot more story to be mined out of 'mysterious guide.'

Papa Legba is one of the Loa in Vodoun, and is one of those crossroads deities who's heavy into guiding destinies. That's a perfect fit for this context.

Bits and Pieces:

-- Ty's parents have separated, which explains why we haven't seen much of Otis. That's sad, but not at all unrealistic for a couple that loses a child. Two children, in their case. I wonder if the actor was busy, or if they just wanted to focus the story on Adina.

-- Speaking of Adina, she's startlingly adept at hotwiring cars and avoiding the police. I suddenly have a million questions about Ty's mom.

-- Starting with, what has she been investigating exactly. and does it tie into why she was apparently pressured into preventing an investigation into the girls' disappearances last week?

-- Both American Gods and Cloak and Dagger heavily featured empty shopping malls this week. 14-year-old me in 1986 sighed deeply, inside.

-- The special effect of Ty opening up his portal to the dark dimension was done better than I ever dared hope it would be in live action. Now please throw a cloak into the mix and I'll be happy forever.

-- Ty and Tandy said that Ty was able to open his portal because he was scared, but I bet it was more to do with the presence of Tandy's light.

-- Connors is out of the dark dimension now and ready to cause more trouble. We didn't see Mayhem in the last scene, but it feels safe to assume that she's out too, right?

-- Sadly, most places in the US do still treat victims of human trafficking as criminals and prosecute them for prostitution.

-- I've been meaning to ask this the last couple of weeks – so, does Brigid only have half a soul now? Is Mayhem like a horcrux? If you killed one, I assume the other wouldn't die, based on what happened to the mice.

-- Tandy threw light knives! That makes me geek out every time.

-- I really want one of those Cloak and Dagger icon coins.

-- I don't buy that the gang would just turn around and leave without killing Ty and his mom first. I do however believe that the police would come in shooting for an unarmed black teenager in Ty's position.

Quotes:

Tandy: "You saw what they were doing to those girls." Ty: "Yeah, and I also saw what she did to everything in her path."

Tandy: "Why didn’t you tell me about Connors?" Ty: "We were in the middle of saving the world at the time."

Papa Legba: "I’ve seen blood. And a green jacket. It was worn by half a woman."

Tandy: "You look exactly like her." Mayhem: "Why not ‘she looks exactly like you’?"

Tandy: "Sometimes the status quo is OK." Mayhem: "And sometimes girls are stolen and sold into slavery. Oh wait, that’s all the time."

Ty: "Nobody’s gonna come in here." Mom: "Why not?" Ty: "Because it’s haunted by 300 year old vampire nuns."

Adina: "Son." Gang Scout: "I’m not your son." Adina: "You’re somebody’s son."

A solid episode that pushed a lot of my fannish buttons and turned up the heat on the season-long plot.

Three and a half out of four voodoo tours.

Mikey Heinrich is, among other things, a freelance writer, volunteer firefighter, and roughly 78% water.

#Cloak and Dagger #Tandy Bowen #Tyrone Johnson #Brigid O'Reilly #Mayhem #Marvel #MCU #Cloak and Dagger Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews

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princessmans · 6 years ago

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About that “Return to Murder House” twist... (SPOILERS)

My first reaction to the revelation that Tate had been used by the Murder House as a vessel to create Michael was a mixture of disappointment and relief. On one hand, I loved being able to enjoy Tate running down the stairs to Violet like a little kid at Christmas, but I also felt like one of the greatest villains ever portrayed on screen had been cheapened by what felt a tad like fan fiction.

To be honest, I always felt like Tate being manipulated by the house was a possibility based on some of the direction, dialogue and acting choices. It was what I WANTED to be true, but not knowing if this was the case, or if he really was just a psychopath, was what made him so scary to me and I felt like that fear had been taken away by a definitive explanation.

However, the more I have thought about it and reflected on the events of Murder House and early episodes of Apocalypse, the more I think it works and is actually kinda brilliant. It makes Michael an absolutely terrifying villain and makes Murder House disturbing in a whole new way. I have compiled just a few examples here. Obviously, since this is Tate and AHS we are talking about, some topics may be triggering.

Tate’s First Therapy Session

Most of what Tate says in his first session with Ben appears to be symptoms of some sort of mental illness - cutting and violent fantasies specifically. But analyzing his dialogue with “Return to Murder House” in mind makes what he says even more chilling.

“I prepare for the noble war. I'm calm, I know the secret. I know whats coming and I know no one can stop me not even myself.”

His mention of a noble war echoes Michael’s dialogue in Apocalypse whenever he talks about fulfilling his purpose and even the way he believes he is purifying/re-building the world through nuclear war. Additionally, Tate saying that even he cannot stop himself could be interpreted as pointing toward some form of possession where he truly is not in control of his actions.

“The Indians believed that blood hold all the bad spirits, they would cut themselves once a month in ceremonies, let the spirits go free. There’s something smart about that. I like that.”

Again, this line - and the way that Tate does admit to self harm- can be interpreted as another symptom of the emotional pain he is obviously in. But now I can’t help but be freaked out by the idea that he subconsciously knew he was being possessed or at least manipulated by some sort of evil spirit. Tate even sees a vision of himself covered in blood - which he ignores and is never explained but introduces the idea of dual personas.

The Rubber Man Reveal Scene

I have always found the Rubber Man reveal scene to be particularly strange in the way it seems to cut between two separate takes with two completely different choices on Evan Peters’ part - especially since we see him lower the mask twice. At first he looks horrified at what he just did, then it cuts to a more determined, villainous expression before cutting back to horror.

In retrospect, the editing choice could be interpreted as revealing not just Tate’s inner conflict, but dual spirits in one body or at least a visualization of how Tate is being manipulated. If he was fully possessed in the way Mary Eunice was in Asylum then there is a whole other horrifying option to consider. If he was completely controlled by a demonic force, than Vivien is not the only victim of rape in the scenario - Tate is as well. However, I tend to lean towards more of a demonic influence and manipulation over full-on possession for reasons I will explain later.

Inability to Kill Gabriel Ramos

Everything Tate does - apart from murdering his peers, but more on that later - is for a specific purpose. He either wants to appease or avenge ghosts in the house (Nora or Larry’s family who immolated themselves), help create and protect the Anti-Christ, or protect Violet from physical and emotional harm. His desire to kill Gabriel in order to give Violet a new boyfriend appears strong but he is ultimately unable to kill him.

This final violent act occurs after Michael has left the house and is in the care of Constance - supporting Madison’s theory that the evil inside Tate did leave with Michael. Without it, Tate is unable to go through with the murder, despite how much he may want to in order to “help” Violet.

Not Remembering the Westfield Massacre

Tate’s claims to not remember killing 15 of his peers can easily be interpreted as denial or straight up lying in order to not lose Violet - though Evan Peters’ raw emotional vulnerability in some scenes has always made it difficult for me to not believe him. Re-watching these scenes now puts a whole different spin on his claims.

Could he not remember what he did because he was not fully in control? I have always found the skull makeup in his visions to be an interesting choice, seeing as he did not wear it during the actual shooting. Another Tumblr user suggested that the skull makeup was his subconscious’ way of representing the devil that was influencing him and I agree that it comes across that way.

Even if he does remember the murders on some level, he is unable to say why he did it- apart from his first claim that he did it to save his victims from the pain of the world. The scene where Violet finally confronts him about this shows him at his most vulnerable as he repeats “Why would I do that?” Again, this could be further denial or lying, but maybe he really doesn’t know.

In what I always believed to be the most harrowing and disturbing scene of the season, Tate is shot to death by a SWAT team in his bedroom before one of the officers asks him why he did it. His death before he can answer has always been profoundly moving to me, not just because the audience is not given an answer as to why Tate did it, but because it reflects how the motivation behind school shootings is often left unknown.

Now I just find this scene really depressing. In order for Michael to be born, Tate needed to die in the house in order to become a ghost. It is possible that the house/the darkness/the devil manipulated him to commit a mass shooting and return to the house and pull out a gun so he would be killed.

Warning: The rest of this section enters the realm of even wilder speculation and theorizing less supported by facts. Skip if you want.

Of course, Tate could have just killed himself in the house, but it is my personal theory that in order for the Anti-Christ to be born, the spirit who fathered him would have to have committed horrible acts. In my mind it is sort of like Voldemort having to kill people in order to split his soul in order to make Horcruxes. I actually theorized this before “Return to Murder House” aired but I really don’t have anything to support this. Moving on.

Michael Langdon is Hella Scary

I started to wonder if Tate’s actions were going to be explored while watching the first episodes of Apocalypse, especially after Michael delivered the following (amazing) line:

“I’ve never been a fan of getting my hands dirty. Learned that from my father. Always more fun to entice men and women to dirty deeds. Confirms what I’ve always believed...That all people, if given the right pressures or stimulus, are evil motherfuckers.”

Michael, according to Cody Fern, is the human form of Satan - which makes sense as a further perversion of the Holy Trinity. This means Satan, Michael and the Darkness that influenced Tate are one and the same. Even in the bunker we see Michael’s power over people to do awful things - Venable wipes out the Outpost with the apples and snakes Michael sent, and Mr. Gallant is tricked into brutally murdering his grandmother.

This is what makes Michael the new most terrifying villain in AHS for me. Yes, he can make people’s heads explode, killed a great many small animals, and can literally wipe souls from existence. But what really scares me is his ability to “see into the dark places” of people’s souls and use that knowledge to manipulate people’s actions.

This is why I personally find the explanation of Tate being full on possessed less interesting than him being manipulated. It seems to me that Satan/the darkness/the house/Michael whatever you want to call it, knew exactly what would drive Tate to murder and rape. So maybe Tate’s life would have been different if he had lived in a different house. Instead he was used by the Devil to create the Anti-Christ - completely ruining the lives of Tate, the Harmons, Chad, Patrick, 15 innocent students, and Constance in the process. There is even the possibility that the human side of Michael - the side that wanted to be good and grieved his grandmother - is also being destroyed by the demon inside him. That is pretty evil if you ask me.

This leaves Tate’s character and morality in a weird place. He is certainly not a hero as he succumbed to the influence of the Darkness - even if he was possessed, he is merely a victim. But he isn’t a villain either. Redemption may be too strong a word, but I personally believe he deserves a little happiness with Violet. He even seems to have forgiven his abusive mother (why is no one talking about if she deserved to be with her children?) and has worked out a lot of his issues with Ben. I hope we see more of him.

So while I may be a little disappointed that Tate is no longer the greatest villain on AHS, his story builds up a villain who is shaping up to be really something special.

Of course, there are still 4 episodes left. We may find out that Madison was lying, the magic dust was cocaine, Tate is actually evil and everything I just said is completely pointless.

#tate langdon #michael langdon #ahs apocalypse #evan peters #cody fern #murder house #violate #madison montgomery #ahs coven

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kylosupremeimagines · 6 years ago

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Kylo Ren X Reader: Only Everyone Can Judge Me {Chapter Seven}

Other Parts

Summary: The Knights bring you to the Supremacy to kneel before Snoke after all that has happened. He offers you the chance to submit your loyalty to him and the First Order, giving you a chance to reunite with Kylo.

Warnings: None (Except a minor, possibly angsty little paragraph at the end)

Tag List: @rentopia @scheherazades-horcrux @babybluelukex @attorneyl @glitzescape @alladeline @dancewaterdance02 @crkylo @celestiaelisia @celiholland @lyraeluna @twdlover2000 @peacefulwizardfox @cs-please @xultraviolet @xfeathered-serpent @fizzywoohoo @topsykretts92 @ayatimascd @delicatelyherdreams @ddriveringg @littlegirlsdontplaynice @yuleisymichel

You had heard of the Supremacy and how massive of a ship it was, but you never would have guessed that it was practically a moving base. It was rather impressive, as it would be so hard to track down since once the Order’s enemies caught wind of it, the ship could move to the complete opposite side of the galaxy.

Volgoth and Dralin walked on either side of you, guiding you to the throne room as they had told you; Snoke had ordered them to bring you right to him once you had boarded the Supremacy. The atmosphere in the Supremacy had been nothing you had ever sensed before. It was so void, almost absent of much life in the force. At least, on the light side. It was so cold, very much like what you had experienced on your own personal shuttle when you tried to connect to the dark side of the Force.

It was exactly like that.

“Do you have any… warnings for me? As far as I know, he’s not a man that can be pleased very easily,” you spoke up in an attempt to break the uncomfortable silence that had broken between the three of you. You were certain that they were not mere rumors that had been spread about Snoke, and that he was indeed a hard man to please and satisfy. That was what was overwhelming the most, anyone could agree to that.

“I am unsure what to tell you exactly to serve as a warning, but what I can and will say is that you are starting off on a clean slate. You have not done anything to anger Snoke, so as long as you continue to do so, things will turn out just fine for you,” Dralin explained to assure you. Despite the fact that he was a Knight of Ren, he did have some mind for you. From his standpoint, if you complied, you would become a fellow Knight.

As a group, they were close to one another, despite the fact that their ideologies could conflict with one another. They were so different that they miraculously could make it work. Granted, Orus at times may come very close to lopping Volgoth off with his own saber, but they did all had immense concern for everyone. Some may see their allegiance to Snoke, when in fact the group came first, especially Kylo when you knew that he was what you may call the Master.

“Dralin is right,” Volgoth brought up. “we’ve served under him for years, and we all still have our limbs and heads attached - for the most part. Don’t sweat it! It’s about time someone new joined, it’ll help to stir up the pot a little. We’ll all have your backs, so you don’t need to worry,” he tried to assure you. Once you were deemed a Knight of Ren, if things went smoothly, each knight would most definitely treat you with respect. Some more than others, but they would all respect you as a peer.

After a few minutes, you finally arrived at an elevator, a chill running down your spine for some reason. “Please, do not overthink your first interaction with the Supreme Leader. As long as you stay calm and kneel before him when you enter, things will be alright,” as the door opened, he reached in to press a button to get you up to the throne room. “now go and stay focused,” he assured you one last time. You stepped into the elevator and turned to face them, the crimson Devaronian offering a smirk of confidence to you. Before you knew it, the doors closed and you were off.

Pursing your lips together, you managed to compose yourself, not wanting to approach Snoke for the first time with a whole batch of emotions stirring within you. It wasn’t that you necessarily had to give off a gratifying first impression, but it was still important that you didn’t appear to be too conflicted. No, you needed to show him that you would listen to what he asked of you. This was your one chance to reunite with Kylo, and you didn’t intend on mess that up.

You were snapped from your thoughts when the door to the elevator opened once more, revealing the throne room to you. It was rather commanding, the red surrounding Snoke as he sat in his throne, red-clad Praetorian Guards all around him for his disposal. “Mmm, it is about time you came before me, young (Y/L/N),” Snoke leaned forward as his icy blue eyes were locked on you. “I hope that my Knights have treated you well.”

Stopping before him, you knelt down just as Dralin had advised you to only minutes prior. “I’ve only met Volgoth and Dralin so far, but they did,” you openly confessed to the deformed man. Despite the fact that the interaction between you and the pair had been a tad bit odd, it was not appalling in the slightest. “I have yet to meet the others.”

“Good, good,” he spoke once more, a chilling smirk painting his pale features. “now, tell me why you had a change of heart. You were once a prized pupil of Skywalker, and now you want to end him much like us. What was it that pulled you to the dark side, child?” he could feel the influence that the dark side of the Force was having on you, with the stirring emotions within. It was much like that of Kylo but with a raw source of power; an untapped strength that had yet to be utilized.

“My Master, he…” you started to explain but hesitated for a moment. “he betrayed me. He abandoned me years ago and when we found him, he refused to train me,” it still bewildered - and even insulted - you that he turned you down, the last apprentice he even had from the temple. If he really cared, then he would have done what he could to have protected you. He had put far more faith in a girl he had never even met before than one of his prior, prized pupils.

You were always on the top of the class, no one could doubt that. With your burning passion and remarkable skills using both the force and your lightsaber, not many dared to question your abilities. You never denied yourself the freedom to embrace your emotions, as they helped to fuel your power. In Jedi training, you were told that emotions could lead to the dark side, thus leaving the assumption that they were not to be utilized.

“He never even told me that I’m related to the Emperor of the Galactic Empire, it just goes to show he couldn’t trust me,” you clenched your fist a bit as your mind came back to remember the moment you found out about the truth, the betrayal that washed over you. How could Luke lie to you? Everything about him perplexed you, all from the start with Kylo, all the way to his refusal to take you back under his wing.

Snoke stood up from the throne to slowly approach you, the ends of his golden robe flowing with his movement. He towered over you, as he was seven feet tall compared to someone of a shorter stature such as yourself. His aura radiated off of you, a dark and authoritative energy strong all around. “Ah, so my assumptions were correct; your Force energy is much like Darth Sidious that it is quite recognizable,” he had brought to your attention. You raised an eyebrow, wondering if your aura was truly similar to your grandfather’s. “there so much untapped potential that Skywalker only pushed back; it was a grave mistake of him. He appeared to merely be frightened by your power, for he could not handle the power that you hold within you. But I? I can train you to harness this power that is trapped within you, for you are capable of so much more, (Y/N).

I can show you the ways of the force far beyond what you could have ever imagined. You do not have to feel lost in your ways any longer, as I can give you meaning once more. All you must do is pledge your loyalty to me and the Force Order; then all of this can be yours,” Snoke had been set on pulling you into his ranks to serve as his newest Apprentice, wanting to utilize powers that could potentially even surpass that of Kylo’s. He was well aware of your existence and that Kylo had let you escape all those years ago, but ceased to have the Knights hunt you down and end your life. No, he wanted you alive with the realization who your force ancestor had been. “now... do you accept my offer to you?”

No matter what you said, things would change for you, as there was no going back to what you once knew. If Luke had refused to train you then, there were no hopes of him taking you back now. As for the Resistance, with what you had done just before you fleed would certainly put a bad reputation on your back, perhaps even a bounty or two. It was almost as if things were repeating for you as things had occurred with Kylo; yet more to connect the two of you together. Your mind came to remember that he was the primary reason why you had desired to come here to the First Order in the first place.

“I will submit myself to your teachings, to the Knights of Ren, and to the First Order,” you breathed out to him, adjusting your forearm as it had rested on your risen knee. “not only that, but I can provide you with the location to him, the girl as well,” you had mentioned as well, wanting to be given the chance to overpower the man you had once called Master. Now that you would have their backing, there was no reason why you could not fulfill the inordinate desire. “They are on Ahch-To… at the first Jedi Temple.”

“Now… rise…” With his aura still pulling at that of your own, you could sense a source of pride within him, almost as if he had been planning this very moment for so long before. Without hesitation, you did as he commanded, eyes coming up to meet with him as he had stood mere feet away from you. His icy blue eyes met with your (E/C) ones, ceasing to break the connection. “you will join the ranks of the Knights of Ren as my new apprentice and fight alongside your fellow Knights, do as I say and only answer to me,” he explained. “very soon shall we go to him and crush him, in a days time.”

“I will make sure that I don’t disappoint you, Master,” you had breathed out to him in assurance.

“I do not doubt that you will, I will soon forge you into a far more powerful fighter than even Darth Sidious could have ever aspired to be,” Snoke smirked down to you in satisfaction. “as for now… I have ordered Ren to get you situated here on the Supremacy. Prepare yourself for the coming days; we shall finally put an end to Skywalker once and for all.”

You straighten your posture as he had mentioned that Kylo would be the one guiding you through the Supremacy to get used to being on a new ship with a new purpose. You bowed your head in respect for the man before you, not wanting to disappoint him. “I will do as you say,” things were changing all so fast, your mind could barely keep up with it. Nonetheless, your heart raced in anticipation for the following day; you were finally going to take revenge.

“He should be awaiting your arrival in his quarters, from there he will show you to your own,” Snoke told you as he carefully made his way back to the throne - the pain with every step was excruciating but he managed to push past it, almost as if he thought very little of the sensation. You nodded, taking a step back before turning on your heel now that you were dismissed, surprised to see a Togruta awaiting in the elevator.

Pursing your lips, you approached and turned to the door once you were inside. Her skin contrasted much with her dark attire; it was a very pale, creamy yellow. Her white and pastel purple Lekku were dressed with a silver headpiece. A force energy radiated off of her, hinting that she had been yet another one of the Knights of Ren. It surprised you that she had such a calming energy to her, considering that she was a member of the First Order. “Dralin told me that you were finally here, so I thought that I would bring you to Kylo myself,” she spoke up just as the doors had closed. “I am Zira Ren, it is so great to finally meet you,” the Togruta offered you a smile.

You raised an eyebrow but met her with another smile. “Um, I’m (Y/N),” you replied, though she more than likely already know such a thing. “thank you so much, it’s great to meet another Knight,” she seemed very unique compared to Dralin and Volgoth, lining up with their claims that each of them was different.

“He also mentioned that you have a fresh wound, I could heal if you would like; I’m what you could call the Knights’ personal healer. I don’t fight as much as them, but I am quite skilled in healing abilities,” Zira explained to you as you could feel the elevator moving down to a lower level of the Supremacy. She focused much on meditation and healing with the force, which she would use very often on the Knights - such as with Kylo to help his wound heal faster after being sliced at by the scavenger. Because she hadn’t seen him in time, she wasn’t able to prevent it from scaring.

“Yeah… I was shot with a blaster when I was trying to escape from the resistance. I applied some bacta patches but that’s about it,” the wound still hurt a bit, but it was not as serious as it was before. Especially when it first happened. “that would be very much appreciated.”

“I will send you a personal message on your Datapad once you retrieve it, then you can tell me when you are free and I can come by any time. We will all be here to support your transition, believe it or not. We want to be welcoming to you, seeing as that you are our newest member,” even if they were all in the First Order and had different viewpoints, they still saw each other almost like family. “I am unsure when you will be able to meet the other three - Isa, Jerex, and Orus - but it will happen in due time.”

One beneficial thing that would come out of this shift in your life would be the fact that you would now have people around that understood you and your powers; you wouldn’t have to suppress them to any extent. And maybe, just maybe, there would be no reason to worry about anyone betraying your trust. “I will be looking to meeting them, then.”

The elevator slowly eased to a stop before the doors opened, Zira guiding you out into a long hallway. “This is the residential wing for High Command, only the highest ranked are housed here; including the Knights of Ren. Our personal chambers are far more satisfactory than the troopers or lower ranked officers,” it wasn’t too astonishing that the Order would have such a system in place, treating their higher-ups better than those lower in the command chain.

Not many people passed you and Zira as you walked side by side, focus directed towards the force around you; you could sense that Kylo was close by. “I will need to get used to being here, but I’ll probably not be… too hard?” you rubbed your chin as Zira had stopped at a single door, Kylo clearly on the other side. “thank you again, I will take you up on your offer to heal my wound later,” you mentioned, offering one last smile before the door hissed open to reveal Kylo.

He seemed almost hesitant at first like he had seen a ghost despite the fact you two already met once more that same day. The taller man pulled you into a warm embrace, holding onto you as if he were about to lose you once again. “I can’t believe you’re finally here…”

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