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the-lightning-strikes-again · 3 years ago

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A Review of Voltron DDP Comic: A Legend Forged (2008)

I knew the old Devil’s Due Publishing (DDP) comics for Voltron were lit…but the sequel, A Legend Forged, really resonated with me! This 5-issue comic series is DDP’s interpretation of the history behind the Voltron robot itself, and it wraps this lore within an adventure plot featuring our main pilots (Allura, Keith, Hunk, Lance, Pidge) in an alliance with Lotor.

I’ve meant to write a review about A Legend Forged for a while because I know that older Voltron comics aren’t always accessible. I think this one deserves some attention because it does things that I find just really refreshing after watching the 2016 Legendary Defender show. It also has some fun details that could have been source material for the world building and events in the 2016 VLD show.

The basic summary of this comic is that Team Voltron and Lotor are accidentally transported 1,200 years in the past after some classified time travel tech destabilizes in the middle of a fight. Powerless from the blast, they crash-land on a nearby planet, and they’re soon captured by people on the planet who have exceptionally advanced technology. Lotor agrees to a truce with Team Voltron to help find a way out of their prison, and back to their own time.

In arriving through the wormhole, however, they catch the attention of a very powerful group who are missing an important piece to complete their special defense project (the Voltron robot). The robot is being built in part by King Altarus, Allura’s ancestor, to fight off the villain in that ancient past—Empress Jain IX, Lotor’s evil great great (10X) grandmother, who is a sorceress hellbent on intergalactic domination.

Ultimately, Team Voltron and Lotor get caught up in the efforts to stop Empress Jain and assist King Altarus’s Council…and they discover some interesting things about themselves and about Voltron along the way!

I found A Legend Forged to be one entertaining, snarky shenanigan after another. Although it does source the 1984 character designs and backgrounds along with some references to Vehicle Voltron (which may be alienating to fans familiar only with VLD), I love that this comic deeply and openly explores what makes the Voltron franchise so identifiable and unique—its Arthurian legends/magic in the midst of an expansive space opera.

The comic is meant for slightly older audiences compared to VLD—it includes several instances of adult cursing, frightening images, some brief images of romance/non-graphic sensuality, and occasional graphic violence showing blood. I couldn’t find a publisher-recommended age for this comic on the book covers, but I think it might be T for ages 12 and older.

If you’re interested, a deeper overview of A Legend Forged is included under the cut!

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At a high level, there’s certain things that just really attracted me to this comic, even though I’m usually not much of a comic reader:

THE WORLD BUILDING

The whole timeline distortion that takes them back 1,200 years is a direct consequence of humans attempting to back-engineer the mysterious Voltron robot. Within that back-engineering, they’d stumbled into creating a time machine:

(Photo Description: The city of Toronto in the future. Someone asks, “Time travel?” Coran replies, “Devised using reverse engineered technology from Lion Voltron, no doubt.” An alliance official responds, “Come on now, how would that be possible?” A second official responses, “Coran’s right. The way that Lion Voltron summons energy and weaponry is a mystery. We learned how to mimic the ability with the vehicle units, without really understanding it.”)

So there’s a lot of undertow here about just what exactly all these different parties (Earth/Galaxy Alliance, space pirates, Lotor) were planning to do with a time machine to begin with before it gets blown up in a battle over it. But there’s also something interesting happening here involving Fate/Destiny and plasticity of time itself.

At the very heart of this comic is the concept that the Voltron robot could not have been completed 1,200 years ago if Team Voltron and Lotor were not accidentally tossed back in time to help complete the project. And idk, I think that’s just pretty cool. It ties these lives of these characters together in a way that I don’t think I’ve seen in any other Voltron iteration—that they were meant to pilot Voltron, because their presence helped to unlock the final missing piece to bring it to life.

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In addition, we get a really interesting look into the ancient past of the Voltron universe, back to the beginning of the first space empire. The comic’s big bad, Empress Jain IX, is an incredibly powerful and heartless sorceress of Drule heritage, from the planet Doon:

(Photo description: Empress Jain standing before the leader of a world she’s conquered, declaring, “And thus, the mighty fall! The powerful kneel at my feet! Behold the grandeur of your empress, and witness what happens to those who stand in her way!”)

But there’s always been this larger question in the Voltron franchise around King Zarkon’s unique, fish-like features compared to other Drule characters like Jain, and this comic answers that.

This is what the OG Zarkon looked like:

Compared to the ancient people of Korrinoth, who have similar ears and coloring as he does:

(Description: Keith says to the team, “I think we may be witnessing the beginning of King Zarkon’s people’s assimilation into the Drule Empire.”)

The planet that our protagonists crash-land on 1,200 years in the past is called Korrinoth. The people here had been recently conquered by Jain and share many similarities with the visual features of Zarkon. So this comic establishes that Zarkon has both Drule and Korrinite heritage. Unfortunately for Lotor, the Korrinites of the planet don’t acknowledge his Korrinite blood because he looks too Drule in comparison. So this comic reaches back on the hints that Lotor struggles to fit in with his own people…and it helps to explain why he’s captured along with Team Voltron:

(Photo description: Team Voltron and Lotor stand together, having been captured in a purple energy field functioning like jail bars.)

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There’s also the concept that Voltron—just like the surrounding environment in Voltron franchise—is an amalgamation of science and magic. The comic’s big bad, Empress Jain, had discovered that her own dark sorcery arts could be challenged by the “lion gods,” who were demanding an increasing price be paid for her horrific conquering. In order to negate the lion gods’ power, Jain explicitly banned religious worship around them and any lion god iconography from her empire.

(Photo description: The dark entity Sarga says, “It is coming, and soon, that which may be your downfall. A twisted abomination of science and technology. The might of the Lion-Gods with the heart and mind of Man.” Jain says, “But I have banned worship of the Lions through the empire.”)

So the Voltron builders were reaching back to a very ancient, lost power that they were risking their lives to resurrect. The connection to a pantheon of lion gods helps to provide some logic around why the Voltron robot itself splits into lions—because it’s literally the symbol of these lost gods.

The visual design of Voltron is also reflected in the armor worn specifically by warriors fighting in the name of these banned gods:

(Photo description: A humanoid warrior wearing Voltron-based armor, coming to Team Voltron’s rescue at the command of the Council.)

So Voltron as a machine metaphorically stands as the Ultimate Warrior in humanoid form, supported by the individual lion gods.

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Within the comic, it hints at some pretty intense religious discrimination—that Empress Jain was willing to arrest and torment even her own daughter, Azakhi for becoming a Lion Priestess:

(Photo description: Jain’s daughter, Azahki, is revealed to be a dirtied prisoner captured by Jain’s forces. She tells Team Voltron, “Do not fear my Drule appearance. I am a devout follower of your ways.”)

This background battle supports why Team Voltron and Lotor are instantly targeted by Jain’s forces when they crash-land on Korrinoth, bearing the banner of the lion gods in the form of Voltron.

Later on in the comic, we also see that the colors themselves represented the various domains of these lion gods:

(Photo description: An image of Voltron as it’s being built, with King Altarus narrating in the background, ““Yellow for win, red for fire, green for earth, blue for water, and at the center…the might blackness of space which houses all of reality.”)

So we really see Voltron pick up a lot more backstory to explain the robot itself.

We do get a deeper look as well into King Altarus and his Council.

King Altarus, Princess Allura’s ancestor, is the leader of the group. But the work involved in building Voltron doesn’t just rest with him like it did with Alfor in VLD. His council is just as equally if not more powerful than him in other ways.

In this panel, King Altarus introduces his four other team members as the most powerful scientists or sorcerers of their respective planet:

(Photo description: An introduction of the five council members of Altarus: “Cybrus hails from a world of sentient machines…More than a computer, he is also sorcerer to rival any other. The striking beauty to my right is Heket. Born of a nomadic race who travels the galaxy bestowing gifts of knowledge to primitive worlds. She is also the most brilliant scientist of her people. Phelos is a brilliant sci-mage from the neighboring solar system. If you are truly who you say, you may already know legends of our final ally. From a primitive world, but master of the most advance wizardry in the galazy: Merlin.”)

The combination of Altarus, Cybrus, Heket, Phelos, and Merlin all echo the 2016 Legendary Defender’s backstory—in which leaders of various people united together for the greater good of their galaxy. Once again, we have five unique planets represented in the Voltron effort—but in this case, it even includes Earth. This helps to explain part of why Voltron’s original design had very medieval attributes.

Maybe some would think it’s a bit hokey that the OG builders included the actual Arthurian figure of Merlin, the wizard? Idk, I think it’s kind of a fun way to connect Voltron’s ancient, magical past to Earth as well, and it suggests that Merlin was preparing or called by the others to help prepare for a future of advanced warfare. I’ve always wondered why the OG Voltron looked so medieval with the crests and the swords and such—and actually, it being built in part by a medieval human wizard would help to explain that!

We also see in the DDP comics a very heavy evolution to Allura’s character and to the world building within the Voltron franchise itself. She’s no longer just a princess who knows how to fight—she’s actively a Clairvoyant, with untapped power. King Altarus acknowledges, and the other Council members sense it, that Princess Allura has way more internal magic than she even knows about herself:

(Photo description: Council member Heket says to King Altarus, “I have a feeling about the girl [Allura]. Her aura is oddly similar to your own.”)

We also see that the dark entity Sarga recognizes this in her as well:

(Photo description: The dark entity Sarga says to Empress Jain, “The visitors…they each have a link to this monstrosity. However, the blood of only one of them pulses with the magic of Arus. The one called Allura! She is the one! She must be—” Jain cuts in, “The host!” And Sarga confirms, “Yes, with Princess Allura, Sarga will live in this realm once more. With her, we can control Voltron.”)

I feel like this magic probably helped to set the tone for the Princess Allura we meet in the 2016 Legendary Defender reboot, who ultimately got the opportunity to grow into the powers that are hinted at here in this previous iteration.

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I do also like this comic because the protagonists (with the exception of Pidge who is 16) are adults, and they’re a little more mature in their decisions and interests.

Like, for example, the Lance in this comic has a much more extensive sensitivity to and interest in culture. Instead of it being Hunk bonding with aliens through food, we see Lance as the diplomat, bonding with Jain’s daughter Azahki, just by asking her questions:

(Photo description: Lance and Jain’s daughter, Azahki, sitting at a table and eating. Lance says, “That hit the sport. I was frickin’ starving.” Azahki says, “After being held prisoner for so long, I had forgotten what real food tastes like. So much time was wasted…so much life. Just sitting in a cell because of my beliefs. I…I’m sorry, Lance. This should be a nice evening, and I’m bringing the mood down.”)

(Photo description: Lance replies, “Actually, I’m fascinated to learn more about the followers of the Lions, and about you. Like, where you come from. You feel free to talk about whatever comes to mind.” Azahki responds then, “You’re too kind.”)

I think along with this, we see a more nuanced view into the Drule themselves. Azahki, as both a Drule and as Empress Jain’s daughter, has turned away from the evil deeds of the empire and has suffered dearly for trying to do the right thing. This falls in line with DDP’s dedication in the worldbuilding to show that not all Drule are bad.

We also see some very interesting, Honervian backstory relating to Empress Jain’s dark powers. Like VLD Honerva, Jain is in part backed by an ancient spirit/power she likes to “talk” to. She calls on it as the “Mother of Power.” This creepy creature is named Sarga in the comics:

(Photo description: Jain summons Sarga: “Mother of Power, Great Spirit, I summon thee.” The dark entity Sarga manifests and says, “Yesss, sweet Jain! You know my name! Feel free to speak it. Have you found the Host?” Jain replies, “Not yet, great Sarga. But the search continues. To date, my body is the only one that could sustain you in our realm.” Sarga says, “Jain. Do not be so simple-minded. It’s only your mortal shell.” Jain retorts, “One that I rather like, thank you.”)

Sarga is pushing for Jain to give up her mortal body entirely so that Sarga can walk the mortal plane, but they don’t see eye to eye on this. Jain likes having her own body. Even so, Sarga knows that she has to protect her investment in Jain, and so she’s the one who plants a devious idea in Jain’s head—that she could potentially use the Voltron from the future to destroy the Voltron of the past, and therefore reestablish her supremacy over the lion gods and their legacy.

Tbh, I visually get a LOT of vibes from Jain relating to VLD’s Honerva character? Down to the long stringy hair and gold eyes…and she really does look like a female version of Lotor, tbh, lol.

(Photo description: Jain leaning in a circle of candles, exhausted from summoning Sarga, who has referred to Voltron. Jain murmurs to herself, “Pow..power. There is power in that name.”)

I think what I like about Jain as a big bad, though, is that she’s legit just an evil person. She doesn’t have an abuse backstory, like what so many content creators like to reference as the reason for someone going insane/evil. She’s clearly very talented and very powerful and very in control, and she’s using those abilities in all the wrong ways just because she can.

Given DDP’s contributions to the Voltron franchise with its female villains (Merla, Jain), I almost can’t believe that the 2016 VLD show didn’t carry these characters forward but instead raised up the all-new Honerva as “needed female villain rep.” But I can definitely see the echoes of Jain in the Honerva that we see throughout VLD.

I also really, really see similarities in how Jain is willing to use her own daughter, Azahki, as a pawn for her own aims. And by the end of the comic, Jain eventually accomplishes bringing Sarga into the mortal plane by sacrificing her own daughter’s body. This pretty hauntingly echoes the lack of maternal instinct seen in Honerva in VLD and Honerva’s malicious interest in and use of Lotor, even post-death in s8.

I feel like I relived Honerva’s interactions with Lotor in s8 when I saw how Jain acts with her own daughter, Azahki:

(Photo description: Azahki has been shot in the battle. Jain kneels down to her and cries, “Daughter. My only daughter.” Azahki says, “Mother...you…you’re crying? I…I’m sorry…you didn’t give me… a choice.” Jain pleads, “You can’t do this, Azahki, not now. After being gone for so long and now…” But then Jain has a complete switch of demeanor. She stands up and declares, “Now you’ve ruined everything! Everything!” Azahki, bewildered, says, “What?” And Jain yells, “I should have killed you in your crib!”)

Another association with Honerva is that Honerva/Haggar killed the original paladins. Likewise, it is Jain who takes down the Council one by one:

(Photo description: Jain breaks into the Council, hand glowing with power and fallen warriors around her, saying, “How could someone with such feeble defenses have eluded me for so long, Altarus? I give you credit for that, at least.”)

(Photo description: Jane is surrounded by the dead bodies of Merlin and Heket. She says, “Now, to finish this.”)

So I guess I’m just fascinated by Jain as a villain and find her similarities with Honerva interesting. In Jain’s case, however, there’s absolutely nothing to be sympathetic with her on, lol.

In terms of Lotor’s part:

I think this comic represents probably the most actively hopeful iteration of him that I’ve seen in the Voltron franchise? Like, Dynamite Comics had Lotor moving to ally with Team Voltron to bring down the rift creatures in a massive alliance, but those comics were canceled before we could see the whole story that Brandon Thomas intended. Here, we have a whole, complete story in which Lotor actively does good deeds and lives, wow.

(I didn’t think that was, like, allowed in this franchise, lol?)

I do think it’s really interesting that here, Lotor comes face-to-face with just pure, unadulterated evil—and it scares him. Just like in VLD, this Lotor is forced to watch Jain decimate an entire planet and enslave its people. Despite being canonically “evil,” Lotor does not take this level of destruction very well:

(Photo description: Empress Jain speaking to an underling, saying, “For now, rid this planet of its luscious environment and warp home.”)

(Photo description: The planet is set ablaze by Jain’s forces. Lotor is looking on from a different ship. He is unsettled by Jain’s power and says, “My god.” His prisoner that he’s watching on Team Voltron’s request (the space pirate Captain Stride), teases, “Nothing like a little global decimation to build character, eh, Lotor?” And Lotor warns, “Stride,” with an upset look on this face.)

His motivations for helping out and connecting with both Team Voltron and King Altarus’s council do start with just wanting to save his own neck. But as the comic progresses, we see him taking larger and larger risks to help protect the team, and he responds more emotionally to the stakes being faced by other allies.

Jain’s level of evil, and her later attempts to target Princess Allura as a host body for the dark entity Sarga, are what really push Lotor out of the antagonist/villain role into the position of antihero. And I like this exploration of him because Lotor is a really fascinating character in the franchise and usually always a wild card. Like, he has the capacity to play both sides and be unpredictable.

And it’s interesting too that this comic even opens up by acknowledging that. In the beginning, King Altarus and his council are watching Team Voltron and Lotor recalibrate from their crash-landing on Korrinoth. King Altarus notes that Lotor is evil, but that he’s capable of doing good…because of his love for Allura:

(Photo description: King Altarus judging the team: “The girl has a clairvoyance about her, but doesn’t even realize it. I sense something noble about all of them…save for the Drule who should not be trusted. Although his apparent fondness for the woman may cause him to fight his true evil nature at least for a while.”)

Later in the comic, it’s King Altarus himself who leans on Lotor when he thinks all hope is lost. And it’s Lotor who holds him up and tries to take down Jain:

(Photo description: King Altarus leans upon Lotor and mourns, “She’s…she’s done it, Lotor. She’s ruined our chances. Five generations…for nothing.” Lotor has raised a blaster and replies, “Not without going through me first.”)

So we really see this comic actively allow Lotor’s character to do things outside of the typical bounds of a villain. The very person who called him inherently evil is the one wailing to him and counting on him to save the day, lol.

We also see echoes of VLD Lotor’s pride in this comic. The DDP Lotor is also a man of mixed heritage and is very proud of who and what he is.

(Photo description: Lotor is on the battlefield, having slain an enemy who’d called them pathetic. Lotor responds, “Pathetic? My noble blood begs to differ.”)

So I liked that once again, Lotor is actually proud of who he is even though the world around him actively tries to devalue him. I think that’s been something meaningful about the Lotor character that a lot of people have connected to.

In his efforts to assist Team Voltron in reclaiming their own recharged Voltron lions (so that Jain can’t get them), Lotor is actually a very helpful ally as well, and a skilled warrior. So it was fun to see panels of Team Voltron and Lotor fighting together, side by side.

THE CLIMAX AND RESOLUTION

Ultimately, the evil Empress Jain tries to take over the Voltron from the future, in realizing that Allura has deep, spiritual connections to the machine. She agrees that this makes Allura the perfect host body for the dark entity Sarga, and as their way to control the robot. And so she enacts the rituals to possess Allura:

(Photo description: Allura’s features are mutating unnaturally as Sarga begins to posses her. In the background, Jain calls, “Don’t fight it, child. Don’t fight the honor of becoming a god.” Someone in the background, revealed later to be Lotor, calls out, “No! You can’t do this!”)

With Jain threatening Allura’s life, Lotor steps up to defend her, still holding up the battered King Altarus:

(Photo description: Lotor yells, “No! Not Allura!” And he shoots Jain through the shoulder.)

(Photo description: Jain snaps, “Lotor! How dare you attack your own kind! I’ll smite my own daughter, let alone a pissant distant grandson!”)

Ultimately, Lotor’s decision to shoot his grandma (what is it with this franchise and matricide/patricide lol) results in Jain being distracted long enough for the combined spiritual/soul energies of Allura, the previous Council members, and Altarus to bring “life” to Voltron.

This completes Voltron as a spiritual being as well—that it’s sentient and not just a robot, but imbued with the hopes and impulses for a defender against the evil attacking them.

(Photo description: Voltron awakens as a sentient robot and stands to move against Jain.)

Realizing that she has lost, Jain flees in a poof of magic—with her daughter, Azahki, oddly disappearing too. The comic ends for them on an unsettling note that Sarga has in fact slipped through to the mortal realm…by choosing Azahki instead of Allura as her host body:

(Photo description: Jain kneels and cries, “Oh mighty Sarga, I humbly beseech thee. Forgive my failures. Forgive my ability to bring you into our world. I beg you to be given a second chance! I vow to you we will see this through.” From behind, someone says, “Don’t be so harsh, mother.” Jain turns around and asks, “Who dares?” A woman in a cloak appears and says, “You may have failed to give me Voltron’s power, my child. But do not fear.” The woman is revealed to be the possessed body of Azahki, Jain’s daughter. Through her body, Sarga says, “I found a body that will do just fine for now.”)

However, we don’t see this thread explored any further. Shortly after the battle, the Galaxy Alliance manages to rebuild a temporal manipulation device to lock in on the missing Team Voltron and Lotor, and pull them back through time.

(Photo description: A strange flying machine appears. Someone asks, “What…what is it?” Allura echoes, “What’s it doing?” Lotor peers at it curiously and says, “I believe it’s scanning us.” The comic panels show the device scanning and identifying people to send back to modern times.)

And so, eventually, this wayward team makes it back home, with the final panels suggesting the Garrison had to complete a couple of temporal jumps to do it.

FUN LITTLE PIECES ALONG THE WAY

The comic itself had some interesting and funny scenes in it, including the following:

Please enjoy this image of a boi having tamed a dinosaur in the middle of an active battle:

(Photo description: Prince Lotor sitting atop a large, dinosaur-like creature that he’s tamed, calling joyfully to the paladins, “You can put your toy away, Pidge. I know where to find the lions.”)

Pidge jokes about Hunk and Lance:

(Photo description: Hunk had saved Lance from a shot. In running past them, Pidge calls, “Keep moving, guys! There’ll be time for spooning later.”)

Some time-traveling paradox humor:

(Photo description: Lotor shooting an ancient Drule, “Hope you’re not one of my forefathers.”)

Some Keith and Lance badgering:

(Photo description: Lance complains, “Keith Kogane seriously isn’t going to lecture me about battlefield romance, is he?”)

Did VLD get the name Kaltor from this comic??? Because Kalthor sounds pretty darn similar to Kaltor from VLD:

(Photo description: Jain calling out for an underling, “Kalthor! Sigh. Kalthor, this effort is beneath me. Extract the information I seek.”)

ALSO BLESS, THIS COMIC LETS ALLURA CUSS:

(Photo description: Princess Allura raises a blaster to use, but it doesn’t work. She says, “What the--? Damn! Now is not the time for you to malfunction! And I do not know how to fix a 1,200-year-old—”)

This comic probably is also the singular place in the DDP comics that offers any evidence whatsoever that Lotor and Allura actually did have positive childhood experiences together prior to his father decimating Arus, helping to explain Lotor’s curious loyalty to Allura throughout:

(Photo description: Lotor standing before Allura and saying, “I knew you’d pull through, Allura. Speaking of treehouses, do you remember climbing the Arusion orchids in the royal gardens when we were children?” Allura responds, “Yes…of course I do. I…”)

And finally, this comic has no issues whatsoever with making fun of itself or the concept of robotic lions:

(Photo description: A space pirate complains to Lotor, “Think about it! How you think this place ends up looking like it does in our time? Looking like Planet Doom?! Meanwhile, the Kitty Cat Club up there gets out without a scratch!”)

VOLTRON IS THE KITTY CAT CLUB, 2008 CONFIRMED

CONCLUSION

The 5-part comic A Legend Forged (2008) adds an incredible amount of history and lore to the Voltron franchise. It gave me some things that I personally was really craving out of this franchise—including some logic behind the lion imagery, a legit alliance between previously warring groups that doesn’t just end in catastrophe, some adult snark and some good-old fashioned silliness, some deeper exploration into dark entities/spirits, and also just a really powerful villainess that you can love to hate.

I think the comic ultimately took on the theme of Strength in Unity and fulfilled the concept that people really can work together. Even if the Team Voltron and Lotor and Council alliance was all just temporary, it was still nice to see that alliance come through for the greater good of the universe, instead of leading to more mass insanity like it did in VLD….

I liked that in this iteration, Voltron stood as a collective effort on the part of various worlds who were oppressed by Empress Jain. That helps to tone down the savior complex inherent in the franchise, that at least here, Voltron wasn’t one nation’s attempt to play police for all other people.

From a critical perspective, if you read carefully, there are some instances where you can tell that various alien races are prejudiced against each other and discriminate on the basis of appearance and religion, and even Team Voltron feeds into this at times in their initial assumption that Korrinites are a barbarian race when in fact they’re very intelligent and advanced. These aspects are just not fully reflected on within this comic, but they definitely feed into the conflict as we experience it 1,200 years in the past. Interestingly enough, the comic also makes fun of Team Voltron members who are from Earth as being “primitive” too. So I guess the DDP world does function in a “problematic” state where all of these alien races are struggling with how to interact well with one another. I’m not sure if that baseline would be a potential trigger for someone just entering this series, so I wanted to call it out here.

I do also occasionally find comics hard to read because of the all-caps print and because comics will switch back and forth between past and present, with only small visual markers to warn you. So I don’t think these comics are designed in the most accessible way. But that could just be me.

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Overall, I think A Legend Forged ranks as one of my more favorite comic iterations of Voltron. It definitely has some differences from both the 1984 and 2016 shows, but it pulls on enough shared content to remain accessible. And while it was a quick read, it felt pretty tightly constructed. I would have liked to see more aftermath and epilogue, but I feel thankful that the story got an ending and that both Team Voltron and Lotor are shown being transported back home. The comic’s similarities and differences compared to VLD made it fun to read and analyze as well.

So yeah, if you get the chance to try reading it yourself, I recommend it! And if you’ve made it to the end of this very long post, thank you for reading!

#Comics #Voltron #Comics review #A Legend Forged #Allura #Lotor #Keith #Hunk #Lance #Pidge #Zarkon #Jain #Azahki #Coran #DDP Voltron #yay I finally finished my review piece #it actually was a pretty enjoyable read

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blindwyrm · 5 years ago

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Basics of Energy Work - Part One

Expanding Awareness Energy work is a subtle art, a foundational building block to successful magic. Almost all magical practices involve some form of energy work - and there are countless forms - but how it will function from individual to individual will differ greatly. To put it simply, energy work is the practice of manipulating unseen energies. Everything - people, places, animals, inanimate objects, even our thoughts - vibrates at a specific energetic frequency and emits energy. By learning how to identify and tune into these energies, we can use them to direct our magic and spell work. Chances are, you have worked your own personal energy before. More often than not, your own energy will be the easiest for you to tap into. To do this, we need to learn how to expand our awareness. Meditation Meditation is a good practice to have when pursuing any kind of magical endeavor; there are many ways to meditate and there is much to achieve through it. The overall key to meditation is, generally, focus. You are training your mind to simply observe with non judgement; not to simply clear your mind of any thought at all, which is the common misconception. There is not just one way to meditate - if sitting cross legged in a room bathed with incense as you engage breathing exercises works for you, great! Some people meditate through dance, yoga, exercise, crafts, etc. Anything where your mind can drift, “tune out” so to speak, as your body instinctively goes through the motions. There are also several forms of guided meditations that you can use for specific goals, such as attentiveness, visualization, improving memory, empowerment, etc. Elemental meditation is popular among the witchcraft community. What’s great about guided meditation is it extremely accessible through apps and things like youtube (favorites of mine are the fire meditation and the water meditation from magickians!) and makes the whole process of learning to meditate a lot less intimidating. As meditation relates to energy work, it will sharpen your ability for visualization, increase your focus, have you more in touch with your physical and inner self as both the same and separate entities, and increase your awareness of changes in and around you - all of this working towards an enhanced ability to sense energy and its movement. What is this mystical “energy?” If you’re having trouble wrapping your head around the idea of the elusive and all encompassing vaguery of “energy”, don’t worry. The idea may seem intimidating, but they are not inaccessible. If you are struggling, it only indicates that you are human. This will take practice and it will require you to understand the concepts on a physical level. Luckily, these are steps that nearly every magical practitioner, old and new, has and will continue to work on for the rest of their spiritual journey. Every question you have has likely already been answered. Some may just take a bit of research to find! However, I’m going to try and provide at least some cursory information here. To get a real idea of what “energy” feels like, set aside some quiet time for youself. Close the door, dim the lights, turn off your phone. Light your candles and make sure you will be left alone. Sit down on the floor and make yourself comfortable - not too comfortable! You don’t want to fall asleep. Draw in some deep breaths and clear your mind, as you did in your meditation. Continue until you feel your breathing regulated and yourself relaxed. Now, close your eyes and rub your palms together, like you’re trying to warm them up, then pull them an inch or two apart. You should feel a charged sensation tingling between your hands, maybe even like a ball, vibrating and pulsating in your hands. If you concentrate, you may even be able to feel a sort of magnetic resistance if you attempt to push it back together. That’s energy. It’s really that simple. If you don’t feel it at first, just try again. The more you do this, the easier it will become to identify your own and different types of energy all around you through a technique called centering, which will be discussed below. Grounding The term grounding, sometimes called Earthing, means to recalibrate your energy. Essentially, the purpose of grounding is to shake off “excess” energy and ground yourself back in reality, into the rhythm of the plane on which we exist. And while grounding does restore balance and connectedness, there are greater implications to explore when it comes to grounding. Everything on this earth is shaped by forces and presence of the Earth and cosmos, and as such, “this connection is deeply inherent to a sustainable state of well being. The Earth, as an organic and inorganic system, is constantly bathing all life on the planet with its highly ordered and coherent electromagnetic field. The natural tendency of an organism is to couple with the Earth’s energy field and come to a mutual state of cooperation and harmony within its environment, finding its niche and proper place within a system. What we need to understand is that all systems strive to achieve, return to and/or maintain a state of coherence. Whether one is aware of it or not, we are always taking part in a constant process within our universe, coupling with other energy fields and finding some sort of balance within this space. This happens everywhere within the context of an ecosystem, whenever two forces interact for any reason. The more organized or coherent these fields are, the more effectively and efficiently energy can be [manipulated.]” Grounding allows us to cultivate a relationship with the earth and facilitate a healthier, more coherent state of being. It allows us to align our energy for more accurate working. Like meditation, there are many ways to ground; a list of some of my personal favorite methods can be found (here.) Shielding and Centering Shielding is important for magical workings as it provides a protective barrier to maintain our center. To do this, you’ll want to get a feel for your personal energy first. A good way to do is something called centering. Throughout the day, you naturally will pick up on all kinds of external energy; some good, some bad, most of it probably neither of the two - either way, it is energy that is not yours. Meditation and shadow work will be useful in identifying what feels distinctly you, but you should be able to know when you’re not feeling entirely you. If you’ve been feeling particularly out of sorts, a good tip to get back in touch with yourself before centering or shielding is to spend some time in self care. Turn off your phone and go to your room or a friendly space in nature, a library, a favorite haunt and engage in a creative project, put on your favorite music, eat your favorite food. Be mindful of your physical space, your body, sensations your are experiencing. Be attentive to you and only you; your wants, needs, feelings, comforts, etc. Take a bath and allow yourself to relax. Your only responsibility right now is you have no responsibilities - if even for just a short while. Just do what you can to access some “me time” to do something you love to do and observe yourself. Take note of what you choose to do that brings you joy, why those things make you feel happy and fulfilled, how exactly these feelings and activities resonate with you. Record this in your Book of Shadows, as it is useful information to getting to yourself on a more intimate level. Learn to recognize this energy and get familiar with what it means to feel yourself. It can be easy to get lost. Centering can get you back, especially when you make these feelings more accessible to yourself. To center, we’re going to go back to the exercise in the beginning; in a quiet place, meditate and rub your palms together - build up that energy between them again. When you pull your hands apart, you want to visualize this sensation. What color is it? What does it feel like? Is it light? Heavy? Is it vibrating? Focus on the pulsation and how it pushes against you. Allow it to move and grow. Picture it contracting and growing until you no longer can. Pull it in close to you, somewhere you can focus on it - many people use their solar plexus or heart chakras. This is the same energy you’re going to use to shield yourself. Instead of centering this energy, however, you’re going to push it out to envelope you. Visualization in your meditation and centering exercises should help with this; visualizing energy usually makes it easier for people to push it outward. Again, knowing what specifically makes this your protective energy will be useful - what color is it? Texture? Is it elemental? Perhaps your energy doesn’t feel like light, but water or air. Maybe white is a protective color to you or maybe green is, for Earth. Maybe your energy shield is a network of stars in the shape of your zodiac constellation. Maybe the outside is reflective, to reflect any negativity directed your way. Maybe its a shield of smoke, to conceal yourself. No matter what it looks like to you, just make sure it is yours. Don’t feel pressured to commit to something either - your idea of what these concepts look like will grow and change as much as you do. Push this energy outward and around you, as if you are creating a protective bubble for yourself. To enhance the intensity of desired outcome, surround yourself with corresponding elements. Light white candles or wear black tourmaline. I personally like to use dragon’s blood incense or oils. There are many things you can do in tandem with any of these practices, so long as they make sense for you and are helping you to achieve your desired results. This shield will become stronger the more you do this and keep you protected from psychic attacks, curses and hexes, negative energy, and bad intent. These exercises are all building blocks to unlocking great power within oneself, but they are also a great power on their own as well. Taking the time and patience to hone these skills will aid you in all your magical endeavors, whether through sharper focus, strong visual associations, enforced protective barriers, and/or knowing your true self above all else. Once you have established your abilities, you will be able to do them any time, anywhere and begin to play more with energy, both internal and external. In the follow up, I will focus on charging and programming.

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katherinewilliams221b · 4 years ago

Text

For A Greater Good 16/18

Not my gif. Before It’s Too Late

Summary: Kate Williams, young healer and member of the Order, joins Durmstrang’s staff at Dumbledore’s request. Her mission? Find a Death Eater and survive long enough to tell the story. Set in 1996.

Pairing: Charlie Weasley x ofc/mc

Masterlist

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5]

[Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9] [Part 10]

[Part 11] [Part 12] [Part 13] [Part 14]

[Part 15]

Warnings: mentions of blood and wounds

Classes were over, grades had been hung in the corridor, and Durmstrang celebrated that another year was over.

Kate was forcing a comb through her brown waves when she heard laughter and hasty footsteps outside her dorm. Returning her attention to her hair, she pressed more insistently on the knot that was refusing to untangle and contemplated the day ahead of her; the Annual Exposition of Dark Arts had arrived and with it, the crushing fear of not leaving Durmstrang anytime soon.

She had told Dumbledore and Rhode she was no auror; she didn’t have training in catching criminals, if that’s what one of these people were.

“Well, it’s not like someone will raise their hand and say ‘it’s me, Kate, take me to Azkaban.’” She murmured to her reflection in the rusty mirror next to the door.

Why? Why had Dumbledore put her there? What was she supposed to do? Almost six months had passed; she had heard from Dumbledore only once, and Rhode was so busy with the school’s events that had practically forgotten why she was there.

But Kate still remembered. She still remembered what happened to Flavia Hodges.

Having abused her locks enough, she attempted to shape them into curls, twirling some hairs around her finger. When she finished, she traced her dragon necklace before securing it under her robes.

Who would be willing to join a Dark Wizard? And why? For a greater good, as Corentin had said? Or maybe for more personal reasons? No one was exempt from guilt, no one was good or bad; Cassandra Steiner was rude and disagreeable, but she was a mediwizard and cared for others; Flavia Hodges was almost murdered and Kent Jorgensen would have protected the man he thought was guilty, but he wasn’t ill-intended and seemed to be a clever man; Leron Angelov was sick and violent with his son, but he had enough problems to be a criminal; Libor Marek was intolerant and prejudiced, adequate characteristics for a Death Eater, but that didn’t make him one; and the only thing that Kate knew about Mer Yankelevich was that she was a liar.

She let out a heavy sigh and made her way to the desk. After grabbing her cloak from her chair and fastening it around her neck, she grabbed the several items she intended to carry with her at all times: her wand, her diary, the list and the trick wand that the Weasley twins had sent her.

The night before, tidying up her belongings, she had found the box that Fred and George had sent her and thought it could be a good farewell gift to Vivien, in case she wanted to give a lesson to Jon Hopkins.

She felt uncomfortable with everything she was carrying on her. The list and her notebook were inside her improvised pockets, and both wands were safely tucked in each sleeve. Impractical for the occasion, but with everyone distracted with the AEDA, it was very easy for someone to slip out of there unseen, and she had no intention of anyone walking into her room and finding those items. After fastening her ankle boots, she headed outside.

Rhode had not been exaggerating when she described the AEDA as the biggest event of the year; the corridors were ostentatiously decorated with garlands and lights; countless carriages arrived on the castle grounds one after another and the doors to the dining hall were open all day, held up by pillars from which people could grab pamphlets describing the event’s activities.

Tables had been rearranged to form the various displays, and the students were dressed in their finest robes to honour the occasion.

The hustle and bustle of the day made the place unrecognisable, characterised by its usual gloom and darkness.

She advanced through the hall, pausing from time to time to watch project demonstrations and congratulate those taking part in the competition. Her eyes fell on a familiar face next to her; Leron Angelov sat behind a table where a seventh-grade girl explained her work to three wizards who, judging by their golden robes, were the judges.

“The potion lets you transfigure into whatever animal or object at will, only for a few minutes…” she exposed. Kate approached Angelov and leaned in to whisper, “Don’t do that.” Leron stared at her and stopped scratching his arms.

After wandering around for a while, she finally reached her own table, greeted her students and settled wizards and witches filed in and out of the room, delighting in the students’ magnificent works.

She wished with all her might that she could share their enthusiasm.

She gave several forced smiles, for Rhode’s sake, as the organiser of the event she wanted everything to go smoothly, but deep inside she was overwhelmed by a deep worry that she didn’t know how much longer she could bear.

“It’s really ugly.” She overheard one of her students, Greta, referring to her umbrella flower. Several of her children were standing behind a table, presenting their work to the audience.

A single umbrella flower, magically modified to remain a medium size, floated above the table; its vibrant red colour stood out among the sober tones of the place. The top of the plant, usually hollow to do justice to its name, now was decorated with thirty-seven fangs all around the base, giving it the appearance of a weird-looking lamp.

“You should be proud,” she reminded them, “You’ve managed to do something wonderful.”

“It’s still horrendous.” Jon Hopkins commented, wrinkling his nose.

“We’ve done next to nothing...” lamented Micael. Kate raised her eyebrows.

“What do you mean, you haven’t? We needed every single one of your plants, remember they didn’t all germinate, and only one of them got these results. And these posters explaining the whole process? They are priceless...”

They were still not convinced, so she kept insisting “In a few years, someone will want to do the same as you and they will be grateful to have your work as a reference”.

A man and a woman approached their table and after reading a few paragraphs of their report, left without comment. Everyone visibly deflated.

“By the way, where is Vivien? I have something for her...” asked Kate. Micael shrugged.

She looked around, but it was impossible to find anyone among the crowd. She saw a few familiar faces; like Jorgensen chatting animatedly with some seventh year students or Sheyi Mawut, who was making his way through the wizards towards her. There was no sign of any other teacher.

“Well, well! This is the first time in a long time I’ve seen first-year students exhibiting. What have we got here?” Mawut looked at Kate with a smile and she touched two fingers to Micael’s elbow. The boy looked at her and Kate nodded.

“We have created the first umbrella flower with teeth, Professor! It’s one of a kind because the species itself is unique. It floats like an umbrella flower and has teeth like a fanged geranium...”

Kate watched proudly as Micael’s other classmates came up to support him in his rehearsed explanation, some interrupting the speech out of excitement at being able to contribute something.

“And you did this on your own?” Suddenly the children fell silent and looked at the ground or anywhere but Mawut’s face.

“They’ve done all the hard work,” Kate interjected, “Finding the plant, germinating it, growing the geraniums, crossing the two species...”

“How wonderful... can I read your notes?” Mawut let out a laugh as a mountain of notebooks were at his disposal in a matter of seconds. “Maybe just one will be enough.”

The teacher’s kindness managed to relax Kate just a little.

“I’ve got better at my flying practice, Coach Mawut!” Greta commented, “Do you think I’ll ever be as good as Lena?” Kate raised her head at the familiar name.

“I’m sure you will.”

“Who?” she asked to extend that conversation.

“Lena?” Mawut pointed to some drawings and nodded, smiling, “Lena Yankelevich, she was an impressive seeker. Several top teams like the Vratsa Vultures or Heidelberg Harriers wanted to make contracts with her.”

“What happened?” Mawut closed the notebook and thanked Micael for his explanation. Greta tugged at Kate’s sleeve, causing the fake wand to brush against her skin.

“She died, Professor Williams...” she lamented.

“In the middle of a match… She disappeared into the mountains and never came back. Some Muggle climbers were in the area and saw her, and we found her surrounded by three men who had stolen her broom. But we shouldn’t have gone...” He paused and in a quieter voice added, “The climbers got scared when they saw us. There was a lot of commotion and they pushed Lena... down the cliff. No one knew how Lena had come to that situation.”

A witch casually approached the table and wrote something down on a piece of paper. Everyone around her watched in silence as she looked at the plant and then nodded before turning away.

Mawut went to add something else, but Libor Marek joined them.

“This is an unfair competition.... and what is this? A plant?” He grimaced, and Kate glanced at Mawut before averting her eyes to the rest of the room.

Astrid Rhode had stepped on the pallet where her lectern stood. After rearranging her papers, the witch cleared her throat and drew everyone’s attention to her.

“I can’t begin to express how wonderful it is to have all of you here on this special occasion. To honour this event, let me introduce you to Lazar Berović, a former winner of the AEDA thanks to his system to identify and capture chameleon ghouls.” Kate joined the round of applause with little interest. The man in question took Astrid’s place and started his speech.

Her mind drifted to the single hair that had fallen on her sleeve, and she dully grabbed it between two fingers as slowly as she could, making an effort of not listening the ghoul-hunting narrative they were being ‘gifted’.

She had a document whose content had expanded over the last month, completing a full page and a successfully finished project. There was nothing to keep her at that school any longer. Nothing, except the original reason she was there: to find a supposed Death Eater.

But I want to leave.

Would Dumbledore be angry if she returned early? But how much longer would she have to stay?

I want to go home. I want to go to Charlie.

Then come home.

Charlie’s voice again, echoing in her head as if he were talking to her right next to her. This time she didn’t panic, it was the push she needed to make her decision. Dumbledore would have to settle for the list.

But she would be leaving a bunch of children in the hands of a murderer. No, she’d figure it out when she was safe. If anyone wanted the scroll Kate had in her possession, she’d have to flee before it was too late.

The speech was over, and the room filled with the previous murmur of happiness and excitement.

“Excuse me...” Kate stepped away from the group, leaving Micael in charge of defending the front, and made her way to the door.

She hadn’t realised how much she’d become accustomed to the noise until she’d walked a few corridors away from the dining room. With everyone partying in the middle, Kate and the silence went hand in hand all the way to the library. Or at least, that was where she was headed, had she not come face to face with Corentin.

“Ah, Katherine, I was just on my way to the exhibition...” The librarian’s smile crumbled at the sight of her expression.

“Corentin...” she whispered, “I think... I need to get out of here.” They both looked around, but they were alone.

“And how do you plan to do that? With a carriage? They don’t leave until the 20th.”

“I have to go get my trunk and apparate. I don’t know... I’ll jump to Romania and... then to England.” Corentin shook his head.

“I’d recommend three jumps at least.”

“I don’t know that many places! I don’t know where we are!”

“Keep your voice down.” They dissimulated again as two wizards passed in front of them. They greeted each other cordially, and when they were out of range, Corentin grabbed Kate’s elbow. “Everyone is in the Dining Hall. In fifteen minutes the band Rhode has brought will start playing so everyone will be paying attention. Go to your room and stay there until I let you know.”

“What are you planning?”

“We’ll apparate together. We’ll do Sweden, Germany, France and you go to England alone.”

“Corentin...”

“You go. I’ll pick you up in half an hour.” The librarian didn’t give Kate a chance to question him, and she watched him march in his bat form down the corridor.

She turned and broke into a jog towards the side staircase on the ground floor, a shortcut that would take her to her bedroom. She slowed when she felt a presence around her. She sensed desperation by legilimency, and it wasn’t her own. Anger too, even fear.

She turned a corner, but someone was waiting for her. Strong but elegant hands clamped over her mouth and grabbed her robe, pinning her against a chest.. Her pulse quickened, as did her breathing. She tried to free herself from the arm that held her, but it was too strong.

Slowly, the hand covering her mouth slid to the side and reached her neck. Kate couldn’t breathe. She felt the hand tighten around her neck and Mer Yankelevich’s needle-like nails made contact with her skin.

“Give me your wand.” Kate made a movement too sharp for the teacher’s liking and she gripped her tighter. “Slowly.” She tried to take a deep breath, but she had begun to shake in such a way she couldn’t concentrate on her breathing. “Give me your wand, now.”

With an idea half-formed in her head, she moved her left arm to release the wand. Seeing her, Mer snatched it from her hand and jabbed it into her back. “Let’s go for a walk. Don’t even think about running or screaming” They strolled to the other end of the ground floor. They passed by several wizards and in the eyes of the world everything was normal.

Just as the teacher muttered “Incarcerous” the Weasley twins’ wand trap rose into the air and began to hit Mer in the head. Taking advantage of her absent-mindedness, Kate broke free of her grip and ran off in search of the front door. She pulled her real wand out of her other sleeve, knowing Mer was very close behind her.

Just a little closer.

She ran through the sea of people in front of the door, hoping to get lost in the crowd. She glanced back as she went, but there was no sign of the teacher.

She left the castle with bated breath, and hastily pulled her diary from her pocket, muttered ‘Reducto’ turning it into a tiny, almost unrecognisable object, and continued running towards the bridge.

Maybe she could take refuge in the forest, go to the coordinates Dumbledore had given her, maybe the stranger would find her if it was an emergency. She cursed when she remembered she had burned the map.

She was about to reach the other side of the bridge when something hit her from behind, causing her to fall to the ground.

With a scream she hit the stone, and from the ground she saw Mer Yankelevich striding towards her. She looked around frantically, searching for her wand. She reached out and drew the weapon towards her before pointing it at the teacher.

Yankelevich paused, pointing her wand at Kate, and waited for her to rise from the ground. Both witches stared down at each other in a duelling stance, and the spells soon began to explode. Kate fought back as best she could, trying to remember some of Marek’s tricks, but Mer was the Charms teacher and she knew that at any moment she would tire herself out until she lost.

“You’ve got something that’s mine!” shouted Mer between curses.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Kate started to walk backwards, trying to go around Mer and turn her back on the castle, but the teacher was quicker and cornered her against the bridge wall.

“The stone! Where is it?”

“I don’t have any stone!” Kate peeled away from the bridge wall, dodging spells with little grace. One in particular made her ears pop, and she could barely hear Mer accusing her of lying repeatedly.

“How did you get in the room?” shouted Yankelevich, “The column broke!” Kate gasped as a stunning spell hit her leg and she staggered backwards. Focused on not falling to the floor, she didn’t notice the parchment flying out of her robes.

“You broke it?” Kate asked as she tried to catch her breath, “Why?”

“It wasn’t on purpose. That’s the entrance to Grindelwald’s room, and I was trying to open it.” She took a few steps towards Kate, pointing her wand at her. “So tell me; how did you get in?” her accusatory tone made the young witch flinch. Kate bit her tongue, physically, to avoid revealing how wrong she was. In case she didn’t make it out of this situation alive, the teacher must not know her way into the room.

With Charlie in mind, she lowered her wand, hoping to give Yankelevich a sense of security. Band music began to play from inside the castle, conveniently deafening those inside and isolating them from the catastrophe that may or may not be occurring on the bridge.

In only an instant, Kate noticed how the teacher got distracted by the sound of the instruments and took advantage of her glance over her head to begin a duelling offensive. Mer defended herself gracefully, dodging and occasionally returning her opponent’s attacks. Kate’s chances diminished with each spell.

Yankelevich turned her back on the castle, and it was at that moment Kate realised her previous oversight. There, at the feet of the person who might be her executioner, the list of Death Eaters’ names lay within her grasp.

“Mer,” she began cautiously, “all this is for your sister? None of this is worth it.”

“What do you know! Do you have a dead sibling? You have no idea...” It was a stab in the heart without knowing it. The internal debate in Kate’s stomach was making her dizzy, and as she considered whether to tell her story, the teacher crouched at the sight of the document. “We all lose loved ones. Angelov, Jorgensen, Marek, myself.” Mer ignored her.

“So this is how Karkarov intended to communicate with the Ministry...” The parchment flew through the air as Kate’s spell impacted against the teacher’s hand. Both witches began a dance of lights and explosions again, swirling around unknowingly gravitating towards each other.

The castle doors burst open and a third wave of spells shot towards them. Libor Marek was almost galloping in their direction furiously airing his wand.

“Mer!”

Kate let out a choked cry as Yankelevich twisted her arm backwards. She had managed to physically reach her and after pulling at her forearm, one hand with threatening nails anchored her neck against the teacher’s chest; with the other, she pointed her wand at Kate’s temple.

Both witches looked at Marek with completely opposite expressions.

“Mer... Let go of the girl.” He warned, holding up a hand.

“Look, your guardian angel has arrived. Day after day, that man has been preventing you and I from having a friendly chat, always sitting outside your classroom, hovering in the corridors without letting you out of his sight,” she turned to Marek, “tell me Libor, what has this girl done for you?”

“This is not about her. You think I don’t know you were seeing Karkarov on the sly? You think I don’t know that you threatened to turn him in to the Ministry? You think I don’t know that you’re the one who’s been trying to get to that imaginary room?”

“It’s real! She got in with the help of the bat she has as a friend. And now she’s going to tell me how.”

Kate couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You knew?” The accusation was drowned out when the grip around her neck tightened. “She tried to kill Flavia! She practically couldn’t speak!”

“And who do you think stopped her from going to the hospital wing to finish the job, huh?”

“Enough.” Mer finished. She forced Kate to walk to the bridge wall and bent her over the stone. She stared straight into the eyes of the abyss; the fog prevented her from seeing the end, if the cliff had one, and she knew that if she didn’t act soon all that would be left of her would be her memory. “I’m only going to ask you one more time. You found the resurrection stone, where is it?”

“There was no stone!”

She felt the needle stick as if it had happened in slow motion. She brought her hand to her neck as Mer released her and managed to drop to the ground just before the barrage of spells between her and Marek reached her. If she was dizzy before, now she was convinced she was going to throw up.

She slid down the stone to the ground as her vision blurred. She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again, trying to maintain some control over her body. Spotting her wand near her, she awkwardly crawled towards it, avoiding a violet light that flew treacherously close to her.

She tried to get to her feet, but instantly collapsed again. The nausea was increasing, her vision was blurring more and more, her pulse was throbbing. She pushed her hair out of her face as best she could and rubbed her eyes, but she couldn’t quite focus on the dancing figures circling before her.

Corentin was waiting for her somewhere, probably by the door of her room to take her to a safer place. But she couldn’t reach him, not without the list.

Kate frantically searched for the paper somewhere on the bridge, hoping with all her might that the wind wouldn’t suddenly pick up. Moving her head like that did not help her condition, and the migraines she had been experiencing made their appearance to reinforce her misfortune.

Where were the cavalry? Why was no one from the castle coming to the rescue?

A bitter taste rose in her throat, forcing her to spit out some saliva, which to her horror was whitish.

No one would come to help her. She would have to save herself.

With what little energy she had left, she stumbled to her feet and took a few steps towards the other side of the bridge. The list was at her fingertips, but the world was spinning and twisting, and now both hands were trembling.

The moment her hand made contact with the paper, a spell exploded against the stone above her head. But she couldn’t back out now. She reached out and caught the parchment between her fingers. She pointed her wand at herself, still shaking, and felt the familiar tug in her stomach that would pull her out. Yankelevich looked with terrified eyes at what was about to happen and pointed her wand at Kate.

The green light of the unforgivable curse never grazed her.

Kate collapsed to the floor of the grimy Grimmauld Place street with a sob. Corentin had warned her about this; I recommend at least three jumps, the librarian had said.

Lying on the floor with her arms stretched out on her sides, she looked to her right; her eyes were full of tears and her arm full of blood.

I recommend at least three jumps.

She felt herself choked up again. This time, some foam adorned the corners of her lips, while trying to reach her wand with her left hand.

Three weary taps against the ground caused the building in front of her to awaken, revealing the door of the Black family home. Breathing was getting harder and harder, and with her ears increasingly clogged, Kate tried, to no avail, to stop her splinching from bleeding. Without dittany, it would be impossible.

She raised her wand towards the building with a groan. Unable to utter a word, she concentrated on firing several red lights into the windows. Some bounced off the walls and others off the glass, and she prayed it would be enough, for keeping her arm up was draining her strength.

As the convulsions became more violent, her hand fell to the floor with the rest of her body.

Attempting to keep her eyes open, she made out figures coming out of the house; one was a lanky, black blob she likened to a Dementor by the way his cloak moved; the other was much shorter and rounder with a hint of red hair. The rest of the people who rushed at her were indistinguishable.

Severus Snape forced her eyes open with his fingers, wearing a worried expression. Recognising him, Kate screamed, or at least she thought she did. The only sound that came out of her mouth was a painful sob.

“Darling, darling, look at me, it’s going to be alright,” Molly reassured. Kate wanted to shout that nothing was right, that she was in danger, that the man who was pouring the contents of a potion down her throat was a traitor.

The convulsions hadn’t stopped yet, but the unbearable burning in her arm did. She wanted to watch her wound heal, but Molly clutched her tear-soaked cheek preventing her from seeing the amount of blood that had gushed out from her arm.

“You’ll be fine, sweetheart, you’ll be fine.”

She choked on her saliva and Molly tilted her head to help her spit out the remnants of foam. Several conversations sprang up around her; all seemed distant, like an echo in a cavern.

When the shaking stopped, the relief was almost immediate. Snape forced her jaw open, emptying a vial into her mouth again. The commotion didn’t seem to end; several wizards and witches combed the street for any Muggle witnesses, and others were busy inspecting windows and doors.

Intense pain engulfed her head and mind. Attributing it to migraines, Kate missed the long, silver strand that shot from her temple in the direction of an unknown wand. She closed her eyes, and with one last deep breath everything went black.

[Part 17]

A/N: Oooooooooof I dont know how did you react to this I’m so nervous

Tag List: @eldritchscreech

@meteora-fc

@cazreadsstuff

@the-navistar-carol

@am-i-space

#charlie weasley #charlie x jacob's sibling #charlie weasley fanfiction #charlie weasley x mc #charlie weasley x ofc #charlie weasley/mc #charlie weasley/ofc #kate williams #durmstrang

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princepokemon · 3 years ago

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I’m BACK. Again. 😨 Between my VERY long trip away from home and school, it’s been hectic but hopefully I can get back to posting semi normally again!

Figured I’d start out with a dump of DnD doodles from my last campaign featuring my favorite boy, Mani :)

Anyway, Mani! He’s a tiefling merchant who doubled as the group's pack mule. His travelling companions were Benny the gnome archeologist and Rahm the goliath Vagabond.

I had a great time with my friends but unfortunately our DM dipped mid campaign and I haven’t played for some time.

Here’s the character background/motivation piece I had to submit for anyone who’s into that kind of stuff. It’s sloppy but it gets the job done lol

—-

Fear is a powerful motivator. Fear of failure and death, fear of beasts and blood or the fear of being known; Manok Rhodara has molded his entire life around fleeing it.

Born into a small family of laborers in a very large city, he spent his younger years watching his parents trapped in the endless cycle of poverty. They’d toil away with seemingly no end in sight yet he still longed for something greater. Nevermind the nobles that paraded around in their carriages adorned with jewels, the simple merchant walking the streets with a full belly and spare coin was something he could wrap his brain around. His elder sister Nefaria had mocked him for his ambitions, but he kept his head down and did his best to observe the shopworkers he admired, emulating them in his precious free time.

Dreaming and doing are two different things however. His mother, a talented painter, had never successfully sold a single painting. Manok would watch her weep in their room after a day of fruitless peddling; tears muddying the beautiful discarded landscape. No one wants to sully homes with the work of an impoverished devil kin. He held out hope that the world outside the city walls didn’t hold these grudges. A fateful afternoon with his father would quickly extinguish these thoughts though.

He had so often felt the stares of disdain from the other races that he rarely acknowledged them anymore but that day he remembered them feeling particularly sharp. As they strolled through the city making their usual stops to resupply, Manok pleaded with his father to visit the local jewelers. The shopkeep was a shrewd elf who had recently lost his apprentice and Manok was confident he could wrangle a position if he could just get his foot in the door.

Relenting, his father agreed on the condition that they never step foot in the store again if the master rejected him. Though unimpressed, the shopkeeper miraculously agreed to start training him as an errand boy after some smooth talking and a bit of pitiful begging (until he could find a “suitable” replacement he’d said). In the owner’s words, “Put a hat on and you could pass for an elf. If you keep that tail hidden and your mouth shut you might have a chance at doing this right.”.

An unusual victory was quickly dashed by an unusual misfortune as an insidious bystander took advantage of the irregular pair, swiping a handful of gems and planting a few on his father. It wasn’t long before the situation quickly devolved into a heated shouting match with police in tow and that was all it took to throw his family’s life out of kilter.

The remaining Rhodaras were scrutinized by the law after his father was branded a thief and thrown in prison. Stall owners rejected their goods and they were banned from many parts of the city. The places they could walk freely, judgmental eyes followed their every move and attempted to imprison them over minor insurrections. His sister swore revenge while his mother fell into a deep depression. Confused and scared for his life, Manok did the only thing he felt he could do. Run. So he did.

He ran for weeks and weeks stowing away on boats and picking through trash. In the forests he drank rainwater and foraged familiar plants and bark he could recognize from the markets back home. He didn’t know the full extent of his travels until he was much older but he had trekked an entire continent away to the Forest Islet.

It was there deep in the woods untouched by man, that he stumbled upon a grand weeping cherry and the fae within it: Punella. It had been decades since a sentient soul had wandered their way into her mystical grotto and even longer since she had formed a pact. A glance at his sniveling face was all it took for her to pity the boy enough to reveal her form and administer her guardian test. Three simple trials to expose his true nature. He was reserved, studious, observant and very afraid but when the kind-hearted dryad offered her guidance, he recognized a great opportunity and never looked back.

He would maintain responsibility for her grotto and in exchange for his dedication she would grant him knowledge, magic and, most crucial of all, companionship. He spent the following years learning the arts of crafting and deception while honing his hunting skills. By the time he could truly call himself ‘self-reliant’ he was nearly 17 and his thirst for knowledge was full throttle.

His favorite of all was illusory magic, creating baubles and trinkets to decorate his camp and make him smile. What started as a hobby grew into something marketable and it wasn’t long before he was imbuing attractive charms into delicate crafts he made from the surrounding forest. Even his patron was impressed.

The woods had their own charm, but camping in a shabby hut he pieced together haphazardly had gotten old long ago. To really make a change, he’d need materials he couldn’t find surrounded by the trees. For materials he’d need someone to supply them and….. money. After some gentle encouragement, he hatched a plan to try his hand at the market once.

Once he mustered up the confidence to venture out, he traded pelts for books. Many, many books. He spent months pouring over encyclopedias and cultural commentaries. The main subject of his study was covering elves. He knew some of their mannerisms from his time in the city but his end goal would have him immersed in their lifestyle. His time in the city taught him that tieflings are easy victims and if he was finally getting the chance to delve into the world of commerce, he was going to do it right. He didn’t need to be perfect immediately but he had to appear legitimate enough to sell enough junk to build an adequate home.

With that, the life of Manok Rhodara was snuffed out and the adventure of Manolari Nym began. Despite spending his early teens isolated in the woods, he was able to appear warm and personable to the closest neighboring townsfolk. It wasn’t long until he developed a rapport with the local craftsman and was regularly completing projects with them during his trips out from the woods. He would never stay long and his mysterious nature prompted some rumors but somehow, impossibly, the world he’d dreamed of was within his grasp.

On cold nights he thought back on his time with his family and wondered what he could have done differently. He remembered the despair and panic; He remembered how he abandoned them to escape it. But he was happy now. His days with Punella were carefree and her gentle presence was a gift. The guilt could be aching, but Mani was willing to live that and far greater if it meant keeping what they had built together.

Life is a lottery with impossible odds. If you’re lucky enough, you might get to draw again. How far would you go to protect that second chance?

#DnD #dnd oc #Dungeons and Dragons #Tiefling #OC #Gnome #Goliath #Mani #Benny #Rahm #Nefaria #my art #I've been lurking and liking stuff still #But it's been weird not having a PC for 2 months #I'll probably get distracted playing games instead of posting tbh #😭😭 I'll try

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greekgrad12 · 4 years ago

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It Takes Two: percabeth!au

chapter two :)

Mattie Jackson and Hayley Chase meet at the start of summer and discover that they are each other's identical clone. With a little more investigating, the two girls discover that they are, in fact, twins. Things only get crazier when they find out that their adoptive parents were once in love. Now, they have to work together to reunite Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase before Mattie’s dad ends up dating the new camp counselor and Hayley’s mom gets married to a kid hating, gold digger.

And what better way to do that than to switch places?

i rewatched It Takes Two and decided to make it percabeth :)

read on ao3

chapter one here!

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The faded white stone was the first thing Annabeth Chase noticed when she and her daughter pulled into the driveway of their summer house. Well, summer house was a loose term now. Annabeth had been living here all year while working on a new project. One that was very near and dear to her heart. When Chiron called and asked if she would be willing to redesign the old camp, she was more than happy to. She even threw in a family discount, because that's exactly what he was. Family.

Annabeth Chase was a very famous name in the architecture world. She graduated top of her class at Berkeley and quickly got a job at Medusa & Co. Architecture. Her coworkers were somber, but the work was good. Working for a big company like Medusa & Co. brought on a lot of challenges, but that's what drew her in. Annabeth loved a challenge. What she didn't love were the rumors and scandals constantly going around about faulty cement, old metals, and rickety wires being used to create their buildings in an attempt to make more money. When she decided to investigate and learned that the rumors were true, Annabeth just had to leave. Creating her own Architecture Company took some time, but the exposure and resources she acquired while at Medusa & Co. helped her along the way. And the money she got from her tip to the media about what was really going on at her old job didn't hurt either.

Now, she was the proud owner and head architect at Parthenon Architecture. Having expanded her company to five different states all over America, Annabeth was a busy woman. So busy that she never really had time to think about her life outside of work. She knew she wanted to get married and have a family. Something permanent. But even with the casual dates, her friends insisted she go on, Annabeth never felt that spark that she knew made something worth pursuing. She knew what that felt like. She'd experienced it before, with-

"Woah," The sweet voice of her daughter broke Annabeth from her thoughts, "Remind me why we don't stay here more often?"

Annabeth didn't have time for romance, but she wanted a family. Thanks to adoption agencies, she could have that. But honestly, Annabeth wasn't even sure if she was ready to be a mother when she went in for a consultation with the agency. Her parents divorced when she was young, and due to her mother's career in government at D.C., Annabeth was left with her father. Eventually, her stepmother came into the picture and the blonde little girl was pushed into the background. The woman wanted absolutely nothing to do with Annabeth and her father did nothing to help. Things only got worse when her little twin brothers came into the picture.

Annabeth's mother would come back every other month and the two would spend the day together, but she couldn't be there every time the girl needed her. The best thing her mother did for her was sign Annabeth up for Camp Half-Blood when she was a seven. That first year at camp changed her life. She made friends who became family and finally found a place that felt like home. People who felt like home. A boy who felt like home.

"Remind me how often we come to Rhode Island?" she teased the ten-year-old.

The girl turned back to her mother and responded with a straight face, "Ha-ha."

Annabeth laughed at that, "Come on, Hayley, let's unpack. I wanna show you something in the house."

Despite her estranged relationship with motherhood, Annabeth never had to think twice about adopting Hayley. Before adopting the girl, she did her research. Apparently, Hayley's birth mother moved to California a week after she was born, hoping for a fresh start with her new child. Unfortunately, her new life didn't have room for a baby. The woman tried for about two months before abandoning the little girl at an adoption agency. Annabeth knew what it was like to feel abandoned, so she was happy to claim the two month old as her own.

She tried her best to be an attentive and caring mother, and being her own boss helped make that possible. Still, with Annabeth being so busy with the camp reconstruction plans, she and her daughter hadn't been able to spend as much time together this year. Hayley had spent the greater part of last year begging her mom to let her join them in Rhode Island, and as much as Annabeth wanted her around, she wasn't about to pull her daughter out of school for a whole year. Especially with everything they've gone through at past schools.

Much like Annabeth, Hayley Chase is a famous name. Hayley wasn't a problem child. She is a good kid. A good kid with bad luck. Getting her daughter into schools was the easy part. As the granddaughter to a Congresswoman, an American and Military History professor at West Point, and the daughter of the third most famous Architect in the United States, schools were eager to have Hayley in their programs. And having an eleventh-grade reading level didn't hurt either. It was when the school year began that things usually went south.

Wrong place, wrong time basically sums up Hayley's life. Nothing too crazy happened, but it was usually enough to ensure that the girl wouldn't be getting an invitation back. So far, she had been kicked out of three schools. Once for getting too many detentions due to 'continuous disrespect,' which is just a fancy way of saying, "You're child pointed out too many of my teaching mistakes and I'm sick of being contradicted."

Another time was when a nasty girl in her class tripped Hayley in the lunchroom. The girl's tray went flying, and the food fight that ensued was blamed on her. The last incident was the result of a classroom fire, but there's really no time to unpack that. Hayley never meant for these things to happen. She knew how hard her mother worked, and she admired her greatly for that. The last thing she wants is to add stress to her life.

What Hayley didn't realize, however, was that she made Annabeth's life anything but stressful. The woman couldn't be prouder to have a daughter as clever, kind, and patient as Hayley. Annabeth spent her whole life wanting to build something permanent, but when she finally did, she looked around and realized that it's wasn't worth much without someone permanent beside her. She wants to do right by her daughter, and that's one of the reasons why she was so excited to finally have Hayley over at the summer house with her. Not only would she get to spend time with her daughter again, but Annabeth would get to show Hayley where she grew up. Her home.

Camp Half-Blood.

Hayley was now carrying a backpack over her shoulders and tugging a suitcase behind her as she walked up the steps to the giant house, "What is it?"

"It's a surprise," The woman answered, simply. Annabeth had just dropped her bag onto the porch and was currently scrummaging in her bag for the door keys.

"What kind of surprise?" Hayley pressed while admiring the exterior of the house. The two story mansion had once belonged to her great-grandmother, but it hadn't been used in years. The green-eyed girl suddenly found herself hoping that the surprise wasn't spiderwebs and dust. Then again, her mother had been living here on and off again for the past six months. If there was even a hint of spiders, the house would have already been hosed down by exterminators, "Surprise like, 'I'm doubling your allowance for not causing trouble this year!' or surprise like, 'Grandma's coming to visit'?"

Annabeth had unlocked the door but held it ajar, "Actually, yes, your grandma is coming in a few days to visit."

A grim look overtook Hayley's face. It's not that she didn't like Grandma Athena, it's just that she was very... controlled. Hayley always assumed that it was the Congresswoman in her that made the old lady so uptight. Every time she came to visit, her mom would get anxious and start to stress work. The little girl knew all about her mother's upbringing. The mother-daughter pair were very close, and Hayley was protective of the people she loved, so she never enjoyed seeing the effect her grandmother had on Annabeth.

"Why is she coming here?" The young girl asked, trying her best to hide her disapproving tone, "The only thing she does when she comes over is stress you out and give me passive-aggressive looks for not indulging myself in nonfiction books."

"Hayley, if you want to read Agatha Christie, read Agatha Christie. If you want to read Marvel Comics, read Marvel Comics. Don't let her make you feel bad about your interests," If there was one thing Annabeth was willing to face her mother for, it was her daughter. It pissed the woman off to no end when her mother, the one who had basically abandoned her as a child, tried to tell Annabeth how to raise her daughter.

That's another thing Hayley loved about her mom. No matter what she did, her mom was right behind her with unconditional support. When Hayley entered the Spelling Bee, her mother stayed up the night before and helped her practice, even though she had scheduled an early meeting the next morning to ensure she would be off on time to attend the contest. When the girl wanted to join an art class, Annabeth went out and bought her a whole new art supply kit. When, at the age of four, she decided that blue and yellow were magic colors, and her mom decided to make blue cookies for her. She only made them once, and Hayley was young when she did, but the girl still could have sworn she remembers her mother tearing up when her daughter took her first bite of the blue food.

And there was the time when she was three, and Hayley had her first asthma attack.

Annabeth had been a wreck for the entire process. Of course, Hayley had recovered quickly, and thanks to her Flovent medication, she hasn't had a major attack in years. All thanks to her mom. If Annabeth Chase was anything, it was a planner. Hayley was on a strict schedule when it came to taking her medication. Even though her daughter's asthma hadn't acted up in years, she wasn't going to chance losing her ever again.

"Rebel against Grandma?" Hayley joked, "Sounds like a plan."

Annabeth huffed out a laugh, but Hayley could tell something was off. She just now noticed that her mother hadn't been looking her in the eyes and that she was still standing in front of the cracked open door, blocking the girl from what's inside. She also noticed that her mother didn't answer her question about why Grandma Athena would be visiting.

"Why don't we go inside? I may have lied about the surprise- or rather, the extent of it. There is actually more than one."

Hayley's confusion must have been very noticeable, because right as she was about to ask more questions, Annabeth opened the front door to reveal two people waiting inside.

"Piper! Leo!" Hayley dropped her bags onto the porch and ran to her godmother and honorary uncle. The two dropped down and hugged the little girl with just as tightly as she did them.

"Hey, Hay!" Leo teased the girl as her arm wrapped around his neck.

"Oh my goodness, there is no way you got this big over one school year!" Piper exclaimed as she pulled back from the girl's other side, "You get any taller and you're gonna outgrow Leo."

While that was definitely an exaggeration, Leo still scoffed at the girl. Watching as the three got reacquainted, Annabeth picked up her daughter's bags that were abandoned on the porch and laid them inside. After she placed her own bags on the floor, Piper's dark eyes shot up and reached Annabeth's gray ones.

The woman smiled down at Hayley before walking over to give her mom a big hug. Piper McLean and Annabeth had been friends for years. The two met in the third grade. They bonded over daddy issues and a mutual love for Skittles. You know, normal kid stuff. After decades of sleepovers, secret handshakes, bad haircuts, and One Direction phases, the girls were still inseparable. If anyone could read Annabeth like a book, it was Piper. They were a fantastic duo. So much so, that Piper was her personal assistant. Technically, she was here for work, but Annabeth was just grateful to have her best friend here for the occasion.

Annabeth met Leo Valdez in college. He was the smartest person on the robotics team and the two shared many classes together throughout the years. They became fast friends, bonding over conspiracy theories and arguing over who was the better Property Brother. When Annabeth needed a Head of Construction at her firm, she knew exactly who she wanted by her side. Leo was more than happy to accept.

Leo and Piper were great employees and even better friends. They were supportive when she told them she wanted to adopt. They were always there to remind her that it's okay to take a break. And whenever one of them decided to take her out and let her live a little, the other would watch Hayley. And they both loved Hayley.

"Glad to see you're still alive," Piper's tone was flat and quiet against Annabeth's ear. She knew her friend didn't want Hayley hearing what she had to say, and honestly, neither did Piper, "Oh, and look at that. Is that a phone sticking out of your back pocket? A phone that I have been trying to reach you on for the past hour?"

Annabeth pulled back from the hug and Piper could finally see the guilt written on her face, "I know. Look, I'm sorry I didn't answer, but I knew what you would be calling about. I couldn't exactly have you yelling at me with my ten-year-old in the passenger seat."

"So, she doesn't know then?" The black-haired woman knew the answer, but the way she was now staring Annabeth down -arms crossed, eyebrow raised- made her realize the real question she was asking went along the lines of, what the hell is your plan here?

"No," Annabeth sighed out, "I was going to tell her on the drive over from the airport, but there was just so much to catch up on-"

"Yeah, Annabeth!" Piper whisper-yelled as an exasperated look took over her face, "There is so much to catch her up on. Starting with-!"

"Hey, you two," Leo coughed out, loudly. As the girls turned their attention back to him and the little girl, they saw Leo motioning to Hayley. Annabeth's daughter sent confused glances to the three adults, "Annabeth, why don't you show Hayls what's outback?"

Annabeth clasped her hands together and moved past Piper, who was now giving Leo the death stare, "That's a great idea, Leo. Come on, Hayley, there's another surprise waiting for you."

Hayley loved a good surprise as much as the next girl, but she was very aware of the mumbled bickering going on between Piper and Leo as she and her mom walked to the back of the house. That kind of put a damper on things. There was definitely something being kept from the little girl, and she had an idea that whatever it was wouldn't be found outback.

"Come on, kiddo," Annabeth said as they reached a little study. Hayley almost missed the door as they walked up to it. The wood of the door matched the wall around it, and a few strayed out plant decorations hid it even more. It was like the room was intentionally being hidden away. Once her mother opened the door, Hayley could see why. It appeared to be a private study- a homey, little room. There was a desk that sat in the middle, surrounded by comfortable looking chairs and giant bookshelves. To the side, there was a giant bay window that let the sun in and overlooked the coastline. A telescope stood off to the right of the window and a globe of the world to the left.

"Wow," The girl breathed out. Hayley stepped into the room and heard her mother chuckle from behind her.

"Just wait," Annabeth took her daughter's hand and lead her to the giant bay window. Annabeth sat down on the cushion while placing the little girl in her lap. She pointed out towards past the water and to an open area that was covered by what looked like to be a camp.

"Is that the camp you've been working on up here?" Hayley asked, eyes still set towards the campground, "It looks beautiful."

From what she could see, the cabins were beautifully designed with different symbols on each building, "What do the different symbols mean?"

"Each camper is placed in a certain cabin based on what you designed your schedule to look like. For example, if you wanted to spend the majority of your summer in the gardens, you could request to be placed in the Grain cabin. It's just to help to keep campers organized," The woman explained, "Obviously you could still participate in the camp singalong with the Lyre cabin, or go swimming with the Triton cabin, but this way you could be focused more on your interests and be surrounded by people who shared them."

"You said you went there, right?" Hayley turned to look back at her mother, "What cabin were you in?"

"I was always in the Owl cabin," Annabeth grinned at the memory, "We spent a lot of our time in the arts and crafts department. We also held the highest number of wins in Capture the Flag."

"Capture the Flag?" The girl stared at her mother with an amused expression, "What's that like?"

Annabeth grinned down at Hayley, "Well, I guess we'll have to go over there one day and let you find out for yourself."

Her daughter's green eyes widened as she jumped from her mother's lap, "Wait, really? I get to go?"

"Well, since we won't be here the whole summer you're not an official camper, but yes. I talked to the activities director and he said they would be happy to have you come down and join in on the fun," she explained, "My only condition is that you aren't allowed to ditch me when your grandma get here. THAT, and I want a ceramic mug."

Hayley wrapped her arms around her mom's neck, "I will, I promise! It'll say Worlds Best Mom and everything."

There were many surprises in store for Hayley Chase this summer, but her daughter finally getting to experience Camp Half-Blood was Annabeth's favorite. With the architect's demanding schedule and her daughter's extracurriculars, the two didn't have a lot of extra time for just them. Summer was when they could be together the most, and no matter how much she wanted her daughter to experience the same joys she did at camp, Annabeth didn't want to send Hayley to the other side of the country without her. And there was no place for Annabeth at camp now.

However, due to her new project being Camp Half-Blood, Annabeth had the perfect excuse to bring her daughter to the place most special to her. She wanted to share her experiences with her daughter. Show her the giant pine tree right at the camp entrance where she would sit under the shade and read. Tell her about the firework show that the camp would have every year. Share every strategy she helped come up with to win almost every game of Capture the Flag. Bring her to the dock where she spent almost every day with a boy. A boy with messy hair and sea-green eyes. Green eyes that Hayley's own resembled. Annabeth wasn't sure if that was a blessing or a curse. Looking into those eyes remained her of the boy she loved. The boy she wanted to build something permanent with. The boy who teased her, encouraged her, and stuck by her no matter what. Her best friend.

The boy who she tried to keep. The boy who she couldn't keep. Annabeth thought fate was a cruel being. For years, the blonde girl just wanted someone who would stay. Someone who wouldn't leave. And when she finally found that someone, life forced the two apart. Although she hadn't seen him in years, Annabeth would still think of that boy and wonder about the man he became. While working at camp, the woman was reminded of him more than ever. The memories -and feelings- they shared.

Yes, Annabeth wanted to share her experiences with her daughter, but she could not share him. Annabeth could not tell Hayley about the boy who was shorter than her for a majority of their youth together, and how he would glare at her when she teased him about it. She could not tell her daughter about the boy who would sit through every one of her architecture rants with a smile. She could not tell her daughter about how he could coax the truth out of her with a single look, and hold her when it hurt too much to talk about.

Annabeth could not tell her daughter about her first love, P-

"Annabeth!" A voice shook the woman from her thoughts. As Annabeth's daughter pulled away from her, she noticed that her once ecstatic expression was now replaced with a look of confusion. And it wasn't hard to figure out why.

When she turned her head towards the voice, Annabeth came face to face with Luke Castellan, her fiancé.

#i decided to edit and post this instead of doing my school work lol #percabeth #percabeth au #percabeth fic #percabeth fanfiction #percy jackson au #percy jackson #annabeth chase #pjo au #pjo #pjo/hoo #pjo/hoo au

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fannishcodex · 4 years ago

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Some sketches/brainstorming for a Role Swap AU where Kipo’s the older, abandoned experimental subject, and a younger Hugo isn’t left behind.

Due to being 17-18 and various other AU reasons, Role Swap!Kipo (or “Futura”) has greater control over transforming her body and can even shift it into more intermediate stages, i.e. looking more like a normal sentient mute like Jamack, the Timbercats, etc.

(Her face reminds me more of a jackal than a jaguar at the moment, but I was honestly enjoying the jackal-esque look more. Also thought it made her look more distinct from her Mega/Full Mega forms, and I was also considering possible subtleties in shapeshifting mechanics. May try to change up her face later though.)

In this Role Swap AU, Project Kipo actually went through official channels and was approved by the DNA Burrow as an alternative to the ongoing failure of the mutagen trials with animal subjects. (Dr. Emilia was outvoted and outmaneuvered.)

More Role Swap AU sketches/brainstorming under the cut:

Song still ends up mutated due to side-effects of the pregnancy and still gets stuck as a Mega after a failed field test on the surface when Project Kipo is one year old. The fallout of that included effectively abandoning Project Kipo, though it didn’t reach the extreme of destroying the specimen. The experimental subject was kept around, generally confined to the labs in response to concerns held by the majority of the DNA Burrow over the high-profile failure and rampant fear it sparked. Emilia tried to find some practical application for the defunct project, over which she now had full control. Lio lost parental rights, and sometimes got approval for limited visits. (One serious escape attempt was made and ended in failure.)

So Kipo is Hugo’s older sister.

Some more detail on AU reasons for Kipo’s greater control over her jaguar shapeshifting and powers: Emilia tried to train her as a tool/weapon from a young age, Kipo was born mutated, Kipo eventually finds another way to balance her jaguar and human sides, BUT she does have an anchor--it’s Hugo. Eventually the thought of him is enough for her to maintain control.

After begging and doing well with academic tutors, a 12-year-old Kipo was allowed to assist with mutagen trials on the animals; she was motivated by something Emilia told her since she was little, that the trials could help cure Kipo of her mutation. Kipo instead ends up bonding with the young mandrill, especially when he does gain sentience. (The formula mutates Hugo faster, happening when he’s a few months old, when he’s smaller/size of a small child and before his facial markings grow in.) Outside of a strained relationship with Lio and a messy, manipulative, abusive situation with Emilia, Kipo has been very isolated. Hugo is someone else to add to her limited social circle, and the mandrill child has shown her the most affection, the simplest and warmest affection. Kipo goes to great lengths to hide she’s a part jaguar mute from Hugo because he is literally the only one in her life who doesn’t know about her mutation, and practically everyone fears her for it and it’s the root of so many of her problems. She even makes Lio promise not to tell Hugo.

When Kipo turns 13, various things lead to a veritable repeat of her mother, with her going completely Mega for the first time and losing all control in spite of Emilia’s brutal safeguards, and Kipo’s separated from Hugo and Lio.

Lio truly cannot find Kipo, but there are other unfortunate factors--an encounter with Mega!Role Swap!Kipo while carrying an unconscious and injured Hugo made Lio truly afraid of his daughter because she looked as lost as Song when she went Mega, she looked ready to devour them both and he realized how very much he could not bear that fate for Hugo. After everything, Lio’s rather colder in this AU, more cynical, but he realizes he’s truly grown to see Hugo as his youngest child, and he becomes so utterly afraid that Kipo’s jaguar side will end up killing Hugo. And Lio knows how much Kipo cares for Hugo, it would be too awful if she accidentally killed him while not in her right mind. And Lio remembers Song lost inside her Mega mutation, it looks like the same has happened to Kipo. Lio tries to take an extended search for her, and leaves Hugo behind with some *allies they made, but--well, Hugo still has the mutated pheromones, and Emilia eventually figures that out. Lio and co. rescue Hugo from Emilia, and Lio just--Lio just can’t leave Hugo alone like that again, he has to stay and protect him (especially since Emilia escaped again). And Lio remembers Song losing her self when she went Mega, he believes the same has happened to Kipo...

Even when Hugo grows older, Lio resists telling him the whole truth because he doesn’t want his youngest to even try looking for a Mega Jaguar mute for fear he’ll only get himself eaten by a Mega who’s lost all sense of her former self.

(*More on these allies in the AU later, but I think they can be guessed...)

For various AU reasons, Role Swap!Kipo travels way up north (San Praesidia) and falls in with a gang of big cats--lions, tigers, cheetahs, etc. She eventually becomes their leader when she gains better control over her powers and can overwhelm them with her great strength as a Mega. With Kipo commanding them, they eventually conquer their northern surroundings, and then start moving down to Las Vistas. The big cat gang is generally fashion forward and fixated on something like modernism, and they become even more inclined toward the future when Kipo/”Futura” takes over.

(Kipo decides on “Futura” due to reading up more on Song’s research after she returned once to the ruined DNA Burrow before she wound up in the north. Her mother’s references to Kipo as “the future of humanity” left an impression on her...)

By 17-18, Role Swap!Kipo appears visibly cheerful and very eccentric and enjoys trying on different outfits and music. While awkward and earnest in her initial attempts with others on the surface, after having a pivotal mental breakdown before she took control over the big cat gang, she’s now better at manipulating others with charm and chatter besides always having Mega force at her disposal. She dabbles in chemistry, but loathes astronomy. (She still made a replica of Hugo’s star blanket during one of her low moods, she only likes that stylized image of stars in relation to her brother.) Her hatred for Emilia is more clear and more intense now. She hates every human from the DNA Burrow. She pretty much loathes all humans. She hates Lio for the abandonment after she destroyed the burrow, but even more for what happened before and for helping mutate her in the first place and turning her into a living science experiment. She hates Song more than Lio, though she’s never properly met her--actually, because she’s never properly met her.

(Completely off topic: Yes I got tired and just made all the Role Swap!Kipo sketches pink. XD But I also thought it was a little stylistically nice? Also felt Hugo needed more colors because of distinctive mandrill markings, not just ‘cause he’s my fav? I mean, I’m pretty sure there was more to it, but who knows what my gut really felt. XD)

Role Swap!Hugo is sweet, shy, earnest, awkward, and very anxious. He tries to hide his mutated pheromones, which Lio and allies they’ve made on the surface have told him to only use for emergencies, and to be mindful that it only works on primates, it won’t help him with everyone. He’s very fond of the dark-feathered flamingo twins he tamed enough and befriended enough to ride, and whom he named Evangeline and Katherine. He enjoys music, art, history, reading, and historical fashion...he still has a soft spot for kings and such, but definitely doesn’t think it would ever be for him just due to public speaking alone, and he also prefers to keep that between him and the memory of his sister, whom he still deeply misses and grieves.

Role Swap!Hugo loves Lio, but things can get strained between them due to trauma in their family history, lingering insecurities, heavy issues, like--as he gets older, Role Swap!Hugo knows Lio is refusing to tell him everything that happened in the DNA Burrow, and Hugo feels he’s old enough to know the truth, if him being too young was Lio’s only reason for secrecy. And...and Hugo’s old enough to try looking for Kipo, maybe she’s alive and missing; Hugo knows he was too young before, but he’s older now, why doesn’t father even want to try?... But Hugo guiltily reconsiders and worries it’s too much for Lio who was able to really search before, and Lio maybe just can’t deal with anymore heartache.

But Role Swap!Hugo wants to try...

Role Swap!Kipo is very convinced she’s right. When she finally reunites with Hugo, she’s convinced she knows what’s best for her baby brother, and she thinks it’ll be better for Hugo if Lio were out of the picture because he was one of several scientists who experimented on both of them. That’s unforgivable, unavoidable. There’s no ignoring that. And making things worse, Lio still has too much control over Hugo--how can her poor brother ever be free of Lio if he’s still around? No, their dad should be out of the picture, just like Song.

(Hugo had dreamed of Kipo’s survival, but he had never imagined this.)

#kipo and the age of wonderbeasts #scarlemagne #kipo oak #hugo oak #kataowb #my fanart #my fanfic #role swap au

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theelliottsmiths · 4 years ago

Note

Can you liveblog the Mein Teil making of? Thank you!!

How many of these were from the same person? It doesn't matter but it is funny

Okay Mein Teil Making of liveblog

Sidenote I once rated all their performances if that interests you

I will try not to mention Zoran

Till looks good with that face distortion somehow

I was obsessed with the story of Armin Meiwes as a young teen. It's fascinating, and so easy to reason yourself into not thinking he really did anything wrong once you learn it was done with consent and the consent was key (when others before Brandes met up with him to mess around and turned him down he didn't push it because the willingness was super important to the whole point etc). I'm not. That's not me saying I approve.

Have you noticed that pretty much all of the stuff people don't like morally about this video (the slapping and blowjob, primarily) don't properly make it into the video? They aren't in it enough for it to actually have been necessary. The slapping is so choppy that there was no reason to actually hit him at all.

"This song is very homoerotic" and then he gets a woman to do the Lustful Acts with Till? Shameful. Cowardice.

Jonas would be Disgusted

The little ja from Till is very cute though.

Also? Porn AU

Till looks so nervous

Zoran please stop stroking her. We know you were excited and couldn't sleep please keep it to yourself.

I can never decide if I like this denim jacket on Richard. It looks silly especially with the collar doing that but it's just so cute

And he's a sweetheart his lisp is so strong here

I'm not even watching the slapping it's so unnecessary and he's crying a tiny bit and Zoran is being so odd about watching it back

Paul seeing his costume and thinking no this isn't good enough and fixing it is such a Paul thing to do. He wasn't wrong.

I hope he bought her some more of the makeup

Something about Richard being picked up and manhandled like a mannequin in a Primark kills me but also... :)

I think I know why he did wrestling as a teen

Genuinely I am not even going after Zoran for the usual stuff I just on an artistic level do not understand why we needed Tills scenes to be this soggy attempt at sex and violence it's genuinely, through no fault of his or her own, the worst segment in the entire video. It just... Abandons the disconnected dissociative feeling of the rest of it and has him doing whatever gets a certain persons rocks off

They should have stuck with the collar and distortion it was... Very nice

I'm not gonna say it but I do not agree morally

Is that a clove

You know, I've always wondered why Richard didn't smoke cloves. He smokes those American spirit yellow ones now For Health (presumably) but cloves do fit the aesthetic he's going for during working hours

He just watched till get and presumably give a blowjob, lit up a cigarette, and is talking in breathy tones you cannot tell me he wasn't getting off on it

"it was very important we were alone for this blowjob that barely even makes it into the video"

Unlike all the other directors the way he goes about his crush is not very good it's quite bad actually

Paul and Oli both having their scenes based in Japanese dance styles is interesting and I do think that was a good move

That one bit of his hair sticking up fuck how does he never escape looking silly?

Don't care for the spit fountain

Why does he say stop complaining in English when the guy was speaking in German does it just have a better vibe?

It's very cute either way I like Richards flirting concentration faces. You can hear him go hhhhh as he looks at the guy just before they turn to compare. And the camp little hands when they turn back also

Paul does some good faces huh

"I didn't have to change my ways, I just did things the way I normally do them"

As in all of their videos, only a few may look good at once. Today is Richard and Schneiders turn, with Till and Flake also looking Pretty Good.

The way Richard is looking at Zoran is so full of what now registers as distaste

Zoran is right here about it being brave for them to have put themselves out there like that and I will allow him some space to be wanky about art because they're the ones doing it. The fact he/it focuses on Schneider in a way that makes me crave an autobiography from schneider/all of them because clearly there's a Something there beyond him just being very androgynous and therefore suited

What he stole from us by giving Till a female angel he made up for with Richard's whole wrestling thing. Entangled. Homoerotic.

Schneider does an incredibly Till face when he's checking the blouse

I'd love to know how consciously connected to this whole thing growing his hair out was

Maybe Richard... Should do more wrestling

Richard and his double kissed but that footage was not left in the final video. Zoran strikes again.

The ja is so cute Why did Richard and Till both do a similar and very cute Ja in this video?

Schneider this entire video:

He's sure he won't be doing much, just be a bit more woman. Given the way Rammstein tends to portray women... Yeah I mean. Yeah.

I would like the full uncut footage of Schneider and Richards parts for uh it's for a project it's super secret you won't have heard if it but I do need that footage.

What happened fifteen years ago, Richard?

Poor baby :(

Zoran still creeping behind the camera

Thighs

Maybe Zoran and I aren't so different unfortunately

I would have loved to see how schneider and the others reacted upon seeing his part

One of them he was tucked so naturally...

How did they act when they saw him on his back legs akimbo I have got to know

He's so bashful

I'm sure they've seen it before

The eye contact.

He is so tickled

Oli is very much acting as if nothing is wrong, maybe to a greater degree than how he is usually

Olis control over his own body really sells his whole performance it almost makes me not detest the toe thing

Paul is complaining and wishing to Influence again and I understand this impulse well

Was Sweden particularly bad for that?

He suits his hair long and down like that

Flakes eye-smile gave it away but everything he says in this is just my favourite

He makes eye contact with the camera just after the dude says chimeras and oh.

I hope he understands that he is incredibly pretty. That's why he's a ballerina I have to assume

"it's rare to dance with as much commitment as I did" I will drop to one knee and hold out a ring do not try me flake

Zoran is doing that thing directors do where he's trying to justify something he chose for purely horny reasons. Ask Jonas about the tongues I'm sure a lot of artistry is involved

I'm being uncharitable it is an overarching theme and I am the one giving the mud fight that significance

But I mean come on now, the mud fighting.

Till is talking so softly is he okay

Is there any better feeling than hearing them talk about how they're getting on better as a group than ever? I think no.

Schneider is me watching the mud fighting

Richard and Tills little bits of fighting you can catch here and there are especially good and I just. Look. Listen. Look and listen. They should wrestle each other for a video for Let's Go. They fight and wrestle and then...

I love this living song metaphorical soup coming from Paul

Richard so gently pinning flake down...........

As a drummer, I simply refused

Insert the quote and out the original Feeling b drummer being incapable of doing anything if it was good

Oli genuinely seemed more comfortable almost naked and covered in make up which actually makes total sense in general and for him huh

The way Till shakes his hair out like a dog kills me it's second nature to him look at him go

I want them to watch the making ofs for Mein Teil and Keine Lust and react to them because a lot of what they're saying is pretty much what they've been saying over the past couple of years about the new album.

Flake is Helping Richard. Flake in

Okay no see so have you watched the video for All the Things She Said/Ya Soshla s Uma by tatu? Or like that fuckinn that one Tom Holland thing where he's in the rain being slutty or whatever?

This isn't wrestling this is wrestling. And very tender.

They're so much more gentle with their wrestling than I feel most people would assume they'd be? Or I just think that because I have siblings and there is no holding back when you first fight those fools.

Puppies!

That kiss sure was awkward huh

Mein Teil is a very good video and making of if you remove Till's main part and Zoran being unnerving.

#hündchen #Rammstein #liveblog #me rambling #complete liveblog

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aristocraticvision · 4 years ago

Text

Chapter 47: Revelations

“How the hell did all of this get out, Asheford?” Stephen said, anger apparent in his voice as he studied the newspapers in front of him. “Dear god, look at these headlines: Prince Stephen sells off art collection, puchases $10 million in jewelry for new fiancé; Sovereign sacrifices Westonian heritage for personal gain; National Assembly should investigate misuse of crown assets!”

“I am so sorry, your royal highness,” Asheford replied, his face pale. “I do not know how this could have happened. I had assurances from everyone involved in the auctions that the transactions would remain confidential. And I have no idea how anyone could have learned about your jewelry purchase. Are you sure you didn’t mention it to anyone?”

“Positive,” Stephen said. “I told no one, and I can guarantee you that Van Doorne would never breathe a word to anyone!”

“Are you certain of that, sir?” Asheford said.

“Positive,” Stephen replied. “He gave me a significant discount on the items, which, I assume, is not something he would like to share. And besides, he’s been waiting years to be awarded a royal warrant as jeweler to the crown – and part of that agreement is that all purchases are confidential. I simply don’t believe he’d take the risk of losing that status – not when he’s just finally achieved it!”

The door opened and the dowager princess stormed in.

“Have you seen the papers?” Marie asked angrily.

“Yes,” Stephen said. “That’s what we’ve been talking about.”

“I can’t believe you sold off part of the collection, Stephen!” Marie said. “That collection is the result of generations of careful stewardship, and to sell off ….”

“It was only a dozen items, mother,” Stephen said. “And it was necessary to compensate for the money I committed to the Grenville Bay project. What I can’t figure out is how they found out about the jewelry. I didn’t tell anyone about that – not even you!”

The color drained from Marie’s face.

“It couldn’t be,” she said, mostly to herself.

“What?” Stephen asked. “Mother? What did you do?”

“I mentioned the jewelry to Lady Cora Wellesley,” Marie said, and then shook her head. “No! Cora has been a dear friend for many years, Stephen. I’m sure she wouldn’t have divulged the price to anyone!”

“How did you even know the price?” Stephen asked, puzzled.

“I was here when they delivered both sets and signed off on the delivery,” she replied. “The price was on the paperwork.”

“And you’re certain that Lady Cora was the only one you told?” Stephen asked.

“Yes,” Marie replied, sitting down. “I’m positive. But Cora has always been extremely trustworthy. She would never share such a confidence with the press. Perhaps with her husband, but never with the press!”

Stephen looked to Asheford and both nodded.

“I had heard Lord Wellesley was displeased with your actions on the Grenville Bay project,” Asheford said. “But I’d never have guessed he would make such an overt attempt to discredit you.”

“Lord Wellesley?” Marie asked, incredulous. “But he has always been such a loyal friend to our family!”

“I’m afraid times have changed, mother,” Stephen said.

“But why would he do such a thing?” Marie asked.

“Because he is afraid, ma’am,” Asheford answered. “Your son has done well since taking the throne. In fact, in Wellesely’s opinion, too well. Your husband – God rest his soul – was satisfied to remain a figurehead, despite the considerable power the crown holds. But Stephen has chosen to wield that power. At the moment, he has greater public support than any monarch in recent memory. To Wellesley, that poses a threat – not only to the assembly’s power and prestige, but to his own, as the assembly’s senior statesman.”

“But he must know that I would never threaten the stability of Weston by pushing the National Assembly aside,” Stephen said. “Does he honestly think I’m trying to return us to an autocratic form of government?”

“I doubt even Wellesley thinks that,” Asheford said. “But you must remember that any power concentrated in royal hands diminishes the power of the assembly – and, in turn – his own.”

“Then we shall have to figure out a way to discredit the charges without doing further damage to the National Assembly itself,” Stephen said.

“I believe I have an idea that might work,” Marie said, standing. “But first, I must apologize, Stephen.”

“Apologize?” Stephen asked.

“From the moment you succeeded your father, I thought you would require my help and advice to help you rule wisely,” she said. “But you have needed nothing. In just a few months, you have done more for Weston than I could have possibly imagined, and amassed extraordinary power and influence for the throne. You are, indeed, a formidable ruler. Your father would be so proud of you.”

Stephen was speechless. “Why … thank you, mother. All I’ve ever wanted is to make you and father proud.”

“Oh, Stephen,” Marie replied with a smile. “You’ve done that and more.”

“Your idea, ma’am?” Asheford prompted.

“Oh, yes,” Marie said. “It’s simple, actually. In fact, it plays on Stephen’s greatest strength.”

BEGINNING | PREV | NEXT

Continent of Oceana | History of Weston

#TS4 #ts4 royal family #ts4 royal legacy #ts4 royalty #ts4 monarchy #Principality of Weston #HRH Prince Stephen III #Oceana Stories #ts4 royal simblr

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stereostevie · 4 years ago

Link

“I sacrificed the quality of my life to help people experience something that had been unreachable before then,” Grammy winner says in rare interview

In the late Nineties, the story of popular music became the story of Ms. Lauryn Hill. She first rose to fame as an actress and a member of the Fugees, whose second and final album, 1996’s The Score, remains one of that decade’s biggest albums. Then, at just 22 years old, Hill took a huge leap and decided to go solo. Released in 1998, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill filled clubs, radio stations, and MTV with her smooth voice and biting rhymes. Hill herself became as big as her music, appreciated in the fashion world and sought after by movie executives for roles she would eventually decline.

Miseducation took home five Grammy Awards and led to a huge tour. But by the early 2000s, Ms. Hill left behind the fame and the industry almost entirely. She has never released another studio album; her last full-length release was MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 from 2002, where she performed new songs in an acoustic style to a largely tepid reception.

The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill lives on. More than 20 years after its release, it is still regarded as one of the best albums ever made, landing at Number 10 on Rolling Stone’s voter-based 500 Greatest Albums of All Time List this past fall. Many of her songs continue to permeate culture, like the single “Ex-Factor,” which has been sampled or interpolated on major hits by Drake and Cardi B. Beyond that, the album’s impact on multiple generations of musicians is unmistakeable. Everyone from Rihanna to St. Vincent has cited Hill as having heavily influenced their own music.

The years that followed Miseducation have been complicated. After the album’s release, some of Hill’s collaborators filed a lawsuit claiming she did not properly credit them for their contributions; that suit was settled out of court three years later on undisclosed terms. In 2012, she was charged with tax fraud, and went on to serve three months in prison. More recently, she has found herself back on the road more frequently, sporadically releasing music but mostly basking in the collective love and power of Miseducation through special performances of the album.

For the latest episode of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums podcast, Ms. Hill granted a rare interview on the making of Miseducation as well as what happened after. Over e-mail, she spoke candidly about protecting her family and the little support she had after her first album cycle ended. Excerpts from the interview can be heard in the podcast episode, available on Amazon Music, along with tales from several of the musicians who were part of those sessions, like “Commissioner Gordon” Williams, Lenesha Randolph, and Vada Nobles. Ms. Hill’s written responses are here in full.

When you began recording Miseducation, you were 22 and already experiencing immense success with the Fugees. What were you hoping to prove with this album? As far as proving myself goes, I think that’s a larger and more involved story best told at a later time, but I will say that the success of the Fugees absolutely set up The Miseducation to be as big and as well received as it was. When I decided that I wanted to try a solo project I was met with incredible resistance and discouragement from a number of places that should have been supportive, so that had a motivating factor, but it was less about proving myself and more about creating something I wanted to see and hear exist in the world. There were ideas, notions and concepts that I wanted to exist, I set off in a particular direction and kept going. Initially, I intended to work with other producers and artists but found that what I wanted to say and hear may have been too idiosyncratic at the time to just explain it and have someone else try to make it. It had to be made in a more custom manner. The team of people who would ultimately be involved, we all witnessed as it took form. It was unique and exciting.

You’ve said you found yourself especially creative during your pregnancy. How did that experience shape you as a songwriter?

It’s a wild thing to say but I was left alone during my pregnancies for the most part. It was like all of the people with all of their demands had to check themselves when I was pregnant. The resulting peace may have contributed to that sense of feeling more creative. I was pregnant with my first child during the making of The Miseducation and the situation was complicated, so I was motivated to find more stability and safety for myself and for my child, that definitely pushed me to disregard what appeared as limitations. If I struggled to fight for myself, I had someone else to fight for. This also introduced my first son’s father, Rohan Marley, into the picture, who at that time, was a protective presence. If there were people or forces attempting to prevent me from creating, he played a role in helping to keep that at bay.

During those times especially, I always wanted to be a motivator of positive change. It’s in all of my lyrics, that desire to see my community get out of its own way, identify and confront internal and external obstacles, and experience the heights of Love and self-Love that provoke transformation. I sang from that place and chose to share the joy and ecstasy of it, as well as the disappointments, entanglements and life lessons that I had learned at that point. I basically started out as a young sage lol.

When you look back on it now, is Miseducation the album you intended it to be? I’ve always been pretty critical of myself artistically, so of course there are things I hear that could have been done differently, but the LOVE in the album, the passion, its intention is, to me, undeniable. I think my intention was simply to make something that made my foremothers and forefathers in music and social and political struggle know that someone received what they’d sacrificed to give us, and to let my peers know that we could walk in that truth, proudly and confidently. At that time, I felt like it was a duty or responsibility to do so. I saw the economic and educational gaps in black communities and although I was super young myself, I used that platform to help bridge those gaps and introduce concepts and information that “we” needed even if “we” didn’t know “we” wanted it yet. Of course I’m referring to the proverbial “we.” These things had an enormous value to me and I cherished them from a very young age.

I also think the album stood apart from the types and cliches that were supposed to be acceptable at that time. I challenged the norm and introduced a new standard. I believe The Miseducation did that and I believe I still do this — defy convention when the convention is questionable. I had to move faster and with greater intention though than the dysfunctional norms that were well-established and fully funded then. I was apparently perceived by some as making trouble and being disruptive rather than appreciated for introducing solutions and options to people who hadn’t had them, for exposing beauty where oppression once reigned, and demonstrating how well these different cultural paradigms could work together. The warp speed I had to move at in order to defy the norm put me and my family under a hyper-accelerated, hyper-tense, and unfortunately under-appreciated pace. I sacrificed the quality of my life to help people experience something that had been unreachable before then. When I saw people struggle to appreciate what that took, I had to pull back and make sure I and my family were safe and good. I’m still doing that.

This album permeated culture in a way that few albums have before it existed and made you a massive star. How were you handling the public gaze at the time? There were definitely things I enjoyed about stardom, but there were definitely things I didn’t enjoy. I think most people appreciate being recognized and appreciated for their work and sacrifice. That, to me, is a given, but living a real life is essential for anyone trying to stay connected to reality and continue making things that truly affect people. This becomes increasingly harder to do in the “space” people try to place “stars” in.

The pedestal, to me, is as much about containment and control as it is adulation. Finding balance, clarity and sobriety can be very hard for some to maintain. For example, being yes’d to death isn’t good, and people fear stardom can only result in this, but if the actual answer is yes, being told no just to not appear a yes-man is silly. Never being told no if the answer is no by people afraid to disappoint will obviously also distort the mirror in which we view ourselves. On the other hand, a person with a vision can be way ahead, so people may say no with conviction and resist what they fear only to find out later that they were absolutely wrong.

The idea of artist as public property, I also always had a problem with that. I agreed to share my art, I’m not agreeing necessarily to share myself. The entitlement that people often feel, like they somehow own you, or own a piece of you, can be incredibly dangerous. I chafe under any kind of control like that and resist expectations that suggest I should somehow dumb-down and be predictable to make people feel comfortable rather than authentically express myself. I also resist unrealistic expectations placed on me by people who would never place those same requirements on themselves. I can be as diplomatic and as patient as I possibly can be. I can’t, however, sell myself short through constant self-deprecation and shrinking.

“The entitlement that people often feel, like they somehow own you, or own a piece of you, can be incredibly dangerous.”

Is there a version of “Lauryn Hill” that you feel people expected of you, and how did that compare to how you saw yourself? Absolutely, which I touched upon in the answers before this one. Life is life, to be lived, experienced and enjoyed with all of its dynamism and color. If you do something well that people enjoy, often they want the same experience over and over. A real person can be stifled and their growth completely stunted trying to do this without balance. It’s not a fair thing to ask of anyone. We all have to grow, we all have to express ourselves with as much fullness and integrity as we can manage. The celebrity is often treated like a sacrifice, the fatted calf, then boxed in and harshly judged for very normal and natural responses to abnormal circumstances.

I saw someone lambasted once for discussing episodes of anxiety before going on stage, as if anxiety was only a condition of the non-famous. It was absurd, like someone with a record out can’t get a common cold. Someone in love with the art doesn’t not experience fear or anxiety, they just do their best to transcend it or work beyond it so that the art or the passion can be made manifest. Some days are better than others. For some people it gets easier, for some it doesn’t. The unfairness, the harshness was excessive to me. I didn’t like how I was being treated at a certain point. I just wasn’t being treated well and definitely not in accordance with someone who’d contributed what I had. I had a ton of jealousy and competitiveness to contend with. That can exhaust or frustrate your efforts to make anything besides primal scream music, 😊.

Provoking that kind of aggravation was probably intentional. You have to find reasons to still do it, when you’re exposed to the ugly. People often think it’s ok to project whatever they want to on someone they perceive as having “it all” or “having so/too much.” Hero worship can be an excuse for not taking care of your own sh#t. The flip side of that adulation can turn severely ugly, aggressive, and hostile if people make another person responsible for their sense of self-worth. You can either take that abuse or say no to it. After subjecting myself to it for years, I started to say no, and then no turned into hell no, then hell no turned into f#ck no…you get my point. 😊

If you could talk to yourself at 22 now, what would you say? I’d share the things I do now with my 22-year-old self. If I had known what I know now, things would probably have unfolded differently. I would have continued to invest in people but I would have made sure I had people with the love, strength, and integrity around me to really keep their eye on the prize and my well-being. The world is full of seduction and if they can’t seduce you, they go after the people you love or depend on in some way. I would have with greater understanding tried to do more to insulate myself and my loved ones from that kind of attack.

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Looking back on that period of your life, do you have any regrets?

I have some periods of woe, some periods of sorrow and great pain, yes, but regret is tough because I ended up with a clarity I might not have been able to achieve any other way. I would have done a few things differently though if I could go back. I would have done my best to shield myself so that I could better shield my children. I would have rejected the manipulation, unfair force and pressure put on me much earlier. I would have benefitted from having more awareness about the dangers of fame. I would have been more communicative with everyone truly involved with The Miseducation and fought hard for the importance of candid expression. I would have demanded what I needed and removed people antagonistic to that sooner than I did.

You have released music since Miseducation and have continued to play live. Do you ever foresee releasing another full-length studio album? The wild thing is no one from my label has ever called me and asked how can we help you make another album, EVER…EVER. Did I say ever? Ever! With The Miseducation, there was no precedent. I was, for the most part, free to explore, experiment and express. After The Miseducation, there were scores of tentacled obstructionists, politics, repressing agendas, unrealistic expectations, and saboteurs EVERYWHERE. People had included me in their own narratives of THEIR successes as it pertained to my album, and if this contradicted my experience, I was considered an enemy.

Artist suppression is definitely a thing. I won’t go too much into it here, but where there should have been overwhelming support, there wasn’t any. I began touring because I needed the creative outlet and to support myself and my family. People were more interested in breaking me or using me to battery-power whatever they had going on than to support my creativity. I create at the speed and flow of my inspiration, which doesn’t always work in a traditional system. I have always had to custom build what I’ve needed in order to get things done. The lack of respect and willingness to understand what that is, or what I need to be productive and healthy, doesn’t really sit well with me. When no one takes the time to understand, but only takes the time to count the money the fruit of this process produces, things can easily turn bad. Mistreatment, abuse, and neglect happen. I wrote an album about systemic racism and how it represses and stunts growth and harms (all of my albums have probably addressed systemic racism to some degree), before this was something this generation openly talked about. I was called crazy. Now…over a decade later, we hear this as part of the mainstream chorus. Ok, so chalk some of it up to leadership and how that works — I was clearly ahead, but you also have to acknowledge the blatant denial that went down with that. The public abuse and ostracizing while suppressing and copying what I had done, (I protested) with still no real acknowledgement that all of that even happened, is a lot.

“I wrote an album about systemic racism… before this was something this generation openly talked about. I was called crazy.”

I continue to tour and share with audiences all over the world, but I also full-time work on the trauma, stifling, and stunting that came with all of that and how my family and I were affected. In many ways, we’re living now, making up for years where we couldn’t be as free as we should have been able to. I had to break through a ton of unjust resistance, greed, fear and just plain human ugliness. Little else can rival freedom for me. If being a superstar means living a repressed life where people will only work with you or invest in your work if they can manipulate and control you, then I’m not sure how important music gets made without some tragic set of events following. I don’t subscribe to that.

Lastly, I appreciate the people who were moved by this body of work, which really represented a lifetime — up to that point — of love, experience, wisdom, family and community investment in me, the summation of my experience from relationships, my dreams, inspirations, aspirations and God’s ever-present grace and Love in my life through the lens of my 20-something but wise-sage existence, lol. I dreamed big, I didn’t think of limits, I really only thought of the creative possibilities and addressing the needs as I saw them at that time. I also had the support of a community of talented artists, thinkers, and doers, friends and family around me. Their primary efforts (THEN) seemed to be to help clear a path and to help protect. However, when you effectively create something powerful enough to move the bulls#t out of the way, all kinds of forces and energies may not like that. They may seek to corrupt and discourage, to disrupt and distract, to divide, and sabotage…but we bore witness to the fact that this happened — a young, black woman through hip-hop culture, a legacy of soul, Spirit and an appreciation for education and educating others communicated love and timeless and necessary messages to the world.

The music business can be an industry of entanglements, where a small number of people are expected to be responsible for a very large number of people. It’s hard to find fairness in a situation like that. Now, I look for as much equity and fairness as possible. I appreciate being loved for my contributions to music, but it’s important to be loved for who you are as a person just as much, and that can be a delicate but extremely important balance to achieve. Experiencing that is important to me.

#black women #fame #hip-hop #lauryn hill #ms. lauryn hill #music #music industry #r&b #robert glasper #rollingstone #soul #the fugees #the miseducation of lauryn hill

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animeniacss · 4 years ago

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A Palette of Emotions - Artist!Taehyung x Teacher!Reader - Chapter 6 - Art Class

Synopsis: Taehyung dreams of being a professional and famous artist one day, but finds that the sea of creativity can be lurking with blood hungry sharks, as well as bland, motionless starfish. Swimming through the sea of opportunities somehow washed him up onto the shore of Bright Star Preschool, as an art teacher. This wasn’t where he expected to be 4 years into his career, but anything to get his big break though, right?

Feat. BTS, TXT, ITZY, Jisoo (BlackPink), Taeyong (NCT)

Genre: Romance, Slow Burn, Love Triangle, Drama, School Setting, Working!AU

Length: approx. 5.2k words

Chapter 6 - Art Class

Taehyung had to admit, he was excited for the first day. Decorating the welcome banner with the kids through painting was something that everyone seemed to get behind, especially the kids. Taehyung looked around, holding a clipboard in his hands as he headed towards the paint. He still had a few things left to set up, but he wanted to learn their names so he could get started. As he was fumbling about, Hoseok tapped his shoulder.

“I’ll set up the rest of the paint, go meet the kids.” He said happily, grinning. Taehyung nodded, hurrying back towards the group of children anxiously waiting for their instructions.

“Okay,” Taehyung said, plopping himself right beside Yuna, who was grinning ear to ear. “I’ll take attendance so I can learn everyone’s name.”

“You already know my name,” Yuna interjected, and Taehyung smiled.

“I know I do.”

“Well, my name is Kai!” Kai said quickly, lifting his hand.

“I’m Yeonjun!” Before Taehyung knew it, the kids were eagerly shouting out their names in hopes that Taehyung could remember them. As he looked around as the shouting children, he laughed a bit, somewhat out of amusement, but mostly out of nervousness. He had no idea how to settle these kids, and he didn’t want to mess up day one. However, a loud clap rang through the room and it all went silent almost immediately. You could almost hear a pin drop. The kids looked towards the sound of the clap, as did Taehyung, and saw none other than Hoseok. This was the first time Taehyung saw Hoseok with anything other than a grin on his face, as a stern frown stood in its usual spot.

“Boys and girls, you’re being very rude shouting at Mr. Kim! He can’t learn all your names if you all yell them at once! I don’t know if Teacher will be happy if she comes back and finds out you’re already being rude, huh?”

“…Yes, Mr. Hobi…” The kids mumbled, shifting back to their sitting positions. Hoseok nodded.

“Good. Now listen, or there’s not going to be any painting.” Taehyung saw Hoseok look at him, and almost as quickly as the clap, Hoseok’s grin returned on his face. “There you go.”

“Uh, thank you…” Taehyung nodded. “Okay…” Lifting his clipboard, he began to read off the names. Students such as Yeji, Soobin, Taehyun, and Yuna, provided polite little greetings and hellos, while rambunctious students such as Beomgyu, Kai, and Ryujin were throwing their hands up with a great big cheer and an even greater big hello. It made Taehyung smile. “Alright, so today I just want to learn about who you all are. We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other. So, what’s a better way than finger painting?” The kids gasped, a few having to cover their mouths to avoid whispering about how excited they were. “Mr. Hobi is putting all of the paint into plates that we’ll have on the floor for you to use, but we need to make sure we’re keeping the paint on this paper okay?” Taehyung pointed to the paper. “Everyone put your hands on it.” The kids immediately leaned forward, their hands slapping onto the paper. “Say ‘I’m going to keep the paint on the paper!’”

“I’M GOING TO KEEP THE PAINT ON THE PAPER!” The sea of children screamed in unison, grinning. Taehyung chuckled as he got up.

“Perfect.” Taehyung stood up, walking over to Hoseok, who was beginning to set paper plates full of different colored paints on the floor, giving the children easy access to a wide variety of colors. “I want you to decorate the entire banner, then when it dries, we can hang it back up!” The kids wasted no time, sticking their hands in the colorful goo before smearing it across the white banner before them. Taehyung stood above the children, watching as they scribbled and drew whatever came to mind as far as their arms could reach. As he walked past Chaeryeong, he plopped down beside her, making her lookup. “What are you making?”

“I’m making a princess.” She said, pointing to the crudely drawn figure, whose head was slightly too big for the dainty dress, yet whose twig arms and legs shot out of the dress like arrows being fired from their bow.

“Oh, a princess. She just needs her crown.” Taehyung pointed to the little spot above her head, and Chaeryeong nodded, pointing to the yellow paint that was currently being used by Yeonjun and Jisu, who made sure to include that she preferred to go by her nickname Lia.

“I’m waiting.” She said happily. Taehyung smiled a bit as he got up, continuing to watch the rest of the kids as they painted. With every step he took, every enjoyable squeal and giggle coming from the mouths of these children, the color was spreading all over the page, personality and imagination pouring out of the hands of preschoolers. As he passed by Seokjin, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re doing a great job.” He said. “This project is a great introduction for everyone and it’s going to look cute when it dries.” Taehyung felt as if a huge weight fell off of his shoulders, and he grinned.

“Thank you.” He said. “I’m just glad that the children like this.”

“These kids never finger paint,” Hoseok said. “It’s too messy.” Taehyung raised an eyebrow curiously.

“Yeah, that’s the point.” He said. “I’ll never understand why she’s such a stickler for that stuff.” Suddenly, it happened.

“Oops.”

“Uh-oh.”

“Mr. Kim!”

“You’re in so much trouble, Yeonjunie…” These scattered mutters of stunned children were suddenly overshadowed by a sound of light sniffling. When the three teachers looked in the direction of the noise, their eyes widened. Chaeryeong was sitting in front of her picture of the princess, and Taehyung immediately noticed the problem. On top of her adorable pink princess was a splatter of yellow paint. Not only that, but her little preschool uniform was covered in the yellow goo as well, some of it tangled in the tips of her hair. Yeonjun sat beside her, eyes widened. His hands were covered with yellow paint, lifted in Chaeryeong’s direction. He immediately looked towards the teachers, watching as Taehyung walked over.

“I didn’t mean to…” he said softly. “I just turned to fast. I promise…” Taehyung could hear the trembling in his voice as he knelt beside the whimpering and sniffling Chaeryeong.

“Are you okay?” he asked gently. She looked up at him, sniffling.

“He flicked me with my paint and ruined my picture!” She hiccupped, unable to control her tears.

“No!” Yeonjun said quickly. “It was an accident!” Taehyung scanned the rest of the children, who were staring intensely at the scene before them, wanting to know what the outcome would be. Taehyung leaned over to one of the tables, grabbing a little box of tissues. He pulled a few out and handed them to the sniffling little girl.

“Wipe yourself up, okay?” He said gently. “I’ll tell your teacher and we can get you cleaned up…” Chaeryeong, finding herself calmed by Taehyung’s deep and gentle voice, took the tissues and attempted to clean herself up. Taehyung used a tissue to get some of the paint out of her hair before it began to dry. “There we go.” The two of them looked down at her pink princess, the adorable drawing now given a slash of yellow paint across the dress, strawberry lemonade instead of just an adorable little strawberry. “Do you want to remake your princess on another part of the banner?” Chaeryeong nodded, wiping her eyes.

“Mhm…” she said softly. Taehyung nodded, offering his hand to her. The little girl put her hand in his and got up, following him to a different part of the banner, where there was still an ample amount of room for her to redo her picture. When she sank back down onto the floor, she leaned towards a plate of red paint, dipping her fingers inside as she got right back to work. Taehyung still noticed her glossy eyes and could see she was still upset and embarrassed about what happened. His eyes immediately lifted to Yeonjun, who was turned to Hoseok, trying to explain himself. He too had glossy eyes and a quivering lip.

“It was an accident, Mr. Hobi, promise.” He choked out. Hoseok nodded.

“I know but we need to be careful,” Hoseok said gently, motioning to the abandoned picture. “See what happens when we don’t listen to the rules?” Yeonjun nodded.

“…What should you say?” Taehyung asked, making both Hoseok and Yeonjun look at him. When he noticed the slight confusion on the child’s face, he offered a slight smile. “What do you say when you do something wrong?”

“…Sorry, Chaeryeong,” Yeonjun called. The little girl looked up.

“It’s okay…” she said. “I made her dress even bigger now…” Yeonjun leaned forward slightly from the other side of the banner to try and take a look. “I’m not sad no more.” She assured, grinning a bit. Taehyung sighed, running a hand through his hair as the children finally got back to work.

“That’s just one of the millions of issues you’ll come across, I’m sure,” Seokjin said, patting Taehyung on the shoulder with a supportive grip. “They’re a handful, but they’re good.”

“I guess she did teach them well, huh?” Taehyung chuckled a bit. As he continued to walk around, his eyes continued to check the time. He still needed to gauge how much time it would take for the kids to get cleaned up and ready to be sent back to you before you returned from down the hall.

He had no idea what kind of process he was in for.

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When you walked into the room after a good forty minutes of silent lesson planning, you had no idea what to expect. How would Taehyung’s first day go, providing children who still could barely count past their ten fingers paint to dip those fingers in? You wanted to sneak a peek many a time as you typed days of lessons away, however, you didn’t want to seem pushy. So, as soon as your alarm went off, you shut down your computer and hopped out of your seat and practically rushed out of the classroom, having to slow your pace just slightly the closer you got to the next room. As you got closer and closer, the sound of children giggling and squealing could be heard.

“Yeonjun did you wash your hands?”

“Yes, Sir!”

“Ryujin!”

“Oh, I forgot!”

“I said it three times, you’re the only one who is in line with dirty hands.”

“Mr. Kim, look! I’m helping Mr. Hobi! Does that mean I get to put another thumbprint by my name?”

“Don’t do that, Kai! Now you need to wash your hands again, just look at them!”

“Oh yeah…”

The sound of Taehyung’s voice frantically scrambling to clean the kids up was amusing. It even made a cocky grin form on your face. You had to see this chaos with your own eyes, you just couldn’t help it. Finally, you pushed open the door and stepped inside. Upon entering, you saw a line of children standing in front of the sink. Taehyung was helping them scrub their hands with soap and water, while those who were done were told to line up by the door and wait. The keyword here was told. You could see a few kids ready to go, such as Yeji and Taehyun, however, Yeonjun and Kai were standing by the table where Hoseok was cleaning up some of the paint plates, tossing them into the garbage while he put the closed bottles into a cabinet.

“Can we help?” Yeonjun asked curiously.

“No. What were you told to do?”

“But I wanna help.”

“Yeonjun.”

“….Okay…” He pouted, finally sulking with his friend off to the line. When he saw you standing at the door, his eyes lit up. “Teacher!” He shouted. Just hearing that turned your cocky grin into a beaming on, as you knelt to see five students surround you.

“How was the art class?” You asked curiously.

“We painted that whole banner! Look what I made!” Kai took your hand, leading you along with the other children to the banner that was moved to the corner of the room to dry. “I write my name, and that parts me!”

“That’s so good.” You said happily, kneeling. “You’ve gotten better at writing your name, haven’t you?” Kai nodded, grinning proudly. He nestled himself into your arms and continued to show you things he made before you gently reminded him that it was time to let someone else have a turn. Kai nodded, remaining in your embrace as more kids approached. A few other children took your hand into theirs, wide eyes eagerly pointing to the stuff that they created. You tried to listen to one at a time, but they were all so excited to share with you that you ended up having to listen to 14 conversations at once. As you were doing so, you looked over to see Chaeryeong take your hand. When you got a good look, you immediately noticed the faded yellow paint on her uniform and the drying water that was washed over it. “W-what on earth happened to your uniform?”

“Yeonjunie spilled yellow paint all over Chaeryeong’s dress, Teacher.” Yuna quickly cut in, her head poking into your view as she took your hand. You blinked, immediately turning towards Taehyung, who was just now finally turning off the water at the sink. The faint voice of little Yeonjun once again trying to defend himself was heard, but you chose to ignore him, instead of heading towards Taehyung as he wiped down the sink with a paper towel.

“I told you this would happen if you used to paint.” You hissed under your breath. Taehyung didn’t look up at you, simply continuing to clean as if you were not there.

“I don’t plan for the negatives, unlike you. It was the only thing that happened and they had fun. What’s the big deal?”

“Now her uniform is cover in yellow paint. I have extra changes of clothes; I could’ve gotten that stain out if you sent her back earlier.”

“She wanted to keep painting. Besides, all the paint comes out in the wash. I handled it; she’ll be fine until she goes home.” You scoffed. Before you could continue to release your anger at Taehyung, Hoseok quickly approached you.

“Hey, don’t worry. It wasn’t that big of a deal.” He assured, offering you a hopeful smile. “If you want, I’ll explain to her mom later. It was an accident.” You sighed, running a hand through your hair.

“I just don’t want her spending the day in dirty clothes. It can be uncomfortable.”

“She hasn’t complained,” Taehyung assured. Your eyebrow twitched, and Taehyung was quick to notice. “But I understand where you’re coming from.” He said quickly.

“Let’s just get them back.” You said simply, turning your attention once again back to Taehyung. “Thank you.” You walked back to the front of the line, gently offering your hand to Chaeryeong. “What do we say to Mr. Kim, everyone?” The group of kids turned to Taehyung, who was still holding that wet paper towel in his hand. They bowed in his direction, before standing up.

“Thank you, Mr. Kim!” They cheered, beaming. Taehyung blinked, feeling an overwhelming feeling overtake his chest, a feeling of overwhelming happiness and…honor? He wasn’t too sure what that other feeling was, all he knew was that he felt so happy to have spent the past 40 minutes finger painting. You took a moment to study his face, before letting out a soft sigh.

“You should come out to the playground at the end of the day. I’m sure the kids would love to play with you and see them off.” You offered. Taehyung blinked, the sound of scattered gasps of excitement filling the room for a moment before Hoseok quickly encouraged them to stay silent.

“Uh. Yeah, sure. That sounds fun.” He smiled. You nodded.

“See you then.” You said, “Let’s go, everyone.” As you headed out, a few kids offered quick and scattered goodbyes to Taehyung once again, grinning.

“Bye~.” Hoseok waved, following the kids out. Taehyung watched them go.

“Teacher, Mr. Kim said we all got good day thumbprints. If we get 10, we get a prize!” Yuna said as she followed behind you in line.

“Wow, I can’t wait to hear all about it back in the classroom.” You said, before disappearing around the corner, each kind following behind with every step that was taken. Once they were gone, Seokjin closed the door, leaving him and Taehyung as the only two in the room.

“Day one is complete.” He cheered, clapping his hands. “Congratulations.”

“Was she upset that I used the paint?” He asked.

“I don’t think so. She’s more upset that you used paint and fewer kids got messy.” Seokjin grinned. “She’ll come around. You keep doing what you’re doing and the kids are going to have a great time.” Taehyung nodded. “I need to get back to my office, but let me know if you need anything okay?”

“Yes, Sir. Thank you.” Taehyung said. Seokjin nodded.

“Awesome. Go take your lunch and rest. You’ve earned it. Mr. Kim.” Seokjin chuckled to himself, before finally excusing himself and walking out of the room. Taehyung walked to his desk, sinking back in his chair. Finally, he got to take in the past forty minutes that he had just experienced, from the hectic attendance to the even more hectic clean up. A chuckle escaped his lips as he lifted his phone, turning it on to see multiple texts for Jimin from the past forty minutes. 4 texts to be exacted.

Have a good day! Fighting! (12:25 p.m.)

Call me when you can! (12:45 p.m.)

Let me know if you find Namjoon-Hyung’s son! He’s super cute. His name is Kai! (12:59 p.m.)

You dead yet? (1:15 p.m.)

Taehyung snickered, finally opening up his messages and being sure to reply with a simple thumbs-up emoji. After that, he tossed his phone onto his desk and reached into his bag for his lunch. He hadn’t realized until the kids left that he was starving, his attention was 100% dedicated to them.

And he didn’t care in the least.

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The rest of the day went smoothly, the children had gotten their art out of their systems and were ready to move onto the rest of the afternoon lessons. The kids gathered around and spoke to you about the art class. They told you about the paint incident, the behavior chart, the prizes, anything they could think of. Kids even repeated things that their friends said, that was how excited they were about the new class. It made you happy to see them buzzing with all of this excitement, but that happiness came with a feeling of incompetence. No matter what you did with them they never once left arts and crafts that excited. At least, it had been awhile.

Fortunately, you had absolutely no time to dwell on that, instead of moving to a math lesson. Hoseok and you gathered the children up to play a basic counting game. Teams were created and given a pile of blocks. You would call out a number between one and ten and the teams would have to count out those exact number of blocks to get a point. The slight competitive edge kept the kids engaged, and it was enjoyable watching as they cheered and worked together as best as they could to make sure they could get the point. However, having a slight competitive edge almost always guaranteed one thing: tears. Lots of tears.

“But I wanted to win a prize, Teacher.” A sniffling Soobin sniffled. “I tried my hardest; I did.” You smiled as the little boy curled himself into your embrace. Hoseok was giving the winning team, consisting of Yeji, Yeonjun, and Beomgyu, pieces of candy that you stored away for moments like this.

“I know you did. There’s always next time, right?” Soobin, normally a bit more sensitive boy despite his high levels of independence, was just overcome with sadness about his defeat. He sniffling, hugging you tightly as he continued to whimper. “Awww, Soobin, don’t cry. Nobody else is sad.”

“Yes, they are. Kai tolded me so.” He huffed, crossing his arms. You smiled, your eyes wandering up to Hoseok. You both offered each other a slightly amused glance.

“Soobin, how about we move onto the next thing okay? No need to be upset. Tomorrow, we can play again if you want too.”

“Promise?” he asked. You nodded, patting his head. Soobin nodded, wiping his eyes before finally returning to his seat. With that situated, you stood up and dusted off your skirt.

“Okay. Are we ready to move on everyone?” The class nodded their heads, looking up at you as they waited for their next set of instructions. You could see Soobin continue to wipe his eyes, before Hoseok walked past and handed him a tissue, kneeling to help him wipe his face. “I need everyone to stand up next to their seats.” You said. “We’re going to dance.”

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The sound of rustling backpacks was heard as children finally began gathering their belongings. You were cleaning up, while Hoseok was beginning to get what he needed to wipe down tables and chairs. The kids were lined up, the straps of their bags locked tightly in their grips. You were just glad today was coming to a close, the mental exhaustion you were putting yourself through today was just hitting you differently than normal.

“Are we ready to go outside?” You asked.

“Is Mr. Kim going to come to play with us?” Yuna asked curiously.

“I’m not sure.” You admitted.

“Can I go ask him?”

“Me too!” Kai said. You sighed, leaning out the door to see the art room door was closed. You looked down at the two little kids, who stood at the door with their hands interlocked together. If you didn’t let them, you didn’t think you would hear the end of it. You couldn’t handle that today.

“Okay, fine.” You said, motioning to the room. Immediately, the duo began to run down the hall. “Walk in the hallways!” You shouted before they finally slowed down. You watched the duo knock on the door. It took a moment, but when it opened Taehyung poked his head out.

“Mr. Kim, can you come to play with us?” Kai asked curiously. Taehyung chuckled, looking over at you, however, you were now kneeling and helping Yeji fix the straps on her bag.

“Sure. I’ll be right out, okay?” He said to the little ones. They beamed in excitement. “Now, hurry back to your teacher and get ready, okay?”

“Okay!” They said together as they hurried back to your line.

“He said he’ll come.” Yuna hummed happily before she got into the line. You chuckled to yourself, watching as Taehyung closed the door to his room again. By now, the children were ready to go, and you lead them out to the playground to wait for their parents. The sound of children discarding their bags as they hurried to the equipment overtook the area, and you rested against the wall, crossing your arms. Hoseok followed behind shortly after. Shortly after that, you saw Taehyung walk out onto the field.

“So, is this when they leave?” Taehyung asked you curiously.

“Yeah.” You said. “Hoseok usually plays with them and I usually watch everyone. Sometimes Mr. Kim comes out too, but most of the kids get picked up pretty quickly.” Taehyung nodded. Before he could say anything else, his name was called by Yuna and Chaeryeong, standing at the top of the playground.

“Look!” Yuna shouted eagerly. Taehyung smiled, putting his hands in his pockets as he walked over to the playground.

“The kids seem to like him,” Hoseok said, looking over at you. You sighed.

“I know they do. I’m glad they do, I guess. I want them to like going to art class.” Hoseok chuckled.

“You don’t seem convinced.” He said. “Just relax. You’re going to get stress wrinkles.” You had to admit, that made you chuckle. “See? Smile more. He’s not doing anything bad, is he?”

“No. I guess not.”

“Exactly.”

“I’m just-.” Before you could begin to vent, a car pulled up to the front of the school. It parked and you knew exactly who it was. Kim Namjoon. When he stepped out of the car, Hoseok went to find Kai, who was with his friends sitting beside the swing set looking at whatever bugs they could find in the grass. Kim Namjoon pulled his glasses off his face and he set them in his jacket pocket, locking his car as he walked up to you. You stood straight and smiled a bit.

“Hey.” He said happily. “How are you?”

“I’m fine.” You said. Namjoon smiled, unable to hold up an awkward chuckle. “How are you after that little stumble on your car this morning?” Namjoon groaned, scratching his head as he thought back to it.

“Aaah, come on now.” He muttered. “Don’t remind me, that was so embarrassing.”

“I thought it was kinda funny.” You admitted, smiling a bit. Namjoon put his hands in his pockets and let out another playful, yet still frustrated sigh, which made you laugh.

“Changing the subject, Jimin told me that you guys got your new art teacher today.” He said, looking around. He took a moment to scan the playground. Finally, his eyes landed on Taehyung, who was still watching the girls go down the slide, a small smile on his face. “Is that him?” he asked.

“The one and only.” You hummed. Namjoon nodded.

“He looks familiar.”

“He’s pretty popular on Instagram.” Namjoon looked over at you.

“Instagram? N-no, no that’s not where I recognize him from, come on.” You both chuckle a bit. “But he looks familiar.” You were silent for a moment, watching as Namjoon scanned Taehyung from a distance. After a moment, he snickered and ran a hand through his brown hair. “Aaaah, it’ll come to me.” He said. “Anyway, we need to get going. I have a meeting with a client tonight and I need to get Kai ready, Jungkook is coming over tonight.” You nodded. “But I’ll be free these next few weekends. I’d like to take you out to dinner.” He said. You smiled a bit.

“Well that’s nice but I-.”

“She would love to!” A high-pitched voice shouted form behind you, startling both you and Namjoon. It even caught Taehyung’s attention for a moment. A pair of large hands hit your shoulders, and you looked over to see Seokjin, standing behind you with a grin. “Hello, Namjoonie~.” Seokjin grinned. Namjoon blushed, smiling a bit.

“Mr. Kim, stop getting involved with my life.” You begged.

“I will when you finally settle down and get married. Now, that won’t happen unless you go on dates. So, Namjoon, she would love to. Just pick a date and I’ll make sure she’s there.”

“Mr. Kim-.” You groaned, watching as Seokjin approached Namjoon, greeting him with a tough handshake. “I’ll call you later. Good luck with your meeting.”

“Thanks,” Namjoon said. He turned his head. “Kai!” He shouted. “Get your stuff and get in the car. Jungkook is coming over tonight.”

“YAY!” Kai shouted, hopping up. He quickly said goodbye to his friends as he hurried to the pile of bags by the door. Namjoon finally turned back to you, seeing your cheeks tinted pink as you ran a hand through your hair.

“I’ll call you.” He assured. You nodded.

“I look forward to it.” You said, forcing a small smile onto your face. Namjoon nodded, saying goodbye to his friend before leading his son to the car. As you watched them get in, Seokjin turned to you, grinning. However, you were in no way planning to grin back. “I hate you.”

“Awww, you’ll thank me on your wedding day.” He scoffed, before quickly fleeing the scene and hurrying back into his office.

“Wha-. You’re leaving already?!” You shouted, turning back to him. “Then why did you come out?!”

“I saw Namjoonie’s car pull up from my window!” Seokjin called back. “You’re welcome!” You groaned, covering your face in hopes that the scream you wanted to rip from your throat would just stay there for a little bit longer. As you finally returned your attention to the children, Taehyung walked over to you.

“Is that your boyfriend?” He asked. Just the sound of that word made your face beam a red that not even the children’s paint could rival.

“What?! NO! Mind your business.” You quickly looked away, crossing your arms in an annoyed huff. Taehyung chuckled a bit.

“Alright, alright sorry. He had such puppy love in his eyes I just had to assume.” You looked at Taehyung. “It was cute. I thought I was looking at a painting or something.”

“Oh, shut up.” You scoffed, and once again. Taehyung let out a deep and amused laugh. You waked towards the front gate of the building, and Taehyung watched you silently, his hands in his pockets. More parents were beginning to pull up for their children. Good, you needed to get your mind off all of this crap.

You changed your mind. Kim Taehyung was doing something bad. He was being just as nosy as your kids, and that was the last thing that you needed. That nosy punk.

------------------------------------------

“Kook!” Kai shouted eagerly as the tall young adult walked into the living room of Kim’s luxury apartment. Namjoon was quick to follow, watching as Kai jumped into Jungkook’s arms.

“Hello there, little monster. Ready to have some fun tonight and stay up at midnight eating ice cream and cookies?”

“Yeaaa!” Kai giggled. Namjoon sighed, patting Jungkook on the back. When Jungkook looked over, he grinned sheepishly.

“I’m only kidding, Mr. Kim.”

“I know you are.” He admitted. “But maybe save the ice cream and cookie night for the next time you come over, okay?” Jungkook blinked as he watched Namjoon lift his son from his arms, as his tiny arms wrapped around him to give his father a great big hug.

“Another meeting?” Jungkook asked curiously. Namjoon shook his head, rubbing his son’s back.

“Not this time.” He said with a grin. He thought back to the way your eyes closed into little half-moons when you laughed at his slip up this morning. He thought back to the high-pitched laughter you had as you both spoke about it, and how hard Namjoon tried to keep that laughter going as long as he possibly could. Seeing you smile like that made all of his clumsy moment worth it, and he would be willing to do a million more just to see you laugh again. Knowing what this afternoon’s event has now begun to lead up to only got him even more excited. “I have another date coming up.”

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maddmuses · 4 years ago

Text

Earth Broly (Rather than) AU

(art credit: Shochikubai-ume)

Biography On Planet Vegeta, in Birthing Facility 4, a saiyan baby was born. Considered an anomalous mutant of sorts, with a power level that seemed to fluctuate between roughly 10,000, and 920, much of this was assumed to be malfunctions of the hardware, but one thing was certain.

This child, Broly the son of Paragus, had singlehandedly shattered every record that the saiyans held for Combat Potential.

General saiyan wisdom estimated that a saiyan child would ultimately express 100 times their power as a child during adulthood, assuming a reasonable amount of training and combat to keep them from being stunted. This would mean that, if the saiyans only took into consideration his bottom level, he would have a power level of 92,000. This would make him not only more powerful than every member but one of the Ginyu Force, but essentially only second-only to Freeza himself, except when fighting with a power level of 920,000 as an oozaru.

That was even stronger than Freeza (assuming ignorance to his second form).

Paragus saw the potential for such a child as an asset to the saiyan race, not only as a means of finally throwing themselves free of their servitude, but possibly even proving to Beerus that they had the ability to go further as a species. But alas, the jealousy of King Vegeta was too strong.

The king had planned to send the boy away to a worthless, intolerable, planet named Vampa. Though he was a warrior, Paragus was more clever than to simply swagger into the king’s chambers to demand an explanation. He knew his son’s power, and decided to take things into his own hands, to redirect his son to a more hospitable world, make a scene, and then storm out to head to earth and rescue Broly.

This plan would not go totally according to his script, however, as while Paragus would be successful in changing the ship’s destination, he didn’t account for the king being aware of this, and executing the man on the spot.

Still... Earth wasn’t a particularly valuable planet, and even if it was a world with living targets, its denizens had barely managed to reach its own moon, they wouldn’t be able to send this monster back to him.

When landing on earth, Broly’s ship would crash somewhere in the region near Mount Paozu. Within moments of departing from the pod, Broly would see a full moon and begin to rampage through the wilderness. Though as morning came, Broly would return to the pod from whence he came, after gorging himself on the carcasses of the animals, various dinosaurs and other fauna, using it as a makeshift shelter. It was through the routine, if somewhat broken directions, of the pod that Broly knew his name, though it seemed that the blutz wave projector had been damaged on entry.

Over the following years, the great ape that prowled on full moons, rampaging through the wilds, would become something of a local fairy tale. Though the villages near the area didn’t explicitly believe in the monster, it became rather infrequent for locals to wander out on those nights, just in case.

Thought he was often a nocturnal hunter, due to his time as a mindless beast, Broly would still often act during the days as well, occasionally wandering near settlements, hunting and scavenging for food.

It was thanks to these brief encounters with society, even occasionally meeting the old man who lived among the mountains as well, that Broly was able to learn some ability to communicate, though he was more naturally prone to isolation and never developed a particularly strong relationship with any human.

However, when it came to some animals, Broly would enjoy their presence, particularly a sort of bear that had mutated to have green fur, prompting it to remain alone, even moreso than other bears, which were usually solitary. To the point that it didn’t even have a mate. Spending time with this bear, often watching what it would scavenge and eat, he developed the same habits and hunting patterns as the creature.

With this, Broly and the bear, which he named “Ra” for the noise that it made, became good friends, and over the years, as the saiyan grew, so did its power, and the width of his rampages as an oozaru. And as Broly’s nocturnal rampages became more destructive, so too did the alertness of the region’s residents, such as Gohan, who had fought the great ape on several occasions.

Eventually, though, Ra would be killed, as a result of poaching. Hurt by the death of his only friend, Broly promptly skinned the pelt of Ra, and began to wear it as a silent reminder of his loss. This would also cause Broly to become more aloof and removed from humanity.

As Broly grew towards adolescence, though, eventually his rampages as oozaru became too destructive, eventually resulting in a battle with the warrior Gohan. Broly’s great ape form would kill the old man, and wreak destruction through the land, fulfilling part of his function as a saiyan, essentially killing all humans in the nearby region. Only animals, and ruins would be left in his path, though Broly refused to depart from the region, wishing to simply be alone.

While scavenging the ruins for food on multiple occasions, taking to hunting less often for a time, Broly would eventually discover a glinting orb with four stars in it. Though it served him no purpose in his survival, some sort of compulsion in his (stupid monkey) brain told him to keep it.

Some years later, after Paozu had essentially become a wasteland entirely, a girl named Bulma would wander into the region, searching for the very ball that Broly had.

Initially distrustful of the girl, Broly didn’t want anything to do with her, though after several days of pursuit, coaxing, and offerings of food, the saiyan allowed the human girl near enough to talk to him. With some convincing, Broly would accompany the girl on her journey for the other dragon balls, one that interested him, as he grew older he’d become curious of the area around, and her ability to produce houses with a small device, it would give him an opportunity to travel and exist without the risk of turning into a great ape.

And so would begin Broly’s grand magical adventure to pursue the Dragon Balls.

Key differences and events beyond: -The adventure in which they get captured by Pilaf would likely result in the dragon balls being gained much sooner, but with no wishes that the dragon could effectively grant, Bulma simply wished to return home. -Yamcha and Broly would go on to train with Roshi, eventually being joined by Krillin. --During this training Broly’s tail is removed by Roshi to prevent him from going on rampages, and relying on such a trick in future fights. -The 21st, 22nd, and 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai would be cleanly swept by Broly -Broly’s rivalry with Tenshinhan results less in a purification of Tien’s brutal nature, and more the realization that the strong don’t have to fight dirty, or humiliate and kill opponents. --Broly and Tenshinhan’s duel did not occur in the tournament and was a proposed “duel to the death” following Tien’s desire to kill Broly, after being defeated/humiliated from his point of view, by Yamcha. -Broly did likely destroy the Red Ribbon Army, but likely more in a taking on challengers way, when trying to take from him his 4-star ball. -Broly’s fights would likely be not challenging in the least until possibly the fights against Piccolo-Daimo and Piccolo, the former of which could give him a fight, and the other being able to outwit him repeatedly. -Krillin’s death resulted in Broly’s first use of the Rage form, and subsequent killing of Piccolo-Daimo, who only just narrowly had the time to produce Piccolo. -By the time he’d fought Piccolo Jr., Broly was able to repeatedly access Rage Form and deactivate it to keep a clear head during the battle, though it was still uphill given Piccolo’s greater intelligence. -Broly wouldn’t receive any training by Kami, but would be offered the position of Guardian (he would defer to someone more like Roshi who was suited for the job) -The use of Dragon Balls would become more conserved, as Broly has little interest in using them, and

-The saiyan saga is greatly reduced in scope of battle (largely because Broly has no offspring and I’m not forcing mate(s) into the story) -Broly’s battle with Raditz was a singular affair, with Raditz’s survival being the result of quick thinking, and an offer to bring him to people who are like him -Broly briefly joins the saiyans, though not formally as a member of the Freeza Force he is given similar equipment. -Namek saga essentially doesn’t occur and is instead filled with various space adventures in which Broly seems to just display nonsensical levels of strength beyond that of even his projected 90,200. By the point that Broly is at here, his Combat Power is considered immeasurable by the scouters. -The Saiyans, Nappa, Vegeta, and Raditz, are far more powerful for their presence with Broly and providing him sparring partners. -Ultimate confrontations against Freeza’s elite guard, and the Ginyu Force (who were scrambled to their emperor’s side after Freeza began to anticipate intent to coup) results in an almost tournament mini-arc itself with various environments and battles occurring. --I think the battles would be the likes of Vegeta v Recoome (Vegeta Win) Raditz and Nappa v Jeice and Burter (Natch Saiyan win) and Broly v Guldo (Broly win) --During this mini-tournament arc each pairing is challenged in some way, Vegeta through having to deal with Recoome’s raw power, the duo battles coming down to Raditz and Nappa learning to work as a unit, rather than in spite of each other, and Broly struggling with what is ultimately a weak (but more strategic and utility-oriented opponent). --Ginyu promptly would attempt to clean up the saiyans as he fought them, slapping around Vegeta around, but not being able to kill them as Raditz and Nappa jump him. Ultimately Broly would reappear (his fight took the longest to win) and through coordination and preventing Ginyu from stealing Broly’s body, they were able to ultimately beat him. ---Broly’s struggles in battles will mostly, especially at a space level, be against opponents who are difficult to defeat in a straightforward fashion. -Eventual battle with Freeza, going largely the same way as-is canon. Broly’s repeated battles against Guldo and Ginyu, which challenge him in an unorthodox way, leave him with a number of injuries that force the others to hold off their enemy for him. Broly was only able to defeat Guldo by being able to activate his Rage form, which seemed to “Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken” his way around time manipulation powers. --Raditz, Nappa, and Vegeta die. Broly comes to the scene just as Freeza has killed Raditz (the first person he met who he felt understood him on some level beyond a love of fighting), which pushes Broly into a rage that unlocks his Super Saiyan State, in addition to his Rage Form. It’s at this point that Broly promptly brutalizes Freeza, and presumably dies on a collapsing planet.

-Broly is brought back to life via Dragon Balls after the discovery of his death. While in the afterlife, Broly was sent to train with North Kai by Kami Roshi’s recommendation. Broly also requested that his friends be trained as well, but due to their hearts had been sent to hell. --While training with North Kai Broly developed a better understanding of how to utilize his chi, as his physical abilities were beyond that of what this teacher’s training could do for him. Broly learns the Spirit Bomb. Broly’s heart is considered to be pure by the standard that he was repentant for the destruction and death he’d wrought during his rages as an oozaru, as well as subsequent instances involving his missions. After losing those close to him, Broly had changed for the better, and had become able to use the technique without the risk of backlash. -Upon Broly’s return to life, he would travel to Namek, taking two years roughly, to resurrect the other three saiyans. -The Android Saga would largely play out the same way until Cell was introduced, though as time would go on the Androids would become a tolerated nuisance once it became clear that they couldn’t kill Broly. Though this would not be a wholly disregarded thing, Broly never suffered from the same heart disease, and likely was unwilling to kill 16-20 in cold blood, though Gero would still be killed by 17 and 18 once it became unclear that 19 wouldn’t be able to handle him. -Cell wouldn’t hit the scene until Age 786, at which point Broly would experience a nearly world-ending battle, as this Cell would be the strongest in the multiverse. The ability for Broly to defeat Cell would likely hinge on Broly’s ability to think creatively, could be seen as ultimately a completion to a character arc for one who largely was able to power through fights, but was finally on the receiving end of a stronger unstoppable force.

-Majin arc probably didn’t occur? Or if it did, it was very brief since no Vegeta/Broly rivalry to force Buu to awaken, or if Buu did awaken it’s likely Broly would have been able to destroy him.

-Battle of Gods arc likely didn’t result in any permanent extension of contact between Whis and earthlings. It is highly likely that Broly simply killed Beerus, or nearly did, possible replacement of Beerus as GoD with Vegeta. -No Rez F, Broly keeps too tight a grip on the four-star ball for that. -Likely no future timeline Trunks so likely no Goku Black arc for same reason of obtaining the dragon balls just simply not occurring -If Beerus is dead or asleep after fighting Broly no Univ 6 v 7, meaning likely no Tournament of Power either.

#Earth's Lonely Protector (Earth AU Broly)

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katherinewilliams221b · 4 years ago

Text

For A Greater Good 13/18

not my gif. just the text- Threats

Pairing: Charlie Weasley x ofc/mc

Masterlist

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5]

[Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9] [Part 10]

[Part 11] [Part 12]

Warnings: mentions of drug abuse

The first storm of May left the school in a darkness Kate never saw before. The temperature had abruptly dropped; the exams were getting closer and the Quidditch game that week had been cancelled as a result of an avalanche that had reached the castle grounds.

Ranunculus glacialis; Draba lactea; Dryas octopetala; Cicerbita alpina... she was reading the different plants stuck together with Spello-tape and correctly classified that she had hung on the walls of the classroom. The herbarium project had been successful even among the most reluctant students; so much they begged to go to the lake and expand their works of art with aquatic plants.

With a proud smile, Kate looked out the window of the herbology class, following the comings and goings of the students who passed by and lamented their lost quidditch match.

In the distance, Mer Yankelevich was coming from the lake, wearing a large hood to protect herself from the rain.

Her gaze turned to the column. Astrid Rhode and Libor Marek were talking beside it. The teacher must have felt eyes resting on him, for he scanned his surroundings. Realising that it was Kate who was watching him, he turned his attention back to Rhode, who glanced at her as well. “In my experience,” the curse-breaker from Iceland than Rhode had hired had said, “someone has tried to break a curse that does not exist.”

In another time and in another school, all eyes would have been on Kate. Now, free of that burden, she turned to see if her students had finished copying on their scrolls the Herbivicus charm used to make plants grow at high speed.

“I know that the attempt to make the umbrella flowers germinate has not turned out as we expected. They are very obstinate flowers, but we must be even more stubborn. This Friday, we will change the fertiliser we have been using for a more refined one”.

Thunder rumbled on the castle walls and some children began to get restless.

“Perhaps they don’t like this weather,” she joked before climbing onto the platform where her desk was placed. “When we get the optimal conditions for their germination, we’ll practice the spell until they come into bloom. However, and this is very important, we must not let the flowers open yet. We want to prevent them from pollinating naturally before we select them.”

Micael Angelov raised his hand. “What about the fanged geraniums?”

“I’ve been doing several tests and they germinate properly. They are easy to control and that is why we will be working on them after getting at least ten healthy umbrella flowers...”

The classroom door blasted open, revealing a hooded figure. All the sheets and scrolls in the class were scattered with the gust of wind that came in with the stranger. Thinking that it was Mer Yankelevich, she went to the door to ask for explanations, but Corentin’s face stopped her. Surprised, Kate aired her wand to close the door and stop the cold coming in.

The librarian lowered his hood and immediately apologised to the students, who began to whisper.

“I must talk to you,” he murmured.

“Can it wait until the end of the class?”

Corentin nodded and headed for the end of the classroom where he stood on a corner without looking away from the window. He kept looking outside until the bells indicated the end of the lesson.

“Let me know if you want to go to the greenhouse before Friday and I’ll open the door for you. Jon, you must give me the list of your inventory, ah! Wait! I have your works on the mandrakes corrected, on Wednesday we will comment on it... Be careful outside!”

When the class was free of students, Kate approached Corentin, who was looking at her with a sly smile.

“You are getting more comfortable here.”

“What’s going on?”

“Last night someone went through my desk. Don’t worry, they were unsuccessful. I have the plans well in hand, but that shows that someone has the same goal as us.”

“And also that they have been spying on us.” She waited a moment and added, “This is not a good sign, Corentin.”

“I advise we continue with our... project.” With one hand, he gestured to the windows, and the curtains closed, leaving them in almost total darkness, except for the candlesticks on the ceiling.

He shook his sleeve, and from a black smoke the different scrolls that made up Nerida Vulchanova’s maps appeared.

Kate had some candles levitated, providing light and some warmth around them. From her desk, she took out seven books on magic walls, curses, portals and doors, and as every day since the discovery of Nerida’s painting, they began their study session.

After a couple of hours, Kate dropped her head on the desk with a thud.

“I have superposed all the rooms, corners and nooks of these plans, and they are all dead ends.”

“And there is nothing in these books that works... There are spells, incantations, words and words that say wonderful things and nothing at the same time. It’s like reading a blank page...”

“Did you wake up poetic today?”

“What do you think is inside?” Her voice sounded a little nasal, as she had her entire face smashed against a book, “One of the Deathly Hallows?”

“I doubt it, it’s not known if Grindelwald got any in his time at school and I don’t think, in case he had the elder wand, he came here to hide it.”

She raised her head and scanned the desk “Let me see the room behind the portrait again.”

Corentin gave her the plans, forming the rectangle that represented the secret room.

“If you look closely, there is no passageway connecting the trophy room to this place, and I have been trying to match it to one of these, but nothing convinces me.”

“We lack information.”

“That’s obvious. But there are no other documents than the ones we have here. There is a possibility that Vulchanova destroyed them.”

“No...” she trailed off. She checked several sheets and held one that was blank. Only a triangle adorned one corner. “My grandmother was a Muggle...”

Corentin raised an eyebrow. “I don’t want you to take this as a lack of interest, but what does it have to do with this?”

“When I was a child, I was not allowed to see my grandparents. One of the conditions for allowing my parents to marry was to cut off contact with that branch of the family, and in return, the Williams offered my grandmother protection from anti-Muggle politics.”

“I’m sure this is going somewhere...”

“Of course my mother didn’t cut off contact. I was very young, but I remember the distinctive smell of...” she sniffed the parchment and a hint of a smirk appeared on her face, “lemonade.”

“I really try to follow you.”

“My mother wrote letters that, in the eyes of wizards, were empty. Muggles have a technique for making invisible ink.”

She extended her arm to one candle and held the paper so close to the flame that Corentin leaned over in his seat for fear that she would burn it.

As Kate moved the parchment, several lines appeared in a copper colour, which Kate recognised perfectly.

“Fascinating.”

Kate chuckled and left the parchment on the table. “I don’t think Vulchanova intended you to live in a controlling regime in order to decipher her map. Just that you knew a little about alchemy.” She pointed to the triangle in the lower corner. Corentin’s eyes shone with excitement.

He grabbed the missing piece of the map and spent long minutes trying to fit the lines over the fragment they already had. Meanwhile, Kate was trying out different pieces of parchment and new lines appeared on the existing maps as she drew them closer to the fire.

“Look,” said Corentin, “it can be accessed in several ways.” From where Nerida’s painting was, two paths branched out showing two tunnels leading to the room.

Kate gasped. By turning one of the sheets of paper, she made the newly discovered lines coincide with others drawn in ink.

Corentin imitated the procedure of heating the scrolls and, as if in a perfectly synchronised dance, they fitted each parchment with the previous one, forming a map of the ground floor that occupied the whole desk.

When Kate placed the last paper, a golden light emanated from one corner. The light moved through the junction between the papers, forking and coming together until it disappeared. Corentin raised a corner, noting with fascination and surprise that they now had a single plan of the castle.

“Wait! It’s disappearing!”

Corentin brought the map closer to the candles and the rooms and passages reappeared, making both of them sigh in relief. “With the Muggle trick that doesn’t happen.”

“Maybe she thought she had to give it a magic twist.”

After tidying up the room, Corentin left Kate thinking about their more-than-suspicious meetings.. They had to be more careful from that moment on; if someone was watching them, they could get into trouble.

The storm had subsided, and instead of the sky it was Kate’s stomach that was roaring.

Corentin had taken her students’ books back to the library, so she exhaled happily that she could go directly to the dining hall. As she opened the curtains, she came face to face with Libor Marek, sitting on the outside stone wall.

“Good afternoon,” she greeted as she closed the door behind her.

“I thought you’d never get out.”

“Have you... been waiting for me?”

“No. There are rumours that Karkarov has returned to the grounds... I’m here on Rhode’s orders. When the students are eating, the guards reinforce the doors and this area is left empty...”

“I don’t see you too worried.”

Marek huffed and began a thorough inspection of his wand. “I will not hunt down the man who gave me a job.”

“Igor Karkarov...?”

“Yes.” He did not look up. Kate waited for him to say something else, but concluded that she would have to force him.

“Who else did he hire?”

“And how would I know that? I was the last to arrive. Well, Hodges came later, but that was Rhode’s doing.” He shook his head and put his wand up his sleeve before looking around. “I’m going to eat.”

“Didn’t she tell you to stand guard?”

Marek walked up to her and in a raspy voice said, “I would stop whatever it is that you’re doing .”

The difference in height gave Kate some security, but she chose not to adjust her stance to one of defiance; the last thing she wanted was to duel that man again. “Watch your back.”

Marek squinted and left her standing in the cold, wondering if he was referring to himself or someone else.

The rest of the week proved uneventful. After the discovery of Nerida’s complete map, Kate avoided the library as part of an unspoken agreement with Corentin. The librarian, for his part, did not contact her until Thursday afternoon when they enjoyed each other’s company with some tea and biscuits.

Only one sentence was exchanged about their research and that was Corentin commenting nothing out of the ordinary had happened and that only Sheyi Mawut approached the library to borrow a book on batting techniques.

Friday’s class in the greenhouse was fruitful; Kate’s students managed to germinate seven umbrella flowers with the new fertiliser, eight according to the children, who took the flower grew in such a way that it shot up into the air, opening a gap in the greenhouse roof, as a success.

Kate proposed a prize for whoever found the flower when it fell.

The path to her room after the class was full of obstacles; the students, motivated by the proximity of the competition, practiced their spells and incantations in the corridor or moved in groups to see the lists of participants.

Amidst robes and hats, Kate spotted Leron Angelov’s head in the distance. She had no intention of worrying about him until she saw him stagger down the hall. He rested both hands on a door and dropped his head forward.

There were students everywhere, but Kate could perfectly see Cassandra Steiner make her way through to Leron. She opened the door and pushed him into the room.

With firm steps she advanced to the classroom at the end of the corridor and without waiting a second more, she muttered Alohomora, and burst inside.

Like a niffler caught in the middle of a robbery, Cassandra looked up with big eyes. Her expression hardened instantly. She waved her wand to where Kate was and she heard the click of the door closing.

Without her eyes off Leron Angelov, she moved closer to get a better look.

He seemed to be standing in a strange position. His eyelids were not fully closed, his arms hung like two dead weights on either side of his torso and his legs... his legs did not touch the ground.

He floated in the air, without a broom, without a spell. His posture was grotesque, and Kate looked at him in horror because even though she saw no rope, he seemed to be hanging.

“Is... is he dead?” she asked with a trembling voice. She sought the healer’s gaze, but she was busy airing out the desks in the centre to create a larger table. “Steiner, is he dead?”

“No. Shut up. Help me with him.”

Both healers grabbed Angelov’s body and turned it in the air until it was in a horizontal position.

“Hold him against the table.” Kate obeyed and put her hands on Leron’s chest. She had to use a lot of strength as the body insisted on levitating.

Meanwhile, Cassandra moved around the makeshift table, uttering a spell repeatedly. Angelov’s hands and ankles were quickly anchored to the wood.

“You can let go.” She informed, before heading for the windows and starting to close the curtains.

Kate watched his eyes move behind the eyelids, and small wrinkles appeared on his forehead from time to time. As a good healer, she followed the inspection, looking for symptoms that could explain the teacher’s unusual situation.

The buttons on his left sleeve were open, revealing a red and bruised arm. By removing the sleeve completely, she discovered what Leron Angelov had been hiding.

Puncture marks covered the inside of his elbow, made so fiercely that a wound had begun to form.

Kate let go of a slow breath and reached into the pockets of his tunic.

“You won’t find anything,” announced Cassandra, “I’ve already taken care of it.”

“What is it that makes him be like this?”

“Something called Billywig.” Kate exhaled at the news. She should have deduced that before. She watched as Cassandra opened a small chest, containing several rows of vials, and grabbed one. “Although you already knew…”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t try to fool me. Didn’t Rhode ask you to spy on him? To catch him in the act?”

“I’m pretty sure that Rhode doesn’t know about this.” Steiner stared at her.

“Does he sting himself in the greenhouse?”

“Not since you started using it. Thanks for that, by the way, since you started playing teacher, it has been impossible for us to keep track of him.”

Kate frowned. “Us? Who is ‘us’?”

“You’d better get out of here, things are going to get ugly.” As if on cue, Angelov’s body moved. He opened his eyes, injected with blood, and tried to get rid of his bonds with a force that did not seem like his body.

Cassandra forced the contents of a vial into his mouth until it was empty. In a few moments, Leron fell asleep.

“Calming draught?”

“Do me a favour and stop meddling in matters that don’t concern you.” Kate ignored Cassandra’s attempts to keep her in the dark.

“Steiner, who else knows about this?” she asked with a solemnity unbecoming of the situation. “I need you to trust me.”

She wasn’t entirely convinced, but gave her an answer, anyway.

“Jorgensen. No one else can know about this, understood? If you tell anyone, I will make sure you never set foot in this school again.”

“I wasn’t planning to do that anyway...” she replied, referring to the part about revealing his secret, but also valid for the latter statement. “May I ask... why do you keep the vials... locked up?”

“Because these potions are not part of the school’s inventory. When Igor Karkarov was here, there was no problem; Rhode implemented a budget for ingredients that Jorgensen has to meet.”

“Don’t you grow your own ingredients?”

“I thought you’d noticed that you’re the first person to use the greenhouse in a decade. Kent sometimes picks some herbs from the forest, but it’s not usual.”

“But why do you have them at the hospital wing?”

“Kent and I buy what we need for the potions, he brews them, and we used to keep them in my room until Rhode started bringing in people from the British ministry, guards, inspectors... so we moved them to a place where they wouldn’t ask questions.”

Kate looked at Leron, who was becoming agitated again. “Kent hasn’t found a formula that won’t make us waste so many potions. For now, this is what we can do.”

“Beats his son, you know?” Kate accused.

“When he’s under the influence of the Billywig liquid, he’s not aware of his actions. Giving him so much calming draught doesn’t help his memory either. Micael went into his room. I hadn’t had time to tie him up and his hand slipped out. He went after him for a while, to make sure he said nothing. Most of the time he doesn’t even go near him.”

“That doesn’t speak in his favour either.”

“I didn’t say he was going to win an award for being father of the year.”

“Why are you doing this? Isn’t it better that he’s in a hospital and not teaching?”

“Look where we are, Williams. Many of us have known each other forever. We take care of each other here.”

“And Micael? Do you take care of him too?”

“Of course we do.”

“What about the sticky box that was with the bottles?” Cassandra rolled her eyes, irritated by the interrogation.

“I pick up the billywigs that Leron leaves all over the place and give them to Jorgensen. What’s left of them is useful in some potions.”

Leron awoke with a start, and the mediwizard came to his aid immediately. When he saw Kate, he gripped Cassandra’s wrist.

“Don’t worry. She knows.” Cassandra got rid of the magical bonds and he stood up slowly. He groped the ground and after a while managed to stand up without floating. He eyed Kate as she aired her wand at the tables, making them return to their original place. She felt his mind on her, and she purposely avoided his stare.

“My wife passed away some years ago.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” She still didn’t look at him.

“I have the feeling that you’re not” at that she raised her head.

“Why is that?”

“Because of the way you looked at me at the staff meeting. With utter...disgust. You have a very expressive face, even when you think you are concealing it.”

“Your perception of me is based on your own experiences.”

“No. No, I know when a person doesn’t like me. And I could say the same thing to you.” A heavy silence fell over them. Kate watched as Cassandra organised her things.

“My son has good grades in Herbology. I didn’t think that could happen.”

“I am not giving him special treatment just because he’s a professor’s son.”

“I meant nothing of the sort. Just implying that you are.... You know how to connect with children. You... talk with them. Right?”

“Yeah, that’s...how you often interact.”

“I’m not sure if you have a wicked sense of humour or you just really despise me.”

“Everyone, at one time or another, loses a loved one. Sometimes prematurely. That doesn’t give us the right to compromise the safety of those who are still alive.”

“Who are you?”

“Excuse me?”

“You appeared out of nowhere. In the middle of the school year, and in a few months you became a teacher and the talk of the town. I hear your name everywhere, from everyone’s lips. And every time I turn around, you are there. One might think... you are up to something.”

“What exactly are you accusing me of?”

“Just an observation. But let me give you a piece of advice...”

“No. I won’t tell anyone about your condition if that’s what you’re worried about. But If you hit Micael again I swear....”

“You shouldn’t be threatening me.”

Kate found herself positively conflicted. She meant it when she said she didn’t want to betray their trust, and as a healer she wanted to help him in any way she could. However, the need to protect the boy was competing with her compassion for his father.

Abstracted by her own thoughts, Cassandra’s voice went unnoticed and only caught the last few sentences.

“We’ll get out first. Rhode will be coming to give the Dark Arts lesson now. Don’t tell her about this.” With one last look, they disappeared out the door, leaving Kate alone with her conscience.

She took a few steps towards the wall and exhaled as she let herself fall back slightly. She rested her head on the stone and closed her eyes, seeking the only thing that could comfort her at that moment.

Charlie.

Perhaps if she concentrated enough, she could connect with his mind as she had done the night they spoke through the flu net. She visualised his freckles when the sun hit them, the movement of his fingers when he drew. She tried to remember his laughter...

Kate?

She opened her eyes suddenly. Astrid Rhode looked at her with concern.

“Williams, are you all right?”

No, she hadn’t said her name before. A little upset at her cowardice preventing her from talking to Charlie in a way she would never have imagined. She peeled off the wall and nodded fervently.

“Yes! Yes... “

“Is there anything you should tell me?”

“Nothing at the moment, no. Although... I wanted to ask you: why did you send Professor Marek to stand guard at the back of the castle?”

Rhode raised her eyebrows. “I have done no such thing. Why would I?”

[Part 14]

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