#this is about onyx storm btw

[4letteraroace]

It’s important to remind yourself that the book you just finished reading is FICTION. It came from somebody’s head. The author is allowed to take a long time to write the next one

Anyway, the fuck you mean “the end”

[super-oddity]

“Ms. [Teacher], calm down.”

my student, upon my positively GIDDY reaction to a library notification for onyx storm

[empyrean-thrones]

Chat, what are the themes of Onyx Storm?

[sabu123098]

The Sorrengail sisters + 1 throughout Onyx Storm

Mira "I love my sister unconditionally to the point where my signet was ward weilding because of her and I hid my theories about her silver hair which i used to take care of btw but I did tell her three days after she lost her Irid" Sorrengail

Violet "I love both my siblings unconditionally except I do think of whether to save the civilians or my sister because i dont really know what I should do; I also did not tell my sister that my boyfriend was venin" Sorrengail

Brennan "I love my sisters so much that after coming back from the dead I did not even bother to ask my youngest sister about my younger sister and pretend to be the victim when Mira accuses me of running away; I also took my mother's surname back after she died but refuse to acknowledge that she loved her kids and did what she thought was required to protect her children" Aisereigh

[papayadays]

okay so i just finished onyx storm and oh my god what a ride (spoilers below cut!!)

okay first off, xaden confirmed venin and some people know about him but as long as he didn't keep it from violet, i'm good with it. but i'm lowkey scared. i know that he'll likely be cured somehow, but with rebecca yarros, you never know. so far, when his eyes became amber, i was shocked and honestly, terrified because xaden is getting closer and closer to fully turning.

also, ANDARNA!! i felt so bad for her when the irids rejected her (hypocritical and stubbornly ignorant dragons boo) but she is definitely going to be important later on, as are the other irids because they seem to be revered everywhere. i mean, we know andarna can burn venin and change her scales (giving rainwings btw) and also the signet she gave violet, but what else do we know? their fire can power to wards, but how much can the irids do, because to me they seem like what will tip the balance and beat the venin. as much as the irids promote peace and call andarna a test of society, they will end up being the weapons that save everyone. but also, breaking the bond with violet?? that broke my heart and was one of the sadder parts to read because she just left and when violet went to the bond it was gone and i just lost it. (i may have shed a few tears). but we also learn that irids can manipulate bonds such as how andarna was able to bond violet alongside tairn. but, can all dragons break bonds? and what else can andarna do with the bond? ALSO, how could violet still use her signet after the bond was broken??? so is this how the venin can use their signet? they were formerly bonded to an irid and then turned and retained the signet even after losing the bond? this could explain why the irids are so keen on staying out of violence after many of their kind gave the venin signets and also probably died from the venin. speaking of, regarding the irids and andarna, why does everyone keep asking who violet bonded with first? the logical answer seems like tairn, but rebecca yarros likes to throw curveballs so i think andarna bonded her first and allowed tairn to also bond her. but what would this signify and why is this so crucial?

speaking of violet's second signet, SHE'S A DREAM WALKER??? to be honest, i did NOT see that coming. but this will be very helpful to communicate and see things or potentially get information. in addition, with some of the marked ones getting second signets, i have to wonder if bodhi was lying if he said he didn't have one. because we know now that garrick is a distance walker (badass) and imogen's is rock wielder (does only dain know?), so who else? will sloane develop another one? what about some of the others?

and can we talk about rhiannon and imogen povs? quinn's death was gut-wrenching and akin to liam death 2.0. (i also shed some tears here) i also heard that rebecca yarros said that a character we love will die in the next but i remember she also said ridoc's humor will change throughout the series so it can't be him. i think it could be someone from violet's squad but also i think rebecca might let iron squad stay strong till the end.

also, was it just me or was this book really god-influenced? he had lots of mentions of dunne (strength + war), zihnal (luck), amari (queen of gods), hedeon (wisdom), and malek (death). but surprisingly, not loial (love) which is one of the two gods violet stopped praying to a while back. coincidence? i think not. especially since they ended up not going to the island for loial and also the quote, "for both war and love change souls irrevocably." i think somehow love will be connected to the solution or cure, which also ties into what the irids want. and also, WE KNOW WHY VIOLET HAS SILVER HAIR! her father wanted to dedicate her to dunne but she was only touched and not fully dedicated, hence the partial silver. also, we know theophanie was also a part of the temple of dunne but somehow turned her back on the goddess but does that imply that gods aren't just theoretical?

speaking of theophanie, we learned that riders get signets to balance venin?? like violet's mom was the balance for theophanie, and lynx is xaden's balance. but that brings up the question, what about the other ones like mira's signet to raise wards? also, when sloane siphoned power to brennan from dain, there was no mark at all, which i think will be significant.

with violet's dad asher, we learn that he explored the isles and left behind books for only her to find. however, he also goes by asher daxton which makes me think if he took the sorrengail last name.

AND AARIC. I LOVE AARIC. he's literally one of my favs and such a great character but something tells me he's been too good of a character. like i know xaden is the main love interest and we all should swoon, but aaric. AND HE'S A PRECOG WHAT???? i started to get suspicious myself when he told violet to guard dunne's temple and when he handed her things. i was legit willing violet to open it because i knew that it would end up being relevant. and i was like, "how can aaric predict this- wait i think i get it now, melgren 2.0" which opens up new questions because does this mean he's the balance for melgren which would imply the latter turned venin?

okay, now onto the most ambiguous part that left me reeling: THE ENDING. holy shit where to start? okay, so we know 6 eggs are missing but why and where? were they taking them to unnbriel in exchange for the army? also tairn is in a deep sleep, which is concerning and what exactly is he resting from? i've seen theories that claim he severed his bond with sgaeyl to save violet which scares me because then xaden and violet can die independently. ALSO VIOLET AND XADEN ARE MARRIED NOW?? WTF WE WERE DEPRIVED OF A FLUFFY SCENE but i assume xaden married her so she could be the duchess and gain power (2nd highest rank of royalty) to protect herself from whatever she did. andarna mentions protecting violet from being burnt so it must've been something gravely serious relating to xaden. and xaden, i mean he was planning to propose before, but now they basically got married in vegas. but he's gone and everyone thinks he's evil and has killed riders. but what has happened? is he fully turned? asim? also, WHO TURNED? xaden refers to him as a "brother" similar to jack but panchek was also there. i think it was bodhi because otherwise, xaden wouldn't need to ensure tyrrendor's ruler was violet. also, bodhi's countering signet only works on riders, so maybe he turned to counter venin?

to end on a good note, DAIN AND SLONE MY LIFE. (no pun intended) ENEMIES TO LOVERS?? HELPING HER SIPHON? CALLING HER LIFE? (which i think will be super important later on) i love them tbh

[nikethestatue]

Okay now the Onyx Storm is released… Sooooo WHEN will SJM give an announcement on the next ACOTAR book?? Please not May— it’s too far away. February???

Hahaha, well, it was released. YESTERDAY.

I think the earliest we can hope for is March, likely May.

We were listening to this presentation today from Bloomsbury about publishing, and there were editors and agents and authors there, and they explained the process and it does take 18-24 month to publish a book. And SJM had said before that she was sometimes making edits until the last possible moment, but basically, once they go 'live' nothing else can be changed.

(btw, there was nothing SJM related in the presentation, before anyone asks. It was a discussion about the process. Not related to any specific author or anything like that.)

So if she was drafting in Sept of 23, and even if she did finish the book some time in 24, edits could take up to 9 months. I know none of this is very encouraging, but publishing houses do have deadlines by which all edits must be submitted in order to publish the book within a certain time frame. So hopefully, there is some date by which SJM has to complete everything by.

I don't know but based on all the timelines that they were throwing around, it feels like May is the earliest? IF she really was drafting in Sept 2023.

[training4theapocalypse]

A Nest of Vipers (Cormac McLaggen x Original Female Character - Slytherin)

Rating: Explicit 18+

Word Count: 4.3K

Warnings / Tags: Smut, Secret Relationship

Summary: Una Montague wouldn't be caught dead dating a Gryffindor. Luckily for her, the feeling was mutual as far as Cormac McLaggen was concerned.

A/N: Dear god, please forgive me for what I wrote while ovulating. First time writing an OFC but I think it's still as hot as reader-insert. OFC and McLaggen are both 18. Also I just want to say that I fucking hate JK Rowling and am gleefully bastardising her work.

Masterlist

Tag list: @countlambula, @ratsys, @aweidlich, @navs-bhat, @stainedpomegranatelips, @chiaraanatra, @xxvelvetxxxx, @ohnoitsrosie, @dracosisteer, @daisydark, @intense-sneezing, (let me know if you want removed/changed at any point btw!)

Chapter 1: Smudge

The Slytherin common door shut with a thundering echo. Una Montague looked up from her Astronomy homework and locked eyes with Meredith Prewett. Uh-oh.

Professor McGonagall had asked Sabine to stay behind after Transfiguration that day and judging by the way her high heels stomped across the stone as she stormed towards the group of sixth-years sitting by the fire, it had not gone well.

“You’re in my seat,” said Sabine Zabini with a cutting glare. 

Pansy Parkinson sprang up without argument. “Sorry Sabine. Let’s go,” she added to her friends who hastily packed up their things and made themselves scarce.

Una and Meredith rushed over from the little alcove at the lake window as Sabine sank into the onyx wing-backed chair with a woeful groan.

“Sab, are you okay?” fawned Meredith, perching on the arm of Sabine’s chair. 

“If I ever see that old hag again, it’ll be too soon,” she hissed. 

Una sat down on the hard marble table in front of them. “What did she want?” she asked. When McGonagall had asked her to stay behind, Sabine had told Una to go on without her, and so had she made her way down to the dungeons and found Meredith studying in the common room.

“She told me if I want to sit my Transfiguration N.E.W.T., I’d have to start taking remedial Transfiguration lessons with her.”

“No!” gasped Meredith. Una didn’t say anything. She knew from sitting beside Sabine all throughout the previous year that she was lucky to have even made it to seventh-year Transfiguration. But the first few weeks of term had made it apparent that she was not keeping up with the curriculum. 

“Well, of course, I told her where she could stick her remedial Transfiguration.”

“You didn’t!” said Meredith. Sabine caught Una’s eyes before rolling hers.

“Of course, I didn’t, Meredith. No, I thanked her very much for the kind offer but told her I’m withdrawing from the class. Obviously.”

“Oh, Sab,” Una groaned. “You should have just done a few extra lessons with her.”

“Ugh, as if.”

“Who am I going to make fun of her hideous hat with now?” Una smirked, trying to hide her excitement and Sabine returned it. There was one person in Transfiguration who didn’t have a partner and Una was already making silent plans to sit next to him.

Cormac McLaggen. Tall, stupidly beautiful, beautifully stupid Cormac McLaggen. God, she wanted him. But Slytherins and Gryffindors barely spoke to each other here unless completely necessary in lessons. Both houses liked to think they were the others’ opposite. But Una knew that they were simply two sides of the same coin. 

Cormac barely even looked at Una. And for some reason that made Una want him more. 

When she, Sabine and Meredith walked down the corridor arm-in-arm, boys - even the Gryffindors - couldn’t help but stare. Slack-jawed, awestruck, terrified by the trio’s powerful feminine energy. But not Cormac. He was head and shoulders taller than the three of them so he didn’t even need to avert his gaze - he just simply looked over them as if they weren’t there.

Sabine and Meredith (but especially Sabine) would be horrified if they knew about Una’s crush. Sure, he was good looking but it would be social suicide to date a Gryffindor. Even one as well-connected as him - apparently his Uncle was extremely high-up in the Ministry.

Una had a stupid habit of wanting what she couldn’t have. And, fuck, she was desperate to have him. Even just once. Just to find out what he’d be like. He was so big and broad and downright intimidating. But Una was sure she could have him whimpering, begging for her-

“Hello? Earth to Head Girl?” Sabine and Meredith looked at her expectantly. Una blinked a few times and shook her head.

“Sorry - I was thinking about… Transfiguration. What were you saying?”

“Who are you going to sit beside tomorrow?” asked Meredith.

“Ugh, I don’t know.” Una made a show of rolling her eyes. “I’ll probably just sit at the back by myself. I’ll get a lot more work done without you there,” she teased Sabine.

“You’re such a goody-two-shoes,” said Sabine, pulling her long, black braids over her shoulder. “Whatever are you going to do without me leading you astray?”

It wasn’t so much a question of what, thought Una, but who.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A bag landed on Cormac McLaggen’s desk with a thud and he looked up in surprise to see Una Montague perched on the edge of the desk, looking down at him. “You’re good at Transfiguration, right?” she asked abruptly.

He furrowed his eyebrows together. “Me?”

“Yeah, you. Can I sit here?”

What fresh hell was this? What was one of the Vipers doing sitting on his desk? It was rare to see any of them alone. Cormac looked behind her sceptically. “Where’s your friend?”

Sighing heavily, Una pulled her bag back onto her shoulder. “I’ll sit somewhere else.” 

She turned to walk away, swishing her hair as she went. But before she took a step he said quickly, “Wait - yeah, you can sit here.” He supposed it would be poor manners to let a pretty girl, albeit a notoriously mean one, sit by herself at the back of the class when there was a perfectly good empty seat next to him.

“Only if I’m not inconveniencing you.” 

Already feeling like he was about to regret it, he gestured to the seat.

Cormac continued to look unsurely at her as she slid into the seat next to him. “What happened to Sabine?”

Una rummaged in her bag. Cormac expected her to take out her textbook but instead, she withdrew a small, black compact mirror and some lipgloss. “Oh, she dropped Transfiguration...” Cormac watched quietly as the lipgloss wand drew across her lips, spreading a shimmering pink glaze over them. And for some reason, he felt like he should look away. Like he was watching something extremely private. But he didn’t. He couldn’t. “She couldn’t handle it.” 

She pressed her lips together and pouted a little in the mirror, examining her neat work. The way she preened herself made Cormac want to reach out and smear the gloss over her face, just to see her reaction.

She snapped the compact shut and jolted him out of his daze with a start. 

“I should give you two for flinching,” she smirked. 

Professor McGonagall strode past them to the front of the class and the chattering students quietened down. She announced that they were going to be working on conjuring birds today.

“Might I remind you that your N.E.W.Ts are only a few months away and none of you are yet to successfully conjure more than a feather.”

The class groaned and got to work, trying with limited success to conjure birds using the Avis spell.

“Why is this so bloody difficult,” grumbled Cormac after some time, concentrating on his wand tip while Una lazily brushed a comb through her hair - her wand abandoned on the table. “Conjuring inanimate objects? Fine. But birds…”

“Have a lot of trouble with birds, then?”

“Oh, very funny.”

“I’m serious. I’ve never even seen you with a girl.”

Cormac lowered his wand and turned in his chair slightly. Oh, so this was why she sat here, was it? He couldn’t deny she was good-looking. But still, a Slytherin.

“Oh yeah, been watching me, have you?”

“I’m just very observant.”

“I’m single if that’s what you’re asking?”

Una rolled her eyes. “You wish, Cormac.”

Cormac leaned back in his chair and looked her over, resting his arm on the backrest as he did.

“What about you?”

“What about me?” she asked innocently, putting her brush in her bag before raising her wand and pretending to concentrate on conjuring birds.

“I’ve never seen you with anyone. Except for the Vipers. Or is that a thruple situation?”

“The Vipers?”

“You know, Slytherin’s other monsters. Sabine and Meredith.”

Una laughed. He had half-expected a shrill cackle. But her laugh was warm, even genuine. “Oh, so is that what they’re calling us in Gryffindor Tower?

He shrugs. 

“It’s catchy.”

“So? Are you?”

She too lowered her wand and leaned in closer to him. “Are you asking if we fuck each other?” she murmured, staring intently into his green eyes. “Are you picturing me rolling around in the sheets with them in the Slytherin girls dorm? Making them moan my name?” she teased.

Cormac paused and swallowed. “What if I am?” he said, and was pleased when it sounded more confident than he felt. They were both playing with Fiendfyre, talking like this so brazenly in the classroom. But he wasn’t sure who was more skilled in this Dark Art.

“I should slap you,” Una said, moving closer still so he could hear her barely audible admonishment. He felt her bare leg in her stupidly short skirt pressing against his.

“Don’t. I can only get so hard.”

Her eyelashes dipped as she looked down at his lap. Una drew a sharp inhale when his fingers twitched suddenly towards his belt.

He smirked.

“I was joking. But I should give you two for flinching.”

Uno looked up again at him coolly. “You’re not gonna give anything to me.”

“Oh yeah?” He gave her an arrogant smile as if he found it hard to believe. “Why’s that?”

“First of all, I’m not that easy. And second of all, I wouldn’t be caught dead dating a Gryffindor.”

“Who said anything about dating? What if  -”

“Miss Montague, Mr McLaggen. Is there something amusing you’d like to share with the rest of us?”

Silence fell over the class again and Una and Cormac turned hastily in their seats to face the front.

“I was just explaining the theory, Professor” Una said sweetly, seemingly unphased by the interruption.

“Then perhaps you could demonstrate?” Professor McGonagall challenged, calling her bluff.

Una pointed her wand and out shot six yellow twittering canaries.

McGonagall’s lips pursed together in a thin line. Cormac was sure she was about to award Una points but instead she addressed him. “And Mr McLaggen?”

Cormac extended his own wand. A stream of feathers erupted from the end and floated down onto the floor. Una bit her lips, trying to stifle a snicker at his expense.

Any further embarrassment on his part was saved when the bell rang signalling the end of class and McGonagall dismissed them.

“I suppose I’ll see you on Friday?” asked Una casually, positioning her bag on her shoulder.

“Thursday.”

“The next lesson’s not 'til Friday.”

“Slughorn’s dinner thing. You’re not ditching it again, are you?”

“I don’t know… Sabine and Meredith say it’s a waste of time, sucking up to an old has-been like Slughorn.”

“They don’t need to come.”

“Trying to get me alone, Cormac?”

Cormac laughed. “It might just be nice for you to make some new friends. You’re not that bad when you’ve slithered away from the Viper’s nest.”

Una narrowed her eyes. “I happen to like my current friends, thank you very much.”

“Sure but I only meant  -”

“Believe it or not, I don’t actually care what anyone from your house thinks of me or my friends. If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to my thruple.”

And with that, Cormac watched as Una strutted out of the classroom, leaving him to kick himself for managing to fumble the quaffle so hard - right when it was going his way too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Did you miss me terribly, Una?” cooed Sabine when Una found her and Meredith beside the common room fire that afternoon.

“It was the worst,” she said, plopping herself down on the sofa, watching the way the fire danced against the green tiles. “McGonagall picked on me and didn’t even give me a measly point for doing the Avis spell correctly. And nonverbally I might add.”

“Typical,” said Meredith. “It’s so unfair. She hates us.”

“Who did you end up sitting next to?” asked Sabine, flicking through her magazine.

“Erm, that guy… McLaggen,” said Una, as if his name was of little consequence.

“Not that oaf.”

“I know,” said Una. “And it’s not like I could even copy him - he was about as useful as a chocolate cauldron. I’m surprised he’s not in remedial Transfiguration.”

Sabine laughed but Meredith paused thoughtfully.

“He is quite handsome though, isn’t he? And rich, I think.”

“Eugh, Meredith. You have terrible taste,” said Sabine.

Una quickly copied Sabine’s look of disgust while Meredith backtracked.

“I just meant he’s alright to look at. Still a Gryffindor though, obviously.”

“And an idiot. Didn’t you hear how he ended up in the hospital wing last year? Eddie Carmichael dared him to eat Doxy Eggs for a bet. Some Head Boy he is, Una. Between him and McLaggen, you’ll have your work cut out for you this year.”

Una wrinkled her nose.

“Poor Una,” said Meredith sympathetically.

“I did find out some good gossip though,” said Una raising her eyebrows and leaning back on the sofa. “The Gryffindors call the three of us The Vipers.”

“That’s rude,” said Meredith but Sabine shrieked in a fit of giggles.

“I love it!” she laughed. “We really are just living in their heads, aren’t we?”

Una grinned. “I know.”

Sabine closed her magazine and stood up. “Let’s go down to the Great Hall. I’m starving. What do vipers eat anyway?”

“If they’re anything like Ashwinders then insects. Raw eggs,” said Meredith in an attempt to be helpful.

“That’s disgusting, Meredith,” said Sabine, linking her arm through Una’s. Meredith hurriedly latched on to her other side. 

“Speaking of dinner,” Una said. “I’m thinking about going to Slughorn’s on Thursday.”

“Ugh, pass,” said Meredith.

“Why?” asked Sabine, giving Una a shrewd look. “Blaise said it was terribly boring.”

“I know but I probably ought to as Head Girl. Bit of a snub if I don’t go twice. And maybe it’ll help my marks in potions.”

“You reckon?” asked Meredith.

“Well, it can’t hurt my marks if he likes me.”

“That’s a good point,” said Sabine thoughtfully. “Alright, I’ll come too then. I need all the help I can get since I’ve got one less N.E.W.T. this year.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Shit, thought Una. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Blaise Zabini was waiting in the common on Thursday night when Sabine, Una and Meredith finally ascended from the girl’s dormitory.

“Mum was complaining you’ve not written to her yet,” he told Sabine.

“I’ve been busy.”

“All four N.E.W.Ts proving to be time consuming, then?”

“Shut up.”

The four of them made their way along to Professor Slughorn’s office. They opened the door to find several plush seats already occupied around the extravagantly decorated table. Una felt irked when she noticed McLaggen was notably absent. This whole thing really would have been a waste of time if he didn’t turn up after all.

“Welcome, welcome!” Boomed Professor Slughorn. “So nice of you to join us. Blaise, good to see you again - and you’ve brought your sister!”

“Yes, sir. Thank you for inviting me,” said Sabine graciously as they found their seats and Slughorn beamed. Sabine had such a way of making people feel flattered, even special just from her presence. 

“And our Head Girl, Miss Montague. And Miss Prewett! I taught your father, you know.”

“Yes, sir. He spoke extremely highly of you,” said Meredith, sitting down.

Una sat on Sabine’s right, leaving a few seats next to her empty. Just in case, said a small voice in her head.

Slughorn began introducing everyone. Una was surprised to notice the way Blaise’s eyes lingered on a fifth-year girl, Ginny Weasley. Though she wasn’t sure if it was distaste or something entirely opposite. Interesting. Una didn’t say anything - she just made a mental note of it, the way she so often did with snippets of potentially damning information.

Slughorn’s office door opened again and Una looked to see Eddie Carmichael entering. Her heart sank as she turned back around again.

“You could have held it open,” said Cormac McLaggen’s voice. Una froze, not daring to glance at the door, incase Sabine noticed her constant fidgeting in her seat.

“Sorry, mate,” said Eddie, pulling out the free seat beside Una.

Cormac slid into the open chair before Eddie could. “That’s more like it, cheers mate.” He looked at Una. “Alright? - ouch!” 

Eddie slapped the back of Cormac’s head before sitting down on his other side. Cormac ran his hand through his dark, curly blonde hair.

“Idiots,” scoffed Sabine under her breath.

And Una had to agree. 

Cormac shuffled his seat in closer to the table. His shoulders were so broad that Una could feel his arm pressing up against her. Even if she folded her arms, she could still feel him, taking up far too much space.

As the evening went on, they listened to Slughorn regale stories of all the famous students he had taught, each of them members of what he called his ‘Slug Club’. Every time he said the name it made Una cringe. He fawned over Cormac, asking him about his father’s Ministry connections, praised Meredith’s dad’s apparent Potions prowess as a youth and asked Sabine and Blaise what their famous mother was up to. He asked Una about her father - a prominent benefactor of St Mungo's - but was more interested in Una's Head Girl duties. And Una was grateful for this - the less she had to talk about St Mungo's the better. 

After dinner, Slughorn summoned a bottle of Elf-made wine with a flourish of his wand. “Just for those who are of age,” he chided the younger students in a sing-song voice, “And only a glass each. Or else you’ll need an Awakening Draught tomorrow!” He chuckled. “And speaking of which - “ Slughorn looked at the seventh-years mischievously, “- you’d do well to brush up on that ahead of our lesson on Monday.”

Sabine grinned at Una and Meredith. It had been worth enduring the evening after all, if they were getting tips about the following class.

As Una drank her glass of wine, she felt Cormac’s leg brush against hers. Maybe the wine had emboldened her but she didn’t shrink away. Instead, she shifted slightly, leaning her leg against his. 

On Una’s left, Sabine and Blaise began sniping at each other again when Blaise suggested that their mother might send her a howler. On her right, Cormac was telling Eddie about his plans to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. 

Una lifted her glass to her lips but paused when she felt something. A large, warm hand grazing her bare leg. Cormac’s. She looked down but her lap was covered by the tablecloth. 

She moved in closer to the table and Cormac made to withdraw his hand when he felt her shift but she placed her own hand firmly on top of his, before returning hers to the table.

Cormac continued talking to Eddie as if nothing had happened while Una felt his hand trail further up her leg and under her skirt. She took another sip of wine and pretended to listen interestedly as Slughorn started waxing lyrical about a friend he had who was writing a biography about a Vampire.

“I simply must introduce you to Eldred Woprle, Miss Carrow. He has a lot of contacts at the Daily Prophet, you know.”

Una felt blood rushing below her waist as Cormac’s fingertips traced across her inner thigh. Her own hand gripped her wine glass with more force than was necessarily required, just for something to keep herself steady.

“I was sort of hoping Potter would be here tonight. It’d be good to get him on side before tryouts.”

“I don’t know why you’re arsed, mate. I keep telling you - football. Now that’s a real game.”

The plush, cozy room now felt stiflingly hot. Adrenaline coursed through Una’s body as she shakily raised her glass to her lips to try and hide her face. Cormac’s hand skirted over the crux of her thigh. Wine met her lips as she tilted her glass, letting the fruity, slightly sour liquid infiltrate her mouth.

“Well maybe I’ll tell Mum that you’ve got detention with Flitwick already - then we’ll see who gets a howler.”

Una’s heart raced in her chest. The several conversations going on in the room turned to white noise. Slowly, carefully, so as not to brush against Sabine, Una moved her legs apart. A silent invitation. She breathed shakily as she felt Cormac’s fingertips slip under the hem of her soaking wet underwear.

“My my!” cried Slughorn suddenly, causing Una to flinch and inhale an entire mouthful of wine. “Look at the time!” Cormac quickly removed his hand as Una began choking and spluttering.

Sabine gave her a concerned look as she coughed. “Are you alright? You’re bright red.”

Una wiped her lips, trying to compose herself quickly. “I’m - I’m fine,” she gasped. “Just went down the wrong way. And wine makes my cheeks flush.” She extracted her compact mirror and lipgloss, re-applying it hastily.

“It’s gone straight to your face too, mate,” said Eddie Carmichael, looking at Cormac. 

Cormac laughed and touched his hand to his warm face. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, yeah, I suppose it does a bit.” 

Una looked at him and felt herself flush even deeper when she saw him press two fingers thoughtfully against his lips. They were wet.

“Oh, how time flies when you’re having fun. You’d all better be off back to your dormitories. And if Mr Filch gives you any trouble, you just send him straight to me,” said Slughorn, waving his hand in the air.

“Let’s get out of here,” said Sabine, standing up abruptly.

Una pushed her chair back and followed her, Meredith and Blaise out of the room without so much of a backwards look.

As soon as they got out into the corridor, Meredith laughed.

“What a drag that was. Honestly, it would be worth failing Potions if I never had to endure that again.”

“I know,” agreed Sabine.

“I think I preferred it to another evening with Malfoy and the rest,” scoffed Blaise. “They’re always brooding these days. And I suppose the wine wasn’t too bad. If you don’t choke on it, that is.”

“Hilarious,” said Una.

“What did you think, Una? You were unusually quiet.”

Una’s abdomen tingled. Her brain worked overtime to come up with an excuse while blood rushed in her ears.

“Well, I had you lot squabbling on my left and two idiots on my right talking non-stop about Quidditch.” Una rolled her eyes convincingly. “But it wasn’t too dreadful. At least we know what’s coming up in Potions on Monday.”

“Well, that’s it sorted then. You can go with Blaise next time and report back to Meredith and I if Slughorn gives us any more hints,” said Sabine, with finality. 

Una mulled this over, pursing her lips together thoughtfully. It certainly would be easier to talk to Cormac McLaggen if she only had one person keeping an eye on her. She could hardly just be expected to talk to Blaise and only Blaise all night. She was allowed to network, right? And perhaps, she thought, Blaise would like to network with Ginny Weasley.

“Fine,” said Una. “But you owe me. Big time.”

Sabine linked her arms between Una and Meridith as they sauntered along the corridor to the dungeons. Una still felt faintly embarrassed about her unseemly choking display. With her free arm, she searched for her mirror in her tiny handbag, wondering if she had any wine down her front.

“Shit,” said Una, stopping and the four of them halted. “I think I left my compact.”

Meredith groaned. “I’m not going back in there. If I have to hear anything else about Vampires-”

“It’s fine - go ahead. I’ll see you two in the dormitory. See you later, Blaise.”

Una untangled herself, turned on her heels and passed the last few stragglers leaving Slughorn’s dinner party.

Her heels clicked as she walked back up the deserted corridor and around the corner.

“Forget something?”

Cormac McLaggen was sitting on a window ledge in the dark hallway, checking himself out in Una’s little black mirror. He snapped it shut and hoisted himself off the stone ledge, walking towards her.

Una extended her palm expectantly.

“What’s the magic word?” he asked, standing in front of her. Una looked up at him as he towered over her. He was so tall she had to strain - her face was only at eye level with his chest.

“Avada Kedavra?” suggested Una, attempting to snatch the compact from his hands but he reacted quickly, pulling it out of her reach.

“Ooh, not quite,” he grinned.

She took a step towards him, their chests almost touching as she looked up at him through her lashes. “Please, Cormac?”

He hadn’t expected her to surrender so quickly. Cormac grudgingly gave her the compact back and they stared at each other for a few moments, neither of them daring to address what had just happened in Slughorn’s office.

“You know, that lipgloss is very pretty,” he said, curling two fingers under Una’s chin. Her heart pounded in her chest again as she looked up into his strikingly green eyes. His own lips were rosy, tinged slightly pink from drinking the same wine. “Too pretty.”

Cormac took his thumb and slowly dragged it across her bottom lip, smearing it down her chin. He squeezed her face roughly and Una smacked his hand away, scowling.

“There. That’s better.” He gave her an arrogant smirk. “See you tomorrow.”

Una let out a scoff of disbelief as Cormac walked away, leaving her standing alone in the corridor. 

She opened her compact and examined herself in the mirror - a pink, glittering streak was smudged across her chin and there were faint red marks from where he squeezed her face.

He was right, she thought as she looked at her slightly dishevelled appearance, she did look better like this.

Chapter 2: Struggle

[insertdragonpun]

So you know that dnd campaign I'm in? The steampunk one right?

So. Both players are making new characters because 1 of them has left to find his family and the other has hidden herself away as she has to detox for a fucking Y E A R.

Number one left the party and number two (me) was traveling back to whom ever gave her the quest and whatever.

Someone sends an assassin after her.

The assassin's ac was 30. Fucking 30.

The party was traveling with this engineer right? We go through a puzzle dungeon before the split up and this guy just completely totals a shadow dragon (pretty sure thats the name) saying something about giving it some vitamins.

Fastforward to the current fight, I'm getting destroyed by an unknown (the bitch has a huge stealth thing) and engineer guy tosses me some of his vitamins.

I take it. That shit completely rewired my girl's brain.

4 stats go to 5, 2 go to 30.

Spell slots doubled. Movement speed at 160- something (taking 15 points of damage with every movement)

300 temp hp.

It's something.

But a funny thing is that I roll a d6, evens I'm in control, odds the dm is.

After the fight I roll odds and the dm has my girl storm the entirety of this peninsula (all swamp btw) and just burn it to the ground.

She is exhausted (5 out of 6 exhaustion points btw) and just crashes.

That goddamn vitamin was so strong that after one dose she is addicted and has to detox for a fucking year.

So, Onyx Undergrove the queen of the Burning Bog, (New name for her freshly destroyed swamp) is kept to herself in some cave suffering from 2 exhaustion points until she is completely done with withdrawal.

What the fuck.

[117--087]

Thanks for your insightful comments, @veta-lopis​ ! And yeah, a lot of the reactions to ‘Silent Storm’ I’ve been seeing are following along the same general likes & dislikes. Which isn’t a bad thing I suppose. I’d rather have that than yet another piece of Halo media that is ridiculously divisive and/or yo-yos in overall quality...Also I just re-read both yours and @equivalencept’s Pros+Cons for the book and realized mine was a lot more like them than I thought. So I apologize for the lack of originality. XD

(btw these fine folks’ posts can be read here & here - spoilers still apply obvs)

I wanted to “officially” put my initial thoughts on things out into the wild here anyway though. And I hope you don’t mind me replying on a separate post, but since the book is less than a week old I’m trying to be as courteous as possible to those that want to avoid any & all spoilers by keeping specific talk about the story’s contents under read-mores. :)

I get what you are saying about Fred’s humor being better balanced in Denning’s previous books - because it was. I guess for my part I still would have liked to have seen more exploration of the weightier side of what Fred would’ve been going through at that time. Such as: how does Fred feel about essentially becoming the "replacement" for the Master Chief in the eyes of his remaining S-IIs (not to mention HIGHCOM) and Kurt in the eyes of the S-IIIs? Is he trying to run things differently than his predecessors, or the same - and why? Does he remotely expect, or want, his new duties as squad leader to pass on to someone else eventually? And other such related items.

Adding some humor to liven up a story is perfectly fine. Welcome even. Humanizing the Spartan-IIs is something anyone who has seen me around here/the Halo community in general I think knows I am 110% in support of. Especially when it is used to show that the S-IIs are indeed people and not just emotionless/mindless war machines. But when humor is utilized at the expense of what else that a character has to offer that also makes them unique and dynamic, it becomes a problem. And I feel that has sort-of happened to Fred in Denning’s books - which, as you touched on, is getting into retcon territory. But like I said I have hope this issue can be course-corrected in future media with appropriate feedback to the right people.

Also for the record, I don’t disagree that Eric Nylund’s past works could have done better with some punched-up emotionality throughout. Though in my opinion when it really mattered, the emotions that were attached to those various key moments were still strong and left a lasting impact (i.e. Sam’s death, Chief finding the surviving S-IIs on Reach, Operation: TORPEDO, Dr. Halsey and Fred fighting on Onyx, etc.). But that is neither here or there. Obviously different writers are going to have different strengths, weaknesses, and styles.

Also to give the current author some benefit of the doubt here, we don’t know exactly what material Troy Denning is working from. What was he given from 343i that briefed him on Blue Team and the other S-IIs? Was it even accurate, or detailed enough? Was he given anything at all? We just don’t know. Nor do I expect him, as a busy professional, to read TFOR/FS/GOO cover-to-cover dozens of times to become intimately familiar with the subtleties of the characters’ established personalities and mannerisms...that would’ve been nice if he had, sure, but that’s not realistic.

So all things considered he's done quite well - just needs to tighten the screws a bit in some areas, imo. Either way John being portrayed right was what was most important for ‘Silent Storm’ to do, as he is one of the primary POV characters. And I’m very glad, and relieved, to be able to say that aspect worked out great.

As far as I am aware, it wasn’t that the members of Green & Gold Teams were scaled back in terms of their involvement in the story. But rather 343i limited Denning in terms of the number of Spartans that he originally wanted to have in the book. As in, we could have seen another team of 4 present for this op (Black Team perhaps?). So when taking into account everything already going on between all the groups and the amount of characters involved as is, I believe the devs made the right call on that one. Still that doesn’t make it any less of a shame to see the Spartans we have not being utilized to their full potential (personality-wise and as soldiers).

Unfortunately though it is hard to say if Blue Team as a whole is even what 343i is wanting to “double down” on. All we have gotten from them in the wake of H5 is they think people want “moar Master Chief” - as evidenced with things like ‘Silent Storm’ and ‘Collateral Damage’ being labeled “A Master Chief Story”. Which, to put it mildly, is missing the big picture to a ridiculous degree. But (whether they like it or not) Kelly, Fred, and Linda were with John practically every step of the way up to the original games. So there is no way for them to be removed as long as “prequel” media is being made. So it is my hope that continued exposure to Blue Team will soften those fans that might have been soured on their presence due to H5′s extremely poor handing of their introduction to the games...and thus result in them being kept around as main characters and the Chief’s companions in H6.

Otherwise yeah, I totally agree that seeing a young John and Blue Team make their first forays into the wider world of the UNSC and it’s politics was the best aspect of the book. I really like that it did emphasize that at this point they are still kids and even with all their expert combat training and college-level education they have a lot left to learn from experience (both their own and their elders’/superiors’).

However, also like you said, more stuff that is just focused on their interactions as characters is sorely needed. Like that part early on in the story when Kelly broke some ribs and she had to call John out on his somewhat overprotective behavior. That was the perfect set-up for them to have a personal conversation later where they hash things out in more detail regarding how Sam’s death has impacted them both and what that means for them as teammates & best friends going forward...but it is never followed up on. Or for instance why not have a little more going on in the background with Daisy. I assume her confrontational attitude in the book is something of a reference to how she found out the ugly truth of what happened with their birth families after they were kidnapped...so why not have a moment where Kurt (as both a team leader for this op and someone we know is interested in understanding other people) really tries to push past that anger and make her feel better. Or why not just have a moment where Naomi uses her tech-savviness to assist Grace in doing something clever with explosives.

'Silent Storm’ was ripe for character-building elements like this. But, outside of a few moments for John, didn’t quite deliver. As you touched on in your own appraisal of the narrative there was just too much happening here to cover in one book - one that was less than 800 pages anyway. But for what we got, I will still say I’m satisfied with it and will continue to keep my fingers crossed that the positives and negatives currently being discussed across social media will be taken into account for next time.

[stormy-boy]

What if IGNTR found another racer for their team?How would their fans react? How would JACKSON react?! Love your blog btw!

Thanks! :) Just to preface this, I have little to no knowledge about how NASCAR (or rather, the Piston Cup) works, but I’m assuming that in this scenario, IGNTR is replacing Jackson with another racer? Also, fair warning, this is kind of angsty.

“I’m giving your number to someone new.”

In the back of his mind, Jackson Storm somehow knew this day would come. He had tried not to think about it—naively hoped it would never happen to him. Not him. He would be the exception. But it happened.

He was being replaced. With someone better, faster, stronger, nicer, slightly more attractive. Storm was only in his fourth year of racing, and they were already coming out with more cutting-edge race cars—ones that were even more technologically advanced than him! He was becoming obsolete… just like McQueen.

Storm shook his hood from his spot in the dark corner of his bedroom, where he had been moping for the past few hours. No! He wasn’t about to feel guilty for what he did to McQueen! Besides, that was years ago. It didn’t matter anymore… But it did.

You’re not good enough.

There is it was again. That voice.

You’re not good enough.

These were the words that threatened to push him over the edge, spiraling down into a pit of self-doubt. Of, “What now?” “What do I do?” What can I do if I can’t fulfill the purpose of my existence, which is to be a top-notch, undefeated racing champion? Should I even race? What’s the point of racing if I don’t win?…

Am I still worth anything?

He had been deliberately putting it off for a while now, but he had to see how the fans were reacting. What did they think of the fact that he was no longer the best racer?

Storm rolled over to his laptop, the harsh white glare of the monitor reflecting off his face, accentuating its lifeless, miserable features. He could picture them now. All those haters—and he had quite a few. People gossiped, chattered about him. Said with sharp side-glances to his passing figure, “He’s so full of himself.” “He’s such a jerk.” “I hate him.” “He may be a pain in the rear, but at least he makes us money.” “At least he’s the fastest racecar out there… until the next one.”

Storm paused for a moment before clicking on the social media icon. Was he really ready to see all this? He could hear their disembodied voices. “Good riddance.” “I’m glad he’s gone, lol.” “Selfish asshole deserves it.” And then his own voice. “You don’t belong on this track.”

Storm would never verbally admit it, but as much as he tried not to let them affect him—they did. He wasn’t a robot, like most conspiracy theorists were inclined to believe. He had feelings—feelings that he preferred to keep under wraps. Because nobody liked being despised. Not even Jackson…

He took a deep breath, preparing himself.

Click.

“OMG, Storm got kicked off the IGNTR team.” “The new guy’s name is Onyx Rain.” “Pfft, that doesn’t sound familiar at all.” “He was kind of an asshole, tbh.” “Never liked him. He was always too conceited.” “Maybe another sponsor will pick him up?” “I hope so, he’s such a good racer!” “Not gonna lie—Jackie���s pretty hot.” “I dunno guys, I think Storm still has a few more wins left in him.”

At the very least, it wasn’t as bad as he expected. As Storm scrolled further down through his feed, he could see quite a few posts lamenting his departure from the team. Some people believed in him and hoped that he would continue racing. Thought he was still a pretty decent racer. 

In any other case, these types of comments would have boosted his ego. Made him feel better about himself. Because Jackson Storm always loved it when people praised him for his abilities. But for some reason, it didn’t do the trick this time. He still felt… empty.

But then there was this one post. It was longer than all the others. Storm had the attention span of a goldfish, so he was already scrolling right past it, but then he caught the username. Was that…? He scrolled back.

“I’d first like to start off by thanking IGNTR for giving us the wonderful opportunity to race for them. They’ve treated us well these past 4 years. But circumstances change, and the racing world is evolving all the time. So I understand their decision. That being said, I just want to say that I’m proud of our team. And I’m proud of Jackson. He isn’t the most warm, friendly, humble guy—I’m sure even he would admit that. But he’s come a long way since his days as a rookie. In my eyes, he will always be a talented racer. And more importantly—and I know this is hard for some of you to believe—he’s a good kid at heart. He’s a hard worker that never quits when the going gets tough. And he always strives to be the best Jackson Storm he can be. I’m honored to be his crew chief. And I’m glad to have met someone like him.

-Ray Reverham.”

Jackson Storm had feelings, feelings that he normally kept under lock and key. But this time, he didn’t hold back from showing his emotions.

That line about “being the best Jackson Storm he can be” is in reference to the same thing that Ray says in “Storm Chasing.”