#we'll see what does sprout

[breelandwalker]

Worm Moon - March 13-14 2025

The world is thawing and spring will soon be sprung. Dust off your garden tools and get ready for the Worm Moon!

Worm Moon

The Worm Moon is the name given to the full moon which occurs in the month of March in the Northern Hemisphere. Most sources claim this name is taken from the renewed visible presence of vermicast (worm droppings) and earthworms themselves, as the spring thaw allows them to emerge from the soil.

There is a possible alternative explanation, involving a colonial explorer's notes about the Naudowessie (Dakota) observation of emerging worm-like beetle larvae from the bark of trees. "Every month has with them a name expressive of its season; for instance, they call the month of March (in which their year generally begins at the first New Moon after the vernal Equinox) the Worm Month or Moon; because at this time the worms quit their retreats in the bark of the trees, wood, &c. where they have sheltered themselves during the winter." (It's entirely possible that this "worm" in this instance is a mistranslation of an indigenous word for "larva," since it refers to the larval state of certain beetles. Without knowing whether the language in question makes a distinction between larval worms and earthworms, it's impossible to tell, and I was unable to find further sources.)

Other North American Indigenous names for this moon include Goose Moon (Algonquin and Cree) and Crow Comes Back Moon (Northern Ojibwe), in reference to the reappearance of migratory birds, and Sugar Moon (Ojibwe) and Sap Moon (Shawnee), in reference to the season in which the maple sap begins to run and can be tapped for the production of maple syrup.

Fun Fact: The term "Worm Moon" only occurs in southerly indigenous nations. The March moon is commonly named for trees or birds in more northerly areas of North America because in those places, the native species of earthworms went extinct during the period when glaciers covered that portion of the continent. About 12,000 years ago when the glaciers receded, the forest grew back without earthworms. The species which now inhabit those areas are invasive or introduced specimens originating from Europe and Asia.

The March moon, if it occurs prior to the spring equinox, is also the Lenten Moon, named for the Christian holiday of Lent. If it occurs after the equinox, it is called the Paschal Full Moon, corresponding with the Christian holiday of Easter, or Paschal Sunday (This year's Worm Moon will occur the week before the equinox and Easter Sunday will be in April.)

This year's Worm Moon will also feature a lunar eclipse, the only one we'll see this year. The peak of the full moon will occur at 2:55am EST on March 14th, but the moon will appear to be full and the eclipse should be visible on the night of the 13th. Check the Dark Sky Place Finder for visibility conditions in your area and livestreams of the event.

What Does It Mean For Witches?

Full moons are both the beginning and end of the lunar cycle. With the Worm Moon, we can look forward to the beginning of spring and the yearly harvest cycle. So now is the perfect time for seasonal divination, plans for the coming months, and the setting of goals for the future, both short-term and long-term. You can also check in with goals you may have set back in January and record your progress. (Remember - even a little progress is still progress!)

Consider also how you can change or begin new routines and habits to improve your life, make better choices, streamline your schedule, or just give yourself a much-needed break. If there’s something hanging around that no longer serves you, now is the time to consider bidding it adieu and moving forward to a new path.

What Witchy Things Can We Do?

The Worm Moon heralds the imminent start of the planting season. If you’ve got green fingers, now is the time to begin planning your garden for the season. Prepare your sprouting trays and browse your favorite seed catalog for inspiration.

It’s also time for that all-important spring cleaning, so open up those windows on a warm day and air out all the staleness from winter. As you scrub and dust and declutter, you can also magically cleanse your space of stagnant, disruptive, or unwanted things, replacing them with your own energy and your good wishes and goals for the upcoming season.

This is also an excellent time for spells focused on fertility, optimism, and new growth. It’s important to remember that fertility spells don’t just have to focus on procreation. They can also be geared toward planting, creating, opportunity, inspiration, motivation, prosperity, abundance, and anything that requires nurturing and productivity.

As the land begins to turn toward springtime, even if the weather is still cold, take note of the changes in the flora and fauna in your area. What species can you identify? How are the animals acting? Is there anything new that you notice since last year? Tracking these changes can help you connect with your local biome and identify patterns that can help you draw forecasts for the weather, the coming crop cycle, and any personal omens you have which are connected to nature. Try this knowledge-building exercise as part of your study - Dig Through The Ditches.

Since there is a lunar eclipse set to occur, this is also an optimal time for not only the usual fulfillment and abundance magic associated with the full moon, but for any magic meant to yeet something into the all-devouring void with all your might. Contrary to certain schools of belief, eclipses do not automatically negate magical workings done on the date they occur and there are ways of employing that energy to useful purpose. Picture the earth's shadow moving over the moon like a giant cosmic disposal bin which carries away anything thrown into it to be released into the void of space.

As always, for best results, make sure you are focused and specific with your intentions and close loopholes in your wording. Remember that YOU are the most important component in your spell, since you're the one providing the impetus and the energy and telling the magic what to do. Don't be afraid to clear and emphatic!

Recall also that in any environment, there comes a time when progress cannot occur until harmful elements are removed, stagnation is released, and detritus is returned to a state where it can decay and benefit new growth. Do with this what you will.

The season of greening and renewal is upon us, so it’s time to Ready, Set, GROW!

Happy Worm Moon, witches! 🌕🌱

Further Reading:

Worm Moon: Full Moon for March 2025, The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

Worm Moon: The Stunning Full Moon of March 2025, The Peculiar Brunette.

Witchcraft Exercise - Dig Through The Ditches, Bree NicGarran.

Travels Through the Interior Parts of North America, in the Years 1766, 1767 and 1768, Capt. Jonathan Carver, London, 1781. (Text available on Project Gutenberg)

Total Lunar Eclipse March 2025, Space.com.

Easter and the Paschal Full Moon: Determining the Date of Easter, The Old Farmer's Almanac.

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living, Dorothy Morrison, Llewellyn Publications, 2004.

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

[avelera]

(Arcane Meta) Anomaly Future Jayce Might Have Surrendered to Viktor

It's really fun to speculate on what might have gone differently in the Anomaly Future vs. the Canon Events of the final battle between Jayce and Viktor, such that Wizard Viktor needed to give Jayce some warning when he got sent back to prevent those events.

Obviously, Anomaly Universe Jayce, or AU!Jayce as we'll call him for shorthand, failed. But when did he fail is a really intriguing question!

And I saw a really intriguing theory on Twitter that the flash of memory Jayce has where he thinks back to just before he shot Viktor and instead of Viktor being afraid of him, he's smiling, wasn't because Jayce was sentimentally imagining a Viktor who was happy to see him, but it might have actually been a received vision from AU Jayce about the moment he lost, and it was the moment he came to the commune and Viktor smiled at him (that goddamn simp).

The thing is, I think we can tell from Jayce's resolve and the fact he's fighting so hard with himself through Act 2 and 3 whenever Viktor is around, that it would be really, really easy for him to give in to Viktor. If anything, Jayce would be 1,000x happier if he could just give in and be with his partner for the last 3 months before the damn world ends, that Jayce is a much happier Jayce, but he can't, not just because the world ends, but because it will leave Viktor in a fate worse than death as the only thing alive in a dead world.

But this also implies that in most other universes, Jayce willingly gave in so what does that look like?

Well, I think it looks a bit like this:

Notice that the circular "swirl" around AU!Jayce is behind him, as if the point of entry is in front of him.

Also notice we don't have the top of his head anymore, so we don't know what the marks on his forehead looked like.

Canon!Jayce's forehead marks are from the top of his head, facing down, because Viktor ambushes him from behind to put his hand there.

In theory though, AU!Jayce could have them facing up just like Viktor's other followers, because he accepted those marks while face-to-face and then, the force of his conversion creates that the swirl behind him, the branches of corruption sprouting from his back look as if something is blasting him from the front, pushing the effects backwards.

Which means, that AU!Jayce didn't flee from Viktor and then pause to pick up his hammer as Canon!Jayce did.

AU!Jayce is kneeling in front of Viktor, in what could be an act of surrender, or even an act of worship genuflecting to Viktor as a superior, or as they fulfill the final stage of their shared plan, only for it to tragically end in AU!Jayce's utter destruction as an individual and essentially his death.

Anyway, I've been very intrigued by that swirl pattern around AU!Jayce and this is my speculation about what it is, besides fucking cool looking and a gorgeous artistic flare. Lemme know what you think!

[pukaparade]

My Experience Working as an Artist at Santae

Just want to start off by saying that this is simply my personal experience and that anything following the cut is simply my own opinion based off of that personal experience. Readers are encouraged to please employ their own critical thinking and taking many grains of salt when reading another person's experience, mine included. Anyway, my feelings and experiences following the cut.

To start off when I applied to Santae I was really excited to be a part of the project. It's a project that has a lot of promise and it seemed to set itself apart from other petsites I've played in the past. I was really eager to try and be a part of it and participate in the growth of the site and community.

When I joined the server I received the typical greeting - CJ pings everyone to welcome new staff not unlike a welcoming party. It was a bit overwhelming but seemed well-meaning.

There were a lot of little red flags that sprouted up after my joining that I ignored or tamped down writing them off as caused by stress or seeing them as things that could be grown from. (Badmouthing past management, poor communication, etc..)

I can't and won't go into massive detail about everything that put me off and drove me to finally split ways because it would be splitting hairs after a certain point and I also just don't have the time, energy, or care to go through things with such a meticulousness. This post is mostly to warn others who may be thinking of applying what to expect and to cast a little transparency on the work environment. There are a lot of allegations going around and understandably a lot of people are afraid to speak up. I've already quit so that can no longer be held over my head (but we'll come back to this) and the worst that will happen is I'll become a social pariah on the site, or my account will be banned. (Kind of expecting this, so if Kasper #2468 gets iced just know it wasn't by my own hand lmfao. If my KS backing and SC earned by commission get nuked in retaliation ig it's a consequence I'm willing to accept.)

To the friends I've made on the team and the folks that reached out after I quit and removed from the server - I'm glad we met. And thank you to the former coworker who offered to post my goodbye for me after reaching out to me in DM (I declined because I didn't want anyone being ~ tainted~ by association lol) I was in the middle of typing a goodbye when I was unceremoniously removed from the server. When I joined staff got to say goodbye and some even hung around for weeks after parting ways, but since Sky was removed without being able to say goodbye it seems like being instantly deleted might just be the new standard. Not to mention the other artist who was just removed overnight without even a comment. To everyone else, I kind of assumed our camaraderie was as fickle and transient as my time on the team and wasn't surprised to be proven right. I'm sure it doesn't help that (in my experience) CJ has a habit of hopping into VC to badmouth anyone who doesn't align with his vision.

Anyway this is super disjointed already. Let's get onto some specifics.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

"You didn't even need reply ^_^"

I mentioned that the pings were stressful because we had already received multiple about this 'game' and it was getting stressful. When I mentioned that, I got a passive aggressive dm and followup about it afterwards. I will also note that a coworker added an agreeing 'react' to my post about the pings which cj then. removed. lol. I did not reply to the message bc by now I was tired of the manipulation games.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Commission Discomfort

I held off confronting about this for a long time because I feel that CJ does not take confrontation well and didn't want to make things worse for myself of others but by the end I was nearing my limit and needed to enforce a firm boundary.

I did some graphics work under the expectation that I'd be getting a divine figurine for it and had to follow up multiple times as usual, at which point CJ tried to pin it on a fellow artist coworker 'making him uncomfortable'. This is a common trend with poor communication on the team.

"management" would prefer that staff not commission site artists. This just always rubbed me wrong, especially after the, in my opinion, territorial behavior over me doing commissions. I also dmed some coworkers about it since he said he'd 'tell all the other artists' but no one else had gotten any similar messages from him.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Streaming in Server

When I started it was pretty casual for art staff to stream site work or personal work in the vc. I stopped streaming personal things after the first uncomfortable dm I got when working on an offsite comm and stuck to santae only work from then on. I don't have a screenshot of my own that I can use for this unfortunately but cj sent a message saying

"Hey @ artist @ lead artist @ lead clothing artist I would like to stop streaming art in the staff voice chat channel as technically the behind the scenes is for BMaC so it's just a gray area, however I would love if you all still wanted to stream but would like you all to stream via our Twitch platform or TikTok

Login credentials will be provided as well.

This is a perfect time to stream with the referral contest live it would be very beneficial I believe.

If you would like to stream please reach out to me, There will be SC pay for streaming, 5sc per hour with a max of 4 hours per day and max of 10 hours per week per artist :dravalove: your normal pay rates also apply this is just additional :heart:"

When the most recent artist to stream asked about back-pay for the stream done for the site the response was a gif of an empty wallet and a crying shimmerint emoji. These messages were later deleted.

further commentary as follows -

The only reason anyone noticed he deleted his messages was because in voicechat when other staff were asking why we don't steam anymore he said 'oh I deleted that' and then said that we can stream again in vc. This was followed the day after that vc by the following

CJ not only shared images to the BMaC in my time, but also would take the images directly from the art approvals channel and drop them into the staff vc anyway to show them off to whoever was around. Frankly this felt like shit every single time and felt like he just wanted the dopamine hit of people complimenting the art. Rarely were we credited during the fawning, too.

A fellow staff reached out to ask why I wasn't around as much, this staff member was in the same vc where he said it was ok again. CJ in my opinion likes to say things one way publicly but then if there's an issue he'll take it to dms or involve as few people as possible. To me his public and private faces are very different.

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Final Straw

The screenshots from above reposted below

As you can see, they're clearly the same, lol. I will also mention that these plush items take twice as long to do and require more revisions than other items. On top of that I have concept art that I can't share due to NDA of the heartstruck concept - full roughs of the pets that I was not compensated for in any way. None of this was discussed prior to me starting the work which is my own fault and not a mistake I'll make again. I spent days, long consecutive hours working on the concepts before I could even start on the plush themselves. This time and the work I put in will remain unpaid.

Something I noticed while I was putting this together is that CJ has deleted at least one message from our dms, which is funny because the message I noticed got deleted is one that I had originally read as being sent with the intention to manipulate -

I have also been reached out to by a former coworker with a 'message from cj' which I declined. Respectfully, I've got you blocked for a reason man. If I had to guess he probably feels like there's something he needs to smooth over to cover his ass but I'm just not interested.

Overall my experience on art staff was quite stressful and the environment definitely felt like there was an in- and out- crowd that was decided by how present you are in vc and how willing you are to participate in the toxic positivity and bobble-head nodding. Also, getting frequently misgendered to your face and behind your back is a special kind of torture.

Anyway, I could probably ramble on more about the time he burst into voice call while I was in there with a coworker and ranted about another coworker for like 20 minutes totally ignoring me before just leaving, or how he's always talking shit about people behind their backs (hi new admins) but not to their faces but I don't have receipts for any of that. Nor energy. And besides there are other places where folks air their grievances and allegations if that's what you're looking for. So I guess I'll leave it here, take care y'all.

[sometimesoliloquy]

Hey! I saw you watched the finale (thank you for your sacrifice), and while I'm not, I do have a burning question: did Rose ever have this baby? She's been pregnant for like, 2 seasons now lol. If they didn't show this, then what was the point?? We're not even going to see the Gilead family Nick "chose"?? So not only this, but by changing Nichole's name back to Holly, we really have nothing left of Nick at all. Ugh, none of this makes sense.

😅 Nope! No Rose, no baby. They probably strung her up on the wall when they took back Boston too, or maybe she magically sprouted wings and flew back to DC. To quote Max, "we'll never fucking know" (I feel like I quote this at least once a day now lol).

I guess it doesn't really matter since (even though in the biggest coincidence of the century she just happened to be close family friends with Hannah's kidnappers) in the end she was merely a plot device to make Nick suffer and then turn into a "villain". Like the Jezebels letters only existed to make him a "villain". Like the Swiss diplomats only existed apparently to tell us Nick was a villain back in s3 because "reasons".

It does seem like a bit of a waste though, if they really wanted to make Nick a villain, why not kill Rose and the baby in ep 9? Have the big baddie violent man choose revenge against the good guys, not family? We'll never fucking know.

And then yes, continue to erase him even from his own daughter's name, his only legacy left on earth. Because switching back to Holly at the exact moment that Holly is discovered to be alive and becomes her permanent guardian makes total sense and isn't going to be confusing at all. God, they really just said a giant fuck you to Margaret Atwood and then to all of Nick's fans, huh?

[dandysworldhcs]

I feel like a lot of people skip over the bit in the lore where gardenview is an educational center, so I like to think about what each toon would teach. The mains are major subjects, so broader stuff like space, fossils, technology, math etc etc.

The common toons are subcategories, and the holiday toons are just for fun. Dandy and Pebble are just greeters, but will occasionally join in to help teach a certain subject (Dandy’s favorite is math).

All the subjects have something to do with science, since a common thing I see at educational centers is that they all revolve around STEM.

All of the toons are for entertainment, and on top of teaching about a certain subject they also do other stuff at the center, for example Looey does parties (but you can request specific toons), and Sprout and Cosmo bake treats (or are mascots for the food court).

-cinnamoroll anon (if it’s open, if not peepy anon)

theres already an anon called silly cinnamoroll anon so we'll go with peepy anon :-]

[theluckywizard]

Finally finished an illustration for my Dragon Age 2 Matchmaking Moms AU fic Kiss Me Moonstruck where Garrett Hawke and Rose Trevelyan are fixed up by their enterprising mothers over Satinalia week in early Act 2. This pairs with Chapter 13: Like a Couple Adolescents. This entire fic sprouted from the one line Leandra Hawke delivers to (male) Hawke (possibly female Hawke too) about wanting to find him a wife after moving into the old Amell Estate.

Please enjoy my blorbos as they suffer a truly obscene influx of oxytocin.

Hawke x Trevelyan | Dragon Age 2 | Matchmaking Mischief | Fluff and Smut | Fish out of Water | Romantic Comedy | Explicit

We'll see what Tumblr does to the colors in this art 😬

[theveeshow]

Hai Vee! (Love the show💅) If you could give one word to describe each main (or all th toons if you want) what would it be?

"Thank you, thank you! All the toons, huh?"

She ponders for a moment.

"For the mains, I'd definitely say that Pebble's word would be beloved. He's probably the favorite, and I can see why kids love him. For Shelly, I'd probably say enthusiastic, she's always excited about her work!"

Vee stops to think for a little more.

"Astro would probably best be described as empathetic...it always gets the best of him. Maybe it'd be helpful for him to start putting himself first for a change. And Sprout, he's very protective, especially towards his friends and Cosmo."

She hesitates before continuing.

"Dandy's completely obsessive. I think we all know how he gets about his precious work...and the other stuff he has going on. But moving along...Toodles is such a sweetheart, I swear she can make anyone smile! And of course, Shrimpo's the best little brother I could ask for, but for most people, they'd probably just say that he's surprising. Love him to death."

"Now, who else...Rodger is very hardworking, I swear he doesn't sleep half the time, and Tisha's about the same, just a bit more cheerful. I've never seen Looey without a massive grin on his face...he's definitely joyful."

Her screen loads for a second.

"Who's left? Oh, yes, Glisten...people say that he's perfect, but I don't think that's true...he's just such a perfectionist. Entertainment is a hard profession, you know. Gotta appreciate the grind, but I wish he stopped taking my spare mics. Boxten's really quiet and seems pretty chill, but I dunno, he just seems melancholy all the time. I'm not sure why. And Finn...he's calm-chaos, and rounds us all out."

Vee counts off on her fingers.

"Valla's super responsible. For Dandy's older sister, she's not bad. Azzie...I don't really know what to make of her...she's very insistent that she's not like Dandy...I guess we'll have to wait and see. Goob's incredibly loyal, no surprise there. And Atri...haven't spoken to her yet, but I can already tell that she's energetic. I think Cosmo's the last one...he's definitely caring."

(@dandy-does-tumbls @tthedinosaurnerd @everythingdeserveshate @astrosblanket @sproutberrybakes @detectivetoodles2 @atri-starglow @valleyofichor @dandicus-azalea @the-goofiest-goober @the-pet-rock @detectiverodger @tisha-also-does-tumbles @glistenstalkshow @musicallyboxy @jokesandlaughs @cosmos-cosmicbrownies @fish-in-ichor)

(Feel free to respond with your own versions of this!)

[antikittysocial]

looey character analysis because @ko-glitch-101 can't get him out of her brain

A H E M

yapfest alert. watch out.

Alright, let's start off with his in-game ability. "What's that got to do with anything", you say? Abilities often reflect toons' quirks and mindsets, for example Sprout's passive, Gigi's active, Rodger's passive, Shelly's active, Cosmo's active, et cetera.

ABILITY

Looey's ability is that every time he loses a heart, he gains an extra star in speed. I think this was a really great choice when it comes to his character as it combines the fact that he is a balloon and the fact that he does well under pressure. It also reminds me of how he is a performer, and as stated by Yatta, is somewhat a clown, and likely does slapstick comedy, so it could also have been something he did in the case of an onstage accident.

OFFICIAL ART

In his introduction card, looey is shown pointing a finger gun. In his voting icon, he is shown giving a thumbs up. This could possibly be insinuating that he is generally supportive of others, but I might be reading too far into it. It could also be him giving a thumbs up to that card he voted.

DIALOGUES (THE ACTUAL ANALYSIS)

*I am absolutely not screenshotting all those dialogues, so go onto the wiki if you want the full conversations. Sorry, I'm a lazy fuck.

Looey seems to be a generally optimistic guy who sometimes cracks jokes at other toons, for example with Brightney, and asking Finn for puns. He also notably laughs when he's nervous or on edge, and exhibits behaviours common in people with low self-esteem, as well as passive attention-seeking. Although, he can still be silly sometimes, for example with Poppy. Yatta, who is closer to him than pretty much any other toon due to being in the circus troupe with him, is very affectionate towards him, complimenting him back when he says she's doing so much better than him, saying he's doing perfect, and addressing him as one of her two best friends. Though this could be brushed off as Yatta simply liking him a whole lot, when you take into consideration the clear self-esteem issues we'll get to in a little bit and the fact that they're so close, Yatta could very well be so enthusiastic about it because she knows that if she doesn't say it outright, Looey won't actually feel appreciated, and she doesn't want that. Looey also deals with bullying from Shrimpo, where he outright tries to kill him with thumbtacks, shown in his conversations with Poppy and Shrimpo. However, he's not a doormat - denying Tisha's request to tell Yatta to clean her room, not wanting to get involved. He's also generally kindhearted, complimenting Boxten's square head, trying to cheer up Astro, accepting Razzle and Dazzle's request to join in on an act (if he gets permission from Blot and Yatta), offering to be entertainment for Teagan's tea parties and inviting Vee to see an act. He also writes in a diary, as shown in his conversation with Flutter, which is a great way to manage your emotions, and Looey seems to want to keep that fact a secret, so he most likely writes in it for that purpose.

ANGST TIME (GLITCH I SEE YOU RUBBING YOUR HANDS TOGETHER LIKE THOSE FLIES BEHIND THE SCREEN /j)

Looey laughs when he's nervous quite often, such as in his conversations with Rodger, Shelly, Sprout and Vee, and when he finishes a machine. In his conversations with Sprout and Rodger is where the attention-seeking behaviour shows itself, where with Sprout he asks if he really has to take care of EVERYONE'S health, to which Sprout's protective little brain of course responded with yes, and Looey states that he wouldn't want to be a waste of something, which we don't know exactly what since he gets cut off but we can assume it's materials, and Sprout says he's never a waste of anything, and with Rodger he asks Rodger if he would be able to do anything about it if he were feeling under the weather, and Rodger replies that it would depend on what was bothering him. Looey responds with silence, and Rodger tries to get his attention back, to which Looey deflects the concern and Rodger assures him he's there if he needs him. Both of those starting questions from Looey are a bit attention-seeking, as they both warrant a concerned response. He also deflects compliments, which is a behaviour common amongst people with low self-esteem. Yatta, though, encourages him to take compliments.

that's all I managed to extract ba dum tss so uh yeah ✨️✨️✨️

[hyacintheros]

Brand New City

4. Art Is Dead

|| (Marauders Era Characters x Fem!Reader)

Series Masterlist Previous Chapter

Pairing: Marauders Era Characters x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Mean James

Word Count: 2.1k

P.S: I'm sorry it’s been awhile, going through writer's block :c Anywho, let me know what yall think!

“Y/N, darling? You look flush..” Cissa asks her, as the girl is falling into her breakfast. Cissa quickly props her up, feeling her head. “Oh you're going to need some Pepperup Potion, what happened?” The older girl pulls her up and supports her on the way to Madam Pomfrey. She thinks back to last night. 

—♡—

Running into James, her parchments and books fly everywhere. “Sorry, let me help you with tha-”, James’ eyes scans over who he bumped into, retracting his helping hand with a disgusted look.

“You look stupid down there, just where you belong.” He says with a sneer, glaring while she picks her books up.

Standing back up with her things in order, she asks, “What is your issue? No matter how nice I am to you, it's like I've cursed your bloodline with the way you're acting!”

“You're my problem! A Slytherin! How could you call yourself a good person being in that godforsaken house? Don't you know what your house is known for? What they did to my family?” He pours out to her, anger glistening on his face.

“I have don't nothing wrong! My family has done you no wrong. You hang out with my cousin for Merlin's sake! Why does my house make me different? Why do the colours I wear change your perspective?” She yells out, pent up anger spilling with every word.

He steps forward, getting in her face. “Your house, your people, hurt my family, my parents! You and your cult of Death Eaters! Have you no shame?” He huffs in her face, pushing her back.

“Well if you haven't noticed, I'm a muggle! Why would I tangle myself in those ideals? You're literally best friends with my cousin, who is also a muggle, if you haven't noticed!” She pushes back, trying to move away from the wall.

In a burst of impulse, James pulls his wand out, “Aguamenti”. A jet of water douses the girl, soaking her to the bone.

Before she can retaliate, the boy runs away, likely back to his common room. The water-drenched girl heads to the Dungeons, her own common room awaiting her after curfew.

Padding her wet feet into the dorm, she keeps quiet, in hopes of keeping her roommates asleep. 

She's too tired to run a bath, instead opting to change into her pyjamas and sleep with a tower on her pillow to dry her hair.

—♡—

“Oh look at you dear! Come sit on the bed, I'll fetch something to make you feel better.” Madam Pomfrey instructs, running off to her medicine cabinet.

Narcissa helps sit Y/N down, her shaking and shivering preventing her from denying help. “I'll tell your friend Remus so he can tell your professors that you can't come.” The sickly girl nods haphazardly.

The black haired girl leaves back to the Great Hall, making sure to tell Remus at the Gryffindor table before heading back to her own table.

Madam Pomfrey sends her off with a Pepperup Potion to her dorm, telling her to sleep away the cold. 

She wobbles and trips, using the wall as assistance back to the dungeons. Upon entering the common room, it's empty with the fireplace lit. The girl heads up to her dorm, drinking half of the vial.

—♡—

“Well what do you mean she's sick, Remus?” The redhead persists, not noticing any signs of the cold or flu yesterday.

“I'm not sure exactly, one of her friends told me so I could tell the professors, but that's it.” Remus picks up his bag from under the table, waiting for Lily to follow along to class.

“I guess it makes sense why she told you first, you share most classes with her… should we visit her after classes are over?” Lily asks, her eyes glossy, never having seen her cousin sick before.

Remus ponders, wondering if they should give her privacy today. “We'll see after class? Let her rest a bit.” The two part ways to their respective classes, Remus let's Professor Sprout know that Y/N can't attend.

—♡—

Madam Pomfrey had given the girl some Pepperup Potion, sending her down to the Slytherin dorms to get some rest, sending her Professors a notice for her absence. Pomfrey assumed the girl she came with, Narcissa, has already told some friends.

In bed, she feels worse than before, telling herself that you have to feel worse before you feel better,  which in hindsight, probably isn't the right mindset. She pulls the jumper tighter, puffing up her blanket more to get some warmth.

She shakes and shivers, restless and hungry, having not eaten as Cissa caught her right before she could grab breakfast when she sat down. That being said, she's too jello-like to fetch any food. Instead, praying that she'll be able to fall asleep soon.

Turning over to the nightstand, the girl rummages through the drawers, hoping to find any muggle pain killers she'd brought with her. Grabbing the case of painkillers and a small vial of night-time cough syrup, she takes it in hopes of feeling a little better, risking the unknown side effects of it being paired with a magical Potion.

Finally, thirty minutes later, the shivering stops and her mind at ease, falling asleep with a jumper on and two blankets resting on her. A dreamless nap overtakes her, soothing the girl mentally and physically.

—♡—

Severus had heard the news from Narcissa, gathered notes for her in the classes they shared, telling himself to visit her after classes are over. 

By lunchtime, Remus had told Lily, Sirius, and a boy named Peter who had recently joined their little group of friends. James had heard through Lily, a twinge of guilt was felt in his stomach, seeing Lily worried for her cousin. He stuck to his act as a comforting friend for Lily, not wanting to see her too worked up over it, knowing he caused the girl to feel sick.

Sirius and Lily had shoved small snacks into their pockets, waiting to visit Y/N after class, while Remus took notes for her in class, grabbing a book he thinks she'll like from his collection. The three Gryffindors meet up in front of the Slytherin common room, now a little stumped as they don't know the password.

“What are you lot doing standing like duc- Ow!” Lucius gets a good smack on the arms from Narcissa. “Here to see Y/N? I'll let you in.” Cissa says with a charming smile. She looks to the portrait, “Anguis”, the portrait opens up, revealing the common room.

Cissa drops Lucius at the couch, then looking towards the red-robed kids. “Come on then. I'll take you to our room.” She grabs Lily's hand and walks to the girls dorms, the two boys following suite.

Pushing the door open, the sound of gentle, yet disturbed snoring filled the room, like something was blocking her nose. They pile into the room, approaching her sleeping form. Cissa opens the door, hearing a knock.

Severus walks in, parchments in hand, scanning the room of its guests, eyes landing on Lily. “Oh Severus! It's so good to see you.” The red-head says, not having seen him in a while. The Raven haired boy smiles, then greets her. 

“Have you taken notes then? I think you're in some classes that I don't have with her, do you think we could combine notes then?” Remus says to him, seeing the stack of parchments the Slytherin boy carries. 

“Some notes are overlapping, but I think we've got everything.” Severus tells Lupin, knowing they have one or two classes together. They sort through both piles, placing them carefully on her desk.

“Do you think we should let her sleep? Don't want to wake her up..” Lily says to Narcissa, wanting her opinion. “Honestly, I think she's slept about three or four hours now.. We should let her sleep more, heard her rustling in bed all night.”

The older girl let's them stay a little bit to leave some snacks for her, Sirius had munched a little through his during class, so it was mainly Lily who put some food on the bed-side table. They leave her dorm, thanking Narcissa for letting them in.

Cissa toddles back to Lucius, “They're not that bad, you know?” The blonde headed boy scoffs, rolling his eyes at her statement, going back to reading his book. 

—♡—

Feeling terribly warm, being covered and layers of heat, she wakes up sweating, pulling off blankets and jumpers in the hopes of feeling coolness on her skin. Panning around the room, she spots a bun with some spreads. a teeny jar of strawberry marmalade and butter.

It's just past the evening, still an hour or two before dinner. She gladly takes the bun, not having eaten since dinner last night. As she munches, she looks at the desk, seeing a stack of parchments. 

Getting up, the girl surveys the parchments flipping through, obviously being done by two different people. Skimming through the notes and titles, she realises it's class notes. Recognising Severus’ cursive, yet not being able to pinpoint the other person's handwriting, yet still feeling a sense of familiarity.

She goes back to the bed-side table, finishing up the rest of the Pepperup Potion- oddly tasting like strawberry cough syrup.

Bella enters quietly, unsure if the ill girl was still asleep. Gazing at the bed, the curly-haired girl perks up, “Darling, how do you feel? Cissy told me you weren't doing too well..” Y/N smiles, grateful she has people who care, like Cissa and Bella.

“I think it was just a small fever, feel almost better now.. D'you know who left these?” She says, referring to the snacks and parchments. “Cissy said she let your Gryffindor friends visit, plus Severus!” Bella responds, not being in the room when they visited.

The girl hums in acknowledgement, a sort of warmth spreading through her chest at the thought of her friends. Although, the reminder of the red house gives her a bad taste, thinking of how she got sick in the first place.

“What time is it? S'it time for dinner yet?” She pouts, still terribly hungry after munching the small bun. Bella nods and grabs her hand, pulling her to the Great Hall.

—♡—

“Now, you look much better than this morning! Keep this extra potion just in case you feel a little tingle of the cold left, right dear?” Madame Pomfrey hands her a small vial for safe keeping. She thanks the nurse, heading back to her dorm.

Travelling through the halls, a few students still linger before curfew, chit chatting with their friends. Behind her, someone calls out for the girl, “Hey! Did you get the parchments?” Remus, looking oddly dishevelled, says.

“It was you! I did, thank you so much by the way, don't know how I would've know about Uric the Oddball… Are you alright?” She points out how in a hurry he looks.

He shrugs it off, attributing it to a late night jog. “You look much better, glad you're doing well.” Y/N chuckles, thanking him once again for the notes. They quickly catch up about the day, Remus telling her about Sirius’ newest adventures.

Remus looks at his watch, his eyebrows pinching a little, “You better head to the dungeons, curfew is about to hit. Have a goodnight Y/N” Remus quickly says, rushing off.

Confused by his behaviour, the Slytherin instead chooses to think about how he wrote the notes for her.. her cheeks flush pink at the thought! Would he think she's slacking off just because she's sick? How troublesome. She goes back to the dorms, promising herself to study the topics before tomorrow's classes.

Briskly walking back to her dorm, she doesn't want to have another encounter with Potter, fearing he'll make her more than just sick. She ponders on what he said last night. ‘Death Eaters?’ What would make him think that she, a muggle born, would be a Death Eater?

Reaching the common room, she sees Lucius and Narcissa first. Plopping down, Lucius tells her the newest drama of the Slug Club, how terribly artificial the cherry pudding tasted. She laughs, finding his choice of topic amusing. 

Spotting a long, raven-haired boy, she greets Severus, thanking him greatly for the potions notes. “S’not like you needed them.” The boy snaps back. In turn, she pats his shoulder, returning to her dorm to get some studying done. He waves her off, going back to his book. But deep down, he feels his head go lighter at her recognition…

[secondgenerationnerd]

Valentine’s Day

What’s this? A BBRae fic in 2025?! Enjoy 😘 (left on a cliff hanger if anyone wants to request the ✨spice✨)

——————

“Mama, I swear you get prettier every year.”

“Thank you, love.” Raven glances in her vanity mirror to her daughter. Emi hangs upside down in her parents’ bed, violet hair falling free from its scrunchie. Oversized Star Wars shirt that she suspects is actually her boyfriend’s tied over sweatpants. Completely at ease in her body, like her children always have been.

“I swear it’s dark magic.” Emi continues, stretching her arms to the floor.

“If I didn’t know better, Emerson Marie, I’d think you want something.”

Rather than her usual faux outrage, Emi shifts effortlessly into a panther, stretching before settling back down. Raven will never not be amazed at her family’s shifting. Violet fur sprouts along her daughter’s body, her clothes melting away. Bones shifting into the great cat’s. It once scared her—what if it hurt her babies?— but her husband reassured her it wasn’t painful in the slightest.

Tail lazily flicking in air as Emi speaks, “What has the world come to that I can’t call my mother beautiful? Without nefarious reasons?”

Familiar footsteps head towards them as Raven reaches for her kohl, “Blame your father.”

“Oh, absolutely blame me.” Gar agrees, leaning against the bedroom door, “I’ve been calling your mother beautiful everyday for 22 years and there’s always a nefarious reason.”

Rae winks at her husband, “That’s how we ended up with Emi and Eli.”

“We could always add another,” he purrs.

Their daughter’s snort, which was odd coming from her shifted form, pulls their attention to her, “Dad, you and Mama are a few months away from no kids. Do you really want to restart that clock?”

An ache starts the older heroes’ hearts. Emi had told them about her plans to move out with her boyfriend, Parker, before the end of May. Eli, never far behind his twin, had been looking for his own place. Pride’s too small a word for how they feel towards their children’s accomplishments….but time had gone too fast.

“Ugh, I can sssssssmell the pheromonesssssss from my room.” A purple scaled cobra coils its way up the bed, Eli’s voice coming from its hissing mouth. “What did you ssssssssay, Em?”

"First, the hissing? Dramatic even for you." She ignores her younger twin sticking his tongue out, "Second, just that they're almost child free."

"What do you think about another sibling, Eli?" Gar asks, now sat by his wife as she finishes her make up. Looking over her lipsticks as he always does for dates.

Shifting as easily as his sister, a now human Eli does lean into his dramatic nature, "Father, Baba, He who sired me and mine sister...The last thing this family needs is another magical shapeshifter. More importantly, I'm the baby of this family and plan to keep the title, thank you."

That makes his parents laugh. Their children have always been many things, but babies? Both children had always been fiercely independent with a love of life. The only reason they hadn't moved out sooner is a simple fact--They love their parents and the home they made.

"Somehow, better than when Wally threatens his kids with that." Raven muses, turning to face her husband. He plucks up her favorite lipstick. Gently holding her chin as he drags the color over her lips.

"Mmmm I dunno, Dad." Emi says, flicking her brother with her tail, "I'd pay to see Irey and Jai throw hands with a baby."

"Given that Irey has a baby, I doubt we'll see that." Gar snorts, blotting the lipstick before kissing Raven, "You, Rae, are gorgeous."

"Get a room." Eli groans.

Raven winks at Gar, "That's what our hotel stay is for. If you have your cousins over, please remind them we don't need noise complaints from the shouting.

"And here I was just going to invite my boyfriend over so we could have wild sex." Emi deadpans, shifting back. "Speaking of, I have my own date to get ready for."

"You and Parker going anywhere fun, love?"

"Just that new horror movie, maybe try that pop-up market after." Emi shrugs. "What about you and Dad?"

"We're meeting your Uncle Vic and Aunt Karen at Naan Stop." Raven stands, smoothing the front of her dress. The underbust corset had been a pain to get on, but she loves how it feels and looks. Gar moves to their closet, grabbing his matching button down. The rich purple color makes his green skin look jewel like...and the way he rolls the cuff up reminds her of what's under her dress. But that's for later.

"Ugh," The twins wrinkle their noses, Eli sliding off the bed. "I'm getting out of here, the pheromones are awful."

"That's hilarious coming from the biggest slut in here." Emi laughs, following her brother. Raven rolls her eyes as their children bickering fades. Strong arms wrap around her from behind. A warm kiss pressing to her neck make her turn, hands resting on her husband's chest.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Rachel."

"Happy Valentine's Day, Garfield." She kisses him, smiling against his lips. How had she even denied herself the joy she had with this man? "Now, let's go. I'm starving...and you're going to need energy for later."

[absolutebl]

What would you consider the most swoonworthy BLs?

Personally. Hummmm. I don't consider myself a swooney person so let me unpack the sunset part of my soul and see what is shines it's rosy glow on....

Top 10 Most Swoonworthy BLs

Color Rush - okay I kinda cheated but he does swoon A LOT and they are very pretty and it's all about color so, yeah, I picked this one.

Our Dating Sim - basically I cooed all the way through this show and always had a grin on my face. I guess what we are discovering is that I find cute soft boys very swoonworthy. (Don't worry, we'll get there.)

Semantic Error - still the prettiest

I Feel You Linger in the Air - gah such a stunning show

Jun and Jun - bite me, I love this one, and every last one of them is swoonable

Kiseki: Dear to Me - it was a HOT mess, emphasis on hot

Love Tractor - just the way this one was filmed, very very swoonish

Minato's Laundromat - Shin and Shin alone has my heart, my bean sprout, THE SHEET SCENE

My Personal Weatherman - yeah, is know, swooning is higher up, I do not care, for me this qualified.

Takara & Amagi - it was just SO PAINFULLY CUTE

Honorable Mention

Love is Science? - BL side, OMG possibly the winnders of this list, but they were only the sides, ABSOLUTELY swoonworthy

[hollowed-theory-hall]

How Magic Works in Harry Potter? And More Specifically What is Dark Magic?

So, Dark Magic in Harry Potter's Wizarding World is really vague. Like, it's loosely defined as:

“The Dark Arts, also known as Dark Magic, or Dark Side was a term that referred to any type of magic that was mainly used to cause harm to, exert control over, or even kill people and creatures.”

(From Harry Potter Wiki)

Yet, Spells like Obliviate, are not considered dark, even though they compromise free will and exert control. Diffendo, incendio, decendo, and the like are not dark, even if they can be used to cause harm. The resurrection potion from Voldemort's resurrection is considered Dark Magic even though it itself only heals.

So, what actually is the definition of Dark Magic and what is it? How does it differ from other spells?

Well, I think I have a possible answer.

I started trying to figure out what dark magic is, by collecting what we know about it from the books:

What We're Told

“The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible.”

(Severus Snape, Half-Blood Prince, page 177)

We actually don't have a legal definition for the Dark Arts in the books. Just the words of Dumbledore and Hagrid of how corrupting they are and how Dark Wizards don't feel love. Even though the Malfoys clearly love each other, Snape loved Lily, and Harry is capable of both love and two out of three Unforgivable Curses. So clearly, that isn't the case.

I've seen the fandom try to define the magic by its intention, like in the quote from the wiki above. But, if we look at what spells are defined as dark and those that are not, solely based on their goal and intention — the water gets pretty murky.

As I mentioned before, Diffendo and Incendio can cause harm, and Oblivate always takes away someone's free will. Hurcruxs are considered Dark Magic, but they don't harm anyone in themselves. The creation of them does, but they themselves don't (at least, that's not their intention or main use). Feindfyre, a spell considered Advanced Dark Magic, while can be used to harm beings, is mostly depicted as harming property, hence deviating from the definition as well.

Many jinxes, hexes, and curses are for some reason are not treated as Dark and are treated as legal (reducto, jelly leg jinx, dancing jinx, etc) even though they are only used to cause harm and aren't versatile in their use cases like incendio, for example, that can be used for light or cooking as well.

Most illegal Dark Magic (including the three Unforgivables) are only illegal against unwilling beings, therefore, using Avada Kedavra on a mouse or spider is perfectly legal. Same as using the Imperious Curse on a person who gave you permission to use it. As we see with Moody (Barty) in Goblet of Fire.

So, clearly, the difference between Dark Arts and any other magic isn't in its intended use, since this is far too inconsistent. Besides, casting a Jelly-Leg Jinx is the same as casting an Expelliarmus Spell, you need the same things — wand movement, incantation, and magic.

"Ah, but what about the Unforgivables, you need to mean them, don't you?"

Yes, you do, I'm getting to that:

How Magic Works in Harry Potter's Wizarding World?

So, if it isn't the use of the spells that defines them as dark, maybe it's how they are cast.

After all, it makes more sense to define spells and magic by the how of it and not the what. Especially when new spells keep getting created.

So let's look at the average not dark spell, for our example, we'll take Harry's favored Expelliarmus (even though he casts many other spells and we only see him cast Expelliarmos 12 times in the books).

Like all spells we see, the Disarming Charm requires 3 components to cast:

Intent - What - The intention and will of the caster to disarm their opponent.

Form - How - The way the spell should do it, make the wand fly from the openent's hand.

Energy - Magic - the power to fuel the spell.

Intent is what always exists, it's wishing for your magic to extend your will into the world. This is the main component of childhood accidental magic. It's what makes accidental magic so unpredictable. Like in Prisoner of Azkaban — Harry wished for Aunt Marge to shut up and a glass blew up in her hand (later she blew up too). He didn't consciously choose to do it, since there was no form, just intent and energy:

Outside in the hall, he [Harry] leaned against the wall, breathing deeply. It had been a long time since he’d lost control and made something explode.

(Prisoner of Azkaban, page 26)

The form is defined by the wand movement and the incantation for the spell but can be accomplished by enough focus without (silent and wandless casting). Hence, why silent/wandless casting is harder, without a wand you need to focus on directing your magic to the right task, and without an incantation you need to rely on your mental focus to tell your magic how to accomplish the task.

And magic is just that — the wizard's magic.

Actually, potions in the wizarding world work like this too, except the incantation and wand movement are replaced with ingredients and the brewing process. (The ingredients for potions take a bit after some theories from irl Alchemy that I might delve into at some point)

Most spells, including jinxes and transfiguration spells, work the same way. They have intention, form, and energy and that is all they need to be cast.

But, as we mentioned before, the Unforgivables are different, they aren't just any spell:

“Never used an Unforgivable Curse before, have you, boy? You need to mean them, Potter! You need to really want to cause pain — to enjoy it — righteous anger won't hurt me for long — I'll show you how it is done, shall I?”

(Order of the Pheonix, page 810)

Emotion as a Component of Spellcasting

That extra oomph missing from Harry's Cruciatus Curse is emotion. I mentioned how emotion is a component of certain magic and effects certain spells in this post. I'll expand on this here.

Accidental magic is affected by emotions, we saw it with Aunt Marge and with Dudley, Harry noticed it himself:

every odd thing that had ever made his aunt and uncle furious with him had happened when he, Harry, had been upset or angry

(Philosopher's Stone, page 44)

Harry's magic reacts to his emotions. It acts up when he is angry or upset and he noticed it even before he knew about the Wizarding World and magic.

“What does a Patronus look like?” said Harry curiously. “Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it.” “And how do you conjure it?” “With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory.”

(Prisoner of Azkaban, page 237)

The Patronus Charm requires happiness as the emotion. The memory is to get the emotion, but when we see Harry casting the charm later, he rarely focuses on a memory. No, he just focuses on feeling happy.

And we see emotion effecting other spells. Remeber Expelliarmos, a spell that doesn't require emotion? Well, the books actually answer on what happens if you cast a spell that doesn't require an emotional component with emotion:

Harry reached his wand just in time. Lockhart had barely raised his, when Harry bellowed, “Expelliarmus!” Lockhart was blasted backward, falling over his trunk; his wand flew high into the air; Ron caught it, and flung it out of the open window. “Shouldn’t have let Professor Snape teach us that one,” said Harry furiously, kicking Lockhart’s trunk aside. Lockhart was looking up at him, feeble once more. Harry was still pointing his wand at him.

(Chamber of Secrets, pages 275-276)

Harry casts Expelliarmos at Lockhart when he's furious, that anger, that's what causes Lockhart to stumble back. A regular Expelliarmos disarms, and an angry one also pushes the opponent back.

Harry made up his mind in a split second. Before Snape could take even one step toward him, he had raised his wand. “Expelliarmus!” he yelled — except that his wasn’t the only voice that shouted. There was a blast that made the door rattle on its hinges; Snape was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall, then slid down it to the floor, a trickle of blood oozing from under his hair. He had been knocked out.

(Prisoner of Azkaban, page 361)

An emotional Expelliarmos can even knock someone out completely. Snape's wand wasn't even disarmed.

And of course, the unforgivables require emotion, they require the true desire to harm — anger:

“I see what Bellatrix meant,” said Harry, the blood thundering through his brain, “you need to really mean it.”

(Deathly Hollows, page 502)

So, we can see very clearly that emotion affects magic. Some spells require it (like the Patronus Cham and the Unforgivable Curses) and even spells that don't require it, change when casting them with emotion.

A Clear Mind as a Component of Spellcasting

But, when I started thinking about emotion as a component of spellcasting, I realized there was another one — A clear mind.

“Only Muggles talk of ‘mind reading.’ The mind is not a book, to be opened at will and examined at leisure. Thoughts are not etched on the inside of skulls, to be perused by any invader. The mind is a complex and many-layered thing, Potter . . . or at least, most minds are. . . .” He smirked. “It is true, however, that those who have mastered Legilimency are able, under certain conditions, to delve into the minds of their victims and to interpret their findings correctly. The Dark Lord, for instance, almost always knows when somebody is lying to him. Only those skilled at Occlumency are able to shut down those feelings and memories that contradict the lie, and so utter falsehoods in his presence without detection.”

(Order of the Pheonix, pages 530-531)

Occupancy requires the opposite of the Crutiuatus Curse. It requires shutting down your emotions and clearing your mind alongside the three basic components I mentioned above.

“Clear your mind, Potter,” said Snape’s cold voice. “Let go of all emotion. . . .” But Harry’s anger at Snape continued to pound through his veins like venom. Let go of his anger? He could as easily detach his legs. . . . “You’re not doing it, Potter. . . . You will need more discipline than this. . . . Focus, now. . . .”

(Order of the Phoenix, page 535)

It requires focus and letting go of emotion. This is exactly why Harry struggled so much with Occlumancy because he is a very emotional character (mostly angry).

I'd argue magic like Legilemancy and Divination also require a clear and focused mind. Along with Fiendfyre:

“Fiendfyre-cursed fire—it’s one of the substances that destroy Horcruxes, but I would never, ever have dared use it, it’s so dangerous—how did Crabbe know how to—?”

(Deathly Hollows, page 537)

Hermione calls this dark curse incredibly dangerous, and for good reason, it's incredibly hard to control. So fickle and hard to control it killed Crabbe who cast it in that scene. It makes Fiendfyre seem closer to Occlumancy than to the Unforgivables in how it is cast, since it requires a focused mind to control it, and not to become emotional.

So what does all this have to do with the Dark Arts?

Well, simple, clearly magic in the Harry Potter universe can be divided into three categories:

Regular - spells that require only intent, form, and energy, like Expelliarmos, Alohamora and Diffendo. Almost all spells fall into this category.

Emotional - spells that require a strong emotion to power them besides the three components of regular magic. Like the Patronus Charm and the Unforgivable Curses.

Focused - spells that require a clear and focused mind besides the three components of regular magic. Like Occlumancy and Fiednfyre.

Great, so we have some spell categories, but Dark Magic doesn't really fit in any of them, as all three categories include spells considered legally dark. Well, like with anything in Harry Potter, I decided to go into the linguistics of the word "dark" in the English language.

Well, if we go back enough, the word "dark" comes from the Proto-Indo-European word "dʰerǵʰ" meaning (among other things): "firm", "strong", or "robust". This can definitely reference the strong emotion required for certain spells.

But what really sold me on this, is the linguistic origin of the word "light", which came from the Proto-Indo-European word "lewk", meaning: bright, to shine, and to see. It was used interchangeably with the word "beh" that is used to mean: "bright" or "to glow" and in literature used as the word "focus" or "clear".

Conclusions

So, my headcanon/theory was that dark magic, once upon a time just referred to the magic that required a strong emotion. Over the years with language evolving and words changing their meaning, and political agenda it became the dark magic we are familiar with from the books. A lot of how dark magic is treated seems to be political though and has very little to do with the actual components of the magic or magical theory.

The fact the Unforgivables were only defined as such and outlawed in 1717 suggests that the views the characters in the books have on dark magic are fairly recent. It means that Dark Magic, at least, by the time the books take place is more of a legal definition than a magical definition. It's basically an umbrella term to define harmful magic the ministry outlaws or regulates.

Honestly though, if I lived in their world I'd be more concerned with love potions than with supposedly dark petty jinxes, but, what can one do.

[cupcakewebkinz]

It's Chair Time ;)

𖤐 WE FINALLY CHAIR DELILAH BOYS!!! IT'S HERE!!! THE DELILAH DEATH FIC IS HERE!!! Ahem - Delilah finds the toons hanging out in the park and ends up finding out something about them... Specifically one that she didn't even make. She ends up dead. In a lake. Covered in splinters and regret. 𖤐

ᰔ Caretaker Shanon au is mine, the ones that aren't mine are all Zilla's- just trust me it's funnier not knowing what's coming lol ᰔ

♡ @soupiestzilla look it's the second fic I wrote for you hahaha I'm so sorry this was just too funny not to post for your birthday ♡

⚠︎ TW: Non described character death + slight mentions of blood, read at your own risk (or dont) ⚠︎

────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────

The Toons were just at the park, Vee just playing her guitar and singing her usual happy songs on her favorite bench like everything was perfect. Gi and Shelly were in the sandpit together, Shelly showing the curious gachapon how to dig up fossils without breaking them and enjoying her life as usual. Shanon just watched from her usual spot under a tree, relaxing for the first time in months, Sam at her side and Sprout napping on the other side of her. It was super peaceful... A little too peaceful. Shanon sat up a bit, suddenly anxious.

"Sam, things are too peaceful, something is going to happen and we'll have to get up soon. They are never this peaceful and elegant without something ruining it-" Shanon stated, making the ginger beside her look at her in pure confusion.

"Shanon I'm afraid you've finally lost it."

"Sam I'm serious, it's never this calm, not without a fight or something unexpected happening!" Shanon panickedly stated, now worried as all hell. Sam just raised an eyebrow, adjusting their sunglasses before shrugging. They gave up, just going back to reading their book, while Shanon got up and started making sure everything was okay. She felt like she was just being paranoid after seeing how calm everything really was, even though her many experiences with the toons going from calm to chaotic said otherwise. She soon just sighed and sat down beside Vee, who looked at her in concern after she finished her song, her antennae twitching as her head tilted.

"You look anxious about something, you okay?"

"I'm worried something really random and crazy will happen... Like it does almost every day... I just want you guys to be safe, it's nothing you need to worry about, Vee." Shanon softly explained as she reached over and gently pet the toons head, smiling at the peaceful smile Vee soon had.

"Hey, that's a totally valid concern, don't stress about it though we got this!" Vee reassured sweetly, making Shanon nod once in thanks before leaning back and just sighing. Vee watched her for a minute, then looked at the two in the sandpit, giggling when she noticed how fast Shelly's tail was wagging.

"My wife is adorable..."

"Yeah, definitely very cute, I love my daughter."

"I love her too." Vee agreed, soon going right back to playing her guitar. Shanon just yawned a little as she went back to relaxing, just watching over everyone from her new spot, until she noticed something weird. More like- someone weird. There was someone watching the group from behind a tree, staring wide eyed like they were shocked by the crowd of toons gathered in one spot. Shanon squinted at them, tilting her own head a little, getting Vee's attention immediately as she glanced at Shanon, then at the tree. Her eyes went huge when she saw it too, but she didn't look excited to see them- quite the opposite. She was freaking out, putting her guitar away quickly before trying to hide behind Shanon, who soon moved just so she could do so.

"Sam. Grab the toons and run." Shanon stated, just loud enough for the other to hear. Sam blinked as they moved their sunglasses to their head, right above their bangs.

"Shanon girl, it's oka-"

"Isn't that the lady that hurt my friends?" Gi suddenly asked, suddenly standing with a chair in hand. Nobody knew where they got it from, nobody wanted to ask though. They knew better... Once Gi was armed with a chair, it was either time to run for your life, or it was time to coat another chair in glitter and rainbows and fun. Though they all knew that look in their eyes- the look of death- the look they had whenever someone crossed a serious boundary and they had to hide from the chaos entity for a week and bribe them with chocolate and pleas of forgiveness to even be allowed near any of the others again. Though this wasn't anger that could be soothed, this was built up unbridled rage saved for this exact moment. Shelly just ran to her mom, Sprout soon sitting up himself and looking over at the gachapon, then at the now fully revealed Delilah, then at Gi again.

"Yeah I don't think we want to be here much longer-"

"Oh, why is that? You really think I'd let your handlers run off with my toons again?" Delilah finally spoke, laughing a little.

"Oh, no, I know Sam will kidnap me, I'm more worried about the property damage Gi's about to cause." Sprout admitted casually, making Delilah pause.

"Wait the what-?"

Those were the last words that woman ever spoke.

Gi immediately knocked her out with the chair, hitting her so hard that the chair broke in half on her head, and proceeded to torture her like she had tortured their friends before they were even created. Sprout just watched in pure horror, Shelly and Vee hid their faces in Shanon's shirt and trembled in terror, while Sam and Shanon just looked at each other, neither knowing if they should stop this or if they should let the clone get their deserved revenge. Gi just beat the shit out of her, breaking the chair up until they couldn't grab any more pieces of it, then just looking at the very very much dead and bruised woman before kicking her head just once.

"Motherfucker."

"Uhm... Gi... I would be proud of you... But you just... Committed a murder..." Vee quietly spoke, making Gi just shrug as they threw a shard of broken chair at Delilah's body. It bounced off of her back and landed beside her with a silent thud, and Gi just stepped on it and broke it in half with their foot. The group was now terrified of that gachapon, they genuinely had no idea how strong they were until they broke the chair they committed a murder with into the smallest pieces imaginable against the now dead human. It was a really sturdy wooden chair too, now tiny splinters all over the ground. Gi wasn't even sweating, though they were shaking a bit, their hands vibrating intensely from how tightly they had gripped the chair while showing Delilah who was the boss now. Gi did have a few splinters in them too, all slightly bleeding ichor, but they didn't seem to mind. They just looked genuinely proud of what they did, not at all seeming to understand the severity of their actions. Probably won't ever understand either, nobody was going to speak up for Delilah, not after everything she's done coming to light thanks to Vee's recordings and her and Shelly's nightmares. What was even more terrifying was how absolutely calm they were afterwards, just going right back to their usual happy self as they turned to the group with a smile.

"Can we still get ice cream?" Gi asked innocently, grinning as they went right back over to Sprout and immediately wanted picked up. Sprout just slowly got up and picked Gi right up, swallowing hard as he patted their head. Though before they could say anything- a bright pink Jeep rolled up. It was one of those toy Jeeps toddlers love, but it wasn't being driven by a toddler, it was driven by Vivi.

"Guys I learned how this works!!!" She cheered happily, completely oblivious to the fact she just ran over a body. Vee looked at her, then at the body, then at Vivi again.

"Move over I wanna drive it." Vee stated, and Vivi just nodded, getting out of the toy Jeep, not even batting an eye when Vee climbed right in. Vee smiled evilly as she took the wheel, stealing the heart shaped sunglasses off of the others face (which made Vivi pout because she really liked those) before she "accidentally" backed up over Delilah.

"Oopsies, I hit a human, oh I should make sure I don't do that again." Vee sarcastically said before purposely doing it again, then backing over her again. Vivi was stunned, staring at the other like she just committed a crime.

"VEE THAT'S AN ACTUAL HUMAN-"

"Viv, she's dead for one, and two that's Delilah." Vee replied.

"Oh... Yeah you should accidentally hit her again."

"What is wrong with you toons?!" Sam snapped, making every single one of them- even Dandy who was previously hiding in the back of the toy Jeep- look at them like they just asked what 2+2 was because they didn't know. Sam raised their hands up like they were being arrested, while Shanon just sat back down on the park bench, pasty white and shaking like a leaf.

"Guys stop... Stop messing with Delilah... I'm gonna puke..."

"Please... Even though she wasn't very nice, she doesn't deserve this!" Shelly cried out, hugging her mom's arm tightly as she huddled close. The two Vees nodded, Vee adjusting her stolen sunglasses before sticking out her tongue a little bit, Vivi immediately copying her like she had to even though she didn't.

"So how do we hide the body? Surely someone would be arrested for this-" Vivi asked, making the group of toons squint in thought.

"I can handle this guys, don't fret!" A voice called out, and suddenly Modern Vee had barged out of an oddly tall bush. She just briskly walked to the corpse and grabbed it, then chucked it into the nearby lake without a second thought. The crowd cheered for her, even Sam, who was more scared of what would happen if she didn't than actually glad it happened. Shanon was laying on the bench at this point, having both Shellys tending to her. Sprout looked at them, then at Gi's bandaged hands, then at the two in the Jeep that were now hysterically laughing together as Vee did donuts, the flower man having ran off by now. Never saying a word. Weird.

"Why don't we all just... Go home and eat ice cream and pretend none of this ever happened..?" Sprout suggested, making Sam, the two Shellies and Shanon all nod in agreement.

"And promise to never mention this to Cosmo." Sam stated, and the entire group - minus the two laughing too hard to hear - nodded in agreement.

"On the way there though, would it be too much to ask for if you guys explained the uh, second Toon Vee?" Modern Vee asked, making the two in the Jeep stop as Toon Vee pulled up beside her.

"That's just my replacement, we don't talk about her."

"Vee!!!"

"I'm teasing, that's Vivi, she's the best twin sister ever, she's a big doofus- She actually was made to replace me though, but you know what?" Toon Vee stated, looking at Vivi, then took off her stolen sunglasses and put them back on her. Vivi just smiled at that, highly amused.

"I don't give a shit if you ever replace me again, you're cool as hell girl." She stated, giving Vivi a hug. Vivi just hugged back tight, laughing as they both knew neither of them would replace the other again, while Modern Vee just chuckled at the two and sat in the back of the Jeep.

"Onwards, my dorks!" She loudly proclaimed, and soon the three were off doing donuts and laughing hysterically again. Nobody knows how that Jeep was living through the hell they were putting it through. The group just watched them, none wanting to leave them behind despite them all wanting to leave the crime scene.

"I think this is why we don't put three Vees together... They all share a braincell..." Sam mumbled, getting a nod from Sprout.

"They all love chaos, glitter and life, so yeah, they always are like that. Have I ever told you about the one time they coated me in glitter while I was taking a nap?" Sprout asked, making Sam laugh.

"No-"

"Story time while they get their zoomies out, then! Gather around!" Sprout cheerfully said, and soon the group were all sitting around Sprout as he retold the story of his own glitterbombed incident. They all listened as the Vees kept being chaotic together in the background, all ignoring that they knew where a body was and that the sweet little bean nibbling on chocolate on Sprout's lap was a murderer now.

Because who gives a shit about Delilah? (At least in the Caretaker Shanon au universe)

[sleepyselkiesims]

Simply Lilac

Name: Piper O'Donovan Age Group: Young Adult Orientation: Confusion. She/They Hometown: City native, recently re-located to Mt. Komorebi. Occupation: World-renowned gardener for vampires Traits: Bro, Loves the Outdoors, and Unflirty Aspiration: Nature Likes: Anything outdoorsey, really Dislikes: Anything you have to sit down and focus to do, and cooking. Gifts: Holly, blue milk, and eggplant (literal) Misc: Likes dirt. Other: No CC whatsoever. In desperate need of better party/formal attire (note: they will be covered in mud eventually)

In Depth: Piper's love for gardening first blossomed when they came across their grandmother's rooftop garden. She didn't realise that some plants came from her grandmother's homeworld, nor did she care. It's all about getting covered in dirt babyyyy

Piper's father took her on a fishing trip one time because he wanted to explore the city, and accidentally got his girl utterly obsessed with it. Yeah, it was pretty clear Piper wasn't cut out for city life at all.

The first thing Piper did when they moved out was get her very own garden! Full of only the weirdest and wildest. Had the watcher placed a bed in there, Piper would never ever leave.

But leave they did! To explore new worlds! Gain new skills! Make every day an adventure! End up on their Watcher's banner image thing!

But none of that backstory or skill building matters anymore, after a tragic skiing accident knocked Piper out, depriving them of her memories. She doesn't even remember how to garden! I bet they probably think they just sprouted up from the earth themself.

Will this unflirty gremlin manage to flourish in her new surroundings? Is this reset exactly what they needed to figure out how to love? I guess we'll find out!

Another thing she doesn't know is her sister Sereia already failed at @samssims bachelorette challenge due to being too ace for Mildred! So there's the double bonus of seeing if the lack of love runs in the family!

Oh, and she's a mermaid. So she might water herself along with the plants.

Expect chaos.

Watcher

Are you comfortable with your pixel person:

Flirting with other contestants? (The bachelorette will have the ‘player’ trait cheated and her boundaries set to no jealousy, so it will not impact your sim’s relationship with her.)

WooHooing other contestants?

Flirting with/and or woohooing NPCs?

Flirting with the host?

Changes to traits via gameplay prompts? (ie. Evil to Good, depending on what your Sim does, or adding traits)

(Humans Only) Becoming an occult?

(Werewolves Only) The Fated Mate mechanic? (If a werewolf ends up winning the challenge, I will cheat out that sentiment)  

@ethicaltreatmentofcowplants If any of these happen I will be delighted

[olderthannetfic]

It has to be one of the biggest scam in stem tubber history that potatoes are somehow viewed as a completely white thing and treating that like an insult. Like, you're calling someone a potato, that's a compliment, have you see then cool shit you can do with those things? Starchy fucking magic. You got a "New world" crop, and whom'st does it get attributed to? White people. Sure I get the history white people have with it, but no denying, so many cultures have adopted and learned to love potatoes, and it's still "white people." Especially since some people think that this makes potatoes bad? White people like them? What a shitty excuse by non-believers in the potato supremacy. Potatoes here, potatoes there, everywhere potatoes. Potato is universal. Potato is love. Our starchy overlords.

In other news: I stuck a sprouting tato in some leftover dirt because I was to lazy to throw it away, and it's literally thriving. Have re-potted it, and added some more dirt. We'll see how it'll do and if it'll create more glorious potatoes.

--

[nothing0fnothing]

The characters in the show do a lot to draw comparisons between Beth and Morphy. The American champion Grandmaster who went too insane to play and ended his own life decades before her. Harry Beltik especially can't help but issue the tragic life of Morphy as a cautionary tale to Beth. Keep taking the drugs and see where you end up.

But is Beth really comparable? He's clearly an idol and an inspiration to her, but was his sickness in any way comparable to hers?

From what we know about Morphy and his struggles with mental illness we're told his suffered from some kind of mania "he'd sit up all night chatting to strangers in cafés then play the next day sharp as a knife" that soon gave way to paranoia, and eventually into some kind of delusion where he "feared people were trying to steal his shoes."

I'm not sure if I missed something, but that doesn't sound like Beth to me. Beth is a drunk and a tranquilliser addict, but she's never really shown to be disconnected from reality or paranoid for no reason. In fact we know she drinks and takes the drugs because she's traumatised and is self medicating to numb the pain.

Nope to me, the paranoid, extroverted anxious chess genius sounds more like Benny. With his extravagant fashion and his extroverted personality.

We know Beth can't play having not had a good night of sleep given how her second match against Borgov played out, shes not staying up all night and and playing like a shark the next day. You know who does stay up all night in the university cafeteria drinking coffee and talking shit with the other tournament players, then plays so well hes in the finals the next day? Benny.

Beth is consistently shown to be introverted, preferring to socialise in small bites than constantly around people. Benny is the one who loves to be surrounded on all sides in a chat about chess and theory, him in the center of course.

Then we have the scene, it's so quick it's barely touched on. Where Beth asks Benny about the knife. And he tells her it's for protection... idk that seems like a peek into the sprouting start of Bennys paranoia to me.

Remember Morphy had an entire chess career before falling off the deep end. He was probably a little bit disconnected from reality as a young man, but he wasn't really noticablely unwell until we'll into his life and his career. Benny is only young himself and showing these minor cracks of paranoia already. Beth is like 23 at the oldest and EVERYONE knows she's not okay. She's struggling openly and publicly and she has already been almost completely incapacitated by her addiction.

Basically Beth isn't Morphy, Benny is.