#Thinking about what Quirrel would do if he ever realized that it was with the help of Monomons death that released what is literally histor

[probablyanalienindisguise]

[flame-shadow]

A breakdown of my quirrel!nosk comic from last year (original post here) since I like doing breakdowns and talking about my process, and I know at least some people like reading those things. :)

First of all, a little background. I made that comic in an evening with just a pencil, a black marker, two grey markers, and a yellow-orange marker. (All markers had a thick tip and a thin tip, and all were water-based markers, so they don't blend like alcohol markers, but they can still be layered to affect the values) I had a text post from @g0at0ad saved in my drafts that said "gotta say. massive missed opportunity to not have nosk mimic quirrel to lure the knight into its lair." and finally, I had an idea for how to illustrate the reveal and felt I had a decent idea for the nosk's design.

I wanted to follow the same encounter order as the game provides, and by happy coincidence, I realized that the route from first sighting to nosk den includes the hot spring, so it made perfect sense for that location and the real Quirrel to appear in the comic.

Ghost spots a Quirrel-like figure in the darkness in the first panel, and then as the path continues and drops into the hot spring, there's (real) Quirrel, so clearly that's who Ghost saw a minute ago. Yay, friend! And since Quirrel explores around, it's not strange that Ghost would spot him again in an area not so far away, though it's odd how he got ahead of them. Perhaps a different tunnel? And it seems like Quirrel wants to lead the way to something, so Ghost follows, until- That's not Quirrel.

In addition to the potential of a reader already knowing the game's locations and recognizing the path to the nosk's den, there are other visual clues that subtly communicate that something might not be right. I made it so every panel but the hot spring one has black silhouettes encroaching on the space within.

The third panel is the mildest one being encroached upon because Ghost doesn't yet feel like something is off (still reassured from seeing Quirrel in the safe hot spring) but the trap is coming together. The existence of the spider web in the corner is a nod to the trap because it's a common visual symbol for being trapped.

Also note how both the first and third panels have some safety via straight panel edges. Contrasted with the fourth and fifth panels which have no straight edges as Ghost cannot escape and there is no safety.

Another subtle reinforcement of danger vs safety is how the use of black is very limited in the hot spring panel. It's a brighter room mechanically, yes, but it's also a Safe Room. The only black is Ghost's void parts and a thin outline around Quirrel (and also a bit of shading on his arm that I did out of habit before remembering that I wasn't going to use black to shade him here, oops!)

And, note that in the only panel with Real Quirrel, he isn't framed against a darker shape in the background.

Okay, and finally, I will share a bit about the nosk reveal panel and its design...

This pose and angle are dramatic and all, but they're The Worst for showcasing the actual design of the nosk! Just a complete mistake on my part that I did my best to roll with, since I didn't realize until too late how I'd messed myself up.

Which happens! I don't always get it right, and especially when I'm working traditionally, there's a point where I can't go back, so I just have to make do with what I gave myself. :) I don't hate what I have here, but I have been dissatisfied with it ever since I drew the lineart.

A thought I have had since then was that maybe I should've drawn it larger, to be more threatening? Maybe a different pose to show off the side-body frills? I explored a couple ideas below, but honestly, I think the whole panel would have to be reworked to get it right.

Making sure that the background frames the nosk effectively would be one of the main things I'd redo, but I'm getting tired and don't feel like drawing more, so I'll just leave it at the nosk replacement sketches.

And since I don't think I did a good job with displaying the nosk's design effectively, I quickly sketched some of the features to maybe show them off a bit better.

I like the gimmick of the nosk turning its head, so I pretty much always maintain that with my nosk designs. This one is no exception. Quirrel's head and face become the cranium and upper jaw while Monomon's mask becomes the lower jaw - the extra length causes an underbite. I've always been a fan of when people add a veil hanging from Monomon's mask while Quirrel is wearing it, so that's where the frills come from. ("Why didn't you include the veil in your Quirrel drawings, then?" I hear you ask. And honestly..... I don't know! That could've been an oversight or it could've been deliberate and I just don't remember my justification. That happens sometimes XD)

Anyway uhhh yeah! I think that's it. I like making comics. I like thinking about nosk. Tadaa~

[dooblebugss]

as requested, I wrote up some of my more...not-nice headcanons. Content Warning for suicide idealation, injury, and food issues

Hornet:

I've mentioned before that she has some issues with food. Thanks to surviving in the apocalypse she has some issues with just...not eating. And when she does, she will cut her portion to give to others. She's the Protector, and as protector, her needs come last. (During the height of the infection she went days without eating and is fully ready to do it again if she feels she needs to.)

Speaking of her title as Protector, it's self appointed but comes with a ton of self-imposed expectations. She's a bundle of anxiety and fear and worry that something will happen to her siblings, her sort-of friends, and Dirtmouth. Honestly, you should go read "Etching of Storms Weathered" on ao3, it's perfect and beautiful

She hates how much she resembles the Pale King and not Herrah. She doesn't think highly of her appearance. She thinks herself kinda ugly tbh. Hornet tries not to let it bother her, but she's just as susceptible to self esteem issues

Hornet honestly thought that Tiso and Cloth were going to die. She treated them kinda poorly because of it, not wanting to bother getting attached to "fools with a death wish who regret their decision". Something she regrets, but isn't sure how to apologize.

Quirrel:

He came very, very close to just walking into the Blue Lake. He doesn't like talking about it.

As much as he loves the Archive, sometimes he has a hard time dealing with just...all of his coworkers and Teacher being dead. Sometimes he'll find bits and pieces written by Monomon, and it's always a little rough.

His amnesia is not fun to deal with. A good chunk of his life is just...not there. He's surprised when his age catches up to him, because he doesn't feel it until it happens

Hornet was too young to remember, but Quirrel does remember what the Kingdom looked like in its heyday, and it depresses him. He knows it was flawed and broken, but the memories always look better in his mind.

Tiso:

Phantom pains :))))) on bad days he can't even get out of bed. The brooding mawlek crushed all of him, but especially his left side. Some days it still feels like he can't breath right

He genuinely does not understand why Ghost saved him, and it kind of eats at him. Tiso was kind of a total dick, and he doesn't understand what Ghost saw in him.

Part of him is a little afraid to make new friends, after the death of his first ever friend (the one who he turned into a shield). He tries to push bugs away by being an asshole.

MAJOR inferiority complex. He wants to make a name for himself and stand above the crowd so so bad. He wants to be more than just 'a worker ant', and its why he went to the colosseum.

Cloth:

Phantom pains 2!!!!!!! Being literally skewered and all. On bad days she might literally cough up blood

She was 100% ready to die to Traitor Lord. However very close to the end she realized that would leave Ghost all alone, and she didn't want that. (Of course by the time she came to this conclusion, she got stabbed)

She misses Nola terribly. So much so she was willing to die to see her. Sometimes, when things are rough mentally, Cloth honestly considers it again...if only for a moment.

Hollow:

PHANTOM PAIN 3!!!!! Hollow was so monumentally fucked by their time in the Temple and with the Radiance. Vessels are sturdy, but it took Hollow nearly a month to recover even slightly. Hollow had a terrible crack in their mask (leaving them blind in their right eye), they were missing an arm, and a good portion of their abdomen had been caved in.

Hollow struggles with...a lot. Mentally. The lie they had to swallow for years about being a Pure Vessel, wanting to make their Father proud, wanting to save everyone and failing...it's a lot. And Hollow hates themself for it.

Hollow remembers Ghost as the little vessel they abandoned at the top of the Abyss...and they feel immense Guilt for it. Ghost seemingly has no hard feelings, but that only makes the guilt feel worse.

When especially upset - or when something might 'trigger' the behavior - they will instinctively revert back to how they used to act as the Pure Vessel: emotionless and needing commands to do anything. They might also fall back on old 'programming' the King gave them

[roach-works]

Hi!!!! I recently read When the Wolf Comes Home and I loved the premise the where the fic was heading. I know it hasn't been updated since 2017 so I was wondering if there was any intention of finishing it? I know it's possible you've moved on from that fandom and that is totally fine! If you are, would it be possible to share where you wanted to take the fic? Thank you, I absolutely loved your writing!!!

im a little stuck on that one because yeah i do sometimes noodle a little more on it and i had a pretty solid plot for the first year, after which i was going to be Very Firmly Done because so many rewrites attempt to take on the whole seven year span and founder on the complexity. but the problem is im really ambivalent and undecided on how much i want to participate in harry potter fandom at this late date, with JKR going mask-off nazi sympathizer. it's a weird situation where you can't argue for death of the author when the author is annoyingly alive and arguing that you should be dead.

im deeply reluctant to denounce people still participating in a fandom that i myself found incredibly fun and rewarding for, yknow, several decades of my life, and i don't think i'm better than them, just fortunate to be more interested in other projects.

but ambivalence towards the fandom and deep resentment towards the creator aren't really a productive headspace to actually write in, and i also don't want to finally work through my own doubts, finish another chapter, and then get my head torn off by people who are certain that i'm supporting JKR's toxic fuckwittery.

all in all it's easier and more rewarding to play with other fandoms and work on my many original projects.

where the fic was going:

as far as i remember, in When The Wolf Comes Home, draco was going to get his dad to hire lupin as his defense against the dark arts tutor and rent out the shrieking shack for the man to work out of, thus circumventing the curse on the DADA position and giving draco a werewolf mentor and independent bolt-hole.

quirrelmort was going to continue trying to figure out how to use or dispose of draco on his way to get the philosopher stone, a side-plot draco knew almost nothing about. draco would continue to try to maneuver harry into quirrel's way and snape out of his way, with indifferent success. harry and ron, lacking any voice of reason to temper their enthusiastic partnership of 'baby griffindors looking cool in front of their first real friend ever', would continue to believe that draco, the saddest wet puppy, was an evil monster and the cause of all their misfortunes. draco would continue to be the most mentally and emotionally unstable kid in the castle, taking all the heat off neville, who would end up looking fairly cool and collected by comparison. rita skeeter would feature somewhere in there, hired by narcissa to write little puff pieces on how tragic and brave draco was being about going to school with such a tragic disability.

remus lupin would end up with a full schedule tutoring DADA students about to take their NEWTs and OWLs and make a bunch of money. with lucius as his patron and PR agent, he would be accepted in hogsmeade as a dashing and heroic warlock who had been off having reams of secret agent adventures as dumbledore's key man in the muggle world. remus would not really know what to do with this but eat as much as possible and smile gamely when lucius showed him off to people.

eventually towards the end of the year quirrel would get rid of draco by orchestrating a fight between ron and draco where ron cut his fist on draco's teeth. this would count as a bite and draco would get thrown in azkaban and belatedly realize that he had completely and totally forgotten about sirius black's whole Saddest Wet Dog situation. sirius would do his best to take care of his tiny insane werepuppy cousin until the malfoys and longbottoms and weasleys combined to lever draco back out, using ron's ashamed testimony. draco would immediately turn around and reveal scabbers. the malfoys would end up looking like champions of truth and justice and the weasleys would, unfortunately, have to just stand there and smile gamely for the cameras.

while all this was happening harry would go after quirrel with hermione and neville and take him down. dumbledore would show up at the end, when voldemort was defeated and sirius was exonerated and several deep family feuds had been laid aside, to dispense twinkling paternal wisdom.

draco would kick him in the fork.

THE END.

[memelovescaps]

The first chapter of my new story BENEATH THE SURFACE is available!

Summary:

In the aftermath of the battle of Hogwarts, Harry goes to find Severus Snape's body. A lot of things have changed in his mind when it comes to Snape, and he thinks he deserves to be buried like the hero he is. However, what is his surprise when he finds him alive! And Harry decides that the decent thing to do, and what he wants to do, is to stay and help him heal. A story of healing and recovery, acceptance, friendship, and love. It eventually will become a romance, magical forced bonding story. But it will take a while to get there.

Work in Progress, so bear with me!

Harry then looked at Snape, this time he really looked. The first time he’d been much too anguished and scared to truly pay attention to his condition besides the gushing wound on his neck. But now he could see his sickly pallor. His eyes were sunken with dark bags under them, the raven black hair with a few more streaks of grey than Harry remembered, even if Snape was not even in his forties yet. The thing that surprised Harry more, though, was that Pomfrey had changed Snape out of his black robes, stained with blood and dirt, and had put a hospital gown on him. It was strange and shocking; as if that much bright colour didn’t belong to Snape. Harry snorted, wondering what Snape would think if he saw himself wearing such an awful hospital gown, with its white and beige colours, so far away from the dark black he usually wore. “What I would give to hear you right now, Snape,” Harry muttered under his breath, smirking. And then he grabbed the cloth, wrung it of excess water and placed it on Snape’s forehead. Snape didn’t react, and Harry hoped he could bring some relief to the man who was obviously still in pain. Pain. Harry had never thought that pain would’ve been a constant in Snape’s life. He never thought of the man with other than loathing and contempt, not even when in his first year, he was faced with the truth that he had wanted to save him when it was Quirrell who had been trying to kill him all year long. Over the years, his hatred for the man grew, and since it was obviously reciprocated, Harry never had second thoughts about it. Snape was just hateful, that was just who he was. But now, after seeing his memories… something had stirred in Harry. It wasn’t pity, not exactly. But it was something akin to… understanding, perhaps. Harry had compared himself to Voldemort often, with his hard childhood, and had reached the conclusion that, had it not been for his friends, Harry might have chosen a very different path altogether. But he had found a home at Hogwarts, he had found a safe haven where he could be himself, loved and accepted by people for who he was, rather than a celebrity. Snape hadn’t had that. He'd wanted to escape, to find the safe haven at Hogwarts he himself found, but it had become a place of torture at the hands of bullies like his father. And with the years, he had lost the only friend he ever had. Which, Harry thought, was possibly the thing that tipped him over the edge. What did Voldemort offer him? Acceptance, belonging, respect. Snape was a genius, Harry had no doubt of that, he was inventing spells and improving recipes of Potions when he was barely fifteen. If he had lost everything, why not accept the hand of a man who offered him a place with him, who offered him everything he had desired? Tom Riddle had told him once, he could be very persuasive. And Harry had never realized just how in danger Snape really had been of falling for his trap. Of course he would. Not that that excused him, Harry realized. Snape had a cruel streak that nobody could deny, least of all him, even with this new knowledge he had of him. But he had seen enough of Snape’s memories to know he had spent his entire adult life atoning for his mistakes. And, it also explained his bitterness with life. It didn't excuse him, but to Harry's eyes, it made him... more human, perhaps.

Read more on your website/app of choice:

AO3, Wattpad, Fanfiction.

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

RE: Lockhart being specifically courted into the defense professor death machine

Do you think that Dumbledore's been intentionally doing that for decades, ever since he realized the curse, as a way to disgrace people he dislikes and are foolhardy enough to accept? Or more that he just goes for it when an opportunity crops up?

The time Dumbledore set up Lockhart in the DADA position for revenge and justice.

From what we see of the other professors chosen, no.

Two are members of the Order of the Phoenix/people he seems to like to at least some degree. Lupin seems to have been hired because of the dire straits he's in, he can't get employed and Dumbledore does him a solid (that admittedly he shouldn't have done and nearly had very bad consequences) and hires him on to be the DADA professor. Lupin accepted his termination fairly easily given what had happened and perhaps had been warned/knew that this would only be a one-year job to get him by.

Dumbledore didn't seem to realize Madeye had been kidnapped more than any other character and perhaps thought that Moody wanted a one-year retirement gig when oop turned out it was a Death Eater who was immediately sentenced to death afterwards and had his soul sucked out of his body.

The others are a little bit closer but not quite the same predicament as Lockhart.

Snape he sets up in the position knowing that Snape's cover is going to be blown/he'll have to protect Draco by the end of the year since Snape made that unbreakable vow/has to maintain his standing with the Death Eaters after Dumbledore's passing. Snape already had the one-year time limit regardless of what happens. It' also gives Dumbledore the opportunity to get Slughorn on staff and get that memory.

Quirrell is a weird middle ground where he taught before, Muggle Studies even, and we don't really know what Dumbledore thought of him back them. However, he comes back and takes the cursed job and Dumbledore suspects him of being up to something fairly quickly. Perhaps when he decided "good news, Quirrell, you can become Defense Professor!" it was because something about Quirrell's new demeanor had tipped him off.

And then there's Umbridge who was foisted on him by the Ministry and Dumbledore doesn't touch due to the political frostiness currently going on. That one, I think he just leaves alone knowing that one way or another, Umbridge at least isn't coming back which will probably put an end to Ministry interference (which does in fact happen).

So, it seems to be the latter, Dumbledore will use the position opportunistically when he wants to/can, but not all the time and really only when he wants a specific thing.

[mangoboogaloo2]

what's your hollow knight au... woah i;m so interested already

WOWOWOW hello :) I'm so glad u asked! Forgive me for the long post friend

1) Lost Kin Food Adventures/Also Hallownest Restored AU:

Part of me wants to keep it brief since I've story boarded a whole chapter of this I've kept but I got to edit it first (if I ever do ;-;)

- Lost Kin being a student and having an informal child/father type relationship Nail master Oro

- Lost kin learns that it's Nailmaster Oro's Hatchling day coming up soon, and they are invited by Sheo and the Nail Smith! Both teach them about birthdays/Hatchling day traditions

- They intend to make a cake! But learns that not many people in Hallownest don't know how to

- Although Lemm is a Relic-Seeker, Lost Kin learns that Lemm had heard of knowledge of adventurers cooking and baking, so they venture out to find the ingredients themselves together

Sideplot skirmishes/Character Moments:

- Hallownest is being rebuilt, and more bugs are flooding in! Hornet makes Quirrel an informal advisor to The Hollow Knight to help organize the kingdom a bit much to Lemm's chagrin

- Lemm × Quirrel: Lemm worries that Quirrel is not thinking about himself after seeing him devote more time to restoring to kingdom. This leaves Quirrel kind of hurt and they fight over it sometimes.

- Lost Kin figuring out themselves battling trauma between the Radiance and Pale King, trapped between void and light.

- Canon Drama: There's still tension between Oro and Mato and the Nailmaster family is tryna fix that

- Minor Drabble: Quirrel and the Hollow Knight reminiscing over their trauma and how they heal to being scared about rebuilding the corpse that is Hallownest

**(I'd imagine Quirrel here thinking fondly of Lemm when he says "it's okay to be useless" from the Stag Beetles and Broken Legs fanfic and somehow paralleling that to the Hollow Knight's new responsibility as king to not have as much pressure. That fic by Aryashi and relationshipcrimes on Ao3 is amazing, go go go)

Notes:

- I'D ASSUME Sheo, Mato, and Oro are all triplets since they're practically identical but for that AU they've hatched on different days

- After installing Tumblr, I've seen SO MUCH food AU Stuff and I'm excited I'm not alone :_) I can't remember the exact creators that I've seen tho sadge

- Its funny since with this AU it assumes that Hallownest's gastronomy (at least in the baking department) being underwhelming as heck. I mean most people in Hallownest are warriors so I don't expect them too kek.

- Battling the fine line betwixt reality and fiction because I've done baking research on what Lemm and Lost kin CAN cook realistically but then like can bugs digest milk? Can bugs make a human cake and eat it too? Or do I have to use realistic substitutes? (Help I learned cockroaches can make milk, now you can know about it too HAH but yea no don't want that)

- Finally, definitely wanna flesh out Lemm and Lost Kin's relationship but I'm not sure how they would bond over in story. Maybe over Lemm's curiosity over the Pale family history and why these bugs look all the same and Lost Kin wanting to just experience life suffering from possession from radiance and such.

^pg 1 storyboard (also I just realized, I don't know really if vessels are born ? So that's kind of sad)

This my most beefiest au that I will probably not fully write out (maybe)? Since writing is not my strength at all but thinking of character interactions is so fun. I have more different AU stuff but saving them for other days yes

[kokocharm]

HEY OP? I'M STARING AT YOU AFTER SEEING THAT HOLLOW KNIGHT AND SONIC CROSSOVER POST. STARING INTENTLY

I would LOVE to hear you talk about it

MY MY MY DEAR ANON, HOW I LOVE YOU FOR THIS QUESTION!!!!

This is an rp with my partner that we called "Ghost is an Evil Henchman" as a placeholder name, before it stuck. (Henchman in a gender neutral type of way, all the vessels are genderless)

The RP mainly follows Quirrel and Hornet after they crashland on the beach. The rp is set in strictly the Sonic Boom universe, since thats the only one i watched and i think at the time the one my partner liked the most. This rp is based around a LOT of my fanon so if you want an explanation on that, you know where to ask ^_^ !

Sonic and Sticks finds the two of them. Quirrel and Tails IMMEDIATELY become bffs and make silly inventions together i love them. Meanwhile Hornet is having a lot of anger issues, especially directed at Quirrel. Shes pissed because shes crazily worried about her only living siblings (which will be Ghost, the mc of the game, Hollow, and Lost, whos been reanimated by lifeblood). But her anger at Quirrel also runs way deeper, from a LOONg time ago

(Hornet and Quirrel had an argument about the Dreamers. Quirrel told her that the sacrifices are for nothing, that even Monomon agreed, and Hornet has been furious about it ever since. She doesnt want to think that her mothers death was for nothing.)

Eggman attacks and they have to stop Hornet from literally beheading him which i think its rlly funny

Anyways, wheres Ghost??

Freaking the fuck out. Because they are in a cage. Instead of appearing with their sister and Quirrel, they instead popped into Eggmans lair

Now. I dont think me or mel ever talked about HOW they got there. Quirrel and Tails tried to question it, but never got rlly far and were just focused on how to get back.

So anyways. Ghost has a lot of issues that they cover up because they are "the Savior of Hallownest" and their sister needs help as the new queen with the survivors of the infection to build from the ground up again

Eggman, unintentionally, pushes on Ghosts insecurities that their sister doesnt truly like them. So they work for Eggman. And that almost spells out Sonics fate because its nearly canon that there is no enemy too powerful for Ghost. They are literally a God.

From what I remember, a bit happens after that. Quirrel finally breaks after Hornet yells at him again, calling her out because "You're not the only one who lost everything. You're not the only one who has had to kill your family. You are not the only survivor of the infection." My Quirrel fanon (aka, singed!quirrel) is one of my favorite side stories of mine. It has to do with his antennas, getting burned, almost assassinated.. yeah theres a lot

We kind of faded out of this rp, the last response to it was a hell of a while ago. We had plans such as meeting Hollow and Lost, and even having a fight between Shadow and Ghost where Shadow gets his ass handed to him and is like "okay, this is a problem." We had a scene planned where Ghost actually managed to stab Sonic, which finally made him realize Ghost was a genuine threat. I even secretly had an idea where Quirrel and Tails get kidnapped and Quirrel is trying to convince Ghost that Hornet still does love them and will not, in fact, murder them on sight (he is not successful)

In a new rp called Reflecting the Light, where both Hollow Knight and Sonic characters are present, we do occasionally get a conversation between Shadow and some of the vessels. Im pretty sure Shadow and The Hollow Knight talked at one point, but im not entirely sure.

All in all, Hollow Knight is a beautiful yet heartbreaking game. It's really hard, I still havent done the Path of Pain vecause i spent 5 hours on the White Palace and i am not emotionally ready to suffer through PoP. I havent even beaten NKG. But i hope this helps ^_^ if you like hollow knight and/or sonic PLEASE let me know and ill talk about them in reflecting the light!!! I love that rp from the bottom of my heart

Anyways. Its 11pm, I have school tomorrow. Leo, out (⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)💛🌙

[rainbow-scarab]

All the many WIPs

Yup XD

I. I keep saying I’m working on stuff. I’m so slow. I did write a lot last year...for my own standards anyway. But mostly just in stuff that is not published yet. So I dunno just for fun I’m writing out what I have (with current word count)

  silent.docx, started March 25th, about 5.7k words (and many more discarded), multichapter

This one is for personal ptsd reasons. I’m sorry Hollow, you get more traumas. Can be difficult for me to work on. First time I’ve ever tried to write a multichapter fic

I am self-conscious to ever post it ._. But I do want to anyway. Will have many warnings on it though

  desaturated.docx, started May 28th, 13.5k words, multichapter

The Grimm Troupe is summoned, by the Pale King. Grimm is wary, but he has his role in the Ritual, and must leave the Pale King to his.

A second attempt at a multichapter fic, this time with a very concrete plot idea. Perhaps a blessing and a curse as eventually I have to deal with difficult plot things and also to put in themes and good character moments.

(I question my choice at having Grimm try to coordinate all the Grimmkin across the kingdom in a crisis now I have to figure out leadership skills and how to communicate/coordinate across distances XD;;;)

(Also I keep thinking of this fic as “the fun one” that I’m working on, until I realize how many warnings it will need on it. But when it’s not things that I personally need warnings for sure I guess that makes it fun XD;)

  Quirrel dies in Ghost's arms.docx, started October 17th, 965 words, oneshot

;_; Quirrel gives me emotions. And gives Ghost emotions here

  embodying.docx, started December 3rd, 2k words, oneshot

I try to write horror, with the Pale King as the horror monster XDDDD I’m not even a horror fan?? I dunno, I’m having fun here

  Bonus: hornettiso.docx, started October 7th, 444 words, abandoned

NOT A SHIP FIC XDDD I enjoyed thinking of the idea for a bit but, was not inspired enough. Just started from me wondering if Hornet typically tries to intercept everyone coming into Hallownest and what she would do if Tiso was one of them

  ...so I wrote tens of thousands of words in the last year which is a lot for me! Only have published *counts* 6k words but I hope I can finish more

[justaghostingon]

How to Woo the Girl You Dumped Without her Demon-possessed Brother Getting in your Way: A Guide by Jin Zinxuan

A crack au

It all begins when Jin Zinxuan notices that Jiang Yanli is actually really pretty.

This is unfortunately right in the middle of him yelling at her for trying to claim credit for the soup someone’s been making for him

Wei Wuxian shows up, demonic tendicals (we’re going anime version here) dripping from all around him as he defends his sister, it comes out that she has been making the soup, and now he’s smitten with a huge problem: the girl he likes both now prob hates him because he humiliated her, and also her brother is definitely a demon

Now a sensible person would first try to patch over the relationship with jiang yanli by apologizing, but jin Zixuan is a Jin! He’s never done a sensible thing in his life!

And also talking about feelings is really scary and as his friend Miammiam likes to point out, he is really bad at it

So naturally, he decides that the most important step to wooing Jiang yanli is to save her brother from demonic possession. That way she’ll be super impressed with him and he’ll be less terrifying and so greatful he’ll well come him into the family!

What could go wrong?!!

Jin Guangyao insists that it is not demonic possession, it is demonic cultivation. But jin zixuan has heard jin zixun rant about “that wei demon” enough times to know better

Figure of speech? What’s that?

So jin zixuan decides to exorcise wei wuxian, and to do that, he’ll need help from the smartest person he knows: jin Guangyao

Jin guangyao is less than thrilled at being sent on a rediculous job like this, to exorcise the clearly not possessed wei wuxian, until he realizes jin zixuan will do anything he suggests without question

ANYTHING

So Jin guangyao decides to have fun with this, setting jin zixuan on increasingly ridiculous tasks to “cure” wei wuxian of demonic possesstion

Like covering him in salt. Or throwing itchy flowers at him. Or running after him chanting this truely awful tune while hoping on one foot.

The result of course, is a very angry wei wuxian who chases zixuan away, and an increasingly desperate jin zixuan who thinks wei wuxian’s frustrations are proof that “the demons are trying to stop me!”

Now the sect heir acting strange is going to raise some eyebrows, and when outsiders look at jin zixuan throwing flowers and singing, they come to a very different conclusion.

Within a day, everyone in every sect is convinced jin zixuan is trying to court wei wuxian

“My son is a cutsleeve!” Moans jin guangshan. “How did this happen! I showed him all the fine ways to love a woman!”

“You’re lessons are the reason my son is a cutsleeve!” Madam jin retorts. “U scarred him for life!”

They proceed to spend the rest of the time arguing and somehow forget to actually talk to their son

Meanwhile in yumeng everyone is losing their collective shit. Jiang cheng is furious that jin zixuan thinks he can poach wei ying with a few pretty words and flowers. Jiang yanli is depressed because her crush is really hopeless now, and how could she measure up to wei wuxian?

Wei wuxian himself is disgusted, not that jun zixuan is a cutsleeve, but that he’d dare to court him! After what he did to shijie! He resolves to firmly rebuff every attempt jin zixuan makes

Which only serves to make jin zixuan more determined because “those demons are really stubborn!!”

But then… the rumor reaches gusu

And lan zhan hops on the first sword to the jin sect to challenge jin zixuan to a duel for wei wuxian’s honor

Lan Zhan tells himself he wouldn’t do this is wei wuxian actually loved the guy. But its not just some guy. This is jin zixuan, wei wuxian hates him! Even he knows that!

They fight, but jin zixuan for all his denseness, even he knows he doesn’t have a quirrel with lan Zhan, and eventually he gets lan zhan to calm down enough to ask why they are fighting

Lan zhan explains and jin zixuan is horrified he’d ever thing that, and quickly fills him in on what he’s really doing: saving wei wuxian from the demon that is possessing him

Lan zhan is sceptical at first, but jin zixuan has jin Guangyao to back him up, and his brother always trusts jin Guangyao so maybe there’s something here? (Give him a break, wei wuxian has been worrying him for months and at this point he’ll take anything)

So lan zhan joins jin zixuan’s demon begone schemes

Wei wuxian is horrified: he trusted lan zhan! And now he’s tryimg to get him married to the peacock? Does he even care?

Meanwhile jin Guangshen has realized if his son marries wei wuxian, he gets the tiger seal, and so begins to push for marriage

Jin guangyao realizes this practical joke has gone a bit too far, but he can’t back out now, lan xichen thanked him for helping lan zhan “make friends” and he’d rather the world end than lan xichen think he hurt his brother

In desperation, jin guangyao suggests the final cure: a true loves kiss

Jin zixuan of course, balks at this. He can’t kiss wei wuxian! He’s in love with his sister! He’s doing this for jiang yanli, he doesn’t want her to think he likes her brother! (Still unaware thats exactly what everyone thinks, especially jiang yanli)

To make matters worse, his father seems to be suddenly invested in curing wei wuxian, sending him off to court wei wuxian with a wink, a charriage and a large amount of gold

Terrified, jin zixuan wants to run, but lan Zhan refuses to let wei wuxian suffer because jin zixuan has cold feet. So he gets in the carriage too

When they arrive they meet a very angry, very resentment tentically wei wuxian

Jin zixuan panics, but lan xhan doesn’t back down, if his love can do anything he’s going to try. So he confesses to wei wuxian

This shocks wei wuxian so much his resentment actually starts to fizzle out.

It’s working! Jin zixuan shouts! Lan wanji keep going!

So lan zhan keeps confessing, saying everything he’s been keeping in his heart, then ending with “come to gusu with me”

Wei wuxian’s eyes widen “you mean…this whole time…that was a proposal?!!”

Lan zhan: en

Wei wuxian: lan zhan! Proceeds to jump into his arms and share a passionate kiss with lan zhan

Jin zixuan: i can’t believe that worked

Jiang yanli, who has come up beside him, “you planned this?” (Meaning getting wei ying and lan zhan together)

Jin zixuan: oh yeah! This was all my idea! (Meaning exorising wei ying)

Jiang yanli says “thank you A-xuan” as she places a hand on his arm, and jin zixuan suddenly forgets everything else

And that’s how jin zixuan got wangxian together while trying to impress jiang yanli, and never realizes people thought he was in love with wei wuxian until well after jin ling is born

[axxnniee]

i swear, nothing will ever irritate me more in this fandom than people saying harry should have became a professor. it's my most hated headcanon and it literally makes no sense.

harry was made for being an auror.

harry loves adventures and that's something easy to spot. he thought that meeting fluffy for the first time was a great adventure and was keen on having another one. he felt quite exited to break into damn ministry to steal the horcrux from umbridge for fuck's sake. y'all really think he would sit all day in a castle teaching children? it's noticeable even in such thing as quidditch, this guy just has to move and do something. he would waste himself, his youth and his potential as a teacher.

he has everything a great auror (which he is) needs. he's very observant and notices little details; he always noticed all the little movements someone did and was able to connect it with situation (vernon pretending to read the newspaper cause his eyes weren't moving, hagrid clutching his umbrella tighter at mention of his wand, hermione having book upside down and way more). even right after waking up in gof he was able to say something bad was happening only by the sounds. he is also able to connect the dots: he was the one who had put all the facts together and realize why no one died from basilisk while basing it only on paper left by hermione, he realized bellatrix had horcrux in her vault by her reaction and he realized voldemort was after elder wand only basing on xenophilius' story about deahtly hallows (and that he's ignotus' descendant).

he's great at dada, good at transfiguration, charms, herbology, and even potions. at everything needed to be an auror. he's very powerful; his accidental magic was powerful, he casted a full patronus that drove away hundreds of dementors at age of 13, was able to stand up to imperius, even the one casted by voldemort himself. he was really good at duelling and managed to do it even with death eaters.

not to mention that he's really good at working under stress. and even though his plans don't always work, his intuition never fails. intuition told him to touch quirrell's face, to put on sorting hat, to destroy diary and way more.

he's brave, he's tough and works hard when the matter is really important.

harry WANTED to be an auror ever since crouch jr told him he'd make a good one. he mentioned this position during his career advice. he didn't even want to teach his classmates at first and you think he'd want to teach hundreds of students same things all over again and later having to check their essays? harry isn't the most socialising person and teacher works requires socialising more than auror's one. he would get tired.

and most important; auror's job is to defeat the dark wizards. to prevent them from killing anyone. you know how many babies lose their parents because of such actions? and you know who exactly knows how it feels like? auror harry potter. he would never let any more child lose their parents and any dark wizard to kill someone again. he wants to help people, he wants to reduce the evilness in this world. and after war, he would never sit back and relax knowing that death eaters are still around.

and the argument that ministry did so many bad things is one of the shittiest things i've ever heard. yes, ministry treated him shitty. and you know who else? quirinus quirrell, gilderoy lockhart, bartemius crouch junior, dolores umbridge, severus snape. what they have in common? they are defence against the dark arts teachers. almost everyone treated him like a piece of shit and that consists also of both ministry and hogwarts. but let's notice that the main problems at the ministry were fudge, umbridge, lucius malfoy and later scrimgeour (not counting corrupted ministry). all of them left by the time harry joined ministry.

besides, y'all really believe mcgonagall would let him teach when she literally argued with umbridge promising to make him an auror?

[aspiringauthorintraining]

Take Me Out (1/2)

Human beings were the equivalent of bugs to the King of Curses. Every one of them an eyesore and fucking useless. For Sukuna, he needed no reason to kill them- the fact that he simply could was more than enough.

But after coming across you, never had he felt such conviction to kill someone than he did right then. If looks could kill, you would have dropped dead a long time ago.

Luckily for you, Sukuna’s one eye held no power other than glaring metaphorical daggers into your soul currently.

“Have you ever considered appearing on the back of Yuuji’s head?” you asked, desperately trying to hold in a laugh. “You guys could dress-up as Professor Quirrell and Voldemort for Halloween!” 

Sukuna’s mouth visibly seethed with rage. People were supposed to fear him, not doubled over on the floor in a laughing fit. 

“The minute I regain full control of this brat’s body, I’m taking you out first.” Sukuna spat from the unconscious Yuuji’s cheek. 

The threat seemed to elicit the desired effect, the sound of your laughter ceasing.

He became curious about the look on your face. Was it trembling with fear? Or even better, maybe you had fainted from shock at the thought of him coming for you. His satisfied sneer quickly dropped though when you reentered his sight. An unexpected questioning look was in your eyes instead of the fear he had hoped for. 

 “Are you asking me out on a date?”

“…”

The room fell silent again. 

You head tilted at his single eye staring blankly at you. 

“…Huh?!”

A smile grew on your face at his heavily confused state.

“Your wanting to “take me out” on a date, right?” you repeated his words, giving him a knowing look. “I mean, it’s a bit unconventional way of asking me out, but I’ll accept it since it’s you.”

His mouth gaped open, and the side of the cheek he was on turned a noticeable shade of pink

“W-What is fucking wrong with you, woman?!” he screeched, clearly appalled at your question. “I meant I’m going to kill you first!”

“Oh,” you shrugged. “Well still, don’t take too long. A girl can only wait so much.” Smiling cheekily at him, you ended off the sentence with a wink in his direction.

But before he could offer you some more colorfully worded threats, Yuuji started to regain consciousness.

___

“You there, Sukuna?” 

Your finger gently poked the sleeping Yuuji’s cheek continuously, waiting for the King of Curses to grace you with his appearance.

“Anybody home?” you tapped again. “Hello?”

“What do you want, woman?” His mouth and single eye popped up.

“I’m just curious about something.” You took his responding silence as permission to continue. “I know you said you’re going to take me out, but what if I die before you regain your strength?”  

The curse scoffed at your question. “Don’t worry, woman. I’ll be the last thing you see before you die.” 

At the thought of you trembling beneath him begging him to have mercy on your life, he let out a series of cackles. He could already imagine the feeling of your sticky blood dripping down his hands, the familiar smell of iron invading the air. 

“Aww, Sukuna, I didn’t know you were such a romantic.” you cooed, breaking him away from his daydreaming. You raised a finger, gently patting his one eye with a smile. “I’ll be looking forward to our date then.”

He quickly scowled at your words. “What do you not fucking understand about me killing you, woman?!” 

The small mouth crunched its teeth in the air, attempting to bit your finger off. Amused, you brought a hand closer to him, wiggling your fingers back and forth, teasingly. Every time he thought he came close to chomping one off, you would pull back at the last second with a giggle. When he eventually let out a growl of frustration, you pushed your pointer finger against his lips, effectively shutting them. 

“Where are we going on our date by the way? Will this place have a dress code?”

Sukuna’s one eye bulges in anger, pure fury blazing in it. 

“You fucking bitch, I’m going to ki-“

“Yes, yes, that’s fine. You can’t wait to kill me.” You waved off his threat, undeterred by the repeated threat. “You’ve said that a hundred times now already. What I want to know is what I should wear on our first date.”

“It’s not a fucking da-“

“Oh, looks like Yuuji’s waking up from his nap.” 

The teenage boy’s eyes slowly blinked open, finally awaking from his afternoon nap. 

“Guess we’ll save the conversation for next time then.” 

And despite the threatening eyes you were met with, you waved him goodbye with a warm smile. A groan of disgust escaped Sukuna’s lips, before disappearing once again. 

___

You had noticed something was off the minute you entered the hallway. 

After successfully exorcising your designated half of curses, you searched around the building for your pink-haired kouhai, when suddenly the whole building was shrouded in darkness. The curse energy the domain gave off was too powerful for any of the curses residing in the building or Yuuji to conjure.

There was a slight shift behind you grabbing your attention. But before you could turn around to see what it was, hands suddenly snaked around your waist. 

“Since the last time we talked, I’ve been thinking about which way would be the most painful way to kill you.” a voice whispered in your ear, lips curling with glee. “All the scenarios ended the same way- with you crying beneath me, begging me for mercy.

With the free time Sukuna had acquired living inside Yuuji, he had infinite time to think about many things, you being among one of them. And after copious amounts of alone time to think to himself, he had come to the conclusion that he just needed to instill some fear into you.  The next you time were paired with the brat in an assignment, he would make sure to have you shaking in terror by the end of it.

“You were thinking about me? That’s so sweet.”

The cruel grin formed on his lips dropped.

“I’m going to kill y- never mind.” He brought a hand up to his forehead, massaging his temples. “Nothing I say is going to get through that fucking head of yours, is it?”

“Mmm, probably not.” you agreed. 

Sukuna now realized you were just stupid. You had to be to be talking to him like this.

You heard him let out a frustrated sigh, and when you turned around in his arms, you were met with a confused Yuuji staring back at you. 

“Senpai, why are we hugging?”

__

*(A/N): Sukuna’s hot. Nuff said.

It got too long to put it all in one post so part two coming soon to a tumblr near you. (probs tomorrow lol)

Part 2 here

[lightrises]

"Only in allowing her to pass..." — Hornet, The Radiance, and the means by which Hallownest turned its victims against each other

A quick note: I read Hollow Knight as an anti-colonialist text. As such I'll be touching on topics related to colonialism as it's depicted in the world of the game, and said analysis will reflect both a sympathetic take on The Radiance and a critique of The Pale King that won't pull its punches. If this sounds up your alley, hello and thank you for the read! Let us be sad about these bugs together.

———

So!! A while back I realized something about pre-canon that felt rather... "curious" is one way to put it, I think. To wit: for all the effort and scheming and determination The Pale King poured into trying to get rid of The Radiance, neither of his plans involved directly killing her.

Was that his long game? Well, sure, that seems clear enough. His tack changed from luring the moths away from their god and creator to a more literal form of incarceration once the infection became a factor, but at its core the end goal never really changed—The Pale King very sincerely wished to destroy Radiance via obsolescence. The Seer lends us foreshadowing to confirm as much:

[Image descriptions: Two screenshots from Hollow Knight, showing the Seer and Ghost in the Seer's alcove at the Resting Grounds. Across both screenshots, the Seer tells Ghost the following: "None of us can live forever, and so we ask those who survive to remember us. Hold something in your mind and it lives on with you, but forget it and you seal it away forever. That is the only death that matters." End description.]

(Which, by the way and given the context, talk about an extremely unsubtle allusion to cultural genocide huh!!! Whew.)

In any case, we're left with a whole bunch of machinations which build up to... well, two very roundabout attempts at committing deicide. That's kind of weird, all things considered! Why not just do the deed in one fell swoop and get it over with?

This could be for any number of reasons. Maybe the king was devoid of the means to instantly kill another higher being. Maybe his personal sense of scruples stopped him short of signing off on MURDER murder (although, y'know, the aforementioned genocide + eternal imprisonment = still cool and copasectic apparently!). Maybe the long drawn-out cruelty was the point. Maybe the idea of playing fuckign 4D chess with the circumstances was too delicious for him to pass up—that man did love to tinker and stick his claws where they sure as hell didn't belong—or maybe it was a little bit of All The Things. Who knows!!

But interrogating The Pale King's methodology on this count isn't what I'm here for, at least not really. The main reason I raise this question at all is that in her own way, Hornet did too.

"I'd urge you to take that harder path... "

See, going by The Pale King's actions and what The White Lady explicitly says, they both foresaw two outcomes wrt the infection: it can be allowed to spread, or it can be contained. At Teacher's Archives, Quirrel acknowledges the fact that Ghost is expected to do... something about this, but he doesn't elaborate on what HE thinks that's supposed to be apart from the obvious "Gotta bust into Black Egg Temple first". Hornet is the one person who presents to us—to Ghost—what's framed as a third option: confront and destroy the infection at its source.

And she doesn't bring it up like it's just another tactic for Ghost to consider, prim and indifferent to what they would do. She nudges them towards it, actively, up to the point where she throws herself into the fray against Hollow at a juncture that's uniquely dangerous to her and her alone just to make that option feasible.

Even when she's couching it in disclaimers that this is still Ghost's decision to make (and let's be fair, she's extremely not wrong about that lol), no one can pretend Hornet is unbiased. It's obvious in that buttoned-down Hornet kind of way that she is way the hell done with the increasingly tenuous stalemate that's kept Hallownest's desiccated corpse from collapsing in on itself. Personally it's hard for me not to read some Toriel Undertale-esque "My father was too entrenched in his own foolishness to pursue any course of action that would have DEFINITIVELY ended this" shade into her stance here, regardless of whether that's strictly true in canon.

And that bit—Hornet's hopes for an end to Hallownest's stasis, moreover her grim calculation of what needs to be done to get there—that's the bit I find super interesting but likewise tragic and depressing as shit, on multiple levels. In no small part because a) canon itself gestures towards Hornet feeling conflicted about the very plan she's pushing, and moreover b) she has at least two (2) damn good reasons to feel that way.

So, what do I mean by that? Let's look here first:

[Image description: A screenshot from Hollow Knight, of Hornet and Ghost inside the Temple of the Black Egg, standing in front of the unsealed egg itself. Hornet has been struck by the Dream Nail and her dialogue is displayed as follows: "... Could it achieve that impossible thing? Should it?" End description.]

As the curtain is about to drop on things one way or another, Hornet thinks,

... Could it achieve that impossible thing? Should it?

Now, looking at that last bit it's easy to go "Oh no, Hornet's worried that Ghost won't survive killing The Radiance!" And I do think that's part of it: Hornet is, categorically, not her father. By endgame it's clear she's not content to view her Void-borne siblings as tools to be used then disposed of. She's also well aware that as a healthy autonomous Vessel amongst the countless dead, Ghost is the only person left alive who has a fighting chance against The Radiance. Knowing someone is the only qualified candidate for the job doesn't make encouraging them to embrace a probable death sentence any less of a bitter pill to swallow, though. And odds are on that this sentiment extends to Hollow too, who IS going to die no matter what happens here. To put it bluntly, it's more than reasonable to conclude that Hornet hates the absolute fuck out of this.

But I don't think that's all there is to it either. Remember what I said earlier about The Pale King's bids for genocide? Well, it's not like the man deigned to limit his efforts to just the moth tribe.

"We do not choose our mothers... "

On top of everything else—an infected Hallownest being all she's ever known, the fact that she only exists because of the infection, the list goes on—Hornet has spent her life wedged into a position that's been uncomfortable and terminally unglamorous at best: she is both a daughter of her father's kingdom and of Deepnest.

Deepnest, which like the moths and many others was here long before the wyrm and his lady wife swanned onto the scene and the God Become Bug laid claim to everything the Light touched plus a considerable amount of change. THAT Deepnest, which has fought claw and thread to retain its sovereignty against same-said settler king, and for which Herrah not only surrendered her life but also agreed to bed her worst enemy, all in hopes of securing a viable future for her people (put a pin in that last part by the way, I'll come back to it soon).

Two Worlds, One Family (Ft. An Indigenous Woman Trying Her Damndest To Work With What She's Got Versus An Imperialist Who Only Signed Up For This Because He Needed The Political Favor THAT Badly, So It's The Height Of Dysfunctional Actually). Fun times!!!!

The baggage this entails for Hornet is gnarly enough without implications made by The White Lady and the pre-canon timeline of events and even Team Cherry's dev notes that the king may well have looked at baby Hornet, gone "YOINK", then ensured she spent the lion's share of her childhood reared within the pearly auspices of his Pale Court*. That would be rather advantageous for Him Specifically after all, the potential to mold a born foe into a future ally and even have her trained in combat under the same tutelage as her doomed sibling. And far be it from him to stop a grown Hornet—his own flesh and blood too!—from making Deepnest her forever home if she so pleased. He totally wouldn't be reneging on his "fair bargain made" by doing this one simple thing until Hornet came of age, not t e c h nic c a l l y.

If that is indeed the case, there's a non-zero chance Hornet's formative years were a hot mess of cultural alienation and being a good deal more privy than most to just how much of a bastard her father could be. There's an equally non-zero chance that at some point she stood or sat within earshot as The Pale King finally, finally dropped all pretense and euphemism to name the Light for precisely what (for who) it was.

See, in conjunction with the question that started this whole dang train of thought I've been asking this one too: Does Hornet know? When she speaks of confronting "the heart of [the] infection" does she know she's talking about not just a literal person but someone very specific? The Radiance, who god though she may be shares skin in the game alongside Hornet as a native woman screwed over by the same settler king, likewise deprived of her kin and saddled with a life gone horrendously pear-shaped?

I'll assume for the sake of exploring the possibility and because I think it's a likely one anyway that yes, Hornet does know. She knows, and despite everything can't help empathizing. She might even look at Radiance and see bits and pieces both reflected and slightly inversed in her own mother: Radiance was forced to the sidelines while her people—her children, the brood she was meant to lead and care for—died out under The Pale King's rule, and it's no stretch to assume she's at least as upset about that as she has been about everything else; Herrah too took drastic measures for her people's sake, trying to head off annihilation by relegating herself to the sidelines in an act that was as much calculated risk as an attempt to find wiggle room and leverage in the face of a nasty proposition.

A calculated risk that, if things continue as they are, might well amount to nothing as the rest of Deepnest gets eaten alive by the infection. It survived The Pale King's advances for so so long, only to fall here. Herrah's sacrifice would be for naught; the other tribes—themselves the king's victims—would keep succumbing to the infection too.

And this is where things fall apart.

"... or the circumstance into which we are born."

Let's be clear: I think Hornet is wise enough to know what's what here, that all the carnage and suffering falls on her father's head for starting this slow-motion trainwreck in the first place. Hallownest wasn't always Hallownest. This domain was Radiance's home first, along with many others. It was the worm-turned-king who rolled up on the scene unsolicited and decided this was a ""'problem""" that had to be """solved""".

But the fact of the matter is that he's gone and The Radiance is here, raging, seemingly inconsolable. Above and beyond being Deepnest's rightful heir, Hornet isn't in a position to countenance more splash damage even if the grief and fury fueling it makes perfect sense. She can understand without ever bringing herself to love Radiance, and she can bend her knee to practicality even if she hates the everloving shit out of it because the fact that it "has" to end this way isn't fair.

This lends itself to one last awful conclusion: that Hornet has probably considered and (rightly or wrongly) discarded the possibility that Radiance can be saved, at least not without dragging more collateral along for the ride. If even her mother and every other enemy to the king seemed to dismiss talking Radiance down as an option way back when... well. Why should Hornet hope for any better after things have escalated so far?

Again, it's practical. A practical net good is what Hornet strives for. And again, it fucking sucks.

For extra tragedy points, this makes Hornet's extended crypticness around Ghost followed by her last minute casting about for a reason to tell them "Wait, don't; not just yet" that she never voices even more of a gut punch. She can't bring herself to burden Ghost with the context that haunts her so, least of all when it might weaken their resolve to go through with what (she thinks) needs doing.

It's the "same song, different verse" which led to the mantis tribe and Deepnest being pitted against each other: Hallownest rigged the game so that two women who could have been powerful allies—who have a mutual vested interest in driving out settler rule—wound up poised as enemies instead. And how awful is that? The king for all his being extremely fucking dead still gets the last laugh, because outside of a miracle the game never manifests Hornet can salvage what her mother started and look forward to a future where Deepnest pulls itself back from the brink if and only if The Radiance dies.

Resolution comes at the price of a completed genocide. Add two more dead siblings to the unconscionable pile thereof, while we're at it. That's what it boils down to whether or not Hornet can bear to articulate it as such, and there's no grace or even a properly bittersweet ending to wring from this clusterfuck. And that is rough.

———

* This has been better explained elsewhere, but a quick rundown: The White Lady tells Ghost that Hornet and Herrah "were permitted little time together." On its surface this can be taken to mean that Hornet was still very young when Herrah was shipped off to Eternal Dreamland—except this doesn't jive with the fact that we meet Hornet as an adult. If the stasis kicked in once the Dreamers went to their rest, which in turn halted the aging process for every living bug in Hallownest, AND before all this Hornet experienced little by the way of quality time with her birth mother... I think you can see where I'm going with this.

To top it off we've got Team Cherry weighing in ominously from their dev notes on Herrah: "As part of the agreement for her alliance and her role as a dreamer, King gave her a child (Hornet). Was she allowed to keep this child or was she taken away?" This isn't confirmation by itself of course, but given additional canon details (see above): Can I get a "yikes" in the chat fellas.

[startanewdream]

Sneak in

“Potter! Weasley! What are you doing?”

It was Professor McGonagall, and her mouth was the thinnest of thin lines.

“We were — we were —” Ron stammered. “We were going to — to go and see —”

“Hermione,” said Harry.

Ron and Professor McGonagall both looked at him.

“We haven’t seen her for ages, Professor,” Harry went on hurriedly, treading on Ron’s foot, “and we thought we’d sneak into the hospital wing, you know, and tell her the Mandrakes are nearly ready and, er, not to worry —”

(Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)

Just a small missing moment of something that Minerva McGonagall may have remembered in this scene. 

____________________________

It’s just past ten and Minerva is returning to her office, after meeting with Albus, when she sees the two boys walking in the shadows of the corridor leading to the Hospital Wing. She doesn’t need to get closer to know who they are – if there is trouble, those First Years are right in the middle of it.

“Potter! Black! What are you doing?”

They turn around, their guilty expressions evident in the moonlight that comes from the windows of the hall, before one of them grins.

“Night, Professor”, James Potter greets warmly. “Fancy seeing you here”.

She doesn’t fall for his easy charm.

“I would say the same, but it’s already past curfew, Mr. Potter”.

“And you are out of bed, Professor?”, Sirius Black notes, his voice dripping with fake indignation. “That’s a bad example for your students”.

Minerva fights a will to laugh.

“Unlike you, Mr. Black, I have permission for it”, she says instead, thinking of how since term began, she has already seen them on ten detentions at least. They enjoy too much playing pranks on others – and they seem to have a knack for being discovered, almost as if they are doing it on purpose just for the reputation.

“But on emergencies the law can be ignored, Professor. Isn’t that right?’, James asks innocently, though Minerva doubts there is any innocent bone on his body.

“It would be, but neither of you seems to be on an emergency”.

“No, fortunately, we found ourselves mostly healthy”, James notes brightly, then he frowns. “But our friend isn’t”.

“Friend?”

“It’s Remus, Professor”, Sirius says hurriedly. “We came back from dinner to find out he is sick, and since he was sick last month too, we were worried”.

“We were trying to visit him in the Hospital Wing”, James adds, now more serious. “Just to show support, let him know we are there if he needs anything”.

Now Minerva fights not to show any emotion at all. She knows exactly what affliction Remus Lupin is suffering and she knows they won’t find him in the Hospital Wing at this hour; the boy must already have gone to the Shrieking Shack.

She watches them both for any sign of mistrust, but Potter and Black must still be in the dark about Lupin’s real condition. That is not a secret she wants to share; she wasn’t sure about him, truth be told, but all she has seen of that First-Year boy is a kind hard-working boy, that, as Albus had put it, deserved a chance to study as much as anyone else.

He had been shy in the beginning, unsure of making friends, and Minerva had feared he would be isolated once she saw how Potter and Black had quickly formed a pair, both seeming to be best friends even after only one week of classes.

But then Potter and Black had started talking to him and she had seen how, despite his reservations, Lupin had opened himself to them, had accepted their friendship and had even coached them to also befriend little Peter Pettigrew.

Those four First-Year Gryffindors were now thick as thieves, always involved in some small prank or confusion, but always together too. She has already seen them getting into fights when someone tries to mess with one of them, careful to protect one another.

She is not surprised Black and Potter are concerned with their friend; they have their faults, but lack of loyalty to their little group is not one of them.

Minerva sighs, her expression softening.

“Mr. Lupin is fine”, she assures them, even though she knows she is lying. “I’ve seen him before, he is resting now, as should you”.

“Can’t we just –“

“No, you can see him tomorrow, Mr. Potter”, she tells them. “Now go to your Common Room, no detours”.

They exchange a look.

“No detention?”, James asks, sounding surprised.

“No missing points?”

“No telling us we are embarrassing Gryffindor?”

“That was Evans, James, not Professor McGonagall”.

“Oh, true”, James notes, flushing slightly. “But I think she scares me as much as –“

“Potter, Black”, Minerva interrupts him, again forcing herself not to smile. “Just go, it’s late. I don’t want to see you again out of the Common Room after curfew”.

“Don’t worry, Professor”, James says, grinning. “You won’t see us”.

He winks at her, and before Minerva can answer his cheekiness, he and Sirius turn in the next corridor.

“I really should use my Cloak more”, she hears James saying, his voice vanishing in the corridor.

________________________

Minerva shouldn’t be surprised.

She saw how close Harry, Ron and Hermione were ever since Halloween one year ago, how after that weird incident with the troll they had become friends and they were together in everything – even in that little adventure of Harry with Quirrell, all three of them facing the challenges that were well above them. She knows how Ron sacrificed himself so they could go on and she knows how Hermione only returned when only one could go forward.

And she noted how Harry and Ron seemed unbalanced ever since Hermione Granger was petrified, how it is obvious that their little group is for three members, not two, and how worried they are.

Sometimes she wonders if there is something in the Potter blood that inspires and demands loyalty.

She remembers how James and Peter and Sirius (before he… before) had woken up early in the mornings in search of Remus on the days he was away, how they were worried both before they knew his secret and afterwards when it was obvious they would come after a full moon looking for him.

And even if it was one of the others – the time Pettigrew was pushed in the stairs and had a concussion, or when Black had gotten the worst in a fight with another student, or when James had taken a bludger to his head – they would stay up all night in the Hospital Wing if she would let them; she didn’t, so they resumed to being there as soon as the Hospital Wing was open to visitation.

“We don’t want him to feel alone”, James had said one day, very early in the morning, when she had found them almost sleeping in front of the door to the Hospital Wing, waiting for it to open so they could check on Remus.

She’d thought of saying that Lupin was sleeping now, too tired after his transformation and clearly not caring or knowing if he was alone or not, but she hadn’t said anything.

She couldn’t fault them for wanting to be there for their friend.

Just as she can’t fault Harry and Ron for wanting to see their petrified friend. Especially Harry. He reminds her of James in many ways, like when he is flying or disregarding rules, but mostly when he is fiercely loyal and protector of his best friends.

The only thing Minerva wishes is that Harry’s friendships end up better than that of his father (it’s been years and she still can’t understand what happened to end with rebellious Sirius – the boy who worked so hard to show he was different from his family – in Azkaban, little Peter – who was always running to be in the same league as his friends - exploding and brave reckless loyal James betrayed and dead).

“Of course”, she says, forcing back her tears. “Of course, I realize this has all been hardest on the friends of those who have been… I quite understand. Yes, Potter, of course you may visit Miss Granger. I will inform Professor Binns where you’ve gone. Tell Madam Pomfrey I have given my permission”.

[wicked-hg]

Love, The Weasleys || g.w.

Day 12 of @jamilelucato and @whack-ed Very Harry Potter Christmas.

George Weasley x muggleborn!reader

Prompt: Writing Christmas cards

Summary: George never knew about Christmas cards until you.

A/N: This ended up being more about Christmas cards in general than writing them. Hope you all enjoy! I’m thinking about maybe writing more.

WC: 2.3k

Y/H/C- your hair color ; Y/L/N- your last name ; Y/H- your house (except Gryffindor. Sorry. I didn’t realize my mistake when writing this. You’ll understand at the end. Forgive me.)

First year George wasn’t expecting anything from you during Christmas break. You were a muggle-born he had met one day running away from Filch after getting separated from Fred. You two became friends as you became a silent partner and helped with their escape plans. George didn’t realize you had an owl. 

George opened the envelope and stared at the strange letter that had a picture on the front with reindeer pulling a fat man in red robes in a red cart. The front read “May all your wishes be granted”. George curiously opened the strange letter. A still photo of your family stared up at him. He moved it to the side. Printed inside was “Happy Christmas with lots of joy!” Signed underneath was The Y/L/N Family. On the opposite side was a note from you. 

George,

I hope you have a Happy Christmas with your family! I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything in time. I promise to have something for you on the train. Miss you lots dear friend!

Sincerely,

Y/N

“Mum, Dad,” George asked. “Do you know what this strange letter is? My muggle-born friend sent it to me.”

“That’s a Christmas card,” Charlie piped up. “We learned about muggle Christmas traditions before break. Muggles send cards out to family and friends during the holidays. Sometimes they send pictures and longer notes to catch up with people. It’s just a way to celebrate the holidays. Professor Quirrell didn’t really understand them.”

George nodded and stared at the card. He looked over at the picture of your family. You were in the middle with a giant grin and a red sweater. Peeping up from the bottom of the photo, he swore it was the beginning of a gold G. “I like these strange letters. Christmas cards you say, Charlie?”

———————

George stared out of the window in hope. Fred watched his twin while he sat on his bed and worked on pranks for their shop. “She doesn’t even know we’re here, Georgie. How can you expect Y/N to send you a Christmas card when she doesn’t know where you’re staying?”

“She will!” George argued. “She always does.”

“You didn’t tell her, did you George? It doesn’t matter that she is finally your girlfriend after you both finally got it through your thick heads.”

George shook his head. “I didn’t tell her. She knows we are not at the Burrow. She thinks we’re staying with Aunt Muriel. I told her to send the letter to the Burrow. Errol is there waiting for the trade off. Told her it was too far for Sova to fly the whole way.”

Fred shook his head. “You’re letting Errol deliver your happiness? Oh Georgie. You’re doomed.”

George stuck his tongue out at his twin before turning back to the window. Soon, he thought, Errol should be here soon. As if by magic, the shadow of Errol appeared in the distance. George scrambled to grab the owl treats he had waiting on the window sill. 

“Cmon, you stupid old owl. Come get the treat and give me that letter,” George almost shouted. Fred shushed him. The last thing either of them needed was for someone to wake up and discover what they are both up to. “Incoming, Freddie! He’s coming in hot!”

Fred quickly stumbled out of bed and grabbed a pillow as George made the window wider and grabbed another pillow to go under Fred’s. Errol blasted through the window and hit the pillow at Fred’s chest before falling onto the pillow George held underneath. George laid the treats next to the owl and snatched the letter. This year glittery snowflakes adorned the front with “May your life be full of flurries of happiness”. The inside read similar like every year with something about having a happy Christmas, the family signature, and the family picture. Just like always too, there was a note from Y/N. 

Darling George,

Give my love to your family. I do hope your father is okay and recovering well. I also hope that the hag of an aunt you call Muriel is treating you all well too. It was a bummer to end term without you, but alas I know I’ll be doing it once more. One of us has to have a diploma, even if I will end up working with you. Don’t throw a fit, my darling George. I know I can do more with my life, but this is what I want. I already made that clear to my parents. They’ve accepted my choice. Back to end of term. It was okay. It would have been better if Umbitch wasn’t there. She did leave me alone though...unwillingly. Somehow she kept getting fed your nosebleed nougats and lost quite a bit of blood. Hmmmm. Who knows how that happened. I certainly don’t, and neither do Peeves or that elf Dobby your brother knows. Mum and Dad and those idiot brothers of mine say hello. They’re all glad I finally officially have you as mine. Apparently they’ve always known too. Perhaps I should tell them the truth about our Yule Ball last Christmas and we went as much much more than best friends. I’ll give you your present on the train back. Take care, darling. Do enjoy your break. Miss you tons, but I love you more. 

Love always,

Y/N

George grinned at the card. “She’s brilliant, Freddie. Absolutely brilliant.”

——————

George was nervous as he handed Fred the card. It was still early in the morning. The Hogwarts express had gotten back the day before, which meant the holiday rush will be hitting soon. Y/N was managing the store with Verity while George and Fred were going over some inventory in the back. Fred stared at the envelope before gingerly opening it. He smiled at the card with a fireplace wishing him a warm and festive holiday. “Well finally, Georgie boy,” Fred grinned. “I was wondering how long it would take for you to tell the Y/L/N to include me in their list of Christmas card receivers.”

George didn’t say a word and just motioned for his brother to open it. Fred opened the card. Staring back at him was a muggle photo of Y/N and George. Both were grinning in the midst of pine trees. George’s arms were wrapped around Y/N and she was leaning into his chest. Fred moved the picture to be greeted with the typical Y/L/N family picture, but he very quickly noticed his twin was a part of the family photo. Moving the photos he saw the card was signed by The Weasleys, but it was in Y/N’s handwriting. On the left side of the card, Fred was greeted with the familiar sight of George’s writing. 

Forge,

Y/N told me I didn’t have to write you a note updating you on my life because we live and work together and see each other every day. But where is the fun in that? I want you to have a true Christmas card experience! We’ve been through so much this year, Freddie. I’m just glad I got to experience it with you along the way. As you can see, I’m a part of the Y/L/N Christmas cards now. Y/N is my everything. I have to thank you. Thank you for giving me the pushes to make her mine. It’s no lie written in the card, Forge. She’s gonna be a Weasley. Will you be my side as I celebrate my new life? There’s no one else I’d want. Let’s celebrate Christmas with a bang. 

Gred

Fred immediately looked up. “You serious, Gred?”

“Absolutely, Forge. There’s no one else for me, and with the war and her being a muggle-born. It’s just going to be a quick muggle ceremony. Once the war is over, we’ll do the real thing.”

“Why muggle?”

“She’s read about wizard tradition. She wants to experience that and have her family see it too. Besides, if we did a quick magic ceremony, her family wouldn’t be allowed to come. With a muggle ceremony too, if anything happens she can easily blend right in and be taken care of.”

“You sure about this, George? I’m not talking you out of it. I know she’s perfect for you, but I want you to be happy.”

George smiled and hugged his brother. “I am, Fred. I have everything I want right now. Her. You. The store. I just want to make her as permanent in my life as you are.”

Fred chuckled. “Well I am amazing. It’s only a given. But George, have you told mum and dad yet?”

“They’re getting a Christmas card from Y/N and I. All the family is. They also got one specifically from her family.”

“I meant do mum and dad know you and Y/N are getting married?” George stayed quiet. “Oh Gred. What have you gotten yourself into?

————————

George found you at the kitchen table writing a list. “Making a list and checking it twice, darling?” George joked. 

You smiled and kissed him. It was good to hear those little quips from him. When the war hit hard and Fred was killed, you worried he wouldn’t laugh again or joke. You feared the store would stay closed and layers of dust would settle over the products. It took George a few months, but they got the store up and going again. You knew he wouldn’t be the same without Fred, but it was good to see him somewhat the same again. “It’s what he’d want, Y/N,” he told you when working on cleaning up the store. “He wouldn’t want me to give up everything we’d ever hope for.”

“Very funny, George darling. I’m making a list of who we need to send Christmas cards too. My mum called and said the prints were in. Which reminds me, you need to make a list of which friends and extended relatives you want cards to go to and get their addresses.”

“We’re still doing this?”

You gave him a funny look. “Of course, darling. Why else would we have taken pictures with my family and gone to Selfridges to buy cards and some decorations?”

“Well I knew your family would still send cards out and that’s why they needed us there,” he answered. “They haven’t gone through a war.”

“But isn’t that why we should do this?” You asked. “So many people have gone through pain and sorrow this year. Let’s give them something to smile about, George darling.”

George gave another weak smile. “Fred loved the cards,” he whispered. “He always got excited when I got them and started bugging me 3rd year that he wanted to be in on it. He was so excited when I gave him his first card. I don’t know what I’ll do this year.”

You brought George closer to you. “You can still write him a Christmas card, George. The box is down stairs that you guys started your business out of. You can keep all the Christmas cards you write to him in there. It might sound weird, but I think it’ll be good for you. Include the pictures too. What do you think, darling?”

George kissed your cheek. “You’re an angel. You know that? You don’t think it’s weird?”

You shook your head. “I wouldn’t have suggested it if I thought it was. I think it’ll be good for you, George. It’ll be therapeutic in a way.” You pushed a card and envelope towards George. “This can be his. Why don’t you go grab your coat. We can go pick up the photos and then grab some lunch at the fish and chip shop down the road.”

“Maybe on the way back we can stop at that bakery by Flourish and Blotts,” he suggested. “I saw you looking at those cauldron cakes and strawberry trifles the other day.”

You grinned and kissed him. “Of course, Georgie darling.”

———————

“Y/N!” George shouted. “Where is the box? I have Fred’s card done.”

“Check the office, darling!” You answered. “I put it there so we didn’t lose it. I’m off to the station now. I’ll be back in a half hour.”

George entered his office and found the orange box he stored Fred’s Christmas cards in. A mouse wearing Christmas tree sunglasses and a Santa hat. He stuck the picture inside the card before putting it in the box. No longer was the photo of Y/N’s family included when sending out cards. Instead the photo was of George and Y/N wearing their Weasley sweaters. In front of them were two smaller red heads and a light haired Y/H/C also wearing their Weasley sweaters. 

George smiled as he put the box back on the book shelf. “Until next Christmas, Forge.”

———————

Dear Forge,

It’s been a crazy year. The last of this Weasley clan has joined Hogwarts. It’ll be interesting to see if the twins follow in our footsteps. Anya is in Gryffindor and Fred is in Y/H. Part of me is glad Fred isn’t in Gryffindor. It would’ve been cool, but this way I hope he will be able to forge his own path. Forge. Hah! Get it? Clara is studying for her OWLS this year. I found some of our old charms, defense, herbology, transfiguration, and potions notes. I let her into our little secret that we are quite smart but just never turned our assignments in. She was thankful. She’s definitely my daughter. She acts like me so much, but she’s definitely loud like you with that Gryffindor bravery. I miss you, brother. Y/N was right though; this has definitely helped me. Hopefully you get these wherever you are. Happy Christmas, Freddie!

Love, Gred and his Weasleys

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Here is I, the person who is throwing classic Harry Potter Fanfic tropes at you to ruin and fix and make a whole thing if you so wish.

Seer Harry. I can't tell you how many seer Harry fics I have run across. So tell me Muffin how badly would this actually go? Everything is open to interpretation for how you think seers would work. But let's say Harry goes either blind or becomes blind over time. In true seer fashion for irony sake. Which i have seen a seer done right in My babysitter is a vampire but I rarely actually ever see them used to the full potential. And knowing the dumpster fire that is Harry and Dumbledore this won't end up well.

I mean, we're talking canon Harry here with the only difference being he's now a seer? And will someday go blind?

Alright, let's do it.

A Caveat

No one plays with canon Harry. We all make significant changes to his character, some that are more obvious to the audience than others. It's the Harry Potter fandom way.

Harry is made smarter, kinder, 'darker', more elitist, more political, you name it fandom's got it. Rarely is Harry ever pure Harry (I say raising my hand as I am shamelessly guilty of the same phenomenon).

So, if you were to see this in a story, or if I were to write this in a story myself, I wouldn't be working with canon Harry. I don't know who I'd write instead, but it'd likely be a very different character to suit my needs. I suspect every other author would be the same (even if they don't admit as much and produce something pointless and terrible.)

But since this is meta, that's not what we're doing here.

Harry Potter is a Seer

Remember that Harry is dumb. I don't mean that he's not book smart or he occasionally makes stupid choices, that kid is dumb as bricks and is dumb as bricks throughout the entire series. This isn't really the post to iterate through why he's an idiot, just take my word for it here. He is.

But more than that, I'm not sure he'd ever realize he has this gift or it's in any way extraordinary.

So, Harry has increasingly terrible vision that seems to get worse every year and occasionally hallucinates things that then later happen. Doesn't that happen to everybody? Isn't that what that phrase 'deja vu' is all about? It must just be your regular wizard thing.

Harry didn't realize talking to snakes wasn't a common talent until it was brought up by Ron in Harry's second year. Similarly, I doubt anyone would talk about this and so Harry just assumes this is a normal thing and that his eyesight is shitty (Hermione, after all, always seems to know what's on the exam too so he can't be the only one.)

But honestly...

This might as well be canon.

Harry gets ominous visions of Quirrell doing something? SNAPE MUST BE UP TO SOMETHING. Quirrell, must have been manipulated or else cursed by Snape to do the something he may or may not be up to.

Harry gets ominous visions of this hot kid in a basement somewhere? DRACO MUST BE UP TO SOMETHING. Harry's not sure who Mr. Hottie is, or where this basement is, or what's even happening but if Draco's not in on this Harry will eat his hat.

Rinse and repeat.

Harry might confess to having these visions but may very likely blame his connection with Voldemort (as most of the visions are going to be about Tom Riddle or in some way related to him.) This is something that is known about/told to him via Dumbledore and Harry wouldn't think to go "Oh wait, no, I think I'm a seer".

He eventually goes blind and likely blames his scar and the evil magic left there by Voldemort. This causes him more capslock rage than usual and he spends the rest of that year learning how to grapple with his blindness. He figures being able to 'see' where the next step is on the stairs is his magic overcompensating.