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hpanimagiweek · 2 months

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🦉 The masterlist is finally there!

This masterlist officially (and sadly) marks the end of HP Animagi Week 2024.

I'd like to give a huge thank you to everyone who took a chance in this fest. Whether you participated as a creator, a beta, a reader, or a cheerleader, this fest wouldn't have been possible without you all, so thank you! Everyone interpreted the prompts with originality and wildly different pairings, it was a delight to read all your stories!

Creating this fest and moderating it was a real joy for me, and a long-time goal I finally got to realize. Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to see it through!

I hope everyone had fun participating in this fest, and I hope to see you all next year for another edition of HPAW!

- From your mod @nihilisticnomad

And without further ado, let’s take a look at the fest’s masterlist!

📜 We had a mindblowing total of 29 fics submitted for this fest, and about 32 725 words written!

1️⃣ Day 1: Nook

Furry snuggles (Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Potter, 2.1k, G) by SiobanHazel

Scorpius is enjoying visiting his boyfriend Albus at the Potter's house, and this afternoon he's brought a little present. (Magical alternate universe)

Cats and dogs (Arabella Figg/Minerva McGongall, 359w, G) by Elvira_Kamgut

Minerva is as fond of water as any other cat could be. Which is not at all.

Enjoying the sunshine (Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, 365w, G) by ftmshepard

After a fight, Harry finds Draco sunning himself in a nook and they cuddle.

Lightning crashes (Regulus Black/Tom Riddle, 409w, M) by eggmett

Tom wants to be an animagus, but not if it means being a rabbit.

2️⃣ Day 2: Aurors at the door

What have you done (Regulus Black/Tom Riddle, 624w, M) by eggmett

Regulus knows Tom is up to no good. But he still doesn't expect what's coming.

Whines, Knocks, Shouts (Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, 3.1k, E) by SiobhanHazel

A bit of afternoon delight at Grimmauld Place for Sirius and Remus, until...

Vigilante Tabby (Arabella Figg/Minerva McGonagall, 349w, G) by Elvira_Kamgut

Minerva takes matters into her own hands which results into an impromptu meeting of the Auror Department at the door.

What being in love means (Poppy Pomfrey/Minerva McGonagall, 2k, T) by sky_watcher_rose

An unexpected visit from the Aurors leads to a confrontation between Minerva and Poppy.

Dog days of summer (Harry Potter & Severus Snape, 3k, G) by ftmshepard

Harry asks for more occlumency lessons, and that changes everything.

Or: (Harry moves in with Snape over the summer after 5th year, gets better at occlumency and also discovers his animagus form.)

The Magpie Song (Lee Jordan/Fred Weasley - Fred Weasley & George Weasley, 200w, G) by lumosdrabbles (lumosatnight)

Six years after the war, Fred is still missing.

3️⃣ Day 3: Lost

When it's lost (Regulus Black/Tom Riddle, 597w, M) by eggmett

Love had no place in his plans. But Regulus was his lifeline to any sort of humanity. Now Tom was lost.

Lost & won (Sirius Black/James Potter, 1.4k, T) by SiobhanHazel

Sometimes, James and Sirius take off into the Forbidden Forest for some fun of their own.

Kitten on the run (Sirius Black/Remus Lupin/Severus Snape - Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & Severus Snape, 632w, G) by Elvira_Kamgut

Sirius Black is the father of masterful ideas, and disastrous plans.

4️⃣ Day 4: Soothing touch

The cruelness of peace (Regulus Black/Tom Riddle, 921w, E & Dead Dove) by eggmett

"There was something in his aura of melancholy and his unwavering devotion that Tom craved. But it didn’t stop Tom from destroying him. Cracking him into pieces over and over again, just to rebuild them in a way that better suited Tom’s plans."

Or: Tom tries to find comfort in a fleeting moment of intimacy with Regulus.

Hanami (Cherry Blossoms) (Minerva McGonagall/Eileen Prince, 511w, G) by SiobhanHazel

Did you know there are cherry blossom trees on the Hogwarts grounds?

A brother's touch (Regulus Black/Sirius Black, 381w, G) by cassetteinability & GoldenBi

A hard day had Sirius shifting into Padfoot, desperate only for Regulus’ soothing touch.

Protector of the Queen (Fleur Delacour/Hermione Granger, 115w, G) by Elvira_Kamgut

Once an Animgus disappears into the wild it is almost impossible for them to return to Wizarding Society.

5️⃣ Day 5: "I'm sorry, you did what?"

Horcruxes and Heartache (Regulus Black/Tom Riddle, 1.2k, M) by eggmett

Regulus found it harder and harder to remain quiet as the days dragged on...More often than not, Tom was returning home covered in blood that wasn’t his own. It would have been so easy to magically whisk away any evidence first, but it was almost like Tom was proud of it.

Nibbles (Sirius Black/Severus Snape, 1.1k, G) by SiobhanHazel

Severus wouldn't say living at Grimmauld Place with Sirius equals domestic bliss, but they have their moments, both sweet and not-so-sweet. It's just natural that Severus gets irritated at Sirius.

Into the unknown (Helga Hufflepuff/Rowena Ravenclaw, 2.6k, T) by sky_watcher_rose

Rowena has been acting strangely all week, and Helga is determined to find out why.

Moose on the loose (Narcissa Malfoy/Mrs Zabini - Lucius Malfoy/Severus Snape, 278w, G) by Elvira_Kamgut

Some animagi are a lot more convenient for indoor activities than others.

6️⃣ Day 6: Injuries

The price of devotion (Regulus Black/Tom Riddle, 860w, M & Major Character Death) by eggmett

Tom returns to the sea cave, but doesn't leave the same person. Time doesn't heal all wounds.

Hidden whiskers (Narcissa Malfoy/Mrs Zabini - Lucius Malfoy/Severus Snape, 271w, G) by Elvira_Kamgut

Lucius is very hurt by the fact that no one cares that he got hurt. Really does no one care about him anymore in this house.

7️⃣ Day 7: Free prompt

The truth hurts (Regulus Black/Voldemort - Voldemort & Nagini, 439w, M) by eggmett

Voldemort stared into the fire, watching embers crackle and fly around the hearth. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been staring into its depths when Nagini slithered into the room to curl at his feet.

Lightning Strike, Loving Squeeze (Harry Potter/Ron Weasley, 3.4k, G) by SiobhanHazel

Harry and Ron have been Auror partners for over a year, and the Auror animagus programme leads to developments in more than just their careers.

Lectio Draconis (Fleur Delacour/Hermione Granger, 371w, G) by Elvira_Kamgut

Hermione has a wonderful surprise for Fleur, it is a bit more surprising than Fleur was expecting.

#️⃣ Joker 1: In the library

A long time coming (Sirius Black/James Potter, 2.1k, E & Dead Dove) by cassetteinability

“You don’t wanna tell Remus that you put your cock in my mouth… so I won’t make you,” Sirius assured him with a questionable wink. “Keep quiet, Jamie,” he added, just seconds before he slid down his seat and underneath the table.

Or: Sirius is sexually deprived, and James can’t say no to Padfoot. Not even in the library.

Laughter in the library (Regulus Black/Voldemort, 464w, M) by eggmett

Tom finally asks Regulus to join him on one of his forbidden trips to the Restricted Section.

#️⃣ Joker 2: Firewhiskey

Fiery Sniffles (Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter, 2.1k, T) by SiobhanHazel

Scorpius is back at the Potter's for the Christmas season, and he and Albus get up to some mischief. (Magical alternate universe)

And that's it for the HPAW 2024 masterlist!

#announcement #mod post #masterlist #animagi #animagus #hpanimagiweek #hpanimagiweek2024 #hp #hp fandom #harry potter #hp fanfic #hp fests #harry potter fest #harry potter fandom

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adamwatchesmovies · 8 months

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Tom and Jerry: The Movie (1992)

If you know your internet memes, you’re probably aware of the best scene in Tom and Jerry: The Movie. It’s got you wondering if there are other hidden gems within its running time. Could this movie be so bad it’s good? I'm sorry to say it isn’t. This animated musical comedy is an ordeal. The plot is worthless, the animation ok at best, the songs horrid, characters bland, and as a big-screen adaptation of the classic cartoon characters, it’s a knife in the back. The movie is fun to talk about, however. If you and your friends are bad movie sadomasochists, it may be worth checking out.

After her father disappears during a Tibetan expedition, 8-year-old Robyn Starling (voiced by Anndi McAfee) - and her family’s fortune - are given to her abusive guardian “Aunt” Pristine Figg (voiced by Charlotte Rae). She conspires with her lawyer, Lickboot (voiced by Tony Jay), to keep all of that beautiful money for themselves. When Robyn runs away and bumps into Tom (voiced by Richard King) and Jerry (voiced by Dana Hill), she brings them back home and learns her father may still be alive somewhere.

Let’s begin with that title. This is hardly a “Tom and Jerry movie". For one, the cat and mouse are not the main characters. I wouldn't even call them important to this plot. Robyn is the protagonist. Without her, there is no story, no conflict, no villains. This means films like Tom and Jerry and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory or Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz - in which the titular duo are dumped in a plot they have little impact upon - are proudly upholding a tradition that began in 1992. It’s a shocker - almost as much as the scene in which the characters begin talking. They rarely - if ever - spoke in the cartoons. That was part of their appeal. It was all about these opponents trying to violently kill each other. Here, they sing a song about how good a pair of friends they are.

This movie wants to be ‘90s Disney so, so bad. To stretch its paper-thin plot (which is essentially ripped off from The Rescuers) we have one bad song after another. Each of these tunes is destined to be forgotten the second they end. That’s a relief. The rhymes and lyrics are so awful you’d curse yourself for remembering them if you did. However, this does bring us to the one - intentionally - good moment in the entire film: the villain’s song. (Money is Such) a Beautiful Word is exactly what you think it is. Minutes upon minutes of bad rhymes detailing how greedy Aunt Figg and Lickboot are. It’s pretty funny to see, but only if preceded by Tony Jay saying “We’ve got to have… money!”. The irony is that this blatant acknowledgment of greed is exactly what the executives must’ve told their lackeys when the film was green-lit.

There are obvious flaws in every scene. At one point, Robyn nearly drowns and is rescued by Captain Kiddie (voiced by Rip Taylor), the owner of a deserted amusement park whose right hand is always busy manipulating a puppet - an avatar for his split personality. Every sign points towards “child molester” but that wasn’t the intention, which is also pretty funny. When he's introduced, Aunt Figg and Lickboot desperately want Robyn back, so they're offering a $1 million reward to anyone who can find her and plaster her photo onto milk cartoons to spread the word. They do this on the same day she goes missing, which is impossible, but even the “we don’t care” team of director Phil Roman and writer Dennis Marks had to realize distributing these cartons would take a while, which is why Captain Kiddie explains to Robyn that she’s been out cold for 6 days. Anyone else would’ve called the police but evidently, he’s planning on chaining her up in his dungeon. Cut to a scene where he offers to pour Robyn a glass of milk. You can see where this is going. The carton has her picture on it, prompting his stupid bird to go ballistic and dollar signs to flash before his eyes. Here’s what I’m wondering. When did he buy that milk carton? Did he not recognize her before this very moment?

Another mistake in this train wreck is the character designs. They’re all over the place. When Tom and Jerry find themselves homeless (don’t ask), they meet a dog and his best friend, a flea. Both are dressed in real clothes and look like they come from a completely different movie. The next animals we meet are a gang of tough cats, who are also clothed and look as different from Puggsy and Frankie da Flea as. they do from Tom & Jerry. They also look nothing like Mrs. Figg’s dog, an ugly creature so fat it can’t even walk. It’s like a bunch of rejects from other animation studios were brought together to help fill space.

There’s a lot to complain about if you've seen Tom and Jerry: The Movie. This does make it sort of fun to tear apart, though to do so you’ll have to waste your time by watching the movie. I can’t say I’m sorry I sat through this mess - the “We’ve got to have… money” scene is funny enough that I will treasure it - but I doubt you would feel the same. (April 23, 2021)

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clare-with-no-i · 3 years

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fic writer interview

thank you so much to my loves @maraudersftw and @thequibblah for tagging me! woohoo, let’s get into it!

Name: clare...with no i

Fandoms I write for: Jily, primarily, with a dash of the entire Marauders Era

Two-shot: on heroism lol.....lol.

Most popular multichapter: New Age Romancing, my ridiculous nonsensical texting fic that flies in the face of prose writing

Actual Worst part of writing: the part where the things are in my head but for some reason they’re not appearing on the page like I’m willing them to

How you choose your titles: songs. so many songs. but for things like ‘icarus falling’ and ‘color theory’ it’s all about those pithy phrases babyyyyy

Do you outline: not nearly enough. but then when I do I always deviate from it and it’s a whole debacle jdsgkfhjgk

Ideas I probably won’t get to but it would be nice: this fucking ridiculous time travel AU that’s stuck in my brain even though I don’t even read time travel AUs because I find them hard to buy into for some reason. but yeah an Outlander AU (shoutout Sophie Skelton my beloved) but instead of Scotland it’s Ancient Greece because Lily is in a Classics PhD program and James is an Athenian warrior or something and the whole thing is ludicrous and stupid and should definitely stay in my head. no like I hate it but I can’t stop thinking about it. I know that’s not what the question asked but I needed an outlet for my self-imposed rage

Callouts @me: can you try and write one simple sentence maybe? just one clause. subject verb object. that’s it that’s all.

Best writing habits: pretty words

Spicy tangential opinion: I think sometimes the way that Marauders fandom projects onto Lily - and therefore reacts to other women in Marauders Era stories - can make way for regressive discourse that draws from some level of internalized misogyny. I do understand, though, that this is easy to fall into because JKR’s canon really falls flat with the way it portrays women. I’m not completely innocent of this, and it’s something I’m trying harder and harder to watch out for, especially when writing other characters’ perceptions of her.

TAGGING: @keepingupwithpotters @figg-anon @sunshine-marauders @babybirdling

#clare is tagged #tag

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ao3feed-snape · 4 years

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Then Look at the Stars

read it on AO3 at https://ift.tt/39XNNHS

by KJoyC06

Remus Lupin had long since accepted that he'd be alone. Romance had hardly even crossed his mind recently, and when Lord Voldemort returned to power and the Order of the Phoenix reformed, he hardly expected it to lead to him falling in love.

Nymphadora Tonks was a force of nature, she liked to be independent, she hardly ever stayed in a relationship longer than a couple months, and she wasn't very interested in a committed relationship. That was before she joined the Order and was introduced to Remus, of course.

This fic is a canon compliant story, following Remus and Tonks's relationship all the way from the reformation of the Order to their tragic demise, with lots of highs and lows in between. Each chapter is named after a song, which I believe compliments that chapter well, and I would suggest listening to while you read.

Words: 3297, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/M

Characters: Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Arthur Weasley, Molly Weasley, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Percy Weasley, Fred Weasley, George Weasley, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Fleur Delacour, Emmeline Vance, Hestia Jones, Dedalus Diggle, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Andromeda Black Tonks, Ted Tonks, Teddy Lupin, Ted Tonks' Mother, Bellatrix Black Lestrange, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Rodolphus Lestrange, Lucius Malfoy, Fenrir Greyback, Kreacher (Harry Potter), Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Cornelius Fudge, Dolores Umbridge, Aberforth Dumbledore, Rufus Scrimgeour, John Dawlish, Proudfoot (Harry Potter), Savage (Harry Potter), Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, Avery Sr. (Harry Potter), Antonin Dolohov, Alecto Carrow, Amycus Carrow, Corban Yaxley, Voldemort (Harry Potter), Draco Malfoy, Lyall Lupin, Hope Lupin, James Potter, Lily Evans Potter

Relationships: Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks

Additional Tags: Original Character(s), Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Ministry of Magic (Harry Potter), Auror Harry Potter, Aurors, Auror Missions, Order of the Phoenix Missions (Harry Potter), Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, Marauders, Metamorphmagus, Angst, Fluff, Hogwarts, Major Character Injury, Department of Mysteries, Canon Compliant, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Self-Hatred, Smut, Diagon Alley, Pregnancy, Eloping, Forbidden Love, Hufflepuff, Animagus, Gryffindor, Music, Song Lyrics, Past Relationship(s), Relationship(s), Veil of Death (Harry Potter), Orphans, Battle of Hogwarts, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Commitment

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/39XNNHS

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #Severus Snape #Snape #Professor Snape #SS

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inwincible-mutton-chops · 7 years

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Why Amelie is a Great Musical

It has beautiful songs

it's fun and quirky

maintains a childlike overall tone while also still having a bit of adult humour

there's a fish named Fluffy

Said fish is a tall bearded man who dances around with a fish puppet on his head

it's colourful

PHILLIPA SOO

Sets are gorgeous

there's a lovestory between a Gnome and an airline stewardess

ADAM CHANLER-BERAT

There's a whole Elton John number

FIGGS

It’s a perfect love story that makes you feel good inside

Every character is lovable

Savvy Crawford is absolutely adorable

The choreography and staging is lovely

You never want it to end

#I seriously love this musical #Amelie #amelie musical #broadway #amelie broadway #broadway musicals #musical #musicals #phillipa soo #savvy crawford #adam chanler berat #nyc #new york city

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fiifiadinkra · 5 years

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Jhaga – Sokoo (Prod. by Yo Figg)

Ghanaian rising singer Jhaga has release his first single for 2019 titled ’Sokoo’ in Twi language which translates comfort or easy life in this context. This is mostly what most women desire and when not available most men get dumped. This song highlights a true story love you need to hear, it might be your story too. Enjoy!

Jhaga is a Ghanaian Afrobeats and Highlife singer who carefully blends…

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#Jhaga #Sokoo

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djskewbeezy · 5 years

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Figg Newton - "Figg Raised"

Figg Newton – “Figg Raised”

Today West Coast mainstay Figg Newton drops the visual to his new song,”Figg Raised” from his project U Figg Me 2.

In the colorful visual, Figg Newton tells a story of his life while growing up in the notorious South Central area of Los Angeles along Figueroa Street. Throughout the video’s clips you can see Figg Newton walking down the street amidst LA traffic and rapping his verses about his…

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#Figg Newton - "Figg Raised"

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little-paper-ghost-child · 2 months

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GODS I SPENT TOO MUCH TIME ON THIS

Here’s the first song story I did

It’s shit because I like barely edited it but whatever it’s done and going out into the world

Tw for: murder, child abuse, strangulation, police (idk if I should add more but Weh)

This is the song

Please remember!!! This is not based off of the song specifically and is just what my brain came up with!!

Anyways here you go

Alex combed his fingers through his hair as he stared down at the photo album. He didn't know how George had gotten a hold of it and he figured it was something violent, but it was still a monster load of unwanted evidence and a hurt in his stomach that worsened as he flipped through the pages. He and Ivan never looked happy per say but everything had seemed so much brighter back then, back before he was alex at all. While he scratched out any mentions of demetri, ivan, or emily, Noticeably, Though he cautiously checked every page and pocket, there was no mention of his father.

He had separate reasons for all of them to be defaced, three separate reasons for three separate things.

Demitri was crossed out because he was dead, he was an idea of what could have been and he was lost. His mother had named him that, and he would not let her have that pride, so he had erased demitri as his quietest form of retaliation.

Emily was crossed out because the bitch didn't deserve to be remembered. She didn't deserve anything she had. And still somehow, she got everything she wanted from the children she hurt and there was never a consequence in the world for her. She was a violent disgusting person unfit to be a mother or a person at all and he hoped nobody had to know her ever again.

He crossed out Ivan for much less angry reasons than the other two, he wanted Ivan to be safe. his little brother. He loved Ivan more than the world itself and hated himself for leaving him.

“Coward” is what the voice in his head called him.

“ monster. Coward. You left him to die in her care.” it gnawed at him every second of everyday and he knew he couldn't go back now. Not while there was evidence still.

“Soon”, he thought.

“Soon is good.”

So Alex continued his work of scratching and defacing all three of the people for all three of his reasons..

It was difficult to do what he needed all the time and never what he wanted, he still felt trapped even out of that hellhole,it really felt like the only difference was that the blood being shed was supposed to mean something.

—

George caught him off guard with the blow to the side of the head and Alex went skittering across the concrete floor.

He felt like everything was underwater and everything was all wrong.

“The fuck?” was all he could manage to string together as he tried to push himself up.

“I've had a change in interest,” George said as he lumbered over.

“Somebody knows how to pay better”

It took longer than Alex liked to form a coherent enough thought to make sense of that.

“To kill me?” choked its way out of Alex's throat while he frantically searched his pockets for any sense of self defense. George twitched a little as he wound up for another hit but didn't answer the question. Alex got to his feet and just barely dodged the second punch, He was racking his brain for something he could use- there was no way he could stand a chance in a fistfight. Alex made it to the drawer in his desk and pulled it open scanning for something, anything that could be used and came back with a letter opener. He thought for a second on how he could use something so small, which hurt considering the previous hit to the side of his head that was definitely less than soft, but he figured something out in the end.

As the larger man approached Alex pretended he could hear his little brother cheering him on, telling him that he could do it, but it was a cruel thing to do because a child let alone a child like Ivan would cheer for something like this.

When George trew his third punch Alex used his smaller frame to an advantage and ducked behind him as quickly as possible.he only had a second to do this correctly and so much of him didn't want this.

“Murderer” said the voice in his head.

“You leave your little brother all alone and you murder the man who has been helping you.”

Alex took a breath for nearly a second, jumped, and planted the letter opener in George's neck.

He made a squeak, and promptly fell over onto the cold concrete.

He was frozen, then. he was locked in place staring down at the presumably dead man

That he had thought was his friend.

“It's not your friend if you have to pay it to care” he reminded himself and closed his eyes tight.

Why did it have to be so hard?

Why did stuff like this come up?

Why couldn't everything just be okay?

Alex wanted so badly for everything to be okay, but there was no way to obtain something like that. He wanted it more than anything in the world and he would never get it, and even when things finally seemed to work out, it always went to shit.

Why did it have to do that?

Why did it have to be so hard?

Why did stuff like this come up?

Why couldn't everything just be okay?

It hit him in a second that all the evidence was gone. All the evidence he could possibly get rid of was gone with George, if everything was gone, there was only one place he was supposed to go.

—

Alex got in his car after he had finished defacing anything that he had left remotely close to a normal keepsake. He left the body, he didn't care. He knew where he was going, he remembered being dragged back by walk or car every time he tried to run away. He could practically hear Emily screaming at him that she swore he was trying to get them in trouble.That he was a disgusting excuse for a child. That his father was waiting for him at home.he could never remember anything but angry flashes after that.

Even though he knew the way perfectly, it still took something out of him to get to the right streets. He figured he had a concussion but now was not the time to worry about that. There was that, and there was the voice in his head as well.

“Why would you go back when you are just going to hurt? Murderer murderer murderer.you left little brother all alone to kill your own father, and you couldn't even find him. Why would Ivan want to see you ever again? Not to mention Emily will be there too. Can you really face her? Maybe you want to see her, because for all of the shit maybe you are a mama's boy. You probably failed to protect your brother. You are failing to stay away. Maybe Emily will hurt you again, maybe you deserve it. You probably even liked it when-”

“Shut up”, Alex said aloud. “I hate her and I hate you.”

he looked in the rearview mirror for the last comment, glaring at himself like it would leak through into his thoughts and make them go away. He hated remembering, hated thinking about it at all, hated her voice echoing around his head, but things would never change so he did his best to push her out of his mind for now.

As he turned the corner, one side of the road opened down a lake miles below. Alex weighed the possibilities of anyone finding him if he drove off and into the water, but he had heard that drowning wasn't exactly as quick and easy enough to make it all that tempting.

—

Alex got out of the car before he turned the street corner. He had grabbed his gun from the car, and the voice inside his head bubbled up to hiss at him.

“A gun?” it said. “Murderers use guns. Monsters use guns. What do you think that makes you? What are you going to do with it anyway? You could end up hurting ivan.”

Alex shook his head as if to shake the voice right out of his head and shoved the gun into his belt.

“It was just in case,” he told himself.

“Just in case anything went badly like it always seemed to.”

Seeing down the street he grew up on hurt Alex more than he wanted to think about.

“No” he thought

“Dimitri grew up here.” was easier to think about but only by a little.

Nothing was easy here, it never had been and it never would be but he would take what comfort he could get, and if that was by remembering a dead dream then he would remember but not connect.

As Alex walked towards his inevitable destination he scanned the roads and felt like a little kid again, recounting things that had happened in certain places. There was a tree that dimitri was once sitting under when a branch fell off, there were the bushes where dimitri had been bitten by a stray dog who roamed around, from which alex still had a small scar. There was the spot on the road where the police had been called the first time- and the spot where they had been called the second. And finally, there was the house.

Walking down the driveway he could see the trash bags all up one side of the fence. Piles of empty bottles and cans were shoved under the rotting porch and as he walked down the driveway Alex could smell the house reeked of beer and mold and filth.

“This was a bad idea” said the thoughts in his head.

“Your brother doesn't want to see you anyway. And you know what emily will do when she finds you-”

Alex forcefully shoved that voice out of the way and stared at the door. From inside there was something that might have been a yell, and something glass breaking.

He couldn't stall any longer.

After a minute all too short to prepare himself, Alex opened the door and went in.

—

The smell was worse on the inside.

The carpet was dirty and the ground was littered with all sorts of things that couldn't be safe for walking on, which made him more so glad he had kept his shoes on. Now that he was inside he could see that the disarray of the place had only gotten worse after he left, which made sense considering most of the cleaning was done by Alex himself, but was still upsetting to see. As he moved through the house, he remembered a thousand awful little things. Pins under fingernails, the feel of uncooked, moldy fruits or vegetables in his mouth, little cockroaches and worms that made homes in the mess. He didn't like thinking about it, remembering it made him want to scratch at his skin, made him feel dirty.

Nothing in this house was nice, but nothing had gotten under his skin until he saw the whiskey on the counter.

It was half empty and there was a dirty glass set beside it. Alex gaged like he was trying to throw it up, but there was nothing to throw up. He hated the sight of it, hated the burn of it, he remembered crying, crying made it worse.

For every cry he let out she would always pour a little more into the cup, a little more, a little more, until he stopped crying, sometimes he threw up, sometimes he fell asleep, sometimes he couldn't remember.

Alex’s hand raised instinctively to his mouth.

“you are going to throw up oh no, oh god no you feel sick you are sick and everything is wrong, stop crying you're only going to make it worse it burns you are suffocating it burns it hurts you are going to be sick you are going to throw up-”

The crash of something glass and a strangled yell upstairs broke Alex out of his headspace, and his focus snapped to the staircase. Alex ran up the stairs and turned the corner so fast he almost fell over. He barely even thought as he ran to the one open door, and he barely even thought as he reached for his gun.

—

Emily Volkova had never been a good person. She only hurt and ruined and broke people and things and really anything she could get her hands on. And her own two children were things remarkably easy to get her hands on.

Ivan was on the ground, just barely struggling against Emily, who had her hands around his neck so tight it looked like she herself was straining. She was never particularly strong but she had the advantage of being a grown woman fighting against a nine year old boy, and the advantage that the nine year old boy she was fighting wanted nothing more than for her to love him.

Alex could see ivans mouth moving, trying to choke out words that were lost to his excuse of a mothers screaming. Alex could barely understand what he was saying, but he didn't need to. What he did know was that Emily volkova had never been a good person, and that he was going to make her stop.

The sound of the gun cocking might have been what had gotten her attention, or she had just happened to notice at the moment he was leveling it to her head.

“Demitri, why the fuck are you here?” she said, barely loosening her grip on ivan. Her shock turned to anger turned to vicious manipulation faster than Alex could keep up with.

“Did your little trip go well? you leave right after your father so i have to take care of this stupid fucking kid by myself, why would you leave your own mother?”

“Shut up” was all that Alex said. He had built up all this hatred for this woman in his head but being with her now, seeing her, he hated himself for being scared.

She put on a face like she was hurt before shoving Ivan to the ground and getting up.

“dont tell me to fucking shut up you little shit. You would really shoot your own mother too? In Front of your little brother, the world out there has ruined you demitri.”

She took a step towards Alex and he had to fight himself not to step back, shaking as he tried to hold the gun in place.

“Ivan, close your eyes and cover your ears” he said, trying to see around Emily to his brother, who moved slowly and shakily.

“That's it.” Emily said with a little more fear in her voice.

“Put the gun down, Demitri, you can't do this to your mother.”

“You were never my mother, I was never your son.” was all Alex said before he pulled the trigger.

—

Alex didn't like guns all that much because they were very loud and sometimes made big messes. He didn't like this situation much at all but he had to make sure that Ivan was okay, Alex could wait for later. As he moved his way into the room, he locked eyes with Ivan and felt a gut wrenching tear in his stomach. He could feel how hurt this little boy was. Then, he could see it. The bruises around his neck were to be expected, he had a black eye too. Ivan was covered in bruises, over his arms and legs that Alex could see. He seemed to have little cuts too, burns or razor slashes, cuts from kitchen knives or cut up soda cans might have been in the mix too. Some looked new, some looked old, more than a few looked infected.

“Oh god ivan.” Alex said involuntarily.

Ivan just stared, shaking, scared.

“I'm so sorry.” didn't get a response either.

So Alex sat with Ivan for a moment, a few more, what felt like an eternity, until Ivan reached and grabbed a hold of Alex's coat sleeve, then buried his face in Alex's shoulder. Alex held on like he was going to lose him again.

He never wanted to let go.

Ivan was cold and he was shaking, Alex could feel it radiating off of his body. He felt a pull of guilt, but he buried it, that's not what either of them needed right now.

“I'm going to take you away from here okay?” Alex told him.

“I'm going to make sure that nobody hurts you ever again.”

He scooped Ivan up and carried him slowly down the stairs, whispering gentle reassurances that he knew meant next to nothing.

He just wanted it to be okay,

He just wanted Ivan to be okay.

Alex hated that this gentleness felt like a lie after all that he’d done, but as long as Ivan could be alright again he would fake a whole world.

Quietly reaching the bottom of the stairs, Alex shifted his hold on Ivan to open the door. The doorknob was sticky under his fingers as he turned the knob, opening the door to the porch. From the porch you could see the whole yard, and you could see Domonik Volkov standing in the grass.

—

Ivan could feel his older brother tense, but the way he was positioned, he couldn't quite see.

“What is it?” he wanted to say, but words couldn't find their way to his mouth. A man's voice said something in a language he heard grown ups speak sometimes and Ivan tried to squirm to look, but Demitri held him too close. His older brother slowly, very slowly, walked off the porch to a bush and very carefully sat Ivan down on the dead grass.

“Stay here,” he said to ivan.

“Stay here, and don't look over there, and cover your ears, okay?”

Ivan nodded, and turned in the opposite direction of where he wasn't supposed to look.

Alex gave his hand a tight squeeze and got up.

Ivan tried his best to cover his ears but his wrists were weak and his hands shook so he opted for cradling his face between his bruised knees.

It wasn't good sound protection, he could still hear the two talking, arguing in the language that he didn't know.

There was a word he did know though,

“Monster.” Demitri kept saying.

“Something-something-monster.”

.It sounded so cold off of his brother's tongue that the sharpness felt like a whole different person entirely, sounded more like mother if Ivan had to place it, but he didn't like to place the two in the same category.

There were sirens too now, they started far away but they kept getting louder and louder, and so was the arguing. The sirens eventually stopped and flashy red and blue lights painted the grass around Ivan with a fractured looking glow, but the arguing still went on. Ivan tried to pretend that everything was okay, that somebody was just having a dance party with some nice, police coloured lights.

The argument sounded more frantic now, like they were running out of time to be mad at eachother.

Everything sounded scary, the flashing lights felt dizzying and the yelling was too loud even when ivan tried to cover his ears and then-

The gunshot made everything go dead silent. Ivan squeezed his eyes shut so tight that he saw little spots in his eyelids. Somebody started walking over to the bush and Ivan looked up in hope but it wasn't Demitri, it was somebody that Ivan presumed to be a police officer. The officer scooped Ivan up in his arms and carried him to the back of his car where he gave him a blanket and stale cookie.

Ivan looked out at what he could of the scene, dead grass,lots of blood, the man that must have been the angry voice that weirdly looked alot like his father with a big towel over his face, and then dmitri, being arrested.

The eye contact was short, the brief message that his older brother sent was a fierce look and a nod.a nod as they shoved him into the back of the police car, as Ivan got driven away too.

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