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the-al-chemist · 1 year

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Artemis Hexley and the Return to the Riddles

Chapter 24: Set Free

A/N: the chapter featuring the first of Artemis and Dumbledore’s annual chats was called “More Questions Than Answers”, and I feel like the last chapter left us with exactly that. So, let’s answer the rest, shall we? Warnings: mentions of death, violence, murder, intrigue, betrayal, and war. Spoilers for the Harry Potter series. One NSFW but hilarious joke I plagiarised from the BBC series “Ghosts”.

Her mind reeling, Artemis felt her whole self spin, before her feet touched back on solid ground. She was out of the Pensieve, and back in Dumbledore's office once more. Still dizzy, she looked from the Pensieve to the headmaster and back again.

"I..." She took a deep breath and rubbed her damp cheeks with the heel of her hand. "The doors. I used to dream about the doors. And the rest... That's what I saw in the final Vault. Some of it, anyway. It didn't make sense, because the rest was all memories, but that... I didn't remember it. But they were memories too, weren't they?" Professor Dumbledore nodded his head, and Artemis took another shaky breath. "So all of it really happened? My dad... My father, he... He wanted Jacob to open the Vaults, so he..."

"He found the kindest way to fulfill the prophecy he could think of," Dumbledore said gently. "But, yes. He attempted to take your life."

"And my mother..."

"The following morning, Leander Hexley was found lying beneath the same archway he tried to convince you to run through. He knew the significance of the archway, and so his death was suspected to be self-inflicted. No one ever suspected Sally Hexley. But then, people always do underestimate the ferocity of a mother."

"But why don't I remember it properly?"

"You know why. You saw why."

"No," Artemis shook her head. "Jacob wouldn't do that."

"You have just seen that he did."

"Well, you must have it all wrong. There must be another reason why I don't remember."

"I do not have it wrong,” Dumbledore sighed. “You don't remember because the two people who loved you most wanted to protect you. Jacob removed your memories, and your mother did her best to hide the truth from you, however she could. In doing so, they relieved you of the burden of knowing about everything you just saw."

Artemis' hands shook with anger. "But that's not fair. Those memories were mine, and I didn't even get asked if-"

"I am not condoning either of their actions, Artemis. I am merely stating facts," said Dumbledore, his blue eyes filled with sympathy. "Your own father attempted to kill you in order to fulfil an ancient prophecy that would enable him to gain access to great power. Is that something that any child should have to live with? Of course, the answer to that question is no. Now, was it fair that your brother tampered with something that should have been yours and yours alone, and in the process denied you your right to the truth? Also no. Was it right that your mother pushed you away to stop you from reading the truth in her eyes, and in doing so, made you doubt her love for you? Yet again, no. But, they did these things thinking that they would protect you from harm. Sometimes, even when - especially when - try to keep the ones we love safe, we hurt them in other ways."

Artemis was used to Dumbledore's eyes sparkling as her spoke, though not with tears, as they were now. She sighed deeply, her anger draining from her, just a little.

"How do you know all this, Professor?" she asked.

"Your brother told me himself, shortly after your father's death," replied Dumbledore. "He told me everything. He told me how, in his search for the Vaults, he had discovered that his father was the leader of the group that had derived itself from the Ronde of Fortinbras. He told me that his father believed him the one to open the Vaults, and yours the life required for the sacrifice. He begged me to help him, appealed to my better nature, and together, we came up with a plan that would keep you safe from the Ronde.

"As I said before, the prophecy that you and young Mr Weasley procured from the Department of Mysteries could have pertained to either you or to your brother. If Jacob were to open the Vaults, you would not survive the process. However, if you did it..."

"Then it wouldn't be me who would be used as a sacrifice."

"Precisely. It would be your brother. Jacob knew that you adored him more than anyone, and he was prepared to switch places with you, to lay down his own life for yours," Dumbledore inclined his head. "This is what I mean when I say that it was not your action of picking up the prophecy record that made you the one to fulfil it. Your brother had already taken measures to ensure that you would be the one, and not him.

“That is why he continued his search for the Vaults after his expulsion. He was attempting to open each one in turn, ready to take you to the final Vault and sacrifice himself to allow you to open it. It is why he left home all those years ago, why he disappeared without a trace. He was making himself unavailable to the Cabal so that they would have no choice but to use you until he was found. He even went as far as to leave a trail behind him for you to follow, should he fail in his endeavour. Just as well he did, because he later became trapped inside the Buried Vault, but then, your brother was very good at planning ahead. There was, however, one thing that he did not plan for."

"What was that?"

"Your heart," said Dumbledore simply. "The curses were dormant, the Vault was sealed, and Jacob trapped inside. But, in the time it took for him to be freed, you had begun to grow into the young woman you are now. You changed, you learned about the yourself and the world around you, and you forged deep connections with others. As you should have, I might add." Dumbledore's lips twitched, but his eyes still looked sad. "In absenting himself, Jacob had distanced himself from you emotionally, allowing your heart to make room for another to take his place. He was no longer the person you held most dear, and his was not the life required as a sacrifice."

"Rowan..." Artemis swallowed. Her throat was bone dry. "So it really was my fault that she died."

Dumbledore shook his head and placed his hand on hers.

"No. No, my dear girl," he sighed. "Artemis, I owe you an apology. The same apology I owe to Rowan herself and to all the other people who loved her. When Jacob Hexley came to me and begged me to help save his younger sister's life at the expense of his own, I agreed. I even went so far as to put him in contact with someone who I knew would stop at nothing to help him in his endeavour. I am talking, of course, about Patricia Rakepick.

"Patricia had been a student several years earlier, and after leaving Hogwarts, had gone on - to absolutely no one's surprise - to achieve great renown in the field of curse-breaking. Her views about certain events affecting the wizarding world at large during that time closely aligned with my own, and she herself had been fascinated by the idea of the Cursed Vaults as a girl. I knew that her intellect, bravery, and ruthlessness was precisely what your brother - and you - needed to reach the final Vault. She would have both the ability to make difficult decisions and the understanding of why they needed to be made. She would do what was necessary, I was certain of it. Sadly, I was correct about this.

"This is why I must apologise," said Dumbledore. "I knew the lengths to which Patricia Rakepick would go, but I failed - either wilfully or not - to see how her doing so might result in the death of someone not already directly embroiled in the mystery of Hogwarts’ Cursed Vaults. If you must blame anyone other than Rakepick herself for Rowan's death, it should be me."

Artemis blinked back tears, and the headmaster squeezed her hand.

"You acted in innocence, I in ignorance," he told her. "It is a small difference, but one that renders me culpable, and you not." He let go of her hand, his own eyes dewy. "The Cursed Vaults were always going to have their life eventually, Artemis. There is nothing that you could have done that would have stopped that, and your opening the final Vault tonight will have saved countless others great losses such as the one you experienced last year."

Slowly, Artemis nodded her head, her eyebrows knitting together. Dumbledore's words were reminiscent of someone else's. Rakepick's.

"In her trial, Rakepick said that Rowan's life had spared those of many others," she said, and Dumbledore inclined his head. "Is that why this is so important, all of this? Why so many people wanted what was inside that Vault, and behind that door?"

"All that most people know is that the Vaults were created to hold a great power. The terrible thing about power is that there are many who will stop at nothing to gain it. Power corrupts, which is why Morgan Le Fay thought it necessary to protect this specific power with such a complex system of secrets and riddles as the Cursed Vaults. As for why that power is so significant..." Dumbledore straightened up in his seat, his face growing stern. "Miss Hexley, I once taught a student who was completely and utterly corrupted by the mere promise of power."

"Rakepick, yeah, I know."

"No. Not Rakepick. This student's name was Tom Riddle." Dumbledore spoke the name as if it ought to have meant something to Artemis. Clearly her face gave away the fact that it did not mean anything at all, for he continued, "You, of course, will know him by another name. Lord Voldemort."

Artemis' mind boggled. "But what has You-Know-Who -"

"Voldemort."

"Yeah. Voldemort, sorry," she corrected herself quickly. "What's he got to do with the Cursed Vaults?"

"Four years ago, you asked me if I believed that Voldemort had ever truly died. I told you that I did not," said Dumbledore. "Miss Hexley, you have seen how many prophecies are held in the Department of Mysteries. One of those prophecies hints at a way by which Voldemort may be defeated, once and for all. However, in order for it to be done, we will be in need of a great power, one of which Voldemort knows not."

"The power inside the Cursed Vaults?"

"That has indeed been my theory for many years."

"And your theories are usually correct," Artemis said. Dumbledore chuckled softly, and she bit on her lip. "What is it, then? This great power? The thing that all these people have been searching and hurting and dying and fighting for?"

"The same thing for which people have searched, hurt, died, and fought since the beginning of time, and will continue to do so for as long as there are people still living to do so. It is a power that can cause great harm, but can also bring great strength, courage, and happiness. It is the greatest power any of us can ever hope to know."

She wasn't sure if Dumbledore was being especially cryptic, or if she was being especially stupid, but Artemis had no idea what her headmaster might mean. He smiled at her gently.

"The answer is love, Artemis."

"Love?" Artemis' nose wrinkled. "That's it? Just love?"

"Just love? My dear girl, have you not been listening to a word I said?"

"I dunno, sir. I don't really see how love can be this great power that can save us all," said Artemis. "I mean, how can anyone defeat a wizard like You-Know... like Voldemort using love?"

"The same way that you have used love to solve the riddle of the Cursed Vaults," Dumbledore replied. "Consider this, Artemis. Your brother's love for you was the thing that made him so desperate to keep you safe. Your love for him drove you to search for him against all odds. Your love for your friends kept you going through the darkest times in your life, and their love for you kept them by your side every step of the way. Your love for Rowan-"

"Got her killed."

"I never said that love wasn't dangerous. On the contrary, it can be exceptionally dangerous. Nothing so powerful could not be. Love can cause people to do terrible things, just as it can cause them to do the most wonderful things. In your case, love inspired you to honour Rowan's memory, to protect others, and to fight back against the Vaults until you had opened them all, a feat that no other witch or wizard has achieved since they were created in the time of Merlin and Morgana. It made you braver and better, it kept you going like a fire burning deep inside your heart. It has been - and continues to be - your greatest strength. It is all of our greatest strengths."

Finally, Artemis thought that something in all of this made sense. She nodded her head slowly.

"But Voldemort doesn't know this," she said.

"He does not. He has never known what it means to love, and so he underestimates the power of it. And that, I hope, will be his downfall," Dumbledore stood up and walked over to the Pensieve, still swirling in its stone dish. "We live in a strange time, Artemis. This is the calm before the storm. But the storm will come, make no mistake, be it in a year, or five, or fifty." He looked at Artemis with an expression that was neither happy nor sad. "Because of you, however, I now have an idea of how we might weather it. And for that, we should all be thankful."

There was a finality in his voice that made it clear that Artemis was free to leave. She walked across the office to the door, pausing by it to ask, "What do I tell the others? They're bound to ask me what I found in the Vault..."

"The truth," said Dumbledore. "Tell them what you found. But perhaps do not speak of the second prophecy. It would be most unwise to give away our most precious secret, after all."

"No," Artemis agreed. "I guess it wouldn't."

"Now, you'll have to excuse me, Miss Hexley. I have a letter to send to Azkaban about a prisoner who deserves to be set free."

Artemis left Dumbledore’s office feeling as if she had grown significantly older in just a few hours. Outside the windows, the lights of the battle against the cabal had dimmed, and she found herself wondering exactly what had happened in her absence.

She did not need to wait long to discover the answer to her question, for when she turned out of the gargoyle corridor and descended the grand staircase, she found the entire Circle of Khanna gathered on the stairs discussing the night’s events, the portraits on the walls gathering around them in a blatant attempt to listen to their conversation. A few of them had cuts and scrapes to their skin, and Charlie’s left arm was in a sling, but otherwise they looked largely unharmed. As she neared them, they caught sight of her.

“Artemis!”

“Where have you been?”

“The others said you disappeared inside the Vault.”

“Yeah. Dumbledore managed to find me. I’ve just been in his office.” Several mouths opened, presumably to ask Artemis more questions, but she quickly continued, “Did you manage to capture the Cabal, then?”

“Yeah, we did,” Jae told her. His cheeks were flushed, though Artemis wasn’t sure whether that was due to the excitement of the battle or the fact that Chiara was currently using a piece of damp cotton wool to clean a cut on his temple. “Every single one of them. The Aurors have taken them away now.”

“They conjured these metal things to go over their hands to stop them from using wandless magic,” said Ismelda. “They were actually kind of cool.”

Artemis nodded. “Right. And the Cursed Vault?”

“Well, after you disapparated, the light in that column grew really bright,” Penny said breathlessly. “Almost blindingly so, actually. And then the Vault started to shake and rumble, until the walls started caving in on themselves. Luckily, Ben managed to blast a hole in the wall so we were able to escape.”

“We got out of there pretty fast. As soon as we were out the gillyweed started taking effect again so we managed to swim much quicker,” explained Tonks. She screwed up her face and held up a pair of webbed hands before demonstrating her swimming technique. “Just as well, really. Not long after we got out of there the whole thing crumbled completely, we heard it crashing against the floor of the lake, and then the light radiated out like shockwaves, or something, and swept us right out of the way.”

Bill raised his eyebrows. “I dread to think what it would’ve done to us if we’d been closer to the Vault at the time. By the time we regrouped and actually looked back, the whole cave had completely disintegrated.”

“So it’s really destroyed then? The Vault?”

“I think they might all be,” said Talbott. There was a bandage on his right foot in lieu of a shoe, and he looked even more disgruntled than usual. “I was out of the main fighting by that point because of my foot, and I saw the glow on the middle of the lake. There were more bright lights in the distance at the same time, and I’d say that they would’ve been in the right direction to have come from the forest and the library. I thought it was odd at the time, but I was more concentrating on what was going on in the courtyard.”

“That’s fine, Talbott, don’t worry. I’m sorry about your foot.”

Talbott made a noncommittal noise. Penny shuffled closer to him and his expression grew a little happier. On his other side, Merula rolled her eyes before turning to Artemis.

“Come on, then,” she drawled. “Tell us what it was.”

“What what was?”

“What was inside the light. The power inside the Vaults. What was it?”

“Oh,” Artemis frowned. She wasn’t quite sure what parts of her conversation with Dumbledore she should or even could tell them. “Well, that light was inside the column, and it felt like it wanted to take me somewhere. So, I let it. I disapparated, and it took me to this spring.”

“The season?” asked Barnaby. “Or a bed spring?”

“Neither, I mean a water spring, like where rivers come from. Except this wasn’t water, it was something else… I dunno how to explain it. It wasn’t like anything I’ve ever seen before, and I couldn’t even see it properly, because it disappeared every time I looked straight at it.”

“Like a mirage,” said Badeea, her brown eyes wide.

“No, it was real. Definitely real,” Artemis told her, shaking her head. “It was flowing somewhere and I followed it until it went down into a fountain, but when I looked back behind me, the stream of… whatever it was had disappeared.”

Chiara looked up from her bandages with concern. “Were you frightened?”

“Not really, no. It wasn’t frightening. Well, it was a little, but it was more the sort of frightened you get when you’re scared but excited, too. Mainly it just felt… nice. Really nice.”

“It sounds glorious, darling,” Andre said impatiently. “But what was it?”

Artemis shrugged. “Love, apparently.”

Her answer was met by a mixture of reactions. Penny’s blue eyes grew wide and wistful, Liz frowned behind her glasses. Ismelda looked almost repulsed, and Diego raised one sceptical eyebrow. Merula snorted loudly.

“That might be the most stupid thing you’ve ever said, Hexley,” she said. “And that’s really saying something.”

“Well, it’s what Dumbledore said.”

Tonks laughed. “Of course it was. He’s an old hippy, isn’t he?”

“Think about it, Hexley. As if Morgan le Fay, the most powerful Dark Witch to have ever existed, would’ve gone to all that effort just to hide something like love.”

“Merula’s right. That makes no sense.”

“Doesn’t it?” asked Badeea. “I mean, they do say that love is the answer.”

“The answer to what?”

“Nothing specific, Barnaby. Just in general.”

“Oh, right,” Barnaby nodded sagely. “I suppose love is pretty powerful, isn’t it?”

“I still don’t think it makes sense,” Merula said. “Trust you to go to all that effort and not even manage to find out what this all-important power is. This is why you don’t put Hufflepuffs in charge of things.”

“Hey!”

“I’m just saying it how it is, Caplan.”

“Maybe there’s another way to find out what it was,” suggested Jae. “Could you go back and getting some samples of the stuff?”

“Oh, that’s a wonderful idea! I could take it with me to France to analyse if I get good enough grades for my alchemy internship.”

“Or we could just try and analyse it ourselves,” Ismelda said. “Test it on some first years or something before we leave.”

“As the oldest person here, and former Head Boy, I think I’m going to veto that idea.”

“But we need to know what it is!”

“Do we?” asked Ben, and the others all stared at him. “I don’t think we do. Maybe Dumbledore’s right, maybe it is love. Maybe it’s not. Does it matter?”

“Yes.”

“No, it doesn’t,” he shook his head. “Because we never set out to find out what was inside that Vault. That’s what the Cabal were doing, we were just trying to stop them doing it. That’s what made us different to them. It was never about power for us. It was about ourselves, about keeping the people we cared about safe. And most of all, it was about Rowan. We wanted to honour her by defeating the Cursed Vaults and the Cabal, and tonight we did both of those things. I don’t know about you lot, but I think that’s what really matters.”

He took a deep breath and fell quiet. Charlie reached across with his good arm to pat him on the back three times, slowly.

“Well said, mate.”

The rest of the Circle of Khanna - for once - stopped bickering, and began to chat peacefully among themselves. Only one person remained completely silent, uncharacteristically so. Artemis sat down beside her.

“Hi, Tulip,” she murmured, and Tulip stopped scratching dirt from under her nails to look at her. “How are you?”

“How do you think I am?” Tulip asked, her lips twitching into a small wry smile. She sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know how I am.”

“Of course not.”

“I just… It’s weird. My dad and me, we’ve never been close, or even really got on. It’s not like we have anything in common. He’s so controlling, and he’s always spent more time at work than he has at home, but… But I thought I knew what sort of person he was, you know? I mean, he’s my dad, for Godric’s sake.”

“Yeah,” Artemis nodded. “I get that.”

“I suppose you do, after everything that happened with your brother.”

Artemis frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, even when people said all those things about him, because of that book, and after he went to Azkaban because of Duncan Ashe’s death, you-”

“That wasn’t his fault.”

“- still believed that he was good deep down. That’s exactly what I mean.”

“Yeah, but it’s different. Sort of.”

“Maybe,” Tulip shrugged, looking unconvinced. Artemis swallowed. She wasn’t sure that she was convinced, either. She wasn’t sure of anything right now. “I guess I can’t believe it. Not because I don’t know it isn’t true, but because it doesn’t feel real yet. Once it’s more real, hopefully I’ll know what to think and how to feel. Or not. I guess I’ll have to wait and see.”

Artemis nodded, her teeth grazing her lower lip. Suddenly, her friends’ quiet conversations seemed far too loud. She looked around herself, scanning the stairs for a way to get back to the comfort of her dormitory and Fergus the cat without anyone noticing her leave, but she couldn’t see one. Further down the steps, Charlie made eye contact with her.

“You alright?” he mouthed, and she shrugged in response. He cleared his throat before speaking aloud. “Do you think we ought to tell Duncan Ashe about the Cursed Vaults being destroyed? After all, he went looking for them years before any of us did, and, well…”

“I’ll go,” Artemis said quickly. “He knows me.”

She gave Charlie a grateful smile as she stood back up. As she rose to her feet, so did Bill.

“I’ll come with you,” he said. “Just in case… Well, you know what Duncan’s like.”

Artemis considered the offer for a moment before nodding her head, and together she and Bill made their way up to the fifth floor of the castle.

“What’s wrong, little one?” Bill asked her, once they were well out of earshot of the others. “You look pretty glum for someone who’s just solved Hogwarts’ greatest mystery.”

He raised his eyebrows at her, and Artemis sighed deeply.

“It’s… Can I tell you some other time? I don’t think I have the words to explain right now.”

“Of course you can. I’ll even buy you a dictionary to help, if you like.”

In spite of everything, Artemis found herself smiling. Her smile faded, however, when they opened the door to the prefects’ bathroom. There was a ghost hovering above the sink, but it was not the ghost they were looking for.

“Peeves,” Artemis said, her hand instinctively reaching for her wand as the poltergeist floated closer to her.

“Why, if it isn’t little Hexy. What is little Hexy doing here?”

“We might ask you the same question,” muttered Bill, and Peeves blew a raspberry at him by way of response. Artemis tried a different approach: telling the truth.

“We’re looking for Duncan Ashe, Peeves.”

Peeves let out a deep sigh before turning upside down and beginning to sing: “They seek him here, they seek him there, but they won’t find him anywhere!”

Artemis wrinkled her nose. “What does that mean?”

“Means that Duncan isn’t here anymore,” he said, turning back the right way up again. “He’s been sucked off.”

“He what?”

Peeves did not reply, merely floated upwards with raised arms and wiggling fingers. Not entirely sure that she understood what the poltergeist was trying to say, Artemis turned to Bill, who frowned briefly before a look of realisation appeared on his face.

“I think what he means is that Duncan has moved on.”

“Moved on to where?”

“Just on,” said Bill. Clearly, Artemis looked as confused as she felt, because he continued: “Well, not everyone becomes a ghost when they die. They say that those who do have some kind of unfinished business that’s still tying them to the life they had before death. Once that has been dealt with, they don’t have to keep hanging around.”

“So” - Artemis swallowed - “he’s just gone?”

Though she could not say that she had ever been overly fond of Duncan - he certainly had never been fond of her - she couldn’t help but feel sad that he had gone for good, no matter how Peeves put it.

“Hey,” Bill said, with a sympathetic smile. “Think about it. Duncan was kept here because the Vaults were still around, and now that they’ve been destroyed, he’s been allowed to go on to wherever he needs to go.”

“But-”

“He’s been set free, Artemis. It’s a good thing.”

Bill was right, of course. It was a good thing, being free. Artemis knew that much. Her heart lifted slightly. Maybe she could be free now, too.

“So, does that mean that the Vaults really are gone for good?” she asked, and Bill smirked.

“I can think of a way to find out.”

They left Peeves in the prefects’ bathroom, but instead of returning back down the grand staircase to find the others, they continued to make their way through the fifth floor. When they reached they easternmost corridor, they turned down it until they reached a hole in the wall where there had once been a locked door, several years ago. They stepped through it into the small room with the wall that hid the secret staircase to the first Cursed Vault. Artemis pointed her wand at the wall.

“Revelio!”

Nothing happened. Nothing was there. Scarcely able to believe her own eyes, she looked back to Bill. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and grinned at her, and she at him.

“Good work, Curse-Breaker.”

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libidomechanica · 3 months

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#poetry #automatically generated text #Patrick Mooney #Markov chains #Markov chain length: 5 #144 texts #ballad

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freezegirl · 5 months

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from what i've tasted of desire.

khione's desire to hold and be held - to keep and be kept and to be warm - goes way back. not just to her childhood but to her birth and infancy.

saraswati's pregnancy had been rough. for months, her little baby girl had been actively siphoning her body heat and it was only through deploying definitive protective measures that saraswati could carry the pregnancy to term.

and so, khione was born in maxville's general hospital, in the wing that specialized in delivering babies of super powered people.

after she was born, her mom held her for a short amount of time because khione kept actively siphoning her mom's body heat.

she almost knocked out a concerned nurse too, who had noted that the youngest goossens felt cold to the touch. all it took was a little skin to skin contact.

due to having similar powers, khione didn't drain her dad's body heat. so leander briefly held her, back then, because he had to. because that's what was expected of him. because that's what his wife wanted. even if he just wanted to hold saraswati.

hugs became a rarity in the goossens household: hugs became things to be earned, rather than willingly given.

and so khione strove for perfection in everything she did ranging from ice skating to extensive training. because if she did that, if she made up for what she did and if she was great at what she did, maybe her parents would see her. and if her parents saw her, they'd love her again. maybe her dad would finally forgive her for making her mom's pregnancy the hardest thing she'd ever endured. maybe her mom would forgive her too and reach out to her again.

(neither of those things happened. her parents' sidekicks/hero support - farzana and jawaharel - tried to mitigate the damage but it was already done.)

and after she sent the first boy she ever kissed to the hospital with severe hypothermia, extensive training became a top priority in the goossens household.

(she doesn't want to hurt anyone; she doesn't want to kill anyone; she doesn't want to be dangerous. her parents, who mapped out the entire trajectory of her life from the moment she was born, if not before then, made it quite clear that training, and working on control, was the only thing keeping her from a repeat performance.)

extensive training and mastery of her abilities (to a certain extent) is what secured her a spot on the hero-track during her years at sky high (though during and especially after her sophomore year, they end up axing both tracks and mixing them together anyway) and a place at sky u.

despite being naturally affectionate, khione went against her own nature and leaned into the public perception of herself, has leaned into the label of snow queen and ice princess.

she's leaned away from any and every kind of touch instead of seeking it out. most people assume it's to protect herself from others but no, it's to protect others from her.

(the desire to be touched had always been strong but the undercurrent of fear's always been there too.)

#pregnancy mention /#headcanons; metas; world building.#queue.

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hannahlikeso741 · 9 months

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Sins of Our Parents (2/?)

Summary:

The year is 1920 where rules are starting to change and a new generation of students have taken over Hogwarts from their parents that came before.

Meet Arielle Sallow, the youngest daughter of Sebastian Sallow and Aurelia Gray (F!MC) and Henry Weasley, the youngest son of Garreth Weasley who is now the Potions Professor at Hogwarts. Forming an unlikely friendship, their world turned upside down when Arielle's parents come on board to teach at Hogwarts on their 6th year. An uneasy tension follows that prompts Arielle and Henry to find out what happened during their parent's time at Hogwarts.

Will the truth be darker than expected? If so, will their friendship survive?

(Sequel to Drag me to Despair, read here)

Warnings: None for now, but may change.

Pairings: Sebastian x Aurelia (F!MC) with past Aurelia X Garreth Weasley, with OC X OC as the story progesses.

The great hall buzzed with activity as the students of Hogwarts came back, after a summer of silence. Every one happily catched up with their friends while settling into their seats, eagerly waiting for what will be served for dinner, the candles above starting to light up as the sundown nearing its end.

All of the anticipation was unbearable to Henry, his fingers anxiously tapping as his stomach rumbled.

“Y’alright mate?”

Leo Prewett nudged at Henry, raising an eyebrow. Henry went to face his best friend, giving him a reassuring smile.

“M’fine… Starving, you know?”

“Oh mate, you didn’t eat anything on the way here. Not like ya… What’s up?”

Henry hesitated for a bit to tell Leo what happened earlier that day. It was a family affair, something that Henry didn’t want Leo to know as he could talk to his father, Leander which resulted in something messy that Henry would rather avoid. He came up with an answer that would hopefully satisfy Leo’s concern.

“Just a bit of an argument with my dad at the station that kind of ruined my appetite.”

“Ah… well you don’t have to tell me if it is personal.”

“Thanks mate… I’m just more concerned about getting a nice dinner to make up for it.”

“Oh yes… I hope there are some steak and kidney pies, it would be great with some mash…”

Henry let Leo ramble on about dinner, resulting in Henry listening out of sheer politeness. Leo tended to ramble on for a bit, but no matter, it simply meant time would pass by them faster. As the great hall began to bring in the first years to sort, Henry looked across towards the Slytherin table, looking for someone.

What caught his eye was Arielle chatting with her friends, genuinely invested in their stories. She had that air of magnetism that made everyone drawn to her. No wonder she was the popular girl of their year. While being respectful towards the Headmaster's speech about the new school year, she looked across, glancing at Henry as both their eyes locked at each other.

They both gave each other a smile. For a minute it was only them that mattered.

It broke apart too soon when the first years began their sorting ceremony. Henry and Leo cheered for their new Gryffindors, delighted to see the incoming fresh talents. Then, dinner was served, making Henry’s hand rub with glee as he tucked into the fresh roast beef and boiled peas. Midway while eating, Headmaster Dippet made another announcement that made Henry swallow his food quickly, trying to pay attention.

“Ahem! One more announcement before we go. Due to the unfortunate situation going on, we have two new teachers filling in the positions only for this year! Please, give a warm welcome to your new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Mr. Sebastian Sallow…”

Henry saw the man mentioned sitting alongside the staff table waving his hand awkwardly, giving a polite smile. That must be Arielle’s father, he thought. A clean shaven man, wrinkles and dark circles decorated under his dark brown eyes that stood out against his pale, freckled complexion. The dark brown hair was messy, with grey hairs coming out on the side. Despite that, the suit he wore is decent in a dark brown chequered tweed, his frame well built. He aged well, Henry thought as Headmaster Dippet droned about his speech.

“... a Cursebreaker who has plenty to offer each and everyone of you, and to your new Magical Theory professor, Aurelia Sallow…”

Henry looked over at the woman next to Sebastian, his breath taken away. She carried herself with grace as she gave a polite wave to the crowd, combined with her ethereal features that gave everyone a pause. She had a slight wrinkle at the corner of her eyes, but that became unnoticeable with her blue orbs. She had some fine lines on the side of her nose, but that didn’t matter as her skin was smooth with a pale complexion, black hair held back in a faux curly bob. The dress she wore complimented her eyes, a sharp blue that hugged her waist, showing off her slender frame, with a particular necklace sitting elegantly on her exposed decolletage.

Arielle is beautiful like her mother, Henry muses to himself. He wonders if that is a glimpse of how growing old with her would be like.

“A former Unspeakable that can answer any question you may have about magic. A toast for both of them!”

Henry raised his glass as the crowd did so, though he noticed his father sitting across from the new professors, his face looking unamused from the attention they were getting. Henry tried to shake off that uncomfortable feeling, saying his cheers and drinking his pumpkin juice. He didn’t think about it as he finished up his dinner and headed back to the Gryffindor common room to get some sleep.

He should have known the tension of things to come.

…

Earlier that evening, the staff at Hogwarts conducted the regular meeting they have before the school year begins. For Garreth, it was a bore as they usually merely talked about what they had planned for the syllabus or any of the changes that may impact the school.

Except for this year. This time, Garreth had to have his polite face on.

“Ah, they have arrived.”

Albus Dumbledore got up from his seat upon seeing the door opening to show the two new professors, entering earnestly. Garreth had a look of contempt seeing Sebastian Sallow, seeing his former classmate coming to view. He didn’t look like he came from the farming fields of Feldcroft anymore, rather he looked well traveled, as if now wanting to put down some roots. Sebastian still had that snarky, know it all look that Garreth despised, but it was the woman that caught his attention.

Sebastian’s wife, Aurelia Sallow. Or as Garreth knew her, Aurelia Gray.

She was still beautiful as she was when they were sixteen, Garreth thought. Though her face had shown some signs of age, it made her a more mature, elegant lady. Nevertheless, he got up to be polite as the rest of the faculty did the same.

“Hello everyone. I’m Sebastian Sallow, the new DADA professor this year… and this is my wife…”

“Aurelia. The new Magical Theory Professor. Pleasure to meet all of you, though being called a Professor may take some time to get used to.”

“And Hogwarts welcomes you aboard, albeit temporary.”

“Thank you, Albus… I hope you found my field guide helpful.”

“It has.”

Aurelia and Albus Dumbledore gave a hearty chuckle as they proceeded with their talks of ancient magic around the school grounds and the nearby hamlets. Sebastian introduced himself to the rest of the faculty and talked about his adventures as a curse breaker, resulting in a flustered response from Professor Garlick and a nod of approval from Binns. Sebastian made his way, facing Garreth, though there was a bit of tension this time.

“Hullo Garreth. I see you have taken the Potions Professor from Sharp.”

“The ministry wants all Aurors on the field since Grindelwald. So I am the next best thing.”

“Well, let’s have a great school year together, like old times.”

Sebastian gave his hand for Garreth to shake, but Garreth gave a look of disgust as he shook Sebastian’s hand in return, the grip too tight. Sebastian raised an eyebrow after a firm shake, but decided to be polite in return and not think about it. Aurelia came in, standing by her husband’s side.

“Hello Garreth. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Pleasure is all mine…”

Aurelia extended her hand, resulting in Garreth holding it and giving a polite kiss, looking directly at her. She was taken aback, feeling slightly flustered as she kept her composure, saying polite small talk to divert what just happened. As the meeting continued on on what is to be expected for the school year, Garreth couldn’t help but to feel something buried deep within him was resurfacing, slowly breaking its cage.

He has it under control, he thought.

…

"And that would bring us to… MISS SALLOW!"

Garreth stopped writing notes on the blackboard as he turned his back sharply, looking straight at the person who interrupted his class. Arielle and her twin brother, Sullivan, who matched his sister in features, flinched, looking back at their teacher. She froze as she stood still, taking a deep breath on what was to come.

“I can hear you whispering to your twin. I suggest you pay attention or you will get detention.”

“But Professor Weasley, I was just…”

“Don’t make excuses for your sister, Mr. Sallow. Otherwise I would give you detention at the same time of your Quidditch practice.”

Sullivan huffed and Arielle rolled her eyes as the twins folded their arms, remaining silent as Garreth turned back to the blackboard, resuming the lesson. Sullivan looked at his twin sister, giving her a look that it will be alright while Arielle’s blood boils. Professor Weasley wasn’t one to pick on her.

When class is dismissed for the day after a brewing of Draught of Living Death (Which not many of the students were successful, despite following the recipe exactly in their books), Arielle told Sullivan she needed to be excused, still irritated by what happened earlier.

Henry, on the other hand, had noticed everything that happened and knew where she was going. He said to Leo he will meet him later at class, something about wanting to go to the library. Leo nodded and headed elsewhere, something Henry didn’t quite catch. No matter, Henry thought.

He made his way to the wall he accidentally came across on his first day in Hogwarts, making sure no one was watching him as he gave a little push, seeing it shift to reveal that room he knew so well. Henry went inside, to see Arielle rubbing her temples and muttering something.

“Of all the… why…”

Arielle’s eyes widened when she saw Henry giving her a nervous smile. She sighed as she slumped to the floor, making herself cozy in the fireplace in front of her. Henry knew she needed a listening ear as he sat on the floor with her, sympathetic to whatever is causing her anger.

“It has nothing to do with your father, Henry… just…”

“Just?”

“Earlier on… The Slytherin girls were saying that I wouldn’t have a problem scoring well this year due to my mother AND father in the teaching staff, let alone they are also overlooking the Slytherin house this year. I tried to inform Sullivan about this and… that is when your father said I was talking too loud.”

“Hey… if it is any help, I understand. Remember our third year?”

“You mean when your father was appointed as the Potions Professor?”

“Yup. You would be surprised at how mean Gryffindors can be.”

Arielle gave a reassuring smile, as the two had an understanding on how they felt. Going a bit closer to close the gap between them, as she just wanted Henry’s company for a while. He always was a good listener, one that Arielle could rely on.

"So… what was it like then?"

"... It starts with the teasing… then they begin with how much trouble I can get into, which I never obliged… and Father always will give me a hard time, just to prove that he isn't playing favourites."

"...I don't know what to say… but I'm here for you."

"It's more than enough."

Henry gave her a reassuring look as he brought out some Pumpkin Pasties he snuck from the breakfast table earlier. Arielle smiled back, taking one out from his hands as they ate together in silence.

It warmed Henry's heart that she was smiling again, interrupted by another question she had.

“Did you… ever share with your father how things were in school?”

“...”

Henry sighed, staring at the fireplace as he contemplated Arielle's question. The matter is complicated, as Henry had a strange relationship with his father, Garreth. Maybe because he had so many siblings it was hard for him to get his father’s attention, especially when he doesn’t have any talents to make him shine, making him feel inadequate.

Arielle noticed his discomfort as Henry had gotten rather quiet and stared at the fireplace for too long. She placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him.

“You don’t have to tell me.”

“But I want to.”

Henry turned to face her. As he became her listening ear when she was down, Arielle too, became his confidant. There were things they shared among themselves that they didn’t want their families or friends to find out, purely because Arielle and Henry didn’t know how to face them, or rather not deal with it. They understood each other and would never tell anyone about their insecurities. It worked well this way. Henry took a heavy breath as he decided to explain to Arielle and answer her question.

“Growing up it was strange. Maybe in a home of so many siblings, you had to do something to be noticed by your parents. Not that I wasn’t loved… just… I felt like I was getting in the way most times and just trying to not cause any trouble. I didn’t want to bother my parents… so I kept myself quiet and spent my time creating my own world…”

“...”

Arielle gave him a sympathetic look, knowing Henry’s discomfort. Throughout her friendship with him, he always was the one to go with the flow, a partner to her curious and adventurous side. Sometimes she admits she goes too far, but Arielle considers herself lucky to have Henry ground her, come to her senses. Hearing this from him answered some of Arielle’s questions on why he was like that. She threw her arm across his shoulder, leaning her head on his shoulder, no physical contact be damned.

“Thanks for telling me.”

Those words that left Arielle’s lips made it worthwhile for Henry, turning his head to face her. Their eyes met, sharing a look of trust. Henry always wondered how Arielle’s eyes manage to shift from brown to green, almost divine and captivating. She really was her mother’s daughter, she inherited that otherworldly, royal-like aura.

Which reminded Henry of the first time they met on the King’s cross station, that statement haunted him so.

Don’t trust the Sallows…

Should he tell her? He kept his friendship with Arielle a secret from his father, as it scared him so should Garreth find out. But if they were anything like Arielle, surely her parents aren’t terrible people. She can keep a secret from anyone and he didn’t tell anyone this, not even to his best friend, Leo.

But they must have been staring for too long, resulting in the two of them breaking it apart, shifting their bodies away from each other. A reminder to themselves that they were only friends, nothing more. Henry cleared his throat while Arielle smoothened down her clothes, both of them looking at the fireplace as if it was the most interesting thing right now. They had no idea when it started, but they rather not talk about it. Henry thought about his father’s statement and decided to come clean with Arielle.

“Do you know what my father said to me, when I bumped into you five years ago?”

“Well… What did he say?”

“Don’t trust the Sallows and that your family are a bunch of no good Slytherins.”

Arielle gave a sarcastic laugh, feeling offended at those words. She knows Henry didn’t mean it but the worried look on his face made her smile in return.

“It’s all right. Though it does puzzle me why would your father say that.”

“Exactly. Your parents are forty five years of age, right?"

"Yes… is that the same age as your father?"

"It is…"

Arielle and Henry slowly had an epiphany, the cogs in their brains turned.

"Our parents graduated in the same year… "

"Something must have happened then!"

Arielle clapped her hands together, looking back at Henry with enthusiasm and excitement. Henry, on the other hand, is apprehensive and concerned, despite seeing Arielle’s improved mood.

"Henry, don't you see it? My parents never talked about their time in Hogwarts so there must be a connection! Brilliant, we have something to solve!"

"Arielle… this isn't sounding like a good idea…"

"Why it isn't, Henry?”

“Digging up the past? We may find things we don’t want to know and… our parents aren’t going to talk to us so easily about this.”

“I’m sure we can find a way… or the opportunity may present itself… But enough about that, isn’t it time for you to have that Quidditch practice? Gryffindor is going to need their Keeper.”

Henry’s eyes widened with shock as he got up, getting his things in a hurry. He must have lost track of time being here, but the idea of Arielle trying to sort out her emotions didn’t sit right with him. He gave her a smile and a wave, making his exit. But the next words from Arielle made his heart flutter a little, something Henry denies it happened.

“I’ll stop by later at the pitch to cheer you on.”

#sebastian sallow #hogwarts legacy #sebastian x mc #sebastian sallow fanfiction #sebastian sallow fic #hogwarts legacy fanfic #garreth weasley x MC #garreth weasley #garreth weasley fanfiction #hogwarts legacy garreth

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fnniganthomas · 4 years

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❝ in my mind I am eloquent; I can climb intricate scaffolds of words. but when I open my mouth, everything collapses. ❞

{ cis man, he/him } ❝ icarus is forever deemed the boy who flew too close to the sun and got burned. to me, he is just a boy too enthralled by beauty to care whether or not it could hurt him. ❞ huh, who’s TAYLOR ZAKHAR PEREZ? no, you’re mistaken, that’s actually LEANDER FINNIGAN-THOMAS. he is a 23 year old HALF-BLOOD wizard who is a TATTOO ARTIST. he is known for being RETICENT, SELF-CONSCIOUS, STUBBORN, INARTICULATE, and PERSUADABLE but also TRUSTING, SYMPATHETIC, EARNEST, PERCEPTIVE, and QUICK-THINKING, so that must be why he always reminds me of the song EPITAPH BY HIPPO CAMPUS and THE SMELL OF HOMEMADE BROWNIES BAKING; TECHNICOLOR PAINT STAINS ON EVERYTHING YOU OWN; A SKY GONE GREEN WITH PROMISED RAIN; WORN FLANNELS YOU’RE HAPPY TO LET OTHERS BORROW; A LUMP IN YOUR THROAT FROM THE WORDS YOU SWALLOW. i hear he is aligned with THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, so be sure to keep an eye on him. { zoe, 22, cst, she/her } [ leander is adopted. ]

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS: leander’s playlist, stats page, & pinterest board CHARACTER PARALLELS: jason mendoza (the good place), chidi anagonye (the good place), ty lee (atla), finn (star wars), troy barnes (community), brittany pierce (glee), ponyboy curtis (the outsiders), aang (atla)

one.

there was no real doubt in anyone’s mind that leander was his fathers’ son. even the two of them had no trouble seeing bits of the other in him.

dean could be heard calling leander seamus’ son when he ran into the side table holding lit candles and set several wooden picture frames ablaze. seamus returned the favor and referred to leander as dean’s son when he walked into leander’s room and saw he’d upended several jars of paint on the floor. to this day, none of them could really say if he’d upended the jars on purpose or not.

leander liked to think it was on purpose, even as he proclaimed his innocence every time the family told the story over laughter-filled dinners. proclaiming his innocence was just part of the way that story got told and he couldn’t go breaking tradition. really, he liked the way the rainbow of colors was still burrowed into the grooves of the wood and the slats between floorboards, even after countless attempts at cleaning the last of it. a part of him wondered if that hadn’t been an early sign of magic; he knew that that paint washed easily out of his hair and off his closes, but it stuck stubbornly to the floor right where he liked it.

the colors on the floor nearly matched the technicolor quilt that lay on top of his bed year-round. he liked when things matched like that, almost by accident; like the world liked when things looked pretty as much as he did. he kinda hoped that was one of his first bits of magic; it felt fitting. he said as much to his gran once and had his hair ruffled for his trouble.

two.

when he was a child, he was always elbow deep in some messy thing. it wasn’t that he had a knack for causing trouble — he just had such a hard time saying no to trouble when it came calling. he had a hard time saying no to anything that came calling.

that was probably why trouble was always calling him. it knew he was an easy mark.

he made friends easily as a child, when things were easier and no one seemed to mind or care that he had such a hard time finding the words for things. leander was too polite to voice the blame out loud, but he was convinced that his friends growing up were at least half behind all the messes he got into.

the other kids around him might’ve been better at causing messes, but leander made up for it by being a mess. he was always having a crisis as a kid — his stuffed dragons were just ravaging the block city, dad, but what about the finger puppet people formerly houses in that block tower? do they even sell dinosaur insurance?? why didn’t I think of the implications here …

he and his sister played knights a lot, with toy swords and helmets modeled after the suits of armor in hogwarts (dean asked seamus if that wasn’t a little much, when they bought them; they were a few years out from school, after all, they didn’t care that the helmets were accurate — ) and leander always wondered about the ramifications of two knights fighting each other. shouldn’t they be friends, he thought? she always took his ensuing rambling full of hypothetical knight-schisms as opportunity to knock him flat backwards.

he was a needy kid — he always had questions at his lips, a thousand things he wanted to say. it took him forever to find the way to say them, though; leander hated feeling any negative thing, but he was used to frustration turned inward. it was his least favorite feeling, and one he was all too accustomed to. even now, leander was never quite sure what to do with his words. his mind was an easy enough place for him to navigate, and he loved being there for others when they needed someone to listen.

but whenever he tried talking himself wires got crossed and nothing came out how he wanted it to.

three.

he’d always been more quiet than he’d have liked to be, because he did actually have a lot to say. by the time he was nearly hogwarts-aged, he’d mostly forced himself to get over his hang-ups around his family. they poked good-natured fun at him, but he knew they’d always give him as much time as he needed to phrase a sentence or find a word. he could be assured that some of the other kids he’d grown up around would know that he just took a while to say what he really meant, too.

it was the thought of the castle, so full of strangers and professors he didn’t know, that scared him. getting sorted into ravenclaw scared him even more. he knew he didn’t always sound smart, and it worried him that others would listen to him and decide that he wasn’t, actually, smart enough to be a ravenclaw. he knew that he was smart, that he had things of value to offer to conversations. he was just so bad at getting them out the way he wanted to.

he stayed quiet for a while, even knowing he didn’t actually want to be quiet.

whenever he tried to articulate that point to other people though, it tended not to go as well as it did in his head — only proving his point. one of the prefects his first year rolled her eyes, said, ‘if you want to be less quiet, just say more, leander.’ but it wasn’t that easy, for him. he had a lot to say but had trouble finding the words for all those things. he could usually carry polite conversation just fine; fool people into thinking he knew what he was doing. but anything more than that required his total focus, and still was rarely quite right.

he bit down on half-formed questions because he thought it was better to not know some things if it meant he didn’t have to see people grow annoyed at his fumbling words. then that made him feel even more like he was some sort of fraud-ravenclaw — what ravenclaw thought they were better off not knowing things?

just like he forced himself to get over his worries to talk to his family and old friends, he forced himself to accept that words were never going to be his specialty. then he forced himself to be fine with that. he worked hard to focus on the things he was good at, that didn’t require him to talk too much — he always felt at home in the air on his broom, or with a sketchbook in his lap, or in the kitchen whipping up something that’d make other people happy. those things weren’t nothing.

four.

leander was smart, actually; he excelled in herbology and charms and worked hard enough everywhere else to not be singled out during class. he never caused as many explosions as his dad did from simple transfiguration. and he was great with people, for all that he got so in his head sometimes that he felt clumsy with even his dearest friends. but being smart never stopped anyone from being a fool.

when leander looked back on his childhood, it was as if all of his roiling anxieties melted away. it was like looking in on a world encased in the sun — he imagined his memories as some sort of weird, reverse snow globe, where everything shimmered at the edges and only got brighter as you shook it up.

hindsight made even mundane or negative memories seem golden, to leander. his biggest fault was that he always liked to think things were kinder than they actually were.

leander trusted people to be better than they were and was bad at saying what he meant, which was, at times an awful combination for him. he trusted the world to treat him better than it did.

if someone ever tries to convince him that, no, really, that harsh person from a historically bigoted family is not a good person, his stubbornness really came out and saw leander dig his feet in. he never wanted to believe that people had to be truly black or white — he was stubbornly convinced that there was good in every person, even when he was told he shouldn’t try so hard to look for it.

leander knew what was it like to feel you stood on the fringes of everybody else’s lives; no amount of forcing himself to be comfortable with the way he was ever took that anxiety away. he tried his hardest to be accommodating and friendly and understanding to everyone he came into contact with, even the people who maybe didn’t deserve his kindness. especially them, sometimes. he didn’t want anyone feeling like he was someone to be wary around. leander was steadfast in his beliefs and knew he wouldn’t change them, but all the same — that shouldn’t be a reason for someone to look at him and expect anything less than he gave everyone else.

four.

home never stopped being the most comforting place for leander. not even once he was older, a little more settled, and no longer had such stress over belonging in ravenclaw tower. not even once he had plenty of friends, a spot on the quidditch roster, a place in the castle. he adored not feeling so lost at school the older he got, but it couldn’t compete with home.

the golden gleam of his memories made everything feel well-worn and well-loved in his head, but home was the biggest victim, and the most deserving of such treatment. leander was stubbornly adamant that there was no better place in the world than the finnigan-thomas’ home in kenmare. holidays at home with his family, extended and sprawling and filled with family friends as much as blood relatives, were leander’s favorite thing.

he loved his dads so much — even as he couldn’t help but wonder, privately, if they wouldn’t have preferred a son who wasn’t such a fuck up sometimes. he’d certainly caused several dinner parties to grind to a halt with a poorly-phrased question directed at the aunt he forgot he wasn’t supposed to sit next to, after the incident over christmas dinner when he was ten.

leander wondered if his dads wouldn’t want a son who was better at words, because leander always thought there were ways for him to be better. he wondered, privately, because he couldn’t help but worry. but the logical part of his brain knew that there wasn’t a need to worry over them. they loved him, he knew, and didn’t even need his memory to gloss everything over for that to be true.

five.

there was always a level of creativity in the house growing up, and leander took to it like a fish to water. he never really let up on his fascination with color and the physicality of paint clinging to his skin and the paintbrush and whatever canvas was in front of him. the permanently-painted floorboards in his room weren’t the only casualty in the house, but that was alright. no one ever gave leander too much grief over tracking paint everywhere.

it was easier for him to take a pencil to page than to find the words, sometimes, and he was so happy his family understood that about him, and let it grow.

leander couldn’t keep track of how many drawings his dads pinned up to the fridge when he was a kid, or how excited dean had been to lead leander around museums growing up. he cherished every minute seamus spent nodding along as leander rambled about some era in art history seamus knew nothing about. it didn’t matter that leander grew into being comfortable at hogwarts, and around strangers, and people who weren’t so understanding with his fumbled words; it was work, with all of them, even as the work got easier on him.

nothing about being near his family and feeling that love felt like work.

leander, even grown out a childhood-self that worried over the ethics of stuffed dragons knocking over block towers, couldn’t help but be dragged down the whirlpool of hypothetical thoughts. he wondered if there was some alternate-universe leander who wasn’t as lucky as he was, who didn’t have his dads and his sister and his friends. maybe there was a leander who had those things but still lived in a world that was altogether harsher than his was. he thanked the universe as often as he remembered to that he was who he was, and that he was where he was.

leander was bowled over by stress and anxiety and worries more often than he existed in a state of honest chill, but he was still so happy to have the life he did. he didn’t always feel like he deserved it, but he was glad it was his.

six.

when leander was sixteen, he dicked around enough on the internet to teach himself how to give magical tattoos and muggle tattoos both. he really thought that it shouldn’t have been so easy to order all the necessary equipment and have it delivered to his house; he really, really thought that the owl that came bearing his enchanted ink should’ve asked for, like, ID or something. it felt like getting away with something, how easy it was.

leander was well-versed in courting trouble at this point and knew he shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. he just thought it was important to note that he worried at it being so easy for people without training to get all that stuff.

he practiced on himself and his sister, with a little needling and an iron-clad pinkie swear that they’d keep the tattoos a secret from their dads. in hindsight, it was a very stupid decision on leander’s part to start practicing in the summer, when they went to the beach often enough that the two finnigan-thomas kids had to order some fancy witch-owned brand of waterproof concealer to cover the evidence. their dads didn’t notice the tattoos until they came home that winter break and forgot to start hiding them again, though, so leander would take the win.

he offered tattoos to people at school, and really hoped that some of them also forgot to hide them when they went home for winter hols. it felt only fitting that his not-thought-out plan brought some other people a bit of trouble. he’d call it payback for all that time in their childhoods when he’d been the one getting dragged into problems, but the thought of payback as a concept made leander a little sad, so, whatever.

seven.

it felt only fitting that he looked into doing tattoos as a professional once he was out of hogwarts. dean certainly insinuated, when leander mused over the option, that it would make the shock he’d given his dads over the tattoos worth it. leander kind of agreed; he didn’t think the tattoos weren’t worth it, already, but there could be layers to worth. on principle, he loved the idea of practice. he liked to think that everything in life was practice for something to come — that nothing happened to you that couldn’t have a use later down the line.

it had a nice symmetry to it, a circular-ness. it was the sort of lofty thought he’d have an absolute monster of a time voicing out loud, but he felt it, and sometimes that was enough for leander. it was like the paint worn into his floorboards that matched the quilt on his bed; unintentional but fitting anyway.

leander wondered if maybe he shouldn’t look into going to muggle university to study art, or at least take an apprenticeship under a wizarding artist so he could learn how to paint portraits and landscapes that could move and all. there was still a career in that, people looking to have themselves or their relatives or their homes immortalized in oils even as moving photographs were so much easier these days.

he was — definitely, he was interested in learning that sort of thing. it just felt like too big a goal to have for his life right after school was over. he hadn’t been suspended in a state of constant stress during his time at hogwarts, or anything, but h still felt a strong sort of relief when it was over.

there were things he’d miss; how easy it was, having so many of his friends all living in the same place, all doing the same things and living such parallel lives. he’d miss quidditch practice now that he knew he’d never make it as a professional — and never want to, besides. he’d miss the community of it all, even as he recalled how hard it had been for him to settle into it. he knew that it would only take a year or two, maybe less than that, for him to start romanticizing his time there like nothing had ever hurt in the castle’s walls.

but the sigh of relief, that was bigger than anything he missed, and it made him sure he wanted to take a step back from school and any formal training or education. he already knew enough about tattooing now that he felt assured it wouldn’t feel so much like starting over to make a job of it.

eight.

leander was always far better at thinking on his feet than most people would guess from knowing him. it sometimes surprised leander himself, even — he knew he had a propensity towards worry, and it seemed like maybe he shouldn’t actually be good in an emergency. maybe it was just that he had an overactive fight or flight instinct that he’d long trained over the years to fight through whatever it could. he might not be the person people in his life wanted around when they were going through a crisis, but he knew how to handle himself in all manner of unexpected situations. leander liked to think he rarely made things worse.

does he make good choices whilst thinking on his feet? not all the time. but then, who could be relied on to make the perfect decision during every high stress situation they found themselves tossed into? leander made choices, and knew better than to stand idle; leander was of the belief that second guessing things had no value, even as he couldn’t help himself sometimes. he tried his best to face every consequence of every action head on.

he dug his feet in over stupid, foolish decisions often enough. it was fitting that sometimes when he dug his feet in, it was for a purpose. the best way out is through, and all that — maybe he’d get that adage tattooed on him someday, too.

sometimes it still felt like things happened to him, like he was a less active participant in his life than others were in theirs. he’d always pick fight over flight but not every situation asked that choice of him. it was less because he had a genuine go-with-the-flow personality, and more that he had such a hard time saying no.

nine.

when the world around him started turning itself upside down with awfulness and inside out with tragedy, leander knew it wouldn’t do him any good to freeze now. he joined up with the order because he knew there really wasn’t any other option he could take and still look at himself in the mirror. he wasn’t an auror or a healer or anyone that he thought had, like, much of value to offer the cause. but he was asked, and he said yes, because leander always, always said yes when trouble came calling for him. it was instinctive at this point.

leander liked to think he didn’t hate a lot of things. his heart was too open, to full of potential love, for him to like feeling anything harsher than annoyance, frustration. he forced bursts of hurt to come and go in a count of ten, because dwelling on the negative made him feel hollowed out.

but he stopped laying in bed at night so often, thanking his lucky stars that he was leander in this world over any others; he started, instead, wondering if any generation in this world of theirs would get to be untouched by even the threat of war. he wondered if it was too naive to wish this darkness would fade as quickly as it did when his dads were kids.

he turned things over in his memory now that some of the worst had come to pass; normally he let everything be painted in shades of gold, but he wondered if that wasn’t part of the problem. maybe too many people had worked too hard to push prison breaks and strange disappearances to the side — maybe too many people had had wanted to remember things only as happy and bright. it was such an ingrained part of himself now that leander knew he’d never be able to stop thinking things were better than they were.

maybe it would be the end of him one day. but at least he’d be himself, at the end.

#potterintro #( ⊱ ━━ 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 ┊ intro. )#yes all his character parallels are directly from charactour #or that statistical character quiz #yes the sheer range of his results killed me #yes brittany was his number one match YES i'm still not over how funny that is

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aggressivemacintosh · 5 years

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Headcannons for the Early years. Bad quality cause I was rushing

Crowley

-softest boy -kiss your heart and your ass goodbye -has a awful temper on him -insecure about his nose -will break yours though -great at multi-tasking

Halt

-surprisingly protective -glares actually kill -weak stomach -people watches -Pritchard taught him english -very strong accent -can barely understand him

Leander

-probably your new dad -always telling people to step up -calls everyone "sonny" -even Egon -you better say "yes mam" and “yes sir” -probably the only one who actually respects duncan

Farrel

-more like FERAL -wields a battleaxe -tuff stuff -anger issues -literal bull in a china shop -"who the hell would tell that to a man with a battle axe" -probably does somthin like pottery

Berrigan -musical -that one kid who WON'T STOP QUOTING DISNEY -thomas sander vine of "unwelcome duet" -power walks -only ones who dares to call halt "kiddo"

Egon -Old crusty and a little weird -Pervert -loves beer but he loves dem booties more -Indecisive -"great with the ladies"

Lewin

-mr. is this against the law? -ships everybody -kinda a cinnamon roll -actually has porn magazines though -always gets nervous when people watch him

Samdash

-probably has a vendetta against crowley -REALLY picky - B -has greasy hair -Drinks starbucks coffee and nothing else -would watch you sleep just to make fun of the way you snore

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leandxrs · 5 years

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❝ a boy too enthralled by beauty to care whether or not it could hurt him. ❞

ROME FLYNN? No, that’s actually LEANDER FINNIGAN THOMAS. A SEVENTH YEAR student, this RAVENCLAW student is sided with MCGONAGALL’S ARMY. HE identifies as A CIS MAN and is a HALF-BLOOD who is known to be RETICENT, SELF-DOUBTING, and STUBBORN but also TRUSTING, SYMPATHETIC, and EARNEST. { ZOE, 20, CST, SHE/HER } ------ pinterest. playlist.

to put things in perspective i started this lit twenty four hours ago and still only had this one line that happens to be a disclaimer hammered out so just. be prepared. for some reason trying to make this intro as streamlined and formatted as cecily’s just didn’t work and you know why?? because that just isn’t who leander Is.

let’s get into it.

dean and seamus tried their best when it came to parenting and, realistically, cannot and should not be held accountable for the way leander turned out. he’d be the first to attribute his finer qualities to them --- but the boy is as big a dumbass as there ever was and when he was a kid they’d turn to see him holding a conversation with a tree in their backyard and wonder what the fuck was going on with him.

leander had conversations with trees as a kid because he really liked nature, but, given that he was a child, did not have the words to really articulate this reasoning. and so his habits remained a mystery and everyone just shrugged and let him do what made him happy. so long as he didn’t fall out of them too often, or break any limbs when he did, things were fine; his dads kept watch over him but in the end accepted that their son was his own person, as quiet and sometimes strange a person as that was.

even now leander is never quite sure what to do with his words. his mind is an easy enough place for him to navigate, and he loves getting the chance to be there to listen for others, but whenever he tries talking himself wires get crossed and nothing comes out how he wants it to.

leander’s just always been more quiet than he’d like to be, because he does have a lot to say. but whenever he tried to articulate that point to other people, it tended not to go as well as it did in his head --- only proving his point, of course. the usual response was something like, ‘ if you want to be less quiet, just say more, leander. ’ but it wasn’t that easy. he had a lot to say but had trouble finding the words for all those things. he could usually carry polite conversation just fine; but anything more than that required his total focus, and still was rarely quite right.

he’s long since accepted that he’s just better at things that don’t require speaking --- he’s never been more at home than when he’s in the air on his broom, or holding a paintbrush in his hand, or standing in the kitchen whipping up something that’ll make other people happy.

honestly if he were good at using his words to articulate his thoughts in a way that made sense to both himself and the people he’s throwing them at, leander would probably have turned out to be the kid who turns every conversation into an excuse to tell everyone about how sad he is about the current state of the environment. as it is he loves reusable cups and thrift shopping and doing what he can as an individual and not a corporation to help out his buddy, the Earth.

leander, aged eleven, to the house elves: is the food we’re served here sustainably sourced? is hogwarts being responsible about its impact on the food waste crisis? the house elves: what the fuck

but then again he wouldn’t want to make the house elves feel bad about not being able to get sustainably sourced food and would instead want to just hang out in the kitchens with them and bake. the boy loves baking! like he really just loves being in kitchens in general and can make a mean loaf of savory bread and has a killer mac and cheese recipe but like, baking is where his Passion is at. he can pour his heart and soul into a pie or tray full of cinnamon rolls. he would cry if someone told him his brownies were too dry. he feels like world peace could probably be achieved through a chocolate chip cookie summit. he really loves raspberry tarts and would probably eat his homemade raspberry jam on its own with a spoon.

he is just? a sweet, clueless boy? whose parents should not have sent out into the world because my god was he not prepared? leander trusts people to be better than they are and is bad at saying what he means, which is at times an awful combination for him. if someone ever tries to convince him that, no, really, evil mcbadfamily is not a good person, his stubborness really comes out --- he doesn’t want to believe that people are have to be truly black or white. he can see the good in everyone, often to his own detriment.

leander knows what’s it like to feel like you stand on the fringes of everybody else’s lives, at least at school; he knows his family cares for him. but he tries his hardest to be accommodating and friendly and understanding to everyone he comes into contact with, as much as he’s capable of doing so. people are great, even if he’s not always the best at communicating that point to them. he doesn’t want anyone feeling like he’s someone they have to be wary around. he’s very steadfast in his beliefs and knows he won’t change them, but all the same --- that shouldn’t be a reason for someone to look at him, and think they can’t talk to him, can’t share a friendly smile.

he’s more reserved than most because he’s so often worried he’ll say the wrong thing, but he’s honest and friendly, and he tries. he makes pains to go that extra mile. he’ll trip over his feet on the way, but he tries.

late in his fifth year, and over the summer after it, he taught himself how to use his art to give magical tattoos and muggle tattoos both and? really likes giving them to people at school. probably really against the rules but he loves feeling like he can use his art as a way to connect to other people, in a way that doesn’t allow his clumsy tongue to get in the way.

his love of art as a general thing is one of the positive traits he attributes to his fathers --- dean in particular. there was always a level of creativity in the house growing up and leander took to it like a fish to water, never really letting up on his fascination with color and the physicality of paint clinging to his skin and the canvas and connecting his mind to something tangible. he’s sure his dad wouldn’t really approve of how that gift grew into tattooing his sister and his peers and himself, but things happen to leander more than he chooses for them to happen.

that said ...................... things DO happen to him more than he chooses for them to happen, but less because his personality is genuinely go with the flow and more because he’s never learned how to say, ‘hey, uh, how do I get off this crazy train?’ he falls into a lot of wild situations and as a result is far better at thinking on his feet than anyone would guess from looking at him. does he make good choices whilst thinking on his feet? rarely. but he makes them! he does not stand idle! and he does not back down once he’s set his mind on doing the dumb thing!

again: dean and seamus tried their best and it is not their fault their son turned out this way. but on the bright side he loves them and is alive and makes really good desserts during the holidays so its, like, fine.

he’s fine!

#( ⁎∴◦ ⊱ ━━ but lord knows you’re trying┊intro. )#repost!!#iidyintro

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apatheticphoenix · 2 years

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tell me about the swaine and marc/bracken and leander paralles i want to hear them. plz. (also aside: i literally just saw the post via following the nnk2 tag and immedately jumped here. I think i remember you so im happy to see your still around :3)

omg hi im so happy you remember mee :'')... but yes thank you so much for enabling my bs i will now be explaining my thoughts on the nnk 1/2 parallells

so first is marc/leander parallels they both serve very similar party roles of "prettyboy magic mentor to young protagonist wizard", tbh leander has a marc costume it's kinda on the nose. okay now bracken/swaine is bc they're both engineering geniuses who cause chaos on purpose, (tangent but roland having the swaine costume upsets me bracken deserved that) also they join the party bc a ruler dear to them was corrupted by the big bad and they deal with that one very differently. anyway as a duo both pairs shine best when they're together, especially with making things (e.g. the clarion/mornstar) as one has the magic while the other has practical skills, ALSO they both should have had more conversations what the hell level 5 the development could have been done so much better

okay ahem tani/esther bc. idk they're similar archetypes, young but stubborn and strong girls with powerful dads who are fiercely loyal to the protag after he saves them (again, same costume). batu, who unfortunately does not have a 1 party member, is probably most reminiscent of kublai because uh sky pirate. that aside, they both appear as fearsome leaders, but are actually big softies who love their crew and also these kids they found on the side of the road

now we get to the fun part - evan/oliver, you would think, but no. roland/oliver. they both lose what's most precious to them (will/allie) and are thrust into another world with some great destiny to save them all, originally unwilling but by the end caring deeply about both worlds. Also. The being soulmates with the bad guy thing is identical in their cases.

now, that leaves us with evan, who i am convinced is a parallel of lucien. both start by wanting to protect their people, but soon an injustice leads to them watching their family die in front of them. They both set out with the exact same idea - peace between all nations of the world. both succeed, but through very, very different methods. also. evermore/nevermore. i always thought something was up with that.

ahem rant over everyone thank you once again for listening to my bs my ask box is open any time and i am always ready to go on a nnk tangent. always.

#pls add your own opinions onto this btw #this is very half baked and the only person i've mentioned it to is my brother so 4 members of the nnk fandom please add opinions #anyway once again bracken leader friendship supremacy.

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redsoapbox · 3 years

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MY TOP TEN CHRISTMAS MOVIES

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Now that December is finally here, the McGrath household can upgrade the nightly Christmas movie from Hallmark seasonal romance to accepted Christmas classic. (Although in admitting defeat on winning the girls over on Miracle on 34th Street - either version) - I have to acknowledge that the list of films that we can all agree on as festive classics is a little shorter than I would like.

Here is my list of top ten Christmas movies -

10. The Santa Clause (1994) - John Pasquin

John Pasquin’s cinematic debut, he had previously worked on numerous T.V. shows including Newhart and Thirtysomething, opens with the risky gambit of having Santa fall to his death from the roof of Scott Calvin’s home. Calvin (Tim Allen), believing his home is being burgled, confronts Santa and startles him into plummeting to his doom. Before you know it, and after much urging from his son Charlie (Eric Lloyd), Calvin has donned the big red suit and his transformation into Santa has begun.

The Santa Clause combines rather broad comedy - there is much fun to be had with Calvin’s overnight weight gain and Charlie’s class presentation on how his Dad is actually Santa - with the usual Christmas sentiment. In this particular case, the healing of Scott’s relationship with Charlie and ex-wife Laura (Wendy Crewson).

A pre-Buzz Lightyear Allen gives a virtuoso performance as the would-be St Nick, and that went a long way to making the film a hit at the box office, spawning two sequels The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and The Santa Clause 3 (2006).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpzB4ubEqIE

9. The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) - Bharat Nallur

I reviewed this thought-provoking film on how Charles Dickens’ saved Christmas at the time of it’s release -

https://pardontheglueman.tumblr.com/post/169301253898/the-man-who-invented-christmas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx3ctBjG6yI

8. Get Santa (2014) - Christopher Smith

When the always over-generous Empire film magazine only gives a movie two stars, then you know that you are going out on a very thin limb indeed. Still, a lot of what I want from a Christmas movie - a story about redemption, likeable characters with likeable lead actors, a splash of humour, a touch of Christmas magic, and, finally, a guaranteed have-to-make-a-quick-exit-to-the-kitchen-to-compose-myself ending - are all present and correct here. And Get Santa really delivers - like a hard-working postman trudging through six feet of snow on Christmas Eve just to make sure that your Auntie Maureen’s card can take its proper place on your mantelpiece.

Get Santa has a best of British cast too; Rafe Spall as ex-con Steve, Jodie Whittaker as his estranged wife and Jim Broadbent as a banged up Santa. Throw in Stephen Graham, Warwick Davis and Joanna Scanlan and you have the second best cast Christmas movie ever (nothing is ever going to beat Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore and Henry Travers in IAWL).

This may be the film on the list that you are most likely to have not seen, so in an effort to shore up support for this selection, I call my star witness - Mark Kermode who had this to say in his three-star Guardian review ‘It’s sweet -natured fare, boosted with spirited comic performances (Broadbent is a particular treat) and served up with plenty of DIY sparkle’.

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7. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - Henry Selick

Tim Burton’s unique vision of Christmas/Halloween is brought to life by Henry Selick, a gifted animator who had worked for Walt Disney Studios and in a freelance capacity before making his name with this masterpiece. I simply didn’t get this on release (my admittedly old-fashioned notion of what constitutes a Christmas movie forming a great big mental road block to a full appreciation of the imagination, visual style, black humour, gothic charm and exquisite pathos on display here), and it was only through a recent viewing with my children as part of our Halloween movie get togethers that I finally saw the light. Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon) is a captivating character, brought to life by Danny Elfman’s songs and Selick’s ground breaking animation, and his desperate quest for belonging is one that we can all sympathise with, especially at Christmas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGiYxCUAhks

6. Remember The Night (1940) - Mitchell Leisen

This is a golden-age of Hollywood classic screwball comedy, starring the legendary Barbara Stanwyck, arguably the greatest comedienne in Hollywood history, Fred MacMurray, arguably the nicest guy in film history (at least until his turn as the murderous Walter Neff in Billy Wilder’s terrific noir Double Indemnity), and penned by arguably the funniest man in film history, Preston Sturges.

James Harvey in his 700-page opus Romantic Comedy in Hollywood (From Lubitsch to Sturges), which is, arguably, the best ever book about Hollywood, reveals that it was the shabby treatment (in Sturges’ not so humble opinion) of his screenplay, and the slow pacing of Leisen’s direction, that drove the screenwriter to extraordinary lengths to gain control of his own movies - basically making a deal with Paramount that he would sell them his next screenplay for a nominal sum of ten dollars as as long as he got to direct the picture. That deal changed movie history, setting the precedent of a writer / director that Orson Welles was soon to follow with Citizen Kane (1941).

The plot is a unique one, not that it truly matters in a Sturges movie, and centres around hardboiled career criminal Lee Leander (Stanwyck) having to choose between spending jail in Christmas or being released into the custody of her prosecuting attorney John Sargant (MacMurray). Hey, I didn’t say it made any sense! Of course, the season works its magic and, hey presto, one reformed criminal later Christmas love is in the air!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKcLcT9dOFk

5. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) - Brian Henson

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is the greatest Christmas story ever written, and arguably the main reason that Christmas in Britain is celebrated in quite the way that it is today (see The Man Who Invented Christmas above). There have been all manner of adaptations down the years, and here it is re-imagined as a vehicle for Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzy and co in a way that works beyond anybody’s wildest expectations.

All the human drama, the pathos, the cry from the heart for social justice that Dickens conveyed in his peerless book survives this, the most unlikely of screen adaptations. Much of the credit must go to Michael Caine, who despite sharing top billing with a bunch of muppets, emerges as a genuine contender for the crown of greatest screen Scrooge. Throw in a script by Jerry Juhl, which has The Great Gonzo as Charles Dickens, narrating his ghostly tale with a straight face, and Paul Williams’ super sing-along songs “Marley and Marley” “One More Sleep ‘Till Christmas” and “Thankful Heart” , and you have an all time Christmas classic that can be enjoyed by everyone from 1 to 92. Bravo!

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4. ELF - (2003) John Favreau

Elf is the Shawshank Redemption of Christmas Movies - no matter who, where or when you poll an audience, this charmingly comic celebration of Christmas always punches above its weight, getting the better of some very famous films in the process. Elf finished 10th in the IMDB poll for Greatest Christmas Movie and came 2nd in both the Time Out and Radio Times polls. It’s A Wonderful Life always, always comes top, but as someone who is still reeling from Citizen Kane losing first place to Vertigo in Sight and Sound’s celebrated Greatest Movie poll, I can see a time when Elf goes one better too.

Elf has a career-best performance from Will Ferrell, a winningly elfin turn from Zooey Deschanel and a series of fine cameo’s from Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, Faizon Love and Peter Dinklage as “angry” elf Miles Finch to recommend it, but it’s the hard to beat combination of laugh-out-loud set pieces, father and son second chances, and an opposites attract love story to top them all that makes this a genuinely affecting festive treat.

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3. A Christmas Carol (1999) - David Jones

Of the umpteen takes on Dickens’ grasping miser, of which Alastair Sim’s turn as Scrooge (1951) is by far the most celebrated, I just prefer Patrick Stewart in this excellent T.V. movie. This may seem a deliberately obscure choice, but that is far from the case. Firstly, there is an A-list cast featuring Richard E Grant, Saskia Reeves, Dominic West and, at the top the bill, Stewart himself.

As Screen Rant describes it, ‘Stewart plays a far more blunt, bitter and straight forward version of the miser... without feeling maniacal’. In short, he underplays the part, keeping the mugging down to a minimum. The clincher, though, is Stewart’s handling of the scene when he awakes to find it is still Christmas morning and that the spirits have granted him a second chance at life after all. He tries to emit a happy, life-affirming laugh, but is so unused to the sensation that he almost chokes himself. Wonderful stuff! There will be all the usual Scrooges to choose from this Christmas - Sim, George C Scott and Albert Finney amongst them, but the Stewart version will be there somewhere in the middle of the night on ITV3. If you peruse the Radio Times long enough you’ll find it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vviOGFiGrHc

2. Miracle on 34th Street - George Seaton (1947) & Les Mayfield (1994)

Okay, a bit of false accounting going on here in grouping the two films together. The original is the better version, but I’ve always loved the re-make too. After all, who can’t bring themselves to believe in Dickie Attenborough as Kris Kringle! Both films are perfectly cast - the romantic leads John Payne and Maureen O’ Hara are convincing enough in the black and white original, but are probably just shaded on the chemistry front by Dylan McDermott and Elizabeth Perkins. The unhappy children are sensationally cast, with Natalie Woods and Mara Wilson coming out even. The unthinkable happens, though, when it comes to the playing of Kris Kringle, because although Dickie scores a fab 9 out of 10 on my Santometer, Edmund Gwenn, who picked up a best supporting actor Oscar for his Kringle, scores a perfect 10.

The Oscar-winning original story, by Valentine Davies, must be known to just about everyone by now - a perfectly nice old man, given to the belief that he is really Kris Kringle, becomes, more by accident than design, Macy’s famous department store Santa. No sooner is he in post, than Kris begins to challenge the corporatisation of Christmas, directing customers to other toy stores all over town, where hard up parents can buy their presents at discount prices. He is about to face the sack, when Macy’s realise that he is a great loss leader for them, prompting arch rivals Gimbles to try and nobble him. Kris is committed to an institution for the insane on cooked up charges, and a battle rages to secure his release by Christmas Eve, so that the children of the world won’t be disappointed on Christmas morning! Each film uses an interesting plot device to allow a judge, desperate not to be seen as the man who gives a court ruling that Santa doesn’t exist, a way out without losing face, and there is a happily romantic final scene to round things off in the accepted festive manner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibDD8Y3IJrg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCNbTAtD-jU

1. It’s a Wonderful Life - Frank Capra (1946)

I reviewed this seasonal great for Wales Arts Review last Christmas -

https://www.walesartsreview.org/rewatching-its-wonderful-life/

The next best Christmas films - The Bishop’s Wife, Arthur Christmas, A Christmas Story, Christmas in Connecticut

youtube

Merry Christmas to all.

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boloorsportsmania · 5 years

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#700 FlashBack Time for 700th blog of BoloorSportsMania.. :-)

Topic for #BoloorSportsMania blog #700 had to be something special. I have witnessed varied sporting moments in last 4 decades which had a 7th heaven impact on me. India winning 1985 Benson and Hedges in Australia, beating Australia in 1998 and 2001, world cup win in 2011, Andre Agassi completing his grand slam in 1999 French open, Nadal beating Federer in his own game when Swiss legend was at his peak, Federer’s sheer tennis talent, Tiger winnings majors after majors, Faldo winning 3rd Masters in 1996, Leander paes winning bronze medal in 1996, Susheel Singh winning back to back Olympic medals, etc. List is endless. But the event which had maximum impact on me was 1985 Ranji trophy match between Karnataka and Goa. India were having a dream run in ODI. They had won 1983 world cup . They followed that by winning Benson and Hedges cup in Australia where 4 other top teams had participated. India had outclassed Pakistan in finals. Though Ravi Shastri and Laxman Sivaramakrishnan were stars of that event, there was a certain wicket keeper who had caught everybody’s imagination. His name was Sadanand Vishwanath. He had caught a few catches with his body parallel to ground which was a great sight to see.

Coming to the Ranji match which I was highlighting, Karnataka were hosting Goa in Bhadravathi in Dec 1985. Sadanand Vishwanath was part of that Karnataka team. There was news that legends Gundappa Vishwanath and Brajesh Patel would also play in this match. Yours truly was studying was studying 3rd standard in St Charles convent in the same town Bhadravathi. Match was being played in Vishvesharayya Iron & Steel Ltd Ground. My dad was working in VISL only. It was a 3 day match played between 7-9 Dec (Sat-Mon). Schools were declared holiday on Saturday and Monday so that kids can watch the match. Being in a small town had its own advantages and this was one of them. News was that all players would halt in VISL guest house as there was hardly any lodges in Bhadravathi those days. We all tried to get a glimpse of the players but there was security as expected. We all gathered near the stadium on 7-Dec early morning to get a glimpse of the players. We all were shouting for Sadanand Vishwanath as soon as Karnataka players took the field. Goa won the toss and chose to bat. It was a long first day as Goa scored plenty of runs. Raghuram Bhat and Lobo were Karnataka’s key wicket takers. Me and my friends used to take break every 1 hour to have some snacks or juice or candy. Dad had given me 2 Rs per day which I thought was cool. Plain juice candy used to cost 10p those days, cream candy was 15p and sugarcane candy used to be 25p. During school days, I hardly used to taste sugarcane candy as I thought it would be better to have 2 juice candy instead . For snacks, there was charmuri ( rich cousin of bhelpuri), roasted groundnuts and cucumber chat. My favorite was cucumber chat. I started off with that. They would slice a cucumber piece, add a layer of mint chutney, add grated carrot, squeeze a bit of lemon and finally add a bit of mixture. My mouth used to water just having a look at it. This dish is my favorite even now. I make it a point to prepare it during summer once or twice. Post that chat, I had sugarcane juice on my friend’s suggestion. That was heavenly. I literally forgot that match was still going on. When we went inside, 2 wickets of Goa had fallen. This sequence almost repeated entire day. Every time, we used to have some snacks, wickets would fall. Me and my friends found it a bit strange.

We entered stadium 1 hour before start of play on 2nd day which happened to be Sunday. Goa were quickly dismissed early in the morning for 322. N Phadte scored century for Goa. Raghuram Bhat picked up 4 wickets for Karnataka. He was Puttur based player and we were all proud as we belonged to South Canara as well. Karnataka started poorly as Sadanand Vishwanath was dismissed for duck. Srinavasa and Khancilkar then smashed Goa bowlers all over the park. We were a bit hesitant to go for snacks break on 2nd day as Karnataka players were batting. We were a bit scared that it would make Karnataka batsmen get out !!! We took breaks when players took break. I tried all varieties of snacks but when it came to choice of candy, I always preferred Sugarcane candy. In fact by end of 2nd day, Candy man used to keep sugarcane candy ready as soon as he saw me J . Karnataka declared at 335 later in the day. They made this score in just 58 odd overs. Run rate of 5 in test was unheard those days. Karnataka declared as they wanted to get full points.

3rd day was super fun as Karnataka dismissed Goa for just 136 runs. Goa opener’s name was S Tendulkar who had got out for duck in 2nd innings. We used to make fun of him as he couldn’t make as many runs as his name suggests. When Sachin Tendulkar of Mumbai played for India in 1989m I initially thought it was this Goa opener. But this Sachin Tendulkar made Tens of Tens of Tons of Tons of runs. In the meanwhile, I hardly took sugarcane candy break but wickets were falling. So I was a bit surprised. My brain was functioning a bit differently at the age of 8 J. During lunch break, I asked the candy man if he was sending sugarcane candy to players . His answer was amazing. He said he was not aware that cricket match was going on inside. He thought it was football match. From his perspective, he was very happy that he was able to sell 150 sugarcane candies in 2.5 days . Otherwise, he was just able to sell 20 per day. I was happy that I had contributed too. Post match, Karnataka went for the victory. They needed 124 runs to win and they won by 6 wickets. I just had 15p pending with me. I went to candy man and asked for 1 final candy. He gave sugarcane candy. I told him that I had 10p less. He told it was a gift from him. I was thrilled more with this candy than watching Karnataka beat Goa handsomely. I had 7 sugarcane candies in 3 days and 7 cucumber chat. I have a fascination for 7. Being born in ’77, Flashback of this 7th heaven moment is a perfect write-up for my blog #700. Moments will come and go but such days will stay in memories for ever. Cheeeeers !!!!

#boloorsportsmania

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familycourtcorruption · 4 years

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COVID-19 & Divorce: Rising Divorce Rates and Media Coverage

As the COVID-19 pandemic has continued, courts across the country have been forced to close because of quarantine and stay-at-home orders. That has left many guys in a state of flux who are in the middle of a divorce or child custody case and are not sure how to move forward.

In Cordell & Cordell’s April 23 webinar in the firm’s series on divorce during COVID-19, divorce attorneys discussed this topic, how technology is being utilized by divorce courts, how mediation might be a viable option during this time, and more.

As the Cordell & Cordell divorce lawyers explained, your case does not need to pause completely during the pandemic.

Utilizing technology in divorce during COVID-19

With stay-at-home orders being implemented across the United States, family courts have turned to technology to keep some cases moving forward.

“In Illinois, we’re seeing a gradual progression to digitizing the court system and making the courtrooms available to people who can’t access the physical courtrooms,” said Cordell & Cordell Illinois Litigation Attorney Leander Gorski. “It has been a very slow process, but we’ve been starting to see more and more counties across the state open up for Zoom hearings, telephonic hearings, pretrial conferences, and things like that.”

Cordell & Cordell’s divorce lawyers also suggested some guys might find it helpful to try mediation during this time.

Divorce mediation

“When it comes to mediation, it really is an alternative for guys that are, right now, in the middle of a divorce,” said Cordell & Cordell CEO, Executive/Managing Partner Scott Trout. “They can’t get to court, unless it’s an emergency, so many of them think ‘There’s nothing I can do.’ But what we can do is some informal mediation.”

Divorce mediation can save you thousands of dollars and it can help simplify important aspects of your divorce regarding the division of assets, parenting plans, child support, and spousal support.

“We highly recommend to all of our clients and anyone going through a divorce, try to resolve things amicably outside the courtroom, even when there’s not a pandemic,” Gorski said. “Now with the courtrooms being closed, now’s a great opportunity to do those things.

“You don’t need to get into a shared conference room to make that happen. There’s a lot of technology that’s available to everyone to make that happen.”

Be prepared

Even if you forgo mediation, there are still important steps you can take to ensure that your case moves forward more quickly. That does involve some work on your end, though.

“Things we’re looking for when we start a divorce case are financial records of the family, the assets, debts, and spending, so those looking to file can take this time to gather that information for us,” said Cordell & Cordell Litigation Partner Bridget Landry.

Do your homework

If you are facing a separation from your child as a result of the pandemic, learn what your state’s laws are regarding child custody during quarantine and shelter-in-place orders. Most states are classifying travel for custody exchanges as essential.

“What is important for fathers to know about North Carolina’s stay-at-home order, is that it specifically permits travel related to custodial exchange,” said Cordell & Cordell North Carolina Senior Lead Litigator Kara Goodman. “So if the mother of your children is telling you, ‘We’re ordered to stay at home. We can’t travel, so you don’t get to see the kids this weekend,’ that certainly is not the case.”

“I would encourage all fathers to take a look at your state’s stay-at-home, to make sure that you understand what is permitted and what is not.”

Cordell & Cordell is continuing to produce daily content addressing the most frequently asked questions about divorce during COVID-19. For more information, visit the Cordell & Cordell Divorce and COVID-19 Information Hub.

The post COVID-19 & Divorce: Rising Divorce Rates and Media Coverage appeared first on Dads Divorce.

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What is the average life insurance amount people take out?

Car insurance on a Mustang gt?

I'm a male, 19, years old going on 20 next month.. I'm wanting to save up for an older model (1999-2003) Mustang gt. I know there are different kinds of auto insurance agencies around but can someone maybe give me a rough estimate of how much i would have to pay each month for my own insurance? I've had no accidents or tickets/ felonies ever since my driver's license have been issued to me.. And i drive about 15 miles to work one way and 20 miles to college one way. Thanks!""

Who's insurance company do i contact the car owners or mine a driver with compresive insurance?

i was driving my wife car and parked it as i got out a car reversed into the car i am not a named driver on the insurance policy for the car but my own insurance covers me do drive other cars with owners consent. which insurasnce company do i report the accident to i was not at fault as was parked in a parking bay the other car aslo attempted to drive off

State Farm Car insurance payment question?

I have to make a payment on my car insurance 3 days late (it comes due 3 days before pay day, since they changed the due date on me). However, I don't want my coverage to be dropped. I called my agent's office and the girl told me she would suspend my payment, but that they might send me a cancellation notification. She said I should ignore it. Does this mean I will loose coverage for those 3 days, or do I have a small grace period ?""

What is the best and cheapest homeowner's insurance in canton georgia?

Insurance Agency Tax Help 1120S?

I own an insurance agency. I have a seperate checking account for insurance premium funds. When we collect a insurance premium payment from a customer, the funds are deposited into this account and then we send our agency check to the insurance company. How are these funds treated on form 1120S?""

""Are there health insurance plans that are low premium, high deductible?""

I mean like a $5,000-$10,000 deductible or higher. I have a lot of savings but I'm going to have a part-time job for a little while. I'd like to just pay $100-200 a month or lower for health insurance. Or as low a premium as possible.""

Does Lowest Quote Wins really lower your insurance to $15 per month?

I saw one of their ads on a car today and was obviously intrigued. How legit is it?

Will my insurance go up when someone hits me?

I was driving on the highway, suddenly traffic slows down and we were driving at regular speed (65). i check my side mirror's, and the next thing i know my brand new car has no bumper. some idiot did not pay attention and he hit me. total repair is $1538. now, will his insurance call my insurance and let them know about it? will my insurance rates rise even though its not my fault?""

Why is my car insurance company charging me 2 premiums?

I go through farmers insurance and last month I paid a premium of 94.42 and now this month I'm being charged a premium of $83.70 plus a renewal adjustment of $7.27 does this mean my car insurance is always going to be this high? It was only $67 last 6 month cycle.

Leander Texas Cheap car insurance quotes zip 78641

When does my insurance expire?

I have a Family HealthPlus insurance that I just renewed thus is valid until next year, I also just got a new job, and my employment insurance is in effect as of July 1. What happens next? is my HealthPlus automatically cancelled or can I use both of my insurances simultaneously? The reason why I am asking is that, I have a referral to extract my wisdom tooth from my old insurance, and would like to use it to do just that. My employer does not allow me to take sick/personal days off in the first 90 days of my employment, so I can't really do that between now and July 1, to schedule an extraction. Thanks a bunch!""

Can u recommend any car insurance for 6 months rather then 1 year ?

i may need to sell car after 6 months and that's why i do not want to pay insurance for 12 months upfront

Insurance on a 1275 gt mini for a 17 year old?

My friend has just passed his driving test and I'm trying to help him get a car and insurance sorted. He's determined to get an old 1275 gt mini. I can see why though. I've been getting insurance quotes and they're all coming back at over 5,000 every time. I must be doing something wrong. I'm just wondering if any of yous could help me and give me an idea of what it would cost for a 17 year old male who's just passed his test on a 1275 gt? Thanks.""

Affordable Private Health Insurance Provider Needed?

Could somebody tell me any company for affordable private health insurance.I need good site.And free quotes and many benefits.Please be honest.

Must I have car insurance?

I'm thinking about buying a car but cannot afford the insurance. Can I have a car with no insurance? I live in Amherst Massachusetts and not really familiar with the rules over here. Thanks a lot for any respond.

I need some help with car insurance please.?

About a year ago my husband and I sold a car. We went through the usual channels with dealing with the plates, calling the insurance company and so on. Well today we got our yearly insurance cards in the mail and didn't recognize one of the cars they had given us a card for so I went over the statement. It turns out they have been billing us for insurance on a car we sold over a year ago. We never really noticed how much we should be paying in insurance for our cars and only get our statement once a year with these cars. We only pay $1504 a year for what we thought was two cars and I had assumed that was pretty good. In fact we were paying for three cars and an extra $663 a year on the car we sold. I haven't contacted the insurance company yet but my question is what are my options here? Will they give us the money back for the year we payed on a car we legally sold and what do they need, if any, proof of that? We have paperwork of the sale but no real proof we called them to inform them to take the car off the insurance. Will that we enough?""

Need suggestion for health insurance?

Living in CA. Just want to get individual health insurance in case of any expensive treatments like surgery, hospitalization...so the insurance can have high deductible... In this case, should I consider supplemental insurance like AFLAC?""

Do i need a motorcycle license to get insurance for my motorcycle?

i dont have a license yet but i want to get all the paperwork done so i can start riding as soon as i get my license.

Getting car insurance please help ?

I live in MN And in a small town. And I dont want to ask for car insurance yet. Im just asking and estimate for me One male 18 2 tickets 99 s10 blazer 4 doors 4 wheel drive And if full coverage Would 750 for year be right ? Would that be enough

First car ideas? I'm going to be 17 so insurance is a problem what car is cheapest to buy and insure?

I'm not interested in a Nissan Micra or Ford Ka. Need a cheap car to insure and to buy..

Why do we need car insurance or why is it required?

I've been driving for about 3 years now, and I honestly cannot help but ask why are we paying $100 per month or more on car insurance, and some of us don't even get into accident at all? I mean that is like money out the door. My current premium is $625 per 6 month and it is a pain to pay it off. So, what I suggest if you get into an accident you are required take out a loan if you cannot pay and pay it yourself, wouldn't that make more sense? Instead of having to pay all that money off and in return you get nothing?""

How much are insurance?

I asked this, before but it was too general so here are the insurances i want the price of.. 1. Health 2.Car 3.life 4.home in georgia.""

Ways to make car insurance cheaper?

I know this question or something similar has been asked a lot but i'm 18 and i've just passed my driving test and i'm looking for insurance. I have 2000 saved up and all the quotes i've been given are around this, I know i'm not going to get it much cheaper than this. Does ringing up the insurer and saying you've been given a cheaper like for like quote etc. work in getting the price down? And what companies are recommended for younger drivers? Thanks :)""

Taken out insurance?

I am 63 years old own my house with a mortgage, I'm disabled and on benefits which I don't like. I can't get lower than that but I can afford insurance on my contents so why should the goverment bail out those people that haven't got contents insurance what do they want from the goverment new furniture what a cheek I say. If they do get that it is not fair for the people that pay for insurance's. After all they have to get it on there cars and when they travel abroad.""

Do I need a license for a 150 cc scooter in Indiana?

How do I go about getting insurance at 18? In WI?

I'm 18. I work two jobs unfortunately with no insurance or benefits! How can I get health insurance? I live in Wi.

Renting a car with no insurance.?

Hello there, I'm over 25 and have a driver's license but I currently don't own a car therefore I do not have car insurance. I know that usualy when you rent a car and you have car insurance, you won't have to pay extra for rental car insurance. How does that work if I don't have insurance right now? Is extra insurance from the rental company expensive? Or would they even let me rent a car (only for a couple of days when I go to my cousin's wedding out of state) if I don't have car insurance? Any insights would help! I would hate to show up and not be able to rent a car and have to call someone to come get me. Thanks!""

What is the best(cheapest) orthodontic insurance?

Those self-employed: can you share a good health insurance that's affordable?

I have found only quotes over $300 a month. Those that were under $100 had a.. drum roll....deductible of over 10,000 dollars! I need health insurance, but can't afford it. Ironically, my dogs have it and I cannot afford it for me.""

Do i need insurance if im driving my dads car?

Hello. I was wondering if i need insurance if my dad is teaching me to drive while i got provisional license with the L plates on the front and back of the car? When i pass my test i will get my own car.

Insurance for new drivers?

hi i am about to turn 18 and for my birthday my mom and me are going to lease a car for me. the car is 20000 and its new. the insurance is crazzzy expensive but my mom is going to by a car to right when i am so is just keep that i mind for the insurance and stuff. what is the cheapest way to get insurance?? please help

Married Young and Health Insurance?

I am 19 and my fiance is 22. I have a few questions about health insurance. I am currently covered by my mom's health insurance provider and my fiance does not have health insurance currently. When we get married, what will be the best deal to get health insurance for both of us. Would I be able to stay on my moms until I am 26. I was just reading a few things. I will put the link here. Thanks! http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq-dependentcoverage.html""

Ticket for no proof of insurance?

in california best friend got a ticket for no proof of insurance at the time of accident, he doesnt have insurance i know everyones gonna write about that but how can he fix the ticket? he didnt know that his insurance was canceled his dad who lives out of state pays. ive read other questions on YA and one said u can take proof of insurance to the clerk before the court date (the judge) and they will disregard the ticket? if the insurance card says that hes covered from 6/30/09-6/30/10 would the clerk check to see if hes paid?""

Has anyone got car insurance with the Cooperative?

what are they like?, good service etc? would you recommend""

""Im 21years old,male with a mazda miata 2001. My auto insurance to too high. where can I get cheaper insurance?""

Im 21years old,male with a mazda miata 2001. My auto insurance to too high. where can I get cheaper insurance?""

Leander Texas Cheap car insurance quotes zip 78641

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/zebra-insurance-quotes-matthew-williamson/"

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blograzorwit · 6 years

Text

Jest A Minute (30/3/2018) from Subroto Mukherjee

Godzilla Ka Baap-------------------------- And I used to think our Mumbai has the worst potholes in the world. The other day in Rome, a pothole in the road swallowed up a whole car! By gosh, what was the size of that pothole? Was it even a pothole -- or a Godzilla-size POT-ZILLA! *** Heaven Help Us!-------------------------- An old Chinese space station named Heavenly Palace is falling and will crash on earth. But no one is quite sure exactly when and where. In other words, Heaven only knows when Heavenly Palace will land -- and on whose head! *** Walking Is Good For Us--------------------------------- Hasin Jahan was advised by her doctor to walk. Walking, she was told, is relaxing and good for our health and well-being. And she admitted that yes, it was true that, after all her marital trauma, walking made her feel good. In fact, she said she felt great after walking away from her hubby! *** Wedding Bells Before Hell?--------------------------------------- Vijay Mallya is wedding his long-time air-hostess girlfriend, Pinky Lalwani. Sounds like a nice plan to me. Yeah, if you ask me, best to get married before heading for the sasural -- which is of course slang for prison! *** Is Amit Shah-ji enjoying too much OILY foods these days? The way his tongue SLIPPED during a recent speech, he had the opposition rolling on the floor with guffaws! *** Not Patriotic?--------------------- Those poor Oz cricketers and their ball-tampering antics with sandpaper -- OK, listen, whatever they were doing, THEY WERE DOING IT FOR THEIR COUNTRY! They were doing something patriotic! No? But too bad, too bad that their own country did them in! *** What the Hic?--------------------- What makes Rani Mukherji TICK? She can make a film CLICK with a role in which she goes HIC HIC HIC . . . ! *** Sky Is the Limit------------------------ Believe it or not, a mere cup of tea costs Rs 135 and a mere cup of coffee costs Rs 180 at the Chennai airport! Hey, hell of an airport where it's not only the aircraft that rise to the sky. So do the prices in its coffee shop. *** To be quite frank, I'd never be able to afford the beverages there. Because -- hey, I might enjoy CHAMPAGNE TASTE but I am handicapped by a STREET BUDGET. *** Counting One's Blessings------------------------------------- Lalu-ji gets 14 years in jail for his Fodder Scams! Well, at least now he can spend the time pleasurably behind bars -- counting and re-counting all the moolah he made from the scams. *** Hottie---------- Justin Bieber was seen in the intimate company of a curvy swimsuit model -- a real hottie. He promptly nicknamed her Mumbai. Oh, why so? Why name her Mumbai? Because he recalled his last visit to our city and PHEW, man, was it hot here! Same as her -- HOT HOT HOT! *** Pocket Spy------------------ Face it, your smartphone is like a satellite spy in your pocket, tracking you every second of your life, aware of everything you do, every move you make -- however intimate or private! Let me tell you, if super-spy James Bond were for real and around today, he'd be down on his knees, wringing his hands, begging, pleading with a smartphone : "Oh, please, please, little master, teach me all your tricks!" *** WHAT? Facebook is stealing our data? Hey, as far as I am concerned, no sweat. I post only jokes on Facebook. So if they steal my jokes -- the laugh is on them! *** Frankly I see a lot of 'rubbish' on Facebook. So if they are stealing 'rubbish' -- then, hey, it's a bigger joke is on them! *** Senior Citizen Farmers-------------------------------- Farmers of our Maha State recently marched into town and laid siege to the Mantralaya in order to demand certain rightful benefits. Well, to get get these benefits, they had to fill in senior citizens forms. Yeah, even the youngest farmers had to do so. Because, you see, by the time they actually get the benefits, they are quite likely to become senior citizens! *** What Happened?------------------------- Hillary-ji was in Mumbai to promote her book about why she lost to Trump-ji in the presidential election. The title of the book is What Happened? Hey, you need a whole book to BORE us on what happened when it could be summed up in two words? Yes, just two words : PUTIN HAPPENED! Putin-ji happened and poor Hillary-ji didn't even know what hit her! *** Prominent Figures----------------------------- Did Trump at one time date the likes of adult film starlets and Playboy Bunnies? NO! Come on, give that great guy some credit. But, hey, given the figures of those ladies, he did date some PROMINENT figures. *** Passing Gas-------------------- Great Britain claims Putin's agents used NERVE GAS in the heart of the UK. Oh my, where did Putin get the NERVE to do so! On the other hand, what about the clever Brits? So far, they have NOT been able to produce an iota of proof or a shred of evidence to back up their charges. All the Brits have been doing is PASSING GAS! *** Modern Kurukshetra----------------------------- In a recent speech, Rahul-ji compared the BJP to the Kauravas and the Congress to the Pandavas. I hope he knows what he is talking about. After all, at the very end of the Mahabharat, no one survived the Kurukshetra. All perished. Even the Pandavas found themselves dead and alone on the highway to the Hereafter. Only a stray dog took pity on them and gave them company on that final journey. Hey, if it comes to our politicos today, I wonder whether even a stray dog would care to accompany these self-serving opportunists anywhere! *** In the general elections next year, most opposition parties will ally together to take on the mighty BJP. Hey, even if they win and defeat the BJP, the moot question remains, will anything change for the better for us poor citizens? I doubt it. After all, as the joke goes, how many politicos does it take to change a light bulb? NONE! Forget electric bulbs, our politicos CANNOT change anything! *** OK, who will you vote for in the crucial next general election? Me? I will vote for no one. For medical reasons. I will vote for none on the grounds of my ill health.By that, I of course mean I am SICK of our politicos! *** Grand Celebs-------------------- If you recall, Rhea Pillai and Leander Paes did have a GRAND wedding. But now to all looks and appearances, they are headed for a GRAND divorce. I mean, who knows, it could be a million GRAND in alimony! *** Hey, for a champ who really knows how to swing the raquet on the tennis court, Leander has aptly raised quite a 'raquet' in this unfolding court drama. *** Run For Your Life------------------------ Recently a leopard popped up in a Mumbai suburb and the locals ran every which way. So there you are. As health experts say so rightly, running is good for your health -- yeah, especially if you can OUT-RUN wild leopards! *** Master of the Universe---------------------------------- Stephen Hawkings was an authority on Black Holes. But on his one and only visit to Mumbai in the past, even that great scientist was puzzled by the mysterious appearance and growth of black holes (potholes) in our roads! Oh, by the way, long before Elon Musk's sports car rocketed into space to roam the universe, Stephen Hawkings did something far more spectacular -- he trawled the universe including its mysterious Black Holes -- SITTING IN HIS WHEEL-CHAR! *** Jumping Jerk?---------------------- There's a star who used to be called Jumping Jack. Now, if we are to believe his cousin, Jumping Jack once acted like a Jumping Jerk --and jumped into this cousin's bed UNINVITED! *** Really Losing It-------------------------- Our Maha government is -- hold your breath -- a staggering 15,376 crores in debt! So no funds to feed the state's undernourished children in rural areas. No funds to ease the distress of its farmers. No finds for anything worthwhile. But this very Maha government has plans up splurge a whopping 23,000 crores on a useless giant statue out at sea which will benefit none! My simple question is, have they lost their MENTAL BALANCE after losing their BANK BALANCE? *** Shaken-------------- Sonia-ji threw a party that was attended by no less than 20 like-minded political parties. Like-minded because they all like the idea of a grand alliance against the BJP. But you know what? We, the voters of India, don't like that. In fact, we hate that. Given our past experience with coalition governments, we can only foresee a grand disaster : smiling allies shaking hands with one another to begin with -- only to end up shaking one another by the throat and leaving us shaking our heads in frustration! *** Not A Cooked-up Story, OK?------------------------------------- Putin says his grand-dad served as cook to both Lenin and Stalin. Let me guess. When the cooking pleased Lenin, he gave the cook full Marx. On the other hand, when Stalin hated a dish, he turned into SNARL MARX! ***

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