Nuttyhatter - Only Nutts

Power doesn’t corrupt, it reveals. Give someone the ability to be who they’ve always wanted, and you’ll discover who they’ve always wanted to be.

I had a thought: What if Eileen had been just as bad as Tobias?

Snape hated muggles mainly because of his father, and I'm gessing that his love for his mother aided his idealisation of the wizarding world. Maybe she was good, or perhaps neglectful, point is, she wasn't as bad in comparison to her husband, which probably made her good in Severus' eyes.

But what if she was just as bad?

Would Severus hate pure wizards too, then?

Main reason he chose Slytherin was his mother too, so he probably wouldn't have cared in which house he ended, or perhaps he, like Sirius, would have hated that house.

I think he still would have been interested in dark magic, but I don't think the others in Slytherin would been able to get to him so easily, even if he ended in that house again.

I can actually imagine him remainig neutral to spite everyone or helping the Order because Lily was a part of it.

Also, I belive the marauders would have ignored him in favor of some other Slytherin.

I can picture the scene in the train, with James asking him which house he wanted to go to, and Severus merely shrugging in response, maybe suggesting Ravenclaw as a probable ending.

From there, James and Sirius probably wouldn't care about him, and when Lily ended in Gryffindor, well, the lions and the eagles tend to get along alright.

And this Severus doesn't like girls, simply because I say so. But even if he did, I don't find much logic in him falling for Lily. There is a moment in friendship when you simply know the other person a little too well to fall for them. And that is something that would have to be practically beaten into James skull, but they would get there... eventually.

And maybe Voldemort would actually try to recruit Severus, but I don't see that succeeding.

The lake prank and the werewolf incident wouldn't happen either.

So... I'm probably looking to closely into this and twisting it a little too much, but think about it for a second: If he can't see how both worlds have good, then maybe he can see how there is just as much bad in one as there is in the other.

Is there a Percy Jackson fic where he doesn't care about the Olympians?

Basically everything is the same, at least at the beginning (and also because I read the books a long time ago and with the serie, the first one is the one I remember best), but instead of being angsty about his dad he just doesn't have a place in his mind for him.

Before, when he was a little kid, he wondered about his dad. Then, time passed and he was alone with his mom and things where good. He didn't really mind it being only the two of them, he kinda liked it.

Then, Gabe came in and he realised how much he missed the times when it was just him and his mom.

He saw other children with their fathers or heard the way they talked about them, and with some it was good, tough it was pretty much the same as it was for him with his mom. He could think, then, that having more of that would be good.

Then he heard others talking about their ever-working dads or their angry-dads and thought that, perhaps, he was better just with his mom, because now there was also Gabe, and what if angry-dads were like angry-Gabes?

So he tried to endure the torment that was Gabe's presence and enjoy what he could of his mom. They would go to the beach, cook blue cookies, fool around. Maybe watch a movie or read. Greek mythology, mainly.

These gods were crazy. And easily angered. And unfair. They didn't seem to care all that much about mortals either. Not even if they worshipped them or if they were related.

So, years later, Percy finds himself in camp-halfblood. He loses his mom, finds out his dad is a god and meets Chiron and Mr. D.

Mr. D is the first god he meets in person. Not very reasuring.

Then he goes around camp, being able to compare the different cabins. Hermes' is cramped. He meets Luke. He finds out about Thalia.

What other conclussion could he reach other than: "The Gods really don't care, huh?"

But then again, neither does he, when he thinks about it. Not really.

But the Olympians are dangerous when they get angry (and sometimes even when they aren't), so he resolves to play nice and do what he is told. He's always tried to keep himself out of troubles, he just hardly ever succeded. But now, knowing that there was a reason (mostly) for him always standing out in the worst way, he could try to stay under the radar.

And then he is claimed, accused of theft and sent on a quest.

Percy, Grover and Annabeth encounter the furies, and Percy thinks he doesn't want Hades as an enemy. He hopes he can get his mom back without things going sideways, but that seems more unlikely by the second. He doesn't really care that much about it.

And the bolt, right. Well... Annabeth can remember that.

Then there is Medusa. She was after him because of his father and after Annabeth because of her mother.

Percy wonders how many monsters are out for his blood because of his father.

There is another thought on the back of his mind, and he refuses to let it escape. But he can't help himself sometimes. The thought can benseen as twisted, but it could always be becuase, were he to fail, would he also be turned into a monster, cursed to forever to hunt those who were supposed to be his own kind.

They sever Medusa's head, but instead of sending it to Olympus, Percy covers her eyes and stuffs it in a bagpack, remembering the story of the first Perseus.

They find Equidna. The head comes in handy.

He meets Ares. The war-god doesn't remind him of Clarisse all that much. Kind of a jerk, but not as bad as Gabe's pocker buddies. Definitely better than the asshole himself (the bar is so low...)

Ares tries to make him angry the same way Aphrodite would lure in any other.

Gods, unlike what you'd think, can't truly create mortal's emotions. Not by themselves, at least. If they could, Eros wouldn't need his bow.

Gods, with nothing else to aid them, can enhance existing emotions. Ares would usually take people's anger or annoyance and multiply it.

But this dumb kid has none. No anger, no mild annoyance or even a little grudge that he could direct at himself. Not because of him being Ares, the war-god, not for being Clarisse's father or even an Olympian like Posseidon. There was nothing to work with. So he tried being a jerk, but it still didn't work.

Ares offered his side-quest and felt in the kid the desire to refuse. But it was put down before he could exploit it.

The quest was fulfilled and after giving the kids some useful stuff and planting the bolt on them, Ares recived a polite thanks from the kids and saw them go on that truck.

Percy, contrary to popular belief, knew perfectly well how to be polite and well manered. Actually, he was an expert. How many times do you think he had to swallow his tongue, his pride and thoughts just to save himself from detention, expulsion or a beating? No, this boy knew very well the rules of the game, especialy with adults. When an adult has power over you, you play nice. He knew that kind of people would never like him, and the feeling was mutual, but if he was polite enough, if he behaved, they would leave him alone, they would ignore him and he them. All would be ok.

Ares didn't get how a kid, a teenager at that, could simply have no anger. He knew half-bloods, he's felt their wrath. They all resent their parents, so what was different this time?

They get trough the Cassino and make it to the underworld. Caron is easily bribed and they get on the boat.

They all nearly fall to Tartarus. Then, they find the bolt.

Percy goes to Hades. He kneels and gives a polite greating. Hades tells him about capturing his mom, then asks for his helm. Percy doesn't have it, but says he knows where it is and asks for the opportunity to retrive it. After the young demigos swearsnon the Stix, Hades himself send them all out of the underworld. The bolt is never mentioned.

Percy is forced to leave his mother behind and then fight Ares for the helm and the bolt.

There are no jokes or taunts, just a fight. At the end, before Ares could curse him, Percy kneels and asks for forgiveness.

After winning, Percy could only thing about the consequences of what he'd done. He thought about Annabeth and Grover, who had come with him and would surely receive part of whatever the war-god sent his way, just for being there. And he thought about his mother, who Hades had taken away, who he couldn't save yet, because he had to prioritize the bolt to prevent a war. His mother, who had suffered a life with Gabe for Percy's sake, and who would surely be targeted, as the person Percy most loved, if the myths had anything of truth (which they apparently did).

Ares didn't really get it. Forgiveness for what? The kid hadn't cheated. As much as he didn't want to admit it, the fight had been fair. So he asked.

"For offending you."

Responded the kid, still not looking at the other in the eyes. Ares didn't really answer. That behavior wasn't normal. It was, admittedly, what he wanted. But it wasn't normal.

Ares left. The helm fell to the floor where he had stood.

Alecto, who had witnessed the fight, recived the helm to deliver. No threats, but a short look of understanding.

The trio then boarded a plain and went to New York. Annabeth and Grover went to camp. Percy, to the Empire State.

Tired and quite done with life, he sassed the guy at reception into letting him pass.

He walked his way into Olympus and reached the throne room where he found Zeus and Posseidon.

He knelt at the entrance, greeting both men at the same time, no difference. There were no complains about it.

Percy gives the bolt back and says what happened at the entrance of Tartarus. Then he tells them about Ares' involvement. His concerns are brushed aside and he doesn't push. He knows better. Besides, if things turned out bad, they would realize eventually and noone would be able to blame him for letting out something important.

Percy is dismissed. He kneels before turning to leave. He is called by Posseidon, so he turns once again. The god turned human size before Percy's eyes and walked until he was standing in front of the boy.

When Posseidon said he was sorry Percy was born, the boy felt offended, but not truly hurt. A part of him wanted to say: "Yeah, you fucked up." He obviously refrained. When Posseidon said that he was proud, when he talks about Sally being a queen amongst mortals, Percy refrained a disdainful scowl. He wasn't angry at the god, but he was exausted, and scared, and worried about his mother, and he didn't feel like listening to this stranger saying things that only friends and family should say. But Percy knew better than to anger strong people, so he smiled and nodded, unable to pretend and do more, but refusing to give anyone reason to punish him. When he was finally dismissed, he had to do his best to control his steps and not run to the elevator.

He goes home to his mother. Medusas' head is still on his pack. A very ugly statue is on the market by the end of the day.

Back at camp, is already nigth and Percy goes out to the forest with Luke.

When the blond tells him he is leaving, Percy says he understands. When Luke tells him to go with him, Percy refuses.

Luke asks him why, when the Olympians aren't worth it.

Then, where the blond expects refusal and denial, Luke recives a tired laugh. Percy is very aware of that, but he'd rather keep himself out of trouble. The gods are too powerful, and powerful people can be dangerous, especially if they consider you little more than pets.

Still, he wouldn't leave. Leaving would mean abandoning his mom, and he would never leave his only family for anything in the world.

When Luke reveals his crimes, Percy tries to reason with him.

"What do you think Chronos will do with us once he doesn't need us anymore?"

But Luke was already completely blinded by fake promises.

Percy is poisoned. He passes out and wakes up in the infirmary.

Summer ends and he goes back to his mom, a whole new word to fight for and against.

------------------------------------------------------

Now, I like when Percy sasses the gods and is on good terms with them, but what about him being afraid and wary of them?

I want Percy to keep the Olympians at arm's length while they try to get closer. I want all the Olympians to deal with the rejection and emotional hurt they inflicted on each of their children, ok? Ok.

My moot on twt posted this...

I'm not okay :(

So this is my first attempt at a Rec list! It is WinterIron and I think I’ve got a decent mix of short and long fics, fluff and angst, sad and happy. Please bear (Bare?) with me if the formatting on this list is weird, this is my first time posting anything like this. A lot is under the cut so I don't clog peoples feeds.

Truth Serum Doesn't Discriminate

 By: SummerRoses0612

Word Count:   8,809

Great if you like emotionally dense and harder topic fics. MIND THE TAGS!!!!!

The Avengers have never been a family, no matter what they advertise to the world. What happens when the truth isn't anything like it seems? Or The one where Tony Stark gets drugged with truth serum and the Avengers realize they never even cared to look behind the masks the engineer wore.

Talk Dirty To Me

Finely Honed (jaqen_hgar)

Word Count:  2,255

Such a fun fic! its lighthearted but not so far into crack that you can’t take it seriously 

Imagine Bucky is smitten with Tony at first sight but Tony's not single. Bucky copes by telling Natasha about all the dirty things he wants to do to Tony in Russian. After Tony's dumped, Bucky still talks about him in Russian only now it's half dirty and half romantic. Natasha finally gets fed up with the morons and says something to Tony in Russian, who replies back (in front of Bucky), because oops, he's fluent and understood all the conversations before. AND Bucky and Natasha talking in Russian about how much Bucky loooves Tony without realizing that Tony speaks Russian as well. Being the kind of person he was now, Bucky had crossed happy endings, fairness, and a whole mess of other things off of his list of beliefs since HYDRA got their hooks in him. Shoving the disappointment down wasn’t even that hard. He’d had plenty of practice. It was just… “What a shame,” he sighed in Russian as Tony walked past, giving them a wave over his shoulder as he headed into the kitchen. “The things I would do to that ass.”

speak my language

imposterhuman

Word Count:  2,181

I’ve got a thing for polygot Tony fics and you can strip that out of my cold dead hands lol. Also oblivious Buck is always a plus

5 times tony pretended not to understand bucky + 1 time bucky realized it ft. pining in foreign languages

Cuddle Duty

Finely Honed (jaqen_hgar)

Word Count:  3,126

This is so fluffy and full of pining but not angsty enough to be a hard read! Such a good quick feel good fic to read!

Sleep-deprived Tony is a cuddle monster that glomps onto the first person he finds. Bucky has a crush on Tony and tries to always make sure he is the first person sleep-deprived Tony finds, thinking a cuddle session is the only time he'll get to have the genius in his arms. The one thing no one had felt the need to warn him about was also the only thing for which he’d have actually appreciated a heads up. Tony liked to cuddle. Looking at him, you wouldn’t have pegged him as the cuddly type. Nothing about him looked cuddly. He wouldn’t let people hand him stuff, even with his improved mood he hung back half the time, as if he wasn’t part of the team. The other half he got so in your face some of them might have missed the hanging back. Nothing prepared him for the sight of a zombie-like Tony staggering into the common area and latching onto Clint (of all people!) like a limpet.

Bad Days

NotEvenCloseToStraight

Word Count:  1,975

This is so cute and I love fics that personify the Winter Soldier as dfferent fRom Bucky.

Prompt: Bucky likes Tony, but is too scared to tell him. What he doesn't know is that every time he has a "winter soldier" moment, he is constantly protecting tony and not letting anyone near him, so tony already knows that Bucky likes him ("genius, remember?"). Bucky finally gets up the courage to talk to Tony, only for Tony to tell him what's been going on and he's been waiting for Bucky to be comfortable enough to actually tell him. Happy ending! I've been on a winter soldier binge (thanks to the alpha WS you did!!) and I just love the thought of Ws being triggered in the tower and while everyone is creating a perimeter etc Tony walks in sleep deprived and due to how adorable he looks Ws aggressively cuddles and protects this sleepy cuteness! ******** A quick fic of Tony enjoying how beefy Bucky is ********* Bucky panicking bc he can feel the WS creeping in & the team being shocked at how the WS in basically in love with Tony & how he is protective of him

Four Strings and Second Chances

Vashoth

Word Count:  35,439

This is legitimately one of the best WinterIron fics I’ve ever read and I want the entirety of it engraved on my gravestone lol

It was reluctance to let one of his finest inventions ever out of his grasp that made him take a couple days over a week to send the arm to Pepper’s office. But all things considered, Tony figured that sending finest prosthetic that had ever come into existence--literally grasping an olive branch--was one of the classiest gifts he’d ever given. He’d included a note and everything. ‘Barnes, Can help with installation. Or not. Up to you. --Stark'

Such Sweet Revenge

ali_aliska

Word Count:  167,714

I think this might be the best fic I’ve read to date to be honest with you. Its so so good!

When the Rogues are back in the States after being pardoned, the New Avengers want nothing to do with them and as far as Tony is concerned, if he never speaks to them again, it'll be too soon. After all, he didn't spend the last year putting himself (and his family) back together only for his former co-workers to ruin all of his hard work. But then he gets a hand-written letter from the Winter Soldier himself, apologizing for the events that transpired and an off-handed comment from Rhodey about Rogers failing to take care of an obviously miserable Bucky Barnes sets in motion Tony's new, oh-so-evil plan to get some payback. After all, what better revenge than to steal the Winter Soldier away from his best friend? The only problem: Tony sucks at being vengeful, but apparently he's an expert at inadvertently falling in love.

So that’s It for now. Make sure to leave your authors Kudos and comments! If anyone has any pairings they want to see, suggestions on improving formatting, or anything else let me know. :) Until Next Time, Fynn.

I saw a propt on insta and now this happpened

Ok, so I was scrolling on insta the other day and found this prompt about an autor who got sick or hurt or something and was about to d¡e.

Thing is that the characters on their book try to save them and the one who is more eager to help is the villain.

Now, that's great, but then my fanfiction-addict arse started to think.

AU. Modern Era. Harry Potter. With Severus Snape as the autor and Tom M. Riddle as the villain and them completly ooc.

Then everything kinda went crazy.

I imagined a scene were Sev wakes up in his hospital room, maybe in the middle of the freaking night and sees this person there, but like, he cannot make them out until they get closer and when they do he recognises Riddle asap.

Then, they both start talking. You know, the old, what are you doing here? How are you here?

Then Tom explains that he was the only one who got to this world, the others were probably still trying, but...

Point is, if Sev faded, so would the word he was creating. That would be until he finished the story.

Then maybe Tom tries to convince/threatens Severus so he would give him a good ending.

Severus says no and Tom kinda blows up.

Sev dosn't really react to the outburst, he knows this time is more bark than bite.

Tom pretty much plummets in the chair next to the bed and Sev explains to him that even though the story still lacked an epiloge, the last chapter was already sent to the editor and was pretty much irreversibly part of the saga.

There is silence, of course. Sev really needs to process the madness that is all that. Tom needs to come to terms with the fact that he is basically doomed.

Tom is the first one to speak.

"Can I at least know what will happen?" He sort of demands-pleads.

Severus answers with a sigh.

"I can tell you that the chapter ends with your plans ruined and you being taken by the aurors."

"Typical" the villain scoffs.

Severus chuckles, unable to stop himself and quite unconcerned about it.

Tom sighs. Then thinks about something else that has been nagging his brain for the past couple of weeks he has been there.

"Who am I here?" He blurts out of the blue, for Severus, at least.

"What do you mean?"

"Every person that is related somehow to you in this word is nearly a copy of someone in my world," he explains. "Sans me, apparently."

"Oh, that," Severus smiles. "No, you won't find anyone like you here. All the main characters in your home are based on people I know except you. You are the only one I fully created."

Tom opens his mout to reply but finds himself nearly speechless, not so much for what he was told, but because of the apparent warmth he was being addresed with.

Severus then frowned and pursed his lips. A painful grimace takes over hia face as realisation hits him. He closes his eyes and breathes deeply before looking at the man in front of him.

"I'm so sorry, Riddle."

Tom blinks before getting back his wits and replying with the most nonchalance he could muster. "It's not your fault you cannot change the end now," he said shrugging as a bonnus.

"Is not that," said the autor. "All the things I put you through without knowing..."

"If it wasn't you, it would've been someone else," replied the other.

"How so?" Now Severus was curious.

"It's complicated..." sighed the villain while leaning on the chair, a hand slightly pulling at his hair in exhaustion.

Getting the hint, Severus just nodded and dorpped the topic.

"And who are you? In the story, I mean..." asked Tom then.

"Oh! I'm Tobias Snape."

"The potion profesor?" inquired Tom with a frown. Both eyebrows arched at the answering nod. "You don't look like him."

"I guess not," chuckled the other.

"You don't act like him either," stated the man sitting on a chair, watching as the autor downrigth laughed at his last comment.

Then the man smiled sadly as he explained. "I guess the way I wrote the people in the book are the way I percieve the people in here."

The pause after that was tense and Tom could not help himself.

"Shit! You need therapy!"

Tom actually cringed at what he said and the expression on the other man's face. That until Severus burst out in damn giggles.

"I knew you were blunt, but...!" he tried to say beetwen chuckles.

"And who's to blame, huh?" replied the other, failing in supressing a smile.

"Who else have you met?" asked Severus suddenly.

Upon looking at him, Tom reached the insane conclussion that Prince was not worried, he just wanted to know.

"I think I met pretty much everyone." Whatever face he made after speaking must have betrayed his thoughts, if Princes' wince was to be considered. He shrugged before replying, reminding himself in his head that this person definitly knew what an asshole he could be. "Honestly, Lily is way more pleasant in my world. James and Sirius though...," he didn't try to hide the disdain in his voice. "I have never met someone so unpleasent, and that is saying something! You went too easy on them!" By that point, Severus was chuckling again.

Like this they spent hours, comparing people and stories of their worlds.

It was a bit outputting meeting someone for the first time with that person already aware of every little detail of your life. Even more so when said person did not run away.

Eventually, they didn't have anything else to talk about, and Tom still had to go back to his world. Severus could read it in his eyes, the moment Tom was readying himself to go, to give him some parting words before leaving.

"What if...?" Asked Severus suddenly. He licked his lips, overly conscious of the attention Tom was giving him. "What if I could give you a way out?"

"But you said you can't change the story," replied Tom, confused.

"I also said that the epiloge is still unfinished." Severus started tangling his fingers on the blancket draped around him, nerviously trying to think of anything that could-. His face lit up with a smile. "I cannot make you win, but I can make you scape."

Tom clenched one fist, hope swelling in his chest while he tried to keep it down.

"There is nowhere for me to go, Prince."

"Call me, Severus," blurted out the other without thinking while reaching for the notebook and pen on the bedside table oposite where Tom was sitting. "And you are rigth, there's nowhere in your world you can go, that's why you will start anew in whatever world you choose."

Tom's mind was spinning. He had already accepted the fact that he was done. Now he may had a way out, but it felt surreal, too easy. Heck! He didn't even had that much hope before reaching the building they where in. Besides... "I could only make it here because you were about to pass!"

"I can make another way. You know I can," said Severus, frantically scribling with his pen. "A portal that will take you wherever you wish to go, where noone will ever be able to follow..."

Tom tried and failed in speaking a couple of times.

"Prin- Severus," amended, remembering the other's words a while ago. "Why are you doing this?"

Severus finally left his notes in favor of the man sitting next to him. The dejected and confused expression he found told him more than anyone could belive.

Riddle was not expecting to be helped. He probably never did.

Of course he never did! Severus was well aware of the reason- of the reasons Riddle had to not trust him or anyone else, really.

Severus smiled warmly at Tom. "Did you know you were always one of my favorites?"

Tom watched unable to reply, as Severus' hand tangled briefly in his hair (too briefly).

That's how, in the end of the story, Tom was able to open a portal to a world unknown to any other person in his. Noone knew how he did it and the reserch was lost forever, a last tiny victory for the nearly convict.

Severus stayed a week to be checked. His 'magical' recovery was on every news you'd find.

When the time to leave came, the nurse told him about his family in the lobby.

Lily must have gotten out of work early.

Walking to meet her, he was disconcerted by the lack of red hair in his view.

He looked around, willing the universe to free him of the posibility of Lupin being the person offering him a ride home.

"Ready to go?" asked a voice behind his back.

He turned so fast that the world lost focus for a second before he met the eyes of the man leaning agaist the wall, already carring a bag with severus' belongings.

"Riddle?" he whispered desbelieving.

"Call me Tom," answered the other with a half smile.

Severus huffed a laugh while aproaching him, leaning in to retrive his bag. The other swung it over his shoulder and out of his reach, walking towards the exit so the autor would follow.

"Don't think that I'm not happy to see you," started Severus. "But why are you in this world again?"

They made it to a car. Tom retrieved the car's key from his pocket and Severus chose to adress that later.

"You tell me," snarked the ex-villian while putting Severus bag on the back of the car.

"I wrote for you to go wherever you wanted to go," Severus tried to explain and understand himself.

Tom only hummed blandly and opened the door of the car for Severus to get in.

He then walked around the car and got in himself, settling in the driver's sit and igniting the engine.

"I wanted you to start again where you cuold enjoy your life... wher you could be-" he cut himself, feeling sad all of a sudden. Did he fail Tom?

"I know," Tom interrumped his depressing thoughts.

Severus looked at him, only to be met with a small, yet warm smile.

They got to a red ligth and the car stopped. Tom reached out and, hesitanly interlaced his fingers with Severus'.

Marveling at the sight that were their hands togethet, Severus was finally hit with realisation.

He looked at Tom and smiled openly at him.

The light changed to green and Tom let go of Severus while asking for directions. They had to get home.

What do you think would have happened if Sally Jackson had decided to stand her ground and Defend Percy instead of using Gabe’s “foul mortal stench” to hide him. Like, Sally’s clear sighted (and if she isn’t I am 100% Certain she Would teach herself through whatever means necessary), she’d see the monsters coming. I think she would buy any scrap of Celestial Bronze she could get her hands on, teach herself various forms of martial arts and self-defense. She would plant cat mint in every window, because cats are also naturally Clear Sighted and Also suspicious as hell of monsters; the second any of the Neighborhood strays puff up and start growling Sally knows something is poking around where it shouldn’t be. And she gets Good at it. Like, Really Good.

And let’s say, one day, she finds three young half-bloods and an exhausted Satyr hiding in a dumpster, trying to escape a nearsighted Cyclops digging through the dumpster right next to theirs. Sally MamaBear Jackson is Not going to take that lying down. So, she gouges out the Cyclops’ eye and sends it packing, and leads these three little babies and their guardian protector up to her apartment. She lets them shower all that Dumpster Stank off, and the weeks of rough-living as they try to make their way down the coast. The two girls (whom she later learns are named Annabeth and Thalia) sleep on the pullout bed couch in the living room, and the boy (his name his Luke, and he’s So Protective if his little family) sleeps in Percy’s room on an old air matress Sally digs out of the closet. The Satyr (his name is Grover and he is So Tired, and Sally is Righteously Pissed that this Child has been sent out to take care of yet more children) sleeps curled up in the recliner after assuring Sally multiple times that he’s perfectly comfortable. The next morning Sally has a whole smorgasbord of breakfast foods ready, and these exhausted-relieved-Finally Hopeful-runaways descend upon it like a plague of locusts. Slowly, achingly slowly, they tell their story; how Annabeth is ignored by her father and downright neglected by her stepmom, how Thalia’s baby brother was Stolen from her just because he wasn’t Greek like here, how Luke’s mom doesn’t even recognize him anymore, how they are Desperate to get to Camp Halfblood: the last known safe-haven for Demigods like them. And Sally will Not Stand For This. So, she promises, on the River Styx to see them safely to Camp. And she gets them there.

And while her son, and his new friends, are tucked safely away at Camp Sally takes a jaunty little stroll on up to Olympus and absolutely REAMS these Olympians for how they treat their own children. All of them. Zeus tries to roll for intimidation and Sally laughs in his face, and she describes how she has dispatched Every. Single. Monster. That Dared to show its face on her doorstep. And she will NOT let another Monster disguised as a god mistreat these poor children any longer. Things are going to Change on Mount Olympus, or Sally Jackson herself will rip the Home of The Gods apart with her own bare hands. Don’t test her.

After that, Sally’s home becomes a safe-haven in its own right. The last boon for Demigods headed to Camp Halfblood. Where they are greeted with a smile and a warm hug, a plate full of food, and a warm bed to sleep in before the final leg of their journey.

Soulmates au,, Tom tries to kill his soulmate but his soulmate is suicidal so every time Tom get close to kill him, Sev would smirk and Tom's urge to kill him would disappear because Sev seems happy and he doesn't want him to be, and Sev would scowl at him for not killing him and it would be Tom's turn to smirk. Like Severus would constantly try to anger him and mock him for their soulmate bond and Tom would fall for it for a sec but then be like "oh no darling, you're stuck with me. This punishment is worse for you than it is for me."

Everyone knows the movie Megamind, right?

I liked the trope of goofy villain who was not, in fact, good at being bad. Then he falls in love with someone and chooses to stop trying to be bad.

I also say "trying" because what the movie showed us that Megamind wasn't, in fact, bad. He was "given" that role and when he realised he couldn't escape it, he embraced it.

But what if that trope was done more seriously?

I'm not talking about Megamind specifically. It could be used for any original story or ff, but it could work.

One where a villain, and I'm talking about a real villain, one that has done some serious shit, meets someone new.

Or maybe a new group of people. This could work as a romantic trope, found family or both.

And this person or people they meet is/are... a bit strange maybe. They are not evil, not even bad, but they have an odd moral standing. They are good with some people, with those they care about, maybe they are even involved in some charities, not even to commit fraud, but because they genuinely want to help.

But they also understand that sometimes, people do awful shit, sometimes a person is forced to act and do horrible things. Sometimes people choose to step over some heads in order to reach some goal. And it is... It's not "ok", but they get it and keep on living.

And sometimes, when they feel cornered and/or with no option, they are also willing to crush some skulls themselves.

And when this villain starts hanging out with them, they start finding things they have in common and start enjoing their time togheter. Inadvertently, villain starts remembering what it was like before, how he felt, how he acted, the things that mattered before, his main, true goal and the actual reason villain is doing all he's doing, the reason they've done everything they've done.

They also find out that this new person (or people) get it too. Maybe they won't help, or maybe they will, but that's not what's important.

And without realising, villain starts relaxing around who they've met. They start talking more, they start laughing and smiling and acting more goofy.

They don't change. They still are who they are and still act the way they've always have. But, when they are with that someone, they are happier, and when they are asked to stay for lunch they do so knowing that it's ok, they are welcome, there's no ulterior motive, they are safe. When they are taken to a party or a birthday they have fun. And everyone there knows who they are and what they do. Half of them think it's justified, the other half doesn't care. And when they are asked to help with some cause, they don't mind. It's always fun when that person is around (besides, who wouldn't want to play with the pups on the animal shelter).

They are still a villain, though some people have started labeling them as a "renegade", a "rogue" or his least favorite "anti-hero". They are not. They're still a villain, they just have little... moments, reserved for a select few.

Those few keep them centered, they help villain to remember their goal and prevent them from falling pray to a futile seek for power or control. They are a villain, they just have their priorities clear.

And on the day to day, what if they started smiling more? What if they remember to thank the cashier or the waitress in a cafe? They know what it's like to work serving people who treat you like another piece of furniture in the restaurant. What if they, sometimes, give some spare change to a homless person on the street, or if they donate some old clothes from time to time? They've got no use for them.

They are a villain. Some even would say THE villain. They are not good. They just... know how it feels when you are tired or feel a bit... helpless.

They forgot, for a long time. But they remember now. They were reminded.

It's not sympathy and definitely not empathy, obviously. What are you even saying?

They are bad, ruthless, cruel...

But sometimes they remember how it was before for them and just for a moment they simply... forget that they are bad. It's nothing important.

And if it makes them just a little warm, a little content and maybe... proud, when they do it; when they see the other smile at them for being able to share whatever this is; when they make a small difference for someone they don't even know, well... That's noone business.

A concept I really like (aside from this ship) is the idea that purebloods are so used to magic that they have no imagination whatsoever. That is the other reason they seem stuck in time. It's not just that magic and technology don't mix well, but they have so little imagination, such a narrow-minded mentality, that they are shit at coming up with new inventions. They don't change. No new moda, no new music or aesthetic. No new spells. They can't picture themselves flying unaided or locking someone else's tongue or muffling themselves for a private conversation. Magic is so common to them that they are blind to the possibilities. But Severus isn't and neither is Tom. And I also like to imagine that Secerus was the one to invent the spell...

The flying boys

That reminds me: what if Severus taught Tom to fly, not vice versa? It is Severus who obsessively comes up with new spells, it is Severus who sees small Lily literally flying "like a trapeze artist through the air", and it is Severus who discovers the Levicorpus spell.

In the UK they are the only ones canonically doing it. Why would Tom otherwise not teach this useful spell to other Death Eaters? That is their date spell, that is why! Miggle-raised kids have a higher chance of coveting it instead of saying "Well, we have brooms and Apparition, what do we need flying for" like wizard-raised kids would.