⧼ sean teale, cis man, he/him / achilles come down by gang of youths + viktor - latin origin meaning 'champion' you were named with the intention that no matter what the situation you're in you'll always come out on top. it's a heavy burden to place on someone's shoulder, and you felt the weight at a very young age. lucky for you you've always shown promise and talent. the sky blessed you with the innate ability to fly across it with ease, to do what many non-magical men can only dream of. it's a blessing and you've taken it with stride. it fills you in ways nothing else seems to do. with a broom and golden in your hand you've become victorious; family - a sacred bond. the reason you exist and the collection of hands that molded you into the man you are now. in an environment where the pull of darkness is like a siren song they are the reason you have not been led astray. the past, the people you've lost have become the guiding light in your life. friends - the family you make. the reason you know that sometimes some bonds are just as strong as the pull of the blood coursing through your veins. blood you would readily spill if those bonds were ever endangered. fiercely loyal to a fault. you'd put your life on the line for anyone that earned a spot within your heart; love - old english, german, latin or ancient greek. to love is to care. filial, platonic or romantic. the latter... for you? unknown. more elusive than a golden snitch. it is something you dream about, to have what so many before you were able to obtain. the path of a victor is lonely it seems. ⧽ ━━ hey, isn’t that VIKTOR KRUM? i read a daily prophet article on them, once ; the THIRTY TWO year old pure blood WIZARD is a DURMSTRANG INSTITUTE alumnus who has gone on to be a WORLD CLASS QUIDDITCH PLAYER & TEMPORARY HOGWARTS CO-COACH. i’ve heard they can be quite LOYAL & HONORABLE, but i don’t know… they came off very CLOSED OFF & SHORT TEMPERED in that interview. it really is hard to know what to believe these days though, isn’t it?
he's an only child and it shows. his parents ( aleksander and stefania krum ) spoiled him quite a bit, but that love also came with very high expectations for viktor. their affection seemed to be a little bit transactional, though i don't believe they did it intentionally and had his best interest at hand... but he realized at a young age that if he got good grades then soon after he would get a new broom, or the toys he'd been eyeing at the store on their last outing. it was sort of a 'win-win' situation but also an incredibly heavy burden. though it was also partially self-imposed. ( he was a little bit too proud to not strive to be the best in everything he was involved in )
he's very much an example of 'only child syndrome' with certain traits ( most of them not good ) though mainly the difficulty to socialize, the inability to share, the perfectionism, introversion, sensitivity to criticism, and as he grew up... the loneliness. which honestly didn't get any better once he started to show some real talent for quidditch, but it seemed like besides his teammates everyone only wanted to get close to him for their five seconds of fame and he honestly hated that.
the fact that he seemed to be a bit of an outlier in durmstrang, a dark arts institute with igor karkaroff as a headmaster during his schooling, also didn't make things any easier. the people he actually trusted were very few, he was able to count them with one hand. his short temper made him very ... use fists first, ask questions later ... so you know, not the best way to make meaningful connections !
then his last year came and we all know how that turned out, but basically: visiting hogwarts ( good ), meeting hermione ( very good ), befriending harry ( also very good ), being selected for the triwizard tournament ( not in his plans but why not ? new experiences and all ), being manipulated like a puppet with the imperius curse by a death eater, forced to torture cedric diggory with the cruciatus curse and then getting stunned and disqualified ? ( 0 / 10 quite frankly very awful, would NOT recommend, still have nightmares about it ).
after that i like to imagine he graduated and started trying to live his best life as a quidditch player then fast forward to fleur's wedding ... someone he ✨ trauma bonded ✨ and kept in contact with ... getting ambushed and attacked by even more death eaters ? click here for his reaction !
feeling that attack a little bit too personal he decided to stay in britain and help the order of the phoenix as much as he could. i don't think he was heavily involved in the second wizarding war, not in the front lines and definitely not nearly as much as he would have wanted to be. but he did provide aid, and a safe heaven to those that needed to get out of britain and had gotten hurt somehow. ( he was a pretty good healer, almost had to be with how accident prone quidditch players are ) but he did his best to help as much as possible. i have more Thoughts here and Possibilities but i still need to unravel them some more. him not being heavily involved also meant he didn't find out about many things until way after the fact ( mainly harry's "death" ) he only stayed until the funeral and then promptly went back to bulgaria to try to keep on living despite everything that happened.
back in bulgaria... home doesn't feel like home anymore. so he dives into his passion full time, not being one too in tune with his emotions he decides to do his utmost to ignore and move on. and it does work for a few years at least, but the universe has a funny way of repeating events and he gets word of what's happening again. and so he takes a "break" from his quidditch career and contacts professor mcgonagall for a position as a temporary co-coach... though his intention is more being involved, actually helping this time and hopefully protecting those he holds dear.
* 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘: continued from this / closed starter for @lionsroarrs !
in hindsight, it would have probably been a better idea to NOT distract the man that was about to walk over icy pavement... unfortunately, viktor rarely thinks ahead and he has to be the unwilling witness of quite a nasty fall ( he would know since he's taken many throughout his life ). "are you ok? that looked... painful." he says with a small grimace, though he does think it's probably a good sign that he can stand at least. "been a while?" head tilts to one side, for a moment unsure as he looks the other male over.
it does take him a moment to recognize him, which is TOTALLY on him. he's not very good at remembering faces, after all. "oh! ron weasley, right? harry and hermione's friend..." his demeanor turns more welcoming, less of the usual deadpan expression, now that he knows he's not dealing with a total stranger. "it's been a long time, yeah..." feels more like a lifetime ago. "been doing well, actually. enjoying a break. what about you?"
* 𝐈𝐍𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘: ❝ i may or may not have gotten tangled up in the tinsel. ❞ / closed starter for @danc3away !
* 𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: i have no idea<3 anywhere at all with christmas decorations.
"⸻ mmm, yeah... i can see that..." despite his deadpan expression the tone of his voice, a little playful and lighthearted, betrays him in showing that he finds this more amusing than he should. for a moment he's almost confident she can get herself out of this one and that she doesn't need his help at all but faster than he had expected, and right in front of his very eyes, somehow the tinsel was all over the place, even more tangled up than before so now he feels like it's his civil duty to step in and help instead of remaining a witness. "uh... i think you're making it worse, let me just..." gentle hands are placed on her back to get her to stop moving and carefully he starts the slow process of pulling away the tinsel strings away from her.
begonia. how cautious is your muse? are they prone to noticing red flags, or paranoid to the point of untrusting most everyone? why or why not?
he's cautious most of the time, not because of him being untrusting but mostly because of his introverted nature plus the fact that he's a public figure. he tends to keep people at arms length until he can get a feel of their intentions. i don't think he's all that good at seeing red flags but he's pretty good at vibe checking people... if someone seems like they're not a good person he will be less likely to want to be around them but will try to keep an open mind and give them the benefit of the doubt. if... that makes any sense? basically i think he understand that everyone is nuanced and things aren't really white or black. of course there are obvious things he considers unforgivable and will fight someone about but for the most part he tries to be as open minded as he can be.
daffodil. is your muse one to be loyal in relationships, or are they likely to quickly move from one bond to another?
100% loyal in friendships and romantic relationships. if he's locked down with someone he will be there until his dying breath.
apple blossom. how does your muse go about expressing or not expressing their sexuality?
i'm gonna be honest i don't think he really does anything to express his sexuality at all. viktor doesn't really want to be perceived all that much, and he's naturally a very private person... as in, takes him 4 business years to get fully comfortable with someone and open up. plus it's not like he's put much thought into his sexuality or anything like that, he likes what / who he likes and that's it. he's a very simple, chill guy.
bluebell. does your muse learn from their past, or are they prone to repeating the same mistakes?
i would love to say he does but... i don't think he's enough of an introspective person to really pinpoint where he went wrong whenever he makes a mistakes so unfortunately he is bound to repeat them! that's mostly on his day to day like though, anything quidditch related is an entirely different thing because that's his one true obsession.
forget me not. has your muse ever forgotten something that is or was important to them? are they afraid of forgetting things like that?
as far as he's concerned if he forgets something then it wasn't important enough for him to remember so i don't think he's ever afraid of forgetting something. if it's anything he genuinely needs to remember for any reason he'll probably write it down or something. that being said he does have a pretty good memory despite the insane amount of hits to the head he's probably gotten throughout his life.
making her way along the cobblestone path through the streets of diagon alley, hermione hummed softly to herself. she had been on the hunt for some new parchment and perhaps a new quill, she might even grab a new book or two of something caught her eye along her travels. it had been a little while since she had last reached out to viktor and sought out how he was doing and she had been determined to do it yet time had slipped away from her. she vowed silently to herself that the moment she returned home she would write out a letter and send it off to him, she was eager to see how he had been since their last meeting. making her way into the next shop she browsed the shelves in search of a book or two yet nothing had jumped out at her yet. turning the corner she frowned as she caught sight of a familiar face, speak of the devil and he shall appear, she thought to herself as she felt her lips curling into a wide grin. "viktor?" she called out as she cautiously took a few steps towards him, keeping aware of her surroundings so she didn't get into anyone else's way
immediately, as soon as his name is called out he stops dead in his tracks. his hands were full, holding a bag that had a couple healing potions from the nearby apothecary, plus a some confections from sugarplums ( his current fixation since he discovered the pumpkin pastries were A LOT better here than back in bulgaria ); so he turns around rather slowly. when he finally turns completely and catches sight of hermione his usual deadpan expression changes into a warm, welcoming smile, which makes it more than obvious that he was very glad to see her. "hermione... didn't expect to find you here of all places. how have you been?"
＂ viktor, you’re starting to sound like a parrot who only knows one line. ＂ response comes in a sing - song voice, dripping with false innocence, as if her direction is playful rather than enforced. it isn’t. the fact her hand only grips tighter at his, rather than relinquishing grasp, proves this. the scene is almost comical, she imagines; a girl as small as she, tugging an international quidditch superstar through crowds in any direction that best pleased her, decorating him with any item she thought might better improve his costume. ＂ our lives would be so much easier if you just admitted defeat. ＂ eyes widen and spare hand reaches out, snatching up a large feather from another stall. palm finally abandons his, but his moment of freedom is brief as she instead turns, tucking the prop neatly into aforementioned hat. ＂ your hat was boring. full offence. — how are you ever going to get into the spirit of things if you aren’t even dressed for the occasion? ＂
could he protest more and put more of a fight as he's dragged around from one stall to the other? definitely. does he actually want to? well... not really. as much as the jab at his now favorite hat DOES sting a little, he knows more than anyone that fashion ( or anything involving dressing up, really ) isn't exactly his forte. he lets out a loud sigh, just for the dramatics of it all and leans forward a little so that she can reach better and adjust the prop to her liking. "fiiiine... i guess you are right, i can admit defeat on this." viktor hadn't seen himself just yet, but considering the things she's picked out so far and using his imagination he can already tell that it's an improvement to the lone prop he had before. he was obviously NOT gonna say that out loud, though the bubbling excitement at the finished product was starting to show just a tiny bit. "anything else you like from here? i don't wanna get followed around by another vendor."
＂ mate … i think i’d remember meeting the wonderboy that is viktor krum. you’re a quidditch legend. ＂ it should be concerning how easy lying comes to marcus. smooth words, complete with a smile that offers promise, like a predator charming their prey; luring them into false pretences. they would’ve made a fine politician, had they chosen to follow the family legacy. alas, he finds himself using his talents for other motives. ones that feel equally as important, because merlin help them all if pansy loses. ＂ it’s simple. ＂ they step forward, casual arm easing it’s way over viktor’s shoulders as if they’re pals, friends. not a trace of the aggression that was there when they last saw one another. ＂ you just scribble the name down on a piece of parchment and hand it in over there. job done. trust me, there’s no one more deserving of a win than pansy parkinson. — and i’m not just saying that because we’re engaged. she’s worked miracles for charity. ＂
thick brows furrow with distrust, viktor can almost swear on his life that everything about this guy seemed so familiar. flattery does not work on him as it should but, as much as he hated to admit it, his logic did seem to be sound and truthfully he wasn't the best at remembering faces, especially when he's under the influence and back then he was more than just under it. "i... guess? if you say so..." he takes in a deep breath and then sighs, finally letting go of his doubts and choosing to accept the 'truth'. after all, why would marcus waste his time tricking him, right? right? "hmm... sounds easy enough. pansy parkinson, yeah? i don't think i've heard of them. what is this whole burning witch for anyways? is it that important?"
if anything i'd say he's overprotective! this guy pretty much snatched hermione out of harry's hands in the lake during the triwizard tournament. his need to protect those he loves is the main reason why he wants to be more heavily involved within the order and everything going on right now.
griffin: does your muse have any priceless possessions?
yeah, a few! his first ever broom, the first snitch he caught both in durmstrang and in the very first official game he played for bulgaria. probably some other childhood related memorabilia. he might not look like it but he does have a tendency to have keepsakes of important moments and certain people.
i don't think he has, at least not directly as in actively done something that has kept someone from dying, but maybe indirectly? back in the previous war he helped people and put his very limited mediwizard knowledge to use after the attack at fleur and billy's wedding plus he offered the krum manor as a safe haven for anyone that needed it and knew of the order so... in a way, maybe?
vampire: which of the seven deadly sins relates to your muse?
viktor is a very good person overall but i think maybe wrath? just because of how quick he is to anger in certain situations.
sphinx: how does your muse value loyalty?
he values it a lot, honestly. i think it's probably one of, if not the most valued trait in his opinion. i don't think he would be able to forgive someone for betraying him or anyone he cares about.
"one second!" moira is crouched in front of basil as slender fingers unbutton his little overcoat, shrugging it from his shoulders as the nice weather warms him, before replacing the stuffed parrot on his shoulder. with a final pat down and smile, she stands to address viktor - a familiar face to the pair of quidditch fans, but she wouldn't be too obnoxious about it. "i'm always ready to help for these types of events, so is bas, right?" looking down to her toothy grinning son, moira nods. "a good place to start is food and drink, knowing where the best is and where to get it for the least amount of money - these places are fun, but can be an expensive day or week out." these events are second nature to moira, her bread and butter so to speak. "why not stick with us?"
expression instantly brightens as he looks down at the happy kid and offers a small, timid smile accompanied with a quick wave of his hand. "are you sure that's not too much trouble for you and... bas? because if it's not i'd love to tag along... both of you do seem to be experts at this." he could certainly use the guidance but he wasn't about to get between the very obvious mother and son bonding time. "ah, and if it's not bothersome i would love to treat you guys for the day... consider it my way to pay back the very PRECIOUS wisdom i'm about to receive." viktor wasn't one to flaunt his wealth or even splurge, but this was definitely a situation where the galleons would be well spent so he didn't mind one bit.
the featherlight charm that she casted on herself kicks in at this moment , causing luna to hover ever so slightly off the ground as her wings flutter in excitement . viktor is , as always , a welcome presence beside her . ❝ iʻm glad i could help ! though iʻm not doing much standing , am i ? ❞ she says , beaming up at her new companion who still manages to tower over her , even with her added inches above the ground . ❝ arenʻt we just strange mirrors today ? you , on the ground for once and me , in the air ? ❞
he hums happily in response, appreciating the thought put on the outfit and how it perfectly fit her aura and overall vibe ⸻featherlight charm and all. "it is a very surprising but welcome change, i think flying suits you..." it was a shame that today of all days he had decided not to wear the jester costume he had grown so proud of ( something he wouldn't admit to anyone, least of all lavender after complaining so much ). "...are you just browsing through stalls? or...?"
Hermione didn't have much free time. Not that she tried very hard for it these days. She was far more comfortable in the realm known as overworked and stressed. But, there were a select few people that Hermione would make sure that she left the ministry on time and Viktor Krum was on that list. She made her way to tea shop that she had agreed to meet him at and ordered herself a cup. When she didn't see him yet, she settled down at one of the tables by the window and tapped her fingers against the side of her mug.
there's an almost immediate smile spreading on his lips as he catches sight of hermione through the window and he wastes no time in walking into the tea shop and making his way towards her. "i hope i didn't make you wait for too long..." there's a fondness blooming inside his chest at the sight of her. it's something that ALWAYS happens when she's involved, all thanks to the good memories they share from many years ago, when they were both still young and free of other responsibilities. "i know you must be busy with all the work at the ministry but it's really good to finally see you." he admits as he pulls out a chair and takes a seat on front of her.
and the smile they flash up at him after half a beat of hesitation is all teeth, says : wouldn't you like to know, quidditch boy ? even though the TRUTH is that they're just doing that thing they do, sometimes, when a thought from earlier is more interesting than the current situation they find themselves in. their stall wasn't getting much of the foot traffic, and they'd had plenty of time to flick through the daily prophet reading whatever it was that caught their interest - usually the doom & gloom stuff, which made them more like their late mother than they often cared to admit. it's an observation, recalled fresh as they idly flick through their battered tarot cards, and it's unfortunate how apt it seems to be to him, but so, so funny. enough to entertain them, even if he's clearly panicked. "it ends that way for all of us, viktor," they've maybe a bit too chummy a bit too fast, with him, but the gentle pat that they give his arm is meant to be reassuring, "you know the fame and fortune doesn't spare you, right ? it's really important to me you know that."
"⸻ does it though? does it really?" the disbelief now is clear in his voice and the way he chuckles. he's more inclined to believe they're only playing with him, everything seems to point for that to be the truth. still, that doesn't mean the uncertainty of it all isn't going to be haunting him every single night for the next following weeks; but that's just how life is sometimes. he shakes his head ever so slightly, as if to physically dispelling the very upsetting thoughts about his own favorite body part. "i'll... uh, keep it in mind, i guess? that's all, right? i don't think i can hear anything more than that."
