#apprentice arson

[kath-trashh]

8 &/or 32 for the ask game :3

8. What did their masquerade outfit look like? Was their mask an animal, or something else?

(An excuse to draw it? Yea.) Also another read more because I think this is going to get long again because I cannot stop talking

from left to right, rin, avis, mareike, and jaxen :)

Jaxen's the only one who doesn't have an animal mask, but that's mostly because his representative Arcana doesn't have an animal form...

32. Does their use of/skill in magic differ from canon? How so?

Absolutely for all of them, I think! It's important to note that for my headcanon of magic in the world of the Arcana is that magic is very hard to learn and requires specific types of hand movements / discipline.

Rin- In Rin's case, Rin's only really skilled at one specific axiom of magic-- fire magic. The peak of their arc involves them using too much magic, causing them to become a niffin-- something overcome by too much power to the point that they lose their human form entirely, having completely succumbed to their powers. They do get out of it eventually, but it's a scuffle.

Avis- Avis was once an incredibly skilled magician before they were sealed away and had their memories forcibly wiped. They were incredibly powerful and gifted, and that didn't necessarily go away after they were revived, but it does mean that they now start again from scratch, with things that they may never relearn.

Mareike- Mareike has like, latent magical ability that she doesn't really know how to use. It comes out in sparks and responds to her emotions, but she doesn't really have a handle over it.

Jaxen- Most, if not all of Jaxen's abilities come from his contract with the Hunger. Without that contract, he essentially only has physical brute force. With it, he's able to steal magic from others, imbibing himself with the properties of the things he's stolen. In a sense, he expresses infinite possibilities, a little like a certain Fool...

[mostlysignssomeportents]

It all started with a mouse

For the public domain, time stopped in 1998, when the Sonny Bono Copyright Act froze copyright expirations for 20 years. In 2019, time started again, with a massive crop of works from 1923 returning to the public domain, free for all to use and adapt:

https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2019/

No one is better at conveying the power of the public domain than Jennifer Jenkins and James Boyle, who run the Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain. For years leading up to 2019, the pair published an annual roundup of what we would have gotten from the public domain in a universe where the 1998 Act never passed. Since 2019, they've switched to celebrating what we're actually getting each year. Last year's was a banger:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/20/free-for-2023/#oy-canada

But while there's been moderate excitement at the publicdomainification of "Yes, We Have No Bananas," AA Milne's "Now We Are Six," and Sherlock Holmes, the main event that everyone's anticipated arrives on January 1, 2024, when Mickey Mouse enters the public domain.

The first appearance of Mickey Mouse was in 1928's Steamboat Willie. Disney was critical to the lobbying efforts that extended copyright in 1976 and again in 1998, so much so that the 1998 Act is sometimes called the Mickey Mouse Protection Act. Disney and its allies were so effective at securing these regulatory gifts that many people doubted that this day would ever come. Surely Disney would secure another retrospective copyright term extension before Jan 1, 2024. I had long arguments with comrades about this – people like Project Gutenberg founder Michael S Hart (RIP) were fatalistically certain the public domain would never come back.

But they were wrong. The public outrage over copyright term extensions came too late to stave off the slow-motion arson of the 1976 and 1998 Acts, but it was sufficient to keep a third extension away from the USA. Canada wasn't so lucky: Justin Trudeau let Trump bully him into taking 20 years' worth of works out of Canada's public domain in the revised NAFTA agreement, making swathes of works by living Canadian authors illegal at the stroke of a pen, in a gift to the distant descendants of long-dead foreign authors.

Now, with Mickey's liberation bare days away, there's a mounting sense of excitement and unease. Will Mickey actually be free? The answer is a resounding YES! (albeit with a few caveats). In a prelude to this year's public domain roundup, Jennifer Jenkins has published a full and delightful guide to The Mouse and IP from Jan 1 on:

https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/mickey/

Disney loves the public domain. Its best-loved works, from The Sorcerer's Apprentice to Sleeping Beauty, Pinnocchio to The Little Mermaid, are gorgeous, thoughtful, and lively reworkings of material from the public domain. Disney loves the public domain – we just wish it would share.

Disney loves copyright's other flexibilities, too, like fair use. Walt told the papers that he took his inspiration for Steamboat Willie from Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks, making fair use of their performances to imbue Mickey with his mischief and derring do. Disney loves fair use – we just wish it would share.

Disney loves copyright's limitations. Steamboat Willie was inspired by Buster Keaton's silent film Steamboat Bill (titles aren't copyrightable). Disney loves copyright's limitations – we just wish it would share.

As Jenkins writes, Disney's relationship to copyright is wildly contradictory. It's the poster child for the public domain's power as a source of inspiration for worthy (and profitable) new works. It's also the chief villain in the impoverishment and near-extinction of the public domain. Truly, every pirate wants to be an admiral.

Disney's reliance on – and sabotage of – the public domain is ironic. Jenkins compares it to "an oil company relying on solar power to run its rigs." Come January 1, Disney will have to share.

Now, if you've heard anything about this, you've probably been told that Mickey isn't really entering the public domain. Between trademark claims and later copyrightable elements of Mickey's design, Mickey's status will be too complex to understand. That's totally wrong.

Jenkins illustrates the relationship between these three elements in (what else) a Mickey-shaped Venn diagram. Topline: you can use all the elements of Mickey that are present in Steamboat Willie, along with some elements that were added later, provided that you make it clear that your work isn't affiliated with Disney.

Let's unpack that. The copyrightable status of a character used to be vague and complex, but several high-profile cases have brought clarity to the question. The big one is Les Klinger's case against the Arthur Conan Doyle estate over Sherlock Holmes. That case established that when a character appears in both public domain and copyrighted works, the character is in the public domain, and you are "free to copy story elements from the public domain works":

https://freesherlock.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/klinger-order-on-motion-for-summary-judgment-c.pdf

This case was appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, who declined to hear it. It's settled law.

So, which parts of Mickey aren't going into the public domain? Elements that came later: white gloves, color. But that doesn't mean you can't add different gloves, or different colorways. The idea of a eyes with pupils is not copyrightable – only the specific eyes that Disney added.

Other later elements that don't qualify for copyright: a squeaky mouse voice, being adorable, doing jaunty dances, etc. These are all generic characteristics of cartoon mice, and they're free for you to use. Jenkins is more cautious on whether you can give your Mickey red shorts. She judges that "a single, bright, primary color for an article of clothing does not meet the copyrightability threshold" but without settled law, you might wanna change the colors.

But what about trademark? For years, Disney has included a clip from Steamboat Willie at the start of each of its films. Many observers characterized this as a bid to create a de facto perpetual copyright, by making Steamboat Willie inescapably associated with products from Disney, weaving an impassable web of trademark tripwires around it.

But trademark doesn't prevent you from using Steamboat Willie. It only prevents you from misleading consumers "into thinking your work is produced or sponsored by Disney." Trademarks don't expire so long as they're in use, but uses that don't create confusion are fair game under trademark.

Copyrights and trademarks can overlap. Mickey Mouse is a copyrighted character, but he's also an indicator that a product or service is associated with Disney. While Mickey's copyright expires in a couple weeks, his trademark doesn't. What happens to an out-of-copyright work that is still a trademark?

Luckily for us, this is also a thoroughly settled case. As in, this question was resolved in a unanimous 2000 Supreme Court ruling, Dastar v. Twentieth Century Fox. A live trademark does not extend an expired copyright. As the Supremes said:

[This would] create a species of mutant copyright law that limits the public’s federal right to copy and to use expired copyrights.

This elaborates on the Ninth Circuit's 1996 Maljack Prods v Goodtimes Home Video Corp:

[Trademark][ cannot be used to circumvent copyright law. If material covered by copyright law has passed into the public domain, it cannot then be protected by the Lanham Act without rendering the Copyright Act a nullity.

Despite what you might have heard, there is no ambiguity here. Copyrights can't be extended through trademark. Period. Unanimous Supreme Court Decision. Boom. End of story. Done.

But even so, there are trademark considerations in how you use Steamboat Willie after Jan 1, but these considerations are about protecting the public, not Disney shareholders. Your uses can't be misleading. People who buy or view your Steamboat Willie media or products have to be totally clear that your work comes from you, not Disney.

Avoiding confusion will be very hard for some uses, like plush toys, or short idents at the beginning of feature films. For most uses, though, a prominent disclaimer will suffice. The copyright page for my 2003 debut novel Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom contains this disclaimer:

This novel is a work of fiction, set in an imagined future. All the characters and events portrayed in this book, including the imagined future of the Magic Kingdom, are either fictitious or are used fictitiously. The Walt Disney Company has not authorized or endorsed this novel.

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250196385/downandoutinthemagickingdom

Here's the Ninth Circuit again:

When a public domain work is copied, along with its title, there is little likelihood of confusion when even the most minimal steps are taken to distinguish the publisher of the original from that of the copy. The public is receiving just what it believes it is receiving—the work with which the title has become associated. The public is not only unharmed, it is unconfused.

Trademark has many exceptions. The First Amendment protects your right to use trademarks in expressive ways, for example, to recreate famous paintings with Barbie dolls:

https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/summaries/mattel-walkingmountain-9thcir2003.pdf

And then there's "nominative use": it's not a trademark violation to use a trademark to accurately describe a trademarked thing. "We fix iPhones" is not a trademark violation. Neither is 'Works with HP printers.' This goes double for "expressive" uses of trademarks in new works of art:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rogers_v._Grimaldi

What about "dilution"? Trademark protects a small number of superbrands from uses that "impair the distinctiveness or harm the reputation of the famous mark, even when there is no consumer confusion." Jenkins says that the Mickey silhouette and the current Mickey character designs might be entitled to protection from dilution, but Steamboat Willie doesn't make the cut.

Jenkins closes with a celebration of the public domain's ability to inspire new works, like Disney's Three Musketeers, Disney's Christmas Carol, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Disney's Around the World in 80 Days, Disney's Alice in Wonderland, Disney's Snow White, Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disney's Sleeping Beauty, Disney's Cinderella, Disney's Little Mermaid, Disney's Pinocchio, Disney's Huck Finn, Disney's Robin Hood, and Disney's Aladdin. These are some of the best-loved films of the past century, and made Disney a leading example of what talented, creative people can do with the public domain.

As of January 1, Disney will start to be an example of what talented, creative people give back to the public domain, joining Dickens, Dumas, Carroll, Verne, de Villeneuve, the Brothers Grimm, Twain, Hugo, Perrault and Collodi.

Public domain day is 17 days away. Creators of all kinds: start your engines!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/12/15/mouse-liberation-front/#free-mickey

Image: Doo Lee (modified) https://web.law.duke.edu/sites/default/files/images/centers/cspd/pdd2024/mickey/Steamboat-WIllie-Enters-Public-Domain.jpeg

CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en

[dailyadventureprompts]

Monster Hunt: Roilwreak, Temperamental Elemental

WHATS SHAKING YOU WIZARD BITCHES, GUESS WHO BROKE CONTAINMENT AGAIN?? THAT'S RIGHT, ITS MEEE!!!

Beginning life as an apprentice's over ambitious and much procrastinated thesis project, this arcane entity has entered into a troubled adolescence marked by making itself a calamitous nuisance. Being a Weird ( an elemental composed of two contradictory natures) Roilwreak is possessed by a destructive restlessness that only seems to find an outlet in causing problems for others, whether it be in property damage, petty arson, or the disarray of arcane workings for the sheer shit-disturbing fun of it.

Adventure Hooks

Roilwreak spends most of its time in a warded enclosure on the grounds of the academy in which it was summoned, tended to by apprentices and occasional studied for its unique ability to interfere with different kinds of magical energy. There's a rumour that upperclassmen (and even faculty) sometimes sneak in after hours to bargain with the elemental in order to fuel their more elaborate rituals.. which might be how the Weird managed to escape this time. Pheraps the homebrew potion dregs and scraps of firecrackers from the nearby market can point at a suspect.

The elemental has given the academy the slip and disapeared into the city's pipeworks, resulting in minor flooding as pipes crack under unexpected pressure and a number of injuries as a pubic fountain boiled off into scalding mist. The local garison have put a bounty out for whoever can slay the elemental, but the academy just want it returned safely. It IS a sapient creature after all, and it can't help that chaos is in it's nature.

A villainous mage has heard of the Weird's powers and wants to make use of them, binding Roilwreak into a weapon or draining off its energy for some awful ritual. Having organized an infiltration (or perhaps the current breakout) it's a race to see who can catch the hyper-charged herptile first.

[iliveforyouilongforyouvesuvia]

Hello!! I hope your hand feels better soon!

Onto the topic of this ask; I am a very very big fan of EPIC the musical, and there's a song in the Wisdom sage called God Games that I've yet to hear because I'm too busy listening to Love in Paradise on loop, but as I'm scrolling through my saved videos I found a Tiktok with a clip of God Games. What I know about God Games is that Odysseus has been captured and Athena has to convince six gods to agree to release him.

But the Tiktok is Asra having to convince six of the Major Arcana to revive the apprentice and I just find that idea so good 🔥

I will hunt down the link to provide it if the Tiktok hasn't been deleted 🫡

@arson-the-ace I just want to start with saying THANK YOU AND I KNOW, RIGHT?!?

The patron's comments on Asra's actions always mystify me because they imply that he had some kind of communication with them leading up to the ritual and bringing MC back and OUGH I WISH I KNEW MORE -

anyways thank you :3

[foreststarflaime]

The potential for a Nanaki time travel fic is so funny. Like just imagine, he escapes Hojo’s lab and steals a Shinra uniform to infiltrate the company. And thus Nanaki the friendly neighborhood two-legged definitely-a-human joins the infantry, quickly getting moved to SOLDIER as Genesis’ apprentice when he meets this weird flamboyant little guy who keeps accidentally setting things on fire when he walks past them, weird I wonder how that happens.

Meanwhile, the infamous Red XIII, a mysterious escaped experiment, keeps appearing out of nowhere to terrorize the Shinra board. No one knows how he keeps getting in to foil their plots! Hojo in particular has taken this new threat as his personal arch nemesis and keeps making increasingly complicated contraptions to defeat him, all of which are thwarted spectacularly.

Genesis is enjoying his new apprentice immensely. He doesn’t really take as much maintenance as Angeal warned him about from his experiences with Zack—he keeps disappearing to who knows where, keeping himself occupied during the day while Genesis grabs Sephiroth with yet another chaotic plan to cause untold property damage and stress Angeal out out of his mind as he tries and fails to get Lazard to witness their antics, and returns just in time for the cleanup for another one of those crazy terrorist attacks that have been happening lately. Such a helpful, easygoing apprentice! Nothing suspicious or mysterious about him at all! He may be a little weird, sure, but so is everyone else Genesis knows, and he likes it better that way.

Nanaki: walks into Hojo’s lab

Hojo: what’s this? SOLDIER Nanaki? Why have you disturbed me from my important work?

Nanaki: *rips off SOLDIER uniform*

Hojo: RED XIII THE FIRE LION??? You will fall before my new Jenovinator!!!

*He fires it and Nanaki dodges; the ray shoots through the floor and hits Sephiroth in the VR room below where he and Genesis were fighting in an innocuous mountain town setting. Sephiroth starts levitating and purposely setting the town on fire. Genesis is the proudest he’s ever been in his life, arson is his favorite pastime and he’s glad they’re finally bonding over something. Just before Angeal catches them they’re all called away to go deal with the latest Red XIII attack in the labs.*

Nanaki joining them, blood still dripping from his fangs and claws but now in the SOLDIER uniform again: oh hey guys, it’s me Nanaki! What’d I miss? Damn what happened to that guy

Hojo, lying in a pool of blood: curse you red xiii the fire lion

Sephiroth, ‘accidentally’ stabbing him: oops

Yes this is a Phineas and Ferb AU with Nanaki as Perry the Platypus don’t ask me how my brain came up with this bc idk lol

[nat-20s]

Comics Jughead is so funny because he's just like. In a fundamentally different genre than Archie. Archie will be like "hey man I've been trying to talk to Veronica but she keeps having reasons not to see me and I don't know if they're genuine or if she's trying to break up" and Jughead will reply "oh Arch dude sorry but I dont currently have time for this I gotta go rap battle the wizard of 54th Street" and Archie will forget his woes for a second to be like "the who?"

Jughead: the wizard of 54th Street? Greg? You know, the one that got acquitted on those arson charges so he became an apprentice with Sabrina but was like. Weirdly gender essentialist about magic?

Archie: uh

Jughead: and yeah obviously I can't rap but Reggie is a decent freestylist and he owes me a favor since that thing with the CIA you remember

Archie: sure?

Jughead: so I gotta go get rigged up with this voice modification speaker system Dilton rigged up, we can talk another time? Okay love you byyyeeee

And Archie will just stand there for a sec and text Veronica "do you wanna go see Jughead rap battle the 'wizard of 54th Street" and Veronica will IMMEDIATELY text back "lmfao yeah. kick his ass juggie Greg fucking sucks"

[lauralot89]

Reasons to Be Put in a Saw Trap

From Saw to Saw X:

Taking drugs

Committing insurance fraud

Self-injury

Having no personality

Telling patients they are terminally ill

Being married to an oncologist

Being the child of an oncologist

Investigating the Jigsaw killings

Not fulfilling your dreams of becoming a doctor

Being a police informant

Being a crooked cop

Being the child of a crooked cop

Being put in prison by a crooked cop

Dealing drugs

Doing sex work

Being habitually imprisoned

Being too good at forensic science

Taking antidepressants

Being sad that your child died

Being the surviving child of someone who is sad their other child died

Fleeing the scene of a crime as the only witness

Giving a light sentence for vehicular manslaughter

Vehicular manslaughter

Making inescapable Saw traps

Providing legal defense for criminals

Trying too hard to save people

Pimping

Rape

Being an abuser

Being married to an abuser

Causing a woman to miscarry

Recklessly opening doors

Being a Jigsaw apprentice without actually having your heart in it

Murder

Pretending to be Jigsaw to cover up for committing a murder

Arson

Conspiracy to commit arson

Taking a bribe to say there was no arson

Taking a bribe to not publish investigative journalism about arson

Taking a bribe to issue a building permit

Predatory money lending

Working for an insurance company

Being related to someone who works for an insurance company

Being related to someone who died because they were denied coverage by an insurance company

Being an attorney for an insurance company executive

Smoking

Being in a love triangle

Being a Nazi

Pretending to have been in a Saw trap

Being the publicist for someone who pretended to have been a Saw trap

Being the lawyer for someone who pretended to be in a Saw trap

Being friends with someone who pretended to be in a Saw trap

Being married to someone who, unbeknownst to you, pretended to be in a Saw trap

Working in a morgue

Working in a police station

Putting someone in a Saw trap at Jigsaw's request

Killing the person who put you in a Saw trap at Jigsaw's request

Mislabeling medical records

Letting your mugging victim die of an asthma attack

Knowingly selling faulty motorcycles

Committing infanticide and then blaming it on your spouse

Drunk driving

Shooting an unarmed civilian at a traffic stop

Shooting a witness to prevent them from testifying against crooked cops

Peddling fake cancer cures

[parad-ice-lostandfound]

For You, I'd Paint the World Red

Prompt: They hadn't meant to do it. They really hadn't meant to lose control of their magic. But they couldn't help it. And maybe, just maybe... they were glad they did it. Or the one where MC destroys an entire coven of witches and adopts a kid on the way.

Pairing: Mammon x GN!MC

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort

TW: Arson, implied child abuse, please let me know if there is anything else I should add.

AN: Is it just me, or does anyone else get frighteningly vivid dreams that they turn into fanfics so they can share this weird cocktail of feelings and emotions with everyone who's interested? This is very self-indulgent, btw. I just want MC to be allowed to go crazy sometimes. Feral even. We believe in murderous MC supremacy in this house.

Elliot Crowe belongs to my absolute darling of a friend @doodlboy <3 thank you for letting me use your mc in this little thing. This will also be a series of sorts, so please look forward to that ^^

"This is the last one MC."

(e/c) eyes looked up at the sorcerer. Elliot smiled, earning a sigh of relief in return from Solomon's prized apprentice. A very tired, ready-to-fall-asleep-standing apprentice.

"I'm glad," they yawned, stretching their arms over their head as they followed him to the transportation array. "I swear, once I'm done, I'm heading to back home and sleeping for the next three weeks."

"You've certainly earned it," the man hummed, offering his hand, like the gentleman he was. The two stepped onto the array, Elliot activating it with a simple incantation.

A few seconds later, the pair found themselves in front of the last coven's mansion. The massive structure was creeping into the nearby forest, where the younger of the two could make out glowing spectres darting through the trees.

"Tastefully decorated," Elliot remarked, drawing their attention back to the imposing building in front of them. It looked like a normal mansion, from what they could see; nothing particularly stood out a first glance. But there was a slight feeling of difference, something only those sensitive to magic would notice. They had been getting this feeling at nearly every coven they visited.

MC was glad that these visits to the supernatural were once every twenty years. The aim of these 'inspections' was to make sure that the other supernatural members of the world upheld their end of the various treaties and contracts signed by them with the Sorcerer's Society.

MC had met Elliot a few times before through Solomon. Elliot Crowe was the apprentice of one of Solomon's old friends, and almost like a son to the white-haired man. This meant that the sorcerer often checked up on him, resulting in the two young humans bonding over the woes of apprenticeship and making fun of Solomon's age, much to his chagrin.

This friendship was what lead to the two pairing up when the audits were announced. Elliot and MC were chosen to inspect the covens of witches who practised magic under the Sorcerers Society's careful supervision, both major and minor.

All those they had visited up till now were incredibly interested in helping humans at best, and wanting absolutely nothing to do with anyone outside their coven at worst. Either way, it was a somewhat ideal first time doing this for them, even if it was a bit tedious.

They weren't kidding about sleeping for 3 weeks. Belphies pact mark was glowing faintly, almost as if recognizing their wish to indulge in his sin.

Elliot cleared his throat. His eyes locked onto theirs, an uncharacteristic seriousness in them that startled MC enough to chase away their fatigue momentarily. A shiver went up their spine as they felt him put up a magical charm to avoid any eavesdroppers from hearing his next words.

"The coven we're inspecting now," he began, his tone low and firm, "is the one the Society is most wary of, MC. The witches here are known to have made and to look for ways to make, pacts with a large number of demons."

"While most of their pacts are lesser demons, they have a contract with someone rather important in the Devildom. Someone you know quite well."

They didn't have to ask whom. In all the their years of staying at the Devildom, they knew only one notable demon who had a pact- wait, contract?

Elliot seemed to have sensed their confusion as he clarified, "Despite what many think, Mammon didn't actually make a pact with the witches. He signed a contract, presumably one that acts almost like a pact and has nearly the same pull. For what, nobody knows."

They did. They knew exactly why Mammon signed such a disadvantageous contract. But it wasn't their place to spill his secrets. Instead they asked, "Does the Society know what are the conditions of the contract?"

"No," Elliot frowned, his displeasure on not knowing more showing clearly on his face. "No, they don't. The covens are entitled to privacy and secrecy when it comes to things like contracts with demons as long as they're not wreaking havoc on humans. As long as no humans are hurt, the Society mostly lets them be." His voice drops down to a whisper, even though there is no chance of anyone overhearing them because of the charm he'd cast earlier. "But recently, there has been a large number of missing human cases in this area. And well, this particular coven has always been a little shady."

"That's rich, coming from you," MC snorted, elbowing Elliot lightly in an attempt to relieve some of the tension. Elliot graced them with an exasperated smile. "Very funny, but that's not the point. Now listen carefully. Once we go inside, I will need you to distract them-"

"... Don't tell me I have to dress in drag and do the hula.."

"As funny as it would be, no. Make small talk, use some of your 'little human' charm on them," Elliot hummed. "Whatever you need to do to make sure that you are the only one they pay attention to. Make it seem like you are novice to all of this, as unthreatening as possible. Make them underestimate you."

"Hm. Sounds like something I can do."

"Good. I'll try to slip away unnoticed at a point to actually investigate, so don't worry if you can't see me."

"What do you want out of this Elliot? Or more accurately, what does the Society want?"

"Some proof that their suspicions are right about the coven." A reason to exterminate them went unsaid.

"Alright. I'll do my best."

"You always do."

"And this, is our archives. Please come in, dearest sorcerers."

MC took a big breath and did as they were told, quickly stepping into the room. Their jaw was aching from the dopey smile they had plastered on ever since entering the premises. Just a little longer, they thought to themself, thinking back to how they had lost sight of Elliot halfway into their tour, the coven head not even realizing.

For a coven potentially doing shady things, they sure were lax with their security.

Melvara, the coven head, finally seemed to notice Solomon's absence. "Um, where is Sir Elliot, if I may ask?"

"Oh, he said he needed to use the restroom. He'll be here soon, but wow! This room is huge!" MC grinned, spinning lightly in place as if trying to take in everything. Truthfully speaking, it was not much. They lived in the Devildom with 7 very wealthy brothers, a demon prince who took pleasure in spoiling his friends, and a demon butler who was more attentive and observant than anyone they had ever known. Their mentor was arguably the best sorcerer alive, if a little eccentric, and they had endeared themself to even angels. Needless to say, they were spoiled rotten when it came to once in a lifetime experiences.

Thankfully, Melvara seemed to buy their act, giving them a proud smile. "I'm glad you think so. Now, how about we have some tea while we wait for Sir Elliot to come back? The archives are the last stop before the Forest of a Thousand Spectres, after all."

They hummed, sitting down at the seat offered to them, eyes still taking in everything down to the last detail. Elliot's words had assured them that this would be one report that would require them to go into heavy detail.

The door to the archives opened for the second time.

(E/c) eyes turned to the witch that entered the room, head respectfully bowed and voice reverent as she presented them with tea and snacks. They gave her a sweet smile, watching in carefully veiled amusement as she blushed and nearly spilled the hot beverage. It was cute how a simple smile was enough to put people at ease. After a few hurried apologies and not-so-subtle glances at them, the witch left the room. For a few minutes, there was blissful silence.

"Say, sorcerer MC?"

"Yes?"

"Pardon my forwardness, but I had heard that you have pacts with all seven of the avatars of sin?"

MC hummed, a pleasant smile on their face. "I do," they said, noting the interest in her eyes. Melvara leaned slightly forward, her eyes gleaming with something that made them pause for a second. Right, don't underestimate the other party, they thought to themself chidingly.

"An admirable feat. May I be so bold as to.. offer you some advice?"

Did they really look that gullible?

"Of course, I would love to learn from my elders."

They hadn't meant to do it.

They really hadn't meant to lose control of their magic.

But they couldn't have helped it.

Not when Elliot burst into the archive room, eyes filled with disdain and murderous intent; holding an unconscious girl in his arms. A very familiar child, one they had yet to meet face to face but had seen plenty of pictures of.

They watched with dark satisfaction as flames engulfed the accursed manor and the forest around it. Screams of the witches stuck inside echoed into the darkness, and MC instinctively covered the ear of the girl who now lay in their arms, still unconscious. The few who had no hand in any of the heinous crimes their brethren had committed cowered somewhere behind them.

The Forest of a Thousand Spectres never looked as hauntingly beautiful as it did now.

A hand on their shoulder had them instinctively cradle the girl closer to their chest. A side glance at Elliot, who had the same blank look on his face. "You can go home MC. I'll report this myself," he said, voice barely above a whisper but firm. Not a suggestion then.

MC nodded, the only indication that they had heard him. Elliot sighed. "What.. are you thinking of doing about her, MC?"

"I'm taking her home."

"She's is the only living witness to the atrocities this coven committed. The Society will wish to talk to her."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Another sigh. "Very well. I'll see you after I've reported the incident and" -he looked over to the terrified witches, the innocent ones, who shrank away the moment his gaze was placed on them- "taken care of them."

"Sure," they said, tearing their eyes away from the flames for a just moment to watch Elliot teleport himself and the witches away, presumably to the Society's headquarters.

They did the same moments later, appearing in their room. MC carefully lowered the girl onto their bed, gentle hands adjusting the blankets to offer comfort and warmth. Satisfied with their work, they pulled a chair close to the bed and sat on it. A breathless chuckle escaped from their lips as they felt the slight trembling in their hands. Their eyes scanned the teenager, sleeping soundly under Elliot's recovery spell.

The fact that a simple recovery spell made her fall unconscious spoke volumes about the pain she had suffered.

MC brushed a strand of hair away from her face, vaguely thinking about Mammon's reaction when he finds out exactly what the sweet little girl had been through. They stole another glance at her, then picked up their DDD.

S.S Audit Stuff (Lucifer, Solomon, Elliot and you)

You: Lucifer. Solomon.

You: We need to talk.

You: Meet me in my room.

[pencil-urchin]

Star Wars Art-tober prompt for today is "Apprentice." I opted to use orange lighting initially because of her lightsaber, but then also because I am sure she committed a little arson, as a treat.

First time drawing Shin, but looking forward to drawing her more!

[scott-tibbs-is-dead]

Hey wanna help me commit some crime? I don’t really care what, you pick…actually maybe arson. But I’m pissed off rn and as pathetic as this sounds (if you repeat this you’re dead) I need my best friend right now

commit crime? You mean commit more crime, Mr apprentice boy?

I’m down to graffiti shit but I ain’t got the patience or energy for arson

Also talking causally about this shit when there’s cops on here is fucking insane dude

[boatingbrookcosplay]

I had a realization related to the mechanisms

CW: religion

Jonny D'Ville, New Constantinople, and High noon in Camelot implies Jesus is cannon to the mechanisms. It is my current hyperfixation after that realization. So I think Jesus would be a doctor with 12 medical apprentices. He's a pacifist and Jonny has a one sided beef with him after being told that no medicine would be preferred unless Jonny gave up guns, arson, war, ect.

That's all I got so far

[beatricebidelaire]

lemony snicket: the man, the myth, the legend

~1.9k. Fernald vs the Snicket Siblings

__

Like all other apprentices of the same era, Fernald has heard of Lemony Snicket.

Lemony Snicket is something of a urban legend. A myth. Okay, maybe that's exaggerating it a bit. But they've all heard of him and his reputation, and for them, Lemony Snicket represents some kind of - hope. For the generation who grew up as the schism was quickly worsening, yet the line that divided the sides seemed to get blurrier instead of clearer as time went on; for the generation of volunteers who'd lost even more hope, gotten even more confused then the previous volunteers (or, had every generation thought that way? Fernald doesn't not know, it is possible) - for them, as they questioned themselves, as they questioned what VFD stood for and what the enemies of VFD stood for, Lemony Snicket represented some kind of hope. The rebel, yet with intention to do good. The one who walked away from his apprenticeship, who almost disregarded the volunteer label, yet never stopped volunteering, action-wise.

Lemony Snicket, who killed a man to save a town, at the age of 13. Or almost 13. The urban legend was a bit unclear on that part.

Lemony Snicket, who saw what's wrong with VFD and didn't keep silent about it. Lemony Snicket, who blatantly chose the last-ranking chaperone. Lemony Snicket, who didn't follow the rules of VFD. But unlike others who did it because of their own benefits, he did it because what was right.

Of course, there are probably other volunteers who did the same kinds of things, other volunteers who tried to revolutionize VFD from within. A group of people, not necessarily all together as a group - perhaps just each with their individual efforts. It's too big a thing to pin on Snicket himself, whether those who want to label him as a hero for doing so, or a villain for doing so. But that's the thing about people who become legends - sometimes, other stories tended to fade to background in comparison. It's sometimes easier to rally behind a specific hero image, or just to shove all the blame onto one specific person, to pin as the villain.

Lemony Snicket is on the run. He's on the lam, accused of multiple accounts of arson. VFD, as an organization, didn't seem to rush to defend him, as Snicket was labelled an arsonist, therefore supposedly, an enemy of VFD. But those who have heard of Snicket's story knew that there had to be something more - perhaps Snicket was innocent, and framed; or perhaps he did set those fires, but knowing Lemony Snicket's story, surely he must've had a good reason. Because Lemony Snicket has always been a rulebreaker, but he was never evil. Never the villain of the story, although perhaps an anti-hero of some kind. Perhaps he was trying to save people with those fires. Nobody knew the details of the story - no one in Fernald's immediate social circle, anyway.

That's the thing about urban legends - you just know the story, but never the exact details.

[continue reading on squidgeworld] [ao3]

[yuuugay]

arigato again @stephschoices 4 tagging me ajjdhd I wanted to doodle mime because why the hell not

its a lil long cause the pics but hope its remotely entertaining

IF OCs/MCs

Ner from @shepherds-of-haven. I want to kill him off in a side story but Caine would be the one to do it!! The apprentice you helped train is the one to end, well, you! The hero turned villian. 😔 This AU will have a time skip so I could HC caine being a captain

my @heromaker-if MC 'Auster' AKA, the full time dad, sad-parentordad-enthusiast and severe victim of touch starved. Bro needs a hug and perhaps.....some 'Night' in vertically challenged, bull cut looking individual in shining armor could help with that 😱.

my @exilethegame MC 'Heli' Helios the phoenix. Theyre still traumatized, and perhaps a lil too hell-bent on revenge but also needs help because they are just this '🤏 ' amount of their breaking point. The mothers were not mothering and now they will get burned

my @the-kingshound mc Neirin. They alr knew this day would come, but I like to hc that they were bawling, absolute crocodile tears when he found out he was gonna get married off. Just dramatic like that. They'll come around to their new family eventually because, I, the reader like found family tropes ✌️

the newest addition, my @magici-if MC 'whose name idk yet because i have yet to find one i like that fits the vibe'.

they're not above arson and they will win no matter what. because money and fame? = that means happy life in their convoluted brain. Their motivation might change if more stuff is revealed in the story ajjdjdd like winning those kubos for a fam member in need ect ect. but i like the premise of the story

Norm OCs

Mitsuki. My old DND OC. I don't really like her that much ajshjdhfhhrur I badly played their character even though i was supposed to be the one who knows her the best 💀 So i just canonically killed her off myself because I do that to OCs i no longer use. I already revamped her and will probably put her in some other story

Oog. My newest non IF OC. They're one of the main protags in a story I'm making that'll never see the light of day until i get my sht together and commit to it. They're the shortest of the group in here :))) All of them are pretty short actually. Which is a reoccurring theme of my characters

[nerevar-quote-and-star]

J'Zargo: There is no problem arson won’t solve!

J'Zargo:

J'Zargo, to his fellow apprentices: Please, don’t quote J'Zargo on that.

[pixxyofice]

@mommyclan I am not bringing out the color pencils if I draw them again. But this is the sorta reference for my Totally normal cat, Patchflame! See, she has cool claws and fur like a normal cat. They have patches, like a normal cat, so they got named that when they were picked up as an apprentice and dropped into mommyclan.

She has a secret sad backstory where she's like some sorta lab experiment. but she doesn't remember shit about it so she's completely fine. They think cats are also just very diverse. totally normal cats in mommyclan with horns and wings and such. She's one of them!

also they can breathe fire and uses this to torch their meals. this is the extent of their cooking abilities. This is also why she's called patchflame. totally normal thing to be named after! This also is sure to help with the arson issues. mhm.

(the scales are dragon scales and the wings are dragon wings and the tail is a dragon tail)

can normally be found: perching in trees. burning their prey. flying in order to get out of patrols. taking care of their normal wings.

[callivich]

So, I read a fic a bit ago where when Mickey was locked up, he learned the trade of barbering..So, anyHC for barber!Mickey and how he and Ian would meet? (Maybe an ugly meet?)

Hi anon!

The fic sounds interesting! The only barber Mickey fic I’ve read is care for a cut by @gallawitchxx but I can’t remember if it mentioned Mickey learning while locked up so maybe this is a different fic? 🧐

-

Some possible ideas for barber Mickey -

Mickey and his brothers run a barber shop which is a front for drug dealing. They don’t actually do anything there. Ian is offered a job interview out of the blue and he accepts without realising his hair looks like shit. He finds Mickey’s barber shop and runs in hoping for a last minute cut. But Mickey is shocked someone has even come in the shop, let alone is asking for a cut. The guy is desperate and offers him over the ‘rate’ on the door. And, well, he’s kinda hot so Mickey goes with it. How hard can it be to cut hair? Turns out very. Ian is angry he has to go to his interview with what is basically a bowl cut.

A prison!AU where it’s Ian’s first week and he’s in prison for arson. He dyed his hair black because he thought about going on the run. And now he’s here, he hates it. It’s starting to grow out and it looks stupid as fuck. He goes to the barber who is also a prisoner. And meets Mickey who takes the piss out of his black hair with its bright red roots. He just will not shut the fuck up throughout the whole hair cut and Ian is very annoyed but he is also just a tiny, little bit turned on by Mickey’s rough hands and his nice smell and the sound of his voice.

Instead of getting a job as a janitor, Ian gets job as an apprentice barber and Mickey is his boss. Well. No. Mickey is not the boss, just the guy who is assigned to teach Ian. But he’s calling himself Ian’s boss, which instantly pisses off Ian. And Mickey is not that great of a teacher. They argue all the time. The customers hate them. There are complaints. The actual boss sits them down and says if they don’t get their shit together, they’ll both be fired. Which neither can afford. Cue a private lesson after hours….

Ian is an EMT who gets a call to a grumpy barber who has cut himself with a razor by accident. The barber, Mickey, insists it’s no big deal but Ian insists he take a look. And it’s bad but it’s nothing Ian can’t fix. So he does and then goes off to the next call. But he can’t stop thinking of the hot barber. It’s been a while since he’s asked a guy out. He’s nervous. He decides he needs an excuse to see him. So he lets his hair grow out, doesn’t shave and books an appointment with Mickey. Problem is, Mickey’s on vacation. By the time he’s back, Ian’s looking a bit like a lumberjack.

Help our trainees learn! Come and get a free haircut! That’s an offer Ian can’t pass up. So off he goes for a haircut that, yeah, probably won’t be that great, but whatever. It’s free. He’s having second thoughts when he sits down in the chair. The trainee barber is nervous and pissed off. Ian’s not sure he wants this guy using sharp objects near his head. But it’s kinda too late to back out now. He tries to make light conversation and finds out the guy’s name is Mickey but he wants Ian to “shut the fuck up so I can concentrate”. However, when Mickey has a little bit of a meltdown, Ian manages to calm him down….

I don’t know what you unlocked here anon. I had not thought a lot about barber Mickey but suddenly I’m coming up with all these ideas?! 🤯