#professor schulyer

[tealsnapdragonfics]

Hallows Eve Engadement pt 4

Ania POV

With a snap of my fingers, the haunt cleaned itself up. The minute the room turned normal, I was face to face with my grandfather, who, mind you, was looking rather concerned. Tears slowly fell from my eyes as I looked down in shame. His long fingers lifted my chin up, removing my tears with his thumb, and he pulled me into a warm but firm hug.

“I broke my promise. I said I’d never lose control but failed. I let you down, I let Klaus down, I-I... ” As I whimpered into his chest, he slowly stroked my back before speaking.

“Karma, look at me.” His voice had an authoritative tone, so I figured it best not to argue. Peeking up, I met with a familiar smile, the same gaze I saw the day I lost my parents. “You never broke your promise. You entrusted Tiva with the safe word I taught you just in case you lost control. Any other demon would have given into the urge and their pride and not told anyone their safe word.” With a smile, he ruffled my hair. Giggling, I tried to push his hand away.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. I just feel bad because I’m afraid of what could happen with Klaus. What if he doesn't think the same? What if he leaves me for a mortal girl he can grow old with? What if-” Firmly, he placed his finger to my lips.

“Sweetheart, those are only what if’s, not realities. Soon enough, you'll understand that sometimes, you stress yourself out too much. Now, go enjoy the rest of your birthday.” Hades faded away into the dark shadow of the wall, leaving me in the room alone.  

Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed a faint shadow pass by. Rolling  my eyes I face the shadow and say. “Nice try, Undertaker. What are you doing here anyways?” Letting out his signature laugh, he replied.  “Can't a grandfather check up on his only granddaughter and wish her a frightful birthday?”

“Right…” I knew that the Undertaker’s motivations were almost always for pleasure and business combined. “Who are you taking away tonight?”

Silence. The shadow appeared to wince in pain as if I had pushed on a pressure point. It was clear to me that whoever he had to take away, the Undertaker would be doing so at his own dismay. Who could he possibly not want to take away? It disturbed me that for once, he was not happy about doing his duty to Death. If it wasn’t me, then… “So help me, if you're here for Klaus…”

The Undertaker laughed hysterically. “If it was him, I'd let you do it yourself. No, some random student is about to die of disease, and I was gonna make your cousin do the deed.”

Who’s my cousin again?” Silence. It took me a few seconds to realize who he meant. “Right… I forgot about that.” He kind of has a duty when it comes to teaching ‘new’ reapers. (You may be wondering how I’m related to a Reaper, but that’s a story best left alone... Maybe another night.) “Well, I'll let you go ahead and bug the cousin,” I said just as the shadow faded into my shadow.

Snapping my fingers, my armor faded away, replaced with a orange corset lined with black weaves that appeared to represent the thorns normally wound around my silver crown. A black skirt hiked up in front, cascading from my hips down to the floor. My shoes heightened, putting me in sleek black combat boots that zip up the sides. Being left alone in the room, I walked myself out the throne room doors.

    The demonic melody filled the ballroom as Elias began playing classical Halloween medley Moon Trance. It was a catchy song, so it wasn’t a surprise the dance floor was soon crawling with people. On the other hand, no one wanted the center of the room, which resulted in awkward dancing. A familiar arm circled my waist slowly pulling me towards where everyone was dancing.

As Klaus dragged me towards the center, I remembered that I had the honor of announcing the Hallow’s Eve king and queen. Without even counting I knew who it would be. No demonic meddling involved... besides getting Zach’s help to pick the crown for the unlucky gal.  Zach was silently snickering while watching Tiva trying to get her boyfriend Luca Orlem to dance with her. They were both mysterious in their own right and Tiva loves his sadistic creativity, so it’s a win-win situation. Luca’s pranks ceased to hurt anyone, and Tiva FINALLY accepted Luca’s feelings even though it took him 7 months to succeed (But that’s only because Tiva’s a hard ass).

Resting my head on Klaus’s shoulder, we contently danced, ignoring the spotlight we were in. After all, demons don’t give a shit about anything unless it’s condemned souls for feeding or our closest friends. Being crowned Prince and Princess of the dance definitely wasn’t on that list (Damn you, Zach). Zach’s creepy yet familiar cackle filled the room. I couldn’t help sending Tiva a look that said, what the hell is he up to? The students stopped dancing and Elias made the music faint away, so Zach could continue his spheil. “It’s the time all you pathetic wizards have been waiting for. Your King, Queen, Prince, and Princess shall soon be announced!” Shooting my gaze to Tiva, I mouthed to her. DID YOU PUT HIM UP TO THIS? Tiva mouthed back, You’re the one in charge of this, not me!

Zach continued the greatly anticipated announcement, “On this Hallow’s Eve Night, the Prince and Princess is none other than our Emperor Klaus Goldstein and his lovely Empress Anyia Michaelis!” I smirked.

I knew exactly what was gonna happen next.

Nodding my head towards Zach, he continued. “Now for the main event. Your Hallow’s Eve King and Mysteriously lovely Queen are none other than our Favorite Prankster Luciano Orudeus Gedonelune (Luca Orlem) and the sneaky, insane, half-Reaper Tiva Nasia Nightshade!” (SPOILER ALERT) The look on their faces was the best thing ever.

*Time skip brought to you by hours of dancing and a lifetime supply of endless punishment for Zach*

Having taken many pictures and danced for hours, Klaus began to lead me somewhere alone in the light of the full moon. The music soon faded away, the endless woods remained semi-dark with an elegant shimmer from the moon, and Klaus’s figure continued to lead me along. Granted, I could see where I was going, but his sudden adventure still had me curious. The further we walked, the more aura shadows I noticed out of the corner of my eye. I wanted to know where he was taking me, so I gave in to the urge. “Nascha, where are you taking me?”

It’s been awhile since I last called him that, so I figured now was the best time. After all, we were ‘alone.’ Persistent in his guiding, he simply turned his head, smiled, and kept leading me deeper into the trees. Soon, we found ourselves in a open and wide field, with noticeable tombstones left and right. Once I spotted an ancient royalty headstone, I knew exactly which cemetery we were standing in.

“How did you even...” I was at a loss for words. There’s no way he could have found the forbidden Michaelis cemetery by himself, right? Before I could react, I began to hear a mysteriously familiar violin song playing from the distance (Song of a Caged Bird - Lindsey Stirling). I hadn’t heard Lindsey’s Song of a Caged Bird since... not since I last picked up my father’s violin and played it for his birthday, then his funeral. My eyes widened as unfamiliar tears began to fall from my demonic eyes. Shimmering dancing lights began to dance around alongside the music, replaying the days that my parents were still alive. It was a lie to say I didn’t desperately want them back.

Turning to Klaus, I could tell that this was his birthday present to me, an opportunity to see my parents one last time. Without saying a word, I walked up to him and buried myself in his arms. Holding me tightly, he whispered in my ear, “Koko, turn around and open your eyes.” Doing as he said, I turned around and was face to face with none other than my raven-haired father and blonde-haired mother. Covering my mouth, I couldn’t help letting out a quiet sob.

Naturally, my parents heard it.

My dad walked towards me and pulled me into his chest for an unusually heart-warming hug. Holding me closely, my mother came next to my dad and stroked my hair, speaking, “My little crow have grown into such a beautiful and powerful young lady.” My father scoffed, knowing full well that I would not accept such a title, and spoke in the soothing voice I’d so longed to hear, “Kitten, we’re sorry we weren’t able to be there for you like real parents, but we never left your side, not once.”

Gripping them both harder, I whispered, “If you were here the whole time, why couldn’t I see you all the time? I alway needed you both, even if I am a Demon-Reaper Wizardess.”

Smiling down at me, my father replied, “Silly kitten. You know full well that the dead resides on a different plane, with the exception of those who cannot or chooses not to move on. It doesn't mean that we aren't with you all the time. Especially not with part of ourselves inside of you.”

“I missed you so much. Do you have to leave again?”

“Who says we ever did? Happy birthday, little kitten,” my father lovingly said as he and my mother hugged me tightly. I closed my eyes to take in as much of them as I could. The tightness of the hug faded away, but the warmth never did. When I finally opened my eyes, they were gone, replaced by dancing lights that soon became faint as the song came to a close. Turning to Klaus, the rude brainiac who could be very sweet at times, I was met with a warm smile and kind eyes. Unable to hold myself back, I punched him in the arm before giving him a hug. “What was that for?”

“You made me cry. I don't like crying,” I replied with a smirk on my face. Rolling his eyes, he took his arms and wrapped them securely around my waist. Pulling me closer, he whispered sweet nothings into my ear before finally speaking in a nervous voice, “Ania, I want to ask you something. I’ve been meaning to ask for a while, but now, I cannot delay any longer.”

Klaus is NERVOUS? That’s unusual. He’s normally calm and composed, even in dire situations. He’s starting to worry me... What question could he possibly have that he’s been waiting to ask? I stared at him, waiting for him to keep talking. After a moment of awkward silence, he finally got the hint that I was waiting for him to ask whatever was on his mind. “Well…”

“Well?” I was starting to get impatient. And then, out of nowhere, Klaus kneeled on one knee only for him to pull out a small black box. Huh? He opened it, revealing an amethyst gold ring, and asked the last question I expected to come out of his mouth, “Anyia Kai Lainey Michaelis, will you marry me?” Wait a minute… WHAT?!?!

I was completely thrown off track. He’s not that good at keeping secrets from me! How could I have been so oblivious to this? Unless.... Looking out of the corner of my eye, I noticed two shadows, one fairly shorter than the other, standing in the trees. The tall shadow appeared to be snickering, whereas the other calmly walked up to the tall shadow and smacked him on the back of the head, only for said figure to kiss the shadow. Oh, Tiva. Of course Klaus asked for your help. At least she finally manned up enough to kiss Luca. Once I realized Klaus was still in front of me, I quickly looked back at him, nervously awaiting my answer.

I finally answered, “Yes.”

Sighing in relief, Klaus stood slipped the ring on my finger and pulled me to him with a smile. Peeking from the ring to his god-like features, I asked, “Are you sure you can handle me? I mean, I am a sadistic demon after all, Oh, and I forgot to mention that I'm also part Reaper.” Letting out a soft chuckle, Klaus replied, “Love, if I didn't think I could, I wouldn't have considered proposing in the first place.” Smiling widely, Klaus pulled me against his chest and laid a playful kiss to my neck, then to my lips.

This was One Hell of an Engagement on this Hallow’s Eve night.

[theguythatdraws]

HPMA MC: Lycidas McGarry Profile

This was long overdue

Full Name: Lycidas Aaron McGarry

Nicknames: Wolf Boy, Watch Boy, Lycidas 10

Gender: Male

Born: October 13, 1998

Nationality: Irish

Ethnicity: Irish-English

Mother: Chiara Lobosca, Hufflepuff

Father: Finnegan Jack McGarry, Gryffindor

Other Family: Jacob McGarry, Uncle

Sexuality: Straight

Blood Status: Half-blood, part-werewolf

Disabilities: Asperger's Syndrome

Personality: Extroverted, caring, brave, courageous, heroic, friendly.

Appearance

Height: 7'11", or 241.3 cm

Weight: 125 lbs, or 56.699 kg

Hair: Medium, messy straight cut, pure white

Eyes: Stunning blue

Skin Tone: Fair complexion, no discernable abnormalities

Special Features: The Omnitrix, on his right arm

Hogwarts Life

First Wand: Eleven inches, mangrove, firm, with Basilisk horn shaving core

Hogwarts House: Gryffindor

Roommates: Scarlet Bianchi (@immagrosscandy), Sasha Queen (@heleneplays), Amar Gupta (@hogwarts9), Kevin Farrell, Robyn Thistlethwaite, Phil Baker (@samshogwarts)

Best Friends: Scarlet, Sasha and Amar

Lover: Olave.

Enemies: Vilgax the Conquer, Death Eaters, Sunder, Hex, Charmcaster, Dolores Umbridge, SixSix, SevenSeven, EightEight, Kraab, Addwaitya, Michael Morningstar, Eon, Rouge Werewolves, Wizarding supremacists, Khyber the Huntsman, Dr. Psychobos, Malware, Psyphon, Attea, The Incursean Empire, Inspector 13, Princess Looma, Dr. Animo, Argit (sometimes) Z'Skayr, Dr. Viktor, Lord Transyl

Pets: Borf and Zed

School Evaluation

(without use of Grey Matter or Brainstorm)

Transfiguration A

Charms A

Potions E

History of Magic P

Defense Against the Dark Arts O

Astronomy O

Ethnology A

Flight P (With a broom)

Arithmancy T

Muggle Studies O

Care of Magical Creatures O

Herbology O

Divination D

Study of Ancient Runes P

Favorite Subject: Care of Magical Creatures

Least Favorite Subject: Arithmancy

Favorite Professor: Rubeus Hagrid, Elaiza Winger-Schulyer (@annabelle-tanaka-official)

Least Favorite Professor: Horace Slughorn (not that he's a bad teacher, it's just that he gets annoyed with his constant party invitations)

Animagus: None, because he sees it as pointless

Patronus: Tyrannosaurus Rex

Patronus Memory: Getting the Omnitrix

Boggart: Amusement Park Mascots

Riddikulus: Empty costume lying on the floor.

Amortentia: Burning oak, fruit and bacon.

Small Biography

His favorite color is green.

He plays the trumpet.

He wanted to be a professional Quidditch player, but he can't fly on a broom for his life. So he unfortunately gave up on that dream. But he always watches the Quidditch World Cup whenever he can.

During his Fourth Year, he spawned fourteen Necrofriggan offspring, who currently live on the planet Kylmyys on an abandoned space cruiser. He tries to visit them whenever he can, but if they're ever in trouble, he'll drop everything and rush to help them. He even gave them some of his and his parents old clothes to wear.

Lycidas is actually smarter than he lets on; he's able to do complex math in his head, and he can remember the exact words a person says.

He has an indomitable spirit. He will keep fighting even if he knows it will kill him. But it'd be worth it if it meant his friends would keep living their lives.

After graduation, he becomes a full time hero, advocate for Wizarding-Alien relations, and Hogwarts' first Extraterrestrial Studies professor.

Voice Claim: Tom Holland

[amia-springs]

XD

[schrijverr]

I Wrote My Own Deliverance

Chapter 4 out of 10

Alexander Hamilton is reborn as Alex Hambleton. He is desperate not to make the same mistakes twice, but it seems he is stuck in the narrative, unable to get out. Familiar faces pop up all around him as he attempts to keep his previous life a secret and write himself out of the story.

On AO3.

Ships: none

Warnings: none, but tell me if I missed anything or if you want me to tag something!!

~~~~~~~~~~

He had allowed himself to get swept up in the friendship of people he’d loved and missed, not thinking about the consequences, but so far he was walking along a familiar path.

A too familiar path.

This wasn’t good. He had sworn to himself not to be the same person again and here he was making the same decisions. He would have to step back, it would hurt to cut his friends out of his life, but it was for the best.

Over the course of the next weeks, he retreated. He stopped sitting with the others in the few classes they shared, he didn’t come to their study sessions, he didn’t stay after class to ask questions with Washington like he did with other professors, and he didn’t pursue a deeper friendship with Aaron or the Schulyers.

Instead he befriended a few other guys from his classes. They didn’t click that well and he only got drunk with them when they were bored, but it was better than being completely alone.

It wasn’t ideal, but it was working.

And, like everything that worked in his life, it ended.

Nothing stayed.

So it wasn’t much of a surprise when he got assigned to Washington to supervise his end project that would be vital for his career and would help him keep hold of his scholarship.

With a heavy heart he went up to Washingtons office and knocked. While the face was way different from what Alex had known, the voice was nearly the same as Washington called out: “Come in.”

“You wanted to see me, sir?” he asked, “Is it about the project? I’m sorry, I hadn’t gotten around to reacting yet, I already have a few thoughts, so we can get to work now if you’d like. Sir.”

“Ah, Alexander, welcome.” Washington said and seeing him, behind his desk surrounded by papers and a tired yet amused look in his eyes, was hard. Alex almost cried, but managed to keep his face blank and didn’t tell the man that his name was just Alex.

He was snapped out of it by Washington asking: “So what did you have in mind, son?”

Alex couldn't bring himself to mind the moniker. Funny how someone dying gives you perspective on how you related to them.

He blinked and attempted to cover up the pause with rambling: “Well, so I’m taking this course for credit, but I want to go into law, I’m pre-law, so I thought that I might connect the project to that and more how the Revolutionary War influenced the Constitution, since most of the people involved in writing it had lived through the war, even fought in it.”

“It seems like you know what you’re doing.” Washington said, “I trust that you can do this, but know that I am always available. I’m your supervisor for a reason.”

“Of course, sir.” Alex nodded, “Though, I do warn you that I can be a bit much, so if the emails are excessive, say so.”

“I will.” Washington said.

And that was that. They quickly went over his outline and after that Alex set out to do research to find sources about his own experiences, trying to figure out how to keep an outsiders perspective.

The first time he had send Washington an email, he had to check what the man’s name was. A bit of unease creeping up on him as he double checked everything to make sure ‘Washburn’ was in all the right places.

But overall it was familiar, it was nice.

Washington still had the same manner of speaking and writing and it reminded Alex of other times wherein he would write and Washington gave feedback. It was hard to not fall into familiar habits that felt right.

During the lectures he felt more comfortable being argumentative, like he was in the classes without past friends. Though he avoided fighting with his former friends, in risk that it would become personal or revealing.

He tried to ignore their hurt looks and attempts to talk to him. He wanted nothing more than to give in, but he was bad news and he would not drag them down with him.

Life was seemingly looking up nearing the end of his project. So far so good. He was feeling positive about what he had written and he was making Washington proud, even if the man didn’t know it, it was good.

So, when he came in for his last assessment, he was surprised by Washingtons serious expression. Nervously he asked: “Have I done something wrong, sir?”

“No, just sit down, son.” Washington told him.

With a hard swallow, he did as he was told and waited for answers about what he had done. After a few more moments, Washington said: “I’d like to ask you about this section.”

Alex looked at the section pointed out. It was about the Federalist Papers and the parts Hamilton had written and how the War was reflected in them. He scanned it, trying to find any faults or discrepancies, but found none.

“I don’t understand, sir.” he finally decided on saying.

“I don’t appreciate your dishonesty, Hambleton.” god his last names sounded similar, “What you have written here is a direct quote that has not been recorded in history word for word.”

“Uh, how would you know, sir? No offense.” Alex tried to save himself, he had not thought that Washington would’ve remembered the conversation.

Washington sighed and said: “I think you know, son.”

Alex had to make a choice. Should he play dumb, pretend he didn’t have a clue; or should he confess and hope Washington would understand

The silence stretched on.

Neither spoke.

It became clear it was up to Alex.

He had to break the silence.

“It’s good to see you again, sir. I hope you can forgive me for my deceit, but you cannot tell anyone else, sir.” he made his choice, the words surprising both of them.

“Hamilton.” Washington smiled.

“Yes, sir.” he saluted, it was good to tell someone, “I did not count on you remembering this part, I’m not going to lie. I thought I was going to get away with plagiarizing myself.”

“Only you, Alexander.” Washington said.

“Glad to not disappoint.” he replied.

“About disappointment, I know a few people who would be disappointed not to hear of your return.” Washington told him with a knowing look.

Alex sighed and acknowledged: “I know, sir, but I can’t. I really can’t. As much as I did in my last life, I was not a very good friend, sir. I don’t know if you read up on me, but my personality did not get better with time. I cannot pull them down with me, not again. Not before I change the story, make better choices.”

“The ‘story’ as you say is already different.” Washington told him, “I am no General, Lafayette and John are not my aid-de-camps and I’m pretty sure that Hercules isn’t a spy. It’s all already different.”

“But what if it isn’t.” Alex argued, “I mean, I think I fought with this Seabury guy like before, Aaron was the first person I met, John, Laf and Herc were already friends, I argued with Lee, I’m pretty sure it was Lee, on your behalf, I met the Schuylers at a party. It might be slightly different, but it’s unfolding all the same and I cannot allow it to end like that.”

“Alexander-”

“No, don’t Alexander me.” Alex snapped, “I know what you’re going to say. You’re going to tell me that I can make my own choices, that if I know what is coming because that is what I believe, then I can make a different choice. Am I wrong?”

Washington sighed and shook his head, so Alex went on: “Well, this is me making that choice. I’m choosing to not be friends with them, so that they can make their own choices as well. The last time I gave in, it was a moment of weakness that I regret, but I did it. I did it and I’m not sticking around to see if this time I can be strong. I’m just not taking the risk.”

“You seem very set on this, son.” Washington mused.

“Not your son, sir.” since Washington knew, he had to keep appearances.

The comment got him that tired smile again, before Washington got serious once more as he asked: “I’m not going to be able to convince you otherwise, am I?”

“Afraid not, sir.” Alex confirmed.

“Then I won’t tell, but, Alexander,” Washington promised, “keep in touch with me. It is really good to have you back and you need people who know. I won’t talk, if you make sure I’m in the loop. Besides, I’m sure Martha would love to have you over for dinner again.”

“You found Mama M again?” Alex asked excitedly.

Washington nodded fondly: “I take that as a yes.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll keep in touch.” Alex promised, “Here I’ll give you my number so that we can text about the dinner. Is my project good for the rest, we’ve gotten a bit of track.”

Alex held out a piece of paper with his number that Washington took as he replied: “It’s amazing, son. You’re words have not left you even after death.”

“Good to know, sir.” Alex grinned cheekily, his words had always been his greatest weapon, no matter how much he had loved swinging his fists around with Laurens at his side in every bar brawl.

They said their goodbyes and Alexanders heart felt lighter as he exited the room. It was good to have Washington on his side.

[drakorn]

Top 10 GOOD Things about the Broadway Production of Tanz der Vampire

Recently, I have been thinking about the Broadway Production of Tanz der Vampire again and couldn’t help but imagine: What could have been? Well, we could have had Tanz be one of the most successful international musicals in the world, in the ranks of Phantom and Les Mis no less (which it already is in Europe), but what could have been if the Broadway production actually was good? I have thought about certain scenes and production designs again and well...some of the things present in the Broadway run actually still resemble the original intentions of keeping it faithful to the source material. So...there is two hands full of actually pretty decent things about the production in general.

Hear me out! 

I am in no way defending the Broadway Production, I still think this is the worst thing that could ever happen to any musical adaptation. That doesn’t mean however that there aren’t some merits...right? To be fair, it’s getting increasingly depressing to write about the good stuff, because you keep thinking “What COULD have been?” So, without further ado, let’s dive into the Top 10 GOOD things about the Broadway Production of Tanz der Vampire, “Dance of the Vampires”.

10 - The Bombastic Orchestra

Ok, we all know that this goes without saying, but when something gets put on at a Broadway theatre, you can BET that one thing is and always will be delivered: The quality of the music. While Dance of the Vampires is a shitty show, it still has the perk that it includes a lot of the original Steinmann orchestration and compositions. When an actual Tanz song comes up in the Broadway production, the music actually sounds really decent. I would even dare to say it sounds on par with the Vienna orchestra. Stage Entertainment has had a MASSIVE problem with orchestras and it it really shows in the musical quality of the show. However, if Broadway can do one thing right, it’s definitely the orchestra.

9 - The Set Design

Set design is another massive key to a successful musical production. Yes, of course, sound is essential, but when someone only hears the CD, the set design is often a thing that convinces them to go and see it live. I respect the modern approach to theatre of minimalistic set, however, I think that this logic definitely does not apply to musical theatre. Musical theatre is an another plain altogether, it calls for visuals, it calls for big moments. While the costume department of the Broadway Tanz production was...uhh...very questionable 

OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, WE DIDN’T NEED TO SEE THAT AGAIN! MY MEMORIES ARE STILL FRESH!

Hmpf, anyway, what I meant to say: While the costumes are not the greatest, the set design itself is speaking completely different languages. While there is certainly some VERY quriky choices in that matter too (The Garlic Festival poster, the castle gate that looks like it’s straight from a child’s playmobil game), there are also some very impressive things to behold. For every goofy garlic poster, we have this gloomy ruin in the middle of a forest, for every playmobil castle gate we have a blood red moon rising over a sea of mist. It is SUCH a shame that the set design is significantly better than anything story-related. If I had to sum up the Broadway Tanz experience in one gif, it would be this one:

“...but the effects were decent.”

8 - Choosing the Minskoff Theatre as the venue

Again, this is a very “What could have been?” topic. For all that it was worth, the Minskoff Theatre was an excellent choice to put on Tanz der Vampire. It’s a gigantic venue and, very importantly, allows for a lot of effects. There are tons of trapdoors and equipment that is just just MADE for a vampire show. How could would it have been to see Krolock and his vampires disappear from the stage (he does that at the end of the Vienna version, but just imagine how this effect could have been milked). 

Just LOOK at this theatre. It even has the perfect opportunity for the characters to walk through the audience! Why this wasn’t taken advantage of during the Broadway Tanz production...I don’t know. The Lion King is also showing at this very theatre, so we know how incredibly impressive the shows there can be! If Tanz der Vampire would have been faithfully portrayed at the Minskoff Theatre, it would have truly been a sight to behold.

7 - Casting René Auberjonois as Professor Abronsius

Whoever saw the Broadway Tanz undoubtedly noticed that Abronsius was made significantly unfunnier. In fact, it seems like most of the funny stuff was absorbed by Krolock, which created a very not-well side-effect. However, the actor himself, René Auberjonois, was actually a very nice choice for Abronsius. Whenever he actually HAD a funny moment, he made full use of it. If Tanz der Vampire would have maintained its original spirit, he would have actually been ideal for the role! And just LOOK AT HIM

While it’s not the exact Einstein of the original production, I can still see Abronsius by just looking at this guy! He might have even been the oldest Professor at that time because he was born in 1940 and could still sing and act the part. Professor Abronsius would have therefore also been cast by a person actually closer to his age. Just imagine what could have been... I really wish he would have been doing more stage work in the past, he certainly has the talent.

6 - Angels Arise

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiit! Hear me out, guys! You must be thinking “WHAT? How can he SERIOUSLY talk about the scene where...well, THIS happens

and STILL say it’s good?!” Well, I’m not talking about the scene itself, I’m talking about the song that features in this scene. Angels Arise was a completely new addition to the other Tanz songs. And...well...what can I say? The song itself is actually really good! If it weren’t for that atrocious scene placement, this might have been one of the better scenes. How do I know this? Because there is a recording of this song, which doesn’t feature any of the goofy visuals:

When you listen to the song itself, it is actually pretty touching and melancholic, as well as beautiful at the same time. I would even go as far as encouraging this song to be included into the original Tanz production. If you take this song and place it into a fitting moment in the actual Tanz storyline, I’m certain it could fit in quite nicely!

5 - Casting Max von Essen as Alfred

Again, we are talking about incredibly wasted potential here. When choosing the actors, Max von Essen was actually a very solid choice for the role of the not-so-fearless protagonist. First of all, he can certainly look the part:

And also, he can certainly act the part! Unfortunately, the Broadway run completely butchered his role to such an extend that he wasn’t even the main character anymore. However, a funny side effect of this was that Alfred came across as MUCH more brave and responsible. But he still maintained that positive Alfred attitude. If the original version would have been performed, Max von Essen would have made a FANTASTIC Alfred. He has proven to be certainly capable for the part with what was given to him. Currently, he is performing in Anastasia as Cover Gleb, as far as I’m aware, and he deserves all the praise!

4 - Für Sarah

Thankfully, there is a couple of scenes in the Broadway production that isn’t straight up awful. Für Sarah is pretty much the only scene in all of Act 2 that was done right. It actually really captures the spirit of the original and truly gives Max von Essen his time to shine as Alfred. There is actually a pretty good clip of it on YouTube, which just shows how good this could have been if the original version was faithfully adapted:

Oh, Max von Essen, you deserve to perform Alfred as he was originally intended. 

3 - Das Gebet

Of course, Act 1 also has this ONE scene that is actually done well, even excellent if I may say! Of course, I’m talking about Das Gebet. Oh, I’m not talking about Draußen ist Freiheit and Die Rote Stiefel, because they had some serious flaws within them, I’m just talking about Das Gebet. Once we get through this cringy transition between Die Roten Stiefel and Das Gebet, the song itself is actually done well, and I mean REALLY well! Rebecca, Alfred and Magda are outside and start the song, the entire stage goes dark and snow begins to fall from the sky, we see several small groups of people coming together, only aided with a few spotlights, gradually forming into a group and singing a song about light in the darkness. The orchestra really puts all of their skill into this song and the result is great!

Just skip forward to the 9:20 mark and see for yourself. It really makes you also feel melancholic because all of this talent is wasted in an otherwise awful show. And it also gives you the glimpse of an idea of how magical and beutiful Tanz der Vampire could have been if it were properly adapted.

2 - Casting Mandy Gonzalez as Sarah

Of course this had to be on the list. For me personally, the best possible casting decision for this show was Mandy Gonzalez as Sarah. 

She definitely looks the part and SOUNDS the part. All of her songs she sang to the most, she was really the saving grace in many of the scenes. During Totale Finsternis for instance, you can really see how she is just TRYING to safe the song. You just have to feel sorry for her when she’s on stage with...whoever Michael Crawford portrays there, it’s definitely not Krolock. She gives it her all and makes the best out of the atrocious material she was given. If Tanz der Vampire would have been adapted faithfully, she might have very well be one of the best Sarahs ever. Talk about wasted potential here. She was so good in this show, but the show wasn’t good to her. She is currently playing Angelica Schulyer in Hamilton and boy, does she deserve the praise!

And the number one thing that was actually good about the Broadway production of Tanz der Vampire is...

1 - That one theory that makes the entire thing almost bearable

Ok, this needs a bit of explanation. So, there has been this theory circling around for a bit, I don’t really know who exactly started it, but that’s how it goes: So, what happened in the VERY first scene? Well, Sarah and her friends are strolling through the woods of course. BUT...WHAT exactly are they picking up and eating on the spot?

The weird things start happening RIGHT after they have consumed those shrooms. A group of hippie-like goth vampires storms out of the forest, Krolock’s coffin shoots out of the floor like a rocket, all of that...so, this theory suggests that the ENTIRE musical was just Sarah being high as fuck. That’s why she is the main character of the show, that’s why Krolock speaks in this weird Italian accent, that’s why all of those confusing things happen to her. Just imagine her walking through the forest, high on mushrooms, just IMAGINING all of the musical’s events. Or better, she experiences an encounter with Krolock, who is still the gothic malevolent being from the original musical, but she just keeps seeing him as this weird Italian dude. It’s the funniest joke of the entire thing and it’s not even intentional! 

So, there we are! Those were my Top 10 GOOD things about the Broadway Production of Tanz der Vampire. It was NOT easy making this VERY controversial list. Now...who wants a Top 10 WORST things list? 

[w1tchy13itch-blog]

the good thing about being over 20 in the Wizardess fandom is that I can publicly state that i want Professor Schulyer to marry me, and it’s not actually problematic in any way. 

I just want hold him :’(

[tealsnapdragonfics]

Hallows Eve Engadement pts 1-3

Summary: Having dated 3 years and living together, Klaus decides it’s time to take their relationship further, but Klaus doesn’t know exactly how to go about it, so he swallows his Goldstein pride and confides in Tiva Nasia, Ania’s best friend. But what will happen when Joel pull Ania away every time Klaus tries to bring up the topic? Will he ever get to ask the question, or will his jealousy of Joel get the better of him forever?

Tiva’s POV

The light had just barely began to peek into the dorm room when I opened my eyes.

I took a deep breath, preparing to brave the awakening of the living dead. The last thing I wanted to do was wake Ania up after a rough night, but the headmaster would kill me if Ania was late one more time. Unlike myself, Ania was famous for sleeping in late, and Klaus always gave me a glare every time Ania was late to class. Creeping over to the bed, I nudged her arm before backing off quickly. Instantly, her other hand snatched a blade and swung over her body like instinct.

“Don’t you know by now not to wake me up, Tiva? This is the third time this week I’ve nearly killed you,” Ania said while not opening her eyes.

“Come on, Ania, you can’t afford to be late today, of all days.”

“How come I have to go to the stupid meeting and not you?”

“You’re the prefect, not me.” Ania groaned out of frustration before getting up, tossing her sword into the wall and sitting up reluctantly. As her eyes opened, they weren’t their usual orange color but red as the flames that left Cerberus’s mouth when he got too excited. This was normal whenever she didn’t get enough sleep. As she got dressed, her eyes faded back to her orange shade, although it still retained the red undertones.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. When I opened the door, Prefect Klaus was standing there. The longer I stared at him, the more uncomfortable he grew. After a minute in silence, I called out to Ania, “Your boyfriend is here!” The response I received wasn’t exactly what I expected. All I got was a groan of defiance, as if to say ‘I don’t wanna go! I’m exhausted!’ Rolling my eyes, I couldn’t help but sigh. It was the same routine every time she had to go be a functioning human and not her exhausted demon self.

After five minutes, I gave up and left the door for a moment to drag Ania out of the dorm. Much to her displeasure, of course. Ania continued to pout in the doorway. Without warning, Klaus lifted her up like a doll and walked off with her in his arms. Sigh… Just another start of a normal day.

Ania”s POV

As Klaus carted me to the school in his arms as though I was a doll, I couldn’t help but place my face on his chest and close my eyes, hoping to sneak in more sleep.  

To be honest, I didn’t mind helping the students with their magic and all that, but when it came to not getting any sleep due to a student summoning an untamable creature unless you were born in hell, it was a good way to put me on edge for the next week. The spell had succeeded, but the student failed to step away from the creature and just kept pestering it till it attacked. By that point, the idiot was as good as dead, and it was none other than the school’s favorite spell singer, Joel Crawford, my childhood ex-friend.

While it was unfortunate that the angry hellhound didn’t manage to kill him, I also had to stay up even later to cover up the incident. There are times in a wizard’s life that they wished they were dead, but what I wished was for Joel to not have ever lived so that I stop nearly killing Tiva every other morning. As we got closer to Klaus’s office, he slowed down, and I sensed exactly what he was up to.

Klaus’s POV

As we neared my office to begin the tasks for today, I couldn’t hold back the urge to tease Ania.

I had gotten the brilliant idea to make her think I would drop her. As I began to loosen my grip, the words that left her mouth stunned me, “Klaus, you do, you die.” I was dumbfounded for a moment. How did she know? Reality smacked me in the face. She was half demon. Of course she could sense my movements. That was one of the many reasons why I fell in love with her. Instead of fake-dropping her, I lifted her upwards into the air slightly. Before I could catch her, she somersaulted onto her feet before walking up to me and punching me on the arm.

“Ow, yeash, I was just playing around,” I joked. The brief shimmer of red in her eyes told me that she didn’t get a wink of sleep after the hellhound incident. I engulfed her in a hug out of apology. When I let go of Ania, Randy and the headmaster walked into the office, closing the door behind them. Knowing full well it wasn’t professional, Ania sat down on my lap as I asked, “What the hell is Randy doing here? I thought this was an official meeting.”

“It is. We’re discussing the setup of the annual Gendonlune Ball taking place here instead of the usual location,” Headmaster Randolph answered. With a rather loud groan, Ania buried her face into my neck, totally ignoring the headmaster. I continued to interrogate the headmaster, “Why is the ball happening here, rather than in town like normal?”

Randy blushed a bright red as Headmaster Randolph answered, “Randy forgot to make arrangements with the town, then decided to argue with their manager in public. Unfortunately, Randy is permanently banned from the town, and there is simply no way to fix things in time for the ball..”

Rolling my eyes with an exasperated sigh, I questioned. “Why do we have to go out of our way for the kids of this school? All they ever do is get drunk, no offence.”

“This year, alcohol is banned because it is Halloween-themed, and there will be a haunted house maze that everyone must try to escape without magic at midnight. You can see why the prefects must organize this. With the enlistment of some talented students, we can still make this a success.” Ania rose her head up while keeping her eyes closed and asked, “Am I allowed to terrify the students in my demon form?” The only response the headmaster gave was a sneaky smile.

Turning to look in my direction the only response I got from her was a fanged grin and golden eyes The expression alone told me she was going to make even the bravest and most powerful students shit themselves.

Headmaster Randolph asked, “So, we’ll have Joel help as part of his punishment, and Elias and Luca will also be helping with the setup. Is there any other students that should be pulled out of class to help too?” After thinking for a few moments, one individual popped in my mind. There was a girl that most people forgot existed in the first place, who is powerful and loves a good haunted house.

“What about Tiva Nasia? She enjoys this kind of stuff, and she can build some stuff along with enchanting.” Only fast footsteps echoed in from the hall as everyone else in the office just stared at me like I was insane. Ania finally said, “Tiva’s even worse at magic than I was. Are you damaged in the head?” Her face said, “Why the hell are you bringing up Tiva’s uncanny skill at magic?!?!”

I let out a deep sigh, ready to drop the idea when suddenly, Randy had to open his trap and comment, “Tiva is pretty good at crafting stuff without magic.” The headmaster was officially convinced that Tiva helping out was a good idea. “Tiva helps too. Meeting concluded for today.”

Finally relieved this meeting was over, I put Ania on my fold-out bed to let her sleep and went to locate She-Who-Can’t-Be-Found. For the most part, I was going to tell her that she gets to help with the haunted house, but there was another deeply personal reason to find. Going to Tiva Nasia for advice meant I finally had to swallow all the pride I have in me.

*Time skip brought to you by Klaus (almost) killing Luca for turning the main entrance into one big carbuncle slip ‘n’ slide*

It took me nearly seven hours to find Tiva, and it turned out that she was tailing me the whole time. Backing up a little.

When the clock told me that it had been nearly seven hours, I grew frustrated and cursed under by breath, “Where could she possibly be this whole time?!?! I’ve looked everywhere!” I turned around, and there she was, the mysterious Tiva Nasia, leaning against the wall. How Ania even managed to become best friends with her was beyond my knowledge. I fought against my pride as she said, “I was wondering how long it’d take you to realize that I was right behind you the whole time.”

“Seriously? How did I not see you behind me?”

Tiva placed her finger up against her mouth and replied, “A girl never reveals her secrets. So, what’s up?” Wait, how did she- you know what? I’m not even gonna finish that thought. This girl hangs with Ania. I really need to remember that questioning her is just like questioning my girlfriend, complicated.

Running my hand down my face, I peered at Tiva from the side. “Well,” I started, “you are officially on the committee to help prep the ball’s haunted house.”

“I heard.”

“Not even asking how you found out.” I began to shift my weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably while trying to find the words. Giving in, I swallowed my pride and asked, “I need your help on how to propose to Ania. I’m at a total loss and you’re the only person close enough to her that might have some ideas.”

“The owl finally wised up, did he? Sure, I got an idea or two...” Silently growling, I stared at her, waiting for her to share away, swearing to God she was purposely torturing me. “Oh, you’re waiting for me to share away. You could try proposing on Hallow’s Eve, say, in the woods or a haunted house or even at a secret graveyard that no one supposedly knows about.”

I smacked myself on the forehead. OF COURSE! Her favorite place to terrorize other people. While I’ll never figure out how Tiva even know about the secret graveyard, she clearly knows Ania. Tiva continued, “And in case you’re still trying to find the perfect ring, there may or may not be a secret magic ring shop in town that is supposedly behind the chapel. Good luck.”

I nodded my head as Tiva walked off never to be found again. Leaving the school grounds behind, I rode on the train for a brief 20 minutes before entering the town. Out to find this shop, I quickly found the chapel. Walking around the building, I noticed a faint shimmer deep within the fog.

The shop was rather easy to locate, but having to fight off some angry fire wolves wasn’t quite so fun. Wandering through the shop for what seemed like days, the shop appeared to be never-ending. Then, I came upon a simple, yet elegant, wedding ring. The band was golden, with silver diamonds surrounding ten amethyst stones shaped like feathers. It looked as if the stones itselves were wrapping itself around your finger.

Pulling the ring from its case, I walked up to the register in the old shop to inquire about the price of the ring. As the man took the ring in his hands, glancing from it to me, he asked, “Why would a young wizard like yourself be after such a fine ring? A royal demon ring, no less.”

I couldn’t stop the smile that formed on my lips as I answered, “It’s for my girlfriend. Her birthday is on Hallow’s Eve, so I thought, why not propose during the ball in her favorite graveyard? As for the demon aspect of that ring, if you must know, she’s half demon and is the granddaughter of the devil himself. I’m fairly positive you can figure out the other half. Amethyst is also one of her favorite stones.”

With a smile, the older man placed the ring in a garnet encrusted box before finally saying, “That will be 1,700 lune.” Sighing with relief, I payed the fee and left the shop with a smile on my face.

I knew I had made the right choice picking that ring. Now there was only two thing in the way of us being together for good: her grandfather’s approval, and her answer to the question I’ve waited to ask ever since we ran into each other years ago. One can only hope the answer I receive is yes.

Unfortunately, the fate of our engagement rests in the hands of the devil himself.

Part 2

I found myself fiddling with the engagement ring as the train silently ran back to the academy.

After scolding myself for taking it out of the box, I placed the enchanting ring inside the stone-encrusted box just as the train pulled into the station. Walking back to the academy was nerve wracking and uncomfortable. Venturing through the academy entrance as the pebbles crunched under my feet, my thoughts drifted to Ania and how she’d react to the question. Just as I was about to enter, I hear Joel’s obnoxious voice sweet-talking.

Peeking in the main entrance, I see Joel making a pathetic attempt to win Ania back, asking for forgiveness for only the devil knows what. Saying I wasn’t jealous was a complete lie, but I couldn’t afford to “accidentally” kill Joel for hitting on my girlfriend and risk losing Ania forever. Thus, I came to the conclusion I needed to once again swallow my pride and accept that Ania can deal with Joel herself.

Meanwhile, I had a bigger problem… Now I have to find my way into hell and convince Hades, the devil, to let me marry his granddaughter, the last reminder he has of his firstborn son. Maybe I should have gone to him first, then the ring… No time for regrets now. I continued to watch Joel’s makeup attempts, plotting how to kill him later when he messes up again, when suddenly, the last thing I expected to happen did.

Out of nowhere, She-Who-Disappears-All-The-Time showed up, walked right past Joel while Dinozzo-slapping him on the back of the head, and disappeared in the distance in front of about a few dozen students watching and laughing their head off (In case you don’t know what a Dinozzo-slap is, there may or may not be a show called NCIS). “See? Even Tiva hates you,” Ania snapped at Joel, now on the ground, as she walked away.

With a smile, I headed towards the abandoned temple deep into the forbidden forest, the ring secured in my drawer. There, the portal to the underworld remained open for only the use of myself and Ania. I entered the abandoned temple and descended down to some tunnels similar to a maze, walked straight to the end of the tunnel, and entered an empty room with an unsuspecting crack in the wall. Running a finger along the crack, I suddenly found myself in the same room with just skeletons.

As I left the newly-transformed temple, Hades’ castle stood with pride in the distance. The smell of black tea and cocoa beans wafted through my senses. A familiar howl invaded my ears as the silhouette of none other than Cerberus leapt closer along with a figure on his back. Soon, Cerberus came to a halt, nearly crushing me to death, and Hades got off of the three-headed hellhound to greet me by asking, “How’s Ania?”

Getting out of the way of the hound, I looked at him and replied, “She’s fine, as demonic as ever.” With a heavy sigh, I fell silent, unsure how to bring up the topic. Then, Hades threw me off by saying, “Time to pop the question, isn’t it?”

“How did you even-”

“You never come here by yourself. What else could it be?”

Rolling my eyes, I continued, “I know that not every person is as welcome in hell as yourself or Ania, but I didn’t want to intrude on you, seeing as you have to govern the underworld...”

“Dude. It’s cool.” I was left speechless. I can’t believe that of all beings agreeing to the engagement of Ania and myself, I already had HADES’ approval. Cerberus started trying to stick one of its heads under arm in attempt for some playtime. I turned around to stare at the hellhound, looking depressed and innocent. “Next time, I’ll bring Ania for playtime. Deal?” I told Cerberus.

After a brief and messy lick in response, I bid Hades and his guard dog goodbye and made my way back to the room with the portal. As the old temple consumed my vision, thoughts of doubt and worry plugged my mind. What if she says no? Or worse, leaves me for Joel? After touching the crack on the wall of the demon temple, I found myself in pitch darkness.

Is it dark outside already? After nearly smacking right into the door that was now closed, I cautiously made my way back upstairs and out the main door. A walk through the faintly lighted forest later, I was once again standing at the main entrance of the academy. Before I could open the door and sneak in, Ania tackled me from above saying, “Where have you been all day?!?!”

Her normally golden orange eyes were glowing with a blood-like red that sometimes shows when she is sleepy, mischievous, or otherwise pissed off. After getting up off of me, she continued to scold me, “What possible reason could you have for disappearing for a whole day while Joel have been whining and begging like an infant to take him back?!?!” I was trying so hard to hold back my laughter at her semi-childish complaints only to realize that she wasn’t in a playful mood.

She was genuinely worried and angry that I disappeared. What do I tell her? I can’t tell her that I have been getting her engagement ring and got Hades’ ‘blessing.’ Getting an idea, I told her, “Headmaster Randolph asked me to go visit the Ministry because my older brother needed help on a recent case. I’m sorry I didn’t give you any heads up.” Unable to say anything, Ania simply curled up on my lap and buried her head on my chest. Guess I really did scare her. Can’t say I blame her…

The door creaked slowly, and Tiva peeked her head out, whispering, “Guys, get in here now! The headmaster is doing his final check of the school grounds.” With a silent nod, I stood up with Ania secured in my arms and entered the academy.

*Time skip brought to you by Ania stealing all the blankets on Klaus’s bed*

As Ania slept curled up on my bed, I sat by the window, deep in thought. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to pull this off alone and that if it wasn’t for Tiva and Elias talking some sense into me, I would still be single and alone and not with one of the most amazing girls in this world, above and below. How to plan the proposal….

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a piece of paper slip from under the dorm door. After eyeing Ania and making sure that she wasn’t gonna wake up, I quietly used magic to bring the paper to me so that the creaks of the floor wouldn’t trip her slumber. The note read, “Bring whomever you see fit to help you. Meet at the entrance of the forbidden tower in the morning. Amelia and Morgan will take Ania out to town for archery while we plan the proposal. They know absolutely nothing about this. Destroy the note when you finish reading. - Tiva.” A sneaky smile grew on my face. I was glad that I decided to confide in Tiva about my plans.

That morning, Amelia and Morgan did indeed show up, excited for a girl’s day out. Pulling Ania to me by her waist, I nipped her neck and earlobe gently before kissing her passionately. “Stay out of trouble, Karma, and stay safe,” I whispered into her ear. With a gasp, her eyes widened when I called her by her given name only for her to wrap her arms around my neck and give me a silent nod of agreement. Letting her go, I watched as Amelia and Morgan fangirl over Ania having a boyfriend and unknowingly drug her towards the town with smiles on their lips.

Tiva’s POV

I waited for what felt like an eternity at the train tracks for Amelia and Morgan to show up with Ania. Sure enough, looking utterly flummoxed and slightly irritated, they marched up to the tracks with Ania in toe. “Sorry it took so long, Tiva. Ania is rather stubborn, and it took longer than expected to get her out of bed and ready to go,” Amelia said as she tightened her grip on Ania’s wrist.

The black aura radiating off of Ania was rather interesting to watch dance around her as she glared daggers into the back of Amelia’s head. “It’s fine. The train hasn’t quite gotten here yet. There will be plenty of time for fun.” I looked around and spotted a realistic fake-Professor Schuyler glaring at me. Morgan followed my eye-line and noticed him too. “Tiva, what haven’t you told us?” she asked.

“Darn it! He caught me outside my dorm room last night and now expects me to come to detention. I was hoping he would forget about me,” I smoothly lied to the girls. Ania told me to ditch when I could and join them in town later just as the train pulled into the station. After waving the girls off, I turned around and started walking towards the illusion that I had created for the lie. Once I was sure that the train was gone, I swiped the spell away and made my way through the so-called forbidden forest.

Soon enough, I reached the Tower of Sorrow, where the chimera lay guarding, and found that Klaus hadn’t shown up yet, or so I assumed. Three silhouettes merged from the forest in my direction. It appeared that Klaus brought Elias and Luca with him. The trio stepped out of the forest, revealing themselves. Well, this may be easier than I thought… I bid them welcome and started sharing ideas for the engagement.

Part 3

Tiva’s POV

“If anyone messes up in any way, I will personally take you to Hades myself, understand?” I warned Zach.

“Yeah yeah. Whatever.” The brown-haired teen walked away, disappearing into the shadow of a wall as Ania and Klaus came around the corner. I gave the thumbs up to show that everything was in place. I hope my temporary... ‘assistants’ don’t go too far out of control tonight. There was no doubt that someone would enjoy terrorizing the students, namely Zach. However, I’m positive Ania would give him a run for his money before the night is over. Zach and Ania will be competing for the most screams tonight….

Klaus kissed Ania gently before silently leaving the two of us in the halls of the haunted mansion. “Ready to go get our costumes on?” Ania asked. I gave her a look that said, Do you even have to ask? With a evil laugh, she teleported us to the dorm where our costumes laid out on the beds. As we started to change, Ania suddenly threw me off a little bit by asking, “Will Klaus ever propose, or will he eventually leave me for another girl? It’s not that I don’t trust him, but waiting so long makes you wonder.” She doesn’t suspect anything tonight. Good.

Taking a deep sigh, I said, “If he knows what’s good for him, he won’t make the mistake of leaving you for a mere mortal. And if it turns out that he isn’t who you thought he was, I’ll make sure that I beat your grandfather to the punch. Assuming that there is anything left of his soul.” Ania laughed.

Ania’s costume was a badass dark-angelic assassin, which would soon take on a demonic persona. I was trying to not imagine Klaus’s reaction when he saw her in her outfit. She summoned two wolf-like hellhounds to join me in my assassin costume before we made our way to the main dance area. Once we got there, there was many students wearing costumes either dancing or complaining about the no-alcohol rule this year. If only they knew what awaited them…

Suddenly, a dark-haired Klaus walked up to us with a semi-unhappy and semi-mischievous look on his face. He decided to darken his hair and wear a demon costume with wings, some unusual weapon held by one of his hand, an eye patch over the right eye, and a faint red eye contact to make his eyes appear a mix of demonic red and purple. It took Ania a good five seconds to realize he was her boyfriend.

*Time skip brought to you by Joel trying to get Tiva’s trust despite having failed a lifetime ago*

Ania’s POV

“Are you sure Klaus isn't possessed, Tiva?” Joel nagged Tiva, finally realizing that Klaus had been with us for an half-hour.

“Would you rather he was possessed by Death herself and trying to hunt you down while I stand here saying, 'I told you so?'” Tiva stared at Joel with an evil look in her eye and a mischievous slight grin. Joel took a gulp, turned around, and bolted for the door. Before he made it, the door magically slammed, locking all students of the academy in the dance room. Looks like everything is in working order. Here come a night of fun…

Tiva, Klaus, and I looked at each other, acknowledging the fact that the haunted house was about to begin. We made our way to the door, where Randy, Elias, and Luca waited excitedly while Joel looked perfectly miserable. Suddenly, an automated deep voice, similar to Klaus’s, echoed out throughout the room with an evil laugh. After a few seconds of screaming died down, the room was in dead silence as Tiva and I fought against our urge to laugh.

The automated voice spoke, “Welcome to the 107th annual Gendonlune Ball. Unfortunately for you poor... innocent students, this Hallow’s Eve is the night of your death. There is no escape from your inevitable fate tonight. At the stroke of midnight, you’ll suddenly find yourself in a haunted mansion with ghosts, booby traps, and worst of all, a demoness. You could stay in the room with your group and pathetically attempt to stay alive, or you could try to escape with your team. The odds that you will make it out alive is slim, but possible. (evil laugh) And did I mention that your magic is completely useless as of right now? May Death favor your end.” It laughed again, fading away into silence.

Students left and right glanced at each other, trying to figure out if the voice was genuine or a practical joke skillfully crafted.

Random Student’s POV

My friends and I were whispering to each other fearfully, debating whether Luca had successfully pulled off the ultimate prank on the whole school when all of the sudden, only darkness can be seen. A grandfather clock could be heard in the distance, signaling midnight. Light slowly fades in, and my group of friends plus some other students were still around me, but we were now in a smaller room that appears to be a locked Victorian bedroom. A high-pitched screech echoed from the door just before the door suddenly opened wide.

We glanced at each other, terrified of what could potentially happen. A figure clothed in black gripped a long slender item I couldn't make out. Twisted around the item were silver thorns weaved into a crown laying atop the head of a legless skeletal figure. The hooded figure turned around and walked away, and a minute later, a black-haired, purple-eyed girl in an assassin outfit stuck her head in the door. “The demoness is coming soon. Let’s go!”

We followed the mysterious girl down the corridor where the hooded being previously disappeared into. One guy had the guts to actually ask the girl if following the grim reaper was a good idea. She answered, “One, that was no grim reaper. Two, who ever said anything about following him?” Instead of turning right and following the figure, she led us down the left corridor into a humongous library. A crack of thunder and a flash of light startled us, but does not seem to bother the assassin girl. Darkness swallowed the room, and numerous howls echoed from every direction.

Where the assassin girl stood, a candle was lit, revealing the face of the famous Elias Goldstein, reading a book as usual. He wore a badass male witch librarian costume, and sheathed on the table in front of him was a sword, known for its playfully dangerous personality. It was none other than Excalibur. As Elias looked up from his book towards the temperamental sword, there was a warning chime of the grandfather clock. Suddenly, the ground shook, almost like an earthquake or an explosion from a distance.

Standing on the edge of the balcony was a long haired male with a glowing burned and aged six of spades card in his long artisan fingers. His green eyes glazed over my group and stared straight at Elias, preparing to throw his now burning card. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Joel over by the table, about to touch the infamous Excalibur. Elias noticed too late, but he was unable to do anything about it, now in a magical duel with the mysterious guy. The Excalibur floated up, unsheathing itself as Joel slowly backed up.

I yelled at my group to run just as the enchanted blade turned its point towards us. We were scrambling into the corridor and tried to go back to the room we originated at. Blocking our path was a brown-haired male with head trauma and an evil grin. He started bolting for us as we kept running down the corridor where a feminine figure stood at the very end. By the time one of us noticed that we were trapped, the ground collapsed from under our feet. We were in complete darkness with a slight odor of garlic and iron. Right above us was faint bickering between a male named Zach and a female who sounds familiar, but it was suddenly drowned out by a loud screech in the distance.

Klaus Goldstein, wearing a vampire hunter costume, walked up to us with a torch in one hand and a lethal crossbow in the other. He lit a torch that was on the wall behind us, then said, “Grab the torch. You’ll need it to defend yourself.”

“From what?” one of the girls asked at her own risk.

“Don’t you mean who? Randy has been transformed into a vampire by the demoness herself, and he’s now roaming around the dungeons. The headmaster has asked me to hunt him down to protect any students that may actually have a chance of surviving.” A metallic clang echoed from the direction Klaus approached from. “Get ready to run in case I fall.”

Adorkable Randy walked out of the darkness, batting his eyes in reaction to the torch. At first, he appeared to be perfectly normal, besides the lack of costume. Then, he grinned madly, revealing his bloody fangs. With a quick motion, Klaus shoved us past the blood sucker and fired his silver crossbow at Randy, saying, “In the name of God, impure souls of the living dead shall be banished into eternal damnation!”

Before we could do anything, Randy leapt up, narrowly missed by the arrows, and pounced upon Klaus, nailing him down. We hurried away into the darkness with a single torch, not knowing where to go. Turning the corner, we nearly ran into Excalibur, still persistently hunting for us. “Go go go!”

We bolted up some random stairs and through a series of corridors, not paying attention to our surroundings except for the fact that there was a magical emo sword chasing us. Pretty soon, we found ourselves cornered at a dead end, about to meet our Creator. Out of nowhere, the assassin female from earlier dropped down from the ceiling, facing the infamous emotional-teen weapon with hands on her hips. It was almost like Excalibur was terrified of her. It turned itself right around and went flying off to its owner, whoever that may be.

She turned to face our group and said, “You guys want to get out of here? We have to confront the demoness, the ruler of this tormented mansion. It’s the only way we’ll ever get out.”

“What?!?! Isn’t she just going to kill us anyways?!?!” Joel stupidly protested.

“You’re right. She will kill us, whether it’s in these corridors and rooms or as we walk right out the main door that is cursed. If we can keep her busy long enough, then there is a chance that we’ll be able to walk out alive. Who’s coming with?” Everyone stood in silence, unsure of whether to listen to her or try to make it out by themselves. The black-haired female started walking away, and we followed behind.

Eventually, we stopped walking right outside the throne room, with the doors casted wide open. Standing in the center of the room was a girl with blonde hair with red tips wearing thick assassin armor. What the heck? That’s no demoness. That’s a student.

Ania’s POV

Tiva led a group of confused and terrified students, including Joel, into the throne room. The fright of their life was about to begin.

“Karma, I demand you to reveal yourself!” Tiva yelled. With a sinister voice, I answered with a little magic to make it sound as though I was elsewhere, “Which mere mortal dare to command Karma, demoness and granddaughter of Hades himself, to appear before mere humans?” Tiva stepped forward while the terrified students tried to run out the door. With a wave of the hand, the doors slammed in their faces. They watched in horror as I morphed into my demon form before their eye.

My white, red-tipped wings extended from my shoulder blades and out to its full span as my skin shimmered into a pale silver-white tone. My assassin armor shifted into my demon armor, as elegant and invincible as ever, and my long-missed scythe, thorns wrapped around a metal skull, rose into my hands from the ground. My hair faded into pure white while retaining its vibrant, blood-like red tips, and my fangs grew just slightly longer and sharper while remaining human-like. My demonic aura yearned to take control and consume all creatures in the throne room while my humanity fought against it.

In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but think, I always forget how hard it is to hold down my power when in the human world. It’s never been this strong before, but again, it is Hallow’s Eve, the second most dreaded night for superstitious people of the year, not to mention the fact that I literally have not been in my demon form since before I started coming to this academy.

Before I knew it, I found my demonic side saying, “Well, looks like you get your wish. Not for long, though.” My demon form let out a demonic, evil laugh as Tiva only raised an eyebrow. Well, Tiva definitely knows something is up. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Joel trying to sneak past me. Unfortunately, so did my dark side. With no control over myself whatsoever, I glided over to Joel in a blink of an eye, nailing him to the wall by the throat. My eyes darkened as I stared into his soul, withering in fear.

Next thing I knew, I was raising my scythe, preparing to finish him off. WHAT THE HELL AM I DOING?!?! I CAN'T TAKE HIS SOUL! Another part of me started to whisper enchantingly, Come on, Ania, you know he deserves to die. Especially after what he have done to you, or even better, your bestie. Nearly giving in, I prepared myself to swing the scythe, when all of the sudden… “KARMA NOX!” I morphed back into my normal form unarmed, collapsing onto the ground as I heard Tiva tell the mortified students to make a run for it now while the demoness was powerless.

Almost immediately, footsteps faded away into the silent distance. Glancing up, I watched Tiva jog towards me with a concerned look in her eyes. “Are you okay, Ania?”

“No. I nearly- no, I lost complete control over myself when my demon form appeared. I was on the verge of just letting myself do the deed. I let Klaus down. I told him that I’d never lose control of my dark side, and tonight, I failed.”

Tiva looked me straight in the eye and flat out said, “You may have lost control of your demon side, but you most certainly did not fail Klaus. You entrusted me with the safe word to ensure that tonight would not end tragically. By doing so, you have gained the ultimate control over yourself.” I was completely confused on what she meant. The truth is, the fact that I felt like I failed Klaus was the least of my worries…

I still had to face my greatest fear involving my demonic side: my grandfather.