#were i a real wizard i would have apprentices and we would make a bunch of yarn critters

[dailypokemoncrochet]

I think I think of coding in the same way that y'all think of freehand crocheting, in that I think it's a kind of magic and I often have ideas that I'm pretty sure are possible to carry out if I only knew how to code. And I could read a lot about it, I could study various programming languages, but I still feel like in my head there's something not clicking that stops me from actually going from idea > program, and for someone who computers does come naturally to or is very skilled with, they're just like "??? you just gotta go from idea > program" and that can be a little frustrating

[heliosthegriffin]

Fool’s View Teaser

Author’s Note: So heads up, this is probably the first real piece of fanfic I wrote, some like three years ago. It was basically going to be a crossover between the Dresden Files and bunch of other series, but I decided to do a teaser about him in Remnant.

It’s a little rough, but I decided to upload it here, because I forgot how much Cinder got roasted. I probably won’t ever finish it though.

Terror.

Terror and horrible acceptance, that's what he was feeling as the rocket locker propelled him farther and farther away into the burning ruins of the Beacon and away from his partner.

She was going to die, he knew that and there was little to nothing he could do to prevent that. His lips still burned from the kiss and left a bitter taste in his mouth, his eyes threatening to water. His stomach roiling and boiling inside from the momentum in the air.

He didn't care though, he just wanted to get out of this damned locker, and go be with her.

Then suddenly as it started it stopped, and confusion fell over the boy as he felt his stomach calm, and the locker gently descending on to the ground.

He felt hope rise inside and looked to his scroll, he smiled broadly. Crocea Mors suddenly felt a hundred times lighter.

It was displaying error, and heating up dangerously so.

Only one person in the entire world could make a scroll explode just from being near it.

The locker hit the ground jarringly, making him fall abruptly to the side, but he didn't care. His heart of hearts he now knew things were going to be alright.

"Shit! Didn't mean to drop him!" A familiar older voice came from outside the locker, it was deep and more than a little intimidating, but to him, it was hope, from the first person to actually believe in him, his master.

Deep and eerie laughter came near the voice.

"Oh shut it, Nightwalker. If your so good at let me see you try it." Came his masters' voice again.

Suddenly the locker door was opened as the shadows near it lengthened and were cast a shade darker, and Jaune was thrown forward before a very tall and intimidating man in a leather duster.

"Show off," The wizard muttered under his breath about his unrestrainable familiar. He looked to his apprentice with a bit of worry in his eyes, "Hey Padawan, feeling alright?"

"Don't spend your worry on him, I've seen and given him worse hits in training." Said a voice from inside the wizards' duster that trailed off with a laugh.

"Look just because I know that doesn't mean I can't-"

"Master!" Said Jaune looking desperately at him.

"-Be polite." Said the wizard finishing his sentence and looking at Jaune slightly annoyed. "I thought I taught you better than to interrupt people while they were talking?"

"I know, I know, sorry! It's just Pyrrha! She has gone to fight that woman alone and she is going to die, if we don't help her!" Jaune said quickly.

"Oh, that's bad. Well, no time to waste. We got a witch to waste." The wizard said walking toward the burning tower.

Jaune didn't follow.

His master looked back at him.

"What are you waiting on, a green light?"

"I-, I'm not strong enough." The boy said with his eyes looking at the ground. "Pyrrha wouldn't have pushed me away,-"

"In a rocket-propelled locker otherwise, right? Well, maybe she's just being a stupid, arrogant teenager who thinks she's invincible."

"She's not stupid! Or arrogant!"

"Current evidence says otherwise, given she, despite being a championship fighter, is going to fight a world-class criminal who not only is capable taking out a world-class hunter and has with no qualms about murder, just got the level up of a lifetime. Now, why would you say that's not stupid?" The wizard said leaning on his staff, and looking at the boy with a questioning gaze.

"Because, she's honest and beautiful, and never done badly on a test in her life and, and" The boy struggling to find words to defend his partner.

"Beauty isn't good and you still can be book smart and stupid. So why do you say that she's smart when she has gone on her lonesome to combat one of the most dangerous criminals in recent history?"

The boy stood thinking for a second, and face scrunched in concentration. Then like a light going off in his head his face brightened up. 

"She didn't do it because she's arrogant, she did it because she felt it's the right thing to do, she doesn't want to see me or anyone else get hurt. Because she feels if there's a one percent chance to succeed where others have failed she'll take it, and do it alone, so only she has to bear the burden." Jaune laughed bitterly. "She is kinda arrogant, isn't she? But so what? I'm still weak, and she's strong, I'll only get in her way if I go with you."

His mentor looked down at him with disappointment and sighed, walking over to him putting a hand on his shoulder. "Kid. Look at me."

The boy slowly lifted his gaze to his mentor.

"You are not weak. You didn't get this far to give up, I wouldn't have given you the time of day to train you if I didn't think you didn't have potential, and neither would your girlfriend and guess what else," He said, pointing a finger at his chest. "You wouldn't have got this far either if you didn't think you could do it."

He held a hand toward the tower. "That tower is where it all ends, either us or that bitch in red. So are you coming or what kid?"

Jaune looked at his mentor and smiled. "She's not my girlfriend... Yet, I got to get her out of here alive first. Let's rock this shit, boss."

The wizard smiled. "Call me Harry, kid. Oh, and don't forget your sword, you're going to need it."

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

The woman in red looked down at the beaten spartan on the floor and prepared her bow.

The girl looked at the woman with glum acceptance and asked. "Do you believe in destiny?"

The woman opened her mouth "Yes-"

"Fuck destiny!" 

"Pyrrha!" Said two voices falling from the sky. One older and masculine, and the other boyish and slightly breaking.

"What on Remnant is that?" Said the woman looking up, but not letting her aim drop on the broken spartan.

"Jaune?" Said the girl looking up at the sky, hope rising and falling in tandem.

Looking up in the sky revealed two figures falling like dark blue and pure white meteors towards them.

The taller figure waved and hand at the woman, yelling "MAXIMUM PYRO FUEGO! BITCH!!!" A massive, gold and blue fireball launching from his hand at the dragon flying at them.

The fireball hit the dragon with a thunderous blast, knocking it back while shattering part of its mask, engulfing it in golden white flames. 

The dragon roared as it's Glasglow grin started to melt shut, and fell toward the ground.

A moment later an explosive crash shook the building.

The pair landed in a heap between the two, Jaune landing first in a belly flop and Harry falling on his back. "AHHGH MY Back!" "FUCK!" Both of them yelled in tandem.

Cinder and Pyrrha could only stare in utter bewilderment at the pair, neither of the two ever quite seen something like this.

Cinder tried to level her bow at Pyrrha again to take the shot, but her sense screamed at her not to take her eyes off the two.

Pyrrha had a million things running through her mind, but the first was 'How did Jaune get up here?' and the second was 'Why am I jealous of how close that guy is with Jaune?'

Harry got up first unsteadily, "Yeah, yeah, don't everybody help at once. Jesus, wizards got to do everything for themselves these days, no respect I tell ya, no respect." He said to no one in particular.

Jaune got up a second later rushing to Pyrrha and hugging her, "Pyrrha your safe," before noticing the 12 inches of glass through her leg, "Or not." Then feeling her shattered aura.

Pyrrha still too bewildered to say anything merely leaned into the hug with a blush.

"Well, don't worry, me and Harry-"

"Harry and I," His mentor corrected.

Jaune looked at his mentor annoyed, making his mentor smile. "Harry and I, are here to save the day!"

Having enough of this nonsense, Cinder pulled back her bow, a flaming arrow aimed at Jaune's back and fired.

Only for a blue dome to appear to shield him from the damage.

"Nice try Cindy, but not nice enough." Said Harry with a casual wave at her.

Cinder looked at the wizard and her mind started spinning as recognition appeared in her mind.

"YOU!" She all but screeched at him.

"Me." He smirked at her with a shit eating grin. "Been awhile right? I hope you missed me as much as I miss you."

He casually leaned his head to the side as an arrow flew pasted his head.

Pyrrha looked at the display in confusion, as the odd man casually moved past the barrage of arrows that fired at him. 

"Who is he?" Pyrrha asked her partner.

"Oh, him? That's my old boss and mentor, Harry Dresden. He taught me everything I know about fighting dirty and PI work."

"Oh." Said Pyrrha, still confused. "Do they know each other?"

Jaune shrugged. "Boss has a lot of enemies," He looked over at his mentor and said loud enough to grab his attention. "Since he has a tendency to piss people off for no reason!"

Harry looked at his apprentice and flipped him the bird, and said with a shrug, "I do what I do best, and that annoys the hell out of people!" He looked back at Cinder "Come on Cindy, I'm not even breaking a sweat here, why not show me some of that bootlegged magic power you stole!"

Pyrrha slapped Jaune on the side. "Jaune! Don't distract him while he's fighting, you could cost him his life!"

Jaune stared at Pyrrha before laughing. "Oh, don't worry about the boss, he isn't even serious yet."

'What?' Was the only thing Pyrrha could think before dragging her eyes back to the fight.

Cinder screamed in frustration as the object of her annoyance casually ducked, dipped, and dodged every projectile sent his way. Not even deigning her the satisfaction of becoming a pincushion, even as she willed the arrows to change direction and hit him from behind.

Separating her bow into two blades she rushed the mage, and while also sending a storm of superheated glass at him along with their audience.

The wizard looked at her in annoyance, and with a mere wave of his hand sent the storm back at her, and forced her to dodge away.

"Huh, expected more from the so-called 'Fall Maiden' I mean that Ozpin character, really hyped you guys up. But, this is a real disappointment, I mean so far all I've seen you do is bully some kids, cause public property damage, and generally just be a bitch to everyone. Not really what I expected from a sham of an 'All Powerful Maiden' '' Said Dresden in a condescending tone, even doing finger quotes. "I mean I haven't even seen any good magic tricks from you yet!"

"Hell's Bells, I think the kid over there could take you." To which the boy shook his head fiercely in denial. "Ah, come on his I thought we got past your self-confidence issues already."

"There's a difference between confidence and realism." Jaune said dryly.

"Kid I wouldn't have brought you up here if I didn't think you wouldn't be useful, I mean the sword choose you," 

"Will you shut up!?" Came a Cinder, her eyes glowing with power.

The wizard looked at her and stuck his tongue out at her. "Make me."

To which she responded with gathering a truly immense amount of fire between her hands.

"Well, that doesn't look good."

A roar shook the building again, as a flaming dragon flew up from behind them. 

The dragon still alive, and looking pissed.

"Jaune! This is what I need you to do," Harry said looking at the boy. "Kill the dragon!"

"What?!" Screamed both Pyrrha and Jaune.

"Jaune, you’re a knight, right? Well, knights kill dragons, so go do that!"

"How?!"

"With your sword!"

"That's stupid!"

"Just believe in yourself and do it!"

"Fuck that-" Jaune started to say, before feeling his sword grow heavier at this side, as though it was pulling on him and trying to get his attention.

He pulled out his blade, it was glowing white like his aura and seemed to speak to him. His arm swung out in an arc, trailing a brilliant arc of light. He could feel an endless warmth from inside the blade and confidence bursting from somewhere. Then there was suddenly a deep and profound knowledge within himself, that he could do this. The power of love and compassion bursting from within, as the sword spoke to his heart. Giving him power, and with a flash of that power, two pairs of white wings appeared from his back.

"See told you," Harry said to the boy. "Amoracchius doesn't choose blindly, you can do this Jaune."

The boy looked back, his eyes glowing with pure white flames. "Take care Wizard Dresden, smite the witch before I return. Or she shall feel the Fist of Heaven." Said Jaune in dual voices. "This is so cool." He said under his voice before taking off, grabbing Pyrrha under his arm and flying away, the dragon following them.

Harry turned his attention to a flabbergasted Cinder and cracked his neck. "Heh, now we can really let loose."

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

Jaune flew far away, but also not very far at all. Just far enough to get away from the dragon and Grimm, to leave Pyrrha in a safe place.

To Pyrrha, they might as well have teleported with how fast they moved. One second they were on top of the tower, and not even the next they were in the courtyard. She felt cold as Jaune took her out of his arms and put her gently on the ground. She smiled at Jaune and her eyes drank in his new form.

He looked to have grown at least a foot, no longer just taller than her, but absolutely towering over her and might be even taller than that Harry gentleman.

 His form had bulked up quite a bit as well, but still keeping his lean frame intact.

 His armor and weapons had transformed as well, his chest plate had extended down across his stomach, sides and, from the looks of it, up his back too, like scales grown to protect him.

The same could be said of his arm and shoulder guards, and somehow greaves and sabatons had appeared on his person too. They didn't look out of place though, all keeping the same theme of white metal with gold etchings across. He truly cut a dashing figure, like a knight out of fairy tale.

That thought had her blushing, for she had almost become a fairy tale maiden not even half an hour ago.

His sword had become something different, no longer just a plain long sword, but something beautiful in its practicality. A weapon made for battle and solely that, and Pyrrha could just faintly make out the head of a nail at the bottom of the sword.

His shield remained mostly the same except larger, and stronger looking, it's mere presence made her feel protected and welcome.

Most of all that changed were his hair, eyes, and of course the fact he now had wings.

His hair had extended far past his shoulders and looked like a cross between mist and fires in appearance with the flicker of energy occasionally passing through it.

His eyes had appeared to become merely fire pits of white fires where his eyes should be.

The fire would grow and expand past where his eyes should be only to then contract and begin the process again.

Pyrrha felt equal parts fascinated and horrified at the sight, wanting to watch it for as long as possible, but at the same time beg him to return himself to normal, hoping that he felt no pain.

Lastly were the wings, Pyrrha could tell that they were not actually attached to himself, but seemed to be constructs of pure aura, of pure soul matter. They were huge, stretch out they must have been twenty feet in diameter and even compressed they were bigger than her.

He cut a beautiful, terrifying, inspiring, and demoralizing presence all at once. He was doing funny things to her emotions just standing there.

She reached out a hand to touch him and deigned to allow her that. She brought her hand to his face, Jaune leaning into her touch, and it felt like electricity had passed through her body. She had to jerk her hand away, and when she did, felt better than she had ever before in her life. 

Willing her aura, it came to her and strong.

Pyrrha could only look at her partner in equal parts shock and admiration.

He put a hand on her shoulder and looked down at her sadly. "I've got to go now, there's... there are so many others in need of help right now, my help. I am so sorry Pyr, I never want to leave you alone like that again, but I have too." He looked at her and for a moment, his big blue eyes appeared and stared into her soul. "But I swear that I will come back, just promise me you'll be safe?" He said practically pleading to her.

Pyrrha didn't answer with words but crossed over and gave him a deep hug. Jaune returned it and tilted her head to look at him, and then leaned down to kiss her on the lips. Pyrrha stood there in shock, as her longtime crush and burgeoning love, kissed her, and then returned it with toe-curling passion.

Jaune then gently stopped and separated from her, laughing awkwardly. "Just thought I return the favor, and give you, maybe, some incentive to stay alive." And then muttered under his breath. "And maybe tell you how I feel."

Pyrrha gave him a heated look and gave him a very suggestive smile. "Oh, Jaune. You've given me more than an incentive, I expect to continue where we left off when you come back."

"You want to do more?!" Jaune barely managed to croak out, his fiery eyes swelling massively, with his baby blues briefly coming out.

Walked inside his guard once more and gently patted him on the side of his face. "Oh, Jaaaune, I've so much to show and teach you." Pyrrha purred into his ear.

Jaune froze briefly, before backing up faster than Pyrrha could comprehend. "Alright sounds, great meet up later, make sure Nora and Ren are alright, umm, later bye! People to save, bye, love you, bye, wait did I say I love you? Um, gotta go." Jaune said rapid fire, before disappearing.

Pyrrha just stood there contently for several minutes, till she realized what she had said to Jaune, blushing redder than a tomato. She then ran toward closest Grimm she could she, uncaring that she was weaponless. You didn't become a championship fighter, by being overly reliant on your weapons.

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

The city was on fire and for once it was someone else's fault.

Contrary to his attitude toward Cinder/The Bitch in Red, Harry's actual emotions were much more complicated towards the current events. He wasn’t scared, but he was worried.

He knew that Cinder couldn’t die by his hand, that would be a very dangerous situation for everybody in the city taking into account his new state of existence.

Also his familiar wasn’t going to help, cause he’s a dick.

So he did what he always did to buy time.

“Soooo,” The wizard drawled. “Maiden, doesn’t that imply purity?” Turning his head just enough to let the glass sword fly close enough to shave his overgrown five o’clock shadow.

Cinder merely grunted in frusartation at the comment.

“Not that I’m implying that you are not pure of anything.”

He slapped away an oncoming fireball into the sky.

“Just that you look pure evil… And a total whore.”

Screaming in rage Cinder tossed lightning bolts and blasts of fire at the wizard, blasting away the entire remains of the walls to the tower.

“I mean, come on~, have you seen the way you look in the mirror? Did you pick out your cloths from femme fatale monthly or what!?” Harry said almost double over in laughter. “Or did your evil overlord mom, who you’re secretly trying to usurp, pick it out for you?”

Cinder froze like a statue at those words, Harry's eyes widening in malicious glee. “Oh, this is rich, so damn rich!” Harry said slapping his leg, doing his best to keep Cinder on the back foot. “You actually have a man behind your man situation!... Or in your case possibly a woman behind this woman's situation.” The wizard mused to himself, making sure to take note of her reactions.

Cinder’s mind practically imploded at the fact she just made such a newbie mistake. One that would’ve had her beaten in her training to take the power that was hers. That she had practically given away free information to. A. Unharmed. Freaking. Opponent. Instead of one that should be groveling on his knees begging for his life.

One where she pretends to consider letting him live, if only to see his annoying face show hope, only for her to cruelly snatch it away with an arrow to his heart.

That was a thought she had entertained since she first met the self proclaimed ‘Wizard’ six months ago, which admittedly is becoming less and less statement and more fact.

His prowess in magic clearly surpassed her own when just using a fraction of Fall’s power. She wanted to prove, to show him that she was his superior and that he was but a small fly to crush.

To make up for her loss against him in that warehouse.

But it looks like he will be the second to fall to the new maiden.

Harry watched Cinder carefully, making sure to keep up his mask of boredom, while internally trying to figure out how to A) Keep Cinder from killing herself with her powers by accident. B) Accidentally killing Cinder himself. C) and Arguably the most important keep her from killing him.

He might have had decades of experience over her in magic, a body in his prime and physically superior capabilities to her, an illegal amount of dust on his body to soup up his magic, and frankly broken, if that is how the kids say it, amounts of aura to empower his soulfire. 

She was for all intents and purposes a demigod that likely rivaled a Lady of the Summer or Winters courts, if not surpass them, with enough experience and craftiness to kill one Maiden before hand. He might rival her in power right now, but he had no where near the reserves to fight her forever, he might last for a couple of hours max, her reserve likely exceeded his by several margins.

She didn’t have to win, just wear him down to make a mistake… Unless he decided to tap into the horrid powersource, that mutated and deformed mantle he had long kept in check with his familiar.

The Cold Blood Mantle.

The Winter Knights Mantle was bad enough, but… If he tapped into that.

There was no guarantee Jaune wouldn't have to put him down, but the destruction he could cause… Was not something he wanted to think about.

His familiar would likely revel in it though, the ass.

In the middle of his thoughts, Cinder shot up into the air. Her eyes covered in bright orange flames, and her dress shining brightly as several lines of power started to-

Only for her to crash painfully back to the ground.

Harry only had said one word to bring her back down to the ground. “Gravitus.”

With a blast of raw magically energy broke out of his gravitational hold, and shot a beam of concentrated fire at the mage.

Rolling his eyes like a seventh grade drama student, Harry channeled his shield and with a force of will made the beam of plasma dance around him like a serpent in the wind before sending it into the air, where it detonated like a firework.

“So like I was saying Maiden? Really, cause you really don’t look like you fit the bill, I mean with how much leg you show off I imagine most people just peg you as a stripper, and to be honest the first time I met you I thought you were too.”

Cinder screamed in anger, sending out a wave of fire that turned the floor cherry red.

“Wait,” Harry said holding a placating hand up. “I just remember how school girls get past the whole purity things, and seeing how you dress-” Harry never got a chance to finish as a big, bad storm of glass, fire and ash swirled around Cinder, seeming to pulse in time with her twitching eyes, before being fired at Dresden.

It completely engulfed the wizard, the only clue was still there was the bright blue aura of his occasionally flashing before stopping entirely.

Cinder smirked happily as her storm raged, feeling better at the thought of the wizard beaten and bloody before her-

Only for a hand to cut through the storm and dispel it.

A cocky voice followed. “Oh, did I touch a nerve? Well let's pick at it, everybody knows that's what the cool kids are doing.” Dresden said smirking at her, looking no worse for wear. With a hand secretly crushing a dust crystal behind his back to start siphoning his reserves back to full.

=========================================================================

Power. So much power. It flowed through his entire being, he felt more than human, but at the same time so much less than human, as though part of him was buried and bound by the power that surrounded him. Limited by the very power he wields. But that is fine, he may end up trapped by the duty of the sword, but as long as the others are safe he will be happy.

First though, so many people are in danger and need help. 

A constant stream of despair, worry, and anger floated around his head like specks of dust, but he knew each and every one of them like the back of his head.

Jaune could only be in one place at a time, with power came choice. The burden of the mighty is their choice.

Jaune had to prioritize, and choose which people needed his help first and which monsters to kill first.

At any other time this might have broken the young man, the knowledge that he had the power to defeat anything on this broken planet but not the time to save everyone. But his time with Harry had taught him… One person cannot save everyone.

So he made his choice.

Spreading his wings out he flew before the Grimm Dragon in a speed that would have broken a mortal man’s mind.

The dragon barely had time to register Jaune’s presence before he spoke. “Twisted One made in mockery of the heavenly emissaries, you and your spawns time is done. Come, it is time for your judgment.” The dragon roared in challenge at the shining one before it and charged a foul breath in its partially melted throat.

It never got the chance to release it.

Jaune had already cleaved apart it’s chest in one blinding swing, briefly turning this baleful night into a hopebring day, revealing a cruel twisted mockery of a heart beating inside the dragon’s now open chest.

Jaune appeared before the open chest and gently put his hand on the dragon’s still beating heart.

He prepared one the few spells his master taught him, and modified it based on the story his master had told him.

A bloodline killing spell. Starting from the oldest of the family tree and then ripping up it’s branches till it kills every member of the family that came from the progenitor. It wouldn’t kill every grimm in the world, but at least it would take care of the ones spawned from the dragon.

With an exercise of power he let it happen, then the dragon's heart burst in black ichor raining down on the boy, no, not a boy, Jaune was now a young man.

None of it touched him though, evaporating into nothingness upon impact with his holy aura.

The rest of the false dragon followed along, simply ceasing to exist, fading gently into the night sky.

Jaune let out a breath of relief at the spell working, feeling much less negativity in the back of his mind. Then set his sights on a man suddenly falling through the sky.

A red head with a partially melted suit on his body.

Catching him, Jaune recognized the man. Roman Torchwick. He was in a bad way, his aura shattered, acid burns across his body, and wouldn’t survive without medical treatment.

Jaune looked down at the man who was barely breathing his arms.

This was one of the Conspirators responsible for this mess.

Thousands, no more... dead at his hands alone.

Tens of thousands more would be affected by their death. Children that would grow up without a mother or father, grandparents, uncles and aunts, or cousins.

Billions of Lien in property damage that the innocent would pay for.

All through the action of one man and his conspirators.

So many hurt by his actions that it burned in him like a torch. A part of his soul screamed for judgment. Another for mercy whispered to him saying, that it was the witch that forced his hand, is it selfish to want to live and survive?

The other roared back, he was a thief before and will remain one. One, who has stolen millions from innocent and not, who has killed and maimed for his own gain. No saint is he.

Jaune looked up to the stars and then made his choice.

 He put his hand to the man's head; And willed the man’s Aura back to full condition and beyond.

The effects were instantaneous, the burns fading, his skin regaining some color, and finally a dull orange aura faintly surrounded the man.

He would save the man. Liar and cheater he may be, murderer and con artist ,yes as well. But man all the same, one who has never been given a proper chance before. 

Who would now have his very first and last chance. 

To live his life well or face true judgment. 

The man, despite being bad, was not evil. For even he had loved ones… One that prevented his judgment. 

‘Roman saved himself by saving another.’ Jaune thought to himself looking down at his temporary ward.

The man’s eyes faintly stirred, but they quickly stopped as the Roman’s breathe deepened falling into a deep slumber.

Jaune focused on the man briefly to locate anyone with worry or care for the man, and surprisingly found two. Ruby of all people, and another girl with strong familiar love for the man.

Jaune quickly made his choice.

He appeared in front of the multi-colored haired girl who appeared to be grieving.

Jaune briefly coughed to get her attention.

She looked up and fell back in shock, not used to giant, glowing bird people getting the drop on her.

“Fear not! I come in peace!” Jaune said in hopefully calming voice.

Neo was too surprised in response, plus she was mute.

Jaune and her maintained eye contact for a second, Jaune not really knowing what to do and Neo still too shocked to realize that the giant in front of her held her father figure and mentor.

So Jaune just took the simple option. “Uh, I believe this is yours.” Putting Roman’s sleeping body in front of Neo, and about to teleport away, but remembered to say something knightly. Turning over his shoulder he looked the woman in her eyes. “Neo Politan, this is Roman Torchwick’s last and final chance for change make sure he uses it wisely. There is always time to improve yourself and better as a person. Goodbye.”

He then teleported away, leaving the bewildered, slightly terrified girl and her mentor in his wake.

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

“So, has anybody ever told you, that you,” Dresden said while tanking a gout of fire on his shields. “Just scream evil?”

Cinder’s face twitched violently before a smug look fell over her face. “Any who have tried to disrespect me have found themselves reduced to dust.” She said with an arrogant tone. “That!” Harry yelled at her, causing the woman to stagger back from the Wizard unexpectedly raising his voice at her… Not even Salem yells at her.

“That, right there is just what I mean. Just absolutely smug, insufferable evil, is all that you seem to be! Anybody would be in the right to say you are. How you got this far is a mystery that not even the Scooby gang could solve!” Dresden yelled at her again.

Cinder once again staggered back again as though stuck. Ever since she left the Salems Castle she was used to being the top dog, and being criticized by a man wearing a duster with a Pumpkin Pete shirt underneath left a bit of sting.

Seeing her on the back foot Harry once again pressed forward.

“Like do you have any social awareness at all? How do you expect anybody to not suspect you for something? Does the word subtle mean anything to you? At least Torchwick takes pride in being a criminal, and lets everybody know it! You on the other hand look like you punt kittens and steal candy from babies, in broad daylight, while everybody watches.” He then takes a breath and says while in a very bad falsetto. “While screaming “Nefarious Plans!’ Only to wonder how anybody figured out your evil!” 

Dresden took another breath. “Frankly, the only thing I find with less subtlety than you is Ironwood, whose name isn’t even worth the damn quip!”

Cinder at this point looked more akin to a cherry red than white hot.

“Shut up! Shut Up! Shut Up!” The girl screamed. Not really worth being called a woman if she’s throwing a tantrum.

Each shut up though was punctuated with a Fireball, so that’s a problem.

Or would be if she wasn’t fighting wizard.

With annoyingly, to Cinder, casual ease, he deflected each fireball out into the night sky to explode harmlessly or to hit any nearby grimm.

“Geez, Cindy,” Harry said with a disappointed smirk. “I thought you would be more fun than this, I mean even Little miss Mutey is a better conversationalist than you. I mean I get that you didn’t get this job with your brains, cause we both know that your evil Sugar Momma got you it, but I expect that you would at least…be decent at snarking, are you... are you pouting?” Dresden asked in utter bewilderment.

Hands on her knees, and breathing hard, her body doing very pleasant to the eyes. Cinder stared at the floor with a very definite pout on her face.

“No! No I am not pouting, I’m just plotting your demise!” Cinder said with a slight squeak to her voice.

Dresden was about to snark back till he saw something in the shadows. 

“I don’t know, Cindy lets ask the kids!”

He threw his hands over towards the side of the building, casting a light over it, to show Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai.

The former looked like he was about to bust his gut from holding in his laughter.

The latter seemed to be boiling over with rage.

--

Ending Notes: Uh, what’s happening with Jaune is that, is that the sword he’s using, Amorachaccius, from the Dresden Files, is forged from one of the Nails of the Cross, with a Angel inside.

They’re power is relevant to the threat they’re facing, they’re kinda like Humanity’s trump card against evil, so they’re will always be a chance.

Anyway, Dresden Files Angels are made of Soulfire, aka Aura, Jaune can augment Aura and use’s it himself, the math is simple.

The Cold-Blood Mantle, even though it’s mentioned once, is what happened When Harry went to Yharnam. Beast’s Blood mixed with the Winter Mantle is dangerous.

[sopafa]

The other side of the immortality P2

WARNING: HEAVY ANGST & MAYOR CHARACTER DEATH

SUMMARY: Douxie sees his friends grow old and die. It's harder than it looks

R18+

It had been 6 months.

Six. Fucking. Months.

It was not enough time to whole process the departure of the trollhunter when Clara went next.

Since the day the Wizard digested the fact that the trollhunter was not around anymore, he purposed himself to spend more time with his beloved ones. So he started to visit Tobias & Darci, Aja & Steve, and Eli & Krel houses. He liked to still talk to them, but if he had to be honest, he liked to spend more time with Claire.

Deep in his heart, he knew that he had always appreciated more Claire, after all, she had been his apprentice, he had reached her how to use and control her magic, and she was as a little sister to him. Even when her complexion was covered with wrinkles, even when her hands shake for the age, and her hair didn't look the same; she was still his little sister. And he loved her.

Douxie liked to spend time with her.

He visited her, and each day he took the time to call her, just to say "good morning" and "how have you been feeling?"

Douxie got a vacation period. It was short. Less than a week actually. But he used that time to go and spend the days on Claire's side. So he made a little backpack and went to visit her. He stayed in her home for 6 days. He took care of her -and Jim's- grandsons while some of their children -that now were adults- thanked him to help them, and visit her.

The Jim memory was still strong living inside the house. A little spot on the living room had some pictures of him, and a couple of flowers and candles were always decorating it. Claire always talked about him, a melancholic tone on her voice, and sometimes a couple of tears rolled through her cheeks.

Douxie had won an important place on the shadow witch's heart. He made her smile.

Like, truly smile.

With his goofy and dumb attitude, he painted a sweet smile on her lips. And each morning, during breakfast, he told her that she looked beautiful, even when she was still in her pajamas, or if she hadn't taken a bath in days, even when she smelled like raisins and cookies because for Douxie's eyes, she actually was still the same Claire.

One day, Enrique Jr. -one of their grandsons- asked him if they could get some ice cream. Douxie, as the best uncle he was, obviously accepted, and took all the children with him. The teenager and the other 5 children went to a little ice cream shop near the house, Hisirdoux does not remember what the kids ordered, but he can't forget the single cup of lemon ice cream that he asked for Claire. She didn't go with them, she was too tired to walk to the shop, but she asked her Teach to bring her something. Douxie knew that lemon ice cream was her favorite. He paid for the desserts before returning with a bunch of happy children.

When he went to Claire to give her the ice cream, she only took two spoonfuls before asking him to save the cup on the fridge for later. Douxie didn't hesitate and did what she asked.

The next day Douxie had to return home. He had work, and a bunch of other stuff on his hands, but at least he had spent a beautiful "week" with Claire.

Two days passed. Tree maybe.

It was a Wednesday. That's the only he can remember.

He woke up early, he went to open the book store, and it was around 7.13 a.m. when a call came to his phone.

"Hisirdoux" It was NotEnrique.

"Oh, hello man." Douxie complain inside his head, that channeling only called him when he needed something, so he started to create a list on his mind of the possible things he could ask him.

"It's Zoe and Archie there?" He looked at the backdoor that connected to his department.

"Yeah, why?"

The tome of NotEnrique changed.

"Its Claire." The smile of his face erase "She is not longer with us"

Silence.

"Douxie? You know what I mean, right?" The voice of NotEnrique started to brek "My sister is gone".

And he was on autopilot again.

He clung to the phone on his hands and walked to his department, he opened the door of his bedroom without caring waking up Zoe, and he kneeled on Archie's bed.

The familiar looked at him.

"Claire passed away". He said, with the voice of NotEnrique sobbing trou the phone speaker.

"Oh, no..." Archie and Zoe shared a look.

He took the same backpack of the trip he had done a week ago and changed the clothes inside. Archie prepared some food for the road, and Zoe took the keys. They were going to Arcadia.

They were going to go see Clair.

The trip was quiet, Hisirdoux put on his headphones and listened to some music the whole way, but again, he couldn't cry.

When they finally arrived they didn't let him see her body.

"They are preparing her for the coffin. The embalmed is a process that can't be stopped". Someone explained him.

He found NotEnrique in minutes.

"How-" Douxie started.

The channeling bit his lips before start "She did not wake up. She passed away sleeping. And she was- she was so peaceful- Her look was-" The wizard nodded.

"When are we going to be able to see her?"

"The wake starts tomorrow, 5 a.m. For now, why don't you come with me to the house? All her grandsons and kids want to see you".

They asked him if he was fine. They asked him so many times.

But in this time, he told the truth.

"I'm not fine. But I do not believe that she is gone" Douxie said. "I know when I figure the new, it's going to hurt. I know it. And I want to cry, because if I let this accumulate, as I did with Jim..."

"Hey" Blinky put a hand on his shoulder. "I know what that feels. But can I tell you something? It is better to broke in here, to have a meltdown in here. Where we -your family- are, so that way we can help you, and be with you. So take your time, but leave us help"

Aaaarghhh nodded, and Douxie felt appreciated for that.

He woke around 3.30 a.m. He took a bath and dresses in the same black suit he used before. They were in the car at 4:30 and whey arrive at the mortuary at 5.

On the day of Claire's wake, it was raining. I huge storm with thunders and lightning received the new day, as a way of the universe to cry about the Witch's death. Douxie believed that it was beautiful, and yet, too out of a movie to be real. Ironic, right?

There was no one inside when they arrived. Obviously, who crazy idiot would be on a mortuary at fucking 5 a.m.?

Well, only two wizards, their cat-dragon-familiar, and two of the passed away's children.

In the beginning, Douxie couldn't get near the coffin. He just, couldn't.

But after a moment, he did.

It was just as NotEnrique had said. She looked so peaceful, and a sweet smile was drawn on her lips. She didn't look dead. She looked asleep.

But even after seeing her, Douxie couldn't digest the news.

The ceremony before the burial was around 1 p.m. By that moment, the rain had stopped and a blue sky shined outside, trolls and humans were inside the church to commemorate her fellow, and Zoe took Douxie's hand when they got in.

The whole ceremony he couldn't lease a single word of that the pastor was saying, he just sank in his thoughts, remembering all their moments together, and their last week...

That's when he broke.

Zoe saw him sank his head between his hands, and start sobbing. Fat tears and laments of sadness escaped through his body. She hugged him during most part of the ceremony.

At least, until the pastor asked to her family to came in front. NotEnrique and Douxie were also asked to join, and put their hands upon the coffin. They prayed some last words, and then Douxie listed it.

No blast or spots of blue magic came. No broken windows this time. Nothing but true sad emotions.

Douxie does not remember what happened next, but Blinky does.

The wizard clung to the wooden box in front of him, and kneel to it as if his feet didn't work anymore.

The ceremony ended and he was still there, clinging to her side, sobbing strong and fast.

But they needed to move the coffin. They needed to translate her to the cemetery. And they couldn't do it if Douxie was still held in it.

It took both Aaarghh force and Blinkus 6 arms to pull him out. Blinky hugged him by the back, to stop him to return running to the coffin, and slowly he seated up on the floor, pulling Douxie with him.

Hisirdoux saw how they slowly took Claire off of the church, he saw it through the whole way, and he screamed between sad sobs, he didn't care about making a scene. He needed to be on her side. He needed to say goodbye.

BUT HE DIDN'T WANTED TO SAY GOODBYE.

When they downed the coffin inside the grave, he left a white flower in it.

They asked to leave a ground fist, but he couldn't do it.

"I will always going to give her flowers, she loved flowers. But I'm not going to put a ground fist, because you're asking me to bury her. And I'm never going to do that".

The worst part was after the funeral when all the kids asked him to make them something to eat. So, he did, he opened the fridge, searched for some frozen meals in the freezer, and when he saw the cup of lemon ice cream, half-eaten, still with the plastic spoon that he had given her.

Since that day, Douxie never ate Lemmon ice cream again.

In memory of C.A. & P.M.  My own Jim and Claire.

[missdawnandherdusk]

A Death Eater and a Dancer

Ballerina!Reader X Draco

Summary: Request: @peachesandpink​ Ooooh draco malfoy with a professional ballerina or a figure/ice skater who gets pretty famous in the Wizarding world after the war?

A/N: Okay, so I am in no way a professional dancer (hi, writer here) but! I do know the basics of theatre (hello, theatre kid here) so, please enjoy this lovely Phantom of the Opera esque one shot of a very headstrong witch and a very distant trying Malfoy. Also! Say hello to a new form of magic user and some lore! It was fun to experiment with!! Let me know what you think!! Love you guys bunches!!

Five years wandless. That’s what Draco had to endure. He supposed it was better than Azkaban, but without a wand, it was almost as if he had no magic at all. He was never good at wandless magic, and he doubted that there was anyone who was willing to get near him to teach him.

That was four years ago.

Now, he had worked his way up in the performance industry, using his inheritance to fund the arts as a patron—something he had always enjoyed as a child. Maybe it was an unhealthy coping mechanism, clinging to something that made him feel safe and innocent again, but there wasn’t much of another choice that he had. Wandless and magicless, he was trying to keep his head above the water.

And there was something enchanting about his most recent investment: the Saltota. A group of wandless magic users that harnessed magic through dance. Their performances were renowned and revered. Draco remembered their routines from when he was a child as well, always attending the holiday recitals with his parents. Their elegance and majesty always struck a chord in his heart.

____________________________

“Did you hear!?” Rehearsal for tonight’s show had just ended and Meg was all but bursting with excitement. “Draco Malfoy has just invested in our Saltota Faction!”

I looked up from my bag, shock on my face.

“Malfoy?” A small smile lingered as I remembered a boy from my first year in Hogwarts, before I had transferred to a Parisian school to pursue the path of the Saltota like my mother before me.

“Only the most eligible bachelor in the Wizarding and Muggle world,” Meg sighed, leaning against the lockers. I rolled my eyes at her antics.

I knew the stories, and the papers, and the tabloids, and the rumors, but despite it all whenever I thought about Draco, I still saw the Slytherin protegee who I shared my classes and House with. Not the Ex-Death Eater who was apparently the most eligible bachelor in the Wizarding World.

“Do you think he’ll remember you?” Meg asked eagerly.

“It’s been years Meg,” I scoffed. “He probably doesn’t even remember my name,” It was a sobering thought. “He probably wouldn’t care even if he did.”

“He might care,” She pointed out.

“And you think what? I’m just going to go up to him, say ‘hey, remember me? We went to school for one year together and now you’re the most datable bloke in the world and I’m a dancer, want to go out with me and maybe convince me to give up my life’s work for love?’” I gave her a flat look.

“You sell yourself short, Y/n,” Meg sighed. “You know that you’re the best of this Faction. If he’s the most eligible bachelor, you’re the most sought bachelorette. And who said you would have to give up dance?”

“Men like Malfoy are all the same,” I scoffed. “All they care about is their own careers and can’t bear the thought of their lady outshining them, so I think I’ll pass.”

“I think you’re wrong,” Meg muttered, lacing up her pointe shoes.

I rolled my eyes again and shook my head. There were more important things to worry about. Like the recital tonight. Not some ridiculous fantasy of love. Fairytales didn’t exist and they didn’t happen in the real world. They were stories to dance to, that was it. Tonight, was no different as the production of The Tale of The Three Brothers was being held.

An air of stress and excitement rested on my shoulders as I had the role of representing Death throughout the show. It was considered one of the hardest characters to perfect in Saltota Magic. But it didn’t matter much when the music began to play. Then I could get lost in it and the stress and pressure faded around me as I fell into the melody. It was the only reason that I stayed with dancing through the years. I never cared about the status or the money or the schools. Instead, the melody and the way that for once my body knew what to do, lending itself completely to magic.

It was opening night and anxiety and adrenaline was coursing through my veins as I did the final touches on my hair and makeup, making sure that everything was in its correct place. Magic sparked along my skin as I went through a few final stretches and warm-ups.

The curtain parted like red waves, and the bright lights hit me as the audience applauded. With one deep breath, the music began, and I was Death, and this was my story.

___________________________

Draco had always loved the theater and he had always loved the production of the Three Brothers. Sitting alone in his reserved theater box, he was quickly enamored by the one who portrayed Death. The name on the playbill struck him familiar... but he couldn’t quite place the name.

With careful eyes, he watched you throughout the performance, enraptured by how the magic flowed from your fingertips, your skin. How it radiated in the very air around you, bending to your will as you flitted across the stage with grace and poise that had his heart stammering.

Asking around after the performance, he learned a lot about you. The Governess of this Saltota Faction—a strict woman who without a second glance could be mistaken for McGonagall— spoke highly of you. Though there was a teasing note in her tone as she suggested perhaps, he remembered you from the single year of schooling you shared with another before you attended her school in Paris. It left him wondering if she was kin to McGonagall after all.

Yet, a smile brushed his lips. That’s why your name stuck his memory. You had been a Slytherin with him in first year. Draco tended not to dwell on his memories of Hogwarts, but the small sliver of first year was not the most unbearable thing to reminisce upon.

“May I remind you, Mr. Malfoy, that my apprentices are not to be ogled at. Miss Y/n does not have time for... distractions.”

“Of course,” Draco remained composed. “I was merely curious,” Your Governess didn’t seem convinced.

Even still, Draco had flowers sent to your dressing room, with only his name attached to the bouquet—that was slightly ostentatious. He wondered if you remembered him. Then he wondered if you wanted to. The thought dampened his mood as his past came to haunt his mind, dragging him back down until his face was barely above the murky water that threatened to drag him under every waking moment.

______________________________

“I told you!” Meg screeched, taking the flowers from my hands. “I told you that he would remember you! Oh, my stars!” She acted as if Draco had sent her the flowers and not me.

My fingers brushed over the parchment that held his name. Sighing, I vanished it.

“Meg, I told you. I don’t have time for this! Some silly romance...” I huffed and spelled away my makeup with a flutter of my fingers.

Though the rest of my Faction was crowded around me, hemming and hawing at the note and the flowers and the idea of any one of us being courted by Draco Malfoy, my thoughts were far from their senseless gossip. A dark part of my mind toyed with the thought that he was doing it to use me. It was no secret that Malfoy was sentenced to be wandless and thus created his interest with the Arts. The way of the Saltota offered an alternative to that. I had a wand, yes. But it was rarely used anymore.

I didn’t need it to use magic. It was the true way of the Saltota. To offer and use my body as a vessel for the magic that existed all around. It was why the Saltota Ultas were so revered. They were one with magic, with nothing holding them back at all. And nothing, for me, meant no Draco Malfoy coming in to become something.

It didn’t stop the flowers, however. After a while, I expected them. And it was a waste to throw them away or watch them die. So maybe I used a simple Curator Spell and kept them alive in my flat. And maybe against my better judgement I let Meg convince me to meet him one night after the last performance of the season.

“Malfoy?” I called softly, making my way into the Opera House foyer, brushing by other suitors.

He turned, and I was caught at an impasse. He was strikingly beautiful, his features sharp and defined. Though they were reminiscent of his father, there was still the softness there of his mother... and something that was completely his own in the mystery of his grey eyes.

“Miss Y/n,” He dipped his head politely. “May I say you danced beautifully tonight, as always,”

“Thank you,” My voice was barely audible above the noise of the excitement around us, but it didn’t hide the slight blush on my cheeks.

Everything that I had planned to say to him, every accusation, and every question fell from my lips as we studied each other in some sort of silent standoff.

“Would you care to go somewhere quieter?” An amused smirk reached his lips as his eyes darted to the bustle around us. “Or... perhaps not. I wouldn’t want to be a distraction,” There was a malice note on his last worn as his eyes tightened, the smile disappearing.

“I suppose I do owe you for all of the flowers,” A smile toyed at my lips. “I believe I can afford an outing. With an old classmate,” I drawled the word.

“As you wish,” He offered his arm, and I took it.

We ended up at a small café in the quiet night of Paris, far from the thrill of the Opera House. Draco was nothing, if not a gentleman. And maybe I could see why he was considered the most suitable bachelor in the Wizarding World. If I wasn’t careful my nothing might be something. I had left the hope of love and romance a long time ago. I had to.

“How long did it take you to remember me?” He asked softly, drawing me from my thoughts.

“I could ask the same question,” Leaning my elbows on the table and resting my chin on my hands, I raised an eyebrow at him. “I never forgot you, Draco,” The words were soft.

“You didn’t?” He seemed genuinely surprised. “I would think since... and well,”

I gnawed on my lip, my thoughts following his. The war. And the Dark Lord. It was the one thing that had me so close to the edge of giving up being a Saltota. We weren’t allowed to interfere with the war at all. It wasn’t our place; I had been told time and time again.

“One hardly can ignore the most eligible bloke in the Wizarding World,” I teased softly. “Especially when he sends you the most ridiculous flowers every night. I must say, you have the other girls in my Faction enamored and jealous.”

The smile I had been trying for quirked on his thin lips.

“And what of you? What do you think?” Draco raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully. “I’ve never had a suitor that I entertained before, and I’m not quite sure with you either, no offense,”

“Your Governess mentioned something about that.” He leaned back in his chair, a calm expression on his face that I could see right through— he was defensive.

I gave a solemn nod. A silence lingered between us for a moment. I broke it.

“So, you’re obviously invested into the Arts, tell me what have you seen? Any of the Muggle greats?”

“Muggle?” He almost laughed. “Why would I go to see a muggle performance?” 

I gaped at him.

“Are you kidding me?” I was baffled. “What do mean you haven’t seen any of them? Theatre is theatre, Draco.”

“But it’s muggle,”

I rolled my eyes. “You know nothing, do you?” It was a soft accusation. “The Saltota use dance as a way to harness magic, you know that much I assume. But our traditions are not just for magic users. There are those born magicless who still pursue the art of our dance. It is not about who can use magic, but those willing to keep the tradition alive.”

“You mean to tell me that Muggles use Saltota dances?” He seemed almost enraged.

Sighing, I began again. “I recognize that it might be hard for you to understand, but the way I learned magic was not just how to use it, but to also appreciate all it has given. The secrets we carry are not ours to keep, rather for magic to choose.”

“You act like magic is a sentient being,”

“Well, isn’t it?” I smiled softly. “Tell me, when you first got your wand, you felt it. The hum that sparked on your fingertips. Or, forgive me, the burn of the mark on your arm. Magic is as much alive as you and I are,”

His grey eyes narrowed, his face falling into a scrutinizing gaze. I could see the flecks of anger in his eyes and the conflict that resided behind. It was another silent standoff, but I wasn’t backing down. Magic was sacred and not for man—not even the Draco Malfoy—to control.

“I see,” He was all but seething before me. “You obviously know more than I ever possibly could,” The words were sharp and biting, his fists clenched.

“Draco,” My stubborn flare faltered under his harsh tone. “I... I apologize, I never meant to imply—”

“I think your intentions were quite clear,” He hissed.

“It was still rude of me to...” My eyes dropped to the table as I took a sharp breath in. “Thank you for the tea. And the flowers. Goodnight,”

Wordlessly I stood and left. One glance back and my eyes met grey storms of emotions.

“I don’t have time for distractions,” I whispered to myself, hurrying down the lane. “...and I do not fancy Draco Malfoy.”

Only one of them was truth. 

___________________________

Draco watched you leave, regretting letting his pride get in the way of speaking to you like a rational human being. What did you know of his past anyways? You would never understand the weight on his shoulders of the Dark Mark that resided on his arm, or his dark past that shadowed him every waking moment. All of this because he couldn’t entertain the idea that muggles tread on your art form.

What did muggles know of magic anyway? They were ignorant.

But you had insisted otherwise. The theatre. Muggle theatre. Though his love for the Arts ran deep, he never considered looking into its muggle counterpart. A consequence of his parents, he supposed.

Staring at the ceiling late that night, you weaved into all of Draco’s thoughts, with or without permission. Draco groaned and dismayed that he was actually doing what he set out for. It took a few tries but eventually a familiar voice answered the other end of the line.

“Minister of Magic, Granger speaking,” 

“Hermione, I need a favor,”

As soon as Hermione graciously filled him in on Muggle theatre, Draco easily secured two tickets to the next performance occurring at an Opera House not unlike of his own patronage. Now he only hoped that you would still talk to him.

“Miss Y/l/n?”

Your eyes flash to his as you stand, the other girls from your Faction all observing you as he pulled you away from your practice.

“Malfoy,” You were cautious and reserved. “Is something the matter? Something that you find unsatisfactory with my dancers?” Your face remained collected, but there was a mischievous look in your eyes.

You were toying with him. Testing him. He shook his head solemnly and ushered you to a foyer away from the rest of your Faction. You eyed him, questioning.

“On the contrary,” He played along with a smile that would have any other girl—or bloke— swooning after him, but not you. The same curious look remained upon your face. “I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to the theatre this evening. The Palais Garnier is hosting The Phantom of the Opera and I thought maybe you would care to join me?”

Shock flitted across your features as your collected demeanor fell flat. Your eyes narrowed at him as you began to say something but paused in the midst. Regaining your composure, you began again.

“This wouldn’t happen to be a date, now would it Mr. Malfoy?” A smirk rose on your lips.

“Please, Mr. Malfoy is my father,” Draco stressed, not enjoying the formality on your lips. “And this is simply an outing between old classmates,” He chose your words from the night that seemed lifetimes away.

“I see,” You tilted your chin back slightly, “I’d be honored to accompany you, Malfoy,” You dipped into a graceful curtsy.

That night he arrived at the studio and chauffeured you to the Muggle Opera House. You were simply stunning in your muggle attire, not doubt looking as if you were an aristocrat in their society as well. There was an air of prowess about you as you held yourself high beside him.

Though it was difficult for him to be among so many muggles, you had no issue with it. And perhaps, if he wanted to admit it to himself these particular muggles weren’t awful and barbaric. It seemed as if even a few recognized you, asking for photos or a signature. You gave them gracefully, not fretting about the intrusion on privacy.

In his private box, near and above the stage, you two settled. There was excitement in your features as he could feel the buzz of magic dance across your skin. As the curtains raised and the orchestra started it’s overture, the smile on your face grew. He nudged your shoulder gently, nodding to your hands, where they had begun to summon a lighting charm he assumed. Your face went slightly pink as you pressed your hands firmly into your lap, quite sheepish.

He found it endearing, to a point, that theatre, even if it wasn’t your own, could elicit this response from you. Then, he understood why you were so elated by the show before you. It captured his attention, and though it held no inkling of true magic, it was far from being magicless. It was at the intermission that he found himself wanting the show to continue without pause.

“I believe I owe you an apology,” Draco murmured softly as he led you to the foyer where cocktails and hors d'oeuvres were served. “You were absolutely right,”

“Is that so?” You sipped on a tall glass of champagne, the rouge of your lips staining the crystal glass, a mischievous smile on your lips.

“You know, not everyone can get me to admit that I was wrong,” Draco drawled.

“Is that supposed to make me feel special?” Your teasing tone had strengthened. “That the great Draco Malfoy has admitted to me that he was wrong,”

“It should,”

A laugh fell from your lips, a beautiful sound.

The play ended all too quickly, and soon he was standing beside you, outside your flat building in the upper part of town.

“Thank you for tonight,” You smiled softly. “I had a wonderful time,” 

________________________________

I leaned against my closed and locked flat door, not able to rid my face of the smile that resided there. It was almost too easy to be with Draco and the company he offered. A perfect mix of elegance and mischief. Then came the sobering thought:

“I do not fancy Draco Malfoy,” I reminded myself. 

But don’t you? My psyche whispered back.

I didn’t want to answer her.

Rising with the sun, not much planned for the day now that it was my off season—meaning I had at least my early mornings to myself—I started a pot of tea and picked up the Daily Prophet that was nearly destroyed by my anger as I read the front page headline:

Ex-Death Eater Caught with Esteemed Saltota Dancer in The Muggle Theater: Moving on or Malicious Motive?

There was a photo of Draco and I together in the Opera House, last night, looking quite cozy with one another, laughing. The picture moved, as I expected it too, and I almost forget why I was so upset, because the photo held the golden feeling from last night as I gazed upon it. I didn’t linger long however because there was an incoming call from the front desk—Draco Malfoy was requesting to come up.

Quickly throwing on a house coat, I opened the door, seeing a very anxious looking Draco at my doorstep.

“Good morning,” I tested, letting him in.

“I am so sorry, you have to believe me,” He paced the floor, not giving me a second glance.

“Uh, alright,” I closed the door, locking it. “Sorry for what exactly?”

“The article. I’m having my people take care of it. I knew this was—” He didn’t finish the thought.

“Take care of it?” I asked with a careful step towards him.

“The photos. The newspapers.” He snapped as if it were obvious.

“No, I get that, but why?” My hand reached out, resting on his shoulder. He stiffened and jerked out of my grasp.

“Why?” Draco hissed. “Because you shouldn’t be with me! Because I could have just ruined your entire career! This was stupid and selfish and reckless of me,”

“Draco,” My eyebrows furrowed as I took another step toward him and placed my hand on his shoulder again. He didn’t shrug me off this time. “Are you ashamed of me? Of last night?” It was the one thought on my mind.

“No,” His answer came quickly. “No, of course not. We went out. We enjoyed each other’s company. It was a fine night,”

“Then why are you so upset?” My eyes met his unsteady grey ones. “Draco, it’s sweet that you’re worried about me. But I can handle some press. Drama tabloids and what not. It comes with the job,” I paused a moment, “And if it were to be anyone, I’m glad it was you,”

He went quiet, his hands balling into fists at his side. “Did you read the article?” His tone iced his words.

“Not yet, no. You called up before I had the chance,” Another moment, another thought. “And I really couldn’t care less about that it says. It’s gossip. And I won’t apologize or worry myself over a wonderful night spent with a friend,”

“Friend?”

“Well, I mean, unless you’d like to strictly stay as old classmates,” It was a teasing tone that seemed to alleviate some of his tension.

“No, I quite like friends,” There was a smile on his face for the first time that morning.

Draco stayed in my flat for a few hours, having breakfast and tea with me. Overlooking the city on my balcony it was almost too easy to be with him and that golden feeling was back in my chest. We talked about nothing and everything, avoiding heavier topics that didn’t seem to fit in with the rising sun.

And despite my dismissal of the gossip column in the paper, Draco and I both agreed that maybe it would be better if we laid low for a while, keeping out of the public eye. Which meant our morning teas in my flat became a sort of normal as we avoided the busy streets below. He would then leave, off to meetings and who knows what else as I kept up my dancing regime with my Faction.

There was something to be said of my Faction. Since the first article and the few that followed, they all seemed to eye me warily, knowing the contents that I didn’t bother myself with. Meg was begging me for details, but I simply shook my head, informed her and the rest of my dancers that we were merely friends, colleagues. None of what the papers said was true.

“But he is, was a Death Eater,” Kelsey insisted one night after practice. “Aren’t you the least bit worried that he might hurt you? Or try to use you? He is wandless after all. And I hear he’s pretty cozy with you,”

“I wasn’t aware that it was my secret to keep,” My eyes narrowed. “You know as well as I, that magic is not ours to withhold from those who ask,”

“But he’s using you!”

“And so, what if he is!” I shouted. “That would not change who I am nor what I strive for! Now I am to hear none of this talk any longer! It is not our place to withhold the magic of the stars and it is certainly not your place to tell me what to do with my life!”

All of the girls were staring at me as I breathed deeply, storming out of the studio and into the crisp air of the night. There was a certain edge to this night, however, and I could feel it as the Dark Magic grazed my skin. My eyes darted around the well-lit street and to a darkened alley: the source of my unease. A dementor. In the city.

“Can’t I have just one night!?” I huffed, rushing towards the alley, set to alleviate the Dark Magic and restore balance to the energy and magic around me.

Then my heart dropped.

The dementor had a target. Wandless and defenseless, Draco back against the alley wall, looking terrified and hopeless. Ditching my bag, I closed my eyes and focused on the Light Magic passing through my limbs as I threw my body into precise fouettés, feeling an equilibrium restore around me. Settling into first position, I opened my eyes to see that Draco’s had closed.

Dropping to his side, my shaking hands fluttered over his chest, brushing his hair from his face.

“Draco!? Draco can you hear me!?” Cradling his face, a new sort of anxiety grew in my chest. “Draco, please, please wake up.”

As if he heard me, his grey eyes opened barely, a sad cough escaping his lips. I aided him in sitting up as he continued to hack and cough, red spots splashing against the back of his hand.

“Okay, we need to get you to St. Mungo’s,” I decided, standing myself before helping him up. 

“I’m fine,” He rasped, waving me off.

“You’re coughing up blood, Draco,” My voice was surprisingly calm for the current conversation. “I’m taking you to a Healer,”

“No,” He protested, stumbling. “P-people will talk,”

“Let them!” I snapped, still frustrated from my spat with Kelsey. “I’m not going to let you die because some reporter might snap a stupid photo!” Slinging his arm over my shoulder, I calmed enough to Apparate with him into the lobby of the hospital, where Draco collapsed.

Healers rushed in around me, taking Draco off of my hands. They asked too many questions and I barely got out the words “dementor,” and “blood.” Another started to pull me in the opposite direction of him, but I refused.

“Ma’am only family is allowed back with him,” The receptionist stammered under my fierce glare.

“Hell with that! I am his family! Now let me back with him!”

The small girl squeaked and let me go as I rushed off after the Healers that carried Draco up to the fourth floor. The anxiety in my chest grew as this was a graver situation that I originally thought if he was being taken to the fourth floor.

“Ma’am?” An adjacent Healer caught my attention. “Can you please tell me the events of what happened?”

“He got attacked by a bloody dementor! What is with you people?! I thought your government was supposed to control those things!?”

“Uh, y-yes ma’am,” The Healer stammered. “But what happened to the dementor? Was a spell cast?”

“Oh, you wizards!” I cursed.

“Ma’am I understand that you’re upset, but please—”

“No, you listen here,” I grabbed the Healer’s robes and drew him close, snarling in his face. “A wandless, defenseless wizard under your government was just attacked by a dementor, who could have killed him, and you’re asking me about what spell I used? Me!? Do you know who I am!?”

“Miss Y/l/n,” A faintly known voice called from behind me. “If you’d please let go of Mr. Thomas,”

I released my hold on the Healer and turned, face to face with the Minister of Magic herself.

“You,” I spat. “You know, we really do make an effort to let you run magic the way you wish but this,” I gestured aggressively towards the room where Draco was being treated. “This draws a line Granger,”

“I understand that,” Deep brown eyes held caution. “And the dementor was not one under my jurisdiction,”

The air sparked around me, charged with dangerous magic.

“You mean to tell me that you have left him wandless, and alone, with Voldemort’s followers still out there!? Are you absolutely daft!?”

Granger held her composure as I spat the words at her. The Healer emerging from Draco’s room broke our tension as my anger morphed into fear and worry at the Healer’s verdict.

“He will be fine. We managed to assuage the Dark Magic in his lungs, and he’ll be clear for release tomorrow morning,” The Healer’s eyes flickered between Granger and I, no doubt aware of the standoff occurring between us. “He is asking for you Miss Y/n,”

I nodded and took a deep breath, not giving the Minister a second glance as I stormed into Draco’s room. His eyes were barely opened as a smile played at his lips.

“My stars, Draco,” I collapsed in the seat beside his hospital bed. “What were you thinking!?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” His teasing manor left a smile on my face as his hand covered my shaking ones that gripped the edge of the cot.

“What were you even doing out alone like that?” I asked weakly. “You scared me to death, Draco,”

“I... I wanted to come and see you. I thought maybe tonight was a good night to... stop laying low,” His cheeks tinged red as he stammered the confession.

A hopeless chuckle left my lips as I rested my forehead on our intertwined hands. 

“And did you really just call Hermione, the Minister of Magic, daft?”

“Yes?” I looked up meekly. “You could have died, Draco,”

“But I didn’t,”

“Oh, because that makes me feel so much better,” I scoffed.

“How... how did you even do that? I’ve never seen anyone actually kill a dementor before,” His voice held melancholy and regret.

“I didn’t kill it,” I defended. “Not really...” I paused, pursing my lips, debating how much I wanted to go into what I had done, and how conscious Draco would be to understand any of it. He waited expectantly. “I balanced the energy. Dementors consist of heavy Dark Magic, so by channeling pure Light Magic, an equilibrium is found. No more dementor,”

When he didn’t offer a response, my gaze followed up to his face. His eyes had closed again and steady breaths exhales from his parted lips. I found myself smiling and reaching out to brush the hair hanging in his face.

“You care for him,”

I jumped up, spinning, ready for a fight.

“It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you,” Granger smiled. “It’s just nice to see that he has someone looking out for him,”

“Why would you care?” I asked softly, my fingers brushing against his hand.

“You know, when I became Minister, I offered to end his wandless sentence. But he refused. He wouldn’t tell me the reason.”

A smile played at my lips as a sigh soon escaped them.

“He has a habit of that,” My words were small and soft. “Always thinks the worst of himself... like he deserves all of the awful things that happen to him. No doubt he thinks he deserves this dementor attack,” My eyes found Granger’s again. “I’m sorry, for what I said. I...”

“You were scared. I understand that. No hard feelings,” She offered her hand. “Hermione Granger,”

“Y/n,” I shook her hand.

______________________________

Draco opened his eyes again, feeling like he was submerged under water, gasping for air. Even with his eyes open, there was a weight on him. Blinking to clear the fuzziness from his sight he realized that there actually was a weight on him.

Your hands were intertwined with his, as your head was tipped back. Soft snores left your lips as you slept in the chair beside his bed. He would have liked to be alone in the room with you, but instead, his eyes fell upon an exhausted Hermione.

“Didn’t know that a dementor attack warranted a visit from the Minister herself,” He mused softly, not to wake you.

“You act like I don’t feel awful about this,” She muttered, rubbing her face. “And I’m not here as the Minister, not anymore at least. I’m here as a friend,”

“Draco Malfoy doesn’t have friends,” His tone was flat.

“You seem to have at least one,” Hermione smirked nodding to you. “You should have seen her; she was absolutely livid. Reminded me a bit of you when you lose your temper actually. Terrified the poor receptionist and a few Healers,”

Draco chuckled at the thought, before his laugh turned into a coughing fit, drawing you from your slumber. Immediately you were on your feet, tensed and ready for a fight.

“I’ll just leave you two alone,” Hermione smiled at him kindly. “And make sure the papers have the right story,”

You both groaned at that thought as you slumped back into the chair, rubbing your sore neck. 

“Why can’t they just leave us alone?” You whined, a pout forming at your lips.

“It’s a part of the job,” Draco mused, joking lightly.

“This... this isn’t a part of the job,” You muttered. “Press, dating rumors, maybe something scandalous, but not this. This danger...” You shook your head, scrubbing your eyes. “When had it ever come to this?”

“It always comes to this,” Draco’s voice was tight. “It always has. Sometimes I wonder when enough will be enough...”

“Don’t... don’t talk like that,” You grimaced, taking his hand into yours, pressing it to your lips, a warm feeling that Draco marveled at. “You aren’t... you don’t deserve this. No one deserves this,”

“Y/n—”

“No,” You cut him off defiantly. “Don’t give me your Death Eater bullshit. I won’t hear it. You don’t want to believe in yourself? That you might be good? That you are good? Fine. But it won’t stop me.”

Draco didn’t know how to respond to your words. They contrasted everything inside of him. He wasn’t good. He could never be good. He could never be redeemed. Wasn’t that the point of him trying so hard? Because he knew he could never reach a pure status again. His name would never be cleared and now he was starting to drag you down with him.

“Shouldn’t you be at rehearsal?” The words fell from his lips with an air of melancholy.

Your face twisted into confusion, then shock, then anger. You stood abruptly, his hand falling back to his side.

“Do you even listen to me when I talk to you!?” You huffed, storming out of the small room. He thought he saw tears in your eyes.

About an hour later he was released from the hospital and told to stay home and take it easy for the next few days and to come straight back if something went wrong. Brushing off the worried nurses, be walked down the street, finally finding solace in his own flat. His own space.

What he couldn’t escape however was the sharpness and hurt behind your words nor the headlines that littered the papers the next day despite Hermione’s promise to sort them out.

Dementor attacks Ex-Death Eater: Ministry Slip-Up or Rising Fear?

Saltota Dancer Rescues Ex-Death Eater from His Earned Fate

Enraged Saltota Defends Ex-Death Eater: Love or Lunacy?

His eyes paused on that last headline. It didn’t seem as harsh as the rest, in fact, as he skimmed the article, it had a rather positive undertone:

“The Saltota, known for their captivating dance and bizarre magic nature, have never before interfered with the affairs of the Wizards under the Ministry of Magic. Staying out of the war against the Dark Lord, many Wizards believed the Saltota to have sympathies for The Dark Lord, yet a recent incident suggests differently. Y/n Y/l/n, a Saltota Maxima, was seen to have killed a dementor in favor of rescuing Ex-Death Eater, Draco Malfoy. Though her methods of killing the dementor have not been released, it is known that Y/l/n transported Malfoy to St. Mungo’s where she vividly demanded that he be taken care of. When speaking to the receptionist on shift at the time, they reveal that ‘She was terrifying. You could feel the magic like an aura around her as she fought for Malfoy... If she hadn’t been there, speaking on his behalf, I don’t believe that our Healers would have given Malfoy the attention he needed before his injuries became fatal.’ It is known that these two were caught in a Muggle Theatre looking quite cozy with another not a few months ago. It seems their relationship hasn’t stopped there. Is this Saltota Malfoy’s new lover? Or perhaps something more? More on the event on page 37.”

________________________________

“Lover,” I scoffed. “Yeah, sure.” 

I tossed the paper aside and stared up at the stars that spread out over the Parisian skyline before me. My limbs were still sore from rehearsal not hours before as Meg kept me company.

“You don’t want to talk to him?” She offered me a cup of tea. “I know we haven’t been the most supportive, but we’re worried about you Y/n,”

“There’s nothing to worry about.” I snapped then sighed. “I just don’t know what I did wrong...” Tears threatened to well in my eyes as I shoved my emotions down for what seemed like the hundredth time.

“You didn’t do anything wrong sweetheart,” Meg wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Maybe he’ll come around... maybe he won’t. It doesn’t change who you are,”

I smiled and wiped my eyes.

“Thanks Meg,” Looking down I stared at the warm tea. “Maybe it was my fault. I let him become a distraction...”

“No, you let him to your heart. I know you Y/n. I’ve grown up with you. I knew it would always take someone special to get through to you, and well, I think Draco has.” Her comforting words were bordering patronizing.

“I think he has too,”

“Make no mistake, you’re not the only one whose heart has been captured,”

This wasn’t the voice of my best friend, instead a friend... an old classmate... a lover... maybe something more...

“Draco,” I stood, almost spilling my tea. “I... how... how did you get in?”

“Your receptionist let me up and Meg passed me on her way out.” The explanation was simple enough.

“Oh,” My gaze dropped as I set down my mug. Taking a deep breath, I looked up at him. “What are you doing here Draco?” It was a bit harsher than I meant it to be.

“I came to apologize. And to thank you.” 

I raised an eyebrow at him.

“You did save my life. I believe I should thank you for that.” A smile played at his lips before it dropped. “And I’m also sorry. I thought I was protecting you from everything that I go through... but it seems that still, my own self-doubt and loathing got in the way of seeing what was in front of me... that you were in front of me. I know I let you down and I am so sorry for that... but you’ve brought me closer to who I really am, more than anyone else ever has...” He took a hesitant step closer. “There was no excuse for what I did to you, and I hope you can forgive me,”

I nodded, closing the space between us, my hand reaching for his. They were warm in mine, nothing like the cold feeling they held when Draco was unconscious at the hospital.

“And I hope that maybe... I could be a bit more than a distraction?” His hand parted from mine as his lithe fingers tilted my chin back, calm grey eyes greeting mine. “And maybe I could show the world what you really mean to me?”

His lips pressed against mine. Careful and hesitant. And until my free hand curled around the back of his neck and pulled him closer, did he lose his nervousness. And under the stars, Draco Malfoy became not just my something... but my everything.

And we became the most coveted and prestige couple in the entire Wizarding and Muggle world.

A Death Eater and a Dancer.

.

Tags: @coffee-addicti @msmcsmutt @ravn-87 @artemismohr18 @whygz @crazywritingbug @fuzzy-panda @bitemebro522 @zombiesnips-blog @savingdraco@welcometomyworldwithoutrules @akari180 @slytherin-emerald@memalfoy-spidey @queenfeatherwings @fanficflaneuse @go-whovian-universe @spicyshenanigans @darling-im-not-okay-i-promise @dietkiwi @katsukink @takemetothekingdom @strangerr-things @tmnt-queen @hxneybgb @justsomerandomgur@belcvayelena @moviesbooksandfandoms @howdycharlie@xtrashmouthxtozierx @cocochanelthepupper @ninacotte@braelynn-j @jiggllyy @honeymarvel @darcypottah@atomicpunkrock @thiccheerioss @lottie289 @boredashaeck@beautiful-pegasus @tceedlmao @deadlynyghtshayde@iconjuresnapeingrandmaclothes @anonymous034 @bi-andready-tocry @lunna-does-real-doodle @dragonsandbread @okaydraco@the-queen-of-hell-things @cmxreader @alienmotel @oh-itsnothing  @sunflowerxsadnessw  @fattycooter@angelotakunerd08 @thisisahugemistake @fanficsigottaread@gweaslvy @strawberriesonsummer @gaysludge @cleopatera@ray-of-sunrise @artist-bby @shadowsingeraxolotl @peters-legos@quillsareforwriting @ghostlytoadalmondhairdo @wollymalfoy@lilpieceoftoast @paper-cats @floweryjh @sdicapriox @slothgirl22@peachesandpinks @monimillion @hufflautia @livize75 @annie-mcl@riathearora @live-like-luna @justathoughtfulangel @coconutdawn@skteaiy @wannabeskinny-thinspo @naughtygranger​ @queenofmankind​ @dragonsandbread​ @abundantxadorations​ @moony-artnstuff​ @myforeveryoungblog​ @and-then-a-girl-with-luv​ @1-800-luvsick​ @pandas-rice-field​ @strawberriesonsummer​ @jjustsomerandomgirl​ @mrvlfangirl3190​ @loverbbgirlsblog​ @in-slytherin-we-trust​ @emmaa-t​ @introvertedrae​ @infinity1o1​ @stoleurmomsvan​ @echpr​ @sunkissed-hufflepuff​

[sergeantsporks]

Zoe Appreciation Week Day 2: Hedge Wizard

If Zoe had to watch one more kid pretend that a record was a frisbee, she was going to lose it.

They never actually threw any of them, just acted like they would.

But. It. Made. Her. Want. To. Scream.

“Psst. Zoe. Your magic is showing.”

Zoe glanced down to see her familiar, a rat named Gerald, at her feet. Her hands were, in fact, sparking with pink electricity that she dismissed. “Thanks.” She glanced around—no customers right now, and her manager wasn’t anywhere in sight, either. “What are you doing here? You know if anyone sees you they’ll chase you out with a broom, right?

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I know.” Gerald jumped up on the counter next to her. “But I found something you might be interested in. A community—”

“No, Gerald. For the last time, I am NOT joining a coven, I am NOT going to run with a guild, and I am NOT going to find a master!” Zoe crossed her arms. “I do magic my way. And I’m not going to have it tied down to some organized rules.”

“It’s not like that,” Gerald insisted, “It’s just a group of hedge wizards, who work together to make money, but all of them have their own magic and do their own thing!”

“Hedge… wizards…?”

“Wizards that don’t have a master. They don’t have formal training, they don’t have a bunch of organized rules.” Gerald nudged her hand. “Sounds… nice, right? And, I mean, it wouldn’t hurt to have a little extra cash, would it? This job isn’t exactly lucrative. It’s called Hextech.”

Zoe shooed the rat off of the counter. “Alright, alright. I’ll think about it. Now get out of here, before someone sees you!”

No organized rules.

It wouldn’t hurt to look into would it?

Xxx

“Welcome to Hextech, how can I make your day magical?”

Zoe approached the wizard bar. Wizard bar. Hextech. They weren’t even trying to be subtle, were they? “I… I was hoping to apply.”

The girl at the counter leaned forward. “We only accept very… particular employees.” Her eyes flashed a different color.

Zoe grinned. “I’m a pretty particular person,” she responded. She wasn’t entirely certain how to make her eyes glow on command like that, so she held out a hand that was sparking with pink electricity. “I’m Zoe.”

The girl grinned back. “Delaney. C’mon, lemme take you to the back, and we’ll see what you’ve got.”

She put up a closed sign and opened a hidden door, walking Zoe inside. “Welcome to the real Hex Tech.”

Zoe gasped. Wizards with screwdriver wands were making tech float, answering magical orbs like phones.

And they were all doing it their own way.

“Back here, we charm the mortal’s electronics into shape,” Delaney continued, “and use the funds to fund our own mythical pursuits. Hextech is run ENTIRELY by underground hedge wizards.”

“Entirely? So… who’s in charge?”

“There are a couple of wizards who have been around longer than anyone else. Like me. We generally take care of the scheduling and budgeting, but mostly? Everyone does what they want.” Delaney opened another door to a room with a backdrop of a forest on one wall. “Let’s see what you’ve got, wizard.”

Zoe grinned, and charged up her hands. She discharged the lightning harmlessly, making she and Delaney’s hair stand up.

Delaney gave her an odd look. “Do you… think you could power up generators with that?”

“Probably. Why?”

Delaney grinned. “Just thinking that if we don’t have to spend money on an electric bill, we’ll have even more for magical expenses!” She grabbed Zoe’s hands, yelped at the extra electricity, dropped them, then grabbed them again. “So… what do you think? Wanna be part of the Hextech family?”

“Can I bring my familiar to work? He’s a rat.”

“Absolutely!”

Zoe grinned. “Then I’m in.”

Gerald was going to be insufferable. He was right, though, this DID seem like a good community. And, of course, it meant she’d have a little extra cash.

Delaney rustled around in some drawers and pulled out a contract. “Alright, okay, just a few last-minute questions. Any previous magical associations? Familiars are fine, but are you part of a coven?”

“No.”

“Wizard’s guild?”

“No.”

“You’re not a wizard’s apprentice, are you?”

“Absolutely not.” Zoe snatched the papers and signed before she could change her mind.

Delaney clapped her hands, and the contract flew back into a filing cabinet. A new uniform appeared, with a nametag that read ‘Zoe.’ “Welcome aboard… hedge wizard.”

[olruggioofthetorch]

sorry you know me I like to ask a million questions so here it goes- Tinsel:5,18,20,27,31,39,40 / Nila:13,28/Roman:11,6,7/Benji:4,19/Saoirse: 20,25,27 /Fionn: 6,7,10,33/ Scone:21,23 - sorry can’t remember the other siblings off the top of my head and these are the major ones anyway right haha? and this is a lot of questions anyway soooo

Ooo we're getting into the selkies tonight

Tinsel

5. What was their childhood fear?

Being alone or left behind. It was definitely a threat when they were a kid like "if you aren't on the caravan before we leave at noon, we're leaving you behind". I don't think their parents would have actually left them behind when they were small but it was enough of a threat that they and their siblings listened for the most part. Its not so much a childhood fear as it is a regular adult fear now.

18. If they could live or visit anywhere, where would they go?

Tinsel really likes where they live but they do have dreams about living on a sunny coast with their partners when they all settle down. Idk if there's anywhere specific they want to visit? They just go where the adventure leads them. I think they would like to visit somewhere to meet up with their family, tho.

20. What did they dream of "growing up" to be?

Oh man, Tinsel wanted to be an A List celebrity actor. They wanted to be lead role in blockbusters. It was a big goal for them but they were sure they could do it.

27. Have they achieved any of their childhood dreams? Are they still trying? Have those dreams changed?

They've gotten some of their childhood dreams! They moved to Holly Bay and made tons of friends. They got to act in live theater. They were almost in a movie! They got some notoriety from adventuring and were on TV for it. They got to kiss their childhood crush. They didn't quite make it to the A List after getting blacklisted but they're def still trying.

In regards to how they changed: I don't think they changed too much but they did see how hard it was to achieve them. Plus, they started dreaming about having a family when they were with Bast so that's definitely something they want now.

31. Who are they when they aren't with the party?

When they're not with the party, Tinsel is way less open about themself. They're a master of either talking around a question or lying by omission and they use it when they don't feel comfortable sharing. Pre-adventure, they didn't really even tell their closest friends the entire truth about their backstory (which is honestly buckwild and hard to believe anyway) or their relationship with Bast or really anything about their love/sex life.

I think it's bc they don't think Kira and Zona will judge them.

39. If someone could tell them anything about the future they asked, would they want to know? Would they ask?

I think they have actually, they asked if they were going to get married. I don't think they would want to ask something super serious because they aren't going to listen to a no.

40. What sets them free?

A good support system. Tinsel's very talented and driven but they need the power of friendship to keep them from burning out.

Nila

13. How do they like to spend afternoons free?

Nila likes to paint. She dipped her toe into art forgery for a little bit but decided it was more fun to steal the real thing and do her own work on the side. She has one of those cute little travel watercolors she uses to paint landscapes when she gets some time alone. Absolutely no one knows she has this hobby.

28. If they could change their class(es), would they? To what?

I dont think she'd change her class from rogue but she would def take some wizard skills.

Roman

11. What were their teenage years like?

He was a horrible teenage boy, mostly bc he wanted attention. He started off with red hair but occasionally made it redder when he got teased about it. He activated the Cain instinct in a lot of his siblings but I think Tinsel tried to kicked his ass the most purely due to how close their ages are. He shot them with an arrow by accident once and never lived it down.

His mom taught him archery at around 14-15 and he got very good at it to try and impress her. He left home around 18/19, picked up some odd jobs/repaired archery equipment professionally for a few years until Nila called him up like "hey bro miss you let's do this heist together".

6. Did they grow up with siblings? What were those relationships like?

Yes lmao my boy has 9 siblings. I sort of talked about this in the last question but yeah he liked to stir the pot for attention. Even though they tried to kick his ass, his siblings still love him. Him and Saoirse always got along really well and I'm p sure she stopped him from actually getting murdered as a kid lol. He really doesn't have a bad relationship with any of them, though, besides still owing Scone a bunch of money. Rome's a lot of fun and he's the kind of guy who will give or share anything with you. He is just A Lot.

7. How were their relationships with their parents/guardians growing up?

He def knew he wasn't the favorite child lol. I think once Knox realized why his kid was acting up, he made sure to spend some extra time with him every once and a while. And once he showed promise in archery, his relationship with Fulki got better too. I think he has an okay relationship with his parents right now but he definitely would never live with them again.

Benji

4. Who was their childhood hero?

Their dad! They're very similar people and he looks up to him a lot.

19. How does the high noon sun make them feel?

Sleepy... It's too darn hot. He's 100% not interested in going out at high noon so he's either taking a nap or hanging out somewhere shady with Folsom.

Saoirse

20. What did they dream of "growing up" to be?

I don't know if Saoirse had one specific dream. What she did know is that she didn't want to get married and she didn't want to have kids. I think she went through a bunch of phases on what she wanted to be when she grew up until she landed on being a wizard. When that stuck, she just leaned hard into it.

25. What is their comfort item/habit?

She's definitely one of those "make a hot beverage when I'm stressed" kind of people. She's also a stress baker... Which used to be a "make potions and light stuff on fire" habit but she realized she gets muffins if she bakes instead.

She also has a bunch of stuffed animals in her room, purely because she's an adult wizard and no one can tell her not to have stuffies.

27. Have they achieved any of their childhood dreams? Are they still trying? Have those dreams changed?

Oh, she totally achieved the wizard thing and now she's a real Howl Pendragon figure. She got bored being by herself so she applied to get some apprentices, but due to a clerical error, she wound up with a couple of brothers (Max and Arseny) who were way too young to be apprentices. She's basically raising them as her kids (they call her mama and the Townes all consider them grandkids/nephews lol) but Saoirse insists they're still her apprentices in public.

Fionn

6. Did they grow up with siblings? What were those relationships like?

Fionn was the golden oldest brother! He and Saoirse were basically 3rd/4th parents so the rest of the siblings came to love/respect him. He was really good at keeping the peace. Dude would have made a fantastic diplomat. The siblings especially liked when he told them stories about life before their family left the Muirs or stories about knights/heroes. It was a rough day when he disappeared and the siblings that remember him really miss him.

7. How were their relationships with their parents/guardians growing up?

Very strained. Like, he was def the favorite child, but Fionn really had some childhood trauma from The Fall that they couldn't help him with bc they also had it. He sort of resents that he got put into the auxiliary parent role on top of it. I think ultimately they expected way too much out of him so it was only natural he'd disappear and be feral.

10. When did their childhood end?

I don't think it was a definite ending, more of a gradual thing around his early teens when he realized he had a lot of responsibilities.

Scone

21. How did they become an adventurer?

Scone's best friend Latte (a Yuke who's good with magic) sent her a letter that suggested they'd make a good caravanning team. She was itching to leave the family caravan (she was tired of bailing her siblings out and knew that adventuring was good money) so she agreed!

23. What is their role in the party? Not just their class on a meta level, but among the individuals who make up the party?

Imagine a buff accountant and you have Scone lol.

Like Tinsel, Scone is the tank in combat. However, unlike Tinsel, Scone is weirdly responsible. She makes sure all the supplies are stocked and in order, makes sure everyone takes care of themselves and she keeps track of their earnings. She can be outgoing but she prefers to let her team do the social leg work.

[gotmilk5101520]

Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia Watch Episode 47 For the Glory of Merlin

Also keep a shovel with you to get rid of the bodies.

“Too big”

“It’s okay, wingman. You tried”

“It’s hardly okay” How come last episode made it look like they had lost hope and have accepted their fate?

“Or we could just go that way”

“There’s an opening” Conveniently placed opening is convenient.

“You just gotta think positive”

“I’m not entirely sure i know how” When someone tells you to think positive.

“We can’t leave him like this”

“Draal would want us to keep going”

“Great Globus”

“It’s him”

“Is it really?” “Must be”

“Merlin”

“Ah, now you’re getting it”

“My Amulet does not make mistakes”

“And of all creatures in our worlds”

“I chose you”

“Now, show them why”

Imagine having webs in your mouth.

“Are you the Trollhunter?”

“Um, uh...”

“I thought you’d be taller” “Um...”

“Yes, i expected much taller. Plus hairy and didn’t you have a shard in your heart?” “A what?”

“And older”

“How old are you?”

“10?”

“Uh, 16”

“I guess i was only off by, mmm...”

“6 plus 4”

”Carry the 1” Me doing math.

“Holy Merlin”

“It’s really you!”

“And just what kind of troll are you? I never seen you before”

“I’m not a troll! I’m a Toby” A Toby is not a troll.

“And who is this lovely creature?”

“Blinkous Galadrigal”

“At your ser-”

“Not you”

“You”

“Uh”

“Claire Nunez, sir” “Ah. Wasn’t your hair more white?”

All those bones pop.

“Well, he was asleep for a really long time”

“He was just sleeping?”

“Shouldn’t he be...”

“Well rested?”

“Dead?” Shouldn’t i be dead by now?

“We might have”

“lost it”

“a little”

“Lost it a little?”

“Gunmar took it”

“Oh, is that all?”

“Well, it’s not the staff that’s lost, then”

“Just hope” Translation: “You fucked up”

“How did you know we were gonna come looking for you?”

“I mean, your staff?”

“Because”

“Jim, i am your father”

“Do you know when i was old enough to ask about dad, remember what you told me? You said “Jim, for the last time, your dad is not secretly a wizard”“

“But, most of all, how much he hurt you when he left” “Jim, for the last time, your father was not secretly a wizard”

“I knew it”

“Kidding!” We interrupt Trollhunters to almost bring you Star Wars.

“You expected me to be older”

“And taller. And hairy”

“History is just an account of what”

”supposedly happened” He’s not wrong.

“Hey, look! Is that a human kissing a troll?” “It is, Jim. She’s lucky” “Said something, Claire?” “Nope. She must be one of the first monster fuckers”

“I remember this like it was yesterday”

“It was a proud moment”

“For we fought as if there were no tomorrow”

“Look! There you are”

“AAAHHH!” Those were the good times, right?

“Vendel”

“Wait. Who’s that?” “That’s Kanjigar” “That’s Kanjigar? I barely recognized him without the armor”

“Draal”

“It has been my honor”

“fleshbag”

“I’m so sorry”

Wait how did Gunmar get back so fast?

Tinker Bell shows the way to Morgana.

“Let’s not jump to any conclusions”

“All they’ve done is not text us”

“Exactly! They’re teenagers!”

“Nothing stops them from texting!” That’s true. If you had friends to text. Which i don’t have so i don’t text.

“Okay”

“Just open the door and act natural”

“Hello” “Hello!” Yeah that’s natural.

“Detective Scott here”

“Oh”

“Oh, don’t be such a bunch of daisies”

“Help me move the body” Nana wakes up everyday choosing murder.

“I have an idea!”

“We’re not going to kill him”

Abort the mission!

“The Pale Lady”

“Ugh!” “The Mother of Monsters”

“I could add a few more names to that list. No, really. I’m making a 101 Different Names for Morgana list” “Is Bitch number 1?” “Yes”

“She sowed the seeds of dissension between humans and trollkind”

“I know her well”

“She’s a real headcase. And by “headcase” i mean bitch”

“Morgana had to be stop at any cost. It was a long battle, but with the help of my apprentice Luka” “Really, Master?”

“To escape”

“We’ll need the power of the amulet”

“That might be a little difficult”

“You really did a number on this thing” Yeah. Here’s how he destroyed it: First, he put the Amulet in a box, then he puts that box inside of another box, and then he mails that box to himself. And when it arrives, AH-HAHAHA! he smash it with a hammer!

“Hmm, this thingamajig”

”went here” Me trying to fix something.

“Bular told me”

“If i can’t get you to hand over the amulet”

“I should kill you!”

“You’d kill me”

“in front of my own son?” Trollhunter Barbara au. No, really. This is what Recipe for Disaster would be like in this au.

“I will if i have to!”

“That’s funny, i was just thinking the same thing!”

“Good one!”

“And now the Third Rule!”

“NO!”

“Scene! Scene!” You can tell Barbara’s enjoying every last minute of this.

“I’ve got a bruise-”

Hide the shovel.

“Thank you”

“Fair Claire”

“I look forward to seeing you again”

“Fair Lady Claire”

“For the glory of”

“well, you”

“Daylight is mine to command!” No need to say the name cause he’s right here.

“I don’t know how our kids do it” Well, they’re kids so it’s easy for them.

“They’re okay!”

“I never doubted them”

Yeah, you really didn’t.

“They’re all dead!”

“We’re all okay”

“Gunmar got the staff, but we found Merlin? And we’ll be taking the long way home”

“You can see our adventure in the book. Also watch out for Nyarlagroth. They’ll be coming after you guys. Tell us how it goes in the book!”

“Ah, money”

“Gunmar!”

“Huh? Oh, it’s you Squidward. What do you want? A raise? I ain’t giving you a raise”

“My queen”

“My fearsome servant, you were always my champion”

“Stay true. Your devotion will be rewarded”

“Waver, and i will destroy you”

“once and for all” Translation: “Shut up and do the work”

Who wants to help me move some bodies?

Please do not think you’re in good hands with me.

[dfordragons]

Branded and Shattered

“We don’t have all day, get this going.” Said the man whose face was underneath the magical darkness of his hood biting some flesh off his hand before spitting it out. Blood started flowing down his palm, dripping on the chalice that the statue of Bane held, leaving no trace of it.

Leonard quickly followed his lead, taking a swift slice towards his palm under the statue of Bhaal.

“Be thankful that Myrkul’s greed only required for any one soul.” the man continued, panting and looking towards the caved in head of the female drow sorceress he previously fought against. She had met her match.

The ground underneath them started shaking softly, as the floor depicting the sun in its centre started slowly drifting apart with a pedestal being elevated; On it stood a notebook in leather covering, it had seen better days.

“This is my part of the deal” the man said as he snatched and shoved it under his shirt

“Now you have to keep yours.”

Yliv shouted at them to come back in while Sarajevo was busy diffusing the arcane field holding a rather peculiar, constantly shifting cube; He carefully analysed every single movement and connection. His hands had surgical precision, his grey hair and beard would falsify any educated deductions one could make for a man of his age. His irises kept readjusting, reminiscent of an eagle. He was an odd man.

The rest had started shuffling around the arcane lab of the Beholder they had just fought, which soon after turned out to be an illusory copy of the lord of the keep, the current one, that is. They were already part of his game.

“Oh dear, you have made quite the mess.”

A calm, male voice echoed in the room.

“I admire your guts, but I can’t let this go, after spilling the guts of a favourite creature of mine.” “That wasn’t real” Leonard thought—

“Where are you?” Yliv’s voice echoed in the room. “I’ll be with you shortly, dear.”

The man under the hood made sure his hood was on as he patiently waited, weapon in hand.

They quickly barricaded one entrance, while guarding the other.

Leonard not having learned a lesson from last time he barged into a room, he casually opened the other door as necrotic energy burst through his angelic form, barely being able to shield himself with his translucent wings of a bat.

“Idiot” Sarajevo thought as he heard the explosion, instead he went with a patronizing

“Don’t kill yourself yet.”  but remained focused, eventually cutting the final connected wire and grabbing the peculiar cube glowing with arcane energy from its place.

“You suck” he kept hearing in his mind, unaware of Leonard’s ability to speak in one’s mind, at least in his Deva form, he thought his systems may have suffered some damage during their initial battle. Curiosity had taken Sarajevo’s mind for a split second.

“We can’t take him in this state, we’re hurt. I just need to grab my cape from him, and I can get us out and back here without any hassle.”

“We can get out ourselves” Leonard said

“But you can’t get back in..” the man sighed “And we have a deal.”

“Why don’t we just kill him and take the godamn book?” Munkustrap thought as they kept shuffling through the scrolls while eyeing some clean, enchanted parchment and ink, wigging their feline tail in celebration.

Kiwi, on the other hand being a curious Goblin checked each of the scrolls, most of which were unfinished equations of spells, with 3 of them seemingly complete, yet he was unable to read them.

“Could make good money from these” he thought as he pocketed them.

As Leonard slowly looked through the door, Yliv noticed his translucent wings fading for a single second. The silhouette of a man quickly became apparent near them, positioning himself at a wilfully disadvantage, as a sign of his confidence perhaps. His face was covered while one of his eyes emanated a blue arcane glow, and the other a purple one, reminiscent of Yliv’s eldritch blasts. Potentially that was the Eye of Zeltec, the famed eye which could bring back to life just about anyone

. Before he got a chance to speak, Leonard leaped towards him swinging, only to be stopped by a single finger before pushing his blade aside into the ground.

“We don’t really mean trouble..”

Munkustrap said while looking at the trashed laboratory

“We could just walk away really.”

Manshoon looked at the cat in curiosity “Provided you hand whatever you retrieved from the pedestal; we could have an agreement”

“Oh about that, it had nothing so I guess we could just be on our way” their feline teeth showed as they smiled towards the stoic, unconvinced wizard.

Leonard swung his blade towards Manshoon once more, only for him to slap it out of his way, almost hitting Munkustrap.

“An interesting yet incapable bunch” he said looking at them before glancing at Yliv “But you, what would a mage of your magnitude be doing with these.. Lowlives?”

As he finished his sentence, two blasts came towards him for trash talking her group, neither managed to scathe him.

“You could be a fine apprentice.” He stomped his staff on the ground as a blue glow from a palm-sized mirror at the top filled the room. As the glow dimmed, Sarajevo his bodyguard, Margo and his praised steel defender weren’t there.

The fight broke out, each time he dodged a distasteful effort to be touched by the likes of any of the ‘lowlives’ he referred to he snapped his fingers, bursting them in flames.

“What did you do?” Yliv said collected, there is always a way to reverse a spell, this one wouldn’t be any different.

“They’re dead weight dear, don’t you see?” she scuffed at his response as she hexed him.

“Pereghost?” Munkustrap muttered looking towards the hooded man, as he kept silent.

“I believe you’re about a century late” Manshoon responded instead. The cat’s cunning mind quickly caught to his scheme;

“Bazinga!” They shouted as the dancing sword came out of its sheathe and shoot straight for the staff’s mirror-like surface in an attempt to break it, hopefully releasing their comrades while they still had time. 

The cat was also slightly enraged by the fact that some of their favourite earrings were burned by this seemingly unfashionable wizard. 

Kiwi seeing Munkustrap relentlessly aiming for the staff followed suit from afar while Manshoon was busy dealing with Leonard. They couldn’t penetrate his defences, but the mirror was another matter. Each hit made it crack even further, sparse blue light rays were escaping from it.

Inside the staff, Sarajevo, his partner and Margo fought for survival in the thick mists of the mirror against a predator. It didn’t take long before it snatched Margo and it became a blind chase. Yet the predator quickly became the prey, with blows dealt to it from every corner. It’s burnt flesh started giving off a nauseating scent and blood kept splashing the wet, muddy soil. He could hear cracks as from the outside, the mirror slowly broke but these were drowned by the growls of the beast and Margo’s battlecry.

“We already killed one of you, you won’t be any different”

Leonard’s voice cockily echoed in his mind through his angelic form while snatching his staff away from him.

Manshoon snapped his fingers, Leonard’s wings started withering, his warmth did too. The hooded man found the perfect moment to grab his cape from Manshoon, a dim light pierced the magical darkness of his hood as the cape came under his possession.

“I see.” Manshoon also responded telepathically. “They’re holding you down” he said continuously looking at Yliv

“And I will prove it to you” He continued as he extended his hand towards Leonard’s chest “No!”

She screamed internally as she attempted to counter it. She had no idea what it was that he was attempting, and that made it all the more dangerous.  And she was right, the energy was so abundant that she couldn’t hope to absorb it.

An eerie feeling engulfed her from the back of her mind as his palm touched Leonard’s chest plate before a thin, light-green coloured ray penetrated him.

He never felt this kind of pain before, his entire body felt inflamed as his airways started shutting. He wasn’t bleeding, he was rotting. He fell on his knees as he grasped for air before passing out while Manshoon kicked Leonard’s filithy hands off his praised staff. Aenon saw this, for the first time she was scared. None of her arrows could penetrate his shield. She wasn’t as much afraid of death as she was afraid of seeing everyone die before her eyes.

“Not again” she kept thinking.

Her attempts to hide and wait for the opportune moment fell a short as her breathing.

Kiwi ran towards him in an attempt to shield Leonard’s body with his tiny goblin silhouette while taking a slash at Manshoon under the belt with his almost invisible blade. Playing dirty was part of being a golbin.

It wasn’t enough. Manshoon was toying with them, motes of fire gathered in his palm towards Kiwi’s face before being snuffed out in mockery. Yliv used this moment dashing towards him and rapidly forced a potion down Leonard’s throat as she looked towards the hooded man.

“Are you going to do it or am I going to do it?!” she shouted at him in panic “I need your consent.” “Huh?” “Just say yes, everyone needs to say yes.”

Manshoon had the most opportune moment to take them all out in a single blast, assuming he was out of the blast’s radius. Yet he despised Yliv’s alleged disrespect towards her talents by defending them instead of joining him. As Munkustrap’s sword went for another strike on his staff, Manshoon’s figure dispersed into mist, reappearing in the distance.

The dancing sword continued to rush towards the staff as a blood hound would chase down its prey, generating enough velocity to create brief echoes of it carving its way through the air; As it pierced the mirror, bright light spread in the room. It’s pieces hit the floor, shattering even further. Sarajevo and his defender was back, Margo was bloodied but alive, her silver hair now had highlights of red, standing in front of a demon-like, yet somewhat adorable beast which had scraps of her skin on its teeth. Her teeth and claws had started growing themselves as she prepared to lunge towards it.

“JUST SAY YES DAMN IT” Munkustrap screamed towards everyone as the hooded man started incantating, or in fact, praying. Everyone screamed yes, in their own peculiar, somewhat puzzled tone.

“Yes?” Sarajevo followed as he threw a bolt of fire towards the beast, missing, to his surprise,

“That worked better in the mist” he thought. “If that is indeed your choice, then you are unworthy of the arcane gifts that have been bestowed upon you” said Manshoon as he incantated at much faster pace than the hooded man was praying while looking at Yliv. As he finished his incantation he stomped on the mirror glass, shattering it.

Yliv felt the cracks in her head as an intense migraine took over her; Everything around her started making less sense. Her anger and worry sank to oblivion, as did the rest of her mind. Her eyes were empty.  As Pereghost finished his incantation, Manshoon sent his final gift towards Yliv, four arcane projectiles emanated from his fingers pointed towards her. Whistling sounded for a split-second as each projectile battered her vital organs, forcing more blood up her throat before it gushed out her mouth before losing her senses.

The hooded man’s chant ended, his cape quickly started engulfing every one of his allies, distorting the space around them as they disappeared from Darkhold… Towards where? They had yet to learn. They had won the war, but could they let this battle remain lost? Ichigo VS Ulquiorra Artwork by  Dannykowalczik <3   Wizard/Manshoon Artwork by Ari-Matti Toivonen <3 

[swordbreakerz]

✨ for all of them, 🎥 for treasure planet and guardians of gahoole, 🍀 for 9-1-1 and penumbra, 📃 for unicorn chronicles, 🏳️‍🌈 for howls, treasure planet and legend of zelda, and 💎 for any ones you have facts for lol

you spoil me uwu

🎥 - ok for treasure planet, gotta be the 12 years later scene in the beginning and the zoom in to the spaceport, the way it transitions from jim reading under the blankets to him flying on his solar surfer is so chefs kiss, and just like. everything about to the spaceport lmao, fr guardians definitely the scene where soren flies through the fire and then blows up the pulley system to get rid of the flecks energy, bro when hes flying above it all holding the lantern before he dives down to save them? chills

🍀 - you know im on that projection shit w/ juno steel, ive truly never like connected with a character like that before and he’s really really helped me thru my recovery and transition lol, fr 911 uhhh ig buck or eddie? i havent Thought About It or like consumed it enough times yet to rly settle on someone but fr now,,, they

🏳️‍🌈 - ok for howls, Everyone Is Bi/Pan, howl is trans and autistic and i will die on that hill, fr treasure planet jim and cpt amelia are both trans and both of them + doppler are autistic, fr loz link is trans, autistic and semi nonverbal and communicates primarily with asl, post twilight princess zelda says fuck it and finds a way back into the twilight realm and she midna and link hang out, most of these boil down to everyone i love is trans gay and autistic because i say so lmaooo

📃 - OK SO. without like, spoiling too many plot points, our main character is cara and she lives with her grandmother. her mom is dead and dad is out of the picture. one day theyre getting chased by these people that her grandma knows and cara gets thrown into an alternate realm full of fantasy creatures using her grandmothers amulet. she meets a unicorn named lightfoot and a bunch of other rad people and basically, starts a journey to save that world from the Hunters. the Hunters are an organisation who specifically hate unicorns and want them all dead, led by Beloved, and cara and her friends have to try and stop them from entering the world and wiping them out. its sooo so so good and i highly recommend it cause i have no one to talk to about it please god

✨ - oh boy uh, well. im just gonna like list them out lmao

unicorn chronicles: i loved unicorns as a kid and read it when i was in elementary school, and over the years its remained just as compelling and well written as i remember and like. god the whole concept is so godamn cool and all the subplots that get introduced are fuckign fantastic and like all the different creatures are amazing i literally cant sing its praises enough

howls moving castle: must i have a logical reason? is it not to vicariously live my fantasy of running away to the countryside with a wizard boyfriend, his demon and his apprentice?? for real though, its such a fantastic story with beautiful visuals in the movie and wonderfully compelling prose in the book, and esp in the movie the whole time travel subplot with sophie seeing howl and calcifer in the past and then howl finding her in the future makes me go feral

penumbra: gays in space. need i say more? im a huge slut for gay found family and especially in futuristic space, and im a huge big fan of the lgbt utopia its created. like yeah capitalism sucks but at least im not gonne get misgendered in space starbucks, u kno? all the writing and dialogue is so incredible and the SOUND DESIGN GOD, alex i know u specifically can relate when i say i would kill a man for sophie and her incredible sound design skills, like dude the dance scene in man in glass p2 you can hear every single individual step they take and every swish of junos dress and i jusT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! god its so good, plus the whole the characters help me work through my trauma and repressed anger haha

911: this one is entirely your fault. so obligatory horny on main everyone on that show is so hot i want oliver stark to cradle me gently in his beefy arms oh my god. other than Men, the way it drives home the whole ‘you can’t save everyone, and it will kill you to try, so just focus on what you can do and keep living’ makes me so emo. the way it tackles big bureaucratic issues as well as closer to home interpersonal ones is amazing and i love how it shows people going through and dealing realistically with trauma.

treasure planet: again, who doesnt want to live in Cool Steampunk Space Travel Future? i really really love jims story and his arc, the way he deals with his trauma is uhh very familiar lol and his relationship with silver is like the ideal. the story is just the coolest concept and i love all the wonderful character design and animation, plus the soundtrack SLAPS and everything is beautiful

legend of zelda: ive been associated with this series from a very young age due to my name and as soon as i gave into my fate and looked it up for real i just kinda fell into it lol. i cant really tell you exactly what draws me to it besides ‘wow fun game!’ and ‘god i wish that were me,’ but like the absurd amount of detail thats put into each installment and the creative ways they retell essentially the same/similar story over and over is incredible

guardians of gahoole: so i had the same experience with this and treasure planet which is i remembered ‘oh hey this is a movie that exists and i cant clearly remember watching it, ill look it up :)’ and then it consumed my life for a solid 3 months. firstly this movie is absolutely gorgeous, the animation and framing is fucking stunning and the way they handled owls talking like people as far as the movement of their very inflexible beaks was amazing. it sort of has the same draw for me as warrior cats? secret animal society ft incredibly traumatic experiences and the characters dealing with it. like, the whole concept is just so fuckign wild and it works so well, i rly enjoy this niche genre.

💎 - alright trivia time, so guardians of gahoole is based on a book series and the movie only covers part of the first arc i think idk, BUT theres another series set in the same universe called wolves of the beyond that i devoured when i was younger! i didnt know they were connected for the longest time and when i found out i was :000, i still rly love wolves of the beyond and wanna reread it, as well as read the actual gahoole books. in the howls books, sophie is a redhead! also, markl is named michael and like a fully functioning young adult who ends up marrying one of sophies sisters. treasure planet is, obviously, based off treasure island but its so much better than the book dont bother reading it lol i tried and it was boring. there was plans for a treasure planet sequel that was fully scripted and cast but it was cancelled cause disney sabotaged treasure planet from the start with the shitty release and advertising and tldr we were ROBBED, also amelias concept was much more octopus like and while that wldve been rad im p glad she was switched to a cat for. several reasons lol. uhh i dont have a lot of Fun Facts abt the unicorn chronicles but for the longest time i thought there were only 3 books and then last year i found the fourth book by chance in a kitsch store and nearly had a breakdown i was so happy, like full on i started shaking and crying cause there was so much joy in my body i cldnt contain it.

thats all i can think of tysm ily, to anyone who read all of this bless u please watch guardians of gahoole and read the unicorn chronicles i will love u forever

[newyorkcitywater]

Questing Buddies!

Also known as Questing Buddies: The Musical! or simply Chapter 4. Long ass post, so it’s under the cut.

Gaudy, CJ, and M carefully approached the concert, which is to say that they tangoed dramatically until they reached the crowd of people waving their hands in the air, jumping and screaming in front of many, many signs that said “ETHAN THE LOUD.” Yes, everyone had roses in their teeth, and no, don’t ask me where the roses are coming from. I’m just the humble storyteller.

Ethan seemed to be hyping up the crowd violently, though from what they could see, he had no idea how rowdy they were getting. “HE LOOKED AT ME! HE LOVES ME!” they heard one girl shriek, and she immediately decked the poor boy standing next to her with a chair. “HE LOVES ME, NOT YOU!”

The concert turned into what was almost all-out war within a few minutes, and Ethan had to stop singing. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop fighting! All of you!”

They ignored him. The Questing Buddies tangoed carefully through the crowd and reached Ethan, who looked like he wanted any way to get off the stage. The stage, incidentally, was far too tall to get on or off without magical intervention or stairs without suffering serious harm.

“You three are the only ones fighting, right? I need to get down here before there’s a mob or something. Do any of you have a ladder?”

CJ looked questioningly at Gaudy, but M shook her head. “Leave this to me,” she said, and leaped impossibly high into the air, landing on the stage in a perfect crouch. A shockwave dramatically rippled through the ground, and the crowd stopped their brawl. “Whoops, sorry,” she said. “I don’t know how to do it without the cartoony shockwave, but just tell them the concert’s over and we can jump down from here.”

“People! I’m sorry to do this, but I have to bring this concert to an early ending. So thank you so much, and quit fighting!” Ethan looked questioningly at M.

The crowd went back to ignoring him.

“Okay, just, I don’t know, grab onto my elbow or something and hold on tight and-” She finished her sentence in midair, screaming, “CROUCH WHEN YOU HIT THE GROUND OR SOMETHING!”

Ethan and M hit the ground, looking surprisingly badass. “There. And if you ship us, we’ll kick your teeth in!” she yelled to the crowd. 

The crowd, surprisingly, did not ignore her, but stared at what they thought was a new competitor for Ethan’s hand.

“Exactly what the fuck is going on?” said Gaudy. “Don’t worry, I won’t ship you guys. We can hash out the newest member’s application form later, but we should probably speed tango away from this...mob. Take a rose, I’ll explain later.”

GAUDY

WE’RE BEING CHASED BY A MOB

WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME

CJ

THAT CAN BE SURMISED

I THINK WE SHOULD RUN

ALTHOUGH IT’S KINDA FUN

TO TANGO AWAY WITH YOU GUYS

ETHAN

I USUALLY SING

TO A NORMAL CROWD

MOBS REALLY AREN’T MY THING

M

BUT YOU’RE ETHAN THE LOUD!

WE REALLY SHOULD RUN

EVEN THOUGH IT’S FUN

TO TANGO AWAY WITH YOU GUYS

ALL

WE MIGHT REGRET THIS LATER

BUT THERE’S REALLY NOTHING GREATER

THAN TANGOING AWAY WITH YOU GUYS!

“Well, that was a lovely impromptu song and dance number, but we are now running for our lives and in desperate need of a plot device in real life- is that a lettuce farm?” Gaudy skidded cartoonishly to a stop at the sight of an adorable cottage with a garden full of lettuce. Add in a “screeching tires” sound and you’ve got the perfect mental image.

Someone who looked like your mental stereotype of a lettuce farmer, AKA a gay badass (we are all being completely serious, Tath is a gay badass), walked out of the cottage. “Hi, I’m Tath,” she said. “My wife and I were in there trying to figure out which lettuce seeds are the best, so- is that another mob? I’m not even going to ask at this point. Our cellar has a random secret passageway which has been there forever and serves no point, but it might work to hide in if you’re going on a quest.”

“Holy fuck, Tath, we are literally indebted to you at this point. I’d promise you my firstborn if I hadn’t already bet it,” said M. “Different story,” she added. “Not important right now.” 

                                                       ***

“How can cellars be cute? This is adorable!” CJ stepped back to take in the true majesty of the cellar. It was truly an adorable cellar. 

“All right, all of you, go into the miscellaneous passageway, my wife and I are kind of busy and it looks like an important plot point might be up there,” said Tath. “Hurry up, I was making dinner and I don’t want it to burn.”

The ragtag band hurried into the passageway. “Bye, all of you!” called Tath’s wife. “Don’t forget to put in a good word for us if you meet the king!”

The passageway started to climb, and the walls turned from tightly packed soil to stone bricks. Stairs started to appear as well, and the passageway morphed into a spiral staircase inside a tower.

“Well. I wasn’t expecting to be running around inside a castle today, but you never know.” Gaudy looked completely fine with everything going on, sort of floating up the stairs. They were the only one who wasn’t complaining quietly about how many stairs there were.

GAUDY

THIS IS A CASTLE

I THINK?

PRETTY SURE IT’S A CASTLE

I GUESS

CJ

I THINK IT MIGHT BE A STRONGHOLD

OR A DUNGEON, THAT’S THE BEST

GAUDY

BUT I’M NINETY PERCENT SURE IT’S A CASTLE

I GUESS

BOTH

IT MIGHT BE A DUNGEON,

IT MIGHT BE A TRAP

BOTH OF OUR IDEAS

MIGHT BE FULL OF CRAP

BUT SINCE WE’RE GOING 

ON A QUEST

I THINK IT’S A CASTLE

IT’S PROBABLY A CASTLE

PRETTY SURE THAT IT’S A CASTLE

I GUESS

“This tower is freakishly high, so how about some backstory?” CJ looked at Ethan. “You need to explain the mob, and you-” they looked at M- “need to explain where and why you bet your firstborn. You don’t even have kids!”

Ethan sighed. “This is gonna be a long story.”

*gratuitous flashback noise and animation*

“I was kind of wandering around pointlessly, wishing I could do something and go on a cool quest, when I ran into this lady in a huge pink poofy ball gown. You know the kind, the one any toddler would sell their soul to Satan for? She was wearing that. And a beauty-queen sash. She was smiling and doing that wave thing that made it look like she was washing a window, and when I went up to her, she was all-” Ethan pouted and did a bad impression of the lady’s voice- “’Oh, hello, I didn’t see you there.’ And then she went 'You’re cute. I’m gonna give you a gift.’ And she bopped me on the head with this wand that was like a pink sparkly star on a stick and told me that people would always be fans of my music and love me when I sang. Hard not to feel like she cursed me, yanno?”

“Well, that cleared that up,” said CJ. “Now you, M. “

M shrugged. “What can I say? Being an evil wizard’s apprentice means you bet a lot. You bet a lot of shit, and sometimes you bet your firstborn. Joke’s on them, I’m never having kids. If I do they’ll be dragons I’ve adopted or something.”

“Good life choices,” said Gaudy. “Wait-there are windows, and while I appreciate the natural light as much, if not more, than you people, the fact that they’re there is worrying.”

“Is now the time to dramatically point and scream ‘A DOOR!’ Because I’m all ready and drama waits for nobody,” CJ said.

“Alright, sure, point and yell, Christine,” said Gaudy. CJ looked at them. “What? It’s fitting! This is the musical!”

CJ pointed to the door and yelled, “A DOOR!” They bowed. Gaudy, M, and Ethan applauded.

“Let’s go through it. I mean, if anyone has any other plans...” Luckily, there were no other plans, and CJ’s plan, also known as the only plan possible, was carried out. Unluckily, this door opened onto a corridor, and down that corridor was a direct route to the throne room.

“What do we do?” CJ hissed. “If I know this king, he’s a flaming asshole and I don’t need this kind of negativity in my life.”

The luckless group tripped, as one, over a hilariously long carpet and quadruple somersaulted into the throne room in a move that was the textbook version of “undignified.” 

The king and his queen lolled mockingly on their thrones, looking like incredibly disgusted magazine models with a long and tiring day of nothing to do. “Hmph.” It was nothing but a noise of boredom and distaste. The king emitted it masterfully, being that boredom and distaste were his day jobs. 

The queen looked down her long nose at the ragtag band. “Desmond, dear, don’t you think they’re a little too raggedy to be in our throne room? I mean, we just got a new carpet and it’s already mussed...”

Her voice trailed off, only to return complete with a dusting of sugar. The queen had seen CJ.

“Oh, sweetie darling honeypumpkin, how we’ve missed you! Come up here and give Mummy a hug.” The queen smiled. She had lipstick on her teeth, a bright red color that added to the ambiance.

“Hey, I remember you!” Ethan was staring at the queen. “Weren’t you the one in a fairy princess dress with a...” He stopped talking. It had sunk in. This woman was CJ’s mother.

“Thank you ever so kindly,” said CJ, icicles hanging on every word. It suddenly felt much colder in the throne room. “But even though I was welcomed so warmly, I feel the need to alert my sister to my return. Thank you, Mother, for allowing me to leave.” With a final jab of sarcasm, they swept off, head held high, probably to their room.

“Ah,” said the king. “That leaves you raggedy bunch. Drusie, what do you want to do with them?” From far above there was a loud thunking noise, followed by a shriek. CJ was locked in.

“Oh, I’m quite sure I haven’t got a clue,” muttered the queen. “How about--THIS!” She pressed a button on the underside of her throne arm, and a pit opened in the floor. The ragtag band plummeted through into the dungeons. “Oh, Dezzy baby, we are brilliant! Those little shits are bribes in human form!”

DRUSILLA

OH DEZZY, DARLING, WE’RE BRILLIANT

YOU’RE THE KING OF THE HILL

I’M THE CREAM OF THE CROP

DESMOND

SILLA, SWEETIE, WE’RE KILLIN’ IT

WE’RE LIKE A ROLLERCOASTER

WITH NONE OF THE DROP

BOTH

YEAH, BABY, WE’RE GONNA BE ON TOP

CJ

TRAPPED IN THIS TOWER

AND HOUR BY HOUR

GETTING MORE ANNOYED

SINGING LOUDER AND LOUDER 

GLASS’LL CRUMBLE TO POWDER

AND THIS DAMN WINDOW WILL BE DESTROYED

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

(The window breaks. CJ squeezes through and begins to rappel down the castle wall.)

DRUSILLA

DEZZY, LET’S GO FOR A SPIN

DESMOND

IT SUITS THE SITUATION WE’RE IN

BOTH

YEAH, BABY

YEAH, HONEY

OOOOOH YEAH

WE ARE GONNA BE ON TOP!

To be continued.

[tessatechaitea]

A Text Adventure Review: Enchanter by Infocom

Hopefully the Council of Elders can ignore how I BLORBed myself on the second turn and we can move on to ending the wicked reign of the vile Sorcerer Krill without ever mentioning it.

I don't like to criticize the Council of Elders because I don't want to live the rest of my life as a toad but what kind of sorcerous douchebags send an apprentice wizard out on a dangerous mission with just his spellbook? The entire beginning of this game is foraging for food and water so that I don't die of thirst or hunger before I die from Krill's lightning bolt or fireball. At least start me off with the BERZIO spell, you tightwads! After loading up on supplies and learning the REZROV spell from some old crone in a deserted village, I REZROV my way into the castle. As I do so, Krill probes my mind. But sensing nothing but incompetence and a teetering house of anxiety built on a crumbling foundation of Impostor Syndrome, he shrugs his shoulders and returns to his dark work. Speaking of dark work, I FROTZ my battered brass lantern so that I won't be eaten by a Grue. While stumbling around the castle, I discovered a beautiful jeweled egg that could be opened. Not by somebody as moronic and clumsy as me of course! So I just smashed it open to discover a damaged scroll inside. And because magic can solve any problem, I simply cast KREBF (which I found on a scroll just outside the castle) on the egg and the scroll, fixing them both. I'm perplexed that the KREBF spell wasn't the first spell taught to me by the Council of Elders, seeing as how I fuck up everything I touch.

For those uninitiated with magic, here are what some of the spells I mentioned earlier do.

Parlor Magician After discovering the ZIFMIA scroll by KREBFing it and the egg, I found I was no longer a Charlatan! I was growing as an enchanter! Soon, I'd be powerful enough to be probed by my father and he'd have to acknowledge me! I mean Krill. Krill will have to acknowledge me. My main goal as a Parlor Magician was to grow my book of spells. After adding the EXEX spell (make things move with greater speed) and the VAXUM spell (make a hostile creature your friend), I decided I had enough spells to solve another problem: a door so well guarded by magical creatures that I had no hope of ever getting through it. See, I had a dream about an idiot who was too dumb to see the illusions on the door and thus was safe from harm. And my cousin, the treasure hunting jerk exploring The Great Underground Kingdom, was just the dolt to open that door! I had seen him previously in a large mirrored hallway so all I had to do was ZIFMIA him, VAXUM him, and lure him to the door by showing him my beautiful jeweled egg! Then by motioning to the door, the moron would simply walk right past the danger, saving me the trouble of disenchanting the illusion before I could get through the door. And with that accomplished, I was stronger than ever before! I was a Novice! Novice Enchanter At this point, I simply lost track of when I went up a rank which means I'll be fudging these headers. After becoming a novice, I think I helped gave meaning to the life of some stupid turtle when I allowed him to help me find a powerful scroll (not the powerful scroll. Just a powerful scroll!). I thanked him like all good and decent people would do but I don't think I scored any points for thanking him. That was a missed opportunity to really confuse people by allowing them to win the game with 395 out of 400 points because they were rude and didn't thank the turtle. Speaking of winning with only 395 points out of 400, I have something to admit when I get to the end of this...review? Um, what do I call this thing where I sort of discuss the game but also sort of just act like it's a story I'm writing but then also tell stories about my personal life that nobody actually wants to hear? Intermediate Enchanter I probably leveled up after helping the turtle. It makes sense since you get points simply for eating and drinking in this game. I figured I was powerful enough to steal the powerful scroll (the actual powerful scroll!) from The Terror's weird lair at this point. So I found my idiot cousin and forced him to give me the map and pencil he'd taken earlier because he's a greedy dick. Using the magic map and magic pencil, I freed The Terror from his cell by drawing a line on the map but then trapped him again by erasing some other lines. Then I stole his scroll and he was super pissed. But I was probably a real Enchanter at that point! Enchanter I'd love to say that I became an Enchanter because I'm such a huge genius but in reality, I think I mostly remembered the solutions to a bunch of the puzzles in this game as I stumbled upon the items that could help solve those puzzles. That being said, the only part of the game I mapped was The Terror's prison maze so I easily recognized it when I found the map. And since the pencil is found with the map, it wasn't that much of a leap to figure out what to do. I also remembered what to do with the turtle as soon as I attempted to get the brittle scroll and was hit by a spear trap. Plus once I found the ZIFMIA spell and realized I had to summon a being, I knew I had to summon the adventurer to help with something. It wasn't until I had the dream of the simple guy opening the plain door that I figured out how to use him though. I also knew I had to memorize a spell or two for the next puzzle I was going to tackle: surviving getting sacrificed. That one was easy because the OZMOO spell tells you that it's the solution by being a spell that allows you to survive an unnatural death. I'm not sure if I needed to EXEX myself to do all the moves before getting sacrificed again but I did it anyway. With that accomplished, I now had a sharp sacrificial dagger to cut the ropes on the jeweled box that enabled me to get another scroll I needed! I don't remember what scroll that was because at this point I was really flying through the game and didn't want to stop to write about it. I'm writing this a day or two later because I simply assumed my memory would be up to the task of recounting the story accurately. This won't be the last time an assumption has made a fool out of me! Although I think it was the MELBOR spell that protected me from evil beings. It makes sense because you need it to get to the final puzzle where you face Krill. If you're not protected, I think you just keep getting caught by hairy jerks whenever you enter Krill's tower. Oh yeah! I also ranked up again! Probably! Master Enchanter Finally, I had everything I needed to defeat Krill! I KULCADed his illusory staircase, IZYUKed myself so I didn't fall into the bottomless pit, and headed into his evil lair with all the correct spells memorized to defeat him! Obviously I couldn't know beforehand what spells to use because I'm an enchanter and not a psychic. So I had to die a few times before I figured it out. Also I had to realize I didn't yet have the GONDAR spell (which I didn't know existed but after being burned to death by dragon's flame a few times, I began to suspect I was missing a spell to protect me from fire). It took me almost no time to discover the spell because I hadn't gone into the library that game and thought, "Oh, isn't there a scroll with the Dusty Book?" There wasn't. But I did investigate the rat tracks which lead to a hole in the wall which led to the GONDAR spell which led to Krill's inevitable defeat! After defeating the dragon, I turned Krill's next henchman into a lizard with the CLEESH spell. Then Krill shit himself as I began to recite the GUNCHO spell. That's a spell that banishes a creature to another plane! I succeeded with the spell or maybe he teleported away. It was hard to tell for sure. In any case, I won! I scored a full 395 out of 400 points! Oh. Shit. Candidate for Membership in the Circle of Enchanters Yeah. I fucking tanked it, dude. I mean, I was now about to enter the Circle of Enchanters but with a huge stain on my permanent record. How could I have missed five points?! How embarrassing! I checked out Infocom's Invisiclues to see where I could have missed five points and the only five point puzzle was KREBFing the shredded scroll that was inside the egg. But I'd done that! The Invisiclues also said you get ten points for opening the egg. I began to suspect the Invisiclues were wrong and had those two point totals mixed up because I never actually opened the egg. I just broke it and then fixed it with the KREBF spell. I reloaded and experimented a bit and, yep, that was the five points I missed. Some Enchanter I turned out to be! SCORES Game Title: Succinct and to the point. I would have preferred Zork IV because I love when game designers become mired in a world that was so popular they find they can't reasonably abandon it, at least not for economic reasons. It's why Terry Brooks wrote five thousand Shannara books! Puzzles: Terrific! I really wish I hadn't played this game when I was younger because I feel like they were fair enough that I would have figured them out now as an adult. It's also possible that if I hadn't had Kim Schuette's solution at hand, I would have worked harder at solving all the puzzles before diving into the clues. It's pretty much the only reason I beat Trinity back in 1990. Because I was a freshman in college with two games on my Apple IIe that I'd brought with me, Trinity and Dragon Wars. Also because I wasn't distracted by things that we're all distracted by today, like the Internet and more Internet and other things that are pretty much just the Internet. I could say I was too distracted to beat Trinity because I was drinking so much beer and getting laid all the time. But I'd rather tell the truth and brag about having beat Trinity without any clues, no matter how big a hit my sexy rock and roll reputation takes. Gameplay: The only weak bit with Enchanter is the part where you need to eat and drink and sleep. And it's made even worse because it's implemented so weakly! Sure, I guess I like that a loaf of bread lasts the entire game and I don't have to worry about dying of hunger. And I don't have to worry about thirst because I can always refill my jug. But if they don't really matter and only provide a limited number of turns so high that nobody probably ever died of hunger in this game, why bother? The sleeping I liked though because the dreams were a really nice way to provide hints to puzzles that might not have been so obvious. Like the dream that points to entering the Gallery without a light source. Quite clever, really. Graphics: It's an Infocom game, dumby! Although they did eventually get into graphics so maybe I should apologize for expecting modern readers to know Infocom mostly ignored graphics. Except in games like Infidel where one of the major puzzles was translating ASCII hieroglyphics! Concept: The best concept! I love pretending I'm a magic user like Gandalf or Fonzi. Fun Time: Like Border Zone, I think I may have spent about six hours total on it. That might not seem like a lot for an Infocom game that I beat and you might be thinking, "That Grunion Guy is a fucking genius!" And you should keep thinking that instead of remembering how I had already read clues about it thirty years ago. Hopefully when you think about this review later, like when you're excitedly telling your significant other about this great blog you've been reading, you only really remember the part where I typed, "Grunion Guy is a fucking genius." "Grunion Guy is a fucking genius" has a pretty good ring to it, doesn't it? Just listen to it: "Grunion Guy is a fucking genius." Hopefully you just said "Grunion Guy is a fucking genius" out loud. And hopefully there were other people nearby to hear you and reply, "Is Grunion Guy a fucking genius? Yeah, yeah. I guess Grunion Guy is a fucking genius, isn't he?!"

[ciathyzareposts]

SpellCraft: Aspects of Valor: Summary and Rating

What awaited me if I had won the game.

       SpellCraft: Aspects of Valor

United States

Tsunami Productions (developer); ASCII Entertainment Software (publisher)

Released in 1992 for DOS; SNES port developed but never released

Date Started: 27 July 2019

Date Finished: 25 August 2019

Total Hours: 26 Difficulty: Hard (4/5) Final Rating: (to come later) Ranking at time of posting: (to come later)

Summary: SpellCraft is an unusual, original RPG in which an American named Robert learns about a parallel magical universe and, under the tutelage of a wizard named Garwayen, grows from an apprentice to a master wizard. Most of the game consists of a series of missions in one of seven realms: Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Mind, Ether, and Death. As Robert solves these missions, he gets clues to the recipes for several dozen spells, mastering which is the key to winning the rapid game of rock-paper-scissors that soon develops between Robert and enemy wizards. Robert periodically visits Earth in between his explorations of the magic realms, getting clues, reagents, and side quests from various NPCs.

****          

I admire and am somewhat envious of the player that could not only play but excel at SpellCraft. It’s too much for me. I so lack the skill set needed to win such a game that it staggers me that winning it is even possible. You’re dealing with dozens of spells constantly flying at you from dozens of directions, monsters constantly trying to drive you off the edge of an abyss, and dozens of your own spells through which to shuffle and try to counter enemies, constantly trying to remember which spells work in which domains, while keeping your eye on a bunch of meters and maps. It is so far removed from the careful deliberation that goes into, say, Gold Box combat that it’s amazing we consider the games part of the same genre. A Gold Box game is like a good game of chess. SpellCraft is like three simultaneous games of speed chess played while wearing oven mitts.           

Usually, when I have to enter “no” in the “Won?” column, it’s because I didn’t want to invest the time necessary to win the game. Rarely do I feel that I couldn’t have won it with a little more patience. Here, I have to admit that the game didn’t wear me out or bore me. It simply beat me. I could not react fast enough to the barrage of spells the enemy wizards threw at me. In this, SpellCraft offers a “first”–specifically, the first appearance of a dynamic common to modern games that I described in an entry eight years ago in relation to Dragon Age: Origins:

          Most of the time, I have no idea what the #&*$ is going on. Seriously. Combat begins. My party members go into their tactics. I select one of the foes for my lead character to fight. I start using his special attacks. Meanwhile, there’s a cacophony of sound as friends and foes meet each other and cast spells. Colors streak across the screen. My character starts sparkling for reasons I don’t understand–am I being affected by an offensive spell, or did one of my party members cast a buffing spell? Sten starts calling for healing but then suddenly he’s at full health even though I didn’t heal him. Liliana starts saying “trap, trap, trap” even though we’re in combat and it’s unrealistic to disarm traps. My character is suddenly paralyzed and I don’t know why. The screen shakes and I go sprawling against at tree–what hit me? Then, all at once, it’s over, and apparently we’re all alive.

       The difference is that in the case of Dragon Age, the game is fighting for you as well as against you. I don’t understand what’s happening most of the time on either side, but at least some of it is benefiting me. This isn’t the case with SpellCraft. My failure to complete the game, and my assessment of why I’m unable to complete it, has implications for any number of future titles. I’ll analyze that more at the end.

Shortly after the events I recounted last, I reloaded and re-explored each of the domains until I found the Orb of Eternal Enlightenment in the Air Domain. With that in hand, I was able to re-kill the minion in the Water Domain. This was followed by the revelation that the Orb had now opened up two new domains: Ethereal and Mind. There, as Garwayen put it, “much of what you know about magic in the elemental domains will no longer be applicable.” That generated a vocal multi-syllabic response that I will not reprint on family blog.

On Earth, there were fewer places to visit but also some new places. Jack Hendricks, the paleontologist from Alberta, had moved to Dry Gulch, Arizona. Selina, my flirtatious friend from Salem, was found hiding in Agra, India, without her costume. A new friend named Spiros Talos showed up in Athens. The NPCs continued to give clues about formulas and ingredients.              

Spiros Talos delivers some unwelcome news.

                I gave up after a couple of attempts to defeat the minion in the Ethereal Domain. The graphics made it difficult for me to determine what was just a starry backdrop and what was a bottomless chasm. In three attempts to assail the place, the minion positioned himself on a thin thread of “land” with chasm on either side, making it impossible to approach and engage him directly without getting knocked off by other monsters. I tried keeping myself in the air with “Magic Wings” but the spell runs out fast, and I kept plummeting to my death before I could kill the minion with other spells. (I think he may have been dispelling it a couple of times.) In the few cases I did manage to do some damage, he just teleported away. I’m sure there’s some set of options that would have worked, but I simply don’t know what they are.

           The confusing Ethereal Domain.

          I was able to watch the rest of the game in a series of YouTube videos. There are three full series available, by users Garg Gobbler, Duke Donuts, and Fonze. Mr. Donuts doesn’t even try to win honestly, frequently switching to a cheat menu that makes him invulnerable, gives him unlimited spells (he loves to spam “Dragon”), and keeps “Magic Wings” active. “I wouldn’t wish a legitimate playthrough on anyone,” he says at one point. Nonetheless, the other two seem legitimate, although I think they’re both playing with foreknowledge of the game’s spells, mixing them as soon as they have the right aspects and words rather than waiting for the clues.

Watching the videos, I experienced a major revelation that nearly made me quit this entry and try again. I hadn’t realized that it was possible to cast certain spells, like “Teleport” and various conjurings, off the visible screen. With enough power, you can cast them anywhere on the map, using the attempt to scout the map as you go. This makes a big difference in your ability to find and target specific enemies and to acquire necessary treasures before you’re killed. But I slept on it for a couple of nights and still couldn’t motivate myself to go back to the game.

The video series let me check out the development of the plot and the ending. The Ethereal and Mind Domains deliver the Damascene Sword and a couple of spellbooks. As usual, the minions seemed to be cool guys who had just happened to become enslaved by their masters.             

The Mind Domain has some interesting terrain.

            At the end of the sequence, the Earth Master appears to taunt Robert, saying that the Council lured Garwayen away and has now imprisoned him. Robert must circle his allies on Earth to find a series of keys to access the various domains, as the portals in Stonehenge no longer work. Ultimately, he finds Garwayen’s soul in a treasure chest. He continues to find upgrades to the other equipment items.

Robert then has to invade each domain and kill the wizards themselves. In the Ethereal Domain appears a “tear-stained letter” that hints at developments to come:

             There is a wizard who has sworn himself to the College of ——. He is the most fearsome and terrible wizard of all. This wizard can call on ANY spell of ANY Other college, so powerful is the De—– Magic to which he is sworn. Beware this Wizard, for he is a great liar. His name is ——–.

            After defeating each wizard, Robert can destroy or preserve their spirits. Garwayen comments either way, usually expressing sorry at the wizard’s demise.         

After the death of the final wizard, Garwayen reveals that his body has been hidden in the trunk in Robert’s workshop the entire time, and every time Robert went off to battle a lord, Garwayen reunited his body and spirit to work his own mischief. Proclaiming himself the “Grand Wizard of the Universe,” he announces his plans to conquer Earth and return magic to the real world, at which point he will become “Grand Wizard of the Cosmos,” as if the cosmos is somehow greater than the universe.          

Shouldn’t you conquer Terra before designating yourself the Grand Wizard of the Universe?

            A few new NPCs pop up, a few die, and others continue to move around the world. In the late game, Selina is found in the caves in Lascaux, France. She tells Robert to find the Pearl of the Beloved in the Mind Domain and bring it to her.           

Robert must chase Garwayen through each of the six domains, defeating him in each one. When he finds the Pearl of the Beloved, he brings it to Selina, who gives him the Skull of the Marquis de Sade, which allows access to the Death Domain via a portal in Dry Gulch. Later, she gives Robert a Ring of the Full Circle, which allows Robert to use magic in the Death Domain.

The final battle takes place between Robert and Garwayen in the Death Domain. The videos showed so many spells flying back and forth that I couldn’t even begin to keep track of them all. Duke Donuts eventually destroyed Garwayen with unlimited castings of “Meteor Storm” and “Dragon.”              

The chaotic final combat.

               Exiting the Death Domain via the correct circle of stones brings you to the Mentor Wizard’s Workshop and the endgame cut scenes. It turns out that each of the “minions” destroyed by Robert earlier were actually the wizards of each domain, and they survived, as did Garwayen. Everything that previously transpired was in fact a “rather elaborate ordeal to test the extent of [Robert’s] powers.” Even Garwayen’s betrayal was staged, I guess. (One hopes the NPC deaths were also staged.) Robert becomes head of the council and Selina helps him restore Stonehenge and reforge the link between Earth and the universe of magic. Selina then warns of an “anti-hero” of prophecy who Robert will soon have to face. The two hop a jet to return to the United States, “where the leisurely flight home will allow us time to get to know each other better.”                 

I can think of a few.

              The game concludes with a series of humorous newspaper articles covering various subsequent events: a dragon in Stonehenge; Selina kidnapped in New York while Robert fights her abductors; an undead uprising in Romania; and a worldwide shortage of pomegranates.               

Isn’t the real news that the Chronicle is publishing again after 227 years?

             SpellCraft is a tough one to rate, owing to the confusion in categories that I describe below. My best guess GIMLET is:           

4 points for the game world. This was a tough rating because the game has such extremes in the good, bad, and weird. The magic realm isn’t terribly imaginative, with the same series of maps appearing repeatedly in each domain. But it was fun how you could visit the various locations on Earth, and I liked seeing how they changed for each stage in the game. I want to call the backstory “interesting,” but on the other hand it’s so, so horribly written.

3 point for character creation and development. There’s no creation. “Development” consists solely of hit point maximum increases that you receive at fixed points. Attack and defense scores are more a matter of “equipment” (and hardly seem to affect anything anyway). The method of earning new spells, partly based on accomplishment and partly based on the player solving puzzles, is worth a couple of points.

          As far as I got with Robert.

           4 points for NPC interaction. The friends you make on Earth have interesting personalities, and again it’s fun to visit and cycle through them to see what new tidbits they have to offer. Unfortunately, there are no dialogue options.

3 points for encounters and foes. The small selection of monsters gets old quickly, leaving your only important “foes” the various simulacra, minions, and wizards that you have to face and counter. There are no non-combat encounters.

5 points for magic and combat. It really is all about magic. The system of acquiring spells is one of the more original see in my chronology so far, and the enormous variety of spells gives you a near endless set of combat tactics. I frankly thought it was too much, and at some point the game simply lost me. More patient or talented players might increase this category by a point or two.

               The final list of magic words.

             2 points for equipment. You have four slots in which the items replace each other automatically as you acquire upgrades.

6 points for the economy. It’s surprisingly robust. You need a lot of money for spell ingredients as well as jetting around the world, which you can make by selling excess ingredients and artifacts, or by simply buying low and selling high when circling the Earth.

4 points for a main quest with the occasional side-quest involving some kind of item acquisition. I’m also giving a point here for how Death Domain is an optional area in nearly every series of levels.

3 points for graphics, sound, and interface. The graphics work well enough, but I found sound effects minimal. (The music, which I don’t rate, is quite good, featuring different themes for different domains and people.) I didn’t care for the interface–in particular how you cannot fully use the keyboard for selecting and targeting spells.

1 point for gameplay. For me, it hits all the wrong notes in this category: too linear, too long, and too hard. I gave it a point for some limited replayability based on selecting different schools of magic as the character’s specialty.

                That gives us a final score of 34, which falls below my “recommended” threshold despite good performance in some categories. The GIMLET is, of course, subjective and has always been subjective, but it feels necessary to call out its subjectivity more in this game than others. Those who take better to this style of gameplay could easily rate it closer to 50.

Computer Gaming World avoided a full review of this one, but they did cover it briefly in the December 1992 “holiday buying guide.” The author said that it “offers the most extensive magic system that we’ve ever seen in a game,” which is fair praise. Dragon gave it 4 out of 5 stars, but the reviewers clearly didn’t finish it. Like me: “We had more than one occasion where we battled enemy creatures but were defeated because we simply couldn’t find the right spell in time. At other times, it was difficult to successfully face an enemy wizard’s volley of spells.” MobyGames catalogues only two other reviews: a 79/100 from Power Play and a 67/100 from ASM.

Either Tsunami or ASCII or ASCII’s Japanese parent worked on an SNES version of the game but never released it even though it seems to have been completed. A pre-release beta version has made the rounds of abandonware sites. A YouTube video suggests that the conversion preserved few aspects of the original. Some of the character portraits are the same, and domain exploration looks similar but with different (better, frankly) graphics. Combat is entirely changed, however, with the character and enemy moving to a separate one-on-one combat screen. There are far fewer spells and no puzzles inherent in determining their mixtures. There also appears to be no Earth section.                

Combat in the children’s version of the game.

             It would be fun to hear sometime from lead designers Joe Ybarra or Michael Moore about the inspiration for SpellCraft, since it’s so unlike anything that preceded or followed it. Ybarra had been a producer at Electronic Arts for about a decade before starting his own company, but none of the titles he worked on show any hints of SpellCraft. Nor are there any clear similarities in the two following titles in which Ybarra is credited as a designer, Shadow of Yserbius (1993) and Fates of Twinion (1993), except for Mark Dickenson’s graphical style.            

              SpellCraft is a new sort of game, and there are some implications to my failure. I would say I’m unlikely to complete any game that requires a) constant reaction to b) real-time enemy attacks, c) in which the attacks and responses are extremely varied; and d) your cues as to the nature of the attacks are purely visual. So, this doesn’t rule out all real-time games because most of them only have a handful of attacks and defenses and you can get used to patterns fairly easily. It doesn’t apply to, say, the Infinity Engine games because in addition to the visual cues, the transcript tells you exactly what spells the enemy has cast. I frankly don’t yet know what games it does rule out, but I can tell you that I’ve tried a few modern action games (one of the Devil May Cry editions comes to mind), and I simply have no idea what is happening on the screen at any given time. It makes me feel old.

And speaking of feeling old, I began teaching college this week! Specifically, I began teaching students who were not yet born for, or otherwise have no memory of, September 11, 2001. I’m teaching students who never saw any of the Lord of the Rings films in theaters. Students who think of the Star Wars prequel series as “old movies.” Students for whom Back to the Future is as recent as The Bridge on the River Kwai was for me. Not only do they have no memory of an original Ultima or Bard’s Tale, they were barely alive for Morrowind and the last Infinity Engine game.

Anyway, it’s been a crazy few weeks. I hope I can get back on a regular schedule now, but there might still be a few rough patches before I return to the regularity that we saw in April to August. Thanks for sticking with me.

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/spellcraft-aspects-of-valor-summary-and-rating/

[sergeantsporks]

Swapped

Ch 4/5

Ao3

Or read under the cut

The year did not pass in a flash, even after he got a job at a little cafe. The year passed agonizingly slowly, with one dull moment after another, while in the meantime, Zoe came back with story after story of exciting goings-on at Hextech.

Well. Not every moment was dull. Sometimes the moments were painfully embarrassing as he would be called up to the board to attempt something he didn’t know how to do, or would be handed back yet another assignment with a ridiculous amount of red ink scrawled on it.

The teachers seemed to be catching on that he knew absolutely nothing, and had one of two reactions; one of them was to simply leave him alone and not embarrass him further, and the other was to attempt to help him learn by calling on him more often.

At least once the students accepted that he was dumb as dirt when it came to school, they liked him fine. A lot of them were incredibly confused about how he could possibly be so bad at school and then be socially competent. He tried to steer clear of them.

Douxie Casperan, please report to the counselor’s office.

Uh-oh. That did not sound good.

Aaaaand yep, the whispers started up, following him down to the counselor’s little room. Really, it wasn’t THAT hard to figure out why he was being called out. He sat down in a chair, his report card facing him with a line of F’s and D’s. Oh, and one A+ in history. He could do that, at least, having lived through most of it.

“Douxie,” the guidance counselor started.

“Yep, I know, I’m a horrendous student with horrendous grades, I need to take school seriously and apply myself. I know all that.”

“You’re a smart kid, Douxie. Your history grades prove that you can do well. And the teachers all say that you’re trying. It just seems like… you’re missing a lot of other information.”

Uh-oh. She was a little too smart. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that you don’t seem to struggle in Calculus because you don’t understand calculus—it’s like you struggle because you never learned algebra, so the background isn’t there. It seems like no one ever taught you basic essay-writing skills, so you can’t write an essay, despite seeming to understand analyzing literature fairly well.”

Douxie nodded along as she spoke, but his attention was caught on something outside the window. Something very shiny, and glowing blue.

Trollhunter. The amulet. That bar girl had been right. And the trollhunter was… wandering around in broad daylight. A human?!

“Douxie?”

Douxie put his hands down on the desk. “You’re right, I never took algebra, also I’m nineteen so I don’t technically have to be here, bye!”

He ran out the door, grabbed his bag, and left school forever. He didn’t find the trollhunter, but that didn’t matter. No more calculus. No more counselors and school. The human trollhunter had arrived.

According to the instructions Merlin had left behind for his apprentice, that meant Merlin couldn’t be far behind.

Xxx

Douxie read Merlin’s instructions. Then he read them again. And one more time just to be sure. The old wizard hadn’t left behind anything specific. Only that there would be a human trollhunter, and he would be the one to wake Merlin. And that Douxie was to stay out of it. No handy dates, or a “meet up here!” note, besides a vague bunch of instructions about opening up a bookshop.

“Don’t stress too much over it,” Archie advised him, “He’s Merlin. He’ll contact us when he’s ready, I expect.”

“I don’t want—” Douxie bit down on his tongue. He couldn’t exactly tell Archie about his mission. “I don’t want to wait that long. What if he’s forgotten about us?”

“Merlin never forgets a detail. It’s his thing.”

“I know, I just…”

“Douxie. It’s okay. He’ll be here. Just… be patient.”

Douxie swept the pages of instructions off of the Hextech help counter. “I’ve been patient!” he shouted, “I’ve waited for nine-hundred years, and he can’t even bother to give me a place to check?!”

The door swung open, and Zoe took in the scene. “Oh, boy. Don’t tell me Mr. Arthurian legend is going to be here soon.”

“Well, the problem is,” Douxie growled, “I don’t know!”

Zoe delicately picked up the written instructions, scanning through them. “Right. Well, if you’re really so determined to wait around for this guy—”

“I am!”

“Then I suggest you open that bookstore he’s got set up. If he’s going to meet you anywhere, it’ll probably be there.” Zoe took his hand. “Douxie, can I talk to you? Alone?”

Douxie let her lead him outside, where she dropped his hand. “Why do you need Merlin?” she asked simply.

“What?”

“You heard me. Why do you need him? Why are you so determined to meet back up with this guy that abandoned you for nine-hundred years?”

“I—there’s still so much I don’t know about magic. And I’m not a master wizard yet, I—”

“Why do you need to be a master wizard? Why do you need Merlin? You’ve been doing just fine without him, or some master wizard title for so long! With just you, me, and Archie! What do you need some crusty old guy to tell you?!”

Well, being a master wizard had been the other Hisirdoux’s plan. But… why was he still holding onto some mission? One that he hadn’t needed to do for nine-hundred years? No. That kind of thinking was out of line. He needed to do this. For his parents, if he couldn’t do it for the pale lady. “I… I just need it.”

“But why?!” Zoe half-screamed, “What’s so important about it?!” She grabbed his hand again. “We don’t have to open the bookshop! We don’t know when or if Merlin will wake up! We can go anywhere, do anything—just like we did before you saw the human trollhunter! You can work here, at Hextech, the wizards here are so varied, you can learn whatever magic you want from them—some of them probably even know things that Merlin doesn’t! Just forget about Merlin and his instructions! How can you feel so attached to him still—you’ve spent nine-hundred years with Archie and I, isn’t that more real than any old apprenticeship that you haven’t been a part of for centuries?”

“I’m opening the bookshop,” Douxie growled, “I’m waiting for Merlin.”

Zoe threw her hands up in the air. “Fine! Fine, you open your bookshop, and wait for your stupid master! I’m staying here at Hextech!” She ran a hand through her bangs. “Gah, Douxie! I love you, but you need to learn to let go of some things, okay? Just… think about it. Give it a few days before you open up that bookshelf. Figure out what you really want, not what you wanted nine-hundred years ago and have been holding onto ever since.” She went back inside, the door slamming behind her.

What he really wanted.

He had a mission. A purpose. Right?

Well, what did he care what the Pale Lady wanted? She hadn’t been seen for centuries, just like Merlin. She’d just left behind cryptic instructions, just like Merlin.

But his parents—he couldn’t just abandon them. And if he was on the winning side of this war, if he kept on Gunmar’s side and delivered the information about Merlin’s plans—if he ever woke up—maybe, just maybe, he could make sure that Zoe and Archie wouldn’t get hurt. That there would be a place next to him for them.

Who was he kidding? They’d never agree to that. He couldn’t have a Gum-Gum victory and his new friends. There had to be something else—a way to get his parents back and protect Zoe and Archie and not lose their friendship.

He had to figure out a way.

In the meantime, he opened up the bookshop.

He kept monster hunting with Zoe and Archie.

He kept working at the café.

All the while, more and more of his skin was turning to stone, blue stone lines meeting pink flesh where Something Had Happened to Hisirdoux, but WHY?! So he kept covering up more and more skin, wearing long sleeves and pants even in the heat, much to Zoe and Archie’s amusement.

And he kept running through plans. But they always came down to choosing between his parents or Zoe and Archie. Volunteer enough information to get his parents out of the Darklands, Zoe and Archie hated him. But he couldn’t just leave them stuck there!

Then there was the problem of… well, explaining what he was. Could he ever tell Zoe and Archie the truth? If he rescued his parents, it would come out eventually, wouldn’t it? But he couldn’t just leave them stuck there!

He was set in autopilot, going through the motions of his day while his brain continuously raced to figure out the paradox of How to Not Lose Anyone.

And then he wandered right into a web of dark magic at work. He almost stopped dead in his tracks before forcing himself to continue walking and acting like nothing was wrong. The human trollhunter. Jim. He’d tried to get in closer a few weeks ago, shown up at the school, handed out flyers for the Battle of the Bands. Talked to Jim’s friends. He still wasn’t sure what he’d done wrong, but the trollhunter was glaring at him.

That magic, though. It wasn’t coming from the trollhunter. It was coming from… Claire. No surprise, she was the shadow magician, but… this felt… different.

And then a voice spoke in his head, slithering and cold.

Stay out of it.

Douxie blinked. Had he just-?

I am your queen, your creator, Morgana, Baba Yaga, the Pale Lady, and I am ordering you to not interfere. The girl is mine.

Douxie gulped. Right. This was happening. Okay. Fine.

Act as though nothing has happened. Your cover is necessary—Merlin may soon return.

Douxie steeled himself and took their orders—he wasn’t quite sure how to tell her, but Morgana wasn’t exactly… doing the best job fitting in. And the whole time, his mind spun and reeled. Had Morgana read his mind all along? Did she know everything he’d struggled with?

Well, don’t think about it now, he told himself, shaking his head.

Should Merlin return, Gunmar awaits in trollmarket. I will guide you to him, my special wizard. Soon, you will no longer have to pretend. You will be free to be yourself.

Morgana’s presence faded from his mind as Claire and Jim left, and Douxie shivered, rubbing his arms.

What if I’m not sure who “myself” is anymore?