#❰ ･ﾟ✎ he never learned how to love in small doses ― [ headcanon. jason. ] ― ❱

[curiositydriven]

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[curiositydriven]

WORLDBUILDING - Sorcerer Weekly Building

Sorcerer Weekly originally shared the office space of a small publishing company back in X752. Over the years, the magazine grew and moved into a larger office, sharing then with another magazine that published popular academic papers. In X767, Sorcerer Weekly moved into the building it is in now. They originally rented only the ground floor offices of the building, but eventually grew to lease the other floors as well and now claim all four floors on its own.

The building is a solid, brick structure, with plenty of large, arched windows and lighter brick accents. It was revamped in X778, getting a fresh look and the distinctive Sorcerer Weekly sign set on the front, high above the big double doors. The building still has its old brick charm, but with modern additions that help it seem more relevant to the times, though most of the changes were internal. There are plans to revamp again in X793.

The interior gets a lot of natural light from the many windows on the façade and because of its situation on the corner of two streets. Currently, the ground floor holds the main reception area and a gift shop. The printing and distribution of the magazine happens in a warehouse extension behind the building.

The first floor has another, smaller reception area and a large meeting room. There are also a few smaller offices and a large, shared office. The photography and layout staff work in this department.

The floor above is similar again and houses the workers who do the quizzes, puzzles, polls, and fashion sections. It’s mostly open plan, with desks grouped together but with low partitions between.

The top floor has more offices and is where the columnists, reporters, and editors work. Stephanie Rope’s office is one of the largest, due to her position as Senior Editor, and Jason’s is another of the largest, though he often takes some of his work and spreads out on the large table in another room, where he can be in the company of some of his colleagues as he works.

There’s about 40 employees currently working in the building.

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HEADCANON:

History.

Once upon a time, in a rather secluded village of retired and elderly folk, a toddler named Jason was left behind by parents who decided they couldn’t have the best life with a child in tow.

While first perplexed by the presence of a child thrown into their midst, everyone in the village did their bit to care for him. A woman named Lois took most of the responsibility for him, as despite being a gruff sort, she developed a soft spot for him and took him in.

With no one his age around to play with, Jason grew up entertaining himself by asking questions, listening to the stories of the residents and by reading the many, many books they had collected. His imagination and curiosity were his constant companions and his questions about the world and its people grew with each day. 

Fascinated and excited by everything, he would often explore the area around the village in the hopes of finding something amazing to come back and tell everyone about. As he headed through his teenage years, he ventured further but always came back, overflowing with tales and excitement of what he’d seen.

Lois, seeing his enthusiasm for life, knew that he couldn’t stay with them forever and that it would be best for him to head out into the world. She contacted an old friend in Crocus and arranged for Jason to travel there and stay with them. 

The city was a whole other world to him, bursting with life and new experiences. Lois’ friend got him a job in a small magic shop. While he didn’t have magic himself, Jason had learnt a fair bit about magic items from the books back in the village and some of the elders themselves. He thrived in the job but was frequently scolded for talking to customers too much and asking too many questions.

As part of the job, he was often asked by the manager to take photos of the items. The very concept of a camera was undeniably cool, and Jason just had to save up to buy his very own. He began to take pictures of everything that caught his eye. Quite often, he wanted pictures of the mages who visited the shop, as sometimes they were famous or he believed they would become famous in the future. 

Somehow, he managed to hold his job for a few years and the shop even became popular. A reporter came in one day, looking for inspiration to write about a particular magic item. Jason supplied quality photos of it, which impressed the reporter, but he also shared that the item wasn’t as good as another on the market. With more info from Jason, the reporter’s article was a hit review!

The reporter came back again and again for photos and information, until one day their topic was instead about the public opinion about popular mages and items. While they only came around this time for a casual chat, they got more than they bargained for when bringing it up with Jason. His energy and perception had the reporter offering for them to officially work together.

From then, Jason became an official part-time reporter’s assistant and his journey with Sorcerer Weekly properly began. Over the years, he worked his way up to full time and to writing his very own articles and shooting the photospreads and covers too, and after working there for most of a decade, he’s now also one of the Editors.

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NPC - Glen Thorburn

Former employee of Sorcerer Weekly and current owner of the rival magazine, Mage Magic Weekly.

A plain looking, brown haired man in his 30s, Glen’s distinguishing features are his pale green eyes and expression of arrogance. He struts into any room as if he owns it, looking down his nose at his surroundings. However, he is a chameleon that swiftly changes into a charming, friendly persona upon seeing someone of interest.

In his days of working at Sorcerer Weekly, he was the guy making interns get his overly complicated coffee order while he leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on his desk. In his current job, he is the same.

About 8 or 9 years ago, his rich uncle was a Senior Editor at Sorcerer Weekly, which was how Glen got an internship there and was able to move up quicker than he should have. He started around the same time as Jason did, but while Jason was writing reviews on magical items and trends, Glen was assisting with interviews and being given the chance to be a lead writer.

Jason was an incredibly hard worker (and still is), his desk at the office was always piled high, but orderly, and he would always be busy writing or researching. With Glen in the same room, it was easy for Jason to notice how little work Glen appeared to be doing.

For a while, Jason thought he just kept happening to catch Glen between articles/interviews, but it was funny how quickly Glen would jump into writing the moment a senior staff member came into the room. And Glen’s desk was always rather empty, aside from coffee cups and rubbish, with little to no notes or papers. What was he writing?

Even reading Glen’s articles, which were very well written, Jason wasn’t sure what was going on. They were often rather wild theories, but written in such a way that they seemed almost above reproach, as if they really were solid fact. If you were to read one of his articles, even knowing the subject was a lie, you’d likely still end up mostly convinced and second-guessing yourself.

And that was something that bothered Jason. The level of ‘fact’ Glen had seemed incredible for someone who never seemed to be doing anything. Just where were the facts coming from?

Jason would eventually learn that for the most part Glen would make up stories and use edited pictures rather than go out and find real ones. Glen would also push his own opinions out there, and if he didn’t like someone, they’d be dragged through the mud. He’s not the type to care about truth or his impact on the lives of the mages he writes about, he just wants the thrill of the ‘scoop’. He lives for drama and will see it everywhere, even if he has to start it himself.

This put the two of them at odds, especially as Jason also began to rise through the ranks of the magazine, because while Jason might write harmless speculation at times, Glen would be the one writing rumours that could ruin people, and that was something Jason thought was very uncool.

When Jason became one of the Assistant Editors, he tried to get some of Glen’s articles altered to be less harmful, but it was without success. Their rivalry continued and reached a new peak a couple of years ago when Glen’s uncle passed away and left Glen with a hefty inheritance.

Glen used some of the money to start up his own magazine company, Mage Magic. It’s a weekly publication that mainly writes about rumours, secrets, and scandals of the mage communities and it’s unfortunately good at finding skeletons in the closet. Knowing he could get into hot water if he were to put his own name on the articles, Glen writes under the feminine pseudonym Marie Traysi for his own stories. Mage Magic is also not shy about making digs at Jason and Sorcerer Weekly and trying to steal their stories. It’s a rather controversial publication but has been steadily growing and people can’t seem to stop themselves from buying it and believing it.

There isn’t much in this world that Jason doesn’t like, but Glen Thorburn and Mage Magic makes the list.

[curiositydriven]

HEADCANON – Connections and Contacts

Over the years, Jason has amassed a vast network of connections and contacts. Mages, shopkeepers, office workers- He talks to everyone around and is rather good at keeping in contact with them whenever he’s in their area. He makes friends easily (if he doesn’t overwhelm them with his energy) and keeps them because he has a knack for remembering things about them, and it’s nice to be remembered. He makes an honest effort with people and doesn’t expect things from them, and that’s likely why they do often offer up information, opinions, or tips.

With the recent invention (and surge in popularity) of the MCL, its now easier for him to contact the people he knows (provided they also have an MCL or com lacrima) and for them to contact him. Previously, he could only be reached when he was at home or in the Sorcerer Weekly building, where communication lacrima are connected.

His MCL has the benefit of a large capacity for contacts, and he’s not shy about adding people in. Jason has many popular mages in his contacts, but he does not give that info away and would never share the contact details of someone without first checking with them.

A few magic related businesses also keep him in the loop about their items and he gets a fair number of anonymous tips too. Basically, wherever he goes, he knows someone, and he even has a few friends at the Council buildings.

[curiositydriven]

HEADCANON – His cat

The black and white fluffball called Domino, from the apartment across the alley, has been visiting Jason for months. Delighted to have had some company, Jason always fed the cat and had treats at the ready. At first, he didn’t realise he wasn’t a stray, but even when he did learn who the owner was, Jason continued to befriend Domino and dote on him at every visit.

A couple of weeks ago, Domino’s owners cleared out their apartment and moved away, leaving him behind. Jason was able to track them down and call them via cell lacrima to tell them of what he thought was a mistake, but they told him they no longer wanted the cat. It was a very uncool thing for them to do and reminded him all too much of how his own parents had left him behind.

So of course, there was nothing else for him to do but to take full responsibility for the feline. Domino still wanders freely around apartments and alleyways but always returns to Jason and now has a new collar and tag with his details on it. The cat is incredibly spoiled by him and knows exactly how to act cute and get treats, Jason falls for it every time. Jason is of the opinion his cat is one of the coolest and that everything he does is adorable. Domino, in return, is quite fond of Jason and likes to snuggle up and sometimes bring a dead thing inside to leave on the bed.

[curiositydriven]

HEADCANON – Apartment

Jason lives in a refurbished/converted loft on the third floor of a building in Crocus. It’s about 3 minutes from the Sorcerer Weekly building and is also close to a florist, magic shop, vintage boutique, sweet shop, and about three cafes.

His apartment is large and airy, made to feel even lighter by use of white on most of the walls. The furnishings are quite modern and in neutral, earthy tones. Artwork/Photos and plants placed throughout the apartment adds splashes of colours. Decorative ornaments are present throughout as well, small and larger statues too, all accumulated through his travels and/or as gifts received over the years.

The loft is an open space, with a split level above and the only area completely sectioned off into a separate room being the bathroom.

He has an office area, partially divided from the main space, but he prefers to work within the Sorcerer Weekly building, so it hardly gets used. The massive lacrima screen taking up a section of another wall is another thing he rarely uses, as he prefers to watch things live.

The bedroom area is on the upper level and not completely enclosed, instead being concealed by a couple of walls/partitions lined with shelving. There is a massive bookshelf running the length of one of the loft walls and it’s full of books and items.

He has a great view of Mercurius from his windows, and he’s moved one of his armchairs in front of the best spot so that he can sit there and look out each morning with his first coffee.

A window near the kitchen leads out to a fire escape, and the fire escape hangs over a narrow alleyway. Across the alley is another apartment and it’s currently available to rent. Jason shares his apartment with the black and white cat his neighbours left behind.

[curiositydriven]

NPC - Stephanie Rope

Senior Editor at Sorcerer Weekly

She has been in the business for decades, and sometime after her 55th birthday last year, she decided to slowly decrease her hours, as being the Senior Editor was taking too much of her time. She works just a couple of days now and gets the final say in what makes it into the magazine. She loves gardening and her 3 dogs, and she is pretty good at cooking (she makes amazing cookies and brings them into the office to share every Wednesday after the magazine is out to distributors).

She is a kind woman but also knows that the occasional scandal ‘has’ to be published in order to keep their popularity as a magazine up (especially now that Mage Magic is soaring), so she doesn’t always listen to Jason’s recommendations to nix Aaron’s articles. 

She has long been Jason’s mentor and is soft on him, but to begin with, she didn’t like him. Back then, she was harder and more tired, and he was far too energetic and bright. His boundless enthusiasm for everything eventually thawed her out however and even rubbed off on her a little and she started to appreciate things more. She’s been giving him more and more of her work over the years, which has also helped her feel lighter.

[curiositydriven]

NPC - Denise Kelly

A good friend of Chrissy, she is the woman covering the trends and magic items, and her habit of always changing her own style is a reflection of that. Her hair is naturally black and wavy, her eyes golden, but she frequently uses magical items to give herself unique attributes, not because she dislikes her own appearance, she just has fun expressing herself in different ways.

She’s a generally bubbly sort of person, but has somewhat of a short temper. Growing up helping to care for her soft spoken, sweet younger brothers, she can be rather maternal and protective. She also packs quite a punch and is not afraid to show it if someone tries to touch her or someone around her in an unwelcome way.

She has a big satchel bag (given to her by Jason when she first started) she carries around with her that seems to have something for every situation – if you need a pocketknife, she’s got one, if you need a pair of socks, she’s got some. Need a measuring tape? A snack? A decorative mini sculpture? She’s got you covered. She’s prepared for anything. Just give her a good five minutes to find it.

She and Jason get along really well, easily chatting about magic items as Jason has a huge interest and used to write the articles himself. He thinks she’s really cool, even when she punches him every time he accidentally startles her (she swears he comes out of nowhere)

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NPC - Todd Colin

A fairly young and rather talented photographer and photo editor, he also does a lot of the layout work for the magazine. He’s tall, slender, and he’s got bright orange hair. He somehow doesn’t really stand out despite all that. He is always drinking an energy drink of some kind but has a somewhat lazy air about him. Todd has a thing for every young female in the office but likes Chrissy in particular, which makes him not the biggest fan of Jason.

Todd has low standards when it comes to morals, and secretly takes inappropriate pictures during the photoshoots when models are changing or having a break. He’s not above planting cameras or getting onto private property to get a good shot.

He also sells and edits pictures for Glen and Aaron in secret.

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NPC - Alvin Lamb

A sweet, round man with warm, brown eyes and brown hair in an appropriately woolly texture. He writes under the name Leilani Little and does all the advice columns. He is wise and knows a lot about a lot, especially cooking and cleaning. He has a wife and two daughters, and he dotes upon them all. He takes his daughters to their ballet lessons two afternoons a week and is their number one fan.

He was part of a mage guild once but retired after an injury left him unable to do the more physical jobs he preferred. He stayed home with the girls while his wife went to work, and when they were older, he took the opportunity to work at Sorcerer when it popped up.

He didn’t think it would really go anywhere, but he got the job and absolutely loves it and so he always turns up to the office with a smile. Whenever someone writes in and says he’s helped them, he keeps their letter in a folder. If he ever gets sad, he just rereads those letters.

Chrissy often comes to him for advice about Jason, and he lends a sympathetic ear (but often gets distracted by talking about his amazing wife).

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NPC -  Chrissy Pepper

Short, with her red hair styled in a cute bob and her freckles dusting her cheeks, she is a woman in her mid 20s with an ever-present smile and ready attitude. Those who know her well will find she is actually rather shy and that she prefers listening more than talking. She is in charge of writing the horoscopes for the magazine each week and she is a very romantic soul. At times, she also assists with work at the reception desk or helps one of the reporters with their work.

She thinks Jason is the coolest, and she gets her shyest around him. She brings him a coffee most mornings, and he puts money in her cute, aquatic themed piggy bank on her desk whenever he goes past it.

She is relatively new to the job but seems to be fitting in well with everyone and has become good friends with the woman who writes the trends and items columns. She thought about joining a guild once, having learnt a little fire magic, but decided the mage life wasn’t one that would suit her. 

Her magic isn’t very strong and hasn’t really had any training, so sometimes when she’s flustered, she burns or melts things around her. On the other hand, when she’s angry (on those Rare times), her hair becomes fire and crackles around her rather menacingly, and she seems to have quite a bit of control (so watch out).

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NPC- Aaron Hayworth

Reporter for Sorcerer Weekly.

He is a short, sandy haired man in his late 30s and is another main writer for Sorcerer Weekly alongside Jason. His articles are often pure rumour or are too biased in Jason’s opinion. Aaron is a huge know-it-all who doesn’t listen to anyone because he ‘already knows’ (even when he Doesn’t). He reminds Jason too much of Glen in some ways and he half expects him to leave for Mage Magic.

Aaron is a bit of a sleaze and has quite the preference for Mermaid Heel and a particular interest in Kagura and Millianna.

Jason has tried to stop a few of Aaron’s articles before, but they were pushed through anyway. Aaron recently learnt of Jason trying to stop them and he has some resentment towards him now.

He went through a hard time last year when his wife left him for another man, and has started to drink a bit too much. And although he is bossy and condescending, he is always on time and is a very reliable sort.

[curiositydriven]

HEADCANON: Ethics & Reputation

While Jason has always been a lighthearted/cracky kinda muse for me to have fun with messing with other muses, (and I still would love to do that) and him writing ridiculous articles is lots of fun for us, I do see more to him, so there will be some more serious-ish hcs and things for him, and this will be the first.

Jason loves magic, and he loves tales of adventures and heroes. So, of course mages, especially guild mages, are his absolute favourite concept. He loves guild mages, and while his excitement for them can sometimes blind him to their individual attitude or danger level, he does have great respect for them.

The articles he writes are either outright speculation, in which made clear that it’s his thoughts only, or it’s built from facts he’s told by the mages/interviewees in question.

Now, he does get a bit ahead of himself at times and mishear things, or jot his notes down wrong, and sometimes incorrect information does end up in his writing. However, in the cases where the mages themselves bring up the misinformation to him, he is known to gladly clear up any issues in a follow-up article, with full apologies. He would happily take such calls in the middle of the night if necessary.

And there has been a few times where he has checked his notes with the mage before publishing, but sometimes he can’t get through in time and he is on a tight schedule.

His reputation for owning up to errors, and for doing his best to keep to the facts, does put some mages at ease when he’s the one interviewing them, and it does make him more popular than some of the other reporters.

Throughout the years, his incidents of needing to do a correction/follow up has dropped greatly. He’s also gotten to know some mages quite well, or at least gathered enough info about them, so there are times that he, as one of the Editors, has read one of the other reporter’s articles about them and spotted something he knows or guesses isn’t right, and he will make them check it if they can. He does his bit to prevent mishaps and to protect some mages.

That being said, he isn’t in control of the whole magazine and he isn’t the only writer for it, he’s just one of the most popular. Sometimes the Senior Editor will push through a story that Jason wouldn’t, just for a scandal to boost sales.

So, in conclusion, Jason does his best to get things right and stick to facts, but he does make mistakes at time and when he does, he immediately and happily fixes it. He doesn’t approve of starting rumours for the sake of it or airing anyone’s private affairs.