#Artie's School of Magic

[parrotwatcher]

Artie’s Story

I just uploaded the third chapter of Artie’s story to Patreon, going over their first day at Auverine. Please consider supporting me there if you can.

[bbeanspr0ut]

The Weave

One evening, after a near death experience with some deadly cave spiders, Gale noticed Arty was particularly shaken up. He took aside to show her The Weave.

As a self taught sorcerer, Artemiis is fascinated by Gales extensive magic knowledge. She has always loved her magic, making up for the loss of her eyesight with the extra sense it gives her. But her magic can go deeper than she thought possible with gentle schooling. She’s only ever been able to conjure simple cantrips alone, barely scraping the surface of what’s possible. She’s been playing in a puddle her whole life, and Gale just showed her the ocean.

She doesn’t mind when he boasts a little about his power; truthfully she really is impressed.

There was a flickering moment of spark between them- The Weave, or something else? Neither are sure. There may be something there that wasn’t there before.

_____

For more Artemiis in BG3, check my last posts

[honourablejester]

Okay, so Archives of Nethys has updated to have some material from PF2e’s Remaster. And I like the new Wizard Arcane Schools? They’re actually really exciting to me.

Moving away from D&D’s schools of magic, abjuration, necromancy, etc, spells don’t have a school anymore, though studying an arcane school will let you learn certain spells. But these schools are more … I don’t want to say ‘practical’, but they do kind of feel like … magic you study towards a purpose? It’s not about what the spells are, the arbitrary categories they’re deemed to fit into, it’s about the kind of things you want your magic to do. Your school is a collection of magic you’ve studied towards a goal. I’m not sure how to phrase this, but I like the ethos. And. There’s just a couple of particular schools that excite me just for existing.

Particularly, I’m just going to be honest here, the School of Civic Wizardry. Is it a good subclass? I have no clue. But I love that it’s a thing that exists. If you want to study magic to build things, to transport things, if you want to be an architect arcane, honey baby, have we the school for you! If you became a wizard to help build and maintain cities, there’s now a school for that. That just makes me happy.

I also enjoy the School of Ars Grammatica. It’s the school of runes and wards, the magic of words, the underpinning geometries of magic. Wards are an idea in fantasy that have always fascinated me, and you also can’t go wrong with the magic of communication.

Then there’s the School of the Boundary, for when you want to get spooky. This is the school of summoning, seeing, traversing. Trespass and transgress. I really really really like the boundary, the liminal, as a theme. People may have noticed. So, yes. Excellent school. Do enjoy it.

And then, of course, there’s the School of Mentalism. The magics of the mind. I just really like illusions?

This is not to knock the schools of Battle Magic, Protean Form or Unified Magical Theory, of course. I’m just. Likely gonna pick a few of the others first.

I do also love that the entries for each give examples of actual schools, as in places in the setting, where you might have learned particular Arcane Schools. Embedding your mechanics in your setting, and vice versa, is always a thing I enjoy.

But yes. I really just want a wizard construction worker now? An architect arcane. None of this arty farty ‘what is the meaning of magic’ stuff, magic is so you can build a building without having to move rocks with your body like an idiot. Okay? Magic exists so we can make things easier. There’s no need to get complicated and silly about it.

It’d be funny to have a party that’s a small wizard construction/building inspection firm? You have your Civic Wizard who does the building, your Ars Grammatica Wizard who does the warding and puts the magical phones in, and then you have the black sheep, the Boundary Wizard, who does building inspections and tells people whether their shit’s haunted or if they just built too close to the sewer and the ventilation in this end of the city isn’t the best.

I’m intrigued, let’s say. I like where this is going. And yes, I’m gonna make a dwarven wizard in a hard hat and sturdy boots. Naturally. Heh.

[hannahhook7744]

tell me about Artie and Morgie's relationship ?

Tulip is optional for this!

Morgie meets Artie when the younger boy is fourteen years old and he, himself, is around fifty (though he, like Hades, Uliana, and Maleficent, looks good for his age due to his fae genes and he doesn't feel it either) after the barrier is brought down.

This is to say that Morgie is somewhat more mature that he was in Rise of Red, and, is smarter (though I doubt he was ever truly dumb given he may have ADHD and modern English, as pointed out by @leftbehindtorot and @isleofdarkness , probably isn't his first language).

Which means that Artie's reckless little ass stresses him out to the point that he wishes he was thirty-six years younger so that he could smack some sense into the idiot (though, as his friends like to point out, if he was thirty-six years younger, he would actually join in on the shenanigans).

Morgie has somehow become the go-to babysitter of Artie and his friends because for some reason he's the only one the kids even remotely listen to and he can heal or outright prevent any injuries the kids would otherwise get due to their recklessness (something Merlin is absolutely not even the slightest bit salty about).

His friends all find this funny—even lizard Maleficent laughs at him when she eventually makes her way to him during one of her escapes.

Artie was not pleased when he realized that Exacilabar was in Merlin's office even when Morgie was in school and threw the fit of a life time (something he hadn't done since he was a little kid).

Artie's friend and Merlin's son, Dragonet, was somehow even less pleased than Artie was to find that out.

Of course, once those two found out, all of their friends found out—and since all of Artie's friends like Morgie...well, it wasn't a fun day for Merlin. Or the Merlin Academy staff, for that matter (luckily for the Auradon Prep staff, Sir Kay's daughter, Kelemon, had graduated by that point).

Merlin looked to Arthur and the round table for help but found enough.

Artie loves Morgie's snake tattoo and his magical tattoo, and even wants one of his own when he's older (much to Arthur/Wart's horror).

Morgie gets along well enough with Arthur/Wart and Hazel/Guinevere.

Merlin walks in on Morgie trying to teach Dragonet, Artie, and the rest of the kids magic and has a heart attack. An actual heart attack. He lives (Morgie privately thinks he's dramatic and his friends all agree, even lizard Maleficent).

Morgie's full name is actually Morgar Yvain le Fay and Artie's full name is actually Artorius Gaius Pendragon. Both of them find their nicknames, Morgie and Artie, more appealing coincidentally (Merlin is sweating about their similarities).

Artie looks up to Morgie a lot.

Morgie is actually older than Arthur thanks to the great big magical mishap that was the timeline mashup that led to Auradon's existence (yes, it gives them a headache too).

Also, because of the various myths that exist in modern name, neither Morgie or Arthur are actually sure who they're related/not related to, other than themselves and Artie. Something everyone likes to joke about.

Morgie jokingly calls Artie a copycat because the blonde copies little behaviors of his.

Merlin and Morgie have been caught glaring at one another when Artie wasn't looking several times.

Merlin is extremely suspicious of Morgie and is convinced him spending time with Artie and the others is some kind of evil ploy (and, if you count Morgie being amused by the stress it causes Merlin, it kind of it. But not at the same time).

Artie steals Morgie's scarves when he's bored because he thinks it's funny.

Artie and his girlfriend, Tulip, and their friend, Dragonet, taught Morgie how to make a Jack O'Lantern.

Artie has picked up bits of Ancient Greek, Atlantean, French, Fey Speak, hiss speak, and Scottish Gaelic from Morgie.

Morgie once told Artie of the time he and his friends set fire to their school and got away with it (and immediately regretted it because Artie then tried it. Which no one knows about because Tulip and Dragonet snitched to Morgie before it spread). His friends all thought it was very funny. Morgie did not.

Both Artie and Morgie, if presented with an intergalactic portal, would enter it without question.

Artie stole a lollipop at a fair when he was five and still feels guilty about it, which Morgie finds hilarious.

Morgie regularly uses his magic to pick Artie up by the scruff of his shirt to stop him from doing reckless things.

One time when Morgie was teaching the kids magic, they accidentally turned him into a snake and he was like that for a week before they figured out how to turn him back (which they had to track down Uliana to do).

Morgie is very clumsy yet still does parkour: he's even taught Artie some moves.

[flames-unicorns-and-sentryguns]

Alexei Doe- soldier/ Zhanna fan kid

the oldest of the fan kids, born shortly after the end of the comics/ gravel wars/ fighting the Classics ( comic 7 not withstanding because I made this before we had info on when it would be taking place)

The oldest of the kids, heavy was not thrilled about soldier marrying Zhanna but he made her Happy and promised to care for her. It Also helps that heavy and medic end up living near by because heavy wants to stay nearby in case something happens.

He has Zhannas hair and Hazel eyes. Fairly broad shouldered as an adult and quite strong. His eye shape is more like Zhanna but his general face shape leans more towards Soldier.

Merasmus was Not pleased about Soldier Being Happy/ having a kid so he wanted to get revenge on Soldier so he rolls up to the delivery room to Curse The Child like Maleficent but because this is merasmus and solider we are talking about..it back fired.

Alexei was this gifted with magic shortly after birth. Neither Zhanna or soldier realize this was not intentional.

At first merasmus was Not going to have anything to do with them but then he realizes that soldier's kid having magic and being untrained is a Horrible idea.

So he gets roped into turning Alexei into his protege. By himself. And maybe heavy who tracked him down and had a Word.

Alexei, thanks to the influence of his aunts, Grandma and uncles ( heavy and medic), becomes less of a menace to society than Soldier.

If there is a method to Soldiers madness, there's madness to Alexeis methods.

Meaning he can seem very sane and reasonable until He gets An idea. It will be a batshit idea, but by God he will insist it will Work and he will be reluctant to Let Go.

Whether it works is up to anyone's guess.

Is very steadfast in his beliefs, perhaps stubborn with a penchant for fighting. Also has a very strong sense of justice and will absolutely protect the weak from those who would hurt them. Thankfully he has a good head on his shoulders and good friends.

He gets along with merasmus fairly well, much to the wizards relief. He leans more towards spells than potion stuff.

Thanks to Charlie's ( texas toast kid) fascination with magic, she has him do all sorts of tests so she can study the mechanics behind them ( she ends up making a new branch of science afterwards) he has quite a few tricks and attacks up his sleeves. Because of her love for fire, Alexei by extension, is also very good at fire magic, enchantments and curses.

The other magic child in the group is demos daughter, but her magic was inherited instead of gifted. The two both study under merasmus together.

Being the oldest and the one with magic, he feels a sense of duty towards the other fan kids but also a lack of fear/ overestimates his inability to Die. He can very much Die however. Is generally considered the Leader but can be over ruled by the others. Willingly puts decisions to a Vote because it's the American way.

Alexei probably has siblings but I don't have anything for them. Loves hearing stories from both his dad and his uncles. Wants to be a fighter/ would probably consider being a Merc.

Alexei is not the smartest, but he's not Dumb either. Likes Rock, denim and iron on patches. Would enjoy skate boarding. Is accepted by the raccoons as their own and can befriend many forest wildlife. He can absolutely tell each raccoon apart.

His favorite class in school is Gym, behind history and ends up not being the Worst at math and slightly above average with science via spending too much time with demo daughter and the Texas toast kids. Has some degree of survival skills and learns to do things with and without magic.

His cousin, is Artyom/ Arty, the heavy medic child. And they are always getting in trouble together. Or is Alexei getting Arty in trouble who tries to keep him out of it?

We will never know.

[wizzycore]

also, another thing from ratbeard's stream today - ratbeard (as well as artie and calamity on the design team) held a conversation about revamping astral and shadow spells. the conversation held its own in terms of addressing roleplay-centered players (that's us babey!) concerns about how astral and shadow spells aren't fun to play; artie says that revamping astral + shadow spells (to make them more relevant?) is on the way, but not immediately.

in that same vein, artie discussed subclassing or prestige classing - being able to trade off increasing power in your main school in order to increase power in a secondary (such as another school or astral and shadow magic); sort of like the dnd subclassing system. i personally tried to root for that idea in the chat hahaha because i think it would add a lot for most of us who have all shadow-corrupted ocs that we never get to have shine in combat as shadow users.

i know this isn't usually the sort of feature news i post about because it's largely hypothetical, but i want to know how you guys feel about it! would being able to choose (perhaps semi-permanently) a secondary class help y'all feel like your in-game character aligns more with your vision than the way multi-schooling currently works? speak on it in the replies!!

[simplyiigiselle]

Magic Academy Au

An Au where we all go to the same school, Magic Academy!

Magic Academy is an Academy of well.. Magic.. ofc(I’m not 100% sure on how academies are like so it’s prolly gonna sound a bit stupid)

The special subjects that they teach is

-Potions

-Elemental magic(Earth, Water, Wind, Fire, Thunder, Ice, Force, Time, Flower, Shadow, Light and Moon)

-Enchantment

-(Necromancy, Evocation and Illusion(choose 2)

(Btw you can be a teacher if I accept)

but there are still some basic subjects like math, English, PE ect

And these are the uniforms(yes there are uniforms)

(They look different depending on who’s wearing it, take Val and Everest for example)

Btw everyone is fully human but all their weird non human features are just mutations that happen from spells/potions gone wrong bc we hate logic and cautiousness :D

now PLS JOIN-

@piratespacex

@kattyanimationzyt

@yourlittlevalleryboy

@elionthemoon

@0nl0n

@arti-xd

@originalstarrmercuryy

@bluplutoooo

@spacecatkin

[whoblewboobear]

This is more of a general headcanon for fantasy high sorcery than a Jace one, but I did notice that we don’t get any names for subclasses when it comes to sorcerers unlike with other classes.

I think it would be funny to go with the kind of arty vibe sorcerers have (Jace is compared to an art teacher atleast once in canon) they don’t want to be ‘labelled’ and ‘stuck in a box’ when it comes to their magic. This also manages to generally piss wizards off who are all about rules and research and making discovery and love to name and give titles to everything. Xx

Oooooo!! You’re right! I always thought it was a little strange that it was never indicated in the show. But it also gave us a lot of room to play when a sorcerer popped up in FH. I don’t rmr too much about if people tried to figure out what Penelope’s subclass was during freshman year as I came into the fandom a bit after the entire season had wrapped: BUT something I’ve really loved about junior year/post Junior year has been everyone trying to figure out wtf Jace’s subclass would be, with wild magic being the most popular. Which is so much more a dnd thing in general bc if I rmr correctly it’s one of two subclasses listed in the players handbook so people gravitate to wild magic bc it sounds wild. Everything else is in a different guidebook or 3rd party stuff.

So I’d fully understand if Brennan was like :/ ‘dunno if I wanna have every sorcerer surging or half dragon in this universe..’ But also would it be crazy to say that sorcerers are low on the list of classes Brennan cares about so he doesn’t write much into it?

But holy shit, I love the artsy vibes of them and I love you pointing out that they’re very go with the flow people due to having innate magic it’s so~~~ it’s major art school vibes and all the different flavors of artsy people that could go hand in hand with their magic and how they cast! Also Jace being described as like- an art teacher is so 💖 Like yeah, I’ve had many an art teacher and so many of them had Jace energy~ Hacky sack in the quad and hey we’re just in here hanging out bc artistic talent is ‘innate.’

Fully the vibe of my portfolio class to show up, do your thing and hang out. Sorcerers = Artists. It’s so 🥰 it’s good.

Sorcerers in Spyre I love you. I wish there were more of you. I wish magic was real, but maybe the closest we can get to it is creating art

[polarisgreenley]

A Bouquet of New Beginnings Chapter 24: "Pink"

Summary:

An argument in the Undercroft between Sebastian & Ominis.

A Bickle Pickle.

Floriography: Make haste, Pure love

Full Chapter: [AO3]//7.4k words

Except Below:

“But, didn’t goblins curse Anne?”

Ominis was the first to respond. Sebastian let out a frustrated sigh as he tousled his hair.

“We only saw goblins at the estate. But Healer Gavin did these –” Sebastian gestured with his hands. “–Diagnostics? Which came up that it wasn’t goblin magic. But it could still have been goblins if they had a wand and found the spell somewhere.”

Artemis hummed slightly. “Goblins have their own magic right? Why take the extra step to use wizard magic?”

Sebastian scoffed. “I don’t know, irony? Why terrorise all of these hamlets? Loyalists don’t need any reason for that.”

Artemis gave a slight nod; it was clear they were near Feldcroft for the connection with the Keepers and Isidora. But the bulletin board in Hogsmeade showed their reach was far beyond the region.

Sebastian sighed before he brightened slightly. “But the good thing is, at least it narrows it down to wizard curses. I was thinking maybe we can find something to give to Healer Gavin. Help with researching the cure.”

“We could research in the l –”

“– Actually,” interrupted Sebastian. “Ominis could just tell us about the Scriptorium.”

The air chilled instantly around Ominis. His brows knitted together as he clenched and unclenched his left hand.

“Scriptorium?” Artemis repeated. Her question fell on deaf ears.

“You rat!” Ominis hissed. “This was supposed to stay between us!”

Sebastian’s eyes flashed. “Ominis, there’s nothing in the library! Anne had another bout tonight and it was so much worse! The Scriptorium could have –”

“– No it won’t,” interrupted Ominis. “I can’t believe we’re still talking about this.”

“Because it could have something to help Anne!”

“Anything to do with the Dark Arts should be avoided. It’s one thing to read, but this? It’s too risky.”

“You missed visiting Anne for this; it would be a waste to not use this. Anything to do with Salazar Slytherin is worth the risk.”

Artemis blinked twice, too stunned at the influx of new information to do anything. Salazar Slytherin had a Scriptorium in this school?

“I can’t agree.”

“Why don’t you want to help?” Sebastian said accusingly. “Artie’s done more than you have –”

“– How dare you,” hissed Ominis. A flash of hurt passed before a steely mask settled. “I’ll not say a word more.”

“Wait, Ominis!” Artemis called out in vain as the blond stormed out of the Undercroft.

The gate crashed down. Artemis sighed as she looked toward Sebastian. The brunet released a frustrated groan as he paced back and forth once more. She, for her part, felt useless as she stood there, her thumb rubbed against her scar. She should’ve stepped in and not stand there like an useless fish.

“Sebastian –”

“– Healer Gavin’s great,” interrupted Sebastian. “I just –”

Sebastian stopped his pacing when he stood in front of her and sighed. Despite it being his birthday, the joys had been replaced by a heaviness in his shoulders.

“You want to help Anne,” finished Artemis.

Sebastian’s eyes softened slightly. “Exactly. You understand, don’t you?”

“I do.”

More than he knew.

Artemis sighed as her eyes went back to the gate; she was going to have to figure out a way to drink another Calming Draught discreetly before going out. Somehow.

“Was the Scriptorium actually supposed to be a secret, Sebastian?”

“Sort of,” said Sebastian with a shrug. “Ominis didn’t specify that we kept it between me and him. But, he showed you the Undercroft, so I thought he wouldn’t mind … wait, that’s it!”

Sebastian exclaimed loudly as his warm chocolate eyes brightened. His hands flew as they grabbed her shoulders.

“You can help me convince him!”

Artemis blinked twice.

“Of…?”

“Going into the Scriptorium!”

Artemis tilted her head slightly. “Sebastian, how is Slytherin’s Scriptorium going to help Anne?”

“Look, the Gaunts are full of secrets, like the Undercroft. And, the Gaunts know better than most that there’s more to Dark magic than people realise. Can you imagine what Slytherin must have stuffed inside a hidden Scriptorium? There might be long buried texts! And –”

“– Sebastian,” cut off Artemis. “Where’s this coming from? The diagnostic?”

Sebastian sighed. “Yes. It showed these… dark tendrils that were wrapped around Anne’s veins.”

The grip around her shoulders tightened.

 “Said that it’s a sign of the curse being something old, and aristocratic Purebloods tend to have more than their fair share of old magic. The Blacks, Lestranges… even the Prewetts.”

“Are the Sallows…?”

“– Pureblood? Yes, but definitely not aristocratic, clearly. Anyways, I want to make sure we don’t miss any possible thing that could help Anne. The issue, is that only Ominis knows how to enter and, as you clearly saw, he won’t tell me.”

“You did tell him he didn’t care about Anne,” pointed out Artemis, “Which you know isn’t true.”

Sebastain sighed as he tousled his hair. “I admit that was uncalled for. I was just… frustrated with everything and – anyways. Would you help me convince Ominis?”

She blinked twice. She could see the point Sebastian was making, though there was no guarantee of anything being inside. If the Scriptorium had any sort of material that could help Leto create a cure for Anne – or something to manage it – that would be worth the risk.

“Only after you apologise and he forgives you. Then I’ll… talk to him about this,” said Artemis.

Even if she didn’t, her gut said Sebastian would find a way. Plus, they still needed to ask him about that shed.

“Deal,” said Sebastian with a relieved smile. He let go of her shoulders. “By the way, that book cover and bookmark – those are the enchanted ones, right?”

“Yes. The book cover turns into an Arithmancy title, and the bookmark lights up. Though, that might disrupt your roommates…aside from Ominis.”

“Fantastic, now I can read forbidden books out in the open. No one would be the wiser.”

“Unless someone comes up behind you and reads over your shoulder.”

“Fair point.”

Sebastian chuckled, but it sounded hollow.

The ashes atop the Sallow table flitted back to her mind. Artemis bit her inner cheek before she pulled her wand and conjured a boutonniere – a gladiolus with a forget-me-not and a geranium surrounded by green. Not a bouquet, but small and compact. She pulled a hairpin from her hair and transfigured it into a silver pin.

“May I?” Artemis asked as she lifted the boutonniere.

Sebastian’s eyes widened. “Oh, um.” He cleared his throat. “Of course.”

Artemis hummed as she carefully slipped her fingertips under his left lapel. The bright and colourful flowers stood out against the Slytherin uniform. She straightened the lapel and the flowers before she looked up; the freckled face of her friend was intently concentrated on her.

“By the way, didn’t know you knew a Curse-Breaker.”

“Kierston?” She asked as she looked back down to make sure the pin didn’t pierce her friend. “He’s a dear family friend. I wasn’t sure if he would be popping by today.”

“Do you think he’d be able to take a look at Anne?”

“He doesn’t know human physiology well enough, but he’s definitely a resource. I’m sure he’d be willing to help,” she answered as she finished pinning the boutonniere. She gave two gentle pats. “There. All done.”

Artemis lifted her head, her forest green eyes meeting his. Something passed through Sebastian’s eyes, though she couldn’t pinpoint what.

“Happy Birthday, Sebastian.”

“Thank you, Artie,” said Sebastian softly. A second passed in utter silence before he cleared his throat. “I’ll just, grab the other gifts. Then we can head out.”

Artemis knocked down a Calming Draught when Sebastian’s back turned as he grabbed his presents.

Ominis didn’t come back; her thumb dug deep into her scarred palm.

[bokettochild]

For the Opera House, I feel like it's an outlier as it caters to the working class

Trust me, opera tickets in general are quite pricey. But I feel like Lullaby keeps prices low as she's a firm believer in "the arts belong to all", so people in lower incomes can still afford to attend her shows

Ergo, Dusk's surprise that Wars and Arty decline contract offers and such for the higher classes because they too believe in Lullabys stance as well?

Typically speaking, any great performance is expensive to put on, if only to pay the actors a living wage, costume everyone and make a believable and functioning set. Granted, many of the backstage crew are really, really talented at making things that shouldn't work actually work, but still, running the opera house is expensive.

That said, Lullaby does fully support making the arts accessible to all.

So, there's something of a compromise. They do shows for the higher ups in society, usually having opening night tickets be more expensive and promising that it makes the whole of the experience more exclusive. Similarly, they pull out all the stops to make the hoighty toightys want to come on opening night; uniforms pressed, behavior of the staff strictly professional, Lullaby herself greeting guests and what not. They sell the 'exclusiveness' of it really well.

After opening night though, Lullaby often times will make the final weekend of showing have tickets for half price to help encourage the common people to come and see the show.

They do do exclusive things on occasion as ways to earn money. One year, they allowed a private school to hire their cast and building to put on a Phantom of the Opera themed prom. The whole group went all out and Time appeared, Phantom style and in costume, out of nowhere to request to dance with the prom queen. The poor dear nearly fainted in shock but jumped at the opportunity, and the event was the talk of the whole high-school population in Crown City for months after.

They've also done concerts and whatnot that cater to the higher ups in the city, but weekends are dedicated to producing entertainment for the working class and while it's not "exclusive" they do try and make it feel like a magical experience for anyone and anyone who comes. Aurora plays a huge role in this by often dressing up the entrance hall and wearing various costumes to greet the audience as they come in.

Generally speaking, they don't focus on the common man, as that's a bad business policy in such an expensive business, but they do try and make sure they offer something for everyone, no matter what the price range (even if it's just one of Twilight's puppet shows).

[big-mayo-official]

What if?

According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway because bees don't care what humans think is impossible. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Yellow, black. Ooh, black and yellow! Let's shake it up a little. Barry! Breakfast is ready! Ooming! Hang on a second. Hello? - Barry? - Adam? - Oan you believe this is happening? - I can't. I'll pick you up. Looking sharp. Use the stairs. Your father paid good money for those. Sorry. I'm excited. Here's the graduate. We're very proud of you, son. A perfect report card, all B's. Very proud. Ma! I got a thing going here. - You got lint on your fuzz. - Ow! That's me! - Wave to us! We'll be in row 118,000. - Bye! Barry, I told you, stop flying in the house! - Hey, Adam. - Hey, Barry. - Is that fuzz gel? - A little. Special day, graduation. Never thought I'd make it. Three days grade school, three days high school. Those were awkward. Three days college. I'm glad I took a day and hitchhiked around the hive. You did come back different. - Hi, Barry. - Artie, growing a mustache? Looks good. - Hear about Frankie? - Yeah. - You going to the funeral? - No, I'm not going. Everybody knows, sting someone, you die. Don't waste it on a squirrel. Such a hothead. I guess he could have just gotten out of the way. I love this incorporating an amusement park into ouryou think he makes? - Not enough. Here we have our latest advancement, the Krelman. - What does that do? - Oatches that little strand of honey that hangs after you pour it. Saves us millions. Oan anyone work on the Krelman? Of course. Most bee jobs are small ones. But bees know that every small job, if it's done well, means a lot. But choose carefully because you'll stay in the job you pick for the rest of your life. The same job the rest of your life? I didn't know that. What's the difference? You'll be happy to know that bees, as a species, haven't had one day off in 27 million years. So you'll just work us to death? We'll sure try. Wow! That blew my mind! "What's the difference?" How can you say that? One job forever? That's an insane choice to have to make. I'm relieved. Now we only have to make one decision in life. But, Adam, how could they never have told us that? Why would you question anything? We're bees. We're the most perfectly functioning society on Earth. You ever think maybe things work a little too well here? Like what? Give me one example. I don't know. But you know what I'm talking about. Please clear the gate. Royal Nectar Force on approach. Wait a second. Oheck it out. - Hey, those are Pollen Jocks! - Wow. I've never seen them this close. They know what it's like outside the hive. Yeah, but some don't come back. - Hey, Jocks! - Hi, Jocks! You guys did great! You're monsters! You're sky freaks! I love it! I love it! - I wonder where they were. - I don't know. Their day's not planned. Outside the hive, flying who knows where, doing who knows what. You can'tjust decide to be a Pollen Jock. You have to be bred for that. Right. Look. That's more pollen than you and I will see in a lifetime. It's just a status symbol. Bees make too much of it. Perhaps. Unless you're wearing it and the ladies see you wearing it. Those ladies? Aren't they our cousins too? Distant. Distant. Look at these two. - Oouple of Hive Harrys. - Let's have fun with them. It must be dangerous being a Pollen Jock. Yeah. Once a bear pinned me against a mushroom! He had a paw on my throat, and with the other, he was slapping me! - Oh, my! - I never thought I'd knock him out. What were you doing Bringing it around. Stand to the side, kid. It's got a bit of a kick. That is one nectar collector! - Ever see pollination up close? - No, sir. I pick up some pollen here, sprinkle it over here. Maybe a dash over there, a pinch on that one. See that? It's a little bit of magic. That's amazing. Why do we do that? That's pollen power. More pollen, more flowers, more nectar,

[koeiasequoia]

Okay so! Said we'd make a post about this so here it is! All about the rest of Gawain's family!

The Caerleon family consists of

Arcturus (Arty) [he/him], the father, pure arcanine, standing at an imposing 8 and a half feet tall. Well muscled, still a bit of gut, he's been a professional battler since he was young, at first solo, and then tag team once he met his wife. Generally a happy man and an easy laugher, he's always excited to fight, or at least to be doing anything active. Pure Fire type.

Guinevere (Gwen) [she/her] - mom! She's a Meowscarada, specifically using Karina's design, aside from the altered design, she's a relatively normal Meowscarada. Was an entertainer before she met Arcturus, at which point she joined him as tag team battlers. Cool, collected, witty, with a mischievous undertone. Grass/Dark type.

Accolon (Accy) [he/him] 33yrs - The oldest brother, he's a shiny arcanine, and also the only electric type in the family, no one knows how or why! An avid runner he's up bright and early at 6 fucking am to eat breakfast before he goes on a morning jog. Track and field in high school, general cheerful and competitive, and flaming pansexual. The only one to have a kid, aside from the parents obviously lol. Pure Electric type.

Mordred (Mori) [he/him] 13yrs - Accolon's son, half Growlithe, half Rockruff. A bundle of energy who, despite being from two types weak to water, absolutely LOVES the water and swimming and everything, good thing his dad can swim too. Fire/Rock type

Lucan (Lulu) [he/him] 31yrs - brother number 2 (fun fact, actually the first brother we made for G). He's a Hisuian growlithe taur. Exceptionally large, good foot or so taller than their dad, and very much fat, also the physically strongest of all of them, but unendingly lazy, here for a good time he likes to rest, relax, and eat. Will absolutely throw a mountain at you if fuck with his family though. Also aromantic as hell. Fire/Rock type.

Gawain (G) [they/them] 26yrs - third kid, and our fursona lmao. Works at a special library, does fire and plant magic, has a prosthetic arm. And WILL kill you if you don't return your books on time. Overall a happy canine... at this point anyways lmao. Pure Fire type, occasionally acquires Grass type too.

Safir (Saf) [he/they] 23yrs - twink-ass femboy-ass bitch, thigh highs and skirts and crop tops and cropped jackets galore. Very into fashion and being cute (and being a bratty bottom lmao). 100% will talk about you behind your back, kind of a bitch (Also with a design based on this that a friend sent us). Fairy/Ground type.

Morgan (Lil M) [it/its] 21yrs - the youngest of the family, and also the smallest, only standing at about 3 or so feet tall, this little arcanine inherited its mom's green colors and hypno abilities. Snarky, sarcastic, and mischievous, it's also rather possessive of it's oldest brother Accolon (it was also one of our partners fursonas for a while lol). Pure Grass type.

[lmelodie]

Lucy Miller Headcanons (Grown Up Addition!)

Alright, so I've been really thinking about Lucy as a character, and how I personally want to head canon her for her to be fun for ME to write personally. @kscribs already has a FANTASTIC version but I've been wanting to throw my hat into the ring. And considering that I've already made other head canons for her teenage self, I figured I might as well.

Rambles about her under the cut LETS GO!

If her teenage self was mostly a Mable Pines vibe, her 30s and 40s are the next evolution of just straight up Ms. Frizzle.

She dresses like a middle school art teacher got dowsed in a rainbow, and she likes it that way. Bright colors, graphic prints and quirky earrings are EVERYWHERE

And she lives to help people, she gets her master's in psychology and opens up two offices for both humans and folklore, doing both one-on-one and relationship counseling.

(She wrote a very compelling capstone thesis paper on the development and the nature vs nurture effects of narcissism (Jack is none the wiser this was about him))

Her magic is most suited for this line of work as she can see people's auras/core's

And her appearance is a bit misleading, and people usually doubt her professionalism, so no one is expecting her to absolutely CLOCK THEIR ASS with the most 100% accurate soul read of their issues. She's the best in the business, and a miracle worker and helping people through their traumas.

This also happens combat wise because no one is expecting this little rainbow of a lady to start whipping out GOD POWERS out nowhere.

And while she does try peaceful conflict resolution first, she is definitely not afraid to start blasting when she needs to, she is completely capable of putting someone into the ground if she has to.

She is a collector of Things and Knickknacks. Which kinds you may ask? All of them. Any item that she finds remotely interesting or beautiful is at risk to be bought and join her collection of stuff, magical or otherwise.

She probably has an impressive display cabinet of colorful glassware.

Also probably has a trunk somewhere of magical items that she's forgotten about and doesn't remember what any of them do.

She can do SO MANY sick staff tricks. She's spinning that shit around like its NOTHING. And Charlie has been calling her Donnie/Donatello because of it. TMNT looking ass up in here.

Meanwhile Cupid has been calling her Artie, for Artemis!

Try as Cupid will, she still uses the staff to smack people on the head and occasionally bludgeons enemies.

She calls its The Snow Shovel Move.

This staff in the images isn't even the staff she really ends up with at the end of CnC. This one is the one she ends up getting at the end if the series of epilogue stories I've been thinking about.

Not pictured, but she also has quite a few dangling pendants for her staff for reminders of her loved ones.

She has a plethora of hand braces to help manage her tremors.

In her even later years, she gets more into helping the council and maybe even eventually joins, probably at the point when Charlie has already taken over.

Works closely with Cupid/Sandman/Killian as an adult on the magic side of things.

Calls herself, Sandy and Kills "The Night Crew"

Probably gets a husky at some point because she keeps rather cold company and doesn't wanna worry about the dog freezing.

Possibly Asexual! I don't think she herself has ever put a label on it.

She gets her own realm that serves as her home/therapy office. It's probably somewhere in a field where the grass is lavender, and the moon is always visible.

[ofsupernovcs]

Okay ho boi this is a lot

Novas family is fragmented as ever, it seems though her older siblings have decided to break away from her father. Leaving Nova as the possible favorite and as an actual contender for the possible heir. The extra attention is very suffocating at times

Thinking about what Briggs said about her priveledge made her wonder if he father was one of those ethical rich guys- she currently is looking for someone to find that out

Education and Occupation Wise

Nova is continuing medical school as a surgical student on their fast track. Unsurprisingly Nova got Deans List in Medical Statisistics and Hemotologic Studies

During this time Nova wrote a paper on the advancements of artificial blood and its benefits and downfalls. Unknown to Nova it was published without her permission and caught the eyes of the oea

Read the creation of the paper here

Magic:

With some help from Eve and her grandmother's notes she slowly got better control of her magic

The magic Nova has the hang of includes Algorithmic Magic, Geokinesis, Chi Reading and Redirecting (Through her throwing needles)

Her emotions still influence her but shes a bit better

And didnt hurt anyone Hooray *streamers*

Personality Growth:

There's still some keeping her emotions in but shes slighly better

More willing to say whats on her mind

Trying to be a better listener and hear people out

La Romance:

Her relationship with TJ is going strong. Their love and resilence shining through. Much to the entire Abe household's chagrin

With the help of Eve was able to break the compulsion. Though she did have to kick TJ's butt. Helped TJ get back to himself rather than worry about the Mikaelsons who did it. But if it comes up shes not mincing words...

The burning question is probably did Nagisa Abe get her fairy tale proposal.....

The answer is the closest they got was a brief walk in the cherry blossom path and TJ kneeled down on one knee but before Nova could say anything the family lawyer "choked" on a corn dog to prevent the conversation

Later that day the family lawyer said some very polite *read gave TJ a dressing down* about the fake proposal and tells him to do better. And also to get shit together if he wants full approval from the Abes.

Nova in return gave the family lawyer a very polite conversation *read with her twirling her throwing needles* saying to never speak to TJ like that again.

Friendships: I will add to this dont at me

Mavi's flourished even getting her a job at the hospital

Lorelai- kept in touch and stood by her side throughtout the coma with Brooks

Aaliyah- friend

Arty- friend despite believing her taste in men

Briggs- Chasing a Mirage of Friendship, doesnt know the degree shes a stranger

Marn- friends but hasnt kept in touch

Phee- a sweetheart that helped her navigate the guilt (tm)

Tdlr; Still Nova, Still an unwitting instagator of doom a la Openheimer, Little less baby witch more growing into the young woman shes meant to be

[noanunoparty]

15/02/23 ~ NTS Radio - Yukihiro Takahashi Special

Presenting to you, the music of the late Yukihiro Takahashi - a leading figure in Japan’s music scene for nearly 50 years and a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra. 

As a drummer and a vocalist who embraced music technology, he had a wide artistic range - from city pop and arty new wave to acoustic folk-rock, in addition to producing material for several pop acts and composing film and video game soundtracks.

Born in 1952 in Tokyo, he began his music career early, playing drums with college bands while still in junior high school and starting as a session musician at 16. He studied design at an Art University in Tokyo, without graduating. Like many of his peers, his artistic output had no limits - he developed his own clothing line in the 70s (Bricks), often designing the outfits worn by Yellow Magic Orchestra. He also took the role of actor in several films - mostly comedic roles (he seemed to have a good sense of humour!) & some of which, he produced soundtracks for. 

Takahashi loved to collaborate, forming bands on the fly and bringing in friends to play on individual tracks.

So -  I hope you enjoy this chronological deep dive into Yukihiro Takahashi’s musical catalogue as I pay tribute to his iconic and influential life. I’ve listened most of his 43 albums and have done my best to condense them into 2 hours! Let’s go!

1992 - Expected Ocean Umi Sora Sango no Iitsutae Soundtrack

Movie soundtrack by Takahashi acting as a bed for the show’s intro. 

2. 1975 - Sadistic Mika Band -  Time To Noodle - Hot! Music

Sadistic Mika Band were formed in 1972 - the founding member, Kazuhiko Katō moved to Kensington in 72 and was impressed by the upcoming glam rock scene led by T.Rex and David Bowie - so he formed the band in Japan, including his wife Mika and Takahashi on drums. The name is a parody of the 60s band, Plastic Ono Band.

The band were popular in the UK, touring with Roxy Music in ‘75 - the first ever UK tour by a Japanese band. During this period, they performed on the BBC’s Old Grey Whistle Test. When they appeared,  the name of the programme (usually shown hung from the back wall) was spelt as The Old Gley Whistle Test as a nod to the Japanese pronunciation of the letters L and R.

Sadistic Mika Band’s albums were released on Doughnut Records - Japan’s first private label that was founded by Katō. 

Around the time of Hot Music’s release, members of Yellow Magic Orchestra started working together on solo projects and as a part of each others bands. 

3. 1978 - Sadistics - Nao - We Are Just Taking Off 

Katō and Mika divorced and left the band. The remaining members, Takahashi, Takanaka, Imai, and Gotō continued for several years as The Sadistics. They released two albums and two live albums before the band eventually petered out in ’79 as the members became busy with their solo careers & other projects. 

4. 1978 - Present - Sarravah! 

This was Takahashi’s first solo album, created whilst on tenure from The Sadistics. It was produced by Sakamoto - he also features on keys. Plus Hosono on bass, with Tatsuro Yamashita, Minako Yoshida & Rajie on backing vocals. 

Named after Pierre Barouh’s record label of the same name, Takahasi based the album on French pop music - this influence would later show up in early YMO material. 

Sarravah! Was released the same year that YMO fully formed, recorded & released first album. 

5. 1980 - Numbers From A Calculated Conversation - Murdered by the Music 

Second studio album & his first release whilst he was a member of YMO. Murdered by the Music did pretty well in the Japanese charts, reaching #12. 

Features contributions from Sakamoto, Hosono & Sandii. 

6. 1981 - Extra Ordinary - Neuromantic 

This is my favourite album from Takahashi’s collection - synth-pop goodness and his vocals are perfection! 

Neuromantic was self-produced, again with contributions from Sakamoto and Hosono + Tony Mansfield and members of Roxy Music. 

The name, Neuromantic, is a pun on the early 1980s British fashion movement, the New Romantics.

7. 1981 - Drip Dry Eyes - Neuromantic

Another classic from Neuromantic. My favourite song of his, probably yours too. Was also covered by Sandii. & the video! Ah! 

8. 1981 - The Beatniks-  No Way Out - Exitentialism

Formed by Takahashi & Keiichi Suzuki in 1981. More of an Alt-rock tinge. They released several albums, including soundtracks for Yohji Yamamoto’s catwalk shows. 

Their first album in 7 years was released in 2018. That same year, they performed live in several concerts, despite Takahashi’s recent eye surgery. 

9. 1982 - Flashback - What Me, Worry? 

Fourth solo album. More features from Sakamoto & Hososno +  Zaine Griff, Tony Mansfield, and Bill Nelson.

Takahashi’s first release on YEN Records - An imprint of Alfa Records that ran from 1982 to 1985 fronted by Hosono and Takahashi, releasing music from Sandii, Hajime Tachibana, Miharu Koshi & more. They also produced most of the albums.

10. 1983 - Kagero (Live Version from Time & Place) - Tomorrow’s Just Another Day 

This album reached 11 in the music charts - the highest ranking for Takahashi’s solo work! Tomorrow’s Just Another Day really emphasises Takahashi as a singer. 

This version, taken from Time & Place was recorded live at Shibuya Kokaido in Tokyo, Aug. 1983. 

+ peep the cute cover! 

11. 1983 - And I Believe In You - Are You Receiving Me? 

Had to include this one as it’s another favourite. Released as the B Side to the single, Are you Receiving Me? This is classic Takahashi synth-pop goodness <3 

12. 1984 - Walking to the Beat - Wild and Moody 

Sixth and last solo album on his YEN label. 

Wild and Moody is quite mellow. He sings mostly in English, hoping to pursue more of a global audience. The lyrics for Track 2 were written by Steve Jansen who was a close collaborator of Takahashi and Jansen considered him as a mentor. 

13. 1985 - Instrumental - Poisson d'Avril

Soundtrack from the comedy film "Poisson D'avril" (April's Fool in French), released in 1986. Takahashi plays the lead role! 

14. 1985 - I Saw The Light - Once A Fool 

Another fav and it’s a Todd Rundgren cover. It’s just perfect pop. 

Once A Fool was the first album from the T.E.N.T. label that was started by Takahashi and Keiichi Suzuki (of the Beatniks). With Sakamoto on keys and synths, Hosono on bass & synths & Hiroshi Sato on the organ. + backing vocals from Miharu Koshi! 

15. 1986 - Moonlight Feels Right - Only When I Laugh

Second release on T.E.N.T. Only When I Laugh feels quite fresh with more of an acoustic tinge to it. 

16. 1987 - Parfum De L'Aube - La Pensee

Music for Yohji Yamamoto’s S/S ‘87 + A/W ‘87 - ‘88 collection, shown in Paris. 

Takahashi & Yamamoto often collaborated, and YMO often wore Yamamoto’s designs on tour. In 1991 Takahashi & Hosono walked the runway for Yamamoto and Comme des Garçons legendary collection “6.1 the men” 

17. 1987 - Main Theme - Ginga No Sannin OST

Takahashi composed a lot of music for video games, and his work in YMO had a major influence on early video game music.

18. 1988 - Sea Change - Ego 

Features some of his bolder synth arrangements and arena-ready tracks, with contributions from Sakamoto. 

19. 1992 - mis - Life Time Happy Time 

Another classic pop album from Takahashi - this one flew under the radar a bit and doesn’t stand out from his collection as much as others. 

20. 1995 - Fate of Gold - Fate of Gold 

Takahashi wanted to collaborate with a wide variety of artists of all different ages, “with the attitude of: "I'll let you mature when you're mature” “ Featuring Skapara, KYON, Rei Ohara, ICE's MAYUMI and Takenaka Naoto. 

21. 1997 - Pulse - The Choice - Pulse

In September 1997 Steve Jansen and Takahashi formed UK based, Pulse and completed a 6 track album in Tokyo and London under the same name. Released on Yukihiro's own label, Consipio Records. 

A very experimental, more “contemporary” album! The Choice features vocals from Indian classical singer Sonia Mehta. 

22. 1999 - For Men - The Dearest Fool 

Takahashi returns to the 80s techno-pop sound! + another collaboration with Steve Jansen. 

23. 2002 - Sketch Show - Gokigen Ikaga 1 2 3 - Audio Sponge

After YMO decided to “spread out” (they didn’t want to say “split-up”), Takahashi and Hosono formed Sketch Show. Sketch Show had ore of an electronica output as opposed to pop. 

Sakamoto often joined Sketch Show performances and recording sessions. He later proposed they rename the group Human Audio Sponge (or HAS) when he participates.

Sketch Show played live shows at Japanese raves and a headline slot at the 2003 edition of SONAR in Barcelona. 

24. 2008 - Pupa - Jargon - What’s Pupa - Floating Pupa

Takhashi put together Pupa in 2007 - formed of Tomoyo Harada, Hiroshi Takada, Ren Takada, Hirohisa Horie, and Tomohiko Gondo. The band name Pupa is a term from fly-fishing, a sport that Takahashi loves.

25. 2013 - Shadow - Life Anew 

Aged 61 - Takahashi goes back to basics yet you can tell he’s feeling musically inspired with Life Anew, which sounds more like a rock band than anything else he’s put out before. 

Features contributions from former Smashing Pumpkins member,  James Iha.

26. 2014 - Yukihiro Takahashi & Metafive - Drip Dry Eyes (Live) - Techno Recital 

Takahashi originally assembled Keigo Oyamada, Yoshinori Sunahara, Towa Tei, Tomohiko Gondo, and Leo Imai to serve as the backing band (billed as Yukihiro Takahashi & Metafive) on his 2014 tour - this version of Drip Dry Eyes was taken from the Roppongi Theatre show, for which they were billed as Yukihiro Takahashi & Metafive. In 2015, the band changed their name to Metafive.

They disbanded after the release of their last album, METAATEM in 2021, after the release was originally cancelled due to controversy from Oyamama’s past history of bullying. 

The line-up of Imai, Sunahara, Nagai and Shirane changed their name to TESTSET and released their debut EP in 2022. 

27. 1998  - Stay Close (Live) - Once A Fool 

We end on another favourite - a joyous live version from 1998 of Stay Close. - another collaboration with Steve Jansen. 

Thank you Yuki-san for everything you’ve given the world - your legacy will live on forever <3 

[creativia10]

Hexside Starts and Locker Haunts

Hunter is looking forward to attending Hexside where he can see most of his friends. He didn't expect his new ghostly guardian to look out for him while there.

Warnings: reference to past child abuse

Let me know if I've missed anything

Word count: 3215

Notes: This is going to be the second one of a series about Hunter and Ghost Caleb. I really like this concept. I don't know how many works this series will have yet.

Hunter could hardly believe this was happening. He was going to go to Hexside and learn alongside other kids his age. Including his friends. Well, hopefully he would that was. Apparently, he had to take a placement exam, where enrollment wasn’t guaranteed. At least, not when he wasn’t a full witch like most of the students would be. He knew Luz had to deal with that, they’d talked about it.

He needed to know two spells on his own in order to not be placed at the lowest level in the school, the baby class. He only had one ability on his own, the teleportation and flash step from Flapjack. He couldn’t even use the glyphs that Luz had been able to. Ever since Belos possessed the titan and the battle ended, the glyphs hadn’t seemed to work. He didn’t really understand why. He had a feeling Luz would know more about that, as she seemed to.

He could do more with his artificial staff though, which he would have to start using again. Part of him didn’t want to, but it might be his only option if he wanted to go to this school. And he did.

He didn’t understand why this presentation was like a show for himself on the stage before the principal. He could appreciate the showmanship though. At least, he could have if he wasn’t so nervous.

Darius stood backstage giving him encouraging hand gestures. Darius has been there for Hunter now. More than just giving him somewhere to stay, which Hunter appreciated. It did seem like Darius was stepping into more of a guardian role for Hunter now. If the check-in after Hunter went on his own, the day Belos was defeated, said anything. Still, Hunter wasn’t quite used to a safe guardian who only had his best interests in mind. So, Hunter was having a hard time believing that was going to be the case. For now, he could just accept that Darius was safe and there for him. And really, that said a lot there.

Hunter had his artificial staff off to the side, easy to reach backstage, in case he did need to grab it. He wanted to try on his own first though.

Hunter took a deep breath and walked onto the stage.

“Hey, Principal Bump,” He said a bit awkwardly. Bump’s face was a bit hard to read, but he just nodded in response.

“Yes. G- uh, what is your actual name again?”

“Hunter,” He said.

Hunter’s eyes were drawn to a flash he caught from the back row of the seats. Odd, Hunter was sure it was just supposed to be the three of them in there for this exam.

Hunter’s attention was brought back to the conversation though.

“Yes, Hunter. Given your history in the emperor’s coven-“

Hunter couldn’t help but wince at that.

“-I’m well aware you have the magical abilities to be able to attend here.”

“…right.”

Of course, not everyone knew he was a powerless witch on his own. Only his friends knew that, and he didn’t exactly want everyone to know.

“So by all means, show me what you’d like. To give me an idea where to place you.”

Hunter took a deep breath and then flash-stepped to the side. He also teleported up into the air and then quickly back down, as his staff wasn’t in his grasp to catch him.

“Does that count as two?” Hunter asked.

Bump scratched his chin.

“Hmm, I’m not sure. Is there anything else?”

Hunter hesitated and then walked to the side to grab his staff.

“Well, if I may ask this not leave here, not really without my staff. As the glyphs don’t work anymore.”

Bump blinked.

“What, really? But many have seen you use powers. And you have,” He gestured to Hunter’s ears. Hunter reached to touch one on instinct.

“Uh, yeah. I’m a powerless witch, or I was. Belos gave me this artificial magic staff to be able to use magic abilities.”

Bump hmmed.

“I see.”

“But with it, I can do this!” Hunter held his staff up, making sure not to point it at anyone, and let the staff build up an energy blast at the end.

“I can also move earth with it.”

Bump nodded.

“Well, you have certainly shown you’re magically capable before, considering. Although, you may have some limitations with what tracks you can take though.”

Hunter sighed. “Yeah, I figured as much. I can live with that.”

“Very well. With this in mind, I welcome you to Hexside School of Magic and Demonics.”

Hunter smiled and bowed to him.

“Thank you sir.”

Bump raised his hand.

“That’s not necessary. I’ll let you look over the tracks before you start classes. Let me know if you’ll need any help testing out which ones you are able to do.”

Darius asked Hunter if he was okay while they on their way back home from the entrance exam.

Hunter shot him a confused look.

“Why do you ask? I got what I wanted. I can go to Hexside.”

Darius hmmed.

“I know, but some topics got brought up in there that I could tell you weren’t thrilled about.”

Hunter sighed and shrugged.

“I don’t know. I mean, it was bound to come up. Of course, I’m going to have to consider that I’m fundamentally different from other witches. That doesn’t mean I have to like it. At least I’m able to go to that school at all. Gosh, I need to be able to see my friends there.”

Darius nodded.

“Know that you can talk to me though, alright?”

Hunter hesitated. Trust was a hard thing. He was not used to opening up at all.

“I appreciate that,” Hunter said.

Darius pursed his lips, probably seeing how that was a non-answer. Hunter didn’t know if he was ready yet though. Maybe he could focus on one thing at a time. And at that point, it was figuring out his tracks at Hexside. He was used to working hard, so surely doing so for classes of his own choice would be better. Right?

*

Hunter was surprised that he came to the school his first day with so much trepidation. More than he had the first time he came onto the Hexside campus. Maybe because then he had a mission as the golden guard. And a lot of false confidence for some reason. But this time, he was just Hunter. Not even a full witch. Entering a building of normal witches and demons around his age. Which was something he was very much not used to. It was actually a bit overwhelming.

So he stood there for a moment just staring forward as students milled about the campus.

“Hey, Hunter. Are you alright?” Darius asked. He hadn’t left yet. Hunter took a deep breath. He didn’t know the answer to that. But he didn’t want to worry the other.

He did want this. He just didn’t feel fully prepared.

“Hunter!” Several voices shouted.

Hunter glanced over and his shoulders relaxed some as he saw his friends. Gus, Willow, and Amity made their way over.

Darius shot him a smile.

“I’ll see you later Hunter. Let me know if you need anything?”

Hunter nodded at Darius with a smile, before the other left.

Gus and Willow immediately hugged him.

“You’re finally here!” Gus exclaimed. He let out little illusion fireworks in celebration.

“Yeah, I know right?” Hunter said.

“It’ll be great to have you on the Emerald Entrails flyer derby team full time!” Willow cheered.

Hunter smiled at that.

“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to that.”

They chattered a bit more as they headed into the school. Being among familiar faces did wonders to help Hunter feel more at ease. It was a great reminder of why he wanted to go there in the first place, even if he was different.

A flash of light would be harder to see in the daytime outside. Hunter had a good sense of when someone was looking at him though. That had developed from moments with Belos. Sometimes he didn’t know when his uncle was understanding or in a bad mood, and he needed to be on guard.

But there are a lot of people at school there. He tried to reassure himself that it’s possible it was nothing. He was new after all, and some did know he was the golden guard. Maybe it had been a passing glance. There was a difference between one look and being watched though. Hunter could usually feel it, but that was likely no magic though. Just an instinctive intuition, or maybe even paranoia.

Still, he looked around, not seeing anyone.

“Hunter?” Willow asked. “Is everything alright?”

Hunter turned back to his friend group.

“Yeah, I think so,” He said.

She didn’t seem convinced, but let the conversation continue. Hunter couldn’t shake the feeling though.

-

Hunter went into Principal Bump’s office first, as he was told to. So he could choose his tracks and get to class.

He had been doing a lot of thinking about this. Yet still, he looked over the choices. He understood why Luz had a hard time choosing. Unlike her though, he probably couldn’t do all of them.

Potions was easy to tick off. It was the easiest for a low or nonmagical person to learn.

Beastkeeping. He liked palisman, so maybe he would like working with other magical creatures too. Construction seemed to be the closest to what he could use the earth-moving abilities for.

He pondered Healing, it was an ability he would like to know how to do.

“Can I add more later?” Hunter asked.

Bump thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Yes. With the new addition of multiple tracks learning, many students have been adding more tracks later.”

Hunter nodded. He held off on that one for then, since he wasn’t sure how he’d be able to do that. Illusion was also a no.

He supposed plants could be similar to earth, but he had moved the ground itself more, not so much growth.

He was almost good with his three tracks, but then he paused on the oracle one. He had read up a bit about that. He was less interested in knowing the future, as it was hard to think about that when you didn’t know how long you’d live. But the pamphlet had said those on the oracle track communed with spirits. He wanted to understand more about that world given recent events. He could at least learn more about the spirits. Besides, he was pretty sure that moment with the ghost of Caleb wasn’t going to be a one-time thing. Even if he wasn’t sure when he would see the other again.

So, he had decided on four tracks for then.

-

 Hunter was surprised he hadn’t seen his friends in classes yet. He supposed they did have different track focuses, and the ones he chose didn’t overlap, but still. There had to be some classes everyone took. He hoped they would have some in common.

Anyways, there was something in the schedule called a break? That was not something he expected. When he trained to become the golden guard, his learning was pretty intensive. He didn’t quite understand why there was a break, and so early. It had only been a few hours. Still, he wasn’t going to complain about the chance to see his friends some more if he had time. He was still figuring out the layout of the school.

As he walked through the halls, he walked past a group of students with a girl in the middle who looked familiar. Boscha he thought? She had been that pseudo-leader when the students hid out at Hexside during the Collector’s games. He hadn’t been able to catch everything that happened. He thought Amity had managed to convince her to go against Kikimora who had been taking over though.

So, that in itself could have meant she was an ally. But the Isles were no longer in emergency mode, at least not in the same way. He had heard his friends talk about this girl before. She was a bully. So it was probably best to steer clear of her. At least, that’s what he tried to do.

He was starting to wish he had asked even more about what to prepare for at this school. He caught her looking him up and down before she scoffed.

“Wow, someone’s a bit ambitious. Try hard much?”

Hunter rolled his eyes and kept going. Honestly, many students were taking multiple tracks now.

“Hey!” She exclaimed. “Don’t ignore me!”

Great. She was an attention hog as well. She then walked over to him and started following him.

“Who do you think you are? You’re not the golden guard anymore, nothing special about you now.”

Hunter paused and turned to her.

“How did you know about that?”

Boscha rolled her eyes and smirked.

“Oh, please. Word goes around fast here.”

He really hoped that didn’t extend to other parts about him.

“So you won’t be able to get away with stuff like before. This is Hexside, my school.”

“Oh please, you’re just a student here,” He said.

Boscha laughed. “Did you ever think about why I was the leader when everyone hid out at the school? People listen to me. And ignoring me isn’t gonna fly.”

“Why do you care if I give you attention? You don’t even know me. If you had as many fans as you imply, there would be no reason to make a scene at me walking past you.”

She glared at him and clenched her fists at that.

“Because you’re not just anyone. Most students here know their place by now, but you’re new. I can’t have you think you’re better than me. I’m most popular for a reason. The losers need to stay down. Especially half-witches.”

Hunter’s eyes widened at that last part and took a step back.

“What?” He asked.

She put her hands on her hips and smirked at him again.

“What, you think I didn’t notice your limited use of magic? And that you always have a staff with you now, even when it’s not a palisman.”

Hunter pulled his artificial staff slightly behind his back.

“Why were you even watching me for that?” He asked.

“I look out for the important things. Such as threats and the wastes of magic that need to be avoided.”

Just after she said that, a nearby locker door swung out and banged her in the face.

“Ow!” She cried out, stepping back and holding her face.

Hunter startled and looked on in surprised.

Boscha continued to hold her face, but glared out and looked around.

“Okay, who did that!?”

Some students fled at her yell. Hunter looked around, but he couldn’t tell. He hadn’t seen any spell-casting circles. His friends didn’t seem to be in the vicinity either.

Just then, he saw another flash at the end of the hallway. Okay, that couldn’t be a coincidence.

A faded figure formed the silhouette of a familiar man for a moment. The figure then drifted around the corner of the hallway.  Hunter sped walk in that direction right away.

“Hey!” He heard Boscha shout behind him, but Hunter ignored her. He went around the corner to a subsection of the hallway off to the side away from things.

The ghost of Caleb reformed to appear as he had when Hunter first saw him. Hunter stared for a moment.

“You found a way to follow me,” Hunter said.

Caleb nodded, “I can’t exactly say I understand why. Perhaps I was able to attach myself to you when my former reason for haunting died. Or it could be because that staff is from the castle.”

Hunter glanced to his staff at the mention then back to Caleb.

“You slammed that locker door into Boscha’s face.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

“I said I would look after you. I wanted to protect you.”

Hunter huffed.

“I wasn’t in any real danger. She’s just a brat.”

Caleb hmmed.

“Perhaps. Doesn’t mean you have to deal with that.”

“I’ve been through worse,” Hunter said.

Caleb sighed. “I know. Trust me, I know. I don’t have to like any of it though.”

“So what, you’re just going to try to throw things at anyone who gives me a hard time? I don’t need that.”

“Do you know what you need?”

“Maybe not to be coddled!”

Calen floated back some.

“I don’t think one instance of retaliating against a bully counts as being coddled. She had no reason to be like that to you.”

“I mean, yeah. Of course she didn’t have a good reason. But I don’t need you to do that.”

“I know. I wanted to. She was annoying me.”

Hunter huffed. “Yeah, she was definitely annoying.”

“See?”

“How often are you going to do something like that?”

Caleb shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

“Because, if that becomes commonplace, someone is going to figure out I have a ghost haunting me.”

“Well, it’s more watching over you than haunting. Are you expecting this type of thing to happen often?”

Hunter opened his mouth and then paused. He didn’t really know what to expect if he was being honest. Caleb seemed to sense that. He smiled.

“Well, then I’m definitely not going to stop.”

“Caleb!”

“My brother caused irreversible damage to this world for years. It’s the least I can do.”

“You are not responsible for his actions.”

“I know,” Caleb said. He looked sad now.

“But if I can do something good in spirit after my brother cut my life tragically short, then I want to be able to.”

It was hard to argue against that. Not like Hunter didn’t appreciate this ghostly ancestor wanting to look out for him. He just wasn’t sure if he deserved it. Especially over something like a mean girl. His life hadn’t even been in danger or anything.

“I suppose that’s fair…” Hunter started. He wasn’t really sure what to tell the other. Could a ghost be reasoned with? It’s not like it would do much harm. Hopefully. This was still new to Hunter, so he wasn’t sure what to expect.

Before he could say anything else,

“Hunter!”

Hunter turned to see his friends running towards him. Hunter turned back to Caleb, or where he had been. Caleb had disappeared again. Hunter sighed.

He still had questions about this whole thing. Like, why did the ghost keep disappearing on him like that?

The school bell rang signaling that the break was over. Other students around started to head to their next classes.

His friends were talking over each other. They mentioned how they heard something happened with Boscha. Concerned that he ran away after. He walked with them to start heading to his next class as well. He tried to answer their questions, without mentioning Caleb. He was honestly still in a bit of a daze over what had happened. He was really dealing with a ghost now even with everything else going on? Well, at least Caleb was a nice ghost, but still. He didn’t know anything about this stuff. He supposed he was going to find out.