#malistaire

[anton-constantin]

Storm, Ice and Death spell drawings I've made

Inspired by @wizard101game

CROWNS GIVEAWAY STREAM ON MY TWITCH AT https://www.twitch.tv/sleepyantoni

[jabberwockey]

one of the best tropes of all time actually

[polaris101]

why did this dialogue make me cry a little

[eliks-edge]

I love the idea of a death wizard who parallels Malistaire pre-Sylvia’s death working together with Cyrus so much. Cyrus sees his brother in this child and it hurts because he misses his brother so much but it also worries him deeply. The wizard and Malistaire are so similar he can only hope that the trauma the wizard will have to live with after dragonspyre (and even more so after future worlds) will not make them into the man Malistaire is now. And really and truly, Malistaire is just a man overrun with grief over a loved one, which could so easily happen to the wizard. I think it would so interesting to see a villain arc very similar to Malistaires with the wizard

[malistairedrakes]

just got reminded of this side blog i made like (checks watch) ago. hard to believe im 20 and kinda know how to draw now hey guys. let me know if you want me to keep posting or smth lol

[oneriderratbug101]

Alright, so I've been thinking a bit too much about the connection between schools of magic in the spiral, and more specifically where the witchdoctor magic we see in Pirate101 can fit in with the magics of Wizard101. After spending a good bit thinking about it and looking into it I think I finally have my own explanation that I can be satisfied with.

So, obviously the witchdoctor class deals with things related to death, right? It has similar spells to the death school in wizard101 as well! However, it's obviously not actually 1:1 the death school for a number of reasons. The largest overarching one is the intense focus on spirits though, which I'm going to break into two parts-

1: So to begin, magic in the spiral is differentiated based on schools of thought, and how one interacts with natural forces. The school of death in the spiral tends to split its focus between reanimation, and summoning agents of death, reflecting its focus on controlling the natural force of death. There is a clear focus on, and respect for, death as a concept. However, in witchdoctors, we see a greater focus on the dead themselves, spirits, etc. Old Scratch and Madame Vadima place a heavy emphasis on communing with the spirits, respecting the spirits, and the emotions of the spirits, taking a step away from the emphasis on death as a concept and basing the magic off of a separate school of thought and method of interaction.

2: Now, of course, the actual gameplay mechanics and combat style. I maybe went on a bit too long in section 1 and said some of the points I planned on touching upon here, so I'll keep this relatively brief. So, of course, where death's combat has you interacting with all sorts of forces of death, witchdoctor for the most part exclusively has you summoning spirits, ghosts, etc. Both have a well rounded batch of support, lifesteal, and damage. Death appears, however, to have a level of detachment from the forces it's commanding. As we see with Malistaire however, a level of distance might be all that keeps a student of death sane. Nevertheless, death students seem to have little regard for the actual soul behind what they're reanimating, and merely focus on the broad creature they're summoning. Witchdoctor spells are either summoning specific spirits, calling upon the power of spirits, or summoning a spirit as a companion, rarely seen in any wizard101 school through the minion system. The companion, though, forces a cooperation and sense of teamwork with the individual spirit (will expand on all this later in the post).

Now if you're a fan of the worldbuilding provided by Wysteria, you might be thinking similar to me when I was first looking into this dilemma. Spirit this, spirit that, clearly this is the spirit school from Pigswick Academy, right? In the Rogue's Gallery video description, it's even stated that rumors say Vadima attended Pigswick! If it's the spirit school, that would make Vadima perfect as an instructor! This theory is missing one crucial detail, however- multiple quest dialogues in Wysteria state that (despite them participating in a magic tourney) Pigswick heavily frowns upon the practice of magic, and all of its schools are theory! However, utilizing what we know about the spirit and death schools, we can come to a rough conclusion that witchdoctor is a 75/25% blend of spirit and death, respectively. Given its extreme emphasis on spirits, the nature of thought evolving, and its apparent pre-Vadima history in the spiral, we can also assume that it might have originated with an even larger emphasis on spirit, but Vadima's knowledge from the wizarding side of the spiral and Darkmoor heritage could have brought a few more touches of death.

This still doesn't feel fully correct though, and I believe small pieces are still missing. So, we have to dig even further. To begin with, why does witchdoctor have some more shadowy spells? They're few and far between, but there is certainly a touch of shadow magic on the witchdoctor school. Its presence can be lightly felt in a good chunk of spells. And while thinking on this, I actually stumbled across some tumblr posts that reminded me of this question's missing piece! Morganthe, known lover of shadow magic, was a pirate at some point! There is an incredibly large chance Morganthe's shadow magic had some sort of small but noticable influence on the pirates' magic school of witchdoctor! And now there is but one final piece I would like to note, where I will expand on the haste of wizard summoning as promised earlier.

It has been hinted at this entire time, but the world of wizards and the world of pirates is vastly different. Wizards prioritize structured duels, wizard vs wizard, generally forcing the hasty use of summons and emphasis on the wizards. Pirates, however, engage in a more freeform style of combat, casting aside the idea of duels unless deemed necessary or fun, and generally opting to win by whatever means necessary, with a crew to back them up. The world of pirates is filled with outlaws and rule benders, and the skyways are filled with thoughts, personalities, and ideals rarely encountered in a wizard's typical interaction with the spiral. Witchdoctor primarily being used by magicians in the world of pirates most likely slowly added the loose and morally grey nature of piracy into its practice, further separating it into a school of its own. Why witchdoctor became the most popular magic among pirates is anybody's guess, but I at least view the death vs spirit choice like this- Pirate101 is a world emphasizing the pursuit of the individual and individual's goals, as opposed to The Wizard's pursuit of saving the world and the general world of wizards focusing more on what the individual represents. Even further, pirates seem to live in a world where death is someone to be challenged, or escaped. In the world of pirates, why WOULD you choose death over spirits?

So to summarize, I have come to the conclusion that for a variety of reasons, pirate101's witchdoctor is a rough 75/25% blend of the schools spirit and death respectively, with sprinkles of shadow magic and piracy.

[malistairesimp]

i headcanon that malistaire was drunk for the majority of arc 1

[torranoglethorpe]

Listen I'm a firm believer that Malistaire got his eye color changed at the mirror shop like the rest of us

[sandswirls]

Commission for @malistairedrake

[mdame-art]

gay ass pose ;p 

[snaatheduck]

The did nothing wrong trio

(Homura Akemi, Rob, and Malistaire Drake)

[anton-constantin]

holding my @wizard101game inspired painting

and a second photo where I hold another different one

come to my stream at sleepyantoni twitch tomorrow night if you wanna chat and watch me draw stuff or play this game

[oldestenemy]

The wizard doesn’t like to admit that they are beginning to resent Azteca by the time they drag themselves back to Ravenwood for their first class in what feels like an eternity. Being told by creatures a hundred thousand times their own age to negotiate peace when— aren’t there bigger things to worry about than infighting between birds and their scaley ancestors? Why is it nobody seems as worried as they should be about Morganthe’s movements through the spiral, her goals, her motivations—

They pour all of this out to Cyrus Drake when they return at his request—something about being on time. They willingly run back to Avalon, collecting the sundail that has no business being there, and placing it gently into the center of the Zocalo.

Even this, too, shall pass.

The calendar feels like an omen.

The wizard doesn’t like it.

So when Cyrus has finished teaching them how to call it back, they bring up the thing that has truly been pulling at them since they put a hold on yet another apocalypse to attend the school that was supposed to be their full time engagement.

“Morganthe had… a minion. Some summoned darkness like—” The wizard stops, draws a handful of sigils in the air that shimmer a moment before reflecting the vision they had seen in the pyramid. The shadowy figure who stood with Morganthe. The odd familiarity. The tug of something…wrong.

“—Malistaire.” Cyrus’ confirmation just makes the wizard’s heart sink.

They had wanted so desperately to be wrong.

The wizard banishes the vision with a wave of their hand, swallowing hard around the lump beginning to form in their throat. “Right. I—…” Their voice dies, they can’t look back up at Cyrus again. They can’t look at their professor and see him come to the realization that again they are the one who is going to kill his brother.

No.

No.

It’s not again.

Malistaire is dead.

This is just some sick projection Morganthe is using or—

“—I need to go.”

Cyrus doesn’t stop them.

He never has.

That at least remains a comfort.

The wizard throws themselves back into Azteca with a violence that has those giving them direction a little concerned. They don’t care. If Morganthe wants to pull at the strings that hurt—she had better well be ready to pay the price.

It’s in facing the kindhearted poet king, deep within the pyramid of Mother Moon that the wizard finally lets it sink in what is going to happen. The spirit of someone dead brought back in whole but only for battle. They know it’s going to be too late to catch up. They know they will be left behind in a moment like back in Big Ben. With Morganthe this time, leaving them to her minion—

Leaving them to Malistaire.

Or whatever was left of him.

It doesn’t matter how hard they fight, or how fast they run.

Maybe it’s the insight of the celestial calendar they can feel at the edge of their thoughts. The knowledge of that which is yet to pass. The understanding that history is doomed to repeat itself for all those who do not change the ending. And what has the wizard ever done but go where they are told, and follow the path laid out ahead.

Maybe there is enough time left to change things.

Maybe.

But the wizard thinks, more likely there is not.

[destiny-dreamwielder]

Eyes on Fire

Rating: T

Summary: Destiny DreamWielder finds herself bearing witness to Sylvia’s last moments. 

Word Count: 1k

Warnings: Heavy angst, and on page description of (canonical) character illness and death. Also, discussion of the heavy topics inherent to Dragonspyre.

A/N: This rambling is inspired by @oldestenemy ‘s top tier post I just reblogged. Go give it some love!! Title borrowed from the song by Blue Foundation.

Destiny had only ever heard stories of Sylvia Drake. Of course, she’d been on a mission to defeat the woman’s husband for over a year, so that had obviously led to a few run-ins with him. But Sylvia was a mysterious figure, known only to Destiny through the recollections of Shawna and the other residents of Wizard City. Still, she felt wrong raiding the late Professor Drake’s tomb to trap her spirit in a tiny little crystal. If her whole quest was to stop Malistaire’s mad plan to resurrect her, shouldn’t Destiny also let her rest?

But Cyrus was her professor, the adult in charge, and Sylvia’s brother-in-law, so she followed his instructions dutifully, ignoring the uneasy feeling in her stomach. Catherine stayed behind at Cyrus’s order. He didn't trust the younger girl with anything, especially not Sylvia’s spirit.

As she took the portal to the Necropolis, Destiny felt the spirits of Old Dragonspyre calling to her, begging to be heard, making every step she took heavier. She’d never been in a Spiral World so full of history and death, and her visions were becoming more and more frequent because of it. She could feel the stories swirling in the air, and she was too afraid to ask Cyrus if he could too, if that was the real reason why he wouldn't venture past the Basilica. 

She battled her way through the tomb’s defenses on autopilot, summoning familiar monsters to dispense with the hostile ones, until she reached the top floor. Her head ached as she gazed upon the coffin, and as she stepped forward she saw a dark figure appear. A final defense, she assumed, until it spoke.

“Malistaire?” the figure called, and Destiny’s blood ran cold. “Is that you? Have you come for me? It’s so cold here...so dark, and I’m so alone...”

That was not the voice of a spirit tasked with guarding a tomb. Destiny had never heard it before, but she knew the voice was Sylvia’s. The figure looked up at her, and its eyes began to burn. 

“You’re not my Malistaire!” it screeched, “What have you done to him?! I won’t harm him... You’ll never get me to betray my beloved husband!”

The wraith lunged at her, attacking ferociously as Destiny desperately fought back. It felt so wrong to hurt this… this thing that used to be Sylvia, but she had to. Their duel raged on until Destiny finally dispelled her guilt and summoned a great Orthrus to defeat the wraith. It worked, and she watched, relieved, as the darkness rushed out of the figure and Sylvia’s true spirit was left standing. 

The relief turned to fear, however, when she realized where the darkness was headed. It slammed into her, and she could feel it coursing through her as the magic within her swelled up to greet it.

She blinked, and found herself in a lovely Wizard City home, one she’d only ever seen from the outside when older students pointed it out. The Drake house. The master bedroom, specifically, with its curtains half drawn and a dying Sylvia Drake nestled in the bed. A version of Malistaire Destiny had only seen in portraits sat beside it, tears streaming down his face as he held his wife’s hand. Headmaster Ambrose stood on the other side, muttering under his breath and performing spell after spell in an attempt to heal her. Destiny sensed that she was watching time progress quickly, that this scene played out for weeks, perhaps even months, on end, and she wished desperately to leave. This was private. She had no right to be watching.

Time seemed to even out, and Sylvia looked awful. Her face was pale and sunken in, and her whole body was constantly being wracked by her horrible, hacking cough. The circles beneath Malistaire’s eyes were just as dark as his wife’s, and he looked terrible. Ambrose finally lowered his hands, great fear sadness in his eyes. 

“There’s nothing more I can do, Malistaire,” he whispered, “her time has come. I’ll give you privacy for...” he paused, choking up. “For her...her last moments.”

The headmaster left, tears disappearing into his thick beard, and Sylvia stopped a now furious Malistaire from following. 

“My love,” she rasped, “he’s right. You and I know better than anyone that these are forces we cannot overcome.”

Malistaire sobbed, holding his wife’s now boney hands tightly in his own, “I love you my darling, I’ll fix this. I’ll bring you back.”

“No,” she coughed, “Malistaire no, let me go. No one can overcome death. Just be with me now.”

He pressed his head to hers, and she smiled, closing her eyes. Destiny looked away, tears in her own eyes as she listened to Sylvia breathe her final labored breaths. The room was silent - Why isn’t this horrible vision over? - and Destiny slowly turned back to see Malistaire shaking with grief and rage.

“I am the Master of Death, I will bring you back, my love. We will be together again,” he vowed, and the vision began to dissipate.

Blinking again, Destiny found herself back in Sylvia’s tomb. Immediately, she collapsed to the floor under the weight of what she was just forced to witness. Shaking with tears and fear, overwhelmed by the unfair events she’d been thrust into, and the responsibility she’d been given, she remained there until she could breathe properly again. 

Sylvia’s ghost stood over her, looking concerned. Destiny stared at her. How could this healthy and rosy woman be the same one she just saw die? 

“Are you alright, dear?” Sylvia asked, and Destiny couldn't answer. She could only gaze at the ghost with sadness and remorse as she reached out with the knowledge crystal Cyrus gave her and captured the spirit within it. A strange badge fell to the ground, and Destiny pocketed it mindlessly alongside the crystal that she refused to think about. 

She remained on her knees in the tomb for a few moments more, attempting to push everything down and come back to the task at hand. Finally, she wiped her cheeks and rose, turning around to return to Cyrus. She knew she couldn't tell him what she just saw, and focused on planning what she’d say instead. The little things were all that kept her from losing her mind.

She had no idea how she’d ever return to normal when all of this was over.

[eliks-edge]

“But all I’ve been since I was a young wizard is a soldier”

Malistaire’s duel with Nico (click for better quality)

[ronnie92]

ya'll are really into the wizard baddy huh

baddy malistare