#wizard cat academy

[shortshowname]

Hey remember the Magic Cat Academy Google Doodles?

These two have been taking over my sketchbook pages this month.

[trainerbob23]

Everyone in the art community should draw the Google Doodle cat momo.

[keeps-ache]

been telling my siblings 'you would NOT make it in vulcan academy' when they do smth goofy recently and nobody's been able to refute lol

[gg-id-good]

magic cat academy 3

Nice hat cat

[daytaker]

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Search for the best tea spots in the Devildom please. Thank you

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Luke

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[undeadvinyls]

recently rewatched coraline so.....

+ ramblings and original screencaps under the cut

in the au, the ancients + custard iii travel to the blueberry yogurt academy to retrieve some info abt the beasts. until custard gets bored and finds a weird little door just like coraline did.

the dad and mom are white lily and pure vanilla, with their beast counterparts being their other versions. but of course disguised as the ancient heroes

mrs spink and mrs forcible are hollyberry and golden cheese, mr. bobinsky is dark cacao and wybie is wizard

shadow milk, who in this au is the other mother, created the other world and replicas of both the ancients and the beasts, except all with button eyes. he also spies on custard not with a rag doll, but with a marionette

when the world starts to crumble apart, the other ancients start to look more like the beasts, even their soul jams turn around

oh and the cat is constable whiskers and it speaks with almonds voice lmfao

original screencaps + inspos:

[thewritetofreespeech]

Tressym can be Fickle

WORDS: 692 RATING: G PAIRING: Gale x Tav SUMMARY: based on a very real arguement between my husband & I on who our cat likes more.

It had been a long, arduous, grueling day at the academy.

Though Gale loved his new role as a professor and educator, teaching the young minds of witches & wizards all across Faerun to harness their magic, induction week was the worst. He felt his life was in less peril fighting the Elder Brain or any of their other enemies & cohorts along the Sword Coast than he was now. Testing the new inductees to file them accordingly to their skill. ‘Skill’ being a very loose word tossed around this week.

He returned home that evening with a heavy sigh through the door, an even heavier thud of his satchel filled with books, and a desperate need to be tended to by his spouse. The whole day had been about soothing the egos, feelings, and on occasion literal wounds of new students that Gale thought he deserved some tending to now.

“Tav?” He called out as he put his cloak away. Usually, they greeted him at the door. Or at least acknowledged him when he came home. Curious, Gale walked through the house to try and find them. His search not long as he came upon Tav in the living room. On the couch by a low fire, with Tara on their lap. “Well….don’t you two look cozy.”

“Hmm, we rather are Mr. Dekarios.” Tara agreed. “Or at least we were, until someone started shouting.”

“Apologies for shouting in my own house.” Gale snipped at Tara. Taking his own plush armchair across from them. “Since when did you become a lap cat? And, before you get too ruffled under the feathers, it’s a figure of speech.”

Tara hummed. Seeming to debate about not letting it go but was perhaps indeed to comfortable to make a fuss. “Very recently I suppose. I never had an interest until now.” The tressym purred with her eyes closed as she tilted her head up towards Tav and her head scratches.

“You never took an interest with me.” Gale said with a deep frown.

“You do not have nails, Mr. Dekarios.”

The wizard growled and stood up. Unable to watch his dearest friend and lover betray him like this in front of his own eyes. It was still early for dinner but he stalked off towards the kitchen to focus his frustrations on what to eat.

A few moments later, Tav came in. Looking confused on why he was so upset. “Sorry.” He apologized quickly. “It’s just been a long day. And I am glad that you and Tara are getting along now. Guess I’m being….overly sensitive at being shut out. Tressym can be fickle, but I’ve never known Tara to change her mind about anyone. Again, not that I’m not pleased you two are getting along. I just never thought I would suddenly be second in her estimation.”

“Suddenly second? Please Mr. Dekarios.” The couple turned to see Tara trot in. Seeming interested in their conversation. “I wouldn’t say that you were suddenly second. Not given my high esteem of your mother. A better estimate is which one of you is second on the day, and who is third.”

“Really Tara? Kick a man while he’s down??”

“But, I’m a reasonable creature. Perhaps my estimations can be over swayed. Perhaps with a bit of chicken? Fried pigeons if you have any?”

“So a creature of reason but not honor, eh?” Gale stated, with a wave of his hand as if he wish to brush away this whole conversation.

Before he could leave, Tav wrapped their arms around his waist. Pulling him close. The smell of their hair in his nose. Something like ‘you’ll always be number 1 to me’ muffled into his chest, which causes him to smile and hold them back.

They tell Gale to go upstairs and relax. Take a bath if he liked, while they made dinner. That sounded heavenly, so he did just that.

When he came back down, he was not amused by the roast chicken on his plate. Nor the grinning little tressym in the corner, licking her chops like she’d just swallowed a canary. Or, perhaps, her bribery chicken.

[nothazellevesque]

i honestly believe that Professor Gale would somehow become the magical version of whatever educational show your teacher puts on in class when they don’t want to teach. like he just projects himself into the classroom and yaps about magic all class. just a wizard bill nye the science guy. he loves talking about magic so much you KNOW he’d be down to do it if somebody asked him to.

imagine being a student at blackstaff academy. you walk into your abjuration class and there’s a purple see through man standing in front of the class wearing funky robes and doing dorky little gestures. you know it’s gonna be a good class when the teacher busts out the mirror image dude. like yeah sure technically he saved baldurs gate and all that, but why are you asking him about that? he brought a drawing of his cat with him and he’s here to tell you all about how to cast mage armour

[shadowgast-recs-weekly]

Shadowblumendrei Rec List

This week, we're going with wizard polycules! Here are nine fics that feature Caleb/Essek/Astrid/Eadwulf in some form - some a little cute, a lot that are at least a little angsty, and a good amount of hotness besides. Check them out beneath the cut, and comment and kudos if you like them!

amongst the things left unforgiven by nonwal (63958, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: Discussions of suicide; panic attacks

Astrid and Eadwulf keep showing up on Essek's doorstep. Complicated wizard flirting ensues.

Reccer says: The character voices are magnificent and I love the way the relationships are developed. All of them keep trying to out-twisty each other and it's good.

in the light of long-dead things by Anonymous (3426, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: Panic Attack

Astrid needs to stop gasping. If she doesn’t, they will be caught, and it will be Wulf who will be beaten instead of her. Wulf who will spend the week alone in the tower, half-frozen with cold. “What – what are you talking about? Who is Caleb?”

Reccer says: Astrid rarely gets comfort in fic, but this was soft and heartbreaking and a great look at what lies beneath the surface

fledgling pledges by Anonymous (3100, Teen) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

an attempt is made to court the former Shadowhand of the Kryn Dynasty

Reccer says: great fun bits of cultural misunderstanding!

the best of you (belongs to me) by quothhh (2525, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Werewolf sex/knotting

ssek returns home smelling of someone else. Astrid and Eadwulf fix it. Set in an au where the scourgers are werewolves and Bren never broke.

Reccer says: Extremely hot werewolf smut. Enjoy!

The Four of Us Are Dying by Defiler_Wyrm (6892, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Dubcon/Consensual Non Consent, Extremely Dubious Consent

After dinner and too many drinks, Wulf and Astrid invite Caleb and Essek to their bed. They quickly come to regret it

Reccer says: The turn in feelings and vibe part way through is amazing! All the messy feelings are so well portrayed

of the animal saving me by quanshi (burningdarkfire) (2727, General) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Caleb gets a new cat. It took Wulf a full two weeks longer to catch on than he wanted to admit.

Reccer says: Great fun and fluffy

tell me about despair by hanap (10411, Mature) Reccer's Content Notes: Choose Not to Warn

In which the new Archmage of Civil Influence, her sole annex, the former Shadowhand of the Kryn Dynasty, and a weary transmutation professor at Soltryce Academy knit themselves back together, hand in unlovable hand.

Reccer says: This is what I love about the ship- all these damaged people tearing at each other then learning to love again? Yes plz

i'll meet judgement by the hounds by necromanticomedy (yelenavasilyevna) (6553, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: Dubcon/Consensual Non Consent

A casual dinner party somehow turns into an 'insane psychosexual foursome'

Reccer says: I think the 'sex that is astrid holding essek at knifepoint and they're both fully dressed' and 'eadwulf being submissive the way a guard dog is submissive' tags sum up why I love this fic so much. They're all a bit fucked up in the best kind of ways

fill me up (don't break my heart) by SandSunSiliceousOoze (7974, Explicit) Reccer's Content Notes: No Content Notes

Essek asks Caleb about fisting. Caleb is more than happy to demonstrate, with Astrid and Wulf as teachers

Reccer says: I love the teacher roleplay with Caleb as the enthusiastic demonstration subject, as well as the amazing dynamic between all of them

Aeor is for Lovers is an 18+ Shadowgast Discord server. The above fanfic recommendations were pulled from our community for this weekly event. All fics, unless otherwise specified, will primarily feature Shadowgast. Have any questions about what this is? Check out the FAQ! Next week, we’ll be back with Hallmark/Romcom Vibes!

[galedekarios]

Can I ask where the dialogue about gale previously being a professor pre game events is

hello, anon! thank you for the question. the short answer is: there is none!

the longer answer is that as far as we know, he wasn't a professor before the events of the game, but only becomes one in one of his epilogue endings.

we do know gale is a wizard of acclaim and scholar of exceptional accomplishment:

Gale: Let's see. I hail from Waterdeep, the City of Splendours. I'm a wizard of considerable acclaim, and scholar of exceptional accomplishment. I have a cat, a library, and a weakness for a good glass of wine. And if the mood takes me, I'm known to try my hand at poetry. There.

it could mean a number of things of course, we don't exactly know because gale doesn't say what that entails for him, but he likely published works on his research subjects and it's also likely he's worked on spells with tara together since we do know that she invented the 'cat flap of displacement'.

we do also know that gale had pupils prior to the game, but not as a professor:

Player: Do you have much experience being a teacher of magic? I suspect so. Gale: I've had a pupil or two, but never for very long. Their ineptitudes tend to... irk me. Gale: You do seem to be a precocious talent though. I can always tell when I meet with a keen mind receptive to Mystra. Gale: Keep it up and she might just take a personal interest in you one of these days.

again, we know he wasn't a professor or he would've certainly mentioned it in his introduction, as well as it not being such a big part of his epilogue ending, showing his growth and making peace with himself. the way his files frame him becoming a professor also speak against him being so before the game:

This dialogue covers instances where Gale attends the Withers party in a human (non-god) form. His default state is that he returned to Waterdeep and became a professor of Illusory magic at his former school, Blackstaff Academy. General vibe here is that this is a Gale who's found peace with himself - he's a great teacher, one his students are mostly in awe of.

i think it's more likely he either tutored - as that is a very common practise in waterdeep, and even available to the lower classes:

or gale took on a wizard apprentice independently, which... i can sort of see happening. although, it seems he wasn't ready at that point. we can only speculate as to why. perhaps these pupils couldn't keep up with gale, who we do know has a brilliant mind that's always moving, perhaps he wasn't ready yet to take on such a great responsibility while romanticising the idea itself.

what we do know is that he likes sharing knowledge, he wants to impart wisdoms and teachings. not only do we notice that along the journey with gale as a companion, but it's also explicitly a wish revealed by the love test with zethino the dryad:

Zethino: Gale: the learned wizard. The charming gentleman. The walking apocalypse. Zethino: Listen. Think. If the wizard were given the choice, what food would he be? Player: A shiny red apple - wholesome as can be. Gale: Ah, the fruit of scholars. How I long to have a troop of loyal students grace me with apples by the orchard-full in exchange for wisdoms imparted... devnote: Pleased, briefly daydreaming

and that he does grow into his own in the epilogue, through his travels and experiences.

he becomes a great professor, whose students hold him in high regard and whose passion for the position is evident in everything he says during the epilogue.

anyhow, i hope that was helpful! 🖤

[waspgrave]

uhm I want to hear about all three of the d&d characters in those cute portraits you shared but idk who plays the other ones so i'm asking you about all 3 pls

And I shall provide info! I don't know some backstory on them yet so some of this is going to be from my take on them based on interactions so far. I fully encourage anyone to ask the players about their characters, though because both are amazing and creative!

The first one is Caspian who belongs to @aztechnology. 12 STR. 14 DEX. 14 CON. 20 INT. 8 WIS. 15 CHA. Caspian a human chronurgy wizard that emerged from the Yawning Portal in Waterdeep with the help of an adventuring party. His past is a bit shady as he's extremely private and somewhat deflective about personal life. Sometimes his spells backfire and he might experience a magical mishap (like teleporting somewhere randomly). He's incredibly sweet, scholarly, comes across as meek sometimes but has that heroic kick and determination. He's also notorious for rolling and/or enabling the funniest nat20s or 1s. We started the campaign with him trying to get into the Blackstaff Academy as he was supposed to take part of a class - which something bizarre happened and everyone in that class went missing.

Next is Veil! They're my character! 8 STR. 17 DEX. 11 CON. 10 INT. 18 WIS. 16 CHA. Veil is a changeling circle of dreams druid/phantom rogue. She journeyed all the way from her home (Mosstone's druid grove) to Waterdeep for a reason that has yet to be disclosed - She's very vague about it. Veil has never been outside of the grove so just about every experience - good and bad - in Waterdeep is a new one, but she at least has family that lives there to make it easier. She loves mischief, napping, acquiring pretty things and trinkets, and occasionally gambling. We started the campaign with her sneaking into Blackstaff Academy (as a cat) to snoop around on info about her aunt, who sent her a message in her dream that something went wrong during her class.

Then Oliver! He belongs to @lapdogmabari ! 10 STR. 18 DEX. 16 CON. 16 INT. 8 WIS. 14 CHA. Ollie is a tiefling rune knight fighter/artillerist artificer. Noble boy with some saucy little sherlock holmes energy. He's from a very well-known noble family in Waterdeep. He also has asthma after having the plague as a child and he's very sexy about it. He also has a prosthetic arm that has knives and metal chain whips in it and is very sexy about that too, but has yet to reveal how that happened. He comes across as friendly though maybe a bit awkward since he did call Caspian 'Dirt Boy' on account of Caspian coming out of a hole. When corrected on this he asked if 'Cave Boy' was more preferable. We started the campaign with him being the detective to a mystery regarding Blackstaff Academy and he's already doing great with it.

[deconstructthesoup]

Of course I can't just drop an idea into the void and then scamper off for other people to do something with it---I have to do it myself. So, feast your eyes on the DBD fantasy AU:

Edwin is a bookish prince with a love of mysteries and a keen sense of justice, which is a useful trait to have when your kingdom has a habit of letting people fall between the cracks. However, his habit of sneaking out into the kingdom to "assist" the royal guards with cases has gotten him into trouble... specifically, the accidentally-got-captured-by-a-demon-and-was-stuck-in-the-demon-realm-for-a-bit kind of trouble. Because of this, he's been assigned his own personal knight to stick with him at all times---but thankfully, Edwin's new shadow might be more rebellious than he seems...

Charles has only recently been knighted, and got assigned to Edwin due to the fact that they're similar in age and Edwin doesn't have a lot of friends. He got put on the path to knighthood because his father thought it'd be a good way for him to "man up," but surprisingly enough, he actually enjoys being a sword-fighting protector of the realm, even if the other knights have a tendency to be pricks. And Charles is more than happy to help Edwin do some clandestine detective work---hey, as long as he's sticking by him and making sure he doesn't get hurt, he's fulfilling his duties.

Niko is the princess of the neighboring kingdom, and she and Edwin are set to be married when they turn twenty-one---which both of them are fairly fine with, because despite the fact that they're both gay, they've been best friends since they were kids and know full well that it could very well be worse. Ever since her father died, she's been fairly withdrawn and lost, and has retreated even further into her love of books to keep her distracted. But even her newfound isolationist tendencies didn't keep her from briefly contracting a curse when she came into contact with an old magical artifact... a curse that was thankfully broken by her own personal bodyguard-slash-attendant.

Crystal is a recent graduate of a prestigious wizarding academy, and until her final year, she mostly skated by on average grades and the money of her noble parents. However, the summer before her final year, she summoned a demon on a dare, fell for him, and allowed him to possess her... and the experience not only briefly left her with holes in her memory, but was generally a wake-up call to how reckless she was with her magic. Over the following months, she applied herself to her wizardly studies, and got good to the point where she was called in to help cure Niko of a mysterious, multicolored curse that was afflicting her---and once Crystal succeeded, she was immediately handed a position as the junior court mage and Niko's primary attendant. Luckily, the two of them actually wound up getting along pretty fast.

My ideas for the others aren't as thought out, but I'll give you the basics:

Jenny works as the head cook in Niko's palace, and pretty much everybody knows not to mess with her. She's the person who Niko usually goes to for advice, despite the fact that she's really trying to not give off "mom friend" vibes.

The Night Nurse is the royal advisor to Edwin's parents, and is the one who's in charge of the majority of his schooling and general upbringing. While she's incredibly strict, she's still much more present than his actual parents are, and she's kind of unintentionally become his adoptive mom. She'll deny this if you ask her.

Esther is still a scheming witch who's pretty much always up to no good---maybe she's living in a village, maybe she's actually living in the palace as Crystal's mentor, I haven't decided yet---but Monty is her actual son and apprentice who simply has the ability to transform into a crow. And he... needs help.

The Cat King is a fey who Edwin met on a case. They meet up when they can and make out sometimes, though it's strictly a friends-with-benefits situation. He gives Edwin terrible advice on how to talk to boys.

[howlingday]

Once more, the maidens of the seasons gather together in the garden of the wise wizard and cross the seas and rivers of Remnant with smiles as pure as their hearts. Their hearts and minds never sullied; they are clad in clothes as clean as their souls. No crease in their blouses, no wrinkle in their skirts, their ribbons unbothered by the winds of chance. They walk swiftly, yet deliberately. Beacon Academy is the garden of Maidens. (It's also a coed school)

Pyrrha: Hello, my dear viewers~!

Oko Oko Oko Oko OKAMI

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

Pyrrha Nikos. A second-year student at Beacon Academy. President of the student council as well as the class representative. She's pretty, smart, and athletic. In both academia and in public, she's revered as the Invincible Girl.

Pyrrha: ...

Pyrrha: (Thinking) Just as I planned~.

But Pyrrha Nikos, whose life at Beacon seems to be going well, has a secret she can never tell anyone. She was once A DELINQUENT!

Pyrrha: I was once the Unbreakable Mare of Sanctum Academy! In truth, though, my dark past was heavily influenced by reading too many AU fanfics. If I were caught, all the effort I've put into being an honor student would be for nothing! Not that anyone could ever see through my perfect disguise, though.

That's what she thought. Until today, that is.

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

Ruby: (Wolf!Faunus, Looking at cat) Huh? You wanna piece of me? Come at me! (Swinging) Ora ora ora ora ora ora~!

Pyrrha: She's trying to pick a fight with an animal not even up to her knee? Should I help her?

Ruby: (Looks at Pyrrha)

Pyrrha: (Looks away, Looks back)

Ruby: (Death glaring at Pyrrha)

Pyrrha: She's staring at me! Why is she staring so intensely at me?! I'm going to be late if I try to help her. Honor students cannot be late! I'll... I'll just pretend I didn't see her and hurry to school.

Ruby: You're leaving me here? (Pyrrha stops) After seeing me like this, you're still leaving me here?

Pyrrha: Wh-Who, me?! Of course not! You're just playing around and having fun, right? I can't afford to play around right now~!

Ruby: Tomorrow morning, the news will say, "Academy student from Beacon was trapped in a stalemate and died."

Pyrrha: !

Ruby: You've already seen my face, so you'll remember it when you come this way to school.

Pyrrha: !!

Ruby: You'll live to regret this day, every day, thinking, "I should have helped her that day."

Pyrrha: !!!

Pyrrha: OKAY! FINE!

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

Ruby: I LIVED, BITCH~!

Pyrrha: Geez, you're heavy...

Pyrrha: Fuckin' brat- I mean, what were you even doing?

Ruby: I woke up and this cat was in my face.

Pyrrha: Seriously, tell me why!

Ruby: I'm so grateful for you saving my life, MISS DELINQUENT~!

Pyrrha: Oh, please, it was no problem at all-

Pyrrha: "Miss Delinquent"? HUH?! Who do you think you're talking to?!

Ruby: (Poses, Pointing) Why it's you~!

Pyrrha: Wh-What are you even talking about?! Me?! With this beautiful and composed womanly appearance~? A delinquent?! That's just not possible!

Ruby: Really~? Well, you smell like one~.

Pyrrha: Smell like what?

Ruby: My ears are reacting, too! See?

Ruby: (Ears flash red and whirl around)

Pyrrha: What kind of sensor is that?!

Pyrrha: I need to get away from this girl.

Pyrrha: It was a pleasure meeting you, but I really must get to school! (Runs)

Pyrrha: That was too close! How did she know about my dark past? Who is she...?.

Ruby: ...

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

A common trope in school settings, the conveniently-empty seat.

Pyrrha: This is bad! If this new girl says anything weird, my school life will be over! I have to make the first move.

Pyrrha: Good morning~!

Ruby: Oh, hey, you're that girl from earlier!

Pyrrha: So you're a transfer student? My name is Pyrrha Nikos. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask~!

Ruby: Thanks~!

Pyrrha: Maybe this will be okay after all. Maybe I was worrying way too much.

Pyrrha: Call me anything you'd like~!

Ruby: Anything I'd like? Whatever you say, MISS DELINQUENT~!

MISS DELINQUENT... MISS DELINQUENT... MISS DELINQUENT...

O KA

Ozpin: (Jaw drops)

O KA

Ciel/Cardin/Coco: (Stare with wide eyes, Mouths agape)

O KA

Wolves: (Look at Pyrrha with wolf eyes)

O KA okaokaokaoka

Pyrrha: ...Huh?

Ruby: Let's be friends, Miss Delinquent~!

Ozpin: Miss Nikos is a delinquent?

Cardin: Pyrrha of all people?!

Ciel: There must be a mistake!

Pyrrha: A WOLF JUST JOINED OUR CLASS AND THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE CHOOSING TO FOCUS ON?!.

Pyrrha: W-What? A delinquent? I have no idea what you're talking about~! Please don't make such false allegations~!

Ruby: It's what my primal instincts are telling me, though.

Pyrrha: What are you, a wild animal?!

Ruby: ALSO, YOU'RE A VIRGIN.

Pyrrha: ...Huh? HUUUH?!

Ruby: (Pointing to rotating red ears) My ears are reacting, too~!

Pyrrha: WHAT KIND OF SYSTEM IS THAT, ANYWAYS?!

Ozpin: (Smile on her face) Miss Nikos is a virgin?

Cardin: I knew it!

Ciel: Really?

Pyrrha: STAY THE HELL OUT OF THIS, YOU EXTRAS!.

Pyrrha: Wh-What proof do you have that I'm a virgin?

Ruby: So you're saying you're not a virgin?

Pyrrha: (Blushing red) ...

Ozpin: ...

Ciel/Cardin/Coco: ...

Wolves: ...

Pyrrha: (Boutta cry) W-Well... That's...

Virginity confirmed. VIRGIN

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

Pyrrha: Huh?! Who left this wolf kibble on my desk?!

Wolf kibble, made from a mixture of dry canine kibble, fish, meat, bones, rabbit meat, and vegetables. Some interns may be pressured into eating them for laughs, but they are wholly un-nutritional for humans. The kibble, much like the joke, is in poor taste.

Pyrrha: (Turns, Sees Ruby)

Ruby: (Opens her mouth, Waterfall spills out)

Pyrrha: IT WAS HER FOR SURE! Wait, is that drool? What is she, some kind of mascot?.

Pyrrha: Excuse me, Miss Rose, but... What is this~?

Ruby: (Closes mouth, Wipes drool) Just returning the favor~.

Pyrrha: That's not what your face says!

Ruby: You saved my life this morning, right? This is my way of saying thank you!

Pyrrha: Oh, it was no big deal! I don't need any kind of repayment.

Ruby: Oh? (Scoops kibble into her mouth) Kibble ain't 'nuff for ya?

Pyrrha: That's not the issue. Besides, why are you so condescending all of a sudden?

Ruby: How about I give you my instead? (Yoinks off ear)

Pyrrha: They come off?!

Ruby: Here.

Pyrrha: I don't want it!.

Ruby: You can even chew on them~! (Chews)

Pyrrha: Does that even have a taste? Not that I'm willing to try it...

Ruby: It's bland and gamy, but it's super flexible.

Pyrrha: But you're eating it anyways?!

Ruby: If you're going to be like that then here! (Yoinks off other ear) Take this!

Pyrrha: I said I don't want it! And I'm probably not right to say this, but you're ruining your own identity! Without your ears, you're just a normal girl!

Ruby: For someone who saved my life... I'M WILLING TO THROW AWAY MY CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!

Pyrrha: Calm down! It's still too early for you to throw away your character!

It's only the first episode.

Ruby: You don't want my kibble and you don't want my ears. (Puts ears on)

Pyrrha: They come back on?.

Ruby: (Gasps) Could it be?! What you're after is... MY FRAGRANCE?!

Fragrant Meat = Dog Meat

Pyrrha: Why are you assuming I want dog related things?!

Ruby: (Tied up) Fine! Just be quick about it~!

Pyrrha: I'm not going to eat you! And how did you get tied up like that?!

Ruby: I don't have anything else to give you!

Ruby: (Jumps, Kibble falls out) See? Nothing. Not even a cent on me.

Pyrrha: Why do you have more kibble?

Ruby: (On her knees, Bowing) Please! I have nothing left to give!

Pyrrha: Why're you actin' like I'm extortin' ya?! An' fer kibble?!

Pyrrha: (Covers mouth) Crap! I let my old self out!

Coco: Hey, Ruru! You and Pyrrha friends already?

Ciel: It certainly looks that way to me.

Pyrrha: Huh? Ruru?

Ruby: (Poses cutely) That's me! Cute, huh~?

Pyrrha: You're so annoying.

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

Ruby: Oh, Pyrrha-senpai, what're you thinking, bringing me to a place like this~? So... daring~.

Pyrrha: (Blushing) What are you imagining?!

Ruby: That's what I should be asking you.

Pyrrha: H-Huh?! What? I'm not...

Ruby: P-Girl... YOU ARE SUCH A VIRGIN.

Pyrrha: Shut up! And why are you calling me "P-Girl"?

Ruby: It's my brand-new nickname for you! Ruru and P-Girl! Nice, huh?

Pyrrha: This isn't a slice-of-life comedy show! Who said you could come up with nicknames for me?

Ruby: Well, if you don't like it, we can always go back to Miss Delinq-

Pyrrha: P-Girl is fine.

It was fine after all.

Pyrrha: Not that is matters anyways. Now, do you promise not to tell anyone about my secret ever?

Ruby: Huh?

Pyrrha: You see, I worked really hard to be an honor student at this school, and it'd be really troublesome if anyone found out.

Pyrrha: (Kabedon) Tell anyone, and it won't end well for you. GOT IT?

Wolves: (Chewing on paper sign)

Ruby: You mean your secret identity...

Ruby: You mean as a virgin?

Pyrrha: NO! I mean, that, too, but not what I was referring to! Argh... Where do you get off teasing me like that?

Pyrrha: Listen up! Those ears on your head had better be your only joke!

Ruby: ...You're right. My ears do make me look silly...

Pyrrha: Er... No...

Ruby: No one would ever like a girl with wolf ears. What even is a wolf, anyways? I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.

Pyrrha: I get it. She's lived her whole life with people talking about her appearance. And yet I... To hell with being an honor student! I've failed as a decent human being!.

Pyrrha: I- I'm sorry! I don't care about your ears!

Ruby: (Takes off hair and ears) How 'bout this~?

Pyrrha: (Staring in horror)

P-Girl, frozen in fear, was unable to ask where her ears started.

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

Ruby: (Picks up box, Stumbles)

Pyrrha: (Catches box) Fine. I'll help you.

Ruby: Really? You will~?

Pyrrha: Y-You're hurt. Who know what'll happen if I leave you alone in here.

Ruby: Yahoo! Thank you~!

She is, without a doubt, a tsundere.

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

Ozpin: I'm so glad you'll be joining the Wolf Club, Miss Nikos!

Pyrrha: Oh, of cour- What? Wolf Club?

Ozpin: As promised, feel free to use this room as much as you'd like!

Ruby: Hooray~!

Pyrrha: Wait a minute! What in the world is a Wolf Club? And who said I would be joining?

Ozpin: Oh? You didn't hear about it?

Ruby: I founded the Wolf Club!

Pyrrha: What the hell kinda club is that?!

Ozpin: I promised Miss Rose that if she cleaned up this place, she could use it has her club room.

Ruby/Ozpin: (High-five) RIGHT~?

Pyrrha: "RIGHT~!" MY ASS!. I can't be seen in a crazy club like this!.

Ozpin: I'm so glad to see you, Miss Nikos. You're so kind and caring.

Ruby: You're like a big sister~!

Pyrrha: (Lightly blushes)

Ozpin: You're so cheerful and kind, this is bound to be a good club.

Ruby: A real home away from home~!

Pyrrha: (Smiling, Blushing)

Ozpin: And you're so smart, you might win some kind of award!

Ruby: We could even get into the World Circuit~!

Pyrrha: (Beaming, Giggles)

Ozpin: With you on board, the Wolf Club can only do incredible things!

Pyrrha: LEAVE IT TO ME~!

P-Girl is a pushover.

Ozpin: Miss Rose, please out this club approval form.

Ruby: Okay~!

Ruby: "Club Name: Wolf Club".

Ruby: "Club President: Pyrrha Nikos".

Ruby: "Activities: Mainly taking care of wolf".

Pyrrha: Wait a minute! Why am I the club president?

Ruby/Ozpin: You're the club president, P-Girl/Miss Nikos.

Pyrrha: How are you two in agreement?! This is the Wolf Club, right? There's a literal wolf right here! Why not make her the club president?

Ruby: Oh, I get it! But it says right her that the Wolf Club mainly takes care of wolf.

Pyrrha: Well, yes...

Ruby: I will be the club's resident wolf, you see.

Pyrrha: The Wolf Club's resident wolf?

Ozpin: And the president takes care of her~!

Ruby: That's you, P-Girl~!

Pyrrha: I am not on board with this. What kind of club takes care of wolves? Is this a wildlife preserve club?

Ruby: And here! Submitted!

Ozpin: I accept your submission!

Pyrrha: SO EASILY?!

Ozpin: Miss president, I am counting on you to look after Miss Rose.

Ruby: I am in your care~!

Pyrrha: ...Fine.

Having said "Leave it to me!" with a smile, it was too late for P-Girl to back down.

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

Ruby: Okay, let's start by giving me a good brushing.

Pyrrha: You have got to be kidding me! And what's with this weird brush?!

Ruby: It's an animal brush. (Snuggling)

Pyrrha: ...Fine! Let's just get this over with already!

Pyrrha: (Brushing Ruby) Dammit... Why me?

???: (In the bushes)

Pyrrha: Am I going to have to do this all the time?

Ruby: (Being brushed)

???: (Gripping so hard her fingers bleed) YOU DAMN PEST!

Y-YIKES! I have no idea what's going on, but it looks like the Wolf Club's fight has just begun!

[captainjacklyn]

Twisted Wonderland x Dragon!Yuu PART 3

Context : Yuu is dragged by the headmaster to who knows where while they carry on their arms, a very feisty fire cat. Upon arriving in the room full of strangely dressed people, a couple of incidents happen to take place just a couple of minutes later.

Tag List : @candlewitch-cryptic

Warning(s) : none really, fire with butts on fire, riddle is mean like he canonically was in the prologue, if I missed anything please notify me.

Prologue [Fiery Issue] - Episode 2 :

loud sounds of footsteps and incomprehensible mumbling could be heard across the hallway. A confused dragon in human form tried to reason with the presumably called 'headmaster crowley' to explain their situation, all while handling a very angry raccoon aggressively biting their hand.

"Sir Crowley, you must understand that there is a huge misunderstanding, I woke up here out of sheer coincidence and not once was I informed of attending a school for humans- I mean wizards. I myself aren't fit for such a position considering my level with magic-" He was quick to cut them off with a statement of his own, "There is no need to utter such nonsense ! The school wouldn't just pick up a student on the street to attend in this prestigious establishment ! Consider yourself lucky and flattered !" while saying the last part he smiled in satisfaction.

[lucky how exactly ?] Yuu thought to themselves while trying to keep their composure and find a way to tell them to let you go without revealing your identity. Of course you could just do so and get on with it, but not everyone reacts very well to the revelation. "MMHMHM !" the irritated fire cat muffled out it's own claims but to no avail as Yuu gripped him a little tighter and spoke under their breath. "Hush, you'll get back home in a minute, just calm down alright ?" "mmhm.." they groggily groaned back and the struggling temporarily stopped.

______________________________________________________________

Mirror Chamber - Entrance ceremony

Chatter filled the room as students began to get up from their seats to head out with their assigned group. "Is that all for the new student dorm assignments ? Listen up new students. Here in Heartslabyul I am the rules, break them and its off with your head." a red haired boy spoke firmly, another man with Lion ears followed with an introduction of his own. "..Uuugh. The stuffy ceremony is finally over. We're going back to the dorms, Savannaclaws follow me.."

"To the new students, congratulation on entering this academy. Enjoy your life here to the fullest." a confident boy with glasses welcomed the other individuals, "As the dormitory leader of Octavinelle, I will support you to the best of my abilities." then, a beautiful man brought the attention to something else, "By the way, where did the headmaster go ? he flew out right in the middle of the ceremony.." "abandoning his post.." A floating tablet commented.

"Did he get a stomach ache or something ?" another boy with a turban added his own assertion, only to be interrupted by the sound of doors slamming open and the voice of said headmaster. "Not at all !" "Ah he's here." the red haired boy uttered once more. "I cannot believe you all. We were missing one new student so I went to find them." crowley explained as he then turned his attention to Yuu, "You are the only one yet to be assigned a dormitory. I shall watch over the raccoon, step in front of the Dark Mirror."

[....I should just play along and hope that relic doesn't prove that strange man right...How could I go from one of the admirals of the Harmony faction to a human pupil..] Yuu let their mind run free as they hesitantly walked towards the Dark mirror that soon asked, "State thy name." [..In the name of Thor..I'm going to have to curse this artifact..] "Yuu/(Name)." their (e/c) eyes lighting up faintly whilst answering.

"The shape of thy soul is.." it continued, but didn't keep going as if waiting for something to happen.

"..." it's 'eyebrows' lifted, surprised. Yuu waited for an answer, the suspense making them somewhat tense up.

[..it's working..]

"..........." the Dark Mirror's expression turned to confusion.

[...how long does this last.]

"........................." it then started to presumably frown.

[...so..?]

"I do not know." [YES !] Yuu lifted their fist up to try and inaudibly express their relief with success in being able to cast a spell. "Come again ?!" Crowley exclaimed, "I sense not a spark of magic from this one..No color, no shape, all are nothing. therefore they are not suited for any dormitory." [harsh.] for all that, they didn't really need to care anymore, as long as the result was what they wanted. "It was as I told you, I do not possess any magical prowess."

"But an ebony carriage would absolutely never go meet someone who can't use magic !" he tried retorting Yuu's claims, "In 100 years there has not been a mistake in student selection. So why in the world.." he placed an thinking hand under his chin, not realizing that his grip on the fur ball loosened. "Mghmgh..Pah !" it yanked it's head away, seemingly angry about the whole ordeal as it declared : "Then I'll take their place !" The headmaster snapped out of his trance and tried scolding it, "Stay right there ! Raccoon !"

"Unlike that dumb human, I can use actual magic ! Let me in the school instead !" the raccoon defended itself, "if you need proof I'll show you right now !" it continued before positioning itself on all four and inhaling a strong breath in. As if to understand what was coming next, the red haired boy yelled out "Everyone get down !"

"Nnaah !" the talking cat puffed out his infamous fireball, "Waah ! Hottt! My butt's on fire !" the boy in the turban panicked as fire caught on his backside, "Tch ! Suck ups.." the man with lion ears groaned. The beautiful student from earlier couldn't help but comment on the lion's irritation, "Hmm ? Aren't you good at hunting ? Doesn't it look like a nice, plump snack ?" The beastman snapped back, "Why me ? Do it yourself." the boy with the turban was jumping up and down trying to get rid of the flames on his back side. "Umm, hey, could someone put out my butt fire already ?!" he screamed.

"At this rate the school will be a sea of fire ! Somebody catch that raccoon !" [can he get rid of anymore responsibilities...?] the dragon in disguise human let out an exasperated sigh "Hey." a stern voice broke the commotion, Yuu stood in front of the source of chaos.

"huh ?" it's eyes widened in confusion, "Fnagh ! You ! How did you get here so quickly ?!" it yelped in surprise, not knowing how this strange being shifted from one place to another without making a sound. "I told you to calm down earlier, did I not ? Is it that hard for you to not cause trouble ? That creature really acts like a member of the chaos faction.." they mumbled the last part under their breath as they stared down at the grey haired fur ball. Meanwhile, it was too busy being paralyzed out of fear, why was its fur standing on end ? Surely it isn't that intimidated.

The next thing that was expected to happen was a blow, but nothing came. "Stop. it." Yuu scolded as they aggressively patted his head, slowly pushing him down. "You. need. to. stop. You're quite literally burning down the school you so dearly wish to attend." They began to tap grim with their fingers in an attempt to annoy him to end his foolish acts.

Surprisingly..

It did work.

I hope you stay tuned for part 4 !

[saneijeijei]

Academy of Sword and Magiс

[1\?]

Penelope and Callisto's relationship begins six months before the young woman's debut. Eckhart is in love with the Crown Prince and believes that her feelings are mutual. They meet secretly, knowing that neither the duke nor the emperor will support their relationship due to political tension inside the capital. They do not show their feelings and what they know in public, for fear of being revealed.

But after Yvonne returns, everything changes. Callisto rejects Penelope and laughs if she talks about their relationship, saying that she allegedly made them up. Heartbroken Penelope barely remembers how the debut is going, how the terrible thing happens - the poisoning of Yvonne.

The whole family blames her for this, not wanting to listen to any excuses and evidence. Left completely alone under a house ban in her room, the young woman did not know what to do when an angry Callisto came to her, wanting to avenge his new lover.

Penelope, miraculously manages to survive this meeting and escape.

Thanks to the low-ranking magic she learned, after the events of the hunting competitions, she was able to leave the capital and go to the most remote part of the empire, where she wanted to settle down and start living again, hoping that the duchy, like the Crown Prince, would not search for her anymore. They enjoying happy life with the real daughter of the Eckhart family.

But she didn't know at all how she could make money here. The jewelry and the torn dress that she was wearing, she sold for good money on the first day. But money tended to run out, and it was a bad idea to think about work when they were completely gone. Climbing into her small travel bag, Penelope found a fragment of a Mirror.

"What a useless garbage," she snorted and wanted to throw it into the swamp, as the shard began to shine brightly in her hands, showing her and the fact that she put the shard of the mirror back in the bag and went somewhere. "What the hell?"

Thinking about it, she decided not to throw it away and watch. Maybe the thing wasn't as useless as she thought it was. In the evening of the same day, after a hearty snack and going into the room she rented in a tavern, she took out a fragment and tried to make it show at least something other than a reflection again. But nothing worked. Giving up, she muttered: "Maybe I was dreaming.."

The shard shone again. Penelope looked there and saw herself creating something out of boards and fabric. Finally, she understood how it worked and figured out how to make money.

"Wizards? You mean the charlatans?" the owner of the tavern was perplexed with the guest's question. "If you need useless freeloaders, then they live on the outskirts of the city, towards Aunt Dor's farm. One of them also has such a strange sign.. With a cat? Or something similar to it."

Thanking for the information, Penelope went to the local wizard. The middle-aged man was immensely pleased with her until he realized that she was rather not his client, but just a random passerby who was unlikely to give money.

"I need a room. For divination, I see the future of people and can help them find out the truth." Penelope explained.

"A fortune teller? I hardly believe it, but if you pay rent, I will be glad to consider you a fortune teller" the man happily rubbed his hands, hoping for a promising income in his pocket from another "charlatan".

What was his surprise when the number of customers in a small fortune-teller's room became more and more every month. At first, the young woman did not charge her clients who were residents of a small town. Satisfied and especially impressionable, they told their visit to Penelope to their neighbors, and those to other neighbors from the neighboring village, spreading the story further and further.

In addition to ordinary citizens, aristocrats began to visit it, although not of the upper class, but still. From earls to viscounts. Fearing that she might be recognized, Penelope decided to furnish the room with an entourage and wear a suit that hides her eyes and hair. In it, she looked like a mystical fortune teller whose gaze is hidden from the visitor.

The fee for services grew, Penelope paid the wizard money for rent and assistance in servicing clients. A simple room has turned into a real mystical corner with incense and magical objects, one view showing that a real member of the magical world works here.

But in addition to the man, a nanny settled in the house, who looked after little Judith, who required a lot of attention and time, which Penelope did not have because of constant work and a desire to feed and provide a comfortable future.

Until one day, a strange old man comes to her for a foresighted session, asking her to tell about him and his past. Of course, she had similar clients who, due to illness, forgot where they lived or something important that they needed to remember and she did not charge them, letting them go with a pure soul to their loved ones.

But this old man was definitely not that kind of person. His past was filled with horror and death. A shard of a mirror reflecting fragments of the past into a glass ball chilled the blood in her veins. The old man, with a certain weariness and sadness in his eyes, watched his past.

"Let the Mirror show what will happen when I leave the city," he asked. "How do you know--?.." asked Penelope, frightened. "I know a lot of things, child. And I know that very soon the knight's guard will arrive here and take you to the capital. Aren't you, as one of the last representatives of the ancient magicians, afraid to be on your knees again in court for something you didn't do?" "Wh-what?.." "Ask the Mirror to show you if you think I'm lying, child. My name is Uwe, I am an elder from a small town where ancient magicians and ordinary magicians who were expelled from their lands live. I've heard a lot about your abilities and I see that you can use a fragment of an ancient magical artifact - the Mirror of Truth. This is amazing and truly an innate talent that not everyone can possess. I've come to help you. There aren't many like you and me left, but there is a place where you and your daughter will be safe. I can offer my protection and help so that you can live in peace without hiding behind all this masquerade. But we don't have much time and we need to decide right now."

Penelope looked at the flashing Mirror of Truth and clenched her hands into a fist nodded to the man. She needed to escape anyway if the imperial knights were already heading here. There's no reason for her to stay in this city. And Judith, too.

Seven years later, the empire makes a truce with the ancient magicians after a fierce struggle against Leila. In order to consolidate the alliance, the emperor and the elders sign a trade agreement on the purchase and sale, as well as participation in the cutting of precious stones for magical weapons. The Empire also creates conditions for magicians so that they can receive education and not be infringed on their rights.

In order to strengthen the established relations, an academy is being built on the territory of the empire, where both people and wizards will study in the same building in order to create a new generation that will rely on each other. Duke Eckhart's (Derrick) adopted daughter, 7-year-old Nora, and other children from aristocratic families become one of the elementary school students. Nora was a reserved but very kind child who was bullied despite the authority of her family.

The girl was taken from a shelter sponsored by the Eckhart family. Nora, who had lost her parents and was left completely alone, appreciated the duchy for sheltering her and giving her the opportunity to get an education that her own father could not have dreamed of. She was a timid and kind girl who knew that if she rebuffed her abusers, she could be worse off because of it, and not them at all. She kept silent about it and endured, pretending that she was not upset at all by the words of her peers.

Fortunately, by the beginning of the year, her roommate did not come because of family problems, so the first months of study the whole room was in her harness and no one could tell classmates how she cried, remembering all the hurtful things that other children did to her.

On one of the everyday school days, the girls called her behind the building to talk about her being too smart during math lessons. But as soon as the main offender managed to open her mouth, dirty water poured on top of her, which was used to wash the floor in the classroom. Offended girls screamed promising to take revenge on prankster until she saw who did it.

"You shouted too loudly, it prevented me from calmly preparing for the lesson," said a golden-haired girl looking out of the window with a bucket in her hands. "Oh, I'm sorry, Judith!..We're leaving!" classmates immediately ran away with a bully, apparently not wanting to get involved with a stranger.

Nora wanted to thank the savior, but Judith quickly lost interest and went back to class closing the window without saying anything. Eckhart spent the rest of the day in peace and quiet. Tired of the amount of knowledge she had gained, Nora went into her room and realized with horror that the same girl was sitting on the next bed.

"Hi, I'm Judith and I'm your roommate."

[pbjelly90]

I’m rewatching/rereading or checking out for the first time a lot of Sherlock media lately and after seeing the teaser for Knives Out 3, it’s got me thinking about fictional detective characters. I haven’t thought this through completely, but I was trying to decide how I’d rank my favorites throughout various mystery and crime media.

Of course I’m also happy to hear anyone else’s plugs for their favorites I’ve overlooked or not seen before too, so share if you’ve got ‘em and you happen to see this! Would love to see more female led detective stories and queer detective stories.

I’m thinking off the top of my head that my top 15 or so list goes something like this (might end up making this a top 20 or more as I keep adding to it lol) -

1. Sherlock Holmes - This is pretty obvious given the very few things I’ve posted about and my reblogs. The detective that truly got me into mystery stories about 20 years ago. I started reading a collection of the original stories I came across at a Borders bookstore and got hooked from there. I think Watson is what really sold me on Holmes, he humanizes him, givens him more of an emotional anchor. I also have always appreciated how flawed he is. Some genius characters are over the top, but he’s always had some genuine struggles like his drug use. And in the books he even admits Mycroft is better than him at deduction, just lazier with the legwork. My current favorite incarnations may be the original from the books and the Yuumori version, but credit due to the BBC version because I was obsessed the first two seasons in. I love that he’s in the public domain so we can get so many creative takes on him and his world and stories. I’ve been to the Holmes museum at 221 B Baker Street in London (an address they made just for the museum) and seen the statue of him honoring Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in Edinburgh. One of my top favorite fictional characters of all time. If you mention he’s in something, chances are, I’m gonna read/watch it.

2. Harry Dresden - Should probably be no surprise that as a fantasy and mystery fan, I’m a big fan of novels that started off as private detective stories with a wizard on the case. The series gets away from its detective roots later on in favor of bigger plots, but I always enjoyed seeing Harry mix workmanlike detective methods with practical magic. He’s no genius, but he’s clever and willing to mix it up sometimes to see what shakes out. I’d like to think Marcone is the closest thing to his version of a Moriarty, his criminal counterpart. There’s a grudging respect of sorts there even if they dislike the other’s methods. I love Harry and his stories so much I went to Chicago years back just to geek out at some spots from the books (and see Sue!) so he definitely deserves a spot on this list.

3. Ron Kamonohashi - This is a very close race between him and Benoit Blanc, but Ron wins out. He’s got a Watson like character with Toto, which I always appreciate (let Benoit’s hubby come along sometime?) and he’s very Sherlock coded with his little quirks (black sugar syrup is his drug lol) and dependence on mysteries for mental stimulation. Also his dynamic with the police. I enjoy his relationship with Blue and the characters from the academy very much. And I’m very curious to see how the Moriarty connection plays out. He’s just such a silly and I wish the manga was out in physical form in English, I love him and he’s my blorbo. He feels like Sherlock from an Ace Attorney game even more than Herlock Sholmes from The Great Ace Attorney did. This anime feels very much made for me like Yuumori feels. Also his cat is adorable. 💕

4. Benoit Blanc - I enjoy him so dang much. I’d love to see a book adaptation of Knives Out but I wonder how much of how charm is how well Daniel Craig plays him and how much fun you can tell he’s having. Love his relationship with his hubby, his accent, his dress sense, and how he just stumbles into these intricate mysteries with crazy rich folks (and helps support the women who’ve been wronged by them so they can take matters into their own hands to set things right.) I’m delighted they’re continuing to make these movies. I’d take a graphic novel too if not traditional books.

5. Shawn Spencer - Had to bump everyone down this list, how could I forget about Shawn from Psych? He’s definitely more on the strong personality end for detectives, quirky, more interested in romance, and much more extroverted than many examples. I love his friendship with Gus and also his relationship with his father always gave him more depth. Seeing how his father trained him up from a young age, sometimes at great personal cost between them, was an interesting spin on how a genius detective gained their special skills. Also the show is just so dang fun and silly. As a person, I’d probably find Shawn a bit annoying IRL, but I greatly enjoy his misadventures with Gus to rein him in. Lassie is totally his Lestrade. And Shawn’s last name is a Robert B Parker reference to Spenser, isn’t it?

6. Sam Vimes (and the rest of the Watch) - Vimes only doesn’t score higher here because somehow he feels like more of a cop or protector than detective? His emphasis has never been completely about just unraveling mysteries but more focused on defending Ankh Morpork, especially the common people, and delivering justice. Jingo, Night Watch and Thud are three of my all time favorite books of his, with Night Watch as one of my favorite books of all time. Feet of Clay is probably his main detective turn in my memory, as the later books see him have to take on more of a diplomatic role with different responsibilities. Angua and Cheery get a shoutout here as also being highly competent members of the Watch. Carrot has his moments too. Vimes and the rest of the Watch are notable on this list as the some of the very few ranked who are part of actual law enforcement and not some sort of private consulting detective. The Discworld books and the Watch books in particular were formative reading for me back in my teenage years and further cemented my interest in crime stories (and caring curmudgeon characters like Vimes.) Hugh Laurie would play a great Vimes.

7. Amy Santiago & Rosa Diaz (Brooklyn 99 Squad) - The only other official members of law enforcement on this list so far. Jake gets most of the focus and cases, and similar to Shawn Spencer, I enjoy him as a character even if he’d probably be annoying IRL. Love Terry and Holt as the two leaders and mentors of the squad. But my biggest shoutout here is to Amy and Rosa, I would adore a spinoff with them as the Sleuth Sisters solving cases together. Two skilled, nuanced Latina detectives with their own distinctive, non-stereotypical personalities and an awesome friendship? Yes please. They’re what carries this squad way up the list, even if the cases in this show aren’t usually as complex as some of the others, with the focus more on comedy.

8. Hercule Poirot - Been years since I last read the novels, but I’ve always enjoyed him as a little fussy looking Belgian fellow that folks underestimate. He’s got a different approach from Holmes. He likes a dramatic ending reveal. He always seems like he knows a joke others don’t, has a twinkle in his eye. I devoured a lot of the Agatha Christie stories back in the day, and Poirot’s personality maybe isn’t as strong on the page as Holmes, but I feel that’s more to give the reader a chance to feel like they’re the detective figuring it out alongside him. It’s almost like reading along with a silent protagonist at times in a video game. Part of this is due to the fact that Poirot novels never have one consistent narrator, which allows Christie to do some creative things with the narrator and have them take different roles in the story, but it also means we never really have a POV character who understands and describes Poirot on the same level as Watson does for Holmes (at least not that I remember? Apparently Arthur Hastings is in 7 novels at least but I guess he did not make as much of an impression on me. He appears to be more prominent in the David Suchet TV show.)

9. Conan Edogawa - I never finished Case Closed / Detective Conan because it’s crazy long, but it’s a very nostalgic show for me and I very much enjoyed the many episodes I watched back in the day. Conan is a genius, probably to an over the top degree, but his difficulties in working around being stuck as a kid helped add some stakes and obstacles in his stories and felt very relatable as a younger person interested in mysteries growing up. I wonder if they’d ever consider doing a reboot series someday with much fewer episodes, so we’d get a conclusion without needing to watch over 1,000 episodes.

10. Enola Holmes - A little Mary Sueish and teenage wish fulfillmenty, but dangit she’s fun. Essentially a younger teenaged Sherlock with a touch more people skills? Fighting back against the misogyny of her time period. I have a feeling if she came out back when I was a teen and first reading Holmes, I’d be obsessed. I’m curious to check out her books, I don’t mind if they’re more YA oriented if the mysteries are solid.

11. Ranpo Edogawa (and the whole armed detective agency from BSD) - I love and enjoy Ranpo and he very much has spoiled little brat energy. Fukuzawa as his dad figure brings me much joy. However, I also find him and most characters from Bungo to be over the top geniuses, to the point where they no longer feel very grounded as human. Sherlock often feels still believable to me, that someone could specialize to his degree and be that effective, but the BSD characters have always felt supernaturally competent. But with that aside, they’re also often very fun. Given that Ranpo doesn’t have any other superpowers, unlike other geniuses like Dazai or Fyodor, I can allow “ultra deduction” to be his. But Atsushi and Kunkida feel way more grounded and they’re the heart of this group. Love Yosano and Kenji too. Fukuzawa is my favorite but does little detective work usually, leaving that up to the team. I would have enjoyed seeing Aya and Bram be a detective team within the ADA. 😢

12. Nancy Drew - I read these so long ago but these books definitely contributed to my interest in detective stories growing up. I don’t remember many distinctive traits of Nancy now, but I have to give her credit for nostalgia and sparking my interest in mysteries back then. Has there been a modern day update of these?

13. Spenser - Got into these novels by Robert B. Parker at some point back in my twenties, as they were always mentioned in early blurbs for The Dresden Files as a point of comparison, Spenser crossed with Merlin. Very pulpy detective stories, a lot like the Maltese Falcon. Not the most feminist, got plenty of film noir type tropes, but the mysteries were compelling. I can’t say Spenser was necessarily likable, but he had the workman like detective style you find in Dresden that I appreciated. Not a genius like Holmes, he truly had to stir things up sometimes, make a lot more mistakes, and in general do extra legwork. Wouldn’t mind seeing someone update him for modern day somehow.

14. Anita Blake - Does she count here? I’ve found a sad lack of female detectives, maybe that’s because I’ve largely read older stories in the genre? She, like Dresden, started off more detective (and huntress) and since then has changed. Unlike Dresden however, I gave up on Anita’s series around book 10. I enjoyed her early on although she definitely had some viewpoints I did not agree with, I enjoyed the St Louis setting and urban fantasy elements. I think the Sookie Stackhouse mysteries are in a similar area of the country, also with vampires? Maybe I’ll give those a try.

A tie below perhaps for number 15?

Adrian Monk - I’ve only watched a few episodes of Monk, never got super into it, but he gives me Poirot vibes with how fastidious he is. Eventually I’ll try watching a bit more of this.

Miss Marple - Curious to see how these books compare to Poirot. I started one ages ago but didn’t finish it, got sidetracked. I’ve seen now someone has written a book with characters based on Holmes, Marple and Poe? (Interesting that it’s not Dupin.) Curious to see how that’s handled since Marple I don’t believe is public domain? Some Poirot is, but not her yet to my knowledge.

Auguste Dupin - Read The Purloined Letter, but not the other stories yet that I recall. I don’t remember Dupin himself having any traits that particularly stuck with me, but he is the proto fictional detective so I have to give credit there.

Sam Spade - Similar to Dupin, Sam Spade sets up the proto tropes for his genre of detective story, the more film noir type story. But otherwise he wasn’t super memorable to me, perhaps because he only had the one. Spenser takes a lot of inspiration from him.

Philip Marlowe - Ditto for the above. Read The Big Sleep, can’t recall if there were more that I read? But he helped establish the genre.

Nero Wolfe - I think I have read one of these, but I'll be honest, I don't remember it very well. Probably due to give this series another shot.

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Honorable mentions: For characters that are not technically detectives by title, but still solve mysteries, or aren’t the lead in their respective stories -

Richard Ranasinghe de Vulpian - I first picked up volume one of the Jeweler Richard light novels because the boys on the cover are pretty, but I bought it because it was described as having mystery elements online and that the two leads would work through cases together. It’s shifted some in focus since then, but Richard is certainly like a detective for jewel related matters. He’s a bit of a Holmes figure, brilliant with specialized knowledge, clever, good at reading people, British, and Seigi is like his warm hearted Watson, good in a fight, deeply loyal. Yet another reason why I love these boys.

Maomao from Apothecary Diaries - Technically not a detective, but she does so much investigating and I love her. Her work sometimes even extends to non-medical cases, she truly has a lot of knowledge but it feels believable with her fixation on medicines / poisons and her upbringing, particularly with her adoptive dad’s mentorship and training. Love hearing her infodump on plants in particular.

All the Ace Attorney lead characters do so much investigating. I recently saw a post that said Phoenix is more of a skilled investigator rather than a lawyer, and they are not wrong. Herlock Sholmes is very silly and I need to finish GAA to really properly judge him, but I’ve seen him invent more than I’ve seen him deduce. I love Ema Skye and would love to see her get her own investigations game, really enjoy seeing her geek out over forensics and working cases once she lands her dream job. Gumshoe is precious but not the best at his job.

Jack Reacher technically doesn’t have a job anymore? But he was an MP and does investigate nearly as much as he fights. I read a fair number of his books when I wanted to learn how to write fight scenes better, and learned some other helpful details while following this series too, particularly about firearms. I like the new Amazon tv adaptation of these stories so far too. Reacher has earned a shoutout here on this list.

The first two Paper Mario games have at least one detective chapter, usually a very silly take on Agatha Christie like tropes, and I enjoy them very much. Give me a full detective spinoff in the Paper Mario world please. Detective Peach from Princess Peach Showtime maybe? Daisy as her Watson? I liked her cases but they were short and the mechanics got a little repetitive, gameplay-wise.

Also in video games, Professor Layton is technically an archaeologist and professor, but he certainly ends up solving quite a few mysteries. I haven't finished all of his games because I'm actually quite crap at a lot of kinds of puzzles, but I enjoy him very much.

House, MD - for a much harsher take on a Holmes like figure, with his own Watson in an actual practicing doctor, Dr Wilson. Ties back into Holmes inspiration coming from a real world medical doctor, Dr. Joseph Bell. I was really into this show for a few years, but House could be so acerbic at times I stopped caring for it as much. Especially when he would be a dick to Cuddy.

Neal Caffrey from White Collar does a lot of investigating and would be a clever detective type in another show, but here as a CI he gives me more Arsene Lupin gentleman thief vibes.

The leads from Cowboy Bebop do have to do a lot of tracking down criminals and investigating, but as bounty hunters, they’re generally after folks who have already been identified as major suspects or convicted, so they don’t quite fall under the umbrella of detectives. Still I love this show and it also added to my interest in crime stories and influenced my writing since I was a teen.

Spy characters in crime stories like James Bond, Twilight / Loid, etc - these guys do some investigation as well, but this is like a whole additional category on its own. Big fan of this genre typically as well, had someone recommend Alex Rider for a YA take on the genre.

I’ll probably continue adding to this post as I think of more fictional detectives to ramble about. 😆