#the great feud between witches and wizards
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Essential Avengers: Avengers #235: Havoc on the Homefront!
September, 1983
Welcome to the Wizard’s Mansion of Mechanized Mayhem!
This cover has got it going on!
Where “it” is “multiple things.”
Still, I love covers that are just like ‘here’s a couple things happening today’ and this is a great version of that concept with the things being viewing screens that the Wizard is looking at.
He’s watching the Avengers in various peril channel.
This is a good cover!
So last time: uh, a couple things. Wasp called Vision and Scarlet Witch in as reservists when Annihilus tried to blow up the universe with an invisible dome. The two basically contributed nothing but Vision was thrown into a robotic coma.
Wanda and Vision in a tube moved into the mansion while he recovers and Wanda recapped her entire backstory including new retcon that Magneto is totally her dad.
Then she had a Dr. Strange crossover. Since it also involved Monica, two Avengers makes it notable enough to synopsize in brief. And its titled Assault on Avengers Mansion! so its like its baiting me.
Dr. Strange astral projects to bother Wanda when she’s trying to get some grief reading in. He wants to find the Darkhold and she’s the last known possessor or vice versa because thats when she was possessed by Cththon and had to be saved with a care bear stare from the Avengers. But Dr. Strange really wants the Darkhold to stop Dracula from getting it. Yes, Dracula.
Since the Darkhold is being stored in a vault at Avengers Mansion after Beast brought it back from Wundagore, Dracula’s cult attacks and manages to break into the Mansion. Dr. Strange, Wanda, and Captain Marvel all fight off Dracula’s cult and then Dr. Strange trolls Dracula by teleporting the Darkhold somewhere else.
Also, Avengers Mansion got trashed in a break-in in Fantastic Four #257. Dammit. Whats with all the intertextuality in this era?
So that story there is: mostly a lot of Galactus eating the Skrull homeworld and fallout from aforementioned Annihilus story. Only the last two pages are relevant.
Mr. Fantastic shows up to Avengers Mansion to check on Vision, Wanda goes to make him tea, and then he’s teleported to a space trial leaving a giant melted hole in the mansion.
Honestly, I don’t know why FF got asterisked instead of the Dr. Strange issue. They both messed up the mansion but the Dracula cult was more of a break-in than someone leaving a giant hole in the wall. Although that’s more mysterious.
Anyway, with two different ‘read this also’s between issues that messed up the mansion, no wonder the opening splash has to be devoted to a repair crew patching things up.
Wasp is putting her size-shifting to good use to literally micro-manage. Zipping around at tiny size telling everyone how to do their job.
Captain America who is also supervising and impressing people with how buff he is gets annoyed and goes to tell her to stop but stops himself.
Captain America: No... No. She’s in charge here, and I have to let her handle things as best she can. Her methods do seem to bring results... They’re just not my methods, that’s all. Yeah...
And then he sulks off, ignoring Wasp when she asks what he’s muttering to himself.
Hm. The new leader honeymoon period is off, it seems. Cap was Wasp’s biggest supporter as chairperson and now he’s grumbling and second-guessing.
Dang.
I hope this isn’t snapback to Wasp not being leader because she’s flighty and silly. I hope we’re not just going to do that.
Cap wanders over to where Vision-inna-tube and Wanda are. Wanda is still glued to Vision’s side. And either Wanda can read minds or Cap says something between panels because we have Cap wondering in a thought bubble whether if Vision has shown any signs of improvement and then Wanda answering that he hasn’t shown improvement or worsened.
Cap(tain) America: “Well, don’t let yourself get too worried, Wanda. That husband of yours has been through worse scrapes than this. He’ll pull through!”
Scarlet Witch: “When you say it, Cap, I can really believe it!”
Inspirational Cap! Charisma rolls: Very.
Still, Wanda is sad because Vision is lying in a tube helpless and she can’t even touch him.
Cap wanders off again, without even saying goodbye (rude) while musing how much it sucks.
Cap: Blast it! Those kids were just starting to make a life for themselves, and this had to happen! Why was it that of all the Avengers who went up against the threat of Annihilus -- it had to be a couple of reservists who suffered most?
And then starts musing how weird it is that Scarlet Witch and Vision as reservists since they were active Avengers for so long!
Remember, Wanda joined the Avengers not very long after Cap did! Only a couple months in-universe! She was one of his Kooky Quartet!
Cap: At times I wondered if the Avengers would survive -- but somehow, through all the tumult and changes, the team not only survived -- it grew stronger! I pray it always will... with the menaces we so often face, we can’t afford to weaken. We’ve gone through so many changes lately. We’ve picked up two fine new Avengers in Captain Marvel and the She-Hulk, but we’ve lost Hank Pym... and now we’ve lost Iron Man, too. Even Thor has taken himself off the active roster to pursue a personal mission. I hope he won’t be gone too long.
Cap is clearly in some sort of dour Mood.
A dour and monologue-y mood.
And what’s Thor up to leaving the team roster OFF PANEL?
(Sigh)
Well, since the asterisk is telling me to see Thor #334... oh geez, Don Blake is under suspicion of killing Jane Foster. Thor, and Lady Sif take Keith Kincaid (the non-Thor love interest of Jane) on a trip to get the Runestaff (long story) and restore Jane Foster (long story).
Annoyingly, the Thor issue does show him telling the Avengers he’s going to be gone for a while and to take him off the active roster. And borrowing a Quinjet.
I think that it would have been nice to see at least a panel of that. Or something. I don’t want the book bloated with ‘see alsos’ but I’m confused why it put the most emphasis on the FF one when it was literally two pages where Reed manages to ruin the wall while getting kidnapped.
Whatever.
Anyyyyway.
Even though he thinks the new Avengers are good, Cap worries about having both Thor and Iron Man off the team.
Especially Iron Man.
He was their science/technical guy. And on the current team, the only one with any sort of science expertise is new trainee Starfox.
Who is busy making out and not being on time for his daily training session.
At least he remembers that he has a prior obligation.
And he’s only two minutes late. Or to put it another way, he’s a whole two minutes late. And Cap(tain America) is a notable stickler for punctuality.
Cap: “Punctuality may be an anachronism in this day and age -- and, for all I know, it may be unheard of on the planet Titan -- but in my day, it was something that was expected of people!”
Wow, Cap really pulled a ‘in my day.’
Frankly, I’m surprised he doesn’t pull that more often.
Starfox does seem contrite and apologizes for putting pleasure before business which sends Cap into an introspection about why he’s really being so harsh on Starfox.
Protip: It’s Tony. It’s almost always Tony.
Cap: Pleasure versus duty, that’s what it always comes down to. It was Tony Stark’s ‘pleasure’ which led him to giving up his Iron Man identity... leaving the Avengers. Some ‘pleasure’! He’s crawled so far into the bottle, he may never get back out. And there’s nothing I can do to pull him out... Nothing any of us can do, unless he lets us. That’s what’s really bothering me... isn’t it?
And he accepts the apology with a “just don’t let it happen again.”
You sound so old sometimes, Cap.
Meanwhile, She-Hulk is off on a jog through New York, listening to some Beach Boys’ California Girls.
An overeager driver scoots forward and cuts her off at the crosswalk and (I assume) in frustration, she punches the hood of the car.
And given it’s She-Hulk, she kinda punches a hole IN the hood. And probably engine.
The guy being either an idiot or incredibly unperceptive runs after She-Hulk to grab her arm and yell at her.
She does not care for that at all.
Like, why would you? She’s seven feet tall and green and just punched a hole in the hood of your car.
Luckily for the guy’s skeletal integrity, Spider-Man pops out of nowhere to be Friendly Neighborhood and mediate this conflict.
They both air their grievances.
She-Hulk: “This creep grabbed me!”
Creep: “Hey! She... she crunched the front of my car!”
She-Hulk: “That was you who cut me off in the crosswalk? You’re lucky I didn’t rip out your axle!”
Spider-Man: “Now, now! Let’s keep this friendly! Sounds like you’re in the wrong, chum! The lady had the light!”
Creep: “Lady?!? She’s no --!”
Spider-Man: “I wouldn’t say that if I were you! That’s the She-Hulk, dummy! Remember what she did to your car? Well, just imagine what she could do to you!”
Creep: “Oh yeah.”
And with the power of Spider-Man’s bomb-ass mediation, the guy realizes that he was in the wrong, apologizes, and leaves in a hurry.
(Her skeptical glare cracks me up for some reason)
Moral of the story: Don’t be a jerk. Stay behind the line when the little man is lit up.
After the guy takes off, She-Hulk praises(?) Spider-Man’s amazing mediation skills by saying he should have been a lawyer. And then they catch up.
She-Hulk is still having trouble adjusting to the East Coast lifestyle and lack of beaches so Spider-Man suggests checking out the Jersey Shore.
She-Hulk: “My big problem right now is housing. Avengers Mansion is nice, but I want a place of my own.”
Spider-Man: “It’s tough -- rents are pretty steep.”
She-Hulk: “The real trouble is finding a place I like. With the thousand a week I get as an Avenger, rent’s no big deal.”
Spider-Man: “I guess not, if you’re making a... a thousand A WEEK?!? I passed up a chance to become an Avengers, and they make $1000 a week?!? Oh, NO!!”
Ha ha, that ol’ Parker luck.
Maybe Thor should have mentioned the money when he tried to recruit Spidey.
Meanwhile, at a federal penitentiary in Vermont, a scene change.
Bentley Wittman, aka the Wizard, aka the Wingless Wizard, aka the adult man who thought the best use of his time was bullying a teenager, is being questioned about Plantman Sam Smithers’ escape from jail.
The Wizard claims that he knows nothing about Plantman’s escape and that he barely knows the guy anyway. They were airlifted from Ryker’s in the same helicopter and that’s it.
But a convenient x-ray tells a different story.
And that story is that “the Wizard” doesn’t have any skeleton bones.
... Were we really at the point in 1983 where we didn’t know about the dangers of overexposure to x-rays? They just causally scan both “the Wizard” and the guy questioning him?
Anyway, the ruse being rumbled, the fake Wizard rips the bars out of a window and jumps out to his death.
Or it would be death if he wasn’t just animate wood wearing a fake skin suit.
Kinda gross if you think about it.
Anyway, where is the real the Wizard?
Obviously, he escaped jail a while back. Not only is he a sinister criminal mastermind who has sinister masterminding to mastermind but also he was tired of the prison hair code. Because dammit, he wants to rock the goatee!
(Literally a comment he makes, calling the prison barbers butchers)
The Real Wizard gets a BLIP-BLIP-BLIP priority alert that informs him that the plant-him has been discovered which means that the authorities will be looking for him now.
Wizard: Now every law officer in the nation will be looking for me. Well, let them! They’ll not find me, unless they look here! And if they do look here, they’ll have a fight on their hands! The Wizard will not bolt and run like some common criminal! My home is my fortress! They’ll never get me out of it! Never!
Anyway, within an hour of the discovery of Plant-Wizard, a disgruntled agent of the national security council named Mr. Sirkorski receives a briefing.
Usually, this problem would be Gyrich’s problem but he’s busy somewhere else, probably making mutants miserable if I had to guess.
-checking- Yup, he’s over in the X-books, being involved in Project: Wideawake, the project that will later accidentally shoot Storm with a demutantifying gun that will take away her powers, leading her to kick Cyclop’s ass, leading to him leaving the team and feeling sad about being happily married.
Wow, Gyrich, you’re the worst.
Anyway, since the Wizard is tied to the presidential hostage crisis via Plantman, that makes it Serious Business.
Hence, Mr. Sikorski’s serious business.
And he hates it.
He hates this bonkers superhero universe. He just wants to live in a spy thriller universe without all this specific nonsense.
Mr. Sikorski: “Oh, great! Plant-Men... criminal scientists... prison breaks! Don’t they think I have enough to do, just keeping track of what the Russians are up to?”
Also Mr. Sikorksi, on the following page: “And it’s up to me to call in the appropriate parties. I feel a little weird doing this! It’s hard enough for me to believe there are such things as Avengers! I certainly never thought I’d be calling them for help!”
This guy is great. I hope he becomes a recurring and just continues to be low-key pissed about what genre he lives in.
SCENE CHANGE TO AVENGERS MANSION’s actually looking cooler than ever meeting room.
The table looks enormous and theres a giant viewscreen that they can display stuff on.
Only misstep in my opinion is that the seats don’t have personalized icons on the back.
On the big viewscreen map, Cap(tain America) is displaying for Captain Marvel known properties and hideouts that the Wizard has used in the past.
And then big boss the Wasp comes in with She-Hulk to start the meeting.
Since the government has requested that the Avengers help search for the Wizard, Captain Marvel suggests that she could zoom around and check off the whole list in no time flat by using her lightspeed.
Cap(tain America): “You probably could, C.M. -- that’s up to Jan to decide, of course. It would save us some time. After all, the Wizard could be in any of these places... or none of them!”
Wasp: “You think so? If I’d escaped from prison, I’d want to go home. But that’s just me, I suppose.”
Cool contribution, Jan.
I don’t mean to mock, its just she makes a goofy face.
(Hey, I wonder if her new costume was inspired by the FF’s negative zone’d ones. It’s kinda got a similar palette and rough design)
Anyway, Scarlet Witch asks whether she can be excused from superheroing for the day to keep an eye on the Vision.
Wasp: “Why, Wanda! I should say not! You agreed to fill in for Thor while he’s off in space, and I intend to hold you to that! I’m the chairwoman, and I’ll decide who goes where!”
In fact, since somebody does need to watch the Vision, Wasp chooses the most reasonable candidate.
Captain Marvel!
Who needs her to get the task done in five seconds! She can watch the coma-robot.
You make interesting decisions, Jan!
The remaining Avengers will split up into squads.
Captain America will take Scarlet Witch and She-Hulk to check the hideouts on the east of the map. Wasp and Starfox will check out the western ones.
She-Hulk: “You and Starfox, huh? That’s rich... the All Flirt Squad!”
Pfft.
Cap(tain America) isn’t feeling the humor and tells She-Hulk to save her jokes for when they don’t have a job to do.
Minutes later, the Avengers land a Quinjet on the front drive of the Wizard’s Long Island estate. He has one of those.
Cap: “Come on Avengers -- let’s get this over with!”
Good attitude, Cap.
Wanda notes that the grounds look neatly tended considering that the estate has been empty for the past several years but She-Hulk thinks a gardener was probably kept on retainer.
The Wizard was stupid rich.
When they get inside, Cap changes his tune. The place looks too tidy and ready for occupancy to be empty so maybe the Wizard is here.
So he pulls a ‘lets split up gang’ and splits up gang with each Avenger taking a wing.
Cap: “Oh, and She-Hulk, try not to break anything if you can help it. This is private property!”
Priorities!
Granted, She-Hulk is known to break things. Why just today she broke some dude’s car.
The Wizard is watching all of this on his home security system and springs individual traps on the individual Avengers.
She-Hulk finds herself in a series of identical small non-descript rooms, each more identical than the last.
So identical that its the same room, looping.
Wizard: “Through the circuity in that doorway, I’ve activated a dimensional matrix which will keep your walking back and forth ad infinitum through the same room!”
Except without seeing herself leaving which you’d think she’d be able to see.
It’s a smart way to trap a Hulk, provided they don’t run out of patience or get frustrated and smash something.
Meanwhile, Cap gets locked in a chamber where an anti-gravity field has been activated, leaving him flailing through the air.
Oh, and dozens of high-intensity laser torches pop out of the walls and start trying to carve up Cap.
Meanwhile, Scarlet Witch’s individualized trap is the most individualized of all.
Because She-Hulk’s and Cap’s could be used on any number of people really. But Wanda’s feels like it was created to counter Wanda. Pretty on the ball from the Wizard considering he doesn’t often fight the Witch.
When Wanda enters the room she suddenly starts spinning out of control, flies across the room, and lands in a chair.
Wizard: “Marvelous! I’ve ensnared the Scarlet Witch within something against which her astounding hex powers are useless. My field effect devices have generated a pocket of non-causality within that test chamber! Within the area, all actions have an equal chance of occurrence. Therein, all probabilities are skewed. She won’t be able to stand, much less cast a hex!”
Wow! That’s some high octane comic book nonsense science!
The point being that every time Wanda tries to do something, something random happens instead because its all equally likely. She tried to walk into a room and ended up standing on the roof. She tried to back out of the room, she started spinning. She tried to stop spinning and she flew into a chair.
Sure.
With the Avengers all trapped, the Wizard turns his attention to deciding how to dispose of them.
Except, as cleverly foreshadowed by my snide comments, She-Hulk’s trap is only as good as Jen’s patience.
Which is good forrrrrrr. Two dozens loops.
At that point, she’s sure some bullshit is up and scratches the wall with her nails to leave a tangible mark. When she sees the same mark in the ‘next room’ her suspicion is confirmed.
And now that she knows someone is jerking her around, she decides to ignore Cap’s suggestion to not break private property by breaking private property and rips the doorframe (and the dimensional matrix) to crap.
There’s a backup trap that drops slabs of six-inch omnium steel around her but yeah she’s a hulk and she’s not playing considerate anymore. She starts KRUNGing the walls with her fists.
Meanwhile, Cap uses physics to get out of his jam. He throws his mighty shield to break some lasers so action/reaction will propel him backwards and he can jump off the wall, grab his shield back, and uses one of the broken-off lasers against the others.
Also, meanwhile, Scarlet Witch tries to figure out her own, incredibly specific trap.
Scarlet Witch: This is like a nightmare! Whatever I try to do, something else happens. Just in making the attempt to call on my hex power, I wound up falling flat on my face! I can’t even... wiggle my fingers? I... I can! Oh, but only very close to the floor! Whatever is causing my actions to go awry must be weaker near the room’s outer surfaces! Then there’s HOPE -- !”
Wizard must have gone cheap on the pocket of non-causality projector for that room if it’s not completely covering the area. Sure, the area it doesn’t cover is relatively small but now what’s about to happen is going to happen.
So Wanda gets as low as she can go to the floor and uses her probability-altering powers.
This causes the non-causality field to reverse because why wouldn’t it? And causes feedback through the circuitry which causes the master control to shock the Wizard.
It also causes every logic circuit in the master control to overload and the whole dang thing explodes, Wizard barely flying out of the control room in time.
Right in She-Hulk’s path.
She’s not happy. He’s not going to like her not being happy.
She-Hulk: “After what I’ve been through, it’s gonna be a real pleasure to pound that helmet down around your ankles!”
Wizard nopes right out of her way and decides to abandon fortress.
Then Scarlet Witch probability alters his battlesuit flight controls to malfunction to halt his escape and make him crash to the-
...
I’m pretty sure his neck is broken now.
I mean, it’s apparently not because he keeps talking and moving and living but he look at that panel. Guy should be dead as movie Zod.
Y’know, if the Avengers are going to kill the Wizard, the FF should really get them back and kill one of their villains. I suggest Grim Reaper.
Anyway, surrounded by Avengers, Wizard pulls his trump card.
Wizard: “Your confidence is ill-founded, Captain America. There is one resource I can yet draw upon. There is a thermonuclear devise beneath my house -- powerful enough to destroy half of Long Island and make the remainder very unpleasant for a very long time. Much as I hate to see this place destroyed, I would press the button, so to speak.”
“You being such renowned public heroes, would hate that even more. But unless you allow me to go unharmed, I shall active the timing sequence of the bomb’s detonator.”
And Cap is like ‘do you mean this detonator’ and pulls out one he prepared earlier.
HAH!
You know, ironically, if he had just hidden in a safe room or on the roof or something, the Avengers probably would have came and went without noticing him. Springing traps on them really backfired in oh so many ways.
The threesome return to the mansion, presumably after turning Wizard over to the authorities, and Wasp comments that it sounds like they had a bit of excitement (Starfox grumbling to himself more excitement than he had searching the Bronx with the Wasp ha ha).
Cap(tain America): “You’ll be glad to know, Wasp, that your instincts were correct. The Wizard had indeed gone home. He gave us all a pretty good challenge... a welcome challenge, I dare say.”
Wasp: “Looks like I assigned the right people to search the right place, huh?”
Cap: “Yes, Ms. Chairwoman, I’d say you did!”
And elsenow, Wanda goes to the medical bay to check in on Vision and relieve Captain Marvel.
Scarlet Witch: “Can you hear me, darling? I hope you can. I was feeling awfully blue today... And I was given a duty that first seemed annoying, and later became dangerous. But I didn’t give up... I came back, and I won. I know that you can come back, too, darling! It’s just a matter of time... and hope.”
“It’s funny! I thought the Wasp was silly for sending me on that mission. But -- in a way --it was something I need. I think the others needed it, too!”
Captain Marvel: “Then that’s why she sent you, Wanda... because she knew what you needed! And that’s why she leads the Avengers!”
Secret friend mastermind Janet van Dyne sends you out for punch therapy when you need to punch something.
Reminds me of when Captain America picked a fight with Goliath Hank Pym to lift his spirits. Except with a lot less fighting her own friends and more pointing them in the right direction.
Something I love about this era of Avengers and with the big shift in Wasp after Hank’s court-martial is that while her character has changed she’s still recognizably and uniquely herself. She’s still a bit goofy. She’s still playful. And on top of that, she’s proven that she’s a good leader for the Avengers. It’s not mutually exclusive.
Cap (previously Wasp’s biggest supporter as leader) started this issue grumpy and even had his own ideas what the best tactic for searching for the Wizard would be, but by the end he agrees that Wasp made a good decision.
Despite playing the ditz for a long part of her career, Wasp isn’t dumb. And she’s got a good head for the interpersonal challenges of running a team too.
I’m reminded that during the much later Busiek run, when the Avengers need to expand and modernize to match up to expanding challenges, Captain America turns the leadership of the team over to the Wasp.
My point being, I was worried that there’d be snapback on Wasp being leader because she is flighty and silly. But instead, she can be flighty and silly and still a good leader.
I’m pleased with this take, Stern.
Follow @essential-avengers because there will probably be more Wasp being a good leader. Fingers crossed. Also, like and reblog this post maybe if you also like Wasp being a good leader.
#avengers#the Wizard#the Wasp#Captain America#Captain Marvel#Monica Rambeau#Scarlet Witch#She Hulk#essential avengers#essential marvel liveblogging#the great feud between witches and wizards#wasp does a leadership#Cap be like hey don't break this supervillain's doom fortress its private property
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The Ryder Family Info (2021)
General Info
The Ryder’s are a pure-blood wizarding family of hunters that originated from America but have long since moved to the British Isles to escape persecution after a member of the family was revealed to be working with the very scourers MACUSA and the family themselves were hunting down. Their family motto is “The Hunt is Ours.”
Early History
The Ryder’s were said to hunt down anything that could make a profit. Dark witches and wizards, crime lords, the aforementioned scourers and all kinds of magical beasts, but most notably dragons.
It's said they created a spell strong enough to take down such a vicious and powerful beast, just as long as you aimed at the right spot. It was for this reason that the family crest is a slayed golden dragon on a green bloodied field with a crow flying above it. But the Ryder family soon found themselves paying the price for hunting down these fantastic beasts.
On what was supposed to be a simple hunting expedition, the entire family ended up being slaughtered by the dragon they’ve been trailing. The only surviving members of the once prestigious and feared family of hunters was one Ophelia Ryder, who only managed to survive the whole ordeal for not even being there in the first place. Having stayed behind because she was pregnant with her second child. Her twin brothers Elijah and Ezekiel Ryder who stayed home to watch over their grandmother and grandfather, and sweet little Calliope Ryder who was too young to go on the hunt.
It was then that the Ryder family swore to never again come in contact with the very beasts that almost managed to wipe them out for good and focused their attention on other prey. This tragedy put shame on the Ryder family name though, after all, they were hunters not the hunted.
People started to question their skills and reliability to get the job done and the Ryder’s could not have that. The remaining members of the family trained intensely to prove that they were still the skilled hunters they've always been for generations. Consequences be damned. It was during this period of time members of the family dabbled in the art of occlumency and legilimency.
It was rumored that the Ryder family did favors for MACUSA back when it was just the original twelve. Favors like tracking down rogue wizards, getting rid of magical beasts and troublesome no-maj’s. It was rumored that the family was even tempted to join the fledgling wizarding government. But a fight broke out between the family, a fight that tore the family in two and was the first instance of in-fighting within the family and the first time they found themselves nearly wiped out. For one of the family members, Adrian Ryder along with his wife and grandchildren were revealed to be working with a group of Scourer’s, The very group of traitorous wizards MACUSA was fighting to wipe out. And Eret Ryder, the head of the family at that time would not stand to have a traitor taint the family name. The fight ended with a bloodied field and a string of dead bodies. Fearing for their safety, the Ryder family fled to Britain and it was there that the family truly prospered.
Recent Events
In present day, the Ryder’s are still feared hunters but with Ervin Ryder’s disappearance, him being rumored to have joined the dark lord and his involvement with the Cursed Vaults, their reputation has been damaged in the eyes of the public and the family has been deemed ‘mad’ by the majority of the Wizarding community in the UK.
Traits
The Ryder’s most notable traits are their golden eyes, skin in a variety of shades of brown, dark hair, tall height, powerful build, and having an intimidating aura around them.
Most Ryder’s were known to have great accuracy as well as good instinct and both martial combat and magical combat came naturally to them. This is the result of how a millennium of hunting creatures and later on people have affected their magic.
Customs
The Head of the Family is almost always the eldest child, regardless if it is a son or daughter. But on rare occasions, the current head of the family may select one of the younger siblings to be the heir if they deem the eldest to not be a suitable leader or if the eldest refuses to take on the responsibility. On even rarer occasions, the current head won’t even choose their own child but a cousin from the family.
The Ryder’s lead a group of bounty hunters known as The Hunters of Artemis and whose leader is known as the Head-Hunter. The Head-Hunter tends to be the strongest child and it is not uncommon for The Head of the family to also hold the title of Head-Hunter.
First born sons and daughters are often given a name that starts with E (example: Edward, Evangeline, Ervin, Eileen, Elaina, Eliza etc.,). The family holds a belief that names that start with E give birth to warriors.
Although the Ryder’s are a pure-blood family, unlike most pure-blood families, the Ryder’s are not as obsessed with maintaining a ‘pure’ bloodline and focus more on their hunts and training as warriors.
The Hunters of Artemis
A group of Bounty Hunters founded and led by the Ryder Family. The leader is known as the Head-Hunter and wears a golden dragon pin with the moon in the background and an arrow in its mouth on their clothes. Both the leader and the members wear a cord around their neck and for every successful hunt adds an arrow onto that cord. Silver arrows for targets brought back alive and red arrows for those brought back dead.
When the Ryder’s came to Britain, The Ministry were warned by MACUSA that they might be a threat to the statue of secrecy, and so the Ministry did what it always does when they're scared. They had the family hunted down and for the second time, the Ryder’s once again found themselves nearly wiped out.
The Ministry realized that the family of hunters could be of use and so forced the Ryder’s to swear loyalty to them if they didn’t want their family to go extinct and the Ryder’s accepted. And from then on, the Ryder’s became The Ministry’s loyal hunting dogs and hunted down those The Ministry’s Auror’s and Hit-Wizards could not.
Members are either recruited by the Head-Hunter or were sentenced into joining it by The Ministry if they deemed the criminal guilty but useful elsewhere other than filling the empty cells up in Azkaban.
Rivalries/Enemies
Due to the Ryder’s occupation as hunters and them being highly skilled in the art of combat, not many families or people ever trifled with them.
The Ryder’s preferred to stay out of ‘pure-blood wars’ viewing them as petty and meaningless and made an effort to stay neutral whenever possible. The last time the Ryder’s got themselves entangled with such a thing, it led to The Wolves Rebellion. A civil war within the family that took place during the 1920s that lasted well into the 1940s that all started because of the family foolishly accepting the request of one Gellert Grindelwald for an audience with the family and whose honeyed words poisoned the minds of the family members and caused them to split in two and would later become the third time the family was nearly wiped out. The Ryder’s greatest enemies were most often themselves.
The only other enemies the Ryder’s had were the Lestranges. When Evangeline Ryder divorced Adhemar Lestrange when she found out her youngest son, Salvatore Lestrange was a squib. Fearing what the man would do to her child, she went into hiding which led to the birth of a bitter feud between the two families.
Adhemar would later on be killed in a raid led by the Ministry’s Auror’s during the First Wizarding War by Evangeline’s older brother, Edward Ryder, after the former tried to escape and resist capture. The Lestranges have since sworn vengeance against the family and have sent countless assassins after Evangeline and Edward’s children. Resulting in Evangeline raising her children in a sheltered life while Edward personally picked and trained 5 members from the Hunters of Artemis to protect his children at all costs.
Residence
The Ryder’s reside in the family manor located in Northamptonshire. The manor’s entrance has two bronze statues of a dragon with an arrow in its mouth while two wolves stand at both sides of it. The wolves appear to be fighting over the arrow with the dragon. The statues are said to commemorate The Wolves Rebellion and how the then divided Ryder’s fought each other for the title of Head-Hunter and how the dragon was triumphant in defeating the Wolves.
The Manor is surrounded by acres of trees and is protected in a layer of protective spells. When one enters the land surrounding the manor, they are consumed with an overpowering sense of fear. So a Ryder must cast a counter spell on their visitors before entering.
There is a garden out in the back which is well taken care of by Julianna Ryder, Edward's beloved wife and mother of his children.
Taking care of the garden was one of the few things that served to give Julianna some form of comfort after the death of her daughter Elaina and her oldest son's disappearance.
#the ryder family#hphm#hphm mc#harry potter hogwarts mystery#hogwarts mystery#hogwarts mystery mc#wizarding families#my art#eileen ryder#eliza ryder#edward ryder#finally redid the ryder's info lol#some names were changed from the old info I wrote a year ago#but yeah here it is
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" If I had to rate my panic level from 1 to 10, it’d be pi. It’s low level, but always there. "
Name: Matthew David Luther
Species: Wizard
Gender: Male
Physical appearance: Slightly taller and thinner than average with brown hair that falls over his green eyes.
Height: 4′11′’(Year 1) - 6′1′’(Year 7)
Weight/Body Type: He’s tall and thin, but has no clue how much he weighs.
Personality: Matthew is sensitive to other people’s feelings and is very good at reading people, although he is constantly doubting himself. The one thing he is sure of himself in is his intelligence; he is constantly calculating and mentally notes almost everything around him. This comes in handy in a place as confusing as Hogwarts: it may take a bit, but Matthew can always put the pieces together.
Date of Birth: 16th February 1973
Blood Status: Half-blood (Wizard Mother, Muggle Father)
Family Info: Lucia Doherty was a powerful pureblood Ministry Witch who met and fell in love with Peter Luther, a Muggle plumber, whom she had Jacob with. When Voldemort began to rise she left and wiped Peter’s memory to keep him and their children safe, meaning he forgot about Jacob who stayed with her, but for reasons unknown Peter somehow remembered his wife and eldest son and reunited. Soon after this, Matthew was born, growing up in the Muggle world but enjoying knowledge of Wizardry. Lucia later tried to erase his memories again when the Wizarding War broke out, but Matthew found her and told her to put his father back to normal, discovering his magic in the process. Recently, things have been difficult as Peter has had difficulty finding work. When Matthew attempts to describe Thatcher to his mother, she assumes the Muggle government has been infiltrated by a hag.
He also has wizard Ancestry on his father’s side, with the famous Magizoologist Newt Scamander being his Great Uncle and Queenie Goldstein being his Great Grandmother.
Wand: Cedar wood, 14 1/2 inch, pliant flexibility
Boggart: Being stuck somewhere with no way out at all.
Animagus Form: Sparrow.
Patronus: White Stallion
House: Ravenclaw, Prefect in Year 5
Quidditch Position: Chaser
Academics: Took Divination, Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures into Year 3
Partners: None so far (bar that one time), but the Celestial Ball is on the horizon...
Closest Friends:
Rowan Khanna: Matthew’s best friend, they have been close ever since Diagon Alley. They both like working on the Cursed Vaults, as well as playing Wizard Chess and Gobstones together. Rowan is always there when Matthew needs him, and even helped him with Merula when nobody else would. Matthew, in return, helps them be more confident, as he’s aware how difficult that can be sometimes. Finally, Matthew is the only one who knows about Rowan’s huge crush on...
Penny Haywood: Bonding over their skills at potions, Penny is another of Matthew’s closest allies. Matthew relies on her to keep the Hogwarts rumour mill in check, especially important considering who he’s secretly dating. Matthew did, at first, have a minor crush on her, but always maintained that he wouldn’t intrude on Rowan, which helped improve their confidence in the matter.
Barnaby Lee: Barnaby and Matthew met after Barnaby wound up in the Magical Creatures Reserve on his way to Transfiguration. They both do work with the creatures in the reserve there, sharing a love of animals. Barnaby is a great deal of help to Matthew as he can always be counted on to point out the obvious solution when Matthew starts overthinking. He’s also willing to share what happens in the Slytherin Common Room and No, it definitely isn’t so Matthew knows if Merula’s ok and No he isn’t turning red what do you mean
Tulip Karasu: Matthew’s only intellectual equal. When Merula tried to get Matthew framed for stealing potions ingredients he quickly deduced that someone in Ravenclaw was working with Merula. In a rare moment of confidence he declared this to his House, leading to a Battle of Wits between the two. Tulip immediately realised how Matthew felt about Merula and worked to get them together.
Chiara Lobosca: The only girl to pull on Matthew’s heartstrings before Merula. They became friends after helping to quell the werewolf rumours, and worked together to find the Cursed Vaults. They discussed the idea of them being together (and did more than discuss), but decided that they were happier as friends.
Bill Weasley: Really, the one who saved the school. Bill helped Matthew out of his shell, so to speak, and consoled him when things became really tough when it came to the Ice Vault. Together, they defeated the Ice Knight and entered the first Cursed Vault together, and went on to work together more in the future. He also was instrumental in pushing Matthew towards curse-breaking.
Merula Snyde: Matthew Luther’s rival in the hunt for the Cursed Vaults. For a while, she was a bully, especially towards Ben Copper, but Matthew was able to win a duel against her and made her never pick on him again. After that, while remaining antisocial, she became more tolerable, as several threats forced the two to work together. The two are very close. They’ve shared an accidental kiss, cast their Patronus together, cared for a Thestral, and defeated many evil magical beings. Recently, Matthew has realised that he had met her before, many years ago, on the day he searched for his mother. After that, they agreed to no longer be enemies, merely rivals. Matthew has come to the conclusion that he has a crush.
Foes:
“R”: The dark organisation worked to trap Jacob, thus making Matthew’s early time in school rather difficult. However, there’s more to this cabal than at first glance...
Edwin the Changeling: Known as “The Bard”, he attempted to take over Matthew’s body by force, slowly moving to allow more changelings in. However, he was defeated by Matthew and Merula. Controlling, sexist, and rude to everyone around him, he appeared to have been destroyed when Ismelda Murk melted the Ice he had hidden himself in.
Preston Crawford: A slimy Slytherin in Matthew’s year who seems to want nothing less than to ruin everyone’s day. Even Merula doesn’t like him, which is saying something.
Erika Rath: Matthew’s only foe who doesn’t irritate him. He and Erika became Rivals as a result of being in differing quidditch teams, and this feud only worsened after Skye Parkin spread rumours that she destroyed Matthew’s broom. It’s unclear where they stand after Ravenclaw won the Quidditch Cup (especially considering she doesn’t talk much).
Pets: As of Now (1987) Matthew has a pet Cat named Danny, a toad named Ribby and a rat named Jerma, and has adopted a Niffler, Porlock, Abraxan, Fairy, Thestral and Imp.
Who knows, this sideblog may go somewhere! We’ll see! Thanks to @hogwarts-misery for the template!
#harry potter#hphm#hphm jacobs sibling#hp oc#original character#character profile#hogwarts mystery#fuck jkr tho#jacob's sibling x merula#merula snyde#rowan khanna#penny haywood#barnaby lee#tulip karasu#chiara lobosca#bill weasley#hphm mc
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Hey, guys!
So I’ve been working on a trade with my good pal @aleksia-aries-hogwartsmystery aka @thereluctantherosrose. She’s an amazing person and she drew a little gift for me this past week.
Here is my gift in return! A little fic featuring her MC, Barnaby, and plenty of angst xD
Aleksia Aries was not one who usually let life get her down. The beginning of the school year brought many challenges- the feud between the Haywood sisters, Merula’s increased anger (if such a thing were possible for the Slytherin girl) and desire for revenge, Charlie’s distance, not to mention a brand new curse that petrified people dead in their tracks. No, after years of experience in breaking the Cursed Vaults and the constant back and forth that usually occurred in her friend group, she could handle most things as long as she kept her nose to the grindstone and kept an upbeat attitude. At 5′3 with a curvaceous figure and pretty features, her personality and strength more than made up for lack of size.
Indeed, very few things could put the Gryffindor sixth year into a state. Which is what made breakfast all the more troubling.
It started out normally enough. Though Aleksia and Rowan were girls they usually liked to sit among the boys at breakfast as it provided a great deal of entertainment. Today proved to be no different as Ben was studying defensive curses fervently while sipping his proclaimed newfound love for black coffee. Jae was idly playing with his porridge while counting his inventory stock for the day.
“How’s business today?” Aleksia grinned at him as she sat down at the table.
“Oh you know, the usual,” came the vague reply, not uncharacteristic for the Asian boy. “Just crunching the numbers.”
“You know, if you cared the same way about your marks as you do with your smuggling perhaps you’d have received more than just four O.W.L.’s last year.”
“My future lies outside the realm of academic achievement.”
He gave a wink and went back to counting his numbers when the sound of wings flapping caused the table to look up.
“Ah, the morning post is here,” Rowan said with satisfaction. Evidently, Ben was unaware of this fact as he whipped his wand as though a threat were bearing down on him from above.
“Relax, Ben,” Rowan said with a raised eyebrow. “There’s no one trying to kill Aleksia at the present moment.”
“You never know that,” came the stern reply, so characteristic of the ‘new Ben’.
“Pretty sure you need to ease up on the coffee there mate,” Charlie laughed. “Stuff has you jumpier than a bowtruckle. Ah...yes thank you mum.”
He caught a parcel from Errol, the Weasley Family owl, which was evidently some sort of fudge that the illustrious Mrs. Weasley had baked.
“One can never be too prepared,” Ben said, burying his head back in the book.
Aleksia rolled her eyes at her so called ‘protector’. Her long time friend’s insistence on shadowing her everywhere she went was irritating to say the least. The once timid, shy boy had seemingly forgotten that it was she that frequently protected him not to mention having faced monumental danger time and time again in breaking the curses. How quickly one forgot. Even so, she still considered him a friend and let most of his intrusive proclamations go.
All of a sudden, a letter dropped in front of her which was rather unexpected. She had written to her mother two days ago and wasn’t due for a reply for another day at least. She then saw that the handwriting on the front was not that of her mum but of her father.
Her stomach dropped like an anchor in the sea as she reluctantly took the letter and stroked her snowy owl, Pepper, allowing her to drink from her goblet. Willing herself not to tremble, she lid open the envelope and withdrew its contents. What she read was possibly the most frightening thing she could have imagined.
Daughter,
I am writing this to you in relation to your coming of age. Though our interactions are sparse I am still your father and therefore I play a role in your future whether you care to acknowledge that fact or not.
You are sixteen years of age and approaching the age of adulthood in our world. Therefore, it is high time that you look towards the most important aspect of the society in which we live: furthering the family line. I have reached out to several families of noble stock and many have expressed interest in a possible match. In particular Lady Equestria Rowle has a son your age and has arranged for you two to meet in order to get better acquainted. The marriage itself will occur shortly afterwards.
Do NOT attempt to defy me, daughter. It is the destiny of every pure blood witch and wizard to keep the line free from the rotten influences unworthy to wield magic. In order to ensure your compliance, I am sending your cousin Henry to fetch you and I expect that you will not give him trouble.
Regards,
Your Father
Aleksia felt her body go numb as she stared out into space, a concoction of rage and disbelief surging through her. How...how could he do this to her? William Aries was a hard, stern, prejudiced man and had injured her and her mother multiple times over. But never before had this sort of control been attempted on her person. Before, he was a distant figure, hard to ignore to be sure, but far away enough in mind to live life without much interference.
That time was seemingly over. And the proof of her father’s seriousness was in her cousin. Henry was just as abusive, if not more so than William and there was no doubt Durmstrang had strengthened his love for all things dark and cruel.
Fear was unbecoming of a Gryffindor, but even the bravest carried fears. For Aleksia, it was the shadows of her father’s family.
Suddenly feeling extremely nauseous, she rose from the table and left abruptly.
“I have to go.”
She barely registered the looks on her friend’s faces as she stormed out of the Great Hall, nor the concerned expression on a large, Slytherin male who’s eyes followed her path. She didn’t even notice when she accidentally passed through one of the ghosts while searching for one of the private closets that Hogwarts seemed to specialize in having. The shivers the imprint of an undead person could impart paled in comparison to fear of being forced to marry a person her father deemed suitable for her.
In the darkness, tears fell silently onto the ground.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Aleksia remained subdued for the entirety of the day. Her friends noticed but no one commented, at least not at first. Even her longtime rival, Merula seemed a bit perturbed that their usual banter was absent during potions class. But it was who Penny looked especially worried, especially when the duck face Tonks made at her failed to elicit a chuckle. She cornered her after Herbology.
“Aleksia, is everything, okay?”
Forcing a smile, the young Gryffindor tried to put on a convincing face.
“Oh yeah, I’m fine, Penny. I’m just a bit distracted today. No big deal.”
The blonde remained unconvinced, however.
“I’ve known you for six years. And there’s not a day I can remember where you didn’t at least say hi to me in Herbology. There’s something up, I know it.”
“She’s right you know,” Rowan cut in, her arms clutching books but with the same worry etched on her features. “I haven’t seen you this upset since your first year. And if it’s anything to with-”
“It’s not Jacob,” Aleksia blurted out and there was no denying the sincerity in her tone.
Rowan swallowed. The two being best friends, there was only one thing that could instill such fear and loathing that she knew of.
“You don’t mean…”
“That’s exactly who I mean!” the young female Gryffindor couldn’t help but reveal. “My father is hell bent on marrying me off to some bloody tosser that I don’t even know against my will and I have no say in it whatsoever!”
The outburst was sudden but not expected as Rowan gave a fearful gasp and Penny’s eyes widened.
“Aleksia, I thought you and your father were estranged. You told me you barely talked.”
The black haired girl sighed angrily.
“You’re right. But he still has his ways of making his presence known. He still sends letters and has threatened more than once to pull me out of Hogwarts if I didn’t comply with what he wanted. Thankfully mum and Dumbledore have prevented that from happening but it’s different this time.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s sending my cousin Henry after me.”
Rowan’s face became quite ashen. As the resident best friend of the Hogwarts curse breaker she knew quite well the stories of her infamous cousin and his penchant for cruelty.
“We’ll think of something. Let’s come up with a plan. There’s no way we’re going to let your dad or cousin do this to you.”
“It’s essentially kidnapping,” Penny agreed. “And I’m with Rowan. We can prevent this from happening and we will.”
A small smile returned to Aleksia’s pretty features but the anxiety in her eyes did not abate. Contrary to her usual social butterfly personality, this was
“Thanks, guys. But I need to think this over alone for a while. I’ll come back upstairs to the common room and meet you there, okay Rowan?”
Both girls could sense she needed private time and nodded their heads respectfully. Penny gave her a big hug in the meantime, reminding her that if she needed anything to not hesitate. For her part, Aleksia made her way over to the courtyard to gather her thoughts.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The weather, though chilly, was also sunny, a rarity for Scotland this time of year and it allowed Aleksia to try and calm her nerves as her mood teeter tottered from angry to one of immense fear. Though she had told Rowan and a few others about Henry, no one besides her could know what he was truly capable of. Horrid flashbacks surged through her mind as painful memories of being kicked, bit, slapped, and knocked down overwhelmed her senses. Aleksia was the brave and bold Gryffindor that never backed down from anything but if there were two people in this world that could instill fear in her heart and one of them was on the way.
There was a second aspect to this that remained unspoken. Though not mentioned specifically in the letter from her father, the implication and the name ‘Equestria Rowle’ rang enough of a bell. She was married to Thorfinn Rowle, a suspected Death Eater that was never formally charged with any crime, but the Gryffindor teen was well acquainted with that circle and the fact they had a son in her year, Mortimer. Aleksia didn’t interact with him much but Barnaby’s eyes often darkened when his name came up, something not easily achieved with the happy go lucky Slytherin.
Aleksia sat down and smoothed her skirt on the edge of the fountain, mentally slapping herself. How could she have forgotten Barnaby in all of this? He was also familiar with that life given his own parents were Death Eaters. Would he know of a solution? Was he not owed an explanation? She hadn’t spoken a word to him all day and he was probably concerned maybe even hurt because of it. But it also wasn’t a coincidence that Mortimer was giving her sly looks in potions and that only added to the tension.
Burying her head temporarily in her hands, she was at a loss at how to figure this out. What was she to do? How was she supposed to tell her current boyfriend? Given that her father was still technically a legal guardian, could Dumbledore step in as he had before?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar tone, one that simultaneously brought fear and rage in her heart.
“My, my you’re predictable,” spoke the smarmy, sarcastic voice of her cousin. “Finding you was easier than I expected.”
Standing across from her, was a tall teenage boy with slightly tousled blond hair, blue eyes, and a permanent smirk plastered across his features. He wore a dark trench coat and leather boots alongside a holster that contained his wand. Though his face was alight with energy, it was not the positive kind as his cold, sea eyes glinted with a maliciousness Aleksia was all too familiar with.
“What...why...how are you here so quickly?” she demanded, rising from the edge of the fountain.
“It was a simple matter of asking the headmaster for a favor,” Henry shrugged lazily. “Your father knows him, you see, and they share certain values. Values that are also prized at Durmstrang.” He turned his head and looked up at Gryffindor Tower. “A shame that such traits aren’t shared at Hogwarts.”
“Hogwarts is a better place with one less bigot inside its walls,” Aleksia shot back.
He turned back towards his cousin and gave another smirk.
“Simple retort from a simple, naive girl. Hogwarts couldn’t teach you proper wizarding pride so now, your father will. You had best take a good, long glance at this place, dear cousin. Because you won’t be coming back any time soon.”
“You can tell ‘father’ to stick it up his arse. I’m not going anywhere, least of all into an arranged marriage.”
This did not deter Henry in the slightest. Though his hand was placed on the holster, he made no move to take out his wand and began moving towards Aleksia with the same cruel smile still on his face.
“You don’t want to fight me, dear cousin. The fact of the matter is uncle wants this done quickly and I have little time to get into a war of words with you. And given past circumstances, I think you’ll remember how this usually goes.”
Aleksia didn’t have to ask what that comment meant. As children, Henry delighted in torturing her and causing fights, which he usually won.
“Come with me without delay and without fuss, Aleksia,” he told her, stopping three feet in front of her. “And I promise I won’t hurt you...much.”
It was not a threat, it was a promise. One that the blond fully intended to carry out. Being only 5’3 there was no way to outrun him. Her back against the metaphorical wall, there were only two realistic choices for Aleksia and surrendering to her sadistic cousin was out of the question. Therefore, she took a cue from Mad Eye Moody. Quick as a flash, she drew her wand and threw a blasting hex that caught Henry off guard, sending him crashing back twenty feet and onto his back.
He was up quickly, the smirk no longer there, replaced by a vicious snarl.
“So you choose the hard way,” he spoke with quiet rage. “That’s fine, I’ve been looking for an excuse to try out a few new spells anyway. Who better than my favorite punching bag?”
A half insane look appeared in his sea blue eyes as he yelled out.
“Debilito!”
A white jet of light struck Aleksia in the leg and immediately the area became so weak, it became difficult to stand.
“Neat little trick I picked up at school,” Henry boasted. “Can rob your opponent of most of their stamina and strength. It’ll make this that much easier.”
“You never know when to shut up do you?” the Gryffindor shot back. “Petrificus Totalus!”
The purple spell missed and just as quickly Henry was summoning another curse, this time a sickly, orange color and silent. Aleksia didn’t even want to know what it was. Henry always had an affinity for the Dark Arts and clearly Durmstrang furthered that interest and ambition. Nevertheless, she was able to roll out of the way despite the weakness in her leg and fire off a response.
“Stuepfy!”
Henry blocked it and rushed forward.
“Obtusiore Nouacula!”
“Protego!”
The deadly curse held the force of a hot, blunt knife, throwing Aleksia backwards. She briefly saw a streak of purple flame and it cut into her side but avoided the large majority of its damage. However, she barely had time to recover as Henry kept sending spell after spell against her shield.
“You know,” he called out to her. “It really is pitiful you became the black sheep of the family. A noble line of wizards sullied by your association with blood traitors, mudbloods, and all the rest of the scum that plagues our world. Your affinity for them has made you weak...and uncle won’t stand for it a second longer.”
She tried to ignore his taunts and focus on Mad Eye’s training of constant vigilance and always maintaining a proper stance. She tried to focus on what Barnaby had taught her about mixing her spell arsenal and not becoming too predictable. Even so, she couldn’t resist lashing out against the person who made her life hell during their youth.
“Fuck you! I don’t need your approval for who I am and what I believe nor do I have to look down on other people to feel good about myself. If that’s what it takes to be a part of the ‘family’...”
She reinforced her shield while digging into her stance
“...then I was never part of it in the first place. You don’t have the power to make me do anything, especially marrying that ghastly Slytherin.”
“Oh, but I can,” Henry grinned evilly. “Because now I do have that happy power. Consider this an early wedding present, and my personal swansong to you, Aleksia!”
He pointed his wand directly at her forehead and shouted out ‘Imperio!”
The spell shattered her shield into a million pieces and hit its target without fail. Immediately, a gentleness washed over Aleksia’s mind, feeling as though she were drifting on a fluffy, cloud of some sort, all cares washed away.
Come with me, a familiar voice spoke to her from somewhere far away, its tone delightful and reasonable. You’re going to be married and further our family’s heritage. This is the life of every pure-blood worth their magic. It will be the easiest thing you’ve ever done.
She didn’t bother to try and argue, merely nodding in reply.
Now let us go back to England. Your father awaits us. He is eagerly awaiting your arrival
Aleksia’s body began to follow the order but her mind suddenly began to fight back, knowing full well what awaited her if she followed the direction.
No
Yes, cousin. You must. Come with me.
She fought harder this time as the gentle, fluffy feeling began to evaporate.
I said no
You don’t have a choice
I won’t do it
You will do it. Take my hand now or else
“I said...I WON’T GO!!” Aleksia screamed. Suddenly, the curse was gone and she raised her wand at the unsuspecting Henry.
“Meteolo!” she bellowed.
Just like that a violent hail and snow storm began pelting Henry relentlessly, a powerful wind throwing him like a rag doll into the air and back onto the cold, hard ground. But Aleksia didn’t stop there, she levitated his body into the air and slammed it against the wall with a sickening crack.
Running towards her tormentor, the Gryffindor teen only saw red as she began to relentlessly kick and punch every square inch of her cousin’s body, barely registering his broken nose or his bleeding forehead.
It was for every fight…
Every tormentous incident…
All of the damage and suffering she had endured under his hand.
The descent into raw fury and revenge knew no bounds as her fists became runaway trains with no end in sight to their carnage. They may not have stopped at all until once again, intervention saved Aleksia from a worse outcome.
Strong but soft hands lifted her up and away from Henry’s body. The scent of fresh laundry and sandalwood filled the nostrils.
“Aleksia don’t,” came the deep, gentle tone of Barnaby Lee.
Red vision was replaced by reality as her heart rate began to slow and her proper senses returned. She stopped struggling.
“Barnaby?”
“I know you pain you’re feeling and I know it feels good. But you’re better than that. He’s not worth it.”
Only the gentle words of her equally gentle yet equally as powerful boyfriend could assuage the raw emotion that ran through her. Her conscience agreed with him, however a strong part of her wanted to continue the assault.
“I-he…” she sputtered. “Do you have any idea who he is? What he’s done?!”
“Yes,” came the answer. “And that’s exactly why you have to stop what you’re doing. You don’t want to become the thing you’re fighting against.”
Slowly he set Aleksia down but he did not let her go, instead forcing her to witness the damage she had wrought on her cousin. Henry’s face was bloody and bruised, with one eye already swelling shut. Coughing heavily, he stood up but staggered as he did so, breaking into another wicked smile.
“So this is the famous Barnaby Lee my cousin adores so much?” he slurred. “I’m disappointed. Someone of your stock should know a blood traitor when they see one.”
The burly Slytherin’s eyes darkened, but he did not reach for his wand.
“Leave,” he said quietly. “Leave or I’ll break you in half.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. Henry was not a small man but he was no match in physical strength compared to Barnaby and he was certainly in no shape to take on a second powerful opponent in a duel. Slowly, the blond slinked away.
“This isn’t over,” he said, spitting blood on the ground and then he hurried off and out of sight.
After a few moments of silence, both teenagers let off silent sighs. Barnaby had still not let go of his girlfriend, but the truth is she didn’t want to.
“How’d you know I was here?” she asked softly.
“Penny told me you were alone in the courtyard. I was wondering what was bothering you all day and for a while I was worried I did something wrong….”
He looked back over to the spot where Henry last stood.
“...but I had no idea it was that bad.”
“You-you couldn’t have known it’s not your fault,” Aleksia told him as she turned and buried herself into his chest. “I-I’m sorry I lost control I just…”
“I get it,” Barnaby told her kindly. “You know I do. I may not be the smartest bloke around, but I know enough that you’re too kind and caring to behave like him. I don’t want that to happen. For you to turn into…”
He trailed off and she understood immediately. They both did. Two survivors of immense trauma that lived daily with the repercussions of such injuries trying to move forward in the best way they could. As the son of a father who also attempted to control him, the sixth year Slytherin carried an empathy unmatched by anyone.
“Promise me,” Barnaby almost begged of her.
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Aleksia replied, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Just promise me as well.”
“We’ll never be like them,” came the choked reply.
In the fading afternoon, the young couple simply cried together knowing that eventually they would both be okay…
And what it would take to get there.
#aleksia aries#gryffindor#trade#art trade#slytherin#barnaby lee#penny haywood#rowan khanna#jae kim#ben copper#charlie weasley#hogwarts mystery#fanfiction#hphm fanfiction
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Wizarding Russian Empire and USSR || Defendants of the Show Trials: Niyazov and Karimova
Narimon Isfandiyorovich Niyazov
(19 October 1890 – 21 March 1938) Niyazov was born into a wealthy Pureblood family in Bukhara in what was then Russian Turkistan, but is now Uzbekistan. His wealthy and cosmopolitan father, Isfandiyor, elected to send his children to Koldovstortez for their education, rather than educating them at home as had been the norm among Central Asians for centuries. After his father’s death in 1908, Niyazov took over the family business and began funding political activity against the Emir of Bukhara and Volshebny Duma. (At this time, unlike in most of Europe and North America, no official statute of secrecy existed.)
In 1917, he was forced to flee Bukhara for Tashkent and found lodging in a wizarding boarding house run by the five Karimova sisters. After spending a little over a year there, he traveled to Lysaya Gora in the spring of 1918 and stayed there for about a year, where he became familiar with the ideas of the Bratstvo Koldunov and its leader, Nikolai Savvich Babushkin. Upon his return to Tashkent in 1919, he married one of his former landladies, Tomiris Safarovna Karimova, who had also joined the BK. It was not until 1920, with the help of the Auror, Svetovid Vladimirovich Levchenko, that Niyazov was able to return to Bukhara, after which became the overall Vedmak of the newly established Bukharan People’s Soviet Republic, which was later reorganized in the mid-1920s as the Uzbek SSR.
The mid-1920s saw a waning of his power due to conflicts with mandates from Lysaya Gora that he disagreed with and this period coincided with the breakup of his marriage to Karimova. She ultimately displaced him as the Vedmak of the Uzbek SSR, but he retained a seat on the region’s Soviet Koldunov. The two of them eventually divorced in 1927, but continued to feud with each other over political and personal matters; while he became increasingly alienated from the policies of Afanasiy Anastasovich Kostov, Karimova pursued a fanatically Kostovist line and their personal animosity took on a political character. In 1933, Samson Viktorovich Lekarev sent a letter to Lysaya Gora complaining that Niyazov and Karimova had spent about thirty minutes of a meeting of the SK screaming at each other and that Karimova and her supporters kept inundating him with their suspicions about how Niyazov, which he found distracting and annoying as he believed that they were motivated by personal animosity.
Like many others actually or perceived to be at odds with Afanasiy Kostov's policies, he fell victim to the Great Harvest after Velizariy Romanovich Bolgarsky arrived in Tashkent in 1937 to clean house. He was arrested on the charges of conspiracy in connection with recently arrested Anfisa Zoranovna Krupina, Nestor Feodorovich Voinov, Kseniya Lavrentiyevna Zemlyanitsyna, and Irisa Gavrilovna Vestnikova. His ex-wife was to share in his fate, as she was accused of having known and been complicit in his activities (though this later changed to her being his willing co-conspirator) and was arrested shortly after him. The two former spouses were put on trial together with two of their supposed conspirators and executed in the early morning hours of 21 March 1938. Later commentators on the trial have noted that, as per usual, Niyazov had trouble keeping his story straight, claiming that he’d been in league with both the British Ministry of Magic and Gellert Grindelwald, and that his and Karimova’s divorce was a ruse to disguise their conspiracy.
After their parents’ executions, Niyazov and Karimova’s three teenage children were both sent to an orphanage until they were old enough to be send to Vyraj. Having been raised mostly by their mother, Rustam, Katayun and Bahrom shared much of her views of their father. Consequently, they believed he had incriminated their mother as a form of revenge and later adopted her surname as a sign of their repudiation of him. They did not lobby for his rehabilitation in the 1950s, though his conviction was later overturned in 1964 regardless.
Tomiris Safarovna Karimova
(13 April 1892 – 21 March 1938) Karimova was born in Tashkent in what was then Russian Turkistan into a lower middle class family. According to forms she filled out in the 1920s, her father was a zemylanin worker in a cotton factory and while her mother was a witch who ran a boarding house. Even less is known about her life prior to 1918 than Niyazov, but by her own account, she had no formal education and was instead taught by her mother and maternal uncles.
In 1918, she joined the BK and married Niyazov in 1919. Many years after the fact, Karimova claimed that Niyazov had seduced her while living in her family's boarding house for about a year and her older sisters, Zarina and Mandana, had insisted on their marriage after discovering the relationship. They had two sons and a daughter in 1921, 1922, and 1924, and at some point, Karimova traveled to Koldovstortez and enrolled in one of their adult education programs. After returning, she was elected as the Vedma of the Tashkent Oblast.
By the mid-1920s, however, a rift had began to grown between her and Niyazov, partially because of their differing opinions about politics (such as her support for more rapid social and economic reforms), but also due to a basic clash between their very different personalities. They went through a bitter divorce in 1927 and regularly fought afterwards over the custody of their children. In 1929, Kseniya Zemlyanitsyna (eldest daughter of Lavrentiy Radigostovich Zemlyanitsyn) was elected Vedma of the Uzbek SSR, but lasted less than a year before being displaced by Karimova. Fuming at the loss of her position, Zemlyanitsyna tried to convince Afanasiy Kostov to allow her to depose Karimova in 1930, but was rebuffed and sent back to Lysaya Gora. As Vedma, she pursued a rapid program of reform than Niyazov had opposed and spearheaded numerous anti-religious campaigns. She was widely perceived as a diehard Kostovist and he initially appreciated her loyalty, but that was not to last.
Though relations between Karimova and her ex-husband had been acrimonious for years, Kostov nevertheless came to the rather bizarre conclusion during the Great Harvest that the two of them had been conspiring together against him with Zemlyanitsyna and others. In August 1937, he and Svarog Volosevich Zhelezov sent her an angry letter via owl, accusing her of having known and covered for her ex-husband’s treasonous activities. She protested, but was arrested herself less than a month later. At first, she steadfastly refused to admit guilt, but broke down after the Zhnetsy arranged a meeting between her and Niyazov, where he begged her to confess to save their children. The former spouses were publicly put on trial in March 1938 along with Krupina, Voinov, and Zemlyanitsyna, among others, and were executed on 21 March 1938.
Karimova’s three children were initially sent to an orphanage until they were old enough to send to Vyraj. In the 1950s, they successfully lobbied for their mother's rehabilitation, but did not do so for their father, with whom they had never had much of a relationship.
#wizarding russia#harry potter#harry potter worldbuilding#hpedit#nanshe's graphics#this is has been sitting in my drafts for 2+ weeks
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The Coffee Readathon TBR
This month I am participating in The Coffee Readathon. I’m nervous about this as I’m starting back to school this month so I don’t know how much time I’ll have. All book descriptions are from Goodreads.
LATTE - read a hyped book
I picked Exciting Times by Noaise Dolan for this prompt.
Ava moved to Hong Kong to find happiness, but so far, it isn’t working out. Since she left Dublin, she’s been spending her days teaching English to rich children—she’s been assigned the grammar classes because she lacks warmth—and her nights avoiding petulant roommates in her cramped apartment.
When Ava befriends Julian, a witty British banker, he offers a shortcut into a lavish life her meager salary could never allow. Ignoring her feminist leanings and her better instincts, Ava finds herself moving into Julian’s apartment, letting him buy her clothes, and, eventually, striking up a sexual relationship with him. When Julian’s job takes him back to London, she stays put, unsure where their relationship stands.
Enter Edith. A Hong Kong–born lawyer, striking and ambitious, Edith takes Ava to the theater and leaves her tulips in the hallway. Ava wants to be her—and wants her. Ava has been carefully pretending that Julian is nothing more than an absentee roommate, so when Julian announces that he’s returning to Hong Kong, she faces a fork in the road. Should she return to the easy compatibility of her life with Julian or take a leap into the unknown with Edith?
ICED COFFEE - read a summer read
I picked Summer Bird Blue by Akemi Dawn Bowman.
Rumi Seto spends a lot of time worrying she doesn’t have the answers to everything. What to eat, where to go, whom to love. But there is one thing she is absolutely sure of—she wants to spend the rest of her life writing music with her younger sister, Lea.
Then Lea dies in a car accident, and her mother sends her away to live with her aunt in Hawaii while she deals with her own grief. Now thousands of miles from home, Rumi struggles to navigate the loss of her sister, being abandoned by her mother, and the absence of music in her life. With the help of the “boys next door”—a teenage surfer named Kai, who smiles too much and doesn’t take anything seriously, and an eighty-year-old named George Watanabe, who succumbed to his own grief years ago—Rumi attempts to find her way back to her music, to write the song she and Lea never had the chance to finish.
TURKISH COFFEE - read a book written by an author of middle eastern origin
I picked Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon for this prompt.
For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud to target Jaya’s little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she’ll be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and it feels like the opportunity of a lifetime. She knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. But much to Jaya’s annoyance, Grey’s brooding demeanor and lupine blue eyes have drawn her in. There’s simply no way she and her sworn enemy could find their fairy-tale ending…right?
His Lordship Grey Emerson is a misanthrope. Thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch, Grey knows he’s doomed once he turns eighteen. Sequestered away in the mountains at St. Rosetta’s International Academy, he’s lived an isolated existence—until Jaya Rao bursts into his life, but he can't shake the feeling that she’s hiding something. Something that might just have to do with the rose-shaped ruby pendant around her neck…
As the stars conspire to keep them apart, Jaya and Grey grapple with questions of love, loyalty, and whether it’s possible to write your own happy ending.
ESPRESSO ROMANO - read a book with a unique plot
I’ve picked Wildcard by Marie Lu.
I won’t put the description as it’s a sequel.
CAFE CREMA - read a book with less than 750 ratings on Goodreads
I picked Here is The Beehive by Sarah Crossan.
Ana Kelly can deal with death. As an estate lawyer, an unfortunate part of her day-to-day is phone calls from the next of kin informing her that one of her clients has died. But nothing could have prepared Ana for the call from Rebecca Taylor, explaining in a strangely calm tone that her husband Connor was killed in an accident.
Ana had been having an affair with Connor for three years, keeping their love secret in hotel rooms, weekends away, and swiftly deleted text messages. Though consuming, they hide their love well, and nobody knows of their relationship except Mark, Connor's best friend.
Alone and undone, Ana seeks friendship with the person who she once thought of as her adversary and opposite, but who is now the only one who shares her pain -- Rebecca. As Ana becomes closer to her lover's widow, she is forced to reconcile painful truths about the affair, and the fickleness of love and desire.
CAFE CON LECHE - read a book written by a Latinx author
I have picked We Set The Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia.
At the Medio School for Girls, distinguished young women are trained for one of two roles in their polarized society. Depending on her specialization, a graduate will one day run a husband’s household or raise his children, but both are promised a life of comfort and luxury, far from the frequent political uprisings of the lower class. Daniela Vargas is the school’s top student, but her bright future depends upon no one discovering her darkest secret—that her pedigree is a lie. Her parents sacrificed everything to obtain forged identification papers so Dani could rise above her station. Now that her marriage to an important politico’s son is fast approaching, she must keep the truth hidden or be sent back to the fringes of society, where famine and poverty rule supreme.
On her graduation night, Dani seems to be in the clear, despite the surprises that unfold. But nothing prepares her for all the difficult choices she must make, especially when she is asked to spy for a resistance group desperately fighting to bring equality to Medio. Will Dani cling to the privilege her parents fought to win for her, or to give up everything she’s strived for in pursuit of a free Medio—and a chance at a forbidden love?
VIETNAMESE ICED COFFEE - read a book set in Asia
For this prompt, I picked Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen
When eighteen-year-old Ever Wong’s parents send her from Ohio to Taiwan to study Mandarin for the summer, she finds herself thrust among the very over-achieving kids her parents have always wanted her to be, including Rick Woo, the Yale-bound prodigy profiled in the Chinese newspapers since they were nine—and her parents’ yardstick for her never-measuring-up life.
Unbeknownst to her parents, however, the program is actually an infamous teen meet-market nicknamed Loveboat, where the kids are more into clubbing than calligraphy and drinking snake-blood sake than touring sacred shrines.
Free for the first time, Ever sets out to break all her parents’ uber-strict rules—but how far can she go before she breaks her own heart?
BLACK COFFEE - read a classic book
For this, I picked Mary Poppins Comes Back by P. L. Travers.
I won’t put the blurb as this is a sequel.
IRISH COFFEE - read a book with a sassy/fiery character
I took this prompt literally and decided to go with Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander.
An approved textbook at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry since publication, Newt Scamander's masterpiece has entertained wizarding families through the generations. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is an indispensable introduction to the magical beasts of the Wizarding World. Scamander's years of travel and research have created a tome of unparalleled importance. Some of the beasts will be familiar to readers of the Harry Potter books - the Hippogriff, the Basilisk, the Hungarian Horntail ... Others will surprise even the most ardent amateur Magizoologist.
PUMPKIN SPICED LATTE - Spooky/Witch/Autumnal Read
For this, I picked A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro.
The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar.
From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.
And that’s my entire TBR for this readathon. I’m so excited to complete it!
#tbr#reading#reader#readers#book#books#coffee readathon#readathon#book blog#book blogger#fantasy#ya#middle grade#bookworm#bookworms
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Meet LAUREL HEARST. They are TWENTY NINE years old and hail from MANHATTAN, NY. Laurel embodies the constellation, GEMINI. They use SHE/HER pronouns. Their faceclaim is ZOEY DEUTCH.
Gemini reminds me of leather jackets, mini skirts, a carefully curated instagram aesthetic, pitbulls, j.d. salinger, black coffee, bath bombs, bought affection, unexpressed emotions, club music, disney movies, cocaine, passionate arguments (followed by sex), spontaneous trips to paris, vodka soda, extravagant parties, old money. .
BIOGRAPHY
(tw: brief mention of murder.)
Laurel knew she was destined for Polaris, but even more than that, she was destined to be a Zodiac. She came from a long line of powerful witches & wizards and a long line of business owners, meaning the Hearst name is well known in a lot of circles. Whether they’re liked or feared is another story; while the Hearst’s wealth was tied generally to their business dealings, there were a lot of rumors that they used their magical inclinations to make things happen. Laurel really didn’t have confirmation about that one way or the other. She knew her family was shady, certainly leaning into the darker side of magic, but all in all, that wasn’t any concern to her. She never really experienced a lot of familial comfort growing up, instead enjoying what wealth could bring–the best education, experiences, trips. Her mom didn’t often cuddle her but Laurel was just fine with that. Of course, this has led to her being rather impersonal, but truthfully, things were easier that way.
Her magic began to manifest at four, and she started being trained right away. Her father was a fire element and her mother an earth, so Laurel’s air element power came as a bit of a shock, but not unwelcome as long as she learned to harness it. Growing up, the Hearst family put a great deal of stock in education, both magical and non–she was always going to go to college before Polaris, and she was always going to be raised to carry on the family legacy, no matter the cost. Again, Laurel didn’t mind. Her particular power drains her, although she’d never tell a soul that; the Hearst family wasn’t supposed to show weakness, and while she is powerful, sustainability isn’t her strong suit. She’s quickly burnt out and isn’t built for long term fights–a problem when she needs to be.
Laurel’s Gemini mark appeared when she was sixteen, and that was the most relieving day of her life, to say the least. For her family, failing to be a member of the Zodiac meant failure as a whole, regardless of the fact that it wasn’t really something she could have controlled. But while there was still hard work ahead of her, training for her entire childhood had certainly taken a toll, and she felt like that was an opportunity for her to relax a little bit. Magic took a physical toll on her, and her parents demanded she go to college before getting an education, anyway, so once her acceptance letter to Columbia arrived in the mail, everything just kind of fell into place.
With a little bit more freedom, Laurel thrived. Still smart as a whip and talented, but she allowed herself to enjoy the other perks that came with being known in the community and having wealth, including fostering a healthy social life. That wasn’t to say she was nice or even really likable, though; with a sense of superiority and a coldness to her, Laurel wasn’t very good at making real friends, and instead surrounded herself with people who could serve her in one way or another. This was where she began to get a little lazy; she’d worked hard her whole life, even throughout her time at Columbia, and she felt like she deserved the opportunity to enjoy her life before being forced to train again and then take over the family empire.
So, much to her family’s chagrin, Laurel opted to take a gap year, which turned into two. She traveled, she partied, and between that she got her Master’s degree, but none of that was really part of her destined plan. Laurel’s parents begged her to get back on track, to train at Polaris, and she would. She was always going to, just later, and later, until… The eve of her 25th birthday, when her father was killed.
There really wasn’t an explanation as far as who or what or why, but Laurel knew at that moment that play time was over. It was an attack on her family no matter what, and she was the one who had to defend it, now. She was at Polaris at the start of the next semester, ready to get serious about learning how to control her magical inclinations.
INCLINATION
Gemini has the both the highest potential and the highest instability in terms of air magic. Their natural duality lends itself to a propensity for quick absorption and discharge of their energy, and they have an innate knack for counterspells and redirection. Gemini’s duality is most easily expressed in their manipulation of the wind, from a gentle breeze to a whipping tornado. On the other hand, the amount of energy that frequently flows in and out of them can often lead to overheating and burnout.
CONNECTIONS
A Soft Spot: Laurel is not what anyone would consider to be warm & welcoming, to say the least, but she does have a nicer layer to her once there’s been some proven loyalty (like a true Gemini, her personality does a solid 180 once given the opportunity). This was the first person at Polaris to breach that layer, and Laurel would kill anyone who tries to harm them.
Easily Manipulated: Someone who has mistaken Laurel’s charm (and by ‘charm’, I mean ‘the necessary skills to get someone into bed’) as something more. Laurel likes them around because it’s easy attention, and she’s probably even nicer to them just on principal, but it’s very one-sided.
A Family Rival: This is someone who experienced a very similar, high-pressure upbringing as Laurel, but and while their families ran in the same circles and likely attended the same parties, they were not friends–whether their feud had magical roots or business roots isn’t all that relevant. These two hate each other as a result and are extremely competitive, and Laurel probably things that their family has something to do with her father’s death.
Penned by Ashley ★
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10 Real Wizards 10.Nicholas Flamel
We have all heard of and maybe even seen real witches that lived among us but when it comes to wizards, we limit them to Harry Potter books. The closest we have ever come to “real” magic is the various magicians we watch on TV. But it’s time for David Blaine and Chris Angel to step aside and make way for these ten wizards that were far from fictional. These men took magic to a very different level and raised more than an eyebrow when spoken about. So, let us take a closer look at these real life wizards and what they did to make it onto this list.
Most Harry Potter fans would know this name. He was the French wizard who created the philosophers stone and was over 600 years old when he knew Dumbledore. Of course, this was just a book and movie. In real life, Flamel was known to have been involved in alchemy. Researchers have written that Flamel indulged in the dark arts while he was travelling to Santiago de Compostela. After he became a wizard, people noticed that Flamel and his wife became extremely wealthy and they concluded that he used his magical powers to do so. While the truth is not really known, people say that his wealth came from the two shops he owned and ran and from his wife’s inheritance. Nicholas Flamel died in the year 1418 but his story is still being told today.
9. Hayyim Samuel Jacob Falk
Rabbi Hayyim Samuel Jacob Falk was born in Germany in the year 1708 but fled to London in fright of being burnt to death. He entered London in the 1940’s and he was instantly known as the Baal Shem of London because of his impressive mystic skills. Apparently he could move objects with his mind and he even once filled a cellar with coal by using a few incantations. It has also been said that the rabbi saved the Great Synagogue in London from a fire just by writing a few words in Hebrew on the pillars. He even gave a magical ring to the Duke of Orleans to ensure that the succession to the throne would remain within the family. The ring was handed down to the Dukes son who eventually became French King Louis Philippe.
8.Paracelsus
Born in 1493 as Philippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim, Paracelsus was a brilliant man who excelled in medicine, astrology, botany and alchemy. He is the person who named zinc and he is responsible for tracking the psychological roots to numerous illnesses. Paracelsus used astronomy along with his medicines to treat his patients and believed that in order for man to have good health, they had to be in harmony with nature. He developed the “Alphabet of the Magi” which is a magical language that calls upon spirits to help in the healing process of patients. He became famous for his “magical healing” methods where he combined medicine, astronomy and alchemy together to treat people in his own way.
7.Papus
Also known as Gerard Encausse, the great Papus was born in the year 1865. He was an occult writer and even wrote many books on the dark arts which he practiced regularly. In the year 1888, Papus founded an occult group named the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose-Croix. While participating in his group, he was a part of other magic societies such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the Hermetic Brotherhood of Light. His biggest known magical outing was during the 1900’s when he visited Tsarina Alexandra and Tsar Nicholas II in Russia. In 1905 when he visited the Russian family, he conjured the Tsar’s father’s spirit who said that the throne would be lost by Nicholas II by an uprising of the people. He even said that the uprising would not happen as long as Papus is alive. When the wizard died, Nicholas II was overthrown just 141 days later.
6.Hew Draper
In the 1500’s, Hew Draper used to run an inn but was caught and imprisoned in the Tower of London because it was rumored that he would indulge in sorcery. When he was questioned about it, he accepted that he was fond on magic but he had burnt all his alchemy books. While he was in the Tower, he decided to add to the many drawings engraved by the previous prisoners. What he decided to add to the walls was something that took everyone by surprise. He engraved a detailed astrological design and completed it with all the zodiac signs. He then wrote his name and a date – 30th May, 1561. No one knew why he decided that date but when the day came, he disappeared. He did not escape and neither did he die in the prison or anywhere else in the city
People were then convinced that he was wizard.
5. Cornelius Agrippa
Often referred to as the greatest magician of his time, Agrippa was an outstanding writer. He wrote quite a few books on the workings of the dark arts and their uses. One of his most famous books is the “De Occulta Philosophia Libra Tres” which roughly translates into “Three Books of Occult Philosophy”. It was a book that showed a system of magic that worked on three levels – The natural magic or alchemy and astronomy and the vocal magic or the summoning of spirits. He believed and wrote that all magic was rooted in divine work. Agrippa studied the occult and it functioning and practiced it to a point where he wrote about summoning spirits to get rid of pests around the house. Although Agrippa was a powerful wizard, he finally gave it up around 1530. He was sure that studying and believing in the occult would take him to hell. He even warned readers in his last book about using these powers but why he suddenly decided to leave the dark arts remains a mystery.
4. John Dee
Dee was both a mystical and a scientific adviser to England’s Queen Elizabeth I. He was a very intelligent man who took to studying every field he could get his hands on. He published a book called Monas Hyroglyphica which was a glyph that represented creation and its unity. Soon after his theoretical take on the spirit world, he wanted more and looked for a way to connect with the spirits directly. It was then that Dee met Edward Talbot (later to be known as Edward Kelley). Kelley was a close partner and sorcerer to Dee and they both travelled Europe displaying their magical skills to royalty. In the year 1587, Kelley told Dee that he had spoken to the “angels” and they told him that the duo needed to share each other’s wives. John Dee left Edward and returned back to England after hearing this and became a warden in Manchester at Christ’s College.
3.Edward Talbot
Also known as Edward Kelley, Talbot was a close friend and accomplice to John Dee. They both spent a few years in Europe sharing their love for magic. Kelley was believed to have created Enochian (a magical alphabet). He even claimed that he used a crystal ball to speak to spirits. Unlike John Dee who put more faith in theoretical magic, Kelley was a believer in alchemy. He discovered a magical book in the 1580’s called “Book of Dunstan”. This book apparently had a spell that could turn any metal into gold by using a magic red powder. When the pair of Dee and Kelley split up, Kelley remained in Europe and continued his work with alchemy. Vilem Rozmberk, a Bohemian Count gave Kelley many estates and in the year 1590, King Rudolph II knighted the alchemist. Sadly, the king arrested him in the year 1591 for murder but rumors say his arrest was because the king wanted him to turn metal to gold for him. When Kelley agreed, he was released but in the year 1595, he was arrested again because he went back on his promise. He was finally imprisoned in the Hnevin Castle till he could turn metal into gold.
2. Eliphas Levi
If we read about Victorian age magic, Eliphas Levi’s name is bound to come up. He was the man who wrote “Transcendental Magic, its Doctrine and Ritual” which was the biggest influence on many occult societies around the world. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was one of the many societies that based its functioning on this very book. He began his magical work in the year 1853 when he met Edward Bulwer-Lytton. Lytton was an author who introduced Levi to Rosicrucianism (a secret magical society based in medieval Germany). He introduced tarot cards and gave them the importance they have today as well as associating the inverted pentacle to evil and the upright one to good. His biggest work was that he introduced the three basic principles of magic around the Victorian age: They were
That the human willpower could achieve both ordinary and miraculous feats,
That what we see in the materialistic universe is just one part of reality and
That a human person is a reflection of the universe on a tiny level and that they are linked and if they act on one, the other could be affected as well.
1.Alister Crowley
This man was named as “the wickedest man in the world” and for good reason. He was the biggest occultist in the world and shaped the way modern occultists worked with magic. He was very interested in alchemy and he later joined the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn in the year 1898. He believed in bisexuality which gave him a reputation and helped him rise through the ranks in the Hermetic Order. His beliefs and functioning was the root cause of the feuds between the London and French branches of the Order. He soon left the society and started his own occult group. He founded the A.A in 1907, which was a society that was based on Thelemic beliefs that he had formed. He claimed that he was given instructions from Aiwass who was the messenger of Horus (Egyptian God). Apparently this messenger told him that he a new age prophet. His society started the law “do what thou wilt”. He then settled in Sicily. Crowley not only conjured spirits from ancient Egypt, he was involved in the regression of death and claimed to recover memories from his previous life as Eliphas Levi.
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Queens is the largest of the five boroughs of New York City. It was established in 1683 and presumably named to honor European Queens. At this time, The majority of the settlers were from the Netherlands and many of their population were witches and wizards. They forged a very decent relationship with the natives. The land grew up into a prosperous town that fostered a safe community for the wizarding folk from all over the world.
When the Revolutionary War came, the British quickly swept in. In Queens, there was a significant mixed wizarding population. The muggle British troops weren’t much concerned with Queens aside from Long Island. The witches and wizards took this to their advantage and used several locations in Queens for a rotating headquarters by which they could plan and facilitate guerrilla counteroffensives. One of these old HQ’s has been flipping into a Aurors Division and Civil Protection (ADCP) Precinct while another is a cupcake shop. A few others have been placed under historical protection and are preserved in their vintage state. One, in particular, has actually disappeared. MACUSA has the city plans for where the building and its basement should be, yet in its place is Sunnyside Gardens Park.
One of the most used headquarters in the war turned into a steakhouse and the most desirable meeting spot for crime bosses in not only Queens but New York City. The Butcher House was a little on the nose and had the attention of authorities as Italian wizarding families flooded among the crowds on the boats. The Bandoni, Moretti and Laguardia families all rose quickly and suddenly in the 1870′s. The crime families covered their tracks very well, no matter how many safe houses and weapon caches the aurors raided. It was in 1879 that Walter Moretti gunned down the heir to the Bandoni throne in the Butcher House. The Moretti’s ruled over the Italian wizarding diaspora in Queens while the Laguardia’s migrated deeper into Manhattan that leads to Fiorello Laguardia being elected as the 99th mayor of New York City. Fiorello embraced the criminal background of his family yet in the sense that the entire population of New York City was now apart of his family and he looked to expel any threat he could to the expanded family of his.
Fiorello Laguardia being in office was a major asset to the wizarding community of New York City. He desperately wanted to foster a bond between the no-maj office of mayor and MACUSA. Fiorello was largely successful in this attempt, with each office working together to better the city. One of the many successes of this co-operation was the Beast Breeding Amendment.
In the 1900′s purge of Beast Breeders, Civil Patrol and Aurors had to go door to door to ensure all breeders ceased and desisted. Queens was notorious for illegal beast breeding in the late 1800′s. The ringleader of the entire operation was Edith O’Mooney, an Irish witch that immigrated with her parents. She orchestrated the financing, breeding, distribution, and profiting off every illegal breeder in Queens. And breeder not willing to come into her fold disappeared almost as soon as they had appeared and one of O’Mooney’s associates took over their operation. Edith O’Mooney was never apprehended by authorities even though almost all of her inner circle was arrested. This earned O’Mooney the alias of “The Untouchable”. Rumors run, even to this day, that wrinkly, old O’Mooney still runs the underground organizations in Queens, quite possibly the Non-Dominabitur organization.
Queens is home to two airports, JFK International and La Guardia, and therefore there is little to none wizarding air traffic over it. Especially since the great crash of 2001, where a group of young wizards on their way home from a quodpot tournament at Sentinel Aerial Stadium. Giddy off gigglewater and an underdog win, the teen’s collided with a no-maj plane, American Airlines Flight 587. It was a terrible accident that leads to well-developed laws on wizarding air travel by MACUSA.
Nowadays, the wizarding community of Queens is vibrant yet divided. Many significant wizarding families from around the world settled in Queens. Some made alliances with each other and others still feed into fierce feuds. It is not odd for there to be a witch or wizard in the middle of an incident in Queens. The 111th ADCP Precinct of Queens is one of the busiest in the city, always dealing with a wide variety of issues that compliment the wizarding population of Queens.
#queens borough#DWUSA#I wrote this one drunk my bad guys hope there is nothing wrong love you all - WD
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“I don't know... But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking... don't they? ”
— BASICS —
NAME: The Scarecrow
AGE Twenty-Six
OCCUPATION: Lawyer [ negotiable ]
STORY: The Wizard of Oz
— IN SHORT —
While he promised his days of experimentation on the poor citizens of OZ are strictly behind him, the Scarecrow is still as inquisitive and curious about the workings of the mundane world. He hides it well, but his time in Oz has left him a bit more raw than his companions, quick on the attack the Scarecrow is suspicious of anyone who offers to 'help him.' Burying himself in his work for the Fable Community, the Scarecrow knows the letter of the fable laws set out by the council inside and out and just how to tread in those particularly nasty grey areas.
+ carefree, intellectual, caring
- brutish, impulsive, manipulative
— HISTORY —
Simplicity. That’s how the Scarecrow would describe his life before Dorothy, before the Wicked Witch and Wizard. A simple man, emphasis on the man bit, who only wanted to be happy in life. But we can't always get what we want in life and that was a lesson the Scarecrow learned rather quickly. After losing his head to love to no other than the Wicked Witch of the West, The Scarecrow was caught in the middle of an ugly feud between she and the Great Wizard of Oz. Not the prettiest moment in either's history if you asked him but no ever did. And yet his heart had won out. He'd sided with the witch against the wizard and for it, he paid dearly when she declined to take a spot beside the Wizard. After all the wizard was a fraud to say the very least. Beaten and bloodily to the point of amnesia the Scarecrow wandered into the fields of Munchkin Country. Hopelessly lost. As if by magic, his broken bones and limbs were transformed into straw and burlap. Without pain and certainly without any sense the Scarecrow found himself in a bit predicament after the riots calmed down. Having made a mess of the corn stalks running for his life--not that he'd remember that little detail-- near the yellow brick road, The Scarecrow found himself tied up and put to good use to make amends for being in cahoots with the wicked witch. Scaring the crows and the ravens from the crop was his sole purpose. Of course when you can't remember your name, who you really are or how you got there in the first place you don't tend to argue too much.
That was until Dorothy found him. tied up and confused attempting to play tricks on the poor little girl from Kansas, The Scarecrow was freed from his imprisonment. Offering to help her get to the Wizard, the man whom he'd heard had world-renowned power and was all inspiring, in exchange for the opportunity to ask him for a brain the Scarecrow and Dorothy headed on down that famous road of yellow brick her little dog waggling behind. But getting a brain didn't help the Scarecrow remember, didn't really piece together the missing years of his life. Smart, oddly so, the Scarecrow could see the Wizard and Dorothy for what they were. Not of Oz and power hungry. the wizard's foolish crusade against the Wicked witch might have come to a head after Dorothy melted her, but The Scarecrow was far from inept. He saw it for what it was. A power play. But being the man he was--or once was--he used that to his advantage and remained observantly dumb. After Dorothy's departure, the Scarecrow assumed the royal of leader over Oz, until the rightful heir Ozma could be returned, her curse broken. Some say that brain is much more useful than brawn but the Scarecrow knew far too much for his own good. And he alongside the Cowardly Lion began to rebuild a new department in Oz. A secret reign of terror known only to those in the Emerald City.
And then the proverbial savior returned. She was different than before. Anyone with a brain could see that. Gone was the good innocent Dorothy who saved them from the Wicked Witch terrible reign. in her wake was someone else. A darker form of the girl who was the savior of Oz. And then the Oppunger came into the picture. Under Dorothy's command, the Scarecrow began his experiments, always need to know what made something tick before understanding it. An unwanted side effect of the gift bestowed upon him by the Wizard. Following Dorothy's lead, the Scarecrow made himself appear as an indispensable asset to the conqueror of the lands. That only lasted for a few days before even the Scarecrow was of no use. Fleeing to the Mundane world the Scarecrow blames Dorothy and the wizard for all the ill-fated troubles he underwent. Less loyal than the Tin Woodsman or Cowardly Lion, The Scarecrow knows wHere his corruption drew from. Now in the mundane world, he uses his gift the best way he can. Legal aid for the Fable Community. Pro bono work and other clients on the side, the Scarecrow renounced his follower ways and signed the treaty confessing to all his past crimes. But not all the golden straw that is stuffed inside that tailored suit is flaxen with good intentions. He knows better than anyone that if he could be swayed once he's very certain it could happen again, perhaps without his knowledge.
— CONNECTIONS —
X Dorothy Gale
X The Wizard
X Mad Hatter
X Red Queen
SCARECROW IS OPEN. PORTRAYED BY FC OLIVER JACKSON-COHEN [ NEGOTIABLE ]. AND HIS/HER SUGGESTED FCs ARE: RYAN REYNOLDS, ALEX PETTYFER, JOHN BOYEGA, and TYLER POSEY
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is it me, or does Goetia's Buer sound like a good guy? or at least a true neutral at that, this descriptions make him look like a intellectual in philosophy, a tea aficionado and a skilled medic. so what if he is a polite daemon? MAYBE he lacks true morality but from what i can tell from this descriptions, he seems like at least a cultured (possibly) polite dude.
You know, there’s a lot of them that sound like they wouldn’t want toimmediately rip your throat out. That’s why I was waiting to answer this one; Iwanted to go through all 72 and pick out the Goetia Goodies (O) and theGoetia Goons (X). Let’s see, in order...
BAEL: Hoarse voice, spider legs, fussy. Sounds like a royal pain! (X)
AGARES: I doubt he can always rein in that croc. (X)
VASSAGO: One of many to tell the past and future, he can also helpyou find things you’ve lost. Just so long as you keep it clean, I guess. (O)
GAMIGIN: A horse with a hoarse voice. That’s unethical. (X)
MARBAS: Can cure diseases, but also cause them. Surely in league withBig Pharma! (X)
VALEFOR: Tempts people to steal! (X)
AMON: Spits fire, but cures controversies between friends. Can alsocause feuds? But I have a soft spot for Amon, so... (O)
BARBATOS: Lets you understand birds and dogs, opens magical chests. Whata pal! (O)
PAIMON: The most obedient to Lucifer, definitely a Bad Boy. (X)
BUER: And here we are at the gentle Dr. Buer. (O)
GUSION: Depending on what a “Xenopilus” is, he’s otherwise all aboutfriendships. (O)
SITRI: One of those who makes people horny. Armed and dangerous. (X)
BELETH: He’s got all those trumpeters. Very annoying! (X)
LERAJE: The belligerent demon Robin Hood. (X)
ELIGOR: Knows all about wars, but doesn’t seem to be all about fightingthem. Still, will err on the side of caution here. (X)
ZEPAR: Can make people infertile! What a dickweed. (X)
BOTIS: Future-telling, reconciliation, but never trust a viper with asword. (X)
BATHIN: The first of those who can teleport people. Neat, but rife forabuse (and Star Trek-style transporter accidents). (X)
SALLOS: Another croc-rider, but specifically saying he’s peaceful. Well,I’m sold. (O)
PURSON: Rides a bear. Despite that,the Kings are probably not to be trusted. (X)
MORAX: Thebull-man who just want to make the world a smarter place. (O)
IPOS: The UgliestDemon, but he makes people witty. A Cyrano in our midst? (O)
AIM: Apyromaniac. (X)
NABERIUS: Another teacher! (O)
GLASYA-LABOLAS:"An author of Bloodshed and Manslaughter." (X)
BUNE: Dispensesmoney. Commie! (X)
RONOVE: Themonster man who nonetheless is a rhetoric expert. (O)
BERITH: He is thePhilosopher's Stone in demon form. All that gold will crash the markets! (X)
ASTAROTH: One ofthe nastiest. Plus he has bad breath! (X)
FORNEUS: Morerhetoric and friend-making. (O)
FORAS: Can makepeople invisible. Lead us not into temptation! (X)
ASMODEUS: Need Isay more? (X)
GAAP: Makespeople ignorant. (X)
FURFUR: Anotherfickle one about summoning, can also cause thunderous storms. (X)
MARCHOSIAS:Vomits fire, but really wants to be an angel again, so perhaps would still beon his best behavior. (O)
STOLAS: All aboutthat astronomy and those herbs and precious stones. No bias here! (O)
PHENEX: A sweetsinger and poet. Another who wishes to be an angel once more. (O)
HALPHAS: Probablynice, but is also the bad kind of gun nut. (X)
MALPHAS: Can readthe minds of your enemies. As if you don't already know from their passive-aggressivetweets and comments. (X)
RAUM: Anotherdirty thief (but of rich kings, so maybe it's OK), but also destroys cities.Oh. (X)
FOCALOR: Killsand drowns people. Right to the point! Or to the bottom? (X)
VEPAR: Guideswarships, but also putrefies sores and causes worms to breed in them. Gross!(X)
SABNOCK: LikeHalphas, only for armor, but shares Vepar's vile worm-breeding-in-sores power. (X)
SHAX: The stealerof senses! (X)
VINE: Discoverswizards and witches (!), but causes rough storms on waters. Also a King. (X)
BIFRONS: Doesn'tseem so bad, but hangs out with the dead so he's probably fetid. (X)
UVALL: AnotherGoetia PUA. (X)
HAAGENTI: Morealchemy. These demons need some new hobbies! (X)
CROCELL: Candiscover baths and warm them up real nice, but also creates noises that soundlike rushing torrents, like some weirdo. Consider it ambiance, I guess. (O)
FURCAS: ThisKnight is a "cruel old man" who teaches pyromancy. We live in theuniverse where pyromancy is OP, so... (X)
BALAM: Invisibility,King, Bear. Not a good enough ratio. (X)
ALLOCES: NO MORE WARRIORSON HORSES, PLEASE (X)
CAIM: The bird-man, he lendsunderstanding of animals and the waters (!), and things to come. He answers inhot coals, so as long as he's not summoned near flammable objects Caim probablywon't give you any trouble. (O)
MURMUR: A PERFECTphilosophy teacher and mediator to the dead. Just wear earplugs for histrumpeting cohorts. (O)
OROBAS: Tells ofthe past, present, future, and of divinity and the creation of the world. Saidto be "very faithful" to the summoner. What's not to love? (O)
GREMORY:Future-telling, but another that messes with the hearts of women, if commanded.Come on occultist, just use a dating app like everyone else! (X)
OSE: Ose cantransform the summoner into "any Shape." Keep your fetishes toyourself. (X)
AMY: The flamingliberal science teacher. Like Caim, practice fire safety and you should becool. (O)
ORIAS: Anastrologer, but can also magically promote people through ranks, presumablythose undeserving of it. (X)
VAPULA: A winged,lion-headed professor of "all handicrafts and professions." (O)
ZAGAN: The bullKing, can transmute blood into wine. Sounds a hair more effective than a winefestival. (X)
VOLAC: Tellswhere hidden treasures are and where serpents may be seen. Needs a friend,badly. (O)
ANDRAS: If youtreat him as a joke, Andras will straight up kill you; suppose he's tired ofbeing laughed at for being an owl-headed man riding a wolf. (X)
FLAUROS: Anotherparticular demon; will lie if things aren't just right, but can also burnpeople to death. (X)
ANDREALPHUS: Whowouldn't want to learn geometry from a peacock? (O)
KIMARIS: The lasthorseback warrior. Logic, rhetoric, rules spirits of Africa,etc. (O)
AMDUSIAS: Themusician of Hell, Amdusias can also bend trees to the summoner's will. That'sso weirdly specific I think I have to give it a pass. (O)
BELIAL: The KingBelial seems to be another fickle with the summoning process, requiring giftsand sacrifices, but is written to have a better demeanor than many others.Still, play with fire... (X)
DECARABIA: Theoriginal star man and ornithologist, he just wants you to understand birds! (O)
SEERE: He's likea demonic U-Haul truck, carrying things to and fro as demanded. Tells of thievery,but doesn't seem to condone it explicitly. (O)
DANTALION: Thelast great teacher of the 72, but can control people's minds. (X)
ANDROMALIUS:Perhaps the most just of all the demons, Andromalius is said to catch andpunish thieves and "discover all wickedness." There must be a lot ofinternal conflict in Hell's hierarchies, eh? (O)
So out of the 72, I have determined that 27 of them would be kind of nice. That’s not bad! But aside from the many teachers among them, Buer probably ends up with one of the best professions and demeanors, if not the best.
Of course, all of these demons still have command over X number of demon legions, Buer with 50, so it’s probably all relative, anyway.
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~** Contest Entry: “For Fairy Love” **~
For @drmistytang and @drzime and @ratscout ‘s contest for their very, very fun series, “The Chronicles of Dru.”
(Contest information and other entries here.)
And, the story.....
For Fairy Love, a “Chronicles of Dru” Tale
Navaie the Elf Witch left Elf Port well over a decade ago, and had no intention of ever going back.
She lived in Cliffside City now, which suited her better. Much, much better. Her shop was small, but provided a comfortable life from sale of her custom spells - mostly hexes, minor charms.
It was a simple way to live. Quiet. Alone. She liked it.
That morning, she began the day like any other. She grumblingly got out of bed, braided her long white hair – dyed for effect - polished her spectacles and dressed in the many dark robes that (she hoped) gave her that extra air of powerful menace. Then she breakfasted, crumbling dried vegetable jerky between her perfect teeth as she looked over the shop and finally switched the sign on the door to ‘Open.’
That, however, was where the day’s normalcy ended.
It was raining, hard. Hours passed with no customers whatsoever. She sighed, nearly ready to leave the shop for a coffee after only an hour (the Goblin couple down the street made surprisingly delicious espresso).
Almost in that same moment, there finally came a customer. A knock sounded at the door. It was low- her height, so probably a human child. Hardly any other Elves lived here, after all.
“It’s open!” she shouted.
She heard a thud on the other side, a straining, then another knock – quieter this time. Cursing under her breath, Navaie got up to see what the trouble was.
A biting comment died on her lips as she looked slightly down. Before her stood a short, plump woman with deerhide-brown skin, hair the color of a dark woodland, and wide green eyes. She was at least three inches shorter than the Witch herself, and her ears – though also pointed – were shorter than an Elf’s. A very thick, very heavy satchel was loosely strapped across her back. She clung to it with both arms, as if she’d fall over if she let go. Her clothes were more earth tones, many shades of brown and greys, the style cut rounder than her slightly pointed features. All except the hat – a tall green and brown cone sat cockeyed on her head, raising her apparent height by about a foot. Somehow, it maintained its vertical stature - almost prideful in the downpour.
It took a moment for her to put two and two together. “You’re a Gnome. Ah. You do exist.”
She huffed, and nodded, her eyes blinking in a desperate fashion. “Yes, even in the rain. May I come in?”
~
Prunella had started her morning in a very different fashion.
Not wanting to waste any of the money she’d saved, she'd slept outside the city in a cavern and began her hike to the Witch’s shop as soon as daylight broke.
She had journeyed far across all the lands of Dru – well, except the Plains of Decay – in search of the magic she needed. She’d been gone from home nearly six months. Not that she had a home anymore, since she’d sold her hovel too. Her village had been very, very confused, but she couldn’t explain, not in a way they'd understand.
She just knew, in her heart, that it would be worth it once she had what she needed.
“For Milis,” she smiled to herself as the Elf Witch finally let her in.
Navaie eyed her suspiciously, but finding unexpected compassion, she pulled out a stool for the girl and walked across the shop to a small kitchen alcove, quickly setting a kettle on the stove.
“Thank you,” Prunella said, setting herself and her bag down with a soft thud and hard thunk, respectively.
"What can I do for you?” Navaie asked, still keeping her distance and back turned.
The Gnome drew herself up to sit straight. She reached up to set her hat back to rights -including a large leaf that had actually been tucked behind her ear and ended up so plastered against the hat that it looked like part of it. “My name is Prunella, of the Slightly-Puce-Mushroom Village of the Gnomes of the Great Forest of the Land of Eledus.”
Navaie turned around and blinked at her, half surprised, half impressed. “Well that’s a mouthful.”
“Yes. I seek magic to make myself smaller.”
Though being very short of stature herself, Navaie almost snorted. A deep breath to set her composure, the moment passed, and she was able to simply quirk an eyebrow. “Aren’t you small enough already?”
Prunella blushed indignantly. It made her look greyer. “We’re taller than you, you know, with our hats! It has always been so!”
“Only because you HAVE to wear them to be taller than us!” she sniped back. “Your folk are always so foolish in the stories. I can hardly believe you’re real – do you all hide out in that forest?”
“Well, yes, but – “
“And do you really live in holes and tunnels under the trees?”
“We build fine homes under there, and the trees don’t mind!”
They glared at each other, each suddenly enraged by an ancient feud neither of them really had any idea about - and realized that fact at the same time, moments later. They softened.
Prunella sighed. “Okay, yes, we hide in our forest and we keep to ourselves. But I know that you Elves live mostly in that big city on the sea, right? And since you’re here….. I bet you’re an outsider. Wouldn’t you want to help another outsider?”
“Not that it’s any of your business,” Navaie snapped again, then reeled her emotions back in. “But, why? Are you an outsider?”
She blushed even deeper, looking at her muddied boots as she went on. “I seem to have fallen in love. With a fairy.”
“……..Oh. Okay. What does that have to do with being small?” The kettle whistled, and she swiveled quickly to pour the tea. As she turned back to hand her guest one dainty, wooden cup (engraved with frolicking unicorns atop the heads of trolls – the only heirloom she had brought with her from Elf Port), she noticed that Prunella’s blush had turned into a stonier, angrier shade. Embarrassed and misunderstood.
The Gnome took the cup, hands shaking, and nodded her thanks. But her frustration made her voice oddly even and cold, like stone. “Well, she’s a BUTTERfairy. Even smaller.” Setting the tea down on the floor, she stood, gesturing up and down her round form to indicate her own size. “How would we live?"
Navaie tried not to smile. Her guest's irritation was....endearing, yes, but to say so would only make her angrier. Instead she asked, "Can't you find someone better suited?"
She huffed. "Why would I want to do that? I love her." Without waiting to any prompting, she launched into a description of that emotion, leading her host wonder if all Gnomes were this open and verbose. "My Milis - well, she's not MY Milis yet, but anyway, she's the kindest, most excited person I've ever met. She doesn't say much, but ever since she moved to Slightly-Puce-Mushroom she's always so helpful and nice to everyone, even the humans nearby, and she seems so happy to just exist, so very in-wonder about everything about life. Sometimes I see her staring off all lonely, like something awful happened to her..." - She trailed off, and Navaie opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted as the girl started again - "But she never chooses to STAY in that loneliness! And she's just so beautiful," her blushed deepened again. "Her hair is like newly grown moss, and her skin is like lovely grey pebbles in a stream, and her eyes and her wings are all sorts of pink, like roses, and rose quartz, and -"
"Okay okay," the Elf finally interrupted. This was too much. Too private. "I get it."
Prunella sighed, happier now in the vision of her beloved. She sat back down and sipped at her tea, nodding again in gratitude. "....Can you help me, then?"
Navaie drained her own cup, and stared at the leaves in the bottom, considering. "Perhaps. What have you tried so far?"
"Oh. How did you kn-"
"Someone as dedicated to their task as you does not skimp on options," she said curtly, her 'imposing' persona drawn back up around herself like a mantle.
Prunella gulped. "Well, I've been all over. No Wizards in Eledus could help me, so I went looking for a genie, but I found they're all attached to the banks, and I couldn't afford one. The banker was nice enough to buy the rest of my goods, and my services as his housekeeper for a week, but that still wasn't enough. He suggested I find a Witch - transformation magic, you know? I asked around and people said you're the best."
She felt herself puff up inside. That was true, though she was more renowned for lesser magics. The fact that this Gnome had found that out anyway was noteworthy.
"You're right to come to me, Miss Prunella," she answered. "I have transformation magic."
Her face brightened immeasurably.
"But I'm not sure if I can apply it to you. This magic is usually only used on the caster."
Her face fell. She scrunched up her eyes against a well of disappointment. No - she hadn't come this far to fail, again.
Such raw emotion, and control of it, softened the Elf Witch's countenance once more. Why was this girl getting to her so much? She scoffed at herself, then asked, "Have you spoken to your Milis about this? Maybe she has another solution."
That deep stone flush of color returned to Prunella's face, but she relaxed, her despair clearly turning to calm sadness. "Actually...no. She doesn't know how I feel yet."
If she had had any tea left, she would have spat it across the room. "Surely you are joking."
"No, I'm not. The only thing I've gotten her to tell me about her past is that her people were once harmed by a great force, simply for caring about one another. She cares about me - about all of us, really - but she still keeps us at a distance." She stood again, setting her empty teacup carefully on the floor. "Please. I know she won't be able to even consider accepting me without something big like this. I have to show her I'm serious."
Now, Navaie scrunched up her face. This was a bad idea. A very very bad idea. It wouldn't even work. She was sure of it.
"Okay," she sighed. "How much can you pay?"
Prunella brightened, leaning down to hoist the heavy satchel toward the woman's feet. She opened it to reveal all manner of coin - drachmas, gold, silver, even some precious gems - simply brimming to full. Navaie gawked as she looked up at her, all seriousness. "I'm not sure exactly how much is in here. But I've sold everything I have. Please say it's enough."
Navaie shook her head back and forth, like shaking a rattle, to pull herself together. Briefly she wondered exactly how the Gnome had come by that much money - even though it wouldn't have bought her a genie, it was still MUCH more than she expected. And how had she avoided being robbed on the way here? She waved the thoughts aside.
"Yes, I believe so," she settled on. "Sit back down. We'll begin."
~
The magic - if it was going to work at all - required that its charge be tested. When Navaie explained this to Prunella, she blanched, assuming that meant she would have to travel the world all over again.
At that, the Elf Witch laughed, "No no, child, I can test you from here." She stepped forward to stand above her and raised her arms above the Gnome's head. Her robes fanned out for form a sort of curtain around her customer. "I am going to ask you a series of questions. Answer honestly - the magic will know if you are lying. At the end, we will know if you are worthy of such a gift, and we can try."
Prunella gulped. "Okay." This was daunting - different than she expected, and what if it was all for show? But she would do whatever the Witch asked in order to change, for Milis. She closed her eyes, focused on her love's face in her heart and tried to still her mind.
"What would you do, for love of this woman?" Navaie began. "Would you travel to the top of Snowcap Mountain - crossing the vasts deserts of Umohaw, risking your death by the Worms and the Pit, and to get there, crossing the Plains of Decay by yourself - to offer your service to the largest, scariest dragon you could find, for a hundred years or more?"
"Yes," she answered, without hesitation.
"Would you spend a year in the deepest, darkest vaults of the bankers, counting their monies, checking and double-checking, for no pay of your own?"
"Of course."
"Would you try to feed the mer-folk sushi?"
Navaie expected a laugh, which would break concentration - and thus was a challenge within the challenge - but Prunella only scrunched up her nose in slight confusion. "I don't know what that is. But yes."
"Would you record - in painful detail - the history of our land, researching for years and years, all the way back to the first King?"
"Yes."
"Would you sneak into the Fairy Dome, pretend to BE a fairy and fight to the death?"
"Of course."
"Would you clip the toenails of 77 lepers and hide them in King Dru's bedsheets?"
That almost earned a laugh, but she watched the Gnome force it down, her lips set in a firm and serious line. "Yes."
"Would you offer up ALL the magic in our land, robbing others of it, to cure a Leerg of their isolation?"
She opened up her mouth, clearly about to agree, then her eyes snapped open and she looked imploringly at the Witch. Navaie locked her gaze with her own. This was a test, true and pure, and she would not give any leeway.
"This is strong magic, child," she said, quietly. "It needs to know if you are strong, and serious, too."
Prunella nodded, and took a moment to think. When she looked up again her eyes were full of tears. "No," she whispered back, heartbreak clear in every part of her being. "I couldn't do that. It wouldn't be fair."
The Witch nodded back, and broke into a smile as she felt the magic's hum - positive and bright, wash through her. There was a shifting of the air with that, which Prunella could see too, and she sat up straighter in surprise.
"I passed?" she asked, almost smiling. "But, how?"
She took a step back, reaching out to help the girl to her feet. Prunella's slight smile broke into a relieved grin as she said, "Yes. The magic knows you are True, and sees the goodness in your heart. You are worthy of this gift... if it is possible."
"Okay." She bounced. "What now?"
Navaie rolled up her sleeves and strode over to the door, locked it, and set her sign to Closed. "Now we try."
~
The Elf Witch had brought many tomes of magical information with her from Elf Port, and kept many herbs, essences and crystals in stock, both for commission and her own use. She even had a working knowledge of Rune magic, though she wouldn't consider herself a practitioner.
She used every bit of it. Everything she knew, everything she could.
Hours passed. She poured magic onto Prunella, then through herself and onto Prunella, then around her instead - as if it would seep in. She tried transforming herself while holding the Gnome's hand, in case it really was that simple and no one had ever thought to try it. She worked until they were both exhausted and nauseous.
Nothing worked. It couldn't be done.
"...I'm sorry," she finally sighed, moving back once again to let Prunella sink, defeated, onto the stool.
She leaned her plump elbows onto her knees and held her chin in her hands, her features wobbling, eyes clenched shut.
While she cried, Navaie went back to her small kitchen and set about making more tea. She pulled out some cakes, too, in case either of them grew past the nausea. Magic was hard and sickening work, but they would need replenishment eventually.
When she turned around, she found that Prunella had already composed herself and was putting her hat back to rights once more, kneeling to empty her satchel of the coin.
"Now wait a minute - " the Elf noted, stepping forward to stop her. Any other day, she would have taken the money. But after this trial, and failure... it just didn't feel right. Not to take all of it, anyway.
Prunella slid it toward her, her features resolute despite the sorrow clearly set underneath. "You must. I know you worked very hard for me today, and I believe that if it WAS possible, you would have done it. I -" she choked, then shook her head to clear more tears and tried to set the Witch with a firm gaze. "You must. I AM grateful."
Again impressed with this odd creature, Navaie set her own solemn gaze, and nodded. "All right. But please, take a third of it back for your travels home. And I will pack you some food."
At the word home, the Gnome snorted, but she just nodded her thanks and set about splitting up that sum. While she did, the Elf turned back again to put some tea in a thermos and pack up the sandwiches she had set out. Images of her own past, smiling faces and other broken hearts, flooded her mind.
Maybe that's why, she mused. Maybe she reminds me of me, before.
The clinking of coins stopped, and she felt Prunella tap her on the shoulder just as she turned around again, food bundled securely in her hands. The satchel sat more comfortably on the girl's shoulders, now, and she stood as tall and proud as her hat, even with the sadness in her eyes. Deep as a forest.
"I'm glad to have met you, Prunella," Navaie said honestly. "I wish you safe travels, and good luck, with your love."
The Gnome mumbled her thanks, tears welling up again at the mention of that emotion. She gripped the Witch's hand in thanks, then spun in a hurry to leave.
"Do not lose hope," Navaie heard herself call after her, quietly and unexpectedly. But the girl was already gone.
~
"Stupid. Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid," Prunella mumbled.
Despite her wish to delay her homecoming, her trip across the land had taken just as much time as it physically could have, and felt like it went twice as quickly. She had chosen to save her money again, ever practical, just in case.
"Maybe cousin Milkvetch will sell me back my house," she sighed. "In installments."
Her heart sank again as she rounded a bend in the forest path, and the small, subtle markers of the Slightly-Puce-Mushroom Village came into view.
"Not that it would really solve anything." She stopped in her tracks. "....Maybe I should go become a leper and guide people across the Wastes."'
She really, truly almost turned to leave again, when she heard a high-pitched cry. A blur of pink, grey and green shot out at her from a nearby tree, and if she had gotten her wish, she would have been bowled over by fairy affection.
As it was, Milis hugged the side of her face with tiny grey arms and beamed up at her. Through the pain in her heart, she smiled, and reached up to cup her safely there.
"You came back!" the Butterfairy's voice tinkled, relief and delight all over.
"You - you noticed," Prunella stuttered. She held out her hand, carrying her love's small form to hold her out at arm's length, her fingers interlocking to support her better.
She swatted her thumb, then flittered up to stand, hands on hips, and glare at the Gnome. "Of COURSE I did!" You - you....." her voice sputtered, and she shook her head, long moss-green hair flowing out around her as her rosey wings quivered.
She stamped. "Ow!" Prunella cursed, though it hadn't really hurt. "What, Milis? What is it?"
She felt something cold and wet slide down her own face. She was crying. Hmm. She tried to ignore it - but her beloved had not, and at the sight of tears, she started crying too. She quietly, easily lifted back into the air and floated with unimaginable grace up to Prunella's face. She reached out and gingerly touched the tip of her friend's nose, pressed against it with both hands.
"What is it, Prunie?"
Prunella bunched her hands in her own skirt, grasping, desperate not to have to do anything anymore.
"It doesn't matter. It didn't work."
"But.....what did you do?" Gods, she looked SO sad. "I heard you sold your home to that weird old Milkvetch. I thought you were really leaving...and without even saying goodbye..."
She sighed. What else could she do? Bracing herself, she reached up to cradle the fairy below her face, in case the shock of this would be too much. She forced herself to meet her wide, pink eyes.
"I am in love with you, Milis. I have been since you came to our village. I went to find magic to make myself small, like you, so we could be together if you wanted me, too." She breathed, deep, and kept going - if she filled the silence with words, it would postpone her rejection. "I mean, only if you wanted, and I know it's hard for you to get close to anyone, so I thought, 'Hey, a grand gesture' you know, to prove my feelings, and I know I'm -"
She found herself cut off as a beaming Milis fluttered down to press a soft, small kiss to her bottom lip, pursed mid-word. She wrapped her arms around her lips to hold them shut, and looked up at her, beautifully serious and delighted.
"I love you too, you big idiot," she stated, so matter-of-fact. "You should have said something instead of selling your house and running away."
"Twoowee?" she forced out, relief and unimaginable joy bursting inside her.
"Truly." Milis kissed her again, and floated back to hover above her nose, letting her love breathe and reach up to take her in her hands again.
They grinned at each other.
"But what will we do, about this?" Prunella gestured up and down her own height - though somehow she found she didn't care so much, anymore.
"That is no matter," Milis stated. "Our hearts do, that's all. We'll figure it out as we go."
Prunella closed her eyes, held her lady close and let out a breath as if she'd been holding it for months and months. She hadn't failed - not truly. Milis loved her anyway.
"Okay," she agreed. "We will."
~
Far away, in Cliffside City, a white-haired Elf Witch laughed into the vision in her Bairdy-made crystal ball. She hadn't been spying- no, she was just curious. And she wasn't grinning, she was just relieved that the Gnome had gotten her True wish after all, since she insisted on spending all that money.
Navaie sat back against her pillows, the comfort of her room now even brighter with his news.
In moments she found herself gazing out her bedside window, looking north-west. Toward Elf Port.
Those old and "unwelcome" memories swam before her gaze again...
She thought of her small home, of her serviceable shop below, and sturdy life she had built for herself here as she had run from her people and her past.
The simpleness. The quiet. The loneliness.
Maybe she didn't like it so much, after all.
She balanced the crystal ball on her steepled fingers, peered over her spectacles. She gave in.
"Shining Crystal, Shining Bright. Show me my husband...."
~
end.
#contest entry#the chronicles of dru#wish me luck#love story#gnomes#gnome woman#fairy#fairy tale#lesbian#love#witch#elf#fantasy art#fantasy story#short story
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A Slytherin Essay
Are Slytherin a ‘Bad’ House?
“Or perhaps in Slytherin
You’ll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means,
To achieve their ends”
Ever since Hogwarts was founded, there have been many issues between the four houses, first with the founders, and then with inter-house rivalry. Often put in the wrong are the house of Slytherin, simply because of the negativity surrounding them. The ongoing feud between Slytherin and the other houses was only fuelled by the annual Quidditch Tournament and the House Cup. Although this was, to a point, completely out of control on the Slytherin side, it is fair to say Slytherin had a role in this. But do Slytherins really deserve all of the negativity they receive merely for being who they are?
Firstly, there are many issues with what Slytherin actually means. The traits commonly associated with the house (determined, clever, cunning, disloyal, ambitious, resourceful, and power-hungry) are almost equal-parts good and bad. Not all of these traits apply to every member of Slytherin, so generalising and judging based purely off of these traits is hugely unfair to many Slytherins. Some of the traits, like “disloyal”, “cunning” and “power-hungry”, can easily be interpreted as negative traits. Disloyal because a lack of trust is suspicious, cunning because deceit and evasion is considered “cheating” to gain success/power/desires, and being power-hungry simply because there is question behind Slytherin motives - even though many Slytherins have been undisputedly useful to wizarding history is positive ways. For example, Severus Snape and Horace Slughorn, both Slytherins who did some questionable things (abusing Harry for years at school, purely for the sake of an old dispute with James Potter and telling a young Voldemort about Horcruxes) but ultimately turned out to be good (Snape worked for the Order and Slughorn, though fuelled by a childish desire for acceptance, was actually a pretty good teacher). The more positive attributes connected to Slytherin (determination, cleverness, resourcefulness and ambition) are very useful almost daily.
Furthermore, the unfair stereotype that all Slytherins are evil is backed up with little actual evidence from the original books, in which Hagrid states “There’s not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn’t in Slytherin”. This passing phrase does not hold much conviction, as throughout the series we are introduced to characters such as Peter Pettigrew, a Gryffindor wizard who goes far against the conventional Gryffindor = The Good Guys misconception, and Quirinus Quirrel - a Ravenclaw who let Lord Voldemort inhabit/possess his body. Not to mention the fact that on the Hufflepuff House page on the Harry Potter Wikia, it says that Hufflepuff have produced the fewest number of dark wizards than any of the other houses at Hogwarts. Fewest implies that they have produced at least one. Unfortunately, no sources or names are given, but assuming the author of that particular phrase did have evidence, we have at least one dark wizard (or witch) from every Hogwarts house. [Towards the beginning of the above paragraph, I mentioned evidence in the original books. This is because any facts released after the first seven Harry Potter books are often used to garner more interest back to the Harry Potter franchise (e.g. the news of Dumbledore being gay, this drew more interest into reading/ watching -buying- the books/films to find any hints of this inside of the original works.]
Some more negative stigma surrounding Slytherin is based around Salazar Slytherin, one of the four founders of Hogwarts. Many people believe that his elitism regarding purebloods over half and “mud”-bloods was uncalled for, however it is important to remember that Hogwarts was founded in a time when many witches and wizards – and any one believed to capable of practising magic – were hunted down, captured and killed. Wanting to restrict the intake of students to those who only interacted and knew purebloods would limit the chances of word getting out to almost nothing. With this in mind, it is fairly safe to say that Salazar had not only the best interests of himself at heart, but also purebloods everywhere. And though, unfortunately, half-bloods and ‘below’ were unfortunately excluded from Salazar’s ideal protective arc, it is fairly safe to say had they not been such a risk to the safety of the wizarding population Salazar would have willingly educated more witches/wizards, had they not posed such a risk to the wizards populating Great Britain.
As if more evidence was required to support my point, there is the whole “Slytherin aesthetic” to discuss. Those sorted into the snake house reside in the dungeons for much of the year. Now, although this doesn’t sound like something anyone could enjoy (with things such as mould, damp, cold, darkness, etc..) it is important to bear in mind that this is in a world of magic, so there must be spells to protect from these unpleasant features. Nevertheless, regardless of whatever downsides may appear when thinking of Slytherin, the common room, as officially stated on Pottermore, is decorated various shades of green, many of which are on the darker (not duller) end of the spectrum. It has a fireplace, presumably to add some colour, warmth and familiarity to the Slytherin specific communal room, and the mantle is adorned with a portrait of a snake. Bright green lamps are used to light up the stone walls in a fairly aesthetic, Slytherin-esque way. Another note-worthy aspect of the common room is where it is situated; as well as being, of course, in the dungeons, it is almost directly under the lake, so if, at any point, the Slytherins wanted to have a window-length wall put in, and they succeeded with the complex magic no doubt required to accomplish this, they would have an impressive view of the lake and whatever creatures reside in there (whether or not the mer-people would appreciate this is up for debate). With that depiction of the common room completed, it is time to address a separate related point; “The Slytherin Dungeon”. This is not a particularly enticing name to be given to a place deemed suitable for living in almost year round. The dungeon, when described and put fully into context, is nothing like the torture chambers we associate the word “dungeon” with, as it actually seems (admittedly only somewhat) like a decent place. Not only are the dungeons susceptible to change, Slytherins also seem to have complex reasons for almost everything. This is because Slytherins like to rely on logic and the mind, much like Ravenclaws do, and by planning out every aspect of the house they can use psychology to influence the performance of the Slytherin students. For example, the Slytherin house colours, green and silver. The colour green both has links to supernatural happenings, which would explain the pureblood pride of Slytherin, and dark magic, and though Slytherin himself was not an extremely dark wizard, he did have a tendency towards doing questionable things (e.g. putting a giant deadly basilisk underneath a school). In the muggle world green has connotations with water (you can link this with water serpent, Slytherins like to stick to themes) and having a calming effect on people. Green is also a colour that looks good on practically anyone, especially the shades favoured by Slytherin, and it is pretty common knowledge that Slytherins like to look (and do) their best.
Many Slytherins are, in fact, influential people and many muggles of note are said to be in Slytherin - Lin-Manuel Miranda for example, the man we accredit the musical “Hamilton” to. Joe Moses is another – he is a member of “Team StarKid” a theatre company predominantly known on YouTube – especially for the “A Very Potter Musical” series. A full list of famous muggle Slytherins would be needlessly long, as a simple search online will draw up long lists of celebrities sorted by either fans or themselves.
Throughout the entirety of this text I have stated and reasoned through why Slytherin is not a “bad” house, saying not only opinion but fact. I have explained what the traits associated with Slytherin actually mean, and explained why the stereotypes used to label all Slytherins are quite simply wrong and, dare I say it – immoral; I have reasoned through the man himself: Salazar Slytherin’s, actions and thoughts, and discussed the aesthetics used in the dungeons and the reasoning behind them. I have even (briefly) listed celebrities in Slytherin – without the use of the word “fandom”.
Now, to conclude, I will say this; Slytherin are not deserving of the hatred directed towards them. Yes, they have done some bad things, and yes, they have produced more than their fair share of dark wizards. How many of these were honest opinions and not just the result of social pressure might significantly change the way we view the snake house. Unfortunately, those statistics are yet to be officially released, so instead we must rely on the above information. Based off of what we see above, it is fair to say that Slytherin is not a house, as many of the “out-there” decisions/actions done by Slytherins were (are) influenced by social/peer pressure, or the mentality shown by Slytherins regardless of individual characteristics. It is also important to remember that, much like how history is written by the winners, Harry Potter was written with a Gryffindor as the protagonist, and with the severe friction between Gryffindor and Slytherin in mind it is clear that Slytherins did not have fair representation – therefore many opinions formed with no in depth research are unfairly influenced almost right from the start.
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Salem School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Home for the abandoned, the orphan, the abused, the longing, the loner. Behind its Golden gates and Silver walls lie communities of wizards and witches. Nymphs coaxed into protecting its trees that line the outer wall are constantly on the watch for any danger, and the river flowing through it is clear and cold. Meadows and forests lie inside it, a refuge for the lost. The school is in the middle, where are pathways lead. There’s 5 houses, and 10 prefects, and 5 heads of houses and 5 headmasters/heamistresses. It’s a complete diplomacy, voting is always the answer. Someone got into a fight, you vote, someone lost a sheep, you vote. Unless there is means for harm intentionally and with evil intentions, then the 10 judges are called in. You start the school at age 9, and end at 19. Then, you are legal. Marriage is legal at 21, if you choose to stay inside Salem’s safe haven walls. Salem was founded by a runaway witch during the Salem Witch Trials. She was alone most of her life, until she met Samuel Johnson. He made her laugh, he made Maeve Salem laugh. That’s what she hated. He was a muggle, knew nothing about magic. Maeve was a neglected orphan who knew only pain. So when she let him know she was a witch and his warm eyes grew cold and his lips straightened, her heart broke. He left soon after. She was pregnant with his child. It turned out to be a boy, Jonathan. He was born in Salem, and went to Ilvermorny for education, as Salem was not a school. When he came back disappointed, Maeve was angry at the school that did not fulfill her child’s dream. So she opened Salem School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Maeve left it in charge of Jonathan and his wife, Peggy, and went to San Francisco. There, she established the Magical Foundation of the West. She helped run it for a while before she grew bored of being restrained at her post, so she ran off in the middle of the night to Las Vegas, where she established another magic foundation, the Maeve Magical Association of the West. Maeve ran back to San Francisco and introduced the leaders. They then became partners in working the West. Meanwhile back in New York the Magical Congress of the United States of America grew angry. There was a great battle between MACUSA and the Western Wizarding Congress which was located in Texas. It’s referred to by muggles as the Civil War. The WWC(Western Wizarding Congress) shut down after the war and Maeve begged them to open once more, for they were the real law setters. They refused. She turned to Nicaragua, the only country willing to talk to her, and asked them to help. El Congreso de Magia de America Central(the Congress of Magic in Central America) agreed to help. It sent over Aurors and helped establish the Western Leadership Corporation. Maeve died during battle and a statue of her was erected on MMW(Magical Foudation of the West), MMAW(Maeve Magical Association of the West), and WLC property. There is an ongoing feud between them as to who claims the money left behind by Jonathan’s family, which vanished from the globe soon after Maeve’s death. Some say that Maeve never really died, but traveled around the globe for several years later. Why? Because Maeve was descended from a Poseidon lineage, and the sea does not like to be restrained.
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Fantasy New Release: 26 October, 2019
Cops chasing magical criminals, airship baronesses, embattled chi cultivating martial artists, and unwilling heroes feature in this week’s collection of fantasy’s newest releases.
Bad Dreams and Broken Hearts (The Case Files of Erik Rugar #1) – Misha Burnett
It’s hard to fight wizards and demons when all you have is a gun and a badge.
The use of magic in the Sovereign City of Dracoheim is regulated by the Lord Mayor’s Committee For Public Safety. From the licensing of magi, to the health and safety requirements for magical manufacturing, to the import and export of goods to the Realms of Nightmare, dedicated civil servants ensure that the metropolitan area stays safe from magical mayhem.
Most of the time, anyway.
My name is Erik Rugar. I’m an agent of the Criminal Investigation Division of CPS. We operate outside of the authority of Parliament and are answerable only to the Lord Mayor himself. We get involved when the regular beat cops are out of their depth. If a magic shop gets robbed by junkies, or someone gets vaporized by a fireball, or shapechanging creatures start infiltrating the city, I get the call.
But I’m not a mage; I’m just a cop. I face down magical threats with my keen investigative skills and a trusty revolver.
Welcome to my world.
CivCEO (The Accidental Champion #1) – Andrew Karevik
When Charles Morris is forced into retirement, the old multinational company CEO has to accept that it is all over. The days of running his financial empire have finally come to an end. While Charles is attending a fundraiser, however, something happens and he’s transported into a strange medieval world where magic is real and legendary heroes coexist with mythical monsters.
As it turns out, he’s been snatched by a goddess who was in need of a Champion to grow her village.
Relying on a lifetime of business expertise and the Topsight—an ability that allows him to see and manage the entire village from above—he will have to start back from the bottom and find how to bring this measly Level 1 village to prosperity.
And so, they give him an ultimatum: he has one month to prove himself and improve Tine, otherwise it’s the hangman’s noose.
Divine Madness (Way of the Immortals #2) – Harmon Cooper
Things are only starting to heat up for Nick Barnette.
Upon escaping the city of Nagchu, Nick and his companions barely manage to survive a surprise attack from an incredibly powerful being, one clearly not of their world.
And that isn’t the only thing after them.
With Lhandon’s monastery under siege, Nick’s group must head toward the Darkhan Mountains, to the snow lion village of Dornod, in search of training and to officially reset of the Path of the Divine. Through meditation, combat, and study, Nick and his companions continue to cultivate their powers while in the village of Dornod. Their ultimate goal is to reach the Island Kingdom of Jonang, where Nick hopes to find his Marine friend Hugo, and Lhandon hopes to locate the reincarnation of the Exonerated One.
But their enemies are also growing stronger.
And it is through sheer treachery that Nick and Lhandon find themselves in a life or death situation, one that could end their epic saga before it has a chance to even start.
The Glauerdoom Moor (Super Dungeon #3) – David West
The evil Baron Von Drakk has no problem defeating an entire army and kidnapping their leader—the great Princess Citrine. Now Princess Citrine’s only hope lies in a thief that just got caught.
Sai doesn’t want to be a hero. She wants to steal the greatest jewel in Crystalia. But when she is captured by the king’s men in the perfect trap, Sai is forced to take a job from King Jasper himself—to rescue his daughter Princess Citrine from the evil Von Drakk. Escape should be easy for an accomplished thief, but the Royal Warden refuses to let her out of his sight until they find the kidnapped princess.
Sai thrives in the unsavory places of Castletown, but those pale in comparison to the Glauerdoom Moor. Witches and zombies lurk around every corner, and the swamp itself seems against them. Even worse is the tyrant who rules the Moor. The undead Baron Von Drakk has a host of evil creatures at his command, not to mention nearly unstoppable dark magic of his own.
How can Sai defeat someone who took out an entire army?
The Iron Wedding (Adventures of Baron Von Monocle #4) – Jon Del Arroz
She must marry an evil tyrant…
…in order to end the war.
Zaira von Monocle is on the verge of sacrificing her life as an airship commander, because the ruler of Wyranth Empire demands her as a bride.
The war has devastated Zaira’s home country, leaving her little choice but to do as the Iron Emperor wishes. But a new threat looms over the horizon as she tries to bring about peace between these two warring countries, one which neither the Wyranth nor Rislandia are prepared to encounter.
The #1 Bestselling steampunk adventure series takes a bold new turn in The Iron Wedding, bringing new wonders and dangers like you’ve never seen before. Read it today!
The Rise of the Demon Prince (The Counterfeit Sorcerer #2) – Robert Kroese
A terrifying demon has come from the shadow world to threaten the land of Orszag. Flanked by a horde of ghostly specters, the demon intends to lay waste to the city of Nagyvaros, and only one man can stop him: Konrad the sorcerer. To defeat the demon, Konrad must learn to master the power of the warlock’s brand. But with enemies all around him and no time to lose, Konrad finds himself playing one foe against another in a desperate attempt to stay alive, hoping one day to wreak his vengeance on the man who destroyed his life….
THE RISE OF THE DEMON PRINCE is the second book in the five-book series THE COUNTERFEIT SORCERER.
The Rising of the Shield Hero 14 – Aneko Yusagi
The Heavenly Emperor of Q’ten Lo is after Raphtalia’s life! To ensure her saftey, Naofumi must team up with the country’s revolutionaries to overthrow him! But when they go about fixing the problems of the country’s misrule, it drives the emperor even further into a corner. Nevertheless, Naofumi decides to add fuel to the fire by capturing the country’s former capital! But he learns that someone is pulling the strings from behind the curtain.
“Whatever. Our only choice is to keep pushing forward. There’s no stopping now.”
Just before Naofumi’s party reaches the former capital, they come face to face with the emperor’s ultimate line of defense: Sadeena’s sister?! Faced with Q’ten Lo thrown into chaos by family feuds, what will Naofumi do?! Lead its people to revolution!? Join the battle in volume fourteen of this otherworldly revenge fantasy!
Sages of the Underpass (Battle Artists #1) – Aaron Michael Ritchey
In a world where everyone has power, Nikodemus Kowalczyk was always destined to be an underdog.
Nikko has long since given up on his dreams of being a world class Battle Artist. Thanks to his damaged core and crazy family, he never stood a chance anyway. With money, fame, and untold power on the line, the corporations decide who wins. End of story.
But when a mysterious group, calling themselves the Sages of the Underpass, threaten to upend the entire system with their unorthodox training and cultivation methods, Nikko soon learns that what was once a handicap might be his greatest asset. The only thing standing in his way is a bitter, hard-hearted veteran, who would like nothing more than to see Niko stay in his place. Right at the bottom.
Fantasy New Release: 26 October, 2019 published first on https://sixchexus.weebly.com/
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PTFC Challenge #3 – Red Nails
Posted by Rampant Coyote on August 30, 2018
For the final entry in the Continuing the Pre-Tolkien Fantasy Challenge, I wanted to finish with one of my favorite pre-Tolkien fantasy stories… one that I haven’t read in years. I re-read it for this challenge, and while my take on it was different from my teenaged memories, I found I was no less delighted by it. The novella is one of the quintessential Conan stories by Robert E. Howard, Red Nails. It was also, sadly, the last complete Conan story written by Howard, published posthumously after his death.
But man, what a story.
This story as much about Valeria of the Red Brotherhood as it is about Conan. The story uses the third-person omniscient view which is out-of-fashion these days, freely moving into the heads of the two main characters. At least Howard does it well. I’m going to assume you already know who Conan is, but if you haven’t read at least a couple of original Conan stories, rather than his popular modern representation, than I’d argue you really don’t know who Conan is. This novella would be a great start! Howard himself called it, “the grimmest, bloodiest, and most merciless story of the series so far,” and “the bloodiest and most sexy weird story I ever wrote.”
In this story, Conan meets up with the pirate Valeria of the Red Brotherhood as they fled pursuit. Well, she was fleeing pursuit, he killed the man who was pursuing her. They meet up on this tall bluff in the jungle, Conan explains what a great service he’s rendered for her by killing her pursuer, and is sort of expecting her to fall into his arms in gratitude. Valeria is having none of this, and draws her sword to drive the … ahem… point home. Conan recognizes her skill and backs off, but still proceeds with the trash talk, which she returns.
He stepped toward her, and she sprang back, whipping out her sword.
“Keep back, you barbarian dog! I’ll spit you like a roast pig!”
He halted, reluctantly, and demanded: “Do you want me to take that toy away from you and spank you with it?”
“Words! Nothing but words!” she mocked, lights like the gleam of the sun on blue water dancing in her reckless eyes.
He knew it was the truth. No living man could disarm Valeria of the Brotherhood with his bare hands. He scowled, his sensations a tangle of conflicting emotions. He was angry, yet he was amused and filled with admiration for her spirit. He burned with eagerness to seize that splendid figure and crush it in his iron arms, yet he greatly desired not to hurt the girl. He was torn between a desire to shake her soundly, and a desire to caress her. He knew if he came any nearer her sword would be sheathed in his heart. He had seen Valeria kill too many men in border forays and tavern brawls to have any illusions about her. He knew she was as quick and ferocious as a tigress.
Their little argument is interrupted by the appearance of a monstrous creature described as a dragon. It’s that, or some kind of oversized dinosaur. They immediately forget their differences and band together in mutual defense. Their fight & flight take them to the gates of an ancient, city-sized fortress. The few inhabitants are survivors of a long-running, bitter feud between two tribes, bent on nothing more than the annihilation of each other. The tribe that enlists the aid of Conan and Valeria intend to pit their superior skill at swords against the other tribes’ reliance upon dark sorcery unearthed from the catacombs of the city. For every enemy slain, they drive a red, copper nail into an ebony column to mark their victory.
Naturally, when two decadent, dying races are steeped in such hatred and focused on nothing but destruction, there’s not going to be much of a happy ending no matter which side the mercenary pair might team up with. The story is full of interesting characters, but the backdrop of two dying cultures in the halls of a fortress built by an even longer-dead race is compelling. It drips with detail, but never too much.
Valeria isn’t quite the super-powered creature that Conan is, nor can she match Olmec, prince of the Tecuhltli tribe, for brute force. She is described as being stronger than the average man, and in skill and speed there are few men alive who could equal her, let alone beat her. She and Conan fight side-by-side, and have to rescue each other in nearly equal measure, so it’s clear that this adventure requires both of them. She is reckless, but she isn’t quite the hyperactive psychopath that Bêlit is Shemite was. Valeria is a pirate and mercenary, aggressive without being foolhardy.
One major battle scene pits Conan, Valeria, and men and women of both tribes in a single, bloody conflict:
These crashed into the fray with the devastating effect of a hurricane plowing through a grove of saplings. In sheer strength no three Tlazitlans were a match for Conan, and in spite of his weight he was quicker on his feet than any of them. He moved through the whirling, eddying mass with the surety and destructiveness of a gray wolf amidst a pack of alley curs, and he strode over a wake of crumpled figures.
Valeria fought beside him, her lips smiling and her eyes blazing. She was stronger than the average man, and far quicker and more ferocious. Her sword was like a living thing in her hand. Where Conan beat down opposition by the sheer weight and power of his blows, breaking spears, splitting skulls and cleaving bosoms to the breast-bone, Valeria brought into action a finesse of sword-play that dazzled and bewildered her antagonists before it slew them. Again and again a warrior, heaving high his heavy blade, found her point in his jugular before he could strike. Conan, towering above the field, strode through the welter smiting right and left, but Valeria moved like an illusive phantom, constantly shifting, and thrusting and slashing as she shifted. Swords missed her again and again as the wielders flailed the empty air and died with her point in their hearts or throats, and her mocking laughter in their ears.
Neither sex nor condition was considered by the maddened combatants. The five women of the Xotalancas were down with their throats cut before Conan and Valeria entered the fray, and when a man or woman went down under the stamping feet, there was always a knife ready for the helpless throat, or a sandaled foot eager to crush the prostrate skull.
Brutal. Dark. Awesome.
And so NOT TOLKIEN.
Red Nails has some of the flashiest sorcery in the Conan stories. You’ve got a frickin’ lightning-wand and a glowing skull that renders victims helpless, and pipes that induce madness. You have giant snakes summoned from the depths, and ancient dragons resurrected through dark magic. You have witches that can compel with a gaze. And you have lots of swords. Yeah, this story is quintessential Sword & Sorcery, not just Conan. Tolkien’s wizards are slow-burning forces of nature with subtle magic. The sorcerers and witches of Conan’s world run hot and crazy.
If you are a Dungeons & Dragons player, the fortress city of Xuchotil is as archetypal dungeon as the Mines of Moria. With three tiers and towers above ground and who knows how many dank and dark levels in the crypts below, it is full of hidden passages, ancient torture chambers, lost magical items, monsters, and SCADS of treasure–to the point where the jewels and precious metals are esteemed valueless by the current inhabitants. Green fire-stones and the occasional indestructible skylight provide light through some of the chambers, but not all. There sounds like there is a lot more to the city than can be described in this story, but rather left to the imagination of the reader. Or an imaginative Dungeon Master.
And yeah, of the three stories I read for this challenge, this is my favorite, and remains one of my favorite Conan stories. Maybe it will become one of yours, too. You can find it online at Project Gutenberg, or over at Wikisource (complete with the July 1936 Margaret Brundage Weird Tales cover that is totally inappropriate by today’s standards…)
Anyway, I hope you’ve enjoyed this series. There was plenty of excellent fantasy out there before Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series hit the bookshelves, and while I still love LotR, I would love to see more of the preceding works get remembered. There’s plenty to enjoy.
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source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/ptfc-challenge-3-red-nails/
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