#i am not a Magica expert by any means

[sl-newsie]

Spelled (Carlos de Vil x Sanderson Daughter)- Ch. 12: Cats And Dogs

When Ben and I get to the tourney field, we find Carlos already waiting for us by the bleachers. But he still seems uneasy.

“Ben, are you sure I can do this? I mean it’s not-” Then he sees me, and his eyes widen. “Um, hey trixie- Magica! Uh, are you here to help too?”

Ben pats his shoulder. “Relax, Carlos. Sparks is here for any positivity spells or healing tonics you might need.”

Carlos’ jaw drops. “Wait, healing? Am I gonna get sent to the hospital or something?”

“It’s a sport, Carlos. You’re gonna get hurt sometimes,” I say with a shrug. 

Ben starts walking over to the coach’s booth. “I’m gonna go set my gear down.”

Carlos seems just as uneasy as I am, and keeps looking at the ground. At least it’s not siren magic- I hope. I busy myself by hexing rocks into flowers.

“You’re really good at that,” Carlos observes.

I shrug. “This? These are just simple pocket spells. We haven’t gotten to the big stuff in class yet, but-” I look over to make sure Ben’s out of earshot and lean in to whisper: “I’m way past pocket spells. I’ve been practicing advanced spells since I was 12! But don’t tell Ben.”

Carlos’ POV

“Remind me to never get on your bad side,” I smirk. “And don’t tell Mal, but I think you’re cool.”

Magica frowns. “Mal doesn’t like me?”

Oh. I didn’t mean to upset her.

“Um, she thinks you’re “too good.” But you gotta remember who our parents are, I mean… We’re always gonna be wicked and running a-muck everywhere-”

Suddenly Magica’s eyes light up and she starts dancing around, clapping and chanting “A-muck! A-muck! A-muck!” Normally I’d cautiously ask her to sit down and see if she’s feeling ok… if it wasn’t so cute. Jeez, Carlos! Why are you so loopy for this girl you just met? Stop staring at her like she’s eye candy!

But Magica’s giddy outburst soon comes to an end, and when she realizes what she’s doing she nervously folds her arms across her chest and hangs her head.

“I- I’m sorry, Carlos. That… That’s what happens when I hear that.”

“What? A-m-?”

“Don’t say it!” She shushes me. “It’s like a trigger word. It’s like I’m not in my right mind and start to do crazy stuff. Please don’t tell anyone.”

Trigger word? That’s odd… But who am I to judge? I have a mom who wanted to skin puppies.

“I won’t say anything. I promise.”

She seems to relax. “Thanks. If I’m being honest, you’re one of the few people I trust here. And I don’t trust easily.”

That makes two of us.

“But enough of that. Looks like you’ve got training to do!” She points to Ben, who’s walking up with a stopwatch.

Magica’s POV

“Ok Carlos, we’re gonna do some sprints! You ready?” Ben calls after looking at his clipboard.

I give Carlos one last smile. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

He sighs. “I hope so, but I don’t think- ah!”

Carlos suddenly takes off as if he’s been lit on fire, and when I turn to see what the commotion is all I can find is a small dog running our way. 

“Ah! A dog! A dog!”

“Nice pace Carlos- wait!” Ben yells after him as Carlos takes off into the woods.

As Ben goes running after Carlos, Binx bounds up and perches up on a rock.

“Hey!” he pants. “That’s Dude. He lives on campus, he’s no threat. I don’t know why Carlos is running.”

I tilt my head. “I don’t think he’s ever been around dogs. I’m going to go find out.” I stop, and turn around to give Binx a look. “You’ve been hanging out with Dude, and didn’t bother to introduce me?”

The black cat seems to shrug. “Sorry. You’ve been so busy.”

“I’ll meet up with you later. Right now I gotta go keep Carlos from having a heart attack.”

When I catch up with the two boys, Dude has chased Carlos up a tree.

“Ben! Magica! Help!” Carlos calls from the tree. “This dog is an evil beast and he’s going to rip out my throat! He’s a vicious pack animal!”

“Whoa whoa whoa!” I hold my hands up. “Who told you that?”

“My mother!”

“Cruella?” Ben asks.

“Yes, she’s a dog expert!”

I huff. “Some expert. If she’s such a dog expert then why does every dog hate her?”

Ben picks the brown mutt up and holds him up to Carlos, who looks as if Ben’s offering him poison.

“Why are you holding him? He’s gonna attack you!”

“Carlos, you haven’t really actually met a dog, have you?” Ben asks. “Dude, meet Carlos. Carlos, this is Dude! The campus mutt.”

Slowly Carlos descends the tree, all while looking at Dude with a new-found interest.

“You’re a good boy, aren’t you?” He cautiously holds his hand out to pat Dude’s head.

“You guys must have it pretty rough on the island, huh?”

“Yeah, well… let’s just say we don’t get a lot of belly rubs,” Carlos jokes.

“Good boy.” Ben seems to rethink his sentence. “I mean- you’re a good runner, y’know…”

“Yeah… thanks.” Carlos smiles awkwardly.

“Um, I’m gonna give you guys some space to, y’know, get to know each other and all that. So, just find me when you’re done!” 

I give Ben a smirk. “Real smooth, Bennie. Real smooth!”

He rolls his eyes. “Shut up, Sparks!”

When Ben walks off Carlos gives me a dazed look, as if he’s never been happy before.

“I never realized how great animals are.”

I avoid his smitten gaze and play with my skirt. “Yes, animals are the very best of companions. Far better than people, I think. They don’t judge and claw at your every flaw.”

Just then Binx wanders over.

“So did Carlos faint?” 

Dude barks at the black cat, who just scoffs. “You’ve got a new best friend, Carlos.”

The freckled VK chuckles. “So you’re Binx, Magica’s faithful companion? Nice to meet you.”

Binx bows his head. “Thank you. And Magica’s told me so much-”

“Um, Binx!” I interrupt before he can blab anymore. “We’ve got to head back.”

Carlos looks disappointed. “Really? Already?”

“Yes. C’mon Binx!” I scoop him up. “I’ve- got homework to do and some errands to run for Ben. Why don’t you take Dude for a walk?”

Carlos grins at the idea and sets the pooch down. “Come on, Dude! Let’s go see the Enchanted Lake! See ya later, Magica!” He waves goodbye as he chases after Dude.

“Well that was a bust!” Binx complains as I start walking back. “Why’d you stop me? I was going to tell Carlos-”

“I know very well what you were going to tell him! You can’t just spill my secrets to Carlos!”

He grunts. “Why not? You can’t have feelings for him and stay quiet.”

“Oh yes I can! I’m trying to keep things professional, remember? I’ve got enough to be worried about without adding love to the mix! Besides, eventually he’d find out about my family. Who’d ever want to date the daughter of a Sanderson?” I give a heavy sigh as I climb the steps towards the dorms.

“Better find an outlet soon,” Binx warns when I set him down. “Keep your feelings bottled up and it only leads to something dangerous.”

“Don’t remind me,” I hiss as Jane comes rushing up. Binx gives me one last look of caution before scurrying up and out the windowsill.

“Hey, Magica! I’m about to go visit the VKs. Want to come?” 

I tilt my head. “Something seems… different about you.”

Jane grins and fluffs her locks. “Yes! Mal spelled my hair to be cool! I wanted to ask if she could help me with some other features, but mom was opposed to it.”

“What was wrong with your hair before? Also I thought you were skittish about the VKs?”

“Yeah, well… I changed my mind.” She shrugs.

Oh. So villain descendants are only accepted if they do you favors? If only they knew who I really was.

I nod, with a slightly half-crazed expression.

“The VKs actually aren’t that mean once you get to know them!”

Jane, you have no idea.

#descendants carlos #evie descendants #jay descendants #mal descendants #disney descendants #descendants #disney #doug descendants #ben descendants #audrey descendants #jane descendants #uma descendants #harry hook descendants #binx hocus pocus #hocus pocus #sarah sanderson #winifred sanderson #mary sanderson #lonnie descendants

[puer-magus]

I am genuinely curious, how would you rank Magibaru compared to canon characters? (Magia Record is included.) Can he beat Homura? He does have natural time stop immunity but idk, it is from isekai quartet.

First ask! Thank you for sending your question!

In PMMM, a lot of strength is kind of dependent on how cleverly a magi uses the magic they have. Magibaru is pretty strong considering he doesn’t have any game-breaking powers (ignoring Return by Shadow for a second). A lot of his strategies are ‘get in there and kill it as fast as possible’ as to avoid drawn out battles, because Witches tend to pull out nasty stuff the longer a magi spends trying to fight them.

Subaru’s magi power is Gun. He can summon any kind of (wieldable) gun he wants for a small magic cost, and once they’re summoned they don’t take any magic to maintain. The bullets take an even smaller amount of magic to make, although fancier effects like exploding or ricocheting take more mana. Items that are not quite Gun but gun-related (bayonets, grenades, small knives, etc) take more magic (but still not a lot). Otherwise, he’s mostly very fast and strong and able to regenerate, and he can ‘double-jump’ mid-air. His favourite party trick is to throw a gun up, have it freeze mid-air and then fire, and then catch the falling gun.

Magi Subaru has large magic reserves and severe PTSD. This means that despite the fact that he can throw around ridiculously strong attacks if he wants, his soul gem tends to darken very quickly regardless. It’s also why he tries to end battles faster.

Homura on the other hand is very conservative magic-wise, and while she has to reload her guns they also don’t cost magic. She also has time powers, which kind of no-sells most normal threats (ex. anything that isn’t Walpurgisnacht). Normally I’d say that while Subaru would give her a run for her money she would win, simply because while Subaru can regenerate there’s not a lot you can do against getting blown into chunks in an instant.

But.

Magi Subaru has Return by Shadow. And with it he does have the time stop immunity, which counters Homura’s main strategy (stop time, set up bombardment, resume time, boom). This natural time stop immunity also does not cost any magic, crucially.

But Homura can turn back time, you say. The thing is, because the Witch of Envy’s fuckery can already mess with time, in this fic’s canon I would say that Magi Subaru can remember past time loops. Definitely not perfectly. Probably only flashes of insight. But it’d give him a shot.

Magibaru’s own Return by Shadow itself is a very useful tool, but due to the heavy Witch Miasma it also darkens his soul gem a decent amount. This can be an issue. He’d need quite a few Grief Seeds if he kept spamming it.

Overall, they’re pretty evenly matched. If Homura went all out and abused her time powers and shitload of guns she would probably win, mostly because she could outlast Magi Subaru unless he had a mountain of grief seeds. If she assumed he was a normal magi and didn’t Subaru would probably win, mostly because he no-sells most of the powers she uses in a fight and is basically kind of a mirror of her.

I’m not an exhaustive expert on Puella Magi Madoka Magica canon and this is fanfic anyway so please take this with a grain of salt.

I hope I answered your question!

#puer magus fic #ask answered

[proximasc0rner]

Welcome to my blog!!!!!!

Figured I should make one of these; all the cool kids are doing it.

I'm Proxima, and I use he/they pronouns. I am gay and evil. I am also still a minor as of March 2024. Soooo, keep that in mind if you don't like interacting with blogs ran by minors I suppose.

Pfp art was provided by Nah's picrew: https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/2259682

Present/previous obsessions (aka PLEASE INTERACT IF YOU ARE INTO THE FOLLOWING:)

S tier (You could ask me anything about this media and I most likely will be able to answer):

Undertale

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (includes MazM and the book, excludes The Glass Scientists and the musical)

Hatchetfield Universe!!!!!

Disney Princess Movies *sighh* (more specifically the villains of said movies but shhhhh)

SPAAAAAAAACE! OUTER SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!

A tier (I really like this media, but I’m not quite an expert on it… YET):

Deltarune

Sofia the First *sighhhhh*

Gravity Falls

B tier (Previous obsessions. Interact if you like these, but no promises that I’ll be able to nerd out over them the way I used to)

Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Splatoon franchise

WordGirl

??? tier (Curious about these/just starting to get into them)

N/A for now

Also, PLEASE INTERACT IF:

You have ✨the queerness✨

You are neurodivergent

You enjoy bothering famous people (I need tips)

You like to hear random people on the internet rant about their OCs

You are a writer

You like space/astronomy

You support trans rights.... AND trans wrongs /silly

And finally, DO NOT INTERACT IF YOU ARE:

"Dreamsexual"

A pedophile

A zoophile

A pro/comshipper/anti-anti

Pro-life (or anti-abortion)

Anti-LGBTQ in any capacity

Weird and gatekeep-y about who "counts" as queer

Anti-BLM

Anti-Semitic

A Zionist

That is all! Thanks for reading. I hope my blog is mildly entertaining.

(P.S.: I occasionally pester Toby Fox as a joke to try and get him to join a crack panfandom RP server that I run jointly with my S/Os. Don't question it. The Undertale account hasn't been active in years so I mean it's not like I'm actually bothering the man/dog. That said, it would be really fucking funny if he logged on for shits and giggles and saw that there are like 35+ different mentions from the same account all asking him to join a Discord server using increasingly absurd ways of "convincing" him to join with each attempt.)

#pinned intro #introduction #intro post

[tobyduck]

Oh! Thank you very much for replying to my ask as well! So, in short, Scrooge’s willpower is basically that dime. Without it, he loses his motivation and spirit and all of his merits go to waste because of it. And that’s why he cannot let Magica have the dime. But Mod said Magica got rich in one of the comics (which exactly?) but felt that victory wasn’t as satisfactory... does that mean she could accomplish her goals without the dime itself? Why is she obsessed with it then??

No problem, glad to be of help! :D

See, the thing is… there isn’t just “one and only one” interpretation of these characters that’s true!

The number one dime was first mentioned in 1953, and Magica herself was created in 1961. That’s decades of comics featuring them! Of course the characters have evolved over the years – and on top of that, all these stories come from many different countries and writers, which all have different styles. So, even if there are general themes that are constant across the board, the finer details of what’s “canon” vary from story to story. For example, Magica is almost always obsessed with the dime these days, but why? Does she truly need it or does she want revenge? And of course the dime is universally important to Scrooge, but is it because it’s a literal lucky charm, or because of all the memories attached to it and what it symbolically represents?

So you will come across comics that contradict each others, and that’s ok. You can pretend they all take place in slightly different universes, and you get to pick and choose which ones you prefer. My personal understanding is mostly based on Carl Barks, Don Rosa (who himself vowed to never contradict Carl Barks’ canon if he could help it) and some of the Italian comics, simply because it’s what I like best and am most familiar with. In the end, feel free to read various sources and make up your own head-canon :D

With that said, to answer your questions:

Scrooge’s dime can be seen as a symbol of his willpower, yeah. There are stories claiming that the dime brings him good luck, too (and if he loses it, he’ll start losing money as well). Whether the dime has any real magical power is sometimes ambiguous, but according to Don Rosa, the dime is just an ordinary coin, and what makes it special is what it represents to Scrooge. I personally don’t like it much when it is literally a lucky charm either – I find it powerful enough as a representation of Scrooge’s fortune, of his humble beginnings and what resolved him to never be tricked again. It’s what inspired him to build up his fortune, little by little, by “being smarter than the smarties and tougher than the toughies”. Without it, everything collapses.

As to why Magica wants it, there are (at least) two possible interpretations: 1) either that coin is the only one that will grant her the Midas touch, and that’s why she keeps trying to steal it, or 2) she doesn’t actually need it for her spell, but she spent so long chasing after it that she became obsessed with it. Even though she’s a powerful sorceress who could become rich without using the dime, going the easy way now would be an empty victory. It would negate all the time, work, and resources she put into her quest, and it would mean Scrooge has won. And she cannot accept it. (Personally, I find explanation 2 more interesting. Adds layers.)

But then again, I’m sure you can find stories in which her motivations are different. I think in the Ducktales reboot she was sealed into the dime or something…? (but that’s a very different universe and I haven’t exactly kept up, sorry ^^”)

This is getting long, so if you want an even more detailed answer with some comic recommendations to read for yourself, see below!

To start with, there’s a Don Rosa story called “Of Ducks And Dimes And Destinies” which is a pretty good summary of what Don Rosa thinks of the dime, why it’s important to Scrooge and why Magica wants it. So if you want to check out one of the most popular explanations you should definitely have a look (read it here).

In this story, Magica decides to go back in time to steal the dime, because she figures it would be easier to beat a ten-year-old than a crafty old man (poor Scrooge).

Of course time travel shenanigans mean that it’s not what “really” happened back then but heck, it’s fun and it explores the psychology of Magica, as you see the story from her point of view.

…I really don’t want to spoil how this one ends because it’s Don Rosa, I love it, go read it XD

Anyway, next story rec is “The Midas Touch” by Carl Barks, it’s Magica’s debut comic (and you can read it here). It’s pretty fun to see how the character of Magica started compared to what she is now, because in her very first appearance, she wasn’t obsessed with the number one dime. Magica just politely enters Scrooge’s office and explains that she only wants to melt a coin (any coin!) that was touched by a rich man to make herself an amulet. Scrooge even laughs at that, not taking her seriously at all, and accepts to sell her adime.

Only when he realises that he mistakenly sold the number one dime does he run after her to stop her. Of course, when Magica learns the dime was the very first one Scrooge possessed she concludes it must be more powerful than any other and decide she’d rather keep it…

Thirdly, the story modmad was referring to (the one in which Magica got richwithout using the dime) is called “Obsession” and it was published in 2009 (pretty self-explanatory title, it’s about Magica’s obsession with the dime). Once again, you can read it here! And it’s a Danish one, for a change ^^

This story actually directly refers to the one above. Magica finds her collection of coins touched by the world’s richest men, including one of Scrooge’s regular dimes, and she decides to try to make the Midas touch amulet with that. So she melts her coins, and it works, and she becomes immensely rich…

But she isn’t happy.

She spent all these years of chasing after McDuck’s dime, obsessing over it, she just can’t let him win! She wants revenge! She spent too much time and effort to go the easy way now!!

I really recommend you read this one yourself because it perfectly explains why Magica would want the dime even if she doesn’t technically need it. Because yes, initially Magica’s goal was just to become rich, but then it became personal. Even though she is a powerful sorceress who could obtain the Midas touch by other means, doing that would amount to admitting defeat. And she’s toostubborn and obsessed for that (and don’t we love her for it?)

HOWEVER, as I said earlier, this is not the only interpretation that exists! In some stories, only the first coin possessed by the richest man in the world willgrant the Midas touch. If Scrooge is no longer the richest, his dime loses its power. (See Uncle Scrooge’s Last Adventure, for example)

So, maybe the reason Magica is obsessed with the dime is because it’s the only one that will work. Again, you can decide which version you prefer for your own headcanon :D

Last but not least, there’s an Italian comic in which Scrooge and Magica get stuck on a desert island together. It was translated by a fan, here!

And of course they have to work together if they want to get out of this predicament. What’s interesting about this one is that it offers a possible backstory for Magica. I personally am not a fan of the witch council but I still find it really nice to see different ways to explore the character. (And forcing two sworn enemies to collaborate can be such an amazing trope…)

#so yeah! #i am not a Magica expert by any means #i just… read a bunch of comics #really if there’s anything you should take away from this wall of text it’s that #there are many possible variants #so dig around read various stories and see for yourself what you like #Magica de Spell #Scrooge McDuck #number one dime #thoughts #traveling teddybear #what on EARTH happened to the formatting when i first tried posting this #it was all weird #tumblr why

[askagamedev]

I'm making a fangame to improve my dev skills in my free time. Will I be able to add it to my portfolio as is or should I make a duplicate version where I remove the distinguishing features? I'm not trying to make money with it or anything. If it helps, I'm making a topdown local coop shooter with horror elements, inspired by the anime Madoka Magica.

Generally, if you aren’t mass distributing a fan game and using it only for a portfolio piece to show a select group of people, then it should not cause any legal problems. If I am hiring a person to do work for my project, I am looking for demonstrable skill doing the kind of tasks that I need somebody to complete for me. This means that any work you’ve previously done serves only to demonstrate your ability. Fan work (including fan art) in a portfolio is totally fine to demonstrate skills.

Unless you’re applying for an artist role, most prospective employers won’t actually ask to see your work. For designers and programmers, it is far more likely that you’ll be given a test to complete as an assessment of your skills. As long as you can discuss and defend the decisions you made while building your game in an interview setting, that’s often sufficient for a hiring manager like me to decide whether to hire you. Any interview candidate will be interviewed by senior developers in the field, it is highly unlikely that somebody without the necessary skills would be able to fool experts in those fields.

You’re far more likely to incur the wrath of the IP owner if you actually distribute the infringing content/game onto the internet. Remember, the purpose of copyright law is to protect the IP owner from people using their content without permission. They only really do that if they see you abusing it. The fewer people who know about your project, the less likely it is you will be discovered. The higher the profile of the fan project, the more likely it is the IP owner will discover it and take legal action. As long as you keep it under your hat and don’t distribute it, you’ll probably be fine.

[Join us on Discord] and/or [Support us on Patreon]

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#The Hiring Process #getting a job in the game industry #legal implications #fan creations #game dev interviews

[likecastle]

i'd love tissaia x rita x philippa to be honest! nothing in particular, i just need more of the three of them together! hopefully but not necessarily having sex sounds lovely, i'd be super interested in their banter!

Oh, anon, this is such a great suggestion that I accidentally wrote 1,500 words of extremely explicit smut! I don’t know how in character the banter is, but I did try. All of this is inspired by the fact that apparently Tissaia and Rita co-edited a volume titled Masters of Magic on Curses – Selected Writings, which is honestly such an incredible academic power couple move. Please forgive any errors, I may have gotten a little carried away.

“Rita,” Tissaia calls, without looking up from the parchment in front of her, “have you seen my copy of volume two of Ars Magica?” Philippa is due to portal in soon, in order to discuss the chapter she submitted for the new book Tissaia and Rita are working on, and Tissaia wants to check a couple of her references before she arrives. She wouldn’t put it past Philippa to misconstrue Nina Fioravanti to her own ends, conniving as she is.

“Did you try the stack at your elbow?” Rita asks from somewhere behind her.

Tissaia suppresses a sigh. Of course, it’s right there. Any fool could have seen it—and she ought to have remembered it was there. She pages through the book briskly, searching for the passage by Fioravanti she’s thinking of.

Rita’s hand on her shoulder startles her, but only for a moment. Rita’s touch is gentle, rubbing small circles into her shoulder. Tissaia closes her eyes and forces herself to give in to this little kindness—one of many Rita gives so easily and Tissaia finds so difficult to accept.

“You’re not anxious about talking to Phil, are you?” Rita runs one hand soothingly down Tissaia’s arm in a way that should be infuriating, but is not.

“Certainly not,” Tissaia says, flicking to the next page.

“Mm, yes, which is why you’re paging through that book like you want to rip it to shreds.” There is a smile in the younger sorceress’s voice, a warmth that Tissaia has never possessed, even before she styled herself as the sophisticated and severe rectoress of Aretuza.

Tissaia very carefully relaxes her grip on the pages in front of her. She doesn’t like being teased, any more than she cares to be coddled. “I am not in the least bit nervous.”

“Well, you’re very tense for someone who’s perfectly at ease,” Rita replies, the laughter in her voice somehow capable of drawing Tissaia in, instead of pushing her away—a kind of charm that can’t be taught. She presses a kiss to Tissaia’s hair and adds, “Maybe I can help you relax.”

Rita’s fingers trail the column of Tissaia’s neck, feather light, before dipping down below the high collar of her dress to brush against her clavicle. Tissaia shudders, leaning back against Rita where she stands behind her tall chair. She has to bite back a moan as Rita continues to caress her throat. There’s a reason she favors tall collars and tightly buttoned tops, and it’s not, as she knows her students speculate, because she’s some repressed old maid. The skin of her throat is so sensitive she was once brought to climax just by the expert application of lips and tongue to that delicate flesh. To go about her day unprotected is to court the inopportune sensuality of a passing touch or a stray breeze—a distraction she can seldom afford.

“Philippa will be here any minute,” Tissaia says.

Rita only slips her hand further into Tissaia’s clothing, cupping Tissaia’s breast through the closely fitted bodice of her dress. Her lips take up her fingers’ place on Tissaia’s throat, and then she does moan in earnest. She feels her nipples peak and heat floods her at the pressure of Rita’s mouth.

“We haven’t time,” Tissaia tries again, weakly.  

“You’d best be quick then,” Rita murmurs against Tissaia’s pulse.

The suggestion is irresistible. Tissaia rucks up her dress and petticoats, and slips a hand between her legs. She’s already wet and aching just from Rita’s teasing. Her fingers slip against her clit and she rubs herself hard, chasing her pleasure ruthlessly, a race to the finish with no one but herself to beat.

Rita hums her approval close against Tissaia’s throat and the vibration makes her gasp. “That’s it, touch yourself for me.”

They have both abandoned all attempts to soothe the tension in Tissaia’s wound-tight frame. Instead, they are both working, each in her own way, to wind her even tighter. Rita’s lips suck and graze at Tissaia’s throat, fingers twisting her nipple sharply so that Tissaia feels it in her cunt. Throwing her head back, Tissaia works her fingers faster, pressing roughly against her slick flesh, the fingers of her other hand clenched in the silk of her skirt. Her cunt is an aching knot, drawing tighter and tighter with every touch.

“This is just what you needed, isn’t it? I can see how badly you want it.” She bites softly on Tissaia’s neck, causing Tissaia’s mouth to fall open in a shock of pleasure. “Are you going to come for me?”

Tiassaia does, her climax pulling her in and then shaking her apart. Her thighs tremble and quake, her lips going loose as the tremor of her orgasm works its way through her. She slumps, boneless, against Rita, who is still lazily palming her breast. She is breathing so hard she barely registers the sound of the portal flaring into existence across the room.

“Oh, dear,” Philippa drawls. “I seem to have interrupted something.”

Rita leans down and brushes a kiss against the shell of Tissaia’s ear, and she doesn’t have to say anything for Tissaia to take her meaning—a reassurance, a question. Tissaia, relaxed by her orgasm and bolstered by the warmth of Rita at her back, gives a small nod in response.

“Actually, Phil,” Rita says, “we were just getting started—if you’d care to join us?”

Philippa’s golden-brown eyes sweep over the sight before her, and Tissaia is surprised to not to see the cool mockery she’s come to expect from Redania’s foremost sorceress, but rather a look of barely concealed avarice. “If you insist.”

With a few quick steps, Philippa closes the distance between them and drops to the floor between Tissaia’s feet. She wastes no time in pushing Tissaia’s skirts even further up about her hips, running her palms up Tissaia’s stockinged thighs to spread her legs.

Even knowing what’s coming, the first touch of Philippa’s tongue is a shock, her cunt still shivering from her last orgasm. But Philippa is unrelenting, licking into her in a way that makes Tissaia’s legs jump.

Behind her, Rita runs a soothing hand along her torso, gentling her like some wild creature. Tissaia needs that touch desperately, all of sudden, something certain to ground her against the fierce and almost too intense pleasure of Philippa’s mouth on her. Tipping her head back, she reaches up and draws Rita down into a kiss. Rita’s mouth is tender against hers, and Tissaia feels held and steadied in a way she would deny craving even under the greatest duress.

Philippa slips two fingers inside her, and begins to work them briskly. When she crooks her fingers and begins a juddering pace, Tissaia’s hips heave and she is dragged away from Rita’s lips by a yearning sob. She is past too sensitive, past anxious or tense or anything other than shuddering with want. Philippa’s fingers are rough and relentless inside her, while her tongue is soft and fleet on Tissaia’s clit, and the combination makes her thighs shake and her hips jerk up off the seat of her chair.

She is too breathless to ask for anything, but Rita knows what she needs—always knows, no matter how Tissaia refuses to say it. Rita leans down to hold her still, so that her golden waves tickle Tissaia’s neck, and Tissaia keens. One of Rita’s hands presses low on Tissaia’s belly, and the pressure is what breaks her, bringing the fierce rhythm of Philippa’s fingers into sharp relief.

Tissaia comes with a shout, her whole body arching as she floods her thighs, soaking Philippa’s face and her petticoats and the seat of her chair. Rita holds her as she shudders and shakes, her limbs horribly, beautifully beyond her control. It’s a long time before she stops trembling, the aftershocks of her orgasm continuing to make her twitch and shiver even as her breathing slows.  

Between her legs, she hears Philippa groan, and she becomes aware of the slick sound of flesh against flesh. Though she can’t see more than the top of Philippa’s head, Tissaia can imagine what she looks like, leaning her forehead against Tissaia’s thigh, one hand up beneath her skirts as she brings herself off impatiently. Wrung out as she is, it makes her cunt throb to think of Philippa so overcome with desire that she couldn’t wait a moment longer. Philippa comes with a loud huff of breath, and finally sits back from between Tissaia’s thighs. The sight of her dripping face is not one Tissaia will soon forget, and when Philippa’s tongue darts out to lick at her lips, Tissaia is seized with the desire to kiss the clear taste of her own come from Philippa’s face. Perhaps she will. They can make the time.

[janetbrown711]

"So... are we gonna walk to Paris, or..?" Webby walked behind a now frustrated Louie.

"We'll take a boat in Germany, calm down," Louie huffed.

"Ooh, okay," Webby nodded, "so then we're walking to Germany."

"No, of course not your grace, we're taking a bus," Louie teased.

"A bus? Why I've never been on a bus," she put her hands on her hips. Louie sighed.

"I need a break. Let's stop here," they had arrived at a small creek with a little bridge go stop by. Donald sat down and started to write something in his notebook. Webby peered over his shoulder (which she knew was rude but she was curious) and saw it was a letter to one Daisy.

"Who's Daisy?" Webby asked. Louie snorted.

"Oh, she's just the most beautiful, most passionate, and most loving woman in all of Paris," Donald's face melted into a dopey smile. Louie rolled his eyes.

"Donald, focus here," Louie told.

"I am. She's the first cousin to the Empress," he smiled.

"Wait, i thought we were going to see the Empress herself. Why her cousin?" Webby asked. "Louie..?"

"Well- okay. Nobody gets near the Dowager Empress without convincing Daisy first," he grinned. Webby blinked.

"Oh no. No, no, no! Nobody ever told me I had to prove I was the Grand Duchess!" She told him.

"Look, I-"

"Show up? Yes. Look nice? Yes. But lie? No!" Webby protested.

"Hey, you don't know if its a lie. What if it's true?" He asked. Webby huffed and turned away to the bridge.

"Wait," he grabbed her arm. "I know, i know. Its another roadblock on the path to finding out who you are. I just thought this was something you had to see through to the end no matter what," Louie explained.

"But look at me Louie. I am not exactly Grand Duchess material," she referred to her rags, huffed, and stormed to the bridge. Louie did the same but the opposite direction. Luckily, Donald followed her.

"Here," he handed her a flower and gestured her to look at her reflection in the creek. "Tell me, what do you see?"

"I see a skinny nobody with no past, and no future," she dropped the flower into the water and watched the water ripple.

"I see an engaging and fiery young woman who on a number of occasions showed great and daring leadership and regal command, equal to any royal in the world," Donald smiled at her. "And i have known my fair share of royalty."

"You have?" Webby asked.

"Yes, i do. I used to be a member of the imperial court," he said. Webby smiled, feeling a lot more comfortable with the idea now.

"You? In the court? Wait- does that mean-"

"No, Louie was not. He was just a boy. And i was just his uncle," Donald said.

"What about his mom?" She asked.

"Oh she worked in the kitchens. It was pure luck that I was able to rise to my status, until the revolution of course. Louie's mother wanted to stay close to me so she got a job as head kitchen maid and her boys helped out there too, though often they found ways to get themselves into trouble," he chuckled.

"Boys like plural?" Webby asked. Donald's face fell.

"Yes... Louie- had two triplet brothers. Huey and Dewey," Donald explained.

"What... happened to them?" She asked.

"The revolution," he shook his head.

"Oh... i'm so sorry," she said.

"It's okay. I've come to terms with it. I swore to his mom to protect him and I've done a pretty good job so far,," He smiled tiredly at her. Webby hugged him.

"I bet it still hurts though," she said. Donald sighed again.

"Yeah. It does," he let go.

"So, are you ready to become the Grand Duchess Webbigail?" Louie appeared out of nowhere, killing the mood instantly. Webby snarled and went off again. Donald shot him a look and Lena growled at him.

"What?" Louie raised his arms.

"Webby, there is nothing left for you back there. Everything is in Paris," Donald said. Webby pondered that thought for a long hard moment.

"Well then... gentlemen... start your teaching," she said. Donald clapped, his old melancholy mood completely out of sight.

"Ah yes. I remember it well," he stepped toward her. "You were born in a palace by the sea."

"A palace by the sea..." she whispered to herself. The idea felt strange, yet natural.

"You rode horseback when you were only three," Donald just started listing off random facts.

"And you would make faces and terrorize the cook," He laughed.

"Was I wild?" Webby laughed.

"Like a buck," Louie snorted.

"But you'd behave when your mother gave you a stern look," Donald added.

"Fair, i suppose," she nodded.

"Oh come on, if we're supposed to get you ready to see Daisy, you'll need to be more accepting than that," Louie said.

"Let's work on posture," Donald made sure Louie's impatientness didn't shine through too loudly.

"Shoulders back, head high, don't walk, try to float," Donald straightened her back and lifted her chin. Louie got a stick and balanced it on her head and she walked, but she almost tripped over herself.

"This feels ridiculous," Webby huffed.

"Its important though," Louie patted her head.

"You give a bow," Donald displayed. Webby copied.

"What now?" Webby asked.

"Your hand receives a kiss," Donald was about to do it, but Louie got to it before he did. He kissed it and grinned cheekily. Webby nearly smacked him in the face but Donald was quick to move past it.

"If i can learn to do it, you can learn to do it. Now let's talk food," Donald brought them back to the suitcases and got out food.

"Oh geez, guess there's a lot more to being a Duchess than i realized," Webby laughed to herself.

"Oh yes..." Donald said with almost pity.

For the rest of the day they spent their time teaching her how to eat, talk, sit, walk, and taught her facts about the Vanderquacks while they rode on various vehicles before eventually arriving at the boat to Germany.

When they had all settled down the cabin, they were planning on meeting up for dancing lessons and Louie stopped her on the way up.

"Look, i bought you a dress," he sounded mighty proud of it.

"More like a tent. Look how big this thing is," she looked at it.

"It's flowy," he rolled his eyes (a now signature Louie move).

"Just put it on," he gave it to her and headed up the stairs.

"Hmmm," she put it against herself and messed with the skirt. She looked up at him and he looked back at her, but he quickly turned away and went up the stairs.

The sun had almost entirely set by the time Webby was up again. Louie and Donald had started a game of chess but Louie had no idea how to play so was losing miserably, so when Webby finally showed up he got up and clapped happily before he got a good look at her.

The dress made her look like a whole other person. Her white hair was tied into a neat ponytail, a blue ribbon making that possible (he didn't know where that came from). The blue dress fit her like a glove and she just looked... magnificent.

"Wonderful! Marvelous!" Donald applauded her.

"And now you are dressed for a ball," Donald smiled.

"And now to learn to dance for one as well. Louie?" he said and forced Louie out of his star struck gaze.

"Mm?" He asked, not realizing his uncle had taken his arm and dragged him in front of Webby.

"Oh- i-im not very good... at... it," he tried to back down but Webby put her arms up and he slowly took them and they started to dance a little but Donald stopped them.

"Webby, you dont lead, he does," Donald corrected.

"You're the expert," Webby brushed a loose hair from her face.

Slowly, they joined again and Louie led a bit before talking.

"You know... that dress is uh- very... beautiful," he said.

"You really think so?" She asked.

"Yes," he said, spinning her in a circle. "It was nice on the hangar but it looks even better in you. You should wear it."

"I am wearing it," Webby teased him.

"Oh- yes. Right. Of course," he internally face palmed. "I'm just trying to give you a- uh..."

"Compliment?" She asked, looking into his eyes. He paused his speech.

"Yes," he nodded. He closed his eyes a moment before opening them and seeing Webby still hadn't broken her gaze into his and just like that he was sucked in. They both stopped talking and just focused on the dancing and each other's eyes.

Meanwhile, Donald was smiling softly, petting Lena while he watched them dance.

"I see it now Lena," he said. "All it took was a bit of intervention and time and now look at them. Smiling and dancing," he sighed happily, before his smile fell.

"Oh dear... how will we get through this? If they are actually in love and this actually works, then..." Donald looked at Lena who whimpered sadly.

"No, let's let this be for now. No harm in letting the present be the present," he said. Lena nodded and he set the small dog back down in his lap.

"Louie..." she whispered. "I'm feeling a little lightheaded and... dizzy."

"Me too," he stopped, still ever so engaged with her eyes. "Maybe it's from all the spinning."

"Maybe we should stop," Louie said.

"Louie, we have stopped," she pointed out.

"O-oh right," Louie laughed a little, before looking back into her eyes. "Webby, I..."

"Yes?" She leaned closer. Slowly, they both closed their eyes and leaned in, but Louie stopped himself.

"You're doing great," he said, before walking away and down to the cabin. Both Webby and Donald's smiles fell.

"I'm sure he didn't mean anything by that Webby," Donald placed a soft hand on her shoulder. "He's just... protective of himself."

"Yeah..." she slowly lowered her arms and sighed.

"I'm going to bed," Webby said. Donald nodded.

"I think that'd be best for all of us."

.o0o.

"There she is master!" Poe de Spell pointed at the projection coming off of the purple stone. Magica nodded.

"All sound asleep in her little bed," she fake fawned over her. "And pleasant dreams to you, princess," she smiled widely at it.

"Yes, sweet dreams indeed," Poe chuckled half heartedly.

"What's with the pathetic laugh?" She raised an eyebrow.

"You never told me what you were planning to do so if im honest, i'm a bit confused," Poe admitted.

"Imbicile," Magica growled to herself.

"I am going to infiltrate her dreams so she cannot escape me and falls to her doom off this little dinky boat!" She shouted.

"Oh wow master, that is very evil of you. Congrats," he clapped.

"Why thank you Poe I do try," she smirked. "Now say goodnight to the princess."

"Goodnight Princess," Poe said.

"And sweet dreams to you," Magica finished.

.o0o.

Meanwhile, over in the land of the living, every passenger on the boat was sleeping soundly in their cabins, so no one was awake to notice the dark purple shadows rising from the air vents and searching for their target. Quickly they found her, and began their work.

Webby found herself in a field with butterflies and warm sunshine all around. A little boy called her name and three butterflies traveled from him to her. She giggled, accepting his invitation and following, both in dream and real life. Webby slipped out of her bed and began to walk, following with a smile on her face. Lena's head perked up at the sound of the door closing. Lena quickly went to the door and began to bark, but it was no use. Webby was in a trance. Lena was quickly desperate, and on discovering she couldn't reach Donald (he slept on the top bunk), she went to Louie (who was on the floor). She got on him and began to bark in his ear.

"What do you want?" Louie groaned, trying to turn over.

At the same time, Webby chased the little boy up a steep staircase of stone, making sure to keep her footing. She skipped and pranced and laughed along with him. Finally the boy stopped and there were three women who waved and laughed before diving down into the calm and warn waters below the cliff. Webby beamed.

Lena bit Louie's hand and he jolted up with a start.

"Hey- what was that for?!" He picked up the dog before looking over to Webby's bed and seeing it was empty.

"Webby!" He gasped as lightning flashed. It was now pouring heavily. He set Lena down and the dog ran to the door and whined. Louie got up and ran out, accidentally slamming himself into the wall due to the massive rocks the boat was now taking.

"Webby!!!"

"Webby! Come join us Webby! The water is fantastic!" One of the women called to her. Webby climbed to the edge of the boat.

"Hello!" She called to them. They looked to familiar, and so friendly. The little boy lept with joy and jumped in, so the water couldn't be all that bad or dangerous.

"Webby!" Louie nearly fell due to the amount of water on the deck, but he kept his footing, running to find her. A wave crashed in the deck and he clung to a pole with all his might and pulled himself up so he could find a better view. With another flash of lightning, he saw her familiar silhouette, about to jump off the boat. Louie gasped. "Webby!!! Stop!!!" He took a rope and prepared to swing over.

Webby turned her head to see where she had heard her name. The man from below called to her again. "Jump!!!" He was angrier than before now. Webby flinched back. "Jump I say!!! The Vanderquack curse!!!" With that, he turned into a hideous demonic creature. Webby gasped as it grew larger in size and grabbed her hand and began to drag her off, when she suddenly felt someone else grab her from behind. She kicked and flailed her arms and legs desperately.

Louie was the one who grabbed her. He took her off the ledge and brought her down to safety, while she still kicked and flailed while shouting the whole time.

"Webby! What's gotten into you?" He set her down and she opened her eyes. He had never seen anyone look more scared in his life.

"Th-the Vanderquack curse!" She shouted, breathing heavily.

"Wh-what?" He wasn't expecting that.

"Th-the curse! I keep seeing faces! So many faces! All familiar," she grabbed his shirt and sobbed into it. Louie didn't know what to do or say so he just wrapped his arms around her.

"It was a nightmare Webby," he stroked her back. "It's alright now," he rested his head on hers.

"You're safe."

.o0o.

"NOOOOO!!!!!! HOW COULD THAT HAVE POSSIBLY NOT WORKED?!" Magica exclaimed, lightning flashing with her anger.

"Magica! You're getting yourself worked up over a small setback!" Poe said.

"Small??? That was the last straw!!! I can't give up but it's time i stopped depending on a little trinket telling me what to do," she scowled. Poe gasped.

"You don't mean..."

"Oh yes Poe. I do mean," she grinned ear to ear.

"I say it's time we say hello to the princess ourselves. Face to face,"

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9

#webbistasia #ducktales #louie duck #donald duck #webby vanderquack #my fics #lena de spell #hdl #della duck #nightmares #poe de spell #ducktales au #i did it y'all #i wrote part 5

[ciestessde]

Phantasma Magica Ch. 5

STORY SUMMARY

Clockwork and the Observants send Danny to Hogwarts on a special mission. But, cryptic as ever, that Old Stopwatch never actually told him what would happen on it!!! “All you need to do right now, Daniel, is stay focused on your mission. And remember, the-” “‘The Lions with the time-turner, lightning-bolt scar, and hair like fire are friends; watch out for the rat; and the black dog is not a threat.’ Yeah, you’ve only repeated that a few dozen times today.”

Next → ← Previous (First)

Harry was stuck, by order of the school nurse, in the hospital wing the rest of the weekend after his fall. Which was fine by Danny -- Harry was the only overnight patient, so, other than the occasional visitor and the nurse, the hospital wing was empty most of the time. Which meant, with Danny able to turn visible when needed, he could spend the entire weekend guarding and visiting with his friend. (A fantastic balm to his newfound paranoia!)

Harry didn’t seem to mind the company, either, filling Danny in on various things about the wizarding world. … Well. He mostly talked about Quidditch -- the upcoming rematch occupying the boy’s mind. Danny was an expert on the sport by Monday morning. And (despite his aversion toward sports in general) Danny found he was looking forward to watching Harry play -- without rain blocking most of his vision. But the entire weekend -- even though spending time with a friend did much to calm him -- something kept bothering Danny. That taint in Harry’s metaphorical “smell” kept itching at his nose…

Even after his release, Danny decided to continue prioritizing Harry’s safety -- only resting when he knew Harry was in a safe environment. And with all the practice he got following Harry around, Danny finally perfected the art of concealing the chilling effect of his aura. ~Poor~ Malfoy, though, was unaware of his nemesis’ ghostly bodyguard, and had decided Harry’s weakness to the dementors was hilarious. If he had known… perhaps he wouldn’t have decided to make fun of Harry during potions… and maybe he would have avoided having his stool, and a bit of the table in front of him, turned intangible -- covering him in his unfinished potion… (Much to Danny’s annoyance, Snape didn’t take any points from Malfoy’s House. He considered pranking the professor as well, but didn’t dare risk it. … Yet.)

Because he was prioritizing Harry’s safety, Danny found himself staying with him when Lupin asked to have a word after class, too. Once all of the students had left, Danny went ahead and turned visible. “I heard about the match,” Lupin addressed Harry, “and I’m sorry about your broomstick. Is there any chance of fixing it?” “No. The tree smashed it to bits.” Lupin sighed, beginning to prepare for the next class. “They planted the Whomping Willow the same year that I arrived at Hogwarts. People used to play a game, trying to get near enough to touch the trunk. In the end, a boy called Davey Gudgeon nearly lost an eye, and we were forbidden to go near it. No broomstick would have a chance.”

Hesitating, Harry asked, “Did you hear about the dementors too?” Lupin paused, glanced at the phantasm floating in the corner -- then looked back at Harry. “Yes, I did. I don’t think any of us have seen Professor Dumbledore that angry. They have been growing restless for some time… furious at his refusal to let them inside the grounds… I suppose they were the reason you fell?” “Yes,” said Harry, hesitating again before, “Why? Why do they affect me like that? Am I just-” “It has nothing to do with weakness,” Lupin interjected sharply. “The dementors affect you worse than the others because there are horrors in your past that the others don’t have.”

As Lupin explained the horrible creatures that were dementors again, Danny was bothered by the mystery that bugged him all weekend -- the tainted smell of Harry’s soul. There was another piece of the puzzle. He could feel it, just out of reach… “When they get near me--” Harry’s throat tightened, “I can hear Voldemort murdering my mum.” Lupin moved as if to comfort him, but stopped. There was a moment of silence.

“-Why did they have to come to the match?” Harry said bitterly. “I expect knowing a phantasm was nearby agitated them. But mostly -- they’re getting hungry.” Lupin shut his briefcase with a snap. “Dumbledore won’t let them into the school, so their supply of human prey has dried up. … I don’t think they could resist the large crowd around the Quidditch field. All that excitement… emotions running high… it was their idea of a feast.”

‘--Wait…’ Danny thought, ‘... If it was the crowd that drew them -- why did they target Harry? And… I get reliving bad memories is common around them, but -- Harry was a baby when his mother was killed…‘

Finally, something clicked: This wasn’t the first time the dementors had singled Harry out; reliving a memory he shouldn’t have; the tainted “smell.” … Danny’s mission -- Clockwork’s clues… An idea -- which seemed almost impossible -- occurred to Danny: ‘What if… Harry is a horcrux…?’

Now that the idea had occurred to him -- -- It was unmistakable. Danny’s senses honed in on Harry’s soul without his volition -- and there it was. Like an infected wound, or a parasite -- a piece of a soul reeking of death clung to Harry. It’s essence seeped out of his scar, right where they had said Voldemort’s curse rebounded. For the first time since becoming a phantasm, Danny genuinely felt cold.

But he couldn’t dwell on this. What felt like hours to Danny was only a couple seconds -- before the name “Sirius Black,” and the abrupt motion of Lupin almost dropping his suitcase, pulled him back into their conversation.

“Yes, Black must have found a way to fight them. I wouldn’t have believed it possible…” Lupin said. ‘But Harry wasn’t on the list of objects!’ “Dementors are supposed to drain a wizard of his powers if he is left with them too long…”

‘Harry’s my friend -- I will NOT attack him!’ Harry interjected, “You made the dementors on the train back off.” ‘Oh, of course Clockwork didn’t tell me, he knew I wouldn’t-- no… Waaait. He said that Harry was a “friend” …’

“There are -- certain defenses one can use.” ‘That old- He manipulated me! --Not that… I didn’t know he was doing that... --but STILL!’ “But there was only one dementor on the train. The more there are, the more difficult it becomes to resist.” ‘Okay. Breathe. Calm down.’

“What defenses? Can you teach me?!” ‘Clockwork didn’t put Harry on the list.’

“I don’t pretend to be an expert at fighting dementors, Harry… quite the contrary…” ‘That means I don’t have to do anything.’

“But if the dementors come to another Quidditch match, I need to be able to fight them--”

Lupin hesitated… ‘And if Harry knew… He’d freak out…’ “Well… all right. I’ll try and help.” Danny was trying his hardest to not freeze the walls behind him. “But it’ll have to wait until next term, I’m afraid. I have a lot to do before the holidays.” ‘If Clockwork didn’t mention this… Yeah--’ “I chose a very inconvenient time to fall ill.”

‘--Harry doesn’t need to know.’

He was about to follow Harry out of the room -- still visible -- when Lupin called, “Danny?” His gaze jerked around, his mind still reeling. Lupin locked eyes with him, concerned. “I hope this isn’t over-stepping, but… Are you alright?” Danny didn’t know how to answer that. He wanted to trust this teacher -- he really did, but… He smiled, “Yeah, I’m fine.” Lupin couldn’t have missed the pause if he had tried. But he continued on, “Well, I was wondering if I might have that interview tomorrow. During lunch, perhaps?” Lunch was safe. Harry was surrounded by other wizards -- Hermione and Ron, other friends -- during lunch. “Yeah, that works for me.” Danny’s desire to protect his young friend was stronger than ever. And the more positive relations he could build in this unsafe environment -- the better.

So as promised, he met the professor in his office the next day. He asked mostly standard questions… Which was rather awkward for Danny. “What do phantasms eat?” “Uhhh… Well…” Only the first question -- and he already wanted to fly away. In his defense, he thought they already knew AT LEAST this much!? “We-I mean, they eat mostly… ummm…” ‘How do I answer this without freaking him out?!?!’ Resigning himself, he sighed. “Phantasms eat... souls.”

Lupin almost dropped his quill. He stared at Danny, certain he had misheard. Danny quickly added, “But- I don’t! I eat -- My guardian, he makes this substance. A substitute for souls. I- Here, let me show you!” And like that, he darted off, grabbing them from where he had stored them in the system of giant-unused-wall-pipes. Lupin was fascinated by the glowing green bottles, and Danny agreed to let him have one to study.

““We were aware that phantasms were capable of sucking out souls, of course, but… I never thought a creature would use it as their primary food source. I wonder-- is being a soul eater--” “--‘Spirit-eater’--” “--what causes the space around both species to become cold?” “I… don’t know. Maybe?” “Now, I know this might be uncomfortable, but… What about reproduction?”

And so the interview went. Many awkward questions, many not. Some curiosity easily satisfied: “I see. You can spread your aura into it to turn another object invisible or intangible as well!” And many questions he didn’t have answers to: “How do you switch between a corporeal and intangible form?” By the end of it, Lupin seemed to have lost any remaining reservations he had towards Danny, and Danny had decided that Lupin really was a good guy. But still… a good guy or not, Danny didn’t know whether he could trust Lupin with his mission. Not just yet…

  Before classes were to end for their winter break, another Hogsmeade trip rolled around -- with the promise of Danny and Harry being stuck, once again, inside the castle. But on the way back to Gryffindor Tower, Harry was lured into an empty classroom by Ron’s twin brothers, Fred and George.

“Early Christmas present for you, Harry,” Fred pulled a worn, blank piece of parchment from inside his cloak, and, with a flourish, laid it on a desk. “What’s that supposed to be?” “This, Harry, is the secret of our success.” George patted the parchment fondly. “It’s a wrench, giving it to you, but we decided last night, your need’s greater than ours.” “Anyway, we know it by heart. We bequeath it to you. We don’t really need it anymore.” They explained they’d gotten (stolen) it from Filch; a drawer in his office labeled “Confiscated and Highly Dangerous.”

With a tap of George’s wand and the words “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,” ink spread out on the parchment forming a map with the title:

Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDER’S MAP

It showed every detail of Hogwarts and its grounds (‘Where was this when I needed it?!’), even -- with a moving dot and a name -- where people were inside it. For an instant, Danny and Harry’s pulses raced. But they quickly realized -- Danny wasn’t there. They were both just as confused as they were relieved. (Danny even more so when he saw the names of the Hogwarts’ ghosts and Peeves were shown on the map.)

Fred traced a secret passage on the map with his finger, “Right into Hogsmeade. There are seven in all. Now, Filch knows about these four,” he pointed to them, “but we’re sure we’re the only ones who know about these. Don’t bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor. We used it until last winter, but it’s caved in -- completely blocked. And we don’t reckon anyone’s ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow’s planted right over the entrance…” ‘That… Doesn’t make sense. Of course it was used! It was built, so -- oh, y’know what, forget it. I’ll investigate it later.’

After the twins left, Danny turned visible. “Danny look! If the twins are right -- and I’m sure they are -- I can get into Hogsmeade!” “Yeah…” Danny hesitated, while Harry studied the map more closely. He knew he couldn’t stop Harry if he really wanted to go, but… “Hey, uh…” Harry looked at him, grinning. Danny smiled back. ‘I’ll just have to go with him.’ “If you’re going to do this, you should probably grab your coat and invisibility cloak first.” “No, I’ll be fine. I don’t want to wait any longer.” And like that, he took off. Danny sighed, but smiled. It was good to see Harry so happy. He had been in a slump ever since losing his broom. Some fresh air and new sights would probably do him good.

Danny followed at a distance. Harry met up with Ron and Hermione right away. Hermione did not approve of Harry being there, of course. Ron, though, pointed out a notice pasted on the door of the shop the secret tunnel had let out in, which said that dementors were patrolling the streets of the small town during the night. ‘Only during the night, huh…?’ Ron’s point was that Sirius Black couldn’t get into the town because of these patrols. Danny disagreed (he’d gotten into the school, hadn’t he?), but he was relieved that he wouldn’t have to deal with the creatures here during the day.

  After buying some candy from the shop, the trio made there way to a small, warm pub/inn called the “Three Broomsticks.” Things were going well. Ron even got Danny his own mug of “Butterbeer” -- a non-alcoholic beverage which, Danny decided (though not as good as hot cocoa) wasn’t half bad. He floated above the table, drinking from his invisible cup, when he noticed a group of teachers headed towards the building.

Danny reached down and turned Harry invisible with him. “Danny?” asked Harry. “What’s wrong?” Hermione looked around, quickly spotting their professors and the other adults coming inside. ‘Oh, this is going to be another long day, isn’t it?’ He resigned himself to it when they sat down at the table right next to theirs. Apparently, one of them, a man he didn’t recognize, was actually the “Minister,” and they even invited the waitress, Madam Rosmerta, to join them. The topic of conversation was, of course, Sirius Black. But… things turned personal.

Well… even more personal than attempts on Harry’s life. Danny was worried he’d have to restrain Harry. He almost had to restrain himself.

Black was Harry’s godfather. He’d been Harry's father’s best friend! But even more than that…

“... Dumbledore told them that their best chance was the Fidelius Charm,” the Minister said. “How does that work?” asked the waitress. Professor Flitwick (the teacher of the Charms class) filled her in. He explained that it hid a secret inside a chosen “Secret-Keeper’s” soul so that, unless revealed by the Secret-Keeper, it would be impossible to know or find out -- even if the “secret” was directly in front of you. Black had been chosen as just such a Secret-Keeper to hide the Potter family’s location from Voldemort. And, seeing as they were murdered barely a week after he became their Secret-Keeper…

Danny struggled not to freeze Harry’s shoulder, but managed to control himself. Their story wasn’t finished, either. Soon after Voldemort “died” (as Danny knew better), another friend of Black and Harry’s father, “Peter Pettigrew,” confronted Black. And Black didn’t just kill him -- Black blew him up! ...

  After making sure Harry and the others made it back to the castle safely, Danny flew himself down into one of the rare places that could provide the space and privacy he needed right then: the large underground room he had found connected to the pipes. (He had been mildly concerned by the gigantic snake carcass that was down there when he first found it -- but he didn’t even spare it a glance.) He spent that night and into the morning letting off steam. The snake’s body was frozen solid and shattered into millions of pieces, the walls were scorched and scarred by ethereal fire and his sonic attacks (as loud as he could make them without drawing attention down there).

It was like his mind was racing -- but had nowhere to go.

He wanted to find this Sirius Black and kill him -- No, he wanted to protect Harry, to make sure no one hurt his friend --

Harry must be feeling even worse right now, he should be comforting him -- No, Ron and Hermione were closer friends to Harry, and there was nothing he could say or do that could help --

He could kill Black, that would help his friend -- ‘I WILL NOT KILL!’ --

-- ‘But I want to protect them…’

~~~~~

If you like this, please REBLOG!

(Updates every Wednesday until completion.)

Other places you can find this fic: Fanfiction.net/~ciestess ArchiveOfOurOwn.org/users/Ciestess/profile Deviantart.com/Ciestess

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#harry potter #Danny Phantom #phantasma magica #phicc #atrieisan

[modmad]

I feel like you're the only person I actually trust with characters these days- so how do you think the new DuckTales show should handle Gladstone?

Woah that’s a big compliment, also a big question! I’m sure I’ll be happy with what happens (I mean shucks I’m just glad it is happening), and besides I am just me I’m no writing expert. Having said that there are some hit/miss things I feel could easily happen with Gladstone, so I guess here’s my perspective;

Best case scenario: Accepting and embracing Gladstone as morally grey and using the benefits of a ‘wild card’ character. Now, it’s to be noted that I’m not expecting any character development or exploration for him, at least not in the first season. This show is probably going to be introducing him as a brand new character, as a lot of people (in the USA at least) have never heard of him, so most likely he’ll be introduced and set up simply as a rival to Donald. So far so good and fair enough, but what I’d love to see is the show taking advantage of this rare gift of an unusual character who is a power of self-interest. Gladstone can swing to either side of the good/bad spectrum depending on circumstances, but ultimately wouldn’t do anything to seriously jeopardise his family, or anyone else for that matter. There’s also the joy that ‘fairness’ plays into what happens to him and Donald; when Donald cheats, Gladstone wins outright. When Donald is honest and works hard, even if Gladstone wins the race or wins the prize, there is something that happens to makes it clear Donald actually came out a lot better than Gladstone did. Ideally, for me, the show would gradually lead to indications that Gladstone is a deeply isolated character; not simply because it makes sense psychologically, but because narratively it’s a very compelling source of story material, and gives his personality a great deal of intrigue. Whether they play it that Gladstone is aware of this loneliness or not doesn’t matter, but removing that aspect of melancholy from him reduces him to a very two-dimensional character, and not in the cartoon sense.

Worst case scenario: Pushing Gladstone into the vapid, annoying, just-plain-unlikeable antagonist corner. Similarly, making him too much like Glomgold- Glomgold fits well into the ‘evil twin’ stereotype and doesn’t much care if Scrooge and his nephews suffer (or even die, in some stories). Glomgold will do anything to win, whereas Gladstone certainly likes to win, but wouldn’t go out of his way to hurt Donald to do so (he’s too lazy, for one). They are opposites; Donald is unlucky, wildly passionate, and will work very hard if he has to, whereas Gladstone is lucky, aloof, and avoids work where-ever possible. He’s not a bad guy, he’s simply not a particularly good guy either; the ultimate chaotic neutral. My fear is that this subtlety could be run over in favour of just making him into an evil ‘anti-Donald’, which would feel lazy and destroy his appeal even as an antagonist. All the ‘bad guys’ in the Duckverse have some redeeming quality, some extra angle that makes you love them- you kind of want the Beagle Boys to get into the Money Bin, because they try so hard, and they’re adorable! You want to see Magica De Spell get hold of that dime, because she’s exciting, outrageous, and the stakes are so high! All I wish for is that Gladstone not simply be ‘the person that you hate because he’s an ass’- because then people won’t even love to hate him, it’ll just be a knee-jerk reaction of ‘oh god not this guy again’ whenever he shows up, which isn’t enjoyable on any level. We need to want to see Gladstone’s hilariously absurd luck- we need to want to see him fail because he hasn’t earned the right to win- and most of all we need to want to see him do the right thing, because as unusual as it is we know it’s possible- and that makes it infinitely rewarding when it happens.

(Tiny personal fear which is petty as hell: An annoying voice. Please, god, he’s supposed to be attractive and is canonically good at singing don’t give him an annoying voice. Make him brassy and brash sure but please...)

#TL:DR #Gladstone Gander #could go either way but I really hope they go for gold #Ducktales #I understand why an American writing team could easily make him very hate-worthy #but I really do hope they bring out the best version of that #Anonymous

[thomasroach]

ESO Necromancer Maelstrom Arena Build

The post ESO Necromancer Maelstrom Arena Build appeared first on Fextralife.

In this Elder Scrolls Online Build Guide I am going to cover a Necromancer build for Veteran Maelstrom Arena. It is focused more on DPS, but has high enough surviveability to get you through all of the challenges, and I managed to clear it without using a single sigil. Considering that Maelstrom Arena is solo only, this build works for solo PvE play as well against World Bosses and the likes.

Necromancer Maelstrom Arena Build Concept

Maelstrom Arena is a special challenge, because just being good at one role is not going to be enough to get you through, so being good at everything at least to some extent is the key, without losing too much in each aspect. This build offers high survievability due to the Bone Goliath ultimate, powerful heals from the Leeching Plate Set, Resistant Flesh or Hungry Scythe skills, and huge DPS from Grave Lord Skills. The problem with VMA is that you are constantly on the move due to the mechanics, so classic dummy DPS results don’t mean much here.

Maelstrom Arena has many unique mechanics so knowing what to expect means more than any build

Knowing boss and arena mechanics is far more important, and due to your near constant movement, it is nice to have as few spammable abilities as possible. The only ones that are spammed are healing abilities when it is necessary to do so, Ricochet Skull and Stalking Blastbones, so it shouldn’t be too complicated to keep paying attention to arena mechanics and abilities simultaneously. Remember that there are many ways to build Necromancer for Maelstrom Arena, so feel free to experiment to see what works best for you.

Necromancer Maelstrom Arena Attributes and Abilities

For Maelstrom Arena I am favoring Magicka and Health, because damage received is a serious factor here. Some enemies like archers can do over 25k damage with Take Aim in one shot, so close to 30k should be minimum. That is why 25 points into Health should be minimum, and with your food buff around 29k Health. 29 points into Magicka, because if we run out of Magicka we cannot heal and that leads to quick death. It is better to have little bit more then you think it would be necessary, because some fights can be longer than others, and that leads to more Magicka being spent. 10 Stamina is enough for all dodging and interrupting, but should not be lower than that.

Necromancer has an amazing assortment of abilities that cover all 3 roles. DPS comes from Unnerving Boneyard, Ricochet Skull, Stalking Blastbones and Mystic Syphon. When moving is not required you can summon Boneyard beneath your feet and create a vicious circle of death that will annihilate anything in seconds. Beckoning Armor helps a lot here because it pulls ranged enemies towards you when struck. In this Boneyard AoE zone using Stalking Blastbones creates an explosion that damages everything in a small area, in addition to creating a corpse. Mystic Syphon is used on that corpse close to you to do more AoE damage, and then Ricochet Skull is spammed, with Stalking Blastbones in between. This combo does insane damage, but it can only be done when moving is not required.

Summoning Unnerving Boneyard beneath you followed by offensive abilities creates vicious AoE zone that kills enemies fast

Healing comes from either Resistant Flesh or Hungry Scythe, and this is completely up to player. Resistant Flesh, with this setup, heals up to 16k if it crits, but puts Minor Defile for 4 secs. Thankfully we can clear that with Expunge if necessary. It also grants a buff for 3 seconds that boosts Physical and Spell Resistance for half of healing done with Resistant Flesh, which can be around an 8k bonus with this build. Hungry Scythe restores about 9k Health if it crits, and additionally around 3k over 6 seconds. It can restore more than this, but it depends on how many enemies it hits, and how high your Health is. The benefit and the problem when using Hungry Scythe, is that it needs to hit enemies in order to heal, which can be problematic at times. Hungry Scythe costs less than Resistant Flesh, so it can be spammed more often. You’ll have to decide which is the better fit for you.

Our tankiness comes from Beckoning Armor, Resistant Flesh and the Bone Goliath Ultimate. All 3 ensure high surviveability, with the Ultimate making you nearly invincible for 20 seconds. Ultimate fills up quite fast with Necromancers, so you should be able to use this at least once every round.

Front Bar

Ricochet Skull – A direct damage dealing ability that Deals around 7000 Flame Damage with this build and every 3rd use of the skill has 20% increased damage and jumps to 2 additional enemies. I have chosen this upgrade over Venom Skull because Venom Skull is Stamina based and we need Stamina for Dodging and Breaking Free. Stamina is already on the low side so we do not need any more Stamina abilities. Morphed from Flame Skull.

Stalking Blastbones – Summons a skeleton that rushes and explodes upon reaching the first enemy. Deals around 12k damage with this build but it can go up even more because it depends on the distance that the skeleton travels. This is our primary corpse source and that is why we are going to use this ability every opportunity that we get. The Stalking Blastbones upgrade is better for this build because Blighted Blastbones is a Stamina ability and for reasons mentioned above it is not preferred.  Morphed from Blastbones.

Mystic Siphon – Uses a corpse to create an AoE that does about 22k damage over 12 secs with this build. The tether effect isn’t there just for show either, and anyone caught in between you and a corpse that is tethered is going to receive damage as well. So basically anything in front of you is affected unless the enemy is too far away from the corpse. Over 12 seconds around 2800 Magicka gets restored as well. While slotted it increases damage done by 3%. Morphed from Shocking Siphon.

Resistant Flesh or Hungry Scythe – This is your healing ability that is going to be used a lot. As I have explained above, both are great options. The higher Health pool you have, the better Hungry Scythe becomes. Resistant Flesh’s upgrade increases Physical and Spell Resistance, which helps mitigate damage. Morphed from Render Flesh and Death Scythe.

Inner Light – While slotted Max Magicka is increased by 5% and you get permanent Major Prophecy, that increases Spell Critical by around 2k. With the Magica Controller passive we get 2% more to Max Magicka and also 2% more Magicka Recovery. Morphed from Magelight.

Back Bar

Unnerving Boneyard – Creates an AoE that does over 20k damage over 10 secs with this build, and this upgrade applies Major Breach and Fracture in the area affected. Very useful when fighting more enemies. If there is a corpse available while activating this ability then the damage is increased by 20%. Morphed from Boneyard.

Beckoning Armor – Grants Major Ward and Resolve, increasing your Physical and Spell Resistance by 5280 for 17 seconds. A must have for any Necromancer. This upgrade pulls ranged enemies while this skill is active. Very useful against large groups of enemies to gather everyone near you so that you can nuke them with AoE skills. Morphed from Bone Armor.

Spirit Guardian – Summons a Spirit that restores health every 2 seconds. This upgrade transfers 10% of damage you take to the Spirit, making it ideal for Maelstrom Arena. Upon death the Spirit leaves a corpse on the ground that can be consumed with Mystic Syphon. Morphed from Spirit Mender.

Expunge and Modify – Removes up to 2 negative effects and restores 500 Magicka and Stamina per each effect removed. A very useful resource management skill, however, be careful because this skill costs Health, so don’t go overboard with it. While slotted reduces cost of Skills by 3%.  Morphed from Expunge.

Inner Light – While slotted Max Magicka is increased by 5% and you get permanent Major Prophecy, that increases Spell Critical by around 2k. With the Magica Controller passive we get 2% more to Max Magicka and also 2% more Magicka Recovery. Morphed from Magelight.

Ultimate Skills

Ravenous Goliath – As mentioned at the start of this section, this skill is fantastic in every possible way. 30k Heal, 30k Max Health increase, Light and Heavy attacks heal, AoE that hurts enemies and heals you… And it scales with Max Health. Invulnerability mode activated. The Goliath Ultimate can be used with this build almost every round and that is extremely helpful. Morphed from Bone Goliath Transformation.

Shooting Star – It does significant damage, stuns and knocks back enemies. Generates 12 Ultimate for each enemy hit so using it versus many enemies is preferable.  It won’t be used nearly as much as Goliath but it is nice to have a pure DPS Ultimate if you are doing alright without Goliath form. Morphed from Meteor.

Necromancer Champion Skills

There are plenty useful Champion Skills you can have, but points are limited. Percentages behind the decimal point are not accounted for when adding points to Champion Skills. For example, Elemental Defender at Rank 60 reduces damage taken from elemental attacks by 12.57%, but your gain is actually 12%. Now that you know this you can save points and put them elsewhere where gains would be more beneficial. Try to round up numbers to get the most out of these Champion Skills.

Here is my recommended setup for the Necromancer Maelstrom Build:

Warrior

Ironclad 56 Spell Shield 35 Hardy 43 Elemental Defender 43 Thick Skinned 37 Quick Recovery 56

Thief

Warlord 37 Sprinter 9 Arcanist 56 Mooncalf 56 Tumbling 56 Shadow Ward 56

Mage

Elfborn 56 Elemental Expert 56 Blessed 24 Spell Erosion 22 Master-at-Arms 56 Thaumaturge 56

Necromancer Maelstrom Gear

Weapons that we are using are Staves. Fire or Lightning, it does not matter. Ranged weapons are good for Maelstrom arena because weaving light attacks helps in the killing of far away enemies faster. One example would be Rink of Frozen Blood that has trolls that smash platforms so attacking from distance is much safer than having to go through frozen water that does significant damage.

Resource Management Sets

There are many Sets that work here, and I would advise wearing anything that reduces ability cost because running out of Magicka, means quick death. Magnus’ Gift and Crafty Alfiq can help a lot in managing Magicka if you don’t have access to some of the better gear in the game. Either one of these works well.

The Trial Set that I would recommend for this purpose is definitely, if you can get it, is False God’s Devotion. The 8% cost reduction is just too good, you regain Magicka when you kill enemies, and increase your Movement Speed. All of these things are extremely helpful for VMA.

Tank Sets

My choice for a Tank Set here is Leeching Plate. It deals a small amount of damage but its heals are significant which will save lots of time, and more heals from this set means less Magicka used for healing skills as well. It is possibly the best self sustaining set in the game, and that is exactly what we need for Maelstrom Arena.

Alternatives to Leeching Plate are many, but it should remain Tank oriented if possible. Akaviri Dragonguard reduces Ultimate cost, which helps to get into Goliath Form faster, and the Set is rather easy to obtain. Health boosting sets like Warrior-Poet or Green Pact are also good choices, if not quite as good.

The Monster Helm that works best for this setup is Blood Spawn, because the additional Ultimate generation helps tremendously, and it does give you more Physical and Spell Resistance. The more times you can enter Goliath Form the better.

Other then Bloodspawn sets like Ilambris, Valkyn Skoria and Zaan are good for DPS, and something like Scourge Harvester is awesome for added surviveability. So if you don’t have Blood Spawn, consider using one of these.

Final Thoughts

Veteran Maelstrom Arena is quite a challenge, but this build can take you through it without using any sigils. It is a somewhat balanced build with perhaps some focus on DPS. Due to the versatility of Maelstrom Arena Builds, there are many Mundus Stones that are good here, but The Shadow, The Lord and The Mage are my top choices.

Ravenous Goliath is fantastic ultimate for Maelstrom Arena and with this build you can have it every round

There is no rotation section because Maelstrom works differently and usual rotations do not mean much. Try to have Spirit Guardian and Beckoning Armor active as much as possible, but even that can be challenging at times because healing is priority, and that can remove any semblance of rotation. Even with a good Build, understanding Arena mechanics takes priority because even Goliath Form won’t save you from certain death if you are going about it all wrong.

Stay tuned for more ESO Build Guides and more ESO content through out June as we explore Elsweyr.

The post ESO Necromancer Maelstrom Arena Build appeared first on Fextralife.

ESO Necromancer Maelstrom Arena Build published first on https://juanaframi.tumblr.com/

[clarafell]

what are your opinion of magia record ( that madoka magica mobile game ) that's getting an anime adaption spin off? do you like the current new set of magical girls?

Hello, my dear sweet nonnie! How are you?

What are YOUR thoughts on Magia Record and all of that? I would love to hear your own opinion even if we have different ones. Even if we do have different ones, I adore talking about it and I have absolutely no judgement. In fact it makes everything super interesting and fun when you have a different opinion. I also really love hearing from anons like you~~ I have known about Magia Record, the anime adaption, and a lot for ages now. I’m so happy to see that others are aware of it just like me. As you can see from the icons above from their transformations in Magia Record, I am fully aware and fully in love this all that is pmmm. No shame. Just love. I love all the girls. I hope this answers your questions:

Thank you for sending me this ask and I hope to hear from you again!!   My opinion on Magia Record getting its own anime adaption spin off is filled with nothing but joy and love. After a good few years of no actual content like any anime for example after the release of Rebellion, you can imagine how excited I am to hear about Magia Record receiving its own anime!! While I’m faintly familiar with the game, I am not fully an expert on it since the game is in Japanese. (But I do make sure to keep an eye on Homura and the main girls.) Due to how big the game is from my understanding, I’m very excited to see if we get an anime longer than the original anime. That means more battles, more music, and more other relationships! Moemura (since that’s who is probably going to be shown in the anime) can make more friends and maybe actually keep them!!! While I do ADORE all the current new set of magical girls and I hope to learn more about them, I’m happy that the veteran magical girls are sticking around too. The only thing that I’m disappointed in is the fact that the Concept movie has not been given any spotlight yet alone any information yet. (But I can understand and respect the lack of information since they are making a brand new anime along with other stuff like the live action stage play of Magia Record. You heard me right, an anime and a live action play. Homura will be in both. The Holy Quintet will be in all of them. I’m so freaking excited. I’m the biggest fan of PMMM so I’m just super excited for next year!) However, I do have a  theory  that the Concept movie will be released AFTER the Magia Record anime is finished… Similar to what happened with Rebellion. I suspect that the new cast of girls in Magia Record will be making their appearance in the movie and that’s why the anime is being shown first. I really wanna learn more about the new girls and everything and I’m really excited about all PMMM in general. I’m happy with any direction the series goes since I’ll always find a way to love it. I heard rumors of the anime coming out next year!!!! TLDR: I love Magia Record, I love all the new girls, and I want the concept movie with more Homucifer and more of HER universe and also more of the clara dolls too. I want so so so so much with the movie and the anime. I also can’t wait to see the Rumors and the Doppels too since that is a really interesting topic. From Witches to Wraiths to Nightmares and now something as simple as RUMORS….oh my god, I’m in love. I want everything. Not just for Homura but for EVERYONE. This is legitimately the only series where I love ALL the characters to be honest and I love it. so much love. Soon, this fandom will start to rise from the dead next year and that is so exciting to think about!!!

#❛ ✧ ┊ ophelia speaks. ooc. #❛ ✧ ┊ the fairy tale gets a little darker after midnight. answered. #❛ ✧ ┊ what lies behind the veil. anon.

[spintrebuchet-blog]

The Djokovic Paradox: Reigniting a burnt out comet and the super Serb’s new nemesis

Legionnaires and Centurions! Gather around! The Finals of the Rome Masters we just finished and now we have arrived at the French Open. The Clay Slam. 

Back in Rome, Zverev faced off against Djokovic...and won. I’ll let that sink in for a moment. The master of masters 1000′s was beaten, in straight sets, by a talented rookie playing his first final at that level? Yup. That actually happened. 

“Poor is the pupil who does not surpass the master”

A famous quote attributed to the most storied polymath of all time – Da Vinci. Remember this.

Djokovic hasn’t been playing great this year. Everyone’s been reported on this and unfortunately if you were to google the words, ‘Slump’ and ‘Djokovic’, it would appear a million times (309,000, to be precise).

I’ll confess to you: I’m a Rafa fan and from 2015-2016, my sister (who is probably the biggest Novak fan) tormented me with texts, dripping with sarcasm after every one of Rafa’s seven losses against the mighty Serb.

Flashback

Location: Caja Magica. Also known as the Magic Box.

The sun blazed above the Caja Magica stadium. Clad in my burgundy suit and tie, I was in attendance. My Beretta was holstered, just in case I received the text from the mysterious tennis benefactors (also known as the MTB) to shoot Ille Natase. Far too magnanimous, she was and called off the hit (That was an insiders joke that only tennis junkies would understand). Anyways, no point letting a good ticket go to waste, so my bottom eagerly clung onto the comfortable seating, and I sipped my lemonade. 

Nadal, came onto the court first, because he was the lower seed; but most odds makers favored the Spaniard because of his good form. The Spanish crowd cheered him on fervently. I’m not going to make this about the King of Clay. (Don’t complain now. I’m writing a separate piece on him).

There’s something about the sight and feel of red clay that reminds me of the gladiators of the Roman Empire. Sipping my drink, I surveyed both of them. Nadal looked determined to snap his seven match losing streak against the mighty Serb. That fervent obsessiveness was in his eyes and you could see it. (On related news, my tour guide, got me some roasted cod. Quite scrumptious). 

Then came Djokovic. The higher seed. There were some cheers for him, but he was hardly the crowd favourite in the strongly partisan crowd. Don’t expect that to faze him. He managed to feed off the hate that spilled from the American crowd when he played against Roger in New York in 2015. But, he wasn’t in that same rhythm anymore. His box lacked his old-time backbone – Marian Vajda. The match ended after two hours. There was no sarcastic text from my sister. Nadal had finally snapped is seven match losing streak against Novak and has galvanized his status as the undisputed favorite for the French Open. 

(Head’s up: I’ll be tangoing between the second and third person. I’d like to address Novak directly here). 

You have a winning record against Federer and Nadal. (23-22 & 26-24). History can never be erased. Numbers are objective. Muscle memory can kick in anytime. It just takes six matches. Every supernova needs just one spark. All know this. Nadal, of all people, dismissed Spanish reporters of your so-called slump. No one expected the bombastic vintage throwback to 2007. Federer and Nadal are on your tail again. You thrive off rivalries. They’re back. Becker said it himself last year that one of the reasons you cooled during the second half of 2016, was because “your rivals were not there”. 

If it weren’t you, Nadal probably would have passed Federer’s Slam total by now. But, you took this game to a new level. Even a diehard Nadal fan would concede that. You’re one of the Big 4! Tennis’s equivalent of the Justice League! (That reminds me, why don’t more tennis players get into movies? Am I the only one who would love to see a buddy cop franchise with any one of the Big 4, alongside Shaq? It’d be ridiculously fun). 

And, now let us get to the matter of your new nemesis. It isn’t Federer. You haven’t faced him this year, and he is miles ahead of you in the Barclays Race to London. Nor is it Nadal, who is noisily gunning for the number one ranking again. You faced him this year just once…and lost. But, it’s not him either. You were beaten twice this year…by…Nick. I suppose on court, you could consider him to be a rival. He has beaten you on the tangible tennis court. Nevertheless, tennis is a psychological sport - so it’s not him either. (Has my preamble gone longer than needed? Almost there).

It’s Boris Becker.

Yes. You read correctly. A six time grand slam winner. Former world number one. The Baron Von Slam from Germany. The old mentor. He’s gotten inside your head. With not-so cryptic tweets directed towards to you after your defeats, he really does take extra relish in rubbing salt in your wounds.

The silent message: You were a winner when I coached you; and a loser without me.

(During happier times)

And, the thing is…don’t hate me for it, but I do find all this drama to be…deliciously entertaining.

Becker once famously said, “I am not God. I am far from perfect”. Tennis players, retired and current, tend to be extremely diplomatic in their opinions. Even politicians are rarely as politically correct. Not Becker though. Right from the start of this year, he has dropped such shade on his former protégé, that Regina George would have been impressed.

Becker expected Djokovic to keep him by his side as they chased Federer’s slam total. Becker’s vindictiveness probably was no more reflective when he praised Novak’s dethroner at Indian Wells, Nick, with the following tweet:

“Hope my man, Novak, is watching”.

(In my mind, that’s Becker’s expression through that match in California. I love the fact that Becker has such an appetite for melodrama. It doesn’t surprise me that he’s fond of Shakespeare. He’s openly admitted that he never wants anyone to surpass his prodigal breakthrough at Wimbledon at the age of 17). 

I wonder if on some level, Becker wants to motivate him, to use his criticisms to spur him to his old self. Or, maybe, it is coming from his Id and not his SuperEgo. I am reminded by a line by the great Augustus, “I found Rome a city of bricks, and left it a city of marble”.

If you think my theory is too far-fetched, then wait. I have proof. It was reported in numerous sources that Djokovic’s new super coach is going to be Agassi. Becker’s old nemesis. The guy who managed to read his Blitzkrieg serve by the way he would stick his tongue out on each ball serve. Has he found an ally in this psychological war against his former mentor? 

You brought Becker to help deal with your tangible nemesis – Nadal. And, this time another super coach. Your silence to Becker’s quotes could be interpreted as magnanimity. But, I’d like to quote one of my favorite video game characters, GlaDOS,

“We have both said a lot of things that you are going to regret”. That’s GlaDOS laying it down to Wheatley in Portal 2, and then proceeds to banish him to the Moon. 

The silent message he has sent: ‘Time for an upgrade’. Open Era experts would all concede that Agassi had a better career than Becker, being one of only two individuals with a career golden slam (Nadal, being the other).

Imagine if you made to the finals at Roland Garros. I know, I know. There are many obstacles ahead. Besides, Nadal, there’s Thiem, who is showing good form, plus the likes of Zverev, Wawrinka and Dmitrov. Plus, there’s Krygios. But, a key part of sport psychology is visualization. Just imagine if you were there again. Wouldn’t it be quite satisfying to repeat the Guga heart across the Phillipe Chartier Stadium again?

Becker’s going to be watching. 

Surprisingly, Becker sent out a tweet, praising Novak’s move to hire Agassi. A diplomatic touch, perhaps?

There is a Spanish song by the band – Gotan Project – Epoca; this springs to mind, particularly the first verse. 

“Si desapareció

en mi aparecerá

creyeron que murió

pero renacerá

(which translates to)

If he disappeared

I would believe

That he died

but will revive.

There’s more history to be written. There are more memories ahead. Do me a favor and just don’t lose to Krygios because then both me and my sister are going to be bummed out. Nadal’s ranked fourth and he just missed out on being the third seed (to Wawrinka, by a hundred points). 

This means the two of you could possibly face each other in the semi-finals. Just like the good old days of 2013, when the two of you dueled in what many regard to be the greatest clay-court match, ever. 

The legendary skier - Shane McConkey, once said that “there’s no better feeling than that moment before you take off”. It’s time to hit the ignition again. Slap that crosscourt sliding backhand – a thousand times if you have to. You destroyed Thiem in less than an hour at Rome. Zverev’s serve left you undone in the finals at Rome. But, that’s not a Grand Slam. In a best of five setter, I’d say experience trumps exuberance. 

I can understand the hiring of Pepe Imaz, with his quasi mantra of ‘Love & Hugs’. And, Becker’s strict coaching regime reminds me of J.K Simmons from Whiplash. But, we have months of hindsight now and lets admit it together, that Pepe’s nuttier than a squirrel’s snack box. Anyways, good luck with Agassi. Idemo!

#atp #roland garros #djokovic #tennisedit