Meanwhile I’m over here wrestling with whether or not magical literature would be called Science Fiction or Fantasy.
Something about ‘aspiring science fiction novelist’ but the story being about magical theory in the medieval era just makes me giggle.
Why not simply Historical Fiction? Like Ellis Peter's Brother Cadfael series, but with magic. Or.. hmm. This is a bit of a stretch - but what about a wizard who is stranded in an alternate medieval world that has no magic? Who survives based on his scientific training that the people around him call magic while he denies it? That would be considered science fantasy.
Edit: as for the subject of this aspiring novelist, jokes aside, you can’t have early 90’s/late 80’s influenced fantasy writing without leather boots on the cover. I already have my muse working overtime.
Edit: as for the subject of this aspiring novelist, jokes aside, you can’t have early 90’s/late 80’s influenced fantasy writing without leather boots on the cover. I already have my muse working overtime.
Name:Aoife Fitzgerald Age: 27 Appearance: At 5' 2" (157 cm), Aoife is a little bit on the short side. She has green eyes, a small nose, and glasses, which give her a bookish appearance; she typically wears her brown hair in a long braid draped over her right shoulder. Her fashion sense could be described as preppy; she favors sundresses when it's warm and sweaters when it's not. She's cute, in a "girl next door" sort of way, but often has a withdrawn or even nervous attitude; her movements are very direct and efficient, and she doesn't tend to gesture much in conversation, although she's more animated when teaching.Overall, Aoife is most at home in a library or coffee shop, and she likes her appearance to match.
Personality: Thoughtful, reserved, attractive, and with an exotic-sounding accent, Aoife is often seen as hard to approach. This perception has some truth to it, but not for the reasons people think. Her cool, borderline aloof demeanor has less to do with disliking or not caring for people, and more to do with being deeply awkward and insecure. Aoife feels that she doesn't understand people very well, which isn't helped by a degree of social anxiety, nor by her naturally introverted nature. She's been compared (and compares herself) to a cat - she keeps her own company, it's possible to win her over, if you're patient and respect her boundaries. That said, Aoife's uncertainty in social situations is a fairly deep issue, and not helped by her presence in the very male-dominated field of computer science.
Intelligent and technically minded, Aoife has high standards for herself; she can often be heard scolding herself over relatively benign mistakes in a proof, piece of creative writing, or something she's baking. While self-doubt is a chronic problem for Aoife, she's also aware of her successes, and prides herself on her lateral thinking and creativity as much as she does her technical skills. While she has no problem applying her standard for herself to people who should know better, as a TA, she's known for being empathetic and skilled at breaking down complex topics into something understandable; to a large extent, this is a reflection of how she herself learns by breaking things down in the same way. Many of the friendships she does hold have started when someone asked an insightful question during her office hours.
Aoife is acutely aware of how few women there are in her chosen field, and it bothers her more than she'd care to admit. She feels a constant pressure to perform and a scrutiny that isn't applied to her peers. She's determined enough to tolerate it, and maintains other interests when she needs to unwind. She enjoys creative writing, and has published several stories online - both fanfic and original works - largely with a focus on science fiction, exploration, and the unknown; her characters are often reflections or idealizations of herself. She also enjoys baking, and will usually bring in something sweet when running a class discussion or exam. Aoife often presents herself as disinterested in romance, but the truth is that she's deep in the closet. She doesn't make a big deal of her Irish origins, but doesn't hide them, either; jokes about Irish stereotypes are as sure a way to earn her ire as jokes about women in the sciences are.
Overall, Aoife is someone who's self-image is largely tied up in her intelligence. She's quick-witted, creative, and insightful, but held back by self-doubt. Comfort and familiarity are very important to her, even as another, deeper part of her craves new experiences and challenges. She can be standoffish around people she doesn't know well, but it's more to do with not getting them than anything; however, she's not afraid to speak her mind if she perceives someone as acting badly, especially in a way that attacks her identity in some way. While introverted and not very people-oriented, Aoife does value the few strong friendships she does have. Today, she might be considered autistic.
Background: If her name doesn't give it away, Aoife (pronounce "EE-fe") hails from the city of Galway in the Republic of Ireland. Her parents, Aidan and Deirdre Fitzgerald, moved to America when she was fourteen when her father's company asked him to oversee their new American branch, bringing Aiofe, her older brother Eamon, younger brother Finn, and two cats with them. She's currently enrolled at Sanctuary Hills as a grad student.
An awkward, geeky child, Aoife struggled to make connections with her peers, although not for lack of trying. She found more fulfilment in more solitary creative pursuits, and she excelled in her art and literature classes. At first, she didn't care for math, since she found the pace of the class glacially slow; however, she was fortunate enough to have passionate, proactive teachers, who reached out to her parents and helped her get into a newly formed advanced class. Soon enough, she found that math and logic could be just as expressive as art, and fell in love - although it was another way that she was unlike her peers, and at the time, she didn't have the emotional intelligence not to brag about it.
Aoife grew up as a good Catholic girl, the sort of person who never missed Mass, who said her prayers every night, and who was deeply afraid of Hell even from a young age. As she grew up, her blind acceptance of Catholic doctrine gave way to skepticism, questioning, and doubt, and as a teenager, she officially declared that she was leaving the Church. While her family generally tolerated her personality quirks, this was a bit hard for them, and they frequently argued about it. Aoife still values her connections with her family, but now that she's living on her own, pursuing a degree, and generally independent, she finds herself wondering why.
Magic Specialty: Aoife has always been fascinated by computers and the potential they represented. She sees a fundamental similarity between algorithms and spells, and she hopes one day to earn her doctorate in the emerging field of algorithmic spellcraft. ("What Admiral Hopper did for computer programs, I hope to do for magic," as Aoife puts it.) She's acquainted enough with magical theory to perform some basic workings, mostly simple things convenient in the day-to-day life of a busy academic.
Ah, 1994. Message boards, BBS—Oh, god, BBS—, intra-nets, so few websites one could shake a stick at them with enough time and energy, dial-up, fax machines, dot-matrix printers, cassette tapes, boomboxes, VCR players and VHS tapes, the advent of the DVD, phone lines disconnecting internet service providers, AOL, Yahoo, no Google, Amazon being founded. What a time to be alive.
One could only send email if they shared a provider or mutually paid for a third party program. What a time.
A lot has changed since I first posted the thread, including the opening post which has a lot of info about the world(and has a lot more that I want to put in it).
@naomimyselfandi I haven't read the character sheet in full, apologies, I will before too long.
Valeriano is a refreshingly different face than what most are used to. Beige-brown skin, flat nose, wide cheekbones, square jaw, deep-set brown eyes, and fuller lips - this amalgam of seemingly conflicting features appears harmoniously in him. His dark brown, verging on black hair is a messy mop which is often tied back in a loose bun. Val's figure isn't particularly buff or slender; thick, well-defined legs, broader than average shoulders, and a somewhat protruding chest give his five feet and seven inch posture a little more presence. Overall, his physical features make him average but unique looking.
Typically, you'll see Val wearing his work apron, a nametag with his nickname in lopsidedly arranged block letters, over hugging high-waisted blue jeans or khakis and tucked-in, colorfully patterned button-ups. Outside of work Val also loves to accessorize whenever possible. He never leaves the house without adorning both hands with a few rings, he rotates between an assortment of earrings - hoops big or small, huggies, studs, dangles, et cetera - and he ties his looks together with a pendant or an amulet. This jewelry sometimes holds cultural or personal significance to him, or they might have magical properties.
Personality:
Valeriano is a fairly chill, fun-loving dude despite that, from the outside, he might appear intense or intimidating or even unapproachable, especially from how bluntly he speaks. He doesn't particularly care for superficial manners, and he prefers authenticity in his dealings with other people - after all, why be overly nice to someone who you don't like? Nonetheless, he always strikes up conversation with strangers and regulars alike when he's working in the coffeehouse, and he mostly keeps it kind and gentle, reserving a coarser attitude for close friends who won't take it personally or for whiny customers who need sorting out. Around friends especially, Val flaunts a more fun-loving side, dancing at clubs, singing karaoke, barhopping, or shooting the shit around a fire in someone's backyard.
Despite his lax attitude and carefree lifestyle, he's very driven about personal projects and he's getting more and more eager to get his career going, hence why he completed his schooling at Sanctuary Hills so quickly. One will rarely see Valeriano without a cassette-corder and some earphones, which he uses to record and play cassette tapes, and he's particularly fond of using them as audio collages. His collection consists of voice diaries, music demos, or mix-tapes. Sometimes he'll even take over the coffeehouse's music and play his own mix-tapes. When he's not on the job, Val is usually with his guitar recording songs and booking gigs, or he's devoting time to magical experiments with automata.
Background:
Valeriano Lumungsod O'Connell was born in 1973 in Austin, Texas, but his small family moved to the Richmond, Virginia area when he was six. He had a relatively uneventful childhood aside from the expected friction which came from being the child of an immigrant living in the suburbs. He did, however, have a rough patch in high school where he almost dropped out; he was often disciplined for skipping class to smoke in the parking lot, keying his classmates' cars for being bigoted, or talking back to his teachers. In those times, music became a personal refuge, where he could express himself freely. His bandmates and friends had always said that Val looked most carefree and weightless when he had his hands on his guitar. More than anything though, Val just wanted to see more of the world and get away from home. With the band broken up and without the grades or activities to land a better (or further away) school, Val ended up in Sanctuary Hills.
For now, Val lives as a local musician, playing solo gigs in town and taking trips to visit family every now and then. Until he decides whether to relocate back home with family and find work there, go to grad school and deepen his knowledge, or start a local practice in Sanctuary Hills, he's working as a barista at Phil's Coffeehouse, which is actually owned by a woman named Philomena, in Sanctuary Hills' town square. On breaks, one might find Val either on the curb or behind the store, eating fast food, perhaps smoking a cigarette on a particularly stressful day, hashing out song lyrics, or messing with magic. When business is slow, Val likes to chitchat with his regulars or play GameBoy games at the till.
Magic Specialty:
Like the typical magician, Val knows some everyday magic. He has notes on various potions, home remedies, recipes, as well as simple charms... all things useful for regular life, more than what a witch might know and more informed than one who didn't go to school for it. His main discipline, however, is arcane semiotics - how sigils, geometries, speech, incantations, songs, etc. communicate a magical intent and 'become' magic, and while attending Sanctuary Hills University, he minored in linguistics, mathematics, and computer science. As such, his greater knowledge resides in the finer details of spell construction, such as how etymology, rhythm, geometry, or the evolution of language affect magic or what syntax magic uses. He could help you find the angles you need to achieve certain effects, tell you how word choice factors into incantations, pacts, or contracts, or demonstrate how the language for magic differs from culture to culture.
As personal experiments related to his studies, Val can create living constructs and familiars from available materials - the more malleable, the better. These can manifest as plantoids, robot-like automata, origami fairies, or other beings depending on the materials and sigils used; however, as soulless constructs of magic, he cannot change their form or their purpose after they've formed. For this reason, Val keeps a notebook or two for writing out useful sigils and recipes. He can continue to give them fuel (which could be AA batteries, outlet power, actual food, fertilizer, etc.) to keep them 'alive,' some fuels being more efficient than others. As they run out of fuel, they gradually return to their original, natural state until they effectively 'die,' leaving behind a 'corpse' with the burnt remnants of the sigils which made them.
Val follows some Filipino folk magic traditions from his maternal family, which are based on communion with local spirits or supernatural beings and forming relationships with them. In terms of magical potency, these can often be unreliable or completely fruitless altogether, and it takes time to cultivate those relationships. Spirits may be ghosts or nature spirits (i.e., nymphs or kami), some tied to the land, others mobile or nomadic. There are also supernatural beings like feyfolk or elves. Working with them comes with its own quirks, so it's usually better to stick with traditional magic, but Val still leaves outdoor offerings every other week to be kind or make friends with them. If some stir up trouble or cause problems around him, he'll call the appropriate professional or deal with it himself.
@naomimyselfandi@kalanggam Okay, you're both great! I really appreciate the cast that's coming together.
Phil's Coffeehouse has been added to the opening post(unless you read this post real gosh darn quick).
Just like with computer programming, there can be multiple(or even a multitude) of different spells that would achieve the same effect. Choosing which method you use can depend on a variety of factors from materials on hand, to just plain personal preference.
Generally well, but I'll admit a little slow. Y'all have probably noticed that my writing time has become a little sporadic.
I've converted from writing almost completely on my phone, to almost completely on my desktop. While this has made my writing more efficient(and enjoyable), it has also reduced the time I can spend doing it.
I expect this to smooth out when I'm writing posts instead of world lore. (it's easier to hop on the computer for a single specific task than a laundry list of things you need to make up).
I'll give you an inkling of what I'm looking to work through next:
I don't intend for this RP to focus on the school itself(except as just a physical setting on occasion), so I've got the important stuff down for it(I always might add more, but it's not needed to launch). I think I wanted to list one more building.
I can always add features to the town after the RP starts, and just like with school features I probably will do so regardless. But I at least want to finish the features that I have listed. Then of course I need to write my own character, and I'll probably launch us then.
I'm also about to open up a second interest check in the general section, as I'm worried that the vagueness of my original post might have turned some people away who might otherwise have been interested.
There's something else I want from all of you, now that there's a good handful of characters.
I'd like a relationship sheet. If you've never done one, basically for every other character in the roleplay, write a short blurb about what your character's relationship with them is like. You can discuss this with the other player, or just list what your character's impression of theirs is, and then go from there.
"They've never met" is perfectly valid, by the way. If you can't think of why they might have interacted in the past, don't feel like you need to shoehorn something in. And you don't have to be particularly close to anybody, if you don't want to, or it doesn't make sense. Although, this is a social RP, so make sure they make friends if they don't start with any.
Below is an example that's just copy/pasted without context from another RP:
Ambrose Hightower: The rich, conventionally attractive, popular boy is definitely not the sort she'd normally hang with, but she finds his self awareness endearing, and also definitely loves a himbo. Strong possibility of unlikely friendship. Slight possibility that they have fooled around.
Toby Springer: They're cousins, obviously. Audrey feels like she has to look out for Toby, especially protecting them from her own father(Toby's uncle). Depending on gender, if Toby is female, it is to protect her from her Tom's general misogyny. If male, it is to keep him away from Tom's influence.
William Mencia: Ball might be in your court for this one, I don't have a great idea. I will say that Audrey is never deliberately mean for no reason, but she can come off as abrasive, so it might depend on how William takes her attitude.
Rowan Moore: Audrey could be her bad influence. I can see her feeling bad for the pressure she's under, and try to get her to unwind. Possibility backfiring when Rowan gets in some kind of trouble as a result.
Sidney Malcolm: This might be a link with William, actually. Depending on the adventure, I can absolutely see Audrey tagging along. Or perhaps being the one to drag the both of them someplace, if they'd be into Urban Exploration or something.
Damon Howard: In general, she probably finds him vapid, but they might commiserate about being in the Shitty Dad Club.
hey that's an awesome idea, I'll be sure to drop some info about the now-named Tobias Malkinson soon so we can get collaborations going. I got swept up this week in local warhammer events at the game store, shame on me.
Platinum hair that dulls to silver in moonlight is meticulously styled atop a head that rises to a height of 5’3”. The frame that such a head belongs to is one of wire and lithe muscle; skinny and lightweight for his size, but physically active and just on the appropriate side of healthy. His skin is sensitive to the sun, and thusly he burns easily without protection- a true curse to someone who enjoys camping and hiking the Applachias. His face and eyes are expressive; the phrase ‘windows to the soul’ is particularly true with him, and despite his best efforts he often wears his heart on his sleeve. His eyes are a stunning crystal blue.
Of particular note is that the concept of modern fashion has utterly abandoned Toby on the side of the road; the most casual he seems to go is semi-formal attire, unless for the express purpose of physical labor or outdoor recreation. Formal vests, collared shirts, ties, dress pants, ballroom shoes, and the like are his standard go-to apparel and it is obvious he takes great care in manicure and appearance.
Personality Tobias is an introspective individual, to a fault. He spends most of his time locked up in his own head trying to think about two or four things at once, and when he is focused on a single task he will spend far too much time overthinking all but the simplest of tasks. He is clever and smart, but it comes with the burden of self-doubt and double-think to try and produce the best outcome possible. He is a people pleaser, and a Nice Guy, in that he derives his own sense of self worth from the validation of others. He is genuinely a kind person, but he forces it sometimes in moments where he truly should establish some kind of boundary for himself. Giving to a dangerous degree when it comes to his time and energy. Additionally, he is under immense pressure to perform and is very self critical of his own perceived failures and shortcomings.
But despite these worming doubts and flaws, he is a sociable and extroverted individual who, without the social relationships he will eventually burn himself out to maintain, would go insane locked up in his dorm room trying to write.
Background The once wide-spread and diverse Malkinson clan has dwindled and withered over the last two centuries. A family name that once spread two continents did not survive the triple catastrophe of three major wars. The first schism of the Malkinson clan was a three-way split during the United States Civil War; the 'True' Malkinsons kept the name in the North, whereas their southron counterparts adopted a new name in the Kinsingtons and the European branch distanced itself from their warring kin and broke contact in full. After the family's disastrous separation in the civil war, the Malkinsons further faced decimation through the two successive world wars where it is presumed that the European branch was eradicated in its entirety during the Holocaust.
A singular adult remained in the continental united states at the end of the second world war who claimed the name Malkinson in true lineage. A woman of remarkable stubbornness and world-sense by the name of Lorelei, who despite the setback of losing father, two uncles, and husband in the succession of wars did not balk at the task of raising her two children alone.
The daughter showed talent as a Witch, which Lorelei encouraged and supported heartily. Tobias' Aunt Naomi's education was informal at first, apprenticed to a small-town witch in Maryland. She soon eclipsed his teachings and was enrolled into Sanctuary Hills University due to Lorelei's preference for its historic prestige and purpose. Naomi Malkinson graduated summa cum laude for her class, a Doctorate of Medicine under her belt and a minor in the Magical Arts. Her Thesis paper was titled On the theory of repairing internal scar tissue resulting from the inhalation of superheated smoke through the use of modern medicine alongside Grimmwalden's Spectro-Occulosis to pinpoint critical areas of treatment.
The son, however, took a different path. His upbringing was harder, the loss of father and uncles taking an immense toll on the young boy. The young Amos Malkinson grew bitter, angry, and battled against his mother's guiding hand at every turn. The successes of his sister and her perceived status as 'favorite' filled him with envy, and the unresolved grief he carried hardened into the pure stuff of hatred. Amos ran away from home as a teenaged boy, and Lorelei considered him disowned. The specifics of what happened to Amos are a mystery, but after nearly a decade of absence he returned in the early 1970's a different man. He was somber, quiet, introspective to a fault, a coward who flinched at every provocation, and who seemed to fear liquor with a fervor that bred gossip.
He did not return alone. Tobias Malkinson, aged four at the time, as well as his infant sister Aviva were introduced to the matronly figure of Lorelei Malkinson. Thusly, they were immediately loved and brought into the fold. Raised more by his grandmother than his own father, who was relegated to the job of Groundskeeper on the Malkinson Estate and rarely took active role in either of his children's lives, Tobias was brought up by a firm hand that had become whimsical with age rather than cruel. Lorelei doted upon the infant Aviva with rekindled motherly care, and guided Tobias firmly down a different course than his father.
The library of the Malkinson estate became Tobias' true home, and Lorelei spent much time with him discussing and carefully curating his interest in literature. By the time of his formal highschool education, Tobias excelled beyond his peers and earned recognition and scholarship for his displayed knack for the Classical Studies. Holding his aunt Naomi to be a role model, he turned his attention towards Sanctuary Hills to follow in her footsteps. However, two things happened in the years leading up to this decision that irrevocably altered Tobias' path in life.
The first is that his sister had an accident in her freshman year Introductions to Magical Theory class. Her burns were severe. Naomi Malkinson flew back to oversee Aviva's treatment and surgery herself. Aviva will spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair, the cause of the issue appearing to be neurological rather than physiological, and her body still carries heavy burn scarring despite multiple magical treatments.
The second is that his father started drinking again. The accident caused Amos to stay out later and later, and soon Tobias discovered the figure of his father slumped over unconscious on the garden paths of the Malkinson Manor. When he roused the man, Amos began speaking in a weeping voice with bloodshot eyes to Toby. His slurred, whispered, speech revealed to Tobias the long-buried truth about what had happened to the mother he never knew.
Tobias promised not to pursue an advanced education in magic, and promised not to tell Aviva what had been revealed.
And so it was that when Tobias Malkinson arrived for his first year's enrollment at Sanctuary Hills, he began the path of Liberal Arts, majoring in Philosophy and Classical Literature whilst pursuing a minor in Creative Writing. Such an educational path is a slow moving one, intense in its workload, but Tobias has maintained it well. More importantly, he has fallen utterly in love with the Appalachian mountains and the cozy, small-time, feeling of the Sanctuary Hills area. When not frantically scrambling about the campus, frantically writing and sleeping in Dormitory One, or frantically trying to maintain his social life, Tobias can be found either volunteering at the Mary Parker Memorial Library or working part time in Sanctuary Hills at Phil's Coffeehouse.
Magic Specialty N/A
Val - Toby finds in Val a foil and friend. Val's laid back and care-free demeanor are something Toby is privately jealous of, but enjoys immensely and finds relaxing to be around. The bluntness and open honesty of his demeanor are a shock to the well-mannered and studiously raised Toby. Val is someone who is usually able to get Toby out of his shell in more relaxed atmospheres, but as with anyone Toby reserves a certain amount of social armor to hide his own insecurities and project his selfless demeanor. Whenever he hears of Val scoring gigs and making recordings, he seems to grow even more impassioned for his own long-delayed project.
Georgia Patricia Keen V - Toby met Georgia when he first came to Sanctuary Hills. The 1946 Rolls Royce Silver Wraith that Grandmother Lorelei had given him as a highschool graduation gift had broken down— over fourty years sitting in a garage with no maintenance will do that to a luxury car. Thankfully Toby arrived in town safe and well, and the two met after he had to have the vehicle towed. He seems keenly aware that her soul isn't truly in her work; he has made it his goal to always try to pick her mind for her own cleverness whenever he's got a philosophical conundrum or wants an outside opinion on practical things. This means that he writes her letters (like the anachronistic madman he is) or pops in to say hello frequently even without car issues.
Rose Blossomdew - Toby has likely run into Rose while volunteering at the library. She would find that his voracious appetite for all literature extends into her own area of interests— but that he, strangely, refuses to practice the magic himself or admit that he has a fascination with magic at all. He would, conversely, absolutely encourage and try to get her talking about her own interests on the subject, and any discussions he engaged with her on this front would have been fronted as 'for the sake of my writing'. At first blush, I don't have anything more in mind than 'they've met in passing, and he chats with her at the library'.
Aoife Fitzgerald - Toby, being a liberal arts student, likely has had little professional reason to seek out or engage Aoife. Her reputation on campus is known to him, of course, and any interactions they have had would have been either in passing or in relation to their mutual creative writing interests. If they have any further relationship at all, it likely hinges on this aspect; Upon hearing about her (official) published works, he would have voraciously hunted them down and questioned her on her methodology and literary style, as well as ventured to ask for help in things like developing his pitch and cover letter. Perhaps, somewhere in the rabbit-hole of Message Boards and BBS fanfiction zones, they've interacted without even being aware that it's the other? If so, then she may even know of the fantastical occult writings of the Mystical_Malkontent.
Samantha "Sam" Igorina Semenova - Sam was probably the second person he met when arriving at Sanctuary Hills. He would have needed furniture. However, I do not believe they would have interacted intimately or frequently unless they crossed paths in the town itself while he was working at the coffeeshop or awaiting repairs on his car. A possible angle would be his fascination with her magic; if she was willing to talk about, experiment, or otherwise just show it off he would have gladly observed and spent time with her on that subject.
Aviva Malkinson, aged 17-going-on-18 - Tobias religiously maintains a relationship with his younger sister. They choose to write letters to one another rather than using any other means of communication out of a mutual fascination with the written word. He replies to her letters immediately, and awaits her next ones with immense eagerness and excitement.
Philomena Hios - Tobias works part time for her, helping out around the coffeehouse for pocket money— And, more importantly, vital and necessary constant access to potent caffeinated concoctions. Toby is certain that without Phil and her coffeehouse, he would have died in his first year at the university.
Lea Arnaud, Magical Arts major (Specializing in practical evocative arts) - Toby's ex-girlfriend and he maintain a cool distance. From Toby's side, he desperately hopes his wild and frantic desire to avoid her at all costs isn't as obvious as he feels it is. He met the young Magician-To-Be in a philosophy lecture, and they hit it off initially. However, over time, his inability to establish boundaries permitted her to take advantage of him and the relationship developed a deep toxicity until the prodigal witch broke it off with him after an argument about magic finally pushed them both over the edge. It's been a year, but Toby is still awkward around her, and honestly isn't over her yet. The only positive from the relationship was that whilst burning the candle at both ends to try and keep the demanding woman satisfied, his muse was hyperactive and the misery of the relationship stirred his writing to the most progress it had ever experienced. Objectively, they were bad for each other- but don't tell them that, they both need some growing up.
Magical Faculty of SHU - Following in the footsteps of his prodigious aunt in enrollment at the university, but electing not to pursue a magical study has him under pressure from some of the faculty of the school who think he would excel under such programs and believe they have his best interests at heart.
