As always, the number one student in your year shot out so many words in so few seconds that you asked yourself if she was moving through time faster than the rest of you. It would maybe explain how she was able to keep up with seemingly everything, while even you had to let some subjects fall behind for a while to focus on other, more interesting subjects.
I just love how Jacob deduces people's secrets by observing them and pondering and then casually moves on. He should actually be at least partially familiar with Time Turners since his dad introduced the Space equivalent.
The Gryffindor girl had evolved into a bit of a spectacle for you; something so very different from you, that you didn't feel like you could be the same species.
Another thing you couldn't quite understand. Was it the points or the praise? Why did she care for that as much?
Funny, how much of a contrast there is between the two smartest kids. Hermione is the typically smart person who rigorously devours every part of the curriculum until she can vomit it verbatim. She delights in receiving praise and points as validation. Jacob can't understand that because he never cared about any of that.
His grades don't matter because he values learning more.
He doesn't the validation from the points or praise because he doesn't care about other people's opinions.
Honestly, it's nice seeing this contrast just because I've seen so many "Hermiones" in life, those study-holic students who have to get perfect scores, that I know the Jacobs are better off.
Who can tell me the four main branches of our subject?"
Hermione saying this, especially so excitedly doesn't make any sense when Mcgonagall already said there were 4 branches.
Also, it feels really odd how Hermione gets all the praise for listing the the four main branches, but Micheal is the one who describes all of them. It would fit better if the two were switched there.
Most of your Ravenclaw housemates had, even if you were not quite sure were that change in attitude had come from.
Probably stepping up their game after a certain classmate is upstaging.
She didn't look at you, but you still felt a few heads turning for you; some more and some less obvious, but most of them with blueish robes on them.
Ahh, that satisfying feeling when people know you can turn them into rabbits.
Spell research added: Draconifors (Deep Understanding) - Transfiguration. The Draconifors Spell is a Transfiguration spell used to transform small objects into Dragons, which can then be controlled by the caster. While it will still not be independent from you and will need a lot of concentration to keep up, it is now possible to transform medium large objects into dragons. The dragons produced from this spell are much smaller and less powerful than true dragons, and their size depends on your skills and the object from which they are transfigured - i.e. a smaller object will produce a smaller dragon, and a larger object will produce a larger dragon. DC: 100.
Ah hell yeah! One more step to being the animation master.
Curious though as to how much concentration the spell needs and how much does skill affect size because he's kinda peaked at the skill level once he reaches Deep Understanding?
"Five points to Ravenclaw."
Nice bit of juxtaposition here. In this section, Jacob's been talking about how Hermione is leagues above him and how Michael has improved. They're both rewarded with 2 points for their knowledge, but then Jacob flawlessly casts the spell and gets 5 points beating both of their points combined.
It's like Mcgonagall is giving a lesson underneath the lesson. You have Micheal whose trying to catch up to Jacob and Hermione whose trying to stay ahead of him, and they both do this by frantically taking notes and studying. They're focusing on knowledge, but because of that, they're missing the point. What they need is understanding. That's why Jacob listens and observes Mcgonagall and the statue instead of taking notes. He's looking for understanding, and Mcgonagall recognizes that and rewards him appropriately.
you found yourself falling back into old habits, evading your class- and housemates for days.
Nice to have subtle clarification that yes, Jacob has been growing out of his shell since now he's been retreating back into solitude to reflect.
You had been raised to reflect on your own thoughts and actions. It was the single most important thing your parents had taught you; to understand the own mind. Rarely had you been chastised for doing something wrong, as there had never been clear rules to begin with. Instead your remembered them sitting down with you at times and bringing you to explain why it was that you had done something and how it had affected others.
This is probably set-up for the revelation later where Jacob's talking about he's started to pay more attention to the why and people's motivations without getting hung up and the what.
The process of change had started earlier than you thought. You might want to place it somewhere after the start of the year.
Haa, actual introspection from a protagonist is such a great thing to have and is a reminder of how great a protag Jacob is.
Still, you knew that you were pushing your limits already. You were spending much more time on learning magic, spells and potions than was comfortable for you for several months now. It had been catching up to you and you were feeling a pressure on your mind that hadn't been there before.
Had it not been for the time spent deep inside a magical underground structure in unknown mountains, you would have likely hit your limit already.
Don't know if we should take that as fluff or proof that we shouldn't overload with training options. If anything, it shows that we should always have one adventure for Jacob to go on for stress relief
Second year Jacob had been by far the most detached student of his year. It would surprise you, if you had exchanged more than ten sentences with any student for an entire school year.
That's both sad and hilarious.
You had shown yourself time and time again how clear your thoughts were in situations that were life threatening … and you found yourself enjoying those moments.
Adrenaline junky, aye.
You were deep in trance, when you heard something. There was the sound of movement behind you, but your eyes did
Hullo, Harry.
In no possible future would you let this knowledge darken their last years on earth or throw a shadow over their love for you and the Flamels.
Motivation DC to tell them: 1000
your respect had grown. She had become less of a grandmotherly figure and more of a story – of someone you could learn from.
You found yourself incapable of hating her, as you had been incapable of hating the creature you had found in the dungeon below Helga's Hall. The way Perenelle had done evil to reach of what she thought of as great, the creature – Girzum – had done what was necessary to stay alive in a world without mercy for the weak.
It had been clear to you that it would be the most effective solution in that specific situation and so you had done exactly what was needed.
You acted differently, because your motivations had changed. Your needs had grown stronger now, had sharpened with the development of your personality. Even now, while knowing that Girzum would try its best to stab you in the back, you felt yourself rather intrigued by the thought of it. It made sense for Girzum' to want to hurt you. It was the most effective possible way for him to be free again, not bound to any Pact and agreement. There were no morals in his thinking, because there was no room for that.
You would go into that and try to treat it is as a riddle; if you solved it in time to avert the danger, then you would learn many things that would have otherwise been hidden to you.
You had not hesitated in torturing a thinking being to get it to tell you how it was trying to hurt you.
Uhhh, I so wish I was around to argue against the "Great" vote being chosen because honestly, this makes me sick.
The thought of someone tricking their close friends and draining their souls, condemning them to never see the afterlife all to achieve fame, make creations, and avoid their own death and then proclaiming how much more you respect that person just feels wrong. Yeah, he recognizes that it's evil, but because Jacob sees it as great, he doesn't see it as wrong. He didn't see anything wrong with Girzum killing students nor with him torturing the creature. The right answer to him has become the most effective one.
And it's horrifying to see this thought process. It's not a slippery slope, but goddamn, did this pour water on the hill. This way of thinking is a hell of lot harder to deal with than the self-hate because this shit is insidious. You might say it's more open-minded, but there's a reason why some trains of thoughts are better left abandoned.
The painting was a mosaic of dozens of compartmentalized pictures that had been woven together to form a larger construct. There was a dark forest to the right with many a creature moving in and out of it. There were huge spiders, unicorns, one majestic Hippogriff and a few other creatures that moved around their place in the picture, always staying as far away from the Dementors as was possible.
There was a large tree, angrily striking at a blue raven that was trying to fly closer to it. The bird evaded most of the swiping attacks, but was thrown to the ground every now and then, when the tree hit it. It fell to the ground, staying there for a bit until it was able to fly upwards again, repeating the cycle.
A large sea stretched out in the back of the picture, its water changing from a dark blue to a pure black in the span of a second. When you looked away, something moved its head out of it, but it disappeared every time you tried to focus on it; never allowing you to catch what it was.
The mountains in the background were far away, but there were some goblins moving in and out of a few caves. The caves themselves were dark and deep. The black inside moved as if alive.
Most of the rest of the picture were specific parts of the castle. Rooms that appeared and disappeared, stairs that moved, ghosts that threw their surroundings into chaos. There were many students without faces, moving through stairs and floors, occasionally interacting with each other. Words appeared here and there, speaking of riddles that you had found in your exploration. A cat moved through the different parts of the castles as if it had no rules set to stay inside its compartment, like the rest of the actors.
And in the centre of it all; a three-legged stool with an old and weathered hat on it.
Anyways, to clear my head from that, this painting scene is just breath-taking. To show the world as he sees it, that is what Jacob's paintings are, and I love it.
For others, they might paint an image of all the Houses dining together and the warmth of family, friends, and love, but that is not the Hogwarts Jacob sees. Hogwarts to him is mystery, danger, magic, and adventure, and that is what he paints. The wonderous unicorns and Hippogriff and the terrible spiders and Dementors, the raven darting between the Whomping Willows limps before being struck down and rising, the vast and mysterious sea and the dark, hidden caverns of the mountain, the faceless students, moving stairs and rooms, and of course the curious cat not bound by rules who explores to its hearts content.
That is the Hogwarts Jacob sees, an adventure, and one that begins when you put on that hat.
"Yes," Megan confirmed. "Your attention is always somewhere else."
Your eyes focussed on her green ones. She looked … hurt? What had you missed? Did you say something insensitive? Thinking back, you were positive that you hadn't been talking all too much for the last few minutes … oh. That was it, right?
Ouch, sorry Megan, but hey, at least he's slowly recognizing the issue.
It had taken a while for you to understand where that came from.
"I'm not good with things like that," you added.
Her expression changed. Annoyance turned to anger for a moment, before it froze and made room for a softer expression. "I am sorry," she said after a while.
Hey, mutual understanding. They're learning not to look past each other.
"I think you are doing the same. You have a picture of me in your mind that doesn't exist. It is one of a bright individual that is there to save and help others. He is strong, smart and capable of guiding, because I did one thing that you see as heroic and good."
"It is but a shadow and a thought you love." It's healthy for them to get that preconception out of the way though the way he stresses "good" makes it clear he doesn't see his actions as being anything but selfish curiosity. Also making me slightly scared considering his morals are a bit looser then before.
Her expression turned into a mirror of her emotions. Just for a moment you felt like you were about to draw a picture, the image was right there; a kind girl that found herself amidst a changed world. Where you had been able to accept the changes in your life, this girl was having some trouble with it.
For a moment, you saw potential and possibilities laid out before her. There were a thousand roads she could walk, but she was still carrying a rock that was as heavy as herself. It was holding her back.
Have I said how much I love the painting imagery already?
You took that rock out of her hand: "But I am not that picture, Megan. I did not do that for any of you, but for myself. I felt intrigued by a mystery that was hidden deep inside my mind and I followed the few leads I had. While I did feel bad for Sally-Ann - and I swear, to see through her eyes is to this day one of the memories that hurt me the most – I would have done the same even if it hadn't been a good thing."
Green eyes found their way back to yours again. Megan had never looked prettier to you.
Fuck it. I'm on the Megan x Jacob ship. Full steam ahead!
"I don't think I asked you to be my support," she said. There was no smile on her face. Her words were energetic, but without anger behind them.
"Good," you said.
"Good," she answered, eyes not wavering.
Again, win for mutual understanding! Also, energetic is a weird word to use here. Maybe spirited instead?
Megan looked at you, the picture that was waiting to be painted disappeared the moment she talked again. A thousand roads ahead of her had disappeared, only one remained suddenly. The rock had turned into dust behind her, as Megan walked her first steps forward. You didn't know what road she had chosen, because she had taken your consideration out of that equation and thrown you out of that picture.
"Forget what I told you," she said. "I want you to tell me something." Megan leaned back into the cushioned bench. "We have a few minutes before you need to go and play, tell me about your home, please."
There was a smile on her face. This one was different than the others she usually gifted you, but you couldn't place the reason for that. The picture you had been imagining of her disappeared completely. Both of you started anew, forgetting old biases and halting the projection of own ideals and ideas onto the other person.
"Hmm … where would I start? Imagine being old … very old … no even older than that!"
And now their relationship can truly begin anew.
I know that you've said that writing Megan and Jacob's relationship is tough, but I really do enjoy it. It's probably a bit more mature than what should reasonably be expected from the two, but that can be waved away a bit with how Jacob's personality is.
And I think I remember why exactly I liked this quest so much before. Every update is partitioned into it's own segment, like a little chapter of Jacob's life. There's not the dullness that comes from repeating the same day and getting bigger numbers. Yeah, mechanically, it's still similar in that regard, but there's more life to it. Just in this chapter, learning a spell lead to a whole separate lesson in a lesson in class, training Ancient Runes had Jacob and Megan shed past misconceptions and move forward in their relationship, and a simple sit back and relax option turned into Jacob reflecting over how much he's changed over this entire quest and culminating in him painting his grandest view yet.
Also, one thing I found interesting was that his parting line to Lupin
Were the same as
But yeah, Alchemy has been on my to do list. If we do 2 actions next turn we are likely to still finish the map before the end of the school year.
I'd put goggles as higher priority than map to finish before the end of the school year because the Dementors will be gone then meaning we won't have the chance to use the goggles to unravel their secrets.
I assumed we were ment to chip away at it over a couple of turns, it took Harry in the books at least a couple of months to learn it even with a teacher.
How dare you try to talk reasonably. We obviously need to show that we're better than Harry by learning it in one month without a teacher. That's what the unlockable trait is for. It's us supplanting Harry as the Chosen One.
[X] Plan Patronus, Painting, and Phantasmal Preparations
-[X]
Case III: The Riddle of Riddle (2 Actions)- Digging through the archives for so long has given you a good grasp as to who walked these floors in the last two hundred years. There were mentions of someone, you still remembered. There had been some records history of one of the greatest minds that walked this castle, maybe not as special as Sally-Anne or even Dumbledore, but still … Who was he?
-[X]
Runes Club Research (Multiple Actions on this count as multiple rolls stacking) – Spend time with the Members of the Runes Club looking for hidden runes and glyphs in the castle walls (
Will also count as a training roll towards Ancient Runes).
- [X]
Do Something!: Paint - Capture the adventures and struggles of your ancestors on canvas
-[X] Stage III,
Dreams of old (Takes 2 Actions) – Coming back into the years of unrelenting war. Following years of uncontended victories for you and yours, an enemy has arrived that is more powerful than anything you could have ever imagined. Marching through the midst of winter they attack numbering the tens of thousands.
-[]x7 personal actions.
-[X] Alchemy x3
-[X] Spell learning x 4 (
Expecto Patronum,
Lumos (Deep Understanding)
, Point Me)
Substituting the extra adventure action for a peaceful painting session which should help in preventing burnout. Lot of points on Alchemy because I really want to get it up to snuff to make the goggles.
@Tabula Rasa Is brewing a potion a free action or no? If not, then how many potions can we brew in one action if we had enough ingredients for more than one vial? Basically, can we make a Blue Wideye potion to give us an extra action or no?
