001 [Text /Open To Action]

[awizardidit]

[It took a long while for Harry to take up the book. Before that, he had kept his hand raised toward an empty space, his eyes closed while nothing happened. He remained in that position until sweat started showing up on his brow. Frustrated, he let out a sigh and strode to pick up the volume.

The big, gray dog next to him, big enough his back reaches the waist of the 6'9" man, follows his master with his eyes, panting and wagging his tail as encouragement. Harry appreciates that and acknowledges it with a brief mile and a nod.

Then, he opens the book and uses the quill with the expertise of someone who uses it often. He's no master calligrapher, but his handwriting is legible.]

I have no idea what is going on, but there's no way this is not the Nevernever. However, the gate to the mortal world I'm trying to create doesn't open. I've tried several times. I'm not messing up the spell, Bob, in case you read this.

On the other hand, maybe it's for the best. For all I know, I could end up on the Himalayas or the bottom of the ocean. Or worse, in Morgan's bedroom. Yuck. Yes, I had to put that on writing. To show it to my therapist if I ever find one.

I've also tried to summon fairies, and even those who would do anything to find me haven't showed up. Honestly? That's scary.

In any case, that's why I came back to the book. What I write here can be read by others, right? Like one of those chat-thingies today's cool kids have. Yay! I'm a cool kid!

So, is there anyone out there who can tell me what is going on?

Thank you.

Harry Dresden.

[He closes the book, picks up a bag with his belongings, and begins walking in seemingly a random direction. It's not that he doubts the book works. Quite the contrary. But he isn't one to sit and wait for things to happen when he can make that things happening.

The dog follows him.]

Comments

[petitgamin]

[Gavroche's handwriting is messy and barely legible, but its there]

Weer meent 2 b the name on the buk.

[awizardidit]

[After getting Gavroche's reply, Harry takes a moment while he checks the spine of the book again.]

Ha ha. That's funny.

[That was meant as an irony, but it doesn't translate to text as well.]

[petitgamin]

[there's some dots and then]

is it?

[awizardidit]

Well, not really. But it's a very long story.

How do I call you, then?

[petitgamin]

Mi buk says m' Peetah Pan. I c'n fly! An' i hav a sord.

[He's proud of these two things. He's trying to be the very best Peter that he can be, and with the relatively recent visit of some jolly old man in a bright red suit, he finally got the sword he needed]

Whooo r yu?

[peckish4action]

What's the Nevernever?

[ What. That's an important question, if the person there thinks it's where they are.. ]

[awizardidit]

[Great! An opportunity to go TL;DR on an unsuspecting victim.]

"Spirit World" is another way to call it. All kind of faeries and that what has been constructed as mythological creatures live there. It resides right next to the mortal world, where mortals usually live, and it can be reached through portals that only those in the know can open. Such as yours truly, who is a Wizard of the White Council and definitely not the Merlin, as this book says.

[Someone is unamused.

On the other hand, if you had to ask, maybe this place isn't the Nevernever. That would suck big time.]

[peckish4action]

That would sort of fit the place, yeah. Except, is it supposed to change people when they pass through the portals?

Because my book says Cupid, and I definitely didn't have wings before coming here. Nor were a boy and arrows my thing.

[awizardidit]

[There's a longish pause before Harry writes back again.]

Well, Mr. Cupid, nice to make your acquaintance.

It seems like my normal magic isn't working.

[He draws an angry face next to the last word. He has no idea if it will go through, but he's frustrated.]

[peckish4action]

I prefer Robin. I know we're supposed to become the fables, but... it still seems kind of strange, to be a, you know. What Cupid is.

[ After a small pause. ]

I think everybody who had special powers where they come from, don't have them anymore. Not a problem I'm dealing with, but my best friend? Yeah.

Text.

[emperorofselfdestruction]

[What.]

[Well, he didn't expect to find this in his book. Starscream is left a confused robot by Harry's words. Something about the Nevernever and the mortal world and a bunch of humans Starscream's never met and fairies.]

[So he elects to ignore all that for the moment, and provide an explanation.]

Harry Dresden:

As far as I have been able to deduce, someone called Father Time and his council have kidnapped an assortment of beings and somehow modified them physically and mentally, in order to have them fulfill the roles of characters from human fairy tales. I have yet to learn the why and the how of this.

- Cmdr. Starscream

[His handwriting is messy, probably because Starscream's hands are disproportionately shaped for the quill, although the legibility is improved by the fact his handwriting is also very large.]

Text.

[awizardidit]

[Commander Starscream? Come on! That has to be a pseudonym. Harry wonders for a moment about asking for Megatron and Optimus Prime, but he manages to refrain.]

Father Time, huh. Never met him before, either.

I don't doubt your words. Perhaps we could work together to solve this. I'm a private detective, so I have practice with this things. Where are you?

[To modify anyone is a big no in Harry's metaphorical book. As opposed to the one he's writing on right now.]

Re: Text.

[emperorofselfdestruction]

[Oh sweet, potential lackey.]

I have yet to meet him myself, though he has been mentioned frequently by the other residents.

I'm at the library right now.

[And then Starscream presumably wrote in some directions.]

I should warn you, if you intend to meet me in person, you may find my appearance startling.

Text. -> To Action?

[awizardidit]

Got it. I'll be there soon.

Don't worry about it. I've met some startling people before. It's not a big deal.

[With that, Harry closes the book and is on his way to the library.]

Action is go!

[emperorofselfdestruction]

[Despite his lack of a personal description, Starscream shouldn't be hard to spot. You don't get much more startling than a 7'0" tall robot with wings and red eyes, at least when compared to the more pastel residents of Märchenstraße.]

[Harry will find Starscream towards the back of the library, leaning over a table piled with books. A rather ragged turnip lantern rests by his elbow, glowing cheerily away. Starscream himself is flipping carefully through one of the books, although he looks up when Harry arrives.]

Harry Dresden?

[kutanagi]

( Well, she supposes that since Father Time's told her those things when she first got there, the other new people should know too.

Weird. Didn't they arrive around the same time last month too? )

What do you know so far, Dresden-san? Perhaps I can help.

[awizardidit]

Well, I know that I'm supposed to be someone I'm definitely not, and the same goes for several others in this place.

And that Cupid has wings. [And that there's a Transformer, omg.]

That's pretty much it, actually.

[twitchery]

[The pen hesitates, causing a blob, before it writes out.]

Morgan? Wears a purple robe a lot, heir to Robin, wants to be tactician?

[Probably a different Morgan - it's a pretty common name - but he has to ask.]

[awizardidit]

Nope. Donald Morgan is a Warden of the White Council of Wizards. [And a big jerk too.] He's not an heir of anything, as far as I now.

[He thinks for a moment before adding.]

Sorry.

Was that someone you wanted to see?

[twitchery]

[He actually has to think about this.] Kind of? Morgan being stuck here would suck but it would be nice to have a friend around, I guess. I know it's a pretty common name but how many people get transported into a strange new world and are told to fulfill some role?

I'm Owain.

[awizardidit]

We do, I guess.

I don't know yours, but I definitely don't want the Morgan I know here.

Nice to meet you, Owain. Who are you supposed to be?

[sciencewhizard]

Going by Kid Flash around these parts, but I guess if you wanna go by these dumb books, I'm [ There's a pause before he writes in the last word and it shows up. ] Psyche. XP

So who's Bob?

[awizardidit]

[Psyche and Cupid make a lot more sense than Kid Flash. Although Harry already talked to a Transformer. He's starting to believe everything is possible in this place.]

The air spirit who lives in a skull in my basement.

[He probably shouldn't ask this, but he can't help himself.]

So, have you burned Cupid with hot oil yet?

[sciencewhizard]

[ Air Spirit. Uh-huh. He's so buying this one. ]

Yeah, sneaking up on "Cupid" here'd be impossible, even if I wanted to. The little munchkin's a ninja.

[ He may or may not take a second to reply to anything after this because of said munchkin possibly retaliating at him for that. ]

[awizardidit]

Ninja Cupid.

[That's amusing.]

Does he use shuriken instead of arrows?

[He's fine with waiting.]