thatapothecarymochi

••••

Leona

- has Cheka's birthday party circled on his calendar each year

- I've wrote this in another post but-leona stubs his big toe multiple times

Ruggie

- has gotten paid in chocolate coins before and spent 3 minutes contemplating whether to be mad or eat it

Jack

- when he goes home for the winter holidays, he cooks for his siblings (they love his Yorkshire pudding)

••••

Azul

- has sold flowers he picked up from the side of the road for an expensive amount

Jade

- watches cartoons in the mornings with his breakfast

Floyd

- would, could and have eaten every single non edible item

- gets really bad stomach bugs in Spring

••••

Kalim

- he's banned from trampoline parks

- whenever he has a study session with Riddle and Azul, he comes back acting like he hasn't eaten in three days

Jamil

- has caught himself screaming at what he thought was a bug on his arm but was actually his hair

- refuses on his soul to tell Najma what happened over school in summer (he accidentally got drugged by Kalim and somehow ended up as a magician for the dorm)

- 2nd biggest eater in the whole school

••••

Vil

- hates romcoms and finds them incredibly cringey and not worth it

Rook

- is pretty bad at fishing but incredibly good at catching fish with his BARE hands

- sometimes when he sees two people talking, he makes funny scenarios of them and mimics their voices and everything

Epel

- loves romcoms and he imagines he's the male lead that protects the girl

••••

Idia

- knows every english cartoon intro song

Ortho

- has threatened all teachers at some point but gets into meowing fits with Lucius

••••

Malleus

- has eaten and survived Lilia's cooking before and is Lilia's go-to taste tester

- Knows how a computer works but not a phone

Lilia

- eats bagels whole (no bites-)

Silver

- cannot sleep on special occasions (birthday, Halloween etc.)

- waves his white flag whenever he comes in contact with jellybeans

- joins Cater in frog searching

Sebek

- his mood is quite like lightning (you know it's coming but it's still loud, quick to move and scares you)

••••

The world around you began to blur, fade, and spin all at once. A creeping darkness slowly encroached upon your vision from the periphery— and the accumulation of blot taking place only got worse.

Grim, having jwust caught up with you, tilted his head in concern as he approached.

“Henchman! Geez, what's gotten you in such a hurry? That was probably one of the only moments I struggled to keep up with—”

You cough up blot.

“—you...”

As a magicless human hailing from an alternate realm— vastly different from the one in which you now reside— your body remained unacquainted with the systems of this present world. Despite the absence of magic, blot had managed to coalesce, born not from use of magic (as you do not bear any..), but solely from the tumultuous depths of your intense emotions.

You tried to hide it— you really did. Every time you felt the blot emerging from you, you went to excuse yourself and vomit it out. And somehow, someway, you were able to veil it— but dear god, did it hurt.

“Henchman?! What in the world?! Is that... Blot? How— Urgh, whatever— just hang in there!”

Grim— startled by the sheer abruptness and severity of the situation— struggled to proceed. After all, he couldn't even wrap his head around what was happening right now. Moreover, you never struck him as someone who'd overblot! Atleast, if you were to overlook the multiple instances in which he saw you give him that occasional empty look in their eyes. Like that one time, where you and him were about to go to bed—

-

“You and I really are different, aren't we, Grim?” You muttered, curling up and burrowing your facing in your arms.

“Heh, naturally! Not a soul can come on par with the great and illustrious—”

“That's not what I mean. You, on one hand, have everything.” You interrupted, subtly adjusting your position to face Grim.

“Whut?? You're spouting nonsense, Henchman.” Grim replied, turning to face you— only to be met by the piercing chill of your empty, cold eyes flaying him alive.

“I, on the other hand, have nothing.”

-

Ah. Well, that slipped his mind, he supposes. Not to mention, there were those rare moments when Grim caught you lost in your thoughts, mumbling to yourself with a voice that was nearly incoherent— but just enough to discern a few words. In those fleeting instances, there was what seemed to be tears that glistened on your cheek, a poignant testament to the turmoil that had been brewing within.

-

Grim cautiously peered through the slightly ajar door, his gaze falling upon a prefect huddled on the floor, their body curled in a protective embrace as they sought solace from whatever pained them.

The air was thick with the sound of Yuu's quiet murmurs, their words barely breaking the silence, yet Grim managed to discern three poignant utterances: "Mother," "home," and what appeared to be the name of someone dear to them.

-

After a few seconds of idle, he abruptly snapped out of his trance, his voice rising urgency— demanding someone to come and help; all while staying in your vicinity.

However, you couldn't grasp any of it.

No, it was far too late. Those brief, few seconds were all the blot needed to envelope you, plunging you into an unfathomable abyss. The weight of the void pressed down, slowly consuming every fragment of your being. Sevens, it was simultaneously drowning you and burning you alive. Need I say more?

Your body was considered a foreign object in this world— you were an outsider, an intruder, an anomaly. Your anomalous body was undergoing something that it wasn't made to adapt to. Thus, you can bet it hurt like hell.

The first to get there was Ace and Deuce— arriving to the scene just as the blot engulfed you— followed by Riddle, Trey, and Cater.

“Huh??? What in the shit's going on?!” Ace muttered under his breath, adrenaline spiking.

“Yuu!” Deuce lunged forward, fully intent on reaching you. However, he was swiftly intercepted by Riddle.

“Deuce, you musn't! It is far too dangerous!” Riddle articulated, his tone a blend of urgency and restraint. He visibly held himself back aswell, torn between the instinct to rush to your side just as Deuce attempted, and the necessity of caution.

Trey and Cater exchanged glances, conveying a shared understanding of the urgency of the situation. After a brief moment, they both nodded in agreement.

“I'll call for help.” Cater declared, his voice steady and resolute.

It didn't take long for everyone to gather.

Epel panted heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to catch his breath after the frantic dash to Ramshackle.

“Wh—What's happened to the prefect?!” he exclaimed, his voice laced with a mix of panic and concern.

Your figure, draped and fully shrouded in blot, rested upon the stone pavement before Ramshackle.

“That black stuff...” Kalim muttered, trying to keep his hands from trembling. “That's— That's gotta be blot, right...?”

“Yuu's... Overblotting?! How's that even possible??!” Ace bellowed, throwing his hands up. “Yuu doesn't have magic— heck, they aren't even from this world, how in the world did their body even generate—”

The abrupt silence was shattered by a pained screech that erupted from your figure, a sound that resonated with raw anguish as someone— no, something— began to emerge from your very being, though it was still too cloaked in blot to discern.

“Child of man...” Malleus murmured, his voice barely above a whisper, directed at no one in particular yet heavy with significance.

“That spudling...” Vil sighed deeply, as if a cloud of exasperation hung over him like a storm waiting to break. Yet, beneath the surface of his frustration, he was acutely aware that you bore no responsibility for the turmoil.

The others instinctively gripped their magic pens, their hearts pounding with trepidation. Though their intentions were far from hostile towards you, they understood the necessity of defense; should you attack, they would be compelled to protect themselves.

The dark blot surrounding you began to amalgamate, twisting and writhing as it formed into jagged, sharp spikes that glinted ominously in the light.

“Wuh-oh, here comes Shrimpy... scary version.” Floyd jested, adjusting his grip on his magic pen.(though he thinks he could snap you out of it solely from squeezing it out of you..)

“Fufufu, I find it rather inappropriate to indulge in humor at this moment, Floyd,” Jade remarked with a serene composure, meticulously adjusting his gloves with deliberate care.

Your overblot form was fully unveiled now. It consisted of you surrounded by blot, hung suspended by the neck in the heart of the abyss around you, draped in the suffocating embrace of the substance.

Everyone went silent then.

As your head lulled upward, your gaze finally meeting the eyes of the crowd, the collective instinct of the mass surged. They readied their magic pens once more, until—

Pierce.

There was the wet, tearing noise of flesh being unzipped, followed by the muffled thud of the thorns burying themselves deep into the muscle and bone of none other than the prefect themselves. At that moment, chaos ensued.

Everybody lost their composure.

Some screamed. Some internally panicked but remained still. Some immediately bursted into tears. Some sprinted to action.

But through the cacophony of tearing tissue and the heavy, rhythmic splashing of blood, a sound emerged that was far more haunting than the gore: your voice. It was a broken, airy thing, barely more than a rasping breath that seemed to vibrate from the very core of your being. You did not scream in terror; instead, you mumbled with a terrifying, hollow desperation.

“kill me.”

“i want to go home.”

“i want...

to be free

.”

When choosing the class and race, I primarily thought about what the characters themselves would choose, so some of them look quite different from their real selves.

The outfits were chosen in the same way. Of course, I tried to incorporate references, and I hope I succeeded, but mostly it's how the first years see their characters.

When I was thinking about how Ace would play, I was torn between a bard and a rogue. I mean, the Vicious mockery is something in his DNA. But I think he's the kind of person whose character is built on pathos. A lone wolf. A dark-cloaked figure in the corner of the tavern. So a Roque it is. He would have chosen a tiefling for similar reasons—a dark backstory, hatred of humans. It's just a shame this image doesn't last longer than the moment he opens his mouth.

I didn't have this problem with Deuce - one look is enough to understand that he is the ideal paladin. He himself really likes this class because it allows him to play the hero in any situation, something he is often proud of. It might seem like he'll be a kind of babysitter for the group, but in reality, he's just as capable of getting into a fight as anyone. His shield more often ends up hitting someone in the teeth than serving its intended purpose.

I didn't even have any doubts; I knew right away that Epel would choose. The biggest, the strongest, the most powerful - of course he would be an Orc-Barbarian. I was thinking about changing his hairstyle, but i suppose he likes it in general, he just wants to be more muscular. Moreover, it gives him the opportunity to finally speak comfortably with an accent—he simply gave his character one. The most understandable language is the language of violence and fists.

I knew Grim would choose a mage as a class, but I had to think longer about the race. In my opinion he would have appreciated the Dwarves' love of shiny things and a good meal, it's literally his philosophy of life. When I think of him and mages, it's obvious to me that his character is exactly how he imagines them - bearded, old, in long robes and triangular hats. Besides, he plays the character with all his heart, which is really important. If he didn't also launch fireballs at everything movable and immovable, he would be perfect player.

Jack was difficult, I admit. The monks were a pretty obvious choice; I think he would have liked their philosophy and approach to combat. But his approach to acting was questionable. He's a pretty serious guy, so I think he's terrible at roleplaying. Absolutely terrible. He'd also often ask logical questions, which could ruin some scenes. But overall, I think he would enjoy the game, he just needs time to relax and get used to it.

Initially, I wanted to make Ortho Warforged—I mean, it was the obvious choice. But I think this game would be an opportunity for him to try himself in a new role, so I went the other way. Druid, gnome - maximum connection with nature. Besides, in my opinion, he would be the one who would help with the creation of figurines and miniatures. I mean, he's a huge box cutter in that regard. Oh, and of course his companion is Cerberus.

It's oblivious to me that Sebek wouldn't have even had a second thought once he found out that you can be a dragon in this game. I think he would have made a good paladin, but he refuses to follow anyone but his liege, so he is a knight. I mentioned it, but he takes the game too seriously - but he is a great advisor on many lore and atmosphere issues, so everything is fine. I just wish he'd be more toned down when it came to them.

Pierre (my Yuusona, who didn't appear in the post) would obviously be the GM. I mean, she's the one who gathered them all here. Even in everyday life she acts like some kind of voiceover, but this game turns it up to the max. But that's precisely why the game with her is so well-presented, even though she is completely neutral toward both NPCs and players. Only the consequences of their actions, no divine retribution. And also the rule of coolness.

Overall, I would say that they have a pretty good party in terms of balance, but they clearly lack mutual understanding.

I had a lot of fun doing this! I plan to make the rest of the students later.

OG by @ bedpup on twt