"Oh, dear."
Pulling back from the eyepiece of the Dream Dirigible's mechanical telescope, Blarion Mercurial, better known as the Dreamfinder, pushed the pair of tiny reading glasses up onto his forehead, worriedly stroking his beard.
"Well, that certainly doesn't look good..."
The sound of the pneumatic door whooshing open interrupted his train of thought, and he turned just in time for his apprentice to wander in.
Kathleen Lancaster, or Katie, was a girl of about sixteen, who bore a remarkable resemblance to his great-many-times-removed niece, Capricious Harmony. Her choppy red-blonde hair was even wilder than normal, free from its scrunchie and colorful barrettes, and her green-gold hazel eyes were bleary and mildly unfocused. She was about 5'4, with a slim chest, wide hips and a frame built for running, jumping, climbing, and, judging by her slender but well-muscled arms and scraped knuckles, fighting.
"What--" she began, then yawned, rubbing her freckle-spattered face. "What's up, Hakase? You don't look happy... Weren't you really looking forward to showing me around this dope magic school campus?"
"Ah-- Katie," Dreamfinder replied, moving across the small bridge room. "I was, but-- well-- I'm sorry, I thought you were taking a nap...?"
The girl shrugged, crossing her arms behind her head and stepping forward as the door whooshed back into place.
"Yeah, I was," she replied. "But I woke up. We hadn't been moving for a while, and it's already dark, so I just kinda felt like I'd been asleep long enough, y'know? Oh-- Figgy's still conked out, though; I didn't really wanna wake him up too."
Wandering across the room, she glanced over at the telescope, then back at him. "Anyway-- whatcha looking at, Prof?"
Dreamfinder shook his head, brows knitting as he followed her. "I'm afraid you may have taken that nap for nothing, Katie. I was planning on introducing you to the Headmaster tonight and waiting until the morning for the actual tour, but... Well..."
Sighing, he took the glasses off the end of his nose, folding them and tucking them into the breast pocket of his waistcoat. "I think you'd better take a look for yourself."
Glancing at him suspiciously, she shrugged, pulling the eyepiece over to her and looking through it.
"Oh, wow..." Whistling, she shook her head, turning the viewfinder this way and that as she scanned the campus below. "Dang, what happened here? It doesn't look like this normally, does it?"
"I should certainly hope not," he replied, arms crossed over his chest. "Of course, the last time I was here was about... Oh, was it ten years ago? So of course I was expecting some changes, but..."
"But more like some new buildings or something, not so much of a... Bombed-out war zone?" She asked, pulling back and looking over her shoulder at him. "Yeah, that makes sense..."
She squinted back through the eyepiece. "Dude, there's all these windows shattered... Yo, what happened to-- is that a greenhouse?! Did a meteor fall through the roof or something? And-- WHOA! There's a whole wall missing on that building over there! And-- I think that field was on fire! It's still smoking!"
As she kept exclaiming, Dreamfinder walked over to the instrument panel at the front of the bridge. He flicked a few switches and buttons, then finally pull a small joystick. The sound of the Dirigible's engines shifted, growing quieter and smoother, and the cabin shook once, giving a loud, metallic chunk sound.
Katie looked around at him. "Huh? You putting 'er into anchoring? What's up?"
"I'm going to run a bit of surveillance," he replied, crouching down and fiddling with a trapdoor in the floor. "Something obviously happened down there, and people might need help--"
The door whooshed again, and he looked up to see Katie skidding across the breezeway into her room. Her own door, painted with colorful street art, opened, and she jumped in, grabbed something, and was back out in an instant.
"GREAT!" She shouted over the sound of the night wind, pulling on a battered black hoodie as she ran back into the bridge. "So what's the plan? Do we have one?
The Dreamfinder shifted, clearing his throat. "Katie--"
"I mean, whatever did this to a famous magic school HAD to be huge, right? Princes and stuff go there, so wouldn't security be really tight?" She grabbed a handful of hair on the right side of her head, twisting the scrunchie on her wrist around it and pulling it into a high half-ponytail. "So, what'dyou think it was? An assassination attempt? Some kinda political attack?"
"Katie," he tried again.
As she pulled a bunch of barrettes out of her pocket and started clipping them into her hair, the door whooshed open again, and Figment drifted lazily in.
"Hiya, you guys," he yawned, smacking his nonexistent lips. "Is something happenin'?"
"Fig!" Katie enthused, perking up. "Sorry, man, did I wake you up?"
Shrugging his little reptilian shoulders, the dragon stretched. As dragons went, he was a very small one, about the size of a cat. His scales were purple, while his claws, horns, the plates running down his spine, and his comically undersized wings were all a sunny orange.
"Nah-- that's okay, Katie," he replied in a high, slightly lispy voice, rubbing a bulbous yellow eye. "I was already starting to wake up when you left, and I wanted to see what you guys were doing..."
Shaking his head in a comical blur, he zipped in a figure-eight around the pair, all drowsiness suddenly replaced with bubbly excitability.
"SO! What IS goin' on in here, huh? Are we going to see the school? Hey-- remember the Magishift tournament on TV last year, where they had that exhibition match? There was a little guy there about my size-- and HE was playing! D'ya think they'd let ME try, too? Or at least hold the disk? I wanna hold the disk-- Do you think Mister Crowley would let me hold the disk? I promise to be extra careful with it so I don't hit anybody in the head like--"
"FIGMENT."
Stopping mid-ramble, the little creature froze in midair, he and Katie both giving him a shocked look. When he broke out that tone of voice, they knew he really meant business.
Straightening up from his crouch, the inventor rubbed his forehead for a second. "Figment," he repeated, in a significantly lower, calmer tone. "Katie."
Slinking guiltily through the air like a scolded dog, Figment draped himself over Katie's shoulders. The pair exchanged a look before fixing their eyes on their mentor.
"...I think you two should stay here and mind the Dirigible for me."
"Aw, WHAT?!" Katie exploded, flinging up her hands. "No FAIR, Hakase! We come ALL this way and just when things start looking REALLY interesting--"
Something odd happened as she ranted.
There was a crackle of energy, like concentrated static electricity, and her hair started to move. A purple light, the same lavender color as Figment's scales, started glowing faintly through the coppery strands, and a weak, pulsating corona outlined her body, like a barely-visible rainbow.
Making a yelping sound, Figment jumped up off her shoulders like they were a hot stove. "Hey, CAREFUL, Katie!" He squeaked indignantly. "Take it easy with the Unique Magic when you're holding ME, okay?!"
"Oops--" Looking down at herself, the girl grimaced. "Sorry, Figment..."
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, forcing herself to relax. Her asymmetrically cut hair, longer on the left side than the right, fell back into place, the sudden lilac glow and prismatic halo vanishing.
Looking up, she caught Dreamfinder's eye.
"Aw, come ONNNNNN," she whined, planting her fists on her hips. "Don't look at me like that-- that didn't count; that's no fair! I just woke up!"
Dreamfinder crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow while Figment settled on his shoulder, like the reptilian parrot of a steampunk swashbuckler. "Yes, I know- which is why I think you should stay here... At least for the time being. Night Raven College-- not just the school, but the entirety of the Island of Sages- is a zone of highly concentrated, highly charged natural magical energy. Magic is just another name for mesmonic energy, and mesmonic energy--"
"--Is the power to make thoughts and ideas into reality, I knowwww," the girl interrupted, in the tones of an exasperated child forced to sit through an educational story. "Not just the good ones, but the bad and intrusive ones, too-- AND feelings and emotions, bla bla blah. I get it, okay??"
"Exactly," he agreed. "And your Unique Magic isn't just unique in name-- your magical energy signature is unlike anything I've ever seen. It has amazing potential..."
"...'But potential isn't inherently positive'," she sighed again. "Okay, okay, I get it... I mean, you're probably right, as always, Hakase-- I- I mean... Wouldn't wanna blow up the school any more than it already is, right? Actually, I... I was kinda surprised by that just now, too. If you think I should stay up here..."
"It's only for right now," the Dreamfinder promised, walking over and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Believe me, I don't like this any more than you do, but these unforeseen circumstances seem set to delay our plans for a little while longer."
Katie gave a wry smile. "You're saying that like it's a surprise," she grinned. "I mean, when has something NOT happened to our plans? You keep acting like you don't want me to get into trouble, but I think I've gotten into way more trouble with you guys than I could've ever found on my own."
Figment burst into laughter, keeling over backwards off Dreamfinder's shoulder. "HA!" He shrieked, hovering in the air and kicking his legs. "Good one, Katie!"
She shrugged, putting her hands behind her head and smirking smugly. "Hey, it's not a lie, is it? I mean, Nige says the same thing, and he always says no when we ask him if he wants to come, so he's never even been with us to see what it's actually like when we inevitably get mixed up in something..."
Shaking his head ruefully, Dreamfinder smiled at her. "You know, he HAS asked you in the past-- many times, in fact-- to stop calling him 'Nige', but your note has been- well... Noted. And as for YOU--"
Turning, he pounced on Figment, pulling him into the crook of his arm and tickling his belly. Figment erupted into another explosion of laughter, squirming like an excited puppy. "--I'm leaving YOU here to make sure that SHE doesn't get any ideas and try to follow me, okay?"
Catching Katie's eye, he winked, and she stuck her tongue out at him, blowing a silent raspberry.
Slipping out of his hands like a fish, Figment shot up into the air, snapping to attention and giving a smart salute. "You can count on me, D.F.!" He proclaimed, chest swelling fit to burst. "She won't be going anywhere on MY watch!"
The Dreamfinder laughed, leaning his head back. "I know I can, Figment," he chuckled.
He hurried over to the coat hook on the wall, retrieving his navy blue greatcoat. Swinging it over his shoulders, he pulled the sleeves on over his arms.
"I won't be long," he promised, grabbing the black top hat and circular goggles off the hooks next to it. "At least-- probably not. If I am-- you two, don't stay up too late, alright? I know you just woke up, but--"
"Alright, alright, we GET it," Katie interrupted, rolling her eyes hugely with her hands on her hips. "No parties, do our homework, brush our teeth-- sure you don't wanna hire a babysitter just in case, Prof?"
"Very funny," he said flatly, giving her a stern look.
Figment buzzed over his head, hovering next to Katie. He started staring at her intently, snout only inches away from her cheek.
Shaking his head, the inventor smiled again. Pulling the goggles around his neck, he crouched back down in front of the trapdoor, tucking the hat under his arm. With the other hand, he cranked the handle of the trapdoor, tossing it open and sliding his legs in.
"Alright-- stay safe, you two," he warned one last time, placing the hat on his head.
Rolling her eyes, Katie put a hand on Figment's face. "Roger that, captain!" She grinned, shoving him playfully aside. "We'll be sure to keep everything shipshape and-- uh..."
"Shape-shipped!" Figment piped up, zooming around her and landing on her head as he whipped off another salute.
Dreamfinder gave them another stern look. Then his face broke into a smile.
"I'm counting on you two," he said, doffing his hat. Then he ducked out of sight, pulling the trapdoor closed behind him.
The latch clicked back into place, and Katie and Figment stood, watching the door.
About a minute later, they heard the clanking of metal and the single loud foghorn-like blare of the hangar door alert. Then came the distinctive chugging, squarp-squarp noise of what Katie had christened the Dream Machine 1.0.
The hangar doors on the belly of the cabin creaked loudly. With a final chuff of steam and clanking of chains, the Dirigible shook slightly as the Dream Machine 1.0 departed.
After a moment, Figment leaned over Katie's head, hanging upside-down and peering into her face. "Hey-- what'd he mean by 'two of us'? Am I in charge, or are you?"
The girl gave a snort, reaching up and lifting him off her head. "I think he pulled a fast one on us," she said. "See, he's probably figured out that if he leaves ONE of us in charge it doesn't work. But, if we're watching each other at the same time, the power'll go to BOTH our heads and we won't wanna let each other out of our sights."
"Ohhhh," the little dragon said, nodding his head. "I see... Man, Dreamfinder's REALLY smart, huh?"
"Wh-- HAHAHA!" Katie laughed, tossing him up lightly into the air. His wings started beating, zipping around her as she put her hands behind her head and strolled backwards. "THAT'S what you take from this? You're an optimist to the last, huh, Figgy?"
"Sure am!" He chirped, whirring through the air. "That's my job, remember?"
She grinned. "Noooo... YOUR job is being--"
Snatching him out of the air, she started tickling him just like the Dreamfinder had earlier. "RIDICULOUSLY cute!"
"Ah-- AHAHAHAHAHA! K-Katie, STOP!"
Giggling, he squirmed out of her arms, hovering back into the air. "I can have more than one job!" He added proudly, preening his horns. "I'm a dragon of many talents! And besides-- Dreamfinder IS really, really, REALLY smart, right?"
"Ya got that right," she agreed, leaning on the wall.
She chewed her bottom lip for a second, thinking. Then she snapped her fingers. With a brief burst of rainbow light, something dropped into her hand... A white-handled paintbrush, with a multicolored chunk of crystal embedded in the handle.
"So," she grinned. "You wanna go up into the rigging and do some tagging on the balloon?"
"Really?" Figment asked eagerly. "You don't wanna go back to sleep? It IS pretty late..."
Katie shrugged. "Nah-- I'm too pumped up to sleep now, anyway. Besides-- it's not a big deal, right? Hakase won't even get mad or anything as long as we don't spray anything important. And it'll all get washed off in the next rainstorm we get caught in, anyway."
She tossed the paintbrush up, then caught it again, grinning. "Well? You in or not?"
"Ooh-- OOH!" Figment pumped his fists excitedly, practically vibrating in midair. "Of COURSE I am-- lemme go get your spray paints!"
He zipped back towards the door, which whooshed open once more as he approached. Then he was out, dashing through the breezeway towards Katie's room.
Laughing, she ducked out the door before it could close, following him back out into the night.
Pacing in one of the open-air stone corridors surrounding the courtyard, Jack Howl growled, low and uneasy in his throat.
Even though Ruggie-senpai had said to try and get some rest, he just couldn't...!
Almost all the dorm leaders were gone, the school was in chaos, and on top of that...
The memory of Yuu's dejected, scratched face swam it's way back into his mind.
With a snarl, he shook his head rapidly, forcing it out like he was shaking water out of his hair. Unfortunately, it was followed by the images of Ace and Deuce, lying still and pale as death in the infirmary. Then it was Epel, shaking with anger like a pup whose body was still too small to contain all its emotions. Then Ruggie-senpai, his trademark grin unable to fully conceal the exhausted worry in his eyes...
An unfamiliar smell, accompanied by a strange sound, drifted through the evening breeze, interrupting his spiral of enraged panic.
It was a very odd smell-- mechanical, a bit like the smell of a car or a Magical Wheel, but somehow... Aged? Or maybe antique would be a better word?- With notes of machine oil, copper and, for some reason, something sticky-sweet and ephemeral, like cotton candy. The noise was equally as odd, like the whirring of a propeller, the squeak of bicycle pedals and the chuff of steam, constantly accompanied by a sound that he could only really describe as squarp-squarp.
Ears pricking, he whipped his head around.
There!
Silhouetted against the night sky, even complete with a small searchlight, was some kind of... craft, drifting deliberately down towards the courtyard.
With another growl, Jack darted towards the vehicle's landing point, pulling his magical pen out of his breast pocket. Unfortunately, the vehicle was faster than he thought-- by the time he reached it, it had already alighted on the ground. Dismounting, the pilot pulled a pair of old-fashioned circular goggles up off his eyes and back around the base of his top hat.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Jack barked, skidding to a halt with his pen aimed at the stranger. "Whaddya think you're doing?! This ain't public property, you know!"
The pilot jumped, looking up at Jack in surprise. "Oh! Why, hello there-- do excuse me."
Removing his hat, he held it against his chest. "You must be a student here-- let me see.. Ah! Savanaclaw, isn't it?"
Striding up to him, the man offered Jack a large gloved hand, beaming.
He was a little shorter than the headmaster and looked to be a bit older than Crewel, but still younger than Trein.. Somewhere in his thirties? He had a squarish face, the kind that seemed friendly, trustworthy and ever-so-slightly rugged. His eyebrows were thick and prominent, his coppery hair was just barely overgrown, and he had a fairly impressive moustache and a short, scruffy beard to match.
Nonplussed, Jack took a step back, looking from the proffered hand back to the smiling face. This-- wasn't how he'd expected this to go... The man didn't seem afraid or guilty, and while there was a possibility that he was simply acting, there wasn't the faintest whiff of uneasiness on him.
"I am the Dreamfinder-- how do you do?"
Jack hesitated for a moment, then, cautiously, accepted the hand. Beaming, the man gripped back, giving him a warm, firm handshake that Jack couldn't help but appreciate.
"Uh... Jack Howl," he muttered back. His tail gave a single treacherous wag, and he forced it to stop-- don't do that! He might be an enemy, trying to get him to drop his guard and strike! "I'm sorry, but-- the Dreamfinder? I think I've heard that somewhere..."
"You probably have," the man laughed, putting his hat back on. "I have made a bit of a name for myself here over the years... I pop up now and then in the history books."
He let go of Jack's hand and stepped back, thinking. Then he perked up.
"Ah, yes-- how could I have forgotten? I WAS the subject of a series of children's books... More accurately, I recounted some of my experiences to a young author, who then went on to transcribe those stories into a series of books. I've been told that they're still quite influential, even these days?"
Jack frowned, ears swiveling. "Children's...? OH!" His eyes widened. "Y-You mean those books about the guy with the dragon?"
"The very same!" Dreamfinder laughed, putting his hands on his hips. "I think the style of the watercolor illustrations really capture the charm of my draconic companion. Marvelous work, wouldn't you agree?"
Jack stepped back as well, rubbing the side of his head and looking him up and down. "I haven't read those books in a few years, but... Sorry, you're a little... Younger? Than I remember your drawings lookin'?"
And taller, his thoughts added. And... A little less round.
The illustrations in the books were all of a round-bodied, gnomish figure, complete with blushing cheeks and nose and curled, red hair, beard and moustache.
It wasn't that the man before him was stick-thin or anything... It was difficult to tell, since he was wearing a long greatcoat, but he seemed to be a little stocky, in the muscular, well-rounded way of a mechanic or other worksman. His hair, beard and moustache were still red, but more scruffy than curly.
The books portrayed him as wearing a navy blue suit and tails, but...
His coat and pants were still dark blue, but the coat, as mentioned before, was a long greatcoat. It was sturdy, well-taken care of but visibly lived-in, as were the rest of his clothes: Slightly darker blue pants, sturdy short boots completely devoid of spats, and an ascot tied in a loose, floppy bow.
"Ah, yes..." The so-called Dreamfinder nodded, giving an embarrassed cough. "Yes, the artist did take a bit of creative license there. I believe she said a venerable, grandfatherly figure would appeal to children a bit more... I don't mind, of course, they're lovely illustrations!"
"Uh... R-Right," Jack agreed, nodding again. "Okay..."
Was this man really the Dreamfinder? It was odd to just have a person walk up to you and declare they were a character from a beloved children's book series.
"Well, um-- wh-what're you doing here, Mr. Dreamfinder?" If that is your real name, his thoughts added suspiciously.
The self-proclaimed Dreamfinder looked around, putting his hands on his hips. "Ah, yes-- well, I was coming to pay a visit to my old friend the Headmaster, but I couldn't help but notice that the campus is in a bit of... Disarray?"
He gave Jack a concerned look. "If I may ask, what happened here?"
Jack stepped back, rubbing the side of his head again with a quiet, uneasy growl. "Uh-- that's kinda... Hard to say... I mean, I'm still not sure myself, but the school was... Attacked?"
"Attacked?" Dreamfinder repeated, the concern rapidly growing in his voice and on his face. "By whom? Or what?"
"I dunno," Jack admitted, scowling. "They kinda looked like robots, or people in armor or somethin'... They busted in here like nobody's business, smashed up the place an' then just-- flew off with the dorm leaders...!"
"The dorm leaders? You mean the housewardens, correct? Oh, dear..." The Dreamfinder took another step back, one hand stroking his beard worriedly.
"Oh-- not all of 'em," Jack interjected, shaking his head. "I mean, Asim-senpai's still here... He's the head of Scarabia. Viper-senpai got taken instead of him... A-And Draconia-senpai's fine, too. He didn't even know what was going on until afterwards, according to Silver... Oh, Draconia-senpai's head of Diasomnia."
"Draconia?" The Dreamfinder mused, cupping his chin. "Oh, yes, I see... Hmm. Well, nevertheless, even one student being taken would be cause for concern, let alone six... Hmm. Tell me, is l the Headmaster's office still in the eastward tower, above the courtyard? I'd like to go and speak to him about this..."
"Uh..." Jack grimaced, hand on the side of his head again. "That might be a little difficult... Um... 'Cause, apparently, he got taken, too."
"He did?" The man repeated, looking even more concerned. "Oh, dear... I-In any case, I would still like to speak with whoever remains in charge for the time being... Would you be so good as to escort me to whoever that is, young man?"
Jack shifted uncomfortably.
"Uh..."
He still wasn't 100% sure about the validity of this so-called 'Dreamfinder'. Everything about the situation said it was suspicious, but... Damn his canine instincts! Even though he was a wolf beastman, not a dog, he still couldn't help but respond positively to a friendly tone of voice and approachable disposition.
"...I guess," he muttered after a second. Well, if nothing else, this would be a chance to keep an eye on him while he was here... "Trein-sensei's probably still in the Headmaster's office, anyway, so..."
"Wonderful!" Dreamfinder beamed, clapping his hands. "Give me a moment to secure my vehicle, alright?"
Jack nodded. "Okay..."
He stood there awkwardly.
The man hurried back to his craft, doing something to the tangle of levers and tubes around the elevated driver's seat.
There was a corrugated tube running from the front of the vehicle to the back, along the bottom. With a loud chunk and a hydraulic hiss, it collapsed slightly. The oarlike things on the sides rose up a bit, letting the tangle of tubes that made up the body settle more securely onto the ground.
The Dreamfinder turned, brushing his hands together and walking back to Jack. "Alright then! Lead the way, young man!"
"Right," Jack nodded. "Okay, Mr. Dreamfinder..."
With that, he started walking, the man keeping stride with him as they entered the castle and started up towards the office.
Author's Notes:
I love my eccentric steampunk dad and Imagine Dragons baby brother. No thoughts, only Journey Into Imagination, TWST and gay magical-girl OC brainrot.
On to the actual notes:
-I watched chapter 6 (uploaded by gasmask on YT), and while I liked that, don't expect this to be a rewrite of that plus a few new characters. I started thinking about this before the last half of chapter 6 was even released. Some additional events/exposition, and after Ortho goes AWOL it's pretty much full canon divergence.
-Idk how much the average student knows about the current situation RE: no more Headmaster, lol. Did it say? I can't remember.
-I'll flip-flop between the Japanese and English terms (Katie calling DF 'professor' 'hakase', Floyd isn't in this but I'd probably switch between 'shrimpy/koebi-chan'/etc. on a case-by-case basis).
-Valley of Thorns, Island of Lamentation, and Unique Magic are objectively cooler and if you disagree you're wrong.
-The worst swears that are gonna be in this are probably just the 'hell' and 'damn' words. Possibly the 'ass' word too. I'm not entirely sure why. It just... Feels right for this one.
-The Dream Dirigible's basically just a bigger version of the Dream Machine/Dreamcatcher/etc. that you can live in. I don't know how it works. I don't have to. It's magic and imagination-science.
-Katie is not a TWST or Figment gang-specific OC. She's actually a multiverse OC (her existing in multiple realities with slightly different variations but still being fairly consistent is part of her lore). I just got really attached to this version of her. Her resemblance to Capri Cater was accidental; she's been pretty much like this for longer than TW has even been out way before I read the comics. If I keep going I'm gonna have a lot of fun with her and Cater tho.
-This takes place the same night as the STYX attack, after MC and the Pomefiore squad run off and about 1/2 an hour after Malleus and Lilia have that c o n c e r n i n g conversation at Ramshackle.
-This is also set after Figment 2, but not immediately after.
-In this... timeline, D.F. and Figment had about three-ish years of Doctor Who-style adventures between Figment 1 and 2. (I don't care what the comics say, there's no way he went straight from the end of the first volume to the beginning of the second. He had to have some independent character development/shenanigans between that.)
-He found Twisted Wonderland during that time and got really into researching magic. He didn't stay there the whole time, he kept exploring the Realms, but kept going back to TW a lot. He didn't actually get the timing right and skipped about 10 TW years every time.
-He was actually really pivotal to furthering the understanding of magic how to use it, so he's pretty famous in TW.
-After Figment 2 happened, DF figured out how to avoid the timeskip problems when going back to earth. After about a year of adventures, he found Katie, after a few months of shenanigans and a near-death experience, took her to the Institute to recover, then took her on as his 'apprentice' after about 6 months.
-The comics don't give Capri an age, but I decided she was about 10, Katie is about a year older than her. DF found Katie when she was 12, and it's been 4 years, so Capri is about 15 now.
-After picking up Katie, DF figured out how to stop the time disparities when going back and forth from TW because he didn't want her to go through the same thing he Fig did. They spend about 1/3 of their time in TW, 1/3 on earth doing stuff at the Academy and Institute, and the last 1/3 is just vibing/exploring the Realms.
-The Institute of Imagination is a thing. Doc Channing is there. How does that work? Idk!
-I'm going by the comics lore/timeline/appearance, but I'm realizing that D.F.'s personality is coming out a lot more like his ride version. Honestly, I kinda like it.
-I also gave him kind of a makeover. I was dicking around trying to figure out how I wanted to draw him and ended up settling on sort of a Treasure Planet/Arcane Piltover/steampunk badass vibe, large coat and all. I like it.
-I also changed his body type a little bit from the comics. Made him a little shorter and gave him a semi-bara dad build.
-DF 100% knows the truth about the Great Seven. This is a very Kingdom Hearts-esque multiverse setup (not that I know much about KH but I read the first volume of the manga some kid brought to middle school). I did read Kilala Princess though, so I'll use that as an example since it's a similar concept.
-Is Katie kind of Mary Sue-y? Probably! I still like her a lot though.
