Hello, gang. Thought I'd give a life update since I've been absent for a long while.
Halfway through November I actually managed to land a job again after a year of unemployment. I'm back to being a cashier, but any money is better than none so I won't complain.
Also I've been on a Transformers spiral/rabbit hole since August and have yet to get out of it. Unfortunately, I can't draw mechs so just take my word for it.
I'm half-drunk after chugging some Four Loko
I haven't drawn Reina in a long time, I miss HPHM, haven't caught up to everything I kinda-sorta promised so I'll get to it as some point.
My only resolution is to not announce anything cuz when I do, NOTHING GETS DONE
Fun HPHM detail I never got around to revealing until now:
Ben and Reina are huge Transformers fans. Since Reina uses her Mirror to broadcast TV shows, she and Ben bonded over stuff like comics and the Transformers cartoons. As 80s kids they would've seen the G1 episodes and bond over that. I've had this idea in my head for YEARS, like since lockdown...
Adding further to this fun lil detail, Reina compares Merula to Starscream, which becomes a recurring joke for her, Ben and all other Muggleborns familiar with Transformers.
Fun HPHM detail I never got around to revealing until now:
Ben and Reina are huge Transformers fans. Since Reina uses her Mirror to broadcast TV shows, she and Ben bonded over stuff like comics and the Transformers cartoons. As 80s kids they would've seen the G1 episodes and bond over that. I've had this idea in my head for YEARS, like since lockdown...
Fun fact: This is where I've been since my absence. I'm not a figurines person but I've heard the Blokeez series are easy to get into. My first figure was a character I never expected to latch onto. So glad I got him.
Hey Avi, I was wondering if Magicality's story will be on Tumblr or somewhere else. I'm asking so I can keep an eye out for it because sometimes I see people don't specify where it'll be uploaded, and you know how it is.
Yeah it'll be here! Although I haven't been active in a while, Tumblr will remain my main place for posting work first before anywhere else. It will also have its own tag so it'll be easier to find.
Hi, it's been a long time, and I had a question about the new story, specifically Magicality. I was wondering what the lore or context of this new story is, as I'm interested in learning more.
Oh sure!
For the basic rundown, Magicality is based on the world I created for another story years back. I decided to make it Reina's origins after I stopped caring about HP canon, however thanks to my habit of yapping and not showing, I didn't have much to show for it.
The world, an alternate version of our Earth, is divided into three factions: the Archaics, the Vytarians, and the Terrans. It's set in the 1980s but skips throughout multiple time periods. For the time being, the story will wrap up in 2028.
The overall lore focuses on Reina and her friends, based on most of the HPHM characters, going through average school life while dealing with an unexpected threat going by the name of Paragon.
Incoming wall of text!
The Archaics: The practitioners of Old Magic. They're based on the flaws of the magic system in the Harry Potter universe. Humans are at the top of the hierarchy, and they use magic that can only be channeled through a wand, so no wand equals no magic. They believe their ways are superior to those of everyone else, despite being technologically stagnant (still using quills and unaware of TVs or phones as of the mid-1980s). Archaics look down on Vytarians, believing their Magic is wasted at best or chaotic and unreliable at worst. Archaics are hidden in plain sight.
Within their society, there are the Purists, who live by the core beliefs that only pureblood Mages deserve to rule the world. They believe in the subjugation of anyone they deem beneath them. Thanks to their influence, non-human beings such as Werewolves and Goblins are treated as second-class citizens, so most of them leave Archaic territory for justified reasons.
The Vytarians: Practitioners of Vytarian Magic, a type of power that existed when a Korvati named Vytaris mastered and broke the rules of Old Magic to create this current system. Vytarian Magic is fueled by one's Soul, allowing it to be learned by anyone regardless of heritage. Although they don't care for the ways of the Archaics, they remain respectful and leave their doors open for those who wish for a new lease on life (with limits).
Wands are mainly used by beginners, and access to higher levels of magic requires forming contracts with Divinates, higher beings worshipped as deities in ancient human societies.
Vytarians also have access to alternate dimensions through the use of portals, so hiding is a lot easier for them. They have numerous communities scattered across the world. The story follows one of the larger communities located in Crystal Beach (Playa de Cristal), a fictional location in the Dominican Republic.
The Terrans: The regular Human world, having the largest population of the factions. The vast majority remain unaware of the existence of Magic as a whole, believing it to be nothing more than childhood fairytales. A small percentage of the population is born with innate Magic regardless of their ancestry. They're known as Espers.
The Espers: Humans born with the ability to use Magic despite having little to no magical heritage (equivalent of Muggleborns). While the powers usually trigger during early childhood, they can also activate later in life in rare cases. They're required to attend the proper Magic schools to get their powers under control.
Since they're subjected to discrimination from Archaics, especially Purists, who view them as abominations, Espers often transfer to Vytarian territory since they have the freedom to choose who and what they wish to be without fear of persecution.
I could add more, but the post is long enough as it is, even at its most basic summary. So that's the gist of it.
Reina and Merula, but their personalities swapped. They're still the same at their core, but express themselves differently.
Reina's still the mom friend, but is aggressive and blunt about it. Loudly tells you to lock in and demands that you be kinder to yourself. Eager to find her brother so she can beat his ass for not reaching out for help before he went missing.
Merula still thinks she's the superior Witch and retains her blood supremacy beliefs, but expresses them in such a patient yet subtle way with a playful kindness that sends a chill down your spine.
Being a Transformers fan since childhood is so funny to me because for every character and concept that I remember, there are dozens I've never heard of.
And as an artist, I've yet to draw any of them except an oc from a few years ago.
I have a few posts left regarding my old HPHM au. They include:
Peregrine's story
Duncan's story
Olivia's story
The final draft for Year 5
I know I said I'd end it by this June, but with life getting in the way I haven't done that yet. On the other hand, I turned most of the crew into regular OCs and the setting will be entirely new. This new story and setting is going by the title of Magicality.
I have a few posts left regarding my old HPHM au. They include:
Peregrine's story
Duncan's story
Olivia's story
The final draft for Year 5
I know I said I'd end it by this June, but with life getting in the way I haven't done that yet. On the other hand, I turned most of the crew into regular OCs and the setting will be entirely new. This new story and setting is going by the title of Magicality.
I asked myself something and it's like what the voice actors for your ocs would be like, that is, Reina, Ricardo, you know.
To be completely honest, I've never thought of that before. While I do imagine them in voices that suit them best, as of now, I'm not sure which actors would be tied to them specifically. Does that make sense?
