"It's Harry, leave a message, it might survive, it might not."

This post is also good for messages left to his communicator but not to a specific post or actions outside of a specific post but not in a log.

My father, Malcolm Dresden, was a good man, a generous man, a hopeless loser. A stage magician at a time when technology was producing more magic than magic, he had never had much to give his family. He was on the road most of the time, playing run-down houses, trying to scratch out a living for my mother. He wasn't there when I was born.

He wasn't there when she died.

He showed up more than a day after I'd been born. He named me, then took me with him, on the road, entertaining children and retirees, performing in school gymnasiums and grocery stores. He was always generous, kind-more kind and more generous than we could afford, really. And he was always a little bit sad. He would show me pictures of my mother, and talk about her, every night. It got to where I almost felt that I knew her, myself.

( He died in his sleep one night. An aneurysm, the doctors said. I found him, cold, smiling. Maybe he'd been dreaming of Mother when he went. )

The weird thing is he's come to me in dreams and visions since then. It's odd meeting your father when you're the same age.

My mother is a whole different story. Margaret Gwendolyn LeFay Dresden was a scary, scary lady. She's been dead for over 30 years and people are still afraid to speak her name. I guess she wanted to revamp the laws of magic to include things like justice rather than just limiting use of power. It sounds good but in the end it's not. People tell me she was brilliant, erratic, passionate, committed, idealistic, talented, charming, insulting, bold, incautious, arrogant... and short-sighted.

But I know she loved me. She's also visited me in visions and I can tell she regrets a lot of her decisions. Probably all of them but having my brother and I and marrying my father. She died when her former lover was so furious over her leaving him he had an entropy curse cast on her, causing her to die in childbirth.

Aaaaand that's way, way more than anyone wanted to know, I'm sure.

[ooc: *I pretty much just quoted that entire top part from the books, so Jim Butcher's words, not mine.]

I hate, hate, hate chlorofiends. Plant monster attacks are never fun. They're always a lot messier than you'd expect them to be.

The Christmas tree in the apartment looks good though. Strings of popcorn, candles, and ornaments and all that. Almost like home. You know, if I actually put a tree up back home.

Detective Beckett, do you have any plans for tomorrow evening?

[ooc: Pretend this went up before Tara returned all dead and such.]

So, we had lame powers, were attacked by plastic animals, were lied to about being able to go home (hope that wasn't a big surprise there for anyone), it rained blood, and then we made out with each other. That's actually not too bad of a start to the month, I don't think.

Just to check, are there any plant people or forest guardian gods that are going to be upset at me again this year for cutting down my own tree?

You live here long enough and you start to get a feel for the place and what the deities here do and are capable of. I'll tell you one thing they're not capable of; letting us go home of our own free will.

Those aliens two years ago, the Stewards? They also said we could go home. That didn't turn out so well. Whatever the deal is with these breaks in the barrier, even if the openings are genuinely the result of an accident, you can bet this Architect guy is just using the opportunity to screw with us.

Alright, alright everyone. Remember to stay together and with at least one adult as much as possible and check all candy before you eat it. There's no telling where it's come from with all these new people here. Don't take any candy from normal looking people because normal people are just scary.

If you're just visiting, you're welcome to come Trick or Treating with us.

[ooc: Harry is out watching over the Trick or Treaters. Action if you'd like to meet up with him or voice here. Also, for his friends in the City who would know, today is Harry's birthday.]

Halloween is a pretty weird time of the year. In my world, it's one of the times that the Veil between the real world and the Nevernever is thinnest, meaning all sorts of things come through. Some of them are scary and some of them are just plain weird.

Here it's a place you might turn into your costume or something even worse might happen. Or nothing at all happens, who the hell knows with the City.

If you want to Trick or Treat though, I'm getting a group of us together to go with groups of kids. So if you like kids or just want an excuse to wear a costume and get candy while saying, "It's for the children" then this is the event for you.

Yo network, I happy for you and I'mma let you finish, but October of two years ago was one of the worst months for curses of all time. Of all time!

[The voice sounds rather tired, but also resolved at the same time.]

If there's anyone in the prison, please let us know, there are some of us still trying to get people out. Yes, we've heard that they're going to blow the place up soon, but there are still people trapped in there.

Also, I still haven't met the guard who "interrogated" me and I'm not leaving until I repay him a sound beating.

[ooc: Replies will be in the morning, as it's sleep time.]

I know this may seem like an odd question (or maybe not, considering this place) but does anyone have a baby that likes to laugh? Or that they can get to laugh? I, uh, I need baby giggles for a spell.

Also, I feel like I need to confess this. Yesterday, I destroyed a Funshine Bear with hellfire. It was not my proudest moment as a wizard, but it was necessary in light of the ferocity of his attack.

Alright, did anyone else spend 3 days trapped inside a maze full of monsters and traps? You think it's safe to get up and go to the bathroom after midnight but no, you end up in some twisted version of Labyrinth, only with no David Bowie. I'm not sure if no Bowie was a good thing or not.

So now my clothes smell like brimstone, I have a bruised rib, a black eye, and I'm fairly sure that this blood isn't going to wash out of my shirt.

Also, I'm now reluctant to walk down the hallway to my bathroom in the dark. Great.

Just so everyone is clear:






[ooc: Please ignore the snow in the background of the dog pic.]

Willow Rosenburg and Tara Maclay! There are cookie crumbs in my bed. In my bed. I know they didn't get there from me and I don't think they're from Mouse, either. That only leaves you two as likely culprits. I'm not so much upset that you got crumbs in my bed (although I'm upset about that) but that you had cookies and didn't offer me any.

Fortunately getting a sample hair for each of you from a brush in the bathroom was relatively easy. A little thaumaturgy and you both have very itchy legs until lunch. Or until I am appeased with cookies and chocolate.

[ooc: Gender swap. Harry doesn't know he's not a girl.]

Maeve, I forgive you. For some things. I forgive you for being a Nevernever pimp and trying to whore out your underlings on me so that you can have magical scion babies to raise as your own personal slaves. Really, you're just looking out for your court. I forgive you for being a skank of a fae, I'm sure it's just in your nature.

Tara and Willow, I forgive you two for being ridiculously cute and using that cuteness against me at every opportunity.

City, I forgive you for taking away so many of the people I have loved and cared about because most of them I wouldn't have ever met otherwise. Also, I forgive you for making me refer to a personified version of yourself and I've always found that a little bit strange.

Finally, I forgive that guy at the coffee place I go to that always puts "Barry" on my cup almost every morning despite the fact that I very clearly state my name. Actually, coffee guy, I don't forgive you.

[ooc: Not really cursed.]

Nietzsche once said, actually I bet he said it a few times:

"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

I know that a lot of the people that are here fight the good fight back home. You're the ones that deal with all the monsters, human or otherwise, that threaten the safety and freedom of others.

So my question to you is, do you think Nietzsche was right?

Any bets on what happens on the 4th? Nothing? Fireworks? Mattress and car sales?

Also, what's the policy on stores being open on holidays? I'm not sure if we should go by the Western, Gregorian calendar and it's holidays or a more Eastern one or what.

[Private to Molly/Viewable-Cursed]
First off, last night was... wow. You make the Catholic School girl uniform look amazing.

Second, leaving me handcuffed is not funny, it's cruel. Very cruel. Bad girl.

Third, while you are young and nubile, I am not. So if you're going to want me to do things that require that level of flexibility on a regular basis, I need to take up yoga. And you are really bendy, you know that?
[/Private]

[ooc: This entry may be 4th walled on the 4th.]

( Private to Thomas/Unhackable )

Voice to Text

Justin?! What the hell are you- you know what, I know what this is, I know what day it is. But you? You're not my father.

Is that a threat? Are you kidding me? You're probably not even real. And if you were? I'm not afraid of you anymore. I beat you when I was just a 16 year old kid, I have had at least that many years to get better and I've beaten things that are 10 times more powerful and scarier than you so you so fuck off before I kill you again.

...

That was wonderfully cathartic.

Beep... beep... beep...

Mmmrrr, stupid alarm, don't want to get up. Just wait to stay and-

Is this-

Tara?! Why are you-

Oh shit.

[The sounds of someone falling off a bed and hitting the floor.]

[ooc: Harry woke up with Tara in his bed since they went to bed last night because of the Road Not Traveled curse. Action for Tara, voice for everyone else.]

For those of you who heard or saw the video and were wondering, Thomas Raith has confessed and turned himself in to the Police Force. He's awaiting trial right now but he is taking visitors. I know he has a lot of friends here and it would mean a lot to him if you could show him your support.

( [Private to Molly/Unhackable] )


[ooc: For those of you who don't know what Thomas did, see here. Sentencing and punishment has already been worked out ooc and will be carried out ic soon.]

It was almost nostalgic, seeing all the magicians around. It was like traveling with dad all over again, the man was obsessed with the trade. Ironic that his son grew up to do real magic.

If anyone is looking for magical items or potions, Amulets and Enchantments</i> has a wide variety of things; from protective talismans to magic potions and books on magic theory.

Also, those of you who were interested in the magical combat classes, I've set a date for this Friday. I found a very empty spot on the beach where we should be able to sling some spells without causing any damage.

[Private to Morgana/Unhackable]

I'm going to be making a few potions tonight, if you'd like to come I could use the help and the company. Okay, that's a lie, I don't really need the help but company is appreciated and I think you'd find it interesting.

[/Private]