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akinoameTo The 10th Power
Chapter:Hopecaster Charmcaster
Notes: Anyone who tries to change my mind about the character by citing "Enemy of My Frenemy" or "Couples Retreat" will be ignored.
1
Voices
The last memory Charmcaster has of her father is of him screaming at Hex to take her through the portal, before he died. His usually kind voice was strained and raw from shouting spells all throughout the battle. And occasionally screaming at the golems and Adwatia to keep away from her; she hadn’t been old enough to learn much in the way of magic—she’d only known how to create flowers, and they didn’t belong on the barren wasteland of their battlefield. When it became clear that all three of them would never make it through the portal alive, Spellbinder shoved Charmcaster at Hex and told them to run. She held onto her uncle’s hand (he hadn’t held hers, she remembers) and ran as fast as she could. Hex yelled at her for trying to look back, saying she would slow them down. When she couldn’t keep up, Hex picked her up and ran into the portal as Adwatia unleashed an attack and Spellbinder went silent.
No matter how much she tries, Charmcaster can’t remember her father’s face. All she has left is the memory of his voice. The same voice that seemingly called from beyond the grave, calling her home. The voice that nobody other than Gwen could hear, so only she could keep her from stepping off the edge, into Adwatia’s trap. The voice that made her cry for the first time in years, then burn in silent rage over falling for the trick.
She will never forgive Adwatia for turning her father’s voice against her. Somehow, it’s far more unforgivable than enslaving her people and killing him.
2
Field of innocence
Magic was forbidden at home. As long as Adwatia was in power, he knew every drop of mana that escaped him. Charmcaster’s family had to learn what they could without actually trying it.
It’s part of the reason why Hex and Spellbinder were considered such a threat. With barely any practice whatsoever, they cast high-level spells and managed to actually harm Adwatia.
Every once in a while, there was a rush of new mana going through Legerdomain or something else that could mask any practice with magic. This is when her father and uncle trained, and this is when her father taught her. The first spell she mastered was creating flowers. The next spell she had to master was fire, to dispose of the evidence.
Hex had no patience for her small spells when they arrived on Earth. He was disappointed in her for not having the natural talent that Spellbinder had—the ability to master anything she put her mind to. She gave up early on trying to gain his favor; instead, she worked her hardest to master magic for her own sake. She knew that one day, she would go back home and defeat Adwatia, save her people, and avenge her father.
She just never dreamed that the thing that would save her would be the thing that she started with: a field of flowers.
3
What is this feeling?
Being jealous of Gwen’s talent came easy. She had everything: the raw power to even attempt high-level spells, the innate genius that allowed her to master magic quickly, and maybe more importantly, a family that loved and encouraged her. She never knew what it was like to hide her talent, to sacrifice, to serve as a slave, to be abused by both master and uncle, to wait for the day when she could finally overthrow her father’s murderer and save her people. It was easy to hate her for that.
Charmcaster doesn’t know what to think about Gwen now. The young woman saved her life and helped her defeat Adwatia. They couldn’t have done it without each other. Much as she hates to admit it, they probably would have made the greatest partners either world had ever known: with Charmcaster’s knowledge and Gwen’s power, nothing would be beyond them. She doesn’t know whether the thought saddens her or irritates her. It doesn’t make her hate Gwen, though.
In the middle of her campaign against the weakened Adwatia, a few of the golems among her troops vanished—summoned to Earth. At once, Charmcaster knew it was Gwen’s doing, and she felt an odd sense of pride at this, though she didn’t know why.
4
Addicted to power
Charmcaster has always been attracted to power. Powerful people, powerful places, powerful objects—she seeks it out and tries to take it. It began as a matter of sheer survival, and now it’s an obsession, an addiction. It’s one of the reasons she hasn’t left her uncle, no matter how he’s treated her.
It’s why she can’t stand Gwen. It’s why she’s tried to torture her, targeting her family and friends. Because she wants that power all to herself, and she can’t take it. And it kills her. She tries to take Ben and his Omnitrix and fails. She tries to take Kevin, tries to make him bring Gwen to her, but it doesn’t last long. It’s why they can’t just be enemies and even when they’re not trying to kill each other, they really can’t be friends—there’s always the power in the way, and Charmcaster can’t have what she wants.
She never could.
5
Brave new world
She wasn’t sure what to make of Earth those first few days.
The sky was blue—bright and blindingly so—with a sun, a fierce white-yellow star blazing above. Not the natural light of magic in the sky, dyeing the air a vivid but comfortable pink. Very little of the land was only barren rock, and features like fields of soft, green grass—and her beloved flowers—could be seen even in the cities. At night, the sky was such a deep blue that it was close to black—darkness the likes of which she’d never seen before—but in the darkest places, she could see it was smeared across with stars and a bright, silver moon.
It was almost enough to make her like the strange, magically deaf world.
And humans were the dominant species. Turtles were considered at best, ancient but dumb animals, and at worst, dinner.
Her first taste of turtle soup—prepared by a sadistic and almost vengeful Hex—was another thing she wasn’t sure how she felt about, but she knew that she liked this change in the food chain.
6
Unbreakable vow
Glamours and various other tricks have helped her hide on Earth to the point that she’s grown more comfortable there, but it’s not home and it never will be. Hex was more comfortable with it, barely caring about Legerdomain and only caring for Charmcaster because of the vow he made to his late brother—one she suspects was bound in blood and magic and made unbreakable.
Instead, she chose to think of Earth as a training ground. Should they be able to conquer it, they’d be able to reclaim their home. If Hex is abusive and restricts her, she will study in secret, just as she had under Adwatia’s reign. And if Hex shows no interest in returning home, she will overthrow him with her own power, reclaiming the power and world that is her people’s birthright.
She didn’t need to make it in blood or magic, but it’s her unbreakable vow all the same.
7
Goals
She swore to herself a long time ago that she would never lose sight of her goal. That she would do absolutely everything she could to attain it.
Betraying potential allies. Abandoning her family. Taking every advantage she could.
But somehow, Gwen made her forget that goal.
She doesn’t know how the girl became everything all of a sudden. She would have been so easy to manipulate. But Charmcaster betrayed her instead, hated her instead.
To the point that in another timeline where Earth was conquered and Legerdomain still in Adwatia’s control, Charmcaster could only think of how much she wanted to kill Gwen again and again.
It’s ruined her, and she knows it in her heart but she can’t let herself see it. See that maybe if things had been different, they could have been friends. Something more.
Instead, they’ve become much more than enemies.
And in the end, only one could win out: Legerdomain or Gwen. The goal or the girl.
But either way, Charmcaster knew it would destroy her.
8
The world’s one, and only, truth
There are legends.
Magic must come at a price, but there is an artifact so powerful, so wonderful, that it overrides that exchange.
So powerful, even moreso than the Alpha Rune, that possessing it makes you essentially a god.
There are many names, but on Earth, the most common is “the Philosopher’s Stone.” Those who possess it are no longer bound by the laws of alchemy and magic.
She learned about it when she first arrived, and she spent three years searching for the information. She finally found an obscure book in Europe, written by a pair of brothers back in the 1940s.
“Don’t even think about it” was the only thing written.
She threw the book against the wall and cursed the names of the brothers until she turned blue. Then her uncle told her to pick up the book and put it on the shelf with the proper respect it should be shown (she burned it later when he wasn’t looking).
He at least knew the sacrifice that had to be made: thousands of souls for the chance to bring back just one. He knew that there was no such thing as equivalent exchange.
It’s a truth that Charmcaster may never come to accept.
9
A dream deferred
Reviving her father, seeing him for the first time since she was a little girl, was the best thing that had ever happened to Hope.
Hope. She'd almost forgotten the sound of her true name. That word had been forbidden, an emotion that she couldn't let herself give into, out of fear that it would be a lie.
But when Hope saw her father, when she hugged him, when she heard him say her real name, it was all over. The nightmare had ended.
But it might as well have been a dream, and she was forced to waken to reality.
Her father wasn't staying. He was disappointed in her, horrified, and she couldn't understand why.
She can see his face in her dreams now. That look that said he didn't know her anymore, not after what she'd done. The way he said goodbye.
Maybe it would have been better not to have remembered him at all.
10
False hope
She realized a few years later that her true name really was Charmcaster after all.
There was no such thing as hope.
There never had been.
I know that the actual tortoise that the evil turtle god is based off of is named "Adwaita," but I've got to spell it the way it's pronounced. I refuse to give into another "Dagon/Diagon" fiasco.
#6 is a reference to Harry Potter and its Unbreakable Vow—a spell of promise that cannot be broken or else the person bound by it will die. #8 is a sort-of crossover with Fullmetal Alchemist, specifically the 2003 version of the anime.
Chapter:
Notes: Anyone who tries to change my mind about the character by citing "Enemy of My Frenemy" or "Couples Retreat" will be ignored.
Voices
The last memory Charmcaster has of her father is of him screaming at Hex to take her through the portal, before he died. His usually kind voice was strained and raw from shouting spells all throughout the battle. And occasionally screaming at the golems and Adwatia to keep away from her; she hadn’t been old enough to learn much in the way of magic—she’d only known how to create flowers, and they didn’t belong on the barren wasteland of their battlefield. When it became clear that all three of them would never make it through the portal alive, Spellbinder shoved Charmcaster at Hex and told them to run. She held onto her uncle’s hand (he hadn’t held hers, she remembers) and ran as fast as she could. Hex yelled at her for trying to look back, saying she would slow them down. When she couldn’t keep up, Hex picked her up and ran into the portal as Adwatia unleashed an attack and Spellbinder went silent.
No matter how much she tries, Charmcaster can’t remember her father’s face. All she has left is the memory of his voice. The same voice that seemingly called from beyond the grave, calling her home. The voice that nobody other than Gwen could hear, so only she could keep her from stepping off the edge, into Adwatia’s trap. The voice that made her cry for the first time in years, then burn in silent rage over falling for the trick.
She will never forgive Adwatia for turning her father’s voice against her. Somehow, it’s far more unforgivable than enslaving her people and killing him.
Field of innocence
Magic was forbidden at home. As long as Adwatia was in power, he knew every drop of mana that escaped him. Charmcaster’s family had to learn what they could without actually trying it.
It’s part of the reason why Hex and Spellbinder were considered such a threat. With barely any practice whatsoever, they cast high-level spells and managed to actually harm Adwatia.
Every once in a while, there was a rush of new mana going through Legerdomain or something else that could mask any practice with magic. This is when her father and uncle trained, and this is when her father taught her. The first spell she mastered was creating flowers. The next spell she had to master was fire, to dispose of the evidence.
Hex had no patience for her small spells when they arrived on Earth. He was disappointed in her for not having the natural talent that Spellbinder had—the ability to master anything she put her mind to. She gave up early on trying to gain his favor; instead, she worked her hardest to master magic for her own sake. She knew that one day, she would go back home and defeat Adwatia, save her people, and avenge her father.
She just never dreamed that the thing that would save her would be the thing that she started with: a field of flowers.
What is this feeling?
Being jealous of Gwen’s talent came easy. She had everything: the raw power to even attempt high-level spells, the innate genius that allowed her to master magic quickly, and maybe more importantly, a family that loved and encouraged her. She never knew what it was like to hide her talent, to sacrifice, to serve as a slave, to be abused by both master and uncle, to wait for the day when she could finally overthrow her father’s murderer and save her people. It was easy to hate her for that.
Charmcaster doesn’t know what to think about Gwen now. The young woman saved her life and helped her defeat Adwatia. They couldn’t have done it without each other. Much as she hates to admit it, they probably would have made the greatest partners either world had ever known: with Charmcaster’s knowledge and Gwen’s power, nothing would be beyond them. She doesn’t know whether the thought saddens her or irritates her. It doesn’t make her hate Gwen, though.
In the middle of her campaign against the weakened Adwatia, a few of the golems among her troops vanished—summoned to Earth. At once, Charmcaster knew it was Gwen’s doing, and she felt an odd sense of pride at this, though she didn’t know why.
Addicted to power
Charmcaster has always been attracted to power. Powerful people, powerful places, powerful objects—she seeks it out and tries to take it. It began as a matter of sheer survival, and now it’s an obsession, an addiction. It’s one of the reasons she hasn’t left her uncle, no matter how he’s treated her.
It’s why she can’t stand Gwen. It’s why she’s tried to torture her, targeting her family and friends. Because she wants that power all to herself, and she can’t take it. And it kills her. She tries to take Ben and his Omnitrix and fails. She tries to take Kevin, tries to make him bring Gwen to her, but it doesn’t last long. It’s why they can’t just be enemies and even when they’re not trying to kill each other, they really can’t be friends—there’s always the power in the way, and Charmcaster can’t have what she wants.
She never could.
Brave new world
She wasn’t sure what to make of Earth those first few days.
The sky was blue—bright and blindingly so—with a sun, a fierce white-yellow star blazing above. Not the natural light of magic in the sky, dyeing the air a vivid but comfortable pink. Very little of the land was only barren rock, and features like fields of soft, green grass—and her beloved flowers—could be seen even in the cities. At night, the sky was such a deep blue that it was close to black—darkness the likes of which she’d never seen before—but in the darkest places, she could see it was smeared across with stars and a bright, silver moon.
It was almost enough to make her like the strange, magically deaf world.
And humans were the dominant species. Turtles were considered at best, ancient but dumb animals, and at worst, dinner.
Her first taste of turtle soup—prepared by a sadistic and almost vengeful Hex—was another thing she wasn’t sure how she felt about, but she knew that she liked this change in the food chain.
Unbreakable vow
Glamours and various other tricks have helped her hide on Earth to the point that she’s grown more comfortable there, but it’s not home and it never will be. Hex was more comfortable with it, barely caring about Legerdomain and only caring for Charmcaster because of the vow he made to his late brother—one she suspects was bound in blood and magic and made unbreakable.
Instead, she chose to think of Earth as a training ground. Should they be able to conquer it, they’d be able to reclaim their home. If Hex is abusive and restricts her, she will study in secret, just as she had under Adwatia’s reign. And if Hex shows no interest in returning home, she will overthrow him with her own power, reclaiming the power and world that is her people’s birthright.
She didn’t need to make it in blood or magic, but it’s her unbreakable vow all the same.
Goals
She swore to herself a long time ago that she would never lose sight of her goal. That she would do absolutely everything she could to attain it.
Betraying potential allies. Abandoning her family. Taking every advantage she could.
But somehow, Gwen made her forget that goal.
She doesn’t know how the girl became everything all of a sudden. She would have been so easy to manipulate. But Charmcaster betrayed her instead, hated her instead.
To the point that in another timeline where Earth was conquered and Legerdomain still in Adwatia’s control, Charmcaster could only think of how much she wanted to kill Gwen again and again.
It’s ruined her, and she knows it in her heart but she can’t let herself see it. See that maybe if things had been different, they could have been friends. Something more.
Instead, they’ve become much more than enemies.
And in the end, only one could win out: Legerdomain or Gwen. The goal or the girl.
But either way, Charmcaster knew it would destroy her.
The world’s one, and only, truth
There are legends.
Magic must come at a price, but there is an artifact so powerful, so wonderful, that it overrides that exchange.
So powerful, even moreso than the Alpha Rune, that possessing it makes you essentially a god.
There are many names, but on Earth, the most common is “the Philosopher’s Stone.” Those who possess it are no longer bound by the laws of alchemy and magic.
She learned about it when she first arrived, and she spent three years searching for the information. She finally found an obscure book in Europe, written by a pair of brothers back in the 1940s.
“Don’t even think about it” was the only thing written.
She threw the book against the wall and cursed the names of the brothers until she turned blue. Then her uncle told her to pick up the book and put it on the shelf with the proper respect it should be shown (she burned it later when he wasn’t looking).
He at least knew the sacrifice that had to be made: thousands of souls for the chance to bring back just one. He knew that there was no such thing as equivalent exchange.
It’s a truth that Charmcaster may never come to accept.
A dream deferred
Reviving her father, seeing him for the first time since she was a little girl, was the best thing that had ever happened to Hope.
Hope. She'd almost forgotten the sound of her true name. That word had been forbidden, an emotion that she couldn't let herself give into, out of fear that it would be a lie.
But when Hope saw her father, when she hugged him, when she heard him say her real name, it was all over. The nightmare had ended.
But it might as well have been a dream, and she was forced to waken to reality.
Her father wasn't staying. He was disappointed in her, horrified, and she couldn't understand why.
She can see his face in her dreams now. That look that said he didn't know her anymore, not after what she'd done. The way he said goodbye.
Maybe it would have been better not to have remembered him at all.
False hope
She realized a few years later that her true name really was Charmcaster after all.
There was no such thing as hope.
There never had been.
I know that the actual tortoise that the evil turtle god is based off of is named "Adwaita," but I've got to spell it the way it's pronounced. I refuse to give into another "Dagon/Diagon" fiasco.
#6 is a reference to Harry Potter and its Unbreakable Vow—a spell of promise that cannot be broken or else the person bound by it will die. #8 is a sort-of crossover with Fullmetal Alchemist, specifically the 2003 version of the anime.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-13 03:53 am (UTC)Still bitter about those eps, eh? So am I.
Friggin' hack writers, ruining a perfectly good character like Charmy.....
(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-25 08:27 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-28 02:42 am (UTC)I really cared for the character, so such disregard for her and her fans on the writers' parts pisses me off.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-13 04:02 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-25 08:22 pm (UTC)Could they have done this idea and done it well? Yes, absolutely, and I mentioned two examples where I felt it was done extremely well. But they didn't.
I can hate this development, think it's a terrible way to handle character development. But it happened and nothing I can do will change that.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-28 02:54 am (UTC)To your credit, your Charmcaster is about 100x more sympathetic than what was written in that stupid episode. You really make her seem tortured, with her life messed up beyond her control (it's not her fault a monster killed her father and that her uncle proceeded to abuse her as she grew up, and anyone would be messed up after that) and her really struggling to fight the negative effect it has on her but ultimately to no avail.
The way you write her (in Number 7 especially), she doesn't WANT to be evil or kill people, but it ends up happening anyway. That's just tragic. Y'know, I actually think you'd be able to write a good Charmcaster redemption fic. You can't change what happened in the show, yes, but you can do your own thing to mend the damage it did. And IMHO, the best way to mend it is through redemption, since when written like you write her, Charmcaster has every right and reason to follow Kevin's path from evil to good, and overcome the pain in her life.
(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-29 12:20 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-25 06:08 pm (UTC)Change your mind about her in what way? I'm confused....
(no subject)
Date: 2012-08-25 08:29 pm (UTC)