Wizardy Albert

magic

• magic magic (ooh)

  "The spell went wrong. Horribly wrong. Albert doesn't know how - he'd checked and re-checked that the spell circle was drawn properly, he's sure he calculated the coordinates right, and the reagents were all correct and of good quality - but the fact remains that he's fallen through a crack in the world, and he's falling, falling, careening through time and space. He would be screaming if he could breathe, but there's nothing for him in this dark non-place, stuck helplessly between here and there. No light, no air, no hope of survival. In desperation, he reaches out blindly with magic-sense and feels around for a beacon, an anchor, a stray ley-line, anything to help him get his bearings. When something flares bright in his mind's eye, he grabs it like a lifeline and pulls."

  
  
  

  

  
  Wizardy Al is an odd-looking fellow with a manner of dress that falls somewhere between hobo and accidental hipster. If you had to pick a phrase to describe him - aside from "weirdo", that is - that phrase would probably be anxiously cheerful. He looks like he's had a rough time in the past, and it shows in both his appearance - his crooked nose, his missing front tooth, his one good eye - and his earnest, accommodating, I-don't-want-any-trouble-no-really mannerisms. In the place he grew up, appearing good-natured and deferential at all times was a survival skill, and his fraught upbringing has left him with a lifelong habit of trying to shield himself from misfortune with good manners and desperate, brittle optimism. See, I'm your friend, please don't eat me!
  
  Despite his jumpiness, he's actually a pretty good sport about dealing with whatever strangeness life decides to throw at him. He doesn't exactly trust supernaturals, but he's accustomed enough to living around them that he tends to take their behavior in stride, no matter how strange or off-putting it might be. His fellow humans, on the other hand...he's still not quite sure how to relate to them.
  
  

  

  
  - Albert "Wizardy Al" Anderson. Grew up as just "Albert"; picked his last name after he arrived in our dimension and realized that people expected him to have one. 28 years, 6'3, 155 lbs, ordinary human.
  
  - Self-taught amateur mage. Proficient in a few different schools of practical magic, including defensive, evasive, healing, and household magic. Jack-of-all-trades with no combat ability. Knows a small amount of space-bending magic, but gave up on learning more after the incident.
  
  
  

  "It was the math, I'm sure of it. I've always been terrible with sums. I should have gotten one of the gnomes to double-check my calculations before I activated the circle. They would have noticed the problem right away."

  
  
  - Grew up as a fugitive human in an alternate universe version of Earth where supernaturals reign supreme. Ended up in our dimension after fooling around with some magic that he probably shouldn't have been messing with. He's...adjusting.
  
  

  

  
  - Rarely encountered other humans or complex technology prior to his arrival in our dimension. Alternates between being fascinated and low-key intimidated by modern human culture. Is much more blasé about magic and the supernatural.
  
  - Has attached a small pocket dimension to the inside of a janitor's closet in a local university. The closet appears ordinary and unoccupied unless you knock on the door to the tune of 'shave and a haircut, two bits' and he acknowledges you as a guest, in which case it becomes possible to enter Al's "apartment" - a small, cluttered living space slash workshop slash classroom. The academic administration is not aware of his presence.

  More notes on Al's apartment.

  
  

  

  
  The magic holding Al's apartment together is an odd, jury-rigged bit of spellwork, reverse-engineered from the spell used to create bags of holding. The modified 'place of hiding' spell is perfectly serviceable - the pocket dimension is stable and includes breathable air, which is all you really need - but he still hasn't quite figured out how to make it large enough to be comfortably livable for extended stays, so his living space is fairly cramped.
  
  The interior of Al's "apartment" is identical to a janitor's closet in all respects, only instead of cleaning supplies, the shelves and floor are cluttered with Albert's personal effects. The place smells cozily of coffee and herbs, and shows every sign of a long and comfortable habitation. Magical paraphernalia and jars of reagents sit side-by-side with ordinary household items such as his computer and his radio, the hum of electricity and the hum of magic coexisting peacefully in the air. He sets up folding chairs and shoves his bedroll under the stained coffee table when he's expecting guests. The entrance is warded against uninvited supernaturals.

  
  
  

  

  
  - Teaches Magic 101 on a strictly volunteer basis. Considers it his "rent" for living in the university and mooching food from the cafeteria. Does not ask for payment, but happily accepts gifts and donations from students.
  
  

  

  
  - Is accustomed to living in secrecy. Often hides and sneaks even when there's no real reason for him to do so. Tries to dress plainly so as not to attract attention, but has a weakness for purple and a poor sense of what constitutes 'attention-grabbing clothes'.
  
  - Used to pass himself off as a werewolf in alternate!Earth. Still has a bit of a soft spot for weres.
  
  - Sometimes 'borrows' items from strangers and leaves behind helpful enchantments as payment. When it comes to clothes, he tries to limit himself to stealing things that already visibly have something wrong with them, resulting in his patented Thrift Store Wizard™ aesthetic.
  
  
  

  "Do you like my new shirt? I got it off someone's clothesline. I also magicked their plumbing so their pipes will never freeze in winter."

  
  
  - Owns a threadbare scrap of invisibility cloak that he has repurposed as an anonymity scarf. It doesn't have enough magic left to turn anything invisible, but when wrapped around his face, it makes observers more likely to disregard his presence and fail to remember his features. It's not the only magical item in his bag of tricks, but it's definitely his favorite.
  
  

  

  
  - Voice ref: Cecil Baldwin. Voice is smooth and deep. Has an odd and formal way of speaking. His accent doesn't quite match up with any real-world accent.
  
  - His leitmotif.
  
  - Mostly gay.