Two Flies Flew Into A Black Sugar Cobweb [Oberon]

[jimbo brian blishwick vi]

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October 1, 2028

Autumn was in full swing in Horizont Alley, and that meant preparing the matchmaking services office for Halloween. There was never a point throughout the year where the front windows weren’t adorned with some sort of decoration, whether it was hearts, mistletoe, or even a gaudy looking cupid that did not accurately reflect what they supposedly looked like in real life. Jimbo had hunted down the famed mythical creatures on and off again for years, but seemingly came up short. If they did exist, they weren’t better than being drugged by a love potion. As far as he was concerned, the only true seer of love was him and the other Jimbos (and his daughter, in some weird, twist of fate).

Regardless, October was here, and he felt like redecorating the front window. Having sent his happy little helper, Madeleine, to fetch pumpkins to carve, Jimbo was in the process of hanging up cobwebs around the doorway. He had contemplated actually finding an acromantuala to hang out but decided that would probably be against the neighborhood association. They already disliked him throwing frequent festivals. Adding an oversized, deadly spider into the mix as a mere decoration would probably not go over well with them.

Holding his wand out, he directed one end of the fake webs towards the upper corner of the doorway. Unfortunately the stuff wasn’t really meant to be spread in that manner, and it had started to clump up in a ball of string. How in Merlin’s good name did muggles manage to use this? He had seen plenty of their Halloween movies, and the folks across the pond seemed to do it almost effortlessly. It made sense though. He had so much control over the love life of others but couldn’t even properly levitate a net of fake webbing into the right spot. Maybe once Madeleine got back, he’d have her hold onto it and then float her up to put it into place. That seemed like it would work better…

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[oberon anteros blishwick]

Outside, Inside

This is a moon without a tide

October 1, 2028
jimbo brian blishwick vi

Obie enjoyed the cooler fall weather. While he disliked how his plants and small garden faired, it was a small sacrifice to make for what he could encounter in the springtime. Every time he visited Diagon or Horizont Alley, he made a point to stop by and see his Uncle. While Jimbo Blishwick was not his father’s brother, he was a distant cousin. Rather, it was common to refer to an Uncle or Aunt out of respect. Whenever he visited his mother’s side of the family in Columbia, Obie felt he met a new cousin or some new Aunt or Uncle who was actually a second cousin of sorts. Or a cousin, technically a niece or nephew, but because of their closeness in age, they were simply a cousin.

Nearing the shop, he spotted his Uncle concentrating on some decoration. Unfortunately, Oberon wouldn’t be much help outside of magic. Uncle Jimbo had a few inches on him. Obie had not gotten the full extent of the Blishwick height. ”Need some help Tio?” Oberon greeted happily. It didn’t appear that Jimmie was around, not that he needed her judgment or scowl that day. The doorway was adorned by what appeared to be spider webs. Curious, Obie took a few steps forward before realizing they were not real cobwebs. Naturally, spider webs had been a topic of study in his department, so it didn’t need careful examination on his part. ”I think real webs would have worked better, don’t you think?” Oberon thought aloud.

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[jimbo brian blishwick vi]

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The fake webbing seemed to take hold onto the end of the building as Jimbo had wanted it to, and he stepped further back into the street to observe it as the other end gently floated towards the other side. A slight breeze caught it as it went, causing it to blow back in the opposite direction again. He sighed while watching it tangle up, the free half now dragging onto the ground. A voice behind him caused him to turn, wand halfway through the motions to try again with the web. Jimbo blinked a few times as he saw Oberon walking towards him. One of his many relatives that seemed to occupy the area now. Jimbo enjoyed whenever a family member popped by, especially cousins.

”Oberon!” Jimbo greeted him back. ”I might, actually. This breeze seems to be getting in the way every time I try to pin it on that end.” He observed the webbing again, keeping Oberon’s suggestion in mind. That would be more interesting, especially if he could find an acromantuala to take up residence above the store. That would be legally allowed, right? He could keep it fed and everything so that none of the stray half-kneazles in the alleyway accidentally got scooped up and snacked on. The Ministry absolutely would come knocking if he let that happen. Or Honey. She definitely wouldn’t like that.

”Without a doubt. But if we’re going to be celebrating like muggles, we have to use this fake stuff.” The more he thought about it though, there had to be a spell out there to create webbing that was of similar substance to the real deal. Now he was second-guessing why he didn’t walk down to Flourish & Blotts and find a book for it. ”I guess if we’re really going to try and pretend to be muggles, I should find a ladder and do it that way…” He had one, only because it wasn’t responsible to levitate his daughter or employees all the time, as much as he would have preferred it since it was faster. Not to mention that Jimbo was fairly proud of his levitation charm skills.

oberon anteros blishwick ● 360 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[oberon anteros blishwick]

Outside, Inside

This is a moon without a tide

October 1, 2028
jimbo brian blishwick vi

There was something about how a Blishwick's energy seemed to compound when more family members were present. Oberon once remembered the energy from his father, Jackson, and his Uncle Jimbo when the three were at Witch TV. Oberon’s father was a director, so he dropped by to see what his father was working on from time to time. It was a fun time; however, he could hardly speak for the other Witch TV employees nearby. Curiously, Obie watched the fledgling fake web, which seemed to defy whatever charms were thrown its way. Quickly, he made a mental note of this.

At his work, Obie often found that the simplest solution worked best. Arguments could last minutes or days but could be avoided if sticking with Occam’s razor. Now, a simple muggle decoration that hardly complies with the rules of Charms? That was fascinating. But, before his mind drifted too far into the clouds, Obie refocused on the scene before him. ”Like muggles?” He wasn’t totally surprised. But his first thought wasn’t merely about muggles. It was because of time. ”That’s quite a bit of work for one day…” Oberon mused aloud as he took in the surface area to cover. But Jimbo plowed ahead, mentioning something about a ladder. Obie finally spoke after blinking a few times. ”If you have an extra ladder, I can help.”

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At first, Jimbo wasn’t sure if he had confused his younger cousin. He liked to believe that despite how ingrained the Blishwick family was in magical culture (especially here in the alleys), that they still had a relatively decent understanding on muggle culture. Heck, he had been the one to really push that silly little phone dating app when technology first became available to all of them a few years back. Unbeknownst to most, it had taken quite a bit of time for him to learn the actual function of a cellphone, and then from there, how the dozens of different applications worked. Picking and choosing from them really took a lot out of him, and then trying to explain that to a magical person to have it developed instantly when the phones were allowed to be used? Insanity. Luckily, it seemed like Oberon understood, seeing it more as a time consuming thing to put all of the decorations up the mundane way than using magic.

”That can be arranged,” Jimbo said cheerily, looking around him to see what would best work as a transfigured ladder. He had two small, potted trees that sat on each side of the office entrance. Those would probably work. Levitating one to where he would go and the other off to the far end of the storefront, Jimbo glanced across the street to make sure the Flint girl wasn’t staring out her window at him while he did this. She seemed perpetually exhausted by his request for seasonal flowers and décor but didn’t want to get on her bad side by transfiguring a couple of nice plants she had sold him.

It looked to be all clear and wiping his mind of anything but turning a plant into a ladder, Jimbo cast the spell. The tree started to warp, bending in ways it normally would never be able to, until rungs appeared, and the entire object elongated. After a few seconds, it looked to be complete. Shaking it a few times as it lay itself against the building, Jimbo nodded his head. ”That should work for now. Hopefully I can turn them back after,” he laughed before repeating the process on the second potted tree for Oberon to take.

oberon anteros blishwick ● 375 ● Song by Artist

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[oberon anteros blishwick]

Outside, Inside

This is a moon without a tide

October 1, 2028
jimbo brian blishwick vi

Jimbo happily accepted Oberon’s offer to assist. It was no trouble, and Oberon’s father would have done the same were he walking by. His work at Witch TV, however, often kept him very busy. His mother didn’t seem to mind as they spent plenty of time together otherwise. It gave her time to prepare for her upcoming lessons during the school year. Watching his Uncle’s eyes, Oberon followed his gaze. He was looking in the general direction of some shops before transfiguring some plants into a ladder. Obie didn’t ask for clarification; maybe it was best that he didn’t know. Something about years in the least chisme prone department at the Ministry gave him insight into when to keep his mouth shut.

”If anything you have an extra ladder?” Obie tried to find the silver lining. But between them both, it would be fine. Approaching the new ladder, Obie gripped the sides and also verified its sturdiness. Seemed fine. ”Alright, where am I putting what?” Obie figured he’d be fine with some general instruction. Glancing around, he saw a large plastic bag filled with what appeared to be spider webs, but up close, it resembled more like the internals of a throw pillow. How odd, he thought to himself. ”Is it all one continuous piece?”

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The real trick with transfiguring the ladder back into the tree would be remembering what it actually looked like. A ladder was simple; visualizing it in one’s mind took very little effort to do. A potted tree that, despite looking at it multiple times per day, varied depending on season, available light, and even the direction it was facing, had infinite details in comparison. That was always the tricky part about that specific school of magic. Those that could transfigure objects back and forth at will were beyond impressive to him, and while he had his own set of talents, Jimbo was constantly envious of others with more applicable powers. Matching couples in his brain was useful for making money and had zero practical need outside of his work.

”That is very true,” Jimbo mused as he shook the tree-ladder again to make sure it was steady and in place. His cousin approached and also tested the stability. Luckily for both of them, Jimbo was fairly decent at charms that slowed one down if they fell. Purely coincidental, of course. He had a vested interest in it based on cheesy puns he had used whilst younger and trying to court his wife. Floating himself into the air and then ‘dropping’ in front of her to claim he was falling for her. Somehow it had worked. Unconventional means were necessary for Blishwicks.

Oberon asked if it was to be one continuous web, and that made Jimbo stare up at sign that was to be covered. That was an excellent question! ”Well, I suppose we shouldn’t cover the entire front. I know everyone knows where I am, but I don’t typically like covering the signage up.” Although slapping a giant, fake spider over the tittle of one of the ‘i’s’ in Blishwick would be creative. ”I guess we’ll start on this end and make our way down. If it seems like its covering too much, we can always thin it out.” The webbing was easy enough to stretch and make translucent without losing the entire feel of it.

oberon anteros blishwick ● 346

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