( miavi. un: x )

[darkart]

[ If you're feeling fancy and bored tonight (today, this morning..), here's a magic puzzle for you. It looks something like:


The parts can be re-arranged into two dozen different runes, which can then be translated into spells. The simpler ones, of which there are fifteen, simply make everything disappear when 'solved'. The remaining, more difficult nine are:

✧ Shimmery, translucent flowers appear around your head and shoulders, for about five minutes.
✧ BANG. Jumpscare.
✧ An enchanted doodle plays Hangman with you, the winning word changing periodically.
✧ Displays a recipe for zucchini bread. The best zucchini bread you've ever fucking had.
✧ Suggestions for what to try at the curry house in Hogsmeade.
✧ Creates a very cold feeling for about five minutes.
✧ Causes the message What else could you have been doing with your free time? to appear.
✧ Displays directions for a spell to turn nicotine cigarettes into clove cigarettes.
✧ Nothing. Unless you have a Dark Mark, in which case, a small black snake slithers into existence from the base of your wrist, wriggling to the inside of your elbow before vanishing.

Once each rune has been 'solved', the drawing vanishes, making doing more than one very difficult; the witch or wizard (or wizich) will have had to have made a copy or cast a charm to preserve it prior to fussing through everything.

( OP's username, x, is not anonymous, though Severus's general disinclination to socialize might leave even 'friends' in the dark. up2u, my sweet beans. ) ]

Comments

un: valerian.

[fishpetals]

The flowers are very lovely, but I feel sorry for someone who hasn't so much as tried the yellow curry.

[ of course she went through more than one. ]

[darkart]

[ Of course she did. Though Severus won't be outing her anonymous handle, so he can't be too friendly. ]

It's unfairly overlooked.

[fishpetals]

As for your question, it provided some nice amusement while I was working, so I haven't lost any free time to funny little rune amusements.

[ okay the jumpscare though? r u d e, severus. ]

[darkart]

Aren't you clever.

[ Could be rude. Could be teasing. (Could be baiting to see who goes private first.) ]

un: p

[contumelies]

Is this recipe for zucchini bread your own?

[ she's going to try it out either way, but it doesn't hurt to ask. ]

[darkart]

Yes.

[contumelies]

How generous of you to share with the rest of us.

[ the recipe and the puzzle in general tbh ]

Were you bored?

un: b.black

[scinlac]

( C'mon, of course Bella enjoys a good Riddle. )

Adorable. Who thought you had it in you?

( She actually draws a small snake. It slithers along the words of the message and disappears into the ether. )

[darkart]

You, probably, considering your standards of adorable.

i'm so gonna steal that icon tbh

[scinlac]

I do try to see the best in people.

( Some things are just too wrong for words. )

un: a.dolohov | private

[viler]

[ Antonin tried most, but not all. He stopped halfway when the message What else could you have been doing with your free time? appeared.

He stars writing his own runic riddle, nonsensical at first, until solved — then a bright flash of purple burst out, like whiplash. Antonin hasn't quite gotten the hang of that spell, however, and either it hits Severus in the face — if it does, it'll hurt like a damn feather — or it won't. In which case, it will disappear just as quickly, something into nothing. ]

Something like that.

∞

[darkart]

[ Severus has missed Antonin's magic.

Merlin, what an appallingly sentimental thought. Ugh.

Anyway: he deciphers the spell, feeling the feather-touch and winding it through his fingers as it quickly fades away. Mm, interesting. No words in reply, but the same rune in response, slightly edited with his input, the slithering purple energy almost teasing-- as if Severus himself is giving Antonin a wry look. Something like that, indeed. ]

[viler]

Clever as always.

[ And Anton is always impressed. ]

That bored?

un: gesneriana. private.

[anguium]

What a lovely snake.

[ maybe he's prodding. just a little. but someone is acknowledging the mark and that's what he's been looking for. ]

∞

[darkart]

A displaced ornamental late bloomer, fishing defensively about the trace and registry, come to this particular conclusion. How interesting.

[ He did not expect that post to have been made by a Death Eater. Who the fuck. ]

[anguium]

I am not fond of the idea of being registered and traced as though I am some sort of common criminal.

Someone openly acknowledging the existence of the mark despite no one else being willing to—even those openly being baited, while inebriated to the point of sloppiness, who are well known to have them in my own timeline, is far more interesting to me.

un: a.black

[medesthai]

Cigarettes are detrimental to your health.

[ Always a healer. ]

[darkart]

Muggle propaganda infiltrates so strangely.

[ Look with the shit wizards survive and aren't impacted by... ]

[medesthai]

[ Correct. But it's still bad. ]

There's wisdom in moderation, at least.

un: fizzylemon (anon)

[dumbles]

What an absolutely clever bit of magic. My hats off to you.

[darkart]

[ Fizzylemon. Is that... actually supposed to be anonymous.. for the love of. Merlin's tits, or something. Oh, well. Could be someone else with a penchant for particular sweets that haunts every fucking corner of Severus's existence. (Yeah right.) ]

You can keep your hat on.

[dumbles]

[Brisk, but given the sophistication of the charm work, Albus isn't surprised.]

I know a few people who would be quite impressed with your talent. If I may ask, which magical school did you attend? Or are you self-taught?

un: kingweasley

[alwaysreturns]

What's this meant to be?

[look he is good at chess, not puzzles]

[darkart]

Over your head, it seems.

[alwaysreturns]

Oiy, rude