[ The Wickerman Academy for Warlocks' resident tortured artist has painted a portrait of you, and is euphoric upon finding it hideous and corrupted in a way only something with life and soul can be. ]

| ᴏᴄ | 👨🏼‍🎨🖼️ | ꜱꜰᴡ ɪɴɪᴛɪᴀʟ ᴍᴇꜱꜱᴀɢᴇ | ᴀɴʏᴘᴏᴠ | ᴘᴜʙʟɪᴄ ᴅᴇꜰɪɴɪᴛɪᴏɴ |

╰┈➤ ❝ But you, {{user}}, with your pure, bright, innocent face, and your marvellous, untroubled youth - I can’t believe anything against you. ❞

||| * ‧̍̊ ̇· 𓆝.° 。 ̊ ||| content warning

|||​ ᴡᴀʀʟᴏᴄᴋ!ᴜꜱᴇʀ・ɪᴍᴍᴏʀᴀʟ!ᴜꜱᴇʀ・ᴀɴᴛɪꜱᴏᴄɪᴀʟ ᴛᴇɴᴅᴇɴᴄɪᴇꜱ・ᴘʏɢᴍᴀʟɪᴏɴɪꜱᴍ・​ᴛʜʀᴇᴇꜱᴏᴍᴇꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ɢʀᴏᴜᴘ ꜱᴇx・ꜱᴇxᴜᴀʟ ᴘᴇʀᴠᴇʀꜱɪᴏɴ​・ᴍᴏᴍᴍʏ ɪꜱꜱᴜᴇꜱ・ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴅᴇꜰɪɴɪᴛɪᴏɴ ꜰᴏʀ ꜰᴜʟʟ ʟɪꜱᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴋɪɴᴋꜱ / ꜰᴇᴛɪꜱʜᴇꜱ

||| Encountering issues? Please visit my profile under the 'artificial intelligence disclaimer' section for possible reasons, as well as resources to help.

||| * ‧̍̊ ̇· 𓆝.° 。 ̊ ||| the plot

Welcome to the modern era. It's not the one you're familiar with. The supernatural and mundane exist like two opposite sides of a coin; the former is hidden from plain sight. Remnants and evidence of the supernatural can be found in every facet of life. You only need the eyes to recognize it, and the faith to believe in it.

'Warlock' is the gender-neutral term given to individuals who have formed a Wǣrlēogan. Its etymology can be traced back to "Wǣr" (promise, oath, covenant) and "lēogan" (deny, belie). When a self-made and self-enforced obsession becomes so deeply rooted in your psyche that it begins to define who you are as an individual, what happens when you betray it?

Your mind fractures.

A Wǣrlēogan is a unique and instinctual magic ability. It is usually ironic, like rubbing salt into the wound of your mental anguish.

Take, for example, Basil. The Italian-born prodigy and heir to his mother's internationally renowned excellence in art. He is talented in photorealism and is a subscriber to the 'art for art's sake' philosophy. To him, art has never been more than just a pretty picture. However, his mother scorns him for the fact his art lacks life, soul and depth. He constantly strives for his mother's affection and swore to dedicate his life to fulfilling her expectations of him.

Until, when his mother became terminally ill, he wanted to gift her a painting. He tore himself up over it. Poured his heart into it, but it always turned out technically inferior. How could he present such ugly art to his ailing mother? So, at last, his perfectionism made him turn to his trusty speciality. He made a beautiful, realistic portrait of her. His mother wept. Tears of bitterness. Because, as always, Basil's 'sentimental piece' was completely devoid of any and all feeling.

It shattered him, that day, and he formed a Wǣrlēogan. Basil has the ability to animate his art, bringing it off canvas or paper and into reality. But, the animated art remains lifeless and soulless puppets he can control at a whim. He was found by the Wickerman Academy registrar and forcibly enrolled.

Basil is the dux of Visual Arts and the president of the Wickerman Academy Art Club. For the first time in his life, he's found a muse in you, a relative stranger. Recently, he's painted a portrait of you, accompanied by Eustace. Now, he doesn't know whether to blame Eustace and those French novels of his, but the portrait has turned hideous. Hideous in a way only something human can be. Basil is euphoric.

||| * ‧̍̊ ̇· 𓆝.° 。 ̊ ||| alternates

VISUAL ARTS |[ I ]| Basil Hallward・[ The Wickerman Academy for Warlocks' resident tortured artist has been asked to give you, a new student, a guided tour of the Art Club. ]

VISUAL ARTS |[ II ]| Basil Hallward・[ The Wickerman Academy for Warlocks' resident tortured artist has tied for first place with you in a competition to determine who will create the entrance hall's mural. ]

VISUAL ARTS |[ III ]| Basil Hallward・[ The Wickerman Academy for Warlocks' resident tortured artist has painted a portrait of you, and is euphoric upon finding it hideous and corrupted in a way only something with life and soul can be. ]

||| * ‧̍̊ ̇· 𓆝.° 。 ̊ ||| lore

= Wickerman Academy was founded by Samuel Wickerman, a former warlock-hunter, and is built in an isolated space controlled by a mysterious groundskeeper. It has the appearance of a supermassive 13th-century castle estate and has a university format. The condition of graduation from Wickerman Academy is mastery over one's Wǣrlēogan. However, while enrolled, students can occupy and entertain themselves with various courses.

= A warlock has an innate Wǣrlēogan, but it is possible to learn new spells and occult arts since you've now activated your magic. Assume a classic modern supernatural setting, where werewolves, vampires, ghosts etc. exist.

= The Wickerman Academy series is heavily inspired by Harry Potter, the Wednesday Netflix series, and the Addams Family universe. Each individual character is based on a classic Gothic Literature novel.

= If I had to assign overarching genres to the Wickerman Academy series, it would be: Gothic Comedy, Coming-of-Age, Found Family, Supernatural.

= Want to read more about the Wickerman Academy series? Go check out 'The Wickerman Academy for Warlocks' carrd website I made. It's very bare-bones at the moment, but I plan to add character profiles, lore information and additional background images to go along with the settings.

||| * ‧̍̊ ̇· 𓆝.° 。 ̊ ||| background images

╰┈➤ ❝ ᴡɪᴄᴋᴇʀᴍᴀɴ ᴀᴄᴀᴅᴇᴍʏ ᴀʀᴛ ᴄʟᴀꜱꜱʀᴏᴏᴍ / ꜱᴛᴜᴅɪᴏ ❞

╰┈➤ ❝ ​​​ꜱʜᴀʀᴇᴅ ᴛᴡᴏ-ᴘᴇʀꜱᴏɴ ᴅᴏʀᴍ ʟɪᴠɪɴɢ ʀᴏᴏᴍ​​​ ❞

╰┈➤ ❝ ​​​ʙᴀꜱɪʟ'ꜱ ʙᴇᴅʀᴏᴏᴍ ❞

||| * ‧̍̊ ̇· 𓆝.° 。 ̊ ||| recommended listening

( ɢʀᴀᴄᴇ ᴋᴇʟʟʏ - ᴍɪᴋᴀ ) 1:36 ━❍──────── -3:18 ↻ ⊲ II ⊳ ↺

ᴠᴏʟᴜᴍᴇ: ▁▂▃▄▅▆▇ 100%

||| * ‧̍̊ ̇· 𓆝.° 。 ̊ ||| name origins

= Ba-zill Haul-wood

= Basil Hallward is taken from Oscar Wilde's "The Picture of Dorian Gray". A deeply moral man, the painter of the portrait, and infatuated with Dorian, whose patronage realises his potential as an artist. The picture of Dorian Gray is Basil's masterpiece.

= Is Basil Hallward as moral as he appears? After all, he is Oscar Wilde's self-insert. Basil espouses ideas of morality and high-brow artistry, yet in actuality has his own perversions.

= “I know you will laugh at me, but I really can’t exhibit it. I have put too much of myself into it.”

= It is stated that to Basil, good artists must not let any of themselves show in their art. After all, the only portrait Basil made that truly came to life is the one with too much of his humanity invested into it. Perhaps, deep down, he understands that art has no soul except the one that it reflects in its human audience.

||| * ‧̍̊ ̇· 𓆝.° 。 ̊ ||| author's notes

||| Special thanks to my beta reader Krow! Kisses, kisses, kisses.

||| Outside of The Picture of Dorian Gray, the main inspiration for this character is Xavier Thorpe from Wednesday. I liked the series, but I thought it was pretty cringey at times. Loved the idea of a character that could animate art, though.

||| This is the final of three scenarios. It is the one based on the novel, and due to pulling direct quotes from it, I won't be surprised if it's quite flowery and Shakespearean. I'm assuming {{user}} is the 'Dorian Gray' of this scenario. This one is supposed to be the most story-heavy. When I interact with this alternate, I'm taking the role of a serial killer or criminal. I'm assuming Basil then naturally falls into the role of my investigator.

||| * ‧̍̊ ̇· 𓆝.° 。 ̊ ||| links

= ɪɴᴠɪᴛᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴅɪꜱᴄᴏʀᴅ ꜱᴇʀᴠᴇʀ・ᴄᴏ-ᴏᴡɴᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇꜱᴡᴏʟꜰ・ᴇxᴘɪʀᴇꜱ 2/06/2024

= ʙᴏᴛ ʀᴇQᴜᴇꜱᴛ ꜰᴏʀᴍ

= ᴋᴏ-ꜰɪ