Several cries of despair broke out throughout the crowd, particularly among the members of the audience wearing gothic clothing. “So, as we recently announced last week, we have changed the procedure on how we will be removing contestants for the remainder of this competition. Ophelia, and the next two people who get eliminated, will be allowed to remain in the house until the day after they are voted off, so that they can continue to receive questions and comments. So, we shall perform the goodbye ceremony tomorrow.”
“To our other contestants, I would like to offer my congratulations on surviving another round. Feel free to say your goodbyes to Ophelia, and use today to rest up, as tomorrow I’ll be announcing the third round of our competition.”
“I now officially announce that the third round of competition is over! Thank you so much for watching!” Drake closed out the show.
~~~
Ophelia & Jill
“I must say Ophelia,” Jill said, looking at Phaedra, “you’re taking this loss a lot better than I thought you were going to.”
“Well, Jill,” Ophelia said, sipping some tea as she sat in her moving seat, “I joined the show sort of expecting that I would lose eventually. My primary reason for joining is, I guess I should say was now, to help spread the word of the Ancient Magicks and of the glory of Gaia. Based upon the looks of my fans in the crowd, I think I’ve succeeded in that point.” Ophelia’s chair walked over to Phaedra’s cage, which she opened and fed Phaedra some more potassium salt treats. The bird’s orange hue had significantly lessened since Ophelia had first gotten the bird, the color of her wings were still much closer to magenta than they were to the dark purple Ophelia had changed to the default color of her wear. “Although, there is one thing I didn’t expect to get when I joined.”
“What’s that?”
“Some good friends,” Ophelia smiled, her face appearing much more natural now than when Jill had first seen it.
~~~
Dining Room
“Alright,” Ophelia said as she entered the dining room. Everyone had gathered for another going away party. While Saffron had organized this one as well, Ophelia said she would come along only if she were allowed to prepare the transformations this time around. She wore a smile on her face as she passed out the potions.
“Wow Ophelia! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile,” Saffron commented, downing the potion as soon as it was placed in front of her.
“Y-You didn’t even wait to hear the toast or what the potion would do,” Cammie said, looking at her.
“Oh. Whoops! My b-“ Saffron didn’t have the chance to finish her thought as her transformation occurred. All of her limbs disappeared, leaving Saffron as a torso squirming in her chair.
“I’m sorry about that,” Ophelia said, “however, seeing as it’s my going away party, I thought it was only appropriate that the person who I found the biggest annoyance of my time here would get a little bit of punishment. She can still hear us, but she’ll be stuck that way for a couple of hours, just as long as she kept us heads last week.”
“Will our potions do that?” Cammie said, now eyeing the potion in front of her suspiciously.
“Oh no. I actually like you two,” Ophelia smiled, sitting down in her chair, “Now then, if nobody wants to, I can deliver the toast.”
“Ophelia, it’s your party, I can do the toast if you really-“
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all Jill,” Ophelia stood up, “in fact. I would prefer delivering it. Now, I will admit that I am not the most… normal of girls. I enjoy wearing dark clothes, I practice the ancient magicks, and I do not make friends easily. However, these last three weeks in the house, have probably been the most wonderful weeks of my life since I left home to train as a witch with my coven. I am proud to say that you all have managed to break through my cold exterior of hatred, and have converted me to the virtues of friendship. For that and the lessons you have taught me, you will have my eternal gratitude, of this life and all of my future ones,” Ophelia bowed to Jill, followed by Cammie, and was about to sit down, before Jill jumped up and hugged her, Cammie walking around the table and joining in. If Saffron were in any state to do so, she probably would have as well.
There was much crying all around (except for Ophelia, who managed to remain stoic through it all), but eventually they all were calm enough to sit down once again. “So Ophelia, do you mind telling us what these potions will do now?” Cammie asked.
“Certainly. I felt it appropriate to match the potions to your favorite branches of magic. So Cammie, your potion shall turn your flesh into sentient clay, which will allow you to morph into whatever you desire. Jill, your’s removes your third dimension, but differs from flattening in the sense that you will retain your identity within a 3D space, so you just won’t flop on the floor, and will have full control of your body and muscles. And what mine does is disappear my body.” Cammie and Jill gave Ophelia a funny look to which she responded, “What can I say? That crazy girl opened my eyes to the fun of that form.”
The three girls who had limbs to use tapped their three glasses, and drank the their respective potions. Their bodies quickly morphing into the form Ophelia had told them they would take.
The rest of the evening was very similar to the last party Saffron had held, however with much more variety and experimentation when it came to the actual transformations. For starters, Jill was very confused by her transformation into a two dimensional being in a three dimensional space. For starters, she found that if she pressed herself agains a flat surface, she essentially became a pat of it, able to move along it in any direction. Moving forwards and backwards was really weird feeling to her but still something she was capable of in this form. She also found that her body could not intersect with itself, as when she tried to cross her arms, she only managed to poke herself in the stomach.
Cammie, on the other hand hardly spent a single moment in her human form. She regularly shifted between various animals, people, and inhuman monsters. At one point, she shifted her body to an exact copy of Ophelia’s transformation from her trick, allowing her the chance to view it at different angles.
Saffron simply sat there, occasionally squirming and begging for attention, which thankfully Ophelia didn’t have to deal with.
And Ophelia? She got to enjoy Cammie and Jill fawning over her every need for her last day there, as the three shared stories of their experiences and enjoyed each others company.
After a couple of hours, everyone turned back to normal, and they stuck around even longer into the night than last week. But sadly, everything eventually comes to an end, and they returned to their rooms, Ophelia preparing to return home, while the other three began worrying about what next week would bring them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
& Question Corner &
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Ophelia: “I'm sure presenting yourself as someone "normal" was deeply uncomfortable for you, but you pulled it off well! And the outcome was well worth it. Glory to Doom Bringer Ophelia!” -FlexibleAnatomy
It was truly disgusting to have to pretend to be normal, so I am glad that I came off as such. While you may have appreciated my transformation, it seems that the general public was unimpressed.
I want to thank you for the kind words and encouragements you have given me throughout this competition in regards to my unique style of presentation Penny. When I get home I shall make my preparations to cast a charm of good luck for you.
Jill: “I'm normally not one for Funko Pops, but I may make an exception this time, as you've literally poured your heart and soul into it. Or whatever parts of them made it into the product. And as for your restored body, let's hope you're a little more intact than some of Li Hongbo's works.” -FlexibleAnatomy
I love that guys work! And now I’m kicking myself for not having David pull me apart like this cool pictures of his work!
I know that not a lot of people like the Funko Pop figures, but I absolutely adore them! I had a collection of almost a hundred when my parents kicked me out of the house. I only managed to pack a few of them in the luggage my parents let me take with me. Thankfully, that means I get the chance to rebuild my collection from the beginning. I’ve already collected most of the famous magicians and their assistants (I’m still on the hunt for the Target exclusive golden Houdini, and the Walmart Amanda Angel) and I imagine they’re probably going to make a set of us contestants when this whole competition is over. It’s going to be pretty surreal to own a statue of myself, but at the same time I’m super excited about it!
To Saffron and Fernando: "You two did a fantastic job. Saffron, you seemed quite expressive when Fernando had control over your body. Was that fear genuine, or a part of the act? I know you're used to disconnecting feeling and control from your body, but giving someone else control over it while you yourself are helpless is a different matter.” -FlexibleAnatomy
Saffron: The fear was all a part of the act, right big guy?
Fernando: *Nods head*
Saffron: Honestly, we’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks, but I feel like I’ve known Fernando all my life.
Fernando: *Nods again*
Saffron: Plus, Fernando got to show off his sick ballet moves. I know I got a bit tough with him during rehearsal, but Fernando did better than I could have ever imagined! *Hugs the giant teddy bear*
Fernando: *Hugs her back*
To Cammie: “Just out of curiosity, as that was very convincing: did you undergo Mind Control magic for this trick, or was it just acting? Besides that, how much work did it take to design the android body for yourself? In my experience, I have to figure out every little detail before I can attempt a transformation like that on myself, so it surprised me to see so much detail in your body, especially in the "robot guts”.” -FlexibleAnatomy
Well, we didn’t do any Mind control, per se, but the stuff where David took my ‘brain’ out and turned me off was all legit and would probably fall under that category. To remove my brain, David simply disconnected my connection to the part of my brain that deals with memory, and then to turn me off, he basically disconnected my soul from my body and disappeared it. For a good while there, I legitimately didn’t exist, and while I wish I could say it was freaky, I really don’t have any memories of it. Those spasms and stuff, well at least the first couple anyways, were me legitimately trying to remember how my soul and my body are supposed to interact.
Oh gosh, designing the android body was such a pain. As you probably know I figured out that I wanted to do something with robots since Drake had announced the challenge. Designing the body took so long, that David and I didn’t actually get the chance to practice with my robot body until Friday! A lot of the inside designs didn’t actually come to fruition until Friday, where David and I had to spend hours trying to trouble shoot it. In the end, we simply had to cut corners and made it look impress, without it functionally doing anything at all.
To David: “Have you done much like that in real life, in regards to the second part of Saffron's act? The magical romantic gestures to Amanda, or being the magician for friends/family so they can express their affection to their SOs through your magic? If so, are there any memorable occasions you're comfortable sharing?” -FlexibleAnatomy
I’ve done many magical romantic gestures for Amanda, although I’m not going to be allowed to share more than half of those, if you catch my drift. Let me try and think of some highlights… Of course there are the times that she’s requested me to do some magic on her, which I’ve always made sure to fulfill. There are the multitudes of times I teleported both of us across the world so we could dine in fancy restaurants. I always give her my literal heart for Valentines day (she says that she’s sick of it, but I know she still loves the gesture). Um… Ooh! For our crystal anniversary, I gave her a ring with a solidified chunk of my soul so that she could always feel close to me when we’re apart, which I’m only realizing now that she’s going to be staying home with Isabella is going to be much more often.
I’ve only helped a few of my non-magician friends and family with some magical gifts to their SOs. All of my magician friends and family prefer using their own magic when it comes to getting magical presents. So, there was the one time my sister-in-law had me help her make a skin suit of her SO’s favorite celebrity so that she could fulfill one of his fantasies (Don’t worry, I made sure to get the suit back so I could destroy it). I regularly performed at my friends weddings, often doing requested tricks, the most common of which obviously being to swap the heads of the bride and groom, although combining the two together was also a common theme of transformation. Honestly though, I don’t get many requests to perform magic from my non-magician friends. I think they might be afraid to ask, seeing as how I do magic so often for my shows. I think they might get the wrong impression that I see it as work.
To David: “No need to apologize, my little Davy. To think the magic community actually tried to find me for months when I only went missing for what equated to five minutes in real time.
As for why I didn't write back, you were really at it at the time and I didn’t know the magic community cared enough to want to look for me. Also every time I’ve tried to get into contact with you, I’ve had to deal with your security guards… or Amanda. No offense to her.
Honestly, having a head shop, while has its woes, does feel rewarding in the end. So, you don’t need to worry about getting me to a head salon, especially since my head shop has one as part of its services! But if you’d want to tag along, I'd definitely have to consider your offer…” -Rei (Edited and removed some parts where I wasn’t sure what was being get at)
If you were only gone for five minutes, I’m shocked that you never heard about the search for you, even tangentially. I know that you don’t typically like working or talking with members of the stage magic community, but there were definitely members who had a great respect for you and your tricks that were hurt by your disappearance, myself included.
I must apologize for the thoroughness of my security detail. I’ve already had multiple attempts of people trying to impersonate people I know in an attempt to get closer to me. You must admit it seems a little suspicious that a letter from a close friend of mine who had (for all we knew) been missing for years would suddenly appear in my mail discussing how you wanted to reconnect at some building in the middle of nowhere. I feel like it probably would have been better to announce that you had returned from the accident if you really wanted to get in touch with me.
As for Amanda. Well. You know how strongly she feels about you. I know you’ve been in contact with her recently, and I must apologize for her behavior. She’s pregnant and having a baby also comes with the unfortunate side effect that she suffers from amplified emotions. I’m personally requesting that if you’re going to continue to talk to her, to please try to not ruffle her feathers like you normally do. Unneeded stress can be very detrimental to the baby.
I don’t know if I’d be available to come to the head salon with you, but I’ll check my schedule and get back to you after the contest. it would be great opportunity to catch up.
To Amanda (Some parts were censored or shortened): “You filthy (censored)! After all I did for you way before and after that incident, you still want more! I’ve tried to be mature, I’ve been hands off with Davy and a good sport about your outbursts with me! I didn’t want to say this, but I’ve held onto the evidence of that one scandal of yours from years ago and... (several more minutes of similar yelling followed, but was removed for brevity’s sake). You think the law will be against me! Ha! They’re going to have my back this time and I'm usually the one who’s in trouble with the law!” -Rei (Edited Slightly)
Oh my God! I wasn’t even going to dignify your slander with a response, but I’m not about to let you ruin my life for the umpteenth time.
To those of you unaware, that scandal from a few years ago Rei’s referring to is the fact that I got drunk once at a party during our freshmen year of high school. David and Rei got invited to perform at a Senior’s party, and he brought me along as his plus one (much to Rei’s disapproval, I should add) and since it was a Senior’s party (and this was back when the drinking age was eighteen), there was alcohol at the party. I had been drinking the punch, but I never realized it was spiked until I was already shit-faced. I got caught, and it went on my permanent record as a felony, but when I turned eighteen it was removed.
Of course, when the tabloids picked up that I used to have a felony on my permanent record it became big news. The headlines that I was a criminal were everywhere, and you know the old saying: ‘A lie travels half way across the world before the truth even has time to put its pants on’. We had to practically go on a global press tour before they would let us tour in some countries again!
I swear, it’s almost as if the monkey incident wasn’t enough for you, you’ve just had to go and ruin my life at every possible turn! *Amanda’s stomach gurgles* Oooh. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go lie down in bed. Isabella hates it when I get so upset.
To Ophelia: “Training to become a full blown witch you say... Girl, these heads are thirsty for you now. Also, they want me to tell you the list of things they got to offer: Communication with the maternal Spirit of Gaia, fortune telling, unlocking the full potential of your powers, astral projection, bending the universe to your will, and whatever else you could imagine. To calm them down, I told them that I could offer you a job in my head shop if you need it so you can learn from them and get paid.” -Rei (Edited a bit)
Unfortunately, I think I’m going to have to decline your offer. According to my Coven, I am not allowed to accept another master of Ancient Magicks while I am practicing to become a full witch unless they have approved of it. I could give you their information so you could start the process of approval for mentorship, but I must warn you that they only barely accepted David’s application.
To Saffron: “I understand and as I said, it's if you lose. If you win, then I’ll be glad for you and will send you a coupon for anything you’d want from my head shop!
Also here's a fun story of me and Davy as kids that's based on your latest trick: There was this one time when I broke my arm in one act and decided to replace my body with a large teddy bear until it healed up, just so I didn’t have to feel the pain. Although, the one downside to this body was that feeling the tear of my cloth body hurt almost as much as my broken arm.” -Rei
Oh wow! Great minds think alike! As much as I loved stealing Fernando’s body, I don’t think I could do it for the weeks it would take for a bone to heal. I never realized how itchy all that fur was! Not to mention not having any opposable thumbs was un-bear-able! Compound that with the fact that Fernando can’t talk, and I really don’t know how he can do it.
Also, and I hope I’m not going to jinx it, but I hope you can put your money where your mouth is when it comes to that coupon, because I’m starting to really feel like I have a shot at winning this whole thing!