Mistic Pets

Welcome to Issue 40
Created by The Mistic Pets Team

Character Spotlight: Ivy
Written By gemajgall

When Jasper first met Ivy, she was living in the verdant hills between Seneca Town and Bryn Tor with her father. Both had inherited wealth and invested it wisely, allowing them to live comfortably without having to work too hard. This gave them plenty of free time to develop many hobbies. Ivy herself toyed with fashion, wood work, painting, Latin, and magical rituals as passing fancies. Her father, however, grew fascinated with alchemic and sacrificial magic.

At first it seemed harmless enough; Ivy even encouraged it as it kept their lives interesting. But soon her father turned from the Fae and Sprite magic into the darkest Imp magic—and then darker still. Their home, which had been a place for social gatherings during the time of Ivy's grandfather, turned Gothic and creepy as even the architecture seemed to skew itself to match the twisted activities carried on behind its closed doors.

This was when Jasper came to Seneca Town, satisfying his wanderlust. He could tell right away that Ivy's father was going in too deep and urged Ivy to stop him. However, her father was a stubborn perfectionist and refused to listen to advice, especially from such an eccentric Jinx (with a possessed top hat). He kicked Jasper and Gregory out of the house and ordered Ivy never to see him again.

Jasper's warnings proved to be completely founded because one night when none of the moons shone, the worst possible happened. An experimental spell went completely wrong, shattering Ivy's father's soul. When she ran to his side upon hearing the backfire, he was nothing but a husk of himself.

Although he had been a harsh man and a distant father, Ivy still loved him very much. She blamed herself for not being firm enough to keep him from this fate. She recalled a ritual spell she had learned and transferred half of her soul into him to spare his life. This allowed him to regain his mobility and most mental capacities, but neither has been the same since. To this day, Ivy refuses to speak of the bloody ritual she performed to save her father’s body and soul.

Unfortunately, this didn't sit well with their high-class friends and family. Ivy’s father shut himself into their house, which forced Ivy to deal with shopping and the like. But her warped personality still manifested itself when she would talk to beings who weren't there in public, ignoring the social mannerism that she once help impeccably, and bringing up conversation topics that the citizens of Seneca Town found simply intolerable (like Gothic horror, necromancy, and possession).

Pressure started mounting on the two of them. Ivy, seeing how she could no longer do any good, voluntarily outcast herself after ensuring a live-in nurse would see to her father's needs. She left behind all her wealth to support him and turned to the only person she thought might be able to understand—Jasper.

She tracked down Jasper, who had settled upon taking over his adopted father's circus. Before she even reached the big top, the broken and neglected carousel caught her eyes. Each hand-carved figure had a story to tell, and Ivy sat down beside it, running her fingers over the smooth wood as if inquiring the ride itself what those stories were.

As Jasper was closing the circus for the night, he found Ivy in the same spot hours later. He welcomed her, and Ivy explained about how she could tell the old carousel had personality underneath the layer of grime and wanted to come alive once more. Jasper didn't doubt her for a moment, and turned the carousel over to her on the spot.

For the next several months, Ivy spent her days cleaning, painting, and repairing the old ride. She used old-fashioned tools and put her creative skills to work, touching up every figure as it guided her. Using old-fashioned fabrics and ribbon, Ivy decorated every inch thoroughly. When Elijah and the others saw her hard work for the first time, they were shocked. Belladonna even commented how life like and spirited the mounts were.

Once everything was oiled and in tip-top shape, Jasper let Ivy announce the rival of the carousel as the Scary-Go-Round, earning its name from the power and passion that filled the mounts every time a rider stepped on. Ivy's various skills as well as the history and spirit lingering in the ride really did bring it to life. Her natural charisma from being a former socialite managed to attract new customers—even those who were wary of the Scary-Go-Round before their first ride (or after it).

When Ivy isn't operating the Scary-Go-Round, she's making new costumes for the staff to perform in. She was the one Archie turned to for his new outfit, and many circus goers have commented on the charmingly Gothic spin as they watch feats of terrifying awe. Rumors amongst the other circus employees say that Ivy still carries on with her magic, but no evidence supports them.

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