#like they never specifically say ''my parents are barry and lup'' so it's left up to interpretation but

[yardsards]

do people who have listened to taz balance but not graduation Know that it was HEAVILY IMPLIED that lup and barry eventually adopted a lil sorcerer child who got disowned by his family for his natural necromancy magic, and they taught him how to use his powers for good and were overall great parents that he looks back on fondly

(and said child grew up to be a dimension-hopping lich, caretaker of the dead, and very sweet adoptive father of a major npc)

#eliot posts #taz #the adventure zone #taz balance #taz graduation #lup taaco #barry bluejeans #blupjeans #like they never specifically say ''my parents are barry and lup'' so it's left up to interpretation but #he says he came from another world other than nua (nua is the name of the grad world like faerun is the balance world) #he says both his parents were highly skilled necromancers that ''travelled'' a lot because of their work #he says that inter-planar travel runs in the family #and he likes to bake #also travis apparently said on a livestrean that he got something carved by magnus for his daughter #it's a fun little easter egg for balance enjoyers but kept vague enough where it's like. you don't have to know about balance to enjoy it #anyway tho it's adorable cuz he talks about how much of a positive impact his parents made on him #and how he wanted to emulate them when raising his own daughter #and he's a good dad and his daughter loves him (also she is an absolute delight i love her #and like the only older adult to look at our college-aged protagonists and be like #''yeah it's messed up that you have to deal with all of this you're so young you're the same age as my child i will help however i can'' #like balance easter egg aside gordy is one of my fav graduation npcs (behind his daughter rainer who is my fav)

[castcharmperson]

Bruh that Taako thing was great!!! Is it possible I could request a part two? 👀👀👀

Hey!!! You’re great!!! Thanks for this nice ask!!!

Part two is way more dialogue heavy than I expected, and I’m sort of ignoring 5e with how the spell Silence works. But that’s fine!

[link to part one]

The Winter Solstice was hardly the event of the season. It wasn’t a party like it’s twin, The Summer Solstice. Nor was it a bombastic celebration like Candlenights. The Winter Solstice was traditionally a day spent eating food and sitting around a bonfire. Angus was going to be home from school anyway, but the weeks leading up to the holiday were filled with letters from Magnus and more formal invitations on Taako’s Taako Brand TM stationary, insisting the entire family had to be home for the first Starblaster Extended Crew celebration of the Solstice.

When Angus arrived, he figured he shouldn’t be surprised that Magnus had converted the empty pool into a safe location for the bonfire. There must have been a small forest worth of chopped wood stacked in there.

“You want to do the honors, kid?” Lup had offered him once everyone had gathered together. “I’m told you’ve mastered Scorching Ray.” Ah, so she also hadn’t forgotten The Dispel Magic Incident, or DMI as he’d taken referring to it in his notes. They shared a look, but neither of them said anything. Instead, Angus cast the spell and the bonfire ignited. Magnus, Carey, and Killian cheered, while Taako brushed past everyone to get back inside to the kitchen.

“Taako! Can I help with dinner?” Angus asked, following him into the house.

“I don’t know, squirt, this is kind of a one elf job.” Taako wasn’t looking at him, busying himself with taking a roast out to thaw.

“Well that’s perfect, because I’m not an elf!”

Taako sighed, but didn’t shoo him away. He didn’t turn around either and Angus couldn’t get any new notes for this case if Taako wouldn’t look at him. His Insight mod was high, but not that high. “Besides, I’ve been gone for a while. I’m sure you’ve got new spells to teach me.”

That made Taako pause. They had both decidedly spent the last few days of summer pretending nothing had happened and, at that time, Angus was fine with that. But The World’s Greatest Detective could only wait so long before the need for answers weighed more than the need to keep the peace with his family.

Taako still wouldn’t turn around though. He gave a blunt laugh before gathering a few more dishes that had been frozen overnight. “So this is how we’re going to do this, huh?”

“Either like this, or I can cast Zone of Truth,” Angus offered, perhaps leaning too heavily into his ‘cheerily helpful’ disposition.

“Aglet,” Taako’s voice was sharp and so was his expression when finally turned to face Angus. He was still leaning back on the counter, faux casual, but his eyeshadow was a different color. The Disguise Self must have worn off- how did he recast it without Angus even noticing? “What part of ‘you didn’t see anything’ did you not understand?”

“The part where you’ve been hiding a limp all day.”

Taako scoffed and rolled his eyes.“I thought Magnus talked to you about doing this detective bullshit on the family.” Angus knew he was going to lose this lead unless he made a bigger move.

“It’s not bullshit when someone’s keeping secrets–”

“Watch your fucking language–”

“You’re the one who said no one was supposed to keep secrets anymore!” Angus hadn’t mean to raise his voice, wasn’t really aware that he’d done it until it was done. He never used to do that. He was pretty sure he had to increase his volume after spending as much time around a family that constantly talked over each other.

He heard the change before he felt the magic settle over the room. Before Angus became a wizard, he had a few different items that could cast Silence for him, but the spell had a different power behind it when cast by one of the most talented mages in the multiverse.

He was so distracted by the spell that he didn’t notice Taako walk across the kitchen until he was towering over Angus. The boy had grown a little, during his semester away, but not enough to really forget how much shorter he was than everyone except Merle and Davenport.

“I don’t know what game you’re trying to play, but I promise you, McDonald, you will lose.”

This lead was absolutely getting away from him. He needed to change tactics, try a different approach, maybe make good on his threat for Zone of Truth. His spell DC might be high enough, despite how charismatic Taako was. He was the World’s Greatest Detective, he could still crack this case.

Instead, he panicked. “Are you okay?”

That made Taako take a step back, nearly stumbling before grabbing onto the back of one of the kitchen chairs. “What?”

“I want to know what happened.” Angus took a bold step forward, but Taako only laughed, the same harsh sound he made first time Angus called him and the others on their horseshit back on the Rockport Limited.

“You’re barely ten years old, you don’t know what you want!”

“I’m twelve!”

“So I’ve got a whole year before you can start this teenage rebellion bullshit. Ango, this feast is not going to cook itself and I–”

Taako started to turn away. This was his last chance. “My parents died in the Relic Wars.”

If Taako had looked horrified when Angus saw his scars, if he’d been confused when Angus asked if he was okay, those were nothing compared to this. For a moment, he wondered if he’d stopped speaking Common, but any other language he could possibly know, he’s sure Taako would have understood.

“That. Um.” Taako’s left leg seemed to buckle for a second before he grabbed the back of the chair again. With a defeated sigh, he sat down. “I’m going to ruin dinner because of this.”

“Probably not, sir, you’re a very good chef.”

“Obviously,” Taako muttered, scrubbing a hand across his face. His make up didn’t smudge, but with a snap of his fingers, it was gone completely. His hair fell loose around his shoulders and his freckles stopped shimmering in imaginary starlight. “Fine, okay, let’s turn this into a teachable moment. Barry and Lup are liches, right?”

“Yes…” Angus wasn’t sure where this was going, but at least it was going somewhere. He pulled out another chair and sat down.

“You better pray Istus never fates you to meet any others. Others liches are what did this to me. And to Merle and to Magnus.”

The Wonderland mission had been a nightmare. Having the Reclaimers drop off the map, then Magnus not coming home. Merle had an eyepatch and Taako… With the chaos that followed, the literal end of the world, Angus hadn’t noticed anything different about Taako.

“I’m the worst detective,” he mumbled, but Taako put hand on his shoulder bringing him back to the present.

“Hey.” For the first time since Silence was cast, Taako didn’t seem angry with him anymore. “You are the best detective. World’s Greatest. How’d you get started with all that anyway?”

“Tried to find out what happened with my parents.”

“Bet Cresha didn’t make that easy for you.”

“No, she did not.” They shared a small laugh, though Angus assumed for different reasons. A non-magical silence lingered for a moment before Angus was able to look at Taako again. “Does it hurt?”

“Gotta be more specific than that, kiddo.” Taako stretched and Angus heard several joints pop.

“You face?”

“Physically, no.”

“Emotionally?”

“Uh-uh-uh!” Taako shook a finger so close to Angus’s face that he nearly went cross eyed. When he focused on Taako again, the elf was grinning. “I already let you slip two questions in on that turn. Don’t try to pull a fast one on a flip wizard. Taako’s turn now. Where’d you get that scar?” He pointed to the back of Angus’s hand.

“My grandfather stabbed me with a fork.”

Taako nearly choked, strained and genuine laugh squeezing through his throat. “The fuck? What did you do?”

“It was an accident. Where’d you get your scar?”

“Gotta be more specific. Why’d you ask me to teach you magic?”

Angus huffed, and crossed his arms over his chest. “You are not making this easy.”

“Didn’t say I would.” Taako mirrored his posture, smirking in a way that Angus found strangely comforting. “Answer my question.”

Angus shrugged. “What you did on the train was pretty cool.”

“Hey, am I bullshitting on my answers? No, I’m not. Do not make me cast Zone of Truth, young man.”

“You don’t have that spell.”

“Fuck you, I don’t have that spell. I’ve got whatever fucking spell I want.” Taako moved to stand, but seemed to think better of it and slouched back down. Angus still didn’t say anything. Taako, surprisingly, stayed quiet, waiting him out. All his detective training had prepared him pretty well for being on the other side of interrogations, but he found himself fidgeting in the silence after only a minute.

“Grandpa wasn’t… all there? I guess. You guys were the first people to… I don’t know.” For all the books Angus had read, not many of them offered a word for what that feeling had been. “I asked Magnus to teach me to fight, but he said I was too young. And, uh, Merle wasn’t…”

“Yeah, no, I remember how Merle was.”

“Was he not like that on the Starblaster?”

“You still haven’t answered my question, but I’ll give you a freebee.” Taako leaned back. He’d been paying pretty close attention when Angus was speaking, but now he seemed to focus on something off in the distance. “No, he wasn’t like that on the Starblaster. Was your grandpa mad when you didn’t bring the silverware?”

“He was dead before I got there.”

Taako’s attention slid back to him, but his posture stayed loose. “You don’t seem very upset about that.”

Angus shrugged. “What happened to your legs?”

“Washing machine fell on me.”

Angus tried not to react to that. It was surprisingly easy, mostly because the idea was so hard to imagine he couldn’t really react at all. He leaned back in his chair, mirroring Taako to the best of his ability despite his feet not reaching the floor. “You don’t seem very upset about that.”

“Oh trust me, I am. It’s just,” Taako barked out a laugh, “It’s so stupid? Like it didn’t even make any sense? This big dumb thing just fell on me out of nowhere!” He laughed again, shaking his head and staring at nothing again. “Do you miss your parents?”

“I didn’t really know them, so no, not really. Do you miss your home planet?”

Taako scoffed. “Definitely not. Why’d you go to Lucas’s shitty school?”

Angus thought about bullshitting an answer again. It would have been easy to say he’d already been enrolled in The Academy before Taako announced he was opening a school. And that wouldn’t even be a lie! It’s what had happened. But he could have talked to Lucas, could have found a way to transfer. He had considered doing so, but something had stopped him. That same feeling he didn’t really have a word for.

“Because I’m already in your school.”

Taako didn’t react at first, just blinking at nothing, but then he was blinking at Angus. He tilted his head, as if a different angle could help him better see through a lie that wasn’t there. Angus shrugged at Taako’s unasked question and Taako broke into a grin. “And that’s exactly what I want to hear from my favorite student.”

Angus found himself matching the smile, enjoying the unexpected success before he remembered why he started this game in the first place. “Why were you mad when I cast Dispel Magic?”

Taako shook his head. “Wasn’t mad. You scared the fuck outta me. Where’d you learn that spell?”

“Barry taught me.”

“Son of a bitch…”

Angus pressed on. “Do your legs hurt?”

Taako’s grin slid off his face, but he kept staring at Angus. There was something brighter about his eyes, focused like this and without the glamour. He was quiet for a long time before sighing and nodding a little. He looked down, at the way his legs draped out from the chair, unposed, as close to comfortable as it was possible to be in a kitchen chair. When he looked back at Angus, he seemed strangely determined.

“All the damn time.”

“Why don’t you tell anyone?”

Taako held up his index finger again, smile returned. “Uh-uh! Not your turn.” When Taako didn’t follow with a question, Angus tried not to get inpatient. He really seemed to be thinking about it before leveling Angus was a surprisingly serious, but focused, expression. “Are you okay?”

Taako had asked him this question only twice before. The rest of the Birds asked him pretty often, but it was different when it came from Taako. When Lucretia asked Angus if he was okay, he expected it. She had brought an eleven-year-old onto a secret moonbase; she thought he was her responsibility, like the rest of the weight of the world was. Davenport asked because he was the Captain and Captains made sure their crew was okay. Magnus wore his heart on his sleeve, so did Lup and Barry. They asked in that familiar, comforting way. Merle was a cleric, he usually asked if Angus was okay in regards to exclusively physical matters.

For all Taako pretend to be “good out here,” to be an idiot wizard, that disguise was flimsy within minutes of Angus meeting him, much more so after all his memories returned. Despite Lucretia being his Boss and Davenport as the family’s Captain, Taako was his Mentor.

The first time Taako had asked if he was okay was after The Story and Song. He was standing on shaky legs after fighting for his life and struggling to focus on anything in front of him after a century was shoved into his mind. Taako had put a hand on his shoulder and the world held together just a little bit longer.

The second time Taako had asked if he was okay was the day after The Detect Magic Incident.

“Yes Taako. I’m okay.”

“Good.” Taako gave a small smile, before clapping his hands together and starting to stand. His grip on the back of the chair turned his knuckles white, but he was steady on his feet. He didn’t bother looking at Angus’s concerned expression. “And before you ask, no, it is not always this bad. Holiday had me on my feet a lot.”

“One last question?” Angus asked anyway.

Taako sighed, rolling not just his eyes but lolling his whole body in a put-upon motion. “Fiiine. But you’re peeling all the potatoes.”

“That’s fair.” Angus hopped out of his seat and Taako handed him the potato peeler. He got through the first one, letting Taako focus on seasoning the roast. “Why wont you tell anyone?”

Taako didn’t answer for a while, but Angus didn’t feel impatient anymore. He went through three more potatoes before Taako finally said, “They’re all…” He sighed, and Angus tried to look at him without turning his head, despite his glasses not clearing that part of his vision. Taako was making the sort of hand gesture he usually used when talking about his family. “Because they’re stupid.” He finally settled on that and Angus put down the potato peeler to put his hands on his hips.

“That’s a bullshit answer.”

“Well it’s true!”

Angus didn’t budge and Taako laughed. “Istus, you’d be adorable like that if I didn’t know you knew Zone of Truth. Okay, yeah. Cresha’s already a mess, I don’t really need to dunk more guilt on her because she is, in fact, the idiot who sent us there. Dav is… Dav, so he’s always weird about when we get hurt. Barry and Magnus and Merle were all there and– and Lup was too. They’re going to be weird about it.

“And it’s not like on the Starblaster where we’d get hurt but it was better next cycle. There is no next cycle. I’m going to be like this forever. And Krav, he hasn’t said anything about it yet, but I know he wants to see ‘the real me’ or whatever stupid sappy thing that you are too young to understand–”

“I’m twelve, I understand how basic decency works.”

“Shut up. And everyone is going to want it to be all the time and I don’t… I don’t want that.”

“You don’t have to tell everyone.”

Taako just shook his head. “You shouldn’t even know about this. No one was supposed to know.”

“I won’t tell anyone. But you should at least tell Lup.” He didn’t need a hundred years of memories in his head to know that, despite how close everyone on the Starblaster was, the twins were something else.

“I can’t tell Lup.”

Neither of them were sure when the Silence spell had worn off, or how long she’d been leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen when Lup chimed in. “Can’t tell Lup what?”

#well this was fun #taz #taz fic #the adventure zone #taako #angus mcdonald #charmedwords #charmedanswers #i rewrote this three different times... #sazz-orak

[tflatte]

I made a playlist for How Monsters Are Made a while back, and also I started writing this post a while ago to get it made and out of my head. The playlist is vague spoilers, so I had to wait till after I finished the story to actually share it, but here it is! 

https://open.spotify.com/user/tflatte/playlist/3MlOK2U8Jf9wj3IkXKxHo8

Under the cut I’m going to talk about my song choices so. If all you want is to hear the music, you can skip this. Definitely don’t read it until you’ve finished the chapter though.

Maybe try not to judge my music tastes too much, if you don’t mind. I did write you all my longest fic ever, after all. I feel like that earns me some slack on the musical choices front.

Mirror Mirror Part II - Casey Lee Williams

It was...kind of a struggle to narrow down which Weiss songs I was going to use because the basic arc is pretty much identical? Rich, lonely, emotionally neglected child leaves home and finds new family and the courage to stand up to their shitty birth family. This is prologue-Angus, trying to understand and to figure out what he needs to do and inching towards Getting Out.

Years of scorn will leave you cold Forget your dreams, do what you’re told When disapproval’s all you’re shown The safest place becomes alone

If Only You Would Listen - School of Rock: The Musical

The irony of his home life is, Angus would have been a perfect son if his family had just been a little more flexible, a little more affectionate. He’s brilliant and eager to please and he loved them - if they’d let him exist the way he actually is, instead of trying to fit him to their mold, he’d have been wonderful - as the monsters discovered. He was angry about that, even if he didn’t realize it until he learned what it was like to have family who listens.

I’ve got so much inside If only you would listen Joy and anger and pride If only you would listen It’s not much I’m asking I only want your ear

Home - Phillip Phillips

Magnus lobbying to adopt Angus, and to a lesser extent the twins, Barry, and Lucretia. Magnus knows that the odds are good that if Angus stays, he’ll become family, and he’ll be happy, even if he’s scared now, and while the others don’t have the visions to guide them they do know that this is a little kid who got lost somewhere he shouldn’t even have considered going, and who clearly needs to be looked after.

The trouble, it might drag you down If you get lost you can always be found Just know you’re not alone ‘Cause I’m gonna make this place your home

Keepin’ It Real - Barenaked Ladies

The Magnus song of the playlist. He’s a sweetheart but he’s also kind of a badass. But a sweetheart most of all.

When my time comes I won’t be leaving this earth And what I’ve done for people will determine my worth

Hey Brother - Avicii

Taako’s song. Honestly we all know it. He’d never admit it(feelings are for losers, and okay maybe also Lup, but mostly losers), but it’s not just Lup he’d do anything for.

Hey brother, there’s an endless road to rediscover Hey sister, do you still believe in love I wonder? If the sky comes falling down, for you There’s nothing in this world I wouldn’t do

I Am The Fire - Halestorm

Lup. Obviously. I feel like I shouldn’t have to specify that. But Phandolin was really, really hard on her - you can imagine. It took a long time for her to recover from that, but as she does, she rose from those ashes too.

I don’t believe I’ll fall from grace Won’t let the past decide my fate Leave forgiveness in my wake Take the love that I’ve embraced I promise to myself, me and no one else I am more than this

Warriors - Imagine Dragons

This one is Barry’s. He doesn’t have to sacrifice as much as he does in canon here, but it’s still a terrible sacrifice to give up your entire life and the way you wanted it to go as a normal person, even when you do it to save the world.

As a child you would wait and watch from far away But you always knew that you’d be the one to work while they all played In youth you’d lay awake at night and scheme Of all the things that you would change but it was just a dream

Glitter and Gold - Barns Courtney

Lucretia didn’t have a specific year where she became Madam Director, not here. It was a slower, more gradual process, and nobody’s quite noticed how much she’s grown as a person - you know how it is, the little changes you don’t notice add up and it requires looking back at how you started to notice how different things are. If something were to happen to put Davenport out of commission, though, she’d step up and they’d all realize.

Do you walk in the valley of kings? Do you walk in the shadow of men who sold their lives to a dream? Do you ponder the manner of things? In the dark, the dark, the dark, the dark

Some Nights - Fun

Merle doesn’t share it much, but he still maintains a lot of doubts. He left his family - his kids - to become a monster, and that’s not the kind of thing that you can forget, even if the choice has brought him a lot closer to Pan.

And some nights I’m scared you’ll forget me again Some nights I always win But I still wake up I still see your ghost Oh lord, I’m still not sure what I stand for

Contact - Trocadero

Davenport wrestled a lot with the ethics of asking his crew to turn themselves into guardians. He still worries, and he knows that if things are going to go bad at any point, they can go really bad. He’d rather it be him who takes that hit, even though he knows it may not be his decision who does.

We’ve been here so long Still I remember the rain in September Contact Two, four, one, ten, two, four, one, ten Am I transmitting? Is anyone listening? Contact Am I still willing to foot all this billing? Contact

Beside You - Marianas Trench

All seven of these monsters would do anything for each other. Simple as that. All they have is one another and that’s enough for now, even when the Voice is shouting at them.

When you're overwhelmed and you've lost your breath When the space between the things you know is blurry nonetheless. When you try to speak but you make no sound And the words you want are out of reach but they've never been so loud

Friends - Miracle of Sound

A slightly happier friendship song. It’s not so bad to be a monster when you have your family around you.

Lookin’ at all we’ve lost All the pain that livin’ hard can bring When we are together yeah We can take on anyone anything

Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - Florence and the Machine

Malicious or not, the Light of Creation is a dangerous thing, no matter how kind and generous it seems. Look at what it did to the people who guard it. Look what it tried to do to the world that loved it. 

You made a deal and now it seems you have to offer up But will it ever be enough? It’s not enough

Everything at Once - Lenka

Once Angus gets out from under all his family’s expectations and has room to breathe, he wants everything he never had. Hard to blame him, really.

Strong like a family, strong as I wanna be Bright as day, as light as play As hard as nails, as grand as a whale All I wanna be, all I wanna be, All I wanna be is everything Everything at once

Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine

Angus is happier than he ever imagined being, living with the monsters, and he loves them more than he thought was even possible. Unfortunately, that means when he realizes they could be hurt protecting him, he feels he has to fix it himself. Even if that means giving up what he has to save it.

Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers Leave all your love and your longing behind You can't carry it with you if you want to survive

Good Grief - Bastille

When you make a place in your heart and your life for a kid who then disappears thinking he’s saving you, it’s not easy. They just want their boy back.

What's gonna be left of the world if you're not in it? What's gonna be left of the world, oh Every minute and every hour I miss you, I miss you, I miss you more

Sound the Bugle - Bryan Adams

Angus is a strong kid, but even he’s only eleven years old. He came very close to being suffocated, especially after learning what it’s like to have people who love and appreciate you. Avi and Johann didn’t realize it, but they gave him the nudge in the right direction that Angus really, really needed.

Then from on high, somewhere in the distance There's a voice that calls, "Remember who you are" If you lose yourself, your courage soon will follow So be strong tonight, remember who you are 

Naughty - Matilda: The Musical

Angus continues to be the bad child, by playing the repentant, good child. Maybe not what you imagine when you think of misbehaving, but it works out okay, doesn’t it? Imagine it playing over a montage of Angus swiping papers and secretly stashing a growing pile of evidence.

But nobody else is gonna put it right for me Nobody but me is gonna change my story Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty

Something Wild - Lindsey Stirling

Angus knows where he wants to be, and it’s not in a cold and lonely house.

If you're lost out where the lights are blinding Caught and all the stars are hiding That's when something wild calls you home, home If you face the fear that keeps you frozen Chase the sky into the ocean That's when something wild calls you home

It’s My Turn - Casey Lee Williams

Like I said, I had to be very picky about which Weiss songs I chose. Two was my self-imposed limit, because I really couldn’t give this one up. Angus has a lot he wants to say to his parents, but they’re not worth wasting his breath on.

You were the one Who held me down and told me I was heading nowhere You said know your place Accept your fate and show good face And be thankful that you're there

I Bet My Life - Imagine Dragons

Angus came home a lot sooner than he could have hoped when he left. He’s also going to be grounded for eternity, but that’s okay.

Now remember when I told you that's the last you'll see of me Remember when I broke you down to tears I know I took the path that you would never want for me I gave you hell through all the years

Best Day Of My Life - American Authors

Most of Angus’ days are pretty great when he’s home. The day he comes back to his family is the best of them, and always will be.

I'm never gonna look back Whoa, I'm never gonna give it up No, please don't wake me now This is gonna be the best day of my life

Touch the Sky - Julie Fowlis

Angus gets to grow up happy and loved and knowing he can do anything he wants to do and his family will back him up. He’s got a lot of room to grow and he’s going to need every bit of it.

I will hear their every story Take hold of my own dream Be as strong as the seas are stormy And proud as an eagle's scream I will ride, I will fly Chase the wind and touch the sky

#taz #the adventure zone #how monsters are made #taz fic #tazbal