𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀Invoke 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔.
⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ An 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆 without 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕.
⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒕 devoid of 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒔.

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀𝑴𝑼𝑺𝑻. / 𝑪𝑨𝑵'𝑻.

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

, he landed just shy of the mercurial thief's personal space.

“ For the sake of Septum's 𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦, Ms. Hardy—I hope you have come to my door with 𝒑urpose. ”

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

⠀ ⠀“Fascinating word, 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡,” the Sorcerer Supreme began, unbridled sarcasm laced within his tone. “ It would seem I think more highly of your feats than you, Felicia—a p(𝑢𝑟𝑟?)erfect concoction of 𝒑reparedness, 𝒑resence, and 𝒑erseverance.”

Perhaps he had spent too ⤙

[Felicia Hardy @MisfortuneProwl]

⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀“I’ll test my 𝓁𝓊𝒸𝓀.”

⠀

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

many hours languishing in the '𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑒' catacombs of Tutamon, humoring his Cloak of Levitation an afternoon bout of Hide-and-Seek. Or perhaps it was the Kree-inspired tea with the 𝒐𝒅𝒅𝒍𝒚 specific warning labels unlocking his punchy mood.

⠀ ⠀Either way ⤙

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

𝑩y Fire or 𝑩y Ice:

⠀ ⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀ ⠀𝑮𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒇 can be a weapon.

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

⠀ ⠀⠀ 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞 to 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐞——rarely 𝐄𝐲𝐞 to 𝐄𝐲𝐞.

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

formality of a Golden Age conductor laced within his tone. “ It has been 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑒 some time, Jean.”

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

⠀Pro𝒙imity and e𝒙posure aside, since when did the laws of nature matter to a dimension-bound Hippocratic Oath?

“Seems you have negotiated a 𝑐𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒 with Onset Insomnia,” Stephen said, his voice floating along with the windswept leaves of Autumn. ⤙

[𝐉𝐞𝐚𝐧 @redheadpsionic]

The only time I get good sleep is that short period of time between 7am and 10 am...

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

Much like a rotten trunk could still be a home, the growing pile of dying leaves at her feet could still be of 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒄𝒆.

⠀ ⠀For now, that purpose was unwarranted clinical trials, apparently.

“Do not be alarmed, my dear—It is 𝑰, Stephen Stange,” he began, all the ⤙

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

You won't 𝒎𝒆𝒆𝒕 him. . .

⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ . . .but you have 𝒎𝒆𝒕 him.

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

ᅠThe '𝑇𝑈 𝑊𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑠' of Undercroft fame have often peddled their wares and prognostications at his feet, each one promising a peek through 𝑽oided windows.

But he had 𝙥𝙖𝙞𝙣, not 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬—and snow-haired memory was the only false prophet he needed.

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

stairwell. Stephen, unbothered by their performative disdain, descended with weightless precision toward the entrance and flicked the one-way hinge backward.

⠀ ⠀“Back 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛,” Strange began, tongue firmly in cheek. “And this time, without your 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤. ”

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

Set against the tapestry of unfettered ambition, a cozy hearth may look more like a museum than a 𝒉𝒐𝒎𝒆.

⠀ ⠀Deep within the bowels of the Sanctum Sanctorum resided a caged crux of two minds. On the western hemisphere, there was a pewter orchestral mask adorned with ⤙

[𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐃𝐫𝐞𝐰 @ArachneSpy]

Disembarking from her bike, she placed the helmet down and walked up the steps.

This place always gave her an 𝒆𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆 feeling and never felt particularly welcoming.

She sighed, flexing her fingers, still not fully healed. The familiar bio-electric sensation no longer there.

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

under the Sorcerer Supreme's care, 𝒔𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒅 to attention and acknowledged the imminent arrival of his untimely guest.

⠀ ⠀A faint echo stretched through the ' 𝑅𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐻𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑠 ' as portraits of former patrons shifted in their frames and glowered at the central⤙

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

seasonal secrets wasn't exactly what you would call '𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑢𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒', but an unseen guest was steadily bearing down on his door, and 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒏ce had a way of tapping into dormant resolve.

⠀ ⠀A 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒄𝒌.

The Sanctum held its breath.

⠀⠀Whom would it be 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚?

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

Thunder and lightning 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒅 somewhere beyond the Sanctum's arcane clearance—a stark contrast to the suffocating silence and tendril-filled darkness stretching across his marble antechamber.

⠀ ⠀Stephen levitated above the tiny ' 𝑆𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑘' arches dotting the⤙

[𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬。 @ShoreOfHumdrum]

seven point rune below, one point for each man-made Sin, and a chiselled core for every cluster of mankind.

The earth was his 𝒑𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕, after all.

⠀ ⠀The city was a menagerie of crooked rivulets through the raindrops, which made channeling a spell meant to invoke ⤙