May Event and Intro Log

[magicademymods]

May Event and Intro Log DAWN OF THE FIRST DAY May I Have This Dance? Though Diatu Magicademy has its share of social events, few capture the attention of the student body quite like the Twilight Ball -- that magical once-a-year dance that crosses the change of day into night and is given over entirely to the dance itself. The focus is not on political visitors, rival schools, local government, or hitting up alumni for money; it is entirely about the pleasure that comes from accompanying a charming and attractive person onto the dance floor and cutting the proverbial rug. It is entirely possible the Twilight Ball is beloved because the general student body is aggressively amorous, but no one admits that out loud. With the dance on the horizon, the mission of the day becomes finding a partner -- or asking the prettiest or nicest or most tsundere to the ball before anyone else does. The Sundered are particularly popular by virtue of being new, so students may find themselves fending off invitations or even crowds of people interested in being seen on their arms. Even the younger Sundered have a few people in their age group who'd like to pretend they're just as adult as the older students. To avoid the mob, one strategy is to find someone else in dire straits and agree to be their date, thus giving both of you protection now and then. Another, stranger, vastly more unorthodox strategy is to actually ask someone out legitimately... if you've got the guts. (The third strategy is to go with Headmaster Birony, who has been occasionally heard to bemoan loudly and publicly that she has nobody, HINT HINT. But who could possibly be THAT desperate?) Love Is In The Water Love potions are absolutely, positively, one hundred percent forbidden, on the grounds they tread far too close to the supremely black Curriculum of Dictation. This ultimate and unforgiving ban is every bit as effective as Anastara's rules limiting the speed of carts in the street to a horse's walk. So, yes, there's love potion in the water. Someone spilled an entire bucket in the river. These things happen. Luckily, as diluted as it is, the potion doesn't reach the levels of obsessive compulsion that the worst of them can; a person drinking a unfortunate draught instead simply finds themselves attracted in a weird and sharp sort of way to the first person they lay their eyes on, for a period of about thirty minutes. Diatu Magicademy is an inclusive and progressive institution, and consequently these potions affect and can target all manner of beings, from ducks and wolf-shifters to robots and dragons. They are pretty convenient about failing to bring about really skeevy pairings, though, so don't worry about being Hot For Professor. Special Delivery (aka the Least Embarrassing Prompt, which is a sad state of affairs) A quick, easy, profitable way to make some money this time of year is by delivering messages, packages, parcels, and treats to students who've caught the eye of another. Whether anonymous or gloriously identified, small token of esteem or bristling bundles of roses and chocolates, the population of the Magicademy takes particular delight in letting others know their feelings. Not always positive feelings, either -- glitter-bomb rejections have only recently begun to diminish in popularity, being replaced by Pie-To-The-Face spells. An enterprising student who adds their own spin to this hallowed ceremony of delivery can make bank; singing and performance are popular ways to enhance a message among Valhudor students, and a recent trend finds quartets delivering acapella harmonies to the recipients of love notes. But simple note hauling can still be worth your while... so long as you don't find yourself delivering a creepy confession from a weirdo to one of your dear friends. What are the odds of that happening, though? Research On the Sundered With the arrival of the Sundered come those wizards engaged in research on their presence here, now set to investigate what brought them here and how to get them home. All newly-arrived Sundered students are asked to meet with representatives of the research team, to introduce themselves and relate what they will of their homes. In addition, the team requests samples of blood, hair, and skin -- carefully magically collected, and the researchers will sign in the presence of the Sundered a Glyphed contract that forbids them from using the samples for a purpose they know will be harmful. (They quite understand your reasons to be suspicious of this collection! And they will not compel anyone who refuses even given these conditions.) This month, however, the research team informs its applicants that there is no magic being performed. Instead, they ask you to participate in partnered interviews, in which two Sundered compare their worlds and ask each other questions while the researchers take notes. They explain that they wish to find commonalities and differences between worlds, in the hopes that this will help them identify a larger pattern in how the Sundered were brought here. How is this bad enough to merit earning a reward this month? As it happens, the researchers who sit with the pair have an Intimation Crystal, which shines red every time someone speaks to deceive in its presence. Lie or omit information or cover with half-truths and the interviewer will ask you to go back and try again -- and they encourage you to speak on everything you can. You might end up venturing into dark or unpleasant territory in these interviews... DAWN OF THE SECOND DAY Welp, This Happened A quiet weekend morning is abruptly quiet no longer. With a tumultuous shuddering and an eerie, whistling roar, the first tendril of a far mightier being surges out of a wall on campus, venturing into the cloud-shadowed outdoors for the first time in its existence in this plane. Then, like a cloak shrugged off, the outbuilding it emerged from rises up only to crash to the ground as the Sundered creature rises up to claim it glory. It is a nightmare, a horror. A terrible, indescribable thing as large as a small building —a shapeless agglutination of protoplasmic bubbles, faintly self-luminous, and with myriads of temporary eyes forming and un-forming as pustules of light. For some inexplicable reason, it is colored in bands of purple, black, and gold, and several parts of it sprout white feathers. That's the bad news. The bad news is that this existential threat to reality does not go unnoticed, nor unchallenged. Mere moment after the Sundered creature makes it presence known, a cold wind begins to blow. The temperature abruptly drops thirty degrees, leaving those around in a clammy and miserable chill that feels like they've passed their whole body through one of the ghosts of Makerion Keep. This estimation is not too far wrong, for the pale off-white dragon that emerges from the clouds above is translucent and ethereal, save for the shining eyes of coldest blue that fix on the beast like pinpoints of fire. What a ghost dragon is doing here is anyone's guess, but when it opens its jaw to unleash a withering cone of necrotic energy at the Sundered creature, it demonstrates plainly that it will not brook this interloper on its domain. In other words, Diatu Magicademy is now home to a kaiju fight. That's the bad news. The BAD news is that both these creatures are, by their very nature, incredibly resistant to magic. So even as the professors spill out and split duties of getting students to safety and fending them off, the two beasts barely notice the arcane energy flashing through the air as they begin vigorously brawling. Thank goodness this is a weekend, or else you'd all have some serious trouble getting to class on time. Wonders Await? Diatu Magicademy is open to you in all its glory. But maybe you should deal with that mess first? We're just saying.

Comments

[woo_oo]

Wow, you're so smart! You must have done this a lot!

[darkenedmoon]

I had to think about how I dressed--I was not often allowed to bring weapons along with me to my...[How to put this, to not let the child suss out just what she'd been doing?] consultations, shall we say?

But I was supposed to dress prettily and adorn myself, yes, so that I am used to. And I certainly do not mind helping you!

[Okay, yes, she had thought about where to hide weapons, as well, not that Yotsuyu had had much opportunity until becoming Acting Viceroy of Doma.]

[woo_oo]

[She nods along, not guessing the real meaning behind the words.]

You're a great friend! And I guess if I'm going to do this, I want to look nice! I never really thought about my looks before.

[darkenedmoon]

Well, I do not know, but I can certainly try, yes? As I said, you should be easy, any color should work on you. I prefer to stick to darker colors, though maybe...

[Yotsuyu shrugs. She supposes she'll see what she finds.]

So we ought to start up the hunt, eh? Unless something has caught your eye?

[woo_oo]

[A pause, as she contemplates something.]

... Well... I was wondering... Maybe I could do something with my hair, and have it kind of match that?

[darkenedmoon]

Of course, though I am not so talented with hair. Perhaps we could ask someone?

[She generally keeps hers long and straight, after all. It is what works for her.]

[woo_oo]

I'll ask around! In a world this big, someone's got to have some idea.

It's kinda nice to be clueless together, too.

[darkenedmoon]

It is not so awkward, with a friend, is it? I am willing to submit myself, as well, if they care to aid me. Otherwise, I am going with what I know!

[But the entire concept has her chuckling, at least.]

[woo_oo]

[She beams, happy to be there.]

We're totally going to nail this dance thing, and have a good time doing it!

[darkenedmoon]

[And then Yotsuyu laughs in earnest.]

And do not forget that we shall also look good doing it!

[woo_oo]

Not just good - the best!

[now she's feeling competitive!]

[darkenedmoon]

Well, my darling Webby, we shall have to find our dresses first, do you not think? Still, I think we both shall cut quite the fine figure. Males shall want to be with us, and females shall want to be us!

[No, she's not above a little bragging when she feels it warranted...]

[woo_oo]

... Can the females be with us too?

[Granted, she just thinks this means friendship.]

[darkenedmoon]

I do not see why not. [Yotsuyu isn't reading any nuances into this, either, because Webby is a child. Even if she did, her answer wouldn't change. Even in backwater Doma, love is love.]

So do you know who you plan to ask to the dance?

[woo_oo]

I wasn't thinking of asking anyone, actually. Just seems kinda weird. We're all probably going to go anyway, so why bother? This is a new thing for a lot of us, so it'd be silly to skip it.

[darkenedmoon]

I am sure there are some wallflowers who might not go. [For example, Alphinaud, were he still here--she was certain he would have to be flat out asked by a young lady of his acquaintance, or be dragged kicking and screaming (albeit in diplomatic fashion), otherwise.]

I suppose you also need not ask anyone. I would dance with you, after all, because is it not in the spirit of fun? But I decided to ask Jecht. You would think the man was being led off to slaughter, before I asked him.

[Well, maybe not that bad, but still.]

[woo_oo]

Oh, Jecht? Jecht's neat! We're going to try and bring Blitzball here.

[Not the point, Webby.]

We should all dance together, it'll be fun! I'm going to try and dance with everyone! And it'll be neat to see them wear something different. I know Louie and Huey have worn tuxedos before, when they went to that gala with Uncle Scrooge. Lena, though...

[... Pause. Head-tilt.]

[darkenedmoon]

I hope he at least tries to wear a shirt. And sandals. [That's more muttered, though. Webby's next comment has her glancing down at the duckling girl again, brows arching.]

Lena? You know her? She is of my House...and...a friend. [Not very grudging at all, there. Yotsuyu definitely respects her, though there's not unrestrained fondness there, like she holds for Webby.]

What of Lena?

[woo_oo]

[She blinks, then readjusts her head.]

I was just thinking... that she could wear anything to this dance and she'll still be enchantingly beautiful.

[... As one says normally about their friend. Then, she moves along, back to cheerfulness-]

Friends knowing friends is great!

[darkenedmoon]

[Oho. Is that the way the wind blows? Yotsuyu says nothing, yet, only nods, and that smile might just be distressingly close to happy. This is Yotsuyu, after all.]

Yes, it is, and I am very glad you know Jecht and Hendrik as well! And that your ray of sunshine is in their lives!

[woo_oo]

[Aw shucks.]

And then our friends can be friends, and we'll the friends of their friends, and it'll be one big endless friendship loop!

[darkenedmoon]

That is no bad thing, I think. I know I have benefited from your presence in my life, I cannot think others will not do the same--the same for your friends.

[woo_oo]

And I benefited from you too! I got a knife!

[She's genuinely happy.]

[darkenedmoon]

And so you did! Now...if only we can attempt to gown ourselves for this ball, eh?

[Somehow, Yotsuyu feels like this will be less of a daunting challenge for Webby than it will be for her, but she is picky and not merely discerning, and she knows it.]

[woo_oo]

Now I'm pumped to do it!

[Now she searches through the dresses a bit more... rapidly?]