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

[stillnewatthis]

Still dancing and clapping, Orisa burst into song. Immediately evident was her lack of ability to render a melodious singing voice, but no one could fault her for enthusiasm.

"Hey there, duck, you are the best!
Stand apart from all the rest!
You're a delight around the school!
To make it clear: you rule!"

[woo_oo]

"... Neat!" Aw, that was adorable!

"Thanks, Orisa, always nice to have an ego-boost."

[stillnewatthis]

"I am always glad to oblige," Orisa said as her limbs slowed their frenzy of motion, "but it is not from me. Someone admires your spirit, and has paid me a fee to express that!"

[woo_oo]

"Oh. Really?"

Webby's smile got even bigger, if it was possible. "Do you have any idea who it was?"

[stillnewatthis]

"They requested to remain anonymous! I believe they were concerned it would be construed as romantic." Which was awkward on a number of levels, as Orisa understood from her programmed knowledge of social mores.

[woo_oo]

"Huh. Weird." Webby didn't really know much about romance, save for the odd fanfics she writes about Scrooge and his exes.

"I guess you can tell them, thanks, from me!"

[stillnewatthis]

"I do not know the social nature of these messages, but I believe your delight will be thanks enough. You bring cheer to others!" Orisa included!

[woo_oo]

Doesn't that just make Webby cheerier!

"I try!" She chirps, clicking her heels together. "It's just so easy to be happy abut everything here!"

[stillnewatthis]

"That is not a prevailing attitude among many Sundered. The unusual occurrences and difficulties in being absent from their home life troubles them." Orisa was pretty chill about it all, of course. If she can be of help, she's happy.

[woo_oo]

Webby blinked, and then actually had to use her head.

"Oooh... they might miss their homes, right?"

[stillnewatthis]

"Their homes and more often the people who are there. You have friends here, yes? So it may not be so bad for you. Would you not feel worse if you were all alone?"

Webby was so eager and bright that Orisa couldn't say she would feel 'bad' in such a circumstance. Just not as good!

[woo_oo]

Webby looked away as she thought about it - she did use to be all alone, in a sense.

"... Yeah. It's a pretty crummy feeling."

[stillnewatthis]

Aww, she made Webby feel sad. Hopefully empathy does not mean poor mood, and perhaps Orisa can aid her in cheering up once more.

"Therefore, those of us who are more positive about this situation should do what we can to improve it for those who are not. There is much we can do to help!"

[woo_oo]

To no great surprise, Webby instantly cheers up.

"There is! Like... sending out those awesome singing messages to everyone here!"

... Webby no.

[stillnewatthis]

"Hmm. I am not certain that everyone would appreciate that. Some people seem less receptive to such an idea."

Luckily, Orisa remained a voice of reason. Which may be a sad thing considering their relative ages.

[woo_oo]

"It'd be like one big happy hug from everyone in musical form, though!" She was really starting to get into this, until...

"... How much would it cost?"

Because even musical packages were paid packages.

[stillnewatthis]

"Other people work for less than I do, because others cannot offer the unique experience of an omnic singing Valentine." Orisa had already correlated this holiday to an Earth one, and the connection persisted in her logic circuits.

[woo_oo]

So, in other words, expensive. Webby frowned, looking down at her clothes - she didn't exactly have money to splurge.

"... Maybe it's high time I tried finding some kind of job too."

[stillnewatthis]

"There are many places that accept students as workers!" Orisa was ever-helpful, quite happy to share what she'd learned from her own research. "You will surely be able to find one suited to you."

[woo_oo]

Webby pumped her fists, super prepared!

"Yeah! I'll be making money in no time, and spending it on all my friends!"

[stillnewatthis]

"You should reserve some for yourself in addition!" Orisa suggested.

[woo_oo]

"Oh, I don't need much when it comes to funds." She said with a click of her heels. "I try to be frugal like Uncle Scrooge!"

[stillnewatthis]

"You have a role model for fiscal responsibility? My database references lead me to conclude this is uncommon in a girl of your age." And energetic interests.

[woo_oo]

"Oh, I'm pretty uncommon all around." A shy shrug of her shoulders. "But yeah, Uncle Scrooge is the richest person in the world, so he knows a lot about saving money."

[stillnewatthis]

"How remarkable! That must be a great deal of wealth indeed!"