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

[puzzlers]

[ he doesn't think that's how this is going to resolve itself, but he doesn't care. he's feeling so good right now, and the fact that kaiba's with him is making him feel even better. he uses his other hand to grab at his robe, holding him in place as they share the kiss. yugi obliges, deepening the kiss and inviting kaiba to do the same. ]

[blue_ice]

[ Nope. He's too far gone. He presses closer with a happy little sigh, hand curled in that impossible hair. He'd be happy to do this forever...

...but he ends up kissing the corner of his mouth before leaning back for a little break, face flushed. ]

Yugi...mmm. I love you.

[ He kisses his forehead, then his nose, then his lips once more. ]

So much it almost hurts.

[puzzlers]

[ yugi stills when he hears kaiba say those three little words. he sobers up immediately, though his face is still flushed a pretty red. he blinks up at kaiba, stunned, so he doesn't responding in kind and, instead, just sits there with his mouth slightly agape. ]

You... love me? [ so much it almost hurts? o- oh god. ] K- Kaiba. [ it's almost too much for him. were these feelings because of the potion, enhanced through whatever magic was messing with their heads and their hearts? h- he couldn't tell. he sets a finger to kaiba's lips and leans in. ] Do you want to get dinner? [ maybe they could flush their systems of this. ]

[blue_ice]

[ What he's said doesn't entirely register until Yugi repeats it back. He's way up on cloud nine right now...

But Yugi's shocked about something. Did he...oh. Oh hell. He's in it deep. All he can do is blink back in surprise when Yugi stops him with a finger. ]

Come on.

[ He still has some sense, after all. He gently sets Yugi back on his feet and then stands himself, meticulously fluffing his hair and clothes back into place before checking on Yugi. They don't obviously look like horny teenagers, so that's a plus.

As they walk, the full weight of what's just happened starts to sink in, and he finds himself struggling for words. ]

Is it...wrong, that I feel so strongly? I'm sorry. I don't intend it to pressure you. If you don't feel that way, that's...

[ He takes a breath. His heart feels funny. ]

Perfectly fine.

[puzzlers]

... [ it had just kind of been super unexpected. he doesn't like kaiba's reaction to his surprise though. ] Kaiba. [ but before he knows it kaiba is moving him out of his lap and getting to his feet. he fixes himself as yugi just stands there dumbly. ]

Kaiba. [ yugi doesn't move and, instead, waits for kaiba to realize and come back over. he takes a step closer to meet him, reaching for his hand. ] No, it's not wrong. But I want to make sure this is how you feel, you know, especially since we were both kind of effected by that potion. I don't want that influencing us when it comes to that. Kaiba, please, don't say things like that. [ he tugs on his arm and leans up to kiss his cheek. ] I care so very much about you, which is why I don't want to jump into this. [ he just wants to be sure. he hopes kaiba understands. ]

[blue_ice]

Yugi...

[ He's in the process of feebly trying to put up his walls when Yugi takes his hand, and he can't help but look at him. He feels his stomach drop, but...yes, there's still enough of his rational brain left to understand.

He nods wearily. ]

Of course. I'm...having difficulty defining these emotions, because my experience is so limited. I didn't intend to rush into it. But. I'll wait until I'm sure before I speak of it again.

[ There's a fresh wave of uncertainty running through him. He's really not like others...what if he's so twisted up that a normal feeling isn't possible? What if he's been so deprived of positive emotion that he's wrong about this? ]

Ugh. I'm sorry.

[puzzlers]

Don't apologize, Kaiba, please. You're entitled to feel however you like. I just don't want you to regret having said that, is all. Especially not when something like that potion might have compelled you to do so...

[ he gives him an encouraging smile. ] I know. You're usually a lot more careful than this. I think we both got swept up in how things were going. My fault, really. [ since he was the one begging for kisses and contact. ]

[ he doesn't let go of his hand and, instead, keeps kaiba close. ] I should be the one apologizing besides...

[blue_ice]

For what? For having sense? Those were my lines, Yugi.

[ His rational brain is back. There's still fear lingering in the back of it, and he'll have to do some thorough evaluating of the proceedings later, but for now he's all right. He holds tight to that hand. ]

I'm glad I can trust you to keep your head when I lose mine. I hope it doesn't happen again.

[puzzlers]

For... f- for... [ he swallows and looks aside, still feeling awful for not having reciprocated kaiba's feelings or really even acknowledged them beyond being surprised about the sudden confession. he keeps his eyes on the ground as they head into the first ring to find somewhere to have dinner. ]

[ the sentiment is appreciated, but he wishes he had something else to say about it. ] It won't. I know you. [ and you're better than that. the only reason it happened at all was because yugi had drank the love potion and gotten kaiba drunk by association. ]

[blue_ice]

Right. When I speak again...it will be with my full mental facilities...

[ They reach a quiet restaurant and their seats at last, and he sinks down gratefully. After a moment, he adds: ]

And my heart, I suppose. Some small level of sentimentality is inevitable.

There's a lot I want to say to you, a lot I want to do for you...but maybe it should wait until tomorrow.

[puzzlers]

... [ he sinks into his seat as the two of them sit down. ] I don't doubt that, and the potion might have made a lot of that surface prematurely. I... I guess I just want to be sure that's how you really feel, Kaiba. I wouldn't want to coerce you into something you were quite ready for...

[blue_ice]

And I appreciate that, Yugi. I have every reason to fear this, every reason to doubt it...

[ He swallows hard and reaches for his hand again. ]

But when I'm with you I start to let that go.

[puzzlers]

[ ... ]

[ oh, uhm, w- wow. that really means a lot to him. he overturns his hand, so he can properly clasp kaiba's. gives it a reassuring squeeze. ] I'll do what I can for you, Kaiba, and then some. I know this has to be difficult, but we can take it one step at a time. [ he looks around the restaurant quick and then leans across to give him a peck on the lips. ]

[blue_ice]

[ The kiss has his heart lifting. He's sure, at the minimum, that he wants to do that again and again. ]

Let's simply be together tonight. I'll tell you more when this curse wears off.

[puzzlers]

[ yugi nods, sitting back in his seat. he’s going to steer clear of alcohol tonight, since there’s enough stuff influencing them. he’ll order something small and just get a soda, picking away and occasionally looking to kaiba. ] So what have you been up to lately anyway?