June Event and Intro Log

[magicademymods]

June Event and Intro Log Diatu and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Sundering Midterm Results It turns out that inadvertently summoning a horrible demon of immense and terrible power is still worth a passing grade: minus a lot of points for summoning the entirely wrong thing, but enough extra credit for successfully doing something so incredibly over-the-top to make up for it just a little. Meanwhile, something something power of running water, there's a demon imprisoned in the fountain, locked behind a massive magic circle of protection. Its flames neither evaporate the water nor are quenched by it, its lashing pointy tail stabs futilely at the stone in an attempt at petty vandalism, and otherwise it squats with otherworldly patience, claws drumming on its thighs. Till someone comes close, and then it calls out. "Come! It is in my power to grant a wish to those who ask! Speak your desire and I shall grant it!" Of course, the demon's ability to interpret wishes in an extremely jerkass manner is unparalleled by mortal malice. Still, this doesn't stop those students who think they're clever, can outwit a demon, have a background in legal jargon, or just want a turkey sandwich on rye bread with lettuce and mustard and-and they don’t want any zombie turkeys, they don’t want to turn into a turkey themselves, and they don’t want any other weird surprises. Needless to say, it has gone well for none of them -- but will you be the one to break the streak? As for the circle, it is specifically warded against meddling, so no freeing the demon (accidentally or otherwise). Those who try to touch it or cross through it are promptly hurled with pinpoint accuracy into a nearby pond that has been put there explicitly for this purpose. (Except for Minamimoto -- if HE messes with it, his pants rip themselves off his body, wrap around his head, and haul him away while shouting the multiplication tables incorrectly.) Potent Potables Students work hard, and they play hard. Around midterms, this often takes the form of picnics with unreserved and unrestricted access to not just copious amounts of barbecue and potato salad, but also alcohol. From fine wines to barrels of beer to Liverpunch Whiskey, all sorts of offerings pop up at the parties that occupy space along the Walk or outside the Towers and Keep. Anastara, you see, has no legal drinking age; like most of the Tenscore Kingdoms, children grow up with alcohol, and generally its consumption is seen as no major event and no special treat. And it simply hasn't occurred to anyone that other cultures on other worlds might not function the same. So enjoy a picnic, but also enjoy your free access to the wonders of intoxication. Physical Challenge (aka the Prompt Least Likely To Cause Suffering) Healthy body, healthy mind, the saying goes. Professors Trammel and Kith, adherents to this philosophy, have begun holding extracurricular exercise groups during the off hours. Students can learn proper weightlifting techniques for endurance as well as strength, jog around the campus in groups, play impromptu games that get the body moving, or even just practice slow stretches and what other worlds might call 'yoga'. Captain Lominia aggressively prowls the area, looking for people to scoop into bala-inlota exercises -- far more grueling and dangerous to succeed at if you don't want to be badgered onto the student team, but amazing workouts either way. And Headmaster Birony has set up a fairly extreme obstacle course straight out of a ninja challenge, overseen by Professor Porfsin from behind a cannon which magically flings beanbags at the participants. Those who make it through receive a pie from the Headmaster, who it turns out apparently can make a really darn tasty pie. 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, the researchers wish for you to engage in some sort of conflict, clash, or battle with your fellow Sundered. Spars with blunted weapons are the obvious choice, but games of strategy like go, shogi, or Fantastic Foils are also an option. A rousing debate will do as well -- anything that raises passion and energy. The team explains that they've found many of the Sundered who they interviewed have recently been through some sort of conflict or trouble on their world, and they wish to see if there's any magically-measurable aspect they share when challenged. Wonders Await Diatu Magicademy is open to you in all its glory. Except for the fountain. You can't swim in the fountain till they figure out how to banish the demon.

Comments

potent potables

[healingincantation]

Rapunzel is just going to... Hold up her dish to Kuja with a sheepish grin.

"If you don't want the sauce on yours, you can put it on mine."

[treno_nobleman]

He glances over at the lady, unsure of who she is, but he won't deny her the sauce on his plate if she really wants it. There's a small smile on him as he lifts his plate and angles it so that he can brush the parts he doesn't want onto hers.

"If you really want it. I haven't been fond of the taste, but if it interests yours so much, you are welcome to this."

[healingincantation]

"Thank you." Rapunzel smiles. "I've actually never had this. We don't have it back home, and if there was any in Verens, I never got a chance to try it before I came here... But I'm getting ahead of things. I'm Rapunzel. It's nice to meet you."

[treno_nobleman]

He hums thoughtfully, considering the rest of what's on his plate for later. It isn't enough to satisfy him, but the wine is good, at least. Once he has finished his glass, he'll try some of the other food.

"My name is Kuja. A pleasure." He would bow, but instead, he nods his head to her and gestures with his glass. "Verens isn't familiar to me. Is that your home?"

[healingincantation]

Rapunzel shakes her head. "Verens is a place I lived in for a while. It was kind of like this kingdom - there was magic, at least, but a very different kind. But mostly, it was like this because it was another place where people had come from all sorts of other worlds," she explains. "My home-" She cuts herself off.

It's not so much that she's afraid to talk about home, anymore, but she still has never told anyone why she was in the tower. And besides... People back in Verens seemed so disapproving of the situation. Although, she supposes that's just because they didn't know the whole story.

[treno_nobleman]

The pause was noticed, but went by without note. If she didn't want to talk about something, Kuja wasn't about to make her. In the same boat himself, he would not have offered her every detail about his own past even if presented with the opportunity, contrary to what he had once been.

"Magic seems to exist everywhere, in so many iterations across these worlds. We could write books about them and fill whole libraries and still never tell the whole story."

[healingincantation]

Rapunzel certainly appreciated no attention being drawn to her hesitation, as she tucked a strand of hair that had started to get loose from her braid back into place.

"You know," she began thoughtfully, "I'm more interested in that than the magic, itself. I mean, I know we have to learn magic here, but I think it's pretty interesting - why some things are similar between different worlds."

[treno_nobleman]

His wandering went aimlessly, to whatever took his attention, but most of it was with the woman who had joined him in his stroll. He moved slowly enough that she could meander at her own pace as well.

"Oh? Is the magic in your world also based around wands as a focus point and long incantations?" It wasn't in his world, not with his own magic, but he won't open with that. Too pompous, even by his own standards.

And oh, have those changed.

[healingincantation]

Rapunzel stopped walking for a moment at the question. How to answer that without saying more than she wanted to, she wasn't sure at first.

"I don't know," she began, slowly - and that much was pure truth. For all she knew, magic in her own world took more forms than healing hair. Incantations were certainly part of her own magic, but she didn't bring that up. Even without having it there, she didn't want to bring it up so soon after meeting someone. "Magic isn't this common where I'm from, but I do know it exists - and it was present in the last world I was in, too."

[treno_nobleman]

His companion stopped walking, but it wasn't until a step or two later that Kuja wondered why and stopped himself and looked back to her. He tilts his head, tail curling at the tip. A world with little magic sounded odd to him, almost imaginary, but fascinating no less.

"How strange, like a land in a book I once read. I've been to many worlds, but not to one yet where magic wasn't a word found in nearly every region. I can't help but wonder what life for your people must have been like."

There is no haughtiness to it, his nose is not metaphorically in the air at the idea. Only genuine curiosity.

[healingincantation]

"Really?" That information surprised Rapunzel. She knew magic was rare, and as such, highly sought after in her world. Mother had explained that was why she needed to be hidden away, up in the tower.

As for what life for most people in her world was like, well, she couldn't really answer that. But she could answer for herself. "Things are simple. I mean, you can't just use magic to Modify things, or anything like that. So maybe people who are very skilled at magic might think it's less simple than their lives."

[treno_nobleman]

He tilted his head, nodded at her. It truly was as though he was hearing of a story from a fantasy tale come to life. Did her world really not know of magic? What had caused it to become so hidden? To what extent did it exist in her world, and to what extent was it hidden, if it was?

"Of course. My interests are simple here, I think, but the other side of that opinion depends on my companions at the time." He considered her for a moment longer, in thought. "This world must be quite odd to you. I know not what your experience with magic is, but it is odd to me and I have never known one where such a thing is as it is in your world. It still exists, but it is... not what I am used to."

[healingincantation]

Rapunzel nodded her agreement. "It is unusual." That couldn't be denied. Even with her time in Verens... Well, this magic was just so different. She'd already realized that. But it's his comment regarding companions that catches her interest, really.

"There are so many interesting people here. Have you got to know many of them?"

[treno_nobleman]

It felt a bit like belittling, he decided after a moment, though his intent was far from that. He only held a curiosity about it all, being the one anomaly he had ever seen. Were there others like her world? There must have been, but he didn't know how to get to them to see them, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to anyway.

"Names and faces, yes. It tends to carry more benefits in the long run to know who and what goes where." Personally? He knew next to none of them, and for now, he was okay with that. "What of you? They must have you in classes by now, or at least considering them."

[healingincantation]

She nodded her understanding. "I'm sure that's helpful, and yes, I've started my classes. Modification, Thaumaturgy, and Fantastics in the morning, then Mathematics, Alchemy, and Astronomy for afternoon classes, although..." She paused, a bit embarrassed as she went on, "I've missed a few classes most days, because I'm still getting used to where things are."

[treno_nobleman]

That brought a small smile to his face, remembering his first days in this world, not that long ago now. "It does take a little getting used to. I'm afraid I won't be much help there yet. The only one we have in common is Thaumaturgy, but if you need help with the location for that class, I can point it out."

[healingincantation]

She smiles easily, at that, shrugging a bit. "Well, I have found that one. I'm enjoying Thaumaturgy a lot, actually! It's very interesting, the raw magic aspect."

[treno_nobleman]

He tilts his head in a shrug. At least he tried. "Indeed, fascinating in a sense. I've found it useful for defense above most things, but it is a work in progress. I doubt I will master it in so short a time, but I intend to take the next class level in it. Discovery as well."

And Sundering, though he wouldn't mention that yet.

[healingincantation]

"Discovery does seem like something a person would need to put a lot of time into," she agrees. Creating something out of nothing at all, making it just appear? It made her head spin, which was why she hadn't taken that class just yet.

[treno_nobleman]

"It does take time to learn, but the reality is it is all practice, practice, practice." Even for someone who had come from a world where magic like that simply was, it took a bit of adjustment. There was a difference between enduring repetition to build up the muscle memory and right pronunciation and simply having the magic there within and knowing, as an instinct, how to use it. "Follow that and you'll have it right in no time."

[healingincantation]

Rapunzel smiled cheerfully, nodding. "Thank you. I'm sure you're right about that being the trick, it's how I've learned to do anything else, after all. Painting, guitar, sewing... It's all just a matter of practice."

[treno_nobleman]

He gave a light shrug with a tilt of his head and continued across the grass to where there was a small display of figurines. None of these caught and held his attention, but he looked anyway, for the sake of doing so. "You know better than you think you do. I was right about that." He gestures at the figurines in front of him. "These may have been made in a day, but the skill required to do so? Not learned so quickly."