You Asked For It: The Beach Trip

[magicademymods]

Be Careful What You Wish For: A Beach Adventure Crowded Quarters To the joy and delight of the Sundered students who feel joy and delight over going to the beach, the Sundered students get to go to the beach in celebration of their completed midterms! Professor Trammel has graciously paid their way on the local airship, which runs regular routes on summer days to the ocean some 45 minutes away, and so every student who so desires can pack up and head onto it to enjoy a fantastic day of fun and adventure! Slight downside: the airship is small and packed, as it keeps its fees low by relying on volume to turn a profit. The crowded travel compartment is standing-room-only, and even those who are lucky enough to get seats won't find themselves with much shoulder room. Some people may even find themselves in the lap of a fellow student, which only the most cynical and bitter of minds would abuse as a way to ship-tease (right?). The trip isn't long, just hot and stuffy. You can make it, students! Wave Your Hands If You're Shore The beach at last! Though the hot sun beats down from above, a gentle breeze blows in from the ocean and the water itself is delightfully cool without being icy cold. Waves run about five to six feet in height, enough to be forceful without dominating like some giant curl suitable only for surfing. Though scores of people have set up tents, umbrellas, blankets, and towels across the sands, the Diatu contingent has plenty of space to conjure up tables and chairs, an awning and plenty of shade. Professor Trammel politely deploys Spells of Sunscreening, as well as directing students to the swimwear the school has obtained and the screened canvas changing areas where they can don them. Helpfully, he's obtained all manner of suits to fit any taste, so... choose wisely? Baskets of sandwiches and drinks kept magically chilled offer sustenance for the busy swimmers, and all manner of balls, nets, and beach toys to enjoy. The Sand Castle Contest Early in the afternoon, Professor Trammel announces that a sand castle contest is open to all participants! The rules are as follows: 1. Headmaster Birony is forbidden from competing. (At this, Headmaster Birony sulkily turns Makerion Keep back into stone and sends it back to the Magicademy Campus. Ka students will be finding sand in odd places for a while.) 2. Students may work in teams of no more than 2. 3. You will have an hour to work with any of the sand-castle tools available. 4. Judging will be on creativity, quality, and durability. 5. 'Bedmaster Hirony' is forbidden from competing. (Headmaster Birony rips her fake mustache off and throws it to the ground in frustration.) You have a few minutes to form pairs and get ready. Who will win the competition? Teachers' Day Off Some of the Professors, too, have taken the day off! Students are treated to the sight of Professor Trammel digging a hole in the surf so his own knocked-together sand structure goes up against the waves, leaving him to improve its walls and channels each time to make for a better hope of surviving. Professor King is teaching anyone who will listen about a new game she calls Sunder-inlota, which involved lobbing a ball through portals to get it into the other team's goal. Headmaster Birony occupies herself doing a Sorcerer's Apprentice thing with the waves, making them smash and crash against each other with glee, while Professors Porfsin and Trent fail to put campus politics aside and both spend the day trying to attract an audience with their own personal performances. And Professor Kith just... swims and enjoys herself, like a normal human being, which is probably in violation of the Adequate Wackiness In Teaching Staff Proclamation, but no one seems inclined to call her on it. Fire in the Sky As darkness falls over the beach, swimming comes to an end as the gathered people move to get home, their day off done. The Magicademy, however, still has some tricks up its organizational sleeve. With fires conjured along the sands, the Professors take turns cooking -- simple fare like sausages and hamburger patties, that even the less adept among them (coughCamBironycough) can't screw up. And as the last vestiges of sunlight vanish behind the horizon and the beach and ocean are both swept in darkness, Professor Trammel pulls off his final flourish: a Discovery of beautiful lights exploding in the sky, a mixture between fireworks and aurora borealis that paints the night in glory. All in all, not a bad day.

Comments

[couldabeenturbo]

The Great Duckish Beach-Off! (for Webby)

The minute Trammel says the words "sand castle contest", Dewey's beak opens and he's lunging for his BFF, tugging at her sleeve. "WEBBY WEBBY WEBBY WEBBY WE GOTTA."

Diatu Rollercoaster Ride

Dewey's never surfed, but those waves are just begging for it, and that pile of beach toys is promising. Once he's changed into a pair of (blue!) swim trunks from the school stash and properly sunscreen-bespelled, he grabs a surfboard and heads into the water.

It takes him a little struggling, but he manages to finally get aboard, wobbling until he gets his balance.

"... Okay, now what?"

Teachers' Day Off (Hey Batta Batta)

After Bedmaster Hirony gets kicked out of the competition and he and Webby have finished their bin, Dewey goes to find her, watching her set the waves against one another.

"I'm sorry they wouldn't let you build with us. I bet you could have made something super awesome. What were you gonna do?"

Colors In The Sky

His belly is full of beach fare, his blanket is fuzzy, the air is comfortable, and he's got his friends and family (mostly) all around. He even got to try a couple of new things. As things go, this is high on the Dew-O-Meter of Good Days. He lets out a hefty, happy sigh, then idly lifts his wand and flicks it toward the sky, sending a tiny point of light up to join the rest. He can't do much yet, but he can add his own piece.

"This. Is. Awesome."

Wildcard

Up for a beach adventure? Shenanigans? Just shooting the breeze over snacks and sunbathing? Let's do it!

beach-off

[woo_oo]

No need to tell her twice!

"We have to build something from home! Like the mansion or..." Her eyes widen, as the best idea ever hits her.

"... The Bin."

[couldabeenturbo]

His beak drops open and he gapes for a second, going fully starry-eyed, himself. Dewey clenches his hands into fists and pumps them up and down, happily.

"Yes! Perfect! That is sooooooo perfect! We have to make it as big as we possibly can! Like ... huge! Big enough to even have, like - OOH! A sand Uncle Scrooge swimming in it, right? That'd win for sure!"

He takes his wand and starts to use it to sketch the bin in the sand, starting with Killmotor Hill.

[woo_oo]

Webby got down on her knees to draw as well, though hers were much more intricate and perhaps crazier.

"The only way we can do that is to allow them to see the inside of the bin, so we have to make a big hole, or... a crack, like from a meteor strike!"

[couldabeenturbo]

Her artwork was always better than his, if a little crazier, and Dewey rocked back on his heels to take a look. "Okay, but - if a meteor hit the bin, he'd be outside freaking out trying to get the money back inside, not swimming in it. ... I guess I was just thinking the door would be open a little."

[woo_oo]

"Oh. I guess that's true." With that, she began 'erasing' a few steps, such as the fire, melting walls, and a little butterfly. The butterfly had nothing to do with anything, she just likes butterflies. "But he will have to be in his old-timey bathing suit! It's got stripes!"

[magicademynpcs]

The waves freeze as Headmaster Birony turns to look at the young duck. This would be unsettling, because water shouldn't just hang in midair like that, but that looks downright sane compared to the look in her eye.

"What could possibly be a better sand castle then a castle, made out of sand?!"

[couldabeenturbo]

Whoa. Dewey's seen something very near it in Atlantis, but not water in motion like this. He takes a moment to just stare and appreciate - and, yes, be just a little bit wigg-ed out - before his grin widens.

"With sand furniture and stuff, big enough to live in? You can do that?"

[magicademynpcs]

"Of course I can! Who do I look like, NOT Headmaster Cam Birony?"

Occasionally, Headmaster Birony manages to stumble across a small nugget of wisdom in her aggressive pursuit of being herself.

Diatu Rollercoaster Ride

[outofyourshadow]

[There might be a shape swimming underneath your board, Dewey.

Said shape might be slowly rising up behind you.

Said shape might also suddenly give your board a push forward.]

[couldabeenturbo]

[he is a little too dumb and excited to realize the shape is there. all he knows is that suddenly his board is moving]

Aaaalll-RIIIIGHT, KAHUNA TIME!

[he attempts to strike a pose, but ends up having to fight to keep his balance instead]

[outofyourshadow]

[It probably doesn't help that the board tips to the side more than a little bit, trying to actually throw him off balance.]

Ride!

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"You got on it too soon!" Jecht laughed as he drifted by, floating on his back like all the water in the world couldn't pull him down. "You gotta wait for the wave to come so it catches you!"

[couldabeenturbo]

"Wait, so you don't get on until the wave starts coming?" Dewey sat down on the board and used his feet to paddle after him. "But what if you miss and can't get up there in time? Isn't it just better to wait for it?"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"You want the push from the wave to help you stay up. It's easier to balance when you're moving. Plus if you're standing you can't get some speed to get onto the wave easily."

Ride

[twilightskey]

Roxas has been spending much of the beach trip with Xion, Lea, and Isa, but this was a rare occasion where he found himself separated from the three of them. He really wanted to try surfing, since, well, it was like skateboarding on water, right?

He's a little more stable on his own board, but he's just as lost as the duck next to him.

"I guess we wait for a wave?"