July Event Log

[magicademymods]

July Event Log A Reading Rainbow Though the publication is ordinarily drier than dry toast Modified to be drier than dried toast, this quarter's issue of Thaumaturgy Today is all the rage around campus. The reason: a series of advances in motile spells! Easier and more powerful than those found in your standard book of spells (any grade), these spells achieve their power by specificity. One spell for lifting fruit, one for lifting laundry, one for lifting books, the list goes on. Though Professor Loshakle is deep at work writing a blistering reply criticizing every nuance of these spells, outside of his wrathful gaze the spells flourish as people practice them on everything they can. Copies of the issue are easy to get your hands on, if you want to give these new spells a whirl. On the other hand, your stuff or you yourself might fall victim to the spells of other students, whether by mistake or cruel jest. And woe betide those not human -- since no spell explains how to lift an anthropomorphic duck or a robot, for example, enterprising students are particularly eager to come up with one on their own, and there's only one way to test such things... It's Raw, You Donkey! There was an incident. Mistakes were made. Rice balls were detonated. Puddings were animated and sent on rampages. A cheesebread was found lodged in Makerion Keep, sunk to a depth of three feet in the walls. Whatever happened, and no one seems to have details... the Great Hall is closed and no food is being served. So... what're you going to eat? Several pop-up stands have emerged, as enterprising students try to cash in, but that costs money and who knows how the quality is. Headmaster Birony keeps showing up with pies, having made several savory ones that taste really good, actually, but can you really live on pie alone? (And do you really trust Headmaster Birony?) Some students have taken to the ultimate last resort: cooking. As it happens, the skills of the chef and of the aspiring mage are not exclusive in principle, but generally learning the one means little time to devote to the other. Faced with an oven or a grill, can you muster up the capability to make something edible? Or will you burn the water and turn bread back into grain, and thus have no choice but to avail yourself of pricey booth cooking or Cam-pies? Of course, the Great Hall will PROBABLY be open again soon, you might be able to last until then... The Defense Association In light of certain recent activities, like horrible monster attacks, Professors Trammel and Kith have teamed up to provide self-defense lessons to students who so desire. Purely optional, this extra class at the end of the school day promises study in shields, wards, basic attack spells, and mobility spells (because sometimes the best thing is to run like heck). Needless to say, these classes are quite the adventure! Students find themselves in dueling circles quite frequently, expected to carefully deflect each other's spells. Hopefully you've got the knack of it; the practice spells they have taught you don't cause any harm, but they sting like the dickens! Research on the Sundered Conflict. Conflict seems to be key. As near as the researchers can tell, all the Sundered lead lives that are simply not ordinary, and their experiments in conflict from last month produced results they didn't expect (as you all have learned) but that are most promising. Professor King herself has taken the lead on this experiment, and she warns anyone who volunteers that it is likely to be very dangerous, and they will be taking this very slow. They are, she explains, going to try to bridge the gap between you and the world you came from. A SMALL bridge, a proof of concept, no portal home and celebrations yet. But they hope it will work, and be the first step towards getting you back where you belong. If you agree, they get to work. Any student who undergoes this process immediately regains a power of their choice. It does not have to be on their application, and you do not have to provide proof during AC. It's here now. Only if you do not have a power to regain, you may regain an item instead. The price? For the next three days, you will be haunted by visions of your greatest enemy, your most hated foe, or the person you least wish to see in the world. Perhaps you hear their laughter in the darkness of your room at night. Perhaps you see a fellow student as them. Perhaps they are taunting you from just behind your shoulder... Whatever form it takes, for three days, you will be at their mercy. Or the mercy of your own mind's imagining them. Or perhaps a combination of the two. Who can say...?

Comments

[fatedsacrifice]

It's raw

Noctis worked in a sushi restaurant when he was younger. So the most he can really manage is rice balls and simple ingredient sushi things. Luckily he still had some of the fish leftovers from the beach fishing excursion so that got worked into the rice.

Unfortunately, Ignis isn't here so the king has to manage on his own. And he won't talk about how much his advisor is missed, especially at times like this. Nor will he be discussing the time about how he asked Ignis about the pan he blackened and had almost thrown out so long ago when he had his own place. The only reason it 'lived' was because of his advisor cleaning the thing.

He's not really trying to feed anyone, but should anyone ask he just shrugs.

"Go ahead, help yourself."

Research

When he heard about a chance to figure out how to possibly go home, Noctis moved his tail. The last time the researchers wanted something, he hadn't given them a glance when they asked for hair samples and whatever other crazy things they'd requested of him.

He sat perfectly still now though for Professor King and didn't even care about the danger that she mentioned because he was already gone in his world. If he got lucky, hopefully soon Noctis would find himself home and be able to go to sleep at the very least.

And if this worked, maybe others could go home too. As a king, helping others was what he did though he'd done that as a prince too if all those hunts and quests were anything to go by. On top of that, it was just him and Yotsuyu that night in case the daemon got out to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting people that were gathered there. But he hadn't told her he'd send her running first before he asked her to help him.

The part about conflict had no effect on him. That had been the story throughout his life. Fight this thing, do this, go over here to this place, fight this thing. The hunts he'd done and the many battles he'd had to fight were numerous so conflict was nothing new. This time though he'd be fighting without his friends. However, he'd faced other things and Ardyn alone though he'd had a lot more of an arsenal back then.

He went out for a walk a few hours later, not sure what to think and somehow waited for something to happen. The results hadn't been revealed to him, so he summoned a green plastic drink sword. Pondering going home he tossed it and watched it sail away from him into a small pine tree.

The next thing he knew there was a flash of blue, and he blinked and was right on the little sword. The king's blue eyes looked around and didn't see anyone. So he took his father's blade off of his back and tried the exact same thing with a bigger tree and a much bigger and emptier area.

Yup, same result. Noctis was elated because now he had his Warp Strike back! So he used it all damn day until he tired himself out. Going to bed that night though, he had a dream of seeing Ardyn and he was back in Insomnia.

'The once hapless and helpless prince. Is he now ready to claim his crown? Don't let us down.' Ardyn drawled menacingly. Noct then raced to clash against the other. They both crashed into buildings, and then warped to the ground and stood, facing each other. 'Let the games..begin.' Ardyn said in a low tone. 'No, now they end.' the king declared determinedly. Armigers then came out and the two battled fiercely.

Waking up with a start, Noct shook it off as just a bad dream. That was until he was walking to class and could swear he heard Ardyn's laugh and turned around to no one there. Or when he would turn his head, he thought he saw a glimpse of the black hat or long coat out of the corner of his eye.

It was almost like a wild goose chase, and wherever Ardyn seemed to be, the king would try and catch up.

Please don't get run over or run into by a guy thinking he's seeing an old adversary.

Research

[nomoremistergneissguy]

"Hey," Cliff mumbled weakly from a few beds over. "You okay? You didn't sound real good there." Sure, he was trying to sleep, but it'd sure sounded like the new guy was having nightmares.

Not that he really had to endure that sort of thing, but maybe talking about it would help. Cliff sat up, his familiar already spinning in place (which was generally what Rounder did at night, considering he didn't have to sleep like something organic might). He wasn't sure he should get too close to Noctis, the way the guy had been flailing mere moments earlier, but.

"Pssst!" There might be a few grumpy snarls from the other denizens of the floor, but really, Cliff was doing his best to be relatively quiet. "Wanna talk about it?"

[fatedsacrifice]

Blue eyes opened when he heard some strange voice. Drawing in a breath as if to reassure himself that he had been having a dream, Noctis blinked to gaze over at the person who was speaking. He'd seen this guy around and knew they were in the same house, but he hadn't ever found out the man's name.

The dark head shook in reply to the question as he put his hand on his head. "I'm fine." He could feel a slight headache coming on and of course, in this place, there weren't any potions or anything of the sort.

He appreciated the offer of wanting to talk about things, that definitely reminded him of Ignis. But the king didn't want to bother anyone else. So he sat up and shook his head again, getting a better look at the person who spoke to him, touched by the unexpected kindness.

"Thanks though."

[nomoremistergneissguy]

Cliff got up and got the guy a glass of water, at least. He didn't know if anyone else had headache powder or anything like that around, but he tapped Rounder lightly on the top of his sphere. As if he knew what his master wanted, he offered up a small envelope.

"Here, I don't know if this will help, but you look like you could use it anyway. Headache powder. It's my mother's recipe, so mostly powdered willowbark with a little peppermint. Still tastes pretty bad, even with the mint, so it's best if you just knock it back and then drink the water."

He tried to keep his voice down, because it wasn't as if there weren't others trying to sleep. He couldn't just let the guy suffer in silence, though.

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis had the palms of his hands over his eyes trying to banish Ardyn's visage from his mind. That oily snake voice was hard to shake from the memory.

The quietly spoken tone seemed to get through to the king and temporarily halted the insanity. And so blue eyes strained at the other man, fighting to focus on the words being spoken. Once they registered, he nodded gratefully.

He couldn't help a small laugh at the instructions though, and if he didn't know any better, this man was sent by Ignis himself. So he gave another nod, taking the concoction. Noctis really appreciated such a kind and thoughtful gesture.

"Thank you."

[nomoremistergneissguy]

Cliff chuckled a bit at that, but it was a warm and amused chuckle, not judgmental or malicious in the slightest. He gave the man a polite not.

"It's the least I could do, the very least! Not like Rounder doesn't have a few things tucked away, too." Though most of it wasn't headache powder. He was quite useful, however. Too bad he couldn't heat water for tea, though.

"You doing a little better?" Cliff wasn't terribly certain he ought to try the headache powder on an empty stomach, and it wasn't as if he didn't have a snack or two tucked away with Rounder for later, either...

[fatedsacrifice]

Blue eyes looked over to Cliff's familiar and just observed. And here he'd thought all familiars were cats like his. Here he learned something new every day.

After a few minutes, the king nodded gratefully because this guy had just saved his ass so to speak. Quietly opening the envelope, he looked from the powder to the man who had handed it to him. He then closed it, thankful someone had been kind enough to try and assist him.

"Ya, I'm good." And he was going to stop there, but Ignis had drilled manners into him, or had tried to, rather. "Gonna walk this off and not wake anyone up. You're welcome to come."

It was the least he could do to show his gratitude.

[nomoremistergneissguy]

"Sure, I don't mind. Fresh air might do me good." And put him back to sleep easier, when he eventually returned to his bed. Cliff just glanced at Rounder, who stealthily slipped onto the bed, then rolled down the sheet to land on the floor, near soundlessly.

"He's pretty heavy otherwise, but he's learned a few tricks." This one was especially good, considering it wasn't going to wake up the rest of the dorm. He just slipped that day's robe over his night robe, and nodded towards the door. After you, sir.

[fatedsacrifice]

The king nodded and got up. His blue eyes looked over at Rounder and had cringed, thinking it was going to make a ton of noise, but somehow it hadn't. Giving another nod to Cliff, Noctis waited for the other to get his robe on and then heard sir.

Sir? Well, he wasn't one to go putting on airs or anything else. As he'd said he'd 'rather be in the obituaries.' and ironically enough now he was back home. But these thoughts were fleeting through his mind as they headed outside.

The fresh air felt good and at least he wasn't flailing or being haunted anymore, at least not for the time present. That was definitely a good thing because Noctis wasn't one for embrassment, especially in public. Stars were out and so was the moon, and so they gave him something to focus on.

Research

[treno_nobleman]

Since his own brush with the research of the month, Kuja has been just this side of angry near every waking moment. It is all an illusion, he's sure. It has to be. If Garland was even still alive and in this place, he wouldn't bother himself with stalking his least favorite angel of death. No, he would be more fascinated with the world around him and looking to evaluate it for the souls it held.

Still, it burned, knowing he was never good enough for the man for all of his efforts to please at first. Garland's were high standards, and Kuja set his own even higher for himself. Having met and exceeded his own, he had once dared to hope that his creator would take pride in that, but no. There was no praise, no acknowledgement even, only chains and disappointment.

It brought back the old anger, the old bitterness, and Kuja had been avoiding anyone out of spite. But this was not his world, and he still had work to do in it. That work set him outdoors today, out of his dorm, where it was almost worse and he could not escape other students as he wanted. At least outside, he wasn't cramped and closed up and locked in.

Though not a relief entirely, it was better by fractions, and Garland's ghost had been quiet enough for long enough that he didn't miss a flash of blue off nearby. Something like lightning, but it moved in all the wrong ways. He looked up to see not a spell, but a man moving faster than he should have. It took a moment, but he realized he knew that move. He had seen it only once before, during a battle that seemed longer ago now than it truly was.

Whatever it was, it bled a little of the tension and anger away, and he stood in silence to observe.

[fatedsacrifice]

Holding onto his father's sword high up in a tree, Noctis looked around. He'd really missed warping around and it was a far cry from when Carbuncle had worked on instructing him so long ago. And the small smile disappeared from his face almost as soon as it appeared. That..was another lifetime ago.

He could see quite a bit from this height and knew he couldn't stay up here much longer. Still, the view gave him an idea of the layout that he couldn't possibly see from down below. And if he was going to be staying here, he might as well make himself useful..somehow. Sitting around and doing absolutely nothing was driving him crazy, his brain never stopped working it seemed.

Turning now, he saw a familiar head of silver hair. Kuja. What was he doing here? The king was too far away to see an expression, so he threw his father's sword down onto the ground about twelve feet from where the other man was standing. Appearing an instant after to pick it up from the ground, Noctis nodded at the former warrior for Spiritus.

"Hey."

[treno_nobleman]

If he'd thought for a moment that Noctis meant to hurt him, there would have been more than just a look and a twitch of his tail. But no, the aim was too far off, the strike too far in front of him to merit any threat. Still, it wasn't exactly pleasant to have a blade of any kind, let alone of that quality, hurtled at him, even if it was, admittedly, more than a little impressive to see Noctis very nearly teleport right at its hilt upon landing.

Kuja's tail twitched into a near-lash anyway, out of spite. "Your aim is terrible. Perhaps you should stick with the trees for now. They present less of a challenge than would a moving target."

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis tilted his head to the side. He was still a good distance from Kuja as he picked his father's sword up and walked towards the other. And when he was about four foot away, that's when he heard was being said to him. His aim was terrible? He was almost offended because he certainly hadn't meant for the blade to be anywhere close. If he had meant to do so he most certainly could have. The point was to get closer, not to harm.

So the king was just confused for a moment and about to explain, along with informing the other that he hadn't been actually moving and that's when he realized.

So then the dark head lowered, and Noctis laughed for a moment before raising his gaze back up.

"You know, you sound just like Ignis again."

[treno_nobleman]

"Again, you said?" Somewhere between mildly irritated and intrigued, Kuja held his arms about each other over his middle and shifted his weight to one leg, watching the man in his amusement. Clearly, this was some inside joke to which he was not privy, and now he wanted an answer.

"How many times do you intend to compare me to this person before you will tell me who it is, and why I remind you of him so?"

[fatedsacrifice]

"As many times as you act like him." This was said as Noctis mirrored the gesture of folding his arms across his chest, though there was just a hint of a smile. And then he had a thought.

Moving slowly then, the king pulled out the picture of all of them that he kept in his jacket pocket near his heart. As he'd told Ignis, 'I may not always have you by my side, but you'll always be in my heart.' which was why he kept the photo there. So he walked over to show Kuja, pointing out the advisor.

"That's who I keep talking about."

Still, he couldn't help the smile on his face, short-lived as it was. "I've told you he was my advisor, but he was also one of my best friends. You both have the same attitude sometimes."

That probably wasn't helping.

[treno_nobleman]

Had the photo not been a part of Noctis's approach, Kuja may have concerned himself with it, but instead he lifted a hand to the paper offered, careful with it as he could be. There was no missing where on his person Noctis kept the photo, and the location could not have been a coincidence. Having spent as much time around the man as he was now, the younger face that stared back at him, one that he had first been introduced to in another world, came as a surprise. But it was the only one he knew.

The one indicated to him, Ignis, didn't look like he might behave like Kuja himself did. If he was friend to Noctis, he couldn't imagine any of the ones in the photo did. But they could just as easily slip in and out of any role as he had, he thought. Appearances meant so much and so little, in the end.

"I see." He didn't. "Tell me about them."

[fatedsacrifice]

That request came as a surprise really. But Noctis tried to figure out what to say. "Ignis cooks, but he can be sassy." The king didn't ask for the photo back, but walked around a little. "Prompto is a photographer, bright and cheery." Cheery and chipper, upbeat unlike himself. "Gladio is one one of the best protectors someone could have."

The king didn't want to call Gladio his shield, because that might invite questions.

Blue eyes looked away from the picture because it hurt to look at it, even if he kept it near his heart. And he would be lying if he said that he hoped they didn't show up here.

Do sushi what I shi?

[couldabeenturbo]

"Nice!" Dewey rolled right on up to the display - get it? sushi rolls!!! - and looked it all over. "Do you have any soy sauce?"

You're so beautiful, never change

[fatedsacrifice]

Cue the odd look on the king's face as he gets spoken to. And he was about to ask something when his mind reeled him back in. This was a magic school and magical things happened here, including talking ducks obviously.

It took him a minute to rein in his tone, but Noctis shook his head.

"I'll..get it."

So the king got up and handed some over with a nod.

but there's a bodyswap plot I HAVE TO

[couldabeenturbo]

"Hey, thanks. You can't have sushi without it, am I right?" He sprinkled just enough to cut the bitterness of the seaweed, then popped a piece in his mouth. After chewing for a moment, he mimed a chef's kiss and smiled.

"This is pretty good. I mean, it's no Waakamama's, but it's decent."

Well..fine!

[fatedsacrifice]

For the afterlife of him, Noctis couldn't figure this one out, especially after that..whatever gesture he just made. But somehow it reminded him of Ignis, which..was sort of disturbing.

"Glad you like it." Really it's the basics of the basics, but the king took note because if Iggy ever did show up here, he had a witness that he was a good chef.

Nevermind about the time that the steak tasted like chicken when it wasn't supposed to.

hakuna matata, I'll change back eventually

[couldabeenturbo]

"Hey, don't mention it." He popped one shoulder in a shrug. "Do I take a class with you or something? You look familiar. I'm Dewey."

[fatedsacrifice]

The king thought a moment and then shook his head. "Not that I can think of.."

And he looked familiar? He wasn't sure quite how, because he tended to be a recluse, other than the occasional 'accidental' hanging out (if it could really be called that) with Kuja.

But he nodded to Dewey. "I'm Noctis."

[couldabeenturbo]

Maybe he was thinking of Jecht, then, he realized. They both had shaggy dark hair and weird scruffy things on their faces. Humans all looked alike, sheesh.

"Oh. Never mind that, then. So if you aren't in my classes, which ones do you take? And why aren't you in Music? It's only the best class and the only one worth taking...."

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis was about to reply when Dewey brought up music. He himself hadn't dealt with any instrument since he was a boy. There had been all sorts of things he could've learned and probably should have dealing with music, but the one instrument that he liked was the piano.

He couldn't help but smile a little at the enthusiasm he was hearing. "You sound like a big fan."