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

[treno_nobleman]

The Defense Association

[No stranger to self-defense, either by magical or physical means, Kuja had almost turned up his nose at the chance to partake of classes that would teach him the basics. Yet for one reason or another, something about it caught his eye, and he finds himself indulging anyway. Maybe he's just curious, maybe he might learn something. This world isn't his own after all, and though he's getting to know it better by the way, he can only get so far trapped on this campus.]


Research on the Sundered

[It isn't until he reviews the new research to be held this month that he comes to an epiphany: he doesn't want to go home. There simply is no home for him anymore, and whether he ends up shunted back there or not, this world is all that he has left. Damnably so. He has but one goal, and it may very well be that as long as he's here, he already has achieved what he set out to do after departing Spiritus and Materia's realm for the final time.]

[But there is one thing left to do. Just one. Small. Thing. And following his epiphany, he has a second: he isn't ready to die.]

[Maybe he still can do something to help this world after all. Maybe there can be one good thing he does with his wretched life. So he volunteers for the research again, having been thoroughly warned of the consequences. Immediately, he feels his soul surge as he regains his ability to invoke Trance, but he stops, chilled by a sudden sense of oppression, clear and absolute.]

[He had been warned. He knew exactly what he was getting himself into, and yet the first time he turns the corner and sees the man standing there, dark and robed and cold and uncaring, it still hits him like a burst of winds frigid enough that even he has to shiver. It's almost enough to send him into Trance right then and there, but he manages to stop short of his eyes tinting red.]

[Standing right in front of him, visible to no one else, is his creator, Garland.]

Defense!

[areasontohope]

Yuki is new to magical self-defense, but regular defense with martial arts was nothing new. And if he could learn magical defense, he might be in a better position to help those that helped him.

Because of when he thought about Fluttershy having to rescue him that day, it grated on his nerves. Shigure would definitely have a good laugh if he ever heard about this. There were a few others that would never let him hear the end of it either.

So he found himself paired with a man with long silver hair with his name written on a piece of paper. It reminded him of Ayame's hair, but this man looked like he'd seen his share of real battles, unlike his brother.

Hesitantly he walked over to the man and slightly bowed. "My name is Yuki Sohma. I am to be your defense partner according to the slip I received from Professor Trammel."

[treno_nobleman]

Noting the man's approach, Kuja looked up, giving him a visual once over as he did so. Long ago, he had learned that appearances were not everything, as much as they were valued among Gaia's nobility. One wrong word, one bad hair day could ruin a reputation for months in the cities there, but on the battlefield it meant nothing. This man didn't look like much, he thought, but that, too, meant nothing.

The bow was interesting though, and spoke of better manners than most here. He offered the man a short tilt of his head and a charming smile. "Well then, I should only be all too glad to indulge you, Yuki Sohma. I am Kuja. Tell me, have they given you specifics on what we are to focus on, or is this to be an open practice?"

[areasontohope]

Looking back up, Yuki noticed the smile. Well, at least this person didn't seem to have his brother's attitude either so he nodded. "Thank you, it's nice to meet you Kuja." Manners, this one had it in spades.

The question posed however made him shake his head. "All I was told was to locate you and to begin to practice wards and basic attack spells." The gray head shook again. "I can learn pretty fast, though magic is still new to me."

Magic being new is the truth, unless the topic of magical curses comes up in the form of transforming into zodiac animals when hugged by members of the opposite sex.

[treno_nobleman]

He certainly wasn't going to be cruel about it, but he had few plans to pull punches, at least if they got to a point. The way the conversation was going, it sounded like they might have already reached that point before anything had ever truly started. He looked the man over once more, considering.

"I would be all for diving in head first, had you mentioned you have better experience, but it isn't my intention to leave you with lasting scars. Come, then. What do you know of this world's magic?"

[areasontohope]

Well, Yuki was grateful he wasn't going to have to defend himself right off. And he'd learned the day that Fluttershy covered him from wrestling that damn plant to keep it from hurting her that his wand had to be his best friend in this place from that day forward.

He shook his head. "I'm more familiar with the Intimation and Glyphics magics. I'll be adding Thaumaturgy to that in the Fall..should I still be here." And with a sinking feeling, he figured he would be somehow.

[treno_nobleman]

He nodded, casting a glance down at his own wand held lightly, harmless, by his side. He could conjure flames, bring about ice, summon small but relatively useless objects like a bookmark or a comb, if he wanted. But they were here to do better.

"I have been learning Thaumaturgy and Discovery myself. If you've taken well to Imitation, you'll like Thaumaturgy. I hear the two are quite similar, though I've yet to dabble in it myself." There was a moment's thought, one pushed away with a look back to Yuki. "Shall we start with a demonstration, then, to gauge each other's skill?"

[areasontohope]

"That might be a good place to start." He'd listened to Kuja's words and explanation, feeling like he might be better off at least having someone to test against. After all, learning magic on one's own was all fine and dandy. But he always felt more ready when he had an opponent, even a friendly one.


So he readied his wand.

[treno_nobleman]

He nodded his assent and turned to face an empty space of the training grounds before them. Within it with a few words and a point of his wand, he conjured a plain wooden post. Nothing special, nothing significant or impressive, but a target no less.

"We can use this as part of the demonstration, to have an idea of what the other is capable of without needing to endure the spells ourselves." Then, with his other hand, he gestured toward his creation. "Please, be my guest."

[areasontohope]

He definitely had wondered exactly what they were going to do and to see a wooden pole be conjured instead of trying to beat on each other definitely helped. It was a sense of relief and a challenge that he could definitely work on.

His prayer magic still felt weak and he wondered if somehow he'd gotten sorted into the wrong school. But that wasn't going to stop the kid who was generally great at anything he tried.

And so he focused and managed to wave his wand at it to knock it down. There was some sense of satisfaction, but he felt like he was dealing with Kazuma, someone who'd been dealing with magic far longer than himself.

[treno_nobleman]

From the start, he'd never had an intention that he should face an opponent and turn his magic against them in the process. This was meant to be training, and in that they were going to need to make the threat real, but while Kuja had no qualms with getting hurt, it was the opposite that concerned him.

It felt good while it lasted, to hurt someone else. He hadn't cared before when he'd created the black mages what they felt, and in truth he hadn't wanted them to feel anything at all. They had no soul, and for a while he told himself he'd made them as such so that he wouldn't have to put up with insubordination and neither would their buyers.

But it was more than that. He knew what it was to feel something as a being made to follow orders and nothing else and to be tossed aside like so much garbage when his purpose was done. The sadist in him hadn't truly been satisfied to see another in agony, not really, just as blade of grass could not stop the tide of a raging flood. It hadn't helped, and once his eyes had been opened to the truth of his circumstances and doings, the backlash nearly destroyed him.

The wooden target fell over, snapped clean at the base, and he nodded, holding up a hand to halt any other attempts on the dummy so that he could lift it back into position and use his magic to meld the two parts back together again. "Very good. A proper use of force to push a target aside. What magic did you use just then?"

Research

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis is exhausted. Between not sleeping, unexpectedly dozing off, and trying to appear 'normal' it's weighing down on him. This was taking more out of him than when he admitted summoning Leviathan took a lot out of him in Insomnia.

So he'd gone to the professors and found out that he was eligible to get his own space, away from the rest of the crowd. This was definitely preferable, so he'd move into a new place as soon as he could get a decent night's rest.

Due to the lack of sleep, the king turned a few wrong corners and came face to face with Kuja. And he didn't look happy.

[treno_nobleman]

And happy, he certainly was not, not after having turned a corner of his own and found himself staring down Garland's disapproving face for the third time that day. This time, it wasn't Garland, but another familiar face, one far more welcome than the cruelty of his creator. Kuja didn't exactly fancy himself running to Noctis, grateful to have someone else to look at, but it did lower his haunches.

Come to think of it, Noctis didn't look like he'd had the best of times lately himself. Kuja wondered if they might not have taken part in the same research somewhere along the way that month. It took a near physical effort, but he shook the irritation from his mind and nodded a greeting to the man. "You look as if you could drop at any moment."

[fatedsacrifice]

The king shifted his face away from the other's knowing blue-eyed gaze. And at least the Gods here were merciful enough not to show him Kuja instead of Ardyn. He'd already done that once when Prompto had been kidnapped and that hadn't gone well at all.

"Ya." Normally he might deny it or try and play it off, but this was taking its toll on him and he was more than sure that it showed. And he was one who could fall asleep easily and had done so plenty of times back home. But this was the opposite of all of that.

His head shook. "Didn't really think I'd run into anyone."

[treno_nobleman]

It surprised him that Noctis hadn't put up a fight about his answer, having half expected him to deny it though the truth was so plain. He would have tried to pretend otherwise himself, but he wasn't of a mind to invite questions. Not yet anyway.

"Would you prefer it if we did not?" It wasn't really a question. They were both not at their best and he knew his own moods could shift at the drop of a hat with the right or wrong wording. Still, he thought this might not be the worst time to be around a familiar face. He could have been raving mad.

[fatedsacrifice]

"Preferable to what I've seen." This came with a shrug. Really, he'd rather see Kuja any day over Ardyn. Noctis just felt so damn tired, and this was worse than any other tired that he had ever felt.

And then there was silence. He couldn't bring himself to ask about what the other was going through when he wasn't willing to divulge his own pain here. He'd even told Talcott in Hammerhead as much back home.

[treno_nobleman]

To that, he said nothing. What could he say? They would be blind to say nothing had been bothering them as drastically as it was, and yet neither of them was willing to lay those secrets at the other's feet. Familiar with Noctis as Kuja was, there were places he would not go with the man, and he had a feeling it was only mutual.

Just as well. They were doing no good for anything, and the longer he stared at the man, the more he thought Noctis was right. Even looking at a stranger was better than staring down Garland's ghost for the next however long he decided to hang around. He sighed abruptly and settled a hand on his hip, tail tip twitching. "Isn't the bell for lunch due soon? My appetite may be spoiled, and you look like yours may be as well, but I am not keen on enduring this longer than I must."

He needed to walk. He needed to do something. If not, he would sit and fume and it would help nothing.

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis smiled but there was no humor in it. "Is this where you tell me to buzz off?" Sometimes it seemed like that was always eventually the case. Not that the king could blame Kuja.

They may have met in another world and their paths seemed to keep crossing. As a kid, Noctis would've declared it weird or creepy. But now he wondered.

Sure they had 3 classes together and maybe the other was just sick of looking at him. That might be it.

[treno_nobleman]

For several long moments, Kuja stared at Noctis, unsure of what to say. He wanted to be alone, but alone meant another run in with Garland. As much as he was not running from his creator and as much as he wanted not to have to explain the looks he sometimes gave thin air, Noctis seemed at least to understand.

Damn that research, but it was worth it to have his Trance back. His magic could be amplified if he so wished. If only he could use it against the images and voices that haunted him, his misery would be made all the sweeter, even if the man behind it was well and truly dead and gone, and he would just be throwing his frustrations against the wind.

Finally, his tail twitched and Kuja looked in the direction of the cafeteria, sighing faintly. He hadn't any real intention of getting anything to eat, but he needed to move. To do something. So he started in that direction, steps slow and sure. "I suppose not."

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis really wasn't sure what to make of the blatant stare that he found himself on the receiving end of. He was pretty sure that he was turning slightly red from it too, because his hand went up to his hair, just as it had done on the day he was called out for being older.

The king began to think that he should just accept this effect.

The words spoken had him standing there as the silver haired man began walking away. Wait..what? Kuja wasn't tired of looking at him or him being around?

No he couldn't read anything into this. He was just preferable to whoever else Kuja might be seeing besides him. That had to be it really.

The king wasn't sure he should follow, but he had noticed that the other didn't really hang around anyone either. But even if he understood it, maybe Noctis should try a different approach. And it would be one he'd learned from the boys back home.

However, it would wait until after this nightmare.

[treno_nobleman]

In truth, he wasn't sure what it was that he wanted, what would get him out of this torment, but it couldn't last forever. This was just the second day, and already he had let it get to him. How long had he spent plotting, biding his time against the man when Garland was still alive, and now he couldn't last more than a day without the old anger burning to life?

It was shameful to think, but it only made his blood boil that much more. The walk did him some good, though he was far too familiar with the grounds now to hope for any sort of real distraction. That was where Noctis came in. If he really wanted, he could think of it as a mutual benefit. The man was bothered by something, to be sure, though Kuja wasn't sure what. What he was sure of was that they weren't going to get past it standing there, staring at each other as if the answers were right in front of them somehow.

A few paces away, Kuja stopped and turned to look back, silently asking if Noctis was going to follow him. It wasn't necessary, and maybe the man had other ideas, but the offer was still there on the table, if he wanted it.

[fatedsacrifice]

That look was the sign he'd been waiting for, to see if his company was welcome or not. So with a nod, Noctis finally moved and caught up with Kuja. He wasn't trying to pry into the other's business and he wasn't trying to push for conversation. So the king decided that he'd speak if the other spoke, but other than that, he would remain quiet.

Maybe the other was going through something similar to what he was, and that was his only explanation. It didn't matter to him if they walked all night and said nothing. Silence was comfortable for him and was his usual mode. But from what he'd experienced of Kuja, the opposite couldn't be said. After all, the silver haired man had approached him to begin with. And that seemed like ages ago now.

So the king remained a silent companion, trying to shake off his own daemons and he would provide back up should anything or anyone confront them. He'd even listen if the other wanted to talk as well, but somehow he highly doubted conversation was desired. But it all had to start somewhere, with or without words.

[treno_nobleman]

Silence wasn't in his norm. Anyone who knew him for more than a few minutes could easily tell that. But now, he had little he wanted to say, little that he could say, and it ate at him as they crossed the lawn, heading toward the cafeteria. From here, he could smell the food coming from upwind, and it made his stomach knot.

In honesty, he hated the silence more than the sudden pit in his stomach. The sounds of students around them, less weighted down by ghosts from their pasts than the miserable pair he and Noctis made, were distant, too far away to stave off the awareness he held somewhere in the back of his mind of his own circumstances. That somewhere out there, Garland's image was waiting to catch him at a bad time, or catch him at all, and he would feel that old anger burning within him again, something he had hoped was gone.

But to know that anger was still there, to know he hadn't yet escaped it, for as little good as it had done him in a previous world, stung on a soul-deep level. At last, he could bear it no longer, and gusted an irritated sigh, tail lashing behind him.

"Of all the wretched happenings to befall us on a day like today, one would think the weather would cooperate and at least offer a dark cloud or two to compensate."

[fatedsacrifice]

For a guy who liked food, Noctis wasn't hungry. He just was glad for the walk and yes even the company. Having someone else around helped his mindset, as he was so used to travelling with at least three other people.

Once Kuja spoke though, the king turned his blue eyes to his companion and turned right back away before the threatening smile could fully appear on his face. All he said instead was "Ya, go figure." with a shrug. But it was still reassuring to hear the grumbling and he realized the smile was somewhat in his own tone too.

He didn't want to get stuck out in a sudden rain or hailstorm which had been going on as of late so he was glad for the weather. Obviously that wasn't the case with Kuja, which was okay too.

[treno_nobleman]

Irritatingly, Noctis had little to offer in the way of conversation, and that would have been a welcome distraction. The walls and air could suffice for a sounding board for his own voice when he wanted to say something, as he did at times, but now and then it was nice to know his words hadn't fallen on deaf ears, even if he didn't care whether or not anyone heard him.

It took a moment before he caught himself for what was truly happening, that the anger had come back on him even though Garland's ghost was nowhere to be seen for the moment. In his mind, that meant the man was winning, and his pride, still too tall after so long, couldn't suffer it. Eyes tilted to the skies above, almost the same shade of blue now that the day had deepened and begun its tilt toward night, and he forced a slower breath through his nose.

"But it always has been that way, hasn't it? No matter where we are in this universe, no matter what world we walk, the happiest days see rain and the saddest shade themselves in sun and clear skies. Ever the bitter irony."