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

[nomoremistergneissguy]

That...was about the last thing he'd ever expected to hear. Dragon's scales, what in the world was she talking about?

"Uh. Well. Safety's overrated, right?" Just trying to break that mindset with a little bit of humor. "But what's...going on? Why would I have to stop you? Um. Terrorizing card-playing kids? Because if that's the case, I'm just as guilty."

That was why he'd missed the beach trip. He'd decided not to go, no matter how well he'd done on his midterms. He still had to figure out something to do as an apology to Yugi, though the other guy had--well, no. He hadn't accepted Cliff's apology with good grace--more like a thinly veiled desire to get the hell out of there. It had only made Cliff feel worse.

[burningbrighter]

"No, that's not it. Or...not just it."

Sunset curled herself into a ball. "I did that, but...that wasn't the first time. That's who I've been. And I could be again."

And you will be, my dear, if you just give in~

She looks up at Cliff. "She might infect you too."

[nomoremistergneissguy]

He furrowed his brows at that, but for the moment, he just shut up and listened. Okay, first things first.

"She who?" But Cliff is mentally plodding through this, as best he can. "She, you mean you? I kinda hope you forgive me for not believing most of that, okay? Because you've been nothing but nice to me in the time I've known you."

He takes a breath. It's not like his dad didn't have history that he tried to put behind him. Athros Vitner hadn't been the kindest and most upstanding individual for a while. Sure, he'd had some extenuating circumstances, but a lot of it seemed like a bit of a stretch, there.

"The only thing that 'infected' me--and I figure you too--was...whatever it was that Yugi got out of us at the end of that card game, and I don't think he has anything to do with...well, anything?! So what's really going on?"

[burningbrighter]

What's really going on? A lot of things, but the most relevant at the moment...

"My past self. Who I became when I was corrupted by trying to harness the magic of friendship as a bully...but I was a bad egg long before that. Using the magic just made me more extreme."

She folded her hands. "I can see her, and hear her voice...she's calling me back."

[nomoremistergneissguy]

It might not be that easy, and on one hand, Cliff understood that, but on the other--he'd always been a stubborn blockhead, and that was something that didn't change overnight, either.

"Tell her to stuff it. That's the old you." It was sort of grumbling, but he was also entirely earnest about it. "You've grown past that. I believe the you I know is the real deal. She might want to drag you down, but you don't have to let her."

Cliff did look around, a frown on his face, but he didn't see anything. "I don't see her, though--but if I did, you can be sure I'd tell her where she could go." Take a flying leap off the edge of the island? Yeah, that came to mind.

[burningbrighter]

"I'm...I'll..."

She's still feeling a little self doubt, but she shakes her head.

"I'll try. I don't want to be that girl! You hear that?"

There's a little of the old fire. She hears cruel laughter in response, but doesn't drop her gaze.

"I'm no demon anymore!"

[nomoremistergneissguy]

"Damn right you're not, you never were! She knows where she can go!" Packing. That'd be the best hope. At least, in Cliff's mind. For as much cruel laughter as Sunset might be hearing, Cliff might be as loud. Not that he knows he's in competition with someone he ought to be drowning out.

"You're in control of what you do, not her, so she can just beat it!"

[burningbrighter]

"Right!"

Right? Sunset's still shaking with adrenaline, so unsure. She presses close.

"It's...gonna be okay?"

[nomoremistergneissguy]

"Yeah. Maybe not always, sometimes there's always a voice saying 'hey, isn't the mean path the easier one?' And sometimes it is, I guess, but nobody says you have to take it. And if she tries to push you--you push back, you're better than that!"

That last part certainly was something Cliff's dad had said, more than once--but if it was good advice, it was good advice. Worth taking. No reason Sunset couldn't take it, too! Even if it was coming from Cliff's mouth and not Athros'.

"But it'll work out and be okay. Not perfect, but good enough."

[burningbrighter]

"...good enough."

Sunset almost smiles as she rocks to the side and nudges him. That'll do.

[nomoremistergneissguy]

He chuckles, just a little, and nudges her back. "I've never met anyone perfect. I mean, I guess my mom is kinda close? She totally is perfect, in my dad's eyes, but it's kind of awkward when she gets put on a pedestal. To her, too. Pedestals are for artwork, not people."

It kind of sounded silly to him, but Cliff felt like it was true nonetheless.

[burningbrighter]

"I still need to see more of your art, you know."

Sunset sounds almost normal. The demon's still seeking to twist her words, but she's found her lifeline.

[nomoremistergneissguy]

"You do! And I probably should make a few more pieces for my favorite muse, huh?"

He might be teasing, but he certainly sounds earnest enough, even as he gives her another little nudge with an elbow.

"I already know you look good in turquoise, but do you have any stones you like?"