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

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Thyme for Shopping

[Afternoon finds Jecht wandering around the Merchant District, a bag tossed over his shoulder and a list in his hand that clearly is giving him some difficulty.]

Man, I sure hope some of these things are spices. If they're fruit or something I don't know what I'm gonna do...

[Earn your bread, Yotsuyu had said to him. Get her some ingredients and she'll feed him. What she hasn't counted on, or maybe has, is how little Jecht knows about the culinary arts. Pepper and salt, he gets those, but what the heck is 'schitimi'?]

Research

[He might've finally earned some food, enough to keep him going, but those who spot Jecht over the next couple of days are looking at a man who's gotten no sleep at all. Quite aside from his usual energy and ego, he's openly dragging, eyes puffy and bloodshot, and no bounce in his step.]

[And every once in a while he cringes, for no apparent reason. After all, no one else can feel the sudden ominous pressure -- the shift in atmosphere, the feeling of dread, everything that comes with the imminent attack of a creature large than buildings and as unbreakable as diamond. A quick jerk of his head, looking for the Sinspawn that it flings from its body, but there's nothing. The presence is just illusion.]

[But it will be back.]

rhyme for shopping

[woo_oo]

What's wrong with fruit?

[Webby's oh so cheerful voice pops up from behind!]

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

I don't know where to find it!

[Not that he knows where to find this thing even if it's a spice, but here he's at least closer on its train than if it's some fruit or whatever.]

[woo_oo]

Maybe I can help you! I love going on epic quests to search for hidden treasures!

[And that's the same thing, right?]

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Nice, but this ain't an epic quest. This is looking for whatever it is 'Su wants so she'll feed me when I get it!

[And that's important. He's frickin' HUNGRY.]

[woo_oo]

Su? A friend of yours?

[Introduce her to the wonderful world of nicknames!]

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Y'know, Yotsuyu. You want a name too long to say every damn time, she's got it!

[woo_oo]

[Gasp]

Su... For Yotsuyu! I love it!

I have a shorter name too! My real name's Webbigail!

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Yeah, 'Webby' suits you better. [Webbigail, really? That's way too much of a mouthful and formal-sounding besides!] I'm gonna stick with that!

[woo_oo]

Do you have a nickname too?

Research

[darkenedmoon]

[Given everything, to see Jecht slouching about campus has Yotsuyu nothing but annoyed, at first. She'd fed him! She wasn't that heartless, not any more! Besides, he'd earned something, at least. She makes way towards him, intent on snarking at him...

And then, he does something she's never seen him do, not even under the weight of one of her worst tirades.

He cringes. At that, her anger wisps away like morning dew, and her steps quicken as she approaches him.]

Dear gods, man, are you all right? What is going on?

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

[Jecht nearly jumps at the sudden sound of footsteps and the sudden question, but he shoves his tension away quickly. It's just Yotsuyu, she ain't a threat. Letting out a low breath, he rubs at his neck awkwardly, tilting his head to try to work out the tension.]

[Can't really lie so he'll tell a half-truth...] Ain't been sleeping well.

[darkenedmoon]

I had not noticed. [Dryer than the deserts of Thanalan, she was. Brows furrowed, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him.]

Pray, what are you supposed to be doing now? Practice? [She wasn't certain of the times, and she'd been a bit...disoriented, herself, as of late...]

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Uh. Maybe, yeah. [He doesn't even know what time it is himself, so he's just gonna -- run with it. After all, there's always time to practice, right?]

[darkenedmoon]

Oh, dear gods...[She rolled her eyes and made to catch him by the arm. Yotsuyu is positive that she can make things smooth with both sets of teachers if she and Jecht end up missing classes because of this--it was not as if Professor King was not manning this part of the Sundering research herself!]

You are coming with me. Now. [Her tone brooks no argument, but in truth, if she saw any she called friend looking this bad? The treatment would be the same. Even if he jerks free, she starts off towards the living quarters, looking over her shoulder as if she expects Jecht to follow.]

You had best come with me. We shall get to the bottom of this!

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

[Follow Jecht does, or really, he gets dragged along by the force of her personality. Right now he's easy to lead, hand on the arm or not.]

Bottom of what? Just -- not sleeping? That can happen, can't it?

[darkenedmoon]

It can, but I have never seen you cringe before. [Yotsuyu might not admit it out loud, but that one had hurt. Jecht is a big dolt, but she feels a sort of proprietary air to him--he's hers, somehow. She'd probably treat Hendrik the same way. She'd definitely treat Eleven the same way and mother him aggressively. But Jecht might know he's caught, by that statement alone. The big man does not normally cringe. Ever.]

I am going to get you some food and a sleeping draught and you are going to sleep. In my quarters, if need be.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

I didn't... [It's not much of a protest, done entirely for form. He's too ground down to put up much of a pretense, even to help his poor ego out. And he still doesn't fight the way she's tugging him along, though he does try to put up another front.]

Oh, sleepin' in your quarters, huh?

[darkenedmoon]

Yours are close enough, you may sleep there, if you so desire. [Of course he is. She's not buying it for a moment. Yotsuyu has more than an idea of what might be happening, considering some of the things that Jecht has told her in the past, and the not-so-sudden reappearance of her darling brother for a few days, recently.]

I take it you volunteered for research as well? [She has every intent of asking him what he's seeing or feeling, but Yotsuyu is canny enough to realize he probably won't want to respond. At all. However, chances are better that Jecht might if they were in more of a private place, and thus, she herds him in that direction.]

Thyme for Shopping

[couldabeenturbo]

Dewey's out looking for something to offset all the raw food he's been choking down lately, when he spots a familiar face from the beach and trots over, grinning.

"Hey, Jecht! How's it going?"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Jecht's answer was a grunt that offered no details but plenty of disgust. "I'm on a wild goose chase, 'cept I could find wild geese easier!"

[couldabeenturbo]

"Well, four eyes are better than two!" He whipped out a fedora and pulled it down at a rakish angle. "Detective Turbo. I find the lost, and I tell the scum to get lost. What's the buzz, the chatter, the jawflap, Jecht?"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

The answer to his questions was, apparently, the breaking news that Jecht had no idea what the heck was going on here. He stared down at the kid at a complete loss, like the little duck had grown a second head.

"What the hell have you been drinking lately?"

[couldabeenturbo]

He blinked up at Jecht, plainly. "Water. Juice. ... I still haven't been able to figure out how to recreate Pep for Louie, so. ... But seriously, what are you looking for?"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Weirdo.

"Something called schitimi. Tsu said she could cook something good if she had some." Jecht shrugged, to make it seem like he was just bored and had nothing better to do, instead of being Yotsuyu's errand boy so he could get a good meal.