September Event Log

[magicademymods]

September Event Log The Magicademy has a special treat for students this week: Combined Classes. The Curriculum-by-Curriculum education of the Magicademy lends itself to viewing each Curriculum on its own, not part of the greater whole that is magic. So in lieu of normal lessons this week, Professors are joint-teaching classes to show you what you can do by merging magic together. Profs. Porfsin & Kith: Making Modification Fantastic If Diatu students love anything, it's expressing their individuality by wearing unique clothing, particular ones similar to home in the case of the Sundered. Working together, the good Professors will teach you a basic and beloved trick of wizards everywhere: combining Modification and Fantastics to make a spell that provides you with clothes that are outstandingly fashionable and flamboyant on the outside, but fit perfectly and comfortably despite their flair. At last, the secret of how wizards can swoop around in dramatic capes and flowing robes without constantly tripping! Of course, the potential for mayhem is pretty high in practice. Shrinking clothes, accidentally creating a scarf 250 feet long... Professor Trammel has loaned them his familiar, a top hat named Decorum, so it is on hand to quickly deploy wide black censor bars in the event a mishap leaves you perhaps offering more in the way of an Anatomy of the Sundered class than you might expect. But if you work hard and give it your all, you might come out of this looking good indeed! Profs. Loshakle & Mala: Advanced Warding A lesson Professor Loshakle hammers home in his classes: the more broad the spell, the weaker its effect. A ward against fire specifically will repel so much more fire than a general ward, but of course the fire ward is entirely worthless against lightning. Today, these two Professors show one way to get the best of both world: a Predictive Ward. The theory is simple: Suspend an Intimation effect within the ward's construction, then make the ward manifold-responsive -- or in other terms, capable of shifting its focus from one danger to another. The Intimation spell predicts the damage and preemptively shifts the ward to full effect. Simple! Enjoy testing them. Since it involves hurling some things at each other. What better way to test a ward than practically? Profs. Trammel & King: Pocket Summoning One of the problems inherent to Discovery is the danger involved in creation. For example, if you desire a large quantity of water for whatever reason, you need to create it all at once -- you can't create it ahead of time without a way to transport it, for example. Sundering offers an intriguing possibility that actually is much safer than most of its uses: opening a portal into a small pocket dimension, where you can Discover and store whatever you might need, and release it later in small doses or full-tilt. Now, mess up the Sundering spell and you could end up discharging a large volume of water or stone or pudding out of midair at a terribly inopportune time. But don't worry! Several groundskeeping golems are on-hand to help with the inevitable messes. Also Professor Trammel knows how to clean clothing. You might need that help. Headmaster Camillah Birony: ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO ATTEND THIS CLASS This opportunity is unique. For all her flaws, Headmaster Birony is unquestionably a master wizard, who has developed an entire branch of magic hereto undiscovered by wizardkind. The art of working magic on magic, or as she calls it, "Metamagic". "And it will be the third Metacurriculum! Wizardkind everywhere will develop and master these powers that I have paved the way for! AND THEY CALLED ME MAD!" she yells to the sky, before flinging her hands wide and laughing maniacally. So! You get to start very basic: Modifying a spell to last longer. Pick your favorite spell, any spell, and cast it. While its magical energies still exist in the pattern your will has imposed on them, Modify them. A simple equation. Add 1 to them. Multiply them by 2. Whatever works for you. You don't get much more instruction than that, says the Headmaster, because you have to figure out how to make it work for yourself. More than most magic, this depends entirely on your will and your determination. Everything else is just trappings -- take what you want from the foci of Modification, that will help, but find your own path forward. And unlike every other lesson, this one is utterly safe. At the first sign of a spell getting out of control or going haywire, Headmaster Birony squelches it like a bug beneath her heel. Not even literally, for a pleasant change!

Comments

[darkenedmoon]

"Nor did I, I assure you--but so long as there is no lasting damage, save to pride or dignity, I dare say we shall survive!" Not that Yotsuyu would have been half so happy about wounds to either, six months or so ago, but how the times had changed!

"That was well done. Hopefully they are preoccupied now, and shall disperse without attempting to find us again. Horrible creatures." Not that Yotsuyu disliked most birds as a matter of course--she was rather fond of rooks, as it went--but eagulls were noisy and dirty and quite frankly, a nuisance. She was not surprised at all to find they needed to be hunted here.

[fatedsacrifice]

This academy was definitely a strange place. Noctis had no idea whatever this version of the afterlife was but between Yotsuyu and Kuja, he hadn't laughed this much in a long time. It made him miss the guys, wishing they were here to meet the people he now knew here.

Once the laughter died down, the king shook his head. "Where did those guys even come from? I don't remember ever seeing them before." Being older certainly had thought himself fit but with being a little winded now, he wasn't sure that was the case anymore.

[bornebygrace]

He nodded at her asking if he was safe, a little surprised by the response. He'd expected something a bit more scathing than what she gave, though he was glad (and maybe a little proud) that this was the response he received instead. It was nice to see she was a little less prone to reach out and swipe as she admitted she was not talented in Fantastics and pointed out his mistakes.

"Oh, I see - I remember being unsure about that part." He watched her fix it, then watched her trace the diagram in the air. It was his turn to write: he wrote a small note next to the diagram and documented what part should be a little bit wider. As he did this, he spoke. "I know - I'm just not very good at it." That was a lie, he just didn't apply himself quite as hard in the subject. Why bother when he had a friend who could help him?

"So like this?" He traced the diagram also without the equation, just to have her make sure he was doing it right. She may adjust what he was tracing a little to correct him, but once he managed to trace it without an issue he would take a breath to gather himself. "Okay, let's give this another try." Purble seemed to be a little unsure and Aaron set the platypus on a table next to him and Yotsuyu. Aaron took a moment to straighten out Purble's little shirt before turning and trying to cast what he'd been working on, aiming it towards himself.

It almost worked - he got the flourish he was looking for, but at the cost of what he was wearing turning a garish pink. Aaron looked down at himself and dropped his arms as he started to laugh. "It looks like I focused so hard on the Modification I forgot to do the Fantastics right." He calmed down to a toothy grin, looking at Yotsuyu. "I promise I'm just rusty and not actually this bad."

[noasark]

"No...it doesn't." Eeeeugh. "...Do you even spend that much time in the water?" he finds himself asking. "Compared to..."

...Hmm.

"...The non-sentient ducks?" He's mostly curious because it feels like a somewhat silly thing to have. A good advantage, but still odd.

[nomoremistergneissguy]

"Oh yeah?" Cliff looked over at the king, then, brows arching. He sounded like he knew! "Speaking from experience? Regarding the crazy, I mean.

At his warning about getting burnt, he threw back his head and laughed. "Oh no, I haven't lived with a pair of pyromancers for the past seventeen years without learning to get used to the flames--or evading them altogether! I still am not sure I'd wanna go tempt fate anyway, though."

He could always just encase himself in earth as armor, after all. Plenty of times he'd fought fires that way, in the past.

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis hadn't been paying attention because he'd been trying to get his wand to work correctly. It seemed all he'd been able to do was summon tiny fire implings the other day which hadn't gone well. Creating the pocket dimension would solve a few problems at once and so he was here.

Hearing splashing around, his blue eyes then took note of the purple platypus. Well, familiars always seemed to be different one person to the next. Being fond of chocobos, dogs and cats, he couldn't help but smile at the little creature. "Looks like someone's having a good time."

[bornebygrace]

"And maybe have a sort of trail of magical leaves behind you too? Be perfect I think." Not ones that persisted, but just kind of a little trail that looked like leaves and faded away into the air. It would make for a really neat effect, if it could be pulled off. He gave a small "mine too!" at the comment that Halloween was her favorite holiday - it was part of the reason it was what he chose for his birthday (though there were so many other reasons too).

He was surprised at the comment that he could be the embodiment of winds, and he couldn't help but laugh in his surprise. He was wearing his hoodie so there was no way she knew of the wings (probably), so he was surprised at how on the nose she was. He caught her look and he calmed himself enough, explaining with a grin: "I'm sorry, I just laugh because I don't think you realize you're pretty close to just normal me. I'm an angel." He looked back at a tree that had just decided to wander off elsewhere as he said he was an angel.

He looked back to her as she got excited about Purble. "Oh, you're a nerd then." It was said playfully. "Yeah! His name is Purble, he's apparently the swiss army knife of familiars." Aaron chuckled. "If you need an umbrella, a knife, a screwdriver, a key... Apparently he's just a handy little guy, but I haven't tested his ability out yet." Purble seemed to look at Isabel at the mention of himself. "Mostly he just likes to stay warm in my hoodie and get pets." He smiled and looked back to Isabel's cat. "You seem to have quite the dignified companion."

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis could definitely tell Cliff stories of chocobos, cactuars, god, evil empires, magic and citadels. But he shook his dark head. "This place alone is more crazy than anything I can say about back home." And to him this was true.

Flames and fate brought Ignis to mind and the king nodded. He could understand about all of that. He himself could wield fire, well back home he could. Fire and elemancy was a work in progress here.

"Tempting fate's not a good idea." Especially if your fate was to save the world.

Studying

[areasontohope]

Yuki had been trying to focus on this one advanced healing spell for what seemed to be an hour. Studying and school work came easy to him but magic wasn't a real thing in his world unless transforming into a zodiac animal counted, and that was in his past.

So he got up and walked into the living quarters and tried again. Then his gray eyes looked over into a room with the door open and a figure was slumped over. Should he bother to try to wake the person? They were having quiet time right now, but still.

Out of courtesy, Yuki got up and tried to quietly close the open door so just in case others came in, the boy wouldn't be disturbed.

[bornebygrace]

The platypus kept splashing about in the water gleefully despite the stranger talking about him. Aaron chuckled at the man's comment.

"He just likes the sound his feet make when they slap against water." Aaron pulled his wet hoodie off, hanging it over a chair and pausing a moment to flatten out a few ruffled feathers on his wings. "It seems like if I get this pocket dimension thing down I'll just keep water in there so he can splash about on occasion." Aaron was smiling and conjured a little more water to gently splash Purble with, which was greeted with a happy little platypus noise.

"I keep thinking I've almost got it, then just end up with a pool for Purble to play in - I guess that outcome isn't so bad. Are you having any luck with it?"

[fatedsacrifice]

The king looked up at the man who owned the familiar with a smile. The little one definitely seemed to be having a grand old time by itself. With the addition of more water for it, well the owner certainly knew his pet. Too bad Pouncer wouldn't go for water like this, but cats were indeed cats and not platypuses.

Noctis shook his head once he could tear his attention away from the adorable animal on the floor splashing happily about. "This one's got me. Last time I tried something like this, I got Fire implings."

[bornebygrace]

As Yuki approached to close the door, Purble poked his head out from the pocket of the hoodie Aaron was wearing and gave a curious little growl at Yuki. The familiar wriggled a little bit, wanting to go up to Yuki and investigate. Aaron startled awake because of it, looking around and holding his pen like it was his wand. He saw Yuki and relaxed, pushing his hood off of his head and then gently petting Purble so he'd calm down.

"Oh, were you closing my door? That's really thoughtful, thank you." Something about Aaron's expression implied that this was his plan. Take a nap, someone would be thoughtful and close his door, that would wake him up in some capacity. Perfect plan for a perfect nap. If it hadn't worked, then he'd have just slept, and that would have been fine too. "I hope my carelessness didn't put you out?"

[woo_oo]

"Not unless you count baths, showers, and the occasional pirate-related adventure along the high seas." Normal things for young children.

[bearshermark]

Eleven nodded.

"It isn't a complex spell," he assured. "But it might take a few tries to solidify. Using a wand to start helps."

He let his own drop from his sleeve and into his hand, then swept his arm into the air. "Ward!"

The air shimmered a bit, and he knew it would hold.

"It was one of the first Thaumaturgy spells I learned. Defense seemed important when I arrived here."

[bearshermark]

"Okay," he agreed with a nod, eyes casting over the ground for something more harmless than his sword or a bolt of lightning. He could try simply punching a ward, but worried a touch about the physical ramifications.

Eleven bent to scoop a stone into his palm, then straightened.

"Whenever you're ready."

[bearshermark]

Eleven hummed absent agreement, stepping back.

"I don't think my wards ever rebounded quite like that. Show me how you cast it?"

[treno_nobleman]

Oh, the man had figured right. He liked his condition with the addition of the blazing red and flames to adorn them little and liked being made fun of for it even less, especially with as much effort as he put into his appearance on a regular basis. Yet another reminder that as much as he put toward a single goal could all be taken down within an instant by the whims of something out of his control, and he did not like being out of control.

The glare Kuja turned on Noctis then fit a fine contrast to the flame in his hair, tail lashing behind him in irritation as if the hand on his hip and look didn't speak of his shift in mood loudly enough. "Something funny about this, is there?"

[noasark]

"Fair enough- I do wonder why your feathers are that way then, but I suppose it's just 'how it is'."

He won't question pirates ok, his step-brother fought with an actual God for a while, in his deck.

[nomoremistergneissguy]

They could trade tales, between the Dragon, the Bladewolf, and even Cliff's own family! "I'd have to agree. And I thought my family was weird..." But it didn't meet up with the strangenesses that he'd experienced since he'd arrived.

Up to and including his own familiar!

"No, I bet it's not." Cliff made a face at that. "Though I do that every day, considering the mages and elemancers I've got in my immediate family..."

[darkenedmoon]

"I cannot imagine why." No, Yotsuyu knew why that was. "My fan serves as my wand, however." She used it as her Modification focus, too, which helped when she was drawing the necessary diagrams...

She watched carefully as Eleven performed the spell, brows arching a bit. That simple of a gesture and verbal component? Interesting.

Yotsuyu, of course, had to push the envelope. She drew her fan from her sleeve, already softly speaking the mathemagical equation and drawing the accompanying diagrams--slowly, so Eleven could at least see them. She planned to go over the mathematics again carefully before allowing him to cast it.

Then she imitated his action, sweeping her arm into the air. "Ward!"

The ward did shimmer into the air briefly before dissipating, but Yotsuyu did not seem displeased. "I had only intended for it to last for seconds, so the mathematics was me giving it a finite duration." Mostly because she hadn't been sure the actual warding spell would work. Clearly she's pleased to see it has!

[twilightskey]

"Yeah... but at least you're out now?"

And they knew a little bit about how not to cast that spell.

[areasontohope]

He'd seen the little purple familiar and hoped it wasn't going to make too much noise. But when it did, Yuki shook his head at it. He didn't want to speak and wake the owner up so he tried to just be quiet. Well that failed pretty fast as the owner woke up and startled the silver haired boy.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." Even if Yuki knew he wasn't the one to wake the other he was still polite enough to at least apologize. He nodded at the thank you and just thought to leave when the question about carelessness came up.

"No it's fine, please don't worry."

[fatedsacrifice]

Sorry Kuja. Yes, Noctis is a dead king as you know from the body swap but the kicker is (that you may or may not have noticed during it) that he is still twelve. Ok physically thirty, mentally twenty and sometimes twelve. He got put to sleep by Bahamut for ten years and although he came out and did his duty and died and all of that, sometimes the boy comes out in the man before you. This is such a time.

The king was holding his sides and had leaned against a tree to get all of the laughter out. But he's fighting to breathe.

"I figured..you were vain about all that hair." There's still plenty of laughter in his tone.

[fatedsacrifice]

Noctis didn't even want to begin to talk about his family because then he'd have to mention Ardyn and the crystal and the prophecy and just all the no. He'd rather just be some living dead guy and not have to deal with questions that even he might not have the answers to.

"I get it." His whole paternal line was of black mages really.

[mithrarin]

Dust folded his arms behind him, grabbing his forearms with his hands to keep himself from reacting to the stone in his usual way. One couldn't test a ward by dodging or parrying or counterattacking, after all. This would take a lot of concentration on his part.

"Okay. Go for it."