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

[temptationaccomplished]

"Oh, no, by all means, go grand. Go very grand. Isn't that the whole point of Fantastics, to be a bit showy? A bit flamboyant?"

Not that Aziraphale's usual ensemble could ever be considered flamboyant (a bit odd, of course, and outdated; it had been in fashion once upon a time, but had never been flamboyant...but sometimes he did yearn a bit for those bygone days of top hats or incredible ruffles or clocked stockings).

He pat his collar and neck, smoothing down the front of his shirt where a bow tie ought to go.

"All I wanted was a nice proper little bow tie to match my uniform--a red and black tartan print, preferably, because it's so stylish, tartan is, and I don't think they'd let me get away with my usual tartan all over this...thing," he said, indicating the uniform. Not his choice of colors, but sadly what he was stuck with. "Though I did think about one of those neat capes, you know the ones that are always billowing around like--" Whoosh, whoosh, his dorky motions said for him, demonstrating a dramatic actor's cape motion (without an actual cape) with a few extra flourishes befitting of Dracula or a bull fighter, or a magician attempting to disguise his assistant's 'magical' disappearing act. "But I'm afraid all the little fiddly bits get in the way, like the knot on the tie and the whole constant motion business."

[darkenedmoon]

"Hm. Doma does not often do ties, though I am not unfamiliar with them, 'tis true." Some of the Westerners affected them, like the madcap Inspector Hildibrand. Yotsuyu peered at Aziraphale. "I may not manage tartan, however--I am not familiar with that. So I may approximate something I deem fitting. Is this an acceptable alternative?"

She's certain that she can manage a proper bow tie, at least, and in the red and black of Fell's House. Would that Yotsuyu knew what tartan was! That lack made her a bit sad. But she'd do what she could...and perhaps she could manage a cape, as well!

Perhaps the easier thing first, though. Which is the tie. First, Yotsuyu starts a low hum in her throat, slipping one hand into her sleeve to slide on one of her bell bracelets. Must keep proper time, after all. Finally, she brings out her fan, but leaves it folded--the better to draw the Modification diagrams necessary. The equations, she just plays through in her mind. He can probably even feel the gentle pressure as the tie begins to appear around his neck. It is a proper tie! It's in the proper House colors! And Yotsuyu, at least, thinks it's nice. Nor is it doing something horrid like strangling him or unravelling into fifty ilms of fabric...

"I fear it's not tartan, but I do think it's rather fitting." And cute, though she'd likely never say that out loud. Likely it wasn't as grand a spectacle as Fell had hoped, but frankly, Yotsuyu was far more pleased by success!

[temptationaccomplished]

He will have to introduce her to tartan, definitely, when they have more time to indulge in that. If nothing else, he might be able to excuse it as further cultural information: tartan colors and styles as signifiers of clans, even if his did not serve that purpose. (Regardless, it is such a classy, fancy print! He would have to show her later.)

Watching her work is a thing of beauty. She moves like a dancer, someone so versed in the craft of subtlety that Aziraphale cannot even hope to aspire to. A flick of her wrist, a wave of her hand, and she weaves magic and music together in the most enchanting way. She's an artist, painting with gentle motions timed to sound, and he is almost too distracted by her to notice the pressure until the tie is mostly formed.

Aziraphale tips his chin down to look with some surprise, makes a face because his chin is in the way, and finally he readjusts his collar and flips the bow a bit so that he can see her handiwork. Oh! He almost goes cross-eyed. Stars! His face lights up in a smile as he admires what he can see of it, and he brushes his fingers over the folds of the bow appreciatively, lost in a moment. Crowley created stars, long ago. Yotsuyu does not know this, but Aziraphale wonders if the demon would appreciate the unintentional aptness of her choice, or if he'd think the pattern was silly or tacky, or the sentiment Aziraphale was attaching to it altogether a bit twee.

"I like it," he says finally, giving the ends a smart tug and looking quite proud in it. Like appears to be an understatement. "You certainly outdid yourself, thank you. It's very fitting indeed."

[darkenedmoon]

In truth, she was rather pleased with her own handiwork. There was a certain amount of pride--justified pride!--in a job well done. No arrogance--though there were times where she certainly was that.

"You shall have to show me tartan, if you can. I am interested in seeing such, even if I am not certain it would suit me to wear such!"

Though Yotsuyu waved a dismissive hand at Aziraphale, then. "No, no. I was quite happy to do it, and to have pleased you. It is not as if I have not gained more understanding in magic, as well, so you have done me a service!"

Though if he wanted her to explain it to him--she would, but--it might be a bit difficult to do. Still, she'd do her best.