March Event and Intro Log

[magicademymods]

March Event and Intro Log Golem On The Loose The rain never stops. Water and mud track all over campus. Diligent cleaning golems stomp about, mopping and scrubbing and polishing and then going back to do it all over again, and again, and again... One of them seems to have had it. The renegade golem bursts into Kedrigan Hall -- interrupting classes and disrupting labwork to furiously seize students and scrub every last scrap of mud and dirt off of them. All the halls have been locked off with "Under Cleaning" signs, and anyone who enters them meets with the golem's wrath, as it violently plays a pre-recorded message about not interfering with groundskeeping and deploys a giant claw-like tool to grab the interloper and put them back on unforbidden ground. The professors, who are after all completely immune to the golem's attention by its very design, seem to think this is a good learning opportunity for students. Is it? Horrible Spell Doom? "Are you sure you're ready for the test on Advanced Gaseous Discovery?" one upperclassman asks the other. "Of course I'm sure," the second says confidently. Whipping out a wand from a holster on her belt, she sweeps her wand through the air gracefully, pronouncing several Osmarian sigils as she draws them. Probably. "See, that's a blue cloud--" Said blue cloud, which puffs into being as the last syllable left her lips, abruptly doubls in size. Then it doubles in size again. And again. The upperclassmen, who have been in Diatu for several years and know exactly what this sort of thing means, don't hesitate. Not even stopping to share a glance between them, they run like crazy, leaving the growing cloud behind just as classes let out and students begin to enter the halls. But... surely it doesn't have any weird and wacky side effects, right? The Bala-inlota Parade (aka The Non-Horrible Prompt) To celebrate the start of the Bala-inlota season, Anastara spares no expense. The great parade and associated festival stretches the whole weekend, and the whole city puts on their colors and turns out for the fun. Enterprising vendors sell food, drinks, and souvenirs ranging from small and crude figurines to magical constructs that shine field displays onto flat surfaces so you can watch the action up-close! (Good luck affording that, students.) Practically any sort of entertainment you could want appears on the streets and canals of Anastara, and food and drink flow freely. Research On the Sundered With the arrival of the Sundered come those wizards engaged in research on their presence here, now set to investigate what brought them here and how to get them home. All newly-arrived Sundered students are asked to meet with representatives of the research team, to introduce themselves and relate what they will of their homes. In addition, the team requests samples of blood, hair, and skin -- carefully magically collected, and the researchers will sign in the presence of the Sundered a Glyphed contract that forbids them from using the samples for a purpose they know will be harmful. (They quite understand your reasons to be suspicious of this collection! And they will not compel anyone who refuses even given these conditions.) This month, the team has developed a Sundering spell that they warn is crude and unpolished, because the Curriculum is so unpracticed. They hope it will connect to your home worlds and establish a magical link they can build off of to open further passages. No promises! And to those who do undergo this spellwork... it has a certain side effect of confusion, as brief images from your home world flicker across your vision for a few hours afterwards. Wonders Await Diatu Magicademy is open to you in all its glory. Have fun!

A Special Note

If you thread out one or more scenes based on the confusion from "Research on the Sundered", respond to the comment on this post with a link to that thread. The results of this will be revealed next month! (It is, we're afraid, not a regain, lest your participation be based solely on that hope!)

Comments

[woo_oo]

[Webby tries to think - what would calm Lena down the best? Assure her that she's safe? Webby's not entirely sure herself - there's nothing here, as far as they know, that could prevent Magica's presence.

Webby can warn them all they like, prepare as best she can, but...

!]

Lena!

[Struck by what she thinks is a brilliant idea, she pulls back just enough so that they can look at each other.]

I'm going to make you another friendship bracelet... but! This time, it's going to be super powerful and magical! It'll protect you from Magica! I'll research and find every single spell that'll keep you safe!

[Who says such a thing is impossible? If there's a will, there's a way, and Webby wanted nothing more than to protect her best friend. With new conviction and resolution, her grip on Lena tightens.]

This time, I won't let her take you away from me.

[... that.

huh.

In her head, she meant to end the sentence with "take you away". Wonder were those last two words came from?

Eh. Probably heat of the moment, nothing to think about. It's a promise from one friend to another, right?]

[outofyourshadow]

...Bracelet?

[She didn't need the spell to remember the friendship bracelet Webby had given her, but it does so anyway, bringing to mind the memories of how the bracelet had actually turned out to be magic. She could never explain how it had worked, other than the bracelet drawing on the magic that she had, but even then it didn't seem like a good enough explanation.

But regardless, it had been magic, even without Webby really trying. So maybe, now that they were surrounded and studying magic, that could actually work.]

...W-Will that...be enough?

[woo_oo]

We won't know unless we try, and I'm going to try my hardest.

[She'll call upon every source she has - maybe get the entire school to work on it - if that's what it takes.

Seeing the normally confident Lena so terrified breaks her heart - yet makes her all the more determined to save her.]

We can do this, Lena. I know we can. Ever since Uncle Scrooge let me go adventuring with him and the boys, I've done so many impossible things and seen so many impossible things... that I don't think anything is impossible anymore. So I believe we can stop her and protect you.

[outofyourshadow]

[Swallowing past the lump in her throat, eventually she manages a small nod.]

...o-okay.

[It was worth a try, at least.]

[woo_oo]

[She keeps up a smile for her friend's sake, and then finds her hand, squeezing it tight.]

... They're having a whole, huge, junk-food-filled festival nearby. You wanna go chow down?

[outofyourshadow]

[That at least gets a small laugh from her through her tears, and after a moment she manages another nod, giving Webby's hand a squeeze in return.]

...Y-Yeah.

[woo_oo]

[She smiles, and begins to walk, encouraging Lena to come with her. Never letting that hand go for a second.]

They have hot dogs! I never had them before, and I was so relieved to hear they're not actually made out of dogs.

[outofyourshadow]

[It takes a long moment or so before Lena is even able to get to her feet, but eventually she does manage to start moving, her hand still in Webby's.]

...w-wait...you've never had a hot dog before?

[Her voice is still a bit soft and rather shaky, but the incredulous tone does sound much more like herself.]

[woo_oo]

Yep!

[Cheerful as ever.]

Hamburgers, hot dogs, bacon-wrapped-anything, basically any meat-related junk food was forbidden to me before the boys moved in.

[outofyourshadow]

[Wiping away the lingering tears away, she laughed.]

Well...now's as good a time to introduce you to all their wonders since she's not here.

[woo_oo]

I'm going to eat until my stomach bursts. And then I'll train extra early in the morning to work it all off!

[outofyourshadow]

[She snickers.]

Sounds like a plan. But better pace yourself, Webs, 'cause there's a lot to try.

[woo_oo]

It'll help having a second stomach around!

[nudge nudge]

[outofyourshadow]

[She grins, and is already feeling much better.]

Well, you know I'm never one to turn down food.