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

[shiningkindness]

[Her smile brightens.]

Really, I can? Oh, I'd love to!

[Because yes, the snake is just as interesting as the whale.]

[woo_oo]

Great! ... Buuut we might want to wait until the hallways aren't full of those things.

[shiningkindness]

Oh...right...

[Sorry, she got excited!]

Well...I mean, we do need to avoid the hallways for a while. Maybe we should find somewhere safer.

[woo_oo]

Maybe we can try the library? That place is pretty clean, and we can study!

[shiningkindness]

[She nods, placing her hand on Ballet's fin.]

That sounds like a good idea. Let's go, Ballet.

[With a rumbling sound, the orca makes a turn to head towards the library.]

[woo_oo]

This is almost as much fun as riding the bus.

[And she sincerely means it!]

[shiningkindness]

[Fluttershy, meanwhile, isn't quite sure how to take that. Her own experiences with riding the bus weren't quite so...memorable.

She decides not to comment on it, though, as Ballet continues on towards the library, slowing to a stop at the main entrance.]

[woo_oo]

[Once there, Webby slides off, and then turns around to give the whale a grateful pat.]

Thank you, Ballet!

[shiningkindness]

[Ballet responds with a sound that rumbles through the ground. Fluttershy giggles softly as she slides off the whale's back herself.]

Hopefully it'll be safe enough here. I wonder if anyone will let us know if the Golems are done being upset.

[woo_oo]

... Maybe there's a reason the teachers haven't done anything!

[shiningkindness]

Maybe...but you'd think they'd be a bit more worried about the students' safety.

[woo_oo]

That's just it - maybe this was a test! To see how we'd handle it!

[shiningkindness]

A test? I mean, I suppose it'd be good practice, but with most of us still so new to this magic, that was pretty risky.

[Especially since there didn't appear to have been anyone paying attention in case someone had gotten hurt.]

[woo_oo]

Some of the best things in life are risky! And I'd say we passed this test with flying colors.

Literally.

Cause we flew on a whale.

[get it]

[shiningkindness]

[She couldn't help giggling.]

Well...I suppose that's true. And I guess it was better than a final exam.

[woo_oo]

[Pleased, she heads into the library.]

It just means we need to exercise our minds and our bodies!

[shiningkindness]

[She walks with her, with Ballet shrinking down to follow behind them.]

I suppose so. [Though she's never been all that strong as far as the physical aspect was concerned.]

[woo_oo]

We've exercised the body, now for the mind! I'm gunna study until my brain melts!

[wouldn't that be counter-productive]

[shiningkindness]

[Webby...]

U-Um...maybe you don't need to study that much.

[woo_oo]

Sure I do! That's how I approach all my studying of Scrooge back home.

[shiningkindness]

[....Okay.] Well...still, it'd be good to...take a break now and then.

[woo_oo]

Like for eating and sleeping?

[... a little more than basic necessities, maybe]

[shiningkindness]

...W-Well, yes. But also mental breaks. Studying too much can also be bad for you.

[woo_oo]

Really? It can?

[shiningkindness]

Mm-hmm. [Though some people Twilight might disagree.] If you try to study a long time, your brain might get tired. Then you won't even be able to remember all the things that you were trying to learn in the first place.