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

[stillnewatthis]

"I do not know what troubles you," Orisa said, her faintly-metallic voice steady and surprisingly warm considering she was an artificial being. "But I will not allow anyone or anything to hurt you."

[outofyourshadow]

She clung to it, trying to focus on Orisa instead of the memories still shuffling through her mind.

"...you might not be able to stop her if she came," she whispered.

[stillnewatthis]

Orisa's auditory sensors caught that.

"Why do you believe that?" she asked, curious.

[outofyourshadow]

She shuddered, unable to really come up with an answer.

[stillnewatthis]

Orisa calculated for a moment, running comparisons and generic simulations.

"If this person has supernatural power, they will lose it on coming here. That will leave them opposing me only physically. I believe I am superior to most in that regard."

[outofyourshadow]

Despite the lingering tears, that did manage to get a small laugh from her. "...I-I guess so," she replied, her voice still soft. But the mental image of Magica going one-on-one with a robot was too comical for her to stay upset for much longer.

[stillnewatthis]

Comical right up until Orisa actually used her fusion driver. Then it was messy.

Laughter seemed to help, so she quickly attempted to elicit more.

"Does this person have a giant metal fist? I was created in particular to defeat a man with a giant metal fist."

It only was funny if you didn't know the context, but Orisa had calculated that "giant metal fist" was humorous outside of said context.

[outofyourshadow]

It seemed to work, if only because it was still a funny mental image. "No, she doesn't."

[stillnewatthis]

"Then I think I can put up a good defense," Orisa said, in tones both light and reassuring.

[outofyourshadow]

She took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down before she nodded. "...Right...thanks."

[stillnewatthis]

"Now, Lena. Are you going to be all right? After a shock like this, you should drink some water." Orisa was not exactly motherly, but she was trying her best!

[outofyourshadow]

"...yeah, I could probably go for something to drink." Glancing up at Orisa, she managed a smile. "But otherwise, I think I'm okay."

[stillnewatthis]

"I am glad to hear that."

Orisa released her hand at last, rising up to her full standing height with a smooth extension of all four legs.

"Shall we go to the food hall? I do not go there often but I could intake some oil at this time if you desire company."

[outofyourshadow]

Thinking for a moment, she nodded and slowly rose to her feet as well.

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

[stillnewatthis]

Orisa began to say something, then pauses, her eyes shifting upwards and opening wider as a logic statement passed through her programming into her conscious awareness.

"I would offer to walk by your side, but that presents certain logistical difficulties."

[outofyourshadow]

Turning to look at Orisa, she blinked, confused.

"What do you mean?"

[stillnewatthis]

Orisa swiveled her arm back, rubbing the back of her head with a sheepish look.

"The architecture of the school buildings does not appear to have taken into account that a student of my size or shape could attend it. We would block halls!"

[outofyourshadow]

"...Oh yeah." She hadn't really noticed it before, but Orisa wasn't exactly the most streamline robot.

Then she snickered a bit. "How about I ride on your back?" she asked in a teasing tone.

[stillnewatthis]

"I had not considered that." The OR-14 models, from which the OR-15 had been derived, were quadrupedal not for such reasons, but as a compromise between wide-base stability and mobility from legs rather than treads. "Would you be adequately comfortable?"

[outofyourshadow]

She blinked. "I, uh...I was just kidding."

Although, she wouldn't say no to a piggyback ride on a robot.

[stillnewatthis]

"Oh! I apologize, Lena. I will update my subroutines to incorporate this example for future uses of humor detection."

Orisa took the confession at face value, as she did the original statement. A reminder, perhaps, of just how young she really was in many ways.

[outofyourshadow]

She couldn't help a small laugh at that, not minding too much. It was her own fault for bringing it up anyway.

"C'mon, let's go."

[stillnewatthis]

With joy radiating from her expression -- which was just her eyes, but somehow it shone through nonetheless -- Orisa led the way! She was escorting someone and being of help, what more could she ask?