Let The Games Begin

[magicademymods]

February Event and Intro Log Orientation Week/Magic Mayhem The campus of Diatu Magicademy stretches out before you, confused and chaotic and surging with energy. Where are you headed? To your dorm or suite, to get settled? Maybe you need some food now? Wherever you head off to as your first stop, you have to deal with the snow. Helpful or proud students are passing out various magical remedies to get you where you need to be -- umbrellas with a nasty tendency to dump snow directly onto other people nearby, an iron tube that projects fire but appears to have no off switch, snowshoes that keep you slightly too high off the snow and thus provide no friction for stopping... Familiar Follies Familiars do not harass or harm each other as a rule -- but that doesn't mean they have no pecking order, and the week of Orientation finds them all jockeying for status and position as suits them. This can take the form of pranks, displays, competitions, or simple physical assertiveness towards each other. The goal is simply to be seen as superior by the student body. New wizards especially may find themselves surprised at this behavior of their familiars... 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 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.) Furthermore, they request to perform a few spells on you for testing purposes. It is, quite regrettably, possible that if you consent to this testing, you will come away with a temporary side effect -- a slight change of hair color, traveling two steps for every one you take, one hand moving about a second behind the arm it should be attached to, or being ridden by a penguin. No need to worry, these changes won't last more than a day! Wonders Await Diatu Magicademy is open to you in all its glory. Have fun!

Comments

[darkenedmoon]

[And Webby's extreme enthusiasm startles a huff of laughter out of her, though Yotsuyu shakes her head slightly.]

School again. At my age. Certainly that was not something I had thought I'd have to attend again, having endured it as a child. But the kami have their own plans, I suppose.

There do seem to be enough of us out there to befriend, little one, would you not say?

[ She's not attempting to be patronizing, but it's fairly clear she's also not used to conversing with children...]

[woo_oo]

Yeah, and all types, too! It's almost overwhelming!

[She's not attempted to conversing with most people, so... a match made in heaven?]

Like, you! You're one of those "humans", aren't you? We don't have those in my world! So, like, WOW!

[darkenedmoon]

[A black brow arches.] Human? I am not aware of that term, but that may be so. Where I am from, my race is called Hyur.

We would call you a 'beast tribe', since you have the characteristics of a duck. Have you a name for yourselves? This is not intended as an insult--we have a number of beast tribes in Doma. For example, the Red and Blue Kojin--they are like turtles, and then the Lupin, who have wolfish characteristics. And the Namazu, who are catfish!

[Yotsuyu truthfully finds the latter more than a little disgusting and buffoonish, but no need to share that. And she has gotten an idea that Webby herself might find this information fascinating, so why not share it? ]

[woo_oo]

[Correct, this is super fascinating.]

Oooh, Beast Tribe, I like the sound of that... Makes me feel like I'm a real representative on my world!

[Proud hands on hips!]

We just call ourselves ducks, but I wanna call us the Duck Tribe now!

[darkenedmoon]

[That makes Yotsuyu laugh in earnest.] Who else is here to judge you? And who does it harm? If all your kind are as charming as you, I dare say you would make a wonderful representative.

[And she means it, which surprises her as well. What a strange new world this is...]

Webby of the proud Duck Tribe! It has a ring to it, does it not?

[What might be most amazing to those who know Yotsuyu is that there is not a hint of mockery in her words.]

[woo_oo]

[Awww, shucks. She giggles, swaying a bit, her hands behind her back at being complimented. She enjoys praise, but tends to feel humble about it.]

It really does! But I guess I can't say everyone's just like me, that's not fair... but there are a lot of wonderful people in my world!

[darkenedmoon]

I wish I could say the same. Then again, I was not always the kindest, either. [This may even be something of an intended warning for Webby, too, though if Yotsuyu were firmly in control of herself, she'd be rather unlikely to harm a child.]

But you are lucky, then. And it is not as if we cannot strive to be better, if we are not so good, eh?

[woo_oo]

[if it is a warning, it flies right over her head, bless her.]

That's right! There's no where to go but up! And if we have trouble with it, we can always rely on each other.

[darkenedmoon]

[Well, it is extremely unlikely that Yotsuyu would ever do anything to Webby, so...no great loss. Or one would hope. Yotsuyu gives her a kind smile.]

How did one so young get so wise? That is good advice--and some I think I should perhaps take. So I thank you for it.

[But something nags at her, and her brows furrow. So a truth, then. Best to make it plain.]

I have not always been such a good person. While I do not want to discontinue our budding friendship--if, for some reason, I ever do not seem myself to you--give me a wide berth, eh? I know you are brave and clever, but I would not want to see you come to harm because of me.

[woo_oo]

[That... was an odd direction for the conversation to take. She tilts her head, and her snake copies the action.]

... I can take care of myself. Besides, if you're in trouble, I want to help. If you act weird, there's probably a reason for it, and we can work together to fix it.

[She is NOT going to lose another friend, dammit.]

[darkenedmoon]

[This is why she normally did not lend herself to having friends. You could command those subservient to you. Friends were not. How...annoying. Ugh. Still, the child seemed wise, and so Yotsuyu had to trust in the good sense she'd shown so far.]

If you must. But use your utmost caution, do you hear me? I have enough blood on my hands already. I do not want to add to it with yours. You are undeserving of harm.

[Which might insinuate that others in Yotsuyu's experience were deserving of it. Here, that remains to be seen...]

[woo_oo]

[To anyone else, those would be HUGE WARNING FLAGS.

To aaaanyone else.]

Well, far as I know, the same goes to you, okay? This could be a fresh new start for all of us, so I'm going to think with a positive attitude!

[darkenedmoon]

There are those who would disagree with you--at least on the former. As for the fresh start--you have touched on precisely what I am hoping for, here.

[The thoughts of "Tsuyu" are still somewhat fresh in her mind, after all. Even if Yotsuyu felt like she didn't have much chance back in Doma, well. Here no one knew her. And there was this youngling who was practically infecting her with her positive attitude.

No bad thing, in her mind.]

I do hope you have the right of it. And I shall try to keep thinking positively, because you do have the right of it!

[woo_oo]

So I'll believe in you! And if you have trouble believing in yourself, just remember that I still will! It'll go around in a neat little circle.

[She knocks a fist to her head playfully.]

It takes a lot to un-convince me of something.

[darkenedmoon]

So I see. [About the un-convincing. Still, with Webby's conviction, Yotsuyu has to admit that it might be nice to have someone in her corner. Someone she hasn't terrified or manipulated to be there. Someone who is there because of...friendship?

Oh, if the Eorzeans could see her now...]

It will be nice to have someone on my side. Thank you, Webby.