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

[intellectualstrategist]

. . .

Me?

[ oh, alright, that makes more sense. it would have kind of been creepy otherwise. ] Efi is a friend of yours, I'm guessing? Is she here? [ she took a look around. ] And, uh, yeah, probably, but you don't have to look after me. I'm sure there are plenty of others here that would benefit from your help.

[stillnewatthis]

While that may be true, I have limited criteria by which to judge. You are carrying a dangerous weapon and are attempting to use it to get to your destination. That seems like the perfect scenario for me to assist with!

[She has a lot to learn, but she will learn by experience!]

[intellectualstrategist]

[ saya looked incredulously to the fire cannon. ] You got me there, but I was just using it to clear a path not only for me, but for everybody else. The least they could have done was clear the path of snow so nobody slips. If you want to help so bad, here. [ she holds out the fire cannon to orisa. ] Fire out how to stop this thing from spewing fire. It doesn't have an off switch and I'm at loss for what to do. I would ask the jerks that gave it to me, but they've already fucked off.

[stillnewatthis]

[Accepting the fire cannon thing, Orisa promptly drops it on the ground, then swivels her torso to bring her fusion driver to bear on it. At point-blank range, the three barrels of the weapon unleash a withering storm of projectiles for a sustained ten seconds, after which the fire cannon has definitely stopped producing fire except in the form of smoldering. Definitively, Orisa steps on it, grinds out the last of its sparks beneath her foreleg's heel, then snaps her eyes into a ^.^ expression.]

Mission complete!

[intellectualstrategist]

[ she's pretty sure kohta would get a half chub watching this mech like chick obliterate a gun, because it's probably like something out of an anime or something, but she'd be lying if she said it wasn't pretty cool. ] ... [ also the expression displays is cute and saya hates to admit that a machine is pulling at her heartstrings. ]

Mission complete and then some. You totally destroyed that thing. Hey, why don't you come with me and we take care of the rest of them? They shouldn't be handing things like this out besides.

[stillnewatthis]

[Praise makes Orisa happy! She yanks her fusion driver up, energy seeming to draw into it as the reactor recharges the magazine, then claps her hand to it delightedly.] I would be happy to help!

[intellectualstrategist]

[ aw, orisa's not so bad after all. ] Great, follow me. [ she motions for her to follow her down the path she'd cleared to the group of older students trying to coax some of the younger students into taking their hexed weapons. ] Hey boys. I'm here to shut down you obnoxious little operation along with my friend, here. [ she jerks a thumb at orisa. ]

[stillnewatthis]

[!]

[She's someone's friend!]

[The briefly delighted look vanishes as she remembers business. Orisa's eyes narrow to slits, the light in them shining red as she stomps straight up to the leader of the students, towering over him in her impressive robotic glory.]

Cease your business!

[intellectualstrategist]

[ the group of students don't look that impressed ( or intimidated ) by saya's arrival, so the leader steps up and prepares to snark her straight. he doesn't get a chance, however, because orisa comes over and stuns him stupid. his buddies immediately turn tail and run and he can do nothing more than stare at her. ]

Yeah, that's what I thought. Now why don't you turn these damn things off before anybody else has a chance to get hurt. Your little prank wasn't funny, still isn't, honestly, so we're giving you a chance to do the right thing. Don't make us take matters into our own hands.

[stillnewatthis]

[The leader at least has a little more gumption than his friends, or a little more sense when it comes to self-preservation. Rather than running, he quickly shouts "Shield!" as he holds up a hand, and a magical barrier rises around him.]

[Orisa brings up her fusion driver, the end of the weapon just an inch from the shimmering ward.]

I am capable of 12.5 seconds of sustained fire followed by a brief reloading period. In a time period of one minute two seconds, your protective magic will take 600 charged projectiles. Do you believe you can succeed?

[intellectualstrategist]

[ though he had originally though his shield could keep them and whatever attack they had planned at bay when orisa explains what she's capable of, well, he's not so sure. his hand, which had been steady up until this point, wavers, the leader considering his options. m- maybe it would just be best to shut down their operation... ]

I'll give you to the count of ten to make the right decision. One- Two- [ his shield drops and he finds himself apologizing as he quickly dispells the magic affecting the fire cannons. he doesn't stick around to see if that's good enough and instead uses his magic to make a hasty retreat, his shouts tapering as he scolds his friends for having ditched him. ] Heh, great job, Orisa. Now we don't have to worry about anybody else getting hurt from these stupid things. You want to stop on them, so I can toss them in the trash? Where they belong.

[stillnewatthis]

[As he ran, Orisa posed proudly, one fist up in the air to celebrate her victory.]

[Then, at Saya's urgings, she hopped forward to vigorously trample the magical devices under her four feet. Success has her practically giddy, delighted that she's done a good job today.] These objects will bother no one any more!

[intellectualstrategist]

Great job, Orisa. [ as soon as orisa was finished stomping the cannons into the ground saya knelt down to pick up the remnants and throw them away. ] Nope, and thank god for that, who knows what kind of trouble these stupid things would have caused everybody.

[stillnewatthis]

[Orisa nods, still evincing good cheer (solely through her eyes and vocal intonation).] Though the intention was admirable, the execution was inferior. A means to turn the flame off would have been ideal.

[intellectualstrategist]

I think they're lacking a whole lot of common sense, but here's to hoping they've learned a valuable lesson. [ and that they won't be seen pulling a stunt like this again. ]

[stillnewatthis]

Efi always said that common sense cannot be programmed. It must be learned with time. [Orisa means her statement as wisdom, passed on from her creator. Even if it actually serves much better as an explanation of her own actions...]

Perhaps this experience will assist them in developing some. I certainly hope so! I would rather be their ally than their nemesis, but that depends on their behavior.

[intellectualstrategist]

And she's right. Common sense can't be taught, and sadly it's not as common as the name would suggest. Kind of ironic if you ask me, but hopefully we helped these clowns to learn a little. You'd think they'd be more mindful with new students wandering around, ... [ she frowned, wondering if they were really that stupid or if there was some malice to their actions. ]

I guess we'll see what happens. Keep an eye on them if you want to be friends and make nice, but don't let them sucker you into doing anything you don't think is right.

[stillnewatthis]

[Orisa folds her arms, which leads to her fusion driver jutting out on her left side. A student lets out a strangled yelp and ducks around it.]

Someone who would ask me to violate my purpose is no friend of mine.

[intellectualstrategist]

[ saya nods in agreement. ] Exactly. I'll see you around, Orisa, and thanks again for helping me with those pests. [ she gives her a smirk. ]

[stillnewatthis]

It was my pleasure to help. Please do not hesitate to call on me if you need further assistance!

[Poor Orisa would be terribly easy to take advantage of, wouldn't she? Not that she'd commit crimes or do horrible things, but perhaps doing a little too much helpful...?]