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

Oh gods... I kind of have to do this...

[gender_neutral]

V's familiar was generally a poor imitation of whatever V needed him to be. Which at the moment, was mostly Blackwing. A raven. Who just. saw. a. giant. floating. Shiny.

The creature, looking like a starling that is wearing feather extensions was flying around the other familiars, trying to reach the shiny.

"Someone kindly remind me why it is that I felt that respecting my familiar was a sign of character growth rather than insanity. Before he is out of range for a thrown weapon, please."

Because for some reason quickened lightning bolt WAS NOT WORKING.

Follow those impulses XD

[king_of_egypt]

"I would, however I'm having a similar conundrum myself," Atem replied before he could stop himself, exhibiting just how much he was losing his patience with his own familiar. Not that he would actually, in reality attack Capricius with more than words.

Then to the offending shiny,"Capricius! I won't say it again."

The crystal started to lower the other creatures, with it's point having been made but when it realized there was a raven trying to pursue, Capricius floated closer to it's master for cover.

I shall then! :D

[gender_neutral]

"MINE!" Willard called, aiming right for the retreating shiny. Some special abilities from the form yes, clearly also some special weaknesses.

"If you happen to know any way of retrieving the spell slots that have been blocked off from us, I did have a spell prepared that could be adapted to work in this instance."

[king_of_egypt]

Capricius tried to duck behind Atem, but when that didn't seem like enough the crystal loped around him and flew off in the other direction, trying to shake it's pursuer. They had just traded one chaotic situation for another.

"Spell...... slots?" While he recognized both of the words, he hadn't heard them put together before. "I'm afraid I wouldn't have the first idea in how to accomplish that at this time." It was the same for him. If he had access to his powers, or his monsters as it were then breaking up their familiars would have been easy.

[gender_neutral]

"I presumed as much. With my centuries of knowledge I am at a loss, so I did not think anyone else would have had much luck, but I decided to ask on the off chance that doing so could finish this side quest that much sooner."

V sighed, watching Willard chase the other familiar around. "I suspect however, that stopping this is not overly urgent as I have a suspicion that should my familiar manage to catch yours he would have no idea what to do with him. I suspect that this is simply intended to lay the foundations for a running gag, one of which we all shall doubtlessly tire soon."

The title of this comic would doubtlessly be more than one use for a gag...

[king_of_egypt]

"Did you say centuries?" Atem's spirit had been around for at least three millennia but much of that time had been spent imprisoned inside an Ancient Egyptian artifact. If he had the aforementioned artifact here, things might be different, he could draw upon it's power.

Capricius was trying to duck below tables and float over the sundered in the room so it was quite an involved chase. Atem spared a glance towards the owner of the other familiar, "I don't think they're going to do any harm to one another, no." He easily agreed with, offering a sedate smile at that assessment. At least he could see the humor in it.

"I'm Atem by the way, and that is Capricius," Introducing himself for lack of a better course of action. "You are?"

[gender_neutral]

"Well yes, elves generally have a longer lifespan than most other races, and I for one have chosen to expend that in the pursuit of my arcane education." Rather than say, remaining home with Inkyrus and their adopted children.

V was used to such attempts at humour, and so could easily dismiss the antics of the familiars so long as they were not doing any real harm.

"I am Vaarsuvius, commonly called V by those of my acquaintance as Elven names are often rather cumbersome for human tongues, and I would rather have my name shortened than mangled where I have some power over the choices made at to how I am addressed. Which, as I am introducing myself, I do. This is Willard. Where Blackwing is at current, I know not."

[king_of_egypt]

"My apologies, I was not aware that you were an elf," Since it seemed as if he had been expected to know that already. "At least you have been putting that time toward honing your craft."

Vaarsuvius certainly seemed to have formed some rather immovable opinions about humans which Atem had a feeling might extend beyond their collective ability to form proper pronunciations. Still, he shouldn't make that assumption without further proof. Either way it was a very unique introduction that kind of blindsided him. He was certainly meeting a wide variety of people here. "Ah- believe me, I am sure there are some names from my homeland that they would find difficult as well. Not- well... mine obviously, but my father's perhaps." Some of the previous egyptian kings had some lengthy names with alternating consonants and vowels, that sort of thing. Plus if you added all the various titles together combined with the name it could be a bit of a mouthful. King of upper egypt and of lower egypt, son of ra.... so on and so forth. "... but since you seem to prefer it, V it is."

"Willard seems to have taken a liking to Capricius, but I'm afraid it's not mutual".

[gender_neutral]

"People here seem to be having some difficulty with that, and I'm unsure why. Though I will admit that I have not met anyone here of any species I know, sao perhaps it is a difference in planar identities. Which would be fascinating to study were I here of my own choice in time I had slated for study, rather than drawn here against my will in the middle of a quest of multi-dimensional importance. I do appreciate the honoring of my choice, however, and I thank you. As for our familiars, I rather suspect that you are right. My familiar seems to be a shapeshifter of a sort, and I suspect he will lose interest once he is no longer in the form of an ill disguised bird."

[king_of_egypt]

The only elves he was at all familiar with were confined to games, such as the Mystical Elf, a card which he had used in duels on occasion. "Aside from humans, that is." Gently correcting V's statement about not running into any familiar species. "Ah- yes, that would certainly be an inconvenience and believe me it's one I could relate to had I been drawn here from any other point in time." Thankfully, his destiny had already been fulfilled. "Think nothing of it. I see no reason why anyone should have an issue honoring such a simple request."

"That's quite fascinating in itself." To the part about the shapeshifting familiar. "I'm sure that under normal circumstances it might be of use to the pair of you."

Finally Capricius tried again to ditch the bird tunneling in to another student's bag.

One of the issues with this sort of RP, sadly, is that V had this conversation with Kaiba already.

[gender_neutral]

"I do not believe that I have as of yet encountered any humans, which is in and of itself surprising given Humans' propensity for spreading their people and cultures as far and wide as they can. On my plain there are lands for most races, but not only are the Human lands the most sprawling, they also push into all other lands where they can." In other words, V does not see you as human.

"Yes, as often as not when we are dragged into railroad side plots they do prove useful to the larger mission, however this is not always the case, and the cases where they are least of aid generally are the situations in which the party has been split up, such as when Miss Starshine, the Halfling and Sir Greenhilt were trapped unkowiingly under the long term effects of a complex epic level cloister spell while I attempted to scry for their location and the remaining members of the party busied themselves with the paladins. Another such time was when I had become inadvertently trapped upon the plane of ranch dressing."

"As to people honoring such a basic request you would be surprised at how often a thing known colloquially as common courtesy is not actually common at all."

"Yes, I do rather suspect that Willard and I will be able to utilize this ability more effectively in the future. Working together as a team is something of a new skill for the both of us."

Atem doesn't know that XD

[king_of_egypt]

"Really?" Atem hummed to that, and cupped his chin with one hand. I mean technically, Egyptian kings were essentially Gods themselves but it's not as if he thought of himself that way. So, to him, he was very much human. The correction wasn't really necessary however so Atem didn't attempt it. "They are a quite pervasive and resilient race then." V would discover in time that there were in fact a multitude of humans present though they might vary in some ways to what V was used to.

"The more you tell me about your world and your adventures the more it reminds me of a sort of tabletop RPG," Something they might engage in from time to time and Yugi's Grandpa's game shop. It was not meant to be an insult so hopefully it was not taken as such but everything from the descriptions to V's compatriot's names would fit right in. "... Ranch dressing?" Lifting an eyebrow at that. Surely, not. This was a strange dimension indeed. Perhaps it had been created from someone's game after all?

"I'm sure there are some who would be resistant. I have known a few people with less than compliant personalities."

"Hopefully, my familiar and I will also improve our teamwork in future."

Playing V as if V doesn't either >.< Because no clue which thread came first.

[gender_neutral]

"If it reminds you of a game, I assure you that there are very good reasons for that. And yes, Ranch Dressing. It was not the finest hour for the Order Of The Stick."

V nodded to the rest. That was as it should be.

What is chronological order XD

[king_of_egypt]

"Are there?" Atem paused and waited for V to expand on the subject. At that point he couldn't help it as he tried and failed to suppress a chuckle. "It may not have been, but at least you didn't have to experience it alone." It sounded as if V had some good friends to share it with.

I am certain that I do not know anymore.

[gender_neutral]

"For the most part I did, until the party was able to rescue me. And of course my life sounds similar to a specific table top role playing game. Like the rest of us, I am from a web comic that used to just poke obvious jokes at the rules before we became entangled, figuratively hopefully not literally, in an end of the multiverse plot."

[king_of_egypt]

"... You're aware of this?" Standing up a little straighter. It was strange that someone should be here from a webcomic but to have knowledge that they were from a work of fiction, it was all a bit mind boggling. How does one even respond to this? The implications were that literally every story that was ever told could be real in some capacity. It makes you think that perhaps you should be more careful when putting pen to paper.

[gender_neutral]

"Well yes, of course. If we were not aware we wouldn't get even half the jokes we do now, and we have already been thin on humor of late."

[king_of_egypt]

"Well now I've heard everything." In fact he might need to take a seat. If V was from a fictional story then by extension they ALL could be. They just weren't all aware that their worlds only existed because someone else thought to conceive them.

There was really no use in fretting over the possibilities however since for all practical purposes they were all still key in their own stories and their worlds needed them to function.

[gender_neutral]

"I rather doubt that." After all, V had hardly begun speaking. "Everything is rather broad category."

[king_of_egypt]

"Ah- it was just a figure of speech," Atem swiftly corrected. He had no doubt that V would be capable of expanding on a wide variety of subjects.

[gender_neutral]

"Ah. I understand."

[king_of_egypt]

There was a natural lull in the conversation, which gave Atem more time to reflect on everything that had been said. This was a peculiar dimension indeed where the fabric of time, space, and reality all seemed to operate differently than anywhere else.

"Say-....." Speaking of quiet. "Where did our familiars get to?"

[gender_neutral]

V blinked. "Right, I was attempting to be more in the habit of being aware of that..." V looked around, then spotted Willard hiding perched atop something decorative up near the shadows, stalking the shiney with his eyes.

"Huh. I did not know this web comic even had shadows, must be an art upgrade."

[king_of_egypt]

"They slipped my mind as well," Atem replied with an edge of regret. They were now responsible for these creatures after all. It was easier to spot the familiar posing as a bird, and from there they were able to follow it's line of sight to Capricius. ".... I don't believe we are still in your webcomic." He gently suggested. "Wouldn't it be bizarre for the artist to employ so many different art styles into one story?"

[gender_neutral]

"You didn't see the crayon drawing flashbacks," V said dryly.