April Event and Intro Log

[magicademymods]

April Event and Intro Log Plants Off The Path Green grass and radiant flower gardens bracket all the major walks on campus, and fragrant scents fill the air all around. Note the key words "major walks" there. Move off the common paths and onto 'shortcuts' or less frequented areas of the vast campus and things are quite different. Here, the plants grow just as experience with this chaotic and often dangerous school would lead you to expect. Broad-leafed stalks stretch upwards, petals unfolding to reveal long jets of fire instead of a sensible stamen. Bushes have large toothy mouths, and viciously swallow anyone who comes near (though they are still just bushes, and the victims end up on the their other side just a few scratches worse for wear). A tree grows quills instead of needles; another sprouts paper airplanes instead of leaves. An extremely aggressive pitcher-plant wanders the pathways, mugging students at knifepoint. It's a jungle out there. Bullies, Of Course Surely a Magicademy, with many students already adults and with such an emphasis on learning and control, wouldn't have those who used their magic for such petty ends as making others suffer? Uh-huh. A pack of bullies with more spell experience than wisdom has banded together to take delight in the suffering of others. They overtly pick on the small, the meek, and those with less magical skill; they torment the larger, the bold, and the powerful in secret. Worse, they are the clever sorts of bullies, who go out of their way not to get caught and not to do anything that can't be played off or explained away. Maybe you attracted their attention by looking weak enough to pick on. Or strong enough to need to be taken down a notch. Or weird enough that you were the Other and thus lesser. Or pretty/handsome enough that you needed to look less attractive so they would look more so. They are pretty good at justifying picking on anyone, really. Are they pestering you by magical tripping or property destruction? Playing keep-away with your class books? Better be careful how you respond; their fathers might hear about it. Wind At The Docks (aka The Prompt Where You Don't Get Mugged) The winds of spring bring something of a dark pastime to Anastara -- dockwatching. Aware that a sudden blast of air can rip across the island at a moment's notice, crowds gather at the docks with the air of those expecting spectacle. All too often, they are rewarded -- in the wake of a sudden wind, airships list violently, or bump into each other, or desperately pull sails and power up their flotation cores to avoid a worse collision. Curses fly through the air, and sometimes even spells. With luck, the audience might even see a pair of vessels engage in an all-out air duel, as two captains driven by pride or vengeance refuse to back down. Now, to their credit, the assembled people aren't heartless. If a ship truly looks to be in trouble, or if it's smashed to the ground or into a dock, the people of Anastara don't hesitate to help those on board to safety or ensure that they don't go down with their ship. But mostly it's watching the chaos. It IS quite a show... 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 Glyph designed to detect any influence of the magic on you. Painted on your arm, it will shine with a bright light when a Sundering effect attempts to influence you. They explain that they believe the Sundered are still subject to either the spell that brought them here or new ones, because they have detected remnants of Sundering magic in the wake of students who have mysteriously disappeared. They ask only that you report back when it lights up. Problem: when the Glyph erupts, either because of the Glyph itself or the spell it has detected... those who bear it find themselves no longer where they started. Perhaps they find themselves in a classroom late at night. Or the wrong dormitory. Or in the Great Hall in their nightshirt. Or for the utterly lowbrow amongst you, a restroom occupied by the wrong gender. Whatever the case: sorry. 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 some sort of regain this month!)

Comments

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"Well, obviously you didn't mean it. I mean, you seem like the type of guy to both wait for an invite, and show up in something more than...I don't know what that is you're wearing, but." She waves it off. Clearly, it was an outfit to wash your cat in, Isabel!

"I'm not gonna try to get you in trouble either, it was an accident, right? You don't strike me as the type of guy to pull this style of prank."

Isabel looks from Seto to his cat, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Could always throw my cloak over you and smuggle you out that way, pretend you're one of our quieter students, for now." That seemed like a good idea to her.

[blue_ice]

Kaiba frowned at the bundle in his arms. "I can't risk damaging my uniform more than I already do walking from place to place. This has to be the least safe school in existence."

He snorts, the expression bringing him back to looking more like his usual self. "I have no use for that sort of juvenile 'prank'. But I'd appreciate leaving in peace, if that's not too much to ask."

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"There might be some truth in that." Having gone to a boarding school, Isabel was used to some weird things going on--since it wasn't on Earth, and there were students who could fly there. But still, all things considered, Northedge was pretty tame as schools went.

Diatu blew everything there straight out of the water.

"Oh, no, why would it be? Like I said, it's not like you were trying to be a disruption. Sure, one moment." Isabel went over to her wardrobe and rummaged in it for a bit, coming out with a vibrant pumpkin-orange cloak with a hood. It might be a little short on Seto, because he has a few inches on her, but it should suffice. Since he does have his arms full, she settles it around his shoulders, clasps it at the neckline, and draws the hood up.

"Okay, Operation Smuggle is ready to go!" She's certainly cheerful about all of this...

[blue_ice]

Kaiba clutches Sara closer for security and snorts. Well, this is going to be an awkward showing. But he nods all the same, shuffling behind her and trying to be inconspicuous.

"You're taking this surprisingly well. Does this happen often where you're from?"

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"Not really, but enough crazy stuff happens that I'm used to it," Isabel admitted. "My granddad's kind of a mad scientist in his own right with a huge laboratory, and his Life section is like...its own ecology. He gets weird stuff in there all the time. Random Bastet, werewolves, he got an entire family of pseudodragons living down there, now. So you get my drift, I hope."

Yeah, her family was weird, but Isabel was used to it. So she chattered on gaily as they trekked on down the stairs of the tower and towards the door. It made sure no one challenged them. Her familiar trailed behind them on his own four paws, and at his own leisure.

"You can borrow that 'til you're back at your dorm and organized. It's not like you don't know where you can find me, after all." She wouldn't blame Seto one bit if he wanted to hightail it out of Valhudor as fast as his feet would take him!

[blue_ice]

"Werewolves? Dragons?"

You have his attention, woman. Kaiba would very much like to know more about this mysterious scientist and his work, but is now the right time?

"Did you two have any common interests?"

Yes it is, apparently.

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"Yeah, werewolves. My dad's dad was a werewolf, but that didn't pass down at all. And pseudodragons, not like...real dragons. Not like here, though there were dragons in the world I lived in most of the time. I visited Earth during the summer."

Isabel blinked at Seto, then, brows arching. "You mean me and my grandpa? Well, he keeps in shape, so we did that sort of thing. Swimming, running. He made exercise machines for me sometimes. DDR. He liked playing video games for me. Stargazing--astronomy. I think he played chess with me mostly to humor me, though. Civilization--that's a board game."

She tried to think of other things, but that was all that was coming to mind at the time, so Isabel shrugged. "He'd come to my matches and when I'd play in band, though."

[blue_ice]

"...I need to find some of these dragons."

It was mostly said under his breath, but it was a lifelong dream. He'd have to be clever about it, though. He did his best to focus on the more usual question he'd asked.

"Mm, I see. I'm a fan of games as well, and I was a video game developer. If you'd like to play this world's games, I'd suggest talking to my friends Yugi and Atem."

It's still weird to call them that.

"They're in Aer et Calculum and they have the same hairstyle---spiky like a maple leaf, black with red tips and bolts of gold fringe. Either of them will give you a decent challenge...though I suppose I could too."

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"I'd be game to find some real dragons. The ones at my grandpa's are all cat-sized, or about that. They're not exactly dragons. Just kind of." Isabel shrugs at that.

Though she kind of laughs at Seto's next statement, before her brows fly up. "You developed video games? You some sort of genius or something?" She counted herself pretty clever, but she took after her father a little too much to actually be on genius level, in her mind.

"I don't know about challenging anyone to games, though. Unless you need more playtesters and you're developing here, I guess. I could try." She paused a bit at that. "What are they, twins?"

[blue_ice]

Kaiba gives his cat a small scritch. She seems to be forgiving him a little, which is a relief. But yes, even these small dragons interest him.

"I've been called a genius at times, yes." He's trying really hard not to fling his arrogance all over the place here! He's in a bit too vulnerable of a position for that. "And...it's something ridiculous about ancient shadow magic. Their souls are connected by fate, or something."

It's clear that he hates every word he just spoke.

"But we could absolutely use more players. The technology level's not there for a true video game, but a strategy game could be developed through spellwork, I suppose."

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

Isabel's not laughing at him at least--and at least so far as intelligence goes, she figures she might be able to keep up, too. Which is something, for her. She does look at Seto a bit sharply as he mentions 'ancient shadow magic'. Damn, not having her own magic really sucks. She doesn't mind learning everything over, but...

"That sounds...well, it doesn't sound impossible where I'm from, but...yeah definitely uncommon." Her brow furrows at that, though, and Isabel tries her best to not look concerned.

"I'm better at Fantastics right now, so I'm not sure how much help I'll be, what with having to hum or sing or play everything I do so far, but..." Isabel shrugged. "I'm not doing a ton of things yet, I could try it and if I don't work out, nothing's really lost, I guess."

[blue_ice]

"All it requires is vibration, correct? There are subtler ways to do that. Drumming. Tapping. But I understand the appeal of music...at least on a theoretical level."

Yeah that was the total opposite of his focus, but he could try.

"It's good for drawing attention, which is an asset on its own."

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"Point," Isabel agreed. "And sometimes subtlety is called for, I do realize that."

She chuckled, then.

"Yes, and music is a safe way of drawing attention, the way things like pyrotechnics or fireworks or swordplay demonstrations aren't. Oh, sure, they're flashy and impressive, but it's hard not to have someone get hurt with stuff like that. And the liability insurance is usually through the roof...at least back home."

Probably not so bad here, even if they had such a thing.