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]

Ship-climby action?? This guy was a hoot! Isabel ducked her head and laughed, though she looked up quickly enough when he said that the angry dude might start throwing things.

"You think? Let me know if you see anything that looks valuable or edible, I can try to catch it! Besides, finders keepers, losers weepers, right?!"

Though as she said that, she started humming under her breath and tapping a foot. Best to be ready, Isabel thought.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Wonder if that's allowed. Guess there's only one way to find out, huh?" Jecht shielded his hands with his eyes, the better to actually resolve some details out there. The wind didn't bother him too much, but the right kind of gust sure could make his eyes water.

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"Hey, he's an adult, he oughtta know not to throw things! I learned not to do that as a toddler!" Isabel laughed at that, though. Though it was smart to shield his eyes--as it was, Isabel was having problems with her own hair deciding to wrap itself around her face--at which she clawed it out of her eyes.

"I suppose we could grab anything sharp too, though. I'm sure it wouldn't be good if a weapon hit the ground--that might hurt somebody."

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Heh, you got a point! Here's -- hey, whoa!"

The airshipman had indeed decided to throw something, but it was a ball of fire! Not terribly harmful against another airship's reinforced hull, but still, jeez!

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"Whoa!" Isabel couldn't help but shout at that. Like instant fireworks--not that any of that was floating downwards--it had all spattered against the ship's hull--but it was a hell of a light show.

"I suppose I ought to be on guard for that too, then. Makes me kinda jealous of your bandana, or regretting that I didn't bring my own hair tie."

Because the wind was just making her hair an exercise in futility, at the moment.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"It's for water, but works great for wind too." He ran a hand through his hair casually, even as he grinned at the show.

Just at that, another gust whipped up, yanking first at their backs before veering abruptly to the side. Up above the docks, the two airships bumped together with an unpleasant whump.

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

Isabel lurched a bit herself, working to regain her footing with what might look to anyone else like a little dance. At least she wasn't too close to the dock, where she might get more acquainted with the air than she really wanted to.

At least not without a parachute, or a glider. Idly she wondered if her bracelet might make a decent either one of those, and realized she didn't really want to find out.

"I can see that," Isabel agreed, though she looked up with uncertainty after that whump. It was never a good noise, ever, and she wondered if something bad was going to happen.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Uh." Jecht shielded his eyes with one hand, squinting up into brightness of the sky for better vision. "Does that one look like it's leaning sideways to you?"

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

Isabel, never one to wait when moving was a good idea, barely glanced up before shoving at the older man. "MOVE, yes it does MOVE!"

She cast her eyes around to make sure no one else had been idling around like a bunch of gawkers. Like she had. Cupping her hands over her mouth, Isabel shouted, just in case.

"That ship's coming down, people! Move! MOVE!"

Not that she was. Not yet. Though Isabel did her best to be out of the way of the greatest mass of the ship. Jecht might recognize her movements, as she shook out her arms and flexed them, and took a deep breath. Yeah, she was definitely planning...something.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Welp, he's got his own role to play here -- tackler. Or close to it. Spreading his arms, Jecht plowed into the crowd around them, catching the slower people and shoving them out of the way at speed. "Get going!" he shouted, hoping that the sound of a loud angry man would put some spark into the steps of the people he couldn't shove around.

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

Isabel let Jecht take it from there--she was strong for being a slender seventeen-year-old, but he had sheer intimidation power, considering he was rocking the 'big angry guy' thing. Which meant trying to make the ship not crash was gonna be her thing.

"I got the world where I want it, all eyes on me! International threat to security! Prism of secrets, a house of cards, igniting the furor all over the world! Suckerpunch power! Shake the cage! Summon up the power!!"

Really, Isabel only hoped she wouldn't burn the bracelet out. The force enshrined in it sprung out as it always did, making a lattice beneath the falling ship. She knew she couldn't hold it up--she wasn't sure the magic itself could take it, and Isabel was clever, but there were limits. But if she didn't try, a lot more people would be hurt.

The lattice she'd made under the airship wicked away in its rear, reappearing at the front in a clear effort to shift it down to the dock. It wasn't the best plan, she knew, but it was better than just letting it fall where it would.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Okay, straight up, he had no idea what he was looking. All he heard was her busting into song and NOT running, and since his focus was on shoving people out of danger he didn't see the mesh forming to bump up the ship or whatever it was doing. But instinct told him she was gonna be okay, so Jecht trusted instinct and let her do her thing.

"Man, this turned out less fun than advertised..."

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

Well, Isabel knew how she'd put it, but at the moment, she had no room to talk. Too busy actually trying to get the ship to ground without any casualties. Or any more than there already might be on the ship itself...

And she couldn't heal now. That really sucked.

As it was--thank you, Grandpa Drake and your instruction in forces (and Forces)...Isabel was managing to use her bracelet to both slow the airship and bring it down safely. Once she'd done that, her first instinct was to book out, but she figured some authority might want to talk to her. She just hoped she wasn't in trouble.

"You're telling me," Isabel agreed.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

Between panic and a big dude tackling them, the people around had begun to clear out rapidly, leaving a spot where she could plunk the airship down. Jecht dropped down to a knee for a second, catching his breath before he stood up. "You got this?"

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

Considering she'd landed the damn thing just as he asked the question, Isabel exhaled the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, and nodded. Heck, she was glad he was a big dude, it meant people listened!

"Yeah, I got it, I don't know how, but I did it." She'd probably eat half a cow later, or something to that effect. The airship wasn't even listing, but there did seem to be some damage to the components that kept it afloat. What had that guy even been thinking, lobbing fireballs like that?

"Ugh. I just hope I don't get in trouble."

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"If you get in trouble for help saving that ship's ass..." Jecht didn't follow up verbally, just clenched a fist tight to make his point.

He watched the ship for a moment, making certain it wasn't gonna fall over on anyway, then dusted his hands off and strode over to her.

"Nice work."

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"It's not like this place makes a ton of sense!" Isabel protested, lifting her hands soothingly. She didn't want the big guy to get in trouble because of her, though she appreciated the thought that he'd go to bat for her.

"Thanks, though. I'm kinda surprised I managed, but also glad I did." Hey, maybe it'd give Diatu some good press. Isabel was aware that the decision to take in the Sundered wasn't the most popular one they'd ever made, after all.

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"How the heck did you do that, anyway?" Like, she was just a kid. Sure, kids could be pretty impressive, but landing an airship like that seemed pretty damn crazy!

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"Oh, this. I've learned a couple tricks with it, and I figured...I might be able to expand its repertoire, so to speak." Isabel lifted her right wrist to show the guy her bracelet.

"The academy guys gave it to me when I came here. I'm still not entirely sure how it works...but it works, so..." She shrugged. It sure worked well this time.

"I'm just glad I didn't break it by biting off more than I could chew!"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"I got something like that, actually." He tapped his wrists together to make the bands on them clang together. They're not just cosmetic. "'Cept these do stuff like fire and water and the like."

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"Four classical elements?" Isabel pondered that for a moment, leaning in to look at his bracers. "That means they probably have at least Discovery and Thaumaturgy in them, too. Hm. I wonder if they give stuff like this to students to see what they can do with them."

Figures, she's got a streak of nerd in her. Just when the dude might have thought she was cool, for a kid. Then she realized--he was just 'big dude' to her and--that wouldn't work.

"I'm Isabel Knight, who're you?"

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"The name's Jecht!" He lifted a confident fist, grinning and showing off one of those bracers all at once. "Unless you're talking blitzball or bala-inlota, and then it's the Great Jecht at a minimum!"

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

Isabel laughed at that--but it was delighted, not derisive. "Well, it's not a bad thing to know your strengths, right? I don't...think I know what Blitzball is..."

Though she seemed a bit confused at that. Felt like she might be missing something. "But I've been meaning to try out for bala-inlota, I just do a lot, it keeps slipping through the cracks! So maybe I'll see you on the team, then, Great Jecht?"

Since no one else seemed to be accosting her about the airship yet, she was considering ducking and running while she had the chance!

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Good luck if you do." Actually, that bracelet had a lot of potential for the sport, didn't it? That might just give her the edge she needed... Ought to be interesting to see, that's for sure. "I'll look forward to it!"

[hyperdrivemonalisa]

"I'll have to make a point of it. It's not like I've got trouble with my schoolwork, I've just been sparring sometimes after school." She got away with not doing it every day, not like poor Eleven--but then again, he kinda needed the work, even in her mind. It was good for Hendrik to make him go through drills.

Even if El didn't enjoy it.

Isabel remembered those days, long ago though they were. "Yeah, I bet there's a lot I can do with this thing, though." She already could do a lot with her bracelet even without playing bala-inlota...hadn't she just proved it?