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lunaecalamitas2024-04-04 11:33 pm
promittere) wrote in lunaecalamitas2024-04-04 11:33 pm
if you say it's magic, then you're my wizard
WANING GIBBOUS OVERTURE
The seconds tick by, the elevator rattles. There's a soft, musical chime announcing your arrival before the elevator doors creak open, leaving you and a number of others in the courtyard of a stone manor. The manor is large, looming over the trees surrounding it, and the gardens are well maintained, rows of hedges and beds of blooming flowers as far as you can see. The doors linger open until you clear the threshold, as if waiting patiently for you. Dawdle too long and you’ll feel a gentle push, nudging you out into the yard. The doors shut with more rattles and a cheerful ding!, and if you turn to look at it there's nothing to be seen behind you but the milling strangers.
Then there's a sting, mild at first. But soon, the spot where your sage's crest is starts to burn. It's as though you have been branded, and the searing heat clings to your skin. Should you look at your crest, you'll find it glows a faint red, like the dying embers of a fire, but given enough time it will cool to black and no longer hurt.
Once the pain fades, you notice is that the air around you feels distinctly different. It's hard to say exactly what makes it different, or how. It feels brittle, but malleable. That perhaps if you said or did the right thing, you could command reality to your liking—
The wind blows, stirring leaves and flowers, and that's when you notice there are two people in the courtyard that did not emerge from the elevator like everyone else. The taller of the two looks briefly shocked, before a warm smile blots it out, while the shorter of the two looks remarkably unimpressed—for as much as you can make out his expression under the large hat he wears. He glances at the taller man, the charms that hang from his hat clinking, and crosses his arm over his chest.
The taller man nods, turns to the group, and says, "Sorry. I know you were probably in the middle of something important. But...I need you. My name is Tatara Totsuka. I'm your sage, and you are my witches and wizards."
He looks up to the moon hanging in the sky, still pale and visible despite the light of day, and lays it all out for you: a wizard under the sage's guidance is supposed to fight off the Great Calamity—the moon—when it nears. But you are not meant to carry out this task. The original sage and twenty-one wizards suddenly vanished not long ago. No one knows what happened to them, or where they are. They aren't dead. They are gone.
That you are here, that there are so many of you, that you came from different worlds, means that this is a mistake. Something, somewhere, isn't right. Yet the world has decided to claim you in a frantic attempt to keep itself together.
This world is breaking. If you don't fix this, then you'll be stuck here fighting the Calamity yourselves.
When Tatara looks back down to the rest of you, there's a smile on his face, tinged with apology. "But I think it'll be okay. We'll figure this out... Right?"
The golden light of sunset is oddly cold. It settles over you not in a welcoming embrace, but in a possessive hold. There is a sinking feeling in your gut: whatever your home was before matters no longer. Welcome to a world on the brink of destruction—let's hope it's not for good.
The day begins to draw to a close. You're given the rest of the day to process Tatara's words and to familiarize yourselves with the manor. There are plenty of empty spaces in the manor with sparse furniture where you can rest and try to unwind, and hopefully get some sleep. Everything about today might be a lot to unpack, but surely you can at least relax and prepare for the next day.
The morning starts with the sound of bells. A cacophonous racket of them, ringing in your rooms, in your head, jolting you from whatever slumber you can grasp. The source seems to be a note, unassuming if not for the way it shakes with each toll of the bells, and the noise only stops when you read it.
"Go to the courtyard," it says, and if you try to ignore it the noise returns, growing louder and louder until your vision swims and you find yourself standing in the courtyard with everyone else—and the shorter of the two men from yesterday.
"Practice starts right now," he says, looking bored and just as unimpressed as he did yesterday. The sun has barely started over the horizon—it's early, almost absurdly so. "You need to learn magic sooner instead of later, unless you want to die like miserable worms. If you do, just quit now so we can replace you with someone useful."
His explanation on magic is brief—he explains that magic is a deal struck between caster and the spirits of the world, using a meaningful word or phrase to communicate your will to the as-of-yet unseen spirits of the world, who will respond to your desires and power your magic. A focus, an object of significant meaning, will help strengthen your ties to the land and direct the magic for your spells. If you have nothing that would work as a focus right now, he says, chances are the perfect thing will find you anyways.
While he looks unhappy to do so, he emphasizes that magic—as it works here—is all tied to your emotions and your convictions, and then he assigns you a challenge for the week. He wants you to come up with your incantation—the words you'll use to cast all of your magic—as well as find or draw forward your focus, with the final task being summoning a magic broom you'll use for transportation.
Then there's a sting, mild at first. But soon, the spot where your sage's crest is starts to burn. It's as though you have been branded, and the searing heat clings to your skin. Should you look at your crest, you'll find it glows a faint red, like the dying embers of a fire, but given enough time it will cool to black and no longer hurt.
Once the pain fades, you notice is that the air around you feels distinctly different. It's hard to say exactly what makes it different, or how. It feels brittle, but malleable. That perhaps if you said or did the right thing, you could command reality to your liking—
The wind blows, stirring leaves and flowers, and that's when you notice there are two people in the courtyard that did not emerge from the elevator like everyone else. The taller of the two looks briefly shocked, before a warm smile blots it out, while the shorter of the two looks remarkably unimpressed—for as much as you can make out his expression under the large hat he wears. He glances at the taller man, the charms that hang from his hat clinking, and crosses his arm over his chest.
The taller man nods, turns to the group, and says, "Sorry. I know you were probably in the middle of something important. But...I need you. My name is Tatara Totsuka. I'm your sage, and you are my witches and wizards."
He looks up to the moon hanging in the sky, still pale and visible despite the light of day, and lays it all out for you: a wizard under the sage's guidance is supposed to fight off the Great Calamity—the moon—when it nears. But you are not meant to carry out this task. The original sage and twenty-one wizards suddenly vanished not long ago. No one knows what happened to them, or where they are. They aren't dead. They are gone.
That you are here, that there are so many of you, that you came from different worlds, means that this is a mistake. Something, somewhere, isn't right. Yet the world has decided to claim you in a frantic attempt to keep itself together.
This world is breaking. If you don't fix this, then you'll be stuck here fighting the Calamity yourselves.
When Tatara looks back down to the rest of you, there's a smile on his face, tinged with apology. "But I think it'll be okay. We'll figure this out... Right?"
The golden light of sunset is oddly cold. It settles over you not in a welcoming embrace, but in a possessive hold. There is a sinking feeling in your gut: whatever your home was before matters no longer. Welcome to a world on the brink of destruction—let's hope it's not for good.
The day begins to draw to a close. You're given the rest of the day to process Tatara's words and to familiarize yourselves with the manor. There are plenty of empty spaces in the manor with sparse furniture where you can rest and try to unwind, and hopefully get some sleep. Everything about today might be a lot to unpack, but surely you can at least relax and prepare for the next day.
The morning starts with the sound of bells. A cacophonous racket of them, ringing in your rooms, in your head, jolting you from whatever slumber you can grasp. The source seems to be a note, unassuming if not for the way it shakes with each toll of the bells, and the noise only stops when you read it.
"Go to the courtyard," it says, and if you try to ignore it the noise returns, growing louder and louder until your vision swims and you find yourself standing in the courtyard with everyone else—and the shorter of the two men from yesterday."Practice starts right now," he says, looking bored and just as unimpressed as he did yesterday. The sun has barely started over the horizon—it's early, almost absurdly so. "You need to learn magic sooner instead of later, unless you want to die like miserable worms. If you do, just quit now so we can replace you with someone useful."
His explanation on magic is brief—he explains that magic is a deal struck between caster and the spirits of the world, using a meaningful word or phrase to communicate your will to the as-of-yet unseen spirits of the world, who will respond to your desires and power your magic. A focus, an object of significant meaning, will help strengthen your ties to the land and direct the magic for your spells. If you have nothing that would work as a focus right now, he says, chances are the perfect thing will find you anyways.
While he looks unhappy to do so, he emphasizes that magic—as it works here—is all tied to your emotions and your convictions, and then he assigns you a challenge for the week. He wants you to come up with your incantation—the words you'll use to cast all of your magic—as well as find or draw forward your focus, with the final task being summoning a magic broom you'll use for transportation.
Threading out magic practice and ICly discovering your characters' magic words, manifesting their foci, and summoning their broom will count as three different jobs, and will be eligible for a set of rewards each. While not technically classified as a job this time around, this is a special circumstance. When you've accomplished any of these things, please submit them to the rewards page as a job submission.
If you're having trouble coming up with a focus or incantation, think about your answers for the first and third mandatory questions on your app! Your focus of choice does not have to be in your character's inventory—if what works best for them as a focus did not come with them, then they can focus and reach across universes to bring it here with them.
If you're having trouble coming up with a focus or incantation, think about your answers for the first and third mandatory questions on your app! Your focus of choice does not have to be in your character's inventory—if what works best for them as a focus did not come with them, then they can focus and reach across universes to bring it here with them.
JOB BOARD
You may have just gotten here, but people across the continent still need the sage's wizards to do things for them. The job board will typically have 2 - 3 requests each event that can be turned in for rewards when completed.
Sugar delivery. Confectionery shops and pharmacies put in regular orders for wizard sugar to the manor, and despite the unusual circumstances, now is no different. Wizard sugar—sugar spontaneously created through a wizard's magic—is said to have restorative properties and said to bless those that consume it, so it's no wonder it's in high demand. It also happens to be one of the first things young wizards learn to do. So once you've perfected your sugar, go deliver it to the shops in Central capital and to the Southern merchants waiting for shipment near the Central tower.
The Southern merchants, in particular, seem rather anxious to receive as much sugar as possible, as soon as possible.
The Southern merchants, in particular, seem rather anxious to receive as much sugar as possible, as soon as possible.
WANDERER TASKS
The wizards' new mentor knows that this must be an incredibly overwhelming experience, so he has a list of things that should help break down the process of learning and understanding magic. Or that's what he says, at least, but it feels like he's trying to make things more difficult...
Nobody is going to hold your hands for you, and the best way to learn is to understand the root cause of an issue. Use that paper being left around for something actually useful and do some research on the spirits of the countries you've been tasked to represent. I'll be expecting some actual thought out papers within the week.
For the idiots who can't research to save their lives, prove you can actually manage the bare minimum. There's a spot you can't reach without magic within the manor grounds—bring me one of the trinkets you find there.
For the even bigger idiots who are overconfident, come find me and we can spar. I won't go easy on you.
TATARA ACTIVITIES
Tatara knows things are tense and uncomfortable for his new wizards, so he'll offer up a few activities each event post to help them relax if things get too tough.
We're all new here, but we'll be friends before long, I know it! There's a table in the dining room with paper, pens, markers, glitter, and pins so we can all make name tags and get to know each other better. We'll go from strangers to neighbors to besties before you know it!
Oh, you should probably get a feel of the manor, too. This IS your new home, after all! And what better way than...hide and seek?! Sounds fun, right? I'd tell you MY favorite spot to hide, but then that wouldn't be fair!
I don't know how long we're going to be here, so it probably wouldn't hurt to settle in. Grab a friend or two and head to the market in the Central capital to stock up on whatever food you like and stuff for your room. May as well get comfortable!
OOC NOTES
🌙 Welcome to Lunae Calamitas's first event post! Yer a wizard, whether you like it or not.
🌙 While not technically jobs, ICly working out your character's focus, incantation, and broom are all separately eligible for rewards. Good luck on your basics, little wizards! You'll need them...
🌙 Your OOC plotting post is here! Please keep all your plotting on the plotting post, since not everyone uses discord or plurk.
🌙 The South will be going on their mission next week to get this party started. Keep an eye out, Southies!
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Anyway, he's like, dubiously helpful during the notes taking portion. He does try to read stuff but he gets distracted easily, but as long as he's given direction he tries...? But Akira's notes sheet is a lot easier to get a handle of. Bite-sized! ]
Strengthening bonds...? Mmmhmmm~! I see, I see! It's coming! I wanna write a song for the spirits! ☆ [ He wants to strengthen a bond! And if it comes to communication, even if it's not direct - doesn't that mean that maybe they can communicate indirectly through music? To Leo music is a first language and the one language everyone and everything can communicate through. It's how he's always seen it and he's already uncapping his marker - his foci marker, as he snags Akira's planner to grab another few blank sheets. Sorry he's a rude boy.
He just plops right down on the ground wherever they are, already humming to himself. ]
♪~♪~♪ [ ...And promptly gets lost in it. It's probably a little bit like watching Yusuke paint, maybe? Leo just totally tunes out everything else and focuses on what he's doing, scribbling out sheet music without missing a beat. He's done it so often that he can do straight lines without needing to fuss over them and the notes are all nearly perfectly formed.
The resulting song is going to have all the information in it, sure, but it's going to be composed playfully - an entreaty to the spirits Akira talked about to come and play with them, dance with them. Leo's hopes and dreams swirled in with all the information and his mood: bright, happy, curious. Hey, don't you want to come and play~?
It's also going to be a complete earworm kinda thing. Even besides being the composer for Knights' discography Leo's the one behind a lot of the Ensemble Stars music and more pieces that we haven't heard but know sell super well. His pieces are often picked up for jingles and professional pieces, so once he's done it's A Banger.
And also probably not the form Wanderer wanted this essay in, but the information IS in a catchy tune???? He'll happily shove the sheet music towards Akira once he's done. ]
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Besides, Akira's having plenty of fun watching Leo work. It's always fascinating to see how people's passions guide them, you know? It's totally like watching Yusuke paint, and Akira's impressed how quickly the music appears on the pages. Calling Leo a genius composer almost feels like an understatement.
Once he's finished, Akira looks over his sheet music. Sure, he can't read music, but if Leo's included the accompanying lyrics here, Akira can get the gist of it well enough from that. Still, he's curious...]
...Say, can you sing, too? I'd like to hear your song in its full glory before we hand it over to Shorty.
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[ Have one of his solos. He's pretty decent? And it's about that peppy because that's his current VibeTM. He's also included the lyrics, yes, so Akira can follow along! He doesn't need to be holding or looking at the sheet music to sing his song because...well, he wrote it.
He forgets people's names and often gets lost and can't be bothered to remember things he doesn't care about, but...Leo always remembers his songs. ]
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At the end of his tune, Akira claps.]
Not bad at all. I'd ask you if you're ready, but it sounds like it to me. We finished in record time too.
[The day's getting long, but! He's sure they can find Wanderer... well, wandering around somewhere.]
Ready to knock Shorty's socks off? May as well submit our "essay" now.
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[ He didn't forget the bribery.............
Although that's only if they actually pass. Time to torment a grump. ]
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Of course. I'm a man of my word. There's just [lifts a finger] one problem with that. No electricity means no coffee maker, so you'll have to be patient while I grind up the beans and find a way to steep it. Can you be a good boy and wait a bit?
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That makes it sound like you're the one holding my leash! ♪ [ !! era Leo brings up his weird petplay thing off and on, I hate Ensemble Stars - ] But sure, I'll just work on something while I wait! I haven't had anything but the cheap instant stuff in a while!
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I'll cut you loose after Shorty gives us a passing grade. Deal?
[That either means the end of their banter or Akira's keeping Leo forever. His new ginger Morgana...]
Join me in the kitchen. I bought some beans earlier, so we're halfway there.
[And once they've made their way to the kitchen, Akira rummages through every cabinet and ice box to procure the tools he needs to make Leo a hot cuppa. Unfortunately, he couldn't find a coffee grinder, but a mortar and pestle is the next best thing. While Leo does whatever Leos do, Akira'll be here building up a sweat while manually crushing up coffee beans.]
There has to be an easier way to do this. You better love me forever after this.
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What Leos do seems to be pouring some flour on the counter and drawing in it...music notes...
Hm. He's just making a mess, isn't he. ]
Wahahaha, easy enough! ☆ I love weird guys the most of all, so it'll be simple to love you forever. ♪
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You're calling me weird? You're not wrong, but it takes one to know one, weirdo.
[With the beans all ground up, Akira finds Ye Olde Glass Pourover and uses that to fix them both a nice hot cup of coffee. There's no creamer in the icebox, but there is milk of unknown origin, so Leo will have to test his luck if he wants some of that in his coffee.]
How do you take your coffee? We've got milk and, obviously, plenty of sugar.
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Oh, I take it black usually. But if you do foam art I like that!
[ This is a mix of preference of taste and preference of ease...he usually can't be bothered with anything fancy when he's working. Even the foam art thing is brought up mostly because he feels like he's at a café? ]
An-~y~way, people always get it wrong when they think that isn't a compliment!
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[But if anything, Akira sounds pleasantly surprised that Leo takes his coffee black. Appearances are often deceiving, aren't they?]
And you know what? I'd rather be weird than boring. Even if you did mean it as an insult, I wouldn't take it as one. Who wants to be normal?
[Akira saunters over to the table and hands Leo his cup, sitting across from him with his own. He's very clearly waiting for Leo to take the first sip and assess his work.]
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He takes the cup in both hands, obviously enjoying the warmth at least as much as the scent as he takes a sip. ]
There's a lot of people with a lot of dreams. Some of those people probably do dream of being "normal", but "normal" is an ever-changing kind of concept. What society thinks is proper today might look like something totally different tomorrow. Doesn't that kind of thing happen all the time throughout history? Things that people in the modern era would shun were once the normal, everyday things people lived with and aspired to.
[ He'll just ramble between sips...being in Enstars means contractually speaking you're obligated to ramble about things sometimes. Often on stage. ]
I'm not gonna say society is always wrong or right, but I think the people who are weird are a lot more interesting. ♪ They're the ones who are a little bit more honest about the things hiding in their hearts and minds than those who adhere strictly to what is expected step by step.
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You're right— what's right and wrong is different between cultures too. Some things like murder are always universally bad, but what's normal and what's weird differs from person to person.
[With that said, he'll take a long, deep sip of his coffee to fully appreciate its flavor. Not bad at all, though... yeah? Maybe he should invest in some coffee magic to make his brew the best it can be. Akira has his priorities straight.]
You surprise me, Leo. I didn't expect you to be so passionate about this kind of thing. Here I thought you only had eyes for your music.
[Akira's coy, teasing grin disappears behind his cup. Mmm. Coffee always tastes better in good company.]
Tell me more about yourself. What else gets your heart racing?
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[ Leo does think it's wrong when he takes part in it, but he has to admit the times he's hurt people have all been about lashing out when hurt himself. On the other hand, he knows people who carefully consider all the angles and then do things that would be considered wrong, normally. ]
I'd be pretty hard pressed to say Mama's a bad guy who does wrong things even when he goes to extremes. I've seen the shape of his soul and I've long since accepted it. Sometimes kind people do things they think they have to - and you know, sometimes they're even right about it. As someone who's been saved like that, I don't have the right to say "that's wrong!" nor would I even want to.
[ Leo sets his cup down mostly to make a moisture ring on the counter, then slicks a finger through it to make a musical note. ]
But anyway...you asked a question. So let's see~! I love my family and my friends, but that's a pretty everyday response. Little John and the other cats I know and don't know...hmmm, the color orange, flowers you can eat, the endless vast expanse of space, dancing 'till your heartbeat is all throughout your body, chess, the sight of a brand new scene I've never seen before, things I've never done before, making people smile, that moment when you know that no matter what you do you're never gonna be able to recreate everything happening right now and it's sad but also the happiest thing ever. I'm not sure! What about your heart?
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Akira answers that question while he excuses himself to grab some paper. He may as well write a more traditional essay to go along with their song in case Wanderer isn't a fan of song and dance.]
Sounds like a full life. We're pretty similar, but swap orange for red. My friends and family are the most important people in my life. Oh— and I don't know the first thing about dancing. I'd love to learn, though. I'm always down to pick up a new skill.
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Also, Wanderer accepts the singing essay but apparently tells them to Not Sing next time...killjoy.
Leo bounces up to his feet, though. ]
Well, let's go, then! [ Akira was trying to write an essay and there's still coffee, but Leo's easily diverted and holds out a hand. ] Dancing isn't that hard at all as long as you don't over think it. ♪ It's when you're worrying about it that you can misstep.
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Promise you won't scold me if I step on your feet?
[He won't do it on purpose, of course! Once Akira's gotten his footing — literally — he's pretty quick to pick up new skills. Refining them, of course, will take plenty more dances.]
Lead the way, king.
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[ Leo's about three inches shorter here, but he's used to being shorter than a lot of people he works with and dances with - in Knights only Tsukasa is any shorter than him, and that only barely. It's always going to be easiest to learn from someone leading, so he'll take the "lead" position for a waltz and show Akira where to put his hands.
Then he'll pick a classical tune to hum - something easy to move to. Leo actually does a lot of more "modern" dancing but he figured he'd start with this because it's nice to do the predictable step dances as a first step, haha. ]
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[Who is he, Super Mario?
In any case, Akira follows Leo's lead, eyes on their dancing feet, until he's gotten the hang of their basic steps. From there, he finds it much easier to keep his eyes on Leo's, letting his gentle humming guide him along.]
Is this a ballroom dance?
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[ He's the absolute worst unit member. He also occasionally composes music ON STAGE or changes the arrangement DURING SHOWS just because he feels like it. There's a reason Knights is an insanely adaptable unit: they have to be in order to keep up with Leo, who is a menace. ]
When you're just starting out you wanna start with the basics! ...Supposedly!
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[Maybe they sing and dance? Maybe they're idols?! If that's the case, Akira might have to stan.]
I've at least seen people waltz before. I've also seen them do this.
["This" being sliding his hand down to the small of Leo's back and dipping him.]
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We're an idol group. ♪ Associated with New Directions agency, a five-person team. So most of the choreography is for five people anyway, but it's easy enough to adapt. While I like this kind of dancing, I also like the stuff that's more "move however you want, no rules"!
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[What also impresses Akira is just how easily Leo goes with the improvised flow. He's not inflexible at all, nor did that dip seem to surprise him, but Akira didn't expect it would. This guy is chock-full of pleasant little surprises.]
We've got that in common too. Improvising on the fly? That keeps things interesting.
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[ He's actually very good at chess, but the second he figures out he's got checkmate in the bag he'll improvise and add dumb rules like laser beam eyes and pretend he doesn't know what's happening so he can keep playing instead of having to end it...
Leo's not sure if Akira's planning to take the lead - he keeps the tune going a little, a beat of his fingers tapping on Akira's waist when he can't hum, but he'll shift their hands after a second to see if he can dance both parts. ]
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