Nevermore Main Thread
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Light =&gt; Light: Exotic Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Levi on 14-12-2022, 20:56:03</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Levi</strong> on <strong>14-12-2022, 20:56:03</strong>
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				<div align="center">(https://dx35vtwkllhj9.cloudfront.net/netflix/wednesday-addams-nevermore-academy/images/tt.png)</div><div align="center">"Our Mission<br><br>Founded in 1791, Nevermore Academy is an academic institution that nurtures outcasts, freaks and monsters. Our mission is to help each student master their extraordinary abilities through world-class academics and unique extracurriculars."</div><br>(https://dx35vtwkllhj9.cloudfront.net/netflix/wednesday-addams-nevermore-academy/video/mobile_bg_poster.png)&nbsp; (https://media.distractify.com/brand-img/00vv-Oqd5/0x0/nevermore-academy-1668791901412.jpeg)<br><br>Locations:<br>Classrooms<br>Courtyard<br>Lake<br>Woods<br>Suspicious cottage in woods<br>Jerico<br>The Raven 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Levi</strong> on <strong>14-12-2022, 20:56:22</strong>
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				Booked
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				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>15-12-2022, 20:38:33</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div>The rain offered a rhythmic percussion against the windows to Professor Merryweather's classroom, gentle as a caress and with a slow but permeating beat.&nbsp; She kept the room bright enough to see by, allowing all of the students to come in and acquaint themselves as she wrote several things upon the chalkboard:<br><br><em><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font">Professor Merryweather<br><br>Alchemy<br>Artifice<br>Sorcery<br>Summoning<br>Thaumaturgy</span></em><br><br>Her demeanor was calm, composed, peaceful, but she watched the students for a few moments whenever anyone came in, memorizing faces.&nbsp; It didn't take her long to move to her laptop, checking notes against her listed curriculum and giving plenty of time before seating arrangements.&nbsp; Students who came early would have plenty of opportunity, but she intended to start right on the dot as the bell rang.<br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>19-12-2022, 04:12:25</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div> <em>Well</em>, Tara thought to herself as she walked the over-manicured grounds of Nevermore. <em>This is fersher NOT where I imagined myself being right about now.</em> Not that she'd had Major Life Plans, but she'd figured she'd finish Senior year, party righteously after prom, bum around for six months working at a cool book shop or an overpriced coffee joint, then go to college for something mildly useful and interesting, like being a Veterinary Assistant or something.<br><br>Instead, she'd ended up with a mindfuck of a gap year, a new look, a creepy story to tell- and a very uncertain status. It was cool of her Mom and Dad to manage to get her crammed into a class at Nevermore (THE school for freaks and freakettes like herself), but the whole thing was kind of AWK-warrrrrd. Who was it who said teenagers thought they were immortal?&nbsp; Well, she'd ended up with the real thing, bay-bee, though it maybe wasn't the best trade she'd ever made. And although she was, in theory, a Senior once again, by age at least, the curriculum at Weirdo High was bizarre and different enough from anything she'd studied before that there was some question as to when she'd actually qualify to graduate. She didn't think the state Regents had ever pictured quite this scenario.<br><br>Oh well. It wasn't as if she was pressed for time. Not anymore.<br><br>Nevermore allowed a certain amount of self-guided course load building, so most of her stuff was about 'what and why Outcasts are'- history (she'd always sucked with names dates and stuff, but the connections between happenings always fascinated her) and psychology (voted <strong>Most Likely To Listen To Your Problems </strong>in the Yearbook). That plus the required blahblahblah filled up a lot of her time, but she'd managed to cram in a couple of magic classes, too. One she figured she probably wouldn't have any real use for, though you never really knew when you were dead what would be useful in your 'life', since it sounded like mostly hands-on magic. Witch Shop, sort of. The other one, though, Afterlife Studies...that was right up her alley. She really, really wanted to know exactly what had happened to her.<br><br>Speaking of alleys, and being up them? Tara was surprised how normal most of her fellow students looked- and how cute a lot of them were!&nbsp; She'd never been a grind, had always made sure she had plenty of time for the finer and funner parts of living, and she certainly didn't intend to let being technically <strong>un</strong>living slow her down. So she smiled and nodded to people, and watched their reactions. Appearance-wise, she was for sure one of the outliers, which was kind of cool. Got her noticed.<br><br>Dabbing a bit more sandalwood essence behind her ears and at the hollows of her narrow shoulders (she couldn't smell herself, or anything, really, but she'd been advised that her <em>eau de Morgue</em> was kind of a buzzkill, so she worked at covering it up), she slipped through the large doors of the main classroom building, wiggling between and amongst the larger students. Unpacking hadn't been a big deal, and her roomie hadn't been there when she'd arrived, so she was early, but again, time was not of the essence.&nbsp; She wandered the halls for a few minutes, checking out the the seriously gloomy and old-school artwork before hunting up the room her general magic class was in.&nbsp; There were already more than a few folks there, some of whom as she entered gave her The Stare that she was getting used to, but whatever. Beasts in glass houses, and all that. Planting herself in a chair towards the back, she looked around, and then focused on the gorgeous older redhead down front, who almost assuredly had to be the professor.<br><br><em>Oh, right. First day, lech on a teacher. That's just brilliant.&nbsp; Down, girl!<br><br>She<strong> is</strong> a hottie, though... </em><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>19-12-2022, 04:52:04</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div>Even a society of supposed outcasts were pretty stodgy about gender identity. That had been Nyx's experience anyway. Oh, the words were polite and the behavior toed the line, but they saw the glances and the questions. They saw the curiosity directed at them like they were some kind of lab rat to be disected instead of a human being. When you didn't fit into the puzzle most people had been taught to expect of life, you felt the pressure to shape, change, and modify your corners to fit. As they walked, they felt the gazes crawl across their skin. A mix of the boys' and girls' uniforms adorned their frame: skirt, stockings, and rounded toe shoes on the bottom, the top a boy's shirt and blazer. Their face was almost never exactly the same unless they were concentrating on it, but it was in an approximation of their typical androgynous, pink-haired appearance that was normal. They'd learned to signal their identity in ways to allow others to be comfortable. Besides, having friends was tough if they were never sure who you were.<br><br>Not that they knew much about that. They'd always had a rich inner life that never wanted for a lack of others. They paused just inside the entrance to the school building and frowned down at the buttons of their jacket. <em>That's not exactly right, though, is it?</em> Sighing heavily, they strode forward again and felt the familiar, shifting sliding feeling in their stomach that meant something was changing. As they passed a set of display cases, they noted that they had shrunk a few inches. Their height was oftena&nbsp; reflection of their confidence levels; they had learned that about themselves. They require a lot of attention to understand and they understood that was one reason they were hard to approach.<br><br>Most shapechangers had a set form, a set identity, that was easy for them to maintain. An unconscious mode or setting that was the default. The thirteenth birthday was the key, but the form that stabilized that day was often one that had been part of that being's life for a while already. Nyx had never had the feelings that their mother, fahter, aunts, and uncles described. That rooted feeling. Their identity always seemed more cloud-like: free, flowing, changing with the wind. So, they had no set form or gender or anything else. They pressed their lips together and concentrated. They watched the form in the glass slowly grow so that the uniform fit properly again. Nodding, they firmed both their lips and their spirit as they ducked into the classroom.<br><br>They noted more than a few forms already seated, but a disgruntled grumbling in their heart caused them to stay in the back and take a seat where curiosity and questions might avoid them. They were just pulling a black, spiral notebook form their bright pink backpack when they realized another form was sat besides them. They noticed the smell first, sandalwood, they glanced out of the side of their eyes to note the form, the girls' uniform, and the strage visage. <strong>"Oh... oh!"</strong> Their light vibrato slipped out of their own pale face. Butterflies preceded the feeling of their face slipping. Grabbing a mirror from their bag, they looked into it to marshall their features. The one things they absolutely did not want to happen was for someone to see their face at complete rest. They grabbed their things then hesitated, <strong>"Uh... mind if I sit then?"</strong> The things were going back down and a slim hand presented itself, <strong>"Nyx Monnaie. They/them. Umm, dig your piercings."</strong> Then, before they knew it, they felt their lips slide and a small metal hoop slowly grew out of it. They groaned audibly and bit at the new metal to hide it.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>20-12-2022, 14:40:40</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div>"Dude!," Tatra burst out, giving the cotton candy pixie that had popped up next to her a bright grin and a quick, cool hand squeeze, then covering her mouth with her pale fingers and giggling as a number of people turned around to find the source of the outburst. 'Dude' was a handy, non-gender-specific quasi-pronoun for her, a way to avoid pissing people off accidentally. She didn't care- people deserved to be called whatever they wanted, pretty much, she figured. But navigating the label game was as hard as finding Peet's coffee off the West coast. "Love. The. Hair.&nbsp; Wish mine would take some color. Sit, sit-"<br><br>Then she went still as the ring appeared as if by magic in Nyx's lip. The little person wasn't quick enough to hide the glint of the metal, though Tara couldn't really see any details, was simply aware that it hadn't been there a second before. "Whoa. totally cool. Wish I could do that, but I have to do it the old-fashioned way." By way of demonstration, she took out one her her smallest lip studs, and without even a blink poked the shaft through the flesh of her nostril. A quick fumbling got the backing on it, and voila! Lip ornament had become nose decoration. "Like that. I move 'em around a fair bit when the mood strikes."<br><br>Patting the seat beside her, she physically reiterated her invitation to sit. "Wasn't Nyx a God- sorry, <em>deity</em>- of the Night? Or am I screwing that up? I'm Tara." Leaning in a tad, she squinted at the side of the new arrivals' face.&nbsp; "Ohemmgee, that ear gage is cuuuuute!" <br><br>What? She'd always been gregarious and flirtatious (though she'd never have used the first word, since she couldn't likely spell it)
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				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>20-12-2022, 16:42:46</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div>As the bell rang, Professor Merryweather stood, taking one last glance at the laptop which she'd left open before her.&nbsp; "Good morning, class.&nbsp; My name is Professor Merryweather, and welcome to Introduction to Arcane Theory.&nbsp; If you're in the wrong class, now is the best time to leave."<br><br>Even though she played off the words as a joke, one of the Gorgons quietly stood and departed from the class, no doubt in the wrong class.&nbsp; The professor was polite enough to pretend not to notice.<br><br>"Wiser minds than me have said that there are less stars in the sky than ways for people to work magic.&nbsp; Please note that when I say 'people,' I include both normie and outsider."&nbsp; Not everyone used the term so inclusively, the professor knew, so it was best to explain.&nbsp; "However, there are five methods which serve well as introductory spellcraft, requiring little else to understand.&nbsp; The use of wands, metamagic, and other more complex spellcraft will be saved for those who seek to move beyond these five basic techniques."<br><br>Grabbing a pointer she had handy at her desk, she tapped each of the five she'd already written on the board.&nbsp; "Alchemy, artifice, sorcery, summoning, and thaumaturgy.&nbsp; It is my hope that you make it through this class with an understanding of each of these methods, as well as the ability to perform minor magical practices."<br><br>Setting down the pointer, she picked up a piece of chalk.&nbsp; "Let's go around the class, with everyone willing giving your name, a little bit about yourself, and some magical technique you would like to learn.&nbsp; Don't be embarrassed if you aren't sure if something only comes from the movies; I'd rather a student who speaks up with an honest desire to learn."<br><br>A geeky looking boy in the front raised his hand, and when Professor Merryweather gestured to him with an open palm, said, "I'm Billy, aspiring technoshaman.&nbsp; Are voodoo dolls real?"<br><br>Professor Merryweather grew slightly stern, but retained her composure and kind tone.&nbsp; "The correct term is 'poppet,' a form of thaumaturgy."&nbsp; She wrote the word <em><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font">Poppet</span></em> under <em><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font">Thaumaturgy</span></em> on the chalkboard.&nbsp; "Properly performed voudoun is a form of summoning, but I suspect you have little interest in contacting the Loa."<br><br>The next student was a jock wearing a football jacket.&nbsp; "William Mason, werewolf, second string QB.&nbsp; Any truth to the claim that you can make a football that comes back after you throw it for practice?"<br><br>Professor Merryweather smiled, writing <em><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font">Football</span></em> under <em><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font">Artifice</span></em>.&nbsp; "The simplest form of the spell enchants a football so that it returns to the thrower after coming in contact with any physical object, usually the ground."<br><br>A shy-looking goth girl forced herself to speak up.&nbsp; "Matilda.&nbsp; How about love potions?"<br><br>The professor's smile faded to some degree.&nbsp; "I don't teach love potions because they bring questions of consent into the conversation.&nbsp; I'm willing to teach lust potions, which are weak enough to be resisted by the unwilling but helpful enough to replace alcohol as a social lubricant between two or three people looking to experiment."&nbsp; Matilda nodded the okay and Professor Merryweather wrote <span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font"><em>Lust Potion</em></span> under <span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font"><em>Alchemy</em>.</span>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>21-12-2022, 03:16:09</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div>Nyx blinked slowly at the comment about the ancient Greek deity. <strong>"Oh, umm, yeah. Nyx was that, I suppose. But I chose it because it was a more neutral form of the traditional nicknames for my birth name."</strong> Blinking a bit slower, they were just opening their mouth to explain that comment when the bell rang and the teacher sprang into action. Flustered a bit at being interrupted, they quickly grabbed a the notebook and started scribbling things down. As they wrote, they felt their face shift and the ring slowly reabsorbed into their face. However, it was not as easily noticed that the guage on their ears slowly grew. That the earrings got slightly more sparkly. No, their tongue was stuck firmly between their teeth until the instructor started getting introductions. Safely in the back of the hall, they had some time before they would need to volunteer. <strong>"Well, this is shaping up to be interesting. I am not sure why I took this class, to be honest, but it might be fun to learn a spell or two."</strong> They grinned at their pale companion as their own hair slowly started to turn a shade of cotton candy blue starting at the roots then out to the tips. This color was quickly chased away by the same shade of pink as before. <strong>"I'm a shapechanger, though, so not sure what I'd be most curious about."</strong><br><br>Nyx looked down at the teacher for a long moment as they chewed the inside of their cheel slowly. Finally, their hand went up still holding the pen they'd been taking notes with and waggled that instrument a bit before seeing a hand move their direction and stood. <strong>"Uh, hi. Nyx Monnaie. Nyx won't be in your roll since I don't use my birth name anymore. Look for Monnaie, m-o-n-n-a-i-e. It's my family's name. So, are we going to spend a lot of time exploring the morality of certain magic? I think that'd be interesting. As for a magic that would be interesting to learn, umm, can I summon elementals?"</strong><br><br>They sat down with a small thump and tilted their head, pen ready over paper, and their eyes fixated on the professor.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>21-12-2022, 04:07:28</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div>As Nyx gave their name, Professor Merryweather checked through her laptop with a scroll of the mouse, clicked something, and typed three letters.&nbsp; "Nyx it is," she said with respect.<br><br>The question of morality made her give a shrug.&nbsp; "There are plenty of places to learn morality, but my experience has taught me that attempting to ascribe a different set of principles to new methods of an action is more often used as an excuse.&nbsp; It's no morally different to scry upon someone as it is to peep through their window or activate their webcam, just as killing someone with a gun, an immolation spell, or a very large rock has little effect on the ethics."<br><br>However, she shifted to give Nyx a smile.&nbsp; "If you'd like to bring up certain points, however, by all means."<br><br>She then wrote up <span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font"><strong>Elementals</strong></span> under <span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font"><strong>Summoning</strong></span> on the blackboard.&nbsp; "Elementals are unusual in Summoning in that they require rare forms of that element, such as expensive incense or purified glacier water, except for the most basic of entities.&nbsp; Remember that school rules require some form of extinguisher handy if you're using fire."&nbsp; Her tone indicated that she intended to go over the topic in more detail later, but figured that they would appreciate the quick information.&nbsp; After all, some reagents were easier to get than others, though the school store had a decent inventory and was willing to take unusual orders.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>22-12-2022, 17:49:46</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div>"Merryweather, huh," Tara muttered sidewise to her seat neighbor after Nyx's question was answered and they sat back down. "She could improve <em>my</em> forecast, for sure. God, is that a stereotype or what? Though usually it's an English or math teacher, am I right?"<br><br>Then her hand shot up, followed by the rest of her. "Yo. Tara Morrissey. Curious. How many of the Magical Food Groups there have ways to raise the dead? Like, say, three to five days later. Post-autopsy an' junk. And the deader is someone who has no magical background themselves, and hasn't had any weird experiences beyond the average before?" One side of her mouth curled up, her grin punctuated by her tongue jabbing into the pocket of her cheek "Asking for a friend."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>22-12-2022, 19:13:34</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div>Tara's question had faint surprise, but as she checked over the room, the few remaining students had no ideas ready or a desire to ask their own.&nbsp; "This particular question requires some detail, but it seems the best way to segue into the five different basic types," the professor said, moving back to the board.<br><br>"Alchemy," she tapped the word on the board, "is the process of brewing potions.&nbsp; Please note that basic components and reagents must be refined in order to ensure that they won't have unwanted side effects, requiring a form of metamagic.&nbsp; Again, metamagic goes beyond the introductory aspects of this course.&nbsp; If I wanted to bring someone back from the dead using alchemy, the simplest bet would be the Elixir of Second Breath, which is given before the expiration, keeps the soul bound to this plane, and revitalizes the individual with the coming dawn.&nbsp; In theory, using metamagic could delay the process, allow the autopsy, and allow for animation without biologic life as one of the undead."<br><br>Tapping the next one, she explained, "Artifice is similar, but allows for the use of runes or other sigils in order to imprint mystical effects upon physical objects, including people.&nbsp; For example, I have the Ihwaz rune to ensure that I only age for a single day for every year and a day that passes."&nbsp; She then spun around for a few moments, lifting up her hair to let others see the rune (https://runesecrets.com/rune-meanings/ihwaz-eihwaz).<br><br>Next up was Sorcery.&nbsp; "Sorcery requires eye contact and words of power spoken thrice, though exceptionally powerful practicioners may only need to speak the set of words a single time, often by using metamagic to substitute the giving of gifts.&nbsp; Many a curse (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS_sY4rQ19w) is delivered through this method, but blessings may be given as well."<br><br>Skipping to the very bottom, Professor Merryweather tapped Thaumaturgy, skipping Summoning for the time being.&nbsp; As she rooted through the drawer of her desk, she explained, "Thaumaturgy is the practice of linking items, such as a poppet or model, so that it is bound to the original."&nbsp; She set down a sheet of plastic, then placed a small scale model of one of the windows to the room, to which she gestured.&nbsp; "You'll notice it's a perfect miniature replica."&nbsp; Then she pulled a small hammer and shattered the model, which caused the window outside to shatter, briefly spraying rain into the room.&nbsp; Trusting the class to understand the lesson easily enough, Professor Merryweather then pulled out her wand, fixed the window, and dried the puddle that had formed.<br><br>Looking to Tara, Professor Merryweather explained as she cleaned up the mess of the model window, "All four of these methods can be done, and explain no memory of the afterlife, except that they need to have been done in advance of the death in question."&nbsp; Careful with the broken glass, she discarded it all in the trash before tapping Summoning upon the board.&nbsp; "Summoning is most often used for demons, elementals, and fair folk, but can call forth souls back from the realms of the afterlife under certain conditions."<br><br>Raising her hands, Professor Merryweather explained, "On the one hand, I'd expect that to be the method done if the process took multiple days, suggesting that a particular necromancer sought to practice the method upon a normie, erasing any and all evidence to track the necromancer down.&nbsp; On the other hand, if there's no memory of the afterlife, one of the other four is far more likely, unless that particular realm of the afterlife has laws banning its occupants from remembering anything upon their departure."<br><br>Then back to the rest of the class, "What's important to recognize with these five basic methods is that, while different methods might be better based on specific circumstances - you're more likely to be able to make eye contact with someone and say a few words rather than draw a rune upon their body, for example - each of them is quite able to take a wide variety of actions.&nbsp; Summoning is different in this regard, but in many cases for particular types of magic, what you might want from a summoned entity can just as easily be accomplished by another form of magic.&nbsp; Why summon up someone to clean your house if you can just as easily enchant a broom to sweep up on its own?"<br><br>With a gesture to Tara, she said, "With each of the methods, the question should not be which of them can do it, since there will likely be a way to do it with each of them.&nbsp; Once one understands those methods, it then behooves the practicioner to recognize which way is best for a particular spell, and choose accordingly."&nbsp; Her words held no condemnation or condescension, simply a stepping stone to the next lesson she wanted to teach.<br><br>Looking back to Tara, Professor Merryweather explained, "I would expect it would <em>not</em> be Summoning, but something set up in advance, with an extended delay, just because it would be the unexpected from someone who doesn't want their methods recognized.&nbsp; If it was set up in advance, then the death of that someone likely wasn't accidental, which could give the only clues one is apt to find."<br><br>Gesturing to Nyx, Professor Merryweather added, "If you like, we can discuss the ethics and ramifications of bringing back the dead, since it's one of the few things that technology can't manage and likely never will.&nbsp; However, let's keep it to performing the practice, especially upon those who were never given the choice, rather than attempting to judge those who returned despite a complete lack of understanding of the supernatural.&nbsp; I consider deliberate choice to be a staple of ethics, unless you'd like to argue that point as well."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>22-12-2022, 22:01:52</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div> Well, crap. Not that she'd expected the Sorcerer's Stone or something (the real one, not the Potter knockoff), but Tara still found herself a little disappointed. Not that she'd have known what to do with actual Stone itself. But simple answers were the easiest. Yes. No. Fuck off. Colonel Mustard in the hot tub with the poppet. The gorgeous ginger had really given her more questions, some of which she didn't really care about right then.<br><br>"Let's leave the ethics out for now, please. Mechanics are a lot more grody. I...my friend doesn't have any runes on her she didn't put there herself. Somebody could have looked her in the eyes, maybe, say at a party, or spiked her punch and put a whammy on her, I guess." In fact, the last was basically what had happened, but she'd known the punch was spiked. That's why she'd drunk it. Duh?<br><br>"The poppet thing, though. Isn't that what a lot of normies call a voodoo doll?" You'd think she had cursed- loudly- from the couple of scandalized breaths in reaction to those words. So Outcasts could be as snobby and stuck-up as normies. Bit shock. "Would it have to be made <em>before </em>she died? Couldn't, like, a paramedic grab what he needed when they picked her up? Or the coroner?&nbsp; My buddy's still missing a few pieces. I mean, so long as she was still more or less warm?" Had she&nbsp; been?&nbsp; Warm?&nbsp; She'd been in the water a <em>long</em> time before anyone had noticed her. Fucking snowflakes.<br><br>Rotating in place, she gave the Goth who'd asked about love potions a broad sideways wink. "And if you need lust potions, you're doing something wrong, dude. We'll talk." <br><br>Folding her arms, she turned her attention back to Merryweather.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>22-12-2022, 23:04:48</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div>The only true show of emotion from the professor came when other students hissed breath in shock at her poor word usage, a soft but permeating glare effectively thrown at the guilty parties as she focused on them first.&nbsp; "In my classroom," she said, "we do not mock those who come with open hands in pursuit of knowledge.&nbsp; Some of you may already know all this, but if you came for an easy A and would rather take the final exam immediately, I'll deliver it so that I can focus on those who came here to learn.&nbsp; We all come into this world as devoid of knowledge as we are naked at birth, and I would gladly rather teach an honest and open mind than lecture to students who already know the material."<br><br>The other students went quiet, knowing full well that just because they knew a few basics didn't mean they were already ready to take the final test on the first day.<br><br>Only after that outburst did she look back to Tara.&nbsp; "Correct.&nbsp; True voodoo dolls are vessels for the Loa, deities of the Caribbean such as Baron Samedi, and are used with Summoning.&nbsp; Poppets are an accurate use of thaumaturgy, and if I were to guess, would be the best bet to what your friend had done.&nbsp; I would consider it more likely that the simulacrum, the model made to resemble the individual as I did with the window, was created before the death in question.&nbsp; All it takes from the individual is some body part, with the most common being hair and fingernail clippings, given how quickly something like saliva will dry and become useless."<br><br>She spent several moments in consideration, trying to offer the full extent of detail as she understood it.&nbsp; "If someone were to be bound to their body after death, it would either require the metamagic to mix and match Summoning into the entire procedure, or require the soul to remain on this plane after death.&nbsp; This may or may not be remembered, either due to abrupt accidental death, with individuals who have little religious conviction, or especially under intoxication."<br><br>She raised a hand in gesture.&nbsp; "Of course, depending on the cause of death, the person may not have been completely passed the threshold.&nbsp; You may have heard of normie methods for resuscitating a body in cold water up to two hours later, and while I'm not an expert on medical techniques, it's entirely possible that it wasn't after death at all but only appeared to be."<br><br>One more idea occurred to Professor Merryweather, creating a flash of insight that could be seen in her eyes.&nbsp; "If her lungs, liver, intestines, and stomach are missing specifically, then we're talking Egyptian canopic jars, effectively a mummification process but with the superior preservation methods used today rather than the best practices understood millennia ago."&nbsp; The professor was considering the matter, and a look in her eyes suggested she wanted to research more before she said too much in that regard.&nbsp; "Invite your friend to see me after class."<br><br>Matilda the goth seemed a bit surprised to be addressed, and would have seemed either not to hear Tara at all or have been thinking of something else but for the faintest of blushes.&nbsp; Were she not so pale, it wouldn't have been glaringly visible.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>23-12-2022, 01:04:57</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div>Nyx found themselves being quite impressed by Tara's exchange with the professor. However, the comment about stereotypes and teachers caused their brow to knit for a second before the comment registered. Their mouth dropped open slightly in an expression of shock. Quickly, they wiped the look away and then shrugged, <strong>"Oh, yeah, I suppose she is hot. And, uh, we'll just have to wait and see what the English and Math teachers look like?"</strong> They giggled a bit and reached up to play with a stray lock of pink hair. A frowned crawled across ther face as they realized it was growing slowly and took a moment to concentrated on it staying its normal length.<br><br>All that as they were still focused sharply on the teacher. Slowly, they raised their own hand to ask a followup question, <strong>"Yeah, but what if... it wasn't magic? I mean, it wasn't intentional magic performed by a person."</strong> They waved their hand vaguely at the chart on the board, a copy of which now rested in their own notes, <strong>"There's plenty of magical phenomenon not caused by people: the Bermuda Triangle, ghosts, dragons. Could this be something like that?"</strong> They considered that might be a question for a magizoology course instead, but it had a place here. <strong>"As for ethics of raising the dead, let's leave that unraised for now."</strong> They smirked at their stupid joke but sat and took up their pen to write down some notes.<br><br>As they sat down, they eyed the blushing goth then looked at their new neighbor. <strong>"Oh, I see. Quite the tigeress, ain't you? Though maybe a polar bear suits the coloration better?"</strong> They chuckled lightly at that statement then sent a more appraising look down at the teacher. Their brow was knit in a frown again. Shaking their head slowly, <strong>"Anyway, the professor is proving that she knows her shite. Which I would guess is the point of this little stunt."</strong> Subtly, their hair started to grow darker at the top, the pink sides shortened into a high fade, and makeup straight out of The Crow started to crawl across their face. A few more earrings started to grow out of their ears and the lip ring appeared again joined by two more on the left side. Their eyes went from a soft blue color, to a sparking green as they chewed on their lip and focused on the teacher.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>23-12-2022, 01:35:08</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div> Tara murmured a quiet thanks and sat back down just before Nyx dropped their bomb. Shit, she hadn't even considered that her condition was Just One Of Those Things, that no one had actually 'done it' to her.<br><br>She smirked at the polar bear comment. "Yeah. Crack open a cold one and play with her fur." She was only half paying attention, disturbed by the whole new possibility that....well, not to put too fine a point to it, but the thought that she might not be able to mess up someone's life for zombifying her because...maybe no one was to blame for it. Even distracted, though, she couldn't miss Nyx's parade of changes. "Uh, dude?," she whispered. "Your face is, you know. Running." As explanations went , the vague gesture she made in front of her own was very informative, but it <strong>was </strong>pretty expressive.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>23-12-2022, 02:15:14</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div>The question of it not being magic got a smile.&nbsp; "Entirely possible, and there are plenty of methods of practice outside of the five basics.&nbsp; Psionic power certainly isn't among these, but if there's a method to kindle and teach such abilities to those who aren't born with innate ability, it hasn't been made clear to me."<br><br>The mention of the Bermuda Triangle got a flicker of memory.&nbsp; "My visit there revealed an exceptional conflagration of ley lines, teeming with magical power in ways that will interfere with technology.&nbsp; In much the same way as a smartphone might be fried by an electromagnetic pulse, the technology of aeroplanes is quite sensitive and prone to mishaps.&nbsp; Similarly, freak storms and fierce waves might arise out of practically nothing, which is to what I attribute the various known disappearances.&nbsp; However, I cannot confirm the claims of a leviathan sleeping at the bottom, nor am I an expert in the area."<br><br>With ghosts and dragons, she ultimately said, "None spring to mind, but I accept the possibility that it could be something of which I've never heard.&nbsp; I've heard of the ferrymen, but few ghosts of the modern day enter their boats, and the rumor that they require drachmas is incorrect.&nbsp; Nowadays, a single penny, cent, yen, or the like is deducted from the bank account of that individual or that of a relative, and it's misattributed to a rounding error in the software if a banker is questioned."<br><br>The conversation gave her a segue she apparently forgot to mention before.&nbsp; "The reason a Gorgon needs eye contact just as Sorcery does is because the eyes are the windows to the soul.&nbsp; These five practices are not the only way to work magic, but they're the most basic, the most easily understood, and a necessity for understanding more complex techniques if one seeks to learn a magical ability with which they weren't born.&nbsp; Even among denizens of other worlds such as the Fair Folk, who can offer bargains for new magical abilities, few will take the bargainer seriously if they cannot summon the denizen in question themselves."<br><br>She ended the explanation with, "Although a spontaneous and accidental event is entirely feasible even by a normie, it would take investigation to find out for sure, such as examining the place of death and various circumstances.&nbsp; For example, water is known as the universal solvent and is best put to this method in alchemy, and most drinks contain a significant amount of it.&nbsp; It is feasible, if unlikely in the extreme, that an alchemical potion may be formed by pure accident by someone 'spiking the punch,' and that it would then only trigger on an individual who died before the potion passed through their system and out again the conventional way, or that all the right ingredients might mix in someone's stomach."&nbsp; The professor simply shrugged.&nbsp; "Chance is a funny thing, and while it's untrue that there are no coincidences, they're certainly rare in the extreme."<br><br>After she stopped, the jock raised his hand.&nbsp; "So, what's the rune for returning a football?"&nbsp; He wasn't doing a good job of following all this, but only cared about his particular question.<br><br><div class="floatright">(https://cdn2.vectorstock.com/i/1000x1000/40/86/ancient-scandinavian-rune-othala-viking-futhark-vector-27964086.jpg)</div>"Othala," Professor Merryweather said, tracing it out upon the blackboard.&nbsp; "The literal meaning is 'homeland,' but it also signifies inheritance, the estate, and the like.&nbsp; The rune effectively marks it as your football, your property, so that it will always return to you."<br><br>The jock nodded as he started tracing it out, dexterous enough to get it right the first time but making sure he had it through multiple drawings.<br><br>As a few other students started drawing it as well, Professor Merryweather continued, "The specifics of runes will not be on the test; artifice work just as effectively with prayer strips, magic squares, and so on when properly employed and given significance by the one who creates them.&nbsp; I'm not here to teach you every single possible method in an introductory class."&nbsp; She smiled with warmth.&nbsp; "I want you to understand what magical practices can do for you, to incite your desire to learn them, and recognize which is the most effective for any particular spell or ritual one might desire to cast."<br><br>Looking about the room, she continued, "If you don't have an answer yet, have one for next time.&nbsp; I'd much rather teach the specifics of what people seek to know, and then demonstrate how it spreads into general knowledge."&nbsp; Picking up the pointer, she deliberately missed any of the words as she drawled in a monotone, "We've all had those teachers who just spew lots of boring facts nobody cares about."&nbsp; Setting it down, she continued, "I'd much rather use a dash of refined nightshade for a sleep potion rather than a few drops of spittle from a boring teacher."<br><br>A few students laughed, but the more bookish Billy raised his hand.&nbsp; "Professor, isn't nightshade poisonous?"<br><br>"When unrefined," Professor Merryweather said with a smile.&nbsp; "Good catch.&nbsp; Nightshade purchased from any reputable dealer will always be refined to remove any toxic properties for that exact reason."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>23-12-2022, 04:50:30</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div>Nyx's face went blank as Tara noted it running. Quickly grabbing the mirror out of their bag, again, they looked into it with horror. A flush crept up their neck slowly and their nose scrutched up. Slowly, the changing features retreated and their typical androgynous, pixie-haired appearance surfaced again, <strong>"Blah, Good thing my mom isn't here. She'd never be able to pass up the chance to make a comment."</strong> Sighing ramatically, they relaxed back into their chair. The mirror went face-down on the desk. They motioned at their face in a mimic of Tara's gesture, then giggled. <strong>"I will say that going to nevermore is rarely boring. With all the weird people around, you're bound to run into something that challenges your ideas."</strong><br><br>Gazing out as the questions seemed to meander away from the two in teh back, they slowly let a hissing breath out. <strong>"it doesn't matter how hard teachers try, students will always be bored. You can be the most interesting person in the world, but ultimately it is up to the audience to give their attention. And your average teenager is spectacularly self-interested."</strong> They sent a cheeky grin at Tara and then considered how poleaxed the other had been when they'd suggested that her supposition about her 'friend' might just be some cosmic accident. <strong>"You know, they say that some extremely strong-willed people just refuse to pass on."</strong> They shrugged. Their notebook page was starting fill up and they were hunting for little corners and bits to add new details. The Othala rune was drawn several times along with notes in the margin. The end of their pen tapped their bottom lip as they considered this and, as usualy when their attention wandered, a stylized version of the rune slowly grew from their skin at the nape of their neck.<br><br>Feeling particularly cheeky, they raised their hand again and asked a more personal question, <strong>"So what's your prefered flavor? Of magic that is?"</strong>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>23-12-2022, 17:44:10</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div>At Nyx's question of Professor Merryweather's favorite method, the teacher drew her wand but didn't point it at anyone, showing the same level of safety and courtesy as did a trained gun user.&nbsp; "Nowadays, I rarely go back to the basics. <br>&nbsp;Once you completely understand the rules, you know how to bend them," she explained.&nbsp; "It's part of the metamagic I explained that won't be on the introductory test.&nbsp; The human mind possesses the ability to emulate every type of emotive state, platonic ideal, and so on, but at a cost of requiring rigorous training and discipline.&nbsp; Likewise, the reason that a practitioner can summon a firestorm that far exceeds the energy consumed in that day is because they don't have to conjure all that energy themselves, but only use the energy to transmute the ambient ethereal magical energy into the physical, much like how you can generate heat from friction.&nbsp; It's far more efficient than, say, an incandescent light bulb, where ninety percent of the energy is used to generate heat and only ten percent gives actual light."<br><br>With many students giving blank stares, Professor Merryweather shifted her tone, "None of that will be on the test; no mentions of metamagic will be.&nbsp; It's best to learn to stand before one attempts to walk.&nbsp; When I was just beginning, my preference was artifice.&nbsp; Refined or exotic reagents were rarely available to level to which they are today, it was far harder to acquire someone's hair or other body samples, and sorcery was out of the question because even the most ignorant of normie believed that having someone speak unknown words to you while maintaining eye contact meant that they were giving you the evil eye.&nbsp; Brooms are well recognized in lore because all you had to do was carve the Raidho rune, which was far preferable to obtaining the right kind of magically refined bird feathers for a potion to temporarily transmute one's own body, which is better yet than trading away the memory of one's first kiss to the Fair Folk in exchange for butterfly wings.&nbsp; Only the most potent practitioners can use sorcery upon oneself with a significant degree of success, and only then by using a mirror to facilitate an attempt to create eye contact with oneself.&nbsp; Finally, one wizard I knew long ago had the idea to try to make a poppet for flight, so that for every inch the poppet moved, he would move a foot.&nbsp; That works for moving someone else around, but if carrying it oneself, you move it an inch and you'll move a foot, which means that it'll move a foot as you carry it, moving you twelve feet, and so on until you leave the Earth's orbit."<br><br>A few looks of shock and horror overtook the students, and Professor Merryweather explained, "Magic is far more dangerous even than technology, and there's enough already with technology to blow the planet in half.&nbsp; Thankfully, the study of magic is far more pervasive and prevalent, so you have millennia of information passed down should you have a particular idea.&nbsp; In all likelihood, someone has already studied, tested, and perfected the practice unless it applies to the use of modern-day technology.&nbsp; Even there, technomagic is a cutting-edge practice for many a student who loves both technology and magic and wants to study the ways in which they interact."<br><br>Checking the time, she added, "Class is nearly over for today; does anyone have any questions?"<br><br><div class="floatright">(https://www.shutterstock.com/shutterstock/photos/1214456932/display_1500/stock-vector-runes-alphabet-letter-raidho-1214456932.jpg)</div>The jock raised his hand.&nbsp; "Can you show me that Raidho rune for brooms?"<br><br>Although Professor Merryweather drew it out, she gave a warning.&nbsp; "Should you go broom flying, I suggest having someone present who can either fly or with sufficient telekinesis to catch you if you fall.&nbsp; Even then, I advise wearing your football gear for protection.&nbsp; Cars and roller coasters have seat belts and all sorts of safety features such that people don't realize just how dangerous high velocities can be, but motorcycle fatalities are well enough known that you can get the idea."<br><br>One of the more stuck up girls, who had never given her name or said what she wanted to learn, raised her perfectly manicured hand.&nbsp; "So, like, do we need to be able to work all five just to get a passing grade?"<br><br>"For a passing grade?&nbsp; No."&nbsp; The teacher shook her head, making her hair dance over her shoulders.&nbsp; "I expect a basic understanding of each of the five and familiarity with one of the five such that you can handle a new spell that you haven't been given before, but you'll have your choice of which.&nbsp; If you want a perfect grade, though, an ability to use all five, yes."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>25-12-2022, 23:42:51</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div> "Broom? Seriously?," Tara whispered to Nyx. "How last-gen can you get? Should at least use a Swiffer Jet."&nbsp; Chuckling, she shot a glance at the jock. "Not that I bet you he knows a damn thing about housework." Eyes narrowed a bit, she rocked her head side to side. "Kind of cute, if you like 'em big and a little dumb."<br><br>The chick who was already worried about her grade got an eyeroll and a chuckle, before Tara turned back to&nbsp; her pink-haired neighbor. "So what have you got next, doll? I've got, uh...Psych. Sort of my thing, much as I've got one, anyway. And later, I need to come back and talk to Miz Merryweather. You want to hook up for lunch?"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>26-12-2022, 01:47:40</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div>Nyx chuckled at the comment from their companion and shook their head, <strong>"Maybe, but the classics are classic for a reason, yeah? Besides, there may be a disgn function to it. Patterns of behavior often have a logical origin. Though Is suspect this one is gounded in mysogyny."</strong> They then followed their meaning to the jock and blanched. Shaking their head slowly, they let their silence comment on that sort of thing. Nyx was still working out just who and why they found anything attractive. One thing was for sure, they needed a lot more personality than that gorilla for their interest.<br><br>A bit of color rose into their cheeks at the invite, <strong>"Well, I got Freshman Lit next. Which is a bit of my thing, in a way!"</strong> They chuckled lightly at the jest though they expected it was a bit hard to understand, what with not actually knowing them at this point, <strong>"I'm a big theater nerd. Like hardcore. Tuesday afternoon is the Drama Club meeting, but Lit is right up my alley. Especially Outsider Lit. Not Poe. Ugh, goths may be cute a hell, but he's so morbid. No, Gimme Ursula LeGuin or Kurt Vonnegut any day."</strong> They smirked as a little of their personality leaked out then bit their lip and looked a bit worried, <strong>"Hey, I know that no offense was meant, but don't call me 'doll,' I am no one's play thing. But, I'd love to meet up for Lunch."</strong> Shrugging, they waited for a response while also monitoring the professor for the final comments. Their page of notes was now dense with doodles and stray words. As they spoke their last peace, their hair dulled from violent pink to chewed bubblegum pink with streaks of black and their features paled considerably.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elizabeth Ecsed</strong> on <strong>28-12-2022, 09:10:40</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbgyjauXhO1CEQQmnGiDe8O0jXLFBLToZgKysWmzMC_63iTaLkxPcPie5lUa77LKvxDJc&amp;usqp=CAU)</div><br>Raining. Rain was both good and bad, a mixed blessing. It helped people not notice things, absorbing attention and dulling sound, distracting and making observation turn inward.&nbsp; But it also smothered fire, the elemental rock-paper-scissors game. Fire was fierce and gave light, shelter. The world was cruel and removing fire was the closest thing Alundra identified as sacrilege in a nightmare created by humans being inhumane. Of course the girl understood that her… particular relationship with the element wasn’t the healthiest, or safest. But that hardly mattered, was just a fact to consider and weigh.<br><br>The art of sneaking, moving unobtrusively was deceptively simple. You had to not be obvious about it. Many people made the mistake of looking like they were sneaking. That drew attention, caught gazes drawn to unexpected and out of place elements. You had to glide along smoothly, moving through the world without much ripples. Being so small often helped. No eye contact, no pausing to let the spotlight settle. Head down, so they didn’t see how you were watching them. People hated to be watched. And if they would just leave her alone, Alundra was perfectly happy to ignore everything. Perhaps dyeing her vibrant hair would help with the camouflage, but the girl was unwilling to give up the only thing she had left from her parents, whoever they had been. Besides…. Her particular talent and hair dyeing didn’t mix well. Regardless, she was one of the people filtering into class, middle of the pack. Early enough to claim a back corner seat, away from everyone else. And the air around her was unpleasantly warm, noticeably warmer than anything nearby in dreary, gloomy Nevermore. Alundra did not want nor need company. Though the teacher was gorgeous, stunning in the way that could cause problems. <br><br>The girl had no idea what classes to sign up for, but fortunately the headmistress had largely solved that issue. Magic, magic, magic, the cure for…. Whatever. Miss Merryweather, what a lovely name to go with the looks, and soothing voice. Yeah, she’d have to work harder just to focus on the lessons, and not the teacher. Alundra leaned over her Nevermore issue notepad, writing the methods down in her awkward, blocky all capital letters. Nevermore had been… a surprise, the kinds of people who handled unexpected problems shunting her to the school without much room for debate. Living an extremely unusual life meant meeting extremely unusual people, so she wasn’t entirely unaware of… Outsider types. <em>There are more things in Heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy,</em> and all that. But she was surprised by the number and variety… Gorgons and sirens and witches, oh my. And now her, another kind of outsider again. Always. <br><br>The tiny girl tensed, the whole ‘everybody introduce yourself’ thing an utter nightmare. But willing was the keyword, thankfully, a thoughtful reprieve to the shy and avoidant. No way in hell was she drawing attention to herself. That was dangerous. As was technoshaman, probably.&nbsp; It sounded complicated and prone to going very wrong. But the younger redhead couldn’t help the tiniest bit of lip bite as Miss Professor Merryweather got a little firmer. Yum. Older women was…. A complicated often problematic attraction. Fire wasn’t the only thing Alundra loved, or that caused her trouble. Her eyebrows drifted into a frown… Werewolves. Urgh. Figured the nasty beast would want to play fetch with himself. If any wereanything tried to sniff her butt, she’d settle them quickly. Her discomfort increased at the mention of potion fueled debauchery.. consent was very, very important. People who did notice her tended to have issues with small women. Her breathing stopped, all motion stilled at a particular word from the professor.<br><br><strong>Immolation. </strong><br><br>Well. That hit close to home. <em>Was it chosen deliberately? A comment directed specifically for me? How many people can play with fire, here?</em> It…. Seemed likely. Especially with the mention of extinguishers. Her room had four, spaced equidistant around the area designed for two people. Alundra had it all to herself, for reasons. <br><br>The quiet girl glanced at Pinkie and Pasty, following their questions. Unexpected. Maybe the goth look wasn’t entirely by choice? Her musings about the students was interrupted by the teachers declaration of her own rune. Holy cow. How old was their teacher??? Another little frown, noting that none of the described categories seemed to match her specific situation quite right. Metamagic, perhaps? Maybe, depending on what it even was. Merryweather was so pretty when worked up about stuff… Defending the vulnerable, yep. A good sign. Though the word naked caused just the faintest blush to form. Not fair. Alundra was definitely better at controlling her reactions than Matilda, the least gothy name ever. Silly goths, obsessed with suffering when most of them had no idea what real hardship was. And No Pain gothgirl and Pinkie kept talking, quite distracting. Though it was hardly surprising that others found their teacher so attractive. <br><br>Psionics… Another possibility to research. Especially with the hint of another fire word, kindle. The whole… Triangle/leviathan thing made her blink, confusion briefly visible. More things than she knew, indeed.<br><br><em>This is the black sea-brute bulling through wave-wrack,<br>Ancient as ocean's shifting hills, who in sea-toils<br>Travelling, who furrowing the salt acres<br>Heavily, his wake hoary behind him…</em><br><br>&nbsp;But a tiny sigh as the talk came back to sportsballs. Boys. No drawing runes for her, no messing with things she didn’t understand. At least fire responded to her. Sorta. Seemed like Billy would be her natural rival in botany class. But horror of horrors, a walking nightmare! Even someone as practiced at the iron emotional control that kept one safely isolated couldn’t quite contain the dismay and even fear that coursed through her. <em>Shapechangers!!</em> The worse possibility. How could you know who would betray you if they could change face at will? Danger, danger, danger!! What if they looked like someone trusted? She’d have to be even more cautious than expected. How safe was the school supposed to be? They were teaching potentially lethal skills. Would it be necessary to go to extremes to defend herself? There was the faintest crackle in the air, a sudden scent of wood under the pressure of enough heat to release some of the natural smell. The girl’s hair twitched slightly, waving for a moment under no known breeze. <br><br>But as Miss Professor Merryweather snagged her attention again, stilled the brewing problem. Put it aside for another day. That woman sure liked her fire metaphors…. Interesting. Appealing. A little nerve wracking… It was hard to not feel singled out. Surely the strange school had piles of paperwork on one Alundra Volkira. ‘energy to transmute the ambient ethereal magical energy into the physical’…. Maybe that was the how, but not really the why. At least she was well aware that magic could be dangerous. Alluring, enticing dancing danger, to light the world and purify problems. Though it seemed like real magic had plenty of unforeseen pitfalls. No summoning for her, thanks. Wings sounded cute, but her first kiss was something she’d keep. The last one, well. But happy memories were a rare treasure. Automatically, she listed the Pasty one’s preferences. Keeping a file on everyone in her head was an automatic reaction. Necessary for the constant scanning and revising of her threat assessments. Fortunately, she’d tested well out of Freshman Literature, books for people who didn’t like to read. Books were safe. And also burned nicely in an emergency. She didn’t have that class with the shapeshifting abomination. Maybe there was some sort of tracking spell, so Alundra could identify the walking nightmare spawn&nbsp; no matter what face it took. She’d not be trapped and consumed so easily! Beast didn’t even like Poe. Another black mark on its melty rancid soul.&nbsp; But she did have a class with Pasty, Tara. Even if the girl, shuffled from home to home and situation to situation, had far more practical psychology than most people ever needed. The girl sat quietly in her chair, both thinking and waiting. Not to be the first one out, nor the last. At least uniforms meant she seldom had to make camouflaging clothing choices. <br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>28-12-2022, 16:44:32</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div>When the bell rang, Professor Merryweather looked over the class.&nbsp; "Your homework is to read Chapter 1 of the book Understanding Potions and Elixirs.&nbsp; I don't expect you to memorize every reagent listed, but you should be able to name a few and recognize the concepts therein.&nbsp; Class dismissed."<br><br>Much of the class rushed out in a desire to leave, and Professor Merryweather went back to her laptop to take various notes while they were still fresh in her mind.&nbsp; If anyone desired to speak with her, she would be easy to reach.&nbsp; Otherwise, the schedule had her listed office hours, as well as her e-mail address of merryweather@nevermoreacademy.edu if they wanted to contact her.<br><br>Alundra Volkira would receive a message to her school e-mail:<br><br><strong><tt class="bbc_tt"><br>Dear Alundra Volkira:<br><br>I prefer not to discuss any information with students in class unless that student has volunteered the information.&nbsp; However, after checking over your records, I want to give a private suggestion for the Flash Flood in a Flask spell.&nbsp; It's a variation on the old Tempest in a Teapot spell, except that the old teapots would leak and crack, actual rainstorms are of less use indoors.<br><br>A Flash Flood in a Flask is created by collecting three different types of falling water in a single flask so that the flask is at least three quarters full, often with the use of a funnel.&nbsp; Rainwater, a fountain, a waterfall, a hose, tears, even a sink can all work for this task, but reagents work best when collected by one's own hand.&nbsp; As such, if you're interested, I suggest not using the store's collected Niagara Falls reserves for this specific practice; it's best saved for things like water elementals.<br><br>When completed properly with the magic words, the flask will pop open when heated to boiling, spraying the entire room with water.&nbsp; This has problems all its own, of course, but is easy to carry around and to chuck into a fire in an emergency.<br><br>You now have my e-mail if you have further questions you'd like to remain private, and my office hours are listed.<br><br>Sincerely,<br>Professor Merryweather<br></tt></strong>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elizabeth Ecsed</strong> on <strong>29-12-2022, 03:25:07</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbgyjauXhO1CEQQmnGiDe8O0jXLFBLToZgKysWmzMC_63iTaLkxPcPie5lUa77LKvxDJc&amp;usqp=CAU)</div><br><strong>MERRIWEATHER'S OFFICE</strong><br><br>The extra petite redhead paced up and down the hallway several times, wanting to make sure the unscheduled appointment with the teacher was just the two of them. This wasn’t super easy for the girl to do, both voluntarily interacting with authority figures, and the horribly uncomfortable tightrope of having to admit to not knowing something. Was that more or less dangerous than trying to fake it? Did her complete lack of knowledge of arcane methods make her abnormal, far behind the curve for Nevermore? What would get her in trouble with the people now responsible for her food and shelter? Would it anger or disappoint the pretty teacher? Would she get yelled at, or… worse? Magic seemed terrifyingly vast, and humans extraordinarily inventive at punishment. Nevermore couldn’t be too terribly bad, not if rich people sent their children to it, right? Hopefully… Calculated risks, always. But Miss Merriweather had seemed nice enough, calm and thoughtful. Taking the time to reach out, and offer a good suggestion. And being sensitive enough to do it privately, not in front of all the varied odd and unusual classmates. <br><br><br>The redhead had blinked twice at being called dear… <em>Probably just an old fashioned kinda thing, right? Would someone that old even still be interested in human relationships? I guess… she lives through that whole year, and biologically is still less than, what, middle aged? So possible, I guess. Though I can’t imagine how she views us normally aging mortals… What experience she must have! What astounding understanding of people…</em> What was the Tempest in a Teapot spell? How ancient was it if someone like Miss Merriweather was calling it old? History was just not her best subject, all the years and events kind of blurring together. Adding the magical, secret world to that would just complicate things further. Did the Great Mumlbetyboo Wizard Council happen before or after Martin Luther? Who knew! Probably that Billy kid in the front row. <br><br>Summoning sounded dangerous. Who would want to draw that much attention to themselves, to bring forth something that would want to trick her? She could see something like a familiar, perhaps. A loyal friend and ally to help her through the scary world, to hold at night. Or a unicorn, the kind from actual myth, fierce and capable of tearing through monsters. Maybe it could help her see through magic, illusions, betrayal, shapeshifting trickery. As for requirements, Alundra had certainly never lain with a man. Alchemy seemed easiest, the most mundane. It was just like baking, right? Knowing what reacted with what and how to mix them in the correct way to get the desired results. Though metamagic being a requirement was perhaps a large barrier. Artifice… sounded like potentially the most powerful. Though the lovely teacher hadn’t talked about consequences and costs much, she had definitely made it clear runes could do astounding things. <br><br><br>Thertaumaturggi had sounded complicated as well, runes requiring patience to get the marks right, and the other hard to say word needing lots of models? Magical comic book shops and nerd gaming must be super impressive. Like that show with the fighting dolls. Sorcery… well, she’d never ever make eye contact ever again, that was a new iron clad rule. How in the world did people survive with all this magic running loose? How come there weren’t Sleeping Beauty incidents destroying cities left and right? Were there magic police, punishments severe enough to deter the crimes? <br><br>Deep in her own thoughts, Alundra tapped timidly on the door before poking her head in. “Professor Merriweather? I’m Alundra…” She said softly. Her eyes did a scan of the office, wanting to get all the details. It was only paranoid if nobody ever tried to hurt you. Studying the environment was a survival trait. But wow, the teacher was even more attractive up close. Complicated. Delicately perching on the edge of the seat, the younger redhead peeked up at the teacher, unable to stop herself from subtly fiddling with her fingers. She had to make the decision, and she’d already come this far. Seemed like… Not knowing what the basics even was likely was more dangerous than admitting the lack, and she needed help. The outside word, she had experience… But this, this was all new and just a bit terrifying. Gorgons, werewolves, magic, new people with unknown talents… This was an awful lot to navigate. Alundra was in one of her least favorite places to be. Out of her depth. <br><br>“I have no idea how to cast magic.” She finally blurted out, quick to get it over with. Hopefully it wouldn’t be a huge mistake. <br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>29-12-2022, 04:10:08</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Merryweather's Office<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Alundra<br>"Come in," Professor Merryweather said, retaining her seat at her desk.&nbsp; Most of the walls were covered in various ancient and faded charts, explaining various magical phenomena the same way an elementary mathematics teacher would have posters for multiplication.&nbsp; The same laptop from class was open and ready as an aid, and on the wall with the same side as the door, a wet black umbrella hung from a hook and dripped into a vase.<br><br>The professor listened with folded hands and perfect patience to give Alundra plenty of time to find her words, but her smile was pure warmth and reassurance.&nbsp; "I've had students who came in already knowing the material," she explained.&nbsp; "Frankly, I think it's cheating to let students in who already know how to work multiple practices.&nbsp; Compare it to a student who's spent several years in France and is coasting by taking an intro to French class for an easy A.&nbsp; I'd much rather students who came with bright eyes and open minds, ready to soak in as much as possible, and I think that's what I have in your class."&nbsp; It pleased her.<br><br>"If I came across as suggesting that you already needed to be able to cast, don't worry."&nbsp; She gave a gentle shake of her head.&nbsp; "Most mundane classrooms have a lab test for their science experiments.&nbsp; By midterms, I expect students to be able to work a single spell, one that interests them, even as they learn the principles behind various kinds of material.&nbsp; I didn't mention that yet, but I apologize if my e-mail came off with other implications."<br><br>Considering a moment, she paused, then decided to say what she felt.&nbsp; "I know that with some, the supernatural can seem horrifying, especially if they're thrown headfirst into a world they don't fully understand without those who can guide them through the difficult points.&nbsp; For me, I was guided into it slowly, able to appreciate all the nuance well before I was introduced to any of it, but I know that my experience has been kinder than most."&nbsp; Her eyes held sympathy; while she didn't know the pyrokinetic's specific circumstances, many such stories were the same.<br><br>"If you'd like to start early, have me work the spell with you, I can, but the version I help you make will need to be different from what you make for your midterms, even if you want to make a second Flash Flood in a Flask."&nbsp; Her smile warmed.&nbsp; "I'd much rather begin early with students eager to learn; far too often, I get students at the last minute."<br><br>One might expect the teacher to eschew eye contact given that it was the limitation for sorcery, but Professor Merryweather was all too happy not only to make it but maintain it just like an ordinary person in casual conversation.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>29-12-2022, 07:02:54</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Nevermore Quad<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, OPEN<hr>As the bell rang, Nyx was already reaching for their bag while the teacher was trying to get last instructions through brains that had already checked out. One of the many hazards of have school bells. Nyx was still thinking about what had been discussed in class, but mostly they were already of a mind on what they wanted to study: summoning. Branding runes on things felt permanent. With how their skin worked, they were not even sure that a rune like the teacher's would hold. And if it did, they were even mroe uncertain about how they felt about anything on their body being permanent. They knew that it was the near opposite of how a lot of other people felt. Shapeshifters were different that way and Nyx even more so than normal for their kind. Sorcery and alchemy weren't uninteresting, but remained neutral in their estimation. Artifice smacked too much of technology to them. Already, they were tied to their cellphone. They didn't need other gadgets and devices occupying their attention. No, summoning was the thing. A soft, dreamy sigh escaped their lips as they thought of all the different fairy tale creatures they might be able to see and interact with. Of them all, water and ice spirits were their most heavy focus. They didn't even know if there were spirits or fairies of ice, but they wanted to find out. They felt a rabid curiosity for Professor merryweather's class growing.<br><br><strong>"Can you imagine it, Tara? An undine? Maybe a Sylph? Eeeeee! Oh, a pixie or spriggan? Fuck, I can't wait to learn how to do it!"</strong> A few faces nearby turned to frown at them and they stuck out a bubblegum pink tongue that flashed violent neon colors. Sighing happily again, they clutched the bag to their chest and swung around imaging how water flowed and swirled. Maybe it was their own mercurial nature that drew them to it. but there had always been a draw, <strong>"Oh, oh! A water dragon, yeah? Like in Raya? Are those real?"</strong> They actually squealed and summoned several more smirking looks. They stamped their foot and marched along the pathways of the quad happily humming and occasionally twirling.<br><br>A stray thought brought them up short though and they whirled on Tara, <strong>"And did you see the mousy girl in the corner eye fucking the prof? Good grief, get a fucking room and watch some porn. She was worse than even you were. Think Professor Merryweather can't see it? I think she does."</strong> Rolling their eyes, they looked up into the rain falling from the sky and smiled as the drops hit their face in a rhythmic tattoo. <strong>"Well, lunch plans? I mean, it's fine if you don't wanna. But, new year, new place, new friends, yeah?"</strong> They laughed happily again. Nothing was getting them down with the thought of spirits and fairies running around in their head. Freshman lit was next and they closed their eyes to whisper,<br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote"><strong>"She took me to her Elfin grot,<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;And there she wept and sighed full sore,<br>And there I shut her wild wild eyes<br>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;With kisses four."</strong></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>Giggling then, they twirled in the rain and sent showers out to strike others. Lookign sheepish now, they quickly put their umbrella up and walked along quitly singing something under their breath.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>29-12-2022, 17:43:54</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><br>Location: Quad, the on to Outcast Psychology<br>Tagging: Nyx, open<br><hr><br>"I <em>hope</em> she sees it," Tara giggled. "I mean, I know she's not gonna bump uglies with a student, but she's HAWT." What the hell was a spriggan?&nbsp; Whatever it was, the pink-haired Outcast seemed excited about it, so it was probably something cool. "Lunch, right? Be there, or be...uh, if I say 'be square' are you gonna go all presto-chango again?"<br><br>Dripping from the dog-like splashing she'd gotten, Tara watched her new buddy wander off singing into the drizzle, then chuckled and shook her head. Weird person. Totes cool, but also totes def weird. Not that that wasn't to be expected in a place like Nevermore. And lest she forget, the label applied to her all over, too. Most of the time, she felt just like a normal late-teener. Then something would happen to remind her she was a very <em>dead</em> late-teener. Not normal at all. As she stalked down the breezeway, she wondered if any of the townies were cute.<br><br>Ah well. She'd already made a friend, at least of sorts, which was a good start. Meeting up with Nyx at lunch would be fun, though she hoped there was something on the menu that would actually sate her hunger. She <em>could</em> eat anything, but a lot of foods left her feeling empty, unsatisfied. Like bad sex- all of the mess, none of the rewards.<br><br>Meanwhile, it was time for her Abnormal Psych class. Technically it was 'Inter- and Intra-Community Psycho-Social Interfacing.' In other words, how to make friends and influence people. If you were a freak. And had to get along with a bunch of other freaks, and a whole bunch of Nervous Normies.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elizabeth Ecsed</strong> on <strong>02-01-2023, 10:28:36</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbgyjauXhO1CEQQmnGiDe8O0jXLFBLToZgKysWmzMC_63iTaLkxPcPie5lUa77LKvxDJc&amp;usqp=CAU)</div><br><strong>MERRIWEATHER'S OFFICE</strong><br><br><br>The younger, shorter redhead’s gaze paused here and there, tilting her head this way and that as she looked at the charts, usually the most colorful, that most caught her attention. When the professor smiled like that, so radiant even someone as inherently twitchy as Alundra couldn’t help but relax a little. Not a lot, never all the way. Never that level of trust. If you let anyone in too far, that was where they could do the most damage. But it was true her first impression was that Merriweather just wasn’t a bad person. Interesting. And the teacher had an interesting viewpoint on things. Her head nodded slowly in agreement, knowing at least one student who was planning on going above and beyond to learn. Occasionally her older women issues could be put to productive use, so why not? <br><br><br>In her opinion, the email had sounded like being able to already cast was a good thing, but at least that particular concern, that specific lack was soothed. The clarification was a much needed reassurance that she likely wasn’t hugely behind par. And of course, people having the ability to apologize was always a good sign. No kind of worse monster than one that unquestionably believed they were right, and thus any extreme they went to was just and inherently good. The whole time Merriweather had been speaking, Alundra was sitting quietly, utterly attentive. Her reasons for being that way, that contained and still, weren’t good ones, but well, silver linings. The talk about the school, well, that was a harder decision. That one required very careful thought about how to handle. The professor was accurate, but had no idea of all the reasons. What was too far, what was getting information vs showing weakeness? “I don’t know much about the supernatural.” She said measuredly, gaze drifting to the window. The teacher was unlikely to attack, and well…. If that did happen, there wasn’t much to be done about it, right? Like a toddler wrestling a grizzly bear. Not the ideal situation, but one she’d survived before. Not… literally the bear, just the power differential. Even her life wasn’t weird enough to include bears. Hadn’t been, perhaps. <br><br>&nbsp;<br>“I’ve read some books, but who knows how accurate they are?” A shrug, soft sigh escaping. “Do… vampires have to take night classes?” A question only made dumb by lack of experience. They seemed populous enough to have a faction at school, a fang clique. “How…. Dangerous is all this?” The true question that needed to be answered. In the real world, the normal and predictable mortal world, it had quite surprisingly turned out that Alunda, little tormented thing, was herself incredibly dangerous. Probably not on the level of a werewolf or vampire, but humans didn’t like being on fire. The problem was, it made her a monster, and thus… surrounded by monsters. Shapeshifters and spells and gods knew what. All problematic, every last bit of it. Lucky, lucky professor, having people to look out for her. What a freaking luxury. <br><br><br>At least the magic seemed interesting. Alunda already came equipped with the skill of looking towards a person, but not directly in their eyes. Most people didn’t notice the difference. Eye contact could set off predators. Miss Merriweather might be both confident and strong enough to risk sorcery and enspellment, but someone like Alundra was much more stealthy. “A different version of the same spell? How does that work? I know you said that different ingredients could be used, how much does that affect things?” A pause, for pondering. “How much variance can there be in a spell like that? You said one can flood a room…” At least she seemed interested in learning, that was always something she could do. Good teachers liked sharing knowledge, and appreciated attentive, thoughtful students. Sometimes learning meant safety. “Oh, and you mentioned magic words, right? How do you know what they are?” <br><br><br><br><br><hr><hr><br>Fortunately for everybody involved, especially that damn meltyface liquid masquerading as a human, Alundra didn't her herself being referred to as mousy. Her pattern stayed true in the wordy 'Inter- and Intra-Community etc, class, snagging the furthest corner she could. <br><br>As for lunch, she planned to take whatever the cafeteria served outside, hopefully to sit by herself at the fountain. She liked the lonely tree, and the water's surprise inhabitant. <br><br>(https://www.infobae.com/new-resizer/PjVZeWfuMjZrsDXDwcx3wC5MoJk=/300x0/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-infobae/public/3HO2JN5FJ5F7FJRMTM7ZPTHCPE.jpeg)
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>02-01-2023, 16:43:09</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Merryweather's Office<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Alundra<br><br>Professor Merryweather maintained her warmth and composure, understanding how difficult it can be for new students who aren't accustomed to the supernatural.&nbsp; "The library has a number of good choices in separating fact from fiction," she explained.&nbsp; "Illuminating the Shadows by Alexei Dragunov is a good read, but a number of students will recognize it and may tease you if they see you reading through it in public.&nbsp; It was also written in the 1950s, and I don't know how much modern media has butchered the original sources to stories, but I think you know that vampires don't actually sparkle."&nbsp; The hint of a smile held a touch of mirth.&nbsp; "Specifically regarding night classes, vampires employ magic parasols to allow them to walk out during the day without burning up.&nbsp; I've heard that some of the universities that precede Nevermore were entirely nocturnal so as to accommodate vampires and ask everyone to switch to that schedule, but I'm less than a thousand years old, so much of my understanding therein is secondary."<br><br>The question of danger got the professor more serious.&nbsp; "Magic is far more dangerous than science," she explained, "because science hasn't learned how to affect the soul or pass through to other realms yet.&nbsp; Even so, the analogy holds up.&nbsp; Both supernatural mores and various guardians keep the mundane world from being plagued with various hexes and curses that would affect Earth in a widespread manner, however.&nbsp; Just as the normies are at some small risk of a rampaging lunatic causing havoc with an axe, but various law enforcement officials mitigate the possibility for the most part, so too do we have few incidents of vampiric blood cults and the like.&nbsp; Horror movies tell stories of isolated monsters who cause all sorts of problems, alone among their kind and others, where mundane hunters must step up to deal with the threat, and that rarely happens.&nbsp; Most of us who hear about unexplained murders and the like will move to investigate."<br><br>Regarding different versions of the same spell, Merryweather explained, "Think of a light bulb.&nbsp; The original design, made in 1880, has various issues that make it impractical for today's use, so people have studied and figured out better methods to make better light bulbs.&nbsp; In regards to the Flash Flood in a Flask, nobody wants to carry around a teapot; they're fragile, apt to spill unless sealed, and rather large and bulky.&nbsp; Thus, the spell was modified with a flask, much more designed for natural utility.&nbsp; In the same way that light bulbs made of different materials will work in different ways, so too does the spell.&nbsp; For example, the Flash Flood in a Flask will drench the room with a spray rather than calling down a rainstorm outside, since it remains tightly sealed and doesn't boil over and out to steam."<br><br>With the question of magic words, Professor Merryweather pulled out her copy of Truth in Stone, one of the books required for her class, even though she hasn't brought it up yet.&nbsp; "Words have been recognized since ancient Egypt to carry power, but it wasn't always understood why," she said.&nbsp; "We understand the brain better today.&nbsp; Speaking synchronizes the mind to the focus of the task at hand.&nbsp; Will and intent shape magic, focused by specific words which are chanted so as to aid in concentration.&nbsp; While making the words rhyme isn't strictly necessary, it aids in ensuring that the words have a natural poetry that aids in making it all seem as natural as lifting an arm, the same way iambic pentameter just rolls off the tongue when perfectly crafted."<br><br>She then fished through her desk before pulling out a cheap steel flask which she offered.&nbsp; "If you like, you can collect the three types of falling water, and I can meet with you tomorrow to handle the incantation aspect.&nbsp; This won't count for your test, but it'll give you one as a beginning, either allowing you to redo the spell with another flask for the midterms or try another as fancy suits you.&nbsp; I'm not sure if it's still raining outside, but if it's not, you can collect at least three drops from my umbrella as the first type of falling water."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>03-01-2023, 02:26:39</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Nevermore Lunchroom<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, OPEN<hr>Nyx was buzzing with insane energy when they bounced into the lunchroom. They clutched a book to their chest like they were trying to shove the words into themselves phsyically. A swooning, fluttering energy filled their chest. There was absolutely nothing like a new book except maybe an old friend. They pulled the book a few inches from their chest and grinned down at the cover. Battered, bruised, and broken in places: the book had been handed down and handed out to Nevermore students for decades. They hugged it again and squee'd. A few faces looked up from nearby tables curiously. Blushing, their hair suddenly grew long enough to cover their face and they were forced to tuck a bit behind their ear. They hunched their choulders and scurried to the line.<br><br>An apple, a bag of chips, and a cold sandwich later saw them staring out at the sea of heads and swarm of tables rippling just below the surface. The existential horror of being a teenager overwhelmed them for a moment before they shrugged and moved toward a nearby empty table. Inspecting the surface, they saw what would be expected of a fancy, private high school. A good, real-wood table not some plastic replica. And yet, still scratched, written upon, and marred as only those with no sense of ownership or destructive impulsives could. Sitting at the dark brown thing, they set out their meal then grabbed their tumbler from their school bag to complete the set. Carefully, they unwrapped the sandwich and sniffed the egg salad experimentally before cracking the chips and popping a salty morsel into their mouth. Slowly, they peeled the top of the sandwich open then began to lay the crispy, salty treats across the top. Smirking, the replaced the lid and then smashed it down. The satisfying crispy-crunching of the chips met their ears and summoned a beaming grin. Eagerly, they picked up the altered sandwich and took a bite.<br><br>Their eyes rolled up into their sockets as their mouth worked the food. A pleasant, humming sound erupted and they quickly took the tumbler and swallowed some water to clear the deck for another bite. And another. Then, momentarily sated, they grabbed their new prize and beamed down at it, <strong>"Oh, you~~ Who's going to get read so hard? You are! Yes, you are~"</strong> They squealed a bit then tucked the still longer pink, now curly, hair behind an ear again with a frown. They slowly traced each letter with a finger: M-A-R-Y-S-H-E-L-L-E-Y. What luck that the freshman lit prof would assing such a classic? Squealing yet again, they picked up their sandwich and carefully opened to the first page: <strong>"You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings."</strong> They read the words slowly out loud savoring each syllable and digesting the tone, pace, color. Taking another bite of their sandiwch and popping in a couple more chips for good measure. They drank from their tumbler out the side of their mouth so as to not tear their eyes from the page, <strong>"I arrived here yesterday, and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking."</strong> Nyx was intoxicated, entraced, and oblivious to the frustrated stares as they started reading Frankenstein out loud to themselves.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>03-01-2023, 02:53:11</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><strong>Where:</strong> Nevermore Dining Hall<br><strong>Who:</strong> Nyx, open<br><hr><br>In stark contrast (and not only in color palette), Tara was fairly subdued when she wandered into the caf. Not that she was in a<strong> bad </strong>mood- that rarely happened. She was, though, a bit muddled and pensive, having hoped for a bit more from her first day of Psych class than a wordy variant on the old 'they're ore afraid of you than you are of them.' Sure, on the surface, it made sense: how could a normie <em>not</em> be afraid of someone who could turn into a big-ass wolf, say. Or who drank blood. Or could turn you into stone.<br><br>Or maybe someone who drowned and came back later, like some Wal-Mart Jesus.<br><br>On the other hand- there were <em>billions</em> of them, and while no one had been able so far to tell her exactly how many Outcasts there were in the world (and what a shitty name<strong> that</strong> was to be called, too, like they weren't Othered enough already), the biggest number was somewhere in the ball park of two hundred thousand. More than Hogwarts, but a lot fewer than, like, New Hampshire. And the normies had guns- and fire, which she especially disliked, as much as she had once loved toasting marshmallows. Fear plus boom equals nothing good. So it was like the old lady who crossed the street when she saw a handful of loud teens coming, with Outcasts as the old lady: sure, the kids might be perfectly nice people, but could you rely on that being the case? She was blowing things out of proportion, she was sure, especially after only one class, but she wasn't as cheery about the possibility for fun and peaceful and copacetic co-existence as she had been the day before.<br><br>She'd been hoping to snag an all but uncooked hamburg or three to nom on, but it was fish sammies on the menu, and a few other things, all&nbsp; too cooked to be really palatable to her bizarre metabolism. So she grabbed a stack of cold cuts from the deli board, they being the least-processed stuff around, and a bag of chips for the hell of it, and a thing of jello (more meat byproduct, yum!), and looked around for Nyx's distinctive neon hair.&nbsp; They weren't hard to find.<br><br>"Dude," she said as she slid into a seat across from the garish metamorph (a fun big word, one she hadn't known before that day). "Have you dealt with, like, normals much? On the outside? And why are you talking to your book?" Hearing a crunch, she cocked her head and frowned. "And did you put chips <strong>on</strong> your sammich?"<br><br><br>&nbsp;
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>03-01-2023, 03:29:53</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Nevermore Lunchroom<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, OPEN<hr>Nyx paused mid chew as their head snapped up to Tara. The pink, curly hair which had crept down below their shoulder by then suddenly snapped back to their normal pixie bob so suddenly the metamorph seemed to wince. <strong>"Yow! Emotional whiplash! Def not fun when your body actually changes depending on your emotional state.</strong> Rubbing their scalp a bit, they turned the book over to set it facedown and peered curiously at their sandiwch, <strong>"Uh, yeah~~ It's frickin delicious. Adds some texture and saltiness to the filling. School cafs tend to underseason food due to health codes and such."</strong> They motioned the sandwich to Tara if they wanted to give it a try. Sharing was caring after all. <strong>"And am I seriously getting food critiques from the girl with a big pile of meat on their plate?"</strong><br><br>Nyx giggled at the play on words, unintentional, but looked baldly at the pile of coldcuts that had been meant for a sandwich. Blinking a bit, they realized they didn't exactly know Tara's situation. Not wholly. Looking up at the negative version of a normally colored human being, they cocked their head to the side. <strong>"And, yes, I am talking to my book. Me and Mary are old friends. I don't know. Something about the monster jives with me. So beautiful yet misunderstood. The poetry, the darkness. The torch-wielding mob."</strong> They paused as they considered it slowly then shrugged, <strong>"But, no, me and normies don't mix. Not with my features being the roulette wheel they are. Normies know outcasts exist, but seeing it doesn't play well. The sound of howling werewolves, a vamps fangs, and a shapeshifter changing forms in the open freak them out. So, if I go out, I've got to focus on keeping myself stable instead of the sloppy mess I normally manage. That's exhausting. Like, a physical manifestation of introverted energy? Heh, normal shapeshifters have fewer problems that a lot of Outcasts though. Their forms tend to be far more stable. It has to do witrh a stongly held sense of identity. And a ritual that reinforces that. Still, we're a lot more fluid that most other mortals. I'm just at the extreme end of the spectrum of my type. Identity issues coming out my ears and such. I mean, I know who I am, but part of who I am is fluid. Eh?"</strong> The noncommital noise at the end seemed to express in equal amounts frustration, acceptance, and 'the fuck can you do' vibes. They cocked their head to the side to regard the heavily pierced woman.<br><br><strong>"Why the curiosity? I never did get much of your story if you wanted to share a bit. I'm a good listener, promise!"</strong> Smiling happily, the ears at the side of their head actually grew a bit and wiggled even as the changeling giggled lightly. They took another crunchy, noisy bite of their sandwich.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>03-01-2023, 04:27:18</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><strong>Where:</strong> Nevermore Dining Hall<br><strong>Who:</strong> Nyx, open<br><hr><br>Tara looked down at the pile of glistening ham and pinkish roast beef and giggled. "It<em> is</em> kinda gross, I guess. I'm sorta all Alpha carnivore, an' junk, these days." At least she used a knife and fork to slice strips off the deli meat, rather than just rolling it up in her fingers, as she might have done at home. Like any teenager, she ate fast, and the rate at which the shocking amount of dead animal went into her mouth, even with her respectable table manners, was nothing sort of awe-inspiring.<br><br>"Hey, everybody's got to have a hobby. If yours is talking to books, who'm I to say squat?" She didn't add that she totes got the identifying with the monster thing. At least her own face stayed put!&nbsp; What would it have to be like to actually have to think all the time about what you looked like, or be outed as something Not Normal(tm)? Of course, the loud hair already did that, cute as it was...<br><br>How to answer the question, though?&nbsp; "Well...see...um. OK. This is gonna sounds totes cray-cray. But until a few months ago? I <strong>was </strong>a normie." She let that sink in a sec, then went on. "I did something way stupid, and then got better. More or less. Not all the way. Being all, you know. Still technically dead, an' junk?" With a&nbsp; frown, she tipped back her bag of chips the way an eight-year-old might go at a box of their fave sugar-saturated breakfast cereal. A moment of crunching and she took up her story again, tongue flicking some salty crumbs from the corner of her mouth. "No family history, no X-Files shit in my early life, none of that. I just died, and then got back up. At the wake, which seriously blew some minds, you better believe."&nbsp; A shrug, and she leaned across the table a bit. "See, you mentioned identity. Bye the bye, you're totes adorbs, so keep doing you. Anyway. To me, except for the change in looks- which might be an upgrade, fersher, since I was like, totes Cali cookie-cutter blonde bimbo before, and now I actually look kind badass?- anyway. As far as I'm concerned, I'm, like, the same girl? Still a party animal, still horny all the time, still pretty much mellow yellow, dig?" The frown came back.<br><br>"But, like, I know I'm really <em>not </em>her any more. Not to everyone else. So not to be a rhymes-with-witch, but I kinda wonder how folks who were born walking on the Freak side deal with the squares. I'd figured I'd get something outa my Psych class, but today, anyway, it was all kinda mouth noises. Nothing deep, yanno?"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>03-01-2023, 07:16:11</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)<br><div align="center"><div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Transformed Nyx</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://i.imgur.com/LOWQFYe.jpg)</div></div></div></div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Nevermore Lunchroom<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, OPEN<hr>Nyx raised one pink eyebrow at the other woman as she scarfed her meat. Even the thought caused them to giggle behind a concealing hand. For Nyx, eating was a process to enjoy rather than be done with. It was a moment to be alone with delicious thoughts. They ate absently or quickly only if their attention was diverted by conversation or a book. As such, their own meal disappeared rather quickly as they listened to the other speak about her life. Their mouth made a little 'O' of surprise at the reveal Tara had been a Normie just the year before. Their brow furled as they had to concentrate through the barrage of teen lingo. Confusion reigned at the end though. The story had been presented in general sweeping terms but some details were left out. Nyx got the sense that it was intentional and they resolved not to pry. If and when Tara wanted to share details, she would. A furious blush colored their face at the compliment though and they squirmed in their seat. Did the pink grow a shade more vibrant? Their features just a touch softer?<br><br>Shaking their head, they nodded, <strong>"That... must've been so hard. I've been rejected and abhorred by normies most of my life. Shapeshifters learn not to take children out in public before they stabilize, but that wasn't an option with me. Either leave me at home or deal with the looks. I can't imagine fitting in most my life only for it to go sideways!"</strong> They stopped and tilted their head trying to imagine Tara as a blonde, cheerleader, type. Shaking their head to clear the malformed image, they laughed, <strong>"Gawd, sorry, but trying to imagine you as the blonde, typical, Normie is hard. You're so... so alt. To...tes an upgrade, fer sure. Wait, bimbo?!"</strong> They blinked a few times and them shook their head. <strong>"Definitely not my image of you now. Heh. Definitely more 'bad rhymes with witch' now."</strong><br><br>They giggled as they tried playing keep up with the lingo game but felt the awkwardness of it powerfully. Stilling as the more powerful turn of the conversation, they looked away a moment and then sighed, <strong>"It's hard to say. On one hand, you know you're 'looking in the window' as it were, but I've never had another perspective, yeah? Even for an Outcast, I'm a bit of an abnormality. I mean, no one likes being reminded that I could be anyone. I mean, that's what the hair started as. Just a way to let people know it's me."</strong> Smiling innocently, the thin figure in the other chair slowly began to slip. At first everything went less defined, vague, then a new image of a petite asian girl formed in what were now quite baggy clothes. They struck a cute pose and went 'uwu' before the same shimmering shift the image into Vladimir Putin who struck the same posed and also said 'uwu' before the shimmering settled back into its normal form. <strong>"Nowadays, the hair is about the only pair I DON"T need to concentrated on. Well, the color at least."</strong> They shrugged at the idea that a societal norm had been the driving cause of stability in their identity as much as their own expression.<br><br>They tilted their head and considered the original question again, <strong>"So, anyway, I can't speak for the furs, fangs, or scales, or stoners really but shapeshifters generally deal with normies by hiding. That's the point isn't it? Of being a shapeshifter? Hiding and running away? But I can say that you never get used to the look of existential horrow on someone's face as they realize not only could you be anyone, but you could be them. Things they consider unique and important parts of their identity can be easy replicated by my kind. You'd be surprised how violent that reaction can be. Or maybe not. I don't know. I was taught by my parents from a young age to be aware of it, watch for it, and flee when I saw it."</strong> They'd grown more and more distant as they described something they did have some experience with, by the look on their face. Slowly, their eyes scanned the cafeteria, a real wariness filling their eyes. <strong>"You know that feeling when you're walking downa&nbsp; dark road by yourself and you hear a twig break or a car bakcfires, and you just can't shake the unease? It's a little like that. Only at a constant low hum.</strong>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MoonWolf</strong> on <strong>03-01-2023, 18:32:20</strong>
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				Scarlet wakes up in her bed. She groans as she sits up and stretches to wake up her body. She checks the time and realizes its already time to have lunch. Oh well, she likes sleeping in. She quickly gets dressed into the school uniform and pets all of the snakes on her head. They hiss out a greeting with every pet. She checks her look in the mirror and grins. She notices the top of the uniform is inside out and rolls her eyes. She fixes it and checks herself in the mirror again and finds everything is good to go.<br><br>She rushes to the lunchroom and takes in all the students. She spots someone with pink hair talking to a very pale student. She decides to see if they will let her seat with them. She gets her breakfast and thanks the workers who saved it for her. She strides over to the two students, pretending not to see the other Stoners looking at her like she's some freak. She stops at the table the two are at. "Room for one more?" She asks them.<br><br>One of her snakes hiss and she frowns. "Shush Kyle, that's not very nice."<br><br>She takes a bit out of her muffin as she waits for an answer.<br><br>(sorry was rushing to go to work, have more time now for this post.)
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>05-01-2023, 14:48:24</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><strong>Where:</strong> Nevermore Dining Hall<br><strong>Who:</strong> Nyx, Scarlet open<br><hr><br>"Shoulda stuck with the Asian chick," Tara teased with a wink. "I don't think Uncle Vlad is gettin' <em>anybody</em> laid..." Another strip of deli meat vanished into her apparently insatiable maw as she thought about what Nyx had told her. It made sense, of course, that if you'd been born Outcast, you might not have that much experience with normies. Some could pass, some couldn't, at least not so well. And as she'd learned in class, the fear went both ways- though she found it hard to believe that a normie could be as afraid of tiny, fluffy, cheery little Nyx as they seemed to be of humans.<br><br>"Does it hurt?," she asked, abruptly. "I mean, when you change?&nbsp; I'd think rearrangin' all the bits would sting a bit." Tara remembered what pain felt like, vaguely. One good(?) thing about her change was not having to worry about that any more. She also couldn't help wondering if Nyx could change more than just their face. What a date <strong>that</strong> would be, switching off...Jeez, was she a totes slut, or what?<br><br>Before Nyx could answer, another mini rolled up to the table, this one a mouthwatering blonde, and asked if she could join them. "this is a chair, that's your butt- introduce the two," Tara chuckled, using her foot to shove the chair next to her out a bit from the table. "I'm Tara, and the cute cotton ball over there is Nyx." Jeez, the blonde was even shorter than Tara, by a fair bit, which made her absolutely tiny next to Nyx. "But if we're not careful, I think peeps'll start thinkin' we're all secret leprechauns.&nbsp; Hey- <em>are </em>there leprechauns?&nbsp; That'd be wicked cool..."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elizabeth Ecsed</strong> on <strong>05-01-2023, 20:26:25</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbgyjauXhO1CEQQmnGiDe8O0jXLFBLToZgKysWmzMC_63iTaLkxPcPie5lUa77LKvxDJc&amp;usqp=CAU)</div><br><strong>Merriweather's office</strong><br><br>The student nodded slowly, noting the title. She seldom actually needed writing utensils, well practiced in memorizing things of relevance to herself. Relying on having access to notes was foolish, as they could be both stolen and hard to get in an emergency. “<em>Illuminating the Shadows.</em>” Alundra repeated, just to show she was paying attention. Sometimes people were creeped out by her silences, thinking her aloof or addlebrained. Her nose crinkled at the mention of teasing… People either couldn’t leave innocent things alone, meddling where they should just mind their own business… Or, far worse and hugely destructive, ignored the terrible they couldn’t deal with and buried their heads to avoid the routine horrors perpetrated by neighbors and churches, schools and authorities behind the thin protection of closed doors. Anyone who was a victim had to deserve it on some level, right? Because bad things didn’t happen to good people, and if nothing bad happened for ignoring evil, then well that must be right! <br><br>She had to giggle, shaking her head slowly. “Well, that’s kind of a shame, honestly. A pretty sparkly vampiress..” A little blush and quick shrug to indicate that the thought had slipped out. Which of course was false, someone like Alundra weighed each and every word well before potentially speaking it. But she didn’t mind flirting with the professor, not at all. And the younger….. much much younger redhead couldn’t resist. Such a good opportunity. “Less than a thousand? You absolutely don’t look over a hundred, professor!” The student chirped, a rare joke from the reserved, guarded girl. Oh yeah, the professor was gorgeous. Sign us up for private lessons! Still, what a weird world. Just under a thousand years, how common. And she had to shudder at the idea of how dangerous her new home could be… Were all magical cops bastards? The system in the normie world certainly had gaping holes for unwanted children and the poor. If Alundra hadn’t gotten shunted to the Special Problems department, it was pretty likely prison was in her immediate future. Miss Merriweather seemed nice, but rarely was something what it seemed. <br><br>The magical theory lesson was interesting enough to be listened to without thinking of disaster or ways it could be used against her. Though odds were high she’d end up like one of those urban fantasy protagonists,&nbsp; coat full of pockets with counters for every situation.&nbsp; “Magical poetry, hm..” Hard to say exactly where her thoughts were going on that one, but it was clear her attention was still held, her mind working. Maybe Shakespeare was a wizard? Actually…. “Was<em> A Midsummer Night’s Dream</em> a recounting of an actual night?” Donkey heads sounded like… well, frat boy pranks in the magical world. Yick. <br><br>The small one took the flask with a sweet, shy smile. For most people, such a small kindness was almost nothing. But then, few people lived with as much almost nothing as the lost ones like Alundra. And of course, presents from beautiful older women got extra appreciation. Not… that she’d ever fully succeeded in seducing one, but everybody had to have goals. “Thank you, professor…” She said all softly, eyes smiling up at the teacher. “That sounds like a really good plan, thank you. I’ll do just that.” Suiting actions to words, the girl headed over to the umbrella, gently shaking it to collect the drops. “Hey, utterly random question, but if I put three pictures of Fallingwater, the famous Wright building, as one of the ingredients, what would happen? Is that too metaphorical, or would it be a different type of spell? Or just silliness?” <br><br><br><hr><hr><br><strong>Where</strong>: Tuesday afternoon, deep in the library stacks<br><br>Back in the quiet sections of the library, haunted by the ghosts of books unwritten and the quiet whisperings of the tomes themselves, and overlooked by busts of obscure horror novelists, Alundra sat on the ground, leaning against a bookshelf. She had one uniformed leg propped against the far shelves, kind of slouched over to use the knee as a book stand. She was slowly flipping pages of <em>Introductions to Magical Theory</em> by Abdul Alhazred the fifth. The girl's lips moved quietly in time to each word, clearly reading out loud to herself inside her head. A natural speed reader she was just not. <br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>06-01-2023, 06:12:13</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Nevermore Lunchroom<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, OPEN<hr>They blinked at the comment. It took a second for their brain to catch up and realize the situation. <strong>"Oh? Oh! ohoh. No!"</strong> They waved their hands in front of their face as much to defend from the accusation as to try to hide their flaming cheeks. A second later, they blinked rapidly as it occured to them they might be overthinking it, <strong>"Oh, umm, another thing hard to explain to someone that's never done it."</strong><br><br>The lean shapeshifter scratched their chin a couple times while finishing off their sandwich. The chips were a lot less crisp now as they'd had a chance to soak up the eggy flavors. Still, the salty spike was nice and they hummed appreciation as they chewed, <strong>"Umm, ever been in an earhquake? That feeling you get where your sense of balance is all over the place. Feels like your whole body is slipping? Or, maybe, vertigo? It's like that. not painful, really, but you sort of slip. Your sense of self, your body-sense: it all sort of slides."</strong> They pinched their fingers together on both hands, touched then, then drew them apart like stretching a rubber band. <strong>"Then, like a rubber band stretched out, it all sorts of snaps back into place. But not exactly the same place. It's like the anchor point has shifted when your sense returns."</strong> As the stretched part slowly came back, they moved the original point down a bit. They shrugged and popped a couple chips into their mouth to chew. Rolling their eyes up and left, they chewed just as much on the description they'd given. Nodding, they gave the thumbs up, <strong>"About as good an explana-"</strong><br><br>And then yet another shortstack showed up. Nyx had never considered themselves the tallest person, the werewolves saw to that generally, but they felt an absolute giant lately. They snapped their jaws shut as Tara made the introductions and had to fight down another rosy blush at being called 'cute cotton ball.' Huffing a heavy breath, they pointed an accusatory finger at Tara, <strong>"Listen here, missy, you're going to give me a complex. Spirits above know I have plenty of those already."</strong> Still struggling a bit they finally looked up more carefully at the newcomer only to suddenly jerk their head back down, <strong>"Good grief, you can't just walk around like-"</strong> Except they were and a quick glance around the cafeteria showed them no statues in the area. Blinking, they looked up more closely and saw the milky white eyes of the snakes. <strong>"Oh?! Sorry."</strong> They glanced quickly at the eyes of the girl and saw nothing strange. In fact, they seemed to lock onto people normally. Blind snakes on a gorgon, strange. <strong>"Yeah, like the walking talking noir film said, call me Nyx. Plant your keister."</strong> They returned their attention to Tara, <strong>"Sure, but not Outcasts like us, I think. Leprechauns would be fairies, I think. Right? You could summon one. Not sure if that includes the pot of gold or not."</strong><br><br>They waited then to see where this conversation would take them.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>06-01-2023, 17:39:20</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Merryweather's Office<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Alundra<br><br>Professor Merryweather nodded at the mention of the book, and the sparkle mention just got a smile.&nbsp; "I wouldn't mention Twilight around vampires for the same reason you don't want to bring up Big Bang Theory around actual geeks: what comes off as ludicrous to people outside a particular group usually seems offensive to those inside of it."<br><br>The mention of a hundred got a smile.&nbsp; "The age rune is easy enough to have applied once one desires.&nbsp; Back when, people didn't plan ahead, which is why so many practitioners got the reputation for being extremely old.&nbsp; Others didn't even know the method until being well into their fifties or older.&nbsp; It's far easier to slow the course of entropy and time than to reverse it."<br><br>Regarding A Midsummer Night's Dream, Professor Merryweather could only shrug.&nbsp; "The story itself is reasonably plausible.&nbsp; The fair folk don't appreciate being studied and categorized as we do insects, and I'll admit I'm not an expert on them.&nbsp; Sometimes mass belief and desire affects reality even among normies, and the opposite is true when something is feared.<br><br>She nodded when thanked, and at the question of Fallingwater, the professor started working her laptop to look into things herself.&nbsp; It was evident on her face that she wasn't certain.&nbsp; However, a soft smile on her features showed that she was impressed that Alundra would have the curiosity to think so far ahead.&nbsp; "I mentioned that metamagic won't be on any tests for the introductory course," she said, "but if you desire to move past the basics, it's important to understand.&nbsp; If I didn't explain before, metamagic is when you mix and match different aspects of the five basic practices to achieve a desired result.&nbsp; For example, taking a photograph of a particular object in order to achieve its effects is a form of Thaumaturgy, although a photograph won't have as strong a sympathetic connection as would taking a piece of that object or individual."<br><br>After reading for several moments, Professor Merryweather quoted from the website, "'Determined to build over the stream that punctuated the property, Wright remarked that rather than simply look out at it, he wanted the Kaufmanns “to live with the waterfall…as an integral part of their lives.”'"&nbsp; She looked back to Alundra.&nbsp; "If done purely as stated, using photographs of Fallingwater but keeping the same incantation, then the various differences of the reagents would come into play."<br><br>This was a little more complicated, but she was patient.&nbsp; "Let's say that one wanted to make a potion of beauty and elegance.&nbsp; Peacocks are known for these features, but they're also known for arrogance.&nbsp; Magical reagent shops, including at the bookstore, understand how to refine reagents to remove the unwanted properties, but if you just grabbed some peacock features from a wild animal, your potion would probably have the unwanted side effects.&nbsp; I can't be certain without testing, but my guess is that the Fallingwater photographs might have effects like perpetual moisture upon the walls that sprinkles down to create the effect, or would completely flood the room beneath when used."<br><br>She gave a mirthless smile.&nbsp; "I've heard of vampires who use a variant that's similar to the fire suppression systems of museums, where halon gas cuts off the oxygen in the entire room.&nbsp; This has obvious problems for anyone who needs to breathe and is hardly a good substitute, but if they fear fire and don't want the room they're in soaked in water, one can understand the desire for the unusual method."<br><br>Watching Alundra collect the raindrops, she added, "I'd save the sink for last, to ensure any extra you acquire won't overflow.&nbsp; If you'd like to attempt to write out your own incantation, I can read it over."&nbsp; The last came with a pleased smile.&nbsp; "If you'd rather I just show you the Flash Flood in a Flask, I can, but if you'd rather see the original Tempest in a Teapot, I have that right here."&nbsp; It was obviously a test, not one that Professor Merryweather would grade Alundra on, but so that the professor knew whether to push Alundra further to expand beyond the basics of the class and help guide her towards taking Spells and Hexes as a major.<br><br>She opened another book to the specifics of the old spell Tempest in a Teapot, which went over the details of a similar spell but specified a teapot, along with listing the incantation:<br><br><em><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font">Clouds of thunder, shafts of light.<br>Come and sup with me tonight.<br>Waters three have I for tea.<br>Brew a tempest now for me!</span></em><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MoonWolf</strong> on <strong>07-01-2023, 02:02:17</strong>
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				Scarlet giggles at the comment about her butt and the chair. She sits down and smiles at Tara and Nyx. The muffin gets another bit taken out of it as she thinks about secret leprechauns at the school. They must be very good at hiding themselves for she hasn't seen them yet or maybe there's just none at the school. "I agree with you, they do look like a cute cotton ball," Scarlet tells Tara.<br><br>She puts down her muffin and opens her juice. She gets startled by the cotton ball's reaction to her snake on her head before they realize the snakes are blind. She smiles weakly, "All good. The snakes grew in like that and I never felt the need to cover them."<br><br>A quick sip of the juice distracts her very little about her family that abandoned her due to not having the ability to turn people to stone. She forces a smile, "I'm Scarlet by the way. Scarlet Nox. Do any of you like snowglobes? I love snowglobes!"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elizabeth Ecsed</strong> on <strong>09-01-2023, 07:31:41</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<br>The pop culture reference got just a brief second of a blank look, covered by a polite smile… Somehow the ancient professor knew more about that modern bit of ‘entertainment’ than her younger student.&nbsp; <em>What did the theories about the creation of the universe have to do with vampires sparkling? Why would cosmology offend geeks? Nevermore astronomy must be way more interesting that normie…</em> And she had to wonder if, in the olden days… it was a lack of planning or people not having access to knowledge. When was the Gutenberg information revolution? How many people could truly learn magic when the limiting speed of information transfer was person to person, or laboriously copying scrolls? But of course Merriweather presumably knew the truth. She’d been there and Alundra was guessing.&nbsp; Maybe they’d discuss it more later, but for now, it wasn’t a priority for the retiring girl to confront the teacher in any way. Attending office hours was itself a calculated risk. <br><br>A slender finger rubbed chin, thinking. Always thinking. “Interesting… There’s so much more to history than the regular schools can teach, isn’t there? I’ll have to read some books on the fair folk, it sounds interesting.” Another moment of unguarded, open thinking from the redhead. Merriweather wasn’t particularly scary, or threatening. And it was true Alundra liked learning.&nbsp; There was another thing added to the list of topics to browse. Maybe starting with the Encyclopedia Nevermoria would be a good idea. Especially if it gave her more ways to impress the beautiful teacher. Her reasons and flaws might have been weird, but Alundra was a teen girl under all the baggage and issues.&nbsp; So the teacher had a lovely smile, and she liked being smiled at. So what. “Metamagic, huh? So that’s what it covers…” Her head tilted, lips moving slightly as she worked out some possible implications of mixing everything into giant complex spells.&nbsp; Interesting.&nbsp; But clearly not for her, yet.&nbsp; Who could say what the future would hold? Uh, probably someone at the school, but not the point. <br><br>Especially when Miss Merriweather got deeper into the practicalities and realities of magic composition beyond the basics. She’d seen peacocks once, most improbable birds with the giant feathers. Men. Such silly beasts.&nbsp; “Hrm, interesting. So many factors to consider… Well, I suppose if it was easy, everybody would do it.” Magic, as stated, was dangerous, but that in of itself wasn’t a reason to ignore it. The girl managed to not read with her finger, leaning over eagerly to check the offered book. Of course Alundra was going to rise to the obvious test. Because staying on the professors good side seemed firmly in her professional and personal safety interests. Plus, impressing the older woman, well, Alundra had as stated, issues. <br><br>“Double, double toil and trouble;<br>Fire burn and caldron bubble.<br>Fillet of a fenny snake,<br>In the caldron boil and bake;<br>Eye of newt and toe of frog,<br>Wool of bat and tongue of dog,<br>Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,<br>Lizard's leg and howlet's wing,<br>For a charm of powerful trouble,<br>Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.<br><br>Double, double toil and trouble;<br>Fire burn and caldron bubble.<br>Cool it with a baboon's blood,<br>Then the charm is firm and good.” She murmured, again referencing more of the immortal Bard, this time one of the more famous spells from literature. Gracing the older redhead with a wide, happy smile… Only a portion calculated… Alundra nodded. “Thank you Professor Merryweather, you’ve given me a lot to study and work on. I’ll see what I can come up with for the words.” She felt it was probably time to go… Of course, she’d metaphorically sit at the professor’s feet and listen to all the received wisdom… But didn’t want to overstay her welcome. And was feeling like she’d been in one place for a while, one where people expected to find her. <br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>09-01-2023, 15:13:32</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><strong>Where:</strong> Nevermore Dining Hall<br><strong>Who:</strong> Nyx, Scarlet open<br><hr><br>Tara blinked, then looked sidewise at Scarlet. Her eyes had betrayed her again- they'd been foggy since she died, better in the dark than in regular light- and she hadn't seen the...snakes. Which was dumb, since usually motion was easier to see than detail.<br><br>OK, she wasn't phobic like most chicks, though the idea of leather that moved was a little...odd. But what she'd thought was a garish dye job on the little girl was, in fact, a nest of red snakes. This was not a normal thing. Not that she could talk her own self about 'normal'.<br><br>Swallowing once, she forced herself to not twitch. At least until one of the slithery things, sensing her presence somehow, extended itself towards her. "Uh-," she said, leaning away as much as she could without being totes rude. "They don't like, bite, do they? Snakes are cool enough, but I've never really, you know...met one. And most def not on someone's head." It shouldn't really bother her, given how easily she'd adjusted to Nyx's constant change in appearance. Probably it was because her brain told her that Nyx was Nyx, no matter what the pink and puffy dude looked like. Snakes in a&nbsp; hat?&nbsp; A whole other thing.<br><br>"Sorry," she muttered. "Cool color. Just wasn't expecting...anyway, snow globes? Nah. Used to collect glass animals for a bit, but they're all back in Cali. Dusting the fuckers was a pain."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>09-01-2023, 17:56:44</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Merryweather's Office<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Alundra<br><br>Alundra's lack of answer about the book series made Professor Merryweather smile and wave in dismissal.&nbsp; "About a decade or two ago, there was this truly awful book series, a romance with vampires and werewolves, that everyone here kept cracking jokes about.&nbsp; I guess it's no longer even remembered, which is for the best.&nbsp; So much of history is saturated with the unimportant and the unenduring.&nbsp; History classes are exceptional at giving names, facts, and figures without any thought to the lessons learned, understanding why people reacted as they did, and so on."&nbsp; It was not an original critique, but she felt that her student would understand.<br><br>The question of the fair folk got a nod.&nbsp; "Summoning the fair folk is best performed in areas of nature as untouched by humanity as possible.&nbsp; Many of them want to trade insubstantial qualities which are real platonic objects to them, such as the memory of a first kiss, or various emotions, and the truly awful want infants."&nbsp; Professor Merryweather got serious.&nbsp; "The story doesn't usually go as it did in Rumpelstiltskin.&nbsp; So long as you never make a deal you don't intend to keep, though, it should be safe enough.&nbsp; I may skip to summoning for Friday's class if we have enough interest; Nyx expressed an interest in elementals."<br><br>Alundra's mention of the ease got Professor Merryweather's attention.&nbsp; "The major difficulties involve belief and knowledge.&nbsp; Too many people believe it's impossible outright, or that it's impossible for them even if they believe others might handle it.&nbsp; Spend years telling any child they can't do something and you'll end up with an adult who lacks faith, and thus ability.&nbsp; Information is also far easier to share because of technology."&nbsp; She waved to emphasize that she didn't feel a need to explain.<br><br>Her smile warmed at the verbatim quote of the play.&nbsp; "William Shakespeare was an absolute genius, but I doubt he had a true understanding of magic.&nbsp; If he did, he was smart enough not to put it into his plays, which would have drawn far too much unwanted attention.&nbsp; While reagents such as the tongue of a dog might well be a particular component of alchemy, you'd want it for something with a fearful warning, not just adding in so many contradictory things that you'd create a complete mess of a spell on your hands.&nbsp; Newts in particular are useful because they've undergone a metamorphosis, from beginning their lives as a tadpole, which makes it far easier to turn someone temporarily into one.&nbsp; Frogs are the same way."<br><br>Yet she nodded as Alundra was done.&nbsp; "Quite welcome, and you're welcome here anytime.&nbsp; My advice for the incantation is to make it either a command or a plea, simple and heartfelt like a love poem.&nbsp; I'll try to have some information ready regarding the fair folk for the next time you come by."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>10-01-2023, 01:41:34</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Nevermore Lunchroom<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, Scarlet, OPEN<hr>Nyx blinked a bit as they listened to the gorgon speak then shrugged, <strong>"I mean, I don't HATE snowglobes. Ugh, but thinking about them does make me feel cold."</strong> Shivering, they wrapped their arms around themselves and exaggerated a bit.<br><br>They then focused on tara and saw their level of discomfort. True, a gorgon running around with snakes out was an odd sight. OK, actually, seeing a gorgon's snakes was impossible normally. Usually, if you saw them, you were stone. Even most gorgons they knew had never really seen their own snakes. This one seemed on first name basis. It made sense why someone would be weirded out by it. But, not wanting to seem rude, Nyx kept their thoughts to themselves and waited for the other girl to answer the question herself.<br><br>Instead, they attacked their apple but cutting it in half raggedly with a plastic knife from the caf. Daintily picking all the seeds out of the middle and then cutting the top and bottom off to give them two clean halves. Finally, they cut the halves into quarters and then offered the tart/sweet fruit to the two girls at the table, <strong>"Apple? Gotta get them fruits in!"</strong> they giggle furiously and then chomped one piece themselves with a gentle squee of delight.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MoonWolf</strong> on <strong>10-01-2023, 04:34:44</strong>
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				<hr><strong>Location</strong>: Nevermore Lunchroom<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, Nyx<hr><br>Scarlet notices Tara leaning away as one of her snakes moves towards her. "Oh, that's Scarlet Jr. First snake that grew in so of course I had to name her after me. Oh, don't worry, she does that a lot. She is a curious one." Scarlet explains to Tara.<br><br>Scarlet finishes her muffin and wipes her mouth with a napkin. She chugs down the rest of her juice. She grins at Tara and Nyx. She starts saying something but lets out a burp. "Oh whoops, sorry," She giggles out an apology.<br><br>She looks at the apple offered to them. She takes one piece and quickly eats it. She frowns as she realizes something. "I'm sorry, I will be right back, need more juice." She gets up and goes over to the table where the food and beverages are. <br><br>She grabs another muffin, more juice, and 3 more napkins. She just really is hungry after sleeping through breakfast. She returns to the table and sits down again. "Sorry, I slept through the morning class and breakfast. I usually sleep late and wake up very hungry," She explains to Nyx and Tara.<br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>12-01-2023, 01:08:06</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><strong>Where:</strong> Nevermore Dining Hall<br><strong>Who:</strong> Nyx, Scarlet open<br><hr><br>She'd named her snakes. Her...hair. Hairsnakes. Of course she had. Nothing really surprised Tara, not very much. She'd dated a guy once who had a really dumb nickname for his 'equipment', and it didn't perform terribly well even with his involvement. So probably if anything deserved a name it was the reddish nope rope that seemed very interested in her hair, even as Scarlet left to pick up some more mounch.<br><br>"I wonder if they come when she calls?," The pale Walker quipped to Nyx, then stifled her giggle as their new colleague returned. "No worries, hun," she reassured Scarlet. "I eat like a thirteen year old boy, myself. Always hungry. But I always thought the Medusa thing was if you could see <em>her</em>, you were sah-CREEEWED. If they can't see <strong>me</strong>, it really doesn't work?" reaching out a finger, she let one of the slithery things wrap around it. It felt warm to her dead skin, but also neat, dry scales rasping as it squeezed slightly. "Cute little fuckers, I guess."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>12-01-2023, 01:28:45</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Nevermore Lunchroom<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, Scarlet, OPEN<hr>Nyx blinked at Tara's comment and then regarded the snake-haired girl as she came back. <strong>"I don't think they come off Tara."</strong> This left them giggling like a fiend when the gorgon got back to the table. Munching the last bit of their apple, they listened to a growing list of ways the three of them were different. Luckily, they agreed on one thing, <strong>"True enough. Snakes are a LOT more manageable when you know they aren't going to jump up and bite. Stuck in one place, eh? So, what's it like being a stoner that doesn't stone people?"</strong><br><br>They had honestly never considred teh mechnaics of how gorgons worked. They'd honesly never talked to one longer than necessary. There were lots of new things happening this year. <strong>"Maybe it's some kind of mystical block then? Honest, I always thought it was seeing them as well. That'd mean that most gorgons have to be super careful, not even closing your eyes would help. You could ask Professor Merryweather about it? She seems to be very knowledgeable and, according to the prevaling rumors, hot as fuck to boot."</strong> Giggling madly now, the shapeshifter settled down to see if her off color jokes were well received.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MoonWolf</strong> on <strong>12-01-2023, 03:00:44</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/evilbabes/images/1/17/Psi_7.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20190509172106)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Nevermore Lunchroom<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, Nyx<hr><br>Scarlet sits back down with her seconds. The snakes and her look toward Tara when she asks a question. She really looks at Tara and notices the white hair. Her eyes move to Tara's eyes. She blinks, wow, Tara is beautiful. She blushes then remembers the question. She smiles at Tara. Nyx's comment about a mystical block gets her thinking. The juice gets guzzled as thoughts bounce around about why her snakes are blind and if it really means something. Professor Merryweather's name being brought up brings her back to reality.<br><br>The red snakes were just chilling on her head. One had wrapped itself around one of Tara's fingers and squeezes it gently. "The snakes grew in blind. I remember the first time, my family tested my ability to turn someone to stone. They were....less than pleased at the results. They tried various times but gave up and send me away to an orphanage. I hated it there so I ran off one day and discovered Nevermore. It's the only home I've ever known." She tells her story to Nyx and Tara.<br><br>"Honestly, I hate them for abandoning me. I will never forgive them. Before the snakes grew in, I was the perfect grogan darling for them. I don't keep tabs on them nor do I want to. They made it clear they want nothing to do with me."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>17-01-2023, 21:42:08</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><strong>Where:</strong> Nevermore Dining Hall<br><strong>Who:</strong> Nyx, Scarlet open<br><hr>Tara wasn't quite sure what to do with the big emodump she'd just gotten from a relative stranger. Not that she wasn't sympathetic, she just couldn't relate. her folks had not been totes adoring (an understatement) of her wild lifestyle when she'd been alive, but they'd been supportive. And even more so since she'd snuffed it. The idea of family ditching you just because you weren't what they wanted you to be was a totally foreign thing to her.<br><br>Not that there hadn't been some frank and open discussions about her behavior...loud ones, too.<br><br>"'sallright, doll," she muttered, falling back on humor, having nothing else at the moment. "My folks hate it when I get stoned anyway." Reaching up, she teased a finger of her free hand down the snake that now had a baby's death grip on her finger. "Heh. Reminds me of my baby cousin. He's even a redhead. Neither of his parents are, though. You do the math."
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>19-01-2023, 03:51:25</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Nevermore Lunchroom<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, Scarlet, OPEN<hr>Nyx was starting to get that feeling that the conversation was continuing more from politeness than necessity. The new girl was cool, but they missed the track they'd been following with Tara before. Still, it would be rude to start talking about it again. Nyx huffed a bit and popped the last bit of apple past their lips before standing and gathering their trash. They glanced at the finger/snake game going on and blanched. You wouldn't catch them dead playing with snakes like that. Blind, maybe, but also possibly still poisonous. <strong>"Ok, it's been an absolute pleasure meeting you Scarlet. Tara, I'll see you around. Hope we have some other classes together and not just with Profesor McHotstuff. Cheers!"</strong><br><br>And with that, Nyx was off. First to the trash cans where they carefully orted their trash then the exit.<br><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Tuesday afternoon, library stacks<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Alundra<br><br>Nyx wandered along the stacks and trailed their fingers on spines, reading words and phrases here and there. They'd found the library a place where they could get away from all the gazes. Outcats or Normies: seemed that most teenagers disliked the library. They'd always found a kind of peace in them. They were always quiet, like it was some kind of law of nature, and the smell of books was slightly intoxicating. Smiling, they stopped with their fingers on a book and reread the spine <em>An Encyclopedia of Elementals and Elements</em>. A grin split their face. They ran their eyes over the five voume set and pulled down the tome for fire. Opening it to a random page, they saw a depiction of something that looked made of magma and black rocks. They read briefly of it descriptions and blanched. <em>Honeslty, who indentifies with fire? Blech</em> They replaced the volume then grabbed the water and air tomes. Tucking them against their chest, they moved along the stacks and then into the more open walkway that headed for the tables.<br><br>Slowly, they scanned the room and noted only one other presence. Expecting the pint-sized snowball or a girl also wanted peace and quiet, they moved to a table on the other side and sat down. Opening the wind book, they saw the first picture of a lovely woman, seemingly composed of air and blown debris, dancing in a parking lot. <em>What a queer picture!</em> They lafed through a bit then pulled the water volume to them. Before cracking that one though, they pulled out their phone and opened Spotify. Selecting a playlist of that contained a LOT of My Chemical Romance and White Stripes music, they hit play.<br><br>They immediately hit pause and looked up in embarrassment as the first notes of "Welcome to the Black Parade" blared into the quiet space. Blush turning their face crimson, they also felt their bangs growing to cover more of their face. It occured to them they had not brought the bluetooth set but the wired set today. They ducked their head in apology again as they fished in their bag for the bulkier, high quality sound headphones. They held them up as evidence of their honest mistake. It wasn't like those note had been truly loud as much as loud in the space. They grinned uneasily and moved to put the headphones on.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elizabeth Ecsed</strong> on <strong>19-01-2023, 09:03:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbgyjauXhO1CEQQmnGiDe8O0jXLFBLToZgKysWmzMC_63iTaLkxPcPie5lUa77LKvxDJc&amp;usqp=CAU)</div><br><strong> Tuesday afternoon, library stacks&nbsp; </strong><br><br>Said alleged snowball looked up with the alertness of the scout at the watering hole. No getting lost in a book for her, no being so absorbed in the words or knowledge that her surroundings faded away. Nope, for the redhead, she was always on edge, senses tense, honed to be aware of anyone approaching closer than most people would ever notice. The paranoia of prey, of those who knew full well what could happen to the unaware, the naive.&nbsp; The sheltered. Not everyone had that luxury. Little Alundra's head snapped up at the first scuff of foot on ground. And the rest of her body followed as if she had less bones than the shapeshifter, rolling up smooth and fast, not a hesitation between realizing her lack of solitude and halfway to her feet. Like gravity wasn't as relevant, like her synapses fired faster than usual or her muscles had been so trained that they didn't need to wait for her brain to even catch up. <br><br>But one thing she failed to control, for once, was the expression on her face. Oh fuck no she didn't need to be almost alone with Pinkie Pie the untrustworthy. She was not happy, not at all comfortable with the idea of someone who could change everything about her very being. How could you trust something like that? How could you build a secure life if everyone had to be suspected, if any friends or allies made could be imitated effortlessly? And the tiny crack in her composure, that fissure in her iron grip in her demeanor showed abomination.<br><br>&nbsp;It was just for a second, a flash before the Alundra look took back over. But her posture was still stiff, defensive. Jaw set. Hands clenched on the book as if throwing it as the blob pretending to be a person was both on her mind, and a potential option. Hard to tell that it would be to buy her time to flee the scene and her vast comfortableness. But the sentient goo rubbed the redhead entirely wrong on a very, very deep level. Part of it was the entire school, such a different environment where her normal survival skills and knowledge of danger was skewed. But oh so much more than that was at play, the inherent wrongness of the changeling setting off all kinds of toxic channels in the traumatized girl's brain. She was already doing that not-making-eye-contact thing, keeping her gaze towards the.... thing, but not connecting. Observing,&nbsp; watching, tracking even. The poor girl really was flustered, scared even. Straight up took a step backwards unconsciously, turning slightly to walk away. But not breaking that gaze of someone who felt herself in danger. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>19-01-2023, 09:48:23</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Library Stacks<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Alundra OPEN<hr>Nyx was just moving to put the noise cancelling headphones on when they noticed that look. Confused, they twisted in their set to look for someone, anyone behind them. Then, slowly, they looked down at the headphones in their hand. <em>Come on, no one has opinions that strong about accessories, do they?</em> Licking their lips, they looked up toward the smaller person and blinked. The look was gone, smoothed over, but Nyx could read that body posture. The girl was on the edge of rabbiting. <em>The actual fuck?</em> They looked down at their headphones again then to their cellphone where the app was still open and MCR still showed. Frowning, they looked up suddenly. They felt the bangs receding even as their dander got up. Setting the headphones down deliberately, they reached up to pull an eyelid down, their nose scrunched up, and their pink tongue darted out as Nyx pulled a face at the flaming snowball. Did the girl only have two modes: on fire and icy nothing?<br><br>Sighing, Nyx ran a hnd through their hair and picked up their headphones again. What would their mother have said? Nyx rolled their eyes again, but it was directed internally this time. Looking at Alundra again, a look of contrition rolled its way over their features. <strong>"Look, I said I'm sorry. Good grief. MCR ain't that bad and I don't bite unless you ask very nicely. Now, can you please sit down and not stare at me? I get that enough from the Normies."</strong><br><br>Their apology given, they pulled their headphones close and put them on. A quick tap sent msuic tumping into their ears as they pulled the book on elementals up to hide their face. A moment or two passes as they quietly read the first few sentences of a description of the general category of water spirits. Silently, they reached down and pulled a notebook out of their backpack and opened it with one hand. They had to lay the book back down to trace a finger along a passage as they transribed it into the notebook, <span style="font-size: 6pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>"Deep, emotional, and borderline... psychic? Psht, sure. I'm about as psychic as a frog. I should ask the Prof about that though."</strong></span> They flipped the page and saw the picture of a frog spirit, <strong>"Eeeee! Cute!"</strong> They slapped their hand over their mouth quickly and looked around panicky. Bopping their own forehead with the heel of their hand, they turned back to the page. Then, tearing a page from their notebook, they started to trace the picture. As they worked, their head bobbed in time to the music and their tongue was stuck through their teeth as they concentrated. <span style="font-size: 6pt;" class="bbc_size"><strong>"Man, wish I could be a cute little frog. Awww, look at youw itty-bitty toesies."</strong></span>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MoonWolf</strong> on <strong>23-01-2023, 20:19:01</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/evilbabes/images/1/17/Psi_7.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20190509172106)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Nevermore Lunchroom<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, Nyx<hr><br>Scarlet looks at the snake that has Tara's finger in a baby death grip. She hears Tara's joke about her folks not liking it when she gets stoned. She grins then blushes when Tara teases a finger with her free hand down the snake. "So, Tara, do you like dancing?" She asks trying to keep Tara's attention.<br><br>She looks up when Nyx says goodbye. She nods her head and watches as Nyx puts away their trash. She looks over at Tara again and smiles at her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elizabeth Ecsed</strong> on <strong>24-01-2023, 20:28:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbgyjauXhO1CEQQmnGiDe8O0jXLFBLToZgKysWmzMC_63iTaLkxPcPie5lUa77LKvxDJc&amp;usqp=CAU)</div><br><strong> Tuesday afternoon, library stacks&nbsp; </strong><br><br><br><br>It wouldn’t have been accurate to say that Alundra, mysterious woman of the icy norths and wild jungles of suburban America, only had the two states… Burning and a rather seething frozenness. She could be funny, and extremely loyal to those who passed her protective tests. There was even, somewhere, a romantic heart (Perhaps removed and hidden for safekeeping..) that, like all orphans mangled by the system, deeply, desperately longed to be loved unconditionally, to belong somewhere, anywhere. To have a promised place of safety, stability, people happy to see her when she returned. A home, on a level most people never thought about. But the ice was her armor, insulating her from the world, holding her together best it could. And the fire… Well. A phantom heat flared through the room, as if a ghost oven had been opened, connected briefly to the mortal, physical world. Her hair, to those observant enough, shone a little brighter, moved on those momentary currents as those tiny fists clenched, matching the tightness in her jaws. She’d had to put up with a lot of shit from a lot of people, most of it adults intended to be her guardians. The nonsense from her peers was on some level even worse, as they were all in the same boat. But understandable, for not everyone could look into the abyss and come out not a monster. <br><br><em><br>I’m not going to put up with this bullshit from an abomination! How dare it… Vile, vile creature. What’s an MCR? But I’ll be damned before I let that thing sink teeth into me…</em> She was not at ok with letting the faces, normally such a tiny insult, slide. Part of it was the environment, how very keyed up Nevermore made Alundra. A lot of it was the fear and even revulsion the thing created in her. Nightmares walked the earth in her normal life, but the pink blob dug deep at the roots they caused. It wasn’t who she wanted to be, but some things were broken and shattered everywhere.&nbsp; “Don’t you dare touch me. Don’t ever touch me.” She hissed. The redhead didn’t want to cause trouble at Nevermore, she wanted to enjoy her time there… but of course, she also wanted to get out alive, and that seemed less than guaranteed. A potent mess of damage and desire conflicting with the unknown risks to her preservation. It wasn’t possible that her voice could carry the ice of her homeland, right? She hadn’t been there long. But it was frigid, cutting and searing in the freezing ways that could kill the unprotected, draining heat and life from the unprepared. Alundra was a mess, and it was leaking out on poor Nyx. <br><br>Who…. Might be even more unexpected than previously thought? She seemed to be rambling, then making all sorts of weird gestures over… frogs? Concerning, confusing, baffling. Another layer of mystery. Maybe shape-changing made the brain a little too much like pudding? At least they could agree on leaving each other alone, for now. Probably. Shaking her head with a little sigh, some of the tension drained from her soul. A little bit. From her side, anyway. Who knew what a Nyx would do. Alundra was planning on disengaging, already having pushed the boundaries of what she probably should be doing at the school. Staying out of the spotlight was infinitely better. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>27-01-2023, 02:42:36</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Library Stacks<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Alundra OPEN<hr>Nyx was pretty engrossed in their own thoughts for a bit. They didn't notice the minor existential crisis happening barely ten meters away. Instead, they were humming happily while tracing the spirit frog. Once finished, they held it up to the light and beamed at it. They moved it around trying to make it look like the elemental was moving. <em>Maybe if I bend the paper like that.</em> They frowned at it; it did not look like it was hopping as much as it was contorting in pain. They made a face and then tucked the paper into the back of the notebook.<br><br>That was when they noticed that it was a bit warm. Reaching up, they wiped a bit of sweat off their forehead and frowned at it. They didn't think it had been that hot outside and, even if it was, libraries were notorious for keeping the air quality under control. To protect the books and whatnot. Fanning the collar of their shirts, they blew some air out trying to cool down. <em>Probably just got too excited?</em> Looking up, they noticed the petite redhead fuming a bit. <em>Oh, maybe it isn't me?</em> Pursing their lips, they considered the hullabaloo that addressing the girl would bring on. <em>Well, people need to get over their shit anyhow, and being sensitive to others does not mean limiting yourself.</em> Huffing and fanning their collar again, they were just opening their mouth when a cool blast of air hit them. Frowning, they looked up to see a bank of air conditioners working. <em>Weird.</em><br><br>Shrugging again, they glanced over to see the girl focused on their book again. Sighing, they shrugged their thin shoulders and bent over the book again to trace some of the lines of the cute frog. They finished reading the page and were smiling big when they turned the page. Nyx couldn't help the gasp that slipped out of their mouth on the next page, <strong>"Ooooohhhh~~~ Eeeeee"</strong> They looked up a bit embarrassed and then tucked a lock of pink hair behind their ear to lean over the book. <strong>"What are you, eh?"</strong> They put their finger in the book and started to mumble read under their breath while taking short breaks to jot things down in their notebook. <strong>"I mean, I've got to pick something for my final project? Why not something super cute? I wonder if there is anything to consider on alignments and such?"</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>27-01-2023, 03:02:13</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><strong>Where:</strong> Nevermore Dining Hall<br><strong>Who:</strong> Nyx(m); Scarlet; open<br><hr><br>Tara watched Nyx leave with a sense of disappointment. Maybe they just weren't all that social. From what they'd said about hiding all the time, Tara could see how a crowd might get upsetting. They were pretty cool, though, and T definitely hoped to see the pink puffball again.<br><br>Turning her attention back to Scarlet, she gently unwound the snake from around her finger. "Depends," she said with a grin. "If by 'dance', you mean 'get dressed up and thrash around making a fool of myself in front of a room full of people', then I'm your huckleberry. If you mean doing anything classy, or more'n barely synchronized to music? Nah. I always was a klutz, even when I was alive." A giggle leaked from her. "That's how I got here, even. Tripping over my own feet."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MoonWolf</strong> on <strong>31-01-2023, 00:51:04</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/evilbabes/images/1/17/Psi_7.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20190509172106)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Nevermore Lunchroom<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara<hr><br>Scarlet smiles at Tara. The snake flicks out its tongue at Tara's finger then goes back to the other snakes. Scarlet finishes her breakfast. "I think there's a dance coming up, do you want to join me that night?" Scarlet asks Tara.<br><br>Scarlet gathers up her trash as she waits for Tara's answer.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>06-02-2023, 14:39:12</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><strong>Where:</strong> Nevermore Dining Hall<br><strong>Who:</strong> Nyx(m); Scarlet; open<br><hr><br>Well, now. That kinda came out of nowhere. Tara would have thought Nyx might have mentioned something big like a school dance- but to be fair, they'd only just met, and the pink puff was pretty shy.&nbsp; Scarlet had known her an even shorter time, but shy she clearly was not. In fact, she seemed to sort of live up to her name...<br><br>On the one hand, Tara was always down for a party. Even if she suspected this one would be a lot more sedate than she was used to. On the other, she still hadn't completely adjusted to her new status, and she was the new kid in school...well, a new kid, at least...and-<br><br>Ah, fukkit. Worst that could happen was she made a fool of herself. After you die, that means a lot less. "Well...if you don't care that everything in my closet from the skin out is black, pretty much, or that I dance like a zombie- sure. Might be fun."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>09-02-2023, 01:29:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>When the students next came in, Professor Merryweather had set up quite a bit of the blackboard with text, as she'd done the class before.&nbsp; The left side contained the following listings:<br><br><em><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font"><span class="bbc_u">Alchemy</span><br>Reagent(s) <strong>→</strong><br>Solvent - Water<br>Kettle - Cauldron<br>Receptable</span></em><br><br>The right side of the blackboard had a very large number of listings, and all of them were easily recognized as the kinds of things used for alchemy.&nbsp; An eagle's feather was one of the dozens listed, as was bull feces.<br><br>Once everyone was inside, she stood.&nbsp; "Hello again, class.&nbsp; For those who forgot, my name is Professor Merryweather.&nbsp; Let's begin by explaining some of the important terms for alchemy."<br><br>She picked up a pointer and tapped the listing for reagents.&nbsp; "The first listed is reagents, whatever components the alchemical solution might require.&nbsp; Let's go around the room, and anyone who wasn't ready to introduce themselves last time, feel welcome to do so now.&nbsp; I'll start with the tail of a newt," and she tapped those words on the blackboard with the pointer.&nbsp; "Because newts undergo a metamorphosis, they are invaluable for transformation alchemy."<br><br>The shy goth girl raised a hand and said, "Bullshit."&nbsp; A few of the more juvenile students laughed.&nbsp; "I'm guessing it makes you sly and talented at deception."<br><br>"Close."&nbsp; Professor Merryweather smiled.&nbsp; "Bull feces works best to draw out a liar, to make it clear to everyone that they're lying.&nbsp; Even normies can just detect something about how what they say is off, like a bad smell."<br><br>"Doesn't bullshit make you stronger?" asked the jock.<br><br>"Pretty much any part of a bull can do that," she said.&nbsp; "The best but most expensive is powdered bull horn, which is likely outside the price range of students."<br><br><br><br><strong>OOC:</strong> Feel free to just make up reagents on the board.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kailandra</strong> on <strong>09-02-2023, 19:32:20</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://www.entoin.com/images/brut9.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students, Professor Merryweather<br><br><br>Kylie entered the classroom along with the other students, taking her usual seat. She then puled out a compact mirror and checked her features, making small adjustments to her hair with a small brush. Smiles and flirtatious winks are parceled out to some of the other girls getting settled into their seats. All the usual pre-class preparation before Professor Merryweather calls the students to attention.<br><br>With the teacher addressing the class, Kylie gives her raven hair a last touch-up before putting her focus at the front of the classroom. Introduction to Arcane Theory wasn't her best class, but she was passing along fine. Normally, Kylie would just sit quietly at her seat, taking notes, and participating when called on.<br><br>Today, however, once the tittering from the discussion of bullshit and bull parts dies down, Kylie raises her hand. "Cattail," she says when acknowledged. "Cattail has healing properties when made into a tea." A bit of basic herb lore, nothing terribly impressive.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Captain Whitebread</strong> on <strong>09-02-2023, 20:50:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/721127385675857991/1073085502162477056/Z5409806VBill-Kaulitz-z-Tokio-Hotel-na-festiwalu--Rock-in-R.webp)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students, Professor Merryweather<br><br>Liam didn't just raise his hand, he stood, rising to his grand height of 5'3".&nbsp; "Liam Kithcannon, Seelie fae shapehsifter." His accent announcing even more than his name that he was Irish and likely freshly off the boat.&nbsp; There were a number of silver chains around his neck and few around his wrists.&nbsp; Hidden among them was an iron chain, one enchanted to keep his innate glamour from affecting the werewolves in the class.&nbsp; He'd spent the first day in the office while the school administration figured out how to keep his ability under control.<br><br>He'd spent a moment, debating with himself as to what reagent to suggest. He could have talked about mandrake for the rest of the class.&nbsp; Where it came from.&nbsp; The proper technique to harvest it, in order to avoid dying from the scream.&nbsp; It's uses.&nbsp; No, that would take too long. Wolvesbane would be a good one as well, except bringing up how it was used almost exclusively against werewolves wouldn't win him any friends in that group.&nbsp; Cold iron?&nbsp; Dead useful in wards and to negate magic and very useful against the fae but he had a very personal dislike of the metal. So, he'd settled on....<br><br>"Quicksilver.&nbsp; Better known as mercury.&nbsp; The only metal that is a liquid at room temperature. Used when change is needed.&nbsp; Symbolic of the moon and silver.&nbsp; Also used historically as a cure for severe constipation and certain venereal diseases such as syphilis."&nbsp; The last part had been a bit cheeky but what did they expect from him?<br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>10-02-2023, 03:52:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>Kylie gave her answer, and Professor Merryweather smiled all the more.&nbsp; "For those unaware," looking away from Kylie to address the rest of the class, "Cattail as one word is a plant of the Typha family, and some may confuse it with Catstail, a type of grass."&nbsp; Then back to addressing the class as a whole, Kylie included.&nbsp; "Healing tea is certainly a viable option for the midterms if one may desire to go that route."<br><br>Liam's answer touched a nerve in the otherwise pure and prim facade of Professor Merryweather's features, no doubt a bad memory that she wouldn't disclose in class.&nbsp; "One of the metamagic treatments we won't be going over is how to purify a particular reagent in various ways, such as removing toxicity."<br><br>"What about treating drugs and such?" asked the werewolf jock.&nbsp; "I've heard of magic weed-"<br><br>A few students laughed; Professor Merryweather raised a hand to silence them.&nbsp; People may not expect her to answer, but she would.&nbsp; "Awakening the essence of a plant falls under the purview of Summoning."<br><br>Surprised she answered at all, he made himself a note to ask her when they got to that point in the class.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Captain Whitebread</strong> on <strong>10-02-2023, 05:10:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/721127385675857991/1073085502162477056/Z5409806VBill-Kaulitz-z-Tokio-Hotel-na-festiwalu--Rock-in-R.webp)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students, Professor Merryweather<br><br>“Can’t handle the real stuff, eh?&nbsp; Have to go with the awakened stuff?”&nbsp; Liam laughed. “Oh the unseelie would eat you for breakfast.”<br><br>It was typical of a jock to seek out excess, typical of an American jock. And a werewolf. They were just too much. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elizabeth Ecsed</strong> on <strong>10-02-2023, 16:22:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><br><br><br><br><div class="floatright">(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbgyjauXhO1CEQQmnGiDe8O0jXLFBLToZgKysWmzMC_63iTaLkxPcPie5lUa77LKvxDJc&amp;usqp=CAU)</div><br><strong> Tuesday afternoon, library stacks&nbsp; </strong><br>She was being ignored… which was exactly what Alundra had wanted, right? Right. But she was baffled on so very many levels. It seemed like the thing was going to pick a fight, then just… stopped. Went back to doing things with her book and giggles. Which seemed to be waving pictures of… magical frogs around in the air? What? Was this what… Normal people were like? The ones not raised by a shifting pack of two legged sentient wolves, always hungry, always prowling and hunting for weakness? Would Alundra herself be like that, if she had been raised by… family, people who wanted her, even just stability? Cutesy and silly, playing with comics and laughing and talking to herself? Just…. Incomprehensible. Did cotton candy hair feel safe because of her powers? Was that what was going on? Had to be, right? <br><br>But… it was hard to deny that the redhead was starting to feel distinctly out of place, awkward. Was she the asshole here, the one in the wrong? It was a kind of uncomfortable Alundra was unused to feeling in a life full of discomfort.&nbsp; Her feet shuffled, resetting the posture out of fighting stance to something softer… She was lost, and it wasn’t pleasant. Clutching book to thin chest, she turned, escaping, retreating from the completely not understood scene. She’d think about it, but alone as always. <br><br><br><hr><hr><br><br><div class="floatright">(https://talenthouse-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/c_limit,f_auto,fl_progressive,h_1280,w_1280/v1394344352/user-176900/profile/s5fj9nehxxvvwxqihgyx.jpg)</div><br><strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory </strong><br>Class, another day with the beautiful, young looking professor. Who was completely, entirely not the least bit young, in ways that were hard to think about. How many students had she taught? How many people had seduced her, how many had caught her eye and been seduced?&nbsp; Could Merryweather read teenagers like books or postcards, even complex ones like herself? How small they must seem to her…&nbsp; Well, that was a signal to stop daydreaming and settle into her preferred corner chair, away from people as much as possible. Her defensive tendencies clear even in just choice of basic classroom seating.&nbsp; The young redhead’s gaze drifted over the crowd…&nbsp; Not at all the least impressed with Ziggy-stuck a fork in the lightsocket look. Hairspray was inflammable after all. If the hair was bigger than the legs, compensating perhaps… Though in truth the mineralogy knowledge was impressive. But quickly blown by adding the venereal disease and drug banter. Ugh, boys. So predictable. <br><br>Kylie…. Kylie on the other hand was deeply dangerous. That kind of beauty seemed highly untrustworthy to the, well, kinda paranoid Alundra… Artificial and as clearly warning as the red hour glass on certain arachnoids. The girl was pretty, but the constant fixing up of the look seemed a calculated system to continually draw attention to herself. A mirror let one see all those behind her, and people flocked to the attractive and confident. What would minor royalty to do grasp and hold such a position? It didn’t escape her attention that the flirting was indiscriminate, party favors and alliance building. At least the appropriately haired girl for the gloomy school chose to talk about pleasant topics in the discussion, instead of drugs and, well, dicks. <br><br>But she could pass time between inane comments by reading the board, scanning the long long list and making notes of the things that interested her the most.&nbsp; Spider webs, pyrite, fireworks. Sulfur, saltpeter, charcoal. Diamond and graphite, milk and arsenic.&nbsp; The girl had… doubts about ‘horn’ being the most expensive part of the bull. After all, there were smaller things that only came on half the cows that males were likely to pay more for. And in that same area, there was a distinct type of ‘horn’ that came one per male cow. In general chopping up animals for parts was not Alundra’s favorite thing about the world, but some exceptions did slip through to approval. <br><br>But most of her focus kept drifting back to the notes she’d made earlier, before class. <br><br><em>Clouds of thunder, shafts of light.<br>Come and sup with me tonight.<br>Waters three have I for tea.<br>Brew a tempest now for me!</em><br><br>The spell beautiful and kind and wonderful Merryweather had shown her after last class. Alunda deeply wanted to impress the professor, and had been tasked with coming up with her own spell for her custom hurricane in a flask fire extinguisher.&nbsp; <em>Two rhymes, first and second, then third and fourth. First line is a metaphor for the storm, second tells when to create the effect. Third lists the ingredients, fourth is the command, the driving force of the incantation…</em> Her pencil scratched out a couple of words here and there, thoughts drifting across the page in no particular order. Fire… Pyre. Flood… mud, blood, stunned. Water, cauter, blotter… Hrm. Constructing poetry to constraints was harder than it seemed.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>10-02-2023, 17:18:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><strong>Where:</strong> Intro to Arcane Theory, the next day.<br><strong>Who:</strong> Nyx<br><hr><br>Tara leaned forward to whisper in Nyx's ear- the pink puffball was in front of her today. "We should tell football brodude that nomming on a bull cock under the full moon will make him a god in bed. Think he'd buy it?" It was adorable, watching the shifter's face flutter in her amusement and embarrassment. Maybe it wasn't all that nice, the walker thought on reflection, knowing how shy her friend was, but personally she thought all the little changes were cute and fun. Like watching a movie with a couple of hot lead actors and never knowing what was going to happen next.<br><br>Leaning back, she let Merryweather's instruction wash over her. Not that she wasn't interested (in Miz M's words and her looks both), but it didn't have much, so far, to do with her. Nothing about why she was dead-but-not, and why she had <em>most</em> of the earmarks of a zombie, but not all of them. Especially not the most nasty ones; there were a number of her fellow students she'd love to eat, but not <em>eat</em>-eat.&nbsp; The opposed thoughts made her perk (and how did <strong>that</strong> work?&nbsp; With no blood flow to speak of, and all?), and made her stomach rumble audibly.&nbsp; She could totes murder a meat lover's pizza, but as for brains? She preferred them in her classmates' heads. Those who had any, anyway.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>11-02-2023, 05:03:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>The jock gave Liam a nod.&nbsp; "I do miss before I made the team and started getting regular testing."<br><br>Once more the goth spoke up, curious.&nbsp; "Wouldn't the bull's bollocks be the most desired?"<br><br>Professor Merryweather smiled.&nbsp; "Once you pick the organ, you have access to a full range of animals.&nbsp; Male virility is arguably best handled by the bush cricket."&nbsp; The teacher then got more serious.&nbsp; "And if you go that route, make certain that you and your partner both have plenty of hydration, before and on hand, as if you were running a marathon.&nbsp; Hospitalization due to dehydration isn't untreatable, but it's easy to ignore the symptoms without a level head."<br><br>Once more the student turned a fainter shade of pink as she made notes to research the bush cricket.<br><br>With reagents handled for now, Professor Merryweather tapped the next part, "Solvent and kettle.&nbsp; I'll teach these together.&nbsp; Now, you've heard that water is the universal solvent, and you've heard of tea kettles and cauldrons.&nbsp; If you're using a cauldron full of water, those are your solvent and kettle.&nbsp; Those are by far the most common, but not strictly necessary.&nbsp; A few showoffs maintain the water in a suspended state, and some have found some alchemical processes work better with alcohol, oil, or another acid instead of water.&nbsp; Simply remember the terms."<br><br>After giving people a bit of time to write, she continued, "The incantation are the magical spells that make it work.&nbsp; Unlike in movies, recordings don't work: the voice is the human mind putting action into thought in creating sound representing concepts and the willpower behind them, the belief and the power to see them through.&nbsp; Rhyming and alliteration, depending upon the language, are exceptionally common methods to put power to the words, to give them meaning that stirs the soul even if they must be repeatedly chanted to make the spell work.&nbsp; Plenty of books exist with workable versions, but I prefer to teach the methods of creating an incantation."<br><br>She laid out the problems.&nbsp; "On that note, this isn't a poetry class.&nbsp; Some students just work better with the prewritten, and if you find yourself lacking in confidence in your own words, those can often work better for you.&nbsp; It's also important not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good: few spells require the tenacious precision of a sniper's bullet or a programmer's code.&nbsp; Especially for earlier spells, it's more important for flight spells to get you into the air rather than expecting to calculate a direct trajectory to the moon."&nbsp; Growing more serious, she finished, "The true importance is that your will is stated in the incantation and that it does not falter as you speak the words."<br><br>Again giving time for others to write, she concluded, "And Receptacle is what you intend to keep the alchemical concoction in between the kettle and the ingestion of the target.&nbsp; Very few spells necessitate drinking directly from the cauldron, after all, and some potions can be mixed in other liquids.&nbsp; Questions so far?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Captain Whitebread</strong> on <strong>11-02-2023, 06:40:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/721127385675857991/1073085502162477056/Z5409806VBill-Kaulitz-z-Tokio-Hotel-na-festiwalu--Rock-in-R.webp)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students, Professor Merryweather<br><br>Liam raised his hand and once again stood when called upon.&nbsp; “The incantation, Miss Merryweather. Does it have to be spoken or can it be sung or, for that matter chanted?” He was, of course, thinking of bardic magic. He didn’t possess it himself; there were few who truly did. <br><br>“Also, what are the best materials for cauldron?&nbsp; Copper is for kettles or maybe tin but what makes the best cauldrons?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>11-02-2023, 07:03:14</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Library Stacks<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Alundra OPEN<hr>Nyx was doodling in their notebook and not paying overmuch attention to the class. Reagents were a topic that they was researching already. The right substances to summon a water elemental. They smirked as they added some shading to a cute, froggy mouth. Their eyes flicked, momentarily, to the corner where the strange redhead sat. They blew a bubblegum pink lock of hair away but it landed in the same annoying place as before. They were just starting to add a cute little foot with incredibly cute toes when a whisper in their ear sent red flaring up their neck and into their hairline. It was not very often that Nyx though about penises, vaginas, or anything of the sort. Their mouth worked frantically and their face slipped as they tried to recover. Their hair gained some length and their features grew slightly more elfin. A second later, their pink puffball head shook violently and the changes seemed to revert quickly.<br><br>Turning, they gave a withering look to their new friend, <strong>"Oh, I'll get you for that."</strong> Suddenly, their face fell and they glanced at the big werewolf jock. Their face split into a grin and they giggled happily, <strong>"Fun but a little mean."</strong> Their attention slowly returned to the classroom and the topic of cauldron materials. Nyx was beginning to suspect that they weren't very interested in alchemy. Well, only as far as needed to create the material needed for the thing they actually cared about: summoning cute frog elementals. Curiosity sent their hand up, <strong>"Isn't a summoning circle a little like a cauldron. Or maybe a receptacle? Though I guess it could be either depending on your intent. Are their any materials that lend themselves to summoning?"</strong><br><br>They quickly wrote the words 'word,' 'will,' and 'intent.' on their notebook and circled them heavily. Magic seemed similar to acting in their mind. It was about mindset, intent, and communicating. But, they had a tendency to view everything as an extension of the dramatic arts. In their notebook, they started to doodle the circle they hard started to plan. They were careful to leave key lines unfinished and the words planned unwritten and unspoken. There was no need for accidental magic in class.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>11-02-2023, 08:00:46</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>"It may be sung, chanted, and the mute have no choice but to think the words but are still capable of casting," Professor Merryweather said, "but that makes it more difficult, and in the modern day, they often use recordings to maintain the thought processes.&nbsp; Without going into specific scientific detail, the act on the brain of vocalizing one's intentions ensures focus, creating a synchronization that allows for harmony similar to the waves of the ocean or repeated strikes of a smith's hammer.&nbsp; Although humans are quite adept at intelligent thought, the concentration becomes difficult without the aid."&nbsp; She looked at him, considering.&nbsp; "If you have musical talent, writing out elaborate songs can certainly be an aid, but ensure they can repeat indefinitely.&nbsp; The talent of pouring out one's desire for an intended result has some notable similarities."&nbsp; She had no idea if he did, but someone else in the class might be thinking it even not.<br><br>Regarding materials, she had to consider.&nbsp; "Unfortunately, as with many things, there is no best.&nbsp; Normie cooking methods have improved to the point that, while they don't have experience in brewing up newt tails themselves, similar principles apply for reacting with acidic or alkali products.&nbsp; Last time I researched it in detail, they were working on bonding layers of stainless steel to copper and aluminum."&nbsp; It was one of the few times she looked a bit answer out of her depth, wanting to give her best explanation but lacking.&nbsp; Plenty suffised, but the <em>best</em>...<br><br>"In many cases, specific recipes won't call explicitly for a cauldron.&nbsp; The important part is to have a solvent and something to boil it in, in order to absorb the properties from the reagent and into the liquid.&nbsp; Most of the textbook recipes can be handled with little more than a stockpot and an oven, if the budget requires."<br><br>At Nyx's question of Summoning, Professor Merryweather paused a bit but decided to answer kindly.&nbsp; "Most forms of Summoning would more aptly be seen as opening up a conduit between this realm and another, sufficient to allow passage.&nbsp; With summoning circles specifically, it's not uncommon to leave that conduit bound and incomplete."<br><br>With a glance of apology to the rest of the class, Professor Merryweather moved over towards the outside wall, drawing her wand.&nbsp; "Imagine this wall as the natural barrier between our world and, say, an elemental plane."&nbsp; As she drew a circle with the tip, she focused her intent, closing her eyes a moment.&nbsp; The bricks and mortar between seemed to shimmer and fade away, leaving a perfect circle where the tree outside could be seen without the aid of the window.&nbsp; "An imperfect analogy, but one I like to use for the demonstration.&nbsp; Summoning the denizen and then binding them to the location is possible, necessary in some cases, but the preferred course of action is to negotiate without completely opening the door."<br><br>The illusion faded the moment she put her wand away, and she focused her attention back towards the matter at hand.&nbsp; "Now, many similarities apply between the five practices, if only because they've been taught to work over time.&nbsp; Some consider the use of Invocations unnecessary, that will and determination is all that is truly needed, but I've found both that the focus is easier to learn and that it provides further help later in visualization when one moves beyond the introductions and into full metamagic.&nbsp; There are significant differences between various human minds that Normie science hasn't done a great job quantifying yet, such as how some people think more in words and others focus on ideas.&nbsp; I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't find any aid whatsoever in Invocation, that they truly concentrate better in silence, but rumors persist and I may someday meet my first."&nbsp; The words held a sort of invitation.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Kailandra</strong> on <strong>11-02-2023, 13:49:32</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://www.entoin.com/images/brut9.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><br>Kylie was used to sizing people up rather quickly, and she could feel the mistrust eminating from the shy Allundra. She still gives Allundra a smile, but one more suited for sorroric intentions, rather than sapphic. The red-haired girl was obviously shy, almost to a painful degree, but Kylie had friends who were almost as shy, and she had helped encourage their confidence through friendship. Only time would tell the results with Allundra.<br><br>A nod of recognition was given to Tara, her roommate. Her proclivities and rumored reputation aside, Kylie wasn't trying sleep with *every* female presenting student at Nevermore, even if it seemed that way at times. For her, casual sex was just a next step of physical affection beyond a hug; a firm believer in the concept of 'friends with benefits'. Besides, plenty of time to catch up with the roomie later...<br><br>Nyx was another classmate that needed delecate handling, in Kylie's opinion. The other shifter was intriguing, certainly, but again, baby steps to avoid coming on too strongly. And speaking of 'Friends with Benefits', Kylie made a mental note to ask Tara about Nyx, since there seemed to be a spark of connection forming there.<br><br>The jockbro just got a sigh and a roll of the eyes from Kylie. Alpha male behavior, even if the concept of the Alpha/Beta/Omega pack structure was wrong. "So, Trent," she said addressing him. "You're basically admitting to all your protential dates that anything you present them with is going to be artifically enhanced?" A smirk appears on her crimson lips. "Compensating?" She may not be very interested in boys, and she had nothing personal against him; Kylie just felt that taking the air out of some egos from time to time was a healthy thing for all involved.<br><br><br>She giggled a bit at Liam, seeing a bit of a kindred ego-popper in him. He might be a boy, but he also might be interesting to get to know...<br><br>As Professor Merrywetather continued, Kylie raised her hand again. Looks like the black cat finally decided to join the class instead of always watching. "Professor, what would be a good reagent for invisibility effects?" She was sure that many of the boys would start thinking about invisibility effect to help them sneak into the forbidden snctum of the girls' locker room, but Kylie wasn't worried much about a bunch of over-hormornal peeping toms; she could always offer a demonstration that cats don't need to *see* someone to hear or sniff them out...<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>13-02-2023, 19:04:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>Professor Merryweather smiled at Kylie's question.&nbsp; "This is where things often get a little complicated and requires a more lateral way of thinking than what the textbooks can provide.&nbsp; When we cast spells, we do so with a particular will and intent: invisibility, in this instance.&nbsp; There are many ways to achieve a particular effect.&nbsp; The textbook states to use a shed skin of a chameleon, but that's not true invisibility, simply the changing of one's skin to replicate the wall next to which they stand.&nbsp; Perfectly transparent glass - <em>don't</em> crunch it up before adding it to the potion or you risk digesting small pieces - can achieve a better effect,&nbsp; Sound and scent likewise should be taken into account, but the more reagents one adds and the more complex the spell, the greater the risk of unintended side effects.&nbsp; Those who seek to experiment are best off creating one potion with three effects rather than individually creating three potions that each have one effect, due to issues with individual potion potencies."<br><br>Looking to Kylie, she added, "That said, using magic to avoid detection has a particular issue: those who are sensitive to magic will pick up individuals like a beacon.&nbsp; It can be far more jarring to have one sense tell you of a presence when it's missing from another.&nbsp; A werewolf who sees five people and smells four is bound to focus on the enigma far more than the rest.&nbsp; As with many such issues, whether one attempts to use the matter on Normies or Outsiders compounds the problem, and specifics on the Outsiders need to be taken into account."&nbsp; A warning, not necessarily a how-to guide.<br><br>After a bit of consideration, she added, "With alchemy as well, an issue can be activation and deactivation.&nbsp; A potion activates upon ingestion and lasts until excreted, and one may not want to be invisible that long.&nbsp; When such precision is required, artifice can be better, such as an article of jewelry or clothing.&nbsp; With invisibility and the Norse runes, you want to use Dagaz.&nbsp; It doesn't have the full range of options of potions, and those aware of the supernatural in various ways might train themselves to see past it, but it works well if you're making something more for an unknown eventuality."<br><br>"Unless you can program in the variables at the moment of casting," said the technoshaman with a point of pride.<br><br>Professor Merryweather smiled to cede the point.&nbsp; "But that's well beyond the scope of this particular course."&nbsp; She glanced around the room.&nbsp; "Further questions?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Captain Whitebread</strong> on <strong>13-02-2023, 19:48:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/721127385675857991/1073085502162477056/Z5409806VBill-Kaulitz-z-Tokio-Hotel-na-festiwalu--Rock-in-R.webp)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong>Students &amp; Teacher<br><br>Liam turned to look at Kylie, wondering what she wanted invisibility for. There were so many options. “Given the lack of practicality, is there any real point to attempting invisibility?” He asked. “Does the potion affect only the imbiber?&nbsp; That leaves their clothing visible. Does it take into affect their surroundings or do they appear as a bubble of empty air in a fog or cloud of steam. It does seem like a lot of variables to take into account. Given that the vast majority of recipes are centuries old, do they have any effect on modern devices like cameras?&nbsp; Would an automatic door open for someone that was invisible?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Captain Whitebread</strong> on <strong>13-02-2023, 20:46:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatright">(http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28800000/Theo-Theodoridis-theo-theodoridis-28882561-772-514.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to The Study of <del>Poisonous and Dangerous</del> Plants<br><strong>Tagging:</strong>Students<br><br><br>The classroom for the class officially titled the Introduction to The Study of Poisonous and Dangerous Plants but more commonly called Herbology, Botany or even Gardening 101 was, as expected, a greenhouse.&nbsp; When the students entered, they found a room full of work benches, neatly stacked rows of pots and bags of potting soil.&nbsp; At the back of the classroom was a door, which obviously led to a room filled with greenery.&nbsp; In one corner was a large comfortable looking dog bed, occupied by a small grey wolf.<br><br>(https://umaine.edu/gci/wp-content/uploads/sites/95/2021/10/5bdb5d24a9d8b.image_-min.jpg)<br><br>Above the bed was a white board.<br><br><div align="center">MY NAME IS LAZARUS<br>I AM A REAL WOLF<br>I HAVE BEEN FED<br>AND AM NOT STARVING<br>NO MATTER WHAT I TELL YOU</div><br>Once most of them had chosen their seats, the back door opened and Randy Gardener entered.&nbsp; <br><br>He was dancing and singing as he moved to the front of the class.&nbsp; <br><br>She's up all night 'til the sun<br>I'm up all night to get some<br>She's up all night for good fun<br>I'm up all night to get lucky<br>We're up all night 'til the sun<br>We're up all night to get some<br>We're up all night for good fun<br>We're up all night to get lucky<br>We're up all night to get lucky<br>We're up all night to get lucky<br>We're up all night to get lucky<br>We're up all night to get lucky<br><br><br><br>His voice was by no means perfect but he could carry a tune.&nbsp; It was his dancing that likely caught everyone's attention.&nbsp; He was moving like he had joints in places they didn't normally exist. He stopped once he'd reached the front of the class and pulled out his ear buds. He looked at the class for a moment, then smiled.<br><br>"Good morning," he said.&nbsp; "My name is Randy Gardener and yes, I have heard all the jokes before.&nbsp; I am a werewolf. I love growing things.&nbsp; If you ate today, thank the farmer who grew your food, whether it was fruit, vegetables, grains or meat. This is technically Introduction to The Study of Poisonous and Dangerous Plants but we are going to start with Introduction to The Study of Plants.&nbsp; The principles will apply across the board, so we will be learning the basics on things that won't kill you so that once you get to the ones that will, you'll know how to handle them."<br><br>He looked around the class, his eyes settling on one student.&nbsp; "You look familiar.&nbsp; Last name wouldn't be Rose by any chance?"&nbsp; The small student blushed furiously at being pointed out but nodded.&nbsp; &nbsp;"Father teach at Niagara Parks? I thought there was something a touch odd about him.&nbsp; Explains why you're here.&nbsp; Would you grab that cart?&nbsp; I want everyone to grab one of the pots as Mr Rose goes past.&nbsp; Once you have it, dump it out on the bench in front of you.&nbsp; Get used to the idea of getting dirty in this class.&nbsp; It is going to ruin your perfect nails.&nbsp; You will wear gloves that you do not want to put holes in.&nbsp; Everybody have a pot?&nbsp; Alright them.&nbsp; Dump it out on the bench.&nbsp; Can somebody tell me what we're looking at?"<br><br><br><div align="center">(https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0588/0420/7803/products/PremiumPottingMix-pairwithpottedplants_1080x.png?v=1644877115)</div>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>13-02-2023, 20:55:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>Professor Merryweather smiled all the more.&nbsp; "Excellent questions.&nbsp; The short answer is that if the will of the caster is pure, the spell will act in accordance to the desires and parameters that are set during the creation of the potion.&nbsp; You'll find old textbook spells in obsolete volumes that require one to undress or whose protections don't extend to one's possessions, but it's better to focus upon the concept of the <em>self</em> extending to all of the possessions upon one's person.&nbsp; Those old spells lacked the faith, the belief, and thus the power of will to extend the spell throughout.&nbsp; You can't do something through magic if you don't believe you can, which is why magic can be thrown into chaos during a personal crisis.&nbsp; That's why this class is one of few that allows for shifting of midterm exams if one has just gone through a personal trauma like a breakup."<br><br>Getting back to focus, she continued, "Appearing as a bubble of empty air is more from the movies, especially since one couldn't really see a humanoid-sized bubble of empty air in a fog but for movie special effects.&nbsp; The chameleon spell will adapt to look like fog and the light will adapt - I should correctly say fail to adapt - in pretty much the same way as other methods.&nbsp; Likewise, spraying an individual with paint will be short lasting as the paint seeps into one's clothing and becomes part of that aforementioned 'self.'&nbsp; <em>However</em>," she spun slightly for emphasis, "it's possible that, at the moment of creation of the spell, the caster had crises of faith.&nbsp; Unconscious doubts might have arisen that it wouldn't protect against fog, or paint, and they chose to continue casting rather than aborting the spell altogether and banishing such doubts from their minds before beginning again.&nbsp; As fear overtakes will, so does the fear of failure overtake the will of the magic.&nbsp; Those who use spellcraft for evil ends and recognize the injustice often create the means of their own demise because only the most depraved believe that tyrrany is justified."<br><br>Finally, she said, "The hardest thing with automatic doors is that they see into the infrared spectrum.&nbsp; Whether infrared light is considered light itself is a semantic question answered by the individual, similar to how different people answer the Ship of Theseus question in different ways.&nbsp; If an individual believes that the 'Roy-G-Biv' visible light spectrum is the only real kind of light out there, then they'll come up on the infrared spectrum just fine.&nbsp; And, of course, that's a question of whether their potion uses light at all; a chameleonic spell isn't going to fool an infrared detector no matter how much a crawling person might look like the floor."<br><br>She went back to the blackboard and wrote out <span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font"><em>Willpower</em></span> upon the board.&nbsp; "It has been said that a practicioner must have a determination that is stronger than love alloyed with carbon fiber.&nbsp; Magic is not a 'cheat' used by the craven who have tried everything else, but a force necessitating that reality bend to its nature.&nbsp; Practicioners do not become Outcasts through powers granted by one's birth, nor through unnatural circumstances, but because we choose to embrace the supernatural and defy any and all efforts to remove us from our rightful place therein.&nbsp; The willpower necessary to do so will break a person who does not believe, heart and soul, that they deserve and are worthy of it.&nbsp; Laws of Power Returning Threefold are untrue, but they stem from this correct principle."<br><br><em><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font">Know thyself</span></em> came next.&nbsp; "For those who desire to advance beyond the introductory stages, I strongly recommend learning, understanding, and perfecting one's own inner nature.&nbsp; Too many confuse this for becoming an apex predator or disassociating oneself from humanity altogether, but such concept create inner flaws and turmoil all their own.&nbsp; Power-hungry mad casters are not unheard of among the rare cases of other Outcasts who go nuts and terrorize a small community, but above and beyond that we all police our own, this is why spellcasting has such an association with wisdom.&nbsp; Magical practice invites one's own inner nightmares to come out and face us, only in small ways when carefully tempered through the five basic practices, but far moreso in advanced methods."<br><br>"With the exception of Summoning," said the technoshaman.<br><br>Professor Merryweather was reminded of something she'd intended to bring up earlier.&nbsp; "Some classes do, but I don't intend to teach the summoning of demons even under supervision.&nbsp; Nyx, I'd been intending to ask: what would you want summoned for the next class?"<br><br>Her silence gave them time to answer, but rather than wait, Professor Merryweather went behind her desk to fish out a portable stove and a glass water kettle.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>14-02-2023, 03:18:54</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Library Stacks<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Alundra OPEN<hr>Their name suddenly erupting into the classroom caught them off guard. They had been contemplating what the professor just said. It conflicted a lot with the way they viewed themselves. Instead of answering a question on the spot, they were keenly aware of how fluid they were feeling at the moment. They guessed this is what it meant to feel 'called out.' That and the whole focused will and variables part had started them down the path of doubting their interest in magic. While they certainly thought of themselves as having willpower, they didin't like enforcing their will on others necessarily. But it seemed that magic required it. If it did, perhaps it was not the discipline they desired. Or, at least, parts of it weren't. Alchemy and Sorcery were starting to sound like not their bag. Blushing furiously though, they became aware that there was s ilence waiting for them to fill it. <strong>"Uhh, summon? I am most interested in water elementals. I like how fluid and adaptable they are. Like me."</strong> They blushed furiously again. that had sounded an awful lot like sharing personal details.<br><br>They felt their face falling again. Their mouth widened, their eyes grew bulbous, and their hair turned violent green.&nbsp; Groaning, they shook their head to clear it but felt the look holding. They put their face in their hands and growled. It tool a long breath before pink slowly crept over their head again and their normal face peeked out. <strong>"I was researching frogs because their change from tadpole to frog is supposed to be a symbol of, well, change. Transformation. I haven't found any named spirits as such, but water frogs or toads. Yeah. Something like that."</strong> They licked their lips and continued, growing more confident, <strong>"And we didn't all choose this, Professor. Baby shapeshifters can't control their bodies. Werewolves can't NOT change under the full moon. Most gorgons can't stop stoning people. Tara didn't ask to be a zombie. Many of us didn't choose to learn and master these abilities. We had to. And we didn't choose for Normies to be scared of us, they just are. Maybe that's more of a two way street, but still. Not everything fits a neat little binary option. People aren't ones and zeros."</strong> They huffed and crossed their arms to stare defiantly at the teacher.<br><br>OK, so maybe they had a tad more willpower than they let on sometimes, but still. It had upset they didn't like the implication that they chose their situation. They were also growing more and more certain that there was another way to do magic. Perhaps that was willful teenaged nonsense, but nothign stopped them from trying.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>14-02-2023, 03:38:12</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><strong>Where:</strong> Intro to Arcane Theory, the next day.<br><strong>Who:</strong> Nyx<br><hr><br>Shoot. Tara had zoned out, lost in her own thoughts, and Nyx was having a freak attack over being called on in class.&nbsp; The pale girl grasped madly for some way to calm her friend down- she could see the rippling changes that were racking her petite form. Fortunately, Nyx herself gave her an opening, with her zombie comment.<br><br>"I prefer 'dead sexy', myself," she said, loudly enough to carry. The weak joke drew a few laughs but more importantly her voice drew eyes off of Nyx. A few things clicked in Tara's head, melding what the class had been talking about with what she'd been thinking about, and she went on,<br><br>"Hey, Miz, Merryweather? You mentioned&nbsp; demons. So, I got a metaphysical question for you. If you summoned a demon, or some sort of spirit into a host body- would it always know it wasn't really that person?"&nbsp; Even she wasn't quite sure what she was getting at. "I mean, like-&nbsp; if they're living in the body, and the brain, do they have all the person's memories and junk?&nbsp; Under the right circumstances, like, totally spitballing here, could <em>anybody</em> tell the diff?"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>15-02-2023, 21:01:13</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>Professor Merryweather soaked in the knowledge about water elementals, but the mention of choice got a touch of surprise, but without attempts at defense or retaliation.&nbsp; "My apologies," she said.&nbsp; "My intention was to state that practicioners choose the supernatural, that one can be entirely Normie but for the capacity for magic.&nbsp; I came to be a witch entirely by choice, and I know full well that not everyone receives the option.&nbsp; With these particular types of magic, it's a choice, not from genetics but from knowledge backed with the willpower to carry it out.&nbsp; That doesn't fit the usual definition of Outcast, but then, any label is only as useful as its ability to provide an accurate definition."<br><br>She started up the portable stove, waved her wand to conjure up water into the kettle, and set it to boiling.&nbsp; "Now, all of this can be done in the usual method with a faucet, taking the proper time to bring things to a boil, and so on, but I prefer not to spend the time during class."<br><br>Tara's question about spirits got a pause of consideration.&nbsp; "In theory, it would be possible to set it up under extreme circumstances, but not from the get-go.&nbsp; You'd have to pick out a particular spirit, cleanse it of all memories, create various connections that would not come innately, and so on.&nbsp; That could be double-checked, of course - an accomplished practicioner could recognize the difference with the right scrutiny, but it enters the territory of the question of why?&nbsp; Occam's Razor eliminates needlessly complex solutions as inherently unnecessary."<br><br>Taking a moment to tap her wand against the kettle and send the water to an instant boil, she explained to Tara, "My suggestion as far more likely would be a Lurker.&nbsp; Imagine a spirit that works as a sort of glue...this isn't a great analogy, but the power source similar to the strings of a marionette, keeping spirit and body bound together when they should naturally separate.&nbsp; You may have seen movies where an individual calls forth a spirit that gives them magical abilities they shouldn't otherwise possess, effectively unseen but for a power source that isn't explained by any other equation.&nbsp; A Lurker connected to an unwitting subject could be reached through meditation and occasionally through dreams."<br><br>With the kettle boiling over, Professor Merryweather turned her focus back to the alchemy class, producing a glass, a spoon, "a komodo dragon's scale," which she showed to the class, "and a pearl," of very low quality compared to what worn pearls usually look like.&nbsp; "Many will try to sell you on expensive reagents in order to increase the quality of your magic, but that's because they're looking to make money off of you.&nbsp; It won't make your magic all that much stronger if you believe you need expensive components; it'll just make it weaker if you can't afford what you've convinced yourself you require."<br><br>Removing the lid and dropping both the scale and pearl into the boiling water, she started to stir with the spoon and chant, her words ironclad with focused confidence:<br><br><em>"By my power and my desire<br>a dragon's scale for breathing fire<br>save that I have no yearning for flame<br>so by my power, I proclaim<br>a burning classroom is full of troubles<br>so I add a pearl to switch to bubbles"</em><br><br>Thrice she chanted the incantation, with the palpable power more felt than truly seen, save if one let one's eyes relax to witness the aura.&nbsp; Turning off the flame, she poured a cupful into the glass, then used her wand to chill the glass back down.&nbsp; "You'll find the original Elixir of Fire Breath in the textbook with just the scale; I prefer my own variation as a safer demonstration.&nbsp; Would anyone like to volunteer?"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elizabeth Ecsed</strong> on <strong>16-02-2023, 00:20:52</strong>
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				<br><br><div class="floatright">(https://talenthouse-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/c_limit,f_auto,fl_progressive,h_1280,w_1280/v1394344352/user-176900/profile/s5fj9nehxxvvwxqihgyx.jpg)</div><br><strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory </strong><br>Well used to knowing what was going on around her, Alundra was aware of the gazes sent her way. A couple of guys interested in the hair and the petiteness, without giving a damn about the person behind the youthful looks. Pinkie Pie, sending those furtive looks got ignored… She had no idea what to do about the shifter… The mistrust ran very deep. Girl had issues, Cotton Candy was obsessed with frogs, apparently. Kylie… made her feel warm inside. Not like fire, that all encompassing, dancing joy that her true love created each and every time, but still. The more casual glance was safer, less confusing and complicated than something sultry… (Like how she looked at fire…) Coming on too hard and fast was not the way to endear yourself to someone like Alundra. So it was met with a cool gaze, just a momentary acknowledgement of the attention. She’d see what happened. But at least the gorgeous student’s snark got a genuine smile, albeit one hidden from the class, shared with no one.&nbsp; Point to her. Invisibility…. Sounded complicated, prone to betrayals. Fire was easy, it flowed as It would, half obeying laws of nature and half wild and unrestrained. A metaphor? Nah. Interesting how much of magic seemed to be just… imposing your will on physics and telling logic to sit down, shut up, and wait quietly to be called on, if needed. <br><br><br>Snug in her little corner pocket of isolation, as much as possible in the classroom of the popular teacher, Alundra screwed up an eyelid, trying not to sigh.&nbsp; Rather a gross topic, and something she deeply didn’t understand. Who would want to spend any time with men at all, let alone extended intimate time? She was comfortable with the concept of being a lesbian, if not completely on board with the idea that meant letting people inside her walls. Fortunately, the discussion on willpower and how to shape spells was interesting. Force of will she had aplenty, even if some people would perhaps rightfully claim that she didn’t always direct it in a healthy manner. <br><br>The incantations were exactly what the redhead was working on, so more information helped. <em>I’d think the most important part of a flight spell was ensuring one didn’t launch into the atmosphere and be unable to breathe…. Second most important seems to be able to land safely, just as a guess. A flight spell that doesn’t produce flight just seems like, well, a failure to launch.</em> How was she going to phrase her own spell? Yes, Miss Merryweather had emphasized that creating the rhyme was extra credit, but Alundra wasn’t about to pass up a chance to get in a little closer with the lovely teacher. <em>Water three, constrained, burst free of the restraint…</em> Then probably something about fire, quenching….&nbsp; The talk of ingredients and materials was all interesting enough, but the girl’s attention seemed a bit drifty. There were hints that Alundra, if she was going to venture much past her particular talent, might be something of a quick and dirty enchanter. But watching the much older mage casually transparent a wall definitely perked her up a bit.&nbsp; <br><br>That discussion about how important invocation truly was posed a bit of a brain teaser…&nbsp; Hadn’t Merryweather just done some magic sans invocation? Was it just because of decades and centuries of all practice, or did the wand count as a focus? Or was it a slightly different topic, area, whatever? While she was the exact opposite of a showoff, the fiery one couldn’t resist just the tiniest bit of flair… flicking her fingers, she produced a miniscule spark, extinguishing well before it hit the table. But even Alundra thought that was cheating… She had no idea what caused the pyrokinesis, but felt it was likely something more innate, like werewolves, rather than more formal magic. <br><br>While the class babbled about identity and Lurkers and choice and such, Alundra was pondering about willpower and the limits of power there… If one truly believed themselves free of any boundaries, could they do anything? Was there a point where consequences outweighed ego, some sort of inherent universal sanity checking in to go nah? Or could that much power burn someone out, no matter how egotistical and iron willed someone was? Was a megalomaniac the ultimate power of reality? But even kinda messed up Alundra had her soft spot… The mention of bubbles got a smile, her attention eagerly focusing back on the professor. <br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elizabeth Ecsed</strong> on <strong>16-02-2023, 07:37:44</strong>
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				<br><br><div class="floatright">(https://external-preview.redd.it/X34Io2HLR7C3SuzB4NXpRzPd8jLqdcGAZHg-_oIel3I.jpg?auto=webp&amp;s=2c26c3dac2cb7583ea4483a208651f7070e9f491)</div>Alundra (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=347373.msg16357127#msg16357127)<br><br>Content warning: Mentions of not so good punishments<br><strong> Pots, Dude! </strong> <br><br>Alundra was trying her usual nonsense, attempting to slide in utterly unobtrusively, motions calculated to neither be too timid nor aggressive. Both could stand out. As much as the girl had facial expressions beyond ‘present’ she actually seemed mildly annoyed, which was more than usually revealed. Greenhouses, just not her thing. Full of plants and cloying smells, the atmosphere thick with a nasty wet heat that was so opposite her beloved, desiccating and destructive fire. If fire could be said to have prey, it was plants. And what the hell did she, an isolated city girl, know about them? Not to touch them or you’d get yelled at, mostly. They were finicky as could be about water. Too little, whoops. Too much, even more whoops. The redhead herself had never been locked in a greenhouse or even a shed, but there were stories. Usually about kids coming out not quite right after a day or two, or worse in the winter. <br>But, oh, there was something she indeed loved. At first sight. Following her trend of loving dangerous things that probably shouldn’t be pet, her eyes got all melty. Lazarus! (Ok weird name but still) A fierce wolfy boy, oh yes. Look at hims! Of course he was starving, and should get all the delicious yummys he ever wanted. He’d earned them, by… being awesome! Yes. But as always with expressions, vulnerabilities, it faded fast, dropping under the suffocating layers of her walls, the distance. If people knew what you loved, anything important to you, it could be used against you after all. As blackmail, a threat, or taken away. <br><br><br>So Alundra had distinctly mixed feelings about the world as the apparent teacher danced in, dashing her mood to hell on the rocks of severe annoyance. So many things she loathed all in one spot. First, the song was atrocious, grating on something deep inside her, scoring very high on her list of hated things. Which, considering that said list included being an orphan and going through the foster care system, meant it must be truly unpleasant to her. Second, she didn’t like the teachers looks, those B list TV serial star looks, that likely meant he thought he was some kind of gift to women. Ugh. <br><br><br>And third… while she wasn’t particularly delicate, digging through dirt didn’t seem like fun. Petting the wolf, yes, all day any day. Working on what might impress Miss Merryweather, well. Even joining one of the clubs that let her play with sharp objects sounded much more interesting, forced socializing included. Prodding at the mass, her head tilted. Far as she could tell….. <em>Dirt. Ancient crumbly rocks and bits of plant and animal matter, right? Perhaps some fertilizer? </em><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>16-02-2023, 15:15:24</strong>
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				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><strong>Where:</strong> Intro to Arcane Theory, the next day.<br><strong>Who:</strong> Nyx, open<br><hr><br>Well. That was relief, she supposed.&nbsp; It meant she still knew nothing about what had happened to her, but it also meant she could be pretty sure shew as herself. She'd figured she was- what spirit could possibly be as rad and bad (and horny) as she'd always been? But then under her half-baked theroy, a hitchhiker would have thought the exact same thing, right?<br><br>Hmm. Better to not dwell on that.<br><br>Then Marrymealittle started demonstrating a WHAT? Fire freaking <em>breath</em>?&nbsp; "Thanks, pass," she muttered, more loudly than she'd intended. SHe'd put a lot of things in her mouth, but fire was the one thing on Earth she was, like, totes phobic over.<br><br>"Hey," she whispered, poking Nyx. "Don't expect you're ever gonna kiss me if you swallow that gunk!"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Captain Whitebread</strong> on <strong>16-02-2023, 19:48:47</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28800000/Theo-Theodoridis-theo-theodoridis-28882561-772-514.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to The Study of <del>Poisonous and Dangerous</del> Plants<br><strong>Tagging:</strong>Students<br><br><br>"It's dirt," Liam said.<br><br>"Correct, Mr Kithcannon," the teacher said, nodding.&nbsp; "I would also have accepted earth, soil, potting soil and any number of other answers.&nbsp; Touch it.&nbsp; Feel the moisture in it, the softness.&nbsp; You are going to get dirty in this class, so you might as well start now.&nbsp; Smell it, scent the richness of it.&nbsp; Look at it.&nbsp; You will see that it is not uniform.&nbsp; Yours is not identical to your neighbours.&nbsp; All those extra little bits are what takes this from being a sterile lifeless pile of debris to something capable of supporting life.&nbsp; Bits of rock.&nbsp; Pieces of root.&nbsp; Bacteria.&nbsp; Even small animals like worms and insects.&nbsp; They are all part of what makes this dirt alive."<br><br>He picked up a piece of chalk.&nbsp; "Give me a name for a type of soil.&nbsp; There are literally hundreds of types.&nbsp; We'll start with Mr Kithcannon's dirt."<br><br>DIRT<br><br>"Compost?" suggested Trent.<br><br>"Excellent," Randy said, writing it down.&nbsp; "Keep them coming."<br><br>DIRT<br>COMPOST<br><br>"Loam," said the boy Randy had called Mr Rose.&nbsp; The teacher wrote it down.<br><br>DIRT<br>COMPOST<br>LOAM<br><br>In the end, they had a list of dozens of names.<br><br>"Every plant has a preferred soil composition.&nbsp; Some of them are very specific.&nbsp; Others are less specific.&nbsp; A dandelion can grow in a crack in concrete. Corn loves chalky soil but blueberries struggle.&nbsp; The soil in front of you is generic potting soil.&nbsp; I want you to scrape it back into the pot.&nbsp; Then we will top the pots up with whatever soil additives you desire.&nbsp; You will each pick a plant.&nbsp; You will grow that plant in your pot. Part of your final grade will be dependent on how your plant grows.&nbsp; You can pick any plant.&nbsp; I can teach you how to make it grown.&nbsp; This year, that plant will be mundane and before you ask, yes, you can grow cannabis.&nbsp; Sadly for you, it will be the hemp variety.&nbsp; Speaking of varieties, there are almost four hundred thousand varieties of plant in the world, so you have a wide range to choose from.&nbsp; The vast majority are flowering plants and the blossom's range from the size of a grain of rice to three feet across with a weight of fifteen pounds.&nbsp; Are you all with me so far or have I lost you?"<br><br><hr><br>With the ability of all veteran mooches, Lazarus could spot a sucker a mile away.&nbsp; Once Randy was occupied by his class, the wolf began to circulate through the classroom, sniffing this one and that one, before settling in beside Alundra.&nbsp; He began staring at her with the unblinking focus of a wolf having senses a weakness.<br><br>(https://umaine.edu/gci/wp-content/uploads/sites/95/2021/10/5bdb5d24a9d8b.image_-min.jpg)<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>17-02-2023, 02:14:12</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, OPEN<hr>Nyx was listening to the teacher but not very closely. Most of the other branches of magic interested them very little. So, when Tara poked her and said something slightly playful, Nyx's face clouded into visible confusion. Glancing back to where the teacher was passing around some type of concoction, it took them a second to catch up. <strong>"Why in all the nine hells would I want to breath bubbles? Or fire?"</strong> They looked back at Tara as another wave of confusion prefaced yet another tide of red climbing their neck. This time, at least, they managed to keep their face stable. Their voice, though, not as much. It cracked as they replied, <strong>"Kiss?"</strong> Visibly reagaining control, they huffed in annoyance, <strong>"That wasn't funny, Tara. Guh!"</strong><br><br>Twisting back around, they had to grip their desk a bit to regain some of their calm. <em>Why does she do that? It's not that funny to make my face fall!</em> Biting the tip of their tongue, they focused on the werewolf jock who was now coughing bubblews more than breathing them. Their eyes went wide and a giggle escaped from behind the bars of their hand. ANother werewolf was hitting the jock's back now which was causing more eruptions and hiccups instead. Nyx was giggling in fits now. She twisted to Tara, <strong>"Ever thought you'd see a werewolf barfing up bubbles though? Gods, what a class!"</strong><br><br><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Botany Class<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, OPEN<hr>Nyx was front and center. Not because they had any interest in rooting around in the dirt, soil, loam, but because they had gotten to the class a little later than the rest. They poked at the pile of dark, rich earth and swallowed hard. The first thing they had done as soon as they were mentioned was put on the too large, scratchy gardening gloves. It wasn't that they disliked being dirty, exactly, but earth just wasn't their element. As they started to scrape the dirt back into the pot, they hit something hard. Scraping around it, they issolated a small brown rock. Figuring it was some type of super-packed soil, they tried to break it only to hurt their hand instead. Hissing unhappily, they raised their hand, <strong>"Are there supposed to be rocks and sh- er, stuff in it?"</strong><br><br>Still, the idea of growing their won plant was fun. Pot, not so much. They made a face as they expected at least one idiot to do so. So, as long as they had the teach's attention, tehy added quickly, <strong>"Would a tiger lily be fine? Not too ordinary?"</strong> Flushing a bit, they focused on putting the soil back into the pot. They left the rock on the workbench.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Captain Whitebread</strong> on <strong>17-02-2023, 03:39:09</strong>
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				<div class="floatright">(http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28800000/Theo-Theodoridis-theo-theodoridis-28882561-772-514.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to The Study of <del>Poisonous and Dangerous</del> Plants<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>“You can find rocks and, literally, shit in dirt,” Randy said, answering Nyx’s question.&nbsp; He didn’t comment about their exclusion of the small stone.&nbsp; “Burrowing animals leave theirs behind as they go and we add manure as fertilizer. You can find bits of bone, animal shells, insect carcasses, all sorts of things.”<br><br>When Nyx asked about Tiger Lilies, Randy nodded. “You will need to repot it into a larger pot after a while. These ones are a little too small. Add some good quality potting mix and make sure the soil isn’t too moist and we can certainly grow you a&nbsp; &nbsp;Tiger Lily.”&nbsp; He smiled. “But I would never call a lily ordinary,” he said. <br><br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>18-02-2023, 03:57:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>With no volunteers, Professor Merryweather set the glass down.&nbsp; The jock decided to ask, "So, how does your wand work in regards to the five styles of magic?"<br><br>"With me, usually," she explained, "Thaumaturgy.&nbsp; I construct a mental image strong enough and with enough power to affect a particular object as I like, and then I have a very easy time manipulating the mental image."&nbsp; Getting more serious, she explained, "Nothing with wands will be on the test, but I prefer the ease rather than taking the several minutes of proper casting for a casual example."<br><br>"So why can't people just use wands?" he asked.<br><br>Despite that the question might seem disrespectful, she had an answer.&nbsp; "You know how Coach says that if you can't throw a football anywhere you want outside of game time, you have no business holding it when the clock is ticking?"<br><br>The answer satisfied him, and he nodded.<br><br>Looking back to the class, she said, "With Summoning coming up next, I want everyone to read the first three chapters of The Realms Beyond.&nbsp; Don't expect clear and concise definitions; the definitions of what constitutes a barrier between one realm and another is rarely so clear cut and dried as the barrier that defines the physical.&nbsp; If it helps, think of Earth as encased in a dome and the geography getting more and more abstract the further one moves away."<br><br>Giving Nyx a nod, she added, "I expect you to have an easier time with the maybes and the not-easily-categorized, where the only true direction is proximity to Earth."&nbsp; The words were meant as a compliment.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Captain Whitebread</strong> on <strong>18-02-2023, 04:57:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/721127385675857991/1073085502162477056/Z5409806VBill-Kaulitz-z-Tokio-Hotel-na-festiwalu--Rock-in-R.webp)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong>Students &amp; Teacher<br><br>Liam raised his hand. “There are certain times and places that make summoning easier,” he began. “Hallowe’en, because the veil is thin. Faerie rings, because they are gateways to the wild. Are there times and places where summoning is harder?”<br><br>He didn’t want to be ‘that guy’ who always seemed to need to show off that he knew more but sometimes he just was that guy. Magic was in the blood of the Irish to begin with and to add a touch of fae was just adding fuel to an already burning bonfire.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>19-02-2023, 05:02:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>As the question was asked, there was another pause, consideration as to whether to answer to the best of her own beliefs.&nbsp; "What I'm about to say hasn't been fully proven, but it's believed," she explained.&nbsp; "People rarely think of a single Normie as having much in the abilities of willpower, and they're certainly right.&nbsp; A rare few demonstrate significant belief and can accomplish abilities which aren't worth getting into.&nbsp; The questionable thesis, which I believe but hasn't been proven, is that around the time of the Renaissance, the scientific minds of the Normies congealed a mass belief regarding a severe disbelief in the supernatural.&nbsp; As individuals, it doesn't mean much, but when you take into account the sheer number of Normies across the planet, it's believed that the barrier between Earth and elsewhere grew so hard <em>because</em> of that collective belief, or, if you prefer, collective disbelief."<br><br>A palm raised to cede a point she suggested but could not prove.&nbsp; "Now, if this hypothesis is correct, simply being in the presence of Normies strengthens the barriers of unbelief to various degrees, especially in places where some degree of safety is expected, such as a hearth and home.&nbsp; Herd mentality would do similar in having large groups of people clustered together, such as if someone tried to conjure up a demon in the middle of Times Square on New Years Eve.&nbsp; You can see why this is hypothetical.&nbsp; Finally, a place that has been cleansed of any and all aberration to anomaly, such as a hospital or scientific laboratory, environments which are meant to be as mundane as possible."<br><br>Then she raised the other hand.&nbsp; "The thesis relies on the magical power of the average Normie, and it becomes distasteful in some circles.&nbsp; There are Outcasts who find the very concept of mere humans performing en masse unconscious magic to be distasteful.&nbsp; Questions then arise why the supernatural don't simply disappear, and are countered with that Normies still feel all the unconscious desire and fear for the supernatural to exist, as demonstrated by our continued depictions in their works of fiction."<br><br>Some incredulity showed in her gaze as she explained the next part.&nbsp; "To those who disbelieve the thesis, there are those who have the potential to be Outcasts but who turn their backs on the supernatural much like the sheep of the family, there are practicioners who choose to be Outcasts and have the potential for it, there are those who are born into the supernatural, and all the rest of the Normies are incapable of ascending to such levels.&nbsp; All I can say on the matter without getting further political is that I <em>have</em> seen My Fair Lady attempts performed successfully, unless one believes that they were just undiscovered gems and found by luck."<br><br>She took a moment to take a breath.&nbsp; Though she held no ill will towards the class, the question was a touch of a soft spot for her.&nbsp; "Another thing to remember regarding crossing over and distance is that, not only is distance relative, but so is location.&nbsp; Faerie rings provide exceptional conduits to the Feywild, but I can vouch that the barrier is weaker in areas of nature with a minimal touch of civilization, even as it gets weaker the more humanity has left their mark upon a specific area and rebuilt it to their own desires.&nbsp; By contrast, the Hoover Dam provides an excellent conduit to the Elemental Plane of Water despite that it's of human make."<br><br>With a smile, she added, "It also works both ways.&nbsp; The reason that cemeteries and haunted houses feel so cold and dead is because the warmth of vitality seeps through from our world to the Dark Umbra, and in such places, it feels more vibrant and full of life when one compares it to the rest of the realm.&nbsp; That's the real reason why the ghosts, especially those who can't cross over but remain in that realm, congregate in such areas, as counterintuitive as it might feel."<br><br>The goth girl gave some hint of a smile, suggesting it wasn't counterintuitive to her at all.<br><br>When the bell rang, Professor Merryweather glanced around.&nbsp; "Final questions?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>19-02-2023, 08:20:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, OPEN<hr>Nyx was still trying to sort if that had been some veiled reference to Ender's Game on the part of the professor. But, still, the intended compliment came through handily enough. Nyx wasn't sure there was any such thing as completely at home with 'maybe's and 'fluidity,' but they were willing to admit to a level of comfort. It wasn't exactly that they'd wanted to be familiar with being unmoored. That they had asked for an identity that drifted. Still, some seemed to think it a good thing. They only considered it reality. What else could they be but comfortable with their own nature?<br><br>Well, that was nonsense. As the conversation that happened after the eighties fashion reject asked his question proved. Plenty of people lived lives that saw them rejecting their own natures: from closeted conservative politicians to people who forced themselves to accept what made them unhappy. They probably could have led a life like that, but they hadn't. At the teacher's last question, Nyx turned to regard Tara. Tara was exactly something akin to the 'My Fair Lady' stuff. It wasn't anything like a gentle adjustment, they supposed, and more like a rude awakening, but Tara had gone from Normie to Outcast overnight. Nyx was inclined to believe that the studies the professor had mentioned needed further research. They suspected they missed some key details.<br><br>As such, they left their friend out of it as they turned and raised their hands, <strong>"Again, I feel like there's something being missed in that perspective. There are those who can learn to be Outcasts, I suppose. Gaining ESP or learning magic. You hear about it, right? But how do these deniers rationalize werewolves and vampires. No offense to any present, most of them were born that way, but those are still conditions that can be passed on no matter what. To any Normie. And, from what I understand, something similar for Native American Skinwalkers."</strong> Some people really seemed to have a bias for witches and such when it came to Outcasts.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>19-02-2023, 14:14:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><strong>Where:</strong> Intro to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Who:</strong> Nyx, Lima (m); open<br><hr><br>Well, damn. What she'd intended as a joke, a gentle flirt, and a (very) minor expression of 'hey, why didn't YOU ask me to the dance?' had freaked the puffball out. Great. Now Tara felt like shit. Ell-on-forehead time.<br><br>At least Nyx shrugged off the kiss comment pretty rapidly, and countered with a joke about the 'were. Deciding, just for once, to keep her big mouth shut, she&nbsp; just listened for the rest of class. Her brain had always worked oddly; she tended to zone out, not really pay attention; miss fine details but absorb enough broad strokes to get by, without really working at it. So she'd been a solid B to B- student, and the lament of her teachers: all the things she could have done if she'd 'only applied herself.'<br><br>Whatever, dude. She'd rather look at pretty people like Nyx, or admire the one dude's freaking AWESOME hair than be a totes grind. Still, her brain was ticking over, trying to put the square pegs of thinning veils into the round hole of of rational belief, and make it squirt out zombies. Like one of those automatic pasta makers...<br><br>Then Nyx asked something interesting, about how Normies could deny their own senses when it came to Outcasts, especially when they could become Outcasts themselves...<br><br>"So, like, if they can Wang Jung away their own mojo an' the evidence of their own eyes an' junk- can one of us, like, maybe do a vision quest or whatever, and turn into one of<em> them?</em>" The question had boiled up out of nowhere, mixed in her attentive subconscious. And with it came another one: <em>Could I be me again?</em> And then another: <em> Do I want to be?</em><br><br><strong>Botany:</strong><br>Tagging: Randy (m); open<br><br>"Well, this is a better way of pushing up daisies than what I almost got," she murmured to no one in particular, then wondered what it would have been like to wake up buried, like a daffodil bulb, instead of&nbsp; just in her coffin. TOTES NOPE!&nbsp; Just the image made her gasp, which, since she didn't need to breathe except to speak, was a bit of a surprise.&nbsp; Even though she lnot have been buried 'alive' in the literal sense, the idea of confinement, dakrness...doubleplusungood.<br><br>So instead she just looked at the class' teacher, who was totus hunkus. She didn't remember why she'd signed up for a gardening class, or even having done it, but now she was glad she had. It alternated days with her Psych class which, honestly, she found a lot more interesting, but eye candy was a thing to be respected.<br><br>The cool potting mix felt good on her hands, though, llike some distant memory.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Captain Whitebread</strong> on <strong>20-02-2023, 00:02:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/721127385675857991/1073085502162477056/Z5409806VBill-Kaulitz-z-Tokio-Hotel-na-festiwalu--Rock-in-R.webp)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong>Students &amp; Teacher<br><br>"So a practitioner is setting their own will against the will of the collective unconscious will of the rest of the world?&nbsp; That is bad ass," Liam said.&nbsp; "Is that the same concept as static reality?&nbsp; Reality is set by our perceptions of it, rather than us perceiving reality as it is?"&nbsp; The fact that a practitioner of magic could accomplish anything at all suddenly became even more impressive.&nbsp; His own magic was well established in folklore, so he was safe.&nbsp; Zombies were becoming more mainstream but they still had a long way to go to catch up to beings that had been legend for thousands of years.<br><br>He turned to look at Nyx.&nbsp; "Not to mention the poor buggers who grow up thinking they're normies, only to get hit a puberty with a double whammy.&nbsp; Not only does your body start messing with you, the world around you starts melting at the edges and things you thought were myth start peeking at you from just outside your field of vision.&nbsp; It would have to be bad enough to have that happen but imagine what it would be like for somebody who was wrestling with their sexuality or their gender identity.&nbsp; It would seem like the whole universe was lining up to kick you in the teeth.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>20-02-2023, 03:18:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>With the bell having rung, a number of students started to leave.&nbsp; A few looked up as they packed up their things, but when Professor Merryweather reassured, "This won't be on the test," they continued on.&nbsp; Today's class, after all, had been focused on Alchemy.<br><br>When Nyx brought up more questions, Professor Merryweather offered, "To use your own word of 'deniers,' it's not so much that Normies cannot become Outcasts, since a human being can obviously be transformed."&nbsp; She took a seat, steepling her fingers.&nbsp; "When a human becomes a vampire, is it because a particular gift or curse brings an individual irrevocably into an Outcast the way a seed from another country can sprout a plant that could never grow there otherwise, or does it awaken a spiritual energy that lays dormant within Normies?"<br><br>It was a difficult concept to grasp, and she knew it.&nbsp; "You mentioned before about definitions.&nbsp; There are those who see Normies and Outcasts as completely separate, where a Normie might be elevated to the status either through their own power or through the granting by another.&nbsp; This was the common view during the Dark Ages, even if other slang terms were in use back then, much as these conversations weren't as often in English."<br><br>She then pointed her steepled fingers to make a point.&nbsp; "As you've suspected, the binary definition doesn't work, and I've met my share of people who are more than able to maintain their sanity when faced with the truth of the supernatural but who lack any sort of innate supernatural potential.&nbsp; Some become practicioners, others choose what they want to be such as finding a werewolf willing to pass on their powers, yet others choose to be what was once called Contraries, refusing to live entirely in either world.&nbsp; I was taught to call them <em>L'initié.</em>"&nbsp; The single word held a beautiful French accent.<br><br>"That said, I do attempt to keep my personal beliefs and politics out of the classroom.&nbsp; I believe that every human has the innate potential to work magic, that willpower can be forged over time.&nbsp; There's also no mistaking that most Outcasts don't get a choice in whether to live in the supernatural, however, which can't help but harden an individual.&nbsp; Further, getting too political starts to draw into the question of whether we should reveal the supernatural to the rest of the world, and I don't believe we should."&nbsp; It was easy to see she'd gotten some accusations therein before.<br><br>Tara's question was much easier.&nbsp; "De-transformation from Outcast to Normie is one of those 'totes happened to a friend of a friend of a friend' ordeals, unfortunately.&nbsp; I've heard attempts for ghosts to use vat-grown bodies and Lurkers, but the results have never gone as well as one would like.&nbsp; Even using memory erasure doesn't remove the sense of trauma that something happened to the very spirit that cannot be explained, and when the being in question looks to modern medicine for answers, doctors are unsurprisingly completely unable to help."&nbsp; She looked to Tara with a touch more sympathy than she showed when the class was full, but added no further verbal reply.<br><br>Liam's question got more of a smile.&nbsp; "I believe the precise term is subjective reality.&nbsp; One of the claims of those who oppose the idea that Normies exert will is that it would obliterate the supernatural altogether if the collective power of eight billion people were to simultaneously focus their belief that vampires weren't real.&nbsp; In reality, think of the terms of weight of effort it requires to hold onto one belief, to steel one's mind, and consider how rarely individuals put that effort in whatsoever."&nbsp; Then she raised a hand.&nbsp; "Now think about the superstitious, those who <em>know</em> that they can find a four-leaf clover and that it will work for them, who go out into the fields and do meticulous searches.&nbsp; How much power comes from the four-leaf clover and how much comes from the effort and willpower undertaken?&nbsp; The truth is that we haven't done enough extreme tests undertaken in the full double-blind scientific method to know."<br><br>She folded her hands once more after a faint gesture.&nbsp; "What I can tell you is that it's very possible for a violent mob to neutralize the magic of a very accomplished witch."&nbsp; She didn't say that she'd seen it done, but the horror of the memory was clear enough.&nbsp; "It's probably obvious that seeing stage magic as legerdemain caught on as a way to hide one's practices.&nbsp; Conjuring an apple from nowhere is obvious; making one seem to appear from under a handkerchief is a delightful little trick and you want to know how it works.&nbsp; That's another part of it: <em>because</em> people believe it's not real, they're far less apt to attempt to disbelieve.&nbsp; The five stages of grief go into great detail about how a broken willpower will rationalize, and you don't have to fight against active countering with what people believe to be a stage trick in the same way as a charismatic leader claiming divine protection for himself and his flock."<br><br>Waving a hand as if to suggest that the full truth of the answers was lost in the ether, she added, "Of course, such questions are as old as whether humans and the denizens of other realms flow from the same source in some way, and end up becoming more questions of faith than provability."&nbsp; Pulling out a pen and some paper, she said, "Now, if any of you have a class for which I've made you late, I'll write you a note.&nbsp; I've been known to keep students a little after."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Captain Whitebread</strong> on <strong>20-02-2023, 21:36:10</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28800000/Theo-Theodoridis-theo-theodoridis-28882561-772-514.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to The Study of <del>Poisonous and Dangerous</del> Plants<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>"Before the end of class, I want to know what plants you want to try growing," Randy said.&nbsp; "We've got somebody willing to take on a tiger lily.&nbsp; Yes, you can grow the same plant as somebody else.&nbsp; Anybody want to let me know what they want to grow?"<br><br>Liam raised his hand and stood.&nbsp; "I'm not sure what it's call in English," he said.&nbsp; "I only know it as the Luibh bhléine.&nbsp; It's me Ma's favourite."<br><br>Randy pondered for a moment.&nbsp; "Ah.&nbsp; It's called the sea aster.&nbsp; A very hardy plant.&nbsp; Grows just about everywhere on the Irish coast."<br><br>Trent put up his hand.&nbsp; "Can I grow a Carolina Reaper?"<br><br>Randy raised his eyebrows, then chuckled.&nbsp; "You are going to need a bigger pot as well," he said.&nbsp; "We will also have to verify that no one has a capsaicin allergy.&nbsp; That goes for any plant likely to cause an allergic reaction."<br><br>The class was slow to branch out into the more exotic plants or plants that were difficult to grow until a few took the leap.&nbsp; The choice of a California poppy opened the door to an Opium poppy.&nbsp; The student that asked looked surprised when Randy agreed.&nbsp; &nbsp;The acceptance of that poppy led Blossom Rose to put up his hand and request a seed for the Devil's poppy, a semi-intelligent carnivorous plant that was highly motile and venomous.&nbsp; It was notoriously difficult to grow.<br><br>"Mr Rose, you realize that this project will be reflected in your final mark?" Randy asked.<br><br>The young man nodded.&nbsp; "If I'd wanted an easy A, I'd have asked for an Aloe vera."<br><br>"I admire your ambition," Randy said.&nbsp; "Does anyone want to raise the bar?&nbsp; Moth orchid?&nbsp; Wasabi?&nbsp; Miniature rose bush?"<br><br><br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Elizabeth Ecsed</strong> on <strong>21-02-2023, 07:07:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<br><div class="floatright">(https://external-preview.redd.it/X34Io2HLR7C3SuzB4NXpRzPd8jLqdcGAZHg-_oIel3I.jpg?auto=webp&amp;s=2c26c3dac2cb7583ea4483a208651f7070e9f491)</div>Alundra (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=347373.msg16357127#msg16357127)<br>&nbsp;<strong> Pots, Dude! </strong><br><br>Dude was really into dirt. Sigh. Well, weird enough but so far, harmless. Sand? Was sand a dirt? Who knew. Stubble dude professor probably had fifty names for sand. Her vibe continued to be less than pleased… Pick a plant to make it grow? What? How was she supposed to pick?!? She knew maybe like, five plants on sight. Tree, grass, flower, shrub. Ok, four. Moss! There, five. Which was, what, point zero one? Small blossoms sounded cute. Ok, she lied. The talk of giant blossoms reminded the redhead of the most amusing flower…. The corpse flower. But she absolutely was making notes on the options labeled as easy. And small tiny blossoms sounded cute. Issues, her? Nah.<br><br><br>Alundra was extremely unlikely to be the most dangerous one in the room.. Not in a school of creatures of myth and legend and horror movie. But, it could perhaps be argued that was the most monstrous. After all, how many of her peers or even teachers had sat and wondered why they had failed to kill someone, and plotted ways to make sure that particular lack didn’t occur again&nbsp; in the future if need be. But aloof and distant and weird and even paranoid as she could be, the girl had a distinct, huge soft spot. Weakness or not, it didn’t matter. Her eyes drifted down to the wolf, so pretty. She wasn’t afraid to meet his eyes, oh no. Lazarus was an honest predator, what he was and nothing else. No pretenses, no false fronts, no masks or hidden landmines.&nbsp; And she even smiled, such a rare sight. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any food for you, unless you eat dirt.” She whispered softly, holding out a tiny hand to let the wolf decide if he wanted to make better friends, to get pets. And if he did, the odd girl would make every attempt to pet him the whole class, whispering cute nothings the whole time. Though she already had food, people food, stashed in quite a few places. Her room of course, but also in the further parts of the library, the woods, an attic, a lesser used supply closet, and a gardening shed that had been more spider webs than well maintained tools.&nbsp; <br><br><br>She had to smile at Tara’s joke… and looked interested in the carnivorous, mobile, poisonous plant. Cool. Since she had to pick, though, might as well come up with something. “Cactus.” She said dryly, probably the first word she’d said in any of the classes so far. Well, to a human. She was plenty conversational with Lazarus, as long as he hung around. Nor was she afraid to go for what sounded like an easy A. Something that liked heat, yes please. She didn’t even think of the spiky metaphor. <br><br><hr><hr><br><br><div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/7b/5d/14/7b5d141cb9c252ff29835dd44e3c2bd3.jpg)</div>Alundra (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=347373.msg16357127#msg16357127)<br>&nbsp;<strong> Archery time?</strong><br><br>So, school rules. It was mandatory that each student joined a club, to round out their educations in the unusual academy. Rowing, right out. Swim team, same, but worse. Beekeeping, hell no. Spellcasting duels, not a good idea. Fencing sounded neat, but was too popular, too many people. Extra herbology and plant time? Yuck. Werewolves, and their playing very rough was… a huge no. Vampires, what did they even do? Sirens and mind control? She’d rather burn the place to the ground. Too bad they didn’t have a campfire club. And Alundra had no idea how to cook. So… almost by default, archery seemed fine. And extremely unpopular. A perk. Not that hard, right? Not… that she’d so much as seen it done other than glimpses in the Olympics. Turns out, she was terrible at it. Her arm strength was almost zero, and as short as Alundra was, she’d found what was basically a child’s bow, no matter how fancy it was carved. A bow was harder to keep steady than she’d imagined, especially combined with drawing the string (Already set at low resistance) and trying to aim. But she was stubborn, sending arrow after arrow down… vaguely… towards the target, then marching grimly down to retrieve them, over and over, again and again. Then starting over. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>27-02-2023, 13:34:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/sR7A3kr.jpg)</div><strong>Name</strong> Dr. Randall DuQuesne<br><strong>Location</strong> Laertes Hall<br><strong>Tagging</strong> All<br>Randy's soft face creased heavily as he looked around the main staircase of Laertes Hall. Black and Purple streamers hung from the ceiling, the banister of the double staircase was draped in black and purple, and several banquet tables laden with snacks and punch bowls were similarly attired in black and purple. Along the staircase, girls on the left and boys on the right, were the emblems and colors of the four halls: Ophelia and Kassandra, Laertes and Hektor. He hummed happily as he bustled making the final touches. He ladled a bit of punch into a bamboo cup and sipped to make sure it had not been spiked since his last inspection. He moved along making sure the bits and bites to eat were good. It certainly didn't need to be perfect, but it shouldn't be shoddy either. To expect perfection was to produce failure and flaws, so the large dormfather only wanted his charges to relax and mingle.<br><br>Turning, he marched over to a mirror against one wall and checked his own image. Loose fitting jeans, heavy boots, and a flannel shirt that would have been right at place in the small, rural Montana town he'd gone to high school in. Also an outward indicator that this was not the classroom or any other formal occasion. Chaperoned, yes, but casual. He ran a hand through his curly hair and checked his appearance carefully before moving to the closet with the dorm's sound system. Typically used for announcements and alerts, it was rigged to channel music instead. Randy set it to play a top forty mix off of Spotify. It wasn't his music, to say the least, but the night was for the kids not him. If any wanted it changed, they'd let him know. Or at least the kids from his hall would as most knew he was a big teddy bear.<br><br>With the room hopping finally, he moved to the large double doors that lead into the hall and threw them open to the early evening air. As expected, a few early birds were waiting or approaching. He smiled at them, <strong>"Come on in, kids. Snacks on the table, plenty of room to dance, and some decent punch. If you need anything, find me and let me know."</strong> Turning, he noted several of his hall residents descending the stairs from their wings. Randy walked toward the door to the kitchen to see if he could find the other professors chaperoning tonight.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>27-02-2023, 14:36:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><strong>Where:</strong> Intro to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Who:</strong>Nyx; Merryweather;&nbsp; open<br><hr><br>Ugh. Stuff was getting weirder, and still not producing any answers. Grinning at Nyx and whispering a 'later, Gatorade', she bucked the flow of people for the doors to head to the front of ther oom and speak to Miz Merryweather. For once, getting a closer look at the pretty ginger prof was <strong>not</strong> her main goal. <br><br>"So, like, I've got to get to Intro to Plants- God knows why." The 'why' was partly because she'd read somewhere once that there were plants that could make zombies. But she'd never been into gardening. Unless you counted getting fertilized regularly. "But if you have some time later today to meet...?"<br><br><hr><br><strong>Intro to Green Stuff</strong><br><strong>who:</strong> Randy, open<br><br><br>"How about a cactus?," Tara asked, not joking. "I mean, they're like totes hard to kill, right?&nbsp; And I have a brown thumb."&nbsp; With a smirk, she held up a paper-white thumb in an 'OK' gesture.<br><br>"Or maybe a mushroom colony?" That would be even cooler.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>27-02-2023, 15:23:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to Arcane Theory<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>The first note came up with a flowing and elegant hand.<br><br><em><span style="font-family: georgia;" class="bbc_font">Please excuse Tara Morrissey of tardiness to Intro to Botany.</span></em><br><br>She added the precise date, time, and a picture of a skull.&nbsp; While doing all this, she spoke:<br><br>“My office hours today are three to five p.m.&nbsp; Will around then work or would you ask for later?”<br><br>So saying, she pulled her wand and spent a few moments in concentration.&nbsp; The skull drawn on the page started to bang its head as if at a rock concert, an effect that would last for an hour or so.&nbsp; Professor Merryweather expected none of her students of plagiarism, but if an attempt would ever be made, she’d give them a challenge.&nbsp; Each student got their own as she made them up.&nbsp; While the professor wasn’t certain that Tara was big on rock metal, she still expected it to be appreciated rather than perceived as some sort of insult.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Captain Whitebread</strong> on <strong>28-02-2023, 03:23:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28800000/Theo-Theodoridis-theo-theodoridis-28882561-772-514.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to The Study of <del>Poisonous and Dangerous</del> Plants<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>"You may need to be a little more specific," Randy said.&nbsp; "There are over a thousand varieties of cactus.&nbsp; With only a handful of exceptions, they are native to the Americas, both North and South.&nbsp; Mushrooms are even worse, with fifty thousand varieties.&nbsp; And you know what they say about mushrooms.&nbsp; All mushrooms are edible but some are only edible once."<br><br>He began handing out black markers. "These are to put your names on your pots," Randy said.&nbsp; "You are also going to name your plants.&nbsp; You will talk to them.&nbsp; You will play music for them, either recorded or play it yourself.&nbsp; Plants respond to music and they thrive when spoken to.&nbsp; The prevailing theory is that speaking to them gives them additional carbon dioxide.&nbsp; The jury is still out on the musical part, although some experiments have shown that certain plants prefer certain types of music. Ivy loves Norwegian Death Metal."<br><br>He looked over at Alundra, who had been clearly charmed by Lazarus.&nbsp; "There's always one," he said with a chuckle, before continuing.<br><br>"So, Cactuses or cacti and mushrooms.&nbsp; Any thoughts as to the variety?&nbsp; Don't worry, we won't be planting until we've gone through a couple of lessons and at least know the difference between a succulent and a xerophyte."<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Nowherewoman</strong> on <strong>07-03-2023, 15:50:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4b/02/42/4b024225317d660c10c1354e6c9c80be.jpg)</div><strong>Where:</strong> Intro to Plants<br><strong>Who:</strong>Professor Randy (is that a pun? ;D); open<br><hr><br>"Dunno." She really didn't. Tara had figured they'd learn about the effects and uses of plants <em>before</em> trying to grow anything, so she'd have some time to figure out what did what and apply it to her own situation. This prof was more immediate hands-on, apparently. She'd had a chemistry teacher like that in her other life.&nbsp; Didn't end well.<br><br>"Maybe a Christmas cactus?&nbsp; They're pretty when the bloom. Or some portabello-"&nbsp; Her stomach lurched and stopped her train of thought. "Weird. I used to totes love shrooms on my pizza, but now the idea makes me kinda queasy." She shrugged. "Dunno. All I ever farmed before was boners."&nbsp; Crass, yeah, but the embarrassed giggles and curious looks were worth it. She pretended to ignore them as she scrwaled her name on a pot.<br><br><br><br><hr><br><strong>When: </strong>around 4:45<br><strong>Where:</strong> Merryweather's office<br><br>Almost shyly, Tara caressed the office door with her knuckles. It wasn't clear what had her so twitchy. Was it fear that the Arcane teacher would be able to give her some tips about what had happened to her? Or that she <strong>wouldn't?</strong> Was it maybe just because the teacher was distractingly hot, and, even dead, Tara knew she let her ovaries talk her into doing some seriously stupid shit?<br><br>Well, she'd find out. Or not. The wonders of unlife: something always happened, or didn't. That sounded kind of clever, and she chuckled. Then she knocked again, a bit louder, and eased the door open to call around it, "Professor Merryweather?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Captain Whitebread</strong> on <strong>07-03-2023, 18:48:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28800000/Theo-Theodoridis-theo-theodoridis-28882561-772-514.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to The Study of <del>Poisonous and Dangerous</del> Plants<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>"Christmas cactus,” Randy nodded. “Native to Brazil. Your reaction to mentioning Portobellos, it isn’t from an acquired allergy, was it?&nbsp; Fungi can cause all sorts of reactions. I would rather not have to explain to an irate parent why their child went into anaphylactic shock in the middle of class. Question for you. Is ‘farm’ the collective noun for boners?&nbsp; For dicks it is a bag. One is forced to wonder if boners uses the same collective noun.”<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AndyZ</strong> on <strong>07-03-2023, 23:19:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.pinimg.com/564x/19/59/d5/1959d5a89df588d70e329492b8e6ff84.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Professor Merryweather's Office<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Tara<br><br>"Come in," she called when addressed.&nbsp; The door was unlocked and available.&nbsp; "You may want to lock the door if you prefer, but have a seat."<br><br>Other than the mystical information listed, the office was more or less identical to that of your average faculty professor.&nbsp; Swap the posters of the arcane for mathematics tables and nobody would even notice.&nbsp; The teacher gave Tara ample time to decide whether to lock the door - some students preferred privacy, but that was up to them.&nbsp; Either way, she remained kind, warm, and friendly to the best of her ability.<br><br>Once Tara was ready, Professor Merryweather would continue.&nbsp; "Now, the first question I often get is why a witch can't just scan for something."&nbsp; Either Tara had figured it out and felt too embarrassed to ask, or she'd rather be able to take credit.&nbsp; "The hard part with necromancy is that many such practicioners don't want to be chased down, which has set up the practice of expecting a contingency spell."&nbsp; Compassion showed in her eyes.&nbsp; "Contingency spells are metamagic well beyond what you'll understand from the classroom, but you're familiar with 'true love's first kiss' as setting a particular trigger for ending the spell.&nbsp; As such, it's not uncommon for experimenting necromancers to set such triggers that end the spell in the event that someone attempts a divination on the spell in question."<br><br>Getting a little more serious, Professor Merryweather explained, "Now, I'm not saying that that's what happened to you, but it's not unheard of.&nbsp; If it is accurate, then as soon as someone performs a divination to discover the nature of the spell, or perhaps who cast it, then the spell will unravel when one attempts to investigate it.&nbsp; It's an unlikely scenario, but not worth the risk."<br><br>After that, however, she gave a soft smile.&nbsp; "Personally, having had a chance to get to know you and watch you a bit, I have a simpler proposal.&nbsp; I've gone over the basics of willworking to some degree in class, and it's a far more base and far less controlled practice such that few even consider it a true practice, but it must be understood as a possibility for your unusual case."<br><br><div class="floatleft">(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/be/0e/02/be0e0259484a6acae8e42d4e984f2785.jpg)</div>Spinning her monitor, she showed a particular image she'd found.&nbsp; "I don't know if this is sufficiently 'pop culture.'"&nbsp; Little surprise that the centuries-old teacher didn't recognize every reference out there.&nbsp; "However, it springs the concept to mind.&nbsp; I also don't usually use profanity without reason, but I think I'll need it to make the next point."<br><br>Leaving the image up, she folded her hands.&nbsp; "Dying is every bit as traumatizing as giving birth even when the body and soul are in no shape to handle it.&nbsp; Intoxicants only make this harder because of the lack of understanding of what's going on."&nbsp; Her words contained no judgment, simply an explanation for why intoxicants came into it at all.&nbsp; "By the time a body is drained of the conventional blood and had it replaced, removing the intoxicant effects, a particular being might come into a very simple and devout frame of mind:"&nbsp; She gave a momentary pause for effect, but her voice remained kind and understanding.&nbsp; "Fuck this.&nbsp; I can't be dead.&nbsp; I'm clearly not dead because I'm still here.&nbsp; I still have plenty of shit to do and I'm not going to let something like a lack of pulse slow me down."<br><br>A flutter of her fingers indicated that the quoting and profanity use was over.&nbsp; "It's not a conscious decision any more than someone decides to wake up, but willpower is still expended, balanced against the state of reality as we know it.&nbsp; Psychology teaches that the first stage of denial is grief, but in truth, it's the first sheer blast of willpower created when a human soul comes into conflict with something it refuses to accept."<br><br>Next came the harder part.&nbsp; "Now, you've no doubt heard in classic literature that the Restless return because of this or that, intending to perform some task before moving on to their rest.&nbsp; This is from back when people looked forward to joining the afterlife, something far less common in the modern day."&nbsp; A simple shrug gave the teacher a faint jiggle that she hadn't noticed.&nbsp; "Perhaps you feel some calling, the distant feel of your relatives waiting for you, and perhaps you don't.&nbsp; My suggestion would be to reflect on the matter in a way that leaves you feeling open; meditation is invaluable but hardly the only way to achieve such a state."&nbsp; Perhaps a touch of knowing in her smile; Merryweather knew drugs existed even if she didn't partake.<br><br>"If you do feel a calling, then the only one likely keeping you here on this realm is you yourself.&nbsp; If so, you can be cajoled and called by various loved ones waiting for you, but not compelled."&nbsp; The teacher didn't have firsthand information here, but her eyes danced with the stories and lessons she's acquired in her search for knowledge.&nbsp; "Ultimately, they're forced to wait for you for as long as it takes you to cross over, which isn't even necessitated by the destruction of your physical form, though Restless without access to their bodies do have a harder time of things."&nbsp; Her tone came out a little matter-of-fact, guessing that Tara can put all that stuff together without help.<br><br>She folded her hands once more.&nbsp; "If you did reconnect to your body through a self-generated act of willworking, I can also tell you that you aren't likely to break it by accident.&nbsp; Willworking isn't a continual effort that must be maintained; once activated, it's effectively locked.&nbsp; Undoing it in the same way would require a superior and opposite act of willworking in the sense of desiring to be dead with the same fervor one desires to be alive, which changes in a fundamental way when the 'death' you now understand is quite different from the 'death' spoken of in gothic poetry."<br><br>Her eyes showed that she knew she was throwing out quite a bit, but it was clear that Professor Merryweather wanted to make this as helpful and painless as possible.&nbsp; "The ultimate question, of course, is if you believe this is the correct answer.&nbsp; As it's been described to me, an act of pure and absolute willworking feels like a cathartic revelation once discovered."&nbsp; The Professor had plenty other options and considerations; she just figured that this was the most likely.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>MoonWolf</strong> on <strong>08-03-2023, 03:41:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/evilbabes/images/1/17/Psi_7.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20190509172106)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Library<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Open<hr><br>Scarlet is sitting at a table, writing down notes for some of her classes. The snakes on her head are napping as she goes through the notes. She gets up to stretch and move around a little bit. She goes into the stacks to see if there are any books about gorgons like her. A book catches her eye and she grabs it. Its on a different subject but it interests her anyway. She goes back to the table with the book and flips through it. She loses herself in the book.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>shengami</strong> on <strong>12-03-2023, 11:27:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://i.imgur.com/CbThKQ5.jpg)</div><hr><strong>Location</strong>: Introduction to Plants and Junk<br><strong>Tagging</strong>: Tara, OPEN<hr>Nyx actually goggled at her far more liberated friend. They ought to have expected, a few days into semester now, that Tara would do something crass. They still had trouble understanding if it was some type of cry for attention or just the way the walker was. A second later, flush slowly crawling back down her face, they rolled their eyes. They'd get used to it eventually. Tara was good people, chill about Nyx's identity and face slipping, and not too hard on the eyes, they guessed. They suspected the reason Tara's sexual innuendo got to them so thoroughly was that such thoughts rarely occurred to them. It was a stone fact, Nyx had enough issues trying to figure out their own stuff. They didn't need someone else's stuff mixed in.<br><br>Their eyes roamed the classroom as Tara collected her tithe of titters. They moved over to the pots as well and took one, <strong>"And about the only pot either of us has ever handled was the type which needed rolling paper, no doubt."</strong> They giggle and then wrote on the pot- D.M. They set it down and then looked to where the potting soil was sitting. They tapped Tara's shoulder and pointed at it, <strong>"Looks like time to get dirty, eh?"</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Captain Whitebread</strong> on <strong>12-03-2023, 19:26:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/28800000/Theo-Theodoridis-theo-theodoridis-28882561-772-514.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Introduction to The Study of <del>Poisonous and Dangerous</del> Plants<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> Students<br><br>"If you knew everything already, you wouldn't need to be here, now would you?" Randy said, in response to Nyx's comment.&nbsp; "A plant you might find interesting is the Boquila trifoliolata.&nbsp; It's South American and it can mimic the leaf shape, size, and even color of more than a dozen other plants.&nbsp; No one has been able to figure out how it does it."<br><br>He looked at the rest of the class.&nbsp; "This is the first day and I don't want to overwhelm you.&nbsp; You've got your homework assignment and there will be a test in the next class but it's not rocket science.&nbsp; You know that the plant you grow this semester will be part of your final grade.&nbsp; You will get your hands dirty.&nbsp; I will have the seeds you requested by the end of the week; I would have said next class but some of you have chosen some exotic plants, so it may take a little longer.&nbsp; For the rest of our time, I think we should have a little fun.&nbsp; Since this is a class dedicated to poisonous and dangerous plants, let's see what you know already."<br><br>Randy grinned.&nbsp; The new students were always the most fun.<br><br>"What is a toadstool better know as?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Nevermore Main Thread</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Captain Whitebread</strong> on <strong>13-03-2023, 04:22:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatright">(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTIyNDQ4NzAxOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMzU0OTI5MQ@@._V1_.jpg)</div><strong>Location:</strong> Laertes Hall<br><strong>Tagging:</strong> All<br><br>"Good evening, Dr DuQuesne," Liam said, trying and failing in his attempt to not butcher a name that was decidedly not Irish.&nbsp; "If there was anything I could ask for, it would be some decent music.&nbsp; Got any Dropkick Murphy or Tokyo Hotel?" He chuckled. "Didn't think so.&nbsp; And don't worry," he added, tugging at the iron linked chain around his wrist.&nbsp; "I'm shackled.&nbsp; Any young lady I encounter, I will have to charm without using Selkie glamer.&nbsp; You'll know it's come off if all the werewolves start howling.&nbsp; Wouldn't want that, now would we?&nbsp; I'm a fast swimmer but on land I figure the football team can outrun me and I don't want to be their tackling dummy, now do I?"<br><br>Liam, being a Selkie, was fae rather than a lycanthrope. The silver chains he was wearing would not affect him but the cold iron would, restraining his natural magic.&nbsp; It was, the headmistress had explained, for his own good.&nbsp; They didn't want to have to explain to anyone, his parents or the school trustees, why the football team kept trying to beat him up.&nbsp; It would also prevent some unfortunate levels of fraternization with the female students.&nbsp; Realistically, he didn't mind.&nbsp; If he couldn't attract a girl without magic, he didn't want to attract one <em>with</em> magic.
			</dd>
		</dl>
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