auranet | [video]- A few days after Ben's speech

[A message from Lea appears on everyone's phones.]

So I was thinking... we don't know when more people are gonna turn up, but it's a pretty safe bet that eventually they will. And it's not super practical to have people walking around specifically looking for new arrivals all the time, or to throw a party and make a big speech every time new people show up.

So how about we set up a spot somewhere, like in the front entrance hall of the school, that's like an information booth? We could take turns manning it in case anyone turned up, and if anyone did, we could answer questions, hand out phones, try and explain the situation, stuff like that. We could maybe even print up some pamphlets or something that cover the information Ben went over in his speech, so we don't have to keep repeating the same basic stuff all the time. And to make sure people know where to go, we could hang a banner on the big 'Auradon Prep' sign; it's a big obvious landmark, so it'd be hard to miss, and the banner would serve double duty covering up the bottom part of the sign and making it seem less full of itself. What do you guys think?

Also, is it just me, or is everything way too... perfect, around here, appearance wise? And I mean like creepily perfect. Not just the grounds, but all the public areas, all the rooms I looked into before we were told which ones were off limits, everything.

There's nothing out of place that can't be explained by people just suddenly vanishing. No one's bed was unmade. No one's desk had just randomly accumulated stuff. The desks in the classrooms all look pretty much brand new. There's no cup rings on any of the tables, no fingerprints on the glass, no books in the library with dog-eared pages that I've seen, no random mysterious stain on the carpet that's probably been there forever, no scratches in the woodwork, nothing. What's up with that?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

hotheadwarmheart

I know what you mean there. You can really find friends where you least expect it sometimes. And it can be pretty surprising when someone shows you their true colors.

Like take Aeleus for example. The guy's like 6' 8", built like a brick wall, and doesn't tend to talk much. I mostly knew him as a palace guard as a kid, and let me tell you, he is super intimidating when you're under five feet tall. Now you'd think from that that he was just dumb muscle and probably kind of a standoffish jerk, right?

Well turns out he was one of Lord Ansem's personal apprentices, so he's actually pretty smart, and he's so quiet because he's just kind of awkward and shy. He also apparently enjoys baking, though that part I have to take Vexen's word for.

From:

mal_contented

She chuckled. "Never thought I'd see someone that would make Jay look small. Can't wait to see them together. Better yet, think he'd sit on Harry Hook for us," [she asked with a laugh.]

From:

hotheadwarmheart

Aeleus makes everyone look small by comparison. And none of Lord Ansem's other apprentices came up short in the height department either. Well, except for Ienzo, but he had a good excuse; he was like 10 years old at the time. Though he's still not that tall even now that he's grown up.

Though honestly if this Harry guy is being a pain, Aeleus is more like like to just pick him up and toss him out on his butt.

From:

mal_contented

"Now that I really want to see. And I've got the cash for front row seats."

From:

hotheadwarmheart

Same here. And it'll be nice to not be on the receiving end of it; him and Dilan were always tossing me and Isa out of the palace when we got caught sneaking around, which we did like, 3/4 of the time. We had a lot of fun though.

[Up until it stopped just being about a bit of fun adventure. But he's not about to go down that particular path.]

...You know, I don't think they ever did figure out how Isa and I were getting in. Wonder if our 'secret entrance' is still there?

Edited Date: 2022-12-14 02:51 am (UTC)

From:

mal_contented

"Yeah, somehow not comforted by the idea of someone being able to sneak in and out of castles at the moment," [she said, but she was clearly amused at the least.]

From:

hotheadwarmheart

Hey if it's any consolation, neither Isa or I'd be able to do it now; our entrance was too small for an adult to fit through. You might be able to make it, but it'd be a really tight fit.

From:

mal_contented

"Can't say it is that specific castle I am worried about at the moment," she said with a bit of a laugh.

From:

hotheadwarmheart

Well I don't think I'd have the B&E skills to sneak into the one around here either. I did figure out how to pick a lock but that was a long time ago. I haven't really had any use for it since, because for the longest time I've been able to teleport most place.

From:

mal_contented

"Teleport, huh? Sounds useful. Lock picking's not that hard though. Then again the locks in Auradon and on the Isle... are kind of pathetic, each for their own reasons. It was harder in other worlds."

From:

hotheadwarmheart

It is, believe me. I didn't do it too much back on the Voidtrecker because it was too crowded, but here, I find myself wanting to go strain back to my room or something, then realizing that I actually have to walk there. Not that I've got anything against walking, mind you, but the school's a pretty big place, and when you're on one side and your room's on the other... yeah.

From:

mal_contented

She laughed. "I should have you talk to FG when sh gets back. Five minutes with you and she'll no longer consider me a lazy child who relies on magic too much," [she teased with a smirk and a glimmer in her eyes.]

From:

hotheadwarmheart

[He laughs.]

Hey, I'm nothing compared to some people. At least I don't cast Float on myself so I don't have to actually walk when I can't teleport.

Though what's this FG got against magic anyway?

From:

mal_contented

"Float so you don't have to walk? Please tell me no one actually does that!" [she laughed, then considered.] "Well, okay, Genie, but for a while it took him actual effort to have legs. And Magic Carpet, I guess, but... I suspect that now that I think about it, I can come up with examples all day. So gonna skip that and jump to the question."

[A deep breath as she gathered her thoughts.]

"While good has used some magic in the past. Fairy Godmother herself, Flora Fauna and Merryweather, Merlin, and such... It is used far more often by evil. Or had been, before the barrier. FG's argument is that magic makes it too easy to just do whatever. That when you have to actually make an effort at something, you think about it, and maybe realize it is a bad idea and don't do it. Sure, magic is a tool... but she says that restraint is goodness." [She made a face.] "She says that when good says that magic isn't allowed, then you can tell who isn't being good by their use of magic." [Have an eye roll at that.]

"Magic artifacts especially, since anyone can use them... Like her wand, my mother's scepter, the talismans. Anyone can pick them up and use them for good or for evil. But she ways evil is more likely to do so."

From:

hotheadwarmheart

[Lea is silent for a long moment after hearing all that. He is extremely glad this is locked, because this way he doesn't feel the need to soften his language like he might if Ben were listening.]

...That is one of the stupidest, most backward-thinking arguments I've ever heard. I mean, I don't even freaking know where to start.

Yes, magic makes things easier, but so does literally every other advancement people have made ever. That's kind of the point of advancing; making people's lives easier and better. And if she thinks magic doesn't require effort, she can come talk to me, because I had to work my butt off to learn any magic besides fire, and before that to learn to actually control my fire magic. It can be every bit as demanding as physical work, especially if you do too much of it within a certain timeframe; everyone has their limits, and magical exhaustion is a real thing.

And restraint doesn't equal goodness; using the resources available to you- magical or otherwise- to help people who need it is goodness. Restraint is just common-freaking-sense, not to go completely overboard or run yourself into the ground doing whatever you're doing; it has nothing to do with good or bad.

And don't even get me started on being against magic things that anyone can pick up and use. For Light's sake, has literally no other world ever heard of magi-science or magi-tech?

From:

mal_contented

[Luckily for him, Mal is in her dorm room, and not at the castle. If she was at the castle, locked wouldn't matter much.]

"We don't have magi-science or magi-tech here," [Mal confirmed.] "As for the rest, when FG shows up, can I sit and watch as you say all of this to her directly? I'll bring popcorn."

From:

hotheadwarmheart

Gladly. Though I'd probably take the time to organize things a bit more before I did that; that little rant was kinda off the cuff. And it'd be even better if Vexen turned up, then we could sic him on her and both have popcorn while he gave her the lecture of her life.

[Lea sighs slightly, settling himself a bit before getting into explaining.]

Anyway, magi-science and magi-tech...

Most worlds I've been to- including this one, it seems- treat magic and science as two completely separate things, with science being natural and logical and magic being this weird, other supernatural force. But that's not how it is at all. Magic is just as much a part of the natural world as rocks, weather, plants, or animals, so there's no reason it can't and shouldn't be studied the same way you would geology, meteorology, botany, or zoology. Magic has rules, laws, classifications, limitations, and an internal logic with which it interacts with the rest of the world and other natural forces.

...And I think I accidentally quoted my middle school science textbook in there somewhere. Basically, magi-science strips away the mysticism from magic, and helps expand knowledge in general by making it so the vast majority of people aren't effectively locked out of a good chunk of it. It helps people understand magic, not just use it, so it's not this big mysterious thing to be intimidated by any more. It's just a part of life.

As for magi-tech or magical engineering, it's basically just applied magi-science. No offence to you or FG on this one, but using spellbooks and wands and things like that is super outdated where I'm from. Magi-tech combines the power and versatility of magic with the stability and reliability of technology to create something that's better and more efficient than either of them could be alone. Harnessed Thunder magic for cheap, clean electricity, stoves and heating systems that run on certain types of Fire spells, modified Blizzard magic devices for air conditioning and refrigeration, elevators that work using modified Float spells... Really, there's all kinds of applications, from small scale to huge.

I know the capitol's waterworks in particular were a big point of pride. The the magi-tech water purification system let it provide clean water to the whole city and its surrounding area without the need to keep replacing filters or adding a lot of chemicals, all the while using less than half the power of a non-magi-tech alternative. We went there on a school field trip once and saw it action; it was really cool.

Traditional spellcasting is still a thing too, of course, but it's all streamlined and standardized. No more little poems or silly-sounding context-sensitive spells required; most spells are just one or two word commands, and with enough practice you don't even need to verbalize them, just think them. Introductory spellcasting is actually an elective in most high schools, but with all the magi-tech around, most people don't need more than the few basic spells they'd learn there unless they planned to make a career out of some form of magical study.

So basically magic there is just... part of the world, not some game-breaking power only a few people have access to. And it could be the same way here, if people worked at it.

From:

mal_contented

[Excuse you, she was good at her so called silly little poems!]

"Well your best bet for any of that would be starting with Professor Yen Sid, but they you'd have an uphill battle against FG and the council. They've seen too much magic used for ill to fully trust it, no matter how regulated."

[Which did make it easy to manipulate Jane, though long term it was a pain in the neck to deal with now that she was trying to be good.]

From:

hotheadwarmheart

[Hey, he never said they didn't work. Just that they were outdated.]

Not surprised that Yen Sid would be the guy to talk to about something like this. If he's anything like the Master Yen Sid I know, he's probably that rare combination of super-smart and sensible. Most other geniuses I know tend be simultaneously brilliant academically and idiotic when it comes to things like common sense.

But yeah I figure it'd take some convincing. It'd basically be proposing a whole new way of thinking about magic and its relation to the rest of the world rather than just some new law or something, so there'd be bound to be resistance for a bunch of different reasons.

From:

mal_contented

"I can think of at least one more genius who has both brains and common sense. Sadly he lacks power and musculature, so most of his common sense comes down to finding the best ways to hide." [She was working on that. After all, he'd be the senior VK in school soon, he had to keep up their rep.]

From:

hotheadwarmheart

If he's quick on his feet, I could probably teach him a few things, assuming he turns up. There's more to fighting than just raw power, after all, and being light and speedy can actually be an advantage sometimes.