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A selection of letters and diary entries from R. Schoonraad, socialite extraordinaire!


Mikka

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I just reread a bit and came across a passage "He didn’t know me well enough to ‘hate’ me. So I said maybe we should get to know each other" :P

 

Well, she is tempting fate a bit hehe

 

 

Newest letter is really sweet too, I like the description of the wedding :)

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Poor Tabin. I didn't spend too much time on him, as I just needed to raise him so I could get an adventure I wanted ready- so I just sort of shrugged and figured he couldprobably be won over with a semi-logical argument. Tabin seems to like things rational, until you slight him, and then you are totally doomed by his evil mastermind powers. However, as the dislike was for her family (double hit from the traitors background), I figured that she hadn't slighted him enough for him to hold on to it. Hopefully.

 

Also, another reason why the food at the Academagia sucks: it separates it even more from Harry Potter! (Not that I don't think Academagia is already very distant from it, mind you.) Seems like there was constantly good food in those books... hm.

 

 

I apologize for the delay on this. Renate was forced to take a back seat to what we will call ‘Mikka’s adventures in portrait editing!’ rather then the truth, which is more like, ‘OMG ART HATE CANNOT DO WHY WHY WHY CRUEL WORLD WTF I SHOULD JUST COPY AND PASTE AND WHISTLE INNOCENTLY IF ANYONE ASKS UGH HARRD THIS LOOKS SO BAD- OMG GIMP DID YOU JUST FREEZE ON ME?!!!?!! GI+ASIJHDAHDLKhfiueh!!’, only there were a few more swear words.

 

Also, another run through of Mass Effect II and playing the Lone Wolf choose your own adventure series. Yup. Do you know that you can play it online? Tis fun. Choose Your Own Adventure games are so nice when you don’t actually have to flip pages.

 

Prof von Rupprecht to 10. Bwhaha. Try to give me detention again, good sir, I dare you! ...actually, forget that. A hem.

 

Week Seventeen

Random Event Student – Neta 1, success (Glamour Methods)

Random Event Common Room 1, success (Bluff)

Random Event Professor Office 1, success (Botany/Tactics)

Random Event Spellcasting 10, success (Concentration/Dedication)

Random Event Duel 7, failure (Awareness suc/Lie fail)

Random Event Rumor 6, success (Character Study fail/Command suc)

Random Event Lake 6, success (Diplomacy)

Random Event Animal Pen 1, success (Perception fail/Manipulation suc)

Random Event Health and Illness 2, auto ‘success’ (Don’t scratch)

Gained Eye for Dreams (+1 Creativity and Glamour Methods)

Gained Wakefulness (+1 Concentration and Danger Sense)

 

 

Itinera Hionosi 1658, morning

Dear Diary,

 

I... feel really bad for Neta. I met her yesterday, and I didn’t even recognize her. We sleep in the same room, so I’ve seen her sloppy without her hair combed and with sleep-fuzz in her eyes and wearing just a boring nightgown. Yet today, I saw her, and she just- was off. She looked like any other girl I’ve ever seen. Like, well, me or Amada instead of like her and Sima and Emilia. ‘Pretty’, but just ‘pretty’. Not insanely-oh-wow-gosh pretty. She even had a pimple, despite how careful all us girls are with skincare… and how careful we are with glamour.

 

Still, it was just one pimple! One pimple and one not-the-best day.

 

Yet Neta she was terrified someone had cursed her, and she thought she looked horrible and wrong.

 

Then today, I went to talk to her, and she told me she was annoyed and disgusted with the small army of boys that were following her around and wanted to be rid of them. I promised I’d help, of course.

 

It’s so strange. They stick to her like glue, but she was alone that time in the library. Often when we’re out eating or something, there’s usually some guys following us and staring at her. Even Durand and Rui do it sometimes, and neither of them seem to be well, that close to her, or to be the kind of guys who just stop and drool.

 

I understand that it must be really annoying. But even understanding that… I still envy her, just a little bit. I wish I had problems more like hers and less ‘I just melted all these candlestick-holders and Mother is going to kill me if she hears about this’…

 

I need to go get ready to visit the oracle now, too. I’m not really looking forward to it…

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

3 Hionosi 1658, evening

Dear Diary,

 

Rui asked for my help in finding out whose been messing with his ‘stuff’ today. When Emilia heard, she told me I should refuse, but I don’t really see why. It was too late, anyway, I already had told Rui I would help. Rui’s always really nice to me, but… supposedly, he’s not always that nice to everyone else… if I believe the rumors. And I try not to! Rumors just get you in trouble and make everyone sad. But when the rumors come from Emilia and everyone, it gets a bit harder to not believe them.

 

Still, he said he’d never let anything happen to me. He wouldn’t lie, right?

 

I’m more worried about what happened later. When I was walking back to the dorms tonight, Gwendy Zuyder from Avila challenged me to a duel. We’ve barely even spoken! I’m not sure what I did to offend her. I tried to explain that I’m not really much for dueling, especially when I don’t know what the reason is for it, but she didn’t care. She called me a coward, and a bunch of people boo’ed me.

 

It was really mean. I still feel a tiny bit upset.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

4 Hionosi 1658, late evening

(An attempt at journalism (which is totally different then gossip and rumor spreading, really), submitted for Rikidis’s newsprint:)

Dueling ‘heartthrob’ heartbroken?

 

I saw Vincent Warrender asked Aveline Cincebeaux, Aranaz most critical busybody, out to dinner, and she lived up to her reputation! Aveline was quick to point out his faults and turn him down, leaving him standing alone. Does Aveline have any idea what she’ll be missing? Some might say that she’s the luckiest girl in the school to have his affection, but now she’ll have to deal with the enemies she naturally attracts, those with a crush on Vincent, and everyone angry that she dared turn him down!

 

Will Vincent try to win Aveline over? Or is there room for another in his heart?

 

 

5 Hinosi 1658, afternoon

Dear Diary,

 

Apparently Acadia Lake freezes up on its own at times. Just… it’ll be a lake. Water, ripples. Then it won’t. It’ll be frozen ice.

 

What if someone was swimming when it froze?

 

I won’t go there. Not at all.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

7 Hionosi 1658, early night

Dear Diary,

 

The food here is just so horrible! I ended up skipping the official dinner, going down to the market and buying some vegetables, and then making myself some soup. My studies in cooking so far seem to be going well! I think. It was more edible then what’s served in the Great Hall, at least, which was what I was aiming for. I suppose I’ll have to try feeding others before I can decide whether or not I’m any good at cooking, though I want a bit more practice first.

 

Diantha seemed pretty annoyed. I suppose because there was no meat in the soup for her to eat. She then got all huffy at me.. sometimes I wish I had a more reasonable familiar.

 

But I do love Diantha. Really!

 

I grabbed raw steak for her, even, when I was running from an escaped tiger. That seemed to cheer her up a bit, at least. I think the tiger gets better food then we do, though, after looking at the quality of that meat…

 

I wonder if the tiger was someone’s familiar? If so, they should really tell it to stop trying to eat their fellow students. At least Diantha only tries to eat other students familiars, not the other students themselves!

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

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  • 3 weeks later...

Renate fell in to a deep pause here due to my confusion about something. See, I started the Triplets adventure this week. The problem is, having started it, there’s an alarm and rawr, scary! Then… the adventure breaks (and Renate can’t do the second (well, third) step anyway). I went back on forth on thus then leaving the part of the adventure out of this week and avoiding mentioning until I can finally complete the full thing or doing what I ended up doing, before finally making my choice.

 

For the purpose of this roleplay, I’m going with the alarm rang, and Renate did stuff with her new friends (??)! Then the alarm stopped. Surely whoever caused the alarm to ring will never be back again, right? Academagia has everything under control, sha-la-la. Right?! As I haven’t done the adventure before, I don’t really know how it works, but I figure it probably involves a certain thief, duels, pirates, and a floating island, and it probably makes sense for whoever set off the alarm to come back (as it was probably said thief or pirates, honestly). If it doesn’t? Well, then I’ll make up something clever. Or at least half-clever. Yeah!

 

In any case, all my debate over that slowed her down, as I said above. I want to finish Renate soon so I can get a beta of A and M (new students, new traumas!) released ASAP after the modbase3 is released. Though they’re actually more complete then Renate is. Heh.

 

In other news, four professors and two students to 10. Bwhahaha. ...I've barely even started, huh. ;_;

 

 

Week Eighteen

Random Event Forest 14, failure (Observation success/Navigation failure)

Random Event Thieves Guild 11, success (Persuasion)

Random Event Hedi Common Room 8, success (Glamour Spells)

Random Event Creature, auto ‘success’ (Jump onto your chair and scream like a baby)

Random Event Homework 7, auto ‘success’ (Research/Take it to professor)

Reload for adventure, but failed again

Morvidus Merit on the 8th

Gained Verbal Artistry (+1 Persuasion and Rhetoric)

(Botany 10 Hionosi claims it increased Cryptology maximum, but I’m unsure if that actually happened and it’s just a display bug that claims it can’t be raised or if it’s a dirty evil lie)

 

 

9 Hionosi 1658, late evening

Dear Diary,

 

I twisted my ankle today, chasing a soldier through the forest. It really hurt! The nurses at the infirmary were able to basically fix it right up, but getting from the forest to the infirmary was incredibly painful. I kept wanting to just lie down and cry for hours. There should be a better way for us students to get nurses to us if we need them.

 

…Like sending our familiars or casting wizard lights repeatedly. I bet those would have worked.

 

Why didn’t I think of that while I was hobbling around on a twisted ankle? I am so foolish sometimes!

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

11 Hinosi, late evening

Dear Diary,

 

Today has been the scariest day of my life. Even worse then what happened that day.

 

Today, the Academagia was attacked. Us students- save for a select few, mostly the upperclassmen, who are helping with the defense- were basically told to continue on as though nothing had happened. We’re even still expected to attend classes, just with the wrong Professors or even just staff members- sometimes even other students, even, like for Music today. As they needed Professor Chastellain for… something or other, Music class was ‘taught’ by a fourth year student who mostly just had us play some songs repeatedly. The whole thing just fells so wrong: we know that an attack was happening, but we were all stuck in the main building (moving Botany, and I guess probably Athletics and Zoology inside, too) so that we couldn’t even figure out how everyone was doing, who was attacking, or really, what was happening at all.

 

And they kept trying to make us go to class like normal, so we couldn’t even search out our friends if we didn’t have class with them. It was super-scary tension.

 

Then Sima came over and asked me to help her, Tabin (the glarey boy from Aranaz, who doesn’t glare all that much anymore), and Magsa Nembo from Durand (I don’t know him that well) find a wizard in the woods. The teachers had apparently told them to do so and I got recruited to come along, too.

 

It sounded… really scary, actually, but I agreed to help. I was so curious about what was happening that it outweighed my fear. In the end, Sima and I slipped out the woods and found the mysterious wizard… and got in a bit of trouble, too. We’re both okay, though, and got back to the main building alright. Now, I guess, we should find Tabin and Magsa and the professor they’re reporting to, but as we’re not allowed to go even to other common rooms (the Professor’s upped the protection spells on the towers, and say that if they allowed us students in to the other common rooms, we’d inevitably want to go to our friends bedrooms and stuff like always (we’re not supposed to do that, but we do it anyways), and the protection spells really wouldn’t like that now). So that’ll have to wait for tomorrow morning? Though I hope this is all done by then….

 

It seems that for now, we’re sort of on a soft curfew. We’re not allowed to go down to Mineta, and we’re not allowed to go from building to building without an escort. Staff members or a trusted fifth or fourth year student are doing the escorting, and they make a sweep of the main building, the two lecture halls, the two theatres, and the indoor gym every three or so hours, then of course the campus towers and back.

 

I haven’t seen Durand today- he didn’t come to Botany, but a lot of people missed it, as Professor Vickery was pretty distracted and finding the room where the class was being held was hard. I hope he’s okay. We’re supposed to eat our meals in our collage rather then in the Great Hall, too, so I couldn’t even look for him at dinner.

 

For now, I’m staying in my room. Sima says we could try a glamour to get Tabin or Magsa’s attention, but as the Professors are using various spells to signal each other, I don’t think it’s the best idea.

 

It seems things are getting strange without the Professors, too. When I went to go see if I could find something to feed Diantha, there was a lonely ghost singing in our common room. She was so beautiful, but she seemed so sad. But she faded soon after her song ended.

 

Sigilis thinks I must have just imagined it, but I know what I saw. And I definitely saw that ghost.

 

I want to sit in my room and just wait for everything to be over.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

12 Hinosi, very early morning

Dear Diary,

 

I knew it! Everything is back to normal this morning. From what we’ve heard, apparently the whole thing was all about pirates or thieves or something. Nothing too unusual. There were pirates attacking the day that I arrived at school, if I think back. And the Academagia professors took care of that right quick.

 

I’m glad I won’t have to write Mother a sad letter about how scary things are happening. I’d rather write about what’s going on. Regent Piaxenza has assigned me to find out why Regent Briardi and Regent von Rupprecht are always quarreling, and I’m going to do that! I don’t know Regent Briardi besides that she’s smart and pretty, but Regent von Rupprecht has always been- well, an interesting teacher! They’re both supposedly really good teachers and regents for the students in the house, so I hope it’s not anything too serious.

 

Of course, considering that they are such good teachers, it probably is something serious. Still, I bet Pregent Piaxenza can figure out how to calm them down. He’s really good at making everything reasonable. And telling me that my nightmares are okay. I like that.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

13 Hionosi, early night

Dear Diary,

 

I really don’t like this Trial thing at ALL.

 

But, I can’t tell anyone! Even you, diary! He said I would be terminated from the Academagia, and that would be really, really, really bad. Mother would have to put in a lot of work to try and keep me in it, and I’m sure she would be successful, but it would be so embarrassing for her and such a disaster for me, and…

 

I just don’t know what to do at all! Well, actually, I do know what to do. Blackmail is part of how courts work, even if I think it’s a bit icky. It just… seems like I should be the one blackmailing, in this case, if blackmailing has to happen.

 

Which it shouldn’t! Yet it does, apparently…

 

Ooo, it just makes me so mad and confused. I never would have agreed to be ‘Innocence’ if I knew it would lead to someone making threats like that! Thankfully, the trial is going to be delayed so I have time to consider my options. Oh, and so, um, the couple can… I don’t know, actually. The man wanted to delay it, maybe so he can talk to the lady some more?

 

At least Regent Piaxenza is there. If he can navigate the confusing trials, I’m more confident that he can surely make Regent Briardi and Regent von Rupprecht get along again. Ulivia says they were fighting about Regent von Rupprecht’s status and how he got it- supposedly, Regent Briardi called him a disgrace! I think that’s surely an exaggeration, but… well, I know people say a lot of things they don’t really mean in anger.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

14 Hionosi, late evening

Dear Mother,

 

It’s been quite an eventful two weeks! I caught a thief, was challenged to a duel, twisted my ankle, went to the Court of Grace, made a ghost smile, maybe almost saw pirates (I think they were pirates?), ran from a tiger, researched Diantha, learned a bit more about my Professors… just this morning, I had a fight with Neta, even. Don’t worry, we made up right after!

 

She’s been using glamour to charm some of the boys in this year. I really don’t think that’s fair of her at all, but I wasn’t able to convince her of that. I’ll have to try again tomorrow. Right now, I’m just a bit angry. I know if I someone used a glamour spell on me to make them like me, I’d feel grossed out and really, really, really mad when I found out.

 

We were fighting in our room, so Sima then asked me why I was studying Glamour if I didn’t want to attract boys with it. I had to agree that I suppose making people like you more is a big part of Glamour. I use Glamour to hide pimples and sunburns and to make sure my jewelry is always shining and my shoes are clean, but… well, I just feel like that’s different then directly casting a glamour charm on a boy. It was hard to express that to Neta and Sima, though. I need to find a different way to frame that argument. I’m sure I’ll have one by the next time I write you a letter though, so don’t worry!

 

Actually, don’t worry about anything! Things have been very well. Some days I felt scared and angry, but I think I’ve really adjusted to school life. Of course, I eagerly await going home and actually having yummy food and my sheets turned down and my clothes laundered for me and being with you, but I do have a lot of fun.

 

And I’m learning too, of course. I’ve been learning how to speak better from grammar and rhetoric, but I’ve done a bit of study of it on my own, as well. I think I’ve become really persuasive! After I’m done with that, I want to do more thorough study of Heraldry. Oh, and I know they do horse riding down in the city, I would love to go try that…

 

That’s the only problem I have. I’m so busy! There’s never enough time for all the things I want to do.

 

I wish I could talk to you about it all. Letters seem so formal and cold, even though we’re learning in calligraphy that it doesn’t always have to be the case.

 

I miss you.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

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Or you can assume Renate is...

i) Delusional

ii) Bad at keeping track of time

 

Or finally...

 

iii) Professor Knoht managed to screw up time itself while attempting to test her theory of ticking clock's effect on sonic Incantation

 

I am betting that if Renate excels at Calligraphy, she will invent a new, stylized style of writing that involves adding hearts and bubbles to every letter :wub:

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Hah! All those excuses work too, actually.

 

I like to think that Renate writes a bit too large, and is one of those person, who, say, when she's making a g or p (...I don't know if Academagia uses the ABC alphabet, but eh, whatever the similar shapes are) makes those huge bubbles rather then simple ovals. She also probably likes to put two little marks on top of her y's and u's, so they look like smiley faces. I imagine Professor von Rupprecht very much does not approve. >.>

 

 

Odd thing I noticed: none of the members of Renate’s clique besides herself have any skill in Athletics (and she doesn’t have much). Seriously. Rui hasn’t even picked up a bit of competition or anything. This is a very sedated clique, apparently. Not much activity.

 

 

Week Nineteen

Random Event Garden 7, failure (Botany suc/Dedication fail)

Random Event Foraging 9, failure (Observation suc/Acrobatic fail)

Random Event Common Room 8, success (Observation fail/Oratory success)

Random Event Rumor 13, success maybe? (I got skill ups…) (Sleuthing fail?/Gossip suc?)

Random Event Tavern 16, success (Observation fail/Persuasion suc)

Random Event Physical Activity 2, default ‘success’ (..Claim you never learned how to swim)

Random Event Botany 1, default ‘success’ (Observation suc/Don’t resist)

Morvidus Merit on 16th

+1 Fitness from running crippling routes, yeah! That sort of thing never happens for me: I generally had both Kay and Ceyn run one just before resting (and Ceyn did a lot of resting...), but never got a attribute up- then Renate gets one on her like, second route run. How does that happen? Crazy.

 

 

15 Hionosi, midafternoon

Dear Diary,

 

A cruel hedge attacked me, but I was the one who got in trouble, not it! Sometimes, the gardeners here aren’t fair at all. Then I fell in this huge hole and twisted my ankle AGAIN. I wish they would better mark areas as being completely unsafe and likely to end in pain. There should be huge signs. Perhaps a blockade of sorts, too. That’s what we’d do back home when the mountain paths are unsafe.

 

I found some pretty flowers, though- as this time I was smart enough to send Diantha for help while I just waited, so I didn’t have much else to do but play in the grass. The flowers I found are a soft yellow, and smell sweet. I don’t remember what exactly they are, but I think I’ve seen pictures of them in our textbooks. They’re good for potion-making of some sort.

 

I’ll ask Emilia if she wants them, if I can remember to do so. She says making potions is like making perfumes- actually, she says they’re the same thing. Sort of. It was a bit confusing to me.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

17 Hionosi, late evening

Dear Diary,

 

I ran alllll around the campus. Really far. My legs are all cramped and I feel like I’m dying, especially as I had to stop to give a lecture on teasing and bribing innocents with evil water, but I think I’m a lot faster now! Just, well, dying.

 

I sort of feel dizzy, but am bit too keyed up to sleep…

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

18 Hionosi, night

Dear Diary,

 

FREE GLASS OF WINE FOR ME TONIGHT! A full glass! At one of the taverns down in Mineta!

 

It tasted so… well, bitterish! I thought it would taste more like grape, but instead it made my mouth pucker like a lemon. A little taste of it is nice, but the full glass wasn't really as neat as I thought it would be. Still, I got to drink a full glass! It was exciting, even if it didn't taste the best!

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

19 Hionosi, during Grammar

(A note continuously passed to one Sigilis du Sonmeil that keeps being passed back without any writing in return:)

No, I really do appreciate your offer! It was really kind of you!

 

Please don’t be mad at me! :(

 

Don’t listen to Everwine too much. He’s nice, but he sort of just says what comes in one ear without thinking about it too closely. I can’t believe he’s made such a silly thing in to a big scandal, it’s really immature.

 

I promise that if I ever want to learn to swim, I’ll ask you, Sigilis! :) I’m sure you’d be the best teacher!

 

You know how I really overworked myself running earlier this week. With that and all the violin practice I’ve been doing, I just don’t think I have the time to spend trying to learn swimming, too. But if I ever want to learn it, I’ll ask you if you have the time for me still! I promise!

 

Okay, I know how to swim a bit It’s not exactly that I can’t swim, but while glamour could make my robes not look wet, they’d still fell wet and it I really just don’t like water

 

(A bunch of ink blots.)

 

Can we please talk about this? I hate it when you’re not talking to me! It makes the room really uncomfortable.

 

Sigilis, please talk to me after class. :( :(

 

Please!

 

 

21 Hionosi, evening

Dear Diary,

 

Emilia needed some paradise blossoms for a potion she was working on. It was a bit confusing, but I think I managed to help her out. With Sigilis not talking to me, and Neta not listening to me when I’ve been arguing about it being morally wrong to charm boys with glamour spells, being helpful means a lot. I just feel a bit down, I think.

 

To top it off, I read this really horrible story about how in high society you should marry rich and then abandon the rich spouse once you had kids because the spouse is nothing and it was really depressing and not romantic at all.

 

I don’t want to do that when I get married! I want a nice, sweet relationship where no one’s heart gets broken.

 

An arranged marriage is fine, because I’m sure I can grow to love them. But to marry someone you can walk away with without feeling any emotion… that’s too lonely. I want it to be like how it was for mother and father.

 

I just don’t want to die after the one I love does, though, either. That hurts too much.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

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Cheated today, by checking the wiki about Society skills (...it was for a good cause! I wanted to see if the Hedi skill was fully filled in on the wikia!), and then realized I have never picked up Minetean Swagger on a character. Who do I have to punch to get it, I wonder? Hmph. Not that it really makes sense for Renate to have it, of course. The idea of her swaggering around is cute, but she’d be really bad at it.

 

Not really using many reloads in this playthrough.

 

 

Week Twenty

Random Event Library 7, success (Library Knowledge/Composure)

Random Event Awesome Community 02, success (Persuasion)

Random Event City Street 5, failure (Observation/Diplomacy)

Random Event Duel 10, success (Passion)

Random Event Lake 2, success (Observation/Running)

Merit to Morvidus on the 27th

Gained Linguistic Competence (+2 Grammar parent skill)

Gained Long Strides (+1 Running rolls)

 

 

23 Hionosi, just before dinner

Dear Diary,

 

I went riding today, at the Chyte Fields. I felt a bit out of practice, but I won a hundred pims for my performance, so I guess I wasn’t as out of practice as I thought I was! Of course, I didn’t get first place: not that it was a real race, it was mostly just other students from Academagia and nearby academies competing with me. Still, I was honored by the attention paid to me.

 

I’ll have to go back soon and see if I can do even better next time! Exciting!

 

I was told that I should consider studying other languages in order to understand Grammar better. That seems a bit round-about to me, but I suppose it makes sense. None of my friends are really good with languages, though. Maybe I should seek out some students that I know speak another native tongue.

 

Maybe Noemia? I know she’s from Motown, but I’ve never heard her speak anything but Elumium. I guess I’ll have to ask her.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

25 Hionosi, early night

Dear Diary,

 

Today was horrible. I was challenged to a dare by Corradin that nearly got me put in jail!

 

I think I’ll stop listening to dares from now on. Not worth the trouble. That was too scary for me.

 

The whole day was just scary, in truth. I felt this all-consuming need to skip class to investigate Diantha’s species more. I know I’ve been meaning to do that for a while, but it just seemed like today I absolutely had to know more information! I couldn’t think of anything else to do but that. Writing it down makes everything seem silly, though, and it’s not like I learned anything. All I got was a door slammed in my face.

 

Which all lead to me going out to the tavern with Corradin, and then following his dumb dare. At least he was sorry! Well, sort of. With Corradin, it’s hard to tell. He didn’t actually say he was sorry, but he looked a bit apologetic.

 

Still I think from now on I’m only going to hang out with nice boys. Ones like him are more trouble then they’re worth, even if he’s a noble and rich. Noble, rich, and nice is better. Hmph!

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

28 Hionosi, afternoon

Dear Diary,

 

The lake attacked me again today.

 

I wish it was a lot smaller so I never had to go near it, ever-ever.

 

Signed,

~Renate

 

 

28 Hionosi, late evening

Dearest Mother,

 

I am so sorry!

 

I can’t believe I ended my last letter so rudely. I suppose that I have been distracted and befuddled by all the magical things happened around me, but that’s no excuse for my improperty. I’m terribly sorry. It’s certainly not the fault of my calligraphy classes: Professor von Rupprecht is very dedicated in to teaching us everything he can. Rather, it was my own foolishness. I simply wasn’t thinking.

 

To make up for it, I’ve been in a state of learning since then… yet I made another mistake: I saw a handkerchief dropped in front of me, but I could not return it. My attempts at contacting the lady who let the item go left me nowhere: she brushed me off and would not listen, and I deemed it rude to follow her in order to beg her to accept her item. So now I have an embroidered handkerchief (the lettering is U.F., I’m uncertain what the symbol is meant to be) and nothing to do with it. It feels wrong to keep something so personal, but it seems even ruder to throw it away. I’m at a loss on what to do!

 

I’ve been doing well in other events. I finally managed to convince Neta of my idea: I will fabricate a secret admirer for her, that she can place her attentions on, and hopefully by doing so, she will discourage all the boys who like her and cause them to find a different girl to like rather then her having to straight to their faces turn them down and break their hearts when they only like her because she enchanted them to do so. It’s a bit convoluted, but I think it’ll work. I wish she could just simply explain “You are under a Glamour”, but she’s cast it so many times that their response is more likely to be “But I don’t mind, I’ve loved you forever!”

 

I’m really a bit disappointed in her, though I know I should be more understanding when it comes to a friend. But I just keep thinking about how horrible it would feel to have a crush and be so fond of someone, and then have it snapped around when you’re informed that you only like them because of magic.

 

It puts it in to perspective, why a certain school of magic was banned. If you can use Glamour to make someone like you, what can you use Mastery to do? I shudder to think of it. Durand could probably give me all sorts of horrible examples from history, but I think, “Really mean and nasty stuff” things is an answer enough for me.

 

Oh, I also helped a petition on how the Academagia should ban dueling get a bunch of signatures. I don’t think that’ll ever happen: certainly, magical dueling is much safer then most dueling (well, cooking dueling is probably safer, but fencing is so scary!), so I’m sure the faculty would much rather we stuck to the first. But hopefully it’ll make a few people rethink their violent ways, which was what I wish for.

 

I’m sorry, this letter is a bit scattered, isn’t it? It’s a bit hard to think: something happened earlier that made me a bit sad. Not anything major, though! So I’ll write about happy things to get over it!

 

I’ve been trying to make more friends with well, all the people I meet! There’s Leopold Rassent, for instance. He’s in Collage Hedi, too. He’s a bit odd: he doesn’t like to talk about himself, not even to say where he’s from, and I can’t place his accent. But he’s kind, though he has a tendency to be overly curious. There’s also Noemia Falcon y Paredes. She’s really sweet, but really jumpy. Then there’s Oribel Sidot from Avila… did I write about her before? I met her on the day I arrived: we shared the same carriage. She talked about looking for ghosts. She’s a bit spooky, but she’s nice, too.

 

I also learned to speak a bit of Bassan this week! It’s pretty, though, but not as pretty as Merilien. I’ve been trying to practice languages when I play the violin: I make up silly songs and sing them as I play. It means I don’t play as well, but it means I’m working in a bunch of stuff I want to do at once and not wasting time, so I think that’s okay.

 

I should end this letter now before I forget the most important part:

 

I love you! I love you! I love you!

 

I’m thinking of you and home. I hope all is well.

 

So much love,

~ Renate

 

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Week Twenty-One

Random Event Student – Marc, failure (Climb)

Random Event Foraging 3, success (Endurance)

Random Event Rumor 12, success (Sleuthing/Persuasion)

Morvidus Merit on the 7th

Gained Athletic (Fitness +1)

Gained Courtly Instincts (+1 Courtly Fashion, Court Hairstyles, and Cosmetics)

Gained +1 Insight (from successful adventuring)

 

 

1 Nivelos, afternoon

Dear Diary,

 

Amada said I seemed very athletic these days, after I nearly twisted my face off trying to do a cartwheel. I thought she was teasing, but she insists she was telling the truth. I’m not really sure about that myself, though. I know I’m better at such things now than I was earlier this year, but I don’t really think that means I’m athletic. More like ‘not quite as embarrassing as I once was’.

 

I think my Glamour studies for are almost done... at least, until next year. All I have left to learn for this year is Theory. It’s the most complicated part, but Professor Ringraeyer explains it quite well. Usually.

 

She hasn’t called me a thief in a long time now! I’m very happy.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

2 Nivelos, midafternoon

Dear Diary,

 

So much for being athletic. I fell out of a tree today, and broke poor Marc Surey’s arm while doing so. I feel really bad about it.

 

Thankfully, the nurses were able to help his arm and my ankle, but I got a bad warning not to do anything strenuous. Twisting my ankle three times in two weeks in a month is apparently really bad for the ‘muscle parts’ (I don’t remember what they’re actually called), and they say even though it’s healed by magic, if I keep doing stuff like that, it could reach the point where it won’t be able to be repaired at all. Magic can do almost anything, but if the physical strength isn’t there, it just isn’t, and as I’m still growing, they can’t cast something permanent on it or… something. The lecture was a bit confusing.

 

At least it was only twisted. Marc still has to wear a cast for a while: even with magical healing, apparently it’s still a bit weak so they want it to be constantly set in a certain position or… something.

 

I never got to ask Marc why he was being a tree, too. I’m still a bit curious, but I don’t think he’ll answer me if I ask. He was really annoyed.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

4 Nivelos, late evening

Dear Diary,

 

I was accepted as a student at Master Whip’s Studio! He said he thinks I did brilliantly, and is eager to start teaching me!

 

Yet in preparation for the examination, I cast the spell ‘Surefoot’, which would make me a more talented dancer. Which is the sort of thing Neta would do, which…

 

I just don’t know how I feel about it! Perhaps it was mean to do so, but I was wearing my Academagia uniform when I went down (I of course had to take off the actual robes for dancing as they’re too long to move truly freely in, but I’m pretty sure that’s allowed by the school dress code), so Master Whip was surely aware that I’m a student of the Academagia, right? I know it’s expected for us to use our spells to help with exams, but I’m uncertain if it’s fair to use them for exams not in Academagia.

 

…I really am happy to be accepted, though, so maybe I’ll just be a bit selfish and rejoice. Tomorrow, I can bemoan how I may have messed up.

 

Maybe. I can’t wait to go dance!

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

6 Nivelos, late night

Dear Diary,

 

Today was just so tiring.

 

I went out to Master Whip’s Studio for the first time this morning, and that was a lot of fun… though it took a lot of time! But then for the evening, I had to go finish my duties at the Court of Dreams. I suppose they had put it off long enough.

 

To make a silly story short, the silly man created a glamour of another to make the woman he loves jealous. Which… reminds me of my plans for Neta’s boy problems. I can’t say it’s wrong for him to do that, when I’m about to do something similar, can I? But she doesn’t want to date him after he lied to her, so if we said she should stay with him, wouldn’t it just make her miserable?

 

Justice Tejas, the… well, I shouldn't use that word. He thought I should try and persuade the Lady to give the Sir another chance. But I think it was better to say they should end it, because they can always restart it if she changes her mind and he’s still interested. If only one person in a relationship wants to be in the relationship, it’s no good at all.

 

You’ll end up like Oliva and Cyrus. Which is scary. And violent. But mostly scary.

 

We then had a lot of yummy food, and all was okay- mostly. I think I did a good job. I just hope I can avoid that Justice Tejas person from now on. I really don’t think I like him.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

7 Nivelos, evening

Dear Diary,

 

I can’t help daydreaming. I want to have an elegant, adult romance. Not like the couple yesterday, but more sweet and romantic. Where you go on picnics and get flowers everyday and expensive wines… so, maybe a bit like the couple from yesterday, but before he broke her heart.

 

But although there are some of the boys here that are really my friends, and some that are cute, and some that even fit both categories, they’re just not right! Rui only sees romance as a concept to tease girls about, and Durand only uses the word romantic to apply to history books.

 

I keep writing poetry, but none of it is perfect enough. Amada says it’s good, but Amada always says things like that. Even though I’ve pinned some up, no one seems to care too much about it. I want to write something brilliant, that everyone thinks of.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

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Awe, no way, Creme. :) I don't think Oliva is overly exaggerated- your events are great (though I haven't ran in to any of them yet, I don't think :(). She's just been weirdly 'mean' this gameplay. Generally, other students don't make enemies: Flore, Phillipe, and Joana occasionally get a few negatives, and the prankster types (Rui, Kurt, Vettor) a bit less, but I've rarely seen anything but PC vs NPC go down to -10. I've never seen it happen to the 'social butterfly' characters, who usually keep everyone (save for perhaps the PC) in the positives, or -2 at most.

 

Yet Oliva has four students at less then -5, and she and Honors *hate* each other. As I noted Cyrus flirting with Honors once, that amuses the heck out of me. She's just in a bad mood this play-through.

 

 

I pushed Renate to17 Vitality max for this week. I like doing that. >.> Means I don't have to rest for a long, long time.

 

Nice of the game to shove me in Vrenelle’s path so I have a reason for Renate to do her adventure. :D

 

Week Twenty-Two

Random Event Student – Hector, default ‘success’ (Running/’Exit 1’?)

Random Event Hedi 01, failure (Mimicry)

Random Event Tavern 14, success (Conversation/Persuasion)

Random Event Health and Illness 6, success (Concentration/Revision)

 

 

9 Nivelos, evening

Dear Diary,

 

I snuck in to the Imperial Palace today. I’d been there once before, when we were visiting my Aunt three Spring’s ago, but it was a bit different then. There was a large group, and it was almost like a tour.

 

This time, I crept in, all sneaky-like! It’s hard to say why: I don’t think it’s strictly prohibited for people to be in there (though I’m sure some places of the palace are blocked off), but Academagia students really aren’t wanted anywhere that isn’t the Academagia, especially us first years. Still, it seemed better to not be seen.

 

I wanted to look up some stuff, but I lost track of time. Still, I got to peek at part of the Tapestry Rooms before I ran away, and I saw the Sphinx!

 

It was really amazing, actually.

 

I hope in later years I’ll be able to go in there more often. I know some of the older students have passes that allow them to explore some places everyone else gets in trouble for being at…

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

11 Nivelos 1658, late night

Dear Diary,

 

Durand and I got the book he needs for the spell he’s thinking up! We had to meet a ghost pirate, but he wasn’t too scary: after I released him from a curse, he even thanked me. I wish regular pirates were so nice.

 

That’s pretty much as adventurous as I want anything to be, though: I was really nervous going down to find the tome. Hopefully the next few things we have to do to help him put together his spell will be a lot safer.

 

Durand and I are sharing the Ancient Tome I found: he lets me read it throughout the day, then I give it back to him during the evening so he can take it to his dorm to read in the morning and evening. I think that’s sweet of him. It’s interesting- it has some information on old magic. Not the bad sort of old magic, just old. I wish I knew more about Incantation so I could understand it better.

 

I tried singing with a bird today, but I didn’t do all that well. I guess wolves are more inclined for shared singing then birds are.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

12 Nivelos 1658

Dear Diary,

 

A bunch of boys from one of the local schools jutted out and left me to pick up their tab at the Roses of Coventia, one of my favorite restaurants! Very rude! Thankfully, I spoke to the owner, and he assured me that those boys have a long tab, and that he’ll remember their faces.

 

I will, too. That was really embarrassing. I actually think I had the money to cover everyone, but with each meal costing forty pims (plus some extra pims for drinks), that would have been almost six-hundred pims! Absolutely ridiculous to expect the girl you take out to pay that.

 

Alas, chivalry is dead! Deader then dead.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

13 Nivelos 1658, early afternoon

Dear Diary,

 

If a boy really wanted to court a girl properly, he should be kind and sweet and open the doors for her. He should also write her poetry, give her flowers and chocolates (and wine, too, if they’re old enough), and take her out to places she likes and ask about her feelings.

 

In turn, the girl should do the same. With some differences. But not too many.

 

I think.

 

Neta says I did a very good job writing her a love poem. Then she did this strange thing with her eyebrows and asked me if there were any boys that I liked, and said that she really does think Corradin is rather fond of me. Then she did another strange thing with her eyebrows but with a huge smile and rushed around reciting the poem to everyone who would listen.

 

I sort of wanted one of my poems to become popular, but not this one! I rhymed ‘sweet’ with ‘retreat’!

 

This is just so embarrassing. I feel ill…

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

13 Nivelos 1658, late afternoon

Dear Diary,

 

Not only embarrassment-ill, but food poisoning ill.

 

I’m really tempted to find if there’s somewhere in Mineta I can complain to about the quality of food. Isn’t there a law about food quality in resturaunts, like, the meat has to be salted if it’s so many days old? I don’t think Academagia follows that. It's not uncommon for a bunch of us to be sick for food poisoning.

 

I managed to get through my classes, at least, despite the pain.

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

 

14 Nivelos, evening

Dear Diary,

 

Poor Emilia! A few weeks ago, she couldn’t get Paradise Blossoms, then this week all of the Pradise Blossoms have been dying on her. I promised to help her get some herbs she needs to get them healthy again.

 

I thought maybe it would be better if once again she sneaked out and got more and let this batch, well, die- that’s what we usually do in Botany if we lose plants (well, sometimes Professor Vickery just fixes them for us). She says in later years Professor Vickery makes us nurse our old ones back to health, though, so this will be good practice. She says she’ll let me help, so I got her some herbs from Vrenelle.

 

I didn’t really know Vrenelle was that in to botany!

 

I had a prank played on me at the celebration just a bit. I managed to laugh it off, but it was again embarrassing. This hasn’t been a good week for my self-esteem, not at all.

 

I should write my letter to mother, but there’s something in the back of my head buzzing. Figuratively. I need to do something, I know it, but I just forget what. I should really write these things down so I don’t forget them...

 

Signed,

~ Renate

 

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... did you mindcontrol someone again Pudding? <_<

 

Errr, no. I have been bending reality via the Writer's Corner.

 

Didn't YOU make Eleni and her creepy staff came into existence via that way too? :rolleyes:

 

@Mikka: Olivia! Olivia!

Alas, chivalry is dead! Deader then dead.

That reminds me, wanna make that student-in-the-making of yours chivalrous? ;)

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On a slightly off-topic, I've always been curious about how you managed to figure out which Random Events you've gotten. Please tell how you got them! =D (I'm presuming it was by means of mods?)

As Legate said, it's a simple F12. :D it doesn't work during the character creation screen, but almost any other time in game, you can press it. Then, in the bottom left corner, it tells you your game's version number. When an event pops up (or you initiate an adventure- either works!), it'll tell you the name of the adventure or random event. Very helpful for bug reporting, too!

 

 

@Mikka: Olivia! Olivia!

Gah! I purposely misspelled so many names with Kay that now I can't get any of them right. (That's my story, and I'm sticking to it! >.>) Poor Girars is still the one that trips me off the most. Olivia should be an easy one, however, so I am ashamed of myself. Bad Mikka! XD

 

 

That reminds me, wanna make that student-in-the-making of yours chivalrous? ;)

Heheh. The way I'm doing this is I have four students who are being created, and they'll be released two then two (unless I get confused and end up doing it one by one, but I don't think that'll be necessary). The first two (who are near at least beta stage (save for the portraits, ugh, I hate portrait making because I AM HORRIBLE AT IT)- the other two are still in that 'vague plans in word documents' stage), there's, er, an extreme lack of chivalry. The second two are a bit more useful on the subject. :D

 

Because of those kids and my need to play a few rounds with the new DLC (>.> Darn you, video game, for being so addicting!), Renate is on a tiny bit of hiatus, or at least slow updates. I have around four weeks in advance written up, but I haven't played beyond that. I'll probably be switching to a once every three days sort of schedule for updates: I'll try to get one up later today.

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