Week 2.

[trustfelling]

WEEK 2 With the deaths of Sayaka Maizono and Mallick Scott the first week draws to a close. While you all have varying opinions on what happened and who was to blame, one thing's for sure: the Adjudicator isn't messing around. Saturday is given to regrouping and sleep; on Sunday morning the clock chimes as it always has, but at least there are no bodies to find today. It seems you're safe for now. The night before wasn't necessarily a peaceful one, however; you'll probably feel a bit groggy when you wake up, and it seems you've regained something that you didn't realize you'd lost... However, those weird dreams aren't the only new thing around here; those massive double doors on the southern wall of the foyer have opened up, leading down another hallway and ending in what looks like another corridor to the west. Go ahead and explore as much as you like; consider it your reward for a job well done. Or perhaps for just playing the game. COMPETITORS REMAINING: 28

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY

[OOC: Welcome to week two of Trustfell! Don't forget to save your threads for coins and the activity check, and don't forget to submit this week's activity check and memory regains!

If you'd like to get in contact with the Adjudicator, you can do so here!]

Comments

[glaciates]

Um.

[ummmmmmmmmmmm.]

Well, I'm sure I could probably be doing a lot worse. Maybe.

[hahahahahaha...........]

[fortunatedetective]

My grandfather used to say the best way to deal with one's weaknesses is facing them directly. This lodge isn't the best place to do it, but it's a good place to start as any.

[MAYBE WE NEED MORE OF ALIGULA'S PARTIES TO HEAL THESE WALLFLOWER SYNDROMES, BUDDY]

[glaciates]

Uh, yeah, I've heard something like that too. But it's kind of... different when it's social stuff.

[LOOK HE WILL TOTALLY BE FINE IN WAR when he goes back BUT SOCIAL SITUATIONS? NO THANKS. FACING THAT DIRECTLY ISN'T HAPPENING!!]

[fortunatedetective]

[Okay, if you say so! Naoto figures that, with your adult wisdom you know something she doesn't, and she isn't going to force the issue either way. In fact, she sympathizes with you about it]

Well it doesn't matter. Lacking skill in an aspect of life often means one's better at another aspect.

[glaciates]

["Adult wisdom" hahaha oh my god he still doesn't know what he's doing and he's 39 32!!]

Yeah. Equivalent Exchange. Most alchemists are really intelligent, so it's not exactly surprising I had to take a hit somewhere else.

["i'm hella smart but no one can tell because my social skills suck so badly" -isaac, probably]

[fortunatedetective]

I must have gotten the same equivalent exchange, then.

[does that mean naoto could be an alchemist???]

What matters is to do what one can with the cards one got dealt. What do you do for a living with alchemy, by the way?

[glaciates]

Oh, I uh, I work for the military. I'm a researcher.

[That's technically true! Very technically true. He looks pretty awkward about it though.]

[fortunatedetective]

[You look pretty awkward about everything, man]

Researching? Is alchemy something that isn't widespread in your world?

[That's the first explanation she can think for why alchemy would be researched, yeah. Nevermind the 'military' part. She'll realize it in a moment]

[glaciates]

[True. Isaac is always awkward!!]

Well, no, it is, but it's difficult to use. It requires a lot of research and study. Even then, that's only to focus on one array. There are a lot of different ones that can be used for all sorts of things. State Alchemists are employed to research unique kinds of alchemy. So the array I use is one I designed and created. My alchemy's completely unique.

[you'd think other people would specialize in turning water into ice and freezing all the blood in someone's body but nah apparently not]

[fortunatedetective]

Really? Can I take a look at your array?

[Wow, this is so cool, she thinks! Naoto manages to hide her admiration, more or less, but you definitely have her interest]

[glaciates]

Yeah, of course.

[Isaac's kind of smiling when he holds out his left hand, palm up. The array is tattooed in black ink in his palm and it looks to be in good condition. It's completely healed so the tattooing wasn't done recently.]

The design's simpler than some of my colleagues' but I'm pretty proud of it.

[fortunatedetective]

...oh!

[Intereeeeesting]

It's curious...back in my world there's a sigil I see often, and that reminds me of this...

[Naoto takes out a piece of paper and pen and draws the sigil she sees when she uses Mudo skills. Maybe her magic and alchemy really do are more similar than she could have ever guessed? Somehow? and much less blurry than this. I couldn't find anything better

]

This is it. I think it reminds me of this because of the tendency to have circles and curves.

[glaciates]

Oh, hey, that does look like it could be an array! The symbols aren't anything I'm familiar with as far as alchemy goes, but the design itself would probably work.

[He looks absolutely fascinated by this! If he studied it for awhile he could probably work out what that design itself would involve for a proper transmutation.]

So what's this for where you're from?

[fortunatedetective]

Hmmm...

[Naoto seems a bit nervous to reveal it. She knows the name of the skill class itself isn't really...inviting, so to say]

It's the sigil that appears on foes when Darkness spells are used.

[There. She didn't reveal she uses it. That's good enough]

Light spells have a distinctive sigil too, but it focuses more on squares and straight lines.

[glaciates]

Manipulating darkness and light... that sort of thing isn't possible with alchemy, but if they're spells then... It sounds pretty cool.

[He has zero problems with using darkness! In fact, that sounds hella rad.]

There are some arrays that are more rigid than the one I've created. I can't draw the exact ones out since I don't know them all, but I've got a pretty good idea of what some of the other State Alchemists' arrays look like, if you want to see them.

[fortunatedetective]

It would be a pleasure to see the extent of your knowledge, McDougal-san.

[Naoto is actually enjoying the conversation! In a way it's kind of helping her understand those new powers her dream showed her. Mental note: find something to give to Isaac as thank you for this all]

[glaciates]

[Isaac pulls a pen and paper from his pocket and gets to work. While he has no problem drawing perfect circles, the rest of the designs are slower and occasionally he has to pause to think back and consider the designs.

His work isn't exactly right, but it's close enough to get the idea across. The first array has a blank space at the bottom where the lizard should be and some of the lines aren't right in the set of triangles, but it's definitely different from his own.

The second and third arrays are a bit closer to accurate, though they're missing the writing from around the outside.]

They're not exactly right, but even if I knew exactly what they looked like I wouldn't draw them perfectly. The alchemists who created these arrays worked just as hard on them as I did on mine, so I wouldn't want to give away their research.

[He's sort of smiling when he finishes. It's kind of nice to talk about this.]

[fortunatedetective]

[Wow, look at that! Naoto doesn't understand not even a little bit about the significance of the lines and symbols she can see, but there's something mystical that really gets her excited about it all]

Wow...this is amazing! To think these symbols allow to handle the power of alchemy...I can't say with words how impressive it is!

[Then she realizes she was getting a bit too excited. She coughs a bit, and is sure she's blushing just a bit]

I-uh-I see. The magic I'm used to wield and see doesn't use any symbols when it's about wielding the elements, but I suppose the principles aren't too different. It's all about converting energy or matter into something else.

[glaciates]

[He's not entirely sure what caused her to hide her excitement but that's alright! Alchemy sure is fascinating and he'll be excited enough for both of them!!]

Yeah, that sounds pretty similar to alchemy! Though it's definitely not magic, it's science. There are very rigid laws with what can and can't be done and trying to break that causes a rebound that could kill you. It's dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, but it's absolutely worth learning in my opinion!

[fortunatedetective]

[It's nothing personal, Isaac! She's just used to have to act reliable and mature towards adults, you know, policemen and other detectives. Since she's afraid of being considered a child by them, she forcefully suppresses anything that could be remotely childish in some way.

Excitement being one of those things, it seems]

What kind of laws does it have, exactly?

[Magic, science, same thing]

[glaciates]

[Excitement is great though!! Adults get stupidly excited all the time, just look at Isaac!!]

Equivalent Exchange - "In order to obtain or create something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed."

You can try to go beyond that, but there has to be balance. If you don't have the proper materials for a transmutation, you'll lose something of yourself to it. I've heard of people losing limbs or even their life because of rebounds like that.