Mini Magical Readathon | 2022 — Prep for Orilium

The Magical Readathon continues!

If you’re not familiar with this readathon, here’s a quick rundown —

It was created by G, a booktuber who runs Book Roast. It was initially inspired by the Harry Potter books, but she switched it up by creating her own world as the basis for the readathon.

The first part of the revamped version took place in fall 2021, where participants journeyed to Orilium Academy, the magic school in G’s fantastical world. The reading prompts were based on the things we encountered on the journey to Orilium Academy. Once completed, we took a quick quiz to determine what guild we’ll join at the academy.

Now G is hosting a Mini Magical Readathon to help us get ready to begin our studies at Orilium Academy in April. It’s a short readathon, taking place March 14-20, with even shorter requirements (just two, actually). All you have to do for this readathon is choose a conduit and a guild legacy for your character.

There’s a reading prompt for each of the various conduits and guild legacies, but I’ll only list below the ones I’ve chosen for my characters. I got overexcited last year and created two characters for the readathon — the party lover, ZeZee (because I couldn’t be bothered to think of another name), and her introverted pal, Silverin.

ZeZee

Silverin

Since I also need to complete the character creation prompts (we had from last year until April this year to complete them; I procrastinated, of course), I’ll also read those books during this readathon. It’s a very chill mini readathon that can last for as long as we need it to, so I’ve decided to spread mine over 2 weeks because life is busy, so I’ll do my readathon from March 15 to maybe March 28 or so.

Despite the 2-week timeframe I’m giving myself, I’d rather complete the prompts sooner rather than later, so I’ve decided to only read short stuff for this readathon — comics, mangas, picture books, etc. All my reads will be short and quick, hopefully.

Here’s what I have to do:

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Conduits

One of the readathon requirements is to choose a conduit for your character which helps to direct, work, or amplify their magic. Some characters arrive at the academy already bonded to a conduit (there are a list of general ones), but others are unique to one’s guild. Characters collect their conduits from the Hall of the Phoenix. The ones I’ve chosen for my characters are:

Zezee

Wand: Read a book with branches on the cover. (general conduit)

Every Tree Has a Story by Cécile Benoist, illus. by Charlotte Gastaut, transl. by Sylvia Rucker

Bone: Read a book with a bone/skull on the cover or the word “bone” in the title/series name. (Archivist conduit)

Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-San, Vol. 2 by Honda (illus.), transl. by Amanda Haley

Silverin

Staff: Read a book from a series. (general conduit)

Moonstruck, Vol. 3: Troubled Waters by Grace Ellis, illus. by Shae Beagle

Dagger: Read a standalone book. (Mind Walker conduit)

Mirka Andolfo’s Mercy: The Fair Lady, the Frost, and the Fiend by Mirka Andolfo (illus.)

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Legacy

Every guild has its secrets, and it’s no different at Orilium. Once accepted to a guild, each guild teaches “a skill, ability, or pact to every new recruit.” The process, of course, is secret and the knowledge is highly valued. We are allowed to choose only one guild legacy for our character, so here’s what I chose for my characters:

Zezee

The Archivists are able to make a pact with one of the gods, which is a lifetime commitment. This pact allows the individual to “syphon [the god’s] energy, learn ancient powers, and beckon [the god’s] protection.”

There are five gods: Aitvara, god of sky and riches; Velinas, god of death and rebirth; Laima, goddess of fate; Ausra, goddess of dawn and new beginnings; Gaila, goddess of night and nightmares; and Kovas, god of war. Zezee will make a pact with…

Velinas
God of Death and Rebirth. Amplifies necromancy abilities as well as herbology. Experienced patrons can also communicate with the dead. Temples located in underground caves, covered in flowering vines.

Velinas (God of Death and Rebirth): Read a book with high stakes (where you think characters could die).

DCeased: Dead Planet by Tom Taylor, illus. by Trevor Hairsine

Silverin

Mind Walkers can learn how to access a secondary plane of existence. Once mastered, they can use the ability to “seek answers, escape a tricky situation, communicate with beings from the plane, and even learn unique magic.”

There are 5 planes: Shadow Realm, Psychic Plane, Astral Plane, Multiverse, Faewild Plane. Silverin will try to master accessing the…

Astral Plane
Travelling through the Astral Plane requires extreme concentration, but when mastered, it allows one to slip into the cosmos and magic into existence a door capable of taking you anywhere on Aeldia. This is often favoured by those who need meditation or a safe space to retreat to, both physically and mentally.

Astral Plane: Read a book set in a different world than ours.

Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe, illus. by Roc Upchurch

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Character Background

I will also use this readathon to complete the reading prompts for my characters’ background. I’ve already completed a few. Here are what I have left:

ZeZee

half-human, half-elf from a large city on Kerador

Silverin

half-elf, half-iltirian from an underground city on Darkmeadow

Prompts to complete

Darkmeadow: Read a dark academia book.

The Promised Neverland, Vol. 1 by Kaiu Shirai and Posuka Demizu

It was a hard search to find comics/mangas that are dark academia. The only one that popped up was Promised Neverland. But I asked a friend for recommendations and she suggested these comics. I have Umbrella Academy, but October Faction also sounds good, and I’m tempted by V.E. Schwab’s ExtraOrdinary since it’s a prequel to Vicious.

The October Faction, Vol. 1 by Steve Niles, illus. by Damien Worm
Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way, illus. by Gabriel Ba
V. E. Schwab’s ExtraOrdinary by V.E. Schwab, illus. by Enid Balám
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, illus. by Robert Hack

Elf: Read a book with moon or stars on the cover or in the title.

How the Stars Came to Be by Poonam Mistry (illus.)

Human: Read a contemporary/nonfiction book.

Wild Animals of the North by Dieter Braun (illus.)

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I’m excited to get started! 😀 But wish me luck that I actually get through these because reading has been a struggle lately and I recently crawled out of a slump.

If you’re participating in the Magical Readathon too, let me know below! 🙂

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