Magical Readathon | 2022 — Orilium Spring Equinox

I’m a wee late with this, but it’s time to start my first semester at Orilium Academy!! 😀
If that sounds a bit odd, I mean that the Magical Readathon has officially started.

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Quickie About the Readathon

This is a month-long readathon created and hosted by G, a booktuber. For background and details about the readathon’s redesign, see my first post about the Novice Path. However, for details on this part of the readathon, see G’s video. The gist of it is:

• There are two semesters at Orilium Academy called equinoxes.
  • Spring equinox = month-long readathon in April
  • Autumn equinox = month-long readathon in August
• The readathon structure is similar to when the Magical Readathon was based on the Harry Potter world and we’d do OWLs and NEWTs, so:
  • Spring equinox — April — one prompt per course
  • Autumn equinox — August — three prompts per course; the number of prompts completed determines the grade you get for the subject
• The courses (prompts) you take are based on the Calling (career/vocation) you choose for your character. There are many Callings but four are exclusive to each guild:
  • Archmage — for House of the Arcane members
  • Master of Elements — for Order of the Crescent members
  • Godseer — for Archivist members
  • Dream Walker — for Mind Walker members
• Optional: Guild Tiers — a way to acquire social status within your guild via points your character can gain by completing semesters, mini readathons, and other tasks like random quests that’ll pop up on the adventure board (on Twitter, for now).
  • Each level on the tier comes with perks for the readathon.
  • Everyone starts at the lowest tier — Initiate.
  • Those who completed the Novice Path last year earned 50 points!
    • (Completing the Novice Path and character creation prompts and all that aren’t required, but you can do it if you want.)
  • Optional: Guild Wars — competition between the guilds

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My Characters’ Callings & Some Backstory

My characters — Zezee & Silverin — are about to begin their first semester at Orilium Academy! Both are giddy with excitement and anticipation about all they’ll learn and the shenanigans they’ll get up to. (Well, maybe only Zezee is looking forward to that last bit.) Both journeyed to Orilium on the Novice Path, so both will begin the school year with 50 points each and half-way to reaching Assistant level on the Guild Tier!

Zezee

Choosing her Calling was a breeze for Zezee. She grew up in a community of artists, musicians, and other craftspeople and have always been drawn to the camaraderie of such communities and the uproarious fun they get up to. Plus, both her mom (a musician) and her older sister (a jeweller) have this Calling, so of course she chose

Craftsmage

Craftsmages are “masters of creation” known for creating both unique and mundane “Fabrikations.” They “are paid extremely well for completed works,” although there might be significant lag between “Fabrikation” assignments, but their communities are very supportive of each other and tend to celebrate everything. — Perfect for Zezee!

Silverin

Surprisingly (to Zezee), Silverin, who usually takes his time deciding on things, quickly chose his Calling as well. Silverin loves to unravel mysteries and there’s a large one in his life he’d love to puzzle out — his father’s mysterious disappearance. Silverin’s mom is Iltirian and a Scribe at the Great Underworld Library on Darkmeadow. She met Silverin’s father, an elf, there, and the two became lovers. After he left, she realized she was pregnant and tried contacting him to let him know, but no one had heard from him since he left the Great Underworld Library to track down a bard possessed by a demon. He was a Spellsword.

This mystery — what caused his father, a brave Spellsword — to disappear has plagued Silverin ever since he learned of it, which is why he chose

Mage Hunter

They are basically detectives who track down wanted criminals or investigate crimes. “They often work in an official capacity but for the right price can be hired as private detectives.” Apparently, they can “enhance their senses” to help in their investigations, detect lies, “perceive traces of magic long after it’s been used,” “see ghostly apparitions of events passed,” and “restore destroyed objects to their previous states.” These are powerful people who most likely have a lot of enemies. Such a job would require someone who’s determined, focused, and responsible — Silverin!

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Spring Equinox Courses

I have two characters and one of them has a Calling that’s a bit more demanding so… Although we aren’t allowed to double up on books (and I’ll try my best not to), I may do so if a book for one character’s course works for another character’s course, but I won’t double up on books for the same character’s courses… if that makes sense… Anyway, it makes sense to me and that’s what matters.

Here are the courses my characters will take. I’ll list the required ones first because I got excited and selected additional courses for them so they’ll have a “full” school year. Smh! I’m enjoying the character-building part way too much!

Zezee’s Required Courses

Artificery — Course focus will be on schematic literacy — Read a book with an earth setting.

The Worm & the Bird by Coralie Bickford-Smith (illus.)

Inscription — Course focus will be on Glyph: Strength — Read an intimidating book.

Uzumaki by Junji Ito (illus.)
Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
Dead Zone by Stephen King

Spells & Incantations — Course focus will be on Antigravity Spells — Read short story(ies)/essay(s).

The Old Nurse’s Story by Elizabeth Gaskell
Samalio Pardulus by Otto Julius Bierbaum

Silverin’s required courses

Conjuration — Course focus will be on Conjuring Light — Read a book with a source of light on the cover.

The Fox & the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith (illus.)

Elemental Studies — Course focus will be on Basics of Air Dynamics — Read a book that has under 100 pages.

Wytches: Bad Egg Halloween Special by Scott Snyder, illus. by Jock

Restoration — Course focus will be on Cure Wounds — Read a book featuring healers.

Into the Dying Light by Katy Rose Pool
First Test by Tamora Pierce

Spells & Incantations — Course focus will be on Antigravity Spell — Read short story(ies)/essay(s).

The Old Nurse’s Story by Elizabeth Gaskell
Samalio Pardulus by Otto Julius Bierbaum

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Excitedly Chosen Courses That Probably Won’t Be Completed

Zezee’s Optional Courses

Alchemy — Course focus will be on Potion of Infatuation — Read a book featuring romance.

Bingo Love by Tee Franklin, illus. by Jenn St-Onge
Talk Bookish to Me by Kate Bromley
Beard Science by Penny Reid

Elemental Studies — Course focus will be on Basics of Air Dynamics — Read a book that has under 100 pages.

Wytches: Bad Egg Halloween Special by Scott Snyder, illus. by Jock

Restoration — Course focus will be on Cure Wounds — Read a book featuring healers.

Into the Dying Light by Katy Rose Pool
First Test by Tamora Pierce

Silverin’s Optional Courses

Art of Illusion — Course focus will be on Mirror Image — Read a book with a trope you like.

Jinx by Sage Blackwood
First Test by Tamora Pierce

Demonology — Course focus will be on Shadow Demons — Read a book that has the word “shadow” in the title.

As the Shadow Rises by Katy Rose Pool

Shapeshifting — Course focus will be on Formation: Claws — Read a book that has a creature with claws on the cover.

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

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I’m notorious for not sticking to my plans, so don’t expect me to follow this exactly.

But wish me luck!

(or rather, my characters)

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