Mod Account for Diatu Magicademy ([personal profile] magicademymods) wrote in [community profile] diatuooc2021-07-23 03:56 pm
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Test Drive Reloaded! #1


Test Drive #1




Welcome to Diatu (I Like Swords)

The Arrival Hall is all aflurry with activity! No one had expected so many Sundered to suddenly pop up, the staff find themselves desperately scrambling to keep up with the influx, and a bunch of new arrivals find themselves hanging out in the Hall lobby, waiting to be seen, sent home if possible, or counseled and prepared for student life if not. Rumors run like wildfire: some people believe they've been kidnapped by aliens, a worryingly persistent suggestion that this is a setup for a murder-tournament keeps circulating, and one or two nutcases insist that a dragon tinkered with the rules of magic and now they have to study at a magic school to survive. Pie stocks are grievously low, and thought Headmaster Birony herself appeared and began violating the rules of space and time to summon pies from the future, a second Headmaster Birony with an eyepatch, several war scars, and a wild hairdo appeared and promptly yelled at the first Headmaster for stealing her pies. A pie fight erupted. Pie stocks are even more grievously low now.

Still, here's your chance to talk to your fellow arrivals. Or aggressively attack the nearest target in an outrage (they set up a target dummy and labeled it VENT AGGRESSION HERE, and are trusting you guys on the honor system). Staff don't have time to talk, but they promise they'll get to you soon!

A Day In The Life

The sun is bright, the air is warm, a cool breeze blows across Anastara, clouds keep drifting directly through the island and engulfing people... it's summer on Ascelion, and the day is ripe for learning. Or as ripe as Diatu Magicademy ever can be -- though no one would trade the character and charm of the lively campus for some stodgy, regimented school more interested in forcing students into the mold than encouraging them to be their best, sometimes conditions in the Magicademy are a little inconvenient.

A toilet in Kedrigan Hall keeps clamping onto the butts of those who attempt to use it. Thus far, half a dozen students have been freed from its clutches by their friends, while reports of singed buttocks have increased twofold. (Yes, only twofold. Think about that for a minute.) Staff are on the lookout for a prankster rather than a commode, so as of yet the treacherous toilet has gone unpunished...

Not far away, a group of cleaning golems has occupied the promenade as part of an ongoing strike. As they possess only rudimentary intelligence, they believe this involves seizing objects from anyone who passes nearby and hurling them at a set of bowling pins. Meliandre Tomekin, Head of Groundskeeping, has set up shop across the Promenade; any student who wanders too close gets a big block of ice shoved into their hands, along with instructions to hold it still while she shows those reprobates what-for...

In the Great Hall proper, school clubs and activities have, as was inevitable, escalated competition for new students to yet another level which only isn't a war crime because it isn't part of a treaty yet: they've conscripted geese. Horrible geese, to be precise, who dispense flyers for various clubs with less subtlety than a nuclear holocaust. Some of them fight for dominance, others have teamed up to pin down innocent students and stuff leaflets down their throat, and one has a wand and is somehow casting Discovery spells?!

A Forgery!

"I tried a mass-Forging technique," the older student says, showing off the briefcase full of identical wands and a sign that says 'FOR $ALE CHEAP'. "Some of them are exactly what I intended, they self-correct runes, but the rest, well.. . I don't know, I can't tell, and I'm not really interested in finding out one by one, so... you buying?"

All sales final. No refunds. Caveat emptor. As for what the wands do, well... there's a reason he answered with an ellipsis when asked. On the other hand, maybe the effect isn't too terrible? Maybe it's even beneficial! Maybe the wand shoots out rainbows and muffins! Or maybe it just animates and strikes you vigorously about the head and shoulders...

Three Dragon War

Someone, we're not naming names, canons, or the color of eyes and the dragon to which they belong that forms said person's obsession, may or may not be indirectly responsible for the latest game craze sweeping Anastara: Three Dragon War, a collectible card game that features players as dragons, deploying spells, creatures, and Sundered against each other to destroy each and avoid the machinations of the Third Dragon. The awesome thing about the game is that the Third Dragon comes in all different forms: classic bundled-with-the-starter-pack Ire, super-rare Anastara Diatu, suspiciously-rare Cam Birony, ultra-common Large Eagull, and more. The concept of an outside force adding randomness to the battle and being manipulated in turn by cards means Three Dragon War is the hottest card game that's come along since the last card game that was the hottest that had come along came along.

Face-to-face, you find yourself in a duel over these cards and the magical images they summon. Can this untested deck come through if you believe in it? Or are statistics and probability actual things that actually happen? Dragon Battle! Jiao Long Fu!

There's One in Every Test Drive

Not every magical disaster is caused by some wayward student you don't know. Many of them are caused by you instead. To wit: you're on the spot in one of the magical labs, being called on to demonstrate a technique more advanced than others you've mastered so far. Failure is expected, and the wards should prevent any injury to others from a miscast spell. But will the sparks of your magic just sputter out and die? Or will you inadvertently mispronounce, misform, misshape, or miscalculate in a way that brings chaos to you and your lab partner?

(You could also manage to succeed in casting the spell, but that isn't very fun.)
whose_son_am_i: (Thor--Excuse me?)

[personal profile] whose_son_am_i 2021-08-04 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
"If they are to be believed. Which from what I can tell, they are not lying about that." Whether they were lying about other things, Loki was still investigating. "But magic can be like that. If you don't learn to control it, it often controls you."
dulcet_cellist: (That's Just How It Is)

[personal profile] dulcet_cellist 2021-08-04 05:18 am (UTC)(link)
The judgmental look isn't about exposed skin or even color choice and he isn't in the mood to share what he really thinks of the clothes. Not that he disapproves of anyone else wearing whatever they want, but he would be caught dead in denim.

The look doesn't last long. He's exhausted and disbelieving anything is real. Including that nail polish. So he turns his attention back to the chaos.

"Someone I loved died."
dulcet_cellist: (Trying to Hide the Pain)

[personal profile] dulcet_cellist 2021-08-04 05:34 am (UTC)(link)
That was definitely something to think about and he does think about how this alternate solution would be easy because he could just simply let it happen. If this were real or true in any way. Which he still couldn't find any reason to believe it was when he was at least two days without any proper sleep.

"What happens if I let it?"
whose_son_am_i: (Ragnarok--Dark-Suit 2)

[personal profile] whose_son_am_i 2021-08-04 05:40 am (UTC)(link)
Loki raised an eyebrow and looked at the young man archly. "Besides the obvious that you die?" Studying the other more closely, Loki recognized some signs of lack of sleep. "There are easier ways to die than letting magic consume you, if that's what you're interested in."
Edited 2021-08-04 05:46 (UTC)
bearshermark: made by penbeetreewood (peace offering)

[personal profile] bearshermark 2021-08-04 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
Eleven tipped his head. "Well, this is a different world. I should think it would be worth a try."

He offered what he hoped was an encouraging smile "Or perhaps one of us Sundered really will turn out to be one."
dulcet_cellist: (Numbing the Pain)

[personal profile] dulcet_cellist 2021-08-04 06:15 am (UTC)(link)
"Dying shouldn't be easy."

It was said before Sebastian realized he probably shouldn't be talking so openly about things he didn't even know he wanted. It was an emotion. Emotions. Thick and suffocating and impulsively thoughtless, shifting from one to another.

"Maybe I don't believe there is magic."

The truth was he didn't know what to believe. It felt real and it didn't. The same way it didn't and did feel real to be standing next to Jack's grave. A mound of fresh soil and shiny stone with a bunch of pretty words engraved.
Edited 2021-08-05 02:55 (UTC)
bearshermark: credit: <user name="morninglight"> (smiles)

[personal profile] bearshermark 2021-08-04 06:15 am (UTC)(link)
He smiled, the words echoing in a familiar way.

"But he isn't here, you said?"
bearshermark: credit: <user name="morninglight"> (do what now)

[personal profile] bearshermark 2021-08-04 06:17 am (UTC)(link)
"Yes," Eleven said, expression easing. "A lot has happened since. For that time, I think I'd even forgotten this place. I didn't start to remember until I found myself here again. But it's been nice to see familiar faces again."
Edited 2021-08-04 06:18 (UTC)
wagerofloki: (020)

[personal profile] wagerofloki 2021-08-04 12:20 pm (UTC)(link)
She didn't seem to pay any mind to the judgemental look. If she cared she was certainly good at covering it up. At the mention of someone he loved dying, though, her face softened. For a moment it was almost like she wasn't so tough, actually, and there was a multi-faceted person underneath all that bravado.

It didn't last long. Her face hardened, as did her voice. She betrayed herself with the way she hugged her elbows to her for some sort of comfort.

"That's what people do. Make you love 'em'n rely on 'em; then they go and fuckin' die." She hugged her arms tighter around herself.

"What else's fuckin' new? Happens every fuckin' day."
mal_contented: (So what then?)

Re: OU version here for funzies

[personal profile] mal_contented 2021-08-04 01:49 pm (UTC)(link)
"There is a lot of here, here. Go haunt someone else."
nobodys_puppet: (A Hooded Confrontation)

[personal profile] nobodys_puppet 2021-08-04 02:25 pm (UTC)(link)
"I haven't found him yet, and he's kind of hard to miss. But... He might have gone to find Saïx...."
souls_of_roles: (Kyoko - Animated - shining joy)

[personal profile] souls_of_roles 2021-08-04 02:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"OH! OOOOOOOOH! OKAY! LET'S SEARCH!" and just like that she was all sparkles and hope again.
sweetsummerchild03: (pic#14904792)

[personal profile] sweetsummerchild03 2021-08-04 05:01 pm (UTC)(link)
She claps her hands. "Wow, you're so good! I bet learning magic here will be easy for you."
wagerofloki: (006)

[personal profile] wagerofloki 2021-08-04 06:24 pm (UTC)(link)
She watched the flythrough for a moment more, hesitating. She pushed a button on the side of her agent and the hologram video went away. Both of her hands wrapped around the Agent and she looked back up to Loki. She was trying very hard to not look as sad as she felt, but the weight was on her face.

"I mean this's gotta be quite a change for you too. This place's got some good views, but nothin' like what you showed me." Not to mention just the whole fact that they weren't in their home.
phoenixwiz: (Confidence Within)

[personal profile] phoenixwiz 2021-08-04 06:50 pm (UTC)(link)
“Oh, why thank you, June,” he blushes at the compliment she has told him, “I do hope for the best in learning magic from the school and I also wish you the best as well.”
whose_son_am_i: (poker face in shadow)

[personal profile] whose_son_am_i 2021-08-04 06:50 pm (UTC)(link)
"My life has been full of changes for the last few days. What's one more?" Loki replied quietly, with a little shrug.
wagerofloki: (090)

[personal profile] wagerofloki 2021-08-05 12:00 am (UTC)(link)
The show he put on definitely made her hop back (literally, hop, not take a few steps) in surprise and fear both. The way the blood drained from her face was enough to prove her reaction genuine and not for his amusement. She was breathing heavy, her body pulled tight together like a scared animal as he responded with words.

"Jesus fucking Christ! What the fuck!" She obviously knew what the fuck, but can't blame a girl for words said in a panic.

"A fucking demon? Like, fucking Catholics got it fucking right kinda demon?" She was definitely not getting any closer to the man - er, demon - but she hadn't turned tail and run away either.
ronstadt: (Default)

[personal profile] ronstadt 2021-08-05 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
whose_son_am_i: (Ragnarok--Dark-Suit--Neutral-curious)

[personal profile] whose_son_am_i 2021-08-05 03:01 am (UTC)(link)
"People die all the time, in both easy and not-so-easy ways." But Loki sounded more thoughtful, than anything else. "What would it take for you to believe?" And curious. It was a strange conversation to be having while pies were being thrown, so the demigod turned and started to walk out of the hall. Sebastian was free to follow or not.
dulcet_cellist: (Pouting)

[personal profile] dulcet_cellist 2021-08-05 04:13 am (UTC)(link)
Sebastian turned, glaring sharp with his heart thudding quick with the rush of anger and heartache. He couldn't open his mouth, couldn't summon the right words, couldn't argue what he'd thought at least once in the past few weeks swinging from one emotion to another.

It was the way she held herself that made him look away again. It wasn't that he didn't care how she felt or that he guessed she had lost people too. He simply didn't have it in him at the moment to console someone when the empty place where Jack had been was still an open would, raw and ugly and so very painful.

Maybe it was selfish, but a part of him was glad she wasn't talking about death like it was something that would make him stronger so he could move on and become a better person. She wasn't trying to make him feel better. And part of him was angry because it didn't happen every day for him. It happened once. The one and only person who had wanted him, loved him, made him feel he could be more and better and happy for the first time in his life.

"Who would I be if I had never met him?"

He didn't regret meeting Jack. He just wanted him back.
unswervingcompanion: (Hrem (r))

[personal profile] unswervingcompanion 2021-08-05 04:26 am (UTC)(link)
Hendrik had no idea who the youth was, but he was about to get hit with pies flying in all directions. He managed to lift his gloved hand and let the cream pie smack against the brown leather harmlessly to have it avoid hitting the boy who was simply standing here looking pretty lost. And in a way it reminded him of the look on his charge's face when he got that way.

The glove clenched around the foil pie tin and the knight tossed it. Why people were wasting food as a sort of fun thing was just beyond him. But he didn't try to solve it because the Luminary would probably disapprove of his methods. And anything was better than getting that look.

So he turned to the one who looked pretty lost now. "We should get you to somewhere safer."
dulcet_cellist: (pic#7276616)

[personal profile] dulcet_cellist 2021-08-05 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
That had Sebastian thinking about death and wanting to die verses not having a choice and did he really want to die or did he just want to not feel anything anymore. And what did it really mean dying easy or not-so-easy? Slow and painful or complicated deaths?

Did Jack die easily?

That simple unexpected thought brought tears and a painfully tight chest. He couldn't breathe without a sob escaping so he didn't let himself until he was sure he had some sort of control. Stop the flood before it could wash him away again.

It was the question that helped pull his thoughts back to a place where he could realize one of two things. The tall man was leaving and he was about to get hit by yet another pie.

The only obvious thing to do was to follow.

"Something more than a pie fight and the word of strangers who have possibly been conjured by insomnia."
whose_son_am_i: (Smile)

[personal profile] whose_son_am_i 2021-08-05 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
"Like what?" Loki replied, deliberately slowing so the other could follow more easily. "Fireworks from one's hand perhaps?"
dulcet_cellist: (I'm Cute)

[personal profile] dulcet_cellist 2021-08-05 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
It felt like he couldn't quite keep pace until the man slowed down and then it was a little annoying that he had to slow down for Sebastian to keep up. He wasn't short, average height for his age and background. His father was slightly taller, but he as at least an inch taller than his mother and Jack had been...

Sebastian took a deep slightly shaky breath and wiped his face, trying to refocus to answer the question.

"Magic tricks back home could manage fireworks." Maybe not to the scale as actual exploding in the sky fireworks, but even then he'd be skeptical that it wasn't some sort of slide of hand trick. Divert the attention of someone to make it look as if magic had actually occurred right in from of them. "I don't know. What would make you a believer?"
whose_son_am_i: (Avengers--subtle smile)

[personal profile] whose_son_am_i 2021-08-05 05:28 am (UTC)(link)
"I already am. What I've learned is how to not trust it. Where I'm from magic and science are often one and the same." Loki replied easily.

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