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.)
burningbrighter: (awkward pose)

[personal profile] burningbrighter 2021-07-25 01:54 am (UTC)(link)
"Great, then here's the beginner books on each."

Sunset grabs them efficiently, stacking the texts in his hands. "I'm in Eiather, so I have to study intimation. That's all about reading tea leaves and stuff...it's interesting, I guess, but I really like Fantastics. Casting magic through music's already something I know a lot about. But your picks are cool too! Making fire, changing matter...there's so much to learn, you'd never get bored."
burningbrighter: (:|)

[personal profile] burningbrighter 2021-07-25 01:57 am (UTC)(link)
Sunset sighed. She gave the goose a firm squeeze, hushing it once more.

"But I wonder if the magic's driving them mad. Things like that can happen sometimes, especially with inexperienced students sending spells whizzing everywhere."

A huff. "That's why I wanted to host the play. We need a creative outlet that isn't dangerous."
burningbrighter: (best friends)

[personal profile] burningbrighter 2021-07-25 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
"...another school? But I'm pretty sure you weren't at CHS. Unless I missed someone else?"

Wallflower came to mind then. She really didn't want to kick off another incident like that one. "Seriously, don't worry about it. If I don't remember, it wasn't a big deal at all, right?"
burningbrighter: (this worries me)

[personal profile] burningbrighter 2021-07-25 02:01 am (UTC)(link)
Once the goose is secured, Sunset gives Lena an apologetic look.

"I'm really sorry. Kind of a terrible impression to make on a new student, right? I'm Sunset Shimmer from Eiather...I really wanted to organize a short play to welcome everybody, but look how that turned out."
blue_ice: (locked heart)

[personal profile] blue_ice 2021-07-25 02:05 am (UTC)(link)
That's not magic, it's science.

[ Seto smiles. ]

I study Modification. That's the branch of magic that rewrites the world by understanding it all as formulas. Basically...by understanding how something works, you can change its form.

[ Still...why is Marik here, and so small? With that rumpled hair he looks cute and not menacing. ]

My name's Seto Kaiba. You're a new student, right?
blue_ice: (Default)

[personal profile] blue_ice 2021-07-25 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
Kaiba grunts as he continues to hoist the block, but...he doesn't have to put up with this, right? They don't have to put up with this.

"We can float the blocks. Hold on."

He balances his block on one arm, a very difficult task, and starts to draw a glyph in the air. With some mumbling and pointing at both blocks of ice, they suspend themselves in the air...for now.

"Don't know how long I can hold this."
temptationaccomplished: (you go too fast)

[personal profile] temptationaccomplished 2021-07-25 02:08 am (UTC)(link)
That wasn't-- Goodness, he was going about this all wrong-footed, wasn't he? Aziraphale placed Crème and the robes on a nearby rock, hoping it was reasonably clean and all, and with a sigh and silent prayer for patience up at the clouds, he followed after his demon's short-burst of sulk.

"Crowley," he began, reaching for Crowley's shoulder before hesitating. Would the touch even be welcome? They'd hardly done so much before the Apocalypse, but they had certainly done plenty of touching since their time world-hopping had begun. He knew, maybe not now, but someday it would be welcome and he had learned from the humans that there was no time like the present.

He reached out for his hand instead, thinking of all the times Crowley was kind and gentle with him, and he refrained only if it seemed genuinely unwanted. "I mean we are literally coming from different places. The last I remember I was on different world than ours. And the last moments I had with you were well after that dreadful argument."
blue_ice: (asking questions)

[personal profile] blue_ice 2021-07-25 02:08 am (UTC)(link)
Huh. That was a...backhanded compliment? He's intrigued enough by this to scoff and speak again.

"We didn't meet in Domino. Was it...an alternate reality? If you can drop the hostility maybe I'll work this out with you."
blue_ice: (:| now)

[personal profile] blue_ice 2021-07-25 02:14 am (UTC)(link)
How was Kaiba losing to a horse? A HORSE? Forget King of Games, this was...embarrassing.

(She's an all-wise alicorn princess, Seto you uncultured goof.)

Regardless, he cleared the field, and with no field...of defense...He needed a good clean slate.

"I activate my emergency glyph! Once per duel, I can draw a card as a free action. And I play...Eclipse! Darkness falls across the field, clearing the way to summon my Shadow Dragon!"

Despite the fearsome name, it's not all that fearsome-looking. It's kind of cute with those beady yellow eyes. But hey, this is a new deck he's working with.

"Shadow Dragon, prepare your assault! I end my turn."
blue_ice: (floof)

forgery

[personal profile] blue_ice 2021-07-25 02:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well, that's an unusual sight. The ever-unruffled Ishizu rushing by withh a rain cloud shooting from a stick. ]

There are more efficient water-summoning spells.
hyperdrivemonalisa: (I beg your pardon?)

a quiet moment

[personal profile] hyperdrivemonalisa 2021-07-25 02:18 am (UTC)(link)
Kaiba may like quiet, but that tends to go flying out the window when someone from House Valhudor is around. Sounds like they have his number, too.

~Don't do love, don't do friends. I'm only after success. Don't need a relationship, I'll never soften my grip~

It's a very familiar face that pops over the nearest glowing shrub. Isabel, lit from below, looks a little more sinister than anyone could ever think of her. She looks delighted. "Seto Kaiba! Just the man I was looking for!"

She slips through the glowing greenery. "I figured you'd be holed up somewhere studying. Need a snack?" Looks like she brought cookies and lemonade!
blue_ice: (could it be)

[personal profile] blue_ice 2021-07-25 02:23 am (UTC)(link)
Seto jumps just a little when he hears his name. He really should be used to Isabel's antics by now, but he squints at her across the shrubbery anyway. He shuffles to the side in his comfortable spot, aware of which spot she'll want.

"How good of you to think of me," he grouses gently. "Ready for all these new faces?"
letteropener: (contented smile)

[personal profile] letteropener 2021-07-25 02:27 am (UTC)(link)
Celestia looked through her cards thoughtfully, almost absently adding another one from her draw pile. Then she looked up at Seto, smiling serenely as she played Ordinary Sundered Schlub, one of the weakest cards in the game.

"Your turn."
sentbytheseer: (crossed)

[personal profile] sentbytheseer 2021-07-25 02:41 am (UTC)(link)
Erik flinched. "Isn't it, though. So I've heard."

The hall was filled with students in different colored robes, signifiers of their allegiance to different houses. "I guess I have, but I couldn't tell you anything about it. Can't even remember half the names yet. Why, which one are you in?"
hyperdrivemonalisa: (what do you mean?)

[personal profile] hyperdrivemonalisa 2021-07-25 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
"Of course I think about you!" Antics aside, she does plop herself down next to him, in his offered spot. And leans over to give him a smooch on the cheek--which he also should have anticipated. Seto avoids his hair being ruffled simply by virtue of Isabel's hands being full.

"No, not really. I mean, I remember how I felt when I first came here." And the choice she'd made--go home, or stay here. And she'd stayed, but there were times where Isabel wasn't sure why. Family background? Tradition? "There'll be a lot of questions, and we can't answer them, again. The rules changed! I'd be irritated--I am, I guess, but I'm not going to argue with a dragon."

Her grandfather had instilled that into her, and she wasn't inclined to argue.
hyperdrivemonalisa: (Crap I'm sorry)

one in every test drive (it's a ringer)

[personal profile] hyperdrivemonalisa 2021-07-25 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, I'm not sure where you went wrong, but I can...I think..."

Isabel scrunches her face up--it won't take much. It goes from much the muddy mess--to how it looked before Aziraphale tried to alter it.

"I don't remember how the tie your friend made you looked, or I'd've tried to do that. So far I just made it remember how it was before you started," she admitted with a shrug. "Modification isn't my strong point, still."
serpentinthegarden: (Not so bad)

[personal profile] serpentinthegarden 2021-07-25 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
"Sounds fun really. I've never floated off in a bubble before."

As waving the wand about without any skills or knowledge of the magical symbols they tended to use hadn't done any good he gave the thing a few firm taps on the nearest bannister.

"Maybe it's a dud. Do you need a magic spell? What do they say... hocus pocus, newport news?"
serpentinthegarden: (Nun staring)

[personal profile] serpentinthegarden 2021-07-25 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
It wasn't quite a touch but the vague sensation of fingers drawing very near to his and their warmth making their presence known. The anger parted and for a moment was about to dissolve entirely at the hope that those few stray digits just might brush past his hand. But they missed and the wrong-footedness came to the fore again.

"So... I asked you to go off with me but instead you decided to go off world hopping on your own?"

That stung! But instead of letting it show for more than a brief flicker of a hurt moment he drew away, using that demonic fury as a sort of shield.

"I get it, Angel! I'll leave you and..."

A vague failing gesture towards the robe and the other snake you were stepping out with, don't think he hadn't noticed!

"Your new friend alone! There has to be some world out there nearby I can get to. Or a moon! When I'm up there soaking in the moon rays I'm not even going to think about you!"
hyperdrivemonalisa: (you really mean it?)

welcome to diatu

[personal profile] hyperdrivemonalisa 2021-07-25 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
"It wasn't," a confident voice says. A confident, familiar voice. "He ought to know, he was there. But the rules changed, mostly."

Isabel lifts her bracelet as someone lets go with a pie, aiming at the new student, Eleven, and Isabel. She gives them both a smile, even as she breaks into song to focus it.

~I've been waiting, I've been waiting up 'cause I can't get enough, oh. I feel I'm fading, when I fall apart, your needle sews my heart, oh.~

And the thrown pie lands against the shimmering shield with a splat.

"Welcome to Diatu! And welcome back, El." Really, she hadn't expected him to come back, but clearly magic had its own ideas. As usual.
bearshermark: credit: <user name="morninglight"> (do what now)

[personal profile] bearshermark 2021-07-25 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
Eleven looked Erik over, wondering, but that was something he'd ask after later. For now, the question turned back on him and while he'd never been embarrassed about his house before, now, it- well, he wasn't too sure what Erik would think.

"Ah.. Ether or.. Either- something like that." The name in his memory was still vague- small wonder Erik didn't recall his- but he could remember the focus of it well enough. "It's ah, well, specializes in prayer magic and such.."
bearshermark: credit: <user name="morninglight"> (forged in fire)

[personal profile] bearshermark 2021-07-25 03:44 am (UTC)(link)
Eleven's eyes snapped to attention, then flinched as a pie hit the umbrella far too close. He looked over its summoner then, recognition flooding through even as he stuttered over his name.

"T-Tenn!" Goddess, had their names not shared a connection, he wasn't confident he would have recalled more than its first letter. He smiled relief. "You're here too, or- are you still here?"
blue_ice: (sacrifice)

[personal profile] blue_ice 2021-07-25 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
"Isabel..."

Seto grumps as he always does, looking embarrassed. But he's used to this by now, so he answers by taking the offered treats and gently elbowing her side. He's been oddly pensive today.

"I'd argue with God if I had to. This place is more trouble than it's worth...most of the time. But a few older faces returned, did you see?"
Edited 2021-07-25 03:49 (UTC)
bearshermark: credit: <user name="morninglight"> (do what now)

[personal profile] bearshermark 2021-07-25 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
Eleven stares, forgetting the chaos for a moment.

"Isabel," he says with feeling, just as the pie splatters juice all over the invisible barrier. He winces, but well, better that than one of them. Moreover, he remembers her, remembers she'd been there for him, remembers dancing, his heart lighter and full of affection.

His faces gradually turns the shade of the pie filling. "Ah, thank you.."
temptationaccomplished: (mr. bingley ain't got nothing on me)

[personal profile] temptationaccomplished 2021-07-25 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
"No, this is wonderful." He touched the mended bowtie with relief. At least it was back to where it should be, not some gaudy disaster. Isabel had always been such a clever girl and good with magic. Young people picked things up so quickly.

"I don't know how you undid it, but you worked a miracle. Not your strong suit, really. I think you're too modest. Are you sure you haven't been practicing in the time we've been away?"
serpentinthegarden: (Another good profile)

Well hello there

[personal profile] serpentinthegarden 2021-07-25 04:07 am (UTC)(link)
If she was going to keep staring at him like that he was bound to get the wrong impression. Look, he had just had a rough break up with a friend of 6,000 years... he wasn't on the lookout for anyone new.

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