Test Drive #1

[magicademymods]

Test Drive #1



The Airship There

By carriage or coach, spellwagon or ship, perhaps even on the wings of magic, the Sundered heed the call to gather at the Tenzin High Dock of Vulbaria. On this, the appointed day, a great passenger airship sits in the dock, the seals of the six Houses fluttering from flagpoles along her length and her wooden planks atremble as if it is eager to be off. At last, the gangplank descends, and the Hand of Diatu opens her doors to the Sundered so they can take their first step on the path towards protection and salvation.

Inside, you may choose from long comfortable couches, broad circular tables surrounded by straight-backed, cushioned chairs, or viewing seats at the glass front of the ship. Sundered who need special accommodations are quickly provided for, ensuring everyone travels in comfort. Trays drift through the air periodically, offering snacks and drinks to the passengers.

This may be the first chance you've had to truly relax since being swept to this strange world. Certainly it is the first chance you've had to meet your fellow Sundered. As the airship lifts gracefully off from the High Dock, your journey to Diatu begins. Excited? Nervous? Simply angry? Or perhaps searching among the crowd here for a familiar face or some sign of hope?

Rain, Rain...

Welcome to Diatu Magicademy. It's raining.

Seriously raining. One of those downpours that feels like a curtain has dropped on you, that soaks to the bone within a second of stepping into it. Obviously, this won't do, and a civic-minded cluster of Purifeul students has taken it upon themselves to solve this problem. No sooner do you step through the gates then you practically run into a giant and complex runic diagram being drawn out with long staffs by several students, all of them speaking seeming nonsense about derivatives, limits, and equations. Magic! In action right before your eyes!

And yet, just as their mathemagics wind towards the center of the diagram and they all make their final stroke -- one student slashes his line off on a weird tangent, speaking an equation that sounds nothing at all like what his fellows utter. The spell completes... weirdly, as the students look in horror at each other. The temperature abruptly drops seventy degrees, and a cold wind begins to blow.

Welcome to Diatu Magicademy. Please get out of the blizzard before you freeze.

Thaumaturgy 101

After some fifteen minutes of grumbling from Professor Loshakle, followed by half an hour of theory and basics, the grouchy old man finally gets to drawing a magical symbol on the board. "This is straight out of Fundamental Principles of Wizarding," he says, writing Sense Magic next to the symbol. "As is everything you'll learn here. I'll emphasize yet again, you MUST know the name of the spell and the proper gestures. You can't simply wave your wand in any old pattern and say any old words. That isn't how it works," he says, glaring around the class as if daring someone to question him.

But he gives no one the opportunity, instead producing a wand and making the gesture to trace the symbol he'd drawn in midair. "Sense Magic," he intones, and the air and his wand both shimmer.

"Now. You all try." Just like that. What the Professor doesn't mention is that this spell can produce some very interesting results if the symbol is off, or the timing...

Bala-inlota Practice

Bala-inlota is the main interaction the Magicademies have with each other -- the sport of wizards! Two teams take the field, with the goal of heaving a ball through their opponent's hoop. The rules primarily revolve around not inflicting lethal injury, because bala-inlota is a free-for-all at best, where each team relies on both physical and magical might to win the day.

You kind of wish someone had told you this BEFORE you got hauled onto the field so the coach could see if you've got what it takes.

Now half a dozen players are charging down the field at your ragtag group of semi-willing recruits, while another half-dozen are preparing spells that you've been absolutely assured aren't as nasty as the ones deployed in actual play. On your side: the ball, your wits, your physical ability, and maybe three classes's worth of magical education.

On the upside, magic is pretty good at healing.

Comments

Seto Kaiba | Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters

[blue_ice]

airship

Relax? Ha. This young man curled up in a seat at the corner, arms folded and looking almost murderous. Everything about this situation was entirely ridiculous, in his professional opinion...yet unfortunately it didn't surprise him. Strange magic had been making his life unnecessarily difficult for years now, so he supposed it was only a matter of time before it infected him too.

He had no patience for the call of destiny, or any of this other nonsense, so he'd simply do what was required to stay alive and excel at it enough to keep the others off his back. He tried not to look too approachable and was hopefully succeeding.

"Well, this will be a complete waste of time," he was sure.

rain, rain

Kaiba scowled as the wind picked up, looking ridiculous with his trenchcoat held over his head. These were the people supposed to help them control their volatile magic? He scoffed as he slogged with the others toward the school.

"If they were hoping to inspire or reassure us about this training, this was the worst possible first impression," he grumbled. With that posture and scowl he'd usually look intimidating, but the soaking-wet and shivering aspects of this situation make him look more like a hissing cat.

thaumaturgy 101

He was distinctly dreading his first magic lesson. Wand-waving and mumbo jumbo were not his strengths at all, and he'd be damned if he looked like a fool in front of the other students. Even if it was a subject he had disdain for.

But the professor's words were oddly reassuring. Focus and precision were things he could do, so after taking meticulous notes, he followed the instructions exactly.

"Sense Magic."

His timing and wandwork were precise, if not entirely precisely in sync, so the side effect was minor---just his normally perfectly-slicked hair standing on end and an explosion of color. Hmph.

He willed himself to focus with a shaky breath, daring anyone to say something with a glare.

thaumaturgy 101 - Had to

[perpetual_underdog]

"Ahhhhh man! I can't believe I'm gonna be late again! Professor Loshakle is gonna flip!" A distressed teenager lamented to himself as he hurriedly raced through the halls to his next class. Just because this was a new school, it didn't mean that his punctuality had improved one bit. That being said, he still managed to find the classroom just in time to witness a familiar face conjuring up his new hairdo.

Unceremoniously, throwing the door open Joey was prepared to expel a list of apologies to the teacher when the sight of Seto Kaiba had him halting immediately in his tracks. What was rich boy doing here?!

Then in a flash, he lost whatever was left of his composure and didn't even try to suppress his laughter. " If you were trying to make yourself look more like a pinata, you succeeded Kaiba." The festive colors were a sharp contrast to the serious expression the former brunette was sporting. "Personally, I 'tink it's an improvement!"

omg he hates his life so much :)

[blue_ice]

Kaiba had immediately turned to his notes to find and correct the problem, and he was just about to try again when his posture jolted.

That voice. Countless dimensions away from home and he still hasn't escaped the misery of being in Wheeler's class? It's almost enough to make a person believe in the cold, unfeeling hand of destiny. Almost.

He immediately glared at the intruder, fingers tightening around his wand on the desk.

"Don't expect any candy from me, Wheeler. You think you can do better?"

He's pretty sure he knows the answer to that. But it might be amusing to watch him try.

What can I say except you're welcome, Kaiba XD

[perpetual_underdog]

You got it. For some unfathomable reason Kaiba just couldn't escape facts. Apparently, whether they liked it or not, to some degree they were stuck with one another. The prospect wasn't all that appealing to Joey either but at least they only had to tolerate one another during class. It's not like they would be spending any time together beyond that. At least, as long as they could help it.

Maybe it was better they both found out this way, while Kaiba was the one with egg on his face.

"I wouldn't dream of it." If there was any candy, you'd keep it for yourself. "Course I can!" He boldly pronounced, "Er...... what was the assignment?" Clearly indicating that he was ill-prepared to back up his words.

[blue_ice]

"You'd know if you came to class on time. Have you tried setting your watch an hour fast?"

Still, judging by the uniform they were housemates (lucky him), and he'd really rather not lose points for Wheeler's mistakes. He carefully folded his notebook to show the pristine notes he'd taken, with wand directions marked by a diagram with arrows and the incantation clearly written.

He pointed at it with a pencil. "Sense Magic."

[perpetual_underdog]

"Sure but if I did dat, I'd lose an extra hour of shut eye!" .... which was kind of the point entirely, a fact was presumably lost on him. That was something that hadn't yet dawned on Joey, or he would have been a good deal more upset about it. He didn't really have a stake in the house points, and would likely be a frequent source of irritation when he lost them by the bucket load. Taking a few steps forward, he leaned over enough to get in a decent look at Kaiba's notes. Someone was angling to become the teacher's pet. Sheesh, who takes notes that are this intricate and complete? "That's it? Sense magic?" The incantation sounding really simplistic to him. Maybe he should have been relieved that it wasn't some variant of Latin or another archaic language. "Let me see if I can find my wand, here...." He slammed his bag, down on top of the nearest surface, aka. Kaiba's desk as he started rummaging around in it. He made a brief mental note of the motions you were apparently supposed to make with the wand, but he in no way shape or form had studied it near enough to actually execute it.

rain, rain

[shining_friendship]

"Oh this is just great," Téa muttered under her breath when she stepped out into the pouring rain. She hadn't even thought about bringing an umbrella, so all she could do was try to make a run for some shelter. The situation was further exacerbated by the attempt to quell the storm. She audibly yelped when the rain droplets changed into a wintry mix. The surprise of it all made her a little careless as she very nearly bumped into someone. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry," Fighting to keep her teeth from chattering. Looking upwards she couldn't mask her surprise. " -Seto Kaiba?!"

[blue_ice]

Kaiba was already drafting a complaint to the headmaster in his head when the call of his name caught his attention. No one here had known of him, but when he looked to the side...he knew. Just his luck.

"Gardner?"

He hissed against the cold, grinding his teeth and hoisting the coat higher over his head. He even shifted it slightly to the side, enough that it would at least partially cover her too---but he wouldn't wait long. He started moving toward the entrance almost immediately.

"Whatever. Get out of this mess first, argue later."

[shining_friendship]

"Small world, huh?" She replied a bit sheepishly, unsure if that phrase really translated well when you were in a separate dimension all together. Then she gripped her shoulders with both hands as she started to shiver in earnest. Even the brief pause had allowed her body to start feeling more of the effects of the frigid temperatures. "Can you believe this?"

At his words, and noticing the chivalrous act, she smiled to herself feeling a bit pleased to get a front row seat to Kaiba's kindhearted side. She knew it had to be hiding in there somewhere with how much he cared for his brother. Thinking better of fixating on it, since she didn't think Kaiba would want attention drawn to it she said her thanks and hurried along inside with him.

[blue_ice]

"Too small," he agreed, his anger thankfully directed away from Téa and toward the spellcasters who'd gotten them into this mess.

When they finally had a roof over their heads, he shook the coat out, nose wrinkling with disgust. It was sturdy and would survive, but he really didn't relish the thought of cleaning it. No. The school should, as their students caused it.

She was still there. He looked over his shoulder at her, swiping his sopping hair out of his eyes. "Didn't you make a whole gaggle of friends on the trip, or something?"

He was a little too exhausted to be as waspish as usual, but he tried.

[shining_friendship]

"For once I have to agree with you," Realizing that his comment was directed elsewhere, her eyes briefly traveling over to the students still trying to make sense of what they did wrong. She wasn't exactly thrilled to have been caught up in the repercussions of this spell gone wrong. Once indoors, she stepped aside to give Kaiba a little more space than he'd been granted when they were sharing the shelter of his coat, but she lingered nearby checking over some of her own effects to see if anything was ruined. It looked like her things were fine for the most part, but when she got to her dorm room she'd definitely be taking everything out and spreading it out on the bed so it could air dry. Then she looked back up to Kaiba who'd been engaged in assessing his coat in a similar manner. "What, is that some kind of code for get lost Gardner?" She mused and smiled in spite of herself. "I think I did make a few, but I don't think you really want to hear about them do you?" As drenched as he looked, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "You should really get out of those wet clothes, before you risk catching a cold."

airship

[king_of_games]

"Isn't it a little early to be writing it off so soon...." Apparently not for when you were a staunch skeptic of the concept of magic. Yami (for lack of a real name) had little choice but to believe, or he would never have been trapped inside an ancient relic in the first place. Somehow, he'd also found himself on this airship, disconcertingly without Yugi, which in and of itself was highly troubling for him. At least, he'd caught the sound of a familiar voice and he couldn't resist responding though he doubted that Kaiba was truly looking for companionship.

[blue_ice]

Kaiba was perfectly content to sip his tea and remain lost in his own bitter thought spiral for the duration of the journey, but a silhouette he knew too well caught his eye. Yugi.

No...his voice and the look in his eyes were different. This was the pharaoh. The same pharaoh they'd seen off a year ago. It shouldn't have been possible, but then the same was true of all of today's events.

"It's never too early to recognize a waste of my time for what it is," he groused, though his conviction wasn't as sincere as it had been a moment ago. Not that he'd ever acknowledge such a change of heart, of course.

"Don't you ever get tired of all of this magic getting in the way?"

A shout out to the DSOD XD. Great movie!

[king_of_games]

Seen off a year ago? Well, that would be news to this pharaoh. Clearly, you should inform him of the time discrepancy at some point so he can be further confused. "I had a feeling you might say something like that," Yami replied slightly amused. If Kaiba had readily accepted the notion of a magical school and the mere existence of magic the pharaoh might have found it mildly irritating. How many times had he tried to convince Kaiba that destiny wasn't something to be taken lightly and that he too played a significant role in it? Without receiving a formal invitation, Yami seated himself into an empty chair beside his reluctant friend. "Magic? I thought that word was forbidden in your vocabulary," Smirking a bit as he temporarily evaded the question. "There must be a reason why all of this is occurring, and while it does delay what I was brought back to accomplish I must see this through as well."

[blue_ice]

Ah, those insufferable dramatics. Why had he gone to such lengths and expenses to chase this man down, again? Kaiba leaned back in his chair, tipping his gaze up to the ceiling.

"I value evidence above all else. I exhausted every scientific avenue I knew of in explaining the nonsense that went on around us and came up short. And perhaps it augments willpower to achieve what was once impossible."

That was a principle he understood, at least. He still didn't like or approve of it, but...he shakes his head and looks back at the pharaoh.

"Heh. But I guess was only a matter of time before prolonged exposure to all of you infected me."

[king_of_games]

If only Yami had been aware of what lengths Kaiba had resorted to, it would have lead to so many questions of his own. Was dueling for the title of duel monster's champion important enough to fuel such a venture or could it have been a combination of reasons? Not that he would have expected a straightforward answer.

Crossing his legs, and folding his arms he was attentive as Kaiba spoke. ".. and you came up short." He repeated with an edge of smugness to his tone. Like it or not there were some things that defied explanation, but that didn't negate their existence. "I am surprised to hear that you devoted so much time and effort to it. You never gave the impression that you were interested....". At least he didn't completely dismiss Kaiba's assessment, there likely was some correlation between magic and willpower since to utilize the Millennium items one did have to consciously activate their powers.

Neither one of them seemed to think the theory was entirely sufficient.

"You can't blame all of this on me." Undeniably amused,"For once." Then he couldn't stop himself from asking after his friends. "Have you seen anyone else here from Domino? Any of my friends? or your brother?"

rain

[priforprince]

Honestly.

[ This person is trying to make do with a purple silk handkerchief, prioritizing wiping off her face over staying warm. It isn't working. On either count.

She raises her voice, trying to get the students' attention. ] I demand to speak to your professor!

[blue_ice]

[Someone with the right idea. Kaiba was willing to give this person a point of grudging respect. Once they reached the entryway, he whipped off his trenchcoat with a snort of disgust, tried to shake it out...and gave up, draping it over a railing for now. He chimed in, flashing his strongest glare of intimidation at one of the leading students.]

To convince us to go along with this scheme, we were told that failing to learn effective control of our 'magic' would kill us. If this is the quality of the instruction we should expect, I have doubts about our chances.

[priforprince]

[ The students, unfortunately, are so absorbed in not screwing up their magical formulae for fixing the first error that nobody seems to acknowledge Hibiki or Kaiba. This only serves to irritate Hibiki further. ]

Aren't you listening?! [ She gets up in one's face. ] I REQUIRE AN ADMINISTRATIVE AUDIENCE!!

[ She's going to have to take over this school, isn't she. She can feel it.

It's run by incompetents. ]

[blue_ice]

[With a force of nature like that...there was no standing in her way. There was no opposing her. There was only combining power.]

Unless deafness is a common side effect of magical training, I know you heard that, and I don't appreciate being disrespected. Now, come on. We can come to an understanding with our faculty, or we can draw this out.

[Loud isn't his style when card games aren't involved. His voice is ice cold, almost as cold as he and the rest of the shivering students are. Some wither under his glare, one in the back running off. Hopefully to get them that audience.]

[priforprince]

You - [ Hibiki singles out a student who has been avoiding her gaze, just for that, by pointing at them. ] Go as well.

[ The student yelps and does so. Potentially just to get away from these Sundered, who are not quite what was promised, but the fact remains, they appear to have been heeded.

Which leaves Hibiki and Kaiba. Grumping side by side. Hibiki lowers her head and mutters to herself. ]

Revolution, on the first day.......Such an inconvenient inevitability.

[ Being summoned to a new puniverse, granted a new power, and being feted as a Big Deal? Nothing out of the ordinary, at least to the extent that it'd disturb her (though the lack of butling is sorely felt) - she's used to offers, and being scouted. But having to rush her immediate takeover of this prinstitution? Forcing her hand?

How very dare. ]

Re: Seto Kaiba | Yu-Gi-Oh Duel Monsters

[gender_neutral]

Rain Rain on your parade.

The purple haired elf had had enough with the idiots who had fumbled that spell and was in full agreement with the tall person who had the odd growth between his eyes and the strangely mutated hands that seemed to be par for the course around here.

"They had the diagram wrong from the very basics," V said, scowling. "Even a fourth level Wizard could have seen that, I'd say even a Cleric could have added up that they had the wrong number of participants. And that student at the end should have had a master's oversight to prevent their own gross oversight. All in all a rather disappointing display. If this is the best there is to learn here, I'd just as soon be back in my own comic, and out of this inane side plot."

[blue_ice]

From a comic? Was this person out of their minds? They certainly sounded like they knew what they were talking about, but...that worried him even more.

"How do you know so much about this already?"

[gender_neutral]

"Perhaps the last few hundred years spent studying the arcane arts. Or personal experience from adventuring to gain much needed levels. Unlike many here, I am not human, not young, and not new to telling the laws of physics to sit down and shut up."

[blue_ice]

That was definitely a colorful phrase. Perhaps a year ago, he might have objected to it. But thanks to his technology, he now knew such a thing was indeed possible.

"Applying for a professor position, then?"