Test Drive #5 Is Alive

[magicademymods]

Test Drive #5



Class Is In Session

The Metacurriculum of Glyphics contains within it the fine and honored art of potionmaking, in which glyphs scribed into a cauldron are distilled within a liquid especially prepared to hold the enchantment. The task is remarkably finicky, and thus not particularly utilized outside of the classroom; generations of teachers have been forced to deal with the question of "when will we ever use this in real life?!", to their inevitable despair.

A pinch of cilantro, a dash of goat hoof, stir carefully and apply liberal amounts of electricity -- and you foolishly used alternating current instead of direct. Rather than a Potion of Supreme Might, your mixture has turned a vile grey, and a dark spirit has arisen from it to tell you that your personal hygiene leaves much to be desired and that your soul is so black with sin no heaven will ever accept it. This is no good -- the syllabus explicitly states that profane manifestations of magic are only worth partial credit at best. Can you and your partner rectify your mistake before the professor pops by to see how you're doing?

Shady Business

"'Ey! You!" calls a voice from the Merchant District Alley, coming from the throat of a pop-eyed, scraggle-faced man that couldn't be a shadier character if he was real slim. On catching your attention, he motions you over. "Sees that you're wizard-likes," he says, rolling his words around in his mouth in a particularly rhythmic sort of way that doesn't disguise his inability to hold one accent for more than a phrase. "Well I've got summat'll knock your bonzer socks off. Behold!"

Sweeping one hand towards a ratty old table, he whips off a cloth to reveal a rack of weapons. Pointy swords, massive maces, warhammers that resemble the smaller historical version rather than the fantasy types one pictures dwarves with, a bow and arrows, a stiletto, any number of different implements of death. "Priced as marked," the shady guy says, "and sold as is. No refunds! Some of them are probably cursed, is what I'm hinting at. Full disclosure."

The price is so good, the risk of a curse might be worth it. Did you purchase the Sword of Flaming Death, or the Dagger of Wedgies-to-the-Wielder? Is the greataxe mighty and potent, or actually foil-covered chocolate? Choose your weapon wisely. We -- we recommend you don't pick up the one that causes you to attack the nearest person in a rage of bloodlust, but what do we know?

Etreia Day

Everyone looks forward to Etreia Day in the dining hall, that special day when the food delivered to students and staff comes from that landlocked nation deep in the Tier Mountains. Little cultural blending and spices unique to the deep peaks and valleys of the isolated country have lead to a unique and renowned cultural menu that everyone is eager to partake of.

The effect isn't magical, merely biochemical, but no one can deny that Etreian food affects human emotions significantly. Light sauces and dry-rubbed fowl are terrific for energy and mood, pushing the eater into a flurry of cheerful activity that their body will likely pay for later. Sour dishes and dark bastes produce solemn moods and inhibit playfulness. Spicy foods are something of a wildcard, pushing different people to different extremes, be they happy or sad, angry or joyous. To those who expect this, experiencing these different emotions is as much a part of the meal as the taste and texture of the food itself.

To those who don't expect this, well, it's a bit of a surprise.

Labwork

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.)

Comments

[inmyjellies]

Thankfully she doesn't have to crouch very far since he's standing on the table, but now everything's a little easier now they're eye to eye. Pikachu takes his cap off and smooths back his fur like human hair before he puts on his hat again and smiles.

"Rapunzel, huh? I'm Pikachu. The World Class Detective Pikachu, at your service, lovely."

[afterhappilyeverafter]

"World class... Detective?" she repeats, slowly. It's a word from after her time, but she's always happy to learn something new. "What does that mean?"

[inmyjellies]

"You don't know what a detective is? Well, allow me to educate you," The Pikachu bows. "A detective is an investigator. We collect information to solve crime and catch criminals. Missing person? Something stolen? I'm your guy to find them. It's all very exciting stuff."

[afterhappilyeverafter]

"Oh!" Rapunzel says with a bit of a gasp. She smiles softly, and there's an undeniable respect in the way she looks at Pikachu moving forward. "You find missing people and bring them home? That's really wonderful."

[inmyjellies]

It's a bit more than what Pikachu expects but the respect gets him to grin. He ruffles his fur up with pride, grinning to the woman.

"Yep. Not so much here since no one's missing, but a lot at home. Actually, I was in a middle of a personal case before."

[afterhappilyeverafter]

"Were you?" Rapunzel asks, leaning in as curiosity shines in her eyes. "What happened? Was a friend of yours missing?"

[inmyjellies]

In contrast, Pikachu's face falls and he sighs. He flicks his cap off and flips it over, showing Harry Goodman's name.

"My partner. Harry. We're detectives together. He disappeared a few weeks ago, at least that's when I last was in Rhyme City. I woke up with no memories with nothing but this cap and his name on it. I know Harry's alive somewhere. I just need to find him."