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]

"Yeah... but I'm also really bad at magic. It makes no sense to me," Pikachu says. It'd probably take too long to explain the intricacies of Pokemon powers and the like, and most of it doesn't apply here anyway. She was right, powers were gone.

"Go shoot. Better than anything I could produce. You can do it, kid"

[nobodys_puppet]

"Al... alright. At the potion, right?" she asked, trying to remember what the assignment was.

[inmyjellies]

"Yep. At the potion. Not at me. The potion." Pikachu says with the utmost seriousness he can. "You can do it. Fix the mess, kid!"

obviously the keyblade did not appear and her hood is still up. Just love this icon.

[nobodys_puppet]

"Alright," she said. She wasn't sure she could do one that small but she tried. She closed her hand as if holding her Keyblade and aimed at the potion. It helped her focus. "Just a bit," she said to herself softly, and took a breath. Then she said softly "thunder!" A bolt of lighting shot from above them to the potion, blackening the flask. She... might have used a bit too much power.

That's fair ^^

[inmyjellies]

"Woah!" Pikachu jumps at the surge of electricity. He grins though, not at all upset with the results.

"I always never figured out why 'Thunder' gets yelled for lightning attacks. They ain't the same thing. And they have the same syllables..."

Pikachu goes to the flask and pokes it. "Ow. Hot. But I don't hear a ghost/spirit insulting us, so good start kid. Open the lid for me, will you? I can't do much with small arms."

:D

[nobodys_puppet]

"It is how the spell works," she said softly with a small shrug. Had she messed up? Should she have learned the spell differently? Was that part of why she was always a failure? She reached over and took it carefully from him, the gloves insulating her hands from the heat. But even if they didn't, she wouldn't have complained. She opened it carefully. "Now what?"

[inmyjellies]

"Well... next we got to open the lid." Pikachu totters over and he quickly uses his gloves to protect him as he shoves the lid off.

"And then after that... urgh..." It's heavy for him. He's very small. "We see if it gives us strength. Now, who's the guinea pig there? I'll go if it smells like a good Moroccan brew."

[nobodys_puppet]

She... had no clue what a Moroccan brew was, good or otherwise. "I can," she offered. It would matter less if she was hurt than if he was, right? Whatever he was? If... he was a Somebody? She... still wasn't fully sure. But he probably was a Somebody. Given that he didn't seem to know who and what she was. And that made him more important.

[inmyjellies]

"As rude as it would be to not let the lady try, I'd better do it. After all, you managed to do the magic I couldn't to make the potion. If I turn green or grow tentacles or something... which is... ew... I'll need you to turn me back." Pikachu scurries over to the edge of the bowl and looks in. "Or we can let the teacher try it and laugh when they keel over. Ohhh I like that option."

[nobodys_puppet]

"I don't know any magic to undo something like that. I never did. Just combat spells. And some healing. But here all I have is Thunder," she said softly. She extended a hand, wide open, then closed the fingers slowly. She held herself like she was expecting something, then her shoulders slumped when it didn't happen. "Kind of worthless here," she said softly, letting her arm fall.

Truth to be told, she had always been worthless. To everyone but Axel and Roxas.

[inmyjellies]

"Better than me. I don't even remember what I could do. I woke up at home and, bam, amnesia. Nothing but this hat with an address on the inside," Pikachu tips his hat. "Your thunder is gonna save us getting a bad grade. And then we'll get more magic then that. Case closed. Actually not, there's still lots of loose ends to solve."

Pikachu shakes his head and slaps his cheeks.

"The point is, sweetie, you're fine. Show some confidence. How about a smile? Cheer me on as I drink up our project," he says as he gets a ladle and fills it up. "Doesn't smell bad. So that's good..."

[nobodys_puppet]

"You might have forgotten everything, but everyone forgot me," she whispered, then shook her head. "I could do it, really." She didn't want to get in trouble if something went wrong.

[inmyjellies]

Pikachu stops as he hears that and the chipper smile he was trying to foster to cheer the girl up falters. He really doesn't know what to say to that, so instead he takes a long sip of the potion.

"... Well... That tastes like... something," the Pikachu says. He doesn't want to break the suddenly tense mood but without his consent, he burps and pats his chest. "Whew. Excuse me. Sorry. Inappropriate timing."

"... I don't know if I'm supposed to feel anything. Am I supposed to feel stronger? Or is this metaphorical strength?"

[nobodys_puppet]

"I don't know..." she said quietly, then frowned. "Strength isn't an emotion, so how could you feel strong?" Now she was confused.

[inmyjellies]

"You can feel strong. I think. I guess? Maybe. I dunno." Very helpful, Detective...

"It says that it's a potion of strength, right?" Pikachu jumps off the cauldron and scurries over to look at the ingredient book. "Sorry, Potion of Supreme Might. I'm guessing it's super strength, right? I dunno... I expected magic to make me feel all tingly inside. Let's test it! Give me something heavy."

I so wish this was game canon so she could bring up "feeling stronger"

[nobodys_puppet]

"Um... alright..." she looked around and might have forgotten that what was light for her was already heavy for him. She walked to the back of the room and came back with a box of textbooks that she was having a bit of trouble carrying. "Here." She set it down beside him.

yeah it would be nice (I'm apping in August so we can look forward getting the vibes then maybe )

[inmyjellies]

Pikachu waits patiently, rocking on the balls of his feet idly. He really does feel bad for this kid. It's evident she's been through a lot and his paternal instinct is kicking in, wanting to comfort her.

He watches as she brings back the books and he cracks his knuckles. He stretches and warms up, jogging on the spot.

"Come on, magic. Show me what you got!" Pikachu yells as he goes to lift up the books.

Honestly, he expects failure. The books to not even budge as he struggles to lift them. But to his surprise... Up it goes!

"Please tell me you're not cheating and holding some of the weight. Please tell me I now have Super Might!"

Awesome! She may be a little better adjusted by then, but she's still Xion, so still a mess.

[nobodys_puppet]

A small laugh actually escaped from under the hood and she stepped back, holding her gloved hands up where he could see them. "I am not holding any of it." Could she remember how they made that potion? Would Axel like to have some of it?

A good child omg

[inmyjellies]

"Woooo! This is amazing! I never felt such strength!" Pikachu lifts the books up and down before he drops them, feeling satisfied with the thump that indicates just how heavy they were. "High five, kiddo! See! Knew you could do it!"

She tries to be and is sure she never could be

[nobodys_puppet]

"High five?" she asked, head tilted in confusion.