Test-Drive Meme - February

[thewatchers]

TEST DRIVE MEME
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With Winter Quarter in full swing, students can often be found dashing madly about the halls, with part-time jobs, classes, and other events and interests occupying much of their time.

Of course, that doesn't mean it's all work. Daybreak Academy tries to offer its students an abundance of leisure time to relax and unwind. With Valentine's Day fast approaching, romance is in the air as news of the Feast of St. Valentine and the Valentine's Ball begin to spread around campus. Already, talks of fashion and finding the right date are buzzing among the student body. With the winter months winding down, the oppressive chill of Winter is starting to loosen its grip, but there's still plenty of snow left for those who want to take one last run at Daybreak's slopes. As midterms approach, the school is as vibrant and busy as ever.

[All threads in this meme may be treated as canon should all involved characters are currently played or accepted into the game. You may use threads within the Test Drive Meme for Activity, even if the person you are threading with does not ultimately app. Current characters are welcome and encouraged to top-level on these prompts, as well as tag around normally.]


A. SECOND-HAND MARKET

Daybreak Academy has existed for several centuries. Throughout all that time, its ethos has been that of honing the abilities of deserving students, no matter what their birthright or social standing. Even still, the lavish galas befitting the riches of the school continued to have an impact, as poorer students unable to acquire proper attire were often locked out. To remedy this, Daybreak Academy began a tradition that it has upheld ever since - the Second-Hand Market. Hosted in an ever-expanding number of classrooms, the Second-Hand Market brings out all of the clothing, weapons, and other items that have been acquired, resold, or otherwise donated to the academy throughout its lifespan.

Here, any students and faculty can acquire any number of items, such as formal wear, weaponry, and other items for a fraction of the price. Most items are in decent condition, although there are some old items in disrepair that are even cheaper. They can come from just about anywhere in the world and just about any era, and you are able to exchange equivalent items, weapons and armor in both magical and mundane varieties, and formal clothing. Especially among richer students, the tradition is to donate any new clothing or items you commission for social events once the event is complete, to keep the stock current and available for the students who might need it.

With the upcoming ball, the Second-Hand Market is once again open for the first half of February. Staffed completely by students, it is frequently bustling with customers, many of whom not only buy outfits or weapons for the upcoming dance, but also spares they can use for their own projects.

B. LAST CHANCE ON THE SLOPES

With the Winter season winding down, the Arctic Slopes are entering their final months of operation for the season. For those hoping to get some skiing or snowboarding in, now will be the last chance for quite some time. As such, the lodge is full of students trying to take advantage of the last chance on the slopes. Winter has lingered this year, and the snow pack is still dense, making it perfect for one last hurrah. With the rush of students and faculty alike, the lodge is stocked with warm meals and hot chocolate to fill people's bellies after a long day on the slopes.

C. ALCHEMY MISHAP

Accidents happen, especially when you’re playing with the very essence of matter - and one just happened in the Alchemy student lab, causing a cloud of pale smoke to float all over campus. Thankfully it won’t turn anyone into a toad or kill someone.

But it does strange things to one’s vocal chords when inhaled, and unlike Helium it isn’t a one-trick pony, voices raise and lower in pitch, foreign accents, even completely different languages may start coming out of person’s mouth while they’re within in the cloud. Though that bit of an echo effect does sound pretty cool.

D. IRIS NETWORK


[Great Beast Voting]

Greetings, staff and students of Daybreak Academy!

Today, we are gathering data for a survey about the most popular great beasts. Please pick from the options below to help us gather results for our work.

What is your favourite Great Beast? Please pick from the list below.
1. Gryphon
2. Dragon
3. Chimera
4. Kirin
5. Barghest
6. Pegasus
7. Sphinx
8. Kraken


Thank you for your participation and assistance. We eagerly await your response!

[ Naturally, the results are public, with the aims of encouraging further discussion. ]

code bases by tricklet

Comments

Iris Network (UN: HotstepVet)

[incrediblystressedout]

i think a barghest is a kind of wolf? or a dog, maybe?

jude tried to get me to play a roleplaying game once and i read the books.

i definitely remember some kind of transforming dog that started with a b in there, i think it was a barghest.

he would not let me have it as an animal companion.

[atomicultimatum]

huh well that stinks
i dont know what a barghest is still but when i looked it up it said goblin like
and when i looked that up there was a lot of stuff about them but it said they were monstrous.
like bad
and said the barghest was bad even though it could sometimes be a wolf or something. :T
maybe im wrong though!

[incrediblystressedout]

you and i both know there's no such thing as a bad dog.

A is for Amnesia

[atomicultimatum]

Jade was in the middle of staring very intently at a stuffed animal of a dog when Jun pops up out of nowhere to her left. She wheels around, startled, both ears and tail stilled and half raised with how alert she was. When she saw, and in a way smell or sense the confusion and anger on him, Jade made herself relax a little.

"Hello." She greeted, tilting her head to the side in her own confusion and curiosity, "Are you lost?"

[anoceanofatma]

"Wh-"

Jun swallowed several questions, frantically trying to come up with one that didn't sound insane, but there was no way he could guess what would sound crazy right now when he didn't know what was going on. He just didn't have enough information!

Eventually he settled on, "Y...yeah. Where am I?"

Hardly original, but sometimes you just have to ask.

[kingcommander]

A

Colonel Roy Mustang had contacts all over. The exchange of information was important as a member of the BND Supernatural Division, and also as an Alchemist of knowledge and ambition. Unfortunately for Roy, this did also present some... financial obligations. Something for something, nothing for nothing.

And that is how he had acquired something to the excess of 50 prom dresses sized, generally, for young ladies with whom fraternization with would be HIGHLY inappropriate.

Thus, he's trying to offload the dresses in the least creepy manner possible. It's very awkward. Please don't let the Lieutenant find out.

C



There are a few things the Flame Alchemist would not tolerate. Well, OK, many things.

Misuse of Alchemy was definitely about five of them.

Children were another five.

A combination of the two? Easily twenty.

And so it was that Colonel Roy Mustang strode angrily onto the site, barking orders in the chipper intonation of a Japanese female idol.

"Contain the fumes! Bring me a list of the reagents active in the area! And for god's sake someone get more mages in here!"

[atomicultimatum]

Yep. You do sometimes just have to.

"Daybreak Academy." Is the short answer here and really the only one she's giving without prompting, "There's this sort of market thing going on right now."

C

[anoceanofatma]

Jun spoke in an amusingly high pitched voice, but his tone was serious.

"I'm a mage, I think. Pretty sure I'm not an alchemist, though. What needs to happen here?"

C

[aduration]

Honestly, Alt wasn't too happy about the situation either, as he had just went over lab safety just yesterday - ugh, the tribulations of being a TA, students won't listen!

But it was worth it just to hear the man sounding like he's about break into a musical number.

"Pfft...hahahaha!" Pointing was not necessary, but it just adds to the fun. "Got a frog in your throat, Mustang?" The silver-haired youth smirks, though he is already opening his tome, flipping through the pages to see if he had written something down for just such a situation.

[anoceanofatma]

"Well sure, obviously I'm at Daybreak Academy." The hell was Daybreak Academy? "I just...got turned around is all. Market, sure. You didn't see which way I came in did you?"

Maybe he could just go back the way he came and there'd be someone he knew.

...He didn't know anyone. Fuck.

Nevermind. He'd play it by ear. Something would fall into place eventually.

[kingcommander]

"I need the base components identified. Without that, there's no hope of neutralizing the compound."

If you've never heard an idol speak in a snappy, militaristic tone you've heard it now.

D - UN: Wanderer

[theycallhimmrpchan]

Well, that's the term used in the community for creatures thought to be mythical or non-existent by regular humans.

[kingcommander]

"If you have time to laugh you have time to assist!"

Roy's tone was as sharp as he could muster given the... circumstances.

"What are the active ingredients in the mix!?"

[anoceanofatma]

"Can't do anything about that. Unless..." Jun's voice was comically low, now.

He thought for a moment, staring at the collection of petri dishes and beakers the cloud of pink smoke was coming from. Next to them was a student's notebook.

Acting on instinct, Jun made a reaching motion with one hand and a gauzy thread of white light formed between him and the notebook. He pulled his hand back and the thread snapped into one solid line that was wrapped around his target, which was sent flying through the air towards them.

He caught it. The page it was open to was covered with alchemical symbols. "That help?"

[aduration]

"A good alchemist knows how to multitask." He chides lightly, as he frowns slightly, if he can get some neutralizers prepared that should help. "It smells strongly of pine, that shouldn't be in any of the reagents..."

He rubs his chin, before gagging as someone's attempt to keep the cloud in went right to him. "hey! be careful - a neutralizer..." Alt trails off, hand clamping over his mouth as he realized he just sounded like a balloon animal nervously asking a question.

[p1]

[ He laughs all the same, not a hint of it being forced. Not that he thought the banter was funny in itself- but the attempt is adorable. ]

Ah, mama-mia, that won’t do!

[ He hops up, literally, right over the desk and starts rummaging in a cupboard to pull out a toolbox, tool belt and a hammer about the same size as him for some reason. ]

I bet it’s [ Insert her room number here ] that fella always sleeping on the job. Let’s-a go!

[nonomiya]

[Mario's vitality cannot be avoided, and Chikage springs up from her question box seat as well. Suddenly, fixing a heater was an exciting event.]

It is [room number].

[The rumor of Mario being a telepath must also have merit. As she exits his office, she has to ask about his hammer. She makes her own tools and weapons and is intrigued by its relative size.]

Did you construct that hammer yourself, Mr- uh Mario? I'd like to hear all about it.

[She keeps a brisk pace in the hallway, suspecting he'll race off at any moment with his boundless energy.]

The Second Hand Market

[nonomiya]

Chikage has no need for stuffed animals on the whole; she generally spends her money on more practical things like weapons and artifacts. She is also, however, a fourteen year old girl and sometimes an item is just too cute to pass up. Stepping up beside Jade, she picks up a worn looking rabbit with one blue button eye and threads hanging from its once-triangle nose. It was a project, and she liked those.

"What do you think of this one?"

[p1]

[ Mario scampers along, leading the way but not sprinting off- his usual method of transport. Well, that and disappearing into a pipe but that's not a common skill. So he stays close, toolbox in one hand, belt securely in place and hammer hanging from it, barely managing to avoid banging the floor with every step. ]

Hmm? Oh, not this-a one, no!

[ NOT THIS ONE HE SAYS ]

This one I found in a pyramid. It's-a so nice, good weight, well balanced.

[ Why exactly he was in a pyramid and why that pyramid had a huge mallet, he chooses not to elaborate on. ]

But I make-a few. Easy peasy! That's-a the nice thing about a hammer- it's real easy to nail it! Or... is that the other way round?

A

[nonomiya]

Chikage approaches the man with the large selection of prom dresses rather hastily. Her coat is unbuttoned, revealing her striped knit sweater and powder blue corduroy miniskirt. She prefers her skirts as short as possible even in winter, for their added freedom of movement. In her hands, she holds a black dress she had forgotten to put in the box for her earlier donations.

"Excuse me. Are you collecting donations here, or just selling and trading? Do I need to go back to the first table to leave this?"

She inclines her head towards her dress and twirls a finger in her hair. The wind today has made it tangled and unkempt.

[nonomiya]

A pyramid? Were you in Egypt, or maybe South America?

[She giggles at his nail joke and covers her mouth. She has to pick up the pace a little to catch up, but she doesn't mind.]

You must have had so many adventures.

[soft_focus]

Oh ok

But the best ones still aren't on the list

What makes a human regular though? Do they really not know about all of these?

[kingcommander]

"Hmmm... not bad."

Roy reads over the symbols and begins drawing a complex circle on the ground which, once complete, he places his hand over it. It begins glowing with energy as the smoke begins to dissipate.

[kingcommander]

"Pine, huh?"

Roy starts taking notes in a book, writing down possible compounds.

"You were over this lab? What were you trying to do?"

[kingcommander]

"Uh... selling, I guess. I happened to acquire a lot of these and don't really have much use for them."

Roy is standing ill-at-ease, a military man in military uniforms surrounded by frilly dresses and not at all appreciating the irony of the situation for a man who jokes frequently about requiring miniskirts in the BND offices once he's in charge.