TEST DRIVE MEME - MARCH

[thewatchers]

TESTDRIVE MEME
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Winter quarter is nearing its conclusion as Finals and Spring Break are quickly approaching. The library is bustling as students frantically prepare, but campus is also buzzing with excitement in anticipation of the school-funded Spring Break trip to Provence.

The administration, however, is not unsympathetic to the stressors of being a student. Comforts such as therapy animals, snack stations, and de-stressing events are being held all over campus to keep students as relaxed as possible and help them prepare for their finals. Daybreak Academy needs their students to succeed, and they spare no expense in helping them do so.

A. STUDY SESSIONS

With the approach of exams, the Hall of Pythia is enforcing 24/7 quiet hours. While it has quiet a few study rooms available, many students will find that the rooms are being booked up at an alarming rate. To account for this, classrooms and media rooms in Theater Lenormand are also being opened up for student use. Many others are spilling over into local restaurants and cafes, coming together as groups to review course material and prepare for their upcoming exams.

During these times, Faculty are expected to take a more hands-on approach as well. Faculty are strongly encouraged to host their own study sessions and rigorously review the exams and what to expect. Faculty are all given first priority for open classrooms and are able to hold after-hours lessons and Q&A sessions as they wish. While it’s not, strictly speaking, mandatory, Faculty can expect it to come up on their annual performance review if they don’t make themselves available to students.

B. THERAPY ANIMALS

Animals have proven to reduce stress, a thing sorely needed during the lead up to exams, and Daybreak Academy has provided three types of therapy animals upon request to aid with making study times much more bearable: The rare Armenian Aralez who is generous with it’s doggy kisses, About six huggable corgi-sized Wooly Bugs with their incredibly soft wool, and a pair of languid Temple lions that don’t mind being used as pillows. Try not to get too distracted from your studies.

C. FASCHING

Also known as Fastnacht Best described as ‘Bavarian Mardi Gras’, Fasching is much like it’s New Orleans and Brazilian counterparts - a celebration of the excess and to live it up until good catholics go give it up for Lent. Least that’s the intent, but like most modern holidays it’s an excuse to cut loose and have fun, and thanks to a sizable German population in Soliel, there is a bit of Fasching in early march with Beer Gardens, Masked Parties, and Live Bands along with decadently rich desserts from both German and French Cuisine. Have fun, but remember there is a curfew.

D. STORYTIME (text)

Hi everyone! This is the Folklore Club! If we could just take a moment of your time…

Daybreak Academy sure is a big school, isn’t it? And the students and staff here come from all over! Here at the Folklore Club, we research myths, legends and stories from all around the world to examine their similarities and differences.

It would really help us out if you told us what your favourite myth or legend is! Don’t be shy - we’d love to see it! Especially if it’s something that we’ve never seen before! And who knows, maybe you’ll meet someone who loves your favourite story too!

[ The results are, naturally, public. ]

Comments

[deuteranope]

[ughhh he slaps he face into his hands. but hey, mothrabbit is gone. that's pretty good.]

Like you're perpetually in shock and numb from having your fucking soul eaten.

[soft_focus]

[Um.] ....

...I don't think my soul was eaten.... [She's pretty sure at least One whole doctor said she has a soul.]

[deuteranope]

That's why I said your face is like that, not that it fucking is that. Simile, not a metaphor. Shit you'd maybe know if your creepy beastie didn't apparently eat books.

[He definitely feels like the life is being stolen from him more as each second passes. Oh well. A reminder to study...]

Hey, you don't even have midterms, do you? [who makes a ghost take tests] What're you doing over here?

[soft_focus]

[This sure is a lot of things he's saying and she doesn't even get half of 'm.

Wow.]

Umn. They said I don't have to stay in the sick room anymore, [She explains 'helpfully', turning her attention back to the list of courses.] ...I get to move to a 'dorm', and go to 'school'.

...they said I can choose some classes that are 'extra', [Extra curricular, actually,] and put stars on the ones I might like...

[deuteranope]

[His skin is crawling, and he sort of wishes it was just because this was clearly a nightmare child from hell that died and was brought back from the grave through some arcane ritual involving the sacrifice of innocents. But it's not. He knows it's also because of some fuzzy memory of white walls and a pale bluish colors, where faceless adults with garbled voices would suggest things, and after a while a woman would repeat it slower and softer, closer to him. He didn't have to stay in that room, anymore, because his body wasn't hurt. He could move to another room, if he was ready.

He doesn't remember if he was ready, or not. He doesn't remember a lot of things from back then.]

...Do you think 'they' do a good job knowing what sort of things you like?

[soft_focus]

...I don't know.

[It's an honest response.] ...Umnh... ...they said if it makes you happy, it's a thing you like but... ...I don't think I know enough, [She quietly admits.] ...Not enough to know that.

Umnh...they said I might know places in this one though, [she continues, pointing to Outlands Cosmology.] And...these classes are supposed to have a 'nice teacher'... [...it's a few simple electives in Mario's field...] ...And that one has lots of animals...

[She over all sounds very uncertain about things. But.] Umn.

The first one has an angel teacher. ...She was nicer than the ones I saw before.

[that's not surprising but also somewhat alarming]

[deuteranope]

[He just nods, because as obvious as it felt now, he remembers those times. Maybe it's why he likes learning weird shit, now... He'll know enough, no matter what.]

...Yeah. I don't like angels much, either. Or any of that stuff. They let her be a teacher, though, so that means they trust her, and she has to follow just as many rules as you do. Sometimes more, because she's older. Those rules keep you safe, right?

[soft_focus]

She said my 'language' was 'Russian'. [This has. Nothing to do with rules. She doesn't seem to really be thinking about rules, so much as just White Chain now.]

...She said different things I didn't know, until there was something I knew, and then called it 'Russian'.

[...Reira is speaking English right now, though to be fair, she does have one of those translation aids on the table.]

...Mnh. Why would someone older have more rules?

[Oh there's the rules thing.]

[deuteranope]

[...okay...he'll just kind of wait that out -- oh, wait. He takes his hat off, propping it on his hand and showing her.]

My hat is 'Russian', too. Ushanka. See? It's got ears, like, uh...ushi, right?

[ugh, he feels so weird without his hat, but he's feeling pretty fucking weird about this whole dang conversation, so whatever!!! Rules...]

Like... When you're older, you're supposed to know more. You need to know how to act and where to go, all by yourself. And because she's in charge, she has rules that say what she can and can't do while she's teaching you. You have rules like that, too, but not fucking, like...as many. You don't know enough to want to do something you're not supposed to, because you don't know what that is.

[soft_focus]

....I didn't know that word. [Being 5 in some kind of lab or something, there were not a lot of ushankas.] ...I knew 'ear' though.

[So thank you, she's studying the hat with a lot of interest. Actually, if it's in reach she's slowly going to reach out to feel the underside of the ear flaps...]

...'s soft... [Just a small...small smile...]

...Mnh. That makes sense though... [That whole. Not wanting to do something she's not supposed to. Though...uh.] ...Why would someone want to do what they're not supposed to though?

[Said the Repeat Escape Artist,]

[deuteranope]

[That’s why he included the root word!!! And there goes the extent of his Russian knowledge, he’s tapped out now. He lets her feel the hat — it’s more soft from being so worn down than the original fuzzy feeling, but it’s definitely pretty dang soft — but she’ll be able to feel the way his anxieties rise the closer she is. She might be more of a traumatized girl than a ghost girl, but it still isn’t fun to be around her.]

‘cause it’s fucking fun or funny, usually. [hhhh okay no he needs his hat back and in its place.] I’m not supposed to say “fuck” and “fuck”-adjacent words, and I’m definitely not supposed to say it in front of you, but I fucking like saying it. It’s one of the early things I learned I liked. So I’m gonna fucking talk however I want to.

[soft_focus]

[Yes...those anxieties are...definitely moving her back away rather quick. She actually looks a bit ashamed even, at least until he's talking again.

....

um.] ...Why?

[....oh no]

...What's wrong with 'Fuck'?

[look what you've done mav just look what you've Done]

[deuteranope]

[this is everything he's ever hoped for tbh

what is wrong with fuck? nothing!!!

Okay, he should try to answer for real, though... Like a Responsible Adult.]

It's a word with a lot of meanings, and none of 'em are really casual conversation stuff. If you say "fuck that guy" it means you hate him and don't want to listen, and hating's a big deal, but I could also "fuck that guy" and it would be some different serious adult shit that I don't really wanna exaplin because even that much feels criminal. Point is, it's a really complicated word, and the more complicated something is, the more restricted it becomes.

[soft_focus]

[So what she's getting from this is that it's Nonsense,] Mnhhh....

...okay. [Restricted indeed.

...

right she's supposed to do that one thing when someone's helpful,] Umnh- Thank you.

[There she did it.]

[deuteranope]

[yeahhhh, he did a big good job. He explained it, kept it clean, and still dissuaded the kid from using it unless it was explicitly her choice to do so. He's great.]

Ain't nothing. [which...isn't the scripted response to "thank you" but he seems to be reacting positively??? Anyway!]

The animal class sounds like a good idea to me. Lots of animals are soft, like the ushanka, and a lot of the ones that aren't soft have something else cool about them. Right?

[soft_focus]

Mnh. [She nods, looking back at the list again.]

...Sometimes they can talk, or fly... [That's pretty cool she thinks.] ...And... ...Normally, it's easy to know if it doesn't like you, too.

[This is important when you are small, and potentially edible.]

[deuteranope]

[talking animals...yeah, no fucking thanks.]

Yeah. They don't pretend so much. They just do. [Hm...] What about a class with lots of numbers? When something is a number, it's just that number, and it can't pretend it's something else. Does that sound good?

[soft_focus]

I...guess? [Very gradually, it is becoming easier to talk to this guy.] ...But...That's because numbers are like chairs, and food. ....they don't have feelings. Chairs and food can't pretend to be something else either.

...mnh... ...and there's still people in classes with numbers...

[deuteranope]

[...Well. Mimics exist. He'll go ahead and keep that to himself for now, because life is confusing enough when you're little and the world is whirling around you in a noisy storm without adding the possibility of a chair trying to eat you.]

There's going to be people in every fucking class, kid. It's a school.

[soft_focus]

...Yeah.

...But not all of those classes have something else with the people.

[Like the animals.]

[deuteranope]

[erm...]

I can't tell if you think having something else too makes it better or worse.

[soft_focus]

[She looks to the course paper again.] ...If it's animals it's better.

...

...I guess I like animals then.

[It should not take this long to realize an interest.]

[deuteranope]

[Maybe not...but it happens. There's a sinking understanding inside even as he keeps himself from rolling his eyes and proclaiming no shit.]

Good job, ghost girl, that's one. [An easy one... What monster doesn't like animals?] Maybe 'they' did okay when thinking about 'extra' classes, then... Are there any you don't really wanna give a fucking shot?

[soft_focus]

Yeah... [Same Hat on who Wouldn't though, Mav. Animals are great.

She looks across the list however, humming a bit.] Mnh... ...I don't think so...but...

[She points at... ...White Chain's.] ...I'm going to take hers, I think.

...She's nice.

[That's definitely not a word most people use for White Chain right away, but okay.]

[deuteranope]

[ehhhh...if you say so, reira...]

I hear she's a tough teacher. If you like learning and not causing trouble, you'll probably do okay.

[ Sounds like she already knows angels were a strange, dangerous thing, so he won't remind her of that.]