I'm hearing whispers of an infinite yes. [entries|friends|calendar]
dr. zaccheus odd, dean of magic.

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PROFILE. [01 Jan 2011|09:00am]
Our existence has serious side-effects. )
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STORYLINES & TRIVIA. [01 Jan 2011|04:00am]
We've evolved through a series of accidents. )

TRIVIA. )
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the doctor settles matters. [12 Nov 2009|07:48pm]
[ mood | determined ]

[PRIVATE TO ALVIN GREENTHISTLE.]

This ends now, you deranged fairy.

---

[PRIVATE TO VIOLET BROOME.]

I have a
Would



I have a request to make.

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the doctor likes this new fad. [13 Oct 2009|05:14pm]
[ mood | okay ]

[LOCKED TO FACULTY.]

Over the course of REVIEWING SOME RECENT STUDENT ENTRIES that were brought to my attention, I've seen this practice referred to as "overtures of inter-allegiance friendship" and a "joy". And I ask you, my colleagues -- why must the students have all the fun? Shouldn't we be allowed to BRIDGE THOSE GAPS and SHARE OUR PASTS with our coworkers?

I'll go first with a dear friend from the deans:








It seems she was still Pink (though possibly not quite as VENGEFUL?), even back then. I encourage you to contribute your own!


On a more serious topic, we're making some significant progress on those RIDICULOUS CAFETERIA HIJINKS. If you have any thoughts or opinions to offer, do let us know. Otherwise, it'll certainly be QUITE FAIR to let the deans discipline their OWN STUDENTS, yes?
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the doctor emerges. [18 Sep 2009|11:03pm]
PRIVATE. )

MARLA TUDOR. )

ATTICUS. )

VIOLET. )

ZOE WEST. )
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absit invidia; let ill will be absent. [01 Sep 2009|03:54pm]
[ mood | morose ]

I would like to set the record straight regarding the events of this past weekend, as I may have a CERTAIN AMOUNT of UNFORTUNATE CULPABILITY in the matter.

As you may well know, all League representatives partake in a certain amount of thrilling but ultimately rather harmless chicanery, directed productively towards the place best equipped for it: Neopolis City. We are, indeed, even expected to stage such ploys, or our membership is likely to be revoked without them -- just as the occasional Band representative must keep an eye on their Damsels and Babies Quota.

Anyone halfway decent with spellography would recognise my magical signature all over THE SHAMBLING UNDEAD currently scattered throughout the city itself. Yes, I conducted a large-scale mass raising. Did I intend for mayhem? Yes. Skills are not genuine skills unless they are tested, whether those skills lie in wreaking havoc or in Mass Disaster Response.

But did I intend for this? No.

The zombies were never meant to represent a threat to Neopolis Academy itself -- only to the trained adults of the city, who live prepared for precisely these circumstances. But for the zombies to appear on-campus, I was used and manipulated by a sub-faction entitled VILLAIN. They are not on any official rosters, but they are nonetheless a very real and very genuine threat to the safety of Neopolis. I hear from my sources that a few of their number were active in instigating the riots over the weekend. One or two were spotted, but not identified. Their continual lack of identification over the past few years is one of the most dangerous things about them. If anything, we of the League are reliable for our predictability. This new upstart group, on the other hand, is nothing but unpredictable. They usurped my spell, altered the parameters, and caused great swathes of chaos in the academy: the one place which was meant to be sacrosanct. It is, AFTER ALL, where I keep my books.

Do believe me, my weekend was spent striving to undo the damage -- the final un-raising on Sunday night was my own doing. Some of you may hold the tiff with Ms. Weathers against me; the fight was merely the product of high nerves and stress. You will note that we overcame our multitudes of differences and worked together, in the spirit of ugh cooperation that is meant to infuse this bipartisan academy.

For all the infected students: my SINCEREST APOLOGIES. I will tolerate a certain amount of petty complaints at my doorstep. If you have a PERSONAL GRIEVANCE to air with me as a result of this weekend, feel free to address me here, or to queue up for office hours. If you or your family have LEGAL GRIEVANCES to air, I kindly refer you to Beelzebub & Schuster, who will assure you of my legal innocence in this matter. We also remind you that Academy territory is not subject to the laws and statutes of Neopolis City.

And points for drama, Mr. Davies, but it was hardly necessary.

I never doubted for one moment that the students of this academy would impress and astound us with their capabilities.


FACULTY. )

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the doctor checks in. somewhat drunk. [22 Aug 2009|12:35am]
[ mood | depressed ]

[All of the following missives were written by a rather faulty crystal ball, brand-name Auto-Magi-Transcriber 2000. Despite its linguistic glitches, however, the private locks are encoded quite capably -- therein lies, presumably, its appeal for less-than-sensible overtired minds. Mass journal communication is a go.]

THE FIRST NIGHT OF THE PLAY WAS QUITE THE SUCCESS THANK YOU STUDENTS

----

PRIVATE TO VIOLET BROOME. )

PRIVATE TO ATTICUS BELL. )

PRIVATE TO MATHILDE ROUX. )

PRIVATE TO IVAN VON KYPHOS. )

PRIVATE TO PATIENCE LETHBRIDGE. )

PRIVATE TO MYCROFT LONGSTAFF. )

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PRIVATE ENTRY. [04 Aug 2009|04:36pm]
[Handwritten, the writing is tight and cramped, the ink blotchy. Not that anyone else will ever see it, of course.]

'You gave me hyacinths first a year ago;
'They called me the hyacinth girl.'
—Yet when we came back, late, from the Hyacinth garden,
Your arms full, and your hair wet, I could not
Speak, and my eyes failed, I was neither
Living nor dead, and I knew nothing,
Looking into the heart of light, the silence.

hyacinths violets.

[...]

Well, at least that's over with.
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the doctor has had enough. [31 Jul 2009|11:29pm]
Students in my seminar, please take note that next week is your practical exam. You must select which excavation group you would like to join: Egypt, Greece, or Rome. Kindly state your preference in comments below.


Private to Atticus Bell. )

Private to James Carrick & Theodora Endischee. )
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the doctor delivers reminders. [02 Jul 2009|06:24pm]
STRONGLY PRIVATE. MAGICAL ENCRYPTION. )



Well then. My faculty experiences the RATHER UNIQUE AND DUBIOUS PLEASURE of being subject to a three-way tie. Well done, magic faculty! If I hadn't inspected the polling myself, one might have thought there was some COINCIDENTAL MAGIC in the air, eh? I look forward to the run-off between the final three candidates.

Students in my seminar: DO RECALL that this week's crucially important topic is "Tombs, and why you shouldn't open them". Read pages 100 – 167 from Bottles' In the Depths of the Caverns of Doom: A Guide to Retrieving Artefacts, and I would recommend some practical experimentation in unlocking- and disenchanting-spells before tonight's practical.

The field trip begins at 7PM. Over the course of a lifetime of dealing with magical artefacts, you will find that first-hand experience with breaking into magically locked tombs will be invaluable. The teleportation spell will bring us to the older sections of Neopolis National Cemetery. For those worried about some QUAINT POLITICAL CORRECTNESS: no fear, we won't be desecrating any graves! Our excavations will only occur in those catacombs marked IN ABSENTIA, that is, their inhabitants have long-since joined the population of Neopolis' walking dead rehabilitation programmes.

Note that anyone who fails to open their particular tomb will have to stay in the cemetery until they do so. Academic brilliance is rather demanded if you expect to return in time for the long holiday, I regret to say.
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[ARTHURIAN LEGEND] the doctor shows his true colours. [16 May 2009|11:30am]
[ mood | grumpy ]

I am no longer paying attention to the other PDAs. All I see is widespread panic and last-minute wills, and the only time in which I APPRECIATE SUCH THINGS is when they are spawned from MY OWN EFFORTS. For the love of Aleister, I saw worse during the reality vortex of '73. ---Granted, it did not last quite as long as two weeks (the universe would have COLLAPSED UPON ITS OWN CREAKING FOUNDATIONS) but there were more abyssal horrors. And they are not a sight to be repeated, I SAY.

Students in Wales: Mordred does appear to have come out of his hiding. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND not approaching the battle in the distance. We have, to put it bluntly, fucked up myth quite well enough already. There is little else to be done. And I'm not letting my new book get harmed in some HALF-ASSED MISGUIDED ATTEMPT to be, what is the word---oh yes, heroic.

Bishop, if you leave the group, I no longer promise protection. Not that I ACTUALLY DID BEFORE, of course, but now you are MARGINALLY LESS USEFU

EDITED TO ADD: No. I changed my mind. Any student who attempts to be heroic is getting THE BRUNT OF A MAGICAL LASSO, and come HELL OR HIGH WATER, you are coming with me because I am not jeopardising our attempts to be retrieved.


PRIVATE TO BELL. )

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[ARTHURIAN LEGEND] the doctor investigates. [15 May 2009|05:00pm]
[ mood | worried ]

We seem to be losing our KNIGHTLY CHAPERONES one by one.



I would recommend not leaving the camp, children. I will ATTEMPT TO ASCERTAIN the nature of these disappearances.





[About an hour and a half later.]

RIGHT. I hate to alarm, but I found Bors in a ditch. What an UTTER SHAME for him --- not only chaste, but now dead. Fantastic. I am starting to suspect we may have gotten on Mordred's NOT QUITE SO SUNSHINEY SIDE

Don't leave the camp. Follow the law of SCOOBY DOO: do not split up.

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[ARTHURIAN LEGEND] the doctor feels the need to share. [13 May 2009|12:05am]
PRIVATE TO VIOLET. )
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[ARTHURIAN LEGEND] the doctor is pleased as punch to be in camelot. [03 May 2009|05:11pm]
[ mood | thoughtful ]

That's quite enough with the birds, Ms. Fiala. I'm quite certain our group doesn't want to spend the next two days MOPPING UP AVIAN EXCREMENT in addition to preparing for our HARROWING EPIC QUEST.

Students in Camelot: Remember to stop by for your daily LINGUISTIC AUTO-TRANSLATOR SPELL. If you do not remind me of it every morning, I will undoubtedly forget, and suddenly you will be QUITE FORCED to practice your ailing ðæts, þæts, thorns, wynns, and heofonums.

(Not that you wouldn't benefit from a SUDDEN CRASH COURSE in Old English, however; runic inscriptions are some of the most ancient forms of magic and a valuable arcane language at that. Whatever would THE USURPER say?)



And for whomever's interested in the practical details regarding our TEMPOROSPATIAL LOCATION: I've been looking at some archaic maps with the king, and it appears we're on the very eastern edge of Wales. I'd need to see a modern map to DUTIFULLY CROSS-REFERENCE our exact location, however.

This place is QUITE UNUSUAL; the architecture and technology suggests late medieval ages, but the language is decidedly earlier. The magic is FAR STRONGER than I imagined, and the king & company themselves seem an unusual blend of various coinciding myths. This would far rather suggest PARALLEL REALITY/UNIVERSE, rather than a mere excursion into our (RATHER DULL AND DREARY) past.

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[ARTHURIAN LEGEND] the doctor notes. [02 May 2009|02:31am]
PRIVATE. )
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the doctor is unimpressed. [22 Apr 2009|06:50pm]
[ mood | displeased ]

Oh, HONESTLY, you are all a ludicrous collection of INSENSIBLE COWARDS. At Argenteum, teachers would have FLOGGED YOUR BACKS WITH WHIPS OF BURNING MAGICAL TARTATUSEAN LEATHER, and when punished, essays would have to be written under the QUIVERING EFFECTS of the CURSE rendering writing COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE and EXCRUTIATI

Students, I thank you for staging what appears to be a rendition of VERY QUAINT outdoor camping outside my office, kumbaya and all. But I gladly remind you that portals and sound-muffling spells are in great supply, and I am uncertain why one would EVER want to forsake the SOFT AND DOWNY COMFORT of one's own bed.

And Mr. Walker, I -- and your own DELICATELY PRECARIOUS SANITY -- would appreciate it if you did not try that particular stunt again.

Magic students: The syllabus for next trimester's "Experiments with Ancient Artefacts: Cursed, Forbidden, or Otherwise" seminar is now up. Do treat this entry as the signup post for this specialised lecture; I must approve each enrollment personally. I recommend this seminar as quite the treat for the more ACADEMICALLY-INVESTED of you -- we will break into some awfully intriguing tombs, see some very interesting sights (the Greece/Rome/Egypt trips were always highly-rated back at II), and safely manipulate artefacts which could otherwise disintegrate your VERY MIND.



Private to Sam Cranston, Anna Myles, Janie Jackson, Guy Pekkanen. )

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the doctor metes out his own brand of justice. [20 Apr 2009|04:19pm]
PRIVATE. )

Will the following students please report to my office IN A TIMELY MANNER to receive their punishment for their involvement with the theft and continued possession of the Kyz'rkk, and most particularly, for not turning themselves in:
Dorothy Duncan
Fergus Irving
Nick McCaffery
Scott Green



And for those of you in my summoning seminar (attn: Bloxam, Kaplan, Seymour, amongst others): the format of the exam is unchanged as from what was PREVIOUSLY DETAILED in the syllabus. The written portion is the same as always, but this Friday (THANK DIS for review week, yes?), you will receive the name of the dæmon assigned to you for the practical.

I have matched the scaled Solomon Key to your performance in the midterm, so no one will face a demon beyond their actual magical expertise; that said, there is GREAT LEEWAY for your grade to swing either PHENOMENALLY UPWARDS or HORRIFYINGLY DOWNWARDS, depending on the report I receive from the demon. Do try your hardest. Fail to study at all, and a small pile of ash may be ALL THAT RETURNS FROM THE DEEPEST DEPTHS AND DIMENSIONS OF HELL. That would be no good for your spring break, eh?
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the doctor senses a disturbance in the force. [15 Apr 2009|07:45pm]
[ mood | annoyed ]

STUDENTS.

YOUR CRIME HAS NOT GONE UNDISCOVERED. In my monthly inventory of my office, I did indeed discover a RATHER CONSPICUOUS LACKAGE upon my 4 & 1/8th bookshelf. I highly commend your ability in getting past the second seal (hiding the warts must have been a dreadful plight; I wonder if you told your compatriots?), but I will be requiring that crystal ball for some experim ritua things over May break, and therefore sternly request that the perpetrators turn themselves in as soon as possible.

I do have my methods, you know. And may I remind you all that the exam for SUMMONING 101: SPIRITS, DEMONS, AND FAMILIARS is scheduled for Tuesday, the 28th of April?

And that the format of this exam is entirely up to my discretion?

And that I am in the midst of writing up this exam, and that my LESS THAN SUNSHINEY MOOD will INDEEEED play a role in the format and rigorousness of this exam?

Hence, second- and third-year magic students: it is in your VERY BEST PERSONAL INTEREST to root out the perpetrators behind the FOOOOOUL THIEVERY of my crystal, else suffer the very worst of what my arsenal will offer. I'll be kind; you don't even have to make them turn themselves in. A simple tattling will suffice. Treachery will be rewarded.




I could, of course, simply scry for the location of the Kyz'rkk crystal, but this is a FAR MORE AMUSING option, don't you agree? In between writing up the exam, I'm also in the process of working on my syllabus for the next trimester; DO STAY TUNED if you happen to have THE EVEN SMALLEST IIIINKLING of taking my seminar next term. I can promise there will be fewer hellish demons.

And no warts.

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the doctor gets an idea. [29 Mar 2009|05:51pm]
Private. )
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the doctor takes charge. [21 Mar 2009|03:54am]
I never intended to supervise any of this school's extracurriculars and I do so abhor being the bearer of bad news, particularly on such HEINOUSLY SHORT NOTICE, but your learned drama teacher has become rather incapacitated at the moment. And so, since Mr. Puckswaddle has fallen GRIEVOUSLY ILL with some MALADY OF THE NETHER REGIONS, I am hereby taking control over the school's theatrical endeavours until such time as a replacement can be secured.

I'll enchant a psychic link for him in the auditorium on Saturday, so he'll be able to supervise the play by Odd proxy -- but otherwise, for the next few weeks, you're all rather trapped with my ILLUMINATING PRESENCE IN DRAMA.

Continue.
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