c3p-0h

Virtual Reality: Or How I Learned to Stop Thinking and Love the Bob-omb! (A Comedy RP)

Kimi did not enjoy blindfolds. At all. For one thing, they ruined her makeup. For another, she couldn't tell if a serial killer was kidnapping her or if she was being sold into some human trafficking scam or… heck, anything! The further she got from Maya's apartment, the more she was regretting going through her sister's mail in the first place. No way this whole thing was gonna be worth it. But she was smart, right? She could work her way through this. She'd managed to charm the large man who'd first come to pick her up with a smile, but couldn't convince him to let her get by without the stupid blindfold, and now she had no idea where she was. They'd even taken her can of mace and pocket knife at the airport.

Eventually, the taxi she was riding in came to a stop and Kimi heard the door open. She held out her hand expectantly, and her driver (who'd introduced himself as Gary) awkwardly curled his fingers around it and helped her out of the car. He guided her forward and she heard the sound of rusted hinges screeching as doors opened. Oh great. A sketchy warehouse. Just what this situation needed. They walked through and the doors shut behind them. Gary undid her blindfold and Kimi blinked against the light.

The scene around her did not inspire confidence. The large room was bathed in the sort of lighting that made you look sickly no matter what complexion you had, and there was some tacky counter in the center, filled with… office supplies? What? Most concerning of all though was the Dr. Frankenstein sitting just behind the counter. Kimi looked up at Gary to see him shift uncomfortably. Glancing down at her, he blushed and snapped his eyes back up to the other man.

"That'll be quite enough Gary, thank you," the doctor said, rising from his seat. Gary gave a short nod and practically ran to a door lining the far wall. "You must be Miss Baker, yes? So lovely to meet you." Kimi decided very quickly that she didn't like his voice. Or his smile. But she put on a cheery face anyway, beaming at him.

"It's nice to meet you too, mister… I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," she said with a tilt of her head, letting her smile turn bashful. "Or… what any of this was about, really," she giggled. "I guess it kinda all went over my head." His eyebrow twitched at her words, and he was still for a moment before replying.

"Oh, not to worry Miss Baker," he said, "All your questions will be answered as soon as everyone's here. As it stands, you're the third to arrive. Come along to the back room. You can meet the others." Alarms rang in Kimi's head. Why the heck did he not want to tell her his name? But before she could say anything else, he'd turned towards a door, clearly expecting her to follow behind him. She hesitated for a moment before doing just that, sure to stay at least an arm's length away from him. Just in case.

Inside the back room stood two men, noisily scarfing down some cookies. Were… these the other "winners"? These were the people they'd picked along side her? Indignation started bubbling up inside of Kimi. They'd better have been going for diversity to think she should be grouped together with these two. Honestly, they were hardly impressive. Except maybe if you counted how many crumbs it was possible to catch on the front of a shirt.

(It should be noted that at this point Kimi had completely forgotten that she hadn't actually been selected for this.)

"Chester Garrett, Gerald Calhoun," the man said, his voice cutting through the sound of their munching, "meet Miss Maya Baker." Oh right. She was Maya. "I'll let you all get to know each other while we wait for the rest," he said. With one last smile, he turned and walked out the door, locking it behind him. Great.

"Uhm…" she started, not sure what to do. "Hi." She gave a sweet smile and a little wave. You couldn't go wrong with that. "So… do you two have any idea what this is about?"

Salem Witches' Institute {Harry Potter}

here's my other character! lol, looks like tituba is the fullest again.

Julius Aquino

|JULIUS AQUINO|

Name:

Julius "Jules" Aquino

Gender:

Male

Age:

13

Year:

3rd

Blood:

Half-Blood

House:

Tituba

Wand:

Cedar, Dragon Heartstring, Pliable, 11 3/4"

Pet:

None, but has been begging his mom for a dog for years. Or a dragon.

Electives:

Care of Magical Creatures
Muggle Studies
Divination

Clubs:

Magical Creatures Club

Personality:(At least a paragraph)

Jules specializes in back-talking, smack-talking, trouble-making, and heart-breaking (because really, look at those eyes). Already very independent, Jules hates it when people tell him what to do, and even more when they talk down to him. He's rash, and has no tact to him at all, but at least you always know that what you see is what you get with him. Somehow though, people can never stay mad at him when he does something that by all accounts should land him in detention (and often does). Jules still has all the wonder and curiosity of a little boy, and a smile that lights up his face.

Though he's never cared much for things like rules or authority, Jules has high moral standards and empathy, and no patience for cruelty. He's a small, but scrappy kid who isn't afraid to stand up to someone and pick a fight… even when it can only end badly for him. Jules is also very responsible, something that tends to catch most people off guard. He's a dependable sort with a protective streak, who you can go to for almost anything, and he'll have your back. Especially if it means making a little mischief. He loves mischief. In his few years at Salem's, he's already garnered a reputation among teachers and students alike for pulling pranks and being a general disturbance. Jules never means any harm, though (unless it's fight pickin' time) and mostly just does it to make others laugh. He likes spending time with other people and cracking jokes, so he's pretty popular with the other students his age.

He's brave, loyal, curious, and mischievous, but all in all, he's just a kid who's stumbled into magical abilities and wants to have fun with them. What can possibly go wrong.

Likes:

His mom
Animals of all sorts
General tomfoolery

Dislikes:

Rules
Being talked down to
Bullies
His mom being anything but happy

Fears:

Loss
Heights
Uselessness

Biography:

A scrawny punk from Richmond, CA, Jules was born to single mother, Rosa Aquino. Rosa, a squib, immigrated to America from the Philippines when she was still pregnant, and managed to find a shabby apartment in the Bay Area just in time to give birth to him. Though she lacked any talent for magic, she knew that in all likelihood Jules would be a wizard just like his grandpa. So when at three years old, Rosa inexplicably found him sitting on top of the refrigerator – where she'd hidden a toy she'd confiscated from him two days ago – she knew exactly what was going on. On her next day off from work, she took baby Julius to San Francisco's wizarding district and walked him through the allies.

His introduction to the magical world was… a noisy one. He stared, wide-eyed as Rosa walked him into Sybill's Savoring Sweeties, a candy shop. The two of them played with the different treats, some changing color, some moving all on their own. They dissolved into giggles as Jules' wonder and delight. But then as Rosa was distracted talking to Sybill, little Jules picked up a few of the fire-crackers and dropped them on the floor. The ensuing cacophony was something to behold, and he almost lit the store on fire. The two woman did the reasonable thing and freaked out, but Jules just giggled at the spectacle, in awe (it wasn't uncommon to hear gunshots at night in Richmond – Jules had stopped being afraid of loud noises long before magic entered his life).

The knowledge that he was different from the other kids at school, that he had magic, didn't impede his ability to make friends. Instead, it was all the time he spent in time-out. Teachers were quick to brand him a trouble-maker for both his love of pranks and his uncanny ability to start fights with other kids in the play yard every time someone wasn't looking. It didn't matter if Jules was the target, or if it was his friend, or someone he didn't know at all. If someone started doing something that he didn't think was right, he stepped in. Luckily, five year olds can't do much to seriously hurt each other. But still, it landed him in time-out often enough, and poor Rosa got more and more calls about her unruly son. Eventually, enough was enough, and she decided that it was time he got a good lecture – along with a couple of smacks to the head. Jules wasn't exactly cured of his ways, but at least he got better at knowing where the line was drawn – and when it was acceptable to cross it.

As Jules grew older, Rosa started depending on him more and more. She took him to doctor appointments to translate her broken mix of English and Tagalog, had him take official phone calls for her so she wouldn't have to speak, and had him negotiate with their landlord, because she didn't trust her ability to do it well enough. Jules took on more and more responsibility, almost becoming a parent in his own right. His mom worked two jobs and late nights, so he learned to cook and made dinner for her from the few ingredients stocked in their fridge so she'd have something to eat when she got home. As he got taller and more responsible, Rosa seemed to shrink, time and her heavy work load weighing her down.

Leaving for Salem's when Jules was eleven was both the most exciting and most painful thing he'd ever done. He hated leaving his mom. Who was going to talk for her, or make her dinner, or give her a good morning kiss? And Richmond wasn't exactly a safe neighborhood. Even at his young age, he knew that much. But Rosa insisted, saying that they would write each other every week (a tradition they still continue, even today) and that she would be fine. Besides, didn't he want to learn all about magic? He'd learn so many wonderful things, and then during breaks he could come home and they could go into magical San Francisco so Jules could show off and not get in trouble for using underage magic. It'd be the best experience of his life, she promised.

Salem Witches' Institute {Harry Potter}

i'm considering making another character. a boy in tituba, because i'm a perfectionist. it would even out the house and gender numbers.

Salem Witches' Institute {Harry Potter}

Then that's great but that runs the risk of having the ic clogged up with 20 new posts when no one was looking.

Salem Witches' Institute {Harry Potter}

@Prints Avoid pssst

Salem Witches' Institute {Harry Potter}

maybe, but to be fair there's also about 5 times the amount of people in the us than in the uk, and one school per country if that. i think the official number was… what, 11 magical schools in the world? i guess we can just ignore that and say there are multiple schools in the us. seems very american to think this or that way is better, so multiple schools/practices are developed.

Salem Witches' Institute {Harry Potter}

unrelated to that, i'm curious as to how amelia's actually gonna be able to perform magic, what with not being able to say the incantation. i mean, we know non-verbal magic can be a thing, but that's only introduced to 6th year students at hogwarts, and after students are already comfortable with the spells and have lots of practice.

Salem Witches' Institute {Harry Potter}

lol blame apo. she's the one who had the scene start off this early. (and aja's an early riser anyway)

Salem Witches' Institute {Harry Potter}

i was wondering about this earlier. i kinda assumed maybe it was multiple students to a room?

Salem Witches' Institute {Harry Potter}

Aja sat on one of the overstuffed sofas in the Tomb, legs curled up under her, and a book resting on her lap. The young witch picked at a chocolate bar sitting on her leg as she read (her mom would've had a fit if she knew Aja was eating candy so early in the morning). She usually didn't venture down here, enjoying the privacy of her room after spending the summer with her overflowing family, but it was early enough in the morning that only a few students had managed to pull themselves from their bed. Besides, she'd been in this old car since the first evening – Aja was beginning to go a little stir crazy and needed a change of scenery.

Humming a quiet tune to herself, Aja turned the page in her book. It was an old favorite her brother had given her when she'd first gotten her acceptance letter to Salem's. A smile grew on her face as she read the familiar words. She knew the book by heart already, and had nearly brought a textbook with her instead. But if she'd done that then she would've wanted to practice her spells, and Aja hated practicing in front of other people. It took frustratingly long to get spells to cooperate with her, and she preferred to just let people see the finished product instead. Besides, sometimes her first attempts could be a little… explosive. And she really didn't trust the Peregrin's ventilation system.

Aja perked up when she heard the tell-tale sounds of footsteps on the stairs. They'd made another stop, then. She idly wondered where they were, and remembered seeing a "Welcome to Florida" a few minutes ago when she'd looked out the enchanted window. The sounds continued overhead, dying down as various students found their rooms and settled in, no doubt looking to catch the sleep that'd been stolen from them from being awake so early for pickup. A single pair of footsteps continued down to the Tomb, and Aja looked up to see the newcomer.

It was someone she vaguely recognized, but couldn't name. Aja knew she was in Good, and was older than her, but she couldn't remember if the girl was in the sixth or seventh year. She seemed pale, and on high alert, though there was no sign that something was actually wrong. Aja turned back to her book and watched the girl out of the corner of her eye. She always seemed nice when Aja saw her in the hall, but nervous… The girl sat in the sofa a short distance away from Aja and seemed to be concentrating very hard on her sudoku book. Whatever the girl was thinking, it was her own business. But Aja decided that at least she could do some small thing.

"Uhm… excuse me?" she said to the girl, wearing a sweet, slightly embarrassed smile. Aja held the almost-whole chocolate bar out to her. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to bother you, but, would you like this? My mom stuffed my bag full of them when I wasn't looking and I'm trying to get rid of them." The lie came easily as she smiled at the girl. "I mean, you don't have to, obviously. I'm sure I could find someone else if you don't want it."