Test Drive #4

[magicademymods]

Test Drive #4



The Scary Door

The classroom door looks different today, bearing a few small but noticeable scratches on its upper corner -- and also it happens to tremble, as if with excitement, the moment anyone reaches for the knob. That gives it away. This isn't the classroom door at all!

And it isn't the bathroom door. And it isn't the door to the staircase. And it isn't the door to the hallway. But wherever you go, there's this door that really, really, really wants you to open it, and it doesn't seem to take 'no' for an answer...

Acting in Concert

One thing anyone sharing a campus with Valhudor students must accept is that every once in a while a performance just appears out of nowhere, much in the way of a tornado and with the same ability to suck in anything nearby as collateral damage. Today what looked to be an innocuous group of musicians heading back from class turned into a flash concert without warning. Not a bad thing for a music-lover, actually, and listening to their pleasant tunes only got better as more students saw the opportunity and joined in.

Right up until the drama students showed up and promptly hijacked everyone nearby into a play.

So here you are, in Fantasticked finery, trapped in a bit part in front of a growing crowd. The two ringleaders of this disaster appear to be putting on an entirely improvised performance about two warring houses, because apparently they love stage-dueling (and have had three different scenes of it so far, each of them so sexually charged the allegory is barely allegorical), while the orchestra merrily matches music to action. As for your role? 'Improvise!' they said brightly.

And like that you're up, across from a partner who clearly did not enter this voluntarily either. Better think fast... the one thing uglier than a crowd who have a performance ruined is Valhudor students who have had their mating-dance-slash-play ruined.

Definitely Not Worrying

The spring day is perfect. Bright blue sky without a cloud in sight, sunlight that pushes the perfect temperature just onto the side of 'pleasantly warm', a gentle breeze that drifts over the grass and cools what the sun warms... it's bliss, if not outright soporific, and almost everybody is outside lounging in the grass and enjoying just how wonderful it is.

Then Headmaster Birony comes tearing around the corner of a building like the hounds of hells are at her heels. "Hello, students!" Despite her bright smile, she doesn't break her stride for a second as she zooms past. "Run like hell! Chaos bees!"

And that's when the swarm of chaos bees races around the corner after her, wings filling the air with a deafening buzz.

Now the thing about chaos bees is that they resist magic of all forms, and they have their own particular magic that makes the results of their stings... highly unpredictable at best. You might have your hair turn white, or your skin turn blue. You might blow up like a gum-chewing girl in need of juicing, or feel the uncontrollable urge to form a gang, snap your fingers, and have a dance-fight to drive the Jets out of town. Whatever happens, the effect is never permanent, but maybe Headmaster Birony has the right idea.

Late Night Party

Without a curfew (and with good sound-protection spells on the Towers), students don't always go to bed like responsible adults. This party is still going strong at 3 in the morning, lit by balls of color that float in the air and full of music and dancing and just-for-fun mage dueling that is just a little more dangerous than it should be thanks to it being far easier to talk someone into a late-night mage duel when they're tipsy. As spells crack against each other and feet slide over the grass in time with the beat, everyone's having fun! Even party-poopers can find another wallflower to talk classwork with while enjoying the snacks and the drinks. What a great place to meet fellow students and socialize!

((alternate post image))

Comments

Kamala Khan | Marvel Future Avengers

[animbiggen]

Acting in Concert

Kamala was a sensitive girl. She didn't like being put into the spotlight, and considering the last few weeks she's had? This was nothing! Haha, ha, nothing at all! Nothing, really!

Nothing, nothing...

Standing in the middle of the epic sword battle, she was dimly aware it was her turn, her mind went blank. What to do, what to do, what to do? Find your courage...!

'Relax, Kamala! Just be yourself!'

Kamala breathed in, breathed out.

What she needed to do... was improvise.

Raising her foil, she pointed at the opponents and struck a heroic pose.

"Future Avengers, Assemble!"

Oh yeah, nailed it.


Late Night Party

Kamala was trying to study, even through this party. She was behind on her studies and yet people were basically being loud everywhere she was going. Trying to find a quiet spot for herself was hard, and yet, the shy girl was still trying to gather her courage to talk to people when they came up to her with a sealed drink to offer her.

Looking up from her books, she remembered the after party that the Avengers and Inhumans threw. Nothing as lavish as this but... she did miss them. Nothing in this world seemed familiar. And without her powers. She couldn't even transform anymore into her heroic identity. Here, she was just basic Kamala.

Finding a alcove, she opened a journal and started to write. "Dear Chloe, it's been another day, and I miss you..."

Acting etc.

[daughterofclay]

Jude wasn't the likeliest of thespians, granted, given that one of her main talents was remaining unnoticed. That said, you didn't grow up in Faerie without acquiring some penchant for the theatrical. The fey loved high-octane dramatics.

She threw her book bag to the ground, narrowly missing the student who first pulled her into this mess (is it on purpose? maaaaybe). Then she pulled herself up tall and flung her arms open in what she hoped was a universal 'fight me' gesture.

"What are you avenging -- your honour? You'd have to obtain some first."

Late Night Party

[postapocalypticraider]

Having decided that she needed a break from the party, Makoto had gone off to find someplace quieter to rest a bit.

Of course, the first quiet spot she came across was occupied.

"Oh, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to disturb you."

Acting

[sublimelymagnificentblitz]

"Call for help all ya want, kid," Jecht said, slapping his fist into the palm of his hand. "No one's coming. It's just you and me."

Hey, part of being a star was putting on a show, right? This sort of thing came natural to him!

Late Night Party

[sonrises]

Varian had also decided to try and get some studying in, but the book he needed was nowhere to be found. Of course he’d already lost one of his schoolbooks... Oops. He could worry about that when the sun was up, though. For now, he would make do. Maybe a classmate would lend him one?

Seeing Kamala’s stack of books certainly inspired hope on that front, so Varian approaches to ask if she’d lend him the right book - assuming she had it. But he was quickly distracting when the teen starting murmuring as she wrote.

“Uh, who’s Chloe?” It didn’t sound like she was a student here, if she was missed, so how was the letter going to get to her?

Tony Stark | Marvel Future Avengers | OTA

[200percentextradad]

The Scary Door

Tony Stark stared at the classroom door.

He stared at it, peering at the door, the rattling, the excited rattling. He couldn't pull away, he couldn't stop staring at it. Reaching for it, he was about to grab hold of the knob --

"NOPE!" Exclaimed Tony, punching himself in the face as he abruptly turned a one eighty and marched away, his cheek stinging. Trying to forget the scary door.


Definitely Not Worrying

At the first sign of trouble, Tony's instinct was to summon Friday.

Bar that, he couldn't even get his armor. So he did whatever was needed. His keen analytical pride told him however, magic beat magic, right?

"RUN AWAY!" The headmaster buzzed by him, as the bees charged right for him.

Tony made a grunting noise as he turned tail and ran. "Really pushing your luck on the board of directors huh, headmaster?" He exclaimed, threatening to overtake the man as he pulled up beside the fleeing man and dove to the side to avoid the bees into a well fortified lake.

Great. Now he was wet.


Late Night Party

Tony would be more social, but right now, all he wanted to do was relax.

He was sipping something definitely not school legal from his mug as he ducked a spell from the dueling kids in the corner. WEDNESDAY his familiar, was in his lap, scrolling writing panning over his pages. "WEDNESDAY get me the printout for tomorrow," said Tony.

"Aye sir," replied the book in a thick Scottish brogue.

definitely not worrying

[blue_ice]

"Welcome to our fine school," Kaiba deadpanned from not too far away. He had also chosen this spot to avoid the bees, a small umbrella-shaped barrier bubble cast over his head. He extends one to the new student. "It gets worse before it gets better."

Late Night Party!

[silverity]

Sorry, Tony, you're gonna be just a little bit social.

At first it's just a little bit of curiosity that bites at the nape of Harald's neck. He sees a man who's certainly a student but almost certainly not as young as most of them; he sees this man at this party, and he immediately wonders if he would've relegated himself to sip on the non-alcoholic beverages being passed around for the majority of the night. Harald has definitely seen some alcohol slip between more discreet hands on this night.

So it's a quick murmur of a divine-seeming incantation, just a request to an absent god to know what's in that man's mug.

Maybe he would've approached regardless of what was in it; maybe it's the fact that this man is mulling over classwork in the middle of a student duel that piques his interest the most. Either way, he approaches, a misty-looking owl perched atop his shoulder.

"Working on a night like this?" Harald inquires. "I have to say I admire your dedication."

It is a bit quieter over here, he believes. "Would you mind if I sat with you? I need a break as well!"

Jude Duarte | The Folk of the Air

[daughterofclay]

Late Night Party

[As a rule, Jude doesn't like parties. As a rule, she tries to avoid participating as much as possible, and in fact, the plan for tonight was to find a nice comfy chair in the corner and people-watch for a couple hours before finding somewhere else to study.

But it's not the kind of party she's used to, and she stays longer than she intends. And then someone hands her a drink, and she takes a sip, and...

And, well, somehow she ends up at a table in a side-room, running a shell game with party hats and some very, very alcoholic gummy bears. Perhaps more alcoholic than should scientifically be possible, but only nerds care about stuff like that.

The game stakes are thus: if you guess wrong, you eat the gummy bear. If you guess right, Jude does. So far, she's only had to eat one, because a) she has very quick hands and b) everyone else is far tipsier than she is.

She looks up.]

Well?

[Apparently you stepped up to be her next victim. Hopefully you've kept track of the hats' movements.]

Re: Jude Duarte | The Folk of the Air

[advocateofgenderequality]

"Who, me?" Kazuma asks unnecessarily, even though Jude's focus was directly upon him.

Having just meandered into this sideroom out of idle curiosity, the plain featured teen was barely figuring out what the commotion was, never mind the stakes of the other's game, or where the hidden gummy was.

However, if there was one thing that always went his way, it was games of chance. Luck was sometimes the only thing on his side, and this young man was the title holder of undefeated rock-paper-scissors champion, having never lost a single game in his 17 years of life.

"That one?" He casually guesses, pointing to the hat in the middle.

[stillnewatthis]

Unfortunately, it is not entirely feasible for me to participate in the contest under the stated parameters.

[Orisa rubs her head awkwardly, a surprisingly human gesture for such an obviously inhuman robot. True enough, she doesn't even have a mouth, let alone a way to process a gummy bear that ought to be getting her drunk.]

However, I did wish to advise you that there is an error in your performance. One of your movements causes the gummi bear to slide out from beneath its cup prior to selection. It may have been too fast for you to process, so I felt like I should alert you.

[springfever]

[Alright, here's the thing.

Snufkin is a pretty observant fellow. Guessing games like these are within the range of activities he would have partaken in with his friends back home, though the stakes were never so high. He hasn't been drinking much of anything even by his own physical standards, so his mind is still dynamic enough for him to feel somewhat confident in his skill. Even one loss, though, will press him harder than he's aware of.

This guy's barely even a foot tall, you see.

Yet still with the grace of a cat, Snufkin hops up to the table from the floor, dusting his paws on the old cloak draped over his shoulders. He cups his chin and looks over the hats; he'd only just barely managed to see the item hidden underneath. He thinks...]

That one, [Snufkin declares, pointing to the hat on his far right - Jude's far left.]


(How the outcome is resolved is up to you! The paws and general cat-ness are also more headcanon derived from small canon details than true canon itself, but I wanted to have a bit of fun on this TDM! I hope that's alright!)

Twilight Sparkle | My Little Pony Friendship is Magic

[horse_nerd]

Late Night Party

There's a girl curled up... like a quadraped in the middle of a bed, in a side room away from the party. Twilight had found a place for quiet where the party hadn't quite managed to reach, and thanks to some spells, she had allotted herself some privacy. For now. Sooner or later, the older students would break through and the party would resume.

But for now, studying! She was studying with her friends and she adjusted her glasses, going over her notes and the books she had withdrawn from her library as she munched on the punch and juice she had snagged from the party. "Okay, two more questions and then we'll rejoin the party," she said much to the relief of the party goers. "C'mon, we need to focus or we won't pass tomorrows exam!"

[postapocalypticraider]

While Makoto didn't mind studying, even she had her limits. So, after a moment, she placed her own book down with a bit of a tired sigh.

"I don't think studying this late at night will help much with the exams," she pointed out.

Princess!Twi, right? >.>

[goalriff]

"Ugh, only you would prefer studying over a party," a voice complained out in the crowd somewhere. "C'mon, we're nearly up on stage too!"

[mithrarin]

Questions, notes, books, and quizzes just reminded Dust that he was a swordsman and a warrior, not a magic student. Square peg in a round hole didn't begin to cover it, and by now he was leaning against a wall, arms folded.

"Some of us won't pass anyway."

[burningbrighter]

"We love you for your dedication, Twilight, but we also kind of hate you for it," Sunset laughed. She'd been through this with the human Twilight more than once, and that the two were so similar never failed to make her smile.

"Why do you always have to be right?"

Kazuma Satou | Konosuba

[advocateofgenderequality]

The Scary Door

Kazuma Satou had heard of stalkers, but this was on a whole 'nother level of ridiculousness. This door was following him.

Wherever he went, to whatever entryway he wanted to pass through, this door would be in its place. He spent the better part of the morning fast walking up and down the halls, trying to shake his newly gained pursuer, but to no avail.

As lunchtime approaches, Kazuma cries out in exasperation as the lunchroom door quivers in anticipation of his touch.

"Fine! You wanna get opened? Here we go!"

With an angry twist and pull of the eager knob, he yanks open the wooden gateway to find that on the other side is...


Definitely Not Worrying

"Oh crap, not the bees, not the bees!" Kazuma rounds the corner of the building just past the garden courtyard at a full sprint, his voice pitch with terror.

He comes to a sudden stop and points, his eyes wide with surprise.
"On your s-shoulder! C-chaos beeeee!!!"

Scary door

[unswervingcompanion]

Hendrik had seen a lot of strange things here, but he would mentally file it under magic because he wasn't about to pretend to even understand even if his mind fought to work on it at times. Something odd was occurring in one form or another here it seemed almost daily, so he would try and take it in stride. The key word there was try.

And at seeing a new face appear suddenly in the courtyard as he was practicing with his sword, the knight mentally recalled his conversation with Louie about feeling collected and he sighed. This place had no end in sight of doing just that it seemed.

Definitely Not Worrying

[captainmomvel]

"What this little thing?" asked Carol, petting it's head. The bee seemed to like Carol as it snuggled up to her fluffy hair, buzzing happily. She was also dressed in a strange suit of red, blue and yellow. "This little thing gave me my powers back, albeit temporarily! I think I'll keep him for now."

That is to say, Carol's hair was also a bright shade of orange but we'll digress that moment of contention from the sting.

Makoto Niijima | Persona 5

[postapocalypticraider]

The Scary Door

Makoto was many things. Though there were times where her anger did get the best of her, for the most part she was able to keep a cool and collected head to think things through.

However, among the things that she was, one of those things also happened to be easily frightened when it came to horror-like situations. And while she hadn't thought much of the shaking door at the time, other than deciding it was best not to open it, the fact that it kept showing up, had her wondering if the door might actually be haunted.

And once the thought was in her head, no matter how warranted it was or not, she was filled with a growing dread every time she came face to face with the door. Which was why, as she turned one corner, she couldn't help a shrill shriek as the door appeared in front of her, banging and rattling to get her to open it.

Acting in Concert

"W-Wait, what...?"

Having made the mistake of pausing to watch the impromptu concert, Makoto now found herself onstage in a dress with way too many layers, being told to "improvise"? Improvise what?

She glanced across the stage, hoping her partner had some ideas. Because this was way out of her element.

Late Night Party

A part of her had considered simply retiring to bed. They still had classes in the morning, after all.

But since she was still trying to break free of her rule-abiding-honor student image, she eventually found herself down at the party anyway. Never having actually been to a party, before, though, she mostly hung around the edges of the crowd and watched some of the duels.

Still, she at least seemed to be up for conversation.

Scary Door

[captainmomvel]

Carol had just been passing by when she heard the shriek. Dropping her things, she ran over to where Makoto had been screaming and instinctively, she punched out at the door. "LAST PUNCH!"

WHAM.

Even though Carol lacked her incredible strength as Captain Marvel, the door flew through a window and slid down the opposite wall, like a cartoon character as she turned towards Makoto comfortingly. "Are you all right?" asked Carol, offering a hand. "Did it startle you?"

Varian | Tangled: the Series

[sonrises]

Definitely Not Worrying
Varian stared as the Headmaster ran by. "What are chaos bees?" he exclaimed, barely audible over the droning sound. "This is why magic is a waste of-"

He stopped talking when he realized running should be his priority, but soon after tripped - on a rock or over his own feet, it was hard to be sure. While he scrambled to get up, the cloud of bees was fast-approaching...

Late Night Party
Varian had pulled late nights before, when he got so engrossed in his alchemy or other projects that he forgot to sleep or even that time was passing at all. But those times were always on his terms... This was not his choice, and he wasn't delighted. Even then, though, the kid was still almost as eager to socialize as usual.

He wasn't sure about the dancing, just because this music was so different from what he was used to, but talking was always an option. And an option Varian went with most of the time, at that. He approaches the nearest unfamiliar face with a buck-toothed grin, and offers his hand.

"Hello! My name's Varian."

definitely not worrying

[blue_ice]

"Something we don't want to deal with."

Kaiba had had enough of this blasted school, and it was just his luck to be passing by when this new student was about to be swarmed. And they were so close that he was going to get caught up in it too. Perfect. He threw up a large light wall to buy them a few more seconds, then roughly hauled him up by his robes.

"Move!"

So long as they avoid vegetation...he groused. That would mean a straight shot for the lake, which he really didn't like, but reluctantly took that direction.

Snufkin | The Moomins (1990) || will match format!

[springfever]

Priority Evaluation (Definitely Not Worrying)

Chaos what.

[Listen. Listen. Snufkin is a wanderer and a traveller by nature, having seen places in his travels that the humans here would simply die to ever witness. The stamina in his 11-inch-tall body is disproportionate at best, but the knowledge he's gained of all the creatures in his world goes far beyond his years. He's no expert on each and every one, of course, but he likes to think he knows a thing or two.

He isn't foolish enough to believe he knows precisely what a "chaos bee" is, but surely they're nothing worth fleeing from, right? They're still bees-

And then he sees the swarm. Right, things in this world are so much larger than everything in Moomin Valley.]

Oh dear.

[MMMBYE-- but take care not to step on your tiny classmate on your way, yeah?]


And the Band Played On... (Late Night Party)

[Well, it's not exactly a band, per se, but as the festivities of the night grow long and lively, one might find themselves drawn to the faint, quaint melody of a harmonica down a quieter corridor. Upon a shelf sits the little Snufkin, his tiny metal instrument amplified just enough by his own Fantastics to appeal to the larger folks around him. A plastic shot glass - filled with juice, mind - sits by his side. He seems at peace.

He figured he would've been left ignored in the face of the rest of the excitement, though, and so he cracks a smile when he sees someone lingering to listen.] A little bit of solitude never goes unappreciated in times like this, yes?



(I don't think I did it here, but any mention of paws, a tail, or general cat-ness are more 'headcanon derived from small canon details' than true canon themselves, but I wanted to have a bit of fun on this TDM! I hope that's alright! The 11-inches is canon, though.)

Late Night Party

[sonrises]

Varian has been growing tired, and was trying to find his way back to his dorm when he’d stumbled upon the tiny musician. His curiosity was instantly piqued, and he smiled when the one playing the instrument addressed him.

“Yeah, I...” He paused to stifle a yawn. “I had fun meeting people, but it’s getting kind of crazy out there. You’re really good, by the way!” he added, gesturing towards the instrument.

Kirby | Kirby! Right Back at Ya!

[copy_ability]

The Scary Door

"Poyo..."

A logical person would take one look at the door and leave. It's terrifying and the aura around it screams it's something cursed or doomed. However, the small pink thing in front of the door is neither a person nor logical.

Kirby stares curiously at the door before his face lights up.

"Poyo!" And he jumps up to grab the doorknob. He's a little short and stubby but he's definitely going to open it! Oh boy...

-------------------

Definitely not worrying

Kirby blinks as he hears the headmaster and then sees her speed past. He comically spins around in a circle and looks at the swarm that surges after the headmaster. Kirby is never one to actually heed a danger warning, so all he sees is someone in trouble and someone who needs help (even if it is the principal).

So Kirby runs after the bees and opens his mouth, clearly intending on eating the bees to save the day. Unfortunately... the results are as expected.

"OWwwwWWWww!" Kirby sticks his tongue out and it's stung all the way through by angry magic bees. The bees sting his tongue one more time for good measure before flying after the headmaster again, leaving Kirby to sit there with a very sore tongue.

"Hic! Hic!" And then he's blue. Then he's purple. "Hic! Hic!" And this boy is in pain and won't stop hiccuping. Help.

Not worrying

[unswervingcompanion]

Hendrik can't help it, this..pink thing reminds him of the slimes back home so at first, he's rather wary. Some are nasty and some are nice, so he's not sure if this slime-like is either a friend or a foe.

But then he'd seen it try and eat the crazy bees are the knight is horrified for the results. And as he hurries over, the bees stung the pink slime (in Hendrik's mind anyhow, it's the closest relation he can think of) and then the other is hiccuping.

A lecture about playing with bees can come later because right now the only thing on the knight's mind is trying to help this poor well-meaning slime. So he approaches slowly and warily with his hands raised, in case something will go horribly wrong.

"I only have water on me at the moment, but it should still be cold and help the swelling go down. I can also get honey to help you as well." He's not sure if his ice spell will work half as good as he wants it to, so water it is.