Morose

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

@Master EffeX Hey fam, reminder that you aren't allowed to edit the CS w/o permission - RPG shows you made an edit a few hours ago.

Star Crossed: a Star Wars Story (BlueSky44 & Morose)

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Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight

25 pts (Light-Side)

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Maybe someone else would've given up, but Raynor was stubborn - too stubborn, as his master often reminded him. And once he had set his mind to something, he wasn't keen on changing it. One way or another, Shakka was going to stay. "What other things does she need to do?" Raynor asked innocently, feigning ignorance. "Surely you could spare her for the duration of this meal? I don't see why that would be any sort of an issue." Raynor was hoping to somewhat corner Jarothe - giving specifics on what Shocky had to do would be more likely to force him to trip up and admit that she was slave labor.

"As for why I'm keen on my attendance, it's what I said earlier - I think her insight and perspective is invaluable, beyond rote memorization. Anyone can memorize a list of facts. And if that reason is not enough, I enjoy her company," Raynor concluded, making an appeal to hospitality. But his patience was wearing thin. If Jarothe pushed again, then Raynor was going to push back - hard. The Council had sent him here to do this quietly, but he was fairly certain that Shakka would know where to get the evidence they needed, and the two of them could leave now. There wasn't a real need to creep around in the dark after Jarothe had gone to bed.

Let's Gush!

@BlueSky44@Nallore@Natsu@Kirah
And many, many more (too many to type lol)

And not even a month later, another longstanding roleplay has reached its conclusion! I would like to once again give a HUGE thanks to everyone who has participated in Agents of SHIELD! We've been RPing as Marvel's secret agents for almost five years now, and I know I've definitely learned a lot about myself during that time. But more importantly, it's been such a privilege and joy to get to know everyone in the group, to just throw shit at the wall and see what sticks, and somehow solve problems with flerkens whenever a chance arrives.

I can't wait to see what stories we tell next - and what new characters we are going to grow to love and hate

xoxo Morose <3

Agents of SHIELD - Concluded

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@Nallore@BlueSky44@Kirah@Natsu

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The Secret Warriors returned home with the aid of Amanda Sefton, Sorceress Supreme, and Dr. Bob Banner, the Hulk. They had left Luminous' body behind on Earth-257. Meanwhile, the petrified yet still living Doctor Doom was brought back with them to Earth-666, where he was turned over to the custody of Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four. While SHIELD was incredibly grateful to the Secret Warriors for their service, it turned out to have been the team's last mission. Nearly ever member either quit or asked for reassignment in the weeks to follow.

Their names may not be shouted from rooftops like the Avengers, but the world needed them - and they were there. They were a shield, protecting innocents from harm. They fought HYDRA, prevented the rise of Ultron, survived the House of M, celebrated Christmas with Deadpool, defeated the Black Order, entered a deadly Civil War, stopped the ominous Secret Invasion, and traveled the strange dystopian world of Earth-257.

They were the very best of SHIELD and we will never see their kind again.

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So, what happened to the Secret Warriors?

Cass left S.H.I.E.L.D. and set her sights on the Avengers. That and marrying the love of her life, Matt. Together, they've adopted a child - a son named Ben. Cass is currently a hardworking and dedicated superhero, and she's appeared on a few trading cards and lunchboxes.

Maria left S.H.I.E.L.D. and became a card carrying member of the Avengers, alongside her wife, ex-agent Dominika Novikova. A few years after welcoming their first born child, a little girl named Diana, they did another round of IVF and welcomed a bouncing baby boy named Percy to their little family in San Fransisco. Fortunately for now, at least, the Avengers' salary isn't half bad...

Niah left S.H.I.E.L.D. behind - and government work, as well, as she was fed up and wanted to make an actual difference with her powers. She took a lab job working for [REDACTED]. She and Oliver officially got together, and the two of them had a horrendously named child, little Mary Sue.

Sparky left S.H.I.E.L.D. - and this universe - behind. She moved with Raynor to Earth-257 and settled down in a small home in New Asgard with their baby girl, Zarina. While Raynor does what he can to atone for the sins of the past, Sparky has been reconnecting with her father, Bob Banner. She also has been making a living as an inventor.

Raynor left S.H.I.E.L.D. and returned to Earth-257 to face the music. He couldn't undo what he had done, but he could atone for it. Based out of New Asgard, Raynor acts as a public superhero, doing his best to create something positive in that world. He's also a doting husband to Sparky and father to his precious baby princess, Zarina.

Flynn became a father - first to a baby girl named April, and a few years later, to one he named Zelda after one of his favorite video games. He still works at S.H.I.E.L.D., now in a supervisory role, helping to decide how different threats should be responded to and what teams are the best for the job. He's based out of Washington D.C., as Bonnie's new position requires it.

Bonnie gave birth to a happy baby girl named April and soon left field work behind. She took a job working in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s medical science division, and had her second child with Flynn a few years later, another girl named Zelda. Bonnie was eventually promoted to be the Medical Science Director at S.H.I.E.L.D., causing the small family to move to Washington D.C.

Matt got together with his sweetheart, Cass, and decided to take a desk job at S.H.I.E.L.D. He felt he was done with fieldwork. With Cass at the Avengers, Matt is the primary parent for their son, Ben (his sister's kid who Matt and Cass adopted). The small family lives in New York City.

Oliver left S.H.I.E.L.D. and got together with the love of his life, Niah. Together, they welcomed a baby girl with a terrible name into the world - Mary Sue. He's a complete helicopter parent, and ended up eventually getting a teaching job at the Margaret Carter Institute the year Mary Sue started...

Amelia left S.H.I.E.L.D. and set her sights on the stars. She bade her friends goodbye and ended up becoming a galaxy based superhero, working sometimes alone, and other times on teams. She sends the group cards every new year, usually accompanied with a goody basket worth of cool souvenirs from her travels.

Goose was annoyed when all of his favorite hoomans decided to up and quit the team! And this was after they didn't even bring him along for their last mission! Somehow, Goose ended up back in the care of Captain Marvel, and has been traveling the galaxy, high on catnip. He sends Niah postcards with nothing written on them, except for a messy paint paw print.

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🥇 Skill Rewards 🥇

@BlueSky44:

• Flynn - Basic anti-magic defenses (specialty skills)
• Sparky - Asgardian Engineering (specialty skills)

@Kirah:

• Niah - Kree Technology Usage (general world skills)
• Matt - Swordsmanship (specialty skills)

@Morose:

• Raynor - Crocheting (general world skills)
• Amelia - Unaided flight (general world skills)
• Bonnie - Shield combat (general world skills)

@Nallore:

• Maria - Russian (reading/writing) (general world skills)
• Cass - Hacking (Specialty Skills)

@Natsu:

• Oliver - Hunting (general world skills)

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⭐ STARRING ⭐
~ in order of submission ~

Dr. Dominika Novikova


Cassandra Reed


Tinley Abercrombie


Maria Novikova


Dr. Niah Bautista


Dr. Theresa "Sparky" Sparks


Tempest Renroir


Raynor Baldursen


Frederick Flynn


Dr. Harry McCormick


Dr. Bonnie Chase


Matthew Moss


Oliver Sulivan


Amelia Baptiste


Kwassi Asokho


AND MOST IMPORTANTLY...

GOOSE THE CAT

Guest Starring...

Arcturus Hale
He transferred to a different team. Probably why he's still alive.


Teig Kelley
Also transferred to a different team. Smart.


Dr. Zoya Nikolova
Killed by Deadpool... I am not joking lmao


Valencia Johnson
Left the group when her father had a medical emergency - this is also likely why she is still alive


"Sami Rhodes"
Killed by Luminous. Also retconned to have not actually been Rhodes' nephew, but an impostor.


Griffin Lee
Also killed by Luminous.


Nikolai Vaysutin
And, you guessed it, killed by Luminous.


Dr. Victoria Thompson
No official reason ever given for her absence, we can assume that she simply decided this was not for her and left


Conrad Wu
Revealed to be HYDRA. We can assume that he was transferred to a different prison / holding cell?


Marcus Dixon
Also HYDRA, also assuming he's just in a cell somewhere.


Dr. Roman Carter
Turned out to be bad at his job, most likely because he was a skrull. Tried to ruin Christmas.


Astrad Lungren
Was brainwashed by HYDRA, tried to kill Sparky and co. Raynor killed him.


"Nathaniel Ramon"
Left behind at Serval Industries during the Civil War. Was he Fitz and Simmons' secret child from the TV show? Who's to say?


President Alexander Jakobsen
Still alive. Still President.


Evelyn Holder
Also alive. Probably went back to Serval Industries and X-Factor.


Celestine Novastrov
Impaled on Folly of Earth-257's muramasa blade. Also was infected with the TO virus. So the outlook wasn't great to begin with.

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THANK YOU!!!!!

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

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Guin Stark

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Location: Woods (Mary's Group)
Skills: Telepathy

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The rest of Guin's body knit itself back together, under the orange heat-lamp-like glow of Ed's magic. She felt stiff, but fine - the pain had vanished and she could just feel the cost of her inevitable doctors' bills plummet to near nothing. "Thanks, man - never thought I'd be into faith healing, but that did the trick," Guin quipped. She was clearly feeling better, given that a certain bit of sarcastic lightness had returned to her tone. She slowly rose up to her feet, taking it somewhat easy just in case, but nothing was screaming and no loose bones seemed to be trying to puncture any internal organs, so all in all it seemed good.

"Umm... I honestly don't know enough about the Phoenix to say, but both, maybe?" Guin answered Pietro's question. Despite being with the X-Men for so long, she didn't know all of the basics of some of the key lore. There was a lot of stuff that had happened with the previous team that just wasn't talked about very much. The entire Dark Phoenix situation did make the Phoenix a somewhat sensitive topic. Before she could chime in though on whether or not they ought to go off after Mary, she returned holding the M'Kraan crystal.

"How about we all do what Mare said, go find the others, get home, and then we can figure out everything that happened? I'm not in the mood to wait around for more evil versions of us to show up and kick our asses," Guin argued. Privately, however, she shared an opinion with Pietro. This is not good. Jean Grey wasn't psychotic and we all know what happened with her... Best to keep this on the down low though. Even telepathically.

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Runa Baldurdattir

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Location: Area of Woods w/ Lance's Group
Skills: Darkness Manipulation, Darkness Constructs

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Runa was slightly comforted by her cousin's insistence that no penance was necessary, but it honestly did not erode her guilt by much. Perhaps if Klara recovered her memories and still opted for forgiveness, that would make a larger dent - yet... As Runa reflected on the last one hundred years, of the trials Klara had gone through, perhaps it was better that she did not remember. It was just a blip in her life. And Runa could reacquaint her with their new allies, the formidable Midgardians known as the X-Men. "Alternate reality versions," Runa explained to Klara, as Klara asked about the duplicates. "And rather nasty ones, unfortunately. I do not wish to take my brother's crimes lightly, but... This universe has an evil to it. One that would give me pause if I were to be asked whether or not this particularly world should be preserved." Of course, Klara had no idea what Runa was talking about with Forseti - a fact that Runa overlooked.

Runa sent tentacles of darkness wrapping around Nightlocke and Mage - Mage's shield prevented her from making direct contact, so she had to improvise. And she remembered a story Guinevere had told her once, about how mighty young heroes of Midgard stopped a formidable, hated foe - the villains known as Team Rocket. She controlled the snaring darkness and flung Nightlocke and Mage, and they landed a bit away. Runa repeated the process, this time sending them soaring high through the sky and out of sight, just a twinkle on the horizon.

"As the Midgardian parable goes, they have blasted off again," Runa noted. She then turned her attention to Lance, trapped in his Hulk form. She didn't see any other foes - the others must've run off. "Lance, darling, you can stop now."

Star Crossed: a Star Wars Story (BlueSky44 & Morose)

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Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight

25 pts (Light-Side)

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"Oh, I had a wonderful time. The ships are rather marvelous - especially seeing them brand new, before they're covered in carbon scoring," Raynor flattered. He was certain the way to a man like Jarothe's heart was through compliments. And he didn't need to be a Jedi to figure that one out. "I know that we had already planned on having me spend the night, but I would still love to take a tour of the rest of the ships in the morning - I was so absorbed that I hadn't paid proper attention to the other options available. Your assistant, Shaka - she really does know her stuff."

He gave Jarothe a smile, as he then transitioned into the next topic of conversation - namely, Raynor's desire to keep Shakka close to him and not out of his sight. He wouldn't admit it, but he was afraid that if she left the room, Jarothe would have her shipped to the Outer Rim, where Raynor wouldn't be able to help her. Jarothe would ensure that she thoroughly disappeared to save himself from having to pay a massive fine. It disgusted Raynor. "In fact, I had asked her if she would dine with us this evening - I must insist. Just where did you find her? She could put half of the engineers in the Republic Feet to shame with her knowledge."

Ride or Die for the Republic (Morose & Kirah & Nallore)

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Raynor Blake, Jedi Knight

21 pts (Light-Side)

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Raynor didn't like how many near misses he was experiencing - he could feel the heat of the blaster fire as it singed off some of his hair. He was a Jedi - he was supposed to be better at this, droids ought to be child's play. Shame mixed into the frustration he had already been feeling, and he reached out with the Force, shoving a hand forward as he attempted to stun the droid assaulting him. Ideally, sparks would've flown from his hands and hit the droid, disabling it. But the Force eluded him. The droid opened fire, and would've hit Raynor dead on, had he not redirected the blow with his lightsaber. The returned blast destroyed the droid on impact.

There were four more droids left and each breath was beginning to feel a little more agonizing than the last. Raynor tried not to focus on the pain, attempting to leave his mind clear, to be in harmony with the universe - and he summoned the Force, calling upon it as he used it to push all of the droids back. Three of them crumpled, their frames sparking. One was left and fired off a shot, missing both Raynor and Emzie.

"We're - wasting - time," Raynor said through gritted teeth.

Ω Heroes of Olympus: the Hidden Gem (Nallore, Morose, Kirah) Ω

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☀️ Nancy Parker ☀️

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Location: Mount Rushmore, South Dakota
Skills: N/A

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Nancy wrinkled her nose at Niah's suggestion of getting Chinese food - not that she had anything against Chinese food, she just somehow doubted there would be anything resembling edible and/or good Chinese food in South Dakota. "I second steakhouse. I don't want to get food poisoning by whatever Linda Smith has decided paces for a good stir fry," Nancy argued. However, they soon had bigger concerns as it turned out the nearest pawn shop was eight hours away, and the hotel was an hour away. The hotel was definitely not going to accept their gold.

"Urgghhhh.... Why is this somehow harder than fighting a dragon?" Nancy complained. "I know no one hitch hikes anymore these days, but I'm voting in favor of that. Even if it's a monster driving the car, we can kill it and take it. And if it's a human monster, we tie them up and leave them on the side of the road," Nancy voiced. She was not looking forward to the idea of an eight hour walk before they'd have a place to shower and get changed, and most importantly, eat.

Song of Heroes - a Percy Jackson RP (Morose & DragonicQueen)

the Arena...

Lorna was dazzled at the possibility of mixing from mythologies outside of Greek and Roman - something she had never really thought much about before. Kitty's particular suggestion of Japanese reminded Lorna of Kitty's extended family. Maybe her step father's side had some blood from Japanese deities - of which, Lorna couldn't name a single one. For better or worse, most of the myths she knew had been taught to her at Camp Half-blood, and Chiron didn't tend to cover myths of other cultures unless he was making a point about how it was a reimagining of some Greco-Roman one or that it basically covered the same content. "Do you think any of your step-dad's folks has some divinity in them?" Lorna asked, putting the sword she had used down on the rack, before following after Kitty.

"Yeah I don't mind ditching, reckon the worst thing Chiron would really do is give me a stern talking to," Lorna said with a shrug. She was excited to see the pegasi anyways - they were truly beautiful. She found herself drawn to one of the brown ponies. It wasn't as flashy or shiny as the rest of them, but she liked it all the same. Maybe it was one influence of living in the Hermes Cabin - they didn't need fancy things (well, sometimes they stole them, but eh) like some of the other cabins did.

"Which one are you taking out?" Lorna then asked, turning to Kitty again.

Avengers Academy 💥

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@BlueSky44@Nallore@Trainerblue192@Achronum@PatientBean@Forsythe@Martian@Ogobrogo@Blizz@Ever Faithful@Kirah@Natsu

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12:00 PM - Mon. Sep. 13th, 2038 - Margaret Carter Institute

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It's the first day of school at Avengers Academy; students moved in over the weekend and have settled into their dorms. The campus had been full of crying parents, some of them famous heroes, others ordinary people. The wealthy students made their way on helicopters and private jets; whereas the students without as much might've taken a bus or a car. No matter what though, campus doesn't truly feel alive until the start of the year carnival. Put on by the faculty, it's a celebration for the beginning of the school year - and meant to help ease the homesickness and nerves students might be experiencing.

Tomorrow, students will be auditioning with their powers in front of the faculty - primarily, those serving as coaches for the thirteen teams Avengers Academy will assemble to compete in the Contest of Champions. For the past two years, the Young Avengers have won the Contest of Champions and there's no real reason to assume that they won't do it again. But just in case, the Academy wants to make sure the other twelve teams are as strong as they can be. The top prize is one million dollars, but more importantly, major superhero teams like the Avengers tend to have scouts present at the matches, to determine what promising young heroes might one day join their ranks.

Because whether or not the students want to be a hero, that is the ultimate goal of Avengers Academy - to make new champions who can protect those who cannot protect themselves. They aren't trying to make well adjusted accountants or lawyers or doctors with emotionally healthy, trauma free lives.

The worst case scenario for the school wouldn't be a student going into super villainy - no, it would be to amount to nothing.

They don't put that on the brochures.

Housing

As there are roughly 80 students enrolled in the high school level at AA, they all live together in one gigantic dorm building called Stark Hall. The first floor features the dining hall, the second floor laundry and study spaces, and the subsequent floors are for student housing. Each room is spacious, containing two beds, two dressers, two desks (and chairs), a closet, a mini-fridge, and a private bathroom. Students can pay extra to have a TV in their room. Triples, of course, will be larger and have three of everything instead of two.

Floor Three -

• Faculty Member in Charge - Tigra
• Uniform Trim Color - Green
• Occupants
  • Room 308 - Eli Bradley and Teddy Altman
  • Room 309 - Tommy and Billy Maximoff
  • Room 310 - Diana Novikova, Zelda Flynn, and Rory Serrano-Moore

Floor Four -

• Faculty Member in Charge - Jack of Harts
• Uniform Trim Color - Purple
• Room 401 - Mary Sue Sullivan & Ardere Terrene
• Room 402 - Sabine Bassard and Leah Jordan
• Room 410 - Kate Bishop, America Chavez, and Cassie Lang

Floor Five -

• Faculty Member in Charge - Brunnhilde
• Uniform Trim Color - Blue
• Occupants
  • Room 501 - Andy Gallio-Lensherr and Phan Le Chi Mai
  • Room 502 - Zarina Raynordattir and Victoria van Dyne

Floor Six -

• Faculty Member in Charge - Firestar
• Uniform Trim Color - Red
• Occupants
  
  
  • Room 601 - Percy Novikov & Teddy Thompson
  • Room 602 - Dorian Gray & Danny Kingston
  • Room 603 - Madalyne Crane & April Flynn

Carnival Activities

Activities -

• Fortune Telling with former professor Agatha Harkness!
• Giant Chess, where the pieces move per your vocal commands!
• Dunk Tank - see if you can dunk Headmaster Coulson and other beloved teachers!
• Sword Fighting - put on by the medieval club, the Academy Knights, try your hand at a (foam) sword in the ring!
• Virtual Reality Duck Season - sponsored by Stark Industries
• Facepainting!
• Take a photograph in a fun costume - put on by the drama department!
• Spin the wheel and get a prize!
• Test your strength - how many minivans can you carry?
• Archery - overseen by Archery Club president Kate Bishop!
• Trivia - compete against your peers to win prizes!
• Hook a duck - the classic carnival game!
• Try to lift Thor's hammer - the Margaret Carter Institute graciously thanks Thor Odinson for loaning Mjolnir to us for the day
• Food - funnel cakes, hot dogs, pizza, scones, lemonade, pretzels. If you want it, we have it!
• The carnival will close with a performance by a surprise musical guest!

Hot Gossip

☕☕☕ ~ The Hottest Tea at Avengers Academy ~ ☕☕☕

It's time to spill and after summer break, boy, there's more than enough for everyone...

💅 Power couple Kate Bishop (Hawkeye II) and Tommy Maximoff (Speed) BROKE UP! Either he cheated on her or she cheated on him - or maybe both???

💅 Jeanne Foucault (Finesse) was EXPELLED for blackmailing a teacher! No one's sure who, but there are wild speculations - some are convinced Headmaster Coulson is actually a clone of Mister Sinister???

💅 Mysterious new coach Ser Nemo has no Internet presence! A reliable source tells us that he's actually a robot being sent to infiltrate the school and sabotage on behalf of the Future Foundation???

💅 The old magic teacher, Agatha Harkness, got offered a (better, bleh) job at Strange Academy - and the person filling her shoes is an ENERGY VAMPIRE???

💅 One of the trees in the courtyard is actually possessed by the ghost of a mysterious small child - but no one is sure which one? We're pretty sure it's the Wych Elm, it gives us the creeps!!! But who is it???

@Natsu: Your Trick or Treat prize is here! Mary Sue gets hit by a bicycle on her way to the school carnival. She'll have some bruises and a small cut on her arm.

@Kirah: Your Trick or Treat prize is here! That morning, there was a package outside of her dorm room. It was filled with her favorite snacks and candy. There's a note that says 'xoxo mommy :)' on it.

@Nallore: Your Trick or Treat prize is here! Poor Diana has a BAD acne breakout today. Yikes.

@Trainerblue192: Your Naughty or Nice prize is here! That morning when leaving the dorm room, there was a note taped onto the door addressed to Dorian. In messy handwriting, it said: 'i want to wear your skin. <3 luv ur secret admirer'

@BlueSky44: Your Naughty or Nice prize is here! The first PC Zelda interacts with, she will manifest images of the first fear on their CS.

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April Flynn

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Location: the Field (School Carnival)
Skills: N/A
~First Day Fit~

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April had been looking forward to returning to school pretty much since the last day of school last year. Her outfit had been picked out weeks in advance, and she had texted pictures of it to both Dorian and Danny for their approval - even though they were in New Orleans and she had been in DC, she wasn't about to go without their expert styling advice. She had spent a good deal of time that summer studying past Contest of Champions challenges, creating a binder where she cataloged just about everything any team had been asked to do, and why they had succeeded or failed. She had forced her parents to critique her audition performance at least seven times, and she was already thinking about what she might wear to junior prom. She knew exactly what she wanted to achieve and how she was going to get there.

And it all started here, today, at Avengers Academy at the beginning of her junior year. She had requested to live with the same roommate she had last year, Mads Crane - a real life Sabrina the Teenage Witch. April was secretly hoping that Mads would invite her to dance naked in the woods - witches did that in the movies and it looked like SO MUCH FUN! And by some stroke of fortune, Mads' and April's room was right next door to the room of her besties, Danny and Dory.

April's hair was down and loose today, and her makeup was applied to give a natural look, just with a little more definition to her eyes. She wore her favorite pink crop-top sweater, high rise blue jeans with a belt, and tall textured black boots. Today was the first day of the year, meaning that they didn't have to wear uniforms - tomorrow, though, she'd be wearing the same clothes as just about everyone else. If she was going to land her first girlfriend, she'd have to make a good impression today.

She glanced down at her nails, noticing that the light pink nail polish was chipping slightly on her left pinky. Her eye twitched slightly in annoyance. What was the point of applying base coat, two coats of color, and then top coat if it was just going to chip off the next day?! "Okay, so after we get lunch, I vote we check out the fortune telling tent. I gotta know if we're going to be on the same team this year. And also, when I'm going to finally get a girlfriend. I can't get to my senior year without having kissed a girl - I'll kill myself first." April pouted slightly, as the line for the food truck moved forward slightly, and she looked at her besties, Danny and Dory, waiting for a response - but not before continuing. "I mean, not actually, but it would really fucking suck y'know? Ooo and then maybe after fortune telling, we go try out trivia? Or maybe that photo shoot area drama's set up? We could change into costumes or stay in our fits now, I think we look great either way."

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Percy Novikov

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Location: the Field (School Carnival)
Skills: Small time-space displacement jumps
~First Day Fit~

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Percy wasn't necessarily a huge fan of carnivals - somehow, with roughly a hundred students present, there still managed to be lines for just about every activity. He hated waiting in lines. And he didn't want to make small talk with anyone - he'd rather rip out a vein with his teeth. Nor did he feel the need to go track down his sister and hang out with her and her friends - he hated the idea of just being her tagalong. No, he was perfectly content to sit underneath on a bench underneath a tree in the shade, reading a book. He had a pre-translation version of the Iliad with him today, and the ancient Greek was challenging, but he was slowly parsing his way on through it. His StarkPods were in his ears, letting the soft tones of one of Taylor Swift's masterpieces - You're On Your Own, Kid.

Of course, Percy had to look impeccable - for himself, not for anyone else. He had changed up his usual hairstyling for the first day, going with a messy, tousled look - one that showed off the natural curls that he typically hid. He had selected a white dress shirt with a blue, floral pattern on it - partnered with his black jeans and black crushed velvet jacket, the shirt drew the eye by design. And with the first few buttons of the shirt undone, his bare chest peaking out ever so slightly, the overall ensemble was chic, seductive, and classy all at once - exactly as he intended.

He would have continued happily reading and avoiding wasting his time on making 'friends' or whatever this carnival was meant to encourage, had his stomach not begun to growl at him. He sighed, lowering his book slightly as he eyed the line at the food trucks. It was only going to get longer the more he waited. He regretted that he hadn't brought any sunglasses with him - it would've helped to make him look more unapproachable. "We need a new plague," Percy muttered darkly, getting up from his spot.

More people were flocking towards the food trucks, all probably summoned by a rumbling in their stomach. Ordinarily, Percy would've just walked on over there. But he really hated lines - so, so much. They tried his patience and he wasn't particularly known for being patient. The air shimmered and there was a slight ringing as Percy thrust himself through space-time, intending on materializing at the end of the line for food -

Instead, he reappeared and slammed right into someone. Percy hit the ground hard, landing on his back. As the stars cleared from his eyes, he looked straight up into a dreamy pair of green eyes. The pierced ear caught his attention next. Percy didn't know it, but he had crashed into none other than Dorian Gray - the real life individual, not the fictional character. He was somewhat dazzled.

Percy scrambled back up to his feet, flustered and embarrassed - not that he'd allow anyone to tell. "Sorry about that."