Morose

🌠 Once Upon A Time 🌠(Concluded)

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Megan Pendragon

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Location: Rapunzel's Tower
Skills: N/A

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"And here I thought my bedside manner was poor," Megan mused. She was amused with Rapunzel's chiding of Lancelot. And she was not particularly surprised to hear him groan with pain. In Megan's experience, men tended to have a lower pain tolerance. She accepted the bandages from Rapunzel and finished up bandaging Lancelot's wound, pleased with her work. She was fairly confident that the treatment would work. And if it didn't, well, Lancelot would die. There wasn't really an alternative to be had.

"You should try to have your wounds incur in less critical locations, if you wish to be spared the pain in the future," she advised Lancelot. Was she being patronizing? Maybe. But it was genuine advice. If Lancelot didnt' like having his wounds cleaned, he could always try to have his arm be targeted instead. They could just lop that off then. Although that might decrease his effectiveness as a knight somewhat.

Avengers Academy 💥

@Ever Faithful Hey fam, you hit day 8. I've given you grace before but I gotta apply the rules, so you are removed from the RP. You'll be removed from the discord shortly. I wish you the best of luck in the future!

Avengers Academy 💥

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

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8:10 AM - Wed. Sep. 15th, 2038 - Margaret Carter Institute

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@Blizz@Nallore@BlueSky44@Forsythe: "SHE'S RIGHT HERE!" Usagi shouted, as she did a triple flip through the air. Her point of origin was the ceiling rafters of the Framework, and she landed on Leah's shoulders. If the cat was cut from Leah's skin, she didn't show it. She flipped again, this time landing on Diana's head and surveyed the room. Usagi looked at Vicky for a second, before chuckling slightly to herself. She didn't look at Arcade for long. He was hanging back by himself somewhat, seemingly a little shy and nervous. He looked like just a generic white boy, the kind that AA was lousy with. He had entered not too long after Leah had.

"Lesson one, ladies and gent - being on time isn't good enough! To surprise your enemy and best him, you should arrive hours in advance! Camp out! Disguise yourself in the terrain! TEAR HIS SPINE OUT AND DEVOUR HIS ENTRAILS!" Usagi laughed again, evidently really into her own dark sense of humor. She hopped off of Diana and landed on top of one of the tanks. "Hmm, we're one short. Or perhaps she's hiding, waiting to.... STRIKE! No? Must just be late then."

"Anyways, time for introductions. I am your coach, Usagi. I've served with the Avengers, so you can say I'm a big fucking deal. And now I'm teaching your twerps. My favorite color is blood. Okay, now the rest of you lot can do that same ice breaker - who you are, why people care about you, and your favorite color. Go."

Usagi's claws came out of her left paw. Why was she being threatening? Who could say...

"Um," Ed said, "My name is Ed - or, uh, Arcade. People care about me because... I'm good with computers? And my favorite color is red."

Uniform Trim Colors

You can choose what variation of the uniform your character is in - i.e., pants or skirt or shorts. The top is going to be a plain white button up with a tie. In the winter months, people will put on an academy blazer or sweater on top, but it's likely way too warm for that right now. We're heavily drawing inspiration from the Umbrella Academy uniforms.

Green: Diana & Zelda
Purple: Mary Sue, Ardere, Sabine, Leah
Blue: Andy, Zari, Vicky
Red: Percy, Dorian, Danni, Mads, April

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April Flynn

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Location: Gym - Training Room A
Skills: N/A

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If April's emotional state was a mirror, it had been filled with cracks yesterday (and early that morning), ones that she had hastily fixed together with tape. As Gallio-Lensherr approached though, asking about her coffee and mentioning her mother and introducing herself, April felt another crack form in the mirror. She was going to cut her soul to shreds on all of that glass. She wished she had been wearing sunglasses - it would've been easier to mask the internal turmoil. Thankfully, though, Mads kicked off the conversation, explaining they had grabbed the coffee from the cafeteria. "Yeah, there's a real cute little student run coffee stand in there, the Power Snack - it's not a perfect coffee but, like, for stuff on campus I think it's probably the best. Not counting Dori and Danni's stash. You should check it out sometimes. They've got really good stuff from all over the world - I wouldn't be surprised if some of it turned out to be illegal, it tastes like crack."

She tried not to freak too much out at the idea that Andy's mom had gotten her coffee - there was only one person with the surname Gallio April had ever heard about... but surely it was a common name. And Magneto was a slut, but he wouldn't have slept with SELENE! There was no way! Right? RIGHT? RIGHT?!?!?!

April's heart was beating furiously. "And my name's April! Or Cascade, if you wanna know codenames. Because of water. I'm kinda a water type of Pokemon. Fits with the name April too, y'know, April showers and all. So you're... you're Magneto's kid, then?" April asked. Maybe Lensherr was ALSO a common name. Maybe she was completely wrong. Maybe she wasn't related to this person.

But at superhero school... that seemed unlikely.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a girl come into the room and wave at her. April had a bad habit of just waving back whenever someone else waved, even if she had no idea who they were. So she waved back. Was that Mary Sue? Or was it... what was the name of the other person due to be on their team? Arendale? It had to be Mary Sue, right? Unless the person hadn't been waving at her and was instead waving at someone right behind her, in which case she had just completely embarrassed herself.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. April took it out and flipped it up, reading the incoming text from Leah. Her mirror cracked a little more. But there wasn't time to press each button on the stupid Nokia a million times to reply, especially since -

"Is this everyone, then?" a strangely watery voice said. Where seconds ago there had been nothing, there was now a tall, elegant woman. She was made entirely out of water, the light reflecting off of her skin lovingly. Her clothing looked like it was made out of rocks or moss, or even just little plants that you might find on a lakeshore. This of course was Lady Nimue. And she was VERY attractive. April's face burned bright red.

"Hmm. A pity. Miss Terrane appears to be absent," Nimue said with a sigh. "Very well. We have no time to pause. I am Lady Nimue. I will shape you into the heroes you are meant to be. We will begin with learning the sword."

She waved her hands and a rack of swords appeared on the other side of the room. "The first lesson - retrieve your sword."

As well as a gigantic monster - it had the head and neck of a serpent, the body of a leopard, the haunches of a lion, and the feet of a stag. The beast hissed at the assembled students, its fangs dripping with venom.

"And take care to not die facing the Questing Beast," Lady Nimue added. "We are already short a member."

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Percy Novikov

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Location: Gym - Training Room B
Skills: N/A

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Percy's eyes narrowed, overhearing what Danni and Dorian were saying to Ser Nemo. He was glad that Zelda wasn't here yet. It would've broken her heart to hear that her team was unwanted. Before he could stop himself though, he found himself butting in on the conversation. "You're right. A mistake was made. Having you two on this team," Percy interjected. "Just because you aren't on a team with all of your friends doesn't mean someone isn't good enough. Or do you only give a shit about your small circle of interest?"

He had liked Danni's cooking - the bit that Dorian had brought over as a peace offering. But now, they were picking on someone Percy considered to be a friend. Well, more of an acquaintance, but certainly someone whose feelings he didn't want to see hurt. He had considered that maybe he had misjudged Dorian, Danni, and the other assholes. But he saw clearly now that he hadn't. He had been right the first time. He should have stuck to his guns.

Why the hell did Agatha think he was madly in love with him? He wished Agatha had been one of the judges on the panel, so that way he could - wait a minute... Was Agatha behind this? Had she gone to her former colleagues and told them who to put where based on the tarot readings? Was the audition process all bullshit? The universe kept throwing Dorian Gray at him, to an extent that he was finding hard to believe.

But he could believe a petty, nasty old talentless witch would do it.

Did Ser Nemo look almost amused...?

"Now, boys, I chose each member of this team for a reason," Ser Nemo answered gently, like a kindly old grandfather. It made Percy sick. "Everything I do is part of a greater picture that you cannot yet see. This is the team that will win the Contest of Champions. I guarantee it."

"It does appear, however, that Ms. Flynn the Younger is late. We can proceed with today's mini challenge. It is important to be able to take the size of your opponent, to determine their weaknesses and strengths. I would like you all to make your deductions on me - Mr. Novikov, as you attempted to kill me, you will go last."

"...Fine." It'd be hardest going last. Everyone else would've already taken the low lying fruit, so to speak. Percy would have to remember how Nemo had moved during his attempted murder the previous day. There was something odd about the old man - he was far faster than anyone his age should've been. And while he looked fine, he was no Captain America. Percy didn't think he'd be able to run very much.

Inferno - STRIKE THE MATCH! - Concluded

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@BlueSky44@Nallore@Trainerblue192@PatientBean@Blizz@Kirah@KazAlkemi

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Hallow's Eve - Earth-666

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I'd kill to fit in, now there's blood on my hands
'Cause I only like my rubies red

Elliot Lee

My name is Doctor Stephen Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts, World Class Neurosurgeon, and Sorcerer Supreme of Earth-666 in the year 2021. This message is to my successor who has now inherited my mantle. The fate of this universe and its protection from otherworldly incursions is in your hands now. It is critical that you renew the veil, a complex spell that prevents other realities and spaces from bleeding into and colliding with our own.

DO THIS NOW.

The spell will have expired with my passing. You will have only received this message in the event of my death.

Good luck.

Stephen

P.S. Wong will have the ledger with other spells that need to be renewed. See to these within twenty four hours of my passing.

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It is Hallow's Eve in the universe designated as Earth-666. The veil separating our world and the next is precariously thin, held together by my will. The Genoshan mutants resurrect the dead en masse; our universe, 666, already finds itself more susceptible to devilry; and on Halloween, the veil comes to its thinnest point as the dead walk the land. I am less than a ghost. I can do nothing more than watch as my life's work is undone.

But where are you?

Perhaps you are at a party like I was, celebrating this magical evening. Perhaps you wander the woods alone, pining after all you have lost. Perhaps you were safely tucked away in bed, dreaming of wonders you might not live to see. It doesn't really matter where you were - only the when.

A blinding light strikes you. A cloak finds itself on your shoulders, and jewelry on your neck. These were mine. The Cloak of Levitation. The Eye of Agamotto (no, it does not contain the Time Stone - nice try). These are now yours. I am no longer the Sorcerer Supreme, but you are. The magic of the most powerful wizard in our universe is now yours.

But your celebration - or mourning, I might hope - will be cut short. As soon as this light hits you, so does another. A strange yellow disc. You fall through it, falling down, down, and down. Until you hit the ground. You find yourself alone - without another soul in sight. The area is mountainous and rocky. What appear to be vultures circle above you in the crimson sky. The air tastes of pain and suffering - a taste you might be all too familiar with. It is heavy in your lungs.

You are in Limbo. A realm that exists outside of space-time. A realm that twists and turns upon itself. A realm that fractures the soul. Perhaps you are familiar. Perhaps you are not. In the pocket of the cloak, you will find my letter. I wish I had written what you needed to know.

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INTRODUCING THE NEW SORCERER SUPREME OF EARTH-666, IN THE YEAR 2021?

Runa the Grey - Sorcerer Supreme of Resurrection?
Prudence Knight - Sorcerer Supreme of Curses?
Carolina Reed - Sorcerer Supreme of Divination?
Madalyne Crane - Sorcerer Supreme of Evocation?
Edus Penior - Sorcerer Supreme of Thaumaturgy?
Klara, Daughter of Thor - Sorcerer Supreme of Love?
Jack Hawthorne - Sorcerer Supreme of Umbramancy?
Maximillian Gray - Sorcerer Supreme of Reality?
Annika Falling Star - Sorcerer Supreme of Transmutation?

Why are there nine...???

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Runa the Grey

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Location: the Dead Woods of a Distant Future -> Limbo
Skills: N/A
Spells: Kosmisk Ild

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Runa the Grey was alone.

She had done this for quite some time. Little life remained on this plane of existence. None of it sentient - besides her. The last creatures who could speak her tongue had died long ago by her own hand. She found it odd at first that some animals had survived the wrath of Surtur - and then her own. But now, she was glad. She could run with the wolves. She hunted small game.

Her knife made quick work of the rabbit. She carved out the part that would provide her sustenance - and tossed aside the rest to the wolves. It must have been a trick her mind played on her, but she could still feel the rabbit's heart beating. She devoured the organ all the same. Her chest throbbed painfully, a ghost tremor, as her heart had long since been sacrificed. But she felt the strength return to her weak body and a sense of calm settled over her.

They had long since abandoned keeping a calendar, but the changing of seasons and the weakening of the veil told them all the same. It was Álfablót. The time to sacrifice to the elves and other dark spirits, in order to assure a return to the light in the new year. "Kanskje det er du som bør ofre til meg,"₁ they said, staring off into the trees even though they could not see. The wolves had finished devouring the remains of the rabbit. "Kom, bli med meg ved bålet. Jeg blir lei av denne karaden."₂

Twitching their finger, a fire roared into being in front of them. There was no wood for it to burn. No source of life. Only their power. And that was enough.

Runa the Grey sat in silence for a while more. No one came to join them. The sky darkened, heralding the night. The air grew cold. The wolves howled, eyeing the sorceress for a moment, before dashing off. They did not pursue them. They knew that the wolves would return. For eons, it had always been like this. And for many more, it would continue to be, even as Runa felt the twilight of their life drawing in.

She did not see the light that engulfed her, but she felt it - she felt its intense heat pressing in on her skin. She felt the weight of a cloak on her shoulders and a necklace around her withered neck. And the next thing they sensed, they were falling. Perhaps someone else would have screamed. If she had a heart to beat, it would have been pounding in excitement. This was something new. They could smell the thick magic wrapping around them, such that had not been in their realm since the ascension.

Their back hit the ground and they groaned. Feeling with their hands, it was some sort of rocky surface. The air was thick and heavy, settling uncomfortably in their lungs. It was a place that they did not recognize. That was different. They had traveled the remains of the realms a thousand times or more. It almost reminded them of Surtur's realm, yet there was something different.

There was a tugging at her back. She found herself standing, propelled up by the cloak. This was not unusual. Runa had had a cloak like this once, when she first became ruler of her realm. She felt the necklace she bore. It was as she suspected. "Oh, Stephen... To come to me, you must truly be a fool," they said.

Translations

1 = Perhaps it is you who should sacrifice to me
2 = Come, join me by the fire. I grow weary of this charade.

Inferno - STRIKE THE MATCH! - Concluded

@BlueSky44 adorable. accepted. move her over!

Inferno - STRIKE THE MATCH! - Concluded

@Blizz hot. accepted.

Inferno - STRIKE THE MATCH! - Concluded

@Trainerblue192 accepted, move 'em on over

Inferno - STRIKE THE MATCH! - Concluded

@KazAlkemi perf, accepted! move her on over

Ω Heroes of Olympus: The Next Age of Heroes Ω

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☀️ Nancy Parker ☀️

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Location: Outside Burger King
Skills: N/A

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"You punched a shitty god in the face," Nancy muttered. She knew as soon as she said it that it probably wasn't the best idea, as Alexios could definitely hear her, but she realized right then that she didn't care. Being afraid of him was only going to give him more power over her. And she didn't want to give him an inch. Was he the one who had hurt her? No. But an out of control party had been the circumstances that had led to the assault - for better or worse, she'd always associate parties with that. Same thing with drinking and drugs and swanky hotels. They all reminded her of that night. They were the wound that would never heal, that would never become a scar and fade away.

Even all these years later, Nancy was still bleeding. She still couldn't get the stain off of her hands.

Still though, even in her anger she was touched by Zeke's compassion. Not many people would offer to defy the gods for someone else. She knew for a fact that no one else on this quest would have done it. And as angry as she was, she knew that skipping out on this quest... it might condemn Mads forever. Her emotions were all twisted up. She did want to save the world. She couldn't let the flames consume her friends. She just couldn't stand the idea of doing it with these Greeks. They could all go to Tartarus for what she cared.

She hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath, before turning to Zeke. "Screw them. We can do this on our own. If Dad's really changed, then at first light he's going to give us a ride. We'll make our own way. And we'll stop these assholes. We don't need the rest of them to find the door. And honestly, they can't do it without us. The Lotus Hotel will eat them alive." Her voice was dark, with an edge sharper than a well-kept knife. Her heart was pounding. As difficult as it was to talk about that place, her anger and fury was helping at the moment, keeping her from crumbling to pieces at the mere mention. She'd ride this fury all the way to the Sin City. "Are you with me?"

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🌈 Leda Storm 🌈

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Location: Under the Sea
Skills: Superspeed

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Leda smiled, happy to see that Sera wasn't going to argue with her. She wished every questing partner she had was this agreeable. Of course, the last quest she had been on had been with Kristin and Zeke, both of which were stubborner than the gods. Gods, Leda hated them. She hoped they were both fretting and worrying themselves to death back at Camp Half-blood, wondering if everyone else would save the world. She didn't know that they were on a quest themselves at the moment. She put a finger to her lips, indicating for Sera to be quiet. Oceanus had set the trident down near the throne, before swimming off to do whatever the fuck it was Oceanus did before trying to murder a bunch of innocent people. She bet he was looking at dirty magazines.

At any rate, while there were still guards, this seemed as good a chance as any. Leda moved faster than the eye could see on over to the throne, snatching up the trident. It shrunk in her hands until it was just about six feet tall or so - a helpful feature, as otherwise she had NO IDEA how they were gonna get it out of there. It was really heavy though. Leda would've muttered about how dumb it was for a magic weapon to match the size of the person holding it, but not the strength - only it would've given her away. Instead, she continued in her run, only coming to a stop when she was crouching down next to Sera again, this time with trident in hand.

As far as she could tell, there wasn't anything visibly wrong with the trident - it was just HEAVY AF. "That was too easy," she whispered to Sera. "I don't trust it, mate. But this is also our best shot at ending him. Sending him down the monster garbage chute. Give your dad his kingdom back and restore a bit of balance. You can go find your sister or... you can come with me and we can try to end this."

Avengers Academy 💥

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

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8:00 AM - Wed. Sep. 15th, 2038 - Margaret Carter Institute

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At 7:00 AM, the Lady of the Lake cast a minor enchantment upon Stark Hall. A knock simultaneously sounded at each room, as slips of paper manifested themselves, sliding underneath the door for the occupants to find. Addressed to each student, these included their official team placement for the upcoming Contest of Champions. It also included instructions to report to a designated location at 8:00 AM sharp in uniform to meet their coach and have their first training session as a team. Free dress was over.

There were thirteen teams in total - but most students knew that the only teams truly considered to have any promise were the judges' teams. If you weren't on Vision's, Usagi's, Ser Nemo's, or Lady Nimue's team, it meant the academy had no faith in your ability to bring home a win.

Not that anyone really had a chance against the Young Avengers. Unlike other students at the academy, they were authorized to go out and do real superhero work. They had more direct, hands on-experience than anyone could hope for. Plus, most of them were nepo babies. Nepo babies always seemed to go farther, no matter the line of work.

The Vision's Team - "the Young Avengers"

• Teddy Altman / Hulkling
• Kate Bishop / Hawkeye II
• Eli Bradley / Patriot
• America Chavez / Miss America
• Cassie Lang / Stature
• Billy Maximoff / Wiccan
• Tommy Maximoff / Speed

Lady Nimue's Team - "the Huntresses" - REPORT TO TRAINING ROOM A

• Madalyne Crane / Trivia
• April Flynn / Cascade
• Andy Gallio-Lensherr / Luna Minor
• Mary Sue Sullivan / Marvel Girl
• Ardere Terrane / Kindle

Ser Nemo's Team - "Excelsior" - REPORT TO TRAINING ROOM B

• Sabine Bassard / Amnesia
• Zelda Flynn / Calamity
• Dorian Gray / Poltergeist
• Danni Kingston / Hot Shot
• Percy Novikov / Odysseus

Usagi's Team - "Uncanny Avengers" - REPORT TO THE FRAMEWORK HUB

• Ed Acra / Arcade
• Leah Jordan / Jotunn
• Diana Novikova / Artemis
• Zarina Raynordattir / Valkyrie
• Victoria van Dyne / Shieldmaiden

In more general news, poor Teddy (the bear, not the other one) seems to have come down with a nasty cold. He ended up missing his audition time. He'll probably be out of class for a few days, to Usagi's annoyance - she likes having her TA around for teaching Combat 101. She's less likely to kill her students that way.

More shockingly though, Chi Mai sent a mass group text out to her friends - namely April, Diana, Mads, Danni, Dorian, Sabine, Vicky, Teddy, and Leah. The text read:

guys im an avenger now 💪 i will be back. but i will be famous. maybe too famous for you nerds 😈 i bequeath u all my stash. good luck bitches.

If anyone tried to reach out to Chi Mai for clarification, she just sent back various memes or inside jokes. She didn't answer where exactly she had gone or why, but she had also missed her audition the day before. And a quinjet had been spotted on the football field, so her story wasn't completely farfetched. No one just had any idea why Chi Mai was suddenly running with the Avengers.

@Nallore: By some blessed miracle, her horrible acne breakout cleared up overnight. It would've been nice for that to be gone for the carnival - or even for auditions - but at least the zits are gone now. Maybe now is a good time for Diana to take some selfies, before they come back!

@Kirah: Andy's possessed doll has been strangely quiet, ever since the carnival. She hasn't had her mother's spirit trapped inside of the doll for very long, so it's completely possible that everything is fine. It probably takes a lot of energy for Selene to communicate through the magical prison anyways. But at the same time, it is definitely unnerving. It's like when a normally loud child suddenly is silent... They're probably up to no good...

Uniform Trim Colors

You can choose what variation of the uniform your character is in - i.e., pants or skirt or shorts. The top is going to be a plain white button up with a tie. In the winter months, people will put on an academy blazer or sweater on top, but it's likely way too warm for that right now. We're heavily drawing inspiration from the Umbrella Academy uniforms.

Green: Diana & Zelda
Purple: Mary Sue, Ardere, Sabine, Leah
Blue: Andy, Zari, Vicky
Red: Percy, Dorian, Danni, Mads, April

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April Flynn

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Location: Stark Hall - Sixth Floor -> Gym - Training Room A
Skills: N/A

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April had woken up filled with nervous energy and excitement, while simultaneously feeling like she had been hit by a truck. It had been a long two days. A long two days with so many twists and turns that she was already ready for a break, and the school year had barely started. She hadn't even gone to her first classes yet. Those would begin tomorrow. Today was time set aside for the coaches to meet their teams and start working towards the Contest of Champions. The knock on the door was as punctual as it had been the years prior - exactly at seven o'clock, there was a rustle at the door as the sheets of paper appeared underneath it. April leapt out of bed, grabbing them and throwing Mads' hers.

April didn't take time to appreciate her name written in beautiful calligraphy, tearing the envelope open. The paper indicated the team she was placed on - the Huntresses, led by the Lady of the Lake. Her heart stopped. Maybe Danni and Dori could still be on the Huntresses though? Girls could be on a team called the Hunters, why couldn't guys be on the Huntresses? But as her eyes scanned the team roster, she didn't see their names there.

Tears sprang to her eyes. How was she going to have the perfect year and win the Contest of Champions if her besties weren't by her side? Would she have to go up against them? She couldn't imagine fighting either of them... but she really did want to win. Could she bring herself to send water gushing at Danni or Dori? Maybe it was a mistake. Maybe she'd get another letter in a minute going oops, we forgot, Danni and Dori are on your team, it's a seven person team, our bad!

She stared at the door. Nothing else came. Her shoulders slumped. She didn't know if it would be better or worse if Danni and Dori were on a team together without her... They already did tons of things without her. They basically lived together all the time, they had grown up together. Maybe they didn't need her. Maybe they were the stars of the YA novel, and April was just a quirky manic pixie dream girl side character...

At least Mads was on the team with her. And she sorta knew Mary Sue. Her eyes looked at the last names and her heart cracked. Gallio-Lensherr. A relative of hers. It was already awkward enough knowing that two of the most popular boys in her year were her cousins, but they never really felt like it. She was pretty estranged from that side of the family. And having to be on a team with someone who was probably from that side... That was bound to get awkward.

But she took a deep breath. She had kissed a girl for the first time yesterday. And they were going to talk to Sabine soon. Her heart fluttered, thinking about both Leah and Sabine. Maybe the universe was only going to let her have so much luck - like, there was a finite amount, and she had used it all up, so she didn't get put on the team she wanted.

"Oh sick, we're on the same team, fam!!!" April squealed to Mads. "Do you know anything about the Lady of the Lake? Is she cute? Not that we're gonna be hot for teacher, but, y'know, just for information purposes. She's... Otherworld nonsense, right? I always kinda get Otherworld and Narnia mixed up, to be honest. They have kinda similar vibes to me. But you should get dressed so we can go grab a bevvie before going to... it looks like they want us at training room A, where we did the auditions. Do you have any tea on the other peeps on the team? I kinda know Mary Sue, her parents are family friends."

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When they got to training room A, about fifteen minutes early (April was paranoid that they would get lost, despite knowing the way perfectly well), she was dressed in her academy uniform. Because Firestar was their dorm mom, both Mads and April had to wear the red version of the AA uniform. April had gone with black sneakers and grey knee high socks, the red plaid academy skirt, white button up shirt, and tie. And of course, she had her contacts in - she didn't feel like wearing her glasses that day.

Besides her book bag, which contained her academy issued spandex training uniform, her most important accessory was her coffee order. She had her absolute favorite drink that day - a venti iced caramel machiatto, two shots, no foam, almond milk, and triple blended with whipped cream on the bottom. She ordered it so often that she had partially memorized the price that it would ring up as at her favorite stand.

Inside the training room, it looked like a fairly typical set-up. April was used to coaches on the first day having something elaborate or crazy already there, but the Lady of the Lake was magic... Maybe she was just going to wave her hand and surprise them all. Or maybe she had something else in store. The Lady in question wasn't there yet either.

"We aren't that early, are we?" April asked, before checking the time on her phone. She still needed to finish getting all her contacts over. That or call her parents and beg for a new phone. But she didn't want to have to explain to them what had happened to the old one, and unfortunately, she was a TERRIBLE liar... At any rate, it was about eight o'clock when she checked. Everyone was supposed to be there now. "Is she running on Otherworld Time? Is that like... GMT-12?" April asked Mads.

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Percy Novikov

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Location: Library -> Stark Hall - Sixth Floor -> Gym - Training Room B
Skills: N/A

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Percy typically didn't really enjoy waking up early. He was much more of a night owl. However, he was also somewhat of a germaphobe. His roommate was seriously ill, having spent most of the night running back and forth between their room and the dorm's toilets. Percy wished that he had had some sort of surgical mask on him. He was fairly confident now that Teddy must've been the reason he had gotten ill all of the sudden yesterday. Teddy was old too - at least, in his mind - so it made sense that his immune system would be struggling to clear it more than Percy's.

To that end, Percy was actually in the campus library when the clock struck seven. He had fallen asleep with the Song of Achilles pressed to his face. A large thermos of coffee was on the ground next to him, struggling to maintain its temperature so long after he had brewed it. Yet it wasn't the clock but instead a sudden knock that woke him up, causing the book to slide off of his face. And almost immediately replacing it was a letter that had appeared out of nowhere, addressed to him. He frowned slightly.

"Isn't this a cliché by now?" he murmured, before ripping the letter open. And then, his worst nightmare came to pass. He was on a team with the terrible judge, Ser Nemo. Ser No One. It was a stupid name. Did Ser Nemo even speak Latin? Why someone would call themselves that, Percy had no idea... But irrationally, it made him hate Ser Nemo even more. He'd like to see someone trip the old man down the stairs. Preferably, it would be caught on video, so Percy could experience it over and over again.

At least his sister wasn't on the team. He loved her, but she could be suffocating at times. The only person on the team that he actually liked was Zelda Flynn - and she was fine. He would have preferred to be on a team with Zari. Sure, he'd have a constant headache, but at least he'd be entertained. Zelda would probably end up clinging to him like a life raft. The rest of the team though pretty much sucked. He didn't know this Amnesia person, and while he loved the Sabine Women, he was skeptical if she would live up to her name. The other two though were some of the assholes from a few days ago.

The universe seemed to insist on throwing Percy in Dorian's path - like some cruel, unwanted gift. Dorian Gray was the Christmas fruitcake of teammates. No matter how hard Percy tried to chuck it, it always seemed to come back. "If I kill him, it's your fault," Percy said to no one in particular. He did still have the axe...

---

He had dressed in the dorm room in record time when he got back. The constant sounds of illness and plague coming from Teddy's side of the room was a strong motivator. Percy didn't even realize he was capable of holding his breath that long. He didn't even do his usual routine of folding the bed up as neat and tidy as he could, figuring that every second he lingered in that room, he was putting his immune system at risk. He made a mental note to get the sanitation equivalent of Febreeze before returning to this room.

Or maybe he could suck it up and ask Diana if he could sleep in her room until Teddy was no longer a bear corpse. He vaguely recalled her mentioning that one of her two roommates had ended up withdrawing from the school, leaving her in a triple with just one roommate.

At any rate, Percy made his way to the training rooms from the auditions - his team was specifically put in training room B. He had briefly considered bringing the axe with him, but had decided against it. Ser Nemo could live for another day. Besides, he didn't particularly want to go to jail for killing an old man - although Percy was pretty sure that his parents could pull some strings to cover it up. Maybe he'd be sent to a secret school that worked with kids who were on the roads to becoming villains. Or maybe they'd just shoot him off into space. He vaguely recalled something like that happening to the Hulk once. It was hard a times to know all the notable super events, given that approximately twelve billion had happened every year since Tony Stark went public as Iron Man.

Come to think of it, the mysterious handsome savior from his dream did have a certain resemblance to Tony Stark... who was Percy's answer for both fuck and marriage in classic Avengers' Fuck, Marry, Kill.

"Ah, Mr. Novikov - come in, come in," Ser Nemo said as Percy arrived, waving him through the open door of the training room. Percy was, as requested, wearing the standard uniform. He had opted for the version of it that used shorts, as it was still INCREDIBLY hot at the moment in Los Angeles. He didn't feel like having rivers of sweat running down his legs.

"Are we... running an obstacle course?" Percy asked, his head starting to ache. Fuck. Maybe Teddy really had gotten him sick... His nose was itching as well, as if a nosebleed was about to come on. But he did his best to focus on the massive obstacle course that had been set up in the training room. It looked like something out of Survivor or another trashy reality competition. He especially didn't like to see a section that included a giant mud pit. Percy narrowed his eyes. Maybe this was how Ser Nemo was going to get revenge for Percy's attempted murder - by ruining his crisp, clean clothes.

"Hm? Oh, yes! You will be competing as teams. We'll begin with a mini challenge of sorts, so to speak, which will let the winner pick their teams. One team will have three members, and the other two. I will order pizza for the winners."

Somehow, Percy managed to narrow his eyes more. "Pizza. Right, because we're just children who need a bribe," he scoffed. He was feeling angrier by the minute as he talked with Nemo. And his headache was becoming stronger and stronger. Maybe he'd get lucky and he'd give Nemo Teddy's illness. Now THAT would make all of this worth it.