TEST DRIVE MEME - DECEMBER

[thewatchers]

TEST DRIVE MEME - DECEMBER
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It’s December, and therefore winter - a time for celebration and, especially for Daybreak given the events of recent months, a time of rest and recovery. Out of respect to the Academy’s students and staff, who come from all walks of life and all sorts of different faiths, the decorations have been kept relatively low-key and non-denominational, with plenty of room for customization.


A. FROSTY THE SNOW... SOMETHING?
Snow is a fantastic medium for artistic expression if one doesn’t mind the cold, snowmen of all kinds popped up all over from the basic to creatures so elaborate it would win official snow building contests. Unfortunately, someone decided, after a bit too much eggnog, to enchant these snowy sculptures to a simulation of life, without any parameters to their behavior. Now terrible Snow goons roam the grounds, building more of their kind - now it’s up to you to put a stop before they make the area completely impassable until spring!


B. WINTER WONDERLAND
Winter has well and truly descended, and that means the various water features across campus have frozen solid. Of particular note is the now-frozen Cross of Life - as long as winter lasts and the ice holds, it’s a proud Academy tradition to turn it into a 24/7 ice skating rink. Whether you’re just there to take your first, wobbly steps, or you’re already a skating enthusiast, the makeshift rink is open to all comers and all skill levels.
However, it’s not just the students and faculty who will be joining in with the fun, if you dare the rink in the late hours of the night and early hours of the morning. The benign spirits and fae that haunt the surroundings of the Academy like to dance on the ice, you see, and they’re more than happy to give you a few tips - or to cajole you into skating with them until the sun comes up.

If skating isn’t to your preferences, you might want to try ice fishing. Soleil’s larger bodies of water are where you’d go if you’d like your catches to yield actual fish, but on the Academy’s grounds, allowance has been made for unfortunate students trying to get back something they lost in the water when the weather was warmer. Items that have soaked in magical ambience for at least a season, however, are likely to be a challenging task to actually fish out - though they may retain supernatural properties they didn’t have before.


C. DECORATIVE EFFORTS
For those who enjoy decorations, the Academy has once again provided workshops suitable for the season. Paint, paper and other crafting materials have been provided for the express purpose of students and staff getting to express themselves for whatever December means to them; they are encouraged to spice up their dormitories and common rooms in particular, but the Academy will also accept ‘donations’ to their more general hall decorations.


D. IRIS NETWORK
UN: pumpkin_spice
do u agree christmas sucks

asking for a friend y/y/y

code bases by tricklet

Comments

Henrietta "Henry" Coles | Impulse

[brokentether]

A. Who made a Snow-dragon!?

Fuck it was cold. Henry dug her jacket out of her backpack and threw it on as she wandered around campus. It still wasn't enough to keep warm, and honestly ditching this whole school thing to be anywhere tropical would have made her happy.

But her powers had gotten stronger and sometimes she teleported into the outrealms and that wasn't good for her. So here she was.

...until she got fed up with the cold and went to Miami.

Which was getting more and more enticing an offer as she noticed the chaos of various enchanted snowmonsters running around campus. The dragon, which was about the size of a tank, was rather impressive. Not in any way a good idea, but impressive. "Jesus fucking Christ why is this school so fucking weird?"

C. Decorative Efforts

Henry wasn't big on Christmas, moving place to place with mom meant a lack of a real sense of home. Her home was just her mom, and that was not a thing anymore.

But she did like art, and they provided spraypaints. And while there was probably some rule not to use the spraypaints on the walls of campus- well, rules she didn't know she couldn't break. Right? Something like that.

She had her headphones and gas mask on, happily putting an etherial design of a tiger-beast jumping through clouds on the outer wall of one of the dorms. It might be cold out here, but she felt it might be rude to fill the inside of the dorm with fumes needing all the windows to be opened to air it out.

Interupt an artist at work?

Wildcard

(Got an idea for a foul mouthed stoner graffiti artist teleporter? One who has no future but honestly doesn't care? Hit her up with what you got. This can include ill conceived visits to the Outrealms and- basically anywhere.)

A

[buddinghopes]

... Well. That could be a problem. Ah, well, at least these snow goons made good target practice. And that was how Lia ended up out here transformed in the cold. This was maybe a touch ill-advised, but at least her magic could protect her to a point.

(And she's taking breaks to warm up inside anyway, it's fine.)

In her trying to wreck some snow monsters, she wandered close enough to hear Henry's question and snorted. "I mean, this school's got a bunch of kids who grew up either in the Outlands or otherwise around magic... Not everyone of course, but it's enough of the population to be kind of weird. And sometimes the worse ideas get enabled." She paused. "... You wanna continue this conversation after I've taken care of this thing?" She jabs her thumb in the direction of the snow-dragon.

[brokentether]

Henry stared at the girl for the moment, the outfit. All this shit was a bit much. This shouldn't be more surprising than anything else. But somehow it was. Still, Henry's gotten decent at listening and not giving away her hand, "Well, bad ideas are something I'm used to."

She turned back to the dragon, "No, I'll take this one."

Henry looked at the Dragon, closed her eyes... and she vanished. A small vacuum of air where Henry was. She reappeared on the Dragon's back. Eyes still closed, "Shit this was a fuckin' bad idea."

She pressed her hand into the back of the dragon. Trying to get a grip on it. It was a little too big for her, especially how she fucked up her powers for her freedom. Still... she had enough. To blink out again, taking most of the Dragon's torso with her. She didn't reappear right away, a few moments went by before Henry was back where she left, feet landing in the snow about a foot away from where she started. "That... worked right?"

Well... the dragon was now in five pieces... which were all still alive and moving around as severed limbs and a head & neck. "That's not fucking fair... I thought that'd work."

Rachel Roth | Titans

[heartgem]

B. Lurking and Watching

Rachel kept off the ice, but the cold was nice enough to sit and watch other people have fun. She didn't know how to skate and wasn't too interested in learning. She liked to avoid pain because pain gave the other her a bit of an out.

Which was bad, the other her didn't need any more room to come out.

So she sipped her hot coffee and read her book, looking up to watch the other students enjoy things. Keeping her distance, like she usually did now. Even being someplace that should feel like home, that should help her be a better Titan. Learn how to control the other side of who she was.

It still felt like she didn't belong here.

E. Normal

Rachel wondered, most days, if she'd ever been normal. She'd always had her powers, they were just different and weaker when she was young. Growing stronger with her, to the point that she preferred to be locked in her room. She didn't have a ton of friends, and when she ran away from home, well, she didn't think anyone missed her.

She certainly never went back.

And now she was at a boarding school for witches and monsters. Given she was a witch, and a monster, that seemed like a good place for her.

But her life was still all about her powers, what she'd become after her father. So she still hadn't figured out how to do normal things. Like make friends. But she still had to try, Gar wasn't here, neither were Dick or Kory. "Hey, you wanna get a coffee with me?"

She managed to get the words out, but at the same time she failed to really sell that she wanted to be friends. A little too afraid they'd figure out what she was and run away. Like any sane person would.

Wildcard

(You have here one (1) genuine half-demon intergalactic space witch. Who has a demon side that's kinda happy to go murdering folks and Rachel would rather it didn't. But outside of that she's a pretty sweet kid. Throw whatever ideas you have that work with that.)

E

[unlogic]

As Desidera hadn't really been expecting it, when she was called, she very nearly jumped in place before turning around. Having been facing away from the other girl, it wasn't until she made that turn that Rachel saw the red eyes, or the horns that were otherwise camouflaged by how she had her hair tied up into its usual twintails.

"Ah? I don't particularly care for coffee, but I could still accompany you, if you'd like."

[heartgem]

"Oh, okay. Well, something else then? I'm not much for tea, but soda's okay." At least, from what Rachel could tell, she didn't need to worry about being half-demon will freak this girl out. She had to get contact to read someone with her powers.

This whole 'making friends' thing wasn't going as well as she was hoping. Not that she expected well.

Touma Hashiba | Yoroiden Samurai Troopers

[streamofthesky]

Snow Creatures

[Someone had fun out there, and it hadn't been Touma, but geeze... He stared for a moment at the plethora of snow creations. He normally would have been impressed by the artistic prowess if it wasn't for the fact that one particular snow bear wasn't intent on chasing him as he made his way from the dorms to his first class that morning.

This was not how he wanted to start his day...]

Hey! Look out!

[The bear had started throwing snowballs and some of them were getting awfully close to that classmate Touma just spotted.]

=====

Decorating

[Someone had been talked into helping with decorations today. He was good at holding things so others could put them up, or heavy lifting, or hoisting people up on his shoulders so they could reach higher places. He didn't mind so much. He'd been promised a good lunch for his efforts.

He backed up, heavy box in hand that he was retrieving for someone, when he barely missed walking into someone.]

Sorry about that.

SNOW

[heartofasamurai]

[Seiji spins at the sound of Touma's voice, surprised a bit at the sight of him running like this, but then he sees the bear. He quickly ducks beneath a snowball and then behind a nearby tree.]

You angered a bear?

[A bear. Made of snow. Only you, Touma.]

[streamofthesky]

Not on purpose!

[Touma also ducked behind a tree. Thankfully, the trees were old and large...]

It's a snow bear. How was I supposed to know it would come alive and start throwing snowballs at me?

[Really. What part of that made sense? Of course, what part of any of this place really made sense in the long run, but he was still figuring all of that out.]

Kali Coh | Original

[norangeskill]

[A - The Great Snow Massacre of 2019]
[The snow sucks. Winter sucks. Why did she pick this time of the year of all times? Nobody wants to be outside like this.]

[Thus there she was; humanized, though with so many layers of clothing on it was impossible to tell there was anything that unusual at all. It's not easy stuffing a tail down a pant leg, by the way, but it does keep you warmer. And she was about ready to give in the towel until something in the snow moved. Turned out, it was actually the snow itself. An animated snowbeast. What a curious little magic...]

Well it's about time something got interesting. [As she cracked her knuckles, a little tuft of fire came from came from her hands. Before long, the snow creature was shredded. Small bits of snow, ice, and even water went flying in such a way it was a good thing it wasn't a living body. That one sure isn't going to bother anyone now.]


[C - "Helping"!]

[The only good thing about winter was all the decorations that came with it. So of course Kali was patrolling through the workshop. It was the best place to be. And she can offer so much of her wise guidance there.]

[Step one: Find the most convenient stack of cards, pretend you don't even notice it, and then stretch out a bit to make sure you're extra comfortable.]

[Step two: If somebody dares to come by and take a piece of your hoard, regardless of how insignificant it will be if removed, gently place your hand on top of theirs to assert authority.]

[Repeat this for 5 hours.]

[Look, she had to stay entertained somehow while she was currently banned from the big sparkle tree.]

C! kitty!

[hatesdragons]

[As soon as Emille entered the workshop to work on cutting snowflake garlands, she noticed the cat stretched out on one of the tables. She thought nothing of it -- cats are admirable and independent creatures, and she intended to let the animal remain that way. She grabbed her materials and scissors and made her way to a chair on the other side of the room, happy to lose herself in something mundane for a while.

She has been at it for some time now, but every now and then she could swear that she's felt a pair of eyes on her, watching her every move. A few times she's even put her paper and scissors down to scan the area, but everyone else around her seemed to be minding their own business and working on their own projects.

Now, with this being the fourth time that she's stopped her crafting due to being awash in the weird feeling of someone staring at her from behind, Emille has decided to get up and wander about the workshop in order to walk off the paranoia. Surely that's all it is, right?]

Emille | 7th Dragon series

[hatesdragons]

A. Run away!
[Here she was, standing in the quad's courtyard, hiding behind a snow-covered topiary that hid her four foot tall frame. Emille's rapier was in her hand, and she was still breathing a little heavily.

In front of the bush laid a mound of snow, with a decapitated head laying nearby. She took a breath and grumbled to herself:]

What on earth am I doing...?

[Even though she was beginning to feel numb in her extremities, Emille was hesitant to sheathe her rapier. Maybe she could make a mad dash for a building? Looking around, she had to make sure there was an opening for her to run, or a distraction. Those snow creatures were everywhere, and tiny bodies can only run so far before running out of breath...]

*****

C. Cozy paper cutting
[Out of the goodness of her heart -- just kidding, it's out a lack of things to do -- Emille has found herself in one of the decoration workshops, cutting paper into snowflake garlands. She's been at it for the past hour-and-a-half, snipping here and there and expanding the garlands every now and then to see how they're coming along.

Even though her face may look stoic, she's actually pretty into it -- it is a calming respite, after all. She has a cup of perfectly warm peppermint tea and no distractions... But who knows for how long?]

A

[imyoubut]

[As if in response to her request, the snow creatures begin to move away from her position toward a new target. A tall, imposing man with an axe beckons the monsters on. At first glance he seems like an ally ready to cut down these beasts. However, if Emille manages to get a good look at the man, she'll probably realize he's not actually there. Nothing more than a simple illusion spell. But where's the caster? Maybe she'll find them once she makes a break for the nearest building.]

♥

[hatesdragons]

[Maybe she's moving in slow motion because of the cold, but Emille can't help but stare at this insane man for a minute before realizing this might be her only chance to escape. Time to do what all good pint-sized scientists do when they're in trouble: run, and then when far enough to do so, observe.

In one seamless motion, she sheathes her rapier and makes a mad dash past the man and the snow creatures, finding herself flying up the stairs to what she believes to be one of the teaching halls to hide behind a column near the front entrance.

Emille tries her hardest to huff and puff silently as she watches the axe-wielding man combat the snow creatures. To her amazement, it seems that the beasts' attacks are going through the man, nor are they being destroyed. Aha. She makes a mental note to thank whoever noticed her plight and chose to aid her.

Even so, she continues to watch the scene play out, curious to know what will happen next. It's not every day that she gets to watch incorporeal illusions "fight" sentient mounds of snow.]

Hana Song "D.VA" | Overwatch

[bunny_suit]

A. This is why we can't have nice things.
[D.VA had just arrived not too long ago. With her home ravished with war against the Outlands, one would think living in Busan that people would have noticed the monsters sooner. With enough motivation as well as English lessons, she managed to learn enough English to be fluent enough to get by. It was late, but it was better than never.

So despite still getting a feel for the campus before the semester started up again for the new year, she had just been wandering around to get familiarized. Bundled up and warm, she'd noticed the mass production of snowmen, but thought nothing of it. Not at first anyway. It eventually got to the point where it became too many. She didn't have Tokki with her, but she had her light gun just in case at all times. You never know when something will happen after all; case in point: Busan.]

What in the hell...? Is it just me or are they multiplying faster than they should be..? [She's ready to act at any time if needed, but for now, she's just asking the closest person towards her.]

B. It's a slippery slope.
[D.VA hadn't actually ice skated before, which was the real shocker here; Than again... an Esports gamer turned into movie actress on the side after trying to protect her homeland made her a busy person. Add in schooling and preferring play games instead would have an affect on what she actually did outside of her room.

So despite being her first time ice skating, her competitive nature got the best of her. Falling over again and again just made her all the more determined to nail this. Give her about half an hour and she's at least getting around fairly well without falling too much. When seeing the spirits around, she wasn't adverse to their advice. In fact, if it helped her get better at it, she was happy to take it.

Feel free to either offer her some help, approach her while she's gotten the hang of it, or while she's with the spirits. I'm up for anything!]

D. Don't be such a Grinch.
UN: D.VA

I don't think it does, but I guess it depends on the person.

E. Wildcard
[Hit me up with any other ideas you have! I'm very blind to this game so far, so apologies if I get details wrong. As an additional note, I did have D.VA in a previous game before, so she did have a paid. Because of that, I'll have to link icons in the responses for the time being. It's not a huge deal really, but just thought I'd throw that out there just in case.]

B

[alreadyhuman]

[ Vivi hasn't been on the ice long, but he's significantly more impressed by people doing better than he is.

Which is...just about everyone at this point. (He's not very coordinated). Still, while Hana is in the middle of falling over for yet another time, he wobbles over to offer assistance, using his staff as a prop to help him balance. ]

Um! Are you okay?

[ He's not doing great on the ice, but to him, someone clearly needs help, and that's what he's going to do.

He grasps the staff more firmly, planting it on the ice to steady himself, and peers at Hana, offering her a gloved hand. ] That last fall looked pretty bad. Do you need help?

[bunny_suit]

[Damn it! Why is this so difficult?! She's managed harder stuff than this before. She was about to pick herself up when someone skated over to her. It looked like he was having troubles staying up as well.]

I'm okay. I'm just... trying to adjust to the ice. Never ice skated before this.

[Seeing his hand, she gave him a small smile. As stubborn as she was being, it was a nice gesture, despite looking like he had his own troubles with balance. It would be rude not to accept it. So taking his hand, she managed to pull herself back on her feet (without dragging them both down).]

It looks like I'm not the only one having troubles. [Said lightly with a chuckle.]

B

[imyoubut]

[Though not yet a member of the faculty, Urtz was still out and about, familiarizing herself with the school and its people. Both students and staff would need to be interacted with often, so she'd like to know in advance what she was getting herself into. Of course that doesn't mean she has to treat scoping out the place like a job. She's here to have fun! And what's more fun than watching someone fall on the ice over and over again?

As Hana moves to get up, she'll likely spot an outstretched hand. A hand owned by someone who was having way too much fun at her expense earlier.]

You provided me with some much needed amusement, so it's only fair I offer you some help in turn. Would you like a few lessons?

[The lessons are the repayment. She's just helping Hana up because it's the proper thing to do.

...and because even she is only allowed to be so much of a brat.]

Re: B

[bunny_suit]

[Well, she's so glad that her struggling could bring so much amusement. She'll get the hang of this eventually. Eventually she'll.. is that a hand? Looking up to see who it belonged to, she was clearly in a good mood.]

I'll get it eventually. [But she'll accept her hand and help up with a thanks despite that.] Yes please.

Urtz Cromwell | Original Character

[imyoubut]

C: Deck the Halls

[While she's not a teacher yet, that's hardly going to stop her from getting a good view of the school or having a bit of fun. If you happen to be walking down the hallway in the afternoon, you'll likely run into an unfamiliar woman making her way through the corridors of the school. Her skin is almost pure white. Her eyes are dark, black circles sunken into her skull with white irises and no pupils. Though there's a slight hint of a nose shape, it doesn't look like she actually has one. Her body is tall and thing, with lone limbs and fingers. Old fashion clothing adorns her body and a large hat with a big feather sits atop her head.

All in all, she looks very much out of place. But weirder still is what seems to be happening as she walks down the hall way. Any sections that look pretty barren will soon be glowing with color and life. With just a wave of her hand and a quick hum of a carol or two, garland, lights, and even mistletoe begins to appear out of nowhere and adorn the parts of the school she walks past. Stray to close to her, however, and you might find yourself doing a very solid impression of a Christmas tree.

...or if she just feels like messing with you.]

Wildcard

[After a long day of playing in the snow, skating, ice fishing, or facing off against a near infinite amount of snow creatures, it's not unlikely that you'd enjoy a delicious, warm beverage. Which is exactly what Urtz is providing. In one of the lounge or common areas, she's sitting in front of a circular table. Several mugs of hot chocolate line the table, full and piping hot no matter how long time seems to pass. Should you pass by and look for even a second too long, she'll call you over.]

You look a bit chilly. Why not sit for a while and enjoy a warm drink?

[Her goal in coming here so early was to get to know the students and staff, so it was about time she set out to do just that.]

Wildcard

[spelleton]

I'll pass. [ Not because he doesn't like hot chocolate, what little he can taste of it, but because he has different motivations in coming over here. ]

You look like you're settling in nicely, Urtz.

[imyoubut]

Ah, Ekkehardt. I almost didn't recognize you; your frown isn't as sharp as usual today. [She's in rare form today.] Still, your eyes are as keen as ever. It is as you say. My little outing to Daybreak has proven quite...enlightening. I daresay submitting an application to be a teacher was an excellent idea.

[She reaches for one of the mugs of hot chocolate, still piping hot, and raises it to her lips. After enjoying a few sips, she sets it down and gestures towards one of the chairs near her. Immediately it begins to move out, as if offering him a seat.]

However...if you wish to converse further, I insist you at least take a seat. If you stand then I will be obligated to. And we can't have that now, can we?

even more Wildcard

[lifeforced]

[Urtz is eventually approached by a child, one that looks like she's no older than seven years, but she carries herself less like she were a child and more like she were in her late teens or even a young adult. She also doesn't appear to be bothered—at all—by the woman's inhuman appearance, as her approach is also without any hesitation.

Interestingly, while there are signs that she was outside not long ago, there's no outward indication as to if she actually feels cold or anything.]

Sure, why not. [Becky eyes the table.] Which one of those is the hottest?

Giorno Giovanna | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Vento Aureo

[giornata_gloriosa]

B.
Fun out in the cold is a great time, but some people seem less prepared for the cold than others, particularly one young man in a pink pantsuit, it's shirt stylized to have the top half form a heart, exposing from his clavicle to just above his abs to the cold air. The pink outfit has a trio of overly large ladybug pins attached to it, one each on the outer bottom area of the heart, and the third seeming to line up with his pants waist band. His hair is a bright shade of blond, with three large curls of hair somehow secured to the front of his hairline, in short, doughnut shapes, the rest is secured at the back of his head in a short braid that reaches the top of his shoulders, with the end looped back up to secure even the the flyaway's there.

He seems to be just watching others go about enjoying the cold and the snow, watching figures slide across the ice with contemplative turquoise eyes. While he normally seems prone to a small smile, even when he's not thinking of it, there is an almost pensive and dreary expression to his face at the moment. By his feet are a pair of ice skates, left to sit there unused for the moment.

C.
Decorating around his room and even out in the dorm larger seems like a simple thing to do, to Giorno, and since so many people appear to appreciate it, he figured it would reflect better on him, if he participated.

"Go up the wall, to that spot." He said, pointing to an area that was lacking decoration, and holding the small gecko up to the wall, from where it sat on his hand. The small thing made an equally small noise and seemed content to curl up in his hand instead, ignoring the frustrated sigh he gave in response. "Come now, it's not that far, go on up." He encouraged, wishing that the animal would listen to his instruction.

Wildcard
(Other ideas welcome, he's likely to be in the quad, or library, if not in his classes, he actually doesn't spend much time in his dorm room proper. Feel free to PM if you want to clarify.)

B........................for BEAR....

[betheman]

Skating is a pretty typical winter sport- certainly not in Naples, where it would probably be a shock of all horrors if snow actually appeared, but for this particular end of France at least it very much is. Students, wearing some variation of the school uniform and winter clothing, are passing constantly on the ice- the dusky dark hours of the yet early evening bringing an even deeper chill.

Also that's a bear that just passed this particular time.

The bear is wearing pants.

He is also somehow on ice skates, and a trail of white rose petals drift lazily behind him as he goes.

And boy, he does 'go'! At least until...

Hm

HM!

The bear appears to have noticed Giorno, and is now walking in his direction, on skates.