TEST DRIVE MEME - APRIL

[thewatchers]

TESTDRIVE MEME
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Spring is right around the corner with the passing of the Equinox, and with the season comes the changing of quarters. Vacation is on everyone’s minds, but so are lovely flowers, unfortunately timed april showers, and the prospect of getting brand new digs. Watch out - mortals aren’t the only ones finding themselves more active this season.

A. Mushroom, Mushroom, Oooooh it’s a…. badger????
With the advent of spring comes new and interesting growth. Circles of mushrooms, more commonly known in folklore around the world as fairy rings, are beginning to sprout anywhere green on campus.

You’d be wise to heed the warnings of old stories, though; anyone who steps into a fairy ring will find themselves changed once they emerge from it, entirely at the mercy of the fae magic that created the ring. It might be nothing more than a simple change of hair colour or facial features, or it could be as alarming and startling as an entire change of species.

To restore yourself back to normal, you’ll have to find another fairy ring and step through it. Considering they’re all around campus, it’s probably not a hard task...but you’d better watch your step, or you might find yourself going through several involuntary shifts before you regain your form again!


B. Poisson, not Poison

April Fools! Or April’s Fish as it is known in France. For reasons even the locals don’t know, the prankster holiday has a long association with fish, and it’s not difference on campus. It’s a yearly tradition to play a game of ‘tag the fish’, where students and faculty alike race to see who can stick the most fish - Paper, though it hasn’t stopped people from using literal fish - onto victims by noon. Winners of this little contest are treated to a special dinner.

There is absolutely no fishy business about the dinner, the staff assures you.

C. Clean Room, Clean Room, Move Down!

With Winter Quarter coming to an end and Spring Quarter starting up, students are given the option to move dorms. As students make (or lose) friends, it is not uncommon for them to want to room together or very, very far apart and the Academy is happy to facilitate this. And so, in the weeks leading up to Spring break students are able to submit room change requests, which, once approved, will give them a few weeks to clear out of their old dorm entirely and move into their new one. This can be quite the process and while the school does make moving equipment available in the form of boxes, dollies, and golf carts, students are typically on their own. With so many moving dorms at the same time, it can be a haphazard time, especially with all the golf carts whizzing about.

D. How I will Spend My Spring Vacation (text)

Hey everyone, Spring break’s coming, aren’t you excited?! I know not everyone’s going to be going on the school sponsored trip, so let’s hear where you’re doing for vacation! And if you can’t go anywhere neat, let’s hear about your dream destination!

[ The answers are, naturally, public. ]

Comments

[yokeye]

It was my pleasure to save you, my good lady~!

[An elaborate bow follows.]

My name is Toki!

[thewhite_symphony]

It is nice to meet you too, Toki.

[ Another ring of mushrooms appeared. After her last two experiences with these, she is understandably not very excited to try another one. ]

It seems like I will need you to play my savior once again.

[ She steps into the circle and waved, while hoping this will be less disastrous than the first.

Another glow surrounded her, making her hold her breath and close her eyes ...

... and when she opened them --- she had the correct hair color and the right eyes, even the correct face. There was simply one problem. She was a boy]

Oh ... oh my. Is this truly normal for this academy?

[yokeye]

Uhh...

[Toki's going to have to admit he knows nothing.]

I've only been here a few months, and I know those are faerie rings, but I've never seen one before, not with the mushrooms and things, and I have no idea what's normal really, I just didn't want you to worry~! Should I get a professor? Oh, wait! There's another one!

[He points to her left, where more mushrooms have sprung up.]

[thewhite_symphony]

Thank you.

[ Lacus continued to smile despite these circumstances. Looking at herself in the mirror had its entertainment. She never realized how much she looked similar to Kira as a boy.

Might as well find entertainment where she can. However, if she still doesn't return to normal with this nest ring, she should really look for a teacher.

She steps into the ring and gave another silent prayer. Once again, she closed her eyes once she was surrounded by light. It was over much quickly than the last few times, she was almost afraid to open her eyes.

She saw feminine hands again. Just to be sure, she opened her compact mirror. Sure enough, it was her face, eyes and hair. After stepping out of the circle, her knees buckled and found herself sitting on the ground. ]

That was ... an interesting experience.

[yokeye]

[Toki goes to sit beside her, watching the ground on his way over just to make sure no other circles were springing up underfoot.]

You feel normal, though? You look fine, but I only saw the ID, so you could be like taller or have bigger feet or something still~!

[thewhite_symphony]

[ Lacus laughed. What he said was true enough, so she stretched her feet in front of her and began taking off her shoes to check the size. They seemed normal.

She stands up slowly, dusting the dirt out of her dress. Next, she should probably check if her height was at least approximate. ]

Toki, how tall are you?

[yokeye]

[Those were just random choices, but she's checking anyway and it makes him laugh. He could have said something about a toe being a millimeter shorter, or a birthmark that moved. It could be anything]

Um, 180cm...

[thewhite_symphony]

[ He was tall, but there shouldn't be a problem getting an estimate. The last time she checked she was 158cm. ]

This is an odd request, but could you stand for a moment?

[yokeye]

[Oh. Of course she asked that question for a reason. He stands up and steps closer to Lacus. Hopefully, she can get some approximation that everything was normal.]

[thewhite_symphony]

[ Thankfully, she had already removed her heeled shoes. She should just be a bit below or above his chin. Using her hand, she measured her height against his. Nothing seemed to be off.

Five fingers. Five toes. Everything seemed to be in order. ]

Everything seems fine. At least all the major parts of my body are in order. If there are any minor changes, I still prefer this over being a cat.

[yokeye]

Great! Problem solved~!

[Looking around, there seems to be more and more of the rings sprouting up. It's going to be a hazard.]

We should get out of here before it's all covered with mushrooms! Were you headed anywhere?

[thewhite_symphony]

[ Seeing that more rings were sprouting out around them, Lacus nodded in agreement. ]

I had no particular destination in mind. Before all this, I had simply been exploring the grounds.

[ She began navigating what was beginning to look like a maze of fae circles to the direction of the school. ]

What about you, Toki? Did you have a particular place you needed to go to?

[yokeye]

[Toki follows her path through the mushrooms.]

No, I had nothing planned~! What haven't you seen yet?

[thewhite_symphony]

[ She had only been able to explore the dormitories so far. ]

There is one place I am curious about ... have you been to the theatre?

[yokeye]

I have! I'm the theatre club~! We have an amazing play coming up!

[thewhite_symphony]

That is more reason to go then. I would love to watch you perform.

[yokeye]

Oh, I'm not in the play! I'm in charge of special effects~! I originally wanted live bees, but we decided that was a bad idea! It would distract from the fantastic story! It's such a good play!

[He appointed himself to the special effects position, and has made questionable pyrotechnic decisions involving fireworks and confetti at the same time. But that's what fire protection runes were for.]

The theatre's this way! Are you interested in acting? Nana would love more people in the club~!

[He leads her past the dorms and to the theatre building.]

[thewhite_symphony]

[ Live ... bees? Did the school have a beekeeper? Must be an unusual play to need live bees. Was it a performance piece? While she had already realized this earlier, this only further confirmed what she already knew. Toki was quite unusual.

Then again, maybe she should not be so surprised. After all, this school was far from the usual as well. While her experience was limited, she knew that much. ]

Thank you very much. I do not mind acting, but I am more of a singer. In fact, I was quite popular where I am from.

Do you have a glee club here? I would love to participate.

[yokeye]

[The theatre club was in fact putting on a performance of an adaptation of... the Bee Movie, with minor edits and a re-written ending.]

A singer!? That's awesome~! There's a karaoke bar in town somewhere. I've never been, but you might like it! As for a glee club, no, I don't think so! But you could start one!

[thewhite_symphony]

[ A karaoke? She would be excited to that, especially with friends. She had heard that that was a popular activity among students. ]

I would love to try karaoke one day. From what I hear, I heard it is a lot of fun.

...starting a glee club? I will think about it. If I find enough interested people, maybe I can. I can't very much start a club with myself being the only member, can I?

[yokeye]

Probably not, but maybe some of the theatre club would join yours!

[Inside the theatre building are several practice rooms for music, storage spaces for props and costumes, and at the end of the hall is the theatre itself. It's quite a large space and very well-kept, lots of gold and white and intricate murals on the walls near the seats. It is France, after all.]

Isn't it amazing~!?

[thewhite_symphony]

Do you really think they would be interested? If they would, that would be great!

[ As he lead her around the building and showed her room after room, she couldn't help but be amazed. This facility was more than she could hope for. Probably even more since she had never seen a facility so beautiful before. ]

It is ... it is absolutely beautiful. A lot of effort was given to the design and functionality.

Is your play going to be held here? Would I need to acquire tickets?

[yokeye]

Of course they'd be interested~!

[He doesn't know if they actually would, unsure if any of them sing.]

Yeah, it will be here! I don't think you need tickets, but maybe you do because it would be a fire hazard if too many people came!

[And there's a 60% chance there will be a fire.]

I'll have to ask and get back to you on that!

[thewhite_symphony]

Fire ... Hazard? [ Will they be okay? This performance was beginning to sound quite dangerous. ]

[yokeye]

If there's too many people and the exits are blocked!

[That's what they warn you about. She looks worried, though, so maybe he shouldn't talking about fires at all.]

But that's hypothetical~! Nothing will happen~! So, you sing, you said!? I want to hear!

[He waves at the stage.]