Entry tags:

04/04, 23:56

M.Arisu

hey... anybody who's awake to see this. hope you're not having too much trouble sleeping.
get rest when you can. work together when you can.
all we can do is keep trying, but i'm hopeful for this year.
feels weird to say... but it's all going to be gone soon, so...
anyways.
see you at school tomorrow.

Any replies on the forum go unresponded, and at the stroke of midnight, the past year's worth of messages are completely gone from the PDA forum, including any sent over spring break. Hope you have a good memory if you were in the middle of a conversation! Though you should really be in ...whatever you've managed to make your bed... because tomorrow is a big day.

04/05, 06:00

The silence continues until six in the morning with the toll of the clock tower bells, and anybody near the locker area will hear two women in mid-conversation as they phase through the front doors, heels clicking on the ground: "-—didn't even have the decency to finish the job! And now I have to— oh, stop crying, for goodness' sake! I swear—" It's a one sided conversation, mostly, and one that stops short the moment the women spot the students lingering around. While the younger woman, recognizable as the assistant principal, hurriedly scrubs at her face with her sleeves, the unfamiliar older woman with the oddly dissonant voice scowls intensely. "I don't need this on the first day of school! Students trespassing over break! I can't believe it! I don't have time for this—" she huffs, shaking her head and stomping down the hall towards the faculty office. "Miss Nene, I expected better of you! And you! Miss Ritsuka— the two of you shall report to the faculty office after the entrance ceremony. I expect a full report of everybody involved. Now behave yourselves and go to the auditorium."

Goodbye...

The assistant principal is left behind and looks confused and distraught. She sniffles and ducks her head a little, draws a shaking breath and stands a little taller. "I'm so sorry. I'll hear you all out after- after this is done. Alright?" She too heads towards the faculty office, trying her best to smile at those she passes by. While they may be followed, they seem to phase through the faculty office doors which remain closed and locked, and cannot be interacted with until after the ceremony.

Until then, other students start to filter through the front door, seeking out friends and chatting about their breaks, remembering about homework and asking if anybody actually did it so they can copy off them before classes start, laughing at any mention of being locked inside the school all break because what?? that's silly. A handful of students wear yellow armbands on the left sleeve of their uniform, marking them as members of the student council, and these student council members go around finally removing the gorinto from the window sills, tossing the rocks into a bag without any apparent ill effects, and collecting the snacks in a separate bag— though they'll offer the food to anybody they pass who looks hungry enough. Which is a lot of you. One or two might give a short lecture about the importance of eating breakfast to start the day off right. Other student council members busy themselves in the locker area, posting the new homeroom assignments and updating the school calendar to reflect exam dates and breaks for the coming year, or help setting chairs out in neat rows in the auditorium in preparation for the entrance ceremony.

04/05, 08:00

The opening ceremony starts at 8, with students and staff moving to the auditorium to sit with their homeroom class, calling characters out by name and dragging them over to their seat— physically if need be, and they're much stronger than they look. Unlike the graduation ceremony, characters are not forced to come to the entrance ceremony, but the moment they take a seat, they find that they can neither speak nor get up again until the ceremony is over.

The assistant principal stands behind the podium on stage, looking rather nervous as she glances down at the watch on her wrist for it to be time, and clears her throat before addressing the room. "Yogen High welcomes you, all our new students," she pauses, beaming at the row of first year classes before her gaze sweeps over the rest of the student body, "our transfer students, our returning students, our... repeat students..." Looking at you, Norton, Gawain, Abel... "I, um. You may have noticed that I am standing in for our principal today, who is currently... unavailable... and didn't exactly leave any notes to go off of..." She wilts a little, but trucks on nonetheless and continues the address, promising that the teachers will pass along any important announcements, expressing her belief in the potential of young minds, and wishing everybody a fulfilling school year. The ceremony concludes in a little under an hour, and the spell binding the students to their seats is broken, allowing everybody to rise and leave.

School lets out for the rest of the day with classes starting the next morning, and while many students take the opportunity to leave, some linger around the school. Gossip is flying already with news of the transfer students caught breaking into the school over break and what punishments they might get, rumors of what happened to the principal ranging from a family emergency to hospitalization to death, complaints about the water pipes not getting fixed over break, and general excitement over upcoming events listed on the bulletin board by the lockers, in particular new club advertisements, fortune telling ads, and a Charity Auction to be hosted the Monday after Golden Week next month.

April

School is school... The first thing teachers ask at homeroom Tuesday morning is for students to hand in their spring break homework. Didn't do it? You're on their shit list now. Characters are not forced to attend class, but patrolling faculty and student council members will heckle any truant students into going and can be a pain to deal with. Classes aren't taught terribly, though. The second year math teacher has a knack for easily digestible explanations, even if she writes and erases the board a bit too quickly to copy. The third year literature teacher combines weekly analytical essays with film studies, and is showing Child's Play, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Silence of the Lambs, and Where the Red Fern Grows this month. The first year biology teacher brings eyeballs and frogs and rats for dissection during anatomy lessons, and if you have a special request for a specific eye color, give him a day or two and he can deliver. 2-A's homeroom teacher can be seen stealing chalk from each of the second year classroom she rotates through and is offering extra credit to any students who sneak her chalk without asking questions.

New students will quickly learn that merit points are awarded for a full day's attendance, turning in homework, participating in class and clubs, scoring 80% or higher on quizzes and exams, etc. Less predictably, the PDA may sometimes ping for a single merit point when hanging out with a friend or arguing with a classmate, with stronger emotions (positive or negative) when interacting with somebody else more likely to trigger a point, and if students are abusing this system, it's kept out of the faculty's eyes. As the month goes on, sometimes a student comes to class with a cut eyelid, or a busted lip, or bandages wrapped thick around a wrist, but they always deny anything more than clumsiness or an accident or having pets who very aggressively show their love. Sometimes it's harder to hide, when a bloody nose drips onto the ground or bleeding knuckles brush against the wall, and those near enough to see blood touch the building will find that everything sort of... shifts... Just for a second. The feeling of vertigo that stops almost as soon as it begins, the world tilting without slotting back into alignment. You feel a bit nauseous. Just a little.

You go to the bathroom to splash water on your face and the pink looks a little darker, a little more solid. On the fourth floor, the water has stopped running in the bathroom sinks altogether, and students are told to go downstairs to do their business so that they may wash up after. With more students milling around the bathrooms, it's much easier to notice that people's reflections in the mirrors are just a bit off, lagging that split second long enough to be impossible to ignore once aware.

Every day you have homework. A new essay for something or other is assigned each week. Nobody wants to do group projects with a slacker who can't promise to meet up after school to get it done. Like clockwork, the school empties out at 6 PM each school day, leaving those behind to their own devices. There is no school on Sundays. Golden Week marks the end of the month, and guess who's going to be stuck at school for an entire week with only vending machine junk food to live off of if they aren't able to make progress concerning their living situation? Yeah.

Charity Auction

At least students have the charity auction to look forward to and work towards. Information about the auction set on May 10 can be found on the bulletin board, and appears to be put together by the student council as an annual event and an incentive for students to start the year off strong in earning merit points. Both students and staff are encouraged to donate to the auction, with the items collected and put on display in the auditorium behind locked glass cases. On May 10, students will be able to bid on items using their merit points, those who donate will receive 10% of the winning bid towards their item, and the school will match donations 100 to 1 point with proceeds going towards the "Save A Brain Foundation."

Throughout the month, glass cases lining the walls of the auditorium start to fill up with donations. The most popular donations seem to be physical items: possessions such as jewelry or gaming consoles, or artistic creations such as hand sewn clothing or paintings. There are placeholders for things that can't be put on display all month, such as placards with a picture or description of homemade food that won't be prepared until the auction date, or the promise of fishing lessons with the guidance counselor or a dinner date with the school principal (pending availability). At the back of the room stands the largest case, with the skinny black cat often found lying on top of it as if guarding it, although it will run away when approached.

Inside the case is a body.

OOC

npc contact page

✽ The plot will only move forward as things are discussed and acted upon, and clues distributed during app acceptances are meant to be shared and connected, so don't be afraid to ask questions and dig into things! I am here to enable.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

a. April 5th, ~02:45

[ Shirogane had read the message from Arisu and had sent a "What do you mean by gone?" reply in vain. Maybe it was the anticipation of getting a reply or the eerie silence, but Miyuki felt himself succumbing to sleep momentarily. Waking up a couple of hours later to find the forum wiped clean only frustrated him more, and with him looking through everything yet again, trying to figure out if there was some way to get everything back. So if anyone's still awake, they'll find this message on the forum. ]

M.Shirogane

Sorry, I'm still wide awake.
Arisu, if you could clarify more, that'd be helpful.
Anyone else, sorry to keep you awake. It sounds like we should brace for whatever happens tomorrow, but it's hard to ignore this.

[ He'll be awake for maybe another two hours, and will wake up again when the bells ring. ]

b. April 5th, ~07:00

[ Despite the lack of sleep, Shirogane's trying to keep himself as alert and observant as he can. Getting chewed out for 'trespassing' and no one believing the story they had presented to anyone that would listen. With more and more students filing in, one of Shirogane's first stops was the gorinto to see if it was still there and he wound up briefly interacting with the school's student council, asking for two snacks if possible, and pocketing what he's given for the time being. It sounded like there wasn't much time to really dawdle out in the halls, so.

From that point, Shirogane's looking around, looking for someone. Until he pauses and realizes, he doesn't actually... remember who he's looking for? Weird.

If he spots someone he might have seen (or recognized from the before times?), he'll hold up a hand in greeting. ]

Good morning. Are you feeling well this morning?

c. Throughout the Month...

1. [ Despite everything, Shirogane isn't going to miss any classes. Taking the time to go to his literature class, he does show a genuine interest in the class and generally takes notes. Except for during some of the films. If something particularly harrowing or potentially gory starts, he lowers his head as if he's intensely writing something. Upon closer inspection, someone may notice he's quivering a bit.

He's. Not at all a fan of horror. Still, he'll be able to get through it and when the class is over, he'll be a tad bit on edge, sighing to himself. ]

2. [ At some early point in the month, a post'll go up on the forum. ]

M. Shirogane

Good morning. I'm offering after school study sessions after school in the Library. If you can, bring a notebook and something to write with. I'll be looking to share notes if you missed anything.

[ At this point he's become well aware he can't actually speak in the library, much to his chagrin. That's not going to stop him from communicating anyway, as he pages through one of the novels in the school. Otherwise, he's got a notebook and pen flat on a table in front of him. On top he's written the date, and on one line has a clear message. Learned anything today? ]

d. wildcard

[ I'm very open to plotting and such! If anything comes up I may add an additional top-level! Feel free to hit me up

perpendicular or perpendicular#5335! ]

[ Iria had taken it upon herself to join the study session despite the inability to talk in the library. She needs more things to keep her mind off her guilt, even if she doesn't actually need to study too much. If anything, she can do her homework there. It's a great distraction for, well, everything that's been going on. It keeps her grounded to do normal things.

She's sitting across from Shirogane and she lifts her head when she sees the message on the notebook. Her handwriting is legible and neat as if she takes care that she wants people to actually read what she wrote.

That depends if you can stomach it or not.

Ominous. ]

[ That truly, did not sound good. More than anything, Shirogane wasn't absolutely sure he could stomach it. Whatever 'it' was. Shirogane gives Iria an uneasy look before writing his message back.

I can take it. What is it?

While he mentally prepares himself, hoping it's nothing too gross or terrifying. ]

[ Iria seems to be taking her time before sending the message. Though, it's not to bully Shirogane who may be waiting in anticipation, but she's trying to think of how she should put this. She's met nonhumans who brush off the damnest things, and Iria, being a rather normal human, has been feeling slightly overwhelmed. What if Shirogane was another nonhuman? He seems pretty okay to Iria, but she's talked to a person a foot shorter than her who talked like he lived over a hundred years. She can't tell anymore and with how frequent they seem, she wouldn't exactly be surprised if she was the only normal human here.

She wouldn't want to cause something too irreversible...

The water has a very faint trace of blood in it. ]

[ ...Oh. Suddenly, that makes perfect sense. Brushing that off wouldn't have been easy to begin with, but after finally convincing himself the water was safe to use, maybe even drink, this news is revealed. There's a pause before he picks up his pencil to write the next bit out, while he tries to compose himself just a bit.

That explains why the water is pink, I take it. He taps his pencil against the paper for a moment, before continuing on.

It'll be a problem if the water remains tainted like that. We can't simply rely on what's in the vending machines. ]

Edited (i forgot my own formatting, oops..........) 2021-04-07 01:36 (UTC)

[ It's only a faint tint of pink from what Iria finds and wonders if she should examine it closer, but there isn't much she can do when she doesn't even want to touch it out of necessity rather than "ew blood water". She takes a moment before she writes her reply on the paper.

There shouldn't be too much, so it should be safe to drink for now for the average person. The bottled water in the vending machine is the same as the drinking fountain water, so save your merit points.

She pauses for a second, before continuing to write on the paper.

I'm sorry if this question offends you, but are you human without any specific powers? ]

[ Right, the drinking fountain. He's still a bit concerned about having to rely on that completely, but if that's the way it has to be.

Then, he reads the new question. It'd been a hell of a week and change already, so he's not surprised to see this question at all.

No offense taken. I'm a normal human, yes. ]

[ After Shirogane passes the paper to her, Iria reads his response. There's a vast relief in her eyes and her overall expression. Finally. Someone normal. She seems really happy about this, and now she's even more determined to help him out, since she probably wouldn't be seen as inferior on the basis that she's a normal human.

It seems that normal humans are a rarity here. In that case, I have something for you outside of the library. ]

[ He's... fairly surprised. Part of him was expecting the next step to be someone marking him down as normal and well, kinda useless. The happiness on her face caught him a bit off guard.

It could be that she's really in the same boat that he is.

If that's okay. We can pop out into the hallway for a moment.

what was arisu talking about?
if it's about the entrance ceremony, I sorta get it
a new school year's def always something to brace yourself for

He said something about everything being gone soon.
I'm not entirely sure if he meant anxiety over the new school year either. That's not something that simply disappears after the entrance ceremony.

it was the brother? kinda surprising
no idea what that's about, though
you don't ever get worked up over something and then when the day comes it's not as big a deal as you thought?

Not very often.

[ This is the font of a liar. ]

I don't recall his first initial very well, but I believe it was M, if that helps.

if it was m, then that was maya
h would be hiro, her brother
screen's not the greatest resolution but either way, you'll have better luck talking to either of them in person
it's stupid o'clock, people are sleeping

( Hmmm. He doesn't really need study sessions, and he's not a fan of the library, but...

He attends anyway, bringing his own notebook and a pen he got as payment for one of his fortunes. People can make fun of him all they want but who's getting free food and gifts??? Him.

Anyway, he takes a moment to consider it before just... going off on his own paper... sorry.

just where the cats like to reside. i'm planning on investigating them further however. animals are far smarter and more keen than people realize, so i feel there's more to learn from them yet...

and that what we're covering in class isn't all that different from what i learned last year in my required general education classes. i suppose school is the same regardless of where you end up.

........yes he's deliberately underlining words because it makes him feel special so what

and yourself? )

[ That's fair enough. Keeping that information handy for his own sake makes perfect sense anyway, especially if Shirogane keeps his own notebook with him.

Learning cats were around was a plus, though! While Natsume had a perfectly good point on studying the cats closely, he also thought of it in terms of... well, cats being cute.

look sometimes you have to hold onto positive traits in a shitty situation like this one

I see. In that case, feel free to let me know if you ever need assistance in making sure they're well looked after.

As for me, I've mostly stuck to learning the smaller things around the school. There isn't much in terms of supplies for us to actually live here, and I'm afraid to think of what will happen if we run out.

( no shirogane you're right cats just Existing is the most important thing in the world who cares about anything else

who do you think would be the most appetizing? )

[ . . .

Shirogane just taps his pencil for a second, re-reading that statement over and over again.

'Who'? Do you not mean 'what'?

pls say sike ]

( Natsume just puts a box around "who"

and lets Shirogane sweat it out before he starts writing again

just a joke. it wouldn't matter who was tasiest anyway. if it came down to eating each other, it would be both more ethical and legal to ask for volunteers and let them die by natural or accidental causes before consuming them. murder does not very often fall under the extemely narrow umbrella of necessary cannibalism. )

Did you not find the movie enjoyable good sir? [ The question is posed into the air, whilst he stands before the other. Nosey and humbly curious all the same. ]

[ Damn, caught. Shirogane glances away for a moment, but... actually, he doesn't sound judgemental in asking? So... ]

I... didn't really care for the plot. The whole thing just seemed ridiculous.

What about the movie did you not like then? [ Gawain sparkling asks so innocently. ]

[ Guh! Gawain might be sparkling and may be a bit understanding, but if he's going to survive here at all, he can't come across as a scaredy-cat immediately...! ]

Well... well for one, the premise is preposterous! A doll comes to life and starts to murder people? How does no one just overpower him? It's silly! Ha ha ha!

Indeed! If it were me I would merely kill the doll with my bare hands! There is in no way imaginable that a small doll could out do a Knight of my grand standing. Nor you for that matter? Clearly if it were true, the two of us could best a doll as if it were nothing ! [ He is mildly aware of the others nerves, but it matters not to Gawain. As such he tries to make the conversation more light - by talking about how they could kill it together with ease. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

April event

full navigation

04/04, 23:56

04/05, 06:00

04/05, 08:00

April

Charity Auction

OOC

no subject

C2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

k.seki, 4/5 04:13

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

c2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

C1

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject