August Event

[adsum]

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Please let August be better than July I'm begging

✽ Due to 10+ classes raising their ranks last month, ALL characters have access to the courtyard via the door in the locker area and the windows facing the courtyard.
✽ Characters with 1-10 tallies are not able to get any further past the end of the courtyard before they fall unconscious; characters with 10-20 can get halfway to the pool building before the same happens to them; characters with 20+ tallies can reach the pool building but unfortunately, the door is on the other side. There are no windows on the walls, but from the clocktower, characters can see that it has a glass ceiling, though they are unable to see inside.
✽ Outside, there is no breeze, and it occasionally rains ash.
✽ Characters going up to the 4th floor will feel that the door is warm to the touch, and will occasionally open (see: missions)
✽ The student store opens, with the door propped open with a doorstopper. The npc running the store is currently not interested in conversation, but may be available for threading in the future and is available for threading in the toplevel below. Please see the updated bonus activity page for more information.
✽ Posted on the bulletin board and also handed to each club president before break is the notice that proof of club activity is due at the end of break. Please submit these proofs in the toplevel below.
✽ There is another ad on the bulletin board advertising an exchange student program for the month of October. Applications will be taken until the end of August, and there is a 300 merit point fee. Sister cities include Death City, Devildom, Ishigami Village, Lanling, LazyTown, and Maiami City.

Comments

[commences]

You think... do you not remember your first day of school?

( komaeda vaguely remembers his, he doesn't think he cried, but he went in... it was one of those rich schools, so there wasn't much to it. people stayed away from him, or did he remove himself from others, he was a lonely child growing up. he didn't cry, no, there would have been no one to comfort him aside from... )

I played by myself, like any normal child would do. I was always excited to go home.

[adsum]

[ Crying is a natural way to self-soothe, baby Komaeda, please, ]

I didn't have one. Dad's a teacher, so he taught me at home once a week. I was always home.

[ Playing by themselves, like any normal child would do. They nod in agreement at this statement. ]

[commences]

I didn't know fathers were capable of teaching, was he good at it?

( because he did it once a week, damn npc-kun is so smart... and he didn't cry at school, cried at home on his dog!! like happier by marshmello and bastille. )

...May I ask about your mother?

( yama's theory because this is what the question reminded me of, and maybe you'd laugh at when we really thought he was time jumping. )

As for my parents... they wanted me to attend school, so I did. We traveled a lot, so there were times I had to leave, so I had no attachments.

[adsum]

He was the best at it.

[ ?? they have no other reference so when there is no other competition, their dad is the best teacher; npc-kun turned out okay, so he must be. Even if was only once a week they were taught, because teachers only get one day a week off work. ]

It's nice that your parents took you with them. Mama took my sister and left to live with her parents a little while after I was born.

[commences]

I see... ( he closes his eyes, fingers curling in their hair. ) from how you turned out.

( he chuckles softly, not too attached to his own father anyway, but npc-kun's father seems... like a very busy person, especially if he only did it once a week. he took out time, even if it was once a week. )

They had no choice, there wasn't anyone else to take care of me! Sometimes they'd tell me... "Don't speak unless I tell you too!" when we went on trips or, "Don't embarrass me", and sometimes "Don't ever come out your room." when we had guests, I assume they didn't want me to wind up kidnapped again.

( that's what he says, but he knows the truth behind why they would say something like that. ah well, the world isn't kind. )

Oh... your parents went through a divorce? That sounds amazing.

[adsum]

No, they weren't divorced. Mama just left.

[ ? Sure, they haven't seen her in over a decade, but she still calls to say she loves them and so their parents can't be divorced. ]

Your parents sound strict, though... Sucks to be you.

[commences]

Oh, I get it. ( she must have hated his ass. ) ...What was your mother and sister's names? I'd give you the same information, but I'm a single child.

( also sounds applicable to the story if he says that, either they divorced, or she wanted time away from him, but sounds like she won custody over the child that she wanted, as for the others...

...yep. )

Is that strict? I was excited, because that meant they would speak to me!

( ... )

[adsum]

[ the child she wanted, I'm crying bc yeah ]

I get that! Dad talking to me made me happy too! But Mama... is just Mama. She doesn't have a name.

[ Everybody knows parents don't have names, don't be silly. ]

[commences]

Happy? Why?

( why was they happy? well, people have different feelings, because he was excited, doesn't mean he was happy. )

Tell me about it...

( is he allowed to know? he doesn't know. )

[adsum]

Why? I don't know. I just was.

[ They never thought too hard about it. Is it a parent-child thing? were they just attention starved? maybe it's because they were with somebody they love. ]

Like I'm happy talking to you.

[commences]

...

( what is he supposed to say to that? it's weird, hard to parse, doesn't make sense to him. )

I'm not family, I was a sacrifice for your aniki at the time if anything... Killing for someone else is enough to make a person happy, though!

[adsum]

You know aniki?

[ hello? never mind sacrifices or killing or whatever ]

[commences]

Isn't that why you were attacking me in the dark?

( remember??? REMEMBER!!! )

[adsum]

I was attacking a ghost!

[ -—wait ]

That wasn't aniki!

[ if that's what Komaeda is implying!!! that their brother is an evil spirit who goes around ripping people's arms off ]

[commences]

Hm? I know that, but who's saying I'm not the ghost?

( calm down, komaeda is aware of who aniki is... and he ain't no ghost, he's a... normal time jumper. )

Did the red eyes scare you...

( ruffles hair... )

[adsum]

No.

[ But the way they wince when he reaches for their head adds no credibility to that claim, and they reach up and place their hands on his hand, so he stops ruffling. And so they can hold his hand there, just on top of their head. ]

See? You're not a ghost.

[commences]

...

( it's just one hand he has for them to hold, but komaeda allows them. his hand is cold as always, and he looks at them — well, as much as he can look within the dark. )

I don't think I'm good enough to become a butterfly, so a ghost will have to do.

[adsum]

[ What is he talking about... oh. The fat ugly caterpillar becoming a beautiful butterfly, that must be it. Except he has no confidence he'll be able to emerge from the cocoon... sad... why does nobody have self-confidence ]

You can become a butterfly... It's okay. Sometimes you need help cutting it open.

[commences]

...? That would kill them.

( he does want to die though, but if he's going to die, it'll be on his own terms without help. you know, rokkun assisted in trying to kill komaeda one day too...

huh.

if he dies it's because of the aratas. )

My hope is stronger than that, I can only help myself.

[adsum]

[ ? Oh, he means if you cut a cocoon open prematurely, all the goop will come out and it'll die. ]

Yeah, that's the spirit.

[ They believe in the Komaeda that believes in himself. ]

[commences]

Thank you, I'll let you know when I attempt to ( scoop out his own goop. ) kill myself.

( because that's the only want to become a proper ghost or, not even that... he'd rather be nothing, actually. )

Which will be a complete failure... because I have no hope, scum like me... useless to the very end.

[adsum]

Depends on how you do it...

[ But no, not going to encourage this. ]

You're still useful to me, though.

[commences]

Because I have money.

( the obvious answer when he talks to npc-kun, because in that way, he's more useful than some people here. it doesn't bother him, because in the end what matters is their hope, not their greed. )

When I have no more, you'll stop talking to me?

[adsum]

When you have no more, you will make more.

[ Or Else

or else...

...

they'll find some excuse to twist his arm, get him to pawn things, make it so he's working hard to make money for their sake ]

[commences]

( NOT OR ELSEEEEE. what is wrong w them. )

I'm not interested in making something I don't want, but is there a way... in the school, we only have merit points.

( tell him the hidden secret lore, is there something on his pda he can use to get real money? he's willing to look into it... )

Do you take those instead?