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wake up

You open your eyes. And then immediately squeeze them shut as a cloud of chalk dust gets clapped in your face, the student next to you looking surprised— but the sort of surprised as if they're faking it, barely suppressing a laugh. "What're you dozing off for, transfer student?" they ask, going back to wiping clean the chalkboard you two are standing in front of. "The sooner we get everything cleaned up, the sooner we can go home!" Another classmate tosses a wet rag at the side of your face, laughing as if a joke— if it weren't strangely warm to the touch, with dark red stains smelling strongly of iron.

All characters open their eyes and wake up in one of the classrooms around school. Whatever they remember last, it's lost in a thick, sleepy fog, the drowsiness still wearing off and making it difficult to reconcile the fact that they've never seen this classroom or these people in their lives, but somehow, it feels like they've been here forever. The other students all act familiar towards you, calling you by name and encouraging you to help clean the classrooms as part of observing the Vernal Equinox. Buckets of soapy water are set on the desks around the classrooms, light pink suds spilling over the sides, and both students and faculty can be seen hard of work scrubbing dark, stubborn stains out of the walls and floors. "It must be absolutely spotless," they murmur under their breaths. "All evidence must be erased."

You don't have to stay and clean. You could throw the rag back into a bucket and flip these strangers the bird and exit the classroom. But those who don't help clean even a little will find that they leave sticky red footprints wherever they walk, creating more work for everybody else and becoming very easy to track down and """accidentally""" knock over the backside of the head with a mop handle. Besides, it's not like you can walk out of the school and get back to whatever you were doing before. Your feet may bring you to the front door on autopilot, but the doors do not open for you, and neither do any of the windows no matter how hard you try to pry them open or kick them in.

Careful, though. On some windowsills, particularly on the third and fourth floors, rests a stack of five flat stones one on top of another: a gorinto to those who recognize such a thing, a pile of rocks to those who do not. The stones are all damp with water, topped with a scattering of wisteria flowers, and flanked by cheap packaged snacks. Whether on accident or on purpose, the moment you touch any of it—-

wake up

You open your eyes. The last thing you remember is touching a wet stone or trying to swipe the rice cracker beside it, and in the next moment, you're somewhere else inside the school. Characters who touch the gorinto or its offerings will find themselves pulled into a memory of high school life, one that feels like theirs, although they recognize that that's impossible. There's the feeling of being classmates with the other characters- perhaps two characters are seat partners, or best friends, or rivals, or club members- but despite the familiarity, do not know each other's names or recall ever seeing their faces before. Essentially, live your pre-established cr high school au dreams.

The memories fade in and out of different scenarios, but they all start off the same: You open your eyes.

You open your eyes and the inside of your left wrist is stinging; you stop scratching, pulling your other hand away before the angry red lines on your skin splits and bleeds. Somebody calls your name, just as you see a pan slide off the stovetop out of the corner of your eye, and the stinging on your wrist flares to a searing burn, hot oil splattering you and the person next to you.

You open your eyes. You're flat on your back in a room that smells of paint thinner, your chest is heavy, and it's so hard to breathe. Something is crushing your throat- a fluffy white cat with golden eyes, purring and kneading away, but then somebody calls your name and its fluff puffs twice its size in surprise, claws sinking into your throat, hooking and tearing as the cat scampers away.

You open your eyes. A kendo shinai comes down hard on your head, the one in your hand failing to come up quick enough to guard, your classmates groaning in sympathy all around you. Your head is spinning, you feel sick.

You open your eyes. You and a friend are seated side by side in the clock tower, back to the walls and feeling the resounding toll of the bell fill your entire being as the count reaches ten, eleven, twelve. The world turns to silence. Your friend opens their mouth to speak, but you cannot hear them. You cannot hear anything.

(tw: implied suicide) You open your eyes. Your classmate sits on the other side of your desk, a spread of sandwiches and juice boxes between you and the window to your side providing a clear view of the upper branches of the wisteria tree in full bloom. And the strangled look on an upperclassman's face as they fall headfirst from the sky on the other side of the glass, hurtling towards the pavement of the courtyard below.

You open your eyes—-

You're standing in front of a window, cold fingers wrapped around your wrist and pulling it away from the pile of stones. Perhaps another character has come to your rescue, or else one student in particular who shakes his head, whispers "don't," and walks away.

wake up

You open your eyes and wipe a bit of drool off the corner of your mouth. There's really no shame, when half the students sitting around you in the auditorium are half asleep as well. As if coming out of a dream, the characters don't remember getting here, just that they are now- sitting in uncomfortably hard plastic chairs in the back rows in the auditorium, the school principal's flat, droning voice reverberating oddly off the walls of the large room. No matter how hard you try, you cannot get up out of your seat.

"...and now, let us congratulate the graduating class," the principal says, stepping back from the podium. A single student rises to her feet and meets the principal at the center of the stage, her long dark hair falling across her face as she bows and receives her diploma. "Congratulations, graduate. May your life be full and prosperous. Please, if you would say a few words..."

The girl straightens and pushes her hair out of her face with one hand— she has no other hand, the entire sleeve of her right rolled all the way up to the shoulder and pinned flat. She forgoes the podium and the microphone, but somehow, her voice rings out clearly and reaches all the way to the back of the room: "Keep your eyes open."

With that parting message, she steps off the stage, disappearing into the mass of students who stand and fill the room with applause, drawing the graduation ceremony to a close. Characters find that they can now get up and move, which is a good thing because the other students are all pushing and shoving to get out of the auditorium and out the front doors, phasing right through the closed doors. Like a sieve, the school empties out, leaving behind the dregs.

wake up

Your eyes are open and the school is quiet. None of the students or faculty remain in the school, and all the staff— the principal, faculty, nurse, and counselor's— offices are locked. A skinny black cat flicks its tail from where it sits on top one of the lockers, where characters can find a copy of the school calendar showing the next two weeks to be spring vacation, with the school being closed for the holiday.

At least, with school vacated, it's clear from those left who's in the same boat and allows the chance for exploration away from prying eyes of the other students and staff. Introductions are probably in order, a discussion of what the fuck is going on, maybe also a plan of attack— or a plan for survival, at the very least, because there is no way out of this school. What ingredients are left in the home economics kitchen is going to have to last everybody the next two weeks. The student store is already empty. The water runs pink. The vending machines don't respond to jostling or being kicked over and brought to the ground, only the last dozen "merit points" on your PDA that you can't earn any more of, with class out of session. The snack you've been hiding in your locker should probably be saved as a last resort. The cats are starting to look tasty.

Hang in there. School will be starting again real soon.

OOC

✽ Characters experience the recurring feeling of drifting in (school life) and out (canon life) of sleep up until the graduation ceremony, after which they will have full awareness and come to their senses. Pre-established cr is possible to some extent, as a varying degree of familiarity may remain, but all characters will be strangers to one another unless they know each other in canon. All npcs will know the characters' names, but characters will not know each other's names until introduced.

✽ The second prompt occurs upon a character touching a gorinto or any of the offerings surrounding it. While touching it, characters fall into a trance and experience different scenes of high school life, with examples given in the prompt but players are free to play out any aspect of normal school life taking place at any time during the school year.

✽ stopit is an npc and will be available for threading in his toplevel during the vernal equinox and graduation day, but not during spring break. After the game opens, he will be available as a student for threading on the npc contact page. The graduating student will not be available for threading in this TDM.

✽ During spring break, all npc students and faculty will be absent from the school, with exception of one white cat and one black cat. For this TDM, in addition to the areas greyed out and inaccessible on the locations page, the faculty office and nurse's office are locked and unavailable, as there is no staff. The library and club rooms remain open, but supplies will not replenish themselves.

✽ As a reminder, all doors and windows leading outside are locked and cannot be broken. From midnight until 6AM, all sound disappears from the world. Characters are free to use their PDA as a network, but it is text (and shitty touchpad art) only and all threads are public.

✽ TDM threads may be used for bonus activity after April AC is submitted.

Comments

makoto naegi / dangan ronpa

[optimistical]

( ᴀ - ɴᴏᴛᴛᴏ ᴅɪsᴜ sʜɪᴛᴛᴏ ᴀɢᴇɴ )

[ naegi is so fucking done with this locked-in school bullshit ]

[ Well, it's not like he remembers. Something nags at him from the back of his mind, but he can't grab ahold of it. Everything feels... off, but before he can think about it any harder, there's a wet rag in his face. ]

[ He feels as if he knows this smell. He doesn't know how he does, but something twists in his stomach and-- ]

"Hey! C'mon, let's hurry up and finish cleaning already!"

[ A bucket is shoved into his hands. The other student walks away and Naegi stands there, dumbfounded. Cleaning, that's... what he was doing... right? That nagging something is still there and he still doesn't understand it, but it doesn't seem like he's given the chance to. At least, not now. Everyone keeps yammering at him to help out and he's even given a light tap to get moving. ]

[ Still in a daze, he walks towards the windows, but something snags his feet and the next thing he knows, he's falling. ]

U-- Uwah--!

[ And he's not going down alone. Whoever has the misfortune of being in front or next to him is coming down too and they're also getting drenched in gross, soapy water. Yuck. The now-empty bucket sits on the ground next to Naegi, who is wincing in pain and rubbing his backside. ]

[ Ow. ]

( ʙ - ғᴜᴄᴋ ᴛʜɪs sʜɪᴛ ɪ'ᴍ ᴏᴜᴛ )

[ Eventually, everything comes back to him and after the graduation ceremony, he immediately heads towards the main entrance. It's locked. He can't even get the doors to budge and he turns, looking back towards the hallway with a sense of dread. He decides to look around a bit more. Maybe there's something that he missed, like a key (... he hopes), but when the bulletin board catches his eye, he stops to read. ]

Yogen High School...

[ He looks over the board, seeing if anything can give him a clue, but he stops at the rules. ]

Wh... What kind of rules are these?

[ oh thank fuck there's nothing about having to murder someone ]

( ᴄ - ʜᴜʀʀʏ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ʜᴇ ᴀᴛᴛᴇᴍᴘᴛs ᴛᴏ ʀᴜɴ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴏᴏʀ )

[ Naegi is eventually found in front of the faculty office. He's bend down as he inspects the lock. Of course, this door is locked as well, but that didn't stop him from trying to open it a few times. ]

[ He looks around and grabs the closest person to him. ]

Sorry, but do you have something like a paperclip?

[ he has absolutely no idea how to lockpick but goddamnit he's going to try his best and stab himself ]

( ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ )

[ i'm open to a lot of things so feel free to hit me with a wildcard! you can either send me a pm or reach out to northpaws. also what canon point is naegi from? i'll figure that out :') ]

c.I'm here for stabbing

[parhellia]

Hm? Um... Let me check!

[ Ala hadn't been so subtly just passing by, spotting Naegi being shady in front of the door and deciding she'd stand and watch to see if he does anything fun- it's a practical question, instead, which is both disappointing and hopeful.

She digs into her skirt pockets to see what she has: none of the bandaids and pretty rocks she's used to keeping in her pockets, but there are some candy wrappers and a discarded pen cap without a pen and her PDA and a popsicle stick.

She holds out the popsicle stick. ]

Maybe...? If you can splinter it the right way?

ala better cut off a toe like minato did or i'm throwing a coup

[optimistical]

[ He looks down at the popsicle stick. Is it clean or did it once hold ice cream... ]

Huh? Wouldn't it just break off?

[ That sounds like a good way to jam the lock. ]

LMFAO gdi who let me let minato do things

[parhellia]

[ It once held ice cream. Presumably. It's stained red on one end. ]

No way! You know that saying about a bunch of sticks? It's like that! Super strong!

[ Well, it's just one stick. BUT, it's made of splinters which is like many little sticks? Either way, she gives the popsicle stick a little bend just to show Naegi how strong and flexible it can be. ]

You fail 100% of the things you don't try, right? So it's worth trying everything you can.

[ Take her sticky popsicle stick. ]

B. also hello i had to... i'm here for protag solidarity

[unsurely]

[ There are a few other people still scattered around the hallways, most likely inspecting things just like them, but Saihara so happens to be the closest at the time, a couple of fingers idly pressed to his chin as he's lost in thought. He's already been through about the same motions as Naegi, so of course, he knows exactly what he's talking about before he even looks. And it does pull him from his survey, at least. ]

They don't... read like school rules.

[ More like cryptic notes in an escape room game that are supposed to give hints of some sort. But... this clearly isn't a game. Or is it? Damn it, he has too little information to go off; for the first time in a while, he kind of misses his hat. But it can't hurt to get someone else's input... ]

I'm concerned about what they mean by lair... Do you think it refers to the lockers?

[ They're the only thing he's found that seems like personal space in any way, but... you can't exactly go inside them so that still makes no sense. ]

grips ur hands.... thank you for tagging, saihara is my fav

[optimistical]

[ Naegi turns his head to look at Saihara before he focuses back on the board. The rule about the lairs. That's also what concerned him. ]

I don't think so... I mean, a lair is more like a secret room, right? I can't imagine that a locker can be... one...

[ He trails off. No, that's not right. There was a time when a locker was a secret room. Well, it was an entrance to one, but are these lockers the same? He looks at them with suspicion. ]

... the lockers don't have a back or bottom panel, do they?

OH NO i'll do my best for u... i ran so fast for this cr i need it in my life

[unsurely]

[ It's a good question, but... ]

I don't think so, or at the very least... mine didn't seem to. I also watched a few students store their belongings before they left. No one did anything strange.

[ Hopefully, Naegi doesn't think he's too weird for doing that (and confessing to it when they just met, too). Look, they're in a bizarre situation, sometimes that calls for desperate measures. He can't afford to be picky on sentimental reasons like personal discomfort, and it's not as if... just looking hurts anyone.

Sure, Saihara, keep making excuses in your head. ]

Ah, but... in the end, they're still private, so it's not like we're able to check them all. It's possible some of them might.

[ The brief look he gives Naegi seems to say it: has he checked his own yet? Just in case. ]

wildcard for souji

[compendiem]

[ Minato is standing in front of the home ec room with with his dumb blank expression and a pot in his hands, looking up and down the hall for somebody with a stupid bowlcut he could place the pot on their head, almost as if it were made for them. He knows that person is here. His wildcard senses are tingling. ]

this is the only icon you're going to get for this entire thread

[tarotcards]

[ Something is telling Souji to run as far away as possible to the other side of the school.......... but he resists and walks down the hall to Minato like a fool. He looks down at the pot like it won't be the cause of his demise. ]

Looking to make lunch?

i accept

[compendiem]

[ Minato nods, rising to the tips of his toes so he can reach up and plop the pot over the top of Souji's head like a hat. Like he'd suspected, it fits perfectly, snug without being too tight, although it does smell slightly fishy, like it'd been recently used to cook soup and hadn't been rinsed out properly. ]

Mm. Now that you're here, I can finally eat.

[ Minato with his zero merit points because he is the worst student and will never get anything out of the vending machines and so must rely on Souji to stay alive. ]

This is for you. Plus three to strength, raises critical hit rate.

b - hi i've heard ur mind is large

[nortonnnn]

( yeah, the whole "trapped here" thing gets kinda old after a while. always nice when they remove that "you're going to die" twist though, gotta say.

well, in any case, the fact is that norton's also decided knowing the rules of this place probably isn't a bad idea. it doesn't take long once he's paused though, reading through them absently, before the boy in front of him speaks up. at first, he's kind of caught off-guard by it. he glances over his shoulder—anyone else around? but it doesn't look like it, no. that leaves about one whole person that he could be talking to here so, glancing to him, norton replies with the observation that stands out to him most. )

Mating signal, huh... Doesn't really sound like a school thing.

hello!!! let us be big brains together °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

[optimistical]

None of them seem like school rules, really...

[ That rule wasn't high on Naegi's list of concerns, but now that his attention is brought to it, he can't help but feel awkward. He's a herbivore man who gets flustered around sexual topics. He's vanilla like that. ]

"Mating signal" makes it sound like we're animals...

our time begins now 😊

[nortonnnn]

I mean... yeah.

( his head tilts to the side faintly, stepping forward so that he's standing more beside naegi than behind him, getting a better look at that troubled expression. for his part, norton only raises a brow. )

They're making fun of us.

( it's matter-of-fact, and once he's said it, norton crosses his arms and looks back to the list. the mating signal had stood out immediately as the most bizarre for the setting to him, but it isn't as if it's the only one that's too ridiculous to be taken seriously. )

"If he does not stop, destroy him?" I was hoping for something useful, but it doesn't look like this is going to be.

wildcard, the love i feel for shsls...ultimates..wtf we are transcends death I'd die for u

[commences]

( classroom 3-b, the perfect place to show his cleaning skills. in one hand is a feather duster and in his metal one happens to be an empty bucket with a few items he's need for later: cloths, bleach, paper towels and a few plastic bags.

setting it down on a desk nearby, what he does is pluck one of the cloths out from the bucket, covering his mouth to prevent any dust or webs that have gathered in this classroom from getting down his throat. his focus is climbing into a chair, and then stepping onto a desks surface so he can reach the room's ceiling with the duster. he brushes the feathers against the tiles to start his job — it's enough to make his heart skip a beat, the adrenaline rushes through his veins as it brings back almost fond memories. that was a point in life (can he even call a virtual world living?) where he did feel like there was some reason to live.

behind the fabric of his mask, there's a smile that slowly forms as he's dusting, but soon his expression changes to one that's curious. he notices that one of the tiles seems to be crooked, like it's not in perfect place. a faulty area in the school? at that moment, his brain starts to wonder if all the classrooms are connected by the ceiling — wouldn't that be useful to get to and fro different places without being suspected. he hums in thought, curious as he brings himself down from where he's standing to slide a desk towards the area that's caught his attention. climbing to the top of the desk, he's pushing the tile to the side so he can see into the dark hole, white and grey webs stacked together —

is this komaeda's luck? or is it naegi's? or is this just life — because the moment the door to 3-b opens will the person walking inside have miniature, baby spiders dropping down from a thin web onto their head.

sorry, naegi. )

╰(*´︶`*)╯♡ shsl lucks ♡╰(*´︶`*)╯

[optimistical]

[ jesus fuck ]

[ After causing a mess with the bucket, Naegi was pushed out from his classroom and told to get changed somewhere else. It's not like he actually has another set of clothes, but they shut the door behind him before he could say anything. At the very least, he's glad that he can skip out on cleaning duty. He can take a break and figure out what that strange nagging feeling was earlier then he can go home. That's the good side of things, so it's not all that bad. ]

[ ... it still sucks, though. ]

[ He drags his sorry self to the next nearest room, hoping that he can just sit down and relax until he can go home, but he's not that lucky. As soon as he enters 3-b, he feels something falling onto his head and down his neck. It takes him a few seconds to understand what that something is and as soon as he does, all hell breaks loose. ]

[ With an undignified yell, he immediately starts to flail wildly. He tries to swipe the spiders out of his hair, off his neck, and - oh god, they're going down his shirt - away from him as far as possible, but it's easier said than done. Then, to make matters worse, he slips backwards. Combined with the earlier incident with the bucket (i.e. getting drenched) and the new sticky footprints, he doesn't have a very good sense of balance and... well! He goes tumbling right down. ]

[ Does he even have the energy to continue swatting the spiders away? No. Probably not. This is his second fall and everything hurts. Ding dong, a body has been found... ]

₍՞◌′ᵕ‵ू◌₎♡ who needs my shsl luck when we have yours and hope!! kirakira

[commences]

( komaeda's far too interested in his new discovery while using his feather duster to brush away the webs in his view. they're thick and disgusting, and he notices all kinds of sized 8-legged freaks skittering here and there — dodging the duster by taking a left, avoiding the feathers by taking a right. in the end, komaeda's attempts seem futile, but getting rid of the webs means more to him than the spiders. from what he can tell, he's able to crawl inside this gap if he —

ah, that train of thought is quickly dismissed as he hears a yell first, then a loud thump onto the floor next. he no longer stands on the tip of his toes, the flats of his shoes now properly on the desk's surface as he changes to focus on the body that's on the floor. obviously that wasn't there when he entered, nor were the little, black dots that seem to travel across the body. )

Hellllloooooo?

( he calls out towards them with hands cupped around his mouth. he doesn't wait for a response though as he walks up to the brunette to look at the disaster he's found himself in before squatting down right next to him. komaeda hums, his lips pursed into a straight line as he analyzes their surroundings: bloody footprints, body drenched in a pinkish substance. it's quite a visual, but komaeda doesn't appear fazed by it.

now then, after a certain amount of time has passed, the class trial will begin! )

What to do, what to do ...

( he seems to be in thought on how to move forward, but komaeda has always been attentive to his surroundings. he knows the other is alive, and despite having that information. )

If I leave the body here, ( he swipes the feather duster along the brunette's chest, smacking away a few of the spiders. his eyes try to get a good look at his face, staring, blinking slow... ) someone will stumble across it. If I leave the body here, ( another stroke of the brush, but now near his company's nose. is he doing this for a reaction? annoyingly so, but absolutely. )

Ah, that's it! I could hide you up there!

ʙ - I'm sorry...

[299z]

[Yoichi's casually leaning against the wall. He likes the rules. Sucks there's nothing about having to murder someone. :( It was so close to being a battle royale manga. When he answers, his tone is slightly worried, but he feels nothing.]

Are you breaking rule eight already?

[Naegi didn't have to subject himself to reading them.]

never apologize bc i will always accept morgan tags (*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡

[optimistical]

[ > sucks there's nothing about having to murder someone :( ]
[ listen here you lil shit................ ]

Huh?

[ He looks over at Yoichi and then back at the rules, scanning for rule eight. "Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself. Oh, he... supposes that he is breaking it, but he doesn't see any teachers and - better yet - no murderous bear. ]

Yeah, I guess I am... but it doesn't say what will happen if we break them.

ԅ(≖‿≖ԅ)

[299z]

No. It doesn't.

[Something probably happens, and now Yoichi can witness it and gain more knowledge of what's going on. If he sticks with this kid for a while until the inevitable consequences.]

I guess someone will have to look out for you, just in case.

C

[comburst]

What? Who the fuck carries those around? Just throw a goddamn chair at the thing.

[ Property damage is an acceptable way to break into things? Why is Naegi being a WIMP, HUH???? Katsuki doesn't know who this guy is, but he can just sense a nerd a mile away, and he's getting weirdly Deku-esque vibes from this short-ass nerdy kid.

Which means he's already snappish...not like he wouldn't have been "already snappish" even if Naegi had been a super cool tall dude. This is just Katsuki Bakugo in neutral mode. ]

[optimistical]

[ i can't stop laughing at this tag bakugo is the best ]

I-- I can't just throw a chair at it!

[ Naegi looks scandalized that Bakugo would even suggest a thing, like... have you seen these arms? Throwing a chair at a door will probably do nothing but bounce back and hit him on the head. ]

A

[attritional]

[ I have placeholder icons fuck this aaaaaa

Iria blankly stares ahead when she's soaked with gross mop water. She has a small rag in her hand--that isn't going to help her a lot... she slowly turns around to look at Naegi. ]

Please... do be careful next time.

[ Her face has a smile, but her eyes and tone are most definitely not smiling. ]

[optimistical]

[ Ah.......... Naegi knows very well that look........ he feels a chill going up his back and he's pretty sure that it's not from the water... ]

S-Sorry--! Let me make it up to you somehow!

[ He doesn't know what, but he has to do something... ]

C

[trialbyliar]

[The boy Naegi snags is also shrimpy, and gives him this perfectly friendly, vapidly thoughtful look, like that's a totally normal thing to ask a random passerby.]

A paperclip, huh? Hmm, lemme see...

[He makes a face and digs deep into his pocket, coming out with...a variety of odd little knickknacks. A pin and a sewing needle (that he somehow didn't stab himself with in his digging), a tiny jeweler's screwdriver, and yes, a paperclip. Which is already bent into a straight line and everything. How odd.

Lifting the thin bit of metal triumphantly, he grins.]

Something like this?

[optimistical]

Ah, perfect!

[ Wow, how lucky! He found someone who has a paperclip and it's already straightened out! That's... a bit peculiar but nothing that Naegi will think about for longer than a second or two. There are more pressing matters on his hands and that's breaking into the faculty lounge. ]

Can I borrow it for a sec? I just need it for this door.