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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.

(tw: implied suicide)

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

npc contact page

locations page

✽ 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.

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( oh, so he is alive, well that's a good thing then. furthermore, it's an odd feeling for him as he watches the other proceed to smack away the spiders attached to his attire. he's trying to understand why that is though — something about his chest feels itchy, an unknown feeling to him as he's unable to take his eyes off the brunette.

there's this nagging sensation mixed with hesitation, but also hope that courses through his body. he doesn't understand why it swells up inside of him like so, nor does it makes sense why there's this sudden urge to give his entire attention over. while the other was the one who fell onto the floor and suffering from their predicament, komaeda's expressions appears to be in pain instead.

a hand raises to his chest as he slowly begins to scratch some unknown feeling away, it's vague, but even his head remains fuzzy despite this. )

Sorry, sorry.. I want to say that's... pretty unlucky, for me anyway.

( it's words that feel pretty accustomed to coming out his mouth, he doesn't understand why. right after, he does finally stand tall — tall is right because how the hell is he this tall — over his company. )

I doubt they're going to let me up now since you've kidnapped their children... Haha, must be nice being a single dad now.

[ "Pretty unlucky"... something about that rings in Naegi's head, bringing that strange feeling back to the forefront - the feeling that something's not right. It nags at him and when he looks up at Komaeda, it gets stronger. Why can't he figure it out...? ]

Huh?

[ Well, it doesn't help when Komaeda is talking nonsense. Naegi is pulled out of his thoughts to briefly deal with whatever the heck that was just said. It takes him a second to piece it together and know that Komaeda is referring to the spiders. ]

Oh, uh, do "they" want the spiders back? I think a few ran out into the hall...

[ He assumes that "they" are actual normal humans and not the (much bigger) spiders in the ceiling. He leans slightly back to peer down the hallway. There are two tiny spiders who are making their escape. ]

( as naegi points out the sisterhood of traveling spiders, komaeda watches them march on. he doesn't actually know if they belong to the students here, but he was referring to the other spiders in the hole he's made above them. about that, he glances up to take a look and he can see something inside moving, a web indent until it shakes free of whatever was holding it down. )

Who knows, they seem to like you now.

( as he says that, he learns forward to pluck one of them off of naegi's shoulders, and right after he squeezes it between iron fingers. he keeps his smile despite there now being an even loud skittering above them, but it stops momentarily. )

...Or not. ( oops. ) We should let them go. ( ok, but what happened to him? first his wet clothes, and now the bloody footprints he's leaving everywhere, the steps overlapping as he was dusting himself off. )

Anyway... it's almost like you came back from a murder..

( the words drags off the tip of his tongue as he stares at the floor, curious. again, it's a little weird, but he manages to ignore whatever feeling that surfaces in his head. )

[ Naegi starts at the loud sound of skittering and nervously glances up at the ceiling, through the hole. He decides that moving to a spot where he won't get a second shower of spiders is a good idea, so he takes a few sidesteps towards a desk. He strips out of his blazer and places it over the back of the chair. A few more spiders fall out... ]

No, I... just dropped a bucket.

[ "Murder"... something twists in his stomach. It's an unpleasant subject, yes, but it shouldn't bring on a sudden reaction like that, would it? That nagging feeling is back and even as he spots out his messy footprints, it doesn't disappear. It only grows stronger. ]

Huh?! What did I step in?

[ The smell of iron, the shade of red, the stickiness of the liquid... he suddenly feels sick. ]

( he doesn't feel it as bad as naegi does, no, because things such as murder, and blood is familiar to him.. wait, why is he comfortable with this.. wouldn't any sane person be against such a discussion. even the sight, and the smell of iron that reaches his nose — wouldn't anyone shy away from it?

even the spiders that drop out of the blazer and into the puddle of red slowly drown in the liquid. is it that thick or are they just that small, either way.. )

It would have been useful here..

( though, for what reason? it would have been easier to clean it up, and the bucket komaeda has with him isn't filled with water. he peeks out into the hall, seeing the steps leading into the room.. how mysterious. just something else they need to clean up, he guesses, but he guesses he should check something. as squats down next to naegi, he reaches out with his normal hand to brush his fingers against the substance. his metal hand reaches up to the cloth he's wearing, lifting it up as his mouth parts....

yeah, he's going to taste it. )

[ Naegi has absolutely no idea what Komaeda's about to do. He assumes that, as a normal human being, the other student will check out the texture or sniff it, but that was his first mistake: thinking that Komaeda is anywhere near normal. ]

W-What are you doing?!

[ CAN HE GRAB KOMAEDA'S HANDS?? any of them before the lick happens........ ]

Isn't it obvious?

( with his hands taken before he can actually taste it, pale green eyes stare into the other's own — his own reflection evident. though, despite seeing himself, there's some part of him that's unable to turn away; there's something about these color eyes, this appearance that makes his heart skip a beat. he doesn't know what it is, but he pushes away that odd, nagging feeling and focuses on the substance at hand (no pun intended). )

...Ah, sorry, sorry. I get it now.

( he sounds apologetic, shaking his head as he brings his hand away from his mouth. with naegi's grip still in place, komaeda uses this as an excuse to raise his his hand closer to naegi's mouth instead — casually and without a care, he smears the substance along the male's bottom lip. )

First come, first serve, after all! You were walking around with it.

No, that's not--!

[ Naegi feels like he's going to throw up. He knows what this is. That smell is... unforgettable? As he lets go of Komaeda's hands, he hastily wipes his lip. It's no use. He still tastes it, even after it's smeared across his wet sleeve. ]

It's...

[ For a second, he's at a loss for words. He glances down at his footprints once again. He swallows around the lump in his throat and looks back up at Komaeda. He pushes through the knot in his stomach. ]

You shouldn't put things that you don't know in your mouth! What if you get sick?!

[ this sounds like a lecture that someone would give to a three y/o...... also if komaeda tries to lick his fingers, naegi is going to grab his hands again :T ]

Tell me what it is.

( he sounds bold when he says that, he read naegi's reactions — it's the hesitation first, realization next in his words. he knows something and komaeda's curious, blinking slow as he waits for his question to be answered.

even as he waits, he's unable to remove his eyes from the other. what is it about him that makes komaeda want to be this close to him, who is he? he's another student like everyone else here, but it's hard to look away. )

Don't worry about me, I don't get sick.

( besides look at him, his sickly, pale skin and hair that looks like it's decaying on his scalp — he looks too dead to even be sick, but his personality is still warm compared to it. he offers a kind smile as he tries to reassure the other, but luckily for naegi, he doesn't try to taste the substance himself. )

[ His mouth is going dry, and Komaeda's smile doesn't reassure him at all. It's not that he's scared or wary of the other student. No, it's... worry? Concern? And not for himself, but for Komaeda. Especially that line, "I don't get sick", something tugs at his heart. ]

It's...

[ He starts again, but this time, he finishes his sentence. ]

... it's blood.

[ He glances down once more, and takes the ends of his wet shirt. He brings it up while gently taking hold of Komaeda's hand and wiping the blood off his fingers. ]

( he doesn't get sick, and that's the truth, but he can't explain why he feels so weak. he doesn't understand why his body reacts the way it does, and why it hurts so much to even squat down in this position — everything's painful, but he carries on without fail. he thinks about pulling his hands away from the male's grasp, but there's something about him that keeps him from moving.

of course, his eyes widen momentarily as the other explains the taste — the substance komaeda had playfully smeared on his lips is... blood? his fingers flinch as naegi begins to wipe his hands clean, and he's silent as he thinks about what was said.

if it's blood? why isn't he frightened? why does this make his heart skip a beat again? why does he want to smile even more which is odd as his expression of reassurance changes to one more entertained — )

Who... ( he's thinking, figuring out how he wants to ask: ) Who do you think it belongs to? ( he sounds curious, not a good look, but then his tone swaps to a more proud tone. )

Did you kill someone..?

[ Naegi takes care to wipe every last drop of blood off Komaeda's fingers. It's not as if his shirt's salvageable anymore, with the pink soapy water and blood on his sleeve, so he goes slow and softly to ensure that he doesn't hurt the other. But then he's asked if he killed someone and he immediately jerks his head. ]

N-No! Of course not!

[ His grip tightens around Komaeda's hand before he realizes it and calms himself down, loosening his hold. He eventually lets go completely once he finishes. ]

I... I don't know where I stepped in it or what happened, but I didn't kill anyone!

( and it's a shame that it wasn't the obvious answer he was looking for — that's what that feeling in his chest means. he doesn't understand it, but there's something about being restricted in one place without doing anything that makes him think. his eyes switch between staring at his now clean hands, finally dropped thanks to komaeda's curiosity, and then to watching how naegi's expression rises and falls.

he almost wants to say that he's disappointed, yet, even it's difficult for him to even speak back to this person. why is that? instead, there's this part of him that misses the other's tiuch, and he's unable to tell if it's acknowledgement or the warmth that lures him in. what he does know, his body instinctively reaches out to the brunette's hands, holding one in both his own normal and mechanical one — )

Don't worry.. if you asked me, I would have helped...

( it rolls off his tongue so easily, committing murder sounds so appealing in the way he says it, and in thanks for such a brilliant idea — his head hurts, it feels like poles are being pierced through his head. he flinched from the pain, but one things stands for certain. )

You can even...

( a tile above their head is slowly coming loose, dangerously dancing above komaeda's head that swings with every word. )

.. kill me..?

[ His hand is taken easily and he makes no effort to reclaim it. There's the sense of panic over the thought of being branded as a murderer (yet another familiar feeling), but there's strangely no feeling of danger. Even as the other student says and does all these outlandish things, he doesn't feel as if there's any threat to his safety. ]

What...?

[ ... though he can't hold back his horror. His eyes widen and his mouth's agape before he finds his voice. ]

Wh... What are you saying?! I can't kill you! You're--

[ "You're"...? You're human? A schoolmate? He doesn't know what he was going to say, but the pieces start to fit back together. You're... ]

Ko... maeda-kun...?

[ The horror is slowly displaced with confusion. Komaeda-kun... Komaeda-kun... that's... the person in front of him, right? The one holding his hand? The one with the mechanical arm because he cut off his original for... ]

[ The riled-up energy is now gone, and Naegi looks up at the other, trying to sort through the haze in his mind. ]

You're... Komaeda-kun, right? From... Hope's Peak...?

( no matter how many times he tries to have a feeling like that surpressed, the worst of him begins to leak out. naegi's slow, but hesitant voice as he begins to pick apart the pieces of what the truth may be — to unfold that knowledge onto komaeda allows him to function properly. well, if one can call the wide-eyed expression on his face anything close to being normal. not the way his eyes slowly begin to swirl in a hypnotic rhythm, a smile on his face as familiar words bring back a familiar feeling —

that twisted love of his breaks him easily, he could care less about himself, but the school's name triggers something within him — )

Trash... ( that's right, he's trash, this topic only further explains it. ) Trash like me shouldn't be acknowledged when you speak of Hope's Peak Academy! Ah.. ( why does the name sound so rusty on his tongue, why hasn't he mentioned the name in awhile? it feels like forever — especially as his heart flutters now at the thought. ) Such talented students exist to pave the way to absolute hope — you know this, as Symbol of H —

( the way he stares at naegi so he can get one last look is all he needs for his brain to completely shut down. his grip on the brunette's hand tightening as komaeda's obsession triggers over common sense. his voice becomes low as sudden realization hits in, the unhealthy mixture in his eye turns and turns.. )

And you.. are ... ( he sounds as if he's trying to make sense of himself. there's a faint whisper in his mind that the person before him is important, more important than what komaeda could ever be. that's right.. he's someone to be looked upon, he's important. ) ...the hope... hope.. that defeated her. A hope that I.. ( it's always been a pure form. ) ...love so much —

( that statement comes out to slow, and it's the absolute truth as he realizes who he's holding onto right now. his his hands shakes with naegi's between his own as komaeda continues — his heart skips a beat at the moment he speaks, voice abrupt. )

Amazing! It's you, it's you!? The hero who cast out despair by their own talent... she wasn't able to stand a chance! The conflicting battle between hope and despair..

( his hand might start feeling a little... sticky, he's excited which is easily visible by how his body shakes with fervor. the worst part is this all hits him like a truck, a wave of powerful emotions as he can't even understand the position he's in. )

...your efforts trampling over even the idea of it. You're a ray of light for us to see through the dark, and yet I was clouded all this time before your greatness! The chance to have you in my grasp.. to touch the very being who punished despair's every means — ahahahaha.. Only absolute hope can combat something so insolent like despair, your... ( and he dies down, that burst of energy completely lost from him as he raises one hand to his head — confused by his own voice, he heard nothing, it came out naturally, and then he wonders mostly to himself why his heart skips a beat every time he looks at the other, and so his eyes glance towards the floor. )

..Where.. did all that come from.. ( his head, hurts.. nothing makes sense, but what he does know.. ) Please.. get away from me.

[ Naegi doesn't utter a sound. The fog starts to thin out and the memories slowly return back to him, like a far-off dream after he focuses. With every word that spills out of Komaeda's mouth, more and more becomes clear until eventually, he comprehends what the other student is saying. ]

[ Despair, talent, hope, he understands. He understands all of it. He knows what Komaeda's talking about, and his hand, still within the taller boy's grasp, tightens into a gentle grip. He raises his other hand, the one that's still free, to also clasp onto Komaeda's - to keep him steady - to hold him if he were to fall. ]

Wh-What's wrong?

[ Was it too much? Did the memories hit Komaeda all at once like a train? There's a dull ache running through his head, but everything is coming at a pace that avoids the overload, that avoids the sharper pain. ]

You... You remember too, right? I'm Makoto Naegi. We...

[ He pauses. His mouth is dry. ]

We shared the same talent.

( how could he forget something so important? how could he forget.. ultimate hope of all people, the people who singlehandedly destroyed ultimate despair by his own means. it sends a shiver down his body at the thought, but he's even more disappointed in himself that he had missed it, naegi's own eyes witnessed it all. to be in the view of someone so important — someone who has changed the way that komaeda views ordinary people (he even had faith in the other's sister... sister?), but this ain't about her. )

Yes.. but mine compared to yours... makes me more worthless than I am now.

( where naegi's hand rests in his own, komaeda pulls it closer to his chest so that the other can feel how fast his heart beats. he doesn't want to let go, so slowly he slips his pale, thin fingers between naegi's own, holding onto him. )

I.. I never thought I'd be able to see you up close.. ( the flush on his face, the way his sickly, pale face has a few beads of sweat here and there. he has a headache, the throbbing sensation plagues him even more that he's unable to stand it. so he tries to focus on something else, he focuses on the other's eyes. ) ... Makoto Naegi-kun.. you're beautiful.

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wake up

wake up

wake up

wake up

OOC

NOOO I WANNA BE HOPE!!!! I WANNA BE HOPE!!!!!!

then with our new powers combined, we are 2x hope!! (・∀・)爻(・∀・)

but can a worm like me radiate the hope that you have you'll shine over me!!

anyone can do it if they try!!!! ＼＼٩(๑`^´๑)۶／／

gets down on my knees and hugs your leg.. if you say we can be hope.. i'll do whatever you say

whispers we can be hope

WE!?!?!? we... we..... we................. makoto naegi-kun...

ヽ(≧◡≦)八(o^ ^o)ノ

so when we become hope... does this mean we can kill all our friends? dreamy sigh..

murder!! is!! bad!! ＼＼٩(๑`^´๑)۶／／

what do you mean it's bad it's not murder its.. blushes... hope

(￣︿￣) this is the best disappointing kaomoji that i can make

SO NO MURDER? throws down pda

LMFAOOOO no murder ヽ(`⌒´メ)ノ also 1/2

no subject

has a little insanity spill before becoming "normal" again

i'm not letting you get away that easily

SIGHS

tdm

full navigation

wake up

wake up

wake up

wake up

OOC

NOOO I WANNA BE HOPE!!!! I WANNA BE HOPE!!!!!!

then with our new powers combined, we are 2x hope!! (*・∀・)爻(・∀・*)

but can a worm like me radiate the hope that you have you'll shine over me!!

anyone can do it if they try!!!! ＼＼٩(๑`^´๑)۶／／

gets down on my knees and hugs your leg.. if you say we can be hope.. i'll do whatever you say

whispers we can be hope

WE!?!?!? we... we..... we................. makoto naegi-kun...

ヽ(≧◡≦)八(o^ ^o)ノ

so when we become hope... does this mean we can kill all our friends? dreamy sigh..

murder!! is!! bad!! ＼＼٩(๑`^´๑)۶／／

what do you mean it's bad it's not murder its.. blushes... hope

(￣︿￣) this is the best disappointing kaomoji that i can make

SO NO MURDER? *throws down pda*

LMFAOOOO no murder ヽ(`⌒´メ)ノ also 1/2

no subject

*has a little insanity spill before becoming "normal" again*

i'm not letting you get away that easily

SIGHS

then with our new powers combined, we are 2x hope!! (・∀・)爻(・∀・)

SO NO MURDER? throws down pda

has a little insanity spill before becoming "normal" again