adsum: (Default)
adsum ([personal profile] adsum) wrote in [community profile] yogen2021-03-20 06:59 pm

tdm


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.
    [personal profile] 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.
futurebullets: <user name=albarose> (035)

cw: implied suicidal ideation casually stabs myself ig

[personal profile] futurebullets 2021-04-06 08:40 pm (UTC)(link)
[Something tugs in his head. He does want to save the person, but-

But that wasn't the first thought in your head, was it, Hajime?

Because his first thought had been of Saihara. Because his first thought is always of Saihara. And Hinata hadn't wanted him to see-

That hand brings him back to himself, as it usually does. Hinata grips back unthinkingly, allows himself to be pulled along.]


But-

[Whatever he was about to say is lost, because he hears the sound when he steps down too hard.

They're always aware of that one spot. He remembers the first time they'd come up here, and Hinata had reassured him it would be alright as long as they were careful. They've never run here, because they always knew why it would be bad to put too much stress on the steps.

They never have until now... and it doesn't hold.

Thoughts rapidly whirl through his mind. I have to save him. I'll break if I can't. I'm sorry I never got to tell you the most important things.

I have to save you, because you're the only reason I stopped wanting to die.
]


▓▒▓▒▓▒-!

[Hinata wants to scream, wants to cry, because that most important name is still out of his reach.

But even if that's been stolen from him for some reason, he still has the feelings in his heart.]


Get back!

[In a single motion, as hard as he can, Hinata throws Saihara behind him and lets him go.

And as he does, the ominous creaking from before morphs into a resounding crack that echoes through the air.]
unsurely: <user name="unsurely"> (**🔎 ⋮ 𝕊𝟘𝟙𝟟 ))

the stabbing is no longer metaphorical i guess

[personal profile] unsurely 2021-04-11 07:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[ A deafening sound, and a single moment of held breath that feels like fire in his lungs.

That's all he gets. ]


▓▒▓▒▓▒-kun!? ▓▒▓▒▓▒...!!!

[ Even before he's conscious of it in in his mind, before he has a name for anything and much less for the person he wants to scream for but can't, he knows what's about to happen. Or maybe he has been screaming? Maybe all along, a version of himself that's written just out of reach of the present reality, there and yet not, has been saying the very same thing that won't cross his lips. Not even now.

He reaches out, but the body he longs to make contact with more than anything slips away all too quickly, their fingertips not even brushing anymore.

Wait...! Don't--

A world without the person he's about to lose-- that's impossible to imagine.

He should be falling back as intended. He should be slamming into the wall he's been pushed towards and just falling to the ground -- and for a single moment, he knows he'd be safe. If he crumples right here and just gives up... he'll be saved. But there's no way...! He can't do this. He can't do this he can't do this he can't do this. He can't do anything without the person who, even know, is still trying to save him. Damn it. Why doesn't Hinata understand...?

Instead, he launches back forward as soon as he can, uncaring of the stair that twists his ankle at an unnatural angle or of the pain shooting up through his leg while he's falling forward. It doesn't matter if he has to do this on his knees. He can make his way down. And then--

Splatter.

Red and warm, his own blood gushes out and makes a spectacle of the walls, before he's even had time to process the foreign object through his stomach or the gruesome sounds and sensations that accompany the injury. Ah... it's one of the boards that had dislodged from the broken steps, splintered through the middle and angled sharply upwards from the weight of his own body.

And the person he wanted so much to just catch one more time? He only continues to fall, far away from his empty hand. ]
futurebullets: <user name=albarose> (095)

I'm on time number five reading your tag and it's still bringing me to tears

[personal profile] futurebullets 2021-04-14 01:35 am (UTC)(link)
[There's the briefest moment of relief that swims through Hinata, because he can see the movement of Saihara going backwards. He can take reassurance in the fact that it will, actually, be okay.

But that hope is quickly crushed, because he sees Saihara launch himself- and there's something like a wail that builds in his throat, because of course he is. Of course he is. Wouldn't Hinata be doing the same, if it were him?

But then

the board

goes through his best friend.

...Ah. He can feel his brain breaking down, numbness spreading through his limbs. The breath is stolen out of him, broken laughter and tortured screams stolen with it. Aha... That. That board is from where I stepped down. The stair my weight broke. I caused it. I did it.

I killed him. I killed him. I killed himIkilledhimIkilledhimIkilledhim-


It has to be all his fault. It's the last thing Hinata will ever think, and Saihara bleeding out will be the last thing he ever sees.

He finally connects with the ground, and-

"͙̲͖́͌͊͜͝H͚̄è̳̍͢ỳ̺̳͍͌̍,͎͂͋͑̄͢͢ͅ c̖̘͚̞̖̿́̊̍͋ǎ̙͙̖͛̑ṇ̹̋̌ ͈̜̠͙̿͂̀͋͜͡yȯ͎̰͈̘̏̈́̓̕͢ų̞͔͔̇̒̎̐͞ͅ ͍́h͓̑ḛ̰̮͑́̾ar̛̤ ̪͝m͈̰̬͋̏̊e̝̊?̡͆"̱̘̂̕

Hinata wakes up.]
unsurely: <user name="unsurely"> (**🔎 ⋮ 𝕊𝟘𝟚𝟞 ))

wraps this thru my own tears... it's fine. we're fine.

[personal profile] unsurely 2021-04-25 10:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ He opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.

Instead of breath from his lungs, something warmer and thicker spills through, falling from his lips in red droplets that add to the broken stairs before him, which only lead down to--

I'm sorry.

It's only two simple words, but he can't even say those in the end.

Personal matters can always wait, can't they? His own thoughts from earlier, haunting him with painful clarity as the moment he stood up flashes back through his mind. If he hadn't set the two of them aside, if he hadn't been in such a hurry to try and help someone else... would this have turned any different? I'm sorry for taking you for granted. He'd really thought... they'd always be together, but if there's ever been something like karma in the world, he's certain, this has to be it.

A cough shakes his shoulders, weak and trembling and utterly pathetic -- and something else just as warm that he didn't ask for drips down, running down only once across his face, from the corner of his eye. ]


...

[ Even now, he can't recall it. The name that should be so dear to him and yet feels so far right now -- and the only thing that connects them anymore are the twin pools of red that spread beside them, the last thing they both know they'll see. The image they're dying with.

The world around him flickers, fading into darkness as if the shutter of a camera snaps in silence. ]


Wh-Wah!? Aaaugh...!!!

[ It's his own voice, screaming loudly before he's even able to recognize it as his own. Somewhere in the school, someone's hand on his shoulder, he wakes before a gorinto he vaguely remembers he's touched, what feels like three years ago. ]
Edited (typo DON'T MIND ME) 2021-04-25 10:54 (UTC)