i'm getting a good grade in yogen lore, which is something normal people definitely try to get

[crystallomancy]

Who: Whoever's in the dormitories
When: Friday, October 1st
What: It's time for a little lecture. And a genuine information meeting. But mostly a lecture.
Warnings: N/A please don't make me change this.

( Early in the morning, a curious text gets posted. )

N.Sakasaki

DRM-STDYHLL
1800HRS

( ...In less coded news, the dormitory's study hall will have a note taped to it:

Yogen and You: A Quick Summary
Held by Natsume Sakasaki

For those who need a summary of events, whether because our meetings rarely get anything done in terms of information sharing or because you're freshly awakened. Come around dinner time for food, enlightenment, and the opportunity to share your troubles with those going through the same thing.

The room will be locked all day until about half an hour before six, at which point it will become unlocked... this is primarily for Natsume to set up a table of food, but people can come sit in early if they like. There's an overhead projector that's been wheeled into the study hall all the way from school, and the curtains are drawn over the windows. It isn't dark though, since he still has the lights turned on...

Several tables have been pushed together to make at least three groups, chairs around them like they've been readied for a dinner party, while a few more are pushed a little further back and have absolutely no chairs whatsoever; those are for the food. There's also a chair by the overhead projector.

Your food and drink for tonight: lemon and rosemary roasted shrimp, white rice, rosemary and thyme chicken, a make-your-own-salad area with all kinds of salad-making ingredients, three types of eggrolls (seafood, vegetable, and pork), and various drinks from the vending machine because some of us can afford to spend a bunch of merit points on things like that.

When a sufficient amount of people have come in, or the clock hits 6:05, Natsume shuts the door, turns off the lights, and moves to the overhead projector. To stand on the chair, so he's the tallest person in here, and claps his hands to get people's attention. )

Save all questions and outbursts until the END, ( he says, and then kneels down on the chair and flicks the projector on.

All of the slides are pre-written on some transparent sheets that project onto a wall without windows, which he reads one by one without rushing! But for ease of reading OOCly, you can find the entire thing here. There's also photocopied handouts for people on all of the tables, stapled of course, so people who aren't blind (sorry Helena) can follow along at home!

He lets the last sheet stay up, his face half-illuminated by the overhead projector, then sits down in the chair and leans forward the back of it like some kind of delinquent. )

Alright, you can speak NOW.


( ooc notes: go ahead and treat this like one of our meetings, aka mingle, jump around, actually get a chance to share information that hasn't been talked about yet, etc. thank you plenty to enh and peace too for reviewing and suggesting things for the presentation \o/ )

Comments

[closewithnewintown]

I am thinking about the others! That's why I won't let everybody get distracted by these tricks!

[commences]

...Don't let yourself become deluded. Though, everyone has their reasons, and this clash of hope is actually the best! But...

( he's going to pick up the dumping natsume threw at him, cause komaeda is going to get a bruise from this, and instead throws it at stephanie — is he lucky? does he get his target. )

...Do you remember what I said about Seki-kun? He was a third year, but he was fighting with Arisu-kun in their hope... I believe we should let them handle this, and we work in our own ways to help hope prosper! Not argue against it, various means could bring upon a wonderful outcome!

[closewithnewintown]

[the dumpling bonks her on the head and drops to the floor. she does not seem to notice that this happened.]

I'm the only one here who isn't deluded! You're all accepting what people tell you and not even wondering why they could be telling you these things!

And Hiro didn't attack that guy for hope; he did it 'cause he wanted to! That's why everybody does what they do!

[commences]

Why are you telling me these things? We can start there.

( he's going to sit down.. maybe chuck some food at... whoever is nearby. stephanie is like a rock, she didn't react! )

[closewithnewintown]

[sullenly] Because it feels like the part of the day where I've figured out the bad guy's plan and nobody else has, so I have to just stand and watch them dance off a cliff.

[commences]

Who is the bad guy? How would you like to move forward with your plan, I'm listening... if it involves death, then I'm unsure if such a thing is needed.

( he'll cross his arms... hit'em steph, what's the idea. )

[closewithnewintown]

I don't know yet! It's gotta be at least one of the adults. Maybe all of them.

[commences]

You remind me of someone back home... ( ... ) So what will you do with all the adults? Kill them?

[closewithnewintown]

[she pauses, makes a vague contemplative noise...]

If they're anything like what I'm thinking... Cutting them off from this place will kill them anyway. If they can live without hurting others... But, if they can't...

[the real answer is that she doesn't know. and being unsure of that frightens her.]

[commences]

What hope does that bring? For the future, for the hope that the people have here.

( he's willing to listen, because back home the children have killed adults before, and so if there's a real reason that stephanie has that makes sense then... )

...Though, when have the adults hurt you?

[closewithnewintown]

... Is getting out of here not enough hope for you? Is defeating this place not hopeful? Because that's the only way we have futures to have hopes about!

[she does, notably, not answer the question.]

[commences]

( ... )

...What adults are keeping you here? You're only trapped here if you allow yourself to be, but your focus can't primarily be the school... there's different variables and sides depending on how you look at things. If you're afraid, I'm sure those can understand... but causing yourself to fall in a pit of disarray will only eat you away inside.

( he hums, patting his legs. )

We're losing what was left of our Stephanie, while everyone is still... them.

[closewithnewintown]

... Only if I allow myself to be? Really?

[she gives him a rictus grin, and even that doesn't meet her eyes.]

If I started walking, away from this place, what would happen? Could I make it to the next town over, and call my uncle for a ride? No? Because I'm trapped here! I can't leave! The only thing you should be focused on is this school, because it's our prison!

[a pause... then a humorless little chuckle.]

You know who here is really suspicious? That shopkeeper! They sure did come out of nowhere with all sorts of interesting things. And they sure have all of you wrapped around their little finger... Maybe I'm wrong to blame the adults here. Maybe the evil here looks a lot smaller.

[starrypoint]

-- You leave them out of this.

[subaru's piping up again, anger flaring.]

They're just as trapped as we are, Steph.

[closewithnewintown]

And you know this for sure because...?

[starrypoint]

Because-- Because it's none of your business.

[it's not their business.]

All they wanna do is help us, in exchange for us helping them. That's it. Everything they sell is useful to us, even if some of it's high risk, high reward. All they want in return is our money.

[closewithnewintown]

So, you don't know, is the actual answer. You don't even know what the money is for, do you?

[starrypoint]

It's not your business what I know about them being stuck like us, and I wouldn't tell you what the money's for whether or not I knew it. It doesn't have anything to do with our situation.

[closewithnewintown]

It does, if it turns out your little friend is just another one of this place's puppets.

[she holds up her pointer fingers, wiggling them like finger puppets, speaking in a higher pitched voice.]

"Oh, don't worry, guys! You just have to do well in class! You just have to graduate! You just have to buy my magical totems! You just have to accept your deaths! Don't ask why! That's so silly! Just play by our rules and you'll get everything you deserve in the end! Everything you deserve--"

[she claps her hands together.]

Everything... we deserve...

[commences]

Too literal. You're trapped because that's how far you're willing to think, you're as free as you allow yourself to be... despite the circumstances, I can work, and still move forward, along with everyone else here —-

( he lifts his hand waving to those who are both afraid and content with the information, some take it in stride, and there are others like stephanie who appears like she'll burst. with a small chuckle, he drops his hand back into his lap as he finished emphasizing on the people who are here. )

Some understand how you feel about the school, but we've been let out... to go as far as we can because of the amount of effort we put in to make it happen... no one is sitting around doing nothing, but you're becoming stagnant if you allowed yourself to be trapped in such a mindset. Isn't it despairing to allow that to get to you, but all you're doing is throwing a fit because what you're saying does nothing... your body is moving unlike your reason.

( propping his elbow up against the table, he settles a cheek in the palm as he watches her. her thoughts, her claims, none of it is wrong for her to think — it is wrong that she's using it as something to hold her back, make her think that this is it for them because they aren't seeing it her way. though, it is a two way street, and he sighs softly so that he can reach out to pinch stephanie's cheek, but he stops...

...

and his hand drops back down to his lap. )

Are they? ( at the mention of the shopkeeper, komaeda's eyes glance to the side as if he's looking for someone spec--- oh there he goes. a sensitive topic calls for a just as sensitive answer. his relationship with the shopkeeper is something, but that's his own personal thing — an arata, a child who watched him hold their dead brother as if komaeda could bring them back, a child that holds more emotion than he could. someone who embodies hope just like stephanie can, and who is komaeda to cast away the sides which can bring something exciting to the table. ) ...Hm, if you believe so, but are they allowing this school to hold them back and keep them from doing what they believe is their hope? ...Unfortunately, they're moving further than you as you cast yourself away in the darkness because of your own fears... pitting yourself against what's before you... when the opportunity to use it instead is in your sight... it's time to open your eyes.

( and he says this because he cares about stephanie's hope, he knows that this is her and the options that she has which are valid for someone her age, but also that's how she feels. it's hope against hope, something fighting inside of her, but he doesn't believe hope can be done alone, and that if she merges this with theirs, in a way that both sides can understand each other, then maybe... )

[closewithnewintown]

... We are literally trapped! It's not a metaphor! It is not because of some personal failing, or because we aren't accepting some truth! It's because someone took our souls and put us here!

[she takes a sharp breath. looks down at her hands.]

... No one here is going to help me, are you. You're all just going to keep dancing until you drop. And you can't hear me over the music.

[commences]

You misunderstand me, I'll do anything for hope, but blaming people will serve no purpose, when we can all come together to build a stronger hope.

( eyes fall to her hands, and he lifts up in his seat to listen. to dance, to fall, he can use that. )

And they'll get back up, each and every one of them, their souls will move even if the body doesn't. That's what's happening here, but will you accept that reasoning. I don't believe you're wrong, but why not use your surroundings to your advantage?

( he hums, nodding to himself. ) Acting like this won't help many, but it's not helping you either. ...You have to be patient.

[closewithnewintown]

... Komaeda. If I'm not wrong, then you are wrong. And those souls can get back up if they want, but there's nowhere to go. Aren't you listening?

[sisters]

Can you repeat for me again the part where Komaeda-kun said that we should play along?

( "keep dancing until you drop," had been what she said, but if he had implied anything like that, amami sure didn't hear it. either way, after a few moments of consideration, he'll make his way over too, 'cause this doesn't seem to be going well for the other. )

Stephanie, right? On one hand, I get it. It's not a good feeling being trapped here, but you talk like you've already given up on all the other options. Nobody said we had to work together to play their game by their rules. What I think Komaeda-kun is trying to say, is that nothing is stopping us from working outside of their system — but we'll need to work together to figure out how.

[starrypoint]

[... komaeda is handling steph a lot better than anyone else right now, so subaru is fine with sitting back and

eating the floor dumpling.]