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]

... 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.

[closewithnewintown]

By taking this place apart! That's the only "how" there is!

[sisters]

How are you going to take this place apart. Burning it down...?

But I'm sure you saw the fourth floor too — how it's just a burned-out shell of a club wing. From what I figured, the whole school was like that before, top to bottom, it burned down. All they had to do was rebuild it, and it came back worse for wear. So I don't think something that rash is going to work out for us.

[closewithnewintown]

... By breaking the spell? [raises an eyebrow] Not this one. Not the glamor that makes this place look normal. The real one. The one we see when we bleed.

[sisters]

Not a bad idea. There's definitely something important about that place, yeah?

( it's not how he thinks that side works, but she's at least working with him now, so he smiles. )

But to figure out how to break it, we'll need to figure out more about how it was cast, don't you think? The best way to know how to undo a knot, is if you know how it was tied in the first place. I think that's what Komaeda-kun was trying to get at when he said that everyone could work together.

[closewithnewintown]

And how are we supposed to work together when some people are refusing to listen? What good is having your eyes open if you have wool pulled over them?

[sisters]

You can't force everyone to get along, Stephanie. You can try to help them understand, but the more you push, the more likely they are to push back against you.

You choose what's best for you. Other people will choose what's best for them. Maybe when we know more, we can make our case and they'll be convinced. For now, I don't think it's fair to get mad at them for choosing what they think is the safest option in a place like this, and we can ask them for help in other ways.

[closewithnewintown]

[her expression is still stiff, but... the heat leaves her eyes. tears form in the corners, but she blinks them away, hard. she sits down at a desk, her arms still folded firmly across her chest.

she used to like it, when people sounded like him. now it just makes her sick. she doesn't want to think about why.]

[sisters]

( ah, yeah — amami feels kind of bad about it, but it probably can't be helped, in a situation like this. he'll take a seat next to her, watching with concern in his eyes as he tries to meet hers. )

Hey, I know it's hard right now, but it'll be okay. These things — they take some time, that's all, but you're not alone. We'll figure this out.

( he offers up a smile, apologetic, but at the same time an attempt to be reassuring. )

Do you want a hug?

[subtract]

That's a "what", not a "how".

[sighing loudly, like he's just been letting everyone else talk again but c'mon people...]

If you have a real plan, then elaborate and explain yourself properly. But I doubt that you do, so stop wasting everyone's time with your childish whining.

[closewithnewintown]

... Do I look like I have a plan?

[which is obviously a rhetorical question, because she doesn't, and in fact mostly just looks like she wishes she could just burst into tears and get it over with.]

It'd be so much easier to do this if I had a plan! But, I don't! I don't know how to fix any of this! That's why I need somebody to just listen to me!

[subtract]

So you're asking for someone else to come up with a plan for you? Kekekeke... how pathetic.

If you want something done, do it yourself. Relying on others... why are you even surprised they have different methods and goals than your own? That's what people are like. If you don't like the solutions others have suggested, stop expecting them to solve your problems for you.

[closewithnewintown]

It's called being a team, dick. You can't win by yourself. It's stupid to try.

[mermaidcursed]

( WHOMST DID THIS )

[closewithnewintown]

[IT WAS SUBARU FUCK HIM UP FOR IT]

[mermaidcursed]

( SUBARU-KUN HER BABY SISTER!!!! )

[subtract]

Only the weak need to rely on others... but even weaklings have more sense than you do.

A team needs leadership. You can't just yell at everyone and expect them to do all the work, come up with a plan, and then complain when it's not to your liking. If you can't win by yourself, then start by coming up with a plan where you can win. That, or accept that you'll have to rely on the plans of others.

[closewithnewintown]

We're not even at the "forming a team" part yet! We're at the "getting people to stop being stupid and not believe everything they're being told" part! And I would really, really like that part to not come when it usually does, because here, it's gonna mean people dying for good!

[mermaidcursed]

... Stephanie, could you come here for a moment, please?

( hey hi guess what, big sister is here now. )

[closewithnewintown]

[for a second, she looks like she's not going to, or is, at least, going to complain about it. she crosses her arms and follows her, sullen.]

[mermaidcursed]

( nene smooths out stephanie's hair before sitting down, and gently putting a hand on stephanie's shoulder. )

... I know that a lot is happening. And there's a lot to be upset about. But no one is saying graduation is the only option- just that it is an option. There's a lot we still don't know, and lashing out isn't going to make things easier, or make people listen to what you have to say.

... I- I'm not done being Nene Yashiro, no more than you are being Stephanie Meanswell. But hurting others when we're already hurting isn't going to help anyone. It's just going to make people feel worse. Including you.

[closewithnewintown]

[she takes in the speech in silence.

then, she stands, and leaves for a second. when she returns and sits down again, she has the photocopied handouts. she flips through them, tears out the print of the final slide, and places it in front of Nene.]

If he's the real Natsume, he's been duped harder than anyone else here. If he's not... I've been taught to speak up when I think something is wrong. And something is wrong.