yogen | APRIL EVENT LOG/TDM

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The opening ceremony starts at 8, with students and staff moving to the auditorium to sit with their homeroom class, calling characters out by name and dragging them over to their seat— physically if need be, and they're much stronger than they look. Much like the graduation ceremony, characters are not forced to come to the entrance ceremony, but the moment they take a seat, they find that they can neither speak nor get up again until the ceremony is over.

A teacher stands behind the podium on stage. Characters may recognize pieces of the speech from the previous year. He takes the time to welcome Yogen High's new students first, followed by acknowledging the transfer, returning, and repeat students. As he goes on, the teacher encourages students to instead focus on their own personal growth, and developing strong bonds that will allow them to reach their goals. He sighs as he explains that the Principal and Vice Principal are currently not available before he reminds students that violence is strictly prohibited and that there will be strict consequences for anyone who is caught engaging in misconduct.

The teacher concludes by noting that teachers will inform them of any important announcements. He wishes everybody a fulfilling school year, and reminds them that they have the power to shape the future. The ceremony concludes in a little under an hour, and the spell binding the students to their seats is broken, allowing everybody to rise and leave.

School lets out for the rest of the day with classes starting the next morning, and while many students take the opportunity to leave, some linger around the school.

08:00 04/06-04/09

Classes resume as usual, and it's the same old routine, with gossip and rumors spreading about, and students growing excited over new club advertisements, and fortune telling ads in addition to upcoming events. In an effort to encourage students to form lasting relationships, the school has set up events for the first week with plans for smaller events throughout the month. The PDA logs have been wiped clean with the start of the year, and all messages from before 04/05 are gone.

✽ Tuesday, 04/06 will be a simple Welcome Back. The day will be dedicated to giving important announcements, including the events for the rest of the week, introducing students to clubs, etc. There will be a potluck with various sweets and snack items, along with time dedicated to getting-to-know you style games and other such activities.
✽ Wednesday, 04/07 will feature the beginning of a Team Building Scavenger Hunt! There are no items to be found, but instead students are given a list of tasks to complete and turn into their homeroom teacher. Examples include introducing yourself to a new student, doing something nice for another student, being asked to identify a specific student who fits a certain criteria, anything that can be used to encourage interactions.
✽ Thursday, 04/08 will feature karaoke night in the music room. There is a karaoke machine set up along with a screen set up, along with some CDs with all the greatest hits of the 90ws. There is a decorative backdrop set up along with party decorations. There are inflatable music notes, cut out notes, microphones, record albums, and instruments taped along the wall, and a box full of props for students to use if they so choose.
✽ Friday, 04/09 will feature a game night held in class 1-B. Desks have been pushed together to form tables and covered in cloths, and various board and card games have been set out for students. There is a TV with an N64 and Playstation set out along with various games.

Outside of classes, the days wear on, and students come in with bruises and scraped knees and elbows and bloody noses. They smear blood on the walls and drip it onto the floor, splatter it onto the mirror without meaning to, bringing along with it a sense of vertigo. Characters looking in the mirror may find that they catch sight of something. It's there reflected in the mirror, a shadowy and dark figure in the edge of their vision, but it the moment they look away it disappears, leaving behind only a chill in the air. The mirror room is almost unbearably cold.

04/10-04/30

Characters who look in mirrors will see the shadowy figure reflected in it growing closer to them. It's an odd sight to be sure, and the cold air it brings with clings to the skin, but even as they draw close they seem to do no harm. It's only once they're right behind a character that they'll begin to notice it - the cold that clings to them no matter how warm the room, the faint tingling of their skin, the sleepiness that settles in, and the whispers in their ear.

It's faint at first, barely noticeable if not for its persistence, but over time those whispers will grow louder; the coolness on their skin will turn into a cold that chills them down to the bone, and the unrested feeling becomes a constant fatigue and lethargy. The words and tone vary, as do the voices, but each and every one eats into the character. They might speak of a character's insecurities or guilt, or they might leave them with a sinking loneliness, or perhaps they promise the warmth and companionship that a character desires, or any other number of matters that so often tug at the mind.

The figures can be viewed through mirrors. Those with supernatural sight or an adderstone will similarly be able to see them following characters, latching onto them. Items that ward off the supernatural may help, but the only way to truly ward them off is with bonds formed in the school. The figures seem to be warded off by the presence of another person. The cold disappears with the slightest touch, the whispering stops during conversation, and for that time they're given a brief reprieve. But they often seem to come back the moment a person passes by a mirror once more.

OOC

✽ The school will be hosting various smaller team building exercise throughout the month which can range from exercises to group projects. There are examples here, so feel free to pick what works best for your goals.
✽ The shadowy figures will appear more frequently where there is blood, fresh or otherwise.
✽ Characters who are isolated will find that they are more susceptible to being followed by the figures, and it may take longer interactions to dispel them completely.
✽ Items from the student shop that ward off supernatural creatures will aide in keeping the shadows from getting too close at first, but their effectiveness will wear off the longer a character is followed. They seem to be most effective when used in conjunction with interactions with others, and especially others who have similar items (i.e. a character with a silver cross and a character with a gold chain.)

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[ Ranger arches an eyebrow as he goes on. He doesn't use names often, and so it's probably just lucky that he hasn't run into that little issue yet. Still, they all use first names for others. It's different while in a public facing position where there's certain social expectations, but there's no such need for formality in a place like this. That aside, it's a stupid thing to throw a fit over.

He switches to the ice cream cone. ]

Oh... Nagito doesn't like it when you use his first name either. It's too personal for him. Can't say he's ever thrown a fit over it though. That's embarrassing.

[ He's tried repeatedly to convince others to address him differently, however, and at one point it did lead to a bit of an argument between the two. The ache of it is as painful now as it was then, perfectly preserved, but so long as he doesn't focus on it there's no issue. ]

Sheesh... You're telling me. Seems like everyone of any real value has already up and ditched, and I can't say I blame 'em.

Way toooo sensitive!

[ his eyes return to the covered up shut down process, and it still bothers him even as he builds a code over too of it. an authorized user, to know that a dementia patient holds the key to turning ranger off indefinitely if he chooses to. in order to ignore that nagging feeling at the back of his head, concerned and frustrated with the events, he tries to find an outlet through the insanity he's been through. ]

She told me to use respect for everyone and call them last name-san!

[ he does not have respect for majority of this school so that was ready difficult, and then he only thinks about his own. that's how it's been since the beginning for him, and so why should he change that now? ]

Ahaha. They have a few things in common, hm? [ with as laid back as komaeda is, midori wouldn't have thought of him to make a fit, but he must dislike how close it makes him with another person. living in a world alone isn't actually living, so it's best to have others. ]

There seems to be a few I could teach and make them worth something, but I'm sure Sou would have choice words about it.

Not really. He doesn't freak out over it like that. He just talks to you about it... Ahaha, if I'd known she was just another brat, I would've told you. Hid it pretty well around me.

[ Little reminders and requests, but nothing worse than that. He can only think of one time in which it went further, and there was one unfortunate incident, but even then it was about more than just a name. Even so, Ranger can't see him being so rigid about how others address each other when it is just one more way of maintaining distance. But they would have gotten closer regardless of that, and he wonders if it still bothers him.

That's beside the point though. He files the information about Inaba away, not seeming at all impressed, regretting his recommendation. It's a shame, but he had only worked with her as a programmer. ]

Mm? You mean Shin? Yeah, he'd probably think you were gonna use them for a ritualistic sacrifice or whatever.

[ Ranger shrugs. ]

Shame, there's plenty you could teach 'em. There's a few kids in this school bright enough to think for themselves though, maybe you can help one of them.

Can never judge a book by its cover...

[ which is highly unfortunate because he would have been willing to work something out, but that spiky exterior will only be handled so much. there's only so many people who want to have their hands stabbed over and over again, raw, and even after that she doesn't care or even try to make amends for being so cruel. he hates for ranger's recommendations to fall through when all his assessments of people are meant to be accurate— he judges them before they do him, but she slipped under the radar because her name wasn't said.

that wasn't an error on ranger's part, it's just a personal problem in the minds of a young, human girl. ]

Ahaha! There's no way I could make the banquet here! There's not enough coffins, but there sure are many dummies to choose from...

[ ...

...

but he continues on. ]

Bonnie has quite the personality, but such knowledge would be of no use to her. [ sigh, shaking his head, he moves on. ] Is there something on your mind, Ranger?

[ It is unfortunate, and most of all when his assessment was correct based on the data that he had. Ranger's first inclination isn't to form bonds and relationships, it's to evaluate others based on their technical skills and performance. She was young, but had the potential to be picked up by them if not for her personality. But even now, he thinks they could fix that - in ASUNARO's care, the person who was pushed back out into the world would be nothing like the one they'd started with.

It really is unfortunate that such a thing isn't possible now. But he updates his evaluation and moves on, kicking her down a few pegs for her temperament while striking her out as a person of interest for future projects.

There really is no shortage of dummies here, though his fingers twitch at the mention. It's unpleasant to think of how his coworker met his end. ]

She's easy enough to work with as long as you give her the right incentive... Shame that most of 'em around here are wasting their potential.

[ As for him, well... ]

Hm... Guess I'm just surprised that my assessment was that far off. She's got the prerequisite skills, and I haven't had any issue sizing up anyone else here.

Your assessment is right that she has the skills, it's just a horrible personality to work with. I'll talk to her again, one can't get anywhere if they don't act.

[ if one doesn't offer their hand, a person doesn't know it's there to take, and so he treats inaba with the same warmth and kindness that he'd give anyone else. the only downside is that he has limited capacity for stupidity, and would rather work with someone who understands the baseline of connections and making them. when he met her first time without his head, she was just a normal girl as they come— afraid of the unknown, a little bossy, but easy enough to work with that he has made the executive decision mixed with ranger's evaluation to pursue this opportunity. he doesn't find that it's lost yet, and he'll continue to engage like normal. ]

If the window of opportunity closes before me, I have no reason to tear it down.

[ there's other interesting people to involve himself in, but for someone who pushes people away and is even persistent about it! it's obvious that she doesn't want to be hurt, but who has hurt her for inaba to come to this way of living. as midori always thinks of others because of his endless love for humans, he too notices any little discrepancy given by ranger who was modeled to be human as well. the twitch of those fingers due to the conversation they had previously echoes loudly, to know the entire story must be unfortunate. ]

The fate of ASUNARO is left to both Safalin and Miley, now.

[ to have the beauty of it stripped away— the idea of a human and doll as the endgame participants, and if dressed a certain way, the role was fitting for both him and ranger. their time, and patience, and all the waiting that they gave to see how the place would conclude isn't for their eyes anymore.

the dominoes have fallen one by one, and what's left now is children playing a grown up's game. he did his part in having sara sigh the contract so everyone could live, but even that good will was stepped on by the meddling assistance of his estranged colleague. ]

Mishima expired, Joe expired, Kai expired, Reko expired, Nao expired, Sou expired, and so on...

[ obviously the dummies went as well, but his voice lingers off into silence in the process of thinking over all that he's seen so far. ]

Out of what's left, the face of ASUNARO will be chosen.

[ there's no reason to do a full recap, all this happens to be is that they died, and so the fate is out of their control. is midori content with this? death is not ideal for him, terrified and stressed over it consuming him.

and yet... ]

[ Their numbers had fallen one by one. The participants who have expired are of no concern to him, but their numbers were never meant to deplete so rapidly. Rio Ranger, Gashu Satou, Sou Hiyori - those people who had given every piece of their life to ASUNARO were nothing more than a few sacrificial chess pieces, tipped over and swept off the board. But they had always known of the risk.

How it ends now is of no concern to them. The thought makes his heart ache. There's homesickness even now, and he wants to return to that warm world in which he had his creators - the only people who have ever really mattered. It's impossible now. They wouldn't accept either of them now that their weak points had been exposed, not when thy could move onto bigger and better. ]

None of them are fit for it.

[ Not a single participant has the charm, grace, and intellect needed to wear the crown. None of them have the drive, nor the strength, to carry that burden. But they will, and the company's debts will be paid, and that person's wish will at last be granted.

It makes him bristle. He hates it, because he hates each and every one of them, and it pains him to know he'll never know the outcome.

But what he has here isn't so bad, really. ]

Well, doesn't really matter now. Our job's to work with what we got, and build that up.

[ They're alive enough, or perhaps it's only Ranger who sees it that way. He doesn't want to die, he'll do anything in his power not to, but so long as he can still stand here as himself he can accept what occurred. ]

Edited 2022-05-17 02:45 (UTC)

[ this was a detour he would have wanted to avoid so that he could still be alive, but he'll have to be satisfied with his body parts that are scattered among the realm of the living. in a way, he's still alive there, and he hasn't completely died until every piece falls from grace. with it thought of that way, it appears to be bargaining, but it's not wrong.

nor is ranger's words. none of those who are alive will truly bring out the flair that asunaro holds because those who could have passed— they'll ruin it, make it less than what it was, and bring an end to all that hard work. how does that person at the end feel with all that was taken and destroyed? whatever the closing chapter happens to be then, it'll end without them and now they must make do with what's before them.

ranger has been here far longer than midori as he has his footing, and for himself...? he can adjust easily, but there's nothing here that he's attached to. instead, there are things that he likes, opportunities that he can't allow to slip from his grasp as he watches ranger briefly, and smiles. ]

You seem to have a lot to work with now! That's very human of you, Ranger.

[ that's praise, genuine praise, but what should else should be expect from one that was meant to mimic society, but engage to make them better? ]

I'm almooooost done! I have a nice build for you, I won't replace the entirety yet! I've strengthened the code that Shin and Himeko worked on, now you shouldn't feel so...!

[ like that unfamiliar itch. ]

[ It's hard for him to see it as human when it's by design. There's no one who would sit on a chair with a broken leg, after all, and an AI that can't adapt to any circumstances is about as useful as one. Both are easy enough to dispose of should they prove to be less than ideal. But the efforts of the three that made him are perfect, and it's only having pieces removed that marred him.

He doesn't think too hard about that last part. He flips to the cat card. ]

Off.

[ It's not necessarily a bad feeling, or even a painful one, but it's not unlike becoming aware of the weight of a ring around their finger. It takes time to adapt to the addition, and until that occurs its presence is all too obvious. This code is like that. It's just different enough for him to be aware of its weight and texture, of the way it's just a little bit out of sync with the rest, but not so much as to be truly unpleasant.

He switches back to the cheerful grin card. ]

I'm sure it'll run smoother. What else are you changing?

[ If he had to guess, the second order of business would be adding in new security protocol. ]

You know me so well ☆

[ the question of what else is he changing, and that has been a little project he's recently been concocting up until this point. standing up from his desk, midori makes a beeline to the opposite of his office where he grabs a purple book with cut out pages inside, and a usb inside that's hidden from view.

walking back over, he sits down at his desk as he slips the device into his computer, and another screen comes up on the display. it's half-complete, but ranger will see different values and inputs set up, along with a funny little system of a redirect in multiple places. ]

I have a nice adjustment, I think you'd like it very much! It's called "Ping Pong"!

[ midori likes games, but he also likes games that deal with people which lower their success rate. these games keep unwanted players from interfering, and while that's his feelings at a base level, the one that's higher up is more protecting his own (and himself). ]

It'll keep any annoying pests of the human variety out!

[ he's cute about it as he taps against the keys, filling in the blank spots. ]

Ahaha, sounds like a fun little game to me~

[ He flips to the cat card once more, then the ice cream cone as he skims the lines on the screen. It's a nice adjustment indeed, a cute little game that none save a few would be able to break through it. The most talented among them could nonetheless make quick work of it, but even then it should be a tedious affair. It's up to par with their works, and even in a half-complete state he can see the value in it.

He has no objections, no more than he'll have when they revisit the issue of his shutdown mechanics. Rather than trusting others to forget or otherwise forcing it, making it that much more difficult should suffice. ]

Yep, that's the sorta thing that'll keep 'em spinning in the hamster wheel for awhile... Well, not that I plan on giving anyone that chance.

[ There's a shrug. Might as well get that worry out of the way. ]

I wish I had someone to test it... It was only me, you know!

[ anyone really to make sure it's running properly. he's tested this over and over again without running into any problems, there's no hidden snakes thriving in the tall, wild grass of code. to him, it's familiar, and he walks through it without any worries with his head held up, and blades of grass brushing against his pant's leg. as for others: they're meant to get lost, wonder perils hides within. that's the beauty of code by midori's hands, it's life given form in numbers and attributes, and this stands out just like the entire of ranger's skeleton— he's not one of the three important figures that created this code, but he certainly isn't one to be brushed off.

the life made by his hands is meant to grow annoyingly enough so that anyone who walks into this will have to take a second to understand what they're getting into. it's like a paradise where one can cultivate something strong, and colors proclamatory in their vision; taking over the garden, but that's not what he's going for. he's playing with every black thumb here, wanting to see their efforts bear no fruit, and only discourage those who believe that time will allow them to triumph.

yes, that's entertaining. watching them struggle in an attempt to break through. ]

I used make Shin play my little games when he came to visit me in his sweet and impressionable youth, ah... now he's old and senile...

[ but seeing him grow frustrated could be enjoyable if ranger was interested. ]

He'd probably tried to hide how upset he got after losing, losing and losing... [ what a shame, ] If you ever want to see it in action, you could find someone to play about five games... I doubt they'd get past the second one!

[ yet that attitude of his, no matter how lively and chipper turns a sour morose (in his mind) as he glances back at the hidden shutdown visible before him. it makes him uncomfortable, and despite ranger's reassurance that he has it — midori actually has it. freedom is a luxury humans have to make mistakes, but one an artificial intelligence shall not have. creators are meant to troubleshoot any problem that they find, and this is one made apparent that he just can't ignore. he's already thinking of ways to fix it, to fix the leak coming from a worm faucet— sickness and age does wear down on the human body, but he'll have to do something without involving ranger's little companion.

that sweet smile of his remains. ]

I think a laugh would do you some good!

[ There's a shortage of good help. There's plenty of idiots that could play around with and test it, but nit's so far beneath their level that it's not even worth it to allow them to try. Ranger already has no shortage of protective measures, each and every piece of data locked up tight enough enough that even those given access would be locked out of critical parts. It would be given piecemeal, enough to diagnose and correct without offering too much. At least, that's how it is when everything is functioning correctly.

These firewalls are just one more precautionary measure atop dozens of others. Ranger will be able to put them down just as easily if he so chooses, but it'll cause a headache for anyone who might have seen just a tiny bit too much, who might have figured out some of the tricks of the trade by ripping them out at the source. ]

Hm? I could've tested it. Should've asked.

[ It would prove to be no challenge to him, of course, as he was intended to be able to do all of that and more. What good is an AI that doesn't even know all of its creators tricks? Code making art, code writing stories, code writing code - AIs are intended to do all of that and more. If he was so inclined, he could simulate how it might be for a normal person to run through it even, or some approximation of that anyway.

As far as Shin, he offers a shrug. He's not a fan of testing things live, nor does he care for the idea of his code being picked at as though he were some sort of training tool or crowdsource project. Rio Ranger is forever an unfinished work, one that does not reach the status of "masterwork" as he so should, but he is still a precious creation of that place - one who was allowed to take on the face of and perform as a Floormaster. His treatment should reflect such.

That's why it likewise doesn't bother him to consider the prospect of having his shutdown mechanics modified. He's not a human, but a creation that which should have ever problem diagnosed and every fault eliminated. It's a complicated matter when he was so readily tossed away, but even so this treatment only seems natural to him. He still has a measure of pride.

...

Well, maybe it does bother him a little. He doesn't like the idea off being touched by someone other than those who made and have always worked on him. But as with before, there's nothing to be done about it so long as they're not here. ]

The jokers around here are always trying to give me one. They try so hard that I keep forgetting to laugh! Anyway, if they can't get past something like that, they've got no place touching me to start... Doesn't matter if it's Harai, Namida, or Gashu, they'd have a fit if they found out somebody was trying to mess with their work.

[ There's a small pause before the last name - calling Gashu by name still doesn't come quite naturally to him, and even less so with someone from that place... But if he tells himself that it's for the best and for consistency, then it is, and he can feel better for it. It eases the sting of remembering that he was never someone's greatest creation in the end. ]

Yes, you could have, but you'll figure it out either way.

[ as long as ranger knows the answer then midori will have to tighten the security, a model creation like ranger should never truly know the answers to his skeleton. if he's to be worked on, he has to find someone he trusts to fix the gaps, and while some people may think "why not let ranger fix his own code?" there is a reason why it's not allowed. having too much freedom in that area can cause drawbacks, always repairing themselves if the end result isn't to their liking, but also the amount of problems that can grow from it as well. they'll remove important pieces that don't seem too important at the time, and they'll add other oddities that just doesn't click with their set-up.

it's similar to how a person shouldn't work on their own brain, and that's how midori feels about allowing free reign to ranger's code in such a way. that's why he takes his own time to make something here, and to create a set-up that he'll just have to learn once brought up. ]

Ahaha! They'd have a fit, you are right about that.

[ miley specifically, he can imagine how the other two would be inside, but miley has always said what comes to her mind. what she dislikes and what she hates, because there's power in her words and actions, and so no one wants to see her when she's upset. midori tries really hard to avoid incurring her wrath. ] Luckily, you have me.

[ midori does notice the hesitance around gashu's name, and where he could pry, he understands how much insecurities play against them. even midori has his moments, and it's the last thing he hates feeling like, and so the trade-off is this as one hand lifts to ruffle ranger's head. ]

If you need any help with your code, I'm here for you. [ a little more ruffling before he pulls his hand away, not wanting ranger to smack him for it. ] I won't even tell them about that shut down sequence as well! As long as they believe I've worked on you this whole time, they won't turn in their graves.

[ they'll just turn up here. ]

[ In the end, Ranger was created without much need to touch his code. His system can repair itself as easily as any computer, fixing errors and closing gaps, and so by the time he would need to proactively touch it the problem is already in a sector that is better left alone. It is like allowing a person to work on their own brain, a sickly one at that. Still, there should be no issues when his code had run seamlessly before coming here. Midori is tightening the final pieces, and he expects that functionality should remain. Security measures mean little to him, but hard coding had ensured that he had no desire or ability to change core pieces.

It's weird to have him as the one working on him. It would be wrong to say he'd outright disliked him, or at least that he disliked him more than anyone else, but nor had they been particularly close. Hiyori was at once a part of that special group and a person who had been removed from his throne by the simplest miscalculation and coming here means that the same mistake had been made twice, or rather that it had been forced to occur a second time.

He waves his hand in front of his face to show his displeasure with being touched. He's never liked it. ]

... Right, right, we'll just say we've been good boys who looked out for each other. I got it.

[ They really only have each other in that sense. ]

How much more do you need to do?

[ He's getting fidgety. ]

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APRIL EVENT LOG/TDM

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