May event/tdm

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Golden Week (closed to current characters)

On the 28th, Aiko Okane's body is returned to the auditorium, rotten and still thawing when the first student walks in upon her and screams themselves hoarse. She is swiftly removed and the auditorium is closed for the rest of the day for deep cleaning, the smell of disinfectant lingering for days after. In honor of the late student council president, a gorinto is later set up on one of the windowsills in the art room, stones perpetually damp and causing those who touch it to experience vivid flashbacks of flashing strobe lights so bright it's nauseating, a spinning room, hands covered in soot, a shadow moving from behind a bookcase, sharp pain in the back of the head—-

The school empties out for Golden Week starting on the 29th, and just like during spring break, the faculty office and nurse's office are locked and unavailable without the staff present. The library and club rooms remain open, but what supplies there were at the start of the school week won't be replenished until the end of break two weeks later— and there are many more mouths to feed now. At least those mouths don't include two cats, both of which make themselves scarce on the morning of the 29th and cannot be found at school for the remainder of break, possibly spooked and in hiding due to the arrival of a dozen repairmen who phase through the front doors to repair the ceilings and pipes. Faces obscured with gas masks, carrying bags of plaster and lugging toolboxes, the repairmen work tirelessly from six in the morning to six in the evening over the next three days, appearing not to see the others in the school— they do not hear anything said to them, and, if somebody tries to touch them, their bodies pass through one another like the shadow students through the doors. But the school looks a lot better by the end of the three days, the ceiling tiles secure so that they're no longer in danger of falling and must be forcibly pushed through to access the crawlspace, and entire sections of pipe replaced from underneath the fourth floor bathroom and the clog with it, resulting in slightly clearer water, though still very very lightly tinged pink.

The repairmen finish and leave the evening of the 1st, and that night, the sound of hissing can be heard just before the usual midnight silence. Even through gift fairy or homemade gas masks, the air smells slightly sour, heavy and hard to breathe, a white mist seen hanging around the school and in the courtyard outside that doesn't dissipate with the sunlight the following morning. Those unprotected start to feel ill, cold and feverish, uncomfortably bloated despite empty bellies. Out of the corner of their eyes they see glimpses of the person they miss the most, but nobody is there when they turn around. Their heads fill with whispered accusations of all their shortcomings, chiding and blaming and mocking in the disembodied voices of the people dearest to them until the constant white noise finally tapers off and disappears on the fourth night, and the mist lifts with the rising sun the morning of the 6th.

Skittering can be heard in the ceiling overhead. The rats are still alive.

05/06 06:00 (open to all)

You open your eyes.

Whether you're standing in the middle of the locker area or sitting up from under one of the classroom desks, the school feels a lot... brighter... than you remember in the last handful of years (years? somehow, it feels like years) that you've attended this school. Bright sunlight shining through the windows is almost nauseating to look at, as if on the cusp of a migraine, and words swim on textbook pages and is twice as difficult to understand. Maybe it's just back-to-school jitters, the nurse sympathizes if you visit the nurse's office, offering a mug of ginger tea to settle the stomach and a soft cot to lie down on for a few minutes, but break is over and there is so much to be excited for at school, especially the charity auction coming up in the next couple of days.

Donations are displayed in glass cases all around the auditorium, including items and services, a box of """cursed chalk""" that's surprisingly garnered a lot of interest, and a human body that unsurprisingly has not garnered much if at all. A skinny black cat can be seen lounging on top of the lattermost case, staring down at the students milling around the auditorium as they check their PDAs for merit points and murmur about it being too late and that they'll have to make do with what they have until the auction date on the 10th. More information about the auction can be found on the bulletin board, which also displays a new poster announcing an open seat in the student council in which all are encouraged to apply starting the 10th, and to run their campaigns until the 31st when an assembly will take place for approved candidates to debate.

Also updated on the bulletin board are the class rankings, current as of the start of the month, with class 1-B leading the pack and 2-C following close behind. With the weather as nice as it is, students of these two homerooms occasionally hold their classes outside in the courtyard this month, seated on the grass or on blankets around the wisteria tree as they balance chalkboard slates on their laps and listen to the lecture in the fresh air and warm sunlight. As long as they're with their teacher, characters in class 1-B and 2-C are able to exit into the courtyard this month, although if they stray too far out of the courtyard towards the pool area, their consciousness will start to fade until they leave the courtyard and black out completely.

For everybody regardless, there are classes to attend and quizzes to take and blood to pour out of your shoes because— uh?? You're in the middle of a quiz and pick up your eraser, but it's been replaced with one so dry and hard that all it does is smear the graphite and tear a hole in your paper. You get up from a long hour of class and nearly chip your teeth on the edge of the desk falling over because somebody's tied your ankle to the desk leg with quadruple-knotted twine. You're washing your hands in the bathroom and instead of liquid soap, the dispenser pours out silver glitter all over your hands and pants and shoes to coat for the rest of the month. You open your locker and are met with a face full of bees that burst out and causes everybody to evacuate the area until the janitor can coax them all outside. You're walking up the stairs and feel a tap on your shoulder but there's nobody when you turn around- nothing to explain the hard shove against your back or why the handrail is slicked with oil. All the while, snickering can be heard from somewhere behind you, little shadows darting away in the periphery of your vision, just out of reach.

Somebody has it out for you, but be glad it's just little things and not... well.

05/08 16:27 (open to all)

After school on the 8th, when Clamor is headed up the second floor stairwell to the clocktower, he'll find that the door doesn't push in easily, as if there were something blocking it. A harder push and he dislodges something heavy, dark red blood pouring out from the open door to soak through his shoes and those of anybody nearby as the world spins and pitches and falls apart.

The vertigo passes and you open your eyes. You're standing in an old schoolhouse with scorched walls and broken floorboards that creak as you walk through the halls, breathing air so cold it constricts your lungs and leaves in visible puffs. The body on the ground has turned wispy black, unmoving, while those around you— there were other students around you in the hallway, you swear, but aside from one or two, the rest have all turned into shadow, faceless and intangible as they move silently down the halls and through the walls. Two of them approach the body on the ground and lift it up by the armpits to drag away down the stairs towards the auditorium—- what's supposed to be the auditorium, but instead the doors open to reveal a gaping void, darkness as far as one can see as if nothing else exists past this door.

You were looking for a way out, weren't you? ...

The body is unceremoniously tossed into the void, never to be seen again, and with the creeping dread that comes with staring into the darkness for too long, you get the sense that the same will happen to you if you step past the threshold to nowhere. It's dark and quiet enough already in the rest of the school, with the lights off and the sky a perpetual dusk. This school evokes the same feeling of nostalgia as it always has, the same old building but so much older: books in the library prone to falling apart in your hands, all the food in the home economics room rotten and overgrown with mold, the wisteria tree in the courtyard gnarled and completely barren. But the water in the bathrooms and drinking fountains run clear and fresh, and in the mirrors hanging above the sinks you can see somebody else's face— you can see familiar people washing their hands or chatting with one another or smoking a joint or getting caught smoking a joint- you can see them but they can't see you, gazing through this portal to a normal high school life.

The glass feels warm when you place your palm against it. The glass tears and burns when you put your fist through it, painful enough to make you wince.

You open your eyes.

You're standing where you last remember before the world turned to darkness, floor sticky with blood but there is no body at your feet. Edgar? There is no student called Edgar Valden at this school, just like there is no Abel Nightroad or Makoto Naegi, their names not showing up anywhere on the class roster and their seats filled by another student that has always been part of the class. You're overthinking, or maybe you're just tired or hungry. Luckily for you, there is a lot of fresh meat stocked in the home economics room this month, thick rich slabs that cook like beef but taste like a mix of veal and pork and hope.

OOC

✽ This event log doubles as a TDM, with new characters experiencing the recurring feeling of drifting in (school life) and out (canon life) of sleep up until they "open their eyes," 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.

✽ A new closed prompt will go up on the 10th for auction results and body investigation, and on the 31st for the student council assembly.

✽ After the 8th, any blood spilled in the school will result in characters in the vicinity seeing its transformation into a dilapidated version of the same building. Nearby npcs turn into shadows, while nearby pcs are brought into the other world together. Finding a mirror and breaking it will return the character to where they originally were, as if no time had passed.

✽ The layout of the transformed school is exactly the same as the original, with inaccessible locations remaining inaccessible. The exception is the auditorium which has been replaced by a void, and fully stepping into the void will result in permadeath and a drop from the game. TDM characters may step into the void as their "exit" any time during the month, but if they are apped into the game, that death will not be considered canon.

✽ Applications are always open on a rolling basis. The player cap is currently set at 40, but will lowered to 30 in June.

Comments

kaede akamatsu | dangan ronpa

[spiritoso]

i. may 6th; - spoilers for danganronpa v3

[ She feels... strange. Things feel brighter, more real, and yet she can't explain why.

What she also can't explain is the mere fact that she's alive. Shouldn't she be dead? Then why is she here? Whatever is going on, all she knows is that she seems to be alive now. It's at that moment that Kaede decides not to think about it too much.

As she sits back up in her desk—was she taking a nap?—Kaede feels like she's fully registering what's going on around her for the first time in... who knows how long.

It's in this daze that she wanders around the school, trying to figure out what exactly is going on. She makes her way to her next class, walking up the stairs when she feels a tap on her shoulder. Kaede was absolutely positive that she was alone in this hallway, so then why is she feeling some phantom tap? Before she can react to that, she's suddenly shoved, and she catches herself against the handrail.

Why is it... covered in oil? ]

Hey! W-What do you think you're doing?

[ Her voice shakes even as she calls out. ]

ii. may 7th;

[ It only takes Kaede a day to find herself making her way up to the music room. She makes a beeline for the piano, sitting down at the bench and letting her fingers run over the keys. Just being near a piano is relaxing.

She missed this.

Playing is a surefire way to calm her frayed nerves, to let her really think about things. Without wasting another second, she starts to play.

She plays long enough to cycle through a couple of different songs. And in her rush to get to the piano, she left the door slightly open, allowing her playing to filter out of the room. ]

iii. may 8th;

[ The school literally falling apart and changing so completely really wasn't on Kaede's list of things she expected to happen, but then again, she never thought she would end up somewhere like this place at all. She finds herself wandering around, trying to make sense of things when she comes across the auditorium.

The longer she looks at where it's supposed to be, the more dread she starts to feel seeping into her bones. ]

What... Isn't that supposed to be the auditorium?

iv. wildcard;

[ Feel free to come up with your own prompt! Or reach out to me through PM/secondhandmagic so we can hash something out! ]

may 6th

[contrarily]

( she's not sure what's been happening around the school, either, but... honestly, with everything else, a few pranksters here and there don't make that big of a difference. that said, these so-called pranks are kind of... devious, really; or are starting to be, at least. the bees, she wasn't a witness to, but when she sees a girl grab onto a handrail and promptly slip, it's pretty obvious what happened here.

it's instinct: she dashes up the stairs to wrap an arm around kaede's waist and steady her on the step, huffing in frustration. )

Something weird has been going on, I dunno — maybe ghosts? ( wrinkling her nose, she glances at the girl, finally. ) Hey, you okay? Must've gave you a heart attack, huh?

[spiritoso]

[ That feeling of slipping was terrifying, but that arm around her waist makes her feel grounded again and she almost breathes a sigh of relief. ]

Yeah, I think so. Thanks.

[ Her heart is pounding, but she just needs a moment. ]

You really think it's ghosts?

[ The thought is scary and one she would usually dismiss, but... here they are, in this creepy school and she's not even supposed to be here in the first place. It's not really a stretch anymore. ]

[contrarily]

( if there's anything her athleticism comes in handy for, it's definitely these weird-ass pranks. she can at least count on her reflexes not to slip — and to help anyone who might. it's... probably best to avoid any more split skulls in this cursed-ass place, but she's not about to babble about all of that to a random girl, either. )

... well, honestly, I dunno. I don't normally believe in that crap, but... ( she pauses, slowly withdrawing her arm, once she's sure kaede's steady on her feet. ) This place's super weird, so who knows? If there's ghosts running around and gunning for our lives now, though, I think we're pretty screwed.

( not that they weren't before this, but... anyway. )

Oh, um. Rika Kawai is the name — remember it as "kawaii," 'cause I'm so cute! ( BEAM ✨ )

ii!

[moraloutrage]

[The music does indeed drift out into the hallway! And because of that, a a stern-looking young man soon bursts in.]

What is the meaning of this racket?! This could end up disturbing the student council at this rate! [He can't go light on any grievances, not if he wants to end up on the student council himself!]

[spiritoso]

[ It's usually really hard to pull her from the trance that playing the piano puts her in, but the way he bursts through the door manages to do just that.

Kaede looks up. ]

Huh?

[ Is it really a racket? ]

What do you mean? Did I leave the door open or something?

[ She was in a hurry, after all... ]

[moraloutrage]

Well, yes, it seems that you have! [He gestures to the open doorway and then closes it behind him.]

You should be much more careful when making any kind of noise within the school grounds, you know!

i

[trialbyliar]

[Shit's been weird, lately. Kokichi is noting the slick on the handrail as he heads up the stairs, so he doesn't pay much attention to the person climbing the next flight up. In general, it's not a great idea to stare up at people higher up on the stairs anyway – that's a quick route to getting accused of trying to look up girls' skirts or whatever.

Still, something about the flash of blond out of the corner of his eye draws his attention. Kokichi glances up, and then pauses mid-step as he spots a ghost.

Well. As much a ghost as he is, anyway. He should really be less shocked by this, given his own situation. But it's a very different experience being the one seeing someone that should be dead. Kokichi just stares for a few moments, processing as he watches her obliviously continue heading up the stairs.

And then he sees her balance falter and for a moment, he's poised to run up like he could maybe catch her. But she manages to steady herself, even with the handrail all slippery, and Kokichi stops himself. His heart is still pounding, but he's quick to adopt a careless manner, hands shoved in his pockets and a cheery smile on his face. He calls up to her from where he is, still one flight of stairs below her.]

Just wanted to test your reflexes! Good thing those hands are good for something besides playing the piano, huh? You might have broken your neck, otherwise!

[He's not actually anywhere near close enough to have pushed her. But since when has he ever cared about being believed?]

[spiritoso]

[ She knows that voice.

Kaede freezes, almost afraid to turn around. What if she's just hearing things and that isn't who she thinks it is? Sure, Kokichi had teased her and caused a lot of trouble for her, but he was still one of the people she was trying to save.

Finally, she turns around. So, he is real. ]

That's not funny, Ouma-kun!

[ Her hand reaches up to her own neck almost of its own volition. She had had her neck broken. Surely he remembers that.

...Right?

She won't think about it. No, she'll think about what's going on right this second instead. ]

You're too far away, so I know it wasn't you.

[trialbyliar]

[He remembers. It's a hard image to forget.

And yet here he is, practically skipping up the stairs to join her, like he didn't watch her die. One would never guess this was a reunion after some kind of horrific murderschool experience – no, just one classmate teasing another.

It's weird. Even with her having used his name, he half expects to be mistaken. Like as he gets closer, he'll realize it was someone else entirely, just some other blond girl who looks similar. But he reaches her step and no, that's...really, definitely Kaede. A girl that should be dead. He could have assumed his own death was interrupted somehow without his knowing–

(No, he couldn't, he felt that pain, even if it was just for a split second–)

–but could Kaede's execution have been faked? Was there any rational explanation here, something that didn't involve dead people miraculously coming back to life?

His train of thought is speeding along, but he flashes her a cheery smile anyway, revealing nothing.]

Yeah, you got me! That was a lie. Akamatsu-chan slipped aaaaaall on her own. How clumsy.

[That's obviously not true either, but...well, does it have to be a lie? After all, he didn't see anyone who might have pushed her.]

i

[commences]

( there's this interest that komaeda's been having, this feeling that a talented soul is close by, and he's always drawn towards them because of his odd affinity. because of how strong he feels about this, he goes out of his way to search for it, almost like a dog who can't settle down unless they find what they're after. there's a few difficulties, little things getting in his way like him tripping or narrowly avoiding something thrown out of nowhere that prevents him from moving forward. he's unsure, but there's always this tugging sensation at the back of his pant's leg that's stopping his pursuit.

he wonders if that's his luck at play again, telling him not to go any further, or that if he finally obtains what's been giving him that excited itch that he'll be disappointed. he doesn't think of it that way, but it's when he finally makes it to the stairwell, as if on cue, he hears a voice directed towards him — almost irritated, afraid, concerned? he's unable to figure out which only because there's this burning sensation in his chest once he believes he's found who he's looking for. )

Ah... sorry, I understand if someone like me is really hard on the eyes, I didn't mean to scare you.

( he manages to take one step up, reaching out for the handrail, but his head turns to stare at the substance that it's covered in, practically dripping off the support. lifting his hand, he stares at what it's covered in before looking towards her with a apologetic expression. )

How unlucky, the chance I get to meet another Ultimate and something like this happens... You should watch your step from now on.

( ominous... )

[spiritoso]

Um...

[ This guy is weird. That's Kaede's first thought as she tries to figure out how to respond to that.

Immediately, she wonders if he had something to do with this. Is he pulling unfunny pranks like this around the school? That seems like a weird thing to apologize for, though.

So maybe he didn't do it... Kaede decides to shelve those suspicions for now, especially as something else he said caught her attention. ]

How do you know I'm an Ultimate?

[ She hasn't told anyone here about that, has she? As far as she can remember, she hasn't. ]

[commences]

( well, how does he explain that he can just sense it? hope... despair... talent... it's just something he's aware of, but that's probably because he's lucky. with a hand brought to his chin, he seems thoughtful as if trying to figure out how to reply her question. there's so many things he could say, some stick out more than others, but he figures that he should be honest about it, and the only way he knows how. )

You're a Symbol of Hope! ( he says this, matter-of-fact. ) I'd be disappointed in myself if I couldn't figure that out.

( he laughs softly, but he doesn't stay on the subject for long as he keeps his distance. there's a bit of concern on his face as he stares at the substance along the handrail, wondering where it came from. that is quite odd, but he doesn't question it for now. )

Are you okay? I can take you to the nurse's office... ( he pauses, gauging their surroundings to make sure that he actually can. ) It's not that far from here.

ii. may 7th

[unsurely]

[ The sound of the piano... usually filters out of the room anyway to be honest, he'd know with how many times he's run towards it like a fool, hoping each time for the exact same impossible thing. When it happens during school it's fine, it's just one of the club members most likely -- maybe Maya, whom he's listened to a few times from afar. But... this isn't during school. And it sounds even clearer somehow, maybe thanks to the open door, or perhaps due to something else.

Whatever it is, the door swings in suddenly to Shuichi's half-frantic entrance, a show of pale knuckles against the handle as he grips it tightly like it's a lifeline to his own sanity. He shouldn't be doing this, he knows. Every single time so far, it hasn't turned out, and yet every time again he-- ]

...Akamatsu-san?

[ It's barely a whisper of a voice when he sees her, trembling with both surprise and emotion, and for a moment he freezes there and looks like he's ready to run. It's probably just another mist-fueled illusion anyway, isn't it? He's seen her so many times through the week thanks to those... But there's a part of him that knows better -- after all, those visions had stopped since this morning, when the staff and the students returned. And there are others here who should have been lost or dead, he already knows; that's why he couldn't let go of the hope that he'd see her again in the first place.

He's just scared; because that logic is too convenient, because a deduction like that... leads him to too much of the result he'd have wanted the most. But she'd want him to believe in himself, wouldn't she? ]

I... It's really you, isn't it? It has to be, you're... you're real.

[ That's the truth that the evidence here tells him and yet... why does it sound so desperate through his lips, like he's pleading with the world itself to be right about this one thing? He doesn't even dare to step closer, because if he does -- who knows? Maybe she'll vanish like an illusion after all, or maybe... he'll break first instead, before he ever even gets there. ]

[spiritoso]

[ It's nearly impossible to get Kaede to tear herself away from the piano, especially when she starts playing. She's practically in a trance, feeling the melody flow through her fingers as she plays.

There are, however, a few things that can snag her attention away from the piano. In this moment, Shuichi's voice happens to be one of those things. Her fingers pause in the middle of a phrase as she looks up.

When she heard his voice, she wasn't so sure he would actually be there, but... he is. A look of shock passes over Kaede's face. ]

Saihara-kun?

[ He says exactly what she's thinking. Is he real?

Then she notices something—his hat is gone. ]

Your hat... it's gone.

[ It's such a simple thing (it isn't, she knows how big of a deal that hat is to Shuichi), but she bursts into tears. This isn't how their reunion is supposed to go, but she can't help it. ]

ii.

[rhymed]

[ It's common to hear the sound of the piano playing from the music room, and it's become obvious that every person who comes to play isn't Allen; elegant and classical, the very opposite of his experimental style. Though it doesn't make him any less disappointed in knowing that there's someone here to rid the instrument of any dust.

Hajun peers into the room, sliding the door open quietly before he leans against the doorframe. Patiently waiting her to play through another song before he breaks the moment of silence with a slow clap of his hands. ]

You've got some talent -- which is good, we needed someone with some musical prowess.

[ Not really but listen it's a compliment. ]

[spiritoso]

[ The clapping makes her look up, surprised to see that someone else is in the room. Honestly, she was so focused that she hadn't even noticed.

Still, she smiles. ]

Thank you!

[ She'll always take compliments! But, she also thinks he has a point when it comes to needing someone who knows music. ]

I could play a song for everyone sometime! Something to brighten our spirits, like Chopin's Polonaise.

may 7th

[taketori]

[ It felt like it had been a while since he'd heard music like this.

Shirogane lingered near the door as Kaede played on, transitioning from Gymnopédie No.1 to Modéré. It allowed him a moment of peace, even if he wasn't really super into classical music. It just reminded him of home a bit, of something he'd hear someone much more upper crust than him play out.

It was pleasant. Finally, he gives up the ghost and takes a peek through the door. ]

Ah--

[ That, to this point typical odd feeling of familiarity stopped him in his tracks, but given that he'd made himself known, he steps through the door. ]

Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. [ beat. ] ...You're quite talented.

[spiritoso]

[ She's thinking of another song when Shirogane pokes his head through the door, and she spots him almost immediately. ]

Thanks! You didn't interrupt me, so don't worry about it. [ She smiles. ] It makes me happy that you enjoyed my playing.

[ Lifting people's spirits, putting a smile on their faces... That's why she plays, after all. ]

iii. may 8th;

[devilishkouhai]

Yupp!! Did you look at the dead body yet? Wanna go look together~?

[ BB states with the most giddy sound upon her voice, talking to the other as if they were best of friends hanging out on a school day. ]

[spiritoso]

[ That casualness is so disconcerting that Kaede thinks she's joking for a second. The only thing that convinces her otherwise is that she had glanced at the body a while ago, before running away because she didn't want to actually look at it. ]

Um... I kind of saw it earlier. Is that really a thing you want to go look at, though...?

ii !

[mermaidcursed]

( nene was never musically talented- but you don't have to be good at playing to know something is good. as the music drifts through the hall, she can't help but perk up and seek it out! careful to avoid the various imps scuttling about- and tossing them some candy, hopefully they'll forgive the lack of bubblegum this time- she makes her way to the source. once a song ends, however, it's bubbly time. )

Was that you? You were amazing!!

[spiritoso]

[ Kaede looks up, that bubbly attitude rubbing right off on her as she smiles. ]

It was, thank you!

[ The compliment makes her happy, makes her feel like playing was a good idea. ​]

I'm glad you liked my playing. If you have any songs you want to here, I'd be happy to play them for you.

iii!! I am RUNNING to you

[futurebullets]

[Hinata finally manages to pull his gaze away from the dark void once he hears the voice. The moment he looks away from it, he feels relief fill his whole body.]

It... used to be. I can't tell if it still is anymore, though... [He gestures at it, but now that he knows what a Bad Idea it is, Hinata doesn't look.] I don't know what this is, but it showed up after the school changed, and they threw...

[He trails off. He doesn't want to talk about the body, doesn't even want to think about it.

But not wanting to think about it doesn't make it not real. And he should be facing the truth, no matter how ugly it might get.]

...It was completely black, but I'm sure of it. What they threw in here was a body.

opens my arms

[spiritoso]

[ She gets a bad feeling when he trails off like that... Whatever they threw must have been bad.

And then he confirms it. Kaede stares at him, eyes wide. ]

Huh? They threw a body in there?

[ Wasn't there already one at the auction? How many bodies are lying around this place? ]