Fast Times in Horizon Academy

[sheller]

Hey everyone. I spoilered the rules to this game in case anyone needs a refresher. Be sure to subscribe if you wanna get RSS or E-mail notes for when someone posts.

As discussed in Skype chat (hopefully enough to get it through everyone's heads), this is going to be a diceless game for the Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine system. There are two ways to post and play here, more or less, and that's either through full formatted posting to this thread, or by posting dialogues and mini-sessions for scenarios within Skype or any other IRC chatroom. Here's an image of how play should GENERALLY work, although the mechanical use of this diagram can fluctuate depending on the scenarios in play and such.

http://i.imgur.com/2VSleGG.png

CHARACTER SHEET RULES: You SHOULD have a copy, online or off, of your character sheet in any form you prefer. As GM I'll be trying to do backed-up book-keeping myself as well, in case anything goes wrong, but it's still good to have a copy of your own sheet since you'll be the only one using it. It might be a good idea to keep a spoilered image or textblock in your forum signature in case you ever become forgetful.

If you're not familiar with Chuubo's game system, tell me at the very least. Other players can help too but if you're really not sure who to ask, go straight to me. I'll explain everything a dozen times per player if I have to, so don't hesitate.

The basic concepts are Skill, Intention, Will, Obstacles, Quests, and Arcs.

Skills are your numbered stats. When you wish to do something with them, you create an Intention with that statistic as a base. Example: a martial artist ranked 2 at Tae Kwon Do can say he wants to use his skills to duel someone. That means his Intention is 2. His opponent is evenly matched, though! And has 2 points in Tae Kwon Do as well. This means, while defending, his opponent has created an Obstacle of 2 to subtract from our hero's Intention. 0 points total means nothing happens, while 1 and up mean something happens, so how does anything come from this match? With Will. Hero channels his willpower to overcome this obstacle, granting himself bonus points equivalent to the Will he's spending, which increases his Intention from 2 to, let's say 3, since he only pushed himself a little bit. With that, he's able to overcome his opponent with 1 point, enabling him to say he won with no real backlash! It can get complicated, though, so if this wasn't clear enough, again, message me or another player about how to use your skills and Will. I won't even go into Quests and Arcs here; you should know the gist of those skills already.

As far as resolution will work, I'll spoiler-box reactions on a per-character basis when everyone posts, so make sure to click your own to see what XP points you get and for which actions.

As far as formatting etiquette goes, I virtually have none, aside from the rule that any spoken phrases by a character must be color-coded for ease of reading, and any obvious XP-gaining actions should have color-related tags as well. This'll make it easy to tell who's saying what in case arguments get excited.

And now the prompt:



Today's scenario is Your First Day of Class.

Winter's chill has come to pass; flora blooms and tells us Spring has arrived full force! A new season, a new year, and, most importantly for our intrepid students of Horizon's Academy, a new semester is underway! Today is your first day of classes, and spirit is bound to be high as classmates congregate, old rivals meet again, and the wonder of newness sweeps the entirety of Town, keeping her in a fever pitch for the time to come.

So, tell us, who will be attending this semester of Academy? It's best not to keep your homeroom waiting. Maybe you're still in bed this morning? Or have been on campus from the moment the gates opened? We're eager to know, so do your best and make sure your best foot is forward today!




Your task as a player is to describe your morning leading up to the moment the bell rings to indicate the start of your character's homeroom. Good luck, everyone! If you plan on doing some transit or something minor before class, I've left some properties below that you could tag for bonus XP.

And most importantly, remember the cardinal rule of this game: Winning isn't the same as Victory! Finding a use for something is good but does it make for a good story? Make sure your use of skills and property-tagging is kept within the boundaries of good storytelling!



Fortitude is across from Big Lake in relation to Horizon's school, so if you live here, you probably transit via ferry or train to get to classes, although it's walkable as well. If you have family you live with, you're very likely to live in Fortitude.


Things must have simplicity.
Things can't move quickly.
Work must be fruitful.
People must remember where they come from.
You always have a home in Fortitude.



Horizon, where Academy is located, has a London vibe, if nothing else. Crowded architecture, dark alleys, and many strange types live here. The school grounds are some ways away from the Lake, but dormitories are located on-campus. It's worth noting that there's currently more ghosts attending classes than living students, so take care not to wander into any of their ethereal classrooms when playing hooky.


People must accept what is happening around them as normal.
Students must have some reason to worry.
Students must have school spirit unless recently hurt or bullied.
Each person in school must experience exactly three events between classes.
Teachers must be obsessive, delusional, or wicked.
There must be delinquents, bullies, cliques, etc.

[jirru]

Beep beeep~ The little cat-shaped alarm clock chimed, blending its siren with the cacophony of train tracks and ferry horns, just in time for Panderella to enjoy the morning's errands with ease.

Panderella, the secretive bread witch, felt a brush of warmth across her face from the morning sun, accompanied by the smell of sizzling meat that diffused from the lower floor and a bitter, cold breeze that flew from the window she forgot to close last night. Such exposure to her senses helped her eyes open, body stretched out like a feline, and let out a relieved "Ahh~" from her lips after taking in such a pleasant scene to wake up to.

Brushing her golden locks from her face, she plopped out of bed to hush her alarm clock with a press, seal her window from anymore harsh gusts, and make sure her soft bed was delicately placed to it's original stature. Such fluffy blankets and adorable animal plushies should be treated with care, after all.

Once Panderella stood up properly in front of her mirror, noting her puppy printed pajamas with matching socks as a cherry on top, she simply yawned with little tears coming out of her eyes and shuffled through her closet to find her school uniform and dress into today's proper attire.

Her smile grew with rosy cheeks from how the outfit fitted so well. "I never thought a heating iron could make such a difference!" She told herself after twirling and letting her skirt rise a bit. With black stockings, shiny Oxfords, a lovely fleece scarf, and the warmest petite coat she owned, she carried herself down the steps with her school bag on her side to her favorite place in the house; the kitchen.

With the only other person living in the small house, Panderella's grandma greeted the little witch with a smile as she served breakfast for the two of them to enjoy. "Ah, good morning, Pandy!" she said. "Please, sit down and eat, I just cooked up a sampler for your big day today." The two sat down, across from each other, and began to enjoy their meal while talking about how excited Panderella was for her first day of school in-between chews. Such fluffy scrambled eggs, crispy bacon slices, and delicious rice to finish her palette left the witch with a filled tummy and some tiny burps. "Thanks, Graham Granny! I'll cook breakfast next time, hehe."

After she patted around her lips with a napkin, Panderella rose up from the table to hover over to the toaster to toast a slice of bread for her ride to school while making her little bento lunch. The kitchen filled with the aroma of a little bakery as the witch filled her lunchbox with all kinds of snacks for the day: mini ham and cheese sandwiches, homemade cookies, hot-dog shaped octopuses, and rice to complete everything. She stuffed her bento box into her school bag after she finished laying a thin layer of strawberry jam on her toast for the road.

Grandma escorted Panderella out of their home once she finished nagging the witch to to brush her teeth, fix her hair, and wear her helmet so Panderella can safely drive on her vespa to school. With a kiss on Panderella's cheek and a hug, she waved her hand goodbye and said, "Good luck at school today, Pandy! Don't talk to strangers and make sure you come home before curfew!"

The witch sauntered over to her little kitty-paw scooter, plopped her helmet on top of her poofy hair, and gave a wave back with a sincere smile to her grandma before she rested herself on the seat of the scooter. "Bye, Grahamy! Love you!" Panderella finally pressed the gas handle down and drove off to meet her destination: Horizon!

Goosebumps were across the canvas of her skin, both from excitement and the cold weather, as she drove. Passing pedestrians on smooth asphalt with no need to rush since she woke up on time allowed the witch to relax and enjoy her drive. Her eyes began to flutter along the way as she let her mind dive into whimsical day dreams of who her teachers will be, what friends she'll make, and what kind of adventures she'll have for the new year. Before she could even begin start thinking of the many clubs she'll be part of, Panderella was already in front of the entrance to the Academy. A new day starting with a new structure that the witch never has been in before gave her a cold sweat.

Shaking her head to focus, the witch drove to park her scooter, unbuckle her helmet, and let her hair drape down to the end of her skirt. She glanced about to scan not only the building, but also the people around her. Even though she knew where the campus was and what classes she had for the semester, Panderella's first year to this new Academy made her fresh meat to the different kinds of students she'll possibly encounter. Despite her wobbly knees, she managed to get her school bag and schedule out to navigate herself to her homeroom class with a sweet smile on her face.

With the door to her first class being open, she placed her hand on the handle to slide it across and looked around for the most optimal desk. She didn't take note of the people in the hallways or in her own homeroom since everyone was a stranger to her. Graham Granny is always right, after all. The desk in the front row, seated next to the window, was where she placed her bag underneath and began to place her notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, and sticky notes on in a organized manner. Finally, after settling down on the not so plush seat, Panderella took out her glasses from her glasses case, that had little bows on each side of the frame, and place them on her face for better focus and overall appeal.

Her delicate hands were intertwined on her desk as she faced the front of the classroom with immense suspense. Legs crossed and lips quivering, the witch will hopefully overcome her recent nervousness with positivity for her first day at a new school.

The bell finally rang once the rest of the homeroom's students came in to sit down. It was time for class to begin.

[TaylorBostock]

Music for the mood: Deerhoof- Halfbird Album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRKV5cKeK2o
It's Morning, but he didn't get a moment of true rest. He was sleeping, but he doesn't know for how long.


His room was still dark. The blinds weren't drawn yet. The first bit of light he sees is coming from the screen of his cellphone
"09:07 a.m., oh jeez..."he mutters to himself. "i don't know when i have to go in... I'm probably late already...I should probably get up."

Wanai walks to his window, and opens the blinds. The light is blinding him, but it's definitely an experience that remains fascinating and puzzling to him. He opens his window and leans on the banister, lighting a cigarette and soaking in the first rays of sun . there wasn't much noise around, and for the feeling of pure calm in the morning there was a moment of bliss. wind chimes were clapping in the distance. It's not easy living with one eye, but it sure has the capability of making even the simpler things in life seem unreal.

http://i.imgur.com/zWVjhPj.png

His room is surprisingly empty for someone as young as him. There was barely anything in his room. Except for a black sketchbook, covered with stickers and writing, a pencil case, and a weirdly shaped skateboard, with big white wheels. There is some writing on the griptape.

"You're Okay, You've Always been."

He doesn't have a lot of clothes, basically just a bunch of white, buttoned or striped big shirts, some flannels, a coat, and 2 hoodies. He did have enough underwear and socks for an army though. All of his pants were black, whether it be shorts, tracksuit or working pants.

He gets dressed in a white button up shirt, which is clearly over sized. "Why not look sort of decent on my first day of school..." he thinks. he puts his sketchbook and his pencil case in his tote bag, grabs his board, and leaves to go downstairs.

he enters the living room, to find Mutt sleeping on the couch. Passed out from the endeavors of the night before. the place was littered with empty cans and bottles. cigarette butts filling each ashtray in the room. The floor was sticky. his mind is a bit hazy about what happened last night. But it seems it was just an innocent night of drinking that turned into a party with a bunch of people.

He makes himself a quick cup of coffee, and slips into his shoes.

"Hey Mutt...wake up"
"ouf, my head... "
"i made some fresh coffee..."

He grabs his large shades, and walks outside.

" I'm heading out! seeya later."
"Ugh..oh...Yeah Kiddo, I'll see ya after school...Knock E'm dead...ouh..."

He puts on his shades and grabs his skateboard, and rolls off into the distance.He takes the regular route of backalleys and bikerpaths. but he was in a very calm mood, not hurrying at all, but i guess thats how life is here in Fortitude. Everything goes at a calm pace around here. the nice weather and the sunshine just made the day seem so much more blissful.

http://i.imgur.com/ibrKQ22.png

he was quite skillfull at skateboarding, popping ollies over fire hydrants and doing shuv-its on the bikerpaths. He was known around the skateboarding community of fortitude and Arcadia as sort of an enigma. People have heard of him, They have seen him, But nobody knows his name.


he stops by his local coffee supplier. A small coffee stand near the big lake ferry entrance. he was still a little tired, but thought another cup of coffee was surely the thing he needed. It was run by a small old man, and his 2 nieces. Today was his niece with the brown hair. But somehow he never got to know their name. albeit he went there almost all the time during the schoolyear. he gets the regular, coffee with milk and sugar. He drinks his coffee and looks into the distance.

http://i.imgur.com/sDGDoi5.png

Eventually he finishes his coffee, waves the coffee stand person a good day and heads off towards Horizon. The school where he is a junior now. He skates along the side of the lake, and suddenly there was a feeling of urgency creeping up on him .

He skates towards school, and comes to the entrance. The first thing to catch his eye is a small pink piaggio vespa and a closed gate... he was surely too late.
And realized he had missed the bells. he checked his phone to see how much time it took.

"11:03, how did it take so long to get over here!?"

Now, in a panic, he was trying to find a way in, but alas, the only thing that seemed to be the entrance was closed..

"Damn... I'm going to have to hop the gate, don't i?"

he throws his board and bag over the gate, and gets ready to hop the gate.

It took some trial and error, but eventually he was able to climb over the gate. without knowing some people were filming the whole ordeal on their smartphones from the windows in front of the academy.

He enters the school and starts looking for his homeroom. eventually after 15 minutes of exploring the school he found his homeroom.

"Oh, hello Mr. Wanai, mind if you take a seat you're late already."

Everybody in the class looked at him. This was surely going to be a very long and awkward day.
Class Begins.

[Sorceries]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaNW2ohY_AE


http://i.imgur.com/Y3f9lHY.png

=Fieri Sentio et Excrucior=
From the bleak, sunless lands
We come, we come;
From the Outside islands,
Where loud waves are dumb
Listening to my sweet whispers.
The song of the heart that rushes,
The reek of passion-spent time,
The dirtied maiden that blushes,
After the most incubine crime,
And the spirits below in the grass,
Were as silent as the slain sun was,
When listening to my sweet whispers.

I sang of the falling stars,
I sang of the doomed Earth,
And of Heavens, and the coming wars,
And Love, and Death, and Birth
And then I explained my whispers —
Showing how my siblings corrupt and crush
They pursue their foe and perform the deed.
Gods and men, you are all deluded thus;
You assume your role and then you bleed.
Head hung, on your knees, 'tis how mankind falls
Haunted by Riders and their battlehorn calls
In harmony with my sweet whispers.

http://i.imgur.com/6rn6fQQ.png

Undisturbed and unphased, Ilja Valentinovich Chernyshyov pulled the barbed wire taut, black ichor oozing from the razor-knots lazily as if not wanting to bother with gravity. The ghûl's body spasmed one more time, suspended ten feet above the ground by its throat, wrist and ankle.

Letting the wire loose, it snapped out with the distinct sound of uncoiling metal and whipped its loose end around the extended hand of a granite gargoyle protruding from the wall of Horizon's main library. This was the third time the the monstrosities from the Principal's flying island had tried to prevent him from making his way to school today.

Squaring his jaw, Ilja pushed two fingers against his exposed navel, kneading the skin around it gently to persuade the rest of the perverse metallic umbilical cord back inside his body. Flicking his fingers to the side, he got rid of the ink-like liquid he had wiped off his skin and then buttoned up his stiff and starched red formal shirt where his stomach had been exposed.

Tugging on the edges of his suit's jacket to straighten it, he then leaned down to pick up his black leather messenger bag and placed its strap over his shoulder before continuing toward the school on foot.


http://i.imgur.com/6rn6fQQ.png

Flash

"Gospodin, forgive me for bringing this up again, but I must warn you against this course of action once more." Strazh's voice was almost pleading in contrast to the calm and composed act of the old man-servant pouring more tea into Ilja's porcelain cup.

"The Student Council alone--" Ilja lifted two fingers upward from his lap to silence the man, propping his elbow against the armrest of the ornate chair and then bringing his cheek to rest against his palm.

"I can handle the Student Council. I am more worried about the rumors that a Warmain of the Bleak Academy has been sighted in the Walking Fields. It's too soon." Reaching out for his cup absently, Ilja cast his gaze through the large window of his living room into the park below before taking a careful sip of his tea.

"Though I do not think Impious will make it easy for me to take over the Fencing club. I'm not wounded enough for its tastes." Setting the cup aside, the boy then pursed his lips in thought.

"I might have to resort to some more unconventional tactics if things don't pan out as expected. I would prefer not to ally with Lee Scathing, even though our techniques are similar." As Strazh let out a resigned sigh, Ilja's fingers came together in front of him and he bowed his head down so that his thumbs touched his lower lip.

"Things are about to get interesting."



http://i.imgur.com/Vw0snkM.png


http://i.imgur.com/6rn6fQQ.png

"Eee-Eeeh!?" Sisilia DeCroix yelped in surprise at the sight of the young man courtly bowing, her pink pigtails bouncing up and down as she jerked back her head.

"Zdravstvuyte is how we say 'greetings' in Russia, pardon me. I am Ilja Chernyshyov, starting my sophomore year today. Might I inquire as to where I can find my homeroom, classroom twelve?" Standing up straight and letting his platinum blonde hair cascade down to frame his handsome facial features, Ilja then offered her a faint smile and added a polite "I don't know my way around the school yet."

Sisilia blinked twice and tugged on her navy-hued skirt nervously before letting out a sheepish burst of laughter, making an embarrassed gesture with her hand. "My, my, you don't have to be so formal around your classmates, Ilja. I'm Sisilia, uh, hi. Um. Twelve? We're in the same class, what a coincidence, eh? S-shouldn't you wait for a teacher, though?"

Ilja shook his head a little, still smiling, before gesturing for the girl to lead the way."I don't want to be treated any different from the other students."

The fact Ilja's uniform was in the dead colors of black and red, including the sanguine crest of the Principal's bloody hand, made her think that it'd be easier said than done.


http://i.imgur.com/6rn6fQQ.png

Flash

"The College of Emptiness and Dream studies many theories of unborn existence. It is a writhing mass of gods suspended by golden cords, a high house of spiritual plague and epistemology."
"I was a jurist of the College once, none of this is new to me."
"Your arrogance knows no bounds, Prince Empyreal."
"Are you going to remind me who I am talking to?"
"... Forgive me, Your Highness."
"I have grown weary of this place. It is time we act."
"As you wish, Your Highness."
"Summon the night-wyrm and set sail to Creation. Before we reach our destination, I want a lamb to wear."
"At once, Your Highness."


http://i.imgur.com/6rn6fQQ.png

Opening the classroom's door for the girl politely, Ilja waited until Sisilia had entered and then followed a respectful five feet in her wake into the room. Taking in the quiet talking of the excited students, the boy then shut the door partially behind himself and shot a sweeping glance around the classroom.

Sisilia had made her way to the window seat third row from the front and placed her bag on her desk. Without hesitation Ilja strode across the classroom, past a group of giggling girls who were giving him sideways glances, to the free seat in front of Sisilia's.

Setting down his bag on the desk, he pulled up the chair and seated himself neatly before giving a quick look at the girl in front of him. Inhaling through his nose, his expression soured a little at the sweet scent emanating from his new classmate before attempting to draw her attention with a soft but surprisingly commanding "Hey, you."


http://i.imgur.com/6rn6fQQ.png



Totally giving Jill "Aww!" XP for being so ridiculously adorbs.

Flipping my anytime Lurid quest to Outsider at first paragraph and back to Exchange Student when interacting with Sisilia.

Hitting my quest flavor; "consciously trying to connect with the citizens of Town"

As a reminder, my Emotion XP is: (Overacted) Shiver of Wonder/Terror XP.

[Sorceries]

Ilja;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0d22cea72E
Panderella; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isw1ZCMK5-g

While waiting for the period to properly start, the witch let her hands loosen from their woven state in order to search through her rolled-up pencil pouch. Since conversation was out of the question to spend time, she may as well use her school supplies to their use. With her notebook open, her hand grasped onto her pencil to make some little doodles of the future bakery she's dreamt about creating for quite a while. She let her pencil brush up and down delicately, elaborating about the littlest details into the appearance of the outside and interior décor. Panderella even began to hum quietly as she brainstormed the many sweet and decadent menu items she hoped to sell from the top of her head. When her ears were pierced by a stranger's voice, however, caused the witch to grip her pencil tightly and draw its point across the many blue lines of the paper. "A-ah!" Not only were her rough sketches tampered with a fresh, dark line, her palms began to shake simultaneously with her fluttery stomach. The fact that a boy chose to sit right behind her and try to talk to her, on top of that, made the witch's pencil drop to the floor. "O-oh gosh," she thought as her pale ears became red and her eyes dilated. "I-I hope he's friendly..." With a confident gulp, Panderella shifted her legs to the side of the desk so her torso could turn her torso towards Ilja and make the best eye contact she could maintain. His school uniform's dark colors contrasting with his light hair and handsome face only made the witch's offering hand towards him even more obvious that she was not accustomed to talking to boys. "Hello! I-I'm Panderella!" Her lips muttered. "Y-you must be new, I presume?"

The softest hint of amusement crossed the boy's expression at her stuttering, shifting his weight off his chair to stand and with a half-circle rotation of his wrist extending out his hand to take the girl's. His pale skin was smooth and cool like porcelain, digits curling to enclose her fingertips against his palm, thumb over the back of her hand. Then, without warning, he craned his neck and lowered his mouth to touch the valley formed by her knuckles; kissing her hand with a vague semblance of respect and courtesy while looking up to her with eyes that shifted in hue from blue to indigo for the briefest moment. To actually place one's lips against skin was considered vulgar, not a mistake someone like Ilja would do by accident. Withdrawing to stand up straight, he then placed the girl's hand down to the edge of his desk and replied; "Your assumption is correct, zhënushka. I am Ilja Chernyshyov." His voice was soft and silken, reminiscent of the purr of an Amur tiger. Not bothering to translate the Russian term that roughly translated to 'wifeling' or 'little woman of the house', he then continued; "It is a pleasure to be here, I am very excited to be classmates with all of you." Glancing over his shoulder, he then gave a puzzled look at the blushing, flustered schoolgirls who had been staring at the unfolding scene with great intensity. Bowing his head courtly to the group, the boy then sat down and flashed Panderella a friendly, warm smile.

The blush that rose from the end of her ears quickly spread to her face as she witnessed Ilja standing before her, his palm cradling hers softly so he could bring his lips down and press them against her skin. Being so sheltered from social interaction with boys certainly brought her sensitivity to touch at an acute state. Her eye contact with the boy was locked the moment she turned around, which left the witch to shudder head to toe from not only the delicate peck but also the obscure shift in his pupils. Aside from the distinct clothing, Panderella certainly felt that he was certainly not from around here, or even human to an extent. Having her fingers graze across the surface Ilja kissed on, the witch said in a more vocal and relaxed voice to him; "Panderella... Panini! I'm looking forward to the year with you as well, haha." Her eyes wandered to the troupe of schoolgirls that witnessed the whole incident between the two, noting their red cheeks and flabbergasted faces, and turned her head towards them. Head shaking side to side and hands open in front of her bosom, the witch's body language screamed embarrassment. Yet, despite the many butterflies that fluttered about in her stomach, she managed to turn back in her seat to give a little giggle and smile back to Ilja.

The boy reacted to the giggle with a wider smile, head tilted to the side and small dimples forming to his cheeks, before turning to look outside through the window. His platinum blonde hair took a particular glow from the light coming from the outside, dyeing it metallic brass at parts. Lost in his thoughts, his expression softened into a neutral, almost stoic state that had a slight melancholy tint to it, as if thinking of home or longing for someone. Exhaling through his nose, he then closed his eyes for a few moments to shut out the distractions and center himself. It was his first day of school, after all. The constant motion and buzz of people around him, the rosy cheeks of Panderella and the taste of her skin, Sisilia's anxiety and surprise, the weight and shape of his school bag. All these things were new to him.

Once she shifted her body to face her desk, her bakery sketches still wrinkled from the incident earlier, Panderella panned her eyes to the front of the classroom while her hands combed through her long, blonde locks. "Why did talk to me..." thought the witch as her fingers brushed past each strand of her hair. "... out of all of the other people here?" The pitter patter of her heart and her breathing eventually calmed down, but she felt as if they were still strangers of each other. She didn't even know what his favorite pastry was so she could bake it for him on special days. After her mind was cleared of the small kiss, Panderella decided to shift herself back towards the new student again and asked; "S-so, are you from here?" Her hands were placed on her thighs, as she still kept brushing between her knuckles and her face remained as red as before.

Ilja looked over the girl's white-based uniform of living colors, and then to his black uniform of dead colors that signified that he was from outside Town or one of the dead. "... No." He then replied softly after a moment of deliberation and offered a faint smile. "I've only recently moved here to Horizon. It's quite different from home." Pushing a few locks away from his hair to behind his ear with two fingers, the boy then gave a glance at the girl's attire. "Your uniform means that you're a local, from what I've gathered. Maybe you could show me around Town? I've got nothing after school as of yet, though I plan on joining a few clubs once I get the chance. Are you free today?" Lifting his brow as if to ask if this arrangement was acceptable, the boy waited for the girl's answer patiently.

Panderella found herself agreeing to the boy's request before she even really considered her options. They agreed to meet outside the school gates after classes were over and then go together. Before they got into talking about the details of where they'd go, the homeroom teacher arrived.

[sheller]

Alright, good first hustle, everyone. Sadly half our members apparently don't think 3 weeks is enough goddamn time for one post, but that's on them. They're probably reading this! They know who they are. They're still free to join as late entries whenever they feel more up to the task.

Very adorable writing. Reading your work is like eating frosting in word format. Sorceries already agreed to give you the XP Reward for "Aww!" so feel free to put an Experience Point in any quest you want. You'll be able to tag it again during the lunch and afternoon scenes, so keep up the good work. You didn't make any noticeable progress in your current Quest of Renovating a home, but remember that you don't have to do physical work for it to qualify as work towards it! Drawing out what you want, talking about it to others, telling stories about what you plan to do, those all count too! Be creative in application. Additionally, your Anytime Quest is "Excitement!" While you went over-the-top with how cute you acted, the Quest grants experience any time you actually take things way over the top yourself. Overreaction is key, so remember that while you work on your Lunch/Afternoon plans, and I'm sure you can easily tag all three XP sources again.

Definitely stylish work, especially with illustrations to help with theme. You got a good feeling for how Emptiness works as Quest, although I think it's a bit misguided in that you express yourself more than comfort yourself sometimes. The theme of Emptiness is self-comfort, to an extent, so the strongest way to tag it is to try to find comfort in the small things. This also applies to your Emotion XP of "Thumbs Up", where you try to find comfort in small things while your life is going to hell. I definitely felt a pang of empathy for Wanai as a character in his introduction because you capture the essence of self-defeat pretty well in his thoughts, so I'm granting the "Thumbs Up" XP Reward for this scene. Feel free to drop it into any Quest you want. That aside, you've definitely tagged your Emptiness Quest within the first few sentences of your Intro, so you gain 1 XP for that scene where you lean out your window as well. No progress was made in your effort to improve in art, but the day's young yet. I'm also sorry I forgot that you showed up late and wrote the scene as if you were there on time; for my blunder and refusal to go back and completely rewrite my 3-page post, I'm granting one more XP as a hush tithe. So don't bring it up. All three points you've gained can go into whichever Quest you want, really.

Nothing I need to say here you don't already know from the Skype chat. I legitimately got chills down my spine reading your intro with your faux-crucifixion at the hands of one of the Student Council, so Shiver of Terror XP Reward is a given. Additionally, you've definitely made conscious effort in this scene to get to know people, with both Sisilia and Panderella, so you gain 1 XP in your Quest to meet people, and obviously 1 XP in your Lurid Quest for flipping personalities during the intro with your servant. That should total to 3 XP total, and unlike Taylor who got it out of luck, you actually earned all three! Congrats for being the most efficient player right out of the gate.


An enjoyable chatter has given rise in Room Twelve, with various small groups sitting and chatting during the wait for homeroom to start. Ilja sits near the window, alone and serene but with eyes around keeping their gaze on him; whispers and rumors are had all-around about the new face on campus. Wanai, looking a typical punk and having sunglasses that block his vision to anyone who might make eye contact, focuses on scribbling in his notebook, drawing the backs of classmates' heads and whatever else he sees that interests him from his corner near the door. Amazingly, he would've been late to class, but the homeroom teacher managed to be later than anyone else. Pan is more popular than the other two, talking to her classmates with "how do you do"s and "let's do our best"s. Her desk is oriented more at the front of the class.

The time comes and goes with a constant expectation for their instructor to walk in, but a solid half hour passes uneventfully.

The chatter finally splits when there's fumbling at the door. The muffled sound of splintering wood and stifled groaning is heard from the other side. The door swings open soon enough, and the homeroom teacher makes his way in, ducking his head to avoid what seems like a low doorframe despite nobody ever having trouble moving through it before.

http://i.imgur.com/Tv2Q0RE.png

The man starts introducing himself the moment his head is through the door. No effort is made to be formal. "Mornin', class, I'm Professor Marcus the Infallible, I'll be your..." he pauses.

His eyes dart around the room suspiciously, before narrowing down to the student in the back of the class. He points at Wanai. A wrinkle is visible on his face as he approaches. He closes the distance without making many additive motions aside from the smooth walk forward. He leans down to get eye-level with Wanai.

"Breathe on me."

"E-excuse me, sir?" Wanai is taken aback by this kind of demand made as the second sentence spoken from his new authority figure.

But the nervous exhalation from his speaking is enough for the man, who straightens up quickly, pinching his nose.

"Yep, that's what I thought." He turns to face the rest of the class. "First rule, class: I can't STAND things that mess with my nose."

The class, while confused, is taking advantage of Wanai's confusion to put looks of superiority on him. The cyclops sits there puzzled about what's going on.

Marcus turns and looks at the boy, continuing his speech, "especially goddamn cigarettes."



Wanai has nothing to say for the accusation, but definitely wonders to himself, "how could he know that?" He stammers out an apology but it's ignored.

As if hearing his thoughts, Professor Marcus responds indignantly to no specific verbal query. "You reek of it, kid. Do me a favor and sit by the window."

Wanai complies, picking up his stuff and moving to an empty desk near the window, making minor apologies to the students as he passes them. He bumps Ilja in passing to his new seating.

Under his breath, Wanai mutters to himself, "man, what's this guy's problem anyway?" The professor's ear twitches ever-so-slightly.

Soon after the cyclops settles down in his new seat, the professor doesn't look any less irritated. From his podium in front of the class, he announces, "Lesson Two, class!" as he starts approaching Wanai at his new seating. He briskly lifts the entire desk, student still seated, over his head with one arm, taking rope out from behind him. "Listen up!" he growls as he deftly works ropes into Wanai's seating, "A real man says what's on his mind, and doesn't hesitate!" Soon after securing the rope, he punches the window wide open and throws Wanai, desk and all, clean out of the room, leaving him dangling by a rope outside! He makes a snide remark to the effects of letting him "air out" for a bit. Holding the kid's health by a hemp thread, Marcus turns to face the rest of the class, asking if anyone else feels they have to admit to smoking anything strong enough to ruin his sense of smell.

One particularly snivelly student, 2nd year Hiki Takeshi, bolts his hand up in a sea of unease and fear for the class's semester-bound safety. "I heard it on good authority!" Hiki rings out, "that our new exchange student was sharing smokes with the kid you're dangling out the window, Professor!" The moment his sentence finishes, a flush of murmurs begin among the students in Room Twelve.

Ilja, unfortunately, was sitting within arm's reach of Marcus's display, and quickly gets grabbed and pulled forward like a discount item on inspection at a marketplace. His demeanor never breaks despite being the vigorous sniffing test, until Marcus's eyes narrow and the boy is pulled away from his face.

"Definite hints of brimstone, maybe the kind of flooring you'd have in an old palace or mansion, I'd guess. I DO smell the same stuff on him," Marcus mutters to himself within earshot of Ilja, who's dangling by the collar next to him not unlike a stuffed toy in a crane game.

"You're sure he was sharing cigarettes with this other kid?" Marcus inquires in Hiki's direction.

"Ohhh, yes, definitely, Professor! You know how those exchange students are about ignoring the rules and all that!"

Truly enough, the exchange student colors Ilja was wearing wasn't helping his case any, as most of the murmurs between the students shifted from questions about where he lives to rumors about what worse things he might've done before might be.

So, with enough confirmation on his end, Marcus asks the student if he'd prefer to have his detention now or later. Ilja, unconcerned with what trouble he's in currently, shrugs nonchalantly and calmly says he'll take it now if that's fine, expecting to be dropped down onto the desk with Wanai.

"Alright, then." Marcus drops him in front of him, heaves enough rope to get a good grip with, and gestures for Ilja to grab on. "The punishment for associating with him, in this case, is that you'll be holding him up for the class period. Alright?" Ilja casually agrees, refusing to look nervous in his situation.

Little-known to most except those closest to him, our Ilja is actually a prince of the Outside, an Excrucian Rider who exhibits unnatural resilience and strength compared to your average student. Despite his above-usual endurance and strength, however, it's still not laughably easy to hoist up someone of your own weight plus a 50 lb. desk by a single strand for a few hours straight, especially when you don't want to embarrass yourself with exertion while doing so.

(Rank 2 Excrucian Rider - 2 Obstacle (long haul duration) + 2 Willpower (somewhat straining) = 2 Intention)

Ilja undertakes the task of holding his classmate's safety in his hands by a thread, trying not to make a display out of his action, but the sheer amount of time needed to keep the boy up is murder on him in form of constant exertion, making even the ever-cool exchange student start to sweat out of nervousness for the situation. The students around begin to worry, with the exception of 2nd Year Hiki Takeshi who's snickering maliciously from his seat nearby.

Down below, the embarrassment of possibly being laughed at by his homeroom above is only matched by the fact that, once secured by Ilja's brute strength upstairs, Wanai is dangling immediately next to another class in session one story down, and all the ghostly students in study are stopping what they're doing to huddle around him. When ghosts express themselves, they tend not to make any sound, but it's definitely obvious from their shapes that the ghosts are laughing riotously at his predicament.

Wanai sighs, boots up on his desk, yelling up at the open window, "I just wanted to know what the problem was! Sir!" No immediate response has him sigh and cross his arms in his seat out of boredom. The ghosts in the downstairs class have gotten back to their routine, but some of the more mischievous students leave notes facing outside reading things like "jackass boy" and "hang in there".

It's not long before Wanai decides he's had enough humiliation for one day.

"Man, why did I even come to school today?"

He looks down the remaining two stories of height and tries to find a place that might be good to land. A full clearing away there's some bushes that look almost like they'd slow his fall up. "I think I'd be fine going home bruised up," he tells himself, slowly standing up with his skateboard in one hand. "As long as nothing's broken I'll be fine, yeah."

He decides what he's gotta do. He's gonna use his skateboard as a method for diving into the bush as if it were a half-pipe, cavemanning in and landing sideways on purpose, one hand over his head for safety.

(Skateboarding 2 - 2 Obstacle (dangerous fall) + 1 Willpower(trying somewhat) = 1 Intention)

He crouches! Ilja's grip wobbles a bit as the weight shifts around on his subject. Wanai dives! He springs off the side of the desk, kicking it backwards enough to tap the glass of the third story window. He clears the gap! He's practically home free, "I totally did it," he thinks, until he lands.

There's some deaf numbness from the impact, and insurmountable pain from somewhere else. What hurts? Something hurts, oh god does something hurt alright. But he's fine where he is. He can stay in the bush a little while until he gets his bearings. He looks back up to the room he came from. His eye is strong enough to catch Professor Marcus gripping the frame of the window with a livid expression strong enough to justify his crushing the framework between his giant fingers.

Wanai snickers. Too late, man. I already got away. Marcus climbs into the frame of the window and jumps out. He lands directly in front of Wanai with a cratering stomp. His frame blocks the sun from where the boy is lying. He pulls Wanai by his arm out of the bush, only for the boy to realize the full extent of how badly his hand was injured in the fall. He yowls out in pain strongly, biting his lip and trying not to look weak in front of his monstrous homeroom teacher.

Marcus quietly ducks down and rips the cuff of his pantleg, asking Wanai to close his eye and stick his injured left hand out. Wanai's in too much pain not to comply.

He swears he hears Marcus spit, and the confusion is made even more tangible when he feels a salve and cloth go over his hand, washing the pain zone with warmth and comfort. The major pain is reduced to a small nagging. Marcus's voice, unlike before, is much softer as he tightens the bandaging on Wanai's hand. "Don't tell the other students, kid, but honestly, I would've done the same thing. Do me a favor, though? Lose the smoking this semester. It seriously messes with my sinuses."

Confused and feeling awkward, Wanai stammers an "uh-I-er, okay sir" before things get weird again; Marcus grabs him by the neck and turns around to face the windowed wall of the school building, laughing triumphantly, holding Wanai up like a hunting trophy, before pointing at his room, bellowing, "You can't escape! This will be the last attempt someone from Room Twelve will get to sneak out of my lectures!" He savagely runs up the building not unlike an ape, leaving Wanai back in the seat he leaped from, before stopping to remind him that "this time, you're in detention for trying to skip class. Last time was for disrespect. Got it straight?"

Wanai was too speechless to come up with a retort after everything that'd just happened. Leaning back into his punishment chair suspended by the exchange student in the room, he decides to take the pack of cigarettes he keeps in his backpack and dump them out into the foliage below before flicking the box elsewhere, as a sign of good faith, to say the least.



The rest of the class, while eccentric, has nothing on this event. The homeroom professor is clearly out of his element trying to teach reasonable subjects to the class, often resorting to talking about times he's fought animals or survived in the wild instead. Some stories are met with passion as Professor Marcus punches craters into the blackboard to demonstrate how excited he'd be about hunting specific kinds of beasts with his bare hands, or was hunted himself by such. While passionate about his subjects, he isn't one to notice when nobody's paying attention to him, and Panderella, being the only student with the availability to listen to the rumor mill, hears all sorts of things about the two delinquents who got in trouble today, much to her embarrassment for being given such attention from Ilja this morning. The other girls in class are already starting to talk! Hopefully their attitudes will turn around during the year, she hopes.



After class ends around noon, the class disperses for lunch break, with the exception of Panderella, Ilja, and Wanai. Pan was waiting on Ilja because they planned to spend lunch together already, but Ilja was held up, or holding up, that is, with his duty. After climbing the rope and helping the exhausted Ilja pull the desk back into the room, the two finally meet with a "nice to meet you" expression and little more. Professor Marcus, post class, has already situated himself to reading comic books at his desk. He announces nonchalantly, "if you quit smoking for sure i'll know by next week. I'll smell it. It'll help to ask anyone at home to stop smoking too. If you can do that, you'll pass for the week. See you tomorrow. And Ilja? That was damn fine of you to volunteer for me. Don't worry about grades for a few days, alright?" He gestures for the trio to get out of his room and leave him to his Conan of Cimmeria comics. He makes no attempt to acknowledge Panderella who was in the room with them before they leave. The three exit the room together, breathing in the air of released tension, and now it's time for lunch break.




New Scene: Lunch Hour and After school.

You may have two more classes left for the day, each only about 90 minutes long after lunch break, but it's doubtful the events will be as important or memorable as anything that happens in homeroom. Usually, you'll sit in for a random specialized lecture of any type, such as Russian Linguistics, Iron Calculus, Introduction to Geneology, or any other specific kind of class. They won't be memorable, but after today's events in class, there's definitely good reason to highlight how you want to spend the hour afterwards!

After your classes, you have the rest of the day free to spend. If you want to coordinate on stuff to do, you're free to talk with other active players as you all have been so far.

Your limit for today is that you eventually have to go home tonight! Probably. Without any homework assigned or extracurriculars to work on, the only motivators you should have currently are your standing Quests and maybe the desire to introduce more elements to your character, if necessary.

Reminder: Ilja currently has 6 Willpower remaining for the day, and Wanai has 7, while Pan is still sitting on all 8 of her WP.

[sheller]

The three are left to their own initiative after Pan gently tries to put the broken door handle back in place to close the door.

A voice breaks the awkward silence between them, a grainy voice with little sense of excitement. Even the condescending laughter he opens with sounds dulled and forced.

"So, you got in trouble with Marcus the Barbarian, huh?"

An upperclassman with a shaved and nicked head was waiting by the door, evidently for our party. He's a lithe figure whose first immediate feature is his incredibly baggy pants that go all the way up to his chest, made obvious by an unbuttoned blazer and no shirt underneath. He leaned against the wall trying to give a cool impression, keeping a toothpick between his teeth and not making direct eye contact while talking.

"Really, it's just bad luck if you get him for homeroom. He starts the week with corporal punishment but he'll move to honor duels within the month, probably. Past that, I wouldn't be surprised if he started punching you guys instead of the blackboard."

Expecting some level of sophomoric fascination with him for being an upper-class student, he introduces himself, sticking a limp hand to shake particularly Wanai's hand.

"I'm not from your class, though. Noah Markovic, 3rd year. I would've been here next door but after finding out I would be in a room next to that psycho," he gestures towards the broken and unhinged door, "I decided to save myself a headache and skip class."



He may be talking to the group, but his focus definitely seems to be on the secret cyclops compared to the other two who are accompanying him.

This is gonna be the start of free response time, where being zealous posting a lot means you're just being chatty as a character, and no formality is needed for writing. The only formality will really be that, if a scene obviously changes, someone (me or you as the players) has to announce it so I as the HG can pass out relevant XP awards. Don't forget to use Spoiler boxes if someone else makes you feel their emotion XP so they can gain those bonuses, too.

[TaylorBostock]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVAy1szQ7Uw

"nice to meet you" Wanai says. it's very weird an upperclass student would even be remotely interested in him. "i'm Wanai", he responds.
He notices the scars on Noah's head.

"Heh, my friends call me Staples"

*That's a really cool nickname* Wanai thinks to himself.

Ilja looks disapproving towards Noah. Panderella is kind of wooed by this cool upperclassman giving them the light of day.

"So Wanai, do you wanna hang with me today?" Noah clearly asks Wanai.

Wanai doesn't know how to respond, and looks over to the 2 other students in hopes to get some sort of response. Wanai is clearly uncomfortable. But he is on the fence about the idea of skipping school. After that little incident with Marcus, he feels like it wouldn't be such a bad idea to skip for the rest of the day.

"So...how about it?" Noah pulls out a pack of smokes and offers Wanai a cigarette.

http://i.imgur.com/PhIH0TT.png
"Quick sketch of the situation at hand, sorry about the quality, my tablet keeps dying."


The rest of the players who are in this situation, Panderella and Ilja, Are welcome to intervene, join in or turn a blind eye. Your choice.