WEEK 3

[whimsicalism]

WEEK THREE

Two weeks, two trials, four deaths.

One thing is certain: The monster in charge of this place knows enough about everyone here that he also knows what can drive some of them desperate enough to kill. He is powerful, and he has access, and he despises the whole student body. The face of the class' captor has been revealed now, in a sense, and the flames of his hatred for children have turned out to be very real.

At least, for now, the students of Ira Academy have one another to lean on. Some might have found the post-trial camaraderie a comfort. At least everyone hasn't given up hope. At least many students are still finding their anger and their will to fight back.

There are fewer pretenses this coming week. Classes proceed as normal; the school day still functions as normal, but the further everyone comes from that first fateful meeting with the man in charge of this school, the further away and more incomprehensible the thought that there was ever really a chance of going along with the original plan, completing reeducation, and staying safe.


...Of course, you could still try. There'd be nothing stopping you.

But you won't, will you? That's just how the students of Ira Academy are. You'll visit the third floor of the Academy, ascending the newly opened flight of stairs. Maybe you'll investigate one of the new rooms, dwarfed by the echoes that bounce of the uninvitingly tall ceilings. There's probably still something in this place on your side.

Will you work together, or will you grow further apart?

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday
Regains | AC | IC Profiles | Locations | Mystery Information | A Contact | Sheep Contact | Nanami Contact

OOC NOTES

Welcome to Week 3! New locations have been added and the third floor is now open for exploration. The library is a very large space and more than one person can investigate it throughout the week if you'd like. If you want to investigate one of the Floor 3 rooms, please hit the mods with a ping in Discord and put INVESTIGATE in your subject line.

As a reminder, AC runs Sunday to Sunday concurrent with these posts and is collected based on the prior week; this means you have a whole week to get in AC for the week prior. AC for week 2 should be submitted no later than this coming Sunday. Remember to submit your regains, and sign up for a spot exploring this week's mystery if you want to!

Comments

[whimsicalism]

[It's called Shattered Realms and the Seven Kings. The cover of the book has a drawing of a child's bedroom with a closet door slightly ajar. Read?]

[cellpreservation]

[Of course he is, because he's a nerd.]

[whimsicalism]

[Some of it? Maybe a day or so.]

[temmapathy]

I can see that. Is there anyone else you want to be proud of you?

[violence_ensues]

Well, yeah! There's Badgerclops, too! ...Oh! My daddy, too!

[temmapathy]

[Definitely weird! She might have to ask A about this. And while she's erasing the chalk...how dusty does the eraser look? For that matter, does the chalk look like it's still close to is original length, or has it gone short and stubby?]

[whimsicalism]

[There's a front page that introduces this as a group work by someone called the Kids of Apple Court, wanting to help fellow children. This was crossed out by a stamp saying DONATED.

The first page goes something like this: Ever since people existed, children existed, and since children have a lot of worries fear must have existed too. This fear created the place known now as 'Closetland'. For a long time Closetland was ruled by a figure called the Demagogue and his seven right hand monsters, the Seven Kings. From the captured Faery Queen, Titania, to the twisted mask collecting Rael-Schol.

The kings were often at each other's throats, using their powers to influence or posses other monsters to attack children to strike fear into the world and tainting the innocent views of children. No one knows when things changed but eventually the Demagogue's power waned and his Kings, too, lost power. The seven realms they once ruled still exist -- with names like the Invidia Ruins or the Mountains of Ira -- but the kings had seemed to vanish.

There might be more but, that might be a lot to digest, Yuta.]

[whimsicalism]

[Real dusty and it's getting pretty stubby.]

[cellpreservation]

[He will digest it just fine!! Actually, he can hardly wait to turn the page.]

[temmapathy]

[Well, that's some interesting information to have. Is there anything else to notice about these chalkboards?]

[whimsicalism]

[There's a few details that brainstorm the reasons why this could have happened. Maybe a lack of innocence in general made Closetland weaker over decades. Maybe something protecting children pushed back the monsters for good. The book doesn't know for sure.

It briefly describes the former kings by name. Titania of Pride. Bogeyman of Greed. Baba-Yaga of Gluttony. Rael-Schol of Envy. Lamashtu of Wrath. Kabaelza of Sloth. The Defiler of Lust. For brevity, we won't write out many details but some details include Rael-Schol being in awe of children so he turned them into masks for his collection or that Titania was mostly an unconscious monster whose minions kidnapped children to keep her body young.

It describes the realms briefly, too. The old city that Rael-Schol used to live in or the hellish mountain range that Lamashtu once ruled from her Babylonian temple.

It finally ends that the Kids of Apple Court feel something is changing in Closetland and fears that maybe the kings are returning in some way. If that's the case then things were going to get a lot worse.]

[cellpreservation]

[No kidding.

He'll flip through it a few times to make sure he isn't missing anything, though this is already a lot to think about.]

[canreallymove]

It's all cool! Now.

[And here he goes cracking the eggs and adding milk. And some salt.]

Just watch what I do!

[cellpreservation]

[...He still looks dubious. But he'll watch nonetheless.]

Playground

[hashtagwoof]

Uh...

[ He's just gonna ignore the doll thing for a second, mostly because he has hardly any room to talk after that incident at the trial, but shrug. ]

Not much, really. You?

[violence_ensues]

We've been waiting for Cynthiphelle to come back! She went over the fence to find out if there's anything out there asides monsters!

See, monsters can't see Cynthiphelle and that's why she's PERFECT for the job!

[temmapathy]

Your dad? What's he like?

[cellpreservation]

[?!!

Surely this is his punishment for not believing Dylan last week.

Anyway with the word laundry in his head (why laundry?????) he stumbles out of his room, not that he's particularly easy to spot given his night clothes consist of an all black street outfit.]

[temmapathy]

[Polly lets out a squeal of fear, nudging against Emma's legs, and she scoops the pig up in her arms as she sniffs the air. Feeling the word resonate in her mind, she slowly opens the door, peering around worriedly before setting Polly down, and starting towards the stairs.]

[copycut]

[ When she's shaken awake, the first thing Kuro does is fumble for the paired blades now kept at her bedside. It's... a little easier said than done, given that the vibration sends them scattering to the floor alongside her alarm clock. She scrambles to snatch up a hilt in each of her hands, and then she's up, bursting through the door to her room and ready to confront—

No one at all. Her fingers grasp tighter around metal as she hurries toward the stairs, toward the laundry room, intent on seeking out the source of the disturbance. ]

[whimsicalism]

[The vibrating makes the door slam behind you.]

[whimsicalism]

[You might want to be careful that Polly stays away from your door or shut it yourself. At least it looks like a few other students have been roused by this strange sensation.]

[cellpreservation]

[Welp.

TO THE LAUNDRY ROOM, HE GUESSES.]

[whimsicalism]

[You're not alone, Kuro, but it looks like the only other beings in the hall are your fellow students and a pet pig. Just be careful not to get caught by your door slamming shut behind you.]

[violence_ensues]

Oh...

[Adorabat gets a little less enthusiastic about her bubble cleaning.]

He's... um... boring. I mean, I still love him, but he's nothing like Mao Mao and Badgerclops...