ACADEMIC AKRASIA
"The persona is a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual"
- Carl Jung, Two Essays on Analytical Psychology.
- Carl Jung, Two Essays on Analytical Psychology.
~~~~~
A simple test; can you state your name?
The sun had begun its descent, setting the sky ablaze with hues of orange and red. Chocolate brown eyes glazed over at the sight, their owner clearly unaffected by the beautiful canvas separated from him by only a classroom window. He sighed, resting his head against a single palm, his elbow pressing down into the wood of his desk. Here he was at school so late in the evening, waiting for the arrival of the mysterious figure that had requested his presence.
He glanced down at the note, the one that he had discovered in his shoe locker mere hours before. It had been almost a cliché, a happenstance that would not have found itself out of place in some shoujo manga. Yet here he was, the proud owner of a note telling him to wait in a second-year classroom, waiting.
It was a neat scrawl, almost mechanical. Their mastery of hiragana was beyond his, no doubt.
Come to class 2-A.
But it didn’t make it any less frustrating. He released another deep breath, closing his eyes and soaking in the metallic scent of the room. He was tired. He didn’t want to be here. He could so easily just stand up and exit through the door. He could so easily return home and cook himself dinner. Except he was still at school.
Waiting for someone who might not come.
He released a long sigh, cradling his head within his arms. How long could he wait?
There aren't many who can remember their identity when in this domain.
It was nearly nightfall. He blinked in surprise. Time had passed more quickly than he had expected, and it was clear from the yawn he was now attempting to hold in that it would be for the best that he head home.
And nobody had arrived.
He shook his head. He had been a fool to wait so long.
The chair creaked back against the wooden floorboards, and he stood up. There was no point in staying so late, especially when he had other things to deal with at home. To have been so gullible to have fallen for such a haphazardly written letter ... he only had himself to blame for this mistake. It was as if he was one of those children who believed that there would roam the hallways and classrooms at night. Absolute poppycock. He had yet to see any shred of evidence.
And as student council president, he had access to all of it.
The lights blinked, crackling with energy.
Once.
Twice.
He started screaming.
~~~ Welcome ~~~
Welcome to Academic Akrasia. As a student here at the prestigious Uchima (内魔) Senior High (student population of approximately 980), you have most likely heard rumours of your fellows disappearing into thin air, vanishing between one day and the next without anyone the wiser. In fact, you might have even heard rumours of monsters stalking the hallways at night, or of crazy dreams involving copious amounts of blue velvet. Maybe you didn’t pay heed to those rumours, except just last week, the student council president, praise be to his bishounen glory, was discovered missing.
And a number of you have been getting strange dreams. Real strange ones. Maybe there was a guy wearing a mask in them. Maybe there were butterflies. Maybe you couldn’t remember your name, maybe you could.
Maybe you were already having these dreams, but this last week has been sending them into overdrive.
Maybe, just maybe, you even saw a ghost materialise before you. Even temporarily. Maybe.
Strange dreams, strange phantoms, strange disappearances, and for some strange reason, they’ve begun to plague this beloved (or less than beloved) school of yours.
Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark, and for the sake of getting into a good university, wouldn’t it be a good idea for you to investigate what’s happening?
~~~ Uchima Senior High ~~~
Founded thirty years ago to deal with student overflow from other schools in the district, Uchima Senior High has grown to become one of the most prestigious high schools in the country, consistently producing graduates who have gone on to become much more than wages slaves keeping the declining Japanese economy from completely collapsing. Its teaching staff have been praised as top-notch, and the steady stream of enrolments, as well as efficient bureaucracy, have kept its facilities in top shape, allowing for its students to enjoy the luxury of being on the crest of educational technology. To many outsiders, the school appears to be the best of the best, a solid choice for a good high school education.
However, in the eyes of locals, the institution possesses a checkered history. A mere sixteen years ago, the main building was set ablaze, destroying several classrooms, bringing down its central spire and killing eight students. It was a shocking blow to the community and the school, especially at the tail end of the Lost Decade. The school was forced to rely on donations and numerous loans to begin rebuilding, something that many considered to be the beginning of its infamy. You see, when the rebuilding had been complete, students and staff alike began to report strange happenstances, supernatural occurrences that could not be explained in any rational manner.
They were brushed off as mere rumours or possibly even traumatic hallucinations from the fire, but as time went on, the sightings grew, and the rumours became even more wild and bizarre. Uchima's school board fought to suppress the mutterings, but they were unsuccessful. People began to talk, and the school was soon claimed to be cursed.
It didn't help when people began to disappear.
Six years passed, and it seemed as if the rumours would continue to grow. But then one day, they stopped. The disappearances. The ghost sightings. The supposed curse that had been placed upon it. They all stopped.
And Uchima was once again safe.
A decade later, the "cursed days" of the school have been all but forgotten. Rumours of disappearances, strange dreams afflicting students, they still find their way into the schoolyard, but the staff has grown more skilled at suppressing such talk from reaching the rest of the city. Maybe there might have been one or two actual disappearances, but who knows with the rumours?
Too bad it's just had to change now.
~~~ The Local Area ~~~
On the shores of the Chūbu region’s Ise Bay lies Shikatsu (師勝町), a bustling city only several hours west of the Nagoya metropolis. Originally a collection of small farming villages, the peace and prosperity enjoyed by Japan during the Taishō era, as well as the construction of the Meitetsu Inuyama Line, brought rapid development to the area, and by the time of the country’s post-war recovery, it had become a full-fledged city in its own right, a shining example of the “economic miracle” that had gripped the nation.
Even today, the 200,000 person city continues to flourish, a popular destination for those seeking work in the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area. As such, its central business district, defined by towering office skyscrapers, shopping malls, government buildings and the signature Bashō Radio Tower that has become a permanent part of the city skyline, is busy at all times of the day, with a very active nightlife.
Its position on the Nōbi Plain has provided Shikatsu with a strong agricultural industry, with the alluvial fan of the region’s rivers a prime location for the numerous farms that border the northern suburbs. This is heavily contrasted against the industrial sector of the south-west, near the highly built-up docksides. To the east lie the majority of the suburbs, with many also serving as ‘bedroom towns’ for nearby Nagoya.
Uchima Senior High is located smack-dab within the eastern suburbs, the most prominent of its district’s numerous schools. This prominence, unfortunately, lends more to its infamy and frequent student disappearances, as well as the general … foreboding atmosphere that seems to envelop the entire institution. It is, however, still one of the top high schools in the country, hence the constant stream of enrolments that has yet to cease.
As a tidbit, a small detective agency has established itself a few blocks away from the gates of Uchima, its presence rather noticeable in such a suburban area.
~~~ The Signup ~~~
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Arcana:
Equipment:
Skills:
Appearance:
Personality:
Biography:
Persona
Name:
Appearance:
Traits: (how do certain elements affect the Persona?)
-Reflects:
-Absorbs:
-Void:
-Resist:
-Weak:
Abilities/Skills: (don't go overboard with them, obviously)
~~~ General Rules ~~~
- Follow Guild rules. This should probably be a given.
- No meta-gaming, bunnying or god-modding.
- Keep your beef somewhere private. If you don’t like somebody, yeah, I can’t stop you from doing that, but talk to them through PMs and whatnot rather than filling the OOC with drama. This also applies to IC posts. Keep your beef out of your character interactions.
- GM gets final say, although I am willing to talk decisions over.
- Try and enjoy yourselves.
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Here we go.
