【JUNE EVENT - INFO/PLOTTING】

[starrystorytellers]

JUNE EVENT

rumors of love

IC Date: 6/ 17 - 20

how many rumors can we spread?

On June 17th, the people of Starsand are abuzz with exciting news: There is to be a Meteor Shower that night! The locals will encourage their Fallen Star neighbors to grab a picnic basket and stay out watching the falling stars; It's punny, you see. Stars can be seen falling from 10pm that night until 4am on the 18th. The festivities are entirely peaceful: Vendors sell street food, picnics are easily obtained, and there are plenty of quiet spots for watching the stars. But as it so often is, the brief celebration is merely the calm before a storm...

Because over the next week, the Rumors will finally take effect.

EVENT SCHEDULE

This event will icly start June 17th for the meteor shower and June 18th for the Rumor Effects. Unlike most events, where we have contained event logs, this event will be up to the players. You are encouraged to make posts or use your own catch-alls; There will be no event log. This is because Berri is out of town at the end of June and won't be able to run a big plot-centric event! The problem and solution are both being presented this time and the characters are being trusted to fill in the rest. Thank you for your understanding!

There are only a few rules to keep in mind for this event...

• All effects are optional.
• The Facility and their employees will not be making any appearances.
• While it is possible to do investigations for plot details, the focus of this event is meant to be the characters.
• Effects do not stack, but they can be experienced one after another.

Now, let's look at the Rumor Effects that you get to play with!

EVENT EFFECTS LIST

(00) Meteor Shower Parties

Not an effect, but still something you can do! On June 17th, there will be a meteor shower in the city. Everyone will be encouraged to go on a stargazing picnic and enjoy the night sky. This is absolutely peaceful; No randomly passing out this year and no being kidnapped by the Facility! Though, those who were here last year may remember this as being the prelude to their first Facility kidnapping event.

(01) Canon Updates

The canon update mechanic officially goes live on the day of the Meteor Shower! This will be a permanently available mechanic, but the reason it is now active is connected to the event... hm. Berri can only do NPC scenes for this until June 22nd.

(02) The Rumor that Love Locks

Throughout June, the civilians of Starsand have believed that if they engrave a couples' name on a lock and attach it to the Shrine of Love's gate, then their romance will be blessed and last forever. But if the locks are removed, the relationship will fracture beyond repair. Fallen Stars have made attempts to dissuade people from putting up locks, but haven't broken any.

Starting on June 18th, characters whose names are on a lock together will be drawn to each other by a magnetic force. It's nearly impossible to resist. Once they're close enough to touch, they will instinctively link hands... and be stuck together. They can let go and try to move away, but they can only get two yards apart before that magnetic force snaps them back together again. This will go on until they find the offending lock and break it off of the gate. Doing so will cause them to feel a burning sensation any time that they touch each other and get a migraine when they look at each other. This effect lasts until June 20th.

Obviously not everyone put their names on locks... but luckily, the civilians of Starsand as unhelpfully helpful! They can have put your characters' names up thinking they were supportive shippers or misspelled the names of their friends or something. Point is... everyone can have an unfortunate lock on the gate! And strangely, this magic doesn't effect the civilians... huh.

Submit yourself for an RNG pairing over here! RNG pairings will close on June 16th.

(03) The Rumor of Idol Love

During the auditions, the Rising Star Agency was handing out windchimes as part of a promotional campaign. They wanted for people to write the names of Fallen Stars on these charms in order to support their agency auditions. As a result, these colourful charms have been hung all around the city in trees, outside windows, and especially around the Shrine of Love. Attempts have been made to break them, but they've only made the civilians more determined to show support for their favorite Fallen Star performers.

Starting on June 18th, the Rumor of these charms takes hold. The entire civilian population becomes enamored with the Fallen Stars who received the most windchimes... but it shows as paparazzi-type behavior. They're obsessed with taking candid photos, asking for interviews, and trying to learn more about the Fallen Stars. Fortunately, there are no cases of any dangerous behavior; No stalking, no break-ins, etc. But the civilians are abnormally nosy, willing to chase their idols until they lose sight of them. Strangely, all it takes is breaking their line of sight for them to suddenly lose interest and forget what they were doing. This effect will be strongest on characters who auditioned for the Agency and even worse for those who passed their audition.

Please note that there is no IC way to confirm that this behavior is related to the windchimes.

(04) The Rumor of Twisted Roses

Yet another early June Rumor was that you should write love-related wishes on strips of paper and twist them around the stems of roses in the Shrine of Love's garden. Characters who tied their wish around a red rose will feel compelled to make their wish true; They'll feel a rush of determination, become very honest about what they want, and maybe a bit obsessive about completing their goal. If someone made a wish to encourage a Fallen Star, then that person will feel the effects instead. This lasts until the wish it removed from the rose or until the character feels their wish has been granted in some form.
For characters who made a wish as an experiment, but want to opt-out: You can assume your character did not tie their wish on a red rose.

(05) The Rumor of 100 Fallen Star Stories

The final effect of June is another Rumor from last timeloop... But this round, it's much different. It's a memshare prompt!

Starting on June 18th, a new book is published around Starsand City. It's the most anticipated new release that you've never heard of! The 100 Fallen Stories. In it are very short stories about Fallen Stars; no more than 10 sentences each. But when they are read by fellow Fallen Stars, they cause the reader to relive the event in vivid detail. This effect only comes into play if the reader is within 2 meters of the character that the story is about; So they have to be very close to each other in order for it to work!

This prompt is obviously quite involved, so please use this post for plotting out what memories your character shares! Remember that memories can only be 10 sentences long. Once you've decided to do a thread together, both players can choose how to elaborate the memories. Please keep graphic descriptions of violence out of the 10 sentence summary.

Lastly, if you'd like then please submit your stories here. Berri Mod is using these to calculate how to hurt your characters in July.

All effects end on IC June 20th, when the Kami of Love reclaims control over her domain.

However, you may start new backdated event threads until July 1st.

Comments

Questions & Answers ☆

[starrystorytellers]

Ask away!

Investigations ☆

[starrystorytellers]

Every character can submit ONE event investigation. Follow-ups get 3 mod responses max.

Rumor 02 - RNG Pairings ☆

[starrystorytellers]

Request an RNG pairing here! It doesn't have to be your only pairing, but this is a way to get CR you might not otherwise think of!

Rumor 05 - 100 Stories ☆

[starrystorytellers]

Please submit characters' stories using their journals. You may submit 5 stories max per character.

Ai's Stories | OnK spoilers vaguely alluded to

[liedol]

#1 - Mephistopheles

The girl who had no memory of loving someone or ever being loved sat across from the recruiter and felt some sort of contemptible pity for him. Her, an idol? What a joke. There's nobody on the planet less suited to being an idol than her - self-hating, misanthropic and cynical and worst of all, impure.

There's no way somebody like her could ever stand on stage and sincerely give her heart out to her fans. There's no way she could do anything sincerely when her heart was such a horrible, rotten thing to begin with. So if it didn't have to be sincere... so long as it was pretty enough for nobody to be able to tell the difference...

"It's really okay to say 'I love you'? Even if it's a lie?"

That was the day that ███████ ██ sold her soul and never looked back.

#2 - Morning Star

Dressed up pretty and polished, the girl who never loved anyone could almost pass for a real idol. When she danced and smiled and flung words of love out across the audience, you could almost believe she meant it. But behind the scenes, her shine was less polished and the cracks were more visible. Fearing that the tarnish would only grow more visible with time, one of the filthy adults in her midst made a suggestion.

"Send her to Lala Lai," he said. "She's not an actress, but it'll straighten her out."

None of them had any way of knowing that in that moment, the girl's fate had been sealed.

In fact – the day ███████ ██ arrived at Lala Lai and saw h i s face, she was certain she had been saved.

#3 - Lilith

Of all the things that can't be forgiven, an idol who betrays her fans is the worst of them all. If she's ever discovered then her life and everything she knows dear may as well be forfeit.

███████ ██ knows this and chooses to betray them anyway.

She tells herself it's a test of her skill as an idol. Lying and covering up all the inconvenient ugliness is an essential skill for any top class performer and she thinks that if she can pull this off, it might just be the ultimate form of her love for her fans - her most perfect, most essential lie, so unblemished and seamless that none of them will have any idea she's lying in the first place.

Even if it's hard, she's certain she'll be able to pull it off.

She has something even more precious to protect, after all.

#4 - Maria

When she's cast in the director's movie, her manager is happy. So, ██ is happy.

When their single tops the Oricon charts for the first time, █-███████ is happy. So, ██ is happy.

When everything is going well, proceeding smoothly as a dream and her career climbs and climbs to heights none of them had ever really imagined were possible, everyone is happy. So, ██–

She doesn't really know anymore. She spends time smiling and nodding and lying because it's all she knows how to do but her feelings are opaque and inscrutable. Everything is so bright and strange and new and the things that she'd truly wanted seem further away than ever.

But there are precious, stolen moments hidden away from anyone eyes, all contained in tiny hands and jewel toned eyes and laughter and when she lives those moments, bright and few as they are, she feels almost certain that this truly must be happiness.

#5 - Eve

Curtain call. The performer takes her final bow.

There should be pain and bitterness, but in its place is something pure and sweet, lovely and intense and true.

For the first time since she was a child, Hoshino Ai opens her mouth and does not lie.


"Ruby, Aqua . . .

. . . I love you."

The curtain descends. Rusty red and shot through with brilliant silver.

It truly was the most beautiful final scene imaginable.

[preparade]

the inevitable question: so no graphic depictions of violence, understandable! what about more… vague references to it? like, are we looking at a pg-13 or pg rating LOL

[starrystorytellers]

Basically, we don't want people to be triggered while they're gleaming over memories. Also Berri might read them in public. So vague and not traumatic!

[originbullets]

RNG me, baybee.

[composalvation]

Can we submit stories for the 100 Fallen Stories book even if we don't wind up playing around with the memshare aspect of it?

ALSO. Is violence the only thing that should be avoided, or are there any other content warnings that are off limits?

[starrystorytellers]

1. Yes, you may!

2. Graphic violence is the biggest concern, yes! This isn't a SAW movie.

[composalvation]

Excellent, thank you!

[writeastherain]

RNG Aimee make her cry

[anenemies]

Signing Kagami up to be rng'd

Kana's Stories

[bakingsoda]

As a heads up, some of these may contain Oshi no Ko spoilers.

1.

There once was a girl who was famous: she was a child star, known for her tears that would capture audiences.

But as that girl got older, she no longer could be seen as popular. She was washed up; no longer a 'genius' of an actress that people could love and enjoy. And given her personality, they found her difficult to work with--so they chose not to.

As she lost her popularity, her fame, her status, the girl cried; she couldn't have people look at her in the way she wanted them to, so she made her choice.

She needed people to be happy, to cling onto the industry that was her lifeline.

So she didn't need to be famous, she didn't need to have people look at her in the way others used to. The girl didn't need to be a ray of sunshine that brightened the lives of people who looked at her.

That's why she made her choice: to adapt with the times, to dim her light; the spotlight wasn't meant for the girl, it was meant for those around her.

So the girl gave her light to them, knowing that she didn't need it - that was the lie that she told herself.

2.

The star whose light had dimmed found herself being pulled in every direction.

In order to stay relevant, for people to love her, she had to do her best.

She would do songs about green peppers, take on roles that were at the bottom of the barrel.

But then, one day, she was asked a singular question:

"Will you join my idol group?"

She thought about it, knowing that at the very second that she started doing any idol work, she could no longer do any jobs as an actress. And if she became one and failed, she would lose everything.

She didn't think that she was cute enough to be a popular idol, and she couldn't consider herself as foolish to take such a reckless bet.

Yet, she took the offer anyway. After all, how could she not? Especially after being asked by the person she would soon learn to love.

Yayoi's Stories

[nightwild]

i. despair

The broken child staggered through the back alley, weak from hunger. Unable to feed itself, it had attempted to steal, but was rebuffed through violence.

Finally, it fell to the ground as despair consumed the child’s heart. A black, icy grip took over it, as it felt the deepest pit of darkest hopelessness. It would die here, pointlessly, uselessly, never having felt love, never having been wanted, rejected by the world and damned to a short, useless life of suffering.

But as the cold despair gripped the child’s heart, a miracle occurred. A golden figure, a girl, its own age but more beautiful than any human could be, wearing a robe filled with stars, descended in front of the broken child.

And so, the goddess told the girl: “I am the Goddess of Salvation, come to save those who cry out in despair. Tell me: What is thy wish?”

ii. transform

In the dark, comforting void of her inner soul, the girl thought.

She had always felt sympathy for foxes. In the past, they were feared, loved, revered, messengers of the gods and spirits of trickery. But in modern times, they were only vermin, to be hunted and exterminated, unwanted pests.

They were only loved as long as they were unknown. But as soon as they were known, the illusions of their nature dispelled to be left with the undesirable reality, they were hated and discarded.

Just like her.

The hero opened her eyes, and she knew her new form as though it was a part of her. A fox mask, the robes of a magician, all of her things that had been discarded when they had been burned to shadows by the scorching light of reality.

With the ephemeral illusions of foxes and magic, she would destroy the so-called ‘real world’ to create a new world, where the illusion called ‘justice’ could manifest.

iii. hero

Night WIld had been the Goddess’ enforcer for some time now. How long, she had never bothered counting, feeling as though there had been no point. Every day, she sat around, waiting for her Goddess’ orders, and then exterminating the Wishes who were no longer acting in ways that benefited her.

Recently, however, there was something new happening. Wishes were being destroyed without one of the Goddess’ Circle doing it. Someone out there had power like theirs, and was using it to get in their way.

Night Wild was the first to meet this person, seeing their armored form fighting a monster to save the person it was targeting.

“My name is Elemental Knight. I won’t let anyone be hurt before my eyes.”

That was the hero the girl had always wished she could be, wasn’t it?

iv. meeting

The girl had managed to find a 500-yen coin, and yet, this machine had eaten it and not given her the drink. She pounded on the machine futilely, as if this would get it to obey- Her patience was wearing thin, and she was ready to simply smash the machine open to take it.

“Need a hand?”

The girl whirled around to see another, taller girl behind her.

“I don’t need your pity,” she snarled. She knew how she looked to most people, wearing ratty, secondhand, stolen clothes that didn’t fit, clearly poor and homeless.

“No pity, I just can’t leave a cute girl in distress.” Saying that so breezily, the other girl stepped forward, and put her own coin in the machine, causing two drinks to fall out.

The girl snatched her drink and snarled, ignorant that the person in front of her was the most important person in the world to her.

v. crab

The enemy in front of Night Wild resembled nothing more than a large, humanoid crab.

“I’ll cut it all up, everything should just be cut up and disappear!” It cried, as its pincers swung, carving a large chunk out of a building. “If you want to stop me, I’ll cut you up, too!”

The fight was swift. The crab monster, a Wish that had gone out of control, had power, but nothing else. When its own weak heart had been consumed by its rampaging desires, it became nothing more than a monster driven by its own greed.

Night Wild unleashed a barrage of attacks. Fire, ice, talismans, before finally ending it with a kick directly through the Wish’s hard shell, shattering the Seed that gave it power in one motion.

The Wish fell to the ground, reverting to the form of a human, a young man… albeit, one who had a crab claw for a hand himself now.

[perrorabioso]

ah heck rng pls

ryoko's stories

[loveedition]

i. prologue

Once upon a time, two young children met each other, introduced by their parents.

One hid behind her mother, long blue hair clashing with the fierce red that covered her face.

The other stood at her mother's side, short purple hair swaying lightly as she looked at her mother, confirming what the two had in common.

Two girls, silently watching, unsure of who should say what...

The short haired girl made the move, trotting over to share a book with the long haired girl.

The long haired girl felt surprised, yet happy... the other wasn't scary at all.

They read the book, laughing, smiling, pointing out different images.

While they both didn't realize it, they were starting to form a bond.

One that would persist past their childhood years.

ii. stakeout

The night air was chilly, and through the bushes, it was getting harder to see her two friends happily walking and chatting along, on their way to gaze at the stars.

The girl that tagged along with her griped about what they were doing, in continuing to tail them as they remained chaste and as unscandalous as possible.

The two girls stopped at a park, the blue-haired girl trying to get a good glimpse at the couple to make sure that there were no shenanigans.

Finally, the girl that came with her finally had to ask: what would have to happen for the other to relax when it came to those two?

She clearly wanted them to be together, but didn't want them to get too close together, so what was she looking for?

It took her a second to clear her mind, before the answer popped in.

Naturally, she wanted them to get together, but the closer that the two got... the further away her precious friend would get from her.

The thought made her feel lonely, even if that wouldn't be the case... she was just feeling a little jealous of how much closer they were getting.

Her friend, arms folded, thought on her own response and settled on one after walking over to place her hand on the other girl's shoulder.

"Yep, that's pretty dumb!"

iii. separation anxiety

Two friends sat in front of each other at the table, awkwardly avoiding eye contact with each other.

As if the first one to speak may cause the entire scene to crumble straight away, to allow one or both of them to start crying.

The underlying worry still remains: the bespectacled shy girl, saddened at the idea that she may not see her matronly friend any more, needing to be reminded of assorted holidays and vacations.

The note that it's always been normal for the two to be together, a normalcy that the matronly friend had long since passed over to another.

It was a way to study, to broaden her horizons... and most importantly, to find herself if she wasn't needed anymore.

"When we're apart... I'll miss you."

"Ah-- I know! Right?!"

A cry from both sides, one of sorrow and one of surprised relief as the two suddenly stood up, a somewhat silly request being made.

The matronly friend would have to get used to those words, would ask to hear them over and over, before embracing her precious, shy friend.

"I'll miss you."

iv. trust

The magi stood worried, sending the message and holding onto both phones: the one that belonged to her, and the other that belonged to the missing girl.

Her friend, their leader, had so much on his plate and had suffered so much over the past couple of months that she was warned against this, the feeling being that his psyche had turned so fragile that this would be what finally sets him off.

The magi chose to believe in him.

After all, he had placed his trust in her, a man with a tragic family legacy that had lost so many towards a girl who had just over a year prior, finished her second year of high school with no incident.

She couldn't betray that trust, as he arrived and she handed over the phone of their missing comrade.

A comrade who's given name had never been spoken from his lips, and yet as it did, she felt her heart shrink just a little: any feelings that she had would have to be turned away, for the sake of progress.

Though she resented herself for even letting a small amount of doubt cross her mind, she had to ask whether or not he would keep himself together, whether their friend's disappearance, after the loss of her friends, would be what finally completely breaks him.

His response was to assure her, that after losing everything multiple times, he could stand to put himself back together again once or twice more.

The relief on her face betrayed how she felt, the shame in thinking less of someone that she otherwise thought the world of, and the best she could do was offer her assistance... an offer that he would say that he still needed from her.

Together, with everyone else, they would make sure the sun rose the next day, and that their friends remained safe.

v. her strength

The battle ended, and amongst those who had fallen, some of whom would remain still for another few days, were two girls.

One, in complete shambles and disarray, tears having stained her face consistently over the end.

The other, unconscious, her blue hair stained red, looking a complete mess of blood and torn fabric.

As the unconscious girl stirred, a tiny hand pressed back to ensure that she didn't move, wanting her not to reaggravate any of her injuries.

The smaller girl tried to keep her from moving, despite the other's insistence on verifying that everyone else was still safe, ensuring that the day, for as much as it could have been, was won.

Out of gratitude, or out of sheer pride, simple words had been spoken, unintentionally causing the already fragile bundle of emotions to completely fall to pieces, leaving the smaller girl sobbing at her friend.

"When did you become so strong?"

Why was she being praised?

The two had grown close, far closer than the smaller girl had initially wanted, but now the thought of the other leaving her friend's side made her feel that much happier that she stuck with her until she was healed, keeping her alive despite her complete and utter fear.

For the first time, though it may have blossomed previously, and it may have existed for a while... a bond of love had become visible, waiting for one to realize and reach for it.

taiga's stories

[preparade]

i. hanabi

It's the final night of her summer vacation, and it's the perfect weather for fireworks on the beach. The five of them had deepened their understanding of each other, teenagers stumbling through life together as they sit on the cusp of adulthood. This particular fact is brushed aside to indulge in their childish joys, even as conversations danced around sensitive topics.

The tiger is pulled away by her crush, in what she will one day come to understand was to spare her heart, in order to light up the sky with lights. She is nervous, so very nervous, that she may say something wrong around him, and despite his best efforts she turns back to comfort.

"Ryuuji, did you see that?! I lit that one, it was so big and super pret..."

Spinning on her heel with the grace of a dancer, she sees the illuminated figures of two very dear friends, faces flushed in a nervousness she knows too well.

She cannot place the emotion that washes over her, like the waves of the ocean. It is too painful for her to admit, even to herself.

ii. ms. festival

A large bonfire burns in the school yard, students cheering for a cultural festival's success and pleas for their classmates to win the race for Ms. Festival's hand--and more importantly for most, the Student Council President's class notes. The occassion should be one steeped in happiness and good cheer, yet as Ms. Festival sits in waiting for her suitor, her expression is one of detached melancholy.

The air is so cold, so crisp, where she waits and watches.

The race is pure chaos, a no holds barred pursuit where if someone were destined to lose, it was in their interest to take others down with them. One student, tall and with blue hair, uses the backs of his classmates to scale a chain link fence, while another student, armed with a softball and hair bright red, takes down a crowd with a single throw.

Ms. Festival stands from her throne with a gasp as the pair break out from the others, a short sprint away from their prize... only for the red-headed girl to trip. That should have been the cue for the other student to press forward and cross the finish line, but a peculiar thing happens. He skids to a stop and with a stubborn determination burning in his eyes, returns to grab her by the hand so the two of them claim the prize together.

The small girl, as beautiful as an angelic doll, knows that she should be happy with this outcome; her two closest friends, setting aside a petty feud to reach for her hand.

Why then, does her heart continue to ache in the cold, crisp air of the night?

iii. the palmtop tiger of happiness

It was complete bullshit, she decided; her, the happiest person in town? Ranking highest in happiness points on some silly website that looked like it was made in Ye Olden Days of the internet? It felt like a mockery.

After a month of feeling... happy, truly happy, Taiga was anything but. The facade crashed down around her, and she had the painful realisation that she wasn't happy. Not back home, not here, she was never happy, and she never would be--that was her fate, and it was better to accept it for what it was.

The Palmtop Tiger of Happiness.

It felt like so long ago that she was called that, her classmates chasing her down to rub her head, and she would bless your life with happiness. It sounded so... so stupid... stupid back home, stupid here, all around stupid.

Which is how she finds herself walking home after spending the evening at Ryoko's, a bitter smile on her face. She wasn't happy; she had finally seen what true happiness could be, and it wasn't this.

Kokoro's Stories

[stavros]

[1]

A little girl, no older than four, watches a young man in a training hall with a rack of throwing axes. She stands at the side, holding onto the doorframe, as he picks one up and throws it in a perfect arc, piercing a target hanging from the ceiling and sending it swinging back and forth from the momentum.

"Do you think I could do that, too?"

He pauses. Glances down at her, wondering what to say, until he settles on:

"You might well not need to, if the world is saved. But regardless of what I accomplish, perhaps your fate will follow the rest of ours after all."

"What's that mean?"

"Maybe later."

[2]

The young hunter settles down onto the bed on her side of the St. Gradius dorm room. Her roommate, a girl with red hair in a high ponytail, sets a sword on an ornamental wall hook.

"I can't believe we came here to save the world and we still have to do homework," the redhead sighs.

"You will overcome it in time," says the first girl, unloading a box of holy water onto the shelves on her side. "We have greater concerns."

The redhead pouts. "Do you think I could ask the Getsu clan's protective spirits to do it for me? They might get better grades..."

"If I still must do my homework after pleading to the patron saint of the relevant subject, the same must apply to you, Hanafuuma." Yet, chiding as she is, she does smile a little.

[3]

A small squad of strange girls suspended in space, giving it their all with Earth's armies behind them. But then she appears -- a woman with white hair, rising from her throne, with seven sets of wings -- and as emergency alerts come over the communicators, she speaks briefly.

"I am Dark Force. You die here."

She laughs, and without any further warning, unleashes a laser half the size of the planet.

Even if they're not caught in the massive blast, they see it. All around Kokoro, her squadmates are freezing up, screaming, crying. But she can't -- she can only listen to Operetta's orders to escape back in time.

"So this is the destiny I've been dealt..."

Re: Rumor 02 - RNG Pairings ☆

[fallmushrooms]

rng me

Velda's Stories

[fallmushrooms]

[1|tw bullying]

She has her uniform cloak up over her head and ducks into a crowd in the cafeteria, but as they part, whispering around her, she can still hear the footsteps. Quick, to the nearest door, up the stairs. Further, maybe they won't see her even now that she's heard them opening the door after her --

"Hey, Velda!" Sickly-sweet voices, a perfect mask in case a teacher hears. "We know you're up there!"

She presses her back against the wall and tries to walk quietly, hoping they're bluffing.

"That's a restricted area, do you know that?"

"Bet she doesn't, she's so weird."

As they taunt and whisper among themselves, all she can do is look for an escape route.

[2]

The messy-haired girl shrinks a little into her worn pink sweater, backed into a corner in a quiet moment in the Autumngale dorm. Before her is a magical projection of her frowning parents.

"We can't keep getting calls from the school," her father says.

She flinches. "I know, but it wasn't even bad, I --"

"You disrupted an assembly!"

"Disrupted -- I just made an announcement! Other people don't even get into trouble for that!"

"You are not other people, you're there on a scholarship. Do not forget that you're incredibly lucky to be there, so just try to blend in and act normal for your sake and ours!"

[3]

If the club was secret on pain of being forcibly disbanded by the headmaster, the club room the young witch had found walled off while climbing the side of the school was especially so. They'd done some cleaning up once they got in for the first time, even installed a hidden door so those who weren't so inclined towards parkour could more easily get in through a fake locker, but nothing had prepared them for this adventure.

Because three hours after curfew, some half hanging out the window and some posted standing guard for teachers or security, the Arcanology Club was struggling to smuggle in a couch.

"I wish we could -- nn -- just hire movers."

"They'd never be able to find the school, much less hide in it -- shhh!"

"It's stuck again, you'll break it!"

"At least it was cheap, but I don't want to have to do this again..."

They were there for the next hour and a half, and most of that was spent just trying to levitate the couch to the window and shove it through.

Mei's Stories

[everpromisedthunder]

As of this edit, there are major spoilers for the final Animated short of Honkai Impact 3rd Arc I.

I.

As tightly as she'd cling, it never felt like she was any closer to the girl with silver hair.

It felt like the person in front of her, who she'd known all her life, ever since the day she'd been seen, saved, had become another face in the crowd. Even though she knew it was her... even though those deep blue eyes were unmistakably her, something had been lost. Her heart wept, and anything that resembled a hope that she'd come home seemed to die.

She couldn't bear it. But... even if she wanted to say more, there were other things that needed to be resolved first.

"I want you know that I... that everyone on the Hyperion will always be waiting for you."

If only she'd known, then, that they would never get that chance -- not here.

II.

"You... you're the biggest idiot I've ever seen. But... you make me feel safe."

"What'd you just say?"

"Ah... nothing. Let's get going."

She wished she could admit it outright to that silver-haired girl. That she had the courage to tell her how she felt ever since.

But... she would only keep being a danger to ﾛﾛﾛﾛﾛ, as she was now.

She couldn't -- she won't -- do that to ﾛﾛﾛﾛﾛ, no matter what it took...

III.

"Nothing... at all... I couldn't do anything..."

The anger, the regret, the grief -- they came flooding out in a single moment. She'd fallen, reached out helplessly to that glimmer as it faded into the sky, not unlike a dusk that quickly washed it all away.

It hadn't been that long, since she and her dearest person became part of St. Freya.

Then that same friend had become a monster, a grim smile on her face.

She'd been running, chasing, fighting, for a chance to bring her back.

And now--now, it was only sinking in, that her hopes were well and truly dashed.

She was a mere girl, trying to stand among the fiercest in the world.

Raiden Mei was helpless.

IV.

They finally stood here, after all the pain and struggle they went through.

On this building that overlooked the rest of a broken city, she and the silver-haired girl gazed out towards the horizon, towards the dawn that slowly broke.

"...so much has happened."

"...It... really is a lot, to take in."

"...do we have to part ways here, again? Here and now?"

"No." Mei tightened her grip on the other girl's hand. "...We'll stay together until the end, this time."

...that smile, that life, the light in her eyes was all she needed.

[nightwild]

rng me up

Himeko's Stories

[dereban]

i.

It would have been funnier if it all was just a sick, cruel joke.

But, as luck would have it, for the five teens known as the Pentagon, their lives would change the very moment that they would see the face of a teacher; someone who was meant to be familiar, warm, and kind replaced with an entity who had no enthusiasm — much less anything else. This entity was known only as «Heartseed».

The loneliest girl would never forget this moment — not in many years to come, as «Heartseed» would explain the awful experiment that it would put them through: the swapping of the bodies, completely at random, between the five of them.

They would go on to explain, clinically, almost as if none of this had nothing to do with them in the first place that they wouldn't infringe on their privacy; that they only watch under "certain conditions" and not for "the fun of it all".

And then, the loneliest girl asked the questions that were on her mind: wondering why they were chosen, if «Heartseed» had full control over what happened to them, how could they make it all stop and what was their objective in doing all of this in the first place.

Of course, they didn't have to answer all of it; after all, it was, to them, 'pointless and unnecessary', so they chose only to answer whatever they wanted to, which ended up in ultimately being one conclusion.

Even though the five of them may have been chosen by sheer "luck", as «Heartseed» may have called it, the Pentagon was much more interesting as a group than most, more fascinating; after all, they were five teens with barely anything in common, only lumped together in a club like this simply because being in one was mandatory for their school.

And so, they had no other choice but to deal with the turmoils that were foisted upon them by «Heartseed», unable to fight back after being told to basically 'deal with it'.

ii.

The fact that the loneliest girl had been forced to join on a local volunteer trash cleanup event no thanks to the moron beside her, currently occupying her body while she, at present, was in his body.

"Great, me and you, stuck on a garbage date," she sighed, clicking her trash tongs in dismay.

Certainly, it was the perfect weather for a stroll around town, and while the whole "cleanup element" was not great, it did kind of feel like a date, more or less.

And just then and there — they swapped back to their original bodies.

It made the girl grumble, frustrated about the whole situation: her reputation that she had built up in the last six months was destroyed in a matter of hours, and while the boy next to hear had made the attempt to put it all in a positive light, saying that she was now more relatable, she didn't see it that way; she only saw it as giving her enemies — anyone that isn't her — more ammo to use against her.

But that wasn't the important part, what was more important — at least, to the boy's eyes — was how the loneliest girl had tried to pick a fight with their class representative. She explained that by doing so, she made his intentions known: that he could whisk the girl that he loved away from the class rep's "evil clutches"; it was the perfect opportunity for a goddamn martyr, as she called him, shooting him a look that spoke measures — a mix of understanding, pity, kindness, anger, frustration, and a fair bit of envy.

The two of them spoke more about the boy's beloved girl, about how he had to save her. After all, the two of them were 'damaged goods' that had what the other was missing: a match made in heaven.

"Besides," the loneliest girl added, as she looked away, her expression difficult to read, "you two really come alive when you're together."

iii.


Ironically, it had been quite some time since the loneliest girl had walked home by herself, and for some reason, it felt colder--especially after having seen that girl decide to hang out with all of her other friends.

She did the ordinary things: sit around in her room, eat dinner, go back to her room before pacing anxiously, unable to get the girl out of her mind.

Goddamn it, she thought to herself, I can't get it out of my head, what is wrong with me? Why am I so obsessed with some random classmate, fuck this shit.

There was a weight in her chest, heavy as she thought that this so called 'friendship' wasn't going to be worth if it'd only make her miserable. But just as that thought came to mind, her cell phone rang and she couldn't help but look at the display to see who it was - and lo and behold, the girl had called her.

It made her wonder what she could possibly want; did she only want to talk to her when she needed something? She was sick and tired of tearing her hear over her, but eventually, she gave in and answered, only to be told that there was a stranger outside her house, that she was terrified--and so, as if on instinct, the loneliest girl leapt to her feet and dashed out of the house.

She went on the train, to her house and she couldn't help but think to herself: what was she doing? There was no reason for her to come to her rescue, she was just a random classmate.

And the idle thought that came to mind was a funny one - what am I, her boyfriend?

ryuunosuke's stories

[hamachaya]

i. "Sailor Suit Battle"

In front of the high school, the battling family members stood at a stalemate, the other waiting for the first move.

The father, overconfident, chiseled, burning with a manly flare contrasted with the sailor suit that hung from a hanger in his grasp.

The kid, brand new to the school, shedding the red shirt that they had worn to reveal the sarashi underneath, the perfect outfit for this one on one battle.

Finally, the drooling idiot on the sidelines, who as the fight started proper, immediately got in the way to distract the kid from their goal.

The father took the opportunity to strike, immediately defeating the kid and taking away the right for them to wear the sailor suit.

Unable to properly vent their frustration, the kid delivered a powerful blow to the moron's jaw, launching him into the sky.

Looks like it's a gakuran for them this time.

ii. "Ran-chan"

The kid was curious about what it meant to be "feminine", captivated instantly by the appearance of the pink-haired girl that arrived to speak to one of her classmates.

They were shy, not sure about talking to them directly, and so they delivered a letter to get to know more about her.

The kid was thrilled to find out that the girl was more than happy to hang out, and so they'd get to learn more about girls, everything that there was to know.

If only it was that easy.

The two enjoyed the boat ride, the kid working the oars and offering the girl a chance to give it a try.

The girl considered it scary, and upon moving closer, completely threw herself at the kid with a 'kya'!

The kid, tried a 'kya' themself.

Any other chance to learn more was immediately interrupted by the girl's friend, being accompanied by the same annoying jackass that interrupted the kid before.

Despite the boat capsizing and everyone involved ending up soaking wet from their dip into the lake, the kid's determination burned brighter than before: surely they'll reach their goal soon!

They'll get that sailor uniform!

iii. "Shino-chan"

The kid stood before the camera, a trio of delinquents directing them and their friend to stand a bit closer.

Their plan hinged on the two looking like a couple, in order to keep their friend from being harassed by their gang's leader... so, if they weren't convincing, the plan'd never work.

Looking confident, the kid's eyes burned in determination, knowing that once this was completely taken care of, they'd finally be that much closer to the ultimate goal she had.

They could play the role of "boyfriend" if it meant that at the end, they got their hands on that certificate.

Their friend on the other hand, looked on in slight admiration... she hadn't noticed how cool they looked, even after pulling her closer into their arm.

Only one last part of the picture left: the kiss!

That wasn't originally part of the script... but, what did it matter? It had to be quick and convincing, that's all!

So the kid, not thinking too hard about it, cupped their friend's chin and tilted it up, staring into her eyes, before leaning in.

iv. "Miss Tomobiki"

The beauty pageant had come down to the five finalists, and the kid had complete confidence in their abilities.

They'd completely aced the intelligence test, solving the puzzles presented by that moron from before. They instantly had a great head start on points, and there was no way that they were going to fall behind.

At least, they didn't think so.

The eating contest was another story, and after a couple bowls... they had tapped out, not even coming close to the school's nurse that had taken down over 50 bowls herself.

The final battle had come, and it sounded like it would be a battle royale. After the other four had made their entrances into the ring, the kid finally showed up, a red longcoat covering what they planned to go into battle with: their sarashi, the best thing to wear for a battle.

Right. They're ready... they'll be crowned Miss Tomobiki at any cost!