IceSolstice

Aphorism: Skyline Institute

[Eliisa]

Eliisa stared at the paper she held in her hand, Now what? Angels descend from the sky and start trumpeting? I wouldn’t be surprised at this point.
“Bind!” jolted her out of her thoughts. She glanced around and saw a very embarrassed guy sit back down.
Mr. Magorian went around, checking everyone’s paper and admonishing one person for writing down ‘God’ and forcing her to change it into something else. He then gave further instructions, “Now that you’ve written it down, say it aloud and try testing your new power out. From here on out, you’ll be fighting for your life. You’ll either leave this place through graduation or in a body bag.”

Power? What? Am I some sort of superhero now? And wait a minute… that guy said ‘bind’ meaning… I better avoid him if I want to hold onto my freedom, she thought while whispering, “Change.”
The paper crumbled into nothing and she felt a slight burn on her right shoulder. Twisting her head around and lifting the sleeve of her right arm up, she saw the word ‘change’ practically tattooed onto her skin.
Eliisa sighed, letting the sleeve cover up her arm again, my parents are going to throw a fit if they find I have a tattoo now. Then again, I’ll be free from their influence after I graduate.
Anyhow. I have the word ‘change’ which means I can shapeshift, right? Then...
She looked at one of her fingers, imagining the finger tip to be a claw. Eliisa flinched when she saw her finger tip turn into a sharp, tough point. Am I hallucinating? I...what?
She used her other hand to prod it carefully, I… it’s… unless I’m hallucinating the sense of touch?? Am I in a dream??? She turned her finger back to normal and slapped herself with one hand not so gently.
Owww. Well that hurt. I’m… not dreaming? Gaaaaaah why is this place so weird????? Ughh. I might as well cover up that mark. It’s not very flattering to have ‘CHANGE’ tattooed on yourself.
She lifted up the sleeve again and imagined her right shoulder having clear, unblemished skin. It took effect almost instantly and her skin appeared normal again.
Wait. I should check to see if I can change other objects.
Eliisa glanced at her pencil, What to change it into…? Nothing too noticeable. Wouldn’t want to attract unwanted attention.
She took a deep breath and pictured the pencil as a pen instead. It morphed in front of her very eyes.
Maybe… with this, school here will be fun.

---

[Milayou and Elliot]

I know you can make it through the year!

She has so much faith in me… but i’m not so sure that I can….

The hallway drifted past Milayou like fogged glass. Without realizing it, she arrived at the doorway of Classroom 1. Still oblivious, Milayou turned the doorknob to the classroom. Entangled in her thoughts, she meandered into the room.

They reminded me of the eggheads your father used to deal with… Dad… would he be thinking right now?

The layout of Classroom 1 was not quite the same as the classroom Milayou had been going to previously. A step into a supposedly empty aisle became a step in a row of tables instead.

“Ow! Ah!”

Elliot jerked awake and stared wildly around him before his gaze settled on a petite looking girl with blonde-white hair.

“Auh, sorry, sorry!”

Turns out the table was occupied too, by a short-haired, Asian-looking boy. Still slouched over, the boy stared back at her with groggy eyes.

“It’s okay,” Elliot replied in a quiet voice. He didn’t blame her, it was an accident after all.

With a flustered look on her face, Milayou nodded once, and hastily headed towards an empty seat.

Sleeping on the first day… what happened to him? Mmm, maybe he just had a bad trip to Skyline…

A teacher walked in and introduced herself as Ms. Hawkins. As she addressed the students, she hands out small squares of paper.
“Students! Listen up and live, or die in the next hour, I don’t really care, but don’t drag down the other students as well. So shut up, listen, follow my instructions and half of you might just live to see the end of the day.”
The class falls deathly quiet.
“Don’t touch this piece of paper yet! Other teachers aren’t as explicit, nor as punctual as I am with their instructions, so count yourselves lucky. On this paper, you will write one single word. This word will define how you will be fighting for the rest of the school year. It will be what you will depend on, and the only thing you can depend on during your stay here. And most importantly, and I dont know why some teachers don't tell you this, but this word will be your supernatural power, your ability. I recommend nouns and verbs, and to lean away from the more abstract of words.”

[Elliot]

I don’t want to fight… I just want to disappear…make everything that troubles me disappear… Elliot thought sadly and dejectedly.
He writes ‘disappear’ on the paper with sluggish movements.

“Once you’ve decided on a word and written it down, hold it in your hand and say it aloud. After that, have at it. And lastly, have a clear image in your mind when you use your words, or baaaaad things will happen hahahaaa...”
With that, Ms. Hawkins sits down in the corner of the classroom, kicks her legs up on a desk, folds her arms, and closes her eyes.
“Don’t bother me, don’t bleed on me, and keep quiet. You all should have about five minutes until the blight begins.”

Holding the paper in his hand, Elliot reluctantly mutters, “Disappear.” The paper seemingly vanishes and Elliot’s left forearm starts burning and itching. He looks at his arm and sees ‘Disappear’ marking his skin.

Word appearance:

(Source: Donovan Olson)

Feeling ashamed of its proclamation of his cowardliness, Elliot remembers what Ms. Hawkins instructed and imagined his mark fading from his arm. He watches, fascinated with the process as his skin becomes unblemished again. I hold… power now? He glances around and spies a piece of chalk on the side of the chalkboard. Be gone…, and it winks out of existence. I still don’t want to draw attention to myself though. I could make myself disappear forever, but I can’t now? I have to graduate. Things will get better. I don’t want to die. Maybe I could disappear my appearance like I did with that word tattoo looking thing. Have to be careful though. Need to imagine myself there, but invisible.
Elliot steels himself and pictures himself, sitting at his desk living and breathing, but invisible. The power takes effect and Elliot becomes very disoriented. It was a bizarre experience to not be able to see your own body. Through trial and error, he was finally able to stand up and balance on both feet. Now I finally can get away from everyone.

Aphorism: Skyline Institute

First blight will start the second I am finished with the posts.

Aphorism: Skyline Institute

@Blitz

The only minor tweak you need to make is that the paper disintegrates when the student holding the paper says the word out loud (so it's not controlled by the teacher), other than that you did a nice job. :)

Aphorism: Skyline Institute

It's fine, and I'll look forward to seeing it. :D

Aphorism: Skyline Institute

[Naoi]

Finally. This will be the place where everything begins. Naoi gazed at the gates of the school with a smirk on his face. He noticed that there was a family chatting with the guards and couldn’t help but overhear the conversation. How the girl in the wheelchair proved that she was able to see the island, and that she was accepted in the end. What does she think this school is? A place where unicorns exist and everyone lives happily ever after? Naoi thought disdainfully. He walked confidently forward, but stopped when he had the feeling someone was watching him. He turned, only to find the wheelchair girl observing him. He gave her a cold gaze, What do you think you can do in that wheelchair? How will you even cope during the blights? Perfectly healthy and capable people die in these things. Naoi internally shook his head and continued past the gate.
The landscape seemed to shift suddenly, and it only took him a second or two to adjust to what his eyes were seeing. Flicking a gaze backwards, he contemplated, Hmm… we’re probably in another dimension, just for the school. For Naraka, they just sealed it off so that students couldn't escape. Although how this was created in the first place is the real question…But the first priority is getting to class, it would be a huge oversight on my part if I didn’t get my word in time. Naoi went over to the line of tables set up on the field and one of the receptionists motioned him to come over. He obliged and was asked, “Your name?”
“Naoi Yukimura,” he responded.
“From Japan?” the lady questioned while searching through the envelopes.
“Yeah,” Naoi answered.
“Might I ask you why you decided to come here instead of Naraka? This is going a bit out of your way after all,” the receptionist said cheekily.
“I wanted to broaden my horizons,” he replied calmly.
“Felt that Japan was too small for you?” the lady said teasingly as she handed Naoi the envelope.
“Something of that sort,” Naoi conceded and accepted the envelope gracefully.
“That number on front is your class assignment, inside is your room key and room information. The classes are located in the two buildings to the right of that main building and the one that is more left has classes one through four, the most right one contains classes five through eight. Class starts at 10 a.m.” she explained.
“Thanks,” Naoi responded as he examined the envelope. Guess I’m in Class 3 then.
“No problem, just part of my job.”
Naoi checked his watch, 58 minutes until class starts. I should make a mental map of the entire campus since that will be important information for blights that manifest here. He walked as far as he could away from campus until he bumped into the barrier. Using one hand to touch the barrier, he traced the campus borders, carefully analyzing the buildings in the meantime. When he returned to his starting point he checked his watch again. 9:42. Good timing.
He quickly made his way to the building that the receptionist had talked about and found his classroom. Hopefully these people won’t drag me down, he thought and opened the door. To his surprise, he found the one person he didn’t want to see again.

[Alice]

Once she rolled through the gate and looked around her, Alice started giggling. This place really is magical, and that’s why that boy disappeared too! She finally caught her breath and wheeled herself over to the tables. The man in front of her asked, “What’s your name?”
“Alice McKay,” she answered cheerfully, “But you probably don’t have anything for me since I turned in an application just now.”
“Really now?” the man shook his head, “This is what happens when people don’t follow normal procedures. I’ll grab a spare envelope for you then.”
Alice waited patiently, humming a tune to herself. I wonder what other cool things Skyline is hiding.
“Here’s your stuff,” the man said after coming back and handing her the envelope, “The number indicates that you’re in Class 3, which is in that building to the right of the main building. Inside are your room key and room information, although I got one that was specially on the first floor cause of your disability.”
“Thanks,” Alice replied. I rather people not mention my...impairment. But that should change soon!

She carefully maneuvered her way to the classroom marked with a sign that had the number three on it. Thankfully, the door was already propped open so she didn’t have to wait for someone to help her open it. She went inside and the teacher in the corner hurried her way over to her. “Here, why don’t you sit in the front? It’ll be easier for you,” the woman said kindly.
“Alright,” Alice agreed cheerfully. She didn’t want to be a burden to others-- that made people tend to dislike you after all.
“Class won’t start for a bit, so make yourself comfortable,” the teacher remarked.
“Okay,” Alice said happily. Can’t wait for class to start!
She turned to the student next to her and struck up a conversation about what they were going to do after they graduated. Time flew, but Alice froze when a certain someone walked through the door.

[Naoi and Alice]

It’s that girl again. She had a one in eighth chance of being in my class. I better not be paired up with her during the separation type blights, Naoi thought disdainfully.

“It’s you!” Alice shrieked, pointing a finger at Naoi.
“My name is not ‘you,’ it’s Naoi. And I would appreciate it if you would stop pointing your finger at me and causing a scene,” he said coolly.
Alice was speechless for several seconds and tried to make peace, “Er, sorry. I was surprised when I saw you again. My name is Alice.” She held out a hand to shake.
Naoi didn’t even acknowledge her words and instead walked away to a desk far away from her and fired a parting shot, “I don’t need to concern myself with someone like you.”
“What did you say?!” Alice said indignantly.
Naoi closed his eyes and was stonily silent. Ice. Capable of manipulating ice and diamond, sealing, killing, and freezing. And creating ice cream, frozen desserts, and icing. In the first blight, monsters will appear everywhere in the school, must survive a certain duration of time before they disappear.

Alice couldn’t believe the guy! If she could walk properly, she’d give Naoi’s smug face a nice punch. Let’s see how indifferent he is after that!

“Now now class, settle down. Let’s all try to be friends,” the teacher said amicably, “Anyhow, my name is Ms. Robinson and I’ll be your teacher for Class 3. As you already may know, Skyline is a very prestigious school and you’re all lucky to have been accepted. When you receive your paper, write down a single word on it. It should answer the question of how you will fight in the upcoming battle. The question can also be rephrased as ‘what you will rely on’ or ‘a word that defines you’. You could even answer with your favorite superpower. Of course, you can also pick whatever you want but I hope you don’t ‘eat your words’ in the end. Hahaha. But make sure you only write a single word and that it’s not a pronoun. Once you’re done, speak your word aloud.”

[Naoi]

God, that voice is annoying. Maybe the first thing I should do with my word is to seal her mouth, Naoi thought somewhat irritatedly. But he looks at the paper in front of him and writes ‘Ice’ on it without any hesitation. Naoi whispered the word and the paper disintegrated in his hand. He felt a slight burn or itch where the word appeared--on his right shoulder blade. He cautiously tested out his power by imagining a small piece of ice floating above his palm. A small smile crept onto Naoi’s face as it appeared.
At last.

[Alice]

Hmm… I want to fly! Wings? Yeah, wings!
Alice excitedly scribbled the word down on her paper and proclaimed it out loud, “Wings!”
She felt a slight burning sensation that itched afterwards on the middle of her upper back. It’s all maaaagical!

Aphorism: Skyline Institute

So it's my fault for not making this clear, but the co-GM and I were going to write the class scenarios where the teacher walks in and tells everyone to write a word. For class 4, I had asked Blitz to write it beforehand, although I did not announce it (again, my bad). So Lone_Eagle21, your Class 2 scenario is fine, but please edit Katie's post when Blitz posts.

Aphorism: Skyline Institute

@Scarifar

Well, I still have to wait for someone to post to avoid double posting... but yeah. It's just that there are several people who haven't even made one post yet. If they don't post in another 24 hours, I may just have them become transfer students who join in after the 1st blight.

Aphorism: Skyline Institute

@ShadowRaeper

Accepted, but please add in the other abilities into his app as soon as possible. The word section needs to list everything the word is capable of not just for the RPer's own understanding, but because there are other characters (two, as of right now) that are capable of controlling others. And while it is my responsibility to check all the words for their definitions, it is not other people's--so I require every app to have all of their word abilities listed out.
However, listing an ability of the word doesn't mean that the character will know that he or she can use it. Especially the more obscure definitions. So for your character, maybe Spike knows how to create/manipulate blood and create weapons with them, but maybe he doesn't know he can also create/manipulate plant sap or juices. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings. :)

Spike's class assignment is Class 2.

Skyline Institute

@Soulseeker383

It would be great if you joined then. :)

Aphorism: Skyline Institute

[Alice]

Alice arrived with her parents to the gates and one of them politely asked a guard, “Excuse me, can we get her accepted into this school? We heard that the only requirement is that you can see the floating island, right?”
The guard’s gaze seemed to burn a hole in Alice before he nodded and replied, “Describe the floating island then.”
Alice looked up, “What strikes me as strange is that it doesn’t look like it has vegetation. And that there are three ribbon looking things trailing from it. And on one part it almost looks like it has plated armor. And-” ((description based off of the Aphorism manga))
“Okay, that’s enough. I’m convinced,” the guard cuts her off short.
He sighs and says in a warning tone, “While it is true that the only requirement is to see the island, please refrain from using this kind of method again. Apply properly next time. You’re going to have to wait here until someone brings the paperwork over.”
Her parents nodded amicably while squeezing Alice’s hands, “We won’t do this again.”
At the edge of her vision, Alice noticed a guy with somewhat longish black hair and dark brown eyes walk confidently towards the gate. He apparently realized he was being watched as he paused and turned around to look at her. His gaze seem to pierce through her and Alice shuddered internally. Wonder who he was, not that I really want to meet him again. After several moments, he walked confidently through the gate and seemingly disappeared. Alice’s eyes widened, So this place really is special. And can probably fix me! She tugged on the sleeves of her mother and father insistently, “Did you see that?”
“See what, sweetie?” her father questioned.
“That boy just now!” Alice exclaimed.
“What boy?” her mother asked gently.
“There was a boy who went through the gate and disappeared!” she declared.
One of the guards shot her an irritated look, “Can you lower your voice down?”
“Oh. Um. Sorry,” Alice said in a much more quiet voice.
Her father asked, “Are you sure you’re not hallucinating?”
Alice made a face at him, throwing her arms up in exasperation, and replied, “You asked me that last time!”
“True, true. But this time could be different,” her father remarked.
Alice grumbled and rolled her eyes. This seems to happen more than I want to. No point in arguing if they won’t believe me.
“I have the paperwork!” a lanky young man ran towards them, waving the papers. Before he got to them however, he tripped on the sidewalk and fell, spraying papers everywhere.
The guard sighed, “Why they ever put you in charge of running of errands, I’ll never know.”
“S-sorry, Darius,” the young man replied meekly.
“No matter, just pick them up and give it to the girl in the wheelchair, Edward,” Darius responded.
Edward nodded and began gathering up all the papers in a timely matter. Once he had all of them neatly arranged, he handed them to Alice along with a clipboard and pen.
“Do you want us to help you fill it out?” coaxed Alice’s mother.
“No, I can do it myself. I can’t have you do everything when I’m at Skyline anyways,” Alice said teasingly.
Let’s see… it’s fairly ordinary--address, first and last name, date of birth, and such.
Alice was scribbling all the information required as fast as she could. After a while, she looked up and commented, “I’m done.”
“Edward, take her finished application and luggage,” Darius commanded.
“Alright,” complied Edward.
“Why are you taking my luggage though?” Alice queried.
“Because we have to inspect all the luggage before we let it inside the school. It’ll be delivered to your assigned room though. So after class, it should be waiting for you in your room,” Edward explained.
Alice turned to look at her parents, “I’ll miss you both!”
Her parents both gave her loving smiles, “We’ll miss you too. Stay safe, okay?”
“I will!” Alice said determinedly and wheeled through the gate.

Once her parents had left, Darius snorted and glanced at the other guard, “I almost pity her. Stay safe? While being in a wheelchair? Not possible in this place.”