[open mingle] Welcome back! Recollé Junior High

[esperimental]

WHO: The tinier members of the Retrospec user population
WHERE: Recollé Junior High + additional locations if people take their threads there?
WHEN: September 5th onwards
WHAT: Kids! Starting a Retrospec club! They are all cute, except Ritsu
WARNINGS: idk people trying hard to be cool maybe

i. The First Day
It's been a long summer vacation, and the most fortunate of the students don't remember the monsters that were here and wrecked the city just a few weeks ago. There is happy banter as friends catch up, musical notes flying around and swirling flowers, while others are already groaning about the inevitable requirements or forgetting to do their summer homework, resulting in some frustrated scribbles. Why don't you go check who your classmates are this year before it's time for the assembly?

Given Retrospec's little quirk for this month, it'll be easy to identify fellow Retrospec users if you see thought bubbles hanging over their heads.

ii. Lunch Break
Ah yes, either the best or worst part of the school day, more or less entirely dependent on if you have people to eat with, or if you are early enough to get the best goods in the cafeteria selection. Why not find someone who needs company? Or do you have a nice packed lunch that the rest of the kids can marvel at with just a whiff of its aroma?

iii. Class
So you've ended up with another Retrospec user! Want to gossip about how weird it is as all your other classmates give you a weird look while teacher's not here yet? Maybe you're trying to focus on the lesson at hand, but the other's wandering thoughts are really noisy and you want to tell them to quiet it down when the teacher steps out to answer a call. This is going to be a strange first month.

iv. Recruitment
Clubs are always enthusiastic to hook in freshmen, or maybe people are looking to try something new. There are things conventional like art and sports, the kind of weird such as occult and llama, and then there's this one simple note, sticking out like a sore thumb in its lack of effort compared to messy markers and sketchy pictures on the bulletin. The handwriting is all nice and neat though.

Though it was a strange flight
The bee reached the moon
Up discolored skies it went
If you understand, face the sunrise as you exit

What is with this riddle? If you go check it out and look east outside the school's doors, there's going to be a dark-haired boy waiting, and he raises his head with only slight interest. Better not be wasting his time. ... Or maybe you didn't get his weird poem clue at all and just happen to see his thought bubble going "Ugh, how long do I have to wait here?" [ to tag for retrospec club, just put this number under ritsu's post! ]

Wildcard
Make your own prompts!

[ ooc: Don't forget to vote for any preference between Plurk group or Discord, as well as the initiation rite for future members! It's silly and not needed for founding members of Retrospec Kids Club, but if you'd like to thread out bad drawings of a horse feel free to call Ritsu's (lack of) method boring and go for it anyway.
And lastly, an Age : Grade reference for your top levels!
6th - 11-12
7th - 12-13
8th - 13-14, happy threading! ]

Comments

ritsu kageyama - 7th grade

[esperimental]

ii.
[ Ritsu hasn't really picked out a lot, just a cup of juice and a sandwich. A boy happily chatting up a friend of his doesn't watch where he's going, leading to an unceremonious splattering of juice onto Ritsu's shirt, and the sandwich's contents on the floor. "Sorry man!" he ends up waving his hands with a laugh, then a pat on Ritsu's shoulder. An unwelcome gesture. The smaller boy stiffens, but manages a nod. ]

It's fine.

( Stupid, stupid stupid. Why are you apologizing while not looking sorry at all? Can't even have lunch in peace. ... Wasn't that hungry anyway... )

[ Time to go find some tissues to make his situation slightly less sticky for the remainder of the school day. ]

iii.
[ I am so, so sorry if you're classmates with Ritsu. Seated properly and always prepared, academic overachiever Ritsu's stoic face hides behind it a very, very fed up and bored teenager, culminating in thought bubble form above him as he blinks when called, and recites the correct answer perfectly, as usual. ]

( Time seems so slow now, damn it. I don't want to go here five days a week. Obeying Retrospec with "things are back to normal". But it's not like anything else can occupy my time. --And if I skipped grades so I could have a challenge, I'd just give myself less time to figure out what I want to be. Wonder what Suzuki's doing...

It's probably more fun than being here. ... Being taught stuff I already know. )

[ So many variants of "I'm so bored" and "I don't want to be here" keep flowing by, until the class finally finishes and their teacher greets them goodbye, Ritsu breathes a sigh of relief and stands up. You're probably grateful to be free of this too. ]

III

[cornets]

[Arion in class is suffering. Moving around too much is prohibited, and he's itching to get on the field. He lets himself wander around the class. The teacher is droning on, enveloping the class in a gray fog (at least for him it is) with a few bursts of colors whenever someone has to answer a question. Speaking of that...

"Huh, even the smart kid is bored."

His own thought bubble wafts over his head, and he half hopes it gets noticed. When the bell finally rings, he can't help but call out to Ritsu.]

Uh, wait! Ritsu... was it?

[esperimental]

... Yes, that's correct.

[ Ritsu turns to face him without a fuss, but a thought bubble then pops up. Revealing smart kid is not so smart with names. ]

( Aaron? Erin? )

[ He's probably staring a bit too hard. Sorry Arion, Ritsu hasn't been getting a ton of sleep. In fact he's kind of wearing concealer, which is a bit easier to notice up close. ]

[cornets]

[He can't help but feel a little hurt by that thought bubble, but he gets it. His own thought bubble appears anyway.

"At least he's not picking on me for it..."]

I--It's Arion! I was just wondering if you had this app?

[Arion digs out his phone from his pocket and pulls up Retrospec.]

[esperimental]

I have no reason to pick on you for something so trivial. Have you had a history? I could speak with them. [ HE'S DEAD SERIOUS ABOUT THIS. Bullying is a thing he'd be more than happy to eliminate.

Or well, just gradually work against, he's not in his best shape rn for wrecking people's bad lifestyles. ]

Yes, I do. [ Ritsu pulls out his own phone, and shows it to Arion in turn. ]

... I don't believe I've encountered you on it before. New user?

[cornets]

[He's a little embarrassed, but happy someone is willing to stick up to him for that, even if it is way past that point.]

That stuff happened before elementary. It doesn't bother me now.

[An unspoken "but..." lingers literally overhead.]

Yes! It was on my phone when I woke up on... the first of this month.

[esperimental]

[ Ritsu notices, but he'll let it slide. Bullying experiences are best kept stored away at the back of the mind, even if they claw their way out on occasion. Emotional wounds take longest to heal. ]

So you got the half-hearted welcomes already and everything to this wonderful app, yes?

[ He notices tiny snowflake figures come from his lips in tandem with his sarcasm, and he well. Freezes up himself. No snow. No snow, not off-season, not even in-season, not after last month. ]

[cornets]

[Arion suppresses an urge to groan, missing the way Ritsu freezes up complete with inexplicable literal frostiness that often goes with the words conceal don't feel don't let it show.]

Y--Yeah, they were helpful, in their own way. I think someone is going to make a wiki!

[Finding the silver lining in everything is a common form of coping.]

[esperimental]

... I don't know how well I can support that unless with a number of edit locks.

Not everyone on Retrospec is pleasant to deal with and would not be above vandalism. [ Never mind he's being not good this September that's a separate matter...! ]

[cornets]

[Way to deflate a kid.]

Oh, I didn't think of that. Everyone has been so nice to me so far...

[esperimental]

... Internet tends to bring out the worst in people but... I guess so far you've been lucky.

[cornets]

...Maybe so. I'm just glad I'm not the only one my age going through all this.

[esperimental]

We're a bit rare in comparison to high schoolers, who make up majority of the other minors.

... I can assume you don't need the whole "be careful about online interactions" song and dance, right?

[cornets]

Don't worry, I've already gotten my yearly "Stranger Danger" talk from my soccer coach!

[esperimental]

... That's thorough.

[ That actually unleashes a small chuckle from him, which comes out as a musical note. suddenly persona ]

Thorough's good. --Seriously though, people start getting powers when they have the application half the time.

[cornets]

...Eh?

[Arion openly gapes at that.]

Excuse me--Did you say "powers"?

[esperimental]

Yes. I see ghosts actually. [ Normally he'd be more worried about reactions but, why not do it when he can read honestly if people are freaked out about him, sure. ]

... I've told one of our classmates that, but she's not here today.

( As expected, with that cutting class habit. )

[cornets]

[Above his head, Arion's thoughts translate into keyboard smashing.]

T--They must not be so scary if you talk about them so casually...!

[The keyboard smashing continues.]

Does she also have the app?

[esperimental]

On the contrary, most of them are harmless and mind their own business. ... Most.

[ He successfully represses that last fresh memory, thankfully. But with bad luck he might get asked anyway... ]

She does. Up until now, I hadn't really had classmates who had the app too.

If anything at all, at least we can commiserate.

[cornets]

[Arion swallows his nerves down and wisely chooses not to ask. He's not going to freak himself out any more than he already has.]

Well, you're not alone anymore.

[esperimental]

... No, I'm not.

[ Huh... it's kind of weird to leave a conversation hanging like that, isn't it. God he's so bad at having a socail life. ]

Did you want to um. Talk more? About the app or maybe more normal things.

[cornets]

[Arion is sort in the same boat, honestly.]

Oh, um... I just wanted to confirm, but if you're up to it, can you tell me about all the things the app has done? I know about the horses and colors, but there's a lot you can overlook when you don't think about it, you know?

[esperimental]

How about the fruit with faces? We also all shrank for a while in May, that one's more unbelievable.

[cornets]

[Arion frowns. He really should have noticed the fruits thing.

"So it wasn't a mold..." A thought bubble supplies.]

How small did you shrink?