[ZERO]; Gate to Null

Discussion

Background

A testament to the broad definitions of ‘clubs’ and a protest that accomplishes absolutely. In a world of gods, devils, espers, and magus - what else is there for a normal person to do?

Absolutely nothing.

Especially in a school filled with strange and otherwise expanding powers. What else is there to do? Accommodations are given to those of higher rank, as well as better scholarships. But how did this club get formed? Was the person normal?

Yes, as they come.

Where did the name of the club come from, you’re probably wondering?

It’s the name of the city. Muyomi City. The city that had the pleasure of being next to the great calamity that happened just over six months ago. The sky split, the next city over was subject to what people believe was a biological weapon. That’d be nice if the pieces lined up. But what ended up happening was people got sick with a disease people call Visible Psionic Manifestation (VPM). If that’s a mouthful - people just say ‘the Visage Plague’. Early stages are the body begins to mutate into such an abhorrent monstrosity that you’d really wish you were dead. Pretty morbid stuff.

Though that’s not the only interesting part of Muyomi’s recent history. There are shadier organizations at work. People in lab coats and dark suits visiting the Muyomi Gate Academy, taking and treating people that they believe are afflicted by VPM. Though why does the Gate Academy matter?

Because Migawari Gate Academy (the name of the city that the aforementioned calamity almost wiped off the map) ended up being hastily merged into the Muyomi Gate Academy. Not just the Gate Academy, but public schools are also being built to help deal with the influx of new residents. Not just in Muyomi, mind, all around the small country Nokala.

But that’s enough of the explanations for the frame of the story. Let’s get to more on the plot.

The Plot and Characters

You are a student at the Muyomi Gate Academy. Whether you moved here, having nothing to do with the Migawari Calamity. Whether you were a victim or you already lived here, you’re here attending school, hoping for a bright future. Or whatever your outlook is. Everyone in school is aware of the students being afflicted by the illness, but what of the other strange occurrences? There are rumors of people with strange powers causing problems in what some call the Muyomi Turf Wars. Then there’s the people disappearing, the destroyed buildings, all the blood… yeah, seems like Muyomi is just one hot mess. Sounds like fun though!

Character Sheet

• Name: Self-explanatory.
• Sex: Self-explanatory.
• Age: 12-19
• Appearance: Picture or description work.
• School Rank:
  • Rank S: You always come to class, you're always prepared, you're getting perfect grades.
  • Rank A: You come to class, you're more often than not prepared, and you're getting great grades. Almost the ideal student.
  • Rank B: You might miss a few days here and there, but you're still doing your best. Your grades are pretty good too!
  • Rank C: You miss assignments, you might even doze off in class, but you're still sliding by.
  • Rank D: You skip. A lot. How you're still passing is anyone's guess, but you're managing it by the skin of your teeth.
  • Rank E: Why are you even in school? How are you even in the Gate Academy? I imagine you only got one more trimester til you're BTFO. Also, wait, how did you get a scholarship? Are you paying for the schooling yourself? Rest in Debt ;_;
• Club: What club are they a part of while at the Muyomi Gate Academy? Clubs are usually a required part of the curriculum, so not joining one causes a hassle especially if you’re a first year.
  • Muyomi Club: The ‘nothing’ club, seems to serve no purpose from 3:45 to 6:00 where meetings occur. The club was inherited by a second year who seems to have no trouble managing it. No requirements for joining.
  • Disciplinary Committee: Not exactly a ‘club’, but the Disciplinary Committee's job is much more than the name implies. The Disciplinary Committee is ran by the Vice President of the Student Council. These ‘elites’ help the town keep order and are usually in constant contact with local police and investigators. Must be School Rank B or above to join.
  • Student Government: Just as it says, the STUDENT GOVERNMENT! The only real position that REQUIRES a rank is the Vice President because they run the Disciplinary Committee. And, of course, the Committee itself.
  • Custom Club! Make it and run it by me in the sign up. Of course, if you make one, you don’t have to be the ‘president’ of it. You’re just joining it. Unless you want to be the president then be my guest. Would like only 2 or so Custom Clubs, so first come, first serve.
• Ability Type: Are they a Magus or an Esper? What sort of power is it? (Battle means any power relating to combat, Support means being an asset on the battlefield or at home, Civil would relate to powers like photographic memory, recording, psychometry, any ability that would assist the public and society)
  • Magus: Magus utilize their magical ability by drawing in a substance called ‘mana’ from the ‘Other’ which is another plane of existence beyond the one we are currently on. A lot of people refer to mana as a foreign substance and poison, so people are usually careful when casting magic. Magus can vocally cast spells via Words of Power or write them down via Runes. These are just two ways that magic can be used. There are many others. Come up with your own use than the one’s talked about here!
    • Special - Wilder Talent: Some Magus are born with the ability to excel at a single magic while seemingly declining in another. Characters can take this ‘feat’ of sorts at character creation, but not that you’ll be forfeiting your versatility for more power. Though also know that Wilder Talents are rare with one or two appearing in the usual Gate Academy at a time. Exceptions exist, of course.
  • Esper: Those who utilize their worldview and their Psyche to shape the world as they will it. Unlike Magus where there are usual rules and procedures that govern their practice, they are all but absent here. Psionic power is seen as the ‘natural way of the world’ since prolonged use doesn’t poison the body, it just fatigues the person. Psionic powers can be things as simple as forming psionic energy and throwing it, or as complicated as replicating the a sick movement you saw your friend doing. Pyrokinesis, Telekinsesis, Psychometry, etc. all fall under the realm of Esper powers.
  • There are two types of Espers. Natural Espers who are born with their powers and grow, or Trauma Esper. As the name implies, a power that is awakened through a trauma or gradual traumas to an individual. The power that each victim realizes to themselves seems to be ironic. This is probably because that’s the perceived danger that’s befalling them as a victim of a disaster. The power is something that would help in stopping said disaster. There are two types;
    • Shock; Scarring danger that happens to someone. (Drowning might give the power to control water/air, falling might give the power of flight) An immediate gain in power. Permanent damage done to the Psyche. Only few ways to help treat the victim.
    • Endure; Minuscule damage done to the Psyche over extended periods of time until it finally breaks. Unlike Shock, there are more ways to help treat Endure victims. Psyche is not permanently damaged, can be mended through more complex procedures and exercises.
• Ability Rank: What Rank is your ability by itself?
  • S Rank: Your power is nearly limitless. You have the power to affect thousands of people without even straining yourself. The rarest among Espers. Are usually Trauma Espers.
  • A Rank: Your power is strong. Definitely strong. You have the power to affect hundreds of people if you push yourself just a bit.
  • B Rank: Your power is definitely up there, but it’s not breaking into A-Rank. You have the power to affect dozens of people if you push yourself.
  • C Rank: Your power is average. You have the power to affect a few people in a room or crowd with no problems.
  • D Rank: Your power is a little below average. If you’re a fighting type, you have a fair chance of fighting off a few people, even kill them with a few well placed blows or… whatever it is you make use of. If you’re a support type, you can probably ‘stabilize’ the victims enough til real help arrives.
  • E Rank: Your power is bottom of the barrel. If you were a psionic, you’d be doing the equivalent of bending a spoon with your mind and thinking you did an amazing job.
• Ability: What is the name of your ability and what does it do?
  • Magus Naming Conventions: Magus usually just put the field of ‘study’ they’re into like Necromancy, Spellcrafting, Runes, etc. After that I would just write a paragraph on the kind of spells they use or specific named spells you would want to make use of.
  • Esper Power Naming Conventions: Two words, sound as chuuni as you can. Example: Break Repulsion for the name of your telekinesis. There isn’t much differences between Trauma and Natural Esper names.
  • Wilder Talent Naming Conventions: Usually denote imagery to sound or music (Blade Hymn, Reeling Song, Divine Echo, etc.)
• Skills: Outside of their powers (if they have them), what are they normally skilled at? What do they enjoy doing?
• Friends and Family: If they have any family living around or abroad, who are they? What about friends? You can give names or positions. This is so I know what kind of NP Cs to have around for your character to interact with.
• Personality: What kind of person are they? If they’re a Magus, are they hardworking or lazy? If they’re an Esper, how does their power influence who they are and their outlook on life? Tell me about them in a paragraph or so.
• Background: Is your character from Nokala? Were they subject to the horror of the Migawari Calamity? They’re here in Muyomi for some reason. So why is that? How is their family taking it? How are they liking the Muyomi Gate Academy? Just give some info on their history and it’ll be good.

The Cast

• Reina Himawari, Esteemed President of Absolutely Nothing
• Jessica Bradbury, The Human Wi-fi Spot
• Shane Kaname, The Artistic Protector of What Daily Life He Has Left
• Maria Belmonte, The Captain of the Disciplinary Commitee
• Darian Hamasaki, The Brawling Girl With the Spark In Her Eye
• Adam Aomori, Kickboxing Bubble Lord of Muyomi City
• Jake Chance, The Most Interesting Man in the World
• Victoriana Sokolov, The Red Right Hand
• Saya Takeda, The Universal Omniglot
• Mikael Freisch, The Only Guy Prepared
• Naoki Madeirs, The Other Right Hand???
• Mireille Lécuyer, The Golemancer of Muyomi City
• Katou Tamanaka, The Girl Needs Help
• Anushka Signham, Her Dad's a Cop!

edited 10th Jan '16 3:28:38 AM by RagnaTheSaviour

• Name: Reina Himawari
• Sex: Female
• Age: 17
• Appearance: "It's not dyed, it's natural. Stress does wonders for your hair."◊
• School Rank: C
• Club: Muyomi Club, President
• Ability Type: Natural Esper, Civil/Support
• Ability Rank: B
• Ability: Endless Cardinal
  • An ability that makes it hard to lose one's location and to find objects, places, or things. The distance of the ability depends entirely on how much Reina is exerting herself when using it. No matter how much strain Reina puts on herself, she can only really pinpoint things that are already close to her perfectly. When they're further away, it becomes a difficult game of hot-and-cold. The ability has no offensive or defensive capabilities whatsoever.
• Skills: Likes cooking, being pretentious, playing with kids and babysitting, and listening to music. Enjoys popping onto imageboards to shitpost.
• Personality: Usually the person always smiling while you're having a pretty inconvenient day. Reina is the kind of person that drifts by in day to day life without putting in much of any effort. There's this sort of strange luck to her that says 'everything will be okay, so why should I worry?'. Reina thinks of others as a 'comedy show','If it's not happening to me, then it's okay to laugh at it'. Of course, this behavior has gotten her into her fair share of trouble. Like fights. I mean she's not terrible in a fist fight, but if she's against someone who knows what they're doing - she's going to go down hard. Despite all this, she manages to get up with a frown everyday to face the challenge of the next morning and school day. And by challenge I mean self-imposed alienation and browsing the internet in class, waiting for the school day to end. Though she's good with kids for some reason. Probably because they think on the same level and they're both easy to please.

edited 8th Jan '16 2:34:37 AM by RagnaTheSaviour

Hmm, sounds interesting, can I post a WIP signup?

Edit: Also out of curiosity, custom clubs, are they underlying limitations? Like do they have to serve some kind of academic purpose? (I mean there's the Nothing Club, but that could be an exception) Are they needed to have something to do with powers and stuff.

edited 8th Jan '16 2:47:23 AM by Sergey_Smirnov

Yeah, you can.

• Name: Mireille Lécuyer
• Sex: Female
• Age: 13
• Appearance: Just without the Wings.
• School Rank: B
• Club: Muyomi Club, Model-Building club (President and only member)
• Ability Type: Magus, Combat/Support
• Ability Rank: D
• Ability: Golemancy
  • This ability allows Mireille to form magical constructs out of the matter around her, she's not the best but she certainly tries to improve. These Golems look like Medival knights clad in the heaviest of armor or Heavy Mechs (Personal Preference), she can control 1-2 - if she really pushes herself maybe 3 (not something she can endure for long though). The Golems can either used to fight or support allies. She can also give life to inanimate objects, like her models, the mana costs for that vary depending on the size of the object, but since combat usability is nearly zero and it still costs mana at all she rarely ever does it.
• Skills: Likes to build models and is quite good in the kitchen.
• Friends and Family:
  • Father: Bertrand, he's a programmer in a big IT company, not really a bigshot. He's the type of guy who will rarely ever be noticed by the higher ups despite giving his best at work, he's fine with that though. He gets along with Mireille just fine.
  • Mother: Mistral, she owns a model building store and was the one who introduced Mireille to model building (in an attempt to finally get her to focus her concentration on something for once... success was limited, in that she concentrates and focuses while building models - and only then.) She always gives her daughter special discounts and both get along quite nice.
  • Friends:
    • Ulysses: Depending on wo you ask about Mireille's and Ulysses' relationship answers would range between a Battle Couple (what they would answer) and Childhood Friends (what all others who know them would answer).
• Personality: While she studies hard she's also quite hyper and gets easily distracted, she's always ready to do some minor mischief (nothing really world moving, minor pranks mostly)
• Background: Mireille lived in Muyomi for her whole life, until the Calamity her life was perfectly normal, while her family wans't exactly wealthy, they could at least afford to live in one of the better neighborhoods. The most exciting event in her life before the calamity was being ranked 2nd in a local mecha building competition. While she didn't lose anyone close during the calamity the event still burned itself into her concious, leaving her mentally scarred, while she gives herself quite playful on the outside she's quite distressed by the calamity even today. Shortly after the calamity she discovered her talent in Golemancy and is now in her first year in the Muyomi Gate Academy.

edited 9th Jan '16 10:44:33 AM by Sergey_Smirnov

Oh, you're missing the "Friends and Family" and "Background" portion of the sign up. Since Reina is more of an NPC, I axed that portion of her profile.

• Name: Jessica Bradbury
• Sex: Female
• Age: 15
• Appearance: Her casual wear◊
• School Rank: B
• Club: Disciplinary Committee
• Ability Type: Natural Esper, Civil/Support
• Ability Rank: C
• Ability: Link Connect
  • This ability allows her to connect other people's minds and communicate telepathically. Jessica takes a passive role when doing this as she's a bridge for other people to talk on and must actively link herself to others to communicate with them. If people are right next to her or in the immediate room, it's an instantaneous conversation. If the person she wishes to talk to are in a different room or farther apart, they receive her or someone else's thoughts and send them back and forth. As people move further away from her, the harder it becomes for her to broadcast to the recipients. Contact can be initiated through: a.) all participants are willing to, b.) Jessica contacts them and asks for permission, or c.) when rushed, she just quickly opens up a connection and initiates the conversation. It gives her a headache to actively concentrate on other activities while doing this. This is mainly a support ability.
• Family and Friends:
  • Mother: Her mom, Meghan, a teacher, has always been a familiar figure in her life. They share the same interests in books and foods, but unlike Jessica, she takes life slowly and takes longer to think about problems and what's going on. She's always the first person that she confides in when having problems. They have several photographs of their times together.
  • Sister: Her little sister by two years, Tammy (Tamara) has been locked with Jessica in a long feud over everything. Their arguing has led them to blame each other for things like tripping, being tongue-tied when talking or being unable to find something. It's worsened by her sister's Natural Esper ability, telekinesis, which Jessica is always sure is being used to annoy her but has been unable able to prove it. Other then that, they keep out of each other's space when outside the house.
  • Father: Her father was on a business trip before dying in the Migawari Calamity. Jessica hasn't talked about him since the news of his death.
  • Friends: She has many friends, from classmates, to fellow club members, and even to strangers she met while on vacation.
• Skills: Photography is her biggest passion with cycling as a close second. She also is trying to master any percussion instrument and randomly browses the internet. Other then that, she does whatever her classmates, friends, relatives and others need help with. Even if she's being rushed and has little experience with what she has to do. (Everyone still remembers the time she tried to help Gabby complete the fireworks display last year.)
• Personality: She's always been a negotiator for her entire life, resolving arguments and providing counsel for her friends. She tries to see all the sides of the conflicts, and tries to remember that there's always another side to what she sees. This can make her a bit too involved sometimes, digging up secrets. When pressed into a corner, she tries to talk or communicate a way out. Cheerful and knowing that there's a way to solve a problem, she earnestly challenges herself with going through new challenges. Jessica refuses to admit that she has to stop or give up, because if she keeps trying to beat it, she will. She becomes probing and pushy when frustrated. This single-mindedness makes it hard for her to pay attention at times, and her focusing on one thought makes her pretty ticked off when someone crashes her train of thought.
• Background: She was born in America with both Jessica and her sister having their abilities show up near birth, and soon after that, they moved to Muyomi for her father's work. Beyond that they've lived normal lives until the Migawari Calamity struck. With the news of her father's death, Jessica's been trying to cope with this. She's been trying to support and give aid to the new people moving in, and as a member of the Gate Academy's Disciplinary Committee, she's going to help transition new students even if it means having to wake up at 5:00 AM and cycle all the way to school.

edited 9th Jan '16 4:50:04 PM by Nouct

First time I've ever felt the need to app a guy for something in... forever.

• Name: Shane Kaname
• Sex: Male
• Age: 16
• Appearance: "Definitely liking the aesthetic on this one, huh?"
• School Rank: D
• Club: Muyomi Club
• Ability Type: Trauma Esper (Endure), Battle/Support
• Ability Rank: D
• Ability: Cadence Arrest
  • A reflexive capacity that protects Shane when he or those close to him are in apparent danger. If a perceived threat tries to get close Shane can will into being an opaque barrier of psychic energy that provides protection from all exposed angles- for example, a full shell if airborne or a contoured dome if on the ground. The shield absorbs all forms of energy from kinetic to sound, the inside becomes completely isolated from the outside world. The shield can protect any number of people in theory and will grow as needed, but it has several flaws. It cannot accept more people without being first willingly cancelled. It also can be broken by sufficient force, and the amount of necessary force drops for each person being protected: by three Shane suffers significant mental strain to maintain the barrier against sustained force, by six the strength of the shield is negligible even if reinforced.
• Skills: Shane is very artistically minded, and is engaged in most forms of visual art especially: sketch, painting, photography, even niche hobbies like sculpting and ceramics. He also likes art that uses the human body as a canvas, and has an active interest in fashion, makeup, tattoo arts, and the like. He shows a cultivatable talent for most of these hobbies, above and beyond his somewhat lackluster academic capabilities. He's usually notably uncomfortable with things he isn't so familiar with, and has to be dragged bodily into trying new hobbies.
• Friends and Family:
  • Uncle: Mrs. Kaname's husband was a deadbeat man and she eventually divorced him when she had Shane and moved halfway across the country to Migawari to seek support from her family. Daichi Kaname, her younger brother, was often in the house and served as Shane's main father figure for most of his young life. Daichi and Shane are extremely close, he was the one who nurtured Shane's artistic streak. Uncle does his best to keep the family spirited after the recent tragedies, though work to support two dependents often keeps him out of the home Shane will notably stay up late just to greet Daichi home.
  • Mother: Hikari Kaname, who was a hardworking and stern but fair mother who encouraged academic excellence in all of her children, with at least initial success. She was infected by VPM and died over the course of an agonizing month in the family home, her death being the major trauma that awoke her son's latent powers. She didn't go pretty, and died with many regrets that she confided to her remaining son in her last days of painful lucidity.
  • Elder Brother: Several years older than Shane, Noel Kaname was an academic supergenius who was whisked away upon graduating high school to be enlisted in some classified government project. His family has lost track of him since then, and has no idea where he is.
  • Younger Sister: Sachiko Kaname, born to a casual fling only two years before the events of this RP. A cheerful and energetic child with a burgeoning curiosity for the world, and only a token understanding of the fractured state her family and loved ones currently are in.
  • Friends: Shane cultivates friends almost indiscriminately, though he also cultivates grudges due to his naturally dramatic nature that can produce all manner of petty feuds. Friends he keeps close he tends not to really confide in. He tries instead to be one of the reliable and helpful ones, as best as he can be, though he does a variable job of it. Idiosyncrasies aside he's fairly lovable, a friend who does his best to be the best friend possible.
• Personality: Shane was and ultimately still is always something of a stereotypical art kid. Observant and a fast-learner, though he can have motivation issues outside of his natural talents due to a stubborn per4fectionist streak that makes him hesitant to 'embarrass' himself. Sensitive and philosophical, with a tendency to keep good quotes on hand and to wax poetic at sometimes cringe-inducing times. He is definitely a bit full of himself, tries to play off a slightly over-inflated ego with a well-developed sense of humor, but he likes social attention and it comes off in ways innocuous and otherwise. He definitely tries to be friendly, sometimes too hard. His aesthetic senses and ego are both prone to being offended, and while he tries to downplay it he can be rather petty when he feels he has been wronged. Even there he is something of a wimp, and has little stomach for an actual fight, getting cold feet if called out on his antics. He carries himself with theatrics and flair, flamboyance naturally suiting the various facets of his persona.

Recent events have made him all the more intense, his response to his troubles was to become even more of a troublesome figure himself. Almost to the point of becoming a walking stereotype, though around close friends he trusts he dials it down and comes off as somewhat introspective and quiet as of late.

• Background: Shane lived a quiet life for the most part. Hikari recognized his divergent talent set from his brother's and did a good job of nurturing both boys individually with Daichi's help. Shane was something of the golden child, as he was the social boy between the two, and he drew all the attention. So Noel and Shane had something of a cold relationship, and Shane at first wasn't even sad to see his 'weirdo' elder brother go, though he'd come to wish he'd never said those words with time and maturity.

Shane welcomed Sachiko with open arms when she was born, and the family was supremely stable, happy, and he seemed to have good prospects in school, his talents making up for his academic mediocrity. The Migawari Calamity was one nobody in the family saw coming, obviously, and though they evacuated safely to Muyomi it was already too late for Hikari. Her death was slow, drawn out, brutal to witness. Shane could only watch helplessly as his beloved mother was twisted into something he hated to think was abhorrent and disgusting. Sometimes he couldn't even bear to look, and often kept Sachiko distracted while at her bedside. The month was one of mental hell, his barely decent grades collapsed like a house of cards, and the mental stress ultimately awoke his powers, when he produced a barrier that hid himself and his sister from the grotesque sight their mother had become, shameful hiding away from the world as she breathed her last.

He recovered, so far tentatively, with help from family, what was left of it, and friends both new and old. Though most friends he keeps in the dark, and appreciates them more for slowly helping him move on and get back into the world at large.

edited 8th Jan '16 8:02:18 AM by Bassetete

• Name':Maria Belmonte.
• Sex: Female
• Age: 19
• Appearance: Bloop.
• School Rank: Rank A
• Club:Student Government, Vice President. Soccer, team member.
• Ability Type: Natural Esper Actually a Trauma Esper
• Ability Rank: C-S
• Ability: Colorless King
  • The Colorless King consists of the ability to create a field of mental energy that Maria can manipulate at will. Its default shape is an orb but maria can change it to any shape she can imagine, as well as move it anywhere she wants. An example would be grabbing and moving around objects, or creating a wall, or a blade. The only draw back is that as it gets farther from the source the field weakens. Currently she has a range of about 30 meters should he stretch out the field in one direction. Its also seemingly has noticeable effects on other Espers depending on Maria's feelings, the most obvious is a reduction or increase of said Esper's powers. The field can reach up to several kilometers in every direction without a reduction in strength. Inside of this field Maria can freely move around large objects such as cars and take chunks out of buildings, as well as boosting the powers of friendly Esper's by a whole rank. She cannot access this kind of strength freely though due to several mental blocks preventing her from doing so.
• Skills: She's good at talking to people, Fighting Games, making bad jokes, and soccer which keeps her pretty fit.
• Friends and Family:
  • Father: William Belmonte: Location Unknown, what Maria remembers of him is that he was a normal salary man trying to support his family, but he disappeared just before the Migawari Incident. He was gone off on a business trip never to come back.
  • Mother: Julia Belmonte:Was one of the first Victims of Visage Plague.
  • Friends: Other student council members, other soccer players.
• Personality: Maria's actually kind of a sweet girl. She has an attitude that looks for the best in others, and attempts to draw other people towards her. She's competitive though and truly relishes any challenge posed to her, but at times she can take it a bit too seriously. She can have something of a temper at times, especially when she's lost a competition. Though instead of a destructive outburst, she instead starts to obsesses on overcoming said challenge.
• Backstory: As far back as she can remember she's had these strange powers and she's lived in Muyomi. She was a child of the state but that only meant hoping from one foster family to another, while not really caring about them. Her parents died before she even knew them. This is a lie she remembers them very clearly. She has no idea how her powers came about so she must be a Natural Esper. Also a lie she remembers very clearly the start of the Migawari incident: people mutating in the middle of the road causing pile ups, planes falling out of the sky, fires, and her own mother dying infront of her. Her powers developed in order to protect her She developed S Rank powers right away, and wandered the fallout until she was found by a group of survivors, among them other Espers. In the following days they did whatever they could to survive but when the group found out about her powers they tried to pressure her into using them for their benefit, until she had enough and accidentally killed them causing her fear her own power. Today she's attempting to make a better life for herself through education, and is essentially taken care of by The Gate Academy.

edited 8th Jan '16 11:59:54 AM by Azure

• Name: Darian Hamasaki
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18
• Appearance: One on the right.
• School Rank: Rank D
• Club: Muyomi Club.
• Ability Type: Trauma Esper (Shock), Battle
• Ability Rank: Rank B, could possibly extend to Rank A.
• Ability: Lightning Orchestra:
  • The ability to create and direct electricity. Hardy har, the Shock Esper has shocking powers. Darian can will a spark into existence, and then cultivate it into a streak of lightning. She can 'charge' the power, spending more time powering up the spark to turn it into multiple bolts. Additionally, she can control electricity that already exists (for example, drawing from power lines or from abundant static electricity). Because it's hardwired into Darian's battle-tuned instincts, this ability is for combat only. A side effect of the ability is that Darian occasionally has to 'discharge' the electricity in her body. Because of her Psyche damage, she doesn't always do so safely.
• Skills: Darian's a brawler, and can handle herself in a street fight. Perhaps not so much against someone with proper training. She might've had hobbies once- before the Calamity, before her mind became a husk of what it once was- but now she only has vices, fighting and smoking, to help keep her head straight. But give her a good sci-fi novel, or a computer in need of tune-up, and you might see a flash of who she used to be.
• Friends and Family:
  • Parents: An over-bearing father who died in the Calamity, a distant mother who only leaves her room to go to work these days. Nothing Darian wants to talk about, but everything to do with why she joined a gang in the first place.
  • Friends: Darian's real family are her brothers-in-arms, the kids who followed her out of Migawari and the hoodlums who've joined her since. Rumours of her escapades have spread throughout the school, ensuring that she's given a wide berth even when she can be bothered to attend.
• Personality: On the surface Darian is amicable, gets on well with most who can stand to be around her and lets bygones be bygones. She has the confidence and charm of a born leader, and indeed her fellow gang members are respectful and loyal to a fault. The Calamity left her with an intense appreciation for living, but the Trauma left her without the mental strength to indulge in life's greatness.
  She changed after the Trauma. Her temper grew, outbursts became common, and her friends became fearful of what little thing would set her off next. She rarely sleeps, can spend hours in her own head, and her easy-going facade is cracking more each day.
• Background: A good kid stuck in a not-so-good life. Her father's constant criticisms and her mother's negligence led her to join one of the small-time Migawari gangs, where her personality and prowess shot her up the ranks. Despite it all she had a good enough life in Migawari, even if her bad academics weren't promising a good future.
  Then the Calamity hit, and she was forced to relocate to Muyomi. Tensions between the two turfs had always been high, and being forced to share land only compounded that. Darian's gang got in a tiff with the Muyo Shockers, and the ensuing fight got her hit with a few thousand lethal volts from a taser. The Shockers specialty, naturally.
  The tables turned then. Darian's Esper power awakened, turning the electricity away from her and into the hearts of almost everyone present. Those who survived either joined with Darian, if they hadn't already, or fled to safer parts of the city. She became more hands-off after that, stayed out of turf wars and started attending school more often. Mostly because the fear her friends held for her was too much to face on a daily basis.

Can I call dibsies on the right hand of the VP of the Disciplinary Committee or whatever the hell it's called? (The equivalent of the Senate Majority Leader to the VP of the USA)

edited 8th Jan '16 11:51:59 AM by nman

Name: Adam Aomori

Sex: Male

Age: 15

Appearance: "I'm the guy on the left."◊ The dark shadows under Adam's eyes are due to insomnia, which has been plaguing him since the Calamity hit. His normal expression is one of mild irritation.

School Rank: B

Club: Kickboxing club, Muyomi club.

Ability Type: Trauma Esper (Shock), Combat/Support

Ability Rank: A

Ability: World Eater

• The ability to create and control translucent "bubbles" that erase anything within them. The size of the bubbles is variable, and Adam can control the movement of bubbles within a range of 1km. While Adam himself is immune to his own ability, he cannot delete anything directly touching him as well (this is mostly due to the event that awakened this ability). Also, the amount of matter he can erase is limited to his mental fortitude. Currently, Adam is capable of erasing a city block before he passes out, although he could go further if he actually got a good night's sleep.

Skills: A good home cook. After the Calamity, he took up kickboxing, and is able to hold his own in fights. Does well academically due to studying late at night.

Friends and Family:

• Family:
  • Parents: Jacob and Evelyn Aomori. C and B-rank natural espers. Happily married, and have strong relationships with their children. Jacob lost his right leg during the Calamity and works from home as a web developer, while Evelyn works in a law firm.

  • Siblings: 3 younger sisters:◊ Sophie (13) and twins Elizabeth & Holly (5) Like Adam, Sophie became insomniac the Calamity, although for slightly different reasons. The two get along very well, and help one another with their traumas. The twins act like your typical 5-year olds, and are natural espers.

• Friends: Adam doesn't have many friends in school aside from a few members of the kickboxing team. He maintains cordial relationships with the other students and teachers.

Personality: Despite his expression, Adam is fairly friendly, easygoing and patient with others, although his straightforward manner of speech can be off-putting at times. Due to trauma, Adam suffers from chronic insomnia and is unable to sleep for more than a few hours a day on average and often going through the day feeling mentally fatigued. Likes coffee, kickboxing and cats. Is afraid of small confined spaces (he's claustrophobic).

Bio: Born to Jacob and Evelyn Aomori, Adam had a fairly happy childhood growing up in Migawari. Apart from the typical childhood troubles such as bullies and gossip, he led a perfectly normal life. Then one day, everything went straight to hell, and it took everyone by surprise. The Aomori family managed to evacuate to Muyomi, and were passing through an old mountain tunnel when a sudden earthquake struck and triggered a cave-in, trapping them. When a falling boulder smashed into Jacob's leg, something in Adam's psyche snapped, and a massive bubble appeared, erasing the tunnel and a large chunk of the hill above it.

2 hours later, Rescuers managed to find and transport the Aomori family to Muyomi. Jacobs leg had to be amputated, was confined to a wheelchair; Sophie suffered from nightmares and barely slept as a result; Adam he was never able to stay asleep for more than 2 hours at a time, and became less sociable and expressive. But in time, the family managed to begin to recover from the event, and start a new life in Muyomi.

edited 8th Jan '16 7:06:24 PM by svenorzokarkoff

I'm contesting Nman's claim! [In addition to posting another sheet alongside my contesting sheet]

Posting this before I crash, ((My luck sucks today)) and alot of people have been making sheets. Don't wan't to fall behind.

• Name: Jake Chance
• Gender: Male
• Age: 14
• Appearance: Jake is slightly shorter than average for his age, though his build is undefined it is not weak. He has pale skin, chocolate-red hair and his eyes are a orange or citrine gold. The eye colour is natural, well mostly... His face is qutie rounded and youthful, his eyes lying back. Image link!◊
• School Rank: S (Probably a little relaxed compared to most S-Ranks)
• Club: Discipline Committee
• Ability Type: Natural Esper, Combat/Civil
• Ability Rank: C
• Ability: Memory Echo
  • Jake can remember every single moment of his life since he was four year old in perfect (and to Jakes mind, embarrassing) clarity with every detail, smell, sight and sound unblemished. His entire world and even his dreams being equatable to on demand video footage he can watch at-will, unfortunately including things he would rather not remember. Even abilities that directly attempt to ((Or indirectly by trying to suppress the memory echo)) modify or erase memories have zero effect against him beyond giving both sides a tremendous headache. Furthermore while his memories cannot be simply modified he does have the ability to read the memories of willing individuals and even share his own memories to willing individuals. Regardless if it is Jake sending or receiving the memory, the person can read it as clearly as if they had been at the scene firsthand. Unlike Jake of-course, these memories transferred to others will eventually fade and be forgotten like any other. To transfer memories it requires very close-range direct eye contact, some mental effort on Jakes part, about fifteenth seconds of time, and both sides must be willing to either send or receive the memory. ((The memory received is chosen by the sending individual; not Jake so he cannot simply read a private memory by accident.))
  • A alternative application is essentially using this ability to create a mental connection without the safeties or finesse. After just a moment of direct eye contact from a moderate distance he is capable of projecting himself onto a targets mind to create perceptual illusions that can either hide his or others presences out by filtering them out as part of the background, rending him effectively invisible and the target unaware they even made eye-contact with Jake. If Jake hides his or others presences from the target(s), they immediately realize as soon as the connection is broken what happened, their memories and perception returning to their true state. instead of filtering the illusions can be echos of random senstaions that instead disorientate others by inducing feelings of vertigo, nausea, dizziness, phantom pain and headaches. A useful tool to disable an opponent without violence, all the symptoms releavable as the mental connection is broken.
• Skills: He personally enjoys and is quite skilled at painting and drawing; with a side fascination in photography. Additionally despite appearances he is quite skilled at multiple kinds of martial arts which he regularly practices actually giving him more strength than a glace would usually suggest. Hobby wise he also enjoys listing to music and scenic runs; preferring to be outside or close to nature than in enclosed spaces.
• Friends and Family:
  • Father: Aaron Chance; whom has always been distant in Jake's life after divorcing his mother and leaving to work for a unknown company as a researcher. The divorce occurred the same day Jake's esper powers developed, as a result the one and only memory of his fathers, was him leaving their house.
  • Mother: Kaitlen Chance; has been the sole parent for Jake and Matthew, encouraging them to do well in his studies and try to develop and get past everything that has happened in his past. She herself however has been unable to walk since a car accident several years ago, though she rarely comments openly to Jake about her discomfort in a effort to not alarm him.
  • Younger brother: Matthew Chance; younger than Jake by a year he is also a part of the academy with a scholarship for his personal acceleration-telekinesis. Unlike Jake his abilities that are ALOT stronger, were brought about by the same car accident that paralyzed their mother instead of naturally. He doesn't sore as highly in class as Jake, though he does decently and despite his hardships has settled in well at the academy without issue; he is part of the swim club and has made quite a few friends. The two of them have always been close, being the only form of stability for each-other especially while their mother went into the hospital; its unlikely anyone has ever heard them come close to arguing on campus before.
  • Female Friend (Not romantically) Natalie Triston; is a very easily described as the tomboyish type. Her short dark hair moving gracefully yet unkept as she comes round to kick you into submission. Jake met her at a martial arts class when they were young and have been friends ever since, she moved here after the Migawari calamity which she though not all her family gone from unscathed.
  • Artsy Friend Rion Summers; is a part of the the art club. Jake met him after a incident of people vandalizing the art room last year. He is a shy, bookwormish-type yet he can be easily excitable with a love of painting and cooking. He can be quite accident prone however, causing all number of funny circumstances.
  • Other Friends Jake has also made friends with a some of the other members of the discipline committee. He actually doesn't have that many friends from his classes, he the odd few but nobody he is particularly close to/interested in.
• Personality: Jake is a very hard working individual, always trying to succeed better than he did before in everything he does; be it athletically, academically or as part of the discipline committee. His ability Memory Echo has defiantly effected his life, being able to remember your every failure is not something comfortable for any person but Jake takes it in his stride, to rise above every failure and prove they mean nothing. He is subtly confident, yet humble and a little distant in his own thoughts at times. His love of art all came from his Memory Echo as well, as much as it hurts to remember his darkest hours so clearly he will also remember the beautiful things in life even when others forget, art allows him to capture it so others wont forget. He does have a bit of a habit of missing the point of jokes however, he isn't perfect after-all and he would be the first to admit it. Generally he dislike violence, as to him the martial arts training is just for self-defense and fitness training.
• Background: Jake was born as the second child, first son of Kaitlen and Aaron Chance, both of whom grew up in the local region. A year and sixteen days later his younger brother was born as well. At the age of four Jake's esper powers awoke on the same day his father divorced his mother. From then on it was a pretty normal life, till about three years ago where himself, his brother and mother all got into a car accident outside of town. His mother became paralyzed from the hip-down and he and his brother were forced to live with his grandmother in Migawari for some time. His brother was while uninjured having trouble copping with the accident which later we discovered caused his esper powers; which actually brought them alot closer as they waited for their mother to recover somewhat. It wasn't till two years ago they moved back with their mother, now bound in a wheel chair. Overall however life went on, abet now with some minor changes in lifestyle but everything was content. Jake taking on the roll as the 'adult' of the house for quite a bit of the time, though his mother insisting he does what he enjoys instead. When the disaster hit only a short time ago, the family was hit hard. His mother taking their grandparents death very hard and for Jake and Matthew the two of them began to see the people they left in Migawari years ago come to their town in panic. He has been overall been doing very well, top grade student in school and has been enjoyed it. It is a place where he feels less pressure actually than at home where he feels he is the most important one left and he gets no easy advantage like his Memory Echo to do as well.
  • Most recently this year he and his brother have moved into the dorms as their mother has been transferred to the local hospital for care and rehabilitation. Conveniently for themselves, and not to live so close. Others in the nearby dorms may actually be able to hear heated arguments between the two unlike anywhere else.

edited 10th Jan '16 3:10:44 AM by darkdestinysoul

• Name: Victoriana Sokolov
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18
• Appearance: A very typically Slavic girl, she has brown hair, brown eyes, a sturdy build, is quite tall (6 feet), and always wears red clothes and a hat. Like this, sans rifle.
• School Rank: A
• Club: The Disciplinary Committee
• Ability Type: Mage (Wilder)
• Ability Rank: A
• Ability: Crimson Symphony
  • Victoriana's exclusive magical affinity is for a field of magic that most people refer to as "blood magic". Unlike most types of magic that involve affecting the outside world at the expense of bringing poisonous mana, her magic takes in far greater amounts of mana into her own body, concentrates it into drops of her blood, and then lets her use or expel that magic blood in various ways. Her simplest and most energy efficient use of magic is the "blood bullet", where she shoots a single drop of blood with tremendous force. Another simple application she relies on is increasing her strength by running magical blood through her muscles, expelling a drop of blood every few seconds to remove the toxic mana and lactic acid from her system. She can heal herself or others with her blood and magic, but cannot heal her own blood loss without another source of blood. Her signature move is using a large burst of mana to greatly increase her size, letting her tower above people. Since her power trades poisoning for anemia, she eats a lot of rare steaks in her diet. Her magic can be cast two different ways; the first and simplest is by words of power in the form of song, while the second involves focusing on blood that is already outside of her body, using it as a sort of "focus" for channeling magic in a pseudo-ritual.
• Skills: Excels at Sambo and things that require physical strength, plays the saxophone pretty well, is extremely terrible at cooking (she tends to eat things raw or rare). Her [not-Russian] blood gives her extreme alcohol tolerance and makes her have an affinity and natural tolerance for the snow and the cold, and increased displeasure and intolerance for hot weather. She is good with dogs, bears, wolves, and other animals that dwell in the cold, while desert and savanna animals, especially cats, get along poorly with her. She also plays a mean game of Poker.
• Friends and Family: Her father, Artyom Sokolov, runs a completely legitimate import-export business at the docks, along with her older brother Victor and her uncle Marcus. Her mother, Sofiya, runs a small martial arts academy in downtown, where her older sister, Anastasia, serves as senior instructor. Her family consists of 'normal' humans (that is, no mages/espers), with her being the only known magician in the Sokolov family tree. Her family lives in a somewhat spacious two-storey house with a yard that is more in line with Western sensibilities than Nokalan, where she has a pet polar bear named Medved. Her friends include Maria, some people on the martial arts team, and [other people at the school].
• Personality: Hardworking, dedicated, optimistic, loyal, blunt, and boisterous. Her speech has a Russian-sounding accent, and tends to be the last things deliquents hear before being knocked out and waking up at the school nurse's office. Her favorite colors are red, gold, and black, in that order. Her main vice is her television soap operas, of which her favorite is called "Desu Our Lives". She likes video games but is terrible at them.
• Background: Originally from Starokozul in [not-Russia], Victoriana's family moved to Muyomi City when she was 12, and started exhibiting some strange powers. It was completely unrelated to any legal troubles her father may or may not have been in that required him to leave the country and anyone who says otherwise is a lying bastard. Her first year in town, she did very poorly in middle school. Deciding that she didn't want to be an embarrassment, she spent the entire summer studying as hard as she could, practicing her magic, and learning Japanese from the soap operas and cartoons available from local television broadcasters. Through sheer hard work she made herself an A student, and later joined the Disciplinary Committee because she couldn't stand to see so many people content to waste their talents and lives away.

edited 10th Jan '16 12:50:47 AM by nman

Don't have any major problems with the sign ups so far. Everyone's accepted! Well except the WI Ps. Finish those.

Oh, right, forgot to mention. You guys can commute to school or live on campus. If you live on campus, CHOOSE YOUR ROOMMATES because the dorms are co-ed.

edited 8th Jan '16 5:04:32 PM by RagnaTheSaviour

Oh boyo, who wants to be roomies?

I'm up for a roomie as well. :0 Maybe we should open a discussion thread for this kinda thing?

I'm game for roommates.

I suppose if you can live on site it could make sense of my character and his brother to live in the dorms instead. I will make a small edit, to my background to accommodate this.

Also woo accepted characters!

• Name: Takeda Saya
• Sex: Female
• Age: 17
• Appearance: A common girl◊
• School Rank: A
• Club: Muyomi Club
• Ability Type: Magus
• Ability Rank: A
• Ability: Universalist with a slight edge in Transmutation
  • Takeda Saya is an outstanding Magus who has proven to be capable and studious of all the core magical disciplines, prefering to apply the correct tool to each problem instead of being an specialist. However, the school of magic she has found most useful is that of Transmutation or the use of magic for the reinforcement or change of materia already existant in the world. This comes from her efforts in sustaining herself and her family by making magical trinkets, custom order items or potions to sale around campus and town. An accomplished magic user who from nothing went through the proper methods and disciplines in order to obtain more and more magical power in a righteous manner, yet displaying no outstanding particular abilities or specialization on any setting leading her to be a well studied generalist, covering her bases and studies meticulously yet being overcome in particular applications and rankings by others who put their interest in a single subject.
• Skills: Saya's greatest skill is a powerful mind capable of memorizing and retrieving a lot of information during studies. It is by her great mind and strong will that she managed to obtain and master the magical curriculum and rituals needed to become a great Magus at such a young age. She's generally a bit more fit than average due to her active lifestyle of hard work, running around on jobs and helping around basically anyone that crosses her way with a problem. She's quite good and nimble with her hands, being good at housework stuff and cooking, though she's terrible at videogames due to lack of familiarity... though the few times she has been given a controller she has been amazed and entertained by the colors and moving graphics, losing again and again yet having a blast of it.
• Friends and Family:
  • Family: The Takeda clan is actually not a clan... just a very big family. Saya is the middle child of a family of nine, with six brothers and sisters, mom and dad... as well as three uncles and aunts on either side of the family tree, more cousins you can shake a stick at and still alive great grandparents. Saya currently lives away from them in Muyomi, on a partial scholarship due to her grades. She regularly sends money back home given that her family usually is needy of cash for one circumstance and the other and the pride of the clan feels responsability towards them. Simply getting enough for the round the year birthday presents is already a big challenge, but Saya won't allow herself to miss even one. Though a generally poor and simple family, the Takeda household is a warm and happy environment from which Saya's virtues and vices likewise sprung out.
  • Friends: Saya is more the kind of girl to have tons acquiettances than true friends due to her hectic lifestyle and busy schedule, forcing her to spend little time with friends unless they tag along with her. However, due to her scattered schedule she knows and is known by a wide net of people, having done quite a few part time jobs fit in between whatever open spaces of time she has. However, she keeps a more friendly than usual relationship with her teachers and there are some students she spends more time around due to providing work or being involved in missions.
• Personality: Saya is a hardworking, considerate and active person with a bit of a hero complex she can't shake off. As the middle child of a really big family, she always had a drive to prove herself furthered by being caught in the spot between responsability and childishness, making the most bonds and bridges between the generations of her family. This awakened a nurturing instinct and the need to always be in motion, to help around and be useful, knowing there was always something for her to do. Her prodigious mind led her to mature a little bit faster than her peers and by it, in order to make something of herself she put her all into her studies, becoming quite a good study. Her generally idealistic if somewhat foolish family instilled good values of fair play and justice into Saya, though also a bit of financial irresponsibility and being prone to splurging into shiny things put before her. Money has been tight for as long as she has been alive, which makes her somewhat weak to it, always pushing herself to get more jobs or sales or small magic items to make ends meet, indulge in the stuff she likes and send more stuff back home.
• Background: Saya was raised within the comfort and chaos of her family home, the middle child of Kotaro and Megumi, Takeda... 4th child of 7, constantly struggling for both attention and to help around the house, taking care of her little siblings and helping around by doing the bidding and cleaning up after the bigger ones. A brilliant and quiet child, she learned early on the most basic of magic tricks and after advice from a passing person that one can do anything in the world with magic if they study enough for it, she obtained the dream of learning more magic. By applying her mind and discipline to it, despite the general distractions of her family home she progressed quite fast by sheer dedication into magical craft. Becoming an honor student wasn't hard, eventually even getting a scholarship for the prestigious academy. While she has the potential to be an S student, she misses classes a bit too much due to her work or helping around to completely make up for it via studying. She has been careful in her study of magic to avoid poisoning, developing her skills in creating magic items and tools for her personal use as well as to sell to supplement her always depleted funds from sending back home, gifts or her generally splurging nature.

edited 8th Jan '16 7:09:23 PM by daltar

• Name: Mikael Freisch
• Sex: M
• Age: 17
• Appearance: Blond hair, blue eyes, tall and lithe with a fondness for jewelry and furs.
• School Rank: C
• Club: Archery Club, open to all. They use crossbows rather than compound, as crossbows are easier for most people to use, making it easier for anyone to jump in and take a shot.
• Ability Type: Magus, Battle/Support/Civil
• Ability Rank: B
• Ability: Enchanting: The simple ability of infusing items with magical properties. Most commonly used to create clothing and jewelery that improve the abilities of the wearer, enhancing physical capabilities, senses, and mental fortitude. It can also be used to create weapons of high caliber, making them cut deeper and strike harder, causing them to burn or electricute on contact, or even creating something like a gun that never runs out of bullets or a quiver of limitless crossbow bolts. Other enchantments include making the wearer heal faster, imbuing items with magical resistance, or weakening the power of nearby Espers. Enchanted items draw mana directly from the Other, not requiring any power from the magus to function beyond the initial enchanting, done using specially drawn enchanting circles that differ from magus to magus. Enchanting takes several minutes of focus, the exact time depending on the enchantment, and while enchantments can wear down over time they can easily be replenished by the same ritual. Mikael enchants all of his clothing and jewelery, which nearly edges him into superhuman territory. He's abhorrent at just about every other kind of magic, however.
• Skills: An expert marksman, skilled hunter, and adept survivalist, Mikael thrives in harsh and wild conditions. He knows how to create fire from sticks, track beasts and construct makeshift shelter. Years of tree-climbing and running through the woods have made him very athletic as well, enhanced by his enchanted wear. He can creep up on even the most alert animals without being detected, and shoot birds out of the sky. If it could be useful in the wilderness, Mikael probably knows how to do it.
• Friends and Family:
  • Grandfather: Josef Freisch, Mikael's legal guardian, is an old widower whose only daughter was lost to the Visage Plague. A bitter, paranoid old man who hates and fears the world that took his family away, he rarely leaves the house. Mikael works as a go-between for his grandfather's enchanting business.
  • Herschel: With every hunter, a loyal hound. Mikael's pet dog is a german short-haired pointer with deep brown fur. Herschel often runs around town by himself, chasing rabbits, cats, and rodents, or playing with local children. He won't attack people unless they threaten an innocent. Despite his wanderlust, he is a well trained hound and will always return home by dusk.
• Personality: Calm, quiet, and distantly kind. He doesn't raise his voice, doesn't really get angry with people, and smiles a lot. He has nearly infinite patience, and enjoys company, but never invites anyone to come over to his home. Inheiriting some of his grandfather's paranoia, Mikael never allows himself to fully trust anyone else. While he doesn't want to harm the innocent, he derives satisfaction from hunting and fighting, and will more than willingly fight anyone who challenges him.
• Background: The Freisch family of magical hunters lived by the woods for generation, never taking more than they needed from the land and selling their enchanted furs and rings. No one really bothered them, and they were always friendly. But Mikael's father didn't understand them. He captured the huntress Amadea's heart yet only saw her as a momentary fling, running out before their child was born. Amadea Freisch raised her son with her father's help, but it still stung them both. They closed themselves off, slowly losing what friends they had, until their only connection to the outside world was their enchanting business. And then the Migawari Calamity claimed Amadea's life. Josef could not bear it, and hid away, never again leaving the forest. Mikael has taken care of himself for the most part since then, adopting Herschel to be his only friend.

edited 8th Jan '16 7:40:39 PM by kagescorpionakki

I have a minor question about the timeline - we're 6 months after the incident in Migawari, but how many months into the school year are we?

Spring Trimester in April.

So start of a new (school) year, okay.