DAY 4: SANTA'S SLAY

[pandatrash]

[Assuming you're some kind of weirdo who actually sleeps, you are rudely awoken on Day 4 by a loud noise on your tablet, which will subsequently only play the following animation:]



[Follow the loud Christmas(?) music and you'll find your way to the auditorium. On center stage there is a massive fireplace with iron bars on the front and a blazing fire within, surrounded by thickly packed evergreen trees that stick directly out of the floor at odd, impenetrable angles. Above, hanging by Christmas lights, the raccoons have their victim all tied up, suspended directly over the chimney. You might have noticed his presence in the tablets, even if you haven't seen him in person — it's Santa. He wriggles in his bonds, looking exhausted; where have they even been keeping this guy?

Raquelle pulls out a pair of scissors and starts snipping. Santa falls, and from the sound he makes when he hits that fire, the fall alone did not kill him. By the time anyone actually makes it through the trees to where he is, though, there's nothing left but smoldering ash.]



((Game Navigation

Special thanks to Eski for the fantastic sprite animation!

Allllso stay tuned while we figure out some things re: scheduling around the holiday.))

Comments

[worldcup]

Eh... they decided to just drop him into a fire?

[ Guess who is sounding rather unimpressed, although she finds herself a little amused by the music. ]

Is nobody creative when it comes to doing things anymore?

[ Like seriously, is fire a theme now. It's so boring. ]

[cw_suicide]

... are you unfamiliar with Santa Claus?

[locktouching]

...Our fluffy little hosts are more gruesome than I thought.

[cluelesscavewoman]

[At the noise she moves to the auditorium. Not even changing out of whatever this is. Rubbing at her eyes.

When Santa is dropped she's one of the ones to run over and start climbing through the trees. She's pretty quick as well, but quick enough for it to make a difference. So she just stands in front of the fireplace. Staring at the flames...]

[cw_suicide]

[tmw you're not sure if you should appreciate the dark humor or judge the impracticality of it all.

except also... points for psychological trauma this will likely put onto the good shounen heroes.]

[purrtagonist]

[LIKE THIS ONE??]

[who is sort of rooted to the spot, like his legs have decided to just. suddenly stop working on him. he's fine? he's fine]

[respendent]

[ WHY ARE YOU RUINING CHRISTMAS. HIYORI LIKES CHRISTMAS. ]

[piertotumlocomotor]

[Just like Futayo, McGonagall hurries to the trees as soon as she realizes what's going on, moving surprisingly well for someone of her age. Climbing the trees is harder, and she does have trouble with that, but soon she reaches the fireplace.

All that effort for nothing. She stands there, breathing heavily and rather pale]

[cluelesscavewoman]

[Sorry for leaving you behind teacher lady.

Also she hasn't even noticed you there as well. She's too busy looking at the ashes.]

[chosemyfate]

[ CORRIN DOESN'T KNOW WHAT CHRISTMAS IS BUT HE KNOWS YOU GUYS ARE MESSED UP.

Even as a little dragon, flying up the trees, he couldn't get there in time. So there's a dragon just looking in disbelief. ]

[purrtagonist]

[HOLY SHIT]

[for all his talk, all his defiant bravado, all his stubborn determination and cheek? actually watching someone die is a whole different thing]

[so please don't mind him as he doesn't immediately bolt for the trees, 'cause his feet are kind of plastered to the ground, expression slack and wide-eyed and]

[yep. still processing. give him a sec]

[loveandwillpower]

Was that a real person? Not a robot like them?

[ Y I K E S mate ]

[eternalballad]

It seems so.

[ He looks about as excited about this as one would expect (as in not excited at all and just looking all around like he just stepped in something unpleasant.) ]

Somehow it is not the least bit surprising that they've made sure an execution would have an outlandish quality to it.

[ Which is putting it lightly, to be fair. ]

[truthstranger]

[Shuichi just slumps down in a seat and buries his face in his hands.]

[thesummation]

[ ... ]

What...what the hell...!? Why are we all so desensitized to this...? Are we just—just going to act like a human being wasn't burned to death right before our eyes...!?

[ suddenly, there's a sigh, and sigma rubs his face. ]

Why do I feel like I should know who this is...?

[insurgeont]

The display said his name was Santa.

[ Ulaz pulls out his tablet. With the execution over, he's free to pull the profiles up and show Sigma Santa's. ]

[afailedmurder]

[Akechi is just staring. He's seen some shit in his life, but god damn.]

[ecthelion]

I don't...

[This is awful and it's taking Ein time to process. His best friend was killed right in front of him once, but this Santa person was a total stranger and there is no way that was as instant as then.]

...this... has to stop...

[insurgeont]

[ Ulaz doesn't rush forward after Santa's dropped; he knows wasted effort when he sees it. Instead he just watches, hands folded behind his back and eyes narrowed with disgust. ]

What an ostentatious display.

[theyregooddogs]

[was already rapidly moving to where santa was hanging as soon as he entered the auditorium. once he can see the fire, will stands stock still, taking in the scene mutely]

[misandroid]

[hey there standing still and mutely taking in the scene buddy. Once it's over, she looks over at him]

Why him?

[suppressthedark]

[...Ah.

There it was.

A part of him is relieved that it's no one he's gotten to know, but...another part is too busy screaming internally about the fact that their captors just killed someone as easily as they could, with nothing they could do about it.

But unlike some of them, who have stopped in their tracks or stare in shock, Ichigo merely stares straight at it with a look of grim determination, burning the image of Santa's face into his mind. This is one face he won't forget, the first victim of the raccoons and their hideous plans.]

...We're going to stop you.

[His words are said quietly, but fiercely, eyes blazing with that determination. He can freak out later - for now, all he sees is a senseless death that will one day be avenged.]

[misandroid]

[she can see she won’t make it in time even if she runs at top speed so instead she just watches, hands balling into fists in a very human gesture of anger]

[flamingprick]

[Yeah, Rin is definitely one of the ones trying to fight through the trees to get to Santa. Of course, by the time he makes it through the trees it is far too late, but he doesn't give up until he actually gets there and sees that there's nothing left to save.

And. Well.

Rin is solidly Not Okay right now.]

[blueeyeswaifudragon]

[watches the whole thing, arms folded and jaw tight]