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un-fwuit-un-fwog · 10 days ago

Text

The Rain is Especially Loud Tonight

Synopsis: The Prefect gets hurt due to Crowley's negligence.

TW: Injury, Stitches, Medical Stuff, Prefect gets caught under a collapsed Ramshackle

Part 1 (here), Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 (coming soon)

Tick Tick Tick Tick

The room would be completely silent were it not for the ticking of the clock on the wall.

The environment was more comfortable than your usual medical setting, but it still felt cold in a way.

The door creaked open and in stepped professor Crewel. "Hey, Pup." His voice lacked its usual stern tone one would hear in the classroom; instead, his voice was gentle and almost hoarse.

The hoarseness was no doubt a result of him screaming at the headmage in a roar you shiver even recalling. He had spent hours tearing into the man for his gross negligence and irresponsibility.

"Pup?" His voice became more worried when you failed to answer.

"Sorry." A meek, rasped voice leaves you throat. Your throat burns with dryness despite the 6 glasses of water you already drank, and it feels like every syllable echoes through your head and causes an intense, throbbing pain. You don't recognize the voice that claws its way out of your throat as your own.

You hear the soft scrape of a chair on the floor next to your bed. "No. Don't apologize, Pup." Rocking your gaze slowly over to him its clear to you, with the way his jaw clenches and unclenches while his eyes search the blanket covering you, that he wants to say something, but isn't sure what.

You slowly rock your head to look forward again. "Everyone's been in such a panic. . .and it's my fault, I-"

The man cuts you off as you choke on your words: "Pup. This is not your fault."

"But-" Your throat feels like its been given a massage with a thousand razor blades. The coughing your attempts to speak cause only make the pain worse.

Crewel quickly grabs another glass of water and holds it up to your lips for you to drink. "But nothing, Pup- Keep those arms down or you'll re-open the wounds. That old building was bound to collapse at some point. We all knew it. If the fault is on anyone it's on us staff. Crowley made you stay there, and we didn't stop him." The glass cup clinks slightly too harshly onto the nightstand as he sets it down.

Silence falls between the two of you.

Tick Tick Tick Tick

The ticking of the clock numbs your thoughts. You force your mind to stop focusing on the pain radiating from every inch of your body and instead listen to the steady ticking of the clock. The only other sound that can be herd is the occasional hurried footsteps outside the door as the other staff do their best to take care of the situation.

Your injuries have already been treated by a specialty team sent from STYX the moment the news got to them. They were the only ones aside from Grim, Leona, and the staff that had seen your mangled form before you were wrapped up like a mummy. You didn't have to ask how bad it was. Seeing Crowley throw up at the sight of you was enough to tell you it was bad.

The STYX team had spent nearly a whole 24 hours stitching you back together like some ragdoll and rearranging the many pieces of you that had been ripped and jostled out of place. If not for them. . .well, you don't want to think about it. If you looked like a mummy on the outside, you were sure that under the bandages you looked like Frankenstein's monster. There really wasn't a single bit of you that got out of that death trap unscathed.

You were kept in the school infirmary instead of being carted off to some high-tech STYX facility only because they needed to operate on you as soon as possible and didn't want to move you too much after the initial procedures. They made do by shipping a ton (literally speaking, more like 3 tons) of medical equipment to the school, most of which was now littered around the infirmary in a rushed yet professional way.

Despite your closeness to your friends, the only people who had come to see you were the staff. It's not that none of your friends wanted to see you, but that they weren't allowed to. The doctor's worried having them in so soon, when they were still full of hysteria from the news, wouldn't be the best idea. They weren't able to text you either as your phone had been crushed in the collapse.

"How's Grim?"

Professor Crewel hums: "Physically, he's pretty unscathed. He just has a few scrapes and bruises. Mentally, he's a bit traumatized."

You supposed that made sense. You didn't remember much, but what you did remember was Grim's voice. He had been returning to the dorm from after school detention when he found the building in shambles on the ground. He called out to you but your lungs were filled with debris and your torso was being crushed by layers of rubble. The dorm ghosts met Grim at the edge of the junk pile that used to be a dorm and confirmed that you were inside and that you needed help. The ghosts talked to you as you laid there, not being able to physically move anything off you themselves. They kept you awake and assured you that Grim was getting help.

Not long later you heard shouting. Two of the ghosts stayed with you while the third went out to meet the staff and fill them in. You were told after the fact that that's about the time they called up Leona to use his unique magic so they could get you out as soon as possible (that was the first time many saw the lion run).

You were blanking in and out of consciousness when they found you, but you remember them finding you. The feeling of the weight of the rubble lessening as it was methodically turned to sand and removed (in order to not end up crushing you with sand instead), the small grains dripping on your face, and eventually, the full force of the pouring rain battering your face as the last of the rubble was removed from above you. You remember Leona's manic eyes turning horrified, Crowley puking, and worst of all, Grim's face.

"STYX sent over a few trauma counselors. There are ones assigned specifically to Leona and Grim as well since they saw some of the worst of it." Crewel finally broke the silence again.

"And you? You and. . .the other teachers were there too. . .and Sam."

"Calm down, Pup. We've all had evaluations done to assess how we're handling it. We'll be fine.

"What about. . ." Your voice trails off, but from the look in your eyes, Crewel can tell what you were about to ask.

"What about the headmage?"

You nod, wincing slightly when the motion disturbs an injury on your neck.

"He's under investigation." Crewel responds after a brief pause. He knew that you surely couldn't be all that fond of the crow, but as you saw it, he was probably also your only ticket home. Crewel looked up to gauge your response, but your face remained neutral.

"And you, Pup? I obviously know you aren't doing particularly well physically right now, but what about mentally?"

"Hm?"

Crewel hesitated, not wanting to dig around in a mental wound and make it worse, "You were. . .under there for a while. I'm sure it must've been. . .scary."

You think for a moment before responding: "Was I really under there that long? It didn't feel like it. . .I think I passed out a few times." Your mumbled words put Crewel at ease in a way. He's not happy that you had been passing out, but he was at least glad that you weren't stuck under there fully conscious and feeling every second tick by as if it were an hour.

"Hmm. I see." Crewel nods. "I ought to let you rest now. A counselor will stop by tomorrow to talk to you about what happened." He stands up as he says this, his knuckles still white from how tightly he'd been gripping the fabric of his pants. "Rest well, Pup."

You simply nod, this time more carefully as to not disturb your wounds, and watch him walk out. When the door closes you swear you hear a choked sob.

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 1 month ago

Note

Hello! Would you happen to know if there are any widespread festivities in Twisted Wonderland other than Halloween?

I thought to compile the holidays celebrated in Twisted Wonderland (both internationally and locally) into a single post :> Hopefully this can serve as a useful resource to you~

Internationally Celebrated Holidays:

***Note: I will elaborate on how NRC celebrates some specific holidays here, but the holidays themselves are celebrated beyond the school and Sage's Island.***

Halloween (Oct 31) - One of the biggest events held in Twsted Wonderland. It is the one day of the year when the dead are able to return and visit the living world. People prepare candy and decorations to welcome the ghosts as their honored guests. If a ghost tries to pull a prank on you, you can easily placate them by offering a treat. However, evil spirits might mix in with friendly ghosts, so the living also dress in scary costumes to trick them and ward them off. Every race and country has their own traditions, but NRC makes Halloween an event in which they open their campus to the Sage’s Island locals to thank them for their support the whole year. They also hold a big party on Halloween night.

New Year (Jan 1) - Pretty much the same thing as irl new year’s. At NRC, Sam holds an annual New Year's Sale; he puts interested students' names into a hat and draws them at random as temporary helpers for this sale. He also incorporates many design elements and games taken from the Eastern branches of the Mystery Shop.

Beanfest (mid-Feb) - A holiday inspired by the story of a giant who stole a harp from Happy Valley; a farmer found magical beans which grew into a beanstalk, allowing the robbed to ascend and take back their harp. This restored peace and prosperity to the land. In honor of that past, people dress as farmers and "slay" those in monster costumes by throwing beans at them. At NRC, they hold a Beanfest themed athletic event in which they split the students into a Monster Team and a Farmer Team, the former defending a harp and the latter tasked with stealing it back. This mirrors the irl Japanese holiday Setsubun, which also often includes bean-throwing (mamemaki) to cast out bad luck/demons and to welcome good fortune.

Starsending (unknown) - A holiday inspired by the "Wish Upon a Star" story, which tells the tale of a toymaker who wished for a puppet he made to become a real boy. Nowadays, people send their wishes to the stars on the same day that the toymarker did. This is done via Wishing Stars, which are magestones that glow once you make a wish on them. (However, Idia remarks that this is untrue and is more likely just the magestones that glow once they come in contact with someone's body heat and a trace of magic.) Once the wish is made, the glowing Wising Stars are then hung up on a tree. At NRC, Crowley uses astrology to select three students to serve as Stargazers that collect the wishes of the entire student body. Each student gets to make one wish, which has to be done in the presence of a Stargazer. On the day of Starsending, the Stargazers bang drums and dance in front of the entire school; the Wishing Stars then rise up into the sky and fall down as shooting stars, which have to be collected off the ground the day after. This holiday mirrors the irl Japanese Tanabata festival, typically held on July 7.

Unnamed winter holidays (December-ish?) - Some characters vaguely use the term "the holidays" after returning from winter break, but never explicitly name anything.

Locally Celebrated Holidays:

Night Raven College Founding Day (Mar 18 in JP, Jan 20 in EN; celebrated only at NRC) - Exactly what the name says. This is the day the students and staff celebrate the founding of Night Raven College. There is a special ceremony and, if the Anniversary events are anything to believe, they put up decorations, eat good food, and just party together.

Unbirthday Parties (any day when there is no birthday; celebrated only in Heartslabyul dorm) - The students of Heartslabyul assemble on days when no one has a birthday (it is unclear if this is only within the dorm or in the general student population) and have a tea party + play croquet in the rose garden.

Malleus's birthday (Jan 18; celebrated only in Briar Valley) - Malleus's birthday is considered a national holiday in his kingdom. This may be because he is the crown prince, but it may also be because, according to historical events, his birth is considered miraculous. Malleus has to attend several ceremonies on this day if he were back home.

White Rabbit Fest (unknown but presumed to be in spring; celebrated only in Clock Town) - A festival which pays homage to the White Rabbit that worked for the Queen of Hearts. The locals like to dress up as rabbits for the holiday. Businesses set up stalls to sell their wares and they hold a relay race known as the Rabbit Run. You must wear rabbit ears during it and pass along a bugle. The Rabbit Run takes place in a hedge maze riddled with traps.

Mount Moln Sledathon (unknown but presumed to be in winter; celebrated only in Harveston) - Contestants form teams of four and race all night long on Mt. Moln to the finish line. Instead of live animals, racers infuse magic into stuffed animals to pull their sleds. Different animals have different attributes, such as speed, endurance, etc. Though there is no prize, it's considered an honor to win, and it's said that the winners are granted good luck for a whole year.

Tamashina Mina/Cloudcalling Festival ("near the start of the rainy season"; celebrated only in Sunset Savanna) - This is a rainmaking festival held at the start of the monsoon season. During the Cloudcalling, there is a Catch the Tail/Bead Brawl competition held which attracts formidable players, both locals and foreigners. Players adorn their heads with beads, and the aim is to wrestle and remove the beads from one's opponent. This is a game played without weapons or magic and serves as a test of physical prowess. Teams are three members each and members of the royal family are not allowed to participate, as it would be unfair. It is considered a great honor to be crowned the victors of Catch the Tail/Bead Brawl competition, and the winners are granted special Sunset Warrior lessons, traditionally led by the second prince.

Fairy Gala (beginning of spring, lasts three months to the end of spring; celebrated only by Faelanders) - Small fae from Faeland come to Twisted Wonderland and seek out a venue to hold the Fairy Gala. It is a fashion show to commemorate the spring, with a different theme every year. If the Fairy Gala does not occur, it may throw Twisted Wonderland into eternal winter. Non-diurnal fae are typically not welcome in the festivities.

Al'ab Nariya/Yasamina River Fireworks Fest (unknown; celebrated only in the Scalding Sands) - The noble families of the Scalding Sands take turns hosting this festival. Al'ab Nariya attracts many international and domestic tourists every year. The local stalls sell lots of interesting things, and it's all capped off by a spectacular fireworks show at the end of the day.

Topsy-Turvy Day/Topsy-Turvy Fest (around Halloween; celebrated only in Fleur City/the City of Flowers) - This is a holiday in which participants' social standings are flipped around, so people do not need to worry about title or status. Masks are sold so participants may use them to conceal their faces while they mingle. There are performers in fluttery costumes that use scarves and magic-infused tambourines. In this way, even non-mages can have a part in the festivities. The Kindly Bell Ringer supposedly loved this holiday and was once crowned King of Topsy-Turvy Day. Historically, this celebration may draw inspiration from the irl medieval Feast of Fools, typically held on Jan 1. The Feast of Fools, like Topsy-Turvy Day, reverses social hierarchies.

Port Fest (unknown; celebrated only in Crane Port on Sage's Island) - This festival commemorates the construction of Crane Port. Local businesses run their own stalls and it's a good way to promote them. In recent years, Port Fest has been attracting fewer and fewer people. However, with some help from the NRC boys, they were able to run many popular food stalls and put on a musical performance that restores the festival to its former glory.

Other Significant Annual Events:

International Film Festival Film Convention (unknown; held in Fairest City) - This is considered the most famous cinema convention in Twisted Wonderland, with over 80 years of operation. It serves as an event to gather famous actors, creators, and celebrities. To even have a work nominated here is an honor, and it is difficult for normal people to obtain an invitation to go.

Ghost Bride hunts for a potential groom (unknown) - This is an occurrence that happens around the same time every year. The princess of a fallen kingdom died before she could marry a handsome prince. Because of that unfulfilled desire, her spirit is chained to this world. She returns to Twisted Wonderland in search of her perfect groom and uses Ramshackle as their base of operations. As of the end of the Ghost Marriage event story, the Ghost Bride has found her true love, but she promises to visit again "next year".

Interscholastic Magift/Spelldrive Tournament (May) - A sporting tournament featuring teams from notable arcane academies; Royal Sword Academy has apparently beaten NRC for 99 years in a row.

National Arcane Academy Culture Fair (mid-Feb) - A different school hosts the Culture Fair every year. The fair has students representing magic schools from across the country and lasts for two days. It includes fine art, music, magic research showcases, speech contests, displays from cultural clubs, and more. At NRC, this is a time when the fourth-year students come back from their internships and share their findings.

Unnamed anime convention(s) (unknown; presumably held in various countries) - Idia sometimes mentions these.