In the world of
Chikyuumaru, for a generation, people have been finding ways to cope with the mutagenic epidemic called
X-Pressure. X-Pressure is unique in that it makes the body more like the mind in unprecedented ways, and over time, the stigma of infection has faded, and people have adapted to the unique abilities left in its wake. Among the most common strains of X-Pressure are
Audiocaudal Syndrome - developing animalistic ears and tail - and
Ganymede Syndrome - the acceleration or regression of aging processes to leave an individual with a physical & hormonal maturity typical for those between 14 & 18 years old.
But it’s not all bad. A large percentage of people are naturally immune to X-Pressure, and even those affected can lead normal lives - in fact, there are advantages. Social Techniques, or
S.Tech, have long been recognized as a powerful advantage in business, politics, romance, and entertainment, but many X-Pressure carriers have a heightened grasp of S.Tech, becoming true adepts, able to use words and gesture to convey their message by manifesting glitter, or hearts, or flower petals, changing the weather around themselves, or in a variety of other ways.
The most elite school for training S.Tech Masters is
Heartbeat Academy, or
Doki Doki no Gakuen, in the city of Bunkyo, Nihon. Heartbeat Academy teaches all of its students, both the X-Pressure affected and natural adepts, how to harness their feelings and channel them into S.Tech using
Emo Medi, or Emotional Meditation, which intensifies and empowers already volatile teenaged emotions, allowing them to cry literal lakes of tears, light fires with anger, brighten dark rooms with joy... Additionally, there is a fine curriculum of politics, economics, psychology, media, philosophy, and domestic studies.
But it’s not the only school. And every year, between fall term and spring term, there’s an Exhibition Exposition Competition in Yokohama, where the Top Four schools compete in S. Tech & Emo Medi events. While Doki Doki is generally regarded as the best of the Top Four, and has a record number of titles, the underdogs are still fierce competition - the military academy, Hagane no Gakuen; Tensai no Gakuen, which holds the best standardized test scores in the country, and the exotic and prestigious Mahou Kagaku no Gakuen, which studies Western S. Tech techniques and accepts a great many foreign students.
This year, the competitors being sent to the festival are dramatically reduced - an X-Pressure outbreak spreading less common strains of the disease has struck, like a flu epidemic, and many competitors are staying home. But not the most determined. For the teachers, it’s a matter of pride to coach the winning team, and the pressure is on. For the students, it isn’t just the jy of representing their school - it’s a chance to show off and cut loose in a new city, to sneak out at night and hit the tourist spots, to make friends or find blossoming romance.
Whatever school they’re from, the competitors and their chaperones have just one week to make things count.
Skills & S. Tech | The Competition | Schedule | Player Resources | Questions | Plotting![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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