The countless eyes upon the face of Segin close as he groans obnoxiously, pretending to melt off of the arm of the bright orange couch. Another day of sneaking into apartments to repair washing machines while their residents weren’t home. What type of monster throws bombs into a home appliance?
After a long shift of fixing up the various broken objects that the citizens of Spirale left behind, he just wanted to do something mindless. Nothing was more mindless than the garbage that he had stored away on his watch list.
With the smart remote in his hand, Segin pops open one eyeball situated on his cheek, flicking through the long, long, looooonnnnng list of shows that he had yet to begin.
“No. No. No. No. Nah. Mmmhhhnope– “ nothing looked interesting.
“When is the next season of that trashy college romcom drama s’pposed to come out?” Segin asks aloud, right as several other starlets stepped into the breakroom. Without turning around to greet them– instead, an eyeball on the back of his head opens up– he asks:
“Guys, I miss ‘Reincarnated As A Confused Undergrad’. It’s was like– bad but funny. Funny bad yknow????”
Orion and Alioth pause, their eyes lighting up. The three of them were always binge watching some type of anime, but the new season of that college isekai still hadn’t dropped. Chattering happens for a short while as they ramble on about their favorite characters, ships, and theories regarding where the story may lead in the future. It was almost enough to fill the void without having to look into fanfics–
– And that was when a light bulb flickered on in Segin’s mind. Why wait for the next season of their show to come back on, when they could just make one of their own? A devious grin flashes onto the starlet’s face, and he pops up from the couch.
“HEY someone look out for the Stars– I got an idea– I got a funny idea– I’m going to the server room–” He had seen the higher ups fiddle with the settings before, it couldn’t be THAT difficult to start up a simulation of his own.
“What if we just run an alternate reality for a few weeks? Throw some of those people living down on the surface into it, and make ‘em think they’re all attending some university or whatever.”
Alioth nods rapidly, looking over the control panel of the server to see if there was anything that could be done to help set this up. Orion, equally enthusiastic, hovers behind Segin’s shoulder.
“This idea is funny buuut, what if we get in trouble????”
After all, Segin was doing this without asking the rest of the stars.
“Dooonnn’t worry, it’s gonna be fine, it’s not like I’m KILLING anyone!!! AND it’ll be free entertainment! We can just turn it off when we’re done. Easy. You’ll thank me later!” Segin exclaims, waving the concern off.
A thumbs up from Alioth; an hour or two of tinkering around on the control panel, and a comically large red button appears.
“ – Did it do anything?” Alioth asks.
“Uuuhhhhhhh–” Segin squints, a thunk and a click and a whir comes from the server. Orion pulls up a street camera from Golden Ward to check out the view of the city– and it was looking rather similar to the ‘college AU’ tag on everyone’s favorite fic website.
“IT WOOOOORKED!” All three exclaimed victoriously.
The next few weeks of television were going to be GREAT.
The characters of Spirale have temporarily been thrown into an alternative universe where they are enrolled in Ofiuco University! Nobody remembers their life in their canon setting, nor their time in Spirale. As far as they are aware, they are students or faculty members of Ofiuco University, and are locals of the city.
To participate in this event, write an AU of your character in the university setting. Try to consider ideas like:
What is your character’s major? What do they minor in? What extra-curriculars do they participate in? Are they involved in any clubs? What about a sports team, are they a college athlete? What type of student are they? What are their grades like? Are they focused on their studies or are they borderline ready to drop out?
Or, perhaps, your muse is a faculty member, such as a professor, administrator, coach or tutor. What subject do they teach? What sport do they coach? How long have they been affiliated with and employed at the university?
Your character doesn’t necessarily need to be enrolled in the university in order to participate either.
Your muse isn't the only thing that's changed, either! Spirale City itself has been transformed into that typical college-town experience, with housing and other necessary amenities implemented into the enormous campus itself.
Each ward hosts a different part of the Ofiuco University campus.
Fibonacci - Science & Engineering
Cotes - History & Environmental Studies
Golden - Medicine & Human Services
Archimedes - Arts & Humanities
This event takes places in the city only! If your character lives in any of the branches, they'll have an equivalent housing somewhere in Spirale itself. (Who knows! This might be a good opportunity to be an exchange student?)
In addition to your new college life, rumors have been circulating on campus of several mysterious happenings occurring around the town. Your muses have the opportunity to investigate these mysteries:
Students have been vanishing on campus. Rumor has it that there is a campus killer responsible for the missing people. Everyone is looking over their shoulder, worried that they might be next. Could you be the one able to solve this chilling mystery?
The auditorium on Archimedes Campus is said to be haunted. Performing arts students claim to see spirits dancing and singing on stage after midnight. Investigate this urban legend and find out if it’s just another tall tale, or if the ghosts of the theater really are stuck there.
The mandela effect is in full swing in the city. Some people believe that the student facilities in Golden Ward used to be shopping centers. Others claim that there are buildings in places that vanish in the middle of the night, only to then reappear. There are roads that never existed on the map, and NPCs that seem uncanny and unsettled by their surroundings. Does anybody remember how long they have been enrolled at Ofiuco University?
More information will be revealed about the mysteries as the event unfolds, so don't worry about getting all the details right away!
Do I have to make an AU for my character in order to participate in the event?
Yes. In order to participate in the event and have it added to your event and star count, you must write an AU that fits into the story.
Does my character have their powers in their event AU?
Any powers that are not keeping your character alive are not accessible while participating in the event. This is an alternative version of your muse, so have fun creating an AU verse for them in order to fit into the university setting!
Can my character be the campus killer/one of the students missing in the Campus Killer mystery?
There may be multiple instances of a "killer" on campus--your muse may not be THE Killer, but one of many.
More details about this mystery--and others!!--will be revealed once people and their muses settle into their new roles.
What happens if my character dies in this event?
In the event you get got by the killer (or falls off a balcony after one too many parties, or gets hit by a speeding car, etc) your muse will turn into a ghost, haunting the campus at night! Spooky!
My character isn’t a human. Do I need to make them human in their event AU?
You are not required to turn your character into human for this event if it does not suit them! That is completely optional. You can be as creative as you’d like in order to explain why their species is enrolled in university.
My character is too young to be in college. Can they still participate in the event? Can I age them up in order to make a college au for them?
Worry not! Each ward has smaller K-12 schools associated with Ofiuco University. You can place your younger character into one of those schools and still create an AU for them related to the event.
You cannot age up your character for the sake of the event. They must remain their current age.
My character isn’t participating in the event. Can they interact with the AU versions of characters that are participating?
Unfortunately, no. Since this is a simulation that the starlets have created for their entertainment, only those writing an AU for the event can interact with each other. In other words, they have “picked a cast” for their show. You, too, can be picked for the cast if you participate in the event and write an AU for your character.
When does this event end?
This event begins on March 13th, 2026 at 12:00 AM EST and ends on April 3rd, 2026 at 11:59:59 EST
