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Danganronpa Roleplay [PRIVATE]
Forum-Index → Roleplay → Private RP → Danganronpa Roleplay [PRIVATE]
Posted: Sun, 29/09/2024 03:21 (22 Days ago)
Sutaraitsu Umemoto
Sutaraitsu looked upward, eyes glittering as he let go of their hand. It smelled kinda nice actually, sort of out of this world but not in a bad way...
Wh...
He was clearly imagining things already... maybe he really should go to sleep. He tugged Setsuna's arm in the direction of the bed a little, before moving to hold it close to his chest.
Posted: Mon, 30/09/2024 03:26 (21 Days ago)
💌Darcy Harper's POV🦋
Oh, he did. Darcy sure did. Darcy remembered everything, absolutely everything, and it was a curse. He remembered the regret as those words slipped from his mouth in that moment, and how it had been the time before. And the time before that.
The cold, bitter harshness of the words that rolled off of Kubo's tongue... he couldn't say he blamed him for. Not after what he'd just said.
Not after everything I caused.
"I-"
For a second, Darcy thought he caught remorse in Kubo's tone, in his eyes. Flickering across his features, concentrated into that singular word. Just one syllable, just one referral, just one letter, that said so much, and betrayed so little. But it was enough.
"Shut up. Just- stop talking."
Darcy's lips parted slightly, in that moment, as though he were about to do the opposite. Yet, then, that regret... that reminder of his own hypocrisy, contained in every word that was said, that should have been left unsaid... perhaps he should choose to keep contained. So, there was no snark in him there. Perhaps someone like Miyako would have called Kubo out further, or Idris would prolong the argument if he had the energy.
But Darcy Harper, as much as he hated Kubo Atsushi, did not wish to prolong this conflict. And so with heavy eyes, and dulled features, he merely nodded ever so slightly, merely swallowing any and all words that could have possibly broken through. He didn't want to fight. He just wanted to call him out. He just---
I can't forgive you, if you don't at least acknowledge what you've done.
Yes. That was all there was to it. Of course, right?
And yet that singular word still rung in Darcy's ears, that he knew as surely as the toll of the funeral bell. The funeral which he-
. . .
No, that's not right. It wasn't... that wasn't the case. So why did it feel like it was? Why did it feel like no matter how hard he tried, he could never wash himself free of the blood, the shame, that had never once tainted his hands? He had done nothing wrong. Nothing- nothing of that sort, anyway- nothing-
"I know. I know you don't regret it. But still... I owe you a 'f**k you' for that one, Darcy."
Darcy couldn't help but laugh slightly at that. "Ah. I can't say I blame you... I did lay a hand on you, after all."
I never... acted out. I always just stood there. Why couldn't I just...
It was always what he said. It was never what he did.
"You know, I remember that as surely as if it was yesterday, Kubo." His voice too came out hoarsely. "I thought you were just a timid, stammery kid... someone who could break apart with a single touch."
The thought lingered in the air, with the silence, at the memory.
"I suppose it wasn't that long ago... though. I actually felt bad for you, you know. When Miyako drew on your face that day."
I decided to extend a small kindness. Even if he had done nothing to earn it.
"You had trust issues," he breathed definitively. "So much difficulty trusting people. And... hell, I think you still do." Darcy awkwardly crossed his arm across his chest, rubbing his hand against his side. "You thought every act of kindness, people just did it to gain something out of you. You must have thought that of Lucian too, I imagine."
"Pot meet kettle. Look, D-Darcy, if you can't handle me, if you say I'm rude and entitled for who I am, then screw you too. I h-hate you. I think you're annoying, self-absorbed, and most of all, the most self-righteous POS I've ever met. You pretend to be better than everyone else, when in reality you're just like the rest of us. A stupid kid who does nothing but impede our trials and make a fool of himself."
. . .
Oh. Yeah. He honestly should have seen this coming.
And yet... he didn't even feel angry. Why should Kubo Atsushi's opinion matter to him?
What did he know about what it meant to be a good person?
He was about to respond, when...
"And before you interrupt me, let me finish. I'm not saying... you're wrong. I'm definitely those things, so that's why we we're not meant to be friends. I can't change how I was raised, or the fact that I don't like or want to like any of the people here. It's screwed up, but it's who I am, and it's who you are. And... about Lucian... you're absolutely right. I shouldn't have said any of those things. Even to someone I hate, I shouldn't say any of that. Not to someone who was just trying to be kind to me."
...Who I am, huh.
"You know... Kubo." Darcy slowly crossed his arms, pausing, as he fought to find the words. His brows furrowed slightly, trying to process what was being said... to make sense of it...
"It's not who you are. At least, it doesn't have to be. That's just an excuse," he snapped.
He gritted his teeth, inhaling, seething, begging himself to calm down.
"I know that's rich... coming from... me, of all people," Darcy added hesitantly, his tone softening only slightly. "Ugh. Jeez. I'm starting to sound like him, aren't I? Spouting all that cheesy, idealistic... stuff. But... saying it's just the way you are. That's no good. That's nothing but an excuse."
Just like I...
...
"It is a lot. It's way too much of a lot. And I should've told him that instead of walking away. You're an idiot, Darcy, but to hell with it, I'm worse of one. I've been saying all this stupid stuff. To you, to myself, and most of all, to Lucian."
"Oh, I'M an idiot? I'm not the one..."
Breathe. Just breathe.
"...never mind. I've... said some things I regret, too. I can admit that. But you know, those aren't the only people you've been saying that to. Look, I'm... really not some naive, overly idealistic sap like Lucian is. But you can change, if you try."
"So the moment we get out of this pit... I swear to you, I swear to myself- I'll apologise to him. This doesn't mean I like him, god no, but..."
. . .
This... this is... just like...
"You're right, okay? He didn't deserve that. He didn't deserve any of that."
"Yeah. I know. No sh*t. Of course he didn't."
Okay... just breathe.
"Don't be stupid. It was just a joke, Darcy. God, you take everything too seriously. This is exactly why I just can't stand you."
Darcy went as stiff as a board, his features scrunching up in irritation. "Well, I'm sorry you don't seem like the sort of person to tell a joke. At least not a good one." He raised an eyebrow. "Besides... pot meeting the kettle, am I right?"
Why did his face get so red after that?... Darcy couldn't help but wonder what that was about, but he seemed to care more about the plot than making another KuboCian moment. Go ask the fanfic writers or something.
"Oh, shut up. I don't have to prove myself to you. If you were actually attending those trials instead of being lost in Soy Sauce's eyes, then maybe you'd have had a chance to contribute to my argument."
Darcy immediately puffed up like a porcupine, his cheeks going bright red.
WHAT THE HELL?
"E-Excuse me?! Well, I'm sorry for calling you out on what you told us all to be your specialty!" Darcy turned his nose up, which probably looked bright red too. Sh*t.
"B-Besides... l-look. I tried my best to help out as much as everybody else did. I'm just..."
Just?... right. Just.
"...just... a chocolatier, okay?"
It's not like I've ever been good for much of anything else. It's not like it was ever enough.
"Besides... for crying out loud, I wasn't... ever getting distracted by THAT. I don't... know what you're..."
. . .
"Did you just call them... Soy Sauce?"
Oh, helllllll no.
"Do you... even know them that well?"
"No. She didn't deserve it. And she was just like me, we came from the same awful place, the same awful people. She was just as screwed up as me, and she didn't deserve it, because..."
Darcy's mouth hung slightly open... as though he was about to say something, again. Yet he wasn't quite sure if he could find the words.
"Darcy... did you know we met at church?"
"Kubo, I-"
"Forget I said that. It doesn't matter."
Darcy shook his head, and looked at him fiercely. "No... tell me about it."
"Yeah. Well, at the very least we've found a door. So we can presumably make our way to a place with better ventilation from here. Or at least a tunnel that we won't find Sandworms in."
Was that... supposed to be some kind of reference? I feel like Sawyer would have understood that. I think it was from one of their favorite books, Doom.
"Puhuhuhu~ Oh no, what are our naughty children doing, my love?"
Darcy immediately visibly paled (which was probably not that visible given just how pale he was to begin with). Nevertheless, he very slowly craned his neck, perspiring visibly, hesitating to turn around... for fear of what he might see...
"I'm not sure, darling! But I think that they've gotten very messy down here in the labyrinth! They must surely be asking for a beautification. Look at all that dust! And oh dear, is little Darcy hurt? We must get that treated up with Buffkuma brand bandaids immediately!"
Darcy started sweating even more.
Lord have mercy...
"Darcy... let's just back away slowly..."
Darcy nodded in agreement with him, almost instantaneously finding himself backing away slowly. Almost automatically. Perhaps he was just too tired to argue. Or maybe Kubo actually had a point.
No, that didn't seem right. He must have been too afraid.
Posted: Mon, 30/09/2024 04:25 (21 Days ago)
Setsuna Jun
Zzzzzzz.
[Setsuna passes out for the next 6ish hours until dinnertime.]
Kubo Atsushi
"You know, I remember that as surely as if it was yesterday, Kubo. I thought you were just a timid, stammery kid... someone who could break apart with a single touch. I suppose it wasn't that long ago... though. I actually felt bad for you, you know. When Miyako drew on your face that day."
"You felt bad for me?" Kubo frowned. "Why? Over Miyako's childish prank? Don't be ridiculous."
It was embarrassing, of course... but that was such a minute detail compared to everything else that had happened. Four people dead, a class full of people hating and coming for him, and Darcy chose to focus on something Miyako had done on day 1? So many worse things had happened to Kubo since, he didn't see how it could possibly matter.
Though... maybe it did to Darcy. Maybe that was one moment, where he saw Kubo as a soft, vulnerable thing in need of protection.
Kubo hated the thought. He really did.
But he couldn't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, Darcy was right. He could see how that day could've been the start of when he really decided he hated this whole school, and everyone in it. The day he realised they were all out to get him and use him for their ridiculous whimsies... Though of course that was nothing, considering that four people were dead. And people had done far worse things in the meantime then play a harmless prank. Whatever he felt about that day, about Miyako... it was unimportant in the grand scheme of things.
And besides, for as cruel and manipulative as she could be, Miyako was an idiot. Kubo knew that.
But still... somehow, in a way that unnerved him now that he was starting to realise it, her opinion mattered to him, to Darcy now. For a filthy hypocrite with a moral compass that seemed to be wired to go ballistic every other hour, she had too much control over him. Way too much control over everyone.
Miyako Hiroto. The name sent chills down his spine. If his suspicions were correct...
"You had trust issues. So much difficulty trusting people. And... hell, I think you still do." Darcy looked awkward at the thought, and Kubo found himself unable to capture Darcy's gaze in his. "You thought every act of kindness, people just did it to gain something out of you. You must have thought that of Lucian too, I imagine."
Kubo scowled, not appreciating the psychoanalysis. "Pot meet kettle," he muttered, but he strangely found that he couldn't meet Darcy's eyes. "As if half the people in this dump- (including YOU)- don't already have trust issues. I can't imagine that any of us will be walking away from this place without some freshly acquired mental problems."
"You know... Kubo. It's not who you are. At least, it doesn't have to be. That's just an excuse. I know that's rich... coming from... me, of all people. Ugh. Jeez. I'm starting to sound like him, aren't I? Spouting all that cheesy, idealistic... stuff. But... saying it's just the way you are. That's no good. That's nothing but an excuse."
An excuse?
The hell?
"Who are you to tell me how my mind works? Who I am is who I am. You don't know what my life's been like, or who I want to be." His brow furrowed as he crossed his arms. "Sure, I'm a sh***y person. Maybe that puts me at higher risk of dying or whatever, but that's my prerogative. I'll play nice from now on, so what's your point?"
"Oh, I'M an idiot? I'm not the one...never mind. I've... said some things I regret, too. I can admit that. But you know, those aren't the only people you've been saying that to. Look, I'm... really not some naive, overly idealistic sap like Lucian is. But you can change, if you try."
"People say they'll change all the time. But let's be honest here, how many really do?" Kubo crossed his arms. "Lucian's... special. He's a good person, or as close to one as you can get. What can you say about other people, really though? Everyone fakes it. Manners, smiles, little 'I love you's? Love doesn't last, and neither does any of that. Soon it's off to to screamsville while the kids hide in the closet."
He shook his head.
"Don't try and sell me any of that 'people can change' crap. You're either born good, or you're born bad, and there's nothing you can do to change it. Some people are lucky, and they don't realise they're a piece of s**t until the day they die, because they never know just what they've done. They're stupid. They don't realise they've killed the kid across the street, because none of the things they said that drove him to hang himself simply weren't important to them. That's what people do. Hurt and hurt and hurt, most without ever even seeing it. Sure, some people are born to help people. Lucian's one of them. But they're not the majority. Most of us are just murderers waiting for the chance, and we're so stupid we don't realise we're just how screwed up we really are."
Kubo blinked, surprised to find tears in his eyes.
"This murder game... it's a bit of a work of art, isn't it? It forces us to address the demons in us, and come right out and tell everyone how horrible we really are." He laughed dryly. "I said some awful stuff to Lucian and Idris back there. And I hate myself for it, but really, I just hate myself because I know I meant it."
He smiled, just a bit.
"And I know that... most people would deny that. I'd have denied it a while ago, when I was that 'timid, stammery kid' of yours. But now I..." He forced the words out. "I know that I'm destined for hell. Kaoru knew it too, from the moment she met me."
He felt like throwing up. But he had to keep going.
"But still, I... I promise, I can play nice. I can know all these things, and still play nice for you Darcy." For a little while longer. Until we get out of this killing game.
And then...
I can rest.
"So please. Just leave me alone a little while longer. I don't want to know you, and you don't want to know me, not really. So don't sell me any of that 'redemption' bull."
There was, after all, no redemption for those already damned. Hell's flames licked at Kubo's heels. All he could do was fight so that Lucian, the one good person in all of this, wouldn't be dragged down with him.
He had no illusions about the others. Saeko, Akari, Sutaraitsu... they would be murderers too. It didn't matter if they'd evaded the urge so far. If even a sweet, shy kid like that Setsuna could commit murder, then who really was resistant to the siren's call?
Lucian. Focus on Lucian.
"I don't need redemption. I just need peace and quiet... for a little while longer. I promise you, you'll get a return on your investment."
He attempted a grin, but it felt fake, even to him.
"...just... a chocolatier, okay?"
"Yeah. And I'm just a detective. So maybe let me do my job, huh?" He raised an eyebrow, only half-mockingly. "I'll let you make chocolates, and you can let me get us outta here. Sound like a fair trade?"
"Did you just call them... Soy Sauce? Do you... even know them that well?"
Kubo sweated. "Uh... that's not important." He shoved the door harder. "Come on, move..."
"No... tell me about it."
Kubo didn't answer. He'd already told Darcy more than enough. And that particular story...
He wanted to keep to himself.
His head snapped up when he spotted the two buff figures lurking in the shadows. Sweating, he took a few steps back, feeling for the doorknob-
And then they went for the kill.
Kubo screamed, his life flashing before his eyes, and then suddenly...
BANG! He and Darcy were shoved into a dark cramped space. And before he could start yelling, a gust of air erupted under his feet... sending the two of them flying upwards.
The two popped out of the airduct, the vent cover slamming into the ceiling. It stayed there, dust falling around it... but still embedded in the plaster. So that was uh...
"What the-" Kubo blinked. "What just happened?"
Posted: Mon, 30/09/2024 06:12 (21 Days ago)
Sutaraitsu Umemoto
To dream of a dream transcending time itself...
Shiny black walls covered in obsidian pieces formed before Sutaraitsu. Thorned roses fell from the ceiling, and phantasmal purple candlelight floated in the air, glowing a brilliant lavender purple. There was probably more edgy atmospheric stuff around, but he was much too pure to acknowledge them, of course.
Before him was a black velvet throne adorned with large red jewels, and atop it sat a girl dressed in (almost) all black holding a comically-large scythe in her hands. He couldn't help but press the back of his hand onto his lips to stifle a small smile.
Sutaraitsu glanced at the odd-looking person. "H-"
Weird. Must be exhaustion. Usually his dreams were more normal and pastel-colored, but sometimes he got this kind of dream too, he supposed.
A door materialized within the watery shadows behind him, opening to reveal a familiar person, Elizabethan satin gown and vague steampunk vibes and all. Was that... Horatia? Not a usual topic to dream about, but... sure.
The girl threw the frilled scythe that was frankly overdesigned and a bit tacky toward him without hesitation, and he reflexively ducked down- the scythe slashing right behind him and cleanly cutting the dream Horatia's head off. It landed on the ground with a reverberant thudding sound, eyes stiff but emotionless.
And the scythe rebounded off the crystalline wall, cutting Sutaraitsu down, too.
What an edgy dream to have. Or was it a nightmare, perhaps?
...It's not like it matters either way, right? He can sleep in peace now, so maybe he shouldn't give it too much thought. Regardless...
[sutaraitsu sleepys with setsuna]
Posted: Tue, 01/10/2024 04:08 (20 Days ago)
💌Darcy Harper's POV🦋
No, maybe he was right. Maybe that was...
. . .
In that moment... Darcy almost thought he could see himself. When he saw him.
Kubo Atsushi, who wanted so badly just to get by, his lying about his talent so painfully obvious. But no one could just let him do that. When Darcy thought about it, there was a lot of pressure involved with that kind of thing.
And... surely, everyone did have the right for hostility towards him, given how he had behaved. And yet...
Darcy couldn't help but wonder if, maybe it wasn't entirely deserved. Maybe there was some truth to that. That lie, that he was that stammery kid he had pretended to be, so as not to be attacked.
He didn't know how to be anything else. Anything other than some hopeless ball of awkwardness or a stone-cold jerk that just pushed everybody away.
"No, I did," Darcy concluded finally. "I really did. When you realized what you were dealing with... you just wanted to be left alone. You didn't want to be put through that again."
You try so hard... you put in all that effort. And yet, it's never enough.
"Pot meet kettle. As if half the people in this dump- (including YOU)- don't already have trust issues. I can't imagine that any of us will be walking away from this place without some freshly acquired mental problems."
Darcy visibly stiffened. He clenched at his own side with his hand, as though he had been stabbed.
"Yes... that's right," he murmured. "Horatia. Kaoru. Futatabi. Mei. Akora. They're all... dead."
And there were two killers still among them. Solaro, and Setsuna. Setsuna... who, however noble his reasons, had almost committed murder himself.
Darcy exhaled hastily. "You're right. You're... right. I don't suppose any of us are going to walk out of this unscathed. But..."
Oh, jeez. What do I even say to that? He's right, isn't he? No... that doesn't sound right.
"You have to trust somebody," Darcy said finally. "It might not be wise, given the situation, but it's all you can do to remain halfway sane."
I'm so tired... I don't want to go back. Not again. I'm so tired... so tired of testifying.
"Who are you to tell me how my mind works? Who I am is who I am. You don't know what my life's been like, or who I want to be. Sure, I'm a sh***y person. Maybe that puts me at higher risk of dying or whatever, but that's my prerogative. I'll play nice from now on, so what's your point?"
Darcy almost startled bristling, like some sort of deranged wild animal. "You're RIGHT!" he barked. "I don't know what your life's been like. I don't know how your mind works. But what I do know is that your trauma is no excuse to be an a*sh*le, Kubo. Just--"
Darcy clutched the cross around his neck tightly, huffing and panting over and over as he attempted to calm down. "I'm not talking about survival, Kubo. If you die here... is this really how you want to go out doing it?"
"Right. It's- whatever. You'll play nice. Okay. I guess."
"People say they'll change all the time. But let's be honest here, how many really do? Lucian's... special. He's a good person, or as close to one as you can get. What can you say about other people, really though? Everyone fakes it. Manners, smiles, little 'I love you's? Love doesn't last, and neither does any of that. Soon it's off to to screamsville while the kids hide in the closet. Don't try and sell me any of that 'people can change' crap. You're either born good, or you're born bad, and there's nothing you can do to change it. Some people are lucky, and they don't realise they're a piece of s**t until the day they die, because they never know just what they've done. They're stupid. They don't realise they've killed the kid across the street, because none of the things they said that drove him to hang himself simply weren't important to them. That's what people do. Hurt and hurt and hurt, most without ever even seeing it. Sure, some people are born to help people. Lucian's one of them. But they're not the majority. Most of us are just murderers waiting for the chance, and we're so stupid we don't realise we're just how screwed up we really are."
Darcy stared him down, for a long time, scarcely blinking, before lowering his gaze. "You know... if... you go on thinking like that... then that's exactly why you can't change. You just think there's no hope for you. Or that it's impossible. You can say Lucian's born good if you want, but..." Darcy paused, lingering over the words.
"You don't know what my life's been like, or who I want to be." They replayed in his head, almost instinctively.
"Can we... really say we know what Lucian's life has been like, Kubo? Maybe you do. But I sure don't. Maybe... he went through a lot of screwed up things too. Heck, maybe he's somehow a terrible person. But some people... they go to those efforts, they say those things, they do those things, because they really care."
He gritted his teeth, his hands slowly clenching into fists.
"But... I? Myself? I don't even know."
Maybe she was right.
"I think... we all like to think we're good people. But who the hell even knows what that means? But it's just... the things people go through. That changes them in the first place. Shapes them into who they are, or something."
Darcy felt at the string of the cross hanging around his neck. This place... was starting to feel suffocating. Tiring. So... so dusty. So old.
Put away at the back of an attic.
Not even given a room to call your own.
So doll-like, all you were was a doll.
Something nice to be put on display.
Nothing permanent.
A pretty lie.
"You can say... people are all good, or all bad. And, hell, it probably sounds strange. Coming from me of all people. But... you know... not even..."
Mei. That's it.
"Not even Mei was completely screwed up! Did you see what she did for Setsuna back then? And... and she... she confessed to me. All those twisted things she did. All the deals she made, the people she killed. And even she found it in her to perform something... kind. To do something good. Once in her life. Maybe there's good and bad in everybody. And what matters is what we act on."
And... there was her, too. I guess.
"And... Kaoru... she... died protecting you, didn't she?"
"This murder game... it's a bit of a work of art, isn't it? It forces us to address the demons in us, and come right out and tell everyone how horrible we really are. I said some awful stuff to Lucian and Idris back there. And I hate myself for it, but really, I just hate myself because I know I meant it."
"You... meant it, huh?"
Darcy lingered on the thought. Kubo had meant it. He'd meant all those awful things he said.
"And I know that... most people would deny that. I'd have denied it a while ago, when I was that 'timid, stammery kid' of yours. But now I... I know that I'm destined for hell. Kaoru knew it too, from the moment she met me."
"Kubo, that's... actually..."
But he didn't get a chance to say anything.
"But still, I... I promise, I can play nice. I can know all these things, and still play nice for you Darcy."
So many thoughts rushed through Darcy's head. All the things he knew he was supposed to say, like... how that wasn't true. How... it was all just an excuse. How Kubo wasn't truly terrible. That he was choosing not to change. Yet...
"So please. Just leave me alone a little while longer. I don't want to know you, and you don't want to know me, not really. So don't sell me any of that 'redemption' bull."
And yet, there was only one thought, one sentence, that came from Darcy's parted lips.
"Kubo, that's actually... really mature of you."
And, quietly, so quietly, he murmured, "...far more... mature than I am."
Than I ever will be.
"I don't need redemption. I just need peace and quiet... for a little while longer. I promise you, you'll get a return on your investment."
"Right. Peace... and quiet. Okay. That... sounds nice, actually."
"Yeah. And I'm just a detective. So maybe let me do my job, huh? I'll let you make chocolates, and you can let me get us outta here. Sound like a fair trade?"
The remark stung far more than Darcy anticipated. But, ouch, this guy was always nothing short of harsh. Whatever, really.
"Sure. Do you... even like chocolates?" Darcy wasn't even sure why such a nonsensical question came to mind. He seemed like a coffee flavor kind of guy. Maybe... Darcy just didn't want to think about it right now. All the thoughts, that couldn't help but circulate...
"Uh... that's not important. Come on, move..."
"Right." Of course, not important to the
Darcy too, screamed, when it hit, half-expecting to die. He swore he saw his entire (incredibly sad and pathetic) life flash before his eyes. But...
"What the- What just happened?"
"I... don't know," Darcy coughed, brushing himself off. He squinted, glancing at their surroundings. "Although, whatever it was, I can't say I'm surprised. Given everything that's happened so far."
Who knows... what else will turn out, that I always thought to be unthinkable.
🍭Sawyer Laurens's POV📚
As usual, they couldn't seem to bring themself to feel it. To care. Why would they when they didn't understand what was going on?
But there was something... off. They could feel it. When they looked at her.
When she spoke...
There was something strange about the words.
Something was not quite right.
And Sawyer didn't know how they knew this... how they knew this, when...
She was but a scarce blurry memory.
And why she wanted it.
🕊️lucian arbred's pov❄️
. . .
I don't know why I didn't intervene.
Inaction always caused the worst of things. The last thing you wanted to stand by and do, was nothing. So why did he find himself merely watching, as Idris and Miyako spoke?
Lucian knew that he didn't trust Miyako. He couldn't trust Miyako. Not once since that day.
And he... he wasn't the type to hold grudges. But she just... always gave him a bad feeling.
It always seemed like she was sneaking around. Like he never knew what exactly went on in her head. What she was doing.
Lucian found himself about to walk away from the pit. Sawyer seemed to still be staring down into it.
But the vacant, faraway look in their eyes was replaced with something else.
It seemed like they were trying really hard to piece something together... something important.
"Sawyer... can we talk?"
They didn't seem to hear him. Lucian waved a hand adjacent to their face.
"Sawyer?..."
Sawyer blinked. They turned to look at Lucian, squinting slightly, as though they weren't wearing their glasses, and couldn't quite see him.
"Me?" they asked. "That's me, right? That seems to be the alias thingy everybody's telling me I'm called."
Lucian sighed. "yes. Do you keep forgetting everything? No matter how hard you try?" That kind of thing could definitely prove to be troublesome. Both for Sawyer in their relationships, and this whole Killing Game situation. And Lucian couldn't help but feel like... nobody was helping them with this like they should be.
Perhaps they didn't know how to try.
"I dunno. Kinda, I guess. Mmm! I feel like I know you from somewhere. There's something so familiar about you, like some kind of faraway dream!"
"right. It's just... that's because we were friends. are." Lucian patted them on the shoulder gently. "I know this must be difficult for you. maybe we could try to jog your memory someho-"
Sawyer's eyes immediately widened, and they swatted Lucian away. "No. Nonono! No way. I don't- I don't want to remember, I-"
They clutched at the sides of their head, visibly grimacing. "Please... don't make me remember. I- not again. I can't. I don't-"
Not... again?
Lucian felt at the spot where Sawyer had swatted him, his eyes widening. "Sawyer... what do you mean by..."
"Please. Not again."
Maybe it's best not to press the matter... whatever it is.
"It's just... the way you were looking at Miyako... earlier."
". . . Miyako?"
Oh. Right.
"White hair. Hoodie. Super bright blue eyes. Snarky expression." Lucian listed off the physical features on his fingers. "The... way you were looking at her earlier," he explained, hesitating before finally saying it.
"I want to know what that was all about."
Posted: Wed, 02/10/2024 01:57 (19 Days ago)
Kubo Atsushi
"No, I did. I really did. When you realized what you were dealing with... you just wanted to be left alone. You didn't want to be put through that again."
Through... that again? What was Darcy saying? Did he know something about Kubo? Had he figured out Monokuma's twisted secrets portrait? Did he know what Kubo had done? That one awful day, that one horrible mistake that made him a murderer forever?
Was this a threat to reveal everything or-
No. He's not seeing you. Not really. Then who was Darcy seeing? A friend? A lover? Himself, perhaps?
That was it. Somehow, deep in his gut, he knew that Darcy was talking to himself, at least a little bit. Darcy was empathizing with him, which was so strange and... not heartwarming exactly, Kubo still didn't want to be his friend or anything, but...
He liked Darcy a bit more from that moment on. Begrudgingly, and not without a bad taste in his mouth, of course. It didn't mean anything. He still hated him. But he felt a little warmth in him that hadn't been there before.
"Yes... that's right. Horatia. Kaoru. Futatabi. Mei. Akora. They're all... dead. You're right. You're... right. I don't suppose any of us are going to walk out of this unscathed. But... You have to trust somebody. It might not be wise, given the situation, but it's all you can do to remain halfway sane."
"Have to trust somebody?" Kubo echoed. "Huh."
That was... something, for sure. And he supposed Darcy had hit the nail on the head for once. What a weird concept... Darcy being right about something?
Well, you know; monkeys and typewriters.
Trust wasn't something Kubo gave out easily. He'd known his whole life he had some trust issues. He carried a pen knife on him, for god's sake. But that didn't mean that hearing Darcy say it was something he appreciated. It stung a little, being so obvious to someone who was (in a way) his enemy. Somebody who'd gladly use him as their victim if they got the chance.
Hearing it honestly made him want to pull back even further. To bury his true self so deep, that if somebody parted the curtains, they'd only see a stone wall behind it, and a thousand more beyond.
But he was trying, wasn't he? Trying to trust people, trying to be somebody who wouldn't hurt Lucian again. Not a good person, but somebody who wouldn't...
Somebody who would treat Lucian better. Who'd see the good in the person by his side, instead of telling them to-
He swallowed down the words, shaking his head to himself, refusing to even consider it at this point. None of that mattered. All he had to do was end the killing game and save Lucian. Then everything would be okay.
Kubo finally could forgive himself.
"You're RIGHT! I don't know what your life's been like. I don't know how your mind works. But what I do know is that your trauma is no excuse to be an a*sh*le, Kubo. Just--"
Kubo watched, marvelling as Darcy's hands found the cross around his neck. He'd never noticed it before. It brought back memories. Good ones, bad ones...
Had Kaoru worn a cross once upon a time?
He didn't think so.
"I'm not talking about survival, Kubo. If you die here... is this really how you want to go out doing it? Right. It's- whatever. You'll play nice. Okay. I guess."
"I don't intend to die here." He shook his head. Only after. "And if I die, I'll die as myself and no more no less. I've already said I'll say sorry, so I don't see how any of that's your problem."
"You know... if... you go on thinking like that... then that's exactly why you can't change. You just think there's no hope for you. Or that it's impossible. You can say Lucian's born good if you want, but... Can we... really say we know what Lucian's life has been like, Kubo? Maybe you do. But I sure don't. Maybe... he went through a lot of screwed up things too. Heck, maybe he's somehow a terrible person. But some people... they go to those efforts, they say those things, they do those things, because they really care. I think... we all like to think we're good people. But who the hell even knows what that means? But it's just... the things people go through. That changes them in the first place. Shapes them into who they are, or something. You can say... people are all good, or all bad. And, hell, it probably sounds strange. Coming from me of all people. But... you know... not even... Not even Mei was completely screwed up! Did you see what she did for Setsuna back then? And... and she... she confessed to me. All those twisted things she did. All the deals she made, the people she killed. And even she found it in her to perform something... kind. To do something good. Once in her life. Maybe there's good and bad in everybody. And what matters is what we act on."
"Of course Lucian's been through stuff," Kubo scoffed. "No one can live in a world like this and come out pure. Stop twisting my words." His eyes narrowed. "But I can't forgive you for implying Lucian's a bad person. Watch your words from now on."
And on Mei...
"She did something kind. So does everyone, every day. I've done kind things before. That doesn't make me good. Not at all." Kubo shook his head. "What you do doesn't matter. Even if you did nothing, even if you just let it happen..." He closed his eyes. "Even if you weren't alive when it happened... then things can be your fault. They can still stain your soul and drag you right down to hell. People aren't born good or bad- they're just destined a certain way."
"And... Kaoru... she... died protecting you, didn't she?"
Kubo froze.
"No," he said softly. "She didn't die protecting me. She died hating me."
But the memories were crashing back over his head again. The look in her eyes, that day she died, the anger- and then the moment they met, when she reached out a hand to him, the dirty little kid hiding behind the church's organ.
"She hated me," he said quickly. "And that's the truth of the matter. Even if she held love for me at some point, she was destined to hate me, because she was Catholic, and I was-"
He cut himself off before he could say anything more. It was too much already. He couldn't let Darcy know, couldn't let him figure it out-
The worst kept secret ever. And yet he'd take it to his grave, never telling anyone else besides the thousand who knew.
Trust issues indeed.
"Kubo, that's actually... really mature of you."
"Mature, yep, that's me." Kubo said shakily, desperate to move on from this conversation. "Thanks for recognising it. Why not we talk about this later?"
Then Darcy said something about chocolate, which Kubo ignored because it was a stupid question. Everyone liked chocolate.
"I... don't know. Although, whatever it was, I can't say I'm surprised. Given everything that's happened so far."
"Well, whatever it is... I'm heading back to my dorm now. You'd better find yours too. Your roommate..." he trailed off, remembering that they'd died two hours earlier. "Hm... well, you should get some rest. You're pretty beat up."
Before Darcy could say anything else, Kubo took off, hugging his jacket to himself. That conversation was definitely... something. And the upcoming one with his roommate...
Kubo grimaced. Idris.
Posted: Wed, 02/10/2024 03:40 (19 Days ago)
💌Darcy Harper's POV🦋
The way Kubo spoke those words seemed as though he had never pondered them before. Darcy wondered briefly, then, if Kubo had trusted anyone in his life. Perhaps... at one point in time... one entirely different from this one... he had.
And it hadn't ended well for him, to say the least.
...when Darcy thought about it, who could he really say he trusted? There were only things you could trust. Things you could count on. Not people.
The only person that he could name, that he had ever trusted... was Sawyer.
And...
"I don't intend to die here. And if I die, I'll die as myself and no more no less. I've already said I'll say sorry, so I don't see how any of that's your problem."
Right.
Dying as... himself. Darcy hardly saw how that was a good thing, given who Kubo was, and yet...
"No. She didn't die protecting me. She died hating me."
Did she?
A stabbing guilt pierced at Darcy's gut. He clutched his side once again, as though the words had cut right through him. Protecting someone... someone who wasn't even worth it.
Someone like...
. . .
"She hated me. And that's the truth of the matter. Even if she held love for me at some point, she was destined to hate me, because she was Catholic, and I was-"
Sawyer and I, we weren't destined to hate one another. Were we?
And yet...
What could Darcy really say on the matter?
Belief. Belief, or lack of it, thereof, could separate people. It always did. People would be leaps and bounds apart, no matter how far they tried to reach. No matter how hard they tried to reach each other.
I never told you the truth about that day.
. . .
Will I... ever?
"Mature, yep, that's me. Thanks for recognising it. Why not we talk about this later?"
Darcy's mouth opened very slightly, as though he was finally about to break his silence. But he merely nodded.
Right... later.
And, oh. Of course he ignored that. Whatever... typical of him anyway.
"Well, whatever it is... I'm heading back to my dorm now. You'd better find yours too. Your roommate..."
Right. Of... course.
"Hm... well, you should get some rest. You're pretty beat up."
"...right. See you around, I guess. Thanks again... for finding me."
Darcy turned around and walked away. There was nothing left to say.
Posted: Wed, 02/10/2024 04:02 (19 Days ago)
All Around the School
"Ding dong ding~ puhuhuhu! Good morning ki- hey, wait a minute! It's dinnertime! Why am I making this announcement?"
"Because the children went to sleep at an unreasonable hour in the roleplayers' thinly veiled attempt at obtaining a rational reason for a timeskip dear!"
"Then why don't we just let them sleep the day off then? If they're awake at midnight there's more chance for a murder! Everyone loves killing under the cover of darkness..."
Wifekuma sighed sadly. "Unfortunately, the being who must not be named (Dark Lord Spriggy) is holding the host at gunpoint... the greater beings seem to want their 'prom' rather badly. Which is strange, considering half the ships are dead or dysfunctional at this point."
"Egh! Dumb roleplayers!" Buffkuma threw the monitor to the floor and it broke, the announcement shutting off. Serendibite appreciated this, because Spriggy was getting more violent by the minute, and she was beginning to see the need to get through the next two scenes as fast as possible.
Kubo Atsushi
Kubo stirred awake, glancing across the room at Idris Kallikrates... his roommate. The word left a bad taste in his mouth. Very rarely did they actually stay in the same room. That first day he met him, then Kubo had almost felt a kinship. They shared fashion taste, and hated everyone here with the same vigour- or lackthereof.
But now... with everything between them...
He didn't trust Idris more than anyone here. There was the same capacity to kill in him as there was in someone like Setsuna. But...
You owe him, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Kaoru's whispered.
He did. If anything, he owed Idris the truth; and a way in on his plan. And above all, he owed him hope that they could escape this killing game.
Like him and Darcy, they'd never be friends. But he could start in small ways to repair the damage he'd done. And in any case, Idris was a reliable ally. He had no connections to that person and he had reason to want to stop this killing game. That thing with Mei... it had been real.
And even if he didn't want to admit it to himself, not really, then he felt a little bad. He couldn't imagine losing Lucian like that. And the stuff he said after...
Shock didn't justify it. Nothing did.
So this would be his way of apologising. At least a little bit. He didn't think Idris would appreciate a "sorry" from him, so this would have to do.
"Hey, Idris?" he called. "You awake?"
Miyako Hiroto
Miyako had spent the night in Shi's dorm. She hadn't wanted to see her roommate. She didn't want to know what she'd say to him.
So she sat up, stretching with a yawn, listening intently to Buffkuma's announcement.
"Prom, huh...?" she leaned against Shi's shoulder, eyeing her dress that hung on the wardrobe doors. "You excited, love? I know I am. I've got the prettiest date there..."
Setsuna Jun
Setsuna awoke with a yelp and a jerk to a loud announcement about prom. He was about to have another blush-unconsciousness session, when he thought of Sutaraitsu, but then something more important made itself clear to him.
"Oh... I haven't eaten yet today," he said wryly, embarrassed about his growling stomach. "Y-You hungry Suta? He said it was dinnertime... did you eat?"
Posted: Wed, 02/10/2024 04:24 (19 Days ago)
🦋🕊️🍭Third Person POV📚💌❄️
Posted: Wed, 02/10/2024 07:07 (19 Days ago)
Title: no bbcode bcs im omw to school
"Hey, Idris?" he called. "You awake?"
He groaned. "I am now. Oh boy, I love hearing your voice first thing in the morning, don't I?" Idris cackled. For once, his words weren't laced with malice, even though he really hated Kubo.
"Whatchu want? You had nightmares? Awww..." He snickered again. "Comedy gold..." He whispered to himself.
"Nah seriously, what is it Kubo? You need me to read you a story for tonight? Perhaps, a lullaby?" Idris' laughs grew louder and louder.
"Holy sh*t, I have tears in my eyes. How does it feel, having a world-renowned comedian as a roommate?"
Idris grinned. He hadn't laughed so hard since....
His face fell.
" [...] prom [...] "
His mouth fell slightly open. There was no way, surely? It wasn't like he was going to go, anyways, seeing all those happy couples made him feel sick to his stomach. Also, slightly jealous. Maybe a more than 'slightly'. He hated them. He hated that they had someone to love, and to love them too, and he would never have that. The one person he truly loved was dead and there was nothing he could do to change that. And he wasn't sure he'd ever come to terms with it. He still looked for her around the school, longed for the sound of her voice, the colour of her hair, the way he felt when his eyes met hers.
It was all gone. Idris would never see her again.
And it broke him.
Posted: Wed, 02/10/2024 17:21 (18 Days ago)
Kubo Atsushi
Kubo's eye twitched. That almost made him want to abandon the whole thing. Say "never mind" and throw a pillow at Idris. Akari could work, he was smart enough, and he was easier to work with than this guy. If anything, people might listen to him more.
But seeing Idris and his too-still form on the bed...
Ugh. Was this what "empathy" was? Because in case anyone's wondering, it absolutely sucks, zero stars, would not recommend.
"Can't say I'm too fond of your voice either," Kubo drawled. "I'll pass on the lullaby. But I do have something for you. If you're interested in one of my little plots."
His eyes narrowed.
"Idris... how would you like to help me uncover the mastermind tonight?"
Posted: Wed, 02/10/2024 19:20 (18 Days ago)
Title: bbcode was so last year
His eyes lit up. "Is that even a question? Hell yeah, I would." He grinned. "This is like the first decent thing you've said all game, Kubo. That's actually a decent idea, for once. Mayyyybeee I won't hate you."
Idris lept out bed. "Listen, with your Sherlock Holmes-ness and my strength 'n good looks, I think we'd be a great pair. I've seen every crime drama known to mankind. This mastermind ain't gonna know what hit 'em."
Idris snorted.
"When do we start?"
Posted: Wed, 02/10/2024 19:50 (18 Days ago)
Kubo Atsushi
"Is that even a question? Hell yeah, I would. This is like the first decent thing you've said all game, Kubo. That's actually a decent idea, for once. Mayyyybeee I won't hate you."
"Won't hate me?" Kubo rolled his eyes. "I think we're a little past that point, Idris. But I appreciate the sentiment, even if my all-knowing detective's intuition suspects there's a little taste of classic Idris sarcasm in there."
Still though, he was smiling. What did it say about him, that he appreciated Idris's sense of humour, even at his own expense? Nothing good, certainly. Masochism, perhaps?
Idris leapt out of bed, and for a second Kubo thought he was about to die. His hand automatically went to his pen knife, but he forced it to relax, and retreat from his leather jacket. Idiot. It was fine. He needed to stop freaking out about every single little movement, before he drove himself insane.
"Listen, with your Sherlock Holmes-ness and my strength 'n good looks, I think we'd be a great pair. I've seen every crime drama known to mankind. This mastermind ain't gonna know what hit 'em."
Kubo tilted his head to the side, unable to help the little smile playing on his lips. "Alrighty then, partners it is. We'll take down the mastermind together." He paused for a second. "We can meet up in the infirmary after dinner, alright? I'll work to disable the cameras while everyone's busy eating, and then we can put together our plan after."
He had the brewings of one already, but it all relied on Idris. If he was lying, just playing along...
Then it was all over.
That person would win. And Lucian would die.
He couldn't let that happen. So he hoped, he prayed to whatever god out there, that Idris hated the Killing Game more than he hated Kubo Atsushi. That revenge was enough of a promise to outweigh the anger, the difficulties, and above all the insurmountable grief that lined every one of Idris's words.
And if it came to that.. he still had one card to offer Idris, for after their escape. It wouldn't make a difference anyway. This was what he planned the whole time. Whether it was himself or Idris changed nothing. Kubo was fine with dying for any one of his mistakes. Hellfire could cleanse the rest.
"Infirmary sound alright? Or would you prefer somewhere else?" he asked.
Posted: Wed, 02/10/2024 22:01 (18 Days ago)
Solaro was in the cafeteria. She blinked a few times, dizzy. How had she gotten here?
Somehow exhausted, she walked to the corner of the room and slumped down, gazing around in a daze. People were speaking, but she felt too tired to listen.
Solaro felt haunted, nervous. A murderer. Everyone KNEW she was a murderer. The filthy monochrome bear had revealed it. Solaro curled her lip, disgust, guilt and rage mingling in her gaze.
She wished she had no idea why she had done it. But she did. She knew exactly why. And she'd have to live with it, until the eventual end of her life.
(no idea what im doing <3)
Posted: Thu, 03/10/2024 00:11 (18 Days ago)
Girlfriend? Date? Love? Really Good Friend? Roommate, perhaps?
Her expression faltered as she considered what Miyako was to her, what she meant to her. Even more confusing was what Shi meant to Miyako.
Shi quickly taped the grin back on as she leaned slightly into Miyako. "So, think there'll be spike to punch?—Ah, shit, punch to spike?"
Posted: Thu, 03/10/2024 05:57 (18 Days ago)
Miyako Hiroto
Miyako flashed a grin. "Agree to disagree, hm?" She ran her eyes over Shi's body, a long and drawn out onceover. Then she met Shi's eyes. "I can't get over how pretty you are. Why'd you ever want me?"
Ah... spiking the punch, huh? "Truly an activity for only the bravest of souls in a school filled to the brim with trigger happy ultimates and their intensive anger issues. Though not one without its rewards." She laughed. "And you're good, Shi-Shi. My language skills are festering at a fifth grade level. Just don't let me catch you again, or I'll have to make fun of you~"
A drunk Kubo would truly be a sight to behold. Perhaps she'd get to add another one of her... "gifts" to his face? And add the whole shebang... Akari, Sawyer, Saeko... delicious. A whole class with suspicious tube like (+2 circles) shapes on their face.
A work of art. Her girlfriend was a genius.
Resisting the urge to throw her arms around Shi and spend the next hour cuddling, Miyako stood up, going over to the door, running her fingers through her hair.
The benefits of short hair. No brushes necessary.
"Dinner, huh? Think we can get away with more dino nuggies?"
Posted: Thu, 03/10/2024 10:48 (17 Days ago)
Her mind flicked back to memories of times of innocence, eating dino nuggies in front of the tv as whatever goofy shenanigan-style cartoon played in front of her. She didn't turn around, but even just in the memory, she knew her dads sat on the couch behind her, whispering about whatever adult things they didn't want her repeating at the school they worked at and that she attended.
Shi's mind zipped back to the dormitory as she realised she'd probably looked like she was having prophetic visions. Always eager to match the chaotic energy,
"Would you rather fight one dino sized (sentient) nuggie or 10 nuggie sized dinos?"
Shi grabbed a hairbrush and began very carefully, softly brushing.
Posted: Sun, 06/10/2024 17:15 (14 Days ago)
Miyako Hiroto
"Would you rather fight one dino sized (sentient) nuggie or 10 nuggie sized dinos?"
"Ooh, that's a tough one. Because with the dino sized nuggie, after you beat it you get a lot of nuggie, right? But then it'll also be all chicken in the middle when you do the wriggle, and if it was cooked the way my brother cooks them, then it'll be all wet and gooey and nasty in the centre. But with the nuggie sized dinos, they're adorable, they make great pets, and you can eat a couple and finally know what dinosaur meat tastes like."
Miyako tapped a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "Mm... I guess I'll have to go with the dino sized nuggie. I've always wanted to that cartoon trope of eating your way through your edible enemies."
Anyway, conondrum resolved!
"Wanna go ruin some lives, babe?" she grinned.
Posted: Sun, 06/10/2024 18:01 (14 Days ago)
Shi though for a moment and, setting her hairbrush back down, grinned back.
"Always!" Shi took a few steps towards Miyako before swiveling and taking a quick glance at herself in the mirror. Her hair was brushed well enough, but she hadn't gotten around to her makeup. She swiveled back and walked the rest of the way to her...... companion.
"Do you remember when prom starts?"
Posted: Sun, 06/10/2024 18:10 (14 Days ago)
Miyako Hiroto
"Prom?" Miyako raised an eyebrow. "You'd know better than me, darling. All I know comes from the announcement system. So... after dinner, I guess?"
She laughed self-consciously.
"I should really pay better attention... I guess I've just been kind of stressed lately, you know? Ghosts of the past coming back and all that... Literal and figurative."
Why was he here?
Why couldn't it have been anyone else?
The two left the room, heading for the dining hall... where fifteen minutes from now, it would finally hit the fan.