[ He's not sure exactly where she's coming from, but he arrives as quickly as he can, and finding the place empty, he quickly ducks behind the counter to catch his breath and wait. Maybe he'd be able to catch her talking to herself if she gets impatient. ]
[ Ah! There she is! It's hard to make himself keep quiet, and he can't exactly see her after she crosses through where he can see through the gap in the counter. If she's holding something, it passes by his attention for now. He slows his breathing and remains still for the moment, determined to test the limits of her patience. ]
[ He tries to be careful peeking around the entrance behind the counter, and he spots the device in her hand. It does look familiar, but he can't get quite a good enough look at it to determine if that's indeed what it is. Maybe....
He scurries around the counter and jumps out at her, shouting out with his arms raised like a monster. ]
[Scenes filter into Kokichi's brain... scenes of the other students being told about Junko Enoshima and that Kokichi was a remnant of despair... Kaito's performance... the execution... Keebo going nuts... Exisals trying to capture him... the students finding all the hidden rooms, including his own, and all the clues he'd been collecting... the deal with Monokuma... the final trial...
"Wait a minute, Tsumugi."
Shuuichi confronts her.
"...You said you went to the bathroom. The utility closet in that bathroom... has a hidden passageway. ...Around the time Rantaro was killed, Tsumugi went to that exact bathroom."]
[ He stumbles back from the flash, clutching his face, and it's within half a moment that his brain is flooded with a familiar feeling... The sensation of filling in gaps, of memories long-forgotten creeping back into the forefront of his mind. Right.. of course. How could he have forgotten that? And that? And them?! But there were things he didn't remember... that he couldn't remember. No.. it was too late. Too late!
It's an unusual position for Kokichi to be on his knees, wailing in pain. There's a glimmer of hope, however. Shuuichi's voice. Exposing the truth. Yes... Yes, that truth he'd hoped he would reach but Kokichi hadn't known himself.
There's a mighty, painful groan when he finally looks up at her, sweating, his nails having clawed hot red marks down his face as his brain tries to make sense of what she'd shown him. ]
Y-you... what did you do...?
[ His teeth grit, and there's venom in his voice. ]
[more memories... of Tsumugi's denials. Of all the facts being woven by Shuuichi so easily with all the new evidence. Of the monokubs trying to intervene. Of admitting that with so many people it'd be impossible even knowing this to determine the culprit... but now that there were five left, it could only be Tsumugi.
"If I'm wrong... please, refute me. Please, tell us you aren't the Mastermind, Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer!"]
His brain feels like it's being overloaded, and he can't help but cry in pain as memories he couldn't have possibly have ever experienced rush into his brain. He feels like he was there watching the trial, seeing her lies come undone and her crimes exposed. Kaede... she made Kaede take the fall for her.
But even in such a short time, seeing the evidence laid out clearly before him (Or rather, forced into his brain), he can't argue against his beloved's logic. Of course he'd figure it out. There's even a tired, almost manic grin on his face when he looks up at her again. ]
He got you. He got you in the end, you bitch. Ha... I can't believe I ever felt sorry for you.
[There's more... and more... the continued denials, with everyone trying to beg her to say something (except for Maki who was done with this shit, until finally:
"It's Junko Enoshima!"
...then the back and forth before... the real reveal?? The appearance of Junko Enoshima, the 53rd.
Were all the memories of Hope's Peak and Remnants of Despair true?? What was going on?]
[ By the point the actual point she's trying to make hits him like she's tied an anchor to his feet and thrown him in a harbor. But having the gut feeling of not wanting to harm anyone actually validated by this stupid light does... somehow make him feel better.
Still, there's more to unpack there that his already fragile brain is ill-prepared to deal with. ]
F...fifty-third?
What the fuck does that mean? I don't... nngh..! My head feels like it's gonna split open...
Well, yes. I'm hitting you with a lot of memories all at once... just ask questions as you go along if you want.
[The antics of the new Junko Enosima continue until Shuuichi leads them to the obvious: their memories don't match what the Hope's Peak book says. They couldn't have applied to Hope's Peak. Junko didn't create the tragedy by herself. And Kokichi was definitely not a Remnant of Despair.
The flashback lights are all fake. They're for implanting new memories instead of old.
That means all of the Gofer Project was fake, too.
But then, Shuuichi gets the obvious question:
"We have no connection to Hope's Peak, so you can't be Junko... so then, who the Hell are you?!"
[ The memories that aren't his, that could never have possibly ever been his flood his brain and make it ache. He doubles over, clutching his head, screaming into his knees. So much information presented as truth and immediately to lies... he can't handle it. It's too much.
He whines, whimpers, and seems to be breathing heavy. By the time he looks up at her, his nose is actually bleeding from the stress, and his face is red all over. He can barely even focus his eyes for how dizzy he is. The whiplash from suddenly knowing Junko Enoshima like a goddess to knowing she was dead, to knowing what he might have known was a cosplay...
He only manages out a tight sound in his throat before he collapses onto his side, limp and only occasionally twitching as rudimentary signs of life. ]
[Oh god, she's broken him. She scans the room desperately and finally comes over with a tiny glass of water and a rag for his nose...
...meanwhile.]
[It's getting worse. Shuuichi puts together the obvious: Tsumugi shouldn't be able to cosplay Junko and the others if they're real people. Which means... they're fake. They were all fictional. Not only were they never a part of Hope's Peak, Hope's Peak is all fictional.
All of the killing game was just for a series of anime, manga, and now TV shows called Danganronpa.
"Danganronpa!" screams Monokuma.
As if that wasn't enough, TV screens begin flashing "Danganronpa v3: Killing Harmony"]
[ What the hell is he supposed to be thinking? What was even any of this? Fake people? A television show? Everything they'd done was being watched by someone? But wouldn't that mean he too..? None of it makes any kind of sense, and he's not even sure how he's supposed to process any of this.
And that fucking bear.
It takes a moment for him to come around, and when he does, he looks positively exhausted. ]
[ He shouldn't know this. He shouldn't know this. It physically hurts his brain to know this. And Shuuichi... He was in on it too? They signed up for it? Shuuichi really went in thinking he would be able to get away with murdering people? Then certainly Kokichi must have too.
He clutches his head again and screams his agony out for her and the empty restaurant. When he's able to finally calm himself down, he's shaking, even sobbing through his mumbling. ]
I hate you. I hate you. IhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyou...
"You wouldn't say that now. But, this is you before you became who you are now."
And Tsumugi has to chime in: "When we saw your audition tape, we had a flash of inspiration. The weakest Ultimate Detective ever... wouldn't it be great to see him grow?"
Everyone's families, friends, entire lives before the killing game are just fiction, created by the flashback lights. No one can go back home, because there is no such place. The only place fictional characters can exist is the danganronpa fictional world. Everyone's just there for the real world's entertainment, to kill each other.
"That's why...there's nowhere to run."
Tsumugi punctuates it, with a piercing look Kokichi's surely never seen her make.]
[ Suddenly, everything he thought he knew, not just about himself, but about the people he knows, the people he likes, who he hates, all of it is thrown out the window.
He hates this, and when he finally looks up at her, his eyes are bloodshot, his face red hot with rage, and swollen from tears. How dare she? How dare she throw everything he thought he was into disarray? ]
Hate... I.. I hate you...
[ He still feels feverish as he tries to claw his way upright, or at least closer to her. Tremors still wrack his body, making it difficult to move, but he's set on it now. He's advancing toward her with murder in his eyes. He might not have wanted to hurt anyone at the academy but... according to her, that's all a lie. Fiction. Fake. Just like him. And her. Surely no one would miss a fictional character, right? ]
[Oh, it's getting worse. Himiko starts to cry. And then:
"For example... even Kaito's illness was given to him as part of his character."
"I was the one who came up with that plotline and gave him that virus."
"I was also the one who came up with the plotline where you fell for Kaito."
Maki starts to have a breakdown.
"You're telling us this is all a lie... even my feelings? Are you saying even those were lies!?"
Oh, there's tears.
"Well, if you're going to call fiction a lie, then yes. Everything in this world has a writing credit. All our words and actions are just a bunch of lies."]
[ Another terrible revelation, and it's one that has him collapsed on the floor once again, pulling at his hair with his screams echoing off of the floor.
Plotlines? Character? She was the one who made Kaito sick? Does he know that?! Was all of Kokichi part of that..? If that's true, then who was he before?
His screaming slowly fades into sobs, and he goes limp, overcome with despair and paralyzed by the weight of her revelation.
But wait. Doesn't that mean...?
Finally, he lifts his heavy head to glare at her. ]
The... the world outside..? That.. that means it's okay.. right?
[ Who were these people? Sure, they had the faces of people he knew, people he trusted... but these were not the people he knew back then. It couldn't have been. Such bloodthirsty people... No faith in humanity? Even Kaede? She who was so full of hope and desperate to get them all out at the start? ]
No...
[ It's Shuuichi's broken voice that cracks his heart in two. Of course, he'd seen it before. In fact, he'd made it happen himself. A painful reminder of his own manic desperation to ruin the killing game, and the failure it was.
So if it was all a lie... what was it all for?
His chest aches. His head hurts. He even feels ill. ]
She wanted to take responsibility and really show them the truth in the only way they'd be able to understand: more flashback lights.
But even watching Kokichi writhe in despair was making her sick. She'd come all this way to inflict the same torture she put on the five survivors on someone who died? She can't see inside his head, but she can only hope he's at the top of the roller coaster.]
I... I swear. When it's over, you'll understand!
[Shuuichi starts to cry. Not even a full-face cry like a normal person. He just stares at the images of the 'people' around him as tears streak down his face.
"Is this what the outside world wants?"
Maki and Himiko aren't much better. Monokuma starts talking about how this is all what the world wants. The world is peaceful. It wants to watch the group get hurt, die, and then feel sorry for them.
"So what are we supposed to do?"
Shuuichi is having a breakdown. Tsumugi taunts him that no matter how much he grows, he's just gone back to being the weak Ultimate Detective. It's impossible to stop the killing game.
...However.
A person who's been quiet speaks up.
Keebo.
"I will not give up hope, until the very end! We can't give up. No matter what, hope is always within reach!"]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 07:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 07:36 am (UTC)Where is he...?
no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 07:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 07:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 07:49 am (UTC)He scurries around the counter and jumps out at her, shouting out with his arms raised like a monster. ]
BLAAGHH! I'M GONNA EAT YOU!
1/2
Date: 2023-02-12 08:40 am (UTC)[THE DEVICE COMES UP TO POINT RIGHT AT HIS FACE!]
2/2
Date: 2023-02-12 08:51 am (UTC)"Wait a minute, Tsumugi."
Shuuichi confronts her.
"...You said you went to the bathroom. The utility closet in that bathroom... has a hidden passageway. ...Around the time Rantaro was killed, Tsumugi went to that exact bathroom."]
no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 08:59 am (UTC)[ He stumbles back from the flash, clutching his face, and it's within half a moment that his brain is flooded with a familiar feeling... The sensation of filling in gaps, of memories long-forgotten creeping back into the forefront of his mind. Right.. of course. How could he have forgotten that? And that? And them?! But there were things he didn't remember... that he couldn't remember. No.. it was too late. Too late!
It's an unusual position for Kokichi to be on his knees, wailing in pain. There's a glimmer of hope, however. Shuuichi's voice. Exposing the truth. Yes... Yes, that truth he'd hoped he would reach but Kokichi hadn't known himself.
There's a mighty, painful groan when he finally looks up at her, sweating, his nails having clawed hot red marks down his face as his brain tries to make sense of what she'd shown him. ]
Y-you... what did you do...?
[ His teeth grit, and there's venom in his voice. ]
WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO?!!
no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 09:05 am (UTC)[more memories... of Tsumugi's denials. Of all the facts being woven by Shuuichi so easily with all the new evidence. Of the monokubs trying to intervene. Of admitting that with so many people it'd be impossible even knowing this to determine the culprit... but now that there were five left, it could only be Tsumugi.
"If I'm wrong... please, refute me. Please, tell us you aren't the Mastermind, Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer!"]
no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 09:20 am (UTC)His brain feels like it's being overloaded, and he can't help but cry in pain as memories he couldn't have possibly have ever experienced rush into his brain. He feels like he was there watching the trial, seeing her lies come undone and her crimes exposed. Kaede... she made Kaede take the fall for her.
But even in such a short time, seeing the evidence laid out clearly before him (Or rather, forced into his brain), he can't argue against his beloved's logic. Of course he'd figure it out. There's even a tired, almost manic grin on his face when he looks up at her again. ]
He got you. He got you in the end, you bitch. Ha... I can't believe I ever felt sorry for you.
no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 09:33 am (UTC)[There's more... and more... the continued denials, with everyone trying to beg her to say something (except for Maki who was done with this shit, until finally:
"It's Junko Enoshima!"
...then the back and forth before... the real reveal?? The appearance of Junko Enoshima, the 53rd.
Were all the memories of Hope's Peak and Remnants of Despair true?? What was going on?]
no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 09:48 am (UTC)[ By the point the actual point she's trying to make hits him like she's tied an anchor to his feet and thrown him in a harbor. But having the gut feeling of not wanting to harm anyone actually validated by this stupid light does... somehow make him feel better.
Still, there's more to unpack there that his already fragile brain is ill-prepared to deal with. ]
F...fifty-third?
What the fuck does that mean? I don't... nngh..! My head feels like it's gonna split open...
no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 09:57 am (UTC)[The antics of the new Junko Enosima continue until Shuuichi leads them to the obvious: their memories don't match what the Hope's Peak book says. They couldn't have applied to Hope's Peak. Junko didn't create the tragedy by herself. And Kokichi was definitely not a Remnant of Despair.
The flashback lights are all fake. They're for implanting new memories instead of old.
That means all of the Gofer Project was fake, too.
But then, Shuuichi gets the obvious question:
"We have no connection to Hope's Peak, so you can't be Junko... so then, who the Hell are you?!"
Which is when the act drops...
Junko Enoshima is just cosplay.]
no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 10:18 am (UTC)[ The memories that aren't his, that could never have possibly ever been his flood his brain and make it ache. He doubles over, clutching his head, screaming into his knees. So much information presented as truth and immediately to lies... he can't handle it. It's too much.
He whines, whimpers, and seems to be breathing heavy. By the time he looks up at her, his nose is actually bleeding from the stress, and his face is red all over. He can barely even focus his eyes for how dizzy he is. The whiplash from suddenly knowing Junko Enoshima like a goddess to knowing she was dead, to knowing what he might have known was a cosplay...
He only manages out a tight sound in his throat before he collapses onto his side, limp and only occasionally twitching as rudimentary signs of life. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 08:25 pm (UTC)...meanwhile.]
[It's getting worse. Shuuichi puts together the obvious: Tsumugi shouldn't be able to cosplay Junko and the others if they're real people. Which means... they're fake. They were all fictional. Not only were they never a part of Hope's Peak, Hope's Peak is all fictional.
All of the killing game was just for a series of anime, manga, and now TV shows called Danganronpa.
"Danganronpa!" screams Monokuma.
As if that wasn't enough, TV screens begin flashing "Danganronpa v3: Killing Harmony"]
no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 09:31 pm (UTC)And that fucking bear.
It takes a moment for him to come around, and when he does, he looks positively exhausted. ]
What... what did you do to me..?
no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 09:41 pm (UTC)[(oh right we also forgot the part Monokuma reveals the audience existing, but there you go)
Shuuichi then points out the next thing:
"We aren't fictional!" "You sure about that?"
And... Shuuichi can't deny the reality:
"We're the same...? We're all... just like you?"
"Yes. That's right. You're all fictional, too."
Everyone's identities, personalities, talents, and backstories are all fictional.
Moreover... the real devastating part kicks in: pre-Shuuichi's audition tape.
"...I'm also thinking about... the perfect punishment for the Ultimate Detective!"]
no subject
Date: 2023-02-12 09:54 pm (UTC)He clutches his head again and screams his agony out for her and the empty restaurant. When he's able to finally calm himself down, he's shaking, even sobbing through his mumbling. ]
I hate you. I hate you. IhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyouIhateyou...
no subject
Date: 2023-02-13 07:55 am (UTC)[MONOKUMA GOES ON TO EXPLAIN:
"You wouldn't say that now. But, this is you before you became who you are now."
And Tsumugi has to chime in: "When we saw your audition tape, we had a flash of inspiration. The weakest Ultimate Detective ever... wouldn't it be great to see him grow?"
Everyone's families, friends, entire lives before the killing game are just fiction, created by the flashback lights. No one can go back home, because there is no such place. The only place fictional characters can exist is the danganronpa fictional world. Everyone's just there for the real world's entertainment, to kill each other.
"That's why...there's nowhere to run."
Tsumugi punctuates it, with a piercing look Kokichi's surely never seen her make.]
no subject
Date: 2023-02-13 08:00 am (UTC)He hates this, and when he finally looks up at her, his eyes are bloodshot, his face red hot with rage, and swollen from tears. How dare she? How dare she throw everything he thought he was into disarray? ]
Hate... I.. I hate you...
[ He still feels feverish as he tries to claw his way upright, or at least closer to her. Tremors still wrack his body, making it difficult to move, but he's set on it now. He's advancing toward her with murder in his eyes. He might not have wanted to hurt anyone at the academy but... according to her, that's all a lie. Fiction. Fake. Just like him. And her. Surely no one would miss a fictional character, right? ]
no subject
Date: 2023-02-13 08:57 am (UTC)It's not done yet, Kokichi!
[Oh, it's getting worse. Himiko starts to cry. And then:
"For example... even Kaito's illness was given to him as part of his character."
"I was the one who came up with that plotline and gave him that virus."
"I was also the one who came up with the plotline where you fell for Kaito."
Maki starts to have a breakdown.
"You're telling us this is all a lie... even my feelings? Are you saying even those were lies!?"
Oh, there's tears.
"Well, if you're going to call fiction a lie, then yes. Everything in this world has a writing credit. All our words and actions are just a bunch of lies."]
no subject
Date: 2023-02-13 09:24 pm (UTC)Plotlines? Character? She was the one who made Kaito sick? Does he know that?! Was all of Kokichi part of that..? If that's true, then who was he before?
His screaming slowly fades into sobs, and he goes limp, overcome with despair and paralyzed by the weight of her revelation.
But wait. Doesn't that mean...?
Finally, he lifts his heavy head to glare at her. ]
The... the world outside..? That.. that means it's okay.. right?
no subject
Date: 2023-02-14 11:34 am (UTC)[The memory keeps coming. (we forgot Himiko's breakdown, but details)
"Even that thing Kaede said that moved Shuuichi's heart... that was a lie! Because the real Kaede said:"
And, there's a tape of Kaede, telling the camera she's perfect for a killing game: she has no faith in humanity.
"And who could forget Kaito's inspiring line!? ...That was a lie! Because the real Kaito said..."
Oh no. There he is. A slightly manic look in his eyes. Looking very much not like himself.
"I'm not just gonna be in Danganronpa, I'm gonna kill everybody and win! Once I've got fame and fortune, I don't gotta worry about what's impossible!"
Followed by more cackling from Tsumugi about it all being a lie, as the others gawk. Until, Shuuichi...
"Why...am I here? Why did I even survive this long?"]
no subject
Date: 2023-02-15 04:05 am (UTC)No...
[ It's Shuuichi's broken voice that cracks his heart in two. Of course, he'd seen it before. In fact, he'd made it happen himself. A painful reminder of his own manic desperation to ruin the killing game, and the failure it was.
So if it was all a lie... what was it all for?
His chest aches. His head hurts. He even feels ill. ]
Make it stop... Please... please make it stop!
no subject
Date: 2023-02-15 05:33 am (UTC)She wanted to take responsibility and really show them the truth in the only way they'd be able to understand: more flashback lights.
But even watching Kokichi writhe in despair was making her sick. She'd come all this way to inflict the same torture she put on the five survivors on someone who died? She can't see inside his head, but she can only hope he's at the top of the roller coaster.]
I... I swear. When it's over, you'll understand!
[Shuuichi starts to cry. Not even a full-face cry like a normal person. He just stares at the images of the 'people' around him as tears streak down his face.
"Is this what the outside world wants?"
Maki and Himiko aren't much better. Monokuma starts talking about how this is all what the world wants. The world is peaceful. It wants to watch the group get hurt, die, and then feel sorry for them.
"So what are we supposed to do?"
Shuuichi is having a breakdown. Tsumugi taunts him that no matter how much he grows, he's just gone back to being the weak Ultimate Detective. It's impossible to stop the killing game.
...However.
A person who's been quiet speaks up.
Keebo.
"I will not give up hope, until the very end! We can't give up. No matter what, hope is always within reach!"]
(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:[and, maybe cram more into each comment if he's popcorning]
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:1/2
From:2/2
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From: