Danganronpa: Showtime!

Danganronpa:Showtime! is a submission-based roleplaying based around the Danganronpa franchise, as well as the twists and turns of the entertainment industry! Click on the "plus" (+) symbol above to find helpful links.

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

Pietro votes Ae-Jung as the Mastermind. As for the reason behind the game, it was to rewrite the entertainment industry as Ae-Jung said, but judging by just how much behind-the-scenes-world-domination stuff there was in the computer, he wouldn't put it past G.L.O.B.O. to have some other purpose to it in addition to that, like recruiting students that got away with murder as agents, or using their performances as a way to help control the population or something.

“Our pyrotechnician savant has some good bets made on this, huh? Quite a good move, Pietro Di Mercurio. I am not confirming anything yet though. Will you just wait a little longer? It isn’t like you have an option after all.”

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

Ae-jung votes herself as the mastermind, and her reasoning is "fuck this shit."

“Oh? What is it, Ae-jung? Don’t you think you are acting a tad rebellious? I’d watch your actions, Chief of Entertainment and Arts.”

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

Teddie votes Ae-jung as the mastermind. And, other than the entertainment industry thing, he figures that this is all to figure out who's "worthy" of this GLOBO bullshite.

“Oh dear, that is quite an assumption there. I’ll have it noted, Hickson... Maybe, just maybe, that is the most useful thing you have ever said in the useless timespan that is your life.”

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

Robin Votes Ae-Jung as the mastermind. As for the true purpose of the game, besides Ae-jung's entertainment industry reasoning he also figures it's to teest people in a sense? You don't have that many games with preschoolers without something nefarious going on. Oh, and also ruining his fucking life. That's a good one as well.

“Noted, my child. I am glad to see you have improved so very much since the beginning of the game. I have high hopes that you will make the right choice, my dear Hiroshige Inoue.”

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

You Messed With the Dark World || Kuro Sekai || RE: Ae-jung // ATTN: Everyone

When the file has been brought up by them, Sekai’s expression seemed to have become more surprised than before, but still she was carrying her confidence on her face. Laughing a little, the lift went down a little and she returned to her podium.

“Oh, that file? Well, don’t worry too much about it, my child. You have been doing such an excellent work that the very existence of this file is irrelevant right now. Besides, it won’t be my duty to explain this.”

“Either way, the time has come for you to give me your individual veredict, my children. Submit your solutions to my riddle: 1) Who is the Mastermind behind Oasis; 2) What is the true purpose of this game, called Game #869 as you so eloquently put?”

“Remember, whatever you choose will determine your own fate from now on. I have something very special prepared for those who fail to answer this and something even better for those who succeed this trial. Go, go! I need answers, quickly!”

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

Molten Core | Trial 6.4 | Re: Pietro, Cheshire, Robin

“Ex-fucking-cuse me?”

The syllables were laced with venom, spat out into the open air like a particularly disgusting taste left to linger on the tongue. All of the resigned sadness that had burned in Ae-jung’s face was gone, replaced instead by a strong, implacable sense of not-so-tranquil fury.

She fixed Pietro with a look that might have killed him had she the capacity to will it so, her fingers tightly grasping the rim of her podium, white-knuckled and enraged. And yet she remained still, frozen as the words floated out into the atmosphere, the truth observationally scrawled in the margins of that goddamned stupid-ass file.

She wanted to scream.

She wanted to fall to pieces,

She wanted to slam down on the reset button and will it all away, to go straight back to chapter one and not have to face the truth. She wanted to delete every save file in the book until all she had were blank slates and more blank slates.

But she couldn’t find the delete slide.

“I…wha…”

It was all so whispered, the confusion whirling in her countenance and her voice quiet, as if she didn’t believe this was real. Her death grip on the podium lightened, some of the color rushing back into her knuckles, but her expression was frozen with shock.

And then she whirled around to Sekai, more furious than she’d ever been before.

“Would you like to explain this shit to me? Wanna maybe explain why that fucking lunatic is listed as an interest?!”

She looked about ready to claw someone’s throat out, and it was just fortunate enough that she didn’t have a gun because she probably would have taken the shot somewhere.

“I want an explanation. Now. I don’t care who provides it. Someone better just tell me precisely why Jae-Sun Lee is marked as an interest, despite all of the shit he’s pulled.”

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

File-philia || Pietro || MM Trial || Re: Cheshire

He nods to Cheshire.

“Yeah, I got it.”

Pietro slips a hand into his vest and pulls out a file. He reads it aloud.

“Subject: Jae-Sun Lee

Age: 17

Gender/Pronouns: Male (He/His)

School: T.B.A.

Progenitors: T.B.A.

Interest Rate: 74.56%

Current Status: Approached by NS-692 after interest shown by RB-360 - aspirant to become member of their team.”

He pauses, holding the file out so what he’s talking about next will be shown.

“S'got pictures an’ stuff too. Jus’ like surveillance shots an’ stuff though. No group photos.”

Pietro glances down at the photos, frowning and muttering to himself.

“…what a waste.”

Looks like he’s changed his mind about this guy after hearing Ae-Jung mention him. At least he has some standards?

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

Barely There || Robin || Trial 6.1 || RE: Everything?? Everything.

For most of the trial he’d been quiet, zoning out as if he wasn’t even listening. The tears, the discussion, the alarming amount of weapons that seemed to be present. The reserve course didn’t even want to be here anymore. Whatever the outcome he was just so tired of this all.

And then Ae-jung spoke up and started to explain. Though even then he only somewhat perked up from his podium to listen.

Perhaps if this had been an earlier time Robin would have been more upset, more distraught at the betrayal of one of the few people here that he would consider a friend. Brought to tears over the fact that another friend had done this to him, that’d be all along. Again. But this wasn’t the past, this was now. And all he can manage is an empty vacant stare.

He was far past the point of caring anymore.

“…I’m tired. Can we just get a move on with this already? Vote or whatever the hell is left to do.”

He murmured, only half paying attention.

“Not like anything matters in the end anyway.”

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

Don’t Enter the Entertainment Industry || Cheshire || Final Trial || RE: Ae-jung, ATTN: Pietro

The street magician listens silently to all of what Ae-jung has to say, paying close attention. And by the time it’s over, it’s obvious that she’s uncomfortable with the information that’s been revealed, a disgusted frown on her face at the mention of the entertainment industry.

“I’m not ‘sniping’ you, Han-san.”

Frankly, she’s a little offended at the suggestion but not entirely surprised, recalling the way she impulsively reacted earlier at the competitive gamer’s role reveal.

“… I’m not entirely surprised about the news about the entertainment industry though. There’s… been gossip and rumours about it for a few years now, even just on the streets.”

From the way Ae-jung worded it, the issue seemed like it wasn’t just a problem within Korean or Japanese entertainment industries either- rather, a global issue.

“Regardless, I’m sorry about what you’ve had to deal with. An apology from me is probably useless, but it’s the most I can do right now.”

And for her apology, she even bows her head to Ae-jung a bit, before straightening herself out again.

“… Still… How exactly does changing the entertainment industry have anything to do with kidnapping so many people? And then making them kill each other?”

At this, she glares in Ae-jung’s direction- but past her, and at the woman behind her, looking down on everyone. She eventually looks back to the gamer.

“Not only that, but… If that Jae-Sun Lee is who I think he is then…”

She glances over to Pietro, frowning.

“… Mercurio-san, do you still have that file we found?”

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

Don't Speak Her Name | Trial 6.3 | Re: Cheshire, Pietro

TW: referenced abuse and sexual harassment

“So this is the part where I say that the numbers don’t matter– where I cackle like a maniac and say that I don’t regret a thing.”

Her tone was low and sorrowful, almost unfitting for the words leaving her lips. Her eyes lingered on the floor, unable to meet those of her friends competitors in the game of death she’d played a role in devising. She didn’t want to face a single one of the survivors– she couldn’t anymore. How did a murderer face her attempted victims?

“But this isn’t a fucking video game, and I’m not some one-dimensional disc-one final boss.”

Ae-jung adopted the venom of a snake, every little nerve within her suddenly roaring to life. Her countenance was grim and full of hatred, but for whom was uncertain.

She wanted to scream, to claw away at all of the monsters inside her that kept on saying that this had been a good idea, that lighting the whole world ablaze and letting it rise like a phoenix from the ashes was something she could live with even if she held the matches. Her heart pounded, raging within its cage of bones because it wanted out, wanted out wanted out wanted out–

She couldn’t even breathe over the intensity of her own panic. Anger bristled and blossomed within her veins, her entire being alive with a strong and unruly hate.

“Do you have any idea how many times I ask myself that question? How I can’t even look in the goddamn mirror anymore because of how sick my own reflection makes me?”

“Of course I think about it all. But I just keep telling myself that it’s going to be worth it– that I’m erasing everything wrong with humanity and how it puts kids like us on goddamn pedestals and breaks us down with camera flashes and expectations. I hate how extreme it is but I have to keep believing that somehow it’s going to pay off and that I can make a better world out of this– this mess–”

She inhaled sharply, burying her face in her hands and taking a moment to sob. Her entire body trembled with the weight of her own heartbreak, guilt tearing her apart underneath it all.

A moment later, she lifted her head back up, sniffling slightly and tearstains still lingering on her cheeks. Her voice was still shaking.

“I was fifteen– fifteen – when my sponsors started expecting more out of me. They looked at this international champion in all kinds of games and said ’needs more sex appeal.’ They wanted me to dehumanize myself and act like this cutesy, perfect little dating sim character so I could get more views and donations.”

“Do you know how it feels? To get all kinds of messages about things someone your age shouldn’t hear? To be sexualized when you’re still technically a kid? It’s humiliating, it’s– it’s wrong. I wanted to be recognized for my gaming and for being strong, n-not that–”

“But I couldn’t refuse or else they’d take away my sponsorships. I had the choice between my mother or myself.”

“That’s what the entertainment industry does to you– and that’s why I wanted to destroy it and build it from the ground up. No more disrespect or gross expectations or ignoring the health of their stars in favor of views and money. No more making you sacrifice your dignity and ignoring your cries for help. No more expectations that make you feel so unclean that a shower can’t even help, no more brushing your mental and emotional problems under the rug, no more people like Jae-Sun Lee preying on your insecurities.”

“That’s why. That’s why I did all this. I don’t feel good about it and I don’t know how I’ll live with myself, but I refuse to let a world where the things that happened to me happen to more and more people go on.”

“S-so– there it all is. You guys can go all angry mob on me if you want. I know there’s no respawn and I stand in the way of the objective– so Cheshire-ssi, if you want to go ahead and snipe me, I won’t stop you. I won’t blame you, either.”

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

A Foul Mouthed Mercy Main || Pietro || MM Trial || re: Ae-Jung, Cheshire

Pietro continued to watch her as she spoke. Seeing her like this, as someone who acted and lied as often as he did, was interesting. In response to her address of him, he shrugged before propping his chin up with his hand.

“Not like m'used ta this honorific shit anyway.”

He doesn’t know anything about Korean honorifics or conventions either, so he’s got no clue whether or not this is an insult. His own honorific usage in Japanese is shabby enough already and he can’t bring himself to care too heavily.

Though the jester sighs sadly as Cheshire tosses her weapon down. That’s the end of that then. He would have liked to see a bit of balancing come out of this on the magician’s behalf, but oh well. He points back to Cheshire with his thumb.

“Seriously though, yeah, what the actual flying fuck? The number o’ dead folks here is already pretty high, let alone that many. That’s jus’…. Dios. Don’t e'en got words for it, really…”

Pietro shakes his head, looking away. Even he looks really damn Shook by the numbers. But rather than tear up, he channels the feeling into his chest and lets it go into a slow, cold burn. When he finally looks over to Ae-Jung again, it’s with no small amount of bitter malice in his eyes. His fingers are still twisting over the ribbon in his hands, though that in itself is fairly absentminded.

“S’real fucked up. So I’d really ‘preciate hearin’ why the hell ya thought addin’ ta it was a fuckin’ good idea.”

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

OOC Kitty || Cheshire || Final Trial || RE: Pietro, Ae-jung

Everything is so so wrong. And what’s even worse is that she knows it’s wrong. The original Cheshire Cat never threatened anyone’s life, never got angry or sad.

The original Cheshire Cat never got its paws on a bow and arrow to threaten the Queen of Hearts.

At Pietro’s offer of a knife, she nearly even accepted it, before Ae-jung started talking. And then, the gamer suggested she just go ahead and shoot her?

As Ae-jung spoke, the street magician’s hands trembled around the bow and arrow as she watched the other student, watched her forced acts and emotions. Until finally, moments after Ae-jung has finished speaking, she threw down the bow and arrow, fists clenched by her side as her shoulders shook.

”16,512.”

She was no longer looking at anyone, head turned downwards hiding her expression as she spoke with a cold voice.

”16,512 people who have had to be in this situation. And 16,481 of those people have d-died.

“By all means… Please explain how you ended up with a group that has had at least 869 of these ‘games’, Han-…san.”

She’s shaking- from fear, shock, anger- it’s anyone’s guess. She’s not even sure why she kept the honorific for the fellow student. Either way, it’s evident that she’s breaking character from the one she is meant to be resembling. Right now, she’s just a teen who’s scared and tired of everyone around her dying and potentially being about to die, hiding teary eyes thanks to her downturned head and bangs.

She is just so so sick of it all.

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

Just Ae-jung | Trial 6.2 | Re: Pietro, Cheshire

In the same flicker of a second where her heartache bled through, Ae-jung immediately stiffened all over again– the cryptic smile making a shining resurgence, that same oddly gleeful gleam manifesting in her downcast eyes. She offered a shrug and an empty chuckle, waiting for the situation’s tension and anxiety to fully set in–

and then she was facing down the point of an arrow aimed by someone she’d grown to appreciate, one of the people she had prayed from the beginning would last to the end, and she couldn’t hide the shocked sorrow that overwhelmed her features.

“…”

But then it was gone.

“Go ahead and take the shot, dangshin– makes my job a whole lot easier. I’m not afraid of you and I don’t have to be. Keep in mind you’re aiming at a dead girl walking as is.”

She planted her hands on her hips in some falsified display of confidence. Her entire aura seemed uneasy and scripted– like she was an actress delivering the most unconvincing monologue of her entire life. The tremble of her arms as she shifted positioning, the twitch of her eyes as she conjured up sardonic joy, the blinking that indicated she was fighting back against her own emotions–

it all made for one pathetic and underwhelming performance. ‘Twas kind of ironic, wouldn’t you think?

Even so, it didn’t stop her from trying.

“Oh, Pietro– forgive the lack of an honorific, but I’m sure you understand– maybe I’m tired of fighting back. I’ve been keeping this in for longer than I anticipated and I’m tired of keeping my mouth shut.”

“I think I’m…just tired.”

She lifted a hand to twist a stray spiral of auburn hair around her finger, one arm secure beneath her chest– as if she was holding onto herself, anchoring herself to reality.

“Look. I owe you all an explanation, and the least I can do is give it. Still, Cheshire-ssi, if you wanna go ahead and snipe me at any point, go for it. I’ll even refrain from making jokes about you being a Hanzo main.”

She sighed, loudly.

“Let’s just say…I didn’t think it would turn out this way.”

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

Comedic Timing || Pietro || MM Trial || re: Ae-Jung, Cheshire

Pietro blinks, pausing his ribbon-related fidgeting. He glances over at the gamer, taking in every detail of her expression. Huh.

“Well then. A'ight, that was easy. Man, was kinda expectin’ ya ta put up more o’ a fight ‘bout it, but whate'er…”

He almost sounds disappointed. Almost. But something occurs to him. He briefly bounces on the balls of his feet before he leans forward onto his podium, eyes gleaming and expectant. 

“Oh! Oh! Ya gonna monologue now? That’s what you’re supposed ta do now, right? Riiiiiight?”

The jester lets out a quiet yelp of surprise when Cheshire cocks an arrow, his eyebrows shooting up. He reels back but as soon as he realizes that it’s pointed a bit further to his right, he actually grins and looks like he could start cheering for her at any second. Fuck her up, gurl!

“Ahaha, holy shit! Hey Cheshire, ya wanna borrow m'knife? It’ll hurt more!”

No Pietro, bad jester! Don’t encourage her.

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

Claws (Bows) Out || Cheshire || Final Trial || RE: Pietro, Ae-jung, ATTN: Ae-jung

The moment Ae-jung confirms Pietro’s heavily implied accusation, the moment her mouth curls into a smile- Cheshire snaps. In a split second, the bow the street magician had been carrying is loaded with an arrow and lifted. She glares at the other student, a snarl curled on her lips. She had tried to comfort her. She had wanted to be her friend. She had tried to comfort the Mastermind. She had wanted to be the Mastermind’s friend. So stupid, stupid stupid- With tense shoulders but shaky legs, Cheshire keeps the arrow aimed directly at Ae-jung, as she speaks with dark eyes sending a piercing glare. ”Start. Talking.” With everything that’s happened, with what she’s found in the past few hours, past few trials and deaths,the street magician has lost much of the composure and rationality she once had. Her grip on her the bow and arrow leaves her knuckles turned white.

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

Heavy Rain | Ae-jung | Trial 6.1 | Re: Pietro, Cheshire, Teddie

For what felt like such a fleeting moment, the whole world seemed to go blank.

The ground beneath her feet disintegrated, little fragments of color and life floating away into a milky void, leaving her standing alone and motionless. The entire world, every little thing she took for granted and always trusted to be there, to exist as solidly as her own body, seemed to shatter like a fist against a mirror. Crevices spiderwebbed their way across the entire universe and everything started spinning, spinning, spinning out of control--

"I'm sorry, what?"

Ae-jung's countenance, formerly domineered by the loneliness she'd adopted in the wake of their circumstances, bloomed suddenly into an unabashed smile. Her brows furrowed upward, this undeniable flare of amusement commanding her features.

"Are you accusing me of what I think you're accusing me of, Pietro-ssi? Because that's pretty fucking funny. You wanna know why?"

"Because you're right."

A newfound frigidity blistered through Ae-jung's entire aura, her shoulders falling slack and her lips curling into some mockery of a smile. Whiteness overlaid the peach tone of her knuckles as she gripped her podium, pink eyes going wide, foreshadowed tears stinging the edges of her eyelids. The silence of the room was only fleeting, frequently infested by the shallowness of her breathing.

Every little bit of joy in her face was so evidently feigned, her surge of confidence stolen. Even though she smiled,

the air was nonexistent, replaced by an implacable toxicity that wrapped around every face angled toward her

even though her every motion suggested remorselessness,

the world was in uneven fragments at her feet, layers of colors broken beneath her pink-veiled toes

even though she seemed like a video game villain straight from the files,

their eyes were unyielding and unblinking, fixated on her with expectations, expectations, expectations--

it was all too unconvincing.

"..."

"...I'm kind of surprised no one came to me sooner."

[danganronpashowtime-blog]

Opener || Pietro || MM Trial || re: Teddie, Cheshire. ATTN: Ae-Jung

Pietro follows not too far behind Cheshire, glancing over to her podium from time to time. He's not worried about her or anything, no siree. The jester himself looks a little better than he was even just a few hours ago when everyone split up. His clothes actually look like they fit him and he looks generally just less exhausted. He carries a big pillowcase stuffed full of stuff in with him and just plunks it down at his podium.

"Yeah, there's definitely some interestin' shit layin' 'bout in there."

He gestures to the bulging pillowcase he has resting at his feet. Jesus Christ, what all do you have in there Pietro?!

"Not gonna dance 'round the topic though. E'en if we set aside the rose themed e'erythin', an' I mean e'erythin', this shit is fuckin' e'erywhere from bouquets ta chair cushions in there, there's still a bunch o' stuff there pointin' ta one person in specific. Like meds for a chronic illness, a book on love an' poetry that had a real familar ribbon in it that used ta belong to e'eryone's favorite murderin' pharmacist..."

He reaches down and pulls said book out of his sack of loot, tugging the ribbon out from between the pages and holding it up. It's sure recognizable as one of Jitsuko Murasa's hair ribbons.

"Gee, remind me again... who here got these as a partin' gift?"

He slowly wraps the ribbon between each of his gloved fingers over and over again, eyeing the person in the podium next to him.