The air around you cracks and whirs; a strong blue glow emitting for a moment out of the front door, before it's peeled back and disappears. Slowly, the darkness twists into a small opening of bright sunlight.
But before it becomes enough for you to step into, the edges turn pale, and in pearls that become shards, the bright blue orb returns- Two pieces, this time, alongside two nearly familiar faces.
An awfully familiar laugh rings throughout the room. "Aww, did you miss me~?"
Serge is quieter, floating a hand half-amusedly to his face. "Ah… and to think, I truly thought I'd done my time."
Full execution under the cut.
Art by: Crow, Moa
Written by: Emily
Life had not been fair to Charlotte Fontaine, and Avril DuBois would not be either. She was not enough of a sentimental fool to throw away her life like that. Not after she had gotten this far.
She brings her arm back, preparing her mirror shard, but -
That moment of hesitation was enough to do her in. Charlotte has the upper hand, and quickly pins Avril down to the floor. She lifts up a gleaming silver kitchen knife right above her chest, and the last thing Avril can think is that it’s quaint. Of course it’d be a kitchen knife - that was the only type of weapon a young lady such as Charlotte would have known how to wield, wouldn’t it be?
Charlotte Fontaine plunges the knife into Avril DuBois’ heart, and they are finally back at the start.
She wakes up in a terribly familiar basement.
Avril DuBois has never been here, of course - but she has been trapped here once before, in her past. She’s sat on these tile floors and she’s seen these fluorescent lights and she knows all-too-well what it feels like to be handcuffed against those paint-chipped walls.
Ugh, she thinks. Not this again.
Really, it’s awfully unoriginal. She’s literally already lived this horror story. Is she really meant to go through it once more, now with an even worse ending?
She stretches awkwardly to reach into her pockets, and to her delight, it seems that the answer is a resounding no - unlike the last time, there are bobby pins in her pocket. She started carrying them after the incident, spending a sleepless night on YouTube learning how to pick a lock with one. Even after all these years, she’s kept up her practice.
Her diligence paid off, and she’s able to easily get out of her handcuffs. Once that’s done, it’s just a matter of leaving the room. It seems this isn’t a one to one replica of that little village home, as the door leads her to a new room that she’s never seen before.
The room is large, but almost completely empty. There’s only one object of interest - a grand floor to ceiling mirror with regal gold trim.
She looks into the mirror - her visage is gorgeous, as it always is. But after a few moments, the reflection shifts - changes into a woman who looks almost like her, just with slightly longer black hair and a sleek monochrome outfit.
It’s Fleur le Blanc - the last person she was.
Avril doesn’t move an inch, but Fleur’s reflection gets closer and closer - until she breaks through the mirror all together, the glass shattered into shards that fall around the room.
Fleur charges towards her, and suddenly Avril understands exactly what the game is. She’s not that torn up about it, all things considered. She’s “killed” Fleur le Blanc once before, after all. She had really wanted to dye her hair white, and it would have been so tacky to do that with a last name like le Blanc. She was four months in any way - even if she hadn’t wanted to change up her look, Fleur would have been dead sooner or later.
So she’d have to kill her once more, this time in a less metaphorical way. That was fine by her. What was a third death, after all she’s done? After she’s gotten this far?
She grabs one of the mirror shards, and she lunges towards Fleur. Stabbing her is so easy - and soon, brilliant scarlet bleeds onto Fleur’s monochrome life.
She looks back towards the mirror, and just as she had suspected - Marianne Baudelaire exits from the mirror. Marianne was one of her bolder creations: she wore a striking golden eyepatch, 5-inch silver heels, and stylish brass knuckles. She was so much fun to play around with. Shame she only stayed for two months.
But no matter how dashing - Marianne was still meant to be dead, and Avril would have to remind her of that. Still stained with Fleur’s blood, the mirror shard is soon soaked with Marianne’s.
She kills them all with ease, because this has always been the fate of her identities. Once they are no longer useful, once they provide too much history and too many burdens, she kills them swiftly. This is what she has done for many years now. This is what has kept her sane.
Finally, Elise Leroy comes out - her first creation. She had never realized just how hideous that haircut was. But it was that shitty haircut that had allowed her to become Elise, and it was becoming Elise that had allowed her to find freedom and happiness. So she couldn’t begrudge her that much. She dies just as quickly as all the rest.
Avril allows herself a sigh of relief, this part of the task now completed. The shard in her hand is soaked with all of their blood, but she doesn’t feel any remorse. It’s all herself, in the end, and she’s always known the price of her lifestyle. She turns to the mirror, ready to face the next challenge, and that’s when she sees her.
Dressed in baby pink, with flowing brown hair - a straw sunhat resting upon her head and a soft smile resting upon her face -
Charlotte Fontaine.
She could be forgiven for being taken aback. She never thought she’d see Charlotte again - not as anything beyond a blurry photograph in a trashy magazine.
Nine years ago, trapped in that basement and surrounded by the stench of death, Charlotte Fontaine died. She had stepped in to take her place - to become Elise, the Brigitte, then Elodie, and so on, until she eventually became Avril.
The two of them shared a past, but little else. Charlotte was never her creation.
It wasn’t fair to kill her, not when Charlotte was the only one who never signed up for this death of identity. But it wasn’t fair when Charlotte was kidnapped and saw her entire family slowly die in front of her eyes. It wasn’t fair when Charlotte had her life and tragedy scrutinized by a vulturous media.
Life had not been fair to Charlotte Fontaine, and Avril DuBois would not be either. She was not enough of a sentimental fool to throw away her life like that. Not after she had gotten this far.
She brings her arm back, preparing her mirror shard, but -
That moment of hesitation was enough to do her in. Charlotte has the upper hand, and quickly pins Avril down to the floor. She lifts up a gleaming silver kitchen knife right above her chest, and the last thing Avril can think is that it’s quaint. Of course it’d be a kitchen knife - that was the only type of weapon a young lady such as Charlotte would have known how to wield, wouldn’t it be?
Charlotte Fontaine plunges the knife into Avril DuBois’ heart, and they are finally back at the start.
It's a long silence once Abel is questioned on what comes next… And if he had any thought to tell the group what he's planned now, his truthful answer may just be I don't know.
"Um.. I suppose- You leave. If that's what you wish-"
Just as swiftly as the suggestion of freedom is given, a protest roars from the depths of an endless void you aren't allowed to traverse. A man's voice speaks before you can see him, a tone that feels as though it had been spoken directly into your ear just the same as it echoes far past you.
Through the gaps in the wall, a human shape contorts and shifts. Growing smaller and bigger with a consistent cracking, hands clawing their way through space that you would never think could harbor any form of life.
Once the terrible display of force to make it through the wall is done, left is a man. Not quite like you, not entirely there.
"Abel. I've told you not to meddle in my matters. That girl has earned no cause to leave alive. It seems her peers are keen to agree."
Your ascent leads you further and further, each step higher into a darkness that eventually collapses onto you and leaves you in a dim mist that you need to strain to see anything in. Just as you think to go past another floor…
A path of blood flows down the stairs, on a steady path opposite yours; it's far too much to belong to any one person. Too much to belong to your whole group combined, should it come to that. If left as is, you don't doubt it'd reach the bottom floor and continue into the rest of the building.
Though the blood is smooth and clear, free of anything it may otherwise have stemmed from, Strauss' foot hits a solid stop only some ways onto the floor. Solid, but not to where it hurts to bump into. Fleshy. Alive, or…
Just as if it had been a well-planned out scheme, the lights overhead flicker on and reveal what, or who, you've discovered.
And as the trembling stops, as the room falls silent and the walls move as though they’re breathing. A soft glow of blue light spreads from the now dark stage, and as you feel reality shifting in on itself, you could swear that something moves and tries to claw itself through to meet them.
It’s a violent scene, but you’re finally brought to some peace… As a small creature spins once on itself and becomes entirely visible to you.
...It blinks slowly, akin to how you'd gain the trust of a less intelligent animal. When it speaks, its voice is vividly that of a young child.
Due to players preferring a smaller number of spectators, the Discord server where the actual roleplay of Tide to Spine takes place will not be available publicly until at least the end of the game.
However, for things that may have associated art assets (such as some events, bdas, and executions), we will post updates with these assets here on the Tumblr intermittently. Unlike some Danganronpa roleplays, we will not have extensive video assets to paired with the game.
Hello, I am new to Mao's channel and these RP's (well, I watched a few of Mao's videos from Abyssal Despair and Dawning Century. Love the art style btw.) ,and tumblr in general. I would like to ask a few questions if you all are okay with it:
I am curious to know who the cast and host's mun's are for this DanganRP. If they wish to remain anonymous I completely understand.
What the inspiration for both the RP and its name " Tide To Spine"?I'm curious to know its meaning.
Are there specific pronouns that the cast prefer's to use? I ask because I'm familiar with Angelop's works and I noticed that Orpheus was a part of this and they go by (they, them) (sorry I'm rambling at this point).
Who is who? I know who Orpheus looks like, but I was having a bit of trouble interpreting who is who.
Again, You don't have to answer this if this is either too much or too insulting if you don't want to. I'm not a very good people person when it come to being more than giving out compliments (or whatever my social issues are), but I do sincerely hope everyone has a wonderful and enjoyable experience. Have a nice day
One by one...
Hi! For the privacy of the players, we will not be disclosing the muns of our accepted cast. However, I can say that the characters here in the roster video are the mod teams OCs - from left to right, they belong to mod Celyca, mod Anya, and mod Moa.
TTS's name is inspired from the song, From Tide to Spine, off the soundtrack for Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs. Mod Moa's previous game (Dawning Century) took some inspiration from the Amnesia series, and TTS does too, as well as from Layers of Fear and The Binding of Isaac.
+ 4. We have just set up a roster page where you can view everyone's relevant information. But, if you wanted something quicker and easier to read, here you go! Each name links to the character's respective roster art piece.
Adrian Wieslander (he/him) - Socialite
Avril DuBois (she/her) - ???
Caligula Lacoste (any) - Party Planner
Florida (she/her) - Traveling Merchant
Freja Björklund (she/her) - Ult. Shepherdess
Jigoku Kobayashi (she/her) - Ult. Martial Artist
Johann Strauss (he/him) - Former Violinist
Kaien Hattori (he/they) - University Student
Magnus Majoris-Maroune (he/him) - M.C.
Morgan Davies (she/her) - Antique Dealer
Naoyuki Kannouji (he/him) - Ghostwriter
Nuno of Meradeur, Magus of the Infinite (any) - Keymaster
Orion "Ori" Lee (he/him) - Wanderer
Orpheus Kanata (they/them) - Bouncer
Sachiko Matsuoka (she/her) - Gardener
Sebastian Skies (he/him) - Clerk
Serge Qingren (he/they/any) - Embalmer
Taka Izukunzo (they/them) - Librarian
Yuuki Yukiyama-d'Aureville (she/her) - Antique Collector
Additionally, one of the accepted applicants refused their position, so if you notice a slight difference in the characters in the roster video against this list, that's why. Thanks for reaching out!
Thank you for applying to Tide to Spine - and welcome to the Auditorio de Soltaire. We hope you have the show of a lifetime.
Text roster under the cut.
Adrian Wieslander - Socialite (Mod OC)
Jigoku Kobayashi - Martial Artist (Mod OC)
Naoyuki Kannouji - Ghostwriter (Mod OC)
Avril DuBois - ???
Caligula Lacoste - Party Planner
Cassandra Winifred Meyer - Ultimate Ventriloquist
Florida - Traveling Merchant
Freja Björklund - Ultimate Shepherdess
Johann Strauss - Former Violinist
Kaien Hattori - University Student
Magnus Majoris-Maroune - M.C.
Morgan Davies - Antique Dealer
Nuno of Meradeur, Magus of the Infinite - Keymaster
Orion “Ori” Lee - Wanderer
Orpheus Kanta - Bouncer
Sachiko Matsuoka - Gardener
Sebastian Skies - Clerk
Taka Izukunzo - Librarian
Yuuki Yukiyama-d’Aureville - Antique Collector
Hello! Due to a few hiccups and realizing we got a bit more delayed than expected in finishing things up, we will be pushing back the roster drop- But just a day, until this Sunday, the 11th!Â
This is mostly to ensure things are polished up properly and made up to par to where we want it. The drop will also be pushed back time-wise, until 10pm EST.
We're very sorry for the frequent delays and long waits. Things haven't quite gone the way we'd hoped in a few aspects time-wise, but we're still on track, and we think this is for the best. We'd rather delay a day than put out something we're not proud of!
I've got a quick but big announcement. I hope the wait hasn't been discouraging- I'm mid-move right now and the dramatics don't seem to wanna stop.
With that said, we'll be aiming to get the roster out on the 10th of September.
We will be releasing the roster here on our tumblr page, as well as on discord; in case anybody prefers to stay updated on there. To avoid spam and to keep from riling each other up with anxiety unintentionally or otherwise, I'll be deleting all but the announcements channel a few hours before the roster drops, and deleting the server once I'm certain everybody who wants to see the roster drop has seen it. There will be no further communication on Discord past that (aside from, of course, the game server for players and spectators).
We will be allowing spectators into the server (players will be polled on how many they'd be comfortable with), so if you're interested in potentially spectating the game, feel free to fill out the form below. This does not affect anything app-wise; if you're accepted, we'll just disregard your spectator form.
Super excited to get things running, and thank you for sticking around this far!
If you have any questions or would like to be sure that your answer went through, please DM me at moa#9684 on Discord.
Unfortunately, July has been among the busiest months I've ever had; between uni application work, convention prep, and getting ready to not only find an apartment in one of the worst housing markets in the country but also move out, I'll be honest- I haven't been able to do much work.
Still, we're chugging along; we have some exciting news, and some a bit less exciting (but not bad)!
For starters, we've contacted our power roles, and they've accepted their positions. Because of our kind-of-specific plot, it was a tough choice, but I'm hoping it'll lead to an engaging and fun story. Unless you've specified otherwise, any power role apps will still be kept in the running for a spot on the roster.
As for normal applications, we're nearing completion in reading, and we're hoping to finalize a roster very soon! This means that, unfortunately, I have no date for roster drop for you just yet, but with some luck we'll be able to give you one in the coming weeks.
since it’s been about a month are there any updates on the roster?
We're nearing completion on reading apps and will be contacting power roles in the next few days, with an announcement following.
July is consistently one of my busiest months of the year, so unfortunately we haven't been able to get things done as quickly as we wanted to- But we're getting there!
Gooood morning everyone , and thank you for your patience.
With the exception of a few people who have checked in with us to submit in the morning, apps are now officially, completely closed. We’ll be updating the submitted page soon; please reach out to us tonight if you find your character missing. We got a lot of apps last minute and might have let one or two slip by!
Thank you all very much for your interest, and your hard work.
Me and the other mods will be hard at work reading through everything, and our first course of action will be to contact potential **power roles-** And get them settled in.
We aim to be relatively time-effective in getting through everything, but I can’t give an estimate on when things will go ahead quite yet.
For now, just sit back and be proud of yourself for making it- Or trying! We’ll be releasing a spectator form later on.
how many mod characters will there be and how many characters will be accepted?
We won’t be putting a 100% set number of accepted characters, for the sake of giving us a bit of leeway. We’ll be reading through every app once extensions close, and picking out of the apps we feel would fit best; without restricting it to absolutely needing to be a set number.
That being said, we’ll be trying to keep it under 20 for the sake of not overwhelming us in terms of organization.
As for mod ocs, we’re not sure yet- Depends on if any of us want to play a character at all ^^ Regardless, they won’t be having any impact on our roster choices, and nobody will be turned down to make room for a mod character.
With extensions now in effect, I've compiled a list of everybody who submitted an answer on the request form. If you are not on this list despite submitting an answer, please DM a mod and we'll add you manually.Â
Once more, extensions will be closing on the 17th.Â
Additionally, the submitted hopefuls list has been updated- We will not be updating the public list again until extensions close.
