Fandom Fandomronpa [Closed]

[Capri]

SOPHIE WALTEN
Zenterfold Xeppy

Sophie clutched Pinkie to her side through the entire process of Menma's execution. She never liked the girl, but she didn't deserve to be killed in such a humiliating manner.

And neither did Pinkie deserve to see such brutality. Sophie shielded her from the scene, physically blocking Pinkie from noticing everything that happened.

"Don't look," Sophie muttered.

The smoke cleared. Menma hung bloody, bruised, and battered. Sophie grabbed Pinkie’s hand as the clock chimed, and wordlessly tried to bring Pinkie back to their room. She was exhausted.​

 

[Icee]

Claude Von Riegan​

Ultimate Stratigist​

Zenterfold themagnoliaofutah Funnier President +Anyone​

​

Trial Stage​

And so the time was at hand - the time of Menma's inevidable execution. As Claude had predicted, the girl wasn't even allowed to have her jacket back before her execution. Why was he hoping for anything different? What was worse was that everyone was stuck here having to watch her execution on camera. Part of him wasn't surprised but even he was horrified all the same. For this wasn't just an execution but a horrible tourture meant for these...these people's sick entertainment. What kind of people were the people even watching this program? What sane person enjoyed watching a human being get plummelled to death until her head rolled on the ground and for nothing more than an accident? The bloodshed was not unusual for him. But the reason for the bloodshed was what got to the archer more than anything else. The virtually pointless execution of a human life as if Menma were truly the wicked soul that Kotomine portrayed her to be. Execution was meant to serve justice, right? What justice was this? Claude barely knew Trixie but for some reason, he felt as if even the poor murdered victim would not wish for Menma to go like this. Especially for some sick audience's entertainment.
Yet at the same time, another thought ran through his head. Menma was HIS messenging partner. He knew that and that was how he knew the names on the board got shuffled. Yet he only checked in with her once. He just figured she didn't want to be bothered so he didn't check in. Yet that lack of checking in likely led to the murder. If he just checked on Menma, maybe even came with her to coffee, maybe Trixie would still be alive. Maybe Menma wouldn't have had to suffer such a brutal and unforgiving death. He felt as if the two lost lives were somewhat on his own shoulders.
When the scene concluded, Monokuma's parting words shot through Claude like a bullet. Kill or be killed. This is your reality. No. He refused to beleive that. There had to be another way. There just had to be!! These were the only two lives that wers going to be taken. There wouldn't be any more! He'd make sure of that. THEY would make sure of that! No more blood was going to be shed. The remai ing 30 of them would get out alive. They HAD to. ...Right? ...Right?

Something in Claude snapped when it was 10PM nighttime call, as if nothing happened. It was time for bed - as if nobody was just seated in a stadium watching a brutal execution unfold. It was as if it were some illusion they were meant to just forget. Yet another night. Was another victim in the making? Were they going to find another murder scene tomorrow? Was it going to be Louise next time because he didn't accompany her? And just how brutal was the next execution going to be.
"No!!! We refuse to accept your reality, you psychotic bear!!! I refuse to accept your reality!!!" the Ultimate Stratigist broke down screaming. He held in his tears, his hands grit into fists. He couldn't keep his calm and easygoing attitude anymore. This was worse than even the war in Fodlan. This was nothing more than a nightmare. It felt as if they were doomed to accept this terrible fate. Yet Claude still refused. He couldn't give in. There was still a way. They just had to find it. He just had to dig deeper, gather more clues! There just had to be another way!! He wouldn't accept this. He COULDN'T accept this. He devised a strategy to get through a war with Byleth's help. They could get through this. This was a hope he was so desperately clinging onto yet it seemed to crumble further and further the longer they stayed here and the more sick truths grew unfolded.
"We're not your toys!! We're not THEIR toys!! We're living, breathing people!! We can change this!! We...we...."
Claude held his head a bit with one hand, the other gripping the podium. Flashbacks of the stadium, the murder, Menma's execution and how the audience roared at it all, how Monokuma just enjoyed it all - a kill or be killed reality flashed through his head. No. No. NO!!!

What happened next was a blur as Claude slammed his hand on his podium and...just took off running. He ran as fast as he could. With how fast he was running one may think he had no destination. He didn't even wait for Louise or bid anyone goodnight. Everyone just...seemed to disappear in the moment of his breakdown. He just bolted past everyone. A bit later, Room B could be heard slamming shut, the archer having even forgotten he had a roommate in the moment.

 

[R U S T]

Tobi

Well he was certaintly entertained for sure, a woman just got punched to death! Though the question was, who would be the next to go? The next to fall victim to fear of being killed, as monokuma said, it’s be killed or kill.

After the class trial was over Tobi left the premises, bring the ultimate ninja no one noticed him leave the premise. He took notice to everyone’s reactions. Mostly all grief and disgust of what had just happened.

What was most certainly entertaining was the heated argument between the witch and the priest, Tobi watched from afar.

And oh how the witch went on at the priest he had enough.

With a loud BOOM, a strange mist slowly crawled between the room and surely after the mist went away showing Tobi to appear between the two, stretching out his arms to make a childish stop movement.

“WOW! THIS IS SOOOOOO CRAZY!!!! A FELLOW COMRADE HAS DIED! Though, witch. The priest is right. It was her choice to do so, so I believe it is for the best to not comment, or start yet another fight, it’s no question that your……angry….a lot BUT thats besides the point! So, I’m with the priest on this one, I suggest minding your own business.“

It was extremely hard taking him seriously, he sounded like annoying child after all, though the man has multiple voices that are kept classified at the moment. He was trying to trick people around him to not take him seriously.

Though once his true self was revealed to everyone, that would be the appropriate time for him to get serious and reveal his true self.

Josh Verite ​

 

[Crow]

"Did somebody really erase everyone's memories of you?"

"Mm-hmm."

"And even though we all know you're the Biggest Meanie, you're saying you're not mean anymore?"

It's complicated.

"So you have this idea of who you're supposed to be, but no one at school sees you that way. Is that it? Trust me. I get it."

"Ha. I can't believe the only person who believes me is the one I called a manipulative blowhard. Sorry."

"I took it as a compliment. Let me help you find the Stone."

"What's in it for you?

...

No way. Absolutely not!"

"Well, if you'd rather go on being the Biggest Meanie, that's fine by me."

...

"... that was the first time I got to know Trixie."

Sunset utters once the execution was over, recalling something.

She looks at Menma's battered dead body.

"Does anyone have a shovel?"​

 

[lunar_moth]

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　♡ ♡ ♡　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

​

Here is a story that is worth telling:

A hundred years ago, or one year ago, a kingdom lived and died because its princess was too young to do anything except run away.

It wasn’t her fault, right? She was too young. She was still a child. Her mother didn’t give her a choice and put her to sleep so that she may wake up on Earth years into the future, and live the happy and carefree live her mother always wanted for her.

Except, well. It happened a second time. The girl grew up into a young woman with only the best of intentions, and she still got to watch her friends and family and everyone she had ever known be plucked, one-by-one, by Sailor Galaxia’s cruel grip and have their star seeds stolen right from their bodies. This time, she got to hold the battered body of her dear protector Sailor Mars in her arms, as Mars’ shape disintegrated bit by bit and she was nothing but dust.

Both times, the thing that saved them all was this: good intentions, and purity of heart. Though still young, still too young for the things she had seen or had put on her shoulders, Sailor Moon stood back up; dusted off her skirt, and did not give up trying to bring back the world or trying to find the good in the villain’s heart.

Here is another story, that no one wants to tell but that is worth telling anyway:

Usagi watches and does nothing when Menma, such a young, young girl, with only the brightest of intentions, is beaten to death in front of her.

A stray fleck of blood manages to fly across the stadium from the force of Monokuma’s punches, and Usagi’s hand snakes up to wipe it off her cheekbone with one thumb. When her hand hovers in front of her face, all she can smell is the stench of iron. Still fresh. And real.

It’s real, Usagi thinks. This is really happening.

And then, because there’s nowhere else for those thoughts to go, no squeaky-clean resolution to wipe them from her mind or deem them null, she thinks: A girl has just died in front of me and I did nothing but watch. I did nothing but laugh and pretend it was a game, when she was announced as guilty.

People might be screaming and crying, or they might not. Usagi couldn’t tell you for the life of her. All she knows for sure is that Menma, sweet, sweet girl who didn’t mean to kill but didn’t have the chance to grow up enough to learn her own strength, is dead and quiet and in ribbons now. And— and it’s — there’s nothing to do, her brooch hasn’t started glowing with one last chance to make things right, the big bad hasn’t faltered a step upon the realization of the horrors they’ve committed, her- the others— there are no new Senshi come pouring from the sidelines, with bigger and better weapons to blast the evil away and bring good girls back to life.

There’s just her, and people, and a dead girl, and nobody could do anything except stand and watch. Why did they all just stand and watch?

Because you’ve all already tried, and all that happened was an explosion that marked and sentenced the now-tattered girl to her death.

Something…. something in Usagi

b
r
e
a
k
s

.

And suddenly she’s wailing, screaming at the top of her lungs. Ripping her dead and dull brooch from her chest and thrusting it at the sky, in the direction of the dead girl’s still-dead body, swivelling on her feet and shoving her brooch at the crowd of onlookers like if she just finds the right key then everything will fall into place and the failsafe will activate. But there’s no failsafe. Her brooch is as lifeless and unresponsive as it has been the entire duration of their hellish kidnapping.

Usagi can barely see through the tears that stream down her cheeks. She shakes her head frantically and the force of it sends tears flicking off her eyelashes.

“I didn’t mean to! I didn’t mean to watch! I didn’t mean to let it happen! I—“ she whirls on her heel and catches the eye of anyone she can. Wanda— Wanda-san is so brave and so good, and Usagi crumbles inside to imagine ever incurring her disappointment. That woman had already seen so much loss in her life. She must know- she must know, this wasn’t supposed to happen, and Usagi just stood there and let it, never mind what anyone else was doing—

“Don’t look,” Sophie mutters.

Oh. Oh, no.

Pinkie Pie is being shielded behind Sophie’s little body. They’re shaking, Usagi notices, but then she looks down at her hands and then back up and thinks: ah, no, wait. That’s me.

She’d forgotten, Usagi realizes, that there were people here kinder and sweeter than her, who had watched her laugh and do nothing. Suddenly, it seems so very, very important that they understand how much it was an accident.

“I didn’t mean to!” Usagi yells in a punched-out sort of way. “I promise! I promise I didn’t mean to! A- a sailor senshi is supposed to save people, I’m supposed to save people, I know that, I know that! I didn’t mean to! I didn’t want her to die! I never wanted this to happen!”

The brooch falls out of her hand and hits the floor with a clunk! and Usagi follows it, hits the floor on her knees and doesn’t even register the dull knock of her bone against solid ground. How did this happen? How could it? She was— she’s supposed to save people, not stand and let them get beaten to death because she thought it was all a game. What kind of guardian of justice is she, now?

It’s too much. Usagi sits there and scrubs her sleeves desperately over her face to soak up the snotty tears she cries. She can’t stop crying. Sweet young girls die and kill other girls, and for once good intentions can’t save them.

“I didn’t mean to. I don’t know what to do now. What do I do?” she whispers out loud, but the body doesn’t say anything back, doesn’t give her the secret answer she’s been waiting for all along.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　 Zenterfold Xeppy Capri Josh Ghost_Candy *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧​

 

[Josh]

"Mind my own business? How about you mind your own business, Uchiha?" Wanda hissed her eyes narrowing at the ninja. Wanda just starred at Tobi, her anger slowly subsiding.




"I can feel it, see it, you know? Your hurt. The pain that lingers. I didn't even need special eyes either. just a witch's hunch." A smug, self-assured look gleamed on Wanda's face. She stood proud, like she never lost a war. "I pity you, Obito. You sad, hurt little boy." Storming off, Wanda noticed one of her girls was in crisis.


​

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　♡ ♡ ♡　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

View attachment 967531​

Here is a story that is worth telling:

A hundred years ago, or one year ago, a kingdom lived and died because its princess was too young to do anything except run away.

It wasn’t her fault, right? She was too young. She was still a child. Her mother didn’t give her a choice and put her to sleep so that she may wake up on Earth years into the future, and live the happy and carefree live her mother always wanted for her.

Except, well. It happened a second time. The girl grew up into a young woman with only the best of intentions, and she still got to watch her friends and family and everyone she had ever known be plucked, one-by-one, by Sailor Galaxia’s cruel grip and have their star seeds stolen right from their bodies. This time, she got to hold the battered body of her dear protector Sailor Mars in her arms, as Mars’ shape disintegrated bit by bit and she was nothing but dust.

Both times, the thing that saved them all was this: good intentions, and purity of heart. Though still young, still too young for the things she had seen or had put on her shoulders, Sailor Moon stood back up; dusted off her skirt, and did not give up trying to bring back the world or trying to find the good in the villain’s heart.

Here is another story, that no one wants to tell but that is worth telling anyway:

Usagi watches and does nothing when Menma, such a young, young girl, with only the brightest of intentions, is beaten to death in front of her.

A stray fleck of blood manages to fly across the stadium from the force of Monokuma’s punches, and Usagi’s hand snakes up to wipe it off her cheekbone with one thumb. When her hand hovers in front of her face, all she can smell is the stench of iron. Still fresh. And real.

It’s real, Usagi thinks. This is really happening.

And then, because there’s nowhere else for those thoughts to go, no squeaky-clean resolution to wipe them from her mind or deem them null, she thinks: A girl has just died in front of me and I did nothing but watch. I did nothing but laugh and pretend it was a game, when she was announced as guilty.

People might be screaming and crying, or they might not. Usagi couldn’t tell you for the life of her. All she knows for sure is that Menma, sweet, sweet girl who didn’t mean to kill but didn’t have the chance to grow up enough to learn her own strength, is dead and quiet and in ribbons now. And— and it’s — there’s nothing to do, her brooch hasn’t started glowing with one last chance to make things right, the big bad hasn’t faltered a step upon the realization of the horrors they’ve committed, her- the others— there are no new Senshi come pouring from the sidelines, with bigger and better weapons to blast the evil away and bring good girls back to life.

There’s just her, and people, and a dead girl, and nobody could do anything except stand and watch. Why did they all just stand and watch?

Because you’ve all already tried, and all that happened was an explosion that marked and sentenced the now-tattered girl to her death.

Something…. something in Usagi

b
r
e
a
k
s

.

And suddenly she’s wailing, screaming at the top of her lungs. Ripping her dead and dull brooch from her chest and thrusting it at the sky, in the direction of the dead girl’s still-dead body, swivelling on her feet and shoving her brooch at the crowd of onlookers like if she just finds the right key then everything will fall into place and the failsafe will activate. But there’s no failsafe. Her brooch is as lifeless and unresponsive as it has been the entire duration of their hellish kidnapping.

Usagi can barely see through the tears that stream down her cheeks. She shakes her head frantically and the force of it sends tears flicking off her eyelashes.

“I didn’t mean to! I didn’t mean to watch! I didn’t mean to let it happen! I—“ she whirls on her heel and catches the eye of anyone she can. Wanda— Wanda-san is so brave and so good, and Usagi crumbles inside to imagine ever incurring her disappointment. That woman had already seen so much loss in her life. She must know- she must know, this wasn’t supposed to happen, and Usagi just stood there and let it, never mind what anyone else was doing—

“Don’t look,” Sophie mutters.

Oh. Oh, no.

Pinkie Pie is being shielded behind Sophie’s little body. They’re shaking, Usagi notices, but then she looks down at her hands and then back up and thinks: ah, no, wait. That’s me.

She’d forgotten, Usagi realizes, that there were people here kinder and sweeter than her, who had watched her laugh and do nothing. Suddenly, it seems so very, very important that they understand how much it was an accident.

“I didn’t mean to!” Usagi yells in a punched-out sort of way. “I promise! I promise I didn’t mean to! A- a sailor senshi is supposed to save people, I’m supposed to save people, I know that, I know that! I didn’t mean to! I didn’t want her to die! I never wanted this to happen!”

The brooch falls out of her hand and hits the floor with a clunk! and Usagi follows it, hits the floor on her knees and doesn’t even register the dull knock of her bone against solid ground. How did this happen? How could it? She was— she’s supposed to save people, not stand and let them get beaten to death because she thought it was all a game. What kind of guardian of justice is she, now?

It’s too much. Usagi sits there and scrubs her sleeves desperately over her face to soak up the snotty tears she cries. She can’t stop crying. Sweet young girls die and kill other girls, and for once good intentions can’t save them.

“I didn’t mean to. I don’t know what to do now. What do I do?” she whispers out loud, but the body doesn’t say anything back, doesn’t give her the secret answer she’s been waiting for all along.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　 Zenterfold Xeppy Capri Josh Ghost_Candy *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧​

"Let it out, Usagi."

Bending down next to Usagi, Wanda slowly embraced her. Wiping the tears off the schoolgirl's face with her robe, Wanda put on a reassuring smile. "You know, I was a few older than you when I became the scarlet witch. And between you and me? I wasn't a hero at first. I was a villain. A terrorist. The Brotherhood of "evil" Mutants. That's what the media called us. " Wanda paused, wiping more tears off her friend's face. "As you can tell, I joined our better angels eventually, with some.....complications here and there." a cough awkwardly, as she regained her smile. "Being a hero, a young hero, it's hard. The hardest thing? You can't save everyone, Usagi. Wanda looked the girl dead in the eyes.

"It's the thing that keeps you up at night. The citizens that don't make it. The people you know. the people you love. They will die. It's okay to feel like you failed, but you can't hold onto it." A pause. "This is not your fault, Usagi! Okay? When i first saw you, I knew you were, you are good person, and unlike me? You've always done good.

Xeppy lunar_moth Verite R U S T Capri​

 

[Takumi98]

Atsushi had remained quiet as the grave when Menma's execution took place. It was a brutal affair, and yet he felt numb to it. Death was usually a brutal affair, and the scent of blood was one he'd grown used to, be it his own or someone else's. This was not his first time seeing someone get beaten, and while the memory that came to mind of the closest he'd come to seeing someone nearly get beat to death was an older boy at the orphanage.

For stealing a watch. The boy ended up being kicked out shortly after, and Atsushi didn't hear of him since.

His head was empty as the crowd was silent for only a moment, for just a second, and then they were cheering. Their cries of joy and excitement drowning out the memories and thoughts that tried to surface.

Eventually, it ended, and nighttime was announced. As soon as he was able, he made his way to Pinkie and Sophie's sides, reaching out to grab her free hand and give it a reassuring squeeze as he fell in step with them. Nothing but white noise like static played in his head at the moment, the days spent awake starting to catch up with him as his body felt heavy.

He didn't have any words of comfort right now, but he let his current actions speak for him as he kept a firm yet soft grip on the other'shand, taking a moment to look her over and assess how she was possibly feeling. He wanted to let Pinkie know he was here and so was Sophie and Wanda and Usagi, and that she wasn't alone right now even if he couldn'tfind the words to voice it. He wanted to let her know that she had people who cared and who wouldn't let her fall into the depths of despair.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　♡ ♡ ♡　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

View attachment 967531​

Here is a story that is worth telling:

A hundred years ago, or one year ago, a kingdom lived and died because its princess was too young to do anything except run away.

It wasn’t her fault, right? She was too young. She was still a child. Her mother didn’t give her a choice and put her to sleep so that she may wake up on Earth years into the future, and live the happy and carefree live her mother always wanted for her.

Except, well. It happened a second time. The girl grew up into a young woman with only the best of intentions, and she still got to watch her friends and family and everyone she had ever known be plucked, one-by-one, by Sailor Galaxia’s cruel grip and have their star seeds stolen right from their bodies. This time, she got to hold the battered body of her dear protector Sailor Mars in her arms, as Mars’ shape disintegrated bit by bit and she was nothing but dust.

Both times, the thing that saved them all was this: good intentions, and purity of heart. Though still young, still too young for the things she had seen or had put on her shoulders, Sailor Moon stood back up; dusted off her skirt, and did not give up trying to bring back the world or trying to find the good in the villain’s heart.

Here is another story, that no one wants to tell but that is worth telling anyway:

Usagi watches and does nothing when Menma, such a young, young girl, with only the brightest of intentions, is beaten to death in front of her.

A stray fleck of blood manages to fly across the stadium from the force of Monokuma’s punches, and Usagi’s hand snakes up to wipe it off her cheekbone with one thumb. When her hand hovers in front of her face, all she can smell is the stench of iron. Still fresh. And real.

It’s real, Usagi thinks. This is really happening.

And then, because there’s nowhere else for those thoughts to go, no squeaky-clean resolution to wipe them from her mind or deem them null, she thinks: A girl has just died in front of me and I did nothing but watch. I did nothing but laugh and pretend it was a game, when she was announced as guilty.

People might be screaming and crying, or they might not. Usagi couldn’t tell you for the life of her. All she knows for sure is that Menma, sweet, sweet girl who didn’t mean to kill but didn’t have the chance to grow up enough to learn her own strength, is dead and quiet and in ribbons now. And— and it’s — there’s nothing to do, her brooch hasn’t started glowing with one last chance to make things right, the big bad hasn’t faltered a step upon the realization of the horrors they’ve committed, her- the others— there are no new Senshi come pouring from the sidelines, with bigger and better weapons to blast the evil away and bring good girls back to life.

There’s just her, and people, and a dead girl, and nobody could do anything except stand and watch. Why did they all just stand and watch?

Because you’ve all already tried, and all that happened was an explosion that marked and sentenced the now-tattered girl to her death.

Something…. something in Usagi

b
r
e
a
k
s

.

And suddenly she’s wailing, screaming at the top of her lungs. Ripping her dead and dull brooch from her chest and thrusting it at the sky, in the direction of the dead girl’s still-dead body, swivelling on her feet and shoving her brooch at the crowd of onlookers like if she just finds the right key then everything will fall into place and the failsafe will activate. But there’s no failsafe. Her brooch is as lifeless and unresponsive as it has been the entire duration of their hellish kidnapping.

Usagi can barely see through the tears that stream down her cheeks. She shakes her head frantically and the force of it sends tears flicking off her eyelashes.

“I didn’t mean to! I didn’t mean to watch! I didn’t mean to let it happen! I—“ she whirls on her heel and catches the eye of anyone she can. Wanda— Wanda-san is so brave and so good, and Usagi crumbles inside to imagine ever incurring her disappointment. That woman had already seen so much loss in her life. She must know- she must know, this wasn’t supposed to happen, and Usagi just stood there and let it, never mind what anyone else was doing—

“Don’t look,” Sophie mutters.

Oh. Oh, no.

Pinkie Pie is being shielded behind Sophie’s little body. They’re shaking, Usagi notices, but then she looks down at her hands and then back up and thinks: ah, no, wait. That’s me.

She’d forgotten, Usagi realizes, that there were people here kinder and sweeter than her, who had watched her laugh and do nothing. Suddenly, it seems so very, very important that they understand how much it was an accident.

“I didn’t mean to!” Usagi yells in a punched-out sort of way. “I promise! I promise I didn’t mean to! A- a sailor senshi is supposed to save people, I’m supposed to save people, I know that, I know that! I didn’t mean to! I didn’t want her to die! I never wanted this to happen!”

The brooch falls out of her hand and hits the floor with a clunk! and Usagi follows it, hits the floor on her knees and doesn’t even register the dull knock of her bone against solid ground. How did this happen? How could it? She was— she’s supposed to save people, not stand and let them get beaten to death because she thought it was all a game. What kind of guardian of justice is she, now?

It’s too much. Usagi sits there and scrubs her sleeves desperately over her face to soak up the snotty tears she cries. She can’t stop crying. Sweet young girls die and kill other girls, and for once good intentions can’t save them.

“I didn’t mean to. I don’t know what to do now. What do I do?” she whispers out loud, but the body doesn’t say anything back, doesn’t give her the secret answer she’s been waiting for all along.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　 Zenterfold Xeppy Capri Josh Ghost_Candy *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧​

"Mind my own business? How about you mind your own business, Uchiha?" Wanda hissed her eyes narrowing at the ninja. Wanda just starred at Tobi, her anger slowly subsiding.




"I can feel it, see it, you know? Your hurt. The pain that lingers. I didn't even need special eyes either. just a witch's hunch." A smug, self-assured look gleamed on Wanda's face. She stood proud, like she never lost a war. "I pity you, Obito. You sad, hurt little boy." Storming off, Wanda noticed one of her girls was in crisis.

View attachment 967560




"Let it out, Usagi."
View attachment 967561
Bending down next to Usagi, Wanda slowly embraced her. Wiping the tears off the schoolgirl's face with her robe, Wanda put on a reassuring smile. "You know, I was a few older than you when I became the scarlet witch. And between you and me? I wasn't a hero at first. I was a villain. A terrorist. The Brotherhood of "evil" Mutants. That's what the media called us. " Wanda paused, wiping more tears off her friend's face. "As you can tell, I joined our better angels eventually, with some.....complications here and there." a cough awkwardly, as she regained her smile. Being a hero, a young hero, it's hard. The hardest thing? You can't save everyone, Usagi. Wanda looked the girl dead in the eyes.

"It's the thing that keeps you up at night. The citizens that don't make it. The people you know. the people you love. They will die. It's okay to feel like you failed, but you can't hold onto it." A pause. "This is not your fault, Usagi! Okay? When i first saw you, I knew you were, you are good person, and unlike me? You've always done good.

Xeppy lunar_moth Verite R U S T Capri​

His face twitched as Usagi wailed, but he didn't let go of Pinkie Pie's hand. He did glance the blonde girl's way, and was relieved that Wanda had moved to comfort the girl.

"I can walk you two to your room if you want?" He offered softly to Sophie and Pinkie, gaze landing back on them.

Xeppy Capri lunar_moth Josh @Others

 

[Xeppy]

Pinkie Pie
Capri Takumi98 Josh lunar_moth + anyone else

Trial Room

Pinkie widened her eyes when Wanda suddenly stepped forward, speaking words against the priest-man. Sociopath... worst person... insults, insults. The scene reminded her of what happened earlier at the daycare, and it soon became clear inside her head: Wanda lashing out, Kotomine reaching for her throat, everything being disagreement. She looked nervously at the Ultimate Witch, then at the priest-man, now reminded of what previously happened. Would it happen again? Would Kotomine reach for her throat, only inches away from strangling her? Would conflict arise between them, only making things harder for themselves and for them all?

Pinkie, for once in her life, focused on trying to become calm. She hugged Sophie close, trying to not hyperventilate with all her might. Oh, when did Pinkie ever want to become calm before? Didn't she usually try not to become calm, as it was too boring for her? Didn't she usually try to be hyperactive, energetic, always bouncing around on the floor with a buzz? Wasn't she usually trying to be Pinkie? Yet here she was, squeezing her eyes as she tried not to become hyperactive with stress. With sadness. With despair. The words of others flew through her ears, and the cages of her mind let the sentences fly on through without processing them. Her thought process only had one order right now, and it refused any other:

Don't panic. Don't drown yourself in sadness. Don't give up hope.

At Clementine's words of how she didn't blame Menma, Pinkie perked up slightly and remembered the girl's words. It's all the bear's fault. It's the audience's fault. It's all their fault. Yes... Pinkie didn't have to think poorly of Trixie and Menma! It wasn't their fault! They weren't in charge of this! When thinking of this, though, Pinkie's mind immediately went back to Trixie. Back to her in the dining hall. Back to her just standing there. Back to when she was alive. Pinkie didn't know Trixie all that well... but it still felt painful to think about her. Heck, even though Menma wasn't dead yet, it was painful to think about her as well. Pinkie didn't know the two girls very well, but deep inside her...

No. Don't panic. Don't drown yourself in sadness. Don't give up hope.

Right. Like she'll still believe that after what Monokuma's about to do.

Pinkie had already learned from before not to pay too much attention to Monokuma's words. When he started monologuing again, she simply dug herself into Sophie, staring off into her podium. What good would listening to the black and white bear do to her? She would simply lose more happiness inside her, not getting any escape from this sad persona of hers. Even though she was trying to ignore everything, she couldn't ignore the crowd cheer from everywhere.

"Thrills! Chills! Kills!"

Pinkie jolted her head up towards the audience, squitning her eyes at them. Only now did she seem to put her opinion onto them. This was real. What were they doing, sitting there? Pinkie thought... that they were laughing! And smiling! People only did that for good reason, right? They only showed their joy when it was truly needed, right? Pinkie looked onto all of their faces, examining what they were feeling. Now that she was looking closer... it didn't seem like happiness... but something else. Something Pinkie would never recognize. Something she wouldn't understand. Bloodlust.

She nodded along to Clementine's and Monokuma's exchange, not listening to their words all the way. Still, she understood where the exchange was headed. When Monokuma announced that it was PUNISHMENT TIME, Pinkie stopped breathing entirely. He shouldn't. He couldn't. What punishment did she deserve!? Even if she... did it... she didn't deserve what Monokuma was talking about earlier. She didn't deserve execution!

It was starting, though. A mechanical hand grabbed Menma suddenly, putting her onto the ground. Pinkie's hand immediately reached out for her instinctively- even though she knew it wasn't going to help- as she opened her mouth. She felt she had to do something, though. What could she do, though? How could she even help? Even though she couldn't... Pinkie couldn't believe she was about to... about to...! Her breaths got more and more drastic, and her attention could only go over to Menma. The chains. The copies of Monokuma-

"Don't look."

Pinkie's sight was interrupted by Sophie, who soon blocked herself in front of her and prevented Pinkie from seeing any of it further. Pinkie Pie widened her eyes at the statement, as if processing it, before nodding, squeezing her eyes shut. Everything is safe. Nothing is happening. It was as if she were telling that to herself, blocking out the world, trying to cover up the mistakes of the world. As if she were covering the mistake that she was here, that she was sent here from something.

Not even her own thoughts or Sophie's body shielding her could protect her from the noise, though. Her peers were silent. The audience was silent. That meant that the execution was the main event, the main noise. Pinkie could clearly hear it: the sound of punches being blown. Gosh, Pinkie wanted so badly to cover up her ears. To silence it all. But no. She couldn't move. She stood there, silently imagining the gruesome image in her head of something punching Menma. To death.

And just like that, the sound was over. The despairing noise of death was soon replaced with the voice of the talking stuffed animal and the voice of Usagi desperately pleading to them.

"I think it's time you all got it into your heads that this is your reality now."

"It's kill or be killed. Who will be left standing when it's all over? If you don't have the nerve, it won't be you."

"I didn't mean to!"

"I promise!"

This is their reality now. It's kill or be killed. Pinkie won't stand at the end. She won't. She's not strong enough. She wasn't even strong enough to physically show that she's being bothered by the death. By the torture. By their situation. She was silent. She was hopeless. She was saddened- more than saddened. This was where they were, now... and Pinkie might already be dead before someone kills her.

People were screaming, crying, have any form of what they were experiencing on the inside. Pinkie's face turned a ghastly shade of white and gray. One of her hands was occupied with Sophie's, but the other soon got filled with Atsushi's. Atsushi? She got the strength to look at him, and it was apparent of all that she was feeling from that one look: despair. Hopeless. Her eyes said it all.

However, she was still Pinkie. Even if she seemed empty, like a doll, she was still a pink-haired girl who cared deeply about her friends. Her eyes glimmered from understanding of Atsushi's message, and this act that he did gave her courage to do what she did next. She quickly made the hand that was intertwined with Sophie and the hand that was intertwined with Atsushi touch each other, as if clarifying that they were all friends, before making them drop again. Pinkie's grisp on the two hands was faint, as if she was barely holding on to reality itself.

When Atsushi offered to walk them to their rooms, Pinkie silently gazed at him emptily. It didn't show rejection or acceptance, but nothing. She normally would immediately take up the offer, happily smiling for him suggesting it, but right now, she felt nothing of the matter. She had no opinion. She looked towards Sophie blankly, as if asking her to make the decision for her.​

 

[Verite]

Kirei Kotomine

​

Kotomine hardly even blinked as everyone else showed their disapproval to his nonchalant reaction. It was to be expected, but it was a hard truth that he deemed necessary for everyone to know, especially if they were going to survive together, and Kotomine was not going to let himself be weighed down by inaction.

To Marie, he simply gave a brief nod. "Indeed. At least there is someone here who is willing to hone their skills of deduction... for the good of this motley group. I shall pray that another tragic murder such as this will not happen, but as the Lord works in mysterious ways, perhaps he intends to test your resolve. To which I must ask of you, how much do you desire to live? For what reason, and for whose sake?" He asked the girl, though before long, the boy named Cater had swooped in to talk to her, as though saving Marie from Kotomine's own influences.

To Wanda and Claude, the priest gave a somewhat more animated reaction, giving the two of them a hardened glare. "And what alternative would you prefer? Are you willing to lay down your life -- all of our lives -- for the sake of one girl, simply because you pity her? Is that the trade you are willing to make? Ah, but were it so easy, for your life is no longer your own here. If you offer yourself up to spare yourself the pain of witnessing one more death, you will instead be condemning the rest of us to that fate along with you," he said. The fallacy of the trolley; doom one person to save multiple, or doom the many to save the one. It was a moral dilemma that resonated with Kotomine. Not from his own experiences, but because it reminded him of someone who was haunted by such a dilemma. A hero who could remain a hero so long as he saved more people than he killed.

What rubbish.

He would have continued on, though Louise's tearful interjection gave him pause, just in time for Menma to face her final punishment, a grisly death from a grizzly bear. Even he was mindful enough to not say anything, only able to watch with unwavering eyes as the poor girl was pummeled to death. Hit after hit after hit after hit. Even Kotomine himself would have been merciful enough to end her life in one quick hit if it were him in the executioner's role, but no... The bear -- or whoever controlled him -- reveled in this, completely and utterly, and the priest could not deny that even that was something to be surprised by.

As nighttime was announced unceremoniously, as if to put a cap in the harrowing day's events, Kotomine folded his arms behind his back, remaining silent as others stormed out of the stadium, and Tobi cut in between himself and Wanda. He said nothing to the shinobi, only giving him a curt glance before turning around, beginning to pass by Wanda as she and Atsushi attempted to calm and comfort the others who remained, between Pinkie, Sophie, and Usagi.

"You would do well to take the boy's offer," he gestured toward Atsushi as he looked at Wanda and the girls. "Your minds are far too clouded with emotion at this moment, so some rest will do you some good, before you end up saying or doing something regretful," the man said coldly, unchanging no matter what. With that, he too was off, leaving them all to themselves as he began to go on his way.

---

Interactions: Josh Icee GamblingGoblins
Mentions: R U S T lunar_moth Xeppy Takumi98 Capri

 

[Takumi98]

Pinkie Pie
Capri Takumi98 Josh lunar_moth + anyone else

Trial Room --> Room G

Pinkie widened her eyes when Wanda suddenly stepped forward, speaking words against the priest-man. Sociopath... worst person... insults, insults. The scene reminded her of what happened earlier at the daycare, and it soon became clear inside her head: Wanda lashing out, Kotomine reaching for her throat, everything being disagreement. She looked nervously at the Ultimate Witch, then at the priest-man, now reminded of what previously happened. Would it happen again? Would Kotomine reach for her throat, only inches away from strangling her? Would conflict arise between them, only making things harder for themselves and for them all?

Pinkie, for once in her life, focused on trying to become calm. She hugged Sophie close, trying to not hyperventilate with all her might. Oh, when did Pinkie ever want to become calm before? Didn't she usually try not to become calm, as it was too boring for her? Didn't she usually try to be hyperactive, energetic, always bouncing around on the floor with a buzz? Wasn't she usually trying to be Pinkie? Yet here she was, squeezing her eyes as she tried not to become hyperactive with stress. With sadness. With despair. The words of others flew through her ears, and the cages of her mind let the sentences fly on through without processing them. Her thought process only had one order right now, and it refused any other:

Don't panic. Don't drown yourself in sadness. Don't give up hope.

At Clementine's words of how she didn't blame Menma, Pinkie perked up slightly and remembered the girl's words. It's all the bear's fault. It's the audience's fault. It's all their fault. Yes... Pinkie didn't have to think poorly of Trixie and Menma! It wasn't their fault! They weren't in charge of this! When thinking of this, though, Pinkie's mind immediately went back to Trixie. Back to her in the dining hall. Back to her just standing there. Back to when she was alive. Pinkie didn't know Trixie all that well... but it still felt painful to think about her. Heck, even though Menma wasn't dead yet, it was painful to think about her as well. Pinkie didn't know the two girls very well, but deep inside her...

No. Don't panic. Don't drown yourself in sadness. Don't give up hope.

Right. Like she'll still believe that after what Monokuma's about to do.

Pinkie had already learned from before not to pay too much attention to Monokuma's words. When he started monologuing again, she simply dug herself into Sophie, staring off into her podium. What good would listening to the black and white bear do to her? She would simply lose more happiness inside her, not getting any escape from this sad persona of hers. Even though she was trying to ignore everything, she couldn't ignore the crowd cheer from everywhere.

"Thrills! Chills! Kills!"

Pinkie jolted her head up towards the audience, squitning her eyes at them. Only now did she seem to put her opinion onto them. This was real. What were they doing, sitting there? Pinkie thought... that they were laughing! And smiling! People only did that for good reason, right? They only showed their joy when it was truly needed, right? Pinkie looked onto all of their faces, examining what they were feeling. Now that she was looking closer... it didn't seem like happiness... but something else. Something Pinkie would never recognize. Something she wouldn't understand. Bloodlust.

She nodded along to Clementine's and Monokuma's exchange, not listening to their words all the way. Still, she understood where the exchange was headed. When Monokuma announced that it was PUNISHMENT TIME, Pinkie stopped breathing entirely. He shouldn't. He couldn't. What punishment did she deserve!? Even if she... did it... she didn't deserve what Monokuma was talking about earlier. She didn't deserve execution!

It was starting, though. A mechanical hand grabbed Menma suddenly, putting her onto the ground. Pinkie's hand immediately reached out for her instinctively- even though she knew it wasn't going to help- as she opened her mouth. She felt she had to do something, though. What could she do, though? How could she even help? Even though she couldn't... Pinkie couldn't believe she was about to... about to...! Her breaths got more and more drastic, and her attention could only go over to Menma. The chains. The copies of Monokuma-

"Don't look."

Pinkie's sight was interrupted by Sophie, who soon blocked herself in front of her and prevented Pinkie from seeing any of it further. Pinkie Pie widened her eyes at the statement, as if processing it, before nodding, squeezing her eyes shut. Everything is safe. Nothing is happening. It was as if she were telling that to herself, blocking out the world, trying to cover up the mistakes of the world. As if she were covering the mistake that she was here, that she was sent here from something.

Not even her own thoughts or Sophie's body shielding her could protect her from the noise, though. Her peers were silent. The audience was silent. That meant that the execution was the main event, the main noise. Pinkie could clearly hear it: the sound of punches being blown. Gosh, Pinkie wanted so badly to cover up her ears. To silence it all. But no. She couldn't move. She stood there, silently imagining the gruesome image in her head of something punching Menma. To death.

And just like that, the sound was over. The despairing noise of death was soon replaced with the voice of the talking stuffed animal and the voice of Usagi desperately pleading to them.

"I think it's time you all got it into your heads that this is your reality now."

"It's kill or be killed. Who will be left standing when it's all over? If you don't have the nerve, it won't be you."

"I didn't mean to!"

"I promise!"

This is their reality now. It's kill or be killed. Pinkie won't stand at the end. She won't. She's not strong enough. She wasn't even strong enough to physically show that she's being bothered by the death. By the torture. By their situation. She was silent. She was hopeless. She was saddened- more than saddened. This was where they were, now... and Pinkie might already be dead before someone kills her.

People were screaming, crying, have any form of what they were experiencing on the inside. Pinkie's face turned a ghastly shade of white and gray. One of her hands was occupied with Sophie's, but the other soon got filled with Atsushi's. Atsushi? She got the strength to look at him, and it was apparent of all that she was feeling from that one look: despair. Hopeless. Her eyes said it all.

However, she was still Pinkie. Even if she seemed empty, like a doll, she was still a pink-haired girl who cared deeply about her friends. Her eyes glimmered from understanding of Atsushi's message, and this act that he did gave her courage to do what she did next. She quickly made the hand that was intertwined with Sophie and the hand that was intertwined with Atsushi touch each other, as if clarifying that they were all friends, before making them drop again. Pinkie's grisp on the two hands was faint, as if she was barely holding on to reality itself.

When Atsushi offered to walk them to their rooms, Pinkie silently gazed at him emptily. It didn't show rejection or acceptance, but nothing. She normally would immediately take up the offer, happily smiling for him suggesting it, but right now, she felt nothing of the matter. She had no opinion. She looked towards Sophie blankly, as if asking her to make the decision for her.​

Kirei Kotomine

View attachment 967582​

Kotomine hardly even blinked as everyone else showed their disapproval to his nonchalant reaction. It was to be expected, but it was a hard truth that he deemed necessary for everyone to know, especially if they were going to survive together, and Kotomine was not going to let himself be weighed down by inaction.

To Marie, he simply gave a brief nod. "Indeed. At least there is someone here who is willing to hone their skills of deduction... for the good of this motley group. I shall pray that another tragic murder such as this will not happen, but as the Lord works in mysterious ways, perhaps he intends to test your resolve. To which I must ask of you, how much do you desire to live? For what reason, and for whose sake?" He asked the girl, though before long, the boy named Cater had swooped in to talk to her, as though saving Marie from Kotomine's own influences.

To Wanda and Claude, the priest gave a somewhat more animated reaction, giving the two of them a hardened glare. "And what alternative would you prefer? Are you willing to lay down your life -- all of our lives -- for the sake of one girl, simply because you pity her? Is that the trade you are willing to make? Ah, but were it so easy, for your life is no longer your own here. If you offer yourself up to spare yourself the pain of witnessing one more death, you will instead be condemning the rest of us to that fate along with you," he said. The fallacy of the trolley; doom one person to save multiple, or doom the many to save the one. It was a moral dilemma that resonated with Kotomine. Not from his own experiences, but because it reminded him of someone who was haunted by such a dilemma. A hero who could remain a hero so long as he saved more people than he killed.

What rubbish.

He would have continued on, though Louise's tearful interjection gave him pause, just in time for Menma to face her final punishment, a grisly death from a grizzly bear. Even he was mindful enough to not say anything, only able to watch with unwavering eyes as the poor girl was pummeled to death. Hit after hit after hit after hit. Even Kotomine himself would have been merciful enough to end her life in one quick hit if it were him in the executioner's role, but no... The bear -- or whoever controlled him -- reveled in this, completely and utterly, and the priest could not deny that even that was something to be surprised by.

As nighttime was announced unceremoniously, as if to put a cap in the harrowing day's events, Kotomine folded his arms behind his back, remaining silent as others stormed out of the stadium, and Tobi cut in between himself and Wanda. He said nothing to the shinobi, only giving him a curt glance before turning around, beginning to pass by Wanda as she and Atsushi attempted to calm and comfort the others who remained, between Pinkie, Sophie, and Usagi.

"You would do well to take the boy's offer," he gestured toward Atsushi as he looked at Wanda and the girls. "Your minds are far too clouded with emotion at this moment, so some rest will do you some good, before you end up saying or doing something regretful," the man said coldly, unchanging no matter what. With that, he too was off, leaving them all to themselves as he began to go on his way.

---

Interactions: Josh Icee GamblingGoblins
Mentions: R U S T lunar_moth Xeppy Takumi98 Capri

Pinkie concerned him. While relieved that she seemed to understand what he had been trying to convey, even going out of her way to make his and Sophie's hand touch in a gesture that had some similar meaning, his gaze softened as he studied her.

Ultimately, the choice was left to Sophie for now, and he would wait for her input either way. Though, Kotomine made the teen tense momentarily but the moment the priest went off toward his own room without another word did the white-haired teen relax even a fraction.

Part of him wanted to sleep for the next ten years, but another part wanted to stay awake and alert. Part of him, deep down, was scared that either he wouldn't wake up tomorrow or that one of the girls wouldn't.

He'd gladly kill everyone else in the room or die trying if it meant that they were safe, if it meant that he was of some use and had any worth.

His mind felt like it was spiraling down into murky water, and settled above it was a thick fog that left the stop of the water clouded and hard to see any light.

He needed to sleep, to get proper sleep, else he'd be running on nothing but fumes until his body finally gave out and buckled. He couldn't have that, couldn't afford to let the pressure crush him.

Xeppy Capri Verite Josh lunar_moth @Others

 

[GamblingGoblins]

Marie - Ultimate Decapitator
Trial Room
Verite HanikamuKitten @Everybody
​

At first, Marie was glad to hear that the priest seemingly approve her request. If someone so astute and devout as he claimed to be was willing to lend her a hand, then perhaps she would eventually be able to make something of herself, after all. But quickly, his words began to confuse her, her small smile giving way to an expression of uncertainty. "Desire... to live?" she repeated, tilting her head ever so slightly. What was that supposed to mean? She didn't get it at all. She was silent for several moments, evidently very deep in thought, but... she came up short. A hint of self-disappointed sorrow crossed her face, and she shook her head. "Um... I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I--"

"Wh...- h-huh?"

Before she could finish forming the words, the sudden, gentle touch of another stopped her in her tracks. She had been so deep in thought that she'd barely even noticed the abrupt approach of Cater. In fact, she didn't even register that he was there until his fingers had curled under her chin, guiding her gaze to his in a motion as smooth as it was tender. The contact was so unexpected that she lost track of any and all coherent thoughts and failed to even register his words in full, her eyes widening as she stared at him with pure astonishment. And suddenly, a blush began to bloom upon her face, painting her pale cheeks a gentle crimson as a nigh-inaudible stammer escaped her. "...C-close."

Undoubtedly, the singular ghost of a word was completely lost in the din of the quickly-forming crowd. It was practically impossible to hear it, even with how incredibly close he was to her. Her eyes drifted down, her embarrassment heightening with every passing second. The fact that he didn't heed her quiet, indirect plea made her feel even moreso; after a few moments had gone by without him moving away, she took it into her own hands, shuffling slightly before very gently pushing away from him. "Y-you're too close," she reiterated, clumsily. With the benefit of having some personal space back without his face hovering close to hers, her scrambled mind slowly began to catch up to the present. 'Cutie'? 'Difficult'?

A sigh escaped her unwittingly, and she clutched at the front of her dress in search for comfort. "Cater... you're saying such strange things again." Why was he trying to console her when she was confident he was the one bearing a pain she couldn't understand? Life and death, they were both inconsequential to her. Inevitabilities that she couldn't comprehend the weight behind. Yet even so, with her very limited understanding of the world, she could still feel there was something deeply wrong about this place and its workings. But for now, she didn't have the energy to think about the big picture. Instead, she tried to focus on what she could glean some understanding of. "Aren't...- Aren't you upset with me?" she wondered, once again seeming rather unsure. "I... couldn't figure out the story. I was all wrong. You looked very mad..."

"?!"

So much for getting answers. Everything suddenly caught up to her upon Wanda, Claude and others' sharp words cutting through the air, startling her once again. Subconsciously, she grabbed for Cater's sleeve, watching the situation unfold with confusion and some concern. She couldn't really get what Kotomine or Menma had done so wrong, but clearly, there was something. Or maybe it was a misunderstanding? She didn't know, but after all the energy she'd expended here, she didn't think she had the will to figure it all out.

Unfortunately for her, there was one discovery this room still held for her that she would never escape from.

Monokuma's decree rang out through the entirety of the trial room with vigor that commanded attention, even from the startled Marie. Punishment time? At first, the words held no real bearing to her; she knew their meaning, of course, but the weight behind them was lost on her. Until a sudden movement toward Menma caught her eye, drawing her focus to the rough and tumble girl as she was dragged into the stadium. "What...-" She couldn't finish the question. The display spoke for itself. A tidal wave of bears, slowly closing in around a girl who couldn't even defend herself. Marie, who had heretofore appeared utterly indifferent in the face of death, blanched. Her body went still as she stared on at the brutal display, unable to pull her eyes away as punch after punch after punch was thrown.

Death was not new to her. She had seen it a million times before, the symphony of dismemberment being a constant melody played throughout every waking moment of her life. She had never questioned the phenomenon- to touch her was to die. It was simple, and quick, and constant; there had been no reason to fret over a fact as simple as the sky being blue. Blood, corpses, scared passersby; those were all familiar scenery, something so common to her that she could say she'd experienced it a million times before.

This was different. It felt like her throat was swelling shut as she watched the display screen, her grip on Cater's sleeve tightening all the while. "A-ah..." Suddenly, things she had never before considered began to click. It was not just the theatrical, torturous display that managed to pierce her previously numb exterior, but a sudden connection of dots that hadn't even been on her radar before. The priest's questions to her of before, the distress everyone had displayed over the loss of Trixie's life, the outrage they'd displayed back during that first meeting... it all added up now, all thanks to a singular piece that had been missing from her before. Something so simple, yet so essential to our existence as humans.

Marie had never valued anything before. Never had anything or anyone to show her what it was like to truly experience life, to partake in the joy and serenity of mundane moments with. She had been alone and abandoned, unwittingly taking the lives of all those she touched with no idea what such a thing meant. She'd never had a way to gauge what a life was worth, had had no way to touch and cherish and hold... until now.

"No..."

No. This couldn't be right. Her body trembled under the weight of this sudden, horrible realization, and she momentarily doubted her ability to even remain on her feet. She understood now; to have something you held dear and to have it ultimately stolen away was to invite pain and sorrow through the heart's gate en masse. The blonde had thought that the pain Reinhard had inflicted upon her in his castle was bad, but this was on an entirely different level than she'd ever experienced. The wails of Usagi and others only added to the pressure building in her chest, leaving the trembling Marie to feel as though she were drowning under the weight of her own sin. Suffocating. She forgot herself entirely in that moment, losing track of most everything but the blood.

 

[HanikamuKitten]

Cater Diamond​

Stadium>Hotel Hall
Zenterfold GamblingGoblins Severia SilverDingo @literallyeveryone ​

Cater waited for a response. He held his position, fingers on her chin, and tried to read her face. He could never quite tell what she was thinking. Although something about her face from this angle; until now, much like with Menma, he didn’t notice her beauty. He was always surrounded by pretty faces back home, so maybe that was why? But her bright green eyes that matched his were so captivating. They were certainly her most standout feature and-


He didn’t realize how close he had gotten until Marie’s eyes shifted, and then eventually she pulled away.

"Y-you're too close,"

“Ah!”

Shoot. What was he doing?


“Haha sorry, sorry.” He said sheepishly. Marie was blushing. He was blushing. They were both at a loss for words. Thankfully, Marie spoke up.

"Cater... you're saying such strange things again."

Strange? He was trying not to use language she wouldn’t understand, what did he say this time?

“Oh sorry, which part? I can-“

"Aren't...- Aren't you upset with me? I... couldn't figure out the story. I was all wrong. You looked very mad..."

Mad? Why would he be mad at her? This girl was a handful for sure. He started to wonder why he even chose her to begin with. Of all people, why did he gravitate to her- to be closest with her? But then he remembered all those little moments. All the little promises. He was the one to approach her and now they were comfortable with each other. And she- without knowing- comforted him. He shook any doubts out of his mind.

“I’m not mad at you Marie. You did really good! Way better than me. Even if I happened to guess correctly, you still put in the effort to help get everyone else to the correct conclusion. I could never, ever be mad at that, okay?”

Suddenly, others began yelling at Kotomine- deservedly, he thought. Naturally, Marie grasped onto Cater’s sleeve. Geez this girl. ‘Too close’ she had said. Yeah that didn’t last very long. He simply giggled at her just a bit, barely even audible. It was so… Marie. So meek and timid one minute and then goes and helps solve a murder the next.



Cater briefly forgot where he was. It was a moment of bliss. Him and Marie were simply two young people being awkward with each other. It felt so normal among all the chaos of murders and trials. It felt peaceful.

The audience’s loud chant shattered that peace.

“THRILLS, CHILLS, KILLS!!!”

And suddenly it was execution time.

Menma was grabbed from the room. He stared at her face as she went. Seeing a beautiful face like her’s contort to one of pure terror was hard to watch. He wanted to call out. But he just watched sadly. There was no stopping it.

Marie’s grip on his sleeve tightened. Cater had to hold himself back from pulling her into a hug. He really didn’t want to feel worse than he already did. He didn’t want to look, but yet he found his eyes glued to the sight in front of him.

An eternity went by in a moment. And it was over. Menma was gone.

Usagi was screaming. The poor girl. He wanted to move; to go to his texting partner and comfort her too, but he didn’t have the will. Claude shouted a bunch and bolted away. An understandable reaction. While his friends took action, he simply stood for a moment.

“No…”

He felt Marie’s trembles. She had been so calm in the face of death. What changed?

“Let’s go.”

Those were the only words he could muster in that moment. He never wanted to look at that sight again. The…blood.

With Marie still attached to his sleeve, he pulled her along and found Nana and Shinoa.

“We’re all staying in my room tonight. Together. I-“

He stopped himself. Why was it so hard for him to be honest? Why couldn’t he have the courage to say such simple words. ‘I need you guys.’ That’s all he had to say. But still he caught himself.

“-we would sleep better. It’ll be safer. I’m sure Meko-neko won’t mind. And there’s no rule against sleeping in another person’s room. It just says you have to be in a room.”

He didn’t give any of them time to answer before dragging them along out of the trial room. Even Nana was strangely quiet the whole time, even as they approached the door with “Ultimate influencer/ Ultimate Gambler”.

 

[Zenterfold]

6 AM

Morning came quickly for most, considering how exhausting the day before had been. Butters and Sunset were now missing roommates and a sense of dread permeated the hotel. During the night, a few changes had occurred around the building. Now there were concession stands on the first floor, with Monokumas handing out hot dogs, nacho chips, and various soft drinks. The gift shop had also changed up its selection. In addition to the Monokuma merchandise, there was merch of all the participants.

Card packs featuring all of the participants were available, with Cater obviously being the four of diamonds.
Various hats and headpieces were also on display, some functional like copies of Clementine's ball-cap and some less functional like Faust's head bag.
Imitations of Menma's jacket, Atsushi's jacket, as well as Tobi's black cloak.
Little key-chains and fun sticker packs of all the participants were available, as well as phone cases that imitated everyone's unique tablet designs.
Do you want a backpack? Why not get one made pink and fun like Pinkie Pie or one themed after various animals as reference to Frank.
One might definitely want a poster of Hugo or Claude in the midst of battle, or perhaps even a depiction of the fight between Trixie and Menma.
For T-shirts, there was a Yumeko gambling-themed one, an archery-themed Sera one, and a bright one themed after Sunset.
Of course, Louise, Nana, and Hamilton got their very own notebooks, while fun mugs had Usagi, Mono, and Marcus plastered all over them.
Stiles and Shikuro seemed to be popular for tote bags, for whatever reason, while Sakurako and Aru had pencil crayon packs in their coloring schemes.
There also seemed to be a section for costumes, if someone wanted a classic Wanda look, a priestly Kotomine garb, or perhaps wanted to dress as "Professor Chaos," whoever that was.
One could adorn their jacket with patches themed after Trusty, Shinobu, or Shinoa, or even buy a greeting card, with darker ones featuring those who had died or one that oddly just said "Avocado" and had Marie's face on it. It was a birthday card.

In addition to these changes, everyone would find changes to their tablets. Trixie and Menma were now greyed out, while everyone's home screen now stated they were VIP 2. This meant that the locked gates on the first floor were able to be opened. As well, one previously disabled app, RANK, was now able to be opened.

The application was nothing special. All it did was give everyone an update on the current popularity rankings:

​

 

[themagnoliaofutah]

@ others
Louise had gotten up early, shuffling down to the main area with a little of that haunted look still remaining, although she looked more exhausted than anything else. She had wandered into the gift shop first - her notebook featured a picture of herself, eyes crossed out with a black bar, like it had been painted on. Her eyes widened for a moment, but it wasn't until she had seen the mirrored inner cover that she had put it back on the shelf. She backed away, lingering before leaving for the cafe.

They probably didn't even have tea, but she'd accept coffee if it'd get that dream out of her head. Laying face up in the void, that terrifying face crying ink in her periphery. That corpse, the first corpse she ever stumbled upon, animated, whispering at her.
"You'll fail them too, Lou. And I'll be waiting."

 

[Capri]

SOPHIE WALTEN
Zenterfold Xeppy

Sophie was sickened. Looking at the rank app made her sick to her stomach. They treated it like a game. It was all a game to them. Their lives.

She needed some room to breathe, so she went to have a look around to see what was unlocked, but she texted Clementine first.

"im not going to the meeting. i need to breathe. this ranking thing is disgusting."

Sophie groaned and went for a walk, entering the gated off area. She was fine if Pinkie joined her. Sophie was comfortable with her around.​

 

[Icee]

Claude Von Riegan​

Ultimate Stratigist​

Zenterfold Funnier President themagnoliaofutah GamblingGoblins ​

​

Room B​

With it being Day 5 of early wake-ups, getting up early was starting to be an instinct for Claude. Plus, last night was restless for him. After running from the trial stage, the Ultimate Stratigist simply stayed in his room. He didn't go to sleep though but he kept his back turned toward his roommate, indicating that he didn't want to talk. Several times he fiddled around with his device. He didn't really know if he should send anyone a message. He figured people were trying to sleep and the last thing anyone wanted was someone texting and venting to them in the middle of the night. Besides, who knows if that same person wasn't plotting a murder? He found himself wondering how Byleth and the others were doing. Had they even noticed he was missing? Or was time just going on as if he were never meant to exist? It was so hard to tell. He could only hope that if it was apparent to anyone that he was missing that they'd hang in there. Especially Byleth. They had waited this long to walk their new dawn together. And now he was here, stuck in a seemingly hopeless killing game. Kill or be killed. This was reality. Monokuma's parting words never seened to leave his head as he just fumbled with the wyvern charm on his device until he found a sleep that was only brought on by exhaustion.
The archer glanced at the time on his device. 6AM. Two hours until their scheduled breakfast meeting where he'd see if anyone else was missing. If another person had been murdered. If they were just going to rinse and repeat the same chaos that was yesterday. He hooed not but after what happened yesterday it was difficult to not consider the possibility.
Unable to get back to sleep, Claude decided he'd do some wandering. It was a new day. Another chance to maybe uncover something. To find a way out of this horrid killing game. That's what he kept telling himself. There were still 30 people left. They coukd do this. They just had to...somehow. Right? It was hard to keep himself motivated after yesterday. Something about the execution and Monokuma's words shattered his hope a good deal. Was this really their reality...?
Sighing, Claude slid out of bed carefully to avoid disturbing his roommate and slipped out of the bedroom for now. He wondered if anyone was even up. Was his only remaining assigned partner, Louise, up? It also might be a good time to do more investigating...

Gift Shop​

Claude considered getting a coffee as he wandered but no sooner could he think of that did the image of the bloody coffee machine flash through his mind, bringing forth yesterday's horrible memories once more. Part of him wondered if anyone had even scrubbed that coffee machine down and even if they did, blood always stained and he was sure there was a huge dent in there. A permanent imprint of yesterday's events and something he would rather not see.
As he walked toward the new hub surrounding the Gift Shop, Claude gave a look-see at his device. It seemed to have been upgraded. Skightly but still a n update. Not much to speak of, though the Rankings App did get his attention.
"So I'm the 2nd most popular...? Guess those sick freaks in the audience think I'm entertaining..." he mumbled before seeing Marie was most popular. He didn't know Marie well other than the fact that she hung out with Cater a fair bit. She seemed rather timid. He supposed the audience probably found that mysterious. Regardless, it still sickened him that anyone found a game risking their lives to be entertaining at all.
He closed the app and brought up the map again. So the door in the front were inlocked? He decided he might look at those after their breakfast meeting. He saw Louise in passing and just gave a nod toward his physical partner. It was good to know she was still in one piece.

Wandering into the gift shop, he decided it might be wise to pick up a notebook to sort out any notes he might make in future investigations or just in general. He didn't aim for anything fancy, despite the fact that the place was packed with merchandise of them. Was this place even just for them? Or was this just some fan hub? If the fans had been sitting outside...maybe some had access to this place too? Or did Monokuma really want them carrying accessories of each other? Either way it was pretty sick. He took a notebook that had a moon shaped design on it. It seemed to be in a style like Usugi may know. Well, it may not be his world's style bit it seemed appealing anyway to the Ultimate Stratigist. He decided to grab a pen as well and slipped it into the book's binding as he looked around for anyrhing else interesting.

 

[themagnoliaofutah]

Icee @ others
It took half a second to process the nod, but she quickly gave a small, awkward smile and nodded back. She stepped into the cafe, appreciating the fact that they had bothered to at least clean up the blood before getting a mug of green tea and sitting down at one of the tables, laying her device in front of her. She didn't see herself on the ranking - it was probably for seeing others' rankings, then. Kept things more mysterious that way. Or they forgot about her.

Why do you need friends so badly? You already have a friend, you know. Are you ungrateful?

She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. She hated when this happened - even when he didn't talk to her, she had grown so used to his commentary that she talked to herself the same way, sometimes. She wished she didn't.

 

[Zenterfold]

It was nearing the meeting time when Clementine found herself in the restaurant. She had gone ahead and erased the partner lists in the Café. If others wanted to keep up with the system, she would have no part in it for now. She just did not have the energy. It's not like it managed to prevent anyone from dying anyway,

Unfortunately for her and everyone else, the restaurant was a bit different today. Instead of being expected to cook for themselves, some Monokuma chefs had invaded the kitchen to cook up big breakfast meals for everybody!

"I hope you enjoy my cooking!" announced the chefs whenever someone walked into the kitchen.

That wasn't all, for the food was being brought out by waiter Monokumas as well. As soon as Clementine settled at the table, a Monokuma placed a meal in front of her.

"Compliments of the chef!" said Monokuma. "AKA, me!"

Clementine couldn't even bring herself to eat a single bite.

Instead, she decided to join in exploring the areas past the gates. As Sophie and the others opened up the gates and entered the new sections of the building, the following areas were open to be explored.





On the main floor, there was now an Extreme Sports Area and a Bowling Alley. The stairs went down to a second floor, where there was a Sushi Bar, a Roller Rink, a Music Venue, a Radio Broadcasting Room, and a Zen Garden.

@Thepotatogod themagnoliaofutah Josh Capri @darkred lunar_moth @LuckycoolHawk9 Funnier President Xeppy Gummi Bunnies Takumi98 Verite @Ari Number Two Severia Icee @Crunch#1621 @Miserable Alchemist @Mirai#3157-chan HanikamuKitten SilverDingo @Charles Babel York @OneBigParadox 0ttonomous Crow Crimson Baron GamblingGoblins @Kiyoko#0008 Tomoe R U S T​

 

[Capri]

SOPHIE WALTEN
Zenterfold Xeppy

Sophie took quick interest in the Music Venue, as she remembered a time when Jenny would perform some silly song, so she went in there.​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

Aru had yet another almost sleepless night, worst than the night before. This entire... "game" was really messed up. Two out of the thirty two people trapped here were now dead, and it was only for the entertainment of an audience that could care less about them. Tch... it was really messed up, but she held onto hopes that there would be a way out of this somehow. Just somehow...

Groggily getting up from her bed and exiting her room, Aru only remembered to text her messaging partner now, and also her physical partner as well. The chaos of everything yesterday just made her forget... She didn't really get to talk much to that Trusty Patches guy as of late, then there's Sakurako, who Aru worried about leaving alone... Both of them would get a similar message that was:

Yo. We good? (*・ω・)ﾉ

Well, that was the morning text messages for the day. With more stuff opening up and changing in the first floor, she guessed that they were "progressing" in this twisted game, meaning that if more of them fell victim to the "killing" part... She shook her head, that was really really messed up. Thankfully, her stomach growling from eating little last night snapped her out of the anxious thinking.

As much as she didn't have that same bravado that she did on the very first day here, Aru stuffed her face with the breakfast provided by those weird cafeteria Monokuma, smugly commenting to them, ❝ Just know you're making an awful mistake feeding an outlaw like me! ❞

With breakfast out of the way, Aru joined the others that were exploring the newly opened areas. Of course, it was a bit too hopeful to think that the Radio Broadcasting Room would have anything of use for escaping, but she figured to check it out regardless.

0ttonomous York @MessageMentions // Zenterfold @RadioBroadcastingRoom​

 

[Funnier President]

Frank Zhang

Frank didn't know if he would ever get the stench of blood out of his dog-nose. It was like he was there with Menma, taking lunch after lunch after lunch… The headache in his head seemed to calm down, however, as Mars finally went quiet. Ares, however, wanted to do unspeakable things to Monokuma. They were actually unspeakable, however. Frank barely understood Greek.

That didn’t matter though, did it? What really mattered was the fact that 32 had dwindled down to 30. That this bear had ripped them from the relives, and forced death I think their midst.

Frank had never wanted to beat up a bear as bad as now. A growl came from the Bulldogs mouth, and even though Mars and Ares screamed right alongside him, he had to hold himself back. He saw what happened last time someone had assaulted Monokuma.

He didn’t want anyone else to die.

A final, mournful howl came from the bulldog before Frank dragged his tired canine self back to his room, Mara and Ares screaming at him to go back and finish off Monokuma.

————

It seemed that Claude didn’t care much about the dog taking residence in Frank bed. Frank had been trying since he got back to his room to turn back to human, but with no success. Trying to use the bathroom as a dog was not a pleasant experience.

So, no sleep, and two (Well, technically 1) War gods screaming inside of his head was not a good combination. He was almost tempted to try coffee for the first time.

A bit after Claude had left, Frank exited the room, since the guy had forgotten to close the door. He headed to the elevator, where people were already going down.

——————

Although he wanted to check out the Cafe, his nose kept attempting to lead him towards the Concession Stands. Oddly enough a bunch of people were near the gift shop, but his tired/abused mind barely registered it. Plodding over to the Cafe, he tools quite look around— seeing if what had happened here yesterday was still there.

What smelled so good? Turning around, Frank immediately regretted that decision. For Clemntine and a Monokuma that looked like a chef were there, and Ares and Mars started to scream at him again to disembowel the bear.

After the voices finally calmed down a bit, Frank noticed that Clementine had left an uneaten plate. Whatever was on there smelled really good to his canine self, and Frank couldn’t resist…

A couple of minutes later, a tired bulldog with a full stomach would exit the cafe, with whatever food Clementine had been eating smeared around the dogs face. It also looked incredibly guilty, for a bulldog.

————-

Frank wanted to go somewhere quiet, so that he could rest. It wasn’t like he could operate the elevator back to the hotel in this form.

Frank the dog headed for the Zen Garden.

Zenterfold , Icee

​

 

[Takumi98]

6 AM

Morning came quickly for most, considering how exhausting the day before had been. Butters and Sunset were now missing roommates and a sense of dread permeated the hotel. During the night, a few changes had occurred around the building. Now there were concession stands on the first floor, with Monokumas handing out hot dogs, nacho chips, and various soft drinks. The gift shop had also changed up its selection. In addition to the Monokuma merchandise, there was merch of all the participants.

Card packs featuring all of the participants were available, with Cater obviously being the four of diamonds.
Various hats and headpieces were also on display, some functional like copies of Clementine's ball-cap and some less functional like Faust's head bag.
Imitations of Menma's jacket, Atsushi's jacket, as well as Tobi's black cloak.
Little key-chains and fun sticker packs of all the participants were available, as well as phone cases that imitated everyone's unique tablet designs.
Do you want a backpack? Why not get one made pink and fun like Pinkie Pie or one themed after various animals as reference to Frank.
One might definitely want a poster of Hugo or Claude in the midst of battle, or perhaps even a depiction of the fight between Trixie and Menma.
For T-shirts, there was a Yumeko gambling-themed one, an archery-themed Sera one, and a bright one themed after Sunset.
Of course, Louise, Nana, and Hamilton got their very own notebooks, while fun mugs had Usagi, Mono, and Marcus plastered all over them.
Stiles and Shikuro seemed to be popular for tote bags, for whatever reason, while Sakurako and Aru had pencil crayon packs in their coloring schemes.
There also seemed to be a section for costumes, if someone wanted a classic Wanda look, a priestly Kotomine garb, or perhaps wanted to dress as "Professor Chaos," whoever that was.
One could adorn their jacket with patches themed after Trusty, Shinobu, or Shinoa, or even buy a greeting card, with darker ones featuring those who had died or one that oddly just said "Avocado" and had Marie's face on it. It was a birthday card.

In addition to these changes, everyone would find changes to their tablets. Trixie and Menma were now greyed out, while everyone's home screen now stated they were VIP 2. This meant that the locked gates on the first floor were able to be opened. As well, one previously disabled app, RANK, was now able to be opened.

The application was nothing special. All it did was give everyone an update on the current popularity rankings:

View attachment 967730

@Thepotatogod themagnoliaofutah Josh Capri @darkred lunar_moth @LuckycoolHawk9 Funnier President Xeppy Gummi Bunnies Takumi98 Verite @Ari Number Two Severia Icee @Crunch @Miserable Alchemist @Mirai-chan HanikamuKitten SilverDingo @Charles Babel York @OneBigParadox 0ttonomous Crow Crimson Baron GamblingGoblins @Kiyoko Tomoe R U S T​

It was nearing the meeting time when Clementine found herself in the restaurant. She had gone ahead and erased the partner lists in the Café. If others wanted to keep up with the system, she would have no part in it for now. She just did not have the energy. It's not like it managed to prevent anyone from dying anyway,

Unfortunately for her and everyone else, the restaurant was a bit different today. Instead of being expected to cook for themselves, some Monokuma chefs had invaded the kitchen to cook up big breakfast meals for everybody!

"I hope you enjoy my cooking!" announced the chefs whenever someone walked into the kitchen.

That wasn't all, for the food was being brought out by waiter Monokumas as well. As soon as Clementine settled at the table, a Monokuma placed a meal in front of her.

"Compliments of the chef!" said Monokuma. "AKA, me!"

Clementine couldn't even bring herself to eat a single bite.

Instead, she decided to join in exploring the areas past the gates. As Sophie and the others opened up the gates and entered the new sections of the building, the following areas were open to be explored.

View attachment 967758

View attachment 967759

On the main floor, there was now an Extreme Sports Area and a Bowling Alley. The stairs went down to a second floor, where there was a Sushi Bar, a Roller Rink, a Music Venue, a Radio Broadcasting Room, and a Zen Garden.

@Thepotatogod themagnoliaofutah Josh Capri @darkred lunar_moth @LuckycoolHawk9 Funnier President Xeppy Gummi Bunnies Takumi98 Verite @Ari Number Two Severia Icee @Crunch#1621 @Miserable Alchemist @Mirai#3157-chan HanikamuKitten SilverDingo @Charles Babel York @OneBigParadox 0ttonomous Crow Crimson Baron GamblingGoblins @Kiyoko#0008 Tomoe R U S T​

Atsushi had only slept for an hour at most. He went through the routine of changing and whatnot. He did stop and get some coffee from the cafe before heading to the restaurant.

He didn't eat much, not very hungry, but knowing he needed the enrgy anyway.

There were only a few places that interested him, but he went to check out the radio broadcasting room. He didn't think there would be anything they could use to leave, but it may help to look regardless.

It didn't take him long to notice that Aru was also going to check out the room as well. It may have been less awkward for him had he talked with her more than he had, or maybe not. Who knew?

Zenterfold Gummi Bunnies @RadioBroadcasting

 

[Xeppy]

Pinkie Pie
Takumi98 Capri Josh lunar_moth Zenterfold

Trial Room --> Room G --> Gift Shop --> New Areaaaaaaa --> Music Venue

It had all been a blur. The events of everything were swarming through Pinkie's head, and she was honestly not paying attention to anything. She feared to pay attention to anything, really. Her heart hurt with each sob Usagi gave out, her head hurt from processing everything, and her legs threatened to give way right then and there. It was too much work to not collapse into despair to keep note of what was happening to her. She felt her feet trudging and the movement of going somewhere else right now, but other than that, Pinkie was blank.

When she came through, she was already entering the room that showed Ultimate Survivor and Ultimate Party Planner. Pinkie remembered closing the door behind her, lacking any purpose, and sitting on her singular bed on her side of the room. Whether Sophie had said "Good night" or not, Pinkie responded the same: with nothing. Pinkie was empty right now. The soul inside her felt drained and hopeless. She pulled the blanket onto her body, still in her sitting position, as if giving herself warmth from the coldness and despair of seeing someone die. Someone died. Right in front of Pinkie. And she did nothing. Nothing. She didn't even offer comfort to Menma, having her voice silent. She didn't try to comfort Usagi. She didn't try to comfort anyone. Yet, she accepted others' comfort. She accepted others' comfort without comforting them.

From this mindset right now, her mind came to other bad thoughts. Like... she would be stuck here forever. She would die here. There was no escape except for the inevitable. Wave after wave of this news crashed onto her, making her tremble underneath the beige covers of her and Sophie's hotel room. She would die. She couldn't protect people, like Atsushi could. She couldn't try to be brave and find a body that would help them all, like Sophie could. She couldn't comfort and stand up for others, like Wanda could. She couldn't be selfless and run over to others when she was hurt, like Usagi could. She couldn't do anything. She would die. She would die. She would die.

Pinkie couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. She covered the blanket over her mouth to try to slow her breathing, gasping for air. This was too much. This was too much. This was too much. She gripped at her chest with the blanket still around her, quietly sobbing and panicking at her side of the room. What would she do? What would she do? How would she... how could she get out of here!? Her grip got harder and harder, and her chest seemed to be dying by now. What could she do now? What could she do? Sophie was probably exhausted, and she probably wouldn't hear Pinkie with her being this quiet or see her panicking under the covers. What could she do? What could she do!?
​

Standing across from Sophie, Wanda could relate. Wanda, even before "M-day." had suffered depression. Somedays, Wanda couldn't get out of bed, others she'd cry all day long. "Sophie, it's safer if you stay with us, dear. I know some breathing exercises I use when I'm feeling overwhelmed. Do you want me to show you? Maybe we could try mindfulness and positive-self talk?"

While this had not been intentionally directed at Pinkie, she still remembered Wanda saying that somewhere. She remembered her saying it to Sophie earlier. Breathing techniques. Yes. Pinkie just had to breathe. Like... like at those friendship yoga practices she had to do with her friends! Except... without the yoga. She tried to quiet her breathing, focusing on Sophie's side of the room to try to calm herself. And... Wanda also said positive self-talk? Would that really help? Pinkie had never done this sort of thing before, so she really didn't know if any of this was effective. Nonetheless, she stared at Sophie's bed and thought inside her head:

You're cool, Pinkie. You're smart. You're awesome. You're not alone. You're a good friend. You're nice to Sophie, Wanda, Atsushi, and Usagi. You're likable. People like you. You're an amazing person.

...

Even through all this... even through all this self-talk... the one thing that caused her not to fall into hysteria was the thought of Sophie. The thought that Sophie was still with her, and she wasn't going to leave yet. That she was going to stay with her. She was going to stay with her. Pinkie reminded herself of this over and over again, reminding herself that none of her friends would leave. Nobody would. That trial... was the last one. Was the last one.

You can do this Pinkie.

...

6 AM

Pinkie, with one last look at Sophie if she was still in the room, ran/stumbled out the door. She had gotten no sleep last night, thinking of what happened and then trying to calm herself. Somewhere in the sleepless nighttime, though, she had made a plan. She wanted to cheer Usagi up... she wanted to give something to thank Sophie... and she wanted to officiate her friendship with Wanda and Atsushi. How would she do that, she thought? She thought of one thing. Gifts. Pinkie Pie saw a Gift Shop earlier. It was her plan. She needed to go pick out something out for her friends.

Since Pinkie tried to sprint down the hallway, she tried to close the elevator before Usagi, Wanda, Atsushi, or Sophie could enter in after her if they were awake. She extremely doubted if she was being a good friend right now, but this was an emergency. She needed to get gifts for them, no matter what Pinkie was feeling inside herself! When the elevator ride was done, she ran in a direction that eventually led to the area with the Gift Shop. Panting, she walked right in, only to be surprised with what she saw.

Merchandise. It bombarded her, and items that were based off her peers here were everywhere she turned. She got a sickening feeling deep in her stomach seeing all this, but she might have just cried when she saw the backpack. It was clearly based off of her, and as much as Pinkie loved pink and fun things... she didn't right now. Why was there items based off of them? Why were they here? Was this all just a joke? She staggered, announcing every single piece of strength inside of her to look around. There was... shirts... stacks of cards... but nothing here was gift worthy. She doubted her friends would want something here. When she saw the greeting cards, she quickly turned her head away. What were those!? She saw for a second what was on there... Menma and Trixie... and it already threatened to make her weak. Stay strong, Pinkie. Stay strong! Don't pay attention to that! Instead...

Instead, focus your attention on the crayon packs and the notebooks! Taking a shaky breath, Pinkie quickly formed a plan inside of her head when glimsing over the drawing and writing materials. She went forward slowly hesitantly grabbed a Nana notebook and a Sakurako crayon pack, although she felt like she shouldn't be grabbing these things. She had to, though. She had to make this for her friends! Even if Sophie said she didn't have to do anything, she had to do this!

Others were in the store, such as Claude and Louise, but Pinkie didn't mind them. Trembling, she set herself onto the floor, ripped out four pieces of paper from the notebook, folded the ripped papers into cards that were similar to the folding of the greeting cards, and got to work.

...

Pinkie didn't know how much time had passed, but she made four different cards. One was for Atsushi, one for Wanda, one for Usagi, and one for Sophie. The drawings and words inside of the lined-papered cards were shaky and much less high-quality than what she usually made, but it would give the message she was going for.

Atsushi's card was covered with black crayon, as if signifying darkness, and the only color that wasn't black was inside the card. Inside, white crayon was written on top of the black background. White text from the crayon said, I won't let you go through the dark alone, too. I'll protect you, Atsushi. I'll make you SMILE! You comforted me, so I will comfort you 100000x more!!! I will win the competition of bestest friend!! Pinkie... wasn't the best drawer... but if Atsushi could decipher Pinkie's drawing underneath the message, he could see that it was two hands holding each other.

Wanda's card had a drawing of a red cape on the front, sided with a red heart. On the inside, in red crayon, the text could read, You won't gobble us up, Wanda, like Sera said you would. You are the bestest friend ever!!!!! I never knew an old person could be so COOOOL! THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING WANDA! She made another red heart around the entire text to wrap it all up.

Usagi's card had a bad-drawn picture of her brooch on the front, although it was pretty good, since Pinkie barely remembered it. On the inside of the card said the message in pink crayon, Guardian of love and justice!!! Defeat the youma of sadness! You deserve a big smile! You're very kind and nice, and NEEEED to have happiness for love and justice to prevail!!

And finally... Sophie. Her card had two stick figures on the front, holding hands with big smiles on their faces. The left stick figure seemed to be Sophie, with brown hair, while the right stick figure seemed to be Pinkie Pie, with pink hair. On the inside read in alternating colors between blue and pink, You deserve smiles, Sophie!!!! You are one of my bestest friends, and we WILL GET THROUGH THIS TOGETHER!!! I will stay by you as one of YOUR bestest friends!!!!!

Even though Pinkie was saying these encouraging messages, pretending that she was all silly again when writing these... who was she kidding? She meant all the words in these... but she still felt sad. She still felt panicked whenever she thought of Trixie and Menma, and she always thought about them now. Her chest and head still pounded situationally, and she had the doom that she would never get out of here.

Pinkie opened her eyes in panic again when thinking of this again, but immediately thought of Wanda's advice. Breathe. Breatheee, Pinkie. She let out a shaky sigh, trying to calm herself down before struggling to stand up. How much time had passed, anyways? She didn't think a lot did... but time went by quickly when she made these cards. Scooping up all her materials, she started walking out of the Gift Shop, purposely not grabbing any backpack to put these items she picked up in. When walking out, she immediately noticed Sophie walking into the gated off area. She widened her eyes in surprise for seeing Sophie and ran over to her, moving over to her side as she walked into the new area.

Pinkie didn't look around when entering the new part, though. In fact, she did the opposite. She kept her eyes on the notebook, crayons, and cards in her hand. She couldn't take anything more onto her. She couldn't take on anything new. So much had changed inside her life, and she didn't want to go looking at another new thing in her life in awe. She would only be willing to go into one of the new areas that was most likely opened up to them if Sophie wanted to, which she obviously did when she eyed a new area with interest and walked inside. Pinkie quickly followed tail after her. When entering the new area, though, Pinkie didn't seem focused on the interior at first. She seemed more focused on grabbing the card designated for Sophie and poking her lightly with it.

"Here," she whispered, placing the card in Sophie's hand. She nodded at the movement, now breathing out slightly before looking around the Music Venue. They were here. What would...

Wait. Pinkie widened her eyes slightly before shifting her stuff onto her left arm, taking out her tablet with her right hand and quickly texting Wanda:

"explorign wit sopihe
- P. Pie"

Spoiler: Message

"Exploring with Sophie."

Even if Clementine abandoned the idea, Pinkie stuck with it. When having the tablet opened, she noticed the VIP 2 and the RANK app, but she paid no attention to it. She focused her eyes on where they were now. She would check all of that later.

All right, NOW she looked around.​

 

[GamblingGoblins]

Marie - Ultimate Decapitator
Trial Room > Hotel Hall > Bedroom
HanikamuKitten Severia Crimson Baron SilverDingo
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If Marie was at all bothered by the thick slab of awkwardness filling the air between them, it didn't show. As soon as she'd managed to earn herself some personal space back, her head seemed to clear, though it was yet to be determined whether or not that was a good thing. She seemed to remain downcast, her prior embarrassment carried away on the wings of self-conscious sorrow. That disappointed expression only broke when Cater dismissed her worries in entirety, declaring that he hadn't been mad at all and that she had done a good job. Her surprise outweighed her gloom, and she peered at him with deep-seated confusion. "Really? You... really think so?" she queried, finally lifting her eyes again in order to search his own for answers. He seemed sincere, which was relieving, "But..." His expression of before had been irrefutable. The chilling fury might as well have been rolling off of him in waves; she was sure she hadn't mistaken it. "When you were with Menma just then, you were really mad. The look in your eyes was cold..." She hadn't liked it. Dismayed, she shook her head. "It didn't suit you. Not at all." She didn't want to have to see that expression on him again. If it wasn't her that had caused it, she hoped she could still find a way to keep it from resurfacing again.

Unfortunately, any focus she had on keeping the cold from creeping into Cater's heart was quickly lost amidst the rising storm in her own.

The execution seemed to stretch on for a lifetime. Marie had no idea how long had passed, each blow only serving to deepen her sense of despair. Even once Menma had fallen for good, and the stadium began to clear out, all she could do was stare. Her teeth clenched and her eyes began to burn as an unfamiliar, wet something trickled down her face, her chest feeling so empty and yet so full. Was she... crying? Had she ever shed tears before? She couldn't recall. Her only lifesaver on this nosedive to insanity was Cater, her tight grip on his clothes just barely keeping her present. Her mind was racing, but there was only one thought she could pull from the mess.

"I-it hurts..." The words escaped against her volition, a quiet, choked cry. "It hurts so much... I...--"

Everything was spinning. It felt like her throat was closing up, cutting her off from air she didn't really need. She couldn't find the words to express herself, and even if she could, she didn't know if anyone would understand. Did anybody here get it? She didn't know anymore. Right now, she felt like she didn't know anything. Her thoughts and feelings were too scrambled for her to feel like she could get a grip on any one of them. As Cater did what he could to free them from this terrible place, dragging her along and picking up Nana and Shinoa on the way, there was only one thing clear to her.

"...I-... I think I've done something terrible..."

She didn't know if those words had really even escaped her at all, or if she'd simply thought them with such strong force that it felt like they did. Regardless.

The rest of the night, she was silent.

--------

Having been beside herself under the weight of her sorrow, Marie had been rather easily roped into Cater's request for sharing a room, regardless of whether Nana and Shinoa wound up on board as well. Unless Cater stopped her, the moment they'd arrived in his room and gotten ready for bed, the girl would likely have simply collapsed atop him and wrapped her arms around him. Given her stature, she'd likely be easy to remove if he willed it; she also definitely would've obliged if he asked, or told her how her touch hurt him. But as it were, to the girl with a war waging in a heart she still didn't think she had, the boy's gentle warmth and reassuring presence were a desperately needed lifeline. She didn't want to let go if she didn't have to.

That extended to the morning.

For what might've been the first time since arriving here, she had actually slept. Though, whether it was thanks to sharing a room with friends rather than a stranger, or the result of having completely and utterly exhausted herself the day prior, or simply thanks to the comfort of sharing someone else's warmth was up to the imagination. Thankfully, regardless of the reason, it at least seemed that the sleep paid off. Her morose expression had given way to a peaceful one in her slumber, the tension easing out of her body overnight and the tears that had stained her face now having long since dried.

"..."

6am came and went. The seemingly slumbering Marie didn't seem like she had any intentions of moving just yet unless someone in their odd group made her do so.

 

[Zenterfold]

Music Venue

The music venue was a quaint little space that looked akin to a fancy lounge. Felt couches and chairs made up one half of the room, which all faced a wood-paneled stage. Magenta curtains hung around the stage and soft lighting gave it all a warm feeling. On the stage was a number of instruments, including a grand piano that stood just to the left of center stage. At the back of the stage a number of items were behind curtains which made up an array of electronic equipment associated with playing music.

Clementine had joined Sophie and Pinkie Pie, though had very little to say. She looked upon the piano with some level of awe before approaching it. She wheeled herself on stage so that she could touch the piano. "Huh," she said.

Capri Xeppy

Radio Broadcasting Room

The radio broadcasting room was not a large space. There was a waiting section where one could look into a recording booth through glass, as well as a mic and computer set up for broadcasting to the radio. Within the booth was a large collection of CDs and records.

Gummi Bunnies Takumi98

Zen Garden

Despite being directly below the main floor, the Zen Garden appeared as if one was stepping into a courtyard. The sun shone from above, illuminating a quaint and quiet space. Bonsai trees flanked a couple of Monokuma statues with their big bellies out. The ground was mostly soft grass, though there was a pattern of soft sand in a circle around the garden.

Suddenly, Monokuma appeared before Frank. "Hey, you!" he said. "You should rub their bellies for good luck!"

Funnier President​