#with a not too intrusive overarching plot in the background

[mephistopheleswasrobbed]

Is that the aunt's assistant/maid or whatever from the first episode?

She's a ghost, right? How did she die? Also, is she haunting the aunt or the hospital? (I think aunt)

This is interesting. We still have a property that is managed by the aunt that hasn't been exorcised yet so is that where this is going?

Can't say this is making me trust the aunt any more, although she's been so comically self-centered that she's probably a red herring. Or maybe that's what they want us to think?

[goldstarzzz]

V3: The RPG

Everyone knows Junko loves playing high-stakes games with her classmates, but sometimes even she can enjoy something for the more casual player.

I wrote this a couple months ago as a late birthday present for @jinjojess, but since V3 just released in English, I decided to post this. Warning, this has MAJOR V3 spoilers, so don’t read if you haven't finished the game.

Words: 2241 Rating: Teen (like honestly, it's general but there are swears so) Characters: Tsumugi Shirogane,Shuichi Saihara, Yasuhiro Hagakure, Junko Enoshima, Touko Fukawa, Hifumi Yamada, Sakura Ogami, Kyoko Kirigiri, Makoto Naegi, Mukuro Ikusaba, Byakuya Togami (mentioned), Leon Kuwata (mentioned), Maki Harukawa (mentioned), Himiko Yumeno (mentioned), Ki-Bo (mentioned), Chihiro Fujisaki (mentioned)

The atmosphere was tense as a terrible realization was looming among everyone’s minds, it had finally become clear to the ‘students’ of Gifted Inmates Academy that their belief that they were the last survivors of humanity and former students was just a lie that had been implanted in their minds by the Ringleader of the Killing Game they were forced into, the girl with the Super High School Level Cosplay talent known as Tsumugi Shirogane. The truth behind everything had become apparent to the student, but it was a truth that seemed so impossible to them that they couldn’t quite grasp it, even with how obvious it had become.

 "If what I had said about my inability to cosplay real people is true, then what does that mean about Hope's Peak Academy?" Although Tsumugi had lied about many things, she remained steadfast that she was unable to cosplay as real, living people and yet there she was, disguised as Makoto Naegi, the supposed Super High School Level Hope of the Hope’s Peak Academy Killing Game. Any possible options were wiped out by the fact that she was able to dress this way without getting sick, there was only one answer for here question.

 Elsewhere, far away (in a manner of speaking) from the trial that was happening with the students of Gifted Inmates Academy, a voice whispered ("Wait... Enoshima-chi, am I reading this right?")

 ("Yeah, just read it already,") another voiced responded hurriedly.

 "Could it be that it's... fictional?!" the Super High School Level Detective Saihara Shuichi finally responded to Tsumugi’s question. Almost as if it was a direct response to his answer, Shirogane changed costumes. Her speed was remarkable, in the blink of an eye, she managed to completely change her look from Naegi to Byakuya Togami, the Super High School Level Scion.

 "That's right, the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History never actually took place in reality. Yeah, Hope's Peak and the Future Foundation and the Remnants of Despair, they don't exi-"

 "A-all right, I've heard enough of this!" Another voice from elsewhere broke through the scene that was going on, completely disrupting it.

 "HUH?! Aren't you supposed to be dead?!" Junko Enoshima said testily, clearly annoyed by the sudden intrusion.

 “Y-you know that’s not what I-I’m talking about!”

 In Hope’s Peak Academy’s Rec Room, Touko Fukawa was trying her best to look confrontational towards the group of six that were huddled around a table filled with notes and drawings and character sheets. Hifumi Yamada, Sakura Ogami, Kyoko Kirigiri, Makoto Naegi, Yasuhiro Hagakure, and finally Junko Enoshima turned in their chairs to look at the girl who had been lingering about listening to their roleplay.

 “You’re weird meta narrative was b-bad enough, but I won’t have you dragging Byakuya-sama’s name through the mud with that terrible impression of him!”

 “Hey, don’t blame me, I’m just following Junko Enoshima-dono’s instructions, being the Ringleader isn’t as fun as you’d think it’d be with the DM basically breathing down your back,” Hifumi Yamada sighed. As the Super High School Level Doujin Writer, he’d just wanted to play as a character that shared his love of fiction but that was pretty much pinned down when Junko revealed to him that he was the Mastermind and had to try to blend into the background. Now that they were at the forefront of everything, he barely had any control over what she did.

 “Actually, that’s a genuine point of criticism for me as well,” Kyoko spoke up, “Quite honestly, I haven’t really been putting any effort into playing for a while. I wasn’t expecting much challenge from the mysteries you set up, so that wasn’t an issue for me but… Forcing my character into a romantic subplot with Kuwata’s wasn’t the direction I was hoping to take Harukawa.”

 “Hey!” Junko pretended to snap, she knew that her friends would get pissed off like this at the last minute but honestly she had too much fun fucking with them in the game and this final outburst was almost entertaining even with how predictable it was. The feeling of being frustrated at not being allowed to play how you wanted and the feeling of being totally cornered by your friends in a heated argument, they were despair, they might’ve been a mundane kind of despair, one that wouldn’t normally satisfy her, but they were definitely despair.

 “I wouldn’t have had to force you guys into so many weird spots if you’d break out of your comfort zone. Look at Ogami, she’s roleplaying as a tiny magician girl who barely puts effort into anything, her total opposite, and how many times have I pushed her into a weird spot? Basically zero.”

 “I don’t appreciate being used as an example like this,” Sakura said, “While it’s true that I took our game as an exercise to try to put myself in a different mindset, I don’t feel that everyone else should be forced into a characterization that feels alien to them or makes them feel uncomfortable. Besides, my character has barely had any major effect on the overarching plot.”

 “Yeah, I haven’t really spoken up about this,” Makoto started to speak up, “But that whole shift that Ki-Bo did earlier in the chapter was kinda the opposite of what I was going for with him. And to have it turn out that the character that I’ve been playing as it completely dependent on some inner conscience before turning into someone who’s as disagreeable as that…”

 “Naegi-chi, you’re completely overreacting, all of you are,” Yasuhiro laughed, “Enoshima-chi has been fine about controlling out character, sure sometimes she needs to keep things on the rails, but she’s been a great DM. I have literally no complaints about how my character has been handled at all!”

 “W-what are you talking about?! You’re literally the worst out of all of us!” Touko shot out.

 “Yeah, Junko Enoshima-dono has basically been sock-puppeting your character from that very beginning,” Hifumi joined in, “And you’ve just been taking credit for solving all the mysteries by yourself!”

 “Hey?! What are you guys talking about? Everything I’ve done has been totally all me! Enoshima-chi hasn’t given me any direction at all!” Yasuhiro waved his hands panickedly in a dismissive notion, accidentally revealing the notes that Junko had told him to follow.

 “You’re h-holding the script in your hands right in front of us, you moron!”

 “Well… Why do you even care about all this anyway, Fukawa-chi?! Fujisaki-chi killed your character off two whole chapters ago!”

 “I-I’ve already invested hours of my life into this stupid game already, there’s no way I’m not going at least see the dumb ending,” Touko said, “Besides, I couldn’t find where Byakuya-sama wondered off to… A-actually, I haven’t seen anyone else all day except all of you and I’m having some writer’s block so I don’t really have a choice but to listen in.”

 “Come on, Hagakure. You really haven’t been paying much attention,” Makoto said, “I mean, you didn’t even pick up that everything we’d been told was a lie and even I was able to piece together that much. Although, I’m sure Kirigiri had pretty much figured everything, right Kirigiri?”

 It was then that everyone realized that Kyoko had slipped out of the room while everyone was caught up in their arguments without any noticing. The realization of her sudden absence tripped the conversation, causing a silence in the room.

 “Well it seems that we won’t be able to finish our game today after all,” Sakura spoke up, “Enoshima, given the discussion that has been inflamed, perhaps you could share the ending that you had in mind for the conclusion of your campaign since I don’t think anyone seems to be interested in continuing with this storyline any longer.

 Junko was bored. She should’ve expected this (in fact, she did expect this) but the charm of that mundane, everyday despair she felt had quickly worn off and her excitement had waned to nothingness. Junko quickly glanced at the clock and wondered where Mukuro was. Knowing her useless sister, she’d gotten cold feet and Touko’s inability to find anyone was just because everyone was avoiding her gross smell.

 “Well…” Junko explain in intricate detail exactly what she had planned out: about how this was DanganRonpa V3, DanganRonpa 53; how she didn’t know roman numerals fucking worked; how those who survived were at the mercy of their audience and how they’d sacrifice themselves to give the audience an ending they didn’t want by destroying the school with them inside; and how they’d miraculously survive through the falling rubble while Tsumugi and Ki-Bo perished, “And then the campaign would close with you questioning if what Shirogane told you about your personalities being fake was even true in the first place.”

 Junko looked around the room at everyone: Touko and Hifumi both had dumbstruck looks on their face in disbelief of the terrible ending Junko had in mind for their characters, Makoto rocked back and forth in his seat slightly with an indecisive look on his face, Sakura’s front was readily readable but Junko knew that she thought the ending was bad but was keeping her criticism to herself. She noticed Touko take a look around the room herself. Upon seeing Hifumi’s shared expression, she spoke up.

 “O-okay, when you make me share a literary opinion with a hack like this who only writes immature garbage, then it sh-should be obvious that you cannot in any way or form craft a story. The e-ending was fine enough even if it was a little rough until that epilogue j-just completely destroys what you were working for.”

 “Not to mention this campaign feels like the sequel to a game that doesn’t exist yet. I mean this is the fifty-third Killing Game and yet we don’t know about a single one other than that one of them apparently involved alternate version of us? In fact, I don’t get what you were going for with that at all, why did it use some alternate history where we were locked up into Killing Game instead of safe in the bunker? This whole game it just doesn’t work at all, Junko Enoshima-dono.” Hifumi added to Touko’s criticism and Sakura silently nodded in agreement.

 “I don’t know…” Makoto said, coming to Junko’s defense, “I kind of liked it a bit. It’s a little hokey, but I’d really prefer that everybody not die in the end. If I had one criticism, I’d probably have Ki-Bo turn out to be all right after all and be able to function without Team DanganRonpa’s interference. Like… Maybe one of the upgrade Iruma gave him ended up letting him be able break their control and be free and they found him, still alive in the rubble. Something like that. It’s like a surprise plot twist, but in a happy way.”

 Everyone stared at Makoto.

 “Yeah, you get totally get what I was going for there, Naegi! I just wanted an ending that made all the dreary despair leave you heart. To let the players know that from there on out everything would be okay. It’s an ending where hope wins,” the words that came out of Junko’s mouth physically pained her and she loved it before dryly adding,”…Again.”

 Almost as if on cue, a small round canister rolled into the room and clinked against the table where everyone was gathered.

 “Huh, what’s-“

 “Ugh, finally she’s here,” Junko said as she quickly pulled out a gas mask from under the cushion of the chair she was sitting on and strapped it over head, “It’s about time you arrived, Mukuro!”

 The canister exploded into a gas cloud that started suffocating Junko’s classmates and slowly caused them to become sluggish and lose consciousness.

 “Junko-chan, I’m here,” Mukuro Ikusaba, the Super High School Level Soldier and Junko Enoshima’s twin sister, muffled through a mask as she walked the cloud of gas that was overtaking the room. Mukuro hadn’t talked to her sister since her character was murdered in the game, but today was the day that they had set to finally put their plan into motion and so, after waffling about whether she should start to go through with it or not before talking to Junko, she stuck to what they had arranged.

 “I’m sorry that I’m a little late… And for killing you in the game.”

 “Yeah, yeah, I’ll pay you back for it later, now shut up and go find Kirigiri since she slipped out of here while you were off being useless, I’m gonna speechify here.”

 As Mukuro left the room to hunt down her last remaining classmate, Junko cleared her throat to speak with her semi-conscious classmates, “None of you guys need to worry about how fucking terrible that roleplay was (and yes I know it was fucking terrible for you guys to play through, do you really think anyone with a basic grasp on the ability to DM would godmod characters that much and lead it to such a mediocre ending), for when next you wake, you will have forgotten everything… Well not everything everything, more like everything since we first came to this dump three years ago. Oh and don’t worry, I’m taking all of your criticisms of New DanganRonpa V3 into account for our next campaign: DanganRonpa: The Academy of Hope and the High School Students of Despair. Think of it as a prequel!”