THE MASTERMIND AU MEME

[milliondollarpipes]

THE MASTERMIND AU
AMBIDEX EDITION

With Round 3 now over, it's about time we had the mastermind meme!

To those who aren't familiar, this is essentially an AU where your character is the one responsible for Round 3's Mutual Killing Game, and all of the carnage that came with it, from the kidnapping to the motives to the trials to the executions! And now, they have chosen to reveal themselves before the remaining members of their class at the final trial!

As such, you are free to play around with this as much as you would like; did your character make a contract with Kyuubey, or did your character put everyone in the Killing Game for a different reason? What is your character's motivation for bringing despair? What do they intend to get out of this seemingly senseless killing? And what does the rest of the class have to do to stop the madness and go home?

There's probably going to be quite a bit of AUing from your character's original canon happening here to make them into the best harbingers of despair they can be, so feel free to go as nuts with it as you want to! And, of course, feel free to tag others with your character's reaction to their classmate's big reveal; it doesn't matter whether or not your character made it to endgame, have fun and mix up the survivor pool as much as you'd like!

Oh, and feel free to describe your character's sweet new Monobear-themed duds, too!!

Original meme text borrowed and modified from loveisanopendoor!

Comments

[mopocalypse]

[The files they found indicated a series of other killing games, most of which had failed due to the determination of the students and often the intervention of this mysterious "Future Foundation." One stood out, though, something in a world they'd never heard of and with names and faces they didn't recognize, set up to recruit new members of Super High School Level Despair. According to the file, the Foundation hadn't even heard about that incident until it was too late and a charming girl, if strange and hiding some secrets, had broken in there and killed someone with a school desk. She was a bad liar, but the others had been too broken to tell, and she emerged from the school alone.

Just like she's emerging from the back now, with her ahoge combed down and her hair in those Monobear-themed ponytail holders, weeks after they thought they'd seen her alive but knew she'd been killed right in front of them because repairing a broken door was property damage, wasn't it?]

No one came to rescue me. No one even thought to try, did they? So why is it that you think you deserve anyone coming to save you!?

[milliondollarpipes]

[Of all the deaths he's seen, of all the horrific executions he's witnessed, Haruka has haunted Harvey the most.

He'd been there. He'd warned her not to mess with the door - why didn't he do more? He could've grabbed her, dragged her back to the room, anything! Maybe she'dve been angry, but at least she'd have been alive.

So when she asks, the answer that springs to mind is I don't. But he looks to the others, and the words die on his lips. It's all or nothing now. He may not deserve to be saved after all the people he's failed, but if he goes down here he knows he's gonna be dragging everyone else down along with him. They don't deserve that.]

...why'd you bring us all here?

[mopocalypse]

"Despair."

[She laughs hollowly, looks down at the students in front of her.]

That's the only reason to live in this world now. My friends are dead. It's because of me that they are, for real this time. It hurts, but that's what despair is, isn't it? And then I had to spread despair, because that was the only thing left for something like me. So I did what was done to us.

I didn't really have any qualifications, beyond who'd be easy to work with, if that's what you mean. But it was important for despair to win again.

[milliondollarpipes]

Don't call yourself a thing.

[His voice is quieter than he'd like, and he can't hold her gaze for long, dropping it to his podium instead and the two choices laid out in front of him.

Hope and Despair.]

Why is it so important? What happens if despair wins?

[mopocalypse]

...Hey, hatman. What would you have done, if you'd won? Graduated, I mean. If you killed someone and got away with it.

[milliondollarpipes]

[Harvey opens his mouth, then shuts it again. It takes a little while before he answers, not meeting any of his classmates' eyes.]

I thought about it. Back during that third week.

[When she'd promised him the life of his son back.]

I really did, but...how could I have lived with that? How could I look in his eyes and tell him what I'd done to get him back? [He shakes his head, letting out a humorless chuckle.] I wasn't even really sure you could do it, but I guess I was wrong about that too.

[mopocalypse]

You can't, can you. You're alone, and you're horrible, and you know it because it's there every day and they died because they believed in you. And then you have nothing left, and your memories come back and you know these weren't just strangers, they used to be your friends. That's the kind of despair that happens.

That's the kind of despair this whole world was heading towards with this game. Because... that's how they get us. They grab us when we're alone and have nothing to live for. Heh. It's a mess, isn't it? And when you're alone, you have nothing to do but suffer or drag others down with you.

[milliondollarpipes]

Who's they? Who did this to you?

[He doesn't have an answer for her; he can't tell her it's okay. It hasn't been for a long time, and after all this it probably won't ever be again. But this didn't all start with her, it couldn't have. He needs to know who to blame.]

[mopocalypse]

This wasn't the first game, you know? And neither was mine before this one. There's a whole group of people out there doing this in tribute to their leader, who started up this game as her last way to crush the hope in the world she'd ruined. Heh... she lost, you know? So it's pointless, pointless, you'd think. Nobody won one of these before I did.

[milliondollarpipes]

...and now you regret it, but you ain't sure what else to do with yourself.

[Harvey looks at his hands for a moment, then steps out from behind his podium and starts up towards where Haruka is.]

I don't wanna shout up to you like this, this ain't a way to have a conversation. Have the bear shoot me if you want - I'm comin' up.

[mopocalypse]

[Haruka steps back, a hand on her heart. Monobear continues to stand there, not doing anything, so you're probably safe, Harvey.]

Regret... I couldn't say something like that, could I? They'd laugh at me from wherever they are. I threw their lives away because they believed in me. It's the same with all of your friends, too. Who could do anything but keep going? I'm born evil, after all!

[milliondollarpipes]

[That's great, because he's coming right on up there and making himself comfortable. His ability to give a shit is loooooong gone.]

No one's born evil, Haruka. Anyone who says otherwise is just tryin' to justify their own bullshit.

[mopocalypse]

[She stumbles back, puts the Monobear between them.] I thought that, for a second I believed that, there were people who finally believed it too, and look what happened! Isn't that just proof? I bet she wouldn't have broken in there! And... and now I can't even ask, because I used her too, and...

[enjoymyatelier]

[....what a strange collection of feelings. It's odd that the one at the forefront is that he's glad she's alive, which... should be bizarre, isn't it? Yes, outside of this context, it would be fine. He'd spent a long time being deeply upset over the fact that someone he'd grown to be fond of against all odds had been killed over a door, especially when he'd been talking about how the rule seemed unreasonable...

...and yet here she was, and this absolutely wasn't what he wanted at all.]

...you're ignoring the possibility of us taking things into our own hands, aren't you?

[mopocalypse]

You mean escaping? You've been trying for weeks! I specifically made everything so it'd be hopeless, remember? What could you even do?

[enjoymyatelier]

Well, you've bothered to reveal yourself, even though there are enough of us left to continue this game. Why bother with this business unless you've hit the end of your rope, hm?

[mopocalypse]

That doesn't mean there's a weakness on the inside of the hotel. Didn't you like to say that it's proper to figure things out yourself?

[enjoymyatelier]

...so, what, all the weaknesses are on the outside of the hotel? You're the one playing with a full deck here, you know.

[mindofathief]

[No, it can't be. Duster never forgave himself for letting Haruka die, he was broken after the death of the girl he swore he would protect. And now... and now....

He grabs onto the podium when his legs give out.]

I'm sorry! I'm so sorry...Haruka...please...

[mopocalypse]

Don't act like you care!

[She snaps at him, but there's something shaking behind it, this mastermind unstable and holding onto a Monobear.]

Nobody should care about me. You know I killed them, right? The previous class -- they all died when I got away with it the last time!

[mindofathief]

...I cared about you. I'm so sorry I couldn't save you. I'm sorry I couldn't stop you from doing this!

[Why is he feeling so terrible? She's right: she killed everyone to escape. He could feel the same way about anyone who succeeded getting away with murder, couldn't he? Yet for three weeks, he couldn't bring himself to hate completely despise them. It was the latest trial when he could finally give an angry speech to the culprit. He was so ready to fight the mastermind...but how could he bring himself to hate Haruka, of all people?]

[mopocalypse]

No, this...

[Isn't how it's supposed to go.]

This really is despair, isn't it? Despair is the only thing left after this game.

[mindofathief]

We could've...That could'be been any of us! Monobear got to you...!

["I want to protect her," he told himself when they first met. He felt a particular pain from her that he couldn't recognize until well after she was dead. She came from one of the cruelest families he ever heard of, and he couldn't see that, blinded by what he accepted as normal as a child.

He couldn't save her from despair.]

No, it can't be. That can't be the only thing left.

[mopocalypse]

What else is there? Look at me. My friends are all gone. All the people who cared about me, who tried to save me -- because of me! That's despair. Why should only I feel that way? Why... And why did all of you last so long? You loved each other, all of you did! Why? Why didn't this game end like the last one?

[mindofathief]

Because...we couldn't abandon each other. Each week, someone died, and we could have all done something to stop them! When I thought you died...I promised myself that I would never let this happen again. We had to stick together.

[Funny. It's because of Haruka's "death" that Duster vowed to keep the survivors together. And now she's alive. She's the reason over half of their number is dead, but...]

Haruka...why did you do this?