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

[bornoflove]

[Don't think she doesn't see that. Or the fact there's nothing more about the shade; its all gone. But, at least she got something out of him. He still cares about him, even if there's no sign of him in the damned room. But...

...hmm. She'll ask about what she was thinking about later. For now, Harvey's shadow.]

Mr. Finevoice. What's happening to your shadow?

[milliondollarpipes]

[Harvey turns to look, and it seems to settle down a little bit. Maybe that's just because he isn't yelling anymore.]

...she can see you. [He runs a hand over his face, still with his back to Homura.] I'd started to think it was all in my head...

[bornoflove]

[So something is going on. Something is manipulating Harvey's shadow.]

Who can see me?

[milliondollarpipes]

[Harvey just shakes his head, and doesn't respond. After a moment, he turns to Homura again.]

Don't worry, it ain't gonna hurt you. That'd be against the rules. [And he directs a slightly sharp look at the shadows curling over his hand.]

[bornoflove]

Whether its in the rules or not, I'd like to know what the shadow is. Clearly, it plays a part in this, doesn't it?

[She's also looking at the shadow. She's watching you, shade.]

[milliondollarpipes]

They called it a shade. Real original name, right? [Harvey's lips twitch like he's trying to smile for a second.] I ain't ever been a big note-taker myself, but this oughta be fair - you got any questions, I'll answer 'em.

[He flinches almost imperceptibly, then adds:] Within reason.






(( Hey yo you want some case notes I got some case notes I'm organized af ))

[bornoflove]

[If this shade was the reason for what was happening...]

Ok then.

Where did the shade come from? Most of the notes on it were gone.

[milliondollarpipes]

I know. That's my fault.

[Harvey looks away from her, staring at nothing in particular as the shade curls in closer around him.]

I didn't wanna see what else he'd written.

[bornoflove]

'He'?

[Wait...what? Wait.]

So that's why the writing was different: you didn't even write the notes at all. But if it wasn't you, who did?

[milliondollarpipes]

No friend of mine, I'll tell you that much.

[bornoflove]

But it was someone you knew.

[Not a friend of his...think. Think. Her mind goes over the evidence.]

...The designation on those notebooks. J. J for Jaeris, right?

[The person whose execution was given more elaborate detail than really necessary. That they'd established during the trial to figure out the Mastermind's identity.]

Did he write them? If so, why was he interested in the Kalos game?

[Did...Jaeris...]

[milliondollarpipes]

What else? He wanted to cause despair. I don't even know where the hell he got all that from, I don't know a damn thing about those games outside of what he wrote...

[Harvey leans over, pressing the heel of a palm against his temple.]

He wanted certain people to despair. So their magic'd be stronger, before he took it. He didn't give a shit what he had to do...

[bornoflove]

And you don't know what his ultimate purpose was to restart the games?

[She stares.]

...But if you wanted to stop him, why bother continuing the game? What do you get out of it?

[milliondollarpipes]

I just told you why he wanted to do it.

...he didn't last long anyway. I was in his first group.

[bornoflove]

No, I mean...did you ever find out why he wanted to drain magic from others?

...then why didn't you stop the games then?

[milliondollarpipes]

Some folks from his world sent him. They wanted to...I don't know, overthrow their government or somethin'. I didn't find that out until after, we didn't exactly talk much.

I...I got out, don't you get it? I lived. All my friends died, and I'm still here.

[bornoflove]

Mr. Finevoice.

[Her voice is flat. He obviously didn't "get out". Not spiritually. Not in the ways that mattered.]

What did you do?

[milliondollarpipes]

I...

We were fine. We were doin' just fine for the first few weeks. But then the shadows started movin'.

[Harvey turns sharply on his heel, starts pacing the stage as he talks and rubbing absently at his forearms as if to dislodge the shadows curled there. They're hard to see on his dark suit, but they cling, dogging his movement and painting his footsteps in night.]

They were - they were good people. They saw it too, but it didn't choose them. They never heard the voices. Why would they? They were good people. That's why it happened, I was too weak! [He runs a hand up into his hair, nearly dislodging his hat.] Why...why'd I try again...

[bornoflove]

[Her hands grip the podium at this.]

The shade possessed you, didn't it?

[Deep breaths, Homura. Deep breaths.]

It took advantage of you. Your pain. And you graduated because of it.

But you didn't graduate with everyone else, did you?

[How dare he--no. How dare she. It. Whatever that thing is.]

[milliondollarpipes]

They're all dead. I killed them, and I'm still...

[He doesn't even seem like he's paying attention to her anymore, staring down with glassy eyes at the shadows criss-crossing his hand. The shade around him darkens briefly, nearly obscuring him from vision. When it lightens again, the emotion is gone from Harvey's face; he looks blankly at the fingers curling against his palm for a second longer, then turns away.]

He was there when it was all over. Jaeris. He wanted to get what he came for and go. After what he did. It was my fault, but it never would've happened if not for him.

[bornoflove]

No.

[The shadows chill her; its clear they have done something to Harvey. Twisted him into something he doesn't recognize anymore.

She can understand that. Yet at the same time, she can't condone what's happened to him.]

That can't be it. Why continue the game? What's compelling you? Why continue this terrible cycle?

You didn't have to, did you?

tw: suicide mention

[milliondollarpipes]

I was just gonna shoot him. There was enough left for both of us. But they said hey - why should he get off so easy? Why shouldn't he die like they did?

And then there were more, all the bastards who sent him to do that in the first place, and I - I was so mad.

[He doesn't look angry now. He doesn't look like he's feeling anything at all.]

Once they were all dead, I thought it'd be over. I was gonna stop. But I can't. [Harvey lets out a huff that might be an attempt at a laugh.] There's nothing else left. I can't think about much else, I can't sleep, I can't think -

[bornoflove]

...Let him go.

[Feeling nothing at all...she knew that look. And the fact he can't stop. No matter what form she took, she knew she'd be all right.

This? This wasn't right at all.]

I know you can hear me, shade. Let him go!

[milliondollarpipes]

[Harvey tilts his head at her, brow furrowed.]

Why?

[bornoflove]

[She stares back.]

Hasn't Mr. Finevoice suffered enough?