Danganronpa: Blossom
Today is a beautiful day. The sun is radiating its majestic orange glow across the atmosphere, sweltering the surrounding environments like a fluffy blanket. The breeze in the air buckles the leaves in its majestic flow. The light in the sky gives life and vibrancy to what would be desolate and barren if the shadows were to dominate. And yet, I feel this day will turn out disastrous. I feel that everything I've built into towering monuments will be blown and torn to shreds in the abyss of despair.
I have no hopes for that to happen today. But life is strange. Evil can lurk in the strangest of places that we may never expect. And it can knock down our fortress of solitude in a single swing. As if it were a measly bug in its path of disaster and destruction. I understand this far too well.
The life of Fukumi Watanabe is not a pleasant life, to live. The life of the Ultimate Criminologist is not a pleasant life to live. In my job, I've observed the worst of the worst, that evil can offer. Death, rape, stealing, and on a rare occasion, all of the above. And that's on a good day. I will never forget what brought me to do this, and what I've experienced that got me here. Nor do I ever want people to share my pain. That is why I dedicate my own life to save other's lives.
Not just the lives you'd expect, though. And not in the way you'd expect it.
In my life experiences, I've learned a truth that humanity has evil lurking within their souls. Whether it's lying to murdering, evil will always exist. But evil is only a fraction of your soul. I believe that there's more good than bad in people. It's only whether or not you decide to express that when it shows who you are. But sometimes, it's hard for people to express that. It might even feel impossible to them.
That's why I save the lives of criminals.
Criminals are different from ordinary citizens. Evil thrives off of criminals, whether they intentionally act on it or not. And evil can easily spread its chaos with criminals. But, no criminal is completely evil. No one is, even if they try.
I've seen so many people go to crime because they have motives that drive them over the edge, or they aren't mentally well, or even just losing their touch with reality. And I have seen so much worse than what these people deserve. I've seen so many of them beaten and choked by the threshold of their label as a "criminal" and had their own image, their own identity, turned into a weapon to harm them. And I've seen so many of them dying, because of it.
I've seen them begging for their lives, as they are forcibly dragged to execution. And so many kill themselves before someone else does. Because they fear that someone will always be after them. That someone will always view them as a criminal. In some way, I empathize with them.
I don't believe these people should be left unpunished. If they did do something wrong, punishment is key to learning. But responding with a crime by committing a crime is never a good solution There are so many other options, like therapy, antidepressants, even affection can be a suitable answer.
That's why I decided to become a Criminologist, in the first place. I became one to help the people in need that no one else is willing to help. That no one else would even consider willing to help. And I help them. I help them to the best of my abilities and try to convince that there will always be good to express within them.
"I know you..." I quickly twist my head to see this girl staring into my eyes in an analytical nature. Her crimson eyes carefully studying every inch of my body, seemingly taking in everything I am. Everything I appear to be. She slowly, menacingly walks over to me. Her face stern and pace heavy. Does... She know...? Well, she does know something, otherwise, she would've been on her merry way.
"Ah!" Her tone & body language instantly brightens, as she recalls her thoughts. "You're Fukumi Watanabe! The detective that found the mysterious murderer KoRoShI!"
"Ah," I reply with a nod, with a heavy sigh following. "So you remember that one?"
The case of KoRoShI was a case I regret every second of. I regret it the most because I feel that I let him die. That I am responsible for the life he feared of losing to someone else. The life that he took himself. His spirit still haunts my very soul, this day. I can never forget the kindness he showed me when I got through to him. How much he wanted to learn, when he grew up... And how afraid he was to lose it all.
"Of course! I was one of the officers, there!" The girl chatters along, "The court made a good decision to put him down. One less murderer to worry about."
"... What?"
"One less murderer to worry about!" The girl jests her reinstated remark, "They're just scum off the street anyway. Easily replaceable. Rarely missed."
Silence looms our conversation and seeps into its bone. Is she... Serious...? She seems so relaxed in saying this, so nonchalantly. It really feels like she means it... But, I wanna know the truth. The real truth.
"I'm not gonna argue about this, but..." I hesitate for a bit, as the girl eyes me warily. As if she's suspecting something in my words. "Do you think there was a part of him that deserved mercy?"
"Pfft! Hahahahahahahahahaha!... Oh, you're serious?" The girl seems a bit taken aback, once realization kicks in. However, she tightens her tie and clears her throat, ready to answer. "No. He's a criminal. Of course he doesn't deserve mercy."
So, it's true, then... Well, people are brought up in different ways and have different beliefs, so I won't try arguing against her. Not unless it gets to become an actual problem. And... All I wish is that it doesn't become one. Because with this kind of view, I feel that you're giving people something they shouldn't deserve. No one deserves death. Not immediately.
Well... Maybe we don't see eye-to-eye, but as long as nothing harmful occurs, I guess it's nothing to worry about.
"Hah, you've gotten me in a good mood, Fukumi!" The girl beams with appreciation, "For that, I guess I should tell you who I am!"
The girl raises her arm high and opens her hand, ready to shake. Slowly, I reach out and grab her hand in reply, and we perform one large and professional shake.
"The name's Miwa Ozaki!" She says with confidence, as she slaps her arm on my shoulder with great might. She then twists our bodies to face the colossal tower of the symbol of hope itself, Hope's Peak Academy. "You see that school? That's where I've been enrolled!"
"Really?" I curiously inquire. In which Miwa replied with a powerful nod that could split the surface of the Earth.
"Ultimate Police Officer!" Miwa replies with a gleeful smile, "What about you, though? Why are you here?"
"Ultimate Criminologist..." I reply simply and swiftly, "I guess we're in the same class, then..."
"Great! Now we can be classmate buds!" Miwa cheers with a pumped fist, "Nice talent, by the way! Wouldn't have been able to pick a better one, myself!"
I nod knowingly in a huff. "It was nice to meet you Miwa..."
"I could say the same to you, Fukumi!" Miwa proclaims boldly, "People who are willing to sacrifice their own lives to give these criminals justice is just what we need in this Academy!"
And, like that, Miwa opens the gates and skips her way to the colossal structure that is Hope's Peak Academy. So, we really are classmates... It's going to be an adjustment having her around… But, it's possible. Possible to respect each other when we see who we are. Clearly, Miwa already has high hopes for me. The least I should do is be friendly to her. After all, no one really deserves violence.
…
Yet again, she doesn't know…
Author's Note: Hello... Uh... So, if this indicates anything, it's probably that I've redone my story Mercy, and remade the assets to combine another project I've had on the backburner.
Now, this is an SYOC. So, no need to worry about if you can send a character in or not. However, the inclusion of another character of mine means that you all need to resend your character if you're up to that.
Anyway, here are the characters that are in so far!
MALE
1. Ultimate Psychologist (mpjindustries)
2. Ultimate ?
3. Ultimate ?
4. Ultimate ?
5. Ultimate ?
6. Ultimate ?
7. Ultimate ?
8. Ultimate ?
FEMALE
1. Fukumi Watanabe - Ultimate Criminologist (mpjindustries)
2. Miwa Ozaki - Ultimate Police Officer (mpjindustries)
3. Ultimate ?
4. Ultimate ?
5. Ultimate ?
6. Ultimate ?
7. Ultimate ?
8. Ultimate ?
RULES
1. Characters absolutely CANNOT be sent from reviews. It's far too spoiler-filled and it's near impossible to write a mystery story when your element of surprise is basically known to everyone. The way I suggest is through a chain of PM's.
2. Give your character life and vibrancy. Give them personality, fears, preferences, relationships, and more! What would you rather have? Kokichi Oma, or a stale Mary Sue? That's why so many stories ban the archetype. And I'm no exception.
3. Since this is an SYOC Killing Game, I suggest you make your character have the complete possibility to die and/or kill. It makes me not try to strain myself to think of motives that'd get a certain person to kill someone. I'm not writing a story of pure survivors. Characters are gonna have to die.
4. You can send characters from stories that already have a character submitted, but only if the writer(s) of the story is also okay with it.
5. This is not a first come first serve, or even an individual acceptance story. I will accept every character I want at the same time, and during decisions on July 25th, I'll decide if the character has got what it takes to be part of my story. If the deadline arrives and I lack characters, I will extend the deadline to September 10th.
6. No limit on how many characters to send, but only a maximum of two will actually be accepted per author. And, if you send two, try making them more unique than just siblings. I'm not putting the ban on them, but there are more possibilities on multiple characters than just siblings.
7. If you sent an OC to Mercy, resend it, because I did change up the form and I do expect different things now. Not to mention the inclusion of a third character of mine really changes up what the cast could look like.
8. Have fun, and if you have any questions, I'm always here to answer them!
FORM
Name: Obviously, your character needs a name. First to Last is more looked upon, but if it's not in such an order, at least state that. I also need a name, for many of the characters I will accept. It's not always a necessity, but the exceptions are very slim and very far in between.
Alias: This a name that you'd like your character to go by, instead of their name. Whether it's just a cool name that stuck to them or an entire disguise for the character. Not Needed
Nickname: What is your character's nickname, throughout their life. This one won't be one that is said more frequently than their names. Not Needed
Age: Danganronpa is a Japanese High School. Japanese High Schools only consist of three grades. So, either your character is between 16-18, or older. I'd rather avoid any younger characters. Not that you can't send them in, but 16-18 year-olds and older have an advantage of living a longer life. Thus, creating more history and maturity throughout their life, to develop. Birthday goes here, too.
Gender: Please, just two genders. I have no confidence in myself to write a binary or other specifics. Just a male and a female, please. Although, crossdressers are allowed. Though, it needs to be stated if they are such.
Talent: A talent, believe it or not, is one of the most important parts of a Danganronpa OC. No joke, I'd put it alongside Personality and Biography as a key item to hold the OC altogether. If your character has no relation to their talent or feels completely separate from it, unless you really know what you're aiming for, you might be missing the point of a DR OC.
There are VERY few instances where an OC works with a bare relation to their talent or have no talent at all. And, usually, these characters only have a brief mention. Like the Ultimate Physicist in DR1. If you are to do a core Danganronpa OC story, talent is incredibly vital to the character.
But, here's the thing, it doesn't need to be complicated. I've seen these weird and complicated talents, and, while they're cool, people won't always know what they are or what they do. Like, for an easy one, Gardener. That's easy to understand. It's someone who plants. Easy as that. Didn't even look it up and I could tell what it was. Now, what's a Cryptozoologist? It's apparently an investigator of folklore entities, like Bigfoot and chupacabras. And that's when I looked it up. Now, I'm not saying that you shouldn't use Cryptozoologist, but simplicity is key when making a character. You don't want to overcomplicate things to the point of being convoluted and hard to follow.
There are a few more rules. I'll explain below.
Accomplishments: Why did Hope's Peak choose your character for such a prestigious school? Did their talent make them especially famous or influential in a certain field? Did they write best-selling novels, or cure an infectious disease? Remember, just because you're the smartest scientist doesn't mean you deserve HPA. You need to apply that talent to use, somehow.
Height: The character's height is an important tool, as, some talents require height as a key factor. Look at Basketball, for instance. You'll need to be at least decently tall to be an Ultimate Basketball Player. I don't mind if you go a little wild, but try making it logical. For reference, the average height of a female in Japan is 158 cm/5'2" and the average height of a man is 171 cm/5'7". Use both metric and Imperial.
Weight: The character's weight should compliment their height, 9/10 times. There are a few canon characters that don't follow this (like Hifumi & Teruteru), but it's not many. For reference, an average weight for a female in Japan is 115 lbs and 149 lbs for males. Use both metric and Imperial.
Physical Appearance: I don't mind a cast diverse through their appearance. In fact, I support it! The more stylistic a character looks, the more memorable they can be! Although, make sure not to go... Overboard... That's a dangerous thing to do, as you might be overloading me with flashy costumes, and bright colors, and an exuberant style, etc. So just make sure you make it complex, but not overloaded with unnecessary detail.
Clothing: Keeping the basics of Physical Appearance, but since clothing options are more wide and optional than physical appearance. What does the character wear for their everyday morning routines? This'll be what they're in for the majority of the story. Some characters might not even change their clothing from this. If you have any other clothing options, feel free to add it.
Nationality: Please try keeping this relatively one country and ONLY one country. But, if you are to choose a country, do some research on it to make sure your character would make sense coming from such a country. In fact, make the country integral to the character's story, if you want. Especially do this for Partially/Not Free countries, like Saudi Arabia, North Korea, and Nigeria. They'll have different restrictions on them that might not be a thing your character can abide by.
This one has rules labeled below, too.
Biography: Now, Why do I say biography instead of backstory? Simple. Biography includes the character's backstory & plot relevance. I have certain rules for this, but that'll be stated below. However, be sure to have the following for these sections withing Biography:
History - This is what made your character who they are. So, with backstory, you want to explain how the most important parts of your character come to be, and how they became who they are in the plot. It should explain how they got their personality, fears, preferences, relationships, talent, etc. And it should do it in an easily understandable and logical manner.
Please, nothing edgy for the sake of edginess. The only way I see a purposefully edgy-for-the-sake-of-edginess backstory to work is if it were a gag by a Monokuma Kub or something. And we're not making Kubs! Nothing too strenuously long, too. Your character has a possibility of not even surviving the First Chapter, so don't write an entire biography of every minimal thing. What I look for is 1) How they got their talent, 2) How they developed their personality, 3) What their childhood and family life was like, 4) How anything important to the character came to be (like a charm bracelet), and 5) How much character development they need to go through in the plot.
Plot Relevance - With plot relevance, you want to explain how your character's arc will be set up and how they develop throughout the story, whether they grow to become better or worse. Unlike backstory, where that explains how the character became who they are, plot relevance should evolve it, by having the characters react to the situations thrown their way (Like a dead body). That way, the character actually has a purpose to be in the story, and they don't just exist to artificially enhance it. If you want to put a character in a story and have them come out exactly the same without change, then you need to make changes to your character.
Try to make the plot relevance... Decently long. I at least want two decently long paragraphs. And remember, I might not go 100% with the idea. I might deviate around it or avoid it entirely if I deem it necessary, but at least give a simple, well-explained reason as to why this exists in the plot, so I can understand where I should take this character.
Family Ties: A thing to note. I don't like the abusive parent trope. Usually, because it's just added for edginess and is so rarely tackled well. Instead, how about supporting parents? Or maybe constantly worried parents. Like, there are so much more you can do here, than just the abusive trope. To me, the character's parents should be just as integral to the character as their setting. Meaning, it varies.
Friends & Acquaintances: I'm more lenient with asshole friends, cause it's far more possible. But, no one in their right mind would be friends with an asshole unless forced. Like parents, the friend should be just as integral as the setting. Not Needed
Personality: The bread and butter. Quick note. If you think what you have for the personality is a good concept, go for it! I don't necessarily think there can exist a bad character... Actually, there can. But that's only if your character acts one way and is described another, but that's a different story... But concepts usually aren't bad. Just make sure to expand on it and add a thing that'd make sense for the character. If you are to use mental illnesses with your character, describe how they affect the character through their mentality.
Speech and Mannerisms: A tone of voice and their manners are especially important. Their vocal tone should be explained by their accent, their emphasis on certain words, their speech patterns, their way of speaking, and their voice pitch. Whilst manners are more of how they'd act in public areas or in the viewpoint of a stranger.
Secrets: Just some of their secrets they keep to themselves. They don't really need a lot of explaining, but some would suffice. Expect if it's motive material, then, by all means, go in-depth. Not Needed
Love Interest?: This isn't really necessary, especially for asexual characters, but if you want to have your character have a love interest, give me a holler.
Quotes: Just a couple of quotes that you'd believe your character to say. I at least want 3 FTE ones, 2 Intro ones (One for talent and one for their name), 1 Killing Game reaction one, 2 Corpse reaction ones, 3 Trial ones, 1 Investigation one. That's 12 quotes at least.
Motive to Kill: Something I need to say, and I'd like everyone to understand, is that your character needs to be built with the possibility that they could die or murder at any moment in mind! At no point do I wanna see this skipped. This is MANDATORY!
Anyway, this is simply just a motive that'd affect them personally. Now, be creative. Like, what if your OC had their talent taken away, and they killed because they can't live without their talent?
Killing Reaction: Even if your character wouldn't actively murder someone, accidental deaths and killing in self-defense certainly are possible! I'd rather see more purposeful deaths than accidental, but whatever. How would they go about after they killed someone? would they panic and run away? Would they try to hide the evidence somehow? Would they stay cool through the investigation and trial, or crack under pressure?
Victim, Survivor, or Culprit Possibility: What is the most likely outcome for the character, and why do you believe so? Remember what I said above? This is the most applied here.
Mastermind Possibility: Since none of my three characters really fit the Mastermind role, do you think your character has what it takes to become the Mastermind? If so, why?. Not Needed
FTE Ideas: Just some humorous, heart-warming, silly, serious, sad, and even joyous FTE's that make us know more of the character's past and personality. I plan to make 5 maximum FTE's, including the intro, so it'd be nice if something was filled out for 5 FTE's. Remember, FTE's don't really need an amazing premise. So, it's fine if one FTE is a character simply talking about their favorite food or something (as long as there's some depth to it).
Role During Investigation: What would your character do for the entire hour of investigation? From doing all the heavy-lifting of the investigation to hiding in their room to shut away from the reality of there being a murder, I accept most anything, here!
Role During Trial: What would your character do for the entirety of the trial? From saying immediately what's on their mind, to only being a hindrance, to actually being a help sometimes, to being unpredictable, I accept most anything!
Execution Ideas: What do you have in mind for your character's execution? Remeber, it's usually comical, brutal, and integral to the character in some way, shape, and form. Not Needed
Other: What did I miss? Not Needed
TALENT RULES
Rule #1: Talents don't need to be super creative, as stated above, but they must be integral to the character. They can't have a loose connection to their talent. Even Leon has a tight connection to his talent, and he hates Baseball.
Rule #2: No talent-for-gags. As stated above, talent to me is just as important as Personality and History. If your talent is nothing more than a gag, then what else can be seen as the character other than a gag? And gags are fine! Just... Don't base your entire character on one.
Rule #3: Last rule, nothing distasteful. Talents directly involving sex will definitely be denied! This is a good time to state that Age of Consent in Japan is not 13, but 16-20, depending on circumstances. I don't wanna write minors having sex. Terrorism is also denied, on the spot! It's distasteful, doesn't paint the person in a good view, and is ILLEGAL!
NATIONALITY RULES
Rule #1: There are numerous countries in our world, and tons of them have much different Demographics (EX: Most African Countries have a high fertility rate, but a low life expectancy, while places like Japan and USA have the opposite problem), Economy, Environment, Geography, Military, Politics, Human Rights, etc. than others, so be wary of that, when making your character. Like, I just don't want something like the richest person in the world coming from Africa with no legitimate reason.
Rule #2: Only one Non-Japanese character will be accepted. Sorry, but Japan is where Hope's Peak Academy is located.
Rule #3: Last rule, I don't really mind if you were to create your own country. SDR2 did it, so why can't you? But I request you to do a little extra research on where the country would go geographically, and what the form of government, freedom, economy, demography, environment, etc. would be like. You don't need to state everything, but for instance, Sonia's country, Novoselic, has been stated to be an absolute monarchy, so some important info like that would be vastly appreciated.
Talents Submitted
Ultimate Criminologist x1
Ultimate Police Officer x1
Ultimate Psychologist x1
Ultimate Escape Artist x1
Ultimate Cult Leader x1
Ultimate General x1
Ultimate Cheater x1
Ultimate Assistant x1
Genders Submitted
Female x4
Male x4
Nationality Submitted
Japanese x8
UPDATE 1: So I've recently gotten feedback through constructive criticism. Thank you, by the way. Because zephryr actually brings up a good point that I should talk about in my inability to stick with a story. I've had this major problem since 2016 was it? And time and time again I've tried and tried to fix this up, but even now, I still have trouble sticking with a story. This is mostly because my interests and ideas constantly shift from one to another. I can never find myself wanting to stick with a singular idea forever. And frankly, that really damages my reliability for stories. I love writing, but I get constant ideas flowing through my head and I always want to do one, once the other no longer interests me.
However, I'm going to make changes to the ways I make these stories. And hopefully, these changes will make this process more enjoyable and makes me want to stick with the idea. Here are the changes I'm making.
1.) No more accepting characters one at a time. When I accept characters, it will all be on July 25th (or September 10th, if there's not enough). I think this'll make the process of selecting characters less strenuous as I don't need to constantly explain myself as to why the character didn't make the cut.
2.) After I get all my characters, I will give it my damnedest of times to create everything I need for the plot to progress in a natural way that doesn't feel out of place. This means, after I get the characters, I might not update my story for a while, in planning for the story. However, I will update you guys on my profile as to where I'm at, weekly or monthly. Probably in between.
3.) Last thing, I might do Hypothetical Stories of the cast I receive to keep practicing on the characters and learning more about them from my portrayals and other's criticism. It's still in the phase of just an idea, but if I do decide to do this, I do think I'll learn who I like to write and who I don't.
I will say this, I will do my damnedest to keep this story afloat. I will do my damnedest to keep this story from sinking. I will do my damnedest to keep it interesting, unique, and an experience you won't forget! I can't prove that I can keep this promise. At least, not this early in. So, for everyone who's worried and scared that I'll waste a ton of good characters with massive potential, you're going to have to trust me, when I say "I will give it my all to keep this story alive".
That is all. Thank you for your time!