The sunlight setting gold beyond the mountains was a sight to be remembered. Foliage framed the mountaintop, running down the crevices like green paint, and each mound soared higher than the last, towering further into the evening sky. Atop this mountain was the refuge, Siamés assumed. The distance between him and the summit far exceeded his expectations—from his vantage point, the tip seemed miles away. Yet, with the map he clutched beside him, this was where the marking led him. If his assumptions were correct, there should be a ski lift station somewhere.
He turned, drawing his fluffed hood up to his head and delving into the clothing. Siamés had originally felt safe living in a secluded woodland, yet soon the reality of it all caught up to him. Since the camp's establishment attacks had been regular. For a while, the isolation worked in the group's favour. Many of the campers were survival experts, able to live without involvement from the outside world. However, maintaining familial contact was important in keeping morales high. So, by popular vote, messengers—people who were sent into the chaos outside to retain contact with humanity—were chosen through folded paper and a pull-up bag. This concept seemed beneficial until one messenger was followed. Fearing conspiracy, the messenger was executed. Siamés knew that, at this moment, perhaps following the shady letter given to him a few days prior was a good idea.
That's how he found himself in this situation. The people he met up with were friendly, despite masking their face. They gave him directions and helped him pass through the pandemonium, switching agents at every resting point. Now, he faced the world alone. There was only a single ski lift separating him from his destination, set amongst a valley at the mountain's midpoint. He clutched the map tighter, drawing in a hesitant, chilled breath. This was it.
He walked towards a cubical, brick building in the south-west, certain of the place only when the sign came into view. The windows were frosted, opaque to the eye, and Siamés felt a growing apprehension when he realised he couldn't see inside. He clasped his hand around the glacial door handle, pushing into the room with all of his weight. The sight startled him.
A single teenage boy stared back at him, watching with shocked eyes. His hands were posed on a control panel, immobile, and Siamés narrowed his eyes at him, appraising. There was something about this individual that seemed off. Something hidden behind a curtain, never once opened. He had unassuming, emerald eyes and a childlike appearance despite his height, submerged with sandy blonde curls and an inquisitive aura.
With a gentle voice, he spoke. '. . . Who are you?'
Siamés stared. He slipped into the room, softly shutting the door behind him. 'I'm an Ultimate seeking refuge. Who are. . . You?'
With a huge sigh of relief, the boy at the control panel backtracked and let his arm flop. He placed a hand on his head, wiping apprehension away from his brow. 'Oh, thank goodness! I thought you were—I thought you were one of them! I was just planning out my escape route until I realised that you were against the only exit!'
'. . . Are you an Ultimate, too?'
'Yes!' he replied. 'Isaac di Acroina. Ultimate Violinist.' Isaac extended his hand. 'Nice to meet you.'
Siamés looked down, then turned away and looked at the ski lift. He traced a hand down the metal pole, yet recoiled when the sheer coldness caught him off guard. '. . . What are you doing?'
'This thing runs on a generator,' he replied. 'I checked out the back. It's cold out, so the machine kind of frosted over. I've been spending all day trying to fix it. . . I was just about to give up, but then it worked!' He smiled. 'Kind of a relief, don't you think?'
The brunette stared back at him. He didn't necessarily care about friendship. He just wanted to get up the mountain. 'If it's working, then why aren't you leaving?'
'. . . Because it's not working.'
'You literally just said it was working!'
'I totally did, didn't I?' Isaac slapped a hand over his mouth. 'I so did!'
'So is it working or not?'
'It is!'
'Oh my god!'
The blonde walked over to him, flashed a peace sign and entered the lift. 'First impressions are important, don't you think?' he said, leaning back. 'I like messing with people. So, are you coming on or what? I can always leave you behind.'
'Do you think I would willingly sit on a lift with you, asshole?' Though, despite his words, Siamés slipped on beside him, though averted his gaze. Isaac pulled the bar down, and soon the lift went into motion. The brunette felt fine at first but, sighting the fleeting ground, he eventually began feeling uneasy. He jumped when a cold hand slipped down his cheek, staring in disgust at the smiling male. 'You are actually so annoying. Ultimate Violinist? More like Ultimate Annoyance.'
'Of course,' he replied. 'But I'm a little hyper right now. More so than I usually am, actually. Plus, you didn't look like you were enjoying this.'
Look? Siamés was certain he wasn't even displaying any visual signs. 'Uh, yeah, sure. Maybe.'
'Are you one of those types that try to act badass but are actually really adorable?' he asked with a jeering smile. 'Hah!'
The brunette narrowed his eyes. 'And I suppose you're one of those annoying ones who don't know how to shut up?'
Isaac leaned backwards, almost suspending himself in midair. Siamés questioned whether or not he was a suicidal maniac. Well, whether he was or not didn't really matter. Siamés didn't care. 'I think we've established that,' he replied. 'Ooooh you should see the views from back here. Are mountains supposed to grow upside down?
Siamés sighed, resting his head on a contracted arm. 'You know, if you fall I'm not going to tell anybody.'
'It's okay,' Isaac said. 'Telling people about a death isn't that common. Even when it's a suicide, they don't tell. Kind of a shame, really. Kinda wanted to hear from them.' He rolled back up, slumping against the handlebar. 'Hey. . . Do you think morality is kind of a messed up thing? I always have. . . .'
The smaller boy glared sideways, then exhaled. 'No. I don't. If you're a nice person, then you deserve praise. If you're a bad person, you deserve punishment. If you kill someone. . . You deserve to be executed. That's how I see it, anyway.'
'Huh. I see.'
Seeing how the boy next to him had finally decided to shut up, Siamés peered beneath him. He agreed that the view was beautiful. Below, green peaks arose from the ground, carrying foliage on its back. Each hill lapsed against each other like a giant green sea, rising higher at every mound. Through the centre a large crevice was carved, sectioning the mountain into two and, to the north, a river fell like a waterfall. Siamés exhaled, watching his breath condense before him, and caught the sudden chill of the air. Despite the beauty, high altitudes were chilling.
The lift veered into the station. Isaac was first to disembark, landing on the wooden flooring beneath with bunched knees and hands delved into his pockets. The blonde turned back with an indifferent look, staring sharply into Siamés' eyes.
'I killed someone.' His tone was cold, dead. 'Does that mean I deserve to get executed?'
Siamés said nothing. The blonde stayed for a while, then turned and left, leaving a trail of solemnity in his tracks. With his departure, Siamés drew in a breath. He wasn't walking around with a murderer, right. . . ?
He descended, stepping onto the floor below. Shaking, he drew his coat up further, though soon realised that his own shivers weren't just due to the cold, but also his response to Isaac's revelation. Siamés cursed, kicking his foot against the ground. He couldn't let some moron get to him. Especially if it was some hyperactive blonde with a violin case.
Siamés picked up his pace, veering close to the walls of the station. When he exited, Isaac was nowhere in sight, yet the sudden trembling began once more. He looked around, sighting an expanse of snow and ice, and hurried onwards before the weather got to him. A large entrance gaped above, giving way to a hallway lined with metal plating and electronic displays. Siamés looked left and right, ultimately confused by the drastic change, and soon felt belittled by the development. Even if Isaac was a murderer, at least he wasn't crazy. At this point, Siamés would've much preferred to be by someone's side.
He took off running down the hallway, feet bounding against the hallway with a continuous metal clink. The natural lighting from outside faded, and soon everything was illuminated by an artificial, yellow glow. Clocks ticked on every wall, the hallway colourless and bare. The room seemed distant from reality, almost as if he was entering another realm.
After turning a multitude of times, he caught up to Isaac at the end of the hallway. The blonde waved as he approached, though Siamés wasn't sure how to view him now.
'Oh, and about that murder,' he said. 'It wasn't in the traditional sense. It was more manslaughter, and I didn't do it myself. I. . . Accidentally caused him to commit suicide. And that's how the story goes.'
Isaac placed his hand down on the display in front of him, flicking his eyes towards the screen above. For some reason the screen displayed the entirety of his details, from his blood type to his address. Isaac drew in a breath, then spoke in an alarmed voice. 'This is weird.'
Siamés looked away. Knowing Isaac's details wasn't something he cared for and he didn't necessarily want to look like a stalker. He forced someone into committing suicide. . . ? Siamés had suspected something was wrong about him from the start, yet he couldn't fathom how malicious this kid really was. Nonetheless, the brunette didn't exactly feel like getting on his bad side.
'. . . Why? I don't understand. This is very, very strange.'
'I feel a little bit stalked,' Siamés replied. 'Think they have mine, too?'
The blonde backed away from the display, gesturing towards it. 'Be my guest.'
Siamés raised an eyebrow, walking towards the monitor. After a few moments, his details came up on the screen. He backed away, mouth agape. Behind, Isaac snickered.
'I'm not the only one, then.' Siamés snapped back to him. 'I suppose it's better if your address is up there. Maybe people will come and hunt me for killing him.'
'. . . Do you feel remorse, then?'
'I. . .' he began, then breathed. 'Of course I do. I'm not inhuman. It kind of. . . Fucked me up good. Everything was ultimately my fault. I accept that. It's just. . . I never intended for it. I should have kept my emotions at bay. I should have. . . . I won't cry. . . . I won't. . . .'
Siamés averted his gaze, continuing down the hallway. 'Change the subject,' he said. 'Take your mind off of it for a while.' He turned. 'Or, if it makes you feel better, feel free to tell me everything.'
Isaac ran up to join him. 'Awh! You are one of those people who try to act tough but are really actually adorable!' Siamés tutted and looked away. His smile annoyed him. 'Anyway, the whole story? I was. . . Really close to a boy. Like, really really close. I would have done anything for him. Yet. . . I didn't. He. . . Loved his best friend, actually. And his best friend was in a lot of shit. So. . . He really wanted to protect him. He basically put his safety on the line for him. His best friend. . . Well, he threw him under the bus. I knew this kid—I knew both of these kids. For some reason, I found myself getting really protective over him. Really, really protective. But the people who were harassing his best friend transferred to him. And they. . . They were my friends. I didn't really know what to do and they. . . Basically blackmailed me. I should have tried harder. I should have. . . Tried to save him more than I did.'
'That definitely wasn't your fault—'
'No,' he replied. His voice was almost panic-stricken. 'He's not the one I killed. Yes, he did kill himself but. . . I blamed the wrong person for it. I blamed his best friend. The one person that never did anything wrong. I blamed him. . . Harassed him. . . Beat him. . . He tried to die because of me. He tried. . . .'
'Tried? He's alive?'
Isaac flashed a frail smile. 'Comatose. Blunt force trauma. They don't think he'll be able to hold on much longer. I. . . Don't know how to make it up to him. . . . I'm such an idiot. . . .'
Siamés averted his gaze. For someone who rarely sympathised with anyone, this tale seemed to strike a chord within him. For minutes he stumbled for a response, trying to think of the best way to reply. Finally, he replied. 'I know what death feels like. . . I really do. I'm so sorry. I can't imagine what it would be like to have everything be your fault.'
Isaac shrugged, then expanded the distance between them. Siamés raised a brow. Did he saw something wrong? Well, no matter. Before, the hallways expanded into a single room. A glass floor framed the area, an exit posed on the other side. Isaac walked up onto the platform, yet shivered and recoiled once a series of red lasers moved underneath.
'Authorisation failed,' a machine from above spoke. 'Failed attempts: one.'
The blonde screwed up his face. 'So what, I'm getting scanned like some kind of criminal? This is just a joke, right? A really godamn stupid joke.'
Siamés didn't respond. The taller boy bowed his head back, looking at the brunette in confusion, though soon stood straight once more and stretched his limbs. With quickened strides, he walked through the scanner.
'Welcome, Isaac di Acroina. Talent: Ultimate Violinist. Entry number: fifteen. Code: to be assigned.'
'Oooh, I'm famous!' he yelled from the other side. 'Come dude. I want to see if you're famous too!'
Siamés shook his head. This guy was a moron. Ignoring Isaac's constant screams he slipped his hands into his pockets, walking across the glass with heightened confidence. He flashed a smile on the other side, winking at the blonde.
'Welcome, Siamés Marone. Talent: Ultimate Inline Skater. Entry number: sixteen. Code: to be assigned.'
'Haaah!' Isaac said. 'So you are famous! You looked like one of those common everyday scrubs.' Siamés creased a brow. 'Anyhow, Siamés, right? Weird name. And what the hell is an inline skater? I learn new things everyyydaaay~'
'. . . Shut up already, would you?'
'Actually, how do you skate with a prosthetic? I'm curious now. The title's not a misnomer, right?'
'No,' he replied. 'I found it easier to get around like that. I just did it for fun I didn't. . . Expect to be an Ultimate in it. I guess my case was kind of publicised a lot though so. . . It made sense how they found me. Everyone. . . Kind of knew about me.'
'Hmm.' Isaac clapped his hands. 'Anyhow, why don't we press on into the giant unknown! I'm sure fun will be lurking around every corner!'
'. . . I came here for refuge, not for fun and games.'
'Well yeah so did I lighten up a bit, will you?'
Siamés let out a lengthy sigh. This boy was irritating. Instead, the brunette decided to ignore him, taking off down the hallway with his hands concealed. The blonde ran up behind him, footsteps heavy against the concrete flooring.
'Duuude!'
'What!' Siamés yelled, snapping around to meet him. Isaac's features fell, his mouth forming a frown.
'I. . . Wanted to say hello?'
'God! So irritating!'
Siamés picked up his pace, rounding corners until the distance between them finally amassed large enough for him to let out a sigh without being questioned why. He turned his attention back to the walls, trailing his eyes along their technical finishes, circuitboards littering the sides. This placed was oddly focused on technology. Siamés looked upwards. Boards displaying health bars and individual ailments were displayed alongside a number of students he didn't recognise. This was almost. . . Like a game.
He veered around another corner yet, clutching his sleeve tightly, he jolted and shot backwards upon the sight of a sudden door. This door—or rather, gate—was engraved with silver, painted in navy, and decorated with a multitude of different sized gears. To the right a touch screen hung from the wall, motioning for him to put his hand down. However, before he could, he heard Isaac approach. The brunette clenched his fist.
'What?'
Isaac looked at him, wide-eyed, then shook his head. He was panting, breathless. 'I have to walk the same way as you, y'know. . . Don't run so fast. . . .'
'I wasn't running. I was walking.'
'. . . Whatever.'
The taller boy walked over, slouching against the metal gate. His face was pale, features uneasy.
'This time. . . I really did a number on myself, huh? I'm so stupid. . . So fucking stupid. . . All because I thought I could handle it. . . . I got too cocky. Way too cocky. I should. . . Learn by now. I thought it could take the pain away. I thought it could make me a better person. It never. . . Does.'
Siamés shrugged. He placed a hand down on the panel and, with a clink, the gate opened. Beside him the blonde fell forwards, struggling for ground, yet fell on his side into the snow. Siamés couldn't help but snicker. 'You are literally such a moron. Oh my god.'
He walked over, squatting next to his motionless body. The brunette flicked his cheek, raising an eyebrow. 'Isaac?'
The blonde's body remained immobilised. He laid with his head implanted into the frost, growing paler with the rising cold. Siamés pulled his coat closer, scanning the surroundings for something to help—whether he was expecting to fid a first aid kit buried in the snow he didn't know. In the distance, he sighted figures yet, instead of calling to them, he swallowed and leaned closer to the grounded body, shivering present in every limb.
'. . . Isaac?'
The urge to have Monokuma suddenly appear and be like, 'a body has been discovered!' was strong in this one.
I know everyone's probably skipping down to the A/N before reading this chapter. I know what y'all are like.
Anyhow, finalised list is,
Female
1. Oni
2. Jasmine
3. Sheina
4. Kiku
5. Nia
6. Rea
7. Iori
8. Suzume
Male
1. Siamés
2. IDA
3. Romano
4. Kazuki
5. Tadatora
6. Kotetsu
7. Ignatius
8. Shotaro
It was really, really difficult for the female characters. Really difficult. Honestly, I had about a twelve character list that I was struggling to cut down. I eventually went with the idea that the most unique personalities (in comparison to the other characters) would make the list. You may have had an awesome character but, because there was a similar one, you got cut. Because, lemme tell you, there wasn't a single female character I didn't like. I received the initial list from Kimmy (I think even she found it hard okay ; ~ ;) and then I cut the list down myself. Considering we reached the same conclusion, this should be a pretty diverse cast. I also had Fuyu, Marie, Jamie and Fujin on my twelve character list so you were close, guys. Ikue, too. You were close. If you want to hit me up and get more detailed reasons for your denial, feel free. ; u ;
Man, I feel so bad now. Anyhow, here are the reasons for the accepted cast:
Oni: Literally a normal schoolgirl who will shoot you if you call her normal. I love her for some reason. She believes she should be treated as a Demon Queen, is always yelling, and is constantly on a sugar high. Dude, I love Oni.
Jasmine: There was a lot of effort put into this form. I like her talent, as well as her asocial, gullible and passive personality. Overall, her talent as a microroboticist alongside her analytical personality probably makes her one of the most useful out of the cast.
Sheina: Oni and Sheina are probably going to be the lunatics, no lie. It may be rather hypocritical saying I was only accepting the most unique and then accepting Oni and Sheina who are rather alike, but it's Sheina's latter personality that made this decision for me—her probable actions to establish a leadership role.
Kiku: It was probably her maternal personality that made this for me, considering we need someone who cares enough about the cast to ensure they're always in good shape. The usefulness of her talent is also what swayed me and, like how I had Oni-Sheina's dynamic in mind when I accepted them, I also had Kiku-IDA's dynamic considered. Those two characters would probably harmonise pretty well together.
Nia: One of the more antagonistic characters, but there's enough about her in terms of personality to blur the lines of morality. She's impulsive, ambitious, and violent, as well as being quick-witted, social, and somewhat humorous. Nonetheless Nia, alongside Rea, is definitely a needed character type.
Rea: Rea's antagonistic by nature and probably the one who'll be causing the most tension amongst the group through insults, mockery, and pranks. Her highly perceptive and intelligent nature is also a major threat, and she's definitely a character that's needed in order to ridicule and destroy harmony.
Iori: Iori's a character capable of doing many things at once without losing the plot, relaxed to a fault, and skeptical when it comes to her analysis. Although she isn't afraid to voice this analysis she's never entirely certain of herself, and her sympathy often lacks due to her logical approaches. Nonetheless, Iori's a very complex character and summarising her is. . . Hard, to say the least.
Suzume, out of the entire cast, is probably the most likely to incite an investigation. She's a pretty good analyser, capable of gauging a person's character through being around them. Due to this, Suzume's character is necessary in order to aid everyone through the trials, and will probably prove to be fairly useful.
Siamés: Mai boiii. No but seriously, he wouldn't be here if he didn't have a use. First of all, he's disabled, despite how well he copes with it, and comes off as aggressive though, as IDA said this chapter, is 'one of those types that try to act badass but are actually really adorable'. Siamés is rather confrontational and quick to point a finger despite not knowing how correct he is in his assumptions. However, he feels sympathy for people's hurt and may prove to be more of a mediator than an initiator.
IDA: Yes, I refer to this kid through his initials. This guy is. . . An interesting one. He's optimistic about life, always willing to support others in their time of crisis, leading others into easily trusting him. However, he's as manipulative as he is nice. He's conniving, domineering and condescending, using almost everything to his advantage. This latter personality was born of his history where he abused another boy into attempting suicide. Due to this, he has an obsession with morality, seeing himself as the reason for both boys' deaths yet wondering if you can truly label another person as purely 'evil'. He dealt with this fact in a rather. . . Bad way, and he'll either be MIA in this SYOC for hospitalisation purposes or messing everything up.
Romano: One simple reason. . . 'BLAME THE BUTLER!' No but seriously this is the guy I expect everyone to be framing for murder. And you know what? He'll be entirely innocent. Oh, and he's also ridiculously polite and obsessed with perfection. Nonetheless he's a beautiful character thank you for gracing me with his presence.
Kazuki: Compulsive liar. May prove to be interesting in messing with the investigations, but all around he's going to be useful in either deceiving or impressing people.
Tadatora: Probably one of the more violent cast members, which is probably a necessity amongst the male cast considering we lack someone who's violent to this degree. Also, he seems to be someone that will manage a lot of the tasks by himself in attempts to change. In other words, potential character development now.
Kotetsu: I was very, very borderline with this character, but considering we have less male submissions I thought that there was no point giving the place to a reserve. All in all, despite the lack of detail on the form, he appears to be one of the more unique members of the cast, being a white tiger/human hybrid. Plus he can always creep Siamés out so there's another point (no this was actually recommended to me as a feasible option I'm not lying).
Ignatius: I was always worried that I wasn't going to get a more medical-orientated submission so, when I saw this guy, it was almost an instant acceptance. Plus, he has rather interesting traits, being polite to the point of almost being creepy. He seems to have a genuine care for others, which is especially a needed trait amongst this male cast.
Shotaro: Interesting character that I don't feel like spoiling, I'll admit. Anyhow, like listed above, this is another character who seems concerned with everyone's wellbeing, yet has an interesting duel personality that's bound to cause tension and hatred amongst the group, especially if we consider the Shotaro-IDA dynamic who I know, if he finds out about Shotaro's hidden personality, is going to flip.
I don't know enough about the other characters to make an assumption about how well they'd work together so me referring to the 'dynamics' of this is probably between the select character and another that I have the complete form for.
Alright. So, if you were accepted, the next step is to fill out the complete form and hand it back to me. I'll probably set the deadline for this to be August 6th, considering I'm out of the country from the 7th to the 17th and would prefer to have the forms on me to write with, likely, limited internet. If someone fails to get it back to me by the deadline, I'll probably hand the place over to one of the rejections (so, if you've been rejected, it may not be over yet).
Like I said, the acceptance/rejection decision was very hard, especially when it came to the female characters. I had. . . 25 submissions overall, 3 reserves. 15 female submissions, 10 male, and 3 male reserves. The reserves were just me and Kimmy freaking out like 'oh my god what if we don't get enough male characters?' but they came eventually. So, yeah. With that much submissions, that's the reason why I'm stating the accepted/denied here because replying to everyone would take too long, and it's also the reason why you may have been denied even if you had a good character.
Also, if you don't remain active throughout this SYOC, I maaay kill you off just to be fair on everyone else. It doesn't have to be through review (although that would be easiest) and it doesn't have to be constant but just doing something to show you're still active would be of great help to me.
. . .
Also did you know that IDA/Isaac has an entire book dedicated to his history? It's called This Night by C00XC01 over on Wattpad. What? Pshhh this isn't shameless self-advertising what are you on about.
Also also also it's 11pm so I'm not editing the chapter so sorry if there's mistakes godamnit me shut up and go to bed.
