Omake is a Japanese term that refers to a "bonus" or "extra". In manga, this usually means a four panel comic that is relatively not plot heavy or a short chapter that involves just messing around. God knows that those are my favorites.
This opening sequence was inspired by SDproductions' "Double or Nothing" SYOC, the original "Never Say Never" opening from Danganronpa, Princess Tutu, and Kiznaivers. There will be an omake for OMMM every 10 chapters! If there is anything you would like to see, please leave it in a review.
On another note, I will be closing the serial killer idea poll up soon, so this is your last chance to vote!
Oh yeah, and stay tuned for a little contest-y thing at the end of this chapter. Winner gets a one-shot written by me (because that's just how bored I am).
Enjoy while I work on chapter 11, the first investigation!
Danganronpa: Once
Opening Sequence
Words Unheard
A soft, haunting music box melody plays as an image flickers into view. At a dusty wooden desk by feeble candle light, a hunched over figure scribbles furiously into a thick tome. The Danganronpa opening music notes swell up, overtaking the lullaby as the writer abruptly stands up, throwing his quill down. In the process, he knocks over a bottle of ink, which spills onto a white page.
The camera rapidly zooms in on the tainted sheet, transitioning to the title card. In this moment, the invading ink seems to go into slow motion, creeping up to swallow the words on the paper.
[Danganronpa: Once]
The spilled ink returns to regular speed, quickly engulfing the title card. Once the screen is completely black, the darkness is torn in half by ghostly white hands, the fingernails a blood red color.
For just a split second, one can make out a porcelain white face giggling in amusement, cloaked by swirls and whirls of pink...hair? Cotton candy? Cloth? You are not quite sure what it is, exactly.
[Reality slips farther away]
The camera pans to a detailed pencil sketch of Halkyonia's outskirts. The village is surrounded by a protective stone wall, and as the camera rotates around, a female figure is superimposed standing to the east and a second figure (this one male) is superimposed facing the west. Even though the two figures are far away, it is easy to make out that both of them wear white lab coats, although the male is grinning and has a filthy, stained coat while the female is mid-sigh and has a pristine one.
Shadows loom overhead, threatening to eat them up. The female looks disinterested, instead glancing to a flaming bird sailing in from above. Meanwhile, the male laughs, taking his time stroking a winged reptile under its neck.
An unseen pen scrawls across the screen; [?] and [?].
[Fiction crawls alive; let's set the stage]
The more the camera circles Halkyonia, the more colored ink bleed in from the corners of the screen, pouring life, shades, and textures to the village. When the scene is fully fleshed out, the camera rushes through the front gates and inside the village, blurring into white curtains on a dark stage. Milky white set pieces drop from the ceiling, including what appears to be the outline of a human body and a bloodied knife. A crooked moon and a shower of stars are lowered from stage support beams.
We pull back to reveal an audience of black and white humanoid shapes, wide smiles drawn on. "Ha, ha!" blares across the screen, like a sound effect drawn in a comic book. Some of the blobs point to the stage, while others turn to their neighbors and start "Yap, yap, yap!"-ing as signified by similar sound effects. Distorted versions of the same sounds have been faintly mixed into the audio.
[Hope is forlorn behind a closed door]
The camera pulls further back, exiting through the entrance of an unknown building. The double doors slam shut; one half is a deep cream color and lined with gold swirls, the other half is deep ebony and dotted with red gemstones.
A girl in a deep outfit strewn with stars drops in, hanging upside down from the top of the frame. She wears a giant smile on her face as she waves the elaborate baton in her hands, shooting confetti into the air. Her name and title appear in bubbly, colorful writing before vanishing; [Nissa Marigold: Kind Illusionist].
[As the lines of the Script blur to gray once more]
A short boy with a cap of violet hair pops up from the lower half of the screen. He frowns, batting at his monochrome suit as confetti rains down on him. In his hands, a puppet in a curly mustache and similar suit cackles. Elegant cursive font jumbles into view; [Lance Hawthorn: Wise Ventriloquist] and [Mustachio Pete: Some Puppet].
[Hope and hopelessness become one]
In the next shot, we see two different students bump into each other in front of a line of shops. The girl that falls onto the ground is in a conservative red gown and sports choppy blonde bangs. A proud looking falcon rests on her left shoulder. Etched onto the cobblestone path is [Carina Arcard: Loyal Falconer] and [Icarus: Animal Companion].
[It's all meaningless; the Story's just begun]
The red beaded boy that knocked her down glances up from the compass he was staring at, laughs uneasily, and offers a hand to help her up. He is dressed in plaid and his clothes look heavily worn, as though he has been everywhere in them. [Jaxon Caldwell: Courageous Wayfarer] is spelled out by twigs on the cobblestone path beneath him.
Carina stand up by herself, ignoring Jaxon's hand, and dusts herself off.
Icarus shrieks and takes off, swooping past the screen.
[See, we are all one and the same,]
A lone falcon feather drifts down against a brilliant blue sky, twirling like a ballerina in a complicated dance. A hand catches it between the thumb and index finger.
The camera cuts to a white haired student in a mailman's outfit and a carrier bag slung over his shoulder. In his other hand, he juggles a tower of boxes and envelopes. An elaborate water fountain towers behind him, water spilling forth from a statue's cupped hands. The boy waves the feather he found excitedly, only to have his packages topple over. A falling envelope flits past the screen, and in neat black letters, reads [Thomas Durandal: Loyal Courier].
[On equal ground when facades are the game]
Following this, a musical score floats by, and is promptly caught by a girl with wavy azure hair in a high ponytail and gold rimmed glasses. A conductor's baton is tucked behind one of her ears. She quickly scans the page, tapping her foot in a quick rhythm, before tossing the sheet to the wind again. As it floats away, we see her name and title scrawled at the top: [Frieda Gatzemeyer, Loyal Composer].
[We teeter on the brink of hope and despair]
The musical score plants itself against the window pane of the apothecary's. Peering inside, we cut to a shot of a pale skinned girl with a bow in her dark hair running a finger down an ingredient list for concocting medicine. She mumbles something to herself, counting on her fingers. Numbers rush by in the backdrop, transforming into letters; [Ellanora Maria Addeneil: Wise Statistician].
[Can't keep hiding from the truth when it's already there]
The camera swivels to the face of the boy behind her, who is examining jars of small pickled vegetables, animal parts, and bottled herbs, running his fingers along the shelves. Although he wears an eyepatch and several animal hide and teeth accessories, his expression is lax and gentle. When the camera circles a second time, we see his name and title cleanly engraved onto the rifle slung on his back: [Ricard Bell: Kind Hunter].
[Told so many lies I don't know if I can find me]
We close up on the silver barrel of the rifle and pull back to see a giant of a student in a gray smock and bandanna sweating over a fire. He strikes the piece of metal he has submerged in flames, sending sparks flying everywhere. The boy makes a swift movement and pulls the metal out, proceeding to pound it into a thin sheet. The flames behind him launch up into the air and proclaim: [Cado Stone: Loyal Blacksmith].
[To get a Happy Ending, we gotta choose Wisely]
In the next frame, a collection of knick-knacks spills across the screen, including toy parts, worn out tools, and charcoal pencils. A feminine looking young man with long jet black bangs picks up an ornate snow globe, shaking it up and down to send snow-like particles drifting down inside the glass capsule. Inside the globe are three figures, one cloaked in white, one sheathed in black, and the middle one in gray. The white and black figures are tugging in either hand of the gray one, trying to convince it to take their side.
A piece of tape on the snow globe marks it as a work in progress with messy black letters. The creator is [Endi Amos: Kind Craftsman].
[Wrong or right?]
A golden coin is flipped into the air, taking up the entirety of the screen before falling back into tan hands. On one side is a sneering dragon, and on the other is a worried looking owl. As the coin continuously spins midair, the expressions of the two creatures change.
[Do you even know what side you're on?]
The owner of the coin, a mischievous looking boy with spiky auburn hair and fingerless black gloves, displays a wide, toothy grin as he catches it. He tosses the coin again, and as it approaches the screen, the boy's identity, [Michael Jagner: Wise Bandit] flashing across before it clatters onto the ground.
Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he lets out a laugh and bitterly kicks the coin away. It collides with the screen, but doesn't break anything or cause damage.
[Does it really matter if we're on the same Page?]
A hand pantomiming a gun pans in from the left side of the screen and positions itself next to a blonde girl's temple. Although she dresses in a delicate blouse and long skirt, there is a fierce look in her emerald eyes. She pretends to fire off, winking to the camera cheekily. The shot focuses in on the large bulletin board behind the girl, which is filled to the brim with tacked up notes.
On a particularly worn sheet of paper is [Mana Farveou: Courageous Mercenary] in glass-like lettering. On the sheets surrounding this are various wanted posters and miscellaneous requests.
[If you think 'n believe you're gonna find the key,]
The center of Mana's poster spontaneously catches fire. It quickly incinerates away the image of the bulletin board to reveal a plump girl in a frilly pink apron in a messy bakery. She grabs a kitchen knife and drives it into a very thin multi-layered baked good-a galette de rois, or a king's cake.
The student promptly plates the slice she cut up and thrusts it welcomingly at the camera. At the angle the slice is at, a golden key peers out from the cake filling. The head of the key resembles a crown. Written in bright pink icing on the side of the plate the slice is served on is [Priscilla Olry: Courageous Baker].
[Time's not now, Spell's cast, is there a way to be free?]
Fists and a series of throws enter in from the right side of the screen, literally knocking out the previous shot from existence. A muscular girl in a plain outfit and boxing gloves demonstrates a sequence of attacks on a dummy propped up on a wooden stick. Because of how the wind is blowing and of how quickly she is moving, it looks as though she is dancing.
The girl grits her teeth and takes out the dummy in a single punch, then stands triumph over her fallen foe. She wipes some sweat from her forehead with the back of an arm. There is a close up of her boxing gloves, which have letters stitched onto them; [Johanna Zeal: Kind Boxer].
[Take all your pain and just stow it away]
The screen flickers to grainy, low quality sepia footage of what appears to be a castle corridor. Suits of armor are lined up on either side like a robotic army, staring down anyone who dares to pass. At the end of the hallway is a massive bejeweled throne. Strewn about the floor are fallen warriors and blood drenched weapons.
For a split second, a figure appears to be lounging on the throne, legs and arms lazily spilling over it. They wear a large, almost sadistic grin on their face.
[There's still hope hidden within the despair]
The image of the throne room stops behaving in a static manor and goes still, revealing itself to have been pictures in a story book. It's velvet red cover falls over and closes up the tale. Scrawled as the title in golden font is "The Story". The camera pulls away from the book to reveal three figures with their backs to the lens, each placing a hand over the cover.
[Move on; look for the truth in this world]
Two paper cutouts spin onto the screen, slowing to reveal a monochrome dragon and a tawny owl in a monocle and bow tie. The dragon's expression changes from sweet to livid to bored, and ultimately lingers a face of mad laughter. Meanwhile, as the owl cutout twirls around, his expressions change from pride to concern to surprise. He holds a look of suspicion, eyes leaning toward his reptilian counterpart.
An unseen crayon scribbles the name [Monoryuu: Great Witch's Familiar] over the dragon and [Fukushi: The Story's Narrator] over the owl.
[Such dedication; you have only one shot!]
The screen cuts to the emerald green of the enchanted forest, where a face paced chase scene ensues. The background blurs out while the center figures, Monoryuu and Fukushi, sharpen. They rush through the woods at high speed, flapping their wings to keep up with their respective opponent.
Monoryuu shoots fire out of his mouth, which Fukushi dodges and then takes the opportunity to dive in and peck on the dragon's head. The familiar uses his scaled head to smash into Fukushi and knock him away. Fukushi retaliated by tackling into the dragon, and the two get into a wrestling match midair.
The entire scene eventually fades into a pixelated black and white backdrop.
[Slip through the confusion]
A ghostly line up of various unknown people appear, their faces blank and lifeless. A girl with long bangs and the rest of her hair pulled back from her face walks from left to right, hands firmly at her sides. She glances over her shoulder, gazing at the path she has walked, smiles, and continues on her way.
[Pen a solution]
At this point, the strange girl is already long gone, but from the left enters a frantic looking boy. He seems to be searching for something, or someone, from the way he continuously glances around. The boy wears a navy suit with a crimson cravat, his chestnut hair up in quiff. He firmly clutches a hand to his heart and darts to the right.
[Piece together their trials and tales]
The ghostly figures in the back rapidly vanish one by one. The boy from earlier rushes back from the right side, now clad in armor and a billowing navy cape. Tucked under one arm is a metal helmet with colorful plumage. He scouts the area for life, but spots the camera instead and straightens, saluting to the audience.
A sword launches across the screen, making out part of the letter "Z" in his name and title; [Zachariah Garmont: Elite Knight].
[Just grasp it, go for it]
The sword positions itself vertically and falls, setting itself into a great stone. A ruby red gem set into its hilt gleams mysteriously. Two hands reach out to pull the weapon free, but the outcome never comes; instead, the camera closes up on the jewel.
[O-O-Once]
[Please, do it for them!]
The faces of all the Elites flash across the face of the gem, each expressing terror, disdain, or shock. Bright pink blood splatters across the jewel as the faces quickly alternate.
[Break through the confusion]
The camera hones in on the red color of the gem, then zooms out to show a short figure in a red cloak and hood standing on the outskirts of the village. The picnic basket in one of her hands flies away from a harsh gust of wind, spilling its contents onto a field of grass. Various fruit, a piece of deflated, burnt bread, and a small glass bottle filled with a suspicious violet tonic tumble out.
[Find a solution]
The cloaked person crouched down to pick up her belongings, and we see that she is hugging a thick tome close to her chest. Another strong breeze pries the book from her hands, swiftly flipping through pages and pages of diagrams and complex notes.
[Beat the twisted, evil things]
Fight scenes flash across the screen of the students facing giant monsters. The only color in these scenes is the pink highlights of blood. Between every other image of a perilous situation is the red cloaked girl standing by herself, casting a shadow of light in a valley of darkness.
[Just do it, go for it]
A pendulum swings across the screen, and we return to the girl with her picnic basket, who has finally picked up all of her things. She gives the faintest of smiles and throws down her hood, reveal two golden braids and a child-like, innocent face, cheeks flushed pink from the chilly wind. On the back of her book is [Estelle Malgosia: Wise Mythologist].
She glances up at the sky as her small grin widens into a smirk. The camera pulls away from her and transitions into the grand blue yonder, the sun beaming down cheerily.
[O-O-Once]
In the final shot, the camera plunges into village square, which has now been converted into an elaborate outdoor courtroom. The cobblestone paths have become raised platforms for sixteen students, each of which is pictured on a pike with a bloody "X" over their face as the camera rotates around. Golden spikes surge up, forming glittering cages entangled in flowers and vines around each photograph on a pike. In the center, the water fountain has been replaced with a dark cauldron, its bubbling green goo casting an eerie light over the buildings.
Looming over all this is a small throne with a stuffed dragon plushie, a gavel, and bright red button seated in the cushion.
[End it;]
[It's Story time~]
The camera zooms in on the button, which shows the reflections of the sixteen terrified students. Once each Elite's face has flashed on the button, the plushie dragon springs to life, seizes the gavel, and smashes the button as hard as it can.
A flash of light consumed the screen, and once it has cleared away, there is naught but a lone storybook under a bright spotlight. Everything else around it is pure black.
The storybook slowly opens to the first page, where the word "Fin" is written in tiny, neat, concise letters.
Hello, Danganronpa fans! =7= Er, hope that opening wasn't too bad. It's pretty different than what I'm used to writing. Once my drawing tablet arrives in the mail, I can hopefully draw up some of these images to help readers better visualize everything. Unfortunately, the first tablet I got a few weeks back was defective and I'm waiting to be sent a new one from the company.
On to responding to the reviews!
PoisonBanana: Ah, yes…Through the wise words of a talking owl, Estelle makes more efforts to befriend others (er, although her reasoning for doing so is rather methodical…she basically needs to sate her own curiosity). Would you like a side of tsundere with your order of fries?
Yup, the first victim is really going to throw everyone for a loop. Who is she? Why is she here? Is she another part of the Story? They may never know…well, at least probably not until the latter half of the SYOC.
Shaggy Rower: The other Elites will be killed eventually…especially seeing as one of them is the killer, right? And you never know, perhaps the Story is a bit more complex than Self-Insert = Traitor…or maybe I'm just egging you on and making you second guess yourself.
ChocolateRoseNinja: Oh, good. I'm glad the way FTEs vs talking are structured in OMMM aren't disruptive to the story. Even the weird students like Zach and the sarcastic ones like Mana can have sympathetic personalities and pasts behind it all. They didn't do any specific activities with Estelle just because it made more sense seeing what sort of protagonist Estelle is…she didn't like Mana and Zach from the beginning, so just talking with them was more reasonable.
Yes, Estelle is slowly turning over a new leaf, but not without acting all tsundere about it. She certainly won't be able to figure out all the full Stories of her classmates, but she will get to interact with everyone a decent amount.
After I close my current poll, I will probably put up another one to see which FTEs people want to see. Based on how comfortable Estelle is with the students elected, I will determine whether or not she will do something with them or just talk with them.
Hm, hm~ Speculate all you like. Keeps you entertained while I work on the investigation.
Yes, chapter 9 was mostly a build up to the body discovery. Mana and Zach were featured as a way of easing Estelle into being more readily willing to help out her classmates. I mean, if the ones she disliked from the beginning show some sense of decency, it's sure to change her mind about everyone else, even if only a little bit. The other Elites will have roles in the investigation, I promise!
RandomGuyonthestreet13: Hello, hello! I haven't seen your face in the review section before! Thank you for your time and input!
The victim is not someone Estelle had previously met in the Story. She is a complete stranger and has not been seen prior to chapter 9.
Ooh, erased from existence? Interesting speculation, my dear reader. Very interesting indeed…
Only time will tell! Keep reading to find out~
I'm about a fifth or a quarter of the way done with chapter 11! I'll be on travelling on the road for the next few days, but I'll try to get as much writing done on the ride as I can.
Mm, I feel like writing something, but I don't know what it should be about…Hey, tell you guys what. The first person who correctly guesses who my favorite Danganronpa character is in the reviews (or comes close) gets to request a one-shot written by me. The only restrictions are nothing M-rated, and it must be a request for a franchise or fandom I know of so I can accurately portray its world and characters. If you want to play it safe, you can always request a Danganronpa piece. I'd prefer it if you had a account too, so I can discuss the details of the one-shot with the winner over PM.
Thanks, and I'll (hopefully) see you guys next chapter!