September Test Drive!

[rubycitymods]

Thinking of apping a character but not sure they'll fit in the city walls?

Have no fear, a meme for you is here.


Directions:

Post with your character with their name and canon on top!

Choose a location and prompt or wait for someone else to tag.

If you'd like, leave contact info for people to get in contact for plotting and other such shenans.

Tag around! Make friends. Don't be afraid to chat OOC while tagging.



Locations:

1. Train Station: New arrival, or waiting to welcome people? Either way, the train comes in, but you still can't ride it out.

2. Cathedral: Looking for redemption? Just doing a little sight-seeing? Or just getting a little shelter?

3. The Beach: You can almost forget you're trapped, in a place like this...

4. The Black Stallion Saloon: You were told the burgers were great here-- but maybe you just came for the beer.

5. The Library: You came to do a little research, but it looks like all of the information's just out of your reach. Though, you can always find a way to pass the time here.

6. The Coffee Joint: A lovely place to have a chat and a bite to eat.

7. The Forest: Not a great place to be caught alone, but are you alone?

8. Wildcard: Pick anything from our list!


Scenarios

1. Just walked in: You intended to get here, and you made your way in; but now someone's caught your eye and you'd like to have a chat.

2. Been here all day: You've been sitting around minding the time. Maybe you didn't notice them at first or maybe you were just working up the courage to talk-- either way, they know you're here and you know it too.

3. Bad weather: You're here because you've gotten rained in. This wasn't your choice, but at least it's dry-- right?

4. Wild card: Got something better in mind? Well screw these prompts, try it out yourself!


Have fun, guys!

Comments

Mukuro Ikusaba | Dangan Ronpa | Train Station, New Arrival.

[dead_eyed_wolf]

She woke with her heart in her throat, jerking upright as though she could somehow twist away from the spears piercing through every part of her--

--but there was no blood, no pain, no screaming classmates and laughing bears, and she-- where was she?

Slowly she took in her surroundings, trying to calm her racing heartbeat and shallow breathing. A train, empty, surreal-- was this the afterlife? Was it all some joke? Was Junko waiting somewhere to spring out, laughing, teeth flashing in that familiar predatory grin, fooled you, Muku-nee, you're so stupid, you're so gullible--

But this didn't seem her style, and it would be too hard to fake this. She swallowed thickly as it came to a stop, releasing her into a city she'd never seen before, a city that was obviously untouched by the Tragedy. It had to be some kind of purgatory, it had to be, because she'd died, right, she'd been killed by--

She took another shallow breath, leaning against the nearest wall, pressing a trembling wolf-branded hand to her face.

Well hai there

[pocketmobster]

After the city had rearranged itself and moved him and Nanami from their admittedly cramped apartment into House 8, due north of the Obelisk, it wasn't strictly necessary for Kuzuryuu to swing west on his way back from a snack run. But hope--or something a little less of a four-letter word--sprang eternal. Or maybe it was habit, at this point. He always veered past the train station on his way back to his place, just to see if anyone he knew had finally arrived.

The girl he finds isn't anyone he recognizes, but the posture's all too familiar to him. Hinata, Souda, the princess: they all looked like that when shit got too heavy for them. He's sure he hasn't seen this girl before. And if she's here at the station, she might be new.

He grits his teeth, because no matter how badly he needs to make up for--for, well, every fucking thing he's done till now--acting on it's always going to feel unnatural.

Still. He's a man of his word.

"O-oi. You okay?"

He doesn't get too close. He doesn't want to spook her.

[dead_eyed_wolf]

The voice was so familiar, and yet... wrong... too young, too concerned. She looked up anyway, wide-eyed and wordless. She knew him, she knew him, that was Kuzuryuu. Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, SHSL Yakuza. SHSL Despair. But this-- he was younger than her, now, and-- an eyepatch? She couldn't help but stare, uncomprehending, she was already barely functioning and now this, of all things...

"Kuzuryuu," she murmured, as though maybe if she spoke the illusion would shatter and she'd find herself in a place that made sense again. "Where... what is this?" Had he died, too? That didn't explain the age, it didn't explain much of anything, but...

[pocketmobster]

"Wha--?!"

He jerked back, startled. The bewildered look quickly passed into a more familiar, teeth-gritting expression of mistrust. He'd never played anything half so well as bristly.

"How the hell d'you know my--"

But his brain catches up to his tongue and stills it mid-word. The age, the look of her...it was about right, right? And something about her was naggingly familiar, something he couldn't place. The frown between his eyebrows deepened, but he didn't bare quite so much tooth.

"Are you from Hope's Peak Academy?"

[dead_eyed_wolf]

He didn't remember. She swallowed again, steel eyes locked on the yakuza as she tried to make sense of this new, impossible reality, where she was dead at Junko's hands and yet Kuzuryuu hadn't even met her-- it wasn't right, none of this was right. But this was undeniably Kuzuryuu, each motion familiar even in this younger package, the glare and snarl almost nostalgic--

She managed a nod, voice low and just barely trembling. "Mukuro Ikusaba, SHSL Soldier." Almost a mantra, familiar and calming-- even though she'd been wearing her sister's skin for some time, even though her name was probably regarded as a vile curse at this point, she at least knew how to give an obedient introduction.

[pocketmobster]

His gaze slid away.

"Aah. So that's how it is..."

The name didn't mean anything to him, but if she had a title, she'd definitely gone to the school. And that meant...he'd probably ruined her life. All of them. He and Hinata and the rest of them had caused the Worst, Most Despair-Inducing Incident in the History of Mankind right there at Hope's Peak, and if this girl recognized him, she must have been there for it.

Kuzuryuu sighed and closed his eye, still frowning.

"Look. This probably sounds weird...hell, it's the kind of pathetic excuse you hear on TV, but...I don't remember what happened there."

He crossed his arms, staring solemnly at the ground.

"My memories of my high school life got erased by the Future Foundation."

[dead_eyed_wolf]

Mukuro listened, tracking his motions. It was uncanny. She'd known him, or at least known of him, before everything-- and this was accurate, if a bit softer. But she'd known him as her upperclassman, and most closely as a comrade in their bloody business. She'd even been fairly close to Pekoyama, as much as they really could, as close as two weapons could be. And this Kuzuryuu didn't remember her?

He... he'd lost his memories. His memories had been stolen by someone. And now he didn't know her any more. Of course. Of course this would happen, of course, how could anything else have happened. Funny. She almost laughed-- almost, but it came out more like a strangled whine, and she had to hide her face in her hands for a moment. Had to take a moment to breathe, and focus, and stop her dizzy spinning and static thoughts from overwhelming her. This wasn't how a soldier was supposed to be. She could already hear Junko in her head, laughter like knives, useless, disappointing sister, just a meek little dog--

"Sorry," she murmured, her own voice sounding distant in her ears, "I-- I don't-- I don't know where I am--" That was an easier thing to explain, easier to deal with, than her execution.

[pocketmobster]

"A-ah, yeah. This piece of shit's called Ruby City."

He looked around as if their surroundings might provide him some visual cue as to where to even start, but the city was as unhelpful as ever. The girl didn't look too good, either--and was that a Fenrir tattoo on her hand? Holy shit, Super High School Level Soldier was right. But she was clearly not in a good place, and he couldn't just stand there while she passed out or something.

"Oi, do you want to sit down somewhere or something? My place isn't too far from here...I can explain things there."

He points his thumb in the general direction of his house.

[dead_eyed_wolf]

Ruby City-- not a place she'd ever heard of before, even when she'd been traveling with Fenrir. Then again, of course she wouldn't have heard of some magical purgatory, would she. Stupid. She tried to slow down her breathing, counting silently, mechanically forcing herself into some approximation of calm.

His place? He lived here now? She pushed herself away from the wall to stand on her own two unsteady legs, nodding abruptly. "Okay." She sounded numb, defeated, eyes flat and locked on the ground as she crept up to walk behind him. Why not? She didn't have anything else to do. She didn't have anything else at all. She might as well figure out where she was, even if this Kuzuryuu didn't know her any more.

Goddangit I switched tenses last tag I AM ALL OVER THE PLACE

[pocketmobster]

"This way."

He led the way, feeling more awkward than anything else, but he honestly couldn't think of anything else to do. She didn't seem scared of him, at least, but maybe she was just so far gone she'd whipped around to resignation. Despair. It'd make sense for the SHSL Soldier to respond that way to shit she couldn't fight, he thought. Guilt was a familiar bitterness at the back of his throat, but he couldn't address it until she'd gotten a grip on the situation. And until, maybe, he learned more about what he'd done.

"This's the place." It was a simple two-story house behind the city's Cathedral, more than big enough for him alone. He unlocked the door and stepped in first to see if Nanami was there, then opened the door wider for her.

"'Scuse the mess..."

The living room was mostly tidy. Except for the literal pile of junk food on the floor. He flopped onto the couch and breathed out. "I don't even know where to fuckin' start."

[dead_eyed_wolf]

Mukuro followed very tamely, keeping her eyes on her shoes mostly, picking her way along behind him and doing her best not to stumble into him or completely give up and collapse onto the sidewalk. She didn't know how she was supposed to feel. She didn't know what to do. She just tried to swallow down the tightness in her throat, ignore the leaden icy grip on her heart, and followed obediently until they reached the house.

"Don't worry about it." Even if she was functional enough to worry about appearances, a bit of junk food was nothing-- she'd been homeless and through warzones. She didn't know exactly what to do once she'd made her way inside, though, she'd never really been a houseguest before-- so she just did the most natural thing and sat on the floor, legs curled under her as she looked up with a tired shrug.

"How did you get here?" Did you die is what she really wanted to know, but... it seemed somehow inappropriate to ask.

[pocketmobster]

"Same way you did. That damn train."

He crossed his arms, looking at a spot on the coffee table rather than at her.

"One minute I was...the five of us, we'd just pulled the plug on the New World Program, and then I was here, coming into the station. Shit, that probably didn't make any sense to you."

He glanced aside, then focused on her again.

"From what other people have told me, we all come here...from different points in time. Different goddamn worlds, sometimes. And everyone starts on that train. There's no other way in, and there's no way out. None anyone knows about, anyway.

"If there is one...I don't know if you know her, but Peko must've found it. And...it's gotta be one-way."

The 'why' was clear: She was gone, and Kuzuryuu was still here.

[dead_eyed_wolf]

Mukuro listened quietly, eyes focused dully on the now younger yakuza, trying to reconcile this new (or was it old?) version of him with the one she remembered. Although she was vaguely interested in the new world she'd been dumped into, she only had so much capacity for emotion left, and at the moment she was using most of it to wonder vaguely about what the hell had happened to him. 'New World Program' was unfamiliar to her, but it sounded appropriately grand and interesting to be filed away for later.

Different times, different worlds... she shook her head slightly, not in disagreement but rather in disbelief. It had to be true, of course, how else could this Kuzuryuu even exist? But it wasn't something she'd ever bothered thinking about before, and being faced with it now... She straightened a bit at the mention of Peko, eyebrows rising-- until she realized the implication he was making. She wasn't around any more.

"I'm sorry," she said, automatically, and realized half a second later that she should probably not even know who Peko is, let alone the fact that they were close. God. She'd never been good at being undercover.

sdr2 spoilers, ahoy!

[entercheats]

As soon as Nanami laid her eyes on the city's most recent newcomer, she immediately stiffened where she stood, not too far away from the station itself. For a long moment, the only thing that she could do was stare at Mukuro quietly and cautiously. Despite there being no risk of interference from her, the Future Foundation had made sure to inform her about the Super High-School Level Soldier, before dispatching her and Usami on their mission; Ikusaba Mukuro, the older sister and partner to Super High-School Level Despair's founder, Enoshima Junko.

Nanami knew everything that there was to know about the mercenary, from how she ran away to join Fenrir at a young age to her gruesome death from her sister's betrayal. As such, that didn't mean she was prepared to actually...speak with the soldier personally. It was a notion that had never came to mind, thus putting her at a loss. With Kuzuryuu being here, however, she couldn't...allow Super High-School Level Despair's influence to take hold on him once more. Enoshima Junko may have been the founder, but so long as she remained a part of the organisation, Ikusaba Mukuro was just as big of a threat.

Sucking in a breath, Nanami stepped forward towards the other, being sure to give a careful amount of distance between them. There's no telling what the soldier may do, and despite being an AI, Nanami isn't physically structured to endure combat - especially from a seasoned fighter. It was better for her to be on her guard before the other could make any type of attack. ...Given the girl's posture, however, she doubted that the other would make a strike anytime soon, but it was better to be prepared anyways.

"You're...Ikusaba Mukuro. Aren't you?" The question was faint, and the unease was evident on her features. "The Super High-School Level Soldier..."

Re: sdr2 spoilers, ahoy!

[dead_eyed_wolf]

Her head snapped up at the mention of her name, blank grey eyes locking on the unknown girl, immediately tense and uncertain. Mukuro didn't know her. It wasn't unusual-- she'd never tried to socialize, there were probably countless students Mukuro wouldn't have been able to identify. She'd only needed Junko, and Junko had only needed her to pay attention to certain targets.

But now, after everything, for someone to recognize her-- she shifted her stance, subtly, ready for a fight even despite her shaking. The girl's voice and demeanor wasn't threatening in the slightest, but she had her training. Even when she'd lost everything else she had her training. "Yes," she answered, low and guarded, peering at her searchingly. "And you...?" If she was another student, maybe she knew what was going on. Maybe she wasn't really dead, maybe Junko really hadn't--

[entercheats]

There was a brief pause following Mukuro's question, almost as if Nanami was hesitant to give her name. At the very least, she is assured about the fact that Mukuro does not know her; she was only created after the mutual killing of the 78th class - by that time, Junko and Mukuro were both dead. "...Nanami Chiaki," she responded finally, holding onto the straps of her backpack, "Super High-School Level Gamer. ...I attended Hope's Peak Academy."

She has no particular idea as to how to go about this, but she knows that she couldn't give away any information about the Future Foundation or her true role as an overseer for Super High-School Level Despair's rehabilitation process. ...Or rather, that's what it was going to be until the virus interfered and changed the program to an island life of mutual killing. In the meantime, she decided to just...act as she had on the island before her role was revealed.

"Do you...need help? You just arrived, right? I can show you around. It would be like a tutorial level to get you used to the world, I think..."

[dead_eyed_wolf]

Her hesitation didn't even register. Almost everyone had been nervous and awkward around her. Tall, grim, quiet SHSL Soldier, much too frightening to approach or speak to-- but that was fine, wasn't it, because all she'd cared about was Junko. And now... She took another shaky breath, absorbing the name and title with an absent nod. Unfamiliar, as expected.

"Yes," she answered simply, again. "One second," She added, and promptly doubled over, leaning heavily against the wall and resting her face in her hands. Breathe. Slowly. Count and breathe. Calm down so you don't pass out. She went through the steps numbly, trying to slow her rushing heartbeat, still her dizzy thoughts-- clinging to her mechanical procedure, as if that would change what had happened.

[entercheats]

"..."

Nanami bent down to Mukuro's height but made no move to approach her while she was in that state; instead, she rested her hands on her knees to keep her balance and watched Mukuro silently. Honestly, it didn't take her long to realise exactly why...the soldier would have been in such a state. If she was right in her assumption, Mukuro...would had to have been brought here from after her death. The city was strange like that, being able to bring the deceased back to life - after all, Nanami herself was a living example of that - but...she hadn't taken her previous death as bad as Mukuro was now.

Then again, she couldn't really blame her. Just like the other members of Super High-School Level Despair, her classmates, Mukuro was just as much of a victim of Junko's influence. It was completely understandable, and Nanami had no qualms with waiting for the other to finally steady her breathing. She simply crouched there, her eyes fixed on the trembling soldier before her, waiting for her to finally decide when they should leave.

[dead_eyed_wolf]

Breathe, breathe, breathe. Don't think about it. Don't feel. Don't remember the spears, her laughter distorted through the speakers, the screams of her classmates-- she shook her head quickly, nails digging into her scalp. Breathe. Empty and calm and cold. Slowly, her composure returned, her shaking leveled off to occasional small tremors and she didn't feel like she was about to collapse at any second.

She swiped at her eyes with the back of one hand and straightened up, taking in a long, measured breath. "Sorry," she murmured, voice flat and numb again as usual. As it should be. "I... I'm ready." As ready as she'd ever be, to explore this purgatory. She was honestly surprised Nanami had bothered to wait for her, wreck that she was.

[entercheats]

Nanami nodded in response, straightening herself back up and brushing down her skirt before she turned to leave the train station. She walked at her usually slow pace, except this time it wasn't because she was taking her time; she didn't want to leave Mukuro behind, considering how dazed she was about the entire situation. She walked clockwise to the city, heading towards the cathedral and the houses behind it first. She didn't say anything for a while, as was her wont, but eventually she spoke out. "This place...is called Ruby City. No one really remembers getting on the train to come here, and there's no way to leave." She paused, shrugging her shoulders. "...Probably. None of us have found it yet, anyway."

[dead_eyed_wolf]

Mukuro followed her tamely, quietly, head low and eyes dead as she trailed after the gamer. She nodded at the appropriate places, glancing dully over their surroundings. So they were trapped... she probably should have felt afraid, or maybe angry... something. She should have felt something. But right now it was all she could do just to keep walking.

A question occurred to her, bubbling up slowly from the morass. "Is..." She swallowed dryly, trying again. "Is this... the afterlife?" It sounded ridiculous, completely idiotic, but-- she had no other idea what it could possibly be, and she had to know.

[entercheats]

Fortunately for her, Nanami didn't seem to think the question was ridiculous at all, moving to answer it as soon as it was spoken. Her response was still a little belated given her tendency to think before she spoke, but it wasn't that long of a delay. "Mm... No, it's not the afterlife. Actually... I don't think anyone truly knows what this place really is." She's been in Ruby City for approximately five months now, and she still hasn't found an answer to that question. "People who died and are brought here...come alive while they're here, but...it's not an afterlife."

[dead_eyed_wolf]

Well, at least that was ruled out. She hadn't moved on, she'd just been somehow ended up in some strange alternate universe. It... well, it didn't really make it better. She'd still been murdered, and by-- she shook her head again, forcing herself to take another long, slow breath. No, she wasn't going to think about that any more. She couldn't. Not right now.

"Why?" It was sort of a broad question, she realized, so she tried to clarify. "I mean... why are we here? Why us?" Why her? She was worthless, discarded, why had she been dragged to this surreal new reality, of all things?

[entercheats]

There was another long pause, but she continued to walk; around this point, she was reaching the obelisk, the hub of the city. That would make travelling a bit easier for Mukuro, she assumed. "...Who knows?" She certainly didn't, but then again, she was hardly bothered by the situation at all. Even when she had first arrived, she wasn't all that bothered by her sudden appearance here and had gotten into the swing of things rather smoothly. "...No one really knows why we're here...and no one knows who took us. But it's okay. This may seem like survival horror, but it's not all that bad... You just have to watch out for the monsters."

Wait.

"...Ah, but it's nothing to worry about as long as you stay inside the city. They're getting a bit smarter, but...we're a lot smarter."

[dead_eyed_wolf]

She glanced up at the obelisk, taking in their surreal surroundings with probably less interest and enthusiasm than was strictly normal. As strange as everything was, it seemed almost fitting that their purpose here was a mystery. Of course, the next comment made her pause.

...Monsters?

She blinked slowly, staring at Nanami. Mukuro had never been a very good judge of character, she knew that very well, but... It didn't seem like she was lying. There wasn't even really a benefit to lie about something like this, was there? "Monsters," she repeated, flatly, as though she couldn't quite grasp it. "What... what exactly do you mean?"