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FPzero
Oct 20, 2008

Game Over
Return of Mido

:siren: Click here to watch this update's video! :siren:





: Up on the 5th floor, the bio lab should now be open.



: Well this looks really odd.









: Wh-What the hell is with this room!? It's freaking cold in here!

It's like I'm in a freezer or something... If I just stand still I might end up freezing to death.

: I should hurry up and investigate so I can get out of here already!



: Nonsense, let's look at everything first. There's a Hidden Monokuma under the table.







: This looks like a plastic tarp.

Why is this left out like this? Clean up after yourselves, will you?





: I've seen this in movies before. It's a refrigerator for preserving dead bodies.

...At least, that's what it looks like, but that's not possible, right? Keeping dead bodies in a high school bio lab isn't something you should joke about. It just feels so forced. This idea should have been cancelled during development or something...

: ...Hm? What am I thinking?



: Alright let's look at the next book.



There's...another manga just laying around here... This time the title is...

: "Manga for Morons! The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History"!?

I knew it... The next one would obviously be about this incident...

: The biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history, huh... Just what was that incident really all about? It might turn out to be something lame...

I flipped through the pages of the manga, and hoped that I was right.





A story about creepily drawn characters who get involved in such horrifying incidents... An incident known as...the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history. Is this drawn so grotesquely because the incident itself is that grotesque...?

Anyway...the beginning of this creepy manga starts with this sentence:


-----

"The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy was simply the trigger..."

At first, the uprising by the Reserve Course students that triggered The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy was initially hoped to be resolved quickly, but the situation continued to escalate to dangerous extremes. The movement started spreading all over the Internet and fostered a thriving online community. The community was not limited to students, and people of various races and nations began joining in. But the movement was not confined to the Internet and began spreading and eroding the real world.

When the movement started, it was indistinguishable from any other demonstration inspired by social unrest. But as it spread across the world, certain abnormalities soon came to light. By then it was too late. The ends and the means had vanished, and wanton destruction became their only goal.

The strong butchered the weak. The weak killed the weakest among them. And soon, the weak formed factions to brutally murder the strong.

As the violence and death continued to spread the shock of their actions began to disappear, as if the era was regressing to more uncivilized times, when senseless deaths were the norm. The media was oversaturated with deaths to the point where people would watch them while enjoying a meal. By the time the world realized what it had become, it was too late to stop what had happened. A feeling of immense despair began spreading and eventually engulfed the world. Acts of terrorism and coup d'etats began occurring around the world--a war waged in the name of despair. A war fought not for principles, religion, or personal gains.

Just war. Pure war. And because of that, there was no way to resolve it.

How could a movement started by high school students progress to such a hopeless scenario? The only explanation...is the existence of a certain organization. Devoted to a certain student who influenced Hope's Peak Academy.

A group called Ultimate Despair.

Instead of using Hope's Peak Academy's talents for the sake of mankind's hope, they used them for the sake of mankind's despair. Key members of society used their influence to brainwash the masses in order to spread despair. Tech-savvy computer programmers wrote software to spread despair. The powerful and influential created new values and morals to spread despair. And with this, they created The Tragedy, the biggest most awful, most tragic event in human history.

As long as Ultimate Despair exists, the despair engulfing the world will never end.

The Tragedy will never end.



My heart was racing in my chest, but my body felt ice cold. And it wasn't because I was freezing in this room...

: The biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history... This is definitely all made up...

I mean...if this is really true... Then...what's happening in the outside world? My family, my friends, the convenience store I frequent, the nearby bookstore, my favorite restaurant...

: What's happened to them!?





: Hey hey, are you seriously yelling at a manga...? How crazy are you!?
: Wh-Who would enjoy reading something like this...!?
: Oh my? You don't like manga?
: A high school student who doesn't like manga is like an office lady who doesn't like to eat candy!
: E-Enough...! What is this messed up manga...!?



: Puhuhuhu. I thought you'd obviously know about such a horrible event that destroyed the world, but...for you not to remember that...such despair. That's the Future Foundation's fault, though. Thanks to them stealing your school memories. The incident that happened during that period has been completely removed from your brains.
: Th-This incident really happened...and...I actually forgot about it...?
: There's no way that's possible!



: How many times do I have to tell you? All the clues here are real!
: Please understand, I'm rooting for you. If you don't learn about the full extent of the outside world, you guys will suffer for it.
: I just want to help you guys so you can live well-adjusted lives in the outside world! *leaves*





: ...
: I see...so that's how it is... That's what he meant by what he said at the beginning...



: Well, as the headmaster, I'm conflicted, you know. On one hand, I'm really happy that you're finally going to graduate...
: But on the other hand, I'm worried about whether you guys will be okay in the outside world.
: That's why I'm thinking about telling you what the outside world is like before you make a decision. Whether you wanna leave Jabberwock Island...or stay here...



He's trying to make us feel despair toward the outside world so we'll want to stay on this island.

: But...there's no way I'm going to do what he wants...!

Despair like that simply can't exist... The outside world should be filled with hope... Just like now.

: Perhaps...no, that's definitely it.





: Whether or not this incident really happened... What in the world is this Ultimate Despair group? If they're devoted to a certain student who guided Hope's Peak Academy to its destruction... Are they connected to both The Tragedy and The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy? Plus, that organization isn't just one person, but a group of people...

But if they're known as Ultimate Despair, they're high school students, right? Well, if they were actually able to do it, then I guess that's why they were called Ultimates... Then...are the killings we're involved in connected to them as well...?

: ...
: I-It's no use! I'm going to freeze to death! I-I'm at my limit...! I need to get out of here...!

Shivering, I ran out of the freezing room.





: Phew...that was close. I nearly froze to death...

...So where should I go next?



: Classroom 5-B has opened up to us.









: ...



No, I should ignore it. I'm just going to pretend I didn't see him.



: Looks like someone's here.



: When I went inside this room... That bastard bear was suddenly here... He keeps glancing at me.
: ...I wonder why?
: Heh, it's gonna by lovely either way.
: So I'll let you handle it. There's no way I'm gonna deal with that idiot.



: I guess we have no choice.



: Why helloooooo Hajime! I hope you're doing pleasingly well!
: Are you pleasingly well!? You're pleasingly well, right!?
: ...What are you doing here?



: Well, there was another thing I needed to tell you on this floor... Tehehe...I got bored of drawing manga. Can you forgive me for telling you by word of mouth?
: You should've done that from the beginning... I didn't want to read your manga in the first place.
: A high school student who doesn't like manga is like a sumo wrestler who doesn't like eating hot pots!
: I'm getting really fed up with your babbling. Hurry up...what did you need to tell me?



: Puhuhuhu... It's about that key piece of information you've been waiting sooooo long for...

Music cuts out.

: Surprise! It's about Ultimate Despair!
: ...Huh?





: Ahem! Even though the term Ultimate Despair refers to a group these days... It was originally the title for a high school girl who was the most powerful, evil, and feared person alive.

A...high school girl...?

: Lady...Junko Enoshima.
: Junko Enoshima...?
: As the former Ultimate Despair, she created a despair brimming with charm and humor, and created the Ultimate Despairs.
: Puhuhu...there was one really horrible person in that group...



: H-Hold on a sec! I don't know what the Ultimate Despairs are, but...it's not that easy to form an organization. There's no way people would join some hosed up organization created by a high school girl...!
: Humans who are obsessed with their philosophy have an uncanny power to attract others... It's a trait shared by many famous leaders throughout history, right? There's nothing strange about it.
: That...holds true for Lady Junko. With her charismatic ability to attract people, she even influenced those in the highest echelons of power...
: Her connections were the main reason that incident became the Tragedy in the first place!
: So she even recruited people who would've been in a position to neutralize the threat...?



: Then what was their purpose?
: ...What?
: L-Like I said...why did they cause that incident? It doesn't even make sense... They had a purpose, right...? There's no way they'd do what they did without any purpose...

Music cuts out.

: It was Junko Enoshima's despair.
: ...Huh?





: For Junko Enoshima, despair isn't about purpose, a set of principles, a way of life, or an instinct... Despair is what defines Junko Enoshima as Junko Enoshima.
: ...Wh-What are you saying?
: I'm a stuffed plushie. Hajime is a human. It's exactly like that...
: Junko Enoshima is full of so much despair that she's truly hopeless. Living, dying, eating, loving... For her, everything is despair.
: Wh-What the hell...!
: With her overwhelming force of personality, Junko recruited the Ultimate Despairs one by one... She controlled their despair by taking advantage of their love, hate, grudges, anything really. Junko's despair is far more dreadful than any other. That idea had been slammed right into their minds.



: And so, the Ultimate Despairs who had been recruited became nothing more than Junko's limbs. All despair, whether it was their own or anyone else's was dedicated to Junko Enoshima. Like believers making offerings to their god... Like a mother providing food to her children... They dedicated all despair so they could escape from despair, all in Junko Enoshima's name. For example...
: They killed their families and friends, and even destroyed their bodies through relentless mutilation. And to hopelessly top it off... They completely believed it was something that they *had* to do.
: Th-There's no way something that crazy is possible!



: Do you know about the final days of the Reserve Course students during The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy?
: F-Final days...?
: Junko has the power to change people's values. This is also true of famous people throughout history.
: Hey, what do you mean final days!? What happened to the Reserve Department?

Music fades out.

: They fulfilled their role as disposable limbs. They believed in what they needed to do...





: And so, the 2,357 students of the Reserve Department all committed mass suicide!
: M-Mass suicide!?
: A-All 2,357 students!?
: Oops, it wasn't all of them. One person was excluded...!

One person was excluded...huh...?

...Is that...me?




: I-I don't believe it... There's no way I can believe this...! Ultimate Despair... Junko Enoshima... Heh, it doesn't scare me at all... I mean...

Music cuts out.

: Junko Enoshima is already dead!
: ...Huh?









: Wait, how does Fuyuhiko know that Junko's dead? We just learned about her, right?



: H-Hey Fuyuhiko... Is it true what you said? Junko Enoshima is really dead...?
: What? You didn't see? There was a book called "Manga for Morons! Killing School Life" in that bloody classroom.
: A bloody classroom...? No, wait, what was that you said about the killing school life...!?





: Like the killings we were involved in, they were killings that happened at Hope's Peak Academy... As I recall, the mastermind took her own life because the remaining students worked together to defeat her.
: Yeah, that's what it was... The killing school life ended up failing in the end. As a result, the six students who survived managed to escape from the academy.



: For a manga about the killing school life, it was drawn with a lot of silly images and dumb gags. According to that...the mastermind behind the failed killing school life was...Junko Enoshima.
: The mastermind took her own life...which means Junko Enoshima is dead!
: ...



: It turns out that killing school life was part of that whole "Biggest, Most Awful, Whatever" incident... Junko took away the memories of former students of Hope's Peak Academy and forced them to kill each other.

Former students of Hope's Peak Academy...and she took away their memories... That's just like us...

: ...Apparently the whole thing was being filmed by surveillance cameras and broadcast worldwide. Tch! There's a limit to being a cruel rear end in a top hat...!
: The surveillance cameras were broadcasting the whole thing?
: The students of Hope's Peak Academy are widely known as symbols of hope. By forcing people to watch these symbols of hope kill each other for the sake of survival...they were trying to fill everyone who watched the broadcast with despair all at once.
: Th-That's messed up...!



: But that messed up plan was stopped. Junko Enoshima failed. Junko lost to the students she placed in her trap, and after being overcome by the despair she created...
: ...She took her own life.
: Then...Junko is no more.
: ...



: No matter how horrible she was, there's no reason to fear someone who's dead. Whether Monokuma's story is true or not doesn't matter.
: Junko Enoshima isn't alive anymore!

Then...who is our enemy?

: ...

If Junko Enoshima is already dead, are the rest of the Ultimate Despairs behind this...? Are the followers of Junko carrying out her will...? That's the only thing I can think of. I mean, the killings we're involved in resemble that killing school life.



: Well, I don't know who the hell is imitating Junko and making us go through this but...
: An imitation is just that: an imitation.
: If the students from Hope's Peak Academy stopped the real deal, there's no way we'll lose to some fake!

But if this is really an imitation...are those surveillance cameras the same, too?



The cameras all over Jabberwock Island...



Are they broadcasting to somewhere, just like the surveillance cameras during the killing school life?










: ...
: Maaaan Hajime! You totally know about that story, huh!?
: Wh-What? Do you have a problem with that?
: Well, I really wanted you to read the manga version since I took the time to draw it...



: Oh well! I'll just raise the flag!
: ...Flag? What do you mean "raise the flag"? What's going to happen if you do that?
: One step at a time, you're getting closer to clearing my character route!
: You're not making sense again...



: Now then, I'll give you guys my all. I'll tell you everything I know, including information on the outside and the inside...
: I'll raise them flags like crazy! *leaves*



: Next time, we'll go somewhere else and keep looking for clues.

FPzero fucked around with this message at 02:09 on Feb 11, 2018

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Deadmeat5150
Nov 21, 2005

OLD MAN YELLS AT CLAN
Yup, still confused. Why does this poo poo always have to suddenly get overcomplicated? :psyduck: so many great Japanese games totally lose me near the end.

Sindai
Jan 24, 2007
i want to achieve immortality through not dying
Well, it seems like it's supposed to be the mystery for this chapter, since we're collecting truth bullets about it.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
It's a good thing for Hajime that Monokuma didn't start regaling him with stories about ice-9.

Shwqa
Feb 13, 2012

Huh a reserve student who could resist ulimate despair... You could say that person would need the ultimate hope to do that.

RareAcumen
Dec 28, 2012




FPzero posted:

I mean...if this is really true... Then...what's happening in the outside world? My family, my friends, the convenience store I frequent, the nearby bookstore, my favorite restaurant...[/i]

You forgot an [i] there.

Deadmeat5150 posted:

Yup, still confused. Why does this poo poo always have to suddenly get overcomplicated? :psyduck: so many great Japanese games totally lose me near the end.

:same: To this day I still don't know the plot of FFT.

TeeQueue
Oct 9, 2012

The time has come. Soon, the bell shall ring. A new world will come. Rise, my servants. Rise and serve me. I am death and life. Darkness and light.
I'm starting to think that Junkos should have been spelled Junk_OS all along.

RareAcumen
Dec 28, 2012




Shwqa posted:

Huh a reserve student who could resist ulimate despair... You could say that person would need the ultimate hope to do that.

Or the Ultimate balance I guess. Neither hope or despair ever managing to effect them in one direction or the other.

Shwqa
Feb 13, 2012

RareAcumen posted:


:same: To this day I still don't know the plot of FFT.

God isn't real but demons are. Your buddy become a king and is immediately assassinated. You say gently caress this poo poo and piece out.

Blademaster_Aio
Jan 22, 2017

Shwqa posted:

God isn't real but demons are. Your buddy become a king and is immediately assassinated. You say gently caress this poo poo and piece out.

Didn't your buddy kill his wife or something? Or did his wife kill him?

Shwqa
Feb 13, 2012

Blademaster_Aio posted:

Didn't your buddy kill his wife or something? Or did his wife kill him?

It is the second one.

Terper
Jun 26, 2012


No, he survived and lived a long life.

sudonim
Oct 6, 2005
The narrative of Final Fantasy Tactics is hard to follow but it's funny because the whole story is a giant "Well, actually..."

So the narrator is all like "Hey you know that civil war that happened a long time ago where at the end a commoner emerged as king and united the country? The real story is that not only did that commoner rise to king via a lot of backstabbing and murder, the REAL hero was his best friend from childhood, a fallen noble who picked a fight with a church conspiracy to reraise fantasy jesus who was actually fantasy satan because they wanted to kill his sister for some reason."

Cuntellectual
Aug 6, 2010

Deadmeat5150 posted:

Yup, still confused. Why does this poo poo always have to suddenly get overcomplicated? :psyduck: so many great Japanese games totally lose me near the end.

We're looking for a weapon to surpass metal gear.

Deadmeat5150
Nov 21, 2005

OLD MAN YELLS AT CLAN

Cuntellectual posted:

We're looking for a weapon to surpass metal gear.

Ok, now it all makes sense.

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
Parents, talk to your children about Kirkegaard. Before someone else does.

Palladium
May 8, 2012

Very Good
✔️✔️✔️✔️

Deadmeat5150 posted:

Yup, still confused. Why does this poo poo always have to suddenly get overcomplicated? :psyduck: so many great Japanese games totally lose me near the end.

I can't seem to explain it, but I just don't find the BIG REVEAL in this game series interesting.

FPzero
Oct 20, 2008

Game Over
Return of Mido

:siren: Click here to watch this update's video! :siren:







: Huh...?

I-It...changed to different hallway again... It's so sudden... What's going on to make something like this happen...?

: No...I've already decided that I'm not going to be surprised.

That's right...there's no time for me to be surprised by something like this!



: Now we're on the 4th floor. I don't know how it's happening, but I guess we're moving downwards through the building. Well either way, Akane is here after not being seen anywhere on the 5th floor.



: ...

Akane's twitching her nose like a beast and examining her surroundings...

: ...Hey, what happened?



: Well, you know...it's just my gut, but... I feel like someone's gettin' closer...
: Huh? What do you mean? Who?
: I dunno. It's just my gut, after all.
: IT'S JUST MY GUT!

But still...her gut is pretty impressive... For some reason it's strangely intuitive... And Monokuma did say something about the main cast coming... It's surprising but...her gut must be correct again this time...



: The 4th floor has a lot of rooms to check out. Some of them look a little suspicious...



: The music room is the only place that's open to us right now.







: This looks like...the music room.
: ...

I feel like I can see something strange...



: I'll say there's something strange in here. It's this piano!



It's a very nice-looking grand piano. It might be very valuable.

: Ibuki...might've been able to play this...



: Alright for real this time. There are two weird things floating in the air. Let's start with this...hologram?



Wh-What is this...? Words are floating in the air...!

: This...is like a hologram, right?

The floating letters are forming a sentence... It looks like...a passage from an e-mail.





Regarding the report we gave you the other day... We have obtained information...a person who claims to be a survivor of Hope's Peak Academy. Upon futher investigation, there are a total of 15 survivors. You may be wondering about the number of people at this time... If they're survivors of Hope's Peak Academy, it's possible they may be targeted by Ultimate Despair. We believe we should acquire them and place them in our care as soon as possible.

Though I don't believe the group can go that far without Junko Enoshima rallying them, in a worst-case scenario, we must prevent a repeat of the killing school life. Also, if they are survivors of Hope's Peak Academy, we should expect them to be quite valuable to us. However...we are still investigating the details of their origins and we haven't located them either. We will continue investigating this matter.

Also, regarding a separate matter... We have received a report from the research facility on Jabberwock Island. Preparations have been completed. It seems we can proceed with the experimental phase of the Neo World Program.



Survivors of Hope's Peak Academy...? Fifteen students...?

: Is that...about us? Excluding Chiaki who was part of the Future Foundation, there were definitely fifteen of us, but...

What does "survivors" mean...? It's like...they're talking from some other world...

...What happened outside Jabberwock Island? If the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history is really true...then the world...


: ...isn't normal anymore...maybe...
: ...

I'm starting to feel like we might be better off not remembering the memories we've lost...







: Alright let's see what's up with this big floating, blinking monument.



: Looks like it's some sort of monument...? Why would there be a monument in a music room?
: And not just that...the mark engraved into the monument is the symbol of the Future Foundation, right?

Below that symbol, there's a short passage engraved...



"To combat the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history, the graduates of Hope's Peak Academy were among the many who established the Future Foundation."



: Huh...?

The Future Foundation was established...by the graduates of Hope's Peak Academy?

: A-Aren't they known as World Ender...? This is completely different... Monokuma...he completely made it up!





: I guess that's all the clues in this room...

It's finally confirmed. The Future Foundation is on our side, at least. They were founded by the graduates of Hope's Peak Academy...and they took us in to protect us. But if that's true...Chiaki should've made that clear to us...

: ...No, as long as Monokuma was around, she probably couldn't say anything carelessly.

Monokuma... If he's the Future Foundation's enemy, then his true identity must be the Ultimate Despairs who caused the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history. The ones...who are carrying out the will of Junko Enoshima are making us go through this.

Also, this caught my attention in the e-mail too...



What is this "research facility on Jabberwock Island" mentioned in the e-mail? What's that about? The only Future Foundation facility we found was that ancient ruin...


: There's no way that's the research facility...

If there really is a research facility on this island, there should be other Future Foundation members here...

: Somehow...there are still so many mysteries.





: The teacher's lounge is now open, so let's check it out.







: This...feels different from a classroom...



: It's probably the office, right...? I mean...the room kind of has that stuffy, teacher vibe to it...
: The office, huh...? Now that you mention it, it does look like that...
: More importantly...have you seen Miss Sonia? I don't see her anywhere...

How much longer is this guy gonna be obsessed with Sonia? Give it up already...



: First things first, the 4th Hidden Monokuma is sitting in the wall to the right. You can actually see him slide into place as the room loads.





: One more check in with Kazuichi before we look around.



: Hey, have you seen Miss Sonia? I don't see her anywhere...
: Dammit, I'm really worried... What if something happens to me when Miss Sonia isn't looking...?

This guy...is so useless sometimes...

: I shouldn't have bothered...



: Let's check out this suspicious blackboard.



Hm? There's something written on the blackboard...

: What's written here...?



"List of Subjects" is written on the blackboard in large letters. Just below that...

: ...are names I've seen before...



: There's also this portrait. Haven't we seen this before somewhere?



An extremely overwhelming portrait is hanging on the wall.

: I feel like I've seen it before, but the name etched into the placard says...



"Hope's Peak Academy Founder -- Izuru Kamukura"...?

: The founder of Hope's Peak Academy... And this name...Izuru Kamukura...

Doesn't this...clearly contradict the information I obtained earlier?

: ...Dammit, another mystery.





: Next, this newspaper with...Hiyoko...on it?



There's a newspaper posted on the blackboard. Below that, "Hiyoko Saionji" is written there...

...What is this newspaper?






: ...
: ...What is this?

It says "Miss Hiyoko Saionji"... This can't mean the same Hiyoko, right? I mean...the Hiyoko we knew...



She was much smaller and looked more child-like. It was pretty much her defining feature.



But the photo in this newspaper... In a way, I can see the resemblance to Hiyoko, but her height and figure... It's too different from the Hiyoko we knew.


: Wh-What does this mean...?



: Hm? This lady looks pretty mature. Is she Hiyoko's older sister or something?
: No...it says "Hiyoko Saionji" here...
: ...
: O-Oh...then...Hiyoko has an older sister with the same first and last name...
: A-An older sister with the same first and last name...?



: That's the only explanation, right...? I mean...look at it for yourself. That's not Hiyoko.
: But...did you ever hear her mention an older sister?
: Well...it's not like I was that close to her or anything...





: She doesn't have an older sister! Hiyoko is the Saionji family's only daughter!
: If she doesn't have a sister...then a relative...? No, there's still too much of a resemblance...





: That's Hiyoko.
: ...Huh?
: Wh-What are you saying!? Hiyoko doesn't have a curvy body like this! I mean...she was famous for her child-like figure! She got away with all kinds of crap for looking like that!



: I dunno what to tell you... Maybe she had a growth spurt?
: What are you saying!?



: She's...already dead... There's no way she could've had a growth spurt...!



: Puhuhuhuhu...
: Well, regardless, all the clues I've provided are true. If they weren't, it wouldn't be fair! *leaves*





: Wh-What the heck!? This is the truth...!?

If this is the truth...then the hiyoko in this newspaper...



Is he really saying this is the same person? Th-That's impossible... I mean, how can there be a photo of a grown-up Hiyoko when she's already dead...? Why...why does this even exist...?


: C-Could it be...related to that "List of Subjects" over there?
: ...Huh?



: I-If it says subjects...maybe it means there was some kind of experiment, right? D-Did that experiment change Hiyoko's body!?
: Oh, what am I saying!? Just saying it out loud makes it sound messed up! What experiment!?!?

If it's some kind of experiment...it would mean that we're also test subjects, right? I mean...our names are also written on the blackboard under that "List of Subjects"...

But...what kind of experiment was it...?


: Gh...what's going on...? It better not have anything to do with time travel...!
: ...







: Flowers...on top of the desk?

P-Plus...they look strange to me... Are my eyes just tired?



: Another hologram, just like in the music room.



There are letters floating in the air, like the music room from earlier. Looks like a passage from an e-mail someone wrote. I think it's the same one from earlier... I guess I should read it...





We understand this matter regarding the survivors. In order to safely acquire them, please do your best and continue your investigation.

However, you must exercise extreme caution concerning the Remnants of Despair. Even though they have lost Junko Enoshima, the fact remains that they are incredibly dangerous. Even after her death, The Tragedy has not ended... Perhaps...there is still a leader on par with Junko Enoshima.

As long as we do nothing about the Remnants of Despair, we will not be able to end this incident. For this reason, the Remnants of Despair must be immediately eliminated once they are discovered. Everything is for the sake of a shining future.



: I-Immediately eliminated...!?
: Does that mean...this is an order to kill them?

That doesn't sound peaceful at all... Well, I guess that's understandable. If the biggest, most awful, most tragic event in human history is as terrible as it sounds, it's...pretty much all-out war. If the Remnants of Despair are the ones waging that war...

: There's no way they'd be forgiven that easily...







: Okay! With this, you've totally raised all the flags on this floor!
: Congratulations Hajime! You shall now go on to the next stage! *leaves*

Next stage...?



: Let's go to the next stage?

Tenebrais
Sep 2, 2011

So if this is a simulation, they've all been projected into their bodies at school age. Which also explains things like Nagito's hand.

Stephen9001
Oct 28, 2013
Hmmm... yeah, the simulation thing seems like a near certainty at this point.

I can have moments of... eccentricity and sometimes be quite curious about things. Please forgive me if I do something foolish or rude.

Stroth
Mar 31, 2007

All Problems Solved

Tenebrais posted:

So if this is a simulation, they've all been projected into their bodies at school age. Which also explains things like Nagito's hand.

There’s still a lot of things that need to be explained about that.

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
...except that Chiaki's on that list too. I mean, I suppose in theory she could have worked out they were in a simulation about getting along and just... created Usami? To do what she couldn't?

And if they're all in the simulation, who made Monobear?

MonsterEnvy
Feb 4, 2012

Shocked I tell you

Shwqa posted:

It is the second one.

No it's the first one. She stabbed him, then he stabbed her back and ended up surviving.

Shwqa
Feb 13, 2012

MonsterEnvy posted:

No it's the first one. She stabbed him, then he stabbed her back and ended up surviving.

Oh haha I guess FFT is confusing.

ApplesandOranges
Jun 22, 2012

Thankee kindly.
Trivia (spoiler tagged since I'm not sure if it counts. I can remove it.):

Hiyoko was originally meant to survive chapter 3. The developers decided to make new plans for the original second victim, and hastily swapped Hiyoko in instead. Hence why her murder investigation was pretty rushed; the group didn't even bother investigating her murder weapon.

Would have been interesting to see her reaction here had she survived like she'd meant to.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
Well, we're past Chapter 3 now, so I don't think you need to spoiler tag that. :v:

Stabbey_the_Clown
Sep 21, 2002

Are... are you quite sure you really want to say that?
Taco Defender

Stephen9001 posted:

Hmmm... yeah, the simulation thing seems like a near certainty at this point.

It's not like the game's been trying to hide it very well. "They're in a simulation" seemed to be a likely answer from the first moments of the game.

Of course, even if it is a simulation, I'm assuming that "Matrix rules" are in place, and those who get killed inside are killed for real (whether automatically, or manually by the people running the simulation).


ApplesandOranges posted:

Trivia (spoiler tagged since I'm not sure if it counts. I can remove it.):

Hiyoko was originally meant to survive chapter 3. The developers decided to make new plans for the original second victim, and hastily swapped Hiyoko in instead. Hence why her murder investigation was pretty rushed; the group didn't even bother investigating her murder weapon.

Would have been interesting to see her reaction here had she survived like she'd meant to.


Lots of things about Case 3 were rushed and lacked explanation. In this case, she was probably killed with a scalpel taken from the hospital, which was hidden in the same place as all the other missing evidence. Missing evidence which was never found either, despite some of it being large and difficult to hide. It's not the over-the-top stuff which bothers me as much as it is getting the mundane stuff wrong, like killers accomplishing things in a completely implausible time-span.

ApplesandOranges
Jun 22, 2012

Thankee kindly.

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

Well, we're past Chapter 3 now, so I don't think you need to spoiler tag that. :v:

Well, it's more because of the implications that she would have been a survivor since Fuyuhiko was meant to die instead. The outcome of DR2 hasn't been resolved, nor any survivors.

FPzero
Oct 20, 2008

Game Over
Return of Mido

:siren: Click here to watch this update's video! :siren:







: ...Dammit, not again!

The hallway is different from the last time... I guess when that flag Monokuma mentioned is raised, I'm moved to a different hallway than the last...

: But how can he do that!?

...No, now's not the time to be confused by that! Thinking about it is just going to waste my energy...



: It's very purple in here. This is the map of the 3rd floor. A few large rooms and some poor hallway design decisions. A fire marshall would probably not be happy about these snaking hallways.



: Looks like the Physics Lab is off-limits. I wonder if the air purifier is even still working.



: In the videos, it's at this point that my Pet transformed. This time, it became a Shitimi because it was pure despair.
: ...
: ...I'm a bad pet owner.



: You know, I'm starting to think the something's not right in this building.



: The art room is just off this space.



: Yeah, something's reaaaally not right here.



: The classrooms are closed, probably due to an abundance of floating windows.



: The Rec Room is the only open place on this floor.







There's a billiard table, a dartboard, and a shelf lined with magazines. It's hard to think a room like this actually exists inside a school...



: I gotta say, I'm a fan of the floating objects in here. Anyone for a game of anti-gravity pool?



There's a dartboard...but this is still a school, right? Or...did Monokuma just randomly make up this place?



: We can now take a quick look around the room.



There's a lot of different magazines here--fashion, motorcycles, martial arts, sports, computer, travel... There's even a magazine about cameras... Mahiru would've been happy to see this.



: We've got a lot of stuff to investigate this time. Let's start by going over 53616b757261's body.



It's a nice, firm-looking leather sofa. It looks like it'd be comfortable for anyone to sleep on.



: For some reason, the trigger for the locker is a small pixel on the sofa here. Weird.



This locker is all rundown. Shouldn't they buy new furniture before they go off buying stuff like a dartboard and a billiards table?



: And now for the real reasons we're here.



This...hologram again... What's this one say?

: It...looks like another e-mail passage...





Regarding the report we gave you the other day... We have finally succeeded in acquiring them and have placed them in our care. Though they were all dispersed, we were successful in acquiring all 15 of them.

Due to the fact that we are unable to ask them about specific details, it is unknown how they managed to survive The Tragedy. It's been reported that some are wounded, so it seems certain that they survived under harsh conditions. Over the course of our detailed investigation, we determined that they are the same age as the others, so we have decided to entrust them to the survivors of the killing school life.

As for the Remnants of Despair, there are still no solid leads regarding this matter, and we have no new information to report. We will continue with the investigation. Once they are discovered, we shall eliminate them immediately. Everything is for the sake of a future filled with hope.







It says here that they "succeeded in acquiring them and have placed them in our care"... That means we should've been protected by the Future Foundation, right?

Then...why is this happening? If the Future Foundation was protecting us, why were we forced to kill each other on this island?


: Well, I guess it's not possible that the Future Foundation set this all up...





: My, my Hajime! If you keep worrying like that, you're gonna get a toothache and collapse!
: It's your fault...!
: What is this hologram thing anyway...?



: It's exactly what it looks like. They're the Future Foundation's e-mails. I thought they made the perfect clue, so I did a little bit of hacking here and there to get them.
: Y-You can even do that...? Whoever's controlling you...seems to possess many talents.
: Well, who cares about me anyway? That's not important at all. *leaves*





There's no way that's not important. His true identity should connect everything to what's happening right now.



: There's some kind of file on this table.



...It's a file with Hope's Peak Academy's seal on it! It says "Confidential"... That means this is a big secret, right? Why would an important document be here...?

: ...Why am I even asking a question like that. Obviously Monokuma is responsible.

Anyway...I need to confirm what's inside the file.





About the Hope Cultivation Plan

For many years, Hope's Peak Academy has conducted rigorous research into various talents. The Hope Cultivation Plan seeks to use the fruits of our labor to further our true goal. With our hands, we will birth a true hope that will bring hope to the entire world. Truly, the program is the next innovation in providing the ultimate education. This plan has been the academy's wish since its foundation, so we must succeed at all costs.



What followed was a series of detailed instructions and intricate orders... It was full of difficult technical terms and I had no idea what any of them meant. However...the word, "true hope", left a strong impression on my mind for some reason.

: The Hope Cultivation Plan was created for the sake of birthing true hope...
: Hope's Peak Academy was behind something like that...?

I don't really get it, but...there's something about these words...

"True hope", huh...






: Time to leave, there's nothing else to see here.







: ...Looks like I'm in a different hallway again.

I'm pretty much used to it by now, but even so...

: Wh-What is this space!? Am I dreaming or something!? I mean...this is just totally disconnected from reality...!



: I don't think I feel so good you guys...



: And it looks like Akane isn't either.





: It's close...it's very close...! Someone...is comin'...

Akane's twitching her nose and examining her surroundings...

: They're...definitely real close... At least, that's what my gut is tellin' me.
: Then answer this with your gut.
: Is it an enemy? Or an ally?
: ...Hm? Let's see...my gut feeling is...



: THEY'RE BOTH!
: He's right...they're both.
: Both...? What do you mean?
: I don't know any details! It's just my gut after all!
: Well...that's true I guess...



: The 2nd floor is laid out much like the first, though it doesn't have a dormitory attachment. Couple classrooms, bathrooms and some big rooms to explore.



: I think I'm getting a head rush.



: Where'd all the color go in this place? The 2nd floor was really colorful before...



: Oh never mind all that, I hope the Library is better than this hallway!







: This must be a library...

Monokuma probably left something here, too. I should hurry up and find it.



: Well at least this place feels normal to stand in. Well, "normal" in the relative sense. ...You know what I mean.
: Another floor, another e-mail.



This hologram again... It must be another one of the Future Foundation's e-mails...

: I should read it. There's no doubt that it's another clue.





To Future Foundation 14th Division -- Makoto Naegi:

Where are you guys? What are you doing right now? What you're doing right now is a serious act of treason. Do you understand? Why are you protecting the Remnants of Despair? It should be abundantly clear to you how dangerous it is to keep these people alive. Stay calm and think about this carefully. You guys are being lied to. Think carefully about what's important to bring the light of hope to the world.

The six of you joined the Future Foundation because you agreed with our ideals, right? The Future Foundation rescued you from the tragedy you survived and cooperated with recovering your memories.

Immediately return the Remnants of Despair to our headquarters. Unless we eliminate them, The Tragedy will never end. Everything...is for the sake of a future filled with hope.



: Wh-What...does this mean...?

This e-mail suggests that someone was trying to let the Remnants of Despair escape... This e-mail is addressed to...Makoto Naegi...

: But...he's with the Future Foundation, right? Then...why was he trying to protect the Remnants of Despair?

Did he...betray the Future Foundation?









: Nothing else too look at here, so back out into the weird hallway we go...



: Urg...



: Further down the hall in the greenlit area is Classroom 2-B.









...Huh? Didn't I walk into a classroom?

: I-I don't really get it, but...um...this looks like the laundry room.

There's no use worrying about it, but...I was in a school and now I'm suddenly in a laundry room.



: I'm even more confused as to how we got here but at least we've tracked down the 5th and Final Hidden Monokuma for this chapter.



: And with this we've actually found all 30 Hidden Monokumas in the whole game! I don't know what it actually does ingame but it does unlock an achievement named "I Should Start a Circus".



: As for why we're here, there's a Tablet PC on the table.



This...looks like a tablet computer. It looks like the power is on, too.

: ...Is this the next clue?

I picked up the tablet and immediately started examining it.







: Neo World Program...?

This word, "Neo World"... I seem to recall hearing it and seeing it a few times already.



The Neo World Program has another name: Psychotheraputic Communication Simulator.

The New World Program is build with the most recent psychotherapy technology and administrative software. To develop the Neo World Program, individuals such as the Ultimate Programmer, the Ultimate Neurologist, and the Ultimate Therapist were among the many talented people whose research results were utilized.

By mounting a device to the cranium, the Neo World Program allows its subjects to experience a 'Synthetic Virtual World'.



Additionally, the Neo World Program has another feature. It can replace memories formed in the real world with information contained in the synthetic virtual world. Therefore, it is possible to undo trauma sustained in the real world through the use of the virtual world.

However, this device is for psychotheraputic purposes only. Any other use is expressly forbidden. Though it is highly effective in treating brainwashing, abusing the device risks total personality destruction. Thus, extreme care must be exercised when operating this program.



Music fades out.

Slowly...everything around me turned back.

: Synthetic virtual world...?
: Program...?

A feeling of emptiness, like everything is being tainted.

A feeling of weakness, like the world is collapsing beneath my feet.

Everything is starting to feel meaningless...



The desperate attempts, the sad goodbyes, the conflicts, the trust I felt until now...



It's all disappearing until all I feel is...





...Despair.










: Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I screamed loudly, as if I was confirming the sound of my own voice.

There's no way I can accept this...

I...am starting to accept that...


: This...this... Th-There's no way...s-something as crazy as this...actually exists...!





: You gotta raise the flags more in order to clear my character route!
: Now then! Despair is waiting for you! *leaves*





: ...

Impossible...

This...is impossible...

It's all made up...

Everything...is all made up...


: Made up...?
: ...

Including...me, too?















: H3y, h0W R U d01n? dId U N-j0y ThE Ki11INg sk0oL tRip?



: bY tH3 wAy, d0 U guY$ RemEbR tHe spEEch I m@dE aT ThE BeGinnInG? fr0m tH1s p-1nT on, I pR0mIsE U a W0RLD tHat tRuLy deSeRVes 2 b caLld A GaMe...



: Pu-HU-Hu, U gAiz R tHe oNly 1s wATchInG tH1s wH0 can...$@ve tHem.



: thE eND 0f tH3 w0R1d iz nIgH! WhaTch@ goNNa do!? WhaT's g0nn@ haPPen!? IsN't 1t x-cIting? iSn'T iT hE@rT-THrobdInG? L00k f0Rw@rd 2 iT!



: Pu-H00-Hu-hU-Ho0-Hu-HoO-h0o-hU-HU!

BlazeEmblem
Jun 8, 2013

Uh oh. Do I use Ariadne thread or Goho-M?

FPzero posted:

The New World Program is build with the most recent psychotherapy technology and administrative software. To develop the Neo World Program, individuals such as the Ultimate Programmer, the Ultimate Neurologist, and the Ultimate Therapist were among the many talented people whose research results were utilized.

For the record, the Ultimate Programmer is Chihiro Fujisaki from the first game, the Ultimate Neurologist is Yasuke Matsuda from Dangan Ronpa Zero, and the Ultimate Therapist had not been revealed at the time of this game's release. It's possible that the three mentioned were different people with the same Ultimate titles, but it's unlikely.

Solitair
Feb 18, 2014

TODAY'S GONNA BE A GOOD MOTHERFUCKIN' DAY!!!

BlazeEmblem posted:

For the record, the Ultimate Programmer is Chihiro Fujisaki from the first game, the Ultimate Neurologist is Yasuke Matsuda from Dangan Ronpa Zero, and the Ultimate Therapist had not been revealed at the time of this game's release. It's possible that the three mentioned were different people with the same Ultimate titles, but it's unlikely.

Chihiro became more powerful than we could possibly imagine after Mondo struck him down.

timp
Sep 19, 2007

Everything is in my control
Lipstick Apathy
Okay, I'm gonna take a shot in the dark at some of this.

I'm guessing that the students in this game are the Remnants of Despair. They were currently really lovely and the Future Foundation wanted them dead, but Naegi, being all Ultimate Hope-like, decides to run them through this virtual simulation and prove to people that they could improve as people, thus instilling worldwide hope? But then Monokuma comes in and fucks everything up, and DR2 starts. Or was the killing game part of Naegi's plan?

Still a lot of things I don't understand, like how Nagito w/ Junko's hand plays into things, or who was on the boat with him, or all the portraits of the founder of Hope's Peak...

Stabbey_the_Clown
Sep 21, 2002

Are... are you quite sure you really want to say that?
Taco Defender

timp posted:

Okay, I'm gonna take a shot in the dark at some of this.

I'm guessing that the students in this game are the Remnants of Despair. They were currently really lovely and the Future Foundation wanted them dead, but Naegi, being all Ultimate Hope-like, decides to run them through this virtual simulation and prove to people that they could improve as people, thus instilling worldwide hope? But then Monokuma comes in and fucks everything up, and DR2 starts. Or was the killing game part of Naegi's plan?

Still a lot of things I don't understand, like how Nagito w/ Junko's hand plays into things, or who was on the boat with him, or all the portraits of the founder of Hope's Peak...

That sounds about right. I remember thinking back in oren's original LP, sometime in the second chapter that a great number of these students seemed to be lovely people or psychologically disturbed, and that was before Mikan got her memories back and revealed herself to be a nut. So this reveal doesn't surprise me very much.

Cuntellectual
Aug 6, 2010
While I can understand how "everything was fake" would be troubling, you'd think it'd have been less of a shock to Hinata in light of everything going on.

Deadmeat5150
Nov 21, 2005

OLD MAN YELLS AT CLAN

timp posted:

Okay, I'm gonna take a shot in the dark at some of this.

I'm guessing that the students in this game are the Remnants of Despair. They were currently really lovely and the Future Foundation wanted them dead, but Naegi, being all Ultimate Hope-like, decides to run them through this virtual simulation and prove to people that they could improve as people, thus instilling worldwide hope? But then Monokuma comes in and fucks everything up, and DR2 starts. Or was the killing game part of Naegi's plan?

Still a lot of things I don't understand, like how Nagito w/ Junko's hand plays into things, or who was on the boat with him, or all the portraits of the founder of Hope's Peak...

That's what I was just thinking myself. This was an attempt to 'rehabilitate' the Despair rear end in a top hat Club and then somehow Monokuma got involved and hosed everything up.

Unless... Monokuma is being controlled by Junko's hand! Evil Dead style!

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
I can't believe Psycho Mantis was the mastermind, you guys.

Solitair posted:

Chihiro became more powerful than we could possibly imagine after Mondo struck him down.

Chihiro was the best and deserved to live over at least two of the dumbasses that survived the first game. :argh:

He probably had to die just because his ability was too useful.

Rarity
Oct 21, 2010

~*4 LIFE*~
Did you guys know that this world isn't real? Everything we say here is actually just part of a web forum on the internet. We're all just a bunch of meaningless 1's and 0's :derp:

Talow
Dec 26, 2012


Hmm... I'll be honest, I suspect this group is mixed of both the survivors and the remnants instead of fully one or the other.

Insertnamehere31
Jan 23, 2012

This could be the most one-sided fight since 1973 when Ali faced an eighty-foot tall mechanical Joe Frazier. My memory isn't what it used to be, but I think the entire Earth was destroyed.

Talow posted:

Hmm... I'll be honest, I suspect this group is mixed of both the survivors and the remnants instead of fully one or the other.

I bet there's a twist that all the killers were actually part of the non despaired masses and the victims were all the despair remnants.

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Cuntellectual
Aug 6, 2010

Deadmeat5150 posted:

Unless... Monokuma is being controlled by Junko's hand! Evil Dead style!

And people thought the Metal Gear reference I made was a joke.

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