A bundle of pale red hair was grabbed and pulled to form a loose ponytail, allowing the elf-like girl to look the least bit formal. The skinny and pale girl looked at herself in the mirror, making sure there were no blacks underneath her droopy dark brown eyes. She adjusted the collar around her neck, loosening the black tie she was wearing on her dress suit quietly.
Mm… is this good enough? The redhead worriedly looked at herself in the mirror. She reached over to the table and took her fake gold earrings, clipping it on her elf-like ears. … I think it fits? Does gold fit? Will they know it's fake?
She wasn't sure, eyes batting and looking from left and right. She quickly checked the clock, finding that she was an hour away from her interview. A soft sigh escaped her lips and she rushed over outside of her door, closing it behind her and making her way through the dim-lit wooden hallway. Her large feet made the floor creak, but that didn't matter to her as she strode her way to the hybrid dining hall-kitchen, finding her parents with her younger siblings.
"Azra, look!" The youngest of the three shoved food into his mouth, puffing his cheeks up at his sister who gagged upon sight, telling him to gulp down the food.
"Yo, Harin!" The older of the three siblings ran over to her, grinning widely. He was throwing his arms around the older girl, a giggle escaping his lips. "Are you gonna play soccer with us later? I need to beat Altan and impress Ms. Belgin!"
"She's not going to give you a 100 for being good at PE," their mother mused, a small smile on her face. She was sipping into her warm black tea. "Harin, did you eat yet? You should at least heat up some leftovers before going."
"I'm going to eat with Koray after the interview," the redhead admitted, blushing slightly at the mention of her childhood friend (or primarily, her crush). "He wants to take me out to this restaurant for a celebratory party kind of thing… yeah."
"Pfft, he's that confident you'll take the role of Ultimate Calligrapher?" Harin's father heaved a snort, rolling his eyes in a playful manner. "He really likes you, huh?"
Harin's face immediately turned red, almost a deeper shade than her own hair color. "D-Dad!"
"Does that mean you're going to go now?" Harin's mother stood up from her spot, walking over to her daughter and brushing her hand through her locks of hair. "By yourself? You need to be careful. There's been lots of protests going on around here."
Harin shook her head. "Ah, no, don't worry, Koray's going to pick me u-"
Honk honk!
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarin!"
Speak of the devil. Harin's face turned red even further and she quickly walked over to the door, putting on her black flats. She quickly waved to her family who waved back at her before she opened the door, eyes dilated as she stared straight at Koray who was in front of the street, blocking the way from any upcoming vehicles with his wide, goofy smile shining straight at her.
"You ready?" Koray tossed a helmet at the redhead's face, his lavender-colored eyes sparkling even through his sunglasses. "Ready to become the Ultimate Calligrapher?"
"K-Koray, not so loud." Harin easily buckled the helmet over her head, walking over to sit behind the muscular boy. Her heart fluttered as she threw her arms around his chest, feeling how firm he was. "... I-I don't even know how well I scored in the calligraphy exam, if not even the entrance exam to get into Hope's-"
"Yadda yadda yadda, c'mon! You're a smart cookie." Koray rammed his foot into the pedal, immediately driving him and Harin through the street. "You've been wanting to be an Ultimate your entire life, right? You're always such a worrywart, Rin!"
Well, that's because you said it'd be cool. Not that the redhead would admit it, her ears heating up on the singular thought that was now echoing in her head. She felt the wind blowing her hair, her breaths slightly heavy. "... How's your dad coming along, uh, Koray?"
"Hmm? Nothing special. He's not even gonna worry about shit." The muscular boy heaved a short laugh, coming to a stop sign. He stopped for a second before continuing, turning to the next street. "Y'know, after you become the Ultimate Calligrapher, we ain't gonna be together anymore, huh?"
"... Y-yeah." The soon-to-be Ultimate shuddered at that thought, features showing nothing more than a conflicted mix between disappointment and anxiety. "W-we can still call each other though."
"True! Yah, you're so smart!"
And despite Koray's booming laughter through the street, Harin felt nothing more than a mixture of emotions inside of her body. Not that it would've stopped her though, for the difference between her promise to herself and Koray to what was said now didn't matter.
She already took all the exams needed for evaluation. She already documented herself and sent copies to Japan, getting approval for residence if she were to be accepted as an Ultimate. She already studied from the moment she was born and learned of her ability to capture the audience's attention with a stroke of the calligraphy brush, learning Japanese ever since she was a toddler. She made sure to stay on top of everything, staying in the 90s for all her studies, even with her most despised subjects such as PE, English, and just life in general.
If not for her own skill, then it would have to be Koray and her family who was supporting her. For being such a tall girl in a country such as Turkey, she was an anomaly. Bullied for her height and mocked by those in her school, the person who helped her gain the confidence to move on was Koray, the only child to a corrupt, yet influential politician in the country. Even when people were too scared to talk to him, he still went out of his way to talk to everybody, even to Harin who ended up becoming close, and eventually led to her infatuation with the stupid, yet lovable boy.
So, when she was at her interview, she did her best to answer the interviewers' questions.
Why was she qualified to be the Ultimate Calligrapher? Because throughout her entire life, calligraphy was one of the only things that kept her going. She made a promise to her family, to Koray, that she'd be strong and exceed their expectations of her as a hardworking individual. Even if she was shy, she was determined to run, sky high.
What could she do as the Ultimate Calligrapher? She would connect people to not only her art, but to the beauty of the pen and to nature. Calligraphy allows her to express herself, and it touches upon the hearts of the audience. It's not for monetary gain in her eyes, but to engage those who have a soft spot for her art.
What makes her better than the other candidates universally? While she may not have the strongest or best background than the others' sob stories, she has a heart and a passion for calligraphy.
… And if she was to become the Ultimate Calligrapher, she would gain the confidence to finally confess to Koray, the only person who's stuck through her, thick and thin.
…
…
["Congratulations, Harin Aylin!
Hope's Peak has made the decision, after weeks of pooling and profiling each candidate, that you will be named the Ultimate Calligrapher! We believe you have the most potential to influence this world and interact well with like-minded peers such as yourself in our environment. You will be granted a plane trip to Japan and lodging without pay, and we will expect you at your home for a ride to the airplane on March 30 at roughly 06:00.
Here is what to bring and what to expect:
1. Personal and hygienic belongings such as shampoo, toothbrushes, photos, etc.
2. Clothing, for all seasons. Packages of clothing can be delivered at the expense of Hope's Peak if requested.
3. Food will be provided at Hope's Peak, provided by Japan's best chefs and from your peers who specialize in dining.
4. Trips provided by Hope's Peak will be free and are catered to stimulate the students' minds and help them bond with one another.
5. Safety will be a primary concern, especially in this wavering environment. Any signs of rebellion, rumors being brought up that concern the political environment of this situation at the moment, etc. will be monitored closely.
With these in mind, we hope you have a good day and we hope to see you at Hope's Peak Academy soon!"]
Hello, and this may or may not come as a surprise to you! I am going to start another Danganronpa SYOC! Call me crazy, but I have been thinking about this for a while now, and I believe since I am nearing the end of my second DR SYOC Act of Despair and I work best jumping from story to story (I get distracted very easily), I believe it is a great idea to put this story and The Pitiful Plague Called Ignorance back to back, just like I did for Disparity and AoD!
Information wise, this story will not be indirectly or directly related to the other three stories. This story is a stand-alone and an opener to the next batch of SYOCs I am planning to make. This story is not planned to be Mature, but it will cover topics that can be considered sensitive such as civil unrest and conflicts between countries, for example, though those topics will only relate to the story, so it is not going to correlate to the real world.
If you have any more questions feel free to ask! I am more than willing to answer your questions to the best of my abilities! I am most active in Discord, but I am always checking my inbox so I'll get to your DM within a timely manner, I hope!
Another important thing to note is that the theme of the story will be GENUINITY VS. FAKENESS. Another few themes that may be explored will be nature vs. technology, and past vs. present vs. future.
NOTES:
1. The DEADLINE of this story will be on December 31, 2020. In comparison to TPPCI, I will NOT be accepting applications early in order to give everybody a fair chance, early or not.
2. The story will take place in Japan and will center around Hope's Peak Academy. However, in contrast to the canon games, people from all over the world can be scouted and are tested to become their respective Ultimate (that means there are people who all equally have the potential to be, for example, an Ultimate Detective, but they are tested and the top highest ranked potential applicant will be given the title).
3. You can submit canon talents or talents that came from my previous Danganronpa SYOCs!
4. I do not mind if you submit characters that were from stories that are not in-progress for a long time and/or dead. Characters that have been rejected are also acceptable here! Please do inform me on which story your character had been from before if you submit in a character from an inactive story.
5. While this story does take place in Japan, it is obviously not going to be required that most or all the characters will be Japanese! The only thing you have to note is that the characters will have to know English and Japanese in order to even take the test to make it into Hope's Peak. There will be programs in schools all over the world which will teach Japanese solely because of how influential Hope's Peak is to them.
6. You can submit as many characters as you would like! But I will most likely only be accepting one unless it is absolutely necessary to accept two or more.
7. Please do title the form [Etch it Into my Heart - OC NAME, TALENT] when submitting in an OC through PMs! Thank you!
SUBMITTED GENDERS:
Girls - 14
Boys - 18
Non-Binary - 0
SUBMITTED TALENTS:
X1 Tarock Player
X1 Catfish
X1 Criminologist
X1 Soldier
X1 Voice Actress
X1 Race Car Driver
X1 Dancer
X1 Vexillologist
X1 Cage Fighter
X1 Samurai
X1 Lifeguard
X1 Karate Practitioner
X1 Mafioso
X1 Broker Dealer
X1 Tourist
X1 Calendar Maker
X1 Alchemist
X1 Tactician
X1 Jinx
X1 Prankster
X1 Game Streamer
X1 Scam Artist
X1 Chess Player
X1 Personal Trainer
X1 Reserve Course Student
X1 Librarian
X1 Student
X1 Gambler
X1 Heiress
X1 Matchmaker
X1 Forger
CAST:
1. Harin Aylin, Ultimate Calligrapher (RioA)
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FORM:
Note: Anything with a '*' in front of it means that it is merely recommended, it isn't required to be filled.
-BASIC-
Name: (First, then last name.)
Age: (Around 13-18, though if you can go higher please explain why.)
Talent: (Self-explanatory. I do not mind talents which came from the original Danganronpa series, and feel free to go wild! … As long as it makes sense.)
Gender: (Male, female, or non-binary~)
Sexuality: (I'm open to anything here.)
Nationality: (It could be from anywhere, as long as it is a country. Just remember that if they come from another country they should be able to learn how to speak Japanese since every character will be speaking to each other in Japanese in this universe.)
Ethnicity: (Anything~ As long as it is from a country in the world.)
Birthday:
Height:
Weight:
-APPEARANCE-
Physical Appearance: (I do not mind a lot of details here. Please, I enjoy picturing what a character looks like! Are they muscular or skinny? Do they have round eyes or small eyes? Please tell me about your character here.)
Basic Clothing: (This is what your character will wear throughout the entire story. I don't mind a numerous amount of details here as long as your character isn't too over the top. Also, please make what the character wear appropriate.)
*Preference of Clothing: (What sort of clothing does your character tend to where? Do they like wearing dark clothing or light clothing? Do they enjoy wearing tight clothes, or do they despise it?)
-PERSONALITY-
Personality: (Self-explanatory! Please give your character some flaws and good traits! They shouldn't be perfect~)
*Mental/Physical Disorders:
*Diseases/Allergies:
Habits/Mannerisms: (Does your character have any quirks that makes them different from others? Do they tend to tap their chin or use their hands a lot when talking?)
Speech: (How does your character speak? Do they have a low or high voice? Do they speak slowly or not?)
*Quotes: (Just give me a few quotes so I can have a general idea of what your character sounds and/or talks like.)
Hobbies: (About at least three here~)
Likes: (At least three would be fine.)
Dislikes: (At least three would be fine.)
*Outlook on Life: (How does your character view life? Do they embrace life openly, or do they hold a more cynical view of life in general?)
*Outlook on Death: (In comparison, what does your character think about death? Is it natural or is it scary? What defines as 'death' in their eyes and what makes them appreciate it?)
People They Like:
People They Dislike:
*Close Friendship: (If your character were to ever get into a close relationship or become friends with someone, who do you think they'd be the closest to?)
*Romance: (Do they want to be in a romance? If so, who do they tend to fall for? Do they like long haired people or short haired people? In personality, do they go for more confident types of shy types?)
-HISTORY-
Backstory: (This should be the most detailed of the form. How did your character become who they are today? How did they become their Ultimate talent in the first person? How were they brought up?)
Family: (Please list your character's family members here. You do not need to give information about the character's family members, only their names and role to the character, though it would be appreciated.)
Friends: (If there any noteworthy friends that your character can hold to themselves dearly, list them here.)
Enemies: (If there is anyone whom your character finds themselves bitter towards, please list them here.)
*Reputation: (Is your character fairly popular or loathed? As an Ultimate, how popular are they?)
-DANGANRONPA-
Reaction to Killing Game:
Reaction to Body Discovery Announcement (Innocent/Guilty):
Reaction to Dead Body (Innocent/Guilty):
Role in Investigation (Innocent/Guilty):
Role in Trial (Innocent/Guilty):
Reaction When Accused (Innocent/Guilty):
Reaction to Execution (Innocent/Guilty):
In Execution (Innocent/Guilty):
Motive(s): (Please list at least two here so I can get a general idea of why your character would kill. Remember that anyone can kill, and this is Danganronpa.)
*Execution Idea: (An idea or two would be nice~)
*Free Time Event Ideas:
*Character Arc Ideas:
Justification for Survivor:
Justification for Murderer:
Justification for Victim:
Justification for Mastermind:
Preference?: (Do you prefer your character to be a survivor, murderer, victim, or mastermind? Quick note, if you do pick anything here just remember that I have the liberty of choosing what I deem fit in this story. Your choice will be considered, but not likely (especially for survivor).)
*Other: (Anything I might've missed? Do you want to throw criticism or say hi to me? Please tell me anything you feel like saying here.)