the mastermind meme

[monomods]

 

You asked for it, we're finally giving it to you! Say hello to the mastermind meme!

What does this mean exactly? It means your character is the one responsible for everything! They've been controlling Monobear from the shadows (or maybe they have an assistant to help them, possibly even one of your classmates!), they've been putting forth the motives, running the trials, all of it! And now they've finally chosen to reveal themselves and their true motives.

What are their motives? Why do they want to spread despair? Are they somehow connected to the late Junko Enoshima? And most importantly what is their snazzy Monobear-themed look like? You decide!

Threading reactions is highly encouraged and feel free to AU things up to mix up our current survivor pool as much as you'd like.

Comments

[sadisticwarfare]

"Why can't we remain on the island? We can't do anything to get home and there's no chance of us escaping given the ocean, so let us remain here." He'd really rather not remain here, but his priority is living. He can work out what to do after he has that secured.

[holocast]

"Perhaps I'll allow it - but tell me, how long do you think you'll last, once I've abandoned your game? Surely you don't think all your provisions - food, supplies, medicine...surely you don't think those all just magically appeared? What do you plan to do once no one is here to provide for you?"

[sadisticwarfare]

Archer is silent for a moment, trying to come up with something to say in response. His initial thought is to make a case for his own life, but if anything, that will probably only anger Lysandre. It would certainly prove his point, that they're awful people who don't deserve to be saved. He could try to argue for the rest of them, but Lysandre likely wouldn't believe him (for good reason, of course).

"...We'll cross that bridge when we get there." It's not an answer and he knows it.

[holocast]

"Showing determination like that, even now?"

He actually isn't mocking; rather, it sounds quite like he approves. "Your conviction is admirable, at least. I'll grant all of you that much - you've been an interesting lot."

[sadisticwarfare]

"If you expect me to give up, you have another thing coming." He never gives up, no matter how dire the situation. Admittedly he usually tries to side with people who won't put him in such a dire situation to begin with, but he doubts there's any way to get on Lysandre's good side at this point.

[holocast]

"I've known several like you, you know - with enough determination and the will to refuse to give up, even in the face of their inevitable demise. It never ended any better for them than it did the ones who simply lay down and died."

He offers a bit of a flippant gesture, however. "Your subordinate was one of them, by the way; I believe he was still alive when I left that lot, though obviously I've no idea how he's doing now. Most likely dead; that was a while ago."

[sadisticwarfare]

Archer clenches his hands and releases them a few times, trying to work the tension out so he doesn't do anything stupid. Attacking Lysandre would only result in his death, he knows that. There's the lion and the... serpent-thing to consider. Attacking Lysandre is pointless.

Still, the words sting in ways Archer wasn't expecting - he couldn't care less if Kimbley died in battle, but like this? This hurts for some reason - but he's not going to act rashly.

"That doesn't matter. You've severely underestimated us. We'll find a way to survive here." He doesn't believe that for a second, but he isn't going to show weakness now.

[holocast]

"Oh, I'm sure you will - there are ways to do it, after all. If you're resourceful enough."

He takes note of what Archer is doing with his hands, however; after all, Lysandre has a similar habit. "I seem to recall you saying that you don't have any loved ones to return to, Colonel; I suppose that's fortunate in the end, isn't it? Having nothing to return to means that no one will miss you."

[sadisticwarfare]

That doesn't hurt half as much as what Lysandre said about Kimbley, but perhaps that's because Archer's always known that. When he dies, no one will miss him. "Are you trying to rile me up? You'll have to do better than that."

[holocast]

"Simply stating fact, mon cher - after all, I suspect you already knew that, didn't you?"

He shakes his head a bit. "I doubt you really want me to try riling you up, besides - how much do you want to test me?"

[sadisticwarfare]

"I have no interest in testing you. I'd rather not die." Archer returns to resting his hands on the podium, never once looking away from Lysandre. "Why are you doing this? What's the point in taunting me like this?"

[holocast]

"Honestly? I wanted to see if you're capable of feeling anything at all, outside of anger and paranoia."

Well, at the very least it seems Lysandre's usual attention to subtlety and social grace is still perfectly intact...

"Your subordinate behaved quite strangely for a war criminal who revels in the carnage he causes, you know - would you believe that he actually refused to play?"

[sadisticwarfare]

Ugh, rude. Just because he doesn't usually feel anything outside of those two doesn't mean he's incapable of feeling anything else!

That statement about Kimbley is both incredibly surprising and... really not surprising at all, actually. "He didn't want to play because it wouldn't be fun, is that it?" Archer fights the urge to smirk at that. Of course Kimbley would find a game like this to be no fun whatsoever; he wouldn't want to kill someone for someone else's amusement.

[holocast]

"That was it, yes - although he was surprisingly passionate about wanting to see me defeated, by the end."

He pauses for a moment, his gaze flicking down toward Archer's insignia. "A bit young for Lieutenant Colonel, though, isn't he? Even with your help - because of course, he did tell me about that."

[sadisticwarfare]

"Leave him out of this."

That's surprising vehement. He wasn't expecting to be as bothered by Lysandre's words as he is, but for some reason it really bothers him.

[holocast]

"Why should I? He seemed quite fond of you. Really, it seems a bit cold that you never mentioned him to me, given how much he was willing to tell me about you."

[sadisticwarfare]

Don't rise to the bait, don't rise to the bait--

"What did he tell you about me?"

Dammit.

[holocast]

"You recruited him by pointing a gun in his face and telling him that you could reinstate him to the military. You got him a promotion to Lieutenant Colonel even though he wasn't expecting you to. You've achieved your rank even though you aren't an alchemist, through sheer hard work and determination. Even if that's not how he would have done it, he supposes that might have been worth some respect. You like strawberries - he regaled me with that pointless little fact once, though I've no idea why.

"He also rather hated being locked up, you know. His game took place in a large series of bunkers underground; I wonder how he's doing, after not being able to see the sun for so long?"

[sadisticwarfare]

Archer flinches at that. Kimbley must have trusted Lysandre a good deal to tell him so much. Or maybe he just liked to talk. Either way, he said more about Archer than Archer had said about him. That almost makes him feel bad. Almost.

"He's fine." The words are hollow and Archer doesn't believe them at all. "And even if he isn't at least he didn't participate in your game."

[holocast]

...Honestly, it was probably the latter; from what he recalls, the poor goddamn idiot didn't stop yattering the entire time Lysandre was in the game.

"Really, if I didn't know any better I'd say that was an attempt at taking the moral high ground just now. I suspect you're just being contrary, though."

[sadisticwarfare]

"...Were you really expecting anything else from me?" At least he's self-aware enough to comment on it?

[holocast]

"Not at all." He just smirks a bit at that. "After all, that sort of behavior is why you're here."

[sadisticwarfare]

"Of course." Ugh. Great.

"Do you intend to keep playing these games until you've saved everyone?"

[holocast]

"Or destroyed them in the process. At this point, I can't say that the outcome matters very much."

[sadisticwarfare]

"I thought that would be important to you." Or has this warped Lysandre far beyond what Archer has thought?