The zanpakuto of Kyoko Yukimura is a reclusive one, referred to by Kyoko as Iba-chan or just Iba.
She usually takes the form of a straight-bladed zanpakuto of middling length. When released into shikai form (Command: Ensnare), she becomes a double-sided shortblade with a handle almost as long as the blade itself. However, the blade itself is much, much denser than she was in standard form, resulting in an extremely heavy blade with significant piercing power. The handle itself is able to split in half, revealing a spool of thin, energy-conductive wire inside. Using spiritual power, the wielder can launch the blade outwards from the hilt, or recall said blade at high speeds, the force of which varies depending on the amount of spiritual energy channeled in.
In bankai form (Command: Midnight Cloak), the zanpakuto dissolves entirely, forming into a black cloak that covers the wielder, and allows them to manipulate shadows- drawing from the shadows cast on the ground and within the cloak itself to perform a variety of techniques, such as conjuring temporary blades, restraining individuals, and moving rapidly by shifting from one shadow to another.
The zanpakuto spirit itself takes the form of a young girl with a spider's head hiding herself with a cloak. It was only when Kyoko coaxed the girl to remove her cloak entirely that she was able to call upon her bankai.
Iba's growth in power parallels Kyoko's own growth as a person- moving from silent and unconfident to a woman who has come into her own, grown in power, and become confident in herself. She and Iba both are creative individuals who dislike needless violence and have a strong desire to be liked by those around them, especially other women.
Danganronpa Kirigiri - List of Detective Library members & their monster reps
In Danganronpa Kirigiri, the Triple Zero detectives of the Detective Library were based upon/referenced four types of monsters in fiction: ghost, werewolf, vampire and doppleganger. I always thought that was a pretty cool choice for Kitayama to go down and go to thinking what other types of monsters the other detectives would represent.
Which is basically what below is - a list of every named Detective Library member and monster would best fit them, in book order. As well as who represents the four monsters I mentioned above.
Main Duo:
Kyoko Kirigiri - Angel of Death (Now for Kyoko's monster I wanted something that best represents Kyoko's relation with Death and, ultimately her benevolent nature behind her stonefaced mask. So I chose her as the metaphorical Angel of Death - someone who brings about the end of those who have Fallen by uncovering the truth behind their misdeeds. Yet, in doing so, is also saving lives of those that were in danger because of the Fallen's actions. She also attends a religious school so it ties back well with those origins.
Yui Samidare - Powers (A type of angel in Christian theology and apart of the Middle Order of angels. Her whole thing is being a detective to protect others from evil and Powers are types of angels that hold the power to dispel or defeat evil. Also calls back to Yui being from a religious school. If I had to choose something else, I'd make Yui a guardian angel to match Kyoko being an angel of death. But, for reasons below, decided to forego it to complete another set )
DRK1:
Kou Inuzuka - Hellhound (Kou surname 'Inuzaka' contains the word for dog in Japanese, and Kou himself is an arsonist. Of the reps, I think this is one of the most fitting I've come up with)
Eigo Amino - Robot (Eigo is said to have zero presence or stands out, and he's a detective that poses as a businessman AKA a cog in a machine of office life. So I figured a robot was the best thing to compare him to)
Shiita Enbi - Zombie (Based upon the whole deal with him being dead all along, and also Tadashi's deal with having no legs, so kind of shambling about, reminds me of those types of zombies in horror games or shows)
Johnny Arp - Werewolf (From DRK Vol 6 - referred to heavily with wolfish traits or personality)
Gekka Ryuzoji - Vampire (From his design & titles; he's heavily based upon Count Dracula from the titular novel)
Rei Mikagami - Ghost (Comes from his epithet of 'Ghost in the Mirror' and his own ghostly ability to seemingly disappear from the scene with ease. Honorary mention goes to 'unicorn' given that's what his alias, Licorne, means in French).
DRK2:
Taehime Uozumi - Mermaid (Made her mermaid given her surname, Uozumi, is literally 'sleeping with the fishes'...and, okay, the pun with her fake profession was too tempting to pass up)
Suisei Nanamura - Father Time (Suisei is obsessed with time and managing it, so making him Father Time seemed pretty natural
Mikado Shinsen - Doppleganger (From his epithet, the Variationist, and skills as a master of disguise. Honorary mention goes to him being referred to as a Shinigami/Reaper by Chage and the connection he does have with the dead)
DRK 3
Hajiki Yaki - Devil (His DSC card is 666 which is considered a devilish number in Abrahamic religon, and his own thing is being a detective that goes against gambling - a type of deal with the devil?)
Salvador Yadorigi Fukuro - Gorgon (Okay, now, admittedly, this one is one of my weakest, but was inspired to call him a gorgon due to his own whole thing with his special eyes, and how he stunned Keisuke from DRK4 with the look of them. Stunning? Turning people to stone? A stretch? Kind of, but I still think it also kind of works so...)
Sachi Mizuiyama - Elf (Okay, beyond her getting an elf because she's short, was also inspried to give it to her based upon elves appearing young when they're actually older - something that's been pointed out about Sachi - and how elves/fairy-ish folk tend to have skewed moralities. Something that skewed me towards Sachi and her whole deal)
Korisu Kakitsubata - Succubus (Also one of my weakest, yet this one just feels so fitting. She dresses provocatively and acts seemingly benevolent, but that's hiding a malicious front to get away with claiming a soul. Plus, another case of her being related to fire and Succubi being from Hell - it just kind makes itself work out)
Suntetsu Shirasu - Underworld Gatekeeper (Chose this after a lot of internal debating, but decided this might be the most fitting? Like Gozu & Mezu or Cerberus, Suntetsu's actions decided who remains in the living and who has to remain in the afterlife. If there was a more fitting word for this type of monster, I'll gladly hear it out)
DRK4:
Tsukiyo Nada & Nazuna Toakitsu - Dominion & Virtue (Types of Angels in Christian theology and apart of the Middle Order set of angels with the Powers. Tsukiyo is Dominion given they govern celestial bodies & Tsukiyo's name refers to the night sky itself - ok that and her domineering personality. Naz is Virtue since one of its job is to bolster faith, and Naz is the most supportive of the duo in terms of helping out Yui to Salvador to Tsukiyo as well. Plus, they round out Yui being Power and also coming from a religious school)
DRK5:
Tatsutora Oboro - Bakaneko (Ok, the weakest one out of the lot, but also didn't really want to spend too much time on a minor guy like Oboro. As such, with part of his name, 'Tora', meaning tiger the idea that came to mind was a simple monster cat!)
DRK 6:
Motosuke Suzuyari - Yeti (He's in the icy mountains, described as being kind of wild looking. It writes itself)
Ayako Saiko - Witch (@drmedicsgamesurgery holds credit for the intiial placeholder as being a 'Mad Scientist'. However, mad scientists aren't technically monsters, I decided to swap it with the mad scientist of monster: a witch)
DRK 7:
Shiroko Yukimura - Yuki-onna (I got this based upon her part of her name 'Shiro' meaning white and the fact she appeared in a snowy setting)
Senshi Kadomi - Giant (Big guy with a knack for violence to get what he wants? Yeah, Senshi was pretty much hardlocked into being a giant from early on)
Kanji Yuhain - The 1st Horseman/Conquest/Pestilence/White Rider (I went with the 1st Horseman of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, after being inspired from Yuhain riding to Sirius on top of a white horse which symbolizes conquest or pestilence in the modern age. Both fit Yuhain as a guy who seeks to conquer the detective world as the King of Detectives and given his corrupt nature, he can very much be considered a pestilence.)
Apologies for the wait, but I figured to reward your patience (since it's not all done yet) I'd throw out a little sneak peek at the final chapter part. Altered so as not to spoil the story for future readers. If you haven't started, check it out on AO3 here.
~~~
~Unknown~
Karma laughs. “Well what do you know? You were wrong, Detective.” He laughs again.
One by one, their faces sink into despair, save for [Monokuma 2] who’s drooling like a mad dog.
“That was so beautiful…” They mumble.
Hm.
“The letter.” Kyoko demands. “Give it to me.” She raises her head in my direction, fire in her eyes.
I pull it out of my back pocket. “It’s yours. Naturally, I couldn’t leave it for you on the bed, but I think now’s appropriate.”
She marches over and snatches it out of my hand, opening it and reading with desperation.
“So… that’s it? We lost?” Kaede looks over at Yuuma who shrugs in response.
“Well, what’s fair is fair. It’s punishment time, is it not?” I turn to Karma.
“That’s right. A deal’s a deal.” He leans back on the rail and glances over at Kyoko.
Her head is angled down so I can’t see her face. “But you didn’t actually win.” She raises it, her eyes focused and intense. “Your mission failed.”
~~~
And here are the linearts for the non-spoiler pictures! I'm still coloring the Karma/Nagisa one, but I've been told by Deo that they look very professional, which makes me happy. ^^
I'd hate to give you a date and fall through again, so instead, I'll have it up as soon as possible. I'm just making sure it's exactly as I want it to be before I post. Love you guys! And see you in the finale soon!
Created a big tier list featuring every Red\Blue themed ship I could find :)
Only criteria was that they had to match the color scheme, if the characters were more orange/pink/purple/black I left them for another time. If I missed one of your favorites let me know and I can add them, I don't actually know all the pairings here personally, I just tried to include the major ones I've seen.
Ships featured (In order of appearance):
-Karma Akabane\Nagisa Shiota from Assassination Classroom
-Amber\Eula Lawrence from Genshin Impact
-Tokaku Azuma\Haru Ichinose from Riddle Story of Devil
-Kazuma Asogi\Ryuunosuke Naruhodo from The Great Ace Attorney
-Jeremey Here\Michael Mell from Be More Chill
-Violet (Vi)\Caitlyn Kiramman from Arcane
-Carmen Sandiego\Julia Argent from Carmen Sandiego
-Trevor Belmont\Sypha Belnades from Castlevania
-Cinnabar\Phosphophyllite from Land of the Lustrous
-Daisuke Niwa\Satoshi Hiwatari from DNAngel
-Edelgard von Hresvelg\Byleth Eisner from Fire Emblem Three Houses
-Ember Lumen\Wade Ripple from Elemental
-Fireboy\Watergirl from Fireboy and Watergirl
-Rin Matsuoka\Haruka Nanase from Free!
-Yunan Longclaw\Lady Olivia from Amphibia
-Erza Scarlet\Jellal Fernandes from Fairy Tail
-Soma Yukihara\Megumi Tadokoro from Food Wars!
-Ruby\Sapphire from Steven Universe
-Yoko Littner\Kamina from Gurren Lagann
-Veronica Sawyer\Heather Chandler from Heathers
-Haruka Amami\Chihaya Kisaragi from The iDOLM@ster
-Ryan Akagi\Min-Gi Park from Infinity Train
-Inosuke Hashibira\Tanjiro Kamado from Demon Slayer
-Ameri Azazel\Iruma Suzuki from Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun
-Jedediah\Octavius from Night at the Musuem
-John Egbert\Dave Strider from Homestuck
-Mikotoh Suoh\Reisi Munakata from K Project
-KAITO\MEIKO from VOCALOID
-Kaeya Alberich\Diluc Ragnvindr from Genshin Impact
-Misaki Yata\Saruhiko Fushimi from K Project
-Lance McClain\Keith Kogane from Voltron
-Kuroko Tetsuya\Kagami Taiga from Kuroko no Basket
-Korra\Asami Sato from Avatar: The Legend of Korra
-Sayaka Miki\Kyoko Sakura from Madoka Magica
-Chisato Nishikigi\Takina Inoue from Lycoris Recoil
-Kaguya Shinomiya\Miyuki Shirogane from Kaguya-Sama: Love is War
-Shiki Wakana\Mei Yoneme from Love Live! Superstar!!
-Megamind\Roxanne Ritchi from Megamind
-Melissa Foddebrat\Nine Forton from Beware of the Villainess!
-Arthur Pendragon\Merlin from Merlin
-Miguel\Tulio from The Road to El Dorado
-Rise Kujikawa\Naoto Shirogane from Persona 4
-Phoenix Wright\Miles Edgeworth from Ace Attorney
-Aqua Hoshino\Kana Arima from Oshi no Ko
-Archie\Maxie from Pokemon
-Ittoki Otoya\Ichinose Tokiya from Uta no Prince Sama
-Akane Tendo\Ranma Saotome from Ranma 1/2
-Asuka Soryuu\Rei Ayanami from Evangelion
-Langa Hasegawa\Reki Kyan from Sk8 the Infinity
-Jesse\James from Pokemon
-Ryuko Matoi\Mako Mankanshoku from Kill la Kill
-Mugen\Jin from Samurai Champloo
-Yukimura Sanda\Date Masamune from Sengoku Basara
-Kate\Emilico from Shadows House
-Sherlock Holmes\William Moriarty from Moriarty the Patriot
-Garrus Vakarian\Commander Shepard from Mass Effect
-Sidon\Link from The Ledgend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild
-BLU Soldier\RED Demoman from Team Fortress
-Sonic\Shadow from Sonic the Hesgehog
-Sora\Riku from Kingdom Hearts
-Karen Aijo\Hikari Kagura from Revue Starlight
-Steve Rogers\Tony Stark from the Marvel Cinematic Universe
-Sharkboy\Lavagirl from Sharkboy and Lavagirl
-Felix Fraldarius\Sylvain Gautier from Fire Emblem: Three Houses
-Red\Blue from This is How You Lose the Time War
-Ryuuji Takasu\Taiga Aisaka from Toradora!
-Wei Wuxian\Lan Wangji from Mo Dao Zu Shi
-Yona\Son Hak from Yona of the Red Dawn
-Zagreus\Megaera from Hades
-Zuko\Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender
This was fun, might do some more lists like this - I'm thinking White/Black, Pink/Blue, Orange/Black, or Green/Red for next time.
I have been massively dropping the ball on posting ANYTHING to tumblr about game dev progress - or any social media publicly, tbh - I am currently "rebranding" the IG dedicated to the game for when I have the energy to maintain it, which is unfortunately not right now. Lol.
So...since all of this has been revealed to backers already months ago, I feel comfortable sharing here. These are some sprites that have been FULLY finished* in the past year, along with a short blurb about the character shown. ^^ Apologies in advance that some of these images aren't formatted or watermarked in the same way as others.
Takuto Hirashima is a possible love interest for Mikuru, one of the twin protagonists. They both share an interest in the occult and horror movies. Takuto frequently goes on excited tangents about his interests, and has a photographic memory, so he tends to have a lot of information to spill. He has pretty severe carpal tunnel from being an active gamer.
Noah Reid is a potential love interest for Mikuru, as well. He is a Canadian model based out of Tokyo at the moment, the reason he is in Hokkaido at the time of the game is unclear. He likes to think he's very good at keeping himself shrouded in mystery. He was surviving on his own for several weeks after the outbreak.
Hanako Akechi is a possible love interest for Toshiro, the other twin protagonist. She has a pretty reserved personality, but when she finally reaches her boiling point, you'll wish she hadn't. She doesn't seem to have many hobbies and really keeps to herself. While she used to be a childhood friend of the twins, things soured, and they mostly lost contact. In hopes of patching things up, she managed to follow them to their attended university. It was not well-received.
Kiriko Yukimura is a possible love interest for both Mikuru and Toshiro (not at the same time...), depending on routes chosen. She is Arisa's closest friend, if not her only friend, and they've been bonded since childhood. Kiriko discovered gyaru style growing up, and decided it was a perfect aesthetic for her to build on to. She loves pastels and all things "girly," and at first it made her feel better to have a darker skintone when wearing a fashion known for intense tans in a country intolerant of mixed-race kids. Eventually, she felt really comfortable in her skin, and that shines through in her warm personality.
Kyoko Koyama is Arisa's older sister by 8 years. She is recently widowed. It's incredibly hard to read her real feelings through her expression, as she's very good at masking her real emotions, a skill learned from having to raise Arisa mostly alone. She loves Kiriko like family, and is desperate to mend the strained relationship she now has with Arisa as they both became adults.
A part-2 kickstarter to raise more funds for programming, the remaining art balance, and potentially even help with writing (I have a lot of health issues going on, have to do more conventions now than ever in order to afford rent, and I need hip surgery that I can't yet afford or make time for), and more...will launch early 2024. Please keep an eye on this page for updates!
*the sprites done first in order to be included in the demo are not actually finished, they're about halfway done. Each main character has 2 normal poses + 1 "fight" pose, multiple outfits, etc. In order for them to be done in time for demo publication, they just have 1-2 poses and 1 outfit each. Sprite artist is Sasamekuh!
Full Name: Kyoko Yukimura
FC: Alice, from the Ancient Magus Bride
Occupation: Head of the Maggot's Nest
Rank: 3rd Seat of the 2nd Division
Gender: Trans Female
Hair Color: Blonde
Eye Color: Blue
Race: Shinigami
Height: 6'1"
Age: 176
Zanpakuto: Shinya U-Iba
Background:
Awakening in the Rukongai after what felt like a dream, a young Kyoko did not have a name until she was invited to work for room and board by a family generous enough to give her their surname, as well as the name Kyoko. Years later, she witnessed a shinigami striking down a hollow in town, and she immediately knew that if she wanted respect, and a place to be, that's what she had to do.
She made her way to the Academy, spending quite a few years there and learning what she could. Her zanpakuto is shy, though she managed to befriend her during the quiet nights in the barracks of the academy. Upon her graduation, she immediately joined the fourth division, seeking to be kind in this world that she had seen so much difficulty in already.
After being deployed multiple times, however, her comrades were getting hurt on a regular basis, Kyoko being forced to stay back to protect herself, as she was the dedicated medic. Even as her concerned grew, her admiration for Captain Unohana only continued to grow. In fact, she grew her hair out and tied it in a similar way.
Despite that, however, she determined that she could no longer watch her comrades face enemies on their own while she remained in the back line, and due to her proficiency with brewing up poisons, she was transferred to the second division. Her introduction to the division was brutal, but she found herself suited to the work.
She continued to excel, joining the execution corps, working her way up the ranks, and eventually becoming a seated officer- the sixth seat, in fact. By the time that her captain clashed with Yoruichi Shihoin, she was quite confident in her hand-to-hand combat abilities... until the Goddess of Flash lived up to her name. In an instant, Kyoko and all of her comrades were dispatched, Kyoko herself sustaining a broken arm and several broken ribs. However, through the pain, a new admiration bloomed.
After she'd recovered, she immediately threw herself into training her hakuda and shunpo techniques, admittedly neglecting her zanpakuto training, despite having worked together to unlock her shikai. She also made sure to avoid any promotion, as achieving a seat higher than the one she was at would require that she head a squad, and especially after the incident with Yoruichi, who she had been researching in the meantime.
Things really were shaken up at the end of the Thousand Year Blood War. During the initial attack, she caught a quincy arrow to the side of her head, thankfully just barely missing any vital spots, but leaving her with a nasty scar that she began to grow her hair out to hide. During this time, she also focused on further refining her connection with her zanpakuto, eventually achieving her bankai, as she expected the quincy to not expect such a display from any who were not of captain rank. With these tools, she managed to survive the quincy attacks on soul society, though only barely.
In the aftermath, she was promoted despite herself- she's now the warden of the Maggot's Nest, and though she greatly misses being able to go out on normal deployments, she doesn't mind the work. It even plays into her strengths- her empathy and proficiency for hakuda made her a natural choice for the position.
She no longer throws herself into her work with reckless abandon, but she continues to perform whatever tasks she's assigned with little to no issue, and makes sure to get outside during her breaks. After all, just because she's cooped up now doesn't mean she's not going to relax on rooftops and in trees anymore.
With only five students left, Kyoko is starting to get an idea of what the third year trials might be for. But is she right? And does it justify the deaths of her other classmates? Despite this, there still might be more murders to come, but Kyoko has hope that there's a light at the end of this dark and twisted tunnel. The problem is Karma. And the question is how much he's willing to do to keep this game going. Or will having Junko revealed change all that?
Note: Knowledge of the Assassination Classroom and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni fandoms not required to enjoy the fic.
Updates: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday for almost two weeks
Words: 3004, Chapters: 1/5, Language: English
Series: Part 5 of Students of Despair
Fandoms: Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Assassination Classroom, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni | Higurashi When They Cry
Additional Tags: Murder, Murder Mystery, Mystery, Death, Blood and Violence, Dark, Twisted, Angst, Despair, Alternate Universe, Feelings, Revenge, Cruelty, Mutation, Experimentation, Mentions of Suicide, pretty much anything in the game applies here
Lady Yodo-Dono gives Sanada Yukimura her final command to bring her daughter in law, Lady Senhime out to safety as she prepares to defend the Castle with her son, Toyotomi Hideyori, till their death.