Deep Blue Sea (along with its sequels, Fortune Ravine and String Theory) are roleplays created by discord users Thomes and Asya on the Dabberwock Roleplay Network. The roleplays revolve around the killing game system from the Danganronpa franchise. Each roleplay starts with a core cast of characters that is cut down one by one, as there are motives and cases every week.
In Deep Blue Sea, twenty three people finds themselves on an unassuming cargo ship in the middle of the sea. While they wake up without their memories and even their names, they soon meet a crowd of spirits who both provide them their memories and introduce them to the killing game. Deep Blue Sea's motives and setup utilized many popular horror tropes, with each motive being based off of a specific horror game or series.
Deep Blue Sea is split into seven chapters.
In Fortune Ravine, the cast of twenty three wakes up chained together at the top of a canyon. When an unknown person runs and jumps off the side, they're all brought down into the body, seemingly unharmed. There, they find their new home: A bunker/mine in the canyon Fortune Ravine. This time, their kumas are two sentient flowers named Spatea and Myosotis, who use psychological-based motives to convince them to kill.
Fortune Ravine is split into seven chapters:
- The Canary's Cry
- Journey To The Centre Of Your Worth
- Chapters 3, 4 and 5 which have been lost.
- The Pet Rock
- The Villain
In String Theory, the cast members are kidnapped, then brought to an indescribable mishmash of times and places. This killing game is far different from the last two, however, as the mastermind reveals themself on the first day, offering them all a challenge: Kill and get away with it, and the mastermind will provide them with the ability to reshape the world as they know it. Kill the mastermind, however, and the game will end. But the mastermind isn't planning to make that easy, and possesses powers far beyond anything the cast has seen before.
String Theory is split into seven chapters and a prologue.
- The Calm Before
- The Storm
- Die, Cry, Hate
- Extra! Extra!
- Angelfish Loved By God
- Trying to Explain the Axiom
- The World Ends With You
- The World Begins With You
Due to the sheer number of spoilers, all spoilers revealed before the Fortune Ravine finale will be Unmarked.
These roleplays have the following tropes.
SHSL Heartthrob
A mysterious teenager who earns his heartthrob reputation by being a man of few words. Probably not actually Kizam}i Corpse Party. The chapter one killer, shooting Shuu before faking his own death.
Tropes:
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Being the first killer and a mod OC, no one gets time to interact with him. He did go on a murder spree during one of the motive's loops, which makes up for it...and really, who'd want to talk with him at all?
SHSL Curator
One of the creepier members of the cast, The Curious lives up to their name by attempting to record any story people will tell. Has a particular talent for not emoting beyond that - and if they do, no one's going to see it because of their mask. They do not speak, instead playing back portions of a tape recorder to communicate what they want to say. A chapter four victim; he's stabbed by Noah in perceived self defense.
Tropes:
- The Speechless: Uses recordings to speak because they can't do so themselves.
- Mouth Stitched Shut: There's a reason they never speak. Subverted after the chapter two trial.
Full name: William Carmichael Montgomery Junior
SHSL Scholar / SHSL Thief
A relatively stoic teenager who sets high store in academia and keeping to the beaten path. He shows little patience for magic and people not taking things seriously, which is unfortunate given certain cast members. Thinks he will one day grow up to be a lawyer. Occasionally references a boyfriend outside of the killing game named Noah, who definitely should not be confused with the Noah in the cast. A chapter five victim; Seong-ho shoots him after he tried to break into the former's room.
Tropes:
- Brainy Brunette: Has brown hair, and no scholar has any business being anything less.
SHSL Speed Dater
As his title suggests, Vadim is Deep Blue Sea's biggest flirt. He's also french, which works out for him. He earned his talent by being right at home in speed dating events...and by being a charming Pretty Boy. Has an emotional support dog named Seine. A survivor who chooses to stay in modern times with his boyfriend Jikken.
Tropes:
- Terrified of Germs: A confirmed mysophobe.
- Ignorance Is Bliss: Spends the entire first motive blissfully unaware that it's even happening, since his memories keep being erased and he spends his time flirting instead of getting in on the action.
SHSL Choir Boy
A standout at his church choir, Enoch is a truly remarkable goody two shoes. That's not to say he's stuck up, however. Enoch is as friendly and sociable as someone could possibly be in his situation, and is nice to a fault, as he can be a bit of a pushover in his attempts to be polite to everyone. He's a chapter five victim, being shot by Seong-ho after walking across the former killing Monty.
Tropes:
- Curtains Match the Window: Yellow hair and yellow eyes.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: A blonde with extreme Nice Guy tendencies (not in the creepy way).
SHSL ??? / Hitman
Kevin is cool, logical, and possesses no social skills whatsoever. He's not abrasive, but incredibly awkward even when he's helping people - which is often. While not entirely asocial, he's not exactly one to approach others, and avoids talking about his talent pointblank. A chapter four victim; he's shot by Noah after finding Noah disposing of The Curious' body.
Tropes:
- The Stoic: Drawing an emotional reaction from Kevin is an exercise in futlity...most of the time.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: During chapter four's secret motive, Kevin confesses to being raised as a hitman, but says that he's free now, and old enough to leave the life behind. He dies a few days later.
SHSL Intern
Noah is Deep Blue Sea's resident paranoiac. His hobbies are using his phone, creating paranoid conspiracy theories, and using his phone to record his suspicions of everyone around him. He hardly ever leaves his room as a result, and when he is in public places, Noah can be found huddling in the corner, keeping track of everyone who could pose a threat, preferably with a knife. He's the fourth killer, stabbing The Curious in a panic, then shooting Kevin when Kevin found him trying to dispose of the body.
Tropes:
- Phoneaholic Teenager: If anyone touches Noah's phone, he will pepperspray them. It's for the best.
- Properly Paranoid: Noah's paranoia is irrational and then some, but most of his theories were right. Yes, the entire cast was being followed 24/7. Yes, he was surrounded by psychos and murderers. Yes, the wisps' appearance was a reference to Lazarus. The only thing he got wrong was the mastermind's identity.
- Beware the Quiet Ones: Noah kept to himself and was a bit of a twig, so most people underestimated how unstable he really was. Then the fourth trial hit, where he was not only exposed for killing two people, but had a complete meltdown, threatening (and attempting) to shoot anyone who voted for him. It didn't end well.
- Psychological Projection: Noah expects people to always put themselves first, to hide double meanings in everything they say, and to always, always be ready to throw someone else under the bus. Funny that this is exactly how he acts himself. He even convinces himself that he was right to distrust the world during his trial, seeing that people were relieved to see the end...because a few seconds before, he had attempted to kill anyone who tried to vote for him.
SHSL Crisis Hotline Operator
Hazel is a caring woman, one who does everything she can to help people who are at risk find safety and peace. This is unfortunate, given the killing game and all. That said, she's depressed in her own right, and finds it difficult to take care of her own emotional and physical needs while helping others. She has an emotional support cat named Stubbles the Third. Hazel is one of the survivors, choosing to travel to the past to reunite with her family along with her girlfriend, Brittany.
Tropes:
- Curtains Match the Window:
- Kindhearted Cat Lover: Her best friend is a cat. She spends her time making sure that other people stay safe. What more is there to say?
SHSL Sorcerer
Per the title, Lazarus claims to be, well, a sorcerer with fire magic. While Lazarus is prone to dramatic showboating, he can actually shoot fire out of his hands, so there's that. He's prone to talking himself up, however, and tries to prove himself as a heroic leader despite his clear insecurities and dimwittedness. He is the chapter six culprit, killing Rian and Elaine by accident.
Tropes:
- Antiquated Linguistics: Combines this with making up his own words, like terribleak and awesomific.
- Inferiority Superiority Complex: Lazarus's habits include giving himself pep talks in the mirror, talking himself up for others, showing off to feel special, and having a crisis when he realizes that this isn't making his self esteem any better.
- Kill It with Fire: He did this to a zombie once.
SHSL Wrestler
Brittany is a social butterfly. While she's not the brightest, she has a big heart, and is a notable optimist. What you see is typically what you get with her, since she's just as upbeat as she looks. That said, she can err on the careless side from time to time, and can get little bumps and bruises because she just wasn't paying attention. Brittany is one of the survivors, choosing to return to the past with Hazel.
Tropes:
- Gentle Giant: Brittany may be above six feet tall, and she have had the strength to toss Miu like a football, but she wouldn't hurt a fly.
- Good Is Dumb: One of the nicest people in the cast, and a bit lacking in the brains department.
SHSL Witch
Befitting her title, Miu is a firm believer in the power of magic. claiming to specialize in potions. She's a bubbly person (no pun intended), and distinct extrovert. She also has a romantic streak, and the jury's still out on whether her love potions work, because every person who drank a love potion did get together with their ship partner. She was not only a survivor, but became Hope.
Tropes:
- Born Lucky: That's her secret. She's so lucky that she even Hopes because of it.
- Cuddle Bug: Miu's just an affectionate girl! Hugs are one more way to express that.
SHSL Pirate
In contrast to the stereotypes surrounding pirates, Xander is far from a boisterous man. In fact, he's quite serious and subdued. He's certainly a polite person, but still comes off as rather distant. Spacing off in the middle of conversations can have that effect, not to mention being a criminal. He's a chapter two victim, as he's killed by Brooklynn in a 'werewolf' rampage.
Tropes:
SHSL Performance Athlete
First things first, Nevicata is a classic Surfer Dude. He has surfer speak, a deep abidance to the bro code, and the sheer lack of common sense needed to wear skates 24/7 on a boat. He also possesses quite a temper along with a deep, seething hatred towards anything that he doesn't think makes sense. Let us all hope he never takes a good, long look at himself. Nevicata is the chapter three killer, shooting both Zithara and Zoicite in a so-called locked room murder.
Tropes:
- Surfer Dude: Of course. He has everything down except for living in California - he's Italian.
SHSL Fiddler
Zithara is a well-documented worrier. No matter what happens, she's constantly convinced that something will go wrong, and is skittish as a result. Due to this, Zitha is both secretive and lonely, without anyone she trusts enough to call a friend. She is a chapter three victim, shot by Nevicata in a washroom.
Tropes:
- Shrinking Violet: Zithara checks all the boxes: Painfully shy, scared of rejection, frequently apologetic, lack of self confidence...She even has the blue hair!
SHSL Virus Programmer
Anguira keeps to himself for the most part, but quickly proves himself to be strange, even eccentric once other people approach him. He's a bit of a flirt despite looking like a living watermelon, but has a difficult time keeping up conversations. He's better with technology than he is with people,but that's partially because he goes out of his way to get a rise out of people, for better or worse. Anguira is one of the survivors, and chooses to stay in modern times.
Tropes:
SHSL Gemologist
Shy but kind, Zoicite has a distinct selfless streak, placing others above themselves at all times. They show signs of not valuing themselves, although this isn't immediately obvious as they're not very talkative, being introverted and prone to spacing out. They are a chapter three victim, shot by Nevicata.
Tropes:
- Extreme Doormat: Zoicite's helpfulness comes at detriment to theirself, and they can be easily pushed around because of this.
SHSL Animal Rescuer
Jikken is an optimistic sweetheart, believing that everyone has good in them no matter what. While oblivious to standard social cues, not to mention how to read a room, Jikken does his best to be as friendly as possible. Being oblivious doesn't mean he's an idiot, however! He'll still run at the sign of danger. He's just hopelessly optimistic, and excited to hear about the world and everyone around him.
Tropes:
- Friend to All Living Things: But of course! Jikken has distinct similarities to a Disney princess, and this is one of them.
- Innocently Insensitive: It doesn't happen often, but Jikken can say hurtful things just because he didn't know any better.
SHSL Paparazzo
It's possible to be optimistic to a fault. It's also possible to pepper in 'Jeepers' and 'Good golly gosh'es into your speech until you sound like a cartoon character. Rian does both. He's an outspoken romantic, but not in a lovey way: He fully expects life to end up like a novel, and quotes This Very Wiki on the regular. He has absolutely no sense of self preservation to the point of taking the blame for other people's crimes, but doesn't die until the sixth chapter, where Lazarus kills him by mistake.
Tropes:
- Camera Fiend: Many of Rian's interactions involved him taking someone's picture, and he never lets his trusty camera leave his sight.
- Genre Savvy: Rian knows all the quickest ways to death flag, and tries to teach people how to avoid them.
- Wrong Genre Savvy: He expected no one to die in a centered around murder.
- Rich in Dollars, Poor in Sense: The son of two celebrities, but...the other bullets cover his lack of intelligence. This is someone who had a credit card number on his person to hand out just in case someone asked. And it happened, too!
- Too Dumb to Live: Really, Rian? You're going to pretend to be the first killer because you're convinced everyone won't really get executed, and you jump in front of a fire to stop it from hitting the Wisps, and you tell the cast you're the one who kidnapped them on the first day? It's amazing he lived to chapter six.
SHSL Data Analyst
Seong-ho is someone who's shy and subdued, but still appreciates the attention of anyone who talks to them. To quote their creator, they will attach to anyone who meets them once and "follow them like a rubber duckling.' While they'll never have the biggest personality in the room, they're very observant, and do their best in conversation despite their awkward demeanor. They are the chapter five killer, shooting first Monty in a panic after the latter tried to break into their room, then Enoch when Enoch discovered them with a literal smoking gun.
Tropes:
- I Just Want to Have Friends: They're a lonely kid. It's no wonder they cling to whoever talks to them.
SHSL Paranormal Investigator
Brooklynn combines the magic and social awkwardness by being a 'true believer' - in the paranormal, that is. She's constantly fixated on ghosts, ghouls, ghouls, werewolves...anything that's some kind of magic. She's prone to spacing out in the middle of conversations, but she follows social cues perfectly fine. It's just that she ignores them, and is firmly convinced that one day her theories will be proven true. Brooklynn is the chapter two killer; she mauls Xander and Cruz due to a ""werewolf"" induced rampage.
Tropes:
- Cloudcuckoolander: Brooklynn's mind is a mystery to many. She's somehow a standout example despite the other magic folks in the cast.
SHSL Marksman
Some people put up an array of walls, claiming that they do not care about anyone despite the truth being anything but. That's Cruz in a nutshell. While he can keep up a patient, collected air, Cruz actually wears several of his emotions on his sleeve whether he likes it or not. Cruz is rather quiet as a result, although he can socialize with others, and he can stand up for himself. He's just awkward, and doesn't always know how to handle other people. Cruz is a chapter two victim, and is mauled by Brooklynn Bridges.
Tropes:
SHSL Fighting Gamer
In a word, Elaine is cocky. In two words, she's cocky and confident. Given how she managed to get buff by imitating fighting game moves, that confidence is probably earned. She's a brash woman overall, but still manages to stay upbeat so long as no one triggers her temper. Similarly, she can be nice to others, but only helps out when she finds it fun despite her friendliness. Elaine dies as the chapter six victim, where Lazarus kills her by accident.
Tropes:
- Fiery Redhead: Do not make her angry unless you have magic on your side. You will regret is.
- I Know Mortal Kombat: Gained the power to beat someone to a pulp from imitating video games.
- Serial Killer: Killed eight people without plot influence, so she has the body count. She doesn't have much of an MO beyond beating someone to death with her barehands.
SHSL Surgeon
Shuu is quite the creepy dude. He's dull and unresponsive; when he does talk, it's usually something about his experiments, which is never reassuring. Curiously, he shares a name and design with someone from Hatoful Boyfriend. I'm sure it's nothing. He is the first victim of the first chapter. Kizami stabs him to death.
Tropes:
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Mod OCs have no purpose except as first victim fodder, and that's all he is. He does make an impact during the motive by A) Attempted murder in the name of experimentation, and B) Finding mold in the slimy library and eating it. It turned him into a zombie until the loop reset.
Antagonists (Massive Spoilers)
The spirits running the Deep Blue Sea killing game. They are actually illusions representing the victims of the DBS cast.
Tropes
The research team working for Rian. They're invisible, and each of them is assigned to tail a specific cast member. Sometimes, one of them will become visible for a motive or special event.
Tropes:
See Deep Blue Sea Fortune Ravine.Rian Burke
Powers: Perception and memory manipulation
Rian is a boy who grew up on story books. They did more to raise him than his own parents, and he based his entire world view around them. He's also a boy who, from a young age, convinced himself that he was destined to be a hero! This would give his life meaning, make him matter, and he adored helping people. So when he discovered the tale of a boy who rose up against a despicable regime, never giving up no matter what life threw at him, he became fixated. Rian became obsessed with the Tale of Lazarus even though no one left believed it, and dedicated his entire life to it. His fixation was so great that he came up with a plan: A plan to redeem the remnants who had been brainwashed by the Pond of Maelstrom.
His plan? A killing game. No one ever claimed he was smart.
Rian was convinced that if he were to provide them with a great, character-building challenge, they would rise up and overcome the challenges, being successfully rehabilitated. So he sought out the remnants of the ponds Maelstrom and Moonlight. The ponds had long dried by the time, so he ingested the mud that was left, gaining magic in the process. He gained the gift of illusions, allowing him to alter people's memories, and perception of any sense, but his illusions were not permanent, as the ponds were weakened.
Using this power and years' worth of research, Rian began setting up his killing game. He had rich parents, and was able to rent a cargo boat for the occasion. He recruited a research team to help him with the killing game. Everything was perfectly prepared, or so he thought.
Rian used his abilities to alter the memories of everyone in the cast, convincing them that they were modern folk while still maintaining the core of their lives. The only exception is Lazarus, who Rian idolized as the ultimate hero.
Rian may have had every physical need prepared, but he failed to consider that the remnants are only human. So deluded was he that Rian genuinely thought the killing game would kill nobody, even though the motives were torturous. Even when it became clear that the killing wouldn't stop, Rian continued the killing game, deluding himself time and time again into thinking that it had to be this way because this is how a story works.
Lazarus would eventually seal Rian away in a salt shaker - or tried to. Rian used his magic to escape while convincing Lazarus that he had been sealed away, planning to end the killing game once Lazarus' plan was revealed. Lazarus's clumsiness killed him, as he tripped on his own cape, breaking both shakers. Elaine was officially dead, and Lazarus was executed for her murder.
Finally realizing that the killing would never end, and that his memory charms were running out of time, Rian started the final week, bringing the killing game to an end. Now thoroughly convinced that he was a villain, Rian was executed at the end of Deep Blue Sea.
Tropes:
- Ambiguous Situation: Did he drink from Maelstrom or Moonlight? Lazarus certainly thinks it's the former, but Word of God says that there isn't a canon answer.
- Crying Wolf: Rian has a well documented history of claiming to commit crimes he had nothing to do with, even framing himself as the first murderer at the start. So when he claims to be the mastermind despite being a dorky kid, no one believes him.
- Ditzy Genius: Rian managed to take an obscure legend, then research it so heavily that he was not only able to discover the identities of everyone involved (barring Oliver, but his existence was covered up by someone with Mind Control), discover the location of two dried up ponds, and find where Lazarus sealed himself and the terrorists. He also implanted modern knowledge into everyone's heads, information which ranged from virus programming, to flame throwers, to French, and had to learn it himself first. Rian is also a confirmed idiot. To wit...Rian: This killing game won't kill people!
- Gone Horribly Right: Technically, Rian's belief that a killing game would redeem the cast/allow them to reject Maelstrom's influence was proven right...after weeks of murder and mental deterioration.
Lazarus Von Ziegler
Powers: Pyromancy, sealing someone's life essence into a physical object
An antagonist In Name Only.
Lazarus was born in 1435 as a somewhat ordinary peasant boy in an unnamed, fallen kingdom. His life was far from perfect, but he had a partner he refuses to call by name. But when he was a child, two magical ponds were discovered inside this kingdom. They were perfectly circular, and called the Pond of Moonlight and Pond of Maelstrom, respectively. The first granted limited power, but had no effects on one's mind. The second granted extreme magical power, but corrupted the minds of any who partook of it.
After the ponds' discovery, the royal family laid claim to the ponds, making it illegal for anyone else to access it. They each partook of Moonlight to gain magical power, but the Prince of this family was power hungry, and took a swan dive into the Pond of Maelstrom. Maelstrom granted the Prince Mind Control, and warped his mind into that of a tyrant's. With a power that could not be opposed, the Prince took control of the kingdom, ruining lives everywhere, including Lazarus's.
Lazarus was only a teenager when he hatched a plan: Sneak into the grounds where the Ponds were guarded, then steal magic for himself. He was determined to fight back against the Prince's regime, and needed magical power to do it. Not wanting to go it along, he brought his childhood friend and partner. Both of them succeeded at sneaking in and attaining magic, but their success was short lived. Guards caught them in the act. Lazarus' partner used their magic to escape, but Lazarus did not learn his powers so quickly, and was brought to court as a traitor. He was thrown in prison and set to be executed, kept in line by the Prince's mind control.
Just before he was set to be executed, the Prince brought Lazarus out of his cell, proposing a deal. Lazarus's old partner had visited the Pond of Maelstrom while Lazarus was in jail, and had gained power even the Prince couldn't match, with even more corruption to match. His partner had convinced twenty one individuals to join the ponds using manipulation, blackmail, even brute force if necessary, and created an army of magic users who then wrought terror on the land. The Prince tried the same thing himself, but nothing was working. Even Evil Has Standards, as the Prince couldn't run a kingdom if it were completely destroyed. So he turned to Lazarus, promising him power, a hero's status, and anything he could ever want so long as Lazarus could do one thing: Take his old partner down. Lazarus had considerable power that the Prince had kept in check, but more importantly, Lazarus had the knowledge about his old partner needed to track him down.
Lazarus still hated and feared the Prince, but his need to save others and be a hero outweighed his distrust, so he agreed. Lazarus was set free, and visited (with permission, this time) the Pond of Moonlight even though the Prince pressured him to use Maelstrom's magic. In doing so, he gained a second power: The ability to seal someone's life essence inside a physical object. The seal lasted either until someone broke the object that had been sealed, or until Lazarus died, and could not be broken with magic. This power was exactly what he needed, so he set off to seal away his partner and his partner's Remnants. He succeeded in the latter, but his old partner had become too powerful; Lazarus didn't stand a chance. In an act of desperation, he sealed himself too...
...And woke up in the year 2019.
The seals had gone untouched for centuries. Lazarus' tale had long been forgotten, and most considered it a myth - except for Rian Burke, mastermind of the Deep Blue Sea killing game. Rian had broken the seal, altering everyone's memories so that they believed they had always lived in modern times...except for Lazarus. Rian idolized Lazarus, and because Lazarus was the only cast member who hadn't been a terrorist, permitted him to keep his memories, albeit with added modern knowledge so that he wouldn't be completely up a creek. During the killing game, Lazarus was repeatedly targeted by motives and Rian's own actions, but finally comes up with a plan in the later weeks.
He is the chapter six killer. Lazarus successfully sealed away both Rian and Elaine in glass salt shakers that he carried around with him, hoping to end the killing game with this. Rian uses his magic to escape the sealing, fully expecting Lazarus' plan to succeed, but after the votes have been cast, Lazarus trips on his cape, breaking the salt shakers. The shakers are destroyed, thereby killing the people sealed inside of them instead of letting them free.
Due to time travel shenanigans, Lazarus appears during the Fortune Ravine finale...only for his partner to immediately kill him. Fortune Ravine's cast involved people helping run Deep Blue Sea's killing game being sent into the past directly after and because of the killing game's end. As such, killing Lazarus causes an irreparably time paradox, triggering the end of the world as we know it.
Tropes:
- Cassandra Truth: Tried to tell people that Rian was the mastermind. Multiple times. He only stopped because Rian grew so unstable that he thought being exposed would cause Rian to snap.Lazarus: Rian is our kidnapper! We can end this all if we all work together and go after him! He is the villain that is behind all of this!Elaine: I'm sorry, what? He seems like such a pure soul.
- Foil: He has two.
- Rian. They both tried to become heroes to give their lives meaning, but while Lazarus grew past this mindset when faced with innocents suffering, Rian deteriorated until he had a Heel Realization. This also shows in what they did to become heroes: Lazarus turned to the Pond of Moonlight, getting magic with no intentional cost (being imprisoned for treason was not part of the game plan). Rian believed that heroes can only be born from overcoming pain, and went out of his way to cause himself problems.
- Oliver, his ex-partner. They both grew up in abusive households where their parents encouraged them to lie and cheat in different ways, want to make those around them happy, vie for attention, have rock bottom self esteem, and went to the ponds two different times. Where Oliver kept up his parents' teachings even when he was no longer living with them, Lazarus refused to be like his own parents. While Lazarus coped by forcing himself to be special and a hero, Oliver became an amoral doormate who will do anything asked of him. Where Lazarus is dramatic, Oliver gained affection by making himself sick. Oliver is low empathy while Lazarus is too empathetic for his own good. This led to the ultimate divide - how they responded to the ponds. Oliver succumbed to temptation after Lazarus was locked up, returning to Maelstrom with the belief that it was everything he needed. Lazarus resisted this temptation. Where Oliver gained self-interest to the point of destruction, Lazarus used his powers to save those around him, and rejected the chance to work with Oliver when offered.
- Jumped at the Call: He was the one who decided to go to the ponds and fight the Prince.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Whenever he tries helping, he gets the short end of the stick. Gain powers to fight the Prince? Great, now you're a traitor, and you're going to be executed. Seal his partner's remnants away? Impressive, but his partner outclassed him by a long shot, so Lazarus had to seal himself away just to survive. Try to end Rian's killing game? Whoops! Now you're really going to be executed, and get to kill Elaine by accident. Even when he's dead, he doesn't get a break.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: After being wrongly imprisoned, splitting up with his ex-friend, waking up in the future, and being tortured for weeks, Lazarus's faith in Miu being rewarded is more than deserved.
SHSL Heir / SHSL Weapon
Elitsa is bold and brash, being a woman who won't hesitate when it comes to a fight. While she dislikes people forcing their opinions on her, she's extremely judgmental, and prone to insulting anyone who she disagrees with. She's secretly the SHSL Weapon, raised by a terrorist group to infiltrate Hope's Peak and kill as many people as possible before dying herself. Elitsa is the chapter four killer, murdering Felicity after forcing the girl to act out a PSA.
Tropes
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Someone sticks a mocking note to your head instead of punching you in the face? Yeah, let's destroy their hat. Oh, and she's quick to violence, too.
SHSL Carpenter
Wes errs on the stoic side, but is still kind. While he says little, this is because he's to the point, not because he's antisocial. Similarly, Wes does not hide his feelings, and can be very emotional when the time comes. He is a serious man, however. Wes is the chapter six killer; he kills Egill by bringing a gun to a fist fight, then Pyrope when she finds him tending his wounds.
Tropes
- Street Urchin: Wes was in a gang.
SHSL Cameraman
Satsuo is two things: Immature, and judgmental. He'll laugh about spray painting 'U suck' on the cavern walls, then panic over how unstable and supernatural his surroundings are a minute later. He typically records his pranking sessions and other people's actions on his camera. spoiler: He is the chapter two killer, murder Ivana.
Tropes
- Troll: Satsuo just is.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: What his murder plot boils down to: Protect everyone else by killing all the crackheads.
SHSL Radio Host
Blodwyn is powerful enough to be chill and chaotic at the same time. Very little actually gets under her skin, and she'll roll with just about anything with a wink and a finger gun. She still likes causing a little bit of drama here and there, but prefers to lean back and enjoy the chaos. Blodwyn survives.
Tropes:
- Affably Evil: From the String Theory cast's perspective. During an event when the cast is sent to capture her, she has a pleasant conversation with Mikhael about a wedding ring for Nikola.
- Badass Normal: Completely nonmagical in every way, although she still manages to put up a good fight against Oliver, the Jury and the String Theory cast.
- Bittersweet Ending: Blodwyn survives both killing games and lives happily in the new universe. Unfortunately, the rules of this universe mean she never gets her mansion, and she has to spend most of her time hiding from the sun.
- Duelling Player Characters: Ends up in both verbal and physical combat with the String Theory cast.
- Foil: Arguably, to Wes. Both are street urchins who get taken in by people with questionable morality whose backstories involve Laser-Guided Amnesia but where Blodwyn uses quirky randomness to cope, Wes goes considerably darker. Wes is also The Dragon of Fortune Ravine while Blodwyn survives.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Suffered this by The Conspiracy. Playing the first file on her recorder gives it back to her.
- Like Is, Like, a Comma: That's, like, how she speaks all the time and stuff, y'know?
- Morality Pet: Becomes this for Nikola. Upgrades into Official Couple.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Her job.
- Screw the Rules, I Have Supernatural Powers!: Attempts to invoke this on the laws of physics. She adopts this attitude when given the chance to remake the universe in her image. Blodwyn's world, 'The Forever Frontier' completely disregards the laws of physics. Fortunately for the world, she loses this chance to Hinata.
- Ship Tease: With Nikola. Upgrades into Official Couple and then Happily Married.
- The Team Normal: Along with Xiulan, Blodwyn is the only one in the survivors who doesn't have or isn't affected by magic in any way. Blodwyn is arguably more normal than Xiulan since she had encountered Hinata's magic.
SHSL Resin Charm Maker
Pyrope is a shy sweetheart. While she scares easily, and talking to others is difficult, Pyrope genuinely loves making friends, and will stick by you forever so long as you're nice to her. Crowds are difficult, but she trusts easily so long as her first impressions are kind. She is a chapter six victim; Wes kills her when she walks in on him tending wounds from a previous murder.
Tropes
- Adorkable: She's a nerd, and is extremely cute to boot. She even has a cat named Eridan and another named Harry Potter.
- Broken Ace: Has shades of this with her family. After Nikubo stopped with his artwork, Pyrope's father looked to her as the main artist of the family. This pressure to perform professionally in a skill that she preferred to keep as a hobby ends up causing Pyrope to hate her talent, but she remains a Stepford Smiler to make her fathers happy at the cost of her own joy.
- Fangirl: Of Homestuck and Harry Potter of course, to the point she named her own cats after them.
- Introverted Cat Person: She's exceptionally introverted, and loves her cats.
- Shrinking Violet: Is shy and scared of situations, and hates talking to people due to the bullying she faced in school. Bonus points for having a cool-aligned color scheme.
- I Just Want to Have Friends: Despite this, she still longs for companionship.
- Twice Shy: She and Felicity are both awkward about their feelings for each other. Eventually they become an Official Couple.
- The Cutie: Pyrope is baby.
- Kill the Cutie: Unfortunately for her...
SHSL Good Luck Gentleman
The title says it all - Oliver is a gentleman, or at least very polite. Nothing rattles him, and Oliver has the concerning ability to be polite, calm and collected no matter what inanities are happening. Being a gentleman, he is ready to help in all things despite being sickly...even murder, or other grievous crimes. He is a chapter three killer and victim; after poisoning Terpsichore, he is (literally) stabbed in the backby his partners in crime: Mikado and Tokiko. Oliver also builds the bomb that triggers Natalya's death.
Tropes
- Dissonant Serenity: The main reason he's so unsettling. Oliver handles any situation with dignity and grace, up to and including being held at knife point, being forced to reveal his deepest secrets, and accusing others of murder.
- Extreme Doormat: Why does he help Mikado murder several people? Because he asked.
SHSL Gambler
Xiulan is a dignified lady first and foremost. She carries herself with grace and poise, but this should not be mistaken for delicacy. While Xiulan is not the strongest physically, she is a proud risk taker, being willing to do almost anything so long as there's a bet involved. Xiulan survives Fortune Ravine.
Tropes
- Dissonant Serenity: Has shades of this during the course of the killing game. Xiulan starts out as exceptionally serene, almost enjoying the events of the killing game (in particular the ability to take risks beyond the norm). This is later subverted as the killing game progresses.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Xiulan is the first one to throw a rock at the amber wall, destroying the universe. It later turns out that the wall was so fragile, Xiulan destroyed the universe singlehandedly.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: She is serene, polite, refined, and contains an air of mystery/danger to her. In addition to her feminine looks, which makes her fit this general trope.
SHSL ??? / SHSL Presage
Quiet and grumpy are two words to describe Arif - although the latter might be because of who he's dealing with in Fortune Ravine. He rarely speaks, and due to that and his mask, is rather mysterious. Hailing from the isolated country Neición, Arif cares more about learning foreign customs and quirks than he does actually talking to people. That said, Arif is a complete pacifist who will never turn to violence despite his demeanor. He survives, but refuses to participate in the final trial, separating him from the rest of the survivors.
Tropes
- Gentle Giant: Arif is 6'7, but wouldn't harm a fly. (He'd just judge it heavily.)
- Heroic BSoD: Which eventually makes him skip out of the final trial.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Arif does this instead of participating in the final trial.
SHSL Forum Administrator
Yes, he's a talentswap of that Mikado Sannoji. Personality-wise, Mikado's seemingly carefree, but can't actually emote, relying on an electronic mask to do the work for him. He's both needy for attention and immature bully, so you should absolutely expect him to mock you with the flattest monotone imaginable. He's a chapter three killer, working together with Oliver and Tokiko before backstabbing both of them...with each other's help. After Oliver poisoned Terpsichore, Mikado stabbed him in the back - literally - with Tokiko's help. During the elevator ride to the trial room, an Oliver-built bomb gives him the time to try and kill Tokiko, but he stabs Natalya instead.
Tropes
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: In the third chapter, he has two partners in crime for his murder, and tries to kill both of them.
- Hate Sink: Seriously, fuck this guy.
- Troll: His whole thing. He even runs a forum of internet trolls.
SHSL Capoeirista
Terpsichore (Terspi for short) is a fun-loving woman with a massive ego. She doesn't go looking for trouble, but finds it anyway because she won't hesitate to fight with people who deserve it. Terpsi likes messing with those who can take it, and places herself above others, but still cares about the people around her. She is a chapter three victim, dying to poisoned tea by Oliver.
SHSL Gardener
Hinata's well meaning, but not the brightest. At all. To be fair, he's struggling with severe memory issues, but often fails at logic, and has difficulty reading the room. Hinata's still a nice guy, though! He's outgoing and friendly, if a bit of a flirt, and typically upbeat. He just has no idea what's happening at any given time. He survives Fortune Ravine.
Tropes
- Forgetful Jones: Hinata forgets many things.
- Physical God: Hinata inherits the god's powers at the end of String Theory, becoming the creator of the new universe.
- Top God: By the end of String Theory, Hinata is the most powerful thing the verse has ever seen, packing the full powers of both major gods and all but five of the demigods. This power allows him to remake the universe.
Hinata's Roommate
'Roommate' is an Unusual Euphemism - Hinata's roommate is a spirit who possesses him due to a family curse. This roommate is abrasive, but appears when Hinata is too distressed...some times.
- Only Sane Man: Compared to Hinata, oddly enough.
Status: Cryptid
Ammolite is nearly indestructible. This is unfortunate, as they're also completely oblivious. They have little to no understanding not only of what makes humans tick, but of what basic items and social cues are. Ammolite blunders their way through life, content to collect artifacts and make erroneous assumptions about humans. They are the fourth chapter killer, and cause a cave in that killers Tokiko and Mortimer.
Tropes
- Early-Installment Weirdness: During the final trial, the 'powerful spirits' (actually members of Rian's research team) tailing the survivors revealed themselves, dropping Rian's illusion to show that they were only human. Turns out, the cast of Fortune Ravine was Rian's research team, and characters with the same muns were matched up together. Rachel, who played Hazel in Deep Blue Sea, went on to play an eight foot tall cryptid with button-anenomes for eyes. We can only assume that Ammolite either didn't drop the illusion all the way, or wore a human suit.
SHSL Ringmaster
Nikola is a talentswapped version of Nikola Orsinov from The Magnus Archives. She's dramatic, and weird in a stereotypical sense. You know, the kind of person who will say random stuff just to be random whether it's witty or not. She acts like all the world's a stage, and makes it a point to be as bubbly, excitable and friendly as possible. A survivor of Fortune Ravine.
Tropes
- An Arm and a Leg: Loses both.
- Circus of Fear: The Another Other Circus used to be nice... Used to...
- Monster Clown: At first. She gets better.
SHSL Track-And-Field Athlete
Pure, unrelenting, positivity. Mina embodifies this to the point of absurdity. Optimistic to the Nth degree, Mina uses her seemingly limitless energy to go out there and make friends...so long as they can handle her. She's a chapter one victim, and dies to Luca via sabotaged motive.
Tropes
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Dies without saying anything. She's a mod OC.
SHSL Warrior
Strong and serious, Egill epitomizes the classic combatant who considers fighting an honor and abides to a warrior's code. While Egill can be arrogant, he values things like honor and openness with sincerity, looking down on the deceptive, those who can't protect themselves, and those who cheat to get their way in life. Fittingly, when Egill dies in the sixth chapter, he's the victim of Wes, who kills him by bringing a gun to a fist fight.
Tropes
- Challenge Seeker: Goes out of his way to fight people as strong as or stronger than him. This is a problem, since only the only people who could put up a fight are a pacifist and nigh-indestructible rock monster.
- Honor Before Reason: Egill sticks to a strict warrior code, and breaking said code is the quickest way to anger him. Using your fists is a worthy way to solve conflicts, but backstabbing, sneaky behavior disgusts him. This comes back to bite him when Wes takes advantage of this honor to kill him.
SHSL Ostiarius
Mortimer is an emotional, driven man. He tries his best no matter the situation, but can occasionally jump to conclusions regarding other people. That doesn't stop Mortimer from having a big heart, and he's the type to try and redeem someone no matter what, holding full faith in them. It's just difficult for him to communicate that, partially because of how emotional he is. He's a chapter four victim, killed in a cave in caused by Ammolite.
Tropes
- Kill the Cutie: He is killed in Ammolite's cave-in, shaking both Elitsa and Nikola.
- Morality Pet: To Elitsa.
- Token Good Teammate: Out of everyone Nikola trusts, he's the only good one.
SHSL Blackmailer
Befitting her title, Tokiko is someone ready for drama at all times. She's proud to keep her camera with her at all times, and adores finding out people's uncomfortable little secrets. Tokiko also has a mischievous streak, being prone to pranks that have nothing to do with her talent. Speaking of, Tokiko is brave (or stupid) enough to not hide that she's a blackmailer at all. She's proud of it, and ready to fish out people's secrets if it's the last thing she does. She was an accomplice for the chapter three murder. Her partners in crime were Mikado and Oliver, who both killed on their own time. Tokiko helped by luring away people who could stop the plan, and shooting out the lights so that Mikado could stab Oliver in the back once Oliver poisoned Terpsichore. Using an opportunity presented by a bomb Oliver created, Mikado tried to kill her in the elevator ride to the trial room (the lights had been destroyed). She escaped death by letting someone similar to her in size and build take the fall, and exposed Mikado during the trial. Tokiko died the following chapter, killed by the cave in Ammolite caused.
Tropes
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Sorry, Mikado.
- Laser-Guided Karma: She is killed specifically because she wasn't sad enough about people dying.
SHSL Cryptid Hunter
Natalya is a paranoid, serious girl with a fixation on the supernatural. She's not the most talkative, preferring to show what she feels through her actions (like trying to capture the resident cryptid five seconds after seeing them). She has a strong will, and is capable of empathy, but has a bit of a temper. She is a chapter three victim - stabbed by Mikado during the ride to the trial.
Tropes
SHSL Traveling Photographer
A free spirit through and through, Ivana (or Iva for short) is a passionate, empathetic young lady. While carefree, Ivana's interests learning about the world around her, and refuses to let anything hold her back. Seeing as she's a passionate extrovert, the so-called 'life of the party,' talking with her always leaves a distinct impression. She is the chapter two victim, killed by a Satsuo-set trap.
Tropes
SHSL Plant Whisperer
Powers: He can speak to and through plants; plants passively grow quicker when he's around
Shy. Self-effacing. Friend to nature everywhere. These describe Fernán perfectly. He's a quiet, timid young man who finds himself hiding in the back of every crowd, and who rarely has the guts to speak his own thoughts or feelings. While inherently kind, Fernán spends much of his time scared that the people around him will hurt or judge him in some way, so he prefers to stay away from social interaction, mostly speaking to his companion, Galenia. He survives Fortune Ravine.
Tropes
- Sheep in Sheep's Clothing: Despite the very real faction who believed him to be the mastermind, Fernán really is as sweet as he looks. It's just bad luck that the kumas publicly running the game were sentient flowers, and Fernán carries around his own companion, Galenia, whever he goes.
Galenia is no ordinary cast member. No, Galenia is a Helian Rose: A rare, magical flower thought to provide luck to those who possess it. Fernan's magic allows her to speak, and they're each other's best friends.
Tropes
- Kill the Cutie: Galenia perishes in the end of the world.
SHSL Model
Luca is spoiled, rich, and loud. He can and has told off 'ordinary people' for touching him, claiming that he's too pretty and that these clothes are too expensive for such people. He's also notably dramatic, with a sensitive side that cringes every time he receives criticism. Luca is the chapter one killer. He sabotaged a motive by drugging Bakurei and Mina, killing them both.
Tropes
- Starter Villain: The first killer.
SHSL Spelunker
While standoffish, Bakurei is not a confrontational man, merely introverted. He keeps to himself, avoiding conversation, making eye contact, or other such gestures. That said, he's still willing to speak his mind, especially when people are breaking the rules - he considers that irresponsible, and will call someone out if they're bringing unnecessary trouble on everyone else. Bakurei is a chapter one victim, as Luca sabotaged a motive to kill him.
Tropes
- We Hardly Knew Ye: As a mod OC, his only role is to be the chapter one victim.
PSA Video Actress
At first glance, Felicity looks edgy. She has at least one all black outfit, and uses a truly astonishing about of 'Tchs' as she speaks. Underneath that? She's anything but. Felicity is a true valley girl at heart, and just, like, totally thinks being safe is so cool and stuff! She's...not the brightest, but puts on her 'edgy' persona to try and convince people to not smoke, or to not stick their tongues in a light socket, so her heart's in the right place. She is killed by Elitsa in the fifth chapter after being forced to record a PSA.
Tropes
- Like Is, Like, a Comma: Par for the course as a valley girl.
- Horrible Judge of Character: She trusts Oliver, of all people. Oliver, who has publicly promised to help any killers who approach him, and who volunteers himself as a victim on a daily basis. This comes back to bite her when Oliver manipulates her into helping him with murder.
- Twice Shy: With Pyrope. Despite Felicity's excitable demeanor, she's actually quite embarrassed to admit how much she cares about the other girl. They do end up becoming an Official Couple...
- Yank the Dog's Chain: And soon after, Felicity gets murdered.
- Valley Girl: Her defining trope. When she's not being edgy and trying to tell people how to improve their lives, she's gushing and speaking 'totally-otally' like this! She also has an intense adoration for fashion, and isn't the smartest which ticks off the other boxes.
Antagonists (Massive Spoilers)
Spatea
Spatea is painfully cheerful no matter what. She's enthusiastic for the killing game, and beams at every motive.
Tropes
- Alas, Poor Villain: After spending the entire killing game cheerfully tormenting the cast, during the evidence week she is forced to stare upon all the corpses of her past versions of herself. This causes her have a meltdown, especially knowing the next time she burrows under the ground she will be killed painfully again. This invokes some level of horror from the cast, who have been tortured by Spatea and Myosotis for weeks.
Myosotis
On the other hand, Myosotis is a pessimist. She's the glass half-empty type, and boasts none of the enthusiam Myosotis does.
Tropes
Wes Sullivan
Powers: Intention Manipulation
When Rian hosted his killing game, he didn't work alone. When Rian went to the dried up ponds, he didn't go alone, either. He had a right hand man. Enter Wes, who's spent his entire life serving others, and who devoted with Rian's ideals wholeheartedly. More than that, he was devoted to Rian himself in an intense, if platonic fashion. Rian considered him a friend, trusting him enough to bring Wes to the ponds with him. While Rian gained illusions, Wes gained the ability to manipulate people's intentions, although he could not directly control their actions.
From here, Rian worked to create the killing game with Wes by his side. They assembled a research team to keep track of each Remnant (including Wes; Rian chose to participate in the killing game directly), and as Rian's resolve deteriorated, Wes was the one who kept them on track. He made sure that everything ran smoothly when Rian wasn't mentally capable, and was his most loyal employee. Some of the research team hated Rian, and wouldn't dream of entering a killing game...but Wes used his powers to not only stop the Remnants from getting out of hand, but to keep the employees in line.
...Then the killing game ended. Miu, a girl Born Lucky that made contact with Moonlight, uncovered a mysterious new power. The survivors overcame the power of Maelstrom, and Rian was executed.
Wes was furious - grief stricken, even. The day after the killing game's end, Miu came to the survivors, offering them a choice. Her new powers allowed her to send people and objects back into the past. This power was not unlimited; she had to make contact with the object before sending it, and couldn't displace anything in a time period she was not already in. She offered to send the survivors back in time to a year after their sealing in hopes of reuniting with their families. Only two accepted: Hazel and Brittany. So Miu prepared her magic, fully intending to send them back in time...only for Wes to interfere.
He refused to let things end this way. He was determined to change the timeline, to find a way that the Remnants could be redeemed, but Rian didn't have to die. So he used his magic on Miu, changing her intentions so that she sent the entire research team back in time, to the year 1453.
The research team was stranded, confused...all natural reactions. However, Rian had never taken the ship far from land, instead using illusions to convince everyone they were isolated. So the research team was brought back to shore, only to run right into Oliver. Oliver was the leader of the Remnants Rian was determined to redeem, but had been too powerful for Lazarus to seal away. He was powerful, if quiet, and had goals of his own. Wes, emotional and vulnerable as he was, placed his trust in Oliver - a terrible mistake. Oliver had goals of his own, but convinced Wes that their goals could align, and so they began a plan.
Together, they set up a new killing game, this time with the members of the research team. Oliver had his own goals in mind, but convinced Wes time and time again that doing this would bring Rian's dream to fruition. He claimed that this would temporarily free both the remnants and Lazarus, allowing for them to be redeemed, and for Rian to live. Wes was convinced, this time devoting himself to Oliver instead. The research's teams memories were wiped, and Wes' abilities ensured that the killing game ran smoothly.
Then came the sixth chapter. Oliver created a motive that was...terribly, frankly. Absolutely pathetic. No one killed, or even looked uncomfortable, and Oliver was genuinely affected. Wes couldn't take it, frankly, and killed because of Oliver's reaction, not because of the (miserable) motive. After that, Wes was executed, having been used to the end.
Tropes
- Combat Pragmatist: Shoots Egill.
- The Dragon: Is this to Oliver.
- Street Urchin: Grew up in a street gang.
- Undying Loyalty: To Rian.
Oliver Light
Powers: Teleportation, Shapeshifting, Telepathy, Creation
In the year 1434, Oliver was born. He was never an independent child - just the opposite. Due to countless reasons and years of conditioning, he was the epitome of obedience. Somehow, he managed make one friend in his childhood: A boy named Lazarus Von Ziegler.
When he was a child, two magical ponds were discovered inside this kingdom. They were perfectly circular, and called the Pond of Moonlight and Pond of Maelstrom, respectively. The first granted limited power, but had no effects on one's mind. The second granted extreme magical power, but corrupted the minds of any who partook of it.
After the ponds' discovery, the royal family laid claim to the ponds, making it illegal for anyone else to access it. They each partook of Moonlight to gain magical power, but the Prince of this family was power hungry, and took a swan dive into the Pond of Maelstrom. Maelstrom granted the Prince Mind Control, and warped his mind into that of a tyrant's. With a power that could not be opposed, the Prince took control of the kingdom, ruining lives everywhere.
In response, Lazarus came up with a plan. He was determined to rebel against the prince, but he couldn't do it alone. No, he needed magic. If they went to the Ponds themselves, he determined, they could fight back! Yes, Oliver was let in on the plan, too. Despite being sickly, so weak that Lazarus was used to carrying him, he helped refine the plan, and was brought to the Ponds. There, they took from the Pond of Moonlight. Lazarus gained fire magic, and Oliver was able to transform his own matter through teleportation and minor shapeshifting. They had a few moments of celebration, but were caught within minutes. Oliver managed to escape, but Lazarus was caught and put up for execution.
Here on out, Oliver was a fugitive. He couldn't go home, couldn't show his face, and couldn't even find Lazarus despite his teleportation. In order to use this power, he had to know the end location, and he had no idea where Lazarus was. Shapeshifting was similarly downplayed. He could transform parts of his body, but it was extremely painful, and he was so sickly that he just couldn't take the extra toll on his body.
Oliver was all alone, and believed himself to be all out of options. Desperate, he turned to the one source he could think of: The Pond of Maelstrom. Access wasn't an issue, and upon visiting, he gained power...but at the expense of twisting any moral compunctions he ever had. Maelstrom expanded on his original magic; where he could once only transform his own matter, he could now transform 'all matter, giving him the power to create anything he wanted out of nothing whether real, alive or imaginary. He also gained the ability to read minds, meaning that if anyone around him knew of or imagined something, he could create it.
Meanwhile, Maelstrom corrupted his mind, giving him both self interest and an active desire to hurt other people. He was naturally fixated on happiness from birth, believing that anyone should do what it took to make them happy, and now he applied this to himself. Ultimately, he began to destroy the country, but he didn't do it alone. Oliver was powerful, but he didn't wish to be alone, and found twenty one talented teenagers of his age or younger. Using manipulations, lies, even brute force if he had to, Oliver brought each of them to the Pond of Maelstrom, gifting them power and corruption - though none of the level of his own. Once done, he turned them loose to destroy the ancient kingdom (while still working for him), and formed a group of terrorists.
Even though the Prince tried similar tactics to fight these terrorists, nothing worked. The Prince was a controlling, power-hungry man, but even he became desperate, turning to his trump card: Lazarus. He freed Lazarus from Mind Control, as it was Lazarus' knowledge of Oliver that made him invaluable, and sent him to fight Oliver and the rest. After returning to Moonlight and gaining the power to seal living beings, Lazarus turned to face the people destroying the kingdom. Initially, Oliver was pleased to see him again, and even offered to let him join them both...but Lazarus had morals, and chose to fight. At first, he succeeded! He sealed the remnants away in an underground cavern, but was nowhere near strong enough to take on Oliver himself. Desperate, Lazarus sealed himself away with the rest. The residual magic crystallized, turning into a beautiful amber wall.
Despite his power, Oliver could not break the amber wall, nor the seal. Even denting it was beyond him. But he was fixated, unable to leave and touch the rest of the country. He had an attachment to his remnants - a twisted, sickly attachment -, while he had never and will never forgive Lazarus for what he considers abandoning him. In short, this fixation literally drove him insane. In the initial timeline, he wasted away, unable to think beyond his inability to break the seal.
A year later, twenty one individuals appeared in the waters outside the canyon, sent back in time by Miu after a killing game with his own remnants. He nearly killed them, but Wes was among these individuals, and used his magic to intervene. Wes played peace keeper, and went to Oliver to negotiate. Oliver learned what had happened not only to his remnants, but to Lazarus, and had a willing pawn he could manipulate to any ends he needed. What's more, the secret behind Lazarus' sealing was revealed. Lazarus's seal relied on the integrity of the container, and could only be broken by the nonmagical, which Oliver was anything but. Neither Oliver nor Wes could solve this problem, so that left the research team.
After manipulating Wes into working for him, Oliver set up a killing game in the canyon named Fortune Ravine. He used the research team for this game, crafting a modern setting through their memories. All went well until the sixth motive, which failed on every level. Someone only killed because Oliver guilt tripped Wes into killing just to appease him, and Oliver knew the game had to end. He planted evidence indicating that the amber wall was the source of his powers, and that breaking it would end him. The survivors had become desperate, and pelted it with rocks in order to stop him from succeeding.
But this was what he wanted. The seal was broken, and Oliver finally accomplished his goal: To kill Lazarus. Doing this caused an irreparable time paradox, causing a Class Z Apocalypse How and two separate timelines centered on the remnants and research team. As Fortune Ravine ends, he disappears, abandoning the survivors now that they serve no purpose.
He is the mastermind of String Theory, where his remnants and the research team's Alternate Selves act as the jury. There, Oliver explains that no one can stop the world from ending, not even him, but that when it does, he's going to reshape the world to suit his wishes. Since no one has beaten a class trial in two separate killing games, Oliver says that anyone who manages will join him, and that he'll give them influence over the creation of the new world. Killing Oliver is also allowed, bringing the killing game to an end, but there's no guarantee the universe will be reformed without him, and he's so powerful that it's a pipe dream for most.
Tropes
- A God I Am Not: Goes out of his way to correct anyone who calls him a god, and repeatedly insists that while he has power comparable to one, he's not one himself.Dakota: ...how long... have you been... a god? Are there other gods? How old are you? Do you know if... God... exists?Oliver: Nineteen, for your information, but I am no deity, merely comparable to one in terms of power.
- Big Bad: Of the entire series.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Oliver doesn't see killing games as wrong at all. Later, when the String Theory cast tries to kill him, he wonders why, think's it's annoying and wishes it would stop.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Getting close to Oliver never turns out well, as to be expected from someone who killed his best and only friend and lets people under his employment die without paying them a second thought.
- Dishing Out Dirt: Oliver commits his two murders (Lazarus and Vasco) using a rock.
- Final Boss: Becomes this in String Theory. The format even transitions into something more like an RPG in order to fight him.
- Greater-Scope Villain: Oliver is this during Deep Blue Sea, as the reason Lazarus sealed everyone in the first place.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: He likely would have died from the fall anyway, but Dave invokes this on him, by sealing him in his flashlight, a split second after Oliver threw a knife at the flashlight to try and not be sealed in it. The knife hits the flashlight and shatters him.
- One-Winged Angel: In String Theory, the Insatiable invokes this on him, granting him new powers in his final fight against Dave.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Inverted. The greatest evil is the only one outside of the can. In String Theory, Dave kills him by sealing him in the can shortly after he threw a knife at it.
- Xanatos Speed Chess: The final two weeks of String Theory are a game of this against Dave. Oddly enough, Oliver seems to be the only one actually playing, as Dave is able to Indy Ploy out of basically anything Oliver throws at him.
SHSL Commander
A spaceship commander from the future. Garma hails from this anime. He is the first killer, stabbing Zhuyun with flowers as sharp as knives before dying himself.
Tropes
- Asshole Victim: He dies during his own murder, rather horribly. The cast are also forced to go through this.
- Starter Viillain: String Theory's first killer.
SHSL ??? / SHSL Rune Diviner
Tropes
- Belated Love Epiphany: Gabriel only realises he had a crush on Sandro after Sandro died.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: He becomes this after trying to convince Lloyd to commit murder.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: Gabriel starts out antagonistic, becomes more of a protagonist in weeks two and three, and then becomes The Dragon in week four. Then in week six he makes a final Heel–Face Turn and ends the RP on the side of the angels.
- The Dragon: Gabriel becomes this to Oliver after Sandro dies, wholeheartedly believing in Oliver's cause.
- Utopia Justifies the Means: Oliver said he would create a world without suffering and Gabriel believed him.
SHSL ??? / SHSL Bouncer
A serious, somewhat egotistical man who tries to cultivate an air of 'mystery' surrounding him. ||As of right now, he survives String Theory.||
Tropes
- Team Dad: He takes this role to most of the youngsters in the cast.
SHSL Astronomer
One of the most ominous members of the cast, Void is seemingly devoid of the ability to move by himself. By far the most likely to bring up existential questions out of the cast, but is (mostly) a man of science despite that. ||As of right now, he survives String Theory.||
Tropes
- The Woobie: The poor kid watched his father die, and then goes through a whole bunch of shit during the RP. Gabriel attempting to get him to commit murder turns Gabriel into The Friend Nobody Likes.
SHSL Weatherman
Tropes
- The Anti-Nihilist: Dave eventually settles into here from being the Straw Nihilist after some character development.
- Byronic Hero: Although he pretends to be flirtatious and whimsical, Dave is actually this.
- Exact Words: Dave only ever tells one lie during the killing game: He does have an escape plan.
- Foil: To Saxon. Both are nihilistic, cynical characters with a fear of dying, but while Saxon's fear and hope for a world without suffering lead him to become The Dragon, Dave instead chooses to overcome his fear, and become The Anti-Nihilist instead. Additionally, both have magic powers, although Dave's More than Mind Control is a lot more direct than Saxon's divination. Additionally, while Saxon is The Dragon, Dave is the Big Good. Dave's influence even helps Saxon try to redeem himself.
- Indy Ploy: Despite liking making plans, Dave usually defaults to this.
- Kill It with Fire: Dave attempts to inflict this on Oliver. It doesn't work.
- The Mentor: Becomes this to Saxon, oddly enough.
- Ship Tease: Copious amounts with Mikhael. They almost get to Official Couple status... almost...
SHSL Pharmacist
Tropes
- Big Bad Duumvirate: Played with. While Vasco as a villain is completely independent from Oliver's plans or motives, his actions are all to speed up Oliver's game on his own terms.
- Evil All Along: He was the one complicating the motives, along with Rasmus.
- Jerkass: He doesn't have a nice bone in his pasty-ass body.
- Plot-Triggering Death: Oliver kicking him kicks the last act into action.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Not one of the cast can stand him.
- The Only One: Vasco is shockingly good at solving trials and antagonising the killers, and the one trial he isn't in is the one the survivors lose.
SHSL Guard
Tropes
SHSL Jack of All Trades / Spy
Tropes
- Belated Love Epiphany: Mikhael realises he loved Dave immediately after Dave is killed.
- Child Soldier: He was this in the past.
- Pet the Dog: He holds off on capturing Blodwyn long enough for them to have a conversation about love. Unfortunately, this gives Blodwyn a lot more time to swing Lloyd around.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Mikhael comes off as this to the FR survivors, and in turn they act Affably Evil to him.
SHSL Hitwoman / [[SHSL Digital Artist]]
Tropes
SHSL Mafia Boss
Tropes
SHSL AI Engineer
Tropes
SHSL Lucky
Tropes
- Driven to Suicide: At the end. It doesn't work.
- Heroic BSoD: Enters one of these after Dakota dies.
- Morality Pet: To Dakota.
SHSL Pyrologist
Tropes
- Arc Villain: Of chapter 2.
SHSL Composer
Tropes
- Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: Dakota's attempts to sabotage trials and get people to die are viewed as pathetic and most people just want them to shut up.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: To the villains. Vasco and Oliver despise her, and Gabriel tolerates him. Gabriel eventually helps him out with her evil planning.
- Heel–Face Door-Slam: Dakota seems to be finally realising that they're allowed to be happy and love Mitsuru... before suddenly dying in a freak cooking accident.
- The Mole: Dakota is the first one to begin working for Oliver, believing his actions to be the will of God. He disagrees.
Dakota's Instruments
Dakota's musical instruments, each of which are sentient.- Heel–Face Turn: The instruments help Dave in his plan to defeat Oliver.
SHSL Matchmaker
Tropes
SHSL Pageant Winner
Tropes
SHSL Horror Makeup Artist
Tropes
- Kill the Cutie: To the point where executing her and Warren is seen as the Moral Event Horizon.
SHSL Dizi player
Tropes
- Extreme Doormat: His response to Garma telling him that he wanted to kill him was basically "yeah sure."
SHSL General Physician
Tropes
- Small Role, Big Impact: Although he dies in the second case, we later find out that he was working with Vasco to speed up the killing game.
Antagonists
Clickhere to read Oliver's entry.
Surazal, Nair and Sew
Tropes
Dave Cirrus
Tropes
- Big Good: Dave is the Big Good of String Theory, leading the survivors against Oliver. Additionally, the goddess he is channeling, the Beholding, is this to the whole verse, as she's responsible for giving Miu and Lazarus their powers.
- Combat Pragmatist: When saving Nacho, Dave defeats buff Gabriel by bringing a chair to a fistfight. When buff Calisto enters the ring, Dave just pulls out a gun and shoots him.
- Confusion Fu: How Dave defeats Oliver's executions. Since he has the power of a Physical God, he sees no reason to limit what he can do. In the final showdown alone he bombards Oliver with attacks involving kittens, giant telephones and pirates.
- Cutting the Knot: Essentially how Dave deals with the executions.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Dave becomes a Sealed Badass In A Duel with Oliver... for about half a second until Oliver's knife shatters them both.
- Kill It with Fire: Dave attempts to set the killing game on fire in order to kill Oliver.
- More than Mind Control: Similarly to Wes, Dave is able to change people's intentions. He uses this to lure everyone to safety during his murder.
- Xanatos Speed Chess: The final two weeks of String Theory amount to one of these between Dave and Oliver. Both briefly end up Out-Gambitted when Oliver tricks Dave into confessing for his murder, and when Dave destroys the executions. However, while Oliver is genuinely The Chessmaster, Dave is just very good at the Indy Ploy.
- Anyone Can Die: It's a danganroleplay. Many characters are killed throughout. Lazarus even dies twice.
- Action Girl: Many.
- Always Murder: Technically, sometimes it's manslaughter.
- Arc Villain: Every chapter has its own killer responsible for that chapter's deaths, with the masterminds taking the stage in the finales. The penultimate killers are also usually plot relevant.
- In Fortune Ravine, the arc villains are Luca, Satsuo, Mikado, Ammolite, Elitsa, Wes and Oliver.
- In String Theory, the arc villains are Garma, Seraphina, Barbara, Eros, Shiina, Dave and Oliver.
- Big Bad: Rian is the mastermind of Deep Blue Sea. Lazarus' friend, Oliver Light takes the stage for R Ps two and three.
- Big Good: Lazarus.
- Cast of Expies: A startling amount of characters (even for Dabberwocky roleplay standards) in Deep Blue Sea Verse are either based off other characters, or are straight up talentswaps of characters from other medias or fangans. Mikado and Nikola from Fortune Ravine are the most straightforward examples, but each roleplay has several instances. Enough to theoretically a killing game with exclusively Deep Blue Sea verse Expies.
- Cast of Snowflakes: Makes it all the more tragic when they perish.
- Death by Irony: Par for the course with the executions.
- Dysfunction Junction: Putting aside the plot, the cast of Deep Blue Sea, Fortune Ravine and String Theory is messed up even by Dabberwock Standards. As of two chapters into String Theory, there are over six individuals confirmed to be in organized crime, but there's also possession, Stockholm Syndrome, and more to go around.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: During the final trial, the 'powerful spirits' (actually members of Rian's research team) tailing the survivors revealed themselves, dropping Rian's illusion to show that they were only human. Turns out, the cast of Fortune Ravine was Rian's research team, and characters with the same muns were matched up together. Rachel, who played Hazel in Deep Blue Sea, went on to play an eight foot tall cryptid with button-anenomes for eyes. We can only assume that Ammolite either didn't drop the illusion all the way, or wore a human suit.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: Played With. In String Theory, there are Eros, Benvolio and Angel, who are from the 1400s, 1800s and 1900s, respectively, surrounded by people from 2019. This is ultimately a subversion, as String Theory takes place After the End, and time itself has 'imploded'. In Fortune Ravine, the entire cast has been sent back in time (except for Oliver), but it doesn't fully count because no one's aware. The reverse happens in Deep Blue Sea, but the purest example of this trope would be Lazarus, who woke up several hundred years in the future, and kept his memories, leaving him very, very confused.
- For Want Of A Nail: If not for a horse trotting through the Pond of Moonlight way back when, none of the story would have happened.
- Light Is Not Good: The Big Bad is associated with light colors, especially light pale yellows. Also, his last name is light.
- Speech-Centric Work: Given the format, there's a lot of talking.
- Teens Are Monsters: Downplayed. Few in this verse are squeaky clean, but Deep Blue Sea is the only teen-exclusive cast, and said cast was Brainwashed and Crazy into becoming terrorists.
- Two-Part Trilogy: Fortune Ravine and String Theory are a lot more linked together than Deep Blue Sea and Fortune Ravine. The Reveal that the Fortune Ravine cast is Rian's research team links the first two together, but String Theory builds directly off Deep Blue Sea's ending, shares a Big Bad and the Fortune Ravine survivors are major players in String Theory's plot making the two feel more connected.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: The Pond of Maelstrom gives you extreme magical power...at the cost of corrupting your morals beyond recognition.
- Big Good: Miu becomes this.
- Cosmic Motifs: All of the special roles are assigned to this. Lazarus's role is the Sorcerer of Moonlight, Rian's role is the Knight of Sunlight, and Miu's role is the Witch of Twilight.
- "Groundhog Day" Loop: The first motive is set in a daily time loop where people repeatedly die, but all but a few people lose their memories each time.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Felicity appears in a PSA video for Deep Blue Sea. She appears in person a roleplay later.
- Ignored Confession: And how! Rian confessed to being the mastermind regularly ever since the first day, but no one believed him. Overlaps with Cassandra Truth, since Lazarus tried to convince them of the same thing.
- Hope Spot: The sixth trial. Even with the revelation that none of the cast can go home, it was still the only trial where no one died, since Lazarus sealed Rian and Elaine into salt shakers instead of killing them. Then Lazarus tripped, the salt shakers fell, and the rest is history.
- Misery Builds Character: Deconstructed. The killing game was set up to force the cast into developing, but nothing went as planned, and the resulting deaths could have been avoided if not for this attitude.
- Reconstructed as the remaining survivors manage to overcome the Maelstrom's effects due in part to this.
- Our Zombies Are Different: During a one of the time loops, a zombie virus is spread because someone ate a mutated mold that turned him into a zombie. Cue zombie-killing shenanigans, and the day resets.
- Refuge in Audacity: Rian's constant claims of being the mastermind go unnoticed by the cast for one reason, and one reason only. Telling everyone that you started a killing game is more than beyond stupid, to the point where nobody could think of it. Unfortunately for the cast, this was one of the few times that Rian's Crying Wolf tendencies were true.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: The entire cast is this except for Lazarus and Rian.
- Sealed Good in a Can: Lazarus did this to himself.
- All for Nothing: After all the survivors do to escape, they end up destroying the world.
- Anguished Declaration of Love: What else are you going to do as the world ends?
- Apocalypse How: Oliver killing Lazarus creates a time paradox, causing a class Z in progress to be the setting of String Theory.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Oliver tricked the survivors into destroying the amber wall, freeing his remnants (the DBS cast), and allowing him to kill Lazarus. Thus begins String Theory.
- Batman Gambit: Fortune Ravine's existence hinges on one of these, requiring that the survivors act exactly as the mastermind expects them to in order for their plan to work. This has shades of Xanatos Gambit, since there isn't a lose condition for the mastermind.
- Cliffhanger: The RP ends on the survivors of both killing games experiencing the apocalypse, whilst Oliver recruits their alternate timeline versions for his jury.
- Double-Meaning Title: The title of the final chapter, The Villain, could refer to Oliver, Wes, Xiulan, the survivors or the entire cast.
- The Ending Changes Everything: The cast were working for Rian. Also, they're trapped in the past and broke the universe. Whoops.
- Gone Horribly Right: Blodwyn tries to motivate Elitsa into trying to escape, in the eventual hope of getting her help with Nikola's plan. Instead, Elitsa tries to get out by committing murder.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: Attacking the amber wall really wasn't such a good idea.
- Laser-Guided Amnesia: Used heavily in motive number 5. The entire cast is later revealed to have undergone this. Blodwyn can also do this, but only to herself.
- Obvious Rule Patch: On a meta level: Having already banned robots and anyone related to the Deep Blue Sea cast, Thomes went back and forbade aliens after Sam asked to use one.
- Red Herring: To everyone's surprise, Egill. Bonus points for actually being red. Fernan takes over in the final chapter. Both examples completely unintentional.
- Tomato in the Mirror: After suffering through the killing game, the cast turns out to have run the Deep Blue Sea killing game under Rian.
- Villain Episode: The whole RP is this, starring the members of Rian's research team.
- We ARE Struggling Together: Fortune Ravine's cast aren't particularly friendly to each other. For example, Blodwyn and Nikola start out only trusting each other, that circle later expanding to include Elitsa and Mortimer, the former previously kidnapping Nikola and later murdering Felicity in case 5.
- You Can't Thwart Stage One: Oliver's plan ultimately goes off without a hitch.
- After the End: String Theory is set in a post-apocalyptic world.
- Alien Sky: A source of anger for Void, an astronomer. The sky has turned red, and the moon to cheese. Over the course of the RP, Neptune duplicates, the two Neptunes fight for dominance and eventually one of them eats the other one.
- Always Murder: This time, averted. Case three and five's murder was in fact a complete accident.
- Alternate Self: Alternate versions of the previous game's casts (minus Rian, Lazarus and Wes) are recruited to serve as the jury in String Theory's trials. Unfortunately, this means more Mikado.
- Big Good: Dave becomes this. He even sends the survivors a puppet version of Miu to help guide them.
- Black-and-Grey Morality: Even more than the first two games, where the casts were ||magically compelled to destroy a country and run a killing game, respectively.|| Here, the standards are 'low', with one of the Token Good Teammates among the survivors being an accessory for murder who protected a serial killer from the law. He still comes off looking better than anyone ||working for Oliver||, though.
- The Casanova: Angel. Averted in that he doesn't actually get much during the RP, and this mostly sticks to his backstory.
- Central Theme: Many character's backstories and mindsets involve their thoughts on fate or divinity and the lack thereof. In addition, many characters have arcs about the concept of happiness and what they're willing to give up for themselves or others to attain it.
- Crapsack World: The Apocalypse has caused the world to transform in interesting ways. For example, irradiated wolves stalk the land, the sky has turned red, and the nile turned into a snake and crushed most of Egypt.
- Darker and Edgier: Coming off the more comical Fortune Ravine, String Theory's characters are older and a lot more affected by the apocalypse. Most of the cast is a volatile bag of trauma, a lot of the only relief being how cute most of the teenagers are.
- Dueling Player Characters: Fortune Ravine's survivors turn up in week four and meet the String Theory cast, and immediately begin insulting each other. In The World Ends With You, they are forced into direct combat.
- Final Boss: Oliver. The format event transitions into an RPG.
- Exact Words: How Dave hides the AP Lab Base from Dakota. Technically, the base is in a library behind a painting in a secret part. When Dakota points out that being in the library crushes whoever's in there for too long, Dave simply disagrees.
- Vasco directly invokes this during The Reveal. When told off for being a hypocrite and supporting Oliver's cause (despite telling off Gabriel for betraying everyone for Oliver), he simply states that he and Rasmus never worked for Oliver, and hate him just that much. The two collaborated to sabotage motives for themselves, since having everyone else kill each other (and subsequently being executed) sped things up.
- Giving Up on Logic: It took less than a week for much of the cast to reach this point.
- Heroic BSoD: During the final chapter, most of the cast has hit one from being sent back into the killing game, with the sole exception of Gabriel.
- Kill It with Fire: What Case 5 essentially boils down to, with the intended victim being Oliver.
- Left the Background Music On: Mastermind reveals, trials, and murders are all accompanied by Dakota playing lovely violin music.
- The Mole: Dakota. Later, Gabriel joins. It also turns out Rasmus and Vasco have been examples the whole time.
- Out of Focus: The Deep Blue Sea cast is this so as to not cheapen their ending. Also, Arif.
- Puppy Love: Shiina and Warren.
- Reality Is Out to Lunch: String Theory's setting is just weird. Corn stalks the size of skyscrapers? A mine that's seemingly alive? A room where your body will be squished if you stay inside for too long? Sure, why not?
- Team Dad: Nacho eventually becomes this.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Dave delivers one to Gabriel after learning he's The Mole.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: After Chapter 5, Gabriel becomes this. Granted, working for Oliver and attempting to convince a 17 year old didn't do much for Gabriel's favor.
- The Dragon: Despite Dakota being The Mole, Gabriel overtakes this role from them starting in Chapter 4.
- The Only One: Tragically, Vasco.
- Token Evil Teammate: Overlapping with The Mole, Dakota joins Oliver early on. Gabriel later joins them. Eventually the 'token' part begins to disappear as Vasco and Rasmus are also revealed to have been evil. Given everyone else's crackhead energy, it'd almost be easier to select either Nacho or Lloyd as a Token Good Teammate.
- Villainous Breakdown: Gabriel begins to have one as the cast comes closer to figuring out his secret.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Nacho. Reactions range from thinking it's incredibly hot to being mildly uncomfortable.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Because Arif's mun, Hayden was unable to return for String Theory, Arif completely disappears after using the passages to escape Fortune Ravine.
- Wham Episode: Gabriel being outed as The Mole in Trying To Explain The Axiom tears apart most of the cast dynamic and puts everyone back into panic mode after gradually beginning to find their footing over the past week. Immediately after that, during the same chapter, Vasco and Rasmus are also revealed to have been sabotaging the motives. And then Dakota is killed (along with Eli), Shiina and Warren are both killed in the same execution, and Dave physically attacks Oliver to try and prevent them dying. This whole sequence of events shocks Gabriel into a Heel–Face Turn.
- We ARE Struggling Together: The infighting, hatred, and aggression is somehow worsened from Fortune Ravine, despite there being a clear common enemy to fight. The amount of infighting is so extreme that it's difficult for characters to even interact with each other; almost everyone has someone who they refuse to be on speaking terms to the point a chart had to be employed of who'd willingly speak to each other.
- Weird Moon: It's made out of cheese.
- Your Approval Fills Me with Shame: After both of them being outed as The Mole, Gabriel begins to respect Vasco. Vasco does not reciprocate.
