Line #47 FanFic/BackRoute


1	''Warning: There will be spoilers from VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony, this is assuming you already completed the game. Read at your own risk!''
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4	Shuichi Saihara is convicted of the murder of Rantaro Amami, leaving Kaede to continue on her own that she must keep trying to solve the mysteriousness that is of the Gifted Inmates Academy without her partner.
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6	Ready for the wild ride that is Lorealie's story, [[https://archiveofourown.org/works/13625526/chapters/31286721 Back Route]]?
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8	----
9	!!This FanFiction contains examples of:
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11	* AdaptationExpansion: All the videos from chapter two's motive are shown this time around, expanding on incomplete ones like Kaito's or Maki's and making new ones for those not seen in game. [[spoiler: This later happens again when the "audition" tapes for the surviving students get used as the chapter four motive, rather than "the secret of the outside world".]]
12	** Aspects of certain characters like [[spoiler:Korekiyo's older sister and Angie's god "Atua"]] also show up more than they did originally.
13	* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: Character specific and plot relevant twists can appear earlier than expected from how Shuichi's game went.
14	** Unlike Kaede's conviction, [[spoiler:Shuichi didn't believe his trap was what killed Rantaro]]. He admitted to setting the death trap the same way she did in the original game, but [[spoiler:was convinced someone else took advantage of his trap to frame him from the evidence he found]]. While his argument wasn't enough to avoid his execution it did convince enough students so that his votes weren't unanimous and opens the possibility of Monokuma "cheating" early.
15	** As Kaede mentions spent her first two free time events with Kiyo before the story's start it's not too surprising when aspects of his sister get hinted at early. [[spoiler:Here her first direct interaction with the cast happens during the "talent show" of the chapter two equivalent, though this isn't made explicit until she officially reveals herself to the cast in chapter four since she had no reason to show up in three.]]
16	** Kokichi acting as Kaede's primary ally enables him to voice suspicions about the setting in a way he was never capable of in the original game. [[spoiler:His motive video being seen by the cast during the chapter 2 equivalent, rather than being a post-mortem find in chapter 5, also ends up killing his TokenEvilTeammate act extremely early.]]
17	** Kibo's abilities as a robot get addressed out of order, either from Miu messing with him differently or it not being relevant enough for him to address. Most tellingly since the first free time event segment we see is from his perspective [[spoiler:him being used as a literal AudienceSurrogate is alluded to long before he has any idea what his inner voice actually is.]]
18	* AdaptationalHeroism: Kokichi's gone from being the game's main rival to Kaede's partner, helped in no small part by [[spoiler:his motive video being shown early at his own behest and revealed his genuine distaste for murder]] so he can't act like he's enjoying the horror and tragedies of the killing game the way he had before. [[GoodIsNotNice Doesn't make him that much less of a jerk though.]]
19	** Some Monokubs try their shot at this too. With Monotaro and Monokid gone, Monophanie and Monodam both try getting closer to the gifted inmates when they rebel against Monokuma. It doesn't make them stop the game, but compared to [[BigBadWannabe Monosuke's attempts]] they try to make themselves useful to encourage a "peaceful" school life.
20	* AdaptationalVillainy: Zig Zaggged with Shuichi Saihara being convicted of the murder of Rantaro, as its been heavily implied that he [[spoiler: like Kaede in the canon game]] was framed.
21	** [[spoiler: Miu Iruma]] is the culprit of [[spoiler: Himiko's death]] during the talent show. Even with counting the good intentions they had.
22	** [[spoiler:Angie]] is technically a killer in this continuity, but unlike the other students that expressed an interest in committing murder in chapter four that hadn't in canon this was an accident caused by a misunderstanding. They hadn't even known they committed a murder until well into the trial due to the surrounding events.
23	* ADayInTheLimeLight: Kaede's not the story's only POV character here. Free Time Events, Love Suite scenes, and some trials or other major events result in different characters being followed instead, each with their own narrational quirks.
24	* AloneWithThePsycho: One of Kokichi's concerns in a later chapter stems from how [[spoiler:he left Kaede and Kiyo alone in the latter's lab while exploring the fourth floor]] when he starts figuring out something is dangerously wrong with the guy. Made worse when a later trial reveals that Kaede did nearly get herself killed by going out of her way to get closer to Korekiyo [[WrongGenreSavvy out of concerns that his motive video was meant to cause him despair like Ryoma's was]].
25	* AscendedExtra: Kaede obviously, as Shuichi was given her original role of DecoyProtagonist so she serves as the real protagonist here. Kiyo also plays a much larger part than the original [[spoiler:as he gets away with committing a murder this time around]] and spends more time with Kaede than other students. Ryoma ends up filling Shuichi's spot as Kaito's designated side-kick as well, and gets more focus as a result. Kibo also tries taking a more proactive role, where before he was largely a bystander, since [[spoiler:Miu's early execution has caused him to doubt Kaede's leadership abilities]] and wants to help keep anyone else from feeling like they have to commit murder to survive.
26	* ChekhovsGun: The night after the second trial Kaede finds Miu left her a gift and message in her backpack from when she offered to put it away for the talent show. [[spoiler:Three EMP grenades Miu salvaged after the Monokubs destroyed the project Kaede had her working on, much like what Kokichi commissioned from her in canon. Each functions differently as they were prototypes rather than finished products and Kaede has yet to use them or make anyone else aware they exist to keep this hidden from the mastermind.]]
27	* CreepyCrossdresser: Played with. During the talent show Kiyo chooses to go in a female styled Kimono, but considering how creepy he is in general this makes [[DudeLooksLikeALady him]] ''more'' normal looking, [[AttractiveBentGender much to the other students chagrin]]. [[spoiler:And since he's not wearing his mask it's [[GenderBender not exactly crossdressing either]].]]
28	* DeathByAdaptation: Naturally Shuichi's is what kicks off the story's start, and many other deaths can happen sooner than expected.
29	* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Kaito]] crosses it after chapter four's trial. Between [[spoiler: losing both Maki ''and'' Ryoma, failing to get Maki out of her shell before her death, Ryoma having died attempting to kill Kiyo against Kaito's best efforts to keep the latter alive after finding him contemplating suicide, his health deteriorating to the point he likely only had days left to live, and their most recent murder having been a genuine accident]] he snaps after the votes are counted and the blackened is set for execution [[spoiler:trying to save Angie despite their poor history rather than just stand by and watch her die]]. And seeing this happen on top of the surrounding events doesn't do any of the other kids any favors either.
30	** The fourth motive serves as one for Korekiyo. [[spoiler:Seeing his audition tape causes him to doubt how "real" his sister is, by extension making his murder of Kirumi (and attempt on Kaede's life) pointless, leaving him heartbroken and making him all too aware of how rightly alone he is. According to Tsumugi this was a design decision on her part, as she was expecting it to be enough to make him kill himself if she needed to get him out of the way. (Un)luckily for him, even if his sister is not a ghost her control over him is real enough to prevent that purely for the sake of her own survival.]]
31	* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: Despite being a different medium the story still references aspects of the game like this. Characters use their Monopads to find one another around campus like the player does, when Kibo's thinking about who he should spend time with [[spoiler:Maki's treated as unavailable for votes]] like she was during that chapter, executions still end with characters getting a TragicKeepsake related to the blackened, and the "optional" Love Hotel scenes are treated as events that do happen even if the person being visited doesn't remember them.
32	* TheLostLenore: Being Dangan Ronpa we get a lot of them.
33	** Shuichi is this for Kaede, as the story continues she blames herself for not preventing his death or being anything like him during investigation.
34	** Ryoma's experience with his girlfriend before the killing game allows him to relate to other students who have to deal with similar situations as it goes on.
35	** Kiyo still has [[BrotherSisterIncest his sister]], which serves as an initial bonding point between him and Ryoma early on as he avoids addressing his "previous partner's" true relation to him.
36	** Chapter Two results in [[spoiler:Himiko for Tenko]] and [[spoiler:Miu for Kibo]].
37	** In keeping with the ongoing theme of the swapped roles for this trope in this story, [[spoiler: Maki for Kaito.]]
38	* InMediasRes: The story starts two days after Chapter One ended, with Kaede going over the events of the first trial as a prologue with the implications it was near identical to how it worked in canon with the exception of who set the trap that resulted in Rantaro's death.
39	* InSpiteOfANail: Events from canon do still crop up, chapter two still has Himiko do a magic show [[spoiler:which leads to a murder being discovered]], chapter three has Angie reform the Student Council and intend on using the Necronomicon motive to bring back a dead student, chapter four still sees the return of the Neo-World Program, etc.
40	* LotsaPeopleTryToDunIt: Chapter 4 has this be the case towards [[AssholeVictim Kiyo]], in light of him [[spoiler:getting away with killing Kirumi in cold blood, had attempted to kill Kaede, and confessed to being a serial killer to prove he was not the mastermind]]. As it goes on almost half the surviving cast seriously considers getting him killed or doing the job themselves. [[spoiler:Ironically he's not the victim for that chapter either since the murder was caused by interrupting an attempt on his life.]]
41	* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: Comes up when the nature of Kiyo's current "relationship" with his sister is addressed, since [[spoiler:in addition to speaking to him during his POV chapter she appears as a separate person in the virtual world who can be given her own avatar]]. The context on the killing game makes it difficult for the students to prove anything regarding her, but [[spoiler:Kiyo gives up on believing she's really his sister's spirit in light of his audition tape]].
42	** Angie's case of Atua also comes up as [[spoiler:while the virtual world doesn't cause any oddities with her, her POV segments reveals she really ''does'' hear someone else's voice in her head. Since no one's any more convinced of "Atua's" existence here than in canon whether this is a genuine entity or a form of schizophrenia isn't addressed.]]
43	* OddFriendship: Kaede bemoans how she unintentionally made herself the closest friend of the creepiest guys she knows, even if Kiyo was a case where she was worried he wouldn't have any friends otherwise and she has little issue dealing Kokichi's antics. Angie and Tenko also grow closer here [[spoiler:after Himiko's death]] which can be ironic given Tenko's firm distrust of her from canon, and Kokichi pokes fun at how Kaito made a professional assassin and the convicted "Killer Tennis" his new "sidekicks".
44	* ShipTease: The Love Hotel bonus chapters focus on this between whoever ends up getting matched, and when Monodam asks Kaede if she'd like to use the Love Key she got as a gift he lets slip they sort out who gets visited based on perceived chemistry among the cast and [[ShipperOnDeck Monophanie's personal preferences]]. When told her current odds make her most likely partners for the night [[TheFriendNobodyLikes Kiyo]], [[VitriolicBestBuds Kokichi]], or Kaito she firmly turns it down.
45	** As time goes on there are [[CrushBlush hints]] that [[spoiler:Ryoma develops a crush on Kaede, which [[ShipperOnDeck Kaito encourages]] but the former doesn't want to act on]].
46	* TeamPet: Tenko ends up adopting one of the doves from Himiko's lab, and as an attempt to help bond with the others asked for them to help name it when she starts bringing it with her around campus.

Context FanFic / BackRoute