A body has been discovered at the secretive Hope's Peak Church run by Nagito Komaeda. As the best detective duo in the country, Kyoko Kirigiri and Makoto Naegi have been assigned to the case. Kyoko is thrilled - she's had her eye on the suspicious church for years. But the more they dig into the investigation, the odder everything becomes. Strange things keep happening. People keep getting hurt. Nagito knows way too much about her and Makoto and things are just wrong.
But the Kirigiri clan isn't known for giving up. Kyoko is going to get to the bottom of this no matter what it takes.
As Old As Time is a No-Ultimates Danganronpa Cosmic Horror Story fanfic where Kyoko and Makoto are ordinary detectives. While heavily inspired by the Cthulhu Mythos it is not a direct crossover.
Can be read here
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As Old As Time contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Fuhito to Jin. Kyoko learns Fuhito was this to her too.
- Apocalypse Cult: Hope's Peak.
- Awful Truth: With the exception of Jin Kirigiri, the Kirigiri clan are secretly servants of the Deep Ones.
- Nagito has been involved in both Kyoko and Makoto's life ever since they were young children.
- Jin never wanted to abandon Kyoko. Her grandfather and Nagito forced him to.
- Makoto's father didn't randomly disappear. He fled after attempting to murder Makoto and was killed by Nagito.
- Ohori Naegi isn't actually Makoto's father. Makoto is the son of an Elder.
- The Bait: A villainous example. The motive for the murder turns out to be luring Kyoko and more importantly, Makoto, into Hope's Peak.
- Batman Grabs a Gun: Makoto tries to shoot Nagito.
- Benevolent Abomination: Angie describes Atua this way, claiming he has created a sanctuary for some remnant of humanity to continue to exist after the rest of his kin return.
- Bizarre Alien Reproduction: While humans and Deep Ones can reproduce there is no such thing as a true human-Deep One hybrid. Instead, the child is one or the other. In the case of a Deep One, the child is usually born as a full human and spends the next 25 years 'incubating' before hatching out of their human form and becoming a true, full-blooded Deep One.
- Brown Note: It physically hurts Kyoko to look upon the statue of Atua in Angie's room. Additionally, two of her colleagues end up dying while trying to translate Hope's Peak scripture.
- The true forms of Deep Ones. Angie claims seeing Atua's true form would make her brain explode and Makoto needs a hospital trip after seeing one.
- Chewing the Scenery: Gundham Tanaka is constantly shouting and making dire declarations. He even introduces himself in all caps.
- Combat Pragmatist: Kyoko. At one point, she lobs a kettle full of boiling water at someone.
- Cowboy Cop: Kyoko doesn't think twice about taking some less than legal actions during her investigation and her dialogue with Makoto make it clear this is a pattern. In a rarity for this trope, Kyoko's ability to get away with this behaviour is actually justified. She's being protected by a Deep One.
- Crazy Homeless People: Averted. Yasuhiro Hagakure is a conspiracy theorist but he's a genuine medium and the only person outside Hope's Peak who knows what Chiaki was doing there.
- Also averted with Gundham Tanaka. While he acts crazy and is difficult to understand, he knows exactly what Hope's Peak is up to and is doing his damndest to stop them.
- Creepy Cave: There's a cave network underneath the church that doubles as an Eldritch Location.
- Da Chief: Byakuya Togami appears as the police chief.
- Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Fuhito threatened to kill Jin if he didn't leave Kyoko to him. Jin still wasn't swayed until he realized Fuhito had Deep One backing and he forced Kyoko to burn her own hands.
- Mukuro's mother abandoned her at the hospital as a newborn but took Junko with her. It's strongly implied this is because Junko had already turned into a Deep One. Given that a Deep One's true form tend to be a Brown Note, this likely saved Mukuro's life.
- Deconstruction: Of Kyoko and the Kirigiri clan.
- Canonically, Kyoko is known for pulling some interesting moves during her investigations. (Sending Makoto into a secret room to see if he gets attacked, tasting a corpse's saliva, etc.) Given the revered status of Ultimates in canon, she's rarely questioned about it. Here though she gets called out much more often on her reckless and occasionally callous tactics, and many characters think she's a bit touched in the head.
- The Kirigiri clan itself is deconstructed with Nagito pointing out that modern-day evidence standards and protocols are so high that being a famous, professional solo detective isn't really feasible. The only reason the Kirigiri clan has survived is they've made a pact with a Deep One.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Both Kyoko and Makoto were abandoned by their father.
- Angie claims her tribe drowned her.
- Hope's Peak murdered Mukuro's father and kidnapped her as a child.
- Death by Cameo: The body found at Hope's Peak is revealed to be Chiaki Nanami.
- Demonic Possession: Deep Ones can directly control their favoured servants. While Angie only alludes to this with her and Atua, we see it in-story with Junko and Mukuro and Nagito and Kyoko.
- Despair Event Horizon: Dear lord, Kyoko.
- Makoto, the most optimistic and hopeful character in the franchise, has given up by the end.
- Determinator: Kyoko's persists with the case for far longer than any ordinary person would and even after she's pulled off it. It's not a good thing.
- She also powers her way through a sleep spell through pure will to protect Makoto.
- Eldritch Location: The church and the cave network underneath.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: The Elders are exactly that: elder Deep Ones. More specifically, Nagito and his ancestors.
- Existential Horror
- Fatal Flaw: Kyoko's pride and tenacity. Despite her friends begging her to stop, Kyoko will not let go of the case. She even prioritizes it over Makoto for a while. Eventually, she wakes up after realizing she's being set up and her recklessness gets her and Makoto trapped at Hope's Peak during a storm.
- Foreshadowing: A few characters joke about how protective Kyoko is about Makoto. She's literally programmed to protect him.
- Kyoko notes that Izuru looks like an older Makoto. They're cousins.
- Within Hope's Peak, Korekiyo and Angie rarely interact with anyone besides each other, hinting at their real relationship.
- Many, many lines and interactions become this on a reread. Especially Angie's.
- Flat "What": Kyoko's response to being told by the mechanic that she she picked up their broken-down car the day before.
- Genius Loci: The swamp behind Hope's Peak seems to move around.
- Genre Blind: Kyoko act like she's in a regular mystery novel and not an Eldritch mystery. In-story, this is justified as Kyoko being directly influenced by the Deep Ones into making certain decision.
- Great Detective: Kyoko. It's mentioned the Kirigiris are the last ones in the world.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Played with. Kyoko is very territorial over Makoto and gets jealous easily, but she's not the least bit afraid of losing him.
- Happily Married: While not actually married, Kyoko and Makoto give strong vibes of this.
- Hates Their Parent: Kyoko is extremely resentful of her father for abandoning her as a child. She does seem to make up with him by the end.
- Hero of Another Story: The story has a lot of details about other characters' histories and makes it clear several have had Eldritch encounters of their own.
- Shuichi Saihara was tapped to investigate the deaths of Angie's tribe. Whatever happened during the investigation was so terrifying it not only left him terrified of Hope's Peak, every single person involved in the investigation agreed to keep it under wraps.
- Gundham Tanaka has been trying to thwart Hope's Peak for years and has recruited the Dark Devas of Destruction.
- Chiaki Nanami's best friend Hajime Hinata started acting funny after receiving strange, unsigned letters. After he suddenly disappeared, she managed to track him to Hope's Peak and was killed trying to find him.
- Mukuro Ikusaba was abandoned as a baby at the hospital after her mother realized Junko had been born as a Deep One instead of a human. She then lived peacefully with just her father for several years until Junko tracked her down and had her kidnapped. She spent the rest of her childhood growing up in a cult that worshiped her sister and genuinely did not know how to raise a human child.
- It's clear Makoto is encountering his own share of Eldritch happenings throughout the story, but since it's only from Kyoko's POV we never learn what they are.
- I Have Many Names: Gundham Tanaka (though it's unknown if he's telling the truth) and Atua claim this.
- I Have No Son!: Like canon, Fuhito disowned Jin when he refused to become a detective.
- Identity Breakdown: Kyoko suffers a huge one after learning the Awful Truth of her family and realizing most if not all her personality was 'pre-progammed' into her by Nagito.
- Interspecies Adoption: Atua seems to regard Angie this way, directly referring to her as his daughter.
- It Was Here, I Swear!: Happens to Kyoko when she tries to show Byakuya the hidden tunnels under Hope's Peak.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: It's never clarified whether Gundham is a human with magical powers or something entirely inhuman. Likewise, it's unclear whether the Devas of Destruction are ordinary hamsters that Gundham painted runes on or something else.
- Mistaken for Insane: While justified, Kyoko's hated of Hope's Peak and insistence they abducted Makoto is so extreme she's committed to an asylum.
- Nothing Is Scarier: Shuichi refuses to explain what happened on Angie's island.
- We never fully find out what happened to Makoto while Kyoko was lost in the caves or what the 'hatching' process looks like.
- Gundham Tanaka's fate is unrevealed although it's clear he's dead.
- Obfuscating Insanity: While many of Gundham's lines actually do make sense, it's also implied he does this as a defense against uncomfortable situations.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Kyoko starts getting called out on strange behaviour as she gets more absorbed with the case. Even Kyoko herself questions her actions at some point.
- Offing the Offspring: Ohori Naegi tried to kill Makoto after realizing Makoto wasn't really human.
- Only Sane Man: Izuru for the Hope's Peak crew.
- Makoto becomes this for him and Kyoko as she becomes more unhinged, to the point where he goes behind her back and begs Byakuya to take them off the case.
- The police chief, Byakuya Togami, generally makes good decisions and agrees with Makoto they need to stop the investigation. However, he's unaware of the scale of what they're up against and it's too little, too late.
- Papa Wolf: Korekiyo only breaks character when Kyoko threatens to kill Angie.
- Nagito literally eats Ohori Naegi after he tried to kill Makoto. He also becomes murderous toward Kyoko after she attacks Izuru and Junko, although he calms down before he kills her.
- Prayer Is a Last Resort: Of all people, Kyoko directly prays to the Deep One when Gundham is about to kill Makoto.
- Prefers Raw Meat: Deep Ones.
- Religion of Evil: Hope's Peak's clergy is working to release the seal on the Elders. Justified as the Elders are their parents/grandparents.
- Rewatch Bonus: The story is chock-full of hidden meanings and details that are only noticeable on a reread.
- Roaring Rampage of Revenge: According to Angie, Atua slaughtered her entire tribe in revenge for her murder.
- Running Gag: Every time Makoto tries to make a move on Kyoko, something ruins the moment.
- Sanity Slippage: Kyoko spirals down this path for a while after getting lost in the caves. She becomes more and more reckless and obsessed with Hope's Peak, continuing to investigate even after she's directly ordered not to and Makoto begs her to stop. Eventually, she snaps out of it.
- Mondo Owada becomes obsessed with Hope's Peak's scripture and goes insane.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Kyoko eventually tries to do this. She gives up the case and tells Byakuya they need to stop all investigation into it. Hope's Peak isn't so willing to let her go, however.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: The Elders.
- Shout-Out: The careers and relationship between most characters are direct shout-outs to their Ultimate talents and interactions in canon.
- At one point, Makoto's terrible luck leads him to falling into a swamp. He doesn't have a change of clothes so Nagito lends him a nun's habit. This is a reference to the original AU this story is based on where the premise is Makoto going undercover at Hope's Peak Church while disguised as a nun.
- The title is both a reference to the ancientness of the Deep Ones and a reference to Beauty and the Beast. In other words, a love story between a girl and a monster.
- Izuru has a deadlight, a feature of a famous Eldritch monster.
- Taken Off the Case: Kyoko is thrown off the Hope's Peak case twice. The first time involuntarily, the second time by her own request.
- Time Abyss: It's unknown how old Nagito is, but Kyoko notices he hasn't aged in at least twenty years.
- Truth in Television: Both Kyoko and Makoto have no problem with making jokes around and about bodies. Crime scene investigators do this in real life as a coping mechanism and because they're desensitized to corpses.
- Undying Loyalty: It's very clear Makoto doesn't want to be anywhere near this case, but he's unwilling to leave Kyoko to deal with it alone. He still sides with her even as a Deep One.
- Unwitting Pawn: Kyoko is used by Hope's Peak to lure in Makoto for their plan. Emphasis on the unwitting part as Kyoko does not remember she made a pact with the Deep Ones.
- Violently Protective Girlfriend: Touch Makoto and Kyoko will hurt you.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Gundham has a good reason for trying to kill Makoto.
- Fuhito has been working with the Deep Ones and manipulating Kyoko for most of her life. It's implied he knows Hope's Peak is close to succeeding and sees this as the only way to protect her.
- Wham Episode: Chapter 39. Kyoko was right that she was in the caves for two days, meaning Makoto either lied to her or (later confirmed) something also happened to him while she was down there. Her conversation with Angie also confirms Kyoko has periodically been controlled by a Deep One. She also states Kyoko belongs to the Elders although doesn't elaborate what that means. And finally, Fuhito admits he's known about Hope's Peak this entire time.
- Chapter 42. Kyoko learns what really happened between her father and grandfather, how her hands got burnt, what happened between Makoto and his father and that Nagito has been watching and directly intervening in Makoto's life since he was a young child. This is also the chapter Kyoko fully accepts at least some at Hope's Peak are not human.
- White-and-Grey Morality: Those against Hope's Peak are trying to prevent The End of the World as We Know It. From Hope Peak's side, it's a group of children/grandchildren trying to free their parents/grandparents and making sure their weakened and famished relatives will have plenty of food available when they escape.
- Would Not Shoot a Civilian: Gundham does his best to incapacitate Kyoko without seriously harming her while he's trying to kill Makoto.
- You Cannot Grasp the True Form: The Deep Ones in general. Gundham also claims this, but it's unsure whether he's telling the truth.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Mukuro. It's subverted with the explanation that it's the first step in an Eldritch ritual to make humans less fragile.
