Pythonissam Despair

So. Epilogues, huh?

After many months of magic, mystery, sacrifices, and triumphs, the killing game cycle has been ended and the participants of Wonderland’s third killing game have escaped. The class of Magi have finally been liberated and are slowly trying to find a sense of normalcy…

But how do they go about it?

Rather than tell you what your ocs do with their newfound freedom (and, in some cases, returned lives), we have decided to let you tell the rest of their story! Do they continue to work on their talent and bud into their field? Do they become recluse and hide away from the public eye? Do they start their life all over again, trying to get away from the pain of his endeavor? Do they start families? Schools? Charities? Crime Organizations?

It’s up to you!

Both Living and Deceased Players may send in Epilogue Submissions, regardless of whether the dead wished to get a second chance at life or pass onto the Law of Cycles! The only thing we ask is that you mention whether or not your oc kept their Magus contract or not.

Aaaaaand... that’s a wrap on Pythonissam Despair!

(minus any character epilogues y’all send in, that is)

Feels like it’s been forever, huh? Hard to believe apps opened a little more than a year ago (March 1st last year feels like a completely different world). But! If you’re reading this... Whether you were a player or a spectator, thank you for being a part of this project.

Thank you to our art mods, Mints and Los, who brought the game to life through their incredible artistic talent. The work you did means the world to us!

Thank you to our mini mod team, Halo and Teagan. You two kept trials and Witch Hunts moving smoothly and ensured that everyone was on top of stuff.

And thank you to our amazing players for being there through every investigation, trial, plot twist, and all the ups and lows. You encouraged us to keep doing our best as a mod team, so we hope that PD was a game you can look back on fondly, whether that be due to the friends you met or the rp moments that left an impact on you.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. ♡

The group of Magi trapped within Wonderland had voted to shape the energy maintaining the pocket dimension into a single Wish.

We wish to make it so Magi, before they can confirm their contracts, are given a glimpse into the reality of life as a Magus -- allowing them time to reconsider if that is the life they are ready to lead.

When the participants of the third killing game come to again, they’re slumped unceremoniously upon the cobblestone of the courtyard in front of Hope’s Peak Academy. The real one, not the looming black and white spires from the Mastermind’s cognitive reality. The stars in the sky seem to flare brighter tonight, shining down on the group.

Given the position of the moon... the time is between 12 and 4 am. The witching hour.

Moriko and Atsushi, along with any of the deceased that did not wish to return to life, are notably absent. Given what you know of the system of Magi, they must be in the hands of the Law of Cycles now. The Incubators Chuubey and Minibey are also missing, their whereabouts unknown. And yet... given the wish that was made with the remainder of Wonderland’s magic, gathered through despair and heartbreak... a feeling of hope lingers in the air. Some positive change would happen.

For those Magi who chose to remain in their contracts, their soul gems are bright with a lack of despair. Their powers remain, as do the burdens of living as a Magi. A single Grief Seed, free of any markings, has been pressed into a pocket. A final gift from Wonderland, it seems.

For those former Magi who chose to exit their contracts, sacrificing their magical abilities for a life free from the consequences that came with fighting Wraiths and maintaining a soul gem, their soul gems no longer encase their very soul. Instead, a hollow piece gem remains... a reminder of everything leading up to this moment.

Someone clearing their throat breaks the silence that had settled in while the group of students processed their surroundings.

In the quiet since the trial, the group had taken to issuing final goodbyes, warnings, and gratitude to one another in equal measures. For some, there wasn’t much to say that you hadn’t said during the trial. You had put your lives and hearts on the line to survive and, like Mnemosyne had promised, your efforts were rewarded.

Of course, it would still come at the cost of three individual souls: but the ones in question didn’t seem to argue against it.

Hiro Shiroyama, Akane ‘Rosetta’ Taoka, and Atsushi Teshigawara would be sacrificing themselves, it was agreed. What fate truly held for them was uncertain, but they didn’t consider it a harsh goodbye.

The ground gently shakes beneath you, just for a moment.

“You know? I never thought the end of a world would feel so relieving.” ‘Heart’ smiles up at the cracks in the sky as they walk back out of the dark edges of the rooftop. “I’m glad I can see the stars one last time. The real ones, that is. It’s been a while.”

Looking at them, you notice their signature star clip is gone. Following them is Mira Shiroyama, who is clutching something large and glittering in her palm. The corners of her eyes seem red with irritation, but she puts a hand on the fragment’s shoulder and follows their gaze. It seems the estranged siblings did find some final moments of quiet together.

“It is really pretty, huh...?” clearing her throat, she looks around to those gathered. Her serious expression finally eases into a soft, easy smile. “While it’s sad to say goodbye... it appears it’s about that time. Moriko-san, and the rest of the dearly departed, I ask that you gather around me.”

While you hadn’t noticed it before, the group that arrives at the angel’s side is larger than you may have realized. Some of the ghosts walk hand-in-hand while others stand with their arms slung around one another. A handful linger with the living for a few more moments, reluctant to let go but content with their final chances to say goodbye.

Were it not for all of you, these thirty-odd souls would have never had this new chance at happiness in the first place. Most notably though, you will notice Atsushi and Moriko standing with them.

Another tremor shakes the ground, stronger than the first. However, this one does not stop shaking the tower which the Magi had reluctantly lived for the past few months. Instead, it grows more violent.

“Well,” says Minibey. “That... that should do it-”

The sky overhead fractures like a pane of glass. As it comes crashing down, raining in a million shards of prismatic colors, the fake Incubator’s voice can be heard over the cacophony.

“The wish is complete. Consider me getting you home safely, erm... to be free of charge. Good luck out there.”

A dome of white energy forms over the Magi from the third killing game, lulling killers, victims, and survivors into a state between awake and dreaming.

Minibey shifts in Mira’s arm and sneezes.

“It seems like option 3 has the most votes. With the magical energy amassed here... yeah, that should be possible.”

The fake Incubator bobs their head. Quietly, they repeat the wish to themself.

"We wish to make it so Magi, before they can confirm their contracts, are given a glimpse into the reality of life as a Magus -- allowing them time to reconsider if that is the life they wish to lead for their wish."

Minibey bobs their head, their sewn on nose not quite slipping off their face with the gesture. It’s patted back into place soon after.

“Yeah... a change that should give a little more knowledge to anyone thinking about contracting. Fewer children caught living in them.... and dying because of them. This will affect potential Magi of the future.”

Minibey pats Mira’s arm, being let down. They toddle over to the throne in the middle of the room that Chuubey previously sat on. Climbing atop it, they shut their eyes and focus... dark energy seems to coalesce around them, turning from dark purple to light, pure pink.

“...gotta concentrate the energy into your wish...”

The tower underfoot shakes with a low tremor, then stabilizes a few seconds later. Looking up to the sky above, cracks now split the starry sky, letting bits of the world beyond in.

After some explanation, the lilac-haired girl explains that she is Mira Shiroyama, the de facto-leader of the Angels of the Cycles. This is the group that Moriko and Fuyu have gotten the means to help disrupt Wonderland from. The Law of Cycles is essentially the afterlife for all Magi after they perish, whether that be in combat or after succumbing to despair.

After the deceased students have tearful and tense reunions with their living counterparts, Mira speaks up as to what happens with Wonderland now that the living students have beaten Atsushi and Chuubey at their own game.

“There appears to be enough energy still present here to both return any Magi who died in the third killing game to life as well as offer all of you a means out of your Magus Contracts -- if you so choose. That will be an individual choice. Anyone who wishes to stay dead and move permanently into the Law of Cycles or anyone who wishes to stay in their Magi contract may do so, if they wish.”

She turns to the group of recently-deceased students she had entered with.

“You’re not obligated to accept on any front and I should note that everything that has already happened will still remain. Motives, including lost-loved ones, still occurred. The wishes you made will maintain their effect up until this point for better or for worse, as turning back time is very dangerous and difficult.”

There was always an underlying nervousness to the angel’s demeanor, even if she was taking some pains to hide it. Minibey pats their paw gently atop her head and she lets go a breath she had been holding.

After the Mastermind is correctly unmasked by their fellow Magi...

A soft whizzing can be heard through the air. While too fast for any of you to have caught it before, you watch as what appears to be a large, threaded needle zip around Chuubey, who still sits in the middle of the room. The needle darts down -- taking the tangled Moon Rabbit with it. While not hurting them, they hardly have time to react before the thread loosens and forms into what looks like a glass bubble.

“What is…?”

Shuffling up, the Incubator moves to push their head on the glass and gains no traction.

It hurts.

There's a swirl of miasma that begins in his heart, settling itself nicely against that of what he's begun to identify as grief. It can almost manifest itself as ink; something vile that stains all it touches, it could be. As it continues, it burns across and up his chest. Like fire. Like salt. Like failure. Like resentment.

And it follows with a shot of despair, something he wasn't expecting and it catches him off-guard enough to rip a pathetic noise from his pathetic throat.

7 Votes for Atsushi Teshigawara Voting is now FINALIZED

As your conversation comes to a boiling point, the pressure is laid on. The more the group discussed matters, the more the evidence only seems to point at specific people. There was speculation on the 'How' and 'Why', but the ‘Who’ was… Was it right? Could it really be Atsushi Teshigawara? With more and more fingers pointing to the SHSL Composer, you notice that they stay oddly silent. They were always a bit quiet in trial, but this… was different. Their odd-colored eyes would dart from side-to-side as more and more members of the class laid into them and you can catch their hand slowly moving up to grasp at their own shirt lapels. The expression they wear is difficult to parse. Their hand shakily reaches out for their own star as you all march yourselves over to them and just as they go and take a hold of it and pull it to their chest, they drop it. With no explanation their hands go to claw at their own chest as some phantom pain washes over them, making them stagger back.

“H-Hng…. Gh!”

The Composer attempts to offer out one of his airy, light laughs, but the way it’s forced makes it come out as a wheeze. Always weak in constitution, the musician and graffiti artist lets out a pitiful cry as he slumps onto his knees, writhing in pain.

The obvious suspect, Chuubey, is met with angry glares and… their eyes are closed. They seem to regard Atsushi, but they’re expending none of the energy they have to incapacitate other members of the class. Seeing your gazes, their head tilts up.

“...What?”

They turn to examine each and every one of you, before their head turns back to Atsushi Teshigawara, the SHSL Composer.

After some heated discussion, presentation of evidence, and putting together what the surviving group of Magi understood about their peers... it seemed that the few survivors were prepared to vote for who they believed to be behind the orchestration of Wonderland’s third killing game. 

Chuubey, from where they sit on a throne in the center of the trial room, speaks up again.

"Well... there is no point in waiting. You're already moving to vote... so vote."

The Incubator sighs, sitting back on their haunches to hover their front paws in the air.

While the Witch of Memories had stated that you all would only have a few hours to investigate, time was difficult to track in the Mastermind’s Mind Space. Wandering the city of uncanny shades and places that could have been familiar once upon a time, you were always aware that this was at least a portion of someone’s psyche. 

The mind of the traitor who’s trapped you here, for whatever reasons they saw fit enough to sacrifice you to. 

 ‘Heart’, the fragment of Wonderland’s progenitor, had made the occasional appearance to you all throughout your travels -- but the next time you hear them is over the newfound wind.

“That is… all we can provide to you. The City is growing unstable, so you’re best to leave now!”

“The final trial will be held on the Rooftop of Wonderland Tower. If you gather in the Plaza, we can spirit you up there.”

It takes about ten minutes for you all to reconvene in the imposing shadow of the tower as you’re left standing there quietly. You had all been told that you would be taken up, though it’s not immediately obvious how. You may even begin to walk towards the Tower itself to begin climbing, but another, familiar, shadow looms to the south.

The enormous Witch of Memories appears seemingly from nowhere as their form twitches and shudders. Slowly, their form lowers themself to kneel before you all as one arm raises higher into the air. The space around you fills with that glimmering, iridescent miasma and swathes you all within it.

You blink and, after a few seconds, you find yourself much higher up. With their mostly-featureless face and hands resting on the edge of the arena, you realize that you now stand on the Rooftop of Wonderland Tower.

Area Unlocked: Wonderland Tower Rooftop

You’ve made it. At last, the top of the tower is unlocked. A sea of stars in the clearest sky you’ve ever seen floats above your head, twinkling yellow and white on a background of the vast purple expanse of space.

Unlike the previous trial rooms, the top of the tower only has eleven podiums. Eight for the living students stuck in Wonderland, neat and strong but otherwise lacking distinctive features. Spread throughout the eight: three crumbling podiums for the surviving Magi of the previous killing game rescued through your stay here. In front of the podiums of Masami, Masumi, Nene, Katrine, Fuyu, Moriko, Yukio, and Atsushi: a single gold star, about the size of a fist. It glimmers with otherworldly light. In between each podium floats several white candles of varying sizes, illuminating the area with cold light.

A teddy-bear sized throne sits in the middle of the room, elevated on a podium. It seems that Chuubey gets a prime location to watch your final debate.

When everyone has chosen their podiums, Chuubey takes a seat on their elevated throne, rings around their ears clinking softly.

Do your best. Any less spells disaster for you all.

Given their earlier order to all of you, there seems to be little point in defying the Grand Witch a couple of hours after you’re allowed to leave. With their threat of your own fall into witchdom fresh on your minds, the current survivors are all ushered North.

Pressing your way through the fog that once led to Cheshire Crossing, you can feel the atmosphere shift as you meander through the iridescent miasma -- similar but somehow unlike the one you have grown accustomed with. As the signs and the semblance of trees begin to disappear completely, you find the ground beneath has hardened with your footsteps.

The mist thins and you find yourself in a place totally unlike anything you have grown accustomed to in Wonderland. Standing in the middle of a street paved with asphalt, you find yourself staring up at a massive, spiraling city. From the looks of it, this appears to be a downtown area, despite the fog encapsulating the road almost a hundred feet away on each side.

The City

So this was the Mastermind’s Mind Space…?

Looking forward, you spot the smiling face of Heart with their hands clasped together.

“Impressive, is it not~?” the silence following their words is telling and they chuckle awkwardly, “...Sorry. I realize you don’t care! Regardless, this will last as long as it can be sustained -- which will be a few hours. That should be enough time for you to host a trial-?”

Suddenly, an all-too-familiar voice cuts through the quiet. You realize that it’s been a moment since Chuubey has addressed you all.

“This is quite an enormous usage of power, hm..?” 

The Moon Rabbit’s expression is always difficult to read on account of them not having one beyond neutrality.

“Apologies to you all. I did not realize that one of the Powers was… enacting something of this scale. Though, it appears they have already filled you in on the apparent situation…”

The King and the Incubator stare at one another for a moment before Chuubey turns their attention back to the group.

“My information is… limited, in a way. You are at the monster’s mercy. We will reconvene when your trial will commence. It will be at Wonderland Tower, yes…?”

The fragment of Mnemosyne’s smile strains as they cross their arms, almost as if they’re ready to bare their teeth.

“Yes, yes! I’ve goooot it! Now go on, shoo! Go, go!” they scrunch their nose, flicking their hand at Chuubey, “Mnemosyne helped create this, so we will handle any questions here. I don’t get to talk much~!”

“...Hm. As you wish…”

With a final, very long stare through you all (are they looking at someone in particular?), Chuubey finally departs. Likewise, as you all turn back around, Heart has also disappeared. Though, their disembodied voice reaches you.

[Goooo get them, then! You don’t have long, so it’s recommended you split up~ This is your one chance… so don’t waste it!]

Coming off of such a harsh battle, it’s natural that emotions and tempers are high. Between the newest face in a string of many recently and the horrific implications of what Wonderland is supposed to be: the Magi were quick to begin interrogating the lilac-haired Witch while also running to check on the fallen Moriko and Fuyu.

Checking the death duo over, both appear to be barely breathing. Fuyu lays there in their strange new outfit, their Soul Gem fractured in places and completely crumbled in other parts. Moriko, likewise,  is also nearly encrusted in crystals, ranging in color but most the oily black of their and Fuyu's attack. The ones on their chest do rise and fall, as if in deep sleep.

There was some relief that both seemed to still be among the living if indicated by their breathing. But, when checking their pulses... only Fuyu possessed one.

While the implications of that was terrifying enough, it looked like the group had a new enemy to deal with. Currently, they were arguing over the logistics of killing their partner, the Red Queen.

As the dust settles, the moments following Dornröschen’s defeat is oddly silent -- save for the sounds of all your heavy breathing, that is. The once towering witch’s body lays tattered in bloody defeat and you can’t help but feel a sense of accomplishment.

Dornröschen, the Grand Witch, was no more. Whatever her true power was, you know everyone’s combined efforts is what made this possible. Maybe this should be cause to celebrate… if you were given time to, that is.

As you begin to pick yourselves up off the ground, you notice a rising mist around you. While you’re now accustomed to the fog of Witches that appears so often here in Wonderland… this is different.

Rather than being varying shades of lavender and lilac, the mist is almost pearlescent and shimmers with an iridescent quality. However, the fog that rolls in is somehow far more oppressive than the miasma usually associated with embodiments of despair.

You hear something begin to speak.

While you had anticipated this would be a difficult battle, the class comes to realize this encounter could be deadly. With Moriko and Fuyu’s help -- doing whatever powerful attack they had managed upon your entrance -- and Kagemori and Reiko’s assistance: this almost feels like a fair battle against the raging monarch.

Attack after attack has torn into the Red Queen's form. Her dress is ripped to rags, and she's oozing amaranth blood freely from multiple wounds on her body.

Instead of chuckling, or mocking the Magi, or trying to run... she lifts her scepter to the ceiling. It's fully charged again.

"KNEEL, GODS DAMN YOU."

With a brief sound, like a balloon popping, a burst of black malice erupts from the scepter. Barely hanging to life, she unleashes Painting the Roses Red on each Magi. From it, a wave of twisted and negative emotions pulses through the field as some weather it better than others.

Dornröschen screams with fury when no one drops dead, and leans heavily on her scepter when trying to get into a defensive position. 

But, like every kingdom is bound to do: the Grand Witch would fall.

Katrine's head feels like it's overloading. There's just so much on her mind that she just has to force herself to shut it off for a minute. Focus in on survival, and survival only. That's the only way to live. So once she's hit first, she has to hit back. She must. She must hit harder than the other. More than the other. She's sure her heart is just pounding right now.

If she weren't in such a state as she is, Katrine would smile, but at the moment all there is is a pretty blank face with the eyes of a wild animal as she harshly brings down her mallet to squash another enemy blocking the path to her happiness.

[CW: decapitation mention]

As Katrine’s mallet hits true, Wonderland itself seems to shake.

As Rosetta, as the mastermind of the second Killing Game, is one of two pillars supporting the architecture of the place that holds past and present Magi captive, her death destabilizes something beneath your very feet. Another tremble in the earth as Dornröschen falls to her knees, cradling the head in her arms. A piece of the ceiling dislodges and slams down next to Masumi and Masami, shattering to pieces.

“My… kingdom…”

The Witch’s entire form shudders, and Rosetta’s true eyes blink open for a brief second.

"Kagemori... don't leave me-!"

Dornröschen's form explodes in a burst of red rose petals, which rain to the ground. The petals then disintegrate into purple mist that dissipates through the room. The Red Queen's crown rolls towards Katrine's feet.

As the Witch of Regeneration crumbles, you feel the ground beneath your feet start to tremble. At first it's subtle before it continues to grow and grow and makes you all fall to the ground -- not that it's easy to stand in your battered states. 

Weakened, you feel like the walls are going to fall any second! But then... it stops, if only for a moment. A few tiles fall from the ceiling around you with a loud CRASH! before everything falls still.