#execution [6]

Even as a child, she’s felt different from the other kids in her class. Shitty childhood aside, even the love everyone had shown her didn’t bring her comfort. Patricia Watson had a hard time feeling anything besides one thing and one thing alone: despair. It was her one way of taking control over a life that didn’t allow her to make her own decisions--in this killing game, she was the queen, and everyone was at her mercy, even if they didn’t realize it.

Hope’s Peak was boring as is. It was time to have a little fun at everyone’s expense.

Bendy, she says, was the easiest to convince to help her out. All she had to do was promise him fame and fortune, and he was in the palm of her hand. His obsession with her, however, was excessive, and the way she speaks illustrates just how disgusted she was with it all. It was all an act, she insists, saying she didn’t feel much for anyone on the island. Why would she? She’s going to have them all killed anyway, so what’s the use with getting attached?

One person, however, stood out in her explanation: Marie.

All Patricia wanted in her life was the chance to kill her best friend, but that was taken from her. It filled her with despair, sure, but it definitely wasn’t the same.

Angered by the state of things thus far, Akihiko punches her in the face. Patricia only grins, asking him to do it again. He backs down. Being promptly disowned by Totoko, she can hear Tohru say he doesn’t hold anything against her, but she staunchly ignores it. She isn’t sure what to make of that, so not acknowledging it is for the best.

Finally, she reveals one last key bit of information: she only acted accordingly with how she thought the audience would like it. The way she responded to people, the amount of emotions she showed, expressing anger and sadness at the right times… It was exactly what the viewers wanted, and they ate that shit up. She seems smug when she talks about, actually, much to the anger of the others. If she hadn’t been the cause behind everyone’s deaths, some might even call her manner of speaking cute! The cuteness is gradually replaced by confidence, seemingly not regretting a thing she had done.

Even as she explains how the audience projects on everyone that’s been involved, she’s cheerful when she mentions how she didn’t have to push anyone to develop. It was their own doing, and it was pretty entertaining!

"You know what’s better, though?"

Silence falls over the room. The mastermind is pausing for dramatic effect, and surprisingly, nobody interrupts.

"A plot twist no one saw coming. This is it! Me, the beloved comic relief, one of the fan favorites, was actually the showrunner the entire time! Boy, I bet people seeing this are screaming right now! I’d love to be able to hear it.”

Nobody else seems as amused as she does. The tween frowns, a bit disappointed. This wasn’t unexpected, but she wishes they were as easy to force into despair as Bendy was. Guess he was the traitor for a reason, eh folks?

As a vote is called, she is unsurprisingly voted the mastermind. That part wasn’t an act, at least! Peacock, Ultimate Despair, the mastermind behind the whole killing game, has been revealed to a worldwide audience, and she couldn’t be happier with the results. The grin that’s been on her face refuses to leave, and she clasps her hands, having one last thing to say:

“Well, y’know how the sayin’ goes: That’s all, folks!”

> GAME OVER

> PATRICIA WATSON HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY.

She isn’t scared. In fact, she was prepared for this the entire time. Instead of being dragged to her execution, Peacock smiles, bowing and waving before her surviving classmates before walking to her execution.

It’s as if she’s been prepared for this the entire time. Is she… Looking forward to this? Why does she seem so smug?

> TIME FOR THE MASTERMIND’S ULTRA DESPAIR-INDUCING PUNISHMENT!

TW: Body horror, blood, gore, fire, car crashes, implied drowning and impalement, guns, knives, unsanitary, mentions of dismemberment

As everyone stands silently, they notice a projector--which had been present in the trial room all this time, funnily enough--springing to life, displaying a black & white scene before them. Jolly, happy music plays in the background, and nothing about the spectacle seems real. It’s like some poor rubber hose animator painstakingly drew this scene from scratch, and boy is Patricia living it up!

It’s fairly reminiscent of Bendy’s execution: a cartoonized Peacock exists in a toon world, her dark eyes seeming more natural in this setting than in real life. However, what seems extra familiar about this area is… She’s on a talk show? Sitting on a couch, she seems to be talking merrily with a cartoon version of Goro Akechi, who sits at the typical talk show host desk, stained with blood. The pink on his black and white attire really stands out, actually.

Smiling, Goro pushes a button, strapping Peacock to the couch she’s been talking on, but she doesn’t seem bothered. As the camera pans away from the setup (revealing it’s actually in an aquarium tank), pink fluid can be seen filling the tank from the bottom up. Goro doesn’t seem bothered in the least, looking quite amused as the area begins to fill with blood. The mastermind grins, and the footage immediately cuts away to another scene.

Standing on another stage, Peacock stands besides an impaled Hibiki Wataru, looking a little worse for wear. The tween, however, still seems as intact as ever, and possibly even more excited than before. Wataru begins to attach familiar restraints to the girl’s body, but nothing about it is forced--it’s as if he wants to do this to her. As she watches the contraption hang precariously above her, the magician pays no mind to the timer counting down before them, insisting on pulling the lever as soon as he’s able to. The girl’s laugh can be heard right before it comes crashing down onto her, and again the footage skips to something different.

Although dressed more extravagantly than the other prisoners, Peacock stands idly in her jail cell, swaying back and forth as she waits for the horn to sound. Even while restrained to a ball and chain, the mastermind has a slight sway in her step, as if she’s manipulated the ball enough to not tie her down. It’s a cartoon, remember? Jeez, keep up! Or maybe Tougou Hajime should? He’s not trailing too far behind her, bullet holes and stab wounds covering his entire body while holding a knife in his only attached arm. The thrill of the chase is one thing, but seeing reanimated cartoon versions of her classmates holding guns in her direction? That’s just absolutely despair inducing!

Like the other scenes, of course, it cuts away right before one of them gets to her. It’s difficult to tell if Tougou got to her or if one of her classmates did first.

Tied to a firetruck ladder, Peacock’s being driven by none other than Clive Dove himself! He looks worse for wear, burn scars and his half dead self apparent even in this Toontown setting. A cartoon version of Hope’s Peak is already burning to the ground, various helpless nameless students running from it. Is the mastermind taking any of this seriously? No, not really. It’s hard to tell if she even catches on fire or not considering this short clip skips right before the truck makes an impact.

Now, the scene doesn’t seem as familiar--unlike the other scenes, this one is more realistic and in color. With her feet on the dashboard, Peacock leans back in the passenger seat, grinning deviously as a half melted Bendy is taking the wheel in what appears to be the mastermind’s car. Speeding down route 66, her grin only grows wider, yelling at Bendy to “go faster!” every so often. She sits up, practically standing her seat as soon as the speedometer is well over 100 mph. They’re approaching something in the distance, and Peacock, as confident as ever, lights one last cigar as the upcoming obstacle gets closer and closer.

It appears to be a brick wall, but with one thing off about it: a comical black hole placed, as if Bugs Bunny himself placed it. Unbothered, she simple keeps standing in her seat, looking toward the hole with determination in her sick, sick eyes. Is she trying to escape!?

Yes.

She was.

It’s not until they’re mere seconds from collision does she realize it’s painted on.

If the survivors look hard enough, they can see slight fear in her eyes. Real, genuine fear. This isn’t a cartoon anymore, Patricia.

Right as the car collides with the wall, a loud, sickening splat is heard. Unlike the other times, the film reel doesn’t cut away, revealing a smashed car, ink, and a hell of a lot of blood. It’s hard to tell where Peacock even is anymore amidst the wreckage, but one thing can be said for sure: the mastermind is officially dead, and this nightmare of a killing game is over.

Finally, the presentation stops. A soft click can be heard behind Peacock’s podium, and if anyone goes to investigate, they’ll find a boat engine.