This place is not a place of honor ... no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here... nothing valued is here.

What is here was dangerous and repulsive to us.

-Proposed warning sign for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, containing radioactive waste for the next ten thousand years

The first human instinct was trust, I think. Need that to build a civilization. But you know how trust goes. Some guy becomes some other guy's best friend in the whole wide tribe, then the second guy takes all the credit for bringing down the wooly mammoth and steals the first guy's girlfriend. Then the first guy develops the second human instinct, designed to safeguard the first through deterrence.

Revenge.

Let me tell you about the time I wanted revenge.

Well, first, let me tell you who I am, because that's important in a situation like this, isn't it. I am Rebecca Sharp, the Ultimate Nuclear Physicist. No, I am not being pompous, that's literally the title I was given. Well, okay, maybe I'm being a little pompous, but listen, a girl's gotta hold themselves up high. Or boy, or whatever I feel like today, or none of your fucking business, hm?

So let me tell you. I was on the road to Hope's Peak Academy. Yeah, the one in Japan. Yeah, the one where graduation essentially guarantees success in life. That Hope's Peak Academy. I was going to fulfill the dream that I had started as a young child, reading of the horrors of Hiroshima and the wonders of the Large Hadron Collider. The dream of controlling the ultimate power, always a step ahead of us as we tried to contain it in our hubris, nuclear fucking power, baby.

But then a very bad thing happened. The one who was gonna get me in? One of the people I had trust most? They bailed on me to take the fucking slot themselves. And they fucking smiled when they did it, you know that? They fucking smiled. They knew exactly what they were doing that day.

I cried all night. I was listless all day the next day. In fact, I was listless for several months. Because guess where I had to go? Eagle's Point Academy. "Eagle's Point Academy is the most prestigious college in America, though," I hear you saying, and that's how I know you know fucking nothing about Eagle's Point. You know what Eagle's Point is? A fucking military school. They want to use me to kill 20 million civilians in one bomb.

And trust me, they make it pretty fucking clear. Even on my last day there, my professor-my nuclear physics professors, who was supposed to be teaching me nuclear physics-was pointing at little dots on a map of the USSR. Moscow, Stalingrad, Leningrad.

The professor, an older guy by the name of Mr. Gates, was talking very calmly about it all. "There has been a shift in our nuclear strategy against the Soviet Union since the 80s. Our bombs now, in 2020, are becoming so powerful that simply hitting Moscow with one warhead would blanket areas this far north and this far south in enough radiation to cause acute radiation poisoning and death within hours for about 90% of the population."

The utter calm that this proposal of the most terrible war crime in human history was delivered with actually inspired me to speak up for once. "At that point," I said in an exasperated voice. "The ensuing fallout would cause a nuclear winter by itself. We'd be dead, too."

"Which is why our strategy has shifted. Our nuclear weapons are now, ironically, too effective to be practical." Mr. Gates pointed at me. "That's where you come in. The Ultimate Nuclear Physicist."

"Oh, yeah, this is supposed to be a nuclear physics class. I was forgetting, honestly, with all the talk of military strategy."

"But you already know just about everything we know that's public information, Don't you, Mr. Sharp?"

I look at my wrist, at my pink bracelet. I then make a point of poofing my long, wonderful wig, like a peacock showing off feathers. I had tried to correct this guy many times and he just always referred to me as a guy no matter what I actually was any given day, so I had switched to asserting dominance.

Mr. Gates just gave me an annoyed glare. "What I'm saying is that we can apply your talent. Just like everyone else here. It's no longer about building bigger bombs, but about building smarter ones."

I shook my head. "Radiation's not smart. It doesn't discriminate. If you want a smart bomb, you don't make it nuclear."

"And yet here we are." He pointed at me again. It was as annoying as it sounds. "Here you are in this school, preparing to serve your nation."

I just crossed my arms and looked around the room at the other students. Most were just nervously quiet. As usual. It's not like anyone could challenge my position as Ultimate Nuclear Physicist. At Hope's Peak? Maybe. Not here. Eagle's Point was dumb.

When Mr. Gates noticed he wasn't getting a response from me, he just sighed and looked at the clock. "Now, I do have to end the class soon, but before I go… I was told to deliver this to you, Mr. Sharp."

I don't even bother with the showing off this time. I just nodded and took the letter he was handing me, opening it up. I assumed it was going to be another personalized written test, because Eagle's Point loved stressing us out that way.

But I found something very different than what I expected. The first part of the letter was very innocuous and normal, but the last bit was written in bolded pencil. And what it said, well.

Rebecca Sharp, Ultimate Nuclear Physicist,

Thanks to your attendance at Eagle's Point Academy, you are formally invited to the Annual American-Japanese Talent Meet, an event where the students of the most prestigious academies in the US and Japan meet in the interests of international cooperation and support for our allies overseas.

This year, the event will be held at the Posieon's Kingdom Resort, a newly opened underwater theme park about 50 miles off the coast of Tokyo. The park is meant to be a fully immersive, storylike experience taking place in the Kingdom of Atlantis. The students attending will be the first guests in the park, and the first to experience the underwater adventure, powered by underwater colony technology previously only available to the military.

You are, of course, free to decline if there are scheduling issues.

We know you won't, though. The one you hate will be coming. And we know how eager you are to finally find your closure.

Best wishes,

The American-Japanese Talent Commission

It's cliche, but I had to stop myself from gasping at that last paragraph. No one knew about the betrayal that got me stuck at Eagle's Point. Or at least, no one was supposed to know. I calmed myself, though… this was too weird. Too creepy.

But the Talent Meet was real. I had been doing it this time of year every year since my talent was declared. I had been expecting the invitation this week, even. So this wasn't unexpected necessarily.

Except for those last three sentences.

I leaned back in my chair, thinking. It'd make sense for the person who betrayed me to be there. They were a Hope's Peak student now, and they got invited to these things, too. The last time we had met, the year before, was actually at the meet that year, where they hosted a contest to get into the academies.

I wondered if I should just decline. Considering how awkward it'd surely be to meet them again, you're probably wondering why I didn't. That's really simple, actually. I read the letter again, paying special attention to that last bit.

Find my closure.

The damn thing appealed to my second human instinct. Every bitter feeling came up again. I was trapped here, in a military academy with a transphobic professor who wanted to use me to make bombs and kill people. And it was because of that fucking day, that fucking person I thought I could trust.

That's why I decided I was going. I needed closure. I needed to see them suffer as I did.

I needed revenge.

Welcome to my first SYOC story! I'm very nervous, but I've always wanted to try one of these, especially since my friends got me into the genre-thanks, Requiem! The theme will be Forgiveness Vs. Revenge, as you can tell. I'm also using my own setting for this, an alternate history where the Cold War never ended. Should be fun!

Rules

Please PM me with applications-do NOT put them in the reviews.

No recycled characters from other stories. If you lie to me about this and I catch you, I'm not gonna be very happy!

Send as many characters as you want, but only up to three will be accepted from one person, depending on if I need to fill out the slots.

Repeat talents are fine! Canon characters exist in this universe, but any that have their talents taken by OCs will be talent swapped. No canon characters here, though. The only exceptions to this are the Ultimate Despair and the Ultimate Serial Killer-these cannot be taken.

Please don't be sad if you're not picked-I'm a tad picky, it's not on you! And don't be mad if your character dies-it's part of the game.

-SYOC FORM-

General

Name:

Nickname/Alias(es):

Gender: (This can be anything-I'm the one writing a genderfluid protag after all! And I don't care about gender balance, either.)

Age: (Looking for 17-20, in this case.)

Ultimate Talent:

Sexuality: (I'm open for anything, so please do not feel limited here.)

Birthday:

Nationality: (Probably American or Japanese, but open to anything that makes sense. A Soviet OC might be interesting!)

Height:

Weight:

Physical Appearance

Appearance: (Please tell me everything about your character. From their hair to face to body to their complexion… Please tell me everything about your character.)

Casual Wear: (This would be what your character would wear throughout the entire killing game. Please make this detailed and fitting as possible for your character, whether it be based on their talent or their personality.)

Sleepwear:

Formal Wear:

Swimsuit:

Style: (What does your character like to wear? Do they like to wear certain colors and/or do they like to wear certain types of clothing? What would they despise to wear?)

Health Issues: (Do they have trouble seeing or hearing? Are they blind? Do they hold any sort of mental disorder as well?)

Inwardly Appearance

Brief Description of Personality: (Just simply give me a brief list of traits that could exactly describe your character.)

Personality: (This should be one of the most detailed sections of this form other than the backstory of your character. Please make this as best as you can, because this will help me make sure they stay as in character as I can.)

First Impressions: (What do people expect from your character based on appearances alone? What do people expect when they see your character?)

Expectations About People: (How do they expect people to act?)

Expectations About Themselves: (What do they want themselves to be like?)

Outlook on Life:

Outlook on Death:

People They Like:

People They're Neutral On:

People They Dislike:

Close Friendship: (Would you be interested in seeing your character in a close friendship with someone? Who do they look for in a close relationship and how would they act around that person?)

Romance: (If your character were to fall in love, who would they fall for? What do they look for in a partner and how do they act around that person?)

Likes: (Around 3-5 is preferrable.)

Dislikes: (Around 3-5 is preferrable.)

Fears:

Secrets:

Hobbies: (Around 3-5 is preferrable.)

Mannerisms:

Pet Peeves:

Voice: (How do they sound? Are they high-pitched or low-pitched? Do they sound sarcastic or are they usually the ones who sound lazy and quiet? Are they hoarse with their voice and how loud are they? If you want, you can reference me voice actors if you feel like it would work. They would either have to be English or Japanese voice actors in that case then, though both would be preferable if you decide to do such. Feel free to also point to a specific role if you have one in mind.)

Quotes: (Give me a few here.)

Life

Family: (Please state who is important in your character's life and state their status. Are they alive or dead? How did they impact your character and how do they act?)

Friends: (Please state who is important in your character's life and state their status. Are they alive or dead? How did they impact your character and how do they act?)

Backstory: (Please make this one of the most detailed of this section, if not the most. I would want to know how your character came to obtain their talent and how they came to be who they are today. I would love to know how your character gained their morals and how the people around them helped them become who they are presently.)

Motive: (What drove them to come here in search of revenge?)

In The Game

Free Time Event Ideas:

Character Arc Ideas:

Reaction to Killing Game Announcement: (When the killing game is announced, how would your character react? Would they openly deny the game and try to fight against it, or would they believe the game was merely a prank? Would they cry out of fear? Keep in mind they're restrained to a chair during this time...)

Reaction to Body Discovery Announcement: (When they hear that a body had been discovered while they were doing something, how would they react to the sudden announcement?)

Reaction to Body: (When they actually see the body, how would they react?)

Reaction to Execution/Being Executed: (How would your character react to seeing an execution? And, while we're at it, how would your character react to being executed?)

Role in Game: (Both innocent and guilty, please.)

Role in Investigation: (Both innocent and guilty, please.)

Role in Trial: (Both innocent and guilty, please.)

Motive to Kill: (Everyone could snap under the right circumstances. How would your character snap?)

Survivor, Victim, or Murderer: (Please rank what you feel your character would be here.)

Justification for Survivor: (Please tell me why your character can and cannot be such thing here. You have to give me reasons for both sides.)

Justification for Victim: (Please tell me why your character can and cannot be such thing here. You have to give me reasons for both sides.)

Justification for Murderer: (Please tell me why your character can and cannot be such thing here. You have to give me reasons for both sides.)

Justification for Mastermind: (Please tell me why your character can and cannot be such thing here. You have to give me reasons for both sides. I will be choosing the mastermind here, after all.)

Extra

Other: (Is there anything I missed? Please state so here.)