I am from Vietnam and I am a Warhammer 40k enthusiast. In my opinion, the universe creates beats Star Wars in terms of vastness and details. However, GW squanders this potential by their over-marketing and lack of imagination. The most fun anyone could have in the Warhammer 40k universe at the moment is in fanfiction, which is where I am right now. I used to read 1 Black Library Novel per month. It's been 6 months since I last bought anything from them. All the new novels are just treading the old path, offering nothing new, nothing special, nothing exciting. Bolter-porn Space Marine actions are supposed to be fun and exhilarating, but the bullshit forced drama many times completely ruins that. I want to see actions. I want to see ass getting kicked. I want to see Space Marines doing awesome things. How hard is it to do that? Even a 15-year-old could write it for his creative writing assignment.

My favorite factions are the Eldar and Grey Knights. I ran the two armies together when I was still playing on the tabletop. Got a pretty good win ratio overall without using any Eldar formation, Jetbikes, Wraithknight, or Warp Spider, though I do use the Grey Knight cheese detachment that allows Deepstrike on turn one and 2 Dreadknights. My tactics usually consisted of swarming the opponent's deployment zone right off the bat with Deepstrike, Personal Teleporter, and Farseer using Gate of Infinity to get Fire Dragons in place. Most games I played were very fast-paced, as I do not check the rulebook/Codex often. Additionally, they tended to end on turn 3 with either me wiping off the enemy or the opposite.

Despite not playing Warhammer 40k anymore, I am still an avid watcher of Battle Report on Youtube. I also stay in touch with the meta and current lore update.

Some expectations I have for the future of 40k:

1. Kill off several characters and introduce new ones. Some of the characters have been around for too long already, and not all should be capable of living several hundreds of years. There is also a lack of suspense if everybody has plot power armor.

2. Update on Inquisitor Kryptmann. Really, this is a very important character, but we only have a very old art to depict him.

3. Make the Imperium x Aeldari alliance a thing. GW keeps giving these two factions completely irrational motivations to have them fight each other. The two are natural allies. Please make it happen.

4. More Tau vs Necron and Chaos vs Tyranids, or any match-up that doesn't involve the Imperium. GW's trying to appease consumerism at the expense of making the universe immersive is appalling. Not every story has to have the Imperium in there, you know.

Currently, I am working on Danganronpa fandom. I really like it because it has the potential for a lot of cheesy character designs and interactions. The whole thing about Hope against Despair is also quite interesting.

While I do enjoy V3 and believe the game is best of the series in terms of presentation, gameplay, and characters, the plot twist at the end really threw me off. Here are the reasons why I don't like it:

1. It doesn't set up for anything. What's happening outside doesn't matter because all the characters have only fake memories and personalities to work with and the world outside is consumed by consumerism, literally. Likewise, what's happening inside the killing game doesn't have any implication other than people in Japan grow bored with Danganronpa and move on.

2. Why would the cast even join Danganronpa in the first place, only to have their memories erased? And what's in it for the characters anyway? Most will die and those that survive will have their memories altered again so they can join another killing game. The winners honestly should have been given a large sum of money, got their memory back, and then released to society which now treats them as celebrities. Shuichi even wanted to join because he was looking forward to committing a gruesome murder, which he couldn't do.

3. No sequel in production. There are so many questions I want answers to, but V3 seems to just be there as a spin-off without any connection to a larger continuity. The Hope's Peak Academy universe has 2 main games, one spin-off, 3 anime, and numerous mangas and light novels.

Enough of a rant, if you want to refute my claim, feel free to PM me.

Here are the guidelines for the submission to On the Road to Despair. They are a historical thing, but I feel like the story is incomplete without them.

_Important notes_

The base topic is hope versus despair, as I have stated. It is not because I find this more compelling than truth versus lie, but the hilarious philosophies that I can think up out of it.

The story and characters will be as cheesy as ever, similar to the games and anime. However, there will be a level of realism in it and the tone will be somewhat darker, as you can see in the prologue. Don't worry because I can assure you there will be a lot of laughs along the way as well.

All characters have equal chances of being the victim, murderer, survivor, mastermind, traitor, or survivor, regardless of what background or personality you gave me. When entering this, be ready to see your OC getting killed in one way or another. I am sorry, there is no bypassing this.

The story contains strong language and violence. Beware.

Pay attention to what is required. Distinguish between "briefly state" and "elaborate". Redundant or inadequate information will both result in your character appearing in the story strikingly different from what you imagine. Submitting a very detailed character DOES NOT mean you stand a better chance of getting admitted.

Formatting is very similar to Danganronpa: Imprisoned in Despair's Walls by Daichi Yamazaki. If you are reading this, then give yourself a pat on the shoulder, because you did a great job. There will be free time segments and the trials will be in script format.

_General rules_

Rule 1: No Mary Sue or Gary Stu. Only my character is allowed to be one, just kidding.

Rule 2: All submissions must be through PMs. Submission through reviews will not be accepted.

Rule 3: The basis is first come first served for the first 8 characters, as I wish to get the despair train running as quickly as possible. However, bear in mind that only characters that I can work with will be taken in, so do not rush. If I accept your character, you will be given a confirmation message. As soon as I have enough characters to introduce in the next chapter, I will start writing it.

Rule 4: Be nice to each other. I have had people arguing with each other and me over my story. Fantards will NOT be tolerated. If there is a disagreement, let us solve it in a civilized manner. I am willing to rewrite parts of the chapter after its release if the issues presented are correct and material. Since this is an SYOC story, readers should be allowed to influence to a certain extent how the story goes. Use this right appropriately.

Rule 5: Each person can submit up to 2 characters. There will be 16 slots available for 8 males and 8 females. Since one of the male characters is taken by me, there are 7 left. When submitting 2 characters, make sure they are unrelated, as only one will be chosen immediately at max and the other left for further consideration. Twins sharing the same talent will count as ONE slot.

Rule 6: If your character is not accepted into the final roster, DO NOT lose hope. While not part of the main cast, they might STILL show up in the story as side characters, Future Foundation members, the Mastermind, or other sinister forces.

_Submission guideline_

Basic:

Full name: Given name comes before family name.

Age: Between 18 and 22.

Nationality: Japanese is preferred, as that is where the school is at, but Hope's Peak Academy is famous worldwide, so people from anywhere is fine. Nations not on the current map (such as Sonia's home country) is also allowed, as long as they are small enough.

Gender: Male or female.

Sexuality: Straight, gay, or not interested at all.

Talent: Some requirements are as follows:

One talent per character only.

Talent should not be too general such as Ultimate Musician (what kind or music or instrument?) or Ultimate Athlete (which sport?).

Unusual and over-the-top talents are accepted, provided there is a good explanation. Will not accept talents that have not been established to be possible in the Danganronpa universe (such as Ultimate Alien), cannon talents (except V3), superhero power (I am looking at you, Ultimate Shitter Nekomaru), or anything that can be politically or religiously sensitive.

Appearance:

Hairstyle/color: Briefly state.

Eye color: Briefly state.

Skin color: Briefly state.

Overall bodybuild: Elaborate.

Everyday clothing: Elaborate. You can come up with something really weird or really awesome. Preferably goes along with the talent.

Sleepwear: Briefly state.

Others: Optional. Tattoos, accessories, birthmarks, scars, etc…

Personal information:

Background: Elaborate. Your character can have a backstory that is tragic, or maybe funny, or uneventful. This is fully up to you. However, focus on how they discover/adopt their talents, how they have been using it so far, and what do they want to do after graduation.

Personality: Elaborate. This, however, is only what your character starts with. Over the course of the story, there will be development, which leads to characters evolving out of this.

Likes: At least 5.

Dislikes: At least 5.

What kind of people do they like: Briefly state. If your character is absolutely unable to like anyone else, mention why.

What kind of people do they dislike: Briefly state.

What makes your character fall into despair: Briefly state. This is important. Without spoiling the plot, none of the characters would be here without this.

Important people: Who are the most precious people in your character's life? What is the relationship between them and the character? Briefly state. If your character has no one, provide an explanation as well.

Insecurity, fear, health and mental issue, weakness: Something that makes your character potentially vulnerable in a situation. This can be from being afraid of a cockroach to not wanting their darkest secret revealed. Elaborate on this.

Killing game

Reaction to the announcement of the killing game: Briefly state.

Reaction to body announcement (assuming they are innocent): Briefly state.

Reaction to the execution of others: Briefly state.

Reaction to the execution of self: Briefly state.

Motive: Briefly state. This will only apply to the first 3 or 4 cases, as the latter trials will have elements tied to the overall scheme behind the killing game.

Method of killing: Briefly state.

Execution: Briefly state.

Investigation role: Briefly state.

Trial role: Briefly state.

_Misc information_

Sample quotes: The more, the better. Should include greeting, upon accusing someone and upon defending oneself if your character takes an active part in the trial. Give me a talent-related catchphrase for when they counter an argument or consent with it, and when they present a piece of information.

Others: Anything else you want to add?

Characters roster:

Males:

1. Amelda Douglas Mason - SHSL Accountant (BIBOTOT)

2. Yume - SHSL Baker (MarieBeepBoop)

3. Kazuki Ishikawa - SHSL Flutist (CrayonPencil)

4. Fitzgerald Scott - SHSL Private Investigator (The Great Fantaman)

5. Tatsuya Toshishai - SHSL Delivery Boy (Yssvr)

6. Akihiko Kazuhiko - SHSL Librarian (mandipokemon)

7. Inu Kagyuu - SHSL Chemist (Bowman01)

8. Hokuto Yamazaki - SHSL Miner (poffinblock)

Females:

1. Rin Yamamono - SHSL Police Officer (Notadeadguy)

2. Hijiri Kaneshiro - SHSL Geisha (SqualinaTralala)

3. Inori Hayashi - SHSL Patient (Harukawa Ayame)

4. El Viento - SHSL Luchador (dashunterman)

5. Akai 'Kai' Omakase - SHSL Ballerina (Clockwork Puppet)

6. Ashley Wiltarrow - SHSL Prankster (Wiltarrow)

7. Elizabeth "Eliza" Piket - SHSL Tinker (PowerPlayer)

8. Minaoki Yuza - SHSL Herbalist (TowerFrost)

UPDATE: 4 girls and 4 boys will be chosen immediately, as in if you send me an OC and I consent, then they will be featured in the story. The remaining will be like other SYOC stories out there and determined from the remaining lot. I hope to have as many people taking part in this as possible. Some changes to the rule are in place.

A lot of you keep sending me characters with tragic backgrounds. No need to have so much dark theme in here. I am still looking for someone who has a hilarious story behind them.

As of right now, the roster is closed. Thank you for your submission. I hope I can deliver the story you all want to read.

Cheers.