#oh yeah definitely of all deaths himiko was the most satisfying BY FAR

[amazingorangedangantrash]

The only ending everyone seems to ignore is v3 because it’s just... it’s just a mess.

How do feel about this game survivors? And do you think that everyone woke up from the simulator or tv show like sdr2 or only the survivors?

Hoo boy...

Honestly nonny, having only finished the dang thing yesterday I... don't know.

(I kinda went off into a spiel, so feel free to skip to the part where I talk about survivors and what I think happens next)

I understand the mixed response a LOT. I mean- I see what they were going for. The 4th wall break was cool, and the (sorta?) reappearance of past characters was pretty damn awesome. I like that the creators are definitely self aware- and there's a kind of 'learn to laugh at yourself' sort of thing.

On the other hand it can almost seem a little too mocking?

I get the whole yaknow. 'Fictional characters are aware they're fictional and rebel against their creators' thing but- like-?

As I mentioned before, thing is, Tsumugi is not us? We aren't exactly intentionally cruel? There's a BIG difference between the kind of fiction in our world and in their world.

What does Tsumugi call it? "Real fiction"?. Yeah- thing is- we don't have that. We don't have the technology for it, and I certainly hope we wouldn't abandon ethics for it either!!! We can't have 'real' fiction, because in our world, all fiction is fake! The closest you have is fiction about real people, perhaps, but- that's not even remotely the same thing?

So it does come across as a little... um- preachy.

We're supposed to represent the audience but... like- the audience fucking suck! What was that they said during the argument armament? "This guy should have died instead of Kaede!" Like- fucking hell. Imagine saying that to someone, who can HEAR you say it, and who's MURDER you could potentially watch unfold before your very eyes as a result of YOUR actions. I mean- look how empathetic some of us are to ACTUAL fictional characters. Could you imagine if we were in a similar situation to the outside world in V3???

Maybe it's because I keep imagining the v3 cast as like- sentient AI, instead of "just fiction". Because I can't imagine anyone being so sadistic or apathetic otherwise.

So uh- yeah. I don't... know how I feel about that. It's not- very satisfying?

With sdr2, the whole "none of this is real, the killing game is all a lie, you're in a fake world!" felt like a relief ! Whereas here it's more like- "what?? It's all fake? What the hell was the point then?!"

"Nothing matters!" vs "nothing matters..."

The whole HOPE VS DESPAIR, FUTURE VS PAST thing worked, because, well, it's something we can all understand. We have all felt hope and we have all felt despair. We've all, at some point in our lives, felt stuck in the past, unable to or scared to move on.

(Hey- some of us still feel like that now, even).

The first game was very simple- hope and despair. Still relatable, but fairly basic- effective to set up the foundation for the follow up.

The second game made things a little more complicated. Sometimes it's more complicated then just- choosing between Hope and Despair. We refuse to fall into Despair, but we can't just blindly have Hope.

So we choose the Future. We can't promise it'll be a good one OR a bad one. But whatever happens- we need to move on. The only way we can make things change is by making that choice, to create our OWN future.

V3 felt very... complex. It started to get kind of... uh... philosophical? And- don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with that. It just... it kind of shifted from TRUTH VS LIE to FICTION VS REALITY. And whilst the latter definitely sounds interesting- I don't really know if I liked the direction they took with it-? I wish they'd kept the focus on TRUTH VS LIE a lot more.

(Fiction and Reality are like extensions of Lie and Truth but- only to a certain extent? Really?)

It's kind of harder to get into the final fight in V3 because... what are you fighting? The outside world? I mean- I can't speak for the rest of you, but as far as I'm aware I'm not a fictional character.

(If I am- then wow someone's a reallly bad writer huh?)

I can relate to Hope. I can relate to Future.

I can't relate to Fiction.

I THOUGHT maybe the message was a warning of the dangers of escapism ('please dont go as far as to erase your own personality just to be a part of a type of fiction you like' definitely seems fitting for this fandom)- but the message "fiction has the power to change the world!" kinda contradicts that. I mean- I do like that message, but- I don't like the idea of a series about killing games being heavily influential-!

The whole problem was that people grew so obsessed with the series that they threw away their lives! Is that not the point you should be focusing on-!!!!

The outside world in this universe fucking sucks. So they changed their mind, big DEAL! that's not comforting knowing they let this shit continue for 53 seasons-! I mean, maybe Makoto and Hajime were all 100% fictional, but at some point they started putting real people into these games, and everyone was ok with that!

I just-

I'm glad Shuichi got through to them at last but...

Someone said something which resonated with me- "in a vacuum, this is good". Like... on it's own, I thought the ending was great! It was entertaining, for sure. And the whole concept and stuff was unexpected and interesting. You gotta give em points for originality.

The problem comes with it being the 3rd game in a series. (Ignoring UDG I mean-). When a series becomes a Trilogy, you gotta make it good. This is presumably the last game in the (main) series too. And- after the UTTER NARRATIVE DISAPPOINTMENT of dr3- can you blame people for wanting more? People fell in love for THH and SDR2 (and UDG even if its not part of the main series) for a reason- and, for me at least, a biiiig part of that reason was the continued storyline. The last chapter of sdr2 was the hypest shit EVER. when you see glimpses of the previous game bleed into this one, only for it to turn into what's like- a full crossover???? The previous game isn't just mentioned, it's a straight up sequel!!!! I had absolutely no idea Makoto and co would return (i thought the games were separate) so when i saw that they'd be interacting with the new cast- yoooooooooooooooo-!

Hell, even seeing alter ego again made me go WILD.

V3 plays upon these expectations, and subverts them, but... not necessarily in a good way? You- kind of feel cheated? (Idk if you're an avengers fan, but- it's like expecting *Endgame* and instead getting...

Well- Endgame).

The ending isn't bad persay it's just- not quite what one would expect? I can definitely understand why people are disappointed. The problem is, instead of standing alone, you can't help but consider it as part of the series. Individually, I don't think the ending was that weak or bad, but in comparison to the series as a whole?

Meh.

SURVIVORS

(Oh my- I really got off track, oh dear. I'll- get back to what you asked now.)

KEEBO

W H Y

They rllly gonna rub salt in the wound huh?

(Whilst i dont dislike the other survivors, there are a LOT of people i really really wanted to see make it to the end, and it's just the final god damn nail in the coffin to kill off the last of the few characters I came even close to liking the most-)

Killing keebo was dumb

Maki- I liked Maki quite a bit! She's a bit cold, yeah, but I warmed up to her after hearing her backstory.

I found it annoying (if understandable) that no one trusted her at first. I thought it was sweet that her, Kaito and Shuichi had this friendship trio. They really trusted each other- it was very refreshing. I also love me a strong girl. Her romance thing with Kaito was a little... forced. I'd have found it more meaningful if they kept it more subtle/ambiguous (though i suppose they needed smth to use against her in the final trial sooo-).

Himiko-

I-

*sigh*

Ok I'm going to say this once, and once only.

Someoneonthedrteamhasabigthingforlolis

OK! I SAID IT- AND IM NEVER SAYING IT AGAIN

No judgement here of course. Just. Uh. Y-yeah-

(I'm mainly kidding of course, idek if Himiko counts as a loli but-)

I mean... I'm not... the fondest of very small, childish girl characters (Saionji intensifies). I like a bit of childishness in a character but- i mean- it depends.

(I'll never recover from the "seductive whisper" thing from the love suite event

Never.

Never ever.)

Himiko comes across as like An Actual Child at times and at the start it was VERY annoying. Surprisingly, I warmed up to her eventually. I knew in advance she'd be a survivor so i kinda thought "well she's gonna stick around so might as well try to like her". I do appreciate that she underwent a character arc too, and it was sweet to see how she became a more active, determined person. I wish it hadn't taken Tenko's death for her to finally start changing but whatever. She is quite a cute character and after a while became more endearing then annoying.... (for the most part).

Was she in my top 3 picks for a survivor? No.

The top 10 even?

N-no-

I'm glad she's still alive though. SOMEONE damn well needs to be.

Tsumugi- ah. She's not a survivor, is she? I knew well in advance she was the mastermind so I didn't really warm up to her all that much during the final chapters, for obvious reasons.

Shuichi- if shuichi hadn't survived I think that would have been the breaking point for me, honestly.

Overall- uh... they aren't... the ideal picks. Shuichi is the only one I really wanted to see survive, I was neutral towards the others. Tbh I was just happy anyone was alive by the end of that.

Waking up- for the sake of my sanity, I like to think that after the survivors wake up, they threaten to sue and/or maim the shit out of the dr team if they don't start on reanimating their 'dead' friends right fucking now. Surely they gotta keep their consciousness' somewhere in those memories banks right? I mean- what if they ever wanted a "surprise return from the dead" plotline? Surely they gotta keep em somewhere? Right?

Whether or not they reawaken as their in-game or pre-game selves, who knows. Whichever you prefer, I guess. Maybe a mixture of both.

[ryouverua]

Final Answer (3)

I mean, to be fair, with your track record...

1 is here / 2 is here

I... I don’t want it to be true, not just because that takes away layers of his character but also because he’s been so openly suspicious? Is that a weird way to feel?

But here he is, outright saying he’s the mastermind... in chapter 5??? Is, is this allowed - 

I’m trying to imagine the facial contortions it must take to swing so wildly from such a cute, childish face to this nightmare fuel and man, Kokichi’s cheeks must hurt.

Kokichi’s chirps are on point as usual.

Uh..... what is that....?

OH WHAT THE HELL KOKICHI

also damn what gives you the right to be so cute in this picture jeez

I... I WILL SAY... THIS IS... PRETTY COMPELLING EVIDENCE IN KOKICHI’S FAVOUR...

YEAH THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING!!!

But... but he does have the exisals??? How in the world does he have the exisals under his control otherwise???

I’M WITH YOU, SWEETCHEEKS

I’M SO TORN RIGHT NOW...

But... they did??? Shuichi confronted you about it, and you denied that it was your doing???

But you could have just denied it again, and also the exisals?!?! And hold on, why are you scolding them about not preventing more deaths??? If this is gloating, there is definitely something ringing false about it!

If - and this is still an if to me, even though the remote control bit is pretty damning - you’re the mastermind, then why would you have been egging us to doubt each other more? Sure it could be a way to sow seeds of distrust, but.... but....

DAMN that was a direct hit in the waifu

But... but why??? Why are you revealing your hand now, then??? Why would you tell us you’re the mastermind at this point? Sure you have the exisals, but if you continued to hide Monokuma that ever-growing target on your back wouldn’t be so bad! Maki’s probably going to attempt to punt you outside at this rate!

And who better to organize something with such a high degree of skill than the Ultimate Supreme Leader, is that what you’re saying? Hmm....

S... Somehow Kokichi using ‘u mad’ is even more egregious to me than this whole killing game affair.

aslkdfjsdf

Oh Kaito, if you didn’t have bad luck you’d have no luck at all.

a-also did you forget who gave those to you or -

Were you?!

Man, Kokichi, your poker face is stellar. Or faces? Maybe that’s the key - swing wildly from one act to another and you just can’t get a read on him at all! I guess if he had used one himself to get through the tunnel in the first place, he’d have a rough idea of how long they would last?

Also Kaito it, uh, didn’t really work well for you last time so please don’t punch him again. D: I really don’t think you have the strength to, at this point! Even forgetting how it went last time, you just went through an obstacle course from hell (even if you were finally well-equipped for it this time) and you literally just got up after collapsing - because you were exposed to the toxic air from the outside, which definitely irritated your lungs, which are already being ravaged by disease!

As usual, he knows exactly what to say to hit you hard right in your emotional weak points. Maybe he likes lies so much because the truth hurts...

KAITO NO THIS ISN’T A SETTING WHERE SHOUNEN ACTS OF HEROISM PREVAIL -

Then again, what the hell does he have to lose at this point if he’s most likely going to die within the next week? FUCK THOUGH I REALLY DON’T WANT HIM TO HURT HIMSELF AGAIN -

MAKI SHUICHI COULDN’T STOP HIM AREN’T YOU FASTER THAN KAITO DO SOMETHING DAMN IT

!!!! Shit!

aaah fuck, aaah you bastard, shit shit Kaito!!!!!

ARE YOU SURE?! ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE?!?!

C-Can you let him go then, please??? Please?! You’ve shown us what you can do, and Kaito is really not faring well in general right now!!!

U-Uh, Maki, your hair is... doing..... something interesting there....

HOLY SHIT MAKI I THINK YOUR HAIR IS ALIVE

HER EYES, HER HAIR, HER HANDS, HER CLOTHES, HER LITERAL EVERYTHING IS SCREAMING MURDER, SHUICHI!!! THAT IS A HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT!!

I DON’T THINK SHE’S JOKING THIS TIME, SHUICHI!!!

D-Damn Shuichi... you’ve gotten stronger in all of this, at least. I imagine he wants to help Kaito too, but he understands that he’s got nothing on the five exisals, even if Maki may stand a slim chance.

And honestly? I bet Kokichi is waiting for an excuse to retaliate against Maki. He’s probably itching for revenge after being thrown around so badly by her.

Another relationship, broken...

Still as enamoured with Shuichi as ever, huh.

As happy as Shuichi would normally be about that fact, I’m pretty sure this particular victory must ring rather hollow to him.

Himiko raises a good point, actually! Exactly what do you have in mind for everyone, Mr. Mastermind? Is this where a supposed new motive comes out?

............... Huh.

Despite.... setting a rule, as Monokuma, that the killing game would end with only two people left?

Also I shouldn’t find that whole ‘sorry about that, guys’ hilarious but I do - it’s like he’s telling his friends he can’t show up to the movies a day before they were planning on going because he’s ‘not feeling up to it’, but instead of the movies it’s a damn killing game.

This....... doesn’t...... feel right, does it? Are you satisfied? Why would you be satisfied? What about this is satisfying to you?

I-Is that really the crux of the issue right now Tsumugi?!

?!?!

And with no motives being thrown their way to encourage the killings?

................................ I’m holding judgment right now.

This is Chapter 5. The ‘mastermind’ appears in plain sight, despite setting the rules of ‘until 2 people are left, the killing game will continue’, and declares the killing game over. There’s one chapter left after this. He’s telling everyone they can live or die together, but they have no obligation to him to do either. They’re free to live or die miserably if they would like to. He won’t interfere with them. The killing game is over, so that means he won’t offer motives or encourage them to kill each other anymore. And also - also, I just won’t forget this - he was negotiating with Monokuma in Chapter 4, which is something I just can’t see the real mastermind doing. I know Monokuma is supposed to be an AI, but why would the mastermind of all people need to negotiate with his avatar? Monokuma should be acting as his right hand, right? Is this just an even bigger, bolder version of him ‘confessing’ to being the culprit during all the previous trials? But if it is, why? Why would he do this? Is this his version of winning? He just wants to take absolute control of everything?

But on the other hands, how in the world does he have control of the exisals? He may have gotten his hands on the keycard, but he’s put together so much information that he shouldn’t have access to on his own - when we were searching earlier and found things like the Gopher Project files, he wasn’t with us. So how did he find out about those things, barring him already knowing it all going in aka being the mastermind as he is claiming?

You mean you want to have a hostage in case Maki tries anything, right?

Wait.... 

...

Wait, wait wait.

No, that’s an odd thing to say. What do you mean, it might start up again if he runs around? Why would it, if you’re the one in control? Kokichi, if you’re the mastermind, how could the game start up again without your ‘okay’?

......

Kokichi....

I’m just getting more and more doubtful by the minute now -

Are you lying to us right now?!

“It also happens to be one of the new areas of the game for the chapter, but I’m sure that’s just a total coincidence and totally won’t be where the next body is found!”

I’m so sorry Maki but your red-eyed glare just cannot match the sheer terror Kokichi’s troll face invokes.

I think what feels like 100 years ago I said that I’m less inclined to believe the guy who proclaims himself a liar and then also calls himself THE SUPER MOST AWFUL, TERRIFYING SUPREME LEADER OF EVIL!!! within the same breath a moment later.

I........ I don’t know. I wonder if I can apply it to this situation as well. He’s saying plenty of right things, but it’s almost like...

You know when people tell you that tone matters, and that if you say nice things to someone in a dismissive or outright awful way, your initial intent is lost? It’s like he’s doing that on purpose. The lies aren’t in the words - they’re in the execution of those words.

But still, it’s that damn exisal remote that’s throwing me off!!! Kokichi has something only the mastermind would have, and he has the power of the exisals - the mastermind - behind him! Oh, and of course, Monokuma hasn’t shown up to refute any of this, and you’d think he’d be more than happy to pop up and say something right now! I’d say he might not have the range to go this far out, but I can’t think of a reason why he wouldn’t be able to travel this far! By Monokuma not appearing, he’s basically acknowledging that this is true!

Cancelling the killing game, though? I don’t care if you’re bored - the rules were explicitly set to only have two survivors left, and if you were really determined to let humanity kill each other off, you’d let this go to the bitter end! There is something seriously screwy going on here!

“Just so you know, you’re seriously wrecking our Saiouma potential.”

“Shuichi, sweetie, does this look like the face of a guy who isn’t down for a good hate-ship? Also I have Kaito now so you know Tsumugi’s going to be writing some damn good Oumota drabbles as she cries herself to sleep tonight.”

the power of escapism is real

Kokichi’s gone. Kaito’s gone. It’s just... the five of us left. Holy crap. The only way a murder could possibly happen would be with, uh, well, Kokichi as the victim - but no one has to commit a murder at this point either, right?

But Kaito is probably on his deathbed too... a-aaah jeez, I’m really worried about him. I don’t know how he’s going to get out alive from this.

Actually, for that matter, if we’ve got almost all the answers - and I feel like there’s a bit missing still, but we’re nearly there - what in the world could even happen from now on? Where is there to go from here, when there’s nothing left to even fight for? Everyone is dead! And their mission completely failed! Seriously, what is even the point of doing anything now, except living on quietly until they die?

And man, I’m suspicious as hell about Kokichi’s declaration of culpability but honestly, that could still just be me being stubborn. This entire affair could easily end with Kaito winding up dead, and everyone having to overthrow Kokichi next chapter. Having the villain announce himself a chapter earlier... well, that would be a twist in a DR game - but what does that leave for the next chapter? if someone says despair one more time I will end them