ndrv3expert1

[ndrv3expert1]

Ok so you know in Kaede’s second FTE with Tenko where you have three choices to compliment Tenko and in all three of the choices she manages to find a way to put herself down but at the same time Tenko seems to admire other women with a lens she just doesn’t seem to see herself with.

Yeah. Well I guess this is: turns things that the game uses as gags about Tenko into trauma part 2: Electric Boogaloo

It’s time for another theory a Tenko theory!

I love taking Tenko apart to see what makes her tick.

Tenko internalized criticisms someone told her.

One interesting thing about these self criticisms is their specificity like when Kaede says her smile is charming Tenko says "my smile is crude and vulgar and when I laugh it takes up my whole face" it seems like something someone else would say to you not something you would say to yourself.

Like when I’m hating on myself I’m pretty mean and specific but I’m not that specific like your smile is vulgar and when you laugh it takes up your whole face sounds like something someone would say as an targeted insult.

But then we get to like the things everyone does like "My face gets all scrunched up when I sneeze” or extremely odd things like “When I wipe my face my eyelids turn inside out" and now it seems more like something that’s been ingrained in her mind for example you’re brushing your teeth and someone says “eww why are you brushing your teeth like that” and then you get subconscious about the way you brush your teeth.

Which would also explain how she can still see other girls in that positive light it’s not girl’s smiles or girl’s faces or girl’s bodies it’s just hers.

And we see this again in Kaede’s first FTE with Tenko, where Tenko says "I want to be a cute magical girl like Himiko and perform for people" (which is cute). However she also says "but I can’t cast spells like Himiko I’m not cute like her either" putting Himiko up and at the same time putting herself down.

Just a thought.

———————

Also you could then possibly say that Tenko is only or at least the most prideful about her neo aikido and crushing degenerates and protecting women that might be where she derives most of her self worth from like oh I may be loud and too much and my smile is ugly and my torso is like that of a sausage dog but I’m useful, I do cool things this is what I can do to get people to like me.

Which added with the reason why Tenko’s parents abandoned her, the fact Neo Aikido apparently calmed her down much more than she was as a child, and the theory of Tenko having a rose tinted view of her childhood, paints a picture of ‘me I’m unsatisfactory but with Neo Aikido I’m someone people can admire’

And I’m not saying that’s why Tenko protects women and beats up men and loves Neo Aikido that’s her personality she’s loud selfless and passionate this would be like the rose tinted view theory, it’s more subconscious.

But that’s kind of a reach. A Kirumi reaching up for what she thought was the exit during her execution type reach.

———————

Wow the two theories are connected.

In conclusion Tenko needs better she deserves all the compliments from Kaede and I will die on this hill

[ndrv3expert1]

I think it’s really interesting to talk about characters, their backstories, and their past relationships, and how that affects them. And, as the resident Tenko lover, as well as the resident Tenko deserved better believer, I have a theory, a Tenko theory.

I wasn’t going to talk about Tenko by herself again but I was going to write a comment under a mutuals post but since I can’t talk about Tenko like a normal person I created an entire rant instead so yeah enjoy my spiral.

But. Disclaimer this one’s a reach.

This is a Shuichi reaching for Kaede as she’s being dragged to her execution type of reach.

Tenko Has a Rose-Tinted View of Her Childhood

This theory is basically that Tenko if we’re talking in psychology terms idealizes her childhood or at least the vigilante part of it. And I don’t say that to insult her, or say she’s wrong or dumb. I think it’s a defense mechanism. A very human, very understandable one.

It’s hard to explain or justify sometimes, because of how Tenko is written. She’s treated more like a comic relief character. Even when she talks about her backstory, it’s rarely taken seriously either by herself or by the narrative. It’s written off as quirky or funny, not as something we should emotionally invest in.

But if we strip all that away and just look at what Tenko actually says, and how she talks about her past, I think it all starts to come together.

In one of her Free Time Events with Shuichi she talks about her and her master being “heroes of justice.” When Shuichi asks what that means, she says: during the day they help old ladies cross the street and rescue cats from trees, but at night they punish thieves and beat up gropers on trains. Shuichi compares it to superheroes, and Tenko is like We wore masks and went out into the streets to fight crime. My master’s ideas are always so cool.

And she says it with so much enthusiasm, so much pride.

But in my opinion the best way to analyze Danganronpa characters is to compare them to their narrative foils. And today that’s Maki Harukawa.

Both were abandoned by their parents at a young age. Were trained in violence from that young age. Both were raised with a sense of moral duty or obligation fight. Both had their entire identities shaped around their talents But the key difference? When Maki talks about her past, she does so with sadness. Bitterness. Trauma. When Tenko talks about hers, she’s smiling.

Now, you might say, “Of course Maki would be bitter she was killing people while Tenko was saving them.”

Yeah. But I still think there’s something important there. If we take Tenko at her word if she really was out there fighting crime at night, beating up predators and street criminals, using her neo-Aikido skills as a child then that’s not “cute” or “quirky.” That’s traumatic.

And yet, she talks about it like it was fun. Like it's one of those stories you tell at parties.

I’m not saying Tenko’s being dishonest. I’m saying she might not be fully aware of how abnormal it was. She still sees it through the lens of childhood innocence like she’s still a kid who believes in Santa Claus. She talks about vigilantism like it was dress-up. Like it was an video game.

And I think the real reason she sees it this way could be a combination of her personality her trusting nature, and her gullibility sure. But also, she needs to believe in it. She doesn’t want to question her beliefs. She doesn’t want to question her master. She doesn’t want to confront the idea that everything she was taught might have been twisted.

Her vigilantism, like Maki’s role as an assassin, is her sense of purpose and duty. (Doesn’t mean Maki likes being an assassin like Tenko likes being a vigilante just means she feels like she has to)

Her identity is built around this idea that she’s a protector. A fighter. A hero.

If she questions that, if she really looks at it too hard then what is she left with?

She’s not a hero.

She’s just a kid who saw things no kid her age should ever have to see.

So she clings to the narrative. She believes. And she believes. And she believes.

In her eyes, she’s a hero.

And in the eyes of the women she saved, she probably was as well.

But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t still a form of childhood trauma.

It just means she hasn’t let herself look at it that way yet.

Final Thoughts:

I think Tenko’s backstory leaves more questions than answers. And I think a lot of her character is like that.

We get these little pieces of information dots, basically but they’re never fully connected. You have to draw the lines yourself. And even when you do, you’re left with this weird, disformed shape that doesn’t quite make sense.

And honestly? I think that’s part of why Tenko’s character feels so complicated.

She was written to play a certain role a comic relief character, a bit of a stereotype. But some of the pieces we do get from her paint a different picture but it’s hard to view in her in that light because of the way she was portrayed.

But I’m not going to get into how Tenko was written and NIS America and all that stuff today.

Also clarification I'm not saying Tenko isn't a hero in the literal sense i'm more so talking about the doubt that might come when that bubble of being a hero is burst.

In conclusion Tenko deserves better Tenko and Maki should've had more interactions and I will die on this hill.

[ndrv3expert1]

kaede bc i think she deserves to have all the girlfriends and boyfriends ever and get a gazzillion kisses per morning

[ndrv3expert1]

The Price of Pretending: Himiko Yumeno and the Magic of Escapism

A mutual asked me to talk about Himiko, and why she acts the way she does and I said sure but then I spiraled and made notes and everything. Turns out, I had a lot to say. So here is my sprial in a condensed form.

Himiko’s magic or more specifically her belief in the fact that it’s real and her status as a mage is not just a quirky or childish trait it’s a shield.

So one of the first things I need to discuss is Himiko’s backstory she first took interest in magic after seeing a local magician perform a show after that she was amazed and this magician took her in as his apprentice she looked up to this magician and even adopted his habits of claiming all her tricks were real magic. (Remember this it's important.)

But she soon began outshining her master who was deeply troubled by this and the pressure caused him to make a mistake on stage Himiko fixes the mistake for him and he becomes so sad and embarrassed he retires Himiko becomes plagued with guilt blaming herself for her master’s retirement but in the midst of all of this and fans asking what happened to her master what does she do she makes up a story about how a dark mage sabotaged her master’s show so she doesn’t have to deal with the guilt and the possibility it’s her fault her master had to go into an early retirement.

(I also found interesting that similarly to Kaede Himiko also performs to see people smile)

And this escapism becomes a very important part of Himiko’s character especially in the killing game she’s one of the most scared people in the games visibly trembling when Monokuma announces the games but of course what does she cling to magic with escapism its common to project onto things and for Himiko that’s clearly magic she uses it as a shield to protect herself from all the dark emotions of the killing game so she comes off as apathetic but in reality she’s just suppressing everything.

Now I want to talk about a lot of things but first how Himiko acts around others she struggles to read the mood disregards others feelings and makes an assumption about someone and sticks to it which also seems to be at fault of her emotional suppression her not engaging emotionally with herself makes it harder for her to emotionally engage with others.

It’s also because her escapism causes her to be blind to the harsh reality which also affects her ability to connect with the group either pushing them away like Tenko or when she does try to connect she's out of touch.

Himiko’s stubborn and persistent belief in her magic being real also puts her at odds with the group.

Let’s take chapter two for example after Ryoma is murdered during Himiko’s magic show the group asks Himiko how she preformed her trick and she clings to the narrative of it being real magic even into to trial causing the others to get frustrated and suspect her as the murderer.

Now the most interesting thing is her relationship with Tenko and Angie and Chapter three.

Both of them recognize Himiko’s struggles and are trying to reach her, but in completely different ways. Angie offers her the cult and Atua. Tenko just wants her to feel something. Express herself. Cry, get angry, anything.

But Himiko latches to Angie more than Tenko and it’s because Angie is more calm and mellow while Tenko is more clingy and loud and hyperactive.

Angie: (“ I understand, Himiko... You're not actually scared. You're just sad, aren't you? You feel frustrated, anxious, and worried, but you have no one to confide in, do you? ...It's okay. You're not alone, Himiko. I know a handsome god who is keeping a watchful eye on you.”)

Tenko: (“Himiko, please get a hold of yourself! You have to face reality!”)

In my opinion Angie represents or parallels might be a better word for it escapism for Himiko she manipulates Himiko into joining her cult giving Himiko another wall she can build up another thing she can cling to in the killing game to suppress and deal with all the bad emotions.

(“Nyeeeh...as long as I pray like this, I don’t need to waste my energy on useless stuff. No matter what happens or what trouble lies ahead, my heart will be calm...”)

While Tenko is confronting everything head on it’s what Himiko is avoiding doing with magic and Atua and her emotional suppression.

("S-Stop it...when you interrupt me, it messes up my calm heart... I-I remembered this nightmare reality I'm in... A-All my insecurities and loneliness...the pain th-that made me want to die..")

(Side note I also think it’s very interesting that both Himiko and Tenko had masters when they were young and both masters led them to develop a belief that hurt them in some way intentionally or not)

And in chapter three we see everything come crumbling down for Himiko Angie dies and Himiko still doesn’t open up even after one of the closest people to her passes and Tenko begs her to do anything and she is just blank.

Then Korekiyo offers up a seance to speak to Angie and Himiko volunteers as maybe some sort of way to redeem herself for not being sad or at least show it but Tenko steps in to be the medium so that Himiko can speak to Angie one last time and so that she doesn’t have to offer herself up as an apology.

And here around this point in chapter three we start to see the spark of Himiko and Tenko’s relationship where Himiko realizes that Tenko is not just a stalker or an annoyance but she actually cares about Himiko.

Then Tenko dies.

Himiko checks out barely participating in the trials even giving up when everyone accuses her but after being reminded that Tenko wanted her to survive and express her emotions everything that was bottled up comes rushing out and Himiko breaks down.

She decides to live life facing forward as now she has the legacy of two people to carry and all she can do is cry and try to become a person who benefits her and the dead the next morning. So she does.

(“Your "good mornings" are too quiet! It's cuz you're so quiet that you feel down! But...being depressed won't help those who died rest in peace... Tenko and Angie, too. If I stay depressed, they won't be able to rest in peace either. So in order to make their deaths have meaning, I've decided to live my live with positivity! S-So anyway... Please...t-take care of the...new me...")

And you may say that Himiko still did this or that after chapter three but Himiko’s arc wasn’t necessarily about becoming a better person it was about healing from her escapism and emotional suppression and if that took the death of her closest friends to happen so be it. In the DR universe death is the perfect catalyst for change

I honestly didn’t think I would have this much to say about Himiko but after I looked in to it the idea intrigued me and you know I can’t pass up an opportunity to talk about chapter three.

But this was fun and I might do some for the other members of the v3 cast. Maybe, no promises.

[ndrv3expert1]

Belief is a weapon (and everyone in DRV3 dies holding it)

Sorry for the repost Tumblr glitched and didn’t show the post to anyone who wasn’t a mutual ig.

Okay I was going to do a rant on chapter three and what it tells us about belief and faith and religion but that got me thinking about the themes of belief throughout the whole game.

Throughout most of the chapters the game tries to convince the player that belief using emotions over logic and believing in lies are bad.

Chapter 1 Belief in self reliance:

Theme: Belief in control and self-reliance and how that belief backfires.

Kaede and Rantaro both had different ways to go about it Kaede with toxic optimism and Rantaro with secrecy but both believe they can take down the killing game by themselves.

Chapter 2 Belief in worth:

Theme: Belief in the value of a life and how it’s weighed.

Kirumi and Ryoma believed in the motive videos. Ryoma believed no one loved or cared about him. Kirumi believed her duty outweighed everyone else’s life.

Chapter 3 Belief in ideology or faith:

Theme: Belief in ideology religious, spiritual, moral.

Angie weaponized belief to form a cult. Angie also believed in Atua Kiyo weaponized belief to kill Tenko. And Kiyo believed that his sister deeply cared for him Tenko’s belief led directly to her death.

Well technically Tenko’s altruism led to her death not her belief so she kind of breaks the cycle probably due to her emotional intelligence but Tenko’s belief and gullibility lead her down many paths her dislike towards men even though I believe it came from a mix of her masters teaching and the men fought on the streets and then believing in all the women led her to be crushed when the two first killers are women. I think it would’ve been really cool believing in her duty to protect woman broke her down because she’s like how can I be the ultimate aikido master if I can’t even protect the woman in here. It’s actually really interesting because if she survived longer her belief would have been tested more. Actually with all of them I like to call them survivor counterparts or the sunshine trio if they had survived longer even to the end of the game and replaced Shuichi Maki and Himiko as survivors, their beliefs would have been tested and probably changed (but that’s another rant to another day.)

God dammit Tenko always making me go on spiels that have nothing to do with the subject at hand.

Chapter 4 Unquestioning Belief:

Theme: Belief that isn’t questioned, and how that opens you up to manipulation or failure.

Kokichi manipulated Gonta through belief. Gonta’s belief in Kokichi got him killed. (In the NIS America translation) Miu believed her plan was foolproof and that belief failed her. Kaito’s belief in Gonta not being the killer almost got them all killed. And his belief that he has to shoulder everything alone led to his own demise.

Chapter 5 Belief in untruths:

Theme: Belief in comforting lies and the cost of confronting the truth.

Everyone believed Kaito was under the hydraulic press. Kokichi wanted them to believe that using their emotion and belief as a trap but Shuichi didn’t trust it and used logic to find the truth.

Kokichi like Tenko also breaks the mold because it’s less of the belief he has in others or the motives or the games it’s more the belief that he had in himself and the belief others had in him or the lack thereof (but that’s also another rant for another day)

Isn’t it crazy that both Tenko and Kokichi both kind of broke the cycle Tenkouma friendship propaganda.

Kiibo believed/trusted his inner voice, Tsumugi believes in the power of fiction.

Shuichi didn’t believe in himself and his abilities as a detective, Maki believed she was unloveable and was nothing more than a mindless killing machine, and Himiko believed that she could hide behind things like her talent and the cult to suppress her emotions these beliefs didn’t kill them but they did hold them back.

Chapter 6 Belief in feeling:

Theme: Belief in fiction, meaning, and emotion even when you’re told it’s not real.

Chapter six says ok you proved belief is bad. That emotion is bad. That believing lies are bad. That logic and truth are the only things worth trusting. Belief? Emotion? They’re wrong. They hurt you.

But what happens when the truth hurts? What happens when logic becomes useless? What happens when hope and despair are gone, and all you have left are emotions? All you have are the lies you were fed. All you have is belief. Then what?

You’re thrown against a wall, told everything you went through was fictional. That none of it mattered. That you’re just a reality show for someone else’s entertainment.

This game told you that emotion was bad. That lies were bad. That belief was bad.

Now what?

Now you have to believe in the lies. Now you have to trust in the emotion. You have to say:

I believe that even though you’re telling me I’m a fictional character, the emotions I felt for the people who died the lies you told me they hurt, and they made me feel something. So that’s why it matters. That’s why this matters.

That’s why I’m not going to stop. That’s why the killing game is going to end.

The audience believed in the fiction in the story and the emotions it stirred. That belief is what gave the game meaning beyond the screen.

After all, even if fiction has the power to change reality, it only does so when you truly believe in what it’s trying to say and carry that meaning into your own life. Without that belief, fiction can’t change a thing.

And going to the fandom whether you love or hate the ending and how you interpreted rewrite it can come down to who you believed in the final chapter. Or what parts of info you believed in from each person.

Conclusion

The belief that maybe this long ass rant will be over soon

Belief in DRV3 isn’t good or bad. It’s more like a weapon it depends who’s wielding it and what they use it for.

Kaede, Tenko, and Kaito chose emotion over logic. They believed in others and died for it.

Angie Kiyo and Kokichi did the opposite they weaponized belief to manipulate and got others hurt or killed

Shuichi, Maki, and Himiko survived. And what kept them going? The belief Kaede, Kaito, and Tenko had in them. And the belief in everything that they went through, and the emotions it stirred and the belief in the lie.

So let me expand on the original title of this rant.

Belief is a weapon, and everyone in DRV3 dies holding it the survivors just learned how to wield it.

I feel like this RN

[ndrv3expert1]

If you vote YES or DEPENDS ON WHO comment which character(s) you’d like me to cover.

I’ll probably do V3 first cause that’s what I’m most comfortable in but I might branch out later.

Just a heads up! I can’t promise straight 1,000 word essays on every character—what I write mostly depends on what sparks something in my brain, what I find interesting, or what feels under-discussed or misunderstood. So think of this as a “pick your poison” kind of thing.

For example, if you comment Angie or Kiyo, maybe that’ll inspire a post about the religious subtext in Chapter 3, with Angie, Tenko, and Kiyo as the False Prophet, the Martyr, and the Executioner. A look at how belief and religion get twisted depending on who’s in control.

Or if you comment Kaede, that might cause:

Does Kaede’s optimism help or hurt the group?

Could she have carried the story all the way? Was the protagonist switch a blessing in disguise?

I really appreciate your input, and I’ll do my best to make whatever I write meaningful and interesting.

[ndrv3expert1]

It’s my one year anniversary of being ndrv3expert1 and a lot of things have happened in a year if you told me a year ago that I could rant about a game that came out eight years ago and people would actually listen I would tell you no that’s insane why would people care what I have to say cause I know some of my opinions are not the most popular in the fandom but yeah.

I just- wow it’s crazy how much my blog has grown.

My first rant post I don’t really get the if Tenko was a man everyone would hate him because he would hate women argument was posted January 25. Since then I’ve talked about everything from the ethics of killing someone in the killing game to the moral issues of ultimate talents to post game to double standards and a whole lot of Tenko.

When I posted the poll that asked if I should actually post Dr rants I didn’t think I would get any answers let alone positive ones I have low self esteem especially of things that I make I tend to put them at a way lower pedestal then others works I also just do this thing where I just think the absolute worst like every body is going to hate me (idk what go call it pessimism anxiety) so I thought I was just going to scream in an empty void but you guys kept showing up.

And because of that

I’ve grown more confident

I started drawing more

I got to interact with creators I thought were so cool

Some of my posts got liked and liked reblogged by creators I just thought were so cool and their art or other content was just so good ask of my friends they’ll tell you I freaked out. And I’m still freaking out till this day.

I got to do so many things I could only dream of doing.

And in just one year:

I started making a game

I had a post of mine get to 100+ notes

And I started thinking that maybe I’m not as cis as I originally thought and me headcanoning Tenko a trans woman was a projection after all (Demi-girl???)

But most importantly I found a community.

And that means more than I can explain. A few years ago I was struggling with self harm and Danganronpa became my escape just projecting onto the characters (Tenko) and just getting lost in the world.

And now years later I’m here writing rants starting a game connecting with people I never thought would notice me and realizing that maybe there is value in what I have to say.

(And I don’t want any of this to come off wrong)

Without Danganronpa I wouldn’t be the same person I am now.

This is strange for me cause I don’t really open up too much I tend to hide behind well timed humor.

But I just want to thank everyone who’s been on this journey with me and who's supported me and told me that something was actually good when I thought it was trash.

Here’s to more years more rants and more Tenko. 🎉🎉🎉

[ndrv3expert1]

Imagine being Maki you love someone you try to protect them they end up dying.

You get trapped in a killing game you go into closed off expecting to not find love but you fall in love (grow a strong emotional bond) again you try to protect that person and they also end up dying.

It just really adds to the Maki being closed off and would give her sort of an everything I love dies mentality.

Then if you add all the people she killed for missions it’s like even when she’s not inherently trying to assassinate them, she tries to play the other side. The protector. The savior. The Kaito. The Tenko. The Kaede. And the people around her still die.

It’s just never being able to be more than your past and being stuck in the murderer box forever and every time you try to escape it you end right back in the same box.

Which is also encapsulated in Ryoma’s death she wasn’t trying to kill him but she still played a role in his demise.

But the truth is that she is a semi good person she signed up to be an assassin to fund the orphanage she took her childhood friends place so she wouldn’t have to go through the torture of assassin training but she’ll never believe that as long as blood remains on her hands.

We love guilt eating people alive from the inside out so much they believe that where/what they are is all they will ever be.

Which is why Tenko and Maki’s relationship would be so good because Tenko as a protector herself would be able to see Maki as sort of one as well even through all the things she did.

The true extent of this cycle and the grief isn’t (sadly) portrayed in the games but I love non-despair aus where the holy salvation society is either like you have to cuts ties with your loved ones they’re making you soft or we’re going to make you kill them or kill them our selves.

Going into more non-despair territory

————————————————————————

I also feel like that would add to her hatred of Kokichi cause whenever he’s like Maki’s a cold blooded killer she’s a monster like a voice in the back of her head would be like she’s right.

And she would have nightmares about her friends dying because of her.

And with Hopes Peak being stuck with that talent in the academy that defines your future and guarantees success if you graduate.

Which is why I also love AUs where Maki is able to fully escape the cult and change her talent to child caregiver for real and help out at the orphanage from time to time. With the group doing a fundraiser to help raise money for the orphanage.

————————————————————————

The angst hurts

Also side note that has nothing to do with the topic I love the childhood friend was Tenko even though it makes no sense.

Now I wish we got protag Maki saving people while damning others to death. It would be like the Shuichi arc but from a different perspective.

But yeah my girl deserves better.

[ndrv3expert1]

Of course I would love KPDH it has my four favorite things:

1. Great music

2. Found family

3. Self acceptance themes

4. Yuri

[ndrv3expert1]

Danganronpa V3 Battle of the Bands AU!

I've had this idea for a while but it stayed in my sketchbook, but then my sketchbook got lost in the accident so now I decided why not.

(Disclaimer: I know jack about music)

The way this whole mess started was that Angie suddenly was told by god that she needed to start a tradional music band so she gathered up all her friends that knew how to play traditional instruments (the student concil in games.) Including Himiko. Tenko is very displeased by this so in order to win Himiko back she formed her own band to win the Hopes Peaks Academy Annual Battle of The Bands. (Or at least get into the top five, since there's no way their competeing against students with actual musical talent) (they also aren't that good of a band either so the real goal is to beat Angie's band).

The N0rth

Angie: This whole idea basically came to her in a dream. The number in the name makes it feel like a modern pop band. She likes the illusion.

Himiko: Only here becuase Angie somehow dragged her into it. Hasn't played her instrument since elementry school and it shows. She really hates dressing up for shows.

Tsumugi: Thinks that's this will somehow be her break into the music industry, like sure she's rather plain but she's still a cute girl over all. That has to mean something! (Spoiler: it doesn't) she's also very mediocre in her playing skills.

Gonta : is suprisingly good despite the complexity of his instrument. Everyone asks where he learned and he says from crickets.

Kiibo: Joined because he wanted to learn more about human culture. He can't actually blow into the flute so he uses his internal Keyboard-synth.

The Man Suckers (Tenko is unaware of the names implications and everyone is determined to keep it that way.)

Tenko: Really really wants this to be an Idol group, but she has to work with what he has.

Kaede: Joined because Tenko is her friend and she wants to help. Also she never got to use her keyboard gutair and wants a reason to use it. Who is she to turn down a friend who seem oddly really really desperate.

Maki : Made the mistake of telling Kaito she sings to the children. Is having a hard time singing things that aren't disney songs or nursery rhymes.

Kaito: was Into the idea the moment Tenko brought it up. He signed up his sidekicks too (without asking). He figured this would be a good way to help Shucihi with his stage fright (he's hiding behind stage) and Maki with emotions (she gets embarrassed by singing/writing anything potentially emotional and getting her to perform them is it's own battle.) also gets to use his former theater kid chords.

Kokichi: is only here to watch this crash and burn. Maki suspects he somehow learned trumpet in two hours to join. Also gets to use his theater kid chords.

Shucihi (is also here I didn't draw him): Refuses to tell anyone about the fact he plays bass because he knows he will somehow end up on stage. Acts as a team manger and works behind the scenes, Maki is wildly jealous. Tenko thinks that since she has one extra member she'll automatically beat The N0rth.

[ndrv3expert1]

I hope you know when I say I mean Chabahara they’re childhood friends they’re both transgender and each others confidant and Tenko is dating Maki and Kaede and Shuichi is dating Kaito and Kokichi is the chaotic 6th wheel where you don’t know if he’s with Kaito and Shuichi or if he just lives in their apartment rent free some times.

And when I say Oumaki I mean reluctant acquaintances where their friends overlap so they’re forced to hangout with each other they have a lot in common but don’t put aside their differences long enough to see eye to eye Kokichi complains Maki stole his friends but whenever one of their shared friends is in danger they work together because they care more than they let on and are both afraid of being abandoned.

And when I say Tenmiko I mean unrequited love but they still remain friends and Himiko stills cares about Tenko so she tells Tenko’s next partner that if they break her heart she’ll put heinous hex on them. Or them as QPPs.

And when I say Saimaki I mean Saimaki cause it’s peak.

[ndrv3expert1]

Do you think we’re lovers in every universe Tenmaki core 💚❤️

[ndrv3expert1]

Happy pride! Any time we get to make the bigots uncomfortable is a good day.

[ndrv3expert1]

Why I Love Tenkaemaki

Hello I’m back from the dead I’ve been busy but I’m back with more Dr rants.

And I promise after this it will go back to the normal rants unless you guys like this form of content.

I fucking love Tenkaemaki that’s it that’s the whole post.

They’ve been my ot3 for a while after I stopped really hardcore shipping Tenmiko and Tenmaki became my otp and ughhhh! they’re just so ahhhhhh!

Like of course I can say that they’re cute and Maki has two loving girlfriends that will treat her like the princess she is and Kaede gets two strong girlfriends to simp over and Tenko gets two girlfriends she can protect from degenerate males even though they don’t really need her to but…

It’s also Maki having two overly affectionate girlfriends and being like affectionate ugh what is this give me more it’s Kaede not having to carry a burden by herself it Tenko caring and being cared for in return and finding true strength in leaning on others and not putting herself in danger time and time again because even though it’s a nice gesture to put yourself on the line to protect someone she has people who love her waiting for her at home.

It’s all of them not asking for help and caring for others without caring for themselves and having acts of service as a love language.

It’s Kaede sitting up all night pacing around her room waiting for her girlfriends to come back from their very dangerous jobs/ talents ready with tea and cuddles and comforting words. It’s Tenko and Maki forcing Kaede to take a break because she’s been wearing her self thin focusing on the class’s well being.

It’s all of them definitely pondering committing crimes for each other.

It’s them not having to say I love you they know in every touch every action every gesture.

It’s Maki’s bluntness and Kaede’s gentle Tenko’s hyperactive.

It’s Tenko and Maki both being so disconnected from their childhood due to their upbringing and Kaede giving them those gentle nice things they never got just so they know they deserve it and that they’re allowed to have nice things.

It’s Maki and Kaede stopping Tenko from being to hard on herself and over working herself it’s them correcting her how ever many times that it takes after she claims she’s not pretty enough not talented enough not good enough.

It’s Maki still not being used to affection after being tackle hugged for years but comfortable enough that she lets herself be hugged without retaliation and even reciprocates or initiates the affection.

It’s Kaede kissing Tenko and Maki’s scars.

It’s the group wondering how emotionally closed off cold and blunt Maki got two girlfriends.

It’s the fact they can make each other better and help each other grow in the best ways.

It’s the fact that they’re all independent and strong but have this mutual protection where no one is truly the “weak” one, but they all fall into that role for each other at times.

It’s rotating cycle of tough love and tenderness where each one of them refuses to rest until the other two do first.

It’s the “I’m hurt but you’re hurting more so I’m going to take care of you first but I know when you’re better you’re going to be pissed.”

Each of them keeps thinking they’re the burden, while the other two are the ones who truly deserve love and rest. So it turns into this heartbreaking relay race of:

“You’re always protecting us. Let us protect you.”

“You always listen. Let us listen to you.”

“You always take care of things. Let us take care of you.”

TenKaeMaki is amazing they’re so good and I just want the best for all my girls dammit all three of them deserve the world.

[ndrv3expert1]

More Than a Label: Rethinking V3's 'Dumb' Characters

It's weird how the characters that we and the game constantly call stupid are actually some of the smartest.

Well, a lot of characters fit this bill, but seeing as I am a DR rant blog, I'm talking specifically about Tenko Chabashira, Kaito Momota, and Gonta Gokuhara.

Now these characters are now referred to as dumb by the game and particularly the fandom for pretty similar reasons.

Gonta because of his speech pattern particularly is portrayed as Tarzan's speech, and his understanding of normal things we find simple like technology and most famously in chapter 4 where he was manipulated by Kokichi, but the localization, NIS America did change his character a lot they changed his backstory and how the whole killing game buster thing happened in chapter 4.

Which is funny because all three of the characters I'm talking about in this rant were changed pretty heavily by NIS America.

In the Japanese characterization, Gonta's backstory is more ambiguous, being raised by a forest family and developing an extensive knowledge of insect species, his speech pattern is more polite and formal, and the third-person way of speech is culturally associated with child-like innocence and a cute endearing or 'quirky' personality-not dumb.

And in chapter 4 he had more of an idea what was going on in Kokichi's plan from the beginning and acted upon his own decisions rather than just being a blindly lead victim till the end.

But in general, Gonta has a deep knowledge of insects and astrology (for this analysis we are ignoring the ending) and good observational skills that are helpful in class trials like how he noticed that he must be far away from home because the constellations looked different in chapter two and his knowledge about the state of the floorboards and the way the seesaw trick was carried out in chapter three which span both the Japanese and English translations.

Kaito is portrayed as being dumb due to his struggles in trials and his refusal to acknowledge certain truths because they go against his ideals.

But Kaito's intelligence while being shown in some ways on paper by passing the astronaut entrance exams excels in more ways than academically he has emotional intelligence and leadership shown by how he interacts with everyone particularly him supporting Shuichi and pushing him to grow his confidence and seeing past Maki cold exterior and helping her open up emotionally and also in chapter 5 acting out Kokichi's plan which shows strategy and trust.

He also possesses a good amount of street smarts that people overlook.

Tenko is often seen as dumb because of her loud over emotional nature and mannerisms. Some people also don't take her seriously because of her 'man-hating' and her relationship with Himiko.

Tenko also has the same problem as Gonta with localization. In the original Japanese her speech patterns are more elegant and refined, and her male hating is turned back exponentially.

Tenko is however extremely emotionally intelligent her flipping ability which allows her to read people's emotions contributes to this as well as her encouraging Shuichi to build his confidence and Himiko to express her emotions more.

It spans beyond this however in chapter 3 Tenko infiltrates Angie's cult to protect Himiko and avoids brainwashing as well as making it her mission to help Himiko grow from her emotional suppression.

Finally, Tenko allows herself to be the medium for Angie (whom she had a rivarly with) in the seance for Himiko showing her deep empathy self-awareness and willingness to prioritize someone else's emotional healing over her own safety. Is a clear demonstration of her emotional intelligence and wisdom.

In conclusion, whether a character is intelligent or not really depends on how the piece of media portrays the character and how the viewers define intelligence.

I think school systems have definitely skewed our perceptions of intelligence making us think intelligence is just test scores and book smarts rather than street smarts and emotional intelligence.

Gonta Kaito and Tenko- while not in the same as Shuichi or Kokichi- are smart. And I don't think our skewed perception and bad localization should determine how we view them.

Some characters are written to be dumb, and that's fine but Gonta Kaito and Tenko? They aren't.

They're loud, naive, and emotional but they aren't complete idiots.

And I hope this rant helped you realize that.

[ndrv3expert1]

Double Standards, Misogyny, and Bad Writing: A Deep Dive into Character Criticism

So, it's a common saying that no one's perfect. We all make mistakes. Some of which we remember at 3 a.m. when we're trying to sleep and think, "God, why did I do that?"

But since we, as a species, don’t consider ourselves perfect (well, most of us who keep our feet on the ground don’t think that), why shouldn't we hold our characters to the same standards?

Now, writing flawed characters? It’s good writing. It doesn’t even have to be a major flaw. Make them a procrastinator, make them unable to cook, etc. But we should give our characters flaws. We don’t want our characters to be two-dimensional. We want them to be complex, we want them to be interesting.

But some people, when female characters have flaws, they hate it. They’ll magnify these flaws and perpetually criticize them. But when a male character has flaws, suddenly, they're a complex, well-written character.

Like I said before with Kaito and Tenko very similar characters pretty similar flaws to some Tenko's flaws are magnified or talked about to large degree while Kaito's are pretty much ignored.

Not saying there's no valid reason to like or hate either of them.

Think of it like cutting out cookies. People put men in a bigger mold, so they have more room for mistakes, but they put women in a tight, rigid mold. Their expectations are too narrow. And this is just normalizing Mary Sue characters, which in my opinion, is bad writing. Perfect women with no flaws who just sit there, looking pretty, are counterpieces to the male characters. I don’t want to live in a world where writing Mary Sue characters is the norm because people hate flawed characters.

Writing flawed characters is good writing. Flaws make them interesting, relatable, and real. In fact, most people kin characters because of their flaws. But when female characters are constantly held to impossible standards, it’s not just unfair—it reflects a much bigger problem with how society views women.

It’s the same pattern we see when people complain that women in video games aren’t sexualized enough. Is that seriously all you’re playing for? If you can’t handle women with flaws, maybe the problem isn’t them. Maybe it’s you.

[ndrv3expert1]

The Ethics of Murder in Danganronpa: A Breakdown of the Killing Game's Morality

Ethicality is the adherence to moral principles in decision-making and actions, evaluating whether something is right or wrong.

However, ethics in the form of Danganronpa is where the lines start to blur. It's not as simple as right and wrong. When your life is on the line, you can justify killing someone as self-defense, right? But it's not that simple once you add in the psychological and emotional factors—the stakes change.

What's the value of a life, especially one that's a stranger? What happens when that stranger becomes someone you actually care about? The price of their life may change, and suddenly, it's a whole new ballgame. So the questions become: how much would it take for you to kill someone, and is murder ever justified?

That’s what Danganronpa forces us to confront death isn’t just a consequence it’s the game and with every death comes new motives emotions and decisions behind it.

Some characters may seem like their killing to survive others do it for greed and their own personal gain and then you have the people who act out of pure fear and panic.

The physiological pressure the manipulation the backstabbing these aren’t just trivial things and there’s a thing in here somewhere about how being in a killing game environment isolated from the rest of the world with a bunch a strangers who can kill you at anytime would change you as a person effect your morals and such (but this sadly isn’t about that and maybe I’ll touch on that later, ) this is about how the killing game makes us and the characters question whether murder is even okay? Where do we draw the line? and why do we forgive some and ostracize others?

Of course, your first thought would be absolutely not murder is not okay, never under any circumstance. But then the other thoughts start to roll in, you think about your family you think about your life outside the game you think about the value of your own life then you start making friends with with the strangers that you’re trapped with, and you start to think about the value of their life then it becomes a twisted mess and the answer isn’t just a simple no anymore it becomes a no except… a maybe a yes only… your perception becomes skewed as other factors are weighed in.

Should we feel sorry for the murders or should we see them as monsters and what’s the cuff off point where do draw the line for sympathetic killer and heartless murderers

So, with all that in mind, how do we even begin to break down the ethics of murder in Danganronpa? It’s not a simple black-and-white answer. But here’s a framework to think about it:

Murder in Danganronpa: Breaking It Down with MBBCO Motive Brutality Bias Context and Obligation

*For specifically Dr based on the blackened trials and reactions of other students probably not good for use in real world situations*

M. Motive

Why did they do it? The motive is essential because it gives us a reason behind the action. Is it for the sake of others, like Kaede killing to end the killing game, or for personal gain, like Celestia? Some motives may seem more honorable, but it all comes down to perspective. Did they kill out of desperation, or was it a calculated act for personal gain? Understanding the motive helps weigh the ethicality of the act.

B. Brutality

How did it go down? Was the murder violent and grotesque, or was it quick, swift, and painless? Brutality plays a significant role in how we perceive the act. Junko's actions were very gruesome and treated like a spectacle, while Kiyo killing Angie was painless, not very gruesome, and simple. Even though both had reasons, how the murder went down makes a huge difference. Was it cold or heartless, or were there moments of hesitation? Brutality not only shapes the act but also the way we see the killer.

B. Bias

Who is the victim, and who is the killer? Bias can cloud judgment, and while it shouldn't determine ethics, sometimes it still can. Take Kaito vs Kokichi, for example. The majority of the cast is quick to defend and stand by Kaito but ostracize Kokichi. This extends to everything, including murder. These biases sometimes get in the way, skewing the perception of ethicality.

C. Context

Context: What was the situation? This is vital because the surrounding circumstances heavily influence the actions. If a character kills in self-defense, it changes things compared to a murder driven by power. Take Mondo as an example: Mondo killed Chihiro not just because of personal animosity but because of Mondo's fragile sense of pride and guilt. In his case, the context wasn't just survival or revenge; it was deeply tied to his own internal battle of self-worth. Context can either justify or complicate the ethical decision to kill.

O. Obligation

Obligation: Was it a choice? In a killing game, the definition of choice can be murky. Was the character forced into a situation where they had to kill for survival, or was it something they actively chose for personal reasons? In some cases, like Hifumi's, it's clear he was manipulated, while many other characters acted on their own volition. The sense of obligation varies depending on the killer's mindset and circumstances.

Murder is always murder, regardless. But this doesn't mean we should ignore the complexities that determine the ethics and morals of each murder in the killing games. It's not always clear-cut, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Some characters make decisions we might understand, even if we don’t agree with them. Others make choices that are downright horrifying, and no amount of explanation can justify that. But that’s the beauty (and horror) of Danganronpa: it forces us to question the morality of our actions, and whether any of us would really be able to survive in such a twisted situation without crossing a line.