#(which in turn makes togami the smart one i guess?)

[luckyemo]

i always forget naegi/togami is like... a popular ship i guess so theres ppl who think like Deeply about togami and i just wha

[penguwastaken]

This is the review I wrote for my Danganronpa Togami fan translation that I am currently working on, which I figured I might as well upload to Tumblr.

In June of 2023, after reading Danganronpa Togami for the first time, I wrote a review of it on Twitter. I want you to pretend like that review doesn't exist. Completely disregard it because BOY was I wrong.

When I first read Danganronpa Togami last year, I absolutely despised it. I was miserable almost the whole time. But I'm not the same person I was a year ago, I was naive and stupid, but now I have an IQ comparable to Albert Einstein! So basically what I'm saying now is I'm smart enough to understand it now. I couldn't disagree with my original review any more as I am now a based and enlightened Danganronpa Togami enjoyer. That's right, ME, the person who for a year made fun of this novel trilogy, finally sees the light I would like to issue a formal apology to Danganronpa Togami for being so stupid and blissfully unaware of its peakness.

Jokes aside, the more the novel sat in my head, the more conflicted I began to feel about it. I felt pretty mixed about it when I first read it, but those feelings only grew. Were my criticisms warranted? Did Danganronpa Togami really deserve the treatment I gave it? I picked it back up and gave it a second chance, and I was surprised to discover that it was... really good? I thought you were supposed to be this edgy, nonsensical, stupid book, that's how I remembered it at least, so what happened?

I'm going to try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, because something I realized is that Danganronpa Togami isn't something that can really be explained. It's something that has to be experienced, beginning to end. The summaries don't really do it justice, which is part of why I started this project in the first place. Though at some points I may dive into some minor spoiler territory, so I'll make sure to mark those parts. So consider this my apology and defense of Danganronpa Togami, because I have to admit that in my blind hatred for it, I probably did end up harming it's perception. So maybe, if just a little, I can rectify it here and maybe convince you to give it another chance like I did.

I will say, Danganronpa Togami is probably one of the darker entries in the series. It features a lot of sensitive content, such as graphic and violent imagery, assault, incest, and abuse. If that's enough to turn you away from it, that's fine and perfectly understandable, especially given Danganronpa's track record with those topics. And I will admit, there are absolutely times where Danganronpa Togami borders on being edgy. But I don't think it's without purpose, and it's handled with more severity than most entries in the series. Once again, if that's enough to make you not want to touch it was a 2000 foot pole, that's perfectly reasonable.

Everyone knows Danganronpa Togami is like, REALLY weird. Octopus suits, lightsabers, fortune telling human-cows, you name it. This all seems a little out of place, even for Danganronpa, but it starts to make more sense as you proceed with the story. These weird things aren't real, they're the result of an unreliable narrator. Contrary to what idiot me from 2023 says, I don't think having an unreliable narrator invalidates a story. Even with it, you can still piece together the events of the story and it creates what is honestly one of the best plot twists in the series that ties everything in the novel trilogy together.

If I have one critique of Danganronpa Togami, it's Byakuya's characterization. It makes sense in the context of the novel for him to be perceived as some kind of god due to circumstances and Blue Ink's POV and stuff, but that's not my issue. My main problem comes from the fact that some of his actions are just bad, plain and simple. He is NOT a good person in this novel. I guess it makes sense, this is before his character arc in Trigger Happy Havoc after all, but it just feels kind of weird and out of character sometimes. You could chalk it up to just "more unreliable narrator nonsense," but I feel that misses the point a little.

Danganronpa Togami takes full advantage of its medium, it's twists are something that you can really only put in a novel. It's difficult to explain without going into spoilers, but unlike something like Danganronpa Zero or Danganronpa Kirigiri, I genuinely couldn't imagine Danganronpa Togami as anything else. It's also filled with a lot of fun and witty banter full of references and charming characters.

Danganronpa Togami has some really interesting themes of identity and how one's past or situation can change their perspective. This is seen all throughout the novel trilogy, whether it be the protagonist whose a victim, an idol forced into a popularity debate, or its version of the despair disease, acting more as a placebo effect here. Its themes are a bit more subtle than other entries, not even I'm sure if I fully get them, but they're certainly interesting.

Unlike Danganronpa Kirigiri, which feels like a completely unrelated story with a few elements from the games and Kyoko (not saying that as a bad thing btw), Danganronpa Togami feels like it takes as many elements as it can from the games and stuffs them in. It takes place during the tragedy, features characters from not only the first two games but also the novels, has references to Ultra Despair Girls, brings back weird plot points like the despair disease from Danganronpa 2, and so much more. In a way, it's kind of like a big Danganronpa crossover (also featuring Kagami Family Saga because Yuya Sato couldn't help himself lol).

At some point, you've probably wondered: "is Danganronpa Togami canon?" Due to elements from in it and the divisive nature of Danganronpa Togami, you can't really find a straight answer about it online, so I figured I'd weigh in on the discussion. If you asked me back when I originally read it if it was canon, I'd probably give you a hard "no." But it's a bit more complex than that. It's a little more complex than just a simple "definitively canon" and "definitively non-canon." Disregarding the unreliable narrator, there are parts of the story that we do reliably know happened.

The closest thing to a reference to Danganronpa Togami in any other piece of media in the series to my knowledge is Byakuya saying "by the dignity of the Togami name" once in episode 7 of Danganronpa 3 Future Arc, however Byakuya swearing on the Togami name has been around before the novels even if it is prominently used in them. However, a more definitive piece of evidence towards its canonicity is in episode 11 of Danganronpa 3 Despair Arc, where you see Sonia leading an attack on Prague with a graph of a satellite in the corner. I think this is a pretty cut and dry confirmation in favor of Danganronpa Togami being canon, albeit told through an unreliable narrator's perspective.

And that about wraps up my review and personal thoughts of Danganronpa Togami. It's definitely one of the more weird, yet fascinating entries in the series. I don't think it's on the level of Danganronpa Kirigiri (I don't think any entry in this series is), but it has its merits and hopefully I could convince you to maybe check it or appreciate it a bit more.

[gilmesc1]

Do you have any thoughts on fictional portrayals of DID, like danganronpa, spl!t, and others?

Yes, I usually would take time to do research but lucky for you I already did XD

I looked into Danganronpa a while ago since we have 1 or 2 system mates from it, and in that case, prepare yourselves for a hot mess of my opinion and facts I got from a google fest.

So, to start out, I guess I might share spoilers?? So you hath been warned. Additionally I’m not going to sit here and rephrase the entire story so, honestly why am I even explaining this. Anon at least knows what’s going on XDD

So Danganronpa is a psychological mystery anime that focuses heavily on the themes of hope and despair, where in most versions of the story characters are forced into a killing game where they have to kill each other. Bet you couldn’t have figured that one out on your own XD

One thing I like about it is that the characters overall are written fairly well. Many of them are complex multi layered gems of writing with good development and story arcs. One thing that I found interesting is the semi accurate portrayals of mental illness and how it impacts the characters in this insane situation.

So, let’s break into that. I focused on the portrayals of NPD and DID specifically, and I could go back and look into others, but we’ll focus on those for this post. And just going to throw this out now, I think it’s interesting and also kind of a bold move to tackle those kinds of things in an anime.

So let’s look at the DID portrayal. The character’s name is Toko Fukawa, and she is a fucking wreck. Confirmed emotional abuse gives a lot into her character, and we see her as this timid, deflective, honestly broken shell. Later in the series we are introduced to her alternate personality, I know, exciting.

However it’s a literal serial killer. So like. Yeah.

I don’t love that part. I mean, out of all of the portrayals for this alter, you had to go with serial killer? And not only that, but a really famous, generally acknowledged as insane serial killer. Thaaaanks writer.

To recap what a lot of tumblr says, this kind of portrayal is dangerous because the majority of DID portrayals are of crazy violent stereotypes. It was quite honestly disappointing, and I wish that the writers hadn’t used this as their big reveal.

But hey, neutral standing here, let’s look at why he did do that from a different perspective. Since the theme of the game/anime is killing, it does make sense plot wise to have a serial killer. Additionally, it’s a clever way to get said serial killer into the game in the first place. Plot wise and with a few things I’ll mention in a second, it does make sense in a twisted way.

But let’s get the bad out of the way first. One thing I really don’t love is her appearance. It’s like someone took the original character design of fukawa, took some drugs, and then drew a nightmare creature. Seriously, there’s crazy eyes, hair flying everywhere, and this freaky inhuman tongue that the alter has out no matter what she’s doing. Like whaaaaaat the fuck.

Firstly this spreads misinformation that we can change appearance at will. Like don’t get me wrong, I wish I could, but the best I got is changing clothes if I have the time. Also the tongue I really hate because it gives the impression of the alter being this inhuman monster. Also again with the impression that we can morph stuff when we switch. I mean, if I had that, I’d be having a lot more fun in my day to day life than I do now.

Do what you will with that information.

Additionally we do see Fukawa’s tongue, and it’s not a weird demogorgon kind of thing, so, yeah, the tongue thing is weird.

Finally her name. It’s Genocider Syo/Jack/Jill. Not a normal name, no the only name we have for her is her serial killer name which I feel serves to continue to show her as this inhuman thing where we all go, Oh god oh fuck time to be afraaaaid.

But hey, let’s look at what they did right.

The backstory of how genocider came to be is really accurate to how it works. Fukawa has a history of abuse at a young age, and genocider eventually comes into the picture to protect her.

Let me explain: So this is a theory on my part (Check out Weeby Newz’s youtube video, that’s where I got this) but Fukawa was revealed to have suffered massive emotional abuse at the hands of a boy who she had romantic interest in. Since he was moving away, she decided to confess her love to him in a letter before this happened. Turns out the boy pinned the letter in her classroom so everyone would make fun of her. Dick move.

I think genocider formed after this specific event, firstly because this is a huge defining experience for Fukawa. Additionally, the way genocider acts serves to prove this. Her target victims are boys, and her first victim was the boy who hurt Fukawa. I mean yeah, killing was waaaay extreme, but bear with me on this next part:

I’d say that genocider is a protector. A lot of her initial actions were to protect Fukawa from getting hurt in the same way, and protectors do have a history of going to the extreme to protect their hosts and systems. Even though she seems like a persecutor, I don’t think any of her actions have been directed at herself and Fukawa, they actually seem to have a decent relationship, and to end this theory that is completely non canon and just me pretending I’m smart, I’d call her a protector.

Next, looking at the relationship they have. Genocider at one point tells the protagonist that they have a “non disclosure policy” when they switch when the other is in the middle of something. (like murder??) And I personally really liked this, as it was a kind of realistic DID humor in my eyes. Take it or leave it, that’s my opinion.

And that’s really all I have on that behalf. Genocider really isn’t shown as a “normal person” often, which I guess is the point but also leaves me with nothing to evaluate. (Side note, this is only V1 of the series and I’m aware she changes but dear god go easy on me)

Finally, here are a few things that I find a little weird tbh.

At first glance when they switch, it’s a touch accurate, if over dramatic. Losing consciousness and coming to as a different alter is possible so I do like that, however they also have her constantly switching when sneezing, which is a little out there.

I mean, I think I’ve done that before, but for it to be a consistent theme, idk. Maybe overdramatized again.

Secondly, there is a voice change, which is accurate, but it really just serves to fit the crazy image, so I’m conflicted on that.

So that is really all I can say on that specifically, to end things I’m going to talk about one other character Fukawa has interactions with, Togami. (He has a first name but I can’t spell/remember it.)

So I gravitated towards him while watching the series because he reminds me of me, hence me saying that he seems to be a dead ringer for npd. Let me explain.

He’s very cold and distant from others and obviously feels superior, additionally he is willing to fight tooth and nail to consistently be on top and win in any situation, leading to him doing some fucked up things.

But like I feel for him. It’s like watching me XD

His past was a very competitive cuthroat environment, where he was taught that losing is worse than death. Additionally he was almost groomed to be this untouchable figure so it’s no surprise that he believes that. I might make a second post about him because there’s a lot more I can say, but I’m going to double back to Fukawa now.

So Fukawa gains a very unhealthy obsession with Togami, despite him wanting literally nothing to do with her. He’s verbally abusive to her and does go out of his way to attack her, but she thinks it’s a sign of love. Poor Fukawa.

This also kind of fits with NPD, because we can have some pretty gravitating personalities. I think the attraction has a lot to do with Fukawa’s mental state, but I just found it interesting that the emotional abuse victim gravitates to Togami of all people.

So I brought him up for that above thought I had, and also to compare this last point. So Fukawa was confirmed to have DID, like it was specifically stated. To my knowledge it was never stated that Togami has NPD, but I strongly assume that he does. (key word assume, I could be wrong.)

So I found it interesting that Togami has this very accurate portrayal of NPD without ever confirming that he has NPD, while Fukawa is specifically confirmed to have DID while having a semi accurate portrayal. I think the writer really wanted to include mental illness in his story line and I doubt he intended anything to be intentionally harmful.

Writing mental illness into a story is very very very tricky, and it’s practically impossible to satisfy everyone, but the fact that he did do it is in my opinion, very bold.

He made good and less good choices, but overall he did make very compelling characters. Genocider admittedly fits better in this plotline as a crazy killer than she would as a realistic alter, but this is fiction.

So final statements: Toko Fukawa is not a bad character. I like a lot about her and overall I think she is very well written. Genocider is very less developed and more of a surprise plot twist than a character, which is unrealistic. The writer made some very awkward choices from a realistic standpoint despite it fitting well with his story.

So overall, she really isn’t a good portrayal of DID. You can enjoy her character like I did, but the main takeaway here is to not take her as a realistic portrayal. I know it seems obvious but this is the kind of thing that forms unhealthy ideas in viewers.

I’m not hating on Danganronpa or Toko, I actually really loved both. I’ve tried to stop ranting about fictional works that I hate. I used to be a loose fucking canon but I realized that I had been bashing a few autistic friend’s special interests, so now I try to be hyper aware that a fictional work might mean everything to someone even if I personally disliked it.

But that isn’t the case here because again I loved Danganronpa XD

So friends, that about does it for me. I liked doing this kind of analysis so if you want me to do more, send them my way XD

My next post will probably be the syscourse analysis if I can get that done before I get an easier topic. So thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, thank you for the ask anon.

And I’m now out of words. You all should be happy. XD

[danganronpa-tng]

Underground Travels; Part 2

We walked for half an hour, according to my watch. (We woke up at around 7:30PM, it was 8PM now.) There didn't seem to be anything in the tunnel, so we were just walking with seemingly no aim.

“Do you think we’ll be out of here soon?” I asked. William shrugged.

“Dunno. Hopefully!” He said. 

“Th-that’s fair.” I replied.

As we kept walking, Kailyn stopped, squinting.

“Hey, hey Boys. See that?” She pointed forward. I looked forward and saw a small light a bit in the distance.

“H-hey, there’s the end..! Let’s go!” I said, speeding up a bit despite the aching in my legs. We all made our way there, finding a door cracked open a sliver. A room lay inside, which we walked in to.

“What is this room?” William asked, looking around. The room had two doors leading off them, one labelled ‘Eagle Eye’ and the other labelled ‘Precision’.

“No clue...” Kailyn said, walking up to one of the doors. Eagle Eye.

Before she reached it though, something fell out of the roof. Or rather, someone.

“Hahahahahaha!! Welcome, you fucks, to the Challenge Chamber!” They exclaimed, cackling. I stumbled back with a yelp.

“Wh-who are you?!” I asked. William put a hand on my shoulder.

“I, you unfortunate unclefucker, am Nerezza Enoshima!! Self-proclaimed Ultimate Despair, at your service.” She grinned. Her teeth were oddly sharp. Kinda scary.

“U-unclefu-??”

“Now, glad you made it!! Me and the boss almost thought you wouldn't leave the room. Or hell, not even wake up at all!” She said.

“The boss? Who’s the boss?” Kailyn asked. She didn’t seem intimidated.

“None of your business, sweetheart. Besides, whoever survives is gonna have to figure that out themselves!” 

“What do you- ...whoever survives..?”

“Uh huh!! Sorry to tell ya, but only one of you is making it out of this place! Well, probably. Just guessing since, ya know, the challenges are hard as balls. Hehehe!” She chuckled, hands proudly on her hips. ‘She’s demented.’ I thought.

“Now, let me explain. Two of you are going to attempt a challenge first; one in Eagle Eye, and one in Precision. We’re gonna pick who doesn’t have to do it outta a hat, so good luck!”

She suddenly pulled a hat out of seemingly nowhere and stuck her arm in, moving it around until she finally pulled out a name.

“And the person who doesn’t have to compete issss... Ah, old unclefucker! Ryo Togami, you’re safe.” She said. Kailyn and William looked at each other somewhat nervously.

“So... what do we have to do?” William asked.

“Simple! Enter your room, complete the task, and leave! Simple as.”

���But you said it’d be hard?”

“Ohh, did I? Sorry, I have super short fucking memory!” She laughed again. 

“S-so what do I do..?” I asked, tugging at my sleeves.

“Well, you just wait for someone to finish. When someone does, go through their door and move on to the next challenge!” Nezerra said. I nodded slowly as she turned to the others.

“Now then, I’m gonna give you plebs the option of which room you wanna take each! Choose wisely, because you’ll both do better in one of the other.”

And with that, Nezerra left, locking the exit behind her. We all looked around at each other.

“So..?” William started. Kailyn looked at the rooms, then back at us.

“I’m thinking Eagle Eye for me. Sounds like something to do with good aim or good vision, and I have both.”

‘Right! And I need precision for surgeries, so that sounds good for me.” He said.

The doors clicked open, signalling they were ready. The two looked at each other, then Kailyn stuck out her hand.

“Good luck, William. May the best player win.”

William nodded, shaking her hand.

“And to you! No hard feelings either way.”

“Of course. Be ready to follow whoever wins first, Ryo.”

“A-ah, I will! Be careful, you two. G-good luck..!” I told them. They gave me a smile, before entering their rooms. 

Two screens came down from the roof, displaying two rooms; the ones with Kailyn and William in them. Kailyn’s room seemed to be aim, like she’d thought. William’s looked like an oversized version of Operation.

“Now, the game will begin shortly!! Kirigiri, your goal is to hit every target from the red spot you’re standing on. There’s a gun and ammo beside you. Just don’t shoot yourself, that’d be no fun!! And Tanaka, your goal is to remove every piece without buzzing! If you buzz, every piece returns and you start all over. Boo hoo! Now, 3...”

The two looked nervous.

“2...”

“Good luck, you guys...”

1! Begin!!”

The two instantly sprang into action. Kailyn loaded her gun quicker than I could follow and started firing, hitting a target or two. William instantly buckled down and got a piece or two out. They had a while to go though.

Nezerra walked back out.

“This is gonna be fun!” She said, smirking.

“N-no it isn’t! Is- are they gonna be OK?” I asked. She shrugged.

“Probably. I didn’t make the reward, I just made the game.”

“You... you’re Junko Enoshima’s child, right..?” I found myself asking.

“Kyahahahaha! Smart fucker, aintcha? Yep, that’s my mom. Not much of a mother though, I’ll tell ya that!” She said, totally nonchalantly.

...well, as nonchalant as she could be.

“D-do you have a dad?”

“Probably, but not like I know him. Mom slept around, you feel me? Never knew who dad was, and I don’t really care to either. I’m happy being demented on my own, thank you very much!” She declared.

‘Well, at least she knows she’s unstable...’

“Got any other questions? These fucks are getting boring, and I love talking about myself.” She asked. I hummed. I had made it my business to know about the other Ultimates my age, so knowing about another couldn’t hurt. Especially since she’s the child of someone so scary...

“Ok, well... you said you’re not the boss, right? Why not?”

“Hmm?”

“I mean, considering your mother, you seem the type to run something like this. Who would be able to control an Enoshima?” I asked. She smirked.

“Good question, nerd. Well, my mom can’t exactly do despair’s work anymore, because everyone already left the sum, yeah? And besides, she’s getting old. So when she noticed this person one day just writhing with whatever the real life version of despair is, she sent me to go... well, slip ‘em an idea. So, they agreed to run it as long as I helped. I agreed, obviously. This sorta shit is fun!” She explained. Kailyn continued firing on screen as I heard a buzz from Will’s side. He didn’t seem deterred though, as he simply restarted and continued.

“Goodness...”

We didn’t say anything else for a bit. I continued watching the screens in fear, because the Enoshima family always spelled trouble. After a while, I sorta zoned out. I had to wonder where the exit led. Where would we end up? It was an unusual thought that kept me wondering for a bit, trying to think of anything that could have told me where we were. Were we at some weird version of Hope’s Peak? That couldn’t be possible, right-

“Done!!”

I snapped my head up to see William standing triumphantly, every piece beside him. Kailyn froze, obviously having heard. Her gun clattered to the ground.

“I... I see.” She said. “Well, good match William-”

As she was talking, four sorta pipes with clamps on the end came out of the walls, grabbing her by her arms and legs. She let out a small yelp before closing her mouth.

“Kailyn!! Nezerra, let her go!!” I cried. Nezerra shook her head, smiling.

“Nuh-uh! Congrats, William! Your reward is life. For now, anyways!! And, Kailyn... your punishment is... well, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Now, are we ready?!” She announced. 

“NO!” Me and William both cried, William looking around his room frantically.

Kailyn sighed, then looked up at her camera. She smiled softly.

“Well, it appears I’ve lost, mother. However, I am not a sore loser.”

The clamps stretched her a bit more, making her wince.

“T-to the... v-victor go the... the... spoils...”

*Pwish!*

*Splat.*

The last I saw was Kailyn’s limbs being torn from her before the camera was splattered with blood. I screamed, falling backwards and onto the ground.

“Kailyn!! Kailyn!” I yelled, grabbing my head in my hands. I hadn’t known her for that long, but she’d been my friend. And seeing her die like that was... was absolutely horrific.

“Hah, pussy. This sorta thing is normal for me! Anyways, I’ll unlock those doors for you now, Willy! See you in the next challenge, boys.” And with that and a laugh, she left again, William’s door unlocking. William, as soon as he got out, ran over to me.

“Ryo! Hey, Ryo, hey! It’s gonna be OK, I promise. Come on, breathe.” He told me, rubbing my back as I sobbed into my hands. “Come on, breathe in for four seconds, hold for seven and exhale for eight. Yeah, that’s it.” 

I did as he said, still crying but steadying my breathing. After a moment, I was kinda calmed down.

“K... Kailyn...” I murmered helplessly. I should have gone in there instead. Maybe if I had, she could have survived. “This is all because of my rotten luck. Of all the talents to have...”

“Hey, hey no... None of this is your fault. It’s that stupid girl’s. It’s gonna be OK... she isn’t trapped here anymore. She’s free now, and we will be too soon.” He told me. I sniffled and nodded, sitting up a bit.

“I-I... thanks, William... how are you so g-good at comforting..?” I asked.

“A lot of people get emotional over pets. I’ve gotten used to comforting people.”

“A-ah...”

After a moment of silence, he stood up and offered me his hand.

“Come on. Let’s go get some revenge for her.” He told me, smiling softly. It was oddly comforting, honestly. I nodded, taking his hand with a shaking hand and standing up.

“Ok... l-let’s go.”

(End of Part 2...)

[s-j-ace]

The Same Question

Chapter Two

Characters: Shuichi Saihara, Ouma Kokichi

Words: 2002

Summary:

After Detective Shuichi Saihara encounters mysterious thief Kokichi Ouma for the first time, a game of cat and mouse ensues as both men ask themselves the same question. Why exactly does the elusive phantom thief do what he does?

This is Chapter Two, find Chapter One Here

Read on AO3

   Kokichi Ouma stood on the rooftop of the Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno Nevada laughing maniacally to no one in particular. At least, no one as of yet.

   In his hand, he held a remote control for two of those… giant metal grabber arm machines. Except they were used for construction. (Named after a bird… CRANE. They were cranes.) Except for now when they were being used to rip two very expensive crystal chandeliers out of the lower levels of the building he was standing on. He felt the world shake as the cranes raised their arms in celebration of acting outside of their intended use, each holding up a chandelier like they were about to put earrings on the building he stood upon.

   Seconds later, the rooftop access door burst open. Kokichi watched as detective Saihara walked into the light of the evening sky. He looked tired and a little disheveled just like how Kokichi remembered him, but when he turned to see Kokichi, still cackling away, something in his eyes changed. They became harder. More determined somehow.

   The detective started walking toward him. "Stop right there!" He shouted like he was some sort of real-life action hero, and Kokichi felt excitement skyrocket within him.

   "Uh-uh-uh." Kokichi tutted, feeling his glee slip onto the expression hidden by his mask. "I should be saying that to you, Detective. After all…" God this was good. Kokichi held up the remote control in his hands. "I could just… drop one of these chandeliers. I don’t need both. Just one press of a button is all it would take to shatter these babies on the pavement."

   Saihara hesitated for a moment and his eyes glanced to the side of the building. Kokichi deduced from the movement that Saihara had been trying to see if there was anything down below the chandeliers that could get crushed. Kokichi knew it was nothing but some too-fancy cars, but Saihara decided his best bet was to stay where he was.

   "What are you playing at?" His eyes were focused on Kokichi again.

   The thief blinked innocently. "Who, me? I'm not playing at  anything . I take my life very seriously, thank you very much." He gestured to the chandeliers. "I just need some help making a decision."

   "A… decision?" The detective asked warily.

   "Yup!” Kokichi felt like he needed this moment to last longer than he knew it was going to. “I need to take one of these chandeliers home with me to decorate our evil lair, but I accidentally took both! So I'll let you have one back if you help me decide."

   He turned to the chandelier dangling on the left and hummed as if considering it. "Now I like this one because it's very sparkly. But this one…" he turned around and fiddled with the controller for the right chandelier so that the hundreds of tiny crystals would hit against one another. "Is more jangly."

   Saihara looked like he was going to be sick as the chandelier clattered on.

   "Well, frankly I think you shouldn't have either if this is how you're going to treat them…"

   Oh... that's what Kokichi was hoping he'd say.

   "Wow, I think you're right. If I really wanted a chandelier for the lair I wouldn’t treat it so roughly... You really are a smart one, Mr. Detective." He shrugged. "Guess I won't take either."

   Kokichi watched Saihara's moment of realization morph into a look of subsequent regret as he pushed the button that released the cranes' grasps.

   Kokichi was a little disappointed when the detective ran for the side of the building, as if the detective could do anything to stop a one-tonne chandelier from speeding hastily to a shattering death, instead of doing the sensible thing and chasing after him, the culprit. Although, as Kokichi began to make his escape he realized that Saihara was searching the ground below. His expression was familiar and Kokichi realized that it was the same look of concern he had witnessed on the detective’s face when he held his hand back on the plane.

   Kokichi, forgetting about the fact he was in the middle of a high stake escape attempt, took a second to look down at his finger. The bandage was gone now. He’d thrown it away the day after in a weird mood. There was still a thin scab on it, a strange reminder of his physical existence. He remembered how careful Shuichi had been when he’d gotten hurt.

   Kokichi felt his heartbeat crescendo suddenly, but the starting of the engine in the helicopter behind him drowned it out.

   Oh yeah… He should… Get in that...

  Was Saihara looking for casualties? Of course, there wouldn't be any. Kokichi had made sure of that. It was the number one rule of DICE, you know. No killing. Just because obviously killing people is bad. Not that Saihara knew that.

   He supposed that was working to his advantage.

   By the time the detective turned around to face him again, Kokichi was stepping into the escape chopper as Hearts sat inside flipping the switches needed to initiate takeoff.

   When Saihara got to the end of the rooftop, Kokichi was hanging out from the side of the getaway chopper about a decameter over the building. Kokichi realized he was still laughing and stopped. The detective probably couldn’t hear him over the beating of the propeller, so there was no point to it. He settled into a billboard-style grin and looked down on the detective standing alone on the rooftop. Strangely enough, the expression on the detective's face had seemed to shift from surprise to calculation in the moment Kokichi had turned away. Suddenly his expression lit up and he turned around to run to the rooftop door.

   “So he figured it out huh…” Kokichi muttered to himself as the detective disappeared from the rooftop. How smart of him to realize that Kokichi’s ploy was the distraction for this particular rendezvous with grand larceny.

   “Did you see his face when I dropped the chandeliers?” He crooned to Hearts, not letting any concern over how the remaining members of DICE were fairing show in his demeanor.

   “Yes, yes, I’m sure it was delicious,” She called to him over the sound of the propelling blades.

The thief resumed his cartoonish cackling, watching as the detective's silhouette grew further and further away.

“Hey!" Hearts called back again after they had gotten a good distance away from Saihara. "You might wanna tuck in there, boss, I think the american police are arriving with their cartoonishly militarized long distance weaponry.”

   “Nah, I think I'll flap around in the wind a bit,” Kokichi joked as he hopped into the chopper and started forcing the hatch closed. “I’ve got that ‘becoming swiss cheese’ part of my bucket list to fill out.”

   “Aww, boss you don’t have to do that.” Hearts was humoring him again. “You’re already a snack.”

   “I know,” Kokichi managed to close up the side and it suddenly became a lot easier to hear everything inside the cockpit. He walked over to buckle into the co-pilot seat and shifted into a huge grin and a dramatic pose. “I’m simply scrumptious.”

   “Yeah, sure ya are." She said without looking at him, eyes fixed on the skies ahead. "Where are we landing this thing again?”

   “The car’s parked at that hospital we scoped out with the helipad. We just gotta land there and go through the vents.”

   “Ugh, you and your vents.”

   “They’re very efficient! Besides, you have no right to complain. You get to put on a disguise and walk around normal after the 4th floor. I gotta scrunch up and fit in the rolling cart.”

   “And whose fault is that?”

   He should probably keep this conversation going for 2 ½ minutes.

“God’s, he’s jealous of me.”

   “No, I’m pretty sure it’s the guy who blew his cover by flirting with a detective.”

   “Eh, same difference.”

   "No, you can't be God. God is a lesbian."

   "I never claimed to be God, just a being of equal if not greater power who took the old God’s place. Way to contribute to the bury your gays trope, Hearts."

   She snorted. "Boss, you're a white boy in a clown mask. No offense, but if lesbian God saw you she'd smite on sight."

   Kokichi could probably argue that he was an ambiguously pale Asian in a clown mask seeing as he was found in an alley in Japan, but he decided that wasn't what he wanted this conversation to be. "Then at least I'll finally be brought to justice."

   “Being born a clown is one thing, but I think your real crime is your unnecessarily convoluted plans." She huffed. "Why can’t we just drop the chopper in the woods?”

   Kokichi frowned. “Because we have to return it, remember?”

   “Since when do we return things? Do you want us to return those massive remote control cranes we left back there?”

   “Well of course not!”  Although he felt rather indifferent on the matter, Kokichi shouted angrily and threw the remote he was still holding into the back of the chopper. “We stole those from that Togami Corp building. Their CEO makes like a billion dollars every day, he can come get his own damn cranes.”

“Yeah, I get that,” Hearts replied, barely responding to his outburst. “But it’s not like the hospital people wouldn’t be able to find the helicopter if we left it in the woods or something. Also, there’s less cops in the woods; which I would say is a plus.”

   “Come on,” Kokichi huffed, going back and forth on whether or not to shift out of this persona or not. He went with the latter and smoothed out his tone a bit. “It’d be harder to close down the hospital for an investigation than it would be to secure the perimeter of the dinky forests they have out here.”

   Hearts groaned. “Ugggh. Fine. I’ll crawl in the stupid vents.” She frowned down at her pristine white uniform. “The quarters in those stupid arcade machines better be enough for my dry cleaning bill.”

   “This one’s not about the quarters Heartsie, it’s about the real gamer life.” Kokichi may have been raised by video games, but he wasn't as into playing them as Clubs was nowadays. He'd beat still anyone any time in a versus game though, because he was just that much of a pro gamer. Or maybe because he was kinda good at predicting what he'd be challenged to do and was also extremely good at memorizing gaming manuals.

   “Yeah, yeah, whatever." Wow, Hearts was really out here oppressing gamers. "You’re the boss."

   Kokichi made a face and decided he also wanted to oppress gamers. "Well, I mean, it was Clubs' choice."

   "I know." She suddenly perked up a bit. "Hey, speaking of choices... The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo is opening its last exhibit next week-"

   "Hey!" Kokichi interrupted. He thought about covering her mouth, but then remembered that she was driving a helicopter that they were both in. He let his hands settle into a gesture of emphasis instead. "You can't pitch during the getaway! It's not fair to the salt of the earth folk that're still down there pilfering the seventies."

   "Come ooon, Boss! My thing's got a time limit, and there’s this rug-"

   "You know the rules." He scolded.

   A timer went off in his brain.

   Kokichi turned away, pulling out his phone to text the ground crew that Saihara was probably closing in on them around now. They’d probably have liked him to tell them earlier, but Kokichi wanted to keep them on their toes after a maddeningly easy break-in. As a bonus, sending them the text let him shun Hearts while she sulked.

   This had been fun, he thought privately, more fun than most heists. Never a dull moment, it seemed, with the good detective around.

   As he hit send, Kokichi wondered if Saihara would follow him to Cairo too.

[pyropsychiccollector]

Yep. I threw up another tier, this time for Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Once again, I'll go through each character and explain my rationale. This one was a little tougher for some characters; like, overall, Dangan 2 did a better job of fleshing out characters. As a result, it was harder for me to rank some characters higher than others, but I somehow managed to do so after some thought.

.... But for some characters, it was seriously a no-brainer where they went. XD

F rank - Komaeda..... Now, I know what some of you are thinking, last time I put Hagakure in this dead-last rank because he was useless, so that's probably true for Komaeda, right? ..... No. Fuck no. XD This little shit is F rank for much bigger problems than uselessness. Let's start with the obvious: He's the "Togami" of the group. He fucks up the trials, but not just for amusement like Togami did - this guy did it for the sake of pitting "Hope against Hope", and you just knew he was always up to something.... If it wasn't for him, Hanamura wouldn't have been pressured into murdering, at least not so soon. They tied him up in the second chapter, which was good, but then he still managed to throw a wrench into things by encouraging Koizumi to go and play the video game that was the motive for the chapter... This didn't directly lead into the incident necessarily, but Koizumi had already received that ominous letter from Peko and Kuzuryu, telling her to play the game and how to get the true ending; Komaeda spurring her further on DIDN'T help. He redeemed himself a little by figuring out Mikan was lying in trial 3, but then he took 5000 steps backward in chapter 4 by first throwing suspicion onto Hajime in regards to the identity of the traitor, and THEN he cleared the Final Dead Room and treated everyone - EVERYONE - like shit..... But especially Hajime, who had only thought he'd lost his memory of his talent. Hajime, who had been helping solve all the trials and prove that he could stand alongside Ultimates.... It's fine and all that Komaeda was the first one to discover they were all Ultimate Despair, and therefore hated they'd turned out like that, but he had absolutely no high ground to stand on when talking shit to everyone; he himself was Ultimate Despair as well. And the cherry on top.... was how he got Chiaki to murder him in chapter 5. Through sheer luck, and the intention of killing off Ultimate Despair when they had no clue as to the extent of their loss of memories. Some sympathize with the fact he may have some life-threatening illness, and he really had the best of intentions, and was just "misunderstood".... But no, not me. Fuck that.

F is for "Fuck You, Komaeda". lol

Anyway, moving onto E rank....  Akane is kind of like the "Hagakure" of the group, only her physical talent as a gymnast puts her leagues ahead of Hagakure in usefulness. Akane's simply E rank because she's one of the reasons the trials drag on so much, makes few worthwhile contributions, and just isn't all that deep of a character.... I'll never get over how "random" her free time events seemed.... Like, she's a fun girl, I suppose; perverted in her own naïve way. There's just not much substance for me to dig into, for her character.

Saionji's kinda similar in that regard.... Though I'll admit she does have a backstory. She's mostly in E rank because she's, as Nicob would put it, "such a bitch to everybody". Her bond with Mahiru is probably her one saving grace, and the only reason she's not F rank like Komaeda, in my books. Well, that, and she kind of warms up to Hajime in her free time events.... kinda.

... If you squint.

.... But she's still a bitch to everybody that isn't Mahiru. XD

D rank.... Teruteru was honestly placed here because I like him better than Komaeda, Akane, and Saionji, but I don't like him as much as Ibuki. I mean, he's perverted as hell, and he kinda spreads himself thin when it comes to "covering his bases" with his libido, but he's still useful as a cook. Plus, his backstory with his mother who's ill is pretty sad, not to mention how it's implied he killed her when he became Ultimate Despair. Teruteru's just one of those unfortunate characters who's somewhat fleshed out, but I'm not crazy about him; he's just somewhere in the middle. ..... which may be how he likes it....

C rank.... I like Ibuki - she's fun, kooky, crazy.... Her skill in music and her sharp ears are neat, plus she just wants to get along with everyone. .... Except call Teruteru out on his antics, and maybe back away from Komaeda and his craziness. lol Still, despite all the good qualities, Ibuki's just not fleshed out enough as a character for my tastes.... She's fun, and it's sad she got murdered. But there wasn't much of a backstory to tell, and she didn't go through a huge development arc.

.... She did not want to leave her honeymoon with Hajime in island mode, though. And that was just cute. XD

B rank.... Nidai's pretty similar to Ibuki in being a fun character, but I kinda like his attitude of trying to be the class's manager - 'cause it shows he cares for everyone. He doesn't go through a huge development arc either, but it was pretty interesting seeing him adjust to being a robot and then his presumed confrontation with Tanaka in chapter 4.... I would've liked to have known more about that possible confrontation; one of my theories is that a bit of his "Ultimate Despair" self was leaking out in that clash, but probably not enough to turn out like how Mikan was, when she got the Remembering Disease. The desperation/hunger just got to him. That's my theory, anyway.

You might find it surprising Souda is this high up, considering how, like Akane, he holds up the class trials with ridiculous theories and suspicions on certain culprits. But, Souda is the Ultimate Mechanic, and it's just fun seeing his love for his craft. His obsession with Sonia is a bit grating like how Fukawa's obsession with Togami was, but, in some cases I couldn't help feeling bad with how cold/dismissive Sonia was towards him. Like, she didn't have to return his affections by any means.... And he is kind of a suck-up to her. But still, he is nothing but nice to her, and continues to believe in her (if not somewhat blindly) throughout the trials. It'd just be nice to see her reciprocate his friendship, at least. I kinda liked how it gave them a small cameo scene or two of that in Dangan 3 Hope Arc.... Again, that's me.

A rank... Hajime's a pretty good protagonist, and I think he had some nice development arcs throughout the series. He's a bit of a pessimist, in contrast to Naegi's optimism, but he's still one of the nicest guys you could meet. Probably the major thing that drags him down to A rank is simply how overly "average" he is.... like, it's to be expected - he was a Reserve Course student, and therefore had no Ultimate Talent or quirk to fall back on. But still, I'll admit the repetitive ordinariness was a bit grating.... The only real "backstory" he has is his downfall into the Kamakura Project, and even then, he kinda became a different person because of everything but talent being excised from him.

I'll admit - I like Kamakura more than Hajime himself, but I'm not really sure where I'd put Kamakura, either in S or SS rank..... A lot don't seem to care for how OP he is, but I kinda liked how Dangan 3 anime showed off his reflexes. Not to mention it showed he was a neutral party in the war of Despair vs Hope. Again, that's me.

Peko's a neat character with a badass talent. Her backstory is a little tragic and it doesn't grate too much.... She could be cute with furry animals, too (or at least hinted as such). I liked her bond with Kuzuryu, even if she mostly saw herself as just a tool. On the flip side, that mindset of being a tool is why she was dropped to A rank.... I know the Kuzuryu clan drilled that into her head, but she did try and screw everyone over in the second trial because of it. It also made her character suffer a little because she didn't have anything really outside of her loyalty to Kuzuryu and the clan (which makes sense; just makes her character suffer a little bit in having little to no quirks, hobbies, or whatever).

S rank.... I liked the Imposter. I really did. He can impersonate anyone, and make you think the person just put on a few pounds. I liked how fast they made him in the anime, and I just liked his friendship/loyalty to Mitarai and everybody. I felt like the Imposter was a pretty great character, and they introduced him in a way that made you wonder what was going on with "Togami". I liked how you knew next to nothing about the man under the masks (only saw his face/hair in the anime) - though similar to Peko, it was a bit of a double-edged sword in having no huge backstory to fall back on. But unlike Peko, he kinda made the lack of backstory work, because it was part of his charm and talent. And that's why he's above Peko, in my books; he takes a weakness and works with it. I think that's great writing.

Tanaka is so over-the-top.... XD He's a fun character, like Ibuki and Nidai, but unlike those two he has this depth to him that makes me wanna observe him more. He's a smart and shrewd man, and though he tried to screw everyone over in chapter 4, you can argue that part of his reasons for doing it was because he was trying to save them from starvation by sacrificing himself - and doing it in a way that didn't betray his own values, never giving up on life. Again, I think that's just great character writing; Tanaka's just awesome. His hamsters are cute, too. XD

And then you have Sonia.... I guess you could argue Sonia's like a Barbie doll princess, but it's kinda nice to see her gung-ho about a lot of things - even using slang in a cute way. She's curious about a lot of things, too, and she cries and gets mad over things when they happen. I dunno, Sonia's kinda hard to put into words in terms of why I like her so much as a character, though I suppose her kinda-innocent-perverted nature also plays a role in why I like her character... XD "What do you call that activity when two people snuggle naked under bedcovers in a lodge that's snowed in?" Similar to Celes, you don't see too many girls asking questions like that..... And Sonia literally has no real perverted intentions, she just "knows" things. XD

.... And she might also not be a virgin. *wink wink nudge nudge* (I read a fan's explanation on that line, so don't correct me, I know) XD

SS rank.... Kuzuryu reached this rank the moment Derek Stephen Prince voiced him, really. I mean, there's lots of other reasons I like Kuzuryu, but his voice actor is definitely one of the reasons I like him so much. I mean, he's a yakuza, so you know he's gonna be a tough guy of the group, but Kuzuryu really does have this part of a character that wants to rebel against his yakuza upbringing. Like, for example, his insistence on following the law with driver's licenses, or how he drops the "I'm gonna kill everyone so I can escape" routine as of chapter 3. Kuzuryu just really comes of age, he really honors Peko's sacrifice, and he's just so friggin' loyal to everybody, I love it.... Fantastic character~

Mahiru is a bit of a dark horse because from the moment you meet her in-game, and throughout much of your interactions with her, you think that you won't really feel sympathetic towards her. But under that bossy, somewhat sexist exterior, you find what's basically the "mom" of Class 77. Mahiru wants to watch out for everybody, wants to help them be the best they can be. And her free time events with Hajime are adorabu. Really. XD She kinda clicks with Hajime because of how ordinary they both are, but she'd also just help keep him in line. And in return, he'd encourage her when she gets disheartened; just seems like a healthy relationship right there, to me.

And Mikan.... ughhhhh..... A cinnabun of the group, she really is. She does turn out to be crazy as an Ultimate Despair, but that's not really her fault, that's the brainwashing's fault. Mikan's just a sweet, loveable girl. A sweet, loveable girl that's been bullied much of her life, and thus knows how to take care of others.... Her lack of self-care when it comes to pleasing others is a bit off-putting, but Hajime helps her get over those unhealthy tendencies. I know Dangan main protagonists kind of have this tendency for potential harems, but Hajime, Mikan, Mahiru, and Chiaki..... C'mooon~ You wanna see it happen. (well, maybe not, depending on what characters you like). XD

Finally, SSS rank..... Chiaki's just best person ever, 'nough said. lol I know a lot of people may think of her as a Mary Sue, and not like her for being so nice and loved by everyone, but Chiaki's what we should all strive to be, alright? Not the "loved by everybody" part, but the "being nice to everyone" part. lol Some people you just can't be nice to, and that's fine; we all have our limits. Well. Except Chiaki. Chiaki will be your friend even if you treat everyone like shit. She'll try and stop you from doing so, and help you be a better person, but that's just all the more reason to like her - she doesn't hold ill will for anyone..... Well, almost anyone. I suppose that's why I liked Dangan 3 anime, too - because the human Chiaki does hold resentment towards Junko, who trapped her in a dungeon and threatened to brainwash her friends.... It just shows that she DOES have a limit to kindness, despite seeming to have no end of it as a computer program. I mean, you wouldn't be kind toward someone that threatens your own friends, right?

..... Chiaki's just best waifu in Dangan 2. It's why she's the only one at the top. XD

[jinjojess]

Gold “Jigsaw” Starz wants me to play a game

Okay, so I saw the “which 2 would you revive in the DR games?” question and I think the opposite is pretty interesting, but to maximize the thought of the question, I came up with some rules:

1) You can’t just kill off your least faves, there needs to be some thematic meaning behind the deaths (even if the meaning is the inherent lack of meaning, like Ishimaru)

2) You have to explain the contexts of their deaths in your scenario (how did they die and why?)

3) You can move around deaths so an establish killer or victim kills or is killed by your chosen characters. They do not have to be the same role (killers can be victimized and vice versa)

3a) If you do this, you also have to explain how the revised murders played out (but not how they are thematically involved)

Bonus rule for V3) You can’t just have everyone die in the final Execution like they should have. For this scenario, you can choose everyone who was alive by the start of Trial 6 (Saihara, HaruMaki, Yumeno, Shirogane, and Kiibo)

I hope this isn’t too much lol, I just wanted to come up with a cool game.

Okay, here we go!

DR1

I’d have had Naegi actually die in the 5th trial, and then switch to Kirigiri as the player character, and her choosing to adopt his optimistic outlook in the critical moment against Junko at the end. I understand that the reason this didn’t happen was because a) Kodaka wanted to hammer home that normal people are important too, and b) he doesn’t know how to write from the perspective of a really smart, observant detective without ruining the experience of discovery for the player, but from a narrative standpoint, I think that would have been a legitimately shocking development in a game full of shocking developments and then maybe DR3 wouldn’t have turned out as shit as it did because we wouldn’t have Naegi “literal Jesus” Makoto taking over the series like a fucking cancer. 

As for the girl, surprise! I’d actually have had Kirigiri die at the end of the game, perhaps to let the others go free. She’d feel like she’d be paying back both Naegi and Samidare that way, and it would mean that in later installments the more neglected characters could get more screentime. 

SDR2

I kind of like the idea of Owari and Souda staying behind in the Shinsekai Program to try and help revive the others from the inside, knowing full well that they may be stuck there forever. Not necessarily a “death” scenario, but pretty close. (We’re assuming that Sparkle Hinakura doesn’t exist in this version of canon.) Neither Owari nor Souda really had much impact on the story, and I think reconciling their naturally selfish/self-absorbed natures by having them make a sacrifice like that would put a nice cap on an actual character arc for the two of them.

DR:AE

I love them all to death, but the three boys in the Warriors of Hope should’ve died. Nagisa was crushed by a robot, like?? Having all the important characters live at the end was just so unsatisfying and unrealistic. (I don’t care enough about Haiji to want him dead.)

Girl is a little more complicated–originally the scenario I wanted at the end of the game was for Komaru to fall into despair and become Nu Junko, with Fukawa going to rescue her and bring her back to her senses (there’d be a Chapter 6 where you’d play as Fukawa by herself) before the Mirai Kikan arrived to “handle” the situation. At the end, Fukawa manages to bring Komaru back, but she gets gunned down by Future Foundation goons anyway. This sets the stage for DR3 where both Naegi and Fukawa have their mettle tested.

Alternatively, Fukawa could also die to protect Komaru, which would then trigger her to try and find an alternate path from the one the Mirai Kikan is taking.

DR3

Both boy and girl should have come out of the remaining survivors. Kirigiri and one of the guys. Naegi giving up his life to keep another friend from dying = good. Hagakure making a last minute sacrifice = he finally gets a moment to be the hero in a big way. Togami dies doing the right thing rather than the smart thing = nice cap off to his character.

DR Zero

Not enough people survived to really answer this question.

DR Kirigiri

This one is going to be answered in future tense, as I don’t know what’s coming up yet.

I want Yadorigi to be consumed with the desire to avenge Uosumi and die as a result of getting too up in the Committee’s face. Seeing him become a culprit in some special Duel Noir against Shinsen would be cool.

Connected to that, I want Mizuiyama to sacrifice herself to show she trusts the others, since she’s so wary of everyone else.

(Samidare is too obvious a choice and I’m 95% sure she will die.)

DR Togami

I don’t want Shinobu to die necessarily, but it would be interesting to see Togami react to it. Preferably, she dies in such a way that she takes Suzuhiko and Kazuya out with her–she gets revenge on both her brothers, ending things on her own terms.

Killer Killer

A subtle one, but the series ends on an older Dougami investigating a murder-suicide implied to be Hijirihara and Asano.

V3

Not totally clear on the rules for this one, since it sounds like I have to choose how the final trial ends?

Uh, if I can’t kill everyone, I guess Saihara and the others make good on their word, leaving only Shirogane and Kiibo behind. Kiibo obviously doesn’t blow up to destroy the school in this one–rather he just shoots Mother Monokuma who explodes and blows a hole through the sky. Shirogane has snapped and refuses to leave the grounds of Saishuu Gakuen despite the Team DR clean up crew coming in. Kiibo, meanwhile, has regained his own personality, but now that he doesn’t have any inner voice to follow, he seems confused for a few moments, but then quietly leaves the premises. 

The final scene I guess would be a shadowy cabal of Team DR producers, discussing how Shirogane will have to be sacked and how they can do damage control. Someone mentions using their last ditch resort, and then the camera is facing a door head-on. The door swings open and inside is a CG of Komatsuzaki-style Kodaka sitting on the floor in dirty clothes with shackles around his ankles.

~END~

So that’s it! Sorry I didn’t go mega in-depth on moving around existing parts of canon–if I started that, I’d have to rewrite the entire thing and I really don’t have time to do that. Still, it was fun, so that’s for the game, Starz!

[danganronpasecretsanta]

The Perfect Gift! - A Naehiro fanfic gift for Nandrew

Warning there is some slightly nsfw/lewd talk towards the end if the fic. This gift is for @nandrewrambles I hope you enjoy it!!!!

Chihiro awoke lightly to the smell of french toast filling his nose. He was laying in his bed (he was not here last night when he fell asleep). Chihiro slowly sat up and stretched. After rubbing his eyes Chihiro looked to find a plate of French toast laid out on a stand with a glass of orange juice and a small bowl with a homemade jam. This must have been *his* doing. Chihiro smiled to himself as he ate his french toast. He looked out the window into the bright white snowy landscape. It was nearing Christmas, his second favorite holiday.

When he had finished his meal he picked up the tray and walked to the kitchen to find Naegi cleaning up dishes, he hadn’t noticed Chihiro yet. Chihiro stealthly moved behind the luckster and hugged him with a kiss to the back of Naegi’s neck.

“Good morning sleepyhead.” Naegi said as he set down the pan he was washing to turn to his husband. He picked up the small programmer in a comforting hug as he kissed him. Once the embrace was complete he set down the smaller boy and starter working back on the dishes again. “You need to stop falling asleep in front of the computer. Its not good for you.”

Chihiro set his dishes in the sink and put away the tray in the cabinet. He stepped up next to Naegi and started trying to help out with the dishes.

“Oh no. Not today mister.” Naegi said while stopping Chihiro. “Today you are just gonna relax.”

Chihiro pouted at Naegi. “I want to help you. You cooked it all, why can’t I help with dishes?”

Naegi turned to Chihiro and smiled. “Cause today is your first Christmas present.” Chihiro loved that smile. It shone so brightly and was so warm. He wondered what Naegi meant though.

“Today is a Christmas Present?” Chihiro asked with a confused look. “What does that mean?”

Naegi booped Chihiro’s nose lightly which left a few soap bubbles on the tip of it. “You will understand. Now go to the living room. Part two is on the couch.”

Chihiro wiped the suds off of his nose and walked to the living room. What was Naegi playing at?

As he arrived at the living room he saw a large pile of blankets on the couch. On the table in front of the couch was a large bowl of chips and a plate of warm cookies with a tall glass of milk. Chihiro hurried to the couch and got wrapped up in all the blankets and turned on the tv. Netflix was already up he just needed to choose what to watch.

As he settled in with a movie Chihiro heard Naegi enter the room carrying a tray of food for himself. When he sat down on the couch Chihiro immediately engulfed Naegi in the blanket cocoon he had made. “How are you enjoying your present?” Naegi asked.

“Its nice, but I still dont get why you are doing this.” Chihiro replied while attempting to worm into Naegi’s arms.

Naegi opened up his arms to allow Chihiro to get comfortable then squeezed him in a super warm hug. “Because, you have been spending so much time working these past few days, I thought you could use a break. A day of just us, hopefully a really relaxing day too.”

Naegi’s hugs were one of the greatest presents Chihiro could ever ask for, but and entire day of just time with Naegi? That was something he was extremely excited to have as a gift. Now he just wondered what the rest of the day held.

After a couple hours of cuddles and netflix Naegi told Chihiro “You need to go get changed.”

Chihiro looked back at Naegi with confusion. He gave a pout and said, “But Naegi-kuuuuun, I’m comfy!” He had always been able to convince Naegi by calling him Naegi-kun and he knew that Naegi couldn’t resist the pout.

Naegi laughed lightly and hugged his husband. “I am sure you are, but we have reservations tonight. It might be smart to wear something a little more fancy than normal.”

Chihiro didn’t budge. He was trying to convince Naegi not to make him move. Unfortunately, Naegi moved his arms under Chihiro and stood up. Chihiro felt himself being lifted and carried to the bedroom. He started giggling uncontrollably, as they got close to the room Chihiro kissed Naegi on the cheek and got out of his grasp.

“It shouldn’t take me more than 30 min.” Chihiro said as he walked into the master bathroom.

“You said that last time and we were almost late.” Naegi reminded him of their trip to their High School Reunion. “Take your time though. We are in no rush.”

Chihiro took off his pjs and got in the warm shower to clean off. After his shower he walked to the closet, noticing that it was still open from Naegi getting changed. He secretly hoped Naegi was wearing his dark blue suit, he always looked good in that suit, plus it usually meant that Naegi would have a surprise when they got home.

Now was time for Chihiro’s big problem. Dress or suit? It seemed obvious to the outside observer, a suit, but it was actually a lot more of a challenge for him. Thanks to Naegi, Chihiro felt very comfortable as a male but also enjoyed wearing dresses from time to time.

After about 10 min he walked out in one of his favorite dresses. It was a knee-length red dress with an illusion style neckline. It was actually a present from Naegi last Christmas. He walked out of the room and saw Naegi in the kitchen in the dark blue suit. He got a little excited.

“Im ready to go!” Chihiro said as he walked to Naegi and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “So where are we going tonight?”

Naegi wrapped an arm around Chihiro’s waist and led him to the car. “Well I got us reservations at that new theater that serves dinner in front of a triple feature.”

Chihiro’s eyes lit up! He was so excited. When this theatre first opened up, it was super difficult to get into and reservations were always full. Chihiro guessed that Naegi had Togami pull some strings for him or he got lucky when he called in. It didnt really matter though.

As they drove to the theatre, they sat in a content silence. There really was no reason to be talkative. It was something that Chihiro adored about their relationship. Being able to be content in silence with Naegi was more important to him than anything else.

They finally got to the theatre and it was one of the best dates of Chihiro’s life. The food was amazing, the movies were so diverse but enjoyable, and Naegi kept getting more and more handsome as the night progressed.

After the final credit rolled off the screen, Naegi caught Chihiro staring at him with that loving look in his eye. He laughed as the shy programmer blushed at getting caught. He got up and helped Chihiro up into a loving and passionate kiss. Chihiro almost got handsy with Naegi but was stopped. “When we get home.”

Naegi’s answer was short and simple. Chihiro was happy with it and grabbed his coat from the rack. They walked to the car and drove home chatting happily about the movies and the food.

It didn’t take long for Chihiro to pull Naegi into bed and enjoy himself some of his favorite lucky charm. Chihiro genuinely did enjoy pleasuring Naegi. Chihiro felt like he should give Naegi a present because of all Naegi did for him.

After their session was complete, Chihiro laid happily in Naegi’s arms and smiled up to him.

“So, how was your present?” Naegi asked.

“It was perfect…”

[randomuser678]

This may be my own kinda ask but I really want to hear your opinion cause you seem to have a really great one about alot of stuff! Which danganronpa game do you feel was the best story, gameplay, characters and twist wise?? I hope you don't mind me going though and finding your other ask posts and ask8ng dome more asks. but thank you very much if you do This!

Oooohhh, thank you so much for asking!

Well, firstly, Im no entirely cought up with ndrv3, even tho I already have a pretty general idea here, and honestly, I don’t feel too motivated to continue, but that’s definitely gonna change at some point

I’m gonna say I’m biased towards the first game, at least when it comes to best story, twist and characters, because it was what started most trends in other dangan games, the story on dr1 served as a base to the following games and it introduced to everyone the dangan world and most of it’s rules, so when the other games showed this world it just felt weaker, just felt like they were rehearsing the same story that Ive heard b4, there was the same basic plot with ultimates trapped on a place and forced to murder eachother, the only differences being what their talents and main location were, so it feels like the shocking plot of teenagers and murders just got less shocking over time, they kept using this plot and it stopped being original.

But that wasn’t a bad thing, they kept following the same storyline, of course they’d have the same base story, so maybe it would have been better if they kept changing canons for each game? I doubt that would work, but hey, that would mix things up for sure.

But the worst part abt the trends that the first game started, is that I just can’t help but feel like so many story points were done much better at DR1, for example: Junko, the big bad gal, the queen of despair, the main villain of the franchise.

She has appeared in all of the games, and just everywhere really, as cosplay, as AI, whatever, she was there since the first game, and always as the villain, or some sort of force related to the villain, which is good, I love her, but since the first game, y'know how that turned into less of a plot twist and more of a boring pattern.

On the first game her villainy was the biggest plot twist, the girl that had died on the first chapter and never mentioned ever since, was actually alive and the one behind the murders, that just surprised me so much, who would even go on that direction. I absolutely loved it, and the whole basis of the plot twist was that the gyaru was actually the villain, and even tho I didn’t get that right of the bat I now find this pretty smart, and just goes to show how dr likes to subvert these anime tropes.

But then she was the mastermind on the second game.

I mean I loved having her round again, but “The villain this time is the villain from the last time“ isn’t that much of a surprise anymore, and seeing how Junko just turned into basically an all seeing always present god, I wonder why they kept pulling that off years after the first game, that is the most noticeable trend from the first game, and repeating the same plot twist just doesn’t seems like a good writing strategy.

But I can kind of see how that could work, you keep pulling the same plot twist again and again but adding more stuff each time, so the new one feels different from last ones, like “You were classmates” and then “You were classmates, and also you were evil“ or “It was Junko all along“ and then “It was Junko all along except it she is a fictional character“ and I guess that’s kind of creative, if that’s what they were going for here, but that doesn’t explain why they kept repeating so many story points and the character patterns.

The parallels between the first game and the second are pretty easy to make, first chapter there’s always a plan where the wrong person dies, second chapter is something or someone from the character’s past “coming back” to haunt the murderer, third chapter there are two ppl who are killed, and only one death was really planned from the beginning and the murderer is the least sympathetic of them all, on the fourth chapter the gentle giant dies and they always has good intentions and the chapter has a sacrifice being made and there is a blah blah blah abt what a life is worth and all of that, the fifth chapter is leading to the end, so many plot twists are made here, that one character that seemed like they were too badass and too present in the story dies (I mean Mukuro wasn’t present, but the story was hyping her as this mysterious force leading up to the final revelation) and then the two last games have final chapter revealing the mastermind and additional plot twists, the first game didnt have a sixth chapter cuz they had less of a plot to discover, the other games just kept adding to the basic line that I talked abt here.

So the discussion here is basically which game did all of this better.

The first game introduced this pattern, so it has some sort of advantage, the second one just felt like a copout for me, and the third one was pretty linear with this too but the last chapter was just, wow.

The final game had the biggest final plot twist, as in, it was a giant middle finger to the audience, which is not really a bad thing, but it still shocked me, the first chapter had already a plot twist that made some fans abandon the game, so you can only imagine what the last one did with some fans, I never expected the franchise to be this meta, and I honestly don’t know how to feel about it just yet.

Of course, nobody likes discovering that the characters you got so invested weren’tactually who you thought they were, I mean, yeah, they are fictional characters so of course you knew that they were fake ppl anyways, but knowing that the fictional characters that you love are fictional on their own fictional world, that’s fictionalception! And just hard to follow tbh.

So on one hand it was a shocking twist that took a really different turn from the last games, but in other hand, it made the story feel weaker somehow, knowing that this fabricated morals were fabricated on it’s own world, if that makes sense, I don’t know how to describe it.

I also wanna mention that on ndrv3 almost all of the murderers were sympathetic, the only exceptions being the mastermind and the third chapter, but that’s how it always is. On the first game it was all very gray, the murderers had their own reasons and you could feel bad for them if you wanted, but the game didn’t seem to side with either the victim or the culprit, you could understand how the Sayaka planned to murder Leon, but you also could see how Leon took advantage of the situation (And tbh they both were pretty stupid), you could understand how Mondo just lost control and did something horrible, but you can also see how that happened and how Chihiro was stronger than him (And that chapter was amazing tbh), but on the second game it felt more guilt-trippy for me, doesn’t help the fact that everyone just forgot abt the ppl who were killed, bcuz they had connections with the murderers, and I didn’t like the twist on the second trial at all, I felt like most of the characters got no development on the main plot line at all, the only really big exception being Kuzu and Hinata I think.

I preferred when they left it more gray, when the story allowed us to understand the murderer’s motive without feeling like they were forcing you to love them. That’s what it was like for me on the second and third games, but mostly on the second one.

It also doesn’t help that they almost always forget about the ppl who died as the story goes on, either that or they only remembered of their respective love interest.

And oh God, love interests, I don’t care about any romance on this franchise, the biggest offenders were So/n/dam/ and all of the hets in ndrv3, but I’m not gonna go in details here, that would be just  too unpleasant.

So like, ndrv3 had many cutscenes, which meant more character interactions, and seeing how a character interacts with other ppl is always a great thing, it builds better both characters, makes them feel more real, makes things less boring, and it’s just great, and dr1 didn’t have much of that, or at least not any remarkable ones like the other games, which sucks bcuz I wanted more of those characters, but they were still starting the franchise so of course it was gonna be like that.

And can I say how in sdr2 it felt like the coolest girls felt like were all forced to have a boy on their story lines? Sonia doesn’t do anything big on the story even tho she is pretty smart and curious, she only really did something when she was crying over Gundham, Peko is limited to her young master, which makes sense on the story (She was raised to only care abt him) but still feels like a waste of a character, almost everything Akane does on the story is related to Nekomaru somehow, or ends up with Nekomaru and as a result she gets no development, and hardly ever interacts with anyone outside of that dude. Peko and Akane never interact and that’s honestçy the worst of all of this, they are the two fighter girls with totally different styles! They should have hanged out more.

The guys were always on the spotlight and that makes me kinda sad, such wasted potential, and while that’s kind of a problem on this whole franchise, it was easier to see on sdr2 tbh.

The girls on ndrv3 and dr1 were great tho.

And also I rate male characters on dr based on how date-able they are, so it’d be like

Best boys- SDR2 (Would date them all)

Second best boys-DR1 (I dont like Togami that much but most of them are ok)

Worst boys-NDRV3 (I only like Hoshi and Gonta)

And gameplay wise ndrv3 wins, just, so many minigames and bonus content, it’s the newer game so obviously they’d have great gameplay.

So to cut it short, cuz I just went everywhere here

Best story: Ndrv3, dr1 is a close second, but since ndrv3 had two other games to live up to, they had a more solid basis when it comes to what to expect and how strong plot twists feel, even tho I still lean towards dr1 that started this mess.

Best gameplay: Ndrv3, the newer one with tons of bonus content and weird class trials

Best characters: Dr1, I loved the characters and was never able to get over them, even tho they didn’t have tons of character interactions like the other games. On a side note Ndrv3 has the best girls and Sdr2 has the best boys, but as a whole, I like Dr1 gang the best.

Best plot twist:Ndrv3 just loved having a bunch of those, but I still liked the whole Junko thing on the first game.

                                    Some other stuff too

Dr3 was an alright anime, I didnt like the end or how the character were treated and just forgotten abt forever, and I want them back, but still, I just loved seeing them animated and full of life.

Despair girls followed my fav from the first game, Toko, and an awesome protag, too bad the game felt like pandering to pedophiles so much, I know that isn’t anything new to this franchise at this point, and anime generally is like this, but it was just disgusting, they tried to tackle on the subject of child abuse while having fan service scenes with minors, that made everything worse, and was a waste of a cool concept and characters. At least the kids survived in the end.

I haven’t read dr0

So that’s it, thank you so much for sending an ask, I hope you have a great new year and stuff!

[oumakokichi]

Why do you think Togami never reached the level of popularity and number of fangirls Komaeda and Ouma have?

Probably because he was never quite as plot-relevant as theother two. Which is ironic, really, since out of the three of them, he’s theonly one that ever actually made it to survivor status in the traditionalsense.

Even though Togami gets a lot of screen time, it never feelsas if he’s the narrative focus of dr1. By contrast, it’s absolutely impossibleto ignore Komaeda and Ouma in sdr2 and ndrv3 respectively. Togami is certainlyplot-relevant, but he never manages to be quite the undeniable force thatKomaeda and Ouma do. To put it simply, Togami tends to react to things as theyarise, while Komaeda and Ouma tend to instigate things. There are hugedifferences between Komaeda and Ouma, really they’re not similar at all on mostfronts, but it’s at least true that they are both planners.

The closest we get to Togami moving the plot forwarddirectly is in Chapter 2—and even then, his entire plan is limited to exposingFukawa’s identity as Syo and not much else. He was still reacting, rather thaninstigating, for the most part, as he likely wouldn’t have had a method toexpose her if Mondo hadn’t killed Chihiro.

He took advantage of a situation that had already occurredand altered the crime scene, and his underlying objective through all of thiswas to see who in the group was still smart enough to realize that the culpritwas someone else. As he tells Naegi at the end of the second trial, by watchinghim piece the clues together and expose the truth, now he “knew who to watchout for if he ever decided to commit a murder himself.” But as we know, Togaminever actually put any such plans into action. He mostly dealt in bluffs,trying to make himself look imposing and intimidating enough that no one wouldeven think of trying to kill him, and for the most part, he had a very “mindyour own business and I’ll mind mine” mentality.

Komaeda and Ouma meanwhile are both absolutely central tomoving the plot along in their respective games. It’s impossible for thenarrative not to focus on them at some point because they are so undeniablyinvolved in everyone’s business. Komaeda is an honest-to-god force of chaos, aconflict-bringer who wants to watch the group struggle in order to achieve true“hope” in the face of “despair.” Ouma, meanwhile, puts up a chaotic façade onthe surface, all the while attempting to stop the ringleader and put an end tothe killing game once and for all.

Togami likely never achieved the same kind of popularitybecause he was never put into this kind of front-and-center role. I wouldhesitate to call him Naegi’s “rival,” despite how common it is for fanartiststo draw Togami, Komaeda, and Ouma as the “three rivals.” Togami doesn’t competewith Naegi or grow with him; aside from Chapter 2, he doesn’t even antagonizehim directly. Komaeda and Ouma are both centrally involved with Hinata andSaihara’s respective character arcs, meanwhile, making them both undeniably “rivals”of a sort.

The front-and-center, most plot-relevant character in dr1after Naegi himself is Kirigiri. She’s part of the narrative at every twist andturn and she follows Naegi’s development as he progresses through the story,encouraging him and challenging him to overcome his preconceptions andlimitations. Despite the fact that she and Naegi have an incredibly strong bondof trust, there are conflicts that arise between them—many people forget thatKirigiri was one of the mostsuspicious characters in dr1 for a time and that it was not easy for Naegi totrust her completely in Chapter 5 when it seemed like she was trying to sendhim to his death.

For these reasons, I would actually call her the rivalcharacter, rather than Togami—but people think “rival” is synonymous with “asshole,”so she doesn’t usually get drawn as such. Still, I’ve written a lot of posts onhow she and Ouma parallel each other in terms of their role in the narrativefar more than Ouma parallels any other character, so I guess I keep coming backto that interpretation.

Anyway, this is just my take on it. I personally love Togamiand his development as a character, but I can definitely understand why henever made it to the massive levels of popularity that Komaeda and Ouma did. He’snot supposed to have the same kind of narrative focus that the other two do,and his personality isn’t nearly on the same larger-than-life sort of level(which is ironic because he does think of himself as larger-than-life, whatwith all the “My name is Byakuya Togami” jokes).

Thanks for asking!