#1: levi fontana

[fanganronpathemafiagame]

Day 5—Event 1

"Hey... What's with the commotion?"

"Yeah, what's going on?"

*Soon, the others gathered right in front of the dining hall.*

"Wha- Wait, where's Kage?"

"Dead."

"...What?"

"Indeed. He's dead."

"Who are you? Why should we trust you?"

"Kumiko. That's my name. I will be the overseer who shall accompany you next."

"Wait. You're another overseer? Wha-"

"Well then! Now that everyone is here!"

*Kumiko clapped her hands three times. The ground started to shake.*

"N-Not again!"

"OH GOD-"

*The ground opened, what seemed like a vehicle slowly rising up.*

"Wh-What is that?!"

"How the fuck did that chick summon a bus?!"

"Hell if I know!!"

"Come one, come all! Enter the MonoTour bus! Your driver for today will be me, Kumiko!"

"MonoTour bus?!"

[thatseitagremlin]

gremlyn's danganronpa: despair time x limbus company au (drdt spoilers under cut up to chapter 2!!)

i LOVE making aus with a target audience of one person (1) by blendering two of my current interests together. this truly was our despair time.

everyone except mai's "sprites" are drawn based on official sprites, and they're meant to be height accurate! or, uh, a valiant attempt was made. at the very least i got to practice drawing everyone 🎉

(complete but constantly changing AU & character notes under cut: LOTS and i mean LOTS of yapping down there. spoilers up to chapter 2 and literature girl insane MV. content warning for "standard danganronpa stuff"; the hidden text in here is about the same level as drdt's hidden tumblr page quotes)

first up is a quick crash course on limbus company! that being said, i don't think i explained myself well at all, so i recommend just checking out the official website. or straight up playing it. i'm happy to answer any and all questions, though, whether here or in my limbus-centric main (@iamjustagremlin)!

and now here are the character notes. i have a Lot to say.

one more minor thing i'm 99% sure forgot to include and am too lazy to fix: the canon sinners are each assigned a color code and a cool descriptor (it doesn't even need to be an adjective. cool factor always wins), such as "oblivion yellow", "dreamy gray", and "inferno red". my brain won't let me tackle these yet, but my first attempt for xander was "courageous crimson", and my first attempt for teruko was "cursed clover".

once again, if you've made it this far: thank you for reading! and my askbox is always open for mutual brainrotting 👉 👈

(also, if you squint at the character notes for long enough, there might be even more to read... it's not much, but it's honest work. do note that it should be about as "heavy" as drdt's hidden tumblr page quotes)

[mystiquedrops]

DT LGI MV SPOILERS !! AND A BIT OF THH SPOILERS FOR CH4 !!

(We're going with the assumption that the color theory is true for this one just syk)

Soo.. just a curious speculation.

Soo.. you know this line in The LGI MV??

It's specifically colored purple.

Andd, I see Victim!Charles believers using that as an idea for Charles' potential way of death-

(I'm a Victim!Charles believer too, but I think he'll die more brutally than that, for irony reasons. But believe what you want chat :3)

Though.. just a thing-

Charles isn't the ONLY purple character here, right?? Like he's not the ONLY purple character alive at this moment.

Yeah, There's another one- you all know who it is 😔

But try to hear me out as I continue my speculation in this post.

SOOO

Despite the fact Ch3 hasn't even been shown yet I do have a curious speculation for Ch4.

You know how DRDT tends to pararell THH quiet a bit?? (I'm not gonna get into full detail on that part. But it kinda does tbh-)

In THH CH 4, we had a buff character, die of poison here.

Hmm.. andd

Guess who else is a buff character in DRDT??

Ohhh Leviii.. Levi Fontana.

(You all see where I'm going with this? No? Very well-)

[thedrdtpokemoncollector]

eden for the ask game :3

okay! sorry this took a while, i. do not have a lot of thoughts about eden lmao

Favourite thing about her: She actually has a personality and is affected by things, not just blindly optimistic for the hell of it.

Least favourite thing about her: I don’t- actually know- I don’t really have a lot of opinions about her so ig i’ll just leave this one.

Favourite line: This is more of a scene but where she blackmailed Teruko about the cacti thing!

brOTP: Eden + Levi i need this to become a friendship guys you don’t understand

(also their height difference is so fucking funny to me like look at this and rewatch ch2 ep1)

OTP: I don’t really have a favourite Eden ship? I guess Terueden is kinda cute-

nOTP: Eden x Arturo (I feel like i don’t have to explain this one, even without the fact that Eden is a lesbian-)

Random headcanon: Eden likes scrapbooking!

Unpopular opinion: I don’t really.. have one? Oh I could try this one- Areiden is kinda meh imo. Like- I prefer them as friends but I don’t have a problem with people who ship it please do not get upset at me

Song I associate with her: Rule #1 - Magic by Fish in a Birdcage

Favourite picture of her:

her face is so cute it’s like :0 woaw and i love her for it

[cyb3rb4tzzz]

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR DRDT CH2 EP15

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hey guys did i ever tell u these two r so mitski coded. heavy on "i bet on loosing dogs." bcuz they. they're relationship is doome *i am immediately blown up on the spot*

+ some extra versions with the voicelines that hit the hardest to me

they all did tho vas had rent DUE

[fanganronpathemafiagame]

Thank you David, you saint.

"No problem! Just happy to help the people I care about."

"...You really are amazing, David. I can see why Xander made a big deal about you."

"Wh-Wha?!"

"T-That's very flattering, Levi! I appreciate it!"

"..." 'Do I keep pretending I'm asleep, or...'

[fanganronpathemafiagame]

Day 3—Event 1

"Mmmmh... Huh? Morning already?"

*David groggily opened his eyes, his head hurt a lot.*

"Ugh, my head is pounding... Seriously, I think the concert gave me a headache..."

*Snore...*

"Huh?"

*David looked down, confused to hear someone snore.*

"Zzzz..."

"?!"

"W-what the?!"

"OH GOD-"

*WHACK! BAM!*

*David fell off of Levi, rolling out of the bed and landing on the floor harshly.*

'W-why was I sleeping on top of Levi?! What the hell?!'

"Hmm? David? Are you okay?"

*Levi, awoken by the noise, sat up, rubbing his eyes.*

"Ah- Haha, yeah! I-I'm fine!"

*David picked himself up, a nervous smile on his face.*

"Are you sure? Your face is...extremely red."

*Getting close to David, Levi placed his hand on the inspirational speaker's forehead.*

"You're burning... Maybe you should rest today?"

'HOW IS HE SO DUMB??? I'M LITERALLY BLUSHING!!'

[throwawayblip]

master post of every DRDT mastermind design I find

spoilers

Charles:

Min:

Alt Min:

Whit:

Ace:

Eden + Levi

Veronika:

Xander:

Rose:

[amberinn]

Ranking characters based off of how much I like them

1. Teruko Tawaki

2. Charles Cuevas

3. Arei Nageishi

4. Whit Young

5. Hu Jing

6. David Chiem

7. Veronika Grebenschikova

8. J Moreno

9. Ace Markey

10. Rose Lacroix

11. Min Jeung

12. Eden Tobisa

13. Levi Fontana

14. Nico Hakobyan

15. Xander Matthews

16. Arturo Giles

What are y'alls rankings lowkey

[drdt-polls]

Who’s your favorite voice actor in drdt? (Out of the whole cast)

[positivelyinterested]

I wonder, part 1

I like them all but I wonder what's everyone's favorite

[starlightscarsyt]

DRDT UPSIDE DOWN TALENT SWAP AU!

My DRDT Upside Down Talent Swap AU! (A talent swap AU where things are upside down, with the cast having talents that pertain to their interests & hobbies! Each talent swap will have an explanation too!)

•Teruko Tawaki - Ultimate Designer •Xander Matthews - Ultimate Charity Worker •Charles Cuevas - Ultimate Florist •Ace Markey - Ultimate Competitive Racer •Arei Naegishi - Ultimate Blogger •Rose Lacroix - Ultimate Pastel Painter •Hu Jing - Ultimate Therapist •Eden Tobisa - Ultimate Baker •Levi Fontana - Ultimate Candy Maker •Arturo Giles - Ultimate Fashion Critic •Min Jeung - Ultimate Entomologist •David Chiem - Ultimate Actor •Veronika Grebenshchikova - Ultimate Skateboarder •J Rosales - Ultimate DJ •Whit Young - Ultimate Comedian •Nico Hakobyan - Ultimate Cat Groomer

===========

Why I Chose Which Talent

•Teruko - She canonically enjoys cute, girly things, and since she can't afford them, she'd design her own!

•Xander - His likes state that he enjoys volunteering. So, what better talent then having him as a charity worker who volunteers for a good cause?

•Charles - Shown to canonically enjoy succulents, and is even shown making cucumbers into flower shapes. A florist would work well for him.

•Ace - His interests aren't shown too much, so I decided that his talent would be based off how he's seemingly very competitve in CH1. It works with him still racing in some form.

•Arei - Likes gossiping, and blogs are the place where gossip is literally born!

•Rose - She's always enjoyed painting, and hey, sometimes some people need a bit of soft colors in their life to make things easier!

•Hu - While it may be for another reason, she's their to lend aid to those around her, almost like a therapist!

•Eden - Canonically likes sweet foods, and is shown to love baking in CH1!

•Levi - His likes state that he enjoys lollipops, and the Dev has said he likes food with tons of sugar! Fitting of him to become a candy maker!

•Arturo - His love for beauty combined with a judgey attitude + how the Dev said he likes expensive clothes? Right on the money for him.

•Min - Canonically enjoys collecting bugs as stated in bonus episode 1, and even draws a centipede one of the cookies in CH1!

•David - He was also difficult due to the lack of interests said in the story, so I figured actor would fit for him since I couldn't fully decide.

•Veronika - Her likes say that she loves skateboarding, and it fits that she'd still have a talent full of excitement!

•J - A tech related talent & one that sounds cool? Perfect for J.

•Whit - His love for puns & cracking jokes is befitting of a comedian!

•Nico - No matter the universe, they'd still love cats & would always take care of them!

[gleamingtempest]

DRDT - A Chapter 2 Narrative Analysis (& Killer Prediction)

TL;DR - DRDT's Chapter 2 is about people choosing to change in ways that work and ways that don't . Looking at it through this lens, Levi Fontana is the most likely killer for this chapter. All images belong to the DRDT Creator & if you haven't (for whatever reason) checked out the series already, please go do that! This post will contain spoilers.

All That Glitters, - What it means to "Be Good"

-> " Trauma is when we have an understanding of the way reality must function which is, at some point, broken or removed. " In Danganronpa: Despair Chapter 2 we explore people's innate desire to change & be better, how that is obstructed by false understandings of the way the world works (usually informed by trauma) and how we can overcome this misunderstanding by communicating & connecting with the people & world around us. This is a complex & taxxing process which takes time & support but it is not impossible nor is it necessarily difficult - it is simply a choice which one must continue to make if they intend on changing for the better. (Which is something which anyone can always do.) -

Change - What everyone is reaching for

To Change [To be good, to be kind, to be liked by others, to relate to others, to be understood, to not be alone] - When beginning the chapter we open up on a scene between two characters who in chapter 1 were relatively secondary: Eden Tobisa & Levi Fontana. We start off the scene with Eden in tears, sobbing over the horrific deaths of both Xander & Min which she has just very recently witnessed. Eden still can't really accept what happened & it's clearly heavily affecting her but she is processing & acknowledging that she is in pain. These losses have taken their toll on her & she has been hurt by this killing game. Eden is hurting & she knows this. And in spite of this, she chooses to do what she can the situation: She makes an attempt to connect with the others in spite of her grief by making them breakfast. This is where Eden is at - She sees the situation, and she sees that it is painful, and she chooses to connect with those around her because this is how she knows to deal with grief or trauma. It's not necessarily easy for her, she's still hurting - she even says as much to Levi during their exchange: -> "Everyone is probably going to be sad for a while. For their sake, and for mine, I'll put on a happy smile!" For the sake of both herself and the others Eden is choosing to continue putting herself out there & attempting to connect with the others. This is something which clearly has an effect on Levi.

Levi Fontana, the other party in this exchange, is someone new at his talent. He doesn't have a long history with being a stylist like some of the other characters do with their talents, but it's something he's trying regardless. While we don't know his exact feelings on being a stylist, we do know that it's something he clearly prefers over whatever he was doing before. In the Prologue when approached with what he was doing before he expresses pretty strongly that he doesn't want to think about it. His past is something which haunts him, or at the very least, something which brings him discomfort. This is further affirmed during this opening interaction where Levi states: -> "But I want to move on. I want to keep trying to become a 'good person', like you, Eden." Levi believes Eden is a good person - and to an extent, he clearly idolizes this. He holds however Eden is up as a standard that he should aspire to. Her 'goodness' is something which Levi wants, and something which he currently believes he does not have. Eden rejects this - she affirms that Levi, is in fact, a 'good person' - he is reliable & has expressed a desire to protect the group, which in her eyes, makes him 'good' just on that basis. This has some type of effect on Levi. He pauses for a moment and thanks Eden. I think this is the basis of Levi's trajectory this chapter - that is to say, because his goal/mission to 'become a good person' is affirmed by Eden, everything he does after this point is put into perspective by that. Levi Fontana is trying to become a better person, to become 'good', and his general method for doing this will be based on being reliable & being someone who protects the group's safety.

All of this is a precursor & clear indicator that this chapter is focused on the group's innate dissatifaction with the way they are currently and how they continually attempt & want to be better than they were in the past so that these tragedies do not continue. Each of them has a different method of going about that goal but it is reflected in some way by nearly all characters who are given a focal point in this chapter - it is even reflected in the nature of the motive. To quote MonoTV: -> This class has a lot of secrets. Dirty, embarassing, horrifying secrets. Secrets some would kill for. Ace becomes more aggresive & defensive as a defense mechanism, Nico expresses frustration at not understanding how to connect with others, and most centrally, Arei comes to a complete lowpoint wherein she is unable to continue stagnating in her toxic hurtful worldview without it completely breaking her down. The desire to avoid something which has previously hurt you from doing so again (usually informed by a disdain for your own inability or powerlessness to prevent that thing from happening) or an expressed frustration at your own stagnation resulting in a build of unhealthy & toxic emotions which will eventually blow up in hurtful ways (Arei, Rose, Nico) is the centerpoint of this chapter, or, the catalyst for the group's desire to change which is, the central point of the chapter. People want to change & do better than they have before as time move forward & hurt continues to occur. -

Why do I even Bother? - Desire, Attempt, Stagnate, Frustrate

Misunderstanding Reality [People CANNOT be good, I CANNOT be good, people CANNOT change] Now, being able to acknowledge that a problem is there is the second hardest step in the process to healing - the hardest is then, being able to actually understand what that problem is. This is where the primary conflict of the chapter lies. Our cast, for the most part, all understand that there's a problem at this point. In chapter 1 they could maybe ignore that this problem existed, or not think about the fact that they know this problem exists, but now? They cannot. The problem is front and center, in there face, like it or not - and the solution (in a very simplified, literal way), is pretty clear: We need to cahnge. So, they want this solution - what is preventing them from reaching it?

Well, understanding what the problem is. They have now acknowledged the problem but don't really understand what it is. This is all speaking in very broad statements - each of the characters have their own way of processing & understanding this. It's not a sweeping statement about the group, there is no 'one problem', and everyone is at different levels of dealing with their problem. It is however still signficant that everyone is dealing with a problem. They're dealing with a desire to change, to find a new way of moving on from their past - and the conflict here is their inability to know what the problem is. They go in circles, over and over again, seeing a problem, not knowing how to deal with it, trying to deal it, it blowing up in their face, and then being hurt by that. This cycle, this continual back and forth, this stagnation is the conflict. A lack of clarity, seeing too many paths forward & knowing you need to take but not knowing which one that is - Stagnating in one place too long and waiting for change to happen without ever taking the first step. Even those that think they're taking a step fail to actually move anywhere because of how they refuse to connect with those around them. Ace, Teruko, Arturo - All of them are trying in their own way to do something which they believe will bring about that change they need to solve their problem, their inadequacy, and because of the isolating ways they go about this, it washes them right back to where they started.

Nico, Arei, Rose, Teruko, Ace, Arturo - most eveyone - they're stuck, stagnating, unable to move forward. This breeds frustration. It's frustrating, knowing you need to do something, but not knowing where to start. Knowing change is necessary is good but not knowing how to go about it can be petrifying and infuriating. This frustration with stagnation and the cycle therein, explore by looking at secrets of the past fueling a communal desire for change, this is how the chapter fuels it's conflicts. At it's core, it's the roadblock present in the narrative of the chapter itself: People, or the world, want to change but because they do not understand how to go about that change, stagnate and grow frustrated. This frustration builds and eventually... -

Futility - Hurt. People. Hurt. People.

This cycle cannot continue forever. People are fleeting. Life, is fleeting. Even if we want something to last forever, eventually, it will come to an end. This is neither good or bad. It is simply true. This same principle can be applied to the cycle previously established: One way or another, for the better, or for the worst, that cycle is going to end. Now, I believe DRDT is pretty anti-cynicism. Actually, I'm pretty sure that's like, Danganronpa's whole deal. Trying isn't futile, and it's always worth it to continue moving forward. That doesn't mean we don't see both ends of the spectrum. It is possible to change, and it possible to break out of the cycle of stagnation - I think that's what the point of Arei's character is. It is to show the audience the a trajectory of realizing there's a problem, doing the wrong thing with the problem, being hurt because of it and then being able to actually move forward because you connected with others and eventually came to understand the core of the problem. If I had to guess, we'll probably see this again in the story, quite a few times actually since we're still relatively early. The outcome will likely be different each time, but, I do think we'll see several different people realize the right way to go about change. I also think, we'll see a lot of people do the opposite. I think, we'll probably see several people fail to connect with others and understand their hurt and why it causes them to stagnate. And, I think pretty prevalently, this will culminate in a murder. When - a person stagnates, or is in a cycle of abuse or hurt for long enough - this will eventually result in all of that pent-up frustration & hurt blowing up. Since people don't exist in a vaccum, and especially since in the killing game everyone is constantly around someone, that blow-up will hurt others. In Arei's case, that blow-up was a verbal beatdown of Eden, justified internally by her own feelings of bitterness towards the abuse she's received in the past. This was in her case, a catalyst for the better. By allowing herself to be vulnerable with others, if only for a moment, she opens herself up to the true way of moving past past hurt and changing as a person: Connecting with the people around us and expressing our hurt, and pain, and grief so that we can understand that hurt and move forward. Her trajectory (*note: we haven't all of it, I presume there's at least one or two more key scenes we'll see of Arei's progression during the trial flashbacks which complete her arc) is one where she starts off with what she believes is a solution, applies that believed solution, is hurt by the results of that, and as a result of this hurt blows up and is able to begin healing and changing for the better. If this is the case, then, I'm inclined to believe that it is very possible her killer went through a reflected version of this trajectory. They start off not knowing what to do, pick up on a method that believe will help them change for the better, apply this method, are unsuccesful as a result of this application, and eventually, stagnate long enough for it to eventually result in them blowing up and hurting someone around them - failing to truly connect with the people around them and understand the pain within in them which causes them to stagnate. In this chapter, one character has a very brief, but key, line which I think paints very clearly who fits this bill the most. -> "Why do I even bother?" Levi Fontana doesn't see himself as an equal to his peers. His general solution to his problem is trying to do better at protecting his peers and the way the story presents this is via his relationship, or rather, the deteriation of his relationship with Ace Markey. Levi and Ace's relationship is one which from day one does not have clearly expressed or healthy boundaries on either side of it's dichotomy.

Both parties assume the desires of the other based on their own projected needs at the time and going into chapter 2 this is shattered, both because of the nature of the killing game, and because of the eventual culimnation of that lack of expressed needs in chapter 1. Ace needs to be scared of something so he projects his fear onto Levi and Levi needs to protect something so he projects danger onto Ace. Ace needs to feel safe so he shifts his view of Levi into one where he can protect him and Levi needs to feel needed so he contributes to this dynamic. After a muder occurs and there's now undeniable, real danger, Ace needs someone to vent his frustration onto so he verbally berates Levi and Levi - who has up to this point been ignoring his own discomforts for the sake of what he believes is the solution to his dilemna of changing for the better - snaps as the frustration which has built up from his stagnation blows up, and this hurts Ace, who has grown to rely on Levi for some form of stability. Levi, at the start of the chapter, is now back at square one. His solution failed and again, he's hurt someone because of his inability to change. This loss is something which he seeks a solution for once again, and it just so happens, his first interaction after the end of the previous trial is withn Eden. Eden affirms to him that he is a 'good person' - and that this being a 'good person' is because of the very behaviors which previously resulted in his eventual hurting of another person. These behaviors, this tenedcy to believe that he needs to be relied on by another, or that he needs to be protecting someone, is ultimately what he needed to move away from. He needed to recognize that he is also human and that he cannot ignore his own needs in pursuit of protecting others. He need to do this, but in chapter 2, he just did it all over again - except this time - Ace did not regress. He in fact, was pushed deeper into his own self isolating mindset, something which wasn't helped by Levi's continual attempts at reestablishing the dynamic they had in chapter 1. This is futility. This is trying the same thing over and over and not seeing a new result - It's stagnation. And clearly, Levi recognized this in some way. After his exchange with Ace in the dorm room hallway, Levi gave up. He fully abandoned his previous method and while we don't see what he did from here, I'm going to take a gander and say his general solution did not change - at least, not for the better.

-

Is Not Gold - Sharing Grief

I think that the biggest throughline in all of this chapter is the emphasis on the necessity of communicating both good and bad feelings with others in order to find clarity. It plays this through lens of everyone processing Xander & Min's death but in all reality this just heightened problems that were already there for the characters. It's why the secrets motive was used - everyone has past grievances and hurt and pain left unprocessed, unsaid and unshared. And for that, everyone is hurting still - even before Min & Xander. This is the same for Arei, and for Eden, and for Teruko and for David - and it's also true for Levi. Which is why I believe the narrative is leading the direction that Levi is the 'antagonist' of this chapter. He isn't processing his feelings - he believes himself to be 'heartless' because he processes emotions in a slightly different way. He values action above all else and doesn't take the time to recognize that your intent is just important as your actions. Levi wants to protect others because he wants to feel like a 'good' person - finally after a life of, we don't know, but probably being made to feel like a 'remorseless murderer', he has an opportunity at 'redemption'. And he keeps failing? And he doesn't know why. And he can't share why because 'he has to be strong' 'he has to protect everyone' 'he has to prove himself through his actions rather than his words'. By suggesting that Levi is the killer and that he has the remorseless killer secret, I don't believe that means he's actually heartless, or a 'pyschopath'. I believe this is a desconstruction of that trope and a look at how people get to a point where they feel that way in the first place. Actions are important but ultimately those fall flat if we can't share our intent - the grief, the joy, the past we put behind his. If we resign ourselves to 'fate' and give up before we've even tried, then we're just setting the destination for ourselves. We aren't 'accepting' the truth, we're making it true before it is. I believe the irony in Levi's character will be that he was not truly a horrible murderer as his secret makes him out to be but by ignoring his feelings and focusing so soley on becoming a 'good person' then resigning himself when that didn't work out he became that anyway. I do have more thoughts on this case -

My specific theory is that Arei (didn't switch, but copied/dressed up as) J to 'do nice things for others' which resulted in her having a run in & interaction with Levi after the David int. He would have been feeling down and so he would've shared his feelings with Arei and she would tell him (because she knows his secret) that you can always become a better person if you choose to. Levi would take this as her being someone who can understand him (he has hers) and it'll make him happy. Say, Levi overheard that int between Arturo, Eden & Arei because he was going to the infirmary to change his bandages - he would understand Arturo as a 'threat' to the group (specifically Eden, who he would feel connected to) and feel this is his true chance at 'redemption' - he has to kill Arturo to protect everyone. And so he creates the plan for Arturo rather than for Arei - only, it was supposed to have an accomplice who would help him out since he didn't intend to get away with the muder anyway - Arei. He wanted Arei to be the one to help him with the plan since she swore to protect Eden from Arturo and so he sent her the note for the meetup knowing she wouldn't agree otherwise - and it worked. Arei came, and Levi asked her about the plan - and Arei was faced with a decision: Protect herself at the cost of anothers life, even if it is someone who she doesn't like - or say no. Even if it endangered her. She knows he's a killer so it would be incredibly dangerous to tempt fate - and she should really just say yes and go get help right? She should but... Arei's sick of that! She's sick of compromising others wellbeing for her own benefit, she's tired of going behind people's backs, she's tired of having to put up with bad, manipulative people who want to hurt others! And so she calls him out on bs - all of it. She reveals that she has his secret and berates him for going about his 'redemption' like this - because it's not redemption - it's not reconnection - it's not healing - it's seflish catharsis because you refuse to process your own feelings. And that's wrong. But... Even if Arei did choose this - it still resulted in her murder. Because Levi believed it was pointless to even try - so how dare this girl, this girl who was just as bad, who had been nothing but cruel - how dare she of all people tell him to become a better person. How dare she... She doesn't know anything about his struggles. She doesn't know anything. She doesn't...

but I really don't enjoy looking at things through those lens. They're important for sure, but it's not my strong suit & it's more important to me why things are happening than how they actually do. I also believe this somewhat parallels Mondo & Chihiro's case since it had a somewhat similar premise of a faux murderer becoming a real murderer because he couldn't process his own feelings and it became too much when somebody who chose to change admitted that they were able to do what he - someone who should be strong - could not do. This is an excellent story in my opinion and I've enjoyed it very much. Regardless of whether or not it does end this way, I'll relish the narrative told. I find every aspect so filled with love and I really do believe that the dev is a splendid writer. Every character matters and that's not a false statement - everybody influences the hearts of the others, whether directly or not, little by little. That's transcendent to me - it's so beautiful. Thank for reading this if you did - frankly I've been working on it for a few months haha. Since the progress bar is back I figured I should finish it up before the chapter fully came out and this was invitably dated. I look forward to writing more about this series in the future and now that I've moved past this I can work on the individual character analyses. I'll likely do another one of these before each trial of the series and I'll update the analyses as I go - hopefully those are enjoyable as well. Please watch Danganronpa: Despair Time - it is immaculate. 🧟‍♀️

[fanganronpathemafiagame]

CHAPTER 2—Kill 'em up with Style!: Daily Life START

CW: DISTURBING IMAGERY

*???*

"Thank you for letting me help you redye your hair, Ace."

"Like I said, you're the only one in class who has enough experience with this shit, so of course I'd go to you."

"Still. It makes me happy to know that you trust me."

"..."

"I think that's the first time I've ever seen you like that."

"Huh? Is it bad?"

*Ace shakes his head in response to that. Levi just sighs in relief as he finishes brushing and dying Ace's hair.*

"Done! So? What do you think?"

"I look... different..."

"I did put your hair down. Is it okay?"

"Okay? Levi I fucking love it!"

"I'm glad..."

"I look just as epic as it did before I died because of your fucking incompetence!"

"Yeah, it-"

*Levi paused mid sentence, confused. What did Ace just say?*

"W-What?"

"What's wrong Levi?"

"Need me to refresh your memory??"

"!!"

*Levi stumbled back, falling down backwards. Ace, who now looked anything other than human, slowly approached him, blood dripping from the open wound in his neck that Levi just noticed now.*

"Wh4t's wr0ng, fr13nd? Wh¥ 4r3 ¥0u s0 sc4r3d?"

"..."

*Levi couldn't move, he couldn't speak. He felt like his voice just disappeared. Ace crouched down to his level, his distorted face had a creepy smile, black goop slowly crawling out of his mouth.*

"1t's 4ll ¥0ur f4ult."

*And then. He plunged a needle right through Levi's eye.*

"GAH-"

*Levi quickly sat up in a panic, breathing heavily. Instead of his dorm, he was now in his cabin.*

"Mmmgh..? Levi..?"

*David sat up, half asleep. Eden, on the other hand, was still asleep. The stylist had forgotten the two had stayed the night in his cabin.*

"D-David..."

*David paused, surprised to see Levi crying.*

"Woah... Hey, is everything okay?"

*Levi hugged David tightly, shaking his head softly. The bluenet froze at the hug, surprised. But nonetheless, he hugged him back, gently patting the taller's back.*

[venus-is-thinking]

Fanmade DRDT Playlist Explanations

Hey everybody! About a week ago, @accirax and I made this post about a character playlist we made for DRDT. It was in a randomized order in case people wanted to take guesses and figure out whose song was whose. We’re going to be giving out the answers now, but if you want to take a shot at placing any of them, feel free to take a look before looking at our answers! They’re written out beneath the cut.

In addition to just saying which songs were intended for which characters, Accirax and I decided to write out explanations for each of the songs in the same way that we did for the official DRDT playlist. So, for anyone who saw that a while ago, it’ll be a fun little throwback. Any explanations will be preceded by an A or a V depending on which one of us wrote it.

Also, spoiler warnings for DRDT through Chapter 2 part 1. Sections with specific content warnings will be flagged, but in general, content warning for murder and death.

Okay, onto the songs!

Homunculus by Trickle: Levi Fontana

A: Homunculus is a song about trying over and over again to create a better version of yourself to escape the parts that you hate. Personally, I think that it relates to Levi and his character themes pretty well. Levi is always looking to the people around him to figure out how to act and what the “right” thing to do is. When he messes up, like with getting fooled by Arei or threatening Ace, he’s filled with regrets, and turns to others to help him right his wrongs.

Presumably, it’s due to his estranged family that made him act this way. He may have been able to get away from them, but will he ever be able to get away from himself?

Realized in my last life That I hate the light So I keep running And running I’m trying to hide

Levi’s struggles to converse with others and to trust himself are the results of his own low self esteem. In his secret quote, he talks about “his heartlessness,” and while many people speculate that he is a “killer without remorse,” his worries about not being a good person are sort of remorse about not feeling remorse over doing bad things, if that makes any sense.

I'm broken, torn, and tattered I'll never be full again

Many of Homunculus’ lyrics feature the singer berating themself for various reasons. They worry about not being up to par with what people expect of them, not fulfilling their own expectations of themself, and being a shell of who they should be, among other things. These premises may be similar to how Levi feels as someone who wants to be a reformed hero, but fears their villainous origins are too powerful to ignore.

Also, if the popular theory that Levi is involved in the Chapter 2 murder (whether as the sole blackened or as an accomplice to someone else) holds true, the singer’s resolution to do better “in their next life” could hold additional meaning to Levi. 

So maybe in my next life I'll finally find Find a way to wash away all the shame To erase and wash away all the shame

Either he’s about to die, so the next life is the only chance he has, or he’s managed to screw this life up so badly by being involved in a murder that his morality might be unsalvageable. Even though he would continue living for at least one chapter in that secondary case, the quest to continue reforming himself might seem too insurmountable.

Hate It! Hate It! Huge Ego! by KurageP: Arei Nageishi

V: Here we are with Arei! This song cold opens on some lyrics that fit Arei pretty obviously: 

That small girl, I just hate her! She always acts like a nice person.

This refers to Eden. Arei picks on Eden, but it’s because Eden is a very good person in Arei’s eyes. She doesn’t believe that’s something that can exist, and she takes out her frustration that she isn’t allowed to be nice on Eden.

Arrgh! I want to be loved! I want to be loved!

Similarly to how we gave Shunran to Arei “they say that praying to be loved is a sin. It has such a sweet scent” Nageishi, I generally associate feelings of wanting to be loved with Arei. Additionally, the frustration and anger present in this demand to be loved makes me think of Arei; she wants to be loved, but doesn’t know how to get it, and that frustrates her.

Just like that kid did to me,  I just crush the garbage underfoot, right?

This line is probably the best for Arei in the song, given that it directly ties into how she developed her worldview. Arei was once nice (like Eden), but her sisters bullied and abused her until she no longer could be. She learned to stand up for herself by mimicking her behavior and pushing them and others down. She “crushes the garbage” of other people under her foot, just like how her sisters did to her.

I hate humanity! All they do is flock together. I try to pay attention to others’ feelings, But I just get completely ignored!

Arei wants to be a caring person, but she doesn’t let herself be anymore. She used to “pay attention to others’ feelings,” like Eden does, but her attempts at solving the situation peacefully were always ignored. Because of that, she learns to hate humanity.

I’m the most special of them. I need people to understand me!

Arei builds herself up as a queen bee type and praises herself about being the best (bowler and in general), but she also wants people to understand why she’s cruel the way that she is. Deep down, she wants to be nice, even if she believes it to be impossible. That understanding is something she searched for in David.

I didn’t do anything. But, but, but, but, but… Aah, I want to be forgiven, I want to be forgiven. I’m so lonely.

This song adds in a moment of sincerity, showing the remorse that the singer carries and how they feel alone. Again, I think this reflects how Arei thinks at times rather than how she acts. However, it quickly returns to the same, full-power chorus as before, showing that Arei won’t allow that loneliness to actually change her base persona or get her down; she wants to be loved, but she’s still the same strong, confident Arei at the same time.

I don’t even recognize my own face!

Shoutout to J/Arei swap theory on this line if that ends up being true!

A: While I overall agree with the interpretation of the opening paragraph(?) best fitting Eden, while reading through Venus’ analysis, I came up with an alternate interpretation.

That small girl, I just hate her! She always acts like a nice person. Is she just gonna act like I don’t notice? Those! Eyes that look down on me!

These could be Arei’s opinions about herself in the past. Arei hates her past self for being small and weak, and thus leaving herself vulnerable to her sisters’ abuse. Why didn’t she see how pathetic she was being? And why would she even have the thought that her past self might hate the person she’s become…?

That popular girl, I just hate her! She only likes fashion,  Abruptly talking like it’s her business. So shallow. Shallow, shallow, shallow.

And these are Arei’s opinions about herself in the present. Because, come on, you can’t watch that Chapter 2 breakdown scene and think that Arei is actually as confident in herself as she pretends to be. Arei may now be a typical queen bee who enjoys fashion and girly things, but that doesn’t actually make her any stronger or cooler. She cuts into conversations to inject her own hateful comments, shallowly feeding into her own worldview. I don’t know if Arei in the story would actually recognize that she has any of these feelings, but I think they could be there to be noticed had she lived longer.

Also, Milgram fans, rejoice in the bullet you dodged that we didn’t wind up giving Arei Reversible Campaign. Even though we didn’t like giving her literally the Mikoto cover of it, we almost did before we remembered that Huge Ego existed. Like, seriously, what would have been up with that? Arei should’ve been Mu, if she had to pick a Milgram character…

Please Play-Bite by Pinocchio P: Nico Hakobyan

A: Remember that scene in Chapter 1 when Nico spent an hour just reciting tongue twisters to MonoTV? In my opinion, that was the best written scene in all of DRDT. Ah, memories. (/j)

Anyways, if you get past the most obvious premise of the song, “Pinocchio P flexes his tuning and songwriting skills by making Miku recite a bunch of tongue twisters” (which does not apply to Nico at all), the rest of the song makes a lot of sense.

My head is full of anxiety God, I’m begging you to [finish] me I bit my tongue again (Oh no)

Due to their anxiety (and perhaps other neurodivergence), Nico struggles to communicate with others on their/society at large’s terms. They hate talking to people because people always react negatively to what they have to say, even if they’re trying to be nice.

In the song, I think that “I bit my tongue” is more literal– the singer messes up saying the tongue twister, and with their tongue in a nonstandard position, they accidentally chomp it. In a metaphorical sense, this could signify how Nico can’t keep up with a “normal” conversation, and keeps having things come out wrong if they just speak off the cuff. However, there’s also the more traditional interpretation of “biting your tongue,” which is refraining yourself from saying something that you want to say for the good of the situation. There have probably been a lot of times in their life that Nico has wanted to say something, but has stopped themself from doing so because they don’t want to cause trouble.

The song has a lot of references to not understanding what people are doing or saying.

Isn’t it difficult to live a normal life, ouch ouch ouch

The sensation that enthuses the young and the old I’m not quite understanding it, oh what do I do

Kind words sound distorted to me

I don’t really know what the section about loving someone at the end would mean, though. You could extrapolate it to be about Rose, and how she used to like Nico before losing some faith in them now. However, any change of heart Rose may have had wasn’t because Nico was bad at communicating– she doesn’t care about that– it’s because Nico went behind her back to steal her turpentine and nearly kill Ace with it. So, who knows.

Also, shout out to this lyric for clearly being about Ace.

My neighbor eats [persimmons], he’s from Planet Complaint

I’m going to start saying that Ace is from Planet Complaint now. Thanks, Nico.

Last Score by Sekikomi Gohan: Eden Tobisa

V: This is a very positive and loving song, which is fitting for Eden. After all, she’s someone who cares a lot about her friends and family, and she tries to spread cheer and positivity to those around her. 

A face full of tears doesn’t fit your profile really that well

I let go of both my worries and anxieties, happy day! Yeah!

This voice of mine will be with you No matter where you go

There are also a lot of references to time, which, obviously, fit in with her role as the Ultimate Clockmaker.

I’m stricken by my valuation of time The traffic light stays red, unchanging

Experiencing the past, the future and the now that I’m grasping

Hundreds, thousands of years, or even an eternity, in this endless life of mine

However, it’s the combination of those two things that make a narrative that I think fit Eden. Her secret quote– “You can never go back, no matter how hard you try”-- implies a sense of desperation to return to the past, something that ties into the themes of her Ultimate talent. When paired with her secret, “Ever since you kissed her, you were afraid your sexuality would ruin your friendships,” it becomes clearer that there’s someone in the past who she loves.

If you combine the two, you can come to the conclusion that Eden longs for the past, partly or entirely because of the person she kissed. This song is one of longing for a past relationship.

The love/sorrow that we amassed Is proof of my existence with you Even my dreams, my wishes, and my painful memories as well Everything, everything, everything, I was with you

This interpretation works with a general longing, which I’d argue is present in Eden’s character no matter what. Accirax and I, though, along with some others, believe in Eden Chapter 2 culprit theory, with the belief that her motive is to reunite with the people she’s left behind, notably the girl she kissed. 

If that is the case, there are also song lyrics that would allude to her taking direct action to get back to the life she left behind.

The reason why I can run without feeling down Is because I’ve known love

I’m overturning the notion that our parting is inevitable

Either way, though, I think that this song fits Eden as someone with a lot of love and desire for others’ happiness that guides her actions.

Change by Monkey Majik: Hu Jing

CW: Suicide for this section!!

V: Okay, so this one is a lot more speculative. Like, obviously we know some things about Hu, but a lot of what I’ll be talking about is about where I believe her character is headed/what I think we can determine about her. For what it’s worth, I’ll be assuming that the hopeless child secret– “Dying once wasn’t enough, so you attempted suicide three times”-- is Hu’s. (This analysis by @1moreff-creator focuses on Min, but it’s a lot of why I believe Hu’s secret to be this.)

So, that being said, I’ll be speculating a lot about Hu’s mental state, so… my bad if I get anything wrong.

You had your wishes but you threw them away It made you happy yeah for more than one day But now you're lost and cannot figure a way To get out of this lie that comforts you

This is, in my opinion, about Hu’s transition from being the “hopeless child” to where she is today, in the killing game. Something must have changed to aid her mental state (could easily be something she “threw away”), which fits with making her “happy” (not actively suicidal, at least from what we’ve seen). However, now she’s here in the present, and she’s not sure what to do. What should she do to move forward, especially in this context?

You'll never change if you keep running away

I’m not sure exactly what Hu feels she’s running away from, but I feel alright saying that she is, given her secret quote: “I want to pay for what I’ve done. But even then, I still want to live.” Hu wants to be someone different and make up for something (or, if this occurs in the future of the series, to be someone different from the person who takes whatever action this describes), but she doesn’t know how.

Brothers on the top pressing all the melodies

Takatantan!!! Sweet sound of the shamisen Tsugaru style if you know where they're coming from

I don’t know much about music, and while I assume these lines wouldn’t successfully relate to zither playing specifically, it’s still true that the more traditional sound of the song and the references to music make me think of Hu’s talent.

Wouldn't it be nice if the whole world got along?

This relates to Hu’s desire to have everyone get along and be on their best behavior. She wants everyone in the killing game to work together peacefully, but that’s difficult to pull off, given the stronger personalities in the group.

I need a change 'Cause it's all gone wrong for me Somebody else to lead me now (I want) somebody else to lead me now

This can definitely also relate to Hu’s dynamic with David; she saw him as a co-leader, someone else who could help her keep the more unruly personalities under control. However, with his heel turn, it’s plausible to say that Hu would be looking for “somebody else to lead her”-- someone else to support her views and to make her less alone in the struggle to keep people under control. 

The rest of the lyrics I’d have to interpret based entirely on my own predictions, but I’ll give a quick shot at it:

Sing them your song You'd be surprised how many people wanna hear what you're saying

I suspect Hu will, after dealing with the fallout of David, seek to try to enact that same stability onto the group. Some people, I think, will be receptive, and Hu will realize that what she has to say has meaning.

Maybe! Who knows! I still think this song fits Hu’s vibes.

A: Wait a minute… what’s that?

Apples are red, but taste The same as green, wooo!!

Is that a hint about Color Theory? Are red and green the same person? Is Monkey Majik trying to tell us that Hu is confirmed for the green color, but also the red color? Does that mean that Hu is the mastermind? Is this–

CW: Suicide over!

Get Chemical by Polite Fiction and Audiodile: Charles Cuevas

V: Okay guys, I promise, this song makes sense beyond “get chemical.” I know it’s a weed song. But not for Charles. If you ignore the weed part it’s a Charles song. Trust.

A: It’s not about weed. Ignore the weed. Pretend it’s not there. It’s Charles time.

V: Okay, but in all seriousness, this song fits him really well. The song moves him through his character arc chronologically, so that’s how I’ll be looking at the song’s lyrics. The song starts off with Charles’ more no-nonsense worldview.

There's a time and a place For wasting space And if you're not coming home Then it's a slap in the face

It's nothing worth doing If you just can't do it alone

Charles starts out not wanting to “waste time” or bother with any of the other students. He thinks the only things worth doing are by himself, so that’s what he does.

But I don't wanna wait for days

Charles then gets tired/bored of being by himself (as he warns Teruko will happen to her at the start of Chapter 2). He starts getting impatient, and thus ends up spending time with some of the other students.

And I'm tired of the games we play While you sit and judge me there from on your throne

Charles gets frustrated, though, because he feels that no one takes him seriously. Notably, Whit and Teruko make fun of him a lot. He feels judged by the others. However, once he tells Whit this in the bonus Chapter 1 free time, he starts to make progress; Whit understands him, and thus stops judging him so harshly.

Put the train wreck on display Marvel and wonder how it sways Wear that disapproving stare right through the phone

Then, the murder happens. Xander purposefully triggers Charles’ hemophobia to put him out of commission, and Charles then has to be visibly out of it for the entire Trial. Though Whit tries to preserve his privacy, he eventually has to reveal why Charles is acting up. Thus, Charles, the “train wreck,” is on display for everyone to “marvel” at.

Is it a trending feat or a single case Is it dignity if it gets misplaced Am I justified in adopting casual tones

Charles, after the first Trial, formally becomes friends with Whit, as well as generally leaning towards being friendlier with the group. Thus, while “adopting casual tones,” AKA being friendly, might be a “single case” (just Whit) or a trending feat (befriending everyone). Previously, not befriending people and acting above them was part of how Charles displayed his dignity, but after the first Trial (in his eyes) stripped him of that dignity, he has to reposition himself.

Well pinkies up, 'cause it's in good taste And if you can't throw down then you know your place There's a hundred different ways that this could go

After the first Trial, Charles has to confront the fact that he isn’t reliable. Thus, these lyrics to me best fit him giving Teruko the secret motive he received (Eden’s). He “knows his place,” realizing that he could easily be incapacitated again, so he does what he can. He plans for contingencies.

And I am still quite functional when I am prone

This line switch up fits the second Trial well. Charles can’t investigate fully or contribute in the way he’d like, given that he can’t actually enter the Playground or look at Arei’s body, but he can still be a major benefit to the students in the Trial. He can find evidence elsewhere and be a logical ally for Teruko. He even got to cut in to help her in the last moment before the hiatus. 

Obviously, I can’t really apply the lyrics chronologically beyond this point, but I can still point out the things that make sense.

Hitting bottom's so much better when you're stoned

I can’t deny the weed allegations on this one, but if you just replace stoned with gay with friends it makes sense. “Hitting bottom’s so much better when you’re surrounded by a support system.” That kind of thing.

Most of the rest of it is just the chorus, which is pretty easy to see the connection. I mean… the Ultimate Chemist definitely gets chemical. Not in the weed way. And the “upright to vertigo” is sort of reminiscent of Charles’ reaction to his phobia.

Anyways, this is the end of my essay. Get Chemical is a Charles song I promise!!!

Tokyo Teddy Bear by Neru: Arturo Giles

CW: Suicide for this section!!

V: Okay, I’m going to preface this one by saying Arturo was a hard slot for Accirax and I to fill on the playlist. We don’t have any songs that really boil down to “you’re ugly,” so that element of Arturo’s character is out. That means that our best bet was anything that vaguely related to philosophies of fashion/aesthetic, as well as trying to interpret Arturo’s trauma/mental state. That second part is hard, because while we do know his secret– “Your younger sister killed herself because of you. You never should have left.”-- we don’t really know the details or how he reacts to it, other than “badly.” So, take everything here with a grain of salt.

The connection to aesthetics isn’t super strong, but it’s definitely there to be seen. 

I crush the heels of my unfashionable shoes

I’ll find some tougher scissors And cut out my face

With the theming of a teddy bear, there’s even references to cutting/replacing physical features of a living being, which ties into Arturo being the Ultimate Plastic Surgeon. Additionally, this often pairs with parts being “replaced.”

I’ll make a ridiculously sized pattern for it Anything will do, as long as it serves as a replacement

Please fill in the gaps in my seams

This, again, can relate to plastic surgery. It’s inherently something where you take a physical feature and alter it in order to get a “better” result, which means that you’re replacing the previous feature with a new one. It’s a bit of an angsty description of plastic surgery for Arturo, but it makes enough sense.

However, the lyrics pertaining to family and home are what sell this song for me. While we don’t know a lot about Arturo’s situation, we do know that he “never should have left,” meaning he did leave to some extent. He also clearly feels guilty for his sister Felicity’s death. 

I personally theorize that they likely had harsh parents, so while Arturo was able to use his promising career and older age to escape, Felicity had to endure the toxic environment on her own, which eventually led to her death. Thus, it would be understandable that Arturo would want to leave, but would still feel awful about the end result. Either way, though, I think the lyrics can definitely connect.

Mom, Dad, I’m sorry for everything

Brother, Sister, I’ll see you later

Goodbye, everyone; teacher, take care

Arturo is sorry for the situation, but he still leaves. It seems like there’s a specific point in Arturo’s life that would change pretty drastically when “leaving,” so it makes sense if it’s something treated with a lot of drama and severity.

Then there’s this part of the song:

There’s nothing left, nothing left anymore: it’s all torn off Even my cells seem to disappear into this sea of lint That’s right, I’m gone, gone, thrown away I don’t even have a home to go back to

This would read to me as a reaction to Felicity’s death. There’s nothing left of the home he cares about, meaning he’s officially on his own. It’s also a lot of emotional turmoil he’s struggling with, obviously.

I want to complete it, I want to cheat, give me the answer I can’t change? Do I want to be kept like a pet? Is it all gone? This isn’t me! The seams have split and torn apart

This part reads to me as some sort of big reaction to something in-story. It could just be the secret reveal; he wanted to “cheat” by threatening Eden into silence and claiming not to have a sister, but he learns that he can’t “change,” or otherwise escape from his past. How the ending of this song will be interpretable is going to change heavily with where he goes after this reveal, whether it be being the Trial 2 killer (and likely explaining his logic more in the post trial) or continuing to move forward into at least one more daily life.

That’s pretty much all of the analysis for the song, but I’m going to just quickly talk about some aside theories for Arturo!

CW: Body dysmorphia for this section!!

Anyways, while looking at the lyrics of this song, I started wondering how Arturo’s views on beauty and being the Ultimate Plastic Surgeon might’ve tied into his past/Felicity. Arturo clearly developed very strong views on what was beautiful/ugly somewhere along the way, and it wouldn’t be at all surprising if Felicity held some of these views as well.

I think it’s possible Arturo may have attempted plastic surgery on Felicity if she had some sort of body dysmorphia. A lot of people with body dysmorphia try to use plastic surgery to ease their negative thoughts, but it doesn’t usually work, because the issue isn’t their actual appearance, it’s their misperception of their appearance and how it impacts how they believe others see them. Body dysmorphia is also a condition which has a high suicide rate (some studies say 25%+ of people with Body Dysmorphic Disorder have attempted suicide), so that could definitely be part of Felicity’s struggles.

This is also much less specific, but do you think Arturo has ever had plastic surgery or tried it on himself? I kinda just assumed his mask was part of the surgeon aesthetic, but it’s true that we don’t super know what’s under it, right?

Anyways, ramble over! Onto the next song!

CW: Suicide and body dysmorphia over!!

Punching Bag by Set it Off: Ace Markey

A: And here we have our first Set it Off song! Venus and I listen to a lot of Set it Off music, so it was hard to cut down to just two when we wanted to do a couple more. Rest assured that the two we went with are going to be fitting.

(V: They are my top artist on Spotify ever :D

Also side note, we also like Full Moon by Rare Americans as an Ace song on vibes. The lyrics are less fitting, but like… the Vibes are there)

A: I think the scene that most closely parallels the lines of Punching Bag is the one in Chapter 2 Episode 4, where Veronika intervenes in Ace and Nico’s fighting. To quote Ace, “Is that what everyone really thinks about me? And it’s fine that you drill it into my head over and over again, because you think I’ll forget about it in 5 minutes like you do? … You think I act like this for fun, and then I go to bed and sleep soundly at night, you dumb piece of shit?”

I'm up all night when you think I'm sleeping People pleasing's never good for your health

I’m sure you can see what I’m getting at here.

V: There’s also the fun part with the “up all night when you think I’m sleeping” that Ace (I’m pretty sure) goes to the Gym and stuff while other people are asleep! Plus, there’s him overhearing the David/Arei conversation. So, in a lot of ways, Ace actually kinda is up all night when other people might think he’s sleeping.

A: People not taking Ace, his emotions and his struggles, seriously is one of the things that infuriates Ace the most. 

Punching bag Just another pot calling the kettle black Take it out on someone who won't hit you back 'Til we're all as broken as you

Based on what others have told him, he knows that they think he’s a fragile coward whose bark is worse than his bite. How dare they insult him when they’re just as fucked up as he is, if not more?!

So say goodbye to your Mr. Nice Guy You got your wish, he's rotting in Hell

Even though we are aware that he wasn’t really a nice guy before, this scene (and the one investigating the Gym with Levi) is reflective of Ace’s Chapter 2 declaration that he’s in it only for himself. He’ll be a terrible person if it’s the only thing that’ll defend him from everyone else’s onslaught of attacks.

And, on top of all that, there are a bunch of lyrics that seem to reference damage inflicted on the singer by some kind of string.

Hanging on by the strings that you're pullin' (So you) cut me down just to push me around

And hope I'd tie a rope 'round my throat 'Til I start to choke

Don’t worry Ace, I’m sure this will never come back to bite you. Play-bite you, even.

So go fuck yourself

Well, that’s not very nice :(

Grave Dancing by David Bays: Veronika Grebenshchikova

CW: Self harm and suicidal ideation for this section!!

A: This song kinda tracks Veronika’s experiences with boredom, and how experiencing the terrors of the world that make most people cower makes her cackle. We begin with Veronika’s backstory, detailing how she felt before the killing game began. Now, this is based on speculation, but the idea that Veronika has the secret, “you only took on your talent to distract yourself from your incessant need to harm yourself for fun” is generally a pretty popular one. If she really was injuring herself just to feel something, we can assume that she was in a pretty bad mental state.

I stared into nothing completely entranced A spectacle vortex of mesmeric dance Millions of voices invite me to jump Into the pool of the opiate pump

Veronika was lost to her own desires, only focusing on what was fun (the “mesmeric dance”) even when it was putting her in danger (“inviting [her] to jump,” presumably off a high place). However, once Veronika finds horror, she finds that you can’t spell funeral without fun.

I’m dancing on my grave As my pleasure turns to pain I waste my days In this haze The more I satisfy myself the emptier I am

When most people would be sobbing at a gravesite, Veronika thinks to dance. When Veronika is experiencing pleasure, it’s at the hand of pain, whether hers or someone else’s. Even when she succumbs to her desires to live her life for the sole pursuit of fun, she’ll always be chasing a high that doesn’t exist. 

The fleeting euphoria begs me for more

Or, well– not without a killing game, anyways. The “round robin race” and “endless buffet” mentioned in the lyrics could both refer to the killing game, and “a wishful need to want to leave” would be more of a commentary on how people like Xander and Eden keep making plans to end the killing game. It’s her typical psychoanalysis stuff.

Do you remember how to be I don’t And you’re all stuck here with me As we throw away our time On momentary lives

Veronika seems to know that she’s abnormal (although she frequently forgets it in the moment), and even relishes in it in the presence of people like Arturo or David. Even if she doesn’t remember how “to be” (a normal person), everyone is stuck with her in the killing game, where her opinion holds the most power. The concept of “throwing away our time on momentary lives” sounds like the kind of thing she would say to get under someone’s skin– pointing out how fragile everyone’s life is in order to try to incite murder. Overall, the song just reminds me a lot of how Veronika speaks and thinks.

Entertained forever till we… DIE

Like… Yeah, that’s Veronika alright. You get it, I hope.

CW: Self harm and suicidal ideation over!!

Hallelujah by Hunter Oliveri: David Chiem

A: Did you know that David… is in a poor mental state?

Everybody is dumb I'm feeling numb Hallelujah

While exactly how much David’s “real personality” mirrors what he’s shown us in 2-11 is still up for debate, that infamous episode certainly showed us that there’s something off with how David views himself and the world. Namely, he’s a pretty pessimistic guy who seems pretty cavalier about throwing at the very least his own life away (given that the person who receives votes WILL die, either in a correct blackened vote or an incorrect spotless vote). If you assume that David is not actually the blackened in Arei’s murder, you can also get this line to factor in:

Everyone's got a gun Let's kill everyone

If the other students use their “guns”– their votes– to kill David, everyone will die. That’s a plan he’s completely fine with… Or, at least, he’s acting like it is. You could also link this line to Xander and his fake gun. Obviously, Xander didn’t actually use his fake gun in his attempt to kill Teruko, but it’s still an acknowledgment of how Xander was a participant given a gun like everyone else, and how he did decide that murder was his best course of action. Betrayals like that are likely part of what gave David this attitude in the first place.

In his breakdown, David also shows his perverse desire to call out the other students for their naive idiotic beliefs in trust and the goodness in humanity. So, you know. Everyone (in the Class Trial) is dumb (for believing in all of the inspirational bs David spews), (David is) feeling numb (to his own survival, as well as potentially still being in shock regarding the state of his career)-- Hallelujah. In the Hunter Oliveri version, the call to Praise The Lord is certainly meant to be sarcastic, and David means the same. In the way that “the Lord” can also imply fate/morality or a powerful establishment, David can be telling those things to fuck off too with his “Hallelujah.”

All of this is probably clear enough. However, what makes me like THIS smugly apathetic song over potential others are the frequent references to telling people how to do things and success. Let’s start with telling people how to do things.

It all means nothing I'll tell ya something They'll sell ya something, yow

Now I can't do a damn thing. And I'll take you out your misery And now I can't move a damn thing And I'll take you out your misery

Although the singer is feeling numb and therefore shouldn’t care about their audience, the song is still clearly framed as the singer giving their advice on how to best approach life. “Telling you something,” AKA the wisdom David dispenses in his inspirational speeches, is the exact same thing as “selling you something.” David knows that he profits off of exploiting others’ hopes, and he hates himself for it. Because he believes that people can’t ever change, he “can’t do/move a damn thing,” but will still “take you out your misery.” On the surface, people think that David is taking them out of their misery to move them to somewhere happier. But the way David sees it, he might as well just take them out of their misery by killing them, because life for the corrupt and unmotivated is pointless.

On that happy note, let’s talk about success.

I Gotta buy a big house Driveway full of cars trophy wife on the shelf

Here's what I'm all about Spending big money on a ticket to hell You've probably seen me around I'm like the Walmart in your hometown

I can’t remember if it’s ever been officially confirmed by the story, but I would not be at all surprised if David was the most independently financially successful Ultimate in this killing game. Like, obviously if J got along with her mom, she would have access to way more money and fame than David would. But, given that J tries to hide her identity, David is the only character who seems to be particularly recognized by anyone else (Xander) at the start of the killing game. Calling him “the Walmart in your hometown” is kind of a funny way to get that point across, but if you say that David is calling himself that’s incredibly well-known but also not that particularly special/well-regarded, I think it fits.

David has been able to ride his career as an inspirational speaker to immense success, but he feels very empty about it. Because he doesn’t believe in what he’s saying (and in Arei’s case, may even believe that the things he said actually kill people), he knows that the “big money” he’s earning will come back to ruin him in the end. His actions before and after his big reveal are what will send himself (and those he’s affected) straight to hell. The worst part is that he doesn’t even have any particular ambition about how to use his success. He knows what successful people act like– displays of wealth, happy relationships– but he doesn’t actually know how to achieve them. He doesn’t even like expensive things. So, what’s the point?

David’s got a lot of opinions about how people should feel about their brief lives on this miserable  “third rock from the sun,” and I think Hallelujah represents them pretty well. Just… don’t ask me about the lyric four lines down from that one. I have no explanation for it. We’re ignoring it. Moving on.

Egoist by Onuma Paseri: Min Jeung

V: It took us a while to pinpoint what exactly we wanted to pick as Min’s song. We strongly considered the obvious but fitting Lost One’s Weeping, but in the end, we decided to bring something new to the table instead. That song is Egoist!

A: (This is because we wanted to avoid putting in songs that other people had already brought up themselves, to make the guessing game fun for Min. I applaud everyone’s efforts in coming up with so many great songs for Min, but goddamnit did you have to come up with SO MANY great songs for Min??? /j)

V: Egoist is an interesting song for Min, because a fair amount of the lyrics actually focus on not wanting to be in school.

I usually spend my days falling ill. Let me withdraw from school, professor!

Let me go home early, professor!

However, I think this makes sense given that, in Min’s bonus episode, we see her starting to have more doubt surrounding her school career. She begins to realize she’s become extremely focused on school to the detriment of everything else. To me, that’s what these kind of lyrics actually relate to in a Min context.

I want to talk about something life-related. Won’t you listen to me, professor?

I understand that patience is important in life.  Won’t you realize it, professor?

Min has started to realize that not only school matters, but the people and the environment she’s surrounded by encourage her to continue focusing on academics entirely. She wants to have patience in life and explore other possibilities, but she finds it difficult to actually broach the subject with anyone.

You, dyed orange,  Will melt into darkness before long. Though time passes, my anguish will not disappear. I spend an eerie night together with you.

This set of lines is much more plot-oriented. Though you could try to spin these to be about Mai, I think it’s easiest to make this song largely about the night that Min kills Xander. Xander, dyed orange, “melts into darkness” (dies via electrocution). Min’s anguish can’t just disappear, because the Class Trial exists– it has to result in more death. I think you could call the whole thing overall an eerie night.

Get sentimental, and it’s goodbye. Go quicker and further away than anyone else!

Min “becomes sentimental” when she wants to save Teruko from Xander. However, because this results in both Xander and Min’s deaths, her sentimentality means “goodbye” for her.

Becoming impulsive is the right move. Cross through the night, more than anyone else! There’s no going back from here. After all, there’s no consequences.

This relates to Min trying to win the Trial. The right move is to become impulsive– she has to act quickly when she sees Xander or he’ll simply kill her too– and after that, she has to “cross through the night” more than the students she’s trying to deceive. She has to be the absolute best to clear the Trial and escape to the outside world. There’s no going back from here.

The “no consequences” thing is a little weird considering there very much are consequences for her actions, but I could see that potentially relating to her mindset of fixing “mistakes.” Killing Xander doesn’t have to be a mistake, as long as she does succeed more than anyone else. There are only consequences if she fails to correct her mistakes in time. Unfortunately for Min, that’s exactly what happens.

…Actually, I take back what I said earlier about some of the lines being potentially applicable to Mai. THESE lines relate to Mai:

You had entered my heart, and your smile Will melt into darkness before long. Though time passes, my memories will not disappear.

Problem solved! Min gets to reference Xander, Teruko and Mai!

A: I also tried to pitch Hungry People by the Happy Fits as Min’s song; but Venus didn’t really get it, so we went with this (which I think she did a great job explaining!). However, if anyone wants to hear me ramble about the commercialization of Hope’s Peak and the Ultimate Student as a talent through the context of Versace, Versace, Versace or Klein, hit me up.

Always Tired by Weathers: Rose Lacroix

A: This song doesn’t have a ton of lyrics, but the ones it does have fit Rose pretty well. The most obvious connection is just due to the fact that Rose is, believe it or not, always tired.

I'm always tired, I just can't fight it I'm always picking up my body, oh

Whether as a result of her hard work, an attempt to run away from her depressing day-to-day life, or straight up narcolepsy I don’t know, but the fact remains that one of Rose’s most apparent character traits is her tendency to fall asleep at a moment’s notice. And, despite the dangerous killing game situation, she doesn’t make any attempts to try to keep herself awake, like drinking a ton of coffee or whatever. She doesn’t really have the drive in her to try much of anything after being chained to the Spurling Foundation for life. Instead of making art based on her own creative drive, she has to execute whatever the Spurlings tell her to. She has to force herself to do things, mentally picking up her body instead of just letting it carry itself forward.

There’s also the matter of Rose’s nightmares, the combination of her photographic memory and the troubles she’s faced. The song is a lot about sleeping, but also a lot about seeing.

A quarter to three, still rolling in bed A party for me with demons in my head Do you ever know how eyes lie? Do you ever see how I'm-

Even when Rose does try to sleep, she can’t avoid her photographic memory filling her mind with nightmares that feel incredibly real. Xander’s dead body, Min’s crying face, and Teruko’s haunting glare could all seem pretty demonic under the right circumstances.

The song’s continuous repetition of the chorus also speaks to how bland Rose finds her life now. It’s just a cycle of unfulfilling days doing the same thing with the same tired energy following her around. Unfortunately, that’s just her habit.

Evolutional by Big Data: J Rosales

V: This song largely centers around J’s relationship with her mother, Mariabella Rosales, and how J wants to make her own future rather than the one her mother wanted for her. In that lens, a lot of the lyrics to this song are honestly pretty self-explanatory.

It's my future, not a mystery These games that you play, you're my history Not your possession, you don't own me Said it's all for the best, I disagree

J takes ownership of her own future, leaving her mother and the stardom she was born into in the past. She’s not just her mother’s child; she’s her own person, too.

Ooh, boy, what you gonna say when I walk away? (Got a mind to eliminate) Ooh, ooh, boy, what you gonna do when I'm not with you? (I'ma show you another view)

J would much rather walk away from the whole situation. I have no idea what Mariabella’s reaction was when J walked away, but I have to imagine she wasn’t happy about it. J would probably enjoy that fact.

Gonna make a change, gonna rearrange Improve myself, I don't want your help

Something I like about the lyrics to this song are that they focus on how J has taken ownership of her future rather than just rebelling against her past. Yeah, she changes from her past, but she does also “improve herself” in the sense that J has still found her way to an incredibly successful career, Ultimate-level worthy, through her own enjoyment of SFX. She doesn’t want her mother’s help to become famous, but she still thrives on her own terms.

Used to build me up, used to knock me down Thought you were so clever, who's laughing now? Are you listening? Do I have your attention? I'm telling you now, I'm your final invention

J, as we know her, currently seems to have gotten the upper hand against her mother, given that she HAS become unrecognizable to most people and got to live out her life in relative privacy. I’m sure her mother is aware of this, though, meaning that J is the one “laughing now.” And, of course, if Mariabella is feeling like an Endeavor kinnie, she might see J as her “final invention.” Ryan is younger, but still, J is the evolution of the Rosales bloodline.

Remember the Empire by House of Heroes: Xander Matthews

A: Remember the Empire is a pretty general song about rebellion, which means that it definitely fits Xander, but not necessarily with the same specificity as some other songs. However, there are still some good lines to talk about, so let’s get into it.

Stand, stand up! What choice have they given us?

Remember the empire, Tear the king from the throne!

While possibly not as medieval as House of Heroes intended it, the rebellion that Xander asks people to stand against is definitely about taking down a king. Or, more specifically, a Duke. I doubt that Duke is actually a king by divine right or anything like that, but if you say that he was the old money ruler of the town in which Xander lived, there’s hardly a difference when it comes to modern day. “Remember the empire” is about Xander remembering both his family and hometown in the ways he wishes they would have stayed, and “tear[ing] the king from the throne” will at least restore that kind of peace to other families and homes.

Fight for the life that our children should have, Fight for every freedom that we never had, There's no turning back all the bridges are burned, Our peace must be earned, so

Again, Xander is focusing on children because he was a child when the river in his town was poisoned. Speaking of rivers, sometimes they have bridges over them…? But also, “burning bridges” just means ruining your relationship with someone, which Duke Spurling definitely did.

While I would say that the majority of this song is more about Xander’s backstory than his (brief) time in the killing game, there are still a couple of lyrics that I think speak more to that time period than his past.

Here they threaten with murder and bribe us with peace. Here they treat us like slaves and convince us we're free.

MonoTV sure did threaten them with murder! And bribe them with peace, too: given that Xander attempted to kill Teruko before the motive videos were actually given out, the main motive for the majority of the students was the temptation of going back to their peaceful, everyday lives.

“Treat[ing them] like slaves and convinc[ing them they’re] free” is a bit of a stretch, but who says I’m not flexible? MonoTV and the killing game establishment want the participants to believe that every decision they make is on their own terms– if a student chooses to become a killer, it’s about the despair secretly hidden inside of them, and not the external pressure of being put in a month-long life or death situation. But, the students are still “slaves” to both the headmaster, the structure of the killing game, and, in Despair Time’s case, the entertainment industry.

We wrote it down in blood, in blood. We gave our lives for love, for love.

Also, while Xander didn’t actually write out an accusatory dying message in blood, the blood around his neck and on his fingers were relevant to the case. He is also (probably) related to the blood falling on the pieces of paper in DRDT’s opening scene, and certainly the recipient of the “kill Teruko Tawaki” note, which was written down to call for Teruko’s blood.

Similarly, while the direct reasoning behind why Xander decided to kill Teruko is yet unknown, it really feels to me like it would be “for love” of something. Love of the rest of his classmates? Love of Mai? Love of the world? Whatever the case is, he gave his life for it. Remember the Xander– tear the song from the list!

SAD (Clap Your Hands) by Young Rising Sons: Whit Young

A: There is precisely one section of the lyrics that made me believe that this song was for Whit.

I've still got memories to repress But I still hear my mama saying If you're sad and you know it And you don't want to show it Clap your hands If you’re sad, that's okay You can clap it all away Just clap your hands

This part screams Whit so hard to me. Whit represses his emotions and memories about his home so that he can pretend that everything is fine. Whit’s mom is very important to him, and is more likely than not dead, such that anything she says would have to be in a memory. Much like how “bitter things should go down the drain,” Whit always chooses not to show his sadness, deciding instead to play things off as jokes.

Erase any unease you have with these two simple steps! Step 1: Clap! Step 2: Profit.

So, anyways, that’s clearly the best part of the song. What about the other parts? Well, they are probably making Whit into a bit angstier of a character than he actually is. Probably. (V: Yet. He will have angst. We can all feel it.) Compared to people like Xander or Min who have their own bonus episodes, or even people like Arei or Rose whose backstories have been explored a bit more in canon, we don’t actually know that much about Whit’s past. And, yes, I know that we literally got an entire scene almost entirely focused on Whit’s backstory. The problem is, given that he likely has a history of… omitting information, one could say, we don’t know how much of what he’s said about his past is true, and how much might be reframing things in a more positive light.

Still stuck in bed Try to remember how Unscrew my head That's too left brain right now

[...T]hey say that if I try That I could maybe be someone But I'm scared because I know deep down That day may never come

Shut up and be happy It's all in your head Grow up and be happy 'cause it ain't that bad That's what my doctor said

Like, all of this could be true about Whit, I dunno. Or it could be false. To try to end this on a smart note, I’ll try to explain each of these sections as best I can.

Whit is probably a more right-brained person, to the extent that that model means anything, because of his strong intuition and innate understanding of how others are thinking and feeling. The left brain helps you with sequencing and facts, two things which Whit probably tends to ignore.

There’s definitely an argument to be made that Whit doesn’t see himself as a particularly talented matchmaker, despite being an Ultimate. When Charles asks him to break up the fights between J and Arturo, Nico and Ace, and Arei and MonoTV, Whit deflects, saying that he’s only a matchmaker, not a relationship counselor. (Charles points out that he didn’t bring up anything about matchmaking at all, which implies that Whit may frequently feel out of his depth when asked to do things as a matchmaker and is used to coming up with excuses.) Whit’s sales pitch for himself as a matchmaker in the prologue is basically a joke, too. And then, there are the details thus far only brought up in his character profile: he dislikes Valentine’s Day, and has never been able to succeed in finding a relationship for himself. That failure to matchmake the perfect partner for himself (assuming he’s interested in that kind of thing, but he does say he likes boys and girls and was confirmed as bisexual in a Q&A) may make him insecure in his skills, and thus in his future as an Ultimate.

Of course, his bio also says that “if you get the Ultimate Matchmaker to find you a romantic partner, you’re guaranteed to have a happy and stable relationship for life,” so do with that what you will.

And finally, Whit did ask other students about their prescriptions, and seems to have some familiarity with mental health issues, given how he was able to help Charles. I mean, any good doctor would not actually say “grow up and be happy ‘cause it ain’t that bad” to someone struggling with their mental health, but my point is that the lyrics could have some extra meaning for Whit if he did see a doctor for whatever in the past.

Look, like I said at the top, there is precisely one section of the lyrics of this song that made me think it worked for Whit. The rest of the song does not make as much sense, but the guy was hard to pin down. And, hey, it’s not our fault that Good Grief was already taken–

Killer in the Mirror by Set it Off: Teruko Tawaki

V: This song is such a #TerukoSweep. We were looking at songs and this was one of the first ones we locked in. It very clearly shows her shift after Chapter 1 to being more distrusting of everyone else, after both Xander and Min betray her.

Look out, they're closing in on you now Wake up, or you'll wake up six feet down Nobody's got your back in this town Knock 'em in the teeth now

Teruko quite literally has to wake up or wake up six feet down after Xander stabs her, considering she’s unconscious for a long time. After that, she fully believes she can’t rely on anyone, so she becomes much more aggressive to the people around her, pushing them away.

Out here, there's no negotiation No room to start a conversation Before you get a taste, it's taken Never let your guard down

This relates to how she doesn’t even want to talk to anyone after the Trial. She can’t ever let her guard down; that’s a large part of why she refuses Eden’s attention in particular. She can’t negotiate or start a conversation, because that, in itself, is letting her guard down– it’s opening herself up to friendship, which she no longer trusts.

Get back, put your hands up, kinda messed up, but it's tough luck

Tough luck you say? …Anyways.

And I'm sorry, but I don't feel bad for you 'Cause I know if you could switch this You'd be dishing out the same shit Saying sorry, but I don't feel bad

Teruko seems to hold the view that anyone could betray her at any time, and thus, they should all be considered enemies. She can’t feel bad for any of them, because they could all do the same to her.

Now I know there's no one I can trust I used to think there was Tell me that I'm cutthroat I think you got your eyes closed

This is the same kind of thing. She can’t trust anyone, even when she used to think she could, because Xander and Min’s betrayals proved that not even those closest to her could be trusted. People say that Teruko is cutthroat for turning her back on everyone, but to Teruko, they don’t see the facts. She’s not being cutthroat, she’s being cautious. 

Feel the fear and swallow back the tears Let weakness disappear

This relates to Teruko cutting out her friends because they’re weaknesses, etc. etc.

There's nobody but me here The killer in the mirror

This is actually one of the harder lines to justify in my opinion, because Teruko hasn’t actually killed anyone. …That we know of.

I’m kinda just banking on Teruko’s likely secret of “How could I even select what secret to be your motive? Just about everything you’ve done in your life is worth killing for. The killing game is all your fault” in addition to any inflicting-bad-luck-on-other-people-like-with-Min type situations being enough to justify calling Teruko a killer, at least in a hypothetical sense. If she really is responsible for the killing game (questionable) then she’d sort of have killed Xander, Min and Arei at this point.

The other verses’ lyrics definitely fit too, but it’s really just a lot of repeating Teruko’s philosophy. She doesn’t trust anyone for her own safety, she can’t have friends anymore, all that deal. Classic Teruko.

Conclusion

V: Thanks for getting all the way through this post! This thing ended up WAY longer than we meant it to. Still, I guess it makes sense, given that we tried to pick songs we thought had strong lyrical basis for the characters. Hopefully you enjoyed, coming from me and Accirax :)

A: Yippee, essays over! Thank you for reading. Now go listen to our immaculate taste in music some more (/lh /nf). And the original playlist, too! We could all use a little more DRDT brain rot in our lives.

[iamatrashbag]

In defense of Levi Fontana (SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 2!!)

A very popular theory going around is that Levi is the chapter 2 killer. This is mainly because he is one of the few who hasn't had a secret revealed yet, and he's had relevance with Ace in this chapter.

The only secrets that haven't been revealed thus far are Levis, Veronikas, and Hus (I'm pretty sure but I could be wrong). Due to Hu having recent relevance and Veronika not having lived her full potential yet, Levi is the prime suspect. But I stand here today in defense of him.

I don't think Levi Fontana is the killer, I don't think he was even involved in the case besides a minor interaction with the true killer. Here I will discuss why it wasn't Levi, and who I think the culprit is

How do we know Levi is innocent

Its hard to know for sure if Levi is 100% innocent, but if he's the culprit, he got god damn lucky. Let me run through my thought process.

Arei was hung with her own weapon, the rope that referenced her whole birthday trauma (for those who forgot, Arei was given ropes on her birthday, people told her to hang herself)

This was only ever discussed that one time in the dining hall, and let me provide a screenshot on who all was in there

4 people were not present in the dining hall at this time, the 4 were...

David

Hu

Rose

Levi

Meaning, these 4 would have no idea about the significance of Areis rope. But I'll admit this reasoning is shaky. There's no proof that the culprit even knew, and even if they did, Arei could've admitted it at some other point off screen to them.

So that means Levi is still a suspect, right? Wrong.

I have more proof that proves Levi innocent

We all know at this point that the murder method was hanging. Due to Areis broken neck, it's hard to imagine anything else being the cause of death (I'm not gonna get too far into the murder method here)

However, this method would be highly unnecessary for Levi. The creator confirmed that Levi is the strongest person among the cast in the chapter 2 part 1 ask box

He could've easily gone for something simpler, like blunt force trauma. The more steps you put into a plan, the more chances it has to mess up afterall. But he didnt.

The culprit instead chose an intricate way of killing Arei, a way that could be easily avoidable if your as strong as Levi.

Anyone else would need this method because Arei is imaginably quite athletic, due to being a bowler. It isn't immediately clear if Arei is stronger then anyone else except Levi.

He could've just invited her to the playground and whacked her over the head with a dumbell, but instead, there was a much more thought out plan done, why?

Simple, because Levi is not the culprit.

Still not convinced? I have one more piece of proof

The grippy tape

Incase you aren't aware, I'll go over what was found during this scene.

While Teruko is investigating, you can clearly see the tape at the scene

Its in the middle of the box, but you can see it through the text box too

But as soon as Ace wakes up, the tape disappears

But you might be asking, how does this relate to Levi? He wasn't even in the room and we don't know if this was the tape the culprit used

Except we do know that this is the tape the culprit used. The proof is in the scene between Teruko, Arei, and MonoTV

MonoTV didn't want Arei throwing the rope out, because it'd be "such a waste"

So if the tape wasn't taken by someone intending murder, MonoTV would've likely brought it back or even replaced it being as careful with inventory as be is (due to budget)

But he didnt

If it wasn't being used for a murder, MonoTV wouldn't have wanted it to go to waste, therefore it would've still been there.

But it isn't, which means the tape that was at Aces murder scene was the one used in Areis murder.

And that in turn proves Levis innocence, because he was in his room at the time of Nicos attempted murder against Ace. He couldn't have taken the tape.

...so who did?

The true culprit

The tape was taken at Aces crime scene, which means the 4 people there are our prime suspects

Teruko

Eden

Nico

Ace

One of those 4 had to have been the one to take the tape and kill Arei, but which one? We can figure it out by process of elimination

First off, we can rule out Nico pretty easily. They left almost immediately after Teruko and Eden walked in, and the roll of tape was still there after they left

That leaves 3 suspects, and I think I know how to prove 2 of the 3 innocent

Rule 10 states the BDA will not play until 3 people who didn't witness the murder find the body.

Now, without knowing the murder method, it's pretty clear the killer could've just looked away and not looked at the murder by technicality.

But, Eden was already framed by the note, and showed that it wasn't in her handwriting, why would she change her handwriting just to frame herself?

So that leaves 2, and this wasn't Teruko since she's the god damn protagonist, but if you need proof, she doesn't even know what her secret is, and wasn't paranoid enough to kill for it by any means.

So that leaves one suspicious individual

Ace Markey.

Why the culprit is Ace

I have multiple reasons for suspecting Ace, even beyond process of elimination.

Starting off, the tape disappeared right after he woke up, it's a weird detail to include, especially seeing as Eden got knocked over, and (once again) Teruko is the protagonist and wouldn't have taken it. So it only could've been Ace.

But is there proof of Ace taking the tape? We didn't see him take it, so it could've easily been Teruko despite her being the protagonist.

Yes, yes there is, and it comes right after they leave the gym

Ace refuses help to heal his wound from Levi, Eden, and Teruko.

One would think this could just be Ace being his Ace self, but I disagree.

I think Ace didn't accept help because he didn't want them to find the tape on his person. Granted, there'd be no reason for them to search his pockets, but Ace has always been a paranoid person, I doubt he'd want to take that risk.

If he didn't have tape, I bet he would accept help from atleast Eden. He may be obnoxious but he's not an idiot (when it comes to self preservation)

So if Ace had the grippy tape, and the culprit had the grippy tape. That means Ace is the culprit.

But I still have more pointing to Ace

Recall back to episode 2 of chapter 2

Ace took the band used for physical therapy, look at the width of that band

It sort of matches the width of the marks on Areis wrists, almost as if that's what she was restrained with.

And even besides both of those points

Ace offered to protect the body first, he could've very easily manipulated something with it

These could both be seen as coincidences (especially the guard duty one), but when you add the grippy tape point to it, the coincidences start to put together a scary picture

I have one more piece of evidence pointing towards Ace as the culprit, the motive.

I don't mean this in a bad way for anything, but an eating disorder isn't a secret to kill for.

Dont get me wrong, eating disorders are serious issues and deserve to be taken extremely seriously, but I don't think it's worth risking your own life and attempting to kill everyone else in your proximity over (I really hope this doesn't sound insensitive!)

But a big point of this motive is that; the cast didn't know what their secrets are

Ace was a paranoid person to begin with, and with secrets being revealed, he likely thought the worst out of the situation, thinking his life would be ruined if his secret was revealed

But why? If his darkest secret is his eating disorder, how could that ruin his life?

2 points help me explain that thought process

First off, once again, Ace had no idea what his secret was

And second off, he didnt even know if he remembered his own secret.

It's already a fact that the cast lost alot of memories, that was confirmed way in the beginning. But it was confirmed that the cast doesn't need to remember their secrets

Ace likely thought he could've forgotten something horrible about himself, and killed to prevent it from getting out

Conclusion

In conclusion, Levi Fontana is not the killer, there were aspects of this crime unnecessary and unavailable to him. However completely avaliable to Ace, and with everything stacking up, it's safe to assume he's the culprit

This is my first time writing a big thing like this, so if you have any questions or critiques, I'd be happy to answer!!