#Drv3 has made me insane

[ndrv3expert1]

Why Post Game AUs Hit Different

Hear me out, okay? Post-Game AUs in the sense of Danganronpa hold a special place in my heart. They’re what first brought me into the fandom space, they’re some of the first fics and fanart I made, and yeah, I know it’s kind of weird, but there’s just something about them that I can’t shake.

When I first sat down to write this, I stared at a blank screen for hours. I really wanted to talk about this topic, especially since no one else seems to have tackled it in depth before. But I was stuck. At first, all I could think was, "I want the V3 cast to be happy and alive," and, "I love angst."

However, after re-reading some of my favorite post-game fanfictions and really reflecting on them, I realized there’s so much more to this AU than I initially thought.

Post-game AUs are so compelling because they dive deep into themes like healing, found family, rediscovering happiness, self-identity, and the truth about fame.

These themes are what make the stories emotionally impactful and really connect with readers. They make you think, and they allow the audience to resonate with the characters and the world they inhabit.

For example, when I read about Kaede digging her nails into her neck, desperately trying to pry off the chain that dragged her to her execution—a chain she never actually wore—it makes me stop and think. It makes me feel something.

Or when I read about Maki having nightmares about killing people and being tortured, even though she never actually did. Those moments resonate deeply, and I find myself thinking about them long after I’ve finished reading.

Then there’s Kokichi, atoning for his past mistakes and opening up, allowing himself to be vulnerable. And when I see Ryoma discovering that there are people who genuinely care about him, it hits so hard.

It’s like watching that final, epic battle in a movie that everything’s been building toward. It’s satisfying, and it gives you an ending you can feel content with.

I know a lot of people complain about V3’s open ending, but honestly, if there had been a definitive conclusion, we might not have gotten all the creativity that’s poured into post-game fanfics and fanart. The beauty of that open ending is that it left so much room for fans to craft their own narratives—nothing feels too absurd because there was no ending at all.

And I’m not going to talk about every single post-game fan art or fanfic that’s completely changed my view and perception of post-game, but some of these fics have inspired thoughts that go beyond just the post-game world For example, It’s Just Showbiz got me thinking about the reality TV side of fame and made me start headcanoning Tenko as a trans woman, which I hadn’t considered before.

Here Comes the Sun shifted my perception of Kiyo, showing me a different side of him that I hadn’t thought about in the context of the original story.

The Friends We Used to Know led me to a rabbit hole of exploring platonic Chabahara, which opened my mind to new dynamics between characters.

These fanfics didn’t just change how I think about post-game—they expanded how I view the characters and their potential after the events of the original game.

There are so many vastly different takes on what happened to the V3 cast after the events of the game. (Well, all the casts, but V3 is the most prominent in the post-game space, followed by SDR2.) Some interpretations focus on the survivors struggling with guilt, forced to carry the weight of everything that happened. Others bring back the dead students in different ways—some with injuries reflecting how they died, some as puppets controlled by Team Danganronpa for publicity, and some just living happily together in a one-bedroom apartment.

Some fics depict V3 as the final game, while others frame it as just the beginning of something even bigger. Some characters signed up willingly; others had no idea what they were getting into. Post-game AUs are completely open to interpretation, with no right or wrong answer. Sure, you could say the same for Hope’s Peak, non-despair AUs, or even pre-game stories, but there’s something about post-game that just hits different. Maybe it’s the characters. Maybe it’s the themes. Maybe it’s the perfect balance of angst and healing. I can’t fully explain it—but it works.

Post-game AUs are more than just a way to keep the story going—they’re a way to explore what happens after the cameras stop rolling, after the killing game ends, after the characters are left to pick up the pieces. They allow for healing, for growth, for alternate interpretations that make us rethink everything we thought we knew. And maybe that’s why they hit so hard.

No matter how many versions exist, no matter how different the interpretations may be, post-game AUs will always be special to me. They take everything I love about these characters—their struggles, their resilience, their ability to change—and push it one step further. They remind me why I fell in love with Danganronpa in the first place, and why I keep coming back.

I love post-game aus so much and I can’t wait to see what other incredible stories and art will come from this space, because if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that post-game AUs aren’t going anywhere.

[backpackevil]

Yeah no we're talking about this actually (post in mind)

I'M NORMAL ABOUT BOTH OF THEM BTW DW

[zedleaked]

What is your opinion on drv3 chapter 2... or just kirumi and ryoma's story/dynamic?

[Lyrics from: 'Julie vs. Robot Julie' by ARTHUR]

I'm probably biased but OUGHGHFGH CHAPTER 2........

It's a running thing with me but I tend to really like the chapter 2s in each game,,, probably cause they involve characters I like [i.e: Mondo, Chihiro, Fuyuhiko, Ryoma, etc.]

[read more if you want to read my rant bc I wrote more than I usually do]

From the very start Ryoma was really interesting to me, especially in chapter one when he offered himself as a sacrifice to stop the time limit,, It was nice to see him slowly get better and try to find a reason to live... but uh... we eventually get to see what happens...

Kirumi on the other hand didn't really catch my eye as much, well I mean her design goes hard but for me, she faded into the background a lot...

Also holy shit this chapter probably has one of the best body discoveries in the series. The chill I felt when Ryoma's body just fucking appeared in the piranha tank and seeing it shortly get torn apart really made an impression on me. It was obvious that something was going to go wrong during the magic show but that was still so shocking to me. Out of all the games, V3 is definitely the one that made me audibly go: "NO!💥💥💥!!!!!" the most

It kinda makes me wish that Himiko and Ryoma had more of a connection before his death or at least had Himiko acknowledge his death more... not only did someone die in her show that was supposed to distract everyone from the killing,, but it was someone who was actually pretty nice to her... But also to be fair Himiko represses her grief a lot, only really letting it out during chapter 3. I dunno I just want the depressed mage and the depressed tennis pro to be besties, is that too much to wish for? <//3

The trial was pretty alright,, to be honest, I was a little annoyed at Himiko for still sticking to her magic shtick even after someone fucking died but I think that was made up for when Kirumi got accused. Oh boy, I said Kirumi didn't catch my attention earlier but this trial made me like her so much. The manipulative shit she says during the trial activated my brain cells, she was willing to deceive the people she'd been surviving with to try and essentially save the country...

It feels like a more personal version of the trolley cart problem: Would you fight alongside these 13 people you've gotten to know and survive with, with the slim chance that you might escape? Or would you take the risk and purposely kill all of them to fulfill your duty and save a whole country? It's debatable if what Kirumi did was really 'selfless' or not. It made her really interesting to me.

And finally... oh my god, Ryoma, man.... The reveal that his motive video was empty and that he had no one to live for broke my heart so badly <//3 poor guy has gone through too much. The fact that he gave up like that, offering himself up to Kirumi is so... RGHARGHR!!!! 💥💥💥,, PLEASE.........

Even though I really wanted Ryoma to survive, I thought that chapter 2 was a depressing but fitting end for him. Like it really sucks bad that he wasn't able to find a reason to live but not everyone can have a good ending unfortunately... I just want to grab him and shake him around GRUGAHRGHH 💥💥💥

so uh in short: me likey chapter 2 I go insane every time I think about it.................

[lunarle-old]

What keeps you motivated to write fan fiction? Also, love your drv3 x pressure fic :3

Just the fact I can, to be honest. Before I started posting to ao3, I had my "Great Big Book of Oneshots", which was a google doc I'd just write write write in until I hit Google Docs' character limit and had to make a new one.

The reason I can keep writing as much as I do is because A), i'm hardly ever affected by writers block. When I am, I just do something else until I can sit down and lock in again xD Forcing myself to write will never be productive. B) it's fun!! It's so much fun!! Why would I want to stop something objectively enjoyable ??

and C) ao3 and Wattpad.

I love writing, and I love fanfiction. I started out on Wattpad and eventually fully migrated over to ao3 because the ads kept pissing me off, but I have read so many amazing stories on both sites. I loved seeing more of my favs, especially in the Situations. and on the rare occasion it's something i relate to and find personal comfort in ?? ohhhh boy. buddy. it's so nice. I wanted to be a part of that ^^

Part of why I only had the confidence to keep posting fanfics is because everyone was SOOO so nice </3 and I've gotten some comments here and there that are kind of rude or :/ (one of which i find absolutely hysterical and i can NOT get over it. commenting that i "don't see kokichi as a character outside of saiouma" is a crazy thing to say on Fever Frost, the saiouma despair disease fic where kokichi has the attachment disease LMFAOOOO. I should write another despair disease fic) But really I think I was expecting....way less. as of right now my Tumblr has like 150+ followers iirc which . like...woah......... when did that happen. Last time i checked my followers was to giggle at it being 53 and then BOOM. insane behavior. what the hell was the original ask

Oh yeah motivation . Having such good reception to my fics has definitely helped in the whole self-confidence department, and it has helped me a LOT in terms of my anxiety. Whether Im posting my fics or not, I am always writing fanfiction, no matter if its in my Oneshot Volumes or for ao3 (´▽｀*)

Nowadays I just really really like ao3 for its archival use. I reread my own fics a lot because there's no other extensive Shuichi whump fics :( and ao3 has made that a lot easier. The more comfortable I get on ao3 the more insane I'll probably become, so if you see something called The Lyre Room just know that's where I've gone completely off the deep end xD

sorry for the yap session i like talking about myself @_@; And also Thank you!!! :D Unexpendable was a pain in the ass to write and i am NEVER doing something like that again but i love how it came out. crazy cus the first ever fanfic i posted ever was a crossover fic. the history book had a roommate or something idk

alright im not rereading allat press post

[chihirolovebot]

Hello!

I’m so nervous as I type this that I’m shaking haha, but I really wanted to tell you just how much I love reading Sleep Awake. I’ve never been so obsessed with a fanfic as much as this one, I binged reading the 85 chapters in like two weeks and I couldn’t help but start from the beginning again. I just couldn’t let go and read something else yet, my ADHD is hyperfixated. I was actually in the process of reading it when you updated in February and I was so shocked I jumped and cheered.

Your writing is genuinely so beautiful and inspiring, and it made me have new appreciation for characters like Tenko who I never cared as much about prior to this. I love every moment between Phys and Kiibo too, they deserve the world. The dimension you give to the story is incredible, and I sobbed my eyes out at the end of the 5th trial. Not to mention, I felt genuine fear that Phys would die when they killed Kiyo. That’s how invested I was, despite the fact that there was still 30 or so chapters left lol. I’ve read a lot of fanfiction, but I had never been able to pinpoint an exact story that was my favourite until your masterpiece came along. Sleep Awake is my favourite fanfic, by far. No competition. I almost want to write my own story now, just because I was inspired by yours. I cannot get enough of your writing, and I was so excited when I saw you had written those aus and alternate ending pieces.

I feel that your understanding of Kokichi is so real. Rewatching DRV3 has me comparing the original to yours and I honestly think that they are pretty identical. The subtle care he gives to Phys always makes my heart soar in ways I cannot express with words. I think my favourite chapter was when he checked for Phys’ pulse in the dark. When I tell you I was feeling my heart beating- It was just such a vulnerable moment that really showed how close they had grown. He wouldn’t have felt the need to make sure Phys was alive if he didn’t. Now that I’m rereading it though, I can see all the times he tries to reassure himself that Phys is okay and I just- heart attack, I swear.

I almost never talk about the things I like to read to other people because I’m so shy, but I couldn’t resist yapping about your story to my best friend so much I accidentally convinced her to read it lol. I’ve taken college courses in creative writing, and reading a good story that I have to analyze to really understand gets me so excited. Sleep Awake is just so well written, and I think it deserves more readers. Your talent is immeasurable and I bet if you were a Dangan character, you’d be the Ultimate Writing Prodigy! (Sorry Toko, your role has been usurped)

Sorry if this is super long or weird. I just couldn’t keep my admiration in. I hope your exams have been going well! Have a great day/night!

BUDDY IM SO SORRY THIS GOT BURIED UNDER SOME BOT SPAM . BUT HI . HELLO. HI. HOLDING MY HEART OUT TO U WITH MY TWO HANDS. WHAAT THE HELL.

cool so this almost made me sob. this is one of the kindest messages ive ever received, thank you so so so much genuinely . please never feel nervous to talk to me btw im a creature. im peeling a cheese string as i type this if that helps bring me down from any kind of pedestal for you. i dont even know what to say im just so pleased and touched and grateful for how detailed and sweet this message is like,, im just so happy the story affected you in any kind of way. for you to say its your favourite is insane /pos. you probably know updates are slow right now as i do my last year of university but man, comments like this really keep me going and i dont ever want to understate how much they help me in my darkest moments of doubt (which im getting a lot at the minute) its really people like you who make me remember why im doing this. this came at a really needed time and im so grateful.

you should absolutely write your own stuff, btw!! if it happens to be fic i would be excited to read it if you felt like sharing it with me :D im sure it would be fantastic .

thank you so much again my angel i hope u have a beautiful week <333

[whattheskyknows]

The way "13 Students Remain" has made me appreciate DRV3 so much more than I already did, it's insane--it's like experiencing it for the first time all over again. The characterization, the exploration of relationships that were originally glossed over in-game, the deep-dive of character flaws and strengths that the OG didn't have time to cover.... I've reread it too many times and still giggle and kick my feet the whole time

Aaaaaa thank you so much!!!

Honestly one of my favourite parts of writing 13 students is being able to explore relationships that didn't get the chance to shine in the game.

DRV3 means a lot to me. I care a lot about its characters and I must admit that playing the game wasn't enough for me ahaha. I wanted to write something that let me explore things the game never got the chance to cover :3

I'm super happy that you've enjoyed my fic!!! I hope you also enjoy the last few chapters once when they're posted!!!

[transgender-eichi]

your turn mutual! Top 3 Danganronpa and Enstars characters! :D

big essay type paragraph, so it's under the break:

aahh its been so long since i played danganronpa!!

since i've only played the official games, my faves from eacj game:

Trigger Happy Havoc: Leon Kuwata

rest in pieces. Idk what it was about him but i just really liked him. His design, his personality, his struggles. He defo didnt get enough development (since he got executed first...) but he's my top fave i think. I just really like him.

DR2 Goodbye Despair: Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu

again, i dont really know why i like him, i just love LOVE his character arc in the game. he's just a little guy tbh. He's also my only fave that actually survived in the games lmao

DRV3 Killing Harmony: Kaito Momota

I LOVE HIM. he deserved better :(. although i dislike how they ended the series with the whole meta thing, i have to say i still liked the game alot. Kaito could be a little annoying but i genuinely loved him. He just wanted to be an astronaut man. Love him

I should really replay the games tbh. I have them all on the switch-

ENSEMBLE STARS!!!!

1. Tomoya Mashiro

oh my god i love this boy so much. genuinely. I cant even remember when i started liking him, because he wasn't my original favorite character. It was his RELOADED card that got me into his character though. I'm a big zombie and zombie apocalypse guy, and seeing this little guy in a ZOMBIE APOC THEMED CARD!! made me go a little insane. And it just kinda spiralled from there- I love his design, his personality, his interests, his struggles, his interactions with the other characters- he's just an incredible character to me. He's the "Average" boy, but he's honestly so, so much more than that. He's the leader of Ra*bits, (my favorite unit and imo the best one~), he's an incredible actor, he reads manga, he loves animals (he's got like a disney princess-like power with animals-), he loves his omurice, he loves idols, he loves his unit, he's just so passionate. His insecurities speak to me personally too, and it's like this little guy was made just for me. He may seem cute and plain, but he's such a nuanced character. It's the way that, since he feels boring surrounded by all of the chaos and such from the idol world, he's able to stay right-minded- such as in the RELOADED story. He's so insecure about being forgotten or being uninteresting, and he wants to stand out because he believe that he isn't impressive or special enough to be a good idol, and he works on that every day. He's a leader, and a friend, and can bring a certain bluntness and reason-mindedness when he needs to. He's just, hands down, my favorite character in the entire game.

2. Mao Isara

Mao was my first ever favorite in the game, and has constantly remained a favorite of mine since the beginning. This can be partially accredited to my bsf ( @autisticmao ) lmao, but also i just honestly love him. He's so underrated and such an interesting and deep character, with a beautiful voice, appearance, and personality. I genuinely love him as a character, and always will.

3. Yuzuru Fushimi

It's actually also Ky's fault that i started liking yuzu aswell, even if they somewhat deny it. They introduced yuzumao as a ship to me (which is one of my fave ships still tbh) and i kinda just started loving his character. His backstory is so interesting and the way he interacts with other characters, and his personality, and just. He's such an interesting character. I may not be the biggest finé fan (im defo not an eichiP, despite my username), but yuzuru's just different for me. I love him quite a lot for many reasons.

aaandd that's all! if you wanna know more lmk, im happy to share :D

especially about tomoya. i love him sm.

ofc there's other characters i like quite a lot, but these are my top faves.

[newdanganronpaversionthree]

Hi! Hope this doesn't come off as weird but I did just spend two hours scrolling through your blog- It made me feel way too many feelings. I just wanted to share my appreciation for your content, I suppose

doesn't come off as weird at all, i'm glad you liked it. this is a very highly emotional blog, i think, even if i don't exactly feel it when i make the posts. much of my analysis of DRv3 comes from the fact that it is a parody of the first three games and the fandom it gained, it was a rushed messy production that i am absolutely fascinated with because it reads as a Kodaka vent game rather than a serious entry of the series. Even with it being in an alternate timeline adds to that feeling. Due to my time in the danganronpa fandom growing up, knowing adults around me in real life including my dad who played the games, and most importantly being popular in the danganronpa kin community has given me this view: while the characters in danganronpa are exaggerated caricatures for the most part, i knew these teenagers for real. i knew these "bad kids" these "delinquents" i knew them both online in danganronpa kin communities, but also in real life new wave spiritual-religious cultesque groups my parents had me in growing up as a homeschooled child. something that is extremely poignant in the original text of NDRv3 is how insanely childish the characters are, one of my favorite translations posted by @oumakokichi literally repeatedly has to assert that- yes, even in the original text, these characters are THIS childish. and its meant to hammer in the aspect of child exploitation in these games, which were subtext in the original games but direct text in NDRv3. i know many kids both online in these danganronpa kin communities (many of who ive known in real life) but also many kids in performing arts connected to catholicism and christianity that have these exact experiences and act these exact ways, and i find that so fascinating to look at.

this has become a bit of a ramble. needless to say, this blog is meant to be an ode to the bad children and awful teenagers who grew up and realized their badness was a reflection of the world around them. i find the way NDRv3 tackles these ideas absolutely fascinating more than any other piece of media i've seen before especially due to the fact that i almost think a lot of whats being said is accidental. either way. it is something i feel very passionately about, and i hope that comes through on this blog.

[ibuki-loves-you]

Drv3 boys(or any of your choice) with a s/o that's mikan reincarnated(not literally just personality and action wise very similar)

DRV3 Boys with a S/O that is like Mikan

Warnings: Mikan's personality/actions

Mod Ibuki: This was so fun to write! Sorry if it's a little repetitive

Shuichi:

Oh boy-

Shuichi and you are both shy

But you moreso than him, so he gets really protective

He wants no one making fun of you or using you

One time you thought he was mad at you

You were nonstop apologizing and offering to take your clothes off

His heart shattered

"S/O, I'm not mad I promise! You did absolutely nothing wrong. Don't worry, it's okay."

When you get like this he just holds you and pets your hair

And gives you lots of forehead kisses

If you ever fell in front of him he would try to prevent it by either catching you or warning you

If he doesn't then he just helps you up and covers you if need be

"I-I'm sorryyyy!" "It's okay, baby. Don't apologize, it's okay."

When Kokichi began trying to make you upset, he was livid

"Hey, S/O! You're making me really angry!" "Am I?! I-I'm so sorry! I-I'll take my-" "Shut up, Kokichi. S/O, you did nothing wrong. He's trying to upset you. Ignore him, he isn't worth it." "O-Oh..."

Shuichi just wants you to be safe, and he's willing to do a lot for you to be that

Kaito:

Kaito thinks your shy nature is adorable!

Like Shuichi, he is also very protective

He doesn't want anyone cough Kokichi taking advantage of you

Kaito gets really upset when you apologize consistently

He's been trying to work with you on it

"I-I-I'm so s-sorry!!!" "S/O, babe! It's okay! You did nothing wrong! Don't apologize!"

Kaito doesn't mind that you are clumsy

It just gives him a reason to hold onto you!

But if you do end up taking a fall, he's quick to help

And rip anyone who makes fun of you a new one

Before you two were dating, Miu frequently insulted you

Almost every time she did you freaked out

"Ahhhhh! I-I'm sorry!! I-I'll take m-my clothes off if y-you want!"

Kaito shut that shit down quick

"S/O, no. You don't have to do that."

If you ever thought he was mad at you, he'd be pretty sad

"S/O, I promise you that I am not mad. I swear on every star in the sky."

Boy loves you so much and just wants you to be the best person you can be

Rantaro:

As soon as Rantaro saw you he immediately wanted to protect you

No one ever really tries to fuck with you because Rantaro will get mad and since it's pretty hard to make him angry everyone got freaked out

Everyone learned that the hard way

First time Kokichi tried fucking with you Rantaro handed his ass to him on a silver platter

"Hey, S/O! Heard you can do animal impressions super well! Mind showing me what a dog looks like?" "O-Okay..."

Rantaro never pulled you to his chest so quick

"So help me, Kokichi. Don't you fucking dare."

No one really heard him swore before so everyone was freaked out

If you took a fall in front of him, his reflexes are quick

If he couldn't catch you, he's insanely fast you help or cover you up

No one is catching a glance at you don't worry

If you ever thought he was mad at you, he'd immediately go to comfort you

"I-I'm sorry! I-I d-didn't mean to upset y-you!"

"No, baby please. Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong. You did nothing to upset me. I'm not mad, either. I promise. I'll even pinky promise."

Rantaro loves you so so much just let him hold you I'd make his entire life <3

Kokichi:

At first, Kokichi thought it was hilarious

He thought you were just shy

Until you offered to take your clothes off because he started fake-crying

Ever since then he hasn't played intense pranks on you, teased you, etcetera

No one has ever seen him actually care about someone

So it was a shock when he snapped at Miu for making fun of you

"Fuckin' slut! Why don't you offer to take your clothes off for me!?" "I-I'm s-sorry! I-I will if y-you want!"

"Listen you fucking skank. They aren't gonna do that for you because you don't control them. So why don't you carry your sorry ass to your dorm and go play with yourself."

Miu was appalled, just like everyone else

She just cowered away and muttered an apology

Kokichi is well aware that you are clumsy

If you're embarrassed because of a fall, he'll trip too

Or start crying to divert attention

Say you land in a rather awkward position, he will cover you up as soon as he sees and if anyone looks he will throw hands

If you were to think he was mad at you for some reason, he would feel so bad it's not even funny

"S/O... I'm not mad! I couldn't be mad at you. You're too cute to get mad at! You did absolutely nothing wrong, so don't apologize!"

You're Kokichi's soft spot <3

Ryoma:

Never once has he laughed or made fun of you

If anything, he lowkey pitied you

Although Ryoma is small, he can and will fuck someone up for you if it came down to it

One time he nailed Kokichi in the shin with a tennis racket for telling you to act like a cat

"Say it again, I dare you."

Kokichi didn't bother you for a while

If you ever thought he was angry with you, poor boy would have mixed emotions

He would be upset but also angry with himself for making you think that

"Hey... I'm not mad. I don't think I have the ability to be mad at you. I promise, you did nothing to piss me off."

Ryoma can't really catch you if you fall, but he's quick to try and help you up

If you are exposed in some way, he will stand in front of you until you fix yourself

He will protect you for as long as he lives and that's a promise

Gonta:

Gonta was kinda clueless when it came to you

You were shy? Okay!

Even though he didn't really understand, he knew some things were wrong

Like when Miu would insult you and you'd either cry or offer to please her

"Miu! That's not nice! Don't say that to S/O! You don't have to do anything you don't want, S/O!"

Ever since then Gonta got pretty protective

If you ever thought he was mad, he'd probably bawl

"G-Gonta not mad at S/O! Gonta promise! Gonta not mad at all!"

Falling is 50/50 with him

Half of the time he catched you beforehand

The other half you fall and he feels bad

But either way he shields you and helps you up immediately

"Because it's what gentleman do!"

You're like a butterfly to him

Fragile and something that he wants to keep safe

Korekiyo:

Kiyo found you facinating

Your timid nature drew him to you at first

He would merely talk to you and try to be your friend

"Is there a reason why you are so shy, dear?" "O-Oh, I got b-bullied a lot...I-I'm sorry! I should k-keep my sob story to m-myself!" "Please don't apologize. I would like to know as much about you as you'd let me." "O-Oh...o-okay..."

Ever since that first conversation he kept you out of harms way

One day, Miu started insulting you (as usual)

"Ahhhh! I-I'm sorry! I-I can t-take my clothes off i-if you want!" "Hell ye-!" "Say such a thing again and I will be sure to make the next trial yours."

He worked with you a lot after that about offering to take your clothes off in return for forgiveness

"Darling, you have no one to please except yourself. Your body is yours and you should not offer to display it to those you don't want to. Especially if they are unworthy of seeing such a beautiful sight."

If you ever thought he was mad at you, he would be quick to tell you otherwise

"Never, my dear. I am certainly not angry with you. I swear, I don't think I possess the ability to be angered by you."

Kiyo has helped you grow so much, and that's the most beautiful thing in his eyes <3

Kiibo:

When Kiibo first met you, he had a strange feeling

He went to Miu about it and laughed in his face

She told him he was feeling protective

"What a strange feeling...should I act on it?" "Hell yeah!!"

"S/O, I have a feeling called 'protectiveness' towards you." "O-Oh! I-I don't know w-why you'd have such a feeling towards a n-nobody like m-me..." "Don't say such things! Would you like to accompany me to the library?" "I-If it's not a b-bother..."

Miu wouldn't make fun of you, she actually considers you a friend

Kokichi though

Another story

"Hey, S/O! You really pissed me off yesterday!" "Ahhhh!!! I-I'm so sorry!! D-Do you w-want me to take off m-my clothes?" "No, S/O! That isn't necessary! He is lying and is trying to make you upset!"

Miu would deal with Kokichi don't you worry S/O

If you ever thought Kiibo was mad at you, he'd be so confused

"What caused you to think I was angry? Actually, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you know I am not mad in the slightest."

If you ever took a fall in front of him, he would help you up immediately!

But if you fell in a suggestive position, he'd crash

Tenko would rush to help you if that happened

Then she'd curse him out on his degenerate male robot brain

Moral of the story, Kiibo wants to protect you from anything that comes your way! And trust me, he will not fail you!

[ndrv3expert1]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

M. Motive

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

B. Brutality

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

B. Bias

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

C. Context

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

O. Obligation

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

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

[shslrose]

Promise - Mondo Owada x Reader

It’s been a few days since the killing school life began. So far, no has died, but you’re still nervous. You had promised Taka that you’d come to the morning meeting in the dining hall, so when the morning Monokuma announcement plays, you make your way there.

It wasn’t long before you were standing in front of the door to the dining hall, when you suddenly ran into none other than the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader himself, Mondo Owada. Honestly, you find him quite attractive, or, you would, if he wasn’t so scary. He is the leader of the most feared biker gang in all of Japan, after all.

You recall the first time you met him easily. You had entered Hope’s Peak Academy one morning, walked into the entrance hall, fainted, and then woke up in a classroom you’d never seen before. When you had made your way back to the main hall, a group of Ultimates was waiting there.

The group seemed to have broken out into unorganized confusion, but a boy with black hair and red eyes took charge immediately. 

“May I please have everyone’s attention?!” He called out, and everyone turned to look at him. He then introduced himself as Kiyotaka Ishimaru, the Ultimate Moral Compass. He went on to suggest we all introduce ourselves to each other so that we could understand our situation better.

Everyone seemed to agree to his idea, so you turned around and introduced yourself to the first person you saw: a tall boy with a strange haircut, wearing a long black coat and baggy pants. He looked like something of a delinquent, but you also found him rather attractive.

“Um, hi,” you said softly, slightly intimidated by his height and aggressive demeanor. “I’m Y/N… Y/N L/N, the Ultimate [talent].”

“The name’s Mondo Owada, nice to fuckin’ meetcha.”

You snapped back to reality, blushing slightly as you realized you had been staring at him for a few moments while you were lost in thought.

“Oh,” you said softly. “Good morning, Mondo.”

“Like hell it is!” he scoffed. “The day I beat the stuffing outta that goddamned bear, that’ll be a good fucking morning.”

“O-oh..I guess you’re right,” you said, a bit dejected. Before he could say anything else, you opened the door to the dining hall and walked inside. 

“...Damnit!” He exclaimed, letting out a frustrated sigh. He hadn’t meant to be so aggressive, he just couldn’t help it. His problem with aggression was only aggravated by the fact that he found you to be utterly beautiful, which made him nervous in your presence. 

A few minutes later, and all fifteen of you had gathered in the dining hall. It seemed like a normal morning, until Monokuma showed up.

“I’ve got a beary big surprise for you all!” exclaimed Monokuma. “Can you guess it? Can ya? Welllll, you don’t hafta, cause I’ll tell ya! It’s a special video for each of you showing you what’s going on outside the school!”

A...video...showing you...what’s going on...outside the school…?

“Outside the school?” Makoto asked. “What are you talking about?”

“Why dontcha just watch it, and find out?!” Monokuma retorted.

“Fine,” replied Kyoko, who sat in the back of the dining hall. “Then we can go to the A/V room and watch it right now.”

Monokuma disappeared, like usual, leaving the group confused. Curiosity and confusion dominated the conversation that broke out as everyone tried to make sense of Monokuma’s actions.

Eventually, everyone decided to go watch the videos, and so the group made their way to the A/V room. Makoto had gone ahead first, and when you arrived at the room with everyone else, there was a grave look on his pale face. Quickly, everyone grabbed their individual DVDs and rushed to a monitor.

When you watched yours, a video of your family appeared on the screen, wishing you good luck at Hope’s Peak Academy, but then the video suddenly changed to an image of your home that looked completely destroyed. If that weren’t bad enough, you saw blood splattered across the wall.

Blinking back tears, you stumbled away from the monitor. You began to hear outbursts from your classmates, but it was all muffled to you.

“This.. this can’t be real…!” “No.. no way…!” “What..is..this?!”

You couldn’t process it at all. The black and white bear, this killing school life… none of it made any sense. 

“N-no,” you mumbled quietly to yourself. There was a part of you that realised you were trembling, but you didn’t have the energy to try to stop it. “Why..why is this...happening…”

“Y/N?” Taka called out, noticing your distress. “Are you alright?”

You barely even heard him. Desperation and fear struck you, and you quickly ran from the room, tears clouding your vision.

Without a thought, you stumbled into an empty classroom. Your mind was completely blank as you tried to make sense of everything that was happening. You were scared for your family, and you were scared for yourself. What if someone tried to kill you because of the motive video they watched? Anxiety and fear built up inside you quickly...

You had no idea how much time had passed when suddenly the door opened, revealing none other than the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader himself.

“Ah, Y/N! You’ve been gone all day, everyone was worried…!” He exclaimed, smiling at the fact that he had found you, before his expression was quickly replaced with a look of concern. Your face had gone pale and your eyes were nearly vacant. 

Before you even knew what you were doing, you rushed forward and hugged him, pressing yourself firmly against his chest. 

“Oh! Y/N..?” You could hear the surprise in his voice, he hadn’t expected you to hug him, but he quickly wrapped his arms around you in return. He noted to himself that it was a man’s job to comfort a girl in distress, and he was determined to do just that. Even if he wasn’t exactly sure how.

“I’m..so scared…” you cried, feeling the weight of the situation upon you. “I don’t..wanna die..” “Hey, c’mon...it’s alright, you know? D-don’t cry…” He tried his best to comfort you, but he wasn’t sure exactly what to say. Still, his words and his presence managed to calm you enough, and allowed you to take in your situation.

“...!” The realization that you had just walked up to Mondo and hugged him unprompted hit you like a turn of bricks. Your face turned bright red with embarrassment as you pulled away. “I-I’m sorry…!”

You looked down at your hands, too embarrassed to make eye contact with him. Mondo turned away too, as a blush began to cover his face as well. 

“Tch, it’s no big deal,” he scoffed, trying to play it cool. “Besides, it’s not like I minded…”

You heard him mutter something under his breath, so you asked, “Huh?”

“I didn’t fuckin say anything…!” His blush deepened as he spoke.

“...”

“Anyways...you don’t gotta cry anymore, or feel scared, alright?” There was a confidence in his words, like he was certain in what he said.

“What do you mean…?”

“I’m gonna make you a promise, as a man!” There was a smile on his lips and a light in his eyes that you hadn’t seen before.

“A promise...as a man?”

“Hell yeah! It’s the one thing my big bro always told me! He said that no matter what, a real man always keeps his promises. Always. So, I’m gonna make you a promise as a man: I’ll protect you, and we’ll escape this school together, no matter what,” Mondo promised earnestly. “Okay?”

“O-okay..”

“Good! You can trust me when I make that promise, so now you don’t gotta cry, or feel scared, see?” He was still smiling, and by the time he finished his sentence, you were too. You hugged him again, pressing your body against his once more.

“Thank you, Mondo, I really do feel better,” you told him honestly. With the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader on your side, you felt completely safe and reassured. 

Without warning, Monokuma appeared before the two of you. 

“Ah!” You exclaimed, breaking apart from the embrace. Mondo quickly stepped in front of you, protectively. 

“Monokuma...I’ll rip ya to shreds!” He roared, clearly irritated.

“Mondooooo!” Monokuma sang cheerfully. “It’s standing up!”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Mondo shot back.

“Come onnn!” Monokuma replied in the same cheerful tone. “Do ya even hafta ask?!”

As he realised what Monokuma meant, Mondo blushed for the third time that day.

Monokuma didn’t wait for a reply, and continued on. “Your flagpole! It’s standing up!”

“Get the fuck outta here!” Mondo shouted, and unexpectedly, Monokuma listened and left the room.

“Standing up…? Flagpole…?” You muttered, confused, which only seemed to make Mondo blush harder. “What did he mean?”

“Tch, w-who the hell knows?! I-I mean, that bear’s fucking insane! A total psycho freak, ya know!”

“Yeah, you’re right,” you agreed, before taking a quick glance at the clock on the classroom wall. “It’s nearly nighttime…”

“Hey, how ‘bout I walk you back to your dorm?” Mondo suggested, having calmed down.

“Sure, I’d like that,” you replied.

And so, the two of you made your way through the halls of Hope’s Peak Academy together. Although you were still scared by the killing school life, Mondo had made a promise to you, and you found comfort in that promise.

------

Read Part Two here!

------

a/n - requests are currently open, for dr1, dr2, and drv3! <3

[toxicpineapple]

HI IM ANON THAT ASKED FOR HCS and i just wanted like hmm a general like hcs for the whole cast,, but i would gladly appreciate a ‘taro ramble too <33

okay, well, to begin with, i do have a post of drv3 character headcanons already, so you can go and check this post out for your outdated juice. i honestly made this post months ago though so a lot of the headcanons on there are. kind of wonky. i’m gonna go ahead and correct the ones that have changed real quick and then add on new ones.

- bi kaito and maki? LAME!!! kaito and maki are homoromantic asexuals and i don’t take constructive criticism. (bi kaito and maki headcanons are so valid i just prefer them as homosexual now LFKDSJFKJD anyway akamota rights)

- actually they’re all asexual? hehe. the love hotels aren’t real they can’t hurt me. i’m gonna list ace headcanons now

- shuichi: sex positive asexual

- kaede: sex indifferent asexual

- kaito: sex repulsed asexual

- maki: sex repulsed asexual

- miu: sex indifferent asexual (side note, if anyone comes at me for my ace miu headcanons i’m literally gonna commit a murder)

- kokichi: sex repulsed asexual (but good at repressing his sex repulsion)

- rantaro: sex repulsed asexual

- himiko: sex repulsed asexual

- tsumugi: sex repulsed asexual

- tenko: sex repulsed asexual

- angie: sex positive asexual

- kiyo: sex positive asexual (but experiences sex repulsion due to trauma)

- ryoma: sex repulsed asexual

- gonta: sex indifferent asexual

- kirumi: sex repulsed asexual

- kiibo: sex indifferent asexual

- um. i lost my train of thought. oh. okay. so i gave kokichi depression back when i made this post and i think that was a weird thing in particular to saddle him with. i don’t think kokichi is like, a-okay and all the time, but i think he tends more towards manic than depressive. which isn’t to say that he can’t be both, but there’s a vibe and kokichi doesn’t have it

- regardless i gave kaito depression. suffer bitchboy

- while we’re talking about kaito, HOO BOY, i am a kinnie. sorry about this, anon. kaito has asthma, which isn’t a kinnie thing, but he also plays the ukulele, which IS a kinnie thing. i mentioned that he can knit. that was true. he also bakes!!! and he has had a series of hyperfixations throughout his life in this order:

- disney movies (ongoing)

- pirates (elementary school)

- musical theatre (first year middle school)

- frogs (second year middle school)

- tennis (third year middle school)

- also kaito has a crush on ryoma! haha! did i mention i don’t take constructive criticism! anyway

- let’s talk about trans headcanons :)

- shuichi, kokichi, maki, kaede, himiko, and tenko are all binary trans no matter what work i’m writing them in. even if i don’t tag it and it doesn’t come up at all, assume they’re trans! because they are and i don’t take constructive criticism

- BIG fan of nb kiibo, rantaro, kiyo, angie, kirumi, and kaito. just, real big fan

- all trans headcanons are valid periodt!!! except transmasc tenko we don’t.... we don’t like that in this house. please take your transmasc tenko elsewhere

- while i do think that himiko’s master committing suicide was One Hell Of A Take on my part, i’m pretty sure he just left. he just ditched a child because she was better than him. that’s all. y’know that one oumeno fic where he dies and everything is nuanced? yeah. he was just, a shitty person, that’s all it was. i’m sorry himiko you deserved better

- ummmmmmm himiko autistic! himiko autistic. she cannot STAND the texture of denim or sweats, it is just. The Unhappy Texture

- delicately eyezooms. low empathy mugi? low empathy tsumugi? hewwo, low empa

- kokichii is very good with kids! just exceedingly good with children. it’s because he is one himself

- kaede has two dads :)

- himiko’s parents are divorced. she lives with a single mother. as one does from time to time

- rantaro, if he finds all his sisters, eventually settles down as either a teacher, a therapist, or a school counselor. so like the first two or a combination of them

- kaito knits under the bed. why does he do this? i don’t know. he doesn’t know. it’s a thing, just go with it.

- rantaro sees a lesbian and thinks, “hmmm. she could use an emotional support himbo” and then just does it. kaito does this too but he hyperfocuses on like. two or three lesbians at a time. rantaro spreads himself thin between the lesbians. amamota and lesbians guys get into it

- mwahahaha (pushes my amamota agenda onto you) they’re dating and in love!

- coffee headcanons :)

- shuichi: black. as black as his soul. which is to say very black. not because he’s emo he just likes the colour

- kaede: a bit of cream and sugar, nothing excessive. kaede stays up late on hyperfixation energy alone she doesn’t need no coffee

- kaito: a couple sugar cubes but no cream

- maki: ... a lot sweeter than she’ll admit

- rantaro: milk and sugar with a side of coffee

- gonta: gonta prefers tea! but he’ll take coffee when it’s offered, as gentlemen do. he likes it with a bit of cream, but no sugar

- kirumi: black.

- ryoma: black

- himiko: she prefers apple juice. himiko gets nauseous on coffee

- tenko: DOES NOT DRINK COFFEE!!! NO!!!! COFFEE IS AN ADDICTION IT’S BAD FOR YOU!!!!!!

- angie: angie doesn’t drink coffee either but when she does you have to fill the damn thing with mostly milk or she will be absolutely unbearable

- kokichi: you really wanna give this little adhd gremlin coffee? are you insane? (he’ll take it with an egregious amount of cream and sugar but he doesn’t mind it black)

- miu: black and like six or seven cups of it at a time

- tsumugi: a little bit of cream but no sugar!

- korekiyo: he really prefers tea but kiyo will take coffee either black or with a touch of cream

- kiibo: haha.... he’d like to know what coffee tastes like.......

- scent headcanons :))))

- shuichi: books, cinnamon, rose tea, coffee

- kaede: honeysuckle, morning dew

- kaito: axe body spray, banana bread, old spice

- maki: fresh snow, dry cleaners

- tsumugi: fabric stores, honey, lemons

- korekiyo: incense, perfume, old books

- kiibo: metal

- kokichi: linen, sugar

- rantaro: evergreen trees, fresh laundry, incense (finesses jim’s hcs)

- miu: coffee, machinery, rosemary shampoo

- kirumi: mild floral perfume, dark chocolate

- gonta: trees, camp fires, pine needles

- angie: paint, clay, daisies, salt water

- himiko: strawberries, clean laundry, hot chocolate

- tenko: cherry blossoms, tatami, maybe a little bit of sweat

- ryoma: mint, rubber

anon i probably have more but my spoon count just went down, i hope you appreciate this list, such as it is FLKSJDFKLSDJFj i’m!! really passionate about these guys. i’d also love to talk about rantaro’s specific relationship with each member of the v3 cast so like........ shoot me an ask if there’s interest i guess FLKDSJFLKDSJF

or if there’s interest in anything else!! i love answering these you guys are so sweet, tysm <3

[pan-inc]

SDR2 Boys +Chiaki Figuring Out Their S/O Is FtM

  Blank (Aka Mod Rantaro) was working on part SDR2 and DRV3 of the boys when they have a crush on you, but she dislocated her wrist part way of writing them and insisted she finish them herself, so I decided to do some work and write this with some ideas from Blank since I’m not too good at making ideas ;;

  I don’t think I was too specific on whether or not they’re FtM or MtF, so go ahead and change the pronouns if you need!

  (I myself am not transgender and don’t know anyone who is, so I’m very sorry if I get some incorrect information on you guys)   Non-Despair AU

  Y/N- Your Name   D/N- Dead Name

-Mod Chihiro

Spoilers under the cut

  (Warning, there is a tiny bit of dead naming in this but not in a ‘them trying to be transphobic or rude’  way, just them not knowing your actual name yet.)

Hajime Hinata

  Not even gonna hide it, I headcannon Hajime as FtM as well, so let’s just go with he hasn’t told you about how he’s trans either.

  “YOU’RE TRANS?! WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME BEFORE WE EVEN STARTED DATING D/N?!”

  Him calling you by your now dead name made you flinch slightly, “I-Im sorry! I knew that you would be grossed out and stuff, so I-”

  “Grossed out? Why the hell would I be grossed out by you being trans?”

  “Y-You just got mad... Mad at me? And... A-And......” You are very confused, his mood switch from yelling to being concerned was a bit too much to deal with over the heart-pounding anxiety of coming out to him.

  Your anxiety dies down a little and confusion rises through the roof once Hajime hugs you as tightly as he can, “I wasn’t mad at you being who you really are, I was just... A little upset that you didn’t trust me with this information earlier in our relationship, but I guess I have no room to talk.”

  You hug him back while not processing the last part of his explanation, snuggling your face into his neck instead. “I also have something to tell you.” “Hm?”

  “I’m also trans,,,,”

  So after you two coming out to each other he takes a little bit to get used to your new name, and he promises to himself that he’ll buy you literally anything you need from The Store™ to feel comfortable once he gets a hang of your name.

  If you feel ~dysphoria~ before then, he will not hesitate to let you borrow some of his baggier clothes and possibly even a binder if your body hates you enough.

Nagito Komeada

  You wanted to talk to him about your transition, but he just started rambling on and on about hope. You were getting a little upset (so was Hajime, but a lot more than just a little upset.) but your anxiety about him not accepting you forced you to stay quiet and just let him ramble.

  “God Nagito, if you’re not going to shut up for me at least do it to hear what D/N has to say.” Hajime snaps, shutting up Nagito.

  “Y/N...” You whisper softly in an attempt to correct Hajime, but he doesn’t hear.

  “Okay, what do you need D/N?” He seems slightly upset that Hajime interrupted his preaching, but lightened up when he started talking to you.

  “Please call me Y/N!” You accidentally shout, quickly covering your mouth, “Sorry for yelling...”

  Hajime, despite not knowing how to spell without help, clicked it in his brain what you were trying to say to Nagito, so he quickly excused himself and walks away.

  “I’m sorry Y/N, what do you need?”

  “I, uhm... You’re bisexual right? So, that means my transition won’t be too hard on you right?”

  Nagito tilts his head to the side, but then quickly picks you up and hugs you.

  “My wonderful Y/N is so amazing, don’t be filled with so much despair just because you want to come out to me!”

  Honestly, what else would you expect. He’s insanely supportive of your transition and thinks of you as an even more special hope that he isn’t deserving of. 

  You might have to reassure him a bit more than you usually did, but it’s 100% worth it in the end.

  Will totally lend you his jacket.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu

  To be honest, you came out to Peko before getting anywhere close to coming out to Fuyuhiko. You knew he loved you with all of his heart, but you were worried about if that would change if you transitioned.

  Peko was really supportive, but she had let it slip a few times to Fuyuhiko.

  Thank God Peko is smart enough to make a smooth recovery to make sure Fuyuhiko doesn’t find out before you’re comfortable with him knowing.

  After a bit of encouraging and planning from Peko, you finally decided it was time to come out to him.

  You walk up to Fuyuhiko, who was talking to Peko, and pull on his suit sleeve as gently as you could while still gaining his attention. “Huh? Yeah D/N?” “Can we talk about something?” You respond, trying to not sound too serious to try to not scare him.

  Fuyuhiko looks at Peko, back at you, then back to Peko, as if asking for permission to leave the conversation.

  “Go ahead Young Master. Our conversation can wait.” She smiles and walks away, leaving you panicking to yourself and a confused Fuyuhiko.

  “U-Uhm... Does the Kuzuryu Clan support same sex relationships?”

  “Huh? The hell? Why do you want to know that?”

  “Because I am now the second leader of the Kuzuryu Clan, Y-Y/N! A-And now your.... Your b-boyfriend?”

  “Well fuck, they better support gays and transgenders or they’re getting kicked out and fucking murdered.”

  Peko smiles in strong Ally.

Kazuichi Soda

  Big think.

  Was he into guys? Before he got to know you, a gal (Sos if you aren’t), better he was enamored by Sonia, also a gal.

  From what you know, he’s never liked any guys, so what if he wasn’t okay with dating you when you transitioned?

  (Spoiler for later in this scenario, he’s bi-curious uvu)

  You decided to come out to him using your knowledge that he taught you about making electronic stuff.

  It was hard to hide that you were making something from him. but with a quick “I’m making a gift for you, you’re going to be so proud of me!” He (reluctantly) leaves you be to create whatever your creating.

  After a long bit of working, you had finally finished.

  Two little doll-like items (Kinda like Mini Maru) that looked like Kazuichi and the real you. The Mini Y/N was holding a trans flag and Mini Kazu had a blank flag that can be changed at a later time, and the two Minis had their arms intertwined.

  “Kazu~! Look look, I’m done with my project!”

  He turns and looks at your invention. “Oh, what is this D/N? Is that me? Who’s that?”

  “It’s me and you of course!”

  After a bit of his confusion, he understands and supports you greatly. Like a simp 

Gundham Tanaka

  After thinking about the pros and cons of every possible way to come out to  G U N D H A M  T A N A K A , you just decided to come out to him in a more straight-forward way after brainstorming with Sonia.

  You run up behind the slightly embarrassed G U N D H A M  T A N A K A who was being complimented by Sonia and jump onto him, almost making him fall over onto poor Sonia. After giving her the signal she excuses herself and makes her escape.

  After getting off G U N D H A M  T A N A K A ‘s back and calming him down from his extremely blushy state, you start panicking over what to do again.

  ‘What if he doesn’t like me because I’m a guy? What if he’s transphobic? Love isn’t the purpose of life, but he’s been such a huge part of me that I don’t even know how I’d be if he was gone. You’d be so lost without him-’

  “Fallen Angel, are you alright? My skin didn’t poison you, did it?” He asks, obvious concern in his voice.

  “Oh, no, it’s not that.” You take a deep breath, look up at him, and push your anxiety as far down as it can go.

  “I-I don’t want to be your Queen a-anymore!”

  “You... Don’t want to be my Queen?” There was a lot of pain in his voice and you realize what you said.

  “T-That’s not what I meant! I want to be your Queen of the Underworld and Overworld, b-but I would...” You take a deep breath, “I would rather be your K-King!”

  He pulls you into his arms and hugs you as tightly as he can, burying his face into your neck.

  You hug him back, “Also, please call me Y/N.”

  “Anything for my King. I will tell my Devas of this news so they do not make you uncomfortable.”

  Sonia is very happy about the energy she has created in the studio today.

Nekomaru Nedai

  I’m not very good at writing for Nekomaru so I’m gonna have to skip the coming out part, I’m very sorry if you wanted to read you coming out to him TvT

  But anyways~

  He isn’t the brightest light bulb, so he does his research.

  If you wear chest binders he’ll panic quite a bit but after asking you and gaining more knowledge, he goes less hard on you when it comes to exercising.

  Your binder is giving you troubles? Fucking take a break, take it off, B R E A T H E.

  Oh, you want muscles to look more ‘manly’ like him? First, he will let you know that you don’t have to look ‘manly’ to be who you are. If you still insist then he will help with your want.

Teruteru Hanamura

  Before you officially got together he would flirt with practically everyone no matter their gender, so you were pretty confident about him not leaving you because he’s ‘NoT gAy’.   So uh

  I’m horrible at writing him

  So just know he’s supportive and doesn’t really mind that you transition.

Chiaki Nanami

  “Hey Chiaki? Can I talk to you about something?” You walk into her room with your beautiful flag in your arms.

  “Yes D/N?” Chiaki hums, not looking away from the screen of whatever she was playing.

  You drape your flag over your arms and then wrap them around Chiaki’s neck in an attempt to hug her from behind, “Please call me Y/N.”

  She looks over at the flag and after a bit of the wheels in her brain turning, it clicks in her brain what you mean. “Okay. Is there anything else you need, Y/N?” You smile at your names coming from her and sit next to her properly and nuzzle into her hair while using your flag as a blanket, “Just your support.”

  She smiles softly, “You already have that bunny, you should know that already. Also, tell me if my nicknames make you feel uncomfortable.”

  Very supportive, will get into the head of anyone who says anything mean to you about you being transgender.

  But besides that she doesn’t really make a big deal of you being trans. A gud gorl.

Ultimate Imposter

  He’s someone who can and will be the impostor of anyone no matter their gender (’Cuz that’s his whole ultimate) So he absolutely wouldn’t judge you for changing genders, right?

  So I’ve rewritten this like 4 times, even with the help of Mod Rantaro, and neither of us know his personality very well so sorry about this.

  Either way, he’d be very supportive and buy you everything you need to feel comfortable in your body.

Izuru Kamakura

  Hm.

  Oh, you’re trans?

  Oh cool.

  So who are we giving despair to today?

[thundercracer]

Making Things Work

IruHaruMatsu DRV3

Maki likes her roommate, Kaede. Kaede has a girlfriend. Things were already complicated until she found herself liking her roommate's girlfriend, Miu, too.

Available on AO3

Maki’s eyes snapped open.

They were at it, again.

She laid there, exasperated, as she heard the tale tell sound of bed springs and moaning through the wall next door from her roommate’s room.

Maki felt a bit ashamed of just laying there, listening. She really could go somewhere else… but it was also one in the morning and she didn’t really feel like getting mugged or waking up Kaito to ask if she could crash on his couch. Again.

Irritation coursed over her and she fought not to growl. She’d never met Kaede’s girlfriend; but she’d certainly heard her. Whoever the girl was, she keened like a bitch in heat whenever Kaede brought her over. And she was over often.

She’d been fighting off her crush on her super pretty, piano prodigy roommate for months now, and the fact that the girl had a girlfriend she brought over to fuck several times a week did nothing to help Maki’s predicament. It just made her insanely jealous of a girl she’d never even met.

Finally hearing them calming down, Maki grumpily turned over and tried to fall back asleep, but then noticed the uncomfortable feeling of wet fabric between her thighs.

“...Damn it.”

The sun rose and Maki rose with it, as per usual. Though she had the inkling beginning of a headache, as she tended to when she had nights like that. She walked out of her room towards the kitchen; Kaede was definitely at work by now and her girlfriend always left super early. She figured it was so neither of them had to come face to face with the pissed off roommate.

She started a pot of coffee, knowing she was more than capable of finishing off the entire thing, and brought out some toast. She usually ate something of more substance, but it was just a toast and coffee kind of morning.

Sighing to herself, she failed to notice the sound of a door softly shutting and footsteps coming out of Kaede’s room.

“Oh,” she heard a soft voice from behind her and whirled around. “You must be Kaede’s roommate…”

She wanted to be angry enough to snarl at this girl - why was she even here in the first place? - but she stopped dead in her tracks. She hadn’t been expecting Kaede’s lover to be… so pretty. Fuck, I’m gay…

A taller, curvy woman stood in front of her. Long, strawberry blonde hair somewhat tousled - bed head and sex hair - tossed over her shoulder. She was adorned in fluffy pink pajama pants and one of Kaede’s band t-shirts.

“Sorry, I know I’m usually gone by now…” she murmured, looking embarrassed, “But Kaede woke up not feeling super great, so she called off work and asked me to get some stuff for her.”

Maki, suddenly feeling an intense case of cottonmouth, opted to stay silent. She didn’t trust herself to not say something rude or gay; or somewhere in between.

The other girl seemed uncomfortable with her silence, and shifted her weight onto her other foot. Though she didn’t seem intimidated by Maki’s scowling expression.

“Do you guys have any headache medicine? Any aspirin?”

Not saying anything, Maki trotted lightly towards the bathroom and grabbing a bottle of aspirin from the medicine cabinet. She turned to return to the kitchen, bumping into the chest of someone right behind her.

She followed me!?

And, Maki cursed her gay self. She was just at the right height for her face to be at chest level with her roommate’s girlfriend.

“Oh, sorry! I thought you were just showing me where it was. Thanks,” the taller woman plucked the bottle right out of Maki’s hand, as if the hadn’t just scared the living daylights out of her, and went back into the kitchen.

Trying to rub the blush off of her cheeks, Maki followed. The unnamed girlfriend was just… grabbing a glass from the cabinet and filling it with water before making her way back to Kaede’s room. As if she was already familiar with the place.

“What the fuck…” Maki grumbled quietly to herself.

She was pissed.

Not just because Kaede had her girlfriend over still; though she would have appreciated being able to have her morning to herself as was their usual unspoken tradition.

No. She was upset because she didn’t expect Kaede’s girlfriend to a) care so much about her and b) be so fucking attractive. She figured that Kaede picked up a fairly pretty girl who she would just have sex with throughout the week. Her own attraction to her roommate must have clouded her judgement.

She was a little disappointed with herself, only making her madder. Of course Kaede wouldn’t just “pick up some girl”. She was the kind of cheerful, outgoing individual who would fall in love with and cherish a woman. She would treat a girl right; and probably wouldn’t stay with someone who wouldn’t do the same.

Making out this girl to be some catty, awful creature was most likely a mistake.

And boy was it. The following weeks were a nightmare. She’d learned the girl’s name was Miu and she was coming over even more. Not just to seclude herself and Kaede in the bedroom, but Maki began coming home to the two of them watching a movie in the living room. Or Miu cooking in their kitchen. Or the two of them playing monopoly at the dining room table.

Somehow, Kaede’s girlfriend had begun integrating herself into both of their lives. And, as much as she wanted to be bothered - as much as Maki wanted to fuss and complain and gripe - she found herself liking this girl.

Miu was vulgar; she was nasty and talked too much and expressed extreme opinions no one really wanted to hear. But she was down to earth and honest and really was considerate, even if she didn’t know how to read a room.

She would stop off at the convenience store near their apartment and picked up Maki’s favorite coffee on her way to their place. She would do dishes if she noticed them in the sink. She was always tidying up around their place, seemingly never wanting to sit still.

“What’s up with Iruma’s weird cleaning tick?” she confronted Kaede one afternoon. “She acts like Toujou on crack.”

“Ah. Miu just doesn’t like not being productive…” She looked troubled. “I’ve been trying to get her to loosen up a bit and calm down, but I don’t think it’s working. The only ways she even gets a full night’s sleep anymore is… well…” her cheeks burned pink and Maki’s heart clenched painfully “You know…”

“Yeah.”

Kaede smiled sheepishly. “Anyway, she needs to constantly be doing something. Or so she says. I think it keeps her mind off of stuff. She doesn’t like to sit down and think. Or to be left with her own silence, really. I… don’t think it’s the best place sometimes.”

Maki could understand that… to a certain degree. While her own mind wasn’t all rainbows and flowers either, she preferred meditated silence to constant chatter. She didn’t feel the need to fill the space like Kaede’s loud girlfriend.

She found the girl curious. Strange.

Maki began thinking of the girl a lot. Her mannerisms, her attitude, her personality. She was intrigued. Just what is it that makes her tick? Maki wanted to know. Had to know. She found herself with an insatiable thirst for knowledge of this girl and it could only be quenched by figuring out what made those gears go off in that inventor’s beautiful blonde head.

Kaede seemed to find her curiosity both endearing and somewhat confusing. She responded happily when Maki prompted her about her girlfriend, seemingly happy that her roommate was finally taking an interest in her relationship. Not that she needs to know I’ve been obsessed with her relationship for a while, actually…

Though Maki could tell there was a part of Kaede that seemed… put off? No. More concerned with her sudden intrigue of her girlfriend. And Maki couldn’t blame her. Suddenly having your roommate be all up on your romantic business after meeting your modelesque girlfriend was definitely suspicious, and she knew that. She just couldn’t help it. She wanted to know what it was about this girl that Kaede found so attractive. So… dateable.

She wanted to know what Miu had that she didn’t.

But it… wasn’t quite as clean cut as that either.

There was nothing to be gained by her knowing that Miu liked cinnamon on her oatmeal. She gained no romantic advantage over Miu by knowing her favorite program was the Power Rangers. There was no upper hand in knowing that Miu loved the color pink, liked pressing flowers, and hummed to herself while she worked. Those were all just little things that didn’t make or break a relationship.

But she knew. Saw it in the way Miu would cook not only for Kaede but for Maki as well after both of them got home from a long day at work. The way she would sit anxiously, waiting for their approval before digging into her own meal; making sure it was good enough. Saw it in the way that Miu greeted Kaede with kisses and hugs after a rough patch. Saw how much care she put into her love with Maki’s roommate.

Maki knew all of this, and felt nothing bitter towards this girl. In fact… she was confused as to how she felt. She should feel resigned or at least… melancholy about how absolutely in love the two blondes were without her. Before Kaede confronted her.

“Are you in love with Miu?”

Kaede had an uncharacteristic frown on her face, as she looked at Maki. She sat cross legged on the stool in front of her and regarded her carefully.

“Huh?”

“You…” she ran a hand through her hair, seemingly frustrated. “Do you like my girlfriend? Like… do you have a crush on her?”

Maki blushed in embarrassment and confusion. “What are you talking about, Kaede? Of course I don’t… ‘like’ your girlfriend.”

Kaede looked like she wanted to be relieved, but remained unconvinced. “Are you sure about that, Maki? You’ve… been rather invested in her, lately.”

Maki scowled. “I just wanted to know a bit about her. See where you’ve been investing all your time. I don’t… I’m not interested in her that way.”

Kaede’s eyes widened somewhat and her lips parted in surprise. “Do you have someone else you like, then?”

That was too quick of a shift… Carefully, she nodded. “Yeah.”

“Who is it?”

She huffed a breath of frustrated air. “It’s… not important. They’re not single anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”

“But… you don’t know that,” she said, very serious. “You never know if someone is poly or not. Maybe they’d be alright with you joining their relationship. Never hurts to ask.” Maki couldn’t even interrupt Kaede’s excited ramblings, she was so taken aback. “At least you’d be getting your feelings off of your chest. Oh!” Kaede wrung her hands for a moment. “Unless you don’t like the person they’re dating?”

Maki winced. “You… could say that? I mean… it’s not entirely true-”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Rolling her shoulders, trying to break eye contact Maki grumbled, “It’s not that easy, Kaede… even if that was something I wanted to do, there’s no way to guarantee everyone involved would be on board. Not everyone is crazy like-”

“Is it me?”

“-you. Huh?”

Kaede, blushing softly, brushed a few stray blond hairs out of her face. “Is it me? The one that you like… Is Miu in your way?”

Maki’s heart caught in her throat.

“I’m right, aren’t I?” She pressed on in Maki’s silence. “You… kept trying to find something wrong with her and then you realized how great she is too. Maki, you like both of us. Can’t you see?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about-”

“Oh please!” Kaede threw her hands up in frustration. “You’ve been tiptoeing around our relationship for months! You used to act like me bringing my girlfriend home was an infestation of some sort and then, you finally meet her and, knowing your gay ass - don’t give me that look,” she hissed at Maki’s indignant stare. “Knowing your gay ass, you fell in love with her at first sight. She’s stunning and gorgeous and is actually adorable when she’s not being… a lot.”

“Kaede-”

“And she makes us dinner and cleans our house and she’s just a little too cute when she cries on your shoulder! And you get a little annoyed that she’s getting your shirt wet, but she’s so precious you can’t get mad! And you get mad at everyone!”

Maki felt her own tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. She’d never wanted to make Kaede upset… She hadn’t even realized she’d been falling for both of them.

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be sorry!” Kaede huffed, surprising Maki further. “I gave you a solution, and you can either take it and work something out with us or… do what you’ve gotta do I guess. But Maki, we’re not mad at you.”

“She knows!?” Did everyone know except me!?

Kaede sighed. “Not exactly. She thinks you’re mad at her because you’re always making sure the two of us are never alone and have been staring at her a lot. She… Look. Miu didn’t think I liked her until I basically kissed her and told her ‘I love you’, okay? She doesn’t understand when a person wants to love her versus when someone wants to sleep with her. She’s… had a rough time. If we want this to work, both of us need to be completely upfront, honest, and explicit with our affections towards her or she just won’t get it.”

“... Are you sure this would be okay?”

“We obviously need to talk things out with Miu. She might feel a little overwhelmed. She definitely has no idea; she’s not as observant as I am. She might think we’re messing with her at first and will probably get a little insecure. If you’re not serious about this, don’t get involved with her Maki.” Kaed glared at her, causing surprising chills to shoot down her spine. “I mean it. She’s had too many people hurt her, and I refuse to let you be one of them. Even me. And we’ve become a package deal; if you want a shot with me, you’ve got to be good to Miu too. That’s just how it’s going to have to be.”

“I’m…” Maki smiled. “I’m alright with that. Let’s talk.”

Miu seemed very confused - and noticeably concerned - when Kaede sat her down at the dining room table. The sudden phone call and request for her to come over to their place must have been somewhat jostling.

“We need to talk,” Kaede said, placing a comforting hand on her girlfriend’s.

Miu visibly paled at that. “A-about wh-what…?”

“Oh, don’t be like that Miu,” Kaede gave a gentle squeeze. “I’m not breaking up with you and there’s nothing ‘wrong’, okay? We just have some… things to ask you.”

“Uh… Okay?”

“I want to date both of you.”

“Maki!”

“What? You said to be blunt with her.”

“Not like that!”

Miu’s prior muted disposition flared up and her cheeks burned a vibrant crimson. She deeply inhaled in surprise and leaned back.

“You what?”

Maki turned to her. “I’ve had a… well… interest,” she huffed at Kaede’s expression, “Ok, fine. I childishly have had a  crush on Kaede for the longest time. I’ve liked her since before you started dating her. I’m not mad,” she reassured her, seeing Miu grimace with guilt. “I mean… not anymore. I’ll admit, I wasn’t super thrilled with the relationship at first. But… you’re wonderful. Both of you are just… great. And I’ve come to realize I like both of you quite a bit.”

Kaede grinned. “What do you say, Miu? Is there room for one more?”

“I’ve… never done anything like that…”

“Do you like me?” Maki asked, hopeful.

Miu wrung her hands, nervous. “Well… yeah. I… didn’t want to say anything to Kaede because I thought she’d be upset with me. I thought it was like cheating…”

Kaede frowned somewhat. “Well I want you to be open with us. If something is bothering you, we can keep an open mind and talk things out. Like right now.”

“Okay… Okay yeah. I want to try and make this work.”

“Good!” Kaede clapped her hands. “Now that that’s settled, let’s get something to eat! I’m starved.” She bounced up and started putting on a coat. “We can have our first date as a trio!” And she began rambling about an Italian place that was “to die for”.

“She’s… something else, isn’t she?” Maki turned to Miu - now her partner as well.

Miu’s lips curled slightly, murmuring, “A real character.”

Their hands curled around each other, tentatively, testing it out, as they made their way towards the door to their girlfriend. They would make things work.

[dynamite-derek]

My personal top-10 games of 2017

With 2017 slowly fading, it feels like my favorite games of the year are locked firmly in place. 2017 was a strong year and while it was hard compiling a list of my favorite games, I also feel pretty good about my list. That said, there are some games that I didn’t get around to playing that I feel had a good chance of making my list if I had gotten around to them. They are: Nioh, Resident Evil VII, Trails in the Sky 3 and Golf Story. After I finish Xenoblade Chronicles 2, I think I wanna tackle RE VII. Alas. Only so much time in the day. So, let’s get started.

10-) Splatoon 2 - Not the most original sequel ever made, but I had a lot of fun with it. Splatoon 2 carries a lot of what made the first one so great over to the Switch. There are some new features - including new weapons and a wave-based mode where a squad of human players takes on AI called Salmon Run - but it’s mostly more of the same. Given that this is only the second Splatoon I can look past that. I had a lot of fun with it and am happy that people who couldn’t experience the original on the Wii U can fool around with it now.

9-) Tekken 7 - I have a lot of love for the Tekken series. I remember renting and playing Tekken 3 for hours. I once wrote a way-too-long column about how Tekken 5 was like a love letter to fans. 7 was just a really solid new addition to the franchise. The character customization was super deep and allowed for very unique feeling takes on familiar fighters. It also has both Akuma and Geese, which is the closest we’ll ever get to a Capcom vs. SNK 3 it feels like. 

8-) Sonic Mania - I don’t buy into the belief that there has never been a good 3D Sonic game and I certainly don’t buy into there never being ANY good Sonic games. That said, I will definitely say that the series has had far more spotty entries than good ones. When I first beat it, I think I suggested that it was better than Sonic 3 and Knuckles. That’s insane. A Sonic game in 2017 is at least on par with 3+K, a game many consider to be the best Sonic game ever. And it’s made by fans! If I had to describe my experience with Sonic Mania in one word it’d be: joy. Shame Sonic Forces also came out this year, robbing me of all my blue blur joy.

7-) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - It feels insane to me that Zelda is only ranked at 7, but that’s how strong 2017 was to me personally. Breath of the Wild brought an entirely fresh feeling to the very stale Zelda franchise. Honestly, I hated Skyward Sword. I didn’t have a whole lot of hype for Zelda. If it wasn’t a launch game with the Switch, I might have waited to give it a go. ...Obviously the hype around it would have brought me in eventually. And it was totally different. It brought a world that was fun to explore with mechanics that were fun to tinker and experiment with. For weeks, people would post videos of them doing weird things with the various objects in the game. It’ll be interesting to see what a new Zelda game does. Will it be another big open world? Is this the new face of Zelda? 

6-) Cuphead - Aesthetically one of my favorite looking games ever made. It legitimately looks like a 1920′s era cartoon in motion. The visuals only aid in how great the game plays. It not only has a retro aesthetic, but in the gameplay department it also brings with it a retro-feeling difficulty. You have to memorize boss patterns, look for visual cues and have a quick trigger finger in order to survive. With the difficulty also comes the sheer joy of beating boss that is just dominating the hell out of you. I feel like I struggled for over an hour on this clown boss. I almost feel like I got lucky even beating him. His stupid charlie horses always popped up at inappropriate times. But when I managed to win, it felt like I really accomplished something. My only complaint about it is that I wish there were no run-and-gun levels. I just wanted to not play them and get back to the boss battles. They felt like an after-thought. 

5-) Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony - I did not see this game hitting me as hard as it did. I enjoyed the first two Danganronpas and even endured the anime, which served as a conclusion to the storyline that played out in the first two. DRV3 plays much like the first two games, but where it shines is the story. A big twist occurs in the first chapter and the hits just keep coming after that.Then chapter 6 hits and brings with it one of the best plot twists and endings I have ever seen in a video game. I’m not going to spoil the ending in case a person who wants to play DRV3 stumbles across this list somehow, but the last couple hours of the game hits the player hard and makes you think about narrative and story telling in general in a really interesting way. One of my favorite bits towards the end involves real life things about the game, like the logo. It’s just well thought out and compelling. Even if you’ve never played a Danganronpa, play this game. It also introduced my favorite character of the year Kokichi Ouma.

4-) Nier Automata - A sequel to Nier making my personal top-10 list probably isn’t that shocking. What is shocking is that Nier Automata has garnered praise from all over the gaming world and has become something of a surprise hit for Square Enix. There’s a good reason for this. Automata’s visual style, amazing music and depressing story telling help create a compelling world for the player. The story, as everybody is probably aware, is the real star of the show. It makes you ponder about life and humanity in ways rarely touched on in video games. One of the endings to the game, E, is one of the most effective ever. It really speaks to the player. I’m sure I’m not alone in sitting at the decision you need to make and really pondering it. The gameplay is also solid, but honestly a little weak for a Platinum game. Nier Automata feels like a miracle of a game and I’m thrilled that it has taken off as much as it has.

3-) Super Mario Odyssey - This game was just a pure delight. For years, it felt like they just weren’t making Mario games I was terribly interested in. I would never say Mario 3D World was a bad video game, but it just wasn’t what I wanted out of a Mario. It felt like a 2D Mario game in everything but the 3D gameplay. Mario Odyssey brings back the big worlds filled with objects to find seen in 64, Sunshine and Galaxy. The worlds were all really interesting too. I think everybody was excited to see New Donk City (Metro Kingdom), but to actually run around a realistic looking world as Mario really just feels surreal. It’s just great. It’s interesting to think about how Nintendo’s two biggest franchises took two different but equally successful approaches. Zelda completely flipped the script and tried to do something different. Mario refined what made some older Mario games great. Mario felt like a really polished Mario game, and honestly most years that will put it up there as one of the best games of the year.

2-) Yakuza 0 - I had always wanted to try to get into the Yakuza series before this year. The story just seemed too daunting to get into. There’s a lot of it, after all. I decided to give Yakuza 0 a shot because of its nature as the first chronologically in the series. I also saw hilarious screenshots, which helped to further my decision. I was hooked. Yakuza 0 not only tells an amazing story, but it gives you a world with a ton of things to do. There are amazing mini games - I found myself hooked to the Maid Cafe in particular - and a ton of sub stories to experience. You get to meet characters like NOT MICHAEL JACKSON, you can play Outrun, you can become a real estate mogul. Honestly, Yakuza 0 does a better job of creating what feels like a living, breathing city than even a Grand Theft Auto. Also, I just love Goro Majima. This game was so good that I played through Yakuza 1(Kiwami)-5 just to see what would happen to Kiryu and Majima. That’s not an insignificant chunk of playing time. But the world and story weaved by Yakuza 0 was so strong that I knew I wanted to be along for the ride. Play these games. 

1-) Persona 5 - I had to think long and hard about whether Yakuza would top Persona. In the end, I honestly feel both games are among my favorite games ever made. Persona 5 seems like a title that was made specifically for me. It is amazingly slick, has some of the best music I’ve ever heard in a video game (Specifically Rivers in the Desert), and features a cast of characters that I really deeply cared about. I wanted to see more of their lives and I was actually sad when Persona 5 ended because I knew it’d be a while before I saw Makoto Niijima or Yusuke Kitagawa again. There are things I’d like to see Persona 6 work on - it’d be great to see your confidants interact with more people for instance - but Persona 5 was a gripping experience and really spoke to me at times. And honestly, sometimes it’s fun to turn your brain off and just grind against demons in a dungeon. It was a close race, but I knew Persona 5 would be my favorite game of the year before the year started. It’s nice to be right for a change.

That’s all for now. I know this is tl;dr, but I wanted to write out my favorite games somewhere. 

[itsbenedict]

i guess i should actually put down some thoughts on new danganronpa v3

all i really knew about it going in was “it’s in a completely separate continuity from the first two games”, and “it sucks and has ruined the franchise forever”. i heard these things from multiple sources. thanks to that, i didn’t really have high hopes- i was on the lookout for stuff that had been half-assed compared to previous games.

having finished the game, i can say with confidence that each and every person who’d said those things was a real fuckin’ wise guy, i tell you what

thing is, for the majority of the game, it’s... totally normal, for danganronpa. you have a bunch of high-schoolers with fancy Ultimate talents, forced to play a killing game set up to produce twisty convoluted murder mystery scenarios. said convoluted murder mystery scenarios play out, and- i might have some kind of bias since i only read LPs of the previous two games, but having actually played through these cases, they surpass the previous games’ class trials in how fun they are to solve. it’s aggressively clever and i really had a lot of fun with it! if you like danganronpa, well... here’s more of it!

so i was really confused as to what everyone claiming that danganronpa was RUINED FOREVER was on about

and then i reached the ending.

(spoilers approximately start here. they’re not really spoilers, in that they’re vague and i think if you read this before playing the game your experience will be enhanced rather than spoiled, but still)

the first half of the ending is really really cool and good. it seamlessly integrates the big plot reveals with the specific details of a murder. it actually takes the one complaint i had with the methodology of a previous case, which i had written off as “total contrived bullshit, but contrived bullshit is sort of the name of the game here so i’ll let it slide”, and retroactively justifies what happened, making the rest of the game better. i was really impressed!

and then. then there’s the second half of the ending. after all of the loose ends have been more or less tied up, you think you have a satisfying picture of what happened and where things are going.

then the entire game goes COMPLETELY FUCKING INSANE

i’ve talked before about how i enjoy and value being totally fucked with. big twists and mind-bending revelations are, imo, the highest joy i take from anything thing in life. and for a while, i was lost in downright rapturous bliss at what was happening. i’d been played so hard, my entire world had been turned inside-out. it was beautiful.

but it kept going. i got mind-being-blown fatigue! nothing else has ever done that to me! pulling the rug out from under me, having me land on a different rug, pulling that rug out from under me, over and over again until the only question i had left was “dude, how many fucking rugs did you BUY”

and ultimately, after all was said and done and my brain was a pink smear on the wall... it kinda sucked. it was kind of a sucky ending that didn’t make much sense, and i feel like i genuinely disagree with the point it was trying to make. there were so many cool directions it could have gone, but it settled for... something that was just really bleh.

so, tl;dr, DRV3 is a highly enjoyable experience that delivers on the well-crafted mystery-solving and quality writing, but: it’s absolutely the worst way to get into the series, since it heavily spoils the previous two games and the ending makes absolutely no sense without having played them. (having played them, it only made moderately no sense, and left a bad taste in my mouth.)