#Everything for the Sake of Hope (Nagito)

[hopeoverdespair]

"I guess it was pretty unlucky to die after finding those gold bars, huh?"

Average spawn rates mean nothing when Nagito is in your game.

"Go cool your head and only come back when you're ready to be a Great Asset to The Company."

[penguwastaken]

Danganronpa 2 Never Said Chiaki Never Existed

In Danganronpa 2, AI Chiaki shows surprise when seeing her profile in the book that Nagito got. A lot of people use this as proof that chiaki never existed, but that's really never said at all.

I figured it was pretty obvious, but the reason she is surprised is because she never knew there was a real Chiaki.

In chapter 5, both Monomi and Chiaki herself aren't aware of how Chiaki got her personality, so they just assume it might have come from the people that made them.

Of course, Danganronpa 3 later gives us an actual answer and says she was created by the memories of Class 77, directly building off of this mystery in the second game.

Point is, Chiaki doesn't know where her personality came from, who she's based on, or even that there was a real Chiaki at all.

"Erm but Pengu, they say that Chiaki's profile is fake"

That is never actually stated in game, all that is told to us is that Monokuma slipped in false information.

However, Monokuma DOES confirm that everything in the book is reused from information provided by the former headmaster (Jin Kirigiri obviously), which causes Nagito to question if the traitor is a former Hope's Peak student.

Once again, Chiaki's presence in Danganronpa 3 seems to be here to tie up these loose ends and mysteries.

So then what false information did Monokuma include then? Simple, he left Chiaki's profile in. He didn't fake a profile, he just included the profile of someone who wasn't actually in the killing game.

He even admits to ignoring the traitor, which is kind of a weird thing to say if you went out of your way to fake something for their sake.

AI chiaki is NOT the same as IRL Chiaki

They have different lives, memories, personalities, etc. All they share is the same persona, but ultimately AI Chiaki is just an ai that takes the appearance of Chiaki.

AI Chiaki is her own person, an AI created by Chihiro designed to create a chaperone like student based on the needs and experiences of those involved with the Neo World Program, and it just so happened to result in taking the form of Chiaki because of that. However, it is still not Chiaki. So leaving Chiaki's profile in and implying Chiaki is a part of the killing game is inherently false information.

At most, Danganronpa 2 leaves whether there was a real Chiaki or not in the open, however it never confirms or denies the existence of one. Nothing in the game outright says that a Chiaki never existed, only that the one we see is an AI of vague origin.

And if that isn't enough to convince you, during the scene with Chiaki's memory and Hajime, Kodaka says that he felt like Chiaki there felt more real which inspired him to make Chiaki a real person.

"Actually, now that I think about it, when I started making DR3, I got stuck on something from DR2. After Nanami dies in Chapter 5, she comes back in Chapter 6 through a glitch, and when I was writing Nanami for that, I had the idea that she was 'a little bit off'. She’s not like the Nanami we’ve seen so far, I thought; she was never that tender. I had that gnawing at my brain when I was making DR3, and I thought, 'Maybe that really was a different Nanami,' and that’s how I came up with the Nanami in Zetsubou-hen." -Kazutaka Kodaka in an interview

Of course this does not mean Kodaka intended that Chiaki in this specific was meant to be the real Chiaki when making Danganronpa 2. However it DOES show that Kodaka never ruled out the posibility of a real chiaki, because if he did he wouldn't have even come to that conclusion.

If you want my opinion, this seems like another scenario of people who don't like Danganronpa 3 having their personal interpretation of the story proven wrong and instead of admitting that they were wrong about something they just call it a retcon. The same thing happened with brainwashing, it happened with Mukuro, and I'm certain that's what happened here. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[anonzentimes]

Rewatching the first trial I always get a little intimidated when Nagito tries to have everyone give up haha, I understand his motive but I can't place where his mind truly is at any time I see it again or how he thinks it's alright. His moral grayness is such a good aspect of his character and truly makes him a great antagonist that isn't ill intentioned but rather genuinely messed up mentally. I really love that Nagito is able to succeed at being such a cute character while also being an intimidating character, writing wise it's truly brilliant that he's able to serve multiple purposes and be amazing at multiple tones. Nagito's very strong for living with his luck and forming a coping mechanism with hope to have something to live for, but the idea with him compared to Makoto is that everything has a limit. Too much of anything is a bad thing, too much of his coping mechanism and it has become obsessive, unhealthy, and he's beyond dedicated to truly believing anything is okay for the sake of hope. Nagito deserves the world, I think. :3

[danganronpadedication]

DAY 3: DANGANTOBER

Day 3: Favorite THH Character Makoto Naegi is a cutie patootie. End post.

No, but in all seriousness, I love Makoto. I know I spent the majority of last post ranting about how much I love Hajime, but that doesn't mean I love Makoto any less.

I'll be real, I love the THH cast, so it was very difficult to pick a favorite from that group. I was between Celestia, Junko, Byakuya, and Makoto, but Makoto's who I went with. Like with Hajime, I was worried that Makoto would just be an self-insert character, and in-game, he kind of is? But people also misremember him in game. People characterize him all the time as non-confrontational, and just a hopeful, positive person, but he's a lot more nuanced than that.

Let's not forget that Makoto tried to throw hands with Monokuma more than once, that's pretty confrontational to me. While he puts up a front of a positive, hopeful person, he also has his moments of being affected by everything that's happened to him. Seriously, replay the game, he's got a lot more bite to him.

He's the kind of person I'd want to be friends with, he's a very sweet person, who's not afraid to throw down for the people he cares about.

I also really like his sibling relationship with Komaru. If you skipped UDG, I don't blame you, but aside from the obviously weird things happening in that game, there's also a lot of world building and substance. Maybe watch a playthrough, cringe with whoever's playing it, and get that good lore.

You can see it in the anime too, he just lights up when he sees Komaru's transmission go through, because it's confirmation that he still has her around. Up until that point, he wasn't sure if his family was still around, and now he knows he still has his sister. It's very sweet, and the way he has so much faith in her, and knows she's capable to do whatever it is she needs to do.

But it's The End of Hope's Peak anime that really does it in for me, and cements him as one of my favorite characters. I get it, I'm basic. But one of the bigger points I see get brought up about Makoto, is that they don't really explore the trauma that would go along with being in a game like that. Which is false, but it's definitely something the game doesn't really focus on for the sake of plot.

But in the anime, you can really see how much that affects him. Makoto Naegi suffers from survivor's guilt, and it's so incredibly potent. That moment made me so sad, I had to close my computer and actually GO TO SLEEP? That can't be right. Granted, I watched that episode at like, 2AM, but rewatching it in the morning hit just as hard.

Like with Nagito, Bryce Papenbrook really gives his all for Makoto, including in the anime. You hear it all the time, whether he's just giving someone a pep talk, or reacting to the newest death in the game. He's smarter than people give him credit for, like in the fight with Munakata, he figures out his forbidden action and traps him in a situation where he needs to sit down and talk with him, all on his own. I'd say he's more emotionally intelligent, but he's definitely got brains in his little noggin.

Please, I want his Nendoroid so badly. I own a plushie of him in Future Arc, I bought it at a local fair, and he's my prized possession.

On the topic of emotional intelligence, he's very forgiving and compassionate too. One thing you should know about me, is that I love the SDR2 cast, including when they're the Remnants of Despair. They're cool, their designs are cool, and they're CRIMINALLY underused. Makoto is the one who was able to see past the people they had become, and see the hurt people underneath. Most of the world had written them off as despair-laden monsters, but Makoto actually went against the wants of the Future Foundation in order to rehabilitate them.

Even if it causes him issues, Makoto is very caring and will do what's right. His sense of morality is one that is evidently difficult to skew.

And finally, he's a cutie patootie. The rest of this post will be GIFs of him looking adorable.

Lord, let me pinch his cheeks.

-Mod Tsumugi

[funishment-time]

a load of recent official birthday posts from Kodaka!

(since i forgot to do it for a bit, Whoops)

under the cut are:

Mikan

Kirumi

Great Gozu

Nagito

Angie

and Mahiru

💉 Mikan:

autotranslate:

Tsumiki: "Eh...! There's no way someone like me would be celebrated like this...! I can at least tell that this is a prank! Please... stop teasing me...! Wait, what? It's not a prank? Is it really... a present that you sent me? Ehhhh...! Wh...why? I'm so happy I don't know what's going on...!"

🕸️ Kirumi:

autotranslate:

Tojo: "This is for me? I'm glad you remembered my birthday. As always, I'm not used to people doing things for me, so I'm not very good at thanking you, but if you ever need anything, please call me anytime. I'll serve you selflessly as a token of my appreciation."

🐂 Great Gozu:

autotranslate:

Great Gozu: "The time has come. That's all. I'm grateful for the birthday presents I receive every year. Thanks to all of your encouragement, I'm able to take a step forward without hesitation. Don't you get it, idiot?! Look at me with your eyes wide open! Now, everyone chant together! 1, 2, 3...great! Great! Thank you!"

🍀 Nagito's fucking Tale of Two Cities ass thesis:

autotranslate:

Komaeda: "As you all know, I'm just an ordinary piece of trash, with the only good thing about me being that I'm a little luckier than most people. It doesn't matter if I'm here or not, I'm an insignificant existence. The fact that you've given me such a present means that you all have high expectations of me. That I will be a stepping stone... of hope that will brighten up this worthless, hopeless world. I get it, because what this world needs most is hope. It's because we have hope that we can all look forward. Hope is everyone's salvation, and more than anything, it is a precious guidepost. And the darker the surroundings are, the more brilliantly that light shines. Of course, I don't think anyone wants unhappiness, but just as unhappiness allows us to understand the importance of happiness, hope shines because of despair. I'm going to do it. Don't you think fireworks that go off at night are more beautiful than those that go off during the day? If no one else does it, then I'll do it. Yes, I'll turn the surroundings into night. All for the sake of hope. And luckily, there are many seeds of hope that will shine with such a brilliant light right next to me. I'm just a supporting role. What? You're asking me if I don't mind dragging people who don't like the night into this? Haha, who cares about the dust around them when fireworks are dancing in the night sky? It's all for the sake of beautiful and wonderful hope. Everything else doesn't matter. Of course, the same goes for myself. In front of hope, everything is equally worthless trash. Right? Everyone loves hope, don't they? Haha, we're friends now."

🖌️ Angie:

autotranslate:

Yonaga Angie: "Those who believe will be saved. Those who don't believe won't be saved. Haha, I'm relieved that everyone believes in Angie. God is pleased too. Let's continue to believe in Angie and get closer to God. Fill your heads with Angie more and more and more. God will be pleased too. Everyone is godly!"

📷 Mahiru:

autotranslate:

Koizumi: "Are you giving me a birthday present too? Thank you. I'm really happy that you always celebrate with me. This feeling is enough for me, but I want to take a photo with everyone, too. When I look at the photo, I'll remember how I felt at this time, right? I want to be able to remember this feeling."

[hopefilledramblings]

I hate fanon kamukoma. I hateeeee it. I love kamukoma (especially non-despair) in general!! But fanon. Man.

Izuru would not want to control another person. That's what HE is meant for!! He's the one that's supposed to be controlled, not Nagito.

Nagito is "Servant" because he serves despair, and therefore hope, but really, he's always pulling the strings (see UDG). He's aware that he literally set up a death island for one (1) girl. How would he completely let go and allow someone else, especially someone with no ambitions, to control him?

He isn't like that. Yes, he's willing to give himself to hope. But even if Izuru is meant to embody hope, he doesn't, and Nagito would easily recognize that. He's a false hope. He's a tool for others to use, and he was used for despair. He's not TRUE hope.

In the scenario where the two DO end up together, it would be incredibly one-sided. Nagito would try to use Izuru just as Junko did, but now for the sake of hope. Izuru, being the apathetic one who believes he IS a tool, would simply go along with it.

This thread really explains what I mean in words better than what I can come up with and explores the hypotheticals of a relationship they could have had in canon.

However!! I'd like to share my idea of them in non-despair. Specifically an au where they both attend Hope's Peak.

In canon, Hajime and Nagito are meant to be very intertwined, especially on Nagito's side of things when it comes to him healing.

When we push away the entirety of despair, as well as Hajime's identity, things are a lot harder to work with, but it's not impossible.

Izuru, fresh out of the lobotomy and training, is disinterested in everything as usual. He sees no purpose in life and considers everything useless and boring. Nagito, however, sees meaning in hope and despair and the Ultimates' ability to overcome harsh despair. He sees a chance for Izuru, if only he'd just believe in something.

So, Nagito goes about trying different methods to motivate Izuru to make him see light in his life. He believes in Izuru and the talent he has (not knowing that it's synthetic). In return, Izuru points out the flaws in Nagito's ways of thinking, making him start to question himself and his beliefs. He's faced with someone who has near infinite knowledge, after all. But still, he keeps pushing.

Eventually, Nagito would press the right button and manage to excite Izuru. Using this event, he tries again and again, guiding him to the path of hope. Making him see things the way he does, to an extent.

Yes, Izuru is technically still being used here, but in a much healthier context than canon. If given enough work, it can become MUTUALLY healing for them. Maybe Izuru's subservient nature would want to do things in return for Nagito by helping him get out of his flawed mindset.

Their dynamic is incredibly interesting, and I wish it would be explored more... not just watered down to servant x God.

[theamityelf]

God after seeing you talk about danganronpa and prince of egypt song stuff, your making me crave heavy religious Komaegi. You already got a religious tone for some of your stuff but like priest Nagito believing in a very black and white, biased, messed up hope religion. And old friend/lover run-away Makoto with his little HopePunk crew coming back to town to screw everything up and show everyone what Hopes really about. That probably only work in like a kingdom setting or religious state City/country though. Course you need influential family Junko tainting hope religion with her own despair agenda. And maybe a “second coming” or “gifted” Kamakura to spice things up a bit.

god im cringe. erm. IGNORE ME

Not cringe at all! When I made that post, I was trying to think of the best ways to make the lyrics work for them, and this seems a lot like that, lol!

Honestly, it could work in a post-THH scenario where Nagito has been serving under Sonia the whole time. He's been influencing her, Wormtongue-style, to let his hope religion grow in the seams of her despair dystopia. On her end, it's for the sake of watching Nagito's extremist disrupt any sense of stability her subjects try to find for themselves within her regime. On his end, as always, it's very specifically a hope-despair thing.

Makoto and co escape the school and, as the tide turns hopeways, Sonia's regime falls (and presumably the Future Foundation assumes some prime minister or something has been pulling the strings and she was just a helpless figurehead the whole time, so she's brought into their protective custody before her subjects can execute her). This means Nagito's cult fills the power vacuum, and now all of a sudden it's spreading everywhere, this weird ideology about hope that maybe feels more cathartic than what Makoto actually believes and values, but Nagito certainly centers Makoto in all of it.

And let's say they were very close friends or even dating, in school, before the Tragedy.

This means we have a Nagito who both personally loves and impersonally worships Makoto, a Makoto who personally loves and is ideologically repulsed by Nagito, and a quickly-growing cult that listens to Nagito's compelling narrative where it makes sense to do terrible and terrifying things in the name of hope, because he reached his conclusions as an answer to his trauma, so of course they sound really compelling to a world that has now been similarly traumatized.

And Nagito really loves and values what he's built. But Makoto has to stop him.

[hopeoverdespair]

With all of the bizarre situations his luck had thrown him into the path of over the years, finding out that one of his classmates was a werewolf really could be considered par for the course. Ever since he’d found out though, his curiosity on the matter had been killing him. Asking questions about it was one thing, but what he really wanted was to see it in person, considering when he’d bumped into Kaz that morning he had already fully turned back into a human.

So with the knowledge that the full moon would trigger a transformation, he had marked the date on his calendar, awaiting it like it were some kind of holiday. And now today was the day and it had been on his mind all day, as was made apparent by all the staring. Sure, an actual transformation would be pretty impossible to miss, but he still had to wonder whether there would be any more subtle changes in the boy leading up to it.

To his credit, he had not spilled the secret to anyone since finding out. Even today, things were made easier by the fact that everyone else at the school had already labeled him as a weirdo and didn’t give a second thought to his distracted behavior or the staring.

But now after a full day of awkwardness it was just him and Kaz left in the classroom. He didn’t even flinch as frustrated hands hit his desk, looking up at the other with that doe-eyed expression even as he contemplated whether this was the moment he was going to be mauled to death. Sure it wasn’t nighttime yet, but that would be a logical counterbalance to the luck of accidentally finding out werewolves exist, wouldn’t it? Getting killed for annoying said werewolf too much?

But then the anger seemed to disappear as soon as it had appeared. Well that was awfully generous of Kaz not to berate him further even though he surely must deserve it.

"I'm sorry, Soda-kun. I'm just so excited! I've never gotten to see an actual real werewolf transformation before. And to think that it's you. It's truly an honor!"

Was that too much excitement? He wasn't sure, but it wasn't insincere. He really had been looking forward to this. What he hadn't mentioned was that his love of dogs was a definite contributing factor, whether he fully realized it himself or not.

He gathered his things and stood up from his desk, throwing his bag over his shoulder and then standing up straight in front of Kaz like he was at attention.

"Of course. I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing. Just lead the way!"

@hopeoverdespair asked: Nagito has been staring at Kazuichi all day. In class, in the halls, just a lot of not-so-subtle glances. It was kind of unsettling. And it totally wasn't because he knew there was going to be a full moon tonight...

Kazuichi....couldn't even really get upset about Nagito's constant staring --it felt at nearly every single moment as they went about their day, he swore -- even as it made his mind buzz with the ingrained instinct that he was being watched, something that had become even more noticeable with the introduction of his canine side. It was something that was expected the moment Kaz had told him about his true nature, as was the....well the experience it had been to tell Gundham what had happened when Kaz saw him later that day. It...wasn't necessarily bad, Gundham's reaction to it all, but it was most definitely not what the mechanic had expected when retelling what had occurred that night. He was ready for anger, for the halfblood to yell and cuss and hit him complain as he tried to process how stupid Kazuichi had been, not only for getting into a preventable fight (there was no way to tell if it truly could have been avoided of course, but since he had wandered haphazardly into the area without having checked for danger first, it was completely his fault as far as Kaz was concerned. He should have known better) but for telling Nagito about what he was unnecessarily. Nevermind the fact that he had been tired and in pain, having just returned to the dorms after a full moon spent alone while Gundham tended to a new litter of pups as they came into the world. He had been stupid, nothing but a fuck up that night, but...Gundham hadn't been mad, not even a little bit, and Kaz was still confused by it.

All he had to do was lay his eyes on Kazuichi to know something had happened beyond just a routine transformation, an involuntary smile in greeting quickly falling into a look of panicked concern at just how ragged the mechanic had looked. He hadn't even questioned why Nagito was there at first, along with the fact that Kazuichi was freely explaining his evening without excluding the more...unusual bits in front of their previously uninformed classmate. Before that, the only ones who had knowledge of Kazuichi's newfound werewolf abilities, aside from Gundham, was Sonia, Hajime, and even Fuyuhiko. Telling Sonia hadn't even really been a question, the princess already knowing of Gundham's nature when she had stumbled upon him injured one night after a brief encounter with a vampire that had been prowling about campus. Had it not been for him, she would have most assuredly become another hapless victim, and without her, Gundham would have bled out right there on the sidewalk.

Hajime had been Kazuichi's decision, it feeling wrong having to tell his soul friend again and again that nothing was wrong when he was so clealry high strung. Those first few weeks after the bite and before his first transformaion had been a nightmare, with him and even Gundham not knowing just how Kaz would act once transformed.

They assumed, as was the case with most every other werewolf Gundham had come across in his rather eventful life, that Kazuichi would be nothing more than a beast, bound by instinct and instinct alone for the duration of the moon, only to be left in the dark about anything he had done as a wolf once it was through. The mechanic had been nothing but an anxious mess those few weeks leading up to what would be his first moon, only for nothing truly of note to have occurred once shifted. He had simply...been, his deep fear of losing his consciousness having sparked something within him that allowed him to keep his wits the whole way through.

Before that, however, Hajime had seen how near catatonic his friend had been without a clue as to why, Kazuichi not only finding a sudden close friendship with his former "rival" --it seeming a touch odd how quickly it progressed even with the apology Kazuichi had extended to him and Sonia for his behavior a short time before-- but Kaz even refusing to leave the breeder's room on top of it, and when he did leave, he was glued to Gundham's side with a near constant look of unease. It was no surprise Hajime had been concerned when he had gone yet another full week without hearing from his normal clingy chatty friend, nor was it a surprise he had come knocking on Gundham's door demanding to know what was wrong and why the breeder seemed to be the only one who knew about it. He couldn't be blamed for feeling hurt and even replaced at first, and while Gundham had attempted to diffuse the situation and shoo the other man way so they could keep the mechanic's secret, Kazuichi's voice had stopped the both of them in their tracks where it had sounded from under the breeder's bed, so very tired and resigned, a stark contrast to the usually brash and colorful man. And so Gundham had let him in, and they told him, which was of course met with confused denial of its reality, until Gundham had proven the existance of the supernatural they spoke of with a ball of hellfire in his palm.

Surprisingly, that had turned out well, Hajime keeping a closer eye on his friend when it drew close to the moon to make sure he faired well, along with a few snacks being carried on the reserve course student at all times once he learned of Kaz's newfound voracious hunger.

Fuyuhiko had been an accident, but an inevitable one, Kazuichi having come to his aid during a moon spent around campus when a hit had been attempted on their classmates life. A snarl was really all it took to send the goons running after they had jumped the young heir, a large and angry dog being a rather effective deterrent even to the most hardened of criminals. Kaz had howled endlessly until Gundham had found them once the danger had passed, the wolf standing protectively over their half conscious classmate as he lay bleeding from a gunshot wound to his middle. Fuyu had woken up in the breeder's dorm after that a few hours later, his wounds having been cleaned and bandaged, and the yakuza left to rest on Gundham's bed. Kazuichi had been curled up on the floor after falling asleep in a failed attempt to "keep watch", and in a moment of rather uncanny timing, the sun had risen near moments after Fuyu had noticed him, and Kazuichi had shifted back into his human form after waking with a start when the change began. Although he had been shocked, if not convinced he was mentally unsound at first, Fuyu had been rather indifferent about the whole thing, saying merely that he would keep their secrets in exchange for saving his life.

Nagito...had been a fuck up, there was no other way to put it, at least in Kaz's opinion, but so far it had only led to questions, and of course the staring. Eye giving a twitch as the classroom cleared out for the day, Kaz had his palms slamming down on the lucky students desk with a growl the moment the last person had walked through the door. "Will you fucking stop staring at me?! This ain't the kind of shit you miss, so knock it off!" Nerves a touch frayed thanks to the coming moon, Kaz's eyes widened with the realization that he had snapped without meaning to. "Uh...sorry. I um...get kinda...touchy? Before the moon, and uh...I could literally feel your eyes on the back of my head all freaking day. Not exactly fun for me to feel like im being watched, you know? Kind of an animal thing I guess..." No person would ever hate being watched this much, surely Kaz was just overreacting like usual...

"Anyways, if you still wanna tag along for the moon, we got some shit to do before then. First though, I'm fucking starving, so we're gonna go get something to eat!"

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

I wonder what it'll be like if Nagito met any of the Seraphims.

I haven't had the chance to speak to any of them personally...But I would like to talk to the one based on Hajime.

Apparently, their personalities are strikingly similar to how they were before everything they went through. So...S-Hope, I believe he calls himself, would be like Hajime when he was in the Reserve Course.

I never met him back then but...for my own curiosity's sake, I'd like to get a feel of how different he was.

[kokorosfanfics]

What The Hope Were You Doing? Mondo x Fem!S/O

Plot: You and Mondo are dating and in the same class. Your best friend is Nagito, and you are regularly roped into his bizarre schemes and plans. This time, the great plan to get everyone more time before an exam backfires horrendously and Mondo has to come to the rescue. Inspired by the anime where Nagito blows up the gym, but of course edited and changed up for the plot. (I do NOT condone bombing. This is purely fictional and meant to be harmless. Don't f*cking bomb a place just because you read about it in fanfiction.) -Mod Kokoro

Here you are, sitting in the middle of class and bored out of your mind. The teacher was going off about some subject you really didn't care about, and your boyfriend was asleep next to you. The subject was tiring and hardly anyone besides Taka and Kyoko could follow along. Come to think of it, you could skip and not miss anything crucial. That's when you got a text from your best friend, Nagito.

You pull out your phone to view the notification.

Nagito: Hey, I know I have no business disturbing an Ultimate like this, but I wanted to ask if you were available.

S/O: You're literally my best friend. Also, I am available. I wanted to sneak out class anyways. I can't pay attention to something so boring.

Nagito: Well you see, that's perfect. Do you want to meet me by the school gate?

S/O: Sure thing. On my way now. See you bestie.

You raised your hand.

"Yes S/O?" Your teacher called on you.

"May I use the restroom?"

"Of course."

With that, you excused yourself from the room to make your way downstairs and to the school gate, where your best friend waved you over.

"Hey S/O. Glad you could be here. I'll explain while we walk."

"Ah, I got it. You need my help in a plan for the sake of hope?"

"Exactly! I knew you'd figure that out. As expected of such a hopeful Ultimate!" He praised you.

"Aww you're too sweet. So, what're we doing this time?"

"Well, in my class, everyone is anxious about the next exam. I don't know how it is in yours, but everyone feels like they're not ready. Like they need more time."

You nodded. "Actually, my class is feeling anxious about it as well. They announced it so suddenly, we hardly have any time to prepare! I take it you have a solution?"

"Yes." He stopped to look at you with a dark look in his eyes.

"We're going to blow up the gym."

"W-WHAT?" You gasped, taken completely aback. You knew your best friend could be a little crazy sometimes, but this was something new.

"Yeah. I have a plan to blow up the gym. They'll be so focused on repairs, they'll have no choice but to suspend the exams."

"We are going to cause grievous property damage.... For an EXAM?"

"I want my classmates to succeed. That includes you. I don't want to see the symbols of hope succumb to despair. This has to be done."

He had a point. This was weighing down on everyone, and here you're presented a way to fix it. Most people would say "That's fucking stupid." And probably report it, but you knew Nagito. His luck helped him excel and succeed in nearly everything he set out to do, or got into. You could understand him, and empathize with him. You knew him like no one else did. So, after a deep breath, you answered.

"Alright. As long as we don't kill anyone, and nobody is harmed, then, I'm in."

His smile grew wide and he let out a laugh. "Oh it's beautiful! To see an Ultimate such as yourself agree to take on such a plan so hope may prevail! I'm truly honored to have the privilege of working with you."

"It's your idea, and I'm really agreeing because your my best friend and I trust you. I have 100% faith in you. I know how much hope means to you, and it's become important to me too."

"Mondo should consider himself lucky to be with such an outstandingly hopeful Ultimate! I bet he'd be so proud right now!"

Actually, if Mondo knew of this discussion, Nagito's face would have a fist in it and you'd be getting a LONG talk on how dangerous bombs are and all the trouble you could get into. Taka would even help him. But you don't tell him that.

"Ah, yeah let's actually keep this a secret between us. Don't wanna get arrested or sued for this."

"Haha, good point. But in case we do, I'm sure Fuyuhiko has connections to bail us out."

"True, but let's not chance it. If we can help it, of course. Hehe." You giggled. This actually sounds like an exciting project.

"Right. I don't want to get arrested either. Plus, your boyfriend might kill me if I got you into legal trouble. I wouldn't blame him either."

"Sooo, how are we gonna blow it up?" You asked with enthusiasm, finally getting pumped up for this insane plan of yours.

"Well, my pharmacist friend let's me roam around the cabinets with all her stuff. I already have everything we need to build the bombs. There's an abandoned warehouse not too far from here. It'll give us the space and privacy we need. I also got us some gloves, goggles, and other safety equipment."

"Awesome! Let's go! For hope!" You cheered.

"Yes! For hope!"

With that, you and Nagito made your way to the abandoned building and got to work. You put on your gloves and goggle and got to it. During which, you two talked about anything that came to mind, school, video games, anything really. But then you realized something. There was more that needed to be thought of.

"Wait so, how are we going to make sure it doesn't get traced back to us? I mean, they're going to investigate, and they'll see we don't have alibis. Also, how are we going to plant them and then set them off without getting caught in the blast?"

"Ah that, I'm actually going to just rely on my luck." Nagito laughed it off. Had this been anyone else, you'd be absolutely terrified. But, it was Nagito, and you've seen his luck be legitimate. You knew you could count on him, and trust his luck would protect you both.

So you shrugged. "Alright, that works for me."

"Wow, really? Most people don't like hearing when I say that."

"I'm not like most people. Plus, I know you well enough to believe in your luck. And you're my best friend. So, I trust you. If you say your luck will cover us and keep us safe, then I believe you wholeheartedly. I have no reason not to."

You could've sworn a tear rolled down his eye.

"Such hopeful, inspiring words of friendship! You fill me with so much hope!"

"Aww, I'm glad." You smiled at him.

Then, your phone started to buzz. At first you ignored it, but in a few minutes it started buzzing even more. Repeatedly.

"Hey I think you should check that. You should probably turn off notifications so you don't get distracted." Your friend suggested.

"Yeah you're right. Alright gimme a moment."

You opened your phone to find notifications from Mondo, Chihiro, Leon, and Taka.

Mondo: Hey babe. I heard you went to the bathroom a while ago and haven't come back. Teach sent Sayaka to check on you. She says you weren't there. What's going on?

Mondo: Babe? You there?

Mondo: I'm getting nervous. Please answer me.

Mondo: Chihiro just told me he saw you out the window a while ago to meet a friend and walk off. At least warn me before you skip. But where are you guys going?

Mondo: HELLO?????? I'M GETTING NERVOUS HERE?????

"Uh, hey S/O you alright?" Nagito noticed the guilty look on your face.

"It's my boyfriend. He's getting anxious and wants to know where I am."

"Just tell him you went to catch up with your bestie. You're technically not lying. If you feel bad omitting what we're doing, you can just tell him after the fact. I doubt he'd rat out his girlfriend."

"You're right. Alright hold up."

S/O: Hey love! I'm so sorry, I didn't see you texted me. Yeah, I'm with my best friend right now. I would've told you, but you were asleep and I didn't wanna wake you.

Mondo: I'm glad you're okay and you care about my sleep, but where are you two? You know I worry about your safety.

"He's asking where we are."

"Tell him you're helping me on an important project. Again, not a lie."

S/O: We just went to go help him on a really important science project. That's all.

Mondo: Okay. You want me to tell the teacher you threw up and decided to just head home?

S/O: Yeah that would be great actually. Thanks love.

Mondo: Np Sweetheart.

You decided to see what your other notifications are.

Leon: Don't tell him I sent this.

There was an attachment. A video of Mondo being anxious about where you were and asking if you were okay. He becomes progressively more anxious when there's no response from him texting you. It was cute, and it made you chuckle, but you still felt bad. Hopefully he won't find out about what this "science project" actually was.

Chihiro: Hey, S/O. Mondo is really worried about you. You don't really ever skip class and Yasuhiro is saying he's predicted you're in a dangerous situation. Can you please tell him you're fine?

S/O: Don't worry I just did.

Finally, Taka's texts.

Taka: S/O, skipping class is not welcome in a school environment. Sayaka has reported you aren't in the restroom like you said you'd be. After school I would like an explanation.

S/O: Well last time I checked getting people sick wasn't welcome in a school environment so I don't know what you want me to do here.

Taka: Yes, Mondo just told us you threw up. I am so sorry, please forgive what I said.

S/O: Don't worry I forgive you. Later!

You turned off your notifications after that to prevent further distraction.

"Alright, Mondo told them I wasn't feeling well and threw up. So I guess I'm covered."

"I knew we'd turn out fine." Your friend smiled.

You resumed building the explosives together.

"Finally! We're done. I'm thinking tomorrow morning, we'll get there early and plant them before school starts. We'll come back at normal time, blend in with everyone else, and they'll be set off just in time so no one enters." Nagito explained.

"Let's go a step further. I wanna place a DO NOT ENTER sign in front of the gym, just to make sure nobody goes inside." You suggested.

"Good idea. As expected of an Ultimate."

You and Nagito went home, him carrying the bags. You went to sleep anticipating the big day tomorrow.

The Next Morning.

Nagito came over at 5:30 A.M. You were both dressed in darker clothing to blend in with darkness in the closed school.

"Alright! Let's do this. For hope." Your friend grinned in wild anticipation.

"Yeah! Let's have a blast." You winked.

"Haha, that's a good one."

And so, you scaled the fence and made your way onto campus grounds. You snuck quietly over to where the gym was.

"You start planting them. I'll locate the DO NOT ENTER sign." You whispered.

"Good call. Come join me as soon you do that." Nagito whispered back.

You located the sign easily, and gently picked it up. You carried it outside the doors, and placed it. This will ensure nobody would blasted to smithereens. Afterwards, you rejoined Nagito.

"Here. Take these- gently. Place them over on the other side, make sure they're covered just enough to not be immediately noticeable, but enough exposure to completely tear this place apart."

"Got it captain." You saluted before you tiptoed your way over.

The bombs were finally placed, and it was time to go home.

"Okay, we got the hardest parts done. I've set them to go off at 7:35. That way, it'll be over before school can actually start, and we get to enjoy the beautiful display of hope we built." Nagito explained.

"Yeah, I like it. Plus, the gym doesn't officially open until 8:00. That plus the sign will guarantee nobody gets hurt or killed."

"And we have to act natural. We need to be as horrified as everyone else to avoid suspicion." He said.

"What? You mean we can't start dancing and cheering about it in the name of hope? Aw man, I was gonna get a boombox and everything!"

Nagito chuckled. "Perhaps we can have an after party at your place afterwards. Or mine. Maybe we'll get a baker to make your favorite cake and spell HOPE with the icing."

"Yup! I love it."

"We'll invite your boyfriend to join us. He might be weirded out, but that's okay."

"Let's invite all our classmates!"

"We're going to need a really big cake."

Before you knew it, you were home already.

"Hey, when does Mondo usually pick you up to take you both to school?" He asked.

"Typically at 7:15. So we'll be on time. It's a rather short drive."

"Ah, that works. Goodnight S/O. See you in a few hours."

"See you, bestie." You hugged him tightly before he left to go to his house.

At 7:15

You had already changed into your usual attire. You brought your bag, even though you wouldn't need it, simply to keep up appearances. Can't have anyone thinking you were involved with the soon to be big explosion.

Right on cue, your boyfriend had pulled into your driveway. You were so excited, you ran out the door before he could knock.

"Mondooooo!" You jumped into his arms.

"Woah! Hey babe, glad to see ya too." He caught you and held you close.

"You seem oddly happy to see me." He pressed a kiss to your forehead.

"I missed you! Helping Nagito with his science project took forever. We had to stay up to get it done."

"Man, for someone who's supposed to have ultimate luck, he's pretty unlucky to have to pull an all nighter."

"That's true, but it happens. Maybe he'll get an A+ so it cancels out." You felt guilty lying, but you'd fess up when the whole ordeal was done with. Just to him though.

"By the way, why didn't you tell someone sooner you were sick? Taka and I had to convince teach not to write ya up."

"Well, I hadn't thought of that excuse. I guess I was just too eager to get out of class."

"It's fine. You don't normally skip, so it's fine if you hadn't thought of a cover beforehand. Just ah, some warning would be nice. You know I tend to get nervous, especially when it comes to you."

"Awww!!" You reached up to kiss him.

"You're so sweet, love."

"Hey, I'm your boyfriend. It's my job to worry about ya and be all sweet and shit." Mondo blushed.

"Hey, is it true Yasuhiro predicted I was in danger?" Mondo tensed up. He took a sharp breath in.

"Yeah, he scared the fucking shit out of me. I know he's supposed to be 100% right 30% of the time, and regardless of the odds, something like that scares me. So I panicked a bit."

You knew Yasuhiro's predictions weren't far off, you had been handling bombs. But you weren't about to tell him that. At least not yet.

"Well, let's get to school." Mondo picked you up to place you on his bike. The two of you rode off on your way to school.

You were finally here. Mondo parked his bike, Taka, Leon, and Chihiro caught up with you. The five of you began your walk to school.

"Feeling better S/O?"

"Yeah! Much better. Thanks Chihiro."

"S/O, I printed a copy of my notes for you so you won't have to fall behind. Here!" Taka handed you them.

"Aww, thanks!" You placed them in your bag. Turns out it did have an actual use after all.

"You sure you're better?" Leon placed an arm on your forehead.

"She's fine Leon." Mondo responded.

"Good point. She seems more energetic now. Almost like.... She knows she has a super strong boyfriend to worry about her." You knew he was referencing the video he sent you of Mondo panicking. You giggled at that.

"Damn right she does." Mondo placed an arm around you.

You checked your watch. It was 7:29. 6 minutes until the gym was sent to be completely obliterated.

As your group kept walking, you saw Nagito up ahead. He seemed to be walking by himself.

"Hey Nagito!" Chihiro called out to him.

"Oh! You must be S/O's friends. And her boyfriend!" He greeted back.

"So this is your best friend S/O?" Leon asked.

"Yup! We've been besties since middle school." You answered back.

"Ah, I can remember the first time we met! It was just after we were kidnapped, we-"

"WHAAAAAAT?" Everyone except you and Nagito exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, KIDNAPPED? Oh my God, are you two okay?" Taka asked in bewilderment.

"What the FUCK?! Did I hear you right? KIDNAPPED?! Babe, why didn't you tell me this? I woulda beat the shit out of whoever the fuck kidnapped you!" Your boyfriend looked like he could kill a man right now.

"Ah, sorry Mondo. It wasn't some big secret, it just never sorta came up?" You laughed nervously.

"I kind of want to know what happened next." Chihiro muttered.

"Don't worry I'll tell you. So basically, we were trapped, and we formed a plan to escape. It was beautiful! Such hope, it shone so brightly it brought a tear to my eye! We knocked him out and took his phone to call the police. After that we were set free. We realized how much of a great team we could be when we set our hearts together, and we've been the best of friends since then!" Nagito told Chihiro the story.

"You know what, I'm just glad you're both alright. I mean, wow. That's a wild way to make a best friend." Leon spoke.

"I think we're all a little shocked." Chihiro replied.

"Babe, if this guy comes back, lemme know so I can bash his fuckin' skull in."

"I doubt we'll see him again, but if we do you'll be the first to know." You reassured him.

After answering some questions they had on that bombshell of a revelation, you guys made it in. Nagito had to go his own separate way to his class. It wasn't until you sat down, that it dawned on you.

The bombs hadn't gone off.

You checked your phone, 7:37. They should've blasted by now.

You quickly pulled out your phone.

S/O: Hey, Nagito? How's the science project?

You decided to speak in code. Just in case the plan was discovered and completely foiled.

Nagito: It's just my luck, I lost a key component. I think something fell when we walked by the gym. I'm on my way to get it now.

S/O: Need me to come help rebuild it?

Nagito: Yes.

S/O: Coming.

You wanted to bolt out and run to the gym, but not without someone noticing. You raised your hand.

"Yes S/O?"

"M-May I use the restroom?"

"Oh dear, are you still sick?"

"I-I don't know, but I need to go."

"Very well. But if you have to leave campus, please inform me this time."

"I will." You got up and ran, not caring what anyone thought.

You had to get to the gym. Something was wrong with the bombs.

But as you were running there to meet Nagito, you missed an interaction in class.

Toko raised her hand.

"Yes Toko?"

"S-S/O w-was texting class."

"What do you mean?"

"I-I saw on her p-phone. She's actually going to the gym. Her friend wants to meet her there."

Taka spoke up. "But the gym has a DO NOT ENTER sign in front of it! Students aren't allowed in until 8:00!"

Toko shrugged. "Who knows. That Nagito guy is a freak. I heard from his other classmates he goes off on rants about hope and despair all the time, and he's always up to no good. Maybe this time he's involved S/O. Those t-two are probably meeting a-at the gym to blow it up." Yet, she didn't know how accurate that last sentence was.

"HEY! S/O isn't violent. She's my girlfriend, for crying out loud I know her good enough to say she wouldn't ever get involved in any of that crazy shit! If she says she's not feeling well, then she isn't feeling well!" Mondo defended you.

"But... When I checked on her, she wasn't there." Sayaka responded.

Mondo knew you had skipped before, and he doesn't know why you're skipping again already, or even if you are skipping.

"Well how about this." The teacher spoke up.

"Mondo, Taka, Leon and Chihiro. You four are who S/O regularly hangs out with. I want you four to do a thorough search of the gym's perimeter. Sayaka and Toko, search the girl's bathroom. She should be in either of those locations. I don't have an actual assignment planned besides review for the exam, so it isn't an issue to send out that many people."

Everyone agreed, and so the search begins.

Back to you. You found Nagito at the gym entrance.

"*huff* Okay. *huff* What's the plan now?" You panted out.

"We're going to sneak back inside and carefully inspect the bombs to see what went wrong." You followed him as he began to open the door.

"S/O? HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON?" Oh no. That voice. Taka.

You turned around, in the distance was Taka, Mondo, Leon, and Chihiro running towards you.

"SHIT!" Nagito exclaimed. He grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you inside immediately.

"FUCK FUCK FUCK!" He shouted, trying to get under control.

"Nagito, we can't let them in!" You whispered.

He grabbed some boxes and began pushing them in front of the door. You quickly joined him in barricading the door.

"Okay, I think that's heavy enough to keep them out. Let's check on the bombs. And quick." Nagito was beginning to sweat.

"Hey, we still have your luck to fall back on, don't we?"

"You're right. We do."

The two of you went to where the bombs were. You started inspecting.

"Hey, how did you time them?"

"I set it on the bomb itself. I- Oh. That's the problem." He looked down.

"What is it?" You looked down to see. 7:55. Nagito accidentally set it to 7:55 instead of 7:35.

"Whew! Alright, good news. These things are still going off." Nagito cheered.

You both breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wait." You realized.

"Hm?" Nagito looked at you.

"It's going to explode with us inside." You told him.

"Um... Shit. I don't suppose we can leave through the doors now."

"What about the window?"

"They're too high up. We can't reach. We'd need to move the boxes to make a staircase." Nagito explained grimly.

"And if we do that, those four will come in the gym! Wait, what time is it?" You checked your watch. 7:50.

"WE'RE GOING TO BLAST WITH THIS PLACE IN FIVE MINUTES IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING!" You screamed.

"S/O! NAGITO! You heard shouting from the doors. Taka's voice

"Aaaand they're here." Nagito said, calmly.

"HEY? WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON? S/O ARE YOU OKAY? WHAT THE FUCK IS NAGITO UP TO?"

"M-Mondo! Um, hey we just have stuff to take care of." You replied, trying not to sound anxious.

"OY THEN WHY BARRICADE SO WE CAN'T GET IN?" Leon shouted. You heard what sounded like fists banging on the doors.

Nagito put a hand on your shoulder and whispered into your ear. "My luck hasn't failed me yet. We'll make it. Just trust me."

"I know. I trust you with my life. But we need to still think of something. Only a few moments before this place is going to blast." Unfortunately, you did not whisper, and the four panicked men on the other side heard that.

"BLAST? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BLAST? DON'T TELL ME TOKO GUESSED CORRECTLY?" Leon exclaimed.

"Y-Yesterday, Yasuhiro specifically predicted S/O was in a dangerous situation." Chihiro finally spoke up.

"NAGITO, EITHER YOU LET S/O OUT THIS INSATNT, OR I BEAT YOUR FUCKING FACE IN AND KILL YOU! DON'T WORRY S/O I'M GONNA GET YA OUT OF THERE!" Mondo shouted.

"NAGITO KOMAEDA! BOMBING IS UNWELCOME IN A SCHOOL ENVIRONEMT, AND IF S/O IS HARMED OR KILLED BECAUSE OF YOU, I WILL MAKE SURE YOU ARE EXPELLED! I'LL GO AGAINST YOU IN COURT!" Taka shouted.

"GUYS! You're all forgetting something important!" You yelled.

"WHAT?" They all asked in unison.

"My ultimate talent! I'm my classes ultimate lucky student. My luck has never failed me, so rest assured S/O and I are going to make it just fine!" Nagito calmly explained.

"OHHHHH YOU'RE ASKING FOR A BEATING NOW! YOU RISK MY GIRLFRIENDS LIFE FOR YOUR DUMB WHIMS, AND YOU JUST RELY ON SOME STUPID "LUCK" IN CASE THINGS GO SOUTH!"

"GUYS IT'S FINE! Nagito told me everything yesterday, we agreed to do this together! We did it for everyone! Nagito just wanted to help!"

"HELP? HOW IS BLOWING UP A GYM GOING TO HELP ANYONE?" Taka asked.

"S/O HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?" Leon couldn't believe his ears.

"I want to see my classmates succeed, I know how stressed both classes are about the exams. No one is prepared. Doing this will force them to suspend exams, giving everyone more time!" Nagito told them.

"SO LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT AN EXAM, AND YOUR NATURAL SOLUTION IS TO CONVINCE YOUR INNOCENT BEST FRIEND TO HELP YOU BLOW SOMETHING UP?" Taka screamed. This wasn't getting better.

"Guys, please! Cut Nagito some slack. Remember, I agreed to it, so I'm just as bad. But it's gonna be alright. Everyone just needs to go back to class, Nagito and I will just get out the gym, it'll explode and we can all go home and laugh this off."

"BOMBING IS NO LAUGHING MATTER!" Taka yelled back.

"S/O, I DON'T KNOW WHAT NAGITO HAS DONE TO YOUR HEAD, BUT HOLY SHIT YOU COULD DIE!" Your boyfriend screamed. You could hear it in his voice, he was tearing up. He thought he was actually going to lose you.

"Oh, love. I know how scary this looks. But don't worry. I'll be on the other side in a moment. We've got this covered." You told him.

Nagito took you by the hand and lead you to the center of the gym. The others kept shouting, but you weren't paying attention.

"I got this trampoline set up. It's going to blast in 30 seconds. I have my watch set. We'll jump together. If we're lucky, the roof will be blown off so we'll jump out smoothly."

"Perfect! I knew we'd be alright." You smiled warmly.

Nagito took your hand in his. You both nodded in unison at each other.

And then it came.

The bombs blew, the place exploding, you both jump as hard as you could. Some of the bombs had been tied to the ceiling. The impact of the blast sent you two even higher, and away from the gyms location. You were so high up you could hardly believe it.

"WOOOOOOAAAAAA!" You both were shot up instantly into the air, before gravity began it's forceful pull. Pulling you both downward. You shut your eyes, gripping each other's hands as hard as you could. You were falling, falling so fast.

But then you landed. You landed, and it felt.... soft? There was the impact, yes, but surprisingly you hardly felt a thing.

"Ah, seems my luck provided us with a cushion." Nagito mused.

You looked around. You were in the back of a truck that happened to be conveniently packed with pillows, and it was conveniently parked walking distance from the school.

"Nagito, look!" You pointed. There it was, the blast that obliterated the gym.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA! OHHH YES! SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DISPLAY OF HOPE! WE'VE DONE IT S/O!" He cheered.

"Oh Nagito this is wonderful! I can feel the hope pulsing within me!" A tear of happiness fell from your eye.

You both exited the truck, and shared a tight embrace.

"Oh, S/O. I knew we could do it! We'll have inspired so much hope!" Nagito cried tears of joy.

"Come on, let's go let them know we're okay!" Before you could take him by the hand, a motorcycle came driving furiously towards you.

"Oh, I think they figured out we're okay." He chuckled.

"Yeeeaaaah.... Do you wanna run so you don't get beat up?"

"Nah, I'm on a good lucky streak."

"Alright."

Finally, the motorcycle with four people on it came to a stop. They all came running to you.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Your bestie asks. You burst out laughing.

"OHHHH YOU KNOW WHAT'S UP YOU GODDAMN SON OF A BITCH!" Your boyfriend was about ready to kill him. You looked at Leon, he looked ready to kill him too.

You quickly moved yourself in front of Nagito with your arms wide out to protect him.

"HOW CAN YOU STILL DEFEND THIS BASTARD?" Leon yelled out.

"He told the truth! We're fine. Everyone is fine."

"S/O. Babe." Mondo hugged you tight.

"I could've lost you! I thought you were going to die. All because, what, some people are scared of a measly fuckin exam?"

"Oh, love." You hugged back. "Shhh. It's okay." You rubbed his back to soothe him.

Mondo sobbed uncontrollably into your arms.

"Nagito..... There WILL be consequences!" Taka exclaimed.

"Oh? But haven't you seen? S/O is completely fine. Happy even! So there's nothing to be concerned about.

"You still could've got the both of you killed! Don't you understand? You can still be arrested for this! They have cameras!" After Taka said this, Mondo's embrace tightened.

"Oh no, I'm actually already hacking into the camera system right now. I'm deleting the footage!" Chihiro chirped happily.

"WH- YOU CAN DO THAT?" Taka questioned.

"Yeah. I'm the ultimate programmer. I'm also seeing how exactly they went and did this." Chihiro showed everyone his laptop.

"So here we see them climbing the fence. They're entering, S/O comes out to place the sign. Then in the gym, here they are getting set up. Now they're climbing out." Chihiro deleted their footage, ensuring no one would be caught.

"Fuck. S/O, please. Don't scare me like that again." Mondo cried out through sobs.

"Hey, it's alright. I promise I won't blow up any more gyms, mkay?" You kissed his forehead.

"So uh, when they start investigating, I don't care what happens to Nagito, but we don't want S/O going to jail. They'll notice her odd behavior days before the blast, plus what Toko told us." Leon explained.

"Don't worry Leon. We have more than just my luck, one of the ultimates in my class is a Yakuza leader! He'll make sure we aren't arrested." Nagito tried to reassure Leon.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?" They all shouted.

"But it might not come to that. Nagito's luck hasn't failed us at all!" You chirped happily.

Eventually, the police were unable to find evidence as to what happened to the gym. The case was dismissed, and the exam was canceled entirely. People were still shook from the whole ordeal, but there was still a happy ending. Just exactly as planned. How hopeful! You had to give your boyfriend lots of assurance that you won't do something like that again. Yeah, he was really shaken, poor guy. At least everyone is fine now.

[cowedeakamatsu]

On a better news than my inability to ai gen using nai for some time (you can still send ask just to be clear, but expect a bit of a lower quality as I’ll try to do the minimum of gens per ask)

Fans of fangans be happy, project Eden’s Garden chapter 1 will FINNALY (good thanks and great work to everyone who worked on it) release in a week!

Yipee

If you haven’t go check chapter 0/intro/demo it’s a VERY WELL MADE 100% playable fangan of high quality with a great cast ( @plaindangan is a fan )

Im stiiiill not 100% sure the writing is up my alley, chap 0 had a lot of interesting idea and a good mix of kodaka style + their own twist to it, really like the whole each char tied to an animal aspect the ultimates where interesting and playing a protagonist that’s more grey and is a bit of an ass BUT not in the "look at him he’s so cool and edgy" but seen as an actual bad thing is pretty cool.

BUT I’m still doubtful, most fangan suffer from edgeness overlord and try to make every character a nagito (Ok maybe not that extreme) it’s why I downright actually don’t like much (that and the copy pasted element from canon games) Dangan another 1 (apply way less to Dangan another 2 which is way better albeit still suffers a bit from that issue of making everything extreme just for the sake of it (looking at you chapter 3 that I actually despite))

So far it’s not the vibe that project Eden’s garden gives me. Buuuuuut it could happen, I’ll still play it minute one and I hope I’ll have a great time.

Also I will definitely be absolutely in denial conscerning character deaths, a lot of the cast is actually quite likeable at face value and while a lot have death flags and seem to hide something, I don’t actually want any of them to die.

I’ll also be in denial if we got a personality twist for the killer or any char and they turn edgelord or a bitch, and I’ll keep their more enjoyable personality in my mind

[despair-to-future-arcs]

Is everyone ready?

*after dinner, Makoto stands up*

Okay guys, now that we are done dinner; I do want to make some announcement.

Tomorrow morning at 7 AM; myself along with Kyoko and Byakuya are going with Poppy, Tomohiko, Takuma, Fusako and Mayu back to the main land to get key cards that we need to get their briefcases so we are going to leave quite early and return back around evening.

Meaning that Hiroko and Hotaru will be watching over you guys along with some other agents so keep that mind while we are away.

Understood, will be sure to behave ourselves then...

Good, now I think with that out of the way; I do believe that Nagito has something he wanted to say, correct?

Greeeat, probably gonna be another of those hope speeches, huh?

*gets up* No no, it's not going to be but I was thinking over everything that I learn over the last few days and I want to say...

Well this better be good given what you pull the other day, don't think we didn't forget that, Nagito.

Don't worry, I'm well aware of the trouble I cause and I just want to say; I'm terribly sorry for how I acted in the killing game and just... everything that occur there, I suppose that when I thought a killing game was going to happen, given how my luck is; I just... accepted it.

So you seriously want a killing game to happen, your sick in the head, y'know that?

I'm well aware but I just... tend to get paranoid easily; my luck tends to go from good to bad so when good luck happens, bad luck follows after and I think my condition doesn't help with that either.

Co-Condition...? Right I did remember during the killing game you got very sick, would this explain it?

Yes, if curious - I was diagnosed with stage 3 malignant lymphoma and frontotemporal lobe dementia before I was enroll into Hope's Peak as the Ultimate Lucky Student; the doctors told me that I didn't have long to live.

Malignant lymphoma and frontotemporal lobe dementia? What are those?

I can explain that one, “Lymphoma” is the general term for cancer in your lymphatic system — the network of tissues, vessels and organs that help your body fight infection. It’s considered a blood cancer because the condition starts in white blood cells lymphocytes in your lymphatic system.

There are treatments for it; ranging from chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy and stem cell transplant which Future Foundation can cure but the fact it was stage 3 and he lasted this long is just pure luck on his part.

As for frontotemporal lobe dementia or FTD for short, is an umbrella term for a group of brain diseases that mainly affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. These areas of the brain are associated with personality, behavior and language which Nagito seems to be the behavioral type.

It has a wide arrange of symptoms ranging from Increasingly inappropriate social behavior, Loss of empathy and other interpersonal skills. For example, not being sensitive to another person's feelings, Lack of judgment, Loss of inhibition and Lack of interest, also known as apathy. Apathy can be mistaken for depression.

While there isn't a cure for that, we do have medications to help with it so if you all wonder why Nagito behave oddly; that's why and I think the killing game aggerated it.

So wait, Nagito was acting out because he was sick...?

That's...well, that certainly explains a lot...

Indeed and as say, it's an explanation but not an excuse; I did still start the killing game all for the sake of hope... a hope that wasn't even real, I learn that Hope's Peak really lie to everything and those bribes, it's... no wonder the Reserve Course existed.

I'm just... really conflicted about everything, I'm still not sure how to feel about it, y'know? I always admire Hope's Peak and the beacons of hope, so I'm left unsure at this point.

But I just need to confirm here; is there more briefcases like the 2 that were discover, I need to know?

*everyone went quiet as then Hajime stood up*

Indeed; the only remaining ones left that we are getting is 4 of them currently but there are more out there, meaning that we need to shut down a lot of areas. That's why your kept alive Nagito; we need to find these briefcases and give them to Future Foundation to investigate Hope's Peak but also work on your future which given what you say, I feel you have a chance too.

Huh? You...You think so too, Hajime? But I say a lot of awful things to you...You really think so?

I know, but after hearing all that and knowing what we did; I think I do at least understand what your dealing with and it's not like we are any better, honestly I felt the same too as I did admire Hope's Peak as well and I'm still trying to come to terms with it.

But even if you don't think you can change; you can and will and to start, I do think you should work on yourself and maybe cure all that, so how about it Nagito? Even if you don't agree, we can still be friends so how about it?

Hajime...

[goshdangronpa]

thoughts. on the. curry episode? 9aka the toootally most important entry to the entirey of the danganronpa plot /s)

I knew about the aphrodisiac scene, but I didn't know what actually happened in it before watching it myself. I was not ready for it to be in the second freaking episode!

In short? That scene was hella uncomfortable! In long? Well ...

Let me clarify something that anyone who's read my fanfics may have already picked up on: I'm totally okay with seeing sexual content in fiction, whether it's dirty jokes in scripts or love scenes in movies. (For goodness' sake, Miu Iruma is one of my fave DR chars, and her whole shtick is making everything needlessly sexual!) Sex is a part of many people's lives, potentially a very important part, especially starting at around the age the characters are in the curry scene. How it's used in a story can do much to develop a character and, yes, move the plot forward.

Even if sexual content isn't present for such functional reasons, it can still be fun, weird, dramatic, or otherwise interesting! Not every story needs or is improved by sexual content, sure, but nor does every story need to be sterilized of all sexual content.

That's why I'm gonna give this scene a Fair and Balanced assessment, starting with what I actually liked about the curry scene. Not a long list:

Akane and Nekomaru's reactions are fittingly over the top, and I think it's cute that instead of really making them horny, the aphrodisiac mostly makes them actually open up about their deeper feelings for each other?! That's so fitting for them, imo.

The bit with Kazuichi's jacket zipper is a pretty solid bit of visual comedy/innuendo, though his aiming for Sonia just makes his existing creepiness much creepier.

I was genuinely amused at the reveal that Hiyoko was the one who drugged everyone, and not for any lascivious reasons but as a prank that's misguided at best.

I didn't like Teruteru's reaction to that reveal ... but I loved seeing Chiaki Nanami go all Scott Pilgrim on his would-be rapist ass.

I'm just saying, I disagree with the notion that the curry scene was doomed in conception. It's the execution that grossed me out. I already mentioned Kazuichi and Teruteru's dark sides getting ramped up, and both cases are played too flippantly for comfort, real boys-will-be-boys kinda attitude even if nothing comes of their actions. Then there's Mikan Tsumiki, known to have experienced a lot of sexual assault in the past. Her depiction as a total horndog, not just here but throughout DR3, really icks me out. This scene is too loose about the wrong things.

At the same time, it's too restrained about the wrong things as well. This scene wouldn't be better if it actually became full-on hentai. It would've been funnier if the characters did more than just lie on the ground looking sweaty and constipated! Bits like the Kazuichi zipper thing point to an alternate version where everyone tries very hard to be normal while riding out the drug's effects, barely succeeding, and looking ridiculous along the way. Seems like they didn't want to be that suggestive ... except, of course, with the two creepiest dudes in the bunch and the sexual assault survivor. Missed opportunity, I'd say. Does Nagito even get a speech about how not whipping out his dick would help to build everyone's hope? (I think he says something silly but I can't recall lol)

Geez, I did not expect my Fair and Balanced Take on the DR3 Curry Scene to run this long ._.

In short, the curry scene simultaneously goes too far and doesn't go far enough, largely in the wrong ways. It's tough to argue against the "sexual content in stories can never be good" crowd when so many examples fall into that uncomfortable middle ground.

[anonzentimes]

last asker here wahoo weehee but yeah i dont mind the ramble !!! honestly i do feel a little similar sometimes ourgh . maybe not with being in specific fandoms but especially when it comes to like . the smaller things like self inserts . the like

but anyway !!!!!! now im curious and im not too sure if you've answered anything of the sort before but i do wonder what you thought of the difference in characterization with Nagito in the games and in the anime?

not that nagito in the games r even one for one the same- same goes for the anime-

but i do know there's a difference , and i've heard so many differing opinions on how Nagito's potrayed in both, especially discussion on how faithful Nagito in danganronpa 3's character is to danganronpa 2, so i'll admit now im very interested on hearing your thoughts on him when looking at game nagito and anime nagito side by side eyes emoji

YAYY!!!!! I love getting asked to talk about him it's so fun!!! No one has actually asked this before, and I've been planning to do something on this for a bit!

Personally I think anime Nagito is actually really good! Although I think side lining him for a little bit was a weird decision, even if I understand why. But enough of that! Let's talk more about his characterization! I'll talk about what I think about Nagito's characterization in the anime and some annoyances I have with the misinterpretations!

I will admit that some of the fandom's opinions on, "Anime Nagito vs Game Nagito," kind of bother be because a lot of it stems from people not understanding his character in it's entirety in the first place.

The thing about Nagito is that he works as an amazing antagonist because he isn't ill intentioned and is just mentally screwed up. In the killing game his coping mechanisms and absolute beliefs are on display and he is at his worst, he's practically having multiple mental breakdowns and losing it. And his beliefs and coping mechanisms happen to be morally gray because he believes Anything is okay if it's for hope. With his luck cycle, coping mechanisms, and absolute beliefs that stem from both of these things we get Nagito. And when you place Nagito who thinks being trapped on the island forever without the ultimates impacting the world in any way is worse than one person surviving and making an impact on the world, he feels like he has to do something.

Basically, how Nagito acts in the anime and before the first trial is who he is when he's not mentally crumbling and I get really irritated when people try to say that in the game he was a "malicious psychopath" but in the anime he turned into "baby boy" like, just, GRRRAGHHH!!!!! IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE HE NEEDS TO BE GATEKEPT WHEN PEOPLE DO THAT!!! THEY'RE MISUNDERSTANDING HIM SO BAD IT HURTS ☹️☹️☹️

I believe the anime's characterization is pretty great and still keeps in tact his absolute beliefs that lead him to do morally gray things for the sake of hope! I think he's very well done characterization wise in the anime. I liked the episode where he ends up blowing up the gym because he wants to postpone the test for his classmates it made a lot sense with how he thinks and his luck cycle! I also really love his encounter with Junko and Izuru. He says several good lines in the anime that are accurate and completely in character for him, and I love it!

I think the addition that the class thought he was weird even before he was at his worst and didn't show much reciprocation is sad and adds to his tragic life. The fact that he isn't surprised when Chisa slaps him, but rather when he is shown affection gets me dude!!!

I think it is sweet though that, his time at hope's peak is probably one of the best experiences he had until everything went wrong. He isn't shown much reciprocation but he genuinely cares for his classmates beyond them being ultimates from hanging out and knowing them so long. He has some reciprocation from Chisa and the other classmates somewhat care about him to varying degrees. I believe his overall luck cycle went, get accepted into hope's peak, good luck, gets diagnosed, bad luck, gains people he cares about in his life and some who care about him too, good luck, all of them become despairs, bad luck!

The other thing I wanted to touch upon is Bryce Pappenbrook listening to criticism about how Nagito sounds more sarcastic than intended. For a lot of the english fanbase the misinterpretation that Nagito's not honest is beyond repair especially since he's hard to understand, but I really do appreciate the effort to change it slightly. Even if people who misunderstood think there's a huge difference or even retcon with his character, I think it's a nice change that he sounds more genuine like his Japanese voice in the anime.

I think the real difference with him in the Anime versus Ultra Despair Girls and Danganronpa 2 is his role in the story. I think he's very in character, we just don't see him having meltdowns and go through his self unaware freak outs. We still see him do morally gray things and impact the plot though! In the anime he's doing better compared to the spiraling we see in Danganronpa 2 and rock bottom even more extreme beliefs we see in Udg.

Also I think the anime solidifying the fact that Nagito usually doesn't go out of his way for the ultimate's attention because he thinks he's unworthy of their time actually makes Danganronpa 2 more impactful. Because, if he doesn't try to seek the ultimates attention, then that's further solidifying the fact Nagito was interested in Hajime, he felt a connection with him even when they first met. We see him do the opposite of what he usually would just because of Hajime, and I think that's really sweet.

Nagito barely mentioning hope in Danganronpa 2's prologue is for the plot twist mostly, however, there could be multiple actual reasons for it. My interpretation is that it's because he wanted to make a good impression so he focuses on that instead, that combined with it not really coming up leads to them not really knowing what he thinks. There are hints of it and he's not purposely "hiding it" at all. Nagito is an honest person who only lies when he feels it's necessary, to further prove that point when he gets the despair disease, personality inverting disease, he gets the Lying disease.

Nagito in the prologue and in the anime are the same because he's not losing it yet, the only difference is Nagito talks slightly less about hope and his beliefs because It's not very relevant, he's trying to make a good impression, and he's focusing on keeping Hajime's attention. My favorite little thing supporting this is that he doesn't complain about going swimming. In the Dangan Island events we see him worry about it, but when he's focusing on everything else he didn't really think about it. He asks what Hajime is planning to do instead.

In conclusion, I believe Nagito in the anime is pretty good. He serves his role well for it not being his usual one, info about what he was like adds a little more to Danganronpa 2 analyzing it, and it's nice that we get to see more of him when he's not at his worst. He's still absolutely the same person and I think his characterization is really good. I think they could have utilized him more or made him relevant to the plot sooner if they wanted, but I think the impact and scenes that he has still are great and work well since he, again, doesn't have his usual role in the anime.

One last thing while I'm here talking about the anime's Nagito, a lot of people like to make the joke that he's "hopesexual" because of the one fan service line of dialogue in Danganronpa 3 where he basically says, "Hope feels amazing," and I just. URAGGHHH!!!!!!!! I'm sorry but if someone unironically says "hopesexual" I hope that their pillow always remains warm on both sides because saying it Is ANNOYINGG!!! It's so easy to get I don't know why people do this, and I know I'm being a little over the top but it just bugs me sooo bad Like,

Hope = Absolute Good/Euphoric Feeling for him, Horny = Euphoric Feeling for him, CONCLUSION: GENERAL EUPHORIA DESCRIPTOR!! He doesn't have a hope kink and the people who make those jokes are weird especially since it's straight up wrong!! I know it's just a joke, but it still gets on my nerves regardless because some people take it seriously. Even one of his songs uses this comparison by allegorizing hope with sexual desires, conveying that both are euphoric emotions for him! >:(

Anyways!

Thank you for your ask and Hopefully I successfully got all of the points I wanted to across! <3

[amazingorangedangantrash]

I saw a stephen merchant comedy on the tv last night and all i could hear was Wheatley and it got me thinking

DR Portal AU....

I feel like junko would be GLADoS because. Well. I dont see who else it would be.

I can see nagito as wheatley weirdly enough, i cant explain why. I think its because both him and wheatley have pretty bad luck and a (sort of) peppy attitude LOL. Also because junko/glados hates them.

Now, chell is where im stuck at bc i can see her being either makoto or hajime. I feel like hajime fits chell's personality more, but makoto fits her thematically (being a symbol of hope, being the primary opposition to the main antagonist). So i thought maybe they could split the role? Maybe with hajime showing up in portal 2 or smth?

Since i ship chelley (i always have LOL it was like one of my favourite ships as a kid and i still ship it today) i wanna make chell makoto for the sake of komaegi (i love komaegi i feel so obnoxious making everything komaegi related but i just do) so i guess hajime doesnt NEED to be there. I just like him.

If hajime is there tho i want chiaki to be there too bc i love hinanami. And she's already an AI so I'm sure she can be in there somewhere.

Or i could make it komahinaegi, which i also like.

Or komahinaeginami... but i typically avoid polyships just because they get too much and make my brain spin HDJSGDJSVS. I like to keep ships relatively simple because its easier to focus on at most 3 people, any more beyond that and it gets too complicated for me

...but i do like the idea...

But yeah maybe i'll ramble more about it later. I just like smashing together two of my favourite things!

[danganronpa-ship-tourney]

You just rocked my fucking world I've never done Teruteru's freetime events I am INCENSED I am OFFENDED I'm going to give him a stern lecture and have Nagito confiscate his drugs in my fanfic (y'know, to cope) I am just...JUST...! There is a LINE teruteru there is a FUCKING LINE ahahaha I'm actually mad XD

Honestly I was hoping to get at least one shocked reaction because no one did his free time events so no one knows how it fucking ends. Which is a bit of a shame because UNTIL the last one his free time events are mostly like fine? We learn more about his family and diner and it's kinda cute at time. Though there is so much to fucking unpack about him having siblings that are the ultimate female escort and the ultimate male escort like exCUSE ME? Hope's Peak may have a sex trafficking offense its WILD.

"Apparently...they're candidates for the title of Ultimate Male Escort and Ultimate Female Escort."

LIKE EVEN HAJIME IS LIKE "Male and female escorts...? Aren't they underage!?" What is GOING ON with his family?!

It's genuinely a shame though because like the start of the last event is so cute?

"It depends on each person to determine what they believe is tasty... I didn't really want...the sparkling city-life or my stunning success... I just...I just wanted to cook for someone important to me."

"My cooking was just...for the sake of making the person most important to me...smile... Why did I forget something as important as this...?"

He talks about nostalgia and how it ties into cooking, and how he wants to make people smile with his cooking! That's cute! I like this part of teruteru! His relations to his family and how it relates to his cooking are actually interesting parts of his character! this is cute! this is something I can get behind!

but he then uh, immediately ruins it

"I know! To thank you for everything, I made something to make you happy!"

"I bit into it...and the sweetness of the rice spread throughout my mouth. It seemed unseasoned at first, but when I bit into it I could tell it was slightly seasoned with something."

"Are you starting to feel a little weird...? Or maybe you feel your core getting strangely warm...?"

"...Hey, what is this season?"

"That's a trade secret!"

"...Ignoring that for now, I feel like I got to understand Teruteru a little better. I can feel a strong bond forming with Teruteru... As long as we have this bond, I won't give up. That's what I think."

"I desperately tried to keep my fading consciousness afloat, and somehow managed to return to my cottage..."

LIKE SIR THAT'S A CRIME??? YOU CAN'T JUST FUCKING DO THAT????

shit's wild! he just did that!