#More Than Survive; [TARO]

[spaced-out-muses]

I’ve been thinking about it since watching @tres-fidelis play more P5R two nights ago, but I think it’s extremely funny how I ended up putting Taro and Mishima on opposite ends of the spectrum.

Like, I’m probably a broken record by now, but Taro Knows™, at least when it comes to our dear protagonist. Mishima figured it out, being one of the first ones to do so. Makoto figured it out. Yoshida figured it out, and I don’t doubt there could be others we just don’t see/I’m not currently aware of. In my mind, it doesn’t seem too far fetched that the guy sitting behind the protagonist would figure out his big ol secret. And honestly, in terms of the game specifically, I’m (lovingly) surprised no one else figured it out bc of Ryuji “GUYS WE’RE PHANTOM THIEVES” Sakamoto.

This group ain’t nearly as slick as they try to be and I love them.

But anyway, Mishima, once figuring out who the Thieves were, went all in on trying to help. He set up the Phansite, he actively contacts the Protagonist to give info, he should have been a thief himself and he’s always so enthusiastic about it. He has full faith in the Thieves, they’ve got his full support, nothing could shake that. Like, even the shit with Okumura didn’t faze him!! Even when knowing the Protag’s record, he completely throws it out the window, puts his trust in the Phantom Thieves, and was the first one to go “This is BULLSHIT I know you guys didn’t do that.” He’s also the first one to suggest the damage control of taking on smaller requests to regain the public’s trust, like!!!

Boy is doing the best he can to help, he realized he's in control of his own fate after a few bumps in the road, and I adore him for it.

Taro… does Not do any of that. He didn’t even intend to find out, he just happened to get unlucky enough in seating placement. He wants NOTHING to do with the PT as things stand. This does put him in a difficult position since they’re students like him and knows he shares a class with at least one, and like. He doesn’t like, want to be an asshole, doesn’t want it to seem like he’s actively avoiding anyone. Hell! He doesn’t even disagree with what they’re doing, doesn’t care at the very worst. But at the same time he is acutely aware he’s a loose link and therefore assumes the larger the distance, the safer both parties will be.

You could probably argue he's helping by not snitching but that's the bare minimum.

His entire plan for surviving Shujin revolved around keeping his head down and staying out of trouble. While Mishima enthusiastically broke out of his shell once the Phantom Thieves showed up, Taro is aggressively retreating into it. He just wants to get through high school with as little excitement as possible, and though he’s technically failed step one we will perservere, damnit.

This is especially the case once Okumura kicks it, because like... Mishima is one case. He actively works to help the thieves, and is one of the people who was most impacted by their first heist. He has a reason to keep faith in them.

Taro doesn't. At least, not to the same extent.

Sure, the Thieves have changed hearts without issue plenty of times before. Sure, they saved the school from a tyranical PE teacher, outed a art thief, etc. etc. etc. But unfortunately, after Okumura, Taro is forced to remember the Protagonists record. And that... grinds things to a halt. Anxieties and a fresh wave of doubt bubble up. Any progress that could have happened on a personal scale is likely pushed back.

He wants to put faith in the PT, he really does. But until he can think things through or something, he's going to go back to keeping his distance for a while.

[yuri-is-online]

TDB Episode 7 Thoughts

So this episode sort of felt like a filler chapter between "Meeting the Ghouls" and "the Laurel Crown" arcs of the story. I didn't mind since I really like Yuri and Jiro's dynamic, but the pacing of the story was very quick and not a whole lot happened, after an Episode as loaded with action as Obscuary's it can feel a bit like a let down.

Now as for specific thoughts:

I want to start by saying I appreciate how Yuri doesn't believe in the prophecy because it isn't scientific but 100% thinks he is the chosen one, the champion anyway. Yes, have that self confidence that is nothing but a paper shell built on lies to cover your insecurities king! We love a pathetic meow meow in this house!

His connection to Frostheim... I have had this crack theory in my head that he is related to Jin somehow, like maybe he's his brother or something, but I do think how he talks about Frostheim makes me think he is either a transfer to Mortranken or used to be closer to Jin than he is now. We all are pretty sold on Haku being the one who sold Jin out, but there is a chance it could have been Yuri too I suppose.

We were right! Zenji and Jiro are brothers! And we have Zenji's real name, Taro Kirisaki! He doesn't seem to hate it or anything he is just really proud of his role as a man of the quill so he uses a pen name.

Zenji really loves his brother huh. "If anything were to happen to him I might not survive it this time round" I'd be willing to bet that whatever happened to the Krisaki brothers was connected, it's just that Zenji got dumped at Darkwick General while Jiro was taken in by Yuri. Zenji's voicelines about a brother "in his rebellious phase" and his struggle to express his love for his older brother makes me think they might have been at odds before the clash... maybe Jiro hated how laid back Zenji was when he literally made a deal with a demon? Of course he did too... but maybe Zenji's was related to trying to make Jiro healthy? He seems to have some sort of auto-immune disease and while that could be a side-effect of the coma but it could also be something Jiro's always struggled with and explain why Zenji is so protective of him. I bet they were killed by the same anomaly...

Sorry I have a lot of feelings about the Kirisaki brothers... what happened to them? Why does no one care that they're dead and dying other than Yuri? I don't think Zenji cares that much that Jiro doesn't remember him so long as he's alive... but would it bother Jiro if he could remember? Does he ever find himself making tea and turn to scold someone for talking too much, he's being annoying again but there isn't anyone there and he doesn't know who he's scolding because it wasn't Yuri... does he know how to make tea because Zenji insisted on teaching him? Is Zenji the one who he would tease about being afraid of dead bodies before MC?

Right on not simp notes: we have more information about the murder, the victim was from Ultio! And the murder predated the Clash so it's pretty safe to say the inability of the school to find the murderer is probably what kicked things off.

We also have hints of a mermaid student, so be patient fish fuckers we- I mean you will be getting fed soon. This student seems to be known to Yuri and Haru, and Haru's reaction suggests he might think of him as a friend? He's not beating the Steve Irwin allegations is he, I'm surprised Ed isn't obsessed with him at this point. Then again I think Ed would resent me implying he's an animal, but we've seen the inside of his room so I rest my case.

Nicholas appears to be in hot water with the Institute, and he is not trusted by Yuri. Cornelius references something he calls "the Dionysia breakout" as being Nicholas's fault to contain... given that those students are missing and Nicholas has only recently found them... I want more information before I say anything but Yuri's explanation of how he sees anomalous anything illnesses I think it makes sense to say an anomaly outbreak occurred in the Dionysia dorm that was not contained by its ghouls, something the school blames Nicholas for.

The school knew the MC was going to turn into an anomaly and did not tell her "for her mental health." I like MC's mixed feelings on this. On the one hand I don't think she would have handled it well if we had learned it immediately. On the other, I am a firm believer that information is not something that should be gate kept, and hey. It's the MC's life she deserves to know what happened to her. I think I land on not trusting Darkwick but I do trust Yuri, I want to know why he's so determined to cure MC but I don't doubt his sincerity in the slightest. If I had to say who is most determined to see MC cured, I'd say its Yuri and Haru. And Zenji but he's out of commission at the moment. Yuri has an ego the size of his forehead, but he does seem very passionate about curing anomalous diseases and takes failures a bit more personally than he'll ever admit to. Haru is just a stand up guy who seems like he wants the best for those he loves, and he really does seem to love MC! He says he'd trust her with his life! That's my dorm captain he's literally the best <3

The tree is curious, one of the fruits looked a bit better, but then it shrunk after the announcement of the Laurel Crown and the Gala coming back... which I guess makes sense? The ghouls are fighting again, technically, and if their hate for each other is what makes the tree sick then I don't think it is going to get better. Speaking of the tree... poor MC.

Yuri's description of an anomaly that could destroy the world does match up with how Ed describes the Kyklos. Dani and I talked about this already, but that name (in addition to being super similar sounding to cyclops explaining why she has one eye) is ancient greek for cycle. It is typically used to refer to a theory about human history that depicts it as being a cycle between Dark and Golden ages, how this monster came to be is something I'd be super interested to learn about... I have some theories but they're 100% pure Colombian crack with no evidence.

That being said, Ed knows what it is but Darkwick's staff does not... Ed revealing the MC is going to turn into a monster to the whole student body makes a lot of sense for him to do actually. He sees it as him helping the MC because he wants the ghouls to compete to cure her, and knowing how he thinks of humans he probably assumed they wouldn't do so unless there was an incentive so that's why he made that the goal the dorms would have to meet to win the Laurel Crown.

Speaking of which... Sho. Shohei. Hyde has him doing a special mission, wonder what that is huh? Whatever it is, that's suspicious. That's weird. I've got both my eyes on you Mr. Playboy, Lyca wouldn't do this to me maybe he should get to keep the babygirl title.

... also I really love the "if it were not for the laws of this land I would have killed you" vibes Rui, Tohma, and Haku had during their little conversation. I was dying, "oh hiiiii Rui :D so nice to see you NOT IN THE SHADOWS STALKING ME. DID YOU KNOW HE CAN DO THAT MC? GO INTO SHADOWS AND STALK YOU? NO???" Haku just being like "teehee maybe MC and I are a thing Tohma" and Tohma leaving that on read because who cares? Not him his interests are classified but I swear its ntr- *i am shot and dragged from the premises*

[doonalli]

Mai and Humanity in Autonomy (Mai Character Analysis)

I think Mai Tsurugi is a character who has a lot to her and while I know she is talked about a bit I think she should be talked about more because she is a truly fantastic character and I hope this post gets you to start thinking about how and why!!

To understand Mai’s character I think it's important to talk about a major theme in 3-1. Obviously at its core Chapter 3 Part 1 is about what makes something human, and its shown through each of the dummies, each encompassing a different aspect of humanity, and for Mai this is the humanity of being able to make your own choices.

And this is made extremely clear during one major point in 3-1 where Ranmaru gives a speech about how humanity is about making your own choices after Keiji gets locked in a coffin. 

And throughout the chapter Mai ends up emboding everything that Ranmaru and this scene is trying to say.

In this speech Ranmaru states that being human is about making your own choices, something that's a constant struggle for Mai’s character, but also something she ends up learning throughout the chapter and finally proving her humanity through it.

and Mai is the one who by far encapsulates this the most throughout 3-1, ironic considering how she is also the only one who didn’t get to hear the speech on account of being unconscious.

When we first meet Mai it’s as a doll during the Murderer Game, the subgame in which the survivors must kill Midori in order to proceed however the dolls instead have a different objective. As a doll Mai is told she must kill her partner (in this case being Q-taro) if she wants to survive. Here she starts off as someone unable to make her own choices and that's shown off almost immediately when Mai ends up being the first doll to play into Midori's hands and try to kill their partner, it's a choice that was set up for her, not something she chose herself but rather it's just her playing along with Midori's puppet show. However, after she wakes from being knocked out by Qtaro we see the first signs of her breaking from that.

When she wakes up, we see the aftermath of her choice from her perspective, and she regrets it, not from a regret of her betrayal but because of her failure.

If Sara tells her “you’re awake…” she’ll say

Its only when Qtaro decides to forgive that she finally regrets her actions

And Qtaro tells her that this doesn’t mean anything, as he claims he would have done the same, and the only thing that stopped him was that he was never given the opportunity. The only thing stopping him was the lack of a choice in the matter, mirroring how the only thing pushing Mai is the looming threat that if she doesn’t kill she dies. Both given only having one real choice presented to them. 

Q-taro even said as much right after Mai stabbed him.

Q-taro calls out the lack of choice the dummies have in the matter, and makes it clear that its Midori who has control over them. Forcing them to play along with his puppet show.

Once Mai is awake it's from this point forward where we see more of who she really is, rather than the cutesy persona she put on before, and that's shown through her actions. 

As a first step towards reconciliation Mai steps up to take Qtaro off Yabusame’s hands and let him lean on her instead. (and if Anzu died Gin will tell Mai that they can take turns if she gets tired, to which she thanks Gin)

The next scene I want to talk about is when Hinako asks the dummies how they plan on surviving with both the humans and the dummies intact. If Anzu and Hayasaka both died earlier Mai will step up to fight back against Hinako and Kurumada’s reluctance.

Rather than speaking from a reluctance to kill such kind people like Anzu or Hayasaka, she argues from experience. She can’t say she couldn’t kill them, but she still doesn’t want her allies to feel the same feeling she did, even if she would have to stop them herself

Finally when Maple starts going on a rampage she decides to risk her life to stay behind and protect Qtaro. Interestingly she also is required to beat the Maple fight as she is the one who reads Maple’s instruction manual and figures out what must be done, which leads into the connection Mai and Maple have in their arcs.

Speaking of, during Keiji’s POV section, Mai and Qtaro hide in the coffins to get away from Maple until they’re unlocked and they are able to save Keiji. Qtaro gets the idea to shut off the elevators to stop Maple from being able to get to the 5th floor after the others. Maple then stumbles in and collapses, starting another scene which highlights the connection Mai and Maple have.

And she explains that her goal as an obstructor was to kill Midori, however there was something that stood in the way of that.

Maple regrets the terrible things she did to everyone but Mai tells her it's because the cast took the ID card from her. Maple tells her that it was because she was programmed into loving Midori, that even this love wasn’t her choice and ultimately relegates her to a “gimmick”, robbing her of her autonomy, a similar situation as to what happened with Mai. During the Murderer game Mai alongside the rest of the dummies are reduced to gimmicks, to the point that unlocking the first level of “gimmick security” lets you see information on the dummies and their collars,

and unlocking the second level causes the victim videos of the dummies to play, ending with a video of what happened as they woke up. Its clear that, to Midori and Asunaro at least, the dummies are simply gimmicks for the Murderer Game.

And this is shown again when Maple explains the true meaning of the “Murderer game”, and how they were pushed into thinking that killing the survivors was their only choice, despite that not being the case.

However Mai doubts it at first, saying

She wonders if Asunaro would even charge them if their battery runs out, she then insists Asunaro was planning on disposing of them from the start, and that they were just watching them struggle helplessly.

Until Qtaro speaks up to make a promise to Mai,

Through the Banquet and Qtaro’s promise a new path opens up, one paved through the bonds between the humans and the dolls. A new choice was created, a choice they made themselves, separate from the “the human lives or the doll lives” dichotomy they were fed before. And with Mai’s help, alongside Qtaro and Keiji, this choice became an actual possibility. 

Once Keiji leaves to charge the Midori doll’s head Mai and Qtaro stay behind and they end up enacting their own plan to help everyone during the banquet. Qtaro lays down in Keiji’s coffin, taking his death into his own hands, in a way alleviating the blame from Mai for her actions, and opening up a new possibility for the dummies with the banquet. Mai still cries out that it's her fault. However the death now has a purpose, has a reason past Mai’s mistake, and it changes the death from one done by a lack of choice, to one that opens up new choices from a lot more people.

From here Mai is alone, with Keiji on the 5th floor and Qtaro gone, she is the only one who is left that knows about the plan, and the only one at all who knows about Qtaro. From here she walks her own path, obtains the ID card from Sara and starts to boot up the Qtaro AI into the doll. Soon an announcement from “Keiji” calling for Sara occurs and Mai tries to push everyone to go with her, likely to make sure Keiji isn’t spotted on the way down, but Sara charges on alone regardless, leaving Mai alongside the rest of the others, and with no Keiji in sight.

She then later meets up with Sara alongside the others and a new Q-taro doll in the classroom after Sara awakens from being stunned.

Very quickly I want to call attention to a scene in the Logic route after Ranmaru kills Yabusame.

After Ranmaru claims that this is the only way left to save Sara, Hinako calls him out on wanting to save himself, causing him to retaliate by asking when she decided to side with them. Hinako, shocked, doesn't manage to reply, but Mai steps in to tell Ranmaru that no one would side with him.

In a way Ranmaru in the Logic Route is the exact opposite of what Mai is striving for. Just the same as her, he killed someone to survive, and while she wouldn’t know that Ranmaru was pushed into this choice by Sara’s words, similar to what Midori did to Mai, there is a large difference in the fact that Ranmaru’s goal includes killing everyone to save himself and Sara but even past that he revels in what he did as the right choice, mirroring Mai’s almost immediate regret at her actions. Even the way she specifically kills her partner while Ranmaru's goal is to kill everyone EXCEPT his partner adds to this.

Right afterwards the fight against Maple 2.0 happens, and there are a couple moments I want to discuss on how they pertain to this theme of making your own choices shared between the two. Firstly, Maple’s first attack.

But, despite her own thoughts…

Here Maple is stuck following orders, and Mai understands that, she tries to tell her to be strong. However this doesn’t end up working out and Maple throws her first attack of the fight, regardless of what she truly thinks.

Next, Mai’s early death.

Mai ends up dying due to Maple’s lack of autonomy in her own actions, and Midori mocks her in that, asking her “You fine with that Maple…?” despite knowing he has her wrapped around his finger. The way Mai dies is in a way she personally could relate to, and relates to her final apology to Q-taro.

In both examples Maple is trapped by her programming in the same way Mai was trapped by the knowledge that she must kill to survive, but Maple shows something important with her final moments.

As she is about to die she breaks from Midori’s control on her and uses this chance to die alongside him, thanking everyone and saying she has “finally woken up” if Mai lived or denying Midori’s reward if she died instead. 

When she finally catches up to him Midori in a last ditch effort tells Maple that he loves her, trying to abuse the programming placed into her, and Sara has 3 possible responses she can give. “He’s lying” and “Hurry up and finish him” both leading him to restate the sentiment that he loves her, but this time Maple isn’t led astray and affirms that she won’t believe him. And if Sara says “Don’t kill him” she continues to lead her own decision stating that she will herself.

However despite this her body fails and she isn’t able to kill him. In the Logic Route, if Ranmaru is still alive, this is specifically caused by Ranmaru shocking her with his stun gun finger, adding another layer to my earlier point on how he is the opposite of Mai with him denying Maple’s own final action. Notably Mai sits down next to Maple’s corpse during the pre-banquet.

Despite this However Maple’s attack showed us cracks in Midori’s facade, cracks that will eventually break him. Maple’s actions here are the first step to breaking Midori and truly winning.

And this is shown in full force during the banquet with Mai’s decision, but before that I want to talk about a scene that occurs beforehand.

When the possibility of a human being a part of the dummies is brought into question, the realisation that Mai isn’t the exact same as her doll comes to light. Eventually this leads to the horrible truth that Mai’s hands aren’t actually her hands at all, but rather Midori’s human hands. In a way this is the physical manifestation that Mai’s actions weren’t by her own hands, but rather she was a tool for Midori, playing along with his puppet show. (and yet another mirror to Ranmaru who also had a scene focusing on his hands earlier in the chapter.)

Upon this reveal Mai swears she’ll kill Midori, something missing from Qtaro’s words if she died, instead his resolve is shaken, wondering if they’ll even be able to beat a guy like him. And this leads to the epitome of her arc, the third hint.

When Sara is forced to pick a red coffin she is afraid to make the choice in fear that her logic isn’t even correct. This is where Mai steps in to tell her to pick a red coffin so she can win.

Mai encompasses Ranmaru’s words from the start of the chapter, no longer too scared to die that she can’t even resist Midori’s hold on her, but proving her humanity by taking her life into her own hands to stand up against Midori, to claim her autonomy, because that's what separates a human from a tool. She quite literally made her own choice with the Banquet, allowing both the humans and the dolls an opportunity to make it through together, a possibility opened through the bonds between the humans and dolls, Qtaro and Mai being at the forefront of that.

Now Mai is willingly telling Sara to choose a coffin, even if its at the cost of her life. She isn’t going to allow Midori control over anyone again. The Mai we see before us here is so different from the at the start of the chapter, one who was too afraid to fight back and make and descision for herself. And even as far back as her victim video where she couldn’t even make a choice between which gun she needs to pick,and died as a result of her panicked state, where she shot the wrong gun. The through line of guns being present in both scenarios also adds to this aspect.

Mai proves humanity through actions, because being human means being able to make your own choices, something both Mai and Maple struggled with at first, but also something they ended up demonstrating over the chapter. They proved their humanity by not letting their actions be decided by another, to not be treated like a tool. Because being human means being able to have autonomy in your actions and Mai proved without a doubt that she is human, despite the physical aspect of being a doll. Because while a doll can’t move, talk or feel without someone forcing it, it's nothing but expected for a human.

==================================================================================================

WOOO MAI ANALYSIS DONE!!! only one dummie left!!! hopefully soon???

Also kinda a Maple analysis by mistake LOL hopefully that's okay lmao, the characters are majorly linked to each other so it didn't feel right to just omit her

But yeah hopefully you enjoyed this and it got you to think about Mai and Maple a bit more as characters, if you liked this and its the first one you've seen then I've got more analyses like these on my blog

and of course its not lost on me the fact that its the 2 women dolls that have an arc about their autonomy, and I love how it falls into YTTD's themes of gendered power as a whole

And as of the day I'm releasing this HAPPY ANNIVERSARY 3-1B!!! The best chapter! I hope this counts as a good enough anniversary post lol, the dummies are a major part of 3-1 after all! I'm happy to give more 3-1 content to the world!

As for now though, I hope you enjoyed and see you next time for my Hinako analysis!!!

[akirasarchives]

[ᴄ.s] | 𝗶 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲

sᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ: Basking in the moonlight of the Beach with your lover.

ᴀ/ɴ: gn reader

Chishiya isn’t cold. He isn’t emotionless, he isn’t vicious and he surely isn’t evil. But, he puts on a façade, an act he plays in order to survive the Borderlands. Borderland Chishiya is calculating and knows how to play his pawns, yet he’ll never make you one of them. Your Chishiya, the one in the real world and the one you see behind closed doors is much more than that.

He’s tentative, soft, caring and loving even if the job he occupies causes him to close off that soft part of his heart. He likes to spoil you with small gestures. He likes waking up next to you in the morning and placing a soft kiss on your shoulder, he likes pretending to hate the music that you love, he loves having coffee dates with you in the stupidly overpriced Starbucks down the street from the apartment that he shares with you.

You can’t stand to watch as the man you love has to act like he doesn’t love you, that he doesn’t have anything more of an acquaintance level relationship with you all the while he hangs around Kuina as if they’re two peas in a pod when it should be you and him. You don’t hate Kuina, quite the contrary, as the tall woman knows about your real relationship with him even if Chishiya scolded you for telling her.

You can’t stand to watch as the man you love has to act like he doesn’t love you, that he doesn’t have anything more of an acquaintance level relationship with you all the while he hangs around Kuina as if they’re two peas in a pod when it should be you and him. You don’t hate Kuina, quite the contrary, as the tall woman knows about your real relationship with him even if Chishiya scolded you for telling her.

You like it when it’s just the two of you, secretly holding hands and giggling nervously like two teenagers once again.

“‘Taro” A soft whisper breaks the silence enveloping your two figures but Chishiya doesn’t mind. He hums, allowing his soft gaze to replace a verbal reply.

He looks so beautiful. With the curtains cracked open ever so lightly, the soft moonlight hue shines a gentle light onto his already soft features, creating an angelic hue around his face.

The sight engraves in your brain, a mental image you never want to forget. It’s like your Chishiya is back, almost as if you two are back in the normal world.

“When we go back…” You start, staring into his soft eyes “Do you think we can expand the invitations?”

Chishiya smiles, a real genuine smile as he remembers the night before the Borderlands. Maybe his romantic manga had really gotten to him but he couldn’t help but do a cheesy proposal in his own Chishiya-like way. An impromptu picnic date on your shared balcony matched with your favourite foods and a bottle of bubbles gave him the courage to propose. You're glad you fought back your urge to ask him what he was fiddling with in his pocket that night as in hindsight you would’ve ruined the best night of your life.

“Do you want to invite more people?” He asks softly as he moves to grasp your hand with a firmer hold. You nod, thinking about your friends.

“Kuina… She could be one of my entourage” Chishiya shakes his head teasingly as your idea. You can’t help but laugh airily “Maybe she could be your bestwoman?”

“I think Kuina would like to organise the wedding” Chishiya tutts, thinking about the woman’s flamboyant style. He can only imagine the scene, with bright streamers and expensive decorations littering the small space. A crowded room with barely any space for the guests to sit around her own furnishings. Though he smiles, because he knows you would probably adore the stupid thought.

Silence falls over you two once more but it’s okay, because Chishiya is there next to you. Realistically, anyone could barge into his room whenever they liked but for some reason it’s as if a barrier exists. No disruptions have ever passed his doorstep, to which you’re thankful. Silently, you take the time of peace to shuffle up the bed to curl into his side. Looking out the window and silently holding hands can only satisfy your need for affection for so long.

Cuddling up to Chishiya seemed like it would be nothing but a passing thought when you two first entered the Beach, acting as if you two were just game-partners who stuck together.

“I love you, you know?” You whisper, glancing up at Chishiya. A soft rumble in his chest proves that he finds your sudden confession amusing, but he nods anyway. His left arm curls around your form as he uses his left hand to rub at your side lovingly. It causes a soft sigh to emit from deep in your throat as you finally feel your body untensing for the first time in days.

“I love you too” He mumbles, looking towards the ceiling. A part of him holds hatred for people who can easily express themselves, those who don’t have a nagging voice spewing unnecessary feelings of doubt at himself as he struggles to reply. He’s built himself up to a point where he can express himself, though he often finds himself biting his tongue at times.

Chishiya is thankful for you. Thankful that you’re the one person he can truly express himself to and understand that it’s hard for him to express his emotions like others. At times like these, he hates those who are easily kind-hearted.

Someone like Arisu. The man who easily expresses himself to everyone, even him. To wear his heart on his sleeve; he’s somewhat envious even if vulnerability is no more than a death sentence within this world.

[spaced-out-muses]

"a."

"a."

@spaced-out-muses || x

Sam stares at him. Processes the way his cheeks feel in her hands, the cute little squeak he gives, the whine of her name, and—-

Oh. Did she just kiss him?

" you're too cute, taro. "

[luckyloops]

Cottontail Mila!

ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪˖ ִֶָ🐇་༘࿐

My One Piece OC!

For everyone who wants a good, up to date reference of who Mila is and what she is all about, here it is in one neat tumblr post for you!

Name: Mila “Cottontail” Box

Age: 24

Pronouns: she/her but tbh idrm ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Height: 171cm (5’7/8)

Devil fruit: Zoan Type ‘Hare-Hare Fruit’

Sexuality: Anyone ૮ . . ྀིა⁩

Canon ship: Law ૮꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶꒱ა

Origin: North Blue (Mila is German!)

Tag for Mila: #Milachat

Tag for Mila/Law: #Milaw

Mini fact file:

* Personality: Endearing, naive, diligent, skittish, cowardly.

* Will place looking and acting professional above her own needs

* Something of a bleeding heart

* Smells like Taro

* Thumps her foot when she’s frustrated

* Has several Zoan shifting forms in between her human and animal state.

Family:

Mila is the youngest of 10 siblings. Her 9 older brothers form the Chocolate Box pirates, headed up by Captain Felix ‘Espresso’ Box.

Overview:

Mila works as a messenger/mail girl for various clients across the Grand Line. Mila has the power of the ‘Hare-Hare’ devil fruit, a Zoan type fruit granting the user super speed and heightened senses. Her speed allows her to become fast enough to travel over water without needing a ship and cover land distances in a matter of minutes if not seconds, making her such a reliable messenger. This is where she got the nickname ‘Cottontail’ from- though she’ll exhaust herself trying to explain to people that Cottontails are a species of rabbit, and technically her powers are that of a Hare. 

Mila takes jobs for pretty much anyone- the best and worst of the Grand Line, as long as they’ll pay, she’ll deliver, and as such is somewhat morally grey given the whole working for villains thing. She spends most work days being overlooked and talked down to by the high rollers on the Grand Line who employ her services- and that’s just fine. The less of a threat she makes herself out to be, the more employable she becomes to those with the most Berry. Emperors, Marines, Warlords, anyone. Her job means she knows a lot of the secrets people keep.

Abilities:

• Super Speed

• Shapeshifting

• Heightened senses

This is a sheet I drew for fun to show what Mila’s moves would be if she were in a video game!

Mila’s nickname and more on her personality:

AKA Why I gave ‘Cottontail’ a Hare based Zoan fruit instead of a Rabbit based one (and why her nickname not matching up matters).

* Hares are larger than rabbits. I always wanted Mila to be on the taller/more willowy side so a slightly larger animal made sense

* Hares are born with their eyes open and covered in fur, ready to fight to survive. Rabbits are born blind and without fur. Mila was born into a situation where she had to quickly adapt and perform to the standards of a very hostile atmosphere- she is a survivor to boot, from an abusive household to dealing with villains on the grand line, Mila is meek, but she is perceptive, and will skitter her way to safety and survival every time

* Rabbits prefer to hide from predators, but Hares are runners, extremely fast and preferring to bolt from predators, tracking with Mila’s top power being her super speed.

* Hares are not domesticated like rabbits have been, & Mila no longer has a home or family she can depend on.

* ^ rabbits are very social, living in colonies- hares are much more solitary.

Why ‘Cottontail’?

In Mila’s canon, Shanks was the first big client she had on the Grand Line, and the one to give her that nickname. Mila having a nickname that doesn’t factually match with her power is very intentional. It’s the reception she gets out in the Grand Line: the smaller and more unassuming she appears, she more likely she is to find work because she won’t be seen as an employee who doesn’t potentially pose a threat. Her only goal is to work and to earn Berry- she doesn’t need to be perceived as strong or competent, despite being both, even if it’s not in the traditional sense. Mila has a prey animal’s ruthlessness: quick & clever & always the first to run.

MILA / LAW = MILAW!

Emo bf and decora gf. Also they both work too hard. Also they both have autism. ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧

Law likes to look cool and Mila is easy to impress. Mila likes to bring levity and Law wants to let the light in. Win win.

[ghostherlig]

i am very slow with writing atm with being sick and also my wrists are starting to hurt more now that it's getting colder- but here's some silly goofy random headcanons while im recovering!! (for johnny, kenshi, raiden, and kung lao) under the cut bc this really ran away from me- (collected over the course of this entire day as things popped into my brain, i apologize for the mass of words you're about to read :'))

johnny can play piano!! he has a grand piano that he really loves and he plays anything from classical to ost's to his own little tunes whenever he thinks them up- he has a recorder attached to it so he can remember them or maybe post his own song one day

(based off the previous hc) if/when kenshi is over/moves in he'll play at night and let kenshi listen in- but randomly johnny will transition what he's playing into the jaws or michael meyers theme and that's kenshi's cue to start running- because now the house is in hide and seek mode, and as soon as johnny stops playing, he'll be searching

kenshi used to play the violin growing up, but he dropped it once he was old enough and competent enough to commit himself to the yakuza- he can still remember some of the songs he used to love to play. he hums them from time to time and has been caught doing the motions of playing the violin before

kenshi loves animals but has an extra soft spot for cats and bunnies especially- he's a cat magnet in places where strays are common, they always flock to him (he for sure keeps catnip in his pocket when he can)

johnny loves his action and hero films but kenshi enjoys romcoms and horror- romcoms for the stories and drama, and horror films because the sound design usually slaps- he also can tell you what fruit or vegetable was absolutely destroyed based on the sounds alone

lao and raiden are way too good at Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes- raiden is on the manual while lao is on the bomb and they can crack the normal mode in like 45 minutes (they're a little slower when they swap places but they can still do it impressively fast (fastest speedrun time is sub 30mins)

johnny knows how to play mahjong after taking a role and having to play on-screen for five minutes- he wanted it to look authentic and thought "there's no better way than to actually play"- raiden and lao found out and now they're all trying to teach kenshi with specially made tiles with braille in the corners

kenshi is ridiculously good at poker- he brought a deck of cards with braille stamped on them and him and johnny played strip poker for a night- needless to say kenshi was smirking to himself as he switched his button up for johnny's

johnny can do pitch and diction perfect impressions of people he's heard talk for long periods of time- you can bet that a lot of his free time at wu shi was spent scaring his fellow champions by talking to them in liu kang's voice from behind a wall-

(based off the last hc) johnny only does it around people he knows well or as a party trick with different characters from pop culture- most often his power is used for evil though

raiden isn't a morning person and actually is super groggy in the mornings- the first thing he does on early days is take a cold shower to wake himself up

(based off the last hc) lao is a morning person and is usually the one to wake up raiden by ripping his blankets off of him- he's lucky he has survived this long, but he tells everyone that if looks could kill, raiden would have killed him long before he made it to wu shi

we all know kung lao eats for a family of five, but that man also naps like a divorced dad after an all you can eat buffet- he is OUT after he's done absolutely fucking up like five full plates of food

raiden really likes boba!! kenshi took him to get some after an errand run and he fell in love with the taro flavor- he also really enjoys winter melon and the regular thai tea

johnny always gets his boba with coffee- he doesnt really like tea flavors and no matter how many sips of kenshi's tea he has, he will always prefer his coffee

kenshi bought johnny a really nice espresso machine that he uses every morning- johnny didnt buy himself one before that bc he never thought he would enjoy making coffee at home and it was easier to just stop by the local cafe since they always had his order ready early- but he finds it really calming and really nice to slow his mornings down and make a latte before leaving for work

johnny, to return the gesture, bought kenshi a really nice kitchen knife since he knows the man really likes to cook- it sees a lot of use as it's a santoku that he basically uses like a chef's knife (it's his sharpest and most well treated kitchen tool, right next to his 8 inch cast iron)

kung lao owns maybe three articles of clothing with sleeves- all of them are coats for when it rains- oh and one hoodie that he stole from raiden that somehow survived when he went into his wardrobe and cut and hemmed all of the sleeves

when kenshi visits, johnny makes him coffee in the morning too but since kenshi doesnt always like the bitter coffee flavor he'll add some fun home made syrups- he has plain vanilla, but also has seasonal flavors like pumpkin spice, snickerdoodle, sugar cookie, white mocha, peppermint, etc.

kenshi LOVES mint chocolate flavored things- he especially loves the kitkat flavor and the pocky flavor, as well as ice cream- johnny CANNOT stand it, he's never liked mint outside of gum and even then he prefers cinnamon or clove gum (the first time kenshi kissed him he was confused bc he tasted like spices)

johnny keeps a jar of butterscotch candies on his desk for when he needs to brainstorm ideas- he finds he thinks better when his mouth is occupied (oral fixation haver)

(based off the previous hc) kenshi bought him some violet (the flower) flavored candy after he found out johnny always kept a stash- he also will refill the giant glass jar with butterscotch candies when he knows johnny is busy and will forget

(also based off the candy hc) lao and raiden also buy him hard candies- they get him ginger and lemon ones that johnny falls in love with immediately- he has two jars on his desk now, one for butterscotch and one for ginger

raiden really likes sketching and coloring- lao bought him one of those adult coloring books with mandalas and really intricate shapes and raiden finished all of it in like two weeks- he used to sketch in his free time and has an entire sketchbook dedicated to drawings of lao and his features (a lot of his arms, hands, eyes, and smile) it's hidden under his mattress

kung lao shaves his own undercut when it gets too long- normally cant let it grow out for longer than two or three weeks. sometimes, raiden will offer to do it for him so they can spend a bit of time together and just talk and be close <3

johnny definitely really enjoys washing kenshi's hair- johnny has a bit of a curl to some of his hair but he never uses the products he's supposed to or the methods he's supposed to when it dries- so it's pretty straight, but kenshi's is pin straight and doesnt tangle the way his does sometimes, so he really loves running his hands through it and has even convinced kenshi a few times to sit so johnny could put coconut oil in it for him

johnny loves coconut flavored things and purposefully buys ice cream bars that have coconut cream based ice cream- kenshi was unaware of this and was offered one and said yes thinking that it was vanilla- kenshi does not like coconut, so it was a very sudden and unpleasant surprise

kenshi cuts fruits as his way of showing love very often- he washes and cuts fruits for himself when he's stressed but preps it for others out of love and will often take apple slices, peeled oranges, cut melon (of any kind), or strawberries and grapes up to johnny's in-home office while he's working

johnny buys kenshi small gifts year round and goes crazy for the holidays and his birthday- he asked kenshi how he would feel if johnny bought him (technically them) a house back in japan- kenshi drew his line in the sand and capped johnny's gift prices at $2k per holiday/birthday (which he had broken before)

raiden keeps taxidermy bugs!! he always loved butterflies as a kid and his first framed butterfly was a gift from lao

please excuse any typos, it's later in the day now and my eyes are a little strained- i hope this was comprehensible, lol

[myaorta00912d53]

Kai didn't trust Sara. It's true that he "stalked" her but he didn't know her.

This was evident in the Russian Roulette minigame. Kai didn't trust Sara in the sense that he didn't believe that she would be emotionally strong enough to be the Challenger.

We know from the letter he wrote on his laptop. He only saw her as some poor innocent child who was tragically dragged into the hands of ASU-NARO.

Furthermore, Kai could have possibly seen himself in Sara, particularly from her innocence. He knew the happiness in innocence in childhood (at least a little bit), he knew the cruelty of ASU-NARO, and he knew what it's like to have a person die right in front of him.

Imagine if that person's death had come from your own hands. Kai couldn't, and he definitely didn't want Sara having any of it.

(Additionally, maybe it's possible he was aware of the simulations where Sara was that bloodthirsty teen. I highly doubt it though, considering ASU-NARO's cultish hierarchy and how Kai ranked low, and considering his development that sort of conflicts with this notion. But if he did, he definitely did not want ASU-NARO to get their way with her. He did not want them to have their "star".)

That's why he'd rather have Q-taro be the challenger. True, it was risky to put so much trust on a complete stranger who was very open about his distrust. But Kai prioritized Sara's safety (from accidentally taking a life) much more.

(This also brings up the implication that Kai would rather have Sara get shot than have her kill someone. Might be a sneak peak into this guy's values.)

But of course, a major part of Kai's character was the development of how he perceived Sara. After beating the Russian Roulette minigame, Kai learns that Sara was much stronger than he thought.

This development completely pulls through when he literally kills himself in front of the already shocked and grieving Sara, giving up all his hopes to her, knowing she's capable. He spoke positively, he wanted to encourage her and everyone else, but it's undeniable that he also hurt her that way.

Post could end here but let's relate Kai to Keiji. Kai and Keiji are the same considering how they have their own perceptions and expectations for Sara, but their opposites in terms of how they view Sara. Kai saw her as a victim he needed to save while Keiji saw her as his escape ticket. Both characters eventually learned to see Sara the other way, with Kai doing That (and also confusing Sara at that time, funniest shit ever) and Keiji putting more effort and consideration on who he should trust for his survival.

[beanieman]

I meant to ask this yesterday but what role would you give the yttd cast in a horror movie?

Sara Chidouin - Sara is the final girl who you know going into the film is going to survive. She's the face of all the posters and promotional material, and you aren't shocked when she escapes at the end…until the sequel.

Joe Tazuna - Like in the game, Joe's role is the final girl's best friend. He ALMOST escapes with Sara, only to be killed meters from freedom. It's sad, but it needed to happen so the final girl could go ape-shit.

Gin Ibushi - Gin is the cute family pet that you're terrified is going to die eventually. Hopefully he is fine.

Keiji Shinogi - Keiji is the useless cop. The final girl runs up to him, saying a killer is chasing her, and he goes, "Well jolly gee, nothing I can do about that. Try to find a random seventeen-year-old to help you."

More Undercut

Alice Yabusame - Alice is the "slapstick victim" that dies a ridiculous death. The scene might not even mean to come off as funny, but the death scene is so weirdly acted/directed/written that it's more amusing than scary.

Reko Yabusame - Reko is the random celebrity cameo that makes you check IMDB to make sure that the actor you think is in this movie is actually in this movie.

Nao Egokoro - Nao is the surprise final girl. It seemed like someone else would take that role, and Nao would just be a throwaway victim, but instead, she defeats the monster and rides off heroically into the sunset. Much to the audience's surprise.

Kazumi Mishima - Mishima is the side character who has a random amount of knowledge for the simple reason that he's a professor. Like the final girl finds him and he goes "Why yes! I do know about that random murder in 1890 that is driving this films plot!" and that is his only purpose in the plot.

Q-taro Burgerberg - Q-Taro is the person who leaves someone to die at the start of the film for his survival, only to die in a heroic sacrifice that lets the final girl escape the main villain.

Kai Satou - Kai is the red-herring. The movie wants you to believe that he's the monster/killer so badly it becomes clear that there's going to be a twist.

Kanna Kizuchi - Kanna is the kid who gets kidnapped in the final act so the protagonist has a reason why they have to stay behind looking for her instead of escaping.

Shin Tsukimi - Shin is not in the movie because he left the second things started getting weird.

Dolls

Ranmaru Kageyama - Ranmaru is the twist killer who was a getting a weird amount of screentime despite not seeming THAT important to the narrative.

Naomichi Kurumada - Naomichi is the guy who tries to take a leader role over the group as they try to survive, only to get overconfident and die trying to fight a ghost.

Anzu Kinashi - Anzu is that victim that trips and instead of getting up goes "NO! NO! DON'T KILL ME!" as if the serial killer has a higher chance of stopping if she's screaming on the ground rather than if she just got back up and ran.

Mai Tsurugi - Mai is the person that you're convinced is going to be the final girl but then she's killed really unexpectedly. She stabs the killer and runs, but then he teleports in front of her and kills her.

Shunsuke Hayasaka - Shunsuke is the random guy killed because the film didn't feel like the kill count was high enough. He has no name or personality, he's just there to give blood.

Hinako Mishuku - She's the unnerving child that you aren't surprised to learn is possessed by a demon.

[kkoct-ik]

what are we thinking

(explanations / elaborations under the cut)

confidence: ★★★ = most, ☆☆☆ = least

★★☆ mew-chan: there's a popular theory about Gin's apparent significance that suggests any number of things are hidden in mew-chan. i dont feel strongly on one theory or another, but i think it's a solid idea

★★★ Sara does not win (the game): i think it would be poetic if in spite of her win rate / being favoured she refuses to win or otherwise destroys the game

★★★ one bad end: like the mindbreak / Q-taro escapes ending, i think it would be fun if there was a way to fail during the minigame segment

★★☆ Keiji gets decimated: he's overdue and if i don't get to see his mangled corpse i'll be very disappointed. i do not think he is surviving to the main game, and if he does, i think he will be the Sacrifice (there's a convincing argument about how this is the only card he has not had thus far)

★★★ Kai & Joe: this is a loose end i hope is tied up. i'm very invested in Joe's relevance and how suspicious / strange some of his behaviour in chapter 1 is

★☆☆ mishima's head / collar: Midori assumes his collar is how Keiji 'cheated' the russian roulette, so the game clearly hasn't forgotten about it. assuming he is actually dead, i speculate it will be used to cheat / cause issues at some point in 3-2, depending on who actually has it

★★★ Meister doppelgänger: Safalin's clue that floormasters die after meeting their doppelgänger is never used during 3-1's russian roulette. one version of Sara's father and Meister have the same sprites. if Mr. C is not Meister, he is his doppel. if Mr. C is Meister, Dummy!Mr. C is his doppel (see two Mr. Chidouins square)

★☆☆ hospital bed: this is a loose end im looking out for. i've seen some insane cope theories about it & i'm not huge on any in particular, but i would love to see it cleared up

★★★ BANGER music: this should have been the free space but i'm really looking forward to it

★☆☆ we cannot save the Dummies: sorry dummy fans. the game has made a point to make the cast come to terms with the fact that human lives are more important than dummy lives. i think this theme of the value of life will become relevant at least one more time

★★☆ Hades' descendants: Q-taro is an orphan, Reko/Alice & Shin/Kanna are siblings (ie. have one set of parents between them), Gin has a step-father, Sara may or may not be adopted; i think there is some link between the participants' parents and why they were sought out by ASU-NARO

★☆☆ Midori's doll body: it's still out there. where did it go. this is not an insane cope that we see Midori again, i kind of hope we don't, but his fixed dummy body is still in the equation

★★☆ ASU-NARO Gin: ties into the mew-chan theory, elaborates on it. i don't believe he's a liar, but i do think there are a lot of inconsistencies around him. also Miley mother theory is solid and we are definitely not all delusional

★★★ Shin revenge: Shin swears to kill all of us. i specify Keiji because he could realistically be killed (Shin has a soft spot for Gin, and we are the protagonist). i don't really think Shin will anybody, but i think he will be given the opportunity to. (that said if there is an ending where he loses his mind and kills us all i will not complain)

★★★ suicide: whether it's a noble one like Kai's, or a deranged one like Gashu's, i am almost certain there will be a suicide

★★☆ floormaster collars: hey it's the reason i made this bingo at all. i think every single floormaster being trapped by the game (bar Midori, but i'll get to that) is an insane reveal (not just Gashu; if you look at them, all of their necks are hidden from us exactly where a collar would be). i'd love to see a floormaster executed or have their lack of autonomy highlighted in some other way

★★☆ cast revival: i think this would be fucked up, and the technology exists. it also ties into the theme of the value of life, the theme of grief, et cetera

★★★ two Mr. Chidouins: this is my personal tinhat theory that combines the fact that Mr. Chidouin has two distinct sets of sprites, and the fact that the Mr. Chidouin Kai speaks to says he is not Sara's 'real father' (commonly interpreted as adoption, but it's possible this is because this Mr. Chidouin is a dummy). accordingly i think Meister-like Mr. Chidouin (that we see in the winner's room with Sara) is his real/human version

★★☆ memorandum author: i have no strong copes on who (Mr. C / Meister / anyone else), but chances are they will become very relevant as the purpose of the game is finally revealed, and i am assuming we will meet them in person (ie. that they are not long dead)

★★☆ massacre / slaughter ending: either a Sacrifice win or a 'contestant kills everybody in a brutal bloody way' bad end. i will not accept anything ambiguous; i'm looking for an ending where everyone is Dead

☆☆☆ vows & trials: i was going to specifically manifest Gin's first trial being revealed, but i've decided this is my cope square. i want to know about all of them

★★★ Keiji's vow: Mr. Policeman had a kid. "jou" pun. i firmly believe Joe is Mr. Policeman's kid and Keiji's vow was to atone for / get closure for his crime by meeting Mr. Policeman's kid. i hope it recontextualises Joe's initial suspicion of Keiji / attitudes towards police too

★★☆ three new characters: in my mind: Ms. Shortcake (we know of), the dummy version of Mr. Chidouin (previously only seen in Kai's flashback, but likely to become relevant), and a secret third thing. i know this square is a little cheap, but you never know

★★☆ Midori is a huge liar: Midori is at the Least not a traditional floormaster (not a dessert, openly antagonistic & violent towards participants, can remove his collar, was originally supposed to participate), so i speculate that he does not have to follow the floormaster's code, and therefore is able to lie. this boils down to the fact that i simply don't believe that Joe was a handicap, and am suspicious about what is being told to us about AI Sara as well

[spaced-out-muses]

Wuh oh—

[fourthofgemini]

My food thoughts

It may be because I am a foodie, I can’t help but notice about the language of food throughout the show.

Despite having a professional chef mother, ironically, Day could not enjoy fresh and warm foods but reheated frozen ones. Hiring Mhok as a caretaker to provide meals for Day was a sign of annoyance and inattentiveness of the family and consuming those foods was barely for survival and hassle for Day, as well.

Mhok, on the other hand, is someone who makes bad coffee and can cook standardly-good dishes (according to Day), started to cook with sincerity and dedication, practising at his own home and making new dishes to treat Day delicious food.

It is also unforgettable that Mhok helped Day learn how to have table manners again by bringing him out of his bedroom to dining room (to living room - the couch for popcorn accompanied with a movie), cooking together, letting Day do minimal tasks as spreading jam on bread, complementing on little accomplishments, encouraging him with social media posting of the breakfast, gaining more confidence by providing clock positions on dishes, and taking out for meals.

Then we also found an iconic yet symbolic scene of the cake with cigarettes, which was from Day’s birthday party held by August, where Mhok was acting as a Cupid rather than a caretaker or a friend. Inedible cake and unsmoked cigarette.

There were also Songkla dishes, Tao Koa (noodle with tofu) and Kanom Khang Khao (fried stuffed taros), being the pride of the town and enjoyed by both locals and visitors. Mouthwatering indeed.

The show not only presented cultural food, but also represented the anger and frustration of Day when he was in a custody, cut ties with Mhok and attended by a new caregiver under the watch of his mother. The meal covered by a pair of new slippers.

Last but not least, the warmth came once again by sharing the Christmas dinner with the favourite dish of Night and Day, the beef stew.

I love how the mom and Night trying cakes with eyes closed, putting in Day’s shoes to understand him better.

[yansimstorythatiwillnotworkon]

Taro Yamada

Name: Taro Yamada

Gender: Male

Class: 3-2

Club: N/A

Persona: Loner

Reputation:

Overall: 0

Liked: 0

Respected: 0

Feared: 0

Crush: ???

Strength: Incapable

__

I think there's a lot wrong with Taro, starting with him as a character. He is entirely bland. He looks bland, acts bland, and his character is all over the place.

For instance- if he sees a body, he will run away, not even bothering to bring Osana with him, despite his love interests doing that for him. Additionally, nothing about him says that he would bother running up to an armed, masked killer and rip the mask off. Not only would I doubt that Taro would do that as a person, but I believe that any lonely coward would simply run away.

One thing that I'd like to do to make his character more interesting is to give him a goal, a hobby, or a particular liking. This in my story will be books. Or, more precisely, the stories he hears in books. Growing up reading them, he has an attachment to them and strives (internally) to become someone great someday.

Of course, he's since grown out of super hero's, but his mind is still impressionable enough to be convinced to do something unique and meaningful with his life. That's why I think that each rival should push him towards doing something with his life. Additionally, him being so open to exploring could explain why he would be so willing to get with anyone who confesses to him (so long as he's known them for more than a day).

I won't put all of my ideas right here, but they'll be underneath the cut instead.

With Osana, I feel like he always internally felt held back by her attitude. By no means does he think that she's a bad person, but part of him always felt obligated to listen to her constant bullying. This kept him from trying a lot of things as a child, and although he's grown out of such anxieties now, properly talking with her about how she acted after she confesses could help motivate him to try the things he never did as a child alongside Osana.

The club leaders (Amai, Kizana, Oka and Asu) would push him to follow their careers. I imagine that baking could be a simple but fulfilling career for him, acting could let out his inner child's wishes to act out what he can't actually be in real life. I'm not entirely sure what he would do in an Occult Club of all things, but I'm sure it could feed into his habit of reading. Maybe he could become some sort of theorist? With Asu, I'm sure getting in shape could help him be more confident whenever he tries to be heroic.

If I could trust Mida to pick a less flirtatious and illegal relationship with Taro, I'd say she could motivate him to become a teacher like her.

The medical field pays well and you have the potential to help many people. Not only could Muja help Taro learn this, but he would also love to have such a well-off job.

I'm sure Hanako's clinginess and paranoia kept Taro from doing many things - much like Osana, but maybe with her help, he could become a splendid family man? Maybe he'd work well with children. (Don't worry, I by no means want Hanako to be Clingy to "keep her brother to herself." I'll explain the details in a later post.)

Megami could certainly motivate him to become a detective. After surviving such a possibly traumatic event, there's no way you wouldn't want to learn how to point out and investigate things like this to avoid other incidents.

Additionally, all of these hopes could make Taro's mental health deteriorate by the end of the game. If you had these continous hopeful thoughts being shot down plus possible losing the chance to ve in romantic relationships with outstanding people only to figure out that it was because of some psychopath you bumped into once, I'm sure you'd lose yourself as well (depending on how much damage is truly done). This could all pile into a bad ending where Taro "eliminates" Aishi for potentially ruining his life- and even better partnering with Info-Chan possibly.

[ryokosturntodie]

Would love to know what the main swaps are for this au!!

of course !! i've been meaning to post this for a loong time but have been putting it off because i wanted to avoid formatting it as a long boring list but didn't have motivation to draw stuff...... i have it now though so yay

also, a quick note: i took a lootttt of creative liberty when it comes to the role swaps, so a lot of things in this au play out differently than in canon. this will become more clear as i post more about it !!

anyway, the main swaps are as follows:

ryoko as sara

kugie as joe

ranmaru as keiji

nao as kanna

michiru (safalin) as qtaro

joe as sou (joe takes the fake name 'kai satou')

hinako as reko

anzu as nao

mai as kai

shin as gin

maple as mishima

sara as alice (sara takes the fake name 'rei')

that's all of the main cast (surviving participants) !! i'll list some of the other roleswaps down here, but i didn't do art of them cause there's so many already....

FLOORMASTERS AND THE LIKE

keiji as sue miley

reko as rio ranger

alice as tia safalin

midori as gashu

ryuu as midori

teki as meister

DUMMIES

kanna as ranmaru

kurumada as hinako

hayasaka as kurumada

emiri as mai

q-taro as anzu

gin as hayasaka

OTHERS

megumi as ryoko

mishima as kugie

ranger as megumi

if anyone is missing from here i either forgot (oops) or their role is kind of unclear to me rn/not as clearcut !

[deeptrashwitch]

A Haunting Past (Part 15)

Tw: Mention of death

Enjoy this part of the story! We're getting near to the juicy part of this >:3 soon...SOON!!

Also, shout out to Taro as usual 💖 love you, dear! You're amazing 🥰

Taglist (just to show :3): @alypink @snootlestheangel @islandtarochips @hollywood-is-bleeding

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The hours passed in silence, at least until the phone rang and distracted Alicia from what she was doing. She answered the phone as she started to figure it was from her workplace. Especially when she knows it was Wraith to call her with such urgency.

“Dominique, what happened?” Alicia asked while she cleaned part of the stables.

“You need to come back.”

“What? But I'm still on my leave-”

“Something arrived here and you need to see it yourself.” Wraith suddenly sounded nervous, which it tensed Alicia immediately.

“...How bad?”

“Honestly? This explains things and the reason why it puts you in danger.”

“I'm on my way.”

“Bring the badge.”

“Um…why?”

“Just trust me.”

Alicia had already spoken with her parents and Alejandro as soon as she ended the call. While she didn't explain a lot, the Colonel noticed the nervousness that she’s trying to hide. Then he offered to take Andrea and Jack back to Las Almas with him while she figured out everything. In less than two hours, Alicia was driving back to Killeen while the other three packed everything.

As soon as she arrived at the base, Wraith signaled her to follow her. In silence, they arrived at the main comms office, where all the team was. Over the desk, a single box awaited her. Already opened.

“Did you-?” Alicia asked.

“It’s not a bomb or anything like that, we made sure.” Wraith said with a sigh. “But it has the date of the operation written on the tape. And well, you need to see.”

Alicia was just dead silent before taking a deep breath. “Guess we'll learn what this shit is.”

They all stared at the box while Alicia took a look inside. As soon as she noticed what was inside, she had to close the box and sigh deeply. For a second the Captain didn't move and simply stayed in silence. Then she opened it again, staring at the things inside.

“I get what you mean now.”

Wraith sighed. “So you recognize it too.”

“It’d be weird if I didn't.”

Alicia looked at her team before starting to speak. “Go to rest, all of you. Blackwell, Jackson, bring your badges and then go with the rest.”

“Ma’am…” Luke tried to intervene.

“It's an order, this is something only Station Chief Wright and I will be looking after.”

All the Specters shared a worried and surprised look when Alicia mentioned Wraith’s formal title. In the end they obeyed and only Jackson and Edward left their badges and went. As the two started to talk.

Wraith raised an eyebrow while they compared the badges. “They’re original, so this isn’t some kind of knock off or distraction.”

“Now I'm not sure who we should go after first.” Alicia said with a sigh.

Wraith crossed her arms over her chest. “This is getting more dangerous.”

Alicia took out a blood-stained name tag from inside the box. “You managed to speak with him?”

“Taylor Smith? No, and seeing what was inside that box? It's fair to assume his destiny.”

Alicia started to unpack the things from the box. The stained name tag with the last name ”Smith” on it, broken pieces of glass and five badges given to the soldiers who were involved in Operación Firewall. Both Dominique and Alicia looked at the five badges, burning medieval tower over the laurels, but these were stained with ashes.

“Any of-?”

“None. No fires around the last place they all were living.” Wraith answered with a frown.

“Do you think they’re going after everyone involved?”

“No. It's unproductive, too many people, too many variables.”

“Then?”

“They go after the ones that survived Carabalí himself or are near to know the truth.”

“That’d explain why William was the first, he was the easiest target and the more dangerous at the moment. Mostly considering the state we were in after what happened.”

For a minute the two of them just looked at the things over the desk, feeling both disgusted and angry. Then Wraith patted Alicia's shoulder and made a sign towards the main computer. In a second, some archives and folders opened on the screen.

Dominique didn't say anything while she opened a personal folder protected with a password. Inside there was text with just a few lines, but with enough key words to make sense.

“What the WTF found inside Maroon Salamander’s ship wasn't only a report about the SEAL 3.” Wraith said, serious and even uncertain. “The code in it, Nicholas managed to break past the first two or three code lines while you were out.”

Alicia scoffed and managed to smile sarcastically. “And the rest?”

“Favors, of course.”

“Wow.”

“Shut up. Anyway, the important thing is what was hidden inside that code.” Wraith said with a frown again. “It was some kind of agenda.”

“Agenda? How come? Like appointments or something?”

“The schedules are about the ship's cargo, the last ones at least.”

Alicia sat down and pinched her nose bridge. “Great, just great. How that shit ended in a report like that? And how the fuck did no one notice?”

“Well, about that, how can I say this…? The traitor is Red Dragon.”

“Ex-fucking-cuse me?”

“Trust me, I hated to know about this. But I confirmed with other data we have.” Wraith said with a heavy sigh. “Red Dragon is the traitor.”

Alicia laughed sarcastically and bitterly. “Are you telling me that we have a traitor AND the head of the biggest crime web we encountered so far…inside one of the Marine Corps bases?”

Wraith nodded and Alicia sighed, letting herself fall over a chair, exhausted.

“Anything else?”

“Something inside Artemis’ journals.”

“Just say it.”

Dominique gave her a paper and waited. It had a number written, ten numbers with MC in the beginning. As she read it, Alicia sighed deeply and left the paper over the table.

“Well, fuck.”

“Do you recognize it?” Wraith asked calmly.

Alicia shook her head. “Marines ID number. But if you ask me who has this number, I'm blank.” Then she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Even if I worked a year with the records. I still won't recognize the number. And I doubt I have permission to investigate it, considering that this bastard is probably a higher ranked Marine.”

“So what now?”

“Can't you do anything as a Station Chief?”

“I don't think so.” Wraith said with a sigh, taking off her glasses. “Even I have limits at some point.”

“...Really?”

“I mean, legally I can't do anything.”

“And since when do you do things the legal way?” The Captain had said with a small teasing smile on her lips.

“Touchè.” Wraith rolled her eyes at the Captain. “You’ll owe me a big one for this, Alicia.”

“I know, but at this point, I’ll go for all or nothing.”

“That’s what worries me the most.” Wraith whispered to herself.

“What was that?” Alicia asked curiously.

“Nothing, forget it.”

[prodigal-explorer]

see here's something about q-taro that i don't think people talk about or appreciate enough: the way he embraces everybody's humanity.

what i mean by that is that q-taro is a very self-oriented guy. as much as he cares about the group, in the end, if it comes down to it, he wants to live more than anything. he'll save himself, even if it means everybody else suffers or dies. but that's not something that he alone does.

q-taro always gets it when people do selfish things to try and keep themselves alive, and he doesn't hide or deny the fact that he would 100% do the same slimy, scummy things that they did in order to try and survive. he forgives, because that's what he would want if he was found out in such a manner.

like for instance when jou apologizes for tricking everybody. q-taro practically demands for jou to stop apologizing, because what else was jou supposed to do?? just give up?

q-taro to me is a representation of balance between logic and emotion. not perfect balance because that's impossible, but i think of all the characters, besides sara, q-taro is the most balanced between logic and emotion because he gears towards logic, but he has such an emotional approach when it comes to the others.

he gets upset when any of the others are self-sacrificing, seeing it as them wasting their lives. this is starkly different from pretty much everyone else, who sees self-sacrifice as noble and good. q-taro sort of acts as the reality check in a way, that guy that offers the other side of the coin, the idea that being selfish isn't always being bad.

sometimes, it's just a matter of survival. and choosing yourself over others is bad, but it shouldn't always be demonized without question. everybody wants to live. what's the point of being a good person if you're dead? that's sort of q-taro's approach to things and it's very refreshing.

and the fact that q-taro's end is the way it is, i honestly think it fits his character to a t. he sacrifices himself for the good of the group, though it's only really because he was going to die anyway, so he might as well use it. he's not a bad person, even if he is selfish. when he has the opportunity, he's good. just not someone who will sacrifice himself if he has no logical reason to.