#and in the end- Shin gets to prove that he's more ''Hiyori'' than his Hiyori is

[neroniiii]

Still one of the best takes I've ever heard was that Midori targeting Keiji as he did in 3-1 was fueled by how Keiji and Shin were attacking each other in chapter 2

[xoteajays]

japanese/korean media

alice in borderland

name: nagisa aguni ship: suguru niragi faceclaim: aimyon summary: the younger sister of aguni morizono, nagisa finds herself frequently trailing along behind her brother and his best friend. on a rare day off, she's hanging out with them in shibuya when everyone disappears in the blink of an eye. for a little over a week, they manage through strange games, playing with their lives on the line as a team. then danma gets the great idea of creating a paradise. the beach should have been a safe haven, but the fire that was founded doesn’t burn the way anyone expects and 'paradise’ quickly dissolves into violence, betrayal, and death where nobody’s hands are left unbloodied.

[ fic to be posted ]

name: ?? tottori ship: shuntaro chishiya faceclaim: nagi nemoto summary: tottori is willing to do what it takes to survive these games. she's not expecting to make attachments to anyone, but that's exactly what happens when she meets chishiya. playing the little bird, she tells him secrets she discovers, all in the hopes of both of them getting home and far away from these death games. more to be added.

[ fic to be posted ]

name: izumi hiyori ship: suguru niragi faceclaim: baku idegami summary: hiyori's life gets turned upside down when they're suddenly thrust into an near-empty japan, forced to play with their life in death games. determined to get back to the real world and their family, they do whatever it takes. when they end up at the beach, they try to stay out of the spotlight, but end up finding something of a frienship - and more - in the most unexpected person.

[ read fic here or here ]

name: kantora koma / the card solider ship: suguru niragi + daikichi karube faceclaim: yuki yamada summary: forever the second son, the spare. that was how koma had always felt. no matter what he seemed to do, he was never good enough for his father. to say it twists him is to say the least about it. he, at least, has friends he can lean on - until he doesn't. in the blink of an eye, everyone around him disappears. arming himself, he does the only thing he can: survive through these games and hope that the people he cares most about can do the same.

[ fics mixed in here ]

high&low

name: ryuka minamoto / 'ryuko' ship: yoshiki murayama faceclaim: yeule summary: the only daughter of ryukai minamoto of the kuryu group, ryuko lived a sheltered life. home-schooled and secluded from society beyond kuryu, she had few experiences to speak of. to her father, she was hardly a daughter and more of a playing chip for him to use to get ahead. when the son of kuryu's leader returns, minamoto sees it as his chance to get in with the boss and offers his daughter's hand in marriage. when ryuko can't dissuade her father from his decision, she does the only thing she can think to do: run away and hope her old childhood 'friend', norihisa hyuga, will help her.

[ fic here ]

name: hinami ship: takeshi faceclaim: yuri tsunematsu summary: hinami was abandoned at the entry of nameless city when she was barely 10. she had a newly amputated shin, no medication, and now no parents. surely, they expected she wouldn't survive the night. what her ex-parents didn't know was that there was a bunch of kids already left at nameless city who were quickly determined to save her. swept up under their wings, hinami grows up into the fastest female traceur within nameless city's walls and she's determined to steal the overall top spot from p. that's easy enough, what's difficult is trying to find the words to explain her feelings to her best friend, takeshi.

[ fic here ]

name: yui sakuragi ship: cobra faceclaim: mio imada summary: the leader of oya kou's sister school, ojou kou, yui is insistent on proving herself as more than just a pretty face. when oya starts making friends with the rest of the sword gangs, she expects to follow suit. when time passes and she sees not hide nor hair of any of the other gangs, she's pissed. meeting up with the leader of sannoh goes badly when she fumbles on her introduction, so instead, she intends to face them all together and find out why they were being excluded. what she didn't expect was that oya kou's leader, murayama, was behind their exclusion and the rest of the gangs didn't even know ojou kou existed!

name: shizuka ibaraki ship: hiroto amamiya faceclaim: ayaka miyoshi summary: shizuka has been yui's second-in-command for years now. the even stronger muscle to the shorter girl, backing her at every turn. when yui insists on confronting the sword gangs over their exclusion, shizuka is right there with her. the only solace she gets from the drama of ojou versus sword is at her bartending job, a place frequented by none other than the amamiya brothers.

squid game

name: na-eun kim ship: saebyeok kang, prev. the salesman faceclaim: go min si summary: na-eun kim was a poor poet, falling quickly into debt of her own and her family's medical debt. when offered a chance of riches beyond belief, she quickly joins this strange game back in 2017. joining the squid game company after her win, she works as a square-mask without complaints until she sees a familiar face in the 2021 games. saebyeok matters more to than the games, and saving her quickly becomes na-eun top priority.

[ fic posted here ]

name: jisoo jang ship: junho hwang faceclaim: han so hee summary: a private investigator working alongside junho hwang, she goes looking for him when he goes missing in the search for his brother. more to be added.

[ask-sou-hiyori]

Important Lore!

This post will contain very important details about this blog. It’s highly recommended that newcomers read this in order to understand aspects that will be mentioned throughout the blog!

It may be long since so much has happened and Mod Soup wants the audience to understand as much as they can, but also lore is very tasty so there’s that too.

Everything will be listed underneath the Keep Reading as to not clog up the current events, but will remain pinned and be updated when needed~!

(MAIN: @soupietime )

(Disclaimer: if you've seen and read before I was involved in the Takeover event and all that, please note that the previous Dad Midori stuff is NON-CANON to this blog, it makes me, the mod, quite uncomfortable. thank u and here's a snail 🐌 \^o^/)

(...Catboy Shin event was pretty funny though not gonna lie)

(Added fact: I HAVE NOT PLAYED 3-1B YET-)

(Added ADDED fact: I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED PLAYING 3-1B)

(Keys: MILL / More Information Listed Later)

BASIC INFORMATION

Name: Shin Tsukimi / Sou Hiyori (previously)

Age: 22

Height: 5’5”

Weight: 106 lbs

Sexuality: Bisexual (male leaning)

RELATIONSHIPS

Gin Ibushi (@askgin-ibushi) - Familial love. His only son, officially adopted before the beginning of the “#up the tower” (MILL) HE LOVES HIS EPIC SOOOOOOON.

Sara Chidouin (@ask-chidouin-sara) - Didn’t pay much mind at first due to lack of trust, but soon developed a protective nature towards the girl. Adoption material?

Sou Hiyori/Midori/Spark (@ask-sou-midori) - Unaware of his new name (Spark). He has heavily conflicting feelings due to the effects of “#event: blended” (MILL) but currently does not forgive him for his actions due to the amount of trauma caused to both him and his family. He’s afraid of this man, yet misses him greatly. Seeing him brings him immense pain, but also a strange comfort. He is unaware whenever he relapses with Hiyori.

Zinnia (@askgin-ibushi) - Strong security guard lady… kind and protective. Good for comfort and cuddling. Soft.

Leidora Margarati (@askgin-ibushi) - Resident Doctor. Helped Shin realize that Midori/Spark gave him severe brain damage with the “blending” and everything in his blended life was a lie. Shin is grateful for her in telling him the truth, but as a result Shin has many conflicting feelings about everything and himself, plenty of migraines and headaches to go along with it all. Leidora is the one helping Shin heal from the severe trauma caused.

Shin Tsukimi (literally me) - ……

(There are various other blogs out there, but Shin has not made much of a relationship with them yet. These blogs are who Shin has interacted with relatively a lot and thus formed relationships and thoughts about them)

CHARACTER CONNECTIONS

Every character from these blogs are from their own YTTD universe. Through the power of Tumblr and ask blogs, a rift was torn and brought these characters together.

Though… Gin and Midori/Spark have been known to be from the same universe.

Revealed during “#hospital arc”, Shin is from Gin and Midori’s universe as well. It’s been believed he perished due to an act to save Kanna in the second main game, and then killed after an escape attempt. However, that was proved false after a conversation between Shin and Spark, Shin showing him his abundance of gunshot scars from how he was “killed” in the second main game, Spark immediately recognized the scars, and thus… the reveal has been made. Gin is aware of this fact as well after Shin returned to the hospital, the two now closer than ever.

There had been a Sara in the three's universe. Gin had taken his own Sara with his sacrifice win, but she had eventually offed herself, leaving Gin as the only survivor before finding out that Shin survived as well.

Kanna is a sister to Shin. Shin is a brother to Kanna.

Gin and Shin are family :) Father and son

EVENTS

(NOTE: If you are going to read through the tags of the events, MAKE SURE to read through the notes of any interactions, as very important parts of the events are played out through interactions between the blogs. It’s not only through the asks of the audience. Plus it's easier than scrolling through to find every single interaction reblog)

#event: takeover (@askgin-ibushi)

The event that brought us together

Part 1 synopsis

Part 2 synopsis

You may read these synopses on the event in the links above, or you may read through the whole tag on Gin’s blog :D

#event: blended

(TW: mental manipulation and toxic relationships)

After the events of Takeover, Shin was found by Gin in… well, Gin’s room. Midori manipulated Shin before getting chased away and told Shin to stay in the room until he came back. Obviously, Midori did not come back. Shin only left the house after getting a few answers from Gin (who came up to his room shortly after Takeover) about what happened, and Gin falling asleep. Snzz.

Soon after, Shin gets a call from Midori again, and… surprise surprise… Midori manipulated Shin once again and got the man to follow him into a warehouse, putting a machine (that was similar to the one Midori put on Gin previously) onto Shin’s head despite the man’s loud and frantic protests, “blending” his brain and turning him into his own “perfect Shin”, which was a Shin that absolutely loved and adored the man, doing anything he would tell him.

Midori, using Shin’s totally real love and adoration to his advantage, sent him to Gin with the intent to lure and kidnap him. After all… Gin was part of Shin’s “family”, it would be wrong to just leave him alone… While Shin had a “family” mindset, Midori wanted to kidnap the kid solely due to the fact that Gin was the “winner” of their death game via sacrifice. Midori had the job of collecting the winner and making them join Asunaro. Shin and Midori’s plan succeeded, the two kidnapping both Gin and Hinako (she was there too with Gin. Asuga was also there but she was knocked tf out so yeah).

After kidnapping Gin, Midori had blended him as well, finally creating their “perfect little family”.

...All was going “well” until Gin decided to fight Midori to protect Hinako. That soon resulted in Gin getting stabbed by Midori, and Midori’s head getting bashed onto the ground. Due to the blunt force trauma, Midori developed something similar to a conscience, now realizing what wrong he’s done and a will to assist Shin after seeing him panic over a bleeding out Gin.

They eventually arrive to a hospital, Gin getting the treatment he deserves, Shin getting observed by Leidora and figuring out what Midori has done to Shin’s brain, Sara getting blended as well, but only to erase her memories, and Midori leaving after Shin confronted the man about what Leidora has told him. Midori finally leaves Shin’s life…

...Or does he?

#up the tower

(TW: suicide attempt)

Days after entering the hospital, Shin constantly has headaches and conflicting feelings about everything he’s ever known. He thinks about what was fabricated, and what’s real. At times, he even has trouble differentiating the two. Shin’s blending had made him basically addicted to Midori like a drug. With the lack of Midori around because of Leidora’s advice, Shin goes into a withdrawal over the man, and soon develops hallucinations over him. The hallucination is tame, but starts leading Shin out of the room, making him follow him all the way up to the roof, ignoring those who stand in his way.

In reality, the hallucination had only left the room, disappearing right after. It was Shin himself who had decided to make his way to the roof. Before he had left the room, Shin was on a call with Midori… Midori found out about the hallucinations and took that as Shin missing him dearly, his “error” fixing temporarily and the man driving over to come collect Shin. When Shin mentioned over the phone about walking “up the tower” to wait for Midori, then jumping off to land in his arms in a false fantasy, Midori’s error picked up again and panicked, now rushing to the hospital.

Once reaching the top, followed by Sara and Leidora, Shin stood over the edge, remaining there as the others spoke to him, trying to convince him not to jump. Shin revealed he's been having so many problems with himself: He's weak, he's awful, he's a horrible parent, he could've prevented all of this, and various other bad thoughts about himself, and then the constant pain he's felt since the blending, which has only gotten worse overtime, was the breaking point for him, he just couldn't handle it anymore. The pain was unbearable.

It had only calmed down once Gin made his way to the roof, bleeding due to opening his injuries up again while walking up to the roof after anons told him about the situation. The moment Shin took notice of Gin and heard his voice, he realized why he's still here. It would make him even more of an awful person to jump and leave him alone once again. Soon enough, Shin staggered off the edge of the roof and embraced Gin.

This arc ended with Shin, Gin, Sara, and Leidora going back into the hospital. Midori had been watching this entire time, the sight of Shin's suicide attempt making him leave once more, realizing it was his fault that the attempt even occurred.

#hospital arc

Several months had gone by since Gin, Sara, and Shin had entered the hospital. Gin's being cared for his injury while it scars up, Sara is there due to her blending, and Shin is mainly there on a close watch due to his suicide attempt, while also there healing from his blending.

Shin relapses, and escapes the hospital to go see Midori again, breaking his room's window and hopping out and landing on mattresses that an anon laid out during "#up the tower". The whole hospital is in a panic at his disappearance, especially since Shin was in the mental ward.

Shin goes to Midori's place, and all seems normal until Midori figures out Shin broke out to see him again. Midori wants to take him back, but Shin asks for Dunkin Donuts first, something to eat since the man hasn't been eating right since the hospital. They get their food, and thanks to an employee commenting about the two being "lovers", Midori quickly pays and drives away as fast as he could, ending up in the woods. The two lay down on the ground for a while and have a few talks. Only when some anons give Shin steps on how to run away, Midori brings Shin back into the car and starts driving back to the hospital.

...They don't get that far, as some teasing occurs and Midori's "error" fixes itself for a brief moment, and harasses Shin. Shin eventually kicks the man in the nuts which led to Midori threatening not to take Shin back. Shin, of course, freaks out.

Eventually the error returns, and only with a few words of encouragement from Shin does Midori start driving Shin back. Once they arrive, Midori gives Shin a piggyback ride since the man's body is in immense pain. Once they get close enough to the hospital, Shin gives Midori a goodbye hug and a thank you for being relatively good, and finally returns to the hospital.

Shin had reached the hospital, but his legs had quickly given out, causing him to fall face first onto the ground. A security guard, Zinnia, was the first to find him and carry him back into the hospital, where they were met with an upset Leidora, demanding that Shin speak about his whole breakout. Shin... couldn't speak, he was too tired and absolutely exhausted. After Zinnia managed to temporarily make the doctor leave, she brought him back to his new room (no windows this time) and let him rest.

Soon, Gin had peeked into the room, both him and Shin glad to see each other again. They had a comforting moment before Shin decided to talk to Gin about what happened during their game. Gin, still thinking he's the only survivor, asked Shin about his own game. Eventually, Shin revealed to the boy that he was not the only survivor after all. When Shin showed Gin his gunshot scars, Gin finally realized his dad was his own Shin all this time, and soon ran out of the room in a panic, in despair over the fact that he had "killed" Shin's Kanna, whom was a little sister to Shin, because of his sacrifice win, even though Shin nearly died in order to protect her. Shin's act to protect Kanna was futile.

Zinnia to the rescue! She caught the young boy in her arms, as well as Shin, who had been chasing after Gin. She brought the two back into Shin's room and told them to talk it out like normal people. And so.. they did. It ended well, and now the two are sleeping so soundly together in each others embrace like father and son. Zinnia sits with the two, watching over them to protect them. Snzz.

#event: shin ai

//ONGOING EVENT//

After returning Shin back to the hospital, Midori had a mini breakdown over the situation. In order to attempt to cope, he went back home and brought out something he found in his closet before… a monitor. After hours and hours of trying to fix it back up, it finally worked, and what appeared on the screen was an AI. An AI of Shin, in fact. At first it was incredibly awkward and highly uncomfortable for the AI, since all Midori did was stare at him. But after asking question after question, Midori finally spoke to the AI.

The two conversed and became friends! More "interaction points" were programmed into the AI, per AI's request, and all was chill until an anon started trying to tell the AI what Midori has done in the past. Shin AI knew the man had did bad things, he's lived through so much of that before he had shut down for a long time. But… Midori caught on and finally told the AI what he's done. The AI was mortified at the blending and kidnapping and the like, but had grown some sympathy towards the man. After all, the AI knew about Midori's "error", and how he wanted to change, but he wasn't sure if he deserved to.

The AI kept on reassuring Midori, supporting him the best he can from now on. To pull him away from being Sou Hiyori and allow more room for change, the AI even gave him a new name… Spark.

Spark intended for his gay thoughts to lessen after turning the AI back on but y'know. That only caused him more gay thoughts.

Not too long after… the AI received an email, glimpses of Sou Hiyori flashing every so often on the email, as well as text telling the AI that He'll see him soon. The AI is panicking… but what more could he do about it?

//To be updated soon//

APPEARANCES

Start of the blog

After "#event: blended"

Festival event :) (#event: festival)

"#hospital arc"

(I do not have a sprite made just yet, however, he's wearing an oversized hospital gown with small shorts underneath, as well as the scarf he always wears. There are some eyebags under his eyes, and his eyes themselves still has remnants of the swirls, caused by the blending)

"#event: shin ai"

(Disclaimer: All art/edits shown in this post belong to me)

[sou-ver-2-0]

Do you sometimes wonder how Shin would have fared in the Death Game if he had decided not to adopt the Sou persona (who he would get along with, what he would do to help, etc)? Like, he saw how low his survival score was, but just continued on throughout the game as himself? I just crave for the True Shin AU. 🥺👉🏻👈🏻

This ask has been in my inbox for a long time, and it’s the one that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, so I’m happy to answer it on this joyous day. :)

Anon, I wonder about this all the time! What would Shin be like in the Death Game if he stayed true to himself?

I admit that I think Shin would have needed a different First Trial in order to keep his name. His canon First Trial is so poisonous that I can’t imagine him coming out of it “intact.” To view everyone’s survival rates is the kind of trial that would harshen anyone, but there are many factors that make it uniquely difficult for Shin to hold onto his self-worth. Shin is a deeply emotional person who reacts passionately before he can think logically; he has been in an abusive relationship before, which profoundly affected his views of “weak” and “strong” people; he is passionate about numbers and math; he is intelligent and attentive to details; he overthinks things; and, of course, his survival rate of 0% is the most terrifying of them all…

Don’t get me wrong; I’ll give Shin credit for his free will in choosing to abandon his name! The fact that Shin exercises so much agency in the story, even as his character is “fated” to die, is one of my favorite things about him! But I want to stress that this First Trial was uniquely difficult for Shin. Asu-Naro found the perfect way to break Shin’s own sense of self by preying on his specific weaknesses, and even mocking his strengths.

I don’t want to say it’s inevitable for Shin to abandon himself in that trial. (In fact, his kind self still resurfaces at multiple points in the story, proving that “Sou Hiyori” never killed “Shin Tsukimi” in that room after all.) What I’m saying is that Shin’s character represents a desperate person reacting to impossible structural problems. His lot in life is to be a job hopper who cannot find financial stability under late capitalism. His lot in the Death Game is that he has zero percent chance of survival. How do you adapt to an impossible structural problem like that?

I think the way you adapt depends on this question: Can you imagine yourself facing the great unknown with courage?

If we tell Shin upfront that he is “fated to die,” we reinforce his fear that he can’t trust anyone, and we reinforce his perception of himself as a weak person. We should expect him to react fearfully, and with low regard for his self-worth. At the end of his canon First Trial, Shin can’t imagine himself as a good person.

But what if Shin had a First Trial that encouraged him to trust others? That’s the kind of First Trial that Sara and Joe had. And what if Shin’s First Trial tested his cunning and ability to think fast on his feet, instead of mocking his tendency to overthink things? Then he would become more confident in his own strengths! If Shin’s First Trial was more like Sara’s, we would be encouraging him to be more open-hearted, and he could even change his perception of himself from a cowardly weakling to a brave protector.

Remember Kugie Kizuchi. Kugie parallels Shin, and she had Sara’s First Trial. Instead of reacting fearfully in her trial, Kugie was brave. She gave her life to save her little sister. Unlike Shin, who couldn’t imagine finding any courage in himself during his First Trial, Kugie mustered her courage at the start. She died, but she was the best version of herself in her final moments.

Let’s imagine that Shin still survived his First Trial, but it was the kind of trial that made him feel like the good version of himself, rather than the worst version of himself. He is open-hearted and kind instead of being closed-off and cruel. I love to imagine that he is still drawn to Sara because she seems “steadfast and strong” and he admires that about her. But this time, he isn’t afraid of her. He likely trusts Sara more than Keiji, similar to Nao. Because if you don’t know anything about the percentages, then Sara simply looks like a brave high school girl, and you can see her vulnerabilities more clearly. It would be much easier for Shin to sympathize with Sara and trust in her from the beginning.

I really love to imagine that Shin would still be drawn to Kanna. Kanna has the most vulnerable personality, and Shin feels a strong sense of solidarity with vulnerable people. If he is the best version of himself, he will always defend the most weak among them, even without knowing the survival rates.

If you show Shin his 0% survival rate at the start, of course he is going to feel like the situation is impossible and everything is beyond his control.

But if you don’t let him know about it, then Shin will feel in control of himself. And without knowing anything about his potential, he somehow always becomes the lone adult who always dies so that the children have a chance to live.

Not because Shin wants to die, like Kanna wants to die.

But because it’s the right thing to do.

I love to think that the reason Hinako, Gin, and most of all Kanna have as high survival rates as they do is because Shin—a genuinely clever and talented adult—would rather give his survival percentage points to them.

This is why I love Shin Tsukimi so much. This is why I keep writing words and words about him on this blog. I am not a hopeful person. I don’t have much faith in humanity’s ability to solve seemingly impossible structural problems.

But I do want to keep trying to do the right thing.

And this weird little anime villain with a silly scarf reminds me that I can keep trying to do the right thing, even when I think “winning” is impossible, and that’s enough.

When I started out writing this, I had more words to say, but I think this is a good stopping point. Thank you for asking me another worthy question about Shin! I like to imagine he was a beloved companion in those simulations where he remained true to himself!

[beepop-uwu]

Why Shin Tsukimi Was Doomed From The Start (Your Turn To Die Theory)

Hellooo, this is my first time doing something like this so please excuse the trash I am spewing out. Not spoiler free so beware! Also this is not an excuse for Shin’s behaviour but rather an explanation for why.

Theory under the cut!

---

Shin Tsukimi: 0.0%.

Those were the numbers which he read. They echoed in his head over and over again. Taunting him, humiliating him, cursing him. He could barely keep hold of the paper, his hands trembling.

0%. He didn’t know why. He didn’t know how. But he knew what he had to do.

He had to abandon himself. 

No longer would he be the weak, kind, trusting Shin Tsukimi, the mere fool who has a 0% of surviving this death game.

He would become Sou Hiyori; strong, cunning, manipulative. He would be able to fight against this predetermined destiny and change his future. Survival was his priority. No one could take that away from him.

---

Shin Tsukimi decided to “abandon” himself to become the lying and distrustful Sou we’ve all come to love or hate. A self-proclaimed job-hopper who seems quiet and stand-offish at first, but is later revealed to be a schemeful liar who manipulates others to his advantage in order to pertain to his absolute goal of survival. To add more fuel into the fire, the chaos he creates is usually directed towards us, the protagonist, who he has a specific hatred for. Thus making everything more difficult for us through his schemes and lies.

(Chapter 1.2: "Sou" trying to turn everyone against Sara)

But as we progress through the game, we see there is more to him than just a rat who likes to cause problems, but as a reliable ally with amazing skills which are able to help the group gain valuable information about the death game and even almost escape from it. His hacking skills and intelligence prove him to be an invaluable character within the group.

Despite these skills, Shin Tsukimi has a 0% chance of surviving the death game.

This brings upon the question… of why?

Well it’s all because of his first trial.

The first trial is the deciding factor of how the rest of the game will play out, some easier than others, some more traumatising and some which entirely depend on trust. I believe these trials were made specifically for each person with key purposes in mind.

For example, the trials for Sarah and Joe, Mishima and Nao, and Kanna and Kugie all had the ‘The Two Person Vote’ which heavily tested their trust in each other. It’s important to note that each pair had one non-candidate (Joe, Nao and Kugie), which could lead us to the conclusion that this trial had the specific purpose of getting rid of non-candidates before the main game.

(Chapter 1.1: Sarah and Joe's first trial)

Another example is Keiji and Megumi’s trial where Keiji had the opportunity to save his previous corrupt boss, but chose not to. The trial was set up to confront his past issues and tested his ability to overcome them. In the end, he could not and watched as she was pulled apart by chains. This trial wouldn’t have worked if both people cared for each other, proving that the first trials were in fact made with a specific purpose in hand.

(Chapter 2.1: Keiji leaving Megumi to die in their first trial)

Now onto Shin’s first trial.

In his first trial, he was shown the roster of candidates and their percentages, having them explained in excruciating detail by Sue Miley. She made sure to highlight how accurate these numbers were as they were calculated through the testing of AIs. Being shown his percentage of 0.0% caused his mind to break, leading him to take on the persona of Sou.

(Chapter 2.2: Shin finally revealing the truth)

I believe this trial is the cause for his 0%. By showing Shin these numbers, it psychologically cornered him and caused him to become distrustful of the others. He came to the conclusion that this death was due to the other’s own cruelty, believing that they were all going to turn against him and try to kill him off. By causing Shin to become doubtful and untrusting, this trial led him to take drastic measures which he believed will raise his chance of winning.

(Chapter 2.2: A flashback of Shin's thoughts during his first trial)

But it in fact, does the opposite. By becoming the untrustworthy Sou, he caused the others to dislike him and antagonise him. The others became more likely to turn against him and voted for him. It wasn’t because of his weak or timid personality, but it was his deceitful nature which caused him to self-sabotage himself.

(Chapter 2.2: Shin regretting his actions before death)

Just like he says mere minutes before his death, if he were to believe in everyone from the start, things would have been much more different. They could’ve been close to escaping, he wouldn't have had to work so hard to isolate himself and he wouldn't have had to die a lonely death. It’s at this moment he realises his mistake and regrets it, accepting that his fate was of his own doing.

It’s like a paradox, Shin’s first trial causes him to learn of his winning rate, thus he takes on the persona of Sou Hiyori. But by doing this, he becomes untrustworthy and more likely chosen to die, thus attaining a 0% win rate.

We see glimpses of Shin’s true nature when he’s figuring out an escape for everyone. When he successfully hacks into the security system, all of his fear is gone, causing him to become much more happy and lively. The idea of everyone escaping together has caused him to momentarily go back to being Shin and truly see his potential as a helpful ally had it not been for his first trial.

(Chapter 2.2: Shin excited about successfully hacking the system)

We also get to see pre-game Shin in chapter 3 as an AI. Here we see him for his true self without the pressure of the death game. He’s sweet and trusting, nothing like the person in the game.

(Chapter 3.1: Meeting Shin's pre-game AI)

Another thing I’d like to briefly discuss is what was the reason for Shin specifically being given this trial out of all the characters. You could argue it’s because it’ll cause the largest impact on him due to his percentage but if we go with the idea of the trial itself being the cause for his percentage, then this trial could have been given to any of the characters to break them.

But why did they choose Shin?

Well I believe it’s because he’s the most likely to derail their plans. Bringing in a hacker could be potentially dangerous as he has the ability to hack their system, gain their knowledge, and use it against them with the help of the others. If he started working together with them from the beginning, there was a huge possibility of the death game being in danger. Of course, it is later confirmed that they can’t escape, but if Shin were to work together with vital characters such as Kai to find out more information or an alternative escape, their chances of everyone surviving would have risen.

Therefore, in order to save their precious death game, the masters of the death games psychologically cornered Shin and ultimately lead him to his 0% chance of survival.

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Thank you for reading my analysis! I’m not very used to this so please feel free to add more or speak about your own theories! :)

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@kvetas​ said: 🕕

《 glancing into the past | open 》

    Sou found the child right where they expected them to be – curled on a giant armchair with a cat on the lap and hefty book in their hands. Sou didn’t remember himself as an asocial child, but it was so much more comfortable than being outside, as no one could tell him that running was too dangerous and it’ll get his clothes dirty. Between words of wisdom, no one could tell him that he should be careful as the biggest threat was a book falling on his foot or a papercut. It was a much simpler time, he reminiscent, why did things need to change? Why did people need to grow up and get jobs and get rid of the things that make them happy because society said so?

    He wasn’t aware that as he mused while looking at the tall bookshelves, a pair of very blue and even more curious eyes were studying him. So he was visible in this universe, but he still didn’t know if he truly went back in time or it was all some vivid, lucid dream. How does someone address their past self? Especially when–

    ❝Who are you?❞ the youngin required, as one would if a stranger broke into their realm. With puffy cheeks and a feline who was ready to pounce on the intruder, he knew that seeming calm and answering everything as briefly as possible would get rid through most of the suspicious. Most.

    ❝I’m S-Sou Hiyori – I'm one of your cousins,❞ his family wasn’t unfathomably big, but it was large enough not to know each and every one of his relatives. Their names and connections to him were like white background noise, as most he only has seen in passing in family gatherings and funerals, only speaking to them after his birthday has passed, as his mother forced him to thank each and every one of them for the gifts via the landline. ❝May I sit next to you?❞

    Instead of giving a positive, the child grew more suspicious of him, ❝I don’t know of any cousins name Sou who dress so funny.❞ That one did hurt his feelings a bit, he won’t lie, but that’s how kids were – unapologetically and oh very brutally honest. ❝Who are you really?❞

    It was the first time Sou has any dislike to the fact that his younger self already proved to be a smartass – it wasn’t as easy to trick himself as he thought at first. But there was another way to get the child to trust him – showing interest in what they were doing. ❝That’s not a very nice thing to say! Would Goku be so rude to a stranger?❞

    The second he mentioned the name of the manga’s hero little Shin was holding, the cold eyes that gazed at him so harshly got a glint of excitement showed within them, ❝y-you’re right,❞ the squeaked before they steadied their voice, ❝Goku would never!❞ 

    Taking a seat on the couch beside the reader, Sou wondered if it was acceptable now that the child seemed more calm with him around. Everything felt so familiar and so alien at the same time, the sensation in his chest felt both as pain and excitement at the same season. Did his younger self not notice who was actually in front of them? Maybe it was so obvious to him, but it seemed Shin didn’t connect the dots as of yet.

    ❝Hey mister,❞ jumping up a bit as he was called, Sou was afraid he was being scolded for doing something against the child’s wishes, but instead, he was questioned, ❝do you think it’s okay for girls to read boys’ mangas?❞

    Girl. Of course, Shin still didn’t realize who they were yet ––– and how could they? They never heard the words they felt like speaking, they never understood why being called a girl seemed wrong, and they couldn’t understand why the always felt like a liar. Why life felt almost like one big lie – as if they were lying to themselves, their family and friends as if their very existence didn’t feel quite there, not quite aligned as it should. Like they were misplaced, as if–

    ❝Of course, everyone is allowed to like what they want, regardless of gender!❞ giving the biggest smile he could without bursting into tears, as his thoughts went back to these dark places where everything about him felt wrong, he couldn’t even think of his past self as a girl, as he knew what the truth was, ❝it’s also okay to be a boy,❞ he said much more quietly, as if to calm himself.

    ❝Did you say something?❞ the kid might have heard the little part in the end, as if they were hoping they heard it correctly as if someone finally understood what they couldn’t speak for so long.

    ❝Oh, it’s nothing.❞