#and then the mastermind who's been personally fucking with her this whole game and knows shes the blackened

[neodiekido]

people give maki shit for chapter 5 but if i was in her situation during the class trial i woulda started eating my own organs

[amalthea-13]

Blitz Should Have Died

Introduction

Hello all, it is I, Amalthea, the Ultimate Stolas Kinnie and Stan. I want to address someone who recently commented on a post of mines. I will be piggybacking off a point my mutual @cute-little-fly made in the comments and a post they made that works in tandem with a lot of what I am going to talk about here. Give my mootie a follow, they're awesome! (Hi Fly UwU)

Heavily encourage ya'll to read up on this post. They post some great stuff. Anyway, onto my points. While I may echo some of Fly's points, I will be also imputing my own thoughts regarding Mastermind considering my unique perspective, hence the title. Hopefully, this doesn't get me into to much trouble lol.

Blitz Deserved to Die

In one of my posts I addressed the religious symbolism in Mastermind. Vivienne has been noted by Brandon in interviews as an individual who takes Biblical lore very seriously. If you want more information on this please read my Stolas, Mastermind, and Religious Symbolism + Classism Conversation essay, but in short the point of Mastermind is to show how far Stolas has come as a person.

Firstly, he takes on a punishment he didn't deserve. Blitz was guilty according to the narrative and the law. Regardless of how Andre and Stella spun it, he was in fact guilty. It was a deserved punishment according to the law of Hell.

Stolas willingly and selflessly put himself in the line of fire for something he didn't deserve. Again, from the Sins point of view, Stolas was merely coerced into this. (Not canonically), but from their point of view he was a victim.

Stolas could have stuck with that narrative and let Blitz die to protect Octavia from losing himself. He could clean his hands of Blitz and be on his merry way to find another partner or person to fuck.

Blitz's death would have been deserved afterall. It's not entirely Stolas's problem at that point. He doesn't have to do anything, nor is Blitz his priority in life.

Stolas could continue living and finally be rid of Blitz and all his emotional bullshit. Octavia would be happy and have her father!

There you go, Happily Ever After.

Toodles! Amalthea Out!

What? You genuinely think that is what I believe?

Unfortunately for you dear reader, I don't believe any of the above text I just wrote out. However, I thought it'd be interesting for you all to read how a lot of you sound when defending Octavia and saying Stolas "picked Blitz over her". You see how- sadistic that sounds? How cruel it comes off as? Sure, it's the truth, but- I mean is Blitz really that insignificant to me as a writer that I think he should be- written off and killed purely because he was guilty?

Purely for the sake of a character I relate to and understand?

Let's utilize our media literacy skills guys.

Two Things Can be True at Once

Personally, I get why a lot of people defend Via so staunchly, but good GODS it gets annoying when you all imply Blitz deserved to die purely for the sake of Octavia having Stolas in her life. I feel like many of you forget who else would suffer in the situation.

Loona.

While she is in her 20s and completely fine, Blitz is Loona's whole world even if she isn't willing to admit it. He is her ENTIRE support system and therefore, makes Blitz more important than Octavia's comfort.

I apologize if that seems- cruel to say, but in practicality, Octavia can go to the other Sins or Vassago. Literally anyone else.

Who does Loona have? Millie and Moxxie? Two individuals who are about to deal with a baby (maybe) on their hands? She's an adopted child with NO OTHER FAMILY besides Blitz. She doesn't know Barbie Wire at all. Loona has NO ONE.

I ain't saying Octavia's situation is better, but she can easily turn to other people. Paimon even if she truly needed it. Loona has no one. Blitz is literally her everything.

Stolas made a noble sacrifice to protect another girl who needed saving too. It was reckless, it was irrational, it wasn't well thought out, but he did what he had to do.

While I sympathize with Octavia's pain, trust me I know abandonment, I also empathize more with Loona. She was also put in an AWFUL situation, but no one seems to listen to or care for her in this situation.

The reality is, Stolas did what he had to do. I have mentioned before that I do not think Stolas thought he would die. While many may not agree with me, I genuinely think Stolas thought he could get away with just some jail time or even be pardoned to a different trial where he could maybe fight this.

Stolas in my opinion believed his privilege could save him from dying, and look at what happened? He LIVED because of his privilege;

Stolas: Um... *stands up* I mean...aren't you going to....you know...

[Stolas slides a finger across his throat.]

Stolas: Execute me?

Satan: Hah! Aw no, 'course not. You are a Goetia.

Stolas: But I... committed a heinous crime!

Satan: Yeah you did. But, you are demon royalty sooo... your life has actual worth.

Yes, Stolas was incredibly reckless, but he had privilege and utilized it to save a life. Isn't that noble? Isn't that worth celebrating?

The fact Stolas's plan actually worked, if my theory is correct, is beyond astonishing. In one of my reblogs titled Discussing Mastermind and Why I Think Stolas didn't believe He would Die, I discuss the emotional implications further, but I do believe Stolas was banking on his privilege to save him. Maybe he'd be put in jail or whatever, but at least he thought he'd be able to keep Via. He knew he was throwing his life away, but Blitz deserved to be saved too.

I do believe Stolas cares about Via, but he also loves and cares about Blitz. Those two things can coexist, and are why I think he ultimately made the decision he did. In my opinion it wasn't a question of "Octavia or Blitz?" but the question of "His life or your own?" That was the internal dilemma on the table, and without thinking Stolas saved Blitz, but in a situation between his status or his daughter? You all would be rooting for him to pick Octavia. It wasn't about Via, but if Stolas would willingly sacrifice his comfort for people he loves.

Stolas is an abuse victim and sacrificed his physical and emotional well being for Octavia. He does love and care for her.

To anyone who- insists on saying Stolas still doesn't care about Octavia, when he lost his powers and status, what was the first thing he said;

Stolas: [weakly] But, what about my daughter?

After his punishment, Stolas wasn't concerned about Blitz or himself, but worried about Octavia herself. That girl was the only thing on his mind after saving Blitz.

Both of these characters are deeply loved by him, and he has sacrificed everything he has for them. Both physical and emotional. Stolas has sacrificed his blood, sweat, tears, and bones to both Blitz and Octavia and I wish people respected that more.

Blitz Didn't Deserve to Die

As much shit as I give Blitz, despite being known well for being his biggest critic, I did not want him to die. Even if it meant Octavia being comforted by her father's presence.

I wanted nothing more than for them BOTH to walk away unscathed, but a crime was committed and someone had to pay.

And I would hate for Loona to also lose her father- Stolas made a noble sacrifice for not just Blitz, but also for Loona and that should be noted and understood.

Many of you will continue to die on the hill of "he chose Blitz over Via!" and act as if he doesn't love her, but Stolas sacrifices for people everyday.

He gives up parts of himself he shouldn't have to just so people are happy. He sacrifices anything he wants to provide for people's needs. Whether it be physical, mental, or emotional, Stolas consistently throws himself in harms way to help those he loves.

I will continue to emphasize it over and over for you all as an audience, but everything he does, he doesn't have to do.

Even for Stella, he tries to remain loyal and even keep things comfortable despite his own suffering and internal turmoil.

Stolas didn't want Blitz to die, and therefore that should be merit enough to understand that Blitz didn't deserve it, even if Octavia remains upset.

Octavia Will Get Over It

I have been in this girl's shoes. While it all- stings and hurts for so long. You learn to move on and that at some point you have to let go.

Unlike Via tho... I went years without closure. For Octavia, closure is just around the corner and in some ran down apartment rented by some red dickhead.

She'll get through her feelings and eventually realize where she and her father need to talk and communicate.

I know saying she'll "get over it" is cruel, but she is a young adult. She has to learn that adults have to at some point choose themselves. That they can't- give of themselves infinitely.

What Stolas and Octavia had wasn't sustainable, the constant- expectation he'd willingly choose her over everyone is simply unrealistic. Stolas needs room to grow and love himself. Via needs to learn some independence and that she will be okay with or without Stolas.

She will be okay.

Conclusion

While this may be- a convoluted post, I do hope you all understand why I push back against this argument so hard. Shoutout to my mootie Fly again. Your original comment inspired this whole mess lol.

Toodles, Amalthea Out!

[ultimateplaylistmaker]

I have thoughts about the traitor perk in eden's garden, for how just vicious it was. Did she knew it had a time limit for her own death going in? did she accept it and only have that sprung on her after? It's so cruel, so so cruel, and the fact Tozu doesn't even PRETEND to deny it. There's a bit of "well she chose it" but there's not downplaying of like "well i only implied so actually not my fault" hes just like "Yeah i did say she'd die lmao, funny huh?"

It FULLY sets up that unlike the canon games, Tozu isn't pretending like he's fully above the game, that he has to be hands off, and that makes him stronger. He's fully admitting right off the gate that he's not above lose lose situations or playing favorites, he's fully brazen about how obvious it was set for Eva in a way that fully suggests that you cannot break this game by exposing the machinations behind the rules for being forced or lies. Tozu isn't as separate from the players like Monokuma pretends to be, he was fully down for casually showing up on command, fucking with Damon's head, and then leaving, and apparently several others did the same.

You can't even call out Tozu as being an unfair game master because he never really says he is. If he saved a stunt like this for the end it would have been a whole thing of unraveling, but he didn't, he did it in the first real murder and didn't even hide it like Tsumugi did. He's setting himself up as a player on the board immediately, he's not the student's and thus can only go so far, but he's very open about making exceptions and being loose with what he's allowed to do or not do. This isn't the kind of game that requires strict rule following protocol, because Tozu's a player too.

Tozu isn't some far away watching mastermind laughing but required to stick to a script that could break the whole game if taken advantage of, he's right there in the action, he's not pretending he's above the game or that the game isn't inherently biased or weighted, he fully embraces that he's a player as well, just a different player with different rules. Him targeting Eva so heavily isn't a violation of the social code, no more then Wolfgang isolating Eva and Damon was, players are allowed to target each other.

He delights in it even, he loves being the game master not despite being a player, but because of it. Tozu has very little thought that he's built different or untouchable, Grace showed that in the prologue by getting some damn good hits in. Tozu isn't pretending to be the person controlling the pieces, he knows he's also a piece and revels in it. Giving him a kind of power that other masterminds lacked.

He will set traps beyond just motives, he will bait, he will come when you call and adjust the rules to make sure you can do your murder that would totally otherwise break it, he is a potential ally, he is a rival player, he is tangible and real and cannot be just brushed off once he hands over the motive. If you can't figure out how to talk to Tozu, how to appeal to Tozu, if you fail to keep him in mind as a player instead of just a watcher and judge, you will be at an objective disadvantage over those who do, because Tozu knows he is fallible, that rules are imprecise, and instead of pretending otherwise, he uses that fallibility to make himself even more dangerous by embracing it and using it against the group.

[iminyourwallsbabe]

Okay so I was thinking about Melvik last night because the streets(one person) asked for a Melvik playlist and I wanted to make sure I did it right and I think I've come to a conclusion about what the hell is going on with those two. There's so many different ways to interpret it, so I'm not saying this is objectively correct. We're in the corkboard with strings and pictures stage of shipping rn.

Okay so if we're being honest, there's not a lot to work with in terms of character interactions but there are clues in other places. One of the things I noticed is that they mirror each other. Mel has freckles in similar spots to Viktor's moles, she's the sun and he's the moon, she's covered in gold while Viktor has a lot more silver in his palette, she's a princess while he's some guy from Zaun but they're both fighting for legitimacy.

So they probably didn't like each other at some point.

Think about it, sometimes people who hate each other are exactly like one another. That bothers them. Maybe that was the case here. Then you add on the layer of their individual goals and I could see how they might clash. I could see how they might not understand each other at first.

I feel like after that, it probably became a game of cat and mouse. A rivalry if you will. It could've been academic, depending on how long they knew each other (we don't know). I could see there being a lot of competition in their relationship, but the thing is, it was never a fair fight. How is a man from the undercity supposed to compete with an exiled royal? You can't. People are more likely to give her what she wants than even consider your position just by default. And then you also have to consider that this is Mel we're talking about. A goddamn mastermind if I've ever seen one, if she didn't already have privilege on her side, she definitely has the people skills to compensate. It was probably frustrating, in a lot of ways.

But wait! There's more. There's something to be said about how the "evolved" humans are white and gold, Mel's colors. Even the way the gold is placed is reminiscent of her. Perfection, the peak of humanity, in Viktor's mind is Mel (and Jayce too if you remember that his little husk still kept a lot of his features, but his look was still inspired by her).

So in Mel, I think at first he saw everything he lacked and it was pissing him off. That probably stemmed from his need to get where he wanted to be quickly, because he knew his time was limited. Like fuck, I'm gonna die and you're in my way by being better at everything.

For Mel, I think she saw everything she wanted to be. Self assured, with direction in life. Peace is such a broad goal to have, living up to your mother's standards is a little more specific, but what does she want to do for herself? Where does she want to be when it's all said and done? Wherever she's been told she needed to be? In a throne or a seat at the council's table? Viktor knows what he wants, he sees it clearly, and he couldn't care less about anybody's standards or expectations besides his own. There's something so ruthless about that, and Mel envies it.

What I think changed with them is an understanding, realizing that it would be more useful for them to work together and be on the same team rather than continue to compete with one another. But how do we get there? Judging by how most of the romance in Arcane works, it was probably sex. I'm not even joking, this is a consistent thing. Jayvik? One of their key moments together involved Viktor saying "wait this isn't my bedroom", Mel and Jayce's relationship was kind of confirmed with a sex scene, Vi started flirting with Caitlyn in a brothel of all places and then LATER there was the whole thing in the prison cell, are we seeing the trend here? Sex and arcane go together like Jinx and explosions.

Anyway, right, back on topic. So yeah, I think unlike her relationship with Jayce, things were not nearly as thought through with Viktor. It definitely feels like a spur of the moment kind of thing, probably involving alcohol. Let me explain. I'm probably not going to phrase this right, but somebody else explained the bond between these two sort of like magnets. They attract and reject each other at the same time. They're so similar that by all means, they could be together, but something keeps pushing them away from one another. Knowing Mel's relationship with trust, and Viktor's relationship with time, this could make perfect sense. This could give way to some very complicated feelings. Knowing Mel, that wouldn't have been good. But then you start to remove those inhibitions, either through something artificial or just heightened passions, next thing you know shit happens.

Now we're in what I wanna call the situationship era! Because god forbid our favorite metal eugenicist has a committed relationship ever.

Mel doesn't know what she wants out of this so it stays casual for a while, Viktor wants more but he's scared to ask because he doesn't wanna scare her away. He knows she's conflicted about it, otherwise she wouldn't act the way she does. Still, it drives him fucking insane. He could die within the next few years, he doesn't have time to be playing will they/won't they. Especially not when the most perfect woman- no, person, he's ever seen in his life is right there in front of him. It's several months of "maybe we should stop doing this", that attracting and repelling I was talking about, with no conceivable end, but eventually it does. Eventually they both find they have better things to focus on than this. Not that they don't love or care about each other anymore, but the stress just isn't worth it. The world needs them, and they can't keep holding each other back.

However, that's not quite the end of their story.

In the words of our Lord and Savior, Shadow the Hedgehog, the light still shines even when the star is gone. They do try to keep their relationship as professional as possible, at least when there's eyes to see it. Outside of that though, it's clear that they're still attached somehow. Is it romantic still? That's up for interpretation, but regardless, no matter how much distance they put between each other, they'll always be drawn to one another.

Then here comes MC Hammer, and now the situation is like this. The moon (Viktor) revolves around the earth (Jayce), who revolves around the sun (Mel). They're all so interconnected now and if you take one out of the equation, shit gets messy. Can't take out the sun, the whole galaxy will collapse. Can't take out the moon, the earth will be in ruin. See what I mean? As Jayce and Mel get more serious, I think both of them wonder what could've been. They're happy where they are romantically but it's always something to ponder. What would it have looked like if Viktor was the golden boy, not Jayce? If they were the ones holding it down in those council meetings? What would it be like if her warmongering mother knew she was in love with someone like Viktor, someone so physically weak? Would she be rejected again? Would she approve based on the false notion that he was only a pet to her? That he meant nothing?

Maybe it's for the better that things are as they are, but when he thinks of what humanity can be at its peak, all he can see is her. When he's gone all she can hope is that he comes back to her. It's so beautifully tragic.

[waytooobsessedwithmcyt]

Thinking about the complete different types of villainy all of the life series members have.

Pearl and Cleo are the easiest comparison, Dl!Pearl had a very manic energy, she felt a little hysterical, not always in control, just swinging her axe at whoever spoke (I could make a whole post about that because I love her so much) while Cleo always has this very calm, in control energy, their most famous villainous act, burning the fairy fort, occured with her above Lizzie and the rest.

Gem's villainy is obviously a kind of sweet manipulative evil. Not much to say on her because she speaks for herself, she kills people and makes them love her for it, it's insane how she talks to people she literally just killed and gets them to thank her. (Like Pearl, hello shiny duo shippers)

Scar is manipulative, like Gem, and desperately wants friends, like Pearl. Although he doesn't quite have the manic energy or the in control feeling of Cleo, he's remarkably good at figuring out exactly what someone wants and offering exactly that but in a way that's wrong, he's like a monkey paw

Ren is obviously an overdramatic theatre kid, he has the stage presence of an old school Disney villain, he strokes his mustache as he hangs Scar over a pool of alligators and demands the banner back. Martyn has the kind of "mastermind behind the scenes but also intensely loyal" villainy, he may be running things, but whatever his king says, goes, and he'll enforce that to the ends of the earth (gay?) the entire red army has the vibe of a wolf pack (I love wolves and I'd like a disclaimer that they rarely attack humans and are not evil) circling in on its prey (the alpha/beta ranking system has been disproven but for the purposes of this allegory I will ask you to suspend your disbelief) waiting for their alpha's command before diving in with terrifying ferocity.

Martyn in every other series is a wild card. I think I saw someone say that he was broken by Ren's death and became an unloyal person because the last person he was that devoted to brought him pain. He's driven further into insanity. His betrayal of Scott feels like a natural conclusion of this. Cleo taught him that even when the game demands that he be paired, he will not be chosen, but he still chose to abandon Pearl who would have chosen him. In secret life, he pairs with Jimmy, who he knows will die, maybe he hopes it won't hurt as much since he knows it will happen, but it does, and then he's the only red, and he's then left out of a huge sever wide event because he's exempt. I'm ranting but I'm so feral about this little dude.

Joel is cursed. Saw someone call it the Dionysus curse, he goes insane on red, he's deadly, efficient, and takes exactly the amount of joy he should, he's an intensely effective hitman who never misses a shot, and never fails to celebrate a death.

Third life Skizz is a type of unhinged, like Pearl, following the wolf pack analogy, he's the one snapping and snarling, just waiting for the release and savouring the kill. He wants to go so fucking feral, he is pure emotion

[chichiaki]

DRDT mastermind thoughts

This is mostly via process of elimination but explanations:

Whit: SUSPICIOUS AS FUCK ELEVATOR SCENE!!!

Hu: Hard to get a read on her right now. No evidence for or against her being the mastermind

J: Hard to get a read on her right now. Also her talent could contribute to a TV show I guess but this isn't good evidence

Nico: I just don't have anything to go against the possibility

Rose: I don't want it to be her. I think she has the perfect conflict as is with her guilt and nightmares. But I don't think there's enough evidence against her being the mastermind to put her in "unlikely" because of the possibility of the mastermind also having had their memories wiped.

Veronika: Her talent is WAYYYY too death game related. It would feel too obvious so it feels too unlikely from a writing standpoint

Charles: If I was a mastermind with a phobia of blood I would simply not put myself into the killing game. Or make a killing game in the first place.

Eden: I do not believe her hope and cheerfulness is a lie. If she's the mastermind with her memories wiped I guess this could work but I just really think it would be character assassination of a character who is defined by attempting to be kind no matter what !!!!!!

Mai: She's definitely suspicious and related to the game in some way shape or form, but if we're to believe MonoTV when it says that the mastermind is among the students, it can't be her. Still related to the game somehow.

Xander: I believe that the mastermind is the one who got him to attempt to kill Teruko. This means that Xander, having been ordered to kill by someone else, can't be the mastermind. And even if this theory is wrong, it wouldn't really work story wise, AND David is claiming that the "the killing game is your fault" secret belongs to Xander, and that's too cut and dry for him to be the mastermind. So therefore, not the mastermind.

Teruko: I think the game was created (in part) to kill her. It's not impossible that she's the mastermind with her memories wiped, but... I just think she wouldn't do this whole death game nonsense to kill herself.

Min: First killer who killed on accident and who we know the backstory of doesn't seem like a good mastermind choice to me

David: I think he's genuine about trying to kill all of them to end the game, regardless of whether or not this would've worked. Too clearly trying to foil the mastermind's game to be the mastermind. Also, we ALREADY got a twist personality change, so making him the mastermind would just be doing the same thing again lol

Arturo: This guy already sucks too bad to be the mastermind. I don't see it. He's too funny and not in a Whit-has-a-secret way.

Arei: idkkkk her character development just makes too much sense to me

Ace: His character development ALSO makes too much sense to me for him to be the mastermind

Levi: This one I'm more unsure about, but I'm mostly putting him here because he's MULTIPLE TIMES foiled MonoTV's plans, both physically attacking it and getting in the way of it executing Teruko. I just think it's unlikely that the mastermind would do that!!

[fantasyinvader]

If you look at what happened at Duscur, like really look at it, the whole thing really undercuts Edelgard's narrative.

"But Edelgard says Duscur had nothing to do with her."

This is what she says in the Japanese.

"What's the use of repeating the same words over and over again? Shut up and fight, you petulant little buggers."

She's basically telling Dimitri to stop bringing it up all the time. And the whole scene in Azure Moon isn't that Edelgard didn't cause it, but rather there may have been a mastermind connected to the Empire and the likes of Kronya and Solon. The game is implying that Edelgard was manipulated, but at the same time she's turned a blind eye to those she's trampled in pursuit of her goals while the prisoner is about how people can commit atrocitious acts and STILL believe they are in the right.

Hell, the reason why the Western Kingdom nobles assassinated Lambert undermines Edelgard's claims that if she didn't act the world would claim more victims as it wouldn't change. Here we have attempts at reform snuffed out not by the Church but by the nobility. Nobility that then turn around and side with Edelgard during the war with Hopes explaining that Edelgard will protect their positions by them doing so rather that pushing through reforms that elevate the commoners.

But then again, Edelgard's reforms are about her using her power to force her beliefs on others.

But then you look at those Western lords. Kleiman was made a viscount for the subjugation of Duscur, given the former nation as his personal territory by Rufus. Hard not to compare this to Edelgard promising Caspapa control of the former Alliance territory in exchange for his support during the war, no? But Kleiman was in on the conspiracy to kill Lambert, he knew the truth, but instead massacred innocent people for his own benefit and was given a title for it. Lonato was given a title by Rufus in exchange for his service, and the game makes it clear that him taking his people to attack Rhea while attacking villages along the way is a sign he wasn't fit for the role. Even Rufus, who had a title despite not having a Crest, simply wanted more power when he had his brother killed.

They did horrible things, causing innocents to suffer, just for power.

"But Lambert was made a king because of magical dragon blood when Rufus was the oldest son, he should have been king if it wasn't for Crests."

Rufus was still a duke, had his own territory, and simply wanted more power. When he got that power, he ran the kingdom into the ground and tried to have his nephew assassinated multiple times. Same thing with Miklan, who only got kicked out of his family over multiple attempts to kill Sylvain, not because he didn't have a Crest. And if anything, Rufus shows how dangerous a meritocracy can be because it all depends on who is giving out lands and titles. A shit leader appoints shitty officials. Hell, in Romance of the Three Kingdoms Cao Cao hands out titles and stuff all the time when people please him (and when they piss him off, he has to be convinced not to have them killed), and all he did was create a system where ambitious people backstabbed each other for power. Just like what we see with the Western nobles.

Meanwhile, the people of Duscur were falsely acccused, slaughtered like animals, the survivors oppressed and made out to be the real villains by those who actually were responsible for the chaos that ensued and profitted off of it by putting themselves in charge. Really hard not to see Rhea and Dedue bonding after the war over experiencing the same bullshit.

But people try to make it sound like the Nabatean genocide was okay, and that Dimitri is the real racist despite trying to get justice for Duscur and that Dedue should totally join the person who knows the truth about the Tragedy but keeps her mouth shut in order to further her own goals. Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with this fandom?

[affluent-havoc]

Okay. Time for me to finally discuss the main meat of Chapter 2 so I can eventually play the rest of the game. Spoilers ahead of course ^v^ Since this is where I started really thinking during this chapter, I shall start with this little quote from Byakuya cus I think it's a bit intriguing regarding Chihiro, the mastermind, and a bit the E-handbooks themselves.

For one, the killing game. It's all about that despair, making sure that those in the game are experiencing said despair. So, no matter if one reads Chihiro as indeed a guy who just cross-dressed like mastermind told them all, a trans girl with some internal misogyny and some self issues problems, or just as a person who was struggling with their identity and, due to life circumstances, lost their way on who they really were, it really makes this all a bit screwed up for poor Chihiro. After all, their E-handbook would be that constant reminder of what they deem as their failings. At the same time though, this also really shows off Chihiro's strength and willpower which was also sadly the thing that got them killed. A poetic irony. Additionally, regarding Miss Mastermind herself, I feel this also adds a bit in some ways depending on one's interpretation for her. One can also take into account the anime with Juzo and how she was willing to blackmail him for his internalized homophobia on himself cus of his feelings for Kyosuke. So she does have it in her to fuck with the gays, at least if one wants to include the anime. As for this case and the E-handbooks, this all also makes me think of the other students. Specifically just the concept of the E-handbooks having a sort of backhandedness to them or slight jabs at the owner's expense. Feel there could be something with that. Plus, I know Chihiro isn't the only one this could have been done on. The mastermind knows so much about them all and I feel she's smart enough to do something like that. But also, my gosh would it just be even worse if she just did that to Chihiro. It was probably going to sting regardless if she decided to mark their gender as male or female due to that just being a struggle for Chihiro in general. This also really makes me feel so bad for Chihiro though. One could probably argue they were screwed from the get-go. Furthermore, cus I did use Byakuya to segue into this, I must also say that my gosh did he ruin it a bit for what he said immediately after.

For one, Byakuya, don't EVER say "female" like that ever again. Though, I at least interpret him saying this as a way to save face in a "Oh yeah I knew something was up the entire time" since Byakuya hates admitting that he's wrong or that he doesn't know everything. So, it'd be easier for him just to say this weird ass line instead of just admitting that he was in the dark and didn't see any of this coming. Feel the ellipses is what really gives this off for me as it shows that bit of hesitation along with his sprite specifically sweating a bit. This also, at least for me, feels a bit like foreshadowing as well in some regards. Chapter 4 is when it's really shown how much this guy dislikes not knowing stuff, the whole line "How do you know what I don't know?!" being the antithesis of this as a whole. Also I like to headcanon that when he's unsure of himself he pauses cus he'd rather talk slower than ever risk stuttering as to not look weak or foolish. But also, not cool, Byakuya!

[pippin-pippout]

Thoughts from ep 3 and earlier for PJO:

I liked the changes with Medusa’s story. But so far all the fights have been completely underwhelming. I’m guessing it’s something with Disney and trying to keep a PG rating. They don’t want to show her being decapitated since the head doesn’t dissolve into dust so they came up with the invisibility cap idea. But that meant Percy never got to do the thing with the mirror or actually fight.

The furies have all been disappointing. They’re not scary if all they do is lunge straight into weapons… These are the lieutenants of Hades??? They killed Thalia with her magic shield Aegis and her lightning powers?

They even cut the sword fight between Percy and Luke last episode, which shows that Percy has actual talent with a sword… So right now all he’s done is swing it around.

I kinda get cutting the hellhound and someone putting the newspaper article with Gabe blaming him in his cabin. Like they have to make concessions for live adaptation. But without those, it also removed the whole “inside job” narrative that foreshadowed that it was someone in camp who was the mastermind. Not hades or ares.

Also struggling with the trio. I don’t dislike them but, except Grover, they’re not showing strong personalities. Annabeth is a bossy know it all, but she doesn’t just give one word replies pretending like she doesn’t get what you’re really asking. She doesn’t keep a bored expression on the whole time. Percy just doesn’t really feel super reckless… or super anything really. Nor has the narrative shown us that he’s really impressive (it’s told us plenty of times, but not shown).

When I thought they were going to cut the whole impertinent bit this ep I almost screamed. Thankfully they kept it.

I do like the actor for Luke so far and I get why they focused on that relationship in ep 2. That’ll be nice and painful in the end, and they’re doing a really good job of showing that Luke has a point with the setup of the gods both as dead beat parents and highly fallible/unjust beings.

Also I completely forgot that Percy sees the prophecy through Gabe at a poker game and was like what the FUCK.

[imperfectapollo]

Not the reveal we wanted but the reveal we got...

https://archiveofourown.org/works/50685073/chapters/128038045

“The reason Monokuma hasn’t let us go is because Shirogane-chan wasn’t the only mastermind.” Swallowing, he pointed at the wolf that had been hiding among them this whole time. “Isn’t that right, Saihara Shuichi, The Ultimate Detective?”

Or

There were two masterminds and Ouma Kokichi has the tough task of unmasking the second one, the person he trusted more than most

Use the link to read on AO3 or read Chapter 1 below!

Featuring art by the fabulous @starlightstudio1987

"You know something, don’t you Ouma-kun?”

Kokichi’s hands trembled as he gripped his podium, hating the responsibility that had just been put on his shoulders.

Breathe. You can end this.

Clenching his jaw, he raised his head, wanting to wipe that stupid smile off that stupidly beautiful face. That smile that once made his heart race had now locked it in chains and dragged down.

Clearing his throat, his eyes narrowed as he stared at the enemy he had finally realised, a tired sigh escaping his mouth. He knew no one else would believe him. Why would they? He was the liar, the one who couldn’t be trusted to answer a question correctly, no matter how easy it was.

They were probably expecting some stupid joke from him. Some self damnation, for him to yet again, claim the kill for himself until he dragged the true culprit out.

Yet, that’s not what was about to happen. No. He was about to rock their world in the worst way he could.

“The reason Monokuma hasn’t let us go is because Shirogane-chan wasn’t the only mastermind.” Swallowing, he pointed at the wolf that had been hiding among them this whole time. “Isn’t that right, Saihara Shuichi, The Ultimate Detective?”

Instantly, protests hit his ears but he refused to look away from the detective, watching as his face swirled with false confusion before it melted away to reveal a smug grin as that once sweet giggle rang out through the room, sweeping away any and all protests.

Shuichi grinned, clapping his hands as he tilted his head slightly.

“Well done Ouma-kun! I knew I could trust you.”

“Shut the fuck up.”

Kokichi refused to look away as the humming detective made his way up to the throne Monokuma had been claiming all along. He didn’t give a shit when smoke embraced Shuichi as he made his way up the steps nor did he care as his jacket was thrown to the side, revealing the secret Monokuma face on his tie.

His eyes locked onto the new red shape under a gleaming gold eye. If Shuichi’s admittance didn’t get it through, the painted Monokuma eye just rubbed it in even more.

He watched as the smirking detective sank into the seat, a pleased sigh escaping him as he picked up a cackling Monokuma.

Kokichi wanted to rush up and punch him so fucking badly but he couldn’t and he hated it. He was powerless. Sure, he had felt this way through this stupid ass game but now it was even worse.

No. All he could do was stare, the angry protests of Kaito and the cries of Himiko fading into the background.

They had unmasked the second mastermind, something they should be celebrating so why did it make him feel so…So hollow?

Was it because Shuichi was the mastermind? Was it because he didn’t know what was going to happen? Was it because now it was officially over?

He didn’t know and it was driving him crazy.

“God you’re so pathetic so just shut up will you?”

Snapping back into focus and cursing himself for losing focus, Kokichi pursed his lips, looking over at the spluttering astronaut. Of course he didn’t blame Kaito. The guy had taken Shuichi under his wing once Kaede died.

Jesus…Kaede. It was bad enough she had gone through an unwarranted execution but to know that the person who had been sitting next to her was the one she had been trying to take down? It made Kokichi sick.

“Honestly. Sidekick this, sidekick that.” Shuichi huffed. “I seriously should have stopped that bitch from adding all that annoying junk. So repetitive.” Narrowing his eyes, he leaned forward with a smirk. “You’re so fucking pathetic and predicable it’s not funny.”

“The only pathetic one here is you Saihara.”

“Oh?”

“You heard me.” Kokichi clenched his jaw. “You’re nothing more than a pathetic excuse for a human being. A parasite. I know it doesn’t mean much coming from someone like me but seriously. You are fucking disgusting and I despise breathing the same air as you.”

Shuichi pouted, hugging Monokuma closer. “Awww.” He tilted his head slightly. “But I thought I was your beloved~ Hell, you even stole my innocent wittle detective heart!” He chuckled, staring down at the disgusted leader. “I must say…You were always my favoruite Kichi. Always coming up with fun ideas.” He sighed softly, ignoring the way the young leader flinched at the nicknames.

“What a shame your final plan won’t happen. It would have been wonderful to see.” Idly, he ran a hand over the mascot’s head, the other resting on his cheek as his eyes shone. “An identifiable culprit hasn’t been done in awhile! Especially in the way you were planning.”

A thin strand of drool began to escape his lips. “Sure it’d be a lot of cleanup but using a hydraulic press to disguise the true victim? It’s just…It’s just…So amazing and despair inducing!”

Kokichi ignored the looks of disbelief thrown his way, instead, digging his nails into the wood beneath them. Sure, it was a back-up plan if Maki were to invade the hanger if he managed to kidnap Kaito but Maki was dead thanks to Tsumugi. It was just going to be an awkward thing to explain to the others after they’re out.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. ���I don’t give a shit about your creepy despair fetish. You’ve been found out, now let us go.”

“Hmmmm. Nope! That’d be too boring now wouldn’t it?”

“Why…Why are you doing this Saihara-kun?” Himiko sniffed, pulling her hat down, still unable to wrap her head around the truth.

“Why?” The mastermind laughed, clasping his hands together in front of him. “Why not? Danganronpa is the best most despair inducing event, who wouldn’t want to be a part of it?” Rocking side to side, the drool reached his chin, threatening to drip off. “Following in Enoshima-sama’s footsteps…It’s the closest I’ll ever be to the Goddess! I even sacrificed my own twin like she did!”

“You’re sick.”

“I’m sick?” He sighed. “I suppose a robot like you wouldn’t understand any of this. Besides, you are on my side remember? Idabashi works for us.”

Seeing the poor robot flinch, Kokichi did one of the things he did best. Draw the attention back to himself.

“Kiiboy is his own person. Who gives a shit if he was made by some dude who works for a cult?” Checking his nails, he sighed. “We get it. You’re horny for bad feelings and forced him to be the stand in for your pathetic friends. Doesn’t mean he belongs to you.” He ignored the confused yet appreciative look on Kiibo’s face.

He had known the robot was suspicious from the very start and took some of his paranoia out on him but even he could tell Kiibo was more than the stand in for a sick audience who got off to their suffering.

“You claim this Enoshima chick is your goddess or whatever so why don’t you join her and just execute yourself?”

Clapping his hands, Shuichi jumped up, letting Monokuma crawl onto his shoulder. “Oh! Oh! I have a great idea! We hold another vote! You guys choose between Ouma-kun and I and we’ll also let the audience vote on who survives!” He smirked, stepping closer to Kokichi, taking delight in the brief flicker of fear in his eyes. “They voted for you to survive once, shall we see if they’ll do it again~?”

He reached out, placing a hand against Kokichi’s cheek letting out a small chuckle as the touch starved teen shuddered and slapped it away. “Either way, someone’s blood will be split.” Wiping his drool away, he sighed happily. “It’ll be beautiful. I can’t wait!” Spinning around, he threw his arms out as the voting screens flickered to life. “Go ahead my dearest friends! Vote! Who will it be? Kokichi or me?”

He grinned over his shoulder at the leader, madness dancing in his eyes.

“Don’t forget, all votes are final~”

[starlightshadowsworld]

I'm gonna end up bashing Kirigiri a lot in this one.

I do actually like her I swear but this bit... Nope. So... You've been warned.

You know what really pisses me off about Makoto's trial situation.

It's not even the execution.

Like I get it, you know?

Someone had to die.

And the two most suspicious individuals especially in the trial were Makoto and Kirigiri.

And Makoto was very much protecting Kirigiri and thus dodging the questions.

Which isn't exactly the best strategy, even without Kirigiri throwing him under the bus.

It was rigged by Monokuma.

We're honestly just lucky everyone voted the same person.

I don't like it.

I think it's scummy but so are the rest of the trials.

So I can deal with that.

I can even understand Kirigiri's rather blunt point that she gets Makoto was protecting her.

But that she couldn't bring herself to do the same.

I get it.

Its easy to say you would die for a person you care about but being in that situation is hard.

You can never truly know what you'll do.

And Kirigiri has a lot of self preservation.

So it makes sense to her character she wouldn't.

And she told it to him straight.

Which for Kirigiri, someone who is notorious for hiding things from people.

It's a big step for her to honestly admit her feelings like that.

I respect that.

Does it hurt?

Absolutely but it's the truth, and she owes it to Makoto to give him the truth.

To tell him that yes she did do what she did.

She can't change what happened but she almost lost him, the only person she has left.

And in doing so she realises how important he is to her.

That Kirigiri snuck down here with the hope he had survived, that she would never have forgiven herself if she had caused his death.

Kirigiri was left in a world without Makoto in it and it wasn't a world she wanted to live in.

And so, she's going to protect him too.

Because they are a team, she can't do this without him and so they are going to end this nightmare.

Together.

Except... None of this happens.

Instead of a possible heart touching moment between two survivors.

Even an apology.

Kirigiri says "and not to make excuses but" and tells Makoto that it was very important that she survived.

She's found out her talent, she's the Ultimate Detective.

And so her survival is important as she's the only one to defeat the mastermind.

... And that's when I flipped the table.

This.

This is the bit that just pisses me off.

Because it's not "I could have gotten you killed, my hands were tied in a death game and I made the difficult choice that will haunt me forever."

No.

It comes across as I have to live because my talent is more important than yours.

Thus your survival is not as important as mine.

Which is so incredibly fucked up.

It's basically the Danganronpa equivalent of eugenics.

Your talent is objectively lesser than my talent so you deserve to die so I can live.

I hate this.

I hate this sooo much.

I wasn't even playing I was watching a play through and I wanted to rage quit.

How fucking dare you.

You didn't even know what your talent was for the entire game.

But now you do, somehow now your the most valuable person here?

Like Makoto hadn't been destroying himself. Trying to keep everyone alive.

Basically carrying all the trials on his back.

And she spends the rest of the time talking about her talent and such.

And just wow how did you make Makoto almost dying about you?

That's impressive.

Also, you know who else does something like this.

Someone who finds out the main character has a lesser/no talent and than proceeds to treat them like shit for it?

Nagito.

You know, Nagito the guy everyone whether you love him or hate em can all agree is cuckoo in the coconuts?

That Nagito.

Nagito spends the whole game friendly to Hajime but also extremely hot and cold with him.

Only to learn that Hajime is a reserve course student, thus without talent.

And proceeds to turn a 180 and berate and insult him for it.

And minus that last part, very similiar to Kirigiri.

Even down to the fact both are hiding huge secrets from everyone.

The only real difference is Nagito doesn't see his talent as impressive, but in the face of no talent Hajime?

It's makes him better than him.

It means that Hajime is beneath him.

But when Nagito does it it's fucked and when Kirigiri does it it's cool I guess.

But you know what the icing on the cake is?

Kirigiri is someone who generally keeps a stoic face.

She's unflappable, she's always serious and cool headed.

Gives me the ice queen with a heart of gold vibes.

But in this scene, Kirigiri is smiling.

She's telling Makoto how her life means more than his, and she's smiling.

Now I actually like Kirigiri.

Shocking I know.

I do, I like her and I know she's in Danganronpa 3 and I can't wait to see her in it.

But this?

Fuck this.

Fuck her.

Fuck all of this.

I know the Kirigiri stans are gonna rip me a new one like they do everytime I talk about Makoto's trial.

But I don't care.

And Makoto's a better person than me cos I'd have just sat in the corner of the trial room.

Like oh I thought you were so talented and this was your whole reason for being here.

And you're the only person who can beat the mastermind.

I'm gonna go get actual pain killers and a bed that doesn't come with murderers.

Okay, baiiiii.

You know for someone who's Jin Kirigiri's apparently neglected daughter...

... He sure passed on his fucked up ideology to her.

[readyas]

1, 2, 8 and 12 for the ask game!

What was your first exposure to Danganronpa?

I have to be honest, it’s been so long I don’t really remember.

I think it was Leon’s execution though, I liked the art style and was curious about where it was from and what was going on. I didn’t realize it was a game. I just searched “DanagnRonpa: Full Anime” or whatever on YouTube and watched it because I had nothing better to do (it was quarantine).

Confession: i didn’t actually play the first game, just watched the anime. Terrible, I know.

Which was your first Danganronpa game?

The first one I sorta played was the second one. Me and my friends like to play games together (when I say together I mean: She plays them and I sit at her shoulder like an annoying parrot) and she picked up the full series cus it was on sale or something. She had already played the first one so she started the second one with me and I was like “wait a minute this is so familiar, where have I’ve seen this before?” Then Monokuma showed up lol

Who is your favorite protagonist?

It’s probably Hajime. He had pretty good chemistry with all the characters. His twist was also cool.

I was also excited to play as Keade because she had an actual personality, but…

Which was your favorite trial from V3?

Hmm, ohhh, this is hard- it’s chapter 5.

I love almost everything about it, the gimmick, the story, the emotion. The tiny little hints the exsial gives. Ahhh I love it all. We were also able to find the “Lie route 1” basically solving it in 5 seconds, but we were still surprised.

I do have a few problems. Mostly with how characters were acting, not the case itself. For one, I don’t like how Maki didn’t apologize. We see hints of it in her argument arment, but no actual scene and it just weakens her character. I also don’t like how Shuichi still wanted to find the truth despite knowing Monokuma didn’t know the answer. I get his whole arc up to this point was “find the truth no matter what!” But with Monokuma? Did that not raise a single red flag? I think that role should have been given to Tsumugi as foreshadowing. Sure it might’ve been too obvious, but we’re getting her reveal next chapter anyway. It also would have been cool see how much their plan was fucking with the mastermind.

Although, trial 4 would be pretty close if I wasn’t able to figure out it was Gonta through process of elimination before the trail even stared

[tobiasdrake]

Oh, and then we have to deal with the fallout of the bad motive.

So, that First Blood Perk. Obviously the game wasn't going to let that actually be a thing, because it would deprive us of a core feature of the games: the Class Trial.

Honestly, I might have more respect for the game's whole "Rise up against Danganronpa itself!" thing if they had. If they actually let the killer claim the First Blood Perk and walk. Fuck you, no fun Class Trial will be had here!

That would be aggravating. But it would be aggravating in a way that feels truly resonant with the game's ultimate goal of tearing down Danganronpa brick by brick. The game is later going to say that the fandom is part of the problem and appeal to them to become part of the solution. So. Yeah. It does piss you off that we never got to play the fun trial game, doesn't it? Maybe you should think about that.

(Though I still wouldn't want the killer to actually be Kaede, especially with the crime scene clearly showing that she couldn't have done it. I'm not actually that impressed by "Your PC is the Blackened" after we already did "Your PC is the Mastermind" one game ago.)

But no. You knew they were going to cop out. I knew they were going to cop out. Despite insisting repeatedly at the end that they are making an unsatisfying Danganronpa experience on purpose, they are still trying to do that as a satisfying Danganronpa experience so they wouldn't dare deprive us of such an important feature.

So how do they cop out? Is it because the killer themselves don't know they're the killer and thus can't claim the perk? Could it be that the killer wants to weaponize the Killing Game to kill us all, like Hina and Nagito have tried in the past?

Nope. The killer decides she wants to get caught and die so that Shuichi can develop and grow as a character. That's it. That's the reason.

This is how Kodaka, recognizing that what he's about to do is a pretty shitty thing to do to an audience that he's spent time getting hyped for this character, tries to grease the wheels. It's not technically a Fridging because she wanted to die! She chose to sacrifice herself on the altar of Shuichi's growth! She climbed into the refrigerator and slit her own throat! That was her choice! So you can't be mad about it! She had complete agency over the reduction of her character to a footnote in the real protagonist Shuichi's personal journey! I didn't do it! SHE did it!

Whether these are valid reasons that make it Okay, Actually or if they're just overcompensating paper-thin excuses to justify an incredibly mean-spirited prank, that's up to you. I think you know where I fall on that dichotomy.

What's especially weird about the First Blood Perk is that it makes sense in retrospect. Trying to cancel the Class Trial makes perfect sense as something Tsumugi might do to conceal her own involvement in Rantaro's death and role as the true culprit. But it was offered well before any plans for killing were ever even a teensy-tiny thought in the back of anyone's minds.

So either Tsumugi is secretly an omniscient 4-D chess predictive grandmaster who knows every single thought that will ever pass through the minds of every single person in every single second of every single day only pretending to be an incompetent hack, or this was pure serendipitous coincidence. Something that seems complex and compelling but is actually a hollow, vacuous shell devoid of any real meaning.

Which is true? Eh, whichever you want to be true. The game's actually proud of itself for never committing to its own story, so there is no actual truth behind anything that happens. Even the reality show stuff ends on "But what if THAT was another lie and the REAL REAL real plot has never been revealed!? I'M SO CLEVER."

"This seems meaningful but actually it doesn't really fit quite right and in fact it might just be clever-sounding nonsense the more I think about it" is basically V3 in a nutshell.

[ultfan]

@fragmentbound sent in:

"Do you really think such a trivial riddle could make Furudo Erika waver? The whole question of how or where you would plant bombs on an island is a total NON-ISSUE. The fact of the matter is, at no point in your story did you even specify having an adequate amount of explosives. Let me guess, the remainder are just fireworks, aren't they? A tactless bluff from someone far too stupid to see they've been dismantled by their betters."

                     no grand shock or meltdown that one might typically expect from a culprit being called out, unlike what you may see in a popular video game franchise. rather, komaeda's shoulders merely slump. well, it only made sense that would be figured out. it isn't as if he thought himself to be some conniving genius. he knew better than to believe he could come up with a plot that was anything more than mediocre. at least it had fooled his classmates well enough at the time.

                     ‶  i guess i shouldn't be surprised you figured that out so quickly. i wouldn't say that i'm some criminal mastermind. i just did what i could with the supplies i had at the time.  ″ what he pulled off was extremely elaborate, but komaeda wasn't the kind of person to give himself so much credit. but this girl is somewhat starting to prove her detective prowess. sure, anyone could figure out that part, but what about the rest of it?

                     ‶  still, my murder was pretty gruesome, wasn't it?  ″ really fucked up of him to be talking about his own death so light-heartedly. but he did get better, so...  ‶  i'd love to hear your theory on who did the deed, miss detective.  ″ he speaks condescendingly, knowing full-well that it's a gamble. he doesn't believe she would be able to miraculously pick out the culprit. she hadn't quite convinced him of her capabilities yet.

[review-anon]

I had a couple of alternative ideas for the SDRA2 rewrite:

I flip-flopped between retaining or switching the original victims and culprits of Chapter 1 (Yuri killing Hajime) and 2 (Kokoro killing Emma), only to settle on only switching the latter.

I once thought of Teruya being either a culprit or victim of the Chapter 4 murder, as a parallel to his original situation in DRA's Chapter 4.

Like the original part of Kanade's plan, I was considering having Iroha as one of the victims of Chapter 3, alongside Setsuka. The twins attempt but fail their synchronized stabbing on the two separate victims. Kanade ends up killing her victim first, and ends up being the one to get executed in the end.

This leads to an uphill battle for Hibiki, as she works to regain the trust of her new companions, once they learn about what she has done.

One of my alternate Chapter 5s (especially if you combine it with Teruya dying in Chapter 4) involves Syobai somehow tricking Mikado into killing Yuki, hereby making his Utsuro-based plans entirely meaningless.

//Ooo so what ifs? Let's see...

//Yuri turning the tables on Hajime is much less believable then Emma getting killed by Koroko. I also think to avoid the whole "only baddies do the crimes" don't have Koroko regress to her adult self but a fragment of it surfaces that makes her fight back but since teen Koroko is a much better person then adult Koroko, she doesn't understand why she did what she did and as such I could imagine her just confessing during the trail as the guilt ate away at her.

//If you recall me mummerings during The After's Chapter 2, I pegged this idea of Teruya killing Shinji, but thought it didn't make sense. The whole Tower of Babel needs to be reworked slightly since Teruya getting killed doesn't make sense for Nikei's overall plans, unless he learns that Teruya was the firewall stopping the Kisagari Foundation from coming in and so eliminated him as part of his plans to fuck Mikado over, but he kept his scheming in the background and with all the other Voids dead aside from himself and Mikado, the wizard was none the wiser.

//When I was discussing this rewrite with TA, she complained about the whole double murder still occurring even if it was done in a different chapter. I don't agree with her and Bubble's claims that double murders are a bad trope, its just people are lazy af with it. The first draft with Iroha and Shinji dying to mulitiple culprits and figuring out who died first is key would have been a good idea. But THIS would be even better as not only would we have a dead Iroha and Kanade getting fucked, but it means Hibiki will have something I wanted for a long time; someone who did a murder and since they weren't first they didn't get executed and have to live with the cast. I do imagine Iroha being revealed as a Void would dampen this because its not like Hibiki killed someone innocent; she killed one of the Masterminds of the Killing Game. Maybe not until Chapter 5 when that gets revealed so we have a entire chapter of Hibiki regaining trust with the others.

//And while I like the idea of Syobai cucking Mikado by making him kill Yuki, part of me likes the idea of Nikei being the one who cucks Mikado and has him kill Yuki and this is when Nikei gets exposed as a Void (I imagine like Iroha the player finds out either in Chapter 3 or 4 that Nikei is a Void but he's not revealed to the characters until Chapter 5) And then we get an epic moment of Nikei detailing that he was scheming to fuck Mikado over for a very long time and in a very "It was Agatha All Along" moment, Nikei would reveal various moments thorughout the game which he was behind, like Setsuka's actions, how the Chapter 4 murder occurred and this one. And while Nikei knows he's gonna be executed by the Kisagari Foundation, he doesn't care as long as he gets a W against Mikado, but of course since the Masterminds never play fair, Mikado reveals Alter Ego form and start messing things around leading to Chapter 6.

//Or Syobai backstabs Nikei at the last minute revealling himself to be a double agent, so Mikado tries to change the rules to get him executed but then the Kisagari Foundation tries to get in, CRASH and then Chapter 6 occurs.

//Either way all interesting ideas.

[bye-bye-firefly]

Hi!!! I’ve been in a total obsessing over Kaede mood lately and I would very much like to know what your thoughts are on her

god kaede is so good. the thing about kaede is that she would NEVER have gotten herself killed if it weren't for her ambition. the ambition she has is literally unmatched she has so much determination in her that if she didnt have it, she wouldnt have been a protag and she wouldnt have coached shuichi and she wouldnt have tried to kill the mastermind. one thing you have to know about her is that shes not the sweet mom friend and anyone who dumbs her down to Sweet Kindness knows NOTHING of the ruthlessness that is hidden in kaede. literally shes so awesome. she gives speeches to the group when she wants them to go through the death road of despair again. she is PUSHY. she is DEMANDING. shes not fucking clueless either she knows that these people are being pushed to their limit but SHE is not done so THEY are not done. i really think shes the type of person to see the people around her as extensions of herself, which i believe is further backed up by the passing of the torch from her to shuichi who when she meets him is NOT ready to be the protag at all but thats what the development is for. she rocks so fucking hard. AND THE GIRLS LOVE HER. kaede's biggest thing is charisma which i think makes sense considering what she does is Performance. shes a pianist and playing any instrument requires some level of performance as well as skill. but she is the person who gets shit done and if it werent for this, if it werent for the fact that she was so active, she probably wouldve lived. she wouldve never been framed because there wouldve been nothing to frame her for. it is for this reason i would classpect kaede as a knight. knight of WHAT? i dont know i lost it after i thought about it this isnt even in my notes, this is off the DOME

kaede is kind, though. like she really is undeniably kind but she CAN be ruthless. shes self-sacrificial. i dont think she took the risk of setting up a whole trap for the mastermind and DIDNT think that there was a chance she wouldve fucked it up. like you can tell this also because she just INSTANTLY accepts it. after going through the whole trial she passes the torch and encourages shuichi to persecute her and then she takes her punishment. straight up shes like I killed someone. I knew that this might happen. I took a risk and I'm going to take the consequences of this risk. and in this way she kind of brings the hope with her. kaede is hope in this game i think. right? her pushing and pushing and the way that kokichi is the one to speak out against her pushing during the death road of despair and hes seen as despair even though thats not exactly the truth and thats just what kokichi decides to put out to the group. kaede opposed by despair and this game also has the ideas of like hope HURTS people and she DOES hurt people by being so kind, by being so loveable, charismatic, pushing them and pushing them further and further only to . Fucking Kill Someone. kaede's death sets the tone for the whole game. you feel her haunting it. she gets mentioned again and again and you cant help but wonder with shuichi would things be different? if she were here? if she hadnt done what she did? and shuichi tosses the hope away at the end when he finds out that actually kaede didnt even kill anyone. the mastermind just framed her for it. he throws away what kaede represented because hes been shown that it doesnt matter if you choose hope or despair because either way, it doesnt matter. shuichi falls into nihilism, abandons the weight of kaedes death, and ultimately WINS without hope OR despair. kaede is instrumental to this game and i LOVE her. FOREVER