#but let's check up on rindo in the ug

[drizzileiscool]

hey guys did you know that the max number of tags a post can have is 30. totally not related to the tags I have explaining what would happen if a drizzile and rindo kanade fought to the death

I'm curious let's go

[greysfall]

My 4444-word review of NEO TWEWY (with personal illustration + heavy spoilers)

My overall critical score for the game is 7.5/10, while my personal enjoyment score is 8.5/10. This review is posted as I have 80% completed the game, got the secret ending and achieved the Angel psychic rank. I’ll first start with the main pros and cons as follows.

PROS:

-        Enjoyable as a whole, still upholding the first game’s spirit in world building and sharing the same backbone - which was mostly revealed in the Secret Reports, it’s impossible to grasp the story without reading them.

-        The new cast and new game is charming in their own way

-        The old cast’s return is one of the biggest highlights for sure, it was fun and impactful. Everyone stays true to themselves and also had their own stories wrapped up nicely.

-        Boss designs are cool, new pins are fun to use and collect

-        The connection between the old and new cast is well written and executed, including but are not limited to the tension between the old and new protagonist, the weird but fun interaction between the 2 Composers, the new friendships revealed and formed

-        Sho being in the main cast is something so uniquely TWEWY and uniquely Sho

-        Still good music

-        Still many fun side quests, some of them really uphold the same quirky spirit of the old game and some are surprisingly touching

-        Many new nice stores and yummy looking foods to explore

-        The map is really easy to memorize for me, it’s fun to travel around the “current” Shibuya to see all the differences compared to the past

-        The social network is crazy and interesting to read through

-        Has an anti-frustration system to help 100% complete the game more easily and earn money faster, so post-game is relatively managable.

-        Overall, I really feel the efforts the team poured into making this as their passion project, not just during the development process but for all the last 14 years. They showed the vision of what they wanted to make, at the same time giving something to both the old as well as new fans.

CONS:

-        The biggest problem with the game is scenario writing. The story is so heavily back-loaded. The director himself thought it would be better to balance out the tension flow by adding more at the beginning but gave in to the scenario writer in the end, probably due to time pressure. This results in an underwhelming execution of characterization and lots of wasted potentials for the first half of the game.  

-        I struggle to view it as a stand-alone game, since the backstory and the old cast both play such an important role in the core of the game. If someone plays this game without having played the OG, they can only enjoy it on surface value at best.

-        The new cast is nice but most of them aren’t quite as intriguing as the old cast, maybe it’s cuz they’re all too nice deep down that they lack a little bit of an edge, of that batshit craziness that everyone in the OG used to have? I think some characters (Fret, Nagi) ended up weaker in terms of characterization because the writer is too afraid of making them unlikeable – which kind of backlashed cuz they only became likable in the most expectable way to cater for a specific group of fans. I would have wished for the other team leaders to be more crazy too, had they not suffered 30+ loops of the Game…

-        The CAMERAWORK IS HELL.

-        Gameplay does get tedious at certain points with all the time travels.

-        Shiba is so badly written as a villain, some Shinjuku characters should be given more screentime cutting into Shiba’s– like Hishima or Kaie or even, Hazuki (though his limited presence also solidified his importance).

-        Some of the main character designs, for example Beat’s hairstyle and his food reactions are hilariously bad. What’s the point of covering up most of his unique facial features?

-        Some of the minor/side characters’ design are too cool for them to have such a small role (eg: Ayano, Eiru). Ryoji did get much screentime but is nowhere as fun as Makoto was.

-        Overall the scope of this game is made a little too big for the team to handle as perfectly as the last game that was very compact, it felt somewhat rushed in development too so the missing pieces are clearly there in the final picture

The entry fee versus paying for it all in the end

An important difference between the Neo game and the original Shibuya game was that the Shibuya rule asked for an entry fee that is the Player’s most important asset, stated as a chance the Composer gives them to reexamine themselves. Meanwhile, the Shinjuku rule neither encourages nor allows personal growth and ultimately aims to erase as many Players as possible. It’s a pity we were never introduced to the full Shinjuku rulebook, as it seems like the system there focuses more on building up power and a grand government to compare with the individuality-driven system of Shibuya.

When you have to compare the new game and the original game (OG), this is an important factor to consider. Also, the OG has a serious storyline running through and through, locked with a different partner/GM creating unique atmosphere for each week and you don’t get to see your old partners again until the end. NEO’s team system does not allow such deep insight and communication between the Players. All of your teammates are always there throughout, the dynamic does change with each new addition but it is not as prominent as a partner change.

Another important factor is how the OG was built from scratch for a new platform as “something no one has ever seen before”, while Neo recycled a lot of old unused ideas from the previous development (check out this interview for more details). The development team for NEO lacks 2 key members and had a change of writer so the final product is not as strongly bound together as the last game.

The new cast is definitely inspired by today’s teenagers (from the view of creators), compared to the old cast they’re more sociable and always seem to take whatever works for them despite feeling unstable inside. They are all innocent and genuinely nice kids, avoiding to hurt each other to a degree that they end up keeping some sort of distance. They’re also unable to communicate at deeper levels, always stagnant at this half-baked stage of equilibrium without any motivation to get to the core of things. That is the cost of entering the game without an entry fee, without even dying or having a reason to be there/to fight seriously. These kids were stolen from the RG into a Game that was decidedly the worst environment for them to change or develop, just wandering around cluelessly to find a way “out” until tragedies started to unfold one by one and they ended up being charged the total sum of the price for their actions – ultimately losing everything in the end.

That is, I believe, a story arc which can resonate more to the youth of today rather than of my generation. If the message of the old game was to “listen”, enjoy life to the fullest and accept to trust others, the message of the new game is to “speak up” from the inside, trying to understand yourself and take actions instead of just going with the flow and finally, to take responsibility for such actions.

If Neku was handpicked by the Composer for being the special one with an all-dense soul to ensure victory of the game then Rindo was just a normal kid chosen out of random by Kubo to be his back-up plan, who just happened to have a high enough imagination to awaken the incredible power from his pin. Rindo was then officially chosen by the Composer as Josh picked up and handed the pin to him again, this time not as Josh’s personal Proxy – but as the Proxy to represent the normal people of Shibuya and via whom he could gamble if humans can fight for their own fate.

The underworld heroine and the hero with little of his own

Shoka is for me a refreshing and layered heroine. She’s the kind of character that took at least 3 trials of creators to form as a complete individual – that included Nomura who gave her the base design and Reaper background, Gen who gave a more cunning touch and the writers who made her English dialogues more punchy. Dishonesty equals “tsundere” is such a cliché, so the English writers tried really hard to avoid that trope in my opinion, while still letting her good intention come through.

She serves as the character who is informed of everything the players should have known, and there was almost nothing she could do about it. Almost. Until she met Rindo.

They were drawn to each other by sharing a state of “not having anything of their own”. They both started out with not being able to truly know themselves, Shoka even hated her RG life but also managed to mature from that stage before Rindo. She must have vibed with Shiki’s love and passion in the Gatto Nero threads, initiating her connection with Shibuya and understanding herself more. With Shoka as Swallow, they were able to open up to each other and offer mental support… but was still not getting to the centre of their problems because for all this time, Shoka could not tell Rindo the most important things about herself.

How did Shoka feel when she met Rindo at the UG? She probably didn’t want to hope that he would live the day until she witnessed the Twisters’ potentials. From the very beginning, they were both incredibly conscious of each other and also constantly frustrated that the person they happened to “notice” was such a condescending bitch/a clueless loser. The Shinjuku Reapers are overall quite drunk in power and uncompassionate to Players, Shoka included. She is also a master of dissociation, which results in her constant boredom, tone swings, haughtiness and subconsciously distancing herself from the friend – the boy she cares about – from false hope, as she judged from facts that it was a hopeless situation where nothing could ever be. Maybe she is naturally a bit of a chameleon just like her name suggests (Shoka 紫陽花 = hydrangea, the color-changing flower), so putting on an act and always dissociating herself from what’s important was easy, while hiding her contradiction was impossible. It was the ex-Reaper Beat who broke it out to her, that she should decide whether she really cared and wanted to do something for a change. He knew how it felt like to cross that line, and knew she wanted to too.  

Shoka is endeared by many of the Shinjuku Reapers and has shown independent acts of kindness (the Shinjuku ghost), proving that her kind and truthful side is as real as her harsh and dishonest side – which makes her a nice mirror to the previous heroine Shiki, who also embraced a dichotomy of self-complex and self-love within her character. In the end, she was the first of the new cast to ultimately accept all that is important to her and independently made the decision to help save Shibuya despite all costs.

She was jealous at Rindo’s interaction with Tsugumi and Kanon but remained silent cuz she wasn’t at a place to have any say about it. She also didn’t reveal about Swallow because that would only add an awkward irrelevance to their current situation, as she was too ready to face erasure at the end of the Game. She only wished to “play a game” with him, be it FanGo or the Reapers’ Game. The tension that the team could only feel at the end, she’s felt it the entire time. The song “DIVIDE” is applicable to not just one bond in the game, but it always makes me think of theirs. There is always a “divide” between her and Rindo throughout the course of their journey, as the living and the dead, as a Player and Reaper, as someone who has a place to return to and someone who doesn’t, someone who knows little but wields too much power and someone who knows a lot despite not being able to do much.

“If only I had the chance to connect with you on the other side

But time goes on, and without us realizing it

The battle is getting heated

Time goes on, and without us realiazing it

Divided again”

To be honest, maybe I didn’t grow any affection for the new main cast from Rindo’s perspective but from Shoka’s. Since I started to sympathize with Shoka, I started to see the boy in a more “real” way. The real Rindo, behind his peaceful façade with others, would lash out on Shoka for her unfairly harsh attitude while none of the others cared. He could also subtly feel that mantle of unspoken secrets from her, her own contradictions, the unresolved chemistry between themselves – and not knowing what to do with it rather than to feel angry with all the unfairness he could not process. (As a Libra too, he’s triggered the most by unfairness!)

It is actually a positive development as he’s at least “reacting” to something strongly now rather than to keep evading his problems. During my replay, I clearly saw the difficult situation Shoka was in, her remaining harshness after the Motoi incident was due to her internal struggle with a mission to save her own life, versus a chance to really be with the team. Her decision was to do both at the risk of losing favour from both sides. Rindo started to accept her layer by layer, as the person who resonated the most to her contradicting nature from the start and knew that via learning her resolve, he has learnt his too.

Later into the game, she even got too much of his attention. Maybe even without knowing she’s Swallow, he’s familiar with her thinking direction and Swallow had always been closer to him than any other friend. It was only after she had to betray her important ones twice that she could start being truly honest. The scene when she died a 2nd time left a strong impression in me, the little reveal let Rindo know that he is also losing Swallow as he’s losing Shoka – and that only death could drive the last secret out of her. Her final “Later, loser” echoed through Rindo as it was the final truth, with only him remaining to hear it: they had actually, already lost everything.

Rindo was the boy who never dared to face all that matters to him until he lost it all, fighting an unfair battle in the faith that they would somehow still win. Shoka was the girl who always knew what was dear to her, but never dared to think she could be together with them ever after and still threw her all into a battle she knew was losing. I think they stir each other on naturally to fill out their gaps, similar to what the Shibuya game partner systerm would have aimed for. The end reward was a little divine intervention to help close up the divide between them once and for all.  

During the game there was not enough space to process anything personal so at the ending when they officially became “friends”, it was an important affirmation of their bond. Some people complained it was friendzoning but it’s not, they just have arrived at the perfect place to start something more. “From now on, we will truly be together” – I read it as that kind of message.  

The heroine from a lost battle, with her story taken away

After reading the secret reports and playing the game to be surprised of how small a role Tsugumi had in the main game despite being the “Hype-chan” thought to be a major character of the next TWEWY installment, many fans would feel sad at a missed opportunity to see the Shinjuku arc in full depiction.

It was shown clearly that, a Shinjuku arc was very carefully planned out and is a vital part of the whole story, yet it could not be made due to various circumstances behind the development scene. I would assume, that the team were not able to make a TWEWY game that ended on a despairing note, but it already happened in their mind, thus becoming a mental burden that forced them to break away from it and started the game anew with NEO. A significant part of NEO became the healing arc for the Shinjuku characters, especially for Tsugumi though I really wished more emphasis should have been placed on her rather than Shiba. We didn’t even get to see her brother – Shinjuku’s Conductor who had a vital role and instead was given the clueless Shiba, who had absolutely no idea what’s going on all the way until the last day in NEO. It’s as if Tsugumi has had her story stolen away from her, because her own battle ended with a saddening loss.

I think every time the game creators look at Tsugumi, they would feel that sadness too. Maybe to them, she is a bigger character than what is seen by the fans, as despite their failed effort to depict her story, she’s lived in their mind for all these years through periods of destruction, healing and rebuild.  Though it is a pity we could not get to experience the full scope of the Shinjuku story, the creators was clear about the place they wished for it to arrive at.    

Individuality, connection and the social network

The team system adapted from Shinjuku rulebook does not allow much room for personal development, as the team dynamic is closer to a work relationship forced to bear results, than a spiritual bond to max out all corners of understanding as found in the partnership system. The old Shibuya system allowed only 1 winner and 1 week limit per game, while the new rule declares for a 1 winning team and only the team at last place will be erased – the other teams will enter another loop. Furthermore, whichever team to challenge the unwinnable Ruinbringers will face the risk of ending up dead last followed by erasure. As a result, the longest-standing teams are most likely not the strongest ever recorded, but the ones who have figured out a strategy to simply survive until something changes, enjoying their newly found social constructs while they are at it. Basically, it is a system to hypnotise players into the illusion that they are still “living”.

Therefore, we as players would not get to the core of each Player individually as fast and directly as we did in the last game. The Twisters were able to stand out not because they’re powerful, they only started to have a real chance after growing enough to each form a meaningful and personal connection to another teammate. It did not come as a team, nor did it intiate from the existing friendship between Rindo and Fret. In fact, I did not find much solidity or anything truly note-worthy about the main team and new characters within themselves until they started clashing with other team members, Reapers and new recruits from week 2 onwards. Rindo found his personal development with Shoka (via a clash with Motoi and pretty much a mini dating sim between them), then via the confrontation of his role with Neku; Fret found his with Kanon then Nagi, the team learned about the real Neku via Beat, Neku entered the UG via Coco’s wish to save Tsugumi… it was not the team but their personal links that empowered them to fight and solve each of their problems.

The other team leaders may have failed because they did not form such personal links, after 30+ hopeless loops Fuya’s team all fell apart to pursue their own interest even at the cost of erasure, Motoi quit his KOL façade to work like a dog for the Reapers (probably to save just his own ass not his team), while Kanon dropped her tricks to find changes via honest cooperation in acceptance of a fair loss. The despairing note in that is huge without making much of a scene because their failure didn’t happen at their best effort to “win”, but in their last attempt to find a way “out”. Even Shiba got his way “out” in the end thanked to his personal friendship with Hishima and Tsugumi.

Something has shifted in the mindset of the game creators in the last 14 years, as both games are about “connection vs individuality” but the last game focuses more on connection between just individuals and this one on the overall network that is formed out of those individual connections.

The introduction of Beat into the main cast was truly the bridge between old and new, they helped each other out in several turns before officially recruiting him. Beat is a character whom a lot of fans including myself have felt somewhat concerned about after Neku disappeared from the RG, so when the new kids welcomed Beat with warm and organic interaction and Beat seemed happy, I started to feel like I wanted to help them out too! I think the overall team chemistry is enjoyable enough for new players, but I could warm up to the new kids more from the pov of a returning character – whom I’m glad to be Beat, as the older brother figure who is genuinely kind, fun, serious and upbeat at the same time; who is needed and needs the kids in return.

The social network is a fun and refreshing feature. You can read all of the crazy tidbits about Shibuya and the links each character have formed with the town people, it’s also fun to visualize how the characters act off screen. Characters’ profiles provide extra insight into their background too, like how it reveals Tsugumi has been friend with Coco during her time in the RG. During the game when not all characters have showed up, you can sometimes guess which empty spot will belong to whom. For example there is a 1 character linking to Neky that is not linked to anyone else, so I could guess that was Joshua, and that another character linking only to Joshua was probably Hazuki, hinting that the 2 Composers are related before either of them even showed up.

Hazuki only showed up for 5 minutes, but his presence is so vital and true to the game that I think he is the most memorable out of the new cast. The two Composers have such an intriguing bond, with their yin/yang or phoenix/dragon themes, opposite color design, the sempai/kouhai tone and the way they keep some sort of distance/work relationship as if it’s mandatory between Higher beings, yet at the same time they can talk so casually because they are truly equal – and different from one another. I have written a separate meta on them here.

Some people pointed out, that all Shinjuku characters’ names and themes are based off Hanafuda cards and the Phoenix in Hanafuda belongs to the Paulownia suit – which is Joshua’s name flower. This is so interesting because it feels like the creators somehow saw it as a sign to interweave the Shibuya and Shinjuku storylines together. Though it doesn’t come out much on the surface, it’s fascinating nonetheless considering both Josh and Haz had at some point interfered with the other town’s affairs.

“Shibuya tour with Haz” was such a special scene, as it happened between 2 characters who do not/no longer have a reason to care about Shibuya, on the subject of what is worth saving about Shibuya. Hazuki carried out the purification of Shinjuku and stepped in to restore Shibuya just as part of his job and unlike Hanekoma or Joshua who both possess profound understanding of humanity, he really didn’t know humans at all. Rindo’s irrational wish invoked in him a sense of curiosity, to try gambling on something irrationally and learning a bit of what his senior have experienced. With all the pieces put together, it provides an overview on Higher beings as a whole, and that Joshua and Hanekoma are really the odd ones out with Hazuki being somewhere in between them and the rest.        

The old friends

It’s easy to have returning characters overshadow the new cast as they have already matured out of their personal story arc and stayed in our hearts for all this time. In the end, I have managed to enjoy both the old and new cast separately and altogether, and they will both find their own place in our memory of this game for the long term.

Sho is truly as crazy as ever, the game wouldn’t be the same if Sho is any less of what he is. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like Neky or Beat is younger than Nagi at all, with moments when it seems like Neky has aged 14 years instead of 3 years. His friendship with Coco surprised me pleasantly, and their interaction together with Beat was fun to watch. Rhyme’s found a new dream and her friendship with Kaie is precious too, especially considering that she can still talk to him online after the game ended. Josh and Neku’s interaction suggested that they have resolved the past and are on equal terms now, they even parted ways in good spirit and I don’t feel any worry about them like I did before.

Neku and Shiki’s reunion scene was beautiful, theirs is such a special bond that it has grown and supported them even without being able to see each other. I am so happy to see them all again and that they stay true to who they are, albeit looking more grown up, cooler and happier than ever before.  

Overall, NEO can’t become a classic on par with the OG, but is definitely a good sequel and a good game in its own rights. I’m happy with whether or not there will be a 3rd game to complete the 3 monkeys theme, but if there will be – I hope the creators can really find the time to learn from the last 2 games and start over with a fresh mindset and strong core.  

[dragonseattofu]

NekuShiki question time! :)

Tell us about one of their vacations they went on together!

Any funny/silly headcanons you want to share?

Who would propose to the other and how?

Hey Anon, so let me start off with saying how completely honored I am to have someone interested in my headcanons. I was honestly so shocked and you literally made my day so thank you. Please see bottom for notes. Now to the ask,

Vacations

My idea for right after the first game, before A New Day and before NEO, is that the gang would all have a typical beach vacation. Some place local, since these kids are still teens, and they are all typically broke. Eri would be along for the ride too because Shiki wouldn’t travel without her best friend, and also because Eri would just invite herself. Even if Eri trusts and loves Rhyme, she definitely doesn’t trust the boys to be alone with her cute best friend on a weekend trip.

They take the train to the beach, and it’s time to get changed. Eri picked out a bathing suit for Shiki, that’s not exactly revealing but less conservative than Shiki would have liked.

“I can’t wear that! Is that the only one you brought me?” Shiki’s voice raised in a panic.

“Shiki, it’s really not that bad. It’s a tankini and it will look cute on you!”

Her insecurities were screaming at her. No way could she go out in public wearing that! The top is practically see through!

“Eri, this may look cute on other people, but not me. I-I can’t pull this look off, I’m not —”

“Are you girls okay in there?”

They both turned to the closed door. The changing room is open air, so even though Neku couldn’t see anything, he could hear everything.

“Shiki, I have an idea. Is there anyone else inside?”

“No, why?”

“Eri, come guard the door.”

“Neku, if you think I’m going to let you into the girls changing room —“

“I’ll keep my eyes closed, I just need to give Shiki something.”

“I could just —“

“Just come to the door, Eri. Shiki, put the swimsuit on, I’m not going to look.”

“But!”

“I’m tying something around my eyes, I’ll be quick.”

He heard some shuffling and the door opened. Eri guided Neku into the room, and once inside she shut the door. Shiki touched his elbow to let him know where she was, and he offered her the cloth he was holding.

“What are you?”

“Just turn around.”

She did as he asked, and he draped his short-sleeved cotton shirt over her shoulders, trying very hard not to touch her bare skin, even if he thought otherwise.

“My shirt’s long enough to cover pretty much all of you, and you can’t enjoy the beach if you’re feeling self conscious about your swimsuit. You’ll get there one day, even if that day may not be today.”

The UG gang knew how low Shiki’s self confidence was, and even though Eri was very attentive to Shiki’s needs, sometimes her methods of getting Shiki to own herself weren’t always the best. The seamstress was getting better every day, but when she is with her best friend, who looks great in a bikini, those feelings she once had still linger. Some things just take more time and Neku wanted Shiki to have fun today, without having to worry about what she looked like.

He couldn’t see the smile she was wearing, or the blush of her cheeks, but he heard her sigh of relief.

“Thanks Neku.” He stayed with her as she finished getting ready, which wasn’t very long, and sooner than later, Shiki took Neku’s hand to guide him back out of the room. When the coast was clear thanks to Eri’s watchful eye, the pair walked into the sunshine and only then could Neku see Shiki, who was in his shirt that was flowing around her loosely, buttoned only around her waist, her green two piece swimsuit still modestly visible.

Leave it to Shiki to find a way to make a simple shirt look fashionable.

And for Neku, who was a little awestruck, claiming the sun made his face flush, smirked to himself as Eri complimented Shiki on her new look. She looked perfect in his shirt.

Cute/Silly head cannons

Neku living with Shiki, and she’s so busy she doesn’t really cook for herself/eats unhealthy. He’s straight up appalled. So he teaches himself how to cook and essentially turns into a domestic househusband. Cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, feeding Mrs. Mew (her black cat that she adopted when Neku was in the UG) etc. When the kiddos (twisters) come over, Neku’s in the kitchen while Shiki entertains for a bit, brings them all tea wearing an adorable apron, and kisses her on the check before setting the serving plate down in the kitchen to come back and join everyone. I long for domestic fluff.

Proposal

I feel like Neku would totally try planning out this creative and artistic proposal, his kiddos would be dying to help him out. Shoka would go nuts making sure her mentor got the most gorgeous proposal setting, she would grumble as Fret tried to help out in an most exaggerated way, and Rindo would try to prevent Shoka from killing Fret who she finds is ruining his plan. Neku would just let them be as long and they weren’t doing anything dangerous, and he agreed that a girl who changed him for the better AND waited for his return after three years did deserve the best. When push comes to shove and it’s about to happen, the twisters and the original crew watching (and recording) them, Neku gets so nervous he ends up messing up, but Shiki totally understands what he’s saying and she pops the question. And it’s kind of like Amity and Luz from the Owl House.

Neku’s looking everywhere but at her, and Shiki can tell he’s so nervous that he’s starting to stutter. She finds it funny that this once emo teen turned into a suave young adult was now reduced to a bumbling mess. “What I’m trying to say is —”

“Will you marry me?” Shiki interjected, reading his mind. She’s so excited that she could burst.

He was relieved that it’s out in the open, but disappointed it was not he who popped the question he had prepared so long for. He’s pouting but also smiling as he whines, “Ah no, I was going to say it.”

Shiki giggles like a schoolkid as she waves her hand in the air to placate him, “okay, okay, go ahead.” In an attempt to take his pending question more seriously, Shiki bit her lips together, but couldn’t fight the corners of her mouth lifting upward in a goofy grin.

He bent his right knee onto the pavement, took her hands in his, looked her in the eye and breathed out, “Shiki Misaki, will you marry me?”

“Yes!”

He had 0.1 seconds to kiss her before he’s mauled to the ground by their friends. Eri and Shoka grabbed Shiki, screaming so loudly it drew the attention of commuters all around them. He has to calm them down so he can put the ring on his fiancee’s finger, a mere afterthought that after all the suffering everyone in the group has gone through, they all have something amazing to celebrate.

Note: I’m sorry this reply is so late, but I wanted to think about what to say and I ended up writing little ficlets for you, so I hope you can forgive me! And thank you again for prompting me, I find it hard to write sometimes and this really encouraged me to write more. If you, or anyone else likes these, please feel free to send me more prompts, I might even make a ficlet collection on Ao3 if anyone is interested!

[pmiller1]

Shoka, Where did you end up after the game?

Shoka: Well, I ended up a room around some apartment. There was some woman cooking dinner in kitchen, where picture of me with her, along with a adoption certificate on the wall. With my name, save for the surname witch where Sakuraba.

Neku: Yeah, didn't really expected you being adopted into my household didn't you?

Shoka: I didn't even expected being alive in the RG.

Neku: Well it sure surprised me, that you end being my adopted sister.

Shoka: Honestly Josh could had dump in the streets for all I care. I was so not paired to end up being alive.

Neku: Yeah, And my mom was really worry, she thought that you had the Syndrome when you was unfamiliar toward her.

Shoka: Sorry that I've scared her there. I was really confused and let be real, I wasn't fully a adjusted to RG, back then.

Neku: Yeah, me too, really.

Shoka: It was a month when I want outside and want around Shibuya. I was lucky that I ran into Rindo.

Neku: He really was worry for you, y'know.

Shoka: Yeah and he would had worry less if he check the friend request. Urg whatever, he not worry for me any more.

Neku: So, I never got to ask, how was my mother? Do you like her.

Shoka: Well, she a nice lady and she really love me like an daughter.

Shoka: Say, It just now cross my mind that we living with a single mother. Where your father?

Neku: Being a step dad to Eri.

Shoka: Woah. Seriously?

Neku: Yep. Find out about before I've end up in the UG again. Not even her and other knew about it.

Shoka: Small world.

Neku: That not all, turn our that Eri's mother is related to Minamimoto.

Shoka: Wow. That mess up.

Neku: Tell me about it.

Shoka: Still, Tabooty isn't that bad as you said.

Neku: Yeah and I think Sho was the adopted son of Ken Doi.

Shoka: Wow. Really Small world.

Neku: What about you?

Shoka: What about me?

Neku: What was your Parents like?

Shoka: Well... My Step-dad was Abused, Mom was Neglectful, didn't really feel like there care for me, I mean I was an accident, so there didn't paired for me.

Neku: I see...

Shoka: Really they could had put me up for adoption. Heck, I wish I can recall what my life was in this reality.

Shoka: But no, I has to pretend that I know your mother. It suck.

Neku: I know, I something wish I could had to memory of this reality.

Shoka: I know, you apparently been dating Shiki for the past there years now. How she holding up with that, by the way?

Neku: Well, I be lying to say that it okay. It not like me and her wouldn't be a couple, I was already thinking of asking her out date before. It just something I wish Josh just filled us in with changed in this reality, or even giving us some memories of there life before all that.

Shoka: True that.

Neku: Still what gonna do with your life.

Shoka: I don't know, I guess just life my life. Maybe drag Rindo for a date, be Shiki's model, played EleStra.

Neku: Sound like you know what you gonna do Shoka.

Shoka: Yeah, I guess I do.

[zettareaped]

Angst Starters || Not Accepting

@crownshattered​ asked: 

“  i don’t know how to talk about shit okay?  it’s too hard.  but i do care.  i need you to trust me that i care.  ” (s......shoka at beat.....)

     “Woah- woah, yo, Kitty Girl--!” The sudden outburst was unexpected, taking Beat by surprise. He hadn’t really expected her to just blow up when he’d checked on her, wanting to make sure that she was doing alright after what had happened. Then again, he doubted anyone would be alright after the things that they’d gone through in the UG. He knew that much first hand. 

     Though quickly enough, his big brother mode was activating and he was getting a bit serious as he was looking down at her, moving in to grab Shoka and pull her in for a hug. “Look now, I know I ain’t the best person wid words an’ all that crap, but I ain’t gonna let you jus’ go on and keep feelin’ like dis, ya hear?” he says, pulling back to give Shoka an understanding look, reaching out to ruffle the top of her hair from over her hood as she was standing there before him, looking like she was close to the edge of all her emotions. 

     “I know you care. You care so damn much, right? An’ dere ain’t nothin’ wrong wid that! When shit’s gettin’ rough, why don’t you lean on me a bit, yeah? I gotchu, and I know I ain’t the only one! There’s Rindo an’ Fret, even Pinny! We all here for chu, Kitty Girl.” 

[generatedreflection]

Obligatory "spoilers below" warning

Week 2 let's fuckin gooooo

*checks map* oh shit it's CAT street?? WHERE IS THE CAFE

there is no cafe :(

I really like that there are internet friendships in this game lol. This is starting to feel pretty significant

(game pls don't have like...a "irl friends are better than internet friends" message 😭 they both have their place)

As much as I love the "gen z let's roll with it" attitude I'm kinda glad the tension is getting Spicy

Oh so Shiba's the Conductor...hmmmm.

Oh Tsugumi is definitely Swallow.

Same brain Fret

YOU (@Coco)

At least her dialogue isn't painful as before. And she is extremely cute now

"Assuming he's the real Neku"??? What does that mean???

Look. If Neku is safe I ain't gonna complain tho lol

He shouldn't be as scary as that guy made him out to be...

YOOOOOOO HOLY SHIT

I SAW SOMEONE HAD THE THEORY THAT IT WAS BEAT HOLY SHIT WELL FUCKING DONE THAT PERSON

NICE NICE NICE NICE NICE NICE OGMANDHDHSJHDBFHXHSBHDDTDY

Oh I love this. I love this.

Ok so. That bit in the beginning about ppl getting trapped in the noise plane

As soon as I heard that, I thought maybe that happened to Neku bc of the way the hooded figure is all staticky in the intro--but then we saw him in the UG and I was like "nevermind"

But now that theory is back. Is Beat here for his bro?? Aaaaaaaaaa

This makes perfect sense bc Beat was his partner in New Day!! Beat is a good friend!!! Aaaaa?????

Like. This makes me happy for two reasons

1 is that I definitely can be sure that there is plenty unspoiled

Also I'm just gonna say now that I saw a theory that Swallow is Rhyme, and I couldn't get it out of my head. honestly if there is a character whose voice does match up, it's her (minus her proverbs, altho that would be a dead giveaway). This whole time I've kinda been imagining her in those conversations, even as I was like "nah they're not giving beat and rhyme a spotlight" and i would LOVE to be wrong

2 is that they are not ignoring the characters who aren't Neku. There was NOTHING that prepared me for this. I didn't initially think it was Neku but the internet had me FULLY convinced

What a fuckin intro, holy shit

Also Beat sounds older and I have emotions about that too

But maybe...Swallow...has to do with the birds??

My first thought was that they were like...Josh and Hanekoma lmao

But if Beat, Rindo, and Minamimoto are the only ones who can see them, maybe they do have something to do with Josh? Since they're the only ones who've come in contact with him???

Lmao I have no idea what's what

Ok one more note before the end of day 2

But i'm pretty sure Computer Kid is Swallow

And Computer Kid could be Rhyme

That's my working theory now

[empathic-seer]

Sheridan felt a rush of anxiety as Neku stared at her, cheeks quickly darkening as her eyes swiftly flickered away in shyness. Most thought she was outgoing and an extrovert, but really it was just her constantly acting like she wasn't scared when socially interacting with others. It was easy when people talked about themselves, they often took the chance to vent and all she had to do was listen and empathize but being on equal ground with another person before she could redirect to him made her feel vulnerable.

Her eyes rushed back to his as she fought the urge to bite her nails, grip on her other arm tightening behind her back as she hummed in question. The apprehension filling her from him made her swallow. Her face seemed to freeze as she forgot to breathe a moment at the question. She looked around, already trembling a little in fear and dread. She'd hidden it so well for so long. No-one to her knowledge knew that she could see the UG in the RG. It was her turn to stare, it seemed. Would it hurt him to know? To have it brought up again? Was it safe to say it aloud? She never had before.

Her eyes moved to WildKat in longing. She'd never missed the protection the cafe offered more than now. She abruptly realized her eyes were burning and coughed as she tried to get ahold of herself.

"I-I-aha. I d-don't know if I'm allowed to say but- let's move over here. Away from people."

She walked a few steps to lean against WildKat, perhaps in some vague hope the building itself was blessed, but no such luck. She felt nothing but Neku's suspicion and her own dread and fear. She reluctantly looked at him and tried desperately to keep her anxiety in check. She took a deep breath and smiled weakly, voice quiet but audible.

"I've never told anyone before but...I can see the UG. Ever since I was born. Been helping out Players in whatever little ways I can for years, occasionally talking to support Reapers."

It was…surreal to hear the words. She met his eyes briefly to show she was truthful and examined his expression before looking to the floor again.

"I saw you. Saw how you fought for our home and how you changed." Her smile grew bemused for a moment. "...I can also feel others emotions as my own. So I was kinda scared to approach you at first and I couldn't find any Partners given how quickly the Noise had attacked. Luckily your first partner stepped in. I thought you were back safe in the RG with the others after the Long Game so when I suddenly saw you and Beat with Rindo and the others… it scared and reassured me all at once. When the Game changed it didn't matter how much I tried to help. Everyone was eventually erased and helping one team over another meant I was helping another be erased…it was awful. To say the least."

She shook off her darker thoughts, grounding herself through focusing more on Neku's emotions and clutching her necklace as she met his eyes.

"But that's why I kind of freaked out when I saw you. Things have still felt off for me. The UG isn't active and it's got me on edge things will be...bad, again. The first way the Game was run was flawed but at least I understood it. Entry Fees to raise stakes and facilitate change. Partnerships to help show we need relationships. The Erasure was the one thing I hated and still don't understand but at least every Player had a fighting chance. When it changed? There was no fairness in it. I thought there was at first but quickly learned after a few Games there were no other teams winning. I… hope this is enough to make you understand. I didn't eavesdrop if I could help it and I certainly didn't follow you or the others or anything like that, but given I live here it was natural I'd run into you guys. When I saw Beat join again was when I started to pay more attention, since something was obviously up, even more than I realized. I'm always drawn to those involved in the Game subconsciously. Players, and Reapers are always quieter and more peaceful emotion wise compared to the loudness of Shibuya. I...know this is likely a lot to take in. Please, forgive my rambling. I've never told anyone before like I said so this is…it's kind of a lot."

She caught her breath and looked away in shyness, praying she'd done the right thing by being honest and finally confiding in someone about her sight and empathy. Despite never talking with him before, she had to admit she wanted to trust him. She could only hope he felt the same.

                                    He ought to stop coming back here. He knew he wasn’t coming back. Hell, it seemed like most of Shibuya had forgotten about him entirely. He’d learned to like the changes in the city, but this was just too much. It was already hard enough catching up with all that he’d missed these past few years, but with Hanekoma being gone, too, Shibuya felt wrong. It wasn’t supposed to feel wrong- not anymore! He’d gone through all of that, fought to save the city all over again, and it still didn’t feel right.

Neku didn’t register the other person in front of him until they made physical contact, blinking in confusion as if he were surprised they didn’t simply phase right through him. Right. He was alive again. He had to start being a little more mindful of his own surroundings.

He opened his mouth to mutter a quick apology as he grabbed his phone from his pocket, but was immediately cut off by an onslaught of words, all too fast for him to process let alone respond to. Something about her dad and Final Fantasy?... Oh. Probably because of his text tone.

“Uh-” Before he could get a full word out she was speaking again, introducing herself in a way that felt... off. It was as if she already knew who he was, despite Neku being sure he’d never seen her before. But she had clearly seen him. Why else would it be a pleasure to meet him? She knew about him.

He frowned to himself, brows furrowing in a confused frustration as he slipped his phone back into his pocket, unchecked. Whoever it was, they could wait a few minutes as he figured this out. Who was this girl? Well, he supposed he knew that much. She’d just introduced herself, after all. Maybe a better question was what was she? She wasn’t a Reaper. She was in the RG, which meant she wasn’t a Player, nor did her vibe feel like that of an ex-Player’s.

Shit, okay, he was just staring at her at this point. Say something, Sakuraba.

“Sorry, hold on- back up a second.” He was just gonna ask. “Do you know me?” She seemed nice enough, but he really didn’t like when people knew him. He especially didn’t like it when people knew him for his exploits in the UG, and call it a hunch, but he had a feeling that that’s exactly what this was about.