#harmony analysis

[rosetinted-escape]

Unnatural Selection-Muse; Harmonic Analysis

This is essentially just going to be a music theory word vomit BUT hopefully it makes sense. I'm gonna put it under the cut bc it's probably gonna be quite long.

I'm so sorry guys, this is pretty terminology heavy. I hope it all makes sense, but if anything doesn't, please let me know and I'll do my best to explain!

A few notes: -I use roman numerals to indicate chord positions in relation to the key. Capitals are used for major chords, lower case for minor chords and (not relevant here) lower case italics for diminished chords. -A perfect cadence is literally just V-I or V-i in any key. It's a pretty key component in classical music and Matt Bellamy uses them frequently in his writing. There are other types of cadence as well, but they're not relevant here (feel free to ask if you're curious though! I'm more than happy to explain). -A crotchet is a quarter note and a quaver is an eighth note. I'm British and that's what we call them here idk what to say. -I've made comparisons to what is generally done in Western Classical Tradition because I know that Matt Bellamy takes a fair amount of inspiration from classical music, and the harmony he uses is often what would be considered 'functional' in the WCT.

Intro:

-Begins with strongly implied E minor key. -Approximately 125-130bpm -Em |Am |D7 |G |C A/C# |D B/D# |Em C D |G | This is a really nice little chord sequence. It starts with a diatonic circle of fifths until we get to the C major chord in bar 5, and then we start moving up a chromatic bassline. The chromaticism is highlighted by putting the non-diatonic notes in the bass (in this case, the A# of the A major chord and the D# of the B major chord). This builds to an E minor chord, which is immediately followed by a IV-V-I perfect cadence in G major, which solidifies the key. G major is the relative major of E minor, where we started. This is a typically classical place to modulate to.

Verse:

-Begins in Gm. No prepared modulation, just moves straight from G major to G minor. Perhaps surprisingly, this is a reasonably common occurrence in classical music; for the intro to be in the tonic major/minor of the main key. An example of this can be seen in Haydn's symphony 104, where the intro is in Dm and the main symphony/first movement is in D major. -Gm |D7 :| x4 The verse chords are the tonic (first) and dominant (fifth) chords repeated 4 times. This creates a cycle of perfect cadences, as well as a perfect cadence going into the pre-chorus. However, the movement in the bassline guides the listener to only really hear the finality of the cadence every 4 bars rather than every 2 bars. -Tempo change! We've moved from 125-130bpm in the intro to around 160bpm. This is the tempo for the rest of the song aside from the bridge.

Pre-Chorus:

-Aforementioned perfect cadence from the end of the verse into the start of the pre-chorus. -Gm |Bb |Cm |F |Bb |Gm |Dsus4 |D7 |Gm |D7 | Here, the chord sequence kind of flirts with the relative major key of Gm, which is Bb major. This can be seen from bars 3-5, where we have what could be read as a ii-V-I perfect cadence in Bb major. However, we are immediately dragged back into Gm, with a build up to the chorus, and some nice tension created with the Dsus4 chord. We finish on a D7, which can then act as a perfect cadence into the chorus.

Chorus:

-Perfect cadence from end of pre-chorus into the chorus places us in G minor. -Gm |Cm |F7 |Bb |Eb C/E |F D/F# |Gm Eb F |Bb | Lots going on here! If it looks similar that's because it is! It has the exact same harmonic function as the intro, just in a different key. At the start of the chorus we are solidly in Gm, with the same diatonic circle of fifths, followed by the same chromatic rising bass and then the same IV-V-I perfect cadence in the relative major, Bb. This means by the end of the chorus we are in Bb, which is a pretty classical standard classical place to modulate. However we do move pretty much immediately to Gm as we move into the next verse/bridge. -A thing I think is interesting to note is that the diatonic circle of fifths takes the 'dark' direction a circle of fifths can take (essentially towards flat keys/chords). I think this really fits the vibe of the song and also provides a nice contrast against the rising chromatic bass in the following bars.

Bridge:

-Metric modulation! We have changed from 4/4 to 6/8 or 12/8 (depending on how you want to divide it). We have also changed tempo, to approximately 37 DOTTED crotchet beats per minute. We use a dotted crotchet here because we're in compound time rather than simple time (4/4 is simple time, which is why we used undotted crotchet bpm there). Creates a very different vibe to both the intro and the rest of the song. This is not something that is particularly common in Muse songs (or most songs tbh). -Gm Dm |Eb Cm |Bb Bbm |D D7 :| x6 Here we are pretty solidly in Gm throughout. There are D/D7 chords at the end of the sequence which repeats back to create perfect cadences with the Gm at the start of the sequence. The Bb to Bbm creates some nice contrast to what is otherwise a very diatonically Gm (harmonic scale) chord sequence, as the Db in a Bbm chord is not diatonic to the key of Gm. I do think having the III become minor is a very interesting decision and not one I've seen before.

[lampochkaart]

I have been thinking about one interesting thing lately.

I noticed it first during my secong DRV3 walkthrough, but with each rewatching I noticed it more and more.

Tsumugi throws shade at Kokichi SO often, it's insane. Almost from the very beginning of the game, she makes comments about how suspicious Ouma is, or how scary and dangerous he is. She jumps at pretty much every opportunity to point fingers at him and say how bad he is. Now, I wouldn't pay any attention to this if Tsumugi was an ordinary girl. It's much harder to find those who like Kokichi than those who dislike him. But the thing is... Tsumugi is not an ordinary student. She's a mastermind. She is not wary of Kokichi because she believes that he is a potential threat. She deliberately turns the group against him. She knows exactly what she's doing. Every time there is an opportunity to throw shade in his direction, Tsumugi is using it. And in cases where she is not the initiator of the idea, she is one of the first people to agree.

This is a very interesting detail that I have been thinking about for several months now. The more closely you look, the more you notice how often this happens.

I also have been thinking about how Shirogane is literally a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and Ouma, on the contrary, is a sheep in wolf’s clothing. Tsumugi looks and acts like a sheep: nervous, weak, defenseless. But at her core, she is a blood-hungry, ruthless wolf. At the same time, Ouma goes out of his way to be perceived as a wolf. He puts in a lot of effort to be considered scary, dangerous and evil. But in reality, he is just a sheep.

Admittedly, a very weird seep, that was even biting other sheep in order to convince everyone that he was a dangerous predator. But the only thing he has from a wolf is it's hide. Wearing it, however, is risky, because hunters can actually mistake the wearer of this skin for a wolf. Then there just will be one less sheep, and the wolf will remain unnoticed among the herd...

Version with a black sheep Ouma

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

Shuichi, Himiko, Keebo, and Maki represent our fave characters in general. They’ve been made aware of their existence as characters and are horrified by the way they are being written.

Tsumugi represents companies that continue to milk franchises dry because the public keeps consuming the content. They don’t care about the significance of the story, they care about what sells. So, they keep coming up with all these ridiculous storylines to keep the show going, even though it’s at the expense of the characters we love.

The DRV3 in-game fanbase is the other main villain since they’ve lost appreciation of the story. All they want is more blood and lewdness, they don’t care about the characters and their journey. The thing is, the loss in appreciation happened because the company (aka Tsumugi aka Team Danganronpa) keeps churning out content for people to consume.

So it becomes a vicious cycle of the company not understanding the significance of the story they’re telling, which makes the audience care less and less about what they’re consuming. Tsumugi LITERALLY takes the form of previous Danganronpa characters just so the audience can go, “OMG, it’s my fave character from the other game!” There’s no other reason why Makoto and Kyoko show up, they’re just there for us to cheer as cameo characters.

And how do the villains justify their treatment of the heroes? They tell them that it’s all fiction, so it doesn’t matter what they do to them. Who cares if we kill off all your favorite characters, it’s just fiction bro. You’re just there for people’s entertainment, so do what the audience wants. Say the line everyone likes, or make their favorite ship canon. It doesn’t matter how much we torture you (read: “butcher your story” / “assassinate your character”), we can do whatever we want to you since it’s all fiction anyways.

And how do our heroes fight back? They tell Tsumugi and the audience that their lives matter and that fiction can change the world. That we need to remember that the media we consume has meaning and that we shouldn’t treat it like disposable material. It doesn’t matter if they’re fictional, they matter to someone out there.

/

/

Perhaps I’ve been too harsh on V3. People were so up in arms about the game supposedly dissing the fanbase when the ending was warning us about the dangers of companies destroying their own IPs by not letting them rest, as well as toxic fanbases losing appreciation of the series they’re a fan of. And they did it by having the characters themselves speak about how their lives are being ruined by the people writing/influencing their stories.

This is straight up something Black Mirror would make. In fact, they kinda did with Bandersnatch.

Okay, it’s official. V3 is my favorite Danganronpa. It’s got a lot of flaws, but I give it props for the vision.

[rosesofenvy]

How Far We’ve Come - Music Theory Analysis

[Disclaimer: I went to university for music as a violin primary and have the most confidence with classical strings. I passed my piano proficiency courses, but that is the extent of my piano knowledge. It has been a few years since I have done an in-depth composition analysis of any piece, let alone transcribing a piece by ear and then analyzing it. Music theory has never been my strong suit! Please excuse any mistakes in notation, and any inaccuracies in my transcription or analysis. I did my best and this was purely for fun *shaky thumbs up*]

----------------------

'How Far We’ve Come' by Harlan Guthrie is a duet between Grand Piano and Cello. This piece opens with solo piano, either in a pickup measure or in a single measure of 2/4 before transitioning to 4/4 time in measure 2. Throughout its entirety there are many moments of rubato which have been notated as ritardando and a subsequent a tempo. To most accurately follow the phrasing, listening to the recording is highly recommended.

This piece begins in the key of F#M or the enharmonic spelling of GbM. Although unpleasant to look at with either 6 sharps or 6 flats, depending on which spelling is followed, this key is often used by composers to invoke emotions of a conquest story, evoking relief, triumph, victory, and clarity. As we know from our story in Malevolent so far, this meaning is not lost on us. I have chosen to keep this piece as F#M since that is how I originally began transcribing it. I have also attached the GbM version at the end of the post, however all the analysis follows F#M spelling.

The lone piano begins on the third of our I chord with a hesitant, heavily rubato 8th note pickup into measure 1. The transition from measure to measure in this first phrase gains little confidence, especially with the transition from the pickup into m. 1 as this is the only instance in the piece where the set of 8th notes in the left hand do not lend itself into the next right hand pickup (four 8th notes instead of five). Each lead-in to the downbeat is stretched, pedal held throughout the measure to allow the sound to linger. Each press of the keys is deliberate, yet maintains a mezzo dynamic as the sound fades. m.2 is introduced with a vi chord, creating a hint of unease before resolving in m.3 to a IV(add7). We end our first phrase with a half cadence to a V chord, leading into a V7 as our next phrase begins with a B. 

As we enter our second phrase it is similar to our first with  m.5 beginning with a I chord, m.6 expands our vi chord compared to its first iteration, resulting in a more confident feel as we continue into m.7 with yet another expansion to our IV(add7). M.8 ends this phrase as we reach another half cadence V chord almost V7. 

Beginning m.9 the piece has a few possible paths of analysis, we arrive on a vi chord if we are remaining in F#M, which unlike our other initial starting phrases this throws us into a melancholic mood. There is a possibility of modulation to the relative minor (D#m), however I believe it remains in F#M and utilizes inversions of our chords and will continue with this assumption for the next phrase.

Remaining in F#M, m.10 could be a vi(4/2) inversion, or a I(6/4) inversion. Because Measure 11 moves to a ii chord, I believe it makes more harmonic sense for m.10 to be a vi(4/2) inversion as moving from a I(6/4) - ii is less common than a vi(6/4) to a ii. 

M.11 into m.12 is a fascinating progression. We have a V with the (g) in m.11, then we are descending to a Dnat, A#, E# progression. The Dnat is what has thrown me off the most, as it is a minor chord of sorts but doesn’t exist within our key of F#M, or relative D#m. The E# A# progression I believe is a I(4/2) chord, as it is leading us back into the next phrase. Even spelling enharmonically as a A#, Cx, E# chord it does not naturally occur within our existing key. After many hours of checking theory textbooks, writing out possible modulations, and playthroughs of the chords, I’m choosing to leave this as a V-I(4/2) progression and accepting my loss that I do not know what chord exists in the downbeat of m.12. However, I can say that resolving to something that is not a root tonic further creates this sense of melancholy.

Bringing us to our next phrase at m.13, similar to our previous phrase a vi chord but instead of resolving to an A# it resolves to the root D#. M.14 is identical to m.10 with the exception of the lower octave A#3 before resolving in m.15 to a ii chord until the fourth beat of the measure which leads us into measure 16 - resolving to a IV-V half cadence by the end of the measure. 

Reaching m.18 we are returning to our original phrase. This is where our cello enters for the duet, in which I have some observations about musicality first. As the piano is using a significant amount of pedal to sustain the sound, the cello utilizes a wide vibrato to create a warm sound. Notably, this doesn’t occur as significantly when entering with the lower notes. The cello is confident, encouraging the piano forward and maintaining a solid momentum even with the hesitance the piano has shown. 

M.18 we begin on a I chord, supported by the cello playing a low F# as the root. In the pause between phrases, it's as if you can feel the performers breathing together before they move to m.19, our vi(add7) chord. 

Measure 20 I have quite a bit to talk about. Stacked chord analysis is not my forte (pun intended). From what I could hear, there is a B1, F#2, B2, F#3 in the cello, while the piano continues with a IV(add7) chord. B1 is impossible to play on a cello with traditional tuning, in order to achieve this note they would have to tune their lowest string - their C string - down a half step. The chord B1/F#2/B2/F#3 is also impossible to play on a single instrument. If one cello tuned their C down to a B, then they could feasibly play the bottom chord, possibly the two B’s in octaves. It is possible for a cellist to play an F#/B/F# chord, however it would be uncomfortable and not result in a good tonality with it being a triple stop - but, the second cello could split the chord and play a different combination (F#2,B2 or B2,F#) with success. Other solutions to this could be having a double bass play the pedal B, as it would be within their ability on and remain in the correct octave, or having the piano cover the pedal B. This massive chord then resolves simply to a half cadence V chord in measure 21. 

Entering our last section, m.22, we return to a phrase similar to the beginning, with a confident I chord. With each measure we go to a more traditional chord progression to a V-IV-V in measures 23, 24, and 25 respectively. In an exciting turn of events, we land on a I chord in our final measure. The first PAC in the entire piece, and yet, it doesn’t sound as if the piece is finished. Throughout its entirety, all the phrases have been a form of inauthentic cadence. We end on a Perfect Authentic Cadence, a V-I, it should sound resolved. And yet, it continues on. The notes ring, and if left on repeat (as I have done for this analysis), it makes sense for it to continue. 

In conclusion, I believe this duet is in an general AABBAA format, with A being Major key tonality and B encompassing a minor key tonality. This piece is a conversation, it’s full of emotion and hesitance and is a fantastic representation of everything we’ve seen Arthur and John go through so far in the podcast. I can’t help but think of “I’ve come so far…and I have miles to go before I sleep” with this piece as a reflection of that. This composition is saying “Look, see how far we’ve come, what we’ve done to get here. How we’ve changed and grown.” All this to say, it’s an amazing story and an amazing composition. If you made it this far, I’m glad you came along in this musical journey with me and feel free to add anything I may have missed (or possibly mistaken). 

[shyshyaaaaaa]

Okok, another random blurb, but UGH i keep listening to Making a Home and by GOD is it a good song and represents act 1 perfectly.

For a song I basically slept through on my first watch, I just keep noticing how good and important it is with each watch. Starting with just Trina, Mendel and Jason and eventually adding Whizzer to the mix is in itself a good representation of Whizzers role in the family. His role in the song, with echoing the others lines and not even being apart of the setting, it just really says something about how important and needed Whizzer is at that moment in their lives. And with the fact that one of the only times he says something with another character is when him and Jason say the line “hating our lives” really says something about their bond, cuz it is way stronger than most give it credit for. I mean, Jason is the whole reason Whizzer came back into their lives in the first place!

But there’s another thing in this song that I also think needs to be discussed. In a way, this song kinda reveals that perhaps Mendel is like Marvin in a lot of ways. Perhaps not the gay affair part, but he’s certainly just as ignorant.

“She becomes a happy wife” (Mendel)

“He decides the role to assume” (Trina)

That line is mostly played off for jokes, but it does say something. Perhaps he isn’t as awful or negligent, but it seems Mendel is taking a bit too much pride in the fact he married his clients ex wife (see Tight Knit Family Reprise) to have sense to care about how Trina feels in this sudden new arrangement with a man who though she certainly likes, hasn’t known for too long.

“Loving our—“ (Mendel)

“Liking our—“ (Trina)

“Hating our—“ (Jason and Whizzer)

“Lives.” (All)

Again, another example of Mendel perhaps enjoying his new marriage too much and taking pride in it. He looks off into the distance when he says his line, ignoring Trina and how she says she only “likes” her life at the moment. Again, Mendel isn’t as awful as Marvin, but it can’t be said for certain that in this moment with Mendel, though she loves him, she feels a bit abandoned by this “happy man” who currently “rules her life”, in a way.

But, that’s honestly just me reading into this too much. Still love him, but we gotta admit that Mendel is kinda an asshole. But, he never hits his ex wife, so we’ll take what we can get!

Ok, that went on for too long. If I got anything wrong or misinterpreted anything uhhh make your own post or something. I’m js having fun 🤷‍♀️

[shadebloopnik]

This is gonna sound SOOO off or smthn but

Was the Perfect Family Harmony planned to be a weapon against the Bergens?

Long post ahead bc brain is rotting

Ok so as we know, the Perfect Family Harmony is smthn that's so powerful that its capable of shattering diamonds. Not just that but its one of the only thing capable of doing so(according to Floyd it was the only thing but giving the benefit of the doubt)

So we know its strong, and we saw it blasting off Velvet and Veneer off their platforms when they performed it, and they weren't even the targets, they were blasted away by just the shockwave that came with using it.

"Its that powerful."

Ok, so its definitely powerful enough to be used as a weapon right? Yeah it was relatively safe enough to use in front of a crowd, else they wouldn't have tried to do it during a concert, but that could just be when those harmonizing aren't targeting anything.

If it could shatter diamonds, how easily could it break cages? What would it do if it was used to target a Bergen? A whole Kingdom of Bergens?

Lets also go back to that concert, to that time John was obsessed with them getting it right. They were in the Troll tree, in Bergentown, a place where any of them could die during Trollstice. The Bergens were a huge threat, something that trolls, at their size, couldn't fight back against normally so they had to run instead right?

But what if they COULD fight back? What if they had a weapon so powerful that it might finally be able to free them? To defeat the monsters that tortured their kind for centuries?

What if John Dory found a way to help make sure nothing would threaten his brothers' safety ever again?

Like, it'd make John Dory's obsession make SOOO MUCH MORE SENSE

Like yea he clearly has OCD and anxiety and some bossiness and that definitely added to it all, but imagine if it was more than that?

Look at him during that performance. He was in deep. He had a wild look in his eyes, a sort of deranged obsession to have everything be perfect no matter what. It wasn't healthy, it was scary, maybe even downright terrifying for his brothers who had to be subjected to it.

But you know what else he looked like?

Terrified

Man was scared out of his mind. His anxiety and stress levels were through the roof. He probably was one wrong tune away from hyperventilating.

What if it was bc it was so much more than the fans? What if he put the salvation of the entire troll-kind on his shoulders?

One wrong step meant they were nothing.

One wrong step meant disappointing the fans.

One wrong step meant letting down the kingdom.

One wrong step meant another troll getting eaten.

Thats why when they failed, John blew up. He took all of that self-hatred of failing to use that weapon to defeat the bergens and poured it all onto his brothers.

"I know we can reach the Perfect Family Harmony."

"What if we don't want to."

John Dory, blind to how and WHY his brothers didn't want to follow his lead, felt betrayed.

To him, all he's ever done was to ensure their safety, everything was for the greater good. He'd done everything he could, his goals slowly twisting him into a crazed obsession. To hear his brothers say they didn't want to help anymore might've struck a cord too much. If you'd noticed he actually looked really sad and hurt when they started bringing up how much they hated being in the band, but it slowly twisted to anger instead. Kind of in a like, "I tried doing everything for these shts and THIS is how they repay me???" way. He was so stressed and stuck in his own head with his failures that he just couldn't see what his brothers were trying to say.

So in a fit of impulsive rage, he left. To him it probably was like that rlly childish way of saying "Yea im leaving, good luck dealing with the Bergens while im goneee." You know? Like how kids runaway from home when they get angry or upset over every little thing but come back when they realize how stupid that was?

"Im not allowed to change."

And he DID come back. Who knows how long, but he did. Imagine how he must've felt seeing their empty pod in an empty tree, with the knowledge that he could've done something about it. The Perfect Family Harmony could've saved them. They could've used it to break the cage, to fight the Bergens. Hell, it could've been powerful enough to wipe out all the Bergens if they do so wished.

"Im the oldest, I have to be the leader."

He and his brothers were the only ones who'd ever gotten close to getting it right.

"Why do you think I moved into the middle of nowhere? So I didn't have to be in charge of anyone."

The village was counting on them. Counting on him. He let them down. He failed.

"Freeing the village Four little brothers is a lot of responsibility."

They could've gotten it. If only John did it right. If only John did it differently.

If only John Dory was Perfect

[sunandmoonseisai]

When it comes to broppy relationship in the movies, I think trolls world tour is the weakest in that department.

First movie broppy has this sort of implied history. Poppy has apparently tried to befriend branch for a long time, and even after everyone has given up on him, poppy still treat him warmly. And we know that despite his rude and cruel behavior, branch did apreciate it deep down. It's easy to imagine that they got to know each other a little bit and one of the reason why poppy is still trying to be his friend is because branch showed her a part of himself that he hide to everyone else. What poppy say in the last movie, "I've been by your side from the moment we meet. And you've been by mine! " seems to confirm this. Even if you ignore this headcanons, their contracting personalities and the way they bounce off each other, coupled with the progressing tenderness of their relationship make for a really cute and compelling dynamic.

Then the second movie roll around, branch's feelings are comfirmed but there's something wrong. Here's the thing. The progression of their relationship is entirely on branch's side. We never get a hint of what poppy think of branch. It's all about branch and her feelings for her. I know poppy is supposed to be very self-absorbed and it's something she has to learn from but her feelings for branch just seems kind of hollow when she only acknowledge him to dismiss his worries and criticize him. She just has this realization after their fight that doesn't feel earned at all. Poppy reciprocating branch's feelings *doesn't feel earned at all *.

But then, trolls holiday in harmony came out, and this year, trolls band together. We get to see how our trolls behave as a couple.

And it's so

Fucking

Cute

They bounce off each other like before but in a much more softer way. Branch gently calm down poppy when she's over ecstatic. Branch's realism balance out poppy's optimism. Even with poppy's mind going all over the place, she pay attention to branch and you have the feeling that she's helping him through trauma and gaining self esteem. Poppy prioritize branch feelings and branch adore poppy for her energy and infectious happiness. It feels like a natural progression of their first movie self, with a much softer branch.

Speaking of branch, I think that's the reason why their dynamic in the second movie was so off. Branch wasn't the sarcastic grump anymore and the writers struggled to find their dynamic. Well, I think they nailed it now. He isn't the grump to her sunshine anymore, he's the calm romantic to her hyperactive affection.

[mximitator]

girl help I can't stop being addicted to rarepairs </3

also, here's the height chart I used for reference, according to like three Google searches.

I forgot Gonta was a tall fella.

[joneleslament]

So I've noticed that people seem to really misunderstand Maki's dynamic with Kokichi and Korekiyo(separately)...And if anything, People get them confused with each other

The fanon portrayal of Maki and Kokichi's dynamic is that they both hate each other, Kokichi jumps at every chance he has to antagonize her and she hates him enough to jump at any chance to hurt or kill him

The fanon portrayal of Korekiyo and Maki's dynamic is that they're perfectly fine with each other, Especially because of their calm and collected personalities

When it's actually..Kind of completely backwards..

In canon, After Korekiyo finds out Maki's talent; He jumps at any opportunity to antagonize her, Knowing the rules of the game and every other participant protect him from her actually hurting him. And she antagonizes him way more in chapter three even before the murder. He's also blatantly rude to her(Actively ignoring her in conversations and then asking, "Did you say something?" or "Did you hear something?/srs), And Maki is always annoyed with him even being there

Meanwhile in canon with Maki and Kokichi, Even after her talent is revealed she's literally completely fine with him, He antagonizes her for a bit but she is always shown to just not care at all or even at some points responds calmly to him..In chapter 1, She was the only person to agree with him and didn't just assume he was up to no good like literally everyone else did..She only gets more aggressive with him when he says he killed two people for fun and that he was the mastermind. She even felt guilty about killing him even when she still thought he was a remnant of despair(After finding out he wasn't the mastermind)

Am I the only one to find it funny how the fandom got those two dynamics completely confused😭😭

[chickensoup1025]

For Kokichi, I like that his organization's name is connected to his first name: 小吉 (Small Luck)

A die (singular dice) is literally just a small object whose sole purpose is determined by luck.

[lunarin64art]

That one Barbie Movie meme but Killing Game Busters addition.

[gracebethartacc]

SHAMBLES OUT OF IBIS COVERED IN BLOOD hi guys I did KICB au design timeline refs yay :3

[lampochkaart]

Thinking about how Kiibo tries so hard to be seen as a human and not a robot. He often gets offended when someone reminds him of his characteristics, he tries to avoid using his abilities as much as possible, and he reacts emotionally to the tragic events of the game. He is one of the more soft and sensitive people in the group. And although he is often guided by logic, feelings and emotions still play a big role in his perception.

All the while Kokichi tries really hard to NOT be perceived as a human. Masks sincere emotions behind exaggerated or inappropriate reactions, almost instantly switches between moods, talks about "resetting emotions", tries to distance himself from the group as much as possible, to such an extent that even his dying words are doubted. Many of his actions in the latest part of the game are best described by the word “inhuman.” He is the most cynical person in the group and one of the most cold-blooded ones.

But at the same time, they can't really change who they are. Kiibo has to accept himself and his abilities, which are only avilable to him. And Kokichi can't completely get rid of emotions and force himself not to feel anything, no matter how hard he tries.

[ultimateinsomniac]

hopping up on my special interest soap box to say: i think we as a fandom should discuss the satire in danganronpa V3 more.

idk if it is just me but i have always viewed this game as a satire, if only just because of the ending. it exagerrates the formula set up by the previous games to criticize the current state of media and media consumption. i know a lot of people in the fandom don't like V3, and i think that is by design. it is ridiculous, it is over the top, the ending is a punch to the face, but it's all on purpose. you're supposed to be uncomfortable because it is a satire. (of course you don't have to like the game, i just think it is intentionally like that)

the whole theme of fiction vs reality is put in there intentionally to make fun of the fandomization of danganronpa, as well as to poke at game studios and companies that put out media in general. tsumugi, in my interpretation, is representative of danganronpa fans (hence why she's the ultimate cosplayer). she is the mastermind. you aren't supposed to like her. her insistence on the idea that "fiction doesn't affect reality" is a direct criticism of that exact idea in real life fandom. the idea that this is the "53rd" danganronpa is directly making fun of other pieces of media "jumping the shark" because fans insist upon it. this is not to say you can't like tsumugi, i think you absolutely can, i just think her character represents some key ideas relating to the satire of the game.

this is why everything in the game is SO over the top. kirumi being the prime minister, korekiyo both having DID AND being a serial killer in a reference to the first game, EVERYONE'S over the top backstories (gonta and keebo come to mind), it's all acting as an exaggeration of common tropes (albeit highly problematic in several areas, not trying to excuse those aspects by any means).

and then there's kaede. they set her up as a strong female protagonist, only to kill her chapter 1 to be replaced by a male protag. on paper this is very misogynistic, but in the context of satire it is an exaggeration of the danganronpa formula. of course we couldn't have a female protag in a main line game, of course it would have to be a man. shuichi having a secret ahoge only adds to this; it's making fun of the trope. the best part is that i truly do love both of these characters, and their role in the satire doesn't diminish the excellent writing that went into them and the story.

this entirely shapes how i view this game. it manages to tell an incredibly compelling story with very complex characters while making fun of itself at the same time (as a good satire should). i know a lot of people have said they feel like the writers of v3 must have hated danganronpa, and while i see exactly what they mean i don't think that's necessarily true. i think it was an intentional choice as a work of satire.

i can see an intense love behind the writing of this game. the characters are rich and the story is compelling. the ending just serves to send home the point they wanted to make. i think it adds a really beautiful perspective to the danganronpa series as a whole.

[rubberduckyrye]

Rye's Ramble Analysis/Theory On: Kirumi Toujou

Okay so this is gonna be VERY haphazard and nothing like what I do over at @unweavinglies so bear with me, but after I was reminded that Salmon Mode and Kirumi's LSE excisted, I looked into those and like. Holy shit why were none of these character details in canon--or even in her FTEs?

These details change Kirumi's characterization so DRASTICALLY.

Analysis Exhibit #1: Self hatred/Self Deprecation--AKA there's TRAUMA in this Bish

Kirumi is really hard on herself when she makes the most. Nothing burger mistakes. She even suggests that Shuichi could berate her in any way he saw fit because of how "bad" she thought the mistake was--and even implies that she deserves it.

This is not something someone who has a stable self image thinks.

People who have a stable, positive self image are more likely to go "Oh! Whoops, anyway--" over berating themselves for not knowing someone prefers green tea over black tea.

Her whole LSE is about how Kirumi feels like her romantic love for her master would be a bad influence on him--that she needs to leave because her feelings are bad and wrong and--

She doesn't feel like she deserves her feelings to be validated.

People don't just come to the conclusion that their feelings are invalid all on their own--often more than not, this is a huge red flag for trauma--neglect and abuse coming to mind. Kirumi was definitely put in a situation where she believed that her feelings weren't just hindrances--but bad influences, that her feelings weren't valid at all. Combined with the above point, it's pretty clear that Kirumi may have even been yelled at for making mistakes as a child. There was definitely verbal abuse from how willing she was to let Shuichi have at her for her mistake, and her feelings being things she associates with negativity or being invalid suggests that she was often scolded for having feelings at all.

I think her maturity is a mask for her insecurities and potential trauma, and her hard-working nature is the result of thinking she needs to make herself useful to others by any means necessary in order to feel worthy of praise--maybe even worthy of living.

Kirumi even protests to the idea of Shuichi (her master) seeing her as an equal--a sign of dehumanizing herself.

With all that being said--

Her protest is never completed, but considering how Kirumi views herself, it's VERY likely that she would feel like if she doesn't clean the place up, then she isn't worthy. I think that this line can be interpreted in a variety of ways, but I see it as her trying to say "When you clean, I become useless."

And like.

Her whole LSE is her beating herself up about how she doesn't know how to prepare konjac.

All of these signs point to some kind of verbal abuse or severe neglect--more likely the former over the latter. I'm not exactly sure who abused/neglected her, but the signs are very much There.

It's possible her adamant dislike of being called mom or being referred to as "motherly" stems from this very-likely abuse, but that's more speculation and it's as equally as likely that she just simply finds it degrading. Either way.

Analysis Exhibit #2: People Pleasing (Struggling to Say No)

Kirumi has a very distinct inability to say no to most "reasonable" requests. I specify "requests" because it ties into the points above and how Kirumi sees herself.

Here, she is blatantly stating that if Shuichi is requesting her to watch this documentary then she will. Despite her very clear dislike of bugs, if she is told that it is a request, then she will complete that request, much to her distaste or discomfort.

The fact that Kirumi declines the offer if it isn't a request shows that despite her nature to please, she really dislikes bugs. She wouldn't be polite and watch the film with Shuichi due to how much she hates them.

This is also shown here as well:

She does, of course, have boundaries she will not cross, as shown here:

But she outright states that "Maids have the right to refuse requests."

Except she only goes by this motto when the request is extreme in nature, like if she feels that she is being objectified or sexualized... or told to take a hecking break.

She even says this:

Suggesting that, rather than just flatly telling Shuichi "No, I'm NOT burning this place tot he ground, are you out of your mind?" She asks him to "retract his statement." She asks him to hold the power over her, telling him that she would be willing to burn an entire building for him simply if he had a good enough reason for his "request" but also telling him that he has to be in control here. He has to retract his statement, she cannot simply refuse.

Analysis Exhibit #3: A "Go Don't Stop" Kind of Girl

Kirumi does take breaks, but she struggles with resting quite a lot.

Firstly:

Kirumi's likes and dislikes line up with her chosen profession--being a maid. She likes cleaning, but hates resting. With everything else above, I'm personally convinced that Kirumi more so likes to feel "useful" and dislikes to feel "useless." So if she works, she is considered "useful" to those around her.

Even when in a kidnapping situation, she is thinking of the others care and comfort:

While I'm sure Kirumi has escape on her mind, she is also trying to make accommodations for everyone else at the same time. Serving everyone else is just as important to her as escaping with her own life--something I'll further address in a moment, but for now:

This girl literally comprehend when someone just wants to hang out with her and talk to her as a person. Everything is about her being a maid, and she makes it pretty clear that her status as a maid comes before all else.

Now, about her life...

Analysis Exhibit #4: A Maid's Selfless Devotion (Verses the Trolley Problem)

Kirumi chose to die with everyone else whent he time limit was running out.

Despite there being no strings attached, despite there being a young man offering up his life for the others to take, everyone--herself included--refuses the offer. Why? Because in that moment, she is serving everyone in that group, to her detriment.

While the "We'd rather all die here than kill someone" sentiment is unspoken, there is proof that Kirumi is going with whatever the group as a whole wants:

Implying that, had everyone chosen to die at the time limit, she would have done so as well. It's more likely that she and everyone else would die fighting rather than sit back and let their deaths happen, but her life coming to an end was a very real possibility that she, as a very intelligent and logical person, weighed against everything and decided that saving herself via murder was not worth her own life.

This, of course, changes in chapter 2:

Because Kirumi is led to believe that her life, her service, is the only thing keeping a whole country safe.

Whereas before Kirumi's loyalty to the group was so solid that she didn't even fall to the temptation of murdering someone to escape, when she is presented with what is essentially the penultimate Trolley Problem, she goes and chooses the path that has the fewest casualties. Her choice between the V3 cast VS the entire nation of Japan is a very logical choice, almost a no-brainer. She even convinced herself that Ryoma was offering up his life to her after she confessed to him that she had too many reasons to escape from that hell of a school. He turned his back on her--and logically, he would never have done that if he had any self preservation left in him. That is her logic, her reasoning, her excuse to make her crime less egregious to herself and the others--but she had too much on her shoulders. She did what she thought needed to be done, and that was that.

Final Notes:

I'm not gonna lie, I came into this not expecting a whole lot.

From what I remember when I did my initial research on Kirumi, I thought that she had very little character to her. She was a Maid and that Was It. And it's sort of true--in canon and even in her FTEs, she's portrayed as nothing but a maid.

But her LSE and her Salmon Mode paint a slightly different picture of her--one of a lonely, neglected, abused girl who thinks extremely little of herself if she's not being useful. Someone who was taught that her feelings were rotten things and invalid, things that would only hinder other people and their potential. She works and works and works just to prove to herself that she's worth it. That she's as useful to as many people as she physically can be. She struggles with casual conversation, probably because she can't imagine anyone would want to talk to Kirumi Toujou, the person, and instead needs Kirumi Toujou, the Ultimate Maid for her services.

I think that this information being in extra game modes and buried under canon (plus a more accessible bonus mode) that did absolutely nothing for her character, I think Kirumi gets a bad reputation as a character who's got nothing else to her. Like I don't blame people who missed this information and/or thought nothing of it--in isolation, it's hard to pick up on/easily overlooked in favor of the characterization she got in the main canon story and even her FTEs.

I used to think that Kirumi wasn't much of a character--but now, I realized that's very, very wrong. She's more than just a maid! But you have to dig around and put the pieces together to actually see what's behind that perfect mask of hers.

[my-little-pony-theories]

MLP:FIM Theory: Green Element of Harmony

A theory created by DRWolf001, suggesting that there is a hidden 7th Element of Harmony that is Scorpan/Spike's.

Watch his videos before reading this.

~~~

Scorpan's Past

Canon: Tirek and his younger brother Scorpan first traveled to Equestria in the hopes of conquering it. Scorpan fell in love with the ponies and they're way of life, and became friends with Star Swirl swirl the Bearded.

Speculation: Scorpan finds Spike's dragon egg by itself just on the outskirts of the pony nation, and he decides to keep it.

Reasoning: Scorpan finding Spike and bringing him to the ponies is a reference to their G1 counterparts, where a similar thing took place.

Canon: In Princess Celestia's narration, she says Scorpan went back to his homeland after Tirek's imprisonment.

Speculation: Instead of him immediately leaving after Tirek's imprisonment, in actuality he stayed in Equestria for some years.

After Stygian brought the Pillars together to defeat the Sirens, Scorpan became friends with them too.

Canon: When Stygian turned into the Pony of Shadows, the Pillars create the seed that would grow into the Tree of Harmony by fusing their magic into it.

Speculation: Scorpan was the one who inspired Star Swirl the Bearded to create the Seed. During the spell, Scorpan was in the room with the Pillars, so his magic unintentionally was added to the spell.

After the Pillars sacrifice themselves to defeat the Pony of Shadows, Scorpan decides to go back home.

Where did his element go?

Speculation: Before Celestia and Luna used the Elements to defeat Discord, Scorpan had returned to Equestria to see if the Tree had grown. He finds the Elements and removes the branch containing his Element. The branch he took is turned into the Staff of Sacanas after he removed the gem within it.

Reasoning: This is based on an unused concept for the movie, which would've shown that Scorpan was the original owner of the Staff of Sacanas before the Storm King stole it from him, and that the Staff was made from a branch of the Tree of Harmony.

Because his Element wasn't originally a part of the spell, the other 6 Elements work completely fine without it. However, with the combined power of all 7 Elements, they can do much more.

Scorpan and Spike

The Mane Six each share elements with the Pillars of Equestria. Spike and Scorpan are not only connected by the past, but share similarities with each other as well:

Scorpan was Star Swirl's first and closest friend, and Spike is Twilight's first and closest (non-blood related) friend.

Scorpan is the only non-pony member of his group of friends, and Spike is the same.

Scorpan is friendly to ponies, appreciates their way of life, and enjoys living with them, just like Spike.

Castle of Friendship

The Castle of Friendship was formed from the Chest of Harmony, which served as the seed that planted it. The Chest itself was a sprout from the Tree of Harmony.

When the Castle formed, it created a 7th chair for Spike, which it technically didn't need to do if he wasn't connected to the Tree of Harmony in the same way the Mane 6 ponies were. Spike's chair is closer to Twilight's.

Although, it's possible that since the Tree is somewhat self aware, it knew Spike was Twilight's assistant/best friend, and lived in the Castle as well, so that's why it created a 7th chair for him, closer to Twilight's.

Unknown Green Element of Harmony

Throughout the franchise, when images of the Elements of Harmony are shown both within the show or other material, sometimes a green element is shown, usually in the place of a different Element:

It could simply be an error.

However, there are some cases where the green element is shown with the other 6 Elements:

Each Element's color represents a part of the character's design that shares the same color:

Magenta: Twilight's cutie mark color

Orange: Applejack's coat color

Red: Part of Rainbow's mane and cutie mark color

Purple: Rarity's mane color

Pink: Fluttershy's mane and cutie mark color

Blue: Pinkie's eye and cutie mark color

Green: Spike's eye and spine color

Element Chart

Star Swirl the Bearded = Sorcery | Twilight Sparkle = Magic

Rockhoof = Strength | Applejack = Honesty

Flash Magnus = Bravery | Rainbow Dash = Loyalty

Mistmane = Beauty | Rarity = Generosity

Mage Meadowbrooke = Healing | Fluttershy = Kindness

Somnambula = Hope | Pinkie Pie = Laughter

Scorpan = Respect | Spike = Acceptance

BTW, Sunset Shimmer's Element is Empathy!

? = ? | Sunset Shimmer = Empathy

Stygian is meant to be Starlight Glimmer's parallel, so those two aren't Elements.

~~~

There is a lot of glaring evidence here to suggest that this theory could be true. So much so, it makes me wonder if it's actually what they were foreshadowing and building up to... until Hasbro had them do the School of Friendship storyline instead.

The storyline for Season 8 would've been completely different, it instead being a continuation of setting up the Pillars in Season 7.