#honestly if everyone keeps going to her to revive the dead or give them upgrades

[monty-glasses-roxy]

would a web wire work for OG music man? he sees the minis using theirs to hang from the ceiling and he wants to able to do that too, so he goes to see roxy (who's probably doing something like looking at blueprints or just chilling) and asks her if she can give him that upgrade

It would probably be easier to give him one given she wouldn't have to work with parts smaller than dollhouse furniture. She would have had to figure out all the intricacies of a brand new system on a really tiny scale it was probably a lot harder than she'll ever admit. Giving it to a full size Music Man seems way easier ngl

[unfoundhoney]

a sister’s sacrifice ; part three ↠

↠ platonic!c!sleepy bois inc x fem!reader , platonic!c!tubbo x fem!reader ; angst just angst

↠ masterlist

↠ part one ; part two ; part three ;

↠ @leafyturtle @basheverythingyesterday @terribletoothbat @bestioe @junoblad3 @machiebach @ok-honey

when considering the deaths of the people on the dream smp server, yours is the hardest

schlatt was detested by all when he’d died

few people still truly cared for wilbur when he met his end; the man he once was was long gone by then

but you

you never changed

you were a constant for so many & immovably kind to the rest

selfless, giving, caring

even when you just wanted an escape, you came to the aid of your brothers

you gave the ultimate sacrifice & paid the price

everyone mourns you

when the battle is won & dream locked away indefinitely

once everyone has come down from the high of freeing themselves from dream’s reign, the server goes into a state of grieving

there’s no denying your death

they all saw the message in chat

you’re dead

those that were close to you took it hard

niki was narrowly stopped from burning down the bakery you encouraged her to open and helped build

eret put her emotions into work on a memorial in their museum for you

even under the egg’s control, bad & ant put the eggpire aside for you

of course, those who took it the hardest is your family

when ghostbur learns of your death, he’s distraught

he doesn’t quite know how to handle the information

he protects your home & only allows people to enter when he supervises them

tommy took a while to move past his anger & deal with the fact that you’re gone

tubbo ran off to start snowchester

he chose to distract himself rather than truly process his emotions, even if you’d always done your best to break that habit of his

now that you’re not around, who’s to stop him from letting himself be numb to it all?

techno is another one of your family members who chose to barely acknowledge your passing

he became somehow more monotonous & emotionless

and phil

...

there’s no word for a parent who loses a child

wilbur was gone & of course it messed phil up to be the one to take will’s last life but by that point his son was gone

but you

you’d always been such a genuinely good person

phil did so little for you as a father

he was so absent

he never apologized to you for that

he never told you how much he loves & appreciates you & everything you’ve done to keep their family together when he couldn’t be bothered

it’s a few hours after he received the news from ranboo that all the guilt for everything he had ever put you through hit him

he broke down in his kitchen while trying to distract himself by organizing his cupboards

but all he could think about was you

you & your never ending kindness & compassion

he was never a father to you

yet you never hated him

why couldn’t you have hated him?

it would hurt less to lose you if you hated him; it’s what he deserves

he’s unworthy of your love

but he can only dwell so long on you

you are given a proper funeral

you’re buried by the seashore, somewhere between l’manberg and tommy’s abandoned vacation homes in an open field

the sever members plant so many flowers, your gravesite becomes a flower field

but soon, life goes on

it will only hurt for longer to draw out the mourning period

it would do no good for anyone

besides, you wouldn’t want the server to be sad for your sake

techno supposes it’s for the best that you died

he does his best to move on, filling his days with resource gathering and upgrading his tools, weapons, and armor while trying to think through his emotions logically

as much as he liked you

as much as everyone liked you, you were too good

you were the best of them

fate is not kind to heroes

“hello!”

technoblade is not an easy man to sneak up on, let alone scare

the greeting itself isn’t want startles him

it’s turning toward the voice to lock eyes with you

you who is dead

techno is not proud of the sound he made when he saw you but you of all people wouldn’t make fun of him for it

he just stares at you, slowly realizing what’s happened

you look desaturated, the color drained from your clothes

your skin is grey & almost translucent

you’re a ghost

“y/n.”

“hello! who are you?”

techno tells no on one of your ghost form

he even keeps the rest of the server a secret from you

he leads you to your old home & leaves you there w/ ghostbur

he hopes your and ghostbur’s combined amnesia will keep you out of harm’s way i.e. the rest of the server

he visits you occasionally but mostly leaves you be

you live happily with ghostbur for a while

he is very glad to have you back

his memory is nearly as bad as yours, so the story of the server & what happened to you when you were alive is only given to you in bits & pieces that are near impossible to fit together

it was only a matter of time before someone came to visit your house

“...y/n?”

it’s tubbo who finds you first

or he finds your ghost

(tubbo) y/n! oh my god! you’re a ghost! you’ve come back!

(you) hello! *whispers* ghostbur, who is this?

(ghostbur, whispering obviously) that’s tubbo, one of your other brothers i’ve told you about

(you, whispering) oh, right

(tubbo) how long have you- oh, this is incredible! i have to tell tommy! he’s been so sad since you died; he’ll be so glad to see you!

tubbo messages tommy, who is skeptical but reluctantly comes to your house anyway

but there you are

your ghost anyway

which is good enough, honestly

(tommy) y/n!

you catch him in a hug easily, even if you’ve never met him before

(tommy) you’re alive!

(you) no i’m not. i’m a ghost!

techno happens to check in on you when tubbo & tommy are there

bad news for technoblade: you’d told them about techno leading you here

meaning: tommy knows techno hid you from him & everyone else

needless to say, he is not too happy about that

(tommy) you hid her! you kept her away from us!

(techno) tommy, you have to understand-

(tommy) i don’t have to understand shit! you hid her from us! you lied to us!

(techno) tommy-

(tommy) you kept her from everyone! you’re selfish and you’re a liar and you’re horrible and-

(techno) i did it to protect her! she’s been hurt enough protecting others; it’s our turn to protect her. the only way we can do that is by leaving her alone

(tommy) she’s my sister

(techno) your sister is dead, tommy. for once in her life, let her have peace

tommy gives up on techno & goes to you instead

(tommy) y/n! y/n, we can bring you back. we can revive you. well, dream can revive you but he’s in prison so he has to do what we say so we can bring you back. we can be a family again. don’t you want to come back?

(you) ...no

that

...

that isn’t what tommy was expecting

(tommy) what?

(you) if alive y/n comes back, i won’t exist anymore. and i’ve only just got here. i don’t want to go yet

(tommy) don’t you understand how much y/n means to me? y/n has to come back. she has to. she’s so important. not just to me but to, um... tubbo as well! right, tubbo? don’t you want y/n back?

tommy looks to tubbo for some backup but the shorter boy looks away

(tubbo) i think we need to let y/n go, tommy

the betrayal that fills tommy’s chest is soon gone as he locks eyes with techno

tommy knows techno is right

you’re too much of a good person

you’re too willing to sacrifice yourself for others

even as a ghost your kindness is blinding

this server will only drain you of everything you have yet again

he will drain you of everything you are

he’s just tried to convince you to cease to exist to bring back the former version of yourself

(you) i’m sorry. it’s just- i’ve heard there are these really pretty blue flowers in the swamp biome that i haven’t got to see yet-

(tommy) no. it’s fine. i’m sorry. i-... i should go.

tommy leaves your house & tubbo goes with him

even if tubbo caught on a bit sooner to techno’s reasoning, he’s still concerned at his friend’s sudden change in character

(tubbo) tommy... are you alright?

(tommy) ...i really want her back

(tubbo) i do, too. but she’s gone

(tommy) she doesn’t have to be

tubbo can’t argue with that

(tommy) but... maybe it’s for the best

(tubbo) really?

(tommy) yeah.

(tubbo) but just earlier you were telling me about your plan to get the revive book from dream

(tommy) techno’s right, tubbo. all everyone- myself included- has ever done to y/n is take. and she’s given everything

(tubbo) because she loved us

(tommy) as much as she loved us and as much as we loved her... the only thing we’ve ever brought her is pain. i think now... now is her time to rest.

(tubbo) ...that’s very pog champ of you, big man

tommy had planned to visit dream as many times as it took to get the revive book location off of him so he could revive you, but now he’s accepted that he needs to move on

he needs to move on from you & dream & everything dream has put him through

he decides to pay one last visit to dream, put him behind him, & never look back

he’s ready to start a new chapter in his life, one without dream

and the first one without you

but then he’s locked in the prison

two weeks pass

nearing three weeks & tommy still isn’t allowed out of dream’s cell

he’s irritated and annoyed and most of all he’s scared

but he can’t let dream know he’s still afraid of him, that’s why he pisses dream off enough to the point of being beat to death

tommy begs him to stop

but then he’s gone

everything is dark

black

empty

nothing

is this what death is?

conscious in absolute nothingness?

tommy’s feet feel the ground beneath him

his senses come back to him

it’s still dark but he feels as though he can see again

where is he?

heaven?

no, probably hell

or maybe neither?

both...?

what the hell happened?

the first thing to break the silence is the voice tommy has known since he was an infant

the voice of the person who raised him

the voice of the person who has always been there for him

the voice of the person who he has finally let go of

your voice

saying one simple word

“tommy?”

[number5theboy]

ALRIGHT

THIS SEASON

IT WAS A LOT

my liveblogged thoughts under the cut

Episode 1

·         Exhilarating! I love Ben

·         Ben already has more lines in these first five minutes than he had in the first season

·         This montage is good

·         ALLISON BABY

·         Luther yelled for Diego first I love this

·         Diego is immediately in vigilante mode…….hot

·         THE SHOT PARELLING VANYA’S FIRST WORDS

·         Vanya is a mess we love to see it

·         The shot of Five’s feet hitting the puddle? So aesthetically pleasing

·         The battle scene is such a smart way of reintroducing everyone’s powers and their Final Form™ succinctly

·         I love Hazel. So much.

·         The Umbrella Atomic Explosion™ is SO clever I love it

·         ALRIGHT UNCHARTERED TERRITORY LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOO

·         Oh Hazel and Five make me soft

·         Agnes and Hazel had a good life

·         Hazel is so dead

·         Welp that took no time at all

·         “How many times did I say bulletproof briefcases?” ily mister five

·         I love the Swedes they’re stupid

·         Are we ever gonna know what Agnes made Hazel promise?

·         Five is honestly world’s best character

·         FUTURE HEADQUARTERS

·         “Well the truth is out there!” abkdkblhlkbkhl

·         I shouldn’t make quick judgments, but conspiracy nut guy is nice and I hope he doesn’t turn out evil, because I also through Harold was nice in the beginning

·         Diego got himself arrested already what an idiot

·         Asddjgflkflhfl Diego’s problems all put out

·         Okay, set-up for Diego’s character arc of self-actualisation we love to see it

·         Lila is awesome, but I hope they don’t make her crush on him excessively

·         Diego and Five is an underrated duo

·         THEY ARE SO BICKERY

·         Five is jut gonna murder him sometime along the way

·         I LOVE FIVE SO MUCH WHAT A LITTLE SHIT

·         Oof Vanya is so cute in that outfit

·         This scene perfectly encapsulates women having to listen to men

·         VANYA’S GOING TO MILFTOWN Y’ALL

·         I cannot tell white men apart, does Carl look like conspiracy nut guy or is it just me?

·         As usual, Ben and Klaus are bad at everything

·         “neither does your beard” icon Ben Hargreeves

·         I support Ben pummelling Klaus

·         I passionately hate the beard and love the coat

·         Why do all the white men look alike, I thought this poker dude was a Swede

·         I KNEW BEN WAS LYING

·         “Pick a better time to self-actualise!”

·         I still hate the beard, let’s see if it grows on me

·         Yusuf Gatewood………….hot

·         By far the hottest couple so far in TUA

·         Please tell me she’s not still hung up on Luther

·         Yes she is goddammit

·         The moon thing is cute though, I can appreciate that

·         Luther finally gets a well-soundtracked fight scene I love it

·         OI THAT WAS BRUTAL HOLY SHIT

·         Oh Luther is pulling a Five in feeling bad about his excessive violence

·         I already hate his boss

·         Raymond marry me pls

·         Allison marry me pls

·         OH MY GOD VANYA LAUGHED

·         Sissy and Vanya have excellent chemistry

·         Oh I see the deliberate parallel with Vanya, Umbrella Academy, you aren’t fooling me

·         SWEDISH ASSASSINS BABY

·         Do you think they’ll say a single word or?

·         Literally the only way this show knows how to signal danger is through flickering lights

·         Two bopping fight scene and Five hasn’t been in any of them

·         Lila and Diego have no braincells between them it’s beautiful

·         Alright, she knows how to fight……..supicious

·         If this show wasn’t so hellbent on making Luther and Allison a thing, he would be best ace rep

·         Lmao “I don’t give a shit” I love you Luther

 EPISODE TWO

·         ALRIGHT THE HANDLER IS BACK???????

·         Okay so Hazel and Cha-Cha are dead but that pestilence still runs around??? Bruuuuuuuuuh

·         Kate Walsh is still hot though

·         AJ??????

·         THE FISH SMOKES?!?

·         God the Commission is such a capitalist hellhole

·         Oh there we have 743

·         H E R B

·         Okay I am here to see her humiliated but please no redemption arc for her

·         I love the deliberate parallels between Five and the Handler

·         “Like a masseuse?” IDIOTS

·         Oh Five is so lost and vulnerable baby boy

·         Also the character developments in Luther!!!!!

·         “Dad should’ve left him on the moon.” Five is, simply said, an icon

·         Oof Sissy is SO cute

·         I’m already not ready for Five to find Vanya

·         Lila is so extra can we keep her

·         Great now I have sympathy for Carl

·         Luther’s new outfit looks so good on him

·         OH LUTHER IS THE FIRST ONE TO SEE HER

·         Well that was dramatic and didn’t lead anywhere

·         Alright two episodes in, Civil Rights plotline hasn’t been fucked up yet

·         WHAT THE FUCK IS THE SWEDE DRINKING SO CONSCPICOUSLY

·         ELLIOTT IS THE NAME OF MISTER CONSPIRACY

·         “cousins on my robot mother’s side”

·         “Imagine Batman, then aim lower.”

·         Lila is great I love her

·         Diego is gonna throw both Five and Lila through a wall at some point

·         Five is so ready to throw Diego under the bus

·         Klaus Hargreeves, world’s worst cult leader

·         ……….did Klaus built a cult on pop lyrics?

·         Klaus and Raymond bonding I love it

·         DIEGO AND FIVE BEST TEAM

·         REGINALD IS THE UMBRELLA MAN

·         OH LUTHER IS GONNA FIND HER HOLY SHIT

·         THE BARN FROM THE PROMO PICTURE

·         This scene is so good

·         “You shouldn’t be the one to apologise.” I’M GONNA CRY

·         Tom Hopper and Ellen Page are so good in this scene

·         WHY DID HE LEAVE

·         What the flying fuck is up with the Swedes

·         BRO WHAT THE FUCK

·         Is Five ever gonna bring up the fact that he was supposed to kill Kennedy or?

·         Raymond is wasted on someone who doesn’t give him her whole heart

·         What the FUCK, Klaus

·         Why does she remember her name tho

·         The violin starting up when she talks about the callouses on Vanya’s hands

·         Brotherly bonding is my new favourite scene

·         Do the filmmakers know that your scene can be suspenseful and well-lit

·         Okay maybe baby Pogo is cute

·         There is gonna be no Five murdering spree, the blood is solely from Pogo

·         Next well-soundtracked fight scene

·         The choreography of this!!!!!

·         Man Reginald is a shitty dad before he even becomes a dad

·         Diego cannot catch a break poor baby

 EPISODE 3

·         SHITTY WIG ON KLAUS ALERT

·         THE LEVITATION IS BEN I HATE THIS

·         So far, all title card umbrellas have not disappointed

·         You are running in a straight line you really should hit her

·         Yep, Watchmen flashbacks

·         Luther remains cute and awkward

·         THEY ARE TALKING TO EACH OTHER BABY

·         S E Q U I N S

·         SNEAKY LADY ALLISON IS BACK

·         FINALLY

·         A HUG  

·         Allison and Klaus are so cute

·         What in the goddamn Looney Tunes is this outfit lady

·         WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU LADY

·         ALLISON HARGREEVES YOU QUEEN

·         This spooky ghost show is great

·         Everyone going off on Five is great

·         @ this show stop ripping Vanya and Five apart and let them be soft

·         Diego is so naked this entire season

·         Diego and Lila are a good dynamic

·         Elliott is a babe I love him

·         The Handler continues to be creepy about Five

·         So much driving

·         Luther is baby and Raymond deserves better than to deal with all the baggage from all the Hargreeves brothers

·         HE SHAVED THE BEARD

·         Ouch this is awkward

·         I don’t get why they didn’t cast normal Dave to play young Dave they’re not that far apart in age

·         Oh he’s gonna have to let Dave go

·         Oh this scene must be so triggering

·         Oh shit’s bad and it’s only episode 3

·         PUPPY???

·         WE WERE RIGHT ABOUT LILA

·         WHAT DO YOU MEAN THANKS MOM

 EPISODE 4

·         Oh my god the Handler is pure fucking evil

·         She learnt the fighting from her mom alright

·         THE RED BOOTS WERE THERE ALL ALONG

·         Man I hoped that the antisemitism was gone

·         Vanya being protective of Luther :’)

·         Luther only has shitty father figures

·         I can’t believe they were better organised last season

·         Why do you hate the Vanya/Five dynamic so much, show?

·         Five got an extra dose of asshole today this season huh

·         Reggie is probably the twelfth

·         Oh boy Klaus is a trainwreck

·         That marriage is also a trainwreck

·         I understand Ray though

·         Why is there Styx on this soundtrack

·         Oh Klaus baby

·         GALA NIGHT BITCHES

·         Five is a smart young old man

·         Oh baby is eating his heart out

·         Oh the hug makes me soft though

·         Honestly, Tom Hopper and Emmy Raver Lampman have such cute chemistry

·         AWKWARD DARLING MAN

·         “Doomsday” *nervous chuckle*

·         Ballroom lessons as kids

·         This is an excellent dance scene

·         OH MY GOD MOM WAS MADE AFTER A REAL WOMAN

·         THIS SHOW MAN THIS SHOW

·         Reggie is gross

·         Diego’s mommy AND daddy issues are put on blast this season

·         Sissy is such a babe

·         Man we got budget BUDGET for this season

·         Alright, the white violin can revive people now cool cool cool

·         How different her powers are when powered by love

·         I love Elliott I hope he survives the eason

·         I am down for Luther and Elliott getting high together

·         LET’S GO LESBIIIAAAAAAAAAANS

·         God Allison and Klaus make me so soft

·         I am very supportive of Elliott and Luther becoming bros

·         You already shanked one son, go poker stick another one

·         YES EXCELLENT FIGHT MUSIC

·         They both?????? Just left him to fend for himself??????????

·         Ancient Greek??? Bitch what

·         This show is rated for violence and we have barely seen any!!!!!! What!!!!!!!

 Episode 5

·         Okay baby Pogo and Grace is adorable

·         Why is Pogo in space now

·         THEY KILLED POGO

·         AGAIN

·         Hargeeves got a hug before Five did what the effing fuck

·         He might be a dick but his instincts are good

·         Haha old cowboy

·         Ben is so done

·         Vanya……..Sissy……..my heart

·         Wow Reginald continues to be a massive arse

·         Luther/Diego/Five are DUMB and I love them

·         “No, bro, he shanked your heart.”

·         God the Handler!!!!!!

·         THE MUSIC AT THE REUNION

·         We didn’t even see Five reunite with Allison and Klaus!!!!!

·         GOD WHAT A SISTERLY UPGRADE

·         KLAUS VANYA AND ALLISON HUGGING

·         Allison and Diego rights babey!!!

·         Are the Swedes ever gonna say something or

·         LILA AND FIVE TEAM-UP LET’S GO

·         I’VE MISSED YOU ALL SO MUCH I’M GONNA CRY BABY

·         The red-blue dynamic in Luther and Diego I live for that

·         Luther and Diego are gooooooood together

·         What is up with that

·         Klaus, Vanya and Allison are dumbasses and I love them so much

·         Alright where are the Swedes doing and why is that tree so creepy

·         Oh the youngest Swede just went tits-up

·         Please tell me Five is finally getting a fight scene

·         Excellent fight scene

·         Great, now I feel sad for the Swedes

·         They deffo have a cooler aesthetic than Hazel and Cha-Cha

·         This cover is beautiful

 EPISODE 6

·         This wig looks better than Klaus’

·         Also Ben has barely been in this season where is he at

·         Oof Ray is so cute

·         The Handler and Five have such good chemistry holy shit

·         Diego, Luther and Vanya are a god-tier dynamic

·         We love the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

·         BENNY BOY HAS A CRUSH

·         Wait how is this only episode six I feel like this is already the pensum of the first season

·         Clothing montage baby!!!!!

·         God they look so good together

·         Oh Allison can be RUTHLESS

·         THE BINGO CARDS

·         Oh no no no no I didn’t think Klaus and Dave could be even more tragic

·         THEY TALK

·         God she is so fucking creepy stop lusting after a child

·         World’s most satisfying elevator shot

·         This scene is chaos I love it

·         God everyone just harps on Diego’s daddy issues jesus

·         Oh baby no

·         Oh babies no

·         NO NOT THE DISSOLUTION OF TEAM ZERO

·         Why are there so many antisemitic dogwhistles in this

·         This scene between Five and Reginald is good

·         NOT ELLIOTT

·         Oh no no no no Carl

·         Alright at least this promises a good fight scene

 EPISODE 7

·         This polka music bops

·         Wait how did he get to 1982

·         HE SAID FUCK

·         Man Carmichael was out so quick

·         No fish-eating?

·         Awwwww Klaus and Ben have a heart to heart

·         Oh God, Diego and Luther have no brain activity between the two of them

·         That is a Look

·         Oh this montage of Ben rediscovering touch

·         The writing of this show was oddly prophetic

·         Oh wait Vanya’s gonna be incarcerated too right????

·         Oh this is heart-breaking

·         Really?????? Ben’s the dorky one???

·         Oh my god Ben is getting a hug and Diego is so soft

·         Man why are Five and Vanya so antagonistic

·         FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

·         Dude a fight between them would have been so epic

·         Diego

·         You idiot

·         Oh Allison really loves him and he loves her

·         Oh I am so sad

·         Yeah this episode is infinitely worse than the day that wasn’t

·         FUCK YEAH BACKSTREET BOYS

·         What the fuck

·         Yo that is sadistic as fuck Allison what the flying fuck

·         This scene might ruin the song for me

·         There definitely was an easier way out

·         They fucked it up

·         I am not surprised

 EPISODE 8

·         Oh she speaks Russian

·         Five just snapped and honestly deserves it

·         Yeah I feel for the Swede

·         What is it with commission assassins and axes this season

·         “Your vagina needs fresh glasses.”

·         Nepotism

·         Oh Grace is turning on him baby!!

·         Ha remember when we were all like ‘oh no they’re making Reggie sympathetic’

·         Yeah so much for that

·         Five and Luther are……..soft

·         What the fuck is up with that

·         AYYYY BUTTHOLE SURFERS ON THE SOUNDTRACK

·         Oooooohhhhhhh trippy kid scene

·         Also Reggie is bad at German

·         I love Luther and Five so much

·         We finally get to see older Five’s tie pattern

·         Alright Lila makes me uncomfortable

·         FIVE IS GONNA GO FERAL Y’ALL LET’S GO

·         Man after the last rampage you’d think they’d upped security in this place

·         Herb for president!!

·         Some catch Diego’s ego is going berserk

·         Oh not again

·         Dot is a rebel now

·         Everyone is ragging on Five, even Five

·         This is so trippy

·         Oh yeah the brains. Forgot about those.

·         I……….sad

·         Oh my god oh my god oh my god

·         Of course it’s all the government’s fault

·         Love how they just walked into an FBI building

·         Bro what the fuck is going on

EPISODE 9

·         Allison is always there for Vanya and I love her

·         Hello Klaus and Diego are so cute

·         Oh my heart you go Klaus

·         So much for that

·         BUT BEN

·         YOU ARE CLIFF-HANGERING BE INSIDE AN EPISODE

·         Crazy Five is an idiot I love him

·         “I’m the daddy here” is not the gazelle, but it’ll do in a pinch

·         The 743!!!!!!

·         Oh God, Harlan is in danger

·         She loves him?!? You barely know the man!!!!!!

·         WHAT’S ON THE PAPER

·         Oh it’s her file

·         HELLO LET US SEE THE FIVES TYING TO OFF EACH OTHER

·         This continues to be trippy

·         These visuals are so stunning

·         This is my favourite scene so far, this is so good, this is an excellent talk

·         NO

·         NOT BEN

·         NOT BEN

·         “I’m askin’, Carl.” You go Sissy, love you, you’re doing excellent

·         Alright, we have a mini-Vanya here

·         Oh I hate the Handler so fucking much she is the worst

·         What a plot-twist

·         Oh god so much is going on in this season

·         Oh we get fish-eating, but it’s not Five? That’s lame

·         Why are they all so hell-bent on making stupid decisions

·         Klaus you idiot

·         Oh that SON OF A BITCH HARGREEVES

·         What the fuck what is on the dark side of the moon

·         What the flying fuck what the fuck what tebdjbdgkbjdsgkbjgsdjgnj

·         WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE GOING TO WAR

 EPISODE 10

·         Oh the kids are back for Ben’s funeral

·         I hate this

·         Reginald is just. The worst.

·         My emotions are all over the place

·         Oh……..babies

·         OH MY GOD DIEGO

·         AND FIVE

·         It wouldn’t hurt to go to an abandoned farm

·         God this is a family of shitty choices

·         I don’t want Ben to be gone

·         FAMILY TIME

·         Oh shit I totally forgot about the last Swede

·         BRO THE STAKES

·         YEAH THIS LOOKS BAD

·         ALRIGHT Harland is gonna be alright

·         All these assassins have shit aim

·         HE’S MATRIXING

·         LILA’S ONE OF THE 43

·         SHE CAN ABSORB AND REDIRECT THEIR ENERGIES

·         ONE OF THEM ONE OF THEM ONE OF THEM

·         Awwwwww they love each other

·         Oh great THEY’RE DEAD AGAIN

·         Oh now LILA will have to fix the timeline

·         Wait now they’re all dead

·         The swede to the rescue?

·         Please tell me she’s dead for good this time

·         We love a de facto protagonist saving everyone’s asses once more

·         GO VANYA SAVE THE BABY

·         Dot and Herb are precious dumbasses

·         This is heart-breaking, but I understand Sissy so much

·         WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS CLIFFHANGER

[commentaryvorg]

Danganronpa V3 Commentary: Part 5.12

Be aware that this is not a blind playthrough! This will contain spoilers for the entire game, regardless of the part of the game I’m commenting on. A major focus of this commentary is to talk about all of the hints and foreshadowing of events that are going to happen and facts that are going to be revealed in the future of the story. It is emphatically not intended for someone experiencing the game for their first time.

Last time in chapter 5’s investigation, Shuichi spent all of it constantly telling himself Kaito might not be dead in a desperate attempt to cover up the fact that he subconsciously believes he is, Monokuma was eager to watch the investigation so he could figure things out himself, the antidote bottles in Shuichi’s lab delightfully told the story of Maki’s utter panic last night, Shuichi stubbornly kept looking for missed evidence of Kaito’s survival rather than accept the alternative and found some which really didn’t prove it nearly as much as he told himself it did, Maki was steeling herself to get all her friends killed, and Shuichi was determined to prove his best friend is still alive.

Now, the trial! This one’s going to take several more posts than any trial before it, even trial 4. I hope you’re ready, because I sure am.

Keebo:  “We don’t need your rules anymore! We’ll find our own reasons to live!”

We never needed his rules in the first place, Keebo. You are still just spouting the vaguely heroic-sounding bullshit your inner voice wants you to.

Monokuma:  “Wow! An actual talking robot! I’ve never seen one of those before!”

I like how Monokuma is basically lampshading the fact that Keebo has only just started becoming properly relevant to the narrative.

Maki:  “What happened to Kokichi? Why isn’t he here?”

Monokuma:  “Aw, don’t make that face, killer.”

It has to hurt that Monokuma calls her that, given what she thinks she did. And Monokuma knows it, too; even if he didn’t see the antidote situation, he did see who shot who with the crossbows.

Monokuma:  “Given these circumstances… I decided to start off this class trial while the victim is still anonymous! After all, it’d be a shame if I let such a rare opportunity go to waste!”

Aaaaand Kokichi’s plan is still just playing into Monokuma’s hands and giving him more of an excuse to make things as uniquely entertaining as possible, which is exactly what he wants and exactly what Kokichi knew he wants. What an idiot.

Everyone is quick to assert that obviously Kokichi did it, but not Shuichi.

Shuichi:  “It’s too soon to decide anything for certain. We don’t even know if Kaito was the victim…”

Not because he has a problem with thinking Kokichi might be the killer, of course, but because that comes with the automatic assumption that Kaito is dead. He’s still hoping he can somehow use his logic in this trial to determine that Kaito is alive after all. Which he’s not wrong about, but… this is going to take a lot longer and be a lot more painful than he’s hoping it will.

Shuichi:  “If we don’t positively identify the victim… the other person will never show themselves, right?”

Haha, no, that’s not at all how this is going to work. Poor naïve Shuichi, thinking that he’s going to be sure one way or another before long. I remember when first-time-me thought that too.

Shuichi:  (Everyone thinks that Kaito is the victim, but I have my doubts… There’s a chance Kaito is still alive…)

There is, but what you think is proof of that really isn’t proof at all, Shuichi.

Himiko:  “The victim has to be Kaito.”

“It has to be Kaito.”

Definitely Maki’s white noise there. She is certain he is dead and wants everyone else to stop acting like he might not be.

Himiko:  “We lost a really good guy today… Kazing! …if only mages could cast revive spells.”

I like that Himiko also seems reasonably upset about Kaito’s apparent death! They weren’t close friends or anything, but I bet she appreciated his optimism a lot and misses having that to help her out.

Shuichi:  “I have evidence that points to Kokichi being the victim!”

No, it doesn’t, Shuichi. It only points to him having been injured.

Shuichi:  “The fact that these were flushed down the toilet implies they were evidence of a crime.”

Yes, but not necessarily that the crime was the murder of Kokichi! If Kokichi was under the press then his killer wouldn’t have needed to get rid of his clothes like this!

It’s honestly kind of surprising that Maki doesn’t use this rebuttal, since she’s all about arguing that Shuichi is wrong here. She just jumps to insisting that Kaito’s clothes being in the press proves he’s under there, which is also not an airtight argument.

Shuichi:  (Ever since she found the body in the hangar, Maki’s insisted that it’s Kaito’s… But why is that? I thought we had an understanding… I thought… she’d want to believe Kaito is still alive.)

Shuichi flashes back here to the “training” where the three of them just chatted all night long! Aww. He is thinking of the fact that they are FRIENDS and wondering how Maki could possibly so easily accept that her friend is gone.

Shuichi:  (Either way, it seems Maki is hung up on Kaito’s clothes. In that case, I need to demonstrate the flaw in relying on that evidence.)

He’s able to see the flaw in relying on Kaito’s clothes as evidence of his death, but not able to see a very similar kind of flaw in his own reasoning that relies on Kokichi’s clothes as evidence of his death. You’re not quite being objective here, Shuichi.

Shuichi:  (If I do that… I think she’ll realize. There’s a chance that Kaito is alive.)

No, she won’t, just like Shuichi wouldn’t change his mind if someone pointed out the flaw in his theory about Kokichi’s clothes. Neither of them are being objective about this.

(But Shuichi really wants to try and get her to hope for Kaito’s survival again, and that’s adorable.)

Maki’s words in this Rebuttal Showdown (hi, Rebuttal Showdown typography anon!) are in fairly simple, straight arrangements. They’re moving fairly fast, but they’re still doing so in a straight line. This probably represents how Maki’s not exactly trying to get in Shuichi’s way here – she’s just trying to get him to see and accept the obvious truth that Kaito is definitely dead already, and the speed simply represents her impatience.

Maki:  “If you can’t see that… then you weren’t looking hard enough.”

It’s ironic how she’s accusing him of this when they’re both guilty of it – Shuichi for not looking hard enough for evidence Kaito is really dead, and Maki for not looking hard enough for evidence he might be alive. Shuichi doesn’t want to properly consider the possibility that he’s dead because it hurts too much, but in exactly the same way, Maki doesn’t want to consider the possibility that he’s alive, because it hurts too much for her to think about that hope when she’s convinced there is none.

Maki:  “He never put his arms through his coat sleeves.”

If you happen to swing the wrong Truth Blade at Maki’s statement here (not that Shuichi would get it wrong, but)…

Maki:  “What did you say? After all that time you spent together, you still don’t know anything about him.”

Maki is again accusing him of something she’s even more guilty of, if she has apparently forgotten that it’s only one sleeve and not both that Kaito doesn’t wear. Or alternatively, she’s fully aware of that and is just hoping Shuichi doesn’t remember so that he’ll concede her point.

I really like how Kaito wearing his coat asymmetrically like the ridiculous doofus he is is very briefly a plot point, by the way. Interestingly, if you look at Kaito’s various beta designs, most of them have him wearing either both sleeves or neither sleeve of his jacket, and only the last one is asymmetrical. Apparently this plot point was only decided upon late-ish into development of the story.

Maki:  “Then maybe neither of his arms were through the sleeves.”

No, that’s not possible. The fact that there is an arrow hole and a bloodstain on the sleeve proves that he was wearing it at some point prior to being in the press regardless of which sleeve it is. It is kind of frustrating that Shuichi apparently doesn’t realise this, especially given how desperate he is to find any kind of proof that Kaito isn’t dead – this is a genuinely strange point here that actually does indicate he might not be dead! Why would his killer take his jacket off his arm but still keep it under him while he’s in the press unless there’s something more elaborate going on?

Shuichi:  (Maki… what’s really going on? Seems you’ve made up your mind that Kaito is definitely dead. But why would you do that?)

Shuichi is somehow only now noticing that this is clearly the state of mind Maki is in. Probably because the idea that she would do that when he doesn’t see a reason why is so bewildering to him.

Tsumugi:  “Kaito’s gotta be the victim. Cuz if Kokichi, the mastermind, was dead, the killing game would be over.”

Good job helping everyone jump to a wrong conclusion by reminding them all of the premise that you know full well is false, Tsumugi.

Maki:  “Monokuma, hurry up and bring Kokichi here. We already know who the victim is.”

Monokuma:  “Huh? Already? You sure it’s not too soon?”

Monokuma knows that it is way too soon and they have not remotely properly figured out who the victim is at all. This argument about Kaito’s sleeve just now went nowhere.

Monokuma:  “Hey, Mister Suspect! That’s your cue!”

And then Monokuma calls him this, partly for drama but mostly because he genuinely doesn’t have a goddamn clue who it is.

Heeeeere’s the Exisal! Hooray! I have been looking forward to this part of the commentary for so damn long you don’t even know. (Well, maybe you do.)

Before he actually says anything, let me get one general point about the Exisal out of the way. I’m playing on the Vita version, which is a downgrade in technical quality with regards to the Exisal model’s polygon count… but this happens to be a slight upgrade in story immersion.

See, the thing is, with the HD versions’ higher-res Exisal model… you can see inside the cockpit. Which you obviously emphatically should not be able to do. And it appears to be empty, which obviously it should not be either. Every time I watch this trial in HD, which is what I usually do (this is actually only the second time I’ve played this trial on my Vita), I can’t help but notice this and it is incredibly frustrating. The screen and cable are admittedly a lot harder to make out without the contrast-adjustment I did here, but the white edge of the seat is always quite noticeable from several angles. You’d think that when the 3D modeller made the Exisal, they’d have been told that it’s a vital plot point that the cockpit is completely sealed off when closed and can’t be seen into from the outside. But at least the simpler Vita model doesn’t have this issue!

(If you’ve managed not to notice this fact until now… you’re welcome, now you’ll never be able to unsee it like I can’t either.)

The other general thing I should introduce right now about Kaito in the Exisal is my favourite trial minigame! We’re going to be playing a game of “Script Or Ad-Lib?” throughout this entire trial. Kaito mentions at the end that he had to ad-lib some parts even despite all of the possible lines for various outcomes that Kokichi wrote for him in the script. One of the most fun things to do on a rewatch of this trial is to try and figure out which bits were Kaito following the script and which bits were him making his own choices.

One general rule of thumb to keep in mind while doing this is to remember how much of this case’s events Kokichi was even able to write the script for in the first place. He’d have been able to work on the script ever since finding the hydraulic press in the hangar and finalising the main details of his plan, so anything related to any of those parts: the press, the Exisal, and the fabricated video, should be assumed to be scripted unless there’s a specific reason to think that Kaito might have changed something about his words. But, everything regarding the events Maki kicked off – breaking into the hangar, the crossbows, the poison and the antidotes – could not have been predicted in enough detail by Kokichi beforehand for him to include in the script. He didn’t have enough time to add any of it afterwards either, since he was dying from the poison. So literally all of the discussion surrounding those parts of the case should be ad-libbed by Kaito. That’s like half the trial - way more than he makes it sound like he had to do! Serious props, dude.

It’s possible that Kaito helped himself by spending part of last night writing some of those Maki-related parts of the script himself. He’d be able to use Kokichi’s existing lines as a template to write more lines that sound appropriately Kokichi-ish, which would be better done in advance when he has more time to think about them and get them sounding right, so that he doesn’t have to come up with it all completely on the spot. I doubt he got all of his ad-libs down that way, but maybe he did at least for the most prominent topics that were almost certainly going to be brought up.

Also, remember that Kaito is trilingual despite not having a multicultural background and is therefore evidently very good with languages. Learning how to emulate Kokichi’s speech pattern is essentially a much simpler version of learning a new language. He’d have spent last night basically teaching himself to speak “Kokichese” using the script as an example, sometimes by writing lines down like he’s preparing for a spoken exam where he knows what some of the questions are going to be, but also enough that he’ll be able to ad-lib answers to questions that he’s not going to be expecting. Kaito’s talent as an astronaut – or at least a skill he has that’s related to that – is genuinely coming in extremely useful for him here. He is and has always been best with words.

(For that matter, Kaito’s astronaut talent is also coming in very handy at piloting the Exisal, being stuck in a tiny cramped cockpit with only a bunch of controls and a screen to let him actually see and interact with the world outside it. That’d be really difficult and disorienting for most people, but Kaito has trained for precisely this kind of thing.)

So, to start us off: I always like to think that Kaito starting out in-character as himself was not specifically in the script and just something he chose to do on his own. It would have made a lot of sense for Kokichi to not script this and to want Kaito to pretend to be him the whole time if at all possible, because then nobody would know the Exisal had a voice changer and that it could potentially not be Kokichi in there despite having his voice.

But, Monokuma would already know the Exisal has a voice changer and that it sounding like Kokichi doesn’t necessarily prove anything. So Kaito might well have figured that fooling his classmates into thinking he must definitely be Kokichi isn’t actually that important when Monokuma isn’t going to buy that argument anyway, since fooling Monokuma is the whole point of the plan. (See also: Kokichi’s ridiculous lengths to convince everyone he’s the mastermind when Monokuma already knows he’s not, what an idiot.) Therefore, Kaito wouldn’t really care about making things seem unambiguous and might have chosen to be himself first to let his friends see that it’s possible he could still be alive, just so that this won’t hurt for them quite as much. If Monokuma knows that it’s possible he could be alive, then his friends deserve to know that, too.

Exisal Kaito:  “Haha, whoops, my bad. Seems like I gave you guys a scare, huh?”

Haha, of course you know that you gave them all a scare, Kaito. Too bad you’re going to have to keep doing that and making it even worse for them.

(Look at him still managing to apologise for it. Even though this is a very deliberate part of the plan that he’s choosing to do, he still feels bad about the fact that he’s choosing to hurt them as part of that.)

Shuichi:  (…What is this?)

Shuichi is so surprised! …He wasn’t truly expecting it to be Kaito at all, was he.

Maki:  “…Kaito?”

Maki Roll! She actually looks like she believes this, just for a brief, shining moment! God, that’s only going to make it hurt her even more when that hope gets crushed, because as soon as it becomes ambiguous, she’s going to be right back to being convinced Kaito is dead. I’m… not sure Kaito realised that when he decided to be himself first.  Even if he was thinking about trying to give her hope, it probably didn’t occur to him that she’d go right back to being utterly certain he’s dead afterwards, because he’s used to a more optimistic outlook on things. Surely Maki Roll would want to believe he’s still alive if she could?

Exisal Kaito:  “There was a lot going on, so I just hid in an Exisal and kinda dozed off. Haha, and that’s why I’m so late! Anyway, what’s goin’ on, guys?”

See, now, this… does not sound like Kaito. It is way too vague and flaky and unreliable to be him – and while, yes, Kaito sometimes comes across as flaky and unreliable, he never ever wants to, and most certainly would do his best not to in a situation as serious as this. Even if he genuinely did fall asleep and miss the investigation and really was clueless as to what had happened, he would then sound a lot more urgent about learning what’s going on so that he can understand the situation and help.

Which made first-time-me already a lot less sure that Kaito was in there at all. But that’s exactly the point, because, hopeful possibility aside, Kaito does not actually want them to think he is in there. He is pretending to be Kokichi pretending to be him, and Kokichi would not completely accurately emulate Kaito’s behaviour, so he’s not doing it, either.

(I’m not sure whether or not Kokichi would have had the gall to script Kaito’s lines here, assuming he even scripted the notion of Kaito temporarily being himself in the first place. But I also feel like even if he did script Kaito’s lines, Kaito would have stubbornly ignored them and decided to do his own lines, even though he knew that had to involve coming across as not-quite-himself.)

Also, let’s appreciate the Exisal’s Kaito-like body language. It is pretty great. He does not do this while being Kokichi, so we don’t see much of it.

Tsumugi:  “H-Hold on. Then the one that died wasn’t Kaito—”

Exisal Kokichi:  “Stuuupid! That was just a lie!”

Please imagine Kaito sighing and taking a deep breath to steel himself for this before switching characters. Another reason I think he might have chosen to be himself first is because he was not remotely looking forward to having to put on this mask and lie to everyone in this way and wanted an excuse to put it off for just a tiny bit longer.

Exisal Kokichi:  “Ah-haha, you guys thought I died!? I would never! Noooo way!”

This is something I really wish I could let you hear, because the way this line is voiced sounds just a tiny bit too over-the-top to be Kokichi. Admittedly Kokichi is quite over-the-top in general, but there’s still something very subtle and nuanced here that just doesn’t quite sound right for him. It’s not just this line: there’s quite a lot of them throughout that sound just ever so slightly off, which I’m probably going to be feeling compelled to point out even though I can’t let you hear the voice acting.

Again, I’m doing this in English. The Japanese may also give a similar effect, but I’m not sure I would be able to pick up on something this subtle when it’s not in a language I’m fluent in, even if I’d been listening to and familiar with Kokichi’s Japanese voice the whole game. This is one reason I’m really glad I chose to watch this game in English on my first time through – because first-time-me picked up on this too, and it gave me just a tiny bit more hope that Kaito really was alive.

It’s also absolutely fantastic that Kokichi’s voice actor can pull this off. He’s pretty damn good at his job in general, and I see a lot of people praising his performance in trial 4 specifically, but I personally don’t see what’s the huge deal about that – sure, it’s a lot of angry yelling and it is well-done, but any voice actor is expected to be able to do that kind of thing. This, though? He’s sounding like his character while also not sounding like his character, just subtly enough that it’s there and you can hear it if you’re listening for it, without it being obvious enough to definitively prove anything. That takes some serious skill. Kokichi’s voice actor is at his very best right here, when he’s voicing Kaito.

Exisal Kokichi:  “‘I’m gonna live till I die! I’m gonna laugh ‘stead of cry!’”

Himiko:  “Wow, that’s old! How old are you!?”

This song he just sang is by Frank Sinatra and is from the ‘50s. Obviously this wasn’t in the original Japanese. In that, he says something like, “I won’t die! Because I love you guys!”, except that he says it in some kind of unusual dialect/accent, and Himiko still comments on how old it is, so I can only assume that it’s some old Japanese cultural reference that would be lost on an English audience. This is good localisation, changing things to something that the new audience will get while keeping the original nuance: it’s a dated cultural reference with the literal content being about not dying.

Whether Kaito just sang a Frank Sinatra song or made a reference to probably some old Japanese TV show or something, I’ve seen a lot of people argue that this is a strong hint towards his identity, since Kaito was raised by his grandparents and would potentially be into more old-fashioned media like that. But I don’t personally think this means anything, because it shouldn’t be Kaito who chose to do this. There is absolutely no reason to assume that this moment – “Kokichi” commenting on the suggestion that he might have died and asserting that he definitely didn’t – wouldn’t have been in Kokichi’s script. And especially right at the beginning, Kaito would want to make sure he gives a first impression as Kokichi that really convinces them it’s definitely him, so I doubt he would have wanted to put his own flair on the script already and risk messing it all up so soon. Plus, if this was a reference that Kaito was personally fond of and chose to make just to be himself, I feel like he’d have wanted to make it while in character as himself, because doing it as Kokichi just cheapens the point of him having chosen to do so to express himself.

It is worth noting, though, that even though Kokichi chose the song, Kaito apparently is somewhat familiar with it himself, since he knew the melody. As it turns out, the full song in question has lyrics that happen to fit both Kokichi and Kaito quite well – I can definitely see why Kaito would like it, but if Kokichi happens to have old-fashioned tastes then he might like it too. There’s one bit about aiming for the sky which is more specifically Kaito, but then there’s another bit about being a devil which is more specifically Kokichi (although that fits Kaito quite well right now). Everything else pretty much works for them both, especially in this situation where they’re both literally about to die. I wonder if the localisers deliberately went for something that’d potentially fit both of them in order to keep things ambiguous when they were deciding what to change this to.

(Picture Kaito in the Exisal last night as he read that line of the script for the first time, going “huh, I know that song”, and then realising that the lyrics were very appropriate for his current situation and singing it to himself to boost his spirits. Damn right he’s not going to let the fact that he’s going to die tomorrow get him down!)

Maki:  “I thought as much.”

You did not think as much, Maki. You thought for a brief fleeting second that Kaito really was invincible and had pulled off a heroic miracle, just like he promised you he would.

Maki:  “Your appearance right now is fit for a lowly asshole like you.”

By “appearance”, she can presumably only mean the fact that he’s hiding in an Exisal, and just pretended to be Kaito apparently simply to be a dick, which sure does sound fit for Kokichi. Cowardly and hiding behind something so he doesn’t get hurt? Check. Being a dick just to mess with people who are already emotionally vulnerable? Check.

Shuichi:  “… Is that really you, Kokichi?”

While it could be that Shuichi is genuinely sceptical because he picked up on the slight discrepancy in “Kokichi”’s intonation, I somewhat doubt that and think it’s more likely he just doesn’t want to believe this because that’d mean Kaito really is dead.

(None of the characters ever comment on his voice sounding ever-so-slightly different, which is fair enough because that would make it an explicit thing which is definitely happening and therefore practically confirm on an out-universe level that it isn’t Kokichi. But consider: if any character would have been able to pick up on something like that… it’d be Kaito, if he weren’t the one in the Exisal himself. His intuition would come in incredibly useful in a situation like this. If Kokichi had actually done the sensible thing and chosen Shuichi to be his accomplice, Kaito wouldn’t have had the first clue how to conclusively prove Shuichi was alive, but he would have been able to sense, to have a hunch, that the person in the Exisal doesn’t quite seem like Kokichi and hold on to hope that way.)

Exisal Kokichi:  “Oh, this is more for self-defense. Little Miss Crankypants would kill me if I showed myself.”

Maki:  “…”

This is quite a believable excuse as to why he’s in there. Maki absolutely would kill him the moment she could, so that she doesn’t have to sacrifice everyone else. Even just opening the lid a little bit to wave at them and prove it was him would be too much of a risk, because Maki can almost certainly throw that knife of hers very quickly and accurately. And fun fact about the trialgrounds which hasn’t really been relevant until this trial: Maki and Kokichi’s podiums happen to be directly opposite each other. She’d have a very clear shot.

But while this line is obviously scripted, I’m certain Kaito edited it a little. Kokichi probably wanted him to call Maki something much worse and more geared towards the fact that she’s supposedly a heartless killer, and Kaito is not having any of that, especially not after what Maki thinks she did. So he changed it to something that’s still mean-spirited and therefore still believably Kokichi if you don’t think about it too hard, but which is much more light-hearted and silly and not harmful.

Imagine Kaito reading through the script last night and emphatically crossing out every line in which he was supposed to call Maki a murderer because NOPE fuck that, and then amusing himself by thinking of sillier things to call her that still technically sound like something Kokichi might say. It may have a negative meaning and therefore a more mocking tone, but “Little Miss Crankypants” kind of has the same brand of cute silliness behind it as “Maki Roll”. Kaito is adorable, even when he’s a murderer who’s pretending to be an asshole.

(In the Japanese, he did not call Maki anything nearly as creative here and just said “a certain someone”, so we have the localisers to thank for this. Which begs a question. This game had I believe four different people localising all the dialogue because there was so much of it to do, and apparently each character was given to a single localiser so they could keep their voice consistent. So… who localised “Exisal Kokichi”’s lines? Because those lines are mainly Kokichi’s but still often influenced by Kaito to some extent, which is never more clear than it is here. It’s this that makes me speculate that Kaito and Kokichi might have been deliberately assigned to the same localiser, so that this trial did not have to involve massive amounts of inter-localiser communication, which is something they are evidently not great at based on inconsistencies elsewhere. I don’t actually know if this is the case, though – if anyone knows of a list of which characters had the same localiser, I’d be really interested to see it.)

Exisal Kokichi:  “I understand how you guys must feel. You can’t believe it because I’m like this, right?”

This is another line (and in fact, so is this entire ensuing speech about the video camera, which there’s no point me quoting all of when I can’t make you hear it) which sounds slightly over-the-top in its delivery. It’s like Kaito’s trying just a tiny bit too hard to sound like Kokichi.

Exisal Kokichi:  “The moment the victim died…”

Himiko:  “Nyeh!? Wh-What did you say!?”

Exisal Kokichi:  “Alrighty then! Let’s watch this shocking moment!”

Kaito definitely does not enjoy having to sound so callously excited about this when he knows exactly what seeing this video is going to do to his friends.

For that matter, the video does, in fact, show the moment the victim died, despite the initial apparent fact that the press must have been crushing an already-dead body because of the safety function, and despite the fact that the victim is not actually Kaito like the video makes it seem. So I can’t imagine Kaito enjoys sounding so callously excited about watching this himself, either. He’s probably watched it all of one time, just to make sure the fabrication was convincing, and then didn’t want to think about it again until the trial came along and he had to.

Speaking of the fabrication being convincing… let’s talk about Kaito’s left arm in this video. It should not be angled outwards like it is. The Closing Argument shows him with his arms tucked in such that it’d have been out of sight at the moment the press stopped, which is definitely supposed to be the way things canonically happened. If it’d happened like this, with his arm still visible, then there’d have been a split-second of it suddenly turning into Kokichi’s arm before the press descended. Even if Kokichi had worn Kaito’s shirt to help it match – which he did not do – there would still be differences in skin tone and the size of their hands that would look off, and that’s assuming they could even manage to co-ordinate to get their arms in exactly the same position, which would be difficult with a camera this basic and only the two of them doing this.

So basically, this arm was the biggest reason first-time-me stopped questioning the video almost immediately even though I really wanted to think it could have been faked somehow and Kaito could still be alive. Which I’m maybe glad about, because if I had figured it out sooner then I wouldn’t have had the terrifying baselessness of my hope last nearly as long as it did and I wouldn’t have fallen into despair at any point either, but it’s still frustrating that my judgement of this was influenced by a detail that simply isn’t what canonically happened.

Fun fact a lot of people apparently know: Kaito’s arm was actually not like this in the Japanese game’s version of the video! It was at his side, like it should be. But before you start yelling – trust me, I know the feeling – there’s more to it than that.

Because not in the video itself, but in the thumbnail of this video that you see when looking at your Truth Bullets in the Japanese game… his arm’s incorrectly sticking outwards like in the localisation.

So what I’m assuming happened is this: the Japanese game designers originally drew the art for the video with Kaito’s arms spread out, not getting the memo that they really needed not to be. Then at some point during quality testing, someone noticed that contradiction, and they fixed it by redrawing it, but they didn’t actually remove the original file from the game’s coding and forgot to change the Truth Bullet thumbnail. Fast-forward to the English localisation: as it happens, the Japanese version, while more correct, is missing the bloodstains on Kaito’s arm and jacket. Someone obviously noticed this and figured that’d be easy enough to edit in… except that apparently when they did so, they took the wrong file from the game’s coding to edit, the original incorrect one with his arms spread out, and this time nobody noticed the mistake before the game was released. So it is a mistake on the localisers’ part, but it’s a mistake caused by meaning well but being careless and short on time, rather than one caused by them having somehow deliberately decided to add a massive non-canon contradiction into this vital piece of evidence.

…Okay, hang on, hold the fucking phone. I wrote all this having not checked actual Japanese footage of the game in ages, because Spike Chunsoft had done a big crackdown on Japanese footage past chapter 1 and I could literally no longer find any. Instead I just referred to an image that the wiki has for the supposed Japanese version of the video. But I checked again for Japanese footage just before putting this post up in the hope of finding a shot of the thumbnail (and as you can see I found some), except, also… this is the actual video in the Japanese game:

It has the bloodstains! And you might also notice that, unlike in every other version of this image, they moved Kaito slightly closer to the edge of the press to allow more of his sleeve to hang down and added the buttons that shouldn’t actually be visible, to better match what the sleeve looks like in the investigation. (Despite being moved, Kaito’s arm is still just barely out of sight when the press stops in this version.) I have no idea where the wiki even got its image from, then – probably by digging through the game files to find an earlier version without these extra fixes, but apparently not from actual finished game footage.

In which case, I am SO CONFUSED. I have no idea any more why the localisers felt they needed to change anything about the Japanese video. I still maintain that it must have been some kind of careless oversight rather than deliberate idiocy, though, since an image of Kaito with his arms spread out does already exist in the original game.

{Later addendum edit: OKAY SO, sometime way after posting this commentary post, I happened to see relatively-recently-uploaded footage of the English game in which the video is the entirely correct version as seen in the last of my screenshots here. Apparently, the game got patched or updated or something to fix this, and this footage was from a newer release of the game! I am very happy that the game devs cared to do this. And what this presumably means is that the Japanese footage I checked for this commentary in which I saw the version with everything correct was also a more recent version of the game, while the original Japanese version of the video was indeed like the one labelled “wiki” here. There. Mystery solved.}

I really like this shot panning out from behind Shuichi as it focuses on the screen, to really give you a sense of how Shuichi in particular must have felt having to see that video – especially since the screen is almost directly opposite him.

Maki is also wincing. She claims to not be bothered at all by what apparently happened to Kaito, but it seems like seeing this got through her defences slightly.

Exisal Kokichi:  “By the way, I’d like to add that this footage has not been doctored in any way!”

And Kaito very quickly continues on with following the script, quite probably because he doesn’t really want to linger for too long on anyone’s reactions to seeing this (not even his own).

Shuichi:  (Was that…? Was that really him? …Why? Why was… Kaito… killed?)

Even though Shuichi has no idea how to prove that the video could have been faked right now, he still doesn’t want to accept it at all. He’s so hesitant to even directly “voice” that thought in his mind.

Shuichi:  (Kokichi had no reason to kill Kaito… He had just told us all that he was the mastermind, and that the killing game was over. So what would he gain by killing Kaito?)

And as soon as he does voice that thought, he then immediately starts questioning why this would even happen, as if the fact that there’s no conceivable reason behind it right now means it still can’t be true and so he doesn’t have to think that it’s true.

Exisal Kokichi:  “Nee-heehee… It looks like you finally believe that I’m the one in this Exisal.”

Congratulations, Kaito, you’ve successfully convinced your best friend that you’re dead! He has to be so painfully torn by all this – on the one hand, the plan is succeeding for now and that’s a good thing because then he didn’t murder Kokichi for nothing, but on the other hand, he’s hurting Shuichi and Maki so much to do this and he must hate that.

I don’t think he quite has convinced Shuichi of that yet, though, not fully. Shuichi’s train of thought stopped at the “he’d have no reason to kill Kaito” and didn’t re-settle on “but I guess Kaito really must be dead regardless”. He’s still running away from it, even after the video.

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[Next post]

[eggoreviews]

My Top 25 Games Advent Day 16 - Mass Effect 2 (#10)

​​“They tell me it’s a suicide mission. I intend to prove them wrong.”​​

​​Here we have another example, and in my eyes the best example, of the product of Bioware being at their absolute peak. Mass Effect 2 is a nigh on masterpiece of a game that, even after almost a decade, still holds up extraordinarily well in every aspect. I love the Mass Effect series (well, the main trilogy anyway) for its cinematic storytelling, its interesting and unique plot concepts and gameplay elements, its intricate setting and, crowning all, its always unforgettable companion characters who go on your journey with you. The series’ second instalment, at least in my eyes, does all of this absolutely perfectly without 3’s wonky ending and 1’s slightly outdated settings and mechanics. If I called Dragon Age: Origins the Lord of the Rings of gaming, here’s Star Wars.​​

​​Mass Effect 2 doesn’t fuck around. It starts you up on the original ship from the first game, before immediately blowing it up and killing Commander Shepard, the vaguely cheesy space hero we all love so much. After Shepard’s revival at the hands of Cerberus, Mass Effect 2 kicks off with an epic space opera story taking you all across the universe, with espionage, emotive character arcs and an oppressive, genuinely fearful atmosphere created by the game’s big bads, the vastly superior alien race known as the Collectors. It’s amazing how they managed to blend that overriding fear of an enemy so powerful it could wipe out everything with this giddy excitement to explore. Whether that be the plethora of planets you can seek out, mine for resources and explore or some of the more densely populated space stations, such as the vast cityscape of the Citadel or the seedy, neon underworld filled with criminals and night clubs, Omega. Mass Effect’s universe truly has a life of its own and it tells such a grandiose story within it that it’s impossible not to become immersed. Each and every area you visit is packed full of memorable characters of various diverse species, like the awesome looking Turians and Krogans, down to the hilariously blunt Elcor, who communicate by prefacing everything they say with how they’re feeling. On top of this, a bountiful selection of engaging side quests and an overarching main story that largely involves you seeking out each of your party members to hunt down the Collectors make this a truly perfected combination of a well-realised sci-fi setting and story.​​

​​Drawing on those companion characters for a moment, I would say that this is one of the best, most diverse and engaging cast of characters you can find in a game, as each of them follow their own individual character arcs and have unique relationships with Shepard depending on your actions and the behaviour you exhibit towards them. The likes of Jacob (the guy you start with who is admittedly a bit boring), Miranda (the biotic who was experimented on by her family to make her ‘perfect’), Garrus (the kickass Turian who is everyone’s favourite and also has gotta be the canon love interest for male Shepard), Mordin (the quick-thinking, quick-everything Salarian doctor with a surprisingly dark past), Grunt (a wartime experimental clone taken by Shepard as a replacement for their original target, Grunt’s creator), Jack (a highly powerful, erratic biotic in a maximum security prison), Samara (Asari matriarch who can step on me and also everyone), Thane (the coolest, chillest assassin in the galaxy), Zaeed (amercenary veteran with a sick ass scar), Kasumi (cool space thief) and Tali and Legion (oneQuarian and one Geth, both interesting and unique characters in their own right, these characters draw upon the central conflict between the two races explored in the first game’s main story. In the sequel, the slow development of the two from sworn enemies to allies is something to behold, especially as both are so lovable on their own). Went on a bit of a tangent there but I felt it was important to include everyone in that list. The best part about this is you spend the entire game building your relationships with these characters, choosing a romance option, decking Shepard and the gang out in the best gear, upgrading your ship with the materials you mine from planets. And then it all comes down to the finale, the so-called ‘suicide mission’ in which anyone and everyone can die depending on your choices and upgrades beforehand, as well as any decisions you make during the mission. It is genuinely incredibly difficult to save everyone first try and is a great example of how to ensure the choices you give to your player have weight and lasting impact; in Mass Effect 2, everything is on your shoulders and no one’s survival is guaranteed.​​

​​As I said before, I don’t think it would be wrong to call this the Star Wars of gaming, and it wouldn’t take that title without a lot of pew-pewing and excellent use of the sci-fi genre. The gameplay and gunplay (which is the majority of your experience) is slick and well-executed, even feeling intuitive and fun almost a decade later. Even that final boss encounter, that I will never really understand the potent hatred people seem to have for it, is an awesome final test of what you’ve learned and how you’ve improved along the way, pitting you up against an all-out giant Terminatoresque killing machine as an excellently overblown ending to a game full of dramatic encounters to shoot at. Alongside this, the visuals are superb and do little break immersion even as time has gone by and I would argue that this game still holds some of the best graphics you can find from the previous generation. And last but not least, this game’s spicy ass mechanical sci-fi soundtrack is definitely something to flap about, especially when it comes to the combat and that Suicide Mission score is nothing short of incredible.​​

​​So now I’ve ranted aimlessly for three chunky paragraphs about each singular aspect of this game that I adore, you can probably see why this title has such an enduring memory to me. Playing this game for the first time at 12 years old off the back of the also amazing Dragon Age: Origins, Bioware took their perfected formula of knowing exactly how to craft a story, setting and excellently realised characters and shot it up into space both figuratively and literally. In my eyes, Mass Effect 2 is Bioware’s greatest title and it’s honestly more than a shame that we haven’t received anything from Mass Effect in recent years, aside from the less than great Andromeda. A Mass Effect 4 would kill me dead, but at the very least an original trilogy remaster would keep me ticking for a hot minute. Get on it, Bioware. Pls.​​

​​Standout Moment Award: Probably already mentioned this, but of course it’s the suicide mission. An unforgettable epic of a quest and one of my favourite overall game finales to date.​​

Standout Character Award: Thane Krios. The ice-cool, terminally ill assassin takes today’s award for being an all-around great dude.

​​It’s been a long ol’ month, but we’re finally getting there. Today, I kicked off my top 10 games of all time. From here on out, it’s going to be beyond difficult to stop myself from descending into rambles, but I’ll do my best to keep myself coherent. ​​ ​​Tomorrow: No. 9; An odd creature with floating appendages takes off to save some blue things in dire distress.

[hellosaltysaladcollectionstuff]

Now that Cobra Kai is on Netflix, you have the chance to watch both seasons at least once. If you're like us, though, you already watched it on YouTube Premium when it first debuted in 2018--and have probably binged it a couple of times on its new streaming home for good measure.

Even if you have watched it more than once, you might not realize that both seasons of the series are jam-packed with references and Easter eggs that nod to not only the Karate Kid franchise, but the glorious 1980s they were set in. We've already cataloged a long list of Easter eggs in Season 1 that you should definitely check out.

There's still plenty to keep an eye out for in Season 2, though. We've compiled a sizable collection of references, from direct mentions of things that happened previously to music cues, pulled right out of the movies from the 1980s. Cobra Kai is a love letter to Karate Kid fans and these connections are only going to make you love it even more.

Take a look at the Easter eggs and references we've collected from Season 2 below, then get ready for Season 3 to arrive on Netflix.

1. Those trophies

Episode 1

The first thing we see in Season 2 is several trophies in the Cobra Kai dojo. While you can't see their inscriptions on the show, GameSpot visited the set of the series during filming of this season. It may surprise you to know they were all inscribed with the name Johnny Lawrence, showing just how good a student he was.

2. Say hello to the bad guy

Episode 1

Hey, look who's not dead! For the first time since Karate Kid III--and the final scene from Season 1--it's John Kreese, the former sensei at Cobra Kai and the man who taught Johnny karate.

3. A role reversal

Episode 1

At the end of the first Karate Kid movie, Kreese has a teenaged Johnny in a chokehold just like this one. Now, the shoe is on the other foot.

4. That car looks familiar

Episode 1

Here we see the car Miyagi gave Daniel for his birthday in the first film. Now, Daniel owns all of the cars--and Miyagi's former home.

5. Sand the floor

Episode 1

This is one of Mr. Miyagi's training exercises that's been passed down to Daniel. He's teaching his students the only way he knows how--muscle memory. Later, in Episode 5, Daniel goes through the motions once again with his new student Demitri. It doesn't go as well.

6. Paint the fence

Episode 1

Yet another Miyagi technique in action.

7. Wax on, wax off

Episode 1

And who could possibly forget waxing the car as an extension of karate?

8. Mr. Miyagi's house

Episode 1

No, this is not the house used in the first Karate Kid film. Unlike that movie, most of Cobra Kai isn't shot in California's San Fernando Valley. Instead, it's filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. In Season 2, the Cobra Kai team actually recreated the home, including the front and backyards, in the parking lot at the studio where the show was filmed.

When GameSpot visited the set of Cobra Kai, we realized the inside of the house was left largely empty, save for one room that was built to resemble the way it looked in the film. However, the front and backyard, along with the cars, were recreated as close to the original film as they could be.

9. Perfect balance

Episode 1

Balance is everything in Miyagi-Do. According to Mr. Miyagi, without balance, everything falls apart. Daniel has adapted the lesson into his own teachings to pretty hilarious results as it ends with his students falling into the water.

10. Upgraded to a Switch

Episode 1

In Season 1, Anthony, Daniel's son, couldn't be torn away from his PlayStation Portable. It made some sense, given this show is produced by Sony. However, it also made no sense since Sony stopped producing the PSP in 2014 and Season 1 came out in 2018. Now he's clearly upgraded to a gaming console people actually want.

11. After Karate Kid III

Episode 1

According to Kreese, he spent some time in Panama in 1989. That timing is interesting, given that Karate Kid III was released that year. However, the movie is set in 1985. In that film, Kreese tries to revive Cobra Kai once again, though LaRusso ultimately beats his top student one more time. We learn in Season 2 that after that happened, he claims he ran "off book" missions around the world. While he claims he reenlisted in the military, he later admits to Johnny that's not the case.

12. "That drum saved my life"

Episode 1

In Karate Kid II, Mr. Miyagi teaches Daniel the "drum technique," which is a way of avoiding being hit. The movement is like that of a drum Miyagi has--the same one Robby is holding in this scene. Well, not exactly the same one. While this drum is made to look like the one Miyagi has in the film, it's not as thick.

13. The Medal of Honor

Episode 1

Daniel still has Mr. Miyagi's Medal of Honor, which he was awarded for his service in World War II. While the movies didn't dive too heavily into what Miyagi did during the war to earn the medal, he was shown wearing it to a ceremony.

14. The rules of Miyagi-Do Karate

Episode 1

Inside Miyagi's home, Daniel still has the rules of Miyagi-Do Karate displayed on banners. The first rule is that karate is for defense only. The second rule? First, learn rule number one.

15. Cobra Kai's Wrestle Buddies

Episode 1

Don't expect much professional wrestling in the plot of Cobra Kai, but seeing two friends each wearing classic WWE T-shirts is a nice bonus.

16. Rock and roll never dies

Episode 1

In this scene, Johnny is wearing a Metallica shirt. This shirt, in particular, is from the Damaged Justice tour, which ran between 1988 and 1989. We're guessing this isn't one of the original shirts from the tour, though, as it has been reproduced over the years. You can even buy it at Walmart.

17. Why did Daniel and Ali break up?

Episode 1

While recounting his romantic history to his teenage daughter, Daniel mentions Ali, the love of his life from the first film. When she asks why they broke up, he said that it's a story for another time. This is that time. It was revealed in Karate Kid II that Ali dumped Daniel for a football player at UCLA.

18. The gang is back together

Episode 2

Daniel is shocked to find out Kreese isn't dead after all. Why? Because in Season 1 of the series Johnny said he was. It's unclear whether he knew it all along or not. Naturally, the three relive some of their unfortunate history.

19. Cobra Kai never dies

Episode 6

Episode 6 sees the returns of Rob Garrison (Tommy), Ron Thomas (Bobby), and Tony O'Dell (Jimmy), as we get to catch up with some other former Cobra Kai members. Johnny spends the majority of the episodes reuniting with his former fellow Cobra Kai members, going on one last adventure before one of them, Tommy, dies. They also reminisce about the old days, with the group being shocked Johnny brought Cobra Kai back.

20. Daniel's biggest sin

Episode 6

In this episode, Daniel tells the story of Karate Kid III, in which he actually left Miyagi-Do and joined Cobra Kai. Yes, even Daniel went to the dark side once upon a time.

21. Daniel's mom is back

Episode 8

Randee Heller, who plays Daniel's mom Lucille in the movies, reprises her role in the eighth episode of both Seasons 1 and 2.

22. The jacket

Episode 8

If that jacket looks familiar, it's because Miguel borrowed it from Johnny. It's the one Johnny wore in the first Karate Kid movie. Honestly, there's probably some of Daniel's blood on there somewhere.

23. It never ends with these two

Episode 10

Even all these years later, it still always comes to blows between Johnny and Daniel. This fight, naturally, harks back to the climax of the first film. Now, though, this isn't a tournament bout. Instead, it's just two adults that can't seem to keep their cool and are karate fighting each other in a tiny apartment in the valley.

24. It was a cruel summer

Episode 10

As kids head back to school in this scene, the song "Cruel Summer" by Bananarama is heard. Released in 1984, it became a Top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100 after it was featured in the first Karate Kid movie. It's also not the last time you'll hear it in this season, as a cover by Kari Kimmel is used at the end of this episode.

25. RIP Trapper Keeper

Episode: 10

For those of you out there that didn't grow up in the '80s or early '90s, the Trapper Keeper Johnny mentions in this scene--which has his son perplexed--was the coolest binder kids could ask for. They were often emblazoned with illustrations, geometric designs, or pictures of your favorite fictional characters.

26. High school karate riot

Episode: 10

Not really an Easter egg, but we can't not talk about the high school karate riot in the Season 2 finale. It's easily one of the best TV fight scenes in some time. What's more, it takes the rivalry between Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do to an entirely new level and has us assuming Robby's in jail after this. They should all be in jail, honestly.

27. Kreese's Cobra Kai never dies

Episode: 10

As if things weren't bad enough, Kreese has risen once again to take control of Cobra Kai, in an attempt to ensure that his vicious and destructive form of karate lives on.

28. What a cliffhanger

Episode: 10

Miguel might die, Johnny's lost Cobra Kai, and Daniel is giving up karate. That's a lot to leave hanging at the end of Season 2, but Cobra Kai had one more twist to drop on everyone--Ali is back in the mix. She's accepted Johnny's Facebook friend request and now we just need to hope she actually appears in Season 3.

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