#if kyoko had all of the information at once it would be an entirely different thing

[aparticularbandit]

kyoko, in oaei: i can't think too much about what junko wants because in thinking about it too much i might try to do the opposite of what she wants and that might be exactly what she wants and if i think about it too much i won't do anything at all

kyoko, in oaei: junko left the pieces in place for me. the pieces for what. what does junko want?

kyoko, in oafc: i STILL can't think too much about what junko wants because etc.

kyoko, in oafc: WHAT IS JUNKO'S PLAN SHE SAID SHE SPELLED IT OUT FOR ME WHAT IS IT

[theamityelf]

Have you ever noticed that whenever people do protag switches it's always dr1/sdr2 or sdr2/ndrv3 but never dr1/ndrv3? I feel like that has unthought of potential. May I ask how you think that would go in both cases?

Ooooooh, I love it. Let's see. Let me try not to let my character biases factor in here, lol. (And you can obviously ask for elaboration on any of this, because clearly I'm not going to be super focused. Pretty much just stream of consciousness.)

In all scenarios, at least some of the deaths would happen differently, to different people, by different people, etc.

The Shuichi in THH scenario depends so heavily on which character he attaches himself to right away, lol. Unless we mean Kaede in THH?? Okay, that gets its own section. Yeah, let me section this...

Shuichi in THH

Like I said, this one depends on which character he attaches himself to right away. It could be Hina for her positivity and energy; she's probably the closest to Kaede, there. It could be Taka, who is also high energy and has the added bonus of being called the Ultimate Moral Compass. Shuichi really wants someone to be decisive and strongly believe in something when he feels he can't, and I can see Taka being that person for him. Where Shuichi's scared of doing the wrong thing and hurting people, he can feel assured that what Taka believes is generally going to be right.

Also great because, for all his passion, Taka's actual observations about the school are generally very surface level, so having Shuichi tag along will give him more information to report in his booming voice, while Shuichi gets to chill in his shadow.

When Taka and Mondo have their sauna showdown, I think Shuichi wouldn't go to bed when nighttime comes; he is more loyal to Taka than the nighttime promise. So he'd see the whole inception of the Ishimondo friendship, and I think it would take him a while to trust Mondo. There would be definite "Are you sure about this guy?" energy between him and Taka once Mondo is rolled into their friend group.

And due to Shuichi's overlap of being unfailingly loyal and super harsh when someone brings it out of him, I think the moment Byakuya talks crap about Taka, Shuichi would be the entire Byakuya Hate Squad.

Toko and Genocider would be interesting, because I think Shuichi's fear of convicting someone and ruining their life or getting them killed would interact in an interesting way with the prospect of Genocider Syo, who has gotten away with tons of murders because no one caught her...but then also Toko, who is just a temperamental artist who doesn't want to kill anyone and I bet Shuichi's read "So Lingers the Ocean". I think Toko and Syo would be a reason for Shuichi to confront his feelings about punitive justice. They're practically two diametrically opposed arguments in one body: Syo kills because she likes to, she doesn't regret it, she will keep doing it if no one stops her, but Toko has no choice but to be involved in it, etc. Idk. It's still a bad look for DID representation, so maybe we can take or leave that whole plot thread, but it would do interesting things for Shuichi's character, thematically.

He and Kyoko would work together frequently on investigations (in more of a parallel play kind of way) but not really develop the same bond of trust that she had with Makoto. They trust each other's competency, but beyond that they're not especially close.

Also, when Junko reveals this is a battle of hope versus despair, he would tear apart her whole argument. Like: No, this is a battle of whether subjecting people to absurd conditions might make them hurt each other, and the answer is obvious. Grow up.

It'd be interesting, lol.

Kaede in THH

In this case, I think she'd start off fully believing that someone is going to rescue them. She meets Byakuya and she's like, "Perfect! There's no way someone won't come looking for this guy. This will all be over soon." Since the situation in THH is more grounded than in V3, I think she wouldn't be nearly as serious about getting out until after the first motive. And even then, she's not the one who starts the killings; I still think that would be Sayaka.

I don't think any of the THH motives would really get Kaede, so she might not kill anyone.

I think she would flirt with Chihiro. She would think Chihiro is the cutest thing, and she would say so, and Chihiro would blush profusely. I think those two would get really close, and Kaede would encourage Chihiro, in Chapter 2, that they're already strong in their own way, which would cause them to really focus on using their talent to help the group.

She would also flirt with Mukuro, for however long that lasts. And she would be excited about Sayaka; another musician!

I think Kaede would absolutely match Toko's energy so hard. Toko would definitely have crap to say about her looks and probably her proportions, and Kaede would throw it right back. Honestly same deal with Syo. They would be the toxic yuri to end all toxic yuri. (This is my first time saying "toxic yuri". Did I do it right?)

I hope she makes it long enough to see the music room. She would have a field day with Junko.

Makoto in V3

Finally, this. Wait, actually...

Makoto in V3 replacing Shuichi

Yeah, it occurs to me I have to split this one, too. Okay. I think if Makoto were in Shuichi's place, he would also partner up with Kaede. I think when the whole "tunnel escape" sequence happens, he would suggest that they go to bed and try again tomorrow before everyone reaches the "Screw this forever!" threshold.

I like to imagine, as a result of this, trying the tunnel escape would be a daily thing for a while. Just a scheduled thing that the group regularly does together, much like breakfast. They might give up on it after Chapter 1 or 2, but I just imagine it lasting longer as an activity than in canon.

He wouldn't notice the bookcase thing, so whatever Rantaro was planning would happen. I think, in that chain of events, Makoto and Kaede notice Kaito's little gathering taking place and go see what's going on there, someone spots Rantaro opening the bookshelf or just sees the bookshelf opening, and they reach the conclusion that the mastermind (or Monokuma) is making their move, resulting in a kerfuffle in which Rantaro is killed. Something like that.

I'm not saying who killed him just now; the sequence of deaths is its own thing.

I like to imagine that Kokichi calls Kaede and Makoto the team's mom and dad.

I think Kaito would be unsatisfied with Makoto's manliness, but I don't know that he'd invite him to workout sessions like he did with Shuichi in canon; I think, where Shuichi reads to Kaito as actively unconfident and in need of boosting, Makoto more reads as overly apologetic and easily manipulated/malleable. And depending on how long Kaede survives, I think Kaito would be less likely to treat Makoto as his sidekick than to just say that he, Kaede, and Makoto are all a powerful trio. (Maki does get roped in eventually, but it starts with them.) After all, Makoto isn't an accomplished detective; he's just a normal guy doing his best. And even when he does a really good job, it doesn't make Kaito all that insecure. The vibe is just different. (An Ultimate Detective effortlessly surpassing Kaito's efforts versus an Ultimate Luckster surpassing Kaito's efforts through high efforts of his own.)

The lack of Shuichi means the group does not have a detective. I think a result of this will be that Kokichi would be a bit more active in guiding the protagonists towards clues.

Maki still falls in love with Kaito, and she's also super protective of Makoto, mainly because he's short and can't take a hit. (If Kaito ever punched him, he would pass right out. But I don't think Kaito does punch him.)

Whenever Tenko talks to him, he reflexively apologizes. It's a running gag. His narration will be like, Why am I apologizing? and This was a pretty weird conversation...

Makoto in V3 replacing Kaede

Now, in this case, I'm imagining Makoto manages to trip out of the locker, does a full tumble over Shuichi, and bumps his head on a desk. Just full disaster stuff right off the bat, and Shuichi panics like "Are you okay??" and checks his head, makes sure he didn't bump it too badly, etc. I'm specifying this because Makoto won't be as energetic right out the gate as Kaede, but I do think Shuichi would really like and trust him if he stayed with him for longer than a second, so this is a contrivance to make sure Shuichi stays with him for longer than a second. Some luck, if you will.

(It might not be totally necessary; if they wake up in the same room, it makes sense for Makoto and Shuichi to stick together through the introductions. But this is just to make sure, lol.)

In this version of Chapter 1, they try the escape tunnel a normal amount of times and then give up on it, never to attempt it again (until Electrohammers).

Shuichi notices the bookcase, and they do set up the cameras, but there's no shot put ball trick. Rantaro dies a different way (likely orchestrated by Tsumugi) and the cameras are crucial evidence in the trial that follows.

Because of the steps needed to get to the camera plan, there's a running gag where Miu sees Makoto and Shuichi as her subs. Kaito sees Makoto and Shuichi as his sidekicks. (In this version, the nightly workouts do happen.)

Kokichi tries to make Kaito jealous of Shuichi's closeness with Makoto. (Kind of like, "Why would Shuichi need you when he has Makoto?")

In both versions, I like to think that Tsumugi relates to Makoto on the basis of plainness...or competes with him over it, to his confusion.

And in both versions, I think Makoto finds Angie really cute at first and they hang out a few times, before she starts the Student Council thing. He's kind of her friend. When he doesn't join her, it lowkey hurts her feelings a lot, but she expresses this by casually calling him a heretic.

Aaaand, in both versions, Makoto is the only person Kaito can best in the arcade games.

[inukag]

People who thinks Inuyasha loved Kikyo more and settled for Kagome just because Kikyo died needs to open their eyes! I mean yes ofc Inuyasha maybe did kinda loved Kikyo in the past, but that feeling wasn’t even strong. They had so little knowledge about each other, that even Kagome commented “he would never say such things. Can’t you see it?” when she was saving Kikyo from Naraku shouki and seeing all of hers memories. This comment made me realize after I rewatched the show that Kikyo and Inuyasha did not only didn’t trust eo, but also didn’t actually knew eo. That’s why they fell so easily for Naraku trap.

But another thing that is interesting is how Inuyasha and Kikyo meetings change over time. At the beginning their meetings were kinda messy but they almost always were bringing up the past and mentioning their “fate”, but as time passed by and Inuyasha had spend more and more time with Kagome, their meetings were mostly about giving each other informations about Naraku. I do believe that Inuyasha loved Kikyo to some point, but his love for her wasn’t that strong as his love for Kagome. He even himself said that he was born to meet Kagome and be with her. It was Kagome who taught him how to trust others and make friends , to open up. To be honest I don’t think that Kikyo could ever achieve everything that Kagome achieved while being with him, how she changed him and my main reason to it how those both beautiful women are so different from each other. Kikyo and Kagome had completely different relationship with Inuyasha and only one of those relationships succeeded . It’s kinda hard to explain but the way Kagome has always been stubborn, kinda impetuous , expressing her emotions and not afraid to scold or yell at Inuyasha , kinda helped the development of their relationship. Kagome was also the very first person who actually tried to understand Inuyasha and was always by his side. Kikyo kinda failed at that, still love her, but she wasn’t made to be with Inuyasha. Kagome was. And her bond with Inuyasha is so precious.

Also just because Kikyo is Inuyasha first love, doesn’t mean that the second love cannot be stronger. Many times first love ain’t the right love and when we fall in love once again , this time can the the right time. And this happened to Inuyasha. He has fallen in love with Kikyo, but their love wasn’t strong enough, it wasn’t the right one, but then he once again fallen in love, more deeply… with Kagome. And this one.. was the right one.

I don’t have much to add, I agree with everything you said here.

The crazy thing about this “Inuyasha settled for Kagome” argument... is that Kikyo is RIGHT there? If Inuyasha wanted to be with Kikyo, why wouldn’t he spend all his time and efforts protecting Kikyo and trying to heal her soul so she can be normal again and they can be together? 🤨 Why would he spend all his time with Kagome and constantly prioritize her over Kikyo? If he wanted a “replacement” for Kikyo, why would he even go for someone like Kagome when he made it very clear that he sees them as different persons and that they are nothing alike? 

Also WHY would Rumiko Takashi write a story about a girl who gives up her entire world for a boy who loves his ex more??? RT’s storytelling is always the same: one of the protagonist has an ex and/or there’s misunderstandings between the hero and heroine until they finally confirm their feelings for each other and they end up together. As someone who read a few of her series (Mermaid Saga, Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku and Kyoukai no Rinne), I think Inukag is actually the most developed and has one of the most satisfying romantic ending out of all her couples (only behind Kyoko and Godai from Maison Ikkoku). 

Also people who think Inuyasha would have chosen Kikyo over Kagome are admitting that they do not understand the themes of the series. Kagome represents life and Kikyo represents death. Inuyasha’s spent the ENTIRE series choosing to live with Kagome instead of dying with Kikyo. There’s also the theme of destiny, and how Kikyo failed to heal Inuyasha’s heart (and did nothing to remedy that post-resurrection) and failed to purify Naraku/Onigumo’s soul and the shikon jewel, and Kagome as her reincarnation was LITERALLY born to accomplish what Kikyo failed to do. Kagome was born to be the person that Kikyo WANTED to be. She was born to heal Inuyasha’s heart and live with him the way Kikyo failed to do. 

I have a lot of issues with the way Inuyasha and Kagome’s relationship is portrayed in the anime, and it added a lot of non-canon backstory to Inuyasha and Kikyo that contradicts the manga. But saying that Inuyasha “settled” for Kagome is a take that should not exists in 2022 when everyone in this fandom is grown and should have basic reading comprehension. 

[deadmandairyland]

Hi! I’m here to bring you yet another Danganronpa tier list: the sexuality tier list, which you can find here.

Now I’m going to be honest here: I don’t really have any LGBT headcanons. It’s just not really something I focus on much when it comes to fandoms. Instead I usually just focus on ships, and as a result from that I tend to present a lot of characters as LGBT in fanfictions and posts I’ve made or reblogged. In other words, a massive chunk of my “headcanons” here are a direct result of shipping (as well as information I’ve picked up from the games themselves). That being said, it was interesting to actually think about this for once, so I’m kinda glad I did the tier list. And it gave me an excuse to bring back the rainbow color scheme I usually put in my tier lists for aesthetic reasons.

The original tier list had Straight at the top, but I moved it to the bottom for two reasons. One, this is Tumblr and that’s not what you’re here for. Two, I gave it a neutral color, and having a gray section next to a white section (i.e. the title of the list) like that looked bad to me. I definitely prefer this setup just on aesthetic alone.

Because this is largely based on ships, I feel it needs to be said that representation does not factor into this chart in any way. I know it probably looks bad that the only character in the Lesbian category is one of my least favorite (though NOT hated or even disliked, I should point out) characters in the main series. That has nothing to do with the fact that she’s a lesbian. She’s just a jerk, and usually not in a way that’s at least entertaining enough for me to like her.

Also keep in mind that this is just the main cast of the main series games. If you were to include characters from the DR3 anime, UDG, or the spin-offs, the Gay, Lesbian, and Ace categories would get more rep, certainly. Think Juzo, Yui, Takemichi, that gay guy with the trumpet, etc.

With that said, let’s go through the list:

Gay

Not gonna lie, one of the reasons why Rantaro is here (and not in Ace) is because of ships. Though I do sometimes ship him with girls, canon suggests he’s not interested in dating girls, and most fans seem to headcanon him as either gay or ace because of this, so I respected that. That being said, I also acknowledge he’s a very popular character in mlm ships, and at the time I was putting this together I hadn’t gotten to Taka yet so the Gay tier was still empty, and Byakuya was already sitting in Ace, so all of that swayed me to putting Rantaro here instead of Ace.

Taka was much easier to place here. He strikes me as a closeted gay man who probably doesn’t even realize he is gay. “Hey, let’s all hang out in the bath, guys! Getting naked is essential to form bonds with your fellow man! No need to be ashamed, it’s tradition!"

Lesbian

Again, ships. I only ship Hiyoko with one other character, and as soon as I say that you already know who she is.

Bisexual (Male Preference)

Akane is mostly here to account for any wlw ships I may have of her (e.g. Hina, Sonia maybe). Obviously she has a thing with Nekomaru, so Male Preference.

Chiaki is here for the same reason as Akane. I’ve shipped her with characters like Sonia and Ibuki before, but she really digs Hajime.

Chihiro honestly could have been anywhere in the Bi and Pan sections, but I ultimately went with Male Preference because of ships, specifically the fact that outside of the more... R18 circles of the Interwebs Chihiro tends to be shipped with guys more often than girls. Also doesn’t hurt that my OTP is Naehiro. I mean, have you seen how often Chihiro blushes around Makoto? (There’s more to it than that, as I’ve covered in the past. I’m just trying to add more fuel to the fire.)

Himiko is probably one of the few characters that isn’t here mainly because of ships. I do think she has some attachment towards Tenko, but I also get “I’m uncomfortable around her” vibes from her, and there are moments where she seems to crush on Kokichi (of all people) so that’s why she’s here. Still very much bi, though.

Hina has a crush on Makoto and has a complex around wishing she was more feminine so she can attract boys. So why isn’t she in the Straight section? ...Because Sakura, duh. And Kyoko too. And any other wlw ship you can think of that might work with Hina.

Honestly if it wasn’t for Miu I probably would have considered putting Kokichi in Gay. Again, while shipping plays a big part of my choices here, much like with Rantaro I have no qualms with putting a character in a tier that contradicts any ships I might have with that character, if those ships aren’t something I’m super invested in. This is a very important distinction, because it’s why I let ships sway my hand for so many of these even if I am also okay with going “Just because I ship this doesn’t mean I headcanon it” as I did with Rantaro. And honestly Kokichi’s ship teasing with Himiko does come off as more trollish than a sign that he’s into her, but he really gets into his back-and-forth with Miu, in my personal opinion, and he gets into it far more often with her for that matter. It’s why it’s one of my favorite ships for both of them tbh, and it’s because I like the ship so much that I just can’t ignore it for this sexuality headcanon tier list.

Maki... is here because of ships (e.g. Kaede).

Sakura... is here because of ships (e.g. Hina). ...What, you were expecting me to put a guy in the example? Remember, she has a boyfriend in canon.

Sayaka... is here because of... NOT ships, but DRAT. Yes, really. (”We really got down and dirty, Naegi-kun.”)

Sonia... strikes me as someone who swings both ways. I can’t describe exactly why I feel that way, but yes.

Bisexual (No Preference)

Celeste wants a harem of vampire boys but shipping her with Kyoko is also very popular and honestly i feel like it would fit her character. She’s got a look that says “I could get any ass I want and I know it.”

Ibuki is decked out in blues and pinks, and also I ship her fairly evenly among both boys and girls. She just screams bi icon to me, more so than any other character in the series.

Junko is either bi with no preferences or pan. She is an equal opportunity heart-and-soul-breaker and lust-for-despair machine.

There is no Mukuro in this list, but honestly I would probably put her where I put Junko anyway.

Kaede... is here because of ships (e.g. Miu, Maki)

Honestly I had no idea where to put Kirumi, so I just randomly chose one that I wouldn’t regret later if I ever put more thought into who I shipped her with.

I’m pretty sure Nagito being bisexual has some degree of canon attached to it??? I think??? I’m not entirely sure tbh, but fuck it. I’m doing this for fun anyway, so this doesn’t really matter.

Shuichi, like all Danganronpa protags, is bi as fuck. I also find him to be more shippable with guys than the other two protags, so IMO he has no preference.

Toko might have a thing or two for pretty boys, but... Komaru, I mean, this isn’t exactly shocking, I don’t think. Probably was closeted before she met Komaru. I mean she did focus on Hina’s boobs a lot in DR1, let’s not forget.

Tsumugi, much like Kirumi, is here because I haven’t put much thought into her ships.

Bisexual (Female Preference)

Gundham has a thing with Sonia in canon, but I can see him being bi. So... yeah, ships again.

Hajime, like all Danganronpa protags, is bi as fuck. It’s just that his Chiaki and Mikan game is just too strong.

Hifumi might claim to only like 2D, but his interest in Chihiro both in human form and computer program form (and the fact that this didn’t go away after the gender reveal) places him here.

Kaito strikes me as a closeted bisexual. The kind that could start any given conversation with “I’m not gay, but...”

Kazuichi also strikes me as a closeted bisexual, only his “I’m not gay, but...” is rooted more in dumbass than it is in systematic homophobia.

Korekiyo... is here because of ships (e.g. Rantaro).

Kyoko is bi as fuck, and I can see her having a preference towards girls in particular. She gets shipped with girls a lot (e.g. Celeste, Hina, Yui, and even Junko and Mukuro), and when she is shipped with boys it’s usually just pretty boys (e.g. Makoto, Byakuya, Ryota, Shuichi, and, depending on your interpretation, Chihiro). Also note that aside from Makoto and maybe Byakuya, Kyoko’s girl ships are far more popular than her boy ships. Just something I’ve noticed over the years.

Leon... is here because of ships (e.g. Chihiro).

Mahiru is here because I’m pretty sure she has a thing for Hajime in her FTEs, but obviously she tends to get shipped with girls more often (especially Hiyoko), and I agree.

Makoto, like all Danganronpa protags, is bi as fuck. It’s just that his Kyoko, Hina, Sayaka, and Mukuro game is just too strong.

Mikan may be interested in Hajime somewhat, but her obsession with Junko cannot be ignored, no matter how much some of you may want to.

Mondo is another character that strikes me as a closeted bisexual. He is said to strike out all the time with girls, so I do think he’s attracted to women. And I do get some vibes that he’s attracted to Chihiro pre-reveal. And if circumstances had been different, I imagine he probably still would have been post-reveal. But obviously it’s his bond with Taka that I feel cements his sexuality in, at the very least, an mlm category.

Tenko... is here NOT because of ships, but because I’m pretty sure she’s at least sort of interested in Shuichi because of some canon thing... and also I don’t want to put her in Lesbian just because it feels like I’d be stereotyping the Lesbian category if I do that. If we were to compare her to the character that I did put in Lesbian, Hiyoko doesn’t treat people like shit because they’re men, she’s an equal-opportunity asshole. Still not the best representation for lesbians by a long shot, but at least Hiyoko doesn’t follow the stereotype of a man-hating lesbian. She’s just like that, and that’s okay. But putting Tenko there, especially if she’s shown some degree of interest in a male character at some point in the game, just rubs me the wrong way personally, because it would feel like I’m ignoring canon just to stereotype her. But that’s just a personal hang up of mine. No disrespect intended toward anyone who genuinely feels that Tenko is a lesbian. Maybe you see something there that I don’t, and that’s perfectly fine.

Pansexual

I don’t remember exactly how her FTEs went, so I’m not going to get into that, but Angie just comes off as pan to me, like gender doesn’t fit into the equation at all for her.

Gonta I can see as either pan or ace. I feel like he wouldn’t care about gender, and honestly the only reason I decided to put him in Pan rather than Ace is because of that scene with Miu.

Imposter is not only pan, they are currently OT3ing it up with Ibuki and Ryota as we speak, and that’s a fact.

Keebo... is mostly here because of ships. A lot of ships, actually. Mostly male ships (Kokichi, Shuichi, Kazuichi, and, depending on your interpretation, Chihiro) but there’s also Miu to consider. And the Miu game is SO strong that I put him in Pan instead of, say, Male Preference.

Just gonna lump them together because I have the same thing to say about both of them: Miu and Teruteru would **** anything that walks. What did I censor? Well, I’m doing the Nier: Automata thing, so you can put whatever you want in there and trust me, it would probably fit, for better or for worse.

Ace

I know this is an unpopular opinion, because Naegami, but I just don’t think Byakuya is interested in anyone, at least not in that way. He might be fascinated with how common people live, because it’s so foreign to him, but that’s about it.

Straight

Even though I do ship Fuyuhiko with some of the boys, his Peko game is so strong that honestly I can’t see him actually dating anyone aside from Peko outside of some very niche fanfiction.

Honestly, Hiro was another one that I was just like “I have no idea what to do with you.” I think maybe his team up with Kanon made me eventually choose to put him in Straight? I don’t remember. I clearly didn’t put much thought into Hiro.

I really only ship Nekomaru with Akane, so that’s why he’s here. I’m sure if I dive deep enough into my psyche I can pull an mlm ship with Nekomaru in it out of my ass, but like Rantaro that wouldn’t be significant enough to change anything.

Peko is in the same boat as Fuyuhiko. I have shipped her with girls before, but her Fuyuhiko game is just too strong.

Ryoma had a girlfriend once, and as far as I can remember he didn’t really seem interested in anybody in the game, so that’s all I have to go off of for him.

-----

So there you have it. Explanations for literally all of them! Explanations that were definitely not pulled out of my ass as I was typing them, nope, certainly not. Definitely won’t be tagging all of them, but I may tag the ones with the longest entries. And like all the tier lists I’ve done, this was just for fun and honestly any opinion I have for any of these characters could change at a moment’s notice because my brain is fickle like that. Tried my best to make sure that every tier had at least one character in it, but I did so without trying to force characters in places that I personally did not believe they should go. I hope you all enjoyed my dive into this area of fandom that I rarely dive into (the LGBT headcanons, not the ships, obviously). It was a lot of fun, and hopefully it will stay fun and not result in angry anons blasting me for my opinions. I am grateful that this never seems to happen to me, but I’ve seen it happen to others and I know what Tumblr is capable of at its worst. These are just headcanons and a matter of personal opinion, and if you disagree with them, that’s perfectly okay. Your feelings and opinions are also valid.

[anonymouslyangsty]

Ultimate clairvoyant!Taka

Wow congrats. You just found the worst possible talent for Kiyotaka Ishimaru. I'm impressed.

Fair warning this is very long. I got excited.

Listen It's the worst talent for him and I adore that. He's all about hard work and effort, working hard instead of relying on 'talent'. And yet he has a supernatural ability that he neither earned nor can really work hard at.

Taka would definitely feel guilt or shame over his ability, because what has he done to earn it? Why should he have some magic ability that gives him an unfair advantage? And even if he rarely used the ability, he'd always feel like a cheater, just some genius.

I can absolutely see Toranosuke being the first to catch onto Taka's ability. Like maybe he's watching a local election on TV while Taka's in the room, and jokingly asks the 5 year old who he thinks will win. Taka pauses for a moment, before very confidently picking one of the candidates. And...he's right.

And if it were a one time thing, you could easily write it off. He had a 50% chance to be right after all. But Toranosuke's interest is peaked. So he tries again, maybe lets Taka guess the winning numbers on a lottery ticket. The boy is right again.

Maybe this is what causes the scandal in this au? Toranosuke starts making perfect investments, so perfect that people suspect his abusing his position to get insider information. After all, how can he so perfectly predict when to invest, or when to sell his stock?

At this point, he can either claim to just be very good at what he does, which won't convince anyone...or he can tell the truth about his grandson. And really, what's the downside of doing that? It proves he isn't abusing his power (at least not in the way they're accusing him of), and it GIVES him more power. Because if Kiyotaka really does have this ability, then everyone is going to want to talk to the boy.

So Toranosuke proves without a shadow of a doubt that Taka can predict things, likely on national television. It's...a pretty big freaking deal, because it straight up proves that supernatural things are real.

Takaaki is very much out of the loop on this whole thing. The first he hears about Taka's ability is when his father's is dragging the boy on television to prove it. Takaaki is...unhappy that his father would do that without warning him, to say the least.

So Taka basically becomes a child god to some people. Politicians pay ridiculous amounts of money to get predictions and advice from this 7 year old boy. There's a legit cult that worships Taka. Maybe even a few kidnapping attempts, because who wouldn't want the boy who can predict the future?

Takaaki doesn't like that such a young boy is getting dragged into this kind of stuff. It's unhealthy, and some of Taka's 'followers' are obsessive and extreme in what they'll do. A 7 year old shouldn't have worshipers.

But even as his father, Takaaki has very little power to stop what's happening. It's an entire movement, with billions of yen involved and millions of people. The fact that Taka is his son doesn't have much sway at that point. The best he can do is make sure Toranosuke doesn't exhaust his son by keeping him up all night making predictions.

As for Taka, I'm sure he loves it at first. He's helping his grandfather! He's making so many people happy! And people like him and give him things! What little kid wouldn't like it?

But as he gets older, Taka begins to question if it's really a good thing. Because some of the people he's helping don't seem to be good people. They're politicians who aren't helping people, or businessmen who are abusing the information he gave them. And the older Taka gets the more he questions if what he's doing is right.

I definitely want this Kiyotaka empire to fall somehow. Maybe the stress of the position, the fear that he's doing the wrong thing, finally gets to Taka. And his dad knows that Toranosuke won't do what's best for the boy's mental health. So he takes Taka and runs, moving into some small run down town in the middle of nowhere, praying that nobody will recognize them.

Once they've escaped the spotlight, Taka starts doing what you'd expect from him. Working hard at school, joining the morals committee, generally being a teacher's pet, ect. Perhaps he feels like he has to make up for being a tool for corrupt politicians, for having a special edge up on others that he didn't earn.

He tries his best to ignore his powers, but the fact that he doesn't want to be a clairvoyant doesn't mean he isn't one. And going from using his powers constantly to never using them does have its consequences.

Taka doesn't want to magically know which student was going to run in the hall, or who was going to try to sneak out and smoke during lunch. It's immoral of him to abuse his powers like that, even if he is right! But he does know, and he can't just sit by and let the rules be broken, even if he got to information through unjust means.

I can also see him starting to sleepwalk at some point, because all that magical energy isn't just going to stay dormant. Takaaki is very used to his son walking into his room at 3 am, and telling him to invest in some company or another. Then just...flopping on the ground like a puppet whose strings were cut. Takaaki’s gotten very good at catching him before that happens, though he’s considering buying his son a helmet to sleep in just in case.

But even for all their hiding, Taka's absolutely going to be found sooner or later. He was known as the most powerful boy in Japan, he can't just disappear without people hunting him down. Plus Taka has a very distinctive face, with the bright red eyes and huge eyebrows.

Maybe that's why he accepted a position at HP. Not because he wants anything to do with his power, but because he wants his father not to have to deal with all of the madness surrounding it. If Taka leaves, the cult following, the constant hounding, the pursuit, goes with him. Takaaki can have a normal life.

(Also, imagine how heartbreaking and infuriating it would be for Taka to get that invitation. Because this Taka has worked just as hard as canon Taka. He got perfect grades through hard work, because he knows that magically knowing the answers isn't the same as understanding the material. He's just as hard working, just as qualified for the role of Ultimate Moral Compass. And yet he's recognized for something that he can't control. He's recognized for genius rather than effort.)

Final few statements, because golly this has gotten long. I do think Taka's powers work differently than Hiro's. Taka doesn't get quite as many predictions as Hiro, but when he does get them, they're 100% accurate.

While Taka probably can predict anything, most of his predictions specifically involve politics, economic trends, and things involving breaking rules. It's likely because that's what he's interested in, so that's where his predictions focus.

Now I'm thinking about Kiyotaka and Kyoko working together on a case. Taka can predict what'll happen before it does happen, and Kyoko has the ability to solve the case with the help of Taka's predictions.

[takerfoxx]

Something I've realized while reading through RD is that Charlotte has a different attachment to things in contrast to everyone else. When it comes to her relationship with Mami, I feel like in some aspects she needs Mami more than Mami needs her. Of course, I don’t mean to imply that Mami does not depend on Charlotte an incredible amount, she definitely does, but I feel like the two differ in the ways they think about it. Mami thinks of her love for Charlotte in a more matter-of-fact way, like, “Yes, of course I love her, she is my wife!”. Mami doesn’t dwell on her love for Charlotte outside of moments that really call for such thoughts. If you were to ask her about her feelings for her wife, she wouldn’t naturally go into depth as to why she feels that way unless prompted for such information.

In contrast, if you were to ask Charlotte the same question, I feel like her answer would eventually lead into a long ramble about why she loves Mami and what exactly makes her feel so strongly for her. Charlotte seems to have her affection for Mami on her mind a lot more often. For example, there have been many circumstances where there may be a break in a fight and Charlotte gives Mami a quick compliment or shows her some other form of affection. While Mami often has no problem reciprocating that endearment, it's almost never something that she herself brings up. Again, I don’t mean to imply that Charlotte loves Mami more than Mami loves Charlotte, it’s clear that the two have very strong feelings for one another and their relationship is incredibly important to both of them. I only want to shed some light on the thought that the two may differ in the ways they categorize their relationship in relation to other things.

Pretty much to sum that all up: Mami would view the trio of Charlotte, Kyoko, and Oktavia as simply, “That is my family!”. She has love for Charlotte, but she also has love for Kyoko and Oktavia. So in her head, it would be sufficient to group the three of them together and say that she loves them as a whole.

Charlotte would view the trio of Mami, Kyoko, and Oktavia as, “That is my wife and my close friends/family”. (I don’t think the relationship between her and Kyoko is close enough to warrant her referring to her as family just yet, so just close friends for now.) In her case, she would want to separate Mami from the other two to shed a spotlight on the fact that they share a much deeper love for each other than she has for either Kyoko or Oktavia.

This thought also led me into thinking about how hung up she is on the fact that she lost her home and her friends to be forced on a journey where they can never seem to catch a break. Maybe it’s just me misinterpreting something or taking things too literally, but in comparison to Mami, she seems to have a lot more longing for the way her life was before everything happened. This led me to the realization that Charlotte has never gone through a loss this large that she can remember. Both Kyoko and Mami lost their families and homes and gave up any possibility of living a normal life for the sake of being a magical girl long ago. Of course, those losses still burden each one of them respectively, but the experiences also led to them growing thicker skin. Charlotte doesn’t have any memories from before her death. To her, life began when she woke up in Freehaven. So in retrospect, it wasn’t just her home being taken away, it was everything she had ever known.

This is why, to Mami, rebuilding their lives once again isn’t entirely impossible. She has done it hundreds of times in the past. She found refuge in Kyoko and her family after her own parents’ death, she made new friends in Sayaka and Madoka, and even after her death, she was able to create a life that she was content with. To her, this is just another step in the cycle of love and loss, although admittedly, one she had thought she wouldn’t ever need to take again. 

I could see this being an issue for the two of them. Mami’s almost immediate acceptance of having lost everything in comparison to Charlotte’s constant longing for it all back.

“We lost our home, Mami!”

“Yes, we did. But we will find a new one.”

“No, you don’t understand! That was our home! That was everything!”

But what about Oktavia? Well, yes, Oktavia is in the same boat as Charlotte when it comes to her lack of memories of life, and therefore, experience with things like loss. However for Oktavia, this journey began the second she woke up. Charlotte had the luxury (or perhaps it's more of a curse?) of being able to build up a life beforehand. So Oktavia doesn’t have such an attachment to whatever she may have physically, because she never had the time for it to build up any meaning to her. She is much more intent on making sure her friends are okay, as they have been the only consistent thing in her life, and therefore are the world to her.

I apologize that this got so rambly. It was truly my intention to keep it short and concise but more and more things kept coming to my head as I was typing and I just couldn’t stop. I’m sorry if seeing such a long ask was overwhelming. In hindsight, I’m starting to realize that a lot of this has probably already been established and gone over, but oh well, that is a lot of editing I’d have to do and I’d honestly rather just leave it in.

Contrary to that, though, all of this could be so far off base that at this point I'm just typing out the ramblings of a lunatic. I apologize if my old habit of analyzing characters to the point where I’m pretty much just making things up has resurfaced, haha. At the end of the day, just know that you write some incredibly interesting characters and dynamics, my guy.

Okay, this is a really great character analysis, one that I thoroughly enjoyed reading. And yeah, you're totally right about Mami and Charlotte's dynamic. While both of them love the other very much, Charlotte is more proactive about it. I wouldn't necessarily say that she needs Mami more than Mami needs her (more on that later), just that she puts in more work than Mami does. Which isn't to take anything away from Mami, it's just how they are.

However, while you're absolutely right that their respective histories and different takes on tragedy are the reason for this, and while your interpretation isn't necessarily incorrect as none of this is likely to make page and thus no one take can be said to be "correct," here's an alternate reading.

Mami's given up.

It's true, she's lost everything multiple times, while Charlotte has only really lost everything "once," as least as far as she remembers. Mami's parents were snatched away, and her decision to save her life and her life alone weighs heavy on her. She messed up her relationship with Kyoko, leading to an ugly falling out. Her role as a Puella Magi, the only thing giving her hope, cost her her life and turned out to be scam, one that tricked her into causing untold amounts of harm. All of this was weighing heavily on her heart even before Kyoko and Oktavia showed up.

Of all the main PMMM main characters, Mami has always been portrayed as the most emotionally fragile, the first to freak out and crack. As such, she has far more mental health struggles than Charlotte. She tried to commit suicide while Charlotte has not. She needed far more consoling and therapy than Charlotte. She takes anti-depressants while Charlotte does not (which isn't to cast shade at anyone else who does, just to point out that everyone has different mental health needs).

It took her a long time to build up to where she was at the beginning of RD, only for her to lose everything again, to suffer time and time again, to be cast aside by her new home and forced by Lily to commit even more atrocities, and the dual blows of Mephisto triggering her guilt complex and her anti-depressant withdrawals really made her snap. As such, she's at a point where if she ended up as a vapor bag for leechers or got captured by Void Walkers, she wouldn't do much to try to save herself. What's the point?

In contrast, Charlotte has only lost everything once. Yes, that was bad, and things continue to get worse, but the unfairness really rankles her, and she's determined to get back what was lost, in one form or another. Furthermore, she also is very much aware of the burden that Mami is carrying, and as such is driven to take care of her, partly because that's her wife and she loves her, but also because she hasn't fully resolved her own guilt at having ended Mami's life to begin with, so she just has more reason to fight to make things better, whereas Mami is wondering what the point of it all is and has been for some time.

[illusionsofcontrol]

are there any tropes you wanted to stay away from with each character or the setting of danganronpa? its a pertty formulaic thing but you made it probably 10x more interesting than the usual game. maybe its because of the depth in charcters or the stakes but wh just seems more engaing than most real dr games! i love your works btw!

I'm really honored that you feel that way about my story! Thank you!

I should warn that my response is going to be somewhat critical of Danganronpa. I want to clarify that I still enjoy the games and it's perfectly fine if anyone disagrees, but these are my opinions and I feel they are important to my response.

First off, I guess I'm not sure if there's any setting tropes I mind in DR. The settings are actually pretty unique to each game and tie into the murders decently. WH obviously has a different setting, but that's more to fit the story rather than avoiding DR tropes.

There are, however, a lot of character tropes I intentionally avoided in WH:R.

Singular Buff Character Who Dies in Chapter 4

WH:R has two buff characters (formerly named Jerome and Ryan) and without going into spoilers, they may or may not have anything to do with Part 04. I don't know, this trope is just so overdone that I saw Gonta's design and instantly predicted that he'd die in Chapter 4. I thought it had to be a red herring, but no. That indeed happened just as expected. I don't want people to be able to predict deaths just by looking at a character design.

Girls Must Wear Skirts

Fun fact, there are only three female Danganronpa characters who don't wear skirts. They would be Aoi Asahina (wears shorts, much like an athletic swimmer would outside of the pool), Hiroko Hagakure (Yasuhiro's mom, wears jeans), and Ruruka Ando (Confectionary girl from DR3, wears very, very short shorts-). Unless there's someone I'm forgetting, every other DR girl wears skirts. Now, I'm aware that this is because most Japanese school uniforms require girls to wear skirts. But given how... bizarre everyone's outfits already are, do all the girls HAVE to wear skirts??? Given the weird fanservice of the games, I feel like it's more to make the girls reveal more skin/slim figure idk :/

I'm getting carried away here. Anyway, WH:R doesn't take place in a Japanese school so I made sure that the women aren't all wearing skirts. And while we're on the subject...

Sexual Fanservice

I'm not against it, but I personally feel like sexual fanservice in a Murder Mystery game (especially involving teenagers) is really uncomfortable. Every game has certain female characters designated to making fanservice moments (DR1: Aoi, DR2: Akane, Mikan, v3: Miu) (Junko for all three I guess-) (Also yes I'm aware that Mikan's fanservice is part of her character/backstory but it doesn't change the fact that the CGs are there for shameless fanservice. They could've drawn the scenes where her back was to the screen or something and conveyed the same message but they made sure to show Everything.)

There's also plenty of designs that are overly revealing; obviously anyone can wear what they want and a large chest is not inherently sexual but it's pretty clear to me that a lot of the revealing designs are for fanservice. Once again, these are mainly teenagers, and the older I get the more it unsettles me.

Anyway, I really wanted to avoid doing sexual fanservice for WH:R. Even though all characters but one are adults, it's just not something I want to write in a story like this. It's not my style.

The Rat

I mentioned this in a previous post, but I ended up avoiding the Rat Character trope. It's not that I dislike it, but I quite enjoyed having the characters all mean well (except for the Puppetmaster, of course.)

(But if I were to have a rat character in WH:R, they'd be the Super Diamond Level Griefer haha)

Resident Dumbass

Yasuhiro, Kazuichi, Kaito, and Akane come to mind (yeah the middle two aren't actually dumb but they tend to fall into this trope regardless). Having to do an entire minigame just to convince Yasuhiro that Kyoko wasn't a literal ghost comes to mind... Idk, I guess I just feel like characters like Kazuichi and Kaito are actually smarter than that but because it's "funny" they have to say illogical stuff throughout the games? Perhaps in a game with voice acting it can be a funny aside, but in a novel that kind of stuff would just slow everything down.

I don't know, it's not like everyone in WH:R is super smart, but that's a trope I tried to avoid.

Rude Characters (?)

Okay this isn't really a trope but Danganronpa tends to always have abrasive characters, but given that WH:R has a main cast of friends, it wouldn't make much sense for there to be much rudeness. I guess Ryan would be the closest to that but he still genuinely cares about the group.

This isn't a bad trope, it's just more natural to exist in Danganronpa because the characters there start off as strangers.

Conclusion

I can't really think of other tropes at the moment. Maybe if I think of more I'll reblog this. But I want to clarify that most of these "tropes" are avoided because of personal preference and differences in media, not necessarily because they're inherently bad.

This next part isn't exactly answering the ask, but I'm assuming that I get these asks from people who are interested in making their own fangans. So here are my two cents.

I've seen fangans that are made out of love for DR and I've seen fangans made out of spite and dislike for some aspects. Both reasons are valid (mine is mostly the former with a slight hint of the latter that's grown over the years). Kodaka's writing is definitely flawed; however, making fangans purely out of spite is dangerous. I don't want to name names, but there is one fangan in particular where the writer admitted to hating Danganronpa and only focused on adding what they wanted. But they neglected the most important part: having a solid story and cast.

Whether or not you love or hate Danganronpa, if you're writing a fangan, it is important to consider the many subjective reasons people are drawn to/away the series. I'm a firm believer that every story has something to teach a writer; even if the lesson is simply "I really don't like these tropes", considering why is insightful.

It mostly boils down to style, in my opinion. Danganronpa has a much different tone with its wacky characters and dialogue and scenarios, but that's Kodaka's style. My style is more grounded in reality, with each character having their own depth that comes up in the main plot and not just in Free Time Events. This is because my stories are more character-driven, and I personally dislike important character information that is sidelined to bonus content. I'm the kind of writer that never makes an OC that's not part of a story, cuz my style has every character play an important role.

(However, one can argue that in a visual novel, having more character depth in Free Time Events adds greater meaning because the player gets a special insight from choosing to interact with certain characters. In a regular novel, there isn't really that kind of interaction. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the media you're working with is also important.)

I think one of the biggest lessons I learned while writing WH is that forcing yourself to imitate any writer's style when trying to take inspiration is going to fall flat. It's kind of apparent in the beginning of WH, but I used to be feel like I had to follow the Danganronpa style even when I had my own desires for the story.

In reality, every writer is different and has their own quirks that they enjoy but other writers might not. There are many things I dislike about Kodaka's writing, but I know those things are definitely appealing to other people. Likewise, I know my style is not for everyone. It's fine to try and branch out if you want, but one has to recognize what one is comfortable with.

This lesson is still hard for me to absorb sometimes because I don't have much confidence in my storytelling abilities, but I'm gradually accepting that this fangan is my own. I am doing my own spin on the Danganronpa story and that's okay.

And honestly, that's what every fangan should be; a writer's own spin on the Danganronpa plot concept. So while here are the tropes I made sure to avoid, that doesn't mean other writers need to do the same. Figure out what works best for you and what YOU want to see in a Danganronpa story.

(Holy crap this was so long I'm so sorry-)

[animetrashlord-007]

Silence Is Golden

Word Count;; 1.1k

Genre;; Fluff

Pairing;; Kyoko x Ren

Summary;;

As ridiculous as this challenge was, she was going to win. There was no prize for remaining silent for the full twenty-four hours, except the satisfaction of beating Ren. Kyoko needed no other reason to do anything; if it meant having a chance to prove her superiority over Ren or Sho, she'd put her whole heart and then some into the project.

Notes;; Published: 2017-05-08

My Masterlist

   The room fell into an uncomfortable silence as President Takarada finished his announcement. He had declared that the day would be spent in absolute silence as a way to improve how everyone expressed themselves. Being unable to rely on their words, they would have to use body language and their facial expressions to communicate. Speaking through their eyes and actions, just as they used to in the silent film era, was essential in their growth as performers as well as human beings. The activity was impertinent in their quests to become the best actors they could be, at least according to Takarada. The general reception of the news was disbelief followed by exasperation. It didn't come as much of a shock, however, as Takarada was known for being a little outlandish at times; this was just another Tuesday to the veteran employees.

   Once they were sure he was finished, people began to file out of the room. When they were out of earshot, they resumed their conversations and made their business calls. Many of the company's employees ignored the order with good reason - it would be impossible to complete their jobs without speaking. As long as the President didn't see them, they could carry on with their usual daily tasks. Kyoko, however, was no quitter. As ridiculous as this challenge was, she was going to win. There was no prize for remaining silent for the full twenty-four hours except the satisfaction of beating Ren. Kyoko needed no other reason to do anything; if it meant having a chance to prove her superiority over Ren or Sho, she'd put her whole heart into the project.

   The president flashed his signature smile and exited with a wave to no one in particular. Within a few minutes, the room was void of all noise and almost empty aside from Ren and Kyoko. She wanted to inform him of her impending victory, but she wasn't quite sure how. She could give him a thumbs down and stick her tongue out or run her thumb along her throat, but she wasn't that childish. Time crawled by as she stared at the back of the A-list celebrity. He'd leave soon and the opportunity would be lost. She wasn't even sure if he had any intention to follow through with the order, so the gesture had to be perfect. It had to entice him into competing with her. There would be no fun in winning if he gave up, after all. She had to beat him fair and square.

   Strutting across the room to stand beside the renowned actor, she put on her sweetest smile as she placed a hand upon her hip. A minute passed, followed by another, then another and still he didn't bother to look at her. His eyes remained on his phone, earning an impatient tongue click from the fiery woman. While still unsure on how to convey how serious she was about showing him up, she knew the first step was gaining his attention. Ren Tsuruga was a stubborn man, but Kyoko could match his tenacity pound for pound. Clicking her tongue once more, she nudged his shoulder with enough force to move his entire body. A scowl crawled across her face upon seeing his finger rise to his lips. He had shushed her.

   Kyoko grabbed the closest chair and sat in front of her current rival. Over the past few months, she had come to respect Ren. More often than not, he pissed her off but he had undeniable talent. He went out of his way to make her life more difficult but she also learned quite a lot from him. Snapping her fingers every few seconds, she held her glare until he raised his eyes to meet hers. Maintaining eye contact, she lifted her thumbs to her chest. His eyebrow jutted up, but his face remained neutral as she pulled her right hand up next to her cheek. Pointing her index finger to the ceiling in the symbol known as a ‘one’, she grinned before whisking the finger around to point at her face. She completed the display by thrusting her left thumb away from her chest and toward Ren, flashing him a thumbs up with a wink.

   To her surprise, Ren nodded before standing up. While he towered over her when they stood next to each other, the height difference with her seated was just terrifying. She scrambled to her feet, narrowing her eyes with an indignant huff. They were no more than a foot away from each other and she could see his chest rise and fall with every breath. He leaned forward, bowing his head as he tilted her chin up. Their eyes met once more and he smiled. He was up to something, Kyoko had no doubt about it, but she had no idea what he could have planned within those few seconds. Perhaps he had a dramatic gesture of his own to show that he had accepted her impromptu challenge, or his own version of a declaration of superiority. She awaited his next move with anxious curiosity.

   He surprised her once again when he brushed his fingers against her cheeks. The act was gentle and sweet, unlike Ren. The idea of him being kind made her shudder but her thoughts on how odd a domesticated Ren would act were cut short. Her sudden daze dissipated when she felt his breath on her lips, his face inches away from her own. She couldn't read his expression and cursed at how well trained he was. As an actor, he could portray almost any emotion through his eyes alone. With just as much ease, he could hide those emotions and it frustrated her. A blush tinted her cheeks when she realised he wasn't pulling away. As if that were his cue, his lips met hers in a soft kiss.

   Eyes widening, Kyoko jerked backward as she opened her mouth to yell at the man she considered to be her most worthy rival. Remembering the event that started this whole mess, she clamped her hand down hard across her lips. She had caught herself in time to stop herself from speaking, but her hand did nothing to muffle her small squeak. Straightening himself, Ren smirked down at the feisty woman. He lifted his hand to the front of his face, the motion much slower than her anxiety appreciated. Anticipation gnawed at her stomach as he finally acknowledged her earlier challenge. All traces of her rattled nerves disappeared when she recognised the universal movement. He raised one slender finger to his lips before closing an imaginary zip along his mouth. Her temper flared as she raised her hand to reply, but he shrugged her off before leaving the room. Vowing vengeance, she began to plot her next move.

[kiridork]

Some more Kyo headcanons

So last night me and a few people on my discord server were talking about Kyo and Tohru and it led into a conversation involving Kyo’s PTSD (i know he’s not diagnosed but he’s had so much trauma in his life and has had nightmares and panic attacks that I would be surprised if he doesn’t). It led into talking about possible triggers that Kyo might have and I wanted to share the four that I came up with. WARNING this post not only has spoilers for the series but it can deal with touchy subjects so heed with caution! 

Okay, so I ended up trying to come up with triggers that involved the most traumatic things that happened in his life (traumatic events that Kyo has witnessed first hand). These would essentially be: the abuse caused by Kyo’s father, witnessing his mom’s suicide (look the trailer for season 2 pretty much said it so i’m rolling with it), experiences with his true form, and Kyoko’s accident. 

Before I get into it more, these are the things that Kyo experienced first hand. Tohru falling off the cliff would not be traumatic for him since he wasn’t there when she fell, he only saw the aftermath of it. This also relates to the cats room because while it is very depressing to know that you’re life is over before you start it, he was never put into the room, which would have definitely caused trauma.  Also, I know that Kyo was very isolated when he was a kid and that kind of neglect can cause trauma, Kyo tends to like being alone so I feel as though that would be very conflicting thing to go about. 

Anyway! I decided that because these events were traumatic (a few of them were repetitive trauma), he has triggers correlating with each event. Here are four of them that I came up with:

Crowded traffic/intersections: this one correlates with Kyoko and her accident. I feel like the intersection they were both at is very busy with lots of people and very loud with the sound of cars and people talking. Those things bring flashbacks to that day with Kyoko and cause him to panic.

Subway stations and the subway: This one correlates with his mom’s suicide. Of what the season 2 trailer shows, to me it’s pretty clear that he was there when his mom jumped in front of the train. I know that there’s a panel in the manga showing Kazuma showing Kyo trains. That’s why I specified to the subway because in that panel it looks like those were cargo carts which look completely different than a Japanese subway train. These also make Kyo panic and he tries to avoid them as much as he can.

Grabbing his wrist: I’m saying more as in a way to try to stop someone from going or trying to get someone’s attention. That kind of fast, instant grab. Not like how Tohru tenderly grabbed his wrist during volume 8. This one hundred percent involves his true form. Pretty much every time Kyo transforms into his true form, it’s always because someone forcefully grabs his wrist and pulls his bracelet off. Which could be another explanation why he flipped that girl who grabbed his arm (with other causes of course). Side note: I also feel like after the curse breaks there are times Kyo looks at his wrist to see his bracelet gone and panics until he remembers that the curse broke and he doesn’t need it anymore. 

Cigarette Smoke: This one is kind of far fetched one but I couldn’t figure out one that would correlate with his dad’s abuse since we don’t see a whole lot of it in the series (we really only see one of Kyo’s flashbacks for that). I did remember that his dad smokes. Which the smell of cigarettes could trigger memories of his dad smoking and the abuse that went on during living with him. I know that Shigure smokes too (or well in the manga he does. due to japan’s strict smoking laws it’s not allowed to be showed on tv anymore) which is why this one isn’t so much triggering. It was at first, but since Shigure smokes a lot he had to get used to it and now it just leaves him feeling ill. It’s also interesting that this is the exact opposite of @lilbeehive‘s headcanon about Tohru liking the smell of cigarette smoke because the smell reminds her of her mom (who did smoke).

I feel like there could be a few more things that could trigger him but I can’t really think of any at the moment. But I do want to say a few more things while I’m on the subject:

I 100% agree with @mistergrass‘s headcanon about Kyo having a panic attack the first night that he stayed at Shigure’s house. Just think about it: your master left you alone to fend for yourself for who knows how long, you make a bet with your god that determines your future, you go and fight your cousin only to be transformed and informed that this girl who was there just so happened to be the daughter of the women that you allowed to die, then out of all that you are ordered by your god to live at this house with the cousin you hate (and pushed all of your traumatic experiences on) and that same girl relating to a traumatic experience you wanted to forget. ... Yeah I would have a panic attack too. Oh and also you’re sleeping in the living room until your room is figured out. Awesome. I think once Kyo had been left alone while everyone went to bed, the living room dark and empty, he would contemplate what the fuck happened and then immediately freak out when he realizes what this entails. 

Lastly, I would like to mention I do believe that even after the curse, Kyo still panics, has nightmares, and is still trying to cope with all of this. Traumatic events and PTSD don’t just magically go away when one problem is solved. They are still there and it’s something that has to be constantly managed. It doesn’t get fixed, you just learn healthy coping mechanisms and ways to manage it in your day to day life. And I think Tohru really helps him through this as well and her and kazuma are really good support systems. Also if him completely repressing the memory of his dad yelling at his mom that both him and her should die, who the fuck knows what other memories he’s repressing too. I don’t know, I just think that with Rin saying she is still in pain after everything and how that message was saying that it’ll be a long time for everyone to heal, it just feels right that Kyo, and everyone else, is still dealing with this fucked up situation.

Those were my thoughts and this entire thing which I needed to get out of my head. Hope you found this interesting!

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

The Meeting: Part 2

You want us...to join the Future Foundation?

That’s insane! What are you thinking!?

Of course, it’s just my opinion. But if anyone has any objections, then please speak freely.

However, think about it from this perspective. Even though they’re talents that were inserted into them prior to their placement in the killing game, they are still Ultimate Students just like us.

Himiko is a magician, which means in the entertainment industry she’ll be able to spread happiness and hopes with her magic tricks.

For the record, I’m a mage, and I perform real magic, not tricks...But yeah, I perform magic for the sake of making people smile and cheerful.

Maki is an assassin, which means from a military or combative perspective, she’d help out massively. Right?

I’ve never done bodyguard work, but I know a thing or two about weapon maintenance and stuff...

And Shuichi’s a detective, and it never hurts to have more people in the police department.

I mean...I’d be honored.

My point is, if we were to accept them into our foundation, it would be the best possible scenario. We can provide for them all the things they need to live the rest of their lives in full, and in return, they can be a really useful asset to the world as a whole.

Hm...He does have a point...

But we DON’T KNOW them! You can’t just take in someone that you’ve only known for a day! Like I said, we have no idea who these people are or where they’ve came from other than their own accounts!

As weird as it sounds, I agree with him. You don’t know us. How can you trust us so easily?

...Maybe this sounds silly to you. To all of you...but...

I don’t have any reason other than that I want to believe in you guys...I don’t need a reason other than that!

!!!

...

Maki?

I-If that’s the case...

I promise...I won’t let you down.

This is madness! You’re really saying you’d accept them into this foundation based on a random hunch you get!?

And what’s wrong with that!?

Settle down! This discussion is getting too intense.

Putting it to a majority vote.

Huh?

Depending on how many people here there are who accept the idea, compared to how many are not accepting of it, depends on what we should do.

I agree with that!

Those who think it is an acceptable idea to allow the three of them into the foundation, please raise your hand.

*Everyone except for Byakuya and Kyoko raise their hands.

And now...those who-

Ugh...Don’t bother...

But Branch Chief...I can’t help but notice you didn’t raise your hand...

Ultimately, the final decision goes to me, so I would rather not vote. However...

At the end of the day, while most of us here will accept the help of our three newcomers, it’s entirely up to them what direction they go in.

You promise I can make people smile with my magic? Because if so, I’m on board!

Same here. It’d be an honor to put my detective skills to use.

Like I already said...I promise not to let you down...

Makoto...you...

Hm?

You were able to survive your own killing game...Yet you don’t always think with your head...

You also think with your heart...I appreciate that.

No worries...Just doing what I felt was right...

Byakuya, it’s pretty clear that most of us here support Makoto’s idea over yours. Do you have any further objections?

...I’d like to say yes, but honestly...I don’t have much else to say...

However, I do request one proposition to the Branch Chief...

And what’s that?

In the very least, I demand that the three of them be placed in different branches.

Not in a way that would prevent them from interacting or seeing each other entirely, but in a way that would make it hard for them to get a moment alone together...

At least...until we can fully trust them and accept them as our own...

...

Very well...I agree to this proposition.

Fine by me...but then, what branches will we place them in.

I’d like that to be a topic we discuss at a later time...but I have already been made certain of one thing.

I believe Shuichi should work with me in Branch 1.

Huh!?

Because he’s a detective?

That’s one of my primary reasons, yes, but there’s more to it. I won’t go into full detail though.

What about you Impostor? Doesn’t this go against your own thoughts and feelings on the matter?

Like Fuyuhiko said, this decision could potentially affect the foundation as a whole.

But if the foundation as a whole accepts the three into our ranks...then no, I have no further objections.

In that case, is that all?

Um...wait, just one more thing...

What is it Sonia?

This isn’t related to the current situation in regards to Shuichi, Himiko and Maki, but...

It’s something I thought I’d bring up. It’s very important...

What is it?

*Sonia reaches under the desk and produces the laptop that Kuripa gave her that morning. She turns it on and Alter Ego’s face lights up on the screen.

Hello everyone.

Ah! master, it’s you!

Hello Alter Ego...Did you get that mission completed for Sonia?

Y-Yes I did...but...

That is what I wish to present to everyone...Alter Ego? Kindly show them.

*Alter Ego’s computer screen lights up with a bunch of computer files laid out in a row. There is a considerably noticeable gap in a particular area.

What’s with that?

These are some important, close to the chest, files that are shared between Branch 6 and Branch 2. This morning, I worried there had been a breach in security, so I contacted Chihiro to see if he could overview it.

I was busy with certain procedures this morning, so I couldn’t make it. Instead, I requested Kuripa from Makoto’s Branch to deliever Alter Ego to the office to investigate the files.

(And thanks to that I almost walked in on Sonia and Gundham doing...stuff...)

And what we found...was more concerning than I thought...

What?

I think...the files have been hacked...and certain pieces of data had been stolen.

I want to be surprised, but I also saw that coming. Do you know what files were stolen?

More importantly, why were Future Foundation files stolen? And who the hell would do something like that?

I wouldn’t be too surprised. The foundation definitely has some enemies. Most of whom remain in the shadows.

There are millions of people in this country, and at least a few hundred were actually supportive of Junko Enoshima and the tragedy. It’s not a nice thing to think about, but it is true.

What files in particular were stolen?

All I can tell is that they were files taken from Branch 2′s lab department. The actual information is missing.

The lab department!?

Um...y-yes...!

Let me see that!

*Byakuya alarmingly rushes up to the laptop and starts investigating the files...

D-Dammit! It’s just as I thought!

Wh-What is it!?

The files that were extracted...they’re directly tied to the coding for the resurrection/cloning machines...

The machines that brought everyone back?

You mean someone took information on those? What for!?

...

You don’t think they’re trying to bring the Ultimate Despair back to life do you...

...

*Silence

S-Sorry...let’s not be too hasty...Maybe I’m being paranoid...

Being paranoid would do you good if there’s a pretty probable chance that it could happen...I don’t know how these files were taken, but they contain information that is too important to be released into the world.

It might be my fault they were taken. At an early public press conference I told everyone the truth about the ressurection program. I just couldn’t lie to them, it would make things worse if I did...

You didn’t do anything wrong Makoto. Stop blaming yourself for this.

S-Sorry regardless...

Hm...There’s no use worrying about it now...but we do need to take care of this issue ASAP.

Is there anything else uncovered Alter Ego?

No Ms Kirigiri.

In that case...Meeting adjourned.

I can’t help but feel like we really became unimportant near the end there...

Hey, whatever works. Right now we’re not the big issue the Future Foundation has to deal with.

I gotta say, the whole issue with our situation got cleared up pretty quickly.

But in the very least, I’ve got you two with me. It’ll be hard to ignore what we once were, but like it or not, we ARE Ultimate's now. Helping these people fix the world is the only thing we can do that’s right right now...

I agree...

Yep, same!

Ah, you guys are here...

Ms...Kabuya, right?

Yoruko is fine, and I’ve been asked to tell you your branch numbers and locations, and I’ll give you a quick rundown on the details too.

Ms Kirigiri seemed insistent for you to be in Branch 1 Shuichi, so that’s where you’ll be placed.

I-I see...

Maki, you’re in Branch 2.

You mean the branch with that man with the glasses is in charge of?

Mr Togami wanted to keep a personal close eye on you in particular. He’s the type who holds a grudge, you see?

I can see...

and Himiko will be in Branch 4.

Ok! Thank you for this!

[nanamicide]

Red butterflies - chapter 13

Read on AO3

A thin silhouette partly covered by long, light lavender hair was guiding him through the maze that was Hope’s Peak Academy. If, a month ago, someone had told him that everything would have come to this, Juzo would not have believed them. And yet, here he was, investigating someone he used to consider one of his best friends with the former headmaster’s daughter. Kyoko-san – he did not want to call her Kirigiri-san; that was her father – scribbled on a small notebook, completely silent. He didn’t understand why Gekkogahara-san had asked him to come with her. She wasn’t even talking to him or telling him what they were supposed to look for. Was this some form of punishment for not being able to get any information from Nanami-san when he’d interrogated her?

He sighed, remembering what had happened earlier that day

-

Nanami-san was extremely calm for someone whose love interest was claiming to be plotting against the academy. When he had come to get her out of her class, she didn’t seem surprised nor scared of him. It probably meant that she was part of the Ultimate Despair now. Kamukura probably had no difficulty getting her to join his cause, what with his own talents and her feelings towards him. Juzo knew he needed to get to the bottom of this.

He had her sit down in an empty classroom, standing across from her. She seemed strangely docile, and a lot more confident than she had been during their first encounter. This only made his suspicions grow bigger. Despite that, he still hoped that his intuition would be wrong. In a way, it was Munakata-kun’s fault that these things were happening. And because of that, Juzo knew he’d enabled some of them by not going against him until recently. Part of him felt guilty about all of this.

“What do you know about Kamukura?” He asked, attempting to make eye contact with the young girl.

“I don’t know anything.” She paused, avoiding his gaze. “Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you… I think.”

He chuckled. She definitely had gained in confidence since she’d started seeing Kamukura. This felt bittersweet to him, as he’d also started to feel more self-assured after confessing to Munakata-kun. None of this had  turned out right for him, had it? He didn’t want Nanami-san to go through what he was going through. He took a deep breath before speaking. He didn’t like the idea of having to open up to a student, but he needed to let her know what had happened to him. She had to understand that doing things out of love for someone could be wrong in certain conditions.

“I understand that you love him – there’s someone I love too, you probably know about that – but what if he was going to betray you? Are you completely sure you can afford to hide things from me and Gekkogahara-san? What if, by trying to protecting him, you were putting everyone else in danger?”

Nanami-san looked up at him, pastel pink eyes seemingly lost in thought. That was good. This meant that she was registering what he was saying – that she was at least thinking about it. He could get her to tell him something.

“Izuru-kun told me everything that happened between you and Munakata-san,” she said. Her voice was soft but he didn’t lower his guard. He’d been manipulated by a member of Ultimate Despair once. He was not going to let that happen again. “So I suppose you’ll think I’m foolish for doing this, but I trust him. All I can tell you is to investigate the situation thoroughly. Even if I’m wrong, you’ll be able to figure that out yourself… I think. I have faith in the future.”

Had this happened a few days ago, Juzo would have pushed his investigation further. This wasn’t to say that he was satisfied with the results – it was quite the contrary. But he was okay with having narrowed down the list of hypotheses to these two possibilities: either Nanami-san had joined forces with Kamukura for Ultimate Despair, or, considering the Ultimate Gamer didn’t seem disturbed by the video she’d seen, Kamukura was only pretending to be Enoshima’s successor. Besides, her seemingly blind faith in the future could be the correct response to what was going on, for all he knew.  It would be up to him and the others to figure out truth from lies and right from wrong. He quickly dismissed her, reminding her that she wasn’t to skip class under any circumstances today. She agreed.

-

“Still thinking about Nanami-san?”

The question snapped Juzo out of his thoughts. He hadn’t expected the cold detective to care about what he was reflecting on.

“I suppose so. It doesn’t help that you’re barely talking to me.”

A faint smile appeared on her face, and she closed her eyes for a moment. Juzo couldn’t help but think about how different she was from her father. He was starting to understand why his former boss had given up on detective work. He definitely didn’t have the appropriate demeanor or personality for it.

“I apologize. Detective work doesn’t require any type of conversation, you see. I was also under the impression that Gekkogahara-san had you follow me around to be sure I’d have some sort of protection. After all, we’re still up against someone who has much more power than we do, whether that person is Kamukura-san or Munakata-san.”

He didn’t respond, understanding that because of Kyoko-san’s perfect logic, she would be bossing him around as long as their investigation would going on. Luckily for him, she wasn’t too unpleasant to be around.

  XXXXXXX

  With everyone gathered around her like this, Miaya felt as though they were capable of anything. It didn’t matter if Nanami-chan wanted to protected Kamukura-kun, or if Munakata-san wanted to protect his position as headmaster. She was surrounded by good people, who were seeking to find out the truth behind everything that had been going on the academy. She knew that by joining forces the way they had today, the would reach a breakthrough. Typing on the keyboard in front of her, she let Usami speak for her:

“I am extremely grateful for all your hard work and help today! Even though we haven’t shared all our discoveries yet, I am sure you all have something interesting to bring to the table. I even have hope that we will get to the bottom of this before the day ends.”

Since the sun was already setting outside, it was a bit of a wild bet, but Miaya didn’t care. She had decided to believe in her friends. As the former Ultimate Therapist, she had always had it in her to believe in others, no matter how damaged they thought they were. However, this newfound belief in her friends was something new. She was usually the one who was helping others. This time, everyone had been helping her. It had warmed her heart so much that she felt quite close to removing her scarf to share her smile with everyone in the room.

“I suppose we’ll start,” Kirigiri-chan said, glancing at Sakakura-kun, who had been her partner for the day. She hadn’t been sure about pairing the two together, but it seemed to have gone well.

“We were able to identify the room where the video was shot,” he said. “It’s a shame you told us to not act on our own, because I’ve been dying to just go in there. The problem with that is that Kyoko-san thinks that’s where Kamukura is still hiding.”

“Correct. Preventing you from doing anything reckless and going off on your own was a pain, though. In any case, it seems like the room where Kamukura-san and Yukizome-san were is the classroom where the killing game between the members of the student council took place,” Kirigiri-chan continued, as collected as ever. “The only reason why no one could figure it out from the start is because the blood stains, and all classroom material have been removed. I imagine Kamukura-san has been repurposing the room so he could carry out whatever he plan he came up with.”

Even if she’d heard of the young girl’s prowess as a dectective, Miaya was still amazed by how good she was. She sounded and acted like she had been doing this her entire life – well, since she’s part of the Kirigiri clan, it’s probably the case, she thought to herself – and had reached the level of the most skilled detectives on the planet. Some people had assumed that Kizakura-san had only scouted her because she was his best friend’s daughter, but seeing her work like this would have convinced anyone of how worthy she was of her title of Ultimate Detective.

“Besides, even if he isn’t in that specific classroom anymore, he’s definitely hiding in the old building. Or at the very least, that’s where he wants us to go.”

“Couldn’t it be a trap?” Kirigiri-san asked. Miaya understoof he wasn’t doubting his daughter’s skills. He was only pushing her to do her best, just like any parent would.

“You underestimate me,” she chuckled. “Tell him, Sakakura-san.”

“We talked to Nanami-san again. Before you guys accuse me of not following orders, it was her idea. But anyway, Kyoko-san wanted to see her just to make sure she wasn’t hiding anything. She also thought it would be a good opportunity for her to figure out if going to the old school building would be a trap.”

“And I’ve reached the conclusion that it wouldn’t be a trap,” Kirigiri-chan continued, a smug smile on her face. Anyone in the room could tell that she was happy to prover her father wrong. “Nanami-san seems to be aware of something, but Kamukura-san definitely made sure she wouldn’t tell anyone. So, as Sakakura-san was telling us during lunch, she’s either Ultimate Despair, or Kamukura-san is pretending to be Ultimate Despair. In my opinion, it’s the latter. I remember the relationship between Ikusaba-san and Enoshima – the way Nanami-san speaks of Kamukura-san is completely different.”

Miaya made Usami nod. Kirigiri-chan’s investigation had been thorough enough for them to be able to act as soon as everyone else would have shared their discoveries of the day. She knew it was important for them to make the first move. If Munakata-kun were to find Kamukura-kun first, something bad would happen, even if he were innocent.

“In case we need to fight,” Kizakura-san then spoke, “I scouted the most fight-oriented ultimates and former ultimates I could get a hold of. After I was done with my duties as the homeroom teacher for class 77, of course,” he added, with a smile directed at Miaya. Of course, having been his student, she hadn’t fully trusted him with that mission. She knew he knew it – he was observant enough to figure out such things without anyone pointing them out to him.

“Who do you have on your team?” Usami asked, ignoring the extra comment and smile.

Her former teacher handed her piece of paper on which a list of name had been written in a messy handwriting she had gotten used to over the years. No matter how frustrated she was with the older man and his drinking habit, she was thankful for his scouting abilities. Despite his habit of crossing boundaries, it was hard to say no to him when he asked you to help him with something. He definitely was a strange individual, but there was something about him that made him likable, especially to students.

Miaya quickly scanned over the list, smiling to herself as she read the names.

Izayoi Sonosuke, Ultimate Blacksmith. Owada Mondo, Ultimate Bike Gang Leader. Owari Akane, Ultimate Gymnast. Ogami Sakura, Ultimate Martial Artist. Ikusaba Mukuro, Ultimate Soldier. Pekoyama Peko, Ultimate Swordswoman. Nidai Nekomaru, Ultimate Team Manager. Great Gozu, Ultimate Wrestler. Kuzuruyu Fuyuhiko, Ultimate Yakuza.

The list was small, but it would be one way to guarantee their victory. No matter how power-hungry Munakata-kun was, he could not risk killing one of his students, especially if they were in no way, shape, or form, associated with the Ultimate Despair. After what Kamukura-kun had revealed about him in the video he had sent everyone, Miaya knew her former classmate would have to tread about carefully.

“Excellent work, Kizakura-san!” Usami beamed before turning to Kirigiri-san.

“I couldn’t do as much as all of you,” the former headmaster said apologetically, making his own daughter scoff. “But I must congratulate you on how much effort you’ve put into this. I know none of this would be happening if I hadn’t been so weak-willed against the steering committee, so I am indebted to all of you for doing so much to clean up the mess I’ve made.” There was a pause, during which Kirigiri-san made a face. “I do know that none of you are doing it for me, per say, but I have prepared the speech I will deliver once all of this is over. I even found a way to convince everyone that forgiving and rehabilitating Kamukura Izuru is the right course of action, even if he truly is Ultimate Despair, which, from what I understand, is unlikely.”

“Thank you, Kirigiri-san! Every student who attended the academy with you as its headmaster knew how much you cared about it. It’s only natural that we give you your position of headmaster back when this is over and done with.”

Miaya marked a pause, preparing herself to explain what she had been doing when everyone was working hard on their rescue mission to the people gathered in the room. She knew it wasn’t much, but it had been a project dear to her, and she was thrilled to tell them that she had managed to complete it on such a short notice.

“As for me, I worked with the Ultimate Programmer, Fujisaki-kun, and we completed the Neo-World Program. That way, if we need to rehabilitate Kamukura-kun, we have the means to do it. It was tough, but Matsuda-kun’s journal was a great help.”

Everyone in her office was smiling, and Miaya knew that no matter what was about to happen next, they would come out victorious. It wouldn’t be easy, but they had the hope necessary to succeed.

[edogawatranslations]

Danganronpa Kirigiri (3) - Chapter 4, Part 4

Table of Contents | Previous: Chapter 4, Part 3

“Can each of you explain what you were doing after three in the afternoon?” Kyoko asked with one hand on her hip.

Her actions finally started to seem befitting of a homicide detective. I expected no less from her.

“Are you asking for our alibis?” Mizuiyama asked with a look of confusion. “I don’t mind, but why after three? Mr. Shirasu wasn’t killed until eleven...”

“The victim was last witnessed alive around three. It’s possible the killer approached him at that time.”

“I see,” Mizuiyama continued. “It doesn’t make for much of an alibi, but I was in this room reading a book. Since we chose this room as our base, everyone was coming in and out throughout the day, but I remained here most of the afternoon.”

“I’m sorry if this comes off the wrong way, but were you really taking things seriously?” I asked in as gentle a tone as possible. “A mysterious stranger called you to a haunted mansion, and you chose to spend the afternoon reading?”

“Nothing felt unusual at the time, and I wasn’t aware of the rumors surrounding this place until later. I determined that patiently waiting for my client to appear was the best course of action. After all, as a detective, I had an obligation to my client.”

She had a point. Aside from the mysterious request, there was nothing abnormal about the situation. I likely would’ve acted the same way.

“Did you see the victim at any point?”

“He was toying with his cell phone on that sofa until three. I don’t know where he went after that.”

“Was he on the phone with someone?” I asked.

“No, he told me he was trading stocks. I didn’t even have to ask.”

“I went around examining the paintings and scrolls inside this mansion,” Yadorigi answered next. “Since my mission was to investigate for counterfeits, I figured it couldn’t hurt to do some groundwork before my client appeared. I spent a great deal of time checking the paintings in the entryway. I crossed paths with Shirasu several times, but nothing about him seemed out of the ordinary. I can’t recall the exact times.”

Then, Yaki spoke up. “I ain’t got much to say. I was wanderin’ around. Didn’t run into that guy even once, but I kept bumping into that loose woman, and boy, was she not happy to see me. She yelled at me to get lost since she was on the phone with someone.”

Since everyone was alone, none of their alibis could be confirmed. Although, if any of them did have an airtight alibi for the entire day, it would raise some red flags.

“Ugh, I’m pooped.” Kakitsubata finally returned to the living room and threw herself onto the sofa. She lay her head on one of the sofa arms and started playing with her hair. “Hey, gangster wannabe, the scary men want to talk to you.”

“Who you callin’ a gangster wannabe? I ain’t no poser.” Yaki fixed his hair and headed to the other room.

I turned to Kakitsubata. “We already asked everyone else, but can you tell us where you were and what you were doing after three?”

“How cute! You’re like a little inspector,” she clapped in amusement. “Three? Do you really expect me to remember the nitty gritty details?”

“It doesn’t have to be exact...”

“Hmm... I peeked into a bunch of different rooms while chatting with a friend over the phone... I think?”

“Noted.”

I shouldn’t have asked.

“Yui,” Kyoko leaned over and whispered into my ear. “We’re done here. Come with me, there’s someplace else I want to investigate.”

“Huh? Where?”

Kyoko grabbed my arm and started pulling me forward.

“H-Hey, don’t shirk your responsibilities!” Kakitsubata yelled out.

“Sorry, we’ll be right back!” I shouted while being dragged out into the hallway.

“Is something wrong?” I asked Kyoko. “You’re so energized all of a sudden.”

Her change in attitude took me aback. This was the same girl who saw no point to solving a case without a request, focused solely on ranking up, and sought to avoid getting tangled up in Duel Noirs at all costs.

“...I can’t afford not to be.”

“Are you worried about the time limit? Sure, time is slowly running out, but we can spend an average of 28 hours per case, so it’s not like we’re behind.”

“That’s not it...”

She turned away to hide her solemn expression, but her grip on my arm didn’t weaken.

As I walked behind her, I took a good look at her tiny shoulders and back. How heavy a burden did this thirteen-year-old girl have to bear? And how much of it was of her own volition?

Was there anything I could do to lighten her burden?

“You’re hiding something from me, right?” I asked. She didn’t stop to nod or turn around. “I haven’t been able to ask because of the Duel Noir and all, but is there a reason you can’t go home?”

“Save it for later,” she replied curtly, turning away my offer of support.

That didn’t faze me.

“Did something happen at your house?”

“Yui,” she turned around and shot me a piercing glare. “We don’t have the liberty to be discussing trivial matters.”

But this isn’t trivial. I stopped myself before I could counter.

An invisible wall divided the two of us. I had thought it had crumbled after everything we’d been through, but it was clear that it still stood firm.

We stepped into the hallway linking the main building and the dojo. Several forensic officers were dusting for fingerprints and checking for footprints around the door.

We greeted them, presented our armbands, and entered the crime scene.

A few officers were bustling about inside. The body had been removed, leaving a darkened pool of blood in the center of the room as the only remnant of the murder.

The two suits of armor remained unmoved.

As a result of the investigation, the bizarre impression we had of the room when we discovered the crime had faded. The armored warriors, with their imposing aura, now clearly looked out of place.

Kyoko walked up to the katana-wielding warrior.

“Careful, that there’s a real sword,” one of the officers warned.

Kyoko craned her neck to inspect the katana from a safe distance. It appeared to be the same kind as the one used to stab the victim. I was unaware of the special techniques that went into crafting it, but it was probably okay to consider it a standard katana.

After brushing her hair back with her hand, she took a step away from the armor and donned a pair of black gloves.

“You gals are two of Ryuuzouji’s kids? He’s found some serious ones recently,” the officer said with admiration.

I assumed Ryuuzouji regularly sent helpers to gather information at crime scenes. Nobody but a distinguished detective like him would be permitted to do such a thing.

Unfortunately, few people were aware of his activities as an executive in a criminal organization. I wondered if the crimes he helped solve outnumbered the Duel Noirs he planned.

But he likely didn’t distinguish between the two. To him, both were a form of salvation.

“What’s the estimated time of death?” Kyoko asked the officer.

“When we arrived on the scene, the victim hadn’t been dead for more than an hour or so. That’d place it around 11 PM.”

At that time, we were standing outside the room and heard a noise coming from inside. As I suspected, that was when the victim was being stabbed beyond the door.

Kyoko stared at the pool of blood for a few moments before shifting her gaze to the warriors.

“Apparently the armor had been by the wall before,” I said to her. “I wonder why it was moved for the murder.”

She didn’t turn around. She crossed her arms and slightly tilted her head.

After a while, as if having a eureka moment, she walked over to the weaponless warrior and crouched down to check its feet. The warrior had on white tabi socks and waraji sandals woven from straw.

“Figure something out?” I asked.

“Look, there’s a stain on the straw.”

The forensic officer and I peeked over.

“You’re right, looks like mud,” the officer remarked. He lifted up an edge of the sandal with the tip of his pen and peeked at its sole. “Slightly wet. Might’ve been used to walk on the snow.”

“Th-Then... Don’t tell me...” I got goosebumps picturing the warriors marching around in the snow.

Were these warriors capable of walking on their own? Maybe the rumored sightings of the souls of fallen warriors had been of them...

“Yui, do you have a tape measure on you?”

“Yep.” I pulled out a tape measure from my bag. “Need it for something?”

She nodded, took it, and swiftly measured the length of the sandal.

“10... 10.5 inches.”

“What does the armor’s shoe size tell us?”

“It’s worth noting.” She stood up and handed back the tape measure.

“We’ll be taking the armor at some point,” the officer mentioned. “There’s blood on the torso that requires further examination.”

“Is it the victim's?” I asked.

“We won’t know for sure without a DNA test, but it matches the victim’s blood type—AB.”

“I see...”

I could only think of one possibility—the armor moved by itself and attacked the victim. I imagined the scene playing out in my mind. The warrior unsheathing its shining blade, plunging it deep into the victim’s back...

“Do the police have a working theory yet?”

“We’re investigating this as a suicide.”

“S-Suicide?”

“We’ve yet to find any evidence suggesting someone else was in this room at the time of death.”

“But wasn’t the victim stabbed in the back? I could understand if it was a knife or dagger, but could he really kill himself with a katana?”

“Sure, all he’d have to do is secure the blade somewhere. It’s an old trick, made to disguise a suicide as murder.”

“Where could it have been secured...?”

Then, it came to me. The perfect tool.

The armored warriors.

He could’ve made a warrior hold the katana before flinging himself backwards onto it.

But I discounted the idea as soon as it popped into my mind. This was a Duel Noir. Suicide couldn’t be the answer.

...But what if it was? What if this gathering had nothing to do with the Duel Noir in the first place?

“Hey, Kyoko, what if—”

I tried to get her attention, but she lost interest in the warriors and had moved to the double doors in the back of the room. Rubber bands were still wrapped around the handles. The doors were equipped with a thumbturn lock that could be engaged from the inside, but the killer intentionally left it unlocked, using rubber bands to seal off the exit instead. Maybe this setup was part of the murder trick.

Kyoko quietly walked up to one of the doors and pushed her body against it. The rubber bands stretched slightly, creating a gap large enough for wind to blow in.

The backyard was on the other side, but it was pitch black outside so I couldn’t see anything.

“Let me help,” I offered.

I stood beside her, placed my back against one of the doors, firmly planted my feet on the ground, and pushed against the door. The rubber bands stretched a surprising amount, creating a gap large enough for a person’s hand to fit through.

“Huh? Was it this loose to begin with?”

“We need to consider why the killer used rubber bands,” Kyoko said, stepping away from the doors. “I think the gap must have been used for something. Let’s try putting pressure on both of these doors simultaneously.”

I pressed my weight against both doors. Doing so resulted in a gap large enough for a slender person to slip through. Of course, since the handles were positioned at waist height, one would need to duck under the rubber bands and wriggle through the small opening below, which would require some flexible maneuvering.

“One thing is clear—this room wasn’t completely sealed.”

Inserting an object such as a doorstop into the gap would make it easier to slip through. Although the rubber bands created the perception of a firmly sealed room, there was a hidden opening all along.

“But there were no footprints outside,” Kyoko added.

“Right...”

Anyone entering or exiting through the double doors would have to walk through the backyard, but when we discovered the body, there were no footprints in either the courtyard or the backyard. We confirmed that with our own eyes.

“Oh!” A thought suddenly came to mind. “What about the door to the hallway? If the rubber bands over there were looser than we thought...”

“It required tremendous strength to open up a gap for the box cutter. No person could fit through there.”

“Then was this actually a locked room? Did we witness an impossible crime?”

“Doubtful. After all, an impossible crime is nothing more than a crime designed to look impossible. We merely perceive it to be impossible. But as long as someone continues to doubt the impossibility, the illusion crumbles. As detectives, we must fulfill that role even if we stand alone.”

Kyoko stated it so matter-of-factly, but her conviction was leagues beyond that of an average detective. Her state of mind could only be achieved by someone born a detective, whose every waking moment was defined by a sense of duty.

That may have been the very identity of the wall between us.

Next: Chapter 4, Part 5

[clarafell]

“ you’ve gotten so used to being hurt that happiness scares you. ” from madoka ;)

Poetry Sentence Starters  :    Accepting!

↳ @madeimpact

“That isn’t true!” She does not mean to for her tone to be so harsh or for her voice to be sharp with denial. “No, that can’t be true…” Her voice sounds exhausted and it was drizzled with denial. It takes her a few moments to recover her normally reserved and calm composure as she bites her bottom lip to avoid recklessly speaking. Truthfully, she did not recover that said composure. She just holds her tongue back from speaking so blindly like that to someone as soft as Madoka. Someone who should not be the target of her ugly emotions. Taking a deep breath, she tries to stop that shaking of her hands. She tries to silence the mocking giggles of her dolls that she hears thanks to her earring. The lizard-shaped earring has the ability to whisper information to her. Of course, the relayed information is gathered by her servants. But she can still occasionally hear what her dolls are up to in this world.

In this case, the dolls are giggling and lurking. Mocking. Enjoying every single minute of this walking disaster known as Homura Akemi. Autumn is here instead of spring and it seems like the grinning children are active on this beautiful autumn afternoon. In a real world that is no longer stuck in spring, Homura is struggling to adjust to the shift in scenery. Struggling to accept what is happening right now and struggling with this universe. Once again, she refuses to sleep right now because she could not afford to sleep. Truthfully, she cannot sleep and this has always been a problem for her to begin with. But it was not like anyone noticed in her lonely home. No one lived with her. When it came to the Law of Cycles… Madoka had a family, friends, and a whole future that she had to give up. She gave up her whole existence for the sake of everyone.

But when it came to Homura tearing apart of the Law of Cycles and taking over— It was fitting of her to ascend to this form (known as evil) because she would be willing to throw her existence away in the blink of an eye. That and her family was nonexistent. While she is indeed something else entirely different from the Law of Cycles, she wished she could have taken Madoka’s place way back then. If she took Madoka’s place back then, Madoka would be happy and existing. Everyone would be alive. Madoka would be happy with Sayaka, Mami, Kyoko, Hitomi, and her family. Madoka would be human. None of this would have happened if she could have taken Madoka’s place. She would do that in a heartbeat. Technically, she did in fact take Madoka’s place. Technically. Almost. But Homura was not so sure what she was even doing. One thing that she did know is that she would NEVER actually destroy the world. Why could she destroy the world that Madoka sacrificed herself for.

Right now, Madoka is human again. Right now, the Incubators are being punished with the world’s curses. Right now, there is a balance and no chaos. The times are changing just like the changing seasons. As much as she tried to keep a distance from everyone, she somehow managed to speak to Madoka. She fell into old habits and found herself drawn back to her like a moth to a flame. After all, Madoka was her light in such a dark world.

“I just don’t deserve HAPPINESS—” She speaks up and soon cuts herself off as she avoids eye contact. Her voice is softer and more quiet now. Cutting herself off in an attempt to start over, she tries to make eye contact. She has the whole universe at her fingertips yet she cannot manage to look Madoka in the eye. She cannot put on her facade in front of her. She has always been a horrible actor in the eyes of her dolls. At one point, they threw tomatoes at her when she confronted Sayaka. When she threatened to destroy the world in front of Sayaka, that was a mere act. Even her dolls knew that her acting was horrible. (We could do better, Mistress Good-for-Nothing!) The self-proclaimed devil soon finds herself slowly looking up at Madoka as she tries to find the will to speak. It was always so hard to speak to Madoka because of everything that she remembers. All of the timelines. She can still recall the false city as well. She could remember everything. Every single moment. Every single death. Struggling emotionally, she tells herself over and over to focus.

“I’m sorry, Madoka…for…for…” She fumbles over her words.

For everything.

I’m sorry for everything.

She betrays the serious facade that she tries to wear in front of everyone (again) and reveals a glimpse of her older self. She stops for a moment as she tries once more to regain her composure. It was such a struggle to be around someone as brilliant and soft as Madoka. She was too much of a mess to be around.

“But I don’t believe that is true… Happiness does not scare me…” (But does that mean you’ve been so used to being hurt?) She felt so awful for disagreeing with Madoka. It felt like her heart broke apart as soon as she heard those words leave Madoka’s mouth. She had been speechless as soon as she heard Madoka’s words.

With deep pain reflecting in her lilac eyes, the ravenette keeps her gaze focused on Madoka. “You… You are right about me being used to being hurt. I am used to such pain by now. It’s okay. But I deserved it…especially now…” Homura explains in a vague manner as she let out a shaky sigh. She felt horribly guilty for raising her voice in front of Madoka. “But I do not deserve happiness. You do, Madoka. You deserve happiness and so much more. Focus on yourself and your happiness…please…”

Oh, how ironic. Madoka was talking about her and focusing on her. However, Homura avoided it. She turns it around and talk about Madoka. But Homura is firm on believing that she does not deserve happiness. Deep down, she was scared of happiness. Throughout her entire life for as long as she can remember, happiness has absent from her life. If it was not absent from her life, it was always fleeing away from her grasp. Even when she did find happiness after meeting Madoka and friends, it always managed to backfire on her. No matter what Homura says, Madoka was absolutely correct with her statement.

“Why does it even matter, Madoka?”

[good-wine-and-cheese]

20th Century Boys Feelies

Alright here it comes this is just a big ol’ dump of my feelings about 20th Century Boys. Since a lotta people who follow me haven’t read it (and also just because it’s stupid long) I’ll keep it under the cut!

Plot

This was a fun kind of story to read! It was a bit strange in that it felt almost more innocent than Monster, despite the fact that much much worse things happen in 20th Century Boys that threaten the entire world as opposed to the much more self-contained story that Monster was...but I think that has to do with the nature of the story itself. It really does read like the kind of story a bunch of kids would put together, so as terrifying as everything is, it’s hard not to forget that (at least for me). It felt a lot more adventurous and light-hearted as a story. Which isn’t to say that the threat wasn’t felt - it definitely was, it just had a different feel to it. Also the approach to realistically dissecting certain themes in shows (like giant mechs) was fun for me.

Narrative Style

I think one of my favourite things about 20cb was actually the way the story was told kinda back and forth across various points in time. When we got flashbacks to childhood, we only ever saw exactly enough of a particular scene to keep the mystery going while also feeding some new details. It was a very effective way to make me keep reading so I could see that scene again and get more information the next time. It could be a bit difficult to follow sometimes (particularly at the end, when more stuff gets included) but tbh it wouldn’t be the same if it was told differently. 

There was also the humour that really caught my eye (moreso in the way it was shown visually). Kyoko especially had some very comedic facial expressions - it really felt like I could ‘hear’ her sometimes which usually I have a hard time with when reading. 

Characters (as a whole)

God are they relatable. The thing about 20th Century Boys’ cast is that...there’s something that I can see of myself in almost all the characters. I love Monster’s incredibly complex cast, but in terms of relatability, a lot of them are in some way above the average; genius surgeon, wealthy family, super detective, criminal mastermind. 20th Century Boys is just about a buncha people with average jobs that get shoved into a heroic role and I have an easier time seeing myself in them. Especially as kids. Which is something else I need to talk about tbh!

Not only are they really well written as child characters, they also deal with a lot of issues as kids that I can remember having...so it’s really easy for me to sympathize. Like this kid was bullied...that kid just wants people to notice him...they had their special base destroyed..they’re all very human feeling. Also those little “kid issues” are written in such a way that even if they’re menial and silly to adults, there’s a lot of drama and pain behind them. And to kids that is incredibly painful so it really hits you.

20th Century GIRLS

Alright I gotta say something about the female cast of 20CB. For one thing there was a pretty wide variety, which is a nice improvement from having maybe 3 in Monster. Not only are at least 4 of them major players (one even the protagonist for a considerable amount of time) but they’re even in many cases the driving force. Sure the guys do a lot, but it’s the women who are really the go-getters and progress the plot. Like I could go into detail about this but just in general like....a lot of the things that happen in the story are either initiated or progressed by the ladies and that’s awesome tbh. 

Yoshitsune….

Alright special mention here to Yoshitsune because if there’s any character I didn’t expect to care so much about it’s him. First starting the manga I expected that he and Maruo would sort of get pushed into the role of “Kenji’s sidekicks” - but then we end up getting so much more out of both of them.

Yoshitsune in particular is a character I really relate to, much more than I thought I would. A lot of his issues as an adult and as a kid are/were things I really feel so his development (and especially the stuff we see in the virtual reality) was a real heavy hitter for me. I had to actually break from reading for a little after one scene in particular because it was way too real (...of course if I’d have kept reading I would have gotten the closure but yanno)

Outside of being relatable what I really love about Yoshitsune is that even though he’s not a fighter at all, and incredibly shy and weak, he still defends the group’s hideout, and is sort of the grit that keeps them together. In the big fight with the twins we really get to see that, but also in the summer of grade 6 he’d gone ahead and started to rebuild the secret base by himself (and then of course there’s all that he does as an adult). Idk I just really like characters like that, who maybe aren’t very strong or brave but go that extra mile to make sure the group is looked after.

Fave Moments

There’s a bunch of really good scenes here, but I think the ones that really stuck with me were the quieter scenes, without action and fighting. I mean Otcho being an absolute badass was a delight and all, but the scenes that really stuck with me were the ones without fighting.

The biggest one is when Yoshitsune’s group went to take over Friend’s headquarters and what looks like a giant all-out battle quickly just becomes a bunch of people walking calmly through the front doors because Yoshitsune just talks them all down from violence. It’s an incredibly powerful scene to me.

Kenji and Chouno facing down the police and just singing is also amazing (and really solidifies Kenji as a fave tbh). Definitely this is one of the more memorable lines of dialogue from Kenji. 

And the last one was when Sadakiyo talked to his old teacher and he remembered him...seeing the photograph was really sweet and sad and the closest I came to crying tbh

Jeez, okay well that’s all I can think to say right now….it was a really fun (long!!! But fun) ride with a very relatable cast and very fun plot. I wound up relating to the story a lot more than I thought I would (I went in more or less blind). I’ll probably re-read it sometime in the future, because I feel like it’s one of those stories that needs to be read more than once to really digest everything (a LOT happens and all) and I’ll have a different experience the second read through.

I just wish we could’ve seen Yukiji actually flip Otcho that one time she thought he was an enemy lmao

Maybe Billy Bat next….we’ll see

[rdmfavcpls]

The Marked Ones - Chapter 1 The Birth of the Mark

Title: Marked Ones

Category: Digimon/Death Mark/Shiin

Rating: M

Pairing: Ami/Arata

Summary: Ami finds out the secret that Arata has kept from them on the same day that she gathers her courage to let him know how strong her feelings for him are. Arata tries to clean up the mess, but when Ami vanishes without a trace, he sets off to find her. The big question is when did he get this mark to appear on his arm?

Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Digimon or to Shiin/Death Mark.

Author’s Note: Death Mark is such a good visual novel horror game. I am obsessed with it so why not take one of my very top OTP and combine it with this game.

~~Story Begins~~

Chapter 1 - The Birth of the Mark

She was too late.

Ami was too late. He already had someone in his heart and future. Someone who he wanted to spend the rest of his days with. She was too late and it wasn’t because she waited too long. It wasn’t because of her trying to find the right moment.

On the exact same day Ami got released from the hospital after being restored back to her body, she flirted with him. She used so much subtext, but he noticed none of it. So, she took desperate measures and went to Nokia for advice.

Nokia was the last person to ever ask advice for on any problem. He was too dense to notice any of her flirtings. Ami had studied all of her mother’s romantic movies and he still didn’t notice all the cliche lines she had used with him. Nokia’s advice was to tell him bluntly about her feelings. If he hadn’t caught on now over Ami’s feelings than he will never catch on unless she tells him in Kyoko’s straightforward nature.

Ami never knew Arata was this cruel.

~~DigiMark~~

Arata was furious, not at Ami, but at himself and the female that was hanging off of his arm. He just knows Ami was finally going to tell him something important and he hopes that whatever it was, it would explain her current odd behavior that she shows only around him.

He had hoped that they’ll be friends for the rest of their lives (and he wouldn’t complain if they would be more than just friends in the future) and that they’ll keep making memories together. He doesn’t understand as to why she kept asking if he wanted to make a different set of memories with her when he already has. A select few of the people in Tokyo knew about Digimon.

“Aratakins,” the female said. “What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”

“What do you think?” Arata said as he glared at the female.

He’ll explain everything to Ami later, but he needs to deal with this female now.

“Listen to me and you had better listen closely because this is the last time I will explain this to you before I get the police involved,” Arata said. The words came out through gritted teeth as he freed his arm from her grasp.

“Why are you using that serious tone with me, Aratakins?” she said.

“Stop calling me Aratakins, you have never been allowed to call me Arata. We are no longer engaged. Once my mother passed away, my father called off on our arranged marriage.”

“But, but, we’ve been engaged since we were born,” she said. “We love each other.”

“The engagement is off and you want to know why? My father never liked the idea of an arranged marriage. Also, I provided enough proof to my father and mother before she passed away that you and your family were trying to get our money. I showed them with pictures of your boyfriend and you along with the phone conversations the two of you shared. You broke the agreement,” Arata said.

He took a couple of steps in the direction that Ami went in. “Come near me again and I’ll have you arrested for stalking and harassment,” he said.

~~DigiMark~~

“You’re engaged and you are just now telling us this?” Yuuko said. “Was we even going to get the wedding invitations?”

“WAS engaged,” Arata said. “My father broke it off once he had enough proof that she violated the terms of engagement.”

“You are incredibly lucky that you called because I really want to punch you over this holographic screen,” Nokia said.

The anger that is rolling off her personality isn’t being blocked by the holographic screen and Arata has his back pressed against the door just to make sure Nokia can’t come crashing in and giving him a beating.

“This informations happens to be announced after your ex-betrothed tells Ami that you are engaged to her. Moments before Ami had planned to tell you that she loves you?” Yuugo said.

“Are you thinking that Ami’s plan was sabotaged?” Yuuko said.

“Good chance or Ami’s good luck has finally run out,” Yuuko said.

“Wait!  Ami has feelings for me?” Arata said.

It was evident to the three in the phone call that his voice and his face showed that he was truly surprised.

Nokia was the first one to break the stunned silence with a simple sigh. “You know, you really are a geek if you couldn’t tell Ami did have feelings for you,” Nokia said.

“I accept the fact that I have pretty much zero people skills,” Yuuko said with a nod of her head. “However, I knew Ami was flirting with you. It was quite obvious that she did her homework.”

“I hate to say this, but Ami has been flirting with you for months,” Yuugo said. “I mean, she did use a bunch of cheesy lines and cliche moments that are repeated throughout a bunch of romantic movies. Now she possibly thinks it is only one-sided when you do return her feelings.

“We are off topic,” Arata said and ignored the need to question his best friend over how he knew for a fact that he did have a crush on her. He knows for a fact he never told anyone about it. “The whole entire point of this call is to ask if any of you know where Ami is?”

“Try her apartment,” Nokia said. “Personally, if I were to be in her shows right now-”

“Shoes,” Yuugo said.

“Shoes, whatever,” Nokia said with a roll of her eyes. “I would be in my bedroom brawling my eyes out and cussing you out like nobody’s biz.”

“That’s the problem,” Arata said.

“Whatever names she is calling you right now isn’t good enough for you handled her heart,” Yuuko said. “You know how incredibly soft-hearted she is.”

“It’s not that,” Arata said.

“Homemade food usually calms Yuuko down,” Yuugo said. “I would be happy to give you some lessons since Ami has given me some.”

Arata shook his head. “Listen. I’m inside her apartment already and -” he said.

“I know I wouldn’t let you inside my apartment after that announcement,” Yuuko said with crossed arms.

“Listen! Her apartment door was unlocked and her digivice is on her couch. There is no sign of forced entry and no sign of her. It seems like she just vanished without a trace,” Arata said.

The atmosphere for the call suddenly turned from anger to panic.

~~DigiMark~~

Ami’s eyes were glazed over as she stared into a dark abyss that she had no idea how deep it went. All that her mind was telling her was that the pit is welcoming her and wants it to be her new home.

The dark abyss will keep her protected so she’ll never hurt or feel betrayed again.

Ami’s foot stepped closer to the edge where half of her show was over the edge. There was a familiar female voice so filled with emotion inside of her mind. The voice was so warm, gentle, comforting, and inviting.

“Good girl…,” the voice said as Ami grabbed the bar of the well’s pulley system. “Don’t worry...I’m here...No need...to worry...Protect you…”

Ami blinked and her blue eyes came into focus.

She saw the dark abyss that looked inviting moments ago, but now it was terrifying. She gasped and removed her hands from the bar as she stepped away from the well. She misjudged the distance and took a step back that caused her to slip off of the well’s edge.

She yelped as she fell and landed hard on her bum, the blades of cool grass with early morning dew was absorbed by her grey skirt. She crawled away from the well backward, her eyes never left the well as it felt like it was moving towards her. Her back hit the bark of a tree, the old bark brushing onto her yellow shirt that represented AWA Studios with its logo.

Her breathes were heavy as she tried to focus and calm down so she could take in her surroundings with a calm mind. The night sky made the overbearing trees look creepier than they would in the day. Branches were pointing at the well and some looked like hands that were ready to grab her if she gets too close.

The trees circled around the old well. The bar that she had held was rotten and ready to break the moment it had any type of weight hanging onto it. The rope that should’ve been around it was gone. The bucket next to the well had a small amount of the rope attached to the handle, the threads seemed to be chewed off and are the reason why it was no longer attached to the well. The bucket didn’t have its bottom and it seemed like it had rotten out a long time ago. The stones of the well were faded and old, some of the stones had fallen out of their place.

“Where am I?” Ami asked herself as she finally calmed down. She reached towards her red hair that rests on her shoulders in surprise. Her digivice kept her hair in a small pony...so if her hair was on her shoulder than that mean. “Where’s my digivice?”

She grabbed her chest where her heart was at symbolically. It was fine a minute ago, but now it felt like someone had taken a bite out of her skin and that her flesh was being lit on fire.

[hiraethidity-m]

THOU  HAST  TURNED  A  VOW  INTO  A  BLOOD  OATH.  THY  BOND  SHALL  BECOME  THE  WINGS  OF  REBELLION  AND  BREAK  THE  YOLK  OF  THY  HEART.  THOU  HAST  AWAKENED  TO  THE  ULTIMATE  SECRET  OF  THE  TOWER,  GRANTING  THEE  INFINITE  POWER ...

name: Kyoko Sakura age: 16 - 17 code name: Raven ( which has many different meanings compared to Akechi’s CROW ) persona: Wudan Witch named Opheila meele weapon: Lance ranged weaopn: Automatic Ak47′s joined: After the Phantom Thieves defeat the Medjed and before taking on the case of Okumura’s Foods. color scheme: Red,Black, with hints of White arcana: The Tower ( & death )

BACKGROUND / STORY :

As a resident of kazamino city, Kyoko grew up being the daughter of a Clergyman, whom as well lives with her little sister and mother. Most of her life was spent being home-schooled with her little sister by their mother, as this was a decision declared by their father. Since he didn’t trust the public school systems and their ways of teaching. Afraid that they would unravel everything that he had ever taught his children and the ways of the Lord himself.

As time has passed, though, her father had begun to preach more and more away from the stories that had been printed within the bible. Thus, talking about things that had nothing to do with the Lord’s word. In result to his preachings, the town disregarded his stories. Declaring him as incompetent, as well as insane. And slowly, over time, the people that came to sermons had begin to dwindle in the numbers. Until, there was absolutely no one who came to hear him talk anymore. The town’s folks opting to go to the church’s in neighboring towns, instead of their own. With no one attending the services, or money coming from the church, this causes the family to become poor – even near the point of becoming homeless.

Swallowed in regret, her father turns to alcoholism. Turning his personality completely. He becomes aggressive. He becomes abusive ( physically / emotionally / mentally ). Kyoko tending to get more of his backlash as a way to protect her family from him. This had proceeded on for weeks-months. But, how much of this could they really take, though? When would it become to late for them?

As the Phantom Thieves popularity skyrocketed, even their name had become news within the Sakura household. Their father completely against them. Finding them as sinners in the Lord’s name and nothing but mere criminals. But Kyoko saw them differently. They had become a huge topic within the household though, once the Medjed had become involved. Challenging the thieves to reveal themselves. Whereas her father supported the Medjed, it was clear that Kyoko supported the Thieves. She saw the good in their work and the justice that sought out to achieve. Their workings, is what gave Kyoko hope.

Near the end of the Medjed’s time limit, Kyoko finds herself sitting inside the public library ; the phantom’s form site displayed on the computer screen. She contemplates for a while – could she really ask for their help? Would they really come to her rescue? She reads all the mixed reviews about the group. The hatred that followed the support. She ponders over if she could really go through with this, while her fingers rest upon the keyboard. Before she realizes it, she’s pouring her story out on the screen, begging for the help of the thieves before it had become too late for her household.

When the Medjed case becomes closed, Mishima finds Kyoko’s post for the form. Once he reads it over, he finds this as something that is extremely important. How could a father do this his family? He pursues Akira to take the case. Finding this as something that would be easy for them and finding as way to keep their popularity up. But easy it wasn’t – After searching around the Memento’s for the shadow of her father, they were left with nothing; Empty handed. That’s when the group decides to take a trip the town that they resided in. Upon arrival, it is quickly learned that the father had in fact grown a palace. Showing the group to true dangers that had lied here for the Sakura household.

Due to the lack of technology in her homestead, Kyoko is never informed that her case had, in fact, become of interest to the group. Or that, they had indeed arrived to the family’s church. So when the infiltration route becomes started, and they enter the metaverse, she too, is taken to the metaverse. Simply by mistake though. It was one of those, she had been walking within the perimeter when they entered, and she herself had gotten swooped in as well.

Upon arrival, the thieves are greeted with a glamours and humongous church, spot lights adoring the front as a line of people are currently waiting outside the front doors. From there, they start their route. Kyoko though, is nowhere near them once they enter the metaverse. In fact, she finds herself somewhere located within the church already. Confused and scared about her current surroundings, she finds herself making the rounds through the church as well.

The Phantom Thieves managed to find Mr. Sakura first. They find him in the main hall, with church pews littered in people. As the thieves have their confrontations with the man himself, Kyoko happens to over hear everything from one of the top balconies. Staying silent, she simply watches as her head spins. Glee filled within her as her hope skyrocketed. She couldn’t believe her eyes – The Phantom Thieves did in fact come to her rescue. They were really here to save her family before it had become too late. A new feeling soars through her. A feeling of change to come. Something within her rattles her bones, edging her to take a stand in this fight; so she does.

As Mr. Sakura’s shadows calls them out for them being nothing but sinners, and making sure they rot in hell where they belong, Kyoko makes her appearance at last. Calling out her own father for his deeds. During this time, the birth to a new persona is made. A new contract formed.

                   I AM THOU ;  THOU ART I

ophelia is born ; a Wudan Witch persona. Her mask is raven styled and her meele weapon is a lance. It is then, that Kyoko promises to make him change his ways, thus in return, he tells her that she is no better than the thieves that stand behind her. And if she is to go against him, he would kill her too.

With the infiltration route placed, the gang returns to the real world. Giving Kyoko the chance to actually properly meet everyone and telling them the story of what had happened to her father.

In a few days time, the gang decides to send a calling card to her father, leaving Kyoko in charge of making sure he sees it. When he does, heimmediately blames Kyoko for it through his drunken state, since she is a supporter of them. Feeling threatened, he becomes even more violent towards the family. Seeing nothing wrong in his ways – blaming everyone for their current position instead of himself.

Its later that evening that Kyoko regroups with the thieves, helping them take out her father’s palace. Once successful, their treasure ended up being a bible.

Mr. Sakura becomes bed ridden for the next week, as the alcohol slowly makes its way out of his body. When he comes through, he apologizes to his family for everything he’s done to them. Especially to kyoko since she got the worse of it all. And many scars that would never heal on her body from him. But, he finally had his change in heart.

As a few weeks / a month passed from the incident, Mr. Sakura finds himself in the hospital, on death row. Kyoko doesn’t blame the thieves for this. This was not their fault. This was the alcohols fault. Even the doctors had said so themselves. At the capacity that he consumed it, they were honestly surprised he wasn’t on his deathbed much sooner.

What she was thankful though, was the apologies and heartfelt “i love yous” she had gained from him before his passing. She knows she would have never gotten them if it wasn’t for the Phantom Thieves. She thanks them entirely for everything they had done for her.

With no need to keep the church any longer, her mother sells their home and  church. Deciding to move herself &. the girls out of the town, and starts over with a new life for them. The girls finally get themselves enrolled into a real school – Kyoko begging to go to shujin academy so she could be with her friends that she had finally made. Their mother gets herself a real job that’s stable enough to support them. And her sister gains friends for the first time in her life.

Due to Kyoko’s test scores, she is able to enter as a 3rd year student, but Kyoko opts to be a second year so she could have a chance at being an actual student. And have time to be a teenager and make friends and spend time with them. She becomes placed in Ryuji’s class.

** It can be speculated that Kyoko & Futaba may be cousins