#if you like danganronpa you might like

[hopeymchope]

Danganlike, Ahoy: Yurukill is like Danganronpa x Zero Escape x occasionally a Top-Down Shoot-em-up

Yurukill: The Calumniation Games is a visual novel focused on a set of murder mysteries mixed in with an overall death game, and if that doesn’t already give you an inkling of what might’ve inspired it, I think some screenshots will HEAVILY CONFIRM your suspicions.

Howa bout the animated cut-ins whenever you make an counter-argument during a debate?

Or how about the animal-themed mascot character who always sounds happy to be tormenting you and who speaks in frequent puns?

Oh, what about some mini-games that have you choosing a specific lane/direction as you attempt to answer questions correctly? 

So yeah, it seems clear that Danganronpa is among Yurukill’s most obvious inspirations. That influence is out on front street, but don’t worry: It’s not like it’s aping DR all the way through. FAR from it, in fact!

First, the setup: A group of five convicted prisoners have are taken to “Yurukill Land,” a supposed “amusement park” on an island owned by Yurukill, Inc. Yurukill is a massive but secretive corporation that most people have never heard of. They create “opportunities” for convicts as well as “entertainment” for unknown parties in the form of the games at Yurukill Land. 

What do these games entail? 

Firstly: To be brought into the games, a prisoner must consistently claim they are innocent of their charges despite their conviction. 

Second: Each prisoner is paired with an “executioner” who is somehow connected to that prisoner’s criminal case. The executioner has control of a button that will instantly inject poison into the prisoner’s neck — and the executioner can push this button at any time they so desire. 

Third: Together, the each pair of prisoner and executioner must make their way through an “attraction” that operates like a series of escape rooms full of puzzles and possible dangers. (So there’s the “Zero Escape” element, because the puzzles herein ESPECIALLY invoke the feel of that series. But they’re usually shorter than most of that series’ escape rooms.)

And finally: At the end of each attraction along the journey awaits the “Brain Reality” (a.k.a. “BR”. This is a virtual reality experience wherein the prisoner will be made to pilot a virtual ship into “combat” against the willpower and mental blocks of his/her executioner. But the executioner is FAR from defenseless — they get a much bigger ship of their own to fight back with! For the executioner, this confrontation is harmless. For the prisoner? Not so much — death in the simulation can literally kill them in reality. But this confrontation is the only way a prisoner can force their ideas and opinions into their executioner’s mind, thereby saving themselves from the insta-kill button.

Why would the prisoner/executioner put themselves through all this crap? Well, because the pair that makes it to the end of the Yurukill games with both parties still alive gets A) the prisoner’s conviction overturned and B) one wish of the executioner granted (...so long as it’s something that’s actually possible for a corporation to achieve). But be advised: Only ONE pair can win.

That last bullet point I mentioned above is the one that REALLY takes this from a oddball “Dangan-like” to something VERY distinctive. Because instead of having a “Class Trial” at the end of each chapter, we wrap them each with *DRUMROLL* a lengthy shoot-’em-up stage!

Each shoot-’em-up section takes about 15-20 minutes to complete, and although you can save at any time during the Visual Novel portions of the game, you can’t save at all during the shmup, so be prepared! These can be tough for anyone unexperienced in the genre, but there is thankfully an “Easy” setting that should allow even the biggest novice to pass. And if you’re an old hand at shooters? Even “Normal” will probably seem too simple for you. So it’s probably a good thing that there’s a “Hell” difficulty setting for you experts. :P 

I’m someone who has plenty of retro game experience, but I’ve only rarely/sporadically played any “shmups.” I found I was able to beat the game without too much struggle on Normal difficulty, but it definitely took a lot of lives and a lot of tight maneuvering. It was stressful for me, but I’m only a little above “noob.” I’m just extremely grateful that the controls are so damn tight and precise. You can really move your ship between the tiniest gaps between enemy bullets without having to worry.

During the shmup segments, you have the opportunity to argue your case. This is where you get the “Logic Dive”-style minigame shown in the third screenshot of this post in addition to some other pauses that let you select evidence to make an argument. I’m always grateful for the chance to take a momentary break in the shooting action, so these were not just a fun away to use what we learned — they were also a welcome respite.

Now, this is all pretty cool, but I don’t want to oversell Yurukill. It has its faults. But some of them might even be considered positives... ? For example:

You spend half the game hopping into different prisoners’ scenarios, finding yourself controlling the actions of/experiencing the mindset of a new protagonist every chapter. The tail end of the game finally settles on one primary hero, but this decision prevents you from getting too invested in any one person or knowing any of them too well. Although I guess it DOES give you a chance to get to know some of them more than you would if you were just on the outside looking in. It’s impressive how, by the end of the game, you’ll probably feel sympathy for MOST parties who’ve endured this ridiculous torment. 

Perhaps as a side effect of the above, the characters here are perhaps a little thinner than those in other visual nvoels. There’s nothing in Yurukill that’s going to compare to the memorable complexities of a Danganronpa cast member. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have plenty of reason to still like them, either. They’re just not given any standout quirks or ironic traits that really make them feel oddly human, imo. But I also find them far more symapthetic than what you see in many similar games.  (ETA: Even over a YEAR after I finished playing this, I find that I still think about these characters pretty regularly. That definitely says a lot for this game that I can’t say for most other VNs/Danganlikes.)

Of course, this feeling could also be just a natural side effect of a game that only runs about 12 hours of total game time. For some people, that length will detract from the experience. For others, however, that could be seen as an upside. I was definitely in the mood for something shorter after playing really long friggin’ games in recent months... and since I finished playing this one, I’ve continued to think about it. It’s stuck with me in a way that really speaks to its impact.

My biggest issue is that a few of the puzzles just don’t work. Not MOST of them, thankfully! But the game gives you no penalty for requesting up to three hints per puzzle, and I think that’s an admission on the part of the devs that there are a spare few of these that are virtually impossible to figure out with just the information given to you in-game. You have to make some crazy logical leaps or do some things that just... no sane person is going to guess. There are even a couple times where using all three hints isn’t enough to make you clearly understand what you’re expected to do! (This is especially true of the dialogue choices in the rapid-fire Maji-Kill segments where you have to choose the right words to prevent your executioner from murderizing you right then and there. There are NO hints here, and there’s often very little difference between choices that get you killed and the choices that let you live...) 

PLEASE don’t let any of the above deter you too much, however. This is a narrative with some fun cast members as well as twists and turns that can be sometimes predictable, often surprising, and sometimes just frustrating because of how much you’re going to be rooting for a character who winds up getting screwed.

I guess this speaks well of Homura Kawamoto, who did most of the writing on Yurukill. He’s best known as the author of Kakegurui, which is a damn great manga/anime series that’s loaded with suspense in its own right. Which also speaks to just how suspenseful this game can get at times. ......... Please perceive that sentence as a serious thumbs-up. 

[clearlydusty]

Here's the mondo sketches I promised, as well as @squishvicx request for Trans mondo HC!

[pawsmos]

@ccrisntok

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! RHAHHHHHHH sorry im Late but here’s whace movie bonding as financial compensation.

(ignore how the computer is like. floating??)

these are the shirts they’re wearing by the way

[thefandomenchantress]

I know I predicted radio silence from me...But I had what I think is a cool idea and wanted to share it before anything gets disproven in the next episode (Brief, singular mention of the Eden!Culprit theory).

So, I saw a lot of people talking about the Arei-Eden parallels, and the Ace-Arei parallels (and differences), and the Min-Eden parallels in the hug scene...Because of that, I started thinking about how Eden and Ace relate to all the others. And then I remembered the very obvious Teruko-Ace parallels.

Ace and Teruko both trusted someone who betrayed them in one way or another. Teruko with...Well, everyone, and especially Min, and Ace with Levi. In chapter two, they're both pretty similar, being closed-off and trying to not care about others with varying degrees of success. And, of course, Ace almost dies just like Teruko did, in an attempted murder.

All those things are fairly obvious, especially them being the only participants to be almost-victims. And I'd always noticed that, but it got me thinking...

In chapter one, Teruko was the victim of an attempted murder, surviving on the pure luck of the knife just-so-happening to miss anything vital in her abdomen. Then, instead of sympathy for her life almost being taken, people are upset with/suspicious of her because they think she was the one who killed Xander. And that fact is no fault of Teruko's, she just had the misfortune of being at the scene of the crime (and Min moving the evidence to further incriminate her). Barely anyone asks if she's okay or shows much concern other than Min, who betrays her, and Eden. She is then forced to defend herself in the trial almost completely alone until finally some others start to come to her defense.

In chapter two, Ace has been put in the position of being the victim of a murder attempt but surviving through the pure luck of Eden and Teruko just-so-happening to come to the second floor late at night. If Teruko hadn't happened to forget her clothes on the second floor, chances are that Ace would be dead. No one feels sorry for what Ace went through, because he was a total asshole to Nico and along with no one taking him seriously to begin with, they think he, in a way, had it coming, trauma and injuries be damned. Now, he is forced to defend himself, presumably alone unless Levi decides he wants to help and be the Eden equivalent. And Ace has been blamed for Arei's death not through any fault of his own, but because he had the misfortune of being at the scene of the crime, where someone else tried to murder him.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that it would honestly be pretty cool if Ace finished this chapter going through rather similar events to the ones Teruko experienced last chapter. Some people say that Ace being her parallel will show her during this chapter that distrusting isn't the right way to go, but he doesn't have to die to show her that at this very moment. Hell, it might hit even harder if he manages to go through everything she did, since it would make them even more similar.

Plus, if Eden is the Min parallel, and Ace is the Teruko parallel, that's pretty dang cool! Of course, if Ace does all the Teruko stuff during the trial, it makes sense for Eden to have done all the Min stuff...And I mean, the episode seems to be saying that's depressingly possible, so maybe.

So yeah, I just thought Ace and Teruko's similarities continuing into the trial would be fun. After all, he's been pretty consistent about following in her footsteps so far, so you never know. Like imagine if he says a protag line or something it'd be hilarious. Especially if all his points during his defense are like Teruko's, but with an Ace-y twist that makes them more funny or stupid or whatever. Fun!

Or who knows, maybe Ace will just hire David as his defense attorney, since he's the only one to have successfully defended Ace so far. /j

[demodraws0606]

Hello. I'm not moving on from how fucking sus Whit was in this entire trial

Ok I'm very much sick and tired /pos of Whit always ending up being fucking sus. Because I just realized four things that makes me glare at Whit in the context of this entire trial.

-Whit was the most addament that the secrets didn't actually matter (outside of his weird call out of Levi). In fact when the secrets stop being a subject he complains about it.

-Both of the things Whit was weirdly stingy about (The letter and David's secret) were both things that didn't actually matter that much in the trial. Without either of the information there would still be the decisive evidence of the tape and rubber band being used for the murder which would've always lead to Ace being proven as the culprit. David's secret only ended up causing the cast to believe he did it and the note ended up making people get the time of death wrong.

-Whit actually ends up giving the biggest push in the trial that would lead to Ace being discovered as the culprit which is him helping Teruko discover how the murder mechanism needed to have worked. This is the one time where he's weirdly extremely useful and vocal in the trial.

(I'm fucking glaring at you mf)

-Him fucking saying this shit

I will not take "oh you're just overthinking it, it's not that suspicious" anymore, this motherfucker makes me want to chew rocks.

[arandomidiot]

Someone please save me I’m fixating on danganronpa again it’s been 4 years I thought I was free

[agalnamedlunasea]

It still haunts you, doesn't it ?

Plain ver. Below cut

[ashtxeman]

Ruth is the kinda person to be horrifically obsessed with Danganronpa and take any opportunity she can get to loredump about it, meanwhile Richie is the kinda person to not engage with an ounce of content for it but memorise all the Junko poses because he wants to be edgy and cool.

[makotonaegiunderstander]

something I’ve been thinking abt is how many people think Makoto is immune to despair. I don’t think he is. I think becoming the ultimate Hope was BECAUSE he felt despair. He wouldn’t have fully reached that point without Junko. Makoto becoming such a beacon was his last attempt to avoid completely falling and it wasn’t because he didn’t feel despair, it was because he was too damn stubborn to allow everything to go to waste and he refused to sacrifice his beliefs for someone else’s. His inner monologue tells me he DID experience the same new low the other suvivors did in the final trial, but at the point where he had the choice to give up and die, he looked at the others and he looked at Junko and he couldn’t allow it to happen, not out of self preservation, but because the idea that Junko would have control over their lives made him FURIOUS. and that utter refusal to die kicked in, wether luck or otherwise, and he made the concious effort for one last push while something in him was breaking. He had to be broken in order for the Ultimate Hope to come through so aggressively, bc it could only exist in the face of the Ultimate Despair. He snapped the same way she did, but in the other direction. In what could have been his final moments he chose to embody everything Junko wasn’t, and every single optimistic and luck fueled ideal in him suddenly charged forward and pushed him. It was a combination of the final straw and a choice. Makoto isn’t immune to feeling despair, he’s just too stubborn to fall into it of his own volition. I think that’s why I like that scene in DR3 so much. People were SO SHOCKED Makoto actually fell for the tape, that he actually became despair for a moment. I saw people getting mad or disappointed, saying it was pathetic and Makoto seemed to fall from some sort of pedestal for them. Honestly part of me wonders if that sort of mentality, which clearly people had in universe, affected Makoto a bit. Like he started to see himself as less of a person, subconsciously. Prompting him to take more risks, less self preservation, act way more bold. It seems he has to be reminded a lot not to put himself in danger by his friends, to not do something too reckless. All over the place I would see in regards to that scene either this frivolous ‘oh this was just angst drama with no meaning behind it’ or ‘he can do better than that. he’s so weak’ or ‘come on, there’s no way he’d fall into despair, he’s the Ultimate Hope!’ This kind of mentality, which was kind of ironic considering Ryota was there the entire time saying the same thing and treating Makoto the same way. Like Makoto was superhuman. Like Makoto didn’t feel despair the same way ‘normal people’ did. In a way that was also how Munakata saw Makoto. Makoto stopped being a PERSON to the world when he became Ultimate Hope, he became a concept, a belief system, much the same way Junko ascended beyond herself. But the difference is that treating Makoto that way is the opposite of the reason Makoto became such a representative for hope. He wasn’t doing something no one else could. He was doing something everyone had the chance to, he just… was a little more optimistic, a little more stubborn, a little more ‘gung-ho’ about things. He just took the lead where no one else did, where no one else knew they even COULD in the face of Junko’s unstoppable force. She had overcome the biggest threats and obstacles in the world, what could one person do? And the answer Makoto found was, anything. Everything. It doesn’t all rest on Makoto, he’s just the one that was inspired to try to do what seemed like the impossible. But as evidenced by the change in his friends after that trial, it’s clearly not something only Makoto is capable of. The others pulled out of despair thanks to Makoto, but it was their choice to do so.

“But… this world is so huge, and we’re so small. What can we do…? No, we can probably do anything. Yeah! We can do anything!”

[dangans-ur-ronpas]

the exorcist(?) toko fukawa (and her 'ghost')

descended from a powerful exorcist but her current family is mostly non-magical (but not necessarily normal)

has seen ghosts since childhood and was taken to a temple countless times. ended up learning how to make talismans

has been followed by one particular spirit for a long time. syo claims to be an exorcist and a distant relative of hers but there's no family record of any such person existing? anyways the talismans seem to keep syo from taking over her body for the time being

likes writing romance and fantasy stories...publishes them anonymously on scrolls

[shroomyifiy]

Hello DRDT fandom! Here’s yet another person throwing their hat into the ring about the Chapter 2 culprit.

Spoilers for Episode 14 below.

Yeah no Ace is probably the killer.

Now before anyone comes for me, hear me out!

We know that, currently, the culprit is between Ace and Eden. One of them definitely took the tape, no doubt about that, and is most likely the killer. You could argue the existence of a third party culprit, but currently, it has to be one of them. So we are going to ignore that for now. I will now break down why I believe Ace is the killer.

Step 1: Tape

Okay, first off, the tape. That motherfucking tape.

The tape is located directly in front of Ace’s feet, and disappears the moment he gets up and exclaims he’s alive. At this moment, he also knocks Eden to the ground, making it just a small amount of time for either of them to grab the tape.

Now, we don’t know where anyone directly is besides Ace, due to the way the series is presented. Meaning, we have no idea where either Teruko or Eden were standing relative to Ace revealing he was alive.

A big point for the Eden truthers is that when she was knocked over, she picked it up. Now, it’s possible that she could do so without either of them seeing her do this (Ace was currently bleeding and Teruko wasn’t paying attention to the tape). But, I feel like we need to look at the crime scene.

Teruko specifically tells Eden to “Not touch anything”, so we can assume that Teruko wouldn’t have moved anything around too much during her original investigation. So then that leaves us with an interesting thing.

Teruko and Eden both have to be standing by Ace’s body when he gets up (Eden because he pushes her and Teruko because she is mentioned to have touched his neck, and realized he was still alive). But one thing to note is that the area around Ace is rather messy and cluttered. Meaning, there are likely two spots that Eden could be standing at (3 for Teruko, but we will ignore that one for now).

Visually speaking, Eden needs to be standing in spots 1 or 2 to fit the criteria. If she’s in spot three, she’d have been pushed over the bench, and most certainly couldn’t have gotten the tape, and also would have made more noise. (side note: Teruko is either in spots 1 or 3, but currently, her position isn’t as important. For Culprit!Eden to work though, she cannot be in spot 2, which is the most unlikely spot anyways)

If Eden was standing in spot 2, she would have been more likely to be able to grab the tape without issue (as it would be right in front of her feet). While spot 1 could also work, Eden would have had to reach a much farther distance to grab it, and given she’s not knocked down long, I feel like Teruko would have noticed Eden crawling to grab it more than spot 2.

For Ace to grab the tape, we already know where he is relative to the tape, so we don’t need to explain that.

Now, when either of them got up, it’s likely they would have used their hands to push off from the ground near their feet, which is what they would have to do to grab the tape without being noticed. Otherwise, it would be impossible to grab it without being noticed.

You might be asking yourself, “Shroomy, why the fuck does it matter where Eden (and by extention, Teruko) were standing? That’s such a weird and minor detail!”

THE FUCKING TAPE DISSAPEARING WHEN ACE GETS UP/KNOCKS EDEN OVER IS SUCH A MINOR DETAIL TO START WITH!!!!

Ahem… I mean, clearly, the crime scene of Ace plays a part in Arei’s death. And since such a major piece of evidence comes from such a scene, doesn’t it make sense that eventually, body positions would come up? Especially considering just how cluttered the area was. It’s so minor, but it might be the smoking gun to solve the case.

Now, why would either of them pick it up in the first place?

With Eden, she has to be actively making a decision to grab it for whatever reason. Same with Ace, although you could make more of an argument that he grabbed it either a: help his wound or b: by accident, grabbed it and didn’t realize due to the whole murder thing. Also option c: to murder Nico with it, but that’s less likely.

Honestly, despite being what ties them both to the crime, I really don’t see why either of them would grab the tape, especially since, given how fast everything went, I doubt it was either of their first thoughts to recreate Nico’s murder attempt for their own murder, at least in the moment.

Moving on!

Step 2: The murder method

One of the big pieces of evidence against Ace right now is that, “Oh, he was just attacked. There’s no way he would have realized how he was attacked and would know how to replicate it, he’s not that smart!”

First off, let’s address Ace and his stupidity. Okay, yeah, he’s not the brightest person, but saying he’s not smart isn’t accurate. There are no truly “dumb” characters in drdt, at least in my opinion. And Ace has been shown before to have some intelligence.

For one thing, he is on Teruko’s side during the scrum debate in episode 8 of Chapter 1. Which might be weird to call out, but seeing as a lot of the “smarter” characters were on the other side (namely David [being a xander simp as per usual] and Veronika), Now while this isn’t enough to prove it and he did argue with her before in this same trial, it’s definitely noteworthy to mention.

And also, the carousel thing. The fact that it keeps being Ace that corrects Teruko on what it’s called is funny, but it’s also heavily linked to the murder.

Also also, it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for yet another person in this cast to have been keeping a mask up. Someone is making a heel turn between these two, so realistically, this could be Ace’s. And also, despite being shown as “dumb”, Ace at least has some understanding of shit, considering his whole monologue about Levi. I’d have to rewatch a lot of episodes to further confirm this, but I doubt Ace is as stupid as some people think.

Now, the second problem. Ace being almost murdered and then using that same method to murder Arei seems like a bit much, doesn’t it? How could he have figured it out the second he woke up?

He didn’t. He would have fully figured it out AFTER he went back to his room and stopped trying to murder Nico, when he calmed down. (Which is what I think happened with Eden if she is the culprit, mind you)

Because, logically looking at the crime scene, ain’t no way either of them figured it out just by looking at it for like what? A few minutes? No way, I don’t buy it.

But here’s the thing. Ace does have an advantage over Eden here. That being, he woke up during the murder attempt, as confirmed by Nico in the latest episode. Huh. After Ace had claimed to not remember the method because he was unconscious the whole time? Hmmmmm?

No way that little piece of info isn’t going to be important. Especially considering this is the first time we’re hearing about it.

“Shroomy, that’s still not enough to prove Ace over Eden!” I hear you cry out.

Time for the smoking gun.

You know why Nico’s drop hanging attempt failed? It’s not because Ace was too heavy for the fan? No.

It’s because Ace was able to fight back when he woke up.

And what is one of the big differences that hasn’t been brought up yet in this case?

The fact that Arei’s wrists were bound at some point, to keep her from fighting back.

Nico and Ace are the only people who would know about this. Because, again, no one knew Ace woke up during the attempt. So, if Ace were to recreate the murder for Arei, he would know to bind her wrists so she doesn’t fight back. Because it’s why he survived in the first place.

Moving on, using this method would work for Ace, because 1: frames Nico who he hates, 2: Ace is probably a little weakened from almost dying, using a pulley method would be easier than risking Arei escaping.

Now rapid fire mode!

Why use fish from the relaxation room? Frame both Nico (primary) and David (secondary).

The killer probably used the ball of clothes to get the rope up and broke the lights doing so. Eden is the weakest one there, and Ace could have the strength to do so.

Why target Arei? Ace probably didn’t care who he killed, he doesn't care about anyone there.

How would he know about the conversation in the infirmary? We cannot deny that someone could have overheard it. Also, Ace has already been established as eavesdropping earlier in the trial. (this happens the same day as his murder attempt, btw)

Ace has spent most of the trial pointing fingers at others (even in the investigation, he’s the first to draw attention to Nico trying to kill him and Arei dying; knowing the cases are connected, this is interesting).

Wow, that's crazy. Loose connection but still.

He’s also the whole reason David had his magical girl transformation, giving the smoking gun evidence that he and Arei met up.

Which, you know, derailed the trial a lot. Like, 2 or 3 episodes worth of time that could have been used to solve the trial faster?

Huh. Now it's that something.

But, what does this mean for the story?

Step 3: Arei and Ace; Teruko, Eden, and thematics

Both start off as unlikable assholes. But Arei wanted to change, and both Eden and David gave her a hand to begin that change. But she’s murdered before that could happen. Ace rejects anyone’s hand, not trusting anyone and causing more issues. One who tried to be better, and one who got much worse. In a way, they’re parallels in this instance. Two parallels getting killed in the same chapter? Where have I seen this before?

Yeah Min and Xander (i miss you both ;-;)

This is the part where I talk about Min and Eden parallels.

Ain’t no way drdtdev is going to make the same repeat of the last trial’s conclusion. The hugs!!!! The crying!!! Teruko, who points out when Eden tries to investigate with her in this chapter that Min did the same thing to deceive her. Eden, who was crying for someone to believe she didn’t kill Arei. Teruko, who decides to trust Eden, the same way that Eden was the only one to believe in Teruko in the last trial.

Eden, who would be able to prove David and Teruko’s points wrong. Who believed in Arei, that she could be her friend! Eden, who if was revealed to be the killer, would likely send Teruko down a worse path, being betrayed for the third time now.

Ace, who shares Teruko’s views that no one can be trusted, and who isolated himself from everyone. Ace who, despite how much I love him, would show Teruko how isolating herself from everyone else would lead to her death. Ace, who would be a dark reflection on what Teruko could have been, had she continued down that path. Both were almost killed, but one who tried to murder everyone to get out and the other who saved everyone from getting killed.

The narrative themes of trust and distrust.

Teruko’s secret quote for god's sake!!!!!

It’s too much to not go anywhere guys!!!

Okay, I think that’s it for now. Sorry if this sounds like I’m rambling too much, or if it doesn’t make much sense. First time posting something here lol. But this series makes me sick!!!!!/pos

I like both Eden and Ace, and don’t want it to be either of them, but I doubt it’s a third party at this point. And between the two, I think narratively, it makes more sense for it to be Ace.

And also, guys, we NEED more positive characters going into chapter 3, after how many mentally ill people are around rn. We have enough asshole men now (cough looking at you, Mr. David Chiem cough). Whit is too sus and is either dying or about to get hit with a truckload of emotions to stay stable long enough.

Also, Teruko learning to trust while Eden learns to distrust!! Teruden!!!! YURI NATION SWEEP GUYS!!!!!

If I’m wrong, I might die on the spot (please Eden I need you to stay alive!!!!)

[unweavinglies]

I’d like to ask a question about Kokichi’s character in Chapter 4, specifically with him seeing the “Truth of the outside world.” Yes, it was a big shift in his character to suddenly want killing, but I’m not entirely convinced that it was because of him losing his mind from seeing the outside world. I think at least some of it was a facade to make others think of him as a bad guy/the mastermind; to make his Chapter 5 character more believable so his plan would work. What do you think?

Well, I'm not here to convince you one way or another.

My theories and personal interpretations are just that--personal interpretations and theories. The narrative is web of interpretations and I only hold a single thread of it.

To me, personally, I think Kokichi's behavioral shift is far too drastic, going from "I'm going to beat this killing game" to "I'm going to become a blackened and kill someone", to plotting with Gonta to mercy kill the whole class. I think this jump has only one true source--the madness of seeing the end of the world you and your fellow classmates have been killing each other over.

I know it's a difficult feeling to imagine--but that's probably why you think differently than me. I cannot fathom what it's like to see the end of the world--and how I personally would react to that, aside from pure devastation. I don't think any human being can truly comprehend what "the end of the world" would look or feel like--which is why the concept often appears in horror plots and the sort. I don't think our brains can truly comprehend becoming an endangered species, the world we knew to be suddenly inhabitable, to be on the brink of death and demise and know that everything you once loved has already left you behind.

So I ask you this as my answer: Do you really think that any human being on this earth could handle the end of the world?

My answer to my own question is: No. I don't think any human could mentally handle seeing what Kokichi saw--and that's why I don't think his "I am the Mastermind" plot is the cause of his personality shift during chapter 4.

It just doesn't make sense to me.

I'm sorry if this comes off as curt or rude--but the amount of asks I've gotten specifically about Chapter 4, and about my Mercy Kill Theory, with the sentiment of "Oh your theory must be incorrect, somehow", is far too grating on me. Never the mind asks that go and try to find loop holes to prove the theory wrong, but I digress--that is neither here nor there.

[catinasink]

good morning

[ellameloetta]

so the past couple of days i’ve been having a realization.

there are parallels between ryoma and the criminal that shuichi helped to catch in the past

JUST LET ME EXPLAIN-

okay, so if you recall, near the beginning of the game shuichi explains in the past how a culprit he helped to catch and apprehend was someone who killed out of revenge.

and who else do we know, that killed someone out of revenge for causing the demise of his loved ones? hm? HM??

AND ONE MORE THING-

during both ryoma’s love suite scene and the scene where shuichi explains his backstory the same instrumental track plays- moon on the water.

ARE YA’LL PICKIN UP WHAT I’M PUTTIN DOWN-

[kamimint]

Secret Santa for @stargloom 💪

[sappy-detective]

so i’m obsessed with when fics make shuichi a working detective. and i have a small detective/runaway saiouma AU. warning i talk a LOT

so ouma and saihara are childhood best friends. i’m talking like knowing each other since like kindergarten age.

they’re both attached at the hip. shuichi being a shy introvert and ouma being very obnoxious and outgoing. one thing they have in common is that- well they don’t have any friends. no one wants to talk to shuichi because they think he’s weird and no one likes ouma because they think he’s loud and obnoxious. but they mesh so well and become the best of friends.

and their home lives are very polar opposite.

oumas pretty poor, his dad is an abusive dick and his mom is .. well she try’s to be good but in the end she stands by and doesn’t say or do anything to stop his dad. but he’s a mamas boy through and trough.

shuichis mom and dad pretty much abandoned him with his aunt and uncle. they’re upper middle class and they’re very very supportive and loving to him. they’re his mother and father figure but it’s not the same as having your mom and dad. especially sucks when he sees them in movies and tv shows.

they share everything with each other and are very comfortable with each other. they came out to each other and support each other. they’re just very incredibly close.

then one day, ouma just, disappears?

they’re in about high school when he disappears. about 15-16? at this point, shuichis made friends with kaede, maki, and kaito, along with others in his class. he’s still shy and has social anxiety but it wasn’t as bad as it used to be.

he didn’t notice at first, but found it odd that ouma didn’t text him in the morning, or walk with shuichi to his bus stop.

he and ouma go to different schools so he can’t talk to him direct, so he tries calling ouma during his lunch hour but the call didn’t go through at all.

he was bubbling with anxiety the whole day, kaede and his friends tried calming him down but this is WAy out of character. this goes on for days and shuichis just about to freak because.. we’ll he can’t really do anything.

ouma never invited shuichi over or even told shuichi where he lives. he isn’t embarrassed about being poor or anything but he doesn’t want shuichi meeting his dad.

they always hang out at shuichis house, ouma always walks home and refuses any offers of a ride home from shuichis uncle so shuichi has no idea whats going on.

now with shuichis uncle being a detective i imagine that he tries snooping and he figured out it looks like ouma either ran away from home or was kidnapped.

now this is part you can take out but,

the night before, ouma visited saiharas window. not extremely weird. on school night when ouma isn’t allowed past 9, so he visits saiharas windows to talk to him.

what was odd about this time was that ouma seemed to be in a rush. his face was flushed and he was panting like he just ran a marathon. he was at saiharas window just talking, then periodically popping in cool he thought shuichi was. in a kind of ouma way.

“pst! ouma! come on, we have to go!” shuichi jumped a bit, looking past ouma to see a feminine figure jogging up to his back fence.

“who’s that?”

“just… one of my friends” ouma sighed, letting go of the  windowsill.

that night ends with ouma giving shuichi a kiss, a semi love confession and a smile before leaving with his friend.

then he disappears. you can take that part out though. but i think it adds a kind of lead to what happened.

shuichis uncle isn’t allowed to investigate or interfere because he knows ouma so it’s all up to the detective that’s put on his missing persons case. maybe they think he ran away so it’s not being taken seriously?

shuichi just wants to get to the bottom of what happened to his best friend (and let’s be honest, almost lover.)

then it’s teen boy detective saihara snooping around, going to his school just- being a detective.

this is just a funny idea i MIGHT write a one shot about or might not who knows. OBVIOUSLY the people he left with was DICE but shuichi doesn’t know that. i like to think that they’re close this makes shuichi realize that, in reality, he knows nothing about ouma.

sure he knows his favorite food, how he likes his fruit cut and what his favorite flavor of candy is but he doesn’t even know what his parents names are or where he lives.

in reality oumas been planning on running away for a long time, planning with his friends/found family and just has been putting it off because… well shuichi would be alone without him but now that shuichis finally has more friends to help him out he feels comfortable leaving his shitty home life.

definitely wasn’t easy tho!!! you should add more mystery if you want- make it fun