#is that it never agrees with itself about Junko

[funishment-time]

say what you want about UDG but at the Very Least it shows us, a little, how beloved Junko was canonically supposed to be, which most other pieces of DR media run away from for some reason

[drawbauchery]

I heard we were allowed out little conspiracies theories to be set into the wild, so I came running.

*Pulls out the little stool and conspiracy board again* Okay so

I’m thinking we have a SDR2 mind wipe on our hands. No one ever mentions the killing game. Like- ever. They stay away from Kiyo still, but that can just be chalked up to creepy-boiyo. And I’m pretty sure If any of them remembered Nagito they wouldn’t let him be near Kokichi, ever. (Two suicidal evil geniuses being together would create the most catastrophic thing known to man.) and well no one would be around Kokichi. Also, Kokichi doesn’t Lie. Like, ever. In-game he says that he hates lying, and we can guess if there wasn’t a killing game he wouldn’t lie, so…

But then we have the question of why they remember the tragedy… and to that I say they most likely believed they were in the tragedy itself, but they don’t remember any of the killing games. Now the real plot hole in this idea is Tsumugi. She specifically references Cos-pox as being a fake memory, and Kaede agrees. We also have Kiyo talking about the fake memories. Now, this is a problem for my little idea. Cospox and the fake memories are something only from the killing game of V3, and as someone previously mentioned Shuichi and presumably the others know Monokuma by name. My guess is they remember something like Team salmon mode or talent development plan, but not the killing game. It’s shown in those modes the V3 cast has the fake memories, and Tsumugi presumably has cospox.

Now, this explains why Mikan and Junko being around each other isn’t weird here. Neither one remembers the killing games. Or, the AI’s remember but aren’t telling anyone. I’m not sure which (I totally won’t make another ask about it haha)

now, this begs the question of why. And who? I think the former is easier to answer, but this is going to be shaky ground.

it might be that the recovery process toook a turn for the worse in the hospital. We never see anyone talk about what happened in the hospital flashbacks in the main AU, so I’m assuming those memories were wiped as well. Maybe someone found the old footage of the killing games and everyone relapsed, who knows. Point is, that took a turn for the very, very much worse here and someone decided that they needed to take further action to help everyone, so they placed everyone in an updated version of the neo world program, and messed with their memories.

as for who, I think I’ll need to see more of this AU before I can safely answer that. I have my suspiciousions, *cough cough future foundation cough cough* but I’ll leave them aside for now.

*as he says this final sentence, Shuichi comes onstage and drags him away*

Shuichi: I’m so sorry you had to sit through that, he gets carried away.

gonna throw a wrench in your theory by confirming that everyone remembers the killing games :3c the thing is, they're on a therapy trip. i thought they'd mentioned the games on the bus but if they haven't, it's because they're trying not to think about them. but check out the way certain people interact with each other. i think some of the relationships are more than enough to confirm they all remember something happened.

there's also the post about the relationships between the killers and their victims to cement this

there is. a nugget of truth in this theory though. not gonna say what it is though nslfksdnfs

[ultfan]

@jcurneysend continued from this ask.

"I mean- yeah. That makes sense for you, Komaeda."

A flick of a oddly placed mushroom that somehow, someway found herself in her hair, and Junko stood up, stretching and cracking her back, giving a sigh.

"You probably expected you weren't gonna live long anyway."

"I mean, you're basically terminal, yeah? Not much else you can do to fuck around on this green ol' earth anyway.." Nonchalantly, she glances back, a vile sort of glare in her eyes. Komaeda was Naegi's antithesis- at least in her mind, in her warped vision, that was Komaeda Nagito to her. Rattle on about hope this, or perform his strange acts for the glory of mankind's hope that...

Like killing off his entire classmates or even getting near it since they were oh so easily swayed by her judgement and manipulations. Jeez! How annoying can he get? Do you know how hard it was to sway Peko-freakin-yama at times!?

Still, he was resolute. Yet that darkness in his heart could be his undoing..

"Buuuuut, it always makes me think! Man. Wouldn't it be funny if your luck somehow found a way to make sure you lived? I mean, sure! Realistically your body would be weak and feeble due to it. Like, did you know while taking treatments and the like to even fight against that, your bodys weaker to shit like the common cold!? Daaaaaamn. Anyways."

"..I think what I'm meaning to say is, its way easier for someone who wants to die to be forced to live and witness it all. Don't you agree?~"

Junko?

Shut up.

                     he did hate her. enoshima's existence was everything that he despised wrapped into a chaotic, yet beautiful package. the embodiment of everything he stood against. so he hated her... so he says. so he tells himself. so he copes.

                     but was there not a reason he could find himself speaking to her while only having one or two passing thoughts about how glorious it would be when she finally died? was there a reason that, despite his desire for ultimate hope, he still found himself working for ultimate despair? well... for him to entertain those questions would be despair-inducing in itself. he'll just claim that it's just the nature of the super high school level gyaru to be... somewhat charismatic. even when she was being the absolute worst.

                     ‶  hm... i guess i do to some extent.  ″ komaeda never wished for good things for himself. he would never dare to do that. it's not like he didn't want them, no. it's in a human's nature to desire happiness. to not want to feel pain. to avoid disaster. but he had to acknowledge that he would never be able to live a life without those things. nor did a lowly human such as himself even deserve a life like that.

                     he long since accepted that.

                     ‶  this talent of mine really is unfortunate, don't you think so? you would think that someone with such good luck would have things go in their favor more often... and yet here i am having a conversation with you. how unlucky is that?  ″ he cannot help the sardonic smile that creeps it's way on to his face. really, though, he must be down on his luck to find himself anywhere near her. he wonders if this bad luck would lead to something wonderful down the line. although compared to his past tragedies, this is a minor inconvenience at best. sigh...

                     ‶  but... even though i'm not scared of dying, i can't really say that i'm desperate for a way out quite yet. though i wouldn't really mind it...  ″ depending on the circumstances, that is. but he won't say that much. regardless he doubts his death would bring anyone despair... and if that's the case, maybe he'll be lucky enough to die in a way that can be used as someone's stepping stone towards a hope strong enough to beat even enoshima junko herself.

                     ‶  even so, i'm rather glad i've lived this long.  ″ his eyes, cold and perhaps even deranged, look to meet hers. there's a darkness in him, one rather ironic for someone who speaks hope's praises so adamantly.  ‶  after all, the longer i'm around to witness this all, the greater the chance i'll be alive to see a hope great enough to destroy the despair you've worked so hard to spread. sure, the odds of that aren't very high... but if i wouldn't be worthy of the title super high school level good luck if i let something as silly as that bring me down.  ″

[despair-to-future-arcs]

To Makoto Naegi: I wouldn’t be so sure. This is just one briefcase. Knowing Junko, the other briefcases will be similarly impactful in terms of their revelations. And well… You know she doesn’t lie about this sort of thing. You might find at the end that you can’t justify rebuilding Hope’s Peak.

But still, she could just be-.

———————————————————————-

Makoto... can you just shut up and listen to them, they are bringing up a good point.

These briefcases contains files from Hope's Peak Academy itself - meaning that Junko didn't write these and it was long before any of us were born, it was the Steering Committee that written them which Junko founded and email those files to those that need to see it.

———————————————————————-

And? At the end of the day, she still likely brainwash them like Class 77 and Hajime! There's no way they would of done all this out of their own free will!

Angry? Yeah I can see that happening but going to the point of violence? Highly unlikely...

All I'm saying is that no one would go straight to killing right away, there's just too much to consider with just one briefcase and even then!

———————————————————————-

Are you even listening to yourself?! Makoto, Hope's Peak Academy had done these bribes for some damn project, screw over the damn country and Junko Enoshima simply use an already broken system to her advantage!

If you really think about re-opening that damn place then you better count me out or I'll-!

Enough, you 2 are getting heated so calm down!

...

———————————————————————-

...

———————————————————————-

*sigh* Look... I can see where you both are coming from; I do agree that there's too much going on and far too coinvent for someone like Junko Enoshima, after all I can understand anger but jumping to violence makes no sense at all.

Plus the majority of Ultimates that never got to attend would mostly move on with their lives and knowing Junko, she likely didn't email the whole thing so something doesn't add up.

However, saying that Hope's Peak Academy is innocent in any of this is foolish and shortsighted - they still did the Hope Cultivation plan to create Izuru Kamukura, accepted someone like Genocider Syo and did mess the country to such a point that someone like Junko Enoshima just use a broken system against themselves.

As say... I think we should keep looking for these briefcases and find those files and learn of the contents of them and if knowing Junko; she wouldn't lie about this sort of thing, she be very honest about it and completely dismissing her wouldn't help at all.

So while it's easy to blame Junko for everything, we have to remember that there are other variables and motives to consider... so let's not dismiss what Junko is saying about the contents, she just simply found the information.

[mirecalemoments01]

Japanese Tourist's Pricey Surprise: When a Crab Dish Costs $680

A Japanese tourist visiting Singapore recently found herself in an unexpected and rather pricey dining situation. After ordering a crab dish at the Seafood Paradise restaurant, Junko Shinba was shocked to receive a bill totaling $680, or approximately Rs 56,503. Perplexed by the exorbitant cost, she called the police, claiming that she was not adequately informed about the meal's price. This dining debacle serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of clear communication in the restaurant industry. A Costly Culinary Experience Junko Shinba's dining adventure took place on August 19 when she and her friends decided to dine at Seafood Paradise in Singapore. Everything seemed ordinary until they received the bill, revealing the staggering cost of the chili crab dish she had ordered. The dish had been recommended by a waiter, who mentioned it as a $20 option. However, the crucial detail omitted was that the price was per 100 grams of the crab. The Missing Information Ms. Shinba later recounted that the waiter's recommendation lacked a crucial detail – he failed to explain that the crab was priced per 100 grams. Consequently, when her group received their order, they were astounded to discover that they had been served approximately 3,500 grams of the dish, leading to a jaw-dropping bill of $680. Ms. Shinba expressed her astonishment, saying, "We all became speechless knowing that one dinner for four adults cost that much. None of us were informed that the whole crab would be cooked only for us, as some other restaurants serve crabs partially." Calling in the Authorities In the face of this unexpected expense, Ms. Shinba took a bold step and asked the restaurant to summon the police. Officers promptly arrived at the scene to mediate the situation. The restaurant staff maintained that they had not overcharged Ms. Shinba's group and even presented a receipt from another customer who had ordered a similar dish. A Discount and Resolved Dispute After a discussion that must have been as intense as the chili crab itself, the restaurant agreed to offer Ms. Shinba a discount of approximately $78 (Rs 6,479) as a goodwill gesture. While the dining experience may not have been what she initially expected, this resolution at least mitigated the financial impact. Differing Perspectives The Paradise Group, representing Seafood Paradise, defended its staff, asserting that they had "clearly communicated" both the price and weight of the Alaskan King Crab before the order was placed. To avoid any potential miscommunication, the staff went so far as to bring the entire crab to the table before preparation. Nevertheless, when it came time to settle the bill, Ms. Shinba refused to pay and opted to file a police report. As a result, the restaurant manager facilitated the police report. Seeking Additional Support In addition to involving the police, Ms. Shinba reached out to the Singapore Tourism Board about her dining experience. Her case was subsequently referred to the Consumers Association of Singapore, adding another layer to this culinary saga. This incident serves as a reminder that transparent communication in the restaurant industry is paramount. Clear information about pricing, portion sizes, and any additional charges should be provided to customers to avoid any unexpected surprises when the bill arrives. While dining adventures can sometimes lead to delightful discoveries, they should never leave diners with a sense of speechlessness, especially when it comes to the cost of a meal. What led to the Japanese tourist's shockingly high dining bill?The Japanese tourist, Junko Shinba, was charged an unexpected amount for a crab dish due to a lack of clarity regarding the pricing method used by the restaurant. The dish was priced per 100 grams, a detail that was not adequately communicated to her. How did Ms. Shinba respond to the hefty bill?In response to the astronomical bill, Ms. Shinba called the police, claiming that she was not properly informed about the meal's cost. The police arrived on the scene to mediate the situation. Was the dispute eventually resolved?Yes, after a discussion between Ms. Shinba and the restaurant staff, the restaurant offered her a discount of approximately $78 as a goodwill gesture, which she accepted. Did Ms. Shinba seek further assistance in addressing her concerns?In addition to involving the police, Ms. Shinba contacted the Singapore Tourism Board about her dining experience. Her case was referred to the Consumers Association of Singapore for further resolution. Read the full article

[alstroemerian-dragon]

Bruh tumblr didn't even tell me you responded, I 1000% agree with you on fuyus view of kids cus like he’s from a world where kids were (literally) property of corse he’s gonna have complicated relationship with kids also the idea of whether they even deserve them is so sad cus the topic is hella grey. Also everything with Hajime oh boy that’s a bag of worms on its own he’d hella spiral if he had one

Don’t feel bad that the convo doesn’t have a lot of what you wrote! If anything it’s gonna sound more realistic cus unless with a therapist everything everyone says in a serious convo is dipped in like 3-5 layers of context that will never be brought up unless asked especially depending on how emotionally open they are

Also don’t apologize for having things to do, real life comes first :)

oh dw tumblr is sooooo functional (sarcasm)

the thing about fuyuhiko is i think hed be really really good with kids. despite everything, he loved natsumi so much, and you can tell that in a better world he would have been such a good big brother. i try to convey that in anything i write pertaining to his relationship with natsumi (which. the way theyre Actually related is something ive taken significant time thinking about lmao its Not simple), that he loved her and tried to do what he thought was best for her and protect her from the worst of their parents’ bullshit. i dont doubt that some of the times his parents hurt him during fights he was protecting her.

the problem is that he doesnt believe hed be good with kids because. fuyuhiko to me is the kind of person who because of circumstance and trauma believes that he is fundamentally a Bad and Broken Person but that hes Okay With That, that at least he can use the time he has left to protect the people who he sees as Good (ie most of the rest of his class, people who he sees as innocent, etc). this is something i think he believed even as a kid, and therefore something junko used wholeheartedly to manipulate him. its complicated.

but like… hes not. hes not a bad person, hes not broken, hes traumatized and has really bad anger issues, yes but. hes genuinely a really good person. he has a really strong moral compass, and overall believes in minimizing harm as much as possible, at least when it comes to people who dont deserve it. given enough time (and therapy) i think he would make a really really good parent.

and hajime… oof. personally i think hajime could ALSO be a really good parent (because its me) but again. lots of time. lots of therapy. his relationship with his parents is a whole other post in itself, but at the end of the day, hes definitely got multiple talents related to being nurturing in him. maybe not ‘ultimate father’ ‘ultimate mother’ or whatever because they would have been talents from teenagers, but something. and again, hajime is really really intent on human connection and letting himself and others feel emotions in a healthy way. thats a really good quality in a parent!!!

a lot of moral and ethical stuff regarding the remnants is SUPER gray just by virtue of who they are and it makes me go bonkers crazy wild makes me scream wail etc. love me a moral quandary. love me a fuckin. trolley problem-ass situation

[prompt-master]

UNAMED WIP PART 1

Alright so you guys seemed receptive to the idea of trying the communal wip concept. I'm def willing to try and see if this will help me get back into my flow! Please feel free to give any comments suggestions or just support! Just remember that your suggestion MAY not come to fruition, it's going to be about what resonates with me tbh and I still want artistic freedom

If you want to be fully surprised by my fics when they come out, block the tag "weip" (get it. WE in progress cuz communal fic and-) I'll tag this for asks and discussions about the wip

Alright here goes:

The moment that Makoto stepped into Hope’s Peak Academy for the first time changed his life forever. The moment that Makoto left Hope’s Peak Academy for the last time changed his life forever. It truly felt like even now, years later, that everything began and ended with that school. It was a blessing and a curse, a spectacle of both humanity’s highest highs and lowest lows. And now Makoto found himself as the spokesperson for humanity’s highest highs.

Makoto was now the moral compass that everyone looked to for direction. People around the world looked to him with utmost fate and trust, to decide all by himself how the new future will create itself. Makoto began his journey as the epitome of normalcy, and now he was anything but.

Makoto gave a quiet laugh as Kyoko fixed his tie for him (again), “I never thought the day would come where I would wish to be normal.”

She paused in tying the knot, right before she was about to pull it tighter. And while her stern gaze was bland to the untrained eye, Makoto could see the amusement. “I believe it.”

“I never thought anything would ever make me special in the first place.” He said. Kyoko hummed when he placed a hand over one of hers.

“No one could ever predict this future we call the present, least of all your role in it.”

“It just still feels so surreal to me… I mean, The Ultimate Hope? Me?”

“I would say that you’ve earned the title.” She leaned in even closer, close enough that they were essentially forehead to forehead without properly crossing the threshold. “Defeating Enoshima Junko was no small task. The world seems to agree with me.”

“I guess it just feels like…”

Makoto looked again in the mirror, remembering the time that his mother had fussed over making sure he looked perfect for his first day at Hope’s Peak. His hair had been slicked down to an offensive degree, only to bounce back to life an hour into the day. She spent hours telling him how to fix his tie, worried that he wouldn’t fit in with the elite and giddy that her son was now one of them. Makoto’s clumsy fingers never quite figured out the technique. His tie was always loose, lopsided, clearly done by, as Byakuya put it, an ignorant amatuer. Both he and Kyoko had repeated the steps with him several times over, just as his mother tried.

He never really knew what he was doing.

Kyoko's mouth briefly twitched, before she focused her gaze back to her hands. Makoto didn’t know how to finish his thought, how to give voice to the feelings buzzing in his heart. But luckily, they had gotten to the point where Makoto didn’t have to say it anymore. They had gone through a forgotten childhood together, experienced unimaginable trauma hand-in-hand. Kyoko didn’t go through the trouble of tying Makoto’s necktie prior to every meeting just for the sake of it. Kyoko didn’t stand there, wasting time as she idly stood with her long forgotten task still laying in her hands without reason. Being so close to the man she graced with the highest honor, being so close to cradling his cheek in her hands…

The tie began to tighten around his neck.

“Do you think it’s a bad thing?” She asked, smothering the other questions she had loaded in her mind. She wanted so badly to just interrogate him, to simply hold the straightforward information to her quandaries. Does he resent the new Makoto that he was forced to become? Did he find honor in his new duties? Does he understand how special he is? How normal he is? Does he understand the rest of his life will be defined by publicized trauma?

“It’s not bad…” His gaze averted the reflections stare, “it’s just…”

“Do you wish you could go back to being normal?”

“I would wish almost anything if it meant our friends would be here with us today.”

“You know what I meant, Naegi-kun.”

“Yeah, I do…” He stepped back, turning to face the mirror and admire her handiwork. It was perfectly crafted, he looked far more poised than he could ever hope to feel. Kyoko stood idly by, her hands still somewhat raised- resting awkwardly at stomach level- watching him with calculative thoughts. Makoto began to roll the end of his tie over his pointer finger, humming in thought. He didn’t turn back to her. She lowered her hands.

“But…” he said, “I think that this is all worth it, you know? To be able to give this much hope to so many people…I’m glad that the world has something to look forward to again.”

“Save the lovely words for your speech, Naegi-Kun.”

She smiled at the laugh that rang out. “You’re right, as always.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I still get so nervous, even though I’ve done these speeches for a few years now.”

The bags under his eyes certainly agreed. It was hard to imagine that such an Atlus-sized burden rested on the shoulders of a man with chronic baby face. It was charming. It was tragic. She fished for the words to be just as encouraging as he.

“You’ll do great, like you always do.” Close enough.

Somehow, Makoto always managed to find such inspiration in simple awkward gestures. His face brightened up, warming her heart like it does a thousand times a day. “I’ll make sure to do right by your faith, Kirigiri-san!”

Naegi Makoto’s speeches could be described as a charity event designed to give out hope to the masses. On top of his other Future Foundation and HPA rebuilding duties, Makoto was set to regularly visit settlements and inspire them. With each speech being broadcast around the world, his influence only gathered more and more notoriety, which further increased the amount of hope he could bring with a visit. It was a role too big for his shoes to fill, and yet he still managed to balance it all. Makoto constantly teetered on the edge of collapsing under the pressure, but always stubbornly refused to give.

“Someone has to do it.” He always said, and that someone happened to be him.

Of course, Makoto wished more than anything that one day the world would heal enough that he wouldn’t be the world’s sole motivator. But that is then, and this is now.

“You know, onii-chan used to run home every day after school to try and watch Sayaka-chan’s concerts in secret. Hard to believe someone so embarrassing could be so important now, right?”

“Were you not also a big fan of Maizono-san’s work?”

“I still am! But onii-chan is wayyy more embarrassing, trust me!”

——

“I have a question for you, Naegi-san, if you don’t mind.”

Komaru huffed, puffing out her cheeks and swinging her legs. “Kyoko-chan, please! We’ve known each other for so long! And you mean a lot to onii-chan! Just call me Komaru, already.”

Kyoko stared.

“C’mon! At least give it a try: ‘Ko-ma-ru-chan!’”

Komaru smiled in expectation, only to pout when Kyoko shut her eyes. Kyoko then took a deep breath in through her nose and released it through her mouth.

When she opened her eyes again, she said “Komaru-san.”

Komaru lowered her head with a dejected sigh, “we’ll get there one day.”

“May I ask my question now?”

Komaru shuffled closer to Kyoko, but maintained the casual posture that Kyoko couldn’t help but envy. Somehow, Komaru always looked so comfortable with the life she’s grown into. Toko was right when she said Komaru gained confidence through their adventures. Kyoko didn’t bother moving from her spot, after all she had the perfect view of the stage, just the right spot between the crowd so that when Makoto began his speech, she would be able to digest it all.

Komaru didn’t cease her shuffling until her knee was just next to Kyoko’s shoulder. Her eyes expectant. Komaru and Kyoko didn’t interact often, especially without Makoto to act as a buffer. Kyoko wasn’t the type to ask casual questions even to a good friend.

Kyoko stared at the lonesome microphone up on the stage, burning in the spotlight. “Do you have any plans to pick up some of your brother’s Ultimate Hope duties?”

Komaru leaned back, smile dropped, “eh?”

“Such as being a motivational figure, attempting to raise morale in groups, and peacekeeping when there is infighting. The occasional act of standing up to any of Enoshima Junko’s copycats. That sort of thing. Do you plan to pick any of it up?”

Komaru pursed her lips, “Well, I..uhm.” She played with the hem of her skirt, hands squeezing the fabric repeatedly. Suddenly she was much closer than she was before. Her posture was now much more awkward as she bent over to be at ear level with Kyoko.She opened her mouth, but hesitated, glancing at the crowd around them. It was as though she was speaking an intimate secret.

“I’m..not my brother.”

“I am aware.”

“I can never be Makoto.”

“I strongly disagree.”

Komaru’s shoulders were tightly drawn up, “what do you mean by that…?”

“Fukawa-san, Togami-kin, even Naegi-kun have told me all about your travels. You were able to achieve much in that short amount of time, and you still are. You should be very proud.”

Komaru shot a quick look towards the megaphone attached to her hip, then to the empty stage, then to Kyoko again. “I mean…yeah but, that was different.”

“Was it? Was Towa Monaca not a similar foe to Enoshima Junko? Did you not manage to defy the normal standard put upon you? Did you not manage to offer a new perspective in the face of two stubborn groups? Did you not survive when all odds were against you?”

“That’s because I had Toko-chan…”

“Naegi-kun would say the same with regards to me. But it was you, not her, who achieved the impossible.”

“People wouldn’t ever listen to me, I’m just-“

“You’re the Ultimate Hope’s little sister, it is the perfect image for a new figurehead.”

[desceription for paced pause]

“Look, Kyoko. Of course, I’ll always fight against some jerk who’s on the side of despair or whatever, but I’m not really doing it because I’m actively fighting for hope…I do it because they’re always some huge psycho trying to mass murder people or whatever…”

“You are still a part of the fight in that scenario.”

“But it’s different from onii-chan! I don’t go out of my way to do that stuff.”

“Any reason why?”

“I dunno I just… don’t want to, I guess. I’m not Makoto. I don’t have that same resolve or determination. I’ll help of course, but that level of responsibility is way too much for me. The stuff I do in Towa City with Toko-Chan is already a lot to handle…”

The crowd suddenly erupted into cheers, briefly cutting their conversation short. Makoto was now on stage, awkwardly waving to the crowd in a way that only furthered the crowd’s love for him. In that time, Kyoko forced herself to settle down. It wasn’t like her to let emotions lead a conversation. This line of questioning started out with a simple curiosity, how did it become so…

Komaru watched her brother take his place in the spotlight, all amusement from before was gone. She was tense, her eyebrows were drawn close in contemplation.

…How did it become so uncomfortable?

Makoto began to speak, but Komaru couldn’t let their conversation go. Not yet, anyway.

“I think I’m just selfish.” She said.

Kyoko watched Makoto take on the curse she gave to him. “I think I am too.”

Holding eye contact suddenly became a foreign task between the two. Kyoko recognized this specific familiar feeling. It was one created by being raised into someone who saw every situation as nothing more than another puzzle to analyze. One that left no room for connections others would deem necessary. It was the feeling of being strangers to someone you should know intimately.

Kyoko felt like there were words that needed to be said. But how could she begin to start when she wasn’t even sure how she felt, let alone how Komaru felt? Perhaps “I’m sorry” was the way to go, but Kyoko didn’t want to be inauthentic either. That conversation was necessary, Kyoko knew that in her heart, so she didn’t regret bringing it up…

But she did regret what it was. Nothing made sense anymore after the world had reset, it was impossible to fathom the weight that was carried with taking on some of Makoto’s burden. Somehow though…Kyoko thought that Komaru would jump at any opportunity to be more like her brother. He was enamored, the perfect underdog story, like his entire life was perfectly crafted to make people empathize with his story. And if there was anything Kyoko had learned about normal people throughout her life…and especially after unpacking the mysteries of the Neo World Program…it was that normal people would jump at any expense to be anything but normal.

But Komaru didn’t. It was a full rejection. That should’ve been a good thing, right? Komaru was content with her life, she didn’t feel the need to overexert herself in the attempt to achieve the impossible.

Makoto was content with his life now, wasn’t he?

Kyoko pinched the bridge of her nose, all of Makoto’s words blurred into fuzzy overly simplistic nonsense that she couldn’t hold onto anymore. She couldn’t even hold onto the memory of the outline he had her review, it was all background noise to the dissertation happening in her mind. Was it odd to have just a mental debate about the ideals of someone who was standing right next to you?

Why did Kyoko want Komaru to say yes so bad to a question she wished Makoto would say no to-

“Komaru-san, I-“

Komaru hissed out a sharp “shh!”

Kyoko winced. She slipped far enough into her own mind that she forgot her manners. They were still in the middle of a grand speech after all, of course Komaru wanted to offer her support. “…You’re right, I apologize-”

“No- I…” Komaru clicked her tongue, “… don’t you feel that?”

All Kyoko could feel was a dry throat from the poor air quality of the settlement, “feel what?”

“Like…a super bad feeling?”

“You shushed me over a bad feeling?”

“Yes! Now shh! You’re a detective, don’t you ever get some Sherlock Intuition or something?”

“I feel the need to clarify that I am not an anime character.”

Komaru ignored Kyoko, instead she glared around at the various people sitting in the settlement. She scanned them as thoroughly as she could, as though she could pick out the source of a gut feeling with her eyes and solve it then and there. But it all felt so normal. It was a sight that Kyoko had seen a million times and will see a million more. Maybe it shouldn’t; be normal, but it was. All that mattered to Kyoko at the moment was the Naegis.

“Komaru-san-“

BANG!

Kyoko felt her breath leave her body as the crowd erupted into startled shrieks. Komaru had flinched back, nearly falling off the ledge she sat on. “What was that!?” Komaru yelled, only added to the cacophony of pedestrians asking similar questions. People pushed and stood on their toes to try and understand what was happening, why so many people sounded panicked and scared. The screams from the front of the crowd got louder, and like the roaring sea it traveled up in a massive foreboding wave. An ear bleeding shrill caused people to cover their ears, the telltale sound of a microphone screaming as it hit the floor.

“Kyoko-chan, what’s going on?” Komaru looked confused.

Kyoko felt far more than confused.

Kyoko knew that sound anywhere. The one that started this mess.

That had been the sound of a gunshot.

“Kyoko-chan?” Komaru’s subdued voice felt muffled through the icy layers of panic. The gunshot, although loud, had been muffled. The gunman used a suppressor. It would be hard to estimate where it came from now. Kyoko needed more evidence. She needed the facts, she needed to know. It was difficult to discern any more information from the scene, when the crowd had become nothing more than a mob seeking refuge. People were shoving each other, weaving in random directions, dropping personal items. They were disorganizing the already messy crime scene that Kyoko had only barely just begun to try and understand. Distantly, she felt two pairs of hands cling to her arm. She didn’t look down, too busy trying to find any suspicious parties in the crowd, but she knew that Komaru was anchoring herself to Kyoko. She didn’t want to lose her in this insanity.

“Onii-chan…!” Komaru suddenly gasped out, digging her nails into Kyoko’s arms. “Stop just standing there, we need to check on him!”

[monomonomagines]

Hai :3

I saw your "dr 2 boys realizing their in love with their s/o for the first time" And I really liked it ^^ It was so cute ( ╹▽╹ )

So could I request it with Kyoko, Mukuro Maki,Komaru,Mikan, Shuichi , Toko And Byakuya ?

Sure thing Anon! I had a lot of fun with that particular prompt back when we started the blog so I’m very honored to be able to write more with that subject for other characters. I hope that you’ll enjoy this as much as I did writing it for you. 

Kyoko

Kyoko admired your wit and confidence but the moment that really made her take notice of you (as well as catch feelings for you) would be when the two of you got into a debate and you were able to correct her. 

It may seem small or inconsequential especially given how intelligent Kyoko is herself but even she’s human.

She made a mistake and you weren’t afraid to correct her and that would be the moment that she realizes that she enjoys your company. 

After that there’d be no way she could stop thinking about you and how dependable you can be. 

Mukuro

Mukuro despite not seeming soft with a title like the Ultimate Soldier really is rather sensitive in her own way.

She craves approval and love enough to do anything she can for her sister, even setting aside the things she loves to get this.

That’s why she fell hard and fast as soon as you tried to ask her to hangout and when she mentioned that you should ask her sister told her that you liked her more.

No one had ever liked her “more” or often saw her as more than a package deal with Junko so hearing those words would be enough to secure her affections for you. 

Maki

Despite telling you to stay back Maki is normally someone you have to push to get through to as you would have to in order to get her to open up at all. 

She lashes out at your insistence and persistence even to get close to her but this technique would ironically be what gets to her. 

However the exact moment that would seal the deal would be the one time she breaks down actually. 

Maki doesn’t necessarily have huge outbursts but for you to put your arms around her and assure her that “everything’s ok” she can’t help but to fall for you. 

The way you never ran away from her threats, or dismissed her because of her coldness at first warmed her heart up to you and you only. 

Komaru

Komaru is a bit of a romantic in her own way with all the strange shoujo manga she’s read but overall she’s really a simple gal.

She’d fall rather quickly for you given all the time she’d want to spend together but the exact moment that really did it would have to be when you came over to return some manga she had lent you.

She had high hopes that once you finished it the two of you could discuss it and she was elated when you agreed since it made her happy.

You had so much care for her interests and gave her all the time you could and that in and of itself made her fall then and there. 

She’s rather bashful when she notices her heart skip a beat and her mind stuck on you but she’ll do her best to woo you over when she works up the courage.

Mikan

Mikan’s biggest desire is to be loved and secure so she’d be rather close to you even before she had fallen for you.

Like a little duckling following its mother, Mikan would try to do whatever she could to remain by your side including doing whatever you wanted to.

However this was amplified when she had come over one particular day and you insisted on actually doing what she liked.

Sure it came off as a huge surprise but the fact that you would try to do anything she wanted and always took the time to assure her that you can accommodate for her as well made her smitten for you.

She’s shy until she warms up but once you earn her heart she gets so distracted and clingy that she can’t help but throw herself at you anyway she knows how to.

Shuichi

Shuichi is rather perceptive so he would already be fairly aware of you before he would catch feelings for you.

However, the moment that would earn his heart would have to be when you’d stand up for him.

Shuichi and his friends were in a bit of a debate but even despite his point being correct decided as usual thanks to his lack of confidence to accept that he was wrong.

You however, weren’t having any of that, hopping into the conversation and standing up for him even if you didn’t have to.

After that there was no way Shuichi could meet your gaze without feeling his cheeks burn and heart race but maybe just maybe he could work up the courage to actually ask you out.

Toko

Getting through to Toko of all people is near impossible. She only has her eyes set on certain types and is hard to budge.

However, like Mikan she needs love and security more than anything else in the world so once you get past her barriers you could sneak your way through.

The exact moment Toko fell for you was when you overheard someone’s plan to play badger games with the poor girl as the intended target. 

Before they could land any blows to Toko’s already fragile ego however, you stepped in letting her know what was happening and reporting the group question even when she told you didn’t have to.

Soon enough though her eyes would be drifting away from Byakuya and towards you, the person who actually stood up for her. 

Byakuya

To earn Byakuya’s affections would be a high honor for sure but also a difficult task.

Even if he had taken notice of you previously he looked down on everyone that he assumed to be below him.

But you would find a moment that would make it so that you could escape from his ‘pathetic commoner’ lenses that he oh so often adorned himself with.

And who knew all it’d take is to know more than the poor bastard. Byakuya may not be able to stand being wrong but if you can really prove that he is he has to respect you and see you as a cut above the rest.

He can’t deny you intellect and therefore grant you permission to interact with him openly. 

However, the exact moment that gets him to fall for you is when you genuinely allow him to talk about his life one night without diminishing his struggles or immediately assuming that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

He finds your company genuinely enjoyable and would realize that whether you meant to or not you had successfully penetrated his walls and made him of all people feel butterflies when he was next to you.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

No time to lose...

[Flashback]

Wait…Wait, are you serious?

Yes. I’m completely serious. Do I look like I’m joking?

Makoto…Makoto…

Listen buddy, I’ve always considered you to be a pretty smart guy. I always have, ever since the killing game. You know right from wrong…

But that’s why I just gotta say…

What the hell are you thinking!? Are you an insane person!?

As much as I loathe to admit it, I’m forced to agree with Hiro here.

What in God’s name makes you think that using these machines to bring back Mukuro Ikusaba is a good idea!?

I understand why you’re concerned, but-

Ikusaba isn’t the same as the remnants! They were brainwashed into doing Junko’s bidding, but she did so willingly!

How do you know that she won’t immediately turn on us and try to kill us when she wakes up!?

…

I don’t, of course I don’t. But we don’t know that for sure-

Dude, it’s too great a risk! Even I know that!

The fact that we were even able to uncover machines like this is already a miracle in and of itself! It goes against anything that’s scientifically or religiously possible!

And you wanna use these things to bring back one of the most evil people in the world!?

Yeah! Don’t tell me you wanna use them to bring Junko back too!?

Of course I don’t! But that’s different!

How is it different!? Junko Enoshima and Mukuro Ikusaba were the Despair Sisters, not The Ultimate Despair and Mukuro Ikusaba.

Ikusaba was in deep with Enoshima; they even turned out to be family! And on top of that, need I remind you that the only reason we’re using the machines is to bring back our dead classmates who effectively died at their hands!?

I won’t allow it! If you use the machines to bring back that psychopath, you doom us all-!

GOD, SHUT UP! JUST FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE SHUT! UP!

!!?

!!?

!!?

*Makoto’s frustrated yell silences everyone.

…

Sorry…But I don’t like the fact that you’re shouting down my throats about this idea before I’ve even had a chance to explain it.

So please…just shut up and give me a few minutes AT LEAST to explain myself?

…

…

…

…

*All of them are unsure what to say, so they stay quiet.

You’re right…I’m not going to turn a blind eye to the fact that Mukuro Ikusaba has worked with Junko for a long time.

In fact, if not for her, there’s a chance half of what Junko achieved in her life couldn’t have happened.

But there’s one thing that we all know for sure. No matter what way you look at it, Ikusaba’s death was a result of Junko’s betrayal. And I know that no matter who I was or how my life had been up until that point, I could never forgive them, especially if I’d been by their side for that long.

In fact, that’s why I can’t so readily accept Ikusaba’s death. She went out in the worst possible way.

And it gets even worse when you consider this…There’s a reason why Mukuro Ikusaba was so deep in Despair, and couldn’t get out.

What’s that?

Because Junko was all she ever had. The only family, the only “friend and ally” she ever had.

And that was why Junko killed her. Because she got off on that Despair. To be betrayed by the one person who you ever cared about, and who you thought cared about you.

…

Where exactly are you going with this Makoto?

What I’m saying is this…As I already said, Mukuro is one of the reason’s why Junko was so powerful and so influential, and a lot of what she did wouldn’t have been possible without Mukuro’s help.

Imagine how far we can take our post-tragedy efforts if we had someone like that on our side?

But if we bring her back…

Yeah, we risk things going south. But I have Hope and Faith that I can turn her around.

Because at the end of the day, Mukuro Ikusaba…is just like us…And just like the rest of our classmates and friends from the killing game.

She was just another one of Junko Enoshima’s victims, plain and simple.

…

…

…

Like I just said, Junko was all Mukuro Ikusaba ever had. What do you suppose could happen if we gave her something else?

I’m not gonna say that your doubt in me is misplaced. I know that this is risky, and it could likely come back to bite us.

But I still think we should go for it. If Ikusaba retaliates against us, then all we have to do is terminate her. Right?

…I...I don’t know...I’m still not sure...

Ok. In which case, I have an idea.

Chairwoman Kirigiri? What’s YOUR take on this?

…?

…?

…?

*Makoto, Hiro, Byakuya and Hina all look towards Kyoko expectantly, who has remained silent the whole time.

…Hm...

Well, to be honest, I find myself somewhere stuck in the middle of this argument.

On the one hand, I somewhat predicted beforehand that you would suggest something like this Makoto…To believe in people, and to not judge them based on their past…It’s very much like you.

So you knew I would try to advocate this?

Not “knew” More like I had a feeling.

However, I also have a few doubts of my own, and most of them are just as those three discussed just now.

…

…

…

…

So…Here’s how I think we should do it.

Makoto seems deadly serious about this suggestion, and he’s unlikely to back down until he gets at least something out of it. So here’s what we’ll do.

We already have Sayaka and Sakura brought back in one piece, and it’s likely Chihiro and the others are on their way out. If we’re going to program the machines to bring back our classmates who died in the Killing Game, then that includes Mukuro Ikusaba.

But it also includes Junko Enoshima.

I’m not trying to bring back Junko! Even I’m not that insane! I’m just advocating for Mukuro Ikusaba.

Indeed. And once the rest of our classmates are back in action, I will consider the resurrection of Mukuro Ikusaba too.

What!?

F-For real!?

Kyoko…!

However, we can’t just revive her and be done. Who knows what may happen if we do. As of such, I’ll be putting in some security measures.

First and foremost, Ikusaba will be conducted into Branch 14, directly under you Makoto. It’ll be your responsibility to manage her, and make sure she doesn’t revert to her Despair ways. If you really think that you can really change her, then prove it.

But if you fail, and she does indeed turn on us, you will be the one to bare responsibility for that. Am I clear?

…I will. I promise.

Furthermore, if the three of you have any doubts, then I request you all to join me…If things don’t go wrong in the time it’ll take to bring everyone back, and Mukuro Ikusaba’s revival does indeed happen, then we need to prepare for the worst.

So if and when it happens, I’d like you all to be with me to oversee the commission of a new Foundation protocol. I’ve currently dubbed it Protocol Noël.

…You weren’t joking when you said you’d prepared for this.

It’s almost as if you were thinking the same thing as Makoto?

I won’t deny that I did indeed think about it.

But I was naturally more cautious on the whole front that Makoto has, not simply saying “I can change her” or anything of the like.

Hehe…

So…you also think that bringing Mukuro back is a good idea?

It’s not so much that it’s a good idea…more that it’s an obligation and a duty. And a sign of faith.

Faith?

If anyone can change Mukuro Ikusaba into a whole new woman, it’s Makoto. After all, his hope was able to outshine Junko’s, why can’t it do the same for hers?

And also…I agree that Mukuro Ikusaba had an unjust death.

No one, not even us, can deny her the right of a second chance. It’s entirely up to her if she takes it.

…

…

…

Fine. I’ll make plans for it. I’m still skeptical, but if you’re sure of it, I’ll comply.

But this had better work.

I’ll make it work.

[Unknown Location, 9:05pm]

…

*Still trapped where Munakata left her, Kaede barely has the strength to keep her eyes open.

I’m…sorry…I’m so…so…sorry…

*Having repeated these words constantly during the entire time she was held there, Kaede tilts on the verge of falling asleep and never waking up…

I…Shuichi…I’m…sorry…

…

…

…

*SLAAAMMM!!!*

…!?

*Before she slips into a deep sleep, Kaede is suddenly jolted awake as the door to the room comes crashing down.

KAEDE!

…Shu…i…chi…?

*Before Kaede can process it, Shuichi rushes over to her and unbinds her from her chains.

…An electric car battery…

He must’ve shock tortured her…Bastard…!

Here! Give her this!

*Kaito removes his purple jacket and hands it to Shuichi. He covers Kaede up and gives her warmth by wrapping it around her.

…

*Maki kneels down and begins to examine Kaede. She takes her hand and checks her pulse.

Her pulse is weak, but it’s slowly recovering. She’s going to be ok.

Th-Thank god…!

*Shuichi, unable to contain his emotions anymore, breaks down and hugs Kaede tighter than ever before. The warmth of his body combined with Kaito’s jacket is enough to shake Kaede back to reality.

Shuichi…

Kaede…are you ok?

I…I honestly thought I would’ve died had you shown up any later…

…Thanks for finding me…even though I don’t deserve it.

I don’t know what you mean by that. Why wouldn’t you deserve to be saved?

Well, because I-

AH! Oh no!

Wh-What?

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!

*Kaede begins to have another panic attack, and Shuichi rapidly consoles her.

What’s wrong? Wh-What are you sorry for!?

Shuichi…I told him…!

He tortured me for information, and I told him where Makoto and Kuripa were…He’s going to the High Roller to go after them now!

You mean Munakata…!?

Yes…and now I’ve put everyone in danger…!

You didn’t do shit Kaede! This isn’t your fault!

Kaito’s right. He more than likely would have killed you if you didn’t cave.

But this is a problem. If Munakata is willing to go this far just for information, I can’t even begin to imagine what he’ll do to the staff of the High Roller if they try and stop him.

We have…ugh…to go…!

*Kaede tries to stand, but she’s unable to get to her feet due to the after effects of the shock.

Hold on. Let us support you.

*Maki gets one of Kaede’s shoulders and Shuichi gets the other.

Watch your step…I kind of…had an accident…

Oh…that bad huh?

Yep…

Don’t worry. We’ll never tell.

*They hurry out of the building.

Munakata must already be at the Caberet. How the hell are we gonna get there in time to stop him?

I don’t know…I panicked so much about Kaede I didn’t consider-

*VROOOMMMM!!*

Huh?

*All of a sudden, the group hears the collective sound of revving engines, and a group of motorbike riders come screeching around the street corner, cutting off the lone traffic.

Is that-!?

It’s the Crazy Diamonds!

*The bikes come to a stop right next to the group. Eje Karma sits at the front with a helmeted passenger behind him. The passenger removes his helmet to talk to the group.

Get on…!

Wha-!? Kuripa!?

A-And Makoto too?

What are you guys doing here?

The better question is what happened to you?

Munakata…he came looking for you guys…

Somehow he knew that Kokichi had contacted us, so he captured me and used a car battery to torture me for information…I told him everything…

That fucking bastard…!

But that means that dick’s on his way to the High Roller, thinkin’ you guys are there, right?

Then we gotta step on it, right!?

Yeah. Come on you guys, get on! Kaede, ride with me.

No, Kaede rides with me.

…!

…Alright. Just get on. We don’t have time to lose!

[i-am-totally-a-human-being]

With 4th of July finally coming to an end.... it’s time! Time for the story we’ve been planning! That being said:

Danganronpa V4: A New Ending

(Title pending?)

Pairing: Hajime x female reader

Summary: a whole new killing game, with a different group of participants, and a whole new character

The first chapter will come out soon, and when it does, you’ll find the link here!

Here is all our people starring in this story!

Y/N L/N, The Ultimate Forensic Scientist

A spunky young girl with a spunky young attitude. She tends to keep to herself, but isn’t necessarily shy. From her school file, it’s highly assumed that she somehow stumbled across a crime scene as a child, how she actually got there is unknown. Although no older than 13, she was easily able to point out evidence that the forensic specialists already in scene missed before she was quickly escorted away.

Seemingly unbothered by the corpses she witnessed, she then pursued her newly found interest in crime scenes and how to process them, along with collecting evidence.

Her quick learning caught the attention of many, including Hope’s Peak. They offered to pay for her entire schooling if she attended, and she agreed. As Y/N got dressed and ready for her first day at Hope’s Peak, she could have never guessed she would be forced to fight for her life along with 15 others, and put her talent to use.

Hajime Hinata, The Ultimate???

A hotheaded teen who seems to have amnesia, being unable to remember his talent. His uptight nature puts off some of the others, but a few seem interested in him, some even offering to help him discover his talent.

Although he’d never say it, he feels self conscious due to not knowing what his job is supposed to be.

Admires most, if not all, talents, especially the ones that directly make society run better.

Not much can be said about him, he’s still trying to figure out who he is.

He remembers getting ready for the start of the school year, walking out of his home, and then everything going black. Then he woke up on this island, and now has to keep himself and those he cares for alive.

Kokichi Ouma, The Ultimate Supreme Leader

A spry young boy who refuses to really speak of his past. It’s unclear what in his school file is even the truth. He claims to be the supreme leader of an evil organization called DICE, an organization with elegidly 10,000+ members. Hence his talent title. Almost everything that comes out of his mouth he claims to be a lie, so it’s hard to tell what he is actually like.

While he doesn’t ever go into detail of his organization, it seems to be one of the only things he actually cares about and wants to get back to.

He seems hardly bothered by the idea of a killing game, even saying, hopefully joking, that he’d make the first kill. Most are unnerved by his presence and stay away.

Mukuro Ikusaba, The Ultimate Soldier

A quiet, stern girl who does not speak unless absolutely necessary. The older fraternal twin sister of Junko Enoshima, a fashionista famous in Japanese magazine’s. Mukuro seems completely indifferent to anything unless it’s about her sister, to which she grows immediately passionate, almost like a different person. Doesn’t speak about why she and her sister have different last names, claiming it shouldn’t matter.

While not thrilled at the thought of a killing game, she shows extreme faith that her sister will find and rescue her. Most people avoid her, she is the ultimate soldier, after all. Out of everyone, she’d be able to kill the most efficiently.

Doesn’t mind that people avoid her, she likes the quiet anyway.

Makoto Naegi, The Ultimate Lucky Student

A simple, average teenager who lives a simple and average life. He was randomly selected to go to Hope's peak, so he doesn’t really possess any actual talent.

Although talentless, he does seem to possess a decent level of smarts and gets along with everyone easily. No one really fears him, he’s too small and sweet to be capable of murder.

While he doesn’t pose a threat to others, he poses a threat to the mastermind, or anyone who lays their hands on his sister.

Komaru Naegi, a normal student

Komaru possesses no actual talent, much like her brother. However, she is different in the sense that she wasn’t even accepted into Hope’s Peak since she wasn’t quite of age to even be considered as a possibility.

She remembers being taken hostage after she and her parents sent off her older brother, only to awaken on an island, her brother right beside her.

She wants to trust everyone, and takes relief in having her brother by her side.

Shuichi Saihara, The Ultimate Detective

A shy boy who hides his eyes behind a black cap. He seems rather insecure, despite having the talent that poses as the most useful in the current situation. He is quiet and doesn’t like interacting with others, but seems to get more comfortable as time goes on.

He doesn’t like the idea of the killing game, obviously, but he’s mostly worried that some of his classmates will take it seriously.

K1-B0, The Ultimate Robot

Created by a man called Professor Idabashi, a prominent figure in robotics engineering. He created K1-B0(has told others they can call him Keebo) as a culmination of his work.

Keebo doesn’t quite understand human emotions perfectly, but he has a decent idea which is impressive in of itself.

Much like Mukuro, he has faith that he will be saved by a family member. Seeing as he refers to Professor Idabashi as his father. He says he has a tracker, and that when the professor realizes he is missing, a search team will be sent.

Toko Fukawa, The Ultimate Writing Prodigy

An extremely shy and timid girl who does speak to many people. Those she does speak to tend to be weirded out by her... odd and even perverted nature.

She had written multiple books and does seem to be extremely smart, her only issue being her timid nature.

Accused most (if not all) the boys in her class of being perverts.

Angie Yonaga, The Ultimate Artist

Angie loves art in any form, obviously because of her ultimate.

However, she also stands out due to her belief that she is the Devine interpreter for the god Atua, a god she says her people worship.

Angie believes Atua will have his way, and that the killing game is part of something bigger.

Rantaro Amami, The Ultimate Adventurer

A chill, laid back boy who believes in keeping the peace. His calm and collected personality is soothing, leading most, if not all, of the other students to trust him and listen to what he suggests.

Some seem off put by how calm he acts, but most understand that he’s just really good at staying calm and knows that panicking won’t always help.

Often tells tales of his travels to distract those who are afraid.

Nagito Komaeda, The Ultimate Lucky Student

Yet another lucky student, chosen to attend Hope’s Peak at random like Makoto. However, he seems to also have an.... interesting relationship with luck.

His luck has caused death and destruction around him, but he still manages to stay calm and even cheerful in the face of a literal killing game.

Nagito believes hope will prevail no matter what, so he chooses to pretty much just “go with the flow.”

Byakuya Togami, The Ultimate Affluent Progeny

A stuck up and condescending teen who makes it very clear that he does not approve of being trapped on an island like this. This isn’t a funny prank or initiation.

He is rather rich and will inherit the Togami company, after competing against 14 other siblings to “take the crown” and earn the inheritance. He was the youngest of the sibling, or candidates, and is the first youngest to ever come out on top.

Gonta Gokuhara, The Ultimate Entomologist

A.... sweet young man who loves anything and everything bugs. He isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but he has a good heart.

(Jsvshsv I don’t know what to write for Gonta I’ll finish his later)

Mikan Tsumiki, The Ultimate Nurse

A clumsy and frightened girl who somehow manages to find herself in compromising positions constantly. On accident.

With her and Y/N present, people are at ease, seeing they have practically a full medical team in case something were to happen.

While she often does more worse than good due to her clumsy nature, she has a good heart, and people know that.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru, The Ultimate Moral Compass

A stern and strict boy who believes in respect and following rules contstantly. He is probably one of the only students who respects the killing games headmaster, Monokuma.

While not thrilled about the idea of a murder game, he sticks to the idea that it is a prank from upperclassmen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And that’s our introductions! Sorry some were shorter than others!

Stay tuned!

-🐝

[saimotass]

little things in v3 that make me appreciate the game slightly more (spoilers)

the fact that the two incest plotlines can directly be traced back to tsumugi, whose fantasy in her love hotel event deals with her and shuuichi being stepsiblings. the fact that brother-sister incest happens twice within this killing game (with korekiyo & miyadera, and monotaro & monophanie) could be just tsumugi trying to extend her incest fetish to the public.

tsumugi probably named monophanie that way because she knew that she wanted to make kaede the protagonist (at least for the first trial). monophanie sounds like monophony, a term in music that refers to a unified, completely homogenous sound, such as a single instrument in a piece, or every instrument playing the same exact melody.

tsumugi's place in the trial room is exactly where junko's was, right in front of monokuma. she wanted to copy junko's killing game so much that she wanted to take the role of being in her position.

because it's so ambiguous whether tsumugi ever says the truth at all during her entire confrontation, it's almost to the point where she doesn't even have her own identity, and tsumugi shirogane could just be another fictional character she made up for herself. she could have deliberately chosen to raise her voice and have blue hair to pay homage to sayaka, who technically started the killing game in the first place.

the monokubs all have different homages to various former contestants in the killing games. monokid is a guitar player like ibuki and has syo & junko's long tongue. monodam is a robot much like mechamaru, and his name could be a reference to gundam, while his attitude seems pretty similar to twogami's (wanting everyone to get along regardless of whether it's possible or not). monosuke has a gruff attitude similar to mondo, enjoys baseball like leon, and is associated with money like celes and togami. monophanie is sweet and shy but still obedient and cruel, like mikan and touko, and her color scheme brings monomi and chiaki to mind. monotaro has a scarf like gundam, uses throwing stars that bring to mind izayoi from dr3, and has a leadership quality to him like kiyotaka and twogami.

the monokubs have similar color schemes to the warriors of hope, with a few of them having similar traits to them. monotaro and masaru are both the "leaders" and hotheaded, and are orange-red. monophanie and kotoko are both submissive yet still scary, and are pink. monodam and monaca both control their friends and associates and become power hungry because of it, and are both green. monokid and nagisa don't have much at all in common, but are both blue. monosuke and jataro also don't have much in common, but are both associated with neutral tan colors.

tsumugi and the ultimate impostor both show up in this game, but tsumugi is impersonating them, which would probably be her dream -- she's essentially cosplaying a cosplayer who's cosplaying as someone with no identity.

tsumugi doesn't end up contributing a lot because she's an intern for team danganronpa -- she's not used to having a say in major decisions and big meetings, since she's low on the chain of employees.

you never actually see tsumugi's face in the shot of everyone after kaede's execution, probably because she was either smiling or just completely expressionless. she got away with murder by killing another person, and as such would probably be incredulous or ecstatic about the result of the first trial.

when kaede asks tsumugi about her favorite anime, she mentions hers, and her favorite episode of said anime is episode 53. she probably was lying here, and just said that number in a panic. she hadn't probably thought that far into her backstory as tsumugi.

tsumugi probably planned for shuuichi, maki, and himiko to still survive the school being destroyed, since she gave them some of the most emotional moments in the game, killing the people closest to them. shuuichi had the deaths of both kaede and kaito, maki had her breakdown after kaito's death, and himiko lost both angie and tenko within the same trial. it would make sense that she had planned for them to survive through the whole thing, even if kiibo kind of sidestepped her plan a bit.

at the end, before her execution, tsumugi seems actually pretty neutral about her plan failing, even saying that she's proud to have made a perfect copy of the original killing game's plan. this could mean that she intended for the entire thing to fall apart, bringing an audience surrogate, a masterful liar and criminal, and a gifted detective into the same season all together.

kaito's illness was either planned from the beginning, or implemented after tsumugi realized how close he and shuuichi had gotten, and how helpful kaito's been to him. kaede was an easier target because there was a believable reason to execute her in everyone else's eyes. kaito probably would have never killed if he hadn't been battling his illness, since he agrees to help ouma in chapter 5's plan knowing that his time is limited. tsumugi probably instilled a handicap on him, knowing that he was the most hopeful and optimistic of the characters besides kiibo, who she could easily manipulate since he was essentially just a standin for the audience itself.

the inclusion of the remnants of despair as a plot point for part of the game makes sense when tsumugi is revealed to have created the entire season. she's a huge fangirl and wanted to have a nod to the second game. it also would make sense as something that she would just randomly throw in as a means of fanservice to the audience.

the demo's whole gimmick of makoto, hajime, and hagakure being part of the game alongside the new characters is put in a new light after the reveal that the original games were just works of fiction in v3's universe. plus, it's implied that makoto and hajime are actors, which would make sense. technically speaking, everyone in v3 is an actor as well, and with tsumugi cosplaying as a bunch of previous characters in the final trial, chances are that the makoto and hajime actors aren't the original characters, merely portraying them.

tsumugi being the mastermind makes so much sense, and the theme of truth vs. lies makes sense in terms of her constant denial that fiction can't influence reality. as a big fan of danganronpa before becoming part of the games themselves, she's more than likely well aware of the effects that fiction can have on real life, and probably agrees with shuuichi deep down.

the parallels between tsumugi and junko are interesting, but the ways in which they die are the most. they're both crushed to death, and while junko's smiling the entire time (save for the very end, when the crusher stops momentarily, allowing her a bit of confusion as to why it isn't working before she dies), tsumugi is just blank the entire time. it goes to show how even though she got to live her dream and become her idol, she just didn't have the same dedication and devotion to the cause that junko did.

also, kokichi and tsumugi are both crushed, and both were suspected of being the masterminds, also being the representatives of two criminal groups. they're very good antitheses to one another when you start to compare and contrast the two.

i could keep going but honestly we'd be here for a while

[oumakokichi]

@rovelae​​ I mean, realistically speaking, none of the events of the chapter 5 trial would have taken place at all if Maki hadn’t gone to the Exisal bay with the poisoned arrows specifically intending to kill. I love her to pieces, and she’s a fantastic character, but I honestly don’t understand when people say that Ouma was singlehandedly responsible for the events of chapter 5, or that he “forced” Momota to participate in the plan despite Momota himself saying that he agreed willingly in the chapter 5 trial because he thought the plan would work.

That being said, I’m incredibly glad she lived in the end, and I think she does more or less atone for her actions considering Momota, the person she cared about most, does die as a result of everything that happened. I don’t honestly blame her for killing Ouma, because Tsumugi manipulated her so skillfully. It doesn’t necessarily exuse what Maki did, but I do think it makes sense why she took matters into her own hands, considering she thought Ouma was an incredibly dangerous person beyond reasoning with and that everyone else was naive for thinking they could just “talk him down.”

The one thing I would’ve actually liked to see is her apologizing to everyone else for nearly getting them killed in the trial. Dr1 chapter 4 is incredibly similar to ndrv3 chapter 5 in that Asahina is also manipulated by the mastermind and tries to mislead everyone to their deaths in the trial, but she later realizes how horrific this is and apologizes immediately afterward. But even without a direct apology, it’s true that Maki becomes much more of a team player from this point onward and contributes a lot towards helping the group in chapter 6, so I think she expressed her regret with her actions if nothing else.

I also personally don’t agree that Ouma was ever planning his own murder-suicide before Maki stormed into the Exisal bay. This is because it’s pretty heavily implied that Ouma’s plan to “end the killing game” was him pretending to be the ringleader and showing everyone the outside world in order to break their spirits.

According to Momota’s flashback in the chapter 5 post-trial, Ouma word for word says that he believed showing everyone the “despair-inducing truth” of the outside world would finally make them stop thinking about trying to escape from the school, and that would be enough to “make the killing game end.” That, combined with the fact that Momota was holed up in the Exisal bay with Ouma for at least a few days and Ouma never once broached the subject of a murder-suicide plan with him even once until after he was poisoned, makes me think the plan itself was a direct response to realizing the real ringleader had kickstarted the killing game back into action, and not something he accounted for prior to this.

In this same flashback, he also confirms that Maki being manipulated by the real ringleader was “a move up their sleeve that even he never saw coming.” This seems to be backed up by the genuine surprise that he shows when Maki storms the Exisal bay and tries to interrogate him. Not only does he have no idea who Junko Enoshima or the Remnants of Despair are, but he also repeatedly asks her why she’s even doing this. I believe these reactions show that he really did, genuinely believe the killing game was over right up until the moment Maki showed up.

As for why he kept Momota around if not for the sake of the murder-suicide plan initially, I think it was specifically to try and force Momota to cool his head after Momota came running at him with one of the electro-hammers. Not only that, but if there was anyone in the group likely to bolster everyone’s morale and try to get them to all work together and think about escaping the school again, it was Momota. Keeping Momota separated from the rest of the group had the added benefit of making sure none of the others became motivated enough to start thinking about trying to escape, which Ouma very much believed would’ve started the killing game back up.

I definitely believe Ouma thought it was likely that something was going to happen to him during the killing game, considering how paranoid he was--that’s why he left his will in his room with clues for everyone else, just in case he was killed. I just don’t think he ever actually planned to willingly die until his back was against the wall and he had no other choice. That was the moment at which I think he realized he couldn’t repeat the same sort of undehanded tricks that he’d aleady done to Miu and Gonta in chapter 4, and decided to use his own death as a “plan B,” to to speak, once his initial plan was already ruined.

I went through the chapter 5 post-trial just to double-check some of this information, and these lines in particular do seem to confirm that Ouma’s murder-suicide plan was something he started forming almost immediately in response to his initial plan being ruined, rather than something that he was planning from the start:

These are just my thoughts on it, anyway! I personally think that Ouma being so convinced that playing the villain would be enough to end the killing game makes his death a lot more tragic, since as smart and cunning as he was, even he really had no idea just what kind of ace Tsumugi had up her sleeve with the flashback lights.

As for Maki, I definitely would’ve liked to see some of her actions towards the other characters addressed a little more, but I don’t really blame her for trying to eliminate Ouma when she thought he was a huge threat and impossible to reason with, and the moral greyness of her actions is something I like to see. She absolutely does do some things that are in the wrong in chapter 5, but it does help to flesh her character out and she winds up growing a lot as a result of her mistakes.

[mozillavulpix]

super anti-komahina salt

and this is to go further beyond

I saw a komahina fan post a write-up and it just irritates me so I want to break it down:

“If you think Komaeda is batshit insane or that his character is only about his obsession with hope and you interpreted Hinata's feelings about Komaeda as just hate of course it wouldn't make sense. Except neither of these are true for their characters.”

This is the basic surface-level narrative Komahina fans argue against, and fair enough, it’s a massive generalisation. But this argument also just irritates me because it implies everyone who doesn’t ship them do so because they don’t understand the characters well enough.

“long story short Komaeda's obsesses over hope as a coping mechanism, because it's the only thing he can cling to.”

I can agree with this in a way, but in my opinion I don’t think he’s so weak that it’s impossible for him break free from that mindset (during the game) if he really wants to.

“Komaeda doesn't like Hinata because he thinks he is talented and above him, Komaeda says he loves all ultimates but it's not real love. His love for Hinata is different. In the SDR2 drama CD he mentions that he loves Hinata because he tries to understand him.”

I can agree with this. Although the Drama CD is literally just the Free Time Events, I don’t think it’s some kind of ‘gotcha’ like people think it’d be.

But also keep in mind, yes, Hajime tries to give Nagito a chance and doesn’t immediately run away screaming because scary person he can’t understand, but Hajime also doesn’t particularly act more saintly than all the other kids towards Nagito after Chapter 1. Nekomaru and Kazuichi seem to at least try to hear Nagito out before they punch him in the face. Mahiru seems like she was the first one to consider giving him breakfast. Hajime tries to stop Akane from attacking him after the Chapter 1 trial, but mostly because he’s resigned to the fact it won’t change what he did, and he then changes his mind and gets pissed off when Nagito decides to taunt him about his amnesia in response. And it’s Sonia who finally settles everyone down. So yes, Hajime tries to understand Nagito, but in the actual plot itself that’s not a special trait unique to him.

It’s only ‘unique’ if you choose to do the Free Time Events, and the Free Time Events...are basically not canon. They’re more like a what-if scenario the player chooses to view, and the dialogue was written from that perspective.

As in, maybe it’s canon that they’d interact like that if they spent time together on the island, but it’s not canon that Hajime does and wants to do that during the story. Because you can do them for everyone.

“And they reach a mutual understanding in DR3 because the two of them are more alike than Hinata would like to admit.”

Um...

Well, this is why DR2.5 is bullshit

I agree they’re similar, but I think both of them knew this from the very beginning. It’s not exactly a reason for reconciliation and forgiveness. The fact they have similarities is the exact reason why Hajime is so upset at his betrayal, and snaps back at Nagito every time he brings that up. So I don’t know if that’s really a good reason to explain why they’ve forgiven each other come DR3.

“Komaeda doesn't see himself as above untalented reserves either, because in 2-4, after realizing the truth about Hinata he says that they are the same, stepladders for hope. He was lashing out at all the students for being despair. They are similar, because they both share the same views that talent is everything.”

And then Hajime gets his character development for the rest of the game all so he can realise talent isn’t everything. So...?

“Now from Hinata's end, a lot of people seem to miss this about him, but he is someone who denies his feelings when they get inconvenient, he is called a tsundere by monokuma” 

I guess this is a diss against the surface-level people and people who are like “but the text literally says this”. But even then, the game literally shows Hajime’s inner thoughts. If he’s conflicted about things, the text generally shows that too, even if it’s with a careful inclusion of a ‘...’

So I don’t think we should take that trait as an excuse to literally ignore what the text says.

He was felt pumped when Komaeda was out of critical condition, but he thinks "why do I have to feel pumped, oh well best not to think about it"....because Hinata likes to avoid facing things that inconvenient him. Hinata finds it hard to trust Komaeda and doesn't play along with him, because he is afraid of getting caught in his pace, and not because he hates him and thinks he is better off dead.

This part literally read like a high-schooler’s english essay, and maybe this kid actually is a high-schooler, tbh. Because that is one big leap from “Hajime finds it difficult to deal with his feelings” to “since Hajime finds it difficult to deal with Nagito, it means he doesn’t hate him”.

“I don't think Komaeda is a fundametally bad person but is shaped to be what he is because of his luck cycle. In his last FTE, Hinata asks what Komaeda would do if didn't have his luck cycle, and his answer was something along the lines of " a normal life, devoid of hope and despair". And we get to that his innermost desires is to live a normal life in the OVA, and his character song zansakura zanka.”

He can also just decide to not believe in his luck cycle.

Also, in the OVA, he’s embarrassed by that inner desire and tells World Destroyer he hopes no one saw that maybe he wishes for a world without talent.

Like his desire to be a good person is so hidden that he doesn’t want people to know.

“Hinata even mentions Komaeda isn't trying to trick anyone for selfish reasons in his report card, so it's a shame to see so many people attribute all of Komaeda's actions to malice just because of what Hinata thought of him in chapter 5 because it wasn't clear what Komaeda's reasons were at that point.”

Okay, a few things to unpack here:

Just because Nagito is doing things ‘for the greater good’, doesn’t mean it’s not also selfish. Hajime isn’t going to say that because Hajime doesn’t realise that. You can’t exactly trust him with being able to articulate everything about a character’s worldview. Izuru would. He probably does in Chapter 0. (And that’s why he seems disgusted by him).

Also, there’s “maybe Hajime is a slightly unreliable narrator because he tries to avoid thinking about difficult things”, and there’s “actually, the majority of how Hajime views Chapter 5 is unreliable because he didn’t know for sure if Nagito’s plan was malicious or not, it was just his gut feeling”.

What about the video message after Chapter 5? What about having to spell out ‘KILL US ALL’? What about Chapter 0 showing how in the real world Nagito had completely lost it? It’s not like the game was trying to present Nagito as any little bit more sympathetic after the trial. If anything, every piece of new info reinforced that mindset Nagito was filled with malice, up to the ‘fake Makoto’ saying that he somewhat understood him. The fake Hope made by Junko to trick them.

If you compare Chapter 5 in 2 to Chapter 5 in V3, you can see how the positioning is different. V3 does the “the villain tries to make himself look the worst he can in the mind of the heroes when in reality his real intentions were different” a lot better. More flat-out intentionally - the protagonist kind of literally giving a monologue about how the character was morally grey and even at the end there they couldn’t say they knew their true intentions. But also it’s just not as...sinister as 2-5. No ominous chanting, no dismembered limbs, none of the characters feeling completely out of their element and terrified. I think it’s text that Nagito is supposed to be villainous in Chapter 5 and even past Chapter 5.

So...

I can at least understand where Komahina comes from, but god it annoys me

Unpacking it like this, I can see it’s not even fair to argue back a lot of it - the stuff people are saying do make sense and are arguing against kinds of people I have seen.

Besides, I’m not arguing Komahina ‘can’t be canon’.

My view is just I think Hajime deserves better than a character like Nagito, who never repented for his actions on-screen or even gave much of a hint that he wanted to repent for his actions.

And that it’s still easy to argue that Nagito is a bad person even with his trauma.

Not everyone who calls Nagito an awful person is an idiot who doesn’t know how to read text past the surface, you can still make a nuanced take with that conclusion

for god’s sake

[some-dr-writings]

(an alternate DR V3 ending) If Tsumugi failed to kill Rantaro and instead got herself killed in the process

·       Well… this was unexpected. The ‘mastermind’ went and killed herself and revealed where her secret room was located. But as they say, the show must go on, and that the producers made happen. Initially they were panicked but they quickly came up with an alternate plan, one that may be much more exciting than what they had originally planned. One that viewers were either going to love or hate.

·       Even with the mastermind dead the trial still went on, concluding that Tsumugi got herself killed, trying to frame Kaede and because she killed herself, no one was executed.

·       Even after the trial everyone continued to investigate the secret room and the passageway that lead to the girl’s bathroom. They still had mysteries to uncover. How was the killing game still occurring with the mastermind dead? Was Tsumugi the mastermind or rather an accomplice? How were their movements being tracked? Were there secret cameras or were there trackers on them? Who was the mastermind? Were they one of the students in their ragtag group, or some malevolent outside force? Was Monokum being controlled by someone or an AI? What about the Monokids, were they the same as Monokuma or different? Those and so much more they were desperate to figure out.

·       Monokuma never did a thing to try to stop their search. This made Shuichi suspicious. If pursuing this search was going to yield them results surely Monokuma would have done something, or had he already removed any trace of useful information they could have found? Either way Shuichi knew there was something wrong with this. He would have told Kaede, but now knowing their every action was likely being tracked, he couldn’t risk the Mastermind figuring out his suspicions.

·       Shuichi ended up finding an unlikely ally in Kokichi Oma. Everything about him screamed dangerous to Shuichi yet… in the trials he couldn’t miss how the trickster gave hints through the lies and chaos. Kokichi in fact approached Shuichi knowing the detective figured out something and he wanted to find out what it was. They slowly developed a coded language in order to share theories and the like, while still maintaining distance so no one would become suspicious of them.

·       Despite Kaede almost killing Rantaro, him, Kaede, and Shuichi became a trio of sorts. The three were always together, encouraging one another and doing all they could to get everyone out of that hell and solve the mysteries of that place, including trying to recover Rantaro’s memories.

·       Eventually when Rantaro’s lab was unlocked they only got even more lost. He freely showed them the laptop hoping Shuichi and Kaede could figure out something about why they were all trapped here… or… did they voluntarily join in? But soon after the laptop went missing, Kokichi having stolen it. Only Shuichi knew of it’s whereabouts but didn’t say a word. He didn’t like or want to keep the secret, but it was the only way to get Kokichi’s thoughts on the matter. He was a being of chaos, but that didn’t make him any less brilliant, several steps ahead of everyone else.

·       Eventually there were only five left. Kaede Akamatsu, Shuichi Saihara, Rantaro Amami, Kokichi Oma and Kiibo. With tensions running high everyone suspecting one another even if they didn’t want to, they all agreed to hold a trial to figure out if any of them were the Mastermind. They set up chairs and tables in the gym to serve as their makeshift trial grounds. They hoped nothing would come of this. They hoped all they would figure out was that none of them were the Mastermind, after all, why would the Mastermind agree to this without worry of revealing of theirself! R-right?

·       At one point in the trial they got to the topic of the voices Kiibo hears. The others didn’t notice but Kokichi did immediately. That tinniest little shift in personality. He asked what the voices were saying right now…

·       That’s when it happened.

·       As he described what the voices told him Shuichi discovered it. How those voices were getting Kiibo to play a part in each and every murder. All except the first one with Tsumugi. Kiibo began to panic, he couldn’t be a part of this mad house! But it was undeniable, Kiibo was related to this, somehow.

·       That’s when Kokichi struck. He kept placing on the pressure, getting Kiibo to snap, screaming he was not the mastermind! He spoke of the previous trials trying to disprove he had anything to do with any of it. It was then Kaede was able to definitively prove that the murders could not have happened without him, his actions lead directly to those tragedies.

·       All was quiet as they took in that awful realization. “So… I never had free will? I… I’m just some puppet of the Mastermind?”

·       Monokuma came in with the Exisals. He put a stop to the proceedings. Saying that was boring. That they should get to murdering one another instead of searching for some mastermind. Or instead, return the Mastermind’s memories since this game couldn’t be fun for Kiibo anymore. He then flashed one of those lights on Kiibo.

·       Kiibo announced his new plan. He’d open up the entire school and give the remaining students the next twelve hours to solve every last mystery of the place, including Kiibo’s own motivations for starting this game and why he’d choose to wipe his own memory.

·       They had no choice, they had to investigate one last time.

·       In the trial they had come to the conclusion that after the world began to piece itself back together a new Hope’s Peak was created. The people of the world however hated this. The Ultimate hunt began, kill all those with an ‘ultimate’ talent. They were nothing but trouble, it was them that plunged the world into despair. They had to all be eliminated. Dr. Idabashi was one such individual, believing the only way the world could truly start anew was with no talented individuals, everyone starting from scratch at square one. He believed Kiibo, his newest and greatest creation was the only one that could achieve this. He managed to get Kiibo into Hope’s Peak newest class. That was when the newest class’ fate was sealed.

·       The principle of the new Hope’s Peak set about protecting these talented youth. First, they tried using the Neo world program to delete any memories of their talent so they could live as normal people, but that did not satisfy the world still wanting them dead. Because Kiibo was a robot he was excluded from this to an extent. They deleted only some of his memories. Dr. Idabashi being a brilliant scientist thought of this and created a failsafe. Should any of Kiibo’s equipment, hardware or software be tampered with an AI, the ‘AUDIENCE’ as he dubbed it, would be many voices that would manipulate Kiibo’s actions into still going through with his true objective. Destroy the talented children and make a show of it, showing what the people of the world would do to any future talented youth. It was unfortunate but it was all for one goal. To keep someone like Junko Enoshima and her Ultimate Despairs from even getting the chance to exist again. Only youth so talented could cause such a travesty so people must fear pursuing their talents… at least in their youth. If they grew into adults and pursue it then, maybe they could utilize their talents, but not when they were children, when their brains were still developing.

·       A new plan was formed by Hope’s Peak. They would send out these remaining hopes into space away from potential harm from the world. When the world had calmed, they would return and lead the world into a new era of peace. Little did they know that Kiibo was a person of the world’s will as well as Tsumugi Shirogane. She was given a talent in the same fashion as Izuru Kamukura, as to infiltrate the new class. Tsumugi before boarding the ship had her memories returned to her, so she helped remodeling the ship, fashioning it with the Monokuma room. The people of the world decided to film and project the new murder game worldwide as to show what would become of young talented individuals. Though they hated Monokuma, they decided to repurpose him into a mascot of sorts, a twisted beast that would come to kill all young people with talent in the most twisted of ways.

·       That’s what this all was. Kiibo was the will of the people, who wanted these remaining students dead and to suffer when doing so. They had the audacity to pursue their talents even knowing how the world was destroyed in the first place, so they had to pay. Deleting their memories and talents was not enough to pay for what they dared risk to bring back. More of that retched despair. A world of pure neutrality would be better than a world filled with hope and despair.

·       With all the mysteries solved Kiibo decided it was high time to give the remaining students their final reward. Blowing up himself as well as the entire ship. But then Kaede, Shuichi, Rantaro and Kokichi insisted on speaking to the world. Kiibo told them they couldn’t change the mind of the world; it was far too scared to be changed. And yet, the four remaining students made their plea to the world.

·       A new decision had been made. They could live, as long as they never returned to earth. Recreating those killing games brought no good. Instead they decided to send all talented individuals away to a new planet where they would live, never to return.

·       A rather controversial ending, but it was an ending that opened the door to many possibilities and that was good news for the producers. More material to work with, without needing to think much.

·       It was rather tricky, pulling the strings and making sure every one of the viewer’s choices lead to a murder but they thought it was well worth it.

·       A new season of Danganronpa was already being produced set in ‘the new talented world’

[tarhalindur]

The Tragedy of Madoka Kaname

One of the most common charges leveled at Homura, especially in the context of shipping arguments, is that the relationship between the two girls is unhealthy because Homura keeps overriding Madoka’s agency.

It’s not entirely wrong.  But it’s also not quite right, either.

Looking over everything again, I rather think that at least in the main series this is partially missing the point, and in the most ironic of ways - most of the accusations about Homura denying Madoka’s agency are, in fact, ignoring Madoka’s own agency.

After all, Gen Urobutchi is notoriously a fan of hamartia - tragedy wherein the downfall of a character flows directly from that character’s own personality and flaws.

Madoka Kaname is not immune to this.

(Spoilers go under the cut.)

There’s a few keystones to Madoka as a series, but the one that’s been drawing the most of my attention is the Junko-Madoka conversation in episode 6.  Which does get noted by the fanbase, but there’s one line in particular in the context of Madoka not knowing how to make mistakes that strikes me as critically important and that doesn’t get talked about that often:  “The more responsibility you have on your shoulders, the fewer mistakes you can make.”

Junko, as is often the case, pairs being a perceptive judge of her daughter’s character with a understandably very poor assessment of the situation her daughter is in.  That line is Madoka’s own hamartia: twice during the series, Madoka makes a small mistake in a situation where all the weight of the world is on her shoulders, with disastrous consequences.  (Whether Madoka intended to make either or both of those mistakes?  That’s an interesting question.  It’s possible.  To quote the other Junko line that sticks with me from that conversation, “sometimes, if you’re in a dead end with no way out, making a big mistake is an option”.)  The second is the strongest argument for the existence of Rebellion.  But it’s the first one that’s relevant here: Madoka’s request to Homura in episode 10 not to let her turn into a Witch.

A completely understandable and even noble request, on the surface. 

There’s only one problem.

To wit:

A) Madoka is a show that benefits massively from shifting interpretative lenses, nowhere more so than in scenes like this.  (This applies to Madoka’s second mistake, too - the show is meant to be looked at both through a Christian lens and through a Buddhist one, and the mistake is only visible through the latter.)

B) One very old take on magical girls as a genre, dating back IIRC at least as far as Sailor Moon and Card Captor Sakura if not a decade further, is the magical girl transformation as a metaphor for puberty.  And we can be quite sure that PMMM is using that take - as Kyubey himself tells us in one of the most infamous (and infamously hard-to-translate because Japanese pun) lines of the series, “in this country they call girls ‘shoujo’, so for girls who grow up to be ‘majo’ is it not appropriate to call them ‘mahou shoujo”?”... operative words “grow up”.  (Madoka can be very, very unsubtle when it really wants to make a point, and this is a case in point.)

Therein the problem: from the perspective of PMMM’s version of magical-girls-as-puberty, Madoka’s request can be neatly rephrased as follows: “please don’t let me grow up”.

Homura agrees to this.  (This in turn is a mistake on her part, of course.  Even setting aside everything else - and as I’m about to get into, that would be a mistake itself - I’m pretty sure it’s counterproductive to what Homura really wants deep down; given the archetype she’s trying to wear and her comments to Madoka in 11, I suspect Homura would be happiest protecting an equal.)

Everything else flows downhill from that.

It’s why Madoka becomes increasingly timid (on the surface, anyways) and unable to do anything at the same time that Homura outgrows (or, more accurately, appears to outgrow - again, parallels) her early-timeline self and becomes increasingly assured and self-confident - as Homura grows up, Madoka is regressing back to a childlike state.  (I am, of course, not the first person to note this.  But I’ve never seen anyone else note that you can set aside Homura’s agency entirely and still get this result because it’s the logical consequence of Madoka’s own request.)

And it’s why Homura disregards Madoka’s agency.  By asking Homura to not let her become a Witch(/not let her grow up), Madoka has inadvertently placed Homura in a parental role over her.  And a situation where a child under your care is unwittingly doing something fatally dangerous to themself?  That’s exactly a situation where it’s considered acceptable and usually outright praiseworthy to override the child’s agency.  (Something Homura is likely quite familiar with given her health issues.  Which stands in stark contrast to basically everything else about parenting, given the strong implication that Homura’s parents are either absent or dead.)

And finally, it’s also part of the problem that Homura runs into.  After all, there’s one problem with trying to prevent someone from growing up.  It doesn’t work.  Entropy triumphs.  (With one notable in-universe class of exceptions... and oh would you look at that, that exception class is exactly what Madoka eventually turns to to make good her request.  For herself and everyone else.)

(The payoff, of course, is Homura breaking down during her conversation with Madoka in episode 11.  For what’s probably the first time in subjective years, Homura treats Madoka as basically an equal, trusting her with an explanation of the actual situation.  And it works, albeit indirectly; Madoka manages to figure out a solution to the problem after Homura does this.)

(Note also the implicit contrast with Madoka’s other non-biological maternal figure in the series, Mami, whose role is instead to push Madoka to grow up.  There’s a reason for the Homura-Mami fight in Rebellion.  And I note a couple of existing things suggesting Mami will have a prominent role in Walpurgis no Kaiten...)

[kosakawalterwhite]

On Komaeda’s Love Confession

The official translation for the final line of Komaeda’s free time events is as follows:  “I love...the hope sleeping inside of you from the bottom of my heart.” 

If you’ve been in the fandom for at least a week you’ve probably already seen the line being the most cited piece of evidence of Komaeda having a crush on Hinata. You may have also seen it being used as a counterpoint, because obv he just said he loves his hope, bruh. However, something that’s also often brought up is that this line is a mistranslation, and that in the original Japanese text, Komaeda was originally addressing Hinata as a person, but switched the direct object over to his hope at the last second. When the localization first came out this was actually a major complaint among Komahina shippers, as one can see if they look at the official video for Komaeda’s free time events on YouTube. This is backed up by fan translations of the line before the game was even released to international audiences, such as here and here. 

Is this true? The fan translations are definitely more accurate than the NISA version, but does that mean they’re entirely correct in conveying the intent themselves? 

My answer: ...Probably? 

Now, this isn’t going to be questioning whether Komaeda is in love with Hinata outside of haha hope big sexy, because even without this line, there’s a ton of evidence to support that yes, it is more than that. I’d argue that one doesn’t even have to do the free time events to see this. What I am going to be talking about is the line itself, because let me tell you, it’s a fucking bitch. 

I 100% agreed with the general consensus that this is undoubtedly an aborted love confession for about like, five years. However, one thing that has led to a little bit of doubt is that the line is rarely talked about among the Japanese fandom- in fact, just like the official translation, the “aborted” part is often skipped over when quoting it. I want to chalk it up to the change being incredibly subtle, which it is, but I’m not fully certain. Let’s break down the line itself: 

Obviously, before beginning to explain this, I should clarify that unlike English, the basic sentence structure in Japanese goes Subject-Object-Verb, and nouns are usually marked with specific particles indicating their role. 

In this case, the subject is Komaeda himself, and the object is something related to Hinata, referred to naturally as “you” (キミ) since he’s talking directly to him. キミの中に眠る希望 promptly translates to “the hope sleeping inside of you.” 

Now, direct objects in Japanese are marked with the particle を, which are attached right after the noun. Looking at the screenshot above, you can see that it’s initially attached to just the plain “you,” but is then attached to a full on possessive phrase before he can get the verb in. Based on this, it seems like everything’s set: he was initially going to refer to Hinata, but likewise, switched it to his hope- something Komaeda has already expressed his love for in the past (though not Hinata’s specifically, just everyone in general), and in a non-romantic way too (no, komaeda was never romantically/sexually attracted to hope in SDR2. rather, he likes it in the “using religion as a coping mechanism” way. you can blame dr3 for the hopesexual interpretations). 

However, that’s not the only way this line can be translated. In fact, it’s also common in Japanese for two direct objects to simply function as “and.” Komaeda isn’t exempt from this. Here’s an example: 

(sorry for the youtube cutout)

“I said that I love you all who embody hope...and those wonderful talents, from the bottom of my heart.”

Again, it’s the same structure, both “you all who embody hope” and “those wonderful talents” are marked with を, and not only that, but there’s the presence of the ellipses after the former, just like in the free time event. It’s also worth mentioning that 心から愛してる (from the bottom of my heart) is used in this line as well, drawing another similarity. I don’t think these lines are meant to parallel each other at all, more like it’s just how Komaeda speaks, but it’s definitely worth noting. 

If this is the way the original line was meant to be interpreted, then it would more or less be “I’m in love with you...and the hope sleeping inside of you...from the bottom of my heart.” This isn’t necessarily a new idea either. It’s how his confession in the manga (which in Japanese is the exact same line), is translated into English was well. 

So, does this mean that Komaeda just loves him and his hope equally, as if the two are inherently connected? I personally don’t think so. After all, a commonly forgotten factoid is that in the very same event, Komaeda tells Hinata he never sensed a talent (ergo “hopeful”) aura from him in the first place (and he seems to be happy with this, too), so I’m rather inclined to pass it off as a generic Komaeda-ism rather than a serious mark on his character. That being said, there’s also still an “aborted” feel to it. The “hope sleeping inside of you” part sort of feels like something tacked on in order to lessen the impact of his own words, though I don’t know, I can’t say for sure. That’s just what I’m getting from Ogata’s delivery of the line, which is also open to subjective takes.

Nevertheless, this still leaves open holes. If Komaeda so blatantly said that he loved Hinata specifically, then why doesn’t this part of the line make it into his report card? It’s simply cited as ボクはキミの中に眠る希望を心から愛してると with no regard to the initial キミを, which indicates that Hinata didn’t even pick up on it in the first place (or maybe, he just doesn’t want to acknowledge it because it’d be too hard for him. still, as interesting as this view is, it’s not supported by anything in his internal monologue). 

What translation appropriately conveys the meaning of the sentence structure? I can’t say for sure. Either way, it’s a really fickle line, and I don’t blame NISA for flubbing on it. I just wanted to share these thoughts to other Komahina shippers on tumblr because I find it really interesting. 

Also, as a bonus: On the use of 愛してる (aishiteru) 

Many people seem to have this idea that this word is like, the strongest expression of romantic love ever. And while that’s true, it’s not because it implies a “deeper” love, but because it’s extremely bold and cheesy. Most love confessions, especially in things like anime, use 好き (suki) or 大好き (daisuki) instead, and it doesn’t make them any less important or genuine. It’s just how normal people usually talk. Komaeda actually uses these two terms instead of aishiteru in his confession to Hinata in his Drama CD, just an fyi. 

Also, the word isn’t necessarily romantic either. Like, when I was in Japan, my host mother just like casually said it to a friend as a goodbye as we were leaving her house. Likewise, Komaeda using it in this line isn’t what indicates that his feelings for Hinata are necessarily deeper or romantic than his “feelings” for everyone else, because if you’ve noticed before, he uses the same word to describe his love for hope, talent, and even Junko at the end of DR:AE. If anything, what it’s supposed to say about Komaeda is that he’s really embarrassing and overdramatic in expressing his emotions. It’s honestly just kind of dorky.