#kinda makes me want to cry. this game is a major part of my identity. me faltering and struggling with my hands hurts so bad

[gochujangst]

Wish you could complain about your struggles with splatoon (especially since I now struggle with motor function) without some sweat telling you in your ear that you're bad at the game . I've been playing for 9 years.

[silver-wield]

Story time! I legitimately liked Clerith at one point. A LOT. I played the original game back in the day and I wanted to join the Clerith community. I did so on Discord and nearly instantly was put off by several things within the community, but I pushed it down and told myself I was overreacting. First, it was small things - like how they loathed Team Four Stars' parody videos because of how they treated Aerith. (1)

when in reality all of the characters were given shitty attitudes and backstories because ya'know it was a parody! It felt hyper-sensitive to me for no reason, so I kept it to myself that I loved the video series and went on. Next was how they hated Tifa and willfully misinterpreted canon and characters. Believe it or not I genuinely like Tifa - she's complex and has beauty and brains and brawn so I don't see anything to dislike. But I couldn't exactly say that to them, and any suggestion (2)

that Tifa was a good character got major pushback. I shut up. What really pushed me over the edge was one user I can't recall the name of so I won't guess, but she was a bigwig. I wanted to join a specific part of the Discord. It was advertised as "debate friendly" so I thought - okay finally here is my shot at speaking my mind while not being dog piled. I asked to join and she said basically she had to verify I was a real person so she needed my real Facebook. (3)

A little creepy, and a little odd I thought since I had been in the group for over a month and had caused no trouble (I learned quickly what was and was not okay to say) but I gave it to her anyway. Keep in mind I was a minor at the time. She came back to me and said "You look like my relative." This tells me she was snooping on my page since at the time my profile picture was actually my cat and any pictures of myself were buried some ways back. (4)

About an hour later she told me she denied my request to join because she saw where I had posted Tifa fanart months ago, and since my Facebook was only two years old (again, I was a minor and had only been allowed to get FB roughly two years prior to this) that she was convinced I was a troll. Insert youvegottobekiddingme. png here. I told her she was paranoid to which she went off on a paragraphs-long spiel about how the Clerith community has been prosecuted by Clotis for ages. (nearly done)

I eventually got tired and blocked her and removed myself from the group. Because of that, and another encounter I had much later (in which my sexual identity was mocked) and an encounter a friend of mine had in which she was goaded into crying over her dead husband when she dared suggest that even if Cloud did love Aerith it's cruel to want him to stay single and mourning for the rest of his life, I have thoroughly decided I cannot stand Cleriths. They made me dislike Aerith. (fin)

Sorry for the late reply, anon. I wasn't ignoring it 😅

Tbf I don't like Machinabridged either, but my response is to just ignore it exists. I don't think I've even watched the whole thing. I've never gone off at the team behind it, but then I rarely give a shit because whenever I do I get slammed by tons of people. So, always remember to never express an opinion that differs from the masses, but if you do express it don't expect anyone to be on your side even if they claimed to be your friends.

Yeah, asking for personal info is a huge red flag for me. Nobody needs to know that unless they have plans to use it against you later. That's why I never give out personal info to people. Cleriths generally use it to make sure people don't stray from their hard-line hating. "If you like Tifa, we'll tell the fandom who you really are" kinda shit mentality.

Honestly, it sounds like you were in the cult's discord. Those are things I've heard them do to people. They're legit terrifying en masse. I mean, most large groups are, especially when one person weaponises them against a single person. Fandom and social media shouldn't be a numbers game that people then utilise to push down those with lower numbers than them, but that's what it is.

What's funny is their behaviour makes people dislike Aerith, so you'd think they'd care about how they come across. But then again, they don't even like her, she's just a straw doll they shove in front of them so they can throw shit at people from behind her and then say she's the reason for their actions.

[sentimental-darkness]

About me...

Just to give you some idea about this blog and myself!

-- It's going to sound different from 98% of blogs and users out there... and it's not narcissism talking here, it's just experience.

-- However, I don't have anything against a healthy dose of narcissism tbh = a person gotta know their own worth and embrace their selfishness, no?

-- A vast range of interests, no specific occupation, but I'm certainly someone to have open-minded conversation with... and I'm not mincing words either... the vast majority of humans are somewhere in the range of stupidity or being utterly stuck, unable to see what's right in front of them, subjected to easy brainwashing and wishful thinking, and even the brainwashers are probably mostly stupid and cliché. So how about it? Wanna talk? I don't bite!

-- If you're already brainwashed and wired a certain way, obsessed with certain causes or certain groups or certain "identities"... you better watch out because I'll probably "offend you" because "I am being rude." Oh no, how could it be! But seriously, I appreciate individuality and hate stupidity, as simple as that, which is sometimes far too complex for most.

-- In an ideal world: destroy all present day religions and temples. Erase national and ethnic identities. Erase most of the fragmented identities created in the last decade that most users of Tumblr have proudly in their bios - so we can finally put the whole weight behind being an individual who describes themselves in their own unique way. Shocking, no?

-- The previous paragraph is highly unlikely in practice and such a world-changing endeavor would require a bit different approach, but I shared it anyway just because.

-- I am "evil" and "rude", yes, but also very sympathetic and emotional. I will sometimes reblog silly things and lovely animals. Come and cuddle with me! Still, I will also make fun of military conflicts and surrounding drama. It sucks but war has been part of human history for millennia, there is no justice and nothing pretty in it. (Except when I feel like an image of a city raised to the ground is kinda... charming. But no worries, I don't really post stuff like that)

-- I have my own problems and worries, things are far from ideal. But there is zero tolerance policy for utter weakness and stupidity here, and I don't think highly of it. You guessed it. You can go back to your unoriginal depression-obsession blog and cry yourself out, if you want. But I tell you, it won't help and you do yourself a disservice. Stop taking those pills maybe. Evolve. Life can be entertaining if you let it. But don't take it to heart because my zero tolerance policy doesn't prevent you from following my blog. You could secretly think of me as your sensei if you want. Fine with me.

-- I love music. Seriously. But it's mostly orchestrated scores and gaming music, giant no to everything else. Music calms me and inspires me. Ethnic, inspiring and dark with a kick. Have some random samples because why not: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O. Anything catches your fancy?

-- My other obsessions are probably creativity, fantasy, history, and overall - consuming "worlds" and stories. In games, decently done open worlds and RPGs in particular, but I'm no stranger to other genres on occasion.

My chat and asks are open, my email remains open too. In truth, I'm waiting for a kindred soul but I've never been greeted with a better conversation than basic "hi, what's up" or anon hate. Oh well, maybe you'll be an exception, my reader?

[some-cookie-crumbz]

h,,,huwumi,,,kiss in the snow,,, add fan kiddos if you wanna uwu

Cute domestic Huwumi fluff??? On MY tumblr dot com blog??? As it should be! 

Days where Keigo was off to stay with the kids were some of Fuyumi’s favorites. The twins were going to be seven soon enough and spent a good majority of their days in school, and Isamu had officially started preschool, but Hibari had just hit two years old three weeks prior. When a sitter was needed, Rei was always excited and eager to offer to take any or all of her grandchildren. And, while less enthusiastic, Enji could be relied on when necessary. But none of that was the same as the thought of her husband doting on their children. There was something about knowing that Keigo would be there all day with Hibari and then picking the boys up once they were done with their days that brought her a sense of peace and put an extra pep in her step.

It was why she walked in the door with a smile, though it faltered slightly at how quiet the house was.

She had stayed a little bit after to finish some grading, knowing that it would be a good few hours between dinner and bedtime routine before she could resume, but had anticipated the usual enthusiasm levels. The twins were always eager to play some mischievous and rowdy game the second their homework was completed and Isamu flocked to her as soon as she was in sight. “Keigo? Kids?” she called out as she put her shoes away and swapped into her slippers.

After a moment she heard loud, high-pitched squeals coming from the other side of the house. She was quick to make the trek to examine, seeing the door to the backyard thrown wide open, cold gusts starting to creep in. While a full-fledged storm was far from kicking up, a light snowfall had started up. In the doorway was a bundled mound of blankets. She couldn’t help but smile as she reached out and gently pushed at the top of the bundle, revealing a mess of dark red hair and startled gold eyes. “Oh, Mom! Welcome home!” Reo said, shifting to lean closer as she moved to kneel and press a kiss to his forehead.

“I’m a little surprised you’re this close to the outside, hun,” she mused. Reo had inherited a stronger variant of Fuyumi’s ice Quirk - deemed Dry Ice by their family pediatrician - but had a ridiculous aversion to the cold. It wasn’t a situation of him lacking a resistance to it, either. He had a higher resistance to the cold as was the norm for temperature based Quirks like that. Somehow, someway, her eldest son had just decided that snow wasn’t his speed. Which she understood and respected, but this left her a bit baffled.

“I was helping Dad get Hibi dressed for the snow and then I wa-Bwah!” His explanation was cut off as a snowball came flying out of nowhere, pegging him straight in the face. He scrambled to wipe the flakes from his face and off his blanket cocoon. "KAITO!" he shrieked.

His blonde haired twin stood out in the yard, pointing with one gloved hand while the other arm was wrapped around his own stomach, cackling like mad. "Holy cow! I got you right in the face! Best day of my life!"

"So you've chosen violence... Very well! RrraaAAAHHHH!" And with that battle cry, Reo came scrambling out from his blankets and charged for his brother. Fuyumi briefly considered chiding him for leaving his blankets in the doorway and charging out without a proper coat but opted against it. Instead, she moved the blankets further inside, stepped out herself and closed the door behind her.

She spotted Keigo over by the large oak tree in the corner, his back facing her, Hibari's bright pink wing mittens just barely visible over his left forearm and Isamu hovering in the air just beside his father. While he wasn't an expert yet, Isamu's wings were large enough for him to hoist himself into the air for a good but short bit. She moved along to join them, briefly glancing over to watch as the twins tussled about in the snow a few feet away. "Birb! Dada, birb!" Hibari's voice cried in delight and wonder, quiet chirps coming from where she pointed.

"There's a lil birdie in there, Daddy!" Isamu gasped in quiet awe, fluttering up just a bit more to get a better look.

"That's right, buddy! It's a little sparrow. They're wintery birds, just like Hibi," Keigo agreed, tilting his head down to nuzzle his cheek affectionately against the toddler’s in his arms. Fuyumi giggled at the excited squeals he got for that.

"That's part of why Daddy calls Hibari his little sparrow," she chimed in, grinning wider when they turned to face her.

"Mommy!" Isamu gasped. He dropped back on to his feet and rushed over, arms looping around her waist as best they could and burrowing into her. "I missed you, Mommy."

She smiled and shifted to pick him up, settling him on her hip. "I missed you, too, Isa," She pressed a kiss to his forehead before turning her attention to Keigo.

“Hey,” he hummed, stepping closer to pull her close and kiss her. She hummed happily and kissed back eagerly, letting one hand slide up along the shoulder of his coat. When they pulled back, she blinked to dislodge a few snowflakes that had snuck past her glasses. “How was your day?”

“It was fine. Glad to be home, though,” she mused, leaning forward to give him another quick peck. She beamed when she saw how his feathers ruffled a bit from the quick affection. Even after years of marriage and four children, she still found how flustered he’d get to be achingly endearing. "Hibari's wings doing better today?"

He nodded and gently bopped his hip to bounce the tot, causing her to giggle. "They're still pretty sensitive but it’s still been going down. Today the sensitivity waned enough for me to be able to touch them gently, and she seems to be kinda starting to gain more mobility over them. Should probably be able to start doing those exercises the specialist was talking about in another couple of weeks," he hummed, chuckling as Hibari reached out to grab at a snowflake that drifted by. “Since she was in higher spirits today, I figured a little time in the yard would be fine, get her some fresh air. Little miss isn’t exactly fit to be cooped up all day.”

Fuyumi smiled as she reached out a hand to tuck a loose strand of hair back under Hibari’s hat. “That’s true. She’s such a curious baby bird, isn’t she?” she mused. Hibari, despite being nearly two, had already proven that her curiosity was vast. So many times they’d had to stop her from getting into somewhere or something she shouldn’t be, eager to point and let out a little questioning noises.

Hibari giggled at the affection before perking up and glancing over Keigo’s shoulder to watch as Reo flipped Kaito over his shoulder, clearly intending to throw him into a nearby snowman, only to be halted by a small flurry of red feathers swarming them. “Boys, keep the rough housing down. We don’t need any emergency room trips tonight,” Keigo said patiently. His feathers shifted to grab Kaito and put him back on his feet properly. 

Reo huffed. “He started it! I wasn’t doing anything and he threw a snowball at me!” he yelped, pointing at his twin.

“Kaito, you know how Reo feels about the cold. Be respectful,” Fuyumi chirped in.

Reo flashed a smugly satisfied grin at his twin, who responded in turn with a raspberry. “I’m going inside and crawling back into my blankets! And I’m not coming out until it’s time for donburi!” With that announcement and another small huff, he began marching his shoe-less self back inside, swiping at his crimson locks to dislodge some of the settling snowflakes.

“Coward!” Kaito called after him, trying to toss another handful of snow at him but instead only succeeding in slipping. He would have hit the ground if Keigo’s feathers hadn’t been lingering about, just in case.

“Kai so silly!” Hibari giggled, peering up at her parents.

“Yes, he is,” Fuyumi hummed before looking back over to Keigo. “So donburi tonight?”

“Ah, yeah. I wanted to do something that shouldn’t take me too long to prepare and would be warm, considering the kids were all mostly outside,” he explained. A gust of wind picked up around them, causing one of Keigo's wings to shift and curl around Hibari to protect her better.

She still visibly shuddered and pushed closer to him. "'S bbbbrrrrrr!" she squeaked.

"It's very bbbrrrr, sparrow. Let's all get inside and I'll make some warm, yummy dinner for us all," he said. He glanced over at Kaito, who was reaching again for a handful of snow, but dropped it when he realized he was being watched. Keigo slowly quirked an eyebrow in amusement as their second oldest started the slog to the patio, clapping his hands together to remove the remaining bits of snow from his mittens. “Thanks for making a better choice there, buddy.”

Kaito grumbled something in response as he marched his way up, then shrieked when Reo suddenly leapt out from around the corner, grabbing his brother and starting to drag him further in. Hibari gasped before starting to squirm. “Daddy, down! Gotta help Kai!” she squeaked frantically. Fuyumi giggled as Keigo set her down, watching as she waddled as fast as she could through the snow to follow after her two oldest brothers. “Reo meanie! Stop!”

Isamu whined quietly in Fuyumi’s hold before shifting himself. “You want me to let you down, sweet pea?” she asked.

“Wanna make sure Hibi doesn’t hurt her wingies,” he mumbled, carefully moving with her to stand on his own. “Reo-Nii and Kaito-Nii play too rough sometimes.”

Keigo smiled and reached over to ruffle his hair affectionately. “You’re a great big brother, you know? Looking after your little sister like that,” he praised. Fuyumi felt her heart skip at the shy smile he gave his Dad in return, little feathers fluffing up a bit, expression and stance near identical to her husband’s just a few minutes before. Isamu was the most reserved of their children, seeming to take quite a lot more from Fuyumi, Rei and Shoto, but there were little ticks that were so much his father’s it always lifted her heart.

“Thank you,” Isamu chirped quietly before perking up at a loud squeal from inside. They weren’t sure which one of his siblings it was making the sound, but he was following after them with one good flap from his wings. “Y-You guys, hold on! We gotta get our snow stuffs off first!”

She watched as he disappeared inside too before turning to look at Keigo, watching him disappear with a fond look in his eyes. “They’re really great kids, aren’t they?” he asked, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

She smiled wider and reached up to set both her hands on his shoulders, turning him to face her fully. “I think we’re doing a pretty good job,” she hummed, leaning up to kiss him again as yet another frigid gust whipped around them. He looped one of his arms securely around her waist as he deepened the kiss, one hand coming up to gently stroke her cheek. When they pulled apart after a second she giggled and indicated towards the patio with a tilt of her head. “Shall we?”

“Always,” he purred back, flashing her a grin that was sincere and warm, chasing off the winter chill much better than her coat certainly did.

[true-intha-blu]

In Regards to Kingdom Hearts UX: Dark Road; Baldr, Loki, Luxu, and Luxord

Hi there. This is True-InTha-Blue coming to you with some interesting lore I was discussing with some very wonderful people on the Destined Oath Discord server. Once again I thank them for helping me out with this analysis and mythos research, as well as asking questions that really got my brain thinking about what all of this could be. This, of course, is in relation to the Kingdom Hearts Union Cross Dark Road game that was released 6/22/20. Specifically for Chapter 1.

This does contain slight spoilers so for those who want to go in completely blind. I recommend playing through KHuX:DR first, then coming back to my theory. This will go over a lot of Norse Mythology, how it relates to this new game, what roles the characters play, and what it could mean in the future. Warning, I’m not one for screenshots so prepare for a large amount of text.

Theory time:

In KHuX:DR we’re introduced to the new character, Baldr, named after a prominent god in Norse Mythology. As the Son of Odin, Baldr’s murder is what eventually leads the world into Ragnarok, the Norse armageddon myth.

Let’s investigate the Mythos of Baldr.

Baldr is the Norse god of peace, justice, light, forgiveness, and love. He and his mother, Frigg, had prophetic dreams of his death. As such, Frigg made every object and being in existence vow to never bring harm to Baldr. Every object and being except one, mistletoe. This was because no one saw mistletoe as a threat and was too young to make such an agreement.

This made Baldr pretty much indestructible. As per usual with the Norse gods, they made sport of this by throwing dangerous stuff at the man since they knew he couldn’t die. That was until Loki decided to fashion an arrow or spear (Different tellings of the myth have different weapons) out of mistletoe. He handed this weapon over to Baldr’s blind twin brother, Hodr. Thinking that it would bounce off his brother like usual, Hodr ended up killing his brother.

Heartbroken, Frigg called upon Hermod, another one of her sons and messenger of the gods, to go to Hel and retrieve Baldr.

In Hel, the goddess Hel (it is both a location and a person. Also not to be confused as Hell), said that Baldr could be revived if everyone (objects included, alive and dead) cried for him.

In Norse mythology, “Hel” is both a place and a goddess. Hel (the place) is the norse underworld. Hel (the goddess) is the one who reigns over the Underworld. When Hermod reached Hel and asked how Baldr could be revived, he was told that if every being in existence cried for his brother, then Baldr would return.

Everyone did, except one.

Loki, disguised as the giantess Þökk (pronounced Tokk), did not cry. As such, Baldr is set to stay in Hel until Ragnarok.

Now let’s look at Loki’s role in Norse Mythology.

He is often (or always) depicted as a shapeshifting trickster. In fact much of the trickster archetype in modern stories stems from Loki’s place in mythology. For a large part of the Mythos, Loki either aids the Aesir (the Norse Gods) or is malicious towards them. No matter what Loki eventually comes to be the enemy of the Norse gods at the end of Ragnarök.

So where am I going with this?

There are two major groups of people: Those who see Odin and the Master of Masters as being the same person, and those who see Odin and Luxu as the same people. But I think that people are focusing on the wrong deity. Instead, I think that shifting the focus onto Loki is the key. As a shapeshifter, Loki has gone by many names. Luxu parallels this, as he’s most likely taken on countless different names besides “Braig” or “Xigbar”.

In fact, let’s focus on the meaning behind Luxu’s name.

Like all of the Foretellers, Luxu’s name parallels one of the Seven Deadly Sins, that of Lust (Luxuria). Loki, in a myth where he insults all of the Aesir, is called a “Pervert God”. Loki has also been accused of doing perverse things. Luxu may not have a sexual lust, but rather a lust for power. There is also the fact that Luxu is associated with the goat, a Catholic symbol of lust.

Also to note in this conversation of Loki insulting the gods. This is the one that leads Loki to being bound to a rock with a snake dripping venom over his eyes until he is released from Ragnarök. The context is that Loki killed a servant, was kicked out of a party, and then came back to ruin the party but the Skaldic god Bragi says that Loki shouldn’t be allowed back in. Loki however called on blood bonds with Odin (because they are half-brothers) to be invited.

There is one other thing of note in the myth about Loki insulting the Aesir. After a certain point, he got kicked out, only to return to ruin the party even more. The god Bragi said that he shouldn’t be allowed in, but Loki calls his blood bond with his half-brother Odin, saying he has every right to be invited. As things continue, this leads to Loki’s capture and his near eternal punishment of being bound with poison dripping on his face. Then: “Loki declaims a toast to the gods, with a specific exception for Bragi. Bragi responds that he will give a horse, sword, and ring from his possessions so that he does not repay the gods "with hatred." Loki responds that Bragi will always be short of all of these things, accusing him of being "wary of war" and "shy of shooting." Bragi responds that, were they outside of Ægir's hall, Bragi would be holding Loki's head as a reward for his lies. Loki replies that Bragi is brave when seated, calling him a "bench-ornament," and that Bragi would run away when troubled by an angry, spirited man.”

And this is also remarkably interesting because I have seen the Bragi = Braig/Luxu theory, but this kind of contradicts it. It makes me think that Bragi and Odin are red herrings in all of this. Remember, we do not know what happened to the Master of Masters, except that he ‘faded from existence’ one day. Nor do we know why or how MoM showed himself to Young Xehanort in the Keyblade Graveyard. Only Luxu has been confirmed to have the ability to change bodies

Keep in mind, the No Name Keyblade was passed down from Luxu to his student. When the time came, that student passed on the keyblade as well, the cycle continuing into the present. This was all so MoM could see into the future and author the Book of Prophecies.

Now I wish to bring up another name of Loki, that of Lóðurr. It can be translated into Lodur.

Please understand that the context between these two names is still being debated by scholars, but I think this is important to bring up nonetheless.

Lodur is one of the gods that helped create the first two humans, the others being Odin and Hoenir. Let’s assume this is just another name for Loki. Remember how earlier I said that Loki is the main archetype for both the good and bad trickster in stories? Let’s go to something you may have noticed.

Lodur. Let’s add an ‘X’, reminiscent to the old Org XIII style. It becomes Luxord.

Now remember that scene in the beginning of Re:mind DLC? With Xigbar/Luxu and Luxord asking questions about each other’s identity?

My take is that Luxord is the other role of Loki, the more beneficially trickster. Now this may be more of a stretch if not for the fact that we kinda believe/see Luxord’s somebody in Yozora’s time. As of now, it is a major point of both curiosity and contention within the fandom.

One theory is that Yozora’s world is connected to the breaking of the One World before the end of the Keyblade World. This is inferred because Yozora seems to know what a keyblade is and knows how to fight the wielder of one.

Since Lodur (the Norse god) has a hand in the creation of the world in Norse mythology, which (going by the KHuX:DR lore about the worlds’ development) may have been one of the first worlds to develop from the Keyblade War thus tying Luxord to the legacy of the keyblade war stated by Xemnas.

To add a bit on the Luxu/Xigbar and Luxord to Loki parallels:

-      Both fights with them have misdirection, trickery with locations or indirect fighting styles when confronted by Sora. This fits a trickster archetype

-      Also Braig/Xigbar uses arrowguns. In myth, Baldr was killed by an arrow (That may be a bit of a stretch though so don’t take it too seriously.)

In the end, we have a lot to think about here.

I am less inclined to look at Master Odin from KHux:DR and would rather look out for someone we have not seen yet, a Loki or a Þökk. And keep an eye on Baldr whenever he shows up.

There are many other connections to tie ‘Bad’ Loki to Luxu. Loki heralding Ragnarok could parallel the fall of Scala Ad Caelum. Loki being a Johtun but being able to hang around the Norse gods could be a parallel to how Luxu may be among the students but actually being a foreteller.

If any reader has any details they want to share to clear up some details about the mythos, want to correct an inaccuracy, or wish to elaborate on the topics more, please share them. I am always up for fun, healthy, and well-reasoned discussions.

My next theory will be about the development of the worlds and the foretellers and how they came back.

Stay tuned, Blue

[Edited by @SourCherryBomb]

[chemtrailsovertheclub]

old poems v1.

here you go. dated august-september 2019 or so.  

my brain is a conglomeration of suffering it is everything it's all in my head though. by the time it shows on the physical, the damage is done, the war has been won and i am not victorious, maybe i won a few battles but ultimately i gave more than i gained from all the agonizing pain it's all in my head though.

i don't have a sense of identity and i don't have very much empathy because i feel so much to begin with how am i supposed to take on your problems too? i don't want to hurt you that's the last thing i ever wanted to do but so i push you far away and i don't say the things that haunt me because i know you feel so much empathy i can't have your hurt be because of me so i push you away

it's all in my head though. it's not a real problem. i'm perfectly fine. and i live a lie.

-

you make my heart beat go faster and the time goes slower and i feel my heart get closer and it melds into yours for hours that seem like years so when you go and i'm left alone my heart craves you my mind misses you my body is cold our love grows old and i worry it'll never be renewed

you are my drug, my medicine, my addiction my confliction of interest, of distress, of wondering what will come next my love, my joy, my shining light, my star so bright, those lakeside nights, those neck side bites, those streetside lights, those endless nights, those endless nights

-

i don't know what you want from me i don't have any sympathy for your self made misery

i don't know what world you live inside, all you seem to do is hide maybe you should step outside

into the light i promise it's not too bright i promise it's not a fight i promise if you'd just try you'd see just why life isn't just suffering until you die.

-

it's fine, pretending you're divine, that life is great, you feel no hate, there's no need to do a thing did i mention life is great?

it's a shame there's no one to blame for all the ways you bleed from your very own knives what a surprise! you take so many lives, why not your own? when you're finally all alone, when everyone you ever cared for is gone, when you've pushed them all away, i promise i won't say i told you so don't you know?

it's fine, pretending you're divine, that life is great, you feel no hate, there's no need to do a thing did i mention life is great?

black like mold the staleness you bring to the air gets old darkness and decay only leave so many words to say statements of agony proof you're not okay, proof that there's no way, you're ever going to change

-

i like the way you make feel at home like i do when i'm all alone i like the way you love me with all of your fragile heart like it won't get broke, like what all i said was a joke i knew it from the start, and every, day and night, it tears me a-part

i like the way you make me wanna run, away, never to be seen again by anyone of any concern, it's like i never learn, but they're my bridges to burn, it's my turn

it's not too hard to disappear, if you live your life running in fear if all you ever wanted was right there

i like the way i sing this song so soft and distraught when i let out my thoughts

i can't maintain my composure it's over exposure it's vulnerability it's me showing me for all the world to see and i can't take criticism very well and i didn't think this would go so well go so well can't you tell can't you tell? i burn my bridges before anyone can cross them but you must have swam, you must have swam because you made it across and what happens now? all my defenses are down. fire at will.

-

i want to bleed out every single ounce of my soul let it leak out of my body through each and every pore i crave liberation from my whole i would much rather be a piece of the puzzle than the whole fucking picture but here we are and the light, the light is blinding, and the darkness is consuming and the love is gone the love is gone. i am not at home in the one vessel i have for my spirit. can i get a replacement? is there a warranty on the carrier of my essence? dance with me and sing with me and drink with me and smoke with me and numb your feelings numb your pain numbness is satisfaction and as a matter of fact, satisfaction smells like worms in the rain.

-

i am a person for equality i am of a nationality that presents me with an easier way across the street, a paved path to walk on, the white privilege meant i could easily defeat, anyones suspicions, all your nonsense superstitions, all your tired inquisitions, all your conniving accusations, declarations, the satisfying sensations that you leave dripping down my throat

i feel everytime i forget to wear a winter coat, it is a message from you, a dream in the way it is afloat, it will never actually be perceived as more than glasses that need to be cleaned but no one told me the world wasn't this messy, i grew up in a world that's so numb to their feelings it's depressing. and the weather, it gets colder than i planned for, my jacket still probably lying on the kitchen floor, i am getting older and the blasphemous ones wear sheep's clothing, my mom is in the basement crying in the basement cause she's insecure, she's not sure she's worth anything, not a price at a bargain store, please close the door, oh please no more, i do implore have some sympathy for my dystopian society it's not predicted (but it is) it leaves me conflicted (i start to hiss) it leaves me afflicted (with all your sins) and i will not repent, for the message is best sent through a "i'm disappointed" by your closest parent.

i will not listen nor will i give in, when the chorus comes in, when the guards come in, when the cops come in, when the lights go out, when the last bit of tension building inside my cranium as your fingers instrument a destruction of the last thing you have finally learned to call home, for when you are alone who is there to judge you for not conforming when you are the whole, you are 100% of whatever you want to be and if one day you can wake up and finally see the reflection that stares back at me from the awkward first compliments to the snarky half-assed arguments that ended with my sticking out my tongue at you and kissing you and forgiving you because no one is perfect and i am sorry, i am sorry i created a pedestal for you in my head, you know some days i'd rather be dead, or at least just in a coma something to give me a moment i got my highschool diploma like you said i was supposed to you said, nothing.

i didn't really plan to live this long. how could the world have done me so wrong? trying to teach me a lesson? but here i am just stressin? my fight or flight reactions actin up, i think i'm coming up, i think i've had enough, i think i'm kinda fucked up, someone get me off this ride i can't decide for the life of me why i get no sympathy, like the simple fact of my humanity, negates my value as a human being. i am seething, soon no newborn babies will be teething because the majority of people i ask on the street, seem to agree that this world ain't so organized and neat, and the people here all be trying to compete, trying to delete, any trace of their origins or else how are they supposed to make their fortune releasing an autobiography with insights the one and only, the prized show pony, the don't leave me i'll be lonely, the if you could see me maybe you'd tread slowly, maybe you'd consider the possibility that you are not everything a human can be, sure it is possible, but you sir are making me rethink making me wonder making me more aware, more scared, more fear, more here, less beer, more liquor and it's getting quicker to take a shot or two or three down my throat and the warmth has finally become an expected gift, it's not something i try to shift away from my body, it's not naughty to want to feel comfortable in your own flesh, you are some combination of all your physical features but most importantly you are a culmination of your choices, of every single one of the voices that you decide were worthy of being heard for a change, i know they may sound strange when they first start on the stage, but look at them, they are acting their age they are being vulnerable they are feeling satisfied without eating till they're beyond the limits of full, they are complete before you two even meet and if you refuse to give her the heat, the intensity, the devotion, the endless flowing fountains of emotion, she gives you all of hers if you just would pick her a pretty flower.

so what if, we were to develop a place where the motif, the reason for the season, the blinding sheet in which they are not told they are a project, no for once, they are not simply something someone has likely forgot, can't you see how i'm falling, desperate and distraught death is sometimes a thought, quite a lot. but instead i make a scrapbook, i get a pretty one, i make it fun, i try to make unburdening all the weights others put on my back a thing i do everyday but it's so much easier to say, to delay, to just offer "how much do i need to pay", what feminine figure of weakness do i need to portray so you can save her? every page has effort and time put into it and just because you're not as into it as that little girl fantasizing about that imaginary world doesn't mean you can't for one second for one, humble, moment, for one silent showing of hands, of all those who have demands from the dead, they must be read, we do not judge nor hold any grudge for the ending will be the same, no matter what personality we choose to play the game today.

[basil-films]

08-06-2020

Silence of the Lambs (1991)

i could cry tears of joy with this movie. it’s beyond anything i could’ve expected and more. the relationship between Clarice and Dr Lecter is peculiar to say the very least and i’d love to spit out some ideas about it on here.

A Climb to Success

we open to a scene of Clarice running up a hill, as a part of her completion of an obstacle course. throughout the film, we see her struggle to make it as a female FBI agent (trainee) amongst a sea of (literally) huge men. sexism quite obviously plays a part here, but so does Jodie Foster’s petit figure and 1.61m height - adorable. i highly doubt they would’ve been able to find a better Clarice for the part.

as an opening to the film, the physical expression of struggle in her face is absolutely perfect, cause it really perfectly sets the scene and hints at the difficult journey to FBI-ism for a woman in the 90′s.

Eye Contact

if you take a minute to notice the number of times men we deem to be in a higher position of authority than Clarice choose to make direct eye contact with the ‘camera.’ this is a slightly more indirect way of asserting dominance in a situation, as eye contact, regardless of if it’s in a film or in person, shows self confidence and determination. i forget his name, but Clarice’s boss was the first example i picked up. he would often enough only address Clarice through the lens of the camera, almost as if he’s dumbing this down for her and using eye contact as a way of checking she understands what he’s saying. this is kinda like the way a teacher will look at you when they’re explaining something for the third time and really slowing down for you. the fact that this only really happens with men in a higher ranking position within the FBI and Hannibal, goes to show that Hannibal, despite being a serial killer, is still a man worthy of respect, at least to Clarice.

alongside that, the eye contact suggests the story is being told from Clarice’s perspective and that everybody is talk to her.

The Big Bad Wolf

this is probably a stretch but hear me out:

HANNIBAL: May I see your credentials? Closer...closer.

this INSTANTLY reminded me of the Little Red Riding Hood story. at this point in the film, Hannibal is nothing but a mysterious figure to Clarice, so when he said this particular line while questioning her qualifications, my mind chose to connect it to the wolf from the big bad wolf from LRRH. personally, i think this is a pretty fair similarity and i’m convinced of its validity cause just think about it: as far as she’s concerned, he may as well eat her up, just like the wolf would’ve.

“Memory, Agent Starling, is what I have instead of a view.”

the one line that almost makes you feel some kind of pity towards face-eating Dr Lecter is this one. i say “almost” cause i don’t know you and you might still not care even after this, but i think it’s safe to assume it makes you feel something. the only thing Hannibal ever mentions wanting is a view to reference when drawing, instead of relying on a combination of his imagination and memory. all the man wants is a view, not even freedom, just a way of having a view. this seems to be his only weakness, as agent Starling later uses it to her advantage to bribe him into giving her more information, something that only just got past him since he is easily the most intelligent of all the characters.

HANNIBAL: Memory, agent Starling, is what i have instead of a view.

A Dangerous Game of Patience

this is another minor point, but i couldn’t help but notice how one of the most dangerous aspects of Hannibal’s personality is his patience. he’s been in that one room for so long at this point that he really has nothing else to lose. he plays this game of patience with Clarice as he reveals more and more about Buffalo Bill, almost as if he finds the situation amusing and like a good pastime. another memorable quote from Hannibal reads: “how much are you willing to wait?” absolutely terrifying, can you imagine a serial killer saying that to you? *shudders*

A Student // Teacher Relationship

an interesting perspective to look at Clarice’s relationship with Hannibal is the whole “student // teacher” exchange kinda way. in exchange for his (knowledge on Buffalo Bill and) wisdom, Clarice gives him something he wants, whether that be personal details about herself or a “view.” this exchange is noteworthy, as it’s the singular thing that makes an FBI trainee and a deadly face-eating dude equals.

it’s really interesting to watch their relationship unfold, especially while this remains the one consistent element throughout. everything else seems to be pretty unpredictable, can’t lie - but their student // teacher exchange is established from the beginning and doesn’t seem to change from start to finish.

The Pen of Intelligence

quite possibly one of the best scenes showcasing Hannibal’s character, the way he eyeballs the pen during his potential transfer really says it all and i love love love this scene for it. we never really know what’s going on in Dr Lecter’s head; however, his intentions were always clear. when he looks at the pen with such curiosity (yet determination), we suspect another brilliantly executed masterplan to take place. we were right. the way a man that’s quite literally being treated like a dangerous animal with his mouthguard and chains manages to plan his escape for a scenario he doesn’t even definitively know will take place is just another reminder of his intelligence. the pen is a symbol of this, with it’s basic appearance we don’t really suspect much of it, later finding out we really underestimated its capabilities - just like Hannibal. Dr Lecter is like a freckin pen and i love it.

Silence of the “Lambs”

the lamb story from Clarice is quite obviously where the title of the movie came from, but what does it mean?

first of all, the fact that the lamb story is one of the personal details Clarice is forced to reveal to Dr Lecter, despite being thoroughly warned ahead of time to refrain from mentioning anything personal, is a reminder of their peculiar relationship. think about it. isn’t it weird that one of the smartest people, let alone a woman *gasp*, decided to ignore all warnings and form a personal relationship with a face-eater? yeah, thought so. the personalness (i googled it that is in fact a real word) of the story is a direct reminder of their close relationship and is what makes the storyline that much more interesting.

now a closer look at the actual story behind the lambs. i’m not too sure if what i’m about to say makes any sense but this was my thought process: the lambs that were being ‘silenced’ via murder, symbolically represent the women being killed, and therefore also silenced, by Bill. while Hannibal and Clarice’s ever-developing relationship is a major part of the storyline, without the case regarding Buffalo Bill, it would all be nothing. the title is a direct reference to Bill’s torturous intentions.

another more literal side to the title comes from the whole ‘shearing women’s skin to make clothing,’ as one would with a lamb or a sheep. the women are just like the sheep, getting sheared for their ‘wool.’ hilarious right? it really is though. in fact, during her raid of Bill’s house, Clarice yells at the woman in the ditch(?) to shut up so she hunt down Bill before trying to help anybody else. this is her silencing the lamb.

Insecurity

one of the most important aspects of the entire film, yet the one i understood the least, was the root of Bill’s intentions with his skinning. on one hand, he’s a psychopath and literally one of the most damaged characters you’ll ever hear of in your life, fictional or real. on the other hand, there is a root cause of all this: insecurity (mixed with a bucketload of mental illness). Bill’s identity crisis and fragile relationship with his femininity is what leads him to literally strip women of their womanhood and keep it for himself. one of the few instances we see Bill expressing actual human emotion is when he was looking down at the girl he had trapped in his home and starts crying as she begs him to free her. Bill saw something in the girl that he presumably sees in himself, which is why the whole encounter was interestingly uncomfortable for him, despite being a serial killer. this all boils down to his insecurity with himself and is probably the root of all his problems.

Bill’s Green Goggles

one final point about Bill (as he’s easily my least favorite character in all this, what a psycho), has to do with his goggles. while he was scoping out his next victim AND trying to hunt down Clarice in the dark after she broke into his little messed up dungeon, he uses these green night vision goggles. yes, the green is merely a coincidence as most night vision goggles have this lens color; however, it’s worth noting the psychological side of this too. in films, most people automatically associate the color green with perseverance and envy. the only times Bill uses these goggles are quietly obviously to see in the dark, but these two occurrences also happen to be when he is at his most animal-like. he wants what the girls have, both physically and ‘socially.’ he wants their skins but he also wants their femininity and womanhood, something he clearly lacks. he envies them and the bright green of the goggles is a constant reminder of this insecurity.

[miss-sternennacht]

Tsukasa Yugi isn’t who we think he is.

[umbillicalnoose]

i think that you would think im pretty and would like my poetry and i want to share it with you. im shy.

to be honest, im very apathetic these days. im not the nice “cutesy baby flower petal boy” i used to be. a lot has happened & im bitter & sullen & all in all, a pretty shitty friend/person to know. i used to possess some redeeming qualities, believe it or not, even if they were construed by the subconscious in an attempt to be likeable - a facade, even tho its only a facade, is still tangible, still there, is still something, even if not authentic. is poorer character forgivable in the name of presenting more authentically? but nah. that makes it sound like im putting effort into being a better person, which im not. im just sort of fried & done. its been a very long time since i played the role i built for myself on here of the “small fawn boy who wants to help girls” lmaooo. how embarrassing. altho, i was just a kid, & i guess, if you had a tumblr as a teenager, you went thru some cringe (i know the use of that word has fallen in on itself & adopted its own definition but for lack of a better one) ass phases, whether it was kinning or malingering mental illness or oh fucking christ, all that gender bullshit, etc etc. from what ive observed, tho, loosely following kids im still casually friends with that i met on here, i think we’ve all managed to Grow The Fuck Up, at least a little. most of us have jobs or r in school or have partners - growing up & moving on is a very surreal experience to watch/go thru. im moving at my own pace & ive accepted that - im still currently using & starving myself & concocting a suicide plan every day but at least i use clean needles as much as possible, i actively & honestly do strive for the bare minimum calorically, & um able to work with the mentality of “well ill have this when i need it but todays not that day” a lot more readily, in relation to suicide shit. ive finally found a therapist who Really Gets It, is a frontrunner internationally on ritual & extreme abuse & mind control. its pretty incredible what a few years with a good therapist can do. anyways. im sorry, i know you didnt ask for all this & im not even sure why i divulged. i guess, what tipped me off, was your attempt at sounsing “cute” - dude, cut that shit out, i promise youll be a lot better off. & i know everyone interchanges aspects of their personality based on who theyre talking to/who they percieve themselves to be talking to, but i feel like not a lot of people give enough credence to the internet & its hand in shaping/molding young people, kids, vulnerable dumbasses, especially tumblr (tho, i get that its a relatively new phenomenon) - u get a bunch of the “weird”, “alternative”, ““ostracized” kids together on a website, of course its gonna nurture a culture of hypervalidatoon & pretending to be sick in order to fit in to the point that its not an act anymore & exacerbation of symptoms & basically, just sucking each others dicks, sitting in ur own shit, & never ending coddling. & then, you have the older group of kids, who have played this game before but instead of helping or ignoring the Dumbshit kids, they indulge their own normally-buried-but-unleashed-by-internet-anonymity sadism/human instinct to just be fucking dicks & so now you have this vicious cycle of anger & hatred & fucking melodrama up the urethra. im sorry, i know im comig off as/am being harsh but god fuckin dammit yknow? also, this isnt directed at you, specifically, more of a generalized thing, @ myself included. so uh. i mean, if u still wanna share it with me after reading all this, id be happy to read ur poetry. i used to be over the top nice & then reverted to Major Asshole & am now trying to find that sweet middle spot - honoring & allowing myself to share my pain without putting it on others. which is really hard!! cuz becoming a Dick was difficult in that it forced me to be more honest with my true self & as such, more vulnerable - now in trying to become Kinda Nice again because despite being a pulsating scrotom, ive had the intense desire for friendship & human interaction, while simultaneously doing things that i was consciously aware was pushing others away - but then, if i pretend to be nice, where does that authenticity i worked for & was so scared of go? & i dont mean telling someone their new haircut looks nice even when it doesnt - thats just not being a dick. but i guess, those r the normal trials & tribulations of any relationship & adolescent developing identity. which is weird too - dealing with “normal” issues, i mean. whats the point if your life/limbs/breaking point arent at risk? whats the point when your best friends already dead. im sick of people calling "survivors” (despise that word, so fucking female-originated & overdramatic) “brave” & “strong” - surviving is not brave or strong. its just survival. you wouldnt call an animal brave for running for its life from a predator but you would call a dog courageous for going into a burning building to save its owner. premeditated action on the notion that you are probably going to be hurt is brave. being subjected to pain with no choice is not. theres no “silver lining” or anything “good” to be drawn from it either - sure it may have made x a more compassionate person or made y more introspective & gentle but you know what would have been even fucking better??? if the shit hadnt happened in the first place! let x be an asshole & y be self absorbed - the “benefits”, so to speak, do not outweigh the cost, not by a long fucking shot. its not only patronizing to hear garbage like that, but a slap in the face to know that anyone could possibly see anything good coming from that nightmare & that the characteristics, good or bad, you developed either in response to or as a result of, are worth praise. dont tell me im strong for doing what i had to to escape a torture chamber - tell me im perseverant for studying my ass off & passing that test last week. in the words of one of my dearest & most fucking brilliant friends, “pain doesnt owe me/you purpose - the need to intellectualize & assign meaning to pain & death is not only futile, but harmful.” & honestly, i think that it stems from weakness (in most cases - i realize theres a plethora of other reasons such as those who r just desperate for something to hold on to or r hyperintellectual & analytical or who have been pressured by external “support” systems to find the “good” etc etc) - while the majority of people view the person who “can find the good in everything” (strictly speaking only in relation to trauma/tragedy here & more in denunciation of those that celebrate this trait as opposed to vilifying “survivors” who respond this way, though in my experience, its very very very rarely the “survivor” that perpetrates this ideology ) as strong, i sort of see it as a weakness - their inability to sit with & absorb their own pain or that of others is so strong that not only do they have to frantically pull rainbows out of the teeth of a meat cleaver, they also have to exist within this strange (tho, not malicious - more subconscious) superiority complex. like, nah, dude, some times shit is just awful. you cant tell me anything fucking good came out of a four year old girl being kidnapped, gangraped, & tortured for two years, before being impaled & left to die on a stake. her mom opened a non profit organization? oh well thank fucking god for that!!! those that believe the latter to be more “enlightened” or whatever the fuck r the same people who say shit like “dying is easy - living is harder” & i get that that its supposed to be interpreted metaphorically for the most part - giving up is easy, trying isnt (which also.....isnt true??? admitting defeat & fully accepting the fact that ur fucking helpless is beyond hard lmao???) - but pretend youre somewhere, anywhere outside ur sunny little fucking yoga studio full of white women whos biggest issues r the pta & johnny whos failing math, & lets say your life is in real, imminent danger, a gun is to your head & i want you to not scream or cry or beg for ur life since dying is “easier”. if dying is so easy, why do the majority of ppl cling to it with such desperation - why is suicide illegal? why do some ppl go thru 100s of chemo treatments even tho the doctors say theyre just prolonging the inevitable, ppl who cut off a diseased arm so it wont spread, those who walk dozens of miles every day for food & water, etc? & i know & understand the survival instinct better than anyone, even when i wanted to die more than anything, my natural instincts would kick in with no conscious neural input & id do what i had to do. im not condemning those who cling to life (ok - a little. ur wasting resources out of ur own fear. but i also realize thats just me being a Fucking Asshole As Always cuz technically, im doing the same thing tho its more due to lack of opportunity rather than fear. i just think, societally, death should be more normalized, discussed, & not made out to be so unknown & scary), instead just reprimanding those who say shit like that (inspirational facebook quotes). especially cuz most of the ppl who do spew that shit have never gone thru anything even remotely difficult - their worst nightmare is a Big Scary Black Man grabbing them on the street, mugging them, & touching their tits. & i also know that these stupid ass sayings are to be applied to bullshit like exercise & fitness (“no pain no gain” is another one of my Favorites) & not fucking torture or even just ur run of the mill rape, even that would probably smash the rose tinted banana republic shades off their beverly hills tanned faces. but ive heard the no pain no gain one a handful of times in the last few weeks, specifically from doctors performing procedures in preparation for my bottom surgery. & i know its supposed to be encouraging & they have no way of knowing, but its just like, buddy, u have no idea who youre fucking talking to. & im starting to understand what THEY mean when they say it - pain with a reward is infinitely more tolerable than pain just for the sake of pain; like, a tattoo, it hurts, but u know, when its done, its gonna be sick as fuck. when u r able to fall back on the idea that its for something u rlly want, its A Lot easier to handle as opposed to pain thats Just Pain - theres no reward for it except, i guess, that the more u experience it, the closer u r to the end of it lmao. i mean, i still hate when ppl say it cuz for most of my life, pain was just pain, & the “reward” was the opportunity to go home at the end & so whenever ppl say that, my mind just immediately resorts back to that & im just like haha fuck u. but im trying to remember my experiences r definitely not universal & im starting to sorta understand what they mean i think. but, flipping gears here, & going back to the sentiment of “everything happens for a reason”, the base philosophy of psuedo deep Fuckwads - a girls dad didnt fuck her “for a reason”, everything doesnt happen “for a reason”. like ok, hypothetically, the kid he impregnated her with & that she was forced to have at 12 may surpass all odds & not become a homeless junkie & instead become a world renowned doctor who finds the cure for cancer. but she wasnt raped repeatedly from the age of six for that “reason”, no matter what anyone says & honestly, the liberation of the masses does not justify the suffering of one, especially a child. in my eyes at least. but again, im a bitter asshole. sorry i just Went The Fuck Off here oh my god.....if u read all this, thanks, pal. if not, thats cool too. but yea, send me ur stuff, id totally be down to read it. as for me potentially thinking ur cute, i have to look at my disgusting shitstain of a “face” every goddamn day so everyone else to me is fuckin aphrodite. but im also tryin to not put so much worth into physical appearance- its not something that should be complimented cuz its just smth a person was born with which is the same reason it shouldnt be insulted. this is gonna sound gay & stupid but i personally find that a persons essence & personality really permeates. you can meet someone who, objectively, isnt all that great looking, but once u get to know them, u really see their beauty - how the sun catches in their hair, their dilated pupils looking up at u from under long eyelashes in the dark, the birthmark on their right shoulder that they despise but that is so Them, the gap in their teeth, etc. & idk how to phrase this without it sounding like “well ur ugly but at least ur a good person”, cuz that only reiterates the societally indoctrinated emphasis on appearance & my kneejerk reaction to assure the person in question that thats not what im saying is only another result of that!!! its inescapable!!! but no, really, its not just a matter of “its on the inside that counts” - physically, they change or maybe, actually this is more likely, when i first meet them, my “default” eyes r just looking for features that i know im immediately attracted to (tall, blonde, sickly as in sunken eyes sticklike pale but still looks like she could & will beat the shit out of me) but as i fall in love or get to know them better, my eyes adjust & i notice & adore the beauty that was there all along. so uh. idk if ill think ur “cute”. but probably, yes, ill think ur an angel.

[archmage--khadgar]

Hia! I always feel happy when I see one of your posts pop up on here c: why do you like Khadgar?

*Stares into space* OH GOD THIS IS gonna probably be a long post. HERE WE GO.So uh. I always really like Karazhan and the lore around it, hardcore fell in love with Medivh and pretty much ANYTHING in game that was connected I ate it up. I got the urn, the keys, all the rings, all the rep, you name it. I tried SO HARD to get Atiesh from the old Naxx but that didn’t happen. (I AM STILL SAD ABOUT THAT.) So that was -kind of- the start. In order for the next part to make sense, need to sidestep and backtrack a wee bit for context.Not to be all sob story, but I gotta be honest, I spent most of my childhood alone (either outside or in my room), reading, playing out epic stories with my toys, exploring the outdoors, and most of my social interactions with people I was either being bullied by kids at school or my mother. And y’know, despite all the stories I read or watched on t.v it was a loooong while before there were characters that made me go….”Holy SHIT I know what that’s like!?” Like there was a difference, to me, between characters like Michelangelo and Beetlejuice that I REALLY WANTED to hang out with, and then a character that made me go….”I know exactly how that character feels. What happened to them, happened to me.”Digimon was the show that broke that mold for me when not only were there two characters who had DIVORCED PARENTS!??? Like me, there was a girl who had a REALLY BAD and unhealthy relationship with her mother. (But she was still powered by love, which was awesome.)This kinda started getting me into other stuff because the more characters I found that I could relate to, the easier it was to explain how I felt to strangers and it made friend finding a little bit easier. FAST FORWARDING A LITTLE BIT.

So I certainly have a character -type- that I relate to the most. And it’s chaotic bookwork with anxiety. Fun fact: I am always dubbed “the twilight sparkle” of friend groups IRL because I was always, ALWAYS the one who was solving friendship problems and I did that looong before the show. OOPH. THE BIG PROBLEM. Was that it was getting to the point where all the chaotic bookworms were either: Evil, female (and I love gals, but that’s not my gender identity ORZ), or like. largely hated by the fandom and were always mocked.Or some combination.SO LIKE. Hey, I get introduced to Medivh and his TOWER OF BOOKS and all that shit and it’s like “Fuck yeah sign me up bro, living alone? Shitty mom? I feel you.” But then, y’know. He was a wee bit possessed and not. Exactly the good guy SO THERE WAS THAT.And then. There was Khadgar.I hadn’t been able to find the last guardian book yet, though I had read about the lore highlights online so I was familiar and stuff.And then WoD came out. And Khadgar! Was doing stuff! Which got me excited because it was more of the Lore that I really liked, and during MoP, I was hardcore going…”THE LEGION IS COMING BAAAACK. I JUST KNOW IT. CAUSE WE DIDN’T KILL KJ. SKREE.” I got called crazy and stupid a few times BUT HEY. Jokes on you fuckers I was *right*.Anyways!That first quest chain into Tannan rolls in. And it’s just. Khadgar. Being Khadgar. “Well, then I guess we owe you one.” scene hit every…“Oh fucking god bless Khadgar for the sarcastic sass”Because I really enjoy sarcasm and it’s more obvious in voice chat or in-person but my sass rhythm and tone, especially if I’m ranting is veeery similar to Khadgar’s sass.And then the PUNS. Listen. *Listen*. I hear an opportunity for a pun and I have to take it. I have to. If I try to hold it in my face starts smiling like the Cheshire cat and I sometimes let out a high pitched “eeeeeee” until given permission. After that quest chain, I quickly noticed that no one had rolled a Khadgar blog. No one! And well, I was all about having a blog where I could be free to make jokes all the time. IIRC, my first post was…”The party has arrived~!” Or something like that. I honestly didn’t expect much to happen cause I didn’t have any friends or anything like that and all the wow blogs all pretty much had their followings already and I was uh…a WEE BIT ALONE. But I was like “well even if this blog doesn’t go off I’ll at least have an outlet where I can just be me where no one will harass me.”Cause gotta be honest, I’ve never been well-liked. There was never a place for bookworms who liked puns and had anxiety in the world I lived in. If I acted like myself I was hated, and in order to fit in, I had to be someone else, which was a ditzy stupid, lazy girl. I wasn’t allowed to be trans, (still not back in Maine), or smart, and….yeah.  But hey! On tumblr, I can RP a male character that had my same sense of humor and sass and BE MYSELF and NOT BE A GIRL and all my IRL haters wouldn’t be able to stop me.And then uh, A THING HAPPENED. I no longer have the original blog because of reasons I’ll mention later, so I CAN’T REMEMBER who first started sending me asks but I know @kiyastrasza was one of them (she passed away suddenly a few months ago and I miss her SO MUCH.) But then like, I DON’T KNOW. I know I got a few initial asks because “fuck yeah finally a khadgar blog”  and honestly, I thought my blog was rubbish because it was 80% me just being my sassy nerd self and 20% studying his word usage for more serious things and getting my hands on every scrap of Khadgar related lore.”So I fully expected to get called out on being canon divergent or a shitty Khadgar or SOMETHING. Or have people ONCE AGAIN be like….”This character archetype is annoying and stupid and we all fucking hate him and hate you for rping him.”But that didn’t happen. In fact the EXACT OPPOSITE HAPPENED.My ask box kept getting filled with puns to be approved, rhyming his name with stuff became a thing and now even BLIZZ says “Dadgar” like jfc what even.And then like. I don’t even know, a lot of it is a blur because it all happened so fast but the BIGGEST THING.Was that for the first time ever, being myself wasn’t met with bullying and hate and people telling me to shut up and go away or anything like that.People -loved- Khadgar in-game. And people -loved- finding a Khadgar blog that “when I read their posts I can hear Khadgar’s voice”.  And better yet? KHADGAR WASN’T A VILLAIN! (Don’t get me wrong, I loooove AU’s but imagine being a kid and you can only ever connect to villains and then people hate you anyways IT DOESN’T FEEL TOO GREAT).And uh. Yeah. I don’t really know where to go with this. But yeah! It was the first time where I felt like nothing was wrong with who I was. That there was nothing wrong with being book smart and having a sense of humor and looking death in the face and just eye-rolling and going “Well aiight.”I mean hell yeah there’s been an epic shit ton of drama with people being jealous and making shit up and who the hell even knows what any of that was about anymore, and there’s still plenty of bullshit in my life keeping me otherwise miserable and I’m getting really frustrated that every goal I try to accomplish gets utterly destroyed in some way and I’m currently an emotional husk and I 100% HAVE NOT been myself lately as I’m a mix of grieving and severely hurt and physically ill and I’ve been broken pretty damn hard and when I pull myself back together it’s probably going to be like. 11th Doctor just turning into cranky 12 and not being pleasant BUT. The muse is still strong, the muse is honestly probably the strongest thing about me. Not because I think that I’m actually, really Khadgar and that’s ME you’re talking to in game and Azeroth is real, etc, etc. But it’s strong because that type of muse was already something that was effortless for me and part of my personality foundation. And before the blog it was withering away and crumbling and I had no self-love to keep it going anymore and then the blog happened, and even though I still have 0 self-love, I genuinely hate myself, the love from others healed it, and my love for the character, I think, is my subconscious finding a weird loophole to get around the self-hate because I CAN’T HATE KHADGAR, and fucking hell whenever I make a pun irl and someone is a shithead about it or calls me annoying over voice chat, my brain is like. “Yeah, but if Khadgar were real. He’d laugh.” And eventually, it’s like….”OKAY FINE. IT WAS FUNNY. THAT PERSON IS JUST A SHITHEAD.” I can’t remember where I was going with that. Uhhhhhh……SOMETHING SOMETHING.I absolutely hate myself and feel as if I’m undeserving of love because I’m a horrible, broken person that makes stupid mistakes and is only good for hurting others and being a bitchB U TI hate myself a little bit less when I RP a character, like Khadgar, that lines up with one of my personality foundations, and the general response to it is people loving it and telling them I make them happy.  I’ve still had more hate directed at me in the past (and sadly the present) than I have love. But uh. It doesn’t take much love to get me all sappy and crying and happy.  (Hate is a tossup, a lot of hate I can take but certain, specific things will strike me hard and fast).SO LIKE. Uh. I know the majority of my foundation at the moment is either destroyed or heavily damaged, cause I’ve also been heckin angry a lot lately and I don’t know how to deal with that at all since it’s something new so a lot of my foundation wasn’t protected against that, and I’ve certainly died emotionally a few times more this year than my normal rate of it taking a couple years or more to emotionally die and regenerate. BUT THE PART that’s still holding fast and bouncing off all the negative self-destructive shit is because of Khadgar, and all 1,297 of you (give or take) that’ve either stuck with this blog since the beginning and through a blog deletion and change or have come recently. That send in everything from ARCANE MEAT to puns, to AU ideas to random nice things SO UH. This is turning into an awkward unexpected thank you, to all of you. dashjkIt’s more than likely that I will live the rest of my life absolutely hating myself, and it’s possible that the rest of my foundations may never heal or be repaired. Even though I can easily attach some of them to characters like Khadgar for the most part, I just….eh. I dunno. No outlet and it’s not prompted ever and…it hurts still cause they’re broken. Which, eh, whatever, healing can’t be forced or half-assed, cause you can’t expect a broken leg to heal as fast as a papercut, all you can do is wait and let things heal or you’ll make it worse, but then obviously you can’t heal EVERYTHING otherwise no one would ever be disabled, but REGARDLESS.I may always hate myself. But I’ll always love Khadgar. And YOU guys love Khadgar. And you enjoy me rping Khadgar. So then I guess MAAAAYBE.It helps. With making it worth. Sticking around for a little bit longer.  :T

[mellz117]

Mellz plays KH Re:CoM, Reverse/Rebirth (Riku’s Campaign) part 3

Check out parts [1] and [2] if you haven’t seen them yet. Part 1 also has a link to Sora’s campaign

Below the Read More is the endgame and my final thoughts

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Riku is met with Ansem, Seeker of Darkness, yet again, who still can't fathom why Riku's resisting his advances. Close your damn jacket!

Final battle! I lost twice? I think? Not many times but I think it was 2. But god damn not as many times as I lost to Repliku. That sucked. I don’t get mad about dying multiple times in a final boss, that’s kind of the point of final bosses...

Ansem has a great voice btw, like if there’s gonna be a voice for G-Dorf in Breath of the Wild 2, I want Richard Epcar or Dave Boat (Lexaeus) to voice him. I doubt it’ll happen but those are my picks!

This guy sure does talk a lot for someone who's supposed to be dying.

Ansem explodes in a thick fog of darkness that envelopes Riku and Mickey comes to the rescue. Technically Riku won so he’s allowed to relish in his victoy AS WELL AS be carried off my a floating mouse.

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 IDK where the basement is supposed to exist here because the door Riku reaches the ground floor through is the same door Sora goes through to LEAVE the ground floor. Is it like a hill? Gotta go upstairs to go downstairs?

Idk. I wanna see the full interior of the castle, I want blueprints.

“What now Riku? You going home?” Your Majesty. Mickey, my dude. You can’t just GO HOME after killing a man. Riku’s got some shit to go through, he can’t return to a normal life after this. There is so much more tha nthis!

I’m glad a MOUSE can understand darkness is a thing that just exists, can coexist with the light. Good on him for keeping an open mind! It took how long for anyone to realize light and dark are two sides of the same coin? Twilight Princess was all about this. ...Riku is the twilight princess.

Mickey wants to follow Riku down his path of light and dark and they’re friends now. When did they get the time to bond between KH1 and CoM?

How old is Mickey? He’s BFF’s with a teenager now, how old is he? I’m not saying child and adult friendships aren’t and shouldn’t be a thing, I may use Tumblr but I’m not THAT Tumblr. I’m just wondering what kind of grown-ass adult WANTS to be friends with a teenager lol. Mickey tells Riku, since they’re friends now Riku should call him my his name, rather than his title. So... No one else gets this talk? Donald? Goofy? No? OK.

I deadass expected Simple and Clean to start playing after a hard cut to black despite actually remembering the final confrontation with DiZ.

Riku and Mickey don the black coats DiZ presented earlier then they leave Castle Oblivion behind. The duo meets up with him at a crossroads and immediately Riku’s on the defense. I love Riku, he’s tired, he’s annoyed, he knows the world isn’t black and white, light and darkness, and the literal path he chooses reflects that. He’s accepting the darkness and using it to fight for his friends. I’m so proud of him. I wonder where these paths actually lead.

THE SUN IS RISING I DIDN’T NOTICE THIS UNTIL EDITING THIS WHAT?KJVBLSDFKJVBDLJ

NOW Simple and Clean plays, albeit after a fade to black.

During the credits cinematics we see Riku and Mickey travelling through Hollow Bastion, the same location where the 1,000 Heartless battle in KH2 takes place if I recall correctly! That was cool to see. Riku is having a difficult time. Help him.

The next one we see Roxas again. He stops and looks at the Twilight Town gang when they pass him and Axel tries leading him away. I can only assume the following went down:

“I wanna try that”, Roxas says and gestures to the ice cream the aforementioned group was eating. So he and Axel buy some ice cream and go up the clock tower, Roxas seems to be enjoying himself but Axel doesn’t seem to like this treat at all. I think he just eats it now for Roxas’s sake, he pretends to like it to make him happy.

So I don’t know the timeline of this part of the game. Is Roxas not part of the organization yet at this point? Is Axel trying to recruit him? Is this after Roxas defects and is forgetting his time with them?

The third clip we see a very brief shot of Riku a few months later and he’s looking good. Doesn’t cut his hair.

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Final clip, after the credits shows Roxas and at this point he’s either friends with Hayner, Pence, and Olette or they’re inviting him for the first time to hang out with them.

“Beyond the path without you is a forgotten promise to keep. We may have walked side by side, but now we go on back to back. And though our paths may not cross, all paths are connected somewhere. When I arrive at where you are, we may not appear to be as we were...”

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So, final thoughts of the game overall. I enjoy longish games but when the length is just padded out with such shallow worlds I get bored really easily. I like to explore the map but I can’t do that in this game. Riku’s campaign is very short in comparison to Sora’s, for better or worse. For someone who just REALLY, REALLY wanted to move onto KH2, this was welcome lol. Sora’s half put me to sleep and I had a hard time trudging through it. Not that the story wasn’t engaging enough for me, I just didn’t want to play.

Didn’t care for the card based battle here. I preferred the combat more in Riku’s half because card management wasn’t really a thing which I ended up growing to appreciate for Riku once I got used to it. All I had to do was level up and get an extra card if I felt like it. The duel system was really fun and made boss battles go quickly, when I actually took the time to INITIATE them. Most of my frustration was just me NOT doing what the game aggressively suggested. At least I admit when it’s me and not accuse the game of poor gameplay like a certain grumpy gamer but that’s none of my business. I think this game may have felt better on the Gameboy Advance, I wouldn’t know.

I wanted to cry. I missed these kids so much. I love them so much. I’m a god damn crybaby now so a lot of moments just ended me and sometimes I needed a moment to sob while I hug my cat.

The (original) characters.

I can feel bad for Vexen to a point, he was a bastard but he just ultimately just wanted to do sciency stuff. A lot of questionable science but whatever. He creeps me the hell out. I know he hated Marluxia but was he really willing to spill Marly’s plans to Sora JUST TO SPITE HIM? Or was he actually trying to help Sora? That might explain some things later on down the road...

Lexaeus was always boring so no comment.

Zexion is a cutie pie, I don’t know why I think this I guess it carried over from 10 years ago. I have a soft spot for him. And I didn’t post a single picture of him so here’s one.

Axel, my favorite bastard. I will always love him. Chaotic neutral. He’s not much of an antagonist in this game, more of an obstacle, but he’s certainly working in favor of his own interests. I’ve been reading Inkheart and he reminds me of Dustfinger? Fire and all i guess.

Marluxia is also a bastard but as an antagonist I don’t dislike him. He mostly has his good looks to help him with that. I’m not sure why he wanted to overthrow the Organization but it got him dead so GG my dude. Not sure why Xehanort invited him and Larxene back.

Larxene.

Repliku. Brat, very much a brat. He immediately had beef with Sora because apparently it’s too unreasonable for Sora to “forget the quiet girl who moved away” when you were four and five years old. I could barely remember this game let alone any memories from when I was 4. I would have liked to see him interact with Riku during the time he thought he himself (Repliku) was the real one. Imagine the DRAMA. I do feel bad for him, his struggles with his identity and his jealousy towards Riku. I love how he is with Namine, so soft spoken and gentle. But we all know that’s based on false memories which is so sad. But like Sora said, the memories might be fake but the feelings are real.

Namine is a very good girl, a victim, a child who, when given the courage to, will stand up against her captor to protect her friends. She’s very sweet and smells like Kairi! (Riku, that’s weird) She’s brave as hell and I stan her. She just wanted a friend.

Sora... He’s so pure, so wholesome. He’ll do whatever it takes to save his friends. He had a little moment of weakness and cast Donald and Goofy aside but he got better pretty quickly. He was willing to give Repliku a chance despite their interactions being negative. He forgave Namine, knowing she had no choice but to do what she was forced to do. Sora. Just Sora. Love him.

Riku. I couldn’t stand him in the first game, he was just a punk-ass teenager (which makes me wonder why he and Sora were ever friends in the first place) with a super inflated ego who just, kinda does a 180 after you beat Ransem and is good? But my god. I just fell in love with this precious bean in Re:CoM. I remember the best of Riku from KH2 (let’s pretend KH3 doesn't exist for a second here because that is in my opinion the BEST Riku) and it was so welcoming and CoM really bridged the developmental gap between 1 and 2. It’s nice to see him struggle with this darkness and then learn to utilize it in a safe manner. We see a lot of vulnerability from him too, when he’s being constantly mocked by Ansem and the few embers of Org13 he meets here, his own doppelganger touting how much better he is, not having his one form of support physically be there on the majority of his journey. Riku’s super snarky throughout the game overall though and I love that. He’s the complete opposite of Sora at this time and he’s absolutely done with everyone’s bullshit.

Ansem is really persistent. He’s the guy who just can’t take a hint, I can’t imagine his dating life is very successful. I don’t like him but I don’t hate him either. He definitely makes more of an impact as a bad guy in this game, frequently showing up to harass Riku. Obligatory mentioning my mistake in saying that HE was guiding Riku in the beginning of the game when it was actually DiZ.

DiZ is formally introduced in this game and he’s cryptic as shit. I dig his design but what the hell made Ansem the Wise take this form? With all those bandages he looks like a burn victim (I haven’t played BbS if this is what happened Im sorry) but the call of fashion still rings in his ears. Why belts on his head though? That was this series aesthetic until KH3 pushed plaid. Anyway he is also a character I don't have any particular feelings towards

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I think I’m going to take a break from KH for a bit. I got the Spyro Reignited Trilogy the other day for XBOne, so I’ll be playing that. I’ve never played Spyro before, I hope I like it!

[pass-the-bechdel]

Marvel Cinematic Universe: Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Does it pass the Bechdel Test?

Yes, once.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Five (29.41% of cast).

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Twelve.

Positive Content Rating:

Three.

General Film Quality:

No matter how many times I watch this, I’m always surprised by how excellent it is. If any other future Marvel film wants to be ‘the best’, this is the movie it has to beat for the title. 

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) UNDER THE CUT:

Passing the Bechdel:

Natasha asks about the ballistics on the weapon used against Fury, and Maria responds. I’ve heard people argue that Natasha was not asking Maria specifically and therefore this does not count, but since Natasha clarifies a detail of Maria’s response (to which Maria responds again in order to confirm), I definitely think it qualifies. I have allowed a pass for far, far less in the past. 

Female characters:

Natasha Romanov.

Peggy Carter.

Maria Hill.

Sharon Carter.

Renata.

Male characters:

Steven Rogers.

Sam Wilson.

Brock Rumlow.

Georges Batroc.

Jerome.

Jasper Sitwell.

Nick Fury.

Alexander Pierce.

Aaron.

Arnim Zola.

Senator Stern.

Bucky Barnes.

OTHER NOTES:

They start this movie by having Steve go for a jog and make a new friend, with a conversation ensuing that is by touches casual, light, humorous, insightful, serious, and sobering. It’s a pretty weird way to launch a much-anticipated superhero comic-adaptation action movie sequel, to be honest, but it’s also rock-solid character establishment - for the never-before-seen Sam Wilson, and for Steve Rogers whose mental state and coping skills in the modern era are kinda an open question at this point - and by getting us on level with Steve’s day-to-day (rather than Captain America’s, which comes after) they’ve immediately prepped us for a story in which this character confronts and reassesses who he is and what he stands for at a core level, and not just in a symbolic/legacy kind of fashion (a la Tony Stark). It may say ‘Captain America’ on the tin, but this is Steven Rogers’ story. This is a fantastic and well-condensed first three minutes of this film, before they fly off to deliver the action sequence we may well have expected to have received up-front. 

Oh yeah, also this opening scene involves jogging around the Washington Monument, which is not a subtle detail, but I can dig it. If they’d had Steve draw attention to some Major American Landmark at some point in the movie and make a patriotic declaration of some kind, then I’d cry foul, but as-is the use of Washington DC as a setting is the hardest they bother to hammer the AMERICA button. The absence of self-fellating patriotism which I appreciated so much in the first film continues to be a virtue in this one. I do dig.

Remember how I really love it when people get hit and fly off the screen? Steve just kicked a dude off a boat and I made the dorkiest ‘hee hee!’ noise ever. Sure am glad the only reason anyone knows about that is that I just told y’all, and not because anyone actually heard me.

One day, we’ll stop getting these kinds of gratuitous butt shots of female characters in tight clothes. But it sure ain’t this day.

In a world of equal-opportunity sexualisation, this Cap-butt would be forgiveness enough for the aforementioned offense. But it still sure ain’t that day, friends.

Other reasons to love that opening scene: they low-balled Sam’s counseling skills to us by having him quickly identify the best way to speak to Steve and to engage with him (as Steve, again, not as Captain America; that’s the key), and that’s what allows Steve to bond with him enough that, put in a tight spot and not sure who to trust, he shows up on Sam’s doorstep later in the film. Really tight characterisation and dynamic-building.

ALSO, Steve’s adventure to the Captain America museum exhibit reminds us all of what he’s lost - specifically, Bucky Barnes - and contextualises his encounters with Sam Wilson within the emotional landscape of Steve’s desire for close male companionship, highlighting the need which compels the formation of that bond while also accentuating the sense of Steve’s present isolation and uncertainty, robbed of any understanding confidante (the bittersweet reality of having Peggy Carter still alive, but losing herself to Alzheimer's, really hits that one home). Again, Steve’s emotional landscape is actually a vital part of the story of the film on both character and plot levels, so there’s a LOT of great show-don’t-tell demonstration in the interconnections of all these scenes, PLUS they’re doing the good work for all the other characters involved AND reminding the audience of the score so that the film can continue to draw from the past as the movie continues, without losing any viewers for whom this might be the first foray into the Captain America story. This movie is just...really well put together, guys. It’s a little shocking, how good it is.

Winter Soldier intro is too cool. Not a pun.

Steve takes a chance and asks his neighbour out for coffee; she declines with a soft no; he accepts even-tempered and assures her he won’t trouble her any further, and she lets him know that he’s no trouble and there’s no hard feelings. It’s all a very painless and respectful navigation of boundaries, and taken on face value (ignoring the part where she turns out to be an undercover SHIELD agent, and everything which unfolds from there), it’s a welcome example of how easy it is to take rejection graciously. Guys, be the Steve Rogers that women want to see in the world.

I want a metal arm. I don’t want to not have my current arms, they’re fine, but in an abstract version of the world where you have things purely for cool points, I want a metal arm.

The fight choreography in this film is great. It’s good watchin’. 

Also the soundtrack is top-end. 

“...Specimen.”

The movie didn’t need a hetero kiss thrown in there, though. I sure wish there wasn’t a random kiss in there.

“The answer to your question is fascinating. Unfortunately, you shall be too dead to hear it.” 

Urgh, why Senator Stern gotta show up, be a pig about women, make his little Nazi declaration, and leave? The answer is, he really doesn’t gotta. You know what’s good shit? Not using misogyny and objectification of women to demonstrate that a bad guy is a bad guy, unless it’s actually a relevant part of the story. One day...

I can’t deal with how cool the Winter Soldier is. I’m almost embarrassed by how much the whole Silent Sauntering Assassin thing works for me.

Sam Wilson brings a tiny knife to a gunfight and still gets the upper hand because he’s perfect.

THE FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHYYYYY

The Winter Soldier is barely in the film in the first hour, and Bucky is referenced in the museum but not discussed by any of the characters, so there’s no lantern hanging on either the mystery of the Winter Soldier’s identity or the conspicuous reminder of a supposedly dead character (another reason why tying the memory of Bucky in so tightly with Steve’s present state of comfortless seclusion is important and clever). If you somehow managed not to be spoiled for it already, the Bucky reveal is a real kicker of a twist.

The degree to which I adore Sebastian Stan’s attention to detail in his performance has increased tenfold since The First Avenger. Dude has got nuances on his nuances.

The part of me that is emotionally susceptible to heroism is very moved by all the nameless SHIELD agents who stand up to HYDRA and die for it. 

I join the rest of the world in being really disappointed that what appeared to be Jenny Agutter’s councilwoman kicking Strike Team ass was actually just Black Widow. Sorry Natasha.

The Winter Soldier shows up and murderises a heap of pilots, and the part of me that is susceptible to heroism finds itself in conflict with the part that is susceptible to the Winter Soldier’s ineffable coolness (which is itself at odds with the part of me that wants Bucky Barnes to be safe and happy). This movie got me good.

Rumlow talkin’ some shit about pain and Sam’s just like “Man, shut the Hell up,” and it’s perfect. I love him.

I love this film. I mean I really, really love it. Like, I mean this is one of my favourite movies in the world. Like, if we were playing that ol’ game of ‘if you had to pick ten movies, and those were the only movies you were allowed to watch for the rest of your life’, this would be one of my ten movies. That’s how much I love this film. There’s so much to get into here, so much to enjoy: it’s light and easily-digestible enough for when you just want to be entertained by something that doesn’t demand too much from you, but it also has serious depths for when you’re in the mood to dig in. It has well-crafted action scenes, but also a strong plot with powerful emotional currents. It has wonderful, charismatic actors playing intriguing characters, and most of them are good eye candy, but none of them are just eye candy - there’s a lot of complexity to unravel in the motivations and personal narratives of the leads. It’s a superhero movie, sure, but it’s also a political spy thriller. And, to top it off, it’s not only an excellent stand-alone film, it’s also a fantastic example of how to do a sequel right.

Sequel-making can be a fraught business; you’ve got sequels that are basically just pointless retreads of the original, sequels that are so different they hardly count as sequels at all, sequels that are so busy trying to be ‘bigger and better’ than the original they become ridiculous, sequels so busy attempting to capitalise on the spectacle of the original that they forget to have any of the same heart that gave the original meaningful impact, sequels that ignore that the original had a plot and themes and that maybe that stuff was relevant to its success, etc, etc...there are lots of great sequels in the world, certainly, but as Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World already attested for the MCU, it is very, very easy for sequels to go wrong. For this film, I think it goes without saying that I feel they passed all of the above sequel-killing quality tests with flying (low-key red-white-and-blue) colours, hence my adoration. But, just for kicks, lets talk about how they did it.

For starters, you can pretty much guarantee that this isn’t gonna be a pointless retread of Captain America: The First Avenger, since this movie takes place seventy years later and there are certain essential world elements that have fundamentally changed, such as technology, characters, and the fact that WWII ended a good while previous. But, that’s exactly how they make this story work as a sequel: they use the nature of change to give the film its shape, thematically, politically, emotionally, and in doing so they assure that everything which is different in the present builds directly from the past. Steve Rogers has not fundamentally changed, and that’s a critical anchor, considering he’s the titular character and all, but he is in a state of flux due to everything else that has changed, and his doubts inform the narrative landscape. This is not the world he remembers, and yet, as the plot unfolds and he digs into the conspiracy at his feet, there’s plenty there that is hauntingly familiar, because this is a story about how the past is still alive and kicking in the present, it has just updated to keep with the times.

It’s worth noting that despite Captain America making the jump from the forties to the modern age without any stop-offs in between, the film doesn’t linger on or wallow in the differences in his world in any strict sense - even Steve himself (in that EXTREMELY well-crafted opening scene with Sam) is somewhat dismissive of the specifics, because he’s not dwelling on the oh-woe-things-have-changed, he’s just trying to get his head around it, adapt, and move forward (and the practical realities are easy enough, but the emotional facets? Yeah). The thing is of course, no one else shares this problem with Steve; they’ve all been around, variously, for the parts in between, and the story is still concerned with the context of the world which made all of its characters what they are, and particularly with the war that came after WWII, the war within which HYDRA reseeded and began to grow anew: the Cold War. In particular, it’s the ‘70s/’80s era Cold War, built into the political-thriller superstructure of the film itself and driven home most overtly by the Winter Soldier, heavily Russian-coded and steeped in the potent psychological horror of brainwashing, but there are other signifiers littered across the story as well. There’s former-KGB agent Black Widow, and the reference she makes to WarGames, and there’s Arnim Zola frozen in time by the ancient computer system which now acts as his ‘brain’, and then there’s the stroke of subversive genius in the casting of Robert Redford - the positively Captain America-esque blue-eyed-blond hero of many a seventies Cold War political thriller - as our primary villain, working within the United States government for the benefit of his secret European-originating agenda in true foreign-infiltration style. Of course, we can adapt all of this to fit the radicalised terrorism and technological paranoia of modern times (and those elements are alive and well in the text with the surveillance-state fears represented by the helicarriers), but the historical timestamping is important to the trajectory of the film; times change and things grow increasingly subtle and complicated, but the core dilemmas that call people out to fight are instantly familiar. In that sense, Steve Rogers hasn’t missed much at all.

The war that calls Cap to arms this time around may be more subtle than the openly-fought battlefields of WWII, but it is no less global or insidious; the new ‘improved’ HYDRA may not be led by a literal Nazi who peels off his own face, but the cold political calculations of Alexander Pierce are much more frightening for their realism (an aspect of the film which has become increasingly prescient for the modern era since the movie was released), and the fascist supremacist dogma that compels these villains to attempt to reshape the world with the blood of millions is drawn from the same poisoned well; this is an escalation of the same enemy that Captain America faced before, only much closer to home. And while the passage of time has benefited the old evils in allowing them to entrench and fester and craft re-branded, more socially-accepted versions of themselves, it has not been so favourable to the positive familiar things from Steve’s past: it has claimed Peggy’s memory, and rotted SHIELD beyond recovery. And then, there’s what it’s done to Bucky Barnes.

Fake-out character deaths are a major staple of the superhero/comic genre, and not one I love, since it tends to take the power out of apparent-death scenes and leaves the drama feeling contrived, and while the Bucky reveal is not entirely free from that cynicism, it sells itself well on delivery. For starters, it packs a wallop in additional drama instead of just neatly undoing that which already existed (Nick Fury’s ‘death’ and reveal, on the other hand, is more in the classic line of cheap and inconsequential), and it ups the personal stakes for Steve in exactly the same way as Bucky’s ‘death’ did in The First Avenger. Crucially, the fact that Bucky is the Winter Soldier doesn’t alter the wider narrative in any convenient way, such as providing Captain America with the key to stopping him or resolving the other conflicts of the plot through his connection; the Bucky reveal reconnects the story to Steve’s emotional journey, which is exactly where it started before Shit Got Crazy - there’s a good reason they spent the first half hour of the movie on charting Steve’s mental state. There’s a sharp division between Bucky Barnes and the Winter Soldier, despite them both inhabiting the same form, and it’s a mirror of the division between Steve Rogers and Captain America: regardless of all assumptions to the contrary, the two are mutually exclusive entities. ‘Captain America’ is not a person, he’s a symbol, and he’s manipulable in that way, he can be propagandised, his image and actions are a tool turned to the purposes of others at the expense of the human underneath; Steve recognises this (and has since the first film), and he holds this secondary persona at a remove and does not define himself through it. This is what Sam’s keen social instincts pick up so quickly in the beginning: treating Steve as Captain America is the wrong approach, it fails to connect, because Steve is not the uniform, Steve has doubts, Steve could give up the shield; Steve is a person. Bucky doesn’t have the same luxuries, in opportunities, in company, or in the cognizant ability to define his own identity, but even without the personal attachment of their history, Steve is uniquely positioned to understand the difference between the Winter Soldier and the person buried beneath the title. If it was not Bucky, specifically, the visceral emotion of the mirrored experience wouldn’t land quite as strong, but either way the Winter Soldier is the realisation of Steve’s deep-seated fear of being made a puppet, an unthinking enforcer too heavily indoctrinated into patriotic subservience to recognise the despotism that has replaced his idealism. 

I said at the top that this is, ultimately, a Steven Rogers story to which ‘Captain America’ is an accessory, and not the other way around, and that’s a fact at the heart of what makes this film work - on its own, and as a sequel. The fore-fronting of Steve as a character in his own right and not just ‘Captain America’s real name’ was key to avoiding any cloying patriotism overriding the narrative of the first film, and it’s doubly important now as both Steve and the Captain America brand re-situate outside of their original context. It’s easy to strip back the specific trappings of Captain America and still have this movie function just right, because for all the action and intrigue, it is essentially a character piece about Steve Rogers figuring out his place in the world and reclaiming the moral compunctions which have been presumptuously attributed to the lofty symbol of his alter ego, and not the struggling reality of everyday life. Captain America is what he is and how he is not because it sounds good or because it makes for positive PR or because it’s nice to have legends from the good ol’ days; Captain America is the embodiment of scrappy little Steve Rogers’ grit and determination to live up to what he believes in, come Hell or high water or the gravest of consequences. Steve begins the film at odds with himself, unsure if there’s a place for his shameless idealism within the mess of modern life; he’s going through the motions of being Captain America, but he’s uncertain of what it means to him at this point, or where it’s headed. He finishes the film having gained something vital: a mission, but it’s not a professional job for Captain America, it’s a personal mission for Steve Rogers, and that’s much more important. Captain America is just an idea; Steve Rogers is the reason it matters, no matter what war, what time, what place, or what flag.

[imaginemycroftholmes]

@grand-admiral-luna

“No one can know about her,” Moriarty fussed to his loyal sidekick Sebby, the Terror Tiger, looked unfazed by the declaration from his boss.

This wasn’t something new to him considering their gigs as superheroes for the greater part of London.

As Pyro Professor and Terror Tiger they constantly battled with the evil masterminds such as Ice Man, Purple Pirate or even worse, tango with their favorite henchman, Captain Action.

It was always a game of cat and mouse as the lone duo tried to rid the city of their influence and control while managing to evade arrest. A deed, most annoying slow considering Mycroft Holmes aka Ice Man had his hand in the pockets of every major business and authority.

To have their own sibling Eurus as their mole was a blessing the city couldn’t afford to lose as she had a watchful eye on both her brothers evil schemes. 

“Boss, if the Ice Man and Purple Pirate haven’t caught onto our real identities by now then I don’t think we have to worry about it,” Sebby rationalizes to Jim, “I mean they still won’t come to terms that the Holmes brothers are villains so why worry about us?”

“Because if they figure out who we are our families will be in danger,” Jim stresses, “They  could be used as bait or worse!”

 This isn’t the first time that Jim had gone off like this about his sister _____ after a difficult foiling of the dastardly duo but this is one of the few times it was too close for comfort.

However, being an orphan of war Sebastian can’t imagine what it feels like to lose someone but if its anything by the way Jim acts he know it can’t be good.

Not one of them could figure out why or how ______ kept ending up near their battles but it was starting  to put Jim on edge and when Jim is on edge then he’s crawling up his back with complaints that makes him want to claw off the backs of the infamous Holmes brothers just to make Jim stop crying.

And he just got his titanium claws resharpened just for the occasion. 

Watching and (tuning out) his boss’s ramblings about keeping his sister safe Sebastian turns his attention to the big screen showing off the city’s zones praying for a distraction when a cellphone rings.

“I’m holding out for a hero! I’m holding out for a hero until the morning's light..”

If it wasn’t for the fact that Jim was surrounded by some of his most dangerously sensitive bombs-the ones that only required just a light pressure to set off- Sebastian might have found it funny how he fumbled for his phone to answer it. 

With his cat-like reflexes he swooped in to drag the the nervous man from dropping his device on what would be an instant death for them both and answered the phone for him.

“Hello?”

“Sebby,” comes an excited voice from the other line, “It’s great to hear you! How has the canning business going with you two lately?”

Sebastian winces both at the moniker that ____ picked up from her brother and the fact that she still believes that lie.

How anyone believes that lie is beyond him but then again, people still can’t believe that Sherlock Holmes is the Purple Pirate DESPITE WEARING THE SAME OUTFIT EACH TIME BUT ONLY PURPLE. THERE’S NO MASK TO OBSCURE HIS FACE OR HAIR BUT WHEN HE TRIES TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT THEY THINK HE’S “CRAZY”.

But thanks to his ever witty and not good with lies on the spot partner the first thing that came out of his mouth for their nightly activities is starting a canning business and they’re in a relationship.

Needless to say, this puts a damper on his dating life but for the life of him Sebastian doesn’t have the heart to cheat on Jim for fear of _____’s private version of “You hurt him and I’ll make sure you have a 4 year slow death in the backyard tool shed back in Sussex where no one can hear you scream.”

If ______ is anywhere near as bad as Moriarty Sebastian doesn’t want to be on her bad side. 

“Yeah, its going great _____,” Sebastian says convincingly while shooting a glare at Jim who is piteously trying to reach for his phone, “So what are you up to sunshine?”

“I’m so glad you asked,” she continues with enthusiasm, “You see, I met this guy...”

“You met a guy you say,” Sebastian parrots loudly knowing good and well that it would send her brother into a rage.

“A GUY?? WHO IS HE?? SEB! GIVE ME BACK MY PHONE!”

It really shouldn’t bring Sebastian as much joy as it does but Jim jumping desperately to retrieve his phone but it does and he continues to torment him.

“So what? you want me and Jim to meet him,” Sebastian carries on causally like Jim isn’t trying to scale him.

And failing.

“Yeah, actually. I’ve kinda been seeing him for over 2 months now and want him to get acquainted with you guys because I might be bringing him home for Christmas this year,” she states with more confidence than her brother wearing spandex tights.

“Ya know that’s a pretty big step in a relationship right?”

“I know,” _____ agrees, “But this guy is just so right for me that I don’t feel like its too big of  deal.”

  ‘Yeah I know,” Sebastian concedes, “But you know that your brother is going to have kittens right?”

“Well, that’s why I want you to come with. Nothing can settle someone down like their spouse am I right?”

“Spouse...right...”

“Speaking of which is my brother around?”

Looking around and finding that Jim had skunked off somewhere was alarming.The guy never gave up that easily which was why he was the Purple Pirate’s favorite target. 

“I think he may have ran to the loo-” Sebastian tries to say before an image of terror, Moriarty running full speed with one of his guns toward him with a battle cry of “GIVE ME MY PHONE” being heard throughout the hide out. 

“No, wait! ____, here he is,” Sebastian cries as he throws the device at Jim and runs for cover.

The phone is quickly caught by Jim who purrs his hellos to her and then promptly hangs up.

Sebastian doesn’t have to turn around from his hiding spot to know that its Moriarty standing behind him. His voice is dark and deadly as he leans closer.

“You tease me like that again when ______ is calling and I’ll clip those claws permanently.” 

“Yes boss,” Sebastian responds carefully knowing that when Jim is in one these moods that his life can very well be in forfeit because for all of Jim’s silliness he was a damn genius with an affinity for violence and murder. 

He could only shudder of what horrors Moriarty would unleash if he had not been on the side of angels.

“So, when are we meeting him?”

“Next Tuesday at 6″, Jim spats coldly, ‘And you had better not make us late.”

“You know that’s not my faul-” Sebastian says defensively until he sees the look of murder in his boss’s eyes. “I mean, sure boss,” he corrects himself, “are you going to use Eurus to spy on the bloke?”

“Of course I am! Why wouldn’t I want to know the scum who’s shacking up with my sister? I want to know who he is, what he does and what he shits to see if he’s good enough for her! I wanna maul the guy with all the dirt I have on him so he’ll fuck off and leave us alone.”

Poor guy Sebastian thinks as his boss stalks off to Skype Eurus he can’t be all bad if ____ likes him.

                                XxXxXxX

“YOU.”

“Believe me the feeling is mutual.”

“Guys, can we settle down please! We’re in a public place!!”

“You gotta be kidding me.”

Here, sitting before him in the flesh in one of his bespoken suits, is the Ice Man at one of the nicer restaurants in London acting like he’s an honest to God good man beside Jim’s sister. 

Like the guy hadn’t tried to murder them last week for foiling their slave labor camps in India or tortured them on occasion.

And to make matters worse his hand is on _____’s thigh, oh my God Jim is going to murder him before the waiter even arrives.

________ has her hands up as is to stop her brother from launching himself over the table to fight and pronounces quickly, “I can explain!”

Well this would explain why Eurus couldn’t find information on him Sebby muses as the air becomes frigid. 

Crap, its one of Ice Man’s classic moves Sebastian thinks as other civilains begin to feel the icy sting.

“Explain what,” Jim spits out venomously, “that this monster brainwashed you into thinking that it loves you? That not even you can recognizes that he’s the Ice Man, the man responsible for the poverty and waste in our country? That he’s so evil that members of his own family are trying to end his tyranny?”

“Jimmy!”

“Now you see here, you two-bit genius,” Mycroft interjects, “I may make up causes and strife for my own gain but my love for ______ is one of the few things from me that are true.”

“Bullshit! You’re just using her to get to me!”

“Why would he want you when you already have Sebby,” _____ cries.

“I’m not gay!”

Sebastian can already see their waiter in the distance looking far too nervous to approach the shouting match that was their table so he shooed him off with a “come back later.”

Realizing that this would not only lead to a needless blood bath but to unmasking their identities to the public Sebastian tries his attempt to at least save this meal.

Tapping his glass to get their collective attention Sebastian starts,” Shut the hell up, you guys are causing a scene.”

Pointing at Mycroft accusing Jim begins to mouth out, “But he started-”

“I don’t care who started this I told you to shut up!”

He looks around the table at the lot of them.

______ looking confused and hurt that anyone would accuse Mycroft of anything less than sainthood, Mycroft torn between tearing ____ away with him like the villain he is or staying to suss out any evil intent toward her and Jim seemingly five seconds from ignoring the command to maul the Ice Man outright.

Praying to whatever deity that cursed him into a situation like this Sebastian began. “Look, we can’t outright believe that Ice Ma-I mean, Mycroft has the best intentions toward you _______-”Only to be interrupted by Jim’s HA!

Giving Jim a glare Sebastian continues, “However, JIM, we also can’t lawfully say that Mycroft’s feelings aren’t true because we aren’t mind readers.”

“I bet I can find us one on Craigslist!”

“Jimmy shut the hell up,” ______ hisses before gesturing for Sebastian to carry on. “So, my proposal is that we, Jim and I, monitor you two just to make sure that you’re safe.”

“But I’m 32,” ______ complains, “I’m too old for a chaperone!”

“Listen, I’m doing what I can _____. It’s either this or Jim’s going to try and murder Mycroft when you’re not around. It’s a compromise.”

“As if he could after all this time,” Mycroft snidely remarks.

“Maybe I just didn’t have the right motivation,” Jim counters getting squared up.

“Promises, promises,” Mycroft teases as he gestures for a waiter,” Besides we both know who the better genius is.”

“Yeah, your little sister.”

The air was becoming increasingly frigid to the point where Sebby was sure that he would have to evacuate people from the premises until _____ leaned onto Mycroft’s shoulder, melting away the frost.

“Guys, guys! Let’s stop the banter and eat! I’ve been dying to try this menu for ages,” _______ says cuddling Mycroft’s chill into submission.

“Anything you wish ______,” Mycroft says fondly in a way that makes Jim’s skin crawl.

Later after the bill was (fought over) and paid for  _____ hung back with him while Mycroft and Jimmy went to “talk” about some ground rules in private.

 “Sebby, why do Mycroft and Jimmy hate each other,” she asked innocently, “I know they never went to school together and Mycroft rarely leaves his office so how would they know each other enough to despise one another?”

Cursing his boss and this ridiculousness of their town Sebastian states, “We’re rival canning companies.”

“Oh, well that makes sense.” 

Listen, I’m not the best at superhero/villain names so cut me some slack. 

[notcompliant]

Headcanon :: The Dynamic Duo :: Steve and Bucky 

This headcanon is based as a sort of meta but also default for my dynamic’s between Steve and Bucky. Please note two things, firstly this is adaptable as varying portrayals obviously have different canons and styles and secondly it is a basis for mainly my MCU default verse. 

As such, if parts of it weren’t in your canon, or you really love the MCU dynamic you don’t have to worry but also please be aware this isn’t gushy and St.ucky praising. Because on this blog I will spill truth about Bucky no matter the cold chill it takes to swallow it. 

Don’t worry though it has soft openings and a chance to be better. I’m just not a popular sugar coater whoops. 

So on we go!

1940′s the Brooklyn Boys:

Bucky meets Steve as a young teen, helping him get out of a tight spot during a fight and taking him back to his mothers diner for patching up. The two bond quickly over sciences, technology, an enjoyment of games and a want for a better tomorrow. Becoming best friends is easy, and Bucky cared for Steve like he did all of those closest to him.

This care extended to helping Steve in other ways, some he didn’t know about. As Steve’s illnesses became worse the Rogers were struggling with paying for the multitude of medication. Already having a paper route Bucky knew it wouldn’t give much, so he began looking for a second job. 

The one he found wasn’t the best of things, or entirely legal. Bucky ended up boxing for money. Already having the athleticism and training for it from his self defence classes (his mothers insistence with the turning tides of society, his father wasn’t fond of it but understood) meant that he was good. Good enough to stay alive anyway, and good enough to make some bucks from it. 

Steve’s parents didn’t ask and he didn’t tell where and how when he turned up with the medication. Glad for the help, and happy to help the silence worked well and Bucky got to see his best friend keep going and well enough to be the fighting little shit he was.

Now at this point in my portrayal Bucky doesn’t have romantic feelings for Steve. More he doubles as both a carer and a friend. It’s platonic, but intense due to the twist that comes when your life revolves around keeping someone else alive. You’ve got to understand, between boxing for Steve, fighting people with Steve, spending time with Steve and studying with Steve almost 80% of his day was wholly and entirely given to Steve who became a major part of his daily routine and life. That’s important later so keep it in mind. 

The War:

Being drafted was what changed Steve and Bucky’s dynamic, oddly enough. Away from Steve for an extended period of time, with the memories of games and the comfort of his friend Bucky did what a lot of people do when memories all they got. 

He got rose tinted glasses.

Steve became a sort of safe space mentally along with his family, to the point that Bucky’s feeling to Steve went from the role of carer and friend to more romantic in nature. Separation makes the heart fonder and all that.  

When Steve then saved him from Hydra the first time, Bucky’s mental romanticisation of Steve lingered into something close to hero worship that most people experience when being helped. Attraction comes with it. At this point, Bucky is inexplicitely heart eyes and willing to follow Steve into deadly hydra operations against any and all form of fucking logic. But hey, they’ve got their best friends back! Yay!

God don’t we wish that lasted. 

TWS onwards:

Breaking conditioning isn’t easy. Contrary to MCU belief a cutesy hand touch from a pretty redhead you potentially banged one night wont do it will i ever not drag mcu? no It’s got to be something substantial enough that your mind has made it a long term memory, not a short term one. 

Steve is that substantial memory. 

For Bucky, Steve was 80% of his daily life for years, and then someone who saved his life, who he was very likely in love with, who he idealised. Steve was a long term memory and oof did that come back with a vengeance. 

The only problem we have here is that whilst Bucky’s memory is jagged pieces and he feels affection for Steve, it’s not at strong or as all consuming as war Bucky had it. Think of it like the difference between seeing someone you love in person, and waking up from a dream you can’t really remember but you knew they were in it. You still feel warm, but you’re not all that sure why or how warm. 

Steve however, is now in the situation War Bucky was in. Idealisation and Romanticising of memories and lost potential. Or, rose tinted glasses. 

Problem with rose tinted glasses? They have the potential to make you blind, and in like in this case, make things worse. 

Steve and Bucky’s dynamic becomes toxic. Yeah, yeah I embrace the rumble of an angry fandom with a smile as I walk back into the truth of hell. It WAS toxic and you can quote me on that. 

Here’s why though since I’m going all out with this.

Steve is currently in a stage of denial, and likely due to his PTSD though remember kids mental illness isn’t an excuse to be an asshole, is currently desperately trying to cling to his image of Bucky that is right now being shredded by reality. 

Bucky’s popping his Bucky bubble and Steve isn’t taking it well, it sucks all around, especially for us watching. 

Steve is currently Bucky’s only source of information about his past and his identity, Bucky trusts him because the memory of trusting Steve is a strong and driving factor. Steve meanwhile is driven by having his Bucky back. 

In any way.

Even if for instance he has to traumatise him into reliving potentially false memories, degrade him when he doesn’t fit the mould the way Steve wants, i will fight him for the “that’s not good enough” line alone try and stop me to outright just dismissing anything Bucky says or wants and gaslighting him into “no, no I know better! I know YOU” ( “i’m not bucky” “yes you are” “no im not” “you fucking well will be even if I have to drag you through a civil war and to wakanda by your pigtails” ring any bells?) 

NOW DON’T GET ME WRONG I DON’T THINK STEVE DOES IT DELIBERATELY. Please don’t confuse me here, I’m not saying Steve is a deliberate piece of shit, only that in his own desperation he accidentally becomes the worst possible way of helping. 

And uh, well, it kinda goes downhill from there. Sadly because Steve tried to protect Bucky and in doing so lost the trust of Bucky. This is especially fitting in my portrayal where IW didn’t happen, so buckle in we’re on our last legs. 

Steve lied to Tony about his parents yeah yeah we all know blah blah civil war BUT what people don’t want to talk about is that Steve didn’t just hide it from Tony. He hid it from Bucky also. 

Look, when Bucky watches that Video not only does he go through pretty violent flash backs and border on a panic attack, but he also comes to the realisation that he can’t trust Steve to tell him the truth. 

You can see it in the way he flinches back from Steve (who is closest, reaching out, and moves first) and the way he fully intends to bolt before the real fighting starts. 

In my portrayal he steps in to try and break it up, and only fights against Tony when Tony actively starts gunning for his ass. Which is fair. Well, it’s not because neither should have been in that situation and it’s a shitty situation but like, it’s fair he’s defending himself. 

BUT from there on Bucky has an issue, and that issue is that he doesn’t know who he is, he doesn’t trust his own memories and he knows he can not trust Steve to tell him all of it, or be honest about it, or to not keep things from him. 

Which is why Wakanda happens. Bucky no longer trusts Steve, and it’s not safe for him to be out. So he willingly agree’s to be frozen for a while, and let them see if they can help. Now in my canon once unfrozen he slips out of the hold because he desperately needs to learn about himself without Steve’s influence or control over the story. He NEEDS to find himself, he doesn’t hate Steve but he needs that.

By my main verse Bucky isn’t on either side, he doesn’t fully trust either side and he’s moving alone to try and figure out who he is and who he wants to be. Whilst the affection remains for Steve, it’s not romantic at that time, and Steve will have to earn his trust back just like all the other people who have (inadvertently or not) manipulated him. 

So that’s that! Thanks for making it this far, please come and cry with me about how both of them deserve better and then please give Bucky a friend he can trust, and also build a really dramatic and heart breaking reality stucky with me thank you. 

[moczothe1st]

Let’s Play Fire Emblem IV: Genealogy of the Holy War, Part 16: The World’s Last Hope, Maybe, Sorta

Part 15

Welcome back to Fire Emblem IV, as we begin the second generation in earnest. Unlike in real life, this new generation may actually succeed in making the world a better place, though in fairness that’s partially because the last one left it in such a state there’s nowhere to go but up.

When we signed off, we had just met a pair of idiots and I allowed you to choose between them, because I’m a great guy like that.  You picked Johan, unanimously, for reasons varying from his superior speed growths, to his greater range of movement, to just hating Johalvier’s stupid face. All valid reasons!  So I’ll be picking him up ASAP, to prevent him from accidentally getting his dumb ass killed.  But first, as our turn begins, we have a new arrival to the battlefield…

And she’s blue, so I like her already. 

(A green-haired pegasus knight whose mount is named after Erin’s sister. I wonder who her mom is.)

(Arthur is a little less obvious since weird white hair is pretty common in this game, as Julia reminded us last week, but he’s Taillte and Lewyn’s son.)

Arthur: Er, right. Sorry about that. Say, Fee, I don’t have too far to go. If you want, I can just walk from here.

Fee: Where are you off to, anyway?

Arthur: Oh, just Alster.

Fee: A-Alster?! Geez, you’re dumber than I thought! Alster’s waaaay south of here. There’s an entire sea in the way, for crying out loud! I dunno what you’re thinking, but you haven’t a hope in heck of walking the rest of the way there!

Arthur: Eh, it’s fine. I’m hardly in a hurry.  

Fee: So, er, why do you need to go to Alster?

Arthur: Oh, see, I’ve got a sister I haven’t seen in years who might be there.

(… And yet, not in a hurry.)

Arthur: She and my mom were taken away when I was just a kid. I was sort of left alone in some far corner of Silesse or another.  I just heard a rumor, but at this point even a rumor’s enough if it means I might find her.  

Fee: Huh, really? You know, I know just what that’s like. My big brother’s been missing for ages.

Arthur:  Did you get separated from him as well?

Fee: Oh, no, nothing that bad. We’ve always lived together in Silesse, but awhile back he ran off to try and find our dad.  

Arthur: Your father, huh?

Fee: Yeah, he’s been missing for years. Mom spent the rest of her life waiting for him to come back, but he never did…

Arthur: What happened to her?

(Was the use of ‘the rest of her life’ too subtle for you, Captain Tact?)

Fee: She… she’s dead. Illness…

Arthur: Oh… sorry about that. I shouldn’t have brought it up…

Fee: It’s okay! I mean, you’ve already brought up lots of things that you shouldn’t have.

(I think Fee and I will get along just fine.)

Fee: … Heh, kidding. You’re actually not that bad.

Arthur: Heh heh, thanks. And thanks for giving me a chance and letting me come along with you.

Fee: No problem! So was the sister thing real? Is that actually why you’re travelling?

Arthur: Yeah, it’s real. But what about you? What’s your deal?

Fee: Actually, I kinda want to join that Isaachian rebel army.  

(And I want more flying units, so we’re both in a good place. Welcome to the team, Fee!  Don’t stand too close to Larcei if you don’t want to get coated in the blood of her victims.)  

Fee: When I was little, mom told me stories about the paladin Sigurd and his brave allies, and those have always meant a lot to me. Lately I’ve been hearing about how Sigurd’s son is somewhere in Isaach, raising a revolution. And it all just sort of clicked, y’know? I knew that’s where I need to be, s oI just ran right out of home to try and find him.

Arthur: Wow… that’s pretty great of you. Y’know, I think I’ll help you out here for a while. It’s the least I can do for you putting up with me.

Fee: Okay! Partners it is, then. Good luck out there… partner!

Arthur: Heh! Upbeat as ever, aren’t you?

And with that, we round out our team for the second generation’s first chapter, except for Johan, who isn’t recruited yet and also doesn’t count.  Let’s take a look at what we got.  

First, Julia, the mysterious priestess whose identity could be anyone. She might be a random person from anywhere in the entire world. There’s no way to tell who she is.  It’s a total, unabashed, impossible mystery to sol-

Oh, she has Major Naga and Minor Vala Holy Blood, so she’s Deirdre and Arvis’s kid.  Yeah, honestly, it’s kind of like the developers forgot you can just look at the stat screens to find out a general idea of these character’s parents.  They really try to play up Julia’s identity as a mystery, but there’s literally only one person she could be.  Notice, however, that she doesn’t have Loptyr blood. Now there’s a mystery for ya…

In terms of her utility as a character, meanwhile, Julia is excellent. Blows her mom out of the water, thanks to inheriting Adept and Pursuit from her shitty father and having a generally better base stats and superior growths; in particular, thanks to her two Holy Bloods adding to her already naturally huge Magic growth from Deirdre, she actually comes to a magic growth of 100%.  She will always get a magic point when leveling up, so by the end of the game she will be a goddamn magic cannon. Her weak points will be her Defense and Speed, the former of which is partially offset by the fact she actually has a remarkably high HP growth as well.  

However, none of this matters right now because she starts off without any weapons.  Don’t worry, that will change soon enough.  Oh, and while we’re here…  

Lana: You know, Lord Seliph’s actually really been worrying about you.  

(PLATONICALLY!  He has been PLATONICALLY worrying about his HALF-SISTER.)

Lana: If there’s anything I can do to help you, just let me know and I’ll get right on it.  

Julia: Mm. Thank you…

Lana: Oh, and I’ve got a little something for you.

Julia: This is… a Mend staff?

Lana: You can use these, right?

Julia: For me? Thank you, Lana. With this… I know I can help everyone.

Lana: You’re welcome, Julia. Let’s give this our all, together!

D’aaaaaaaaaw. Shame this game was released like twenty years before it was socially acceptable to admit lesbians existed, because I ship Lana/Julia now.  And not just because I want to make absolutely sure the latter cannot ever accidentally marry her brother.

Next up, Fee.  

Like her mom before her, Fee is just generally solid.  Her base stats mark her as a speedster, but her defense, resistance, and strength are all set at 8 when she’s only level 2, so she isn’t fragile or weak by any means; if she follows in Erin’s footsteps and gets lucky on the Defense growths, only archers will ever really be a threat to her. My hope is that by giving her Azel as a dad means she’ll also get a solid Magic growth (+30% from his Minor Vala Blood!) and will become sort of a flying artillery piece wielding all our magic swords to rain death on the enemy from above.  This is kind of experimental, I admit. But on the plus side, even if that doesn’t work out, just ‘a second Erin’ is still plenty fine by me. Erin was cool beans.

And finally, Arthur.  

Hehehehehe…

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…                                      

HAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA…

*deep breath*

Arthur is invincible. He has Forseti and he’s invincible.  I mean his growths and all that shit are great too, he’s essentially Lewyn 2.0 with all the latest upgrade software, but really, that’s the summary. He’s got Forseti, and for the purposes of this map he is invincible. It’s going to be two more chapters before we fight anything that can lay a finger on him while he’s wielding that monster.

This isn’t the only reason I married Lewyn and Taillte. But it certainly is a big one.

Now then. Like a moron, I accidentally moved Lana and Julia too far forward to have them chat with each other. They’re in the range of Johan’s army. So I have the rest of the team form a perimeter while Larcei and Seliph run their butts off to join in.  Arthur starts moving toward the castle to remove the current owner, and Fee moves to the village nearest her starting point to take a swing at the bandit there…

Did you just get hit on a 21% chance? And I was just talking up how good you are! *sigh* End turn. Johan’s army takes their swing at us…

…. That was pathetic!  Only Ulster dodged any of that, and not nearly enough for my tastes considering he almost died anyway.  What happened, kids?! You were rocking last week! Sigh. Okay. Okay. Let’s try and salvage this…

…. Yes, that’s a good start.

FEE! WHAT THE SHIT, LADY?!

Oh, that doesn’t count, Arthur. You’re holding a universal cheat code.

Now, I have the remaining characters form a line that will force Johan’s axe men to take a long, weird path to get to anyone who can’t fight back. With luck this means nobody will get attacked more than once.  Honestly, at this point, I’m mostly afraid Johan will hit someone who can really fight back and get his dumb ass killed; that would be embarrassing to get a reset over someone who technically isn’t even my ally. Larcei is in his range, though… hopefully he will talk to her, rather than try to axe her. End turn…

Oh, and Johalvier’s douches have been moving toward us too, because I can’t have nice things .

Oifey can’t actually one-shot these guys normally. He procced Critical on this one because he’s a killstealing old bastard.

…. Why have you people decided to stop dodging…?

This may… go badly.

… And of course we’re in a situation where I need Oifey to both dodge (it’s only a 30% chance to hit but he hasn’t been performing lately) and not hit back too hard. Fucking grand.

OIFEY YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD, I LOVE YOU.

Now. NOW.  First, Julia heals Oifey and I send him a space up to let Larcei run in.

(No, he’s just an idiot.)

Johan: Larcei… oh Larcei! Your words are as the sweetest birdsong! Your eyes are as the most brilliant stars! Oh, without you at my side, what purpose is there in life? What joy could possibly be?

Larcei: Stop it! How revolting! This is a battlefield! Are you out of your mind?!

Johan: I can deny my heart no longer, Larcei. Believe me when I say I’ve tried! Alas, love is a maddening beast at times…. What else can I do but be at your side? Men, we are joining the liberation army! From this day on, we are men of honor! Fight on in the name of justice, love, and Larcei!

Well. At least he’s enthusiastic.

At this, Johan joins the army and his units all become neutral, friendly to us and hostile to Johalvier’s army.  They’re also all heavily wounded, so they’re mostly just going to die, but at least they’ll take some fire off us for one turn.  

(… Did he, though?)

Johalvier: Bet he’s gone and sided with her army ,too. That weak-willed fool…

(Okay, that he definitely did.)

Johalvier: Hmph… fine by me! Men, attack! Johan’s unit is now the enemy!

And seeing this declaration of war by his brother and rival, Johan runs away to Lana for healing so he doesn’t get totally destroyed.  

End turn!

(I’m actually going for the other one, thanks.)

*sniff* Oh, milord Seliph, you are truly on the path to surpass your father. Seriously. I don’t think he got a level that good in his entire half of the game, and it’s like your third so far in just your first map.  I’ve never seen Seliph get off to a start this strong, and if he keeps it up he’ll be a walking nuclear war when he promotes.  

I’m a little nervous now. What if he’s building me up so he can let me down later?  I’ve been hurt before.

Dannan: Schmidt! Get out there! Take back my castles, now!

Schmidt: Yes, sir! You can depend on me!

(“No way I’m just a one-chapter flunky boss! No way, not ol’ Schmidty!  Schmidt, that’s the name of a Big Bad right there! I bet I’m really Super-Loptyr in disguise!”)

Anyhow, when Johan joined his castle became neutral to us, and Schmidt is gonna go take it.  That’s actually a very good thing, so I’m going to let him do that while we finish off Johalvier’s goons.  

… Or they finish us off. 4% chance to hit and he popped ya one right in the jaw, Larcei? Seriously? You’re lucky I have two healers now.

And of course, what’s life without a little bit of killing your brother?

That’s the end of the interesting; Arthur is still walking toward a village, and Fee takes a distance shot at a bandit with her Bolt Sword but doesn’t kill him.  End turn.

I should be happy that Johan dodged on an 87% chance to be hit, but frankly I’m just more angry at the others now.  

Awesome. With that, there’s only one member of the Sophara army left. First, I have Fee and Arthur clear out the villages they’re near;

And Fee liberates hers.

Neat. Now it’s just a matter of wiping out the last of Johalvier’s soldiers:

And the army begins to move south. There’s one more village to clear out, and we have to be ready to take back Isaach after Schmidt takes it.  

Again: We want this to happen. There are two castles, and we want Isaach.  You want Isaach to fall so you can take it back, or you want to recruit Johalvier so it’s hostile from the start. You do not want to take Sophara. DO NOT.  

I’m not joking.

This is super important.

Pick it up, you losers.  

The team just spends another turn moving south, while Arthur liberates a village.

Isn’t This the Same Guy From the Last Village: Well, those imperial sods won’t stand a chance at all! Every last one of them will be run right out of our great land!

Sure thing. End turn!

*sigh* They all have hand axes, so this is actually going to take them awhile. It’s okay, that gives us time to set up a defensive line. Lester, meanwhile, clears and liberates a village.

Best Girl: I bet we’d all have a much better time with him on the throne if that were true, huh? Here, take this here skill ring. Go on, do your best! We’re all behind you!

Sweet. Bows are one of the more inaccurate weapons in the game, so more skill for Lester is quite welcome. Plus, Fee gets close enough to chat with Seliph finally.

Fee: Call me Fee! I’m from Silesse.

Seliph: Silesse, you say? Are you a pegasus knight, then?

(She’s literally riding a pegasus and holding a sword, man.)

Fee: Er, not just yet. I’m kinda still in training. My mom was one, though! Actually, in the big war years ago, she helped Lord Sigurd out in his army.

Seliph: Is that so? She has my utmost gratitude on my father’s behalf. Now, what brings you here, Fee?

Fee: See, what happened was I was looking for my brother, who ran away ages ago. But then I heard about you, sir, and how you’re taking on the Empire! And I just knew I had to be here too. Can I join your army, sir? Please?

Seliph: Certainly! Thank you. What of your brother, though?

Fee: It’s silly, sir, but I have this feeling we’ll run into him somewhere down the line.

(“Foreshadowing, sir.”)

Not much to show other than that. Arthur starts slooooowly moving toward the rest of the team, and Julia gains her first level from healing.

…. Remember when I said Deirdre wasn’t very good and then she got a bunch of great levels to spite me? I’m kind of scared Julia’s decided to do the opposite as some teenage rebellion against her mom’s legacy.

To the south, the Schmidtmeister finally takes Isaach, and his army starts moving north toward us, which suits me just fine.  I ain’t in no rush, yo. In fact, I’ll just wait a few turns in my fine defensive formation while Arthur runs toward us. Come at us when you’re ready, losers.  

Four turns later, the first of them arrives, alone, and misses.

Fear the wrath of the Schmidtritter.

Now, these guys totally suck with one exception. Schmidt himself is fairly badass, and there’s a reason for that:

BITCH HAS LEX’S BRAVE AXE! Remember when I said the items from people who didn’t pass them on to kids will show up later? Well, it’s later.  I think we can all agree this cannot stand, out of honor to Lex and also I want that axe back.  But, of course, that means killing him with an axe dude. And we only have one of those. So for Johan to not disappoint us, I think we need to soften him up first.  Lester?

(Well, looks like somebody thinks he’s hot Schmidt.)

Hm. Okay performance, and an average level. At least it was better than his first level.  But seriously, man, your dad was beating you out by this point. That’s sad. And I’m not entirely sure Schmidt will die to a single hit from Johan, so I send in another helper to soften him up further.

Not bad! Defense is definitely great for her, and her Luck is pretty abysmal too, so combined I’m not displeased with this showing.  Johan?

…. Oh hey, Johan missed on an 80% chance to hit, and died to the counterattack.

If I hadn’t promised to do a no-death run I would leave his corpse rotting in the sunny plains of Isaach.  Reset.

Luckily this was the start of our turn, so I can screw around the RNG a little by moving people in different orders.  This even has the benefit of changing the levels we gain:

And hey, not terrible. Fee’s is actually unambiguously better, and Lester’s is  about equal.  And I also, because I’m not a total moron, remember to park Dermott near the front lines where his Charisma skill can amp up Johan’s accuracy.  Okay, big guy, care to give it another go?

Much better. The Brave Axe alone turns him from the worst unit in the army to the like, second or third worst. And now, with the enemy exposed and bereft of their leader, His Lordship takes the front lines.

… Okay, I mean, not very dramatic, woulda been cooler if you’d slain your enemy, but you didn’t get hit. I’ll take it. End turn!

Fortunately, Hand Axes are not super accurate.  And in this chokepoint, most of them can’t even reach us. A few errant swings later, we are up to bat again.

You know, it’s kind of telling that they’re all getting levels I would have been perfectly happy to see in their parents, and yet I’m still somehow disappointed. We’ve barely started this generation and I’m already spoiled.

End turn. I suppose. The enemy… erm…

Well, they all go after Oifey, and they cannot hit him.  Note their chance to hit. It’s zero.  So… I’m not sure what’s up there. Let’s… let’s just finish this up.

See? You can do it if you try, Lester! Now, the map is basically over. I basically just hang out awhile, letting Arthur finally catch up for his own talk with Seliph.  

Arthur: The name’s Arthur. I came here from Silesse.

Seliph: Wait, so you are that Arthur fellow? I’ve heard of how you have been aiding us so far. Thank you so much!

(“I heard you defeated two enemies and then spent the rest of the map slowly walking. My deepest gratitude!”)

Arthur: Eh, it was no big deal.

Seliph: You are capable of wielding magic, yes? That’s truly impressive. I’m almost envious!

Arthur: My mother was a talented war-mage…but I’ve still got a lot to learn, myself.  

Seliph: We all do, do we not? So long as we all fight together, though, perhaps we still truly can change our world. After all, that’s what brought us here today.

Arthur: Yeah… you’re right. My power’s at your disposal, sir. I’ll give my all to aid the cause. I’m glad we could finally meet, Lord Seliph.  

And then have Seliph finally run up and re-take Isaach.  

Info Master: Indeed, and ecstatic to see you to boot! Thanks to you, Lord Seliphk we know that at long last, Isaach shall have its freedom!

Seliph: Thank you, sir, but the effort isn’t mine along. I could never have come so far without the support of the common man.  

(If you call them ‘the common man’, you may be a bit of a classist. Maybe try to work on that, Selly.)

Seliph: You’ve all supported me from the beginning. I likely wouldn’t be here if not for you!

Info Master: Fate is a funny thing, isn’t it, sir? Just twenty years ago, our late king had the utmost trust in your grandfather’s wisdom. Then your father came to protect Prince Shanan, and now the prince has guided you to adulthood. Perhaps fate has bound Isaach and Chalphy as one…

Seliph: Isaach is the only home I’ve ever known, and Prince Shanan is like a brother to me.  I pray our friendship lasts the rest of our lives.

Info Master: Lord Seliph, you are the rightful heir to House Belhalla and the throne of Grannvale.  Not a soul alive in Isaach, nor in the rest of the world, can doubt this. We beg of you! Raise the banner of justice high, march on Belhalla, and reclaim your true throne!

(“Well, sort of. I don’t think you actually have the right magic blood. But it’s not like you’re going to run into any waifs who should be doing the job instead!”)

Now. You may be wondering why I was so adamant we take Isaach when there was another castle off to the west we could have been going after.  And the answer is: Julia can now have a conversation with Seliph. Let’s see that.

Seliph: Actually, I have something for you. I found this in Isaach castle.

Julia: What is…?

Seliph: It’s a light magic tome called Nosferatu.  You can wield these, yes?

Julia: Yes… I’m able to use light magic.

Seliph: Excellent! Hopefully you’ll now have an easier time protecting yourself in combat.

Julia: Thank you, Lord Seliph… thank you so much…

And with that, Julia gets a weapon! The only one she will ever need, even! See (and of course the game doesn’t tell you this), which castle you take alters what weapon she gets. If you take Johalvier’s castle, Sophara, you get her Deirdre’s old Aura tome. You might remember Aura as being very powerful, but also very heavy and largely useless.  As for Nosferatu, it isn’t as strong, but it’s considerably lighter and with Julia’s excellent magic and (unlike Deirdre) access to Pursuit for double attacking, she’ll still be doing enough damage to take out most anything she fights.

Oh, and any damage it does to an enemy, she absorbs to heal herself. 

That’s right: the mysterious waif just became a tank.  

Now, all that’s left to do is kill Dannan. And he, like Chagall before him, forgot to bring a ranged weapon to the party. So I take a little time, liberate a village, and wait to feed him to the suddenly unstoppable Julia. Village?

Grim Gritty Girl: Thanks to you lot, Isaach’s free from the Empire at last, but the rest of the world’s still in a very dark place… all across Jugdral, they’re waiting for you to rise up and defeat the Empire! Please, I’m begging you… you’ve gotta make it to Grannvale soon!

Neat. Lana gains a level, too!

Well, not up to her mom’s exacting standards, but she’s already gotten more magic than Ethlyn ever did. I’ll allow it. And now, time for Julia’s first murder and the end of the map.

(Bitch, she’s your princess. The game hasn’t said it yet, but we know she is. Show some respect.)

And in one round of combat, she almost completely destroys him (she did proc Adept, so she hit him three times instead of two), and gains a big-person level. So far, so good. One more turn should do it!

Welcome to the team, Julia. You’re not really one of us until you’ve killed a sentient being.  (I know that Lana hasn’t killed anyone on screen, but we all know what she gets up to at night.) Seliph drops in on Rivough Castle, and we’re all set.

(You can go home, Lewyn. We have your book, and that’s all we need from you.)

Lewyn: Yeah… I only just got back now. Look, Seliph, are you aware that right now, the world’s at a critical turning point?

Seliph: Hm? No… I’m afraid not.  

(Teenagers don’t follow the news, Lewyn.)

Lewyn: It’s been fifteen years since Arvis conquered Jugdral and united it as the Grannvale Empire. Honestly, for awhile at first it wasn’t all that bad. In the empire’s dawn, Emperor Arvis sought to bind his nation using only the strictures of law. It was strict and constraining, but we got a few good years of peace out of it. But obviously he changed his mind. A few years back, as if by magic, the Empire turned into that oppressive force we all know and love today. Even worse… the ancient heretics of the Loptyr Order have arisen from the shadows once more and raised influence across the land. Their murderous rituals have returned with them, and all across Jugdral they abduct children to sacrifice in droves to resurrect their fell god. All attempts to resist are crushed and met with brutal executions or enslavement. It couldn’t be more plain that they seek to return Jugdral to the days of that ancient abomination, the Loptyr Empire.

Seliph: This cannot be happening! I’ve heard rumors saying the same, but… never did I think they could be more than mere rumor…

Lewyn: By the look of it, Isaach hasn’t had it quite as bad as most. Dannan’s two sons, at least, refused to follow through on the child hunts. And of course there’s been people trying to rebel against the Empire left, right, and center, but they were all scattered and disorganized.  Before you, none have ever posed a proper threat. They were all swiftly crushed before they could so much as blink. Jugdral needs a savior. It needs a man to unite behind. And I’m sure that man is you, Seliph. You’re the only one who stands a chance.

Seliph: Hold on a moment! Are you sure of this? A savior would require power that I sorely lack…

Lewyn: Chalk it up to duty, Seliph. You’re the eldest child of Empress Deirdre. That makes you the elder brother to Crown Prince Julius.

(“And the fact that the prince is named Julius should not suggest in any way that Julia is connected to the royal family. Er, you haven’t checked her stat screens, right?”)

Lewyn: You’re the one true heir to Saint Heim. Your destiny is to unite the power of the Crusaders of this era and free the world from evil’s grip.

Seliph: But I...

Lewyn: Trust me, you really do have what it takes. Your true power and potential sleeps within you. That is, the sacred blood of the Crusader Baldur. Once you get your holy blade, Tyrfing, not even the heavens will be able to stand in your way!

Seliph: But I-

Lewyn: Sorry, Seliph, but that’s how the gods will it.

(I hate to take Lewyn’s side on this, Seliph, but if you really didn’t want to free the world, you shouldn’t have let him talk over you so much.)

Lewyn: You’re Sigurd’s son. The son of a man who fate led to a brutal end. The fulfillment of his dying wishes and his final quest falls to you.

(Pretty sure his final wish was to just not be burned to death.)

Lewyn: You can’t afford to doubt yourself now. You understand, Seliph?

Seliph: Y-yes… yes. I do. If this is fate and the will of the gods, then so be it. I will do my duty.

Lewyn: There actually isn’t a single absolute fate, nor is there just one person it all hinges upon.

(THEN WHY’D YOU GO ON ABOUT IT FOR TWENTY MINUTES JUST NOW?!)

Lewyn: As obtuse as that sounds, trust me, one day it’ll make sense.

(LIAR.)

Lewyn: Sigurd left behind so much to help you on your quest.

(“Though not the really good sword.”)

Lewyn: Most importantly, the many friendships he forged in his life. Me, for instance.

(GO AWAY.)

Lewyn: Brave youths from all over are already lining up to join your cause, all guided by Sigurd’s kindness.

Seliph: My father won the love and trust of so many people, from all walks of life. I can only pray that in time I’ll prove worthy of his legacy.

Lewyn: You’ll be fine. Anyway, to business. Our immediate goal is to reach Leonster. The son of Quan, your father’s closest friend, raised his own rebellion only to suffer severe losses. He’s in pretty urgent need of backup. I know you’ve had no time to rest, but we need to get going as soon as possible.

(Wait, weren’t you just there? You… you didn’t help? You ran down, explicitly didn’t help, and then ran back here to make me do it for you? Dick.)

Lewyn: For now, at least, we can leave Isaach in the care of its citizens. Odds are we’ll run into Prince Shanan on our way.

(Wait, I thought Shanan was off in the middle of the Yied Desert…… fuck it’s going to be a sand map, isn’t it. We’re going to a sand map.)

Seliph: Understood!

And that’s that. First map done, and now we’re off to Leonster to meet Quan’s son Leif (you may recall him being mentioned by name a few times back when he was an infant. He’s beefed up somewhat since then, thankfully) for what is definitely going to feel like an eternity.

See you next week in… *sigh* in the Yied Desert. Again. 

Resets: Up to an even 20. Johan’s intro to our army has not been the best.

Part 17

[truekomaeda]

V3 Chapter 5 - Transcript

Right, first thing’s first; the transcript / guide to New Danganronpa V3′s chapter 5 trial. Every line of dialogue (Minus the rebuttal showdown and scrum debate, I couldn’t copy those aside from their solutions), with some descriptions of the images when I felt it necessary. Some liberties were taken, such as Ouma’s laugh, and changing all first names to last names. The puzzle solutions might be different if not on normal/normal mode. MAJOR SPOILER WARNING FOR NEW DANGANRONPA V3!!!

(Note - the Exisal’s lines are marked with whoever’s voice they’re using, followed by a question mark)

Chapter 5 Trial Transcript -

“Unified against the mastermind, Ouma, the students must survive a Class Trial without knowing the murderer or the victim. An unpredictable trial begins…”

Class Trial - In Session

Monokuma: Ahem! Now then, let’s begin with a basic explanation of the class trial! During the trial you'll present your arguments for who the culprit is, and vote for “whodunnit.” Vote correctly, and only the blackened will be punished. But if you pick the wrong person… I’ll punish everyone *besides* the blackened, and that person will grad-

K1B0: Graduation is meaningless here… we already know that… We don't need your rules anymore! We’ll find our own reasons to live! And we’ll do whatever it takes to survive!

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

K1B0: Seriously?!

Harukawa: What happened to Kokichi? Why isn't he here?

Monokuma: Aw, don't make that face, killer. This case has some unique circumstances.

Yumeno: Unique circumstances?

Monokuma: Cuz for this murder, the victim’s identity is completely unknown! Given these circumstances… -camera flashes to Momota’s and then Ouma’s photos, each with a question mark drawn over- I decided to start off this class trial while the victim is still anonymous! After all, it’d be a shame if i let such a rare opportunity go to waste!

Shirogane: Is that possible? I thought everyone had to participate in the class trial.

Monokuma: don't worry. The person who’s still alive is waiting behind the scenes for their cue. It’s all part of the overall production. Anyway, let’s get this trial moving!

K1B0: I guess we have no choice but to start the trial under these conditions…

Yumeno: What’s there to even talk about? The blackened is the mastermind, Ouma.

Shirogane: Yeah, that’s the only thing i can think of, too.

Saihara: It’s too soon to decide anything for certain. We don't even know if Momota was the victim…

Harukawa: How long are you going to say that? The victim is Momota… end of discussion.

Saihara: But we need to be absolutely sure. If we don't positively identify the victim… -camera pan, same as previous- ...the other person will never show themselves, right?

K1B0: Before we can identify a suspect, we need to determine who the victim is.

Yumeno: why are we even talking about something so obvious? What a pain…

Harukawa: …

Saihara: (Everyone thinks that Momota is the victim, but i have my doubts… There’s a chance Momota is still alive… If we keep discussing the case, I'm sure we’ll see the truth!

NONSTOP DEBATE

Y- the victim has to be Momota.

S- Ouma took him prisoner... S- So he could’ve killed him whenever he wanted!

Yumeno- and it was his clothes inside the hydraulic press

H- the victim can’t be Ouma because there’s no evidence for it (Present) So the victim must be Momota.

Y- we lost a really good guy today... Y- Kazing! If only mages could cast revive spells…

Saihara- (there’s no evidence that allows us to confirm the victim or the survivor. It’s too early to declare who the victim is!)

(Present) - Ouma’s clothes

Saihara: I have evidence that points to Ouma being the victim! I found *this* in the hangar!

Yumeno: Nyeh! Is that Ouma’s coat!?

Saihara: yes. And look here-- there are bloodstains on the sleeve. That would indicate that Ouma suffered an external injury, correct?

Shirogane: Ouma was injured?

Saihara: the fact that these were flushed down the toilet implies they’re evidence of a crime.

Harukawa: what about it? Momota’s clothes were in the hydraulic press. As long as we have that evidence, there’s no doubt that Momota was the one murdered.

Yumeno: y-yeah, that’s right… it’s one of those irrefutable evidence thingies.

Saihara: … (Ever since she found the body in the hangar, Harukawa’s insisted that it’s Momota’s... -Flashback visual to the three training- But why is that? I thought we had an understanding… I thought… she’d want to believe Momota is still alive. Either way, it seems Harukawa is hung up on Momota’s clothes. In that case, I need to demonstrate the flaw in relying on that evidence. If i do that… i think she’ll realize. There’s a chance that Momota is alive.) Actually, there’s something bothering me about the clothes found in the hydraulic press.

Yumeno: Nyeh? What about them?

Saihara: (there’s something peculiar about those clothes...)

Choose - The sleeve of the jacket

Saihara: Why was only the sleeve sticking out of the hydraulic press? If Momota had been crushed by the press, the sleeve shouldn't have been empty… There should've been an arm inside the sleeve as well. So the fact that we found an empty sleeve should--

Rebuttal Showdown - Harukawa

Saihara: (Huh!?)

Harukawa: you're dumber than i thought if i have to go out of my way to explain it to you. If you can’t even see that, then be quiet. Otherwise, you're just annoying me.

Rebuttal Showdown -

He never put his arms through his sleeves. (PRESENT)

Present - Momota’s coat

Saihara: yes, it’s true, Momota never put his arm through his sleeve… -Normal Momota sprite- ...but that was just his right arm. He wore his left sleeve normally. -Hydraulic press photo- And the left sleeve was the one we found outside the press. Knowing how Momota wore his coat, that’s awfully strange, isn't it?

Harukawa: Then maybe neither of his arms were through the sleeves.

Saihara: huh?

Harukawa: it’s a possibility… in the end, your reasoning is full of holes. Stop getting in my way. I have to defeat Ouma.

Saihara: (Harukawa… what’s really going on? Seems you've made up your mind that Momota is definitely dead. But why would you do that?)

Shirogane: it’s like Harukawa said, though… Momota’s gotta be the victim. Cuz if Ouma, the mastermind, was dead, the killing game would be over.

Yumeno: yeah, that’s true.

Harukawa: Monokuma, hurry up and bring Ouma here. We already know who the victim is.

Monokuma: huh? Already? You sure it’s not too soon?

K1B0: we need the suspect present now that he’s the subject of our discussion

Monokuma: gotcha. I guess I'll bring him out now. Hey mister suspect! That’s your cue!

-Exisal enters court through opened door and jumps over-

Saihara: An Exisal!?

Yumeno: Wh-What!? Why is an exisal here!?

Momota?: Haha, whoops! My bad. Seems like i gave you guys a scare, huh?

Saihara: (...What is this?)

K1B0: is that… Momota’s voice!?

Harukawa: ...Momota?

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

Shirogane: H-Hold on. Then the one that died wasn't Momota--

Ouma?: Stuuupid! That was just a lie! Ah-haha, you guys thought i died!? I would never! Noooo way!

K1B0: O-Ouma!?

Ouma?: “I’m gonna live till I die! I'm gonna laugh ‘stead of cry!”

Yumeno: wow, that’s old! How old are you!?

Harukawa: I thought as much… your appearance right now is fit for a lowly asshole like you.

Ouma?: Nishishi… you're making me blush! You're getting so angry over me.

Saihara: … Is that really you, Ouma!?

Ouma?: That’s right, Cracker Jack!

Yumeno: Seriously, how old are you!?

Saihara: Then why are you hiding in there? Show yourself!

Ouma?: Oh, this is more for self-defense. Little Miss Crankypants would kill me if i showed myself.

Harukawa: …

Ouma?: I understand how you guys must feel. You can't believe it because I'm like this, right? Nishishi… that’s what i thought. In that case, I brought evidence!

K1B0: ...evidence?

Ouma?: tadaaa! The video camera! It was in the warehouse but i brought it to the hangar, just in case. Man, that was a smart move! Thanks to this, I filmed it so everyone could see it clearly. The moment the victim died…

Yumeno: Nyeh!? Wh-what did you say!?

Ouma?: alrighty then! Let’s watch this shocking moment! Heeey Monokuma! Can you connect the video camera to the monitor?

Monokuma: Roger that!

Saihara: (Monokuma grabbed the camera from the Exisal, hooked it up to the court room’s monitor… And played the tape for us.)

-Momota is shown laying motionless on the hydraulic press, and it lowers to crush him, splattering blood everywhere.-

Saihara: … ...Huh?

M-Momota!?

Shirogane: Th-this is terrible! Why would… something like this…?

Harukawa: …

Yumeno: I-I saw it through my fingers.... the moment… Momota was crushed… I'm… gonna… *huuurk*

Ouma?: by the way, I'd like to add that this footage has not been doctored in any way! This video camera only has the basic functions… Just the Play, Record, and Pause buttons, so you can't edit after filming it. And of course, I didn't upload it to a computer to edit it either. Riiiight, Monokuma?

Monokuma: …

Ouma?: oh, you can talk. Your answer is necessary for a fair discussion.

Monokuma: I see! If it's necessary for a fair discussion, then i will answer! No trace of that footage was found on any of the computers inside the academy!

Ouma?: see? If it wasn't connected to any computer, then editing the footage would be impossible. Which means, this footage is 100% real!

K1B0: If that’s the case… then it would seem our suspicions can be lifted. The body we found inside the hangar, crushed in the hydraulic press, is definitely Momota!

-Truth Bullet added: Murder Video-

Saihara: … (Was that…? Was that really him?)

Yumeno: Poor Momota… I can’t believe he died such a horrible death… I can't believe he died with his guts and his brains splattered all over that machine!

Shirogane: S-stop it… now I'm starting to not feel well…

Yumeno: That’s probably because i used my magic to transfer all my barf over to you.

Shirogane: I know that’s a joke, but the thought of it… *huuurp*

Saihara: (...why? Why was… Momota… killed? Ouma had no reason to kill Momota… He had just told us all that he was the mastermind, that the killing game was over. So what would he gain by killing Momota?)

Ouma?: Nishishi… it looks like you finally believe that I'm the one in this Exisal.

K1B0: Yes. With that, we can definitively say that the culprit is… ...you.

Ouma?: huh? Why?

K1B0: you filmed the moment the victim died, which means you were present at the scene… As the person who filmed this footage, you're the only one who could be the culprit!

Saihara: but if the culprit shot the video, why would they go outof their way to show it--

Ouma?: aw maaan, ya got me. Yeah, I'm the culprit.

Saihara: (...What?)

Ouma?: geez, i totally dug my own grave! Here’s the truth-- i decided to participate in this trial in an exisal after i killed Momota. Of course, it was mostly to make the victim unknown, to jazz up this trial! I took that footage for proof, so i could reveal it after you guys get the correct answer… But...ah-haha! I toootally spaced out! I wasn't supposed to show it right away!

Shirogane: so does that mean… you admit to the crime?

Ouma?: … Oh, man! I dug my own grave again!? Well, i don't think you guys will believe any of the excuses i make now… So...I give up!

Yumeno: you're giving up? Does… that mean it’s been decided?

Shirogane: is it okay that this trial was so short?

Harukawa: that’s fine. We knew from the very start that Ouma was the killer. But before we vote, I want to say something to Ouma… You may be the mastermind, but i won't let you escape after you violated the rules. That would desecrate the killing game Junko Enoshima created, right? ...Your beloved Junko Enoshima.

Ouma?: … Junko…?

Yumeno: Whatever! It’s Voting Time now! Let’s go before Ouma changes his--

Saihara: No, hold on a second! This isn't right! The culprit comes in, confesses to the crime, and the trial ends? That's not how this goes! That doesn't sound like the kind of game Ouma or Monokuma or Junko would play!

Shirogane: what if the mastermind got tired of it? The Remnants of Despair were like tha--

Saihara: no, if they were tired of it, they wouldn't have put all that effort into the video. There would have been no need for this class trial in the first place. Something’s not right. We need to get a better feel for the situation. I think… Ouma has some sort of plan. He’s trying to trap us.

Harukawa: Trap us? Are you saying Ouma isn't the culprit? Then, are you suggesting one of us is the culprit?

Saihara: (What?)

K1B0: If it’s not Ouma, then the culprit must be one of us…

Yumeno: one of us?

Shirogane: that’s not possible!

Saihara: No, i didn't say that! I was just saying it’s dangerous to trust Ouma--

Ouma?: Nishishi… Saihara is so distrusting… But it’s exaaactly like Saihara said! I'm actually nooot the culprit!

Saihara: (...Seriously?)

K1B0: wh-what? But that contradicts what you said previously.

Ouma?: Yuppers, that was a lie. Sorry! I lied again. The real culprit of this case is super bad at hiding themselves, so i thought i could help… I pretended to be the culprit by using the footage! It made the game more interesting, too!

Shirogane: A-are you serious?

Yumeno: Nyeeeh! What’s the truth and what’s a lie!? I don't know anymore!

Harukawa: it’s fine… because Ouma is the culprit. He killed Momota… no matter how much he deceives us, it won't change our minds. The footage shows he did it! Ouma has to be the only option!

Saihara: (The only option? Is that really true? Are we just going to leave it at that?)

NONSTOP DEBATE

H- There’s no doubt that Ouma is the culprit. H- We all saw that video from earlier, right?

Y- Momota got crushed to death. (Present) Y- What a horrible video.

K- Whoever committed that crime... K- Was in the hangar with Momota!

H- Which just leaves Ouma.

S- Then, the culprit is...

H- Kokichi Ouma, the mastermind of this killing game H- is Momota’s killer!

Saihara: (Ouma killed Momota with the hydraulic press. That's the consensus right now. But is that even possible?)

-Present: Safety Function-

Saihara: the safety function would make it impossible to kill Momota with the press!

Yumeno: a safety function?

K1B0: yes, it was written on the safety precautions. The hydraulic press will automatically stop if its infrared sensor detects a living organism.

Shirogane: so the hydraulic press won't move at all if there's a living person under it?

Saihara: which is why it couldn't have been used to kill Momota!

Harukawa: …

K1B0: which means, it’s more likely that Momota was crushed after being killed by some other means.

Yumeno: so what we saw in that video.... he was already dead by then?

Harukawa: but you could disable the infrared sensor of the safety function with an Electrobomb

Saihara: No, i don't think Ouma would use an Electrobomb for that purpose. It would’ve taken down the hangar’s alarm system and the Exisal’s remote control.

K1B0: it would’ve put Ouma at a significant disadvantage.

Ouma?: but you can't be too sure i wouldn't do that… I'm the type who would do anything for fun.

Harukawa: Also, we don't have any evidence of a different murder method other than the hydraulic pr--

Saihara: No, we do. I have a plausible theory for the murder.

Harukawa: what?

Saihara: (yes, there is a clue that suggests the victim was killed before being crushed. I found it somewhere around the hydraulic press…)

Select - Swipe pattern bloodstain

Saihara: there was a swipe pattern bloodstain in the hangar, suggesting a body was dragged. The bloodstain goes from the bathroom all the way to the press.

Shirogane: Oh! That was the restroom where Momota was being held, wasn't it!?

Saihara: Bloodstains were also found inside the bathroom. That can't be coincidence.

Yumeno: so Momota was killed in the restroom, then dragged to the press and crushed!?

Harukawa: ...If the bloodstain even was Momota’s.

Saihara: What?

Harukawa: We only guessed that Momota was killed in the bathroom… Since his body was crushed, we’ll never know if Momota died some other way.

Saihara: (We might not be able to examine the body, but… We do have evidence that suggests a cause of death.)

Point Out - hole on sleeve

Saihara: the small hole on the sleeve of Momota’s coat is the key to his cause of death.

Yumeno: s-small hole…? No, no, no! There is no way that hole’s got anything to do with a weapon! I'll hit you with my “Everything You Buy Will Go on Sale the Next Day” curse!

Shirogane: Yumeno, what's wrong? Why are you freaking out all of a sudden?

Yumeno: um… I'm not freaking out… I'm just saying… it's impossible for the weapon to be that small.

Saihara: (No… it’s not impossible. I can show you. The weapon that left that small hole in Momota’s sleeve…)

Select - Crossbow

Saihara: I believe the weapon was the crossbow found in the bathroom.

Yumeno: Nyeh!?

K1B0: A crossbow arrow would certainly leave a hole that small. Can we then conclude that Momota was shot with that crossbow? If so, then that crossbow might have been the actual weapon used to kill Momota--

Yumeno: I-I see! It's so surprising that a crossbow was the murder weapon!

Shirogane: Seriously, Yumeno… what’s wrong?

Ouma?: She probably needs to pee. Anywaaay, about Momota getting shot… If that was his cause of death, then i wonder who shot him with the crossbow. Well, I already know! But i won't tell youuuu!

Shirogane: he’s just… playing with us…

K1B0: then let’s show him that playtime is over. Let’s show him that the students of Hope’s Peak Academy will never submit to despair!

Ouma?: … Hope…? Despair…?

NONSTOP DEBATE

O- I wonder who shot Momota with the crossbow.. O- What a mystery, right guys?

K- Who else but you could have done it?

H- The shot would need to be fired... H- From inside the hangar to hit Momota (Present)

Y- We couldn't go in the hangar! Y- The alarm system and electric barrier were in the way!

S- If we couldn't go in the hangar... S- And Ouma was in there, then he must be the one!

O- I see, so I'm the culprit!

Saihara: (Momota would have been in there, but the murder weapon was a crossbow… Knowing that, we should be able to visualize the murder…)

Present - Bathroom window

Saihara: Even without going in the hangar, it was possible to land a shot with the crossbow. There was a window in the bathroom of the hangar. Maybe it wasn't possible to get in, but you could have shot through the window. And remember that Momota was confined to the bathroom.

Ouma?: So if they shot Momota through the window, they could've killed him in the hangar. Which means, the murder suspect list grows to six people, including me!

Yumeno: Nyeh!? What did you say!?

Shirogane: But… put plainly, that means…

Harukawa: it seems Saihara wants to make one of us the culprit. Is that it? ...Is that what a detective does?

Saihara: ...Huh?

Harukawa: Do detectives always accuse people, even when they're friends? ...It seems like it. You suspected Momota in the previous class trial, too. You're always suspicious of your friends.

Saihara: …

Shirogane: Wh-what’s wrong, Harukawa? You seem like you're kind of on edge…

Harukawa: Of course I am. When we said we would defeat the Remnants of Despair, *someone* got in our way.

Saihara: no, you don't understand, I'm not trying to--

Harukawa: It doesn't matter how much you get in my way, i will absolutely defeat Ouma. I won't let despair escape… i won't let it win…

Ouma?: Now, now! Let’s stop this boring fight and continue on with the not-so-boring trial! So we all agree that the murder could be done by anyone and not just me, right?

Yumeno: Th-that might be true, but… I… didn't know about the window…

K1B0: Neither did I…

Shirogane: Really, Yumeno. What’s the matter? You’ve been weird since we mentioned small holes.

Yumeno: Wh-what!? Are you after my small hole too!?

Shirogane: See? Now that’s definitely weird.

Ouma?: Look at it this way-- just because the culprit could be anyone, not everyone is a suspect. We can pretty much narrow it down to anyone who knew about the crossbow.

Yumeno: I never knew about any crossbows! I-in other words, I'm not suspicious! So you can't consider me--

K1B0: it does concern me that Yumeno went to the hangar last night.

Yumeno: Nyeh!?

Ouma?: Whoa, really? You went to the hangar, Yumeno?

K1B0: Yes, she did. I definitely saw her.

Yumeno: Y-you were watching me?

Ouma?: it’s awfully suspicious that you went to the hangar last night… Okay, then the culprit is Yumeno!

Yumeno: W-wait, don't say it’s me! Harukawa’s more suspicious than I am!

Harukawa: ...What?

Yumeno: Th-Th-That crossbow came from your research lab, right? Y-you could’ve gotten that crossbow whenever you wanted!

Shirogane: Anyone could’ve gone to her research lab, though. She’s not the only suspect.

Yumeno: I-I dunno about that! She’s...  d-definitely the most suspicious!

Harukawa: …

Yumeno: E-even if you make that scary face at me… I-I’m not gonna get scared…

Ouma?: Cuz if you start panicking , then we’ll know that you're the culprit!

Yumeno: I said I'm not the c-culprit! I swear! O-Ouma’s the suspicious one! Harukawa too! They're both the culprits!

Harukawa: Why am i a suspect? Anyone could've entered my research lab.

Ouma?: Yeah, I'll admit that I'm suspicious! O-kay! Maybe i am the culprit!

MASS PANIC

<Yumeno’s segment>

Y- I went to the hangar, but... Y- I was only replenishing my magic!

S- What do you mean, replenishing your magic?

Y- There’s a good source of magic around there. Y- So i went empty-handed... (Present) Y- And i left empty-handed

<Ouma?’s segment>

O- I'm the number one suspect

K- “you are the culprit...” K- then explain the crossbow

O- that thing doesn't matter at all… O- I'm the number one suspect! O- I'm the one who shot Momota!

<Harukawa’s segment>

H- Why am i being treated like the culprit? H- The crossbow at the crime scene H- Did not come from me.

S- Anyone could've gotten it from her research lab!

K- Then who actually did?

H- Ouma did, of course.

Present - K1B0’s account

Saihara: you said that you went to the hangar empty-handed, but that’s a lie, isn't it?

Yumeno: Wh-what are you talking about…? It’s… not a lie…

Saihara: But Kiibo saw you. He said you were headed toward the hangar, carrying a large black bag.

K1B0: Yes, Yumeno was definitely carrying a large black bag…

Yumeno: N-no! That was probably… Shirogane cosplaying as me!

Shirogane: You know i can't cosplay as someone unless they're a fictional character!

Saihara: Yumeno… This is the bag you were carrying, isn't it?

Harukawa: that’s… the crossbow case!

K1B0: there’s no mistake. That is the bag i saw Yumeno carrying.

Yumeno: Nyeh… Nyeeeh!

Shirogane: what!? Hold on! Yumeno went to the hangar with a crossbow!?

Yumeno: Nyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!!!

Ouma?: Uh-ooohh! Welp, it’s decided then.

Yumeno: W-Wait! That’s wrong! I just brought it there… I-I didn't shoot it! It’s the truth! Please believe me!

Ouma?: You're right-- I believe you! Yumeno is totally telling the truth!

Yumeno: Not you! If you believe me, it makes me look like I'm lying!

Saihara: (...That...is true... But can we really trust Yumeno here? She was acting very suspiciously…)

NONSTOP DEBATE

Y- I'm not the culprit!

O- Yeah, I totally agree

Y- I only carried the case

O- Yep-yep, that’s true too!

Y- i didn't even use the crossbow… (Present)

O- Mh-hm! another true statement!

Y- And that's all! I didn't do anything else at the hangar!

O- One hundred percent exactamundo!

S- Why does this all sound so fishy...?

Y- Nyeeeh! Cuz Ouma won't shut up! Y- Get out of my head, Ouma!

Saihara: (To hit Momota with the crossbow, you’d have to be fairly good with it.. Could Yumeno have done this? That’s the question…)

Present - Crossbow

Saihara: I don't think Yumeno used the crossbow. More accurately… she couldn't use it.

Shirogane: Couldn't use it? Why not?

Saihara: the crossbow inside this case was disassembled. Momota and I learned how to assemble the crossbow from Harukawa, so we could have done it. But I don't believe someone without the proper training could have assembled it.

Ouma?: Well… what if Harukawa taught Yumeno how to assemble the crossbow?

Yumeno: Sh-she didn't teach me that! Right, Harukawa?

Harukawa: …

Yumeno: wh-what’s wrong? Are you… mad about before?

Harukawa: …

Yumeno: S-sorry… I thought they were gonna suspect me, so… I lied.

Ouma?: I really have to question your morals if you're blaming Harukawa for your lie, Yumeno!

Shirogane: I don't think you're allowed to say something like that…

Yumeno: I'm sorry, Harukawa… please… can you tell them the truth?

Harukawa: Fine… I'm not going to lie. I didn't teach Yumeno how to assemble the crossbow. She couldn't have used it.

Yumeno: See! I told you! Just like i said! Everyone who suspected me needs to apologize right now!

Shirogane: She changed back so fast… I think I might have whiplash now…

K1B0: Then… why did you bring the crossbow to the hangar, Yumeno?

Yumeno: I… was asked to.

Saihara: (Asked to…? Perhaps the person who asked was…)

Select - Kaito Momota

Saihara: was it… Momota?

Shirogane: Huh? Momota?

Saihara: Only Momota or Ouma would have asked for a crossbow to be brought to the hangar. Because Momota knows how to assemble the crossbow, he certainly could have used it. Knowing that… I can't imagine that anyone else would have asked Yumeno.

K1B0: I do not think she would bring it at Ouma’s request…

Yumeno: Of course not! Why would I ever listen to Ouma!?

Ouma?: Cuz i know you like meeee.

Yumeno: Nuh-uh! I hate you!

Ouma?: But i like you.

Yumeno: Nyeh!?

Shirogane: Hey! Don't play with Yumeno’s heart!

Saihara: (But to think that Momota asked Yumeno to do that… Maybe Momota is trying to keep the promise we made yesterday…)

-Flashback-

Momota: Don't worry! I'll do something about all this! That’s a promise! All you guys are working so hard, so I can't just sit back and relax!

-Flash forward-

K1B0: But why were you keeping that a secret, Yumeno?

Yumeno: Well, Momota… sorta asked me to keep it a secret… Then Momota died and… I got scared. I thought i was gonna be next.

Ouma?: you're the worst for trying to pin the blame on Harukawa just for that reason! Harukawa, teach this dumb monkey the true terror of human beings!

Yumeno: Don't bully the person you like!

Shirogane: This is way beyond bullying a grade school crush…

Saihara: Yumeno, when exactly did Momota ask you to do this?

Yumeno: Ummm… I think it was around evening yesterday.

I was so nervous about fighting Ouma, I couldn't get to sleep… So i took a walk near the hangar, and that’s when Momota called out to me. I got startled, and wet myself a little, and then he asked me to get him a crossbow.

Shirogane: Umm… that one part was, uh… You know what? Never mind. So if Momota asked for a crossbow, does that mean he was going to kill Ouma?

Yumeno: No, he said it was to disable Ouma. I wouldn't have helped him otherwise. I trusted Momota and took a crossbow from Harukawa’s lab.

K1B0: That’s when i witnessed Yumeno.

Shirogane: But then, what did Momota do after he had the crossbow?

Yumeno: i dunno. I just handed him the crossbow then went right back to the dorms.

K1B0: Presumably, Momota tried to attack Ouma, only to be disarmed of the crossbow… And then, Ouma returned fire and shot Momota. That sequence seems logical.

Saihara: No, it happened a little differently. Both Momota and Ouma shot the crossbow. (And there’s proof of that…)

Select - Ouma’s Clothes

Saihara: Remember that when we found Ouma’s clothes, there were holes in the back and sleeve. The same kind of hole that was found in Momota’s coat.

Yumeno: So Ouma was shot by the crossbow, too?

Shirogane: Then it was Momota who shot him, right?

Ouma?: Hmmm, I'm not suuure. I don't remember anything like thaaat.

Shirogane: you don't remember whether or not you were shot…?

K1B0: There is no doubt that they shot each other with the crossbow, but--

Harukawa: It doesn't matter.

K1B0: ...Huh?

Harukawa: It doesn't matter what happened in between. In the end, Ouma killed Momota.

Saihara: … (Harukawa’s been acting strangely… But why? Does she know something? If so… what does she know?)

Yumeno: Maybe Harukawa’s right. It doesn't matter what happened in the middle. Cuz in the end, there’s no mistake that Ouma killed Momota.

Harukawa: Then, let’s hurry up and vote--

Saihara: No, it’s too soon. There are still mysteries--

Harukawa: who cares about that? We already know who the culprit is.

Monokuma: You sure about that?

Harukawa: ...Huh?

Yumeno: What? Now he’s joining in?

Monokuma: As the one running this trial, it bothers me when anyone says mysteries don't matter. It affects the overall entertainment value, so i encourage you to reaaaally think about things. After all, there should be some mysteries that still matter… For example, is Ouma really inside that Exisal? Stuff like that…

Saihara: ...What?

Ouma?: …

Harukawa: What are you saying? We already finished that discussion a while ago.

Yumeno: Ouma’s gotta still be alive, since the killing game’s still going. His voice is even coming from the Exisal and everything.

Monokuma: But we heard it speak in Momota’s voice earlier, didn't we?

Momota?: Yeah, don't rely on that. After all, this Exisal has a voice changer.

Saihara: (...It what?)

Momota?: Hah! Cuz of that, nobody realizes I'm pretending to be Ouma! But no more! Sorry for the wait, guys! The Luminary of the Stars has arrived! This time for real!

Yumeno: Wh-what? What’s going on?

Momota?: I told you, I'm Momota. I was just pretending to be Ouma is all. There’s a bit of a situation going on, so I didn't really have a choice… Sorry about tricking you guys like that. My bad!

Shirogane: Huh? So Momota’s in there after all?

Harukawa: ...Don't be stupid. How many times are you going to be tricked by him? That's Ouma pretending to be Momota.

Momota?: Hey now, Harumaki. Don't you believe me?

Harukawa: Don't… *ever*... call me that!

Momota?: Whoa there! Chill! You really think I'm Ouma? I mean, i guess i understand. Sorry, I can't really get outta this thing right now.

K1B0: Why not?

Momota?: I can't move cuz of the injury i got from Ouma… Its so bad i cant even stand. That's why I'm in this exisal.

Yumeno: I-Is that so…?

Momota?: But if you guys don't believe me, then we can't move on… So, you're up, Saihara!

Saihara: What!? Me!?

Momota?: Explain to everyone how I wasn't the one that died!

Saihara: … (Momota is alive after all… No… maybe… that’s just what I want to believe. Is it really true? What story does the evidence tell? Does that story end with Momota or Ouma being the victim? I need to give a well-reasoned answer to that question, and soon. ...I can't look away from the truth.)

Select - Momota

Saihara: (I'm trying, i really am, but I can't think of anyone other than Momota. Most of the evidence we have points towards him being dead…)

Momota?: What’s wrong, Saihara? Just go ahead and tell everyone how I'm not dead. Should be easy!

Saihara: No… I won't. Because you're not Momota. Momota is already dead!

-Monokuma interjects-

Monokuma: Puhuhuhu! Good, good! This is already more entertaining! Now, the Ultimate Academy is proud to present its very own morphenomenal trial grounds!

Alright! Let’s give it everything we’ve got!

SPLIT OPINION - SCRUM DEBATE

Which is dead? Exisal , injury, crushed, arrow hole, mastermind, alive

Saihara: I don't… want to believe it… In a way, I still can’t… But the evidence… The evidence shows that Momota must be the one who died. I hate it… I hate it so much, but it’s the truth.

Momota?: …

K1B0: I see. If that’s the conclusion you've arrived at, Saihara, then there must be no mistake.

Shirogane: Then, the one here is…

Momota?: Heh, looks like I messed around too much.

Ouma?: Soooorry! That was just a little joke!

Yumeno: Wh-what a sick joke!

Harukawa: You're still an asshole…

Saihara: True, and I can’t forgive him… but we still need to stay calm, be rational. Because we need to get to the truth of Momota’s death.

Monokuma: Y-y-y-yeah! Just keep calm and carry on!

Yumeno: Why are you saying that!? And what part of that was calm!?

K1B0: Getting back on topic… Why don't we examine the crossbow a little more closely? I think we need to get all the facts straight so we don't fall for any more lies.

Shirogane: I agree, but… what do you think, Harukawa?

Harukawa: … ...Fine.

Ouma?: O-kay! Let’s discuss that then!

Yumeno: Why are you acting like you're in charge of things?

Ouma?: So, if we assume that Momota and I shot each other with the crossbow… ...Then the most efficient way to solve this is to set up a timeline of events!

Yumeno: Hey! I said, why are you--

Ouma?: Alrighty then! Let the debate begiiiin!

NONSTOP DEBATE

O- When the crossbow fired... O- What was even going on?

Y- As if you even need to ask, you were there!

S- The crossbow was in Momota’s possession first... S- So he probably fired the first shot at Ouma, too!

K- Then Ouma disarmed Momota, took the crossbow.. K- And returned fire!

O- I didn't take the crossbow from Momota! O- I secretly brought a different one!

H- But only one crossbow was missing... H- The other two are still in my lab.

Y- And only one shot was fired (Present) Y- So how could they both shoot each other?

O- By the way, crossbow shots hurt a lot! O- My wound is still aching something fierce!

Saihara: (...What? ...What was that just now? I feel like that goes against the information I have.)

Present - Three arrows

Saihara: Wait, Yumeno… what do you mean one arrow?

Yumeno: Nyeh? Well, I only gave Momota one arrow, so…

Saihara: (...What?) Are you positive?

Yumeno: Of course! There’s no way I got that wrong!

Saihara: Well then, that’s strange because… ...there were three arrows in the bathroom, remember?

Yumeno: Nyeh!? Three!? I know I only gave him one! Momota even told me to only bring him one. He said he wanted to avoid fighting.

Saihara: (there were three arrows at the scene, but Yumeno said she only brought one. What is going on here?)

Shirogane: Um… Maybe Ouma had some hidden away?

K1B0: Why would Ouma have two arrows when he didn't have a crossbow to fire them?

Saihara: But we know for certain that three arrows were recovered from the scene… ...and all three arrows had blood on them.

K1B0: And altogether, their clothes had three perforations in them. So we know for certain that they shot three arrows at each other…

Saihara: (Then where did those arrows come from? I don't think Yumeno is lying… There must be some angle to this we haven't considered yet… What is it…? What could have happened? Think! I need to think!)

PSYCHE TAXI

How many arrows did Yumeno Give to Momota? 1 Were all the arrows inside the hangar from the start? No Who brought the two arrows? A third party

Saihara: Could it be… that the additional arrows were brought in by a third party?

Shirogane: A third party? So someone besides Ouma or Yumeno?

Harukawa: That’s just a guess, though. There’s no way a third party exists.

Ouma?: if a third party did exist, why would they bring two arrows?

Yumeno: Momota was the only one with a crossbow. I made sure i handed it to him…

Saihara: Momota said he only needed one arrow. Clearly, he didn't want a fight.

Yumeno: Yeah, that’s right.

Saihara: So, the other two arrows weren’t for Momota… They were for the third party to use themselves.

Ouma?: So, the third party didn't hand the arrows through the window… Instead, they went into the hangar and shot the crossbow themselves?

Harukawa: impossible. There was an alarm system and an electric barrier around the hangar.

Shirogane: Yeah. That hangar should have been completely closed off, right?

Saihara: (It was completely closed off? But can we confirm that? I feel like there might be another way. Some way that we haven't figured out yet. I'm overlooking something… Think, think… What method did the third party use to enter the hangar?)

Spell - Exisal

Saihara: That’s it… the Exisal! The Exisal could be used to enter the hangar! We couldn't get in because of the alarm system and the electric barrier… ...but that shouldn't have been a problem for any of the Exisals, right? So if you wanted to enter the hangar, all you had to do was pilot an Exisal!

K1B0: I saw an exisal enter the hangar last night… So was this third party piloting it?

Ouma?: by the way, i just wanna confirm something with Monokuma. Would the alarm still go off if there was a person inside an exisal?

Monokuma: well, i wasn't trying to keep this secret, but since it’s about the details of the hangar… ...I guess i can tell you guys. It makes sense that the alarm system and electric barrier wouldn't react to an exisal. After all, the hangar is where the exisals are supposed to be stored. It’d be a hassle to disable the security every time an exisal comes and goes, y’know? So even if someone is inside an exisal, the security system wouldn't catch ‘em. Cuz it’d be a hassle to leave the exisal every time you have to put it away.

Yumeno: So it’s like Saihara said? A third party got in an exisal and entered the hangar?

Shirogane: But… can just anyone pilot an Exisal?

K1B0: ...Well, Ouma?

Ouma?: It's surprisingly easy. If you use both hands, both feet, and both nipples, you can do it.

Yumeno: Nipples, too!?

Saihara: Anyway, this third party commandeered an exisal and infiltrated the hangar. That same person must have brought the other two arrows with them!

Harukawa: I told you, that’s impossible.

Saihara: (...Huh?)

Harukawa: There’s no way you can get through security if you pilot an exisal. It’s… not possible…

Saihara: What? Not possible…?

Harukawa: …

Saihara: (Maki… what are you talking about? What are you thinking? What do you know? Why are you trying to hide it? Why…? Why won't you tell me?)

NONSTOP DEBATE

K- If someone was piloting an exisal K- They could’ve used it to enter the hangar

H- That’s not possible.

S- Is operating the exisal S- Really that difficult?

H- Do you even know how to get inside an exisal? H- There were four exisals outside the hangar... H- And all of them were moving, too.

O- I was controlling them remotely!

K- The electrohammers weren't an option K- Yesterday, they were all still recharging (Present)

H- There was no way to stop an exisal H- So getting inside one would’ve been impossible.

O- You're right, it’s impossible!

Saihara: (it’s not impossible. There is one way to stop an exisal. I have to show them!)

Present - Used electrohammer

Saihara: Wait, not all of the electrohammers were being charged! I know because I found one. There was a used electrohammer near Monokuma and the exisals.

Yumeno: Was that electrohammer used by the third party!? Maybe they used it to disable an Exisal!

Saihara: Yes, i think so. When i saw them last afternoon, there were four Exisals. But this morning, there were only three.

K1B0: I noticed that, too. Was the missing Exisal taken by the third party?

Ouma?: Nishishi… Saihara is getting warmer… How about you say the answer right now? Who did it? Who is the third party?

Saihara: … (The identity of the third party… The electrohammer gives us a clue. I saw four Exisals at the scene yesterday when i went to meet up with Momota. This morning, when we were trying to get into the hangar, there were three. The culprit must have used the electrohammer between yesterday afternoon and this morning. There’s only one person among us that i think could do that…)

Select - Maki Harukawa

Saihara: Harukawa… you're the third party we’re looking for, aren't you?

Shirogane: What!? It’s Harukawa!?

Harukawa: … ...What are you saying?

Saihara: Remember what Ouma said…

-Flashback-

Ouma: But, be careful. The electrohammer runs out of battery pretty quickly. So if you use it against an Exisal, it’ll run out of juice with just one shot, got it?

-Flash forward-

Saihara: the electrohammer needs to be recharged for 24 hours after it runs out of battery. That hammer was used last afternoon, so it couldn't have been used this morning.

Shirogane: Oh, right. When we were all gathered in the dining hall this morning…

-Flashback-

Saihara: Harukawa… where’s your electrohammer?

Harukawa: ...I don't need it. I’d rather not use a weapon I'm unfamiliar with… ...This is much better.

Saihara: A knife? Well… I suppose you know best.

-Flash forward-

Shirogane: Harukawa was the only one without an electrohammer, wasn't she?

Harukawa: …

Saihara: Knowing that, the electrohammer i found could only belong to Harukawa. And that leads me to the conclusion that Harukawa must be the third party.

Harukawa: …

Saihara: She also knows how to assemble the crossbow and could return it to her lab later.

K1B0: You brought a different crossbow than the one Momota had, right?

Harukawa: …

Saihara: Harukawa took two arrows and her own crossbow from her lab… ...disabled the Exisal with an electrohammer, and infiltrated the hangar. Now we just have to figure out what happened after--

-Harukawa interrupts-

Harukawa: Why… are you doing this?

Saihara: (...What?)

Harukawa: Why… are you getting in my way?

Saihara: Getting in your way? Harukawa, what are you--

Harukawa: Yes, I'm the third party.

Saihara: Huh?

Harukawa: I admit going into the hangar with an Exisal, and then shooting the crossbow. But I didn't kill anyone! I'm not the culprit!

Rebuttal Showdown

Wouldn’t result in a fatal injury (Present)

Present - Poison

Saihara: It wouldn't matter where the arrow hit… if it were poisoned.

Shirogane: P-poison?

Saihara: I noticed something about the poison in my lab during the investigation. There was just a little less in the bottle than before. If that poison had been applied to those arrows… They would've been lethal, no matter where they connected.

Harukawa: …

K1B0: ...Harukawa, do you have a rebuttal?

Yumeno: Wh-what’s the matter? Why don't you say anything? Don't tell me… are you… really the culprit?

Shirogane: Th-there’s no way she is! Cuz… why would she kill Momota!?

Harukawa: …

Yumeno: Nyeeeh! I can't understand if you don't explain anything!

Saihara: Harukawa… is still fighting.

Shirogane: Huh? Fighting?

Saihara: Do you remember that Harukawa said she would do anything to defeat Ouma? Harukawa is trying to kill Ouma in this class trial. She wants to kill the mastermind, a Remnant of Despair!

Ouma?: …

K1B0: Then when Harukawa said she would sacrifice anything, she meant…

Saihara: (The sacrifice that Harukawa is talking about must be…) Select - All of us Saihara: She plans to sacrifice all of our lives in order to kill Ouma…

Shirogane: Sacrifice us?

K1B0: Then by hiding the truth, Harukawa was trying to get us to arrive at the wrong answer… Just to kill Ouma, and the rest of us along with him?

Yumeno: So doesn't that mean that Harukawa’s the culprit?

Shirogane: She knew what happened and tried to hide it from us…

Harukawa: …

Ouma?: But that mischievous plan was ruined alllll thanks to Saihara here. Too bad, Harukawa! I already predicted this would happen.

K1B0: You knew all along that Harukawa was the culprit. That’s why you’ve been so calm.

Saihara: This isn't over.

Ouma?: Hmmm?

Saihara: Maybe we do have the truth now, but this isn't over. We have a choice to make. We don't have to follow where the evidence leads.

Shirogane: Huh? What do you mean?

Ouma?: Does this mean… you're gonna vote for someone else, even if it’s not the truth?

K1B0: Someone else… You mean vote incorrectly on purpose!?

Yumeno: Wh-what did you say?

Harukawa: …

Saihara: Momota told me that only I would be able to grasp what lies beyond the truth. That means finding the truth is not enough. We need to grasp the hope just beyond it. So, Harukawa… please tell us the truth! The truth that only you know!

Harukawa: … So Momota… said that to you. Then… does that mean you guys made up before he died?

Saihara: Yeah… When i went to see him yesterday.

Harukawa: I see… … ...Okay, I'll talk about it. Especially since it’s my responsibility for involving everyone. Saihara… you're so persistent. Were you always like that?

Saihara: Ah, you think so? Maybe Momota’s charisma is starting to rub off on me…

Harukawa: That guy… could be pretty stubborn.

K1B0: Then… what really happened?

Shirogane: Harukawa, please tell us.

Yumeno: Please!

Harukawa: …

Monokuma: And so, Harukawa began telling the truth. A truth that would leave us all in shock!

Yumeno: Don't just start narrating things! You're ruining the mood!

Ouma?: … Well… I guess this turn of events isn't exactly boring either.

-INTERMISSION-

(In the Monokuma & Cubs theater he basically just says that he can't do the theater without the kubs. I don't feel it necessary to fully transcribe)

-IN SESSION-

Harukawa: The flashback light became the motive. When Ouma remembered that he was a Remnant of Despair, I planned to kill him… I thought that if I killed him, this game… and the battle between hope and despair… would end. I was confident in my talent as an assassin. I knew I would be able to do it.

Shirogane: We’ve tried to end this killing game before, but…

Harukawa: ...We were naive.

Shirogane: Huh?

Harukawa: That’s what i thought. I knew Ouma would take advantage of my naivete, simply because it’s him.

Ouma?: Nishishi… Harukawa totally gets me.

Harukawa: That's why i needed to settle it myself. I took the poison arrows and the crossbow… ...and broke into the hangar with an Exisal. But when i entered the hangar, I saw something i never expected. Momota and Ouma were fighting each other. Ouma was shot in the arm with a crossbow arrow, probably by Momota when he fought back. Both of them stopped and looked at the Exisal, most likely surprised by its sudden appearance. Ouma immediately took out his remote and attempted to control the Exisal i was in. I jumped out of the Exisal before he could, and shot Ouma in the back with an arrow. That should’ve been enough to stop him, since the arrow was coated in poison.

Saihara: The strike-9 poison, correct? But why that particular poison? Some of the poisons in my lab were far more lethal…

Harukawa: ...I wanted Ouma to confess his true intentions before he died. And find out why he was always lying and trying to confuse us.

Yumeno: What do you mean?

Harukawa: If he was the mastermind, it would’ve been easier for him to hide in the shadows, right? He could’ve made it seem as if the late Junko was secretly behind this killing game. That way, he could reveal himself as the “surprise mastermind” to liven up the game. Because of his suspicious actions, anyone would already suspect him as the mastermind. Especially with that message in the courtyard… Ouma said it was a hint, but was it necessary for him to go out of his way just for a hint?

K1B0: As a Remnant of Despair, I imagine he wanted to feel the despair of his plan being thwarted.

Harukawa: I think that if he wanted the thrill, he would’ve carried out the plan carefully. So when his carefully laid out plan goes to waste, he would be in utter despair.

Yumeno: Nyeh… That’s a good point.

Saihara: Harukawa must have wanted to hear it directly from Ouma himself…

Harukawa: But it was pointless. I was a fool for thinking I could have a serious talk with him.

-Flashback-

(Harukawa has her crossbow pointed at Ouma, who looks to be in pain and has two arrows sticking out of himself. He’s kneeling in front of her.) Ouma: Wh-what are you... talking about…? Remnants of Despair… what’s that…? I-I don't understand… anything… you're saying… But a-anyway… why are you… starting up the k-killing game… when it should've ended? Y-you already… know it’s all meaningless… and th-that I'm the mastermind… Do you… love killing that much?

Harukawa: ...Shut up, you asshole! I realized it was pointless to continue the conversation, so i shot the final arrow. But then…

-Momota lunges in front of Ouma- Momota: Grk!

Harukawa: What?

-Flash forward-

Saihara: Momota… protected Ouma!?

Yumeno: Wh-why? Why would Momota protect Ouma?

Harukawa: At that moment, my mind went blank. I knew I had to do something about the poison. I rushed to Saihara’s research lab for the antidote.

Saihara: So you didn't have the antidote with you at the time…

Harukawa: I used strike-9 poison to torture Ouma for info, but I planned to kill him from the start.

Ouma?: Ah-haha! That’s sooo mean!

Harukawa: But that was my first mistake. Because of that… …

Shirogane: You what…?

Harukawa: ...I ended up killing Momota.

Saihara: …

Harukawa: When i returned with the antidote, the hangar shutter had been closed. I assumed it was Ouma’s doing. But because of that, I couldn't enter the hangar anymore. I needed to give Momota the antidote somehow, so i went to the bathroom window.

-Flashback-

Harukawa: Momota, can you hear me!? Quick! Drink this antidote!

-Flash forward-

Harukawa: After calling out to him, I chucked the antidote through the bathroom window. Momota noticed it and grabbed the antidote… But… Ouma stole it from him.

-Flashback-

Ouma: Sorry… but I can't die here… Since I’m… the mastermind of this killing game…

Harukawa: Wait! There’s only one antido--

Ouma: Oh… you don't have to worry about Momota. He fulfilled his dream, right? He already… went to space.

Momota: Tch… damn it!

Harukawa: S-stop!!!

Ouma: Phew! I feel so much better! I guess that’s a wrap… ...or maybe not. Because now another class trial is going to start.

Harukawa: Class trial…?

Ouma: You’ll be the blackened for this case, y’know? The blackened who killed Momota.

Harukawa: I...I killed…?

Momota: Shut it! Screw the class trials! Like hell am I gonna let you have your way!

Harukawa: Momota! Why did you protect Ouma!? If you didn't help him, then--

Momota: I couldn't help it… Even if it’s Ouma… I-I can’t have you kill anybody!

Harukawa: ...What?

Ouma: Awww… Momota wasn't protecting me… He was protecting Harukawa! … The situation just got way worse, huh? Harukawa is gonna become the blackened responsible for killing you… all because you protected me.

Harukawa: …

Momota: D-don’t you worry, Harumaki. I'm not gonna die that easily… Just leave it to me. I'll put an end to this killing game!

Ouma: Ah-haha… you're still full of energy, even like that… You really are… not boring.

Momota: What?

Ouma: Nishishi… I wanna see what a dying Momota can do. So show me what you've got! I won't meddle with your plans!

Harukawa: What are you--!?

Momota: Don't mind me… Run, Harumaki! Just… hurry up and run… Run… ...and live! You gotta live!

-Flash forward-

Harukawa: But, i refused to give up… I tried to enter the hangar by breaking the control panel with my knife… In the end… I couldn't…

Yumeno: So that's where the marks on the control panel came from, huh?

Saihara: …

Harukawa: After that, I returned to the bathroom window once more, but I didn't see anyone. The bathroom door was closed. I called out, but neither Momota nor Ouma answered… I couldn't do anything anymore… All I could do… was leave. That's when I made up my mind. As the blackened who killed Momota, I would kill Ouma during this class trial… ...in exchange for all of your lives.

Shirogane: So… that’s what happened…

K1B0: Then Ouma, knowing what he knew, still helped Harukawa cover up her crime?

Yumeno: Was that why you smushed Momota in the hydraulic press?

Ouma?: Momota wanted Harukawa to be spotless. As his friend, I felt obliged to help him.

Harukawa: How dare you… make fun of him! You call yourself a friend…? You enjoyed watching us suffer! You… fuckin’ asshole!

Ouma?: Ooohh, Harukawa is so scaaary. Good thing I'm in this Exisal. Pretty sure Harukawa would've already killed me if I was out there in the flesh.

Harukawa: …

Ouma?: So… what are everyone’s plans now? With the truth out in the open, who are you guys gonna vote for? You can vote for me, but if you do we’ll all die together. Or vote for Harukawa and live. Welp, choose whichever you want. I don't care either way.

Yumeno: Why…? Why are you so calm? Your life depends on this, too!

Ouma?: Who cares? Just choose already. C’mon, who are you gonna vote for?

Saihara: No, we can't vote yet. ...We don't have the whole truth. This case isn't over!

Ouma?: ...Huh?

Saihara: Thank you for telling us everything, Harukawa. Thanks to you, i finally understand… There’s another hidden truth within your testimony.

Harukawa: ...A hidden truth?

Saihara: Yes, I'm positive. Because there’s something wrong with the testimony you've given us. (The part of Harukawa’s testimony that doesn't add up…)

Select - Control panel being damaged

Saihara: Harukawa said she used the knife to try and break the control panel and enter the hangar… But that doesn't make sense, because there is an alarm system on the shutter.

Shirogane: Oh yeah! The alarm should’ve gone off if someone got close to the shutter!

Harukawa: I was too focused to notice at the time, but now that you mention it, it is odd.

Yumeno: Maybe the sensor just missed her?

Monokuma: Nah, the security there isn't that sloppy. If a shady person got near the shutter, the alarm would've gone off without question.

Harukawa: Then why didn't the alarm go off…?

Saihara: Like I told you, this isn't over. There's still a hidden truth to find. (That's right, there must be some kind of reason behind all these oddities. Finding that reason will help us find the hidden truth!)

NONSTOP DEBATE

H- I did attempt to enter the hangar H- And I tried to destroy the control panel with my knife H- At the time the alarm system didn't go off

K- If you had approached the shutter... K- The alarm system would have gone off with 100% certainty. (Present)

Y- Maybe it was just broken

S- Perhaps it was turned to a special setting?

O- Or maybe Harukawa is just telling a lie… O- Did you really try to destroy the control panel with your knife?

H- I’m not going to tell any more lies.

Saihara: (It seemed like the alarm system itself was working properly... So what can we learn from that?)

Present - Electrobomb

Saihara: There is a way to disable the alarm system. An electrobomb would take it down.

K1B0: But Harukawa only had one bomb, and she used it during the raid this morning…

Shirogane: Then the only other person who could’ve used one is Ouma, right?

Ouma?: Huuuh? Why would I use an Electrobomb? I had no reason to shut off the alarm, right? I’d be at a disadvantage if I did that.

Yumeno: I guess so… I can't come up with a reason why Ouma would wanna cut the alarm.

Saihara: (But we know the alarm system was neutralized. It had to be. In that case, then…) I've got it! Disabling the alarm system wasn't the real objective!

Shirogane: What?

Saihara: (The main objective of Ouma using an Electrobomb was…) Select - Disable press’ safety function. Saihara: It was to deactivate the safety function on the press!

Harukawa: Deactivate… the safety function?

Saihara: The electrobomb wouldn't have just taken down the alarm system… ...It also would have disabled the hydraulic press’s safety function!

Yumeno: That’s true, but… why would he do that?

Saihara: There’s only one reason that anyone would want to do that… But if I'm right, it means that we’ve been thinking about this all wrong!

Harukawa: All wrong…?

Saihara: (What aspect of this case runs contrary to the new evidence?) Select - Momota’s cause of death Saihara: ...Momota’s cause of death.

Harukawa: ...What?

Saihara: If the electrobomb was used while Harukawa was trying to deliver the antidote… Maybe Momota didn't die by poison. It could be something else entirely. (Yes, the cause of death could now be…) Select - Hydraulic Press Saihara: The hydraulic press! Momota could've been killed by the press after all!

Shirogane: What!? He could’ve!?

Saihara: If the safety was off, the press could have crushed Momota while he was still alive.

Harukawa: Right after i threw the antidote, I tried to open the shutter… So… Momota should've still been alive!

K1B0: And if he was crushed by the hydraulic press after that, then we have our cause of death!

Yumeno: If that's the case, it’d mean the one who killed Momota wasn't Harukawa…

Saihara: It would be whoever was operating the hydraulic press… Ouma!

Ouma?: … I see… very impressive. The hydraulic press *could* have been the cause of death. But that’s… just a possibility.

Saihara: What do you mean?

Ouma?: it’s possible that I killed Momota with the press, but there’s no way to know. Momota’s death could have been either the poison arrow or the hydraulic press. Both causes are possible, but you'll never be able to determine it… ...No matter what.

Shirogane: No matter what?

Yumeno: Th-that’s not true! We can probably solve this mystery, too! Right, Saihara?

Saihara: … (Is it really possible to determine Momota’s actual cause of death?) Select - It’s not possible. Saihara: I hate to admit it, but Ouma is right. We have no way to prove the cause of death.

Yumeno: Wh-what did you say!?

Ouma?: You can't check the body, and you don't have any conclusive evidence… You can't deduce any more from here on out. There’s no way to know what happened. ...But I know, cuz I was actually involved.

Saihara: ...Ah! So that’s what you were trying to do… You were trying to commit an unsolvable murder!

Ouma?: Nishishi… Do you finally get it? Yup, that was my plan. The gimmick of this murder case isn't the unknown victim… But rather, the unknowable culprit! No one understands but me! Only *I* know the answer! There’s no more room for deduction here! Choose the culprit with your own intuition!

K1B0: I-intuition?

Ouma?: Nishishi… Are you troubled? I'm sure robots don't have intuition, right? But there’s nothing you can do about it. This is just how the trial goes. So… who is the culprit? Harukawa or me…? The heart-racing excitement as the blackened and the spotless face off! It’s… VOTING TIME!!!

Select - Any, it doesn't matter

Monokuma: Hey! That's my line! I'm the one who decides when it’s Voting Time!

Ouma?: Aw, c’mon… No one’s gonna figure out the truth. Let’s just vote already. This won't be a problem, right, Monokuma? Cuz you know who the culprit is, don't you? ...Just like you always do.

Monokuma: ...Eh? … Y-yes… of course…

Yumeno: Nyeh? What kind of a reaction is that?

Monokuma: Th-The culprit, you say? Ah, y-yes… of c-course I know…

K1B0: Hm? Why do you seem so flustered?

Monokuma: F-Flustered? Me? Hahahaha! What are you talking about?

Saihara: (...What’s going on with Monokuma right now…?) Monokuma… do you not know who the culprit is either!?

Monokuma: Huh!? Whaddaya mean I don't know!? Uh, what don't I know, huh!?

Harukawa: ...You don't know, do you?

Monokuma: …

Yumeno: What does this mean!? Why doesn't Monokuma know who the culprit is!?

Saihara: (Monokuma… doesn't know who the culprit is either? If Monokuma doesn't know, what does that tell us about this case…? Wait… this case?) Yes, that's it! So that’s what Ouma’s real objective was!

Shirogane: Huh? What are you talking about?

Saihara: Ouma wasn't just trying to commit a murder that we couldn't figure out… He was trying to commit a murder that Monokuma couldn't figure out, either!

Harukawa: ...A murder Monokuma couldn't figure out?

Ouma?: …

Yumeno: But what’s the point of that? Ouma’s the one who’s controlling Monokuma!

Saihara: But consider how many elements of this case would be cleared up. Prior to this case, Monokuma always knew the specific details of each crime, correct? That must mean that he was using some way of monitoring us…

K1B0: Perhaps there are hidden cameras, strategically placed to avoid our detection…

Saihara: I can’t say for certain, but he must be keeping watch somehow. Ouma probably used the electrobomb to scramble whatever that was. The electrobomb *would* prevent any cameras from sending video wirelessly.

Harukawa: Which means, it wouldn't matter where the surveillance cameras were hidden.

Yumeno: Like I said, what’s the point!? Ouma’s the one who’s controlling Monokuma!

Saihara: Before we determine that for sure, I want to make one thing clear. If the objective were to create a crime that would stump Monokuma, the Exisals… Yes… the Exisals weren't protecting Monokuma, they were… Select - watching him Saihara: They were watching Monokuma.

Shirogane: Watching him!?

Saihara: Yes. Remember what Monokuma said earlier in the investigation?

-Flashback-

Monokuma: Oh, at the time, the Exisals were on auto-pilot and directed to only observe me.

-Flash forward-

Saihara: If they were protecting him like bodyguards, they wouldn't have been facing him. They would have been scanning the area, watching us. But they weren't. That implies that they weren't watching us, they were watching *him*. They were trying to make sure that Monokuma wouldn't go near the crime scene

Harukawa: That reminds me… before I stole an Exisal, all four units were focused on Monokuma. That's why when i stole one to enter the hangar, the other three didn’t pursue me.

Saihara: So Monokuma must have been talking about Harukawa…

-Flashback-

Monokuma: Even if it puts someone at a disadvantage, the class trial must always be fair. The person who shared that info with me didn't seem interested in sharing it with you guys… So you share it instead! That way, it'll be fair to all the participants!

-Flash forward-

Saihara: She didn't want to share that information because it would’ve linked her to the murder. In which case… It could only be Harukawa.

Harukawa: ...You’re right.

K1B0: Um, so… to summarize this discussion… Ouma used the electrobomb in the hangar, and the exisals to watch Monokuma… Thereby creating a scenario in which Monokuma has no idea who the culprit is?

Yumeno: I told you there’s no point! Ouma’s the one who's controlling Monokuma!

Saihara: No, Ouma might not be controlling Monokuma at all!

Yumeno: Wh-What!?

Shirogane: But Ouma’s the mastermind, right!? Shouldn't he be controlling Monoku--

Saihara: Ouma might not be the mastermind!

Yumeno: Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-What!?

Saihara: Remember that the only reason we think that, is because Ouma told us. Monokuma hasn't said a word about that. It's possible that Ouma is just lying to us.

Ouma?: Ah-hahahaha! No way I lied! I'm definitely controlling Monokuma. The mastermind of the killing game is totally me. The one who pitted humanity’s last survivors against each other is… all me, baby!

Yumeno: That’s right! He’s a Remnant of Despair! How’d we forget that?

Saihara: But that doesn't necessarily mean that he’s the mastermind.

Shirogane: Umm...well...I guess. But is that really possible?

Harukawa: ...Well, Monokuma?

Monokuma: … I can't answer that without causing problems, cuz I gotta run this trial fair and squa--

Saihara: Even more reason to give us the answer! If you don't tell us the truth right now, you'll be an accomplice to Ouma’s lies. Does that sound like a fair game? Would you say this class trial is fair?

Shirogane: Yeah, tell us! Is Ouma the real mastermind or not!?

Ouma?: No need to think about it. You're being way too forward, y’know?

Monokuma: Aren't you normally the forward one?

Saihara: (...Ah!)

Monokuma: I mean, I don't mind cuz that's probably part of your strategy, too… But, in the interest of fairness, I suppose it’s time to tell the truth. Unlike the lies you love so much, the truth should be impartial to everyone.

Ouma?: …

Harukawa: ...And what *is* that truth?

Monokuma: I'm not being controlled by Ouma. Cuz he’s not the mastermind.

Yumeno: Wh-Wh-Wh-WHA-WHA-WHA-WHAAAAAAAAAT!?

Shirogane: Is that… really true?

Monokuma: Ouma Was just messing with you. I never once said he was the mastermind.

K1B0: Then it was all Ouma’s lie!?

Monokuma: Yeah, that is what that would mean. With the key from the last motive, he was the first to learn the truth of the outside world… Based on his deductions, he fabricated a lie to make you all think he was the mastermind.

Saihara: I see. Ouma’s own deductions…

-Flashback-

Ouma: Do you wanna know? Then I'll tell you. I'm getting kinda bored with all the lying, so everything I say now will be the truth, ‘kay?

-Flash forward-

Monokuma: His deductions got a lot of details right, though. Pretty impressive, honestly.

Ouma?: …

Yumeno: But, what about the Exisals!? If Ouma wasn't the mastermind, how’d he control them so easily?

Monokuma: He just used Iruma’s remote control, right?

Saihara: (Iruma’s remote control…?) So the remote that Ouma was using was made by Iruma?

Monokuma: Oh, you didn't know? Iruma not only invented the electrobomb and the electrohammer… She also made a remote control that can hijack any electronic device. Ouma just slapped a receiver on each of the exisals and took them for a spin!

Ouma?: Hey, isn't it a bit unfair to tell them all that?

Monokuma: Fairness has nothing to do with it. I offered up that info purely out of spite. Spite towards you, for trying to usurp the mastermind’s role and take over the game!

Ouma?: Well, whatever. It’s way more interesting to defeat an enemy who plays dirty anyway.

Shirogane: Wh-what's going on? It seems like they're… actually fighting…

Saihara: There’s no doubt about it. Ouma isn't the mastermind.

Yumeno: Were we just being dragged around by Ouma’s lies the whole time!?

Shirogane: What were you trying to accomplish by pretending to be the mastermind, Ouma?

Ouma?: …

Yumeno: Nyeh! Now you're gonna be all quiet!? This is so frustrating!

K1B0: Then if he’s not the mastermind, who is!?

Monokuma: Why are you so certain there’s even a mastermind to begin with?

Saihara: (...What?) What do you mean?

Monokuma: Why, that's on a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know.

Yumeno: But I wanna know!

Saihara: (The real mastermind is not Ouma… who could it be? I was thinking it was Junko Enoshima, but that can't be it. She’s dead. We’ve never come into contact with her. If so… who’s done this? Who planned this killing game?)

Monokuma: Anyway, this conversation has flown off the rails. Let's get things back on track. This class trial is to figure out who the culprit is, not the mastermind. So, yeah… Get to talkin’!

Ouma?: I agree. Before we worry about who the mastermind is, or what my intent is… Let's figure out the culprit!

K1B0: But Monokuma doesn't know who it is. How is he supposed to confirm the results?

Ouma?: We don't need to worry about that. Let's just leave the decision-making to Monokuma. But… you gotta run the class trial, too. So no mistakes, okaaaay?

Monokuma: ...Are you tryin’ to get me to do something?

Ouma?: you've been watching us solve all these cases, but you can't be a spectator anymore. You're gonna participate in the class trial from here on out.

Saihara: (Huh?)

Ouma?: So, let's resume this class trial! Monokuma, you gotta use your brain too! This will be the final class trial! Me versus Monokuma!

Saihara: You versus Monokuma?

Ouma?: ...When I play a game, I intend to win. But what’s considered winning in this game? Beating the other players? No… beating the game’s mastermind is the true victory. And that’s how I'll win! That's why I decided to challenge Monokuma! If I can deceive Monokuma till the very end, then I'll be the winner!

Shirogane: You’re dragging us around like this… just so you can win a game?

K1B0: As I suspected… your thought process defies all logic.

Ouma?: But since the outside world is in total ruin, this game is the only entertainment we have… At least I can enjoy this game to the fullest and feel good winning.

Harukawa: You really are a Remnant of Despair… your way of thinking is just chaotic.

Ouma?: … ...Remnant of Despair? Eh, whatevs. Let's just get this started. If the students or Monokuma don't know who the culprit is, that means I win--

Monokuma: Don't underestimate me. Or Saihara and the others for that matter.

Saihara: (...What?)

Monokuma: Puhuhu… It’s just like a Remnant of Despair to try to assume control of the game. But these kids are all that’s left of Hope’s Peak Academy. If you think they're gonna make this easy for you, you better think again!

Yumeno: Who’s side are you taking he--

Monokuma: Side? Isn't it obvious!? ...Monokuma joins your party.

Yumeno: Nyeh!? Who invited you!?

Monokuma: Now, let’s join forces and unravel the truth behind this case!

Shirogane: Well, we were going to do it anyway…

K1B0: Let’s just ignore Monokuma. His actions are always beyond comprehension.

Monokuma: Yeah! Let's just focus on the case!

Yumeno: Hey! Be quiet so we can ignore you!

Monokuma: Now, where should we start? We’ve already established what Ouma is after…

Shirogane: He’s just gonna keep talking anyway, isn't he?

Monokuma: In my experience, whenever you learn a new fact… …You learn something else along with it.

K1B0: Yes, let's look for that!

Yumeno: You warmed up to him real fast… I guess you *are* both robots.

Saihara: (So, another truth comes out… That piece of evidence makes more sense now. The evidence that I couldn't wrap my head around.) Select - Murder Video Saihara: Let’s discuss the video of Momota being crushed by the hydraulic press. Ouma said that he filmed that video to prove he was not the victim. But we know Ouma was just trying to mislead Monokuma, so what about the video? It’s pretty strange to present evidence that condemns you, after all.

Monokuma: Then what kinda mistake was Ouma tryin’ to get me to make?

K1B0: Maybe he crushed Momota with the hydraulic press so the cause of death would be unknown?

Saihara: But if that were the only objective, there would be no need to film it. Discovering the crushed body would have been enough. No need to show us the film.

Monokuma: That’s true.

Yumeno: I guess you're starting to fit in after all. If you get any cuter, I’m gonna hug you!

Shirogane: Huh? Really?

Saihara: There must be a reason you went out of your way to show us the body being crushed.

Ouma?: No reason, really. That's just my twisted personality.

Saihara: (You're lying again, Ouma. There’s a method to your madness. If you wanted Monokuma to make a mistake, then showing us the video… It must have something to do with trying to fool Monokuma. Taking the video of the murder but keeping the victim’s identity hidden… What does it show? What doesn't it show?) Spell - Victim Saihara: ...The victim.

Harukawa: Huh?

Saihara: (Is it even possible? No, that’s a question for later. For now, we know that…) If you show us the moment of Momota’s death, of course it would lead us to believe he died. Even if we can't positively identify the body, we would still believe Momota was the victim. And that might be exactly the mistake Ouma was going for.

K1B0: D-Does that mean the victims were switched!?

Yumeno: Nyeh!? Switched!?

Shirogane: Then it was some other dead body that got crushed by the hydraulic press?

Harukawa: What?

Yumeno: Where would he even get another body!?

K1B0: There should be plenty to choose from if you reuse the body of a former victim--

Ouma?: If there was an unknown body, then we could guess the victim was switched… Ah-hahaha, but too bad! Switching the victims was impossible! The footage showed the body being crushed… When in the footage would they have been able to switch the victim? And we already established that the footage was not doctored in any way. The camera doesn't have any editing functions-- just play, record, and pause. Monokuma also said that no computer was used to edit the footage, remember?

Monokuma: Dammit! Me and my big mouth!

Ouma?: Which means, switching out the victim would not be possible. Also, if the victim was switched, then that would mean Momota is still alive. We already discussed this sooo many times. The chance of that happening is imposs--

Harukawa: ...It might be possible.

Ouma?: Huh?

Harukawa: There could be a trick to make the switch possible. We just haven’t noticed it yet…

Ouma?: Ooohh, and what trick is that?

Harukawa: …

Ouma?: See, you don't know do you? I told you, it’s imposs--

Saihara: Harukawa’s not wrong. There is a way it could be done… So we can't just give up here!

Harukawa: … Hey, Saihara… I’ll think harder about this as well… So… can you confirm whether or not the victim switched places? If Momota is… alive or not?

Saihara: Harukawa…

Harukawa: I don't like the thought that i killed Momota… I don't… want that.

Yumeno: Okay then, let’s talk about the possibility that Harumaki mentioned.

Shirogane: Yumeno, if you call her that again--

Harukawa: ...Yes, please.

Shirogane: Oh… Uh… Okay. Then let’s all talk it over together!

Saihara: (Together…)

-Flashback-

Momota: And don't forget… you're not alone! Don't try to do everything yourself. It's just gonna wear you out. When times are hard, you gotta rely on your friends.

-Flash forward-

Saihara: Yeah… I'm sure we’ll figure something out.

Ouma?: Geez, you guys are a stubborn bunch. There's no trick.

Monokuma: That’s probably another lie.

K1B0: However, if the victims were switched, then that would mean the footage was altered. How could it be altered when we know that the footage wasn't edited?

Shirogane: If we could figure that out, maybe we’d know how they switched places.

Yumeno: i knew there was a trick to that video the whole time!

Ouma made it, so it’s 100% suspicious!

Saihara: (A trick to that video… What could it be? What’s suspicious about it?)

NONSTOP DEBATE

Y- There must be some trick to that video!

M- That’s what you all gotta figure out!

O- There is no trick. O- You can check but you won’t find anything.

S- Did the placement of that camera seem odd to any of you? S- The filming angle seems unnatural, don't you think?

H- The person in that video... H- Was it really Momota?

K- Something seemed off about that video to me.. K- When the hydraulic press stopped for a brief moment. (Agree)

Y- Could it be… Y- The video was shot at another location?

M- Any other bright ideas? M- Come on everybody, speak up!

Saihara: (I feel like someone said something that gives us a clue… If we put our heads together, we can find hope… We won't fall into despair!)

Agree - Hydraulic Press

Saihara: Kiibo is on to something! Isn't it weird that the hydraulic press stopped for a second!? Because when Kiibo and I first investigated that hydraulic press…

K1B0: Yes, that's right! The hydraulic press kept lowering itself without stopping!

Saihara: But in the video…

Harukawa: The hydraulic press stopped briefly… right before it crushed the body!?

Shirogane: But… why would it stop?

Saihara: (Why did the press stop? There's only one reason I can think of.) Mind Mine - Stop Button Saihara: The only way to stop the hydraulic press is the “Force Stop” button.

K1B0: An electrobomb went off in the hangar, which would've interfered with the safety function… There’d be no way to stop the hydraulic press unless someone used the “Force Stop” button.

Harukawa: When you say someone… you mean Ouma, right? He was the only one there.

Ouma?: … Hm, actually… maybe I pressed it by accident? I don't really remember… So what of it? The press only stopped for like, a sec. You can't switch the victim in such a short time, can you?

Yumeno: That's true…

Monokuma: There’s also the question of how the bodies got switched while the camera was rolling. That would've clearly been caught on camera.

Saihara: (While the camera was rolling…) Ah, I see. It wasn't just the press that stopped…

Monokuma: ...Eh? Huh? Whaddaya mean?

Saihara: If you stop something else at the same time you stop the hydraulic press… (Yes, I see it now. That's how the bodies were switched! If you stopped that, you could have swapped the bodies easily…) Mind Mine - Camera Saihara: The culprit stopped the video camera at the same time as the hydraulic press. Then, while the camera was off, they switched the body under the hydraulic press. After the body was swapped, the press and the camera were started simultaneously. So it just looks like the press stopped for a moment.

Monokuma: That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time!

Yumeno: When did you ever say that?

Shirogane: So they stopped at the same time… The camera position did seem odd to me… But now I get it. The trick wouldn't work unless it was set up there.

Monokuma: ...Huh? Why?

Saihara: To get the trick we just described to work, the camera had to be set up precisely. (Let’s pin that down. Where was the camera set up…?) Select - control panel Saihara: The video camera must have been set up somewhere around here. To operate the press and the camera at the same time, it would have to be near the switch.

Shirogane: That’s why the video was taken from that unnatural angle. If they were recording it like normal, they would've used a better angle.

Harukawa: And if it was recorded at such an odd angle, then that proves a trick was used.

Yumeno: Camera angles, huh? Looks like your cosplayer experience is finally useful.

Shirogane: Well, cosplay doesn't really come up all that much in class trials…

Saihara: There was a reason the camera was set up there, but also a reason for the height. When the press was stopped, you couldn’t really see who was inside it, correct? That was intentional. The body was mostly hidden by the press, making the swap easier.

K1B0: The camera must’ve been placed at such a high position so it would produce that angle.

Shirogane: I wonder if they used that tripod in the hangar to adjust the camera’s height.

Monokuma: Did they get that from the warehouse, too? Geez, that place is like a 4D pocket!

Yumeno: You don't get to make that reference…

Harukawa: Then… that logic is correct, right? Ouma used that video angle trick, and switched the victim in the hydraulic press. In that case, Momota is--

Yumeno: Before he was crushed by the press, he was swapped with a different body! So Momota’s still alive!

Saihara: Well, wait just a minute…

Yumeno: What!? But I just summed it up so nicely!

Saihara: … Yumeno, the different body you mentioned… what are you talking about?

Yumeno: The bodies from the other cases. Ouma’s the mastermind, so he’d-- Nyeh…? Wait… The mastermind…?

Saihara: Yeah. Ouma isn't the mastermind, so… ...I don't think he’d be able to produce a body to switch out.

Harukawa: ...What?

K1B0: Well, Monokuma? Do the rules allow for a body to be reused?

Monokuma: Very well, I'll answer that.

Ouma?: ...You’re giving in pretty easily.

Monokuma: Well, it’s crucial information to make the trial fair. This discussion is pointless if it’s not clear what the culprit was allowed to do, right?

Ouma?: Ah-haha, you're a convenient mastermind. But I guess that makes defeating you worth my time.

Monokuma: Now then, regarding the re-use of a dead body… That is impossible! All the dead bodies have already been thrown away!

Yumeno: Th-Thrown away!?

Harukawa: The other bodies are… gone? Then who did Momota switch places with?

Saihara: … (Ouma and Momota were the only ones in the hangar at that time. If they were the only ones present during the body-swapping trick… Then the real victim was…) Select - The other person in the hangar Saihara: (If it wasn't an old body, it could only be…) …

Harukawa: ...What’s wrong, Saihara? Who did Momota switch places with?

Saihara: Harukawa… I think I missed something very important here…

Harukawa: ...Something important?

Saihara: (If I have the timeline right, there were only two people in the hangar at the time. Which means that something had to have been decided before… I have to pin that down. Can't let anything escape me this time!) Spell - Victim Helped Saihara: I can't believe I overlooked this!

K1B0: What do you mean?

Saihara: There were only two people in the hangar at the time the bodies were swapped. Which means… they were working together.

Shirogane: Huh? Working together…?

Saihara: The only two people involved in the swap were the victim… and the culprit. The culprit was operating the camera and the hydraulic press, while the victim lay inside. If they switched places while the press and the camera were stopped… ...Then the person who turned the camera and the press back on was the original victim. To put it simply, both people operated the press and camera at different times. An impossible trick… unless the victim and culprit agreed to cooperate beforehand!

Yumeno: The victim and culprit cooperated? Is that… even possible?

Saihara: It sounds bizarre, but perhaps that was the whole point. Commit a crime that was so confusing, even Monokuma would be tricked.

Monokuma: Geez, this culprit’s a real jerk. ...So, have you realized whodunnit yet?

Harukawa: …

Saihara: (The culprit of the case… If my detective work hasn't failed me, the culprit is inside that exisal…)

???: …

Saihara: (It can only be them.) Select - Kaito Momota Saihara: The apparent victim we saw in the video was Momota. Which means… ...Ouma was operating the press and the camera… at first. If the two of them switched while the press was stopped… ...Then the culprit who started the hydraulic press again and crushed Ouma… ...Must be Momota!

Harukawa: …

Saihara: So… the person inside that exisal isn't Ouma… It has to be Momota!

Yumeno: Wh-What did you say!?

???: …

Monokuma: So the culprit for this case is… Kaito Momota… That is what the Ultimate Detective has deduced, right?

Shirogane: Momota is the culprit? What…? You're joking, right? You can't be serious…

Saihara: i don't want to believe it either… but it’s the only way any of this makes sense. My detective work has led me to the conclusion that Momota is the culprit.

???: …

K1B0: ...Is that true? Is Momota… really in there?

???: …

Shirogane: hey, answer us! If you really are Momota then--

Harukawa: I'm the culprit.

Saihara: (Huh?)

Harukawa: There’s just no way that Momota can still be alive… Because I'm the culprit.

Yumeno: Wait, you? But didn't you say--

Harukawa: I saw it with my own eyes. Ouma drank the antidote that he stole from Momota… There’s no doubt Momota died. And he died because of my poison arrow.

Yumeno: But you told us that you didn't want to kill Momota and--

Harukawa: Yes, I never wanted to. I wanted to believe that I didn't kill him. But… the truth speaks differently. In the end, I was just running away from the facts.

Yumeno: H-Huh? I don't understand…

Saihara: … (Harukawa, are you…? Trying to protect Momota? If he’s the culprit, you're trying to help him get away?)

Harukawa: There was only one antidote, so it’s more likely he died from my poison arrow. This is the truth…

Ouma?: It’s not decided yet. I could’ve still killed him with the hydraulic press. Either way, those are the two options. Monokuma knows the answer, riiight?

Monokuma: ...Huh? Are those the only options?

Shirogane: I guess that’s how things turned out…

Saihara: No, that can't be! The person in that Exisal is--

Harukawa: It's not Momota! I saw Ouma drink the antidote! There's no mistake… Momota is dead… I… killed Momota… There is absolutely… no doubt. That's… the truth.

Saihara: (Ah, I thought so. Harukawa is trying to protect Momota. I understand how she feels, but if Momota is the culprit… Why did he agree to Ouma’s plan?)

Ouma?: …

Saihara: (I can't imagine that Momota would do something so selfish… There must be some reason for it. I truly believe that… But I have to get to the bottom of this before i can uncover that truth…) But Harukawa… you don't know for certain that Ouma drank the antidote.

Harukawa: ...What?

Saihara: You saw him drink it right in front of you, but you couldn't confirm he actually did it. So maybe… there’s another possibility.

Harukawa: What… are you talking about? Impossible… That’s… impossible… There is no other possibility! I killed Momota!

Argument Armament - Pretended to drink the antidote

Saihara: Ouma just pretended to drink the antidote! He didn't actually drink it!

Harukawa: He pretended… to drink it?

Saihara: Drinking the antidote was part of his lie. Harukawa could only see so much through the window. She didn't confirm Ouma drank it. I believe that Ouma knew this and just pretended to drink the antidote. After Harukawa left, he gave the antidote to Momota. There's a strong possibility that all of this was done… … To make Momota cooperate.

K1B0: Make him cooperate?

Ouma?: …

Saihara: The swapping trick required the victim and culprit to work together. Momota’s cooperation was essential to Ouma’s plan. However, I don't think Ouma would be able to sway Momota easily… He needed leverage. He gave Momota the antidote… in exchange for his cooperation.

K1B0: In exchange for his own life, you mean.

Saihara: Momota had no choice, he had to cooperate after Ouma saved his life. That's just Momota’s character, and Ouma knew that. He swallowed his pride with the antidote, and agreed to participate in Ouma’s plan.

Yumeno: But didn't Ouma make this plan? What good is it for him if he’s dead!?

Saihara: I imagine this was all part of Ouma’s plan to confuse us. You wouldn't think that someone would plan their own murder.

K1B0: He went so far as to give up his life… just to create this mystery?

Saihara: Only Ouma could think of something so nefarious. Who else would agree to die just to execute their plan?

Yumeno: He’s crazy… why would he go that far?

Monokuma: I bet Ouma was determined to beat me at my own game, no matter what.

Ouma?: …

Monokuma: But too bad! Saihara figured out the truth!

Ouma?: ...Truth? Are you sure it’s not delusion?

Saihara: Delusion?

Ouma?: A delusion completely off the mark, to make you think that I died… But, who cares what you guys think? This is between me and Monokuma. I don't give a crap if the extras in this game get it right or not.

Shirogane: E-extras…?

Yumeno: I'm fine with being an extra!

Shirogane: Huh? Why?

Yumeno: If we’re just extras then even if we get it wrong, we won't get kill--

Monokuma: No, I'd still kill you all. Don't put Ouma’s words in my mouth.

Yumeno: Wh--!? But why!? You were being so friendly with us!

Ouma?: If Monokuma gets it right, then he takes everyone’s lives, yeah? But if Monokuma gets it wrong, then he’d have no right to take everyone’s lives. If Monokuma doesn't know who the culprit is, then this killing game can't function anymore.

Saihara: (Can't function anymore…) … Momota… I believe in you.

Ouma?: ...Hm?

Saihara: (If you're cooperating with this plan… you must have a reason. To determine that reason, I need to reveal the truth!) I still think Momota is the culprit. Thinking of it that way makes all the pieces fit. I will show you the truth… The truth you can't deny!

Closing Argument -

Let’s go over the trick that Ouma and the culprit created together… Last night, Kiibo saw Yumeno from the window of his lab. She was carrying a black case and heading to the exisal hangar. When she reached the hangar, she handed the case to someone through the bathroom window. That someone… is the culprit of this case! Locked in the bathroom, the culprit had asked Yumeno to bring him a certain weapon. A disassembled crossbow from Harukawa’s lab. The culprit was going to use the crossbow to challenge Ouma to a fight. Some time passed, and Harukawa made her way to the hangar. She was going to the hangar to kill Ouma and save the culprit trapped in the bathroom. However, the hangar had an electric barrier preventing her from entering. Fortunately for her, she had an electrohammer to get around the barrier… in a way. She used her electrohammer to disable an Exisal and climbed inside. She knew Exisals could bypass the barrier… so she got inside one! Around that time, the culprit and Ouma began their confrontation. While Ouma was checking up on them, the culprit ambushed him with the crossbow. But the culprit didn't intend to kill Ouma, they just wanted to disable him. That’s why the culprit aimed for Ouma’s right arm. If they really wanted to kill him, they would have shot him in his vitals. Ouma reeled from the arrow, and the culprit jumped on him immediately. He didn't want Ouma to have the chance to summon an Exisal with the remote. While they were fighting, something happened that caught them both off guard. The shutter of the hangar opened, and an Exisal stepped inside! Ouma was definitely not expecting an Exisal to interrupt them. He pulled out his remote in an attempt to control the Exisal… But Harukawa leaped out of the cockpit and shot Ouma with her crossbow. The arrow hit Ouma right in the back. And it was no normal arrow. The tip was covered in a lethal poison from my lab called strike-9 poison. The poison kills slowly. It seems as if Harukawa wanted Ouma to confess before he died. But even with poison in his veins, Ouma continued to spin his lies. When she had had enough, Harukawa tried to finish him off with another poisoned arrow… ...But this time, Harukawa was the one caught by surprise. To keep Harukawa from becoming the blackened, the culprit used their body to shield Ouma. The culprit’s left arm was struck by a poison arrow. Harukawa remembered that there was an antidote in my lab, and immediately ran off to get it. The strike-9 poison slowly circulated through their systems, and would soon kill them both. But in that desperate situation, Ouma thought up a clever lie. He incorporated this unforseen event into his plan to help him win the killing game! Or, should I say… help him defeat Monokuma. That was Ouma's true objective. It's why he claimed to be the mastermind. Thinking fast, Ouma closed the shutter so that Harukawa could not re-enter the hangar. Thus Ouma’s final lie was set into motion. When Harukawa returned with the antidote, she couldn't get back inside the hangar… ...So she went around to the hangar bathroom, and passed the antidote through the window. But after the culprit was given the antidote, Ouma immediately snatched it. Ouma drank down all of the antidote while the culprit and Harukawa watched in horror. Harukawa must have been panicking, thinking the only antidote was now gone. She believed that the culprit was going to die from her own poisoned arrow. But it was all another one of Ouma’s lies. He had only pretended to drink the antidote. Harukawa tried desperately to break into the hangar, even slashing the control panel. But she couldn't get the shutter to open again. Defeated, she had no choice but to leave. After Harukawa had left, Ouma took out another weapon. An electrobomb capable of disabling communication devices for hours. Ouma’s plan was to use an electrobomb to knock out Monokuma’s surveillance cameras. That was why he commissioned Iruma to make the bombs in the first place. After detonating an electrobomb, Ouma coerced the culprit into drinking the antidote. In exchange for the antidote, Ouma asked the culprit to cooperate with his plan. Ouma needed to work together with the culprit to execute his final lie. Under normal circumstances, the culprit would never have agreed to such a plan… But because the culprit owed him for saving their life, they agreed to Ouma’s request. Ah, “request” is a generous term. It was more like blackmail. In any case, the two were now working together as accomplices in an insane plan. There was a lot to prepare, and not a lot of time. They had to work fast. If Ouma died from the strike-9 poison, the whole plan would be ruined. After fabricating the scene in the bathroom, the culprit dragged Ouma to the hydraulic press. This is how the swipe pattern blood stain from the bathroom to the press was created. Ouma, with the support of the culprit, stood in front of the press’ control panel. The two of them were finally ready to execute the insane lie! While Ouma was setting up the video camera near the hydraulic press’ control panel… The culprit laid face up inside the press, draping their coat over their shoulders. Then, Ouma activated the press and the camera’s record button at the same time… The hydraulic press came down slowly, all caught on tape for us to see. Normally, the safety function would have triggered, but the electrobomb had disabled it. The press got lower and lower, and just as the culprit disappeared from view… Ouma pressed the “Force Stop” Button and the camera’s pause button simultaneously. The two then switched places… and also switched roles. The “culprit”... and the “victim.” The would-be victim became our culprit and started up the press and camera. Ouma had saved the culprit’s life because his trick required their cooperation. He wanted to win the killing game… even if it meant dying himself! And so, Ouma was crushed by the press, and the whole thing was caught on video. The culprit’s left sleeve was dangling from the press, making us think he was the victim. Now alone, the culprit collected the video camera… ...and tore the hydraulic press’s power cord, so that it could never be raised again. This would make it impossible for us to determine the identity of the crushed body. But there was another reason the victim was killed in this way… It obfuscated the cause of death, making the case that much more difficult to solve. This was all part of Ouma’s plan to create a murder that not even Monokuma could figure out! With the press disabled, the culprit returned to the bathroom to flush Ouma’s clothes. Finally, they climbed inside an Exisal to hide, and waited with bated breath. And here they are now, in this trial… pretending to be Ouma. They're trying to deceive Monokuma in order to defeat the true mastermind! ...And that’s it. That's Ouma’s Unidentified Culprit Trick. The culprit is in that Exisal. ...It’s you, isn't it? ...Kaito Momota, the Ultimate Astronaut!

Saihara: ...I’m right, aren't I? That's you in there, isn't it, Momota?

???: …

Shirogane: Really? Is it really Momota?

K1B0: I must reluctantly agree with Saihara’s deduction--

Ouma?: Man, Saihara sure loves his cuh-raaaazy deductions!

Harukawa: ...Huh?

Yumeno: You’re… still not gonna admit it?

Ouma?: Admit it? But it’s wrong.

K1B0: But, logically speaking, his deduction tracks…

Shirogane: If it’s really Momota in there, he would have admitted it by now…

Yumeno: Was Saihara’s reasoning wrong somehow?

Saihara: (No, my detective work was flawless. It's the truth. I'm sure Momota is inside that exisal. So why is Momota still fighting me? Is this about Monokuma? Or is there another aspect to this?

Ouma?: You claim everything is set, and that’s it. You don't have any evidence, do you?

Saihara: …

Ouma?: You all think the body was switched when the hydraulic press stopped for a moment… ...But that’s just speculation in the end. No evidence to back it up. So if we reverse our reverse way of thinking, then it’s likely I didn't do anything, right? It's totally possible that the body-switching never happened, and Momota is dead. Not *just* possible, it's the actual truth…

Shirogane: Well… it’s true there's no proof that the bodies were switched…

K1B0: No, we should trust Saihara’s deduction! I'm sure everything will be okay! This emotion I've learned… I believe you call it “faith”. That's what I'm feeling right now.

Yumeno: That's right… We have to believe in Saihara.

Ouma?: Well, I don't care either way. But if you guys get it wrong… … You'll have to deal with Monokuma.

Monokuma: …

Ouma?: What will the results of this Voting Time be? If Monokuma makes a mistake, he won't be able to execute anyone, right? Then it will be my victory. And that will ruin the entire killing game.

Saihara: (Ruin…? I see… so that's your objective! You mean to ruin the killing game itself! That's why Momota has been so stubborn all this time… But… what does he mean by ruin, exactly? Monokuma can do whatever he wants to the rules. How do you “ruin” something like that? What would be the point…?)

Ouma?: C’mon, Monokuma. Start the voting already.

Monokuma: Yeah, yeah, I'm getting to it. Sheesh… let's proceed with Voting Time, shall we? Sorry I fell short of your expectations, but I'm pretty sure I won't make any mistakes. Cuz I got the Ultimate Detective’s airtight logic on my side.

Saihara: … (...Now I know. The whole truth, and why. I believe in my own logic… And… I believe in Momota… From this point on, it's not about logic! It’s about how far I'm willing to go! I believe in you, Momota. Not as a detective, but as Shuuichi Saihara.) Ah… can I just say something? I’d like to have one last conversation before we vote.

Monokuma: ...Hm? One last conversation?

Harukawa: There’s… more to talk about?

Saihara: You see, before we vote… there's something I have to say. I just need you all to listen…

Ouma?: …

NONSTOP DEBATE

Saihara- Alright, let’s pin this down

Saihara- Who’s inside that Exisal?

K- Hm? Momota, right?

H- That’s what you said isn’t it

M- Ouma's the one who died (Lie) M- And the culprit is Momota standing right there!

S- Isn't that correct?

O- Ah-haha! Of course not! O- I would never die!

Y- I trust Saihara!

Saihara: (Momota is trying to ruin the game. That's why he’s hiding the truth. I don't know exactly why, but he’s putting his life on the line for it. So to put my faith in him… this is the only way Everything we’ve determined up to now… what if I turned it all on its head? Yes, I need to lie…)

Lie - Ouma’s Disappearance | Ouma Seen

Saihara: Ouma, I'm sorry. I just… can't lie for you anymore…

Ouma?: ...What?

Harukawa: What do you mean… lie?

Shirogane: Why did you say “Ouma”? The one in the Exisal is--

Saihara: I'm so sorry, everyone. I've deceived you all.

Monokuma: ...Huh?

Saihara: The truth is… after we found the crushed body, I… saw Ouma.

Yumeno: Nyeh!? You saw Ouma!?

Ouma?: …

Saihara: Yes. He threatened me, told me that if I didn't do what he said, he'd kill us all. He wanted me to lie about what I saw so that the trial would be more interesting… But I can't do it anymore! I can't keep lying like this! I have to tell the truth… Ouma isn't dead! He's alive!

K1B0: H-Hold on! Why did you wait until now to mention this!?

Saihara: I'm so sorry Kiibo, but… it's true. (Really… I really am sorry. But this is the only way. Momota is trying to fool Monokuma… Trying to ruin the class trial. If Momota is risking his life to do this, then I'll stand by him. I believe in Momota! I will believe in what he’s trying to do! He's not doing this to hurt us… I'm sure he’s trying to save us all.)

Monokuma: …

Saihara: (If Monokuma wants to rely on my detective work, fine… I'll just lie.) Everyone, please… don't vote for Momota. There's no doubt about it. Ouma is in that exisal! He's the culprit!

Ouma?: …

Monokuma: Hey Saihara… I dunno what you're scheming… But as far as I'm concerned, you guys aren't extras at all. If you guys are wrong, you're gonna hafta take your punishments like champs! Got it!?

Saihara: … ...I’m not wrong. We can't vote for Momota!

Momota: Stop it! That's enough.

Saihara: Huh?

Momota: It’s… over. -Momota exits the exisal- Momota: If you guys get it wrong and Monokuma gets it right… Then you'll all get punished. There's no way I can let that happen. So… It's fine. Let's end this.

Harukawa: M-Momota!

K1B0: So… it really was you?

Momota: My bad for tricking you guys. I'll explain everything. But before that, it's Voting Time. Alright, don't get it wrong! I'm definitely the culprit, you got it!? I'm the one who killed Ouma!

Saihara: Momota, no!

Momota: Just like you to figure it all out, Saihara. You're really something else. So all you gotta do is believe in your reasoning. That's what detectives do.

Saihara: …

Momota: Hey, Monokuma! Let's hurry up and get this vote started!

Monokuma: Puhuhu… Well said. Let's get this started, then. The heart-racing excitement as the blackened and the spotless face off! It’s… VOTING TIME!!!

Select - Kaito Momota

Monokuma: Puhuhu… It seems the voting has finished. Now then, let's see the result.

-All votes for Momota-

Monokuma: Who’ll be chosen as the blackened!? Will you make the right choice or the dreadfully wrong one!?

Verdict - Kaito Momota

Post-trial -

Monokuma: Well, if the culprit’s gonna confess, then I guess even morons can't screw this up… The blackened who killed Kokichi Ouma is Kaito Momota! You all got it right!

Saihara: …

Harukawa: …

Momota: So you all got it right, huh? Even Saihara and Harumaki voted for me… What a relief! Well, I knew you guys wouldn't get it wrong.

Shirogane: …

Momota: But man was it hard to act like Ouma the whole time… I mean, sure, he wrote most of his own lines. Seriously, look at this huge script. He wrote the whole thing. -Book of Ouma lines- It's even got a bunch of alternative lines for different events, too.

Yumeno: …

Momota: But even so, I still had to ad-lib. You guys couldn't tell though, huh?

K1B0: …

Momota: Hey, c’mon guys… don't look so sad... You guys got it right. It's all good.

Harukawa: Why…?

Momota: Hm?

Harukawa: Why… did you kill Ouma? You were so against the killing game… So why did you kill him? I believed… that you absolutely wouldn't do… such a thing…

Saihara: Harukawa… (Was she protecting Momota… or just believing in him, like me…?)

Momota: Yeah, I should explain. Most of it’s just like Saihara said. After Ouma pretended to take the antidote, he gave it to me… Then he told me I had to cooperate with his plan…

-Flashback-

Momota: Plan? What plan?

Ouma: I-I’ve been thinking… this whole time… of a plan to throw the mastermind off guard…

Momota: Throw them off guard? What are you talking about? You're the mastermind!

Ouma: Ohhh… um, that was a lie… I-I only pretended to be the mastermind…

Momota: Pretended!?

Ouma: You all fell for it… But y’know… I prepared a bunch of stuff… Like this remote control… I had Iruma make it… The mysterious message in the courtyard… Using Gonta and making him a murderer… All that preparation was just to make you guys think I was the mastermind.

Momota: Wh-What the hell!? Why’d you do all that…?

Ouma: The reason why… I pretended to be the mastermind… ...was to end this boring killing game!

Momota: To end it?

Ouma: I thought if I showed you the despairing truth, you guys wouldn't want to go outside anymore… I thought it would end the killing game. But instead… this happened. I'm gonna die by Harukawa’s hands… Why do you think this happened? Why do you think Harukawa tried to kill me? Why do you think the killing game started again?

Momota: Why…?

Ouma: Because the true mastermind instigated it. I'm certain of it. They made a move… without us noticing. Maaan… thanks to that, everything is ruined…

Momota: The true mastermind instigated it? So whoever that person is, they also instigated Harukawa’s actions, too?

Ouma: Yeah… they probably tried to eliminate me because I pretended to be the mastermind…

-Flash forward-

Harukawa: ...My actions were instigated by the true mastermind? B-But that can't be… The reason I tried to kill Ouma was… ...because I remembered the truth from the Flashback Light.

Saihara: Maybe… making you remember the truth was what the mastermind wanted…

Harukawa: ...What?

Saihara: Maybe the true mastermind had us use the Flashback Lights… ...so we would target Ouma as a Remnant of Despair?

K1B0: So the Flashback Light itself was the true mastermind’s trap all along? They expected us to target Ouma once we remembered he was a Remnant of Despair?

Saihara: Ouma certainly expected it. That's why he talked about the true mastermind. (But… even so, this is all rather convenient for the true mastermind. The person claiming to be the mastermind just so happened to be a Remnant of Despair? We’re all students of Hope’s Peak Academy, and our fates are tied to the Remnants of Despair… I never would have imagined that fate would bring us to Ouma’s murder. It just plays too nicely for the true mastermind.)

Momota: I didn't know about that Flashback Light. Guess that's another mystery for you. Anyway, like I was saying…

-Flashback-

Momota: Then who is this true mastermind!?

Ouma: Wh-Who knows… I dunno either… But it doesn’t matter… we can’t lose… This game is pointless… unless you win. That’s why… I thought of a special plan… When I'm on the verge of losing… ...my plan will help me win!

Momota: I don't really get it, but is this the plan to throw off the mastermind?

Ouma: Well, it's not that difficult… Momota… I need you… ...to kill me.

Momota: Wha-!?

-Flash Forward-

Momota: The plan was… to make a case where the victim was unknown. And then trick Monokuma into thinking I was the victim so he’d mess up. If he ruled that either Ouma or Harukawa were the blackened… Then I'd show myself and Monokuma’s ruling would be invalid. And if Monokuma’s ruling was invalid, the killing game would end.

Saihara: That's what I'm most curious about. What makes you think it would end?

Momota: Yeah, I asked Ouma about that myself. Why would Monokuma care if he messed up on who the blackened was? And… this is what he said.

-Flashback-

Ouma: Even if it’s Monokuma or the true mastermind, they can't break the rules as they please… Being unfair like that… isn't allowed…

Momota: What do you mean?

Ouma: Death games are meant to be watched. If no one was watching, there would be no reason to be such a stickler for the rules… There would be no point in making this a game in the first place… But Monokuma’s been a stickler about the rules, and making this game interesting. That's why he agreed to my plan in the Virtual World… Which means Monokuma is aware that someone is watching us… In which case… I have no doubt that this death game is being shown to someone.

-Flash Forward-

Yumeno: So… this is some kind of show!?

Shirogane: But who’d be watching? We’re the only people left, aren't we?

K1B0: That's right! The Flashback Light is the reason we even remember that!

Momota: But Ouma mighta been right. Why have a death game if no one’s watching? I wasn't sure about it at first, but after this class trial, there’s no doubt. Monokuma can't do whatever he wants. He’s bound by the rules of the game. That's why he couldn't afford to get the culprit wrong. Why he relied on Saihara. It's just like Ouma said! If this game’s rules matter so much, someone’s watching.

Saihara: (A death game is made to be watched...) If that's true, then… who? Who… is watching this?)

Yumeno: What's this all about, Monokuma!? Is this killing game really a show for someone!?

Monokuma: Puhuhu… Who can say?

Yumeno: Nyeh!? Why won't you tell us!? We were friends during the trial!

Monokuma: ...Honestly, I was just happy you guys cooperated with me. Humans love to help. They jump at any opportunity to extend a helping hand.

K1B0: Then, here's another question-- Who are you, really? If Ouma, a Remnant of Despair, is not the mastermind… Then who’s the true mastermind? Is it another Remnant of Despair like him?

Monokuma: I'm not gonna spill the beans on a perfect “To Be Continued” cliffhanger like that!

Yumeno: Wh-Why you… are just too cute!

Shirogane: Huh? Really?

Harukawa: I understand Ouma’s plan, but… why did you agree to work with him, Momota? Why did you agree to kill Ouma? Because he saved your life? You should've just… ignored him. He's better off dead anyway…

Momota: It was kinda hard to ignore such an annoying guy.

Harukawa: ...What?

Momota: Geez… I wonder how far ahead he planned this evil scheme of his.

-Flashback-

Momota: Y-Yeah but… killing you… What are you talking about!? You want me to kill you!?

Ouma: I figured you'd react like that… But… are you sure you're okay with that? Because if this poison kills me, then Harukawa would become the blackened. And her crime would be exposed so easily. If that happened, then Harukawa and I would've died for no reason, right? Which is just what the true mastermind expects…

Momota: Wha-! Dammit… that's playing dirty! So that's why you gave me the antidote…

Ouma: Nishishi.. I *am* the Ultimate Supreme Leader. There is no depths I won't sink to. ...Even if I have to sacrifice myself.

Momota: …

Ouma: Anyway… this is our chance… Our chance to end this killing game. That's why… you have to kill me, so we can win and ruin this killing game… We’ll bring the true mastermind and everyone who’s watching… ...We’ll bring them down to utter despair! Then everyone who died can rest in peace! Ah-hahahahahaha!!! ...Ack, aw crap. I'm gonna die soon… Can we get this started already?

Momota: You're seriously crazy, dude.

Ouma: Nishishi… But, y’know… I… wasn't boring, right?

-Flash Forward-

Harukawa: Then… he blackmailed you by using me!?

Momota: No. I agreed to his plan once I heard the words “ruin this killing game”. He was crazy, but that let him come up with some crazy plans… And we needed a crazy plan in order to stand a chance against Monokuma. I bet on that chance. I didn't have any other choice… Cuz… I'm outta time.

Harukawa: Time…

Saihara: Momota… you mean, your health…?

Harukawa: But you said you were fine! You told me not to worry about it anymo--

Momota: Ah, my bad. That was a lie.

Harukawa: A-A lie...?

Momota: Haha, yeah it’s pretty bad. Honestly, I'm at my limit just talking.

Harukawa: N-No… it can't be…

Momota: But I gotta wonder how this happened. I don't remember at all. In my memories, I was fine during the medical exam for my training…

Saihara: (If he was fine during the medical exam, then that means…) This might be… the virus.

Momota: Virus?

Saihara: One of the plagues that caused our planet to crumble. A virus carried by meteorites that spread across the globe. Hope’s Peak Academy, along with the rest of the planet, was in danger of extinction. Even though we had come so far and triumphed over so much despair… We were almost wiped out in an instant. This must have something to do with the virus. Momota didn't use that Flashback Light, so he might not remember it…

Shirogane: But weren't we supposed to be immune? We were selected because we didn't--

Monokuma: Perhaps the virus was dormant when you were selected for the Gofer Project… You could've been infected the whole time, showing no symptoms until very recently.

Yumeno: W-What!?

Harukawa: Momota is… infected with the virus!? But how could that be!?

Momota: I dunno what you're talking about, but… I guess I'm pretty screwed, huh? Well, I knew this was coming. That's why I agreed to Ouma’s plan.

Saihara: …

Momota: But you know, when I found out about the plan, I thought it was pretty awesome. Ouma left me with a whole outline of it. I freaked out when I read it. It was a pretty good plan. I thought we might be able to trick Monokuma. But I knew Saihara’d see right through it in the end!

Saihara: ...What?

Momota: Haha, and that's exactly how it went! Nice job, Saihara! You're really something!

K1B0: Momota, did you…

Momota: Yeah, I knew you guys would figure everything out. That's why I was able to get on board with Ouma and lie like that. Even if I messed stuff up during the trial, Saihara’d see the truth. Heh. Just what I'd expect from my sidekick.

Saihara: Wh-Why…? If you knew I'd see through it, why--

Harukawa: If you knew it was pointless from the start, then you shouldn't have gone that far…!

Momota: Nah, it wasn't pointless. It ended up being a huge success.

Yumeno: W-Why?

Momota: Because of this plan and Ouma pretending to be the mastermind… We got closer to the true mastermind’s lair… Behind this truth, there’s gotta be a hint that leads to the real truth.

Saihara: The real truth?

Momota: Yeah, no doubt. That's why Ouma gave his life.

K1B0: You talk as if… he was your partner. When you hated him so strongly before…

Momota: Oh, I hate his guts. Honestly, I'm still pissed off at him. He made us go through so much crap. To the end-- No, even beyond that… He was a lying sack of shit.

-Flashback-

Ouma: I-It’s getting… harder to breathe, so… Please… can you…

Momota: Hey, can I ask one thing? You want to ruin this killing game, but… You kept saying how fun this game was.

Ouma: … That was a lie… obviously… H-How could a game… that you're forced to play… be fun…? I had to think this game was fun to survive… I had to lie to myself!

Momota: You little…

Ouma: The bastards who created this game to toy with our lives… and the shits enjoying it… They all… piss me off! Th-that’s why… I'm willing to do whatever it takes... to end this game!

-Flash Forward-

Harukawa: Ouma said… that?

Momota: That coulda been a lie, too. He probably just said that so I’d cooperate with him.

K1B0: Was it really a lie…? I think his dying words may have been the honest truth…

Yumeno: No, it's definitely a lie. He’s not the type to shed real tears.

Shirogane: I wonder which one it is…

Saihara: (A lie… or the truth? Even now at the very end, I don't really understand Ouma… But maybe that's what lying is all about. The truth is in the eye of the beholder, huh? Ouma… was the very embodiment of a lie.)

Momota: That pretty much wraps up my explanation. Now, finally… I need to apologize to Saihara.

Saihara: What? Me?

Momota: To be honest… I was jealous of you.

Saihara: Jealous…?

Momota: Because you were always saving us, y’know? Your detective skills kept us alive… You were just way too cool, and I got frustrated… So that's why I was so harsh on you. My bad…

Saihara: … Hey… No, Momota, that's not true… I was only so confident because you were there for me, Momota. When you made me your sidekick, you said that you’d “take the responsibility”... And that… That’s why I can do all this. If you didn't talk to me back then, even now I'd be--

Momota: Hrkh! *cough* *cough* *cough*

Saihara: Momota!?

Harukawa: M-Momota!

Shirogane: Momota, are you okay!?

Momota: Heh… H-How can I be okay? I'm… about to die…

Monokuma: You sure are, bucko! Cuz it's punishment time!

Saihara: Punishment!?

Harukawa: ...I won't let you… ...I won't let you kill Momota!

Monokuma: Oh? You planning on getting in my way? You know what'll happen if you do that, don't you?

Harukawa: I don't care what happens! I planned to kill you anyway from the start.

K1B0: Y-Yes… I’ve been determined to fight back for a while now…

Momota: N-No… Stop…

Saihara: No, Momota, I can't! I can't let you die, Momota! I don't care if you're sick! I don't care if you're dying! I won't let Monokuma touch you!

Monokuma: … ...Puhu. Puhuhuhuhuhuhu. Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu.

Shirogane: Wh-What’s so funny…?

Monokuma: Oh, just thinkin’ about life… and how irreplaceable it is. Know what I mean?

Saihara: What…?

Monokuma: When a life ends, those closest to it mourn. But if you could somehow recycle that life… Then those closest to it wouldn't need to mourn anymore, right? If we could recycle life, the world would be filled with hope. That's my point.

Saihara: What are you talking--

Monokuma: Alright, kids! Time for your grand re-entrance!

Monokubs: Rise and shine, ursine! With our powers combined, we are the monokubs!

Saihara: Huh?

Monotaro: I'm Monotaro! No matter how you read it or spell it or say it, it's still Monotaro!

Monophanie: What the-!? That's totally a lie!

Monosuke: What the hell’s goin’ on? I coulda swore there was more of youse chumps before!

Monokid: Fuck if I know! Let's destroy Monodam now! This sadsack is bummin’ me the fuck out!

Monodam: …

Yumeno: W-What the!? Weren't all the Monokubs completely destroyed!?

Monokuma: Those old Monokubs were destroyed. These Monokubs are the latest model. They still got their factory settings, so in a way, it's like they’re brand-new characters… But who cares!? Now that my cubs are back, I'm not lonely and miserable anymore!

Shirogane: You… brought them back on a whim like that?

Monokuma: You guys are just as replaceable. Maybe not as replaceable as the Monokubs… But finding other people to participate in this killing game is easier than ya might think.

Saihara: (Finding other people?)

Monosuke: I got no idea what’s goin’ on or what any of this means, but that’s right!

Monokid: Hell yeah! We’re so fuckin’ lovable and shit! Except Monodam, of course!

Monodam: …

Monokuma: Oh, do you know what else this means? Now that the Monokubs are back, I’ve got my Exisal entourage protecting me again. Still wanna defy me now?

Yumeno: Th-This is bad! If he’s got the Exisals again-

Harukawa: So what? It doesn’t matter… I won’t let you kill Momota. I’ll… fight until the end…

Momota: S-Stop… Even if you fight the Exisals, you’ll just get killed, dammit! The remote control and the last electrobomb were crushed in the press.

Harukawa: No… I won’t give up.

Momota: Harumaki! Enough alre-

Harukawa: I’ve never felt this way before! I’ve always fought to kill, but… this is the first time I’ve fought to protect someone!

Momota: Huh?

Harukawa: And… I’ve never… ...Been given a nickname like “Harumaki” before, either.

Momota: You…

Harukawa: And I’ve never… ...met someone as stubborn as you before… … And… I’ve never… (Harukawa starts crying) ...Fallen for someone before.

Momota: Harumaki!

Saihara: Harukawa…

Harukawa: I… don’t want this to end. I just… don’t… That’s why I won’t let you kill Momota! I absolutely won’t let you!

Momota: … Harumaki… I’m sorry… but that’s not an option. I don’t have as much time left as you think... I’m… fighting just to stay standing.

Harukawa: B-But I…

Momota: Hey, Harumaki. I asked you before… What’s your enemy? Before… you hated yourself so much. You didn’t even like yourself a little… And wasn’t that the reason you tried to distance yourself from others? You decided that you didn’t deserve to have friends, didn’t you? That was your enemy. But not anymore, huh? You’re alright now! You fell for a guy like me! Now you can learn to like yourself!

Harukawa: … U-Ugh… uuugh…

Momota: Hey, hey… don’t cry. Can’t you send me off with one last smile? You guys, too. I’m not gonna allow any tears. Send me off with a bang.

Saihara: … Alright… Momota. I… won’t cry.

Yumeno: M-Me too! I’m gonna hold it in!

Shirogane: Yeah! I’ll endure it!

K1B0: I can’t cry. Even if I wanted to… (Ironically, his crying sprite is displayed.)

Momota: Hey, sorry about the wait, Monokuma. You can go ahead and start now.

Monokuma: Can do!

Monotaro: Oh boy! My first Punishment Time! I’ve never seen one before!

Momota: But let me just say this to the true mastermind controlling Monokuma… You better get ready! My friends aren’t gonna lose to you!

Monokuma: …

Momota: That’s all. I’ll leave the rest to you guys! End this ridiculous killing game!

K1B0: We’ll end it. So, please... don’t worry.

Momota: And Saihara… Never forget, you’re not alone. You have friends. Don’t try to do everything by yourself, okay?

Saihara: Yeah... Momota. Okay.

Momota: Don’t forget! The impossible is possible! All you gotta do is make it so!

Saihara: Yeah! Thanks, Momota!

Harukawa: …

Momota: Harukawa.. How long are you gonna cry? You should smil--

Harukawa: I-I can’t… That’s impossible… I can’t…

Momota: Haha... of course… My bad for making you cry like that.

Harukawa: Ugh… U-Uuuugh…

Momota: Alright then! Let’s end this with a bang! A special punishment suited to the Luminary of the Stars!

Monokuma: You don’t gotta tell me! I’m excited to get this started!

Momota: Oh yeah? Well screw you! I’m not gonna die the way you want!

Monokuma: It’s… PUNISHMENT TIME!!!

-Momota’s Execution-

( Momota is put into a rocket similar to that shown in danganronpa 1, though this time the rocket flips downwards and descends into the core of the earth in a spinning, drill-like motion. It resurfaces on the other side of the world and flies him to space from there, at which time his illness finally kills him and the execution fails. The rocket returns, and Kiibo protects everyone from the debris, getting his ahoge disconnected in the process. Monokuma seems furious.)

Saihara: M-Momota!

Harukawa: …

K1B0: … (He appears to be glitching.)

Shirogane: Kiibo, are you okay!? You got hit by that debris when you protec--

K1B0: I-I’m… fine… More importantly…

Monokuma: Ghghghgh…!

Saihara: What’s the matter, Monokuma!? Upset that Momota won!?

Monotaro: Eh? Whaddaya mean Momota won?

Harukawa: He died before the end of your punishment. Momota didn’t die from your execution!

Yumeno: Th-That’s right! Momota wasn’t killed by you!

Shirogane: It’s… Momota’s victory.

Monokubs: Wah! We lost!

Monokuma: Hmph… I dunno if he meant to do it, but he certainly went out like a stubborn jackass. Well, whatever! It’s not like this is the end of the killing game! So it’s fine!

Shirogane: It’s… not over?

Monokid: Hell yeah! No shit!

Monosuke: Ain’t it written in the school regulations?

Monophanie: The killing game will go on until there is just one blackened or two spotless.

Saihara: School regulations… So you’re gonna follow the regulations, huh? The only reason you want rules is because you’re showing this to someone!

Monokuma: ...I just want an entertaining killing game, but you’re entitled to your opinion.

Saihara: … That’s… enough! Enough of your bullshit, Monokuma! I made a promise to Momota! I will end this killing game! And to give Momota’s death meaning, I swear I *will* keep my promise!

Shirogane: Yeah! We’re not going to let anyone else die!

Yumeno: Who’s gonna even play that game anymore!? It’s already over!

K1B0: …

Monotaro: Hmm… you could cut this tension with a knife. What’s everyone talkin’ about, anyway?

Monokid: Feels like we stumbled into the last act. I dunno what’s happenin’ at all!

Monosuke: Yo Pops! Fill us in! We wanna help ya out!

Monophanie: Oh! Monosuke is acting nice! He’s sucking up for brownie points!

Monokuma: Ohhhh, I just can’t help myself around you cute little cubs. Gather ‘round, kids… I’ll spend a whole month telling you about what you missed.

Monophanie: A whole month!? Won’t that take longer than the whole chapter!?

Monodam: …

Monokuma: I’ll tell you all about it, while I smother you with hugs and kisses! You kids go on ahead and wait for me at home.

Monokubs: Okay! So long, bear-well! (For some reason it zooms on Monotaro specifically)

Monokuma: Huh? Why did I stay behind? Cuz I wanna give you all a reward for working so hard.

Yumeno: We don’t want it! Just go away!

Monokuma: By the way… I dunno where you got the idea that this killing game can be stopped. There’s nothing a participant can do to end this killing game. No way! Nuh-uh! This game is gonna keep going and going for a long time!

Saihara: (During his ranting, Monokuma took out…) Huh? A Flashback Light?

-Monokuma uses the light, no memory plays-

Saihara: Urgh… Gah…

Yumeno: W-What? What did you just do?

Harukawa: Was that… A Flashback Light just now?

Shirogane: Is it… broken? I don’t feel like I remembered anything.

Monokuma: Puhuhu… this Flashback Light has a special effect. You’ll remember soon enough… You’ll remember that despair is the only choice you have. And that hope doesn’t exist here at all! Ah-hahahahaha! The killing game will never end!

Saihara: (And then… Monokuma left. He declared that this killing game would continue. He declared… there is no hope. )

…

(After that, I honestly don’t remember how we got back. It took all I had just to accept the reality that Momota was gone... And not just Momota… Ouma too… Someone we all trusted, and someone none of us trusted... we lost them both. But it wasn’t all for nothing. Because we’re drawing ever closer to discovering the true mastermind…)

-Junko Silhouette in front of Motherkuma-

???: The killing game will never end… Never ever! As long as I’m around, it’ll never end. It’ll repeat over and over and over… Why would I ever let something this fun end? I want to have more fun. As long as it’s fun, we have to keep doing it. That’s just simple supply and demand. Puhuhuhuhu… Puhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu. Such... despair.

-In the courtyard-

Saihara: (Later that night… I found myself standing in that one spot in the courtyard. The place where Momota and I would train together... My heart… felt crushed. All the loss and guilt and helplessness… sinking into my chest. But still I… I stood there.) …

Harukawa: ...What are you doing?

Saihara: Ah, Harukawa…

Harukawa: ...So, you came too.

Saihara: Yeah... … Harukawa… I’m sorry.

Harukawa: For what?

Saihara: I was the one that drove Momota into a corner… Just like Akamatsu I… I end up betraying everyone important to me... It’s all my fault.

Harukawa: … ...Are you feeling lonely?

Saihara: Huh?

Harukawa: Are you lonely… now that Momota is gone?

Saihara: … Yeah… lonely. I… I feel so lonely, and so sad I… I don’t know what to do… The only reason I’m still alive right now is because of Momota. If he hadn’t have been my friend, I would be…

Harukawa: ...Me too. I can’t remember the last time I ever cried that hard. I wonder how long it’s been… But, I won’t cry anymore. I’m sad, but… I’m grateful to Momota.

Saihara: Grateful?

Harukawa: Yeah. I want to tell him that rather than being sad or lonely… ...I’m grateful to him. … That’s why… I won’t cry anymore. I’m not going to wallow in pity. I want to show him how much I appreciate all the things he did.

Saihara: Yeah… Yeah, I guess it’s the same for me too. I want to show my appreciation, too. I’m sure that our friends who’ve passed on… don’t want to see us miserable. ...Thanks.

Harukawa: Yeah…

Shirogane: Ah, so you guys were here after all. Just like I thought.

Yumeno: I knew you guys would be here cuz I cast a spell to find you.

Saihara: Shirogane? Yumeno?

Shirogane: Umm… If you don’t mind, can we join in your training?

Saihara: Huh?

Yumeno: I’ll train you all from the ground up so we can end this killing game together.

Harukawa: We’re… going to end this together?

Shirogane: Yumeno and I promised Momota.

Yumeno: Yeah. We’re gonna do what we promised and work together to end this killing game.

Shirogane: We can’t afford to lose to despair!

Saihara: … Yeah… Absolutely. (Monokuma said there’s no hope anywhere… But he’s wrong. There is hope. My friends are my hope. Momota said it best… I’m not alone. That’s right. I have friends. Not just my friends here, but also the ones who have died… They all gave us their hope too… That’s why… I’m going to live. I want to live for everyone who died. Despair cannot defeat me. I will hold on, and survive no matter what. … Thank you… Momota.)

-Flashback-

Momota: Let your sweat wash away all your sadness, fear, worry, and hardships... Just start moving your body and your pain will become memories before you know it.

Harukawa: ...Then you should train, too.

Momota: Well, I don’t have anything to worry about. Cuz, I mean… I’m Kaito Momota! Luminary of the Stars!

Saihara: Hey! No fair, Momota!

-Flash Forward-

Shirogane: Oh, by the way… What happened to Kiibo? Do you know where he went?

Saihara: Kiibo? Ah, I don’t know…

Yumeno: Nyeh… What is that guy off doing?

Harukawa: I don’t think a robot really needs to do any training...

Shirogane: But the rest of us are here. I kinda wish he’d come, too…

Saihara: …

-Blank screen-

K1B0: It’s quiet… Too quiet… And yet, this silence is quite refreshing. I used to hear my inner voice with perfect clarity… It would fill me with the power of hope… Guide me along the right path… ...I can’t hear it anymore. All I hear now… is silence. That silence means my will is now my own. Even if despair is all we have to choose… Even if hope no longer exists… I will never give in to despair! I...I will end this. No matter what, I will force this to end. This school, this Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles, is steeped in despair...

-K1B0 flies into the camera-

...And I will destroy it.