#my thoughts may change when i get pass the first trial. i havent even gone to there yet; just to the victim reveal

[supahstarrr]

danganronpa blowback chapter 1 victim spoilers

i'm unsure how to start with this except that i really expected the death to feel less satisfying than it does? it was very typical that the chubby token character would be the first victim, despite my small hopes that he wouldn't be the first one to go for the sake of not feeding into tropes and expanding him. however unexpectedly, yosaku fujita was a character who offered so much more to the cast due to his differentiating perspective from the cast on how to cope with the killing game that was radical enough to be impactful. the story humanized him nicely; actively breaking down the "joke" that many characters (and the audience) seen and treated him as by giving him importance you see through how his views impact others dramatically and how he somewhat contributes to the themes as he is our "hope".

i'm glad that he was taken seriously to an extent—although the "jokes" about his fatness and the use of it as an insult to him from the characters are questionable on the writer's end, there were some points during the story that i felt they were said by the characters for them and us to establish him as "the joke" to deconstruct that treatment of him, not always or just for the sake of the entertainment of us or the mockery of him. plus, it is tired that fat characters "have to" take disrespect from characters that is fueled from their fatness.

though apart of him being "the joke" wasn't just because he's fat, but because he constantly appeared as naive and at times awkward when it came to his positivity. even when his positivity appeared to come from naivety and/or it was awkward, there was still some a lot of impact considering the contrast to and affect on how the cast behaved and coped with the situation. his impact strengthened even more once people noticed that his positivity acknowledged the despair of the situation.

it is though, a very interesting choice to kill off a character who was in a way, radical. its a bit of a dramatic choice for the narrative, although i guess the point is for the series to be dramatic when it comes to the despair, hence the characters clashing so much in the prologue, constant negative and extreme tension among the characters, and the part of the title "blowback" generally having negative and/or extreme meanings. though it would've been interesting to see him be the victim of a later chapter, like chapter 4 or chapter 5. based on the danganronpa formula, chapter 4's cases usually revolves around sacrificing yourself for others—which does fit his character as it revolves around giving himself to others for the sake of making them happy (while in the process, risking his safety). chapter 5's cases usually revolves around a murder & death for the purpose to challenge the killing game, which is what his character is about

still though i feel like he could've had more opportunities to be more challenging and impactful if he survived longer. hell, he could even have opportunities to bring impact and challenges even in his death. through the cast interpreting his presence & character during his survival or grappling with the death of him while remembering (or honoring) him, the cast (especially our protagonist) could develop or create their relationship with hope. especially if the story leads towards the reject both hope and despair, the relationship with him and by extension their relationship with hope could get more complex and complicated. he as the symbol of "hope" could have been more expanded. he could have had opportunities to be more subversive as well. unfortunately, because he was partially used as a "joke", i feel like the opportunities of his impact (and writing) are somewhat restricted because the writer felt the need to "stay" within the chubby token tropes. but still, the writer managed to add to him enough to not just be identified by the tropes.

even though he doesn't have *that* much writing to him, he was a deeper character in context to the narrative. he was a very active character when it came to combating despair while acknowledging it, which several others was passive in doing. he definitely wasn't just the chubby token character who died early. but he also wasn't just the nice guy too. in many ways i feel as if his early death is not satisfying (feeding into tropes, but also satisfying enough (its impactful as his character was very important and with his death is the death of "hope" for now). i feel like it could have been wayyy less satisfying, but its a relief that his death was more than an "example" due to his symbol as our "hope" and he was able to be more outside of familiar, repetitive tropes. yosaku fujita, you are amazing to me

[bipolyjack]

Please tell me more about why you like sheith, I'm very curious to hear the rest of it.

(alright luckily i had the beginning of this saved elsewhere when tumblr just randomly sent it early so imma just begin by pasting. also spoilers for voltron s4 obv) 

the original ask was something like “curious why u like sheith? ive thought abt it and i think i prefer klance”

rubs hands 2gether Thank U for Asking

first of all, thats chill! if klance is ur thing, fuckin go for itmy dude, have a great time with that shit. the fandom’s huge andtheres tons of content. im all for ppl shippin what they want and imnot here to tell someone to ship or not ship something. if u do trulywant to know why im a sheith tho, buckle the fuck up cause im awashin sheith feelings at every moment and i got Things 2 say

alright so the main thing with sheith is that it feels realhealthy and good. (well it did. things are weird this season bc shiromay or may not be a clone but up until his disappearance at least.)they’re rly good abt checking in with each other to see how theother one’s doing and feeling, and they lean on each other a lotfor support. they also treat each other as equals and respect each other’s choices (again, with minor exceptions in the current season). they got that good good hidden backstory together. they got that good good star crossed lovers thing goin on where the universe keeps ripping them apart, fucking them over and tossing them back together more fucked up than before and my dude i Eat That Shit UP. also that good good height difference.the show gives them lots of moments where they’re either alone in a room together havin a private moment or havin an equally private moment in front of the whole fuckin team where fuckin everybody can see them (like the first Hug tm). they’re openly physically intimate with each other (which keith is not with anyone else) and they’re not like. ashamed of that. there’s so much canon content i cry daily. 

here lemme break it down

we know they knew each other in the garrison, and not just like in passing, like acquaintances, but enough that keith was the only person there to see shiro off when the kerberos mission launched. in s1ep1 lance says of shiro “omg that guys my hero” and of keith “you’re my rival” but neither shiro nor keith know who lance even fuckin is. bc presumably they didnt hang out. everyone in the garrison knows who keith and shiro are but they - keith especially it seems like - dont keep track of the other students. also theres this whole fanon thing where shiro and matt were best friends in the garrison and hung out all the time before kerberos, but in s4 when matt greets shiro hes incredibly stiff and awkward and calls him sir and shiro just goes “pidge never gave up on u buddy” which i guess could be a clone thing but could also be him bein like “i totally did give up on u tho, whatever” (and i can totally buy that considering how pidge’s whole personal arc this whole time has been looking for matt and their dad, and while shiro has been supportive of that, he’s also been like hey dude that’s not our top priority as a team). so from that i infer that matt and shiro werent best buds in the garrison, and that he must have spent a lot more of his time with keith bc in s2ep1 keith makes it clear that shiro made a significant impact on his life and that he still thinks about things shiro said to him before kerberos. which we havent seen. bc theyre hiding the pre-kerberos backstory from us and i cry. also their flashbacks in s1ep2 (i think, i dont exactly remember which ep but i think its that one) when they all put on the headsets and we see their fondest memories, shiro’s is the day they were separated and keith’s is the day they found each other again like jesus.

then there’s keith’s first scene in the show. the first thing we see him doing is kicking the shit out of like three garrison guys to rescue shiro. we get that close up of him touching shiro’s unconscious fuckin face and his first line in the whole show is him saying shiro’s name. like shit dude how am i supposed 2 not ship that. the first time keith and lance interact, its lance butting in on that moment and keith being like “who the fuck are u” and its. uncomfortable. we also know that keith has been livin alone in the desert and obsessing over these lion carvings bc he got kicked out of the garrison for basically insubordination sometime after shiro went missing. we get that scene in the shack where keith talks abt feeling lost until shiro showed up and everyone else in the room looking all confused and uncomfortable as these two dudes who clearly already know each other well and have been separated for like a year just stare into each other’s eyes or what the fuck ever. also the scene outside the shack where keith comes and finds shiro and puts a hand on his shoulder and asks him how hes doing - theyre alone for that part. also worth mentioning is that keith has no hesitation touching shiro’s galra tech arm, whereas lance hesitates before shaking his hand. we see a bunch of times that keith is touch averse with almost everyone except shiro, in a way that indicates a degree of prior familiarity and a good understanding of boundaries that keith hasnt had the time or inclination to set up with lance, hunk, pidge, allura, coran etc. also the one time he holds lance when sendack attacks the castle and lance is unconscious, lance sort of blows it off later and basically goes “no homo” when keith brings it up so that was a bummer

i also love some of the Pauses they put into shiro and keith’s dialogue, some of them are just. so choice. like when keith proposes a crazy plan that puts him in danger and shiro just takes a sec, closes his eyes, then goes “alright i’ll back u up, do what u gotta do” like!!!! boi!!!!!! thats good shit. also in s2ep9 during the blade of marmora trial when keith is basically having this nightmare about shiro rejecting him because of his connection to the galra, (which real actual shiro can see because this whole ep was a fuckin fanfiction) and he does that same thing where hes like “shiro... *pause, close eyes for Just a sec* you’re like a brother to me” which! by the way!! i have said the same thing!! to a friend i had a crush on!!! who was straight!!!! and i was a little baby who didnt know i was into girls yet and we used to say we were like sisters bc i? didnt know i?? was gay???? we shared her bed whenever i stayed over and she really did see me as a sister and i would just lie next to her and daydream about touching her boobs,, anyway keith is so relatable there i could yell forever but continuing on,

can we, real quick, talk abt the first time keith flies the black lion? bc in s2ep1 hes not the black paladin yet. real shiro is still around. and keith legit goes up to black, puts a hand on her big ole nose and goes “ur boi is in trouble, we gotta help him” and she goes “yeah dude hop in” like?????????????? thats some fanfic shit again! black Knows! also dont even talk to me abt how many times keith and shiro yell each others names in that ep its unreal. also the trope (that i eat the fuck up every time) of one member of the otp lying trapped and injured somewhere and talking to the other member of the otp thru a helmet comm or whatever and they cant see each other but they can hear each others voices, so they have to keep talking to like reassure each other they’re both still alive and okay?!!! im such a sucker for that shit!!!! ummmmm the fact that shiro keeps reassuring keith that hes fine when theres a gaping glowing wound in his side and hes like visibly in pain, clenching his teeth, eyes closed, groaning, sweat beading on his forehead, the whole fuckin thing?? and josh knocked it outta the park with shiro’s voice in that ep making him sound like he was trying not to sound hurt and exhausted so that keith wouldn’t worry too much like Fuck me up!! smiling thru the pain when keith talks abt how much shiro changed his life and made him a better person??? boi!!!!!

then there are the times when shiro talks abt something happening to him and keith taking over as voltron’s leader, and keith gets all panicked about it like he cant stand the thought of losing shiro again (this happens a bunch of times but the ones that are coming to mind are s2ep1 and s2ep9 bc. again. those are the fanfic episodes). and then he Does lose him again and he’s so clearly grieving, lashing out at the rest of the team, super obviously feeling shiro’s loss more than the others (and lance is a real dick about it a bunch of times which really rubbed me wrong), going out to look for him over and over bc he wants to believe so bad that shiro’s out there somewhere. omg the “please no” when the black lion accepts him that shit Fucked me right up!! he wants to honor shiro’s wishes!! but some part of him knows that’s like admitting that shiro’s gone and isn’t coming back. and then!!!!!! when they find kuron and its just the red lion and the galra ship floating alone in space just like. gently drifting toward each other. keith’s little tired smile there. fuck me up. and then we find out in the next scene that keith has been the only one in shiro (kuron)’s room while he’s recovering and shiro (kuron) hasnt bothered to shave or cut his hair or get dressed yet and he lets keith see him like that and not the rest of the team. fuck. keith looks Exhausted in that scene. hes got bags under his eyes, hes kinda hunched in on himself, arms crossed, like something in him Knows this isnt his boi but he wants to believe it’s him so bad and its. god. its a lot. and Then when hes turning to leave and kuron is like “how many times will u have to save me before this is over” and keith’s face just relaxes into this legitimately genuine smile when he says “as many times as it takes” like!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! fuck me

this is where it starts gettin awkward with them bc kuron isnt shiro and he doesnt treat keith the way shiro would but he Tries, like after keith fucks up that one mission and kuron comes and finds him (again, in private) to touch his shoulder and be like “im proud of u boi” when keith clearly Did Not Do A Good Job and keith just looks bummed like “thats. thats not tru” and it Hurts me bc we know real shiro doesnt do fake praise. also kuron orders keith to put himself in danger more than once and doesnt give a shit that keith and the others get hurt because of it which also real shiro would never do - we’ve seen him react when his teammates take hits before, but especially keith, like during the bom trial. then theres s4ep1 where keith sort of drifts away from team voltron in order to do more stuff with the blade of marmora and everyone’s pissed at him but then as hes walking out kuron’s like “you know we’re here for you if you need us” and keith gets that soft smile again like “i know and i cant tell you how much that means to me” and then they do that good good hand clasp that turns into a hug which by the way is a stark contrast to when other people hug keith and they just kinda grab him and he goes all stiff and it takes him a sec or three to put his arms around them if he even does that at all - with shiro they do the hand clasp first and then walk into the hug together and keith buries his face in shiro’s fuckin shoulder and smiles and closes his eyes and i wanna die. and theyve done this twice now which makes me think they probs did it before kerberos too and that also hurts me. 

then theres s4ep6 where keith has gone the whole season feeling like he was a bad leader. it seems like voltron doesnt rly need him and his friends dont need him and shiro doesnt need him and hes been hanging with the bom who have their whole philosophy of not going back to rescue their own guys if it means putting the mission or the rest of the team in danger (which keith already was saying when allura was captured - how very galra of him) and now keith’s having to readjust to that mindset after being part of such a close knit team. so when he sees a way to take that shield down, he just fuckin goes for it. hes started to see himself as expendable. when shiro thinks hes about to die, we get all kinds of flashbacks, the first of which is him and keith alone outside the shack. there are no flashbacks with keith. he just closes his eyes. and shiro (kuron) congratulates him. like obv its before he knows what keith was about to do, but still, thats some fucked up shit. 

now this wasnt rly part of ur question, ie u didnt ask me how i felt abt klance, but i feel like i gotta say: lance just grates on me. im sorry i know lots of people who love him but he just. isnt my cup of tea. and i do think the relationship shown in the show between keith and shiro is a lot more mature and healthy than the one shown between lance and keith. lance has some good moments! but canon lance and fanon lance seem like two entirely different people to me a lot of the time and thats all cool and fine if ur lookin for that, again im not here to stop ppl from having fun, but there are so many good sheith moments in the show and im just glad to see the relationship between two dudes depicted that way regardless of whether it becomes canon or not. also lance in the show is only shown being attracted to girls, and in kinda a skeevy way - like ive met guys who treat me like that and been Very off-put by that kind of behavior. and it would put me off if after all that they got him together with keith. like hes just superficially interested in all these hot girls but keith, who he has very few heartfelt intimate moments with onscreen, is his True Love? like thats,, not good bi rep. i Do rly like the bond hes been building with allura since they switched lions, that seems like its going in a direction that could turn out to be very wholesome and sweet. but again, if klance is ur thing, by all means have a ball.

k that was a lot but tl:dr i like 2 cry and sheith provides me with lots of opportunities to do that,, if u read it all then thank u deeply and truly for ur attention, u probs Understand me as a person a bit better than before lol

[irighteverything]

Septerra Core:  Entering the Kingdom

An excerpt  fanfic sequel to Septerra core I’v been working on.  I loved that game, the world, the story, but hated that it ended on a cliffhanger.  So here’s my attempt to follow up on that.  I’ll post the link to the full story when I set it up

It was a day that would be forever known on Septerra as ‘The Day of Miracles.’  When the world was on the verge of destruction, the Creator judged Septerra worthy to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  The shells of the world were brought together on the surface, new world appeared in the sky, and an angel of the creator informed the world that, these worlds have gone through a similar trial, and the creator had judged them worthy as well.  And that one day, the people of Septerra would travel to those worlds, and would find the cultural exchange and new knowledge more valuable than mythical power or treasure.  

Thirty years have passed since then.  

Its finally time.  Thought Led.  She sat in a meeting room in the Ankaran capital, surrounded by representatives of every major power in Ankara.  30 years had been building up to this.  She began to speak:  

“Ever since the day of miracles. my husband Grubb and I have been working on fulfilling the promise of that day, of making travel to other worlds a reality.  Ever since I was elected president of Ankara I’ve been pouring money into hiring engineers and researchers to make this happen, and we have done it.  We have the technology to make the journey.  And I want to bring representatives from every major power in Septerra to act as diplomats and explorers with me.”

“Are you sure about this?”  one of the people seated around the table, a man in his 30’s wearing an outfit that was well made and probably expensive, but was also distinctly ‘junker’ in its design.  “Can you really make it all the way to those other worlds?”

“Nothing is certain” Led responded.  “We know we can reach those planets with probes, because we’ve done it.  And the ship we created to make the journey should be more than capable of sustaining us for the journey.”  She took a breath “and on another note: I think we should all introduce ourselves.”  

“Aw come on, you know me Led,” the man responded, “even if it has been years since we’ve seen each other.”  

“I do, Tori, but not everyone here does.”  

“Alright, names Tori, mayor of Oasis”

Led giggled, “They elected you mayor?  After all the crap you pulled”

“Hey,” Tori said slightly indignantly, “It was my thinking that saved Oasis from economic depression.  I’m not the same person from all those years ago.  And I never would have expected you would get elected President of Ankara.”

“Yea I guess we’ll just have to leave it at that.”  Led said, not wanting to get into an argument now.  She turned to a 30-something girl with red hair and a robotic arm “Why dont you introduce yourself.”  

“Names Ara.” She said “Aryam sent me as a representative of New Jinam”

“So you’re an ambassador from New Jinam?”asked Led

“I’m just a mercenary” Ara replied

“Dont tell me we’re letting one of Big Boss’s mercenary dogs on this mission with us!”  The outburst came from a man in his late 20s on the other side of the table.  His wore the grey-and purple outfit typical of The Chosen, one of a group of Marduk’s followers who had traveled to what was then the top shell of Septerra, and developed some of the most advanced technology on the planet.  And his facial tattoos marked him as a Chosen lord.  

“Aryam hates that name you know.  Besides who are you to talk?  I know for a fact you Chosen have employed New Jinam mercs many times to settle disputes between your petty lords.”

“I’ll have you know I’m Maricus, Emperor of the Chosen.  And I dont see why that ‘mercenary nation’ Aryam created deserves to be part of such a momentous occasion.”

“Because,” led interrupted “like it or not, New Jinam is a major power in Septerra.  Plus, you are too young to remember, but it used to the pirates and bounty hunters were absolute terrors.  It almost impossible to travel without risk of attack, and you visited the World Bazaar at your own risk.  Aryam has given them a code, and reigned in their excesses.”

“Exactly” Ara said, and then clearly trying to change the subject “Anyway who’s the big blue freak?”  Motioning towards a large, blue humanoid with an oval head, and no eyes standing in the corner.  

“Not freak” he said “name’s Badu of the Underlost”

“Badu?!” Led exclaimed “I havent seen you in so long!  I’m glad to see you are learning our language”

“No,” the Underlost replied “That Badu my father.  Oldest son take father’s name.  That is Underlost way”

The Underlost lived on what had previously been the bottom shell of Septerra.  As such they were adapted to live in a dark environment.  They had no eyes and relied on sonar to see.  

“Underlost huh?”  Ara said “I knew a few guys who were hired to fight your kind”

“You are reason many Underlost hate outsiders.”  Badu said

“Hey, its just a job, done be mad because some assholes are willing to pay for bad behavior.”  Ara said “Besides, I never dealt with Underlost myself, just heard stories”

Badu looked like he was about to say something, but Led interrupted.  “Look, if we’re going to go on this mission, we’re going to need to work together.  So if this is gonna be a problem…”

“It won’t” Ara said.  Badu said nothing.

“So, what about you?”  Led said to a blue-haired woman who couldnt be more than 18 or 19, and yet was wearing the uniform of one of Wind City’s Holy Guard.  “I assume you are coming as a representative of Wind City?”

“Yes, my name is Lorel”

“Lorel?!” Led said surprised “You’re Maya and Corgan’s daughter!  I havent seen you since you were a baby.  And now here you are all grown up and joined The Guard.”

“Yes,” Lorel said “I just joined.  Everyone thinks I only got in because of my parents.  And thats why I volunteered for this, to prove them wrong.”

“You sound resentful of your parents” Led remarked

“Well, no” Lorel said, “Its not that.  They were, are, great parents.  Its just that...they are practically living legends.  I feel like I could never measure up, like I’ll always be living in their shadow”

“I know how that is” Ara said quietly.

“What?”  Lorel said

“Nothing...its personal” said Ara

“Okay that just leaves...wasnt there supposed to be a representative of The Watchers.”

“I am right here Led” a female voice emanated from a gold robotic body in the corner.  

“Is that you Layla?”  Led asked.  Layla was the former commander of the Holy Guard.  She had been killed fighting the Chosen, but the Watchers had resurrected her as one of them.  Since then she had served as advisor to the government and people of Wind City, as well as an emissary between the watchers and the rest of Septerra.  

“It is.”  

“What happened to your giant bird body?”

“I will be away from the Watchers for the first time since I died.  So it was decided that I should have a body with greater mobility and armements.”  

“Alright,” Led said,  “now that we’ve all met, and know why were here, is everybody in?”

Everyone present mummered in agreement.  

“Great,” Led said, “theres just one more thing” She motioned towards the Jinam cyborg that had been standing next to her this whole time “This is Lobo.  He’s going to be the one in charge of piloting the ship.”

“This mission may have been Led’s idea,” Lobo said, “but while you’re on my ship, I’m the one in command”  

“You’ll all have 3 weeks to get your affairs in order,”  Led said,  “thats when we launch.”