#not even mentioning kamukura

[kkoct-ik]

rewatching a dr2 lp and i honestly never noticed how much hajime dissociates. i almost wanna make a masterpost

[penguwastaken]

About Brainwashing in Danganronpa

Hello to all 3 of the people who see this account. A few months ago, I made a thread on hit website Twitter dot com about brainwashing in the Danganronpa Series. I discussed where it came from, how it works, and how the brainwashing of class 77-B was never a retcon. The thread got a lot of attention there, even getting a "debunk" on other hit website Reddit dot com (lmao). Due to that, there's been a lot of responses and questions. Since I can't really update a Twitter thread, I decided that I'd make the Ultimate™ Brainwashing thread and hopefully dispel any information on the subject while making my original points more clear and covering things I failed to cover. So here it is: Brainwashing in Danganronpa, how it works, where it came from, and how it was intended from the start. (a 🧵 except not really) *Massive spoilers for Danganronpa Zero, Danganronpa 2, Danganronpa Another Episode, Danganronpa Togami, and Danganronpa 3, as well as the series as a whole*

Danganronpa Zero: First Sighting

Brainwashing has its roots all the way back in the second official entry produced in the series, Danganronpa Zero. During the story's events, Ryoko comes across a secret cult made up of students from the reserve course. They're seen staring at a strange video, seemingly turning them and turn them into mindless zombies.

The video depicts members of the student council killing each other. Ryoko is stunned while watching it. She can barely look away, but eventually through force of will she does. This same video is later used to convince the reserve course to rebel.

The way it's described to work is that it uses their “pent-up emotions,” implying that their emotions played a role in its effectiveness. It's also worth noting that the novel itself refers to what is happening as brainwashing, making this objectively the first depiction of brainwashing in the series right from the second entry.

Danganronpa 2: Now it Gets Dubious

Our next instance of brainwashing comes from Danganronpa 2. The concept is brought up multiple times, such as when Makoto states that the Ultimate Despairs were brainwashed or how the Neo World Program is good at treating brainwashing, though the details of what brainwashing actually means in this context are kept vague.

It's also worth noting that Danganronpa 2 was being written around the same time as Danganronpa Zero and Kodaka wanted concepts from the novel to appear in Danganronpa 2, likely so readers would feel validated. This is why things like Izuru Kamukura and the reserve course play huge roles in Danganronpa 2, it's not too much of a stretch to say that the same applies with brainwashing. One detail we’re given about the brainwashing is from Monokuma, who states the Ultimate Despairs were brainwashed by Junko taking advantage of their feelings. Specifically love, hate, grudges, and "anything really". If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s exactly how the brainwashing video from Danganronpa Zero was described to function, using their pent-up emotions.

I should mention that Monokuma and Junko are known for being unreliable narrators who often stretch the truth, exaggerate things, and use hyperbole to manipulate people into believing their narrative. Monokuma describes the Ultimate Despairs as “nothing more than Junko’s limbs”, which contradicts the existence of characters like Nagito. Who, while in his despair state, did not work with Junko nor did he look up to her (at least in the normal sense like the other Ultimate Despairs). In fact, it would have been impossible for them to really obey any of Junko's orders as Ultimate Despairs because Junko was trapped inside of Hope's Peak with minimal connection to the outside world. This isn't a definitive "Monokuma is lying" statement, but just note that his word isn't 100% reliable. Meanwhile, someone like Makoto who outright mentions brainwashing, is a much more reliable source.

Danganronpa Another Episode: More Brainwashing! (kinda irrelevant tho...)

The next time brainwashing is used is in the next entry, Danganronpa Another Episode. Though its purpose in this discussion isn’t the most useful, as the brainwashing is caused by Monokuma helmets, which don’t have their functionality explained. I figured it was worth mentioning and describing at least, as its another example of brainwashing at least.

I did figure it was worth adding how the brainwashed children act. They obey the Warriors of Hope’s every command, as if they have zero control over their actions. This is different from how the Ultimate Despairs act, who still some free had free will after presumably being brainwashed judging by the actions of Nagito, who is also in this game.

Danganronpa Togami: I Hate My Life

Okay. As mixed as my opinions are on this novel trilogy, it does feature brainwashing. In fact, it might feature one of the most detailed and important descriptions of brainwashing in the series, and even outright CONFIRMS that class 77-B were brainwashed (sorta).

"Hey um... Tumblr/Twitter user Pengu... what do you mean by 'sorta'?" Well my uninformed reader who I guarantee has probably never read this book, there's a twist. I regret to inform you that the canonicity of Danganronpa Togami is rather questionable, as it depicts an extremely unreliable narrator’s warped viewing of events due to this thing called the K2K system, which means not everything in the novel is meant to be taken literally or at face value.

This doesn't mean that everything should be discarded or immediately dismissed however. This just means that we have to use our brains a little and decipher what the hell Yuya Sato was cooking when he wrote this novel trilogy. In the novel, we discover the existence of the elusive despair novel. When read, the novel will turn the reader to despair and inflict them with the despair disease. This novel is what's used to plummet the world into despair, as well as being what caused the class 77-B to become the Ultimate Despairs. There's no known ways to avoid it, once you read it, it's joever. 😔

As I said earlier, the events of Danganronpa Togami can’t be taken literally. Due to this and prior context, we can safely assume that the despair novel is most likely the K2K's warped idea of the despair video from Danganronpa Zero. Instead of being a book being read that brainwashed people, it was a video being watched. What makes me so sure? Well let's look over the similarities. The way the despair novel works is that it uses cruel words to overload the reader with negative emotions, causing them to snap and turn to despair. That sounds almost exactly like the despair video, overloading the viewer by manipulating their emotions until they turn to despair.

However, a major difference comes from the fact that Danganronpa Togami confirms towards the end that the despair novel doesn't literally brainwash people, acting as a placebo and an excuse for people with despair to use.

However I don't believe this suddenly breaks the connection to the despair video in Danganronpa Zero. All it shows is that the novel doesn't create despair, which is something we already established with the brainwashing video. It doesn't make despair, it makes it stronger. Whether it be via the disturbing imagery on the screen or the words on a page giving you an excuse, all it does is amplify despair. Basically it doesn't make despair come out of nowhere, it incites it. This connection's a little bit of a stretch but I'll bring it up anyways. The technology used in the despair novels was originally to bring hope. (Take notes, it will probably be important assuming you buy this connection.)

Essentially, the despair novel works in a similar same way as the despair video, but instead it’s a book and you read it instead of watching it. This means that class 77-B and the rest of the world were most likely brainwashed via the despair video, and that is what caused the class to become Ultimate Despairs.

Danganronpa 3: The One People Really Don't Like

And all of this brings us to the most detailed yet controversial usage of brainwashing: Danganronpa 3. Many assume that the anime’s usage of brainwashing is a retcon, contradicting the words of our holy savior Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair High School. However, I’d like to debate that. In fact, I'd like to finally put a nail in the coffin of this really stupid debate and finally show you that Danganronpa 3's depiction of brainwashing is exactly how it has always been described.

In Danganronpa 3, we are introduced to Ryota Mitarai and his anime. Using the power of subliminal messaging, it heightens the viewer's emotions and makes them more powerful. What was once a slightly emotional scene is now a complete tearjerker fully capable of tearing at the viewers heart strings! While he acknowledges that there are unethical things that can be done with this technology and it's technically brainwashing, his goal is to use this technology to make the world a better place, even if it can be dangerous. If that sounds familiar, that's because it's what Hope's Peak tried doing with the despair novel in Danganronpa Togami. Though I'll admit, this single point is a little bit of a stretch as there are differences. I just figured it was worth at least a mention.

Using her analytical prowess, Junko gets a rough understanding of how the technology works, so she develops the despair video, featuring the student council killing each other overlayed with subliminal messaging technology to make the despair felt while viewing the video stronger.

The video works on Mikan, however Junko fears that the video may not be powerful enough to fully go through with her plans due to not understanding the technology nearly as well as Ryota does. Because of this, she forces Ryota to create a better, more powerful despair video. A despair video v2 if you will. Junko’s fears weren’t unfounded, as we discover that Chisa had the mental fortitude to resist the despair video, similarly to how Ryoko was able to resist the same video in Danganronpa Zero. This is exactly why Junko needs a more powerful video, one that she knows can’t be resisted.

"Ermmmm, Tumblr/Twitter user Pengu, how come Ryoko and Chisa are able to resist the despair video but Mikan and nobody in the reserve course could?" Good question, the answer is pretty simple. As mentioned before, the video takes advantage of the emotions of the viewer. Mikan is already pretty weak minded, so there wasn't much issue in controlling her. The reserve course already hated Hope's Peak and would take any reason to hate them more, so a video that shows them the sins of Hope's Peak would affect them as well. Ryoko and Chisa have no connection to the reserve course however, and neither are particularly very weak emotionally. Ryoko has the analytical prowess of Junko and Chisa is just a very strong willed person in general, and paired with Junko's lack of knowledge about subliminal messaging when creating the video, it's pretty obvious it wouldn't be that effective on them. All the more reason for Junko to force Ryota to make a better despair video.

The despair video v2 that Ryota is forced to make comes in the form of Chiaki’s execution video, where the stronger subliminal messages paired with witnessing the representation of the happiest moments in their miserable lives and their closest friend suffer makes class 77-B unable to resist. Ultimately this causes them to finally snap, being overloaded with despair, and now they turn into the Ultimate Despairs. (side note this is so freaking cool idc what anyone else says)

This resembles Monokuma’s explanation from Danganronpa 2. Junko used class 77-B’s emotions and years of getting closer against them to turn them to them to despair. Now featuring the added context of her using the video designed to manipulate people’s emotions. Also as @jelimore pointed out, Junko leading the class to Chiaki's execution itself was manipulating them. This depiction of brainwashing fits perfectly with the information provided throughout the series, even down to the little details. It’s so close in fact that I can say without a doubt that Danganronpa 3 did not retcon anything. “But Tumblr/Twitter user Pengu, that isn’t how the video is shown to work during Hope Arc. Therefore it actually contradicts previous entries and is inconsistent!" To that I say, you’re correct! ...at least about the hope video functioning differently, but that doesn’t make it inconsistent. The hope video behaves pretty differently. Instead of overloading the viewer with negative feelings, it simply just shows them a repeating video loop that turns them into a mindless zombie, likely caused by even stronger subliminal messaging. The people affected can also snap out of this state with some time, as seen with Aoi.

The reasoning for this is actually pretty simple, it’s just different technology entirely. It’s stated that the hope video was developed later on after the despair video. If anything, it behaves very similar to the Monokuma masks from Danganronpa Another Episode, which we also already established uses different technology. The hope video doesn’t contradict the despair video at all because they both use completely different tech. This can also be seen with how the despair video uses subliminal messaging, meanwhile the messaging in the hope video couldn’t be further from subliminal. There is no inconsistency, just two different things.

The reason the hope video needed to be broadcasted everywhere was so that since it would be airing everywhere, nobody would have time for the effects to wear off or resist it. This would turn the world into mindless zombies who obey every command, similarly to the Monokuma kids. It's just that now they don't have to force bulky helmets onto everyone.

Debunking Common Arguments

With the hope video out of the way, I think it’s very safe to assume that not only is the despair video’s functionality very accurate to previous descriptions, it’s also always been the reason for the brainwashing of Class 77-B, long before Danganronpa 3. Even if you disagree and think the cause of brainwashing was never explicitly mentioned in Danganronpa 2, there's still the fact that Danganronpa 2 outright says it was brainwashing. So even if a video wasn't the direct cause of it, them being brainwashed was still always intended (though given the context and the fact the video was introduced in a tie in novel for the game, I'm certain that it was always the culprit). Many point to this line where Kazuichi asks why they became the Ultimate Despairs and Makoto says he never got an answer to debunk this. But... this doesn't change anything. He asks why they became Ultimate Despairs, not how. And this is completely ignoring the fact that Makoto clearly has done his own digging into the situation, he discovered the Remnants of Despair were hiding among Future Foundation after all. The Future Foundation had access to brainwashing videos, they found them, so of course Makoto is going to know about the brainwashing. What Makoto is saying here is that he doesn't know every little detail, all he knows is that they were brainwashed. I wrote a bit more about it here, but there's nothing contradictory in this scene.

Many also point to Mikan stating that it was her many human relationships that led her to being the way she is. Once again, this changes literally nothing. Mikan was the only one of the remnants who actually knew Junko, she was the only one who spent time with her because she was the first subject. This is why she gets more attached to her, and even why she'd believe what Junko would tell her when they spent time together. Monokuma also says that Junko used "hopeless methods overflowing with charisma and humor" to control the masses. I don't even know why I have to address this, but this statement is so vague you can interpret it as a million things. Like for example, this is how she got Ryota to work for her. While pretending to be Makoto to manipulate the people in the trial, Junko tells them that they all became Ultimate Despairs while coming into contact with her at Hope's Peak and they were subjected by her terrifying influence. Again, ignoring how vague "terrifying influence" is, this is literally Junko trying to LIE AND MANIPULATE them. This is quite possibly the worst example you could have used because we know for a fact that she is lying to them while pretending to be Makoto. There's other examples of Junko trying to manipulate them, like mentioning how everyone hated them and their all Ultimate Despairs at the end of the day. But that's just what this is, manipulation. You would think that the "Junko manipulated class 77-B" crowd would understand that saying "everyone hates you but I saw your potential" is literally manipulation 101. She even states that Izuru killed the entirety of a student council, which we know for certain is a lie because Danganronpa Zero (which came out before) says otherwise. Some say that the brainwashing turned them into mindless zombies and eliminates all blame from their actions. While I would agree that it does make them less at fault, they still have the ability to make choices and still have free will. Their original personalities haven't been overwritten, their brains were just rewired to crave despair. They're still each their individual person with their own ways of feeling despair, and characters like Chisa and Nagito show that they regain their free will to an extent. I also wrote more about that here, LOL.

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

This whole debate stems from people misunderstanding Monokuma’s words and going along with the popular interpretation, which turned out to be wrong. Whether you like the use of brainwashing or not, it objectively isn’t a retcon as it's been developed ever since Danganronpa Zero. Personally, I love the use of brainwashing. I think the way it's developed throughout the series and its usage in Danganronpa 3 is super interesting. If you disagree, that's fine! Heck, if you choose to headcanon that Junko manipulated 15 individual teenagers into all becoming despair hungry terrorists capable but ending the world and fighting off every military in the world in less than a year, that's cool too! But the truth is, Danganronpa 3's brainwashing is canon and it's also not a retcon nor does it contradict anything. Contrary to popular belief, Kodaka was involved with the writing of the anime. He provided a large draft and outline of the plot and oversaw its development. He produced the anime, he did his homework, the team even played the games to prepare for writing the anime. He knew what he was doing. I'm sure if Kodaka intended for them to all be manipulated one by one, that's what he would have went with. All information implying that it was manipulation is very few and far between and questionable at best, not to mention outweighed by everything implying it was brainwashing. Mind manipulation stuff is not new in this series, its been around since the first game and brainwashing was established in literally the second entry ever produced. Whether you love it or hate it, think it's the best thing since sliced bread or the death of the series, brainwashing was the answer the whole time. Some people just never noticed it, and instead of acknowledging that they were wrong, they stuck with a headcanon that they believed so much and jumped to the conclusion of "retcon". I hope this mega post managed to inform some people, maybe change some minds too. If you still don't buy it, then I guess there's nothing I can do. Thanks for reading all of this though, I tend to yap a lot about this franchise lmao.

[raitonsfw]

𝓈𝓎𝓃𝑜𝓅𝓈𝒾𝓈: When Kamukura doesn't do his due diligence of fucking you himself, you take matters into your own hands– by humping his foot.

warnings: 18+ mdni, smut, fem!reader, cold!kamukura, slight dom/sub undertones, dubcon, heel humping, desperation, pleading, implied orgasm, reader uses the tip of his shoe to get off, kamukura's mean and unforgiving, small mention of abuse (reader got dr3 despair arc ep 6 mukuro treatment once or twice).

a/n: god you gave me a sense to write more of my kamukoma fic cuz of this, i absolutely adore writing the complexities of kamukura. wc: 600ish. v-day m.list | m.list

thirst count: 1

divider credit: @hitobaby & @firefly-graphics

“But, Kamukura…” You tried, the ache between your legs pulsing up your spine and you nearly fell to your knees as he denied you…again.

“I said no.” 

You grabbed a hold of his leg as he walked up the stairs, his long hair cascading down his back as he turned to look at you. His targeted red eyes bore into the back of your skull, you thought as you gave him a pout. “Please, Izu– I’ll be good, I promise.” 

“Y/N.” He was as stoic as ever, not an ounce of remorse seeping through his demeanor as he looked at you, your thighs clasped together as you tried to stop him from going up the stairs. Instead, he dragged you by his ankle up them and into the room. You didn’t dare let go of his leg as he sat down in the plush red chair that sat near the edge of the window curtain. 

“Please fuck me… I’ll do you right, I swear.” You whined out as he crossed his one leg over the other and you couldn’t help but sit on the one that was level to the floor. You knew if he wanted, he could pin you down in an instant, away from him but for some reason he didn’t so much as lift a finger. He ignored you though and you couldn’t help yourself any longer– you needed him, you needed your Ultimate Hope. 

You slid your panties over to the side and pressed your bare cunt to the cold material of his shoe, your senses tingling with ecstasy and a twinge of guilt. It hovered up your spine and you started to grind against it, the tip of his shoe digging into the swell of your clit and you muffled a moan with the back of your hand as slick trailed down the black shine of it. You hoped he didn’t notice, but why would you even think that? Of course, he noticed; the man was nearly a deity in your eyes and in the world of tragic despair– also he could feel your hips rocking against his person, you weren’t very subtle. 

“Getting off on my shoe? How pathetic.” Kamukura said, a slight tease evading his tone but it was mostly snuffed by sheer irritation– honestly you couldn’t tell as you shoved his shoe harder against your cunt with a whimper, trying hard not to touch him besides his foot. Your arms stretched back to accommodate your balance and you thrusted up against his shoe as it came up further, the entire underside of it plastered against your heat now. You peered up at him and he had his arms crossed, with a lean to one side as you pleasured yourself against the heel of his foot. 

His foot covered you whole and all you wanted to do was grab at his ankle and push further into the delicious pleasure that snaked through your veins, but you knew he wouldn’t let you touch him again– not when you’ve already disobeyed him on the staircase. He wasn’t that lenient usually, you’ve gotten thrown against the wall a few times due to your incompetence and it made you quiver against him, the power– his power that he held within his hands ready to dismiss you anytime he wished. Your orgasm approached as you felt a slight pressure from his leg and your eyes snapped open quickly, not even realizing you had slipped them shut.

Was he actually enjoying this…? You glanced up at him with clouded eyes, every nerve bundling up into your orgasm and threatening to burst as his slack eyes stared back at you with usual boredom. 

“K-Kamukura…please.” 

“Go ahead, do what you want.”

[theamityelf]

In your Makoto Kamukura au does Makoto ever interact with his class again? I see them all being worried and when someone (most likely Kirigiri) finds him Izuru is pissed.

Yes!! It gets so messy.

The way I'm imagining it right now, Makoto has to leave the supply room for some reason, when Izuru and Nagito aren't there (and maybe this scenario is facilitated by the fact that Kamukoma is happening on the side, so Izuru has truly gotten distracted by Nagito and just assumed that Iteration 2 would always stay in the room).

He leaves the room, and he runs into someone from his class. I'm thinking Hina, because I need the person to be highly passionate and genuine. She sees him and gasps. "Makoto?! It's you! It's really you! But, where have you been?! Everyone was so worried about you! We were so worried!"

He sees that she's upset, even though the name "Makoto" is entirely new to him, and he says, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

And Hina notices that he's talking strangely, but she's too caught up in the fact that he's here to really deal with that, so she just goes, "Come on; the others have to see you!" and drags him to class.

They're all astonished and excited, in their own ways, to see their missing friend back (but with way longer hair, red eyes, and looking– as Leon put it –like he'd been living in a cave). Makoto stands there and just kind of takes it all in, and Kyoko is the most aware that something is seriously, fundamentally off about him. In fact, she interrupts the merriment to ask:

"Do you recognize us?"

The others are (with very few exceptions) not there yet, and they do all the "What are you talking about? It's Makoto. Of course he recognizes us," that is to be expected.

Makoto doesn't answer, because there's a lot going on and he's more focused on learning from it. He hasn't had to say pretty much anything this whole time, because everyone else was talking over each other.

"Makoto?" Kyoko says. "Do you recognize us?"

Makoto looks at her and gathers that, while she won't like the truth, it is also all she'll accept. He softens the blow by saying, "I know that you're Kyoko Kirigiri, Ultimate Detective and daughter of Headmaster Kirigiri."

"Yes, Hina and Hifumi both said my name, Hiro mentioned my ultimate talent, and my connection to the headmaster can be gleaned in any number of ways. I asked if you recognize me."

"I'm sorry, but I don't have any memory of being the person you knew."

The others have their shocked and dismayed reactions, and Kyoko does take a second to feel the revelation, but then she just grimly nods and says, "Is that at all related to the scar on your forehead?" (A straight scar, seemingly dealt by a blade held by a steady hand. A surgical scar.)

Makoto knows that it will cause problems if he shares any more information. "There isn't much that I can explain. I'm sorry that I don't know how to be who you want me to be. I can try to learn. But for now, it wouldn't be safe if I stayed here much longer. I have to go back to...my room."

"You mean your dorm room?" Chihiro asks nervously.

Makoto makes blank eye contact and says nothing.

"You can't go!" Taka protests. "You'll miss class! You've already been absent for-"

"My friend doesn't want me around other people, and the Steering Committee doesn't want the general public to know about me. I would be putting you in danger if I stayed." He leaves.

But he'll be back.

He's learned this body's name: Makoto Naegi. The Ultimate...Lucky Student? Like Nagito?

He's learned a lot today.

(Eventually, the class finds out that Nagito knew where Makoto was. Eventually, Izuru finds out that his Iteration 2 has been talking to people who knew him before he was himself. Drama ensues.)

[buffkitties]

"their actual dynamic is very interesting and actually pretty similar to regular Komahina"

What do you mean by that?

It means exactly what it looks like.

There are many timelines and scenarios in which Hinata and Komaeda stick together as remnants that would fit their characters and would honestly make more sense than them being apart or barely interacting.

Anyway, first, you have to look at their actual characters and what they're like. They're both observers, in a way. As remnants, neither of them truly caused that much harm, and they both most likely just found themselves in the wrong places at the wrong times.

Komaeda was definitely docile, unlike the other remnants, and he wouldn't kill or harm anybody unless he really needed to. Any real damage would be done by his luck or indirectly brought by him pulling the strings for something. Acting otherwise would be against his character, anyway, since everything he does is for a reason.

Kamukura was in a similar boat, living during the tragedy as nothing more than an observer. He wouldn't harm or kill anybody unless it was necessary, either, and most likely avoided pointless things like that to carry out what he was meant to do and survive since the world wasn't safe for anybody.

Anyway, as servant, Komaeda would rather stay alive than die, which was definitely why he searched safety in Towa City in the first place. If you take a good look at his character, he yearns for self-sacrifice, not out of desire to die, but rather to die a death that means something. As a whole, Komaeda constantly talks about death in a really important way (people say that he talks about it like it's nothing, but that's simply not true), because he, himself, can not avoid death. As many of us know, Komaeda is sick. His life was always going to end sooner than it should ever have since he enrolled in the academy.

Realistically speaking, dying from a disease is a meaningless death:

1. His death will be for nothing; a hopeless outcome, holding nothing but grief and suffering.

2. He will die alone because he has nobody. No family, friends, you get it.

That is a scenario he would rather avoid, which is why he was okay with dying by getting murdered and honestly, much preferred. In the stimulation, he started the killing game because at least ONE person getting to leave would be better than all of them being stuck there, which was hopeless because if we're being honest, one is better than zero. In that scenario, if he was murdered, his death would not only mean something and serve hope—at least one person getting to leave—but he wouldn't be alone in his last moments because he would work with the killer and get murdered by them. Another is chapter 4, when everybody suggested they would rather starve than kill, he was uncomfortable with that fact because at least one of them living would be better. If you approached him for a free time, he even suggested that they could cannibalise him if they needed to, because again, logically, the good his death would bring severely outweighs the fact he'd die, and his death would serve something good (they wouldn't starve to death).

During the tragedy, there was no way he could die without it being meaningless, and despite being brainwashed and his beliefs getting messed up by despair, they are still rooting very deep and he would rather stay alive because his death, just like everybody else's, would be for nothing, but to simply die. Horrible scenario. Also, I believe that in UDG, he hasn't mentioned self-sacrifice once (correct me if I'm wrong).

I believe that this is a case in which he would talk about talent, despair, and hope often. He wouldn't mention it in every sentence, but any conversation COULD turn into that with a wrong turn. Komaeda only talks about them when he's stressed or nervous, and the more disturbed he feels, the more he talks about them. The tragedy was a very traumatic time, and he would undoubtedly spiral into this kind of talk often. In fact, I think nobody would be able to tell that he was a remnant until he started speaking or he was recognised by somebody, because he was really disturbed at the time, and Komaeda is unfiltered and he would voice what goes through his mind. He would most likely speak non-sense a lot, too, often contradicting himself or saying things he would never say, and he would lack self-awareness unless somebody pointed out that he was incoherent and he got confused and began questioning his own words (good example for that is actually chapter 0 of Sdr2, when he talks to Kamukura on the ship)

Kamukura, or rather Hinata, was a wanderer and observer who didn't do anything during the tragedy except for when Junko Enoshima was using him for her plans. Cursed with frustrating understimulation and lack of interest and entertainment in things around him, he allowed himself to be manipulated to get out of an empty room that was basically a cell for him, to feel something. Even if he knew he was being manipulated, he would be used one way or another, if not by her, then by the school or someone entirelt else, and Enoshima's offer seemed much better, at least at the time.

People constantly portray Hinata during those times as emotionless, but he has emotions. They're just severely stunted, and any time he feels something, it passes very fast because he already knows what to expect and can predict almost everything.

I'm too lazy to dig deeper into their characters AGAIN because it should be obvious at this point, but all I'm saying is if you look into them, it'll make sense. These are just small summaries to kinda give you an idea I suppose

Moving on, when it comes to them together, people always give them a bedroom dynamic, and it really annoys me. In reality, they're more likely to simply travel together because it would benefit both of them and give them a better chance at survival or reaching their goals, whatever they would be. They would still feel a draw and trust, and that's because they're connected as characters in general, and one could not exist without the other, so they could never avoid each other, not even then.

Their traits are also very similar. For example, both of them are blunt and docile, and both of them serve a purpose only when it comes to other people. They have other very interesting traits, too, such as that Komaeda would be overly expressive and emotional. Meanwhile, Kamukura would be the complete opposite. Both of them are pretty stubborn, etc.

I think they would find each other's company pleasant, and they wouldn't mind staying together since they wouldn't be bothersome to each other at all. I think there are many cases where Kamukura would keep him safe, too, for many reasons.

Anyway... Hinata and Komaeda are still two sides of the same coin, and they wouldn't be able to stay away from each other, despair or no despair. That part of their dynamic will always remain. When I say that it's pretty similar to regular Komahina, I mean exactly that.

Their dynamic is interesting because their original characters kind of get thrown out, I guess, and they're forced into an environment where they can not act like they usually would because the world doomed them, yet they still mirror each other and have these weirds things linking them and stand out from the rest.

It's honestly more surprising that they were separated in the canon timeline or that they didn't meet before the Kamukura thing, rather than if they were together during the tragedy. I feel like they got seriously lazy writing the anime and UDG

[jubileebloom]

I don't have the time to fully write this crossover AU idea so I'm dumping it here instead:

Having skipped a few grades, Ford presents his project to WCT scouts during his "freshman" year of high school. It's still broken and WCT rejects him, but before Filbrick has a chance to kick out Stan in retaliation, the family gets a visit from other talent scouts. They want Ford to move across the world to spend his remaining high school years with them, at Hope's Peak Academy.

Ford accepts their offer, and leaves Stan on bad but not fully severed terms. They exchange letters maybe twice that following year, but lose contact. Filbrick reluctantly allows Stan to stay, but treats him even worse than before.

Ford thrives at Hope's Peak (not sure what his title would be... Ultimate Engineer? Investigator?) and continues to work with their alumni after graduation. He's still interested in anomalies, but here he's focuses more of his research on the talent anomalies that come to Hope's Peak. Eventually, he's recruited for the Kamukura Project.

Meanwhile, Stan struggles to cope with school and his home life, eventually dropping out and running away on his own terms. He gets mixed up with a semi-successful crime gang and is able to secure a relatively stable group of people to work with, but is still constantly on the run from the law, and has to fake his death later down the line after too many incidents happened. Stan and Ford were kept vaguely aware of each other's existence up until this point; Ford was a highly influential scientist, and he occasionally checked on crime reports from home to see if any of them seemed suspiciously Stan-ish. He stops checking after Stan's "death," though, buying the bait. Although they don't really have a relationship, he still shows subtle signs of mourning after this and becomes more reclusive.

And then Hajime signs up for the Project, and Junko and Mukuro come to Hope's Peak. Junko talks to Ford, and he finds himself drawn to the twins, for obvious reasons, although he doesn't tell either of them about his own twin. (Junko figures it out, though.)

Somewhere in all of this, Ford accidentally helps Junko start and fuel The Tragedy, and Mukuro and Stan happen to meet each other on a collaborative overseas mission (with Stan's criminal gang having at some point evolved into a rogue mercenary group similar to Mukuro's Fenrir) and start working together. Stan is also drawn to her after she mentions her twin.

I'm not really sure where it would go from here, but I imagine Ford start trying to clandestinely undo some of the damage he's done, and Stan and Mukuro end up going back to Hope's Peak at some point, and Ford and Stan eventually have to find each other and confront each other's actions.

[jabberwock-islanders]

Characters We Desperately Want To Look Like (a slideshow)

Even though some of them contradict each other a little bit lmao

Each attached image will have a written version of what's written in the image

Ethan from Spooky Month

Twink goals

Red and black alt aesthetic

Something about him speaks to the trans masc within us

Dyed hair <3

Also shaggy hair being tied up in a small ponytail <3

He is our favorite flavor of man and we need to be that flavor of man

Honestly if we had to choose one character in this list to model our entire visual identity after, it would be Ethan

Ibuki Mioda from Danganronpa

Scene girlie!!

She's so colorful and vibrant and we want to Bleed Neon

Dyed hair part 2 <3

Accessorizing school uniforms? Yes!!!

Piercings and bracelets and cute stockings and and and and

This is one of the few times we'd accept wearing a skirt tbh

Sometimes you wanna dress like your entire personality is Paramour, fight me

Light Yagami from Death Note

Hear me out

He's a plain brunet what else is there to want

Also we shair hair colors! That's something!!

Idk what else to say he's just gender envy in the most normal way possible

And sometimes you just wanna be normal

Also he calls to the burnt out gifted kid sleeping in our bones

Cole from Ninjago

HEAR ME OUT.

Big strong teddy bear

We long to hold the people we love with strong arms like those

Idk man sometimes we long to be a Big Strong Man

Shaggy tied up hair part 2 <3

(Yes I know I'm using fanart here but it proves our point better than Lego Man ever could)

Honestly, this is the least realistic on our list LMAO

Izuru Kamukura from Danganronpa

Just look at him

He's the emo twink of everyone's dreams

We either want short hair or super long hair and there is no in between, can you tell? /silly

Also, pale pretty boy aesthetic

And we're already pale as shit so it's perfect!!

While Hajime isn't on this list, he's an honorary mention

Kazuichi Soda from Danganronpa

Pathetic boy appeal

His fashion sense is Trash but in a good way

Sometimes you just wanna look like the sad pathetic loser boy you are

Also pink!!

We vibe with pink sometimes

Beanies are always a win

(Tbh I think we like him better in blue than yellow)

(His jumpsuit is fucking Piss Yellow, denim blue will always beat piss yellow)

Leon Kuwata from Danganronpa

GIVE ME YOUR WARDROBE SIR

Tbh I think we just desperately want to live his life and become him in any and every way (we have a Leon introject in case you were wondering LMAO)

His jacket?? Hand it over???

Giant safety pin accessory is so real and we wish we had one to put on our jackets

Ignoring the facial hair though

Anyways HIS RINGS we want his rings

And his chain

Lloyd Garmadon from Ninjago

Hear me out part 3 I suppose

Sometimes. Sometimes you wanna be a golden retriever boy

We wanna be his specific brand of cute

Like look at him, he's fucking Cute

The hair style is also part of the appeal

In case you haven't noticed, we love men with mid-length hair

Also his bangs??? GOD he's so gorgeous

We'd do so much to be a gorgeous boy like Lloyd

So. Much.

Selever from Friday Night Funkin' (Mod)

...I can't defend this one tbh

The nonhuman desire to just... be a silly little demon guy

There isn't much more I can say, he's just Gender

Also his outfit? We want that shit

The boots... We would kill for those boots

Tbh he's just black and red part 2

Even though he's more maroon than red

He's babygirl, what can I say

Anyways, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

[haunted-xander]

Monaca hasn't left the pod room since Monokuma appeared in the simulation. She refuses to talk to anyone and only eats when Chiaki is the one to deliver the food. Otherwise, she spends her time hovering over Nagito's pod.

After months of being left to her own devices, Chiaki finally decided to do something and forced Monaca to get some proper rest, and dragged her over to the hotel. She resisted the entire way there, but once her back hit the bed she was out like a light.

She slept for a long time. The next day, she kept laying in bed, far too tired and sore from bending her back leaning over the pod for days on end. She still refused to talk to anyone, but she accepted food more easily and actually played on the 3DS Chiaki had given her.

Even though Monaca had been moved to her own cottage, the pod room was rarely empty. Hajime spent a considerable amount of time doing everything in his power to make Nagito wake up, barely sparing a minute for breaks or meals.

Hajime was the only one on the room when a hiss came from the only used pod still in the room. He rushed over and stood close by, prepared to greet the last of the group to wake. The hatch opened and Nagito slowly opened his eyes. His gaze was hazy for a few seconds, before recognition sparked and he focused entirely on Hajime.

"Hey, can you hear me?" Hajime wanted to make sure he was fully aware before saying anything else. "Ahh, Izuru Kamukura... No, you're... Hajime Hinata... right?" Nagito's voice was rough from misuse, but still held the same soft and breathy feel it always did. He raised his left hand up, silently asking Hajime for help getting up. Without hesitation, Hajime grabbed it and dragged Nagito up until he was sitting up. "They're both me."

"I suppose I should thank you for waking me up? I knew you'd make it to the lowest stratum- I believed in you." Nagito slowly looked up as he talked. "How are the others?" Seeing that he was the same as usual, Hajime smiled. "You're the last one out." At having the others well-being confirmed, Nagito smiled gently. "I'm glad."

"Ah, speaking off... I need to tell them you're awake. Monaca has been worried sick over you, you know. She's been hovering over your pod constantly, Nanami only managed to drag her out a few days ago." At the mention of Monaca, Nagito's face shifted to surprise. "...Monaca-san has been worried...? For... me?"

"Yeah. I'm sure she'll want to see you as soon as possible. I'll send a text to Nanami and she'll bring Monaca here, how does that sound? I doubt you want to be alone right now." Hajime had already brought out his phone and started typing as he spoke. "They'll be here soon."

Just as he finished speaking, the door was slammed open and Monaca wheeled herself over to Nagito as fast as she could. "...B-big Bro...? You're awake? Really, really awake? You... you..." Her voice wavered as tears gathered in her eyes. "You... big... MEANIE!!! You left Monaca all alone! You were supposed to be with Monaca all the time, but you didn't! You liar! Liar liar liar! Don't ever scare Monaca like that again! You're not allowed! Not allowed not allowed not allowed!!!!"

Monaca launched herself into Nagito's arms as she continued to cry out all her frustrations. From a short distance, Hajime and Chiaki stood and watched the tear-filled reunion, happy to finally have everyone back. "...It's a relief to have Komaeda-kun finally back. He was alseep for so long... I had almost began to lose hope." Hajime put his arm on her shoulder. "...Yeah, I get that. I knew he'd wake up eventually, though. It's Komaeda, you know? Things are never easy with this guy, but they tend to work out. One way or another."

Chiaki focused her attention back to Nagito and Monaca, noting that the crying had quieted down to small sobs. The little girl looked tired, but refused to fall asleep just yet. "...Hey hey, Komaeda-kun. We should probably get you moved into one of the cottages now. The pod can't be very comfortable, and we need to do a proper check-up, too."

"And we need to figure out what to do about the hand. You can't keep it, but removing it will be difficult. ...Souda and I will have to prepare a prosthetic replacement too." While Monaca kept her face buried in Nagito's stomach, the man in question turned his attention back to Hajime and Chiaki, smiling at them. "...I don't understand why you'd go so far from someone like me but... I... appreciate it."

"Don't talk like that. You're our friend too, of course we'd do all of this for you." Hajime had an expression that implied something beyond just 'friends', but maybe he was just too embarassed to say it.

Chiaki looked forward to the peaceful times to come.

[aparticularbandit]

i'm putting this in a separate post because it's important.

when writing something that involves a mystery, it is important that the detective not pull on information that the reader has not seen in the project you are writing.

what this means is that in a multi-project series, you can build on what the reader knows from previous entries provided that the detective (or other characters) have been seen thinking about that clue in the current installment.

dr2's climax fumbles this in that yes, multiple characters have questioned hajime's existence throughout the installment - from the ??? about his ultimate talent to nagito's insistence that he's from the reserve course - the mystery of hajime is a big deal!

but the reveal that he is human experiment izuru kamukura in the climax does not hit because, even though izuru kamukura and the mystery of who/what he is was brought up in a previous danganronpa installment (dr0), it is not mentioned anywhere in dr2 prior to the final chapter where suddenly it is a big deal. (and even as someone who read dr0 and knew about the reveal prior to playing dr2, it still didn't hit, but that's a different thing.)

unfortunate as it may be, the mystery of your current installment must also be accessible to people who haven't engaged with all of the earlier installments.

...usually this means, in a longer series, that you have a previously on segment to catch a new reader up on what's happened if they pick up book twenty-three without having read the other books.

and this is why in my current second write chapter, despite the fact that based on a singular line in a previous chapter it can be inferred that my amnesiac character has remembered a thing, i can't use that to bear major weight in the fic proper. the reader did not see that. they know the thing that was mentioned in the comment (and some of them might understand the implication of what she remembers), but unless i have shown you the exact etc. of what is being remembered, i can't suddenly say later oh, actually, she remembers all the implications of this now.

i can use some of it.

but not all of it.

[elfen-alcibiade]

Hi Alcibiade! 😃 Thank you for always talking to me so much in the comments. I'm glad to know that you have similar thoughts about the post-game world! XD

I like to see characters living happily in the post-game world, but if I see them living too ordinary a life, I feel it is not quite right. The world must have changed a lot, and the common sense of the past should no longer be common sense. There must be a lot of people who have no parents, or whose friends or children have died, and that the way people think about family must have changed a lot. If you have any headcanons from that perspective, I'd love to hear about them!

For example, in one of my favorite Komahina fanfics, there was a fanon where Hajime has no reproductive ability (though he still has sexual function) due to the aftereffects of the surgery for the Kamukura project. I was really shocked when I read it for the first time, but also very convinced. I'm a multi-shipper when it comes to Hajime, but I still like the idea that he'll never have children of his own, even if he has a female partner. To be precise, I don't mean that I love the idea of not having children, but also because of the influence of another fanfic, I have a headcanon that Class 77-B is involved in protecting and caring for orphans in the post-game world, so I think it would be wonderful if he had a situation where there are many children who feel like they were raised by him, even though he has no children of his own. It's like the life of a boss character in action manga, isn't it? 😆 Those stories are typical in action manga, where the followers of a boss character are actually indebted to that boss character for picking them up and raising them when they were little, and so they swear their loyalty to the boss. I think it would be interesting if Hajime's life was like that.

It doesn't have to be limited to family, but I'd love to know what you think about it!

Hi Asaka! 🥰 Hope you're doing okay

Thank you for sending me a request! I decided to take my time to respond, but I'm sorry it took so much time! (I had a loooooot to do IRL these last months and I had very little energy left, sadly) Anyway don't hesitate to stop responding to my comments if I get too talkative. When I start talking, I never know how to stop x')

I totally agree with you. I believe that old insitutions and ways of living must have collapsed in the post-game world, and that people must have found their own ways to live and survive with each other. There would be some groups based on authority, violence and allegiance given to their local chiefs (like some sort of gangs), but also a lot of people who just try to live with each other peacefully and help build new homes to live in, new roads, new water systems, new knowledge... And they would rather build it to be functional for everyone and share their own knowledge and skills, than build it back to how it was before. I think that people must grieve all the family they lost, of course, but that they would turn themselves towards the people around them and start loving all elders, all children and everyone else like their own family. Because they're very few, they'd need everyone's help, so things would be made to include every help possible (they can't afford to ignore people they don't like, for example, so great effort from these communities would be made to prevent social isolation and rejection).

Wow, your headcanons of Hajime are very convincing and cool! I wish I could speak japanese to be able to read all the super cool fanfics you always mention. 😭💔And yeah, it's totally like a boss in action mangas, I find the whole idea really funny x') I really like that perspective of Hajime having a lot of people feeling like they were raised by him <3 I totally buy your headcanons lmao. From that perspective, I believe that maybe Hajime wasn't really confident about all that (taking care of children) at first, because he must feel like he's too broken and monstruous to be able to raise them properly. But because there wasn't other options, and he wasn't alone as a parent (plus, the children really wanted to take care of each other and take care of him too) it all went really well! (and maybe he was a bit scared of leaving Nagito, who loves children, educate them himself. Someone had to look after him haha!)

Their whole group would be something between the gang-like structure I mentioned before and the more horizontal-peaceful group, because they also need to protect themselves from the remnants. I think that maybe, Hajime and Nagito would insist to do the most dangerous missions by all time, because of their luck protecting them, so the children they raised would be very courageous and autonomous people who take care of themselves. But because they're very indepted to class 77-b, they would always want to spy on the missions from behind and intervene when they believe Hajime is in danger, even though he never really is. When they get back to the others, they would tell the story of the missions (which are, because of Nagito's luck cycle, always full of unforeseen developments) to everyone else 🥰And I think that Hajime wouldn't like to be considered a boss. Maybe one day he and Nagito will leave the group behind, when they think the children can take care of themselves without his authority, to fight evil somewhere else. So he would always want to share his knowledge and kamukura-related skills and never keep them for himself, because he knows that one day he'll be gone.

Okay, I already talked way too much!! I hope you'll like this answer, and thank you again for asking me about all this. I had a lot of fun writing it! 😊💕

[dystyches]

Danganronpa 2 × Mixx Garden

2022 Collaboration Café Drink Recipes & Reviews (Pt. 1)

Since October of 2022, I've been very slowly working my way through a project in which I've recreated (to the best of my ability) the drink recipes advertised as part of the Mixx Garden & Danganronpa 2 collab.

Below the cut will be my recreations and reviews of the first three (out of eleven) character-themed drinks on the menu—the ones for Hajime Hinata, Nagito Komaeda, and Gundham Tanaka.

If you end up creating any of these yourself, I'd love to hear what you think!

I spent my time during the collab looking at all of the images I could find of people's drinks on Twitter and Instagram, searching relevant words and tags in both Japanese and English. I was able to find at least two images of every single drink at the café.

My information on the ingredients comes from the descriptions on the menu, as well as what I could infer from the pictures.

Without further ado, let's begin.

—————

First on the list is Hajime Hinata's drink. The ingredients (translated into English for your convenience) are:

Mint candy pearls (dragées), 8-minute whipped cream, white hot chocolate, mint (garnish, not mentioned in recipe but present in photo)

Now for the record, I have no professional experience making food or drinks. I'm not exactly sure what makes "8-minute" whipped cream distinct from the other recipes being listed with just unspecified whipped cream, but I abided by the rules and whipped the cream for approx. 8 minutes. I assume it has something to do with the stiffer peaks giving it a denser feel.

I wasn't able to find candy pearls that were mint-flavored, which is a shame. But I did manage to find silver ones to match the look of the images.

It was fun to make the white hot chocolate from scratch as well, which I did in a batch large enough also to serve the friends I had over for the New Year's Eve party I was hosting.

Happy birthday, Hajime.

On a personal level I'm typically not a fan of white chocolate, but this was nice. The mint was a very good touch. My friends, who do like white chocolate, appreciated the drink even more than I did. Two of the four people present ranked it a 10 out of 10.

—————

Second on the menu was Nagito Komaeda's drink. The ingredients are:

Raspberries, whitewater (Calpis water), black lemon jelly

If you're unfamiliar with Calpis (alternatively spelled Calpico) and plan on making this drink yourself, do make sure that you get the diluted Calpis water and not the concentrated form.

In the pictures of this drink I looked at, the raspberries appeared to be frozen, which made them have this nice bleeding as they thawed.

Well, I forgot to do that.

If you've never had Calpis water before, you may worry that something with a milky, yogurt-y flavor wouldn't mix well with the lemon flavor. I can assure you that it actually works just fine.

I only had one other friend with me to try this one, and he doesn't like raspberries much. He still gave it a 7 out of 10. I think this drink is great.

—————

Lastly for this post, the third drink was Gundham Tanaka's. The ingredients are:

Whipped cream, blueberries, cola

Simple enough.

I made four to share with others, and apparently forgot to take a picture of one solitary.

After such a fortuitous result with my enjoyment of the prior drink, I knew my luck was soon to turn.

If I had to describe the taste of this drink through comparison, I'd probably say it tastes somewhere between a root beer float and pilk. I do not like either of those.

One of my friends said she quite liked it, and ranked it an 8.5 out of 10. Another called it "harmless".

—————

Next on the list, which I will get around to in a sequel post, will be the drinks for Kazuichi Soda, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, and Izuru Kamukura.

Thanks for reading, see you next time!

[anonzentimes]

Hi! I also adore Hajime so much and have some additional thoughts on things you mentioned that I'd love to offer for your consideration:

1. Why he doesn't like Sakuramochi. It's my pet headcanon that he's also trans - fairly common one, though the textual support for it is accidental, if there. Sakuramochi is traditionally part of Girls Day celebration (Hinamatsuri) and, just... Him having an uncomfortable association with it because of that.

2. Hinata and sweet things. My own personal hc is that he's not a sweet tooth (there's this one scene in the exploration time of one of the chapters (2 maybe? I think it's in the beachhouse) where he finds a vending machine or fridge and gets all judgy about it being filled with sweet drinks and sodas. (Sakuramochi is also typically sweeter than kuzamochi)

2. a. THAT SAID, I actually have an unsupported side headcanon where Kamukura likes sweets a lot more, and while I'm personally fond of them cohabitating in the brainspace postgame, it's the sort of thing that works well even with merged hajizuru that bc postgame Hinata just having this uncharacteristic hankering for sweets especially whenever he's bored or utilizing his talents. (Komaeda's a fan of salty foods himself)

3. Related to my trans headcanon -- some accidental canon support for it: His chest size + Komaeda's "you look thinner in clothes" comment. The way one of the CGs in chapter 4 where he's dying from working out and his shirt is soaked through in sweat Except for a band around his chest that stays solid. Nanami's weird comments about how hard his chest is in one of the FTE and the level to which he was stressing about it. That boy binds I'm telling you!! (I know its only a pet headcanon and not intended, but i love finding support for it like that in the text lmao)

Anyway, this is all just for fun and sharing thoughts, not for trying to sway you one way or another!

OOOO!!!! thank you for sharing your thoughts !!! :D

TRANS HEADCANON WITH THE MOCHI GOES SO HARD NO WAY??????????

tbh to clarify my headcanon for him isn't that he's entiiirreely a sweet tooth, but more like he will want sugar sometimes and will get it strictly from drinks like juices or teas because he finds actual sweet pastries overwhelming (me when I project me when I project)!!!! Which was what I was thinking about the mochi like "hmm maybe he just doesn't like too many physical pastries and has a sugar limit but likes sugary juices and teas, LIKE ME!!!" and then boom silly interpretation thats probably very biased formed. BUT SO REAL!!!!! This interpretation is fun too, I like hearing other people's thoughts :D! Soda stinks ngl he's honestly real for that LOL.

Izuru having different tastebuds compared to Hajime is sooo interesting that's a really fun idea ahhh!!! And then they mix when he's both that's so fun my gosh.

trans hajime headcanons are silly and precious i think <3

[anon-maly]

Danganronpa Characters using Social Media

Ok so I've gotten obsessed over the idea of how Hope's Peak Academy students would use social media

I just want them to be normal happy high school teens acting like normal happy high school teens… is that too much to ask for…? 😔

A lot of the Ultimates would have verified tags on social media

I feel like the students with the most followers on social media would be Junko Enoshima, Sayaka Maizono, Sonia Nevermind, and uhh can't think of anyone else rn lol

There would also be a lot of Ultimates who refuse to make their account public and keep their social media engagement to be just within their friends and mutuals

Some I can think of on the top of my head are Kyoko Kirigiri, uhhh you probably get the point, there's a lot to list

Hajime Hinata would be the type of person to have a private Instagram account with around 200 something followers, even though he is one of the most popular/well-known people at Hope's Peak Academy

He would barely ever post anything (but I also HC him to post clips of him doing stuff like playing basketball on his story)

Nagito Komaeda would be following thousands of people, but only have a few hundred followers.

Still, he would have more followers than Hajime, and Nagito’s account would be set public He would post aesthetic photos with inspirational/hopeful quotes in the caption

Junko Enoshima would be the opposite: she would have hundreds of thousands followers but follow only like 10 people

But the people she follows are unexpected. For example, she would not follow Mukuro Ikusaba, her twin sister, but follow Makoto Naegi

She would also follow Yasuke Matsuda and Ryoko Otonashi, because I think it would be funny if some famous celebrity followed private accounts with only like 30 followers

Junko Enoshima has an account for Monokuma on all social media platforms she’s on.

Notable things she posts there are “Monokuma Theatre” clips, and also uses those accounts to shit on stuff (like Hope’s Peak Academy) while role playing in her Monokuma character

Also think it’s worth mentioning that while Nagito Komaeda posts interviews with Hope’s Peak Academy students to talk about how hopeful their talents are, Junko Enoshima uses her Monokuma account to slander HPA students and their talents

Izuru Kamukura would get an Instagram account but never use it. He only uses it when someone convinces him to add him.

Would have no profile pic or bio

Has like 12 followers. Follows back 8

A private account with thousands of requests because Junko Enoshima keeps tagging him

Idk why but something makes me feel like a lot of the V3 students would be TikTokers

Especially Tsumugi Shirogane because that's self-explanatory

Other V3 characters I can think of from the top of my mind that I can see being TikTokers with no proper explanation are

Angie Yonaga being those "mindfulness" social media influencers (for the lack of a better term)

Himiko Yumeno posting magic TikToks

Rantaro Amami. I can see him making stereotypical TikToks (like ones that do makeup stuff, trends, act hot, IDK THESE HCS ARE GETTING WEIRD??)

[theamityelf]

(Kamukuras AU Masterlist)

"So, Kamukoto," Junko says, twirling a strand of her voluminous hair around one manicured finger and smacking her gum in a way that is meant to downplay the inside knowledge she's just demonstrated by half-using the name 'Kamukura'. "What do you think of my nails today?"

He is sitting beside her on a bench close to the main school building. He's wearing the hoodie the class gave him. His thick, brown hair he has taken to trimming at just past shoulder length and tying back in a ponytail, with a bunny hair tie that Junko also gave him. The bunny has a tracker inside, which he knows and allows. (It's not as if Byakuya's nearest home address was classified in the first place.)

His eyes are still bright red, because he eventually decided against using colored contacts for his classmates' benefit.

Perhaps his first demonstration of personal identity, though the choice itself was a passive one.

"I think I...don't like them," he answers honestly.

"Color me deeply offended," she replies, with barely a veneer of offense. "Why not?"

"Well, that seems to be the same polish that was used to ruin the personalized comic Hifumi made for me, which heavily implicates you as the one who did it. Also the saturation doesn't quite match the color of your lipstick. An extra coat would have rectified that."

"Oh, good, you picked up on that first one. I was worried I hadn't done enough to take credit for my gift. When did you know it was me?"

"Within a second of Hifumi tearfully showing me his ruined comic. Was I supposed to mention it out loud?"

"No, but a glance or wink would be very validating for me."

"By validating, you mean reinforcing the behavior?"

"Maybe."

"What kind of acknowledgement would you find least validating?"

She hoots with laughter, pinching his cheek hard enough to break the skin. "Ice cold, you lab rat!"

"Kyoko said I'm allowed to be unaccommodating with people when I feel like it. I wasn't sure what kind of feeling she was talking about at the time, but I think this is it. Was that good, for you?"

"Aww, you even negotiate your kink after the fact! You're so precious, I'd cut you open if someone hadn't beat me to it. Still might," she adds in singsong.

He gently removes her hand from his face. "Speaking of, I've also been asked not to let people hurt me."

"Uh-oh! Am I in trouble?"

"My friends have said they won't harm my classmates unless..." He trails off. "You'll be fine. I might have to make this minor injury look like it was caused by something other than fingernails. Next time I'll remember to stop you."

"What else were you asked not to let people do to you?" Junko purrs.

He blinks, considering her and deciding what to make of the subtext of her question.

"Makoto!" Nagito greets, walking up to them (having presumably stealthed over until he announced himself at ten feet away) without even the pretense of having to look around.

He's dressed in bright-colored, loose-legged pants and a crop top, with jewelry in a seemingly-random subset of the many piercings he's given himself since escaping the labs. His hair is about as thick as Makoto's, but not as curly, and he's allowed it to grow just past the small of his back with only a few streaks of dye throughout (in a rare show of restraint, which is unlikely to last). In one hand, he is absentmindedly twirling a closed umbrella.

"The Ultimate Yakuza mistook me for this body's former occupant on my way here," he continues. "I kissed him on the mouth, of course. His reaction suggested that was incorrect. Ready to come home? Because I'm allowed to use force, if you're reluctant."

"Oh." After a few seconds of sustained eye contact, Makoto says, "I'm...reluctant?"

"Thank you!" Nagito says, picking him up and throwing him over his shoulder.

Junko opts to interject, now. "Hi there, Kamukomaeda. Remember me?"

"The noisy, impudent one who forgets she's beneath us!" Nagito says delightedly, his bright red eyes actually landing on Junko for the first time. "Good afternoon. I see you've slightly injured my favorite compeer. I wouldn't want to be you when our predecessor sees it."

"Why? Do you think Izuru-sama will finally grace me with his presence? Because don't get me wrong, botched experiments are totes my type, but I am just itching to get my hands on the original; my sources say he actually came out as intended."

"You put a lot of stock in the intentions of our inferiors," Nagito muses (still carrying Makoto on one shoulder). "Understandable, as one yourself. But you're mistaken if you believe provoking our predecessor's wrath will earn you his attention for very long. If he feels moved to confront you, it's unlikely you'll have time to talk."

"And here I thought you were the fun one."

"Also understandable. I present as such because I frequently entertain myself." Nagito casually puts up his umbrella just in time, as someone empties a bottle of formaldehyde out of a window above them. The angle of the umbrella causes the fluids to trickle down the back of Junko's shirt. "Good afternoon, Ultimate Fashionista."

"Bye, Junko," Makoto adds, as Nagito turns to leave. "You should soak those clothes in a bucket of hot water with a cup and a half of baking soda for at least eight hours, then rinse them with cold water and leave them to air dry."

[buffkitties]

It kind of makes me want to see a scenario where a post-game Komaeda that's come to a self-realization that he really doesn't like the inequality of their world at all, finally calls his classmates out on how they treated him. Pointing out that if it really bothered them so much to hear him talk about himself being their inferior, then why did they act like he was beneath them. It's honestly depressing just how meanspirited everything outside of the OVA is to him. Like you really do get the impression when he walks back into class that they would have been relieved to learn he'd perished in that desert.

Also on the topic of the Reserve Course, there's something else that really bugs the shit out of me about DR3. The continued use of featureless models for them. Like it made sense in Hinata's Chapter 3 dream sequence, because he wanted to stand out from talentless people. But in a story where they're front and center, and a major event involves them being brainwashed into committing an involuntary mass-suicide? Seriously undermines the horror and tragedy of the whole thing.

It actually made me appreciate this one scene in a fic I read somewhere (that I can't remember the name of), where Hinata has a nightmare vision of the Reserve Course. Who call him out on the fact that he was no different from the rest of them, and could have just as easily have died alongside them. Yet he barely remembers any of them besides Natsumi and Sato.

God, yeah. It also really bugs me how unfazed by the whole thing they made Hinata seem, especially since he joined the Kamukura Project because of the Natsumi and Sato situation in the first place. Once again, it feels like they've completely thrown Hinata's trauma away, just like they did with the apparent "merge" of him and Izuru Kamukura, despite that just being his alias and there being no point in the story which implies it wasn't just him before DR3. He was just one lucky person to survive the mass suicide because he joined the project. Otherwise, he would've been dead alongside everybody else. Not to mention that they completely missed out on the opportunity to write a survivor's guilt for him since he was one of the indirect causes of the situation.

Also ! Komaeda does feel bothered by how he's treated by everyone. A lot of the time, he implies or outright states that he doesn't understand why he's so hated and misunderstood, and even gets upset when he thinks about Hinata hating him, too. He genuinely doesn't see what's wrong with the way he talks because it's the truth, and they should feel happy to have that privilege, so he assumes that he's treated badly precisely because of talent, and that it's because he's worthless compared to them (aka how talentless people get treated too). While he doesn't realise that it's because he mentioned they're privileged that they're offended because people who are privileged hate being reminded of it, he does see that talent affects how they're acting towards him. It's also just a case of he's bothered by it, but he can't really do anything about it in a society where ultimates have all the power. Still, he does always step in if they cross a line towards anybody or make them uncomfortable, and he can stand up for himself if he sees a reason to. Usually, he just brushes their comments towards himself off or sees them as a fact rather than personal insult, too.

Edit: I agree on the featurless models. It made the reserve course feel insignificant and like the event didn't matter at all because they're not even portrayed as people, just something in the background.

[shockersalvage]

Salvage Showcase - Monokuma Maid

Back to Danganronpa Zero - the first light novel of this franchise. Last time on this Showcase saga we got a look into the eight in one Naruto case that was Madarai. So for this time, I chose someone who, while not as well known as others in her class, serves the theme of Danganronpa Zero pretty well and gives sight into another underrated aspect of the series.

...Well, that and I also want to talk about the only other prominent original female in that light novel. Look at her! Can you blame me? Presenting Zero’s representation in the Mono department: Monokuma Maid!

Summary

Not much is known about this girl’s past prior to joining the Reserve Course, but she must come from a decently well off family, since she could afford to pay the Course tuition to attend the Academy.

Things changed for her after the Tragedy of Hope’s Peak Academy – where the Student Council were forced to kill each other. Junko would send out a mass email that put the blame on Izuru Kamukura the school’s Ultimate Hope. This would anger the Reserve Course who started to riot. One for their mistreatment and the other for the funds they spent being used to, apparently, make a mass murderer. Junko would then use the footage of the massacre and edited with the knowledge of Ryota Mitarai’s brainwashing methods. Creating the Despair Video, this girl would fall prey to it and be driven insane with despair. Like with the rest of the Reserve Course, she became an underling to the Ultimate Despair.

During the events of Zero, Ryoko would wake up to find herself in the Reserve Course’s secret society and be welcomed by the girl, this time wearing her maid dress and Monokuma mask. Monokuma Maid would guide Ryoko about the base, assuming that Ryoko was testing her, and delve into the Reserve Course’s goal of getting their hands on Izuru. Notably, her own blatant insanity, creepyed Ryoko out so much that she used the excuse of needing to use the restroom to quickly leave her. But, in doing so, Ryoko would learn more about the society’s secrets as well. From how they watched the DV on repeat for thousands of times, to even holding two of the Steering Committee hostage (albeit, one dead and the other tortured before eventually being killed as well).

When Junko finally regained command in the finale, the reason the girl became Monokuma Maid was because Junko was just trying out mascot ideas, but decided that people in costumes wasn’t going to work for her next killing game.

Eventually, like with the rest of the Reserve Course that hadn’t died yet in DR3 or became Izuru, Monokuma Maid would meet her on end on the day the Reserve Course invaded the Main Course side, slaughtering every student that wasn’t in Class 78 or apart of the Ultimate Despair. The RC students would commit suicide after Junko would send them Monokuma’s Gloomy Sunday, otherwise known as the Suicide Video. Be it jumping out of the Main Course building or running into its burning wreckage, Monomaid would have killed herself. The Reserve Course mass suicide would go onto the catalyst for the Tragedy that would end the world.

While polite, quirky and eager to please at first, Monokuma Maid is a girl that’s utterly insane, being prone to violent ranting  and cursing over her plight as a Resrve Course student. She is bitter and disdainful to the school she’s affiliated with it, being utterly disillusioned with it. She holds fierce loyalty to Junko, but laments that she feels that she isn’t capable of truly being Monokuma.

Rundown

I mentioned that Danganronpa Zero’s theme is one of ‘identity’ or, rather, a ‘lack of identity’. Yuto’s whole thing is that he lacks so much presence that people don’t notice him, the Madarai are octuplets that make an effort to be completely indistinguishable from each other to the point people could mistake them as being one person. Monokuma Maid serves this theme from the get-go by way of her own design and name...or lack of it. She is only known as the Monokuma Maid, with her real name being unknown. Her face is complete obscured by her Monokuma mask and her own identity as a maid hammers in the point that she is but a servant. Someone that lives to assist someone else’s life instead of their own. Monomaid’s status compared to the other Reserve Course (that aren’t the Trio most are aware of) is also something to take note of. Sure, while her identity that we know of is literally just a Monokuma Maid, it still marks her as unique compared to the other members of the Reserve Course who get no names, nothing to make them stand out and, in the anime, are depicted as being transparent, near faceless, nobodies. She is unique from the metaphorical faceless crowd solely because she took up a mask to become a literal faceless henchman.

Monokuma Maid easiest point of comparison would be to Mukuro Ikusaba herself. Similarity wise, both are devoted followers of Junko that done disguises or other forms on behalf of their boss. They are also more than willing to go about illegal or immoral actions for the sake of Junko’s plans being completed, with an eagerness to serve her. Though, how they differ, is in their motivations which, strangely enough, Monomaid is more of the autonomous of the two (despite, you know, being brainwashed).

Mukuro’s whole life desire is to serve Junko and make her happy, no matter what, even if it costs the world. Her entire identity is wrapped up in that one desire. Monokuma Maid on the other hand, while essentially being nameless and apart of the masses of underlings involved with Junko, her desire (and by extension the Reserve Courses’s main desire) is to get their hand on the Ultimate Hope and ‘crush him’ as payback, which is why they’re rioting and working with Junko (with video shenanigans for good measure). It's a nice reminder that, despite probably being the least regarded people both in and out of universe in Danganronpa, the Reserve Course’s goal prior to their mass suicide did come from a genuine independent grudge beyond Junko and persists even as they became her underlings.

Personal Thoughts

I really loved Monokuma Maid in terms of design and what aspect she brought to the prequel to the original game. The idea that concept of Monokuma needing to go through stages before becoming the bear that we all knows and, probably, love is a great addition to the world.

Monokuma Maid also serves as a great gateway to a rather undertalked about aspect of Danganronpa, that being the Reserve Course. It’s easy to dismiss them as just ‘Junko’s brainwashed puppets’ ( + three named others of varying importance) and call it a day (DR3 certainly chalks it up to just that), but Zero’s inclusion of Monomaid, and really the other RC students that get depicted in it, really helps flesh out that aspect of them.

Monomaid isn’t a bluefaced nobody that Junko can chuck at a repressed boxer, she’s a perky, unstable, girl with a clear chip on her shoulder in face of an actual injustice. She’s passionate about taking down Hope’s Peak and (while Junko wasn’t herself), this maid actually had the gall to go right up in Junko’s face to yell at her about her grievances. Sure, her being so crazy is due to watching the video, but its an exaggeration of her very real issue with the system.The same goes for the other minor students that got some page time. One of the talking Monohead students (in a very depressed and bitter state) is able to wax philosophical about the mutual killing that transpired in Zero and, when Ryoko runs to the old school building, one of the students disguised as a guard, smirks at her and let’s her in.

They’re proof that even the ‘talentless’ crowd had personality and charm to them just as much as the Ultimates that we all love. Even with the knowledge of them being brainwashed in Zero, you get the feeling these aren’t just zombies Junko can order about and treat willy-nilly, but thinking people that you have to take into consideration. Heck, even Junko and Mukuro talk about them in the end as if they were your regular minions that one needs to work with and around if you want stuff done (which makes DR3′s usage of the DV more annoying but that’s neither here nor there at the moment) It’s characters like the Monokuma Maid that really helps make the DR world message and themes come alive, and why I do wish she got remembered more. Kind of makes me sad that, despite being the sole survivor of the original DR0 cast, DR2 just has the Reserve Course kill themselves without any utilization of her. Makes me sort of wish she took the place of AI!Junko in a way, but what can you do.

With that, DR0 is down once more! Next up is back to the detective side of things with Danganronpa: Kirigiri!