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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 3 years ago

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Survivor Rankings 1: Story Arcs

//So, in my update post, I eluded to everyone that I would do this, but since we’ve finished such a big chapter of the story, it’s time for me to look back at everything that’s happened so far, and do a bit of self reflection.

//That self-reflection is going to come in the form of these rankings. They’re pretty simple, they work sort of the same as a top 10. The one that I was the most excited to do, and the one that we will get out of the way first is ranking each Story Arc/Chapter in the story, from both phases.

//No, we aren’t done with Phase 2 yet. I was originally going to wait until the end of Phase 2 to do this, but since the Fugitive ended up being such a long story arc, I decided to bring it in now. I may revisit these rankings by the time we get to that point though.

//To be honest, the reason why I wanted to get this one out of the way so quickly and why I was so eager to do this one first, is because I honestly have more shit to say about this particular ranking because it reflects my overall capability of writing a good story, and seeing if I’ve done a good job or not.

//The big thing that I want to get out of the way is I will be analyzing each arc from a critical writing perspective, as well as putting in my own opinion. Also, since this is a self evaluation, I’ll let everyone know now that I’m not trying to toot my own horn or gush my writing up so that people will read it.

//To be perfectly honest, I think every single one of these arcs have flaws. I’ve never outright considered Survivor to be my best work, at least in the Danganronpa medium, but it is one of my projects that I take the most seriously.

//The other important thing I want to cover is that this list WILL NOT include “Inventum Arc”, or “The 12 Days of Christmas”. The reason being that Inventum exists purely as a transition between Phase 1 and 2, and does not have any story outside of Peko’s pregnancy, and 12 Days of Christmas was never written to be taken seriously. Just for fun. And it’s not really worth analysing it.

//I would be excited if you guys could share your own thoughts and feelings on what you found from each arc of the story. Once again, this is just my opinion, and I kindly request that everyone who reads this ranking respects it. Nobody can shit on my own writing quite like I can.

//Anyway, let’s hit it.

All is peaceful until a mysterious time-breaking wormhole appears on Jabberwock Island. What could it mean?

//As someone who studies writing and animation on a University course, I can drop a bit of advice for you. Your first piece of work on any medium is going to be bad. This is because you are inexperienced, and with practice, later down the line, you’ll be able to look back at your flawed writing, and see just how much you’ve improved on that.

//Trouble’s Brewing is proof of that. It was the very first story arc, and it only exists to do two things. Introduce the V3 characters involvement in the story, and establish Kuripa Kurafto as an additional character.

//The only reason why it’s the lowest on the list is because I was still trying to figure out how I would actually go about the blog, and working on a system, and also, since no one really knew about the blog, I basically had no asks to go through, and I didn’t quite know how to best promote the blog either.

//Of course, I don’t have the same problems I do now, so looking back on this arc, really, I just see it as humble beginnings. The writing isn’t terrible, but you can definitely tell that it’s improved as the series has gone on. This arc falls flat really due to circumstance more than anything else.

//...and I wish the same could be said for the next pick.

After becoming desperate to save Keebo’s life, Miu takes control of an important Future Foundation research facility and traps the workers inside, forcing them to tinker with a reactor until it’s powerful enough to wake Keebo up. In order to save the people of the Tower and bring Miu to her senses, Kaede and the others team up with Uchui and an inventor by the name of Mona to infiltrate the tower and stop her before she goes mad.

//Oh god here we go...

//Alright, so if you’ve been around for a while, you’ll know that I’ve made a few very quick self-reflectory posts before, usually in the form of a few lines, and not on the level of a post like this.

//If anyone caught those cute little posts, you’ll know that I FUCKING hate “The Tower”

//I took what could have been a really unique arc about character reflection, or redemption for a character who arguably needed it more than others, and completely butchered it.

//Maybe I’m being too hard on myself, but things just didn’t go the way I wanted them to for this one. The pacing is awful, the conflict is stupid, Miu’s character development didn’t go the way I wanted, Keebo isn’t relevant, despite being the main factor of conflict in the arc, Kirumi and Kaito amounted to basically nothing, despite being on Kaede’s team as the whole story revolved more around the other characters and thus leaving no reason for either of them to be there, Mii-Yu’s arc basically ends here and it’s totally awful...I just really hit a low point with the first arc in Phase 2, and could keep going on and on.

//This arc also took a few days to write, which makes it pretty pointless compared to every other chapter in the blog.

//However, there are things that I did look back, and appreciate when I looked back. Namely, this arc introduced Mona, who as of right now hasn’t done much, but I feel was a very well handled character in that arc, especially with her growing relationship with Mii-Yu. Uchui also gets a bit of spotlight, though not much, and he’s pretty fun too. This arc also served as a pretty good stepping stone for some of Miu’s relationships, namely with Kaede as friends, and Keebo as a friend and potential romantic partner.

//But overall, the good points of The Tower do not make up for complete flop that it was. Originally, I had planned this to be the penultimate end of Mii-Yu’s arc in Survivor, but there’s no way I can allow this to be her send off. Hopefully my arcs in the future can make up for the tragedy that this was.

The former remnants of despair decide that after all the stress they’ve been through lately, they should go on vacation to relieve themselves of it. However, wherever the 77th class go, trouble is not far behind, and trouble comes in the form of the Ultimate Wizard, Mikado Sannoji. Hajime and the others, along with the help of both an old friend and a new one, must stop the vermin!

//I appreciate the things that Neo World did for the blog. This was the point where I felt I really had something going, and even though my community wasn’t as big as it is now, but this arc in particular definitely was where things started to pick up.

//Let’s go over a few things that I liked about this arc.

//Firstly, this arc introduced and re-introduced quite a few great characters into the asks. Kibin and Chiaki in particular are whom I’m referring to. Kibin who eventually gets some pretty great character moments, and Chiaki is clearly one of the most popular characters on the blog as a whole, being the most-asked non-protag character. It WAS Mahiru, but since then, she has taken the spot.

//My second point would be that there were a lot of really good moments in this arc too. This was the arc where Hajime’s relationship with Mahiru flourished, and we got to see a lot of fun, cute and overall entertaining interactions between the cast of the second game, plus Ryota and Yoruko (and Yuki too in some cases). In case anyone wasn’t aware of this, I consider Danganronpa 2 to be the best game in the series, and the cast is the primary reason why. This arc had a lot going for it.

//Aside from that, Neo World is also the first time that Organization Zetsubou are established and NAMED as a main source of conflict. We also get to see Yukari for a little bit for the first time.

//So why is it so low? Well, there’s a few reasons, one of which is a similar problem that I had with The Tower. The conflict doesn't feel real for the most part.

//This arc really only exists to give the Remnants some good character motives. Mikado NEO is present, and yeah, things do pick up at the end of the arc once they actually go into the Neo World and Hajime goes super saiyan and fights him, which was cool, but it doesn’t make up for how the vast majority of the arc was nothing more than mindless filler, with Kibin, or the Enigma Assassin at the time, serving as the breaking point.

//Alongside that, there were some moments that I felt were a little out of character, namely Nagito threatening Chiaki, Imposter’s reluctance to notify the Future Foundation of the incident, as well as Ryota’s willingness to create the brainwashing machine to combat Mikado in the Neo World. The ending also feels incredibly anime, in a story that for the most part has remained mostly realistic, which I consider to be a little cheesy and not fitting in well.

//So yeah, Neo World has it’s problems, but if anyone in particular is looking for an arc that is 80% wholesomeness, then allow me to point you in the right direction.

When old friends and an old adversary return from the dead, Maki Harukawa, with the help of the Kisaragi Foundation, must save her loved ones and stop her old nemesis in the process.

//There really isn’t much to say about Deadly Harmony. It kinda just exists. But overall, I do think it served it’s purpose in the story overall, and did it well.

//The arc that came prior to this one established some basic plot points, but overall, it was just a way to ease into the overall story of the blog. This arc on the other hand sets the ground for a lot of future events and plot points.

//For starters, it established that Shuichi, Maki and Himiko were not alone, and weren’t the only V3 characters to make an appearance. Miu, Kirumi, Tenko, Kaito and Tsumugi all show up, and establish the V3 plot relevance. The reason of how they got here, and all the other mysteries surrounding the group will be revealed eventually, but it was nice to bring the gang into the story.

//Speaking of Tsumugi, this arc also establishes her involvement in the plot as the main, over-arching villain. She’s not very impressive in the arc, and one of the stupidest parts of the story was when she played that little game with the characters, which was ultimately pointless in the end. Still, I think she had a pretty strong introduction all things considered. In addition, while not many people reacted to it at the time, the arc also introduces the controversy of the Reserve Course students, which becomes a very essential plot point during the story’s climax in Phase 2.

//Furthermore, this is the first time (besides Midori’s involvement in the prior arc) that the Future Foundation and Kisaragi Foundation collaborate. They end up doing so a few times in the future of course, but this was the first real point where Tsurugi decides to involve himself, sometimes being helpful and others just being a setback or emotional problem. Speaking of whom, Rei and Tsurugi are both pretty fun characters to write, and I have considered giving the Kisaragi’s their own arc. No promises though.

//Lastly, there’s Mii-Yu. Like I said before, I am frustrated that her arc didn’t “end” in the best way, but around the time that I was writing this arc, I was playing the first chapter of New World Order and was getting really into it. M11-YU, or Mii-Yu, was my favourite character, so I HAD to include her. And all things considered, she’s actually turned out to be really fun. Not really essential to the plot, but a nice character who embodies the good and evils of humanity, a main theme in the blog.

//Overall, I don’t regret writing this arc, but I don’t think the overall story was anything remotely special.

Kuripa forms an anime and manga club along with Ryota and Hifumi. They spend an evening at the High Roller and meet Iroha, who they hit it off with, and allow her to join. After agreeing to go to the upcoming anime convention with her, leaders from 4 other rival cabaret clubs show up and state they plan to evict the High Roller and it’s management. Iroha’s job and life are at stake, so Kuripa decides to team up with Kokichi to beat the owners at their own game.

//This arc’s biggest problem has the same issue as Neo World. It’s a vast majority of filler, and arguably, it suffers from it more than Neo World does. Neo World at least contributed some to the plot by introducing some important characters, like Chiaki and Mikado, but Cabaret Kyojin’s doesn’t even do that. It exists as nothing more than a subplot, and almost all of the important characters either get tossed out of the blog, or become background characters.

//The other problem that I had is that I’m gonna be totally real, I didn’t workshop this plotline from scratch. I borrowed, and by borrowed I mean stole, a lot of plot points from Yakuza 0′s Nightlife Island plotline with Majime trying to lift Club Sunshine back from the brink, battling against the 5-stars, much like how the gang does against the 4 Horsemen. The motives are similar, and I feel like I should have done more with it, instead of ripping stuff off from an already great game with equally great writing.

//I’m not going to hide the fact that Survivor isn’t totally original. I borrow and reference from many different media I’m into. However, I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing for writers. Everyone is capable of writing the same plot differently, and provided they can make their own original twists and spins on the format, I think using previously made works is acceptable, and doesn’t go through the line of outright plagiarism.

//The reason why Cabaret Kyojin’s is higher, despite these problems, is that it was just plain fun to write. I enjoyed every character moment, be it from Kokichi, Kuripa, Iroha, the members of the 4 Horsemen, or anyone.

//Speaking of the 4 Horsemen, they were among the more fun antagonists to write, and I still enjoy making little moments for them in the present arcs. Hayamoto and Rokuhana in particular were super fun, particularly with their individual relationships, Hayamoto with Kibin, and Rokuhana with her daughter.

//Kokichi also gets some good development, which is weird, because Kokichi has never been known for his development. And this mainly stems from his newfound relationship with Kuripa, as the two end up being alike in ways neither expected.

//That, in general, is the main theme of the arc, and one of the things that makes it so fun: Relationship Dynamics.

//Kuripa and Kibin, Kuripa and Kokichi, Iroha and Ryota, Iroha and Syobai, Iroha, Hifumi, Ryota and Kuripa as a band, Hayamoto and Kibin, Misako and Misuzu, Kana and Iroha, Kana and Yosaku, Asayori and Datenashi, Kibin and Datenashi, Kokichi and the V3 gang, Kuripa and Komaru. The relationship dynamics and interactions between each of the characters in this arc is what makes it so fantastic.

//This doesn’t resolve it of it’s problems in that I should have had some more originality to my writing, but at least I’m a big enough man that I’m honest about it. Besides, it’s not like I regret writing this arc. It was definitely a fun ride, and the High Roller will continue to be one of the best places in the world.

Ex-Future Foundation member and former Ultimate Scout, Koichi Kizakura finds himself under suspicion of the murder of a street thug. It’s up to Ultimate Detective Duo, Kyoko and Shuichi to save him from being convicted.

//The first arc that had an actual story. And the point where people started to pay attention. And I couldn’t ask anything more of it.

//My only issues with this arc are firstly, like Cabaret Kyojin’s, the plotline borrows a lot from a plotline in the Yakuza series, but in this case I put some more original twists on it.

//The second problem is that the conflict isn’t completely desperate. It’s definitely there, and it’s definitely more tense than previously mentioned arcs, but since this arc is established before the overall over-arching story with Organization Zetsubou is, there’s no real world-ending threat. Sure, the arc DOES have Eje Karma, but let’s be real, in comparison to the OZ members who kill hundreds of people and even try to take over whole kingdoms, Karma’s just a regular street thug. The worst thing he does in this arc is break Makoto’s arm and kidnap Kanon to stop Leon from standing up for Koichi during the trial. Yeah, both of these are pretty serious offenses, and he somehow gets away with them, but Organization Zetsubou have ABSOLUTELY done worse.

//Third is the involvement of the Your Turn To Die characters. At the time of writing the blog, Your Turn To Die was the latest fad for fans of the genre, and to gain clout, I included Keiji Shinogi on the blog. I look back on that and regret it, and yes, I have used the YTTD characters since because of my lack of options. However, I now stand by the belief that Your Turn To Die and Danganronpa are two completely different games that shouldn’t be compared or overlapped. They’re both interesting, they’re both great, and they both deserve respect, but only INDIVIDUALLY, and my early writing did not help.

//That being said, this arc was the first instance where Shuichi adapted to his new life, and worked on his first proper case with his boss and fellow detective, Kyoko. Which was an interesting thing to work with.

//Also, while I said already that the arc happens before the main story is established, this is also the earliest action that Organization Zetsubou take. This is before they are uncovered to be a group, but in reality, the victim in the case that Shuichi and Kyoko are trying to solve was ACTUALLY killed by CELESTE, to silence him. This was WAAY before she was named as the traitor though, so not many would have realized it.

//Overall, I think “The Trial of Koichi Kizakura” is nothing spectacular, but it is a totally solid story arc in comparison to Trouble’s Brewing. This was where I actually had my system, figured out what direction I wanted to go in, and overall, it turned out pretty darn well.

The Ultimate Pianist, Kaede Akamatsu returns from the dead, like the other 53rd Killing Game Participants, only to be found with a bad case of memory loss. Now, Shuichi has to team up with Chihiro, Yoruko and the Kisaragi Foundation, as well as an old nemesis, to get her memories back before Organization Zetsubou can get their hands on her.

//The final arc of Phase 1 ended up being pretty darn good, but as is the case with every other arc in this blog, it isn’t without it’s problems.

//Everyone who followed the blog at the time was heavily awaiting the return of Kaede Akamatsu. She’s been hyped up quite a lot, and everyone took well to when she finally showed up...but the twist was that when she returned, she had no memories of all the events that had led up to this point, after being brainwashed by Organization Zetsubou.

//Which overall, was a very fun plot point to write. However, to be perfectly honest, I don’t really think “The Amnesiac and the Alter Ego” has as many good moments as some of the other arcs in the blog, but I still think the moments it has do...MOSTLY outclass the prior spots. And for this one, I’ll do it in a list form, since for this arc, it’s easier.

While she wasn’t around for very long, Chinami Hasami was a solid character, and her death due to misunderstanding (and Yukari being a bitch) has stuck with Kaede even now, playing a big role in her character.

Shuichi and Kaede’s relationship starts here, and it grows over the course of the arc, which was pretty fun and cute.

Kaede’s identity crisis and overweighing guilt she feels once Miu reminds her of Rantaro’s death was a major conflict source, and led to the arc’s overall climax. And it was a very difficult scene to write, but I think I did it fairly well.

The Kisaragi’s make a return, and they have some new members this time.

A lot of well loved characters return in this arc, aside from Kaede. Yuta, Taichi and Keebo are revealed to be alive still, and Kokichi, who has planted his roots as a solid plot-essential character in the blog overtime, first makes his return here, actually as one of the arcs main villains. In additon, Teruya, Setsuka and Mikako are now revived and members of the Kisaragi Foundation, and they each have their shining moments throughout the arc too.

Same can be said for the return of Sora. While she hasn’t had many strong moments or involvement in the story since this arc, Sora’s return and the way it happened was a fun chapter.

Mikado’s death scene was specifically done to catch everyone of guard, and question the differences between man and machine once Sora absolutely pummels him.

Akira is introduced for the first time, and while he doesn’t get his shinging moments just yet, he’s still pretty good for the short time in which he’s shown.

//There are a few other things, and to be honest, a lot of the basic stuff I said about previous arcs applies to this one. To be honest, I rank this one higher than Ultra Despair Gang, but the two can swap around depending on my mood.

//My favourite parts of this arc in particular are Kaede and Shuichi’s relationship througout, Kokichi’s actions as an anti-hero, and the very bittersweet ending with Mikado’s death. One of the biggest regrets that I have for this arc, are that while I do think that Mikado NEO’s death was a shocking twist and completely out of left field, in meant that the character remained rather underused and wasted potential. There were a lot of things that I still could have done with Mikado, but hopefully, AI Junko now fills those gaps.

//Overall, “The Amnesiac and the Alter Ego” Solid arc, decent writing, but very much the middle tier. No real problems, but nothing that makes it particularly stand out.

Komaru Naegi and Toko Fukawa, the Ultra Despair Girls, end up taking on a trafficking case, but they get much more than they bargain for. Now, they need to assemble a team of able warriors, an Ultra Despair Gang, to stop Haiji Towa from ending countless lives just for the sake of petty revenge!

//No one really talks about this arc, and that makes me sadge.

//I generally think that some of the best arcs in the series are the one’s that are focused around Ultra Despair Girls, which is odd since UDG is easily my least favourite games in the series. For no reason really, I just don’t find it as impressive or memorable. I still think they’re pretty good though, and I like that I give them a lot of good points in writing.

//Let’s go through a few things that I liked about this arc in particular.

//The first, and main thing, is that in comparison to other arcs in this story, aside from some of our more recent one’s is that this arc is actually kinda...well...Dark.

//Made all the more fitting since it revolves around the cast of Ultra Despair Girls, which I also consider to be the darkest iteration in DR, only outranked by Danganronpa 3. One thing many people seem to forget about Danganronpa, is that it is a VERY DARK game series. Sure, the humor hides this sometimes, and sometimes it’s actually a problem, but the basis of Danganronpa is far from kid friendly.

//The point is, there’s a lot of moments in this arc that are significantly more dark and depressing than the rest. By this, I of course refer to moments like when Haiji tortures Komaru, resulting in her losing a leg, which then forces her to go through military style rehabilitation, and when he shoots and murders Hiroko in front of the Warrior’s of Hope. There’s one other moment in particular that I would mention, but I will get to that because it’s essential that I talk about it on it’s own. Point is, a lot of things that happen in this arc pertain to not only depressing situations, but also realistic situations. Take Komaru coming out as gay to her brother. Not a dark moment, but definitely one that requires a lot of courage.

//This arc also had a lot of fantastic moments and characters that get overlooked. Hiroko was the first major character death (and death in general) on the blog, which meant a lot. It hurt Komaru and Toko, who loved the woman, and it forced Hiro to act, even though he’s usually cowardly and prefers to leave the fighting to others. I generally dislike Hiro by QUITE a lot, so I was worried that my biases would get in the way of allowing him a unique character arc. Fortunately, I think I looked past it.

//The second moment I think that was great, besides the one’s I’ve just mentioned, was the return of Monaca and the beginning of HER arc. I imagine I caught quite a few people by surprise when I brought back UDG’s main villain, not as a threat, but as a HELPER to the cause. One of the best thing’s about writing for the Warrior’s Of Hope in the blog, is seeing how exactly their personality's change over time, now that they’re all adults. Monaca in particular is the best of the group, for reasons that I have established in a previous countdown, but she was fun for the small moments she got. Her development and growth in her isolation didn’t change her completely. She’s no longer evil, but she’s still a bit of a jerk.

//Third point is the New Warrior’s Of Hope. Ryoma and Akeru, while neither have a significant involvement in this arc besides being the one’s who introduce the conflict, but the two were really fun additions to the group.

//Second to last thing I want to go over is Haiji Towa. I would like to say that, like the majority of Danganronpa fans, I HATE Haiji Towa. And any time that someone explains why Haiji is a detestable piece of shit, I always think they have a point.That being said, there was a particular way I wanted to steer his character. The pedophilia problem is obvious, and the one that most people talk about with him, but in some instances, what people fail to realize is that the moral issues don’t stop there. Haiji is overall an awful man, being cowardly, but also deliberate and calculating even though most of his actions are done out of desperation, and it’s clear that given time, he would have descended into madness. So that’s exactly what I tried to show with his character. And I kept telling everyone during the course of the story that the Future Foundation only intended to capture him and arrest him for his crimes in the story, which as a reminder was that he was going to blow up a hospital to kill a bunch of kids, not caring if other patients got caught in the explosion in the process, but let’s be real. In my right mind, I wasn’t going to let him get off easily.

//And that my friends, is where we come to the most essential moment in the arc, and by far my favourite character involved in the whole conflict...

//Kuripa Kurafto.

//This arc marked the FIRST moment, where the readers got to see Kuripa for who he REALLY was. Before now, he was a goofy, nerdy, karaoke-loving, easy-going animator, who just so happened to know how to fight with a sword, which is what gets Toko to recruit him. He even goes as far as to defend both Makoto and Komaru’s perspectives when the two get into a fight, telling Makoto to be less of a helicopter parent, and Komaru to be more open to her brother’s suggestions. But from the very beginning, Kuripa has his own intentions...In reality, he has an arguably justified, but extremely fucked up sense of justice, believing that the best way to take care of a “stain on society” is to flat out kill it. Unlike the rest of the heroes in the story, he firmly believes that murder and manslaughter is a JUSTIFIED action in the face of taking down criminals, with the mindset that if they are gone, it’s the answer to all the world’s problems, not taking into account the fact that violence just breeds more violence. His true nature is that of a manipulative, ruthless and bloodthirsty antagonistic character, who’s justice brings other’s down with him, and leads him to murder Haiji in the most terrible way possible, and then give a “motivational speech” to everyone about his ideal of Despair and Hope not being so different. It was honestly a fantastic moment to write, and I enjoy going back to it every now and then to reread it, and Kuripa has only been taken more seriously over time.

//This arc does have a problem with pacing, and some characters that remained underused, but in summary, this arc was super fun, and I wish people had appreciated it more at the time.

Sonia Nevermind, Princess of Novoselic, returns to her country, aided by her friends, awaiting the fateful day in which she will finally be crowned the kingdoms queen. Unfortunately, Angie Yonaga and her coup have other ideas for the country. Can Sonia, with the help of Gundham, Shuichi and the others, defeat them before the day of the rite of passage?

//Before making this list, I had a read back through each of the story arcs that I had made for the blog. By the time I was ranking them, and put the arc on the list, I thought to myself “Oh. Yeah, this one can go higher up, I actually liked Novoselic Revolution.”

//And then once the list was finished, I looked through it and thought to myself “Holy shit! I actually LOVED Novoselic Revolution!”

//Before I get into what I really appreciated about this arc in particular, let’s just very quickly go over some problems.

//For starters, the pacing could have been a lot better. It’s conflict is good, considering the entire vitality of a kingdom is at stake, and I think the build up to the problem was decently handled. Not everything goes to hell right away, and it takes a short while before Angie, Mikihiko and the rest of the coup actually strike. When it does happen, it’s very sudden, and the confusion is exactly what I was going for.

//However, considering Angie doesn’t have any guards to go after the gang, and that a lot happens in between each substantial plot point, that for the most part, the conflict doesn’t feel incredibly real. And most of the time, a little cliché. The cliché writing for this arc is one that’s a bit of a problem, because (at least for the most part) the plot points are fairly predictable.

//Mikan and Ibuki also get two chapters to themselves, and while I love my girls and the fact that they got together in this arc, I think it was unfair and biased of me to give these two their own chapter that didn’t really need to happen, and not do the same for every other couple on the blog. 12 Days of Christmas does not count.

//A lot of the other things about this arc were pretty damn great though. Sonia, Gundham and Shuichi are the main triad of heroes in this arc, and I think each of them ended up having their highlights. Sonia in particular gets overlooked compared to a lot of Danganronpa girls, which isn’t right, so having an arc revolve around her story and her sacrifice was fun.

//Speaking of which, probably the most fun hero character to write in this arc especially was Mikan. There is a slight problem with the blog in that I make Mikan more badass than she usually is, because while she’s not as skittish or clumsy as she was before, she’s still rather shy, ditzy and is usually very sweethearted. Some of her moments though in this arc were my absolute favourites, mainly, when she went undercover as a double agent to get the scepter, and her big speech to Angie and Mikihiko about true loyalty, and how she isn’t the monster she used to be. It’s a defining character moment for Mikan, and it makes her one of the most entertaining characters to write for on the blog as a whole.

//However, one of my absolute favourite parts of this arc have to be the actions of the villains. In this instance, we’re talking Angie Yonaga, and of course, everybody’s “favourite” antagonist on the blog so far, Mikihiko Koyasunaga. While Mikihiko was set up to be a twist villain, I think the majority of readers were able to see past the bullshit. The relationship the two have throughout the story is one built on trust, which causes Angie to be crushed when Mikihiko tries to kill her, and reveals that he has simply been using her as a means of gaining the kingdom for himself. All the better, one of the things that made Mikihiko great in this arc by the end, is he is the person who stays the most in-character throughout. He’s a twist villain, but once the mask is off, and all his actions here come to light, it shows everyone who he really is: A detestable piece of shit, garbage, rat of a man, who lies, and kills his way through whoever and whatever to make his goals come to fruition. It’s because of this that Mikihiko was my favourite villain on the blog, prior to the introduction of the Rebirth Duo (Akira and Narumi)

//The last thing I will say, is that much like what made Cabaret Kyojin’s fun, this arc is another one that bases itself on relationships, and has a lot of great relationship moments. Some that I can list are

Sonia trusting Shuichi to solve a decade old Novoselic mystery.

Kazuichi and Gundham having Sonia’s back all the way.

Tenko sacrificing herself for Himiko and the others.

Angie and Mikihiko’s “healthy” relationship throughout, which then leads to Mikihiko backstabbing her and giving Angie a taste of her own medicine.

Tenko and Angie’s spiteful relationship coming full circle.

Tenko literally fighting tooth and nail with tigers to save Himiko.

Shuichi working together with Kaito and Maki to take back the castle.

Shuichi and Mikan collaborating together to hatch the double agent plan.

Mikan and Ibuki confessing their feelings for each other.

Mikan and Hiyoko properly reconciling after so many years

Gundham and Sonia getting married and Kazuichi finally accepting their relationship in full.

//And the list goes on. In summary, Novoselic Revolution isn’t without it’s problems, and that is why it is my favourite arc in Phase 1.

//Now onto the top 3!

Future Foundation receives reports that an Organization Zetsubou operative is lurking in Towa City, planning something big, and Komaru and Toko take it on themselves to investigate. However, much to their shock and horror, the agent takes Akeru Yozora, the young girl that leads the next gen Warriors of Hope, captive and forces Toko and Komaru to participate in a deadly IRL RPG-like game. In order to defeat their enemy and save Yozora, Komaru and Toko team up with Makoto, Sayaka, Leon, Yuta, Ryoma and the Warriors of Hope, as they are forced to dig into the Ninja Warrior’s very dark past.

//It should come as a neat little surprise that the top 3 arcs in the story are actually the 3 most recent arcs. Question is, what order are they in? Well, to kick of the top 3 in third place is Life and Lies of Akeru Yozora, which, ironically, shares a lot in common with Ultra Despair Gang in regards to me overall opinion of it. It’s an arc that revolves around Komaru and Toko, it’s themes are significantly darker than the other arcs, and for some reason, no one really took it seriously and that makes me a little sad to be honest, because this is hands down one of the most fun asks to write in the blog as a whole.

//As already said, much like the prior arc that featured the Ultra Despair Girls, there’s a lot of dark shit that goes down in this arc. Namely, Akeru’s entire backstory, the mass murder of the New Warrior’s of Hope, Gonta revealed to be the deadly Mr Kuma, murdering people under Narumi’s control, and of course, the actions of Shinitani Yozora, Akeru’s birth mother who is by far one of the most despicable villains in the blog. There’s a lot I could say about Shinitani, but I’ll save that for another list.

//The arc’s ending is also one of my favourites. To be honest, the beginning and end of an arc is usually the most difficult part for me. You have to make sure that you start it on the right note and end it on the right note, and in a lot of cases, I struggle with that. The only two arcs where I think I did that perfectly are this one, and the next one, but we’ll get to that. The ending specifically was really nice, and it sucked that during the course of writing, I went on holiday for a weke for my mum’s birthday, and thus had to delay it. It was satisfying to get back to it though, because the mother/daughter dynamic between Akeru, Komaru and Toko is now one of my personal favourite things to write during asks.

//Akeru as a character comes full circle here. She carries many similarities with that of the old Warrior’s of Hope, but unlike them, she was able to retain her sense of justice. She killed Shinitani, yes, but she did so out of rage and vengeance, and swore not to do it again. Akeru is essentially what would have happened to Nagisa, Kotoko and the others, had they actually tried to make sense of their situation, and not been corrupted by Junko and Monaca. And I think it suits her.

//Aside from Akeru, a lot of the characters in the conflict do get some decent development too. Toko, after dealing with several years of insecurities and trust issues, finally opens up to her classmates and friends about the truth of her past, and how she isn’t so different from Akeru’s (by the way, she promises that she would tell the other members of Class 78 her story, and she does, it’s just never shown). Ryoma has to deal with his own crises, and after losing his found family, and then discovering that found family was killed by his best friend under mind control, struggles to stay sane, and with him being one of the most calm and collected characters in the series, this means something. Kirumi also learns that her dedication can be easily used against her, and she unintentionally becomes a villain, even if only for a little bit. Gonta’s development and story is self-explanotory, with a mountain of regret weighting on him, and how his character revolves around trying to get over the trauma of the people who he watched die at his own hand. Leon, with help from Ryoma, reevaluates himself and tries to sort himself out, wondering if he can actually put his talents to good use. Lastly, while not as impressive or essential as the prior points, Makoto’s training with Mukuro really pays off here, as he uses his skills to save Gonta. Admittedly, Sayaka and Yuta, the last two members of the main team, fall a little flat, but each of them had their decent moments too I feel.

//The final fights, despite there being quite a few of them, are also very good. Fight scenes are super hard to write on a blog that doens’t have moving images, but the elevator shaft fight against Narumi in particular is among my favourites.

//And speaking of which, we come to what was quite possibly my favourite aspect of this whole chapter. The introduction of Narumi Osone. A breath of fresh air for villains in Survivor.

//My favourite moment from this arc, and one that I consider a shame that people didn’t pick up on very much, was when Narumi waits patiently for Komaru and Toko to show up and stop her Project Neuron plan...before disposing of it herself.

//Narumi’s mindset is very much a mix between Nagito’s and Monaca’s. She has Monaca’s playfulness and desire to play games with the heroes, but she does so out of an obscene desire to watch them overcome the challenges, leading up to when she has a chance to face them down herself. And while she doesn’t show up a lot physically, is really only a child, and destroyed HER OWN PLAN, she was DEFINITELY a threat, and a very real source of conflict in the arc from a lot of the actions she takes.

//I think the biggest problem with the arc’s mainly lie in that the pacing wasn’t the greatest, and also, Tumblr had updated it’s post editor against my will, and I did not take kindly to the new one, so when it was implemented, I had a bit of a nerous breakdown. Naturally, I’ve now sorted it out, but I hope to god it doesn’t happen again.

//”The Life and Lies of Akeru Yozora.” Underrated and Underappreciated, but oh so good, and oh so fun to write.

When the Future Foundation thinks they’ve finally found an opportunity to out the traitor among them, things go horribly wrong. Kyoko Kirigiri is critically injured and hospitalized and Yui Samidare is murdered when a bomb goes off in the latter’s office building. Things look bleak as Makoto becomes the prime suspect behind the attack, and is then endlessly pursued by his own friends and allies. Using the aid of whatever friends they can make in the trying time that is their life, Makoto, alongside Kuripa, must now remain on the run until the truth and the identity of the real traitor comes to light.

//Finally, we arrive right where we left off. The most recently finished arc.

//This is the other arc on this list that I’m going to have to break down in the format of a list/bullet points, but unlike “The Amnesiac and the Alter Ego” I’m doing so for a different reason. The reason being...HOLY FUCK this arc is SO LONG!

//It took almost exactly 3 months to write this whole section of the story, and while I’m not against longer arcs, with more conflict and tension, 3 months is definitely pushing it.

//In any case, let’s go through a few things that I think makes this arc overall pretty solid.

Unlike most arcs, the beginning and end to this arc were both very satisfying. The opening post featuring Gyalusetsu perfectly set up the tone of the arc, and how this one was going to be far more dark and depressing compared to a lot of the others. The ending on the other hand is bittersweet. It’s a victory for the heroes, but a lot was lost in the process, so it’s hard to be completely satisfied with the conclusion to the conflict, shown mainly in Makoto’s letter.

The main three characters in the arc are Makoto, Mukuro and Kuripa, three characters who are kind of like a trio on the blog. As I mentioned before, interactions and relationships are a big part of what makes some of these arcs great, and these three in particular have some great moments together. Their interactions are almost like that of a family, with Makoto being the father and keeping the other two in check, but with stern kindness, Mukuro as either the mature and sensible mother or the older sister, and Kuripa being the rambunctious and wild son or younger brother.

The arc by far has the strongest conflict and the highest stakes of any other. The entire Future Foundation is against Makoto, all due to a misunderstanding, and if not for certain variables in place, i.e. Shuichi involving himself, Organization Zetsubou may very well have won right there and then. Even now, as already mentioned, while technically the heroes won, the OZ members still got the last laugh. Kyoko is hospitalized, Mukuro winds up dead, Shuichi’s hands are permanently scarred, and Celeste is revealed to have betrayed the group and unveils that she was never looking out for anyone other than herself. The conclusion cant be satisfying because the victory doesn’t feel like a victory at all. Instead, it feels like half of one. And that’s only a few depressing things that came out of the conclusion.

I think the twists, tense moments and battles of this arc really stood out. Despite the fact that there’s a few good fights here, and some of them drag on, they’re all pretty solid.

Mukuro is by far the biggest death in the blog. She was a very essential character, and in her final moments, she finally achieves the redemption that she had been searching for for so long.

As mentioned already, the villains really did shine here. Yukari/AI Junko, Gyalusetsu and Celeste are the three main one’s here. Munakata too, but he’s kind of his own thing.

One of the more satisfying things about the arc was Shuichi’s character development. By the end of his story here, he solves the case, becomes the new Branch Chief, and gets the girl, despite what he sacrificed along the way. And to be honest, he deserves it.

While their role is ultimately rather minor, the Kisaragi’s stand out in the scenes they are in, particularly when Tsurugi, who is rather overconfident and mighty sure of himself up to this point, crumbles under the pressure Kuripa puts on him.

Emotional conflicts come and go throughout the characters in this arc, and I think most of them are executed very well. Mukuro’s desire to seek redemption, Kuripa reflecting on his actions and making his own decisions in regards to avenging his sister and protecting his boss, Makoto wondering if continuing to run is the right thing to do, Shuichi overcoming his fears, and gaining the confidence needed to make the sacrifices he does.

Kokichi pushing Kaede along to confess to Shuichi, despite his own feelings, is a redeemable moment for him, despite being the same confident brat that he usually is, and also having his own feelings for Shuichi. He doesn’t let his selflessness ruin things for Shuichi in this case.

While I think things could have been written better, Mukuro grows from allowing herself to tell Makoto the truth about her inner conflicts and her feelings for him.

//To be honest, thee’s a bunch of other stuff that I could write about, but we’ll be here for a while if I do.

//With all this in mind, you may then be wondering to yourself. If there’s all these good things to say about this arc from the mod’s perspective, why isn’t this arc the number one spot? Well, the reason is actually something that I haven’t really taken into account on any of these other parts, but I consider this to be a problem, and thus am including it.

//Writing this arc...was NOT fun.

//Do I think it’s story is solid? Yes I do. Did I enjoy it when I wrote it? No, I didn’t. Because life was hell for me in the three months it took.

//I was transitioning into life as a university student, and having to deal with deadlines and stockpiled work, as well as new systems really got to me. Not only that, but because of a countable number of situations in my personal life, I was dealing with a lot of health issues, both physical and mental. People might not remember this, but it took 3 chapters to write the Kuripa and Munakata fight, and on the first night, I had to cut off asks because I was THAT close to going to hospital after I very nearly collapsed.

//What didn’t help was that a group of people decided “Hey! An ask blog! Let’s BULLY IT’S MOD!” and I got a whole heaping load of hate messages and critical asks, bullying me and delivering accusations. Namely, calling me sexist for some of the things that happened to the girls in this arc, which was purely coincidence, and even when I said “I would do the same thing if they were male” they’re just like “yeah, ok but...no you wouldn’t, sexist prick’ you’re sexist, the most sexist writer on Tumblr, good idea, how about you stop writing and go kill yourself?”

//I’m not exaggerating by the way, that is legit what one of them said.

//Some of the characters on the blog, namely Kaede and Shuichi, also got shat on by some askers for absolutely no fucking reason. One person, who is now blocked permanently, was SO desperate for Kaede to die this arc, and not get with Shuichi, that they actually THREATENED me, and told me they would report me if I didn’t. Needless to say, banning them was satisfying.

//So yeah. Thanks to some assholes, life changes, and health issues, this arc was a fucking nightmare to pull my way through. And that is really the only reason why it misses the top spot, besides from a few other small complains which I’ve already talked about for the other spots.

//I can look back on “The Life and Lies of Akeru Yozora” and “Novoselic Revolution” with fond memories. The same cannot be said for this arc.

//But with that said...there now only remains one more arc...and by process of elimination, you know what it is.

When struggling to come to terms with the power that he holds, Hajime encounters a misfortunate boy by the name of Ayumu Fujimori, who is alike to him in many ways. Employed by Zetsubou, Fujimori and his band of societal rebels intend to weaponize the preserved Reserve Course and some new special drugs in order to break the current society. Hajime must save the country from Ayumu, and come to terms with the fact that the two of them aren’t so different.

//Alright. I know that many of you may disagree with me, but take a lot of what good things I said about all the previous arcs, and put almost all of them into “Misfortune’s Revenge.”

//The characters are great, the conflict is real, the beginning and ending are good (not as good as Number 2 and 3, but still) the pacing is actually somewhat decent, the emotional dynamic between the heroes and the villains, the villains backstory and motivations...All of it perfectly culminates into a very good chapter, and my personal favourite so far.

//Is it perfect? Absolutely not.

//In fact, I think there’s quite a few things that do somewhat hurt it, namely certain characters not getting as much attention as others. However, I very much think that the positives of this arc outweigh the negatives. Let’s just breakdown a couple things to talk about.

//For one thing, this arc is pretty long. The Fugitive is longer of course, but Misfortune’s Revenge had quite the run time. However, there aren’t many points in the arc where the story feels like it’s being dragged on, or there’s some pointless filler. The story remains fairly consistent, and the most out-of-plot scenes you get are the scenes that focus on Ayumu and the UUV. However, those scenes had a purpose, showing off Ayumu’s growing and changing character.

//Speaking of Ayumu, while he may have been around for this arc and this arc only, he is absolutely the highlight. His character, as I’ve mentioned before, turned out to be far greater than I held him to be. A few problems that I have with him are that his Ultimate Bad Luck doesn’t make an awful lot of sense in this context, and also there are a few questions about him that remain kind of unanswered. Still, there are many parts of him as a character that really stand out, and killing him off was depressing, but it was ultimately necessary for both future events and Hajime’s character arc in the near future.

//Ayumu and Hajime are very much alike in several ways. Their life experiences are basically the same, and it leads them both down the same path. Where they diverge is what they actually decide to do with their powers. Hajime really lacks a choice after the Hope’s Peak board erases him in place of Izuru, but Ayumu had no such issue. What makes the UUV’s goal so difficult to tackle is that they are doing awful things, stealing, fighting, relying on Organization Zetsubou for help, and a lot of other stuff, but they’re doing it for reasons that can be considered very justified. All they want is to fix the government, and unite the world leaders to create the ultimate age of peace and prosperity, but knowing that creation comes after ruin, they need to break it down before they can build it back up again.

//Hajime, and his friends in this context, understand these goals. In fact, Hajime agrees with Ayumu and the UUV’s fight. He simply does not agree with the way they are fighting it. And if you give it some thought, thanks to Hajime, Ayumu’s dream of uniting the overseas parties and creating a single, unified government body to help save the world...actually kind of succeeds? Hajime is able to talk some sense into the world leaders, which is another moment in this arc that I really enjoyed. Despite not really possessing the right, since he’s partially responsible for the whole tragedy in the first place, Hajime stands up to the higher power, and completes Ayumu’s mission for him. Not in the brutal way. In his own way. The Hajime way. The RIGHT way.

//However...on the other end of the spectrum, and honestly, the ACTUAL antagonist of this arc...is Nagito.

//Ayumu is an antagonist and a threat to the Future Foundation in the arc, but him, Kego, Aruma, Mitsunari, Mikoto and ESPECIALLY Marin, aren’t actually villains, nor are they evil in any sort of way. They’re just misguided kids, with the right mindset, and they even have a policy against violence and murder. Yes, Ayumu goes a little stir crazy at the end and abandons his morals, but first of all, it’s clear that he doesn’t mean or intends to follow up on any of his threats. Hajime even calls him out after their climactic fight at the end and points out that Ayumu very much said that he would rather Hajime save the hostages than spend time focused on him, which shows that right when he’s about to reach his penultimate goal, he has doubt eating away at him, and wants nothing more than to stop his own desperate actions, feeling that he’s incapable of doing so. The OTHER thing to note, is that Ayumu would not have gone off this deep end, if NAGITO hadn’t decided to go crazy.

//One thing that many people did observe, but I will clear up, is that Nagito’s change in character and his out-of-character actions in this arc were not sudden. If anyone has been around since the early days of Survivor, over the course of the story, Nagito slowly but surely becomes more unsure and doubtful of his position. And it’s mainly thanks to Hajime that this is the case.

//Nagito holds Izuru Kamukura in very high regard, but post-survivor, he finds out that Izuru and Hajime are the same person. Now, if you were to ask me, I think that if Nagito were to find that out, it wouldn’t lead to the romantic fantasy and happy, wholesome gay relationship with Hajime that a lot of the fangirls of the series would adore (not bashing on Komahina by the way. I used to hate it, but now I think it’s ok) but in reality, knowing Nagito, I think he would have his reservations, and not necessarily know how to feel about it. Hajime, a “talentless, worthless, run-of-the-mill nobody” and this almighty, talent-bound GOD of a human being Izuru being the same person? Nagito probably wouldn’t feel completely satisfied with this outcome, and over time, would probably harbor some ill feelings and thoughts to his boss. The Nagito in this blog does not consider the project that Hajime went through to be talent, because Hajime was not BORN with his abilities. Thus, the artificail talents held by Hajime do not count in Nagito’s eyes, and not only does he shun Hajime for this, but he considers him a cheater. Is there jealously involved? A little bit, but at the same time, it’s mainly because Nagito believes that if you’re born as nothing but talentless and useless trash, you should stay that way, like it’s your fate and your destiny for your whole life, and trying to change that is pointless, and offensive to people who are BORN with talent. He doesn’t believe or accept that something like the project could make Hajime so powerful, and give him so many abilities, not does he think that he can, or is allowed to, amount to anything.

//Then you have to consider that the entire arc revolves around a kid who is basically the EXACT same case as Hajime. Now Nagito has to deal with TWO of these cretins, who are worthless stains on society, but are now powerful potential threats. Hajime and Ayumu collectively are a threat to Nagito’s ideal, and the idea that this project exists that can just grant human’s these talents, TERRIFIES him. In comparison to the rest of the squad in this arc; Hajime, Mahiru, Fuyuhiko, Chiaki and Peko, Nagito doesn’t feel that Ayumu and his team are worthy of saving, or redeeming, simply because of Ayumu’s fatal choices. As such, like when he goes against the plan in the basement of the lab building, and when he fights Ayumu in the construction site, Nagito actively tries to end Ayumu’s life. While he advocates for it constantly, Nagito thinks of this particular Hope as a disease, and while he doesn’t think he’s powerful enough to destroy it, he believes he’s smart enough to stop it from spreading.

//Then...of course...there’s the case with Marin. And the reason I brought all of these prior variables up is to better explain this penultimate moment.

//This scene has a lot of parallels to Kuripa’s big scene in “Ultra Despair Gang” but arguably, it’s so much better and has far more of an impact. Haiji’s death was sudden, and quick, so much so that it took a while for everyone to process it fully. MARIN on the other hand, died a slow, painful, brutal death, from being beaten to death by Nagito.

//And the reason this scene is so essential, is because, in the words of Cole Cassidy (formerly Jesse McCree) “that’s when things started...to go wrong.”

//Nagito’s actions in this arc, are ultimately what lead to the events of the story we currently find ourselves in. Organization Zetsubou are getting a foot above the Future Foundation, the public are beginning to doubt the FF’s justice, society is beginning to emotionally crumble once more, and another tragedy ins’t far from sight...

//All it takes is one bad day...One fleeting moment for things to completly go to shit...And of every crowning moment in Danganronpa Survivor...This...was...it...

//Nagito up until this point is up on top, and about to topple. Thanks to the actions of serving under Hajime, and Ayumu’s presence and actions, he’s questioning everything he knows, is getting scared and desperate to protect his hope and talent based ideals, and once Seiko goes bye bye after Akira kidnaps her...THAT is the final, tiny push, that sends Nagito over the edge...and Marin Mizuta pays the price for it.

//It’s a powerful, devastating scene to see someone as reserved as Nagito in a state of genuine rage, fury and anger, and to see him take such a violent approach against another human being, particularly against Marin, the UUV’s arguably most adorkable and loveable member...And it’s all too clear that from this point on, Nagito Komaeda is no longer the man he was...Now...he’s far more dangerous...

//But, overall, that concludes most of what I have to say about “Misfortune’s Revenge” our number one for this list.

//This arc was definitely not perfect, but it was in my own opinion, successful at taking the story to a much darker plotline and tone that it may never come back from, and overall proves to be a more mature take on a story full of characters living in a grey area. And a fantastic story about two lost souls with a connection that will tie them together till the end of time.

//And that concludes my analysis, thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

//This won’t be the last time I make one of these analysis’ and I’ve got more breakdowns on the way, as I mentioned before.

//I had also planned for this to go up yesterday, but it took way longer than I thought it would, so I’m uploading this on December 1st which is my birthday, so...Happy birthday to me I guess? I think it was fun though.

//In any case, I know the ask box is currently closed, but I would REALLY love to hear what you guys thought of my arcs. If you want to share your own thoughts and opinions, maybe you can repost this and do a little mini analysis of your own? I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on what their favourite chapter of the story was.

//But for now, I’m tired and need my rest, so I’ll catch you guys in the next countdown~

-Mod

#danganronpa survivor #ranking #self reflection #troubles brewing arc #the trial of koichi kizakura arc #deadly harmony arc #neo world arc #ultra despair gang arc #novoselic revolution arc #the amnesiac and the alter ego arc #the tower arc #cabaret kyojins arc #the life and lies of akeru yozora arc #misfortunes revenge arc #the fugitive arc

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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 4 years ago

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Mikan and Ibuki’s day off (Part 1)

[WARNING: DISGUSTING TSUMIODA FLUFF!]

So, it’s really ok for us to go out today?

Of course. For all that you have done, you greatly deserve it.

In fact, take these.

Huh? What’re they?

We have a very lovely hot springs resort up in the main town. These are two tickets for one night.

Huh? R-Really?

These look super expensive! Are you sure!?

Please. Enjoy yourselves. It would be better for me if you could take them off my hands.

Well, I feel like I owe you money now, but I’m definitely not gonna look this gift horse in the mouth...

C’mon! Let’s go!

Y-Y-Yes!

*Ibuki and Mikan go out to the town. Ibuki is carrying around a video camera with her, and she keeps pointing it at Mikan.

OK Mikan! Look this way! C’mon, say something!

Oh! Uh...!

Th-This is the lunch box that I brought earlier...There’s some tangerines too...Ehehe...

Ok, let’s have you eat that!

Don’t you want any?

Meh. I can eat later. You go ahead.

If you say so...

*Mikan begins eating her lunch.

Delicious!

*The girls end up exploring the kingdom, and end up arriving at an open train track.

*Narrating while aiming the camera at her* Tis the express train...Mikan Tsumiki is on a life changing journey...Witness the overflowing emotions of a traveller...How amazing!

Um...Ibuki, you’ve been on that camera ever since we left the base. We have to enjoy the scenery or this whole trip will have been a waste...

You’re right...it WOULD be a waste...

TO STOP THE CAMERA NOW!

EEK! Don’t yell! And that’s not what I meant...!

Ibuki, I can understand you’re excited. This is technically our first date after all...

But I think, since the two of us are alone, we should have fun together. Don’t you think so.

*Sigh* Yeah, you’re probably right...

Good. Now say aahh.

Aaaaahh! *nom!*

Wow! The kingdom looks so beautiful!

Hells yeah!

*Aiming the camera” Ok Mikan! Give me that reaction one more time!

Ibuki, come on!

So this is the resort, huh? You know, I never understood why this place has all these resorts and no theme parks...I think we should probably go to our room and drop off all our stuff, just so we don’t have any baggage.

Good idea. Hey, in the meantime, do you wanna take a picture?

*Quick Camera movements” Sure!

No, I mean together...!

Oh right...uh...

*Ibuki taps the shoulder of the stranger near to her.

Excused my, can you are a to take that picture of us pleasure?

Civilian: Um...Sorry, I beg your pardon?

Sorry, myself'm originate japan and I english is don't this well.

Prevent yes, myself will appreciation to to take that picture taking I girlfriend.

Civilian: Ah, very well. You want a picture of you and your girlfriend? Sure thing.

Thanked you are. You are a only press this place.

Ok Mikan! You ready for the pict-

Uuuuuhh...

Good to go! Hurry over Ibuki!

*Ibuki trails off as she suddenly notices Mikan is standing behind a Photo stand-in, of a princess and a knight.

Um...

Er, this...isn’t what you wanted? Did you just want a picture of us in front of the station?

Nrgh...Sorry! I got too excited!

No, no, it’s fine! Just let me be the knight.

Ah...Ok!

*Mikan and Ibuki stand behind the stand-in and the stranger takes their photo for them, giving Ibuki her camera back when she’s done.

Hey, I’m back! I got you your manju! Careful, it’s hot...

*Ibuki goes to take the hot springs manju from her.

Yowch! No kidding it’s hot!

I can blow on it for you if you’d like?

Please do.

*Mikan blows on the manju and then Ibuki joyfully takes a bite as she feeds it to her.

Ah! It’s so good!

Today’s the first time I’ve ever tried this hot springs manju...I didn’t have any back when we went on that road trip with everyone...

I’ve never really gone on trips before, so I’ve never had a chance...

...

*Ibuki instinctively takes Mikan’s hand.

Ibuki?

From now on, we’re gonna go on a whole bunch of trips to all sorts of different places. You feel me?

Y-Y-Yes!

Hello. It’s Mioda and Tsumiki. We’ll be staying here today.

Aw, what!? Your English is so much better than mine!

Lady at desk: Ok, guests under Mioda and Tsumiki, is it? Oh, my, you’re both adorable girls. Taking a trip with your friend on vacation?

Ah um, well...

She’s my girlfriend...

...!

Our am on that relationship...?

Lady: Hm?

Um...she’s saying we are in a relationship...

Lady: Oh my, that is wonderful. Please, enjoy your stay.

...

It’s pretty weird...I’m already calling you my girlfriend...

W-Well...it’s true, isn’t it?

I mean what I told you last night. I love you Ibuki.

I...love you too...

*Mikan and Ibuki get settled into their room, and then after a short amount of time, head down into the baths. The settle down on opposite sides of the wooden bath.

Haaa...This is wonderful...

It really is! It’s such a...pleasant feeling, isn’t it? And that smell...

It’s much wider than the bathtub back home. There’s so much space here...

*Despite saying this, Mikan shuffles around the edge until her and Ibuki’s shoulders touch.

Saying that...I still think I’d prefer to be closer together...

Yeah...But hey, doesn’t it feel like the water’s making your skin smoother?

Hm?

Look! Your skin is super smooth! Like porcelain now!

*Ibuki runs her finger gently on Mikan’s exposed collar.

YEEE! Ibuki! Don’t casually go touching strange places!

Hm? Strange places? I’m touching the only exposed part of you, so I’m safe!

No, no you weren’t! Out! Out of the safe zone!

Alright, alright...

*Ibuki begins to climb out of the bath.

Come here Mikan. I’ll wash your hair for you.

*sigh* Ok...

*Mikan climbs out of the bath and sits down on one of the stools. Ibuki grabs some shampoo and a shower head, and begins to wash her hair.

Are there any spots you would like me to wash miss?

Hm...could you maybe do more behind my ears please?

Certainly! I’ll just-WHOOPS!

*Ibuki pretends to slip her hand, and playfully gropes Mikan.

KYAAAAH!!

*SLAP!*

...

Ah! I-I’m sorry!

No, it’s my fault...I just got too excited.

Hmph! Then I’ll get you back double!

Ah! H-Hey! Nohoho!

*The two girls play with each other, until they both get tired out, from the mix their exhaustion of the hot spring air.

Let’s eat!

Wow! A feast worthy of that of royalty!

Are we even going to finish this?

Well, we can definitely try. And maybe we can save some for tomorrow, or give some to the others when we get back.

Ah, that’s a good idea. I was going to bring some of the hot spring manju back for Hiyoko.

Yeah, I think Hiyoko, Himiko and Sonia would enjoy some of those sweets they were offering too.

Woman: Who are those two? Are they foreigners?

Man: Hm, it seems so. They’re really jamming it out at that karaoke box.

♪ Umbrella at your side, it’s raining but you close it tight! ♪

♪ “And how are you?” purred a cat just passing through! ♪

♪ Those heels that you like are soaking but is that alright? ♪

Woman: It makes me happy to see they’re enjoying themselves, even with all that’s going on.

Man: Don’t worry. Angie Yonaga cannot become queen. Princess Sonia would not abandon us. I am certain she will keep her promise.

Woman: I sincerely hope so. Even after all that she has wrought, I do not want to turn my back on the Nevermind Family, for humbly ruling over this kingdom for millennia. If it weren’t for what happened int he tragedy, we would have been just for many years to come.

Man: It is not too late for that. All we can do is hope someone out there will help us out of this plight.

...

*The girls arrive at their room.

They already have our futons set out for us...I’m gonna go brush my teeth, be back in a jiff.

*Mikan heads into the bathroom.

(Mikan and I are alone in here together...I hope things don’t turn...spicy)

(YAH! WHAT AM I THINKING!?)

*A few minutes pass with Ibuki just standing in the middle of the room, only moving to pull the light switch. Mikan finishes brushing her teeth and steps back into the room.

Ok, I’m ready...Looks like you already turned the lights off...

Which futon are you taking? I don’t mind which.

...

Ibuki?

S-Sorry...But this is an important night for me...and when things turn out like this, I get this way...

I bet it’s a little weird huh? For me to hesitate? Usually I’m a hit first ask questions later kind of girl...But this is unfamiliar territory, even for me...

...

*Mikan takes Ibuki’s shoulder, pulls her closer and gently kisses her on her lips.