#one tenth of the population slaughtered on day zero

[at-sabohteurs]

i’ll never shut up about how martha sometimes feels like she’s surrounded by ghosts.

[shockersalvage]

Salvage Showcase - Suisei Nanamura

Sorry for the longer delay with this one! To make up for it, for the DRK entry and this time its one of the more flashier supporting characters in the DRK/T adventures: Detective Suisei "Allegro Agitato" Nanamura!!

Summary

For the sake of things. I'll cover DRT's portion first, given its smaller length and earlier 'placement' in the timeline (I'll get to that later on).

Suisei Nanamura is a detective registered in the Detective Library as part of only 20 Double Zeroes to ever reach that rank, being 900, specializing in homicide. He's been in about four prior Duel Noirs before the event of DRK2. In addition, he's also open to being hired by rich clientele. One of his being a member of the Togami Conglomerate.

During the Legacy Crown Championship, on the seventh day of it, Suisei would be hired by Mitsuzo Togami to solve the mysterious murders that were plaguing the competition, rapidly dwindling the number of contestants still alive. While outsiders weren't necessarily allowed, when the housekeepers took the only boat back to safety, Suisei and his assistant, Polaris P. Polanski, were stuck there and allowed to do their investigation. Suisei would interrogate the survivors and eventually pressure Kazuya into showing him around for the more reclusive participants, Suzuhiko and Saburo. Activities that lead Suisei into being told more of Kazuya's dark past involving the Kuchinashi Vilalge Fire (which had almost the entirety of its population slaughtered by Suzuhiko) and how he was adopted into the family (by being the only survivor on accident), likely as another 'chip' to use in the LCC. Though Suisei also theorizes that Kazuya doesn't even count and there was another participant in the game that was hiding.

On the eighth day, Suisei would put out a fire that apparently claimed the life of Asa Togami, though he was doubtful on that aspect. On the ninth day, when the surviving twin Yoru was found beheaded, he declared the culprit was out of luck and declared that he knew who the culprit was.

In the cafeteria, where most of the survivors were gathered, he went through the various mysteries and details of the case: from how Asa was really a doll that was burned instead of a person in an attempt to win the LCC, how he believed there were only three murders (the one who killed Wasuke, Ichiro and Yoru) and there were only three people who could have really done it: Suzuhiko, Saburo and Kazuya.

Ultimately, he declares Kazuya as the culprit. Suzuhiko lacks the heart to win the LCC and his pride won't let him kill without his knives. Saburo had recorded himself non-stop, singing naked and eating snacks to verify his alibi. Kazuya has both a strong motivation to win and no alibi to speak of. Despite the kid's attempts to defend himself, its when Suisei had Polaris bring out Yoru's severed head that was found in Kazuya's room that ends up making Suisei 'the victor' and Kazuya is sent to the dungeon....

Up until his client, Mitsuzo is found hanging in his room - dead. With his client dead, and only half of what he got upfront received, Suisei decides to leave in a helicopter he called on. Before he leaves, he states that, given the situation, Takaya (who was the one to actually kill Mitsuzo) would likely be the victor and congratulates Kazuya for his early release. What neither boy realized was that Suisei's assistant was still on the island...and near the tenth day would become the new Togami Conglomerate heir as Byakuya Togami.

Because of his actions and attitude, Kazuya hoped for Suisei to eventually be done in his by ways. Concerning Suisei's role in DRT, it happened in an unreality flashback created by the Story AI installed in the false eye of the main point of view characters in DRT. Thus, its very likely that Suisei didn't actually attend the true LCC nor did these characters actually meet him.

In the DRK entries, Suisei makes his appearance following receiving a request from Yui Samidare and Kyoko Kirigiri, the girls looking for help from any available Double Zeroes about the Duel Noirs and Victims Catharsis Committee. This would lead to Suisei taking them to dinner, explaining whatever information he knew (like a number of Double Zeroes disappearing in their investigation of the VCC) and eventually inviting both to accompany him to the next Duel Noir he would be invited to as the detective: the Norman's Hotel Murder case. (And also dumping the bill on the girls, but that's neither here or there at the moment).

At Norman's Hotel, Suisei and the girls would be involved in the Hotel's auction gimmick. Every day the ten participants would gather to do an auction, using the hotel sponsored money to see who would win the Detective's Right. Winning that Right would allow someone to take the Detective role of the Duel Noir for the night, and since the Culprit of the Duel Noir can't kill in front of the Detective, it grants them immunity from being killed by the Culprit. Alongside, a bonus of temporarily getting a master key that can allow them to leave their locked rooms at night and, potentially, free the others as well.

Suisei was the winner of the first auction, betting all of his money in order to obtain it. However, he would be unable to stop the Culprit from going about and killing their first Target: Akio Chage. With his money gone and the days passed, it appeared to Yui that Suisei, depsite his high rank, was also stumped on who it could be...

That is until the fourth day, when her investigation with Kyoko helped revealed the mechanics on how the Culprit murdered their Targets. One of these details being the mystery of where the money of the deceased went. While Yui assumed they were taken by the organizers, that was only true for Uozumi - the sacrificial lamb of the game. As for the rest? Well, there disappearance was caused by the prior Detectives taking the money to use for themselves.

In truth, Suisei has already deduced who was the Culprit of the Duel Noir, but instead of exposing her - Sae Yozuru - as being the murderer, he wanted to instead use the Duel Noir in order to amass more money. At the expense of everyone else's lives. Proven that very day when Suisei aligns himself with Sae, with the money he stole from Chage, with the intent that, in exchange for helping her, he'll get a sizable return once they were all free.

In the end, this alliance failed. While Sae planned for her opponents to waste all their money on the fourth day, meaning no Detective to be present on the fifth day, Kyoko had secretly stashed one million yen prior to Uozumi's corpse being dispose of. Thus, she became the Detective, using her position to save everyone from being killed by Sae that night.

But...there would be no happy ending to the Norman's Hotel case. Suisei wanted the near 1 billion yen the hotel had to offer one way or the other. After confronting Sae before she escape about said money, he ended up killing her with a hammer that she had gotten for her Duel Noir. Taking Sae's gun, he shot Yuzen Minase and Meruko Mifune, before corning Yui and Kyoko before they could leave. He wanted to use that money for his endeavors, but needed no witnesses alive for it. He was going to spare Kyoko, but since she chose Yui opted to try to kill her instead. Thankfully, for the girls, Meruko was still alive long enough to command Suisei's gun to bend. Suisei's gun jammed and he was distracted long enough for the girls to make it outside.

Suisei gave chase, only to be confronted with the Executives to the VCC: Johnny Arp, Gekka Ryuzoji and Mikado Shinsen (who had been acting as a participant in the case). Mikado hands him a gun and Suisei mumbles about the 'Fall' having begun before killing himself.

Suisei only cares about two things: time and money. Money allows him to spend as little time as possible, and in turn that saved time can be used to get him more money. He lives his life by his creed, dictating whether he speaks, pays his restaurant tab or whether he goes about committing mass murder or conspiracy for the sake of cash. As one can imagine, this means Suisei is utterly self-centered and holds an immense ego. He believes that world is better investing in someone like himself and holds no shame in his corrupt nature or murderous actions.

Masking such vanity and brutality is a man whose highly intelligent and quick on the uptake, able to analyze a person simply by how they dress. He's charismatic, eccentric, and flamboyant with his antics utterly bewildering others or earning captivation (like breaking a chair on a wall to test what's behind it or interruption Yui and Kyoko's arguing with a horn). He oozes confidence and rarely ever becomes truly shocked by an extreme turn of events. When cornered by the VCC Executives he takes their option to kill himself in utter defeat, showing he at least is someone that accepts his fate, rather than risking fighting and getting off worse.

The Rundown

Suisei holds a rather integral part of the DRK storyline, despite really only lasting for about one book (ignoring his brief appearance at the end of the first novel). He's the first ally and sort of pseudo mentor of Team YK, giving them a more in-depth look of the Duel Noir and the Victims Catharsis Committee and even scolding them whenever they act unbecoming of detectives in his eyes. He holds the status of being the first of third party characters willing to join the girls in going against the Duel Noir...

And also integral in being the first to show that even those unrelated to the VCC are dangers that the girls have to be wary of, being the first outsider to not only be willing to work against the girls but try to kill them as well. Suisei serves an aspect to DRK's 'Justice vs Corruption' theme, being a representative of Corruption.

As one can imagine, this would be his Greed theme, which is also his Drive as a Detective. Suisei's is more alike with a mercenary than a 'true' detective. He works only for the sake of prestige and cash, holding an opportunistic mindset that decides what he does, even if its immoral. He had no idea who the culprit was when he first entered, but any compulsion to truly catch them was thrown away for the chance to make more money. Even it means essentially letting a culprit go or trying to kill every other survivor to obtain more wealth. This greed sets him apart not just from Team YK but even the greedier participants of Norman's Hotel. For those like Minase or Sae, while they are bad people who scammed others, they are only doing it because they are either in poverty or in an extremely rough spot in life. Suisei, while we don't know his backstory, makes it extremely obvious he's very wealthy and not in need of more. So not only is he going against his profession's purpose, he commits crimes out of a pure selfish desire for what's probably something he had more than enough.

Suisei is essentially both sides of the poor qualities that he mentioned making up a bad detective and a foil to Team YK. He's logical and intelligent like Kyoko, but his own lack of creed makes him untrustworthy and despicable. He's holds passion for his cases like Yui, but they're all dedicated to getting money instead of the client - which by his own words makes him useless. If the two of them together make up a proper detective, he's both of them together at their worst and no good by his own definition.

Even if it comes from unreality, Suisei's role in the fabricated flashback LCC is still something to note concerning the book's whole 'Reality v Escapism/Unreality' theme. He's a detective hired to do his actual job this time, yet throughout the course of his involvement his actions are constant clashing with the LCC and its participants. The competition is supposed to be a closed off affair with the cast involved being equally as secretive in their ongoings and affairs in their attempt to win. But then here comes Suisei, who gives not a single care about their whole ordeals and will gladly expose the truth or their own insecurities. Not because he cares about their lives, but the fact is he just wants to get his finished payment. In DRT, where the reality of one's situation isn't so clean, he serves the Reality aspect at its most negative: intrusive, uncaring and only caring about its truth being revealed, no matter the state of those that wish otherwise.

Personal Thoughts

I really love Suisei! He's a chaotic, greedy, jerk, but God is he just fun to read about! You can tell Kitayama had his entire character down from the get go and really knew how to execute it. He strikes a good balance of charming and scummy, that even when he becomes the final villain of DRK2, you can't really fully despise him.

Compared to Sachi's messy ordeal with Gekka, Suisei's greediness can be seen wayback during his dinner with Team YK where he ditches the girls so they pay his bill instead or when he's inspecting Yui via how much her clothes cost. Right there, one knows his whole deal, yet not the extent of what he's willing to go through to get his money.

But when its finally revealed he's been using the DN for his own gain? Not only does it fit, but it feels extremely natural. We know already he loves money and how sly he is in his actions from his very first scene, so it doesn't come out of nowhere. But what sells it even more is how he acts once Team YK becomes aware of his true nature. That is to say, he doesn't change at all!!

Suisei from the start to finish is the same character we see from the beginning to end. He doesn't become deathly cold or overly aggressive (demeanor wise, mind you). No, he stays as this confident eccentric up until his death. Suisei doesn't change, what is 'changing' is the readers knowledge of the depths of his hunger for money. You think that it stops at just running from his tab or even helping a killer, but no. It's a gradual realization that he has little standards when it comes to getting what he wants. That he holds no issues in committing evil and is a human that's utterly content in being awful for the sake of himself.

He's a person that's true to himself...which is both an entertaining boon and makes for a rather unsettling antagonist when you get past the flashiness. Of the DRK cast, him being so popular (well popular in obscure side novels) is well deserved!

[introspectivebrowngirl-blog]

No Hate, No Fear

My brown body is insignificant here. I am a number to a population, holding numbers with lots of zeroes forever owed to the institution. Aisha, Prophet Muhammad's wife. A young, beautiful name just like her, slaughtered in pronunciation in each class that is filled with white names and white faces.

Reminiscing on my first year at college, I have identified the institutional problems that has been brushed aside by administration and students and into arms of people who look like me. This institution brands itself on its focus on diversity and inclusion conversations amongst the campus community but fails to commit itself to admitting diversity and practicing inclusion. Talking about race relations when there are no relations between races to begin with. Because people of color are lectured about allyship and intersectionality from their white peers but Black History Month, Latino Heritage Month, Native Heritage Month, and Focus Asia Month are only attended by people of color. It is a school in which professors deconstruct topics of colonization and discrimination but do not understand the extra self-care black and brown students must take in our world today.

It started the day I saw my parents cry for one of the first times in my life, the day they dropped me off at my first day at college. It was not a sad cry. It was a cry that represented the past 18 years. The past 18 years of hardship and sacrifice and the next 18 years and beyond of hope and success. Now my mother calls me everyday. I can hear the pride in her voice in each exchange of words. Maybe that is why I can never tell her that what was once my excitement of college is now hopelessness. I can’t tell her that her sweet child that has done nothing but played by the rules has been mistaken for loud and radical when faced with discrimination and the need to define her worth to others. I can’t tell her that she’s being torn apart inside each day as everything that she has always held on her chest with pride is the ammunition for others to isolate her and degrade her. Her brown skin, thick black hair, Arabic name and Filipino and Pakistani roots.

“No hate, no fear, immigrants are welcome here,” they would chant. The anti-Muslim ban movement found its way to our institution and into the guilt of the white students. A spokesperson, that’s all they wanted from me. “They want my rally cry, they want my pain,” I thought. “Are they really listening? Are they really learning? Their activism stops here at this rally. I am just a sob story.” They only want my soul long enough to convince themselves of their humility. But each time they take and exploit it, my soul disintegrates a little bit more. White faces and white guilt gathered around the Freedom Rock, the symbol of demonstration, for everyone except those affected. I sat in the dining hall, protesters with large poster boards walking could be sighted through the window, CNN on the TV as it always was. As I looked at the news flashing across the TV screen, I contemplated whether it was selfish of me to be dissatisfied but not take the opportunity to speak out.  It soon became apparent to me that I was not refusing to make my voice heard. I refused to be part of the pathos, a sob story that can be marketed and capitalized. My story and my hurt have been passed around on their lips and the sways of their pens. That is white academia as we know it. It is used for everybody else’s benefit but my own. For my family back home in the village will never know what oppression or inequality is. For them, it’s called life. And because no one will tell immigrant families that America is not the land of the free and home of the brave until they come for opportunity and stay for scraps.

This is when I realized that assimilation is a far fetched concept that my institution’s brochures tricked me into thinking was possible. We are unlike our kind, the “good ones,” recognized for our accomplishments as students of color. We are what W.E.B. DuBois would call the Talented Tenth, rather than people who are deemed for excellence by nature. It perpetuates a saviorship ideology in which we are expected to just look away in the face of discrimination. We should just be thankful we made it this far. College. A so called “post-racial society.” Because in the face of racial slurs, discriminatory language, it’s a student problem and “you can’t blame them, they don’t know any better,” and “you just have to ignore it.” No one is held accountable for the way I feel on campus, always watching my back and second-guessing who to trust because I never know deep down who sees me as inferior.

Maybe this is all irrelevant. Maybe in a few years I will not even remember this. But why is this my burden? Comfort and happiness or success and mobility? I have been forced to choose when they should be complimentary. I am the one who made it out, the one who will bring success, and finally bring my parents’ worries to rest. It is too much pressure and one day I am afraid I will break. The miserable part is that these experiences are always deemed as dramatic and exaggerated. No one else except my peers of color know what it is like to wake up everyday with fear, sadness, and a reality that others can just turn off. They are not just some cause that are put on signs and Facebook statuses. They are our everyday lives since we were children and were taught to be submissive and never talk out of place because you just don’t have room to mess up, work harder than the others because they don’t have to deal with what you have to, and always watch your back because you never know who might be out there with hate in their hearts. They are our everyday lives as we are put in institutions where there are few who look like us achieving success. And they are our everyday lives as the only time we see people like us in the media is when it is bad, when there is a shooting or drug epidemic. It’s a reality that cannot even be translated for anyone else to understand.

So here is to the predominantly white institutions that had fooled me into thinking that I belonged here, who has thrived off of the exploitation of my brown body, and has wiped out every penny my parents had ever saved in exchange for a piece of paper that defines my existence in society: 

These things will do not go unnoticed. I see you. We see you. 

Momma, it takes so much strength everyday to not just give up and come running back home to you. 

Daddy, I want to keep making you proud but sometimes it’s hard to believe in yourself when so many people around you don’t. 

You can count on me, though. I’ll never let you down. I am happy here knowing that I am making you proud and that in the future I can pay you back for all the sacrifices you have taken for our family.

This is not a sob story, another opportunity for guilt and exploitation. This is my narrative that no one can take away from me.