#they technically ‘revealed’ that one character was planning it all but the killer was still a demon with no foreshadowing

[causeimcrayzeebee]

MAJOR TETRO PINK SPOILERS (for the whole thing basically)!!

wow. this was such a heartbreaking ending. i can’t help but be overwhelmed and emotional about everything that happened today,,,, i have so much to talk about but i just really can’t cover it all so I’m just gonna talk about my main takeaways from today!

i was so convinced it was gonna be tamba and was in hysterics cause i didn’t want it to be her… i am actually shocked hasegawa was the culprit— well, for the most part, save for during the camera discussion where i was yelling at my phone that hasegawa knew they were there (and somehow i was still not convinced he was the killer till the actual reveal), but in all honestly, this was a perfect end for his character. 

it really highlighted the decay of hasegawa ken. pre killing game, hasegawa lived a somewhat simple but comfortable life, with a loving family and a successful career. but of course, it seems he was without friends, coming home from school every day to continue studying in his room. then he entered the killing game, surrounded with 15 of his peers, and only 1 of them really became his friend. kamimura kazutoshi. hasegawa became attached to him, connected with him; he felt a love he hadn’t before. and then kamimura was taken away. the remaining students he was surrounded by were who he believed to be terrible people. now, hasegawa was truly alone. 

in hindsight it’s obvious it had to be him…. he couldn’t escape being suspicious for every damn trial n still survive lmaoo,,, of course he would come up with a convoluted, difficult plan that would’ve gone through just fine if it weren’t for monomoko intercepting.

speaking of monomoko, i was thinking about how tetro is so interesting in the aspect that it has supernatural elements like monomoko. she’s not a real bunny and is some kind of dimensional extraterrestrial being (im not caught up with staffside yet bear with me), but somehow, she’s far from the the scariest and most horrifying part about tetro. the things that are the most realistic and plausible to happen are the most fucked up, horrifying parts. in the words of hasegawa ken, real horror is knowing. knowing that it’s possible, knowing the evils of real people.

endings are difficult. even the best stories can have mediocre or horrible endings. but i have to shout out pink because while this technically isn’t the fully ending, it was such a fantastic end to a long journey. red had me tearing up. i did not expect a whole ass animation at all but it was so very moving. the colors and the shots were just amazing! but mostly what hit was the writing. the prose for that took my breath away, the little red riding hood theme was perfect. hearing sasaki one more time, narrating what could only be something from her journal, was a perfect way to wrap up sasaki’s life, and tetro pink as a whole. 

maybe hasegawa is right— maybe the pink cast are all terrible people. but maybe they’re also just human. maybe that’s the human response to their circumstances. and maybe humans just make human mistakes when pushed to the edge. 

looking at the remaining people was a knife to the chest, realizing it was only 5. and those exit interviews. oh my GOD the exit interviews. they’re both so similar yet so different to who the were before. wada…. oh my goodness wada…. “I’d have killed myself so sasaki could go to sleep” was so raw and filled with pain, i don’t think I’ll stop thinking about that answer. ojima and yanagi were both pissed at the people who took away what little childhood they had left, at the loved ones they took. i also found seki commenting on ojima not losing anyone particularly close interesting, because i think many of us acknowledge the absolute devastation of people like hasegawa losing kamimura or wada losing Isono and Tsuno, but we often forget how this would be for everyone else. ojima was close with everyone; everyone was closer than the average group of people because they were put into hell together. even if a student wasn’t super close to someone who died, that was someone they knew who was murdered. EVERYONE lost the deceased 11 people. tamba and hiroaki are both so much more shaken up, more quiet and more defeated. they went into the game as people who took every opportunity to get the upper hand and be better, but now they’ve been beaten to a shell of who they once were.

so with this, our surviving cast is going home. but did they really even survive? yeah, we have survivors technically, but really we’ve witnessed the brutal killing of 16 students; 16 people; 16 KIDS. and there will be more.

thank you von, the vas, and the editors for working so hard on such a beautiful project. im beyond excited (and terrified) for blue!

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Dangancember 2024 - Danganronpa Top 24 Class Trials: Number 20 Danganronpa V3 Case 5

//You guys don't know how much it hurts to have this one down so low.

//This trial is honestly, overall, EXTREMELY good. It has a good plotline, a good investigation, a good cast of characters, and is overall just very very engaging.

//So yeah, we're kind of out of the territory for trials that I consider to be straight up bad.

//But regardless, Case 5 of Danganronpa V3 is something I view very critically, despite the leaps and bounds it takes as a case. Here's why.

//As I did with my last post, let's go over everything that happens in this case, and then I'll start to pick it apart.

//So in the build up to this case, shortly following Gonta and Miu's deaths as part of a scheme masterminded by Kokichi, tensions among the group are as high as they ever have been. And they skyrocket when Kokichi not only reveals that the world outside the academy is in ruin, but that he's the one who masterminded everything, and proves it by controlling the now pilot-less Exisals, and kidnaps Kaito, locking him in the Exisal hanger.

//A few things happen between here and there during the chapter, but eventually, everybody remaining agrees to rally together and break into the hanger to rescue Kaito and confront Kokichi. But when they manage to break in, they find somebody's dead body crushed under a hydraulic press.

//The body in the hydraulic press is crushed beyond recognition, leaving only some blood splatter and remnants of Kaito's coat, implying that he may be the victim. However, it's not as simple as that.

//Clues like the electromagnetic barrier and discrepancies in the blood evidence suggest something deeper, and the group realizes that Kokichi may have staged certain aspects of the crime, but he might not even be the killer. It gets overcomplicated when somebody shows up to the trial piloting the Exisal, but due to being concealed in the hatch, it's unclear who it is, be it Kokichi or Kaito.

//Eventually though, the trial keeps going and it's discovered that Kokichi devised an elaborate plan to end the killing game. He and Kaito staged his own death to trick Monokuma into halting the game, by making it so there is no known perpetrator. What actually happened, and what got discovered, is that Kaito was forced to kill Kokichi in a mercy killing to ensure the plan succeeded, as Kokichi was gravely injured and dying thanks to being shot with a poisonous dart; with Kokichi exploiting Kaito's nature to get him on his side.

//Everybody in the trial, including Monokuma, goes back and forth with this case, until finally, Kaito emerges from the Exisal, and Kokichi's plan ultimately fails. Kaito is executed, but he dies of his ongoing illness before the execution could finish, and as a result, the execution is interrupted, technically meaning the students beat Monokuma and ruined the killing game after all.

//I know I don't make it completely easy to understand, but even if I had tried to put it more simply than this, this trial is still a clusterfuck.

//But in short, what you're trying to tell me is that the true circumstances behind this trial comes about as a result of the most erratic character in the game going crazy, and everyone agreeing they need to be stopped. They are met with a death as they go to confront him, but it turns out the character in question deliberately crafts this death to be an impossible mystery, which the other characters believe is done merely to screw them over. In reality, however, it is intended to use the trial system as a weapon for the character's personal gain.

//Yeah, I don't think I need to sugarcoat it. This is, beat for beat, the EXACT same as Case 5 of Danganronpa 2.

//Okay, the mystery is different, and the stuff that happens as a result of the mystery turns out differently, but come on! It's VERY CLEARLY the same structure!

//And unfortunately, it's not nearly as effective, because not only do I expect there to be some fuckery as a result of experiencing Game 2 Case 5, but the mystery itself is NOWHERE NEAR as difficult to figure out.

//One thing that made Case 5 of DR2 so damn brilliant is because literally anybody could have been the killer, and there was absolutely no surefire way to figure out who it could be. Even before the twist with the fire grenades was discovered, at least every character is accused at least once.

//For this case, the killer can be one of two people: Kaito or Kokichi. The other characters ARE suspected, but it's kind of pointless because you KNOW none of them could have crushed the body under the press, which is clearly the cause of death.

//And in a situation where it's supposed to screw with you, you're automatically under the assumption that Kokichi planned a ruse where HE is killed and not the actual killer, because you know that's EXACTLY what he would do.

//The problem with Kokichi compared to Nagito is that despite his overwhelming dominance deriding from the chaos he causes, Kokichi eventually becomes predictable.

//It's far more threatening dealing with Nagito because he rarely ever hides how he feels about things. When he likes something, he does crazy things for it, when he hates something, he shows it.

//But with Kokichi, you immediately take every action he does with a grain of salt, and you automatically assume that if he makes a claim, he probably means the opposite. And in this case, the setup where Kokichi and Kaito orchestrate the "perfect crime" and make it appear that one of them is the victim relies on the premise that they are trying to deceive the participants. However, by the time of the trial, the clues and circumstances strongly hint at the truth.

//Especially since it renders Kaito's plotline of being sick moot. They spend so much time covering it from Chapters 3 through 5 that it's one of those one's that they can't just brush to the wayside because they feel like it.

//Kokichi’s ruse as the mastermind could have been a compelling twist, but it's resolved too quickly and doesn't significantly impact the trial. While it raises tension briefly, the revelation that Kokichi is not the mastermind comes without much surprise or stakes for the larger narrative.

//And the trial really reflects on all these problems because the answers are often apparent, yet the game still demands a lot of steps to confirm them. The pacing of the trial drags on in sections where the we're already supposed to understand the core mystery.

//Also, I don't know if this is just me, and it's weird because these are genuinely two of my favourite characters in the entire series, but Kokichi and Kaito are, honestly, a really uninteresting victim/killer duo.

//While his actions in this case show his willingness to sacrifice himself for a greater purpose, the convoluted way Kokichi goes about it has very little emotional impact. Largely because his motivations and the extent of his manipulations are left somewhat ambiguous, and doesn't really give his character arc a lot of closure. Especially considering something that happens in Case 6 of the game, but we'll get to that in a little bit.

//As for Kaito, his noble sacrifice is meant to evoke strong emotions, but his victory feels...contrived. The trial’s resolution emphasizes Kaito’s moral "win" over Monokuma, but the convoluted nature of the crime, as well as how it...kind of doesn't change anything.

//And that, to me, makes this trial feel like a genuine waste of time! Chapter 5 of Danganronpa 2 not only resolved Nagito's plotline with a bang, but it was also the trial that revealed the full extent of why the Killing Game is happening, how and why Chiaki was the traitor, and wraps up a lot of the ongoing mysteries nicely. It also helps to segway into Trial 6, which...is another issue.

//I forewent mentioning this when I covered Case 6, because I wanted to save it for this one where the point would be more relevant, but there's one aspect about the trial that comes after this one that heavily ruins the emotional impact for me.

//And that's the idea that's hinted at, where Tsumugi as the Mastermind KNEW EVERYTHING Kokichi was going to do, because she had wrote it in the story as part of his character.

//Which makes absolutely EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THIS CASE COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY POINTLESS!

//If Tsumugi knew these events would unfold, it completely undermines the organic feel of the trial, almost ruins Kokichi's entire character arc.

//Now, as mentioned before, it's unclear whether Tsumugi was saying that to save face, or if she meant it genuinely, because most of her confessions and statements during the trial have no grounds upon which she builds them. But in the case where she is telling the truth about this...

//...That's really fucking uncool!

//I hated when Junko did this in Case 6 of Danganronpa 1 too, but with Junko, it's a little more believable, and it doesn't completely ruin my opinion of the trial, because Case 5 was already supposed to be a shitty stand in for a case and not an actual case itself. But this is an actual case, and one that has a lot of emotional weight behind it, so what the actual hell was the point if this was all true?

//I mean, I guess that's kind of the idea that you're supposed to question what all of this bullshit was for if Tsumugi already had all of this written out, but then that just makes Trial 6 way more complicated, and...yeah, I don't think it's worth talking about any more than this.

//In general, the outcome of this trial is predictable even though it's supposed to be complex, Kokichi's mastermind bluff and his plan is underwhelming, the trial is mentally frustrating because it's so easy, Kaito and Kokichi BOTH suffer from missed potential, and Chapter 6 effectively renders the entire thing pointless anyway. And that is why I generally dislike this trial.

//But for the record, as I implied at the beginning, despite all this, and the structural overlap with Case 5 of the previous game, this case still manages to stand out in several ways.

//What truly sets this trial apart is its unprecedented twist that sets it apart from not just Case 5 of DR2, but every other trial in the series. Not only is the culprit unknown, but the VICTIM'S identity is also a mystery.

//As easy as it is to figure out, this is pretty unique, and it's emphasized with the exisal occupant’s alternating impersonations of Kokichi and Kaito keep the students, and the audience,guessing.

//But for me, the highlight of this complexity is the impact on the trial system itself.

//Kokichi’s use of an electrobomb in the hangar disables Monokuma’s surveillance, meaning not only do the students not know who the killer and victim are, or what happened, but MONOKUMA, the series' typically OMNIPOTENT antagonist, is COMPLETELY in the dark about what transpired!

This moment of vulnerability for Monokuma is both shocking and kinda funny, as he is now forced to JOIN the trial discussion, instead of simply oversee it, and collaborate with the students to solve the case. The sheer novelty of teaming up with the main villain to unravel the mystery underscores the trial's unique brilliance.

//And what I do like is despite how hollow Kaito and Kokichi's "victory" felt, one thing that this trial does do well with the concept of trying to screw Monokuma and the Killing Game over is itraises questions about what it means to "win" in a killing game.

//Kaito’s decision to sacrifice himself ensured Kokichi could not be used as a pawn by Monokuma, while Kokichi’s role showed that even his manipulative tendencies were rooted in a desire to defeat the system.

//Some killers and victims in the Danganronpa, with people like Peko and Gundham being stand out examples, do commit these murders for reasons other than simple bloodlust, but in general, for most of the cases in the series, motives are more black-and-white. But compared to them this one really tends to make you think about the nature of sacrifice and resistance.

//Kaito and Kokichi being the one's who ultimately made this work by working together is also very interesting, even though Kokichi kind of lured Kaito into doing it.

//The trial represents the climax of their very intriguing relationships as a wannabe hero and a wannabe villain. Throughout the game, Kokichi's cunning pragmatism and Kaito's uncomplicated optimism butt heads SEVERAL times, but in this instance, they collaborate to develop a scheme that goes against the grain. The joint sacrifice that they make really shows the pinnacle of their character arcs. Kaito is shown to a loyal and righteous person who is willing to sacrifice everything if it means stopping the killing game and protecting his friends, while Kokichi is similarly ready to die in order to achieve his objectives of weakening Monokuma and being the trickster that he was always destined to be.

//And I love this for them.

//And then Kaito's execution. Despite my own issues with it, this trial and this execution made for a satisfying enough conclusion. Kaito’s final moments, where he faces death with dignity and defiance, shows just how much he meant his rambles about his unwavering belief in hope and humanity. His refusal to let Monokuma win elevates his sacrifice to one of the most memorable in the series.

//But yeah, that's about all I have to say on this one.

//Case 5 of V3 gets points for being emotional, ambitious, and thematic, but ultimately, it is one of the lesser trials for me. Largely due to how it's relevance is ruined due to dialogue in the case that immediately succeeds it, combined with its parallels to Game 2’s Case 5.

//While this trial had the potential to rank very highly, these issues prevent it from reaching that level. As sad as it is to say.

[multidimensionalmusicalmess]

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and the subversion of expectations

I’ve been thinking a lot about GGLAM lately, and I wanted to write a quick post about the way it subverts expectations and why it’s so absurdly funny in a very particular way I don’t see often.

The plot of GGLAM—that is, what’s technically going on—is a tragedy right up until the last ten minutes. We have a poor, disowned man who, to avenge someone he dearly loved, is tempted into becoming a serial killer, in the process still fails to win (again, until the last minute) the girl he loves, and is captured for a crime he didn’t commit and ultimately planned to be executed. You could make a Shakespearean tragedy out of that and nobody would bat an eye.

Except that’s not how the story feels, because those are only the events. Despite having all the plot elements of a tragedy with a protagonist who engineers his own downfall out of a desire for revenge, through several bizarre twists of fate, he simply finds that vengeance is actually what he needed to be happy, gets all the money, and gets both of the girls.

There are also so many individual moments where the show sets up some audience expectation in a very stereotypical way and then just. Ignores it, which is where a lot of the comedy comes from.

For example!

Monty visibly leaves his scarf at Chisolmere, and then immediately worries in voiceover that he might’ve left something behind. Traditionally, this would come back to disadvantage him in the end. It doesn't, however; in fact, it never comes up again.

Monty ends up falling in love with Phoebe, someone whose beloved brother he murdered. We’d expect in any other story that, eventually, Phoebe would find out about this and it would ruin their fairy-tale romance—but Phoebe just never finds out, and ends up helping break Monty out of jail (more on that in a bit).

This is a brief one, but Monty temporarily vacillates over the idea of having to kill Asquith Sr, because he’s grown close to the man who helped him escape poverty. We wonder for a few seconds how he’s going to deal with this—

And then Asquith Sr. dies of a heart attack and Monty immediately shrugs and moves on, moral quandary forgotten by both him and the story.

Something similar happens with Lady Hyacinth—after being the hardest to kill, she shows back up again, and you wonder briefly if that might cause problems, but she dies in the very same twenty-second scene.

Now, none of this is especially unique; the show is a farce, after all. However, there's another layer of misdirection, because GGLAM not only subverts the conventions of non-comic stories, but of the ironic tone it sets up itself, particularly in act two.

In act two, we meet Adalbert and Eugenia D'Ysquith, the present earl and countess of Highhurst—and they're absolutely miserable in the position that Monty is trying to attain for himself. Adalbert clearly has PTSD, and while this is (successfully) played for laughs, his behavior calls into question the straightforward nature of Monty's quest for revenge. Essentially, seeing a character miserable in the position our protagonist is aspiring towards begins to create the expectation that Monty is simply trapping himself in an ironic cycle whereby he takes the place of the D'Ysquith family and inherits all of their miseries with it.

This is furthered by Chauncey's scene. This is a personal favorite of mine; in it, Chauncey (the janitor in Pentonville Prison) reveals himself to Monty as a D'Ysquith, and, when asked by Monty if he's never felt ill-treated by the family, says "They don't even know me. I ain't got none of the advantages of being a D'Ysquith, but I ain't got none of their troubles neither." This scene is just dripping with the energy of a moral lesson; Monty, on the eve of his probable execution for his crimes in the name of attaining a title and avenging his mother, meets a man in nearly the exact position Monty himself started in, who elected not to pursue anything ambitious and ended up content anyway. The obvious implication is that Monty has made nothing but trouble for himself with his actions, and will end up just another miserable rich person even if he isn't executed.

Immediately after that, this tone is compounded by Phoebe's arrival, during which (in direct response to Monty's expressed optimism, no less) she bursts into tears at the revelation that Sibella loves Monty. The love triangle has been revealed, and seemingly had its expected consequences. Everything is falling apart.

It's worth noting when this happens as well. From the beginning, the show has been set within a framing device of Monty's recollections as written in his memoirs, and, immediately after the conversations with Phoebe and Chauncey, that framing device concludes.

The show, however, does not—and immediately after Phoebe leaves in tears upon learning of Sibella's love for Monty, "That Horrible Woman" begins, in which it's made clear that the only reason either Sibella or Phoebe cares about Monty's unfaithfulness at this point is that it'll allow them to get him out of jail. Famously, the love triangle ends not in conflict, but with both women deciding to share Monty (and, we imagine, with the death of one Lionel Holland immediately after the show's conclusion, though that's a personal theory rather than anything specified).

Not only that, but a number of things quickly make clear that Monty is not inheriting the "troubles" of being a D'Ysquith; instead, his release from prison is greeted by cheering crowds and public acclaim, alongside Phoebe and Sibella. Rather than an ironic ending, we get a straightforward one: Monty just gets everything he wants. There are no consequences. Violence and power and the misery of the rich do not beget themselves. Having escaped the framing device precisely when everything looked darkest, we get a literal fairy-tale ending, and we realize that the writers have demonstrated masterfully their knowledge of how a normal story would conclude for the precise purpose of throwing that conclusion out the window. The grandest joke of the show is that the happy ending is not, in fact, a joke.

Of course, one might say that there's still an ironic ending—after all, Chauncey appears in the finale and is implied to attempt to murder Monty, continuing the cycle!

But this is an aftershock of the ending's joke, not a contradiction. Monty feeds Chauncey the belladonna flower from "Inside Out" during the curtain call—after the show has ended. Having constantly evaded any negative consequences of his own actions in the most unlikely and slapstick imaginable ways, Monty concludes the show by one-upping himself and retroactively deleting this particular consequence from outside the boundaries of the story itself. We are shown, once and for all, that the rules do not apply to Montague D'Ysquith Navarro.

Oh, and Chauncey's little segment in the finale also provides a nice twist on the moral implications of his first scene by literally inverting them; rather than Monty realizing the futility of his quest for revenge, Chauncey is inspired to to pursue his own. Luckily for Monty, it doesn't end quite as successfully for him.

[moutheyes]

time for some random thoughts!

I'm finishing three series this week—Miseinen, See Your Love, and Caged Again—and plan on doing a separate post for them, so this is just a space to get some thoughts down. I am looking forward to the Ossan's Love Thailand premiere tonight but will have zero brain cells online for the entire duration of the show. 👍

The YothaGun storyline in Perfect 10 Liners is hitting the spot, and PerthSanta are a big reason why.

If you asked me about anything that happened in the ArmArc part of the series, I wouldn't be able to tell you even though I technically watched all of it. Thankfully, the YothaGun section has me in a chokehold so far. The grumpy/sunshine dynamic is so strong, and Perth (Yotha) and Santa (Gun) are able to elevate the trope to something genuinely engaging, thanks to both their individual charm and their chemistry. I love how quickly Yotha warmed up to Gun, and how little he seems to be fighting against his feelings even if he's still awkward about being Seen; I also love how Gun's initial fascination with Yotha's personality seeded his growing attraction and romantic interest. The progression of their relationship feels natural, feels good to my sensibilities as a viewer.

Also, the little flashes of physical flirting, which Perth has always been so good at, have me vibrating out of my seat. You can just tell that Yotha knows how to reel someone in and make them feel wanted (it's his tactic at the bar, after all), and that makes me anticipate how good this couple will be when they finally put their hands and mouths on each other.

Last thing about this show: One of my favorite things in BL is a silly little ritual—the more mundane the better—and every time Gun happily does up Yotha's tie in the morning, and Yotha gazes at him with that fond quirk to his mouth, it hits so good. It's such a simple act, so domestic, so fitting for them (Gun wants to be helpful and friendly, and Yotha wants to be close to Gun), and until the scene in yesterday's episode, it was kept private between them, so performing the ritual on campus, in front of Gun's friends, was a great way to show just how comfortable they are with each other now, even if others don't understand their relationship yet.

Emi and Bonnie are probably going to ruin my life in Us the Series.

Man, that sobbing apology in the trailer got me good. I was already fully seated for this series but it must be reiterated that Emi and Bonnie look so good together. If the storytelling doesn't go off the rails (I think I can trust p'Fon and her team?) then I am ready to be fully consumed. May Sapphic Saturdays long continue!

The Boy Next World premiere was solid.

Is this considered a slow-burn for MAME? Only half-kidding, but the first episode was... nice. I'm not sure who the director is, but the style feels a bit different. It suits the mysterious, dreamlike quality of the storyline so far; I adored the moody blue lighting in Cir's apartment when he first returned home. Noeul is still channeling ADHD gremlin energy with the scatterbrained behavior, but Phu feels more childlike than Rain from Love in the Air. (I think it's the superstition?) However, I am really enjoying seeing Boss play a softer, less edgy character in Cir. Obviously their chemistry is going to be fire, so I just hope the series can continue building off its premiere. Also, I wanna know more about Jin specifically lol.

Petrichor has been really uneven, and I'm sad about it.

Love Tul, love the way Engfa plays Tul, love Tul's little work trio, but this show isn't keeping me on tenterhooks the way I want it to, even though so much shit happens in every single episode. The big reveal in Episode 6 felt shoehorned in, and the police corruption theme is well-trod territory; yes, characters like Big Tech and Daensiam are imminently punchable, but they don't feel like true foils for Tul, and the Real Killer was kept very well hidden up to this point, so even though there's a sense of danger, there isn't enough of the tension that I want from a crime thriller. Also, Thiwa has been woefully underused as a character so far. I'll stick this one out but I hope we reach a breaking point in the plot soon.

[tobiasdrake]

Oh, and then we have to deal with the fallout of the bad motive.

So, that First Blood Perk. Obviously the game wasn't going to let that actually be a thing, because it would deprive us of a core feature of the games: the Class Trial.

Honestly, I might have more respect for the game's whole "Rise up against Danganronpa itself!" thing if they had. If they actually let the killer claim the First Blood Perk and walk. Fuck you, no fun Class Trial will be had here!

That would be aggravating. But it would be aggravating in a way that feels truly resonant with the game's ultimate goal of tearing down Danganronpa brick by brick. The game is later going to say that the fandom is part of the problem and appeal to them to become part of the solution. So. Yeah. It does piss you off that we never got to play the fun trial game, doesn't it? Maybe you should think about that.

(Though I still wouldn't want the killer to actually be Kaede, especially with the crime scene clearly showing that she couldn't have done it. I'm not actually that impressed by "Your PC is the Blackened" after we already did "Your PC is the Mastermind" one game ago.)

But no. You knew they were going to cop out. I knew they were going to cop out. Despite insisting repeatedly at the end that they are making an unsatisfying Danganronpa experience on purpose, they are still trying to do that as a satisfying Danganronpa experience so they wouldn't dare deprive us of such an important feature.

So how do they cop out? Is it because the killer themselves don't know they're the killer and thus can't claim the perk? Could it be that the killer wants to weaponize the Killing Game to kill us all, like Hina and Nagito have tried in the past?

Nope. The killer decides she wants to get caught and die so that Shuichi can develop and grow as a character. That's it. That's the reason.

This is how Kodaka, recognizing that what he's about to do is a pretty shitty thing to do to an audience that he's spent time getting hyped for this character, tries to grease the wheels. It's not technically a Fridging because she wanted to die! She chose to sacrifice herself on the altar of Shuichi's growth! She climbed into the refrigerator and slit her own throat! That was her choice! So you can't be mad about it! She had complete agency over the reduction of her character to a footnote in the real protagonist Shuichi's personal journey! I didn't do it! SHE did it!

Whether these are valid reasons that make it Okay, Actually or if they're just overcompensating paper-thin excuses to justify an incredibly mean-spirited prank, that's up to you. I think you know where I fall on that dichotomy.

What's especially weird about the First Blood Perk is that it makes sense in retrospect. Trying to cancel the Class Trial makes perfect sense as something Tsumugi might do to conceal her own involvement in Rantaro's death and role as the true culprit. But it was offered well before any plans for killing were ever even a teensy-tiny thought in the back of anyone's minds.

So either Tsumugi is secretly an omniscient 4-D chess predictive grandmaster who knows every single thought that will ever pass through the minds of every single person in every single second of every single day only pretending to be an incompetent hack, or this was pure serendipitous coincidence. Something that seems complex and compelling but is actually a hollow, vacuous shell devoid of any real meaning.

Which is true? Eh, whichever you want to be true. The game's actually proud of itself for never committing to its own story, so there is no actual truth behind anything that happens. Even the reality show stuff ends on "But what if THAT was another lie and the REAL REAL real plot has never been revealed!? I'M SO CLEVER."

"This seems meaningful but actually it doesn't really fit quite right and in fact it might just be clever-sounding nonsense the more I think about it" is basically V3 in a nutshell.

[lonespektr]

SEPTEMBER 19TH HORROR WATCH

Influencer (2022)

Voice over in her influencer toxic positivity platitudes shit about growth or whatever while she is just doing the opposite of what she is saying

Occasionally spliced with her taking photogenic shots

Just noticed the poster might already be a spoiler

And YUP the first time we see her is in water

This is Thailand

The girl approaches protag and "scares off" a creepy guy and "opens up" to imply she was dater*ped by a guy like that

Now the girl had her on her bike

Supposedly this was a trip with bf but he bailed

But he did pay for it

Girl hides from a live stream shot

Girl is making fun of her for being terminally online but that is her job??? Like irl

She sells products and travel stuff

She doesn't have another job??

We don't actually see girl go inside the suite

Protag sweet wide open upon return

Her stuff got tossed and jacked

Passport gone, she's technically stranded

Called bf he blamed her for her stuff getting stolen

Very controlling

She said they should break up and he just ignored her and said call me in the AM when you aren't upset

Girl is taking a bunch of pictures of her with hey phone

Prevented her from shooting at their original location and no service once they got there (Island) one way off her boat

Sees tally's on a log eight days

This is literally her hunting ground

OMG she's telling her her WHOLE plan

Fucking savage

She said i'll give you four days

Ofc the girl laughs like it was a joke

Girl seems to be anti influencer specifically??

Says they are self centered

Protag finally admits lonely

Then to give us a "maybe she deserves it feeling"

The girl confirms sarcastically she is the center of the universe

WHOA title comes in late

Using the same voiceover i think

Now that girl stranded the protag

Did we literally get her name ever???

Girl took over her social media - not only do they look nothing alike the girl has a MASSIVE birthmark on half her face

Literally just went through all her old shit photoshopped her face onto old posts clearly an expert at Photoshop

5th victim real serial killer wall

Already hunting for accurate victim

Solo white girl influencer

Stalking

In a way we actually haven't left the main character cleverly - because the villain stole the protag's life

Kinda wild the protag slept on the beach and after she revealed her master plan

New victim knows she has a tail

She didn't really do a lot of research on new vic

Old vic was desperately lonely

New vic is a low key cultist??

She's tries a new approach after trying to lead

She backtracks as a submissive

Offering bait of a fancy place

Success

Problem

Girl didn't account for controlling bf

He did the rose petals thing

So now it's new vic and old vic bf n her in old vic's place (that's paid by bf)

Lolz how she going to get them not to talk to each other

The new vic clocked the girl (again) as they both obviously got their rooms broken into

The thing with all these is the first vic clocked all these things too, she just brushed it off as non sensical

"you're fucking creepy"

That's the trigger

Vic no 2 RIP just had the courage to stick to her instincts

We don't have clear motivations on why she's doing this

And unfortunately it comes off as bitches be crazy

Like everyone is just clocking an inherent wrongness to her but we don't know why she is doing it so it's just boadering on crazy people are dangerous

She still has to deal with the guy

There's activity on vic no 1's account..but she has the phone??

She's working several angles

He can tell from the posts she made it's not vic #1 clearly illustrating that she can't see things about people others can and probably doesn't bother to anti-social tendencies and that's why she didn't consider s bf would come after her (also she's cocky and doesn't do enough research)

It also very clear he just uses that line on women but that doesn't mean he can't recognize fundamental things she probably can't

*SA !!!

Well an aporoximation

This sets up a strong juxtaposition that the girl just mimics life but doesn't actually know what it is or how to connect with people

Okay flash back

Vic no 1 + bf

Lol not this same guy chattin up

I'm not saying this guy wouldn't be able to point out the weather phenomenon he's obviously a busy body but they could have had him talk longer ro make it seem realistic

Wow vic no 1 bestie said bf can do better but like??? He's shitty, they are both shitty???

Bf found the trail of bredcimbs of doctored posts because he is also a media guy and can tell

Looks like she cleared out but she is still there

He got the drop on her

The writers are dragging both characters

They are both shitty

She's making a play

It must have been difficult to get that underwater shot

She got the drop on him

She's a bit like villanelle without the explanation

Ok the bestie is just the embodiment of fake ass fakers

She's keeping the vic 1 identity but trashing the bf identity

Back on the island

Surprised vic no 1 isn't dead

We got one big hint she was hiding some..talents but that's it

Found and buried the other two girls

Still got her shoes

Got a mean sunburn

Found her bf

Didn't kill her, left her, not surprising bro does she know how to get back?

We didn't need to know how exactly she survived but it wasn't a big pay off because honestly the only character we got a read on was the bf and he didn't matter

It's a month, the weather is good generally except rainy season (there's wayer), no predators, if you can fish you can figure it out for a month

But she was.. Emotionally in a shit place and isolation should have exacerbated that..

[jojikawa]

Sangwoo x Killer!Fem!Reader

TW// if you know enough about killing stalking to be attracted to Sangwoo then there’s no reason for me to put a trigger warning.

MASTERLIST

✧『Fandom』: Killing Stalking

✧『Character』: Oh Sangwoo

✧『Word Count』: 3,746 words 19,661 characters

✧『Summary』: After meeting you, Sangwoo really began believing in love. First, he would aimlessly seduce unsuspecting people he developed a connection with for a kill but then he began to only do it to satisfy his urge to kill. The confidence he’s built up to that point about his love for you comes crashing down when your true intentions are revealed.

You had been dating Sangwoo for a few years now. The way it happened was unexpected actually. When searching for a person he wanted to kill, he thought that you’d be an easy target.

You were small, petite and your personality was a bit shy so in reality, no one would really notice when you’d stop coming to school, right? Yeah, you typically ate alone. No one would look for you.

Oh, how Sangwoo was mistaken. Killing you wasn’t easy at all. Any time he was able to convince himself he wanted to, he wasn’t actually able to go through with it. You were too kind, too warm, too pretty and you were nothing like his mom. It’s not worth killing you if you didn’t resemble his mother at all.

So, he continued to date you and be a real boyfriend. Technically, he was loyal but he would pretend to seduce others to take care of that pesky looming feeling of wanting to kill someone. He would do what he needed to and was in time for the date the two of you planned the very next day!

Everything about you was so gentle, his primal sense of being a protector would kick in at the very thought of you and he would turn into that jealous boyfriend that would say things like “You’re mine.” and “Only I can do that.” without realizing it until you told him how adorable he was.

Sangwoo wasn’t only confident but he was extremely self-aware of what he was capable of doing. He has been so sure of himself all of his life but you just knew how to get to him. You could get under his skin very well.

Whenever the two of you fought, it felt like only he would lose, even if you were the one crying. You could make him feel so horrible and he would go the extra mile to make things up to you by treating you to your favorite dinner or doing a couples’ activity you had been bugging him about.

It was so foreign to him. He didn’t know if you two were in a toxic relationship or if it were two toxic individuals in a good relationship. The two of you weren’t really meant for dating, right?

He didn’t know exactly what to do at this point. He didn’t kidnap you but still, he’s never let anyone live this long.

Then “it” happened.

“I love you, Sangwoo. I don’t want to break up with you.”

“Why not? I can’t ever make you happy.”

“You do make me happy.”

The feelings he had stored up could never be suppressed ever again. He loved you.

“I love you too.”

Without realizing what he had done, he brainlessly agreed to make living arrangements with you. He just—couldn’t say “no.” to you. This would make his killing a lot harder but he still had time to get it out of his system.

His place was usually kind of bland but having you in there and doing decorating together sounded like a treat. He really needed to get rid of that lingering blood smell. Surely, it’s not too bad? You wouldn’t notice, right? He hoped.

Damn, you made him so soft.

You were supposed to be moving in with him in the next week and a half or so, he needed to get to work fast.

Then a little parasite named “Yoon Bum” appeared.

Of course, a stalking little rat like him had to get in the way. Unfortunately, Yoon Bum really ignited that abusive captor within him. The abusiveness that you had suppressed and made him forget about with your kindness and loving nature.

When Yoon Bum confessed his love to Sangwoo, it only made him more angry and harmful towards the smaller male. Why would he want to come in between the two of you? Because you were a hot young couple?

No, he tortured Yoon Bum. He wanted to make him suffer for trying to ruin this moment in his life. Sangwoo loved you and wanted to be with you. Would you want to live with him if there was a pervert peeping inside and trying to break in?

You were too small and precious. You would surely decline after that. He had to end this man.

Sangwoo did his worse to Yoon Bum and finished up his killing in those short days. He got rid of the women’s clothing that was laying around from his previous victims and kept the good quality ones for possible gifts to you in the future. He didn’t want you to think he was cheating after all.

It had been a few years in the making but you were finally ready to kill Sangwoo. It was like love at first sight when you met him. He was the first person that you actually felt something for. You didn’t know why. Maybe because he was cute? Not only that but his possessiveness and mannerisms as a boyfriend were the perfect storm for the tragedy you had imagined.

You had been putting on this front for a long time now but once you had finally made your way into his home, you wouldn’t have to hide it for much longer.

It was true, you were small and petite compared to the big man himself, Sangwoo, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t win.

No, you wouldn’t shoot him or poison him or do anything to him in his sleep. You wanted him to be aware so that you could see his face as his world crumbled.

You had convinced him to let you live with him successfully and he was now setting the stage for his own death.

Little by little, Sangwoo would come to your parents' house, where you had been living, and take boxes you had packed in his car and drive it to his house. It was early in the morning, around 10:39am when Sangwoo had arrived again to take more boxes.

When he say you, you hadn’t yet changed out of your pajamas, making the conversation much more enjoyable because of how adorable you looked when you were tired.

“ ‘Woo? What are you doing here so early? You know I get up in the afternoon!” You giggled, standing in the doorway. You just watched him make enough room in his trunk to fit as much as he could.

Sangwoo just blushed. He liked that you called him “Woo” sometimes, instead of “Sangwoo.”

“I know but I got wrapped up in cleaning and I don’t want to be late so…” he trailed off as your eyes met. You weren’t standing in the doorway anymore. You were in front of him now. He didn’t see or hear you move this close.

You placed a hand on his cheek that he melted into. Your hands were so soft. “Thank you for doing this.”

“N-No problem.”

With your free hand, you grabbed his face and brought him down closer for a kiss. The two of you kissed passionately and when you had pulled away, he had still been waiting for more. This made you giggle again.

“Since this is the last of it, I can ride with you.” You told him.

His heart dropped. This was the last of your belongings, huh? He had done everything in his power to get Yoon Bum to behave well enough to have you inside until he was ready to dispose of him, but it still made him nervous.

What if you saw Yoon Bum? No, he couldn’t let thoughts like that penetrate his mind. You wouldn’t see the stalker. You would be fine.

Sangwoo fought a pit of anxiety waging war in his stomach as he drove you to his house. You were smug, wrapped up in one of your favorite blankets, dozing off next to him. By the time you had arrived, you were fast asleep again.

While you were asleep, he had put all the boxes in the house, putting the essential marked ones in the room the two of you would share. He made Yoon Bum stay in the basement and threatened him a bit so that he wouldn’t make noise.

You had woken up when you realized the car stopped and Sangwoo came to carry you to the room. Drifting in and out of sleep, you felt him pick you up and take you inside.

From the basement, Yoon Bum could hear different noises as he leaned against the stairs that led to the basement.

Female giggles, laughing from Sangwoo, movement, creaks.

Yoon Bum knew Sangwoo was dating someone and in secret too, despite seeing him with many other females during the day. You were the only reoccurring girl he saw Sangwoo with. Or at least, from what he could assume from the noises up there. He heard the lewd ones too.

“You know, I crave you a lot.”

“You do? How so?”

That was the last thing the broken boy heard before the loud, sweet sounds of the two of you making love together. Sangwoo has a high libido compared to the girl he was with but she would satisfy him every time.

Sangwoo was laying down on the couch with you on top of him. You straddle him with your naked lower halves being concealed under the blanket.

You had his huge length inside of you as he bucked his hips up and down. Whenever the two of you had sex, he found it very hard to keep up the “loving boyfriend” persona.

He would lose himself in your tightness, sometimes becoming almost animalistic. He would growl and grip your waist. He would grip every part of you hard enough to leave marks.

Alas! You enjoyed the roughness. The pain was very desirable, in a good way, and the man was very good at making you cum.

He never wanted you to leave.

You traced circles on his exposed chest as you bounced up and down. Your fingers lingered up with his neck. His skin was moist and shiny from how hard he was trying.

Too bad.

“Do you love me, Oh Sangwoo?” You asked in the most seductive tone you could replicate.

“Yes.”

“Say it.” You commanded, lightly pressing the tips of your fingers on either side of his neck, almost as if you were choking him. He liked to choke you too…

Now…

Now was the moment you had been waiting for! His cause of death could be…strangulation!

Well—No.

Your actions were interrupted when you had heard shuffling in this basement. Naturally, you were ecstatic at being in such a position of power, you were almost started. You couldn’t tell if it were actually excitement or just plain old anxiety. Sangwoo could realize what you’re doing before you were ready and in self-defense, he could kill you.

“What’s that?” You asked, innocently, turning your attention to the basement door in the distance. It didn’t seem to be secured properly and in a real sense, you were afraid of doors hanging open like that.

Sangwoo stopped thrusting, a little annoying that Yoon Bum has to make his presence known at a time like this but he wasn’t worried.

“Probably just the wind or rats.” He told you before readjusting you by your waist. “Rats!?” You exclaimed, almost falling off of him but he kept his grip on you.

“It’s fine! Can we just…” he trailed off, biting his lip and thrusting extremely hard, making you yelp. This turned him on so much.

Sangwoo went so hard that you began losing composure, letting go of his neck and grabbing onto him for support. He quickly came inside of you, coating your walls with his thick liquid.

You slumped on top of him, releasing and laying there on his chest with his arms around you.

He loved how small you were. He wanted to be together forever. He had to be very careful about his urges. If he killed someone and couldn’t cover it up enough for you, you’d leave him. If you left him, he would be broken once again.

Sangwoo wrapped his arms around you and held you close. It wasn’t long before he helped you get cleaned up and the two of you resumed your normal chatter.

This broke Yoon Bum. Being the witness of an act like this. It tore him apart.

For the most part, he was able to hold himself together but he would lose it little by little every day. Why?

Well, the two of you would do it almost every other night. During the day, you’d go off somewhere. Yoon Bum just assumed you went to school.

Sangwoo was able to convince you that he was “sick” so he wouldn’t always go with you. That’s when he would abuse Yoon Bum regularly.

You decided that you were ready to attempt to kill Sangwoo a second time. After getting home from your daily errands, you serenaded him again. You got him to have sex with you again and this time you really went in with the sweet-talking. You were self-aware of the effect you had on him. It was very cute.

He melted with every word and gesture. You could feel the member in his pants throbbing and twitching at everything you did but what would happen next was something not even you were prepared for.

You took the knife you had taken the time to nicely sharpen for him as you straddled your lover, raising the knife up quickly.

You let out a graceful “Aha~ ♡” leave your mouth before plunging the knife downward.

“NO!!”

You gasped. Sangwoo’s eyes weren’t closed and his face wasn’t flushed at your loving touch. It was pale and his eyes were wide as saucers. He stopped your attack by grabbing your wrist.

Once realization hit, you could see the hurt look washing over. He looked like he was about to cry.

The voice behind you that had screamed during your attack was a weak-looking boy who had been hanging out of the basement doorway.

You tried your best to force the knife down and due to his own shock, Sangwoo allowed himself to let you lower the knife into his skin. The pain caused him to snap back to reality. He pushed you off of him, causing you to fall bottom first onto the floor.

Sangwoo jumped up, pulling up his pants but remaining shirtless. You had his shirt on with no bottoms.

You didn’t expect him to defend himself against you with ease but you suspected that when you failed, he would kill you, namely in self-defense.

You pulled yourself to your feet and readied yourself to fight him. “I can’t believe you’re cheating on me.” You said with a smirk on your face. “With a scrawny guy, no less.” You had only gotten a short look at Yoon Bum. You couldn’t afford to take your eyes off of Oh Sangwoo.

Sangwoo remained silent for a moment. He looked at you with dead eyes and a sad frown. Then he said:

“I didn’t cheat.”

You tsk’d. “I didn’t peg you for a liar either.” You played with the tip of the knife. Yoon Bum could already tell that you were more of a monster than Sangwoo. You then lunged at Sangwoo with the knife in your hand.

Knifeplay was your favorite thing in the world. You love it more than sex. You loved it more than Sangwoo. It was the number one thing you were good at. You fought him with your knife and his ability of brute force couldn’t solve every problem. You were too smart and small. He couldn’t catch you.

Yoon Bum watched in horror. Was this good or bad?! He felt like he had to do something. Maybe if he could hold you down…

You found it odd that Sangwoo didn’t fight back. Normal people would be fearful at a time like this. If he continued to let you cut him up, he would die.

“Why…aren’t…you…fighting…back!” With every word, you swiped at Sangwoo, who didn’t make an effort to really protect himself.

“Because I love-“

He was cut off by you suddenly falling forward. You dropped your knife which Sangwoo quickly collected. Yoon Bum had grabbed your legs from the floor. He didn’t seem to be able to walk.

You growled, wiggling your legs until they were free and kicked Yoon Bum.

You stood up, pulling the oversized shirt you were wearing further down to cover your exposed lower half. The only thing you had done was confuse Sangwoo.

He was so in love with you. If you were anyone else, he would’ve killed you by now but all he wanted to do was embrace you. His brain wasn’t even letting him question your acts.

You had to run.

You bolted for the door but the moment you even began to gain momentum, you felt two strong arms wrap around your waist and pull you back.

“No!”

You tried to remove his arms but you had been lifted up off the ground. You tried to make as much of a ruckus as you could. Kicking and making it so hard for him to control you.

Sangwoo took you back to the couch and placed you there. You tried to escape again but he trapped you with his body.

“I want to break up. I’m not your girlfriend!” You yelled out, hoping it would trigger a response from him. His face didn’t change much. Maybe it got a little sadder, though. Why were you acting like this? What did he do?

“(y/n). I love you.”

“I hate you, Sangwoo.”

He wanted to cry so badly. He had been hurt by everyone in his life and the one person he was in love with was hurting him too. It broke him. He wasn’t himself anymore. Not the Sangwoo that Yoon Bum would experience and not the Sangwoo you would experience. He seemed, emotionless.

“I didn’t cheat, (y/n). I promise. Please, stay with me. I’m nothing without you.”

“No, you’re disgusting and I hate you.” You tried to put on this front that you were upset at him cheating on you but you didn’t know how long you would be able to keep that up.

“I’m sorry.” His eyes became glossy. Tears fell out of his tired-looking eyes. You wanted to drink his tears. “Without you, I would be dead. You give my life so much meaning. You have to understand.”

“Then who is the scrawny loser and why did you lie about it.” If he truly fell for your facade then maybe you could try to kill him again…

“He’s from my school. I’m punishing him, b-but you can’t tell anyone.”

You loved this. Now you were in a position of power. It was time for another act.

Your eyes began to well up with tears. “Sangwoo…I’m sorry for attacking you. I-I thought you didn’t love me anymore.”

“I could never.” Sangwoo embraced you and your fake cried into his shoulder. “If you were gone, I wouldn’t be able to live. I would kill myself.”

“Really?”

When he pulled away, you sealed it with a kiss. He kissed you back. Sangwoo was so weak-minded. You could tell that trauma turned him into a blank canvas and you were the painter.

Sangwoo let you in on what he had been doing to Yoon Bum. You liked it. You enjoyed the chaos of the household. You also found the persona Sangwoo took on when he’d abuse Yoonbum. It turned you on and the interactions would result in hot steamy sex.

You had developed a genuine connection with Sangwoo due to all the chaos. Instead of resenting him, you had been fawning over him. Your urge to kill him turned into the urge to protect him and kill others instead. Like a cute Yandere.

You were so good at manipulating that in the end, Sangwoo still felt like he was in the wrong. His sadistic personality came out while in the basement but alone, in your shared room with him, it was like he hadn’t changed much. He was a little timid than you expected him to be.

He was still cut up from the fight the two of you had and you offered to help him. “Sangwoo~” He entered the room, almost immediately. His behavior reminded you of a big dog. If he had a tail, it would be wagging.

He had bandages all over his face and arms. They seemed to be sloppy as well. “May I help you with your wounds?” You smiled innocently. You already had a chair out that he sat in. His posture was poor because of how much taller he was than you when you were both sitting.

You took cotton swabs and dipped them inside of the peroxide. He watched you work with your hands. You were so good with your hands, even if they were small. You placed a hand on his cheek with fewer scars and started tending to the worse one.

He would flinch here and there but he was relatively quiet. While doing your job, you noticed that he would zone out a lot. You’d need to get his attention over and over for you to get areas like his chest and forearms and before you could finish he tried to make a move on you by kissing you.

You would’ve let him but knowing him, kissing would just lead to sex because his sex drive was insane!

When you were done, he would just sit there, looking at you like a stray animal or a dog that’s waiting for its owner to give them a snack. He would do this a lot. Most of the time, you’d entertain him, but if you were watching TV or doing one of your hobbies you’d ignore him. If he got tired of waiting for your affection, he would do odd things like taking your hand and placing it somewhere like his chest. Sometimes he would place your hand on his cheek and nuzzle into it. He would take anything if it were from you.

Unfortunately, genuine love between psychopaths was brewing. Although you hadn’t killed anyone yet, you seemed to be more of a threat to Sangwoo. He was a murder and abusive but somehow he showed more humanity than you ever could. Yoon Bum would be the one suffering from both sides...

[hopeymchope]

How would you rank the 18 Class Trials from THH, DR2, and V3 from worst to best?

This is... virtually impossible for me, lol. Comparing the trials from each game to each other?

How about I just rank them within each game? That'll make it a little easier for me to deal with...

DR1

6) 5th. It's driven by lies and ultimately rushed to its end before the characters can draw any solid (pointless/meaningless) conclusions. So of course it's last for this game, and it’s probably last for the entire series as well. If there are any saving graces to this trial, it’s the surprise when your closest ally is willing to let our protagonist die... and that this trial contains the fake/bad ending route.

5) 3rd. Although the main culprit is pretty obvious from the jump, it requires some surprising twists to explain how everything got to be the way it turned out. But did I always find those twists plausible? Errrrm... not really. 

4) 2nd. Pretty good trial that's hurt for me by the fact that there'd barely be any need for a trial at all if a certain third party didn't dick around with the evidence for no reason. Also, the dual nature of Toko is an incredibly predictable reveal. Without those two aspects dragging it down, though, this could easily go higher.

3) 1st. Sure, the major hint given and, subsequently, the eventual culprit are pretty obvious, but this one establishes so much about how the trials work and how much the details you observe will matter that it’s still pretty fun that first time around. The initial surprise of the first victim makes for a great way to keep you invested in the trial experience. This trial is damn near iconic now, so it feels almost mandatory to respect it.

2) 6th. DR1 still has the best "final trial,” easily. SO MANY great reveals, and they all totally work for me. Nothing rings false or disappointing, and it also features Makoto finally coming into his own and taking the lead. I nearly labeled this my top pick for DR1, but...

1) 4th. It's easily the most emotionally dramatic/satisfying for me, and there’s something weirdly inspirational for me about Hina’s incredibly harsh stance during it. This one GOT ME IN THE FEELS, and in part that was because I saw so little of it coming. After the more predictable elements of the first and third trials, this felt like the writing was firing on all cylinders. 

DR2

6) 2nd. You have to accept a couple leaps of logic to make this trial keep flowing, and the fact that trial is ultimately reliant on someone noticing a candy that’s very small and hard to see while the person is also in a stressful situation and they are groggy from being drugged/asleep and it necessitates the person retaining this seemingly useless detail inside their brain .... that’s always bugged me.  The “escape route” conversation even retroactively raises questions about the first trial. Oof. On the upside, the reveals it brought us about Fuyuhiko and Peko were incredibly important, satisfying, and legit surprising turns. And it’s pretty cool how it’s basically a two-for-one combo trial because you have to solve the Twilight Syndrome case before you solve the current case. 

5) 3rd. Other people have pointed out the leaps of logic and missing pieces of this trial, but at the same time, the candlelight hanging is so intense and the ultimate reveal of the culprit is such a brutal turn that I have to give it some props. The culprit’s primary plan is ultimately one of the most ingenious in the series, IMO, and definitely one of the most twisted/fucked-up, which earns it some points. 

4) 4th. This is probably the single murder case in the franchise that I understood the absolute least about when entering the trial, for better or worse. On the one hand, that made it really fun to see the mystery gradually unfurl, but on the other hand, it made it tough for me to provide the right answers at certain points in the trial, leaving me fumbling. A big part of those issues was how it was initially hard for me to wrap my head around the nature of the funhouse via the provided 2D graphics... but once I eventually got there, I had to respect the creativity that went into devising such a “weapon.” Also, it can be hard to tolerate Komaeda in this trial. He’s even more of a know-it-all-but-reveal-none-of-it jackass than ever before, and his turn towards overt cruelty towards the others (and Hajime in particular) left me raging. The culprit reveal is good, but the motive does beg the question of why he didn’t just come forward from the jump.

3) 6th. There are a lot of great reveals in the final trial that totally reframe how you see the characters, and some of them are deliciously twisted. There’s also a ton of great dialogue provided, and in retrospect, it’s actually sort of neat to have one endgame mastermind reveal in this franchise that doesn’t involve the “They were hiding among us this whole time” trope. All that plus the surprise return of our surviving heroes from the first game! However, this is also where they officially reveal a core element of DR2 and its setting that I've never liked. This knocks the trial down a few pegs for me. Of course, by the time you reach the trial, I'm sure 99% of players have already figured that particular "twist" out. There’s adequate evidence to predict it in the first freaking chapter, and I know this because I DID predict it in the first chapter of my initial playthrough... which further hurts the supposed “reveal” of the island’s true nature when it comes around. 

2) 1st. Probably my favorite of the “first trials,” there are lot of components that go into this one. There’s a combination of two premeditated killers plus one spur-of-the-moment accidental victim, there’s a satisfying (though admittedly maybe too easy) reveal of the killer being one of the most unpleasant people to be around during the first chapter, and I really dig how audio became a very important component of the mystery due to the total blackout. This is also the part of the game where we learn just how twisted Komaeda really is, which is HUGE both in terms of its immediate shock factor for a total newcomer and in terms of its impact on the game as a whole. Of course, since it’s a “first trial,” it can’t be too complicated... but they still manage to confuse so many of us with “MEAT ON THE BONE” :P

1) 5th. Again, I will almost always give the most emotionally intense one the top slot. The “traitor reveal” is obviously THAT MOMENT in DR2. I also love how this one used the strange internal logic established early in the game RE: Komaeda’s luck to develop the eventual solution. And forcing us to make use of evidence gathered in multiple locations outside of the immediate site of the body/murder? That more complexity of that type that I see relevant to a trial, the more I appreciate it, and this one has loads of that stuff. Although I guess the investigation isn’t technically part of the trial itself... but it’s still very relevant to it. 

DRV3

6) 4th. I found this whole trial to be just... extremely predictable. Maybe it’s because I was so far into the series that I’d gotten used to its tricks by this point, but this was the most predictable trial for me since the first one in the first game. The whole looping/rollover map setup of the VR? Obvious. The murder weapon? Obvious. Our culprit’s ongoing confusion at everything discussed? Obvious. There were only a couple of points I didn’t have already figured out when I walked into the trial room, and those turned out to be basically irrelevant (such as the bottle of poison). The eventual motive is at least a surprise, but I also found it hard to accept that this culprit would really kill people over it. Overall: Super lame. 

5) 3rd. Another double murder trial, and once again one murder overshadows the other. The séance murder is definitely clever. Sure, you know the culprit pretty early on, but the methodology is the good part. However, the real fascinating one for me is the art lab “locked room” murder. Going into the trial, I couldn’t fathom how they were going to explain that one, and I found the answer both smart and satisfying. It’s funny to imagine how many times the culprit had to try that stunt with the lock before it actually worked, heh. This is probably the best of the three “double murder” mysteries in the series, but the trial isn’t as emotionally affecting as the 3rd trial in DR2 to me. Moreover, the trial loses points for the most infuriating Hangman’s Gambit of the series and especially for the motive reveal. When the killer’s motive can be boiled down to “they’re basically just a psycho serial killer,” it’s not very interesting.

4) 6th. The first part of the trial, which deals with re-assessing the first case? It’s pretty damn on-point. That leads to the mastermind reveal, which... isn’t great, really. It’s not a terribly interesting character to make the mastermind, they have no interesting motives or characterization to unevil, and they’re ultimately just a pawn behind another, off-screen group of masterminds. But then things get uproariously funny to me. The metatextual stuff is just so goddamn ridiculous. It’s frustrating and annoying how much of our not-mastermind’s explanation is clearly full of lies and half-truths that we’ll never have complete answers on, but that’s also part of what makes it all fascinating. We get to swap protagonists like four times! There’s a fake-out Game Over! These are really cool things. But it all leads down the road of our protagonist arguing that fiction does affect reality (yes, good), that fictional people can still matter (definitely) and that... fictional lives are equal in value to real ones? Uhhhhh slow down there, champ. That only works for YOUR universe, where fictional people can be made out of living, breathing individuals. But in light of the metatextual stuff you’re surrounded by, you kinda sound silly AF right now?

3)  2nd. Look, this is still incredibly irritating to me. Also, if you go down the alternate “lying” route at one point, you are forced to accept that these piranhas were somehow trained to only eat dead things, which is just... so deeply dumb.  But what is good is the entire ropeway conceit (which is a very significant part of the trial!) and the idea of the partition inside the tank. This was a murder with an elaborate, intelligent plan that is very well-executed. And the motive reveal? It’s one of the best in the series! I respect that stuff. (If I had the right to toss the execution in as part of the soup, I’d say that it’s also one of the series’ best. Let’s call it the icing on the cake.)

2) 1st. The writing that made this trial work is undeniably clever. The way the narration told us exactly what was happening without really telling us what was happening? It was a masterstroke of both great writing and perfect localization coming together. When it becomes clear during the trial what is about to happen, it’s a huge shock. The transition to another protagonist with the lights flickering out and back on is beautiful. Even the core concept of a protagonist who was willing to step up and try to kill the mastermind immediately is just deeply interesting. And obviously this one made my emotions run high. HOWEVER! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Kaede Akamatsu was a more interesting, unique, and compelling protagonist than Shuichi Saihara ever was. Ultimately, the protagonist-swap, no matter how well-written, was a mistake because they shifted us from a unique character with an interesting new perspective to a character who is, in many ways, “Makoto Naegi with even less self-esteem.” Yes, I know he has aspects that make him distinct as his own person, but there’s still just too much there that feels like we’ve done it before, and he never fully escapes from that. It feels like a massive waste and a huge missed opportunity to ditch Kaede like this. Now, if they had just done the protagonist swap in reverse — making us start out with Shuichi before flipping things over to Kaede — we could’ve had ourselves something amazing here.

1) 5th. I know I decided that I couldn’t rank all among each other, but if I did do that, I feel confident that the 5th trial in DRV3 would rank very high indeed. You go into the trial unable to even determine who the victim was due to the fact that two people are missing and there was nothing left of the body that spoke to an identity. Going into it, you naturally figure that one of the two missing parties has to be the victim and the other one is probably the culprit. But even with just two friggin’ suspects, the amount of turnabouts in the case that made me rethink all my assumptions was insane. Sure, the explanation for how the person inside the Exisal can maintain “character” is pretty damn thin, but once you get past that, I don’t think there’s a single false note in the trial. It even breaks unprecedented ground by continuing into another Non-Stop Debate after everyone has already voted. And of course, it culminates with a lot of intense emotion. Even the execution is emotionally satisfying! ..... although I’m not sure if I should count the execution as part of the trial, but hey, still. As far as Dangan trials go, the fifth one in DRV3 is basically a masterpiece.

[facets-and-rainbows]

Blue Exorcist 10th anniversary book Q&A session

The 10th anniversary book has a section where Katoh answers 100 questions submitted by fans on Twitter, so here they are translated/paraphrased! May contain manga spoilers up to the recent flashback arc, so be warned.

(Note that I’m playing it very fast and loose here because there are A HUNDRED OF THEM, so not exact wordings, but it should capture the gist. Lemme know if there are any you want elaborated on)

1. Katoh likes the feel of traditional drawing more than digital but is impressed with how far digital has come

2. Meph THOROUGHLY ABUSES spacetime to watch all his shows and ensure that he gets all the merch he wants

3. Did the girls take all of Yukio’s school uniform buttons in middle school? Yes, they did (apparently it’s like A Thing for girls to ask for a button from their crush at middle school graduation, based on some sad movie from the 60s where a guy who got drafted as a kamikaze pilot gave a girl one of his uniform buttons to remember him by)

4. Rin's tail is about a meter long

5. There are tons of servants working at Mephisto's mansion. Belial is in charge of them

6. Katoh borrows from all sorts of neat real locations when making settings

7. Katoh identifies with pretty much all the characters the most! Except Lucifer.

8. Demon designs she's proud of include the impure king and hachirou, pretty much anything that was the main one in an arc

9. Katoh lists a bunch of her favorite musical artists/music she’s listening to recently: King Gnu, Official Hige Dandism, Kenshi Yonezu, BAD HOP, Sakanaction, Keyakizaka 46, Hypnosis Mic, Aimer, B’Z, Queen Bee.

10. Awww the rabbit manga that characters are often reading isn't just Robo to Usakichi, it's an even older one that she drew as a little kid

11. She likes industrial style interior designs

12. Rin and Yukio alternated who got the top bunk growing up, because they couldn't agree on it lol

13. Katoh cares a whole lot about panel layouts and speech bubble positions, might even be her favorite part of the process (it shows!)

4. Katoh does NOT have a mashou, lol

15. Rin has probably been practicing in secret so he can learn to carry stuff with his tail

16. Izumo probably got into shojo manga around 1st grade, her mom had some around the house

17. Specialty dishes: Rin - lots of stuff but especially nabe Yuri - stuff you can throw together quickly Shiro - stuff he learned from Yuri and/or cookbooks, alongside teaching Rin Yukio - Does. Not. Cook.

18. Can't pick a favorite place she's been on research, but there's no place like Japan

19. Kinzou's band isn't currently meeting because demons, but he's probably still thinking of new songs

20. Hardest characters to draw: anyone with detailed flowing hair. Hardest to write for: Lightning and Gedouin. She had to go read books about serial killers specifically for material for Gedouin, lol 

21. Suguro actually gets a dorm room to himself, though allegedly Yukio is technically assigned as his roommate, lol. Didn't end up that way what with Yukio being a teacher and also Rin’s whole...situation

22. Shiemi makes some of her own hair accessories! Cute

23. Katoh doesn't mind if you include stuff with fan letters but check with the editor first

24. Time for making each chapter: Planning/storyboarding: 1-5 days. Sketching: 3-5 days. Drawing/inking: the rest. Just...the rest of the time

25. Neither Suguro nor Izumo have dated before and neither is currently dating. But that's probably just because things were hectic for them! It could happen

26. Yukio breaks 5 or 6 pairs of glasses a year, someone get this kid a strap or something

27. How many spare glasses does Yukio have? Check the fanbook lol it's in there (dang it Katoh)

28. The demon she wants us to pay the most attention to is Lucifer. Because plot.

29. What's under the Order's big meeting table? It's a BOTTOMLESS PIT and if you fall in it you DIE that's what makes it COOL (laughs)

30. What are the job requirements for the angelic legion? Literally just Arthur liking you and inviting you to join

31. She WANTS to do more character profiles but just hasn't gotten to it

32. Rin's tail feels like a cat tail, texture wise

33. The "red Assiah fire" is literally just actual fire nothing special

34. Rin's current hair color is light blue fading to white at the ends

35. Thoughts on Rin's growth: she likes that he stays positive in awful situations and she also thinks it's very main character of him to face the past instead of avoiding it

36. Mephisto didn't purposely surround Rin with stuffed animals when he woke up after going crispy. Mephisto's bed is just Like That

37. Kurikara was based on a cool sword she found in a sword book, but that one was technically just a ceremonial sword. The symbol on it us a Sanskrit letter kaan (sp?) associated with Fudou Myouou

38. Kuro can communicate with normal cats and hangs out with them often

39. Sometimes Shiemi's skirt is extra fancy around the hem what's up with that? Apparently it's an optional accessory that comes with the skirts help I haven't noticed this and don't know any fashion terms in any language

40. When coloring, Katoh always tries to have an overall theme in mind ("emphasis on blue" etc) so it comes together in the end

41. Yes the twins are genetically related to Shiro because of Goro (she says they're like his nephews but I say GENETICALLY at least they'd be indistinguishable from his children)

42. Strongest mom of all the strong moms around here? Yuri! Did you SEE her give birth??

43. Are you careful about your own health Katoh-sensei? Not particularly! Her mom has had to bring her food at work sometimes! Don't do this at home kids

44. At the dating events Shura goes to, does she drink cocktails in moderation? Yeah, she probably downplays her normal drinking habits at these things. But normally she's down for just about any kind of drink

45. Lucifer just really likes oysters okay

46. How many pages of manga does Katoh draw in a day? If she's being good about self-care: three. Maximum number ever: TEN

47. Mephisto is one of those folks who can eat like a garbage compactor and never gain weight. Possibly because his body resists that sort of change the same way it resists aging etc

48. First food Rin cooked: fish burger type patty. Yukio's favorite things Rin cooks: fish simmered in soy sauce, yellowtail with daikon radish. It's fish all the way down

49: Did Rin ever get more monthly allowance from Mephisto? It doubled! He gets TWO 2000 yen bills now (rip) [T/N: That's uh, that's USD $37.26 a month or 33.10 euro]

50. Why isn't Rin more popular with the girls? He gets nervous talking to them, plus he's too oblivious to notice even if he DID have some fans

51. Why change Suguro's hair? She gets bored with keeping everything the same, and she wanted a visual representation that he was getting serious and going into kind of a training arc

52. Things Katoh pays extra attention to when drawing: trying to capture the feel of whatever she's drawing (like "that looks warm and soft" or "I bet that guy stinks" cough Lightning cough)

53: Does Rin take after Yuri more? (He's got her eyes!) Katoh tried to draw Yuri so she looks like both twins. Personality, too - Yukio has her smarts and Rin has her optimism

54: Do you ever wanna be like Mephisto? Well she'd like to be able to get away with just ANYTHING EVER, but no, let's not be like Mephisto

55. Konekomaru not only carries around a cat toy in case he meets any cats, he MAKES cat toys to carry around based on what he thinks the cats would like

56. How'd you come up with Shima? Go read the fan book!

57. Do the kids have Twitter/Instagram accounts? Rin - probably not. Konekomaru might be on some social media. Paku and Izumo are totally on instagram

58. Is there something Rin makes that you wish you could try? All of it! That's the whole idea! He's good at cooking!

59. Will we ever have a (G-rated) reveal of what ALL of Mamushi and her family's tattoos look like? Maybe! She'll think about it

60. Does Arthur have a repertoire of different hairstyles? Not really, he just puts some of it up on the top. Heck he might even have people to do that for him

61. If you wrote a shojo manga what would it be about? She'd have to do a lot of research before even coming up with a story, since there are so many style differences between the genres aside from just the subject

62. The other two of Mephisto's top 3 favorite foods: Cup ramen and....f-fried bubblegum?? Is that a THING???

63. Where do you start when drawing a character? Usually the outline of their face but if it's a complex pose/composition she'll start with whatever's in the foreground (like hands)

64. If Katoh could have a familiar, what demon would she choose? Mephisto. As the all-powerful author, she might actually be able to command him as a familiar!

66. If you swapped Yukio and Rin's relationship around what would change? not much, you'd pretty much have Rin going to the Illuminati and Yukio going to the past

67. Top 3 foods/souvenirs to try in Kyushu? Well she doesn't know what’s good CURRENTLY but when she was there she always used to like burdock tempura udon, hakata torimon (a kind of manju with white bean paste inside), and Chikae style cod roe. today I learned Katoh went to high school in Kyushu

68. Katoh listens to music a lot while she's storyboarding, then when she and the assistants are all drawing and inking they put various videos/movies and stuff on in the background

69. For all his hitting on girls, is Shima actually popular with the ladies at all? He's got enough girls in his life that he probably COULD find a girlfriend if he really wanted, but the double agent thing tends to get in the way. He still wouldn't be as popular as Yukio though (side thought/translator’s note: Shima would be proud of being number 69.)

70. Katoh has the ending planned out in a big-picture way, but there are still a few details here and there that she's fretting over

71. It's cute when the boys put their ties over their shoulders when they're working on something! Where'd that come from? She just figured a tie might get in the way and that seemed like a realistic way to get it out of the way

72. Looks like Yukio is getting some facial hair! What about Rin? They're both about the age for it, but maybe Rin can't grow a beard yet. Maybe a little peach fuzz here and there

73. Katoh's favorite blue exorcist merch? There were some exorcist licenses a while back, and the exorcist pins. Basically it's really cool that these little accessories she drew ACTUALLY EXIST NOW, LIKE YOU CAN HOLD THEM IN YOUR HANDS

74. Okay realtalk how long do we have left, I don't want the series to end yet? We're solidly in the second half by now but it's not, like, ABOUT to end yet

75. Katoh would be a Knight meister, based on what characters she likes to play in games and such

76. How many people in the whole exorcism cram school? More than you think! She doesn't give a number but apparently licensed exorcists also attend classes for new meisters, etc, so there's a wide age range attending

77. How's Arthur feel about, like, studying Taming on the way to becoming Paladin? He's at least mostly accepted that you have to use demons to fight demons effectively

78. Konekomaru started wearing glasses in his first year of middle school, so like 7th grade (more recent than I thought!) He has one spare pair, in contrast to Yukio lol

79. Katoh's current obsessions? Ghost/scary stories! She's even been going to live readings of them recently

80. Media Katoh consumes for inspiration? A wide range of foreign teen drama, horror/suspense, shojo manga, light novels, anime, etc. Special focus on things where two boys are in conflict or there are brothers involved

81. If they weren't exorcists what jobs would they have? Rin - chef. Yukio - doctor. Shiemi - uh, florist?

82. Inspiration for the design of True Cross Town? Katoh and her assistants gathered up a bunch of references, picked out stuff they felt matched the tone, and mashed them all up together

83. Did you use any references etc for the school/exorcist uniforms? She says she probably should have but she just kind of made them up before publication

84. Favorite part of drawing? For color pages, picking out a color scheme. For black and white, drawing in all the little details (though she doesn't always get time to lately)

85. Once again confirms the demon kings' weird hair is a representation of their horns. ADDS THAT PEOPLE WHO CAN'T SEE DEMONS CAN'T SEE THE WEIRD HAIR

86. Now that Yukio's at the Illuminati, where's he gonna get his Jump SQ and spare glasses? Well he probably never planned to stay for long, but hey it's a big ship and they might have an optometrist and/or newsstand there

87. Do you base the demon characters on any references etc? Not really, she just gets a general idea of popular demon designs and then makes up her own in her own style

88. Merchandise Katoh personally wants to have made: stuff that an adult could just use in their day to day life. Also, it's not gonna happen, but if her favorite figure brand made AoEx figures she could die happy

89. If Beelzebub's host body was a beautiful woman, how would Shima react? Would the womanizing win out over the bug phobia? Katoh replies that Shima would probably just faint from being near a girl that pretty, before the bugs even got involved

90. Will the twins ever get to smile and eat dinner together again?? We'll just have to wait and see!

91. What do you check at a "scenario check"? what's a scenario check man I dunno They check for people being out of character or the setting feeling off. They had a lot of these checks for the anime, but they also do them for the drama CD, games, and all that other stuff where multiple authors are involved

92. Why does Shura use baldy as an insult for people who are clearly not bald? She feels like they have some kind of metaphorical, mental kind of "baldness" and she's calling them out on it. Whatever that means

93. After Blue Exorcist ends, what do you want to draw next? She has SO MANY IDEAS, SO MANY

94. Did Katoh make up the Shinto chants that, for example, Izumo used against Gedouin? They're assembled from bits of actual Shinto prayers according to what feels right in the scene

95. Yukio reads the Jump SQ, right, and, just hear me out here, he likes gag manga, right? Does this mean he reads Salaryman Yukio? It's something he would read, but let's say that in the AoEx universe there's just a very similar manga that he finds oddly relatable

96. What do Yukio and Shima do in their free time on the Dominus Liminus? oh my god you guys this ship has so many amenities.  Yukio probably spends time reading in the library, which they totally have. There's also, like, a gym, and a movie theater, and a THEATER theater, all of which are free. Shima probably hangs out at the pool (!) and goes to the movies, and hits on illuminati girls, lol

97. Easiest character to draw? The ones with boring simple hair, lol. Lightning gets an honorable mention for ALSO not having eyes in most shots, but Rin wins--he was specifically designed to be easy for Katoh to draw because that's what you want in your main character

98. How do demons understand gender? They just possess whatever feels like the best match to how they feel in Gehenna, whether that's a man, or a woman, or a rat, or whatever

99. Where do you start when you're coming up with a story? She starts with character design and how the characters relate to each other. Currently she's just continuing an existing story, so she works on splitting up the overall plot into episodes and fleshing it out with scenes and information about characters

100. When do you feel most happy? She honestly feels like she lives a very happy life overall. Mentions noticing a lot of little things, like how nice her cats' heads smell when she cuddles them or taking a nice cold refreshing drink of water. There's happiness in everything. aww.

[saimotass]

how i’d rewrite v3

warning: long post

chapter 1:

everything is essentially the same with one key difference

when voting ends, shuuichi is revealed to have abstained, leading to his death alongside kaede’s

thus resulting in a double protag switch, with kiibo becoming the protag

chapter 1 results in three deaths

this establishes the arc number, makes things interesting by killing off three of the seemingly most important characters, and gives leeway for the rest of the cast to shine

chapter 2:

the motive is the same, and maki gets hoshi’s tape

however, maki refuses to trade with him and he gets angry about it

because he’s always wanted to feel like he was worth something, and there’s someone standing in the way of letting him know if there’s anything outside waiting for him, he kills maki

however, after that, he watches his tape and realizes that he’s completely alone

he leaves the crime scene as is, and kokichi tries to throw the trial because he has maki’s tape and has revealed her as the SHSL assassin

kokichi attempts to make it be that maki committed suicide as a means of escaping her past, but he also posits that maybe she was framing hoshi since he was already a convicted murderer

hoshi, having nothing left to live for, confesses, and kokichi gets angry, citing that it would have been so much more interesting if he had fought his fate

maki and hoshi die in a fiercely antagonistic, ultimately self-destructive mess

chapter 3:

there’s a similar motive, and it’s established that there was a pair of relatives in the cast, but one of them is dead

miu has already cemented herself as being pretty isolated from the rest of the group, and people suspect that she and kaede were twins, based on them knowing that kaede had a twin sister

other guesses include rantarou being related to tenko or kirumi, and shuuichi being related to korekiyo or tsumugi

angie decides to hold a seance so that they can figure it out and reunite them

himiko offers to help and it’s during the seance that himiko is killed

this is a 1 victim chapter, subverting the expectation, and also making sense since 3 people died in chapter 1

during the trial, people start to suspect miu, but korekiyo starts acting weird

korekiyo has a meltdown completely out of nowhere, and believes himself to be possessed by the spirit of shuuichi

he reveals that shuuichi was his brother, and that he was vengeful towards the group for not stopping the killing game (making his, kaede’s, and rantarou’s sacrifices be in vain)

he also claims that shuuichi was trying to target the mastermind, but when himiko volunteered herself to help, he ended up killing her instead

korekiyo is voted, despite a couple people claiming that shuuichi would be the true culprit

korekiyo is executed, and in retaliation for monodam having killed monokid and monosuke during the prior executions, monotaro and monophanie kill him

chapter 4:

virtual reality is still part of the motive

angie has a breakdown, having lost the one person that was most receptive to her teachings about atua

miu and tsumugi are shown to be very close after the last few chapters due to their self-isolated nature

angie snaps and tries to kill miu, but tsumugi steps in in her place, killing angie as defense

the world glitches, and miu goes missing for a bit, leading people to believe that she was the victim

when they get out of the game, miu is still alive, and so people believe her to be the murderer

it’s revealed that miu caused the glitch in order to save tsumugi

kokichi’s been part of this too, having noticed how close they were and putting pieces together, as well as eavesdropping and coercing info out of miu

kokichi ouma, revealed as a magnificent bastard

miu begs everyone to vote for her, but tsumugi confesses, and she is executed

during tsumugi’s execution, monotaro seems like he’ll be next to die, but monophanie sacrifices herself for him, in line with this chapter’s theme

after this trial, miu and tenko start hanging out, having lost their closest friends (tsumugi and himiko respectively)

chapter 5:

everybody hates ouma: the musical

after it was revealed that he manipulated the events of both chapter 2 and chapter 4, literally everybody suspects him of being the mastermind, or at least a traitor of some sort

he decides to try and enlist miu to help hack into kiibo to make him a minion of his

miu goes along with it, thanks to some masterful manipulation tactics on ouma’s end (he’s good with words, the shit)

kiibo’s software goes blank for a bit, but he eventually gets better thanks to an unforeseen software update

(during the time that kiibo’s offline, we play briefly as the other cast, who are all either preparing to confront or already confronting ouma by this point)

ouma is also shown to be causing injuries to himself, hoping to die by his own hand and cause a trial where nobody knows the real killer, taking everyone with him because they’re all so bad at playing the game

ouma is the victim and nobody knows who killed him, not even monokuma

everyone is hesitant to admit that they confronted him, but only gonta, kaito, and tenko confess to having fought him physically

miu and kiibo work together to reveal that kiibo was still recording during the time he was offline, and they show ouma inflicting injuries to himself

everyone believes that ouma committed suicide, but just before everyone goes to vote, gonta confesses

gonta delivered the killing blow accidentally, not realizing his own strength

over the course of the game, gonta and kiibo had gotten close, and gonta got so angry seeing kiibo malfunctioning that he killed ouma on accident

tenko and kaito both then claim that they killed him, not wanting gonta to die

kiibo has to convince them that voting for gonta is the right thing to do

gonta is executed, and it seems like monotaro is safe, but right at the end of gonta’s execution, monotaro commits suicide

chapter 6:

after talking to monokuma during the previous trial about rules and what to do if the results of a trial were unclear or ambiguous, they realize that the mastermind broke a rule back in chapter 1

the rule being that someone killing more than 2 people isn’t allowed

when kiibo’s attempting to find out who the mastermind could be alongside kirumi, miu, tenko, and kaito, they are given class files for each student

nowhere in either korekiyo or shuuichi’s files do they mention a brother, while in kaede’s, her twin sister is mentioned

after gathering evidence and demanding a retrial of the first case, kiibo confronts monokuma, believing that korekiyo is the mastermind, having hidden his death after causing the deaths of kaede, rantarou, shuuichi, and himiko

it’s revealed that shuuichi was actually the one faking his death, and that he is the mastermind of the killing game

danganronpa is still a show, but shuuichi passes it off as an experimental documentary on how people can be forced to kill, based on a real life set of video games

he confesses that he fabricated his relation to korekiyo, but that it worked well, as korekiyo was a traitor, having worked with shuuichi on his experiment

he also reveals that kiibo was made solely for the experiment, as a camera and an audience surrogate, making him essentially a conduit for amateur sleuths to solve real life murders on TV

this breaks kiibo and we play as the other four survivors to help him

it’s revealed that the show technically hasn’t even aired, and that shuuichi was planning on killing all of them in order to survive to share his findings with the world

shuuichi is thwarted, and the survivors all agree to die alongside him if it means destroying the video

kiibo initiates self-destruct, but after seeing that the others are safe in a bunker, accepts his death and kills himself alongside shuuichi

epilogue:

the survivors are kaito, tenko, miu, and kirumi, subverting the theme number of 3

it’s revealed that rantarou had memories of surviving two other experiments led by shuuichi, explaining the v3 -- this was the 3rd version of his game

the footage is destroyed, and the four survivors walk away from the rubble, unsure of how to assimilate back into society having pretended that nothing happened

[emachinescat]

The Rich Girl Next Girl (Just Tried to Kill Me)

A Psych Fan-Fiction

By @emachinescat ​

@febuwhump ​ day 7 - poisoning 

Summary: Shawn will never complain about being ‘barely poisoned’ again after he’s ‘fully poisoned’ by a woman he’s investigating - via her poisoned lipstick and an non-consensual kiss.

Characters | Pairings: Shawn, Juliet, Henry, Gus, Lassie | Shawn/Juliet

Words: 3,199

TW: non-consensual kiss

Keep reading here, or on AO3!

If you enjoy, please consider liking, commenting, or re-blogging! :)

It was the beautiful ones you had to watch out for.  

She was tall and dark haired, with green eyes that twinkled like twin emeralds, and high cheekbones and plump lips colored with the most devastating red Shawn Spencer had ever laid eyes on.  She had squeezed into a tiny black dress with an open back and plunging neckline, with legs that seemed like they would go on forever.  She wore closed-toe, diamond-studded, four-inch heels that perfectly matched the color of her lips.  

Somehow Shawn had managed to charm her into asking him to be her date to a charity gala at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and he was very well aware of the many eyes on him as he moved through the crowd with her on his arm.

Well.  It would be more accurate to say that he was on her arm, because she was most definitely in charge, had been from the moment she’d picked him up her limo and she’d already had another, better tux waiting and pressed for him - and had refused to let him in the car until he’d made the switch.

She wasn’t only a total knockout, though - she was also a local celebrity, a socialite, born into enormous wealth but not the heir to the bulk of her late parents’ fortune.  That honor went to her older sister, who had, just a week ago, gotten into a terrible accident on her yacht.  Part of her had been recovered on the deck after the explosion.  The Coast Guard were still looking for the other part in the ocean.  They weren’t optimistic.

So now Aria Thorton, the twenty-seven-year-old millionaire goddess, was Shawn’s date to a high-end charity event, and they were the center of attention.  

Shawn should have been in heaven.

There were three things that dampened the occasion, though - for one, she thought he was a billionaire from two counties over named Chaz Hemsworth (no relation to Chris or Liam, but his rugged good looks and fabulous hair had made many people think he was).  

Then there was the fact that she was the SPBD’s number one suspect in her sister’s supposed-accident-but-Shawn-had-revealed-that-it-was-murder-yet-again case.  Hence, why she thought he was Chaz - he was undercover with the help of the police department, much to the chagrin of Lassie and Jules, because he was the best person for the job.  (Well, he had barged into the case and presented himself as Chaz Hemsworth, and she had been interested, and now he was the best chance they had since he was already on the inside and it was a time-sensitive case - just like he’d planned it).  

Oh, and the third thing was definitely the worst of them all: His actual girlfriend, the aforementioned Jules, was here too, acting as Lassiter’s date and ready to provide backup.  And she was pissed.  

Shawn forced himself to focus on the case, though.  Technically, he’d already solved it, put all the final puzzle pieces together, just half an hour before the gala.  But by that time, she was already at the luxury hotel the SBPD had reluctantly put him in as part of his cover (“Any snacks or room service ordered will be paid for by you, Mr. Spencer, not this department,” Chief Vick had warned with that iconic raised eyebrow of hers.  And no, she wasn’t going to sink funds into a ticket for Mr. Guster - Shawn had thrown himself into this investigation alone, so Gus would just have to sit this one out.  Needless to say, Gus had not been pleased.).  

Now, there were just a few more loose ends to tie, a few more t’s to cross and i’s to dot and little squiggly fancy things to add to capital S’s - namely, he needed to do the reveal.  And since Lassie and Jules would be at the gala anyway, it would be the perfect time to do the reveal (and he’d get to live it up as a male socialite for a few more hours).

He waited until he’d tested all the hors dourves (Why the hell had no one told him caviar was fish eggs and not really fancy boba, and that it did not taste good in even the fanciest of cocktails?), but as soon as the moment was perfect, he called everyone’s attention to him by accidentally-on-purpose smashing his cocktail glass with a knife a la the Princess Diaries, jumped onto the nearest table, and presented his case.

As he revealed the truth of the tragic death of Selena Thornton, and how her sister had taken freaking Skill Share lessons on yacht safety procedures so that she could backwards engineer them to arrange an accident for her sister and swoop up her portion of the inheritance, he noticed something odd - Aria didn’t try to get up, she didn’t argue or yell something like, “That’s ridiculous!” or “You have no proof!” or even “I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for you muddling, hunky psychic!”  Instead, she opened her shimmering handbag, calmly applied some sort of thick balm to her lips.  Then she pulled out her lipstick and reapplied it.  Maybe if Shawn hadn’t been so focused on his wrap-up, he would have noticed that the lipstick was the same shade, but that it came from a different tube than when she’d reapplied earlier.  Later, in his hospital bed, he would kick himself for missing that tiny, crucial detail.

He finished by announcing, “And remember, folks - this murder reveal was brought to you by Skill Share.”

And then he was getting off the table, and Jules was preparing the cuffs while Lassie held Aria, and the rest of the rich guests were sitting in stunned silence or otherwise whispering among themselves, already spreading the gossip for the next Tabloid, he was sure.  Then, out of nowhere, the formerly docile homicidal heiress lashed out, slamming the pointed heel of her left shoe - it looked like the heel had been shoved into a pencil sharpener - into the top of Lassie’s foot, buried the elbow of her perfectly tanned right arm into Juliet’s stomach, and broke away from the detectives.

Shawn thought she would turn tail and run, try to escape, but to his shock (and confusion), she lunged straight for him, zooming forward in those ridiculous heels with a speed and grace Shawn couldn’t even achieve with sneakers.  He braced himself for an attack, got ready to defend himself, even as Lassie and Jules recovered and dove for the sabotaging socialite.

They were too late.

What happened next was the literal opposite of what Shawn had anticipated.  She crushed her body into his, grabbed his face the way they do in every rom com ever, and pressed her lips against his in a kind of tender but still somehow aggressive kiss.

For a moment, he stood in shock, trying to process what the hell was happening.  Was she glad he’d caught her?  Did she look forward to being stripped of her wealth and going to prison for life?

Then he realized that as pleasant as her soft lips were against his, he had not authorized this transaction, and even though she was a rich, drop-dead gorgeous socialite, she was also a sister-killer, and his girlfriend whom he loved very much was watching, and he pulled back.  She held on, forcing her lips on his even as he tried to squirm away from her touch.  Her expertly manicured fingernails dug into his skin, and left scratches on the side of his neck when Lassie and Jules dragged her off of him.

Shawn stumbled back, neck stinging where she’d scratched him, lips tingling where she’d kissed him.  He could taste her lipstick - it didn’t taste like cherries like he’d thought.  It didn’t taste good at all.  He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and spun on Aria Thorton, who was now being wrestled into cuffs and passed off to waiting police officers.  “Hey, I know I’m irresistible,” he said, trying to fight off his growing discomfort at the kiss - any other time, he’d probably be thrilled to have a beautiful woman throw herself at him and surprise him with an attack-kiss, “but I’ve got a girlfriend.  And she’s way more hot and bad-ass than a homi-sister like you.”

Jules turned to him and there was a little smile on her face that told him maybe he wasn't as deep in the doghouse as he'd thought.  “Homi-sister?”  

“Yeah,” said Shawn, rubbing absently at his chest.  He needed to change out of this tux.  It was too hot, and it was too tight.  “Sister-murderer.  Like homicide, but for sisters.”

“Sororicide,” Lassiter corrected.  

“I’m sorry, Lassie, when did you take on the role of Scooby Doo?  I can only keep up with one fictional dog at a time, man.”  Beads of sweat popped up on his forehead.  A muscle twitched in his upper arm.

“It’s the actual term for killing one’s sister,” Lassie sneered derisively.

Shawn opened his mouth to retort, but he coughed instead.   And suddenly he couldn't stop coughing, and his chest was being squeezed, and the muscle in his arm jumped again, this time painfully, and he promptly deposited a disgusting mixture of fourteen varieties of hors dourves on Lassiter’s shoes.  A strong hand grabbed his upper arm and kept him semi-upright even as Lassiter groaned, “These are $400 loafers, and they’re rentals!”

“Shawn!”  Juliet’s face had gone white, Shawn noticed through tears and haze as she surged forward and gently lifted his chin with her delicate hand.  

He struggled to answer her, but his chest was so tight, and his left calf muscle contracted then, and all that came out was a strangled cry of pain.

“Call an ambulance - now!”  Lassiter’s voice was far away, though Shawn could have sworn that the head detective was standing right by his side, keeping him from face-planting in his own caviar and cocktail sludge.

Vaguely, over the sound of screams and murmurs and cries of alarm, he heard Juliet’s voice, scarier than he’d ever heard it before - he’d never been so convinced she was about to murder someone before - growl, “What did you do to him?”

He never got the chance to hear if Aria Thornton gave up her dark little secret.  His eyes rolled up into his head, and, muscles twitching and lungs scrambling for air, he passed out.

***

He woke up to pain.

It was a slow process, getting his eyelids to cooperate, but he could feel a soft hand in his, and he would know it anywhere, and someone was crying.

When his vision had cleared enough for him to make out more than just blobs of color, he saw Juliet sitting slumped in a hard plastic chair by his bedside.  Sure enough, it was her hand in his.  But she was fast asleep, her neck crooked back at an awkward angle and small, adorable snores wafting out of her slightly parted lips.  So it wasn’t her who was crying.

His gaze dragged languidly to the right, and everything made sense.  Gus was in the chair next to her, quietly sobbing into his hands.  Poor bastard.  

Shawn spoke, his voice raw and trembling and the effort seemed to squeeze every bit of air out of his already starved lungs.  “G-Gus?”

Gus’s head snapped up, he leaped out of his chair, and in a loud voice reminiscent to an all-black hallelujah choir, he exclaimed, “Shawn!”

Juliet startled awake, her hand instinctively squeezing his, and he saw the worry in her stormy blue eyes as soon as they landed on him.  She smoothed his sweaty hair from his forehead.  “Thank God you’re awake.  How are you feeling?”

Shawn didn’t answer immediately, but let his eyes wander around the room, confirming what he already knew.  He was in a hospital - a private room - and there was a heart monitor beeping above him and an IV lead ran from his hand to a pole, where two different bags were feeding his veins with who knew what.  He took a moment to remember what had happened and shuddered internally when he thought of the kiss of death.  

It took everything he had in him to speak again, but he had to know where he stood, “S-so, more than b-barely poisoned this time?”

Juliet laughed, a short, manic sound of mingled relief and exasperation.  “Yeah, a lot more than barely,” she agreed.

Shawn didn’t get to enjoy his moment of validation, because his left pectoral muscle spasmed, knocking the air out of his lungs and sending bolts of agony through his chest.  It was like the muscle was twisting itself into the most complex pretzel known to man.  An agonized guuuh burst from his mouth and he grasped at his chest, as if trying to tear the pain away.

Gus was panicking now, tears still streaming down his face, and Jules looked stricken.  Shawn was certain he was actively dying now and tried to call for help.  The door to his room burst open and distantly, beneath the mound of pain that had erupted in his muscle, he heard his father’s voice.

“Jules - it looks like it’s his chest.  Massage it.  Remember, small, gentle circles.  Gus, pull it together, you’re just making him panic.”  And then he could feel Jules gently massaging the screaming muscle, and Gus hiccuped into relative silence, and his father was there, seated in a chair on the other side of the bed.  He grabbed Shawn’s hand - the one with the IV - and for a wild moment, Shawn was convinced his father was going to rip it out like he had the last time his son had been poisoned.

But instead, he held on firmly to Shawn’s hand and said, “Squeeze as hard as you need to, pal.  Ride it out.  It’ll be over soon.”

The heart monitor was screeching now, and a nurse ran in just as the spasm was beginning to ebb, leaving the entire muscle feeling weak and squishy like play-doh.  She injected something into one of Shawn’s IV bags and checked his temperature and fed him ice chips and told him to try to rest and be patient, that it wouldn’t be long until the spasms would stop.  She might have told him her name at some point, but he didn’t hear.

Whatever she’d given him made him sleepy, and he felt his twitching, tense muscles relax the tiniest of fractions, and the last thing he saw before falling asleep was his father’s face leaning over him.  He must have been hallucinating, because he could have sworn that his father’s eyes were red and puffy and that there were tear-tracks down his face.

***

The next time Shawn woke up, he was still sore, and his muscles still gave the occasional, defiant twitch, but he wasn’t in blood-curdling agony anymore, so it was a definite improvement.  This time when he woke, no one was crying, and his dad had washed his face, but his eyes were still rimmed with red.

“What happened to me?” Shawn asked, his voice weaker than he could ever remember.  “What the hell was in that lipstick?”

His dad chuckled humorlessly, not because anything was funny but because it wasn’t crying.  “You figured out it was the lipstick, then?”

“I’m psychic, dad, remember?”  Shawn had put the pieces together the first time he’d woken up, but he’d been too out of it to realize he’d made the connection.

Henry didn’t dignify that with a response.

“I can’t believe you went to a millionaire’s gala and almost died, Shawn!” Gus chided irritably.  “If I had been there -”

“You would have hyperventilated and passed out on your plate of hor dourves,” Henry finished dryly, and Shawn couldn’t help but grin.

Juliet was the one who brought the conversation back around to his question.  “She refused to talk, so we took her purse and had her fingernail polish, lip balm, and lipstick tested for toxins,” she informed him.  “We thought that she might have done it when she scratched you, but it was the lipstick that was poisoned.  The lip balm was actually a protective buffer between her lips and the lipstick so that the poison wouldn’t reach her skin.”  With a heavy sigh, Juliet revealed, “It was VX poison.”

“What’s that?” Shawn asked.  “It sounds like something from a spy thriller.”

“It’s a nerve agent,” Gus supplied.  “It can be made into gas, but it’s base form is about the consistency of gasoline.  It’s super fast-acting, especially when inhaled or ingested, even in small amounts like with you, and it causes muscle spasms, respiratory issues, nausea, headaches, fever, and a whole lot of other nasty symptoms.”

“But there’s a cure?”

“Atropine and pralidoxime,” Gus answered promptly, and Shawn resisted the very strong urge to tell his best friend to, for the love of every 80s movie they’d ever loved, get a hobby.  “Both were administered the second the results came back.  It was a close call, but thankfully they were administered on time - though it was touch and go for a bit.  The nurse gave you another dose of a muscle relaxer the first time you woke up.  The other drip is saline.”

“I guess the real question is how the psychotic rich girl next door got ahold of poison like that in the first place,” Shawn muttered, head swimming and eyes burning and body feeling like it had been run over by a monster truck.

Juliet answered promptly: “Lassiter was finally able to crack her.  Turns out she’s also got some contacts in the black market.  She had that tube of lipstick custom-made and infused with VX two years ago in case any of her many boyfriends cheated on her.  Surprisingly, she hadn’t used it until you came along, but when you exposed the truth, it was her way of getting revenge.   She knew there was no way she was going to be able to escape, so she decided to take you down with her.”

“Damn,” said Shawn, faintly.  He was drifting off again, but he was so happy to be alive, to see his friends - even his dad, imagine that! 

“Go back to sleep, Shawn,” Henry ordered.  “It’s going to take a while for you to heal, and you’ll need all the rest you can get.”

Not knowing what had come over him, blaming the poison and trauma for the words that spilled unbidden from his lips, he found himself asking, “And you guys will be here?  Next time I wake up?”  

Gus grinned and leaned over to give Shawn a one-sided fist bump, and Juliet kissed him delicately on the forehead.  His dad ruffled his hair in a manner that could almost be construed as affectionate if he wasn’t careful.

“You bet your ass we will.”

Overall, Shawn reflected as he allowed sleep to claim him, being fully poisoned fully sucked, but it was kind of nice getting a glimpse of just how much his friends and family cared. 

They could find other opportunities to show their love in the future though. Shawn had had enough of poison, barely, fully, or otherwise, for a lifetime. 

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Chapter 15 -- Perfect Harmony | Charlie Gillespie

Summary: Emily Fox is a talented 17-year-old with a passion for all things music. Her dream is to become a successful singer-songwriter one day. But to achieve that dream, she needs to get into one of the most prestigious music schools in her district – it’s all been part of her plan since she was six. Sadly enough, those schools cost a ton of money that her parents don’t want to invest. They don’t even want her to pursue her dream. So, now Emily’s hustling, working at the music store to save up to get into college. That’s until she meets Charlie, an annoying seventeen-year-old boy with the same dream as her. The only difference is, he’s just doing it. He doesn’t need a fancy college to pursue his dream to become famous with his band. He just writes his songs and books small gigs here, there and everywhere. Will meeting Charlie defer her from her dream college, or will he actually help her achieve the dream?

Pairing: Charlie Gillespie x OC (Emily Fox)

Warnings: mentions of death, sexual assault

Important note: the characters of Charlie, Owen, Jeremy and Madison are based on the characters they play on the show and i do not own their names, only OC are mine. The songs aren’t mine either, they’re all from the show except for one.

Chapter fifteen 

~|Emily Fox|~

I don’t think I have ever run this fast. Not even in PE class when I was graded for it. But I have to get to my house as fast as possible, knowing Madison would still be there waiting for me. Uncle Mitch probably would’ve told her to wait. When I arrive, I find Madi sitting on the porch in front of the red door, playing with the bracelets around her wrists. My heart breaks at the sight of how sad she looks. “Mads, I am so, so, so sorry!” She looks up at me, the sadness vanishing into pure anger as she gets up from her spot. “What was more important than hanging with your best friend?” she asks me. I can’t answer. I don’t dare to. Not honestly at least. “I’ll tell you, your stupid band and your stupid boyfriend you never bothered to tell me about!” I flinch at the loudness of her voice and the truth brutely smacking back into my face. “Since when do we keep things from each other, Emily?” “I’m so sorry, Madi. I just—” I take a deep breath to try and find the correct words. “You what? You just forgot about your best friend?!” “No, Mads, of course not!” “Then what is it?!” Madison never gets angry at me. Ever. “I just didn’t know how to tell you about something I didn’t even understand! I joined a band when I have never written or sang songs with anyone else but Uncle Bobby, and I don’t even know how this thing between Charlie and me happened. I just wanted to make sure either of those things is what I wanted before I told anyone!” “Oh, but you go and flaunt your little relationship and play a gig at Brianna Holly’s party. Brianna Holly’s party, Emily!” She has a really good point. “I thought you’d rather die than go to Brianna’s party, but I guess you’d rather ditch your best friend instead.” The volume of her voice has diminished, and she sounds a lot more broken and hurt now. “Madi, that’s not—” “Save it, Emily,” she cuts me off, and pushes past me. Ever actually felt your heart break? Because that’s what I’m feeling right now. I can’t believe I never told Madison about Charlie or Sunset Curve. That’s about the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. It even beats ever trusting Jake. “Muffin,” I didn’t even hear the door opening through the sadness filling the air around me, “Come inside.” I turn around and walk into Uncle Mitch’s open arms as he guides me inside and towards the living room. “I’ve done something so stupid,” I cry out in between sobs whilst Mitch goes off to make me a hot cocoa, I assume. “I should’ve never kept Charlie or the band from Madi. She’s my best friend. I share everything with her, all the time.” “Why didn’t you share this thing?” Uncle Mitch asks from the kitchen. “I don’t know… I wanted to make sure that it was what I wanted before I told anyone?” “You told me,” he points out, but I shake my head. “I told you about the band, you figured me and Charlie out with your love-dar.” I can’t help but chuckle at the memory of last night. “Technically, no,” he captures my attention with this, “I knew something was going on when you talked about the band and talked about this Charlie kid you wrote songs with. You couldn’t stop smiling and your eyes just sparkled,” he walks into the living room again with two cups of hot cocoa. “Besides, you don’t think I didn’t notice the both of you sneaking onto your balcony, did you?” My eyes widen at his confession. Uncle Mitch is all-knowing. Nothing ever gets past him and I should’ve known. “You were careful, right?” I nearly choke on my hot beverage. “We just hung out, Mitchell!” He raises one hand in defense. “Just making sure, Muffin.” I shake my head at him. He’s unbelievable. However, it did make me forget about the fight I’d just had with my best friend. Or at least for a moment until it dawned on me again. “Hey,” his voice makes me look up again, “Any clue what you’re going to do about Madi?” I shake my head glumly. “I doubt she’ll ever talk to me again…” “Then don’t give her the chance to talk. You talk or something else that might capture her attention…” I raise my eyebrows at him. He’s onto something, but I doubt he’ll tell me straight up. Mitch is all about the mysterious hints rather than revealing his thoughts. He’ll get you thinking about an answer instead of giving it away. But it does put a thought in my head of which I think is what he means.

“Hey, Mads…” I start when I see her at school the next day. She simply huffs at me. “I know you don’t want to talk to me, and I get it. I’ve been a terrible friend, but please, let me make it up to you? I have a little surprise for you tonight.” She looks up now, eyebrows risen with the scowl still on her face. “Come to the Music Store at 8pm tonight and you’ll see.” “Maybe,” she simply replies before leaving to get to class. At least that’s something.

“How are things between you and Madi?” Charlie asks when he and the boys meet me at the music store at closing time. He kisses my cheek before getting to his spot at the counter to sort through the invoices again. “Terrible… She’s really angry at me and didn’t really talk to me at school today…” The boys all give me a sympathetic look. Charlie probably told them about me bailing on Madison yesterday. “But! I asked her to come to the store at 8.” I reach into my backpack to grab my songbook. “I worked on a song for Madi last night and I was hoping you guys would help me surprise Madi with it?” They glance at each other before installing everything for an early rehearsal. Sorting invoices and cleaning up we’ll have to do later. I show them my lyrics, and they help me out with a melody and a beat. We rehearse it for about an hour until the bell over the door rings, signaling someone entering. My heart beats faster, hoping it’ll be Madison. “So…” she starts once she’s in front of us. “You wanted to show me something?” She still has that same scowl on her face. “Yes!” I walk up to her from behind the keyboard and grab her hand. “I wrote you a song last night and the boys helped me out with a killer melody. It’s not perfect yet, but I hope it’ll make you happy.” She lets out a small smile, but immediately hides it again, as I lead her towards a chair in front of our setup. I walk back to my keyboard and shake my hands nervously. “It’s called Flying Solo,” I tell her before starting to tap the soundboard to create a fun beat, just like we’d rehearsed. I then press the ‘loop’ button, so it keeps playing, and I can start playing notes on the keyboard. “If I leave you on a bad note Leave you on a sad note Guess that means I'm buying lunch that day” I glance up at Madi to find her nodding her a little. “I know all your secrets You know all my deep-dish Guess that means some things they never They never change We both know what I, what I What I mean When I look at you it's like I'm looking at me” The boys join in with their instruments now, bringing in the rocky sound we love using, and sing along during the chorus. “My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you” “Hey!” The boys yell, making Madi jump slightly. “Yeah, yeah.” “Hey!” “Yeah, yeah” “My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you” I get out from behind the keyboard and walk up to Madison, kneeling down in front of her and grabbing her hand in mine. “Yeah, you know who I'm likin' way before I liked them, duh 'Cause you liked them first And if somebody hurts you, I'm gonna get hurt too That's just how we work, yeah, that's just how we work” A smile cracks through her angry façade. She’s warming up finally. “It will never change We both know what I, what I What I mean When I look at you it's like I'm looking at me” I pull her up from the chair and lead her towards the band. First, we jam a little with Jeremy. “My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you” We now walk up to the drums together, Owen smiling at us from behind them. “Hey!” “Yeah, yeah” “Hey!” “Yeah, yeah” We walk over to Charlie, who offers me one of his beautiful smiles while still singing along with me and the boys. “My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you” I pull Madison away from Charlie now whilst they still play their instruments. “I’m so sorry, Madi. I know I shouldn’t have kept all of this from you and I don’t have a decent reason why I did, I just… I can’t have you angry at me. Will you please forgive me for being stupid?” Her smile widens, and my heart finally calms down. “As long as I’m allowed to be your roadie, your tour photographer and your marketing manager all in one,” she offers with that teasing grin of hers that always makes me the happiest. I glance over at the boys, awaiting their response. Charlie smiles, “Welcome to the crew of Sunset Curve!” Madison shakes her head and wags a finger at him, confusing the hell out of all of us. “No, no. She’s not joining your band. You’re joining hers. Y’all need some rebranding with your new lead singer.” Charlie gives me a questionable look, asking for some assistance. “Yeah, I’m going with what she said.” Charlie’s smile widens again as he shakes his head at the both of us endearingly. We pick up the pace again and continue with the chorus one more time. This time, Madison and I dance together too. “My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah Hey, yeah, yeah My life, my life would be real low, zero, flying solo without you” The music slows down as I pull Madison closer to me, our foreheads touching while I hit the final high notes. “You” I wrap my arms around Madison’s neck for the tightest hug she’s ever gotten. Over her shoulder, I glance up at Charlie, who’s already looking at us with the most precious smile. “Thank you,” I mouth, which earns me a wink.

Madison stays for the entire band practice and even helps cleaning up with the boys. I swear, they’re doing my job for me and I’m getting paid for it. To be fair, there’s no one I’d rather spend time with than these four people right here. “Emily and the Foxes!” Madison suddenly exclaims loudly and excitedly when we’re almost done. The band and I look up at her in confusion. “Your new band name!” “Oh! Because we’re foxy?” Jeremy questions, wiggling his eyebrows. Madi and I glance at each other. She has a questionable look on her face, almost as if she’s scared for his health. “No, Jere,” I reply, “Because my last name is Fox.” “Oh! Right!” He snaps his fingers and then points a finger gun at me. “I like it!” Owen chimes in and runs his fingers through his hair. “When’s your next gig?” Madi asks us as all of us rejoin in the middle of the store after the cleanup. Charlie comes up behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, and pressing his lips to my cheek. “I was thinking we could do Open Mic Night next week?” I suggest and place my hands on top of Charlie’s. “It’s basically where I fell in love with your music.” My cheeks flush at the confession. “And with Char,” Jeremy mumbles, earning a high five from Madi. “Don’t encourage him, Mads,” I tell her with a shake of my head. “Anyway,” she goes on after shooting me an apologetic look, “Do you want me to promote you guys on social media and stuff? I’ll make you an Instagram account and everything?” The band exchanges some glances again. “Uhm, yeah, sure?” I reply after a silent agreement from the boys. “Some exposure won’t hurt. We’ll talk about the setlist another time. Uncle Mitch wants me home before midnight.” I pat Charlie’s hands, and he lets go of me so we can grab our backpacks. “Can we ask your Uncle Mitch to sing that song about Hollywood with us?” Jeremy ask as all of us exit the shop together. None of us really respond besides an airy laugh. I sometimes wonder what’s going on in that head of his. All I know for sure is that I love these guys so much. All of them. I doubt I could get through a day without seeing them anymore. They changed my entire life.

Taglist: @parkeret​​ @lukeys-giggle​ @hannahhistorian92​ @gingerxarmy​ @marinettepotterandplagg​ @lovesanimals​  @thequirkybookaholic​ @calamitykaty​ Lemme know if you want to be on my taglist for this story/any of my other works!

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Omg I just thought, and I highly doubt I'm the first to think this, but do you think Rakepick's personality shift was due to the curse Riddle put on the DADA position? 0:

Also you have THE MOST beautiful cat I've ever goddamn seen

As much as I would love it for there to be some kind of tangible explanation provided for such an abrupt shift in her character, I really don’t think that’s how the DADA curse works.

 If we look back on all of the examples of the Curse taking effect...well, there’s Quirrell. He became a Death Eater but both Snape and Dumbledore were onto him from the beginning and he literally had Voldemort sticking out of his head, so it was basically a given that his days were numbered. Lockhart had the same problem, to the point where Dumbledore not only knew he was a fraud, but hired him specifically because he knew this would expose him. If it hadn’t been The Basilisk, there would have been some other kind of terror that Lockhart would have been expected to defeat (Hogwarts is just that kind of school) forcing him to flee the way he did. Remus is a teacher who theoretically could have stayed, but it was already playing with fire to bring him on when Snape was around. Sooner or later, Snape would have sabotaged him somehow even without the existing circumstances, would have revealed his secret, because that’s just the kind of person Snape is. Barty Crouch Jr was never planning to stay longer than a year, his purpose at Hogwarts was to get Harry to Voldemort at the end of the Triwizard Tournament. Umbridge? Yeah, she was never gonna last. Everyone hated her, she didn’t fit at Hogwarts, and her timeline there was tied to Fudge’s timeline in the Ministry - both were going to end when everyone learned Voldemort was back. Next came Snape, and it was actually a combination of factors that led to him losing the job. Naturally, his killing Dumbledore changed the game, as both he and Dumbledore knew would have to happen. But he could have easily stayed as DADA teacher...except he became Headmaster. Whether Snape himself asked for this, or it was Voldemort’s idea, who knows. Finally, the Carrows were only ever going to last until Voldemort was defeated, which happened to be a year. 

Examining these cases makes it very clear that the Curse doesn’t create abrupt circumstances that force a teacher out. Rather, it reminds me of a theory about how backwards time travel would compensate for the potential of paradoxes. Say you went back in time and tried to shoot your own grandfather, preventing your existence. One theory suggests that it would be physically impossible without appearing to be. Suggests that you would simply be unable to do this. Either the gun would jam, somebody would see you and stop you, your grandfather would survive the bullet wound, or he would die - but surprise! It wasn’t your biological grandfather. Just the worst stream of bad luck that a potential grandpa-killer could have. In other words, the timeline will naturally correct itself no matter how hard you try, but always in ways that are organic, that would have always happened. I believe that’s how this Curse works. Hence how people have figured out that the job must be jinxed, but it’s treated as an urban legend or popular theory, not something that anyone knows for a fact. Technically, even Dumbledore doesn’t know for sure that it’s true. Because if every case was like Rakepick, people would start to gather evidence beyond just stuff that could be a string of shocking coincidences. Rakepick having to leave the post does make sense, based on what happened. It’s just that what actually happened is very confusing and still doesn’t make any sense. 

SIDE NOTE: My kitters appreciate your kind words! They’re being camera-shy right now, but they always like it when a human shows appropriate adoration of the superior feline race. 

[themanicgalaxy]

SPN 7X15 Repo Man

boy we gotta FUCKING SPEEDRUN these episodes

GO TO SCHOOL THEY SAID IT'LL BE FUN THEY SAID

Who's Mrs. Havelock?

ah a Wiccan

brave, but not used to it?

interesting character

Lilith?? L I L I T H ?

YOU FUCKERS CAN SIMPLY EXORCISE HIM CAN'T YOU??

ah he signed off

good for Jeffrey

lmao

"you were mugged"

"thanks I think"

Ah and this is back

boy that's weird as hell

it feels like "oho remember KRIPKE?"

I feel like ratings were dipping and they tried this

but no you need Cas

oh no

oh no right you "don't hit the same town twice"

LUCIFER'S TONGUE DAMN LUCI HAD AN EMO PHASE

heh she runs a wiccan shop

that's neat

ah she has a friend, took precautions already

I LIKE HER

"technical difficulties" heh

ooo but it hit the rest of the season, get em Robbie

damn he's in a support group?

aww doggy

man poor Jeffrey

ah shit and he still walks with a limp

ah the flicker out

come on man he's a normal guy

the victims chosen, in an order?

"it was his job??"

damn, he needs help they really fucked him up

"we just don't read like we used to"

no job, no health insurance

mental break jeez I'd bet

"never tell, never" "I know that now"

"It's happened to friends of mind" jesus

ah jeez is Jeffrey gonna die

I just want him to not die

ah he makes Sam hallucinate like he did before, with all the horror

god I hope the dog makes it

ah ok then, just have sex in the library

"in my discontinued periodicals"

well it certainly looks satanic

Jeffrey lookalike??

ah shit he got Dean

"leave your name number and nightmare at the tone" LMAO

ah he got a reaction out of Sam

"the rapier wit, the wittier r*pe" jesus christ

...it's jeffrey

did...he...summon the demon

"I know this handwriting" "you know this handwriting" oh that was neat

just...threaten her

ah he listens to his worst instincts

ah it's literally just Jeffrey

Jesus fucking christ Jeffrey

serial killer jesus christ

what the fuck JEffrey

"ah I had a kill list but never did it until a demon possessed me"

HE CUT OFF HER KID'S EAR?

blood of the exorcist jesus christ

"new plan"

ah Sam's just Losing it

"you were desperate to save the world back then" yikes

"fell in love with a demon that possessed you" what

"oh you sick son of a bitch" that was fun delivery

THE DOG TOO??

heh the other guy

this is a very...strange reunion hug

this..feels weirdly read into

ah there's the "homosexuality is bad actually"

ah talent scout,

pushes them over the edge

demon trap again

and we exorcise him again!

"Act like they're normal" huh

ah shit he let lucifer in

...I think..Sam's more codependent than he thinks or wants to be

GOOD MORNING VIETNAM

1. Ok so the "mental health is really just people being evil" no didn't like that

2. Also the like...homosexuality is for demons and psychopaths undertones, didn't like that either

3. I did like the "scouting out demons to get them to hell" think. I don't remember if it makes sense in story but it's interesting to think about, to see the "power reveals" thing in action

I would like to see a what happens when they leave a scene for real, not psychopathy, just for real

4. I think Sam's more codependent than he realizes, and he hates being alone more than he thinks. He let Lucifer in at the first sign of panic. I mean yeah it's also he wanted reassurance but still, I think it's interesting to look at.

5. in true Kripke fashion, the girl character was REALLY cool, and she will never be seen again. Wiccan shop owner who is booksmart but not used to the Evil, raising a kid, helps out. I think it's cool

6. Dean's relationship with mental health also briefly shows up here. or his...bad one. Don't talk or else you get chucked to the loony bin

yeah I kin him ok leave me alone

[mysterylover123]

Top 10 Reveals I’m Excited for in My Hero Academia

mysterylover123

Now first let me clarify what I mean by reveals: There are basically two types of reveals in the story, the Mystery and the internal reveal. Internal reveals are when a character learns something the audience already knows. There is a lot of hidden information I want the characters to learn about, as well as mysteries even the fans don’t know yet.

Also spoilers up until the most recent manga chapter!

#10. JUST WHAT IS BAKUGOU’S HERO NAME?

The fandom has written approximately 20,000 different meta on the question of just what Lord Explosion Murder’s real hero name will eventually be. Recently, Katsuki confirmed that he does indeed have one and has “someone he needs to tell”. Whozat? What is the name, dammit? The answer to this one is probably coming pretty soon, since it’s been brought up in-universe, but we’re all getting pretty impatient to finally learn what it is.

My theory: A play on Bakusatsuo/Ground Zero, or a play on Kacchan that connects the latter to his future goals. The person he wants to tell is...Jeanist! (sorry, Bakugou).

#9. THE LOV’S POWER-UPS

This one’s an internal reveal. Namely, the League has Overhaul’s bullets, the Meta Liberation Army, Gigantomachia and an army of high-end Nomus....but no one knows about this besides the PLF. The kids at UA don’t know. The Pro heroes and cops don’t seem to know, the public as a whole has no idea what a nightmare is brewing behind the scenes for them as the League plots and plans. It’s about time they all learned just what a powerful, dangerous force they’re truly up against in spectacular, horrifying fashion.

My Theory: The League will use their resources (the bullets) to wipe out the Top 10 Pros by erasing their quirks in fights with all their warriors, but the UA kids interning with the Pros will hold their own, showing some hope for the future of heroism.

#8. HAWKS=TRIPLE AGENT=JEANIST KILLER

Another internal reveal, though mixed with a few audience reveals. Namely, did Hawks actually kill Best Jeanist or is this some kind of a bluff? Hawks’ status as a triple agent is something that can serve for some pretty dramatic revelations later on in the narrative - mostly for Endeavor, Tokoyami, and Dabi, learning about his various statuses and having a big “You? No, it couldn’t be!” moment. This one will probably also come soon; he’s been teetering on the edge for way too long. 

My Theory: Hawks’ reveal will come during the aforementioned LoV attack arc, and this will initiate the reveal of Kacchan’s hero name. Basically, the first 3 all tie together into a potential future arc that may be coming up sooner than we think. And tie into the next one...

#7. DABI=?

This one is a big mystery, and one that pretty much the entire fanbase has a solid theory on the answer to. Basically, if Dabi is not somehow Toya Todoroki then we’ve all got nothing. The most prominent LoV member to have received no backstory flashbacks in the MLA arc and no real name during the Hideout Raid, the mysterious firebender is a giant enigma...and yet everything about him dovetails nicely with the theory of him being a re-animated version of the allegedly dead Todoroki sibling. He even looks like Toya, so odds on this one are pretty high.

My Theory: The Toya reveal could come out in this very next arc, given all the Nomu/long lost friend drama of the recent chapters and the Todoroki angst arc of the previous ones. Otherwise, it’ll probably wait for a while to finally be unveiled. And the impact on Endeavor and Shoto will be devastating.

#6. WHAT ARE THE OTHER 5 QUIRKS?

Unlike the Avatar state where we know all the powers ahead of time, Midoriya’s future quirks inside of OFA are a complete mystery. Aside from Super Strength and Black Whip, what are the other 5 wielders’ powers? The fact that we have no answers on this one at all yet is really baffling to me, because DIDN’T ALL MIGHT AND GRAN TORINO KNOW NANA’S QUIRK?!!?! Why hasn’t All Might told Deku what quirk he’ll be getting from her yet? We need this information, dude! Also why does one of the silouhettes look like Bakugo? Are you an immortal timelord Kacchan?

My Theory: I think Nana’s quirk must be related to Tomura’s (Maybe a reversal of decay, like a healing power?). As to the other 4, those are complete mysteries. Maybe super senses, some kind of shield, an elemental power, and a wildcard quirk?

#5. TENKO=TOMURA=NANA SHIMURA’S GRANDKID

This is a great big internal reveal that I’m really impatient for more information on. Namely: 1. All Might needs to tell Deku that Tomura is Nana’s grandson. 2. Tomura needs to find out that his grandmother was All MIght’s Master, and 3. to find out that her spirit exists within Midoriya. All of this needs to go down, because that big fight between Tomura and Deku we have to get eventually is going to need some more personal stakes, and anyway why doesn’t Deku know this yet already? Tell him All Might! He needs to know!

My Theory: All Might will tell Deku, who will let this info slip at a crucial moment when fighting Tomura, calling him “Tenko” maybe at some point; this reveal, which Deku will cop to, will send Tomura into a self-searching spiral.

#4. WHO IS DEKU’S DAD?

It’s pretty much grand Shonen tradition for the protagonist to have a completely absent dad, whose identity becomes a major reveal later on in the story. Deku’s dad is perhaps the most absent father in all of fiction, as we have almost zero information about the guy and Deku never even thinks about or mentions him. There are many, many prominent fan theories about who he is, and technically just a brief picture, appearance and characterization would do the trick, but most fans are convinced he must be someone important.

My Theory: Dad for One theorist here. Plenty of evidence/potential reasons it could be true to work with. All for One has some kinda plan that relates to Deku and OFA, and the reveal will come then. 

#3. UJIKO=TSUBASA=AFO’S DR=DEKU’S DR?!?

One of the biggest reasons I’m a Dad for One theorist is because of AFO’s doctor being Deku’s doctor from Chapter 1. Ujiko, the mad scientst of the League, is Dr. Tsubasa. He took his relative, Kacchan’s childhood friend, and turned him into the winged Nomu that kidnapped Deku during the Hero Killer Arc. Right now he’s turning Tomura into a butterfly or something. Deku and Kacchan need to learn about this connection, and dole out some sweet justice to this guy. (BTW is it my FMA eyes or does he look a lot like the gold-toothed doctor?)

My Theory: Dad for One hired him to supervise Midoriya, and deliberately picked Tsubasa as an experimentation subject to punish him for picking on Deku (which is also why he’s so cool with going after Bakugo), and Deku and Kacchan will find out by seeing him during a future LoV confrontation.

#2. WHO IS THE UA TRAITOR?

The golden question, indeed? Who, exactly, is the UA traitor? Is there a traitor? How did the league find them if not? Is it confirmed there is a traitor, most likely? And if so, who is it? There are so many prominent theories as to who it could be and how this would impact the story; I’ve read decent arguments from all over the board for every single possible candidate, and while there are plenty that have some solid evidence, only one really appeals to me from a characterization standpoint.

My theory: I’m down with the Uraraka traitor theory, because I love the idea of what it could do with her character, the ways it could affect her relationship with Deku, and the possibilities of the Toga/Ochaco parallels. Of course, I’ll be happy as long as it makes sense and crafts some good drama.

Hon Mentions: Eri will learn Nighteye died (she still doesn’t know); Other characters learn Todoroki’s backstory; Kirishima learns he and Mina fought Gigantomachia; Just freaking tell him you like him already Uraraka

#1. DEKU HAS OFA

This seems like a strange thing to list as a “Reveal”, since Deku got OFA in Chapter 1. But when I say this, I mean Other characters learn about it. Obviously, Kacchan already learned and that was great. So think of the possibilities of other characters finding out! In order of who needs to know: 1. Inko, 2. Tomura, 3. Mirio, 4. Todoroki and his family, 5. Uraraka, Oddly enough, the series could probably progress with nobody but Tomura out of that list learning the truth, but still, the possibilities of the drama worth exploiting from the 9th wielder reveal are almost endless. It’s a bomb under the table waiting to go off to craft neat conflict in the future.

My Theory: Tomura and Ujiko know about OFa. They’ll tell PLF and go on a hunt for the 9th wielder among the likely candidates at UA; the first years and Lemillion, Nighteye’s intern. In the process they’ll figure out it’s Deku and the truth will be revealed to all pertinent characters, making Deku the target of PLF trying to harvest OFA for their own control.

[travllingbunny]

The 100 rewatch: 5x05 Shifting Sands

After four really strong episodes at the beginning of season 5, this is a slower episode focused on developing the new dynamics. This episode is by no means bad, and there are some lovely character moments in it - but this is, unfortunately, where the plot starts getting kind of boring. It’s the start of many subplots that, either intentionally or unintentionally, ended up not mattering much for the overall story.

Some of the subplots introduced:

the mutant worms - I’m not a fan of this subplot, which the show will literally chuck out 5 episodes later. Also, it’s gross. I don’t like to have to actually avert my eyes from the screen. The show was really going for the Alien vibe here.

Zaven romance was probably meant to be Raven’s endgame, but unfortunately, Jordan Bolger got another role and we know what happened. And now all that screentime devoted to the development of their relationship feels like a waste of time, which may be unfair to season 5, but it is what it is. In itself, it’s not the worst romantic subplot by any means, but it’s another rushed romance.

It seemed like the show was going somewhere with the friendship between Diyoza and Kane (with some flirty moments that could have at least suggested even more) - don’t get me wrong, I was very much against it being a ship (not a fan of Stockholm Syndrome romances, and Kabby is one of the very few well developed romantic relationships on the show), but every relationship involving Kane got pushed aside when Henry Ian Cusick decided to leave the show. In S6, only Kabby and his friendship with Indra were addressed. On the other hand, it’s always it’s nice to get more Diyoza backstory, which we get when she tells her story to Kane: her suicide attempt - when marines who used to be her own team came to arrest her and after they killed her father. 

Both Diyoza’s shock collars and Vinson are introduced. Vinson is a very unusual character for The 100 - which is full of leaders, warriors and cult leaders, but which doesn’t usually feature cannibal serial killers. I have to say that I quite liked where they went with this character - he was like an embodiment of Abby’s demons (addiction, cannibalism during the Dark Year) and the demons that almost destroyed the Kabby relationship.

The last scene sets up the main plot of the next episode, which is Octavia and Bellamy arguing about Echo… Not the best subplot out there.

In Eden, Diyoza shows again that she may be ruthless but she’s smart - she is against waging war in Eden and potentially destroying the only habitable land on Earth. Not such good news: she wants to use missiles on Wonkru, which makes sense - especially since they are, from her POV, a bunch of dangerous fanatics. (Actually, they are a bunch of dangerous fanatics, period.)She is aware that the rest of Spacekru are still somewhere in the woods, as is Madi (since she knew 5 of them were almost captured by her people, when Madi saved them). The rivalry between her and McCreary is highlighted again - and we also learn about their history. (Which is going to be important because of a certain reveal that will be coming soon…) I guess Diyoza was more honest than McCreary knew when she dismissed his sexual prowess as “that was torture, too” - since we learn in S7 that she had sex with him to get him to be on her side in the rebellion.

Diyoza’s choice of sex partners may not be the best, but she has good taste in music and hates speed metal or trash metal or whatever that was just as much as I do. “Play something with a beat” - exactly!

Kane in the meantime offers intel on Octavia in exchange for a guarantee of protecting Raven and Murphy, but his other reason is that he thinks Octavia will get all of Wonkru killed and wants to stop her.

And we get more of McCreary torturing someone, this time Raven and Murphy. McCreary torturing various people is a recurring thing this season. Is there any episode where he isn’t either murdering, torturing or both? I guess no one has told him that torture is not an efficient or reliable way of extracting information… but it’s quite possible he doesn’t care. Shaw gets to be reluctantly present during someone’s torture again - not a great way to get to know your future girlfriend. The fact that she’s in pain and tortured for who-knows-which-time may be why Raven is showing her judgmental streak again, this time dissing Shaw for lying about the fact he was the one who disabled the missiles and accusing him of getting them tortured to save his ass, which is technically true but ignores the facts that 1) he saved hundreds of Wonkru, 2) he saved Raven’s and Murphy’s lives, and 3) admitting the truth wouldn’t have helped anyone. But Raven also shows her smarts and comes up with a good plan how to get Murphy out so he can inform others about the missiles - and does some really good acting when she pretends she’s furious with Shaw.

One of the highlights of the episode is Murphy meeting Madi for the first time (”hobbit” as he refers to her), as everyone is in the Rover that Madi is driving. Murphy is not happy when Madi says she thought he would be funnier, and even less so when she says Octavia is her favorite. (It’s OK, Murphy, Hope and Jordan (during his rebellious phase) will love you.)

Contrary to what you’ll often hear in the fandom, Spacekru have been, in these early episodes, talking repeatedly about the fact that Clarke saved them and thanking her. They mentioned it all by themselves in 5x03. Bellamy told Clarke ‘Clarke, you saved us all!” in 5x04 and Raven tearfully thanked her for saving their lives. And now Echo tells Madi they wouldn’t have made it without Clarke, and Harper confirms it.

When Murphy realizes that his shock collar/tracker can be used as a bomb, he tells the others to leave him and save themselves and go warn Bellamy - which , I believe, is the first time that Murphy has been really unselfish and unconcerned with saving his own life. Emori has, up to that point, been hostile to him, accusing him of selfishness (she even jumped to the conclusion that he left Raven to die to save himself). But the moment he says this, you can see her face and her whole attitude changing. She says nothing, just staring at him - and then stays with him instead of going with the others. (Murphy will again be unselfish and ask others to leave him to save thrmselves in the season 5 finale, and Emori will refuse to leave him.)

………..

In Polis, there are more reunions: Clarke gets to interact with Jackson and Miller. Jackson tells her they could have used her in the bunker (Clarke replies that they had her mom, and Jackson’s silence hints that something is wrong, but she’ll only find out what much later).This is an interesting “What if” - what if Clarke and/or Bellamy had been in the bunker? How would that have affected everything - Octavia and Abby, above all? Indra later tells Bellamy that Octavia needs him. She is clearly not one of those who drank Kool-Aid and hopes for Bellamy to be a good influence on her, the way she obviously wishes she could be, but Octavia is not listening to her. Cooper, on the other hand, is Octavia’s yes-woman and clearly encourages her worst behavior. Miller still seems somewhere in between at this point - unlike Jackson, he tells Clarke not to get involved, but then changes his mind and tells Blodreina that Clarke has something to tell her.

(This is also a rare occasion: an actual Mackson kiss.)

Clarke and Bellamy are starting to realize that Octavia is pretty scary now, starting with the way her cult worships her and turns against anyone daring to criticize or question her, and then with the way Octavia herself has changed. The episode does a good job of showing that she has been losing her grip on reality,  and apparently drinking her own Kool-Aid a bit too much. She is obsessed what she sees as her messianic role pf delivering her people to Eden, and trying to get her people through the desert during the sandstorm, contrary to the advice of Clarke, who actually knows the terrain, (Maybe she’s taken it too much to heart to continue Jaha’s legacy.) Some of the things Octavia says in this episode:

“The wind hasn’t met Wonkru” - many people mock it as one of the worst lines in the show, but I like it, I think it’s intentionally hilarious, one of the few funny moments this season - and meant to show what ridiculous things Octavia says when she’s boasting in front of Wonkru. All the Wonkru members fully accept it while only Bellamy and Clarke are looking at her with WTF? faces.

She also says “Wonkru doesn’t retreat” And then orders retreat at the end of the episode. She’s not fully delusional.

“That valley is (our home) and we’re taking it back” - Back? When did she/they have it exactly? I guess she may just be considering everything that any of the clans had/where they lived as belonging to Wonkru… but she’s never even been there

“Thanks to you, we’re at war” to Bellamy again (would it have been better to stay locked in the bunker forever?)

“You don’t understand because you’re not one of us”

and finally, she straight up threatens her brother if he keeps questioning her.

During a meal by the campfire at night, while Wonkru are chanting “All of me for all of us”, we find out that Octavia is trying to live by the “Love is weakness” maxim, which is here retconed as something that all Flamekeepers teach all Commanders (and that Gaia is teaching her now, accordingly), rather than just a Titus/Lexa thing, as it seemed in season 3. (Which in itself was a retcon, since it first seemed in season 2 that it was just something Lexa came up with as a result of her tragic experience with losing her lover Costia.) And yes, it’s love in general, not just romantic love. “Love no one, and no one can hurt you”, says Octavia, and she clearly includes her brother in that. Indra rejects that and replies with “I love you”, asking if that makes her weak. This is a recurring theme in the show: Clarke and Octavia have both gone through “Love is weakness” phase. (And now in season 7, it’s time for Bellamy - only this time, this idea came to him in the form “love is selfish”, and that he should love all mankind rather than focus on love for individual people.)

Clarke finds something “beautiful” and impressive in Wonkru’s unity - maybe because she has been alone for so long. The long isolation has changed her - she seems less assertive when she’s around others, although, to be fair, it doesn’t help that she’s not in the position to be a part of the leadership while they are around Wonkru. But she’s also shy and vulnerable when Bellamy - after telling her how amazing she was for surviving so long on her own - tries to make her talk about that time. She starts saying “Well, I wasn’t alone” - and if she immediately answered “I had Madi”, that would be nothing strange, but the way Clarke makes a long awkward pause and seems to catch herself, before saying “I had Madi”, and then quickly leaves, almost as if running away - suggest that maybe she was, for a moment, thinking and going to say something else - something about radio calls that allowed her to keep her sanity. Subsequent events have certainly supported this interpretation - we will learn in 5x13 that Clarke has been keeping it a secret from Bellamy (when Madi tells him, she says “I probably shouldn’t be telling you this”), and when Bellamy finally reveals in 6x01 that he knows about them, Clarke is again very shy and embarrassed and almost runs away from the conversation.

But at this point, Bellamy doesn’t know any of that, and I don’t think he understands Clarke’s state of mind. To him, it must seem like she’s withdrawing into herself. 

Later on, the two of them get another moment, and this time it’s Clarke’s turn to tell Bellamy how awesome he is. She praises him for not killing the prisoners in cryo and for saving her, and says “the Heart and the Head” - recalling their conversation from over 6 years ago,. in 4x13, when she told him to use his head and not just his heart. She’s saying that he’s using both his heart and his head now. Bellamy repeats “The Heart and the Head”, and I believe that’s the first time they’ve said that phrase to each other. Now they have another canon catchphrase to describe their relationship, in addition to “Together”. (They will say it again - a little different - in 6x10: “The Head and the Heart”.)  Clarke then asks Bellamy “What does your head say about fighting a war (etc.)” and he replies “Same as yours”. Which is just crying for a callback to happen in the final season. Will we get Bellamy and Clarke saying “What does your heart say…”?

Clarke - in a rare moment of medically treating someone (something she did a lot in season 1, but rarely after that), saves Octavia’s life from the worms. And - in one of her better moments in this episode - Octavia thanks for her saving her life. Sadly, their relationship is not going to be that harmonious in the rest of S5.

And at the end of this episode - more reunions! The rover comes with Madi, Monty, Harper and Echo, with three memorable reunion moments:

I love the moment when Monty greets Octavia (he still has no idea how much she has changed) and she greets him back with the most awkward smile ever. It’s like she isn’t sure if she can be Octavia now that she’s Blodreina but she’s acting like her old self for a moment with an old friend who has no idea what she’s like now. 

And this is just moments after she has threatened her brother. This camerawork in this episode is quite interesting - the way it plays with focus. When Octavia threatens Bellamy, while Clarke looks at them, concerned, we have Octavia/Bellamy in focus and Clarke out of it, and then the reverse.

And then in the reunion scene at the end, after we see Clarke and Madi running into each other’s arms for a big hug, and then we also see Echo and Bellamy running towards each other - it’s interesting and very telling that. as we see Clarke and Madi hugging and Bellamy and Echo kissing, in the same frame, the Becho kiss is out of focus throughout, while the camera zooms on Clarke’s reaction. While the first Becho kiss we saw (in 5x01) served the purpose to reveal the relationship to the audience, this time, the kiss is there just for Clarke’s and Octavia’s reactions to it, and this frame screams - what matters here is Clarke finding out about Becho.

Does this look familiar? Oh yes, we saw the same kind of scene and the exact same facial expression from Clarke in 1x05 when she learned that Finn had a girlfriend.

(But in case you ignored this moment, since it’s subtle - the dramatic music only starts with Octavia’s reaction to seeing her brother with her old enemy, which is the cliffhanger - don’t worry, you’ll get another scene of Clarke looking sad while Becho are kissing, in the next episode.)

And here’s the (melo)dramatic cliffhanger! I guess the audience is supposed to be on Bellamy’s and Echo’s side as Octavia is showing once again she can stare daggers - but I suspect many were on Octavia’s side on this one, since we’re pretty much in the same boat as Octavia and Clarke -, for us and for them, comes from nowhere, after we’ve only known them as enemies. Especially Octavia - Clarke did spend semi-amicable moments with Echo and witness Bellamy spending them just before Praimfaya. Octavia's last memories of Echo are… Echo mortally wounding Ilian, Bellamy almost strangling Echo for trying to kill Octavia/cheat them all out of the bunker, and Octavia banishing Echo. and Echo briefly trying to threaten her with telling the other Grounders about the Skaikru rebellion.

Was this really necessary in terms of the conflict between the Blakes? I don’t think so. They’ve already been butting heads over Octavia’s leadership and actions and her intention to fight a war - but yay, we are getting an episode centered around Octavia objecting to Bellamy’s girlfriend, which will ultimately go nowhere and matter little in terms of overall Bellamy/Octavia relationship this season.

Body count: 12 Wonkru members died: Obika died a horrible death from mutant worms. (His death will haunt Miller, who was with him when he was attacked by the worm, during the red sun eclipse in 6x02, when Miller hallucinated having bugs inside of him and yelled he would end up the same as Obika.) 11 other Wonkru members died from Diyoza’s missile, which means there are 801 left.

Rating: 6/10