#to cope with the horror and lack of control she felt during the previous killing game

[g0nta-g0kuhara]

for the ask game, 🏳️‍⚧️ , 🦾, 💔, and 👻 for Tsumugi?

🏳️‍⚧️ A gender headcanon:

Tsumugi is probably some flavour of genderqueer or genderfluid. I know the V3 anthologies aren't really canon but I can't stop thinking about one comic where she said she uses the men's bathroom when she's cosplaying male characters. She's clearly very confident in her gender expression and loves presenting as masc and femme so I wouldn't be surprised if this is the case!!

🦾 A disability headcanon:

Mugi is almost definitely some flavour of neurodivergent, though I don't have a specific headcanon for that. (To be fair, though, I feel this way about most DR characters. How else are you gonna be an ultimate?)

I don't know if this counts, but one of my favourite Tsumugi headcanons is that "cospox" really isnt a thing, but instead she has a fairly severe allergy to a particular type of fabric. Maybe cotton, maybe polyester, I don't really know for sure. When she was making everyone else's uniforms, she made them out of fabric with a high percentage of the material she's allergic to. That way, she has a very strong alibi against being accused of doing a murder in cosplay.

👻 A headcanon about what scares them:

I had to think about this for a while, but I think Tsumugi is scared of not being in control. She likes to think that there's something she can do in any situation she's put into to make it better, even though thats not really true. Its why Kokichi stumped her so much (He's an unpredictable variable that continually threw a wrench into her carefully planned motives) and why she chose to join DR in the first place rather than protest with Rantaro. If she feels helpless, she'll do anything to regain that feeling of control and power. Anything

💔 An angsty headcanon:

I think Tsumugi and Rantaro were genuinely really close during Danganronpa 52. Not only were they the last survivors together, but I think they were also good friends. She had a lot of conflicting feelings when she put Rantaro in the next game but tried to push them down. It's what he chose, its what the viewers want, its for the best. But when she killed him herself after Kaede's plan failed, she didn't feel the rush of excitement or pride that she thought she should feel. She was doing something horrible to someone who had stood by her for so long. Isn't that despair exactly what Junko would love? Shouldn't she also love it, as the mastermind of this killing game? Then why did it just make her feel empty?

I don't think she would really begin to address these feelings until the end of trial 6, and by that point it was too late

[yanmx]

you are what I desire. — shownu

warning: this story contains depictions of violence, murder, and unhealthy obsessions. please access if you are 18 years or older. smut: n/a requested: n/a words: 2265 reader: female

summary: Emperor!Hyunwoo, who rules an East Asian empire, has fallen in love with a young maid in his palace and is unable to cope with this feelings. 

key: concubine - a mistress ; eunuch - a male servant who has been castrated ; lady-in-waiting - a female maid

Hyunwoo is a powerful emperor that is apart of the Sohn family.

Despite having a troubled childhood with his parents deceased, he has been respected for keeping his country at peace and wealthy with riches.

He has very few concubines, unlike emperors from previous reigns.

To him, women are people that only look at him for power.

Despite his lack of interest in love, women from aristocrat families line up in hopes of being his next concubine.

Even if he’s a taciturn emperor, he’s still handsome, young, and of course rich.

During a required ceremony where Hyunwoo is forced to pick his next concubine, you, a young maid, stands by and watches.

The hall is decorated lavishly in fragrant flowers. Women in between the ages of 17 and 22 line up in front of the emperor’s chair in hopes of stealing his heart.

Your eyes lit up with interest as you admired the beautiful dresses, makeup and decor.

The crazy amount of food being served was also making your stomach grumble.

The maid-in-charge sees and loudly scolds you, unfortunately catching the attention of everyone in the ceremony.

“YOU! Why are you just standing there?! Do you want to be whipped? Hurry and bring the ceremonial treats!”

Your face flushes a deep tone of crimson while you try to escape the judgmental eyes.

Hyunwoo stands up from his chair, alarmed by the commotion. “Who dares interrupt the ceremony?”

The maid-in-charge forces you to bow in a kowtow position “Your exalted highness! I-it was this girl, she dared to peek into the ceremony.”

You began crying out of horror. You barely were brought into the palace and given a lowly position to support your family.

Is this my last day on soil?

Hyunwoo waved his hand back to dismiss everyone from the room. The wealthy women grumbled and glared daggers into your kneeling figure.

You have soured the mood of the ceremony, leaving the women with no chance to be the next concubine today.

Before Hyunwoo had the chance to speak, you blurted your feelings all at once.

“Emperor of this nation! I have sinned! I have sinned! Please punish me, b-but I beg you… don’t punish my family.”

Hyunwoo initially was confused, but then silently smiled to himself at how cute your behavior was.

“Look at me.”

You reluctantly brought you head up, you were a mess. Your nose was running and your face was red from crying and shame.

Hyunwoo, however, thought you were the most beautiful out of all the women at the ceremony today.

He had to have you.

“If you feel this guilty, then…”

Oh no. I will surely die today.

“… you will be reassigned to be my maid. I will personally train you to make sure you can behave in the palace. Go to the head eunuch and he will appoint you a position.”

Hyunwoo laughed brightly at your confused expression.

You were upset that he momentarily played with your feelings, but relieved that the emperor was lighthearted towards your mistake.

Hyunwoo made sure you were appointed as his personal lady-in-waiting to keep you near.

When the assignment was announced, you were worried that the work may be more difficult that your previous duties, but excitement quickly settled in since you get to work near such an important figure.

Despite your meeting with Emperor Hyunwoo was short and chaotic, Hyunwoo couldn’t help but want to keep you close.

He loved how your expression was pure, as if an angel had descended.

It was unlikely that someone like you had wicked intentions. He easily could trust you.

Months had gone by of you working as the emperor’s lady-in-waiting. You were in charge of tasks like dressing the him and making his bath ready.

During this time, Hyunwoo just couldn’t bring himself to make you into a real concubine.

His closest advisers knew about his affection for you, but every time they brought it up Hyunwoo’s heart would race and he would avoid the issue.

A young maid had made the emperor shy.

During the emperor’s evening walk, he noticed you behind a tree. Excited, he quickly walked there, with his maids and eunuchs swiftly following.

Unfortunately, as he got closer he noticed a young man around your age with you.

You two were exchanging laughs and the young man, who seemed to be a soldier, had given you a small gift.

Hyunwoo was infuriated.

Even though you were not officially his, you were still his lady-in-waiting that’s only suppose to serve him. You are only allowed to smile at him.

In that moment, he couldn’t control himself and began to think irrationally.

The servants following him were nervous about the terror about to rise.

Hyunwoo marched to you and grabbed your arm. “What is the meaning of this?”

You and the solider were frozen, unable to communicate.

“Your highness, I-”

“SHUT UP! I saved your life, gave you a respectable job that you can help your family with, clean clothes, clean food. I treat you with respect and this is what I get?!”

Emperor Hyunwoo was usually very composed and rarely outwardly angry, so everyone stood quietly observing this situation, at a loss of what to do.

Hyunwoo turned the man. “… and you. You dare converse with the emperor’s woman?”

“With all respect your exalted highness, [Y/N] is only a maid. There is no rule forbidding men courting servants of the palace.” The young man fired back.

Hyunwoo couldn’t believe it, this mere subject had the audacity to speak back?

“Guards, take [Y/N] back to my bedchamber.”

You yelled and kicked as the guards tightly held you, escorting you to the Emperor’s palace, while quietly apologizing for their behavior.

The other ladies-in-waiting, to your shock, scowled with jealousy.

What’s happening right now? Why are those women looking at me like this? Surely I’ll be killed for whatever reason.

You were confused and scared, especially for the soldier that accompanied you.

“As for you…” Hyunwoo withdrew his sword, pointing it towards the young man. “You are punished for stealing,” the sword was slashed not once, but five times, leaving the corpse in pieces and the area bathed in blood. “Stealing my property.”

In the emperor’s palace, several ladies-in-waiting were forcefully bathing you, dressing you in beautiful silk, and applying only the finest rouge to your lips and cheeks.

It was the first time you felt so luxurious, but it didn’t feel exciting, it felt disgusting.

While you were being adorned, you can only think about the well-being of the soldier and the events the you were facing.

After crying, resisting, and pondering the situation, you were exhausted.

By the time you were brought to the emperor’s bedchamber, all you wanted to do was rest.

You didn’t understand why you were brought to the emperor’s palace, but you didn’t care at this point.

Your eyelids fell and you entered a slumber.

After the emperor washed himself as well, he walked into his palace with anticipation, but a small part of him was worried.

In his five year reign, Hyunwoo had never lost his temper nor killed someone out of jealousy. He feared his sudden turn in personality.

But, it doesn’t matter. He is an emperor. He is the almighty of the land, chosen by God. He merely punished someone for touching his woman. Everyone knew he was in love with [Y/N], why was that guard so blind?

It’s his fault.

Hyunwoo hummed, satisfied with his flawed reasoning.

Entering his bedchamber, he saw you.

You laid your head on his study table.

You looked angelic, as if you were a maiden that descended from the heavens, bathed in pure white light.

It was a hallucination Hyunwoo saw in the dark room. He has definitely become madly in love.

He tiptoed to your sleeping figure, kneeling next you and admiring your beauty. However, your maid instincts kicked in and you immediately had woken up, feeling his heavy presence.

Shocked seeing Hyunwoo next you, you panicked and quickly got up from the study table.

“Y-your highness?”

“You’re awake [Y/N]. You must be very tired, go back to sleep on the bed-” Hyunwoo tried to hold your shoulders, but you batted them away.

“No! What’s going on?! I should be in a prison cell, why… why am I in the palace?”

Hyunwoo took a deep breath, trying to sympathize with your confusion. He brought another chair and sat down next to you.

“I understand. I didn’t want things to happen so fast, but… [Y/N] please believe me when I say that I love you. Ever since the day of the ceremony, I felt some sort of gravitation towards you. That’s why I kept you by my side. I didn’t understand what this feeling was, but after seeing you with that man, I know now. I want you to be my concubine.”

Hyunwoo slightly smiled at his words. The excitement of love, he could finally feel it. It was embarrassing, but it also felt good, finally being able to take it off of his chest.

You didn’t feel touched or loved however, all you could feel was used and horrified.

You thought the emperor saw potential in you and wanted to help you rise in the ranks. You thought the emperor was protecting you as if you were his little sister.

“No,” you said, trying to be as confident as possible.

“What?”

“Please let me go back to the servant quarters. I want to see the soldier I was with.”

“What are you saying?” Hyunwoo was baffled. This wasn’t apart of the fairy tale in his head.

You have always been an innocent maiden, following his every command. Why were you suddenly being defiant? Why were you thinking of another?

You tried to leave the entrance of the bedchamber, but the guards blocked you way.

“Where do you think you’re leaving to?”

“Please your exalted highness. I am not fit to be a concu-”

Hyunwoo cut you off and grabbed your arm, turning you around. “I didn’t give you the choice. This is an order. I will bed you tonight and after two moons, you will be given a title and enter the harem.”

You tried pushing him off of you, punching his chest, kicking his knees, but nothing worked.

Hyunwoo threw you onto the bed, and brought a chair near you, sitting on it.

“Forget about that man, he’s dead. I killed him for daring to seduce the emperor’s woman. His body is indistinguishable now, he’s probably rotting in hell for his sins.”

What?!

“You’re lucky I spared you, or else your body should have been in ashes next to his. You know why I spared you? Because if you’re going to die, you’re going do it as my beloved. A the concubine of the Sohn family, not some lowly servant.”

You were extremely afraid. After Hyunwoo mentioned the death of that man, you couldn’t focus on anything he said.

That man wasn’t someone you loved, it was a childhood friend that acted as a messenger. He gave you information on the well-being of your family back in the village.

The gift, it wasn’t from him, it was from your sister who had just gotten married. It was a token of gratitude for giving your entire salary to her for the arrangement of her wedding.

You began crying. You knew the emperor wouldn’t listen to you or give in to your wishes.

Women were not allowed to refuse Emperor Hyunwoo. Women who refused an emperor weren’t killed, that would be a privilege. Instead, their families lives would be at stake.

Bracing yourself, you closed your eyes and lied down, tears streaming down your face.

To your shock, Hyunwoo stood up and walked to the entrance.

“I have no interest in sleeping with you tonight, you soiled my mood. Be prepared for tomorrow, you will be assigned a new room with your own servants. I need to take permission from the queen to assign you as a concubine, so for now you’re just a bed servant.”

Hyunwoo left the bed chamber without looking back and walked to his office.

“Head eunuch, prepare a decree and palace buffet for [Y/N]’s family. Make sure to also invite her family to the crowning ceremony that will take place in two moons. She must know how much is at stake with her new title as my concubine.”

If she doesn’t submit to me, maybe seeing her family before I threaten her will, Hyunwoo diabolically planned.

“Your highness, I have seen you as a small, cheerful child, a quiet prince, and a successful emperor. If I may be honest with you, your behavior is not normal.” The head eunuch informed him, concerned.

“I am aware, but when it comes to her, I can’t help it.” Hyunwoo sighed and looked out the window, the sky was clear.

“The sky tonight has no one to accompany him. No stars, no moons, no fireworks, no candles. That was me. I suffered, no one was ever trustworthy to be my side and hear my cries. But [Y/N], she never had bad intentions. She was honest with her job and always worried about her family. She never stole or fought with other servants for a better position.”

Hyunwoo gripped his water glass and, with pressure, broke it into small pieces.

The eunuch panicked and quickly tried to mend his wounds, but Hyunwoo stopped him.

“If I need to become a sinful demon to be by her side, then so be it.”

[note: please message me or leave replies for any nice comments! I had a lot of fun with this one, which is why it’s so long lmao sorry owo.]

[phantom-le6]

Episode Reviews - Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1 (6 of 6)

At last, we’re at the end of season 1 of Star Trek TNG, with only two episodes to warp through before we get on to the hopefully better performance of season 2 and beyond.  So, without further ado, let’s look at those last couple of episodes…

Episode 25: Conspiracy

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

While the Enterprise is en route to Pacifica on a scientific mission, Captain Picard receives a highly confidential message from an old friend, Captain Walker Keel of the USS Horatio. Keel refuses to discuss his concerns, even though the frequency he is using is supposed to be a secure channel, and insists on a face-to-face meeting. Once they arrive at Dytallix B for this secret meeting, the crew discover the Horatio and two other Federation ships already present. Picard beams alone to the surface and is met by Captain Keel and the other captains. Keel reports strange orders from Starfleet headquarters and what he implies are suspicious deaths of Starfleet officers, and expresses concern of a conspiracy. Picard refuses to accept this without proof, but Keel warns him to remain wary.

 When the captain returns to the Enterprise, he confides only in Counsellor Troi, who questions whether he should really his contact with Keel secret. Picard is sceptical about the conspiracy, but says that he trusts his old friend completely. The Enterprise resumes its previous journey. Picard has Lt. Commander Data review all orders issued by Starfleet Command in the past six months. While the ship is still on its way to Pacifica, a disturbance is detected in nearby space. Upon investigating this, the Enterprise discovers a mass of debris that surely must be the shattered remains of the Horatio. Data completes his study and finds several strange orders from the senior levels of Starfleet. Picard informs his senior staff of the conspiracy theory, and orders the Enterprise to Earth.

 As it approaches Earth, the Enterprise receives no response from Starfleet Command. Eventually, a transmission is received from a trio of Starfleet admirals: Savar, Arron and Quinn, an old friend of Picard's who recently made an inspection of the Enterprise (in "Coming of Age"). They are surprised by the Enterprise's presence, but invite Captain Picard and Commander Riker to dinner. Quinn requests to beam aboard the Enterprise for a tour. Captain Picard recalls being warned by Quinn about some kind of threat to Starfleet when the admiral was last aboard. Upon Quinn's arrival, Picard discusses matters with him and Quinn seems strangely evasive; Picard comes to believe that he is an impostor, or under some sort of alien influence. After warning Riker of his concerns and asking him to watch Quinn, the captain beams down to Starfleet headquarters to attend the dinner. On arrival, Picard is greeted by the other two Admirals who are accompanied by Lt. Commander Remmick.

 Meanwhile, Riker visits Quinn's quarters on the Enterprise and questions him about what he has in the small box he brought with him. Quinn tells Riker of a superior life form within the box. Riker attempts to leave but Quinn throws Riker across the room. A security team arrives to subdue Quinn, who is able to withstand a great amount of phaser-fire before he collapses. The ship's chief medical officer, Dr Crusher, finds a small protrusion on the back of his neck. She discovers that a bug-like parasite has wrapped its tendrils around the stem of Quinn's brain and is controlling him. Dr Crusher warns Picard of this incident when he contacts the ship in private. He is advised that the infected person can only be stopped by a phaser set to 'kill'; the captain points out that he is unarmed. He then has no choice but to go in to dinner with his three superiors.

 A bowl of living larvae is served at the meal, to Picard's disgust. He attempts to leave, only to find Riker blocking his way. The commander appears to be controlled by the parasite Quinn brought to the Enterprise. When the others see a prosthetic protrusion on the back of Riker's neck, he is accepted as one of them and allowed to dine. They reveal that the parasites are seeking to take over Starfleet, using humanoids as hosts. When he is about to put a handful of the larvae in his mouth, Riker suddenly produces a phaser and fires on one of the Admirals. Picard picks up a fallen weapon and the two Enterprise officers subdue the infected, causing parasites to leave the hosts and flee. One of the parasites scurries under a closed door and Picard and Riker follow it. They find Remmick ingesting the parasite to join several others inside him. Picard and Riker fire upon Remmick, destroying his body but freeing a giant parasite; the two continue to fire until it is destroyed.

 Later, Dr Crusher reports that the other parasites, including the one inside Quinn, have shrivelled up and died, as they were unable to survive without the mother-creature that had been inhabiting Remmick. As they help to settle matters with Starfleet headquarters, they find that before the mother creature was killed, it had sent a signal to a distant quadrant of the galaxy. The signal is thought to be a homing beacon.

Review:

This episode is notable in the show’s first season on two counts.  First, it’s about the first time we’ve seen the show display any real sense of a multi-episode arc beyond Wesley becoming an acting Ensign or Worf taking over as acting security chief and tactical officer following the death of Tasha Yar. Second, this episode was apparently quite controversial due to the fairly graphic nature of the scene in which a parasite-infested Remmick is blown apart to reveal the parasite mother-creature within.  According to Wikipedia, the show carried a warning message when aired in Canada to forewarn audiences of the graphic scene, while original British broadcasts simply didn’t happen; it was only shown in repeats of the show on BBC 2, and only in an edited format.

 Frankly, I felt that the conspiracy falls flat when revealed because the ultimate motivations of the parasites are never explored.  There’s no look into why they have this need to take over humanity and control the Federation, and subsequent Trek episodes never pick up the plot thread either. According to the Trek wiki website Memory Alpha, the parasites are only explored in tie-in media such as novels and comics, and as someone who is very selective about their Trek, I don’t think that’s good enough.  To really pay off the ominous ending, there should have been a follow-up episode down the line so it could be explored with the canon of the originating show itself. Without that follow up, the lack of exposition falls flat; you just get a bland attempt at horror and mystery. Considering how good Coming of Age was, I’m quite disappointed by this follow-up, and give it only 5 out of 10.

Episode 26: The Neutral Zone

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

While Captain Picard is away at an emergency Federation conference, the Enterprise crew discovers an ancient space capsule from Earth. Inside they find three humans in cryonic chambers. Lt. Commander Data asks to move the chambers to the Enterprise and Commander Riker agrees. Picard returns and orders the Enterprise to the Neutral Zone, as several Federation outposts near the edges of the zone have not responded to communications. He explains that the conference was about the potential threat of the Romulans, who have not been seen for decades. As Data and Chief Medical Officer Dr Crusher work to thaw the cryonically preserved humans, Picard admonishes Data for bringing them aboard during a crucial time, and puts Riker in charge of looking after them.

The survivors consist of Claire Raymond (a housewife), Ralph Offenhouse (a financier) and L. Q. "Sonny" Clemmons (a musician), all of whom are from the late 20th century. All died of incurable illnesses at the time and were placed in cryonic suspension after their deaths in the hope that cures might be found in the future. Dr Crusher, in reviving them, easily cures them of their illnesses. They have to cope with the culture shock of awakening in a distant future with the realization that everything and everyone they knew is now gone. Of the three, Clemmons seems to fare the best at adapting to life in the future and befriends Data. Claire is distraught at the thought of having lost everyone she ever knew, particularly her children, so Counsellor Troi suggests searching for Claire's descendants. Offenhouse is irritated by the lack of access to news or other information, and uses the comm unit to disturb Picard on the bridge. Picard comes down to assure everyone that all questions will be answered, but that the ship's mission requires Picard's full attention.

The Enterprise reaches the Neutral Zone and confirms that the outposts have been destroyed. They are soon met by a Romulan Warbird and Commander Tebok questions why the Enterprise has approached the zone. As Picard tries to explain his actions, Offenhouse arrives on the bridge and threatens to disrupt the tense situation, though he correctly ascertains that the Romulans are also seeking answers. Picard and the Romulans agree to pool their resources to discover the culprit. Picard later comments that while the encounter went favourably, the Romulans may be a significant threat in future engagements. Picard arranges to transport the 20th-century humans to another ship that will take them to Earth. Troi locates one of Claire's descendants on Earth, and while Claire is unsure of her place in her new reality, Troi suggests that family is a good starting point. Clemmons expresses enthusiasm for the future, and Picard explains to Offenhouse that in this time, the challenge is that of improving himself rather than attempting to accumulate wealth and power.

Review:

As a season finale, this episode leaves much to be desired.  The title plot is ok, but doesn’t have room to really be fleshed out or explored in the way it should be, and as such, the impact of the Romulans finally appearing is somewhat lessened.  The lack of room results from a waste of time b-plot in which we get some very bad stereotypes of 20th century humanity thawed out and given a horrendous morality lecture that falls flat due to being so incredibly condescending in tone. Frankly, later episodes in the franchise like the season 2 opening episode of Voyager, The 37s, handle this kind of plot much better, and we’d have been much better sticking to just having more time spent focused on the re-introduction of the Romulans. Really, the episode’s only redeeming feature is a good guest appearance by future DS9 actor of note Marc Alaimo, better known to fans of the DS9 Trek series as Cardassian villain Gul Dukat. All in all, this episode pulls in only a meagre 3 out of 10 from me.