#well mikado might be into it

[review-anon]

Mikado maybe you can win the dance competition by doing amazing pole dancing with Nikei!

Firstly Mx Anon, I would never partake in this stupid competition based on a false holiday.

And if this wasn't tied to something so ridiculous, then I wouldn't choose Mr. Yomiuri as he is a very unsuitable dance partner.

I would rather have to endure another one of my articles being surpassed by Masa fucking Esumi, then having to dance with you!

After all you dance like a wet sponge and cannot keep up with me.

Funnily enough I was gonna say the same to you.

Also pole dancing with him, what are you a sick psychopath? The only pole Mikado should have is one rammed into his head.

[nikeikeis]

here's the last of my void pokemon drawings - mikado! he might be the one that gave me the least trouble team wise... pretty quickly i had in mind which pokemon i wanted for him. volcarona was the one i was most indecisive with, though - i knew he should have at least one sun-inspired pokemon, which left me with a lot of options, but volcarona and solrock were the main two i considered. visually, solrock gets the idea across better (and i thought that if i ever consider doing more of these drawings, sora could have lunatone so they'd parallel each other...) but if i didn't pick volcarona, there wouldn't be a single fire type here. that felt wrong lol. anyways, honchkrow! i picked it not only as a reference to monocrow, but also cause its nature fits mikado well. honchkrows are merciless leaders that punish their murkrow minions for any mistakes or betrayals. they leave the flock of murkrow to do most of the dirty work, only ever dealing the finishing blows themselves. a lot of behavior reminiscent of mikado. lastly, porygon-z. i wanted one of mikado's pokemon to be a reference to him being an AI! the porygon line was the first that came to mind for that. since porygon-z is not only an AI but also one that isn't following its coding properly, i thought it was a good pick. i would've liked to get more fire-types on mikado's team, but since i limited myself to 3 pokemon per character, i put matching mikado's character over keeping type consistency. that's all, though! it's been a long time since i've drawn pokemon, and i always like drawing the voids, so i enjoyed making these! if there's an interest in seeing some for other dra/sdra2 characters, i'd be happy to do more! (but i can't say i have many ideas for teams... y'all are free to send me some if you do!)

[rekino2114]

Playing the pocky game with the protags girls

A/n:random fun fact, but pockys are called mikados in Italy, and that's really funny to me because every time I eat one, I can't not think about Mikado sannoji from sdra2

Kaede akamatsu (drv3)

"Do you want one?"

Kaede smiles kindly at you as you offer her a strawberry pocky

"Oh no it's fine, it's the last one so it should be yours"

"But you didn't have any, I feel bad now"

"Well, you brought the packet, so I don't think there's anything wrong with that"

"But I wanna do something nice for you, I know you like them, please have it"

"No I want you to have it"

After a bit more arguing you get an idea

"Oh I know how to solve this, we can both eat it"

"...what do you mean?"

"I saw it online look"

You put the stick in your mouth and pointed at the other end, kaede quickly understood what you had in mind and blushed a bit before complying

She started by biting her end of the pocky, and you did the same. When you reached the center, you felt kaede's soft lips, and you kissed her back. She tasted of strawberry even more than usual since she often put on strawberry lip gloss and the taste was amazing to you.

You pulled back and looked at her with a smile as she did the same

"Wow that was......amazing"

"Oh you think so? Me too"

"Yeah I mean your kisses are always amazing so I should have expected that, maybe we should buy pockys more often"

"Hehe, I'd love that"

Sora(sdra2)

"Hey y/n, can you help me with something?"

"Hm? Sure"

You turned back towards your girlfriend's voice and saw sora with a white chocolate pocky sticking out of her mouth

"..........seriously?"

She nods, signaling that she is indeed serious.

You sigh but giggle a bit and start biting the stick, sora smiles and does it too only that she's a bit too impatient and eats basically all the pocky wanting to get to your lips as soon as possible

You roll your eyes at her but give her what she wants,kissing her lips. There's still some white chocolate smudges there that you lick off. After you pull back sora takes a moment to breathe before looking at you while smirking

"If you wanted a kiss you could have just asked for one"

"Isn't it more fun this way?"

"I guess"

Sora smirks even wider and pulls out another pocky from the pack

"I have a lot of them so I can keep going for however long you want, wanna do it again?"

"........fine if you insist"

Teruko tawaki (drdt)

"You wanna use that to kiss?"

Teruko looks at you skeptically as you hold up a matcha flavored pocky

"Yeah,it's this super cute trend that couples do. Basically, you bite the stick, and I do the same until we kiss"

"Can't we just kiss normally, that sounds kinda weird"

"Come on it'll be fun"

She sighs but gives up quickly when she sees how you really want to do this

"Fine"

"Yay"

You take the pocky out of the box and put it on your mouth, closing your eyes in the meantime. Teruko blushes but eventually bites the other end.

The matcha taste hits her tongue first, but she closes her eyes, waiting for your lips, and when she finally finds them, she brushes her own against them losing herself in the kiss....until she makes a noise and pulls back putting her hand over her mouth

"Ah! Shit!"

"T-teru, what happened? Did I do something?"

"No,no its nothing I just bit my tongue"

"O-oh sorry"

"It's not your fault"

"Yeah, I know, but I was the one to propose this, wasn't I?"

"It's really not your fault ok?"

"......I guess"

The "lucky" student looks at you and sighs seeing you sad, so she takes another pocky from the box and holds it up

"You wanna try again?"

"Really? But won't you get hurt again?"

"Maybe, but I don't care, I'd go through all the pain in the world if it meant I'd get to kiss you"

Akira hayasaka (drhd)

(You might be wondering why she's here even if heartless deceit didn't win, and it's just because I really like her, and it feels wrong to leave her out of the protags girls posts. Is it favoritism? Yes. Do I care? Not really it's my blog my rules)

Akira had asked you to help her film a video for her tik-tok account. This was pretty common because since you started dating, she always wanted to show you off on every social media she has so everyone would know you're both taken

"Alright this looks good, are you ready?"

She says as she finishes putting the phone and the ring light in position

"Yeah, but what are we gonna do anyway?"

"You'll see"

She winks and makes her way to the couch and pulls a packet of berry flavored pockys from her pocket, offering it to you

"Really? The pocky game?"

"Yep, a lot of my fans would love to see us kiss you know? I'm just giving them what they want"

"Are you sure it's not just you?"

"Well, it is definitely also me, but not only, they make edits about us and ship us so much, don't you see all the videos I tag you in?"

".......fair"

"Good"

She takes a pocky out of the packet and taps the phone to start recording. She then holds the purple part in her mouth and points at the other side, waiting for you to bite.

You do just that, and after a while, you feel akira's lips connect with yours, and the instant they do, she grabs your cheek and pulls you closer to her, deepening the kiss even more.

She doesn't let go and wraps her arms around you, making you fall on the couch. You're now fully making out with her on top of you. You keep this position for a few more seconds before akira finally pulls back needing to breathe

"Fuck that was good"

".........y-yeah"

"I don't think we can show this.....not for free at least"

You laugh a bit at her joke, and she stops the recording before grabbing the packet and looking at you smirked again

"Wanna do more takes?"

Sara chidouin (yttd)

"Oh yeah, want a pocky?"

"Sure thing"

"Then take it!"

She suddenly sticks an orange pocky in her mouth while innocently closing her eyes

"..........what?"

She points at the other end of the stick but you don't move so she takes it out of her mouth a bit irritated

"Why didn't you do anything?"

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Bite the other end so we can kiss, you know? The pocky game, ever heard of it?"

"......I guess"

"I saw ryoko and Joe do it, and I thought it was adorable. Sorry for catching you off guard thought I guess"

"No it's fine, should we continue?"

"Definitely"

She puts the stick back in her mouth, and this time, you eagerly take a bite before continuing to eat it, sara finally arrives at your lips and presses them against yours, she moves a bit while continuing and deepening the kiss and hugs you closer to her before pulling back for air

"That felt extra good, not only did I get one of your amazing as always kisses but also a bit of vitamin c"

"I guess so, but your lips always taste sweeter than anything to me"

Sara smiles at you for a while before pulling out another stick and giving it to you

"Now it's your turn to have the orange part, I'll bite the other end ok?"

"Yep sounds good"

"Amazing, I should definitely thank ryoko for the idea"

[izamationbroker]

hello i love your analyses so much arghh! on one of em you mentioned mikado have a 'baby aspd' and izaya trying to take a mentor role, did you ever elaborate on that? im trying to search on your blog.. and like. read everything :0

Thank you so much, I'm sorry I left this to steam in my inbox for almost a year lmao.

This ask is referring to a post I made while rewatching Shou, with some thoughts on how Izaya operates as a more genuine mentor for Mikado than one might expect. I mentioned offhandedly in the tags that I headcanon Mikado having "baby ASPD" and then... never actually elaborated lmao!

When I say "baby ASPD," I'm cheekily referring to Conduct Disorder, which is kind of casually considered ASPD for minors. This is because according to the DSM, ASPD cannot be diagnosed in people under the age of 18, and CD is also listed as a prerequisite in the ASPD criteria.

However! Oswald, Wa-kun, Nakura, Chrome, (who all have ASPD) and I (who does not but takes their experiences into consideration) do not much care for the DSM's weirdly arbitrary division between minor and adult in the realm of ASPD diagnosis (and ONLY ASPD diagnosis) and so we cheekily refer to it as "baby ASPD" instead.

Mikado has a lot of the same issues as Izaya which line up with the headcanon of ASPD, particularly including a pervasive chronic boredom and detachment from other people which drives him to engage in reckless behavior to entertain himself. Does Mikado actually have ASPD/CD? Debatable. I don't really wanna do through all of the criteria today like I did in my Izaya (and Shinra) breakdown of yore. Maybe if someone is interested I will one day.

To that effect, though, I do believe that whether or not Mikado has ASPD/CD, there is still a little nugget of that something in him that has the potential to put him on the fast track to becoming just like Izaya if left unchecked.

And Izaya knows it.

Say what you will about Aoba wanting to "usurp" Izaya, Mikado is the true successor in the story, and Izaya calls it. He's there keeping tabs on him in the chat room, guiding him, and yes that may well at first have been because he wanted to involve Mikado in his plans regarding Celty's head, I think over the course of the story Izaya starts to realize with growing horror that Mikado is in exactly the same situation he was as a kid—chronically bored and getting mixed up in things he shouldn't just to alleviate that boredom.

In fact, this boredom and disconnect from people is the entire crux of Mikado's arc, a young boy struggling with some dire need to experience something extraordinary, because all he's ever known is the mundane and he's come to detest it. In the slant of ASPD, it only really seems to get more evident to me as the series goes on, as he starts to show more signs in the disregard of the safety of himself and others and his justifications in doing so.

He claims it is to make the city right again for himself and his friends, but to what extent is that true? To what extent is taking Aoba's deal of (mutual) manipulation and ultimately getting mixed up with the Awakusu-kai really about protecting his friends and to what extent is it because he's fallen into a spiral of adrenaline junkie-ism from which he can't fathom a way to escape?

This is what Izaya means in the aftermath of the very first arc, when he tells Mikado that after a week, the extraordinary life he found himself in will become mundane. In the realm of ASPD and particularly the chronic boredom that comes with it, novelty is like a drug, and you will build up a resistance to it. In order to escape, you have to keep chasing greater and greater novelties.

"Constantly evolve," and Izaya says, whether you aim high or low to achieve it.

And boy, does Mikado tailspin lower and lower while trying desperately to convince himself he's taken the high road.

In that sense, I believe Izaya recognized Mikado's having that unknowable something in him that Izaya himself has, that separates himself from others and makes it so difficult to form fulfilling connections. It's not so much that Mikado can't be close to people—he over course has Kida and Sonohara—but in the realm of ASPD, there's always something missing. A scratch that needs to be itched.

Izaya sees that and from that very first bit of advice about evolving to escape the mundane, puts himself in the position of a mentor for Mikado's very specific struggle, whether he realizes it or not. In that original post, with the phone call, I do think by that moment in Shou Izaya has come to realize that he's probably one of the only people who really gets the problem Mikado is dealing with internally, and as such as the adult it's become his responsibility to help him.

There's a bit of camaraderie there in that he sees himself in Mikado, and maybe he wants to save him from the fate he himself has found himself in. No friends to speak of—Shinra hardly counts—only enemies, and a chronic disconnect from humanity which he masks with a superficial love and intrigue.

Whether or not he's actually successful? Well... I think the series speaks for itself on that.

[poisonous-seas-and-knives]

PROMO: The Trouble Trio

(This takes place when the Nijiue siblings are in their teens aka before the killing game Iroha enters. This means you can have your characters from the future or them in their teens/youth as well, or anything you can think of. Have fun!)

Warning: Also mentions of Pedophilia. It won't be long don't worry.

-----

You were minding your own business when someone was thrown to the wall hard right in front of you. Someone yelling-

"I SAID FUCK OFF PEDO!"

-was heard right before the man was thrown. It sound like a teenage girl, a pissed one as well. When you look to see who threw him, you saw a teenage girl alone.

She was fair skinned, muted teal eyes, and slightly muscular figure. She had wild long brown hair that fades to a slight bright red color. She had four strains of blonde hair. Two on the front and two in the back. She had her hair pulled into a ponytail. It was tied back with a red scarf.

She was wearing a cropped tank top that had spaghetti straps and was low cut, allowing people to see at most, ⅕ of her red bra. She had a black plated short skirt with a white trim and band. She also had white thigh high socks and black school girl shoes. She had black holster that was attached to a black choker and stopped right under her breast as well to black holsters on her thighs and attached to her socks. She had fingerless red gloves, dark red lipstick, eye shadow, and nail polish on too. She was also wearing a black jacket.

It was mostly definitely against any school dress code. In fact, school should still be open right now, why isn't she at school? The girl then looked at you and then at the grown man she threw. The man might be dead or alive, It's hard to tell honestly. She then looked back at you, not saying a thing as she dropped a sweat.

Tags: @mikado-sannoji @chaoticblogofmuses @the-sxrens-sxng @the-real-kokichi-ouma @human-monokuma @unknown-ultimates @ult-aikido-princess @ultimate-rider @ask-emma-magorobi @ask-the-journalist @ask-the-otonokoji-twins @scarred-smiles @anyone else

[hello-vampire-kitty]

Servamp chapter 136 spoilers

I only read the chapter once so I haven't understood some parts because I haven't looked up the meaning of some words, that's what I'll do when I get to properly translate the chapter, but in the meantime, I'm just going over a few pages so you can get an idea of what's going on.

Oh my God, this chapter reveled so much!

I haven't talked about this, because I still have a few chapters to work on, but the previous one ended with Lily saying that everything was done in order to make the revived Count become the 9th Servamp with Mikuni as his Eve.

If that's the plan, could it mean that Mikuni will break his contract with Jeje or will it be possible to also keep him too?

Lily reveals to Misono that initially he wanted to put Kuro in Mikuni's path, but that would have been a great risk if Tsubaki went after Kuro, so instead he chose Mahiru.

"As someone from a family of magicians that could be easily monitored and who didn't posses the combat skills of a magician...And most of all, he was the son of a certain man"

Lily tells Misono about Touma being Mahiru's father, who was a hindrance because Touma was close to the realization of the Count's reincarnation. Lily thought that if Tsubaki would target Mahiru, Touma would be dealt with if he tried protecting Mahiru.

Lily didn't think that Touma would try shooting his son, but he was wrong.

"Love is the most difficult to read."

Lily tells Misono about his mother and what we knew about her was a lie. To start off her name was Tatsunami Hokaze which is so weird and perhaps it was a mistake because it happened before that some character's name were misspelled, like it happened with Pisca (it was even brought up by Tanaka on Twitter) and I recall one time where Tsurugi's name was written Rurugi xD

So, I looked up Hokaze (歩風) and it seems to be a boy's name and I have found the readings Ayuka or Honoka for girl names, so maybe one of those is actually her name?

Well, if it won't be mentioned by Tanaka if it was a misspelling, for now she will be called Hokaze.

Moving on, I noticed that in the first panel on the left, if you look closely at the book she's holding, it most likely "Jane Eyre" written on the cover, so we have a literary work that's associated with her.

Alright, so she was one of the orphans Lily brought to the Alicein house, like Dodo and Mitsuki.

Lily described her as ambitious woman and he encouraged her to get into Mikado's good graces. If she became his mistress, she could control him from the shadows.

The letters from his mother that Misono read were censored by Mikuni and crafted a beautiful story. In Japanese it specifically says検閲 which means censorship, so that seems to imply that he didn't fabricate the letters entirely, some things that were written in them might have been left unchanged.

Poor Misono :((

Man, the drama of this family...

So, we get to see Lily's past and I'm assuming (because it doesn't say) that he was selling his body? That's the impression I get from that image with the old guy who's giving him money...

Alright, moving on to Kuro's fight against Tsubaki!

It's awesome how Kuro made the candlestick into a sword! It looks cool!

Tsubaki says that demon Kuro was apparently sensei's "something", that he called things such as friend or brother and the demon was sort of like a familiar.

Kuro wants to hear from Tsubaki why is he obsessed with the Count, but Tsubaki isn't reluctant to tell him.

Kuro uses "Elpsis" to try looking into his memories and it's so cool that he can use Mahiru's ability, like he even changed the sword into a staff like Mahiru's!

Tsubaki had a little sister :(

So, apparently the reason he wanted to revive sensei isn't because he cared about him. He wants the ritual to be fulfilled because he awaits what comes after. Tsubaki made a promise with sensei, the latter telling him that he would make his little sister happy.

What could that mean? If she's dead, could it mean that he will bring her to life? It doesn't mention what happened to her...

Oh boy, so, I feel sorry for Misono because of how much he was deceived and we also find out that Tsubaki wasn't actually looking forward to be reunited with sensei because they had a deep bond or something, he even admits in this chapter that he's probably just a means to sensei's objective to be united with Kuro, because sensei was only interested in him.

So yeah, that's about it. I want to end the post by saying that I thank you for the patience with the scanlations, I still have three more chapters to finish until I start working on this one.

[tobiasdrake]

Ranma 1/2 Reboot 01x10 - Kiss of Death

This should be the end of the Mikado and Azusa arc. Then we're finally into Shampoo's introduction.

This guy is literally Kuno without the pretense. He's a Kuno unchained by pretending to be chivalrous and shit. Kuno unmasked.

Just lift your legs and slam them back, Ranma. That's all you have to do. This match will be over immediately and you'll be a hero to women everywhere.

Oh, Ryoga just made mistakes.

This is a good payoff. It's already been well-established how feral Azusa becomes when a cute thing is kept from her. It was a funny gag up to this point, but now that we're in a more action-oriented scene, it's a serious threat on Ryoga's life.

SHE'S SO GODDAMN COOL

So ends the saga of Sanzenin Mikado. With exactly as much dignity as he deserves.

Mugged to death on a stretcher. He will not be missed. XD

Ranma's understated, "You sure about this?" as they both dive in is the funniest moment of the entire arc.

SHE'S HERE

The Joketsuzoku is actually just "The Amazon tribe", no mention of "Chinese" in the name. I think they just added that to distinguish them from the Amazon region of the world, which they are nowhere near.

But the concept of Amazon warrior women far predates the discovery of the Americas. They're figures of ancient Greek mythology, featuring in ancient stories like the Iliad or the Ten Labours of Heracles. Their exact placement in the world was never really clear, beyond "Somewhere very, very, very far from Greece."

So. Y'know. China's just as good a place as South America.

I kinda wish this had remained Shampoo's dynamic with Ranma. We get to see very little of it. Having a character who might just crash through a wall in a blood frenzy at any given moment is ripe for comedic potential, and we've already domesticated Ryoga out of that.

She's still going to be a Sudden Chaos Gremlin, just in a different way. But I do wish we could have a bit more of this initial premise.

[utapri-translations-uuuu]

Shinsengumi ~Zan'yō no Yukusue~ LINE messages - Translation

Translator's notes can be found at the end and are marked with an asterisk.

Please do not repost/retranslate without permission.

Eiichi Otori

"I bought a little more handmade washi paper than usual. I thought I might be able to use it for the New Year’s first calligraphy. I’m already looking forward to it."

Kira Sumeragi

"Seven Kiyomizu ware* pieces have been added to the cabinet. Their striking blue, reminiscent of thin ice, is beautiful to the eye."

Nagi Mikado

"The souvenir I got in Kyoto is a Nishijin-ori* book cover☆ It makes any novel look stylish, I love it♪"

Eiji Otori

"The Kyoto-style shichimi* has a different mix than the one I usually use. I feel like it gives the food a slightly milder flavor."

Van Kiryuin

"The sencha tea I had at the filming location was super rich and delicious! I asked where it was from, and since then, I’ve been having it again and again."

Yamato Hyuga

“When I see a wooden sword while traveling, I always end up wanting one. Well, I have one in my room now. It's for training purposes.”

Shion Amakusa

“I find comfort in this booklet that lets me enjoy the majestic views of the garden* in each of the four seasons... Someday, I’d love to see it covered in snow.”

Translator's notes:

*1 Kiyomizu-yaki- (Kiyomizu ware) kind of Kyō ware (Kyō-yaki), a type of Japanese pottery traditionally from Kyoto

*2 Nishijin-ori- Traditional textile produced in the Nishijin district in Kyoto

*3 Shichimi- Seven-flavor chili pepper

*4 This could refer to one garden or to multiple gardens

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Dangancember 2024 - Danganronpa Top 24 Class Trials - Number 11: Danganronpa Another 2 Case 1 {BEST CASE FROM SDRA2}

//It's usually never a good sign for a mystery game when the best case in your entire game's run is the first one. It's truly a sign that the rest of what's to come really doesn't reach the bar that the initial case set.

//It's even more of a bad sign when on a ranking that takes into account every trial in the series...NONE of them from this particular game manage to breach the Top 10.

//Yeah, I didn't even keep this a secret, but SDRA2 hands down has the least interesting and least engaging trials and mysteries, and it's for a variety of reasons. But it's important to remember that the primary reason for why it doesn't isn't because the cases are bad.

//It's primarily because none of them succeed in reaching the heights of the original series, or the trials and themes of its prequel. Despite how much SDRA2 branches out, it's riddled with issues that really set it down.

//And unfortunately, even as the best case in the game, Case 1 still gets this high on the list not out of greatness or what it aspires to reach, but out of...decency...more than anything.

//As I said previously, despite the fact that SDRA2's final trial manages to avoid most of the issues that are common throughout the finale's of these games, it still unfortunately fell victim to them, which is what pushed it down from being the standout trial of SDRA2. And as it stands, the first trial on the twisted island still then turns out to be the overall achiever.

//The interesting thing is that the reason why A2-6 got as high as this is because of the way it handles and resolves all the stakes that the rest of SDRA2 spent a lot of time putting focus on and dwelling over. The reason why A2-1 on the other hand gets the highest is because of how well it SETS them.

//To be honest, without spoiling what Number 10 on this list is, it was quite difficult to decide which between it, and this trial would manage to breach the Top 10. It'll make more sense when we actually cover it tomorrow, but the main reason is because this trial and that one share quite a bit in common.

//When it comes to opening cases in a Danganronpa game, A2-1 manages to get this high, higher than any other trial in SDRA2, because it's the only one that successfully manages to hit all the important story beats and tones that the better opening trials of the games SHOULD have.

//And again, you will see when we get to tomorrow's analysis just how similar they are, but what clear points and aspects made it take the victory over this trial.

//Before I go into the actual case, trial, and mystery itself though, I want to talk about one major thing with this trial that raises its stakes incredibly high compared to every other opening trial in the series except maybe for V3's. We obviously all know it now, and it's a widely recognized twist.

//To this day, no other Fanganronpa has been able to top the first big plot twist of the game. I have seen some that have tried, but they ultimately have failed.

//Simply the fact that the MASTERMIND is KNOWN and is PART of the trial!

//Obviously, he's not the culprit, as easy as that might be, but the reason why this aspect of SDRA2 is so infamous is because...it deserves to be. It's an INSANE gambit, and...one that doesn't really pull off for the first few chapters, but one that MASSIVELY pays off later.

//And yes, I know that it technically happens in the prologue, but the weight of it is carried through all of the first chapter, and into the trial. What do you want me to say about Mikado's Mastermind reveal that hasn't been said already?

//Danganronpa has never been great when it comes to hinting at who could be the Mastermind behind everything. It's like the series thrives on blindsiding you but forgets that twists work best when there's some setup.

//Junko’s big gambit, where she swaps places with Mukuro and lets her sister take the fall, is honestly clever...on paper. But then she disappears from the narrative like your car keys when you're late for work. There’s nary a whisper about her until Chapter 5, and by then, it’s like the game is shouting, "Surprise!" without actually planting enough breadcrumbs.

//Imagine if there’d been subtle hints that Mukuro’s death wasn’t what it seemed, like a weird comment, a loose thread, or anything of that caliber. Then maybe, just maybe, the moment Junko reappears wouldn’t feel like a plot twist straight out of a soap opera.

//DR2’s Mastermind twist with AI Junko is a lot better executed, leveraging DR1’s already established factors and plot points, taking advantage of the virtual world setting, and cranking up the absurdity to eleven. But then Izuru pops up just completely out of nowhere for the first time in this chapter, like that one coworker who shows up only for cake on someone’s last day.

//This enigmatic Hope Cultivation Plan is suddenly crucial, and Izuru himself becomes a convoluted justification for Hajime’s Reserve Course connection to the killing game. Sure, it’s a twist, but it’s also like trying to do algebra with no setup. You can figure it out, but you’re left wondering why no one bothered to explain anything beforehand.

//I barely count Izuru as a Mastermind anyway, but I still have to acknowledge his role here. Then we get to Another 1’s Utsuro, who is…marginally better than Izuru in terms of buildup, but it still feels like someone tossed his name into the story five minutes before the reveal.

//"Oh, yeah, this guy? Totally important. He also has this busted power that we didn't bring up before. Didn’t you notice?" No, game. No, I did not.

//And then there’s Tsumugi. She’s physically present for the entire game, but emotionally? Spiritually? This girl is on vacation. The only breadcrumbs leading to her being the Mastermind are obscure references to past games that most players wouldn’t notice unless they were studying the lore like it’s for finals.

//When her true role is revealed, you don’t gasp. You laugh, because there’s no way this human equivalent of lukewarm oatmeal was orchestrating anything. Her reveal is so anticlimactic it’s like discovering the person behind the curtain is your introverted cousin who forgot to bring snacks to the family reunion.

//But do you want to know what really pisses me off about all these lackluster villain reveals?

//Hyper Danganronpa H2O exists and somehow does this better.

//HYPER! DANGANRONPA! H2O! Does this better!

//The fangan everyone loves to hate; he game universally dismissed as "meh," actually sets up its Mastermind better than the canon games.

//For some brief context, HDRH2O's mastermind is Oliver Feng, who in the end turns out to be more of a pawn for his mother and the leader of Fang, Emilia, but was an integral part to the Killing Game and keeping it running for the duration.

//If you bother to spend time with Oliver, pay attention to his dialogue, or notice his oddly specific backstory, you’ll find little nuggets that make the final reveal feel earned. Sure, it’s not Shakespeare, but compared to the canon games? It’s somehow way more impactful and emotional.

//Of course, the hands down best Mastermind reveal of the lot is Akane Taira, but we've already been over that and will go over it again when we get to the final trial of DRA. Let’s just spill the beans about Mikado for now, shall we?

//LINUJ throws tradition out the window and just reveals the Mastermind right at the beginning of the game. No buildup, no fake-outs, just outs him immediately. But he still manages to keep his game running because he displays his absolutely insane degree of power of everyone, and establishes himself as an unstoppable force, namely by killing one of the key cast members of the original game.

//Rei obviously turns out to be alive later, but it doesn't hurt the standing of the twist.

//Bold move, right? It’s like starting a murder mystery by telling everyone who the killer is, then daring them to still enjoy the ride.

//And honestly? It works. The reveal is so unexpected, it flips the entire formula on its head. Mikado’s conduct in the early chapters might not scream "evil genius", more like "eccentric nerd at a LARP convention," but the sheer audacity of the twist sets SDRA2 apart.

//Instead of waiting until Chapter 6 to reveal the mastermind and cramming all their screen time into an hour, Mikado gets to lurk around, causing drama and tension the entire game. It’s a gutsy choice, and while the rest of the game doesn’t always hit the same high notes, this opening move is one heck of a power play.

//The next point I want to make with this trial is the characters involved in it, to which the key thing first of all is the victim.

//Yuri Kagarin is one of my least favourite characters in the Another series, and...I feel like I shouldn't really need to explain what is wrong with this man. As a character, he's like an unholy amalgamation of some of Danganronpa's most controversial characters.

//He has the suaveness and degeneracy of Teruteru, the crazy psychology of Nagito, and the rampant unscrupulous misandry of Tenko, all squished together, and...let's just say that doesn't make a healthy person.

//Which...unfortunately made him quite possibly the most obvious first death in the entire series.

//Aside from the fact that the three characters I just listed die in very horrible ways, it's also because you know that he's not going to be the rival or antag character because you already have both Mikado and Syobai who had slotted into the role immediately, so the only way out for him for the foreseeable future is to be the blackened or the victim of the first chapter, of which, he turned out to be the former.

//However, I would argue that even Tenko is a much deeper character than Yuri, and that says all you need to know really. Tenko is so one-note compared to most mainline Danganronpa characters, and it's really hard to like her unless you actually look at her other traits BESIDES the rampant sexism.

//What makes Tenko so interesting is that despite her beliefs and view of the male/female dynamic, there are elements of logic to her, despite the fact that she falls more squarely on the "belief" side of V3's Logic Vs Belief dynamic. The fact that she tried to infiltrate the student council, as well as how she ultimately realized that trying to dispose of Angie wouldn't solve anything, and would just upset Himiko.

//Yuri on the other hand...is not nearly as logical, despite his very apparent intelligence. But he's still interesting, especially because his dedication to females can't necessarily be chalked up to "my mind says no, but my dick says yes."

//Yuri is not a pervert. He's just...delusional. While I don't like him, and he's probably my least favourite character in SDRA2 besides only Nikei, I still have to acknowledge that what LINUJ made him out to be was...a methodical madman of a character.

//Yuri does not simply "love women," he, and I quote, "dedicated his life to women." And even though he's around for only one chapter, he's still a character that's very important to pay attention to.

//Wow, I'm REALLY overanalysing fucking Yuri Kagarin, aren't I? I've become one of THOSE people, haven't I?

//Alright, well...fuck it, I guess...

//Yuri is the kind of character who wears his eccentricities on his sleeve, and perhaps also on a flashing neon sign above his head. From the moment he enters the scene, he makes no effort to hide his unabashed adoration for the "fairer sex," to the point where he refers to Sora, a virtual stranger, with pet names during their free time events.

//This is a man who flirts with the fervor of someone auditioning for The Bachelor, but with a peculiar chivalry that tempers his otherwise suggestive remarks. For instance, when Sora questions his motives after he invites her to his dorm, he reassures her that he would never touch a woman without her permission. It’s like he read "How to Be a Gentleman for Dummies" but skipped a few chapters.

//As for men, Yuri’s disdain for them borders on theatrical. He dismisses them as "scum," compares them to pebbles on the street, and claims their mere existence gives him headaches.

//Despite, you know, being a man himself, and not even ignoring that fact.

//You almost expect him to hiss and clutch his pearls whenever a male character enters the room. His double standard is on full display when he refuses to share information with Nikei but spills the beans to Emma without hesitation. It’s no wonder the female cast quickly grows tired of him, with Setsuka, who is typically friendly to everyone, being no exception.

//Despite his aversion to men and his questionable social skills, Yuri isn’t entirely devoid of redeeming qualities. For one, he’s surprisingly pragmatic about being kidnapped, describing himself as a "veteran" of such situations (which begs more questions than it answers). Instead of panicking, he adopts a "make the best of it" attitude, which is almost admirable.

//His long-standing dream of being remembered as a savior by a woman, revealed to be genuine thanks to Kokoro’s emotional detection, adds an oddly tragic layer to his character. He seems prepared to sacrifice himself to achieve this dream, suggesting a deep-seated willingness to place others’ well-being above his own, even if it’s rooted in a peculiar and arguably unhealthy worldview.

//And I wish that some kind of Omake could delve deeper into what made him this way. Although overall, I am glad that Yuri did die here and now so we didn't have to put up with his bullshit through the rest of the game.

//One thing that LINUJ does do that I appreciate a lot is that even when he makes some of the most dogshit or nasty human beings ever, he doesn't keep them around for more than a little while. Even Nikei, who I've said in the past I despise, is tolerable for most of the game before he goes all egomaniacal after his VOID reveal in Chapter 4.

//Speaking of VOID reveals, we will get to that in just a moment, but first, I want to quickly jump in and say that WOW this investigation and trial is GOOD!

//This is by far the most complex opening case of all the one's featured on this list, but it commits to it spectacularly.

//Let's talk about a few points that stood out for me. There are quite a few cool things about this case, but these are the notable ones that kind of make and break this trial for me.

//Starting with one that I kind of already went over, but I'll go into more detail in how it affects the trial is the fact that Mikado is actively PART of what's going on, even though we know he's the one behind the Killing Game itself.

//Which makes this like inviting the wolf to dinner and having him politely help with the dishes.

//Ah cool, I even have a CG for it...

//Despite everyone treating him like public enemy number one, Mikado pulls his weight in the discussion, offering genuine insights and guidance. For me, this creates a fascinating tension, and makes the twist itself pay off in this trial. While his help is invaluable, his status as the mastermind makes everyone, including you, question his motives. There's no guarantee that he's being sincere, or if is this all part of a larger manipulation.

//Mikado’s cooperation not only sets a unique tone for the trial but also makes it clear that in this game, nothing will be as simple as it seems.

//And this is reinforced with who the killer ACTUALLY turns out to be, but...again...that's probably the best part of the trial, so I'll save that for last.

//The second point is how Kokoro Mitsume’s Ultimate Psychologist abilities add an entirely new dynamic to the trial, because she enters the courtroom already knowing the killer’s identity, thanks to her borderline mind-reading skills.

//In short, she reveals that she knows who the killer is based on their facial expressions after she asked them all the same question at the beginning of the trial, which is something that hasn't ever happened before to my knowledge. The only time a non-blackened went into a trial knowing who the killer was immediately was Fuyuhiko, because he was there when it all happened, and technically Tsumugi because of her cheap shot.

//Despite Kokoro being subtle enough throughout this trial, this flips the typical formula on its head. Usually, everyone is equally in the dark, fumbling their way toward the truth, but Kokoro’s quiet confidence and refusal to immediately reveal the killer add suspense, making you wonder when and how she’ll drop the bombshell. It’s like having Sherlock Holmes in the room but with a maddening poker face.

//Which is another reason why I'm so disappointed with her as a character, because I do get that this ability is overpowered, but I WISH that Kokoro had stayed around for more of the game. It might have given me more of a reason to care about her true villainous side that's revealed later.

//This is also the first chance we get to see how Syobai, as our clearly established rival character, acts in the trials and...well...it's certainly DIFFERENT.

//While most rival characters in the series seize control of trials with the swagger of a peacock, i.e. Byakuya’s arrogance, Nagito’s chaos, Kokichi’s antics, and Tsurugi's...Tsurugi-ing...Syobai is the polar opposite.

//He barely participates, and when he does, it’s to sow even more confusion by handing Sora FALSE EVIDENCE.

//Introducing a fake Truth Bullet is a wild departure from the series norm and completely throws off the usual rhythm of deductive gameplay.

//Syobai also chastises others for not taking the trial seriously, all while refusing to lift a finger himself. He’s like the world’s laziest coach yelling from the sidelines. Frustrating, hypocritical, but undeniably entertaining.

//Also, I don't know if I really said this before, but this is by far one of the most entertaining murder traps in the series; at least among the first cases. It's like murder via Rube Goldberg machine.

//The creativity behind Yuri’s murder is equal parts horrifying and ingenious. The killer hoists him to the top of a bell tower using hooks in his ankles and then drops him to his death. A gruesome spectacle in its own right. But it gets even better. The setup doubles as a makeshift zipline for the killer to escape unnoticed, using Yuri’s body as a counterweight.

//It’s a grimly efficient plan that leaves players marveling at the killer’s resourcefulness while trying not to wince at the vivid imagery.

//However...this is also where I kind of want to start talking about what my key problem is with this case...

//To prevent myself from talking in circles, its the fact that this crime was a lot more complicated than it probably NEEDED to be. And quite a lot of it is waffling and ending up at an incorrect conclusion before the killer is ultimately outed.

//Now, it's important to remember that ALL of the first trials in the series DO this. However, all of them do so for a very clear reason:

DR1's first trial had everyone immediately suspect Makoto before the truth around Sayaka's trap, and the fact that Leon didn't understand the subtle problems with Makoto's room, began to come to light. But for most of it, he and Toko corner and berate Makoto to no end, not giving him a chance to speak up for himself before Kyoko ultimately helps him.

The entire first half of DR2's trial is exploring evidence, then pinpointing Nagito as the killer, which turns out to be wrong, and he intentionally leads everyone on. As Hiyoko even points out, by the time the trial phase ends, they aren't any closer to figuring out that Teruteru is the murderer.

V3's trial is dragged out as much as it is because that was Kaede's whole plan. She explores every out to try and find the Mastermind, and only reverts back to standard form and lets herself be outed for her crimes when blame starts to be pinned on Shuichi.

A lot of DRA's trial is trying to find a way to prove the girls are innocent, even though the body is in an area that only they can get to, and drags on for so long because Mitch is a Bitch, and this comes back to bite him massively in the end.

//In the case of this trial, the way it's dragged out is the killer attempts to frame Yoruko by knocking her out and planting her at the crime scene is a clever misdirection...

//...Until you remember Yuri’s obsessive devotion to women.

//As a man who would literally let a woman kill him without resistance, which by the way, he said so himself, framing Yoruko backfires hilariously. Instead of incriminating her, it makes the whole scenario feel absurdly implausible.

//On the one hand, this adds a layer of humor to the trial while also giving Yoruko a chance to prove her subtle importance to the narrative as a character, but on the other...it doesn't feel like the most well-thought out red herring.

//Especially since the killer literally LEAVES ANAESTHETIC at the crime scene, proving that he must have used it SOMEHOW! Yeah, they used it on Yuri first and foremost, but they could've also used it on Yoruko.

//In-universe, maybe its more complex than it appears, but at the same time, if you've played literally any of these games, you already know that there's some bull-fuckery going on.

//As one last little note about this trial, Kanade Otonokoji plays a surprisingly understated role in this trial, which in hindsight is a good move.

//She doesn’t dominate the discussion or reveal her manipulative tendencies outright, but there are subtle hints of her intelligence and sadistic nature lurking beneath her innocent façade.

//This restrained performance makes her eventual unraveling in later cases all the more shocking. For now, she’s content to play the helpful team member, but the cracks in her mask are there for those paying close attention.

//I mean, none of us can argue that her not leading the discussion the whole way through is a plus, because that is what severely brings down A2-2 and A2-3.

//With that being said though, it doesn't really destroy my opinion of the trial, or of the murder method. This is still one of my favourite murder schemes in the series because of the harmony of complexity on paper, simplicity in practice.

//The first trial of SDRA2 is a chaotic cocktail of subversions, creative murder mechanics, and character-driven intrigue. Each element feels fresh, unpredictable, and undeniably engaging, making this opening case a standout moment in the franchise.

//But of course, one thing you might have noticed is that I have forgone mentioning one very critical detail throughout this analysis that is sort of kind of important, and it's mainly because I wanted to save this point as the last thing I covered, because it's one of my favourite parts of the trial:

//The Culprit.

//I don't think I talk about this character enough, but not only is he one of my favourite characters in SDRA2, he's easily my favourite killer, AND my favourite member of VOID for a variety of reasons.

//Hajime Makunouchi is an INSANELY compelling character, and by far one of the most underrated characters in this game.

//At first glance, Makunouchi seems like your friendly neighborhood gym coach. Laidback, health-conscious, and always ready for a chat about wellness. His budding bromance with Shinji, complete with morning exercises, is the kind of wholesome interaction that feels out of place in a killing game, and initially, I really thought that he might be the Chapter 2 killer because of how similar his connection with Shinji was to Taka's connection with Mondo.

//But Hajime isn’t just your average health guru. He has a passive-aggressive edge, quietly resenting those who neglect their well-being.

//It’s almost ironic, then, that the man advocating for self-improvement becomes the first killer, using his physical prowess to orchestrate Yuri’s elaborate demise. And I want to talk about his reasons for doing it a little bit, even though we're all familiar with it.

//If there's one point of commonality between the first-case killers of the DR series, it's that even if there is a sense of nobility in their actions (Teruteru and Kaede being the key examples) their motivations ultimately all boil down to them acting in their own best interests.

//For Mitch in the previous game, it was pure selfishness with a distinct lack of layers to it. But for Makunouchi, there are some very interesting layers to it.

//Hajime's motivation to murder Yuri was not just for HIS benefit, and it wasn't done out of spite, or any particular distaste towards Yuri. He was just an easy target...and Makunouchi is a member of VOID.

//For context, VOID is first brought up by Mikado in the prologue just before his reveal as the Mastermind. He claims its an organization that he runs, but it only props up in one easily-missed line of dialogue.

//It all comes crashing back here when Makunouchi reveals that he is a MEMBER of this organization, and that the OTHER members are also hiding among the main cast of the game.

//As you know, VOID turned out to be one of the most disappointing group of villains I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with.

//HOOOWEEEVERR. As a design, a function, and a concept in a Danganronpa game, they are SO FUCKING COOL!

//And Makunouchi alone sells them as a group. Not only is he the best member OF them, but his reveal of his true identity and motive is AMAZING! It somehow raises the stakes EVEN HIGHER than Mikado's reveal of the Mastermind did!

//And with a few minor exceptions, it's actually a fairly original concept as far as Dangans n' Fangans go.

//In the classic Danganronpa formula, the mastermind usually operates solo or with a few cronies in the background, namely Junko and the Ultimate Despair, but for the most part, Junko's a lone wolf when it comes to the killing games. She even kills off her OWN support (Mukuro) immediately, and outs her backup support (Sakura) personally later down the line.

//Mikado and VOID’s setup flips this on its head. By revealing there are four additional traitors working among the participants, SDRA2 transforms from a whodunit murder mystery into a high-stakes game of Mafia/Werewolf.

//Now, every player isn’t just looking over their shoulder for potential killers; they’re wondering who’s secretly pulling strings for Mikado.

//Hajime’s confession didn’t just expose him. It broke the trust between everyone else. In the original Danganronpa games, trust is always a fragile thing, but here, it’s obliterated.

//With the knowledge that nearly 20% of the cast is actively working against them, every smile becomes suspect, every friendly interaction a potential ploy. The game went from a deathmatch to a psychological warfare simulator, and watching the characters struggle to maintain alliances or even basic conversations while knowing they might be talking to a VOID operative added a level of tension that few fan games, or even official titles, have managed to replicate.

//When SDRA2 was releasing chapter by chapter, the VOID twist ignited a storm of fan theories that rivaled Game of Thrones Reddit discussions. People debated endlessly about who could be VOID and why they would join Mikado, and theories ranged from the plausible to the downright absurd, because of course, everything’s canon until it’s not.

//The uncertainty surrounding VOID was a masterstroke because it didn’t just engage the characters. It turned the audience into detectives. Every piece of dialogue, every facial expression, every random aside was scrutinized for potential VOID subtext.

//For a game that was being released chapter by chapter instead of all at once, this was an INGENIOUS move on LINUJ's part.

//Makunouchi’s revelation also underscored just how bleak the situation was. In the original series, you at least had the comfort of knowing most of the cast were victims of circumstance. Here, SDRA2 threw that out the window.

//The idea that four other participants chose to align themselves with Mikado added a layer of existential dread. It’s one thing to fight against a singular antagonist, but knowing your friends might willingly be helping them? That’s enough to make even the strongest bonds crumble. Mikado’s genius wasn’t just in the killing game itself; it was in weaponizing human relationships and trust.

//The VOID twist elevated SDRA2 by introducing a more complex narrative structure and forcing characters and players alike to grapple with themes of loyalty, deception, and moral ambiguity.

//It's not just about solving murders anymore. It's about unraveling a web of conspiracies while trying not to get caught in it yourself. And let’s be honest: the twist gave the fandom so much to talk about.

//But putting that aside, it's not just the moment itself that makes Makunouchi my favourite villain in this game.

//Once Makunouchi is exposed as Yuri’s killer, his personality does a complete 180, flipping faster than a pancake on a hot griddle, as most twist villains in this series tend to do.

//At first, he’s shockingly chill about the whole murder thing, and justifies his actions as being part of a grander conspiracy for a good cause, and...there's some truth to this. But when his execution is brought up, the chill evaporates. He flies into a rage, threatening to expose Void’s secrets if Mikado doesn’t let him go, as though threatening the mastermind would somehow work.

//Spoiler alert: it doesn’t.

//But what really sold me on him is what we find out about him AFTER the fact.

//Via Void Theater of all things.

//Not only does Makunouchi have an incredibly engaging backstory and life prior to this game that really define what sort of person he presents himself as in SDRA2's Killing Game, but his time in the Void Theatre is where the layers of his character start to peel back.

//His cocky, self-assured exterior crumbles, revealing a man somewhat haunted by his actions. He begins to show genuine remorse for killing Yuri, realizing how far he and the rest of Void have strayed from their humanity in search of their ultimate goal.

//His claims about genuinely enjoying the time spent with his fellow participants feel surprisingly earnest in hindsight, adding a tragic edge to his story. Hajime wanted to be better, but his role in Void and the circumstances of the game made that impossible. In a way, he’s a victim of his own aspirations. A man who sought improvement but ended up losing himself along the way.

//By the end, he’s made peace with his fate, even finding the strength to reconcile with Nikei and Emma. He even makes one last request to hear one of Emma's god-awful puns. It’s a bittersweet moment that shows how far he's come, from health nut to killer to a man seeking redemption that he may never really get.

//He's just...such a good and underappreciated character in this game, and besides...a certain someone...who one could argue barely even counts, he is EASILY the best first-killer in the series. Especially in the way he defies the preconcieved ideas that LINUJ advocates through his work.

//Hajime Makunouchi is proof that people, by nature, are multi-faceted, capable of both terrible deeds and sincere growth. And hey, if nothing else, his arc proves one thing: just because someone’s good at cardio doesn’t mean they’re not running from their problems.

//But yeah, that's really it. The only reason why SDRA2 Case 1 fails to make the top 10 is that it's just not as good a mystery as the trials that come after it, but what it DOES do right, it knocks out of the park. 10/10 no notes.

//This trial is one of the best fan-made cases ever, simply because it perfectly encapsulates what Danganronpa is all about.

[bluecatwriter]

Sending this ask to you as our resident Jack Seward guy but...

It just occurred to me that in Blood of My Blood, Jack has (at least partially) decapitated both of the women he was in love with 😬. I wonder if he has nightmares going forward of having to cut Arthur's head off as well. Or is it more "if I don't date women, I don't have to decapitate them👍" Or maybe his own partial decapitation got it out of his system

Either way, if they go see the revival of the Mikado, I don't think the line "a man might succeed in cutting it half off" is going to sit well

I was mulling it over this evening— there are so many angsty possibilities here! I can imagine a scenario like this one:

He has nightmares of decapitating both of them, dreams that follow both what actually happened and that reverse the scenarios (he dreams that he fails to give Lucy peace; he dreams that he finished the task and put Mina to rest). The dreams become wearisome but manageable over time. He never speaks of them.

Then one day, sometime when Lu is a teenager, he has his first dream of decapitating his daughter. Another innocent, another woman he dearly loves and desires to protect— and he finds himself with bonesaw in hand, cutting through her flesh while she stares up at him glassy-eyed. His mind is screaming at him to stop, but he doesn't, mechanically performing the duty that he owed to the other women in his life who he was tasked with protecting.

He wakes up sobbing. Arthur tries to ask what's wrong, but Jack refuses to tell him. He will never speak of it. He will never think of it, if he can help it, as if mere thoughts will make it reality.

The dreams don't stop. Lu gets older and starts going on more missions, putting herself in danger of undeath more frequently. Jack wants to stop it, wants to ship her off to somewhere she can be safe, but he never speaks of it. In his dreams, he decapitates her again and again.

One night, sometime after Quincey arrives, Jack dreams of sawing off her head, but this time, Lu's body sits up, her head laughing like the Green Knight. She grabs her head by the hair and tosses it over her shoulder, then saunters away while Jack stares on blankly.

He awakes from that dream just before dawn, staring up at the ceiling and wondering what on earth it could mean.

[rustoma]

I've been reading The Rose of Versailles manga, which I feel has become a sort of required reading as a SMT4 fan lol. And actually I can see how this manga helped shape the game's story and worldbuilding, as well in guiding Isabeau's own decision-making and ultimate stance.

This is obvious but, Mikado is in a way parallel to 18th century France. Both have nobles who are more concerned with their leisurely lifestyles and climbing the aristocratic ladder than to concern themselves with the growing plight of the lower class, instead leaving them to bear the brunt of their frivolities. Both see a growing unrest among the embittered labourers, including the emergence of intellectuals among them who question the status and even need for nobles. Both experience tension that is rapidly reaching a violent tipping point.

But then there's also Lady Oscar.

Oscar was born into a life of luxury and privilege -- no different to Isabeau herself -- but unlike most other nobles, Oscar is actually acutely aware of the class differences and addresses them.

She recognizes the growing unrest in Paris and gives Marie Antoinette counsel for the good of the country. She becomes aware of her own privileged upbringing and lifestyle and, rather than cling onto this and look down upon those of lesser means, she levels herself with them. She realizes that the royal guard is packed with "pretty puppets", who earned their celebrated positions through no more than their looks and birthright (there's similarities to this with the Mikado Samurai), and chooses to step down and transfer to a lower guard.

I still have only read up to volume 2 of 5 so far. But nonetheless, Oscar leads by strong morals and never shirks her beliefs for what is just, and I can easily see how Isabeau would look up to her as a guiding figure and as someone she could see herself in. Especially when Isabeau is scared and uncertain of the rapidly destabilizing climate around her. The Rose of Versailles helped her navigate that.

Sure it might be a little ridiculous for the neutral rep to come to her terms through reading a shoujo manga about 18th century France, but how many of us have also had our worldviews be challenged and changed by engaging with a piece of fiction? This is actually a good thing. And it wasn't as if Isabeau wasn't seriously contemplating all the things going on around her before reaching her conclusion.

Putting SMT4 aside though, The Rose of Versailles is a beautifully written and illustrated historical fiction in its own right with plenty of sociopolitical commentary that are still just as relevant today as they were during its original publication. As well as being a crucial piece in shoujo manga history whose influence can still be felt. It is well worth a read (or even a watch if you prefer anime) that I can't recommend enough.

[ridonculousverniss]

Ngl it's been so long since i last went through Sdra2 properly i had never stopped to think of Emma's character that way? How acting is her life and pretending she's okay is the one way she knows to go about living, itches my brain now, pls ramble more about her I'd listen

Me when I get to talk about my favorite character

Thank you so much for the ask!! 

Tw for mentions of physical abuse

To start off, I think it’s actually best to look at her free time events. 

Of course, the final of these gives the most insight to her character. However, there are other key traits that show up beforehand. 

The first is how Emma doesn’t really have any friends outside of this killing game. She only worked with other adults on sets, and that most likely isolated her from people around her age. In the first free time event, she talks about how she has never talked like this before with another teenager. She’s very used to acting more mature around people, so Sora’s attitude is refreshing for her. At the start of the final free time event, she goes on about how she’s always wanted to do “girl talk”.

Secondly, it shows  Emma’s strange ideas about what a friendship should look like. Unlike other characters, Emma politely asks if she’s allowed to talk to Sora. She apologizes for being a bother, which will come up in later sections.  In her second and third events, Emma accidentally spoils what happens in movies she has starred in. While it is played off comedically, Emma decides to compensate for this by giving Sora copious amounts of money. 

Despite being completely harmless, it gives the impression that she thinks she needs to pay Sora to be friends with her. Since Sora doesn’t know who Emma is outside of the killing game, the only other thing that previous “friends” might have used her for is money. 

I think this also highlights how Emma is a people pleaser. She is so quick to take Sora’s joking request for one MILLION yen seriously, and even asks if that is enough. 

In the fourth free time event, Emma goes into detail about her adoptive parents. However, she refuses to elaborate on anything that occurred before then. 

Finally, the fifth event. This is when Emma completely breaks down, showing Sora her scars; literal and metaphorical.

Emma’s mother was never around, always smoking and drinking her woes away. 

And her father? Her father was a greedy, angry drunk with no self control of himself. Since he couldn’t make a steady income, he forced Emma, a very young girl, to sell things on the street. 

If she didn’t do it?  He burned a cigarette into her arm.

She states that every day she tried to resist, but it only made the burns worse. So in the end, she just did what she was told.

“Because if you don’t listen, the cigarette light is burned.”

“If you cry, the cigarette light is burned.”

“Desperately holding back tears, acting as the daughter who is well behaved.”

“I’ve been living under a mask.”

These are all some quotes from the final free time event, and I think it perfectly explains why Emma acts the way she does. 

Her acting isn’t just a skill, it’s a defense mechanism.

She became so good at pretending she was this perfect, kind hearted girl that it started to blend with her reality. She still is afraid of people hurting her, so she pushes all of her real feelings down. It’s why she’s so scared of opening up to Sora, claiming that she would hate her if she knew.

Emma doesn’t do it just to be nice: she does it to survive. 

In a situation like a killing game, it’s no wonder she was being so “two faced”. 

Because acting keeps her alive…

It keeps her from coming off as vulnerable, and more importantly; people will like her. 

This is the reason why Mikado chose Emma to look after Kokoro. Emma is so good at being friendly, maybe she could lower Kokoro’s guard. 

But, that’s not what happened. In fact, the opposite did. 

I genuinely believe that somewhere deep inside, Emma did care for Kokoro. She was starting to get used to seeing her; eating breakfast together, the one way conversations which soon piqued mutual interest….

Setsuka calls Emma out at the end of the second trial about this, countering when Emma said that Kokoro got on her nerves. 

The most tragic part of her character to me is how she gaslights herself.

She lies to herself about hating Kokoro so she can complete the murder. 

She lies to herself about not caring for the other participants. 

She lies to herself about being prepared to die. 

And it's only in her last moments that the mask finally cracks, revealing someone who is deeply hurt and scared.

----------------------------------------------------------

That’s all I have to say for now, but I might make a part two!! Once again, thank you so much for the ask!! (⁠づ⁠｡⁠◕⁠‿⁠‿⁠◕⁠｡⁠)⁠づ

[pinkestlittlebutterfly]

Recently we’ve had lots of reasons to look at the relationship that Lily had with the Alicein family over the centuries he spent with them, because it becomes obvious now that it wasn’t all peace and happiness and maybe never even one built on love in the first place. And I’ve been thinking a lot about this interaction from somewhere in volume three:

Specifically in relation to what we learned about Lily in chapter 136. 

And I know that Lily’s pocket money is a silly, one-off joke made very early on in the series, and that maybe all it wants to say is that Lily is bad at managing money, and that it’s probably not meant to be put parallel to this scene. But that won’t stop me. 

Because the jokes Servamp tells are rarely entirely random; and Lily’s pocket money might just as well be one of the many tiny hints we get as to what’s behind the facade of the little vampire paradise Lily built in the safety of Alicein mansion. He’s not allowed access to the family money, and there’s secrets in the mansion that even he holds no key to. Misono teaches Mahiru that a Servamp’s purpose is to fight despite how much his own Servamp dislikes it, and Mikado presides over an organisation famously riddled with people hating Lily’s kind, and maybe, when Misono threw all those books, it was a little more than a slapstick gag. There is a rift between Lily and the core family, one that’s not entirely Lily’s doing, and might have been there for a very long time. 

I don’t necessarily think that the Alicein were bad to Lily, or that he was miserable in his place by their side. But I find it striking that if you think about Lily then and Lily now, you find that he never really left the place he was in at the very beginning; never really reached a point at which he could stand on his own. He is no employee earning a wage but a Servamp bound to an Eve; and he struck a deal that demands him wholly and completely and allows for possession; that demands not only his time and workforce but control over him and his power and body. But he’s not treated as an equal in return; he gets pocket money rather than access to the family’s wealth because the actual reward he traded himself away for was safety for his children. As far as we know, at least. 

There is so much we have not seen yet, about how the pact between Lily and the Alicein came to be, and how they felt about each other for all those centuries, and I hope canon will explore this at least a little in the chapters that are left before it ends. What we do know is the secluded little kingdom in which they ended up in, and how much it trapped and hurt Misono – and maybe, though he was one of its architects, it wasn’t the most healthy place for Lily to be in either. And maybe, what Misono needs to do to end the chess game and foil his plans is simply to take him away; because he learned to leave and stand on his own and perhaps, it’s time for Lily to do the same.

[y4sh1k1]

@cypriathus asked . . .

Content Warnings: Mentions of s/h, heavy trauma, slight mention of mature content, death, mental illness/horrible mental heath and worldview, self-destruction, and it’s incredibly long. ⸻

« Okay so. Meiya isn’t your run-of-the-mill edgy OC with trauma slapped on for spice—she’s a walking manifestation of pain as identity, the human equivalent of biting into broken glass because it’s the only thing that reminds you you’re alive. Her entire existence is steeped in the rotting silk of Snakes and Earrings by Kanehara Hitomi. That book didn’t just influence her—it is her. The nihilism, the mutilation, the way people disappear into new versions of themselves to escape old pain? Yeah. That’s Meiya’s whole spine.

Her fake name, Lui, isn’t some throwaway alias. It’s a razor-sharp declaration of rebirth. It’s ripped straight from the name of the protagonist of Snakes and Earrings. A deliberate, surgical choice. A statement. “I get to decide who I am now. You don’t.” That name is a bridge between literature and identity, between fiction and reality, between the girl she was and the creature she’s become. Meiya is the kind of person who reads about self-destruction and goes, “Finally. Someone said it.”

She doesn’t wear trauma like a badge—she embodies it. And she’s not out here seeking healing; she’s seeking autonomy. Survival. Some version of existence that doesn’t make her want to peel her skin off every morning.

Enter Shinyu. The walking disaster. The ghost of every bad decision wrapped in charisma and a grin sharp enough to draw blood. Is he a bad influence? Absolutely. But he’s also the only person in her orbit who gets it. Who doesn’t flinch. Who watches her spiral and says, “Okay, but maybe don’t die though. Make it worse instead. We’re already too far gone, aren’t we? Might as well enjoy the fall.”

They’re literally Lui and Ama from the book—not romantic, not lovers, but entangled. Orbiting each other in a gravitational field made of shared chaos, unspoken understanding, and razorblade loyalty. They’re not in love. They’re not siblings. They’re something else. Something unnameable but unshakable.

And their relationship? Platonic, to the bone. Partnered, but not in the way people assume. There’s no romance, no sex, no yearning in that way—it’s not less than love, it’s something else. They’re platonic partners in crime, in survival, in destruction. They trust each other with everything and show it in the most fucked up, quiet ways. Meiya’s aroace and Shinyu respects that like its law. He doesn’t push, doesn’t pry—he just exists beside her. He calls her “my partner,” or even “definitely my wife” and she doesn’t even blink, because yeah. She is. Not romantically. Not sexually. But existentially.

Shinyu’s feelings? They’re real. Tangible. Maybe even romantic on some level, but he’d never frame it in a way that traps her. He doesn’t need her to return it—he’d still burn the whole goddamn world down for her. He would still die for her—he HAS died for her already. And came back because not even in death do they part. Because that’s the kind of loyalty their bond demands.

And then along comes Mikado, and suddenly Meiya becomes the #1 Gambler’s Prince shipper. She’s the one who coined the name, who shamelessly stans their tension, who goes, “Yeah, I’m still his partner, but you? You could give him something I never could. So go ahead. I’ll still be here, in the shadows. Cleaning up the mess if it goes south.” She sees it. She wants it for him. She knows he needs more than what she is, and she’s okay with that.

Now her name. Kanehara Meiya (金原 明夜 / 冥夜):

• 金 (Kane) – Gold. Or money.

• 原 (Hara) – Field. The kind you bury things in.

• 明夜 (Meiya) – Bright night. A contradiction. Light in darkness.

• 冥夜 (Meiya) – It can also mean deep night. Bottomless. Wordless. The kind of darkness that swallows you whole and makes you feel held.

Her codename, Naja, comes from the scientific name for King Cobras—Naja Naja. Because she’s venom wrapped in silk. Regal and dangerous. Beautiful in the way a storm is beautiful when it’s heading straight for you.

And her birthday? July 7th. Tanabata. The festival of star-crossed lovers. She and Shinyu named their nightclub Hazy Moon after it—because the moon is their shared witness. Because the stars have their own tragic love stories. Because their bond isn’t about romance—it’s about fate. About crossing paths and sticking, even when it doesn’t make sense. Especially when it doesn’t.

They are the story you read at 3AM and never recover from.

A love story that isn’t love.

A tragedy that isn’t over.

And bond that doesn’t need a name.

⸻

[ninjagirlstar5]

Imagine getting the talent of the guy you absolutely despise. Yeah, that's right, Yoruko is the Ultimate Wizard in this Swap Talent AU.

Yoruko's was fun to tackle as I don't think she'd be super flashy or anything as a wizard but she'd still look very pretty as one. She may have been a hostess but she only dressed up like that cause she required to look appealing while working. But making it clear that she was a wizard was a bit...I don't wanna say "difficult" but I definitely had to consider how she would dress herself up as a wizard as I didn't just want to put her in a witch hat and dress and then call it a day. She's not like Mikado, who simply put on a fancy hat, cape, magical mask and gloves over his regular clothes and called it a day. (And even then, he wasn't even a real wizard.) So I decided to just go off of vibes when approaching this design: I gave her a sleeveless sweater, a long skirt with a split (I might change that split design though the next time I draw this Swap Talent AU), boots with dark socks, made her bow MUCH bigger, a single glove with a bracelet that has a gem hanging off of it (most likely to help her control her magic), a shawl and some glasses to both reference her real self's sprite design and to put emphasize on her smart looks when it comes to magic. I also changed her ponytail to a big side braid as it symbolizes wisdom and I tend to think of braids as a sort of wizard-y kind of hairstyle. Fun fact: I used heart shapes to make her hair. ^^ The butterfly tattoo on her arm is kind of a brand or a symbol to what kind of magic she specializes in, which in her case, I'm thinking is probably transformation magic, a kind of magic that's exactly what it says on the tin: she can transform any object or person into another thing, although there's probably limitations. Like, for example, she can't turn a living being into an inanimate object and the more complex the object/living being is, the less time that thing will remained transformed. (Basically, if she changed Nikei - clothes and all - into a frog for annoying her, he'll only remain as a frog for a couple of hours at most and will wear off with time.) She can also make simple changes like turning her black hair to pink. Hey, why use hair dye when you can literally just use MAGIC to change her hair itself? That being said, that's probably the only physical change in her appearance that she made. I don't think Yoruko is the kind of person to make any DRASTIC changes, just small, simple ones. Especially since she tends to copy people she looks up to a lot. Anyways, I changed her color palette from gold and blue to gold and lilac since purple is associated with power and since an Ultimate Wizard would be pretty powerful in raw talent and, well, power, I thought it would suit Yoruko a bit more although I made the colors far softer and gentler than Mikado's darker and murkier cape and hat. Yoruko isn't perfect but she tends to have her heart in the right place most of the time, unlike Mikado, who is...Mikado. And so, Yoruko is done and wow she is a pretty wizard.

Next up is Syobai!

Okay, coming up with background story beats for Yoruko and how she came into her talent is...interesting, to say the least. Like, for starters, the talent wasn't even real in the first place. It was just AIkado fucking around in the Neo World Program thanks to his administration access and to be as powerful as he can be in contrast to his "fellow students." A show of power without revealing where they really are. To be honest, I don't see Yoruko being given any kind of administrative access from Mikado if the main story were to remain the same, just with swapped talents, unless he had made her into an AI/program and frankly, I'm not interested in approaching this background like she IS a program. So I'm just gonna ignore the fact that magic isn't actually real in the DRA/SDRA2 version of the Danganronpa timeline and say that it does, in fact, exist. And hey, if ghosts can be canon in Despair Girls, why can't magic? (This also probably means that the age twist wouldn't work cause they're not in the Neo World Program and it'd be impossible to de-age them like they were in the original story, at least in this version of events. But since magic is real...well, regardless of Mikado's swapped talent, he'd probably delve into Necromancy just to see if he can bring back Utsuro thanks to Yoruko's talent confirming that magic does indeed exist. Oops.)

Anyways, for Yoruko's background, she would have never became a hostess if she had never met her Senpai, who saved her from a group of bullies that were going too far and nearly could've killed her. I think in this version of events, the reason for her Senpai, Amane, to intervene was twofold: 1.) because it was the right thing to do and she couldn't stand watching the same thing that happened to her happen to someone else, and 2.) because she noticed there was magic building up around Yoruko and realized that there was going to be an outburst that could easily injure, or worse, kill these bullies and intervened to keep it from escalating. She knew that if that were to happen, Yoruko would forever be haunted by this event and she couldn't stand by and watch her younger classmate become fearful of her own power. So she helps Yoruko and befriends her, trying to subtly train her in her magic without revealing that she has it and to keep it concealed. The bracelet Yoruko has is to help her keep control over her magic without it bursting and creating havoc whenever she loses her temper or when survivor instincts kick in in a way that would hurt others when she didn't mean to. She thinks that, for Yoruko, ignorance would be bliss. At least, at the start. But eventually, Yoruko hears rumors about Amane being a "witch" or doing "creepy rituals at night" and she's like, "Pfft, yeah, right. Like magic ever existed...right?" She didn't think it was true, but when the thought of the rumors covering up something more insidious that Amane couldn't get out of, she caves into her suspicions and follows her one day after school to prove to herself that it's nothing like that. And it wasn't! But she does end up witnessing a magical ritual where Amane easily repaired a valuable object that seemed irreparable with how many pieces it had been turned into or how she helps a plant regain it's vigor and color. So, the rumors were a lot more truer than everyone thought it was and she kinda freaks out. Which was enough for her to get caught by her Senpai and she begs for mercy. But her Senpai is quick to reassure her that she's not going to hurt her and admits the truth: she's an actual wizard and probably one of the last ones left...at least until she met Yoruko. It's then that she also revealed that one of the reasons why she approached Yoruko was because of her magic and how it was this close to hurting someone, which she had a feeling that her younger classmate would regret. Yoruko would try to deny it at first but when her Senpai takes the bracelet off, her magic starts to sizzle out from her due to all her anxiety and ends up cracking a mirror. Hit with the reality that she was the same as Amane, she questions why no one had noticed and Amane just...tells her to sit down.

You see, if wizards/witches and magic really do exist in Danganronpa, you'd have to question why this wouldn't be common knowledge in this universe, especially with a world based off of real life and the real history we've been through. Some people's solution to this is to make a secret society, but that actually crops up OTHER issues like how some humans would react to actual real world events like, you know, war and such, and how many of them would probably try to use their magic to stop it or make it worse, and how difficult that would be to keep that a secret when such events happen. But honestly, I think there's a much simpler solution in this case: wizards are just...a dying breed in the modern world, for lack of a better word I could think of. If they were common place back then, then most of them had been hunted down and killed due to their power in magic scaring society. That's Amane's assumption, at least. According to her, even she doesn't know enough about magic and it's own history. Just that if no one believes that magic actually exists, that it's just a fictional part of storytelling or folklores, then the real history of magic had nearly all but disappeared from existence. Even Hope's Peak never had an Ultimate Wizard before since it's existence. There just isn't enough people to even be considered a group, and to Amane...she considers herself to be one of the few wizards left in this world. Assuming there are more of them out there.

Yoruko questions how the hell she even came to realize her own power, and Amane simply says that she was just lucky that her own parents had magic as well and were far more equipped to handle her magic when it became obvious that she had it. When Yoruko questions how the hell her own family never noticed, Amane simply asks if they had magic, and if they did, she should think back on the times when strange things were happening around her while growing up, if she ever got blamed for something that seemed out of her control, and how they handled it. If they had magic, would those signs have gone under their radar? After a pause of Yoruko thinking back on her childhood, on the times when she managed to jump higher than should've been possible when playing tag, on the times when a kid blamed her for getting hurt when they tripped on a root that wasn't there before and thought she had pushed them, on the time when she tried to blow out a candle when her group of friends brought her a birthday cake but somehow the flames grew bigger instead and accidentally set the table on fire, and how everyone started to avoid her for being "accident-prone" and becoming more and more pessimistic in her life in response, she realized, no, they didn't have magic. Yoruko's parents, and perhaps even her sister, were normal people that simply tried to comfort and support her when things went wrong, never realizing the power their daughter/sister had in her all along. Yoruko asks how that's even possible, and Amane simply shrugs, admitting that even though she and her parents had magic, her younger siblings did not. She may have theorized that wizards had been hunted down and killed, and for all she knew, she may be right since witch hunts WERE a thing, but it could also possibly be because magic was a gene and humans just...stopped needing a use for it over time and wasn't being passed down by the majority anymore. It doesn't mean it can't crop again, like what happened with her and her parents and even Yoruko, but that also meant that the majority of people born with magic are more likely to end up with a family that may not understand what's going on with them, let alone figure it out. Like what happened with Yoruko since, according to her, neither of her parents nor her sister seemed to have magic like her. Again, Amane didn't know enough about magic's history and even her parents knew jack shit, gravitating towards each other because of their shared issues and only then realizing that what they were dealing with was magic. All their learning was pretty much trial and error, which they passed down to her.

Yoruko...has no idea how to feel about all of this. On the one hand, learning that she has magic is almost...freeing, in a way. An explanation for the many things that just shouldn't have happened in normal circumstances but did. But on the other hand, she had a power that could hurt others. Kill others. That kind of power would be terrifying for Yoruko. What if she messed up? What if someone got hurt because of her? But Amane, ever kind and patient, calms her down, saying that she doesn't have to go through this alone. Not anymore. Not as long as she's around, and she offers to teach her to control her magic and even give it a use. If that's what she wants, at least. Amane reminds her that as long as she wears that bracelet she gave her, her magic would never get out of control, even when she uses it as an outlet to better direct what kind of magic she's using and such. She can easily return to her normal life if that's what she desires most and apologizes for leaving her in ignorance. But Yoruko, knowing that Amane may be the only one that can understand these magic-related issues in a way no one else would and wanting to stay by her side, accepts. After that, Yoruko spends months, perhaps even years, learning from Amane and even teaching her new things as well since she's still learning more about magic herself. Learning together, working together, and helping each other when the other is down helped Yoruko become just as skilled of a wizard like Amane, perhaps even better.

But one day, Yoruko would ask Amane why she has new things to repair almost every day. She would laugh awkwardly, admitting that she kind of turned her magic into an independent job by repairing people's most valued objects in exchange for cash. When Yoruko asks why she has to do that, for the first time, Amane grows quiet...and admits that her parents actually passed away in a car accident a few years back. She's not sure if they had no relatives or if they somehow became a black sheep to their relatives due to their magic, but no one took her or her siblings in so it was either being stuck in a system that may separate them all or try to take matters into her own hands. Clearly, she chose the latter as she's able to take care of both herself and her siblings through her magic, and even gained a reputation of sorts. A reputation that she really hopes doesn't take the notice of Hope's Peak cause as much as she wished there were more people like her, she knows better than to let the world know that such powerful magic exists. She doesn't want to think of the consequences that could entail from it. Yoruko agrees but is also surprised as she had never realized that Amane is dealing with a lot more on her plate than she admits. She simply says that she didn't want to burden Yoruko at the time since her teachings were much more important and she had managed this far, it's just...well, it's become a bit harder to find commissions lately and she's worried she may not be able to pay the bills in time. Yoruko rebuts, though, saying that she may be her mentor but she's also her...friend, and it wouldn't be fair if she just vented all her feelings to her but never allowed her to do the same. She even asks if she could help, which surprises Amane for moment but then...she agrees. She even says it would be a good opportunity to teach Yoruko how to repair objects from scratch as it's a pretty handy spell to know for daily life, although it's much more complicated for something that's to have a more permanent effect than Yoruko's usual transformation spells.

Looking back on it now, Yoruko wished her Senpai had turned her down. If only to avoid what happened next.

Amane had asked her to set up the chalk circle and candles while she double checks the book. Yoruko wasn't sure what she had messed up back then, especially under Amane's watch. Did the candles not have the correct properties? Did she make such a small, tiny mistake in the chalk circle when messing up just a smidge could change it into a different spell entirely? Or did she overdo it with her magic as she followed her Senpai's instructions in staring at the original photo of the object and visualizing what it should look like as she imbued the object with the spell?

Regardless of what the mistake was, magic was the embodiment of chaos, not logic, and only bends to it's own rules. And Yoruko, despite doing her best, messed up and turned the object into dust.

Shocked by what had just happened, Yoruko tries to apologize and even says that maybe they could still try to fix it but Amane just stared at the remains of the object in silence before saying that this can't be fixed. All the pieces had been destroyed and now it's impossible to fix it at all. She tried before, but couldn't, and had to bring the bad news to her customer, getting hit with a refund soon afterwards. Yoruko apologizes again, quieter, but this only gets Amane to snap at her, blaming her for losing the paycheck she could've used to help her and siblings from this one commission. In hindsight, she probably shouldn't have allowed Yoruko to work on a commission the first time trying out this spell as it's only natural for her to mess up on her first try, but she was too angry and distraught to realize her own misjudgment in this situation and Yoruko is too hurt and upset to try and defend herself. She just constantly apologizes as she leaves, hoping that by removing herself from the situation, it would allow Amane some space to calm down.

By the time Yoruko worked up the courage to talk to her again, though, she couldn't find Amane at school and finds out through her teacher that she had to pull out for the time being. Horrified by the implications, Yoruko runs back to the hideout, only to find the mess had been cleaned up with a stack of books left on the desk and a letter on top of it. When she opens it up, it was an apology from Amane snapping at her, saying that she shouldn't have done that and some of the blame was hers as well for making the wrong call in judgment. Still, due to her current circumstances, she could no longer stay in school and had to go searching for a second job, bringing her siblings along with her as she admits to moving away. The letter tries to reassure Yoruko that this was probably going to happen anyway due to the lack of commissions, but she's not internalizing that, instead blaming herself for forcing her Senpai into a position where she had no choice but to move away. When she gets to the bottom of the letter, her Senpai reveals that while she can no longer teach Yoruko due to both her own circumstances making it hard to meet up anymore and Yoruko simply being better than her at magic at this point, at least according to her, she left her all the books and research both she and her parents had done over the years in her care. She expresses the hope that she'd still continue to study and research magic so that maybe, one day, when they meet up again, they can understand their shared magical history together. Yoruko, still racked with guilt, chooses to do just that, taking responsibility for her actions by continuing her studies in magic.

And then, perhaps a few months or even a year later, Hope's Peak comes knocking at her door via a letter proclaiming that they know her secret and wish to bring her into the school to study her talent as the Ultimate Wizard. And if she doesn't, they'll out her to a government agency and have her be taken away. Worst of all, Hope's Peak is still tied to the government themselves, even when they lacked funding, so it's basically a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. So Yoruko decides her only option was to "willingly" join Hope's Peak Academy's newest class so she can have more freedom, and perhaps, more control over what they learn about magic. If she has to be forced out of hiding and reveal that magic exists, she'd doing it her way in the hopes that she can at least try to give guidelines on how it should be treated and worked with.

Too bad she ends up in a killing game, but hey. It was an effort, at least. And to keep her from being too overpowered in the killing game, Mikado probably set up some kind of magic-negation objects that keeps her from blowing him up on sight. After all, she does still have her bracelet that both negates her own magic and helps her control it, and doesn't actually require magic to create. Some gems simply have magic-negating properties. And HE learned this from HER during their time at Hope's Peak, even if she doesn't realize it due to the collective amnesia plot point. Oof.

[cake-apostate]

An idea I think would be fun is that centuries after the events of SMT4, Blasted and Infernal Tokyo both become evil empires. They idolized their version of King Akira, and took their stated ideologies to the limits with neither nuance nor restraint.

That's not to say that either Akira did a bad job; they did what was necessary at the time to save their people from disaster. It's just that if you took their actions without knowing that context, they would look incredibly evil.

So I think that their kingdoms would become evil empires if their future rulers continued their policies well beyond the states of emergency that spawned them.

Infernal Tokyo

Infernal Akira would seem like a cartoonishly evil overlord if you didn't know where he was coming from. Under his rule, humans are cattle to be eaten and bred, demons run a kind of protection racket, and he calls this equality. He even killed the previous king! And given that he's a coward and a weakling at the top of a society that values strength above all else, he'd seem a massive hypocrite.

Except most of the problems with Infernal Tokyo aren't his fault. Kenji was the one to start the demonoid/neurisher system; the worst you can say about Akira is that he didn't abolish it. And he couldn't. The obviously good step of freeing the neurishers would be disastrous; either the demonoids comply and starve, or they'd rebel openly, which would leave Akira powerless and the neurishers right where they started.

Akira found and enforced the minimum level of cruelty required for his current society to function. To many outsiders, that level is shockingly evil, but he's loved in his time because it's so much lighter than before.

Future generations would idolize King Akira, not unjustly, but it's easy for them to miss the point. He didn't draft a blueprint for some ideal society; he wrote laws and regulations to deal with the current disasters plaguing his city. Let's look at the specific orders he gave, and how future generations can screw them up.

Every district takes a census, and if they need Neurishers, more are sent there. That is how he ended both famine and war; districts fought over and hoarded Neurishers until he distributed them equally. It also sets up precedent for future kings to arbitrarily separate families or rip people from their homes.

Neurishers are mandated to be drank from every other day. In his time, that's a huge load off because they were drained every day, all day. But in the future, there might be so many Neurishers that forcing all of them to work half the time is seen as gluttonous, or maybe there's a future where Neurishers are required to work on top of providing Magnetite ever other day.

Some Neurishers are assigned to breed and make as many babies as possible. It's to ensure the survival of humanity, but even Akira's sorry about it. If the population stabilizes within his lifetime, I can see him easing back on this, but if he doesn't...

This isn't necessarily an order, but Akira's subordinates from Kasumigaseki wound up killing Demonoids who refused to follow him. That can easily turn into death squads killing those suspected to be disloyal.

Blasted Tokyo

Blasted Akira doesn't do anything evil. It wouldn't help his situation. But he does give Flynn and co. a speech about how he's going to use the demons from the Expanse to rebuild the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado; judging by the DLC, he did a good job building cities before the Ancient of Days blasted it back into desert.

Enslaving demons to build your city isn't any more morally objectionable than what your average SMT protagonist gets up to. What might get spicy is if future generations start seeing that anyone who comes through the portal is a 'demon' to be enslaved, even if they're human.

So this hypothetical evil empire would be, well, an empire. It rules over vassal states that are forced to give tribute, regards noncitizens as nonhuman, and the central state contributes nothing of value.

In King Akira's time, there was nothing they could produce. They lived in a desert and burned Pluto corpses for fuel. If they didn't steal, they'd have nothing. By the time the land is arable once more, agriculture might not be as easy or profitable as piracy, so the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado continues as an interdimensional demon summoning pirate state well beyond its need to be one.

On a semirelated note, Blasted Akira only gets a speech about his ideals and how he's going to reform the city, while Infernal Akira gets a whole bunch of NPCs saying what he already did and how. I think it's because we need a lot more assurance that Infernal Akira is doing the right thing, considering both his personality and the whole 'demonoid and neurisher' thing.

King Aquila of Mikado

Now let's reverse it with King Aquila. We know how Mikado turned out after 1500 years after he created the country, and we see his orders, but why did he make them? What context was lost to time?

Let's start with the part of the Samurai Code that forbids them from entering Tokyo, and how Aquila assigned the Minotaur as gatekeeper. From Nanashi's flashbacks, we know Aquila always intended for Mikado to unite with Tokyo, so why stop them?

Look at the plaque in front of the Hall of the Minotaur. It says, "Those who serve God Almighty: Thou shalt not proceed beyond this door." It sounds like Aquila isn't necessarily trying to stop the Samurai, but those who would follow the Monastery's orders. My guess is that he suspected that some fanatics would try to purge Naraku of the Unclean Ones, and the sign is for them.

I've heard a theory that the stark Luxuror/Casualry split was deliberately created to foster dissatisfaction, so that the Casualries would eventually rebel.

I also think that Aquila tried to amp up Mikado's food production to be much greater than their current population, to feed the future Tokyo emigres.

On a semirelated note, for fanfic purposes, I like the idea that Aquila was basically so terrifying that nobody wanted to speak ill of him after his death. He's honored as the ideal king because everyone's scared to write down his less than savory moments.