#why does kokichi seem slightly tsundere...

[princesskokichi]

kokichi, shuichi, nagito, hajime with a short but sharp-tongued s/o

ah we love confident shorties with napoleon complexes !!! 

jkjk but !!! i enjoyed everything about writing this

even though i’ve been up for nearly 13hrs now - mod kokichi

[ K O K I C H I ]

- a mini him, nice

- if you were shorter than him, then that would be his favorite thing in the universe

- i think he lowkey daydreams about an s / o who's so much shorter than him and makes him feel like he's the tall and mature one in the relationship

- he's not, but it's good to feel like that sometimes.

- you had the appearance of a cute person who probably calls themself babie

- but then he speaks to you and he feels a little lied to

- you have a massive napoleon complex with such a cute appearance

- your outfits were always adorable and you had the looks of someone soft and cute and gentle

- but when your mouth opens, which is often, there are daggers

- and he loves it ??

- he finds you so unique like that

- although some of the things you say makes him want to bully you a little bit

- you can always take his teasing, so he has no worries about saying the wrong thing

- and if he does say the wrong thing, he's not below apologizing like a good person

- he likes teasing, but he doesn't like anyone actually getting hurt by his teases

- you're perfect for him to bounce jokes on

- and he admires how you're not afraid to speak your mind and speak succinctly, especially since you were right pretty often

- you weren't ignorant, and the stuff you said held weight

- in other words, he found you perfect in your own way

- and he definitely found you hella intriguing and fun

- you never made a day boring in his life :D

[ S H U I C H I ]

- he freaks out about you a little bit ??

- he's just so shy about everything

- it's easier for him to tell you that he was upset and then have you tell everyone else why he was upset

- so he used you lowkey as his personal feelings expresser

- you were a lot of things to him honestly

- a lover, a best friend, a protector, a feelings expresser

- and more, that he just couldn't name off of the top of his head

- you meant so much to him, and he was a little afraid to explain it to you

- so for a good minute of your relationship even before you were dating

- he didn't tell you what he truly thought of you

- so you kind of believed him to be afraid of you for a little while to be honest

- you weren't scary, but to him you could have been

- you tried not to be scary, at least

- so when he did open up and tell you all of these things that he was feeling the moment he met you

- you were so ?? conflicted

- he was clearly scared of you, so why would he tell you these things ?

- did he want to see a reaction ?

- you were so used to expressing your feelings, so why was it so hard to express them now ?

- there was a lot of things that you both had to open up about that night

- but it really opened your relationship wide open

- after that, he really REALLY became closer to you

- he showed more interest in who you were as a person, and what your thoughts on different subjects were

- once the communication was open, he wasn't scared of telling you these things anymore, and so you two grew closer together

- he still uses you when he wants to tell everyone to shut up tho

[ N A G I T O ]

- oh gosh

- he was lowkey surprised with you

- before he talked to you, he'd seen you around the school before

- and you always seemed to be accompanied by a few good friends

- always in good spirits as well

- your smile was cute to him, and you seemed to be a really gentle person

- so when he talked to you for the first time and he listened to your personality for the first time

- he was a little surprised, to say the least

- you'd scolded him for saying something negative about himself

- and he reeled back into his little protective shell

- you got a little softer after that, your voice gentler than before

- you learned to be a bit softer around him after that incident

- you could have probably seen him emotionally draw back and hide away from you

- so after that you weren't exactly gentle, but you weren't mean to him either

- you were somewhere in the middle

- a tsundere, if you will

- and he didn't mind it !

- he liked your personality because you weren't afraid of who you were

- you embraced yourself and you didn't listen to anyone else's opinion on who you should be, what you should believe, who you should like, or anything

- and he respected you hardcore for that

- it took a lot of mental strength to be that strong willed

- he knew that you were toned down around him

- whenever someone around you made you mad, you went off like a volcano

- you took no shit from no one and your boyfriend was loving it

[ H A J I M E ]

- the moment you met him he thought you were a little mini hiyoko siaonji

- he stayed away from you for the longest time because wow hiyoko is scary and so by default you have to be scary as well

- however, when he was finally forced to talk to you during a school project, you were not as evil as he thought you were

- yeah you kept him and the rest of the group on a tight leash so they couldn't fuck up

- but you weren't mean, per say, ,you just knew what you were doing and preferred it your way

- some may call you sharp tongued or quick to anger

- but that wasn't really the case ??

- you were simply determined to have it your way

- after that, he wasn't that scared of you anymore

- your personality isn't as scary once he finds out that you aren't the devils incarnate like hiyoko

- so he got used to being around you more and more

- and in turn, you got used to being around him

- you didn't really get nicer after you knew each other for a while, you didn't even get nicer when you started to date him

- but you did have a certain delicacy and tenderness about you that changed slightly over time

- you were able to talk to him more about things that would otherwise make you angry when you tried to explain the things

- he was glad you were learning to trust him more and more with your more inner feelings

- you were good at explaining the first layer of feelings, but feelings go deeper than that

- they're a union

- you're a union that he wanted to get to know better, even when you were dating him

- he wanted to know everything about you

[betaronpav3]

Meet the boys!~

Let’s talk again about the characters! It’s time for the boys to shine...or not~

(Note: I don't have colored references for the moment. I'll of course edit this post with their final refs every time I finish one.)

1- Kokichi Ouma - Ultimate Unlucky Student 

 Kokichi is a little boy who believes he suffers from a terrible curse which brings despair and chaos around him. He really has a low self-esteem and is quite shy/introvert (but still no a crybaby). He is however very honest and always does his best when someone ask him to do something. It's also really easy to manipulate him...being a quiet and “innocent” little boy. Kokichi survives until the end with Kaede and Miu and become the protagonist during the fifth chapter (and only during this chapter). 

2- Kaito Momota - Ultimate Prodigy

Kaito is an exceptionally gifted guy who doesn't need to study to have really good grades at school. Because of this gift, he became really lazy and prideful. Unlike Kaede who doesn't want to show her talent, Kaito is always bragging about his abilities. It's quite difficult to ask him to do something because of his laziness... well...he actually doesn't do anything, even talking, when he isn't interested. He only is attentive when the discussion is about girls or space (yeah...he is the flirty guy of this killing game...sorry not sorry?). Kaito murdered Tsumugi and got executed during the first chapter. 

3- Korekiyo Shinguji - Ultimate Strategist 

Korekiyo is a calm and polite man with his own sense of justice. He is probably the most mature character in the whole group and is also quite a gentleman....but become really dangerous/scary when he looses his composure, so don't make him angry please. He seems to have a rich or noble family since he has his own maid but just slightly laugh when someone ask questions about it. He got killed during the third chapter. 

4- Gonta Gokuhara - Ultimate Hunter

No precious gentleman this time! Gonta is actually a wolf in a (huge) human body~  He basically lived his whole life in a forest and acts like a wild animal...until he get tamed by Angie. Then, he become a...dog? Nobody taught him how to speak so he tries his best to copy his comrades...which is really hard for him. Oh did I forgot to mention his little bug friend he brings with him everywhere?~ He got killed during the fourth chapter. 

5- Ryoma Hoshi - Ultimate Troublemaker

In this AU, Ryoma is an annoying little boy who likes to trick people or see them in trouble. Actually, he becomes a pain in the neck because of his deep depression. He wants to forget about it while acting like a meanie and also tries to keep people away for him because he don't want to become close to someone to prevent them to become like him. If someone still tries to get close to him...then Ryoma turn into a huge tsundere. He got killed during the fifth chapter. 

6- Shuichi Saihara - Ultimate Mystery Novelist 

To everyone surprise, Shuichi is way more confident in this AU. He is quite good with investigations because of his novels and is really proud of it. However, he is unfortunately quite emotive and has violent mood swings that can bring confusion toward his comrades. He is still a big moral support to Kokichi and is the only one who finds out the real reason behind Kokichi's curse. He murdered Ryoma and got executed during the fifth chapter.

7- Rantaro Amami - Ultimate Adventurer / Ultimate Despair

Rantaro is the "big brother" of the group...but still has his mysterious aura. He is quite protective and can become really harsh when someone targets the "weaker" one of the group. Kaito calls him the “ikemen” and is slightly jealous of him because of his good looks. He kinda has the same personality as his V3 self but with a little bit of V3!Ouma when it comes to manipulation. As you can see, Rantaro took Tsumugi's place by tricking Kaito to kill her. He is now the mastermind. 

8- K1-B0 (Kiibo) - Ultimate Prototype 

In this AU, Kiibo is the prototype version of his V3 self. He possesses a lot of defectives gadgets and doesn't know anything about humans. So he is really enthusiastic when it comes to learn a lot of things and get really exited when he discovers something new for him. He totally assumes to be a robot and really wants to help everyone despite his differences. Kiibo was supposed to survive with the three others but started to bug after Rantaro's execution... he couldn't bare the bugs any longer and asked his comrades to destroy him. 

Bonus Character Number Two - Dice

Dice is Kokichi's imaginary friend...and for Shuichi he is the reason behind Kokichi's curse. Kokichi actually believes Dice is a real person and really depends of him because he is more confident than him. Unfortunately, Dice has a really bad influence on Kokichi. He is vainglorious, liar, manipulative and has bad intentions. He probably manipulates Kokichi a lot and that's why a lot of bad things happened around Kokichi. 

Well I think I'm done for now! I hope you like them~ If you have any questions for them...or me... feel free to ask!  (and sorry again for my bad English ;; ) Have a nice day <3  

[ryouverua]

The Despairingly Hopeful Flashback Light

“It’s been days since I’ve had a chance to insult people so do me a favour and line up in a row so I can have a go at each of you in turn.”

“Just.... enough energy... to pick that low-hanging fruit...”

Have you even slept at all since this all began?!

She... she’s fully ready to do this? I know it’s not participating in the killing game, but this still not how I want you to use your talent! Not at all!

Just before I go onto the good stuff, I wanted to bring it back over to Himiko’s fluff text because it’s so bittersweet to have her thinking about Tenko in this situation.

It’s hard to say though, Himiko - I think she would have difficulty accepting the situation in general and would try and encourage you to at least enjoy the time you have left. Would she be mad at you though? Mad, no. Sad, absolutely.

That is... exceedingly odd. We’ve only ever found them before by searching - but then again, who would be searching for anything now?

Maybe, but didn’t he say he wasn’t going to interfere with us anymore? I suppose that could be a lie too, but I can’t imagine why he would do anything like this now.

Closure is better than nothing I suppose. Though I’d argue that was... sorta, kinda what Kokichi gave us, in a way?

That’s the, uh, attitude? 8′D

“They don’t call me the Ultimate Assassin for nothing, kid.”

omae wa mo shindeiru

Alright then... well, let’s see it. She’s right, honestly. What’s the worst that could happen at this point? They’re days away from committing mass suicide! 

FLASHBACK LIGHT! FLASHBACK LIGHT! FLASHBACK LIGHT!

Is it the colours? Are the colours why I love this animated sequence so much?

Wait, Hope’s Peak Academy?

WAIT A SECOND ALL THOSE WORDS LOOK SUPER FAMILIAR

So it officially is now??? I always thought it might be in a small way (I mean, come on, Monokuma is there), but literally everything???

Hope’s Peak Academy, you absolute bastard.

Man, we’re really just going over everything, aren’t we?

~The Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History~, which was then renamed to being the second most awful because METEORS RAINED FROM THE SKY AND WIPED OUT EVERYTHING -

Here’s Junko -

The Ultimate Catalyst. >>

Aaaw crap though, if she’s being brought up now... they can’t possibly bring her back for a third time, right? Right???

Now the 78th class’s killing game, most significant to history because that was what led to Junko’s death, I imagine -

We really are getting the Cole’s notes version of events, aren’t we!

I guess they can’t outright talk about Danganronpa 2 here, huh? Fair enough, honestly! Might as well give people a chance to play it without spoiling it too badly!

You gonna expand on that champ? ...... No? Uh, okay?

NO SERIOUSLY WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT CAME TO A SUDDEN END THAT ANIME WAS CALLED ‘END OF HOPE’S PEAK’ NOT ‘END OF THE HOPE VS DESPAIR WAR’ 

Wait are you seriously telling me the cult is the Remnants? I... I don’t know if I’m super happy about that, but okay... I guess it makes sense for them to try and latch onto something like this when their side has lost so much ground. Does that mean there were still a bunch of them lingering, left over from when their fight came to a so-called abrupt end?

Wait, Makoto did this? Would he be in his 40s or 50s then? I was hoping this would take a good deal after the other events, so I guess that’s one way to do it!

though with that said you didn’t have to literally chuck meteors at the prequels and burn them to the ground that is some serious overkill

hope hope hope hope hope hope hope

.......

Oh right, before I forget -

hope.

Please don’t sound so happy about that Shuichi, I thought it was actually nice for you guys to be from different schools. 8′/ Though I guess the whole reason were were considered ‘Ultimates’ was because you were selected as a representative of your specialty to attend Hope’s Peak, but still.

Applied? Weren’t they scouted? I guess Makoto changed the rules or something? 8′D

????? Am I just completely remembering things wrong because I swear it was a scouting process and not an application process...

Oh, that I like at least! Wait, does that mean there were 16 classes going on at the same time for a single year of students??? The logistics must have been a nightmare.

because Makoto’s normal meter has been completely, utterly destroyed by his own old class

.....

.....

LMAO

THAT

THAT WORKS TOO

.........................

eyes Kaito

......... Are you, now? Exactly... what are the symptoms of the virus, exactly?

Oh hey, it’s a new ‘New World Order’! Long time no see!

I MEAN... LIKE.... THIS ANSWERS SOME QUESTIONS.... BUT RAISES MORE....

I know I said I thought we were missing information that would help gel some things together, and this would explain why Monokuma is overseeing this game again, but I still feel like there’s more. I mean, also because even now we’re still in Chapter 5, but that’s beside the point.

Damn it the ‘h’ word is out of the bag and it’s like the game is trying to make up for lost time. 8′D

Weirdly enough, having the cult be the Remnants of Despair makes me more suspicious of Kokichi’s claims of being the mastermind? Is that just me? 

FML HOW DARE YOU BE SO CUTE AT A CRUCIAL MOMENT LIKE THIS damn you’re so small

So timeline-wise are we far enough away from Junko’s life and death for her to have become both a historical figure as well as a symbol? Do I have that right?

Mm, I mean, if we hadn’t had that whole ‘sister’ reveal I could see ‘let me witness the beauty of humanity in the most extreme of circumstances’ Korekiyo Shinguuji being a good, if slightly obvious, choice just off the top of my head, and without any relation to the Remnants. 8′D 

That I can actually agree with! There’s way too much of a coincidence between how things are being held for it not to be related to them, at the very least.

HEY EXCUSE YOU WE HAD A PERFECTLY GOOD ‘TRUTH VS LIES’ THEME GOING ON DON’T GO SHOVING THIS HOPE-SHAPED PEG IN WHERE IT DOESN’T BELONG

Literally my biggest question!!!

That.... That just seems like such a handwave answer! I know one of Junko’s things was how bored she got, and sure, Kokichi talked about how boring a lot of things could be, but the game was literally how Junko got her kicks! She was quite happy to see it until the end, and I’m pretty sure if Kokichi was following her script he would do the same!

Eeeeh? But like... Junko’s plan was ruined by Naegi, Kirigiri et al., right? She didn’t just throw it all away the way Kokichi has. Doesn’t that seem weird to any of you guys at all??

T... The number of times the word ‘hope’ has been said in the last twenty + minutes is leaving me dizzy.

“WOULD YOU LIKE SOME HOPE WITH THAT HOPE??? AND WOULD YOU LIKE TO UPSIZE THAT HOPE? IT’LL COME WITH AN EXTRA SIDE OF HOPE!!!”

Normally I’d love to hear more about your inner voice but right now I’d love for you to put it on mute. 8′/

I love you two but I am debating the pros and cons of pushing you both down the stairs leading to Kaito’s lab r/n

say hope or despair one more time

Aaaaw Himiko! My tiny shining light in this sea of hope and despair talk!

I am glad she was revitalized though - it was pretty scary watching her talk about having Maki kill her!

NO SHUICHI NOT YOU TOO

K1-B0 HOW TF DID YOU MANAGE TO GET THEM BOTH IN ONE SENTENCE LIKE THAT!

Sweetcheeks I am judging you inner monologue right now? Do you hear me?! I am judging you right now!!!!

If he’s the mastermind, it was probably a reward for getting so far, right? “Here’s everything else you need to know about the world that I didn’t get a chance to tell you.”

But if he’s not the mastermind aka lying about it, it seems like this is a way to disrupt his new power? Would he have really done this? Would he be able to access the flashback lights as the new king of the school, if he isn’t the mastermind? I mean, it’s not out of the realm of possibility - he’s got control of the exisals, and that shouldn’t be possible if he isn’t controlling everything - but if he also has the ability to give out flashback lights, why would he do it now? Is this is attempt to make them more interesting again?

Hypothetically, yes... though that conclusion does seem to be based on Kokichi = Mastermind. I guess to say everything I blabbed earlier more concisely, does Flashback Light Access = Mastermind, or does Flashback Light Access = Control of the School?

you wizarding nerd he’s not going to pop up if he hears you say his name

Or... would he? If he’s the mastermind, he should have access to whatever method of surveillance being used this game. This seems like a good time to pop up now in that case - gotta quash the rebellion before it starts - but he hasn’t yet.

Yes!!! Rally around Kaito’s safety!!!

SAIMOTA HAS BEEN REVIVED, BABY!!!

He did say he wanted the remote for the hangar and that he would be keeping Kaito there! So Kokichi periodically leaves to get food and supplies? I guess with an exisal, there isn’t much any of the students can do to stop him. 8′D

TSUMUGI IS THIS REALLY THE TIME

“Look guys, if I see a ship, I call it.”

also I’m a bloody hypocrite re: my saimota comment earlier

“SHIT SHIT SHIT WHY AM I SUCH A TYPICAL TSUNDERE TSUMUGI I’LL KILL YOU -”

TSUN

OOOOKAY that’s uh tmi, anyway thank you for your contribution!!!

?!?! :O Oh shit, when in the world did you get that? Did Miu have extras in her lab?

Oooooooh oooooh how clever of you!!! Damn girl, you’re good!

A;LKDSJF HIMIKO

AND NOT THE KLEPTOMANIA PART?!?!

Alright - so despite Kaito not being there, they’re able to hammer out a pretty good battle plan. Sorry Kaito, looks like you’ve been relegated to the ‘damsel in distress’ position! That’s... sorta close to being a hero? Related? Or something? anyway if you don’t think Kaito being a damsel in distress makes me incredibly happy you don’t know me at all

So they’ll be charging the exisal hangar tomorrow (gotta charge those hammers!) with an electrobomb to disable Kokichi’s access to the exisals and hammers to disable the shutter lock and as a back-up. It’s a good plan, all things considered!

.... But..... why do I have a terrible feeling that someone is going to be dead when they get there? For that matter, I don’t know why I’m saying it in such vague terms - I’ll be shocked if someone isn’t dead either by the time they reach the hangar, or while they’re in there. I posited the idea that Maki’s lab could be an alternative spot, or even Shuichi’s lab, but with both Kaito and Kokichi in there I don’t think there’s any doubt left. I also feel like the ‘potential victim’ list has been cut to the two of them too.... D: 

MAKI THE WHOLE POINT IS THAT WE DON’T WANT ANY MORE DEAD BODIES

Is this not just so incredibly reminiscent of what happened with Kaede? It’s incredibly tempting, I understand that, but we can’t make the same mistake twice! I also feel like this will be another case of 'wrong target’ but that’s a separate issue

Well said, K1-b0!

FINALLY a chance to use the nerdmugi tag again! It’s been so long! I’ll let that use of the word ‘despair’ slide this time, but only because of that.

C-CAN WE NOT NEUTRALIZE HIM

RYOMA’S CHAINS OR TENNIS NET CORD

KOREKIYO’S CAGE

GONTA’S INSECT NET

MIU’S GENERAL BONDAGE DUNGEON THAT I’M 99% SURE EXISTS UNDER HER LAB

THERE MUST BE SOME OPTIONS

Despite being embarrassed about being rescued by the others, I bet Kaito would be so proud to know that Maki reached out to the others like this and is working together with them to rescue him! She’s spent so much time caught up in her own emotional walls she created around her heart, you know? And now, finally, she’s letting some people in!

Okay now Maki this may not be integral to the plan or anything but I do insist that if the impossible happens and nothing goes wrong, you carry Kaito outside of the hangar bridal-style. Okay? Okay.

It’s wishful thinking, all things considered... but we can hope.

but first, time to get a certain robot’s underwear.

[serahne]

Here comes the next part to my Maki Harukawa analysis that will cover her evolution from chapter 2′s trial to chapter 3. The first part of this analysis is here ands talks about Maki’s character when she enters the Academy.

It made more sense to me to put chapters 4 and 5 together in a next post, especially since the chapter 4 is not as focused on Maki than 2 and 3 and that it mostly prepares chapter 5 - this making it weird to separate them.

I’ve already spent way too many hours on this this week so I hope you’ll enjoy it !

Second Trial

Maki’s arc officially starts at the end of the second chapter, during the trial. I do think people underestimates how much she is influenced by everything happening during this trial by Kaito, Kokichi and Ryoma.

Let’s start with the most obvious, Kokichi. He and Maki has been antagonizing each other since the first chapter.

Anyone who went through the game knows that the reason he has such bias against her is because she is an assassin, while one of the principle at the core of his character is that murder is wrong. Through the game, and while both their characters change dramatically, the animosity between them will stay the same. There is just no way for these characters to get along, ever, with is fascinating in itself.

My point is, Kokichi starts the second trial with the goal to unveil Maki as an assassin and the culprit. She is an assassin, but she was also the one with Ryoma’s motive video and the one whose Ryoma had the motive video too. Moreover, the murder was conducted in a way that asks for skills, determination, knowledge. She doesn’t have an alibi.I do think he planned to throw his ‘Maki is the Ultimate Assassin’ bomb in the middle of the trial, too. In any case, he is targeting her.

This is also the only trial where Kokichi is so virulent against someone who isn’t the culprit, even when another possibility exists.

And yet, Kokichi’s plan to totally destroy Maki by hammering all the evidence he had against her fails. And we all know why it failed. At the last minute, Kaito looks at all the facts gathered during the investigation and the trial, and shrugs them off, claiming that he believes in Maki. And this despite not knowing her at all, despite all the secrets around her.

Even Shuichi doesn’t follow him on this one at first.

Right.

Now, as someone who is more a skeptic than a believer, I admit that I was in everyone’s boat to consider Kaito an idiot. However this is something we already see with Kaito when he decided to believe in Shuichi during first chapter ( he was right ), in Kaede ( he was wrong ), and we’ll see him again in chapter four being hard-bent on Gonta being innocent ( once again, he was wrong ).

This is not a Kaito/Kokichi analysis, but I think the game makes very clear that they are both on the opposite spectrum of the truth-finding process : Kaito chooses to believe all the time, Kokichi chooses to doubt all the time, and neither of them gets a hundred-percent accuracy with their methods. During this trial, though, Kaito wins. Maki isn’t the culprit.

I’m not going to try and diminish how confusing it must have been for Maki to someone believing in her that way. Someone believing that she couldn’t be the killer. I do think having Kaito and Shuichi lies for her and tries to help her motivated her a lot and managed to give her the push necessary to try and save her life by telling the truth about her meeting with Ryoma.

However, I do think the person who had the most impact on her during this chapter was Ryoma. It’s easy to miss the way their characters parallels each others and yet...

They are both murderers, and people who lost the people around them - something they blame themselves for, though their responsibilities could be argued there. They are also characters with very little will to live. Ryoma’s case is clear, but let’s not forget that during her FTE, Maki explains that during her training, she has been trained to die. She is also aware that she can be disposed of at any moment. Both of them don’t really aspire to get out of the school, because for Ryoma it would mean going back to prison, and for Maki going back to her life as assassin.

And yet, one thing still separates them. Their reaction to the motive video. Maki makes clear that she didn’t even watch what was given, and she doesn’t seem to have any desire to watch her motive video - though it’s easy to imagine that her motive would just be as empty as Ryoma’s. In the contrary, Ryoma is actively trying to make things better for himself.

As always, Maki is pretty good at hiding her own feelings, but I do think Ryoma’s request and what happened to him after really resonated with her, in a ‘how are we even different ?’ way. Compared to that, while I do think she can enjoy Kaito’s optimism at some point, he completely misses the point of Ryoma’s ( and her’s ) situation.

I’m not going to rant about how narrow-minded Kaito can sound when he calls Ryoma’s depression ‘stupidity’, it has been done enough in the fandom, but I think the point is to say Kaito has this belief that as long as you keep holding onto your dreams and hope for a better future then everything will be fine. Which doesn’t make sense for Maki who was never allowed to have dreams and hopes in the first place.

Once again, I can’t help but look at people who thinks she is being a ‘tsundere’ here with confusion. She replies coldly to Kaito not because of her pride or because she wants to hide that she likes him, but because this is a point of view that she doesn’t share and thinks it’s an immature one. And I mean, it kinda is.

As a whole, I’m sad we didn’t hear more of Maki’s thoughts about Ryoma because his death was definitely something significant for her considering their similarities.

Maki’s situation in chapter 3

Chapter 3 is probably my favorite chapter for Maki, and yet it’s not an easy one on her. Sure, the previous trial gave her the impulse to try and not be as passive as she was before, but that doesn’t go as swimmingly as it could. Not only is her secret out, but Kokichi and the newly-formed student council single her out at the main threat. Kokichi in particular always bring her back to her condition of Ultimate Assassin.

He even excludes her from the meetings with the rest of the class.

Obviously, I’m not going to reference all the instances Kokichi goes straight for Maki with the ‘you’re a killer’ bullet. And the thing is, that does sound harsh. But he isn’t necessarily wrong. Maki is a killer. Maki suggests killing people as a way to resolve problems. So when he says something like :

Is that mean and uncalled for ? Yes. Is that wrong, though ? I mean when you go at the opposite side of the spectrum, the way Kaito defends her is… lacking. And he does that by entirely denying Maki’s talent, when it’s a big part of her character. A part she wishes wasn’t there, but an essential one, nevertheless.

Honestly, this initial reaction from Kaito is very ‘?’-worthy for me. The only thing I could think of is that his heterosexist mindset is getting in a way from the truth, but we are close to denial, here. Does he think she is lying about that ? Anytime Maki is asked, she never lies, she is very straight-forward about everything she did.

I do think she is disappointed with Kaito’s reaction, to be honest. I also do think that she doesn’t have any other choice than to give him a chance, since he ( and by extension, Shuichi ) are the only ones ready to not condemn her in advance. So she goes along with them, and she accepts to join Kaito’s training, too.

Don’t get me wrong : I do think she has some interest in Kaito. As I explained in the first part of my analysis, I do think that while she can’t allow herself to be optimistic, she admires people who can be, though she thinks they are stupid. On this regard, while her and Kokichi are very similar, by the way.

Going back to Kaito, after offering her his support, he suddenly bails ( for health reasons, though we, the player, only know that at the end of chapter 3, and the students will only know that even later ), which is something that Maki resents, a lot. This is understandable : he is pretty much the only person who believes in her, and now he gives up on her ? What is she supposed to do ? Go back isolating herself in her room ? It must be so frustrating because it’s not like she can demand something from him either.

But yeah, Kaito being scared of occult and letting her down is something that upsets her through the whole chapter. Actually, even by the end of the third trial, she is still holding him on it, which is slightly hilarious to me, even when he is back to being all supportive and ready to fight.

Fun fact : even in the next chapter she is still salty about this stupidity.

( I love her, haha )

What’s more, in chapter 3, with the student counsil on her case, I do think Maki sees the situation she was worried about comes to life : people are going to try and target her, and then someone will die somewhere in the way, because that’s what happens with her around.

So things go pretty bad for a while, but thanks god, she actually makes a friend, and that’s Shuichi. I do think that until the time where they train together without Kaito, they don’t have any bond. I mean, sure, you can technically hang out with Maki now, but beyond her FTE, they are just… the people Kaito took under his wing ?

Something cool, though, is what they bond over. For a moment, Maki talks to Shuichi about her feelings as an Assassin, then backpedal, probably thinking that he is going to brush her off like Kaito does, or maybe even blame her like Kokichi.

I admit that the first time I saw this exchange, I raised my eyebrow at this comparison, because I missed what the game was trying to tell me.

“Detective” and “Assassin” are two talents that totally change of meaning in the context of a killing game. In the real world, Shuichi has to investigate cheating couples and miserable situations, but at the Academy ? He is the hero people rely on to save them. He does things he can be proud of.

I do think Maki realizes with this exchange that her situation is not that different. That, sure, in the real world she is just a tool, a killing machine, but that inside the Academy, she has her own will and can use her talent to do good things. Sure, she took time to realize this, but to her credit, how an ‘Ultimate Assassin’ skill can be used in a positive way is not that obvious.

As I showed in the previous part, Maki cares a lot about people and wishes to help them And from then, she really tries to put her talent to good use, though it’s not… always… a success.

Fortunately, she eventually finds a way to use her talent without actually murdering people. Her being the Ultimate Assassin gives her a good credit whenever she talks of dead bodies and murder weapons, including with Angie who is probably one of the most difficult person to change the mind of.

She is able to help Shuichi in his investigation thanks to it, and I have to say that Maki is a very pleasant partner to have during an investigation. She is straight-forward, focused, not mean toward other people but still forceful enough to not get walked upon by the them.

The best proof of Maki’s ‘power’ as an assassin is probably that Kokichi swallows her lie about Tenko’s death without chewing, probably too happy to be offered the occasion to insult her with her talent once more, not realizing that she is now using this as a way to gain credibility among the group.

Anyway, to conclude this part, I have to say that I really enjoy the way they drew this parallel between her talent and Shuichi’s, and the way their talent change of meaning when a murder happens. And I also like that this comparison carries on to the next chapter, like during this exchange where they are inside Shuichi’s lab.

As I said, I love Maki chapter 3, I think the way she decides to take her life between her hands is great, and I’m also grateful that Shuichi and her managed to bond over their talents.I do think, though, that it’s a very convenient way to forget that Maki isn’t someone who studies murder but someone who commit them. So, while chapter 3 ends up in a positive note, Kokichi is already predicting what will eventually happen to her when she will use her talent for real.

[princesskokichi]

fuyuhiko, hiyoko, sonia, celeste, and kyoko with a clingy s/o

so as it turns out i’m going to violate my own rules and write these together, because it felt a little counterproductive to separate them when they were 02 similar asks. call it a gift if you will - mod kokichi

[ F U Y U H I K O ]

- to be frank, it makes him feel awkward

- it’s really nothing personal 

- he just,, isn’t used to affection and being clingy

- it makes his heart do things that he doesn’t very much like

- so he has a tendency to push you away 

- and he will complain about you treating him like a baby or something like that

- but deep down he really doesn’t mind it, he just doesn’t know how to deal with it

- he’s also horrible at giving it back, so that’s probably another reason why he feels bad

- because he thinks it’s wrong that you spend so much time loving on him when he doesn’t do it back

- no matter how many times you tell him that it’s alright

- and that you love him and his subtle ways of showing affection

- he won’t trust you

- but he does enjoy your presence

- he just,, wants to get better at giving it !! a little

- please be patient with him, he’ll get better with you and won’t push you away all the time 

- he just needs to learn not to push away feelings that are foreign to him

[ H I Y O K O ]

- she’s a bit of a brat about it

- but in the end, she wants attention more than you do

- it’s standard that no matter how much attention you give her, she wants more

- it’s just the way she is, really

- she clings to you just as much as you cling to her

- sometimes she’s a little annoying with how much she clings, but it’s just the way she is

- she will fuck up anyone who talks bad - or really, just negative in general - about you

- and she wants you to always be her side 

- prepare for some crocodile tears if you playfully deny her snuggles

- and prepare for real tears if you’re even slightly mean to her

- she just,, i don’t think she would handle that very well

- if you were ever mean to her, she would definitely be screaming and crying at the same time

- but you’re rarely agitated, which is something this girl loves

- she likes being near her partner, so please let her stay close to you as long as she wants !!!

- and in turn, she’ll let you hold her,,,, occasionally 

[ S O N I A ]

- it makes her heart swell oh my god

- she thinks your love language is the cutest thing in the universe

- she herself has a very tender kind of way of showing romance

- like pushing your hair behind your ear or picking out a specific item in your outfit for the day 

- if you like wearing scarves, for example, she really likes picking out which one you’ll wear that day

- same thing with your shoes

- she’s a sucker for cute things

- and she thinks that you are the cutest thing in the world when you’re being snuggly

- it does embarrass her if you do it in public, but as long as you don’t go overboard, she’s good

- she rarely cares about messing up her public image

- because she’s already a unique character that people in her country either love or ignore

- i really don’t think anyone has it in them to hate sonia, to be honest

- she likes being cuddly back to you, and will sometimes pepper kisses along your skin when she thinks that people aren’t looking

[ C E L E S T E ]

- oh, god 

- what is this ?? 

- affection ????? gross

- she doesn’t do that

- at first she was a little annoyed with how much affection you constantly tried to give her

- she would push you away and try to act like you were crossing boundaries 

- but you weren’t, she was just surprised

- you would have to learn to control your simping for her and take it slow

- because if you go too fast she may not be able to accept it

- affection and feelings in general just don’t come natural for her

- so when someone is showing her both of those things, it kind of makes her brain freeze

- like, is she supposed to hug you back ??

- is she supposed to kiss you, or is that for private ?

- she doesn’t know, but she doesn’t want to make a full out of herself, so she doesn’t typically do anything back

- it may seem like you’re just pining after her and being that clingy best friend with an unreciprocating partner

- but she just,, doesn’t do affection, it’s nothing really against you

- somewhere in her heart though, she is glad that you love her so much

- you just have to go slow for her, okay ? take it step by step and don’t spring it on her immediately

[ K Y O K O ]

- she’s a pretty reserved girl

- so affection,, feels a little weird to her

- it’s not on the level of fuyuhiko or celeste, but it does feel strange

- she doesn’t particularly mind it though

- but she makes it known to you that there are boundaries you just can’t cross

- like very heated kisses in public, she will push you away

- even if you’re doing it just because you want to kiss her, she won’t deal with it very lightly

- she’s slightly tsundere, but mostly just wants a more peaceful type of romance

- she does, however, admire how strong your passion is

- she thinks its one of the many things that makes you, you

- so unless you cross her clearly defined boundaries, she doesn’t mind you being clingy and snuggly with her

- sometimes if you’re really having a good day

- you can catch her blushing a lot, not like she’ll ever admit that of course

- she’s going to be the kind of person to want to hold onto you in private and on a special occasion, tho

- so when she wants to snuggle with you as the big spoon instead of the little spoon, let her