#his thoughts and feelings. especially since they're colliding with someone or something else's

[verflares]

they should do another link "good morning kings let's push this boulder" adventure game ala majora's mask and link's awakening tbh. been a while since we've had one

[ilikepenguinz]

Alright once again it is time for the now unmasked timeline anon to ramble madly about the deaths of teenagers My therapist is doing well thanks for asking

I don't have a big, thought out thesis statement like I did for the DR1 cast and I paid a lot less attention to SDR2 (I am a contradiction of an Ibuki fan but she'd probably think that's funny so I'm good) meaning this'll be even more hallucination on my end but maybe I won't burn the kitchen down

One thing that does strike me as interesting is that the DR2 cast seems like it was made to get along, even if in a toxic way, while the DR1 and DRV3 casts are kind of disasters in the making

And I actually have a theme I want to make more prevalent in DR2 through my own rewrite ideas: "When does someone's death start being a murder?"

Let's begin (rubs my hands together like a fly)

Rather than going character by character, I'll first go over the chapters and then group the characters together. You'll see what I mean.

The Chapters of Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair

First off, I'll quickly dissect the chapters and the relevant characters to them, once again focusing on the points of the deaths.

Prologue

The only part I wish to note is that Usami Monomi was blown up to give the characters reason to believe that Monokuma is legit, just like Mukuro was killed in DR1 to convince that cast.

Since none of the characters has an arc that could be resolved by being killed arbitrarily (foreshadowing is a literary device), destroying a mascot that can just come back is a fine compromise.

Chapter 1

Alright, the victim is the Imposter and the culprit is Teruteru. Why?

I feel like the Imposter is obvious, since they were literally impersonating Byakuya, a character we know from DR1, giving us a beautiful, ironic mystery that was only confusing to us, the player, while the characters don't even know that something is wrong.

Teruteru's death however, in a vacuum, is kind of pointless. The biggest impression he left on the player is that he's a complete creep towards others, especially women. So, intuitively, most might not feel all that sorry for him when he gets executed.

But here's the kicker: Teruteru is kind of a victim of circumstance. He really just wanted to stop Nagito from committing murder, even if he also wanted to leave the island to see his mom again. Unfortunately for him, the Imposter had a similar idea, making things go wrong when the two collided.

And now, I direct your attention to Teruteru's execution! Specifically, the music. SDR2 has one specific sample that plays in three executions, saying "reach for the stars, reach so far..."

I'll get to the other characters that have it, but it's pretty commonly accepted that it plays for those murderers who didn't intend to kill their eventual victims, if they even intended to kill at all.

So, Teruteru's death does have narrative meaning. It forces us as the player to empathize with someone who, by all accounts, has not deserved our empathy with his previous behaviour. It humanizes him. However, it also builds up a general idea of whether or not the Blackeneds actually are just murderers, a theme that's prevalent in DR2 but kinda goes under in 2-3 and 2-4.

The game kind of asks if it's still murder if Teruteru kills someone else. Trial 1 already starts to blur the line between murder and manslaughter.

Btw can we address that the motive was their memories? It's kind of ironic that they're promised the memories that were taken from them, but they never get them in 2-1. They get them in the later chapters instead, and only as motives to commit more murder, aka Monokuma only fulfills his end in a way that helps his goals and never any more. Scummy, I like it.

Chapter 2

I'll start on the motive rather than ending on it. Twilight Syndrome Murder Case is possibly the most iconic motive in any DR game, and for good reason. It directly depicts events from class 77-B's first year at Hope's Peak and involves multiple characters from SDR2: those being Mahiru, Hiyoko, Ibuki, Mikan and Fuyuhiko.

There's also just generally nice sense of worldbuilding by giving us HPA students outside of our main casts in Sato and Natsumi but w/e

This motive was dirty. It directly involves specific characters, it was obvious that at least one of them would be involved in the murder. And, surprise surprise, everyone except Ibuki and Mikan plays a major role in it. Motives in DR2 are more personal in comparison to DR1's and DRV3's "generic" motives in order to play on specific dynamics between characters.

DR1 had Makoto making the point that the only reason anyone actually died in Junko's killing game is that she took their memories of being classmates. I wouldn't be surprised if she took it as a challenge because she went from "no memories" to "manipulated memories" (which eventually leads to DRV3's "fake memories") in how she motivated killings.

But enough about the motive, let's talk about the victim and culprit. In the spirit of reversing the previous order, culprit first this time.

Peko commits murder only indirectly due to this motive and that's the perfect result of it. She herself is not part of Twilight Syndrome, but she's not disconnected, either; she's childhood friends with Fuyuhiko and definitely also had at least some relation to Natsumi, whose murder and its coverup were presented in the events the game depicts.

So when Fuyuhiko finds out that Mahiru had a role in his sister's death and almost kills her, Peko steps in and kills her herself. Fuyuhiko makes the mistake of letting these memories, his past, define him for a moment, and Peko won't allow that to take away his future. (Wow it's almost like that's a major theme of SDR2 whoaaaaa)

And we all know how the trial ends, Peko is exposed for having struck Mahiru with the metal bat, but she makes the argument that she wasn't the culprit since she was Fuyuhiko's tool. Another point for the "this was not a proper murder" theme, just this time with the question of "Can someone be so depersonalized that they are a murder weapon instead of a murderer?"

DR2's answer is no, at least in the case of Peko. Fuyuhiko never saw her as a tool, she was always a person, one he deeply cared about no less. Because of these events, he learns that him never addressing the feelings they had for each other (be they romantic or platonic) ended up sealing Peko's fate.

But I'll leave the gushing over 2-2's story and themes to people who are as autistic about SDR2 as I am about DR1. (I will continue gushing actually sorry) Finally, let's discuss what is arguably the "weakest" part of this case, even if it's still a pretty good one: the victim, Mahiru Koizumi.

Here's what I consider interesting about Twilight Syndrome and how it relates to our main cast: Mahiru and Fuyuhiko have their friend/sister killed in it while Ibuki, Hiyoko and Mikan are really just there as side characters. Sato killed Natsumi for Mahiru. The one who helped cover up the killing was Mahiru. The only one left to take revenge on after Sato's death was Mahiru.

Really, nobody except Mahiru could've realistically ended up as the victim, unless someone wanted to give Fuyuhiko a hard time for killing the person who murdered his little sister. Murder may be wrong, but it's clear that, from his perspective, it was justified. (Justice is kinda a secondary theme of 2-2 now that I think about it.) Only someone with an emotional connection to Sato would have reason to give him more shit than her.

And who had an emotional connection to Sato? Mahiru.

Mahiru is by no means some kind of supervillain. She's really just a teenage girl that occasionally gives guys a hard time, partially due to her complex relationship with her parents. And yet she helped cover up a murder. I won't lie, that's kinda scary to me.

Danganronpa generally has this story thread of how fucked up Hope's Peak is as an institution. SDR2 especially shows that with the Reserve Course and Hajime being turned into Izuru. But, apparently, there's something so deeply rotten about this school that even its completely normal students commit pretty heinous actions for rather selfish reasons. No wonder Junko wanted to get in, despair was practically brewing on its own.

So, in a way, Mahiru got karmic retribution for her sin in 2-2. Did she deserve it? I don't think so, but I wouldn't blame anyone for disagreeing. It's ironic, though. Mahiru got punished for her misdeed by someone who was only tangentially related to what she did.

Maybe that's why Peko puts on the Sparkling Justice mask. Regardless of whether she thinks so or not, she technically acted in the sense of justice. Just a very extreme justice.

Oh, also, Mahiru and Peko make a good pair to kill off in one chapter together because they cause arcs in Hiyoko and Fuyuhiko. I sure hope none of them get cut short for Kodaka's needless desire to make every third chapter a double murder-

Also I don't know how to integrate this but these posts give me brain worms (affectionate) and make Mahiru and Peko a really interesting duo in my eyes.

@foryoupeko I fully blame you for me writing 2 pages about this case involving characters I only somewhat care about, what have you done to me /j

In summary: The motive was dirty and basically forced everyone into a certain path whether they wanted to or not. Peko's death furthers the theme of questioning murder as a concept while also showing the dangers of letting the past define you as it can hurt those around you as well. Finally, Mahiru is definitely not as perfect a victim as the Imposter was, but she exposes just how far reaching the messed up nature of Hope's Peak is *and* is a bit of a microcosm about how even unwilling sinners are harshly punished in Danganronpa, despite their agency being taken from them. (But this last part is potentially just thematic self indulgence on my end)

Chapter 3

Mikan is a really interesting killer to me, primarily for the reasons OP already mentioned. It's a really good narrative of the dangers of not helping those who need it and people snapping. Speaking from experience, that is a real danger and I kind of applaud SDR2 for daring to have such an interesting message about preventable tragedy.

The motive is also something fascinating: the Despair Disease. The ones that get infected are Ibuki, Akane, Nagito and Mikan, although the latter is a twist. And who's the killer? The one who gets the memory disease. The one who remembers.

I joked that Junko must've taken Makoto's reasoning as a challenge, but, if we're honest, this emphasis on the danger of memories is just part of the past vs future theme SDR2 embodies. Just like Fuyuhiko fell to the past of his sister's death, Mikan fell to the past of her brainwashing, acts of terrorism & the general abuse she suffered.

Difference is that Fuyuhiko had someone to save him, someone that cared, while Mikan lacked people that actively cared for her. (Jesus Christ it’s Makoto and Kiyotaka again)

And who did she kill? The person that sexualized her to hell and back (thanks for pointing that out Crane, wouldn't have remembered that without ya) and her most active bully. This... is kind of where this chapter falls flat. The motive and killer are great, but everyone knows the victims (emphasis on the plural) are a bit of an issue. Let's talk about the one that works first.

Ibuki dying in 2-3 is similar to Chihiro dying in 1-2, a tone shift. The bubbly, excitable (and actually somewhat helpful in trials) musician dies, permanently altering the mood of the group. Add OP's notes on the relationship between her and Mikan and her death becomes truly meaningful.

But what I think is the most interesting is that, as far as we know, Mikan got her to kill herself. And, keep in mind, Mikan isn't thinking straight due to not being straight the Despair Disease reverting her to a Remnant. And keep in mind, she has the "reach for the stars, reach so far..." sample in her execution theme, indicating unintentional killing here. That's how 2-3 makes calling Mikan a murderer difficult.

Until Hiyoko stumbles into the crime scene and unravels the entire chapter. 2-3 did not need to be a double murder and I quite frankly wonder how Kodaka would've tried to kill off Fuyuhiko here in a way that isn't even more sloppy.

Hiyoko was murdered by Mikan, there's no doubt about it aside from the Despair Disease, which is already a factor with Ibuki. And it's thematically pointless, as it kinda ruins Mikan's "medical malpractice" theme, has nothing to do with the killer's motivation, is barely explained anyway and just cuts off Hiyoko's arc right before it can even properly start. Most I can make of it is a Makoto-Kiyotaka type mirroring between Fuyuhiko and Hiyoko, but that works a lot less than it did in DR1 as it isn't really built up to and his mirroring with Mikan is a lot stronger anyway.

I'm afraid I don't have much else to say on this case, it's a very openly known black sheep among the SDR2 chapters.

Chapter 4

(Note that there's a big chance I'll mix up some details from chapters 4 and 5 since I don't remember how much of this is revealed when sorgy)

The motivation this time is starvation, but memories are still used against the cast due to the information one can obtain through the Final Dead Room. It's the reveal that everyone except Chiaki used to be Remnants of Despair that causes Nagito to more actively work against the group.

And it's the reveal that Hajime was never actually an Ultimate that ends up breaking him a little.

But I want to pull attention to the fact that this chapter reveals to the group that a killing game already happened in DR1. (Not sure if this is fanon or canon, but they, as Remnants, helped with that killing game, so it's another "sins of the past" type situation.)

Finally, they also find out that Byakuya was part of that game, wondering if their classmate knew more than he let on, using the memories we ourselves made in this game against the characters since they don’t know that Twogami was a fake.

I think that Gundham and Nekomaru are so equal here that they need to be discussed together. They decided to fight to the death so that the others could actually leave. This brings something to a death in DR that we didn't have before: consent between killer and victim.

Both of them basically accepted the chance that they'd die. This is how 2-4 makes calling Gundham a murderer difficult: he technically just fought against an opponent and honored their mutual agreement. (I will use this in my own rewrite notes so keep this in mind)

I'm afraid I'm already a bit spent on analysing 2-4, as the deaths aren't really anything I can comment on in more detail. Nekomaru sacrifices himself again and Gundham makes his soft side for animals also show towards his classmates. Shit's very in character for these two.

Chapter 5

I've avoided talking about Nagito because he makes my blood boil, but we all know he's a walking Makoto parallel so I might as well speak on that.

Nagito, in the context of the theme of memories, is a misremembered version of Makoto. He always talks about hope, he sees himself as worthless in comparison to Ultimates, and his luck is all but a superpower.

Nagito is basically as close to a flanderized version of Makoto you can get without losing actual character depth. I don't like this asshole, but I have to admit that there's a lot to him.

So I think it's only fitting that the walking memory is the one that snaps when he finds out the truth about his past as a Remnant. When the others find out, they're horrified, but they're not so bought into Hope's Peak's bullshit that they think they have no right to live.

And, although there is no official motive given like in every 5th chapter, these memories *are* Nagito's motive. Once again, manipulated information is proving itself to be arguably even more dangerous than no information.

And I think that's why Nagito's death is so good in this chapter. He has so thoroughly messed with our memory of "the hopeful Ultimate Lucky Student" that we might just fall for the fake Makoto in 2-6. We are not exempt from having our memories used against us.

While Nagito messes with our memories going forward, Chiaki does it when looking back. She is fucking omnipresent throughout SDR2, almost always at Hajime's side. So many memories you make with the characters involve her, so when you find out that she isn't real, that she's "the traitor", all of these memories are a little soured.

Sure, Chiaki is and always was kind, but was she even real? Were the moments real? Were Are our feelings real? Especially in this digital world? Hajime can't be sure.

2-5 is all about memories, which is what makes it a perfect set up for 2-6 to fully emphasize the past vs future conflict.

And, finally, it also gives us the most extreme version of "the killer isn't really a murderer", as Chiaki just doesn't commit murder. She commits manslaughter as part of a plan Nagito, the "victim", came up with.

2-1 mixed murder with manslaughter. 2-2 mixed murder with depersonification and justice. 2-3 mixed murder with suicide. 2-4 mixed murder with consent. 2-5 removes the murder entirely, circling back to manslaughter.

Therefore, her execution having the “reach for the stars, reach so far…” sample is pretty straightforward.

Chapter 6

I believe the theme of what makes up murder is already resolved by its climax in 2-5, so it doesn't play too much of a role here.

The theme of memories and their danger becomes much more central, though. As I said, it becomes the central past vs future conflict. Ultimately, the students have two options: forever live in a memory with their friends alive or accept the harsh reality of death while risking the memory of Junko to resurface, tarnishing the memories they have of their friends.

The word memory means nothing to me anymore.

Hajime, Fuyuhiko and Akane surviving makes a lot of sense. They all have a very obvious someone they lost, and the latter two can probably not bear the thought of these memories being ruined.

But Hajime already had his memories "ruined", only to be reminded that the past never changed. He grew close to Chiaki, regardless of what happened and was revealed in 2-5. And thus, he learned to move on, teaching the same lesson to his friends.

And then there's Sonia and Kazuichi, both of which kinda mess up this resolution. Sonia does have Gundham to grieve, but it's not as deep to her character as the aforementioned 3 and Kazuichi didn't really lose anyone super special to him.

I believe this is why Sonia and Hiyoko are such a common swap in rewrites. It just completes the themes of the game much better and rounds out the survivor cast to be as good as DR1's.

So, I believe it's time to discuss the connections between these traumatized teenagers.

Class 77-B: The Messiest, Most Awful, Most Toxic Polycule in Human History

Note that this is all about their relationships in SDR2. I have not watched DR3.

Why does the surviving cast feel off?

As I said before, I wanna group the students together a little. I don't have a clue where this'll lead us but I've bullshitted this far, so who knows what I'll pretend to figure out!

I would say that there are 4 boxes we can fit the DR2 cast in.

Twilight Syndrome Gang: Mahiru, Hiyoko, Ibuki, Mikan, Fuyuhiko and Peko Sonia & Simps Incorporated: Sonia, Gundham, Kazuichi Sports Lunatics: Nekomaru, Akane The Outsiders: Hajime, Nagito, Chiaki, Imposter, Teruteru

You can kind of see the issue this provides for the surviving cast, right? No matter how you splice it, 5 survivors lead to at least 2 of one group surviving no matter what.

This is why Kazuichi and Sonia surviving may somewhat hinder the catharsis of the ending. As I said before: Akane, Fuyuhiko and Hajime make sense, as they all lost people deeply important to them. They are the sole survivors of their minor groups while Sonia and Kazuichi have each other after only losing Gundham.

But there's no fix for that besides cutting a survivor, right? Well, of course there isn't. You can't get 5 people from 4 groups without this issue. Which is why me saying that there are 4 was a filthy lie!

Twilight Syndrome Murder Case's characters can be neatly divided into two sides.

Sato's side: Mahiru, Hiyoko, Ibuki and Mikan Natsumi's side: Fuyuhiko and Peko

Fundamentally, TwiSyn is about Sato killing Natsumi, that's the focus. Everything else is either buildup to or consequence of it.

This is what makes the Sonia/Hiyoko swap so interesting. It's not just "giving Kazuichi someone to lose while not utterly wasting Hiyoko", it's continuing what is one of the most important conflicts in the in-universe history of Class 77-B.

2-2 basically left Fuyuhiko alone and took Hiyoko's biggest confidant. 2-3 had the remaining two girls so preoccupied with their own toxic relationship that they killed each other, leaving Hiyoko alone, too.

When all three of them die, it doesn’t affect Fuyuhiko the way it could’ve affected him and Hiyoko if they were the last two standing. They would be all but forced to trauma bond by the circumstances.

The difference between them would be that Fuyuhiko is already trying to move on, with him cutting his stomach open to apologize and such, while Hiyoko is still losing herself as she grieves Mahiru and, possibly and more subconsciously, Ibuki and Mikan.

It's basically past vs future all over again.

So, 5 groups, 1 survivor each. That's how, in my opinion, we get a good surviving cast.

But why?

All of these kids desperately need a therapist

These groups are defined by conflict.

Nekomaru and Akane get along well, but I think that's partially because their conflicts are physical. They fight it out, basically. Plus, there is the problem that Nekomaru provides Akane’s first ever social safety cushion, something that kinda stunts her growth until he finally does die and she is forced to learn to balance between comfort and strength. One can interpret that as their brand of toxicity.

I don't think Sonia, Gundham and Kazuichi need to be explained. Kazuichi's obsession with Sonia, Sonia's politeness being the one thing stopping her from crashing out on him and Gundham being caught in the middle are a recipe for disaster.

Peko and Fuyuhiko are just... beyond unstable early on. They don't really understand each other or themselves or anything. Peko can somewhat mask the mess she is, but Fuyuhiko lashes out instead. They're kind of like those structures that should collapse but keep themselves upright due to constant stress. Should one of them lose the other, they'd have to quickly adapt or they would fall over like a domino. That's what we see in Fuyuhiko post 2-2.

Mahiru's friend group is also a mess. Hiyoko's a bully to everyone except her "big sis" and Mahiru keeps defending her when someone claps back. It's obviously not malice, but a serious blindspot she has. Mikan being part of the group is interesting, as she is Hiyoko's biggest victim, even if Hiyoko does grow fond of her. And then there's Ibuki. I can't really formulate her toxicity in relation to Mikan better than OP, so I'll just reiterate that she's the main culprit in sexualizing her. They do care for each other, but this group isn't healthy long-term, especially for Mikan.

Finally, the outsiders. You'd think that this band of misfits would have everyone belong somewhere, but they're not exempt from having people who can't fit in. Teruteru and Nagito aren't exactly well liked when they're at their worst. This is a problem for them, since they're rarely at their best. Imposter just naturally can't fully fit in because they can't be themselves.

Finally, Hajime and Chiaki. They don’t seem to be outsiders, but I think that’s a fault of Hajime’s perspective. Neither of them really fit into any group, they mainly stick together and get slightly weirded out by their classmates (presumably because Hajime and AI Chiaki aren't actually members of 77-B).

The other groups are defined and united by something (fighting, Sonia, mutual pining, being lesbian) but these five don’t have that. And if you wonder about the toxicity among this group, just put Hajime and Nagito in a room together and you'll see it for yourself.

But here’s something to note: all of these groups are toxic to themselves, not unlike a Makoto-less Class 78. And yet, there’s a fondness pulling them together. Like Hiyoko and Mikan, just on a bigger scale.

You also see that across groups. Akane and Fuyuhiko talking may lead to a healthy conversation about their feelings or a lot of insults and death threats. Ibuki and Kazuichi can both be chaotic buddies or completely tone deaf towards each other. Hajime and Mikan can either heal together or do whatever the fuck Mikan tried to achieve in 2-3.

They love each other, but this love is poisonous. They can absolutely teach each other to be better, but they need help. And I suppose that’s why AI Chiaki exists.

But Chiaki fails, doesn’t she? The groups I established tore themselves and each other apart simply due to their toxicity. Only once Chiaki gets executed and all groups are down to one member each do they understand their negativity. This first tears them down, but it allows for them to eventually grow and let their mutual love persevere.

Even if me calling Class 77-B and Hajime a polycule was a joke, I do believe there is another world where they manage to get the therapy they need, which allows them to become the queerplatonic friend group they were meant to be. They care about each other. This is both why Junko managed to turn them into Remnants and why they managed to overcome her in the end.

Actually rewriting SDR2

I feel like it’s obvious that I agree with OP in switching Hiyoko and Sonia. However, for the sake of making the themes work better, I will have to go beyond the “no death shuffling” restriction. Allow me to explain why.

DR cases have one defining feature that makes them unique from others, be it in universe or out of universe.

1-1 is a murder attempt gone wrong. 1-2 is a completely unintended tragedy. 1-3 is a sequential double murder (Celeste kills Hifumi kills Taka). 1-4 is a suicide. 1-5 is a fake murder. 2-1 hit the wrong target. 2-2 has an indirect culprit. 2-4 is a mutually agreed upon battle. 2-5 was a plan by the victim.

Only 2-3 sticks out like a sore thumb here. I would’ve said it’s special in one person getting another to commit suicide, but Hiyoko breaks that. And it’s not like she adds anything instead.

Therefore, I will steal from OP’s AU where Mahiru lives, just with chapter 2 remaining untouched and Hiyoko surviving past chapter 3.

This means the following: Sonia dies, but not to Mikan. She joins Gundham in the Final Dead Room and dies in the game of Russian Roulette.

I would have Gundham utterly ruined by this. He blames himself for allowing Sonia to come with him and dying. He pleads with Monokuma, begging to be a Blackened as he is partially responsible for Sonia’s death, both due to self-blame and wanting to get his friends out of the fun house. He doesn’t get his wish, as Sonia herself chose to point the gun at her own head, bringing up the consent theme of this chapter.

Gundham can’t bring himself to tell his classmates what happened, so he spirals while everyone wonders where Sonia vanished. This becomes especially important to Hiyoko and Kazuichi as they go down the arcs OP had in his rewrite, but also kind of bond with each other post-trial over losing her.

Gundham, starting to break under the pressure of Sonia’s death and the fun house, is now far more motivated to accept the duel with Nekomaru. Nekomaru has lost himself physically, as he’s a robot now, while Gundham lost himself psychologically. They’re on even grounds once more, except that Gundham hopes that he dies while Nekomaru is fine with either possibility. Just to rub some more salt in the wound when Gundham wins.

Adding to the guilt Blackeneds feel, I wanna make one change to the end of 2-3 that I’ll steal straight from a comic I saw on Reddit (I sadly can’t find the original so I’ll go off memory).

Cure Mikan of the Despair Disease after she is convicted. Make her snap out of the Remnant state and completely forget what happened ever since she first got infected.

She wonders why the group is at the trial grounds. She realizes that Ibuki is not present. She puts together that the musician might've been a victim. She wonders why everyone is so horrified when they stare at her. She remembers that she was supposed to take care of the sick Ibuki. She puts everything together and realizes what happened.

She realizes all this in seconds. And then she's a sobbing mess, realizing what she did against her will and what will happen next. This gives the "reach for the stars" sample much more reason to be present in the execution.

This does sorta weaken Hiyoko's arc a little in comparison to OP's rewrite, as it flips Sonia's and Mikan's death order around, but I believe it would still work well, make her more systematically lonely until she can get herself to open up and is overall a fine compromise with the overarching themes of SDR2.

In Conclusion

I have successfully bullshitted my way through this again, I could work in marketing

But yeah I think the themes of "where does murder begin" and "memories can be dangerous if manipulated" are fascinating and SDR2 could've explored them a bit deeper Also the kids yearn for more trauma

I think the bonds between Class 77-B are a thing of beauty, honestly. 78 is a fucking mess, and, while 77-B is too, I can actually see them get close on their own.

These people are so fucking bad for each other, but I'd doubt they'd he happy pre-SDR2 if they were not together. Even as Remnants, 14 of the original 16 students were still part of the group and they took Hajime/Izuru as one of their own. I definitely have a preference for DR1 and its cast, but I can not fault anyone for loving these 15 clinically depressed teenagers and their emotional support gamer girl.

Anyway yeah I'm a Hiyoko truther, feel free to call me a basic bitch /j

Oh god I completely forgot to talk about Izuru, shit

Alright time for me to stop yapping before I get to page 13 of this rant, how is this longer than my DR1 death analysis wtf

You say "unleashed the beast" as if this rewrite wasn't exactly what I wanted smh

Also I did allow for shuffling deaths around lol, I think you misread that

But aye the idea of Genocider being a fictive is actually really really cool, props for that

Even if you and I got some wildly different opinions (I don't like Celeste all that much sorgy) that was a pretty good read, so take this as a reminder to do the other games as well

Also unrelated but I do wanna doodle a lil smth for you since I got obsessed with your blog but who knows when I'll actually get the time to draw

Anyway, have a good one

- timeline autism anon

LMAO all good timeline anon! I was surprised by the restriction but this makes more sense lol. Still, I started under this level of restriction, and I will finish it like so! Though I have to admit, it'll probably be a lot harder to do with sdr2 in particular

(If you're at all curious, letting people shuffle places likely wouldn't have changed much for THH anyway, save maybe having Byakuya kill Taka and Hiro both and set up the whole thing. But I honestly like it better the way it came out anyway, so who cares lol)

Glad you liked the first one! Ik Celeste isn't for everyone, but she's so thematically strong with the rest of the main cast she seems like a strong move for me. Curious who you'd choose though?

You're gonna draw me a doodle? 🥹 timeline anon I'm honored just don't forget anon ask doesn't allow images

Anywho, let's try our hand at SDR2, shall we?

GOODBYE DESPAIR- ONE SWAP

I doubt I'll have nearly as much trouble with UDG and V3 as I did deciding this one, and that's mainly based in just how inter-connected the story of sdr2 and its survivors really are. Every chapter is pretty well-structured within itself with who lives and dies, and the survivors are all well selected as characters with strong arcs or just that have no reason to be targeted at any point. If any one game has the most overarching consistent story quality, it's SDR2, even if I think the other three games have higher highs and stronger individual moving parts.

That said, Sonia is getting the axe. Don't get me wrong; I really like Sonia! She's a very fun and endearing character. And it's not like she's a bad survivor pick by any means. However, Hajime, Fuyuhiko, and Akane all have really strong character arcs, and Kazuichi has to be alive until at least the ch4 investigation in order to fix that elevator. And since Gundham, Nagito, and Chiaki all have really important roles to play in their respective places, Kazuichi has to live by default. By process of elimination, Sonia is all that's left.

Once, a long time ago, I made a google slide about why subbing in Sonia as a survivor with Mahiru would be the best way to fix all my personal problems with SDR2, and later posted it on here. Problem is, that slide also included the changes I'd make to chapters 2, 3, and 4 as a result to make these changes fit. And, as you know, I'm sticking with the 'only one swap' for this story. One survivor and one dead character swap, everyone else stays in their respective places. So sadly, my Mahiru fix-it AU isn't applicable here. Then what's the solution? We swap one blonde for another, having Sonia die as the unexpected second victim in chapter 3 and allow for Hiyoko to finish her arc.

CH 1-2

There's not really any changes to be made here, to be honest. I believe Kodaka has actually confirmed on either twitter or bluesky that Hiyoko was originally going to live before being subbed out for Fuyuhiko, and you can kind of tell, especially in the second chapter. So I really don't see much point in changing anything about these chapters.

CH 3

The chapter 3 murder for this game has ALWAYS pissed me tf off. It's physically impossible for Mikan to have pulled off that kind of coverup with that much speed and precision, and I'm not even talking about clumsiness here. I'm talking her following immediately behind Hajime to watch him find Ibuki's body, run in behind him, unveil Hiyoko's body and hide the coverup, and destroy the camera, and use quick-dry glue to glue the doors shut in an extremely hot venue on a DESERT ISLAND, then run back to the hospital to meet Fuyuhiko, and then WALK AROUND THE ISLAND THE LONG WAY, all in the same timespan it took Hajime to SPRINT to the NEAREST NEIGHBORING BUILDING AND TALK BRIEFLY TO TWO PEOPLE. Fuck ch 3 murder plot frfr. So if I take this victim-swap as an opportunity to rewrite this entire case, well, then, just forgive me already!

In the game, Sonia was the one that found Hiyoko struggling with her kimono without Mahiru's help, and wanted to assist her. Despite that, Hiyoko wouldn't let her. It's Sonia herself who actually tells Hiyoko about the full-length mirror. So we can easily use this to motive-swap the reason why it's Sonia going to the music venue instead of Hiyoko. Hiyoko won't go outside, not for anything, so instead of telling Hiyoko about the mirror, she resolves to go get it for her as a gift.

I'm thinking Kazuichi, in all his definitely normal ways of crushing, sees her on her way out and asks where she's going, asking of she wants an escort even, and her telling him she left something at the venue and doesn't need help. He wants to go anyway but decides to not be weird about it and lets her go. Not only does this help triangulate the time she left, it also allows for Kazuichi to actually, you know. Have an arc. The guilt he'd feel about not having gone with her, only for Hiyoko and/or Fuyuhiko to tell him it only would've gotten him killed too and that it was better he didn't keep forcing himself on her could be good for him. Simultaneously, it's a really good setup for his increasing paranoia in the following chapter.

Now, let's say the murder itself ends up being pretty similar to how it happened in-game. The plan is to hang up Ibuki and make it look like her death was a suicide, Sonia just so happens to walk in on it, Mikan ends up forced to kill her out of necessity. All that works. The problem is the cover-up. So what do we do? I think we want it to look like Ibuki killed Sonia, then hung herself out of guilt. So all we really need to do, rather than go through all the steps of confusing the death order, is leave Sonia's body exactly where it is and alter the entrance to the venue a bit. Let there be a back door behind the curtains of the stage, and more importantly, let its existence be hidden and mostly unknown by the group. In fact, besides Ibuki and Mikan, have no one know about it until the investigation. I'm thinking that after finding the setup for the fake hanging live video, Hajime and Chiaki go back to look at the stage curtain again and pull it away, only to find the hidden back door, and have that be the final trigger for the trial to begin. Using this back door, Mikan could lock the front door and run out the back before Hajime ever shows up, then act out the hanging in the morning. Hajime wouldn't be able to open the door, he'd run to the hotel, and Mikan would just need to wait for Fuyuhiko and start looking in the same direction. She conveniently meets Hajime and Chiaki when they 'can't open the door' to the venue, and thus, an alibi is granted without all the strangeness of the cover-up that the official game had.

Hiyoko was Mikan's #1 biggest bully. We all know this. So I think her being alive to watch Mikan's breakdown would be really great for her character, especially when you see who Mikan did kill. On the one hand, Ibuki being the specific target Mikan chose is a FASCINATING choice from a character perspective. Ibuki was actually the one sexually objectifying her the most out of the cast prior to now, talking about how cute and sexy she was whenever she was upset and even going so far as to ask Mikan to take sexy photos of her when she fell in the salad position in the first chapter. Mikan, as we know, thrives on negative attention; it's why she got so attached to Junko, so her being associated with Ibuki after the fact and even getting ready for the beach day with her in chapter 2 made sense. Thus, her turning around and killing her, and then re-enacting it to look like a death of her own choice, is really, really interesting, especially when you realize that she only did so after regaining her memories. Ibuki did NOT treat her well, and she returns the favor when she remembers her actual beloved. Now we pair that with Sonia, who did literally nothing to her whatsoever. If anything, Sonia was one of the nicer members of the cast, as even if she doesn't like someone, she remains at least polite, with Kaz as a notable exception but hell, I think we all know why.

Hiyoko not only surviving Mikan's snap, but also being indirectly responsible for the death of Sonia, then, could push her over the edge in a really, really great way. Mikan emphasizing that killing her friends meant nothing, nothing because it was for her beloved, that it didn't matter who she killed, and perhaps most interestingly, that Hiyoko's jabs and prods and insults meant nothing, she had no power, only Mikan did, would go so, so hard. Imagine, Hiyoko leaving that trial and trying to regain some sense of control. Oh, I knew something was wrong with that stupid bitch, I survived, Sonia was stupid for walking into that, only to privately get crushed under the weight of it? Immaculate. I'm imagining something like a scene between Hiyoko and Chiaki where Chiaki gently tells her it's okay to be angry, but it's also okay to mourn, too, and maybe asking if she'd like to add Sonia to her memorial. Maybe Hiyoko tries to keep a brave face, but her true grief breaks through the cracks, and her insistence that she's not crying over it being a clear distinction from when she fake-cries to make people feel bad.

CH 4

The main changes are dynamic-wise, as the story itself from here on out is pretty airtight. For one thing, ch 4 had a lot of casual Sondham, with Sonia and Gundham going off together a few times and Sonia's disbelief at Gundham being the killer. So instead, I imagine this chapter would focus more on what Kazuichi and Gundham's dynamic would look like without Sonia, mainly in Kazuichi awkwardly trying to latch himself onto Gundham and Gundham NOT having a good time. Think to the cast pairing up when they wake up in the funhouse; in-game, Sonia and Gundham run off without telling anyone, but here, I imagine it'd look more like Kazuichi insisting on pairing up with Gundham, and when he responds in disbelief, Kaz says something along the lines of "Miss- I mean, Sonia- she trusted you more than anyone else, right? If we're gonna pair up, you're probably the safest bet." And Gundham sighs but lets him follow along, because Kaz is too much of a coward to kill anyway.

This frees up Chiaki to pair up with Mechamaru instead(we all know she was obsessed with his robot form), and leaves Hiyoko with Hajime. I'm not sure exactly how this would look, but most likely, it's Hiyoko being whiny and complainy and maybe even trying to run away from Hajime. When her hand is forced, though, I'm thinking an admission of survivor's guilt- people who get close to her die. It happened with Mahiru and Sonia; they stuck their necks out for her and paid the price. She lost her own father to people after her. So Hajime should just fuck off and get out of her way; she can take care of herself. And Hajime could, in classic Hajime fashion, call bullshit. He's literally the one who proved her innocence for Mahiru's murder AND got Chiaki to help her tie up her kimono before the trial. What happened to Mahiru and Sonia weren't her fault at all, and honestly, it's kinda conceited to act otherwise, ngl :/ I think mouthing off to someone who can actually match her energy here is what she needs. The more I think about it, actually, Hajime and Chiaki are the two opposing ends of what Hiyoko needed. Funny how that goes.

Anywho, I'd also like for Hajime and Hiyoko overhearing Akane and Fuyuhiko's conversation to be unskippable; that's such a strong moment for both characters, and making it skippable is such a disservice to them both.

One other thing for Kaz. Gundham being the killer would make him regress more, or so you might initially think. But Gundham's whole thing is anti-cowardice here. Letting themselves starve to death was the coward's way out, so killing for the sake of everyone's spirit would more likely inspire Kaz to really accept that his classmates are his friends first and to swear off his former cowardice forever. This also explains why he'd go forward trying to catch Nagito and save the group without it being just "to impress Miss Sonia."

CH 5

So you know how Sonia's whole thing in this chapter is knowing a fuckton about military weaponry and being shrugged off by the others in the investigation for seemingly no reason other than sexism? Well, I think it actually works a lot better with Hiyoko here. In the previous chapters, we've seen Hiyoko struggle to want to help the others over protecting herself, and the people she gets close to consistently dying. So in a new chapter where Nagito is running wild, Hiyoko wanting to actually get to work on the ruins and not being taken seriously feels more in-line with the way people treat her. She's a whiny, self-serving crybaby with like no physical strength, she certainly can't help in capturing Nagito! Plus, Hiyoko's whole thing is being perceived as a child, and her trying to take advantage of that to get what she wants. So seeing it actively work against her in that everyone tries to tell her not to help in catching Nagito and to stay out of it and stay safe would make for a good chance for her to prove herself. Maybe she doesn't know a ton about the military like Sonia would, but she has survived multiple attempted assassinations, and I think her insisting on being there when they catch Nagito and maybe even jumping and pulling Kaz away from the bomb right before it goes off would be a good defining moment of growth for her.

CH 6

Having Hiyoko there to confirm that she has no sister or family that looks like the picture is way better than having to take Monokuma at his word. Just saying. Also, Hiyoko hearing Mahiru in the final sequence just feels right. Maybe Kaz could hear Sonia and Gundham this way, too

I'm lowkey falling in love with this au we're making here help-

[atsumwah]

The bell rang, indicating lunch had finally come and you were always quick to your feet to leave the classroom. Part of it was because you knew girls from different classes would bombard you to be the messenger to a certain setter. 

Atsumu's fangirls were always the worst. They're always so persistent and demanding, especially when you knew the blonde wasn't someone who showed interest when it came to these types of affection. You knew how career driven he was and that he didn't have time to indulge in high school romance. That was something you admire about him though. 

After grabbing your [insert colour] lunch box, you made your way towards the door, hoping to make a dash towards Suna's class as you always did. As you were walking out, you collided into someone's back but before you could get a word out, the person was already looming over you. 

"Oi, there you are." Atsumu said, turning around with his signature smirk. 

You blinked up to him. "Tsumu? What are you doing here?" 

"Waiting for you?" he said, nodding his head as he gestured to you to follow him. 

"Yeah i know that, doofus. But you're always the first in line at the cafeteria by now." you mused, now walking beside him.

"Yeah well, a pretty lady made me lunch so there's no need in queuing up to get food now." 

You rolled your eyes at his remark and shoved him playfully. "Yeah, now I'm pretty huh." 

"Duh, why else do we let you hang out with us all the time?" 

This time you showed no mercy and shoved him hard. "Gee, I'm happy to hear that you guys like me for my looks." 

 "What can I say? I'm an honest man." he teased. 

Despite his reputation and his second nature to tease you, Atsumu was someone you could consider close too. He's a bit blunt and will show no mercy in pointing out someone's flaws but once you got to know him, you admit that he's actually a nice guy. 

Though you'll never understand how a lot of girls swoon over him.

You both walked towards the cafeteria and immediately you could feel the lingering stares coming your way. Specifically, all the stares coming from the female population of Inarizaki. 

You were used to this kind of attention but it still made you uneasy when people looked at you like you did something wrong. They seem to have misunderstood your job as a manager and thought that you only had it to swoon the boys but in reality you were the one picking up after them after every practice and every game. To think,  you were only here just because you needed another club activity to complete your extracurriculars. You never expected for this to happen but honestly? You wouldn't want it any other way. You were lucky to have them all as your friends. 

Atsumu nudged you from the side and you snapped out of your daze, looking up to him with raised eyebrows. He seemed to have noticed the surroundings and he rolled his eyes at that. It wasn't that he didn't care, he just couldn't care less about what anyone else thought. You were his friend. You're an essential part of the team whether you knew it or not and if there's one thing that he deems important is that he'll always have his friend's back. 

"You know they don't bite ya." 

"Have you seen how feral they are when it comes to you?" 

"Fe— you're saying that like they're animals!" 

"I mean, some of them are." you retorted under your breath though he still caught on to what you said. 

The blonde looked at you from the side though his smirk faltered once he saw how you were trying to mask your uneasiness. With a tug in your arm, he pulled you further in the cafeteria and away from prying eyes. You followed along, dodging the rest of the school as you stayed close to Atsumu's side. After that, you immediately see the blonde's other half already sitting down at a table with your best friend. Suna gave you a wave, already scooting so you'd sit next to him while Atsumu sat in front of you.  

"Since when do you two walk together?" asked Osamu.

"Her class was literally on the way here." Atsumu said simply while opening his lunch box. The setter was ready to dive in but he stopped himself to take a picture of the neatly stacked lunch you had brought him. 

"I thought that's more of an Osamu thing." you said, gesturing to him taking a photo of food. 

"It's not everyday I get a home-cooked lunch. I'm bragging to everyone about this." he said with a triumphant smile. 

"Whatever." you rolled your eyes playfully but deep down you're kinda touched he liked your surprise. 

You were interrupted from your lunch by a constant poking from your side.

"Jelly sticks." Suna turned to you with a deadpan expression.

"I'm eating, Rin."

"I want jelly sticks." 

"You're a child." you rolled your eyes, smiling ever so slightly as you continue to ignore him. "They're in my pocket, I'll give them later."

"Kay, but like I want em now." 

"Get it yourself then." 

Suna took that challenge and scooted closer to you so you'll be pressed together at the sides. Being close to Suna was something you were already used to seeing as he was your best friend. He was someone that made you feel comfortable, safe even. So when he reached his hand over to your blazer pocket which was on the other side to grab the jelly sticks, making him hug you, you paid no attention to that and just continued eating as usual. 

"Careful, sunarin. You're gonna break a lot of hearts if you keep doing that." Osamu teased. 

"Hmm?" Suna replied absentmindedly, still rummaging around your pocket.

You turned your head to ask Osamu what he meant but when you turned your head to look at him, you were met with Suna's face inches away from your own. 

Suna's lazy eyes bore into yours and you could feel your cheeks warming up at that. You're not blind, you knew he was good looking. Everyone knew he was good looking. It was just a natural reaction for you to blush.

The middle blocker slowly smirked. "I mean that's not a bad thing right? Maybe I can finally get them off my back." he wiggled his eyes suggestively. 

You snapped out of whatever daze you were in and shoved him back. "Nope, I'm already suffering as it is from your, "you pointed your fork towards the three of them," admirers. I don't need another target on my back thank you very much."

You continued eating, ignoring the stares from people who had seen your little display with Suna. 

"So what you're saying is I'm hot enough to date the entire school and you'd be jealous if I did?" Atsumu inquired with a wiggle of his eyebrows. 

You looked up to him with a deadpan look. "Did my words go in one ear and out the other or are you just an idiot?"

"He's been an idiot ever since he was born so, " Osamu added.

"...We're literally twins."

"Doesn't excuse the fact that you are." 

"This is why I'm grateful I don't have brothers." Suna chimed in from the side, making you look at him already halfway through his pack of jelly sticks. 

"Did you like, swallow half the pack?" 

"There are many things I can do with my mouth, sadly that's not one of them." 

"TMI, Rin!" you said, purposely scooting away from him with a disgusted look. He laughed and pulled you by the waist so you'll be by his side again. You giggled and leaned against him, letting his arm rest on your waist for the rest of lunch period. 

Too engrossed in his hold, you were completely unaware of two sets of eyes that were looking your way.

4. lunches & more

masterlist • previous • next

notes

pls excuse any grammatical or spelling errors!

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[sofreddie]

Serendipitous Souls 4

Summary: "Is this the part where you kiss me and sweep me off my feet?"

Characters: Dean x OC!Reader, Sam

Warnings: Fluff, Smut

Word Count: 2,577

A/N: So, a little BTS secret here: I wrote this whole story in one long thing and had to go back and break it up into chapters. It broke up kind of funny, with some parts being a lot longer or shorter. I'm sorry about that irregularity, but it's just how it worked out, ya know?

"Is this the part where you kiss me and sweep me off my feet?" she chuckled nervously and blushed, not sure what else to say as her heart was in her throat and Dean's words said more than enough. "I thought you were supposed to be bad at expressing yourself?" she asked playfully, trying to lessen the seriousness of the moment and maybe stall out on that kiss cause really she's panicking.

"I'm not bad at it," he defended, "I just don't like doing it. But when it's important, when it matters, hell yeah I'm gonna say my peace."

She nodded in understanding, giving him a small smile which he returned. She hesitantly lifted a hand and placed it on his arm as it rested around her. She looked from her hand to him shyly, before she felt him flex his muscle beneath her hand.

"Did you just flex?" she teased with a laugh.

His boyish grin was as bright as the sun, "You liked it," he teased back, doing it again. She playfully slapped at his chest. Dean grabbed her hand, trapping it against his peck, which brought her closer to him. He leaned in the rest of the way, quickly bringing their lips together.

He figured since she ripped off the band aid, he could too.

Her body tensed and froze in his hold as their lips collided, before he felt her relax into his hold and kissed him back. As they slowly - cautiously - moved together, she moaned, softly and sweetly. The sound tingled the hairs on the back of his neck in a really nice way. His hands tightened their hold, dragging her forward, her legs widening to accommodate him, pressed together. He drug a hand up her spine, into her hair and the back of her head, tilting her to allow him a better angle to kiss her harder, deeper.

His head was swimming with it. With the feel of her lips and the taste of her tongue and the vibration of her moans into him. It was the best kiss he'd ever had. He'd never felt something like this. His imagination could have never conceived a kiss as intense and passionate and soul-deep. And this was only kissing. He was gonna lose his damn mind.

"Fuck," Dean groaned, resting his forehead against hers, his hand in her hair holding her to him, still needing her close, not yet ready to let go. Maybe never ready.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked ashamedly, "Did I hurt you? I'm…a little out of practice," she chuckled bashfully, lowering her gaze and dropping her arms from him.

"Hey, don't do that," Dean held her closer, her hands coming to his shoulders to balance herself as he held her so close it nearly bowed her backward. "Nothing is wrong," he assured her with a peck to her lips, "It's just amazing and intense and I just realized we only have an hour left," he kissed her again, deeply, before parting to rise to his full height. He pulled her up with him, his hands coming to rest on her hips as he held her against him and he gazed down at her.

He kissed her deeply but quickly, taking her by the hand and leading her hurriedly to his room. He opened his door, wiggling his brows at her playfully and she giggled as he tugged her inside, shutting the door behind them.

She paused to look at his room, really look at it. It was just like in the show, but different somehow. Real, she supposed. She couldn't linger on it long though as Dean's arms wrapped around her waist from behind.

"You said you're out of practice?" Dean asked from behind her, his breath fanning over her head. He lifted a hand to brush her hair aside, dropping his lips to the base of her neck revealed by her shirt. She hummed in response, her eyes fluttering close at the feather-light touch of his lips to her skin. "So am I," he admitted, pulling back enough to turn her in his arms to face him. Her hands landed on his pecks, before moving to his shoulders. She squeezed lightly with a smirk, leaving one hand on his shoulder, the other trailing up the back of his neck, pulling him closer.

"How is that possible?" she chuckled, surprised at her ability to even speak, let alone be playful.

He shrugged, "Aside from being busy with the life," he sighed, shaking his head, "It just takes more time and energy than I'm willing to give to charm a new lady here or there. Especially when I know I have to walk away. Every time," he sighs, tugging her closer, nuzzling his nose along her hairline and down her jaw, placing delicate kisses on her skin.

"But with you," he speaks against the skin of her neck between kisses to the tender flesh, "I want to spend the time and energy. I know I don't have to walk away. I don't want to walk away," he breathes out, before sucking a light mark into her pulse point. Her body shuddered against him as she moaned.

"Dean," she moaned out, grasping his face in her hands and making him meet her eyes, "If you mean it and you want to, we can explore all of this further," she says, taking a step back from him and removing her shirt, revealing her bare torso underneath, "And if you want to take it back later that's fine too," she continues, removing her pants and then her underwear and Dean could only stare, his eyes devouring every inch of her newly revealed skin, "But we are sort of under a time crunch here and I don't want to cut it too close. Sam's at risk after all," she said before sitting on the end of the bed and scooting herself back until she met the pillows, holding his gaze the entire time.

Dean finally got his shit together and hurried to remove his clothing, before crawling up the bed, hovering over her on all fours as the two of them hesitated and bought time letting their eyes roam.

The blush went all over, Dean soon witnessed, and that made his cock swell. She was pale and pink, but voluptuous and curvy. Naturally beautiful, like those old Renaissance statues and paintings. He suddenly felt utterly pissed at himself. If they had met in the world somehow, he's not sure she would've been someone that even caught his attention. And he hates that. Cause he would've missed all this.

"Dean?" she questions softly and he can see her worry and move to cover herself.

"Don't," he says, surging forward to press her hands down into the bed, "Don't hide from me. You don't ever have to hide from me. You're beautiful, Y/N."

She blushed and smiled at him again and Dean had to kiss her breathless. She shifted underneath him, parting her legs to allow him room. He shifted, placing one leg between hers. She sighed and moaned as his lips trailed down her neck, nipping and sucking and driving her into a frenzy. One of his hands skimmed along her side, acquainting her with his touch, before moving south towards her mound. Time crunch be damned he would make sure she was ready and he knew a few tricks if her body happened to be stubborn.

He nibbled on her collarbone as he cupped her mound, humming as he felt her warmth. He didn't want to be abrupt, though his cock was screaming differently at him. In fact, his whole body was tense with need, but he fought it back with all he had.

He drug his tongue down her chest to her nipple before encasing it in his warm, wet mouth and sucking gently. She moaned, her head thrust back into the pillows and Dean took that moment to part her folds with a single finger. She gasped, her legs spreading slightly wider and Dean moaned around her breast, dragging his blunt teeth over her nipple as he felt how wet she was already. He found her clit easily, brushing her wetness over the sensitive nub.

"You're so responsive," Dean moaned his praise as he lifted his head to kiss her lips once more. She gasped and Dean chuckled as he slipped a finger inside her warm wet channel. He choked as his laugh turned into a moan. She was so tight. Around a single finger. Fuck! "So fucking tight, Baby, oh my God."

"Jesus, Dean," her hips stuttered and her walls clenched around his single digit.

Dean hummed in approval once more, working a second finger into her tight channel and gently scissoring her open.

"Is it the dirty talk?" He asked, his voice deep and seductive and for her. She couldn't help but be trapped by his gaze once more. So intimate. Terrifyingly so. But she couldn't look away, "Or is it because I called you Baby?" he asked with a grin.

"B-both," she stuttered out, losing herself to the feel of Dean. Inside her. Pleasing her. Preparing her.

"I wanna taste you," Dean announced as he kissed his way down her body, "Wanna make you cum before I fuck you."

"Holy shit," she breathed out, feeling like she was about to cum already.

"You gotta relax, Baby," Dean mumbled as his lips trailed over her thighs, his fingers still steadily working into her, opening her up. She just nodded and moaned, trying to relax her muscles. But it's been so long. And it's fucking Dean. And she still can't look away, but neither can he.

She's nervous, he can tell. He'll save all his questions for later. She's not focused, she's not relaxed. So Dean decides to distract her. To command all of her attention.

He dives into her pussy, tongue lapping up her juices, tickling at her clit, before sucking it hard between his lips. She bucks and keens and her hands fly to his head while her legs spread wider. He hums in satisfaction around her clit, her flavor tangy and sweet and thick on his tongue. He wants to stay here, to savor it, to learn every nook and cranny and reaction. But they're running out of time and his cock is running out of patience.

He laps, nips, sucks, and slurps at her pussy as he works a third finger into her channel. He moves his other arm over her hips, holding her down 'cause he can tell she's gonna be one of those that runs from it. Another sharp suck of her clit and she comes. Her walls clench hard around his fingers, undulating in waves. He works her through it and her hips try to wiggle, she tries to get leverage and pushes at him, but he knows there's more to wring out of it. He grunts, holding her down firmly, his fingers fucking her fast. As she calms down and hums, he kisses her pussy, gently removing his fingers.

"You okay?" he checks with her, nuzzling his nose against hers.

"Yeah, wow. That was intense," she laughed.

"You ready for me, Y/N?"

She moans and her eyes flutter, "Yes, Dean," she spreads her legs invitingly and Dean positions himself between them, his body flush against hers, his cock laying between them against her damp and quivering folds, "Please," she moans so sweetly, dragging her slick along his cock, enticing him.

And he's so beyond ready he can taste it on the back of his tongue.

She wraps her arms around him, one hand on the back of his shoulder, the other on his lower back, pulling him to her. It's been so long. She's worked up. It's Dean and she's drowning in the pleasure he's given her. Everything else fades away and there's only them and now.

Dean feels it too as he shifts his hips and knees, lining himself up with her entrance. His eyes hold hers as he enters her, inch by inch, their mouths hanging open, breaths held, as they truly connect, for the first time. As their hips meet, Dean's cock buried to the root, they both release their breath, sounding like a punch to the gut.

It's intense. Dean could die right now and he'd be happy. He actually might. She feels so fucking good he almost can't stand it. It's perfect. She's perfect. He allows her time to adjust. His cock carving out a home inside of her, molding her just for him. He groans, beginning a slow slide in and out, allowing the two of them to explore, touch, feel.

He loves that he gets to have her bare. Gets to feel all of her. Lets her feel all of him. His hips pick up pace, plunging deep on every thrust. She's delirious with pleasure, trying to hold back her sounds, thinking she's quiet, but Dean knows she'd be a fucking screamer if she'd just let go.

"Fuck," Dean groans, "You feel so fucking good," he breathes hot against her neck, grinding his body against hers. She grips him tightly, desperately, her hands roaming his body. He loves the way she touches him. He's gonna cum soon, he can feel it. The tingling feeling creeping up the base of his spine. Then it fully hits him, he realizes - or remembers - that he gets to fuck her bare because he has to breed her. His hips stutter at the thought and he moaned, capturing her lips in a desperate and filthy kiss.

"I'm gonna cum, and I want you to cum with me," he panted against her lips, fucking her fast and hard. One of her hands flew to the headboard, using it to push back against Dean. "That's right, Baby," Dean growled. One of his hands flew to the top of the headboard, using it to pull himself into her harder and deeper. Her legs wrapped around his hips, her heels digging into his ass as she made the most sinful sounds.

"Come on, Baby," Dean grunted as he fucked into her, "Cum on my cock and I'll fill you up so good. Fuck a baby into this beautiful body of yours. Fuck!"

"Holy - Fuck - Dean!" she screamed out as her orgasm crashed into her violently. She thrashed and writhed beneath Dean, her walls clenching around him and holding him deep and tight. He cried out in ecstasy as he came deep inside her, in excess.

Dean kissed her and nuzzled her, and kissed her some more as the two of them came down from their highs. Though he stayed inside of her, soft as he may be. The thought of not being inside of her was too much at the moment. He kisses her sweet and deep until he has to move. He slowly pulls his softened cock from her dripping folds, watching as his cum oozes forth. He hums in satisfaction before dropping onto the bed beside her.

"I should go check on Sam," Dean suddenly says after catching the clock and realizing how close they've cut it. He jumps up, throwing his clothes back on as quick as he can. Y/N is frozen in bed, sheet tucked up around her body, just watching him.

"I'll be right back, okay?" Dean says, leaning over to peck her lips, "Don't go anywhere," he adds before leaving the room and hurrying down the bunker corridor.

Forevers:

@sis-tafics

@lyarr24

@calaofnoldor

@hobby27

@spnbaby-67

Dean Winchester:

@akshi8278

@jerkbitchidjitassbutt

Serendipitous Souls:

@brilovesdeanwinchester

@xhannahbananax03

@440mxs-wife

@crist1216

[boyy-wonder-grayson]

Winter's Weather // Dick Grayson Au!

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Warnings: nothing other than some swearing and maybe a little angst if you squint (?)

A/n: chapter 2 it's finally here!! I don't know how to feel about this since I've hit writers block quite a few times while writing this,I wanted to make it longer than the first one, which it is, but I don't know. Sorry about the moodboards they're easy and fun to do, so I'll probably do more lmao. Thanks for reading and feedback is always appreciated :) anyway enjoy!!

The first night at her father’s cabin was spent reminiscing of all the times she has been there when her family was complete. Her father was a fisherman, so he usually would wake the girls up and take them to the lake to teach them how to fish. Y/n was quite good at it, her sister Remy on the other hand was not kin of the early activities her father would take them to.  Y/n found her father’s old fishing roads at the back of the house; she’d probably end up selling them or donating them to the local shop back in town.  It wasn’t as easy as she thought it would be.  It’s been five years since her father had passed and the wound was still fresh; her father had been her best friend through life.  He was a kind man with a wicked sense of humor, he was the backbone of their family, so when he passed it was harder and harder to go back home to her mother who apparently didn’t took him long to find someone else to spend the rest of her life with.  That was something Y/n wasn’t happy about; is not that she didn’t want for her mother to be happy, on the contrary, it was that her father’s death was still very much fresh on her mind and she was not ready to move on from that just yet.  That was part of the reason why she moved back to his old cabin; to make peace with his death, and try to live a happy life just like her father had wanted for her.

So far she wasn’t doing a good job at it. 

In the mess that her father had left on the basement of the house she found more and more stuff that belonged to him and it was hard for her no to cry; being surrounded by her father’s presence was something she wasn’t quite ready to do apparently.  She found his old camera inside of a box.  The box was filled with Polaroid’s of her, some with her sister and her mother and some of the house.  His father was an amateur photographer and that camera was a gift from her in his 50’s birthday.  He loved It so much that he took it everywhere with him.  He used to say that a picture could tell a better story than words could muster, which it used to annoy her given that she was a writer; writing was her life and for her father to say something like that would make her roll her eyes, but now looking at the photographs she realized he was right.  There he was smiling at the camera hugging her closer to his body, laughing because he was squeezing her so hard that her face could barely be seen, nevertheless her sister took the picture.  She sniffed looking around and drying her tears, it was going to be harder than she thought.  She grabbed the box and the camera and took them upstairs with her, promising that tomorrow she would organize everything and would set her life in motion.  After all she would do it for her father, if not for her.

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

It was seven a.m. when she heard a knock on her door and groaned, hoping that whoever was brave enough to disrupt her sleep would just go away, but of course she wasn’t that lucky. The knocking intensified until she threw the covers of her bed and shivered when the cold morning air hit her warm body.  Apparently sleeping with a short sleeved shirt and some shorts wasn’t a good idea in winter.  She opened the door without looking who it was; she was already in a bad mood, one: because who the hell comes all the way to the middle of the woods to wake someone up at the crack of dawn –overdramatic as always—and two: nobody knew she was back in town so who the hell was banging on her door so early? Her question was quickly answered when she was face to face with non-other that the annoying man from yesterday.

“What are you doing here?” she asked confused “and so early in the morning” she added bitterly trying her hardest to show her distaste of his visit.

“Good morning to you too” the guy replied sarcastically. “Like I told you yesterday, your father put me in charge of his place and since you’re here now, and since I’m sure you’re not aware of how a cabin is run, I thought I’d explain to you, so you don’t tear this place down” he said smiling at her now, showing a cute smile that made her stomach turn but not in a good way. He was cocky and she didn’t like that. Not that much at least.

“Is it necessary that you come here at 7 a.m. to do this?” she asked through gritted teeth. She couldn’t believe the audacity of this man.

“Yes, because unlike you I can’t lose my time with people who decided to come live in a cabin in the middle of the woods because her life in the big city wasn’t working for her” he said dryly, almost as if he was angry about it.  Y/n was taken aback with his response and look at him in disbelief, partly because of how quickly his playful and cocky attitude changed to a more serious and dark one, and partly because he was right about her reason for coming back to Mystic so suddenly. It was true that her life in the city was not going well and she thought some fresh air from the small town that saw her grow would be a good change, but she wasn’t going to give this stranger man the satisfaction of knowing he was right. He was so right.

“Excuse me Mr. Grinch” she said, earning a glare from the boy. “I don’t need you here. I’ve spent years in this cabin; I know exactly how to keep this place running okay? So you can go now and steal Christmas or whatever that Grinch’s like you do” she said turning around leaving the boy standing at the door.  It was her second day back in town and she was already infuriated with this man. Who the hell does he think he is to talk to her like that?

The man on the other hand was fuming; he didn’t like her attitude, and he certainly didn’t like to be compared to one of the most famous grumps in the world, especially by someone who didn’t even know him. He had his reasons to be that way, to be guarded against everyone and everything; that was at least his justification for his shitty attitude, but Y/n was not going to put up with that.

“Listen city girl, I’m not here to discuss how you should or should not do, your father gave me explicit instructions to keep this place intact, and unlike you, I plan to follow them” he said walking closer to the girl. Y/n was angry now. She didn’t even have her morning coffee and she was already arguing with a man, her morning could not be better. Before she could start spewing insults at the boy he started talking again.

“Do you know how much firewood you need to survive the winter? Because no offense but I don’t think chopping wood is one of your strong suits. Or do you know how to properly clean and dry the wood? Or do you know what kind of stain you need to use in this particular house? I’m sure you do right, since you’ve always came here?” he asked question after question making the girl fell smaller with each one. It was true that she didn’t know much about what it took to keep cabin running, but she was stubborn as hell and was not going to back down from an argument, not when her pride was on the line.

“I don’t need some lumberjack wannabe to tell me how to take care of my house, I can always talk to someone else, or hire someone to the maintenance for me” she replied smugly, enjoying the way his face contorted with each word she said. He scoffed and ran a hand through his hair trying to calm himself down, it wasn’t ideal that he was stubborn as hell too.  Their personalities collided and no one was going to back down if that meant admitting they were wrong.

“Your father asked me to take care of this place, and I will do it whether you like it or not” he said looking straight into her eyes.  She would be a big fat liar if she said that his stare wasn’t doing things to her.  Her stomach twisted and her heartbeat accelerated looking at the man in front of her. He was hot and handsome as hell, his brown eyes became darker the more frustrated he got and she imagined herself in a different situation with those brown eyes staring at her with such intensity. She quickly shook her head to get rid of such sinful thoughts and cleared her throat trying to come remember what he said last.

 The brown eyed boy wasn’t too different from her. His eyes darted towards her chest, he noticed she wasn’t wearing a bra and the cold air of the morning made her nipples hard, but she was too engrossed trying arguing with him to notice. But he did notice my god.  He removed his eyes quickly from her chest and the next thing he noticed was her long legs; he imagined himself in a different situation where her legs would be wrapped around his waist. He shook his head gently removing those thoughts from his head, hopefully she wouldn’t have noticed the way he was checking her out. She didn’t, but she did ask him a question.

“What?” he said feeling stupid for thinking about taking the woman in front of him against the nearest wall, instead of listening to her.

“I asked what your name is, or should I call you Grinch?” she asked with amusement dancing in her eyes.

“I’m Richard, but everyone just calls me Dick.”

------

The following day Y/n woke up early that day with the intention of doing some work around the house.  She wasn’t sure yet what would happen to the cabin; she thought about selling the place once she finished with the maintenance and some remodeling.  A cabin in the woods would give her some good money; but detaching herself from the house where she spent half her childhood and teenage years was hard.

She still had time though.  She was taking some time away from the city so spending time away from everyone and being on her own would do her good. Or at least that was what she said to herself.  She decided after having her second breakfast –which consisted of some coffee—that she needed some groceries if she was going to spend the winter in the woods.  The stores weren’t so far from the cabin so she grabbed her wallet, keys and wrapped herself in her warmest clothes to go out and face the winter of Connecticut.  She made it into town in twenty minutes.  It was snowing slightly when she got out of the car, she had park just in front of Mrs. Bradley old market. That place was already when she was a kid and apparently was still standing strong. Mrs. Bradley was the nicest woman she had ever met, the woman would always sneak a candy or two for her and her sister when they were shopping with her dad, her mother didn’t like that and scoffed whenever that happened but Mrs. Bradley would pay no mind and do it whenever she could.  The bell atop of the door dinged when she entered the shop, making the old woman lift her gaze and when she recognized a smile stretched across her lips.

“Y/n! Oh look at you!” the old woman beamed at her making her smile even bigger. The woman moved from her spot behind the register to hug the girl, which the later reciprocated with as much enthusiasm as the woman.

“You look so beautiful; look how much you’ve grown!”

“Thanks Mrs. Bradley you’re looking good too, didn’t age a day.”

“Lucky for you flattery would get you everywhere with me” the woman said, making the girl laugh. One thing she loved about this town was the people.  Most of the town had seen her grow from a little kid to the woman she is today. She had a special place for everyone in this town, especially Mrs. Bradley, she was like the grandmother she never had.

“Well lucky me then” she said giggling with the old woman.

“I haven’t seen you in what? Five years? ” Mrs. Bradley asked rubbing her hands along her arms in a comforting manner “I’m sorry about your father, we were all very sad to hear that he was gone, I can’t imagine how you must’ve felt. You were so closed” she said smiling sadly.

“Thanks, and yeah it was…hard, that’s why it took me so long to come back here” she admitted; it was easy for her to talk to this woman, easier than with her mother for sure.

“I know sweetie, I know. But you’re here now, and that’s what matters.” She was so grateful to have someone like her that she could confide in about pretty much everything.

“Yeah, and I’ll be around for a long time I think,” she confessed. The old woman hugged her once again and professed how happy she was that she had decided to stick around for a while promising that they would have a chat whenever she was free.  The girl nodded excited to finally be back somewhere where she felt comfortable enough to call it home.  She apologized to the customer that was waiting for the women to finish chatting and made her way to the back of the store to get some groceries.  She was halfway done with every item on her list when she found herself in front of the cereal aisle; she scanned the shelf looking for her favorite brand, she smiled triumphantly when she found the last box at the top of the shelf. She stood on her tiptoes trying to reach the box before someone snatched it out of her grasp. Her head snapped quickly to find the body attached to the hand that took the last box of cereal and of course it had to be no other than Dick.

“Give it back” she said, already annoyed by her presence. Dick looked down at her acknowledging her presence and chuckled when he saw her frowning like a child.

“No” he said, trying hard not to laugh at her expression. Her mouth was slightly open, her brows were furrowed and he knew she was ready to retaliate.

“I saw it first, I even grabbed it first before you literally took it out of my hands” she explained “So technically it’s mine” she said crossing her arms across her chest.

“Technically it’s in my basket, so it’s mine,” he said. He would never admit it but as much as he was annoyed by her, he still enjoyed pissing her off.

“You stole it! So give it back now” she reached a hand waiting for him to return her cereal.

“Nop” he said and turned around leaving her with her mouth open. She was trying to think of a good comeback but dick was halfway across the store by then.

“At least he does justice to his name” Y/n said grabbing a different box of cereal, sighing she continued her shopping hoping not to bump into Dick for the rest of the day.

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

Dick’s phone rang the second he sat inside his car.  He sighed when he saw the name on the screen.

“Bruce” he said coldly. He wasn’t in the mood for a lecture now; he had shit to do other than to listen to what his dad had to say.

“Son, how are you? I wasn’t sure if you were going to answer the phone” Bruce said making Dick roll his eyes and his passive-aggressiveness.

“Yeah, well I did. Can I help you with something?” he was already stressed about this whole thing. He moved from Gotham to avoid everything and everyone; but apparently Gotham did not move on from him.

“Not really I was just checking on you, since you don’t seem to call much these days” Bruce said sounding a little…sad. Dick felt a pang in his chest. Guilt.  He knew Bruce was not doing this on purpose, despite everything he loved his dad and Bruce loved him too, but being reminded every week or two how he seemed to forget about his family stung. 

“I know, and I’m sorry it’s just…it’s still hard,” Dick confessed over the phone. He heard Bruce sighing on the other line.

“I know kid, I know it’s hard. But I thought moving there was supposed to do good to you. What happened?”

“Nothing happened that’s the thing” he said not making much sense “Nothing happened. Things just stayed the same as it was back in Gotham and I honestly don’t know what I was expecting when I moved out here. I guess I’m just mad that my feelings didn’t change after all the time I spent here” he pinched the bridge of his nose; he didn’t know why was he saying all this now, he spent so much time lying to himself and his father about being okay and now the words came out of his mouth like a damn breaking after holding the water for far too long.

“Look Dick, I know you don’t like when I give you advice but listen to me son” Bruce said in a serious tone “Things won’t change unless you make them change. Moving out was just the first step, maybe it was a good one or maybe not. But things won’t be different because you don’t want them to be different.  Starting over is a big step in life, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad one.  You need to start thinking less and start acting more.”

As much as Dick hated to admit it, Bruce was right.  He wondered many times if the only reason why he wasn’t moving out in life was because he was subconsciously sabotaging his own life; and the answer was yes.  He had many opportunities to forget about her and find someone new to help him heal his broken heart, but he refused to take them because he was afraid. Afraid of being hurt again, afraid of opening to someone only for that someone to leave him like it happened the last time. He knew it was stupid to hold onto the pain from the past, and that not everyone was going to hurt him, but the fear was there and he spent so many years being comfortable inside the wall he built around himself, that thinking of going out of them was scary.

“I know, and I try but…I can’t”

“I know son, but being scared it’s just part of the healing process. You can’t throw your life away for one misstep. It’s not worth it. She wasn’t worth it” Bruce said trying to lift the boys’ spirits.

“Thanks dad, I kind needed this long overdue conversation” he said sincerely. He missed his family.

“No problem kid, I know I haven’t been the best example when it comes to relationships, but I know a thing or two” Bruce joked. Dick smiled wide, missing the old man and his antics.

“I have to go, I’ll talk to you later dad” he said, turning the engine on.

"Okay kid, take care, and please don’t hesitate to call. We miss you, I think even Jason does”

“Tell him I miss him too, and maybe one of these days you can come visit, if that’s okay with you” dick said suddenly worried about his father’s answer.

“I’d love to Dick. Very much.” He hung up the phone and smiled genuinely in what felt like years of not doing it. He was unaware of someone else looking at him from the other side of the street.