#I don't think I'd call it ship hate because I don't hate Saiouma

[ohwell-itsme-but-danganronpa]

saiouma post game AU inspired by Taylor Swift music

a thread I started on twitter in March (2021) when I was listening to half of the evermore album ( and a bit of folklore) on loop

ironically, it starts with "closure", from Ouma's perspective who thinks that Saihara reaching out to him now is unnecessary and performatory only to solidify Saihara's good guy look in media's eyes, not out of care and that he only wants closure from him

the idea that Saihara just wants to tie loose ends, be told what he didn't understand and probably apologize for some things that are meaningless to Ouma as long as they ended the game anyway is repulsing to him, so he shuts him out, bc he doesn't want that sense of finality

next up is "gold rush", it's really loud about v3 cast everywhere he looks, but all the credit for HIS plan goes to Saihara and partially to Momota, while he gets the rep of "Komaeda type character" with "you tried" sticker and "are you insane?" looks pointed at him

Saihara totally hates the attention, but Ouma doesn't know that since they DON'T communicate at all, so he's really bitter about how much Saihara is loved, just collecting what Ouma worked for. On one hand, he predicted that Saihara would have to finish the game in his place

he left all those leads for him, because he knew he wouldn't be there for the final, and it's fine, Saihara carried it out the way he wanted him to, so why is he mad? and well, in this song there are so many lines that just... h

"I don't like that anyone would die to feel your touch Everybody wants you Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you Walk past, quick brush" bitch, you're jealous and distance yourself because you want to pretend you don't care

"Eyes like sinking ships On waters so inviting I almost jump in" hate to break it to you Ouma, but it doesn't sound like you don't like the gold eyes after all, I meant rush, gold rush Like "jump in"?! hold your horses, take him to a date first, dude

"I see me padding across your wooden floors" Literally fantasizing about living with him, I told you to hold your horses. "My mind turns your life into folklore I can't dare to dream about you anymore" Wait, not like that-

So for him the moment he realizes he's into Saihara he immediately assumes that it'll never be, and he has a lot of anger at Team DR, at all the fans, at himself for being attracted to someone rn (while there are other things he should focus on),

and at Saihara for (what he only assumed is) an attempt to smooth over the problematic persona of Kokichi to get a good ending for the public view. So the *totally* reasonable thing for him to do next is to give Saihara HELL, obviously.

And so the next song is " 'tis the damn season" and I am so vibing with that one, y'all don't understand, it's like, soft violence, the longing, the "we can call it even", I am foaming at the mouth, this one gives me so many scenarios

"There’s an ache in you, put there by the ache in me" aka it's angst time, the pain when, ugh, when you're an idiot hurting your own feelings and messing with your crush's head, because you can't stop yourself from either flirting with him or pushing him away the very next second

(and this is where I said I am gonna take a break and then didn't come back to this until today)

okay, so I can't stress this enough - my post-game Kokichi continues to hide behind his in-game persona and dials it up whenever there's even a chance of publicity. I'd like him to quote "It's obvious that wanting me dead has really brought you two together" to Harukawa but really, he died for those people, he might do something like that in an interview for show, but the attitude from mad woman is directed at TDR and fans... for the most part. He acts like a spoiled celebrity and he's always having a scandal, whether it be getting into physical fights with fans or reporters, or saying something offensive or throwing a fit and trashing a place (like a hotel room or a store) because he got upset, being caught drunk or smoking, making crude comments about other participants of the game when asked at the events they're forced to attend because of their contracts (he won't answer anything if they get to him any other day tho) so in his " 'tis the damn season" era a lot of rumors is born

A lot of them centered around him and Shuichi, most of them having a bit of truth to them. There is something developing between them because deep down it's what both of them really want, but Kokichi is still playing with Saihara's feelings, making it a game of cat and mouse, pulling him along, being the one to seek him out, flirt, but also always the first to backpedal and leave him alone in a rush

but eventually it starts to get through to him that Saihara actually cares and that it's hurting him, so we enter with champagne problems when he realizes Saihara is being genuine with him and the "dropped your hand while dancing" is literal because it's one of the official parties, organized by one of the many anti-danganronpa organizations that ask Saihara to give speeches on their events like this one, and they're waltzing, having a quiet conversation, Ouma's tease backfiring on him and he runs away just like that

Cue him holing up god knows where to mope for weeks, agonizing over worst case scenarios, playing it over and over in his head, certain that he hurt Saihara with his playing and pushed their relationship beyond saving and that's when the last great american dynasty starts playing, because he uses that time to finally sort through his pre-game stuff too, and it turns out they were almost-not-really together back then too, so he blew it thrice and they won't be getting any more fresh starts therefore "Who knows if I never showed up what could've been. There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen. I had a marvelous time ruining everything :)" bc he read his diary and thinks it's his fault Saihara joined danganronpa (it isn't)

and there's no way to incorporate my tears ricochet smoothly with its literal message but I think about "I didn't have it in myself to go with grace" a lot and if you re-frame it from Momota killing him directly to their whole group scapegoating him and pushing him in the direction of becoming the villain they wanted him to be just to wonder why he doesn't come to group therapy and tell the press they have no idea why he's being hostile with them now that it's all over. It'd be simpler if they still hated him like they were always supposed, but now their eyes are suddenly open to bigger enemies, so they believe he can just... what, sit in with them like it's all sunshine and rainbows? Like his presence doesn't make things more painful? "Look at how my tears ricochet" in a sense of a realization, the same sentiment as "There’s an ache in you, put there by the ache in me", the way he's hurting affects everyone. When he separated himself from the group in game it was noble, but now it's borderline sabotage of their progress out of avoidance, he's withholding closure, denying healing that has to be done, it isn't just about whatever mind games he's been playing with Shuichi, Kokichi is stuck in his game mindset, creating a tear in their group by alienating himself from it. He needs to talk with Miu, Gonta... even Kaito

He has to work out his place in the group and spend some time with friends, doing some healing before he gets back to Shuichi and they actually, finally talk things out, get together.

[magioftheseas]

That's fun ! Hajime/Sonia, Chihiro/Mondo and Sai/ouma.

Yaaaaaaas

Sonata

What made you ship it?

I like both characters and feel they have a respectable amount of chemistry. Also cute FTEs and Island Mode. Also, I’d date Sonia and Hinata’s the self-insert, so...

What are your favorite things about the ship?

The pairing name. Also, the fact that they’re co-leaders. I like co-leader...ships. Co-leaderships. Yes,

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

...are there any to have...it’s pretty unpopular just to like this ship. Uhhhh, I guess Komahinania >>>>>>> Soudamnia and KomaHinaNami. What do you mean that shouldn’t count? IT SHOULD!!!!!

ChihiMondo

What made you ship it?

This fanart won me over and this comic cemented it.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

It’s about two people trying to deal with toxic masculinity in super misguided ways which tragically end in both their deaths, however, the fact that it’s treated as a tragedy over a crime still gives the characters a lot of humanity and carries on dr1′s theme of hope and the belief in humanity’s compassion over despair in cynicism.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Uh... Mondo would accept Chihiro no matter who they are, even if it took some work getting there! Is that any good...?

SaiOuma

Why don’t you ship it?

It’s shallow and I don’t buy the idea that Ouma actually gives a shit about Saihara and the fact that he primarily uses Saihara as a tool to get under Kaito’s skin in Chapter 4 doesn’t help. On the other end, Saihara doesn’t really care much for Ouma in the main story, either. It’s hard to like a ship when the two characters don’t care about each other much less like one another.

What would have made you like it?

If they...liked each other or had any kind of relationship where they’re invested in each other’s wellbeing? That might’ve helped...?

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

I mean, it looks cute. And even if Ouma uses Saihara against Kaito, I do still think SaiOuMota is a pretty solid OT3, provided it’s not focused on Saihara. =w=;;