#Third Dimensional Murder

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

Third Dimensional Murder | 1941 a.k.a., Murder in 3-D

[keeps-ache]

oh crackerbells i forgot i wanted to draw that one OC!! i've gotta get on that

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Dee Vasquez

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

“Turnabout Samurai” was always a case I skipped on my replays, because when I originally played the game I found it to be a tedious filler case loaded with bland characters and little plot progression. On my most recent playthrough, though, I realized how wrong I was; while the case is overly long and does require some obnoxious backtracking, it’s honestly an extremely fun and funny case that really helps develop Miles Edgeworth and flesh him out as a character, which kind of makes me baffled at my initial perception of the case as pointless filler. This is no “Turnabout Big Top,” that’s for sure, and that’s all the more apparent when we uncover who the true killer is.

Dee Vasquez marks a true turning point in the killers I the franchise. Frank Sahwit and Redd White are certainly not out of place in the series, but they are both one-dimensional goofballs. Not Dee; she’s an incredibly three-dimensional villain with motivations that go beyond simple greed and an actual sympathetic motivation for her crime.

Motivation/Goals: Dee Vasquez is actually rather interesting in that her motivation for murder has one of the first twists in the series: She had no motive. The murder was an accidental one in self-defense, as the victim Jack Hammer had come to her with the intent to kill her. When he did so, she shoved him off the steps and impaled him on a fence—something Hammer himself had accidentally done to another actor five years prior.

It’s pretty interesting to think that there wouldn’t be another killing in self-defense until Spirit of Justice, and even then there’s a big twist to that too—but that’s a story for another time.

Breakdown: Fitting her terse and stoic personality, Vasquez actually has one of the single most understated breakdowns in the whole series, followed by her sadly and graciously accepting her defeat:

That really is it, and honestly, it's all she needs. Someone with her demeanor losing her composure for even a moment like that is pretty impressive.

Best Scene: Vasquez actually gets one of the most unique scenes in the franchise, as at the end of the third day of investigating she lures Maya and Phoenix into her trailer, where she proceeds to call upon her mafia goons in an attempt to “erase” them.

It’s pretty notable because the mafia goons actually get art here, and this is also the only time Vasquez’s mob connections are really brought up in any capacity as they aren’t mentioned during the trials, only getting briefly mentioned in discussions while investigating. It’s doubly notable because it gives Gumshoe one of his first “Big Damn Heroes” moments when he bursts in and saves our dynamic duo’s lives.

Final Thoughts & Score: Dee Vasquez is a really solid villain, and her case is where the series really grew the proverbial beard.

I think what’s most fascinating about her is how you only get some vague hinting at the relationships that surround the crime she committed, and the true nature of her relationship with Hammer is based entirely on hearsay from biased parties—can you trust what she says in regards to Hammer, considering she was blackmailing him and clearly had a great disdain for him for killing her possible lover? Can you trust Oldbag’s account of it being a tragic accident when she’s a Hammer superfan? It all makes her the sort of character where you can come up with multiple interpretations of her and have different levels of sympathy depending on how you view her actions. Like sure, it was in self-defense, but it becomes a lot less sympathetic if you see Hammer more as a victim of manipulation for something that wasn’t really his fault (although his willingness to frame his co-star Will Power out of petty jealousy certainly doesn’t make him look very good).

Helping this is just how grounded and low-key she is. She doesn’t really get wild, over-the-top reactions like some of the other killers, and while that may seem like a detriment in a series as silly as this, it actually makes her stand out a lot more especially with how later villains would become even more wild and wacky. It also helps build her up as a genuinely formidable opponent in court, and she’s actually a pretty tough egg to crack when you get her on the stand.

While I’m not going to pretend like she’s the greatest, most complex, or most tragic of all the villains (how can she be when characters like Ini Miney, Geiru Toneido, or Acro are around?) but for a first attempt at a more complex villain that isn’t just killing for the money, she’s a really solid one. A nice solid 7.5/10, I’d say. I think really her biggest problem is that the case immediately following hers features perhaps the single most sympathetic murderer in the original trilogy, as well as another stoic hardass villain who has a far more glorious breakdown, which leaves her being a bit overshadowed. Still, for what she is, she's a remarkably solid villain.

[boneskullravenriver]

You know, I really do feel like the second movie made quaritch a bit more grey. Which is interesting, because depending on how you think about it, this quaritch is kinda like a Frankenstein cobbled together thing that's supposed to be quaritch.

In the first movie he was kind of boring, one dimensional murderous villain. But now it's like ..... Well, what the hell is he? He's not human. He's not fully na'vi. Is he even quaritch either? Because if you wanna get down to the nitty gritty, this thing was grown in a lab. A husk. And only then was this husk given the memories of a man long dead. How fucked is that?

I really hope the third movie leans into avatar!quaritch fist fighting himself over his own identity. I think that would be interesting.

[the-ghost-bracket]

Noah Czerny propaganda:

"Noah has been dead for 7 years by the time the story starts, and no one knows it. Not even the two friends he literally lives with. They just assume he doesn't eat in front of people and doesn't share classes with them. He was a failed sacrifice to a magic forest and the forest keeps him alive cause his body was left to rot in the forest, and since the forest experiences time differently so does he. He knows a whole bunch of stuff like secrets that haven't been shared and events that haven't happened yet because for him everything happens at once/in a circle. He died as a teenager, so he's kinda stuck in the teenager phase, and he still does dumb stuff like building ramps to drive cars off of. He's described as "less" now that he's dead. It's talked about by people who knew him when he was alive that Noah was cheerful and full of life and joyful and a jokester, but Noah as a ghost is quiet and shy and almost a completely different person because he lost so much of himself when he died.

This next part is confusing, but I'm going to try and explain it as best as possible.

ALSO - MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE BOOKS BELOW - I'M SERIOUS

Basically, 7 years ago, when Noah died, this other guy Gansey, who is one of the main characters also died. Gansey however, was brought back to life by what he thought was a magic king who was buried underground. Gansey spent the next 7 years searching for this king. He was obsessed and he thought it was his duty and his destiny to find the king. Long story short, it turns out the king was actually dead underground and had been dead for a while.

It wasn't the king who brought Gansey back to life - it was noah.

Noah as a ghost went back in time to the moment he died - aka the moment Gansey died - and sacrificed his spirit so that Gansey could live, whispering to Gansey that he was the dead king and therefore setting Gansey on his path to find the king. Because of this, Noah's ghost technically never existed, and Gansey and the others technically never met him, meaning they don't remember him. NOAH GAVE HIS LIFE SO GANSEY COULD LIVE AND I'M NEVER GONNA BE OVER THAT."

"- Noah isn't revealed as a ghost until the end of the book/series

- Most characters are unaware that Noah is a ghost, and when he disappears, they assume that's just a Noah thing

- Noah uses this to his advantage and just fucks off whenever it's uncomfortable or people need him, though sometimes he can't control this

- Noah stays true to Ghosting and permanently disappears at the end of the series

- Got bludgeoned to death with his skateboard I think? might've made that up but i think it adds points for Tony Hawkness

- His death is linked with another character: that character SHOULD have died, but because Noah was murdered at the same time on a ley line, their fates swapped (life/death)

- Had to die in his school uniform :(

- The cast also don't notice he died in his school uniform and assumed he just wore it all the time for some reason

- When connecting with one of the characters through their energy, Noah is clearly more energised, meaning his Ghostness really kills his personality too

- Canonically a Sk8r boy"

"sometimes he relives his death and isn't really aware of that fact. he is very sweet and keeps secrets and is still a third dimensional character even if he can't really interact with many people/things"

"“Oh! Your hand is cold."" Ashley cupped her fingers against her shirt to warm them.

""I've been dead for seven years,"" Noah said. ""That's as warm as they get.” "

"he's dead The Whole Time but his friends love him so much!!! he might be a bit smudgy and confused but he's still just a sweet boy!"

"This boy!!! He is a ghost that just kinda pops up sometimes and his friends are just kinda like “oh hey Noah.” He is so lovely and also his life is tied to a sentient forest that his best friend sacrificed him to. He is always kind to his friends and is a little jokester and is basically the best I love him :)))"

"Please I named myself after him"

"The sweetest boy who was murdered by his friend in an attempted human sacrifice. Lowkey the funnies character in the series if you appreciate dark humor. Sacrifices himself in order to save his friend. All around the best boy."

"He’s been dead for 7 years but when he tells his friends that they just think he’s being #relatable (until they find his skeleton). He was murdered by his high school best friend as part of a failed sacrifice to awaken a ley line and the ley line was basically like damn what a shitty deal here why don’t you be friends with the guys who are gonna wake me up properly. At one point his spirit starts to degrade and it’s all very sad and I’m pretending it didn’t happen."

"He's just my boy. He's sometimes in a trance replaying his own death. He has a stain on his cheek where his head was bashed in. He's sometimes corporeal and sometimes not, sometimes he just communicates through vibes alone or flickerin lights (peak ghost shit). His first line in the series is how he died, but everybody thinks it's a joke. The MC sometimes acts as a living battery for him and he's her first kiss (she was prophecised that her first love will die if she kisses him, so why not kiss a dead guy?)

He kinda gets excluded a bit from the main squad because he's nonexistant from time to time, which is bullshit. Justice for Noah!!!"

"Noah’s literal first line of dialogue is “I’ve been dead for seven years”. Despite this and many other comments about being dead, his friends (two of whom he lives with) believe him to be their normal alive schoolmate right up until Gansey finds his corpse in the woods.

Anyway on a more serious note Noah’s role in the narrative is so cool. At the start he’s very bright and present but as the series continues and he fades from the living world he fades from the narrative too. Depending on where you began the story (quote that’s repeated a lot in the series), it starts with Noah Czerny. Dying on the ley line when he should not, so Gansey lives when he should not. Literally in the end he gets goes back to kickstart the whole story by setting Gansey on the path to Henrietta I love him."

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hey! Do you know of any adventures / adventure paths that features and supports non-violent scenes as the majority of the play content?

I've seen games that have so many rules/moves/etc for non violent resolution, but the actual supporting material (like, rooms/locations/characters/their routines/cool information) is very light, so the players have to generate pretty much all of the content themselves.

Theme: Non-Violent Adventures

Hello friend! I’m going to put a disclaimer here and say that I think that it would technically be possible to introduce violence into pretty much everything that I’m suggesting today - if the players really want it. What I’m presenting today are adventures that have the option to be non-violent, and it’s important for the table to be on board if they want to keep it that way. I’d recommend setting up a Session 0 with your group to make sure that everyone is able to talk about what they’re excited about, and what they’d rather avoid.

Second Sight Homicide, by Hendrik ten Napel.

They didn't see this coming… Twin clairvoyants put it to the audience: who is the real medium? When only one sister survives the show, this night out turns into a different mystery all-together.

The Sibyl Sisters have a long-running rivalry. Each claims the other sister is a charlatan and not a medium at all. To settle the score, Saige, the youngest, has challenged her sister Prudence to tour the United States with her. Every evening, both will try and contact the spirits of the dead. It's up to the audience to decide which sister is really making contact with the other side.

When the show reaches Brindlewood Bay, the Murder Mavens can't resist. Whether you believe in the afterlife or not, it's bound to get interesting. One of the Mavens even gets invited to the stage, together with a couple of other seemingly random theatergoers. While Prudence is busy summing the spirit of the Maven's deceased loved one, disaster strikes. A brief blackout. A murdered mystic.

Each story arc of Brindlewood Bay presents the characters with a mystery, and a series of clues for them to uncover. Together, the characters will assemble a theory, and then roll to determine whether or not it is correct! This means that planning for the GM is much easier, although the nature of the game does require a good bit of flexibility and improv.

While Brindlewood Bay deals with violent content (murders), the characters themselves, as elderly ladies, are not really expected to get into a fight. This is also a game with a lot of really good support, with adventures like this one made by third parties (like my Copper Shores supplement), but also officially-created supplements like Nephews in Peril, which comes with multiple mysteries, as well as a few new rules for folks who want to shake things up.

The Spring and Sprocket Express, by TTRPGkids.

An all-age focused steampunk themed premade tabletop RPG setting that can be used with any system that you want!  It takes place on a magical train made of a wild variety of train cars that defy time and space!  Make your way from one car to the next to save the train from bots, Dr. Wyverstone, and more!

This is a system-agnostic adventure that puts your characters on a steampunk train and pits them against the (villainous?) Dr.Wyverstone. Because this adventure is aimed towards kids, I would expect there to be plenty of opportunities for characters to find non-violent solutions to the problems presented to them. This game comes with a deck of cards that detail challenges, characters, locations and puzzles, such as tiny robots that steal bits of metal, or a large lever in the middle of the room, with no indication of what exactly it does.

This creator has plenty of train-themed adventures, such as The Midsummer Mischief Express or the Fall Fright Express, but they also have a game called Glyfi Scouts, a game about inter-dimensional scouts, earning patches and learning magical abilites. They’ve also written adventures for this game!

To Rob Death’s Dominion, by Xavid.

It is said that in a golden age long ago we of the world were not yet beset by uncertainty and doubt. The exalted beings who lived in those days knew their own worth, saw their own meaning. For held in the center of the world was the cintamani, a brilliant jewel of red and black and orange. It was the answer to all the sorrows of the world, the key that allowed desire free of suffering. It is the very jewel that proved that existence was worthwhile; in its light was illuminated a virtue and purpose within us each. It was made available to all, there in its temple in its shining city, and the miracle of that age was that none in the world sought to claim it for their own.

To Rob Death's Dominion is an introductory one-shot (one to four sessions in practice) mortal Adventure Fantasy campaign for the Chuubo's Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine RPG by Jenna Moran. Play one of seven variously-queer international criminals from Earth's notorious Breaker One-Nine gang who've come to steal the cintamani, the answer to all the sorrows of the world, from the Headmaster of the Bleak Academy. Or play their dogged recurring antagonist, Inspector Bao! Or play Leonardo de Montreal, the Heartless Researcher, or Jasper Irinka, Death's Daughter, who seem to have gotten swept up in the shenanigans.

Chuubo’s Marvelous Wish-Granting Engine is a diceless ttrpg that focuses on slice-of-life stories. The base game comes with guides to playing very different kinds of genres, from Gothic, to Epic Fantasy, to Pastoral. To Rob Death’s Dominion contains quests and prompts that fit in many of these genres, but provide extra support for Adventure Fantasy in particular.

For Pastoral gaming, you might want to check out Fortitude: by the Docks of Big Lake, while Fortitude: the Legendary 139 is more suited for Immersive or Gothic play.

Gothic Society: Monastery, by Martian Machinery.

The sound of thunder echoes outside the walls of Verges Abbey. You raise your head, the sanctity of matins shattered by the voice of the heavens. You attempt to disregard the unease that echoes in your mind, stilling your thoughts with the recitation of familiar mantras. All is quiet.

The sunrise brings news of the death of the abbot. The refectory is rife with worried looks, and innumerous whispers follow the prior's announcement of the performance of last rites that will be held later in the day. Apparently, he died of unnatural causes. 

Gothic Society: Monastery is a setting expansion for Good Society and Gothic Society. Games played in this setting take place entirely in a monastery in the Middle Ages, with the players playing members of a monastic order - monks or nuns.

Good Society is a game all about romance, scandal, and maintaining the proper reputation in polite society, and the supplements created for it, such as Gothic Society, place a lot of similar restrictions but change the setting in some way. This supplement places your characters into a middle-ages type of monastery, and while it’s meant to be horrific, much of the prompts ask you what your characters do after violence has already occurred.

If you want something a bit more goofy, you can also check out Bird Society, which turns all of your Good Society characters into birds, or Drama Society, which is all about the actors and artists in a movie or stage production.

Sister Escape, by KTPie.

In this Blades in the Dark score, a rich noble hires your crew to break out the love of his life out of a convent of the Church of Ecstasy. However the high bounty for what he explains as a "simple breakout" seems to be too good to be true.

In this convent of the Church of Ecstasy you will find hollow servants and sisters alike roaming around the courtyard and participating in both public and private rituals. Should you enter its library of hollowing you might find the convent's Head Mother, Mother Erma, doing her own research on Cleansing rituals.

Blades in the Dark doesn’t necessarily need pre-written scores, but they can certainly be helpful in providing you with a pre-set list of NPCs, obstacles, and set description. This is one such example.

Because this is set in a grim, Victorian-era, ghost-ridden steampunk city, I can’t guarantee that these will be non-violent, because the methods involved are up to your table more than anything else. If your players want to focus on infiltration and deception, then they’ll likely choose methods that are more focused on stealth and subterfuge. If you as the game runner want to keep the game non-violent, then you’ll also want to make sure you’re introducing threats that can be dealt with in non-violent ways. If you feel like this is the setting for you, then I’d also recommend checking out the Hour of Chains collection of unofficial scores by A Couple of Drakes: you’ll get a lot of really interesting, diverse scores to play with for any motley crew of criminals.

Some Rec Posts You Might Find Interesting

Magic School Mysteries

Tavern Games

Studio Ghibli Games

Drama Drama Drama

Woodland Community

Non-Gritty Low Fantasy

[lazulian-devil]

Are y'all ready for Book 3? No? Well, I dont care, do I now. You're already reading, its too late for you to leave now.

The Villains of Skulduggery Pleasant 3 - Batu

We arrive in the third book, The Faceless Ones, which seamlessly incorporates the consequences of everyones actions into even worse mayhem.

Following Vengous almost succesful attempt at opening the rift, a mysterious man named Batu (who is also the guy dealing with Sanguine at the end of Book 2 being all ominous) is behind the kidnapping (and murder, lest I forget) of all remaining Teleporters. Because he needs someone to teleport something through a portal in a different dimension.

(Tangent: Im sure Shunters didnt exist yet in Book 3. I feel like this should have been a Shunter thing and I can neither remember nor bother to find proof why the Anchor needs a Teleporter instead of a Shunter. In Book 8, Crayfon Signate quite literally does something similar with the Sceptre of the Ancients, looking for a Signature and then finding the correct dimension. Im pretty sure its about it all being a gateway instead of a direct transferal. If anyone knows, do tell.)

Alright, so. We have Batu/Paddy as our main villain and he is a brilliant and excellent one. But lets get the honorable mentions out of the way, so no villains feel ignored.

Our boy Billy-Ray Sanguine is of course part of Batus Squad, but so are the remains of the the Diablerie with Jaron Gallow, Murder Rose and Gruesome Krav. I honestly admit that I feel they are caricatures and the screentime they have is sufficient not to make them boring. They all die in the end anyways and its a shame that it reflects in the way they are so very one note and almost ridiculously "evil". On top of that, we also have a Seahag (in a lake. With corpses. I do love how dumb that is). Then theres Scapegrace and the second buildup for Thurid Guild.

I will be honest with you: Batu is an exceptional villain in terms of motivation, speech and arc. His surrounding villains are sadly one note caricatures, besides those that get to live into the next book (mainly Guild, Scapegrace and Sanguine). The others are often played for jokes or just to make a point on how cruel, wicked and horrendous the Diablerie and the worshippers of the Faceless Ones truly are. Which, yeah. Thats fair. But I always love myself some three dimensional side characters, so let me be a little sad.

Now, lets think about why Batu actually works:

Hes mortal. Evil, yes. But mortal. But he could have been magic. Technically, its his birthright.

And thats all, really. Its man grasping for something he could have never had and that he could have never been gifted. Its another case of fanaticism. Fruitless, sad and deadly.

Now, the SPU has a long history of ignoring of belittling mortals in the way that they are and who they are. This becomes more apparent in later books (the xenophobia/eugenics in Phase 2 for example) but its also pretty evident here:

Batu uses his mortality, his frailness and his visual weakness as a shield. If, for example, Batu was young and fit, it wouldnt quite work the same way. His age and behaviour is a smokescreen.

Funnily enough, he even points it out in his first interaction with Skulduggery and Valkyrie:

"Reach a certain age and suddenly, you're a nobody, suddenly you're not even worth counting." - Book 3, Chapter 13

That combined with his somewhat senile mannerisms, the whole old-man schtick is so very stereotypical. Because of course it is. Both readers and heroes alike are blinded by how much of a an old man™ Paddy really is.

Contrast this with Batus first appearance in Chapter 7 and 14. The way he speaks ist fundamentally different.

"You failed me, Mr Sanguine. I paid you to do a job and you failed me. [...] You will have a chance to redeem yourself."

Paddy doesnt hold power in conversation, hes a silly little man. Its on purpose, of course. Authenticity breeds trust and everyone can relate to an old cynical man, stuck in his ways. Batu on the other hand commands a room. Speaks with a high tongue, with precision. Short and accurate, no breath wasted. Naturally.

When you read the books and you are aware of the twist, there are a lot of things, behaviours and sentences that could make you raise an eyebrow. But our heroes dont have the time to question anything, so they dont. They willingly accept that this man owns the land with the rift, that he doesnt panic at the explanation of magic, that his questions are a little suspicious. Because then they would need to stop. And neither Skulduggery nor Valkyrie do such a thing. They are cocksure of themselves, remember? And Batu knows. Batu even bets on that, as all sorcerers he has met have been equally cocksure. And all his henchmen are too. He's playing all of them, simply because he knows how they work. He has weaseled his way into their homes, has fed their cats (s. Chapter 36), has seen their arrogance and sadly his cynicism proves right at every turn. He really is invisible to them. A mortal obstacle, to be dealt with to safe the world. Always the roadstop, never the destination.

In Chapter 20, Paddys reaction to magic is a smile, not fear. He knows magic exists. It entices him. The shock he displays is - of course - an act, but a very believable one. Sure, yeah, the old man doesnt mind anymore. Hes too old, he has seen too much. Magic might as well exist to him. And he was horribly stubborn this whole time, so it makes sense that he would have an equally spiteful response to magic.

We even come full circle: Paddy asks Valkyrie if she despises mortals for what they are.

"Someone who can run fast dismisses the people slower than he is. What if its someone who can run really fast? Then the slower people become little more than an annoyance, and then an irritation. Superiority breeds contempt." - Book 3, Chapter 20

(Quick sidenote: Its like he wants to be caught when you start looking for it? He himself is the one who runs fast. He himself sees the others as annoyance, as irritation. What a beautifully wretched thing to say.)

Essentially, Paddy is justifying himself here, but, again, reader and heroes are caught up in this very relevant question that plagues Valkyrie: Being detached from Humanity, from Family. Once again, Batu is using his understanding of the magical world against them. He is one step ahead. He recognises Valkyries youth and asks her specifically. Not Skulduggery, who would dismiss it. Her. Even further, he points out the massive flaws in the systems to her, as one of the first in the whole bookseries:

"So magic people view themselves as mages and everyone else as mortals. And that doesnt sound like a group of people elevating themselves to godhood to you?" [...] "... They have the power of gods, dont they? They have magic at their fingertips. Their affairs affect the world. [...] You hold the fate of the world in your hands. If thats not godlike, I dont know what is."

Now the avid reader might have noticed that once Paddy speaks about sorcerers and magic users, his whole old man™ act falls away. His speech becomes more like Batus, because he is Batu in this moment. He isnt acting here.

And why does no one recognise it? Because its a justified question. Again and again, Batus line of logic proves true: All sorcerers are playing god to an extend. A theme that will be picked up far more heavily between Book 7-9 and the entirety of Phase 2. So, as readers, its enticing to see someone challenge the presented Status Quo and as Valkyrie, this direct confrontation helps settle her own views as a growing Teenager into this magical world of god-pretenders. Batu fulfills both the role of a mentor and a villain, pointing out the straw that will break the camels back again and again and again in the following books.

He himself fights like a mortal: There are no fancy gadgets in the big fight. There are machine guns and grenades, painfully mortal weapons. Painful is literal in this sense. Batu chooses reliable weapons of war and not unpredictable gods. At least, in the beginning. There are also the Hollow Men, a whole artifical army of them. Which, broken down, is hilarious. The sorcerers, capable of destructive magic and definitely murder, are using the mortal weapons against the heroes. The army that is there to support them is one of magical stupidity, literal child friendly canon fodder. His army of magic men is one without mind, without question. And his Diablerie, despite actually having a brain, never question him either. They're all hollow men, one way or another. Some of them by power of creation and some of them simply because they are blinded by their own fanaticism, blinded by Batu and the true fight. So, he doesnt fight like a mortal at all. He fights like a mortal that knows the sorcerers. Using the best of both worlds, the most potent startegies each side has to offer. Additionally, there is also the implication of him commanding a massive army without even being there, which does underline his godlike aspirations as well.

Finally, when its revealed that he is indeed Batu, he declares himself "not a mindless drone" and "someone with a vision" (Chapter 36). But what is the root of all his evil?

"Magic." He said. "My father was a sorcerer. So was my brother. But not me. I just didnt have the spark, you know? But now, its finally my turn."

Batu feels robbed of godhood. And that is precisely why he is summoning gods to overtake the world. If he cant reach for divinity, everyone else who can needs to suffer for it.

[Val] "You're going to let a Faceless One take you over."

[Batu] "And then I'll be brimming with magic that ordinary sorcerers would never even dream about. They're not gods, Valkyrie. They're as pathetic as the people you left behind in your old life. But me? I'll be a true god."

But that isnt everything. Despite how much his mortality annoys him, he sees it as the one defining strength that seperates him from sorcerers. His mortality makes him powerful.

[...] "I was born without magic. Ive had to be strong. My will is iron. Im not going to be simply erased - not like the others."

His mortality makes him so powerful that he will rise above the mortals, above the godlike sorcerers and be able to Neon Genesis Evangelion Pilot his way through the world as a Faceless Ones vessel.

So now everyone can agree that Batu is another insane man in a series of insane villains, right? I dont need to spell that out. But before I go and give you a nice little ribbonbow for the ending, lets look at Batus death and how its described.

"Batu turned, spread his arms and raised his eyes to his god, and as it rushed to fill him, he screamed with terror and exultation. And then Batu was gone." - Chapter 42

The Faceless One described here is the one that is responsible for all the mayhem at the end of the book. Its by far the strongest from the bunch. So maybe some part of Batus willpower speech is true. But the written text makes it very clear that this is not the case. Batu is an excellent vessel for the strongest Faceless One. But nothing more than that.

Which is horribly ironic. The man that gained the trust of dozens of sorcerers, has perfected being a non-threat to anyone but believes himself to be worthy of the power of a literal god vanishes instantly. Just like everyone else.

But I love Batu as a villain. Waving all the weirdness aside. He is compelling because in the few moments that he is actually authentic, he is terrifying.

Not to mention he actually achieved what The Diablerie and Baron Vengous couldnt. He manipulated Skulduggery into revealing where the gate was. He used the ressources of the enemy to his own gain. The saddest thing about Batu is, that if he had put his mind to anything but godhood, he would have ascended anyway. He has all the ressources: smarts, wit, the ability to plan longterm, not to mention charisma and leadership skills.

He would have made a magnificent sorcerer. And thats just... incredibly compelling. Batu isnt strong with magic. He doesnt throw flames around, he isnt a walking skeleton. He is a cynical, old man that despises the hand he has been dealt and instead of accepting what is, he cuts from the world the pieces he thinks he deserves. And in this incredible determination blossoms a man that could have been anything. That had the skills, the mind, the speech to become something wonderful, something progressive, a change bringer.

Instead of recognising the talents he possesed, he focused merely on what he didnt have. Turned to evil, to spite. To bitterness and cynicism. He almost became the downfall of the entire world in his quest to prove that he was, indeed, as godlike as the rest of them.

9/10. Go Paddy.

Wanna read more of my breakdowns?

Here is Part 1: Nefarian Serpine and Part 2: Baron Vengous for you!

[joyflameball]

Hello fandom member. You have read into this male character who had no complexity in the original and given him a tragic backstory, the only basis in canon being four moments that you read into to oblivion. Meanwhile you have sidelined the women and reduced them to "girlboss", "mom friend", "step on me", "bitch who i hope gets brutally murdered", "third wheel to yaoi ship", and many other one-note tropes. Your excuse for this has been that women aren't typically written with complexity, so there's nothing to explore.

Before you is a TV that is going to play the entire series. If you cannot focus your lens of analysis solely on the women in the show, analyzing their motives and actions the same way you would the slab-of-cardboard men, either seeing the complexity you ignored in favor of the boys or giving them complexity where the writers originally didn't (as you do with your flat one-dimensional boys), you will get fucking drowned in the toilet. This doesn't have significance I just think you deserve it for failing to acknowledge your misogyny and sticking to it.

[fecto-forgo]

top five evil girls go

LETS GOOOO

5.sectonia

GOD I LOVE SECTONIA i always love evil royals n egotistical girls n the way shes both n w such a tragedy of the loss of herself by the mirrors corruption of her making her seek perfection until its all in her mind.shes such a dysmorphia creature to me.rip queen fly high

4.cyn

i think cyn is by default an extremely funny character regardless of how you interpret her but i think the interpretation shes still her own consciousness but completely fine w everything the solver does bc of the horrors humans did to drones is just so fun i ADORE characters who r getting oh so silly abt revenge.also her not giving the solver access to the murder drones was sweet.but this is abt girls being evil not girls being nice so lets also say the tessa skin suit was so fucked up n fun theres no reason shed need that.ik the probabilities of this take on her being canonized in the final episode r next to none but i got told i can do wtv i want forever.also i approve of the autistic coding w her i am always begging for more evil autistic ppl <3

3.zan

ok i get.like.rly embarrassed when talking abt her outside of dms bc she means a lot to me in a personal sense but i just love her.sm.shes not only a rly fun character w her little mean nicknames n just.her.wonderful personality in general.but shes.so tragic oh my god she makes me miserable.her adoration of hyness for saving her n likely giving her a reason to live even though he ultimately never prioritized her n couldnt even afford to just move around her when she lost in the ritual place n even after he sacrificed her n her sisters after whacking them around as weapons n shields she still loves him so dearly.she just makes me so sad she deserves sm better than all this man.

that being said im giving her third place bc while i love the little evil pose at introduction n the willingness for destruction n the enthusiasm for the end of times n paradise she doesnt rly have a steak of successes.sorry girl youre a winner in my heart you literally did your absolute best n deserved that being acknowledged.also i want to murder your father.

also everytime i think abt her calling francisca n flamberge "darling franny and berge" my teeth rot its TOO sweet i can feel the cavities forming from all this sugar

also also the second star allies novels depiction of her makes me even more miserable we can already draw the conclusion she defends hyness mistreating her by how she talks abt him yOU DONT HAVE TO BREAK MY HEART BY SHOWING IT!!! N AFTER MAKING HIM EVEN MORE EXPLICITLY WORSE TOO!!!

also also also ik in star allies the sisters n susie all have that little hair flip animation but for some reason her doing it while sitting by herself in team clash deluxe is so cute to me.aw look at her :) i love her man

2.susie

as stated w cyns entry i adore revenge centered characters n the amount of atrocities susie does for all that is soooo fun.shes such a fascinating character to me.she gets sent to a dimensional hell n comes back to find the person she held onto coming back to is now the worst man alive n doesnt remember her at all.ofc the girl ends up Like That n does atrocities for her own ultimate goal of teaching him a lesson she grew up in hell where would she have gotten morals or any care for others.also shes pink n funny.rly shes the best of all worlds i hope she mechanizes meta knight again she seemed to have had fun w that :3

1.

Me 💖

bc im best girl...🩷

[persephonescottage]

EXES PAST: Year 3.

Pairing: Billy RussoxFem!Reader.

Summary: Corrupt Benjamin March.

Warning: References to sexual situations, violence, blood, mutilation, trauma, swearing, obsessive thoughts, possessiveness, kidnapping, stalking, manipulation, violence, gaslighting and other triggers I will include as we go along, please only read if you’re 18+.

If any of this warnings trigger you please don’t read.

&

Gift giving, hot cocoa and pine trees everywhere. Billy wasn’t a big fan of the holidays but if it meant he’d see you at the Castle’s Christmas party he was all in.

Even if his baseball team lost and now he had to wear the stupid sweater Karen got him last year.

As soon as he stepped in the Greenwich house he looked for you, the warmth blushing his face, still some snow on the shoulders of his coat from the outside weather.

“I can’t believe you’re here!” Karen said excited jumping to hug him and Billy knew she had a little too much eggnog already. “I thought you wouldn’t come cause of the sweater. Oh my God look at the sweater!”

She points as she rambles to Frank who is next to her and Billy looks down at his outfit. A red sweater with a three dimensional Christmas wreath and a plush reindeer coming out of it. 

He couldn’t even turn sideways safely without knocking someone over with it and God knows he wasn’t gonna let anybody know it sang jingle bells if you pressed the nose.

“I hate you.” He said simply taking his his coat off.

“No you don’t! You love me, that’s why you’re wearing it.” She smiled.

“Well I’m a man of my word.”

“Come on in.” Frank said this time, his lips in a line trying not to giggle “Let’s get you drunk so you’ll let us press the nose.”

As he followed his friends he scanned the room. Karens news paper friends and some old marines popped from the corners of the home but not you.

“She did come.” Frank whispers to him as soon as they reach the kitchen island that’s covered in half drunk bottles and people mingling around. 

“I don’t know who you’re talking about.” Billy smiles in complicity.

“Sure Bill.” Franks sarcasm makes Billy laugh “She’s outside with her boyfriend, he’s a smoker.”

Oh right, the boyfriend. 

Billy had learned his lesson with the lizard king, you would never surprise him with a boyfriend ever again. 

Keeping tabs on you was complicated, you were a social butterfly but thankfully he had a never drying fountain of gossip in Karen and he’d often got Frank to grumpily drop tips on you.

He also hacked your phone, email and social media.

Again, you’d never catch him off guard and this was a fun one to crack.

Benjamin March was a well known man around New York. Partner in one of the city’s top legal firms he had made a name for himself with a file of high profile clients. Most of them politics and men of influence.

And he would always win.

Red flag number one.

He married a former Miss North Carolina whom he divorced about a year before and who he left practically on the streets alleging a horribly balanced prenup.

Poor girl, at least she was pretty.

Red flag number two.

Late night at his office after ANVIL was completely empty a few nights before Billy tried to convince himself he’d only intervene in your relationship if Benjamin March had all three strikes against him.

As if he really needed a single reason to murder a man just to get you all to himself.

Luckily for Billy he found the third strike, and it was a big one. The big kahuna of dirt he had now saved in a usb drive that was burning his pants pocket.

He couldn’t wait.

His hands vibrating with anticipation when you walked inside all by yourself, taking a shot Karen offered you on sight.

“Nice sweater Bill.” You press your lips together trying not to laugh and he smiles at you.

It’s all he can do.

“Merry Christmas angel. Not following the rules I see.” He says pointing at your outfit. “We agreed, no mini skirts. They make me nervous and you know it.”

“Well we also said no cozy looking sweaters.” You can’t hide the laugh after the sarcastic comment.

“If this makes you horny you have some serious issues.” 

His laugh is interrupted by a man about a foot taller than you. His arm twisting around your torso in a possessive way.

There’s a fruity smell lingering from him and Billy wants to puke. 

This man vapes?

As if he needed a fourth red flag, he thinks.

Billy introduces himself, a proud smirk on his face when Benjamin admits he already knows who he is, reassuring his status.

It takes a while before Karen pulls you to her, the motion lifting your skirt a little too much for Billy’s sanity and then you disappear with the blonde off to meet some of her friends.

It even feels orchestrated when somehow he is left alone in the kitchen with Benjamin March, the closes person holding their drunken state on a column of the dining room.

But Billy isn’t worried about Karen’s drunken co-workers and he wastes no time on handling the lawyer the usb from his pocket, releasing the speech of accusations he had prepared.

It’s not surprising when the man doesn’t deny Billy’s accusations.

Benjamin March had been helping elite men get away with fraud, murder and other crimes that made Billy’s stomach turn.

But he didn’t look remotely sorry.

Maybe a little sorry he had been caught when Billy hands him the incriminating proof, it’s all there, pictures, documents and audios, served in a silver platter that can lock the lawyer up for a long time.

Billy isn’t sure he’d ever been more offended than when Benjamin offers him money for his silence.

As if he wanted his disgusting money.

“What do you want then?” Benjamin seems more annoyed than worried.

“I want you to break up with her.”

“Fuck man! You went through all this trouble for some pussy?” He mocks. 

He has no idea.

“You got a deal. She’s all yours.”

He agrees without even thinking twice and Billy wants to break his jaw for talking about you as something so disposable.

They fine tune the details and Billy wishes to tell him he has no interest in pursuing his downfall after he breaks up with you.  Then he’ll become just another corrupt lawyer in New York City and he couldn’t care less.

And when March finally decides to leave he makes sure he makes himself even more punchable.

“Hit me up if you ever need a lawyer.” 

&

“Maybe you should have some water angel.”

Did he tell Benjamin March to break up with you?

Yeah.

Did he tell him to do it right now at this very party in front of other people?

No!

For a lawyer he had no common sense and now Billy had a very drunk girl half crying half laughing on the Castle’s couch.

He eyed you quickly, trying to miss the way your legs shine under the low lights of the home when the red skirt you wore rises up.

He couldn’t tonight. You were drunk and sad and he didn’t want you like this but you seemed determined to get him though.

“Man I really was smart with the no sweater rule. You look so cute!” 

He looks down at the cursed sweater wanting to laugh with you, but you don’t, you seem serious about it.

You’re holding what seems to be your tenth shot of tequila and giving him those flirty eyes he often saw in his head during his jerk off sessions.

There’s barely anyone left at the party and it would be so easy to get you in one of the rooms and lift that tiny scrap off fabric you call an outfit.

Stop.

There’s a big red stop sign going on loop in his head, not only was this his best friends home, your cheeks were bright pink from the intoxication and life was so unfair to him.

The one time you wanna fuck it’s because you’re drunk.

“We should get you home angel.”

He didn’t need to say it twice and you hold yourself clumsily up the couch using a sleeping Karen as a prop while Billy grabs your coat.

“Can you stay with me tonight Bill? Please I don’t want to be alone.”

He’s doing his best to be good, helping you put on your coat and your voice is so tiny and cute as you beg him standing by the Castle’s front door.

Again, life was so unfair.

He nods immediately anyway, his body betraying his reason and before he knows it he’s driving towards your apartment.

He has to help you walk into the elevator when you arrive since even in the state you are you refuse to take your heels off and something tells him you’re not as drunk as you pretend to be when you hold on to his bicep, resting your face of his chest in the elevator saying you’re dizzy.

As soon as you enter your home you disappear down a hallway and Billy looks around. It smells powdery and sweet just like you and he wants to fuck you on your pink couch.

But he won’t.

Instead he marches to your kitchen, opening the fridge to gather ingredients for a sandwich the he offers you as soon as you walk back out of your room wearing tiny cream short pajamas with polka dots on them.

“Aren’t you coming to bed?”

Your voice sounds innocent but he knows better. You’re gonna be the death of him.

“Here, eat this.” He ignores your request handing you the plate “It’ll help your stomach after all that tequila.”

“But I’m not hungry!” 

“I didn’t ask. Eat.” 

He barks a command as he would one of his soldiers even when he knows he has no power here. 

Not after you sit on the counter of the kitchen, your legs slightly spread and a force of gravity pushes him to walk in between them. 

You’re taking your time to chew and you look tired but the bread seems to be absorbing the alcohol just fine.

“I just don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“Why boys keep breaking up with me. No one takes me seriously, no one wants me. I’m good enough to fuck but not enough to be a girlfriend.”

Billy can feel his heart shrinking with your statement and he wishes he could tell you that they do want you. All of them do. In fact he had to use violence and threats to get rid of a couple already.

But he gives you a warm smile instead, using his fingertips to put some of your hair behind your ear.

“Maybe you should stop dating assholes.”

That didn’t come out as comforting as he wanted to and you sigh and use your forearm to move him from that sacred place between your thighs, getting off the counter.

He tried his best to ignore the jiggle of your curves as you do but he can feel the zipper of his pants tightening.

“I can’t finish it” you say, a yawn escaping your mouth.

“Fine.” Billy sighs, taking the half eaten sandwich from your fingers “But have some more water.”

“Hey, I didn't mean to force you to stay with me tonight, I’m sorry. Thank you for driving me but you can go if you want.”

‘Leave dickhead’ his head screams ‘It’s time for you to leave’

“I can stay a while.”

The voice in Billy’s head throws it’s hands in the air in exasperation.

“Okay.” Your reply is a whisper but there’s a small smile on your lips.

Billy wishes he had kept the moment cute, but he can’t help his gaze to skim over your body, the outline of your nipples through the tiny cotton top. You adjust the strap on it and Billy looks away, afraid you caught him staring. 

“I know this is stupid but I like having you here.” You admit toying with your own fingers in a nervous state “I feel safe.”

Billy knows you mean it as a compliment but the sudden image of all the dangers of the city surrounding you made him anxious. Did you not feel safe when you were alone?

“How long have you been living by yourself?”

“A while. Since Karen moved out.”

That’s a long time. Too long.

You turn to walk towards what seems to be your bedroom and he makes sure he leaves a space between your bodies. He’s not sure if he does it so you know he won’t be creepy tonight or because he wants to watch your ass jiggle with each step.

He wants you to sit on his face.

But you’ve been drinking. You’re not falling down drunk but you’re still drunk.

“Billy?” You call to him from inside the bedroom.

Maybe a little make out session wouldn’t be the end of the world, he thinks. 

But that’s it.

There’s a rustling of fabric as he steps into the room and sees you crawl into bed. The sight of you shimmying into the blankets, hair spread on the pillow, waiting for him steals his breath.

He can feel your gaze burning into him and Billy has a sudden urge to flex his muscles, to show off, that until he figures you’re actually staring at his sweater.

Damn that singing reindeer.

“I’ll take it off.” He laughs.

“I actually like it.”

You’re on the right side of the bed, lying on your side facing him. Leaving a space in your bed for him.

“Would you stay for a while longer?” You ask.

“Sure angel.” 

“Sorry, you don’t have to, it was dumb of me to ask. I can walk you out if you’d like to go.”

“No, I’d like to stay. I can’t stay the whole night but I’ll stay a little more.”

Billy doesn’t elaborate why, because the why is simply that he won’t be able to control himself sleeping next to your soft body. If he was still there in the morning there was zero chance he wouldn’t fuck you.

“You should rest a little then, before you drive home.”

Your hand is touching the spot next to you on the mattress and Billy gulps.

“You worried about me angel?”

“I’m worried about the other drivers. I’ve seen you drive.”

Your laugh fills the dim light room and it seems to make it easier for him to get closer to the bed, sinking his knee on the soft surface.

“Sorry I don’t have anything your size to put on.”

“Put on?”

“To get comfy. Like pajamas.”

He nods like it was obvious what she meant, but why had his brain gone straight to condoms?

“I suppose you could just… take your pants off.”

Yes.

Yes he could do that.

His body is fighting a battle of mind against dick and he waits for his conscience to win. To tell him to keep his pants on and to walk out the front door, but it never does.

Pants off it is then.

And that god awful sweater while he’s at it.

Standing there in your bedroom in his white under t-shirt and blue briefs Billy realized he’d take whatever punishment the universe threw his way for getting in bed with you in that state, even if you just slept next to him.

He was going to hell anyway.

[rhetthammersmithhorror]

Third Dimensional Murder | 1941 a.k.a., Murder in 3-D

[bracketsoffear]

Finnegans Wake (James Joyce) "Finnegan's Wake is one of the most experimental novels of the twentieth century. Rather than write using conventions of novels--or of the English language--Joyce structured his book on language itself. The result is surreal, dense, and famously difficult. To get a sense of just how strange and dreamlike the whole thing is, even its Wikipedia page compares it to Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" before pointing out the the book begins with the second half of a sentence, which it gives the first half of at its end. Tl;dr Finnegan's Wake is so unsettlingly experimental that Joyce had to break the English language down to its components to get his vision down on the page."

The Third Policeman (Flann O'Brien) Synopsis from Goodreads: "The Third Policeman is Flann O'Brien's brilliantly dark comic novel about the nature of time, death, and existence. Told by a narrator who has committed a botched robbery and brutal murder, the novel follows him and his adventures in a two-dimensional police station where, through the theories of the scientist/philosopher de Selby, he is introduced to "Atomic Theory" and its relation to bicycles, the existence of eternity (which turns out to be just down the road), and de Selby's view that the earth is not round but "sausage-shaped." With the help of his newly found soul named "Joe," he grapples with the riddles and contradictions that three eccentric policeman present to him."

[bistephs]

people really love to characterize cass as just Girl Who Punches Real Good at the expense of her empathy and compassion, don’t they. “if cass disagreed with/didn’t like someone she would just beat the shit out of them :)” because cass’s first response is always violence, right. cass has never tried to redeem criminals and murderers

cass could never forgive someone who had killed in the past, much less work beside them or befriend them

cass has never given people second or third or fourth chances or bitterly argued for their humanity or risked her life to the point of actually dying for people who have tried to kill her

cass just loves hitting people and is incapable of solving problems any other way! she always resorts immediately to violence and never tries to reason or empathize with people first! reducing her to a one-dimensional stereotype who beats up everyone she doesn’t like and has no other personality traits is a Good Thing, actually! #strongwomen!

[aurora-australis-tumbles]

First Lines!

@firesign23 tagged me in this and I have learned to always listen to her, so here we go. 😂 

Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written fewer than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.

And a Promise to Look Before You - Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, 3k, in progress

Jack, much to his personal horror, was driving like Phryne. Too fast, too reckless, too single bloody minded. But there was nothing for it — he had lives to save. Specifically, his and Phryne’s.

Sunday in the Parked with St. George - Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, 2.6k

“If you believe this to be a waste of time, Jack, you’re welcome to leave.” “Did I say this was a waste of time?" "No, but you’re thinking it loudly enough to give me a headache." “Well I’d offer you some of my powders, Miss Fisher, but there’s just something about us being in close proximity that seems to rapidly deplete my stock.”

Misc. Tape, Chapter 61: Origins - Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, 49k

Elizabeth raced through the nearly empty streets, almost tripping when her hem caught on a loose board in front of the grocer’s. Stupid skirts! Just what she needed, too, what with the snow already causing her problems. It was falling heavier now, not enough to impede her vision, but enough to create issues with friction and she skidded and slid her way the last two blocks, cursing the weather the whole time.

Pieces - How to Train Your Dragon, 64k

The great cacophony of noise that had just moments ago rung through every corner of the Great Hall abruptly vanished, the voices around him seeming to have quieted ever so gradually and then all at once, like a wave cresting and crashing, as exponentially more people realized what was happening and fell silent.

All eyes on the Chief.

Three Dimensional Pawnography - Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, 1.7k

Oh for fuck’s sake.

That’s all he could think, the only sentence that came to mind. The only sentence appropriate in this particular situation.

Yes, And..., Chapter 47: Simple - Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, 22k

“It's a very simple question, Jack, and one a skilled investigator such as yourself should really have no trouble answering so I will ask again: what colour was my dress?”

“No idea.”

Sunday Afternoon Negotiations - Agent Carter, 1.8k

There were many unexpected benefits to being one third of an… unconventional relationship.

Tactical assignment distribution, for instance.

You and Me, Part II - Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, 2k

Phryne’s whisky is very good. It's smooth and fortifying and currently the only reason she still has the will to deal with the mess her father has made half a world away.

Shared Custody - Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, 2.6k

The subject of Jack comes up less often than he thinks it will. Or, at least, that's what the ladies tell him.

Fic Off 2021 - Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, 26k

With one last, long stroke, Phryne reached the edge of the pool and gracefully excited the water, pulling herself up to sit on the ledge. She didn’t immediately leave, though. Dipping her red toes back under the surface, she swirled them around and contemplated a few more laps despite the late hour; she was actually a bit tired from her vigorous impromptu swim but found she also had no great urge to leave the aquatic sanctuary she had found down here. 

Tagging, in case they also want to play, @arlome @galadriel1010 @thetideseternaltune @per4mancecheck @ljf613 @cuppatealove @lechatnoir1918 and anyone else who is interested!

[lindleland]

God, that was. A lot.

I'm struggling to think of a piece of fiction that is more of a mixed bag than this.

For everything this game does that should make it far and away the high watermark of the series, it does something else that would make it the worst game in the series to balance it out.

3-1 and 3-5 are easily two of the best trials in the series with 3-4 not far behind, but 3-2 and 3-3 don't really have a huge amount going for them (with the latter squandering so much potential that the entire game suffers for it), and 3-6 is just a complete clusterfuck.

When it nails its character arcs down it does so with some of the best writing the series has had. The bond between the trio of Kaito, Shuichi, and Maki is earnest and believable in a way the series rarely accomplishes. Kaede's journey throughout the first chapter, her eventual tragic loss, and how she helps Shuichi come into his own were absolutely pitch-perfect (it does suck that she had to be fridged for manpain but the execution is incredible nonetheless). Kokichi was an incredible villain who manages to be completely distinct from the previous games' Evil Bastards, and despite him being completely despicable he has a very believable internal logic to him - he even had a good point on occasion when dragging the rest of the cast. And Gonta was such a sweet character and had such distinct dynamics with most of the cast, and I am still incredibly sad about how he went out.

But then there's everyone else.

I think the biggest problem with 3-2 and 3-3 is that in the other games, the second and third chapters are where the characters all get fleshed out and build chemistry with one another, and that just... doesn't happen here. Having Ryota and Kirumi's goals contrast both each other's and Shuichi's overarching journey was a good move, but linking it into having a theme in common rather than personal conflict robs the chapter of its emotional core. The reason the previous second cases hit so hard is because they lean into a tragic bond (Taka/Mondo and Peko/Fuyuhiko respectively), while also laying most of the character groundwork going forward - DR1 sets up Byakuya and Toko's roles in the game, gives Chihiro a solid characterization, and establishes Hifumi and Celestia's simp/simpee dynamic, and DR2 builds a solid connection between Mahiru and Hiyoko, develops a connection between around a third of the cast by way of Twilight Syndrome Murder Case, and also gradually weans Chiaki into the role of sidekick for this game. Here? We don't get anything close to that. The most that case 2 does is establish Kaito as a sidekick and lay the grounds for Kokichi manipulating Gonta.

But chapter 3 is the worst offender here by far. Angie and Tenko getting attached to Himiko never feels earned and neither one of them have any chemistry with her and both of them are totally one-dimensional characters, and it feels like they set that up for the sole purpose of plot, and then that plot had the audacity to make the twist that it all had nothing to do with any of their arcs and that Korekiyo's out-of-fucking-nowhere motive was the cause behind everything. It's like you wasted a quarter of your cast on a needlessly convoluted non-sequitur.

Miu and Keebo's relationship was a good idea that they did almost nothing with, and ultimately Miu comes off as more one-note than any of her similar characters in previous titles (I still like her tho, just not as much). Whereas the plot takes Keebo into some interesting places but he never ends up being that interesting as a character. Rantaro was a really interesting character for what he was, and I can't fault them for not doing more with him given his role in the story.

But then there's Tsumugi. God, what a waste of a character. She does NOTHING prior to her reveal as the mastermind. She's conspicuous purely by way of her having no other reason to exist. I can see what they were going for - they probably didn't want to undermine a likeable character by having her be the mastermind. The problem is that she basically isn't even a character until then. And they could easily have leant into her fangirl personality throughout the game by making her fangirl over more things- that way it wouldn't have felt like a completely unearned twist and would make her less of an underwhelming Big Bad.

Of course, once the twist starts getting incredibly meta it's kind of a stroke of genius? The satire against its own status as a pointless sequel was pinpoint accurate, and rings even truer given how many plot beats in this game are rehashed from previous ones (albeit with better execution), and as far up its own ass as it was for doing it the casting of Danganronpa's fandom as the main antagonist through Keebo was an inspired choice, right down to the specific fandom complaints being used throughout the Argument Armament.

But it all comes at the cost of undermining not only everything that came before it by turning it all into a farce, but also by turning the rest of the series up to this point into nothing but a series within the fictional universe of DRV3.

And yet it still uses that as a springboard to deliver an incredibly thematically strong and coherent cap to Shuichi's character arc.

In some ways it completely spits in the face of everything that happened beforehand, and in other ways it's the perfect culmination of it.

Overall it's a completely insane game made by an insane person and for its sheer ambition alone I hold it in high esteem. I think I prefer it to DR1 although it never quite reaches the relative perfection of DR2 (relative in that Danganronpa's approach to game design is kuckoofuckingbananas in general and if it ever approached "perfection" it would not be recognizably Danganronpa in any way).

[jimintomystery]

Makoto headcanons

[Above: Uh, yeah, that's probably fine]

Originally I found Makoto to be an extraordinarily bland protagonist, which made him seem a bit two-dimensional. Eventually, though, I got a handle on the character, and saw at least some potential for depth...

We learn very little about Makoto in Trigger Happy Havoc, other than what he learns about himself from the experience. He thought he was just some guy, y'know, and then he turned out to be some sort of...non-giving-up...school guy. He's a blank slate compared to his classmates, even Kyoko, who is supposed to be the officially designated blank slate. His most distinguishing feature is the ability to chin up amid the horrors he's witnessed. I think that's taking an unseen toll on him.

When the Tragedy happened, Makoto reassured his friends the crisis would be over soon. It wasn't. When the Killing Game began, he promised Sayaka he would get her out of there. He didn't. By the end of the game, a third of his classmates have murdered another third, and the remaining third seriously considered letting him die to save themselves. When he came up with a plan to rehabilitate the Remnants of Despair without killing them, the Future Foundation branded him a traitor. Said plan almost backfired and nearly doomed himself and his closest friends. In the Final Killing Game, the Future Foundation largely went knives-out on him, and then a mind-control program nearly brainwashed him to kill himself. He doesn't process this stuff, he just puts it on his tab. He's running up a big bill.

I'm not saying all this is going to break Makoto, or that he's on the verge of succumbing to despair, or anything like that. The idea that this can't happen is what makes him interesting--the story won't let him falter or fail, so he just has to endure. He can't cope with his problems except in terms of helping others cope with theirs. In that sense he reminds me of Hajime Hinata, but Hajime is a surgically enhanced ubermensch, so for better or worse he's built to handle such weighty problems. Makoto is just an ordinary man, so it's kind of scary to realize he carries such an epic burden.

If I'm making Makoto sound like Jesus sweating drops of blood over his duty to the world...well, yeah. Personally, I am extremely tired of writers cramming Christ tropes into American superhero stories, so I'm loathe to look for one in Danganronpa, but it's hard for me to avoid it this time. Not that I want Makoto to be crucified and resurrected (any more than he already has been). But I'm intrigued by the idea of a Christ/martyr figure who can't get off the hook by peacing out to heaven.

Anyway, the point is that Makoto avoids his trauma by helping his friends with their problems. Which is ironic considering he spends a lot of time getting Kyoko comfortable with facing her trauma. Kyoko benefits greatly from having someone she can trust and finally open up to, so it doesn't occur to her that Makoto might need the same sort of help, or that he would hide it as well as she does. Overcoming that takes a lot of work, for both of them.

I haven't decided what sort of relationship Makoto and Kyoko had before their memories were wiped, but I tend to think it wasn't romantic. At most they might have had some basic attraction, but neither of them expected anything to come of it, so they paid it no mind. Even during the Killing Game, I don't think Makoto realizes what he's starting to feel. He's just curious about her because she's mysterious, or worried about her because she's missing, that's all. She's cute, but he'd never have a shot with her, so there's no point going there. Meanwhile Kyoko is gradually facing her feelings about him, and getting a little frustrated that he's not making a move. It's not until after they escape that everything hits Makoto all at once.

As Makoto learns more about Kyoko's family, he isn't afraid to call out the bullshit they've put her through. He's willing to believe her father might have had a reason for walking out on her, but that doesn't excuse the harm he caused. He's also not wild about her grandfather pushing her through the family traditions, and (from what I've gathered) exploiting her abandonment issues to hone her emotional discipline. If Fuhito Kirigiri ever meets Makoto, I think there will be a lot of friction there.