#even naegiri kind of feels like a thing that's just kind of /there/ for the sake of it being there in dr3

[aparticularbandit]

do you ship Kyoko and Junko

Hm.

This! is actually a complicated question!

I'm aware it doesn't look like one, but trust me, it is.

Because! I tend to. not ship things. unless they hit me over the head with it in canon. Or I read a good fanfic and then oh, I see that's a ship, I can see that being a thing, huh. Because I'm, like, shipping blind.

And even then, I rarely actually actively ship things in canon. -shoves massive amounts of Roisa fanfic under the carpet- (And for those of you who want to bring up Harximoff, I'll get to that.)

Most of the time, when I ship something, if I ship something, it's based on writing the dynamic. It's based on writing the characters and oh, huh, I see, that makes sense, cool, got it.

And even then, there's sometimes parameters in place for when I ship that thing. (This is where Harximoff comes in. I do not ship this in canon. I ship it within context of certain aus and fanfic, and in my debatably most canon-compliant fic for them (Finding Family, actually), I would argue that they're more QPR than active etc. It's complicated. It has to be. But this is not what you asked!)

Right now, in regards to Enogiri - Kyoko and Junko - I'm writing the ship for a fic duology (The Thin Line Duology: Of An Endless Infinity and Of A Fatal Captivity, still in the process of being written, etc. etc.), a duology which also includes Junkan and Matsushima (Junko with Mikan and Yasuke, respectively).

I've talked before about both Enogiri and Junkan in context of that duology and how complicated it is to say whether they are ships or not. Because it's complicated, I would hesitantly say that within the context of that duology, yes, I ship it. To an extent. Again, it's complicated because the nature of the ship within that duology is complicated.

Do I universally ship Enogiri? No. Did I start that fic with the intention to write Enogiri? No. Nevertheless, do I find the dynamic of their relationship in that fic fascinating in terms of what I can see it saying about canon - and thus can also take from canon to support what is being written? ABSOLUTELY YES.

I'm more interested in characters and their relational dynamics with each other with regards to Danganronpa than I am with specific ships (Junkan notwithstanding). Sometimes, when writing, those relational dynamics end up as ships. Sometimes, they don't! It really depends on the story.

Which is to say...it's complicated? Yes and no? Maybe? I'm writing the ship but I'm not sure how much I super ship it even in the context of that fic? I like the developments in that fic! But when I talk about Enogiri, it's more from that standpoint than a universal shipping. Ish.

They have a fascinating dynamic, and I'm enjoying playing with it, but I don't know if I will play with it more outside of this context.

But while I'm playing with it in this context, I will definitely be posting about it.

Which I understand doesn't answer your question, but that's the closest I can get to it.

Sorry!

[danganronpa-21]

Naekusaba?

This is for this ask game!

Ooh, that’s a good question that I wasn’t expecting to get. Let’s roll!

When I started shipping it if I did:

I remember in about 2017-2018, the early days for me in the DR fandom, I had a little triad of just cute Makoto ships. I was most partial to Naegiri, but between all of the hints surrounding Naekusaba in IF and Monochrome Answer for Naezono, I found I could enjoy all of them to some degree.

Then there was this boom that increased the fanbase by quite a bit, and suddenly the shipping culture became much more intense. There started to be some harassment on every end, but I remember seeing a chunk from Naekusaba fans towards Naegiri fans (and possibly vice versa, but I didn’t end up seeing it). That put a bitter taste in my mouth, and I grew to associate the pairing with that negativity, so I stopped shipping it.

These days I’m much more neutral on it, as the rude fans seem to have withered away, and now it’s just the chill ones like you who are hanging around! :)

My thoughts:

I think they’re a solid, believable pairing, and with the climate surrounding them being brighter now, I’d love to get back to feeling at least a little bit of affection for them. They’re both interesting characters and have a good capacity to measure up against one another, and especially with each of their connections to hope and despair, their relationship can play into the themes of the game. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you twice that I love when relationships are relevant in that way.

I’m also surprised that they’re not more popular? I know Naegiri and Naegami are probably Makoto’s biggest ships, but I’m surprised to see that there’s not more going on with it. Especially since Mukuro is a character that people want to see more of in canon anyways, I feel like these two deserve a bit more love… If I didn’t have so much in my backlog, I might’ve liked to write a one-shot or two 😅 Oh well, I suppose that’s something I’ll have to do another day!

What makes me happy about them:

The fact that Mukuro fell for Makoto because he was the first person to ever really genuinely smile at her… it’s bittersweet at times, because you feel bad for Mukuro, but the fact that this was all it took for her to fall in love is far too cute!

This really just sets a basis for the warmth in the relationship, because you know that there is going to be so much of that sweet, sweet slowburn in their relationship. It’s going to tinge every interaction they have for awhile, and that’s just awesome. I think no matter what happens, even as they grow closer, Mukuro and Makoto will always have that shyness to their romantic relationship. Everything will just be tender and kind between them, and they’ll both just feel so lucky to be loved by one another. I think that’s what makes me happiest about them — knowing that they’ll know the other loves them no matter what.

What makes me sad about them:

The fact that Mukuro was actually so close to asking Junko to spare him according to IF. She cared for Makoto that greatly that she would be willing to defy her sister, the one person in her life that she actually genuinely felt connected to (even if their relationship was super unhealthy). And the fact that she decided not to makes it hurt even more, because you can see that based on her and Junko’s relationship and what’s said in Danganronpa 3… It’s not necessarily out of fear of what Junko would do if she asked. It’s out of love for Junko that she decides she won’t ask. Makoto is the one thing that could thwart her plans for despair by Junko’s own admission, so if Mukuro asks to take Makoto out of the equation, she’s potentially ruining her sister’s happiness. And she still sees herself as the only person who truly understands Junko, so she thinks better of asking.

But the fact that she wanted to still remains.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me:

This goes for most fanfics where there’s “romantic competition”, but I hate, HATE the villainization of anyone else trying to romance Makoto. It’s never done well, it’s always just turning Sayaka or Kyoko into this nasty, awful girls which neither of them are. They wouldn’t try to hurt Mukuro or sabotage the relationship even if they did greatly care for Makoto. The worst thing I can see happening from them is that Kyoko would maybe be suspicious of what Mukuro’s intentions are with Makoto — but that’s about it. I feel like otherwise, Makoto and Mukuro would be left to their happiness, which is really why I hate seeing it happen in fanfic.

Things I look for in fanfic:

Because they have so much pain and missed moments in their story, I think if I was to look for fanfic about them, it’d have to be fluff and family stories. After all that the both of them have been through, I feel like in fanfic, I would just want a healthy dose of them living in a happy, healthy way. Therapy for Mukuro to help her realize her worth, maybe becoming a hairstylist like that one potential ending mentioned. Therapy for Makoto as well, and realizing just how important he is, and maybe deciding to become a teacher as an echo of his Danganronpa 3 ending. If they have a family, I could see them maybe having one kid, but only after being absolutely certain that they’re ready. Just stuff like that is what I think would draw me in most about fanfic about them, so I’d say that’s what I would look for.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:

No surprises for Makoto — if not Mukuro, then I’d love for him to be with Kyoko.

As for Mukuro herself, I’m honestly much less sure. Self-love is my reflexive answer, but it doesn’t give very much… So maybe I could see her being cute with Sayaka. After all, if there’s one thing that Sayaka values most of all, it’s her loved ones, and her cheerful, bouncy nature pairs up nicely against Mukuro’s more subdued shyness. I could also maybe see a similar case with Aoi.

My happily ever after for them:

Whoops, technically already answered that in one of the other questions. Eh, I suppose I can just elaborate!

So like I said, I’m thinking therapy, marriage, and just one kiddo. I’m thinking of this being the IF timeline for them, where they escape the school much earlier with no deaths. The two of them join up with Future Foundation just like the others do, but Mukuro is definitely placed on intern status with severe supervision, like Toko but even more carefully monitored. She’s not crazy about it, but she understands why things are the way they are, and so she doesn’t mind. Besides, they seem to pair her up with Makoto a lot, thinking of him as “a good influence” for her. This regular pair-up is probably why the two of them start to grow closer, and why Mukuro eventually becomes more of a despair-informant as time goes on.

When Makoto is thrust into the 2nd Killing Game of his life, Mukuro is not there — not being a branch leader or their proxy like Kyoko and Aoi, she is left out of the game. Of course, that only means that Byakuya has to go in guns blazing with Mukuro at his side this time. When they are eventually able to free Makoto from the game, Mukuro is delighted and, in the heat of the moment, declares her love. Makoto is stunned, but accepts, and the two share a kiss.

After that, they and their friends decide to move to a settlement that is being rebuilt. Makoto talks of rebuilding Hope’s Peak, and Mukuro is hesitant but agrees, deciding that she won’t help so as to not scare people. She does, however, offers hair cuts, care, and styling in the settlement’s marketplace where others also offer their services. After a few years of dating, Makoto eventually asks Mukuro to marry him, and she is delighted to say yes.

The two have a small, but intimate wedding where they invite all of their friends. I’d like to think that Mukuro even tears up a little as Makoto recites his wedding vows to her, and he’s all too happy to hug her at the altar and comfort her through her tears. The ceremony is just beautiful, and is their own personal slice of hope.

As for that kiddo of theirs, they probably don’t have it until closer to being thirty. Mukuro wants to make sure that she’s the perfect mother for the child, so she gets all of the advice from other moms that she can. Makoto is pretty confident that she’s going to be amazing, so he doesn’t worry at all, but he does try to follow in her footsteps a little bit and get advice. Once they start trying, it takes a few months, but Mukuro eventually becomes pregnant with a beautiful baby boy. Once he’s born, they dote on him like no other, and he is raised knowing that he is very loved. They dub the boy Akimitsu, meaning “bright light”.

Who is the big spoon/little spoon:

In most relationships, I am in support of little spoon Makoto because I think he would really enjoy it… but I think he would big spoon for Mukuro, because really, how much has anyone really hugged this poor girl? She’s a bit embarrassed and shy at first, but quickly discovers that she loves her little backpack boyfriend.

What is their favourite non-sexual activity:

Hmmm, good question… I feel like once they’re together, the two of them spend some time sharing interests and indulging in them together. So, I feel like their favourite non-sexual activity is trying things! Maybe one day they bake, the next day Makoto teaches Mukuro how to play video games, and then the next Mukuro shows Makoto some of her favourite physical training exercises. They just love to work together and connect on things, and I think that they’d spend their lives together always learning new little things about each other.

[danganfixationronpa]

My thoughts on the most popular Danganronpa ships (Bingo Style.)

Komahina

Like Nagito as a character to me, I really like this ship, but I'm also conflicted about it. I do like how complex their relationship is, and I just love the idea of them being together, while at the same time, I can also see problems arising from it. Also, no I don't think the Fandom RUINED the ship, but I gotta admit that I've seen a lot of people shove this ship down people's throats, also arguing that it's objectively canon, and that can get a little annoying. But overall, a good, complex ship with a lot of potential.

Saiouma

These two don't have much chemistry in-game, but I do love the concept of this ship. I've always been kind of a sucker for the mischievous, chaotic character and the smart, good-hearted character being hopelessly drawn to each other. Overall, a decent ship that could be a lot of fun, but is ultimately dragged down by their lack of chemistry, and it mostly feeling one-sided on Kokichi's part.

Ishimondo

Okay, them being wholesome is kind of debatable, given what Mondo ends up doing, but I do think their relationship with each other is pretty damn wholesome. This is the first thing I shipped in Danganronpa, and I just love how much they eventually respect and care for each other. It's a shame we didn't get to see them being best friends for too long before that happened 😔 They are different, but at the same time, not, and because of that, they balance each other out well. Obviously they would work best in an AU where Mondo didn't kill poor Chihiro and neither of them died, but overall, a precious ship that deserved better.

Naegiri

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love the idea of these two being best friends who love each other, but not romantically. It's not only how I personally view them in games and the animes, but also how I choose to view them. Also, much like Komahina, no I don't think the Fandom RUINED this ship, but also much like Komahina, I've seen many fans shove this ship down people's throats, also arguing that it's objectively canon, when in reality it's mostly hinted at. Overall, I do like their relationship, but as friends rather than lovers. Boy/girl friendships are highly underappreciated.

Harukaito

One grumpy, closed off character falls in love with the positive, upbeat character, my beloved. Seriously, this is my favorite shipping trope, and these two just fit that bill perfectly. I love how Kaito pulled Maki out of her shell, and how even after he's gone, she still chooses to live on and become a better person. Also, I don't see this ship as one-sided at all, Kaito clearly had feelings for her too (with how close he often gets to her both physically and metaphorically, the nickname he gives her, etc.) Just because he didn't state it outright like Maki doesn't mean he didn't feel the same. Overall, love this ship because they balance each other out so well. Also, I just love the Training Trio in general 🥺💖

Saimatsu

Honestly, nearly everything I said about Naegiri also applies to this ship as well. Only with these two, it was a lot more obvious with the romantic angle, especially on Shuichi's part. Also like Naegiri, I picture them crushing on each other, but that's all. Anyway, as a ship, there's nothing wrong with it, but it's just not for me. I thought their relationship was a little too corny for my liking (kinda like how Naezono felt to me), and that kinda drew me back from liking them together like that. Also, I personally can't unsee Shuichi being gay and struggling with compulsatory heterosexuality (that's a post for another time.) Overall, a cute ship, but I prefer them as best friends.

Naegami

×Takes a deep breath× I almost feel like I don't even have to explain this one to those familiar with my account; I just love this ship. Admittedly, during DR1 I didn't like the ship or Byakuya at all, but after seeing their relationship progression with further games and the animes, I slowly started getting into them to the point of no return. But why do I like it so much? Well, remember what I said before about my favorite trope of one grumpy, closed off character falling in love with the positive, upbeat character? Welp, that definitely applies here. Obviously I can't go on forever here, so overall: this is my favorite Danganronpa ship, and I think their differences would both challenge and compliment each other well.

Oumota

While not a terrible ship, I definitely don't like it. Besides Kokichi eventually saying that Kaito is not boring and reluctantly working together to end the killing game, they don't have any good moments together. Kaito is constantly pissed off with Kokichi, and they just don't have that connection. Overall, I personally don't ship it, nor see the appeal.

Kuzupeko

A rare case where both parties are revealed to have 100% romantic feelings towards each other, and I love them. I wasn't expecting to cry at the end of Trial 2 from SDR2, but I did. I love the whole childhood friends aspect, and how they care about each other so much, and that Peko's death actually strengthened Fuyuhiko's character rather than weaken him. Overall, they are a power couple, and they give me the feels.

Hinanami

Now this one is an interesting case for me, because I am right in the middle of shipping them, while also liking them together platonically. I think their relationship is really cute and sweet, I like how Chiaki seems to know how to calm Hajime down. Overall, if I had to choose, I would say I prefer them platonically, but I do think they make a good ship as well.

[blastthechaos]

Naejunko!

Send me a ship and I will tell you:

When or if I started shipping it:Around the time I was getting into Danganronpa and initially was more into Naegiri, I saw post and stuff about them occasionally, I got interested, started writing some fanfics about them...and then I fell into the rabbit hole.

My thoughts:I love them so much, they're a wild ship with tons of potential and fun scenarios to me, I feel so giddy about writing them and seeing people like what I write about them, I just want to make them kiss and do stuff together.

What makes me happy about them:That their relationship is so unique they wouldn't be this way with anyone else, Makoto is the only one kind and stubborn enough to drag Junko's buried compassion and make her feel entertained while Junko is the only one that can make Makoto so angry and annoyed in a way nobody else could, she's the only one that can have Makoto act like a Tsundere in a relationship and feel believable...and that's beautiful to me.

Also the surprising amount of ship tease they have, it might not be as much as Naegiri, but (Alter Ego) Junko practically came from Makoto just being him, I don't see any other character do that ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ ͡⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ⁠ ͡⁠°⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

What makes me sad about them:That they will never have a future together because Junko is dead ;-;.

Also the fact that if the fake Makoto is anything to go by, Junko has an erroneous view of Makoto, even if she creamed herself when seeing the real deal.

Things done in art/fic that annoys me:When Junko manages to make Makoto crack and fall into despair, especially cause it's often super easy on her part, it goes against Makoto's character and like, the series wouldn't happen if Makoto was that easy to crack, like at least make him bite or fight back.

Also Makoto often acting meek or like a pushover towards her, I mean he's nice but Makoto is no pushover, ESPECIALLY towards Junko.

Things I look for in art/fic:Would it be egotistical to say it's the stuff I write that I look for in a fic and/or Fanart? I mean that's partly why I write the stuff I do.

Also Makoto dominating Junko.

Also also, Makoto in general getting the better of Junko, he kinda loses too much in Fanfic and Fanart to her.

Who I'd be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other:TBH while I have a few for Makoto and none for Junko, I usually don't want them with anyone else, they're the closest thing to a OTP I have.

My happily ever after for them: Them being alive and living the rest of their lives with each other, probably continuing the battle of Hope Vs Despair.

What is their favorite non-sexual activity:Keeping their Hope VS Despair battle against each other alive.

[martritzvonmercie]

makoto :3c

OOOOOH MY BELOVED MAKOTOS!!!!! this got long so. under the cut it goes

favorite thing about them - urgh i love so many things about him… i think my favorite quality of makoto is his kindness and general ability to make friendships. in my opinion, he’s kinda the glue that makes the thh cast my overall favorite cast if that makes sense!! that’s why i think he is the best protag overall, in terms of how well he fulfills the role :)

least favorite thing about them - ohhh idk if i have a least favorite… so i will say that i think the way he wears a blazer over a hoodie looks funny. i feel like i overheat just looking at his outfit

favorite line - i’m a big fan of his “You’re so full of… shit!” line and he just hesitates to swear. IT’S VERY SILLAY OF HIM

brOTP - MAKOTO AND TOKO SHOULD BE THE BEST FRIENDS EVER i love their ftes… it makes me happy that he is so patient with her despite the fact that she is. admittedly frustrating to deal with

OTP - i really like both naegiri and naegami!! if i had to choose, i would probs go with naegiri, if only bc it was one of my first danganronpa ships so it feels a bit special for that reason. HOWEVER lurking on makoto tumblr has sold me on naegami even tho i used to be indifferent

nOTP - this might be a bit controversial but i actually don’t really like naekusaba. i admittedly don’t have the context from danganronpa IF that makes this ship super popular, but i’ve seen the rhetoric that people think makoto can “fix” mukuro a lot, and that kind of thing rubs me the wrong way. while the point of a relationship is to support each other and bring out the best in each other, i dislike the idea that makoto is responsible for healing mukuro’s issues when she has deep issues and he already makes himself responsible for others’ issues in a way that is unfair to him enough

random headcanon - hmm… i love makoto and komaru’s sibling dynamic, and one of my favorite naegami hcs is that komaru just makes him WORK for her approval. like she is absolutely not too shy to use the man for his money and makoto tries to stop her but she is relentless

unpopular opinion - not sure if this counts as entirely unpopular, but MAKOTO IS NOT AT ALL BORING. literally his behavior in future arc is the furthest thing from boring - he is straight up making the most UNHINGED and risky decisions and he deserves the acknowledgment that he is the opposite of boring!!!

song i associate with them - oooo i don’t have a specific song association for makoto but high hopes comes to mind since i know that song gets associated with him all the time for obvious reasons lol

favorite picture of them - I SEARCHED SO FAR TO FIND THIS PICTURE FROM WHEN I WAS LOOKING THROUGH THE THH MANGA bc it’s so funny for some reason. he’s such a little guy

[jimintomystery]

Hina headcanons

[Above: I have no headcanon that can explain her hair swirl]

Hina is the goodest and purest of cinnamon rolls, the finest and youngest of the fine young eggs. Also she ships Naegiri, which, relatable.

More than any of the Trigger Happy Havoc survivors, I think Hina was most dependent on the idea that the class could all be friends and get through the Killing Game together. Every event that chips away at that fantasy erodes her hope. (This is more pronounced with Taka, but in his case he doesn't live long enough to see how much worse it can get.) What keeps her going is Sakura supporting the spirit of friendship no matter how crabby the others get.

Once Sakura is outed as the "traitor" in chapter four, Hina is forced to face the fact that the remaining kids are hardly friendly to her. Byakuya is openly hostile, Toko is deranged, and Hiro is a pain in the ass. Makoto and Kyoko don't directly alienate Hina, but when she (correctly) perceives they aren't getting along with one another, it adds to her disillusionment. Sakura's suicide puts Hina over the edge, to the point that she's willing to make a false confession so that everybody dies. It's telling to me that, in her grief, she doesn't play favorites--with Sakura gone, she can't foresee a future with any of the remaining kids. Which makes it more significant that this trial forges them into the tight-knit group she wanted all along.

I don't really have a strong opinion about whether Hina and Sakura's relationship was romantic. I lean towards the idea that Sakura died before it could have progressed that far. Whether they were in love or just gals being pals, though, the depth of their relationship--and Hina's sense of loss--is immeasurable. Going forward she's one of six people with an unbreakable bond...but she knows it should have been seven, and it just isn't fair. In that sense, Sakura is always with her, reminding her to protect their friends. Keeping the band together is the best way Hina can honor Sakura's memory.

To that end, Hina tries to be everybody's buddy, no matter how thankless a task that is. In Byakuya's case that's mostly a matter of tough love by way of teaching him not to be a dick. With Makoto it often means playing peacemaker, and helping him accept when things won't just work out, and Kyoko and Byakuya's pragmatism is the right call. Toko needs someone to tell her she isn't smelly and ugly and repulsive, no matter how badly she reacts to it. When it comes to Kyoko, Hina shows affection without expecting any in return--which endears her to Kyoko, but not noticeably, so it's like being besties with a grumpy cat.

I keep thinking there should be something between Hina and Hiro, since they're kind of the odd ones out when dealing with the Makoto-Kyoko and Byakuya-Toko stuff. On the other hand, I appreciate that Trigger Happy Havoc didn't just push them together for the sake of pairing everybody off. There just isn't much chemistry between Hiro and Hina--they don't really have anything in common, aside from feeling more like regular people you could actually meet in real life. In THH, they're not even particularly friendly, since she has no patience for him being a dumbass. But in a post-THH world, where half of their peers are Extra and Makoto is Hope Jesus, I think they would gradually turn to one another to be like "can you believe this shit?"

From what I can tell, all the THH survivors except Hina are assigned to the 14th division. I think they did their best to stay together within this complex and intimidating organization, and originally all of them were in 14. Hina's transfer to the 13th division, then, was a big change for the squad--the first time they were really separated since the Tragedy. I also think Hina accepted the transfer with the ulterior motive of ensuring none of the others would have to. Even standing apart from the group, her first priority is keeping them together.

[hopeymchope]

There's an answer to your question, hopeymchope, but it's not a very pleasant answer: in pop culture fandoms, people do not make moral judgments based on convictions, like you do. They make judgments based on "agendas and personal tastes", so the goal of fandom morality is to "push their tastes on others". Example: Yaoi shippers hate traditional romance, so they "rewrite morality so cruelty is good, and kindness is bad", so they can force male characters into relationships with their tormentors.

Note: This is in response to this post.

I guess I'll start with replying to the contents herein before I talk about how they relate to the previous post.

Firstly, I don't know that I agree with your assessment that people are forcing their tastes onto others. I mean, we can all associate with only like-minded people easily enough on the Internet. Why would you start up a "ship war" when you can just hang out with people who love the same ships that you do? Sure, there are still some hardcore shippers who go around picking fights — I still get anti-Naegiri anger sent my way sporadically — but that's clearly the minority.

Although, as nice as that option for self-isolating is for fandom spaces, it's also a big part of what's driving America rapidly towards its collapse these days. The fact that nobody learns from being exposed to anybody else's viewpoints. Everyone lives in an echo chamber now. Taking that self-isolation from fandom and extending it into political and moral spaces has made people increasingly extreme.

But I digress. The idea that people are making their moral judgments on fictional characters based on their personal tastes? That part definitely rings true. I believe that if a character is aesthetically pleasing to someone, they have a much higher chance of trying to embrace them regardless of who they really are as a character. The same thing goes for relationship tastes. If you're hardcore into yaoi, you're going to see potential for it in places others might not. Or you might embrace relationships that seem downright unlikely to others.

But ultimately, do I think all this stuff is the secret reason why people ship characters who hate each other? Mmm... I don't know that it is. I mean, it's probably PART of it — one of the biggest contingent of shippers in fandom has always been slash fans, and they'll try to hunt for their sauce wherever they can find it. But I feel there's a deeper issue at the root: There's long been this school of thought that there's a thin line between love and hate — the same mindset that says "that boy is bullying that girl because he secretly likes her." Personally? I don't understand that OR think it's even ok to buy into that. It feels very outdated to me and feeds into extremely unhealthy relationships. But it's obviously there for all these people who see characters that openly disdain each other as secretly harboring desire for each other. It's maybe the most common ship trope in fandom! Which WORRIES me!

For example: What's the most popular ship for BNHA/My Hero Academia on AO3? Why, it's BakuDeku! Y'know, the ship between an obvious abuser and his victim?!?! Bakugo literally tried to goad Deku into fucking killing himself, has unresolved rage issues that he can't turn off, and now people think he's hot and they should hook up. That is UNSETTLING.

Please, y'all: Do NOT go through life being attracted to people with anger issues or ESPECIALLY not to people who treat you like crap. I am begging you.

[modgirlyreposts-revamped]

Kamiko and Minori are kind of this fangan's naegiri or maybe kuzuhina the way Rian and Alice are its saimatsu, in terms of personalities (Kamiko is cold, calculating and mean, Minori is determined and hardworking but not naively positive, Rian is uncertain of himself, though he's more emotional than Shuichi, and Alice, while more emotionally distant than Kaede, is kind and positive)

Kamiko is basically the cold, shielded person I've told you about before, but I don't think I've explained Minori, so a quick rundown: she has a very "driven by sheer force of will" personality. She's brave, outgoing and analytical, but also compassionate and always willing to help. She basically felt as though everyone around her was just letting things go to shit without closure or justice, so she got her start as a detective by solving a missing person case in her area, successfully proving the victim had been kidnapped by his abusive girlfriend but may have still been alive, and giving the police her findings saved the boy. Minori was renowned as a massive hero, especially for the way she promised the boy he didn't owe her anything for saving him but that she couldn't stand the refusal to "dwell on the bad" like that wasn't almost all there was. She isn't an optimist, really, but she wants to believe she can fix things, and she fears being helpless more than anything, even death.

Minori's hardworking personality endears her to Kamiko, who challenges her to push herself harder as Minori does to her. They develop a mutually beneficial relationship that grows into infatuation, as Minori is either really bad at hiding her attraction to Kamiko or just doesn't care (she's bad at it.) Kamiko, however, feels like she can't grow attached to someone else, because focusing on anything but her academic talent will cause her to stumble and fall and lose everything. Minori thinks if anything, anything at all, she deserves to have the one normal teenage experience of falling in love, which kind of drives a rift in their relationship that comes through in Minori's frustration with those around her, as after chapter 2 she has a completely justified meltdown, screaming at everyone that they're all idiots dooming themselves to their own deaths with their selfishness, which is especially directed at Kamiko and Heiran. With a proper understanding of Minori's character, that whole sequence becomes really upsetting. Especially with the notion that the stress of it all literally makes her physically ill as she's later found in one of the bathrooms throwing up. It's literally so much, she puts herself through so fucking much trying to save everyone else.

The real tragedy is, though, after chapter 2, she realizes how deep this whole thing runs. It makes it apparent that she is not going to find the mastermind and make it out alive, and she has to tread carefully to make sure the others don't die because of her. She withdraws and is unsure, just trying to get from day to day without telling anyone she's on the verge of giving up. The fear of giving up is her only driving force, and she wants to make sure she does something, anything- it's the only reason she can survive. If she ever stopped moving, if she ever stopped trying, she may as well die- and she probably would. It would be a slow and painful death on so many levels, so she keeps pressing forward, keeps searching, keeps fighting, keeps watching over everyone. She's quick to forgive Kamiko after she's apologized to Masumi for her behavior, not wanting to hold grudges. She doesn't want to be complicit in anything bad happening to Kamiko because she didn't care enough. She has to help everyone, she tells herself. She has to save them. Is she supposed to just look away from the bad? She fucking can't. She has to save them.

The last three nights before her death, she sleeps with Kamiko. Not in a suggestive sense, in a literal one. It happens simply- Minori knocks on her door gently just before nighttime, and despite Kamiko's hesitation to attachment, she agrees to let Minori share a room with her. One night, then the next, then the next, and then on the fourth she's gone. They find her floating in a water heater.

Kamiko burns her hands trying to fish her corpse out of the 130 degree water. She barely manages to grab her coat, but her clothes and hair are so waterlogged she can barely lift her at all, and can't get her out of the water. She only tries once before the pain is too much to bear. She's devastated, but can't show it. She refuses to show it. She can't give up. She can't stop moving. She can't stumble and fall now. She's already lost Minori, she can't risk figuring out what else she could possible have left to lose.

The nighttime announcement has gone off. They aren't allowed to investigate. Kamiko is a panicked mess, trying to figure out how to fix it. Every instinct in her body is telling her to retreat.

When she gives in to it, Rian walks her to her dorm. She loved Minori, she loved her so fucking much, but it wasn't enough. Minori's determination wasn't enough, Kamiko's love wasn't enough, it wasn't enough. It devastates Kamiko. All she fucking wants is to get Minori back.

Even years later in the sequel, Kamiko is suspected by other characters of being the mastermind looking to avenge Minori's death at the hands of everyone who failed to save her, leading to a scene that has lowkey crushed me to write where Kamiko, still emotionally repressed and just trying to move forward and live a better life, breaks down being reminded of it all, and admits she would have done anything she could to save her. Looking back on it, she wishes with everything in her that she'd just let her hands burn to useless wrecks to get Minori's corpse out of the water heater, or gone with her when she left early in the morning to help her, or just grabbed her by the arm and asked her to stay, but nothing, nothing will ever be enough, nothing will bring her back- Kamiko failed her, and nothing she could do would or could ever avenge her because Minori's death was her failure. She sees it as a failure, and she has held it against herself from the moment they opened the lid of that tank and found her body inside.

The devastation it causes her literally makes her contemplate suicide out of sheer grief. When Rian goes after Alice, she sees for a moment in the heat waves and the terror in Rian's eyes the night they found Minori dead. She sees herself in Rian's desperation, and sees Minori in the burning heat he runs back into to save Alice. It's why she stays. She can't run anymore. She can't evade and just try to survive. She has to be there. She'll wish for the rest of her life that she could have done that for Minori, her first real love, but she follows what Minori would have done in that moment.

In her future design, she wears a blue jacket similar to the green one Minori always wore. The loss weighs on her constantly. The memory hurts, but it comforts her. She knows she's lucky her hands weren't damaged by that one moment of stupidity she dodged out of- Alice and Rian, bearing possibly permanent burn scars, weren't as fortunate. She will forever wish she did. She doesn't want Minori to just be a memory, not yet. Sometimes it feels like she'll forever be that sixteen year old girl with braided hair, her face burning bright red an avoiding eye contact as Minori laughed, gently clasping Kamiko's hand in her own. Minori was everything to her. She has to move on, but she'll love her forever.

She watches the fire, begging to herself that Rian at least will come out. She can't leave. Her own bare-bones survival has taken backseat. She needs them.

I went from 😀 to 😦 so quickly, since I apparently forgot that this is a fan made Danganronpa-

I relate to Kamiko a lot, so that’s most likely why Minori’s body discovery got me fucked up, since if that happened to someone I loved that much, I would react almost exactly like Kamiko

[paperbooart]

hiii omg its so nice to see another person who likes togiri!! there is sooo little content of it its honestly devastating lol….id be rly interested to hear if you had any spare thoughts or hcs abt them (or naegirigami) :3 also your art is phenominal, i love your style and the way you portray everyone is soooo ….<333!

HEEHE THANK YOU boy do i have thoughts about probably most things relating to dr1

this is going under a readmore because oh my god

togiri is so interesting to me because like.. of course naegiri was the first ship to grow on me, how can it not, and naegami is also just kind of like. an obvious decision to me. like pairing a normal nice functional cheerful little dude with a cold unfeeling weirdo who he hangs out with a lot just works every time. it’s about the CONTRAST. so when i started liking naegirigami it was definitely mostly because i just liked both makoto ships, but eventually i really started thinking about byakuya and kyoko. 

i think the first togiri thing i really thought about was, weirdly, the moment i think they were at their worst, which was when kyoko got makoto executed. like when i rewatch that trial, especially the anime version, the amount of hands byakuya throws because he completely refuses to believe makoto is the murderer meanwhile kyoko has to keep pushing that he is… on the one hand byakuya is half right and if he’s wrong he’ll die. so him defending makoto you can fully read as him doing whatever he thinks he has to in order to survive. but the fact is makoto and kyoko both had large windows of time during which they were unaccounted for, but byakuya suspected kyoko from the beginning. 

byakuya in the later chapters is so interesting to me even though his character development is so subtle i sometimes feel insane pointing it out. but it is extremely sad that he makes his big ‘i’m not going to play the game anymore i’m going to work with everyone to get out of here and kill the mastermind’ announcement in chapter 4 after being forced to reevaluate everything, and then immediately he is thrown into a situation where he has to distrust the others once again. 

the fact that he is so angry at kyoko for refusing to explain what she’s doing all the time by herself, and seemingly refuse to disclose her talent, is because he wants to trust her. but he can’t. and then him lashing out at kyoko and taking her room key is what ends up allowing her to pass the guilty verdict off to makoto since she can claim she couldn’t get in her room. byakuya what have you wrought. 

anyway so i mostly think chapter 5 was a naegami win, but i started thinking about like. the time between makoto falling into the abyss and kyoko following him. i cannot remember if i read a fic like this already but like…i imagine kyoko goes to talk to byakuya before she leaves. she knows if she and makoto both end up dead, byakuya is kind of the group’s leader in their absence, so she might want to let him know. 

so here’s the question. does byakuya, still confused and bitter about having to vote for someone he didn’t believe would kill anyone, give a shit that kyoko might be about to die? i think on the outside he has nothing to say to her at this point, but on the inside he’s started to realize he does care about these people and he doesn’t want to lose another one. but the possibility of getting makoto back means he won’t do anything to stop her. 

so what i’m saying is. it’s because of makoto’s execution that byakuya hates kyoko the most he ever does, but it’s also because of losing makoto that he realizes he doesn’t want to lose kyoko either, even when he still can’t trust her.

UM on a lighter note togiri is fun because sometimes byakuya is very stupid and kyoko is like how do you still think that you’re as smart as me? what is wrong with your brain you foolish man? and kyoko is wayyy better at hiding her emotions and never outwardly reacting to things than byakuya is. like imagine them doing anything together in a casual setting. 

like you know the school mode dialogue where byakuya doesn’t know what the toy vending machine is and demands makoto explain it to him? that’s adorable but imagine the togiri version of that. byakuya (understandably) kind of views makoto like a golden retriever, like he’s not trying to keep his guard up around him because he cannot imagine makoto posing a threat. but he absolutely can imagine kyoko posing a threat, whether to his life or his dignity. so if he’s ever in a situation with kyoko where he has to ask her to explain some commoner thing to him, he’s trying way harder to act calm and collected about it, but she sees RIGHT through him because he’s a dummy who thinks he can have a facade up around a detective. 

so i think from byakuya’s side of things togiri is about him learning to trust kyoko and learning that she is kinder than she lets on (even if she will make fun of him, more than makoto would, for not knowing basic shit, she’ll still explain things to him and not embarrass him too much because she doesn’t actually enjoy making people feel dumb) and he can start to let his guard down around her even when her being smarter than him AND having her emotional shit together better is frightening to his weird rich brain. 

from kyoko’s side i think byakuya interests her for the same reasons i think he’s interesting as a character. his actions are absolutely batshit sometimes, but in a twisted way they do make sense. he’s a weird rude mystery. but boy does kyoko enjoy a mystery. byakuya’s not going to just tell her his backstory like he does to makoto, again makoto is basically a therapy dog, so kyoko has to start figuring him out. during the killing game figuring out this one weirdo’s motivations is not her highest priority, but i think afterwards when they start working together and she has to have a strong understanding of who’s on her side, she would start questioning him the same way he questioned her during the game. and like before but flipped around, this is happening because she wants to be able to trust him. (if you think i’m implying from this series of events that byakuya starts to fall for kyoko long before she is interested in him at all: you are correct.) 

and i think kyoko, once she starts to trust him, does appreciate a lot of byakuya’s qualities, like the fact he is so sure of himself nearly all the time. again, i think byakuya’s not as good at faking anything as kyoko. i think his arrogance is real and most of what he says is exactly how he feels. (MOST of it. obviously he has his funny obvious tsundere ass moments occasionally.) meanwhile kyoko has to fake her confidence constantly. my interpretation of her character is she isn’t very socially outgoing, so combined with her severe amnesia, literally her confidence in her abilities being erased from her mind, that’s why she needs makoto to help carry the trials during the killing game. she is always calm but she is always hiding. she has to fake the confidence that byakuya was born with. so what i’m saying is byakuya is the one to be like ‘excuse me she asked for no pickles’ 

another potential area i wanna think about re: togiri is just the topic of their families, particularly their fathers, but also their family legacies that they both carry. kyoko is the detective her father didn’t want to be. byakuya is the heir who fought and won his place just like his father. kyoko was abandoned because her father didn’t want to be part of the chain and she resents him for it. byakuya went through a situation that was in his mind comparable to the killing game because he wanted so badly to be the next link in the chain. kyoko came to hope’s peak to see her father again and found him dead, and byakuya came to hope’s peak as his family’s representative and then was told he was the last one living. 

so um yeah i’m just gonna stop here i think that’s most of my thoughts currently this was..a lot LOL thank you for giving me an excuse to ramble

[shirophic]

close nights | mm!naegiri fic

here’s the mastermind!naegiri fic i promised  BAAHAHAHA VERY INSPIRED BY SONGS AND THERES A FAMILIAR QUOTE AT THE END IM PRETTY SURE MOST OF YALL HAVE HEARD ngl i feel like it went too quick but honestly idc give me feedback warnings: mentions of death, blood, stabbing, major character deaths

The night was cold, colder than usual.

Kyoko Kirigiri entered the security room, sighing as she sat down in the cool, blue chair. As she scanned her eyes across all the different cameras, quite a few things were on her mind. The 4th trial had ended, with alter ego’s death replaying in the minds of the students. Despair rotted within the students as fear shook them. Alter ego was their only hope, and now they were crushed.

Kirigiri watched as Asahina sobbed in her pillow, Hagakure trying to calm himself down, Togami reading as if nothing happened, Fukawa having a panic attack... Kirigiri bored her eyes into each of the footage from the cameras. Careful trying not to miss anything. Up until she reached a certain CCTV footage caught her eye. 

A boy holding up a sign. The boy was Makoto Naegi, Ultimate Lucky Student. Kirigiri knew better than that, she was the Ultimate Detective for a reason. She knew that talent was a deception, after all, what kind of talent is the “Ultimate Lucky Student”?

Kirigiri knew his real ultimate was despair, a sickening depth of darkness, tearing down others. 

To put it down to simpler words, It was his specialty.

Kirigiri never really understood the reason for despair. Sure, without despair there is no hope, but what was the real meaning behind it? Her ultimate was the Ultimate Detective, aren’t detectives supposed to be fighting against despair in the name of hope? Oh well, she was pretty much forced into this.

Turning her attention back to the green-eyed boy, she noticed there were words on the sign, with a grinning Naegi as he tried to stand tall enough to show the message.

“What an idiot. How did he become the Ultimate Despair again?”

The sign said “Come meet me in our special spot! Wear something pretty!” with a lopsided smiley face.

Once holding it for about 10 more seconds, he ran with the sign. Kirigiri had no idea what he had stored in that deceptive of a mind, but probably something not good.

- - -

As Kirigiri strode over to their “special place” Naegi was setting up something. Something like a room filled with candles and roses.

Rose petals and rose vines adorned the walls and floors. Candles were set up as yellow light shown in the darkness. Vodka and other drinks were lined up on a table, all set up for the night. Sure, it was cheesy, but something he put too much effort in. About a minute passed until Kirigiri arrived, Naegi staggered to fix his tie and suit, waiting at the entrance. As he looked up to meet with her eyes, he paused in amazement.

Kirigiri was wearing a deep purple dress that went just above her ankles with long gloves. Purple heels allowed her to have a little more height against Naegi. And her hair was up in a ponytail, with a purple bow to match. In all words, she was stunning. Naegi stood there agape as he looked at Kirigiri (respectfully of course.)

“Well? Are you just going to stand there looking like a reincarnation of Kuwata’s hair? Or are you going to explain what this is?” smirked Kirigiri, Naegi could have sworn he saw Kirigiri blush.

“Ah yes of course..” Mumbled Naegi as he looked down. “I.. I wanted us to take some time alone with each other, seeing as we get too caught up with the killing game and making sure none of them finds out about… about us..” spoke Naegi, softly.

Kirigiri’s smirk softened, seeing a side she saw many times, but not like this. Was this a confession? Perhaps a prank? She had known the boy for far too long to just not expect this wasn’t one of his other little pranks.

“Well then… In that case, let us take some time with each other.”

With that, Naegi and Kirigiri spent time talking and letting out their struggles. “It’s hard to keep track of what I've said and what I've not! It’s like I have to create a mental script..”

“You.. don’t have a mental script?” “You do!?”

As the night went on, Naegi played some music.

“Oh.. Isn’t this Lacrimosa?” questioned Kirigiri.

“Yea! Sometimes it calms me down when times are rough for me,” exclaimed Naegi.

Kirigiri didn’t respond as she looked like she was lost in thought.

“You’re thinking about your past again, aren’t you?” whispered Naegi.

Kirigiri turned to glance at Naegi, a stoic but slightly saddened expression on her face, “You.. You don’t need to worry about me. I can handle myself perfectly fine, just some… memories.”

Naegi examined Kirigiri for a while before standing up and lending Kirigiri his hand.

“Hey, I’m no doctor or therapist but, maybe a waltz will get it off your mind,” suggested Naegi.

Kirigiri opened her mouth for a bit, but completely drew a blank. Eventually, she surrendered and took Naegi’s hand.

They danced to Lacrimosa until it came upon an end.

Naegi slightly lifted his head to Kirigiri’s lavender eyes, yet couldn’t make out what was in them, sadness? Regret? Anger? He’ll never know.

-

Kirigiri had many thoughts as she slowly danced with Naegi, but she held them off for the time being, as they both wanted time together. And she didn’t want her depressing thoughts to ruin it.

-

Kirigiri and Naegi made eye contact as their thoughts disappeared, only focusing on each other now.

-

Kirigiri suddenly stopped, being aware of her surroundings and what she was doing - dancing. And with whom she was dancing with. “I.. Don’t you think it’s a bit… well, late for this?” Kirigiri questioned, “I wouldn’t want to be caught, god knows what they’re up to…” Naegi paused and chuckled for a bit. “We’re the ones in charge, aren’t we? Where is their god now?” Kirigiri looked down, not saying anything. “Where is their god now?” typical Naegi…” “if you don’t want to do this right now, why not grab a drink with me?” Kirigiri looked at Naegi with slight amusement, “why the niceties now?” but gave in, as her throat ached with thirst.

Naegi laughed quietly, then led Kirigiri to the food and drinks stand. Naegi grabbed a bottle of vodka and poured 

“Hm, don’t you think we’re too young to be drinking?” “We’re 18 now, did you forget? Oh yea, Junko erased your memories as well.”

Kirigiri got lost in thought as she remembered the previous ultimate despair Junko Enoshima was the previous despair. Keyword: previous. Naegi and Enoshima had been partners for quite a while, a feared duo. After “The Tragedy” and after class 78 got converted to a new school for a safe shelter, Enoshima and Naegi were already putting their plan into action. They made sure everything was sealed and “safe” and after about a year, Enoshima forced them into the killing game. Unbeknownst to the other 15 students, Naegi was also in this plan from behind the scenes. And after the first death (Ikusaba), Naegi and Enoshima got into a fight.

- - -

An angry Naegi burst through the doors of the security room, opening to a gleeful-looking Enoshima.

Naegi never had any thoughts on Ikusaba, she was just another pawn in Enoshima’s plan. But she always had to make things complicated for him.

“Enoshima!” Naegi yelled, “How could you just let Ikusaba die like that? Do you know how risky that was.. If they found out-”

“Which they won’t, honestly Naegi you’re too paranoid,” Enoshima said unbothered. “And If they did I’m sure you can just kill them off like a fly.” 

Naegi had a dark look on his face, “And what would be the explanation for that? Tell me.”

“I-”

“Oh! Togami just pissed me off! So I killed him in cold blood, upupupupu!”

Enoshima took a stand, an annoyed look displayed on her face. 

“Look Naegi, if you’re just going to argue about the past, fuck off, it can’t be changed and you know that.”

Naegi quietly chuckled, which turned into full-on laughter.

“AHA- HAHAHAHA, you think I’m just going to accept giving up like that? Well unbeknownst to you, Enoshima, I have a few cards up my sleeve as well..”

Naegi swiftly threw a card at Enoshima’s face, giving a fresh cut to her cheek. Enoshima looked at Naegi in disbelief, gently touching her face.

“H- How dare you,” Enoshima said, bewildered.

Naegi looked at her in amusement, “Was that not entertaining for you enough, Enoshima?”

Enoshima growled, spitting at Naegi. 

“Fuck you,”

“Pay me.”

Naegi quickly moved behind Enoshima, slicing the back of her neck, then putting her up against the wall with a knife under her chin, complimenting her facial features.

“Well now, the shorty finally decided to grow some balls, huh?” Enoshima teased, wincing as the cut behind her neck burned.

“You know damn well I grew some balls ever since I even started our little plan. Have a nice time in hell, Enoshima.” Naegi sneered, looking up at the despair twin.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be saving you a seat.”

Naegi then sliced her neck, pink blood dripping from the knife and onto Naegi’s hand.

Naegi hummed, dropping Enoshima on the floor, disgust filling his senses. “As much as I love bringing people into despair, the stench of blood is disgusting.”

Naegi then washed his hands and ordered monokuma to clean the mess up before heading towards his dorm room, pretending as if nothing happened.

- - -

“Hello? Earth to Kirigiri?” Naegi waved his hand in front of Kirigiri’s face.

Kirigiri was brung back into reality, realization striking her that she was lost in thought. 

“O-oh, Naegi. Sorry, I was lost in thought… again.” Kirigiri said rather embarrassingly, glanced at the shot she was holding, and gulped it down.

“It’s okay Kirigiri,” Naegi spoke as he had doubt in his eyes. He then took a shot, shaking his head.

“Hey Kirigiri, I know I invited you here myself but, there’s another place I wanna show you, care to join me?”

Kirigiri pondered for a minute, should she really go with a murderer who killed the ultimate despair only just to become the ultimate despair himself? Kirigiri sighed, he couldn’t kill her because of her secret anyways. Kirigiri remembered how desperate he was to know the secret.

- - -

(beginning of chapter 3)

Naegi whined as he followed Kirigiri around pleading. 

“Oh Kirigiri pleaaase!” he begged, “Let me know your secret!”

Kirigiri stopped and looked at Naegi, “why do you want to learn my secret so much?”

Naegi scoffed, “Well obviously because you’ve mentioned it once before and never told me! I thought I was your best friend..”

Kirigiri shook her head and continued to walk towards the physics lab, a click in her steps.

- - -

Oh well, it’s not like she has much of a choice.

Kirigiri sighed and followed Naegi, hoping that it would mean something good.

- - -

Naegi led Kirigiri up to the roof of the school, looking back from tie to time with a smile on his face.

Once on the roof, Naegi invited Kirigiri to sit down. The area was outgrown, plants growing everywhere. Fires all around the building, blazes and flames of fire all around the base of the school, the sun setting with a red aura.

Smoke filling Kirigiri's senses, she coughed. “W-Where are we Naegi?” she said as she looked at Naegi. Naegi’s face was lightened with red, orange, and yellow hues as he grinned down upon the world, eyes sparkling with delight.

“We’re.. We’re at the top of the world,” Naegi smiled.

Kirigiri glanced at Naegi with a confused expression but stoic eyes as she looked Naegi up and down.

“Quit the act, why did you bring me here?” Kirigiri demanded.

Naegi turned around, surprised. “Kirigiri, I just wanted to spend time with yo-”

“Stop, I know you’re lying to me. Spit it out.”

Naegi sighed with an annoyed tone and looked Kirigiri directly in the eye.

“I want to know your secret.”

Kirigiri was disappointed, but not surprised. Naegi was an awfully ambitious person and would go to extraordinary heights to get what he wanted, but Kirigiri was awfully stubborn.

“And exactly why should I tell you? For all I know, you could kill me instantly after.” Kirigiri doubted.

“Well for one, you can get out alive!” Naegi laughed, “But you’re not getting away this easily, Kirigiri.”

Kirigiri carefully examined the options she had; A: make a run for it, B: punch him and run, C: tell him and live. She knew with plans A and B he could easily either send monokuma after her or just kill her himself. And with plan C he could also be lying. So in all, it’s a win-lose situation.

Kirigiri sighed and made up her mind.

“I’m not telling you, whether you kill me or not. And besides, even you don’t know the secrets of this school, you need me.”

Naegi examined her closely again, then swiftly took out knives, throwing them all at Kirigiri. Which she dodged them all, even catching one. She threw the knife aside and stepped forward towards Naegi.

“You know you need me, you can’t do anything without me. Give up.”

Naegi growled, “shut up, shut up, shut up!”

With a few knives cutting Kirigiri’s dress and skin, she fell on the ground, backing away from Naegi.

She winced in pain as she looked up at Naegi, her vision blurring as she tried to make out what to do. Naegi stopped in front of her, playing with the knife in his hands before kneeling down in front of her face, lifting her chin up with the knife.

“You know Kirigiri, you’re an intelligent person with lots of room for improvement. I never wanted to come to this conclusion, but if you’re not going to work with me here, we’re going to have a problem.” threatened Naegi.

Kirigiri glared up at Naegi, keeping full eye contact.

“I’m not giving in, no matter what little tricks you have in store.”

Naegi rolled his eyes in annoyance, then putting his knife hard against her neck, “if you oblige, I’ll make your death quick and painless, if you don’t - well then you’re gonna have a fun time suffering.”

Kirigiri stared at Naegi in silence watching as her blood dripped down from her neck and onto everywhere.

Naegi then grew tired of waiting and sliced Kirigiri’s throat leaving her dead blank face the last expression she’ll ever make again.

He then stood up and started walking towards the exit down back to the school, when he heard something.

“I-Ikusaba… she’s alive, an…” Naegi whipped around, anxious, as he urged Kirigiri to continue. “And… she’s o-out for you..”

Naegi was stunned into silence. Ikusaba.. was alive? And she wanted vengeance? Naegi was very confused about this whole proposition. This was Kirigiri’s secret? Naegi then looked at Kirigiri again waiting for more information. But to no avail, Kirigiri’s eyes rid of the light and grew dead.

Naegi then started pacing around, wondering what to do next. Should he try to find Ikusaba? Should he kill Ikusaba once and for all? Should he-

Naegi was then interrupted by a figure in the shadows. He turned around to look who it is, but he couldn’t make out who it was until they stepped into the light.

“Naegi,” a cool monotone voice spoke, “We meet again.”

The figure then stepped into the light - a face known too well.

Mukuro Ikusaba. The other despair twin. Also known as the ultimate soldier. The last time Naegi and Ikusaba met was when they were putting the plan into action and putting the students in the classrooms. After that they barely interacted.

Naegi knew Ikusaba was dangerous. Her talent gave it away, after all. She knew tons of different strategies, and while Enoshima liked to say that the strategies were hers’ - spoiler alert: they were not.

Turning back to reality, Naegi began thinking of different tactics to well ah, slaughter his close friend.

Ikusaba read Naegi like a book, and took out her dagger - to which Naegi replied to taking his own out as well.

“Impressive, I saw what you did with Kirigiri. You’ve worked on your reflexes.” complimented Ikusaba. “But you’re no match for me.”

“You think so?”

“I know so.”

“Alright, let’s dance.”

[cobaltusami]

May I request some naegiri, with lee!makoto, cause we all know that Makoto is babey

Hi! Yes, Absolutely! I love Naegiri, and lee!Makoto Is super adorable! ^^ Makoto Is sweet sunshine child who must be protected.

I had fun writing this! for some reason my mind immediately jumped to Angst/Comfort for the topic.

I’m also sorry If this isn’t long enough, This Is the shortest fic I’ve written...

This takes place either right after the school went Into lockdown before the killing game started or in the middle of a non despair AU, It’s open for interpretation :)

Hope you enjoy!

Words: 1395

Characters: Lee!Makoto, Ler!Kyoko

SPOILER WARNINGS FOR THE FIRST GAME AHEAD

Weight of the world

“Good morning.” Kyoko greeted her classmates as she entered the dining hall, met with greetings in return she scanned the room, she noticed It was more quiet than usual this morning. Her purple eyes fell on an empty chair, one that was usually occupied by… 

“Where’s Makoto?” She asked.

“He said he wasn’t feeling well.” Sayaka answered, hand In front of her mouth as she spoke. She swallowed her food and set her fork down. “He said something about a headache.”

Hmm… That’s not like him. He doesn’t ever skip breakfast. 

Kyoko lingered for a moment longer before wordlessly going to the kitchen and preparing a plate of food for Makoto, Grabbing a bottle of water on her way out. “I’m going to go check on him.” She said over her shoulder as she made her way to his room.

She pressed her elbow against his doorbell and waited patiently.

Inside the room, Makoto groaned and pulled himself out of bed.  “Just a minute.” He called to whoever was standing at his door.

After realizing he was still In his pajamas, He quickly pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt before shuffling over and opening the door. “K-Kyoko?” 

“May I come In?” She asked politely. He nodded and stepped aside so she could.

She set the plate down on his table and turned to him. “I wasn’t expecting you to get dressed, You must be feeling a little better.”

Makoto’s cheeks flushed. “Uh, Not really. I just thought you might appreciate It if I answered the door wearing pants.”

Kyoko smiled a bit to herself In amusement. “I know that Sayaka said your stomach was hurting, But I brought you some breakfast. I think you should try to eat some of It.” 

She purposely threw out the incorrect ailment, trying to trip him up.

Makoto, Being a terrible liar, forgot what he told Sayaka to get rid of her this morning. So he just nodded and went along with it. 

“Makoto. What’s really wrong?” She asked, Stepping closer to her boyfriend. “You can tell me.”

“W-What do you mean? I just--”

“You told Sayaka you had a headache, And then just agreed to telling her you had a stomach ache.” 

Makoto bit his lip and looked away, knowing better than to lie any further to the Ultimate Detective. “Alright. I’m sorry for lying to you, But I just didn’t feel like eating and I didn’t want everyone to make a big deal out of it.” 

Kyoko put her gloved hands on his shoulders and guided him over to the bed where they sat down. “What’s bothering you?” She asked, setting her hands in her lap.

“I don’t… It’s just…” The brunette looked away from her warm gaze, biting his now trembling lip. “I feel… Hopeless.”

His eyes filled with tears as the feelings he’d previously pushed aside came festering back. “I’m supposed to be the Ultimate Hope, But I feel so…”

“So full of Despair.” She whispered.

He nodded, blinking away the tears.

“It’s hard being locked up here, I know. I can’t imagine the weight on your shoulders, You feel like you always have to uplift everyone and give them Hope. Even when you yourself don’t feel Hopeful.” Kyoko started, prompting tears to spill down his cheeks. “You feel alone, Isolated. You might even be angry to an extent that no one can see past that to your pain.”

She took his trembling hands in hers and stared Into his eyes as if searching the contents of his very soul. “But you aren’t alone, I’m here. And I see your pain. Your feelings are valid.”

Makoto wrapped his arms around his girlfriend and cried into her shoulder.

Kyoko ran her hands over his back in a comforting manner, not saying anything else so he had some time to process his feelings.

After a few minutes he calmed down and pulled back, wiping the tears away from his face. “S-Sorry about that…” He meekly apologized.

She offered a small smile in response. “It’s okay. Do you feel any better?”

“Yeah. I’m feeling better now.” He mustered up a smile and went to stand up but was pulled back down.

“No you aren’t.” She saw through his lie yet again. “I don’t like being lied to, Naegi.” 

She spoke In a stern voice, However there was an unnerving edge to her words. Something that resembled playfulness.

Something that resembled ‘Makoto’s in trouble and about to get wrecked.’

“I-I’m sorry Kyoko! I didn’t even realize I was doing It!” Makoto panicked, His words flooding out like a waterfall. A very panicky waterfall. 

Kyoko pushed him down and straddled his legs to stop him from getting up and running away. “I think you need to be taught what happens when you lie to a Kirigiri.” She smirked, shoving his shirt up.

“W-Wait! Can’t we talk about this-- Pfft n-no! Kyohohohokohoho!” He dissolved into a fit of giggles as he felt her gloved fingers scribbling all around his sides.

She smiled, The air In the room felt ten times lighter now that he was laughing. “Sorry, But no. We’re done talking for now. Now you get to laugh and think about how unwise It is to lie to me.”

“I’m sorryehehehe!” He giggled, writhing underneath her. He didn’t try to stop her though, subconsciously he must have realized he needed this attention right now.

“It’s too late for sorry, Makoto.” She teased, fluttering her fingers across his stomach. “Does this tickle?”

Makoto squealed and arched his back, which only pressed her fingers further into his ticklish stomach. “KYOHOHOHO!”

“Yes, Makoto?” She asked innocently.

“IHIHIHIT TIHIHICKLES!” He whined, covering his quickly reddening face.

“Does It?” She smiled in amusement. “I had no Idea.”

The smooth texture of her gloves tickled like hell, and she was well aware of this. Kyoko wasn’t even tickling that fast or hard but Makoto was damn near In hysterics, Especially when she suddenly dipped down and blew a raspberry on his belly.

The Ultimate Hope screamed, Unable to form words as he laughed his heart out. After the third raspberry, He began pushing at Kyoko’s head In an attempt to escape. “KYOOHOHOHOHO! PLEHEHEHEHEASE STAHAHAHAP!”

“Hmm. How can I be sure you really want me to stop?” She asked coyly, Dipping a finger into his belly button. “You keep lying to me, So for all I know… You want me to keep going.”

Makoto girlishly squealed and tried to suck in his stomach. “I’M SOHOHOHOHORRY FOR LYING TO YOUHUHUHU!” 

“I don’t know, That could be another lie…” She smirked, Wiggling her finger faster. “Are you really sure?”

“YEHEHEHES! I’M SOHOHOHOHO SORRY!” Makoto cackled, Tears slipping down his cheeks for a second time today, Though this time It was for a happier reason. “PLEHEHEHEASE! I CAHAHAHAN’T!”

Kyoko pulled her hands back and climbed off of her giggling and panting boyfriend, coming to rest right next to him. “Are you feeling any better now?” She asked, turning over onto her side to look at him.

Makoto nodded slowly as he wiped his tears away with the heels of his hands and pushed his shirt back down. “Yeah… Thank you, Kyo.” He turned his head to look at her for a moment before leaning closer and planting a soft kiss against her lips. 

“You’re welcome. Just remember, You may have a lot of weight on your shoulders, But you don’t have to carry It alone.“ She smiled, her cheeks tinting a pale pink. “Now come on! Let’s go get some breakfast.” 

Kyoko got out of bed only for Makoto wrap his arms around her waist and pull her back down into the bed with him. “Can’t we just stay here for a while? I’m kind of tired…”

She giggled as he nuzzled into her neck and closed his eyes, gently she pushed him back. “No. I’m hungry, And you haven’t eaten either.”

“You can have the plate of food you brought me.” He offered.

“Nice try. It’s cold by now. Come on, Get up. Everyone Is probably wondering where I am.”

She had to practically drag him behind her, but at least he had some life back In him.

While things may still be super tense and stressful for Makoto, It comforted him to know that he wasn’t alone, And didn’t have to shoulder all of this responsibility alone.

[pi-yeah-no]

Hanahaki Disease: Naegiri

There were some pretty crazy situations where falling in love happened. While, yes, it happened in restaurants everyday or in libraries or even an English class that no one was awake enough to really participate in, there were some wilder places that have an amazing amount of potential for falling in love with someone.

For instance, a killing game.

Yes, the killing game that fifteen students had been gathered for originally, excluding one other person that would only be revealed to them later, ended up being a surprising candidate for lovers to be born in. There were some people more susceptible to romance, which was why Kyouko Kirigiri did her best to avoid talking to people as much as possible. The problem was, with the rule of proximity factoring into how easy infatuation could strike, love became a harder obstacle to avoid.

She found herself constantly being brought face to face with a certain boy who didn’t seem to have much going for him. For someone with the title of Super Duper High School Luckster, his luck seemed to be nonexistent at times. However, he always kept a positive attitude and put his trust in the people around him. The way he smiled and listened to everyone so thoroughly drifted itself into her head when she went off investigating on her own.

“Friends tell each other what they’re thinking, you know?” He asked her one day during one of the assorted times he decided to hang out with her. She was taken aback by the sudden question, remembering how willing Naegi was to tell her everything. There would be only one time where he uncharacteristically hid the truth from her, but with good intentions as not to hurt someone else’s reputation. She put her hand to her chin as she thought about the question in silence for a little bit, a patient Makoto Naegi waiting for her to respond.

“With this statement, you’re implying we’re… friends, right?” Kirigiri finally said with a small smile, turning her head to face him. His eyes connected with hers and he gave a bright smile as he nodded.

“Of course I am! Why wouldn’t we be? After all, with the things we’ve been through and how much you’ve been explaining things to us, it’s only natural to assume we’re friends.”

Kyouko felt something rising through her. A burning sensation took over, and she tried to swallow it away. She smiled, turning her back to Naegi. “Friends… I suppose that’s one way to look at us.” She walked away quickly, starting to dash when she figured she was out of sight of the boy. She rushed to her room and slammed the door, coughing violently. She had never felt such a horrid feeling rising through her throat. Vomit was one thing, but this felt entirely different. Finally, she felt something come out and onto her gloves. She looked down, only to regret ever checking it out.

A few dark petals emerged from her throat, an extremely dark purple color attached to them. Ignoring the blood, the fragrance reminded her of spices almost, and they had variegated coloring with a lighter color adorning the stripes. She examined them closer, finally coming to the conclusion that they were dianthus petals. she picked up her room key and went to the library silently, reading up on the flower itself.

What she found was that a dianthus is a kind of carnation, with a meaning roughly translating to “flower of the gods.” Dark colored carnations like this one carried the symbolism of deep love an affection. However, a variegated carnation like the one that was falling from her mouth symbolized a regret for a love that would be ultimately unable to be shared. She crushed the petals the had held onto in her hands, silently cursing herself for this foolishness. She knew falling in love was a horrible idea. she knew that getting close to anyone could trigger her downfall. She had spent far too long trying to push people away, but it had become a moot point.

She tried to conduct her business alone afterward, but it seemed inevitable that Naegi would come along and help her. The times that their hands accidentally touched made her flush, breaking whatever semblance of indifference that she had. He would smile and tell her how cute she was when she did so, and she would do her best to get rid of the blush so there wouldn’t be any indications.

It had been custom for people of the Kirigiri family to stay neutral to all things, swaying towards neither opinion presented. They were there to simply find truth and express the truth, yet… here Kirigiri was, failing to uphold that normal and understandable standard that her grandfather had taught her. She was falling for someone, and she was expressing her true feelings for him. She frowned at herself as she remembered this, cursing herself silently for being so susceptible to love.

—

Time passed, and Kirigiri had started coughing up more petals far more often. It became harder and harder to hide it, and eventually, someone found her coughing her lungs out in a bathroom. When they saw the petals falling, their heart stopped for a moment until Kirigiri silently wiped her mouth.

“I don’t suppose you plan on telling anyone, do you, Fukawa?” Kirigiri asked in a quiet, almost restrained manner. Fukawa wondered how she knew it was Fukawa, and was going to ask, but kept her mouth shut. Kirigiri turned to her, bearing an unreadable expression that contrasted the bit of blood that was now stuck to her face. She hadn’t caught all the petals in her hand, leaving a few of them on the ground. Fukawa thought rapidly before playing with a braid and feigning indifference.

“A-as long as it isn’t for my… my white knight, i-it means nothing to me!” She said, trying not to shout too loud as to give her away. She had also spent some of her nights coughing out purple irises herself, knowing well her own white knight wouldn’t love her back. Kirigiri chuckled a little as she walked past Fukawa, stopping for only a moment.

“I can only hope you won’t fall as far as I have only to realize your love is impossible. I hope Togami is easy on your soul, regardless of what you’ve done in the past.” Kirigiri walked out of the bathroom, leaving Fukawa to think about what idiot Kirigiri had possibly fallen for. It didn’t take long for her to figure it out. Makoto Naegi was the only person that Kirigiri seemed to constantly stand being around with, and Fukawa had often witnessed the way Kirigiri looked at him. She could equate them to a classic couple one would find in a romance novel, and began to gain the resolve to get Naegi to realize Kirigiri loved him. Maybe her white knight would even praise her for taking such actions.

She picked up a couple of the petals in her hand, rushing out of the bathroom and looking around quickly. Where would someone so boring and plain hang out in the middle of the day? She dashed to the cafeteria to see the Ahoge bouncing a little as he talked to Asahina. She took him by his hood and dragged him off, ignoring the protests from both him and the angry swimmer. She could deal with Asahina later.

“Did I… do something?” Naegi asked, looking at Fukawa with an apologetic smile. Wordlessly, she wrenched open his hand and let the flower petals fall into his hand, and she closed it, looking away.

“Y-you…she’s been s-suffering, w-waiting for you. Don’t let that g-go to waste, idiot!” She hissed before walking away. She didn’t expose who “she” was, expecting Naegi to come up with that on his own. She didn’t need to be a part of this love story anymore, and was more than content to just watch things fall into place.

Naegi stood there, looking at the now bruised petals. It took him a moment to realize that by suffering, Fukawa meant that someone had caught Hanahaki for him. While that thought was amazing on its own, he had a sinking feeling he knew who it was. He heard vigorous coughing coming from upstairs, and he dashed as fast as he could. The coughing got louder as he reached the library. He swung the door wide open only to see something that hurt him.

Kirigiri was clutching her chest as she coughed violently, looking as though she was becoming less and less able to even stand on her own. She was leaned up against the wall and slowly slid down, doing her best to cover who it was who was making such a ruckus. Naegi ran to her, crouching down to be eye level with her.

“Kir-no, Kyouko!” He said as he shook her shoulders to get her to look at him. She looked up, her eyes tired before she realized she was looking at who was causing this. She tried to protest, but just continued coughing. Naegi didn’t know what to do but talk to her.

“I… I didn’t know that I would mean this much to you.” He started once Kirigiri had a break in her coughing fit. She looked at him with confusion.

“I wish I hadn’t made you suffer, you know? I… there were times where I wondered, ‘what would it be like to hold her hand?’ or, ‘does she ever think about me randomly, and miss me at all?’“ He continued, stopping while Kirigiri coughed. Her eyes were squeezed shut as she did, and Naegi pounced at that moment to say what he felt.

“I really… I really love you, Kyouko.” He said quietly. Kirigiri froze, her coughing suddenly ceasing.

“Say it again.” She demanded, making Naegi confused.

“I-I really love you, Kyouko!” He almost yelled. Suddenly, the coughing became more violent until eventually, an entire flower fell from her mouth, seeming to have wilted. She looked up with a little triumphant smile.

“If you had taken any longer to tell me, I probably would’ve been dead in this library.” Kirigiri informed him, making Makoto look extremely worried.

“W-wait, what?!? I-I-I–WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY ANYTHING?” He questioned.Kirigiri would’ve normally tried to act annoyed with it, but she just smiled and threw her head back, laughing. Makoto stopped as he watched her laugh so heartily, wondering how often she had laughed like that before.

Oh god, he was in love.

[danganronpa-21]

Naegiri Week Day 1 - Sweet

Happy first day of Naegiri Week! Today I bring you the most tooth-rotting fluff I have ever written. Like it is excessively sweet. Still, I even managed to make myself get all giggly and excitable during the editing phase, so I really hope you like it. I have no content warnings to issue this time around. Just pure, sweet Naegiri. I hope you enjoy it!

________________________________________________________________

“No way.”

Kyoko’s lips curled into a smile as she stared at her wide-eyed fiancé, a curt nod punctuating the statement that had caused him the utmost disbelief. Though there were plenty of things that might shock him about her, she never expected for this to be one of them.

 “Yes way.”

 “No way!” Within a matter of seconds, he’d taken hold of her wrists, shaking them with all of the enthusiasm of a small child. There was a frantic look in his eye as he shook her, clearly too absorbed in his shock to even think about how funny this would look from her end of things. God, her Makoto was a special one. Not that was a bad thing, of course. His little eccentricities were part of the reason why she liked him so much. “No way, no way!”

 It was hard to fight off a laugh as she watched his expression; he looked all too serious for the topic of conversation. He always had been a man of rather interesting passions. She had been a witness to many a debate between him and Yasuhiro about seemingly silly things, most of which she did not understand. How he found the energy to argue about flavours of soda pops, which Robocop movie was objectively the best one, and which sitcom had the weirdest actors was beyond her. Still, she found that this one was a bit… much, even for him. On the list of things that she anticipated he might get overly excited about, a topic as childish as candy was not one of them. It was a bit of a strange position to be in, watching the man she loved have a total conniption over her grandfather’s refusal to accommodate her sweet tooth.

 “Yes, really,” she did her best to not sound short with him, but she really didn’t see what the big deal was, “I missed out on a lot when I was a girl. I never had a chocoball, or a crunky bar, or caplico… There were even some traditional desserts that I missed out on, too.”

 If it were possible for his eyes to open any wider, they would have. He practically gasped at her statement, so horrified that her younger self had been denied the sweets he deemed so precious. “What desserts haven’t you had? I swear, if you’ve never tasted manju, I think I might cry.”

 Kyoko chuckled softly, rolling her eyes at him. Had he really forgotten? “No, I’ve had manju before. You made it for me for our first date, remember?”

 Makoto exhaled with quiet relief instantly, nodding his head with a nonchalance he hadn’t possessed thirty seconds prior. You’d have thought she had just told him he had not tested positive for a fatal disease or something, with the way his shoulders relaxed. “Right, I did do that,” he paused for a second, “And you liked it, didn’t you?”

 She could have laughed at how intense his eyes got over the question. She’d seen troublesome students at Hope’s Peak receive glares less intense than this one. “Yes, it was lovely,” she assured him, brushing some hair away from her face, “The variation of desserts I have yet to taste are more treats like dorayaki, taiyaki, yokan, dango, or coffee jelly.”

 To this, Makoto actually cringed. Full-on eyes squeezed shut, teeth clenched, drawing the head back slightly cringed. You’d have thought the man were genuinely pained. “I can’t believe I’m marrying a woman who’s never had dango,” the furrowing of his brows seemed to deepen as the news settled within him, “And coffee jelly! Oh, Kyoko, you would just love coffee jelly!”

 “I’ve always thought I would, but I didn’t have much of a chance to try it.”

 “Well, that settles it, then.”

 “Settles what?” Kyoko blinked, tilting her head to the side.

 A new found determination settled in her fiance’s expression; within seconds it seemed his energy had renewed. He practically beamed with elation, a cheery smile stretching across his face. “You and me are going sweet-tasting. Desserts, candies, the whole deal!”

 “Wait, Makoto. You don’t have to do this for me,” she fruitlessly attempted to wiggle her wrists out from his grasp, “It’s okay, really-”

 “No!” he interrupted her without a second thought, his movements just as dramatic as ever, “I have to. This is a matter of life and death.”

She snickered, finally prying her wrist out from Makoto’s hand with sheer force. “I think that’s a tad dramatic, love,” her now-free hand found her way to her ear, reaching up to tuck some of her lavender hair behind it, “But I suppose… I will indulge you. I don’t imagine you would give me much of a choice otherwise.”

 He chuckled. “No, I would not.” His hands rested on his hips as he puffed his chest up proudly, looking a bit like a small child who had just finished tied his shoes for the first time. “Now c’mon and get your coat! We’ve got a shop to visit!”

  Kyoko couldn’t help but smile as she and Makoto walked through the crisp winter air, the snowing raining down and settling on top of both of their heads. Fighting off the grin forming on her face as she watched her husband-to-be prancing through the snow was a fruitless endeavour, so she didn’t bother. His fingers were interlaced with her own as he led her down the street, swinging their hands forward together with uncontainable glee. It had been quite awhile since he last saw him ignited with this much energy, and to be honest, she was relishing it. His smile always felt like seeing the sunrise after waiting all night.

 “So where is it that you are taking me again?” Though she was not sure whether she should be enthused or slightly fearful, she tried her best to keep up with her fiancé’s delight. It wasn’t particularly hard, getting to see that big smile on his face and hearing the snow crunch cheerfully beneath their winter boots. Admittedly, the promise of many delicious sweets probably had something to do with it, too. After all, her grandfather had been the one to make the choice about whether or not she got them as a child. If a young Kyoko had had things her way, she would have been eating candy and desserts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Her sweet tooth was unimaginably huge back then, and if she were to tell the truth… it was still pretty big as an adult, too.

 She was sure that Makoto’s smile would deepen if it were capable of getting any bigger. “It’s this combination dessert café-candy shop that lets you taste all of the sweets of your dreams. I was thinking we should start with desserts, and then move onto the candies to take home. I hear they have a great selection.”

 “I will take your word for it. You are the candy connoisseur.”

 Makoto rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly; his face tinged pink. “I’m not sure if I’d go that far…”

 Kyoko smirked. “The dessert director.”

 “Alright, Kyoko, stop playing around-”

 “The chief of confection.”

 His lips twitched, telling her just how badly he wanted to smile. Still, he was trying pretty hard to keep that phony scowl going. She could even see that liar biting his cheeks to keep himself from laughing at her jokes! Oh, she would get him for this falsity later. What a cruel, cruel man her lover could be.

 “Are you done now?” He asked, his tone betraying the amusement that his expression wanted to hide. She nodded contentedly, happy to know how easily she could get him to grin. With all of his seriousness about the desserts and candy, she figured that she should be able to take her turn to be silly. So, she didn’t think it so wrong that she could joke around with him, and then press a kiss to his cheek.

 “Yes,” she affirmed, “I’m done now. Care to continue on with your sweets speech?”

 “Hey!” His tongue poked out at her cheekily from between his lips. “You said you were done with the alliteration!”

 A gloved fingertip pressed itself against the space just below her lips, batting her eyelashes at him with all of the innocence she could muster. If she truly desired to portray innocence, she would be doing a horrible job of it… but thankfully, this kind of thing would work when playing around with Makoto. “Whatever are you talking about?”

 He half-nudged her shoulder before pulling his phone out from his pocket. For a moment, he swiped fruitlessly over the touch screen with his gloved hand. Then, with all of the lacking grace of a middle school boy, he pried the glove from his hand with his teeth. Sometimes, he really could be so boyish. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing, of course. It was actually something that she liked about him. It made him passionate and interesting in the same way that other people just weren’t. She couldn’t count on both hands the number of men she’d met who took themselves far too seriously, denouncing anything childish and writing horrible love stories in their ugly moleskin journals. Try-hards, she remembered thinking about them. Makoto never seemed to feel like that. In a way, she supposed that was why pleasure from his little dessert desperation blossomed so easily.

 “Anyway,” she was so lost in thought that she wouldn’t have noticed him pulling up her options if it weren’t for him shoving the phone four inches in front of her face, “They have a big menu of desserts that you can look at online. You should look at their options and see what you want to try!”

 A smirk threatened to overtake her, leaving her wondering just how cheeky she could with him before he got fed up. “I was under the impression that I would simply be trying everything I had yet to try, given that you seemed so serious about it when we first set out. I definitely know that coffee jelly is on the list, though. You know how much adore coffee and anything coffee-flavoured.”

 Keeping her mind from drifting to a cup of warm coffee was a struggle. In the midst of the frozen air nipping at their noses, a cup of coffee sounded excellent. Just holding it against her gloves, breathing in that rich aroma… Mmmm. Kyoko hoped that they might serve a cup of coffee or two at the shop. You know, to pair with the desserts. Not because of her own fixation on it or anything.

 “Well, ideally, you would try everything. I just wanted to know if there was anything you really wanted. If you don’t like it, I can always eat it for you.”

 She shook her head. “I’m sensing a bit of an ulterior motive here, my love.”

 Blush rose in his cheeks, prompting him to reach up the scratch at them in that awkward habit he never managed to kick. “I mean, that wasn’t my only plan, but… it is one of the perks, heh.”

 “So you say.”

 “C’mon, don’t give me a hard time!” The luckster whined, pushing out his lip in the fakest pout he’d given her in a while. “You can’t be mean to the guy who’s getting you desserts and candy.”

 A smile played at her lips. “Is he paying for all of it out of his own pocket, or is he snagging some of his rich fiancée’s money?” She asked, quirking an eyebrow at him expectantly. She couldn’t help watching intently to see if his blush from before would strengthen. Perhaps doing so was a tad mean, but she liked to tease him. Getting a reaction out of Makoto was always fun, especially with his tendency to get flustered and stumble over his words. If she were to be honest, she found his embarrassment totally adorable.  

 To her surprise and slight disappointment, he puffed his chest up at her. Prideful little Makoto who would pay out of his own pocket. “He is treating his special lady today, and so she pays for nothing. Although it should be pointed out that he usually pays for dinner anyway.”

 “Alright, alright. You got me there,” she chuckled, leaning over to plant another kiss on his cheek, “Now is this dessert shop very far from here? I fear my nose might start to frost over soon.”

 He giggled and reached over to place his hand on her nose. “Aww, your poor little nose,” it was hard not to cringe as he rubbed her nose, “Does this help?”

 Admittedly, his mitten-clad hand did help her nose become toastier, but having her fiancé rub her nose in public felt a little embarrassing. Like one of those things that others would judge them for. People already tended to stare at them due to their presence in the School Life of Mutual Killing broadcast, so she preferred to avoid attracting extra attention where she could. She briefly considered whether or not she should swat his hand away, but that nose warmth… it was too good to pass up. Her hands reached up to meet his wrist to keep him there, muffling any words she spoke. “Yes, that is good. You still have yet to answer my question, however.”

 “It’s just a few more buildings up the street. Something like four,” he tilted his head to the side, “Can you manage that?”

 Kyoko mustered up the biggest possible sigh she could manage. “I suppose,” She complained theatrically, batting her eyelashes at him once again. All her partner could do was snort softly and shake his head at her, keeping his hands on her nose as they ventured towards the combination candy-dessert shop.

 The rest of their walk seemed rather short in comparison to the first half; the two of them chattering back and forth lazily the whole way there. The pieces of conversation weren’t anything incredibly impressive – Makoto enthused about the snowflakes that settled within Kyoko’s silvery locks, and Kyoko murmured quietly to him about how cute his pink nose looked in the winter’s cold. A more girlish part of Kyoko squealed at how lovingly domestic this all felt. She prayed that after their wedding in the summer, the same happy feelings would persist. The mere thought of getting to go on adventures like this as a married couple made her heart light itself with new flame. Maybe, if today went well, they could even see about having a sweets bar at their reception. Wouldn’t that just be so nice, she said when she told Makoto. Her soon-to-be-husband had lit up at her suggestion, saying that he’d let her pick out all of her favourites to be displayed on the table. Next thing she knew, they were babbling excitedly about their future desserts table, barely even seeming to notice that they had come upon the dessert shop.

 “Here it is!” Makoto announced, throwing his arms open wide, “Chieko Chisu’s Confection Cabin!”

 That’s a lot of c’s was Kyoko’s first thought. Following that: this is exactly the kind of shop Makoto would pick out. Seriously, the cabin name was almost literal. The whole store appeared as if it could have been made from bulky cherrywood planks, with a pair of frosted-over, white-trimmed windows being the only clue to the inside. The door appeared to have been fashioned from lumber as well, with a forest-green sign hanging on it. The characters for ‘OPEN’ were written across the sign in someone’s swooping handwriting, portrayed by a white marker. They’d even taken the care to doodle little ice cream cones and bonbons along the sign’s edges. When her eyes found the rim of the roof, it met her with a scattering of multi-coloured lanterns, all featuring hand-painted illustrations. From the way it looked, each of the lanterns was intended to advertise its own type of dessert or candy. The purple ones all had a shiba inu snacking on manju, the yellow with an ezo red fox enjoying dorayaki, the pink featuring a deer nosing around a few choco-balls. They were so childishly sweet that she couldn’t help but grin at them, knowing for sure that they had plenty of young customers. Without going in, she could already feel the warmth radiating off of the place.

 “It’s adorable,” she told him, leaning her head on his shoulder, “Did you see the lanterns?”

 He nodded and pointed up at them; his finger directed her to one of the green ones. “The field mouse struggling to enjoy the hi-chew is my personal favourite. It’s so chewy it gets stuck in his little mouth.”

 Sure enough, there was a depiction of a field mouse with a sticky green candy in his mouth, trying desperately to chew it. She could relate to that one – Hi-chew was just fruity enough that her grandfather let her have it as a treat every once in a while, and she had many memories of it getting stuck in her teeth. “At least he has good taste. The green apple ones were always my favourite.”

 “Mine too.”

 Expectation might have led one to expect the couple to do something other than smile and take each other by the hand, but that is where it would be wrong. In times like those, sometimes the only thing either of them needed was to take the other by the hand, and lead them to a new moment of happiness.

 Kyoko refused to fight off her sigh of relief as the door to the Confection Cabin closed behind them, the homely air soothing her chilled bones. Though she would be the first to confess about having complained, she hadn’t realized how much the winter air affected her. Now that she was inside where it was all cozy, she wanted nothing more than to snuggle up in Makoto’s arms and have a nice, long nap… and perhaps peel off the layers of her coat that suddenly felt very hot. Such things would have to wait, of course, for an incredibly bubbly staff member bombarded them the moment they entered the restaurant.

 “Hello there!” The girl chirped, waving almost too enthusiastically at them. “Welcome to Chieko Chisu’s Confection Cabin. My name is Kajitani Anzu-san, and I’ll be looking after you today. How might I help you? Would you like to explore our nummy candies or mouthwatering desserts today?”

 Kyoko couldn’t help but glance over at her fiancé helplessly; talking with staff always made her uncomfortable. Not due to any snobby rich girl disdain for them, of course – her generally more closed-off behaviour simply made it more difficult for her to be comfortable with someone who was so obviously ingenuine. Makoto tended to handle it better, and certainly much more naturally than she ever could.

 “Actually, if it would be okay, we’d like to try both!” Without warning, he threw his arm around Kyoko’s shoulders, taking her entirely by surprise. She hoped the staff member hadn’t seen her tense in shock. The last thing she wanted was for this random girl to get the wrong impression about her relationship with Makoto. “You see, my fiancée here has been very deprived of sweets all her life.”

Anzu’s hands flew to her face almost comically; her brown eyes as wide as a full moon. “Oh no! We can’t have that!”

 Her fiancé nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Which is why we were wondering if it would be possible to start with desserts, and end off with some candy shopping. Would that be okay?”

 It became Anzu’s turn to nod as she clapped her hands together enthusiastically. “Of course, of course, sir! We can manage many a treat for you and your sweetheart! A table for two, I presume?”

 The only thing Kyoko could think to contribute was an awkward snicker. “Yes, please.”

 “Excellent, now if you’ll just follow me…!”

  At this point, Kyoko was very close to bursting like a balloon.

 Well, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but she sure felt like it. After an hour in the café portion scarfing down Makoto and Anzu’s recommended desserts, her stomach already felt full to the point of discomfort. Their insistence on her attempting to choke down all of the candies and chocolates the store had to offer only worsened the strain, and now, she felt a bit like a beached whale.

 She supposed she could take some pleasure in the fact that Makoto seemed to be feeling the same way. He’d become so full while enjoying the desserts with her that he insisted that they call a cab to bring them home, rather than force themselves to walk the full way with the weight of their packed bellies. As embarrassing as it was to admit, she felt so overwhelmed that she had to oblige.

 Even so, it was a good trip, all things considered. Just as promised, she and Makoto packed themselves to the brim with all kinds of goodies. Mochi filled with strawberry ice cream, dango of every colour they could manage, some beautiful winter’s nerikiri, delectable banana mushi pan, and the definitely-as-good-as-promised coffee jelly… Her mouth could have watered at the thought of all of those foods, had it not been for the fullness. She could still recall sitting in her booth with Makoto, the two of them sliding dishes to one another across the table and popping treats into their eager mouths.

 “Oh my god,” Makoto had exclaimed upon taking his first bite of the mushi pan, “I think this is the best I’ve ever had.”

 Kyoko had already been in the process of enjoying her half of the bun cake, and could agree wholeheartedly. The texture was so light and fluffy that it felt as if it melted in her mouth; the sweet but subtle flavour of banana dancing across her tongue like a memory. “Me too,” she mumbled through a muffled full mouth.

 “You have nothing to compare it to! This is your first mushi pan.”

 She smiled at him with chipmunk cheeks. “And it’s the best I have ever tasted. Pass the coffee jelly, please?”

 “Of course,” he chuckled, “I knew you’d love it.”

 What a surprise, the answer tempted her far too much. Hopefully, as her fiancé, he would know her that well. Still, she held her tongue, instead choosing to take another spoonful of the jelly he’d just slid over. Pure heaven the moment it entered her mouth. Coffee jelly plus banana mushi pan tasted like breakfast but better. Together, she and Makoto had entered a sugary paradise.

 And now they were laying at home, flopped on their plush blue couch, lethargic and exhausted. Yet, strangely, Kyoko honestly couldn’t help feeling happy. The grin on her face was effortless as she laid her head on her partner’s shoulder; the two of them doing their best to ignore their aching tummies. Even if this was the worst shape her stomach had been in in a while, she couldn’t find it within herself to care. Honestly, she wouldn’t even be willing to categorize the scenario as a mistake.

 “Ugh…” Makoto groaned, sticking out his lower lip into a childish pout. “I ate way too many desserts.”

 She found herself nodding in agreement, reaching over to pat his belly. “You sure packed away a lot. You ate much more than I did… Not that I’m surprised. You always have been better at eating than me.”

 His shoulders rose and fell; a smirk snaked across his face. Clear intent to be cheeky. “What can I say? You called me the chief of confection. I had to do my best… I’m paying for it now, though.”

 “As am I,” Kyoko sighed and nuzzled her cheek into his shoulder, “But if I have to feel like I’m going to regorge a rainbow with someone, I’m glad that it’s you. Today was really special, my love.”

 She knew his cheeks started burning without looking at him. In spite of their engagement, she didn’t always have the confidence to use pet names with him. ‘My love’ was his absolute favourite, and she liked to spring it on him at unexpected moments like these. It always seemed to bring him the greatest joy. When he spoke, she could hear the smile in his voice.

 “I’m glad you liked it. I had a really good time with you, too. I hope we can keep doing stuff like this for a long time.”

 Kyoko laughed and raised her hand to eye-level, wiggling her fingers in front of his face. The rose-shaped diamond on the ring glittered at them cheerfully, as if to accentuate her point. “I should hope so. That is what you gave me the ring for, is it not?”

 “That’s true,” he snickered, “So I can have good times with the woman I love for the rest of my life.”

 “Well, I can’t promise you that I won’t spend the night regurgitating all of the desserts we just ate, but I can promise you that.”

 He leaned his head down to rest upon hers. “That’s more than good enough for me.”

[archived-gtronpa-account]

I just,,, wanna offer my contribution to @sam-cant-function 's borrower Makoto AU so,,,

Borrower!Ultimate hope !!

Word count: 2100

Summary: Naegiri, but Makoto is a borrower and Kyoko isn't easy to fool.

(based on this post)

___

Pins, needles, paperclips; it was hard not to notice those missing for someone as sharp as Kyoko.

The mysterious crumbs on spotless countertops were also a giveaway. She would have thought of vermins and pests running in her walls had it only been for the crumbs and missing foods, but the odd ustensiles and knick-knacks that frequently went missing eventually lead the detective girl to an odd conclusion; there was a small, intelligent being swiping from her.

She considered investigating the place to see if she could understand what kind of being she was being faced with, but decided against it as the creature might see her in the act and flee off, so she opted for a more sublte approach.

Everyday, she kept a drawer cracked open, an unfinished plate out, some pencil leads carefully scattered on the floor; any small thing she'd notice were it to disappear. Later at the academy, where the creature couldn't spy on her, she would take out her notebook and make a list of what had been taken that day.

Looking at her notes had her more and more impressed every time. The little creature seemed to have a concept of habit and schedule; taking necessities weekly to bi-weekly according to its needs rather than stealing whatever was available. Kyoko also started to make tests to try to understand the nature of the creature, leaving animal foods out now and then, small mechanical parts, crafting materials, fabric, seeds...

Gradually, it became clear that the little being had a tendency to steal the more humane things she left out. That piqued her curiosity, and lead her to notice things she hadn't seen before, like bits of soap missing, or a small trail of shampoo under her closed bottle.

Kyoko found herself amused and eager to investigate about the small humane being. Everyday, she was so excited to see what had gone missing that she found it hard to keep the smile off her face.

After school, she went to her room and knelt down, feigning to pick up a discarded paper when she was only counting the paperclips on the floor.

"...four, five..." She muttered under her breath. There was one missing. Usually, that also meant some yarn would be missing as well.

She stood up and headed to where the roll of yarn was left, when she heard shuffling.

Her eyes snapped in the direction of the sound. There was a lone can of white paint on a shelf, but nothing unusual about it.

She kept her gaze fixated on the can, silent and motionless. There was no mistaking that sound, something was hiding behind that container.

Kyoko saw something, a flicker of movement or her eyes tricking her. It was so small she would have missed it had she blinked, but she was certain it was movement.

Runts and pests don't hide and stay silent. Chances were, the little thief was hiding behind the paint can. It seemed like it didn't have anywhere to flee from there. Kyoko bit her lip, uncertain about the situation. She had done her best for weeks to stay out of the creature's business, only investigating from the shadows, but at that moment she had the perfect opportunity to finally get a good look at it and confirm some of her suspicions. Still, she risked scaring it off and never seeing it again. She could leave the room, and keep watching from the shadows forever.

But she wanted more than that.

Kyoko shook her head, stood on her tip toes and made her way to the shelf, quiet as a mouse. Thankfully, the lamp at the end of the room played in her favor, as her shadow wouldn't give her away if she looked from above at the right angle.

She stood still and listened for any movement, any shifting, breathing. She thought she had heard something, but she couldn't place it.

Kyoko leaned above the can, and her eyes widened at the sight. Maybe she had expected some animalistic creature, with some sort of anthropomorphic characteristic at most. She had not expected the creature to look so unsettlingly human.

Two hands and two feet, a human face and head with a tuft of brown messy hair on top, clothing, shoes and a bag. It looked exactly like a human boy, aside from some small furry tail on its back.

It jumped in surprise and it's head shot up in her direction. Dammit, she must have lost her focus and breathed out.

Purple eyes locked onto brown ones. The detective noticed the small boy's face contorted in fear, it's whole body shaking and it's arms clinging onto its bag. He looked so human, and it radiated off terror. Kyoko felt a pang of guilt at the sight. Her curiosity had lead to that outcome, and who knew what would happen after that encounter?

Kyoko turned around and left the room, eyes fixated on the ground. Hopefully, if she left fast and let the tiny boy escape, he would come back again and not run away to where she would never see him again.

____

The boy must have understood her trick

For days, she didn't find her stuff missing anymore. The pins and needles didn't bother her as much as the crumbs remaining on her counter every morning. Either he had found a new source of food, or the tiny boy had left for good.

Turned out, it was the former. Kyoko eventually started to find small dents in her food packages and boxes. The relief of that discovery was short lived however, as she realized there was much less food missing than ever, and times and times again, she didn't find crumbs missing from the same package after she found dents on it.

To think that the tiny boy must have been keeping tabs on her to see if she would trick him again, change food sources all the time not to get caught, and the worryingly small amount of food missing... Kyoko felt sick with guilt. Her curiosity had lead her to starving the tiny boy, and she had no idea on how to go about fixing her mistake.

Eventually, she decided to leave a simple note out and some food in a bottle cap, some attempt at an apology. But that didn't work. However, when she got her note back, she took time to examine it at the academy and traced footprints on it. The best result she got from that was that the boy had opened the note and stood at the bottom of the text, strongly suggesting he had read the note or at least knew the placement of Latin letters.

Given the intellect that much required, she hypothesised that the tiny boy may be able to understand her English to some extent. She considered trying to communicate with him, but decided against it for the longest time.

That option came back to mind when her belongings started being brought back.

It had been such a long time since she found the number of pins on her desk decreasing, so it came as a shock when she found it increasing, at eight instead of seven.

Later that same day, she found a paperclip in her bag that she was sure she hadn't placed.

That much was odd, and admittedly, worrying for the detective. She wasn't sure what the implications of her stuff being gradually bought back were, but in any case, she feared she might be harming the tiny boy badly. She needed to act soon.

If he decided to leave for good, then be it, but Kyoko wouldn't let him live in hunger and fear. He'd either stay and live well or leave for his own good.

Kyoko stayed up that same night and awaited his arrival. When the clock struck four, she thought the tiny boy wouldn't come that night, but her worry vanished when she heard shuffling in the kitchen.

She waited a moment and listened to the small pitter-patter of tiny feet. Once she heard it had gotten far enough from its initial source, she got up and made her way to the kitchen.

Turning the lights on could give the impression that she had an advantage, so she kept them off and carfully stepped in the dark room.

"Hello?" Her eyes scanned the counters and floor, but she didn't find anything, or anyone.

"Please, don't be afraid. I'm only here to talk," she did her best to keep her voice soft.

Kyoko was met with deafening silence. She had expected no less though, so she was fine with keeping the dialogue up on her own.

"I'm sorry if I startled you the other day," the girl took a couple steps forward and held her hands up, but after consideration, brought them behind her back. "I don't mean to interfer with your, err, business..."

She saw a flicker of movement behind a chair. Instinctively, her eyes darted there and locked onto the tiny form that had emerged, making him flinch. She cursed herself, wishing she had ignored it.

On the other hand, she was glad she was making eye contact with the little boy, at least he was willing to communicate to some extent.

"Can you understand me?" She spoke in a clear, articulate voice.

The tiny boy shook his head vigorously, but tensed up when he realized his mistake. Had the atmosphere not been so tense, Kyoko would have found the slip-up kind of cute and funny.

"Alright then." The girl took a step back, and carefully knelt down to be more at eye-level with the tiny boy. "Again, I'm sorry for bothering you, that wasn't my intention. Please, rest assured I have no intention of ever harming you in any way. I don't want you to get hurt or feel hungry or anything of the sort. So, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to come take it, and I won't interact with you if it makes you uncomfortable."

"S-seriously...?" He squeaked out, voice cracking a bit. The answer startled the detective. She hadn't even thought he would want to listen to her, let alone want answer and have the capacity to. She gave a small, solemn nod.

"Like, really, th-this isn't a trick or anything though, right...?" He was surprisingly talkative. Things were going even better than Kyoko could have hoped, she almost wanted to pinch herself in fear she had fallen asleep in the night and was just dreaming. But she kept her head clear and herself composed.

"Even though I'm only a stranger, and this might mean nothing to you, I do promise that I'm only speaking the truth," she kept her eyes on him, fiery with determination.

"Oh- I know you're the kinda person who keeps their promises though, h-hah..." He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. His mannerisms were exactly like those of any human; he was even more expressive than Kyoko herself. Her heart pounded against her ribcage in excitement, everything about the strange small person was bizzare and impressive. "Uhm, so, thanks. A-anyway, can I go now?" The tiny boy stumbled a few steps back, eyes darting around the room as if looking for an exit.

He'd been so talkative for a few seconds, Kyoko had forgotten how scared he must be in her presence and how he would eventually have to go.

"Of course." And Kyoko thought that would be the last time she'd see the tiny boy.

How wrong she had been.

The next morning, she almost dropped the mug in her hands when she found the boy on her counter, feet dangling off the edge in a casual pose.

"A-ah, heya, just thought I'd... drop by!" He'd squeaked out, nervous but still present and not fleeing. Kyoko was startled, to say the least, but she was definitely intrigued by the unexpected turn of events. So she quietly took a seat and nodded, waiting for the boy's next move.

"And, uh, about yesterday! It was pretty cool of you, so... thanks," he radiated off nervousness, yet he'd had the courage to come back, talk to her, and even force a small, polite smile. The detective girl was impressed and, admittedly, honoured. The brave gesture warmed her heart.

"It's alright. I'm glad you're confident enough to come now," a small smile made its way on her face. "My name is Kyoko." She looked away, and took a sip of her coffee.

"Kyoko, huh... Well, I-Im Makoto, nice to meetcha. So... Uh, wanna be friends?"

____

Heck yea! And now Makoto drops by now and then to chat and keep the detective girl from staying up too late brainstorming a case, and she sometimes spots him and drops a few words maybe even invites him to hangout sometimes and all in all they vibin. such good buddies!

Makoto dude you're so silly even a clumsy girl like Komaru wouldn't have gotten caught like that,, haha,, right,,,?

Hmm anyway I have a feeling I made them a lil too ooc n the end was rushed, but honestly I tried my best to fix what k could and I have no clue how to save the rest so I'll just leave it at this. I'm just happy bout borrower purest boo :ppp

[violexides]

fic recs (part 1?)

hi!!! so @n3tn0b0dy sent me an ask about fic recs, and i am stupid so it took me a few mins to like. compose myself and figure out what this is. i am definitely absolutely going to miss a few fics here, which is why it is a part one. i will probably keep this short-ish??? maybe go into more detailed ones later :eyes: 

(i am realizing i am going to write essays for these and for that i am very sorry)

something close to domestic, maybe by @mystxmomo (hi!)

definitely one of my favorite danganronpa fics, currently and (probably) forever. it’s a mature rated kamukoma fic, following an AU in which, instead of the remnants being captured and taken to jabberwock, despair sort of... fizzles out on its own, leaving the remnants of despair-- and the rest of the world-- to sort of heal with it. it’s in a series with another fic, that is in the same universe but following a different narrative with different central characters, and though it only has one chapter rn i highly rec that too. 

i like this fic for many reasons and to avoid prattling on, i will bullet point it.

- easy to follow. there are not overly complex structures-- not that that is inherently a bad thing, i also tend to love that style-- which makes it easy to digest.

- strong emotional impact. this fic has made me cry very, very often.

- really good characterization. mystxmomo is very good with characterization overall, especially with kamukura and servant, and that really shows with this fic.

- a compelling plot that still retains a slice-of-life format. i don’t really know how else to elaborate here.

- an idiosyncratic look into their dynamic. this fic explores kamukoma in the process of them healing, which is pretty distinctively different to a lot of kamukoma fics. obviously, this is not to shade those other fics, but, yeah. i really like it. 

okay sorry for rambling very much there, i really highly recommend it, it is a ongoing multichapter (i should have said that earlier i apologize) and the writer is also very cool. 

--

postscript by zombiekittiez

this is actually a series. it currently has three fics-- one that is fully completed (defy you stars), one that is a completed oneshot (supersonic man outta you), and an ongoing multichapter with pretty frequent updates (prince of a thousand). this follows a post-SDR2 storyline, with a lot of ships and dynamics within it, but heaviest emphasis on komahina. 

more bullet points! yay 

- the characterization is god-fucking-tier. this author is very, very good at characterizing these characters and i will not shut up about it ever actually. they feel real, and distinct, and flawed, and alive, and i love everything about it.

- good exploration of dynamics! i think the latter two fics especially shows this off really well. the friendships and relationships built are all pretty different from each other, but all feel like a pretty natural progression, sticking true to the characters, and feels very... real. which i like a whole hell of a lot.

- there are so many literature references and i am happy about it. there are also sparknotes-ish things at the ending notes of each chapter, which translates the quote, explains the significance within its own text, and applies it to the fanfiction. they are used in ways that make sense, too-- they don’t feel forced.

- the plot and plot building is SO fucking good. prince of a thousand has so many cliffhangers and i am very happy but also dying.

anyway, i really rec this series! be mindful of the tags and the ratings on some of the fics, but they are really, really good reads. 

--

absent mind by galaxyaqua

okay. this is a v3 oneshot rec, exploring pregame rantaro, as well as his relationship with tsumugi shirogane. it’s rated “teen and up audiences”, and. holy shit, okay.

- the writing style of this is GORGEOUS. i don’t know what it is about the writing style, but it feels so much like rantaro is talking, which is so fucking cool, and i love that so fucking much??? i can’t even explain it, but it is seriously super neat. 

- the EMOTIONS. this fic is so fucking emotional, honestly? it shows you this realistic, flawed, you could consider broken, character, shows them finding some hope, and shows the loss that comes with that. it’s so fucking incredible, and the lines have stuck with me even now, and it’s been a bit since i’ve last read. i think about the last couple lines especially a lot.

- these impactful one liners. holy shit. every line means something in this fic, and it’s so fucking cool and incredible, and i just??? holy shit??? i really love this fic???

i will say that this fic is sort of depressing in places, but i highly, and i mean highly, recommend. it is not a super difficult read, and it’s super, super fucking good. so i really recommend it. 

--

this sickness will save us by starrylitme // i believe this is @magioftheseas i am super sorry if it isn’t

okay. super, super fucking big content warning. this fic is a yikes, and the tags can sum it up a LOT better, but yeah. just keep that in mind. 

that being said, this is a really gorgeously written oneshot centered around soulmate au kamukoma, exploring the sort of... unhealthy aspects of their relationship. and i. Wow. okay.

- these fucking one liners. holy SHIT. i remember some of these scenes and lines so very well, and it does live in my head rent free. 

- the tone of this. the tone, and the mood created, is so fucking... i don’t even know how to describe it. terrifying? eerie? super fucking intriguing? it shows this shitty situation in an appropriately terrifying light, and it inflects so much emotion and connotation into the scenes, and holy shit. like, if i wanted to do a case study of incredible tonal work and diction and all, i would absolutely grab this fic.

- the characterization. while kamukura and komaeda are placed in a very interesting predicament, they still manage to stay pretty damn close to being in character, which i personally think is super remarkable. it almost enhances the circumstances too, ngl. 

- their dynamic. their dynamic in this fic is NOT healthy, and that is shown in full “glory”, in a very messy and dysfunctional and terrifying way, and i absolutely love it. it has a kind of realism to it, almost a cautionary tale but not quite, a sort of “this isn’t very good but it still feels grounded in realism”. and wow. Wow. it’s so fucking good.

mind the tags, but definitely rec this one. 

-- 

some scattered accounts i will gush about and if they have a tumblr account i will do my best to tag it. 

@kidcarma, same name on ao3. 

- okay, cam is just super fucking talented with characterization, and i adore all of their fics so fucking much? the way they characterize komaeda, kamukura, and hinata resonate super hard, and i just. really love their stuff. they are also absolutely wonderful so please support them do it why aren’t you doing it just kidding haha unle

@celestial-nova, celestial_nova on ao3

- nova is my best friend and i fucking love her, also her writing is fucking art. does a lot of naegiri and some stuff out of this fandom, but i seriously recommend her stuff. she’s really fucking talented and absolutely incredible and i adore her so very much. 

sinnohremaker on ao3

- their stuff is MAJORLY cathartic to me and they are also super sweet, love them a lot.

shutupnerd on ao3

- SHE IS REALLY TALENTED, I LOVE HER WORKS!! they are also super cool and i just appreciate her a lot fksdc,mxv, her fic “an account of events” is really good

@whatsupscythia, hinataisnothim on ao3

- i fucking love her writing, does some really good hinata prose, highly recommend it

----

i am ABSOLUTELY forgetting people, i am ABSOLUTELY forgetting fics, and i am ABSOLUTELY going to bash my head into a wall when i realize i have forgotten people, but uhm here is an impromptu list. i hope this was good? idk how to do fic recs. uhm yes support all these people they are dope

[honhonluigi]

Hinanami is basically the bland, white-bread version of Naegiri... and so much worse. They really tried to do the whole "put the protagonist with the emotionless stoic girl" but did a terrible job

They didn’t even try to do that, though. The fans did. Chiaki and Hajime don’t have a single real conversation the entire game. He’s not her friend. He doesn’t care about her. Aside from trials and investigations, where they’re focused on solving a murder and they talk to everyone in equal measure, they never speak to each other. Nekomaru spends more time with Hajime than Chiaki does. Hinanami is not canon. Never once in the game is Chiaki implied to mean anything to Hajime at all. He never talks to her. They’re not even friends. It’s the fans who started shipping them and acting like they were best friends. Because Chiaki was a fan-favorite, and fan-favs always get shipped with protags (Ex: Rantaro and Shuichi, who haven’t had a single conversation). Chiaki was supposed to be a fan-fav. She was supposed to be Waifu-bait. But then the cash-grab shitty spinoff anime happened, and they saw how much the fans like Chiaki, so they shipped her with Hajime in the anime. But in the games? Hinanami isn’t even close to canon. Hajime spends more time with literally everyone else except maybe Peko and Hiyoko? He and Chiaki do not have a single authentic conversation. 

I made a whole thesis about this. I wrote a whole god damn paper about how Hinanami isn’t canon. It’s somewhere on this blog if you dig. It’s NOT canon. People only assume that it’s canon because of the anime, which came after the games. And if you think the anime is canon? Well, I’ve got a surprise for you. The anime completely goes against the game canon of everything to do with Despair’s founding, the Kamukura Project, and Junko/Mukuro in general. The anime says Chiaki was a real student at Hope’s Peak, but the game? In the game, both Chiaki and Alter Ego say straight up that she never existed outside the Neo World Program. She wasn’t a real person. The anime isn’t canon. The anime was nothing but fan-service. A cash grab. Completely and utter shit. Would you say the How To Train Your Dragon TV show is more canon than the movies? Fuck no! Same with the anime. The games are canon, not the anime. If Hinanami happened in the animes, it doesn’t fucking matter, because Chiaki didn’t even actually exist in the games. 

Point is, people only assume Hinanami is canon because of the anime. But in the game, there’s nothing to imply that they’re a couple, or even friends. Let’s take a look at DR couples, shall we? There’s three types of DR relationships. We’ll take a brief look into each. 

1. Chapter One Love Interest (AKA: The Red Herring)

You’re probably familiar with this one. It’s the ‘tutorial girl’. You meet them first. They become the protag’s best friend. The MC trusts them. They show the MC around, they get introduced to everyone together, and basically you spend the whole prologue and Chapter 1 getting close to them. You’re supposed to think ‘Oh, they’ll escape with the MC and be their love interest in the end’ even though it’s totally predictable that they end up dying. They end up dying in the first trial because they betrayed the MC by getting involved with a, unsuccessful murder somehow. This was Sayaka and Kaede. (I already went over on this blog why Kaede was a red herring, not a protag. She was only ‘protag’ to avoid people predicting that she would die in chapter 1 like all the other ch 1 friends.) Sayaka is friends with Makoto but ends up trying to kill Leon and getting murdered. Kaede is friends with Shuichi but ends up being executed for trying to kill Rantaro. 

What about Chiaki? Does she fit any of that? Fucking no she doesn’t. After her introduction, Hajime ignores her for all of Chapter 1. And ch 2, ch 3, ch 4, ch 5, etc etc... But anyway. She’s not his best friend in Ch 1. They don’t talk. She doesn’t get involved in an unsuccessful murder in Ch 1. Who’s Hajime’s friend then? Who shows him around? Who does he trust who ends up betraying him by getting involved in unsuccessful murder during the first trial? Oh yeah-- Nagito. He would’ve died if it wasn’t for his luck saving him. He was supposed to die in his murder, or be executed. But his luck got in the way. Nagito was the chapter 1 love interest. He literally follows the same exact beats as Kaede and Sayaka. But uhhh...Sayaka and Kaede are totally valid love interests, but Nagito isn’t! Why? (Hint: It’s because he’s gay and has a mental illness.) 

2. Plot Twist Love Interest (AKA: The Shady One) 

This love interest comes on after the Red Herring love interest dies in chapter 1. This love interest starts off as being someone that you don’t trust, who avoids you, who acts super shady and suspicious the whole time. They hide things, act cryptic in trials, and know way more than they let on. They act rude sometimes, but also nice and helpful sometimes, to the protag so that MC has no idea how this person feels about them. The MC is curious, but also wary of them. This person ends up disappearing towards the end of the game so that MC doesn’t have access to them anymore. We lose the option for their free-time events at some point. This person disappears because they’re hell-bent on figuring out the mystery behind the killing game. They end up getting involved in some kind of plot to reveal the truth/mastermind/traitor and then it fails, resulting in their death or the death of someone else. This person gets falsely accused of being the mastermind by the rest of the cast. This describes, to a tee, Kyoko. People acknowledge Kyoko as Makoto’s love interest (because she’s a girl!). But this describes Kokichi too. The role that Kokichi and Kyoko play is the exact same in the story. Now, I don’t think that Shuichi was at all in love with Kokichi, but I think Kokichi had a crush on him. (This is why I make a case that Byakuya shouldn’t be in the ‘unholy trinity’. Kyoko should. Byakuya hits none of the plot requirements for that. He’s just a dick. Also, by all rights, Shuichi’s second love interest probably should’ve been Maki. She was shady enough, and he actually had a chance to like her. But fuck that. They did NOT go that route. Abusive comphet KaiMaki all the way, right?)

Anyway, let’s look at Chiaki for this one, shall we? Suspicious? Well, I knew from Ch 1 investigation that she was the traitor, but no one else did. No one in the cast suspects her of a thing the entire time. They’re completely flabbergasted when she hints that she’s the traitor. They all think she’s perfect. No one ever suspects her of a thing. She doesn’t disappear mysteriously. We don’t lose access to her free-time events. She doesn’t look into the mysteries behind the killing game (because she already knew them). She may help in trials, but she’s not cryptic or mysterious about it. She acts super mega ultra fucking rude the MC, but he doesn’t care, and he’s never torn up in puzzlement over “how she really feels about him” the way that Makoto and Shuichi get frustrated with Kyoko and Kokichi. She doesn’t hatch any plot to try and expose the truth. She does everything she can to cover up the truth until Nagito forces it. Which brings me to my next point. Who does this actually describe? Oh-- Wait! It’s Nagito again!! He follows, line for line, the exact same plot that Kyoko does, and so does Kokichi. So...Why is Kyoko the only one who gets to be a love interest instead of a villain? (Hint: Because Nagito and Kokichi are gay and you could argue that both have mental illnesses.) 

The only part of this that Chiaki actually fits is the “knows more than everyone else”. But she doesn’t actually. She doesn’t figure it out because she’s smart, like the other three characters. She knows already because she’s the traitor. She knows more in the way that Sakura, Tsumugi, and Mukuro “knew more”. They were given that information. They are not love interests. And yeah, Chiaki uh...’gets involved’ in a scheme to find out the truth. But not of her own plotting or fruition. It’s Nagito’s plan, and she gets involved because he planned it. In the same way that Makoto ended up taking the fall for Kyoko’s botched first attempt at revealing the truth, too. Makoto, Chiaki, and Kaito took the fall for those plans. They weren’t the cause of them. Makoto only didn’t die because his luck (+ Alter Ego) saved him, just like Nagito’s saved him in ch1. 

3. Side-Character Relationships 

This is the last and third type of DR relationship. The love between side characters, like Taka & Mondo, Tenko towards Himiko, K1-B0 & Miu, Sakura & Aoi, Kaito & Maki. Honestly, you can’t even compare Hinanami to this logic, because Hajime is an MC. But let’s be generous and do it anyway. 

These couples are always super obvious. Since you can’t see them through the eyes of the MC all the time, they’re even more obvious than MC ships. Side-characters in love spend tons of time together outside of trials and investigations. They’re with each other in their free time. They talk about each other all the time. They’re always together. They talk openly about their ‘friendship’ and how much they mean to each other. We get cutscenes showing the love between the two. Even in KaiMaki, which I hate, all of this is present. 

What about Chiaki? Nah. She never talks about Hajime, and Hajime never talks about her. He never even thinks about her at all. He never seeks her out. They never ever have a single conversation in their free time. Unless you, the player, chose to do her free time events, they never talk outside of trials. They don’t seek each other out. They don’t spend any of their free time together. They don’t talk about how much they’re friends or lovers. They’re never together. They only get 2 cutscenes when they’re alone together: one of which is investigating Nagito’s room and revealing a major hint that Chiaki is a robot; the second of which is after she dies, wrapping up the plot that she is, in fact, a robot. These cutscenes don’t serve to show how much they care about each other. These cutscenes aren’t about Hajime at all. He might as well not even be there. It’s not like they have meaningful conversations. It’s just about finishing off Chiaki’s boring story, because it’s required. Compare: Taka & Mondo, whose cutscene is them fucking in the sauna. K1-B0 and Miu, whose cutscene is them fucking in Miu’s lab. Hina and Sakura, whose cutscene is Sakura telling Hina that she loves her. Kaito and Maki, whose cutscenes are them hugging and spending time together bonding over mutual interests. Chiaki’s seem pretty fucking stale compared to those, right? Yeah, because her only cutscenes are about bare-bones investigation and trial shit. Lots of people get investigation cutscenes. Doesn’t make them love interests. Chiaki and Hajime never spend free time together. They never seek each other out, have real conversations, or bond over mutual interests. They only talk during trials and investigations. Let me say this again, because I cannot emphasize it enough: HAJIME DOES NOT EVEN EVER THINK ABOUT HER. 

4. Elements of Any and All DR Relationships 

Now, there are elements of relationships that all DR ships have, regardless of if they involve the MC or not. The two characters spend free time together, outside of investigations and trials. The two characters have plot-related interactions outside of trials and investigations. (This is especially true in cases with the MC. Think how many plot-related scenes we got with Kaede + Shuichi, Sayaka + Makoto, Kyoko + Makoto that happened outside of trials and investigations?) These two characters have at least one heartfelt cutscene alone together. Like I mentioned above, they talk all the time. They think about each other. They talk about each other. Someone always makes a joke about the MC being in love with them. 

Like I already pointed out, Chiaki has none of this. She and Hajime spend exactly 0 free-time together, unless the player forces it to happen themselves. They don’t talk. They don’t have plot-related cutscenes, discussions, storylines, etc outside of trials/investigations. They never speak to each other outside of trials/investigations. They don’t spend time together. They don’t have plots involving each other. They don’t seek each other out. They don’t talk to each other. They don’t even think about each other. And absolutely no one in the cast makes a joke about Hajime and Chiaki getting together. Fun fact: Kazuichi makes more moves toward/thinks more about getting with Chiaki in one scene than Hajime does in the entire game. Another Fun Fact: Nekomaru spends more one-on-one time with Hajime than Chiaki does. Where’s my die-hard fans insisting that Nekomaru x Hajime is indisputably canon?

Who has all of the above criteria? Mikan. Mikan does. She’s infinitely more of a love-interest to Hajime than Chiaki. 

Now I’m gonna go over some popular arguments I see for why Chiaki is a love interest, and I’m gonna destroy them. 

“She’s The Helper Character.” That character doesn’t exist. That’s a fucking lie. Literally everyone talks in trials. Everyone helps in trials. Everyone helps in investigations. There is no singular ‘helper’ character. There’s no assistant. There’s no side-kick. Kaito helps Shuichi in trials. Maki does too. Are they his love interests? Byakuya helps in trials. He’s not Makoto’s love interest. Nagito helps in trials and people are pretty fucking insistent that he’s not Hajime’s love interest. Everyone helps in trials. In a trial/investigation, the MC has to talk to literally everyone. They have no choice. The fact that Hajime talks to Chiaki in an investigation, or listens to her in a trial, is not evidence of him favoring her. Chiaki talking so much in trials and investigations is supposed to be dropping hints at her being the traitor. Not her being a “helper” to Hajime. 

“What About The Swimsuit Scene?” “Hajime was totally drooling over Chiaki in that scene!” Yeah, he was. Because he’s a teenage boy and she was wearing a super slutty bikini. Literally everyone, boy and girl, in that scene looked at Chiaki and went “Jeez Chiaki...That’s a...bold swimsuit.” She wore a skimpy swimsuit and Hajime thought it was hot. So did Kazuichi. Kazuichi drooled over her WAY more than Hajime. Is Kazuichi automatically Chiaki’s love interest? Hajime also drooled over Peko when she walked in. Because he’s a teenage boy, and there’s hot girls in skimpy bathing suits. Also, Hajime talks nonstop through the entire fucking game about how hot and beautiful and amazing Sonia is. And he never once even has a thought about Chiaki. But uh...Nah, Sonia’s not his love interest. It’s totally Chiaki, right? 

“The ‘I’m Taking My Top Off’ Comment.” Yeah, Chiaki said that to Hajime. And Hajime freaked the fuck out. He didn’t want it to happen. He was like “WAIT WHAT!?” He wasn’t “oh fuck yeah, let me see those gamer titties!” Maybe Chiaki was flirting with him, but Hajime definitely didn’t flirt back. At the very least, it shows that he wasn’t expecting it, because he never thinks of her that way. Hajime didn’t respond to that line at all. Also, the only reason Chiaki even said that in the first place is because she was made to be fap-material for Otaku Gamer Bros. So of course they’re going to make her talk about her boobs, give her a slutty swimsuit, and make her boobs three sizes bigger when she wears it. (It’s true! I checked! Also, does this mean that Chiaki is a closet sex freak? Yikes...Well, it’s more interesting than everything else she’s got going on.) Point being, when she brought it up (and she was joking, for a reminder. She wasn’t serious.), Hajime didn’t want anything to do with it.

“Junko blackmails them about ‘The Girl You Love’.” Yeah, okay, I’ve never actually seen people make this argument. And I better never fucking see that. Because it’s so god damn obvious, and stupid. Junko’s lines are basically “you need to hurry up and make a decision, because the bodies of the girl you love and the boy you hate are in the real world wasting away.” She is talking to everyone, but specifically, she’d just been goading Fuyuhiko on about Peko. This line. Is clearly. About Peko. It’s about Peko. It’s not fucking about Chiaki. And I better never see anyone claim this. Why not? Why can’t it be about Chiaki? SHE’S NOT FUCKING REAL!!! She doesn’t have a body! She’s not wasting away! She has no body outside the Neo World Program! This line literally cannot be about her. Even if you go by the anime and say she did exist, she’s still fucking dead, and still doesn’t have a body to waste away in the first place. Chiaki and Alter Ego BOTH say that she doesn’t exist outside the Neo World Program!!!

“Then Why Did She Appear to Hajime in the Last Trial?” Because of plot convenience. That’s all. See, we’re not supposed to know she’s an AI. (Even though it’s incredibly obvious). When she is executed, we’re not supposed to know that she’s an AI programmed by the Future Foundation. We’re supposed to be like “Why did she do that? Why did she say all those weird things? Why was she the traitor?” We’re supposed to have all these unanswered questions. (I mean, I already knew all of that from ch 1, but the game clearly tries to keep you from suspecting Chiaki at all.) So, if she’s dead and executed, how can we finish her story? How are we going to get a chance to wrap up all those unanswered questions? She appears to Hajime and tells him. She reveals it all to him, answers all the viewer’s questions, and finishes her story. That’s it. She appears to him out of convenience to finishing her own plot. Why him? Why him specifically? Is it because they’re in love? Nah bitch, it’s because he’s the main character and the only way the audience could see their questions answered at all is if she appeared to him. She also appeared to Sonia, as Sonia specifically states. Is Sonia her canonical, definite, not-possibly-arguable love interest? No. Sonia’s love interest is Gundham. If seeing Chiaki had something to do with love, then why did she see her too? 

“But Her Free Time Events End With Them In Love.” Yeah, so does everyone else’s. Nagito’s, Akane’s, Kazuichi’s, Mikan’s...Sayaka’s, Toko’s, Kyoko’s...Kokichi’s, Kaito’s...Everyone’s free time events end with them falling in love with the MC. That’s the point of FTEs. That’s the reason why no actual ships are explicitly canon in any DR games. Because they want the player to have the chance to get close to, and pursue a relationship with, whatever characters they choose. That can’t work if that character is dating someone. So they make all FTEs end in love confessions, and they let no ships become canon. You can choose literally any character, go through their free time events, and have them fall in love with you. It’s for the player. It’s not canon. And sure, those FTEs might not specifically end in an outright love confession (like Nagito’s does), but it’s pretty fucking obvious in every single one that you win them over and fall in love. Why do you think you get their underwear? Even Toko, canonically smitten with Byakuya, goes “I’m already in love with master, but...” Sideways glance, smile, “You can think of me if you want...” It exists for the player, and can be done with ANY character. It doesn’t speak to any special privilege for Chiaki. 

And just a couple more things I have to say on this topic:

Hajime didn’t like her. Hajime doesn’t fucking like Chiaki. I’m not gonna say that he hates her, but he definitely doesn’t like her. Whenever he has to talk to her, he’s always thinking about how weird she is, how childish she’s being, and how rude she is for talking over him/falling asleep when he talks. He doesn’t enjoy talking to her. I did Chiaki’s first two FTES, and Hajime hated every god damn second of them. He thinks she’s rude, boring, weird, and childish. He thinks about that stuff any time he’s forced to talk to her. When he finds her diary, he goes “God, this is awful, it’s like a five-year-old wrote it.” Why would you think that he likes her??? (You know who Hajime really fucking despises? Gundham. God, talk to Gundham and read Hajime’s thoughts. He’s fucking brutal. This guy has a huge beef...)

So Who’s Hajime’s Actual Love Interest?  

Everybody!!! This is actually a theory I cooked up. I think each MC gets a ch 1 love interest (Sayaka, Nagito, Kaede), and then a second plot-twist love interest, but it happens in different ways each time. Kyoko and Makoto get together all nice and neat. Shuichi has a second love-interest who likes him, but Shuichi absolutely does not like him back. Hajime’s second love interest? Everyone. Hajime has this kind of curse where the second someone captures his interest/gets interested in him, they die. I noticed in the game that they’d push characters on Hajime hardcore, and then kill them the next chapter. Now, this happens in every game. But in Hajime’s case, they weren’t just pushed on him as characters. They all flirted with him. One of the reasons why I think almost everyone in the class had a crush on Hajime. First, it’s Nagito, and Impostor confides in Hajime and Teruteru flirt with him too. Then, they either get killed or get taken away (and chained up for three days without food, water, or bathroom access). Next, Mahiru starts flirting with Hajime by bossing him around and always seeking him out. I don’t think Hajime liked her back, but she liked him. And then she dies. After that, Mikan flirts with Hajime, spends time with him, gets cutscenes cuddling with him, hits on him, and other people even make jokes about them fucking. Then she dies. Hajime becomes closer friends with Ibuki, then she dies. Hajime starts to get close to Nagito again. Then he goes crazy and dies. Hajime showed a ton of interest in Sonia, but then she goes for Gundham. Hajime gets close to Kazuichi, but then he goes for Sonia. Hajime is cursed. I think everyone in the game got an inkling of being Hajime’s love-interest before they died/got taken away. With the exceptions of Peko, Hiyoko, Gundham, Akane, Fuyuhiko, and Nekomaru. I think they give Hajime a person who he likes/likes him, and then immediately take them away before any relationship can be formed. 

Now, I guess this is the time where you could make a case that Chiaki fits. “Well, he gets close to her, and then he loses her!” But actually, that kind of doesn’t fit. He gets close to her only after she’s already dead. And he’s only ‘close to her’ for one conversation, after she’s already dead. He doesn’t get to spend any quality time with her before she dies. Even if you wanted to make that claim, it still wouldn’t make Chiaki any more of a love interest than Mahiru or Teruteru or Impostor. She wouldn’t be the one-and-only, indisputable, only option for Hajime. Based on evidence in the game, I don’t think Hajime actually had a crush on Teruteru, Impostor, or Mahiru. I think they liked him, but I don’t think he ever would’ve liked them back. And that’s the only way I can see Chiaki being even a little bit his love interest. In this world, where pretty much everyone gets to be his love-interest at some point. In a world where she crushes on him but he doesn’t like her back. Because he doesn’t. That’s obvious in his thoughts and actions. (He reacts worse to Peko and Fuyuhiko’s execution than he does to Chiaki’s, btw.) 

But I really don’t think she’s his love interest. She’s definitely not “the” love interest. She’s not the only one. She’s not the “canon” one. She’s not his canon love interest at all. That’s not at all what the evidence in the game points to. 

If my crackpot theory isn’t true, then I’d say Hajime’s love interests are Nagito and/or Mikan. Maybe Sonia. They’re the ones that he actually spends time with, and have all of the criteria that are set by literally every other DR couple. He has none of that with Chiaki. Honestly, I think Nagito is the more prominent love interest. I think Mikan and Sonia definitely had their spots too, but Nagito fills the role of both first and second love-interest. He hits literally every single beat of Kaede and Sayaka, but also of Kyoko. Whether or not Hajime loved him by the end is debatable. Sometimes I doubt it. But he loved him at first, and Nagito loved Hajime the whole time. And Hajime was destroyed after Nagito’s death. But even though Nagito hits every single point of being a love interest compared to Sayaka, Kaede, and Kyoko...He’s still not allowed to be a valid love interest for Hajime. If you think Komahina is canon, then you’re just “biased”. You’re just looking “through your shipping goggles.” Even though Nagito’s story is literally both kinds of love interest mixed together. Nah, nah, nah. Who cares about evidence? Clearly I’m just biased. Clearly I’m just “using shipping goggles” to see what I want to see. Because... *looks at smudged writing on hand* Hinanami, the ship with no evidence at all, it definitely 100% canon and Komahina, the ship with all the evidence you could ask for, could never be canon at all. I’m just stupid. Right? Right. And why? Because Nagito is a gay guy with a mental illness!!!!!

I despise KaiMaki, but I still acknowledge that it’s at least partially canon because it was in the game. But I don’t acknowledged Hinanami, because it was never canon. It was never even hinted at. Nobody better come onto my blog arguing that Hinanami is canon in the fucking slightest. I can’t deal with that bullshit. It’s not canon. This is my second essay on the subject. (I wrote a huge essay listing all the reasons they weren’t canon, and yet I was still able to find MORE evidence against them for this one? Wow, that’s a lot of proof that they aren’t indisputably canon.) I’m fine if you want to ship them. You can be like “they had a lot of potential for a relationship!” You can be like “I think Chiaki had a crush on him!” or “I think Hajime would’ve liked her!” That’s fine. You can do that all you want. Like any other DR ship. But don’t go around being like “NO, it’s DEFINITELY canon!!! No other ship is canon because Hinanami is canon and it’s completely indisputable! You’re wrong and stupid!!” It’s not canon. No DR ship is canon. You can ship them but please, do it like any other DR ship. Ship them because you saw potential, but don’t cram it down everyone’s throat as ‘must be canon’. 

Hinanami is the only ship that does that. It’s the only ship that is insisted to be 100% canon with no disputing evidence whatsoever. People dispute Kaede and Shuichi. People dispute Kaito and Maki. People dispute Kyoko and Makoto all the fucking time. Every other ship is flexible, except that one. “Hinanami is the only canon ship and no other ship is valid or matters, you can’t ship Hajime with anyone else, all the other ships pale in comparison because Hinanami is so canon, and you’re just a biased delusional idiot if you ever dare to imply otherwise!!!” Stop it. It’s not canon. I should be able to make a valid case for another ship without being immediately shot down because of Hinanami. No other DR ship does that. Quit. I hate seeing everyone insisting that it’s canon. Acting like it’s just “common sense” that it’s canon. It’s not. There’s no fucking evidence for it AT ALL. But it makes me feel like a crazy person whenever I see people insisting that, as if I’m the only one who missed the scene where they fucked without protection or something. If everyone is allowed to dispute literally every other ship, then it should be the same for Hinanami. The “canon” ship with absolutely -67% evidence towards it.