#foremost in clairvoyance

[rainbow-crane]

In-Depth Analysis On All The DR Characters Because What, Are You Gonna Try And Stop Me? Who Are You, My Mom? Yeah, I Didn't Think So- Part 4: Yasuhiro Hagakure

I've actually managed to hype myself up a good bit for this one, despite the fact I'm not fond of Hiro. If there's anything I've learned since starting this series, it's that taking the time to actually absorb these characters and their full existence in the narrative reveals a lot more than you get just by playing the game normally, and I'm hopeful that doing that will make Hiro that much better of a character for me. So, let's dive in.

Per usual, this analysis uses only official materials from the DR series, primarily the english translation of the game. If you aren't that interested in lengthy yapping, then keep scrolling.

Part 1- Character Design

Yasuhiro Hagakure wears several layers of clothing, having a haramaki, white button-up, and his old high school uniform all on over a yellow shirt and a pair of baggy black pants tied up with a yellow bow. His old high school emblem is purposefully designed to look like the yin and yang symbol, and his hair is up in locs styled to bend backwards and stick out at odd angles.

Yasuhiro is a dual character, typically either being the most relaxed or the most panicked person in the room. This sort of duality is likely why he was given the yin and yang symbol, a symbol of balance, along with his talent. Yasuhiro was given the talent of SHSL Fortune Teller, or Ultimate Clairvoyant, and has a unique connection to the spirit world. This may also be why his hair is designed to stick out, similar to how when you touch an object with enough static, your hair stands up. In this way, we can see Yasuhiro is visibly connected to the spirit world at all times.

Part 2- Character Introduction

Hiro is actually the first character to speak in-game after Makoto's self-introduction, calling out in surprise when Makoto gets to the main hall with everyone else("Woah, hey! Another new kid?") He then continues on to be the first one we're able to identify as speaking after the class panover is completed.

This immediately makes him stick out, as this is the character the game makes a point to show you directly before anyone else- not Sayaka, Kyoko, Byakuya- nope, Hiro is first and foremost. Despite this, he fades into the background of the conversation almost immediately after as everyone else decides to introduce themselves to each other. When we get back to his introduction(one of the last ones we see), he introduces himself as someone who takes it easy, and tells you to do the same. We know from Makoto's internal dialogue that he has little to no knowledge on fortune telling, and thus, have almost no insight to Hiro's perspective. We also learn that within the psychic community, he's referred to as 'Supernova'. As he begins to speak, though, we learn exactly what the game's plan for his clairvoyance is: a big joke.

Though, he himself admits he's joking around, and invites Makoto to talk about Lemurian civilization. Lemuria is a debunked theory about a potential 8th continent that was believed to have sunk into the Indian Ocean, disproved by further research on continental drift and plate tectonics. Despite this, it still remains as a subject of conspiracy for many, and tells us a lot about Hiro's interests. Combined with his talent in fortune-telling, Hiro is someone with a fascination for what lies beneath the surface of human understanding. We also learn that he's of drinking age(20 in Japan, though this was changed to 21 in the English translation to reflect international drinking laws). He admits this is due to being held back a few years, waving it off as a 'long story' that we never get to hear.

As the class continues to talk, he remains completely calm, and insists it's all part of the fancy school's orientation. He continues to hold this belief even after Monokuma appears at the entrance ceremony, playing off Monokuma's threat of the killing game and Monokuma himself as a bit.

"Reveal the trick...?" "Yeah, cuz I mean... Y'know, this is all some kinda trick and all, right? So uh, like..."

So our first impression of Hiro is that he's a laidback older guy who isn't the sharpest knife in the kitchen, and that he's into conspiracies.

Part 3- Early Game Development

Once the game's officially started, Hiro very much takes a backseat so the story and mystery can develop, to the point where even when the entire class is talking about their explorations and what they found, Hiro remains silent, only telling the others to chill and continuing to say he believes this is all planned by the school. He appears completely unbothered by the whole situation.

"I mean, this was all planned out, right? The people in charge of Hope's Peak put this all together, right? Man, if I got stressed every time something like this happened, I'd have ectoplasm shooting out my mouth!"

Despite this, if you take the opportunity to talk to him in the laundry room the following morning, you get this:

Despite Hiro's insistence that this is all normal, he's run himself ragged trying to find out why they're trapped in the school. It suggests that his relaxed attitude towards the situation may be some kind of a facade to keep both himself and the others calm. He continues to insist upon it even after multiple days have passed, when Monokuma reappears again to give out the motive videos("Why the hell are you laughing?" "I'm just impressed at the total commitment to this whole act.") He refuses to acknowledge the mere possibility of this situation being an actual threat to their lives, even after watching the motive video of (presumably) his mother and sister in danger.

He insists on it to the point where he doesn't realize the truth of the situation until "Junko" is impaled with a ton of spears and dies right in front of him, and even then, his reaction is delayed, not realizing until Makoto and Byakuya check her for a pulse.

"Sh-she's... dead!? Then that means...! That means everything that's happened so far is real!? It's not a joke or whatever!? It's really real!? Hell no! Someone save me! Let me outta here! SOMEBODY HELP ME!!!" "You're j-just now accepting that...?"

He switches from total calm to ungodly terror, as he didn't experience the dread leading up to the incident that everyone else did. The horror renders him immobile for nearly the entire investigation, only pulled out of shock when Makoto shows him his broken glass ball.

"Did that guy totally dupe me!? He said it belonged to the pillars of history... Genghis Khan, George Washington, Napoleon... He said whoever controlled that crystal ball controlled the world! Was that seriously all BS!?"

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but how much did you pay for that thing?" "Everything I'd saved up from fortune-telling for two full years. Came out to be like... a million."

Not only did he pay that much for what was pretty obviously a glass ball, he fully believed that story despite the fact one of the named holders that 'controlled the world' was a failed emperor that died in exile. It is a hand-sized glass ball. Paying $1M in USD shouldn't have even been on the table in the first place.

Hiro goes into the next chapter still completely panicking, babbling on to Makoto about the 'ill omen' that is the items set in the display case and once again begging to the heavens to be released from the school.

"Ahhh! I've been struck with knowledge! It's an ill omen of total devastation and ruin! L-Let me outta here! Let me ouuuut!"

It's a bit late, as the only dangerous item from that case was used in the previous murder, but better late than never, I suppose.

Prior to the motive announcement, Hiro reveals that he was the one to pick up on the goings-on outside of Hope's Peak, having been in the dining hall and heard what he described as 'noises like a construction site'. It's important enough that Monokuma confirms the noises to be a) real and b) the result of some level of violence, as his provided explanations are an explosion or machine gun. So although Hiro himself hasn't had much of a story yet, he's still keeping his ears open and is at least paying some attention to the problem at hand now.

During the investigation, Hiro ends up in a much better position, now able to not go into total shock and do an investigation of his own. Although it doesn't yield many results, talking to him makes it clear that he's both trying to find something useful and trying to keep what information he does have private before the trial, which is progress. He's doing something instead of just sitting on his ass, and he's trying to remain secretive, even if he's really bad at it.

When the trial comes around, he's excited to provide evidence, being the one to tell the class about the e-handbooks in the mailbox despite insistence that he probably couldn't help anyway. Despite this, he takes it well when he's told he's wrong the second he's given a reason.

"No, she DID have a way! And I can tell you what it was!" "I highly doubt that." "Shut up! I'm telling you, I know how she could've done it!" ('it' being Chihiro entering the girls' locker room)

"She used the thing that was in the main hall!" "Huh? What thing?" "I'm talkin' about Leon's handbook, of course!"

"Why not!?" "Because Leon's handbook was broken." "Oh! Well then yeah, I guess that'd be pretty impossible, huh?"

Part 4- Midgame Events (In fact, we're gonna frame you for murder!)

Now that Taka's grieving, Hiro remembers he's significantly older than the rest of the class and decides to step up as the class rep and keep everyone calm and focused, at least until Taka can take over again. Although it doesn't last for very long, it's a nice gesture on Hiro's part, and shows some level of responsibility from him.

He's the one to direct the class to the 3rd floor and opens up to conversation about what they found, doing everything he can think of to both keep the class' gaze fixed ahead and try to rouse Taka from his silent state, though this falls apart the second Hina starts talking about a ghost.

Despite his efforts, Kyoko is the one who's really in charge here, and instead, Hiro becomes a messenger for her, alerting the rest of the class to 'bathtime' and acting as a voice of reason when both Hifumi and Taka become obsessed with Alter Ego.

"I happened to do a psychic reading for a certain famous CEO once... And that guy was seriously head over heels for a mannequin. He had a wedding and everything! And your eyes just now... I saw the same look in HIS eyes!"

"Oh, Taka! Are you back!?" "Who the hell's Taka!?" "Um... you?"

He also delivers letters to everyone in class when Kyoko has an important update on Alter Ego, assuming that the files have been decrypted. It's also worth noting he has remarkably clean penmanship, and this is attributed to his supernatural beliefs.

The following morning, when Hiro is one of the many students to go missing, Celeste sets it up so that almost everyone is led to believe that Hiro is the obvious culprit before he even so much as gets a chance to defend himself- falsifying and planting evidence, removing proof of innocence to the best of her ability, and manipulating Hifumi to help her- all with the stroke of luck in her favor that even after remembering his life before the game, Hifumi still couldn't betray her when he tried because her legal surname was the same as his first. On a surface level, almost every slip-up or seemingly stupid move was shrugged off as 'well, Hiro's an idiot anyway, so he probably didn't realize,' which is exactly what Celeste bet on. The only one who wouldn't automatically fall under this assumption (Kyoko) was so distracted by her own schemes that she was pulled out of the investigation for the vast majority of it. Even Byakuya completely fell for it until Makoto pointed out some of the inconsistencies to him.

But here's the thing: Hiro's gullible, not stupid. He may fall for other people's schemes, but he can just as easily craft his own and sell them, even when the person being sold to knows they're being duped to some degree. He's a businessman at heart, and you can't become a successful businessman if your schemes don't work. If Celeste wanted her plan to work, then she chose the wrong guy to frame. (The game never actually addresses this directly, but from a meta perspective, it's pretty obvious Hiro is just being used as a red herring, and it's all symbolized in his handwriting- Hiro is more put-together than he's given credit for, and that truth creates the physical evidence of his innocence Celeste couldn't change.)

I mean, Hiro deliberately plays up his own stupidity in the trial, taking the argument that was supposed to work against him and using it in his favor to convince everyone around him of his own incompetency. That's not the strategy of someone incapable of working out a survival plan.

"Come on, I'm not smart enough to think of trying to change my handwriting anyway!" <- a direct contradiction to when he writes Toko's name in blood in handwriting not of his own in the following chapter

Hiro being a red-herring suspect for a murder is quickly followed up with Hiro being a red-herring suspect for a murder. Yes, they do it twice, but this time, Hiro himself believes he's responsible. So there's enough differentiation to warrant it within the plot.

With chapter 4, Hiro's paranoia hits an all-new level. And for good reason, too. Not only have there been 5 attempted murders in the span of just over 2 weeks, 3 of which were intentional and 4 of which were successful, there's also a known serial killer chilling with the rest of the class that's known specifically for attacking men. Not only that, he was literally framed for a double murder case just a couple days ago, and to top it all off, Sakura, the visibly strongest person not only in the class, but also officially recognized as strongest person in the world, has been outed as a spy for Monokuma. So naturally, Hiro's a little on edge when he receives the invite from Sakura to meet in the rec room. So when he hears her muttering to herself-

"This is it... I'm going to end it today... I'm going to end... everything." "As soon as I heard that, I just knew... I knew she was gonna try and kill me! She was gonna kill me and make her escape!"

So, rather then let that potential end happen, he made the panicked decision to defend himself.

He admits to this pretty quickly in the trial as well, as the moment the dying message is disproven as being from Sakura, he caves and tells them everything that happened from his perspective. And he feels terrible about it, too, accepting that he has to die for what he did.

"Well, that's what happened. Go ahead, roast me, boil me, do whatever you want..."

Once Makoto and Kyoko are able to prove he's innocent, it's a massive weight off his shoulders. His fear and panic all but disappear, and he spends the rest of the trial in a much more relaxed state.

And once the trial is over, and they've all heard the truth about Sakura's case, he throws his full support to Hina and Sakura, unable to be mad at either of them.

"This is because of our misplaced hatred. I don't blame her(Sakura)! I CAN'T blame her! And nobody can blame Hina, either!"

Besides being a suspect in both murder cases, Hiro has another important moment in chapter 4. At breakfast on the first morning, after sharing his prediction of no more murders, he tells the story of his encounter with aliens, in which a burger that was supposedly 100% beef was beamed up by an alien spaceship. And because aliens supposedly steal cows, the meat separated and only took 30% of the meat. When he went back to the restaurant, they admitted to mixing pork into the meat. This story is representative of Hiro's own fortune-telling, as only 30% of his predictions are real and the rest are done just for money.

Part 5- Character Relationships

Though none of them are given a main focus in-game, Hiro has fairly important dynamics with about half the cast of THH. Actually, basically everyone that made it past chapter 2 has an established dynamic with Hiro.

5.1- Kiyotaka Ishimaru

Though it's a bit of a one-sided relationship, Hiro is the only character to show any concern for Taka going into chapter 3. After the brutal death of Mondo, Taka goes comatose, and won't eat, sleep, or speak to anyone. It's when in this state that Hiro attempts to get him back in action as class rep, more than once. Unfortunately, he never really succeeds, though this does leave us with the implication that he was the one who told Taka about Alter Ego, as it doesn't make sense for it to have been anyone else at this point.

5.2- Hifumi Yamada

Similar to Taka, Hifumi spends chapter 3 with a special interest in Alter Ego. Hiro is the one that tries to get through to him, calling out his strange behavior and likening it to a former client in love with a mannequin. The two of them also bounce off of each other quite a bit in the first half of the game during group conversations, and when they do, it often paints Hiro in a more reasonable light. As the older and therefore more mature of the two, he knows when Hifumi is full of shit and calls him on it, particularly when he's being horny("But he's a guy! And also a computer program!" "Oh, that aspect is no problem." "That... aspect?").

Hifumi later goes on to work with Celeste to frame him for the murder of both Taka and himself. It's unclear if he had any resentment for Hiro or if he just agreed with Celeste that he'd make a good scapegoat.

5.3- Celestia Ludenberg

Celeste frames him for murder, despite the fact that they didn't have much interaction before then. Why Hiro, though?

"Because you're stupid." "That's it!?" "And in that regard, I made the right choice. I'm so glad your stupidity surpassed my every expectation. Life must have been tough on your parents, though." "I feel like I could cry..."

Not only is this one final dig from her before her execution, it's also just blatantly wrong. Not only was Hiro not there for the majority of the investigation(by her design), but the supposed stupidity of his character she's referencing had almost no effect on the investigation or trial. Rather, it was the assumptions of the rest of the cast that benefitted her, with characters like Hina and Byakuya going along with the same assumption she wanted them to. He was almost immediately proven innocent by Makoto, and was only considered a suspect because Celeste herself kept hounding the idea.

In short, this proved Celeste the idiot. She didn't know her opponent at all, and so she lost, lying about it to the bitter end.

5.4- Sakura Ogami

Hiro's lack of a significant relationship with her is more important than what they did have. Throughout THH, Hiro consistently refers to Sakura not by name, but by the demeaning nickname given to her online, 'Ogre', due to how physically imposing she is. As such, the two never really connect, and when she's outed by Monokuma as the spy, he turns against her immediately, even when they were relatively friendly with each other up until that point. He doesn't necessarily want to distrust her, but not only is her allegiance under fire, but he's already been betrayed and directly put in the line of fire once. He has to consider his safety first, so he cuts her out with the others, though he does say if she makes good on her assertion to defeat the mastermind, that he'll forgive her("If she really can beat the mastermind like she said, that'd go a long way in my mind...").

But even if he isn't condemning her to hell like Byakuya and Toko, he still doesn't know her. He never bothered to try. So when she invites him to talk, he stays on his guard. The game has rendered him unable to connect to her, and so when he hears her speak of 'ending everything', he can only assume the worst. And it leads him to open the case of Sakura's attacker- not Toko, not Jack, not Byakuya. Hiro starts it. And he carries that guilt into her trial.

5.4- Byakuya Togami, Aoi Asahina, Toko Fukawa, Genocide Jill

Hiro has a fairly antagonistic relationship with the other non-main-character survivors(and Byakuya, if you consider him one). The 5 of them spend most of the latter half of the game at each other's throats, often for miniscule, petty things. This is mostly used as a source of comedy, with each pointing out the others' flaws and making each other look dumb. However, when it comes down to it, they can get along and cooperate when it's important.

He gets along best with Hina, as both were part of the overarching group from the beginning, and both are consistently present whenever the group splits up(for example, before Chihiro's body is found). And because Toko and Jack follow Byakuya around, and Makoto and Kyoko are the main characters, the two of them end up as an unintentional pair when it comes to group dialogue, even ganging up on Byakuya or Toko when appropriate. That said, Hina doesn't like him much, either.

5.5- Kyoko

Kyoko acknowledges Hiro's attempts to become the leader of the class in Taka's absence, and uses him to communicate with the rest of the class about Alter Ego when necessary. He acts as her messenger, suggesting she trusted him to some extent, enough to let him be the messenger. Their relationship isn't expanded upon outside of this, though.

5.6- Makoto Naegi

Despite his mounting paranoia and trust issues in the previous chapters, Hiro is shown to trust Makoto specifically, likely because he was the one to prove his innocence in both chapter 3 and 4. He holds Makoto in high regard, enthusiastically agreeing with Kyoko to let him hold the knife in chapter 5 and attempting to explain the dismantling of Monokuma to him: "I'll explain what's goin' on, Makoto. Cuz that's how much I like ya! Byakuya found this li'l fella layin' around, then we tore it apart!" "That doesn't explain anything..."

Part 6- Hiro's Clairvoyance

Despite Hiro's claims of only having a 30% accuracy rating at best, his fortune-telling and bouts of clairvoyance are accurate a good few times in THH. I'm not doing the math to see if it actually falls between 20-30%, but it is enough to be significant.

In the prologue and 1st chapter, Hiro insists that the killing game must be a prank because of his total certainty that the execs of Hope's Peak were the ones who locked them in the school. This is revealed to be true in chapter 4, when Alter Ego reveals the Hope's Peak Headmaster planned the shelter, and the board signed off on it.

In his 1st FTE, Hiro reveals he's already seen that his and Makoto's paths intersect, and that the mother of their children is the same woman. This becomes true if you get the bad ending in chapter 5.

The chapter 2 cover art has Hiro holding a manga with Taka and Celeste covered in blood, with the number 2 beside Taka. This accurately depicts that Celeste would kill Taka in the following chapter, and that he'd be one of two victims of hers.

In the start of chapter 4, Hiro reveals a prediction that there won't be any more murders. This turns out to be true, as the only other deaths after this are both by suicide.

Hiro's wild guess about what started the Tragedy was later proven in the series to be correct repeatedly- Hope's Peak students' deaths started and continued the domino effect of the Tragedy. Hajime became Izuru due to Natsumi's and Sato's murders; the student council were all slaughtered inside the school as the beta kg; the Reserve Course students killed all the Main Course students that weren't either 77-B or 78-B, and then committed mass suicide via brainwashing. All the students were killed.

Part 7- An Inner Look

During THH, we get a look at both Hiro's bedroom and his locker in the main story. This gives us a unique glimpse into his mentality that we don't get with anyone else in THH.

Interestingly, his room and his locker are very different, despite them both containing his fortune-telling materials. In his bedroom, his books are stacked fairly neatly on the desk, and his divination tools are organized, being set on separate tables with a protective tablecloth underneath. The singing bowl and incense- which work for ambience- are kept on one desk in the back, while his cards and dice are kept on the main table in the middle of the room. Meanwhile, his locker has his books shoved awkwardly into the bottom, while his divination tools are all lumped together on the top and have no separation or organization. The locker's state even leads Makoto to say that its owner "probably has organization problems in every part of their life". This may suggest that his room is clean for the sake of potential customers, or just that the lack of space in the locker was inconvenient.

Part 8- Late Game Events

When chapter 5 opens, Hiro's 'dumb guy' shenanigans are cranked up to the max. While everyone's investigating the 5th floor, talking to Hiro in the garden reveals his conspiracy theory on the inevitable global domination of the world by plants. He also gets excited about the 5 chickens, claiming the number 5 to "contain the mysteries of the cosmos" and says it's a good omen.

When he tells the rest of the survivors about the garden, he decides he wants to use the lawnmower to create crop circles, as a signal for help. What he fails to realize is that there are no crops in the school, and that no one would be able to see them from above if there were. It's this moment that Hina points out how ridiculous he's getting:

"What the heck's happened to you...? You weren't like this in the beginning, you know." "Well back then my personality hadn't quite solidified yet...!" "I didn't think it was possible, but I'm more disappointed in you now than I've ever been..."

This suggests Hiro's characterization, from the ground up, was designed to be laughed at. (That's a surprise tool that will help us later.)

When the other survivors decide to dismantle Monokuma, Hiro is the one who actually undergoes the process of dismantling and opening him up, with the only one we see helping with the parts to be Toko. This puts him directly under fire if Monokuma wakes up and decides to punish the perpetrator. It's safe to assume this is why he and Toko were chosen by Byakuya to do the actual dismantling. He also goes on to be the one to get the TV working in the data center, suggesting some level of proficiency with technology that's never explored again.

When the 5th trial begins, Hiro's panicking, insisting that Kyoko is a ghost("she's like the latest evolution in ghost technology!") and has to be corrected before the actual trial can start.

When the final investigation begins, and Kyoko, Byakuya, and Toko have all gone off on their own, Hiro decides he's going to go off on his own as well, declaring he's going to use his "totally awesome spirit power to figure out the mastermind's identity!" This declaration goes nowhere, as he's the only survivor you don't need to talk to before Monokuma's clue, and his only dialogue before the trial is him avoiding you. This 'totally awesome spirit power' is never used in the final trial, either.

When the final trial begins, Hiro is the first to make the accusation Monokuma wanted- that he was the only innocent one, and that everyone else was working together. But when Hina and Byakuya piggyback off of him, he's the first to realize that they've all been given the same evidence. Simultaneously, somehow, he's the last one to realize the evidence is fake("Wh-what? Wait, hold on... This doesn't make any sense... How can the three of us each have that kind of evidence!?")

When Junko reveals the truth to everyone, he's the first to beg for mercy. He's brought to despair- "We get it... We get it, okay? You're totally awesome, right? We get it already! So help us! I'll do anything! Just help me!" "A peasant begging for his life? How delightful! We've never witnessed such a travesty firsthand..." But when Makoto fights back, he's also the first one to embrace hope(assuming you shoot the characters in the order they appear):

"But to live means moving forward, right...? So even if it's hard... even if we're scared... we don't have any choice, do we? I want to keep on living! I want to open the next door! There must be something new waiting for me! So that's why... That's why...! No matter what, I need to get out of here! The whole fortune-telling thing doesn't matter anymore! What matters is my own gut feelings! I... I've decided to have faith in myself!"

He, along with the other survivors, votes for hope. Junko is executed, and the seven of them leave together.

Part 9- Ultra Despair Hagakure (yes we have to talk about this)

TW: discussion of pedophilia and incest. Skip to part 9 if you need to(5 paragraphs down).

Ultra Despair Hagakure, or UDH, is the spinoff-spinoff LN unlocked by completing "spinoff" game Ultra Despair Girls. It follows Yasuhiro Hagakure in Towa City as he's saved by former captive Kanon Nakajima, and the two of them try to survive the Monokumas and find a way to escape. The novel's state of canon is unclear, but it doesn't directly contradict anything in the main series continuity in terms of plot progression.

The problem with UDH (well, for Hiro anyway. Kanon is a whole other can of worms for the Leonalysis) is that UDH establishes Hiro as a pedophile. Kanon is 15, and says as much in her internal dialogue, but Hiro(who introduces himself as mid-20s) spends the LN being attracted to her, and that attraction combined with his money-hunger pushes him to stick with her, hoping to squeeze money out of her rich father upon their escape. He describes her as 'the type to have a baby by 21', and there are multiple instances of him being turned on by her, either while she's fighting the Monokumas or when she ends up physically leaned against him. All around, it's just a really unfortunate choice they made for his character that serves nothing to the main plot besides acting as a way to emphasize how cute Kanon is. Why did they choose to have Hiro act in this way towards Kanon? Simple: UDH is a fetish novel.

UDH adds no significant development to the worldbuilding or its pre-established characters, with two exceptions- Hiro, and Leon. Both become victims of immoral fetish content, though Leon at least gets the shield of plausible deniability from an unreliable narrator. Hiro doesn't get that since we see his first-person perspective. The plot of UDH is structured around Kanon, despite its being named after Hiro, and centers on her feelings of lust and desire for a relationship, using the setting of UDG as a backdrop. Hiro is an older man than Kanon, and Leon is Kanon's cousin. Both of these characters had their names and base personalities recycled to act as her love interests, as an excuse to write fetish content. It's as simple as that. And Hiro in particular suffers because he's the living and present man of the two, so to make the content, he's given perverted, sexual thoughts about Kanon, a 15 year old girl, as a grown adult in his 20s, not because it's something Hiro would've done, but because it's part of the older-guy fetish. It's unnecessary for his character, and doesn't appear at all in the next and final appearance he has in the series, nor does it ever come up outside of this LN.

UDH is a dark spot on the history of Yasuhiro Hagakure, and one of dubious canon at that. But it's still important to acknowledge that was written and released as official content within the DR franchise, and therefore, must be part of this character dissection. Ultimately, I've come to the conclusion that, due to the entire LN being primarily fetish content, it can't in good conscience be held up as part of Yasuhiro's own character. However, it is reflective of Kodaka's lack of care in the treatment of Yasuhiro Hagakure as a character.

Part 10- Danganronpa 3: Future Arc

Hiro, alongside Makoto, Kyoko, and Hina, are brought back as part of the lineup for DR3's Future Arc, participating in a new killing game with 12 new characters.

10.1- Character Design Pt 2

Hiro's design is updated to his Future Foundation uniform, with his pant sleeves rolled up, his blazer over his shoulders, and a bright blue tie. His locs are now pulled back, he's wearing thin-wire glasses, and he's pictured holding his crystal ball(though again, it breaks in the 1st episode).

10.2- Hiro's Subplot

In the first episode of the Future Arc, Hiro's left out of the meeting by the others and told to wait outside. He's then left out of the killing game and locked outside the building by accident when the exits are blown up, and left to fend for himself in occasional clips for over half of the season until Byakuya shows up to break into the building.

His only role in the anime is an occasional cutaway to him wondering what's going on inside, only to be shot at by a helicopter with a machine gun and barely survive unscathed. The anime straight up tells the audience the reason for this in one of the opening recaps:

He's the only survivor from THH not to play a significant role as well, as Makoto, Kyoko, and Hina are active in the kg, Byakuya is the one to lead the rescue effort, and Toko and Jack get a dedicated episode in Towa City with Komaru to hunt down Monaca. All this to say, his occasional bit of barely surviving is all he gets in comparison, which isn't much.

10.3- Byakuya Togami

As the only character Hiro has significant interaction with in the season, the relationship between Hiro and Byakuya is mildly expanded upon. Once Byakuya arrives, Hiro immediately falls in line beside him, following orders to lay explosives and try to break into the building, complaining all the while as Byakuya watches and directs him. It's all reminiscent of their relationship at the endgame of THH; however, Byakuya appears to be more fond of Hiro at this point, stopping him from triggering the trap in the lobby and keeping him out of danger at his own risk. In that vein of logic, Hiro being told to stay outside by not only Byakuya, but also Makoto, Hina, and Kyoko wasn't because 'no one likes him', it was because of genuine concern that he'd get caught up in something that wasn't his fault. It was because they liked him that he was safe.

Part 11- Racism in Danganronpa

As we've seen, Hiro is a character without much of a story to talk about. He's got his bit moments, and a banterous dynamic with the other survivors from THH, but even in his own novel, he doesn't have his own plot to speak of, nor does he ever receive any significant character growth in 8 years of DR history by real-world years. He is wholly a gag character, meant to be messy, stupid, and altogether unimportant in comparison to the rest of the cast. And to call this anything other than flat-out racism would be flat-out ignorance.

First off, in a series with over 100 characters, Hiro is one of 3-4 characters who are canonically dark-skinned(I can't remember if Akane was dark-skinned or is in "it's just a tan" club with Hina, Sakura, Teruteru, and Gonta). Of those, he's one of two black men, and the other is a racist caricature whose sole purpose is to die in demonstration of a 'game mechanic'(Daisaku Bandai). So already, we can clearly see that black men, as well as any other dark-skinned characters, aren't prioritized in DR's narrative.

When it comes to Hiro specifically, though, the specifics of his character- his design, his backstory, and the perception the other characters have of him- all at least partially stem from blatantly racist stereotypes. It's not just a matter of lack of rep, it's a matter of stereotypical and often outright offensive representation.

Scroll back up to see Hiro's THH design again. He's dressed in multiple layers, making him look 'grungy', like he doesn't care about his appearance, and he's the only dark-skinned character to have a black hairstyle throughout the entire series. There's a point in the game where, if you choose to speak to him in a group setting, Genocide Jill refers to him as "Afro Thunder" as a derogatory remark. Even from a character that gives everyone nicknames, this is clearly racism, as the other nicknames are plays on the characters' names ('Big Mac' for Makoto, 'Tick Tock' for Taka, etc).

While the details of Hiro's backstory aren't fully expanded upon, we do have enough information from his mother, Hiroko, and some of his dialogue in THH to have enough of an idea. Hiroko was a teen mother, and considering Hiro is in his mid-20s(23 at the youngest) while Hiroko is around 36 during the events of UDG according to the UDG artbook, that would mean she had him at age 13, at the oldest. In addition, Hiroko isn't dark-skinned, meaning that either Hiro got his color solely from his father, or his mother was biracial and just didn't get those genes. In addition, we know that his father wasn't around for most of his life, as he left Hiroko for an unspecified act she 'let go on too long,' which implies infidelity. We do know his dad was around long enough for Hiro to remember him, though, as he's able to recall an instance where his father burned their house down due to smoking in bed. Now, this may be on me, but the implication all this seems to suggest is that his father, who would've been black, left his family and left the teen mother to raise Hiro on her own, and that the one depiction we receive of him paints him as irresponsible for causing a house fire. It's not expressly canon, but it's the implication the given information leaves for the player, and is eerily similar to the stereotype that black men are irresponsible and absent fathers that knock up younger women.

Throughout all of THH, Hiro is perceived as stupid. Just about every character that interacts with Hiro calls him an idiot at least once, and he's repeatedly portrayed as not understanding what's going on around him. The only character that's ever less aware than he is at any given time is Genocide Jack or Toko, and that's because the two don't share memories. In chapter 3, his supposed idiocy is emphasized as the reason Celeste targeted and pinned a double-murder on him, and how she was able to get away with framing him for so long. Almost everyone agreed with her that Hiro's idiocy explained away the flaws in logic from his perspective as a killer. Byakuya even says as such("He probably thought that if nobody saw his face, it wouldn't matter if he was seen. Because he's an idiot, you see."). He falls for every little lie Monokuma drops over the course of the game, to the point where he contradicts himself at the start of the final trial. There's a moment in chapter 5 where Hina goes on about how stupid he is, and asks him what 10+10 is. It offends him to the point he forgets what question she asked, and when he asks her to repeat herself, she just says "Don't worry. You've already answered it." Even Makoto, the POV character who we're meant to project ourselves as player onto, goes on about how stupid and disorganized he is at multiple instances when talking to him. Not only do the other characters perceive him as stupid, but the game wants you as player to perceive him as stupid, too, at the detriment of his own characterization as a successful and sleazy businessman who's made millions. Stupid, disorganized idiots who spend $1M on a glass ball aren't normally charismatic and clever enough to be making that much at such a young age from the ground up.

And maybe, maybe, if Hiro were the only instance where a dark-skinned character were subject to this volume of stereotypes, and the rest of the dark-skinned characters were all excellently developed and unique and well, not written consistently with racist tropes, then you could try to make the argument that this was by mistake. That it wasn't fully intentional, or that the creator was just trying to make a variety of characters, whatever. But every single dark-skinned (or tanned) character in the series suffers from some kind of racist trope. If it's not this, or being a blatant caricature like Bandai, it's being a monster brute who's viewed as an inhuman monster(Sakura, Gonta), it's being an islander cultist who follows some indigenous violent god(Angie), etc. The racism within Danganronpa's dark-skinned characters is inherently a part of their characters, to the point where you cannot separate the sins of the author from the character. Yasuhiro Hagakure is a byproduct of racism, and it holds him back as a character from being expanded upon outside of what the stereotype allows so long as he's written by his creators.

Part 12- Fortune Telling Does Matter (Why we should care)

We've now thoroughly dissected Yasuhiro Hagakure and his role, or often lqack thereof, in the story. He's a gag character built on racist tropes that the creator didn't give a fuck about, and was lent out for a fetish piece. He's an idiot, a useless guy whose own creator built to be pointed at and laughed at. Why should anyone care about Hiro? The answer comes in the epilogue of THH, from Hiro himself:

"...Ah! I get it now! If there's no road, you just gotta build one! Creation... Fate is telling me to remake the world! That's... my hope! I've reached the next stage! The next chapter of Yasuhiro Hagakure's Life Story is about to begin!"

'If there's no road, you just gotta build one.' Hiro was made with racism, yes, and went underused in the source material, but that doesn't mean that was all there was to his character. If you dig into the work, you'll find a passionate man that cares deeply for his interest in the unknown, someone who researches and collects artifacts in his free time, and who genuinely believes in his clairvoyance, and used that passion and belief to build a career and life for himself. The pieces are in place for his story to continue, and if the source material won't do it, then well, can't we? Danganronpa is known for its love and attention to detail of its characters. Each and every character is designed with the potential to become the protagonist of their own story. That includes Hiro. He does have the potential to rise past the source material in the right hands, and those could be your hands. Who's to say? Maybe there's some unwritten genius hidden within that next chapter. That's the beauty of fanwork; untapped potential can become a fan favorite if you know where to look.

Afterword

"Hey guys, Sayakanalysis is taking a while, I want an easy one next." Well look how that turned out. This shit was NOT easy, not by a long shot. I've come to the conclusion that there is no easy character to analyze in this godforsaken series

That said, I am happy with how this turned out. Even if Hiro is a bit all over the place, I genuinely like him a lot more now! There's actually a lot of fun to be had with his character if you're willing to look deeper into him; that's what I want people to take away from this

Anyways, it'll probably be a nice long wait for the next one because uh. Junko is next. And V3 is basically the only time she doesn't show up soooooooo hope you enjoyed catch ya later

[propheticeve]

Hoodoo divination practices

Venturing into the mystical realm of divination, the ancient art of peering into the future, reveals a diverse array of practices deeply ingrained in various cultures. It's high time, particularly for the Black community, to acquaint themselves with the unique divination methods intrinsic to Hoodoo.

First and foremost, it's vital to dispel the common misconception—Tarot is not a native element of Hoodoo. While incorporating Tarot into Hoodoo practices isn't inherently wrong, recognizing its newness to the tradition is crucial. Hoodoo, grounded in resourcefulness, thrives on utilizing what's at hand. Traditional Hoodoo divination paints a vibrant picture, involving practices such as water scrying, star gazing, dreams, visions, psychometry, conversations, and bibliomancy.

These practices aren't confined to rituals; they seamlessly weave into the fabric of everyday life for Black individuals. The prophetic nature of the community fosters an innate knowing that serves as a guiding force—a unique form of divination.

However, the dark era of slavery deprived practitioners of access to various tools later integrated into the Hoodoo system. As the tradition evolved, native tools emerged, including cartomancy, dice, dominoes, bone throwing, and automatic writing. Mastering a divination form native to the Hoodoo lineage is more than a choice; it's a pivotal step towards becoming a proficient practitioner.

Importantly, Hoodoos are advised against heavy reliance on tools. Instead, tools serve as confirmations, with the primary goal being the mastery of clairvoyant abilities as a prophet and psychic. This mastery stems from self-awareness, unwavering focus, and the ongoing journey toward self-mastery.

List of Hoodoo Divination Practices:

Water Scrying

Star Gazing

Dreams

Visions

Psychometry

Conversations

Bibliomancy

Cartomancy

Dice

Dominoes

Bone Throwing

In delving into Hoodoo divination, you'll find a connection that feels innate, paving the way for mastery and the ability to guide others.

Follow my social media Below for more interesting Hoodoo and esoteric facts, courses, and services!

@conjuhwoeman on twitter for my daily thoughts and downloads

@realconjuhwoeman on Instagram for photos

@mymindandmeinc on Instagram for my 501c3

@realconjuhwoeman on youtube for those of you who are visual learners!

Be sure to support My Mind and Me inc and Temple of Living Word LLC project The Peoples Praise House where we are raising a Building Fund for our home fot ATR practitioners to practice freely!

[silicon-tmblr]

Do go off about the logical fallacies in Chapter 4, I always thought something was off about it. I'm curious to know your thoughts

Oh... if you insist... (currently bouncing off the walls with excitement ask??? I love answering ask—) ahem.

I suppose I can categorize my perceptions of Chapter 4 into levels of objectivity, with the highest being "I'm sure anyone with reading comprehension can understand the point I'm making and how this logic plays out" and the lowest being "I'm just petty about this"

Disclaimer: I'm a Kokichi liker but I kinda bash the guy in here. I insist it's out of a sense of love, as in "why the hell did you do that you little—" (my point is maybe don't read this if you're too too attached to Kokichi and don't like the insinuation that he did some bad stuff. Generally I assume this is a safe topic though.)

Let's start with my most objective take!

The murder setup was kinda garbage (might rephrase this heading later) (I didn't. fight me)

I know this sounds like opinion but hear me out. This is where the phrase "logical fallacy" really comes into play.

Let's outline Chapter 4 real quick. Miu is planning to kill Kokichi, and obviously Kokichi doesn't want this.

What are Kokichi's options from here? Apparently, one of them is reusing the motive from earlier in the chapter (the truth of the outside world) on Gonta to convince him to kill Miu under the guise of a mercy kill plan. This way, Kokichi doesn't die. This is what happens.

There's a lot to be speculated about regarding Kokichi's motivation for enacting this plan, but let's take the view that, first and foremost, Kokichi did not want to die to Miu.

With that out of the way, let's move on to the next piece of this defective puzzle: Miu's motive. We can cover this in two parts:

Part 1: Miu wants to kill Kokichi to escape the academy.

We can assume this much because she tried to set up a murder that would be near impossible to solve, as she would have had power over all the information available regarding the workings of the virtual world.

Kokichi makes the point in trial 4 that Miu coerced everyone to enter the virtual world so that she could manipulate the setting of the crime completely. She wanted to set up a murder that looked like it could only have happened in real life, while withholding the information that would reveal it was possible in the virtual world.

Kokichi was the only one who knew quite a few of the finer details that allowed case 4 to be solved, and she planned to kill him anyway, meaning these details wouldn't have come to light. Since her intent was an unsolvable murder, she wanted to get away with it and escape.

Part 2: For what reason did Miu want to escape?

We can see that she wanted to change the outside world with her inventions based on her own words in Chapter 4. In a flashback of the moments before she was killed, seen in the Chapter 4 post-trial, she explains this explicitly.

Her belief is that the outside world can be saved if she can only escape back out into it. She believes this is her duty as the Ultimate Inventor.

And finally, we reach the point that the logical fallacy falls into place. If we first assume that Kokichi Oma is a cunning individual who plans things out meticulously and considers all possibilities (thus allowing him to do ridiculously clever things like plan his own, truly unsolvable murder and write an entire script of dialogue for Kaito to use in trial 5), then we can assume that his actions in Chapter 4 are reflective of what he views as his optimal plan.

And yes, in-game evidence shows that we are, in fact, to believe that Kokichi Oma is inhumanly smart and analytical. A script. A SCRIPT, with lines for every possibility he could possibly envision. It's a freaking tome of borderline clairvoyance ahksfwosfawei (as you may notice I do not like the existence of Kokichi's script. A SCRIPT. I may be a Kokichi liker but am I really supposed to believe he's a freaking clairvoyant????? like can't you clairvoyant the end of the killing game bro????? and I adfkaweoiefdfshkj)

See, the thing is... Kokichi's optimal plan, having Gonta murder Miu... is... not... optimal...

There's an alternative solution. All the pieces are in place for it to work. And the salt in the wound, the twist of the knife...

...Is that Kokichi himself already knew the mechanism I'm about to propose.

If Kokichi wanted to survive Chapter 4, he could have removed Miu's motive to leave.

Using the already planted Flashback Light in the Virtual World which contained the memories of the true outside world, Kokichi could have demotivated Miu from even killing him. Her motive was saving the outside world, and Kokichi had what would have been irrefutable evidence that the outside world was unsaveable.

This logical fallacy could be explained by reasoning that Kokichi's motive for having Miu killed was not only to survive, but what then? What would Kokichi's motive have been otherwise? Maintaining a mastermind act?

Why would he even need to do that if he could have lobotomized the killing game by letting everyone find the Flashback Light in Chapter 4 to begin with?

Maybe that means the logical fallacy stems from the ultimate use of the outside world motive in Chapter 5, when the truth of the outside world is used by Kokichi to demotivate the entire group. If, say, seeing the outside world led everyone to become bloodthirsty for some reason (?) then I guess that dodges the fallacy?(??????) It's just kind of a garbage motive in general... it didn't even work as a motive when Kokichi used it, and it demotivated the others. Makes you wonder why it was even included.

I guess my point is that the logic really doesn't add up in Chapter 4 and 5 in exchange for some thoughtless added drama. Y'know, typical writing issues stuff.

Um... I spent quite a while writing this one part up, and this is the view that I care about most, so I might split the others into another post, if I even do another one.

In case I don't, I'll just do a quick overview because they're really not nearly as necessary to explain in depth:

The cord switching bit. With the rest of the Virtual World segment riffing off of games and gaming knowledge, the dissolution of suspension of disbelief hit me like a truck when I was told to believe that Gonta reversed the cords and the whole thing basically ran fine, with just the one issue of memories not transferring back. I... am a modder. I type C007_Ki-bo instead of C007_Ki-Bo, the game crashes. Hell, even without being a modder, I have a drawing tablet with 3 cords and if I don't plug them in right, it won't do anything (duh). No way am I buying this.

Not a logical fallacy, but more of a story writing shortcoming. It kinda sucks that Gonta barely had a substantial role in this chapter despite being the culprit. He didn't plan the murder he committed, and he didn't defend himself for the murder he committed. I get that the idea was probably to make a case centered around Kokichi more than Gonta, but (and I say this as a Kokichi liker) we see enough of Mister Oma as it is. Too much, maybe even. (I mean Kokichi has Chapter 5. He DIES in the Chapter 5 case but still plays a role in the trial. And we're really gonna just have him take over trial 4 when Gonta isn't seen for the rest of the game?)

(content: discontent towards Kaito) Also not a logical fallacy. Maybe not that much of a fallacy at all. I might just be petty but I thought Kaito was cringe the whole time. (okay me and Seb literally had to get up, close the game, and go take a walk outside because we were losing it from everything Kaito was saying. DO YOU???? NOT KNOW WHAT A HYPOCRITE IS????????)

A bit of a shill I guess, but I did write two fanfics which were heavily influenced by my views on chapters 4 and 5, which tried to remedy these fallacies and others in V3. Canon-compliant Bloodied Hands renders Tsumugi the ultimate mastermind behind every murder (not just Rantaro's) with her dramatic meddling leading to the emergence of V3's logical fallacies, while The World is His takes the same premise, just diverging from canon such that Kokichi lives.

[majorbaby]

re: the clairvoyant corporal

first and foremost it’s a running gag that henry and radar, as a seamless comedic duo, get a ton of mileage out of. i know that, but whatever: 

radar isn’t psychic, he’s just got his finger on the pulse of the war. his finger was nailed into place there by the united states army. he’s knows the ins and the outs of the 4077th, its various schedules, its needs, strengths and weaknesses. he could run it with his eyes closed. he’s not psychic, but he can read the war’s mind, like you and your best friend can communicate telepathically. 

he adjusts well to the 4077th because he’s good at adjusting. he’s a farm boy, so he’s accustomed to being in an environment that needs to run on a strict schedule. he’s from a rural america, so he’s accustomed to being stepped on and underestimated by enlightened middle class urbanites. sometimes he follows their example, falling into the trap of mistreating others he perceives as being beneath him. 

he’s versatile. he’s scrappy. he’s a good kid. sometimes he’s a bad kid. he’s a kid. 

he’s susceptible to being taken advantage of by people he cares about or looks up to. sometimes he has to trust that they won’t take it too far. he’s not stupid. he’s not a doctor, but he can do a lot of things the doctors can’t. administrative personnel are pillars of our society to this day. he’s a kid.

he organizes the enlisted men. he knows the fastest way to get under hawkeye’s skin is to treat him and trapper like officers. hawkeye disagrees in theory that the o-club should be closed to enlisted men, but radar forces his hand and makes hawkeye put it into practice. he knows the people in his unit. he knows the war. 

he puts too much weight on hawkeye’s shoulders. he’s not alone in that, he’s just the only one with an episode about it. he’s too old for hero-worship, but he’s younger than the rest. they all could stand to do better by hawkeye. 

maybe he is a little psychic, in the fantastical sense of the word. maybe he stills when he senses approaching choppers the way bugs and animals still when they sense approaching storms. when they (bugs, animals, people) realize what comes after the stillness, everyone scrambles into place. 

[cogentsummoner]

art by @jellijeans!

i thought these were such a cute idea, i had to make one of my own. behold, cassandra lulley! the main oc in my hello, clairvoyant (tmnt 2012) au, he takes on a motherly role to the turtles and is very close friends with splinter. he and splinter later start dating, but that's built on a rock solid friendship first and foremost.

cassandra is the titular clairvoyant, and is an alien in hiding on earth, recovering after a traumatic event. she takes to using her powers of foresight to help people, and one of those people ends up being splinter. the first fic in the series, "hello, clairvoyant? humanoid rat speaking." is all about them meeting and becoming friends.

anyways! vote for hello, clairvoyant? in @tmntaucompetition!

[runawrites-blog]

Quiet (Bucky Barnes x Reader)

Summary: You are a clairvoyant and have a horrible vision of Bucky’s death during the snap. Bucky is there to calm you down but you fear that this vision might just come true. (Gender Neutral Reader) Word Count: 1,372 Warnings: Nightmares, Referenced Character Death/ Character Death in a Dream, Mild Violence, Spontaneous Marriage Proposal, No Use of Y/N, Petnames (Doll, Love) Crossposted on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20083009

--- Everything went quiet.

Then suddenly, noises started to break through the silence as people began to call out to one another and exclaim their terror. You turned your head and saw people slowly starting to turn to dust.

The first thing you did was look for Bucky. Once you’ve spotted him you ran over to him, falling into his arms. “Bucky, what is happening?”

“He won.” Bucky whispered softly. “Half of the universe is going to turn to dust.”

You closed your eyes in fear, holding onto Bucky tightly. Bucky slowly moved his hands to your back and held you. You stood like this for a few seconds before you heard the man gasp.

In absolute horror, you looked up to see that Bucky was turning to dust right between your fingers. The love of your life was turning to dust right in front of your very eyes and there was nothing in all of the universe that you could do.

“Bucky, please.” You whispered, tears in your eyes. “This can’t be happening!”

“Love, you will be fine.” He said quietly as you watched his arms turn to dust. “Don’t be afraid. You will be fine.”

Those were the last worst you heard him say because just after that he turned to dust completely. In a panic, you tried to grasp the dust. You didn’t know why but you just felt like you had to hold onto some part of him, if only a speck of dust. Tears ran down your cheeks as you tried but failed to catch the remnants of Bucky, the wind blowing them away.

“No!” You wailed, falling to your knees. “No, please so.”

Someone called out your name and when you turned Steve was at your side. “Is Bucky--”

“Yes!” You sobbed out, nodding your head. “I was holding him a second ago and now-- now he is gone!”

Steve did his best to comfort you, despite his own grief. He was mourning his friends and you knew it but you were thankful for him trying to be there for you, so you simply leaned into his side. It was a small comfort to know that you still had some of your friends left and that they actually cared about you.

But in all honesty, nothing really mattered anymore. Bucky was gone.

---

Your head shot up and you blinked a few times. Bucky was looking at you in shock from where he was sitting in his hut. You were currently visiting him in Wakanda and apparently, the two of you had just eaten dinner when your vision had hit you.

“Love, are you with me again? You were gone there for a second.”

“Yes, I’m sorry. I--”

“Did you have a vision?” He asked quietly. “What about?”

"I don't want to say it."

"Saying it won't make it come true, Doll."

“He won and everyone turned to dust.” You whispered, swallowing against the lump in your throat. “Even you.”

“Alright, doll.” Bucky sat down right next to you. “Listen to me now. That may have been one possible future but every choice we make can change that.”

“Really?”

“We’ll defeat him.” Bucky said quietly. “I’m just wondering when Steve is gonna be here.”

“Me, too. I just hope that we can help him. and the others.”

“I hope so, too.” Bucky looked at you. “Doll, can you promise me that you will look out for yourself first and foremost?”

“I can try but if he as much as looks at you the wrong way, I will not hesitate to attack him.” You shook your head. “Not after-- I can’t leave you alone after what I saw in my vision.”

“What exactly happened?”

Tears sprung to your eyes and you shut them tightly. It didn’t stop the tears from flowing but it stopped you from seeing Bucky’s reaction. “We were fighting his army and he wasn't really around. I don’t know where he was but he won. And then suddenly everyone disappeared. I held you so tightly but you disappeared.”

Bucky nodded, listening to you carefully before inching closer and putting his hand on your shoulder. “Love, we will all be fine. So many good, capable people are joining us in the fight.”

“He has an army.”

“We have one, too.”

“How can you be so sure that we'll be fine?” You sobbed out. “You’re not a clairvoyant, are you?”

“No, but I’m trying to be an optimist.” He said quietly, reaching out to take your hand. “You trust me, don’t you, Doll?”

“Yes, of course, Sweetheart.” You swallowed thickly. “It was just so horrible. Everything went quiet and at that moment in my vision I knew he had won, I knew that something was off. I cannot bear to see you all go. And most of all I cannot bear to see you go.”

“I won’t go. Not now and not ever.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” He then chuckled softly, trying to cheer you up. “After all, if I was gone who would try to keep you in check? I swear you’re just as bad as Steve, so neither of you can be trusted to keep the other out of trouble.”

You couldn't help but laugh at that and when you saw his proud expression at making you laugh a smile overtook your features.

“I’m glad to have you, Bucky.”

---

The battle was in full action and you were dodging knives and bullets left and right. You had never been a fighter but you knew how to defend yourself and you intended to make use of that knowledge. Of course, you weren’t a god, an assassin, or a superhero in high-tech armour but you knew a thing or two about how to fight.

You rammed your dagger into another man’s heart, pulling back and grunting in exhaustion. You spared a look at Bucky and swallowed. He seemed bad off, trying to fight back an avalanche of attackers.

Without a second thought, you ran over to him and helped him out. He looked at you in shock, obviously not happy about you fighting off this storm of bad guys with him. But you didn’t care. If you were to die trying to protect him, so be it.

As you sliced the head of another person, Bucky spoke up. “You know, I always loved how despite your powers being so passive, you chose to fight back instead of doing nothing.”

“I know what’s right and I will fight for it.” You kicked a woman off of you. “And what he’s trying to do is not right.”

“Love, once all of this is over, would you stay with me?” Bucky asked you as he shot two people before they could attack you. "Would you stay by my side?"

“Thanks.” You gasped out as you dodged another bullet. “I would love to stay with you. I always dreamed of spending my life with you.”

“Then we should do that. We should spend our life together. No one knows what the future brings and I want to face it with you.” He gave you a small smile while he continued to fight. “We should make that official.”

“James Buchanan Barnes, are you proposing to me in the middle of slicing through aliens?”

“It’s as good a time as any, Doll.” He joked, shooting someone that came to attack you. “I love you and you love me. We should make it official. But I could always do something more romantic if you want me to.”

“No.” You chuckled softly. “This is as perfect as it gets. As long as I get to be with you, nothing else matters.”

“Funny, I was just thinking the same thing.” He smiled a little, turning his head to you for a second. “Now go and help the others. I’ll be fine.”

You gave him one last smile and then headed off. Just as you were about to stab a man who was attacking Clint, you stopped in your tracks. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. It took you a second to realise what was so off but when you did, your heart dropped.

The noises of battle had vanished. There was only one thing you heard.

Quiet.

[nobodybelivesimstraight]

SAIKI K WITH A CRUSH HEADCANNONS

Genre: Fluff, Friends to lovers vibe, saikis awkward ngl.

Wordcount: 1090

Warnings: talk of food(Bullet 12,13,15,16 and 17,) slight implication(but not intended) over-achievement issues(Bullet 18 and 21) btw /j means joke.

E N J O Y:)

Intended for: it's intended for NBLM(Non binary loving men) but no pronouns are used so anyone can read but be respectful and understand this is meant for NON BINARY people. Cause there are also a couple implications that it's for non-binarys so don't be mad.

First and foremost this man could care less about gender heck it's not like he can even see it.

Listen bro we got to start this off by bro never thought he'd ever be even remotely attracted to somebody let alone wanna be in a relationship.

Man would have no clue what to do with himself he's never even thought about liking somebody how could he ever date them.

Never been In a relationship before so like 88% of his knowledge Is from what he's seen in shojo mangas and shows.

No he would not take ANY advice from his friends cause he knows they'd come up with the stupidest things known to man kind.

Thought about asking Teruhashi but decided against it since she would probably think it's a plan to ask her out.

He would probably first developed interest in you because of how normal you are and than after......

I feel like he'd be some what nervous talking to you and would definitely read your mind to see how you feel about him before making any moves Whatsoever.

He will use your mind against you.

But not in a bad way he'll use it to see what you like what you don't and what type of gifts to maybe get you.

Anonymously ofc.

For examples on Valentine's day he'll get you candy he knows you like cause he read your mind.

And on white day since you don't know who gave you the candy you'll put then on your desk hoping the person whom there for gets them. 🔫🤭

Which he does.

Even if he doesn't like the candy he'll still take it.

May even still eat it.

Will leave you little notes saying "thanks for the candy" and/or "I got them thank you".

Sometimes if he notices your having a bad day or nervous for/failed a test he'll go up to you a try to comfort you.

Keyword: Try.

And If you didn't get a good score on a test he'll change for you.

He loves the way your face brightness up when you see you didn't end up being the reason Mrs Chonyun hates her job. (Even though we all know it's nendou).

Will compliment you.

Wether it be about your outfits your intelligence or just random quirks of yours hell compliment it if he feels like it.

Extremely attentive you can't hide anything from this kid(and I mean anything).

If your friends with his friends he'd go to group hang outs with them just to see you(as if he doesn't already get dragged along any ways).

If not he'd probably use clairvoyance to "coincidentally" run into you in the hallways.

Would make the slightest attempt at socialism with you.

He's never been one to initiate conversations so he would be kinda awkward but trys his best.

Would either split or buy coffee jelly with/for you but no he'd never fully give you his. (he doesn’t love you that much/j)

He wouldn't make any moves on you in public cause well..... Privacy.

But In private that's a different story, he'd try all the body languages if man had led lights he'd turn them slightly red you know?

He wouldn't use any pick up lines tho because he thinks there cringy and dumb.

Hes not really the type to shy away from his feelings but he his the type to be completely obvious to what's happening to him.

But dw once he finds out and/or understands he'll make some moves(maybe even say oh wow to you/j yournotTeruhashi)

He'd confess....................Eventually.

Scratch that he'd read your mind and depending on how you think about him and your likeness chart toward him he'd confess(if you don't know it's the chart that was mentioned in the volleyball episode and valentines day episode show how much a person likes you thing).

Again this guy has never been on contact with any romantic feelings for anyone before so he lowkey as no idea what he's doing.

The way he confesses to you is probably by giving you a note to meet him behind the school.

He's blunt.

Like super blunt (it's saiki what did you expect🤨).

The way he confesses is Litterally just a "I like you" in the most monotone voice known to man kind.

And no, against popular belief (apparently) my man saiki here isn't that expressionful.

He's deadarse looking directly into your soul while he confesses his feelings to you.

You say yes cause you love him obviously🔫🙂.

And he hold his hand out for you to hold for a little bit.

He thinks things that require physical contact Ex: holding hands, hugging, hand around shoulder. Things like that are intimate and romantic.

He just wants to touch you tbh.

He then pulls away and offers to walk you home.

You say yes🔫😊.

He walks you home and you two talk about swaggy things like school, cyborg cider man number 2, the kid next door, how dumb his friends can be, how you both are like the only two people in the school who aren't head over heels for Teruhashi.

You know just chillin with each other.

You guys get your house and he waves good bye to you giving you one of his very rare smiles.

He waits till you get inside your house to walk away because there are crazy people out here.

All in all he's happy you like him.

your happy he likes you🔫😃.

You two are a power duo.

◡̈⋆🄷🄴🅈(●’◡’●)ﾉ it's me this wasn't a request I just wanted to to this. I'll probably do a continuation to this about my head-cannons of what dating saiki would be like. Until then have a good day and stay cool bro😎.

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ᵇᵗʷ thank you for 33 likes on my last post it's highly appreciated. Also this is quite a colorful one cause I like color some kid saw me working on this in a coffee shop and asked if I was gay. I'm not btw I just like✨c O l O r✨

[mahayanapilgrim]

Ten Principal Disciples of Lord Buddha: Torchbearers of Dharma

The life of Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, is synonymous with the profound purpose of alleviating the suffering of all sentient beings. During his forty-five years of earthly existence, the Buddha encountered numerous individuals, and his transformative interactions inspired many to become his disciples. Among the multitude who embraced his teachings, ten disciples emerged as the principal torchbearers of Lord Buddha's dharma, carrying forth the essence of enlightenment far and wide.

1. **Sariputra (Upatissa):** Renowned as one of the two chief male disciples, Sariputra, also known as Upatissa, shared this eminent position with Moggallana. Born on the same day as Moggallana, Sariputra attained Nirvana and became an Arhat, celebrated for being "Foremost in Wisdom." His profound understanding earned him praise from the Buddha, and his wisdom became a guiding light for future generations.

2. **Moggallana (Maudgalyayana):** A close friend of Sariputra, Moggallana, also known as Maudgalyayana, stood as the other chief male disciple of Lord Buddha. Endowed with transcendental powers, Moggallana, depicted with a dark complexion, played a crucial role in aiding people through his psychic abilities. His passing, occurring two weeks after Sariputra's death, marked the end of an era.

3. **Mahakasyapa:** Revered for his ascetic practices, Mahakasyapa emerged as a key figure in the post-Buddha era. Following the Buddha's final nirvana, Mahakasyapa and 500 disciples compiled Buddha's Suttas, assuming leadership of the Sangha. As the "father of sangha," Mahakasyapa became the first to directly preach the teachings and sutras of the Buddha.

4. **Subhuti:** As one of the ten Great Disciples, Subhuti stood out for his deep understanding of the doctrine of emptiness. Mentioned in the Prajnaparamita of Mahayana Buddhism, Subhuti's prominence lay in grasping the profound concept of emptiness, contributing to the expansive tapestry of Buddhist thought.

5. **Purna Maitrayani-Putra:** Known for his enthusiastic preaching, Purna, also called Purna Maitrayani-Putra, dedicated himself to ensuring the future of Buddhism. While there is no evidence of his Nirvana, Purna's focus on spreading the seeds of Buddhism and serving the public underscored his commitment to the Buddha's teachings.

6. **Katyayana (Mahakatyayana):** Distinguished as foremost in spreading the Dharma, Katyayana played a pivotal role in disseminating the teachings of Lord Buddha. His profound understanding of Buddha's lectures positioned him as a key figure in the transmission of the Dharma.

7. **Anuradha:** A cousin of Shakyamuni Buddha, Anuradha, alongside Ananda, became a disciple of Lord Buddha. Renowned for his divine insight and mastery of clairvoyance, Anuradha's journey included a self-imposed vow not to sleep, leading to the loss of his sight. Later, he regained vision, believed to possess the power to perceive truth.

8. **Upali:** Originating from the lowest class of Indian society and working as a barber, Upali's journey to discipleship was marked by hesitancy. Foremost in observing precepts, Upali joined Lord Buddha when he was cutting his hair. Later, Upali's transformation led him to become an Arhat, chief disciple, and a key figure in the development of the Vinaya School.

9. **Rahula:** The only son of Shakyamuni Buddha before his enlightenment, Rahula became a monk at a young age. Achieving Enlightenment at 18, Rahula's early entry into monkhood and subsequent spiritual attainment marked him as one of the Ten Great Disciples.

10. **Ananda:** Renowned for his exceptional hearing of Buddha's teachings, Ananda, alongside Anuradha, was a cousin of Lord Buddha and became a disciple simultaneously. The term "Ananda" meaning "great delight" epitomized his role as the caretaker of Lord Buddha for 25 years, illustrating his unwavering dedication to preserving and disseminating the Buddha's words.

These Ten Principal Disciples of Lord Buddha, each excelling in distinct qualities, became pillars of Buddhism, ensuring the propagation of the dharma and the enlightenment path for generations to come.

[forwhump]

do you know that "call me beep beep me" is a very popular text fic in the voltron fandom (i think it's at the top of the kudos page for klance, from memory)

also love your writing just binged all of it i would love some povs from other people in the unit (hal or june maybe?) on wren specifically

first & foremost thank you !!!!!!!!! thank you so so much :’)

second i didn’t but i have a really weird knack for making on the nose references to fandoms im not in 😭 im like clairvoyant but in the least useful way imaginable LOL

& also this is a GOOD ASS REQUEST btw i loooooooove my outside pov’s 🤩<3 it’ll be up next !!

[multicolour-ink]

I- don't know why a Star Wars AU never occurred to me as a massive fan! I come to your inbox as a Resident SW Nerd™ to absolutely info dump about George's six films. For your AU, how it'd play out would really depend on what part of the timeline you're going for. If it's during the Original Trilogy (Episodes 4-6), the Jedi are all dead and gone save for Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke was sent to live with his aunt and uncle, and Leia was sent to the Organas. Both were meant to stay hidden from their father, Anakin, who became Darth Vader. They were deemed the last hopes for the galaxy to be re-balanced and so had to grow up in hiding. Heck, Obi-Wan and Yoda both had to keep exceedingly low profile to avoid the Empire catching on. I'd argue Obi-Wan never would've taught Luke anything had he not gotten Leia's message from R2-D2, begging him for help. That message set fate into motion. I'm sure mentally, Obi-Wan was going 'Heavens, not again.' Poor guy couldn't escape Skywalker Antics til the day he died. Literally.

Now, if you set this idea in the Prequel Trilogy era (Episodes 1-3) or before it, then the gates are kinda wide open in terms of what you can do??? During the prequels, the biggest thing going on in the galaxy is the Clone War. It's a massive-scale thing, encompassing pretty much all of known space, and it was all put into motion by Darth Sidious/Chancellor Palpatine. He did it to create the Galactic Empire, to be Emperor and hold all the power for himself. By this point, the Jedi have been sucked into fighting in the Clone War when they're meant only to be peacekeepers. They lose their way. They become hypocritical and jaded as a whole. And from the moment Qui-Gon Jinn brings Anakin to them, they act like total jerks. He's too old to be trained, they say. He's too attached to his mother, they say. And then when he's the most powerful Jedi they have, they're threatened by him. And yet they don't allow him to form attachments and love in healthy ways, they don't counsel him when he needs it most in ways that could've helped him. They only tell him what he shouldn't and can't do, or how it's wrong to think/do X, Y, Z. They're harsh and inflexible. Had Qui-Gon lived, he probably would've turned out alright. But he didn't, and it fell to Obi-Wan to train him. Obi-Wan was a pretty by-the-books sort of fellow, and so didn't really know how to guide Anakin in ways he needed. If we roll back further still, the Jedi often tried to do something about people they felt were threats to themselves within their own organization. In Knights of the Old Republic, for example, you play as a character you come to learn was power nerfed AND memory-wiped because you were once a Jedi and became a Sith. It's been ages, so I forget if there's dialogue options to react positively and negatively to that fact. I think there was though. For sure you can choose to stay with the light or go right back to being evil. Anyways, I can't say it's out of the realm of possibility that the Jedi would cast infants into exile or otherwise try to stifle their power if they had an alarming potential of being threats in the future. The foremost way Jedi would determine such a thing in the first place would be if one of their own was especially good at precognition. Almost like a fortune-teller, or clairvoyant of sorts? Basically whoever can see into the future and be pretty much always on the money. Of course- the future is ever-shifting, hard to really see with certainty. Often, if and when the Jedi try to stop something from happening by any means necessary, it happens. The Order did everything to try and make sure Anakin didn't become Sith, but he did. Anakin tried way too hard to keep Padmé alive, she died because of him. Stuff like that.

ANYWAYS THAT'S SOME SEMI LIGHT READING AND KNOWLEDGE ON STAR WARS I'M GLAD I GOT TO SHARE ALL OF THAT WITH YOU.

Star Wars AU

Thank you for that info dump, @timid-plumber . It's always nice to have one with actual knowledge on Star Wars contribute to the AU, considering I only know the barebones of it 🤭

Note: TW for death during childbirth

For the AU, Pio and Mia's story takes place in the time set in the prequel trilogy, while the events with the bros happen during the original trilogy. Sure there are some roles that are different from the source material, but I argue that does make the AU its own thing somewhat.

For example: my idea of the AU was that (during Pio and Mia's story) the Koopas are ever more on the rise with the help of their powerful King, Bowser's father. During these early days, King Koopa Sr is training his very young son how to rule when he takes over, which of course means the Jedi want to stop them as soon as possible before this happens.

Long story short, it all fails. I don't have the necessary details figured out, but I imagine that at some point, Pio and King Koopa Sr battle it out, and Koopa Sr and Pio are killed in the struggle. Leaving Bowser an orphan and taken away by Kamek and the Toadies for his safety. Meanwhile, a heavily pregnant Mia hears of her husband's death, and attempts to flee the base they are on, before it's attacked by the koopa army. During the escape, Mia is gravely injured, then goes into labour not long after. She safely delivers two healthy baby boys, but succumbs to her injuries and dies, leaving her children orphans as well.

The Jedi at this point know that the koopas will be looking for these two, plus one of the Jedi wizards, Merlon (who let's just say is the Yoda and/or Obi Wan in this AU) can sense that there is great force power with these twins. Knowing the koopas don't know there's twins, the decision is made to split them up, in order to lower the chances of the koopas finding them.

[infjtarot]

Moon. Mystic Spiral Tarot.

Themes and Keywords: Illusions. Subconscious realms. End of the zodiac. Witchcraft. The Crone. Taboo. Cycles, especially women’s cycles. Fear of the feminine powers. Fluctuations. Changability/unreliability. Madness. Paradox. Sleep. Dreams true and false. Illness. Non-ordinary realities. Altered consciousness. Astrology/Element At the end of the zodiac we come to mutable water, Pisces the Fish. Mutable water is morphing, impressionable. Here at the last of the signs we come to the “dustbin” where unfinished karma and all of the accumulated debris of the human experience accumulates. Secrets swim in its waters. Pisces is the sign of the subconscious realms, the home of mediums, mystics, mediators, and monastics. Extremely sensitive to the currents of the emotional realm, Pisces are receivers of every vibration. Pisces is a sign of contemplatives, clairvoyants, and other travelers of the subliminal realms like artists of visions, music, theatre, and film. Pisces’s motto is “I believe.” This can be faith or folly. Pisces is also known as a psychic sponge, needing to retreat from the world to purify itself. It has a tendency to escapism, avoidance, and overindulgent wallowing in senses. Temple or tavern? Serve or suffer? The fish can be slippery and water is wet. Pisces is hard to understand. Its glyph is two fishes tied together, swimming in different directions. The one that swims downstream is said to be the finite personality, while the other swims upstream and is the infinite soul of cosmic consciousness. Which fish will lead and which will submit to the stream? Jupiter rules Pisces, making them intrepid psychic explorers of the dream world and subconscious realms. Venus is exalted in the sign, giving universal love and compassion. Nebulous Neptune, the modern ruler, is the “higher octave” of Venus, allowing for the highest forms of self-sacrifice and transcendence, as well as themes of imagination, inspiration, fantasy, and deceit. Mythology/Alchemy The dog and wolf of the Waite-Smith card become Anubis and the older deity Wepwawet in the Thoth deck. Both of these Egyptian gods have ties with the underworld and with secrets, thresholds, and secret places. Anubis is the Greek name for the Egyptian god Anpu, who was shown either in canine form or as a man with the head of a black dog. He was called “Foremost of the Westerners” (the dead) and “Master of Secrets.” Wepwawet, also known as Upuaut, was depicted in jackal or wolf form or as a man with a jackal’s head. They are often confused with each other. Both were symbolically colored black and carried the was-sceptre with the head of the Set animal. Both were considered either sons of Ra, of Set, or of Osiris with either Isis or Nephthys. Both are involved with leading the departed souls to Ma’at’s Hall of Two Truths for the judgment and weighing of the heart test.

Together they are the loyal dog and the wily jackal. Anubis is the “Guardian of the Way” to the underworld and Wepwawet is the “Opener of the Way.” As guardian, Anubis is a protective influence over more than just souls. As opener, Wepwawet opens more than just the underworld, but also possibilities and paths external and internal. Wepwawet also opened the way for the sun as he rode in the prow of the solar barque, and he is considered a revealer of religious mysteries and secret initiations. Susan T. Chang

[prayertorn]

𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐣𝐚𝐬𝐰𝐲𝐧'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 + 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞? —

𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 . . . with a calm enough space, and a lot of focus, jaswyn is able to enter a void in her mind, and see anything happening in current time surrounding people she is aware of. this can include people she's met once, has seen on television, in a newspaper, etc. etc. this is similar to the sponsored psychic spying of the US during the Cold War. the void in jaswyn's mind is not black emptiness, however, and does manifest as an abandoned barn before warping into a subway system that she uses to travel. (as described in my first lore drop.)

𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐯𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 . . . while remote viewing is a subpower of clairvoyance, there is one other piece of this power that jaswyn is able to practice. sometimes, she can look at someone and just know something. as she's not very confident in her powers yet, due to being unpracticed, she is likely to second guess conclusions this power has drawn for her. however, if someone is supernaturally, divinely, cosmically, or infernally gifted, she will have a sense of that. her clairvoyance also makes her extremely keen to sensing someone's strong emotions.

𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 . . . or more specifically, dream walking. using the same subway system in her void, jaswyn is able to visit other people's consciousness when they are dreaming. she can control whether or not she is seen in this dreams, but while in them, she's able to manipulate the energy + change them. if someone she cares about is experiencing traumatic dreams, she can change the direction of the dream to something lighter and softer. as she continues to use this power, it is possible her astral projection can develop but for right now, i'm gonna nerf this chick at that.

𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 . . . jaswyn is able to manipulate and move matter with her mind. jaswyn affectionately calls this gift "this force" as she is a nerd, first and foremost, but this was one of the first abilities that developed. for right now, she is only limited to this one ability but as her powers develop, that may change.

𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐲 ( limited ) . . . jaswyn cannot actively try to read minds, but in certain emotional states, when there's not as much control, she can suddenly hear everyone's thoughts and will struggle to clear the extra noise. this is not something she chooses, it's more so a hinderance when she's in distress.

𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 + 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 . . . jaswyn can fill a room with light from the palm of her hand, or empty a room of light, leaving it in complete darkness. the light has a slight warmth, and can range in colors, sometimes appearing as a wavelength of different hues.

𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 . . . as a divine conduit, jaswyn can create visual imagery, and often does as a form of comfort to herself or others. one of her favorite things is to open her hands and reveal a butterfly. other favorites include stars hung around the air. usually, her illusions possess a gold aura, unless she is under threat in which they appear purple. jaswyn is also able to heal others with a blessing + concentration. she also has a transcendent connection with the god/deity that gave her these powers, although she is unsure of who that is or might be. this allows her to channel their power to perform miracles in dire circumstances.

𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 ( pending strong emotion+distress over long periods of time ) . . . she can wield and manipulate hellfire, can resurrect people from the dead (with consequences), and can banish people/beings to realms unknown to her. these are all things she has no control of, and never intends to do, but usually comes as a result of extreme situations where she is not in control of her mind or feelings.

[faithfulcat111]

Okay, so I'm a huge fan of the criminally underused 'Jonathan Byers has powers' theory. That shouldn't be surprising considering my Death is an evil. series that I've been working on. But I did actually put a lot of time and consideration (and breaking down possibilities with Lo who is an absolute monster of a theorizer herself) into it and I think a lot of those details will never make it into the story itself, so I wanted to share them.

First and foremost, the powers themselves. The part that I mainly touch on in the story is Jonathan's sensitivity to the Upside-Down, which all the Byers have. Will's is like what we see in the show: he can sense Upside-Down creatures and portals in our world, he can shift between the two dimensions (sometimes just by something like Astral projection but sometimes physically too), and he has some some of power to move and influence things in the Upside-Down. A lot of this also stems from the Stranger Things comic going into more detail of his time in the Upside-Down (if you haven't read it, I recommend it. All the comics are actually really good). This is in opposition to El's abilities where she has more telekinetic ability over things in our world (mainly the Upside-Down creatures), some telepathic ability involving the void, and the ability to close the portals.

Joyce also has some sensitivity, less to the Upside-Down but more clairvoyance (which is the closest I can think of). She can sense possibilities and is clever enough to string together seemingly completely unconnected events. It is how she was so sure about a portal being open again and how she was so sure about Will still being alive.

Jonathan's is more connected to the Upside-Down, like Will's. He can hear things going on in the Upside-Down from our world. It is a mostly empty world, so he is lucky a majority of the time, but he could hear when Nancy got stuck and when his mom was traveling through their house. It's why in Death is an evil. I had him able to hear the four stuck in the Upside-Down and they are using that ability of his to communicate rather than the bug light. I double-checked and after the first phone blew up, Jonathan is literally not present at any point for the supernatural things his mom sees. When you read the comic alongside it, Will can hear people in our world while in the Upside-Down (like the Fruity Four could hear Dustin, Lucas, and Erica in the Litebrite scene), but the only time he could hear Jonathan was from a distance when he was getting Nancy out. By the time Will could safely get there (because of the demogorgan), those two were long gone. They literally kept missing each other (I think Will wasn't there during the lamps either when Jonathan was home, but I packed my comic already and I'm not unburying it to confirm). So, it ends up being mostly useless except in very specific circumstances.

But, I do believe there is a second part of his ability (one that I haven't touched on yet and will be a large part of the events of the next story I write for Death is an evil.) And while so many people like to talk about how protective a lot of the older teens are, I think that the most long-term and consequential protector has always been Jonathan. He literally has a minor psychic shield he can use to protect others. He very much is unaware of it, but there is a reason I think Vecna and the Mind Flayer only went after Will when his family wasn't there. It doesn't do much against anything physical, so didn't have any effect in season 3, but oh boy, I want to play into this concept more.

[healbellls]

// As I'm writing this, I have no plans to bring back my Lance. BUT considering, how Matsuba was tied to another one of my "ancient" verse's takes. I'll be bringing that one back, as an NPC.

As an NPC, Matsuba may bring up this character or he may be present as a BG character. I'm not really looking to write as him per se, but he is still relevant for Matsuba's story.

Everything is tied to my old Lance take, nothing will ever be applied to anyone else who rps him.

Xiǎo Dù (Xiao as I will be writing to make things easier) was the time period’s headmaster of the Wataru clan. A clan of noble-blood heritage, however at this time they are a far cry of what they would eventually become down the road. Xiao should be considered as a pretty ancient ancestor, this takes place pretty early on the clan’s history.

During this time in history they have been expelled from their lands, and have also been handed out a lifetime sentence of exile. Because their previous headmaster (Xiao's father) refused to align with the current emperor (they weren’t a strong clan, they wouldn’t stand a chance on their own. A decision made by his father, which they would greatly pay the price for. Xiao still was just a child when their downfall happened). Another contributor factor was due of their close bonds to dragons (which were always deemed the biggest threats to society).

Xiao’s goal in life was to try and lift the sentence and recover the clan’s honor. By becoming a terrific pokemon hunter, who could effortlessly tame dragon types. Xiao was always on the run, travelling the land in search of new targets, which could potentially grant him the chance to lift the exile sentence. He greatly resents his father, and even his special abilities to a degree.

He was the oldest sibling of other two, who just like him roamed the land (although they didn't stick to their hunting traditions). They often stumbled into each other on their travels, but they didn’t really stick around each other much. Out of all the siblings he was the only one, who was actively trying to seek out a way to change things for them.

Despite his exile condition, he is quite rich. His services pay him extremely well. Not to mention, the large amount he managed to keep to himself from their clan’s fortunes. So much so, Xiao would constantly pay for Matsuba's services and make him tag alongside his hunts. Xiao is first and foremost a client, it is hard to tell whether or not he and Matsuba have any form of a genuine friendship. But some form of a connection between them, is established.

For PLA Muses: Xiao is likely the reason why Matsuba was brought to Hisui. Matsuba may bring him up.

Xiao was likely the last person to see Matsuba alive. Much like everyone, he wasn't aware about the clairvoyant's vision of his own death. But he would come to learn about that as well as his death, much later after his assassination. Their final encounter, could be summed up as Matsuba telling him about the vision of his clan's future, and he planted seeds in his mind about the changes he would come to implement down the line.

In the end, his efforts paid off. Xiao went down in history as the one who brought the honor back to the Wataru clan, re-instating its former glory. He was also responsible for making the biggest change to the clan's essence, by changing their focus on hunting/taming pokemon, and introduce a more banking like approach to their future endeavours. Which kicked off the clan’s influence growth in the process.

Xiao's personal diaries are currently one of the few remaining, concrete evidences about Matsuba's existence. Although, only a few things from it have ever been released to the public, and to many people they are only stories and not factual retellings of events. In his diary, he actually seems to be thankful for Matsuba's assistence in life.

It's also largerly theorized that Xiao and Matsuba's relationship, went far and beyond just the scope of a merely business relationship. Even though, Xiao never explicitly wrote anything about it per se.

[deesfanfictionkin]

IMPORTANT CANON CHARACTERS - OLYMPUS

NAME: Cronus

FACTION: The Gaians, supposedly, though his interests are mostly self-serving and his true goal is just to satisfy his own need for power, since serving as the Headmaster of the University just isn't enough for him anymore.

ABILITY: Cronus has the ability to manipulate time to his liking. The magic over The Ever Young is dulling his abilities tremendously, but he's still capable of creating limited time loops, from one sunrise to one sunset, in which he can trap people. However, using his powers is draining his life-force considerably and weakening him, though he does everything he can to hide that fact.

ADDITIONAL ABILITIES: Cronus doesn't rely simply on his magical powers. An accomplished fighter, he's skilled with a scythe, which he had a magic weapons maker create for him and which will literally slice years off your lifespan if you get hit with it.

NAME: Neil

FACTION: The Gaians, first and foremost, and it's due to his love of his home and his friends that he's working secretly with La Revolucion.

ABILITY: Neil is blessed with luck. Reality itself warps to give him what he wants or to create the best possible solution for him, though it only affects his immediate person and the area he can see around him, so he can't use it to benefit anyone else, though he's pretty okay with that.

ADDITIONAL ABILITIES: None as of current.

NAME: Herry

FACTION: The Gaians, first and foremost, and it's due to his love of his home and his friends and family that he's working secretly with La Revolucion.

ABILITY: Herry's ability seems simple on the surface. This boy is strong, incredibly so. His body itself is unique, possessing super-strength and increased durability.

ADDITIONAL ABILITIES: None as of current.

NAME: Odie

FACTION: The Gaians, first and foremost, and it's due to his love of his family and friends that he's working secretly with La Revolucion.

ABILITY: Odie is a technopath, capable of manipulating technology to his whims with a single touch.

ADDITIONAL ABILITIES: Going along with his ability, and his quite brilliant mind, Odie's an accomplished inventor.

NAME: Theresa

FACTION: The Gaians, first and foremost, and it's due to her love of her friends and family that she works, in secret, with La Revolucion.

ABILITY: Theresa is clairvoyant, though she only catches glimpses of potential futures in her dreams. The images she sees in her dreams fade quickly and are difficult to interpret, as they're single scenes. She has taken to keeping a notepad on her bedside table to keep track of them.

ADDITIONAL ABILITIES: Theresa's clairvoyance does grow stronger throughout the story.

NAME: Archie

FACTION: The Gaians, first and foremost, and it's due to his love for his home and his friends that he works with La Revolucion in secret.

ABILITY: Archie is almost, though not completely, invincible. He's impervious to diseases, and it takes a lot to cut through his iron hard skin. It can be done, particularly with magical weapons, but it's still a challenge.

ADDITIONAL ABILITIES: Archie likes to think of himself as a warrior, and he trains very hard in both hand to hand combat, physical stamina and agility, and has gotten quite proficient in fighting with a whip.

NAME: Atlanta

FACTION: The Gaians, first and foremost, and it's due to her love for her home and her family that she's working, in secret, with La Revolucion.

ABILITY: Atlanta was born with the ability of super speed.

ADDITIONAL ABILITIES: However, to go along with her ability, Atlanta trains to build stamina, reflexes, and the ability to hold her own in a fight and she's gotten to be proficient at hand-to-hand combat, though her skill is mostly as a marksman.

NAME: Jay

FACTION: The Gaians, first and foremost. It's his love for his home and his friends and family that led to him suggesting to his friends, and joining himself, La Revolucion.

ABILITY: Jay has the ability to influence others moods. He can motivate others and influence them one way or the other, though he tries hard to contain and control his ability so as not to unconsciously use it in an unfair way.

ADDITIONAL ABILITIES: None as of current.

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AUTHENTIC SPIRITUALITY

Authentic spirituality is a deeply personal and subjective experience that involves exploring and cultivating a connection to something greater than oneself in body and mind through the soul. We refer to the individual soul as the divine within, the universe, or that transcendent in pure consciousness. It is a quest for meaning, purpose, and inner transformation. Authentic Spirituality centres around an individual's self-knowledge, self-discovery, self-growth, and the transcendence toward self-awareness from one's physical and mental self towards the soul.

It can cover various practices, including meditation, mindfulness, prayer, contemplation, introspection, selflessness, self-realization, and connection with nature. It seeks to explore the nature of reality through fundamental questions of existence, inner peace, and harmony to discover a more profound sense of purpose and connectedness. Ultimately, it is about finding one's truth and experiencing a deep spiritual connection beyond desires, emotions, external labels, concepts, identifications, or attachments of 'me and mine.'

You may have tried self-help methods, motivational, inspirational, religious, or attended discourses on reiki, Tai chi, Zen, Vipassana, Law of attraction, and whatnot. You will remain unfulfilled and incomplete – there will still be something amiss in your search for clarity and clairvoyance in life. The imbalance between the spiritual being-ness and the material being will persist. We are unaware that we fundamentally exist in a metaphysical consciousness within our body and brain. Go through physiological and psychological experiences in lower or subconsciousness. For that authentic self or spiritual knowledge, we must go through an arduous journey of self-discovery to know who, what, and why we are here beyond the identifications and attachments in selfish and emotional desires. It likes and dislikes this and that, here and there.

The theoretical subject of spiritualism is the study of the metaphysical self beyond the body and mind to know who you are. Alternately, the practical aspect of spirituality involves the physical and mental processes of experiencing and understanding through methods and practices of what you are. To be spiritual for the mind is to utilize the spirit, transcending from subconsciousness levels to higher consciousness. And finally, the spirit in our subject relates to the highest energy ability in total awareness, enabling the mind to become aware and then conscious of what we experience, from the stars to the subatomic particles in the universe.

The spiritual path to awakening liberates the seeker from ego towards an inner journey, constantly introspecting to harmonize the body, mind, and soul as one composite unit, existentially balanced and at peace. In this journey, first and foremost, it is to know that spirituality is not the same as religion. While religion involves rituals, doctrines, and rules set by an organized institution, spirituality is a personal journey of self-discovery. It's about finding your path to inner peace and harmony.

Religions often have strict beliefs that followers must accept, but spirituality emphasizes your direct experience with the transcendent. It allows you to explore life's most profound questions through intuition and experiences. You get to forge your understanding of concepts like spiritual awareness and consciousness regarding the authentic self beyond the cycle of birth and death in the now. Eventually, they realised that the body and brain are ephemeral stages meant to appear and disappear. The metaphysical spirit of total awareness remains eternal as the universal self. Therefore, spirituality, at its core, is about your connection with something more significant than your physical and mental self.

Further, motivational and inspirational guidance typically aim to inspire and uplift individuals, often through sharing stories, motivational speeches, or positive affirmations. While they can provide temporary enthusiasm and encouragement, they focus more on achieving specific goals, personal success, or overcoming obstacles. Authentic spirituality, however, goes beyond all self-help forms, delving into the ultimate meaning of life, inner transformation, and spiritual awakening.

Your spiritual journey may involve practices like meditation, yoga, journaling, art, music, community service, and more. The paths are endless. Spiritual practice is to be selfless in your karmas regarding duty, devotion, diligence, and dedication, with contentment, clarity, consistency, counterpoise, and clairvoyance. To be sensitive and not sentimental for all that exists in nature with love, grace, and respect to everything as one, without any identifications or attachments.

However, the final destination of any spiritual journey is Self-Realization, which is eventually realizing - there is no self. Only the spirit survives in eternity and collectively as one universal self in total awareness. Both Vedas in the philosophy of spiritualism and Quantum Physics in science declare all that exists in the universe is Brahman by the former and by the latter as energy; the rest is merely an illusion. Such a journey gives life more meaning and purpose, eliminating ego and dissolving into that transcendent spirit of who you authentically are.

I reiterate that spirituality in body and mind requires dedication and devoutness to transcend in higher consciousness, balancing the excessive state of material presence through spiritual awareness to usher in the peace and tranquillity we are devoid of. Some critical aspects of pursuing the path are:-

Self-awareness is the first step. Pay attention to your inner thoughts and behaviours. Notice the justifications your mind provides and how you react to situations. Question why your mind thinks and acts the way it does.

Inquire about your assumptions and beliefs. We embrace many unmindful beliefs without consciously choosing, questioning, or verifying them. Are those beliefs serving you? If not, select wisely through your unique inner intelligence that aligns with what you wish to become.

Practice mindfulness. Spend time each day being fully present from moment to moment in all that you feel, think, and do. Witness your thoughts and sensations without judgment. It helps you gain perspective and respond proactively instead of reacting emotionally. Spend some time daily meditating in mindfulness; it helps quiet your mind and strengthens your connection to your higher self.

Let go of attachment to desires. When we cling to expectations, we suffer. Learn to accept uncertainty and go with the flow. This "choice lessness" without always requiring you to choose between this or that for your emotional self leads to inner peace and wisdom.

Serve others. It makes a positive difference through kind words, good deeds, and compassion. It takes you outside your egoist self and expands your consciousness.

Reflect regularly. Meditation and yoga help us gain insight into ourselves and our connection to something greater.

Tap into your intuition and sixth sense to access higher knowledge.

Practice breath awareness, focusing your attention on your inhales and exhales. It calms your mind and brings you into the present moment. It helps you to concentrate, contemplate, and introspect on your random and reckless thoughts, multitasking into this or that.

Keep a journal and write down your thoughts, dreams, intuitions, and moments of clarity, keeping you abreast of your spiritual journey.

∙       Go beyond the ego. The ego is that false self you have constructed based on unverified beliefs and social conditioning. The ego is the foundation of your subconscious mind in lower consciousness, working in auto-mode from memory and intellect and borrowing knowledge from multiple sources. It is the wrong voice in your head that is constantly concluding, criticizing, and comparing. Following the ego leads to feelings of separation, fear, and insecurity. The authentic voice of your intelligence emerges after you watch and witness your thoughts, subtly warning you when you go off-limits.

∙       Be always - alert, attentive, and aware. You become aware whenever you are alert; if you are attentive, you become conscious, focused, and centred.

∙       Be in the Now – In spirituality, being in the present moment from one moment to the next is the most significant factor. It takes you away from multitasking, though compelling for a material living, but essential for the spiritual to be centred and conscious with concentration and contemplation every moment.

We have Advait Vedanta (not two - end of knowledge), an ancient Indian philosophical and spiritual tradition based on the Vedas, which are pre-historic scriptures. It explores the nature of reality, the self, and the ultimate truth. According to Vedanta, everything in the universe is connected and originates from a single source known as Brahman. The fundamental reality, the underlying essence or energy permeating the universe, emerges from nothing and ultimately returns to nothing.

Science alternately relies on empirical evidence, observation, and measurable data to understand the natural world of cause and effect. It has progressed to embrace the modern scientific method. Still, it has limitations when addressing humanity's most profound questions, such as the existence of a soul, a supreme ability of energy governing the universe, and the purpose or meaning of life experiencing higher consciousness beyond what modern science can answer. However, these questions represent the highest level of knowledge that humans can strive to attain.

Vedanta is a spiritual science offering a comprehensive framework addressing these profound questions. It employs assumptions, definitions, postulates, hypotheses, theories, methods, and techniques to provide answers. Vedanta and Quantum Physics share a common perspective: everything can be considered energy or energy-like phenomena. Both subjects suggest that the apparent diversity and multiplicity in the world ultimately arise from a more profound unity or interconnectedness.

Vedanta and Quantum Physics both acknowledge the idea of expansion or growth. Vedanta asserts that the ultimate reality, Brahman, is continuously expanding and evolving. Similarly, Quantum Physics describes the inherent potential of energy and matter to transform and manifest in various forms, constantly vibrating in cycles of creation and destruction.

Therefore, spirituality is about waking up to who you are - a radiant, potential divine being in body, mind, and soul. It is a journey of moving beyond surface-level interests and ego desires toward a life of meaning, purpose, and service. As you progress in your spiritual journey, your ego becomes more balanced, and your connection with your authentic self - strengthens. You will experience more peace, joy, and a sense of unity throughout your life. If you walk this path, an awakened life awaits you.

Forget everything you thought you knew about spirituality and start from scratch. Question everything, and don't settle for superficial feel-good answers. Dig deep within yourself to find the truth. Connect with something more significant than your perceptible mind and realize you're not alone in this vast universe. Let go of your ego and open your heart to unconditional love. This spiritual journey is challenging but infinitely rewarding. You can awaken and transform your life into something truly magical. Your mind is the only thing holding you back, which provides a false personality of what you are not. Take that courageous spiritual step - you owe it to your unique individuality, that inner self; the world needs your light. Namaste.

For more information please visit www.giankumar.com