#junko still does exactly what she was planning to do

[aparticularbandit]

....

I should replay Stanley Parable just to have Junko quote it in the third fic at some point, huh

Because that relationship of "every road you travel, every choice you make or can make had been written in advance, and they all end with your death" is. that's Junko's theme in the trilogy.

It does not matter what you do or how you do it. The story ends with Junko's death. She will die. She is going to die.

Makoto's sacrifice doesn't save her. Mukuro and Matsuda following her doesn't save her. Kyoko's love will not save her, and neither will Mikan's.

It's all scripted, and it has been from the beginning, and every route ends with Junko's death because she wrote it that way.

She gave you the book, Kyoko. You read how it ends. But up against the Ultimate Analyst who knows you so well that she can predict your actions in advance, even choosing to go against what she wrote - she already knows how you will act.

And she is determined to die.

How do you fight that?

You can't.

Junko's going to die and that's the way the story ends and there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop it.

How do you wrestle with that? How does Kyoko wrestle with that? That inevitability while other people keep sacrificing themselves to stop something that cannot - will not - stop?

[sprinklenoodles]

So, once again gonna have a little series. This time I'll be talking about my own fics! Mostly cuz I realized that while I do ramble about them, I haven't really explained the plot and whatever. So, that's what I'm gonna do now!

The Heir Of Despair

Starting with this one first since it'll be updated soon!

As the title of the fic might suggest, this is a Mastermind!Byakuya AU. Though, he isn't the only mastermind, Junko still is too.

Basically, they work together. In this universe Byakuya was just a bit more like Junko- he was bored and a business genius, which made everything easy- and that led the two of them working together. How that exactly happened will be explained in little intermission chapters that ill be posted after every in-game chapter is done. So, after the Prologue, Chapter One, etc.

These chapters are fairly short compared to the other chapters, so some things might just be kinda... skimmed over. I'm always open to going into more detail about something here on my Tumblr though!

But as for the main plot itself, it follows Byakuya through the course of this killing game. He still has his memories ofc and is a spy. He even talks with Junko during the killing game. And unlike somebody else who is just like that, Junko does sorta like him- in a platonic sense. She basically lets him do whatever in the killing game as long as everything goes as planned.

For Byakuya, that means manipulating some people, especially Chihiro. He wants to see how far he can go- if he can get Chihiro to murder somebody. But Chihiro will be far from his only target...

But due to all of this, the killing game is different. The motives are... changed, even more cruel than before. And that leads to different people being murdered and different murderers. Unfortunately for somebody, one thing is still destined to happen...

And while in the killing game, Byakuya acts like he is a good person, a leader even. He helps in the class trial when needed- he doesn't know who the murderer is, but since he is smarter than in canon, it doesn't take long for him to solve. But when he knows, he will be vague about that so that you guys, the readers, will still have time to figure things out.

Other than that, the fic does just read like any other killing game AU! It's only that the protagonist is a mastermind... and not a good person. But who knows, that might change... or maybe it won't... I guess you'll have to read it and stick around to find out...

[hodgepodgequack]

Emio Demo 3: Junko time

It’s time for me to post my theories for the last time and I will try to connect as much as I can. I’m going to note some observations before I dive into the meat of this post.

Observation 1: Makotos tears. It’s mentioned by his grandma that he would cry quite often (not in front of Junko mind you). It is entirely possible that he was grieving his parents, or it could have been something else.

Observation 2: Makotos personality

Out of the two, Makoto was described as having a very laid-back and chill personality (much to the irritation of Junko who was more aggressive). Junko also had an insanely strong desire to protect said brother (despite her being the younger sibling). I wonder if whenever Junko scolds Kami, she thinks about Makoto.

The Actual meal: Junko at the family residence

On the day of the murder, J was spotted in her house roughly sometime after 8:20pm. According to her, she was there to make sure she didn’t leave anything behind before the house got torn down. That then begs the question, why now? This place has been abandoned for 2 years and J knows her GMA is in a retirement home. Knowing Js personality, she probably picked up what she needed a long time ago. I think someone suggested she visit the house and she did it on that particular night and the culprit knew she was going to do it on that night because….

During a cutscene where you temporarily play as J, she feels a presence somewhere in the house and goes to investigate it. We as the player don’t know what happens next. And in order to speculate, we need to jump to 18 years ago.

The short version of Makotos vanishment is follows: J and M get into an argument because M ruined a surprise J had planned for him. J leaves the house for a couple of hours and M does not go after her until past 7 when his grandparents question where J is. 2 hours pass and J comes home not too long after grandparents called cops. But she’s alone and In tears. As far as I know, she doesn’t tell anybody where she has been and what she has been doing. M is never found.

So what happened? I think J and M had a run in with Emio (the actual murderer not the Urban legend). I think that he was going to try to take both kids, but failed to grab J. i also think he is a cop for a multitude of reasons. It would explain why he got close enough to snatch M (because young kids are taught that the police can be trusted). And if you see a person you supposedly trust do a horrible thing, you are not going to trust anyone who shares the same profession as them or is friends with one (I’m looking at you Utsugi). That would explain her silence. There’res two things to remember regarding the Emio legend. First of all his attire. That outfit screams investigator/cop to me.

Second of all: Emio only approaches troubled girls. Those 3 girls in the original case may have been troubled In some way and maybe a cop has been called to their house to check on them. And J was certainly troubled on her 9th birthday. (I wonder if M saw Emio try to hurt J and he just went nuts on the dude and told J to run for it, and Emio was not prepared for this situation and realized he would have to lay low for a bit)

And now we jump back to the present. I think when J went to investigate that room, she found a note telling her to do exactly what it says or she won’t see her brother ever again. (hence the comment that the next day was going to be an early day because she knew someone was dying tonight.) (also it would be incredibly f-Ed up if right next to the note was a old paper bag just to prove that this is the OG guy and she has to be the one to put it on the corpse((additionally I wonder if the purple paint on the bags eyes are there just to openly mock J for her loosing her brother)))

I don’t think Js job was to kill S. (But if it was I’m think she would have gotten some eggplants with vines still attached from the neighbor and used the vines to finish the job solely because it would be ironic). Rather it was her job to move the body and set up the crime scene. And the biker found at 10pm was Emio making sure the job was done properly.

With all of that in mind. I think the main suspect (assuming that the OG killer is the same as the current killer, which I think it is via my blackmail theory) is Kanada.

Kanda is old enough to have committed all the crimes, and he is a cop. A cop who happens to work with Junko and seems to be respected by said girl (who doesn’t even really respect her partner so she’s probably not going to take his advice). It makes it a lot easier to manipulate her then (in the form of gentle suggestions of course). Kanada has also made it clear that she knew of Js background ever since she joined and it’s been 2 years.

There’s also two meta reasons I think it’s him. First of all, the director has said the ending of the game is going to be controversial. A cop being a serial murderer is definitely going to cause some trouble.

Second of all, you remember my Emio checklist? There’s one line called the “old man fakeout” it’s where you think that an old man is in danger or is the danger and it’s just a joke bro. We already had a small fakeout in the first chapter (not saying that there can’t be more) but watch that it’s played straight this time. We get a confession (and considering that the MC thinks Kamada is familiar looking he could be related to Komada and Kumada) and the MC tries to call bullshit. I doubt it would happen that way, but man would it be funny.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Please Stop...

//Okay, so I'm sorry to bring some heavy stuff so suddenly, but I need to make an honest request of some of you guys.

//Now, you know that I love and cherish you all. I appreciate you as a fanbase, and I will always be here to make content for you all. You know full well that my relationship with you guys as my followers is important to me, and I will always take your opinions into account with my writing.

//However, lately, I have been getting many asks and messages along the same lines, and I'm so sick and tired of it that I need to address it. I'm really sorry it got to this point, and to make matters worse, it's over something really dumb as well. But regardless, the only way I can get it to stop is by addressing it.

//Now, I'll admit, it's not a frequent problem, and it's only some of you, but it's still enough that I need to bring it up. And it's in regards to Junko's characterization in the last part of Phase 2, and the rest of Phase 3.

//Now, to provide a bit of context, when Junko first made her debut on the blog, AI and ghost notwithstanding, it was around the same time that the Naegibowl started to become canon.

//Now, in relation to that, when it comes to the relationships on the blog, specifically the romantic ones, most of them I decide on my own and hint to, but there are a few, with Hinazumi, Togahina, and the Naegibowl being the biggest examples, that were sort of prompted by the askers.

//And the blog has been better because of it. I get to play around with relationships that I didn't really understand before, and now I do, and I'm all for it. I like to listen to my audiences feedback, and I learn and adapt from it. Normally, I trust you guys' judgement.

//With all that being said, please...

//Stop. Asking me. To pair JUNKO with MAKOTO.

//Even as a joke, no matter what you say, I'm not planning on adding anyone else to the Naegi harem. While I definitely ship Makoto with a few people outside of Kyoko, Sayaka, and Mukuro, those three are his biggest and best ships, and I think it's fine as it is. I am most assuredly NOT going to be adding Junko to that.

//A lot of this stems from quite a few asks I had where people asked Junko if she would join the Naegibowl, even if just to fuck with Makoto. And at the time, I had Junko reply with "no."

//And for some reason this upset a lot of you?

//Let me be clear on one thing. For those who are saying that Junko WOULD do something like this; i.e. flirt around and come onto Makoto purely for the sake of bothering the other girls...

//I agree.

//And I plan on having her do that quite a bit in Phase 3.

//The reason why I had Junko say no at the time is because Junko coming onto Makoto would have severely taken away from the tense moments that were happening at that point. As a reminder, Junko showed up right before she was about to set off a nuclear bomb right underneath the Future Foundation's feet.

//I'm personally very proud of how Junko's introduction turned out, and I feel adding that touch would have ruined it.

//Junko definitely feels like the Joker in how she could get a bit fruity and flirtatious with her arch-enemy, something that I've always loved when Joker does; acting like he and Batman are ex-lovers or something, because it's fucking hilarious. However, the comedy side of that comes from how Batman has so much hatred for the Clown Prince of Crime, that that's exactly what it is. He's the joker. It's a joke.

//But with how many of you guys have been bashing on about the idea of Junko joining Makoto's cuddle puddle, I'm starting to think that you SERIOUSLY want her in it; and I genuinely cannot believe I have to explain this to you.

//Being on the same coin still means that Junko and Makoto are on two different sides. Their fundamental values are opposed, as much respect the two have shown each other as adversaries. And the thing about Junko's character is that she can't be in any sort of genuine relationship because it's LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE for her to CARE about anyone.

//And I know what some of you might say to this. "What about Monaca and Nagisa? Monaca utterly traumatized him and the other Warriors, so why are you vouching for them to get together?"

//Because Monaca reformed! Or at least she's trying to.

//Monaca Towa is still a slimy shit, and let me make it clear that Nagisa will never forgive her for what she did to him and his friends. But he, as a mature young man, understands that Monaca has her own issues. She's sick and tired of being dragged around in a game of Hope Vs Despair that doesn't concern her, and she basically went off to space to rehabilitate herself.

//The reason why Monaca's personality is the same is because she's still a pretty fucked up kid. But she's NOT Junko. And she doesn't want to BE Junko anymore, as much as she still probably loves the Ultimate Despair. She wants to be a different person, regardless of whether she's despised or not, but either way, she wants to leave her crimes and atrocities behind. But Junko hasn't, and probably never will.

//I also should point out that, yes, Makoto can be brave, move on, live the rest of his life with Hope, and whatnot, but even if it's easy to forget with how smart-headed and strong-hearted he is, what Junko has done to him has utterly TRAUMATIZED him.

//Even if they have a sort of mutual respect as adversaries and rivals, it doesn't change the fact that they absolutely hate each other. Junko ruined Makoto's life, and the lives of everyone he cherished, and what's more, she's NOT done yet.

//If I had them be something more, and even if it made a little bit of sense, once you see what Junko is going to do to the Lucky Student in the latter half of Phase 3, you're going to regret it.

//So please, I'm asking this genuinely, for both the lovers and the haters. Regardless of where you stand on this, I will do my utmost to bring you the sort of content you want, but here, I have to put my foot down.

-Mod

[dollypardonne]

idle hands are the devil's playthings.

junko is an analyst, able to predict and analyze any number of outcomes, making her the perfect mastermind. one of the many talents she was gifted with is an ability to recognize patterns—a very valuable skill needed to navigate the world at large. whether through circumstance or talent, she could play the stock market or become a top hedge fund manager. she could become a politician and rise to the top of the power structure. she has the character traits that demands respect across today's society.

but all of that is formulaic to her. and that's being generous. what it really is to her is boring. the problem with achieving goals it that you have achieved your goals. it's extremely difficult for her to biochemically feel joy.

the con of being highly intelligent is existential boredom. no room for anxiety, no room for surprises, no room for nuance, no room for worthwhile endeavours or no room even for undiscovered beauty. worse than an immortal being, considering the amount of years she's lived to end up in such a state, junko is caught in a philosophical hell where everything was foreseeable.

her inability to empathize on top of her lack of hope in her own future has made her wholly untethered from humanity.

devoid of anything, nothing exactly drives her anymore. the world has nothing to offer her except a cold march to oblivion and death at some point. but it was more than just passive ideation.

for as long as she remembers, she had been trudging along the path of despair. every accomplishment doesn't simply give her that blue feeling or that dopamine drop, it was a blaring siren of mortality and the misery that comes with being impressive. she always wondered why no one else saw what she saw. she surveyed her peers pondering how day in and day out there was doom everywhere and they all refused to see, or maybe they were too stupid to dig deeper.

she pays the price of transcending the human condition, or someone else does, and it has turned her into the epitome of cruelty and hedonism; an avatar of malice. her only drive is the inky shadows that she justifies to commit atrocities. she'll end the world because her world never really began.

mbti: entp functional order: ne-ti-fe-si

junko’s analysis is all about pattern recognition and detailed thinking; she uses her introverted thinking to read people, calculates their future actions, and then creates precise plans. paradoxically, she scoffs at logic because she can analyze it so quickly, which fuels the boredom of her extraverted intuition. the boredom is so overwhelming that she will do just about anything, illegal and reckless, to be rid of it. despair captivates junko because it’s chaotic and illogical. she’s very fixed in her mindset; once she’s dismissed something as boring, then no matter what evidence suggests she might be wrong, she continues to believe it is still boring.

internally deciding the best way to do something and spreading it socially; her method involves a lot of charming or manipulating to get her point across. internally identifying her feelings and ethics, and spreading it logically; striking the hammer in the point she's trying to make. she knows what she’s doing is wrong, but she is too convinced in her ethics.

[shsl-baby]

Betrayal, desire and future!

// sorry this took so long but it turns out i practically wrote a novel for each character. seriously, this took up like almost two pages of a google document. i don't know how to shut up.

// since it's so long, it's going under a readmore! i'm not making y'all scroll thru all that.

Yukiko

Betrayal- Yukiko is not the most angelic child one will meet. They’re willing to lie and steal to obtain things they need or want - it’s what they were taught to do. Being dependent on a couple of teenage girls for most of your life means fending for yourself sometimes, especially when neither of them really have your best interests at heart. 

All that is to say, while they probably haven’t been betrayed themselves at this age, they’re certainly willing to betray others. All they need is a reason they deem good enough.

Desire- The only thing they want in the world is Junko’s love. Literally. It’s their one goal, the only thing they strive for. If she says the word they will bend to her will in whatever way she wants. No matter the consequences, no matter who it hurts or how badly. Anything for her to love them. Anything to get her attention.

Future- The worst possible future is exactly the one Junko wants - Yukiko continuing to push her ideals and her rhetoric long after she’s gone. Not a carbon copy, but an off-brand imitation. The way she pictures it, Yukiko is right on track to grow into one of the worst people of all time, second only to her. 

Of course, Yukiko is aware of this possible future, and it’s exactly what they want because they know it’s what she wants. They don’t need to think too hard about their future when Junko has it planned out for them, step by agonizing step.

Yuu-kun

Betrayal- We’re circling back around to JUNKO FOLKS IT”S ALWAYS JUNKO But nah fr. Of course the biggest and most intense betrayal for them will always be her. I don’t think I can stress enough how much their entire world revolved around her in a way none of the Remnants of Despair did. They all had lives prior to her influence - admittedly shitty ones in most cases, but still. In Yuu’s case though, she was their only role model for most of their life. And now suddenly they’re expected to treat her memory like dirt, they’re expected to understand that the things she did were wrong and bad when it’s all they’ve ever known.

I mean, what kind of implications does that have in regards to them? Should they also think of themselves as a bad person? Are they as bad as she was? It’s a lot easier to believe it’s everyone else who is wrong, not her, because it implies uncomfortable things about their own morality.

Desire- Just like when they were younger, what they truly want hasn’t really changed, just slightly shifted. Junko is gone now - they’ll never have her love. They’ll never get that. So they’ll take the next best thing, and that’s anyone else’s. But they don’t know how to get it. With Junko, there was a clear goal - do exactly as she wants and you’ll be rewarded with her attention. But other people aren’t so simple, and they don’t know how to handle it.

It’s one of those wants that’s so deeply personal and difficult to put into words that even I’m sort of struggling to explain it in a way I feel like makes sense to others. Like, I know what I’m talking about. I can really only hope that I’m doing a decent job of communicating that, though.

Future- I haven’t really touched on this yet, but Yuu is… sort of a ticking time bomb. There is a lot going on in their life right now. They’re dealing with the loss of their only role model, they’re being held on a deserted tropical island with a bunch of people who have more than likely tried to kill them at one point or another, and they’re expected to flip their entire worldview on its head in order to please those around them. I cannot stress enough that they do not fully understand why what Junko did was so wrong. Because it’s Junko. There’s no logic behind it, but they still feel that because Junko did it, it had to be justifiable, somehow.

While they’re not made of glass, there is every chance that Yuu could one day decide, for one reason or another, that she was right after all and it’s everyone else who is wrong. And it wouldn’t be something particularly difficult to convince them of. A misinterpreted conversation and a little too much time spent stewing alone with their thoughts.

Hinata

Betrayal- Hope’s Peak as an entity is easily the biggest betrayal he’s ever faced. And it was a lot of people who smiled in his face as they described to him how they were going to erase his entire personality. Even Ultimates who he looked up to, the people he so desperately wanted to be. That school was his entire life and future and it turned around, took that admiration and destroyed every last bit of what was Hinata Hajime. 

Even now, memories of his life prior to Hope’s Peak, of his parents or family or friends, feel blurry and fleeting, coming to him in short bursts through other lines of thought. He can chase these loose threads all he wants, but they’re always too fast for him.

Desire- Right now, Hinata’s main desire is to be useful. He doesn’t care about the physical or emotional toll it takes on him, as long as it doesn’t affect the ones he’s trying to help. There’s a leak in your roof? He’s on it. You’re feeling sick and can’t do your assigned chore that day? You saw a spider? He’s on it.

Hinata struggles a lot with what the Kamukura project gave him, as well as what it took from him. He’s one of, if not the most powerful person on the planet, but there are days where he really, really wishes he remembered what his mom used to make him for breakfast as a kid. It’s a double sided and super fucked up coin that he’s constantly flipping. So he puts himself to work - for what he lost, he can at least use what he gained.

Future- The worst possible future for Hinata would probably be one where he gives up. Where he stops doing… basically everything. Stops striving for improvement, stops helping those around him. And I don’t mean stopping so he can practice some self-care (because the motherfucker needs it), I mean stopping because he simply feels it’s pointless. Like there is no future. 

While this is the worst possible outcome, I can’t see it happening no matter how hard I try. I mean, I know I’m the one writing him so I’m kinda biased, but it just feels like it goes against his whole personality. It almost feels like it would be completely out of character for him, like it rides the line. I think a much more probable “bad ending” so to speak would be his own stubbornness making all of his efforts have the opposite of their intended effect. The wrong word said to the wrong person at the wrong time, and suddenly it’s all crumbling down. And it’s all his fault.

[crqelsummer]

the next class 1-a! (and others)

THE NEW CLASS 1-A!

A pretty quick list of kimiko's classmates! i've actually had this list for some months now, but it was more a point of reference than a proper list because I haven't really wrote anything for OHA yet. Getting there though!

Kirishima Makoto - Class Rank: 1 Quirk: Shrapnel Age: 15 Height: 5’5” Chosen Track: Hero Course (Bombing King)

Notes: Makoto is a talented young woman with a bright future ahead of her — if she can just keep the yelling down a minimum. Young Kirishima is a rule-breaker through and through, and isn’t afraid to make that other people’s problem. She has a strong sense of justice that when challenged, can get explosive. Snarky and a smartass, the pride she carries just might be her downfall when push comes to shove. (Kiribaku)

Sero Haruko - Class Rank: 2 Quirk: Acid Tape Age: 15 Height: 5’8” Chosen Track: Hero Course (Here - Yuly)

Notes: Haruko is a jokester at heart, but a capable young man that’s determined to make a name for himself in the hero world apart from his parents. Talented and flashy, he still has a lot to learn before he’s ready to be out on his own, but his creative abilities are what makes him shine in class. With so many uses of his almost double quirk, it’s just a matter of time before his power skyrockets. (Seromina)

Tokoyami Rin - Class Rank: 3 Quirk: Light Frog Age: 15 Height: 5’7” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: Rin, while she chooses not to speak often, is an expressive girl with her sights set high. Coming from a mostly quiet family in the media, she’s noted as being a boisterous personality who’s friendly to everyone who comes across her. The eldest of three, Rin is responsible and caring to a fault. Light Frog, the apparition she was born with, has a personality of her own, but she translates many of Rin’s thoughts for her. (Class Rep) (TokoTsuyu)

TetsuTetsu Daisuke - Class Rank: 4 Quirk: Iron Fists Age: 15 Height: 6’0” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: Daisuke is a prideful young hero with a talent for smashing things. An excitable boy, he’s reckless at times but can always get the job done, even if his mind wanders sometimes. He’s a huge fanboy of the big heroes and often drools over the idea of getting his own hero merch someday. The middle son of Real Steel and Battle Fist, he has a lot to live up to, but damn does he do it well. (Vice Rep) (Tetsukendo)

Togata Junko - Class Rank: 5 Quirk: Transformation Age: 15 Height: 5’7” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: The baby of the Togata family, Junko’s personality is loud and proud, if not bordering on oppressive. While she’s not exactly the strongest with her quirk (and thinks more in the here and now rather than planning properly), she does want to make a name for herself. She’s quickly becoming a fan favorite by most, even if she tends to think later and act now. Reckless and full of wrecks, no one can say Junko doesn’t put her best foot forward. (Miritama)

Maekawa Moriko - Class Rank: 8 Quirk: Fairy Age: 15 Height: 5’4” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: Moriko is a prideful, talented and oftentimes spiteful young girl who makes it her mission to remind everyone who she is and just how high her potential really is. A long time bully of Kimiko’s and a massive know it all, not many see many redeeming qualities about Moriko, but beneath all the bravado there’s a hero there waiting to be unlocked because all she really wants is to be enough for someone. Y’know, just as soon as she can stop pressing everyone’s buttons.

Yaoyorozu Seiji - Class Rank: 12 Quirk: Phase Rush Age: 15 Height: 5’3” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: Seiji is a quiet boy and is often quite shy. Explained by his ADHD, he’s often underestimated by classmates and instructors alike, but his Quirk makes him a talented student nonetheless. Able to phase through almost any material, he can accelerate fast enough to simply move through them with a scary precision that makes him one of 1-As strategists. Still, he’s terribly abrasive at times with a large ego to match, and usually fades into the background because its easier than dealing with the class drama. (Kamimomojirou)

Matsuo Iwao - Class Rank: 14 Quirk: Teleportation Age: 15 Height: 5’8” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: Iwao, if he were anyone else, would be expected to be a far more powerful hero. Teleportation is a crazy powerful ability that he dreams of using to its furthest extents. However the limitations of his Quirk hold him back a lot of time, his personality even moreso. The youngest of four, Iwao is constantly trying to prove himself, leading to pushing himself way too far, way too fast — or holding back when he shouldn’t. However, he’s still a massive jokester that gets people laughing and eases tension a lot of the time.

Aoyama Elle - Class Rank: 15 Quirk: Light Hands Age: 15 Height: 5’5” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: Elle is a stunning person, inside and out. Half French, she’s a well cultured girl who travels quite a bit, experiencing the world as she pleases. This does lead to some amusing interactions with her Japanese classmates, but she’s ready to work towards a better future with an almost dangerous work ethic. Sporty and bright, Elle puts on a show every time she uses her Quirk and her mind, making her one of the prides of 1-A. Still, her overconfidence often gets her into trouble, something she’s still working on these days.

Shinsou Yuto - Class Rank: 16 Quirk: Thief Age: 15 Height: 5’7” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: Yuto is a distinctly off putting person, considering all it takes is for someone to answer him, and their Quirk is his. Questionably fighting for the right reasons, he can be painfully honest and at times, straight up insulting. But he’s self-aware enough to work on himself, even if the road there is paved with a lifetime of social expectations he just can’t quite grasp. He can be quite nice at times, once people earn his trust, and is even downright caring to his classmates once he gets to know them. (Monoshin)

Midoriya Kimiko Class Rank: ? Quirk: Flashfire Age: 15 Height: 5’6” Chosen Track: Hero Course (Jet Set Run)

Notes: Kimiko is someone who’s…not quite sure who she is yet. Defined by the years of bullying she’s experienced due to her weaker Quirk, she can often be found by Makoto’s side and is quieter than most. Though it does get her down sometimes, she’s always willing and ready to put herself on the line when push comes to shove. Smart, calculating and just a little awkward, Kimiko is a triple threat — especially when it’s revealed at the Roaring Sports Festival that she does in fact have a Quirk, one that’s almost world ending. (Tododeku)

-

CLASS 3-A!

Iida Ryosei Class Rank: 3-A Quirk: Moonwalk Age: 18 Height: 5’8” Chosen Track: Hero Course (Odd Future)

Notes: A powerful rescue hero in the making, Ryosei is the eldest of the 1-A descendants, and takes this very seriously. Responsible and occasionally overbearing, he’s has a knack for keeping his younger friends out of trouble — but isn’t exactly afraid to get into it if it means saving them. He’s poised to become next Ingenium, and while it troubles him, he’s ready to make his family proud. (Iidachako)

Ojiro Reiko Class Rank: 3-A Quirk: Elastic Age: 18 Height: 5’4” Chosen Track: Hero Course (???)

Notes: Shaping up to be one of the more popular heroes, Reiko is capable of stretching her limbs out to wild extents. Kind and sweet, she’s shaping up to one of the more popular UA students of the year, and the media loves her winning personality. Bright and bubbly, she makes for a great friend and better role model. The winner of her third sports festival, she and Ryosei keep up a good repertoire with each other that often turns competitive. (Ojitooru)

Togata Keisuke Class Rank: 3-A Quirk: Animal Form Age: 18 Height: 5’4” Chosen Track: Hero Course (???)

Notes: The youngest of the Togata twins, Keisuke is a jokester with a heart of gold. He’s a little bit of a clown and uses his Quirk to make people laugh, but is quick to catch up if he ever falls behind. He tries to stay out of trouble, but it tends to follow him around regardless of how hard he works to stay out of it. Nonetheless, he’s poised to become a great hero with a bright future as he’s part of UA’s Big Three this year. (Miritama)

Togata Chikao Class Rank: 3-B Quirk: Permeation Age: 18 Height: 5’5” Chosen Track: Hero Course

Notes: The eldest of the Togata twins, Chikao is a little more responsible than his counterpart. Perhaps this is because Keisuke’s troubles usually cover his up, but he’s a helpful young man that is often just as boisterous as his siblings. Talented and strategic, he tends to be a little shy and can shut down sometimes when things become too stressful. However, he’ll always show up if someone needs him, he refuses to leave someone in peril regardless of the trouble. (Miritama)

-

OTHER STUDENTS -

Kirishima Takato Class Rank: N/A Quirk: Quirkless Age: 17 Height: 5’11” Chosen Track: Business

Notes: The eldest son of the Kirishima family, Takako is relatively high spirited for his outlook on life. Diagnosed Quirkless, he set his sights high to eventually be the first Quirkless owner of a hero agency, and his analytical mind has him set up well to make it a reality. Usually keeping Mako out of trouble, he does get down about his lack of Quirk sometimes, but never lets it keep him down for too long. After all, he’s the kid of Ground Zero and Red Riot damn it! (Kiribaku)

[despair-to-future-arcs]

Be careful! If you reveal your ties to the foundation they may attack you and the others!

*rushes over as grabbing Kota by the collar* What the actual fuck?! What the hell is wrong with you, do you realize your freaking them all out...!

Wa-Wait Takemichi, don't lose your temper against this guy!

Hm? Why are you freaking out like this, I mean you are the ones that told me that Future Foundation was here, weren't they?

RESIDENT: Wait, you mean... you guys work for them, how could you!

We-Well, that's uh...! I mean...!

Look, does it really matter; why are you treating as if Future Foundation are the bad guys here?!

Plus your aware that all that was all Towa City who lie they were at fault for the tragedy, why are you lying to all the people here?!

RESIDENT: Wait, are... are you saying that Mr. Hashimoto lie to us...?

Yeah, he did or at least Towa Corp. did, they told us that they lie to you all of who started the tragedy.

Ex-Exactly and even then, they weren't at fault for that - it was all Junko Enoshima, she was the one who-!

And aren't you all forgetting that Hope's Peak Academy allow such a dangerous person into their school? In fact, I'm surprise they didn't bother to background check her or that sister of hers...

Plus let's not forget that they plan to rebuild the very place that cause this whole mess, do you really want another tragedy...?

Th-There right, they...they cause this whole mess...

RESIDENT: Yeah, if that school didn't exist then maybe this wouldn't be happening!

RESIDENT 2: Then if these guys are not with us, there against us! Mr. Hashimoto, we need to lock them up!

Wa-Wait everyone calm down!

No, there right; we should lock up those 3 and make sure they got nothing on them...

everyone, grab them, now...!

*the residents rush over and grab the trio, as then they were dragged off to their room*

Mr. Hashimoto, why did you do such a thing?! You realize all your doing is causing panic!

And why not? You realize that Future Foundation being here is bad, I mean unless you don't like how I run things you can leave and fend for yourself.

Th-That's...!

Fi-Fiona, don't start... I mean, we don't have any other choice here...

Bu-But still, he can't just do whatever the hell he wants!

N-No no, this is bad...!

N-No kidding, he's freaking everyone out, what do we do...?

I-I'm thinking...wh-what to do? What can I do...

[imnobodyuknow]

AI Kyoko Kirigiri (by oida)

***Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Spoilers Ahead***

Kyoko: … My name is…Kyoko Kirigiri, the Ultimate Detective. Other than that, I don't like to reveal much about myself if I don't need to.

Me: Fair enough. My name is Jaimes, and that's all I plan to share at the moment. A pleasure.

Kyoko: It's also a pleasure to meet you, Jaimes. May I ask what is your talent?

Me: My…talent?

Kyoko: Yes, I presume you're a participant of the school's program as well? Thus, you definitely have a talent.

Me: Oh! No, no, I'm just here to observe. Sorry I didn't mention that.

Kyoko: Oh, I see now. That's quite alright. So, are you interested in seeing how things work around here and just observing what the other students do?

Me: Pretty much. I'm also prepared to handle any…unexpected situations.

Kyoko: Unexpected situations, you say? That's very interesting… so, let's see… How would you handle a situation if, for example, somebody went on a killing spree?

Me: I'd do whatever it took to stop them, most likely using a weapon.

Kyoko: That's a very noble yet dangerous task in my opinion. So, you're not afraid to put yourself in danger and risk your life to stop a murderer?

Me: I've never attempted it, but I certainly hope not.

Kyoko: So, in other words, it's not a situation you have encountered before, but you would be willing to do it if it was necessary… correct?

Me: Correct. I don't suppose you had any specific person in mind when you said "killing spree"?

Kyoko: No, that was just a hypothetical example. I suppose you're thinking of someone specific right now, though?

Me: I suspect everyone, pretty much. You can't be too careful in a school like this one.

Kyoko: That's true. In a program like this one, with so many talented students being put in the same environment, the risk for dangerous behavior or violent actions always increases. So, I can see why you suspect everyone. And how do you plan on identifying the actual culprit, if there is one?

Me: I'd do what I needed to in order to identify them. I suppose I might enlist your help, if you'd be willing.

Kyoko: I would be more than happy to aid you in any way necessary. I do believe that two heads are better than one when it comes to solving a difficult case and identifying the culprit.

Me: Agreed. So, have you had a chance to meet all the other students yet?

Kyoko: I have met some but not all of them. There are a lot of people, and not all of them seem very open or talkative. Some are just like me, while others are more social and eager to talk. In fact, I believe there are some students I still haven't met yet. What about you? Have you met all the participants?

Me: Indeed, though just briefly. There was one who seemed a bit…off, but I couldn't really explain how.

Kyoko: Who was that person? Was he or she perhaps behaving oddly? Was their attitude strange perhaps? I can tell that you were definitely suspicious of them for a reason.

Me: It's the fashionista girl, Ms. Enoshima. It might just be my imagination, but she sounded like she was putting on an act.

Kyoko: I assume you mean Junko Enoshima? Yes, actually, she does have some really weird tendencies and sometimes it's hard to know if it's all pretend or if she's genuinely like that. I agree, she seems like she's putting on an act, but who knows? She might actually be like that. She's certainly very unusual.

Me: Yep. Then again, I suppose that's normal in such a diverse group of students.

Kyoko: It is indeed. With all of these different talents, personalities and ways of behaving are bound to be weird at times. But it's certainly interesting to see and observe all of those qualities and people interacting with each other.

Me: Indeed. There was another student who also surprised me, but in a good way.

Kyoko: Oh? What student are you talking about exactly? What made them surprise you in a good way? I suppose you mean that they're behaving pleasantly and aren't too suspicious compared to the others, right?

Me: Yeah. It's the kid with the messy hair. What's his name… Makoto?

Kyoko: I believe you're talking about Makoto Naegi, the Ultimate Lucky Student, right? He is a pretty nice and sweet fellow overall. So it's surprising how normal he can stay no matter the circumstance and what the people around him are like.

Me: It is. And that's precisely what I noticed about him -- he's one of the friendliest people I've ever met. I'd sure love to meet his family.

Kyoko: Yeah, he can be really friendly and sweet. That does make me curious though - what made you wonder about his family specifically? I mean, how does he act that makes you want to meet them?

Me: Well, he's just got the sort of personality that makes you enjoy talking to him. I'd love to know if his parents and sister are the same way.

Kyoko: I see. It would certainly be interesting to meet and talk to his family members. It's quite possible that he inherited his personality and talent from one of them, so it would be wonderful if they are indeed as friendly and talkative as he is.

Me: Yeah. I just hope he can handle himself among the less polite students here.

Kyoko: That is a reasonable concern. I hope too that he can handle himself among them and won't get influenced by their behaviors too much. I like his personality the way it is, so I don't want him to change too much because of the others.

Me: Me neither. He seems like the kind of person who assumes the best of others. Kind of the opposite of me and you.

Kyoko: Yes, he definitely seems to be a lot more optimistic and trusting than both of us. I guess that's just part of his personality trait and his optimism can be a strength or a weakness depending on the situation, right?

Me: Indeed. I doubt I'll be enlisting his help should things get out of hand, but you never know.

Kyoko: I see… So, you are trusting me more than him when it comes to handling dangerous situations. Is there a specific reason for that?

Me: You seem more stoic and suspicious than he does is all.

Kyoko: Well, it is true that I'm more suspicious and less trusting than him. I prefer relying on myself rather than asking help from others, especially when it comes to dangerous situations that can get ugly at any time. I believe that someone who is calm, collected and calculated is usually better at handling certain problems.

Me: I do, too. Heh… I just thought of something funny.

Kyoko: Oh? What is it?

Me: Wouldn't it be something if he and you ended up working together to solve some problem?

Kyoko: Heh heh… That would be quite something indeed. And honestly, if he is as much of an optimistic person as you say he is, I don't doubt that he probably thinks and expects most people around him to be that way too… Including me. It might be a bit of a shock for him to discover that not everyone is like him in that sense. But yes, that would be something for sure if he and I ever ended up working together.

Me: We'll just have to hope his Ultimate Luck holds out.

Kyoko: Yes, I do hope so. Though, if things go south, I will still do everything I can to keep everyone safe and prevent any serious disasters from happening. And while some people may look up to him or admire him for his personality and optimism, I believe that sometimes being very optimistic is also really dangerous. You should never assume that nothing will go wrong when dealing with dangerous situations.

Me: Spoken like a true Ultimate Detective.

Kyoko: Haha, thank you. But I feel like this is just common sense. After all, being too optimistic is a kind of weakness that should not be overlooked.

Me: Indeed. That being said, I do feel somewhat optimistic about the future for most of the students here. Their lives are about to change in some eye-opening ways.

Kyoko: The future indeed holds great promises for many of these talented young students. Some might change for the better and become even more skilled and talented, while others might take a dark path and ruin their own futures and talents. I suppose it's a part of the experiment - to see how successful they are and how they handle the pressure of this environment.

Me: Yep. Not to mention how they'll be able to handle the real world.

Kyoko: Oh yes, I believe that's an important aspect as well. It's crucial to see how the students will handle the real world, because once they leave this environment there will be no more limitations or safety measures. They'll be all on their own and it can certainly be quite the shocking experience to face the real world directly after being under this special supervision and guidance.

Me: Tell me about it. I used to be the clueless, unassuming type myself.

Kyoko: I see, so you can understand exactly what I mean then. Did something happen to you that made you become skeptical and vigilant?

Me: I had an unfortunate experience with my first job, you might say. It wasn't long before I started hating it.

Kyoko: I understand… So, your past experience made you change mentally and become the person you are now, am I right?

Me: Yep. That's the silver lining, I suppose you could say.

Kyoko: Yeah, even bad experiences sometimes hold some positive aspects and effects to help us grow and get better in certain ways. In your case, it helped you develop into a skeptical and vigilant person, which is something that could become very useful in a dangerous and unpredictable environment such as this one.

Me: I'm glad you feel that way. My intuition tells me things are going to get very unpredictable around here.

Kyoko: You're absolutely right. This school is designed to put pressure on the students. With all of the talents around here, it's almost guaranteed that a lot of unexpected things will happen.

Me: Yep. smiles at Kyoko In any case, I'll be praying for your success, Ms. Kirigiri. The world can use more people like yourself.

Kyoko: smiles back at Jaimes I'm flattered by your kind words. I'll make sure to do my best in order to succeed. And don't worry, I'll try to make sure that no one comes to any serious harm around here.

Me: Just do what you can. Even the best of us don't always succeed. Best of luck!

Kyoko: I know… Sometimes things don't always go the way we expect them to, even when we're highly prepared or skilled. I guess sometimes that's just the way life is, unpredictable and uncertain. But thank you again for your encouragement and support. I'll do what I can so that everything turns out all right.

Me: So will I. Take care, Ms. Kirigiri.

Kyoko: And you take care of yourself too, Jaimes. bows slightly and walks away

Me: calls out to Kyoko Oh, one more thing.

Kyoko: turns around Yes? What's the matter?

Me: talks quietly Keep an eye on Junko for me, would you?

Kyoko: nods Of course I will. She does seem a bit suspicious to me… I'll observe her and see if I can find out something more about her.

Me: Thanks. smiles

Kyoko: No problem. I'll make sure to keep an eye on her and let you know if I find out anything interesting.

Me: Great! Talk to you later.

Kyoko: Right, see you later.

[mythgirlimagines]

DVHS Reread: Chapter IV.I

Oshiro smiles secretively. "I know just what I'm gonna do." Nothing else comes to fruition about her plan, but it sounds like it'll be a good time. At the very least, a good distraction, which we all need.

That’s basically the beach episode of DVHS if I’m being honest, or like a special event of the chapter!

I shower and change into my pajamas, curling up in my bed. I look right at the camera, having a staring contest. "If anyone's watching, send a sign." I wait. Nothing happens. "Well, it was worth a shot."

~Foreshadowing~

MONOKUMA THEATRE XIII 

This one has a Yogi Bear reference. Am I old for knowing Yogi Bear?

At the same time I can't believe I would be a target, it's not hard to believe. I'm smart. I've been a huge help during the trials. I'm not physically strong. I'm often alone. That's reason enough for anyone to target me, but- oh god, what if the mastermind targets me? It's not like I've been quiet about wanting to find and expose them.

In this way, I think Camila is a little more self-aware compared to, say, Makoto or Shuichi. Hajime I think would stand a better fighting chance.

Sasaki hums in thought as she joins me by the door. "Is it odd that there's not much of a grace period? It's like he's trying to get rid of us before something can happen, but I don't know what that something could be."

I kind of planned out day by day what was going to happen in DVHS, and I think it’s slightly accelerated compared to some of the canon games. The reason for that is, of course, explained later.

"I can play a bit." Abe surprises me with his answer, but I don't think I should be too surprised. "Consequence of my upbringing."

"Same here," Nakamura says with a bit of a smile. He goes in for a fist bump, but Abe just looks at him. After a moment, he lowers his hand. "Anyway."

I like this interaction. I also think Abe would’ve hated learning piano.

"The founder of Hope's Peak." Abe startles me, appearing at my side. That does make sense, I guess, but for some reason I don't think that's why I know the name. His neutral expression doesn't shift as he points up at the space beside it. "There was something there before."

It takes me too long to realize that he says that because of the slight discoloration of the spot on the wall and not because he's been in this room before. "Probably another portrait, right? Of who?"

So not only does he know about the founder of HPA, but the other portrait would’ve been Jin Kirigiri, as the last headmaster of the original HPA.

I follow his gaze to everyone else. Oshiro is half hanging off of a file cabinet that Yoshida and Nakamura hold steady. "As far as we can tell, the folders only hold blank paper," Yoshida says as Oshiro digs in a little further. It looks like she could fall in if she's not careful. 

This is just a hilarious image to me.

"There are nine flower pots," Yasu says, hanging back by the computers. "It's not really helpful, but we have nine people left, which could mean something? Maybe?"

The number seems significant somehow; otherwise, why would there be a certain number instead of one per computer, or any at all? Still, I don't think that's why there are nine.

The significance of the number is actually the number of dead in DR1, excluding Junko and including Mukuro. RIP

"Well, these aren't exactly flowers." Sasaki brushes her hands on the pants of her overalls, leaving small streaks of dirt. She points to one of the pots. "Common broom. Highly poisonous. Do not consume. Capiche?"

The sheer amount of research I put into the common broom to ensure it would do what I wanted later in the story-

"Most of these have labels with directions." Saito has one of the section C bottles in her hand, studying it curiously. "This one is empty. All of the others appear to be unused. Interesting." 

Reference to DR1′s fourth case.

Oshiro bounces a little, seemingly bored. "Ya think if we set the school on fire, Monokuma would let us out?" Under our incredulous and frankly shocked looks, she wilts. "Yeah, probably not."

I mean, it’s a valid question.

Abe pauses and turns to face the center of the hallway. "Everything okay?" I ask him, hanging back a step.

"I can't shake the feeling that something is supposed to be there." He shakes his head after a beat passes, turning back to the stairs. "Let's catch up with everyone."

This would be the data center/mastermind’s surveillance room, which of course Abe would know about. This is one of the first hints (other than the ice rink, which technically could’ve been changed anyway) that this isn’t actually Hope’s Peak.

I check through my closet; I have plenty of outfits left, but the pile of dirty laundry is slowly growing. I don't remember there being a laundry room anywhere in the school, but surely I won't be needing it. 

That is 100% on me not remembering about the laundry room. So it just doesn’t exist.

To his credit, he doesn't ask questions, not after he sees the clothes in my hand. He follows me to the trash room and unlocks the gate blocking us from the inside. I push the clothes into the incinerator and step back. "Are you sure about this?" I nod.

He starts the incinerator. The flames lick the fabric, starting to fill the air with an acrid smell. I watch it, unblinking. It feels like my heart is being ripped out again, burning the last of her that I have. I'm not crying, but before I know it, I'm on my knees as it all burns away. Nakamura sits behind me, offering a hug. I accept, and we watch until the flames die, devoid of fuel.

I get up on my own once the smoke is cleared out, then thank him before going to the dining hall. I could use some tea.

This is another scene I really like, if only because it feels almost cathartic to me.

I can't remember the last time I went to a sleepover, but I've always had fun with them, even if I end up a little cranky the next day (at least, according to my parents) from a lack of sleep. 

Me projecting my and my sisters’ experiences with sleepovers.

Sasaki thinks for a minute. "I don't know, try to lick your elbow or something."

"Aw, that's easy." And, to my surprise, she does it easily. I didn't think it was possible. According to the confused and somewhat horrified looks on everyone's faces, they didn't, either. "What? Not like it's hard."

Yoshida is so fun for me, because I can do things like this with her.

...Yasu does a Mickey Mouse impression that sounds suspiciously like a Monokuma impression...

I’m projecting again. Though for me it’s the other way around.

MONOKUMA THEATRE XIV 

This one was written around when quarantine started in 2020. I felt really isolated at that time, obviously.

"C'mon, 'maya," Yoshida groans, trying to climb out of the smaller girl's tight embrace. "Time to get up." 

Callback to the fact that Oshiro’s a sleep hugger.

[aparticularbandit]

Of An Endless Infinity: Remnants (V)

Summary: What does it mean to be the Ultimate Hope?

Is it only hope on the big scale?  That the world is not so dark and depressing and destructive as the villain in front of you says it is?  That you can win, even when everything else says that you can’t?  That maybe it is better to live your life, even afraid, than it is to keep yourself sequestered away, alone?

Does it not also mean hope on the small scale?

Or: Makoto sacrifices himself in the hope that the other survivors might be able to help Junko. It remains to be seen whether this will actually succeed.

Chapter Rating: T. Fic Rating: M for Danganronpa reasons.

AO3

previous chapter | next chapter

Elsewhere….

“Are you done yet?”

She can’t keep the frustration out of her voice; it hisses with the weight of it, a kettle singing its piercing song.

It’s been so long since they got here.

Sure, yes, of course, technically it’s only been maybe a week – it isn’t like she’s keeping track of days exactly because they all pour one into the other and it’s so hard to pick one of them apart from the other anymore, and that’s the way it’s been for a very, very long time, longer than this maybe a week has been – but she still knows that it has been a long time because it’s taking far longer than she thought it would.  She’d thought they’d have gotten in and out and back and saved her beloved from that school and the trash still dwelling there by now.

(From her.)

But they’re still sitting around here, on the outside, waiting on Kaz to finish tinkering and manipulating, and occasionally going out to do their own duties, as requested by her beloved, while they just. wait.

Except she can’t do her full duty out here; she has patients who need her care; and while sure, yes, there are others to keep an eye on them – that’s her domain.  That’s what was left to her.  That is the most important thing, and she is stuck here—

(She’s paired up with Nekomaru again to release some steam.  It’s been fun.  Sometimes he suggests that he’ll do it to her if she does well enough, and it makes her blush.  His massages are nice, of course, and the offer is something special, since he rarely does anything of the sort with the other horrors (with one glaring exception), but they’re nothing like how her beloved makes her feel, and giving him that sort of exposure….

It feels like a betrayal.

Sure, sure, there might be despair in that, but not of the sort she wants to cause.  Her beloved needs to know that she, at least, is dependable; that she, at least, will not betray her, no matter who else does.  That she’ll come to find her.  To save her.

Just like she said she would.)

Kaz pulls back out of the huge machine – the huge machine – and looks up at her.  “I’m near done.  Today, maybe?”  He rubs the back of his neck.  “You, uh.  Ya got someone ta pilot it?”

She looks at him.  Blank stare.  “You weren’t planning on piloting it for us?”

(Who normally pilots it?  And why hadn’t the fool found them?)

“Nah.”  Kaz blushes, and his gaze drops.  He rubs the back of his neck even harder, so hard she can see flakes of skin peeling off.  “Ya know me.  I get all sick and shit.”

(Nekomaru, behind them, slapping his knees with a huge guffaw and an echoing, “SHIT!”)

She focuses on Kaz, not on anything or anyone else behind her, and kneels down to him, hands easy on her lap.  Her already short dress drags up her thighs, and despite his obsession with their fair princess, Kaz’s lowered gaze follows that growing expanse of skin, peeks just where they always peek.  (It’s a game, and it’s not one she learned from her beloved, even though she might have perfected it.)  “Oh, Kaz,” she murmurs, the smile spreading easy across her lips.  “Why didn’t you tell me?”  She reaches out, traces her fingers along his jaw, and lifts his chin.  “I’ve got so many things to help with just that.”

Kaz shivers.  (They always do.)  He doesn’t meet her eyes.  (They never do.)  “Yah.  I…I know ya do.  I just—”

“Don’t trust me?”

(She loves the way he stutters.

She loves the way she doesn’t.)

“Let me explain it to you,” she purrs, leaning down atop him until his eyes should have no choice but to meet hers.

Should, but don’t.

They flick up, down, unsure of where to land, and they land everywhere else but there.  He sucks his lower lip between his teeth, breathing fast, faster, heavy.  Maybe it’s a good thing half of him is still stuck beneath that stupid mecha bear.  She’s not interested in feeling what’s causing that blush.

Maybe it’s unfair to play with him this way.

Maybe.

So she drops the game with a sigh, reaches out, and tousles his hair.

“He-hey!”  Kaz reaches up, bats her hand away, and pushes his hands through his hair until it has the right spiky look to it, streaked through with grease.  Now he looks up at her, now he meets her eyes, now he glares at her.  “D-d-don’t do that!”

She grips his chin and yanks his face closer to hers.  “Saving my beloved is more fucking important than fucking with you,” she hisses, “and much more important than fucking with anything I might give you.”  Then she flicks his head away from her, not even reacting when it hits the ground beneath him.  “Maybe I’d poison you on a different day, sure, maybe, if that’s what she wanted, if I thought she might like it.  But right now.”  She grins, easy as anything, a mimicry.  “She is more important than that.  So you can trust me,” she murmurs, trailing her fingers up his chest.  “Just. This. Once.”

Kaz nods, and he averts his gaze, a deeper red blush spreading up his neck and back into his cheeks.  “Got it!  I, uh, I got it!”  He can’t meet her eyes again.  “I…I, uh.”  He swallows.  Hard.  “I need ta get back to work now.  So you should, uh.  Can you, uh.  Can you go?”

As she climbs off of him, she remembers just how easy this is.

It’s just. so. boring.

As she steps outside, she sighs and looks up at the sky, seeking for stars that must, somewhere, still be bright behind the pitch dark clouds, far within the deep red pollution they’d caused.  “We’re coming, my love,” she says to the sky, to stars she can’t see peering down on her with bright peals of laughter.  “We’ll be there soon.”

[ghostonmyfeed]

Girl From Nowhere S2 Theory

MAJOR SPOILER ALERT: I will be talking entirely about events in the 2nd season.

**Very long**

**I will tell the story of the episodes as well**

! ! WHAT I SAY ISN'T CANON IT'S JUST A THEORY !!

In episode 4 We're introduced to Yuri, who's up for revenge on her "friends". This is when Nanno realized it's going to be a whole lot different.

In the last season we see Nanno bringing karma to those around her. May it be a teacher or a student. In those instances, they either regret all the things they did and die or learn from their mistakes and live to be a better person.

In Yuri's case, all she wants is revenge because she's been used by her rich friends. In this episode, everyone is in the wrong and they all deserved bad karma.

Towards the end of that episode we see that Nanno was "dead" and put in a bathtub, while Yuri's head was inside, because she drowned to death in that tub by men she used to get her revenge.

Yuri's plan backfired on her. And of course in old Nanno fashion when the coast is clear, Nanno goes back to life and leaves the room.

But in the last scene, we see Nanno's blood going in Yuri's nose and bringing her back to life.

But was is intentional? We know that Nanno does not make mistakes, at all because everything she does happens for a reason.

For the rest of the season we have Nanno and Yuri competing over what the people in the wrong deserve.

Yuri is impatient and all about death and revenge without teaching them what they did wrong.

Nanno is patient, all about giving them the punishment they deserve and them learning from their mistakes.

Nanno does not doubt her tactics and knows exactly what to do to give the bad people what they deserve.

We know that in the end of every episode, everyone who lived and learned their lesson got to go back to their normal lives with their families.

We see a crack in Nanno's façade in episode 7: JennyX when Jenny slit Nanno's throat that didn't heal and where she had to take Jenny's identity because of Yuri's interferance.

In this episode we see that Nanno is capable of taking people's identities. But that wasn't part of her plan. She herself knew that this was not what Jenny deserved, it was too much and she doubted herself.

JennyX was a failed 'mission' on Nanno's part, because even if Jenny learned her lesson, she didn't get to go back to the life she had and correct her mistakes.

In the season finale Nanno and Yuri were arguing over who deserved to be punished.

Yuri says Junko's the victim because she was bullied by teachers and students and her mother purposely paralyzed her legs.

Nanno calls both Yuri and Junko out by saying both of them are hardly victims because they choose to kill people.

Junko was killing off students and faculty staff and studying their organs (Junko was interested in anatomy) her mother had no choice but to paralyze Junko so she would stop killing people because the mom always had to get rid of the bodies.

Towards the end of the finale Nanno tried to stop Junko from stabbing the mother but she gets injured and it didn't heal.

In the scene we see Nanno being stabbed to death by Junko and her mother, Yuri letting out an evil laugh. After stabbing Nanno to death, Junko slit her mother's throat.

At that final scene we see Yuri giving Junko her blood and going their separate ways. And looking down on them from the rooftop, was none other than Nanno herself narrarating.

"In a world where everyone thinks they are free and does whatever the hell they want. Am I really necessary anymore?" ~ Nanno

THEORY:

From the 4th episode, Nanno has been waiting patiently for the moment to teach Yuri a lesson.

Come to think of it, Nanno still didn't punish Yuri in that 4th episode. Yuri didn't regret any of the horrible things she did because to her it was all necessary for revenge. She didn't deserve to die because that was too easy. So Nanno intentionally made her immortal to teach her a lesson.

In episode 6 Yuri impatiently tried to get rid of Nanno and deliver her "justice" by making the students revolt. It worked for a moment but when the students came to one of them killing a teacher, the students fell apart and started blaming one another. So when their principal said they'll take care of the mess students made as long as they go back to doing everything the faculty says, most of the students agreed leaving the students who believed in revolting to face the consequences for everyone.

Yuri then sees her plan does not work and Nannos (yes plural) appear to finish the job. In the last scenes of the episode, the original Nanno locks Yuri in a room with her clones and the faculty, telling her they'll starve to death unless they start eating each other.

This could have been Yuri's karma if she just learned that her way doesn't help anyone. But it didn't, it just fueled her thirst for revenge more.

In the last scene of the finale, we see Nanno's neck fully healed. Meaning everything was part of her plan. If Yuri thinks Nanno's dead she would let down her guard down and it would be easy for Nanno to strike back.

But then what about the Nanno who was stabbed? It could be none other than one of her clones. We've seen her use her clones before to punish people in S1 ep2.

We don't know for sure if her clones can have lasting effects but in ep7 we see her clone's tongue cut off and it was still cut off in the end of that episode. When it was cut off, we also know that it made them bleed so the thought of of Nanno faking her death in front of Yuri isn't impossible.

Yuri already thinks that when Nanno's in doubt she can lose her immortality and make her vulnerable. Why? Maybe because Nanno planted that idea in Yuri's head.

This is Nanno we're talking about, she's what? a demon? a spirit? Let's say she's the spirit of karma because from what we see, she brings karma to everyone around her. Karma can't die, karma is just there. Nanno can't die, Nanno is just there.

What does she mean by her narration at the finale?

"In a world where everyone thinks they are free and does whatever the hell they want. Am I really necessary anymore?"

She's saying, if everyone does terrible things knowing very clear that they will be caught and there will be consequences but keep doing it anyway, what's the point of karma?

So instead of learning from their mistakes, they continue to make them, if that's it then is punishing them over and over again really necessary when it changes nothing?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME IN READING THIS

This is just a theory and my own interpretation, I know there are different opinions and this is my own. You can disagree and find my opinions, interpretations and theories stupid and I'm okay with that and I respect your opinion, but please refrain from harsh/foul language. Thank you!

[idiotwhotalkstoomuch]

The Despair Disease

While the post I made saying I want to make this post didnt gain a lot of traction I’m making it anyway to defend the motive the fandom deems the worst of the worst when it’s one of my favorites

This post contains spoilers for SDR2 and DR1′s chapter 6 and other chapters so finish those before you read. I dont believe I spoiled anything about DRV3 but if I did shoot me a comment I’ll update this.

In this post I will explain why I adore this motive (its prolly even my favorite in the franchise) and later explain the despair disease we got. If people want I will make another post on what the other cast would get as a despair disease but this post is getting very long.

Also I apologize if this post makes no sense I write on pure passion and don’t feel like trying my best to make it cohesive. Feel free to ask in replies or my dms what Im saying in some points.

The criticism behind this motive

I see a lot of posts saying this motive is a lazy excuse for foreshadowing and how it butchered characters like Mikan because they were running out of motives.

In my opinion, to say this is lazy foreshadowing is a bit ridiculous because it foreshadows two things pretty well when I was watching a playthrough (I wasnt able to buy the game *mourning noises*)

- Junko AI’s control over the world is foreshadowed with the fact the disease easily came and went. As the teacher or admin essentially she has the power to do this because its a game world not the real one. 

- Mikan’s breakdown and motive is the biggest remnant of despair foreshadowing we get prior to it being revealed in Chapter 6. 

I’ve seen people say Junko choosing to only infect Mikan with the remembering disease is ridiculous because she should just infect everyone then they kill each other and she takes the bodies but this idea forgets one key aspect of Junko’s plan.

She wanted to trap Makoto, Kyoko and Byakuya in the Neo World Program

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TLDR: Junko cant trap the survivors if they’re all despair cause Byakuya or Kyoko would’ve ended the whole thing and have the DR2 cast killed.

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If Junko made everyone back into despairs, Makoto might’ve jumped in if he was alone but Kyoko and Byakuya (well maybe with Makoto’s urging just Byakuya) never would’ve gone in and they would’ve stopped Makoto. Byakuya might even just straight up pull the plug on the operation and tell Makoto its impossible to save them because they’re optimistic not delusional. They believed in them in Chapter 6 because they were still themselves but if they all became despair then Byakuya or Kyoko would’ve ended the whole thing and her plans would go down the drain. 

Of course causing herself despair may have been a side motive but above all if she made everyone despair she couldnt trap the survivors which she wanted to do so only Mikan became despair and I fully believe Mikan was an appropriate choice for the remembering disease not because she outlived her usefulness to the plot or she’s too useful but rather she along with Hajime are the most fitting candidates for the remembering disease.

To prevent this post from becoming super long my elaboration on the Despair disease and how it works will be under cut along with me explaining why this motive stands out to me to be one of my favorite motives 

How does the despair disease work

As the name suggests to put it lightly the disease causes despair but how exactly you may ask

The disease makes the character act or experience something that makes them miserable

I mean in hindsight it’s actually pretty obvious since its name isn’t exactly subtle yet most seem to think it just makes them behave erratically (I did initially but upon rewatching chap 3 which is one of my favorite of DR2, another hot take but the hate on that chapter is more justified so I dont feel inclined to defend it.)

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TLDR: Akane hates being a coward, Nagito wants to be helpful not just spew nonsense, Ibuki wants to be herself not a mindless doll and Mikan has a horrible past and hates remembering it.

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Akane Owari (Coward disease) - This disease is the most obvious in how it causes its host despair as in the main story and her free time events its made  very clear how much she hates crying and being afraid. She will charge in head first at danger and despises crying, even keeping herself together after Nekomaru sacrificed himself for her so she must’ve thoroughly hated crying so much and acting so pathetic.

Nagito Komaeda (Lying disease) - This disease makes Nagito not just lie but spout info that is blatantly wrong or unhelpful. The way this disease causes him despair is not actually that Nagito hates lying. In chapter 1 he freely acted like he had no clue Teruteru was the murderer and will gladly help the killers which would require him to lie. This disease causes him despair because in this state Nagito is extremely useless and flat out in the way. Nagito as problematic as he is always has meaning behind his action whether its to try and inspire hope or its to lead his classmates to the correct answer he doesnt just do things for the sake of insanity. With the despair disease, Nagito is saying the most dumb and useless info along with not being able to give proper lies or half truths to this classmates which means he’s just actually bothering them now with no purpose which is what causes him despair (And the fact the disease worsened his what must be painful tumor so yeah that mustve caused him despair as well)

Ibuki Mioda (Gullible disease) - Admittedly I know less about Ibuki then a lot of the cast but I will say why this disease works in my opinion. Ibuki left her band that made her so successful to make her own music because of creative differences because Ibuki likes being herself. The gullible disease makes her just some subservient lapdog with no personality. She believed Mikan who told her to go to the music venue with her during the night with no suspicion whatsoever because of this disease and she didnt die being herself but just being some doll who will believe anything and do anything because of how gullible she is.

Mikan Tsumiki (Remembering disease) - Alright time to explain the most criticized one. This disease is honestly perfectly fitting for Mikan because of Mikan’s abusive past. It’s not rocket science to tell Mikan was abused after the first chapter of the game with her timid and weak personality along with frequent reference to bullies. Mikan both in the main story and her free time events never actually elaborates on things like her home life and how bad her bullying was. Of course we know they did things like draw on her and cut her hair but she never actually talks about events that scarred her for life or things like why she’s covered in bandages, its mostly implicitly told by her behavior and one instance where she mentions her home as a place she was beaten a lot in. This just shows that Mikan doesn’t like looking at her past and she would rather try to please the people she’s currently with or just be happy about her current situation (she calls the neo world program a paradise because no one abuses her there). For Junko to give Mikan a disease where she remembers all about the things she’s forgotten along with the memories of her past that weren’t wiped must’ve been hell for her as she would remember all the pain and agony throughout her life which made her return to her despair self, the Mikan who snapped and become dependent again on the person she believes is the only one who’s ever been kind to and loves her. It takes more than remembering Junko to return Mikan to despair, she would have to remember all the bullies and people who beat her at home for her to return to the remnant of despair who chose to plunge the world into chaos and madness. 

Now why do I love this motive

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TLDR: The despair disease has the framework of a sympathetic motive that would make us shed tears for Mikan but she hits us with the fact this was who she was before the killing game. This motive is great because the person it triggered to kill wasn’t some innocent angel who would never do it otherwise, it’s someone who just needed a good push to kill not one but two of her classmates.

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After that very long elaboration, I want to say why this motive is one of my favorite in the franchise and a motive I deem one of the best.

As I mentioned earlier this disease makes the characters feel or act in a way that makes them miserable or as the game would call it “bring them despair”. It’s really interesting to watch because the characters aren’t all going “We’re friends and we’ll never kill each other!” which is the expected attitude after Terueru and Peko’s sympathetic and tragic ends. This motive makes the infected erratic and the uninfected afraid of the infected because they don’t want to get sick. 

This motive was done by Monokuma and the Junko AI because after the events of chapter 1 and 2 where Teruteru didnt get to learn what happened to his mom and where Peko begged her classmates to never do a senseless killing again, it takes very extreme circumstances to make the cast kill again because these events united them so Monokuma needed to break it open because if it weren’t for motives like the despair disease and later the funhouse and the truth behind the cast, they likely would’ve actually stopped killing because it’s not like life is hard on the island, it’s quite pleasant for them honestly. 

But of course necessity to the plot isn’t enough to make a motive something I deem part of the best, now what about this motive makes me think it is one of the best in the franchise.

The sympathy aspect

Now what do I mean by this?

In Danganronpa it’s very easy to identify a sympathetic motive from an unsympathetic motive. For example: Danganronpa 1 case 1 is a sympathetic motive because Leon was scared and panicked after Sayaka tried to kill him so he killed her before she could leave the bathroom she locked herself in and try again. Danganropa 1 case 3 is obviously an unsympathetic motive because Celeste for cash, no stakes on her life she just wanted the cash prize.

The despair disease is written with the framework of a sympathetic motive because it forcefully changes the way a character is so it would hypothetically make someone crazy against their will then kill someone without them actually wanting to but this motive throws your expectations right in your face because of Mikan’s despair disease.

Mikan’s disease being the remembering disease turns the motive of this case to “Poor soft nurse was forced to kill her friends” to “Soft nurse remembers she’s actually really insane and wants to kill her classmates to inflict despair and join her beloved in death because she believes they loved her above all else.” 

Danganronpa 2 is full of sympathetic killers at the start with Teruteru wanting to first save the others then later save his mother when Nagito ends up living and with Fuyuhiko wanting to avenge his little sister who died too young but Peko sees what he’s doing will get him killed so she kills Mahiru instead of him to at least let him live another round. 

This motive was supposed to make another character in this cast a sympathetic victim of Monokuma as they would not kill the people they did on other circumstances but with the disease that would inflict Mikan the most despair, it made her remember everything that has happened and what made her want to kill. 

[aj28gaming]

Danganronpa messing up Nagito's character cuz apparently even they believe headcanons

Is it just me or is Danganronpa making Nagito worse?

Like at the start we have a socially intelligent and intuitive paranoid kid who hates despair and gets forced into a killing game that is filled with everything he hates and fears

So he clings desperately to hope as a coping mechanism to deal with everything

And then in the anime, we get a social outcast (for some reason even though people would've loved his hope talks like they did back in chapter 1 since no killing game happens and he is just speaking normally)

who bombs a school (forget his paranoia apparently) and nonchalantly allows himself to get out of the island and accidentally kill 40+ soldiers (again, ignoring his paranoia of his destructive luck cycle apparently)

And then in Danganronpa 2.5 we get a socially inept, clingy hope addict who apparently doesn't have boundaries?

(We seriously ignoring how much he pushes people away back in SDR2, is afraid of having friends due to his luck cycle, respects boundaries to the max, and how socially intelligent he is and his crazy empathy to know people's hopes and despairs?)

(And no even Mikan's motivations he understood, he knew she killed for despair because she literally killed for Junko, Mikan just says he doesn't understand because she doesn't count is as killing for despair, she counts it as killing for love)

And some of the fans defend this and says Nagito is hated or is supposed to have no boundaries because of his social ineptness or inability to properly socialize

Okay

WHEN?

WHEN HAS HE IN SUPER DANGANRONPA 2 ACTUALLY SUCKED AT SOCIALIZING OR WAS SOCIALLY INEPT OR OUT OF TOUCH?

NOT THE ANIME OR SPINOFFS, I AM TALKING ABOUT THE ACTUAL SECOND GAME WHERE HE FIRST SHOWED HIS FACE

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOW GONNA BASE ALMOST ALL OF MY POINTS ON HOW NAGITO IS AND ACTS DURING SDR2 AND THAT INCLUDES HIS FREE TIME EVENTS AND ISLAND MODE

NOT THE ANIME OR DANGANRONPA 2.5, JUST DANGANRONPA 2 GOODBYE DESPAIR

Bruh, the guy is hated sure, but boy was he awesome at being a people-person and gathering people during chapter 1

He encouraged everyone with his hope talks and Hajime even kept simping for the guy because of his positivity

And due to the guy's CRAZY HIGH EMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING, he is able to understand the hopes and despairs of almost every freaking character

He knew Teruteru wanted to continue the culinary legacy and help his mom, that's his hope

He knew Imposter would want to protect everyone no matter what, that's his hope

He knew Mikan killed for Despair, that despair being Junko Enoshima

He knew Fuyuhiko's hope is Peko and that both of them care about each other very much

He knew how similar he and Hajime are and how they are both bystanders and lovers of Hope, for Hajime that Hope being Hope's Peak academy itself and/or having talent

The guy is crazy with how well he knows people, and he is definitely not socially inept at all

He respects boundaries, is able to read the room and the only time he seems socially inept is when he is either trying to purposefully annoy someone to get a reaction or when he is too obsessed with his ideas with hope

The guy is obsessed with hope, yes, but he is not socially inept

That is seriously downgrading how much empathy he has and how much understanding he has for every character

And Nagito does have empathy, the reason why it seems like he doesn't is because he treats the dead people like stepping stones for hope

He does have empathy tho, and too much that it takes a toll on his mental health whenever he sees dead bodies, so he clings to hope in order to cope and tries to pretend that it's okay if people die because there is always hope

(basically, deniability at it's finest)

It's not that the guy doesn't care, it's that he does a little too much

Which is why he laughs, laughing for him doesn't mean he is happy, it means he is surprised (he says this in island mode)

And seeing that his greatest fears are seeing people die constantly because of his luck cycle, wouldn't be surprised that he laughs like crazy in a literal killing game

And laughing out of stress or fear isn't unheard of, I mean there is also a thing called nervous laughter

And jesus christ, CAN PEOPLE STOP TRYING TO USE FRONTOTEMPORAL DEMENTIA SYMPTOMS TO EXPLAIN HIM?

What I mean is, yes he has dementia or is at least diagnosed with it

And I believe that he probably does actually have dementia (not saying he could've lied tho but he could've still been misdiagnosed)

But that doesn't mean he has all of the symptoms

I don't think we can confirm if he does or doesn't have dementia because he might just not have all of the symptoms

But I do know that using the symptoms to explain his character isn't a good idea especially since it usually undermines who he actually is

Like, let me explain

Behavior and/or dramatic personality changes, such as swearing, stealing, increased interest in sex, or a deterioration in personal hygiene habits

- No, and no not even when the killing game started. Yeah sure he laughs now, but that's no different from how he is normally since laughing for him is what he does when he gets surprised or stressed. He doesn't change much in the killing game, he still believes in hope and everyone else, still respects boundaries, still have crazy high intellect and empathy, still pushes people away

Socially inappropriate, impulsive, or repetitive behaviors

- not really, again the guy is a freaking gentleman even during the killing game. He respects boundaries, reprimands Teruteru for sexual assault during chapter 1, pushes people away and distances himself from others, isn't at all impulsive (usually quite the opposite really), and is usually planning and tries to remain calm and composed throughout the killing game (struggling tho cuz yeah killing game)

Impaired judgment

- here, I kinda disagree. I wouldn't say that Nagito is entirely in the right with everything he does, but I understand his views. The guy knows that no one is truly a bad person in the killing game because everyone was forced into it. He knows that even the blackened escapes and everyone dies, it isn't fully a bad thing because that means someone escapes and goes back home to their loved ones while the killing game ends

If a blackened succeeds, the despair would be of course everyone else dying and the blackened going through a lot of trauma, but the hope would be the end of the killing game and the blackened going home or to their loved ones or to their goal in life or whatever

If the blackened dies, the despair would obviously be the blackened dying and the killing game still continuing, while the hope would be everyone else still alive

Nagito isn't exactly wrong in wanting to help the blackened as well, of course, Nagito would want him himself to be the victim so another person gets a chance at escape and no one else would be the victim

Sadly for Nagito, that time never comes

Nagito doesn't want others to be killed, he wants to sacrifice himself instead as the victim instead of everyone else

Apathy

- .....big no. Nonononono. The dude is anything but apathetic.

"Apathy is a lack of feeling, emotion, interest, or concern about something."

Seriously, being a dude who is constantly supportive of everyone and their hopes in life and how passionate this dude gets about hope and despair, and the fact that he is the most stressed 24/7 about something bad happening due to his luck, this guy is seriously anything but apathetic

Lack of empathy

- No. If the guy truly lack empathy he wouldn't need to use Hope desperately as a coping mechanism, wouldn't care about the ultimates and their hopes and despairs, wouldn't constantly be thinking about helping the ultimates and overcoming despair, wouldn't be the most stressed out of everyone, and definitely wouldn't be in love with Hajime or even act the way he did in chapter 1

Decreased self-awareness

- You don't actually understand why you act the way you do.

A good indicator that you lack self-awareness deals with how well you understand your emotions, actions, and behavior. People who lack self-awareness often feel constantly off-kilter, anxious, or angry.

This is not Nagito at all. The guy understands his emotions and behaviors which is why he is able to do the things he does and is able to conduct plans based on how much he understands his own self and capabilities. The guy is actually the most self-aware out of everyone, he knows about how people don't understand him and constantly misunderstand him and his intentions, he is aware constantly of his inability sometimes to properly explain his goals to people.

The guy has a lot of self-awareness and isn't afraid to take responsibility for his actions. Actually, it's because of how self-aware he is of his own self and his destructive luck cycle that he constantly blames himself for anything bad that happens.

The guy is seriously self-aware as hell and it's scary sometimes

Loss of interest in normal daily activities

- Nope, he hasn't shown any sign of apathy towards anything and is usually pretty hyped about doing daily activities. He is paranoid though on the daily because he fears for what his luck cycle might do

Emotional withdrawal from others

- Emotional withdrawal involves bottling up your emotions. It involves cutting out the people who could help us, because we're so used to rejection that we've learned to anticipate it. Because we've learned to disconnect from others, we develop other unhealthy coping mechanisms

Emotional withdrawal is defined as pulling back emotionally or physically by bottling up your feelings or disconnecting from others. Emotional withdrawal can be far more complex at times. It is comparable to a breakup, in every way but physical.

Kind of? Yes, he pushes people away, but he is still willing to spend time with people, especially Hajime, when they really insist. He politely pushes people away, but he isn't opposed to hanging out with people either though it is sometimes rare

Loss of energy and motivation

- .... I already said it before, the guy is full of motivation and energy and passion that it is scary sometimes

Inability to use or understand language; this may include difficulty naming objects, expressing words, or understanding the meanings of words

-.....WHY IS THIS HERE? THE GUY IN THE JAPANESE DUB CONSTANTLY FLEXES HIS DAMN ENGLISH VOCABULARY DESPITE IT BEING A JAPANESE DUB

AND THE FUCKING ENGLISH WORDS HE USES ARE FANCY AND HIGH LEVEL AS FUCK THAT I FEEL SMART JUST READING THEM

Hesitation when speaking

- Definite no, the guy isn't afraid to voice his own opinions and never hesitates and can get very vocal about the things he is passionate about

Less frequent speech

- Again, definite hell no. I wouldn't be surprised if his voice lines are longer than the voice lines of everyone else combined

Distractibility

- Nope. The guy is focused on his goals constantly. No matter what he does, you can always be sure that it is for a certain goal. He pisses of Fuyuhiko? It was to get a reaction from him to confirm his suspicions about the true culprit. He lied about the rope? It was to see how Mikan would react and how the trial would go to confirm his suspicions about Mikan being the culprit?

The guy is focused like a damn soldier

Trouble planning and organizing

-.....do I seriously need to explain? This is Nagito we are talking about

Frequent mood changes

- Not really. He usually acts or reacts a certain way because something happened like someone died or something. He is actually pretty normal with how he acts and reacts and doesn't really change his mood rapidly that much

Agitation

- Yes and no? Sure the guy gets paranoid 24/7, but is still somewhat more chill than agitated to an extent. He is easy going and is just paranoid about what his luck would do, he is vigilant but not necessarily agitated

Increasing dependence

- No. The guy is independent to a fault and only relies on others when his plans call for it. He also usually does things of his own accord and rarely with a partner unless he really needs to or his goal is to help that person specifically, which knowing him is a usual thing

Unwillingness to talk

- Again, no. The guy talks a lot and while he pushes others away, he wouldn't turn down a conversation if the other person wanted one

Lack of inhibition or lack of social tact

- Again, no. The guy is a gentleman and respects boundaries and definitely gets stressed especially in the killing game. The guy is also paranoid 24/7 on a normal day due to his luck cycle

Obsessive or repetitive behavior, such as compulsively shaving or collecting items

- No? Sure he clings to hope but that is more of a coping mechanism. If he isn't in a stressful situation like a killing game he doesn't get that obsessive as much about hope since he doesn't need to desperately cling to it as a coping mechanism

Unusual verbal, physical or sexual behavior

- No? He isn't at all like this. It isn't unusual to panic or use a coping mechanism desperately when in a situation like a killing game, and he doesn't do anything unusual like this when it's a normal day. Sure the guy gets paranoid, but that's it

Weight gain due to dramatic overeating

- No? Actually, I don't really know how much weight he gains to be honest so idk

My main point here is, yes there is a chance Nagito does actually have dementia, but using the symptoms as a way to explain his character undermines who he actually is and can cause a lot of misunderstandings of his character

Especially since I remember being told that they only added in dementia to his character backstory a little late during his character development and creation

It isn't a good idea to use his symptoms because it usually gets his character wrong and sometimes makes them excuse a lot of the things he has done

The guy is self-aware, isn't socially inept, is a gentleman, and socially intelligent as hell

And I really hate how even Danganronpa itself seems to forget that

It's like they forgot who Nagito is, to begin with

[hopeymchope]

There is actually a multi part video by GamingMagic13 who explains everything wrong about DR3 better than I ever could. (If you ever get the time I suggest watching it) But mainly bc DR3 ended with absolutely no resolution with specific characters. Plus, the world was still in an awful state. :/

*looks it up* Oh JESUS CHRIST. It's a SIX-AND-A-HALF-HOUR video series tearing down something I deeply love!

.....yeah, I can't imagine subjecting myself to that, sorry.

I guess I'll just say that yes, not every single character's issues are resolved. If you sat around telling a story that was just checking a bunch of boxes on what's still out there (Does Nekomaru still have his heart problem? Does Nagito really have a brain tumor? Are we going to somehow resolve those medical issues? What is the state of Sonia's country after her activities as a Remnant of Despair? Etc), it wouldn't be much of a coherent narrative. Honestly, almost every story I've ever read/watched/played has left some unseen element of resolution that I would've liked to personally see, but I get why they do it. For a lot of viewers/readers/players, the interest is gone when the major conflict is resolved, y'know?

By the end of it, though, what's really still left open that leaves the world in a bad place? There's one BIG thing, obviously: The masked/mind-controlled kids running around Towa City. The fact that we never know if that issue is resolved or how DOES irk me.

Aside from that, however...

We know that the destroyed air quality is resolved by the final epilogue scenes, because we are shown as such. No, we aren't given any dropped lines about how this happened ("It's a good thing Souda engineered that machine that can absorb and clean the air!" or something), but I also don't think we especially needed it.

The big-name capital-R "Remnants of Despair" aren't running rampant over the world and are, in fact, on a journey of atonement for their previous crimes.

There are still stragglers, of course, but we are directly told that the remnants that remain are "exactly that — remnants."

I guess we don't know for sure what the state of various world governments and authorities is, but I also don't think that's something we needed, personally. I suppose we could've thrown some text on-screen about it at the end?

Naegi becoming the head of the New Hope's Peak is something that is very much left open to interpretation, admittedly. You could see this as a bad thing if you agree that Hope's Peak's fixation on "talent" was actually hurting people overall AND you legitimately believe that Naegi would be so foolish as to continue that exact same approach/policy. But since the show gives you no hints as to how the school now operates or what Naegi is doing with it, the assumption that it's bad or good is entirely on the viewer. It honestly never occurred to me that Naegi would continue the exact same fixation with "talented" individuals when *I* saw it; I was surprised when I saw a bunch of people online just assuming that it must be exactly the same as the old Hope's Peak. That's a weird leap to make when the series seemed to clearly be telling us that A) the obsession with natural-born talent was bad and B) the ending was clearly meant to be happy/positive based on the tone of the visuals and music.

By the time DR3 rolled around, most fans were like "Did Junko never sleep or what?" After three games we were expected to believe that she planned and executed the overall destruction of society, the Student Council Killing Game, the Hope's Peak Killing School Life, the Jabberwock Island/Neo World Killing Game, the epic disaster in Towa City — a wide variety of events that seemingly involved her getting close to/personally manipulating all the Warriors of Hope AND all of class 77-B in addition to creating her own A.I., arranging for a wide swath of robots to serve her whims and also rampage across the land, learning how to remove people's specific memories and executing on that, etc etc etc. You get the idea. It was pretty damn insane to even wrap your mind around, and I appreciated that DR3 invests time in showing us how so much of this was pulled off without ever breaking continuity. In particular, there's a pretty clever workaround on one major issue...

At the end of DR2, Junko insists that she manipulated the entire DR2 cast one by one into willfully giving into despair. Naegi insists that they were just brainwashed. And lo: One of the most popular complaints about DR3 is that "Omg I can't believe they introduced brainwashing and used it to explain the DR2 cast being evil." Which... should I once more list all the ways that this was set up in advance of DR3? OH SURE: We already mentioned the dialogue from Naegi. But the biggest foreshadow of this is Danganronpa 0, the light novel that Kodaka himself wrote which came out BEFORE DR2 RELEASED, in which we see a horde of Reserve Course students being brainwashed by some edited videotape showing the Student Council Killing Game. This is exactly where DR3 pulls from and is more than enough justification for this all by itself, but I could also cite that brainwashing was already present in the games themselves if you just remember the aforementioned kids in Towa City - y'know, the ones all brainwashed and controlled by something shown inside their Monokuma masks. And doesn't this explanation helpfully free up a lot of time for Junko's numerous plots?

[danganronpa-21]

Rating: Teen & Up Audiences

General Warnings: N/A

Fandoms: Danganronpa (Series), Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc

Relationships: Naegi Makoto/Kirigiri Kyoko

Additional Tags: Ski Trip, Truth or Dare, First Kisses, Snowstorm, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Seven Minutes in Heaven, Secret Crushes

Summary: What was meant to be a bonding experience between Class 78 leaves them snowed in at a ski lodge and forced to make their own fun. Sayaka suggests that they play Truth or Dare to pass the time. All seems well and good until Makoto is dared to play Seven Minutes in Heaven with Kyoko.

Word Count: 8,108 words (21 pages)

Read it on AO3.

Miss Amachi is clearly getting sick of their class. 

Not that Makoto can say that he blames her. As the self-proclaimed normal guy looking in on all the elites, he knows how much of a handful they can be. Those who fought to be the best of the best at something were often subject to their own quirks, so to speak, and when you put all of these quirky, quirky people together… It can become a recipe for chaos. Each day that Miss Amachi was able to wrangle them for homeroom was a miracle. They have always been a rambunctious bunch; the type of people with fantastical ideals and headstrong attitudes to back them up. He loves them, and he knows his teacher does too, but she can understand why she’s fed up with them right now.

It probably doesn’t help that their plans for the day, which would have been filled with all kinds of fun and excitement, have been torn apart as easily as a wet piece of paper. His mother always said that she loved the experiences she had on her school trip to the ski lodge, and when he left, he’d hoped he would return understanding why. An itinerary of skiing, tubing, hot chocolate drinking, snowball fighting, buffet-eating… he would have loved every second of that, especially with his friends and classmates all at his side. He’d had these images in his mind on the ride there: making overly extravagant drinks at the hot chocolate bar with Kyoko, rough housing and throwing snowballs with Chihiro and Mondo, racing Aoi and Sakura down the ski hill… He’d have loved for them to come to pass – and in fairness, some of them did – just not as many as he hoped for. He had a freak snowstorm to thank for that. 

Still, even with his disappointment, he isn’t the one taking it the hardest. After all, if they can’t leave the lodge, he’s sure that he can find something to do with himself for a few hours. He’d picked up a really good shounen manga before they left, and he knew Kyoko brought her portable chess set, and there were plenty of good channels on the lodge TVs. It isn’t as if there aren't exactly things to do, but his classmates are – for lack of better words – kind of being big babies about it. 

“I’m so booooored.” Junko whines, throwing herself dramatically against the lobby’s plush brown loveseat. Makoto can’t help but snicker slightly as she sinks further and further into the fabric. She had already been sitting there for the past twenty minutes, but apparently, she needed to throw herself down again to emphasize just how bored she is. “What are we even supposed to do here? There’s no cell service, the internet sucks because of the storm… We’re totally cut off!”

Miss Amachi sighs disapprovingly, shaking her head. “Enoshima-san, there’s more to life than the functions of your cell phone. What need do you have to connect with the outside world for entertainment when you have so many friends right here?” 

Junko scoffs and rolls her eyes. He didn’t think that that was at all a ridiculous question to ask, but it must be a stupid one from her point of view. “I know that, but the ‘more to life’ and ‘entertainment with friends’ thing is totally out of whack, because it’s snowing like we’re in Alberta’s asshole!”

“Alberta…?” He hears Yasuhiro ask Kiyotaka quietly. 

“A Canadian province known for its harsh winters.” 

“I’m sure you can all find something to entertain yourselves with while you’re here. What about that roleplaying game Yamada-san was telling us about?” Miss Amachi turns to Hifumi with a bright smile on her face, “What was it called again?”

Hifumi, surprisingly, does not seem moved by her suggestion. In fact, his tone sounds defeated more than anything. “Dungeons and Dragons,” he grumbles, eyes still fixed on the rosewood beams across the ceiling, “I’m afraid I must confess that I have no materials prepared, however. A campaign in these circumstances would be… unsatisfying.” 

Their teacher’s lips curve into a frown. “Well, I guess we can just save that for another time… but maybe a different board game could help?”

Makoto wrinkles his nose. If it’s all the same to everyone else, he would like to avoid board games, please and thank you. After the last time he played Monopoly and unleashed the competitive beast that is Celestia when she’s not winning… Well, he’s not sure that those kinds of games are in their best interest right now. You know, considering that they’re all essentially trapped in a confined space together. 

“Do they even have board games here?” Mondo grunts from next to Hifumi, his arms folded across his chest. “’Cause I know for sure that none of us brought any. Except for maybe Kirigiri-san and her chess set.”

Kyoko shrugs, her attention more focused on a piece of sweater fuzz stuck in her hair than the conversation at hand. She tries and misses at pulling it out repeatedly, until Sayaka reaches over to help. “You can only play chess with two people. It’s not ideal for our class situation right now.” 

Mondo nods in acknowledgement. No more words roll off his tongue, nor anyone else’s. There’s just a lot of sitting and staring: at each other, at the ceiling, at their own fingernails, at the other people hanging around the lodge. Is there truly nothing to be done or said about the scenario in which they’ve found themselves? Even Makoto, someone who considers himself to be skilled at cheering up others and finding ways to connect, can think of no solution that doesn’t involve everyone splitting up. At any other time, this might actually be something that he would suggest, but everyone had actually been having fun together this past week or so. Even those who didn’t get along, like Leon and Hifumi, were actually finding ways to connect. There had been all kinds of nights spent having karaoke parties, warming up in hot springs, playing fun team building games; only for them to have their spirits mercilessly destroyed by the cancellation of the day’s activities. Who even knew when they would be able to get back out there?! It would certainly be a lot to expect that the lodge workers could just shovel everyone out, especially while the storm is still raging. Most things they wanted to do would still probably have a safety hazard to them. So really, what was the point?

After a few minutes of silence, Miss Amachi clues into the fact that her students have given up. Her lower lip sticks out in a pout as her eyes dart between them, clearly pondering if there’s anything she can do to change their minds. There isn’t, and both she and Makoto know it, but he appreciates her willingness to try anyway. 

“Well,” she announces to no one in particular, her hands stuffing themselves into the pockets of her puffy coat, “I’m sure that sooner or later, the sixteen of you will come up with something to do to entertain yourselves while you’re here. You’re a clever bunch. I would know, I’m the one who grades your test papers.”

The students offer her little in return for her jokey-compliment, aside from mouth twitches that Makoto assumes are meant to be smiles. Fortunately, Miss Amachi doesn’t seem all that perturbed. She grins enough for all of them, her acorn-coloured eyes radiating kindness as she looks at each of them.

“While you guys sit around like a couple of lumps and figure out what you’re going to do, how about I see about getting some time in the kitchens? I think I could handle getting some hot chocolate and homemade banana muffins ready for you. How does that sound?” 

Now we’re talking, Makoto muses excitedly to himself. Miss Amachi’s banana muffins are practically famous at Hope’s Peak, but most of all amongst her students. As the supervisor of the school’s cheerleading club, she helps contribute to all the fundraisers and charity causes – which means every time there’s a bake sale, those delectable muffins get made. The class usually only gets them if there are leftovers from the sale (which there usually aren’t), but the off-times that they do… good god, they are amazing. She definitely knows how to entice them properly. 

“That sounds wonderful, Amachi-sensei, thank you.” Sayaka declares on behalf of the group, her voice dripping with delight. “We really appreciate it.” 

Their homeroom teacher nods her reply. “You’re quite welcome. You know how much I like seeing all of you smile. While I’m gone though, I really do expect you to try and find some way to have fun. The last thing you should be doing is wasting a day of bonding by complaining about just that. Now, is there anything else you need before I’m off?”

The group exchanges looks with each other for thirty seconds before Sayaka once again speaks for everyone. “I think we’re alright, thank you!” 

Throwing one last nod their way, their teacher spins on her heel and wanders towards the front desk. Makoto can’t help but wonder how easy it will be for her to get into the kitchens to get that done. According to what Byakuya said on the way here, this lodge has been dealing with Hope’s Peak Academy school trips for over a decade, so he imagines their staff are not strangers to unusual requests. That being said, he doesn’t know for himself how accommodating they can really be, and if they’ll just go along with some things because the Academy has many, many investors. 

With the departure of their teacher, a brief silence falls over the students once more. The glue that has held them together for the past few hours is gone. Now, they sit alone and still bored, with everyone else waiting for someone else to come up with an idea of what it is that they’re meant to do. A couple of glances exchange between them, yet nobody gives even the slightest hint that they would like to share with the group. Empty promises had clearly just been made to their poor teacher.

“So…” Yasuhiro purses his lips, making a distinct click sound as he speaks. “Anybody got any ideas on how we can get this party boat on the road?”

Without anyone having to say anything, he can definitely feel someone wanting to correct Yasuhiro about a boat traveling on the road – but it seems like everyone is just too exhausted to take the bait. 

“If we had something to share, wouldn’t we have spoken up sooner?” Byakuya pushes his glasses further up his nose “It’s foolish to even ask.”

“Well, I didn’t exactly hear any better ideas out of ya!”

The taller boy’s eyes do a full rotation, like whatever’s on his mind is the most obvious thing on earth. They’ve been classmates for awhile now, but if he’s being honest, Makoto has never stopped finding Byakuya obnoxious. “That is precisely the point. Unlike the rest of you, I feel no need to waste more time trying to get a team activity underway. Perhaps it’s fate that our activities were canceled, a sign from the universe.”

Celestia lets out a giggle that she only pretends to muffle with her hand. She and Byakuya have a strange relationship: sometimes they’re on the same wavelength, and other times, she likes to push his buttons. “I must say,” she purrs, her faux-French lilt soothing their ears, “I never thought you were the type to believe in fate.” 

“Ever perceptive, Celestia.” Byakuya smirks. “I’m not. I’m just willing to do what it takes to prove my point.”

Kyoko exhales sharply in mockery. Within an instant of the sound, Byakuya’s ice blue stare fixes itself on her, staring accusingly at the girl who dared to question him.. Makoto’s not sure why he’s offended at this point; he and Kyoko snip back and forth at each other like this all the time. Her mocking him isn’t rare, it’s the kind of thing that could happen on any random Tuesday. 

“Do you have something you want to say, Kirigiri-san?” 

The detective’s shoulders rise and fall, her expression maintaining the same neutrality it has held since the day they first met her. “Just that I find your objection to this activity a little laughable. Are you so uncreative that you can’t bother to try and come up with something we can do as a class?” She raises one of her brows as him. “Have you already exhausted all of your brain power trying, or did you not bother in the first place?” 

Celestia giggles again. A quiet declaration of her having taken Kyoko’s side. Byakuya’s hands curl into fists, his eyes narrowing as he watches his opponent. “You have no more maturity than a child. It’s pathetic.”

Yikes, Makoto thinks, already sure that he’s on Kyoko’s side for this one, Talk about a weak retort.

“Ah, yes,” Kyoko’s foot kicks upwards ever so slightly, the mischievous glint in her eyes betraying her amusement, “The man who whines about having to play with the others calls me a child. I must say, I hadn’t expected you to figure me out like that, Togami-kun. Consider me sufficiently… what is it that you say, Naegi-kun?”

She glances over at him expectantly.

“Roasted?” He supplies, half-stupid.

To his surprise, she accepts, the hint of the smirk resting on her face. It’s cute how she believes that this does anything to increase her power against him.  “Roasted.” 

A set of artificial “oohs” come from the rest of their classmates, too content to watch the brainiacs duke it out with poorly utilized slang to acknowledge how off-track they’ve gotten. A part of him considers reminding them of Miss Amachi’s expectation, but the other part of him… honestly really wants to see where this is going. Seeing Byakuya grit his teeth only spurs that desire forward. It’s obvious that he’s attempting to camouflage it and play it off, but it’s not something he does well. 

“Any adult would be concerned if they were asked to waste their time, especially considering that you don’t become successful with only a modicum of effort. You may have time to laze about and play children’s games, Kirigiri-” the lack of honorific is an insult in itself, “-but I have more valuable things to do.” 

Nobody gasps or says anything else. Everyone’s gaze just jumps back to Kyoko, who hasn’t even flinched. She’s a master at stoicism; her mouth doesn’t move or change its hold. Somehow it’s frightening and enticing at the same time. Makoto loves the intensity behind her expression. Focused and powerful… Those are the two perfect words to describe Kyoko Kirigiri. He wonders if it says something about him, finding this attractive. He has always liked strong women.

“It sounds to me like you’re doing a bit of deflecting, Togami-kun. I’m probably twice as busy as you are, doing work that actually matters-” another round of oohs comes with that remark, “-and I’ve made the time. So why can’t you? Are you afraid to be bested in something? Can’t let the middle class get ahead of you?”

Byakuya scoffs, dodging the sharpest of her remarks. Deep down guilt pricks him, yet Makoto can’t help feeling a little proud of Kyoko for giving a jab to which he had no retort. Hypothetically, her comments are in the interest of the greater good, right? Getting everyone to play together? Okay, maybe he cannot justify the sensation. The Togami Conglomerate probably does something important. “Like any of them could beat me. Whatever the game, I could win with ease.”

She quirks a brow as she leans forward, chin raising a little, as if to portray her superiority. “Then what’s the issue? Suggest anything. I’m sure that the rest of us could beat you at it,” she glances over her shoulder, “Right, everyone?”

Makoto quietly wonders if he’s the only person suddenly feeling very attracted to her intensity here. Not that he’s going to ask, considering he’s the one guy in the room with the big crush on her, but… he finds himself being among the first to think of nodding, wanting to offer her some kind of response to give her the sense of being backed up. He doesn’t act right away, but checking with his classmates, a few of them appear to agree. 

The remainder who don’t look a bit like deer caught in headlights. They don’t know what to do or say, yet they’re acutely aware of the fact that they are being addressed. This permeates a quietude, only faint whispers and mumblings exchanged between them as everyone tries to figure out how serious this conflict is, and whether or not they want to be in the middle of it. He’s not sure where to look to find the class’s answer, and he’s certainly not about to face either Kyoko or Byakuya head on — so he continues to glance around the room awkwardly, begging internally for a response from the others, until his eye finally lands on Sayaka. 

Sayaka, who is offering him the prevailing look of ‘help’. Her face is glued to his as her teeth bear down her lower lip, her leg bouncing impatiently as she steals small glances over at Kyoko. She intends to tell him something; he can’t be sure what. If he had to guess, the panicked glimmer in her eye appears to beg that he reign his crush in. The pop idol has been the biggest celebrator of their unity this past week or so, so he can imagine that she’s a bit reluctant to go along with something that appears to divide them so clearly. With all of his curiosity about what Kyoko was doing, he never really thought about how she might feel. He can understand where she’s coming from with her concern. Presumably it is better for them to avoid severity and instead choose to bond without Byakuya if he insists on being unkind, but at the same time, he knows that Kyoko’s motive here goes beyond mocking Byakuya because she can. If Byakuya enjoys squabbling with Celestia, he adores bickering with Kyoko even more so. He’s seen them go at it more than once, and it’s never quite this childish, signalling to him that something here is different than it seems. After all, most of these arguments are a test of cleverness and superiority to Byakuya. It would be out of character for Kyoko to suddenly stoop to anything less.

Huh. When did he gain such a powerful understanding of Kyoko’s thought process? In any case, he has no idea how to communicate “Kyoko has a plan that she’s not letting on” with a facial expression. So instead, he goes for the next best thing: helping his crush enact her plan, while also softly lowering the stakes to something that Sayaka is more comfortable with. “Kirigiri-san, I think you might actually be onto something.”

“Tch.” The utterance is a barb on its own. It stings a little, but Makoto won’t let it grate on him. While he is rarely praised for his cleverness by people that aren’t his mother, he’s smart enough to figure out exactly where Byakuya is going with the noise. “I must say, it is fitting that you’re the one who should speak after her. You’re always trailing after her like some lovesick puppy.”

I am not a lovesick puppy, he almost exclaims, until he remembers that he is. Maybe not to the extent which Byakuya advertises, but it would be a lie to say that he is entirely uninterested. Quietly, he begs his body not to make him blush. 

If Kyoko shares his sentiment in any way, none of it shows on her face. Not even a hint of a reddened cheek. He envies his crush’s stoicism superpowers – just another thing that makes her impossibly cool. “The least you could do is let him finish speaking,” she shakes her head, “Or are you afraid of that, too?”

“I’m not afraid of anything-”

“If you are, your insistent protesting is not doing you any favours-”

“What happened to ‘it’s Naegi-kun’s turn to talk now’?” Makoto whines impatiently, with this being about the only time he’s been unafraid of jumping in between them. His heart skips a beat as soon as it happens, but to his surprise and delight, they are responsive. Kyoko apologizes softly, while Byakuya grunts what would be one from any normal person.

“As I was saying…” He begins, “I think Kirigiri-san might be onto something. Not in the sense that the whole class should gang up on Togami-san for a game, but maybe that we should try and do something that challenges each other when we play. Pushes our limits a bit, you know? They say that situations like that can be the best way of bonding.” 

An inkling of a smile sneaks onto Kyoko’s face, which tells him all he needed to know vis à vis her plan. It’s stunning how in tune with one another they are, and when he takes a moment to check with Sayaka, she too seems settled a bit by the suggestion. He swears he sees her exhale in relief. Even Byakuya’s frustration appears to dissolve, if only by a bit, as he presses the luckster for more information. 

“So your suggestion is that we try to bond in a way that challenges us?” 

“Well, yeah,” he shrugs, “I’m sure there’s a good game out there for us to play that could help with that.”

Byakuya presses his lips together, seemingly unconvinced.

“Hey,” Makoto improvises, “It’s better than sitting around playing spin the bottle.”

Somewhere nearby there is a protest from Leon. He elects to ignore it. If Leon wants to deal with the possibility of having to see Yasuhiro, fine, but he’s just not game for that today.

“What do you suggest we play, then, Naegi-kun? You do seem to be the one who has the ideas, after all. Something generic, I take it?”

Ouch. 

“I guess so. We have a few options, I think. Never have I ever, two truths and a lie, kiss-marry -kill…”

A sudden gasp startles Makoto out of his speech, his attention diverting to the speaker.

Sayaka again, surprisingly. She must be more willing to support the effort now that he has soothed the lions. He takes it as a good sign that her face has lit up like a firework, the rosy pallor of her cheeks and pearly grin reminding him of the look she gets on stage.

“I know! We should totally play truth or dare!” She announces, clapping her hands together. “It’s the perfect way to challenge our preconceptions about each other and have fun as a group! It’s like permission to be bold and crazy and fun!” 

The others respond before he and the discount debate team can even cut in. 

“What a great idea, Maizono-chan!” Junko whoops, pumping her fist in the air like she’s at a concert. “Bring on the drama!” 

“I-I-I don’t usually t-trust this game… but…” Toko’s expression goes dreamy all of the sudden, “M-M-Maybe it’ll be my chance to get a kiss from M-Master…”

Celestia nods her agreement. “It would be a most intriguing endeavour, so I will not object.” 

“Me too,” Yasuhiro laughs, “I haven’t played since I was in middle school. It’ll be fun to give it another shot.” 

All around them, the students chime in, passionately declaring their enthusiasm. Before long it’s only Kyoko and Byakuya who haven’t spoken their consent; however, if the looks on their faces are anything to go on… they’re game for it, too. 

“Very well,” Byakuya sighs, once again going after his glasses, “I imagine I will be able to indulge you all for a few rounds… but I should warn you that I will be ruthless.”

“I don’t think anyone else is going to refrain from pulling out all the stops, Togami-kun,” Kyoko remarks, “After all, this is all in the name of bonding.” 

The tall boy smiles slightly. “In the name of bonding, then, I shall not lose to all of you.”

Flashing Makoto one last small grin, Kyoko leans back in her chair. “Bring it on.”

________________________________________________________________

“C’mon, Muku-chan, just one more mochi ball…” 

“I on’t fink I an fit anowther.”

“Yeah you can! Come on, we used to do this all the time when we were kids!”

“Oh we in’t!”

The class erupts into laughter as Junko tries to stuff another piece into Mukuro’s mouth, her other hand wiping a tissue along her chin to help with any excess drooling. Makoto has to admit, he’s surprised that neither sister is complaining about Junko’s fake nails. He thought for sure Mukuro would whine about her scratching or Junko would gripe about them being ruined, but it doesn’t seem to upset either of them in the slightest. He has to admit, he’s glad to see that they’re in the spirit of the game. Glancing over at the perpetrator of this dare, Kiyotaka, he can’t help but delight even further. All in all, forcing someone to push the limits of their mochi ball capacity is pretty tame, but it totally suits Kiyotaka. For him, it’s like asking someone to dive into the snow in their underwear, so the fact that he appeared to enjoy it so greatly is quite satisfying.

They’ve had a few rounds of the game so far, bouncing from classmate to classmate. For the most part there have been dares, but a few truths have been shed too. Some replies were particularly juicy, and others… not so much. Some might argue against it, but Chihiro’s request to know what Makoto’s most listened to song was (Sayaka’s “Negaigoto Ensemble”, which she cheered loudly about) could be considered infinitely less piquant than Mondo’s question of Aoi’s most embarrassing moment (getting soaked in the rain and having her school skirt blown up by the wind and get stuck there). Enough rounds had passed already for most of the class to have asked already, and as much fun as Makoto is having watching his classmates, he can’t help being weary about the dwindled numbers. After all, Byakuya, one of the reasons they’re even playing right now, is on that short list. He’s almost certain that Kyoko’s jab from earlier is still buzzing in his mind like a fruit fly, and if he knows his peer at all by this point, that means that he’ll be finding a way to get back at her for it. 

“Ikusaba-san, it is quite alright if you are done now!” Kiyotaka bites his lip, but laughter continues to spill out as his shoulders shake. Like everything else about him, his chuckling is loud. “I think you have proven your limits.”

Junko squeezes her sister’s cheeks, much to the other girl’s discomfort. “Naw, she can get a few more in there, can’t you, Muku-chan?” 

A saliva-covered mochi bit pops out and falls to the floor. Mukuro’s face reddens. 

“She’s done, Enoshima-san.” Mondo half-sighs, holding off on his own howling to spare some embarrassment from Kiyotaka’s victim. He reaches to his left and hands Mukuro a paper bag. “It’s time to spit.”

Junko grumbles but doesn’t refuse the bag, opening it up to command her twin to spit. To save face on Mukuro’s behalf, the rest of the group elects to avoid watching. She’s acquired sufficient humiliation from the incident already, no thanks to her sister. As the mochi pieces fall from Mukuro’s mouth, his mind drifts back to Kyoko, who seems completely unphased by the fear currently plaguing him. She’s too busy making small talk with Aoi, talking about how they think they would have done in Mukuro’s shoes. Maybe he’s overthinking this. If Kyoko isn’t worried, why should he be?

As Mukuro finishes depositing the contents of her mouth into a paper bag, Junko calls the group’s attention back to her. Nudging her sister in the arm, she speaks in the voice of an announcer: “Now that that’s over with, it means you’re up, right, Muku-chan?” 

Honestly, Makoto’s not sure how this is going to go. Despite her intimidating and cold exterior, he’s only ever known Mukuro to be nice, as well as surprisingly gentle. It’s unlikely that she would seek to do anything outright cruel, and yet that presents a problem in itself, with the question of ‘is she willing to skip Byakuya’ still dangling in his mind. He does what he can to let it go, choosing instead to have faith in Mukuro’s decisions.

Releasing some fear from his mind, Makoto watches as Mukuro turns her attention to the group in front of her, examining each member of the class carefully. She’s not necessarily out for blood, so he wouldn’t say that her move is calculating, but it definitely seems attentively planned out. She must evaluate who would be the best target for a fulfilling accomplishment, sort of like how she would with an opponent on the battlefield. How funny that she can implement her ultimate talent here of all places.

“Fujisaki-chan.” 

Okay. Definite confirmation of her gentleness, or at least it should be. A handful of their classmates avoided inquiries to Chihiro already, for they worried too much about the programmer’s sensitivity. If Mukuro poses the question now, then she should be confident about how inoffensive it is. 

“Y-Yes…?” 

“Truth or dare, please.”

“Oh! Okay, um…” Chihiro glances at Mondo and Leon, who both shrug. “Truth, p-please?”

“Tell me, Fujisaki-chan. What is the most childish thing that you still insist on doing?”

A grin slips past Makoto’s defenses, and he rushes to cover it with his hand. It’s a good question. A great question, even, because it’s fun and it’s sweet, and it bars Chihiro from having to give a secret he desperately concealed for ages. Whatever he chooses to disclose, it will in all likelihood be adorable. Points for Mukuro!

“Well, I guess it’s a bit embarrassing, but…” He picks at his fingernails absent-mindedly, putting more of his focus into it to avoid everyone’s faces. “Sometimes when I’m really sad, I cuddle with this bear that my dad got for me when I was little. It reminds me of how much he loves me.”  

A few coos of “awww” echo from the girls in the room. Makoto doesn’t blame them for it – he thinks it’s pretty cute too. He understands the feeling of seeking out a symbol of someone’s love when he’s down. It’s something he finds himself doing sometimes too. 

“Thank you for your reply, Fujisaki-chan,” Mukuro dips her head in acknowledgement, “It is now your turn to question someone else.”

Makoto’s muscles tense. At this point, Byakuya is the last person to single out. Though he claimed disinterest in silly games earlier, he cannot be trusted to refrain from complaining about being missed. Honestly, it would probably result in more assertions that he and Kyoko were conspiring, and while that was partially what happened… but the last thing either of them needed was more proof they liked each other, even if they actually did. Well, even if he actually does. Nobody knows about her.

Swallowing hard, he wipes his hands on his jeans and prays for Chihiro to just be mean for once in his life. You know, like that’s a situation that could ever actually happen.

“T-Togami-kun.” Makoto curses internally. “Nobody’s asked you anything yet, right?”

“That is correct, yes.”

“Well then, um… truth or dare, please?”

One of his blond brows twitches upward slightly. “I’d be a coward if I said anything other than dare, wouldn’t I?”

Chihiro suddenly appears teary-eyed, which earns Byakuya a few scowls of disapproval from Chihiro’s Big Brother Brigade. He doesn’t recognize them formally. Thankfully, however, the programmer continues anyway. “I dare you… to um… to say one nice thing about Fukawa-san, please.” 

If only everyone were as kind as Chihiro. Then maybe these games wouldn’t be so goddamn worrying.

“Fine. Fukawa-san is an incredibly skilled writer. I have no interest in the genre of fiction that she spends her time on; however, I must concede that her works do hold a great deal of merit.” 

Chihiro seems to take more joy from Toko’s murmuring (“a little cheap, but I’ll take it if it’s from Master…”) than the victim’s “kind” words, but he ultimately still chooses to accept it. Makoto hopes he’s not the only person who gets the impression that Byakuya is rushing towards his own turn. Surely, if he’d thought it over a little bit, he could come up with something stronger than that. It was no challenge at all, really. The worries about what will happen in the upcoming turn bubble closer to the surface again. 

“Now that that’s out of the way,” Byakuya announces a little too proudly for his liking, “We have hit everyone, so I may speak to whomever I please, yes?”

“Y-yeah, you can.”

A smirk snakes across his lips and his gaze lands squarely on Kyoko. Makoto curses internally again. A worse one, this time, to convey the gravity of the situation to himself. He hates where this is going. 

“Kirigiri-san. Truth or dare?”

Well, you just harshly implied that she would be a coward if she picked anything other than dare, so she’s going to pick dare. 

“Well, I can’t be a coward to you, now can I?” She huffs, eyes rolling and her arms folding across her chest. “I did present this to you as a challenge, so I guess I can indulge you and pick dare. Do your worst.”

He laughs. “My worst I will do. Kirigiri-san, I dare you…”

Don’t be too embarrassing, don’t be too embarrassing, don’t be too embarrassing…

“To play a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven… with your little lovesick puppy.”

The worst curse word he can think of almost tumbles from his mouth; he bites his tongue just to stop it. In spite of his pacifism, right about now his heart is set on punching Byakuya in the face. Someday. Not today. Maybe if he gets that last growth spurt he’s been waiting on. Regardless, his stomach drops at the idea. 

When he looks at Kyoko, her lips are pressed into a thin line, and the rest of her stance is as tightly wound as always. Her cheeks offer no indication of discomfort at the idea, nor does the hold of her jaw. It is only her eyes, intense as ever, that present him with any sense of her emotion. 

“Fine then.” 

If he had a stronger curse word, right now is when he would use it.

________________________________________________________________

How do you tell someone that you’ve always wanted to kiss them, but not in the way you’re about to?

This is the predicament that Makoto is facing right now. 

By now it is no secret to just about everyone that he kind of has a thing for Kyoko. The two of them wouldn’t be shut in this closet together if they didn’t. His obvious crush is the reason why Byakuya even thought of shutting them up here together in the first place. After all, he is clearly seeking to punish her for having the gall to disrespect or discredit him. For whatever reason, this apparently also means that he must punish Makoto, too. And use him as a punishment, for that matter. Wow, he’s just realizing how insulting that is! Not that he has much time to dwell on it. 

Kyoko is standing across from him, reluctant to meet his face. Instead, she peers through the slats in the door, trying to spot Sayaka’s form. While their luck had otherwise been pretty terrible, she had been kind enough to volunteer to supervise them to make sure all went according to plan. It’s a small piece of respite for both of them. Regardless of if they kiss or not, he knows Sayaka will tell everyone they did. She’s not the type to snitch, and she likes both of them enough to be willing to lie without being asked to. She’s always been dependable like that. 

“Are you almost ready out there, Maizono-san?” Kyoko pitches her voice louder, not seeming to notice the slight waver in it. “It smells like wet snow boots in here.”

Ugh. She’s right. He hadn’t noticed in all of his anxiety, but the stench of wet snow clothes is rampant. Would it be childish of him to plug his nose? 

“Sorry, just setting up the timer!” She calls back, letting a brief silence hang in the air. Kyoko doesn’t grant him her attention at all during that time, which only makes his heart pound faster. Is she as nervous as him, or does she resent the situation? “... Aaaand… done! Alright, just let me know when you’re ready to get started.”

Never, thank you!  This is not my ideal first kiss situation at all!

Kyoko steals a quick look at him before turning back to the slats, her shoulders rising and falling like it’s the most natural thing ever. “We can start now.”

Or we could just… not? Like ever?

“Okie dokie…” Another brief pause. “The timer’s started, go!”

Now feels like it would be a really good time to die. 

If he could do so on command, he would.

Unfortunately for him, he can’t, so he resorts instead to staring stupidly at Kyoko – Kyoko. One of his best friends. Someone he’s always admired. The girl he’s been hiding feelings for. The girl he’s loved for so long, but is now so afraid to kiss. 

Just looking at her makes his heart practically thunder in his chest, the noise becoming so loud that it’s like it’s beating in his ears, too. Oh, what has he gotten himself into? She’s standing across from him, eyes shining at him expectantly, her lashes fluttering as she blinks. The light that pours in through the slats allows him to make out the curve of a slight smile on her soft pink lips, and the shade of rose that dusts across her cheeks. As always, she looks beautiful, and as beautiful as she looks, she’s still the most terrifying thing he can conceive of right now.

They haven’t even touched each other yet and already his face is on fire. His palms are slick with sweat, and when he tries to move his hands, they are wracked with tremors. For the sake of romanticism he knows he should no doubt take a step forward, but his legs are like sticks of jello, and the butterflies that beat around in his belly don’t make him want to either. Would she be offended if he threw up? Probably. He doubts it’ll happen, yet a small part of him is still afraid that it’s a potential outcome.

Sensing his desire to stay put, she takes the initiative to step towards him. As she presses her body close to his, he finds himself overwhelmed by her scent – peppermint and pinewood. She must have used the lodge’s shampoo to wash her hair. It’s nice; intoxicating, even. It overwhelms him as she drapes her arms around his neck, adjusting her feet carefully to make sure that there is no chance of stepping on his. Her positioning is so precise that he feels like a slob when reflexes send his arms around her waist, his hands resting on her lower back. She seems to blink in surprise in the movement, and he has to stop himself from blurting out that she doesn’t need to worry about him putting his hands any further down. No matter what, she’s going to think he’s an idiot after this goes down. The least he can do is avoid saying something stupid like that to make it worse. 

His throat tightens with worry as their gazes line up. She’s so close to him now that her breath tickles his face, and he can’t help but think how much he would love this at any other moment. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to be kissing her on the ski hill after a fall, or by a warm fire after a long day, or at a karaoke session following a romantically-charged love song. Not here. Not as punishment. Not with everyone watching outside, waiting for the inevitable humiliation that will befall one of them, just because Byakuya is preoccupied with the idea that he’s better than everybody. 

“Should we kiss, then?” She half-sighs, her brows lowered. Her voice is incredibly hushed, so quiet that he doubts even Sayaka could hear. Listening to her speak, he wonders if perhaps he’s not the only person praying for the least awkward outcome possible.

 “Y-Yeah…” is all he can manage.

“Okay.” 

Oh god. 

Forcing himself to shut his eyes, he gives into her; he lets her lean in and do whatever it is she pleases. He stands there, holding her close in his arms, waiting for the sensation of warm, sweet lips against his own… 

But it doesn’t come. Her breath is still there, consistent and smooth, but she doesn’t… she doesn’t kiss him. She just… stands there, her hold on him still strong, her face inches from his own, but doing absolutely nothing. She just doesn’t do it. 

Reluctantly, he peels his eyes open. “I-Is everything okay?”

Her arms break away from his neck, sliding down to his torso. She’s not quite holding him, but she is gripping onto his hoodie. “I can’t do this.” 

Only a moment ago she seemed so gentle and vulnerable, yet now her expression is so… serious. A crease forms between her brows as she searches his face, her teeth grazing her lips like she’s not sure what she should say. 

“W-Why not?” 

I hope it’s not because you think my breath smells bad or something.

“Naegi-kun, I…” She pauses, her grip on his hoodie becoming all that much tighter. “I can tell you are not prepared to do this. All of your muscles are tensed, and you’re shaking like a flag in the wind.”

“Oh…” 

“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?” 

“No, I just… I-I’m an open book, you’ve said so yourself. I thought I c-could keep it in, make your life easier… I know Togami-kun would give you grief i-if you refused to kiss me.”

The detective exhales slowly, leaning her head back in exasperation. “I’m sorry that Togami-kun thought it would be funny to force you to kiss me as a dare. He seems to be under the impression that it would embarrass me to kiss you or something. He can be too petty for his own good sometimes… It’s not fair of him to use you as punishment for me.” 

A sliver of tension releases from Makoto’s body as it sets in that Kyoko won’t be forcing him to kiss her. It’s a little relief, of course, but the adrenaline is still making him shake pathetically. “He thinks we’re in love…”

“Yes, he does…”

An awkward silence permeates between the two of them for a moment. Neither of them wants to clarify what the status of their relationship is. He imagines that she, too, finds it especially unappealing to do so while locked in a closet together. So he does what he can to relax her a little, letting himself chuckle faintly. “It’s funny that he tried to use me against you like that. I mean, I’m happy to be your punishment any other day, I just think kissing someone like this isn’t really the way to go.”

Wait, wait, wait! Did he just convey that he wouldn’t want to kiss her? That he’d enjoy being any other punishment but this? Oh god, he’s an idiot. She’s going to hate him. They didn’t even actually kiss and he still found some way to-

“You’re right,” she cuts into his thoughts, “Honestly, I don’t think you would be a bad first kiss by any means anyway. In fact, I imagine you’d probably be a pretty good one, I mean-”

She catches her tongue when she realizes what she’s saying. There are a few seconds where she stops, staring at him a little wide-eyed, but she manages to regain composure quickly by pretending to clear her throat. He tries not to get flustered as he thinks about what she could possibly have meant to say next. 

“I… I just mean that having a first kiss with someone who is a friend of mine would be a lot better than someone else.”

Makoto blinks in surprise. “Wait, if we… kissed right now… Would I be your first?” 

“Oh, I um… yes, you would be.” 

She’s having a hard time meeting his eyes, electing instead to pick at the studs on her gloves. It isn’t every day that he sees her become so uncharacteristically shy, and to be honest, the adorableness of this whole situation is totally killing him. The hopeless romantic in him dreams of telling their kids this story someday. 

“That’s okay,” he moves his hands further up her back and pats it a little, “You’d actually have been mine too.” 

Her head lifts to meet him, eyebrows raised in shock. “Really? You’ve never kissed anyone?” 

“Nah, I’m too plain.”

She snorts. “Too modest, maybe, but not too plain. Any girl would be lucky to have you be her first kiss.”

Oh, great. Now he’s the one feeling shy. At this point, though, he can’t say that he minds. Hearing her say that puts a smile on his face, and shoots a warm spark through his chest. “Thanks, Kirigiri-san… I’m sure whoever gets to kiss you will be pretty lucky too. You’re an amazing girl. I can’t thank you enough for doing this for me.”

She waves off his compliments, but the sudden return of her dipped head tells him everything. Does he detect a hint of red on those cheeks of hers? Maybe she’s not clear on whether or not she reciprocates his affections, but that doesn’t mean her getting all blushy and cute about his compliments is any less charming… or that she’s not hoping to hide her reciprocity. 

“Oh, it’s nothing, really-”

“No, it’s not nothing,” he interjects, “For someone who tried to isolate herself for so long, insisting that you weren’t worth my attention or time, you’ve been a really great friend to me. You’re always looking out for me, making sure that my luck never gets me into too much trouble. Whenever we’re together, I find that I’m always having fun. To tell you the truth, getting to bond with everyone these past few days has been great, but what’s been the most special to me is getting to spend all this time with you. I’m really glad we get to make these memories together.”

The words don’t come to Kyoko right away. At first he fears he’s upset her, but as the silence goes on, he realizes that he’s made her almost speechless. “T-Thank you, Naegi-kun. I’m… glad we get to make these memories together, too. I hope we can continue to make more of them in the coming days…”

“Me too.”

Lifting her head one last time to stare into his eyes, Kyoko lets a warm smile stretch across her face. “Naegi-kun, do you mind if I ask you for something… a bit unusual?”

He nods, curious about what else there is she could ask him for.

“Do you think we could spend our last few minutes here in a hug?” 

Makoto can think of nothing else to do but nod again, giggling softly as he opens his arms to her again. She practically flings herself into them, leaning nice and close this time, letting him breathe in her comforting smell. She’s so close to him that he can feel the pace of each inhale, and the relaxing of each of her muscles as she puts her hand on the back of his head. As he nuzzles his face further into her shoulder, he can’t help but think that right now, there is nowhere else he would rather be. 

________________________________________________________________

Just outside the door, Sayaka stares at the timer. 30 seconds left. She knows she shouldn’t. It wouldn’t be fair to the others. It would put more attention on them. It would create more problems, and yet… 

And yet her finger hits the ‘pause’ button anyway. 

Maybe they can’t see it from themselves yet, but she knows what they’re hiding. She is psychic, after all.

Just a few more minutes.