#like the junko reveal could not have been seen coming from that far away do you know what i mean

[violexides]

last night i finished my "rewatch" of SDR2 and i do have a lot of thoughts specifically when comparing the different strengths and weaknesses of THH and SDR2 however for the sake of time (i have to leave for class soon) one thing i will say is that getting older and a hiatus did not, in fact, make me any less in love with komaeda nagito's character.

[deadmandairyland]

Hi! I’m here to bring you yet another Danganronpa tier list: the sexuality tier list, which you can find here.

Now I’m going to be honest here: I don’t really have any LGBT headcanons. It’s just not really something I focus on much when it comes to fandoms. Instead I usually just focus on ships, and as a result from that I tend to present a lot of characters as LGBT in fanfictions and posts I’ve made or reblogged. In other words, a massive chunk of my “headcanons” here are a direct result of shipping (as well as information I’ve picked up from the games themselves). That being said, it was interesting to actually think about this for once, so I’m kinda glad I did the tier list. And it gave me an excuse to bring back the rainbow color scheme I usually put in my tier lists for aesthetic reasons.

The original tier list had Straight at the top, but I moved it to the bottom for two reasons. One, this is Tumblr and that’s not what you’re here for. Two, I gave it a neutral color, and having a gray section next to a white section (i.e. the title of the list) like that looked bad to me. I definitely prefer this setup just on aesthetic alone.

Because this is largely based on ships, I feel it needs to be said that representation does not factor into this chart in any way. I know it probably looks bad that the only character in the Lesbian category is one of my least favorite (though NOT hated or even disliked, I should point out) characters in the main series. That has nothing to do with the fact that she’s a lesbian. She’s just a jerk, and usually not in a way that’s at least entertaining enough for me to like her.

Also keep in mind that this is just the main cast of the main series games. If you were to include characters from the DR3 anime, UDG, or the spin-offs, the Gay, Lesbian, and Ace categories would get more rep, certainly. Think Juzo, Yui, Takemichi, that gay guy with the trumpet, etc.

With that said, let’s go through the list:

Gay

Not gonna lie, one of the reasons why Rantaro is here (and not in Ace) is because of ships. Though I do sometimes ship him with girls, canon suggests he’s not interested in dating girls, and most fans seem to headcanon him as either gay or ace because of this, so I respected that. That being said, I also acknowledge he’s a very popular character in mlm ships, and at the time I was putting this together I hadn’t gotten to Taka yet so the Gay tier was still empty, and Byakuya was already sitting in Ace, so all of that swayed me to putting Rantaro here instead of Ace.

Taka was much easier to place here. He strikes me as a closeted gay man who probably doesn’t even realize he is gay. “Hey, let’s all hang out in the bath, guys! Getting naked is essential to form bonds with your fellow man! No need to be ashamed, it’s tradition!"

Lesbian

Again, ships. I only ship Hiyoko with one other character, and as soon as I say that you already know who she is.

Bisexual (Male Preference)

Akane is mostly here to account for any wlw ships I may have of her (e.g. Hina, Sonia maybe). Obviously she has a thing with Nekomaru, so Male Preference.

Chiaki is here for the same reason as Akane. I’ve shipped her with characters like Sonia and Ibuki before, but she really digs Hajime.

Chihiro honestly could have been anywhere in the Bi and Pan sections, but I ultimately went with Male Preference because of ships, specifically the fact that outside of the more... R18 circles of the Interwebs Chihiro tends to be shipped with guys more often than girls. Also doesn’t hurt that my OTP is Naehiro. I mean, have you seen how often Chihiro blushes around Makoto? (There’s more to it than that, as I’ve covered in the past. I’m just trying to add more fuel to the fire.)

Himiko is probably one of the few characters that isn’t here mainly because of ships. I do think she has some attachment towards Tenko, but I also get “I’m uncomfortable around her” vibes from her, and there are moments where she seems to crush on Kokichi (of all people) so that’s why she’s here. Still very much bi, though.

Hina has a crush on Makoto and has a complex around wishing she was more feminine so she can attract boys. So why isn’t she in the Straight section? ...Because Sakura, duh. And Kyoko too. And any other wlw ship you can think of that might work with Hina.

Honestly if it wasn’t for Miu I probably would have considered putting Kokichi in Gay. Again, while shipping plays a big part of my choices here, much like with Rantaro I have no qualms with putting a character in a tier that contradicts any ships I might have with that character, if those ships aren’t something I’m super invested in. This is a very important distinction, because it’s why I let ships sway my hand for so many of these even if I am also okay with going “Just because I ship this doesn’t mean I headcanon it” as I did with Rantaro. And honestly Kokichi’s ship teasing with Himiko does come off as more trollish than a sign that he’s into her, but he really gets into his back-and-forth with Miu, in my personal opinion, and he gets into it far more often with her for that matter. It’s why it’s one of my favorite ships for both of them tbh, and it’s because I like the ship so much that I just can’t ignore it for this sexuality headcanon tier list.

Maki... is here because of ships (e.g. Kaede).

Sakura... is here because of ships (e.g. Hina). ...What, you were expecting me to put a guy in the example? Remember, she has a boyfriend in canon.

Sayaka... is here because of... NOT ships, but DRAT. Yes, really. (”We really got down and dirty, Naegi-kun.”)

Sonia... strikes me as someone who swings both ways. I can’t describe exactly why I feel that way, but yes.

Bisexual (No Preference)

Celeste wants a harem of vampire boys but shipping her with Kyoko is also very popular and honestly i feel like it would fit her character. She’s got a look that says “I could get any ass I want and I know it.”

Ibuki is decked out in blues and pinks, and also I ship her fairly evenly among both boys and girls. She just screams bi icon to me, more so than any other character in the series.

Junko is either bi with no preferences or pan. She is an equal opportunity heart-and-soul-breaker and lust-for-despair machine.

There is no Mukuro in this list, but honestly I would probably put her where I put Junko anyway.

Kaede... is here because of ships (e.g. Miu, Maki)

Honestly I had no idea where to put Kirumi, so I just randomly chose one that I wouldn’t regret later if I ever put more thought into who I shipped her with.

I’m pretty sure Nagito being bisexual has some degree of canon attached to it??? I think??? I’m not entirely sure tbh, but fuck it. I’m doing this for fun anyway, so this doesn’t really matter.

Shuichi, like all Danganronpa protags, is bi as fuck. I also find him to be more shippable with guys than the other two protags, so IMO he has no preference.

Toko might have a thing or two for pretty boys, but... Komaru, I mean, this isn’t exactly shocking, I don’t think. Probably was closeted before she met Komaru. I mean she did focus on Hina’s boobs a lot in DR1, let’s not forget.

Tsumugi, much like Kirumi, is here because I haven’t put much thought into her ships.

Bisexual (Female Preference)

Gundham has a thing with Sonia in canon, but I can see him being bi. So... yeah, ships again.

Hajime, like all Danganronpa protags, is bi as fuck. It’s just that his Chiaki and Mikan game is just too strong.

Hifumi might claim to only like 2D, but his interest in Chihiro both in human form and computer program form (and the fact that this didn’t go away after the gender reveal) places him here.

Kaito strikes me as a closeted bisexual. The kind that could start any given conversation with “I’m not gay, but...”

Kazuichi also strikes me as a closeted bisexual, only his “I’m not gay, but...” is rooted more in dumbass than it is in systematic homophobia.

Korekiyo... is here because of ships (e.g. Rantaro).

Kyoko is bi as fuck, and I can see her having a preference towards girls in particular. She gets shipped with girls a lot (e.g. Celeste, Hina, Yui, and even Junko and Mukuro), and when she is shipped with boys it’s usually just pretty boys (e.g. Makoto, Byakuya, Ryota, Shuichi, and, depending on your interpretation, Chihiro). Also note that aside from Makoto and maybe Byakuya, Kyoko’s girl ships are far more popular than her boy ships. Just something I’ve noticed over the years.

Leon... is here because of ships (e.g. Chihiro).

Mahiru is here because I’m pretty sure she has a thing for Hajime in her FTEs, but obviously she tends to get shipped with girls more often (especially Hiyoko), and I agree.

Makoto, like all Danganronpa protags, is bi as fuck. It’s just that his Kyoko, Hina, Sayaka, and Mukuro game is just too strong.

Mikan may be interested in Hajime somewhat, but her obsession with Junko cannot be ignored, no matter how much some of you may want to.

Mondo is another character that strikes me as a closeted bisexual. He is said to strike out all the time with girls, so I do think he’s attracted to women. And I do get some vibes that he’s attracted to Chihiro pre-reveal. And if circumstances had been different, I imagine he probably still would have been post-reveal. But obviously it’s his bond with Taka that I feel cements his sexuality in, at the very least, an mlm category.

Tenko... is here NOT because of ships, but because I’m pretty sure she’s at least sort of interested in Shuichi because of some canon thing... and also I don’t want to put her in Lesbian just because it feels like I’d be stereotyping the Lesbian category if I do that. If we were to compare her to the character that I did put in Lesbian, Hiyoko doesn’t treat people like shit because they’re men, she’s an equal-opportunity asshole. Still not the best representation for lesbians by a long shot, but at least Hiyoko doesn’t follow the stereotype of a man-hating lesbian. She’s just like that, and that’s okay. But putting Tenko there, especially if she’s shown some degree of interest in a male character at some point in the game, just rubs me the wrong way personally, because it would feel like I’m ignoring canon just to stereotype her. But that’s just a personal hang up of mine. No disrespect intended toward anyone who genuinely feels that Tenko is a lesbian. Maybe you see something there that I don’t, and that’s perfectly fine.

Pansexual

I don’t remember exactly how her FTEs went, so I’m not going to get into that, but Angie just comes off as pan to me, like gender doesn’t fit into the equation at all for her.

Gonta I can see as either pan or ace. I feel like he wouldn’t care about gender, and honestly the only reason I decided to put him in Pan rather than Ace is because of that scene with Miu.

Imposter is not only pan, they are currently OT3ing it up with Ibuki and Ryota as we speak, and that’s a fact.

Keebo... is mostly here because of ships. A lot of ships, actually. Mostly male ships (Kokichi, Shuichi, Kazuichi, and, depending on your interpretation, Chihiro) but there’s also Miu to consider. And the Miu game is SO strong that I put him in Pan instead of, say, Male Preference.

Just gonna lump them together because I have the same thing to say about both of them: Miu and Teruteru would **** anything that walks. What did I censor? Well, I’m doing the Nier: Automata thing, so you can put whatever you want in there and trust me, it would probably fit, for better or for worse.

Ace

I know this is an unpopular opinion, because Naegami, but I just don’t think Byakuya is interested in anyone, at least not in that way. He might be fascinated with how common people live, because it’s so foreign to him, but that’s about it.

Straight

Even though I do ship Fuyuhiko with some of the boys, his Peko game is so strong that honestly I can’t see him actually dating anyone aside from Peko outside of some very niche fanfiction.

Honestly, Hiro was another one that I was just like “I have no idea what to do with you.” I think maybe his team up with Kanon made me eventually choose to put him in Straight? I don’t remember. I clearly didn’t put much thought into Hiro.

I really only ship Nekomaru with Akane, so that’s why he’s here. I’m sure if I dive deep enough into my psyche I can pull an mlm ship with Nekomaru in it out of my ass, but like Rantaro that wouldn’t be significant enough to change anything.

Peko is in the same boat as Fuyuhiko. I have shipped her with girls before, but her Fuyuhiko game is just too strong.

Ryoma had a girlfriend once, and as far as I can remember he didn’t really seem interested in anybody in the game, so that’s all I have to go off of for him.

-----

So there you have it. Explanations for literally all of them! Explanations that were definitely not pulled out of my ass as I was typing them, nope, certainly not. Definitely won’t be tagging all of them, but I may tag the ones with the longest entries. And like all the tier lists I’ve done, this was just for fun and honestly any opinion I have for any of these characters could change at a moment’s notice because my brain is fickle like that. Tried my best to make sure that every tier had at least one character in it, but I did so without trying to force characters in places that I personally did not believe they should go. I hope you all enjoyed my dive into this area of fandom that I rarely dive into (the LGBT headcanons, not the ships, obviously). It was a lot of fun, and hopefully it will stay fun and not result in angry anons blasting me for my opinions. I am grateful that this never seems to happen to me, but I’ve seen it happen to others and I know what Tumblr is capable of at its worst. These are just headcanons and a matter of personal opinion, and if you disagree with them, that’s perfectly okay. Your feelings and opinions are also valid.

[junko-and-riri-domain]

exam season ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ ni-ki

“you aren't wasting my time, and you need rest. please, ___ this isn’t healthy.” riki pleaded, and he seemed so genuinely concerned for you.  “I know we’re labelled as rivals all the time but I want to get to know you better. as someone who ranked 1 consistently, I wanted to meet the one person who managed to achieve the same thing."

or 

you and nishimura riki are rivals under the same company. after all, being the same age and pretty much the same level of talent made you and him quite unstoppable. the company thought it’d be a good idea to let you two meet and get along, but it turned out to be quite the opposite ordeal. though, this always remained to be a respectful rivalry. nothing petty.

warnings : overworked reader, insecurities, fainting from exhaustion, hints at negative body image ( good ending ) 

note : this is also off the top of my head, please ignore any mistakes !

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ rest under the cut

what were you supposed to think?

you had to admit it to yourself though, similar age and practically same amount of skill in dance would mean that this unit would be pretty much unstoppable. it’s just ;; the unspoken consequences of young teamwork at play. 

training for about half a year at belift, you’ve become quite popular among the trainees. they describe you as a dance prodigy. if you were going to be honest, it was kind of embarrassing. the spotlight was okay depending on the circumstances but, to be described as something so honorable made you feel like you weren’t worthy of it. on top of that, your vocals were always stable while practicing, making you stand out and always place #1 on exams. 

and so you started to practice harder, with the same thought of

‘i have to prove that i’m worthy to be labeled as a prodigy, otherwise why else am i here?’ 

to ni-ki, you were always so hardworking. sometimes, he thought it was too much. he’d pass by the room you were practicing in during lunch breaks and he would see you dancing your heart out, sweat threatening to fall from your face. he could tell you were tired, but due to the rules, he wasn’t allowed to talk to you. he considered you his opponent in a way, but it wasn’t to the extent of ruining your workflow. 

and to you, ni-ki seemed like a charming rival. the way he danced had always mesmerized you, his snaps and swift moves are always close to perfect. this motivated you to practice even harder, despite already achieving extreme skill. you often nitpicked on yourself and keep saying that you’re not doing something well enough, and that you’re not good enough and you have to try harder. you honestly thought he was kind of annoying. not only is he literally so tall, he's a dancing machine. everything that you wanted to be. ni-ki may have been your unspoken rival, 

but overcoming your extreme feeling to be better than the previous day is your true rival. 

coming home after training, you were always exhausted. as much water you drank, it never felt as if it quenched the thirst you brought upon yourself from working so hard. while doing homework you always zoned out, your concentration nowhere to be found. at some point, you even stopped messaging your friends as much as before, ignoring any notification that popped up and practicing till the sun peeked above the horizon.

this feeling of wanting to slip away into well-deserved rest never sat right with you.

'if I have time to do something, then I'll do it now. rest can wait.'

---

the week before, an exam was assigned to all the trainees. the exam was to be separated by gender, but you thought this was kind of dumb. and so what did you do? you asked the choreographer if you could take both of the choreographies instead of being categorized into one section.

"that's a great idea, ___! I'll allow it this once, since you always rank 1 anyways. in fact, why don't I ask riki if he wants to do an co-op exam with you? you guys are the same age right?"

all you could do was let out a hum and nod.

'nishimura riki... I hope I don't mess anything up.'

"he always ranks 1 in exams as well so I think it'd be perfect!" he continued, a bright smile flashed across his face at the realization of a great performance in development.

he walks off, and briskly walks to where riki usually practiced.

phew

you let out a breath you didn't even know you were holding. you've done many exams before but it had never been with another person. trying to convince yourself everything would be okay, your intrusive thoughts came in again.

'what if i embarass myself? what if I can't learn the choreo and mess everything up? what if he doesn't like m- wait. that doesn't even matter- ugh.'

you stood there for so long thinking to yourself about the future that one of the trainees had to tap you on the shoulder to make sure you didn't see medusa or something. repeating your little sorries and thank yous, you left the practice room and went on your way home.

you'd think that after weeks of non-stop overworking you'd hit your limit by now. the thing is, you never learn your lesson until you have to learn it the hard way. and that's exactly what's gonna happen.

---

back to the present, riki was currently doing a run-over of what he thinks you guys should do to make the choreography better. if there was one thing you and him had in common, it's that you always wanted to be ranked 1 through hard work.

however, you disagreed with some of the steps he created, and respectfully asked if you could show him what you were thinking of. in all honesty, riki was quite impressed. he'd never seen you dance up close since all he was able to do was take quick glances, but seeing you pour your heart into what you love and being absolutely great at it, it kind of gave him the feels.

yes. the feels. the butterflies. 🦋🦋🦋

though, in the next moment, butterflies was far from what he felt. his stomach did a full 180 and his face in such a shocked state as he watched your eyes roll back as your body practically shut down in front of him. he sped down to your side quickly and shouted for help, as he tried to shake you awake.

"please please wake up, I'm not sure if you'd wake up at all if you fell asleep so please..."

was the last faint thing you heard before slipping into unconsciousness.

---

beep , beep , beep

your eyes flutter open to reveal that you were in the nurse's office in the same building. to say you were relieved was an understatement, hospitals scared you a lot more since they'd have to call your parents.

looking around the dim room, it still resembled a hospital room, monitor, needles, riki, IV, wait. riki?

your eyes practically shot back to where he sat, head bowed down in an awkward position, closed eyes with phone in hands.

honestly speaking, it was kind of cute. but you knew it was uncomfortable. and you also felt SUPER guilty making him wait for you and practically ruining practice. he stirred a bit, easy to wake up due to the uncomfy position his neck was in.

in a couple of seconds you hear him ask, "___? you're awake?"

"riki.. what happened?"

"the trainer, our choreographer and the building's medical team were all here. they said that you were overworking yourself. not only that, you didn't eat, drink, or sleep enough. which I can only assume is because you're constantly practicing."

"... I'm guessing that has to be true then, if I'm already here. riki, I'm sorry."

"sorry for what?"

"for wasting your time. you didn't have to be tangled up in my mess if I wasn't an idiot and asked them for a different exam. we could'v-"

he cut you off, “you aren't wasting my time, and you need rest. please, ___ this isn’t healthy.” riki pleaded, and he seemed so genuinely concerned for you.  “I know we’re labelled as rivals all the time but I want to get to know you better. as someone who ranked 1 consistently, I wanted to meet the one person who managed to achieve the same thing. you didn't disappoint me, you didn't waste my time, in fact, it was fun watching you disagree with the things I said. but then you fainted in front of me. I had no idea what to do, but thankfully Jungwon-hyung came in and helped me. but all that aside, your body needs rest. I've talked too much."

"it's okay, your voice seems to be making me sleepy anyways."

he didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult.

you handed him a spare pillow from your bed though, so he'll just take it as a compliment for now.

he didn't know what took over him in the next few seconds but he slowly put his phone in his pocket and reached his hand out to you, his hand resting on the bed right next to your waistline. as if it was beckoning you, your hand gravitated towards his, and the warmth of his hand and his comforting presence was enough to lull you back to sleep.

---

all the trainees in the floor were gathered in practice room #1, awaiting the announcement to see who got rank 1.

of course, they were expecting you and riki, but not together at the same time.

"nishimura riki, ___ ___. rank #1"

you and riki looked at each other in excitement, you could do nothing but listen at the moment, but celebration was in order later.

celebration? oh did you mean cuddles, making sure you're rested well and eating okay, hand holding, and a whole lot of light-hearted teasing? yeah.

[end]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ written by junko

|blog masterlist|

[mistbornthefinal]

Madoka Magica Aniversary Analysis: Part2

Hunting for Witches

(here there be spoilers, proceed at your own risk)

We get a quick recap of Mami introducing herself and blowing away Gertrude’s familiars, before cutting to Madoka waking up in bed much like last ep. Only this time Kubey is being a creepy bunnycat like always and is looming over her bed. Cue Connect.

As the two of them are brushing their teeth in their weird giant bathroom Junko chastises Madoka for being late and not checking in with the family. We then cut back to yesterday as Mami leads Madoka and Sayaka back to her house. Honestly I prefer the original broadcast version of Mami’s house it’s emptiness laid the seeds for the reveal of the desperately lonely girl Mami actually was. 

(Shaft there was a point where this need to stop and we’ve clearly passed it)

Mami gives them some cake and then gets down to business about this whole magic thing. She starts with the soul gem, the source of a magical girls powers which is created when she forms a contract with Kyubey. Kyubey then lays out the terms in exchange for becoming a magical girl he will grant the subject one wish, according to him anything is on the table. But becoming Meguca has a price, a magical girl must fight Witches. 

Back in the present Madoka asks her mom what she would wish for. Junko says she’d oust a couple of board members at her company, maybe the president as well the man is by her account too long in tooth and yet still refuses name a successor. Madoka suggest the she might be the next president and you can almost immediately see the wheels starting to turn in Junko’s head. Madoka watches slightly nonplussed as Junko begins playing her next moves in Game of Thrones: Mitakihara office politics edition.

(Madoka has no idea the cataclysm her off the cuff statement precipitated) 

Hours in the past Sayaka asks what a Witch is and how they are different from magical girls. Kyubey replies (in retrospect very weaselly) that if magical girls are born from wishes than witches are born from curses. In addition Witches can not be seen by normal humans, but none the less prey on them sowing anger and despair. Mami chimes in that many seemly inexplicable murders and suicides are due to witch curses. Sayaka asks why this isn’t common knowlage. The answer Witches hid from humanity in unreal pocket dimensions, the labyrinths.

What happened to the girls earlier is they had wandered into a labyrinth, something that’s usually fatal to ordinary humans. Mami stresses that within the labyrinth even her life is in danger so the two of them ought to weigh their options carefully before making a contract. As tempting as wish might be the price could very well be death. Despite the danger Mami offers them a chance to accompany them on a witch hunt to see what it’s like before they sign up.

As Madoka meets up with her friends on the way to school Sayaka is quick to react to the bunnycat perched on her shoulder. In addition to being invisible to muggles Kuybey also acts as telepathic relay. Though the twos silent conversation give Hitomi the wrong idea

(this scene became a meme for good reason) 

In the classroom Sayaka questions the wisdom of Kyubey coming to school, given the girl who tired to ice him yesterday is in their class. Kyubey says Mami is in telepathic range (prompting her to chime in) and he doesn’t peg Homura as the sort to cause a public disturbance. Homura’s arrival in class triggers another flashback to last evening.

Specifically the part of the conversation were they discuss the transfer student. Mami confirms that she is another magical girl. This confused Sayaka, why would a magical girl attack Madoka, shouldn’t they be allies of justice. Kyubey corrects her Homura was after him, likely to prevent him from making new contracts. Mami explains that conflict among magical girls is a common occurrence. Witch hunting has it’s rewards and sometimes megucas will fight each other to secure them. Sayaka rather astutely connects her interest in Madoka with the presumed desire to keep competitors out of the picture. 

This whole cutting between past and present thing might be a little hard to follow in text recap form, but it does us a service by cutting our big exposition dump and giving us time to breath in between segments. This scene tells us everything we need to know about magical girls and witches (or so we think) and even gives us some insight into what Homura is about. After EP 1 left us with nothing but questions EP 2 has given us faith that this show isn’t going to leave us in the dark. 

At lunch which Madoka and Sayaka have decided to eat on their schools aesthetic as fvck roof, the two discuss the possibilities of a wish.

(this school is cursed and I love it)

Sayaka says that as tempting as a wish is she balks at the cost, then laments that most people should have a wish that they would risk their lives for and that neither of them do shows how privileged they are. There is a brief cut who we will later learn is Kyosuke before laments that there are plenty of people in the world who would risk their lives on a wish, so why them.

Before we can get an answer Homura enters the scene. The girls are startled but Mami’s voice chimes in revealing that she’s providing overwatch from a nearby tower. Homura says she’s not here to fight and going after Kyubey again is pointless now that he’s made contact with Madoka. She just want’s to know where the stand re:becoming meguca. She then reminds Madoka of her earlier warning, a warning that hopefully has not fallen on deaf ears. Madoka asks what Homura wished for but only receives a cryptic look. 

They ditch Hitomi to go Witch hunting and fail to correct her... assumptions along the way. When the meet up with Mami at the cafe we learn that Sayaka brought a bat, while Madoka brought sketches of magical girl costumes. 

(sketches drawn by her awesome voice actress Yuuki Aoi)

They go back to where Mami fought the familiars so she can pick up the Witches magic trail and track it to her labyrinths new location. As the girls are following the trail we cut to a woman stumbling into an abandoned building, a building that someone wrote a Faust quote on one of the walls in the original German (more on that when do a post on Madok’s Faust references). 

Bach with Mami and hangers on we learn she has been systemizing her method of witch hunting, checking the places already prone to violence and accidents that witches tend to frequent. According to her the worst place for a witch to be is a hospital where they can leach the life from those already weakened by illness.

The arrive at the abandoned building just in time for Mami to catch the woman from earlier when she jumps off the roof. Though uninjured the woman is cationic and marked with a strange glyph that Mami identifies as a witches kiss. She lead the two of them into the labyrinth through a portal but not before enchanting Sayaka’s bat. Homura is not far behind. 

Mami makes easy work of the familiars and after a series a surreal doors open we reach to core of the labyrinth and meet it’s creator.

(I’m not sure what people were expecting back in 2011 but I don’t think it was a butterfly rosebush monster)

Gertrude gets her name plastered on the screen in witch runes, setting us up for a boss fight, cue magia. Mami curtsies to the witch causing two of her signature muskets to fall from her skirt. Gerturde throws her sofa at her and the flies through the air to dodge return fair from Mami’s guns. While Mami is focused on the witch herself several small familiars on the ground merge into a giant tendril that takes her off guard and slams her into the wall. 

Mami is able to turn the table by conjuring threads from the bullets embedded in the ground to ensnare the witch. She then uses the ribbon of her uniform to cut herself free and then conjures a giant gun with it that blows the witch away.

(No one else in this show names their attacks, Mami is such a dork)

Mami celebrates with a cup of tea as the barrier dissipates, then picks up a strange black object from the ground. This she tells Madoka, Sayaka, and the audience is a Grief Seed. The Grief Seed is a witches egg and it can be used to cleanse the darkness of a girls soul gem, replenishing her magic. She then tosses it into the darkness only for a previously unseen Homura to catch it. It has one more use which Mami offers to Homura. Homura rebuffs this offer which Mami takes poorly and Sayaka even more poorly. Madoka on the other hand just wants everyone to get along. 

With the influence of the witch gone the woman from earlier awakens, and is distraught at what she almost did. Mami comforts the woman telling her it was all a bad dream. The episode ends with Madoka musing that while she has no idea what wish she would stake her life on she admires Mami’s heroism. (cue Mata Ashita)

That’s Episode 2 which I would say is the most fundamental episode for understanding Madoka’s plot. We got a whole lot of exposition dumped, far more than you notice because it’s intercut with slice of life movements and character building. The it was capped off with a cool fight scene.  Everything from here on essentially either confirms or subverts what episode establishes.  

[theultimatefanficwriter]

Kiyotaka Ishimaru x Mondo Oowada-Dead Boy Walking

Slight NSFW Content

Kiyotaka Ishimaru was happy. He was the star pupil of Class 78 and the designated Hall Monitor. He was set to go very far after graduating from Hope's Peak Academy. What more could he ask for?

"Ow!"

The Ultimate Moral Compass turned at the quiet exclamation. He noticed his close friend Chihiro Fujisaki rubbing the back of his head. Taka noticed a balled up piece of paper come to a stop next to Makoto Naegi's feet. The strict rule follower narrowed his eyes as he looked behind the Ultimate Programmer. He noticed Junko Enoshima covering her mouth, a hint of a smirk peaking over her hand. Makoto looked down as the ball hit his foot. He raised a brow and picked the object up.

Kiyotaka reached across the aisle and held his hand out. "Makoto Neagi, would you please hand that over to me so I could dispose of it?" He commanded in his normal booming voice.

Maokoto jumped a bit and nodded, handing it over. "Y-yeah! Of course, Taka." Taka all but snatched it out of the Ultimate Lucky Student's hand and immediately unfolded it, giving it a read.

Chihiro Fujisaki, the Ultimate Programmer, makes a very pretty girl, doesn't he? Maybe he should stop lying to his classmates and reveal what he really is.

Taka stiffened, his eyes shooting over to Chihiro, his friend continuing on his work with a downtrodden look on his face. Kiyotaka was the only one Chihiro ever told his secret to. How could Junko have known?

The boy in white looked over to the Ultimate Fashionista, who was staring at him with a smug grin. She gave him a finger wave before turning away from him. Taka narrowed his eyes before standing up quickly, causing the desk and chair to screech across the floor.

"Teacher!" He called. "It has come to my attention the Junko Enoshima was bullying Chihiro Fujisaki by throwing this at her!" Taka held the ball between his fingers. His small friend looked up at him, a grateful smile on his face.

"I was just trying to get "her" to stop lying, Teacher!" Junko said innocently as she stood, placing a hand over her heart. Taka glanced back and gave her a look of warning. He noticed that the Ultimate Biker Gang Leader, Mondo Oowada, did as well. Junko ignored both of them as she made her way to Chihiro's seat. "Chihiro here has a dirty little secret." She said in a sing songy voice. She pat the boy on the head, causing him to stiffen up. "Dontcha, Fujisaki?" She gave the programmer a knowing smile.

"Junko that is enough!" Kiyotaka exclaimed, point his finger at her. "Leave Chihiro alone!"

Junko smirked, turning to Taka. "Aw, you're only stopping me 'cause you already know the secret, tattletale." The fashionista pouted. "Why don't you share with the rest of the class?" She held her hand out to everyone, who look extremely uncomfortable.

Kiyotaka glanced over at the teacher, who stood with crossed arms. "Miss Enoshima, that is quite enough." He said with narrowed eyes. "Apologize to Miss Fujisaki and sit down or I must send you to the Headmaster."

The pigtailed girl smirked. "'Miss' Fujisaki? Don't you mean-"

Taka's eyes widened and he dashed over to try to stop Junko somehow. But someone was faster.

Before he could even blink, Kiyotaka saw Mondo standing beside Junko, his hand over her mouth as he glared down at her. "I don't like laying my hands on chicks." He growled. "But if ya would kindly shut the fuck up and sit down?"

Junko looked up at Mondo, her eyebrows narrowed angrily. She moved away from him and went back to her desk. The biker huffed and popped his collar before sitting back down as well. The hall monitor blinked, still stunned, before he shook his head. He pocketed the paper ball, not wanting someone to fish it out of the trash, and sat back down as well.

The class eventually ended, and like usual Kiyotaka sat patiently at his desk for everyone else to leave. And like usual, Chihiro waited with him. Also like usual, Junko stuck her tongue out at him and called him some rude name. But unlike usual, Mondo was still in the classroom, leaning against the back wall.

When it was just the three of them, Chihiro ran over to Taka excitedly. "Thank you so much, Taka!" He chirped. "I was way too scared to stand up to Junko."

The star pupil smiled down at his friend brightly. "But you're getting more confident!" He pointed out. "Don't think I haven't noticed!" He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I am very proud."

Chihiro smiled and looked over his shoulder to Mondo. He gestured for him to come over, so the biker leader pushed off the wall and made his way there. "That's actually thanks to Mondo!" Chihiro informed the Ultimate Moral Compass. "He's been training me!"

Taka's gaze went from Chihiro to the muscular man approaching the two. He crossed his arms and looked him up and down. "Why did you ask this...rule breaker to train you and not me, Chihiro?" Kiyotaka asked, giving the man before him an unimpressed look.

The man with the pompadour scowled. "Maybe because he wanted help with getting stronger, not learning how to be a kiss ass." Mondo retorted.

Chihiro looked between the two nervously. "I...I thought the two of you would be friends..." He said quietly.

The men looked down at him, before returning to glaring at each other.

"I'm sorry, Chihiro, but I've seen Mondo Oowada's record." Taka said bluntly. "He is only trouble and has no regard for safety."

"Yeah, sorry buddy. No way I can be friends with a guy who has an entire pole stuck up his ass." Mondo spat.

Kiyotaka's eyes narrowed angrily at that insult, much to Mondo's amusement. "Why on Earth did you tell this...this delinquent your secret?!" The rule abider exclaimed, turning his head to Chihiro.

The Ultimate Programmer swallowed, clearly uncomfortable. "W-we saw each ot-other at the-" He tried to explain.

Seeing his friend was having difficulties, Mondo placed a gentle hand on his head and gave him a smile. "Calm down. I got this." He soothed. The young boy nodded, taking a breath. Mondo turned back to Taka. "We ran into each other at the gym. I noticed he was having trouble, so I offered to spot him. He mentioned he was trying to get stronger, I offered to train him, and after a few training sessions he felt close enough to me to tell me the truth." He grinned at his friend. "And I'm honored." Chihiro giggled softly.

Kiyotaka analyzed their interaction. Mondo seemed to genuinely care about Chihiro, and vise versa. He did stop Junko from spilling his secret. But how could sweet, kind Chihiro ever become friends with such a thug? He's the type of person Taka would want to protect his close friend from. So it makes no sense.

"I'm still not sure if you should be hanging around him." The role model thought aloud, putting a finger to his chin.

Mondo narrowed his eyes and took a step towards him. "I don't think that's your decision to make, asshole." He growled, shoving a finger into Taka's chest.

The man stumbled backwards slightly. He glowered at the biker and brushed his uniform off. "It was merely a suggestion, but if your way of becoming stronger is to always resort to violence, than perhaps I should try to enforce it."

Mondo's face turned red and he reeled his fist back.

"Stop! Please!"

The man stopped and turned, seeing his small friend with an outstretched hand looking terrified.

"Please don't hurt each other!" Chihiro begged. "I'm sorry I made you two meet. I thought you'd be friends but I was wrong!" He looked to be on the verge of tears.

Mondo looked at him for a moment before turning back to Kiyotaka, who was looking past him at the programmer. Mondo scoffed and backed away. He spat on the ground in front of Taka before heading out the door. "See you at training, Chihiro." He called as he left.

"Are you alright, Taka?" The small highschooler questioned, running up to him.

The hall monitor nodded, glaring at the puddle of spit on the ground and stepping around it. "Excuse me for saying this, but your new friend is a brute." Taka said bluntly, looking to his friend.

Chihiro sighed. "He can be like that, yeah."

The man in uniform smiled and rolled his shoulders. "No matter. You should go to your dorm. I have to clean up the mess he left behind. I'll see you later!" The two waved, and Chihiro left the room.

Taka grabbed the cleaning supplies and cleaned up the spit Mondo had left on the floor. His thoughts kept going back to him. He obviously knew of him before this. He'd heard his name during role call, he'd seen and heard him during class, but most prominently, he'd seen his record when helping the headmaster. It was a sight. So many rules broken, both small and large. Graffiti, littering, fighting. He was dangerous. However, his actions still fit his Ultimate title so...he stayed. Kiyotaka sighed in annoyance. Why did there have to be an Ultimate Biker Gang Leader anyway? Or any other criminal Ultimate? Why is the school encouraging crime? He didn't understand it.

Taka stood, finally finished cleaning. He dusted off his uniform again as he made his way out of the classroom, making sure to turn the lights off and lock the door. He made his way down the hall, keeping an eye out for any rule breakers on his way to his room. He didn't see any, but he did see a particular rule break leaning against his door. He came to a stop in front of him with crossed arms. "Waiting for me in front of my door?" Kiyotaka said, shaking his head. "Do you really want to fight me so badly?"

Mondo sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I...actually wanted to apologize." He muttered.

This caught the man in white off guard. "Wait...what?"

"Yeah..." The biker muttered. "I thought about it on the way to my room. Since we're both Chihiro's friends, we should at least attempt to get along, right? Instead of instantly going at each others throats."

Kiyotaka looked to the side as he gave it a thought. He nodded slowly. "I suppose that makes sense." He agreed.

Mondo nodded as well. "Good, good. We're in agreement then." There was an awkward silence for a moment. "So...what should we do to...get to know each other?"

Taka thought for a moment. "The best way would probably to do what we both enjoy. Participate in each other's interests."

Mondo groaned. "Ugh. I don't want to grade papers or stand in the hall yelling at people." He muttered.

Taka laughed. "Is that what you think I do for fun?" He laughed with a smirk.

Mondo returned it and shrugged. "I don't fucking know, man. Probably."

The hall monitor shook his head with a smile. "Well I can assure you, I have an activity in mind the both of us will enjoy."

"Dude, you fucking box?" Mondo gaped at the gloves Kiyotaka was currently putting on.

The man in white chuckled and nodded. "You aren't the only one that likes to stay in shape." He replied as he tightened the strap of the glove and went on to the next. "The other pair is over there." He gestured with his head.

The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader still looked surprised, but he made his way over to Kiyotaka's dresser and grabbed his second pair of gloves. "I usually prefer to just use wrappings." He told his sparring partner. "But since we're being all buddy buddy and shit, sure. I'll use these."

Taka spat out the strap after finishing tightening the second glove. "You spar with only bandaged hands?" He asked, moving into the area they had cleared out for their sparring match.

Mondo nodded as he hit his now gloved fists together. "Usually, yeah. I like the feeling of fist to face." He chuckled. "But I guess I don't want to actually hurt ya, so this makes sense."

Taka smirked and took an offensive stance. "Well if that's the case then we are getting somewhere." He stated. "However, I don't know if you even could hurt me."

The gang leader barked out a laugh, copying the role model's stance. "You serious? Dude, I would've pulverized you if Chihiro hadn't stopped me."

The Ultimate Moral Compass threw a punch, which Mondo blocked with his fist. "I had plenty of space to avoid you. I was simply giving you the illusion of control." Kiyotaka said cockily, moving around his opponent.

The taller of the two raised a brow, clearly amused. "Uh huh. I'm sure." He shot his left fist out at the man in front of him, which was easily blocked. "You know, when you aren't busting me for walking too quickly down the hall, you're pretty alright." Another blow was thrown.

This struck Taka in the arm, causing him to stumble backwards. He powered through it and shot the one who had hit him a grin. "Nice hit. And yeah. When you aren't littering the halls, you're pretty fun." As he finished speaking, he lunged to the side before throwing a punch.

This caught Mondo off guard enough for the hit to land on his shoulder. The biker chuckled and rubbed the spot. "Fuck. That actually hurt a bit. You're stronger than I thought."

The two continued exchanging blows for nearly an hour, until the two were tired and sweaty. They threw the gloves to the side, and Kiyotaka went into his bathroom to grab them both towels. He returned and threw one to Mondo. "I think this was a success." He said with a smile. "I can safely call you...a friend."

Mondo chuckled and wiped the sweat off of himself. "Yeah. At the very least we ain't tryin' to kill each other."

Taka nodded in agreement and threw his towel into his bathroom, intending to send both the one he and Mondo used to the laundry soon. "I wouldn't mind spending more time with you in the future." He told the biker. He approached him with a wide grin and held out his hand.

Mondo looked down at him with a strange look. He looked...conflicted? Confused? He seemed to snap out of it and smile at Taka, shaking his hand. "Yeah, same here." He tossed his towel into the bathroom as well. "This was actually fun, Taka. I'll be seein' you around." He made his way to the door, the two waving goodbye.

The next day in class was uneventful. Junko was quiet the entire time, which admittedly worried Kiyotaka more than her causing trouble. Regardless, class came and went, and everyone left as usual. Taka and Chihiro stayed, Junko called the hall monitor a slur, the ropes. But like the day before, Mondo had stayed behind. When the young programmer noticed this, he got worried. He put himself between the two as Mondo approached.

The biker smiled down at him and pat his head. "Hey, don't worry buddy." He assured his friend. "Taka and I worked everything out, right, dude?" He looked up at the rule follower with a warm smile.

The man in question nodded and smiled down to Chihiro as well, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah, don't worry, Chihiro. Mondo and I are friends now!" He said in his usual booming tone.

The young boy looked up, surprised. "Wait, really?" He asked. When the two nodded, he smiled happily and jumped in place. "That's great! So we can hang out together?!" He looked between the two men excitedly. They both chuckled and nodded at him. The programmer clapped happily, before letting out a gasp. "Oh! We could train together!" He exclaimed. He looked up to Mondo. "Is that alright?"

The biker looked up to Taka, who nodded at him, a grin on his face. The man with the pompadour ruffled Chihiro's hair. "'Course it is, kiddo." He chuckled. The small boy looked ecstatic and grabbed the newly befriended men's hands, rushing out the door to the gym.

"So we're going to go on to twenty pounds, alright, buddy?" Mondo said to Chihiro as the programmer set his gym bag next to the bench press he had chosen to use. He had already gone into the changing room and put on his blue tracksuit.

The determined young man nodded as he took his place on the press. "Yeah! That sounds good!" He took a deep breath and looked between his friends with a smile. "You'll both spot me, right?"

The two nodded. "Of course, Chihiro." Taka replied, giving him a thumbs up. The prize pupil was wearing a red tracksuit and had a towel draped over his arm. Chihiro giggled carefully lifted the weight from where it rested, beginning his reps.

Mondo looked over at Taka, the rebel in a black tracksuit. He smirked at the towel. "You got one this early? You haven't even worked out yet." He teased.

The black haired boy rolled his eyes. "Funny." He replied, giving his new friend a grin. "I got it for Chihiro." As he spoke his friend's name he glanced down at him, making sure he wasn't having trouble. Seeing as he was doing fine, he glanced back up to Mondo. The biker was looking him up and down.

"You really are surprisingly fit for someone so...stuck up." The man in black mumbled.

Taka looked at him surprised. "That was...a bit insulting." He said quietly, rubbing his arm and looking down. "I thought we were getting along."

Mondo's eyes widened and he placed a hand on Taka's shoulder. "Oh, no, dude! Fuck, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that I always saw you as a teacher's pet. I didn't know you were so...tough." He punched the other man's arm, a grin on his face.

A smile returned to the hall monitor's face. "Ah! That's what you meant." He shrugged. "As I told you, I enjoy keeping in shape."

Mondo laughed softly, carefully leaning on the bench press. "You are much cooler than I thought, bro." He held his fist out for Taka.

The man stared at Mondo. "Did you just call me...bro?" He asked.

The biker's face fell slightly, and his fist dropped. "Well, yeah. I thought since we were getting closer..."

Taka held his hands up and shook his head. "No, no, no! You misunderstood me this time." He chuckled. "I'm...honored. I don't have a lot of friends." He smiled brightly and held his fist out for Mondo.

The gang leader returned the grin and bumped his fist against the Ultimate Moral Compass'.

The two laughed as they smiled at each other, bringing their arms down to their sides.

"O-ok. I think I'm done for now." Chihiro panted bringing the weights back up. Both Taka and Mondo rushed forward to grab it, and their hands touched as they did so. They glanced at each other and laughed it off as they helped their small friend. Chihiro threw his legs over the side of the bench as Kiyotaka handed him the towel. He wiped his face and took a long sip of the water bottle he had brought with him.

"You did really good today, Chihiro!" Mondo congratulated him. "You're getting better every day."

"Only because of you, Mondo." The programmer beamed up at his muscular friend.

Taka watched this with a smile on his face. He can't believe he had thought so poorly about Mondo. He's been helping Chihiro so much. The once self conscious boy has become so much more confident. He's become stronger, mentally and psychically. All thanks to Mondo. He's really sweet to him as well. He's actually a really kind guy after all and-

Kiyotaka stood up straight. He glanced over at Mondo and saw him carrying Chihiro on his bicep, the two of them laughing. He gulped and rubbed the back of his neck. Mondo glanced over at him and raised a brow. He placed the young boy down and went over to his newly acquired friend. "Hey, you good, bro?" He asked, placing a hand on Taka's shoulder.

The star student smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. "O-of course bro! Just fantastic!" He exclaimed.

Mondo chuckled. "Cool. Well, Chihiro wanted to go back to his room and work on his little project. We could go back to my dorm and hang out if you wanted?"

Taka nodded. "Sure, of course. We could do something to get to know each other even more."

"You read my mind, bro." The biker chuckled as the trip left the gym.

Mondo and Kiyotaka said their goodbyes to Chihiro as he went into his room. The two then went into Mondo's. Taka sat on the gang leader's bed as said man locked the door. "So, what are we going to do?" The role model asked as Mondo sat beside him.

The rebel rubbed his neck and looked to the side. "Well...I know this is gonna sound dumb 'n cheesy but...I thought we could just...talk."

Kiyotaka blinked at him.

Mondo sighed. "Goddamn it." He ran his hand over his face. "Look, boxing and shit is fun and all, but if we really wanna be 'bros' and all, which I actually do, we should get to know each other for real. For instance." Mondo cleared his throat. "I had a pet dog named Chuck." The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader coughed into his hand and turned away, shielding his face from Taka. "He...he died...a while ago. I miss him."

Kiyotaka nodded slowly. "I am very sorry to hear that." He comforted his friend, patting him on the back.

Mondo just shrugged and rolled his shoulders before turning to the star pupil. "So what about you?" He asked. "I noticed Junko always gives you a hard time. She keeps calling you curses and shit. What's that about?"

Taka frowned and rubbed his arm. "I don't actually know." He admitted. "She seems to have some extreme hatred for me, but I haven't the slightest why." He sighed as he looked up to Mondo. "I think she's angry at me for always getting her in trouble for constantly bullying other students."

The biker narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. "Well I can get being pissed at you for gettin' them in trouble." He began. "But not if it was for bullying someone. That shit's not cool at all, especially if the person isn't strong enough to defend themselves." The man growled and gripped at his jacket.

Kiyotaka looked at him, a soft smile forming on his lips. "You...have a caring heart for someone that comes off so tough." He said quietly.

Mondo smirked at him and chuckled. "Don't fucking tell anybody." He warned teasingly. "I have a reputation to keep." The two shared a laughed for a moment. As it died down, Mondo looked back to his friend. "So she's just being really petty?" He questioned, bringing his original question back up.

The hall monitor looked down at the floor. "It's more than just that." He muttered. "I...I think she's trying to sabotage me."

The gang leader raised an eyebrow. "And why do you say that?" He asked.

Taka sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "She's been doing things that would hurt me." He explained. His eyes looked away. "I...think what happened with Chihiro yesterday was because of me."

Mondo furrowed his brow. "And how the hell is that the case?" The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader asked, grabbing the black haired boy's shoulder and turning him to face him.

The boy in white looked looked at the taller man sadly. "I don't know how she learned of Chihiro's secret, but she knows I'm close to him. By revealing it to everyone it would not only hurt Chihiro, it would hurt me, because she knows I care about my friends dearly."

Mondo nodded along. "Yeah, I've noticed that." He smiled at the ruler aibider warmly. "You looked about ready to tear into her just for getting close to Chihiro."

"Well, he's my closest friend." The hall monitor admitted. "One of...my only friends."

The rebel watched the man in white as he scratched his arm sadly. He felt a sharp pain in his chest he couldn't explain as the shorter boy looked so dejected. Mondo watched the other closely.

"Junko has also been...spreading rumors around about me." Kiyotaka continued, scratching his head. "In an attempt to ruin my reputation, I believe."

Mondo narrowed his eyes as he tried to remember any rumors he had heard about the boy. Junko spread rumors all the times, but Taka was such a teacher's pet with such a clean record that any rumors were sure to stick out. And sure enough, one popped to the front of his memory. "Oh yeah, I remember." He began, turning to Kiyotaka. "She started tellin' everyone you were gay."

The star pupil stiffened and nodded. "Yes. She did." He confirmed quietly.

Mondo rubbed the back of his neck. "I know it's none of my business, but...are ya?" He questioned, glancing slightly over at his friend. "'Cause there's nothin' wrong with it if you are."

Taka sighed loudly and stood up. "I should get going." He said, heading towards the door. "It was...really good to get to know you some more, Mondo."

The biker frowned and stood up, following him. "Bro, did I upset you?" He asked worriedly.

Taka shook his head as he continued towards the door. "No, of course not. I just noticed how late it had gotten. I will see you in class tomorrow."

Mondo watched as the black haired man placed his hand on the door handle. He bit his lip as he argued with himself on what to do. Finally giving in, he sighed. "It's fine if you're gay, Taka. 'Cause I am."

The man at the door froze.

He slowly turned around and stared at Mondo with wide eyes. "...What?" He whispered.

The gang leader shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck. "Since we're getting to know each other and shit, thought you should know." He mumbled under his breath.

Kiyotaka looked Mondo up and down. "You...you are..." He blinked. "How are you so open about it?"

Mondo shrugged again. "I just learned not to give a shit about what other people think." He informed the other. "I know it throws a lot of people off. They think someone like me would be off fucking chicks, but nah. I get a lot of shit about it, but it doesn't bother me at this point."

Taka looked up at him in awe. "You just...throw everyone's expectations away without a thought?"

The biker nodded. "Yeah. Fuck what other people think. It only matters what I think about myself, right? And I think I'm pretty fucking cool." He looked down at the moral compass. "So...yeah. Just thought you should know."

Kiyotaka felt a smile form on his lips. "I...thank you for telling me." He said sincerely. "I can see how you've helped Chihiro so much."

Mondo shrugged. "S'no big deal." He muttered, turning his face away from the boy. He was attempting to hide a blush that had appeared on his face.

Taka took a deep breath. "In lieu of this information." He bit his lip and nodded. "I do believe I am gay, yes."

Mondo looked over at this, a smile on his face. "That's awesome, bro!"

His friend shook his head. "But it isn't. Not everyone is accepting of people like us, Mondo. And if I want to become Prime Minister one day..." He trailed off, though fear was beginning to take hold on his face.

Mondo walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. When the shorter man looked up, he saw Mondo had a comforting smile on his face. "Hey. I know that there are some fucking dicks out there. But you're amazing, Taka. You can get anywhere you want in life, and being who you are won't stop you." He smirked. "And if anyone tries anything," He hit his fists together. "I'll fuck 'em up."

Kiyotaka chuckled softly and smiled up at the taller man, the fear in him disappearing. "I...appreciate that, Mondo." He replied quietly. "I'm very glad we became friends."

Mondo nodded in agreement, the comforting smile back on his face. "Me too, bro." The two stood like that for a while, just a few feet apart. Mondo bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck. "I...fucking hell." He cursed.

Taka looked up at him, confused. "Is everything alright?" He asked.

Mondo ran his hand through his hair. "I...shit. I kinda wanna kiss you." He rushed out.

The man in white looked up in surprise. "Y-you want to kiss me?!" He exclaimed.

Mondo nodded, the blush returning to his face in full force. "I mean I've always thought you were kinda cute. And you look good in that uniform. And this time we've spent together...I think I've grown a fucking crush on you." He looked away and shook his head. "But you're still battling your feelings and trying to understand everything. So just forget it." He turned to walk away, but was stopped by a hand on his bicep.

When he looked back, he noticed Taka's face was completely red. The boy let go of the other's arm and folded his hands together, fiddling with his fingers. "No, it's alright." He stammered. "You...you can kiss me."

Mondo turned back completely to the boy in white and swallowed. "You sure?"

Kiyotaka nodded shyly. "I may still be coming to terms with accepting who I am but...you are the first person to show me it is alright to be...myself. That I shouldn't be afraid of another's opinions. And I can't lie and say that I haven't felt myself become...attracted to you recently."

Mondo's face brightened a bit as he took as step closer to the man in front of him. He slowly leaned down to Taka's height and tilted his head to the side as he ghosted over the black haired boy's lips. The shorter man's eyes flickered between the biker's own lavender eyes and his lips. He swallowed nervously as Mondo smiled softly and finally pressed their lips together.

Kiyotaka's eyes fluttered shut as his hands gripped at the gang leader's undershirt. Mondo placed his hands gently on both of Taka's hips, pulling him closer to his chest. He rubbed the red eyed boy's sides comfortingly as he deepened the kiss.

It was all a lot gentler than Taka was expecting from Mondo. It was a very pleasant surprise. The star pupil smiled into the kiss as Mondo slowly pulled away. "How was that?" The biker asked quietly. He brought a hand up to Kiyotaka's face and cupped it.

The moral compass gave a small smile, a tinge of blush on his cheeks. "I enjoyed that." He replied. "A lot."

Mondo nodded in agreement, running his other hand through Taka's hair. "I did, too."

Taka bit his lip as his face grew even redder, a very school inappropriate thought crossing his mind. "I...would kind of like to do more...with you...?" He said meekly, glancing up at the violet eyed boy.

Mondo looked surprised. "Are...are you sure?"

The boy in white nodded. "Yes. I...really like you." He held tightly onto the muscular man's jacket. "You make me feel...safe."

A smile formed on Mondo's lips. He placed his thumb under the shorter boy's chin and tilted his head up as he planted another kiss on his lips. Kiyotaka placed his arms around the gang leader's shoulders as his eyes closed once more. The brown haired boy slowly walked forward until his partner's back was pressed against the wall near the door. His hands went back on Taka's hips as Mondo's mouth left the red eyed boy's lips and traveled down to his neck. He kissed it softly before giving it a gentle bite. Taka let out a quiet gasp as he grasped the back of Mondo's jacket. The biker chuckled and kissed his neck again. "Did you like that?" He whispered into the black haired boy's ear.

Taka nodded. "Yes." He murmured back. "...Do it again."

Mondo smirked and obliged, biting down on the moral compass' neck once more with a little more force this time. He let out another gasp, which turned into a whimper as Mondo sucked on his skin. The biker gave Taka's hips a small jerk, pulling the boy in front of him flush against him. He pulled away from Kiyotaka's neck to look into his eyes. He couldn't help but smile when he noticed they innocent boy's eyes were shut, a happy smile on his face. Mondo cupped Taka's face, causing him to open his eyes. The gang leader gave him a serious look. "I need to know." He said in a low tone. "Are you serious about this?"

Kiyotaka swallowed and nodded. "I-I am." He stammered. "Unless you don't want to-"

"Oh fuck no!" Mondo interrupted him, grabbing both of the boy's sleeves and yanking them behind himself, causing the black haired boy to stumble into him. Mondo placed one hand on Taka's back and another on his hip. "I wanna fuck you so bad." He growled. Taka shivered, causing the man in front of him to chuckle. "I just wanted to make sure you really wanted this. I'm guessing this is your first time."

Kiyotaka nodded. "It...it is." He confirmed. "I'm a bit concerned, if I'm being honest." He smiled lovingly at Mondo. "But I trust you. And I want this."

Mondo said nothing else. He had heard all he needed. With a smirk he grabbed Taka by the wrist and led him to the bed, once they had reached it, he gave the smaller man a light push, making him fall backwards onto it. He began to strip his clothes eagerly. Looking over, he noticed Kiyotaka unbuttoning his uniform hastily. The two locked eyes and gave each other a loving smile as Mondo made his way over to help his partner out of his clothes.

"You sure you have to go?" Mondo asked, the covers lazily covering his bottom half.

Kiyotaka nodded as he slipped on his uniform pants. "Unfortunately I have to walk the halls later." He sighed, putting on his shoes now.

Mondo rolled his eyes. "Can't you just skip that? Stay with me." He laid his hand out on the bed.

Taka looked at it and smiled. He placed his own in it and gave it a squeeze. "You know I can't do that." He told his lover sadly. "I promise when I'm finished I'll come back."

Mondo brightened up. "I'll fucking hold you to that. That's a promise between men." He said, tugging on Taka's hand. The smaller boy was pulled forward, landing awkwardly in Mondo's naked but blanket covered lap.

Kiyotaka chuckled and nodded. He leaned up and gave Mondo a kiss. The biker placed a hand on the back of the black haired man's head and pulled him in, deepening the kiss. After finally pulling apart, Taka finished getting dressed and turned to go. "I really enjoyed everything tonight, Mondo." He said sincerely. "Thank you."

Mondo smiled and nodded. "So did I, Taka. I'll see you later."

Taka left the biker's room with a love stricken smile on his face.

Kiyotaka was still buttoning and straightening his uniform as he closed Mondo's door behind him.

"Well, well, well! What do we have here!"

Taka froze at the all too familiar voice. He whirled around and felt his stomach drop at the sight of Junko. The fashionista was smirking and making her approach to the boy in white. "Disheveled appearance, unbuttoned uniform." She gave Taka a sniff as she stopped in front of him. "Smell of sweat." Her smirk widened as she chuckled evilly. "You're fucking that psycho gang leader kid? Seriously, Ishimaru?" She barked out a laugh and shook her head, the evil grin still present. "You are finished now. Wait until the entire school finds out that perfect record Kiyotaka Ishimaru is actually a filthy little slut." As she finished speaking, Junko was mere feet from the frightened boy, her smug face not far from his own.

Taka clenched his fists as he felt tears form in his eyes. "Why...why are you so determined to ruin my life?!" He screamed, clenching his still not completely buttoned jacket.

Junko didn't answer. She just gave him a finger wave before she turned on her heel and walked away. Taka watched for a moment before he turned around and reentered Mondo's room.

The Ultimate Biker Gang Leader was beginning to get redressed when his door suddenly opened and closed. He spun around and saw Kiyotaka, tears pouring down his face. Mondo's eyes widened and rushed over to him, not caring that he only had pants on. He pulled his lover into a protective embrace. "What happened, Taka?" He asked, stroking his back comfortingly.

"That fucking bitch." Mondo growled as Kiyotaka finished explaining the situation to him. The two had moved to the bed, where Mondo was still rubbing Taka's back.

"I don't regret doing it." The moral compass said quietly, looking up at Mondo. "But my reputation is ruined now."

Mondo sighed in annoyance. "I don't see why it's anyone's fucking business." He said. "You're gay. So what? We fucked. So what? It doesn't change a God damn thing. Anyone who isn't a complete fucking asshole will agree."

Taka shook his head. "But I'm not supposed to do such...activities." The Ultimate Moral Compass pointed out. "I'm supposed to encourage and show case school appropriate behavior."

The biker narrowed his eyes. "Even in your free time? Even when you aren't at school?" He took the distressed boy's head in his hands and gave him a warm smile. "Taka, you need to stop worrying about other people's bullshit. What they think about you doesn't matter. Even if your reputation does get ruined, you can rebuild it easily." He placed a kiss on Taka's lips. "And I'll be here to protect you from anything, you got that?"

The red eyed man smiled despite himself. He felt his worries disappear, and he nodded. "Alright, Mondo. I'll try." He placed his arms around Mondo's strong shoulders. "Thank you so much."

The gang leader smirked and grabbed Taka's hips. He placed the shorter boy so that he's straddling the brown haired man. He leaned down and kissed Kiyotaka, placing a hand on his back and pressing him close to his chest. "I'll always be here for you, Taka." He assured him. "Always."  

There was silence for a moment before Taka spoke. "So...are we boyfriends, now?"

Mondo laughed loudly and nodded. "I'd sure fucking hope so after earlier." He gave the boy a smirk. "You're an amazing fuck."

Taka's face became beet red as he buried it in Mondo's chest. The biker chuckled and ran his fingers through the boy's hair. "Of course it's not just that. You're amazing at everything. You're kind and smart. I'm lucky you want someone like me as your boyfriend."

Taka looked up, the red in his face dying down. "You're amazing as well." He told the purpled eyed boy. "You're really strong, and you've got a very kind heart. You care about others a lot."

Mondo smiled softly and kissed his boyfriend's forehead. "Guess we make a pretty good match, huh?"

Taka nodded, laying his head on the other's chest.

The next day in class, the two walked in together. They were holding hands at the behest of Mondo. He thought it would be best for them to oust their relationship before Junko could.

But it seemed they might have been too late.

For when they entered the classroom, everyone's eyes shot to them. Or more specifically, them holding hands. Junko crossed her arms smugly. "I told you all it was true." She said, pointing at the couple. "I saw Kiyotaka coming out of Mondo's room right after they fucked!"

Taka's grip on Mondo's hand tightened, and the biker gave his boyfriend's hand a gentle squeeze. "It'll be fine." He whispered.

"Is this true, Taka?" Chihiro asked, looking between the two. "Are the two of you really...dating?"

Kiyotaka took a deep breath before answering. He glanced at Mondo, who smiled, encouraging him. The moral compass nodded. "Yes, we are!" He said enthusiastically, attempting to keep up his usual booming tone.

The whole class was silent for a while. Taka was beginning to get nervous until a chorus of "congratulations'" and "I'm so happy for the both of you" and "you two look adorable together" rang out. Both Taka and Junko looked surprised at this reaction, though the former quickly smiled brightly as he looked up at Mondo, who flashed his boyfriend an "I told you so" smirk. The latter, meanwhile, grit her teeth in annoyance and flopped down in her seat.

The chatter quickly died down as everyone went back to their work. Taka and Mondo smiled at each other lovingly as they gave one another a kiss before heading to their seats.  

Kiyotaka Ishimaru was very happy. He was the star pupil of Class 78 and the designated Hall Monitor. He was set to go very far after graduating from Hope's Peak Academy, and he had a strong, loving and protective boyfriend who accepted him for him.

What more could he ask for?

[a-student-out-of-time]

this entire blog has become a little bit too detailed for me to follow. So much interconnected plot and events.

//Sorry about that. I’m having a great time writing all these interconnected plot elements and gambits and I understand it can get a little confusing to follow ^^;

//Here’s the quick rundown of as of now (July 14th, 2012):

Quantum Crew: Composed of Hajime (using the pseudonym “Kasugano”), Chiaki, Mikan, Umeko, Yoruko, Sonia, Gundham.

Hajime and Yoruko are time travelers from the year 2017. All the others are from the current year (2012) but know that these two are time travelers. The Voids, aka The Children of Utsuro: Nikei, Iroha, Hajime M., and Emma. All of them are working with Kasugano, but they don’t know who he really is or who else is working for him, aside from Chiaki.

Monaca is also working with Kasugano, with the hope of both marrying him and taking control of the Towa Conglomerate for herself. Kokoro is also helping and she knows Yoruko is too, but she doesn’t know who Kasugano is either.

Ultimate Despair: Junko and Mukuro are still on the other side of the world, but seem to be orchestrating things courtesy of people like Yasuke Matsuda, aka Class 77-A’s Ultimate Neurologist, and Juu Kinjo, a police commissioner. Our Story So Far:  * Twilight Syndrome- Hajime sets out to save Natsumi and Sato, the first major event he was around for. ** Outcome- Chiaki learns Hajime is from the future and decides to help him. Natsumi and Sato are taking part in a mental health support group organized by Miaya, along with some of the other students. Class 77-B meets Hajime for real and consider him a friend. * The Practical Exams- They set out to stop Ruruka, Seiko, and Izayoi from getting expelled. Also encouraged Nagito to receive surgery for his lymphoma. Found Hope’s Peak elementary courtesy of Nikei and Iroha and acquired footage of what was happening to the Warriors of Hope. He showed the footage to the world and first used the Kasugano identity. ** Outcome- Hope’s Peak fires several teachers and becomes swamped with angry phone calls and protests.  ** The parents of the WoH basically go into hiding as the school agrees to protect them. ** Seiko and Ruruka talk out their issues and the latter agrees to therapy. ** Hajime decides to reveal himself to Umeko Hayase- Class 75′s Ultimate Quantum Physicist- since her invention- the Tachyon Detector- could tell that he’s from the future. Mikan ends up accidentally learning the truth too and also joins the Quantum Crew. ** Nagito becomes friends with Kanata Inori, the future Ultimate Surgeon. ** Yoruko and Kokoro are hired by Hope’s Peak. ** Tsurugi Kinjo, the future Ultimate Police Officer, becomes invested in the WoH situation. ** Junya Utsugi, Kotoko’s father, starts sending his daughter to Hope’s Peak so Mikan can perform check-ups on her, partly as a way to make sure she’s not up to anything. ** Iroha encourages Jataro to run away with her and join their group.

Between this and the next arc, Hajime discovers a strange-looking tattoo on his back, one that emits non-ionizing radiation and that nobody else has. It’s also around then that Chiaki confesses she likes Hajime after being encouraged by Mikan, who’d had crushes on both of them. The three decide to form a polyamorous relationship they call the Cuddle Puddle.

* The Concert- Chiaki and Hajime go to a concert for Melody Rhythm, a band formed by twin sisters Hibiki and Kanade Otonokoji. Kanade is secretly a serial killer with both a massive body count and an incestuous attraction for her older sister. Framed as a date/Hope’s Peak Interview, they set out to expose Kanade. Meanwhile, Mikan works on distracting Sonia and Gundham while they’re pursuing their own investigation, as is Tsurugi. ** Outcome- The first attempt at exposing her actually fails, leading to Hajime and Chiaki dying...only for time to reset. ** The second time around, after explaining things to Sonia and Gundham, Hajime sets up a new plan. He successfully goads Kanade into publicly confessing, ** Chiaki, Mikan, and Yoruko manage to get Hibiki out without being seen, Sonia beats the shit out of Kanade, and Gundham leaves the Kasugano symbol for the police to find. ** Kanade is arrested and the police begin investigating her crimes ** Hibiki is allowed to stay at Hope’s Peak for the time being and to receive counselling and therapy ** Mikan returns home to find Kotoko has run away and is hiding in her dorm, and so promises to protect her. ** Nervous about how much information Kasugano has, Nikei decides to hire Setsuka Chiebukuro, former Ultimate Billiards Player of Class 73 and current Private Detective, to investigate him. ** Hajime also begins working with Monaca behind the scenes.

* Family- Junya decides to try and make a push to find Kotoko, trying to turn public opinion against Kasugano and getting the resources of Hope’s Peak ** Outcome- Kasugano delivers an Ultimatum for the parents of the WoH to come clean in one month or he’ll do it for them. ** Iroha removes Jataro’s mask, confides in him her trouble home life, and officially assumes the role of his big sister  ** Masaru is badly beaten by his father and sent to the hospital, where Kanata, her father, and Mikan work to treat him. His father, Hiroshi, his arrested and Tsurugi kicks the shit out of him. ** Kokoro admits her own history as an abusive mother and confides in Yoruko for help in making amends for her actions, asking her to help find her estranged daughter. ** Kotomi Ikuta, the Vice President of Hope’s Peak’s Student Council, decides to start investigating Kasugano herself. ** As the broadcast takes place, Sonia, Gundham, Chiaki, and Hajime work to move Kotoko out of the school to Chiaki’s house, where she’ll be safe without Hope’s Peak or her father potentially catching her.  ** Hibiki offers to help and, after an accidental fall down the stairs, learns Kotoko is with them, but decides to keep it secret. ** Tsurugi also learns from Hiroshi that a maid visited their home, which he speculates may be Taira Akane, who would later go on to become an Ultimate Despair.

//tl;dr, lots of shit’s been going down : P

//If I missed anything, someone please let me know ^^;

[bevvydraws]

This is going to be my feelings/opinions towards all of the main characters in Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc. This is directly related to my interpretation of events in the series! If you disagree with my thoughts/feelings that’s totally cool but this isn’t meant to be a debate! 

A lot has been going on right now and I don’t have the energy to do much digital art right now, so I figured I’d just open up a little more about one of my favorite series! Maybe I’ll do my opinions on characters for the other games next. 

** This post will contain information that will spoil the series for you, so continue at your own risk**

Makoto Naegi:

Honestly I really like Makoto. He is really average but honestly I think that’s what makes him so appealing. Not only that, but he comes off with a type of charisma that only “average” people can pull off. He has a base knowledge on a variety of subjects that allows him to talk to the other students. That and I find the concept of his “luck” very interesting. Also, side note, but that sprite of him focusing with his finger under his chin is probably one of my most favorite DR sprites ever. It’s just so cute! (I might redraw it someday hehe) 

10/10 

Aoi Asahina: 

While I adore Hina, I really wish that they would have made her more than just a ditzy character who was obsessed with donuts in this game. I loved her energy though! Her interactions with everyone always made me smile. My appreciation for her character just increased exponentially after watching the Despair Arc of Danganronpa 3. All in all I’m super glad that her character survived in THH.

8/10

Byakuya Togami: 

Honestly, I have mixed feelings about Byakuya. I think he’s a great antagonistic character, truly, but beyond that I’m not sure. I definitely think that his character is humbled throughout the course of the game, and in later games/animes he seems a lot less asshole-ish, but I’m not sure if I like him or hate him. I guess that just goes to show just how great he is as an antagonist. One thing I thought was hilarious though was how he casually admitted to being a true-crime nerd. I’m really glad he survived because I think his “talent” was really important for the Future Foundation. 

6/10

Celestia Ludenberg: 

Okay so real talk, I used to be a huge Celestia fan when I first stumbled across the series. But now, I don’t really like her character all that much. I think that out of all of the killers in THH her motive was the most shallow and that really is terrible considering how much potential she had. Her disconnect with her true identity could have made for an interesting character arc. And I really hate how they gave her literally the most complicated murder scheme when it would make sense for her to take a little risk as possible. Her character design is really cute though. 

5/10

Chihiro Fujisaki:

I think Chihro’s death was one of the hardest for me in the game. I played through all of his freetime events and was super attached to him (I know, a horrible idea in a game like DR), and as soon as he died I was just in shock. One thing I love about how they portrayed his character was truly allowing the brilliance of Chihiro shine through even after his death. He created the AI that not only helped aid in their escape, but ultimately saved Makoto's life. I also really liked the juxtaposition of Chihiro and Mondo (the seemingly weaker one ultimately being stronger after all). All in all, Chihiro is a great character. 

10/10

Hifumi Yamada:

I’m not really a fan of Hifumi, but I definitely think he gets wayy too much hate or just gets overlooked completely. I think that the creators leaned a bit too far into the stereotypes for him, and that made him come off as stiff and just… there. I knew from the very beginning that he wouldn’t survive, and honestly he’s the only character I had that feeling with (minus Leon). There are some quirks about him that I like, though, like how he never fails to refer to the others politely.

4/10

Kiyotaka Ishimaru:

So I originally found Taka annoying but after playing THH again he became one of my favorite characters. I find his enthusiasm adorable and his free time events boosted my admiration of him. He’s the only Ultimate that makes a conscious effort to prove himself and not rely on his prodigy-type status. And his relationship with Mondo, albeit short-lived, was so pure. It was so obvious to me that he was happy to have a friend (because Mondo is the first friend he’s ever had), and having that suddenly ripped away and listening to his desperation at the end of chapter 2 made me sob. 

10/10

Kyoko Kirigiri: 

Kiri’s background made me feel really sad for her. I first thought she was just the aloof, cold, smart type that was a bit snobbish. But then you realize that she’s been raised to not be in the spotlight, to work alone and without credit behind the scenes. Detective work is basically her birthright and she’s clung to that like a vice. Her character development throughout the game was really nice, and I think her and Makoto are super cute for each other. The side plot with her and her dad in DR3 made me really sad, too. I really liked overall that she was unapologetically holding true to her beliefs, even if it made her come off as cold. She was a solid, strong female character. 

8/10

Leon Kuwata:

It was super obvious from the beginning that Leon was gonna die. There was 0 attachment to his character for me and he just came off as just...kinda there. I don’t really have much to say about him, other than that I’m not a fan.

1/10

Mondo Owada: 

Mondo was such a big sweetheart in his freetime events. I thought his character was really well rounded and I was so sad that he ended up killing Chihiro. Despite that, I thought it worked really well for the story and played off of both of their weaknesses. Again I really loved his friendship with Taka, and having it formed and ended so quickly surprisingly hurt. 

8/10

Sakura Oogami: 

Honestly I didn’t like how they made her character the spy, because it seemed ridiculously out of character for her. Honestly I think this would be something better suited to Celeste, as she would view it as a way to increase her chances of living if she’s in “kahoots” with him. I dunno, I think the spy thing was unnecessary anyways. I loved her character though and her friendship with Hina was super cute. I also loved how they mentioned that she wanted to embrace her femininity while also not wanting to give up being the strongest person in the world. 

7/10 

Sayaka Maizono: 

Honestly even though I’m not the biggest fan of Sayaka I really like the role she played at the beginning and I think they played it off perfectly. Her desperation fueled by the fear and harsh reality that comes along show business and easily being forgotten really works in the narrative. She seemed like a well-rounded character but I think that if she had lasted past chapter 1 I would have liked her less. All in all her character did a great job of kicking off everything. 

6/10

 Toko Fukawa: 

I hate how they portrayed her character in THH, but her obsessive and odd behavior (outside of her split personality) is easily explained by her traumatic past. She obviously has a warped sense of what “love” is, and that plus her intense delusions turned into obsession for Byakuya. I started loving her character a lot more in UDG, when she started becoming more well rounded and open around Komaru. 

Also, I loved Genocider Syo’s personality. While I obviously don’t condone serial murders, I think that her character is extremely interesting. She doesn’t try and condone her own actions, admitting there is no rhyme or reason. Plus I think it’s really interesting that she considers herself a “professional” and is incredibly particular about the details. 

Overall 6/10 in THH

Yasuhiro Hagakure: 

I feel like Hiro gets a lot of shit as a character because they think he doesn’t contribute anything. I think he adds a lot of much-needed comic relief. Also I think that everyone glosses over the fact that once Taka goes silent he actually tries to encourage him to speak up again. And then tries to do his part and keep everyone together and upbeat. I really think that Hiro is a fun character who deserves more love, even though I can’t say he’s one of my favorites. 

7/10

Mukuro Ikusaba:

I wish Mukuro’s personality would have been able to actually show through in the game. The only glimpse we really see of it is in the bonus school mode while she is still posing as Junko. I wish in the anime they’d have harped less on her odd obsession with Junko and focused more on her internal struggle. I think her character has potential but I can’t say I was particularly attached to her (I suppose that was kind of the point, though). 

4/10

Junko Enoshima: 

Junko is probably one of the most well-written villains I have ever seen in a series. At first I thought it didn’t make sense, and was confused how one person could have so much influence on a mass amount of people. Then it was revealed in later installments that Ultimate Fashionista was not her real talent, just a cover she forged for herself to help her blend in to the school. Her real ultimate talent as the Ultimate Analyst allowed her to predict people’s actions and more importantly, their reactions. Her innate ability and incurable boredom made her seek out something unpredictable: despair and chaos. I think what made me love her as a villain was the line “You can’t argue with me, because there's no reason for anything that I do.” 

As a villain I give her 15/10. If I were to rank her as a person? -11037/10

Overall Opinion: 

I really find most of the characters charming but it’s super obvious when comparing this game to the others that these characters were not as fleshed out as characters in other games. I found it hard to be super attached to most of them and felt that some of their actions were really uncharacteristic. However I really do like the characters and what they add to the story, even if some of it doesn’t add up completely. I’m the least attached to these characters out of all of the characters in the DR series, although there are obviously some exceptions. I think there couldn’t have been a better opening cast of characters.

[marshmallow-phd]

Sins of the Father

Genre: Mafia Au

Pairing: Junmyeon x Reader

Summary: Soon after your second birthday, your parents were killed and you were adopted by your father’s best friend, taken away to their home country where you lived your life in peaceful ignorance. As far a as you knew, your parents simply left you large fortune to be released to you once you reached your twenty-third birthday. At least, that’s all you thought you were inheriting. When a famously ruthless mafia boss discovers your existence, you are left at his mercy. While under his roof, you learn more about your father than you ever wished you had, including the part of your inheritance that made you the most valuable person in the underworld. Hidden in a bank in New York City were files that held the darkest secrets of the mafia families and everyone in their pocket. With another terrifying leader’s eyes trained on you, you’ll learn to watch your back… and guard your heart, before your father’s past becomes your doom.

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I 14 I 15 I 16 I Final

**

Out on the street below were two black SUVs purring, waiting to carry you off to who knew where. While Junko lightly stepped into the frontmost vehicle, you were shoved not-so-nicely into the back of the second one. If you once thought that the first ride from your apartment to the penthouse, surrounded by the men you had hated at first was an excruciating experience, you were wrong. This one was a hundred times worse.

Every time you looked in the rearview mirror, you expected to see Chen’s cheeky stare sending silent jokes your way. But it wasn’t Chen in the driver’s seat. He was stuck back in the penthouse, forced to stay behind for the sake of all their lives. No, the man behind the wheel had nothing but steel in his eyes, no warmth or openness. Not that you wanted to get to know any of the guards around you. You may have had similar feelings when entering Junmyeon’s household, but you knew for damn sure that you weren’t going to warm up to anyone in Junko’s company.

As the street lights blurred by, you kept your focus on your breathing. You refused to cry for your loss this time. It was your own choice. You knew the consequences of your actions. But you refused to just lie down and roll over now that you were here. Even in the current moment, you were going over possible sabotages to ruin Junko’s plans. You just needed to come up with one that didn’t end up with you or someone you loved dead.

The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon, dying the sky from a midnight blue to a hue of purple you once found beautiful. Now, though, it seemed to be an ominous color, stopping your life right on the edge of when it might have been its happiest. Going forward, the days would bring nothing but new misery.

The vehicle finally came to a stop outside of a large, white stone mansion with shimmering gold trim around the windows and edges. Guards roamed the walled-in property, heavy black guns holstered to their waists for the world to see.

You were pulled out of the van, surrounded on all sides and they herded you inside. The shepherding didn’t stop until you were up the stairs on the second floor and shoved into a grand bedroom. As useless as the gesture was, you tested the door, pulling and yanking on the handle to confirm what you already knew. It was locked and you were now a prisoner more than you had ever been before.

After hours of pacing back and forth, Junko finally appeared, coming into the room without knocking or announcing his presence.

“Good afternoon, darling.”

You nearly gagged from the affectionate nickname, but beyond that, you stayed quiet, defiant.

With the motion of two fingers, Junko signaled for whoever was still in the hallway to enter. To your shock, it was two women, one rolling in a large black case, the other carrying a short white dress in a clear plastic bag.

“Please do cooperate with these lovely ladies,” Junko said as he inspected his fingers. His eyes flashed up to look at you, a sick, scheming grin on his lips. “I would hate to hear that my bride was being rude. That might have repercussions, such as someone you care about ending up with a bullet in their head. My men are still at the building with Junmyeon’s penthouse. I’d hate to lose one of his men when I oh-so-dearly want them to be around to watch their life’s work crumble into dust.” With that threat hanging in the air, he turned, passing the stone faced women and closed the door behind him.

Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it.

Every fiber in your muscles was screaming at you to not sit down in the chair, to not let these women pull at your hair and run their brushes all over your face. But that threat weighed too heavily on you. The ones you cared about were your ultimate weakness and if sitting through this torture – knowing what waited for you when it was over – meant that they could stay alive for the time being, then you could endure it. But how far would you be able to go before you broke?

During the process of making you presentable for Junko, the adrenaline that had been pumping through your veins was now dissolved, making your eyelids heavy and your body begging for sleep. Each time one of the women told you to close your eyes so she could apply more makeup, you felt yourself starting to nod off. It baffled you how easily your brain could start slipping into that mode considering the circumstances.

All too soon, the women were done with altering your physical appearance and were now scrambling to get you into the white dress. It was a simple design lacking any embellishments or other signs that it was meant to be a wedding dress, hitting just above your knee and gently fanning out to create somewhat of a silhouette.

You knew all too well what this dress was symbolizing, but you didn’t see the point in all the fanfare. This was not a joyous occasion where you’d be surrounded by friends and family who would cheer you on as you started your new life. You weren’t going to be walking down the aisle towards the man you’d fallen in love with, daydreaming about what the coming days together would hold, whether they be filled with good times or bad. No. You didn’t know to what extent Junko would be going with this affair, but you’d known this would be the plan as soon as you stepped into that SUV several hours ago.

After being forced into a pair of high heels the same shade of pure as the dress you were zipped up in, the women escorted you out of the room and back down the stairs. To your left were a pair of double doors propped open to reveal a massive ballroom like the one you’d seen in The Sound of Music when you’d watched it as a child. But there was no grand party being thrown where couples were twirling each other around on the reflective marble floor. Instead, there was simply Junko, a few guards, and a man in a suit that gave off a nervous yet authoritative aura standing near a small, round table near the middle of the room.

“Beautiful,” Junko smiled proudly, as if you were his to show off.

“Miss (y/n), I presume?” the other man asked when you were standing with them. You nodded wordlessly. He turned to the mafia boss. “An excellent choice, Junko.”

“A match made just for me, Judge Kim.” Taking your hand, Junko pulled you closer to him, whether to appear affectionate or to keep you from running away, you weren’t sure, but he should know by now that you weren’t going anywhere. You made your choice and now you would live with it.

“Well, I won’t keep you too long.” Judge Kim opened the small book in his hands, clearing his throat before starting the sham of a ceremony this would be. “Do you, Lee Junko, take (y/n) (l/n) to be your lawful wife, bound together for rest of your lives?”

“I do.”

Judge Kim turned to you. “And do you, (y/n) (y/n), take Lee Junko to be your lawful husband, bound together for the rest of your lives?”

Junko squeezed your hand, signaling to you exactly how you should answer, but it was a pointless gesture.

“I do,” you replied without any hesitation.

“Then, by the power vested in me by the beautiful Republic of Korea, I now pronounce you man and wife.” Judge Kim gestured to the table behind us. “Please, in the presence of me and these witnesses, sign the marriage certificate.”

Letting go of you hand, Junko swiftly swiped up the silver fountain pen that was lying next to the official marriage license and signed his name on the appropriate line before handing the pen off to you. Now you hesitated.

When you were younger, you once read a book where a girl was forced to get married to a scheming villain who wanted to get ahold of her parents’ vast fortune. She was able to null the marriage by signing the document with her non-dominant hand. You’d be lying if you testified that the thought hadn’t crossed your mind right now.

But this wasn’t a children’s story where the simplest solutions turned out to be the way to foil the evil villain’s plot. Even if you signed in it your non-dominant hand, you still signed it “willingly” in the presence of a judge. Whatever hand you decided to use was inconsequential.

Once your signature was imbedded in ink on the parchment paper, Junko and Judge Kim shook hands and everyone cleared the room, leaving you alone with your new husband.

Junko’s eyes narrowed into a snake-like stare, shining at his newly possessed toy. An arm slinked around your waist and he yanked you in close, squeezing you so tightly you were hardly able to fill your lungs up with enough air to continue consciousness. You knew fairly well that fear was evident in your eyes. What was the point of hiding it? You didn’t know what he planned to do to you next. Yes, you knew he’d keep you alive long enough to get to New York and retrieve the files, but there was plenty he could do to you beforehand.

“Don’t worry,” he murmured as he trailed a fingertip down your cheek. “I will wait for you to come to me. I’m not so much of a monster. You’ll see that soon enough.”

“One moment of restraint doesn’t erase all past deeds,” you spat back.

Junko smirked. “So fiery. I appreciate that. It’s needed to survive this kind of life.” Leaning down, he let his lips flutter against your ear as he whispered, “I will never erase my past. I’m proud of every single brick that I’ve made to build my empire. And you, my dear, are the crowning jewel to cap the tallest tower. Sooner or later, you will give in to me and you’ll see just how much of this life you truly enjoy.”

Releasing you, he turned on the balls of his feet and walked calmly out of the ballroom, each step echoing around you in mockery.

Back in your room, you found yourself just staring at the outside horizon while sitting on the chair you’d moved over from the vanity. The windows opened up to a large balcony, but you couldn’t bring yourself to walk out there. So you chose instead to just open them up enough to let the air in while you stayed within the confines of the walls. It seemed like a fitting metaphor for your life. So close to freedom, so close to having it all just to be locked away once again. You could see what that type of life could be, you could reach out, so close to feeling it in your hand but unable to make those last few centimeters disappear. How long would you be staring out this window longing for might never be? Only time and your future choices could determine that.

You prayed that all the boys were safe and that all the wounds you saw on their faces were only superficial. Yixing should be more than capable of patching them up. But then what? Would they be stupid enough to try and formulate a plan to storm in here? What was going through Junmyeon’s head right now?

Junmyeon worried you the most. In every other situation he remained collected and clear headed. But what was he like right now? Was he going crazy now that you were in Junko’s clutches, the very place he swore you would never be? You held on to the hope that he would use his head and only come for you when all their emotions were no longer in control of their actions. You had faith that they would come for you eventually and until then, you’d do everything you could in order to undermine Junko and hopefully weaken his defenses to give the guys a fighting chance.

**

You weren’t sure if you were dreaming or awake when you felt that warmth appear beside you, but you welcomed it fully.

After doing nothing but sitting and staring all day, you finally gave in to your body’s wishes and climbed into bed when the sun sank down from the sky. The only comfortable thing you could find to sleep in was a silk nightgown folded nicely in the top drawer of the dresser. You contemplated just going to bed naked, but then the idea of being caught that way mortified you and you hurriedly changed into the thin material.

For a while, you just lied there under the covers, your mind too restless to allow your exhausted body the sleep it desperately needed. Your eyes kept flickering over the empty ring finger on your left hand. The diamond that used to add a little weight to that side was sitting safely on your nightstand back at Junmyeon’s just waiting to be worn again. Now there was nothing but a phantom feeling where you’d grown so used to that cool metal being, a soft reminder of how safe you were now missing.

Soon, your mind was able to shut down and you drifted off to sleep, anxious for what might be waiting in your dreams. It was pleasantness, however, that met you rather than the horrifying images you’d been envisioning all day. Your mind decided to be kind to you and let you dream about being back in Junmyeon’s arms. Nothing else was happening in the dream except for you taking in his presence as he held you close. Perhaps your brain was crueler than you originally thought.

So lost in this dream were you that when it was ripped from your grasp, you still weren’t sure that it wasn’t real. Movement on the other side of the bed was what pulled you back to semi-consciousness and in your groggy state, you scooted closer to it, wrapping your arms around the warmth and sighing in content. You didn’t know any better until a chest-rumbling laugh brought you to being fully awake.

Gasping at the sight of Junko lying next to you under the covers, you scrambled back and away from him. But before you could jump out of the bed completely, he grabbed your wrist, holding you in place.

“Such a turnaround from a loving wife,” he chuckled.

You growled through your clenched teeth. “Let me go.”

“Were you thinking of him?” Junko asked, ignoring your demand. “Is that why you cozied up to me so quickly? Did you trick yourself into thinking you were back with him?”

At your refusal to answer him, he pulled on your wrist and then slammed you down on your back as he hovered over you, capturing your other arm in his grasp.

“Bad decision to fall in love with Suho,” he sneered. “He would have just tossed you to the side once he got what he wanted.”

Anger filled you up, making you squirm under his strength. “Screw you.”

Your sad attempt to verbally fight back just amused him. “You think you know him, but you don’t. We’re all mostly the same, us leaders. We use people to get what we want, dispose of them once they become useless. But me? I’ll keep you by my side forever.”

“And what makes you so different?” you scoffed.

“You were made for me, (y/n).”

You shook your head. “You keep saying that as if someone assembled me on a production line.”

“That’s because my father did, so to speak.” His grip on your wrists loosened slightly, but he still didn’t let you go. “You see, (y/n), your mother wasn’t able to have children no matter what doctor she went to. And your father was desperate for a child. So, my father offered him a deal. He had a few doctor friends who were experimenting some… not very approved methods. My father would connect your parents with his friends and they would provide him with a daughter – save that when that daughter came of age, she would marry me and your father would hand over all the intel he’d gathered over the years to make our empire stronger than ever. That was the deal.”

Junko lowered his face, gently brushing his lips against your bare collarbone, making you shiver with disgust.

“And now it’s being fulfilled,” he continued when he pushed himself back up. “So, yes, when I saw that you were made for me, I truly mean it.” Slowly, his fingers uncurled from your wrists and he sat up. “But I also meant it when I said I would wait for you to come to me. You’re my wife now, so I’ll take my place in our bed, but eventually, you’ll come to me.”

Like hell you would. But you kept your mouth shut, just watching him with steely eyes as he lied down, facing away from you. Unable to even think about trying to fall back asleep, you kept your eyes on the rising and falling of Junko’s bare shoulders. You hated this man more than anything and the idea of having to possibly sleep next to him for the rest of your life made you sick to your stomach. But the news that the only reason you were able to exist was so you would be here in this bed made it nearly unbearable.

**

The car ride to the airport was full of silence except for the roaring of the engine. You kept fidgeting with the hem of your cream colored skirt that Junko forced you to wear. He said that you needed to look presentable, like the wife of a businessman. You were sure you drew blood from how hard you were biting your tongue.

Businessman my ass.

You felt more like you were trying to be Jackie Kennedy or one of the British royal family members for Halloween rather than the doting wife of a respectable businessman. That’s all this was, anyway; a charade, a farce. Anyone could see through the lie. They might not know what the truth was underneath, but the masquerade fooled no one.

Rather than pulling into the normal departure lane you were hoping for, the BMW came to a stop on a private airstrip where a jet was waiting for us, open door with a tall staircase and all. The driver turned off the car and stepped out, rounding the vehicle until he came to your door, opening it for you and helping you out. At least someone around here was a gentleman.

You pulled on the bottom of your matching jacket and followed Junko up the steps to the inside of the jet. If you were hoping for something to hate, you were dead wrong. It was impossible not to be a little impressed by the ivory interior and spacious aisle. A pretty stewardess stood near the back, pouring two glasses of expensive looking champagne. You sat down in the first chair you reached, bracing yourself for whenever takeoff would be. Junko sat across from you, folding one leg over the other while he scrolled through his tablet.

“It’ll be late when we land,” he informed you without looking up. “We’ll go straight to the hotel and then in the morning we’ll go to the attorney who has been handling your stateside affairs. He’ll have the will that states the location of the files. From there, we’ll go to that bank and we’ll be back home in two days’ time.” He smirked. “Quick and painless.”

Maybe physically painless, but carrying through this plan for him was killing you on the inside. Junko had said countless times that the information in those files could tear down Junmyeon’s operation. As much as you disapproved of this kind of life, you saw how hard he worked every day, how desperate he was to keep what his family had built running and to make sure his men lived comfortably. Anyone could call you a hypocrite, but you didn’t want to see Junmyeon’s organization fall apart.

But Junko’s? You wanted his to fall faster than Troy after they let in the Trojan horse. Just as the citizens were unsuspecting of the warriors lying in waiting to attack, you were going to lull Junko into a false sense of security to make victory even sweeter

[cannonfullofcanons]

          Not a great amount of time had passed since the killing game of Hope’s Peak had come to an end. How long had it been - a year? Perhaps two? Mukuro hadn’t been keeping track as well as she should have. She had been entirely focused on her task of wiping out what remained of Junko’s following. The Remnants of Despair. The Future Foundation sought to rehabilitate them; Mukuro took a different approach. Many of these people were monsters long before Junko got to them. Killing them was the quickest way to be rid of the problem that was their existence.

          But the survivors of Hope’s Peak Elementary were a different matter entirely. Though many men and women had been killed by her hands since the day Mukuro left Hope’s Peak Academy for the final time, not a single one of them had been younger than 18. All were sick adults, demented people who sought only to inflict harm. She was ridding the world of monsters - telling herself that was the only way she could sleep at night. But she would never do such a thing to a child. They were innocent in all of this - their minds warped and deluded by Junko’s influence, just as her own had been from a young age. But Mukuro had broken free. If she had...perhaps she could help them to do the same.

          Following the killing game in Hope’s Peak, and Mukuro’s narrow survival, she embarked on a personal quest - or, perhaps, a vendetta - to undo everything Junko had worked so hard to achieve. To restore order. To restore peace. And she’d do it the only way she knew how - one body at a time. But her endeavor led her, in time, to Towa City, which was seemingly acting as the headquarters for the Warriors of Hope. A group of children Junko had manipulated. The thought of it made Mukuro sick to her stomach, made her knees wobble, her head spin - it made her want to stab something. Junko had been terrible, to be sure, but invoking such atrocities upon children...was unforgivable.

          Entering Towa City had been simplicity itself. The Warriors of Hope had accounted for many things, certainly, but they hadn’t accounted for an underground insertion. Mukuro was no fool - she had a great deal at her immediate disposal, small submarines included. The submarine she was using was compact, with a drill attached to appendages on either side of the sub, and wheels on the bottom. The sub was useless to her once she reached the subway tunnels; taking no chances, she blew the submarine, which led to that part of the tunnel caving in completely. No evidence. Following this, at last, Mukuro entered the city.

          It didn’t take long for those Monokuma automatons to become a true and genuine annoyance. Her blade hardly did anything against them, though she was quick enough that they couldn’t harm her. Deciding it wasn’t worth the effort, Mukuro pulled the shotgun from the sling over her shoulder; utilizing modified, enhanced ammunition, every blast obliterated the androids with relative ease. She didn’t have Future Foundation’s equipment, so Ol’ Reliable would have to do. She fought her way through the city - there was no way she wouldn’t have been noticed, with the ruckus she was causing. Along the way to Towa Tower, however, she caught a glimpse of something.

          Pink hair, what looked like a double ponytail, disappearing around a corner. Memories flashed in Mukuro’s mind; meeting the Warriors of Hope alongside Junko, the manipulation, the empty promises...it was irrelevant now. That was...Kotoko, she suspected. It had been so long now, it felt like a lifetime ago. Following, cautiously, unsure as to whether she had been seen; Mukuro employed every stealth tactic she knew, it was how she had survived thus far. Upon concluding she had not been seen, she followed the girl, pursued her to a location where they would be alone. As soon as that opportunity presented itself, at a dead end, a blocked street - Mukuro revealed herself, stepping out from the shadows. She approached swiftly, but stopped no less than ten feet away, and came no closer.

          Cold lavender eyes stared down at Kotoko, bearing neither kindness nor malice. Mouth sealed in a tight-lipped frown, a stern expression; the same she normally wore. “Kotoko Utsugi.” She spoke, her voice calm, unwavering. She was confident, she was solid, unmoving. Not at all intimidated by their little game in Towa City. “We were never properly introduced when last we met. Mukuro Ikusaba. The Ultimate Despair. We need to have a little...chat.”

{ @soadorbs​ as plotted!! }

[danganronpa-21]

Naegiri Week Prompt #4: Hallway

GUESS WHAT GUYS IM ON TO BEING TWO DAYS LATE NOW AYYYYYYYY... I’m sorry, this one was a bit longer than the others and I kind of had to give up at midnight last night because I got far too tired. Still, it’s a piece I’m fairly happy with so I hope you will be able to enjoy it. 

ALSO, LITTLE TW: Violence and graphic descriptions of gore, death, and nose injury. So if those things are upsetting for you in any way, please skip over this one. Thank you!!

Beyond the walls of his homeroom, Makoto Naegi could never have imagined that this was what remained of their world.

A deep, dark shadow had been cast over Hope’s Peak Academy… No, not just Hope’s Peak. The whole world had been eaten alive by this darkness, swallowed whole and never spat out. Despite all of the good Makoto had once seen in his world, on this day he could see nothing but dark, evil despair.

It had all started with “The Parade”, which was by no means an event that lived up to its cheery name. Somehow, word of the skeletons in the Steering Committee’s closet had created a domino effect. The story began with the anonymous email from a member of the student body, revealing that the use of the money from the Reserve Course’s high tuition fees. As it turned out, the money was used to fund an experiment meant to create artificial talent in human beings. In spite of the school’s high hopes for the project, anonymous claimed that the subject of the experiment went awry. The email went on to debunk the story about the missing Student Council members, confirming that they had not left to study abroad. The story was actually crafted to cover up the fact that the students had been slaughtered, taken down one by one until there was nothing left but the blood splattered subject known as Izuru Kamukura.

Once word got out about the committee’s crimes, the Reserve Course students were in an uproar. They were shouting and waving signs in the air and clambering through the school gates, trying their best to get through and “achieve justice” for the crimes committed against them. Whatever that meant. As far as Makoto was concerned, there was no use in fighting fire with fire — his mother had taught him well that that is the way in which everyone gets burned. It was almost funny, he thought, that this idea was coming to him now. For so many years he had followed it so blindly, but now he finally had some more use for it. Especially considering the whole damn school had begun to burn down around him.

What had once been a beacon of hope became a standing tragedy. It seemed with each and every new hall he turned, he was affronted by the gory sight of pooling blood around Main Course and Reserve Course bodies alike. The stench of smoke mixed with the fluids of rigor mortis assaulted his nose and made him gag. Every new hall held another increase in volume when it came to the tortured screams and the devilish laughter, and with every corpse he swore he could taste the bile that threatened to rise up his throat. Even the air itself sent shivers down his spine as he and six of his classmates wandered throughout the school hallways in search of a safe haven. If he had any other choice that allowed him and all of the others to survive, he was sure he would have taken it. Unfortunately, however, this was their only option.

Their homeroom teacher was long dead by this point. They had considered her to be down for the count long ago, having never turned up to class. Somewhere on the sixth floor, they had found her body. Based on Kyoko’s diagnosis, she had been bludgeoned repeatedly until she was beyond recognition. They had first taken a swing at the back of her head to knock her down, and then began to strike down upon her face as she rolled around in pain. By the detective’s estimate, she had been struck at least twelve times before finally falling limp. She had been coming to warn them, and had instead been taken as one of the dead. Her help was no longer an option.

As for the help of the others, well, at that point they were not sure that there were any others. They had barricaded themselves inside of their classroom fairly early on in the rampage, insisting they could just hold out for a little while. At the time they were sure that other classes were doing the same, but they failed to consider that most classes did not have the same muscle and student power that they had. Thanks to Sakura and Mondo, they had a better chance at keeping those barricades up. Thanks to Kiyotaka, nearly all of their classmates were in the room. The only ones who were not included in this were Junko and Mukuro, as the two sisters had not shown up for class at all that day. Nobody had seen them that morning when it all began, so they had no other choice but to count them among the lost. The group had yet to find their bodies.

The remaining fourteen students were alone in the world now, the group of them having split off in to two separate teams to attract less attention. The plan was to slip by the Reserve Course students undetected, and make their way out of the school swiftly and silently. Once they were outside, they would reconvene inside of the Ex-School Building. After all, the Reserve Course students were not likely to go there. What business could they possibly have with an unkempt brick building and its boarded up windows that all in all equated to it being a deserted area? They would want to be where all of the Main Course students were, so Kyoko had decided that going to the former school building would be the best course of action.

Kyoko…

The thought of her rang in the back of Makoto’s mind as he creeped around the building beside her, his ears tuned to hear even the slightest of sounds that could indicate an ambush. In all of this confusion and fear, Kyoko was the one aspect that he felt he had certainty in. She was his best friend, after all. He had always been able to trust her with anything that he needed, so he had no doubts about following the plan she constructed. He had been the first person to put his hand in when she’d suggested it, and he intended to be the first person to back her up should anyone choose to doubt her. He had confidence in her brilliance and resourcefulness that he had witnessed time and time again. He knew that no matter what was going on, he would be safe so long as he was with her. He even considered the idea that perhaps it was her presence that was keeping him going.

“It shouldn’t be much further now.” Chihiro reported in a low whisper, glancing back at Makoto and Kyoko with distinct uncertainty. Of the six of them, Chihiro was the most nervous. The present situation had turned him in to a puddle of fearful tears, right up until Sakura had taken him under her wing. She’d promised the meek boy that she would look out for him as long as they were out there. So far, she had managed to do that quite perfectly. Though by all means he could still be labelled as the most fragile of the group, at the very least he had a smidge of confidence that came from his trust in his friend. “A few more floors to go, right?”

“Four, to be precise.” Celestia answered with a nod of acknowledgement, her faux French accent laying on to the word ‘four’ heavily. If it had not been for the fact that she was not so skilled at rolling her r’s, Makoto might have been able to believe her facade. “After that, we should be able to exit through the building’s back doors and escape undetected.”

“A-A-A-Assuming we can k-keep this up, that is.” Toko chimed in completely unhelpfully, chewing on her thumbnail skittishly. “You never know when they might c-c-come to get us.”

“What a pleasant thought, Fukawa.” Kyoko sighed, the irritation clear in her voice as she folded her arms across her chest. How amazing it was, Makoto thought, that she could keep her composure even in this situation. Sure, he knew that there was certainly fear that lurked behind her mask; but he was stunned to see that she refused to let even a little bit of it show.

“I-I-I-I’m just being h-honest.”

“Well, perhaps consider keeping it to yourself.”

Yikes, talk about blunt. For a fleeting moment he might have felt bad for Toko, if he had not heard her snarky “ice cold bitch” comment that was murmured under her breath. Judging by the slight twitch of Kyoko’s eyebrow shortly after, it was fair to assume that she’d heard it too. For the benefit of the group, she had simply avoided saying a word about it. They could not afford to be arguing when they were so close to reaching safety. It was better to let Toko’s snotty comments drop. That kind of maturity was typical of Kyoko.

As the group approached a larger opening on the floor, Makoto felt a wave of momentary relief crash in to him. From this point in the hallway he could clearly see one of the school’s staircases, completely barren aside from a discarded bloody knife and a… oh. His relief gave away as quickly as it came, and instead he felt guilt pool in his chest as he stared at what lurked there. A Main Course student had been murdered in that stairway. Stabbed to death with a pair of scissors that were now soaked with the colour crimson, taking with them all of the life had once been in the student’s body. Now the two lay together, the scissors sitting almost innocently in the body’s lap. If it were not for the face, frozen in an expression of the final moments of agony, it could have seemed relatively peaceful. As if the person were merely sleeping.

“Please don’t tell me that’s another body I see down there,” whimpered Yasuhiro as they approached, clinging on to Sakura’s shoulders in an effort to hide himself. His voice seemed to shake as he spoke, sounding so distraught at the idea of having found yet another body. Everyone had grown so tired of all these damn bodies.

“I fear it is,” Celestia remarked, “I do not think we can be mistaken about it. That is a dead Main Course student. Young one, too.”

Makoto swallowed hard, his hands curling in to fists as his eyes squeezed shut. God, it had only been an hour or so and he already felt sick of this. Sick of the bodies and the screaming and the constant fear. If he hadn’t been running off an adrenaline high, he felt certain that he would have collapsed from exhaustion by now. There was no greater challenge to him than trying to overcome whatever feeling this was, this pitiful sitting in his stomach as he stared at the corpse of the dead student. Without noticing it he began to bear down on his bottom lip, so hard that within moments his tongue found the familiar taste of copper. He had been too hurt to care.

“Easy now, everyone.” Kyoko hushed, putting a supportive hand on Makoto’s shoulder as they stared forward at the body. “I understand that it’s difficult to look at, but we need to press forward. Otherwise we risk achieving the same fate.”

A deafening silence hung in the air as they all stared back at her, grief and frustration in their hearts that swam through the truth of her words. At a time like this, they would have no room to feel sorry or disgusted by what had been done. The only sensations they could experience revolved around the fear of repetition, and so as inhumane as it felt; they knew that they had to press forward. So even with the awful lump sitting in his throat, Makoto decided to move on. He trusted Kyoko’s judgement, and moved along. He continued to take step after step along the others, to the stairwell and down it; until they finally came to the fourth floor of the school.

The silence they found on that floor felt eerie and deeply, deeply wrong. When the expectation had been chaos, this near peacefulness seemed suffocating. The air was unnaturally still as they stepped in to the main hall, accompanied only by the scattered bodies of the Main Course and weapons of the Reserve Course. The only sound that seemed to echo through there was the crackling of a fire that no one had bothered to put out, and their shoes hitting the ground with each gentle step. Why was nobody here? Had the Reserve Course already given up on this floor, having killed all of the living students for their twisted sense of fun? The thought shot chills down Makoto’s spine as he glanced over at Kyoko desperately, hoping for some kind of answer. Instead, he saw a glimpse of her troubled face and a glint of something silver out of the corner of his eye.

Suddenly he became very aware that they were wrong about the populus of this hallway.

It was seven plus one.

“Kyoko, look out!” He screamed, the one behind her beginning to take their swing; drawing their weapon back to bludgeon her over the head with it. With newfound urgency Makoto slammed his body in to hers, sending the two of them crashing to the ground in a chorus of shrieking. They hit the ground together with a thud, with Kyoko laying on her stomach while he held his weight on her back. For a moment he did not dare look up at the assailant, too scared to even look in to the face of the attacker. But when he heard the yell of frustration, he knew he could no longer avert his eyes.

“Damn you!” The student shouted, swinging his crowbar as if he was going to hit the smaller boy’s back with it. Wincing, Makoto curled himself further against Kyoko’s body in hopes of protecting her. “Interfering with my kill. Even at your lowest moments, you vermin are still getting in the way of my glory! I’ll show you. I’ll make you regret that!”

Before he could even get the chance to flinch, the Reserve Course student wound up his foot and kicked him square in the nose. The force of impact was so hard that he released his grip on Kyoko and went tumbling to the wall next to her, nearly hitting his head on it on the way over. Blood gushed from his nose as he tried to process the pain spreading through his face, his hands flying up to assess the damage done.

“Naegi!” He heard Kyoko cry out, scooching over to grab on to his arm and check on him. It shocked him to see that she barely acknowledged their attacker anymore, putting her focus in to making sure he held up. “Naegi, are you okay?”

Blood continued to gush from his nose and coat his hands as he nodded his head frantically, urging her to get out of the way of the attacker. He would not be able to live with himself if she got seriously injured or killed making sure that he was okay. No matter what happened, he needed to know that she was going to be safe. She meant more to him than he had ever had the courage to admit.

“Both of you, stay down!” came Sakura’s sudden order, her powder blue eyes glinting with sudden rage. Without another word she flung herself towards the assailant, slamming the heel of her palm in to his nose. He stumbled backwards from the pain, sending a shameful sensation of satisfaction through Makoto’s chest. He knew it probably was not right of him to be wishing this pain on to others, but in his defence… his nose really, really hurt. So much so that he feared it may have been broken, especially on account of what appeared to be steel-toed boots worn by the assailant. So maybe he had a bit of a right to feel pleased by the boy getting what was coming to him.

“Ow!” The boy screeched, his free hand flying up to cover his nose as Sakura wrenched the crowbar out of the other. Within the blink of an eye it seemed that the Class 78 students had gained the upper hand against their unexpected enemy, as Sakura continued to fight against him with ease. Discarding the crowbar to the side, she hit him with move after move to get him against the ground. He was practically powerless to fight against her, collapsing to the ground within the first five minute with a final thud. What a pathetic opponent he seemed then, writhing around in the ground in pain.

Once she had officially knocked him down Sakura drew back, panting heavily as she turned back to Kyoko and Makoto. The two of them were still laying together on the floor in a pile of nerves and slightly tangled limbs, clutching each other with desperation as they watched Sakura finish her fight.

“We need to vacate this area immediately. Can you walk?”

Hectically, the two of them nodded.

________________________________________________________________

“Shit!”

The word slipped out before he could even think about saying it, much to his embarrassment. After nearly dying and being kicked in the face, one would think that Makoto would not care much about swearing in front of the school’s headmaster. However, one would be wrong if that was their train of thought. He was indeed quite embarrassed by the word, knowing that it would not have been his choice if he weren’t in so much pain.

“I apologize, I am trying to be as gentle as I can.” came the response from the older man, clearly not all that concerned about the style of language he was using. Makoto supposed that in some ways Kyoko’s father would be able to understand the pain he was in, although he was surprised that that might have been what let him off easy. “I’ve almost cleaned off all of the blood.”

“He certainly got quite the hit in, Naegi.” Kyoko commented from off to the side, trying to examine the condition of his nose from a distance. Ever since he had knocked her off her feet in that attempt at protection, she had refused to leave his side. For the rest of their venture to the new building’s exit, she had kept a watchful eye on him to ensure his safety. Even when the headmaster had urged her to leave so he could receive care, she had stubbornly refused it. In a way, it felt almost as if she thought that it was probably the least that she could do for him after what he had done for her.

“Definitely,” The headmaster agreed, wiping a little more gingerly with the wet cloth. Makoto tried not to remark on how much of it was now stained reddish brown from his dried blood, and instead put his focus in to looking up at the ceiling. It was easier to think when he wasn’t staring in to the headmaster’s face. “But he certainly took it like a champion.”

“It is broken though.”

“Yes, it is broken, Kyoko.” He sighed, continuing to scrub at the stains surrounding the skin around the luckster’s nose. “Thankfully I have the materials to repair it, but it will be sore for awhile.”

“Small price to pay, really.” Makoto laughed softly, still keeping his gaze fixed on the ceiling. Just sitting there he felt tears collect in the corners of his eyes from the pain. Yet really, he felt nothing when he thought about them. He meant what he said, this pain was a small price to say. He had saved the life of someone he loved, and that was enough to make all of this pain worth it. “Tis but a scratch.”

Soft giggles came from Kyoko’s side of the room as she watched him, a sincere smile on her face. “There is that optimism that I know so well.” She snickered, tucking away some of her hair. “I was beginning to worry that that Reserve Course student had kicked it out of you.”

“Nope!” Makoto responded cheerfully, completely oblivious to how talking made the headmaster’s task of wiping down his face more difficult. “The only thing I lost there was blood. Otherwise, I’m right as rain.”

“Of course,” She laughed, inching closer to him. “I would not expect anything less from you.”

“Indeed…” Jin sighed, getting his last few wipes in before withdrawing to examine his progress. Aside from a harsh cut across the bridge of the boy’s nose, there was no real remnants of blood still on his face. At the very least, that was good. Of course, that only meant that the hard part would be coming next. “It would seem as if you are all done being cleaned, Naegi.”

“It would appear that way to me.” Kyoko added matter-of-factly, being surprisingly tolerant of her father despite her distaste for him. She was probably playing nice for his sake, Makoto decided. “It is still crooked though. Are you going to put it back in to place, Headmaster?”

The headmaster’s eyebrow seemed to twitch slightly at being referred to that way by his own daughter. Something told Makoto that he and his daughter were not quite in the same realm of understanding when it came to names. Still, he hid it quite well and recovered quickly, nodding to the daughter who had forcibly disowned him.

“I am, but I would like to go and get some more supplies first. Perhaps check up on the status of the other students.” He paused for a minute, his gaze darting back and forth between the two of them. “Kyoko, would you be alright to stay here with Naegi while I do so?”

“Of course.”

The headmaster nodded once again. “Thank you, I appreciate that.” He murmured, and with a few swift movements, he was on his feet and out of the room — leaving Makoto and Kyoko in silence. The two sat there quietly without an uttered word, simply staring at each other for what felt like hours. They stayed this way until finally, Kyoko spoke up.

“Naegi, I…” She mumbled, staring down at her own lap. “I never got the opportunity to thank you for saving me while we were in the school building.”

He couldn’t help but notice how gentle her voice had become, so soft and sweet sounding to his tired ears. The sound had been enough to entice him in, leaning in a little bit more towards her without thinking. From this position he was able to remark that she still smelled kind of nice. Like lavender, that had been unfortunately mixed with smoke… But mostly the lavender, though.

“It’s okay, I-”

“No, really, Naegi.” She said, slowly moving her gaze up towards his, so their eyes could locked together. It was then that Makoto noticed the rouge tint to her cheeks, and realized that there was more to this interaction than she was saying outright. “Thank you. For saving my life. I always knew I could count on you.”

“It’s no big deal, really,” He chuckled awkwardly, feeling his own cheeks heat up in embarrassment. He had never had a moment quite so vulnerable with Kyoko before, so it had become rather difficult to get a hold on his emotions. The secret crush he had been harbouring for her certainly wasn’t helping him out too much either. “I know you would have done the same for me.”

“It is a big deal. Not everyone would have had the courage to do what you did, so I just wanted to say thank you. For that, and for… everything else that you do.” She finished, leaning forward and planting a gentle kiss against Makoto’s cheek. Instantly the luckster’s face flushed bright pink at the sensation, his whole body feeling absolute joy that he was going to have to try and hide. In this moment of pure delight, he found he only had one thought:

If getting kicked in the face was the price he’d have to pay for more cheek kisses, he’d let anyone kick him in the face a thousand times over.

[hellish-summoner]

To start us off, how about a fun way to learn about the local summoner?

“Well, this might be a bit long, but not like I have anything else to do here, and we are having a pause from the fighting....”

Just for one quick thing before the read more.....

Have a Heca I made in a character maker~

Introduce your summoner

“Ah, introduce myself? My name is Hecatia Lapislazuil, but most people here we refer to me as Heca; feel free to do the same. As dragon-like as I might appear, I’m a friend, I promise.”

How did they come to Askr?

“Well, I was summoned of course! I was never aware of this world before I came here, which is odd given my role back in He-....Well, that’s not important to you, is it?”

what are their favorite hobbies?

“My favorite hobbies? Well, I certainly like engaging in spell card battles or even just normal battles, but there is no one to fight! All my heroes don’t want to even do a friendly battle for the most part, besides one....”

“......I have found that testing out magic is a fun hobby, and so is doodling or trying my hand at writing. Or......playing video games. I have found that magic can work just as well for charging handhelds and mobile devices, so a lack of a tv isn’t too much of an issue....”

Does your summoner have any bad habits that the heroes try to help them through?

“If I do have any, I’m not looking for solving them; it’s a matter of opinion really.”

“Besides, I.....had a bad habit that I would of accepted help with if I didn’t already learn my lesson there.”

How close is your summoner to their heroes?

“It depends on the hero.....My special heroes required more attention when getting them adjusted to Askr than the normal ones. And I do feel like I’m friends with a lot of the younger ones, and the dragons.....”

“.........Though I feel I’m closest with the special heroes from my world; and two of my Corrins. And......a friend who will be called Hydra since I think he prefers it.”

Does your summoner struggle with being a tactician?

“I will say that I have never thought of acting as well, so it’s been a learning process, but some advice here and there from the polite tacticians and leaders from other worlds have helped. Well, helped with directing people; my own tactics if allowed to fight is basically ‘overwhelm them’ still.”

How did your summoner react during their first time summoning?

“I think I just went quiet and realized that ‘holy shit.....I CAN SHOOT PEOPLE OUT OF THIS GUN???’ because you know.....I know what a gun is, but never remember what this thing is named. It’s the summongun now.”

How does your summoner react to summoning now?

“Eh, I’m used to it at this point. Would love it if it could give me those I’m looking for more often; that hawk king and wolf queen look quite fine~”

How well do they adjust to life in Askr?

“I adjusted fairly well; I’m used to places being behind the modern world in terms of tech......Kinda why I know how to charge things with magic.”

How long have they been a summoner?

“Since.......the start of that conflict with Embla? I think? It’s been a while at least.”

“..........Oh fuck, I have probably worried my wife and husband so much by this point.”

Who’s your summoners main team?

“Right now it’s the two Grimas, Lady Corncob, and smol Tiki. But currently I’m working on training two more Corncobs to make a slightly better dragon team. But hmm, to have Lady Grimgram babysit them, or have Hydra get to go with them into battle instead of just with one Corn.....Hmm...”

Who’s your summoners S support?

“Technically, it’s Crescent, aka the one I just called Lady Corncob, but that’s platonic.....My spouses have not been summoned (yet), so thus I wouldn’t feel comfortable getting in another relationship; the feeling is mutual, since Crescent has her own lovers she is waiting for.”

How was your Summoner and ally support building to S support?

“She was one of my first units to get really strong actually; she had quite the drive to be strong so she could help protect Askr. Partly, the relationship formed out of her assisting me often on staying calm....I was not always a Manakete, so the fact I needed to keep myself in control was a foreign concept.”

“................Not helped by me lacking a dragonstone back then. It had to be made specific too....”

How many allies have s support with your summoner?

“......I might be close enough to Hydra for that to be considered another platonic one. Lady Vallite as well.”

What are your top 4 ally x ally supports?

“Oh my~ Personally, I love to see Mikoto and Hydra interact; lovers separated far too soon finally getting reunited is quite a touching thing to see. Same with Crescent and the only one of her loves that has shown up; I swear, that green ninja follows us into battle even when he isn’t actually among the group fighting; though she has told me that two are still missing, though I don’t know where to find an orange kitsune and a half-dragon that favors a bow over a dragonstone or sword...”

“Who else that wouldn’t require much explaining....Ah yes, the male Grima is a possessed Robin who isn’t the normal one you see summoned, and I summoned a Olivia who uses a pegasus; and got to see Grima actually happy for pure reasons. He was so happy to see his wife again, that even the fell influence could do nothing to stop him from running up and hugging her. Also learned his name is Lunar.....”

“And then.....Ah what the hell, the other Grima, the female one, is quite small and unintimidating in this Askr, but it was quite interesting to see her cling to Henry and refuse to let go of him when I summoned him in his halloween outfit....I think Henry just ended up holding her until she was finally ready to let go.....Kokoro or Miyu is her name I believe, depending on if you are extremely close to her or anyone else.”

“..........I think I saw Kokor-...Uh, Miyu start crying when I summoned male Morgan. Said something about not being able to believe that she is able to have children....”

What does your summoner miss from home?

“I miss the heat......And I miss Isamu and Junko.....I would say I miss my loyal lampad, but CP seems to have followed me here somehow, it just took her a while to find me. And Therai.....I have missed my old friend, but with his appearance comes me needing to earn his forgiveness. He’s......still rather mad at me....”

If they could bring one thing from home with them what would it be?

“Ok, I know I can’t bring a person......I would love to bring a TV......Maybe also some dvds and blu-rays.....”

Is your summoners robe unique?

“...........Wait, we can get unique ones?! Fuck, all I got was one that has holes for wings and horns!”

Who are your fellow summoner friends?

“Let’s see.....There’s Alex, who has long suffered trying to fully comprehend me and magic in general......Lemon, who is from a race adept with time, and banged a dragon, a choice I can 100% respect....Mari, who thirsts for many, and should maybe bed both Xander and Ryoma instead of trying to choose one at this point....Mina, who is quite the lovely lady and understands the pains of being very limited in terms of strength; I honestly hope she regains her lost power, she deserves it......And-...Well, this is long enough already, I guess....”

What does your summoner wear if during their down time?

“I still have my Welcome Hell shirt, and wear it a lot in my downtime; or other t-shirts.....I like wearing skirts, since those are nice to wear, though I have been advised to wear shorts if I plan to go flying or do anything that might lift it up....”

How do they handle merging heroes or sending them home?

“I have never seen dupes of the same exact person, and normally send dupes of the same person from different timelines back home right away....”

What abilities/ weapons do they have?

“I got tomes, dragonstones....I had a lance until I had to give it back to the angry lizard. As for abilities.....Well, it’s not like myself to reveal all my tricks, but I will admit that I’m quite adept with magic even without a tome.”

Would your summoner like to know magic?

“I know magic already, though I would like to learn any new forms I didn’t already know.”

Are they able to hold their own in a fight?

“Yes-.....Kinda. I’m a bit of a glass cannon without my full power it seems......”

How many heroes have you acquired?

“A lot......I have lost count my friend. We certainly have an army here....”

What book has been the hardest? Emotional or battlewise.

“Going with emotional for my allies.....The most recent one; the death curse is very concerning.....Mostly because someone other than that prince got one too; and that poor child’s timer is only five days......I pray for Vallite that she does not have to see her son die, as I’m unsure of how a death from that curse will affect him, or even if it might cause him to get dragged to Hel....”

If your summoner went into battle what would be there class?

“Um....I use Tomes and Dragonstones....which matches no current class. I guess a Nohr Noble but without the swords?”

Are there any heroes they clash with?

“Therai.......though I willingly fight him, since it gets his anger out.”

Which hero have you pumped more into?

“I guess.....Crescent? She has asked to train with a lot of heroes before they go home. She has learned many things from them as a result.”

Which hero do you get a lot of while summoning?

“I see......a lot of the more common heroes.”

Which hero’s have they adopted?

“Harm any of the dragon children, and I and the Grimas will give you absolute hell.”

Do they participate in voting gauntlets?

“When I feel like it.......Not often now, since I need to focus on other things.

How do they handle their orbs?

“I save....sometimes.......Vallite said she saved something called Wisdom Cubes one time and still didn’t find the one she was looking for until she searched some sea a lot....”

What hero do you wanna see in fire emblem heroes?

“Someone let my fellow summoners summon the Silent Dragon. He is very nice if you summon the sane one. Mikoto can help keep him nice and calm.”

Will your summoner stay in Askr? Nifl? Muspell? Hel? Emblian?

“...........Muspell was nice and warm.........I would love to find a way to travel between this world and my own, honestly.”

What is your Summoner life like years later if they stayed? Askr. Nifl. Muspell. Hel. Emblian.

“Honestly....If I seemingly stayed, I would have a way to go back and forth.....So normal really; I have multiple bodies in my world, so maybe I can form one that can stay here, or just travel back and forth as needed.”

“.....Hell doesn’t need me that often anyways; I have those under me that can deal with things there just fine.”

Summoners family reacting to your summoners significant other?

“..............I don’t have much of a family. Isamu and Junko’s families are dead. And.....I actually don’t know what Junko’s parents thought of Isamu. Guess it’s completely unknown then.”

In a twist of fate, if your summoner could change one thing what would it be?

“...............I would say to make it so at least one of my spouses got summoned with me, but one, that would just worry the one that was not summoned more, and two......I would use it to either give that poor child a longer timer or prevent him from having to jump in front of Vallite to protect and thus causing some form of anger for Hel.....”

[s-ound-wave]

I just finished NDRV3 last night (a bit late I know) so bear with me because I have a theory that’s probably already been done to death but -

So everything Tsumugi said was a lie. Well, nearly everything. She (and Team DGR) did implant new memories into the 15 characters, and they possibly weren’t ultimates. They also weren’t heading into space, there was potentially no meteors, that entire backstory is a lie. In fact, everything from the Flashback Lights we can rule as a lie, unless cross referenced with something else (that’s not Tsumugi’s own testimony, I’ll get to her in a bit). That’s pretty much the entire game chucked out.

Except...

a. Prologue:

 Kaede refers to herself as Kaede Akamatsu. Shuichi, likewise, refers to himself as Shuichi Saihara.

Obviously, given what we’re told by the game about Rantaro, he’s the only one who seems to know what’s going on, that it’s a Killing Game. An interesting point is that he asks ‘who is behind all this’, either suggesting that the 52nd game was drastically different, or that his Killing Game was under much different circumstances than we’ve been led to believe. 

The personalities aren’t all that drastically different. Miu is still foul mouthed, for example. 

Kaede trues several times to ask the Monokubs something, ‘If you guys are the Monokubs, then-‘, presumably asking where Monokuma is. Her sprite while she says this is her shocked one, with sweat on her face and mouth slightly open. It’s not really the face of someone who voluntarily joined up. Neither is how her and Shuichi claim to have gotten there, before the first Flashback Light - being thrown into a car by weird men. 

This is followed up by the Monokubs changing the topic to Ultimate Talents, which Kaede responds that she has a skill she has a skill she devotes herself to, but that she wouldn’t call it an Ultimate Talent. This is said while her sprite is in the ‘crossing arms and looking down’ pose, looking rather crestfallen or concerned. It’s a bit of a stretch, but I’m going to say that this interaction implies that Ultimate Talents exist in this world. 

 Monotaro gives the game away by saying ‘See, according to the backstory, there’s this Ultimate Hunt goin’ on.’ I’m half tempted to ignore everything the Monokubs and Monokuma say, considering I’m not sure how much of it is regular Danganronpa 4th wall breaking and how much is meant to be hints at Tsumugi’s claims at the end. He does say something interesting, claiming that ‘The first thing we need you guys to do is remember your true selves’. Monophanie backs this up by saying ‘need to reclaim your sealed talents’. Both of these could be for the fictional audience’s benefit, if we take what Tsumugi says at face value. 

Kaede’s reaction to Monokid saying there’s going to be a killing game is a shocked sprite, and, in her thoughts ‘K-Killing Game...?’. Again, not really the actions of someone who signed up for a Killing Game willing. 

This is everything usable in the prologue, as far as I’m aware.

b. Chapter Six Trial

There’s no reason for there to be so many discrepancies between the characters’ memories and the canon events of the first two games. Tsumugi is portrayed as some uber fan, why would she settle for less than perfect? The justification that Tsumugi gives is flimsy at best.

Tsumugi, as Makoto Naegi, says ‘If what I said is the truth, then Hope’s Peak Acaemy was...’ when Shuichi brings up the Cospox. Notice the ‘If’.

The places seen when Tsumugi as Chiaki claims that everyone is a huge DanganRonpa fan are - Japan, Australia, England, America and one other place I can’t identify.

When it’s revealed that it’s the 53rd season, the white V changes to a pink 5. Pink is used in DanganRonpa to symbolise lies (and blood, but it’s the wrong shade of pink for that)

What’s the in game justification for the NDRV3 cast not having any memories of the other games? Or Tsumugi not cosplaying as characters from the other games? (Other than the obvious real world justification that those games don’t exist)

I find it odd that Tsumugi as various characters keeps saying ‘DanganRonpa inspired’.

Gonna point out that they made a kid into a robot. Just gonna throw that out there. This has nothing to do with it I just think it’s fucked up that within a matter of second they took a normal teenager and made him into a walking talking surveillance robot.

Shuichi’s supposed audition video. The Shuichi in this claims that he’s a huge fan of DanganRonpa and has always wanted to be in one. Shuichi in chapter one does not recognise Rantaro, a previous contestant, or the Monokubs. He always reacts with fear and shock in the prologue, contrary to how he acts in the audition video.

Right after the wardrobe change. The change here is that there’s an extra bit after Kaede says ‘K-Killing Game?’, where Shuichi says ‘You mean... we were selected!?’ With the happiest expression on his face. This is not shown in the prologue, obviously. I’m doubting that this actually happened, and that it’s not just another trick by Tsumugi to bring them further into despair.

‘Well, if you’re going to call fiction a lie... Then yes’ this line stands out to me for reasons I can’t explain right now.

Kaede’s audition tape. She says she has no faith in humanity, and yet in the prologue worries over Shuichi and acts in ways one who has no faith in humanity wouldn’t really act.

Kaito’s audition tape. Yeah, no, guy didn’t come off like that at all. I think you get the drill.

c. Tsumugi

 Cospox. This is what she uses to justify how she can cosplay as Junko Enoshima while the everyone still thinks she’s real, by claiming that Junko (and the cast of DR and SDR2) are fictional in the world of NDRV3. Problem: She can’t cosplay as Kaede, someone she herself claims to see as fictional. This could mean either that the cospox itself is a lie, or that Kaede isn’t ‘fictional’.

She never claims her own talent was imparted onto her with the Flashback Lights

Interestingly enough, when giving her certain gifts (the prop carrying case is one) her eyes with swirl, like she’s under the effects of Despair. This also happens during the trial, and a few other times during her FTEs. AS far as I’m aware, she’s the only character in NDRV3 who does this.

In her third FTE, she says ‘This is the ‘Cosplay is Fun’ episode’.

The ‘cosplaycat criminal’ line that gets Shuichi thinking that Junko Enoshima and Hope’s Peak is actually real.

Tsumugi says that she’s been working for 53 seasons on the show. Assuming you have a murder once a week like we see in all three DanganRonpa games, and have 16 victims, that’s 14 weeks of murder as it goes until there are two students left. So 14 weeks x 53 = 742 weeks or 14 years, 2 months and 3 weeks of murder. This also means Tsumugi is at minimum in her 30s. This is assuming that she’s telling the truth, of course.

d. Misc

Maybe a bit of a stretch, but the D.I.C.E logo and the Future Foundation logo look similar.

Why is the History of Hope’s Peak Academy book even here, let alone in Kokichi’s lab? All it does is reveal all of the inconsistencies in Tsumugi’s fake memories.

Actually, the labs in general are a bit odd. All of them are really stereotypical, it reminds me of when I’m designing a house in the Sims for a character who’s athletic so there’s just sports equipment everywhere. 

So my theory is as thus:

NDRV3 doesn’t take place in a world where everyone is obsessed with DanganRonpa and watches Killing Games all day. It takes place in the regular old DanganRonpa universe (possibly where people watch Killing Games), some time after the events of DR3.

Tsumugi is a part of the Remnants of Despair. I’m guessing that either a) They are actually putting on a Killing Game reality show so they can watch people slip into despair then climb into hope then slip into despair again (this could be part of why previous survivors carry over) or b) something else, like studying Ultimate Talents in a slightly more gory way than Hope’s Peak was.

Tsumugi being part of the Remnants of Despair would also explain why the memories are imperfect. She worships Junko, she’s obviously going to play up her actions and downplay the actions of everyone else, it’s a classic propaganda move, and everyone who could have told them about the inner workings of Hope’s Peak Academy is no longer part of the Remnants of Despair.

I’m also going to toss out there that Team DGR might be another name for the Remnants of Despair. This isn’t based on anything, other than their running of Killing Games and it’s the organisation Tsumugi is a part of.

All of this is speculation and quite a bit of reaching, but I had fun doing it and not the pressing assessment that’s due today so that’s all that matters, right? I might update this post from time to time.

[oumakokichi]

I don't know if you've answered this before, but I was wondering what the reason behind kokichi revealing maki as the ultimate assassin is. On the surface it just looks like a rude move yakno

I have discussed this question before, but I don’t think it’sbeen any time recently! With the localization officially out now, it couldn’thurt to go back over some of the same questions, to help clear things up fornew fans!

I’ll go into detail about this, but it will involve somespoilers for later chapters of the game as well (including who themastermind/ringleader is) so if you haven’t gotten that far you might not wantto read if you’re not comfortable with that!

What it boils down to is that upon discovering her truetalent, Ouma saw Maki as a potential threat. Or rather than simply a potentialthreat, it might be more accurate to say inevitable, like a ticking time bomb.It’d be one thing if her talent was something non-lethal but something shewanted kept private—but that wasn’t the case. And in a killing game, a scenarioin which all their lives were constantly at risk, her talent gave her aninherently unfair advantage.

It’s an absolute fact that Maki had killed people before, aspart of her in-game backstory. It’s also a fact that she was trying to keepthat secret from everyone else. She had her reasons, to be sure: mostly she wasinterested in trying to keep people from suspecting her or coming after her outof fear and mistrust, which she later says is something that’s happened “everysingle time” anyone found out about her talent. But it’s still a fact that shewas trained to kill people, that as a result of her training she does have askewed perception of the value of a human life, and that she was withholdingthat information from the rest of the group even though they definitely had aright to know it.

It’s also a fact that her plan for keeping her talent asecret was… well, shaky at best. Maki is neither a long-term planner nor a deepthinker. Her plan extended to little more than guarding her lab 24/7 so that noone could get in to investigate and see that she wasn’t who she said she was,only going back to her room in the middle of the night to shower and thencoming back (I’m assuming she was doing the same for getting food during theday since she couldn’t go at night but she doesn’t clarify, so we’ll neverknow).

This solution wouldn’t have worked for long. It didn’t work for longer than one chapter,but even without Ouma’s interference, I can’t have seen it lasting much longer.Not only was Saihara curious, considering natural curiosity is his specialty asa detective, but staying in her lab 24/7 also meant that she had no interest inattending group meetings, getting to know the rest of her classmates, or eveninvestigating during other murders (as she shows by holing herself up in herlab during Hoshi’s investigation).

She was cutting herself off from the rest of the group andonly making herself look extremely suspicious in the process. This kind ofbehavior not only made her classmates more and more curious as to what she wasdoing in her lab while refusing to come out, but also more and more distrustfulof her, especially given that her attitude wasn’t cooperative and that she waseven threatening people if they came anywhere near her lab.

NISA mistranslated the line, but she specifically tellsSaihara that if he comes anywhere near her lab again, “You’ll hear screaming. Your screaming.” She also threatens torip out Gonta’s tongue if he touches her when he tries to bring her to the “InsectMeet and Greet” (that particular nickname for the meeting was brilliant). Shedoesn’t shy away from making these threats that bely her assassin training evenearly on, and it’s very likely that someone’s curiosity would’ve inevitablygotten the best of them. And that could potentially have led to a very, verybad outcome.

Ouma exposed her identity to everyone before any of thosedangerous scenarios had a chance to come to pass because he saw her as a huge threat:she had expertise in killing people for a living, and the brutal training sheendured meant she was taught from a young age not to think anything ofmurdering people, but to simply eliminate targets and take orders. Whenexploring the school at the beginning of Chapter 3, there’s an optionaldialogue segment with Ouma where he even says that he exposed her “for everyone’ssake,” and that he’s “always thinking of everyone.” He sounds cheeky whilesaying it, but given what we discover about Ouma in later chapters, it’s prettyclear to see that it’s true.

More than anything, he saw her as a risk because despite howcalm and collected Maki often seems on the surface, she’s actually extremely reckless, and prone to actwithout thinking at all. And he was right about this. At the very end ofChapter 2, we can see Ouma testing the waters with this, provoking her tosee what her instinct would be upon realizing someone had discovered heridentity. And her instinct was to grab him by the throat and choke him, withoutpausing to think about the fact that she was in front of everyone else or lettingher self-control take over.

All Ouma had to do for her to try and kill him on the spotwas reveal that he knew her identity. He didn’t even have a chance to say whatit was, or say anything else at all really, before she began trying to outright kill him, even though everyone else was watching. That’s precisely the reason he exposed her in front ofeveryone else, actually, rather than trying to talk to her about it alone: he wanted tomake sure there were a lot of witnesses around, and he likely suspected thatshe would never agree to tell the group herself and would only see him as athreat if he threatened blackmail the way Hoshi did.

But nothing proves just how reckless Maki is quite so wellas Chapter 5, when she abandons the group’s plan to try and talk Ouma down “asthe leader of the Remnants of Despair” (very much paralleling Naegi and the dr1survivors’ attempts to talk Junko down from despair), lies to them all andtells them point-blank she won’t do anything, and then goes off to try andmurder him. Despite promising to cooperate with everyone else and not to gotrying anything on her own, her solution when presented with a difficult problemwas still to fall back on her assassin ways: in other words, to eliminate atarget by killing them.

That impulsive recklessness of hers is exactly what Tsumugiwas counting on, when she left that remember light (maybe I should startcalling them flashback lights now, actually) lying in the dining hall. Tsumugiherself wanted Ouma “removed” from the game, because his entire act ofpretending to be the ringleader was nothing more than a ploy to try and forcethe killing game to a halt by snatching the game from the real ringleader. Soshe left a flashback light full of fake memories tying the characters to Hope’sPeak, and tying Ouma himself to Junko and to the Remnants of Despair, knowingthat elevating him to such a full-scale threat was bound to make someone likeMaki decide to take things into her own hands.

Due to Maki’s decision to try and kill Ouma, things spiralentirely out of control in Chapter 5, resulting in yet another murder and thekilling game starting back up again, just like Tsumugi wanted. And the mostironic thing is, despite the fact that there were clear signs that Maki wasgoing to go off and act on her own, no one in the group ever even thought shewould attempt to commit murder, despite knowing for a fact that she was, infact, a trained and dangerous assassin. Saihara even sees Maki come in with a knifeinstead of her electric hammer on the day that they’re going to “talk Oumadown,” and doesn’t think much of it until after the body discovery.

Ndrv3, and Ouma in particular, put a lot of emphasis on howthis kind of blind belief in one’s friends is extremely dangerous. Time andtime again, Saihara, Momota, and the other characters believe that Maki wouldnever try to kill someone simply because “she’s not that kind of person,” evenwhen all the evidence and even Maki herself say very clearly, “yes, she’skilled people before,” and that blind faith is what ultimately leads to thingsworking out the way Tsumugi wanted them to in Chapter 5.

While ndrv3 is the game that emphasizes it the most,however, both dr1 and sdr2 also had their moments of bringing up the fact thatbelieving in other people blindly is actually a bad idea, not a good one. Notfrom the characters you’d expect, either—Kirigiri and Nanami are actually thetwo characters whose lines are the most similar to Ouma’s when it comes totopics like suspicion and cooperation. Kirigiri says as early as Chapter 1 indr1 that blind belief is just as dangerous as rampant paranoia, and in theChapter 3 trial of sdr2, Nanami says that in order to truly believe in someone,you have to doubt and suspect them first, and that “belief without doubt issimply a lie.”

The other characters see all the signs pointing to Maki’srecklessness, they see the way that her life and hardships have shaped her intosomeone who acts first and asks questions later—they even see her choke Oumanot once but twice in front of all of them, and still none of them think thatshe would actually attempt murder or act behind their backs until it’s toolate. This is the exact situation Ouma was concerned about in the first placewhen he exposed her to the rest of them, but the other problem that arises isthat he seemed far too untrustworthy and too suspicious for them to take hiswords at face value, even when all the signs were there.

if Ouma revealing Maki’s talent seemed “rude” at the time,it’s important to keep in mind the fact that the characters are all stilltrapped in a game where they’ve been told to kill each other, and that someonewith a talent specifically meant for killing others is undeniably dangerous,even if they have the best intentions. He exposed her because he wasprioritizing the group’s safety, and because he didn’t want her refusal to tellthe others about her talent to result in a scenario where she’d wind up killingsomeone to keep her talent a secret.

But ultimately, between Maki’s impulsivity and his own extremearrogance, paranoia, and miscalculations, things wound up playing out prettymuch like he feared in the end. He refused to confide in anyone at all abouthis plans to stop the killing game until almost the very end; had he done so,it’s possible that perhaps things wouldn’t have turned out the way they did.But it’s just as important to remember that although her backstory certainlycontributed to her mindset and behavior, Maki still had full control over herthoughts and actions as well. She didn’t have to lie to everyone and decide toattempt murder—but as an assassin, that was the most common “solution” that shewas aware of, and so that’s what she went with.

This has gotten pretty long, so I’ll stop, but I hope I wasable to clear some things up for you! There are a lot of actions which Oumadoes which often seem mean, rude, or just plain bizarre on a first playthrough,but it’s much easier to see in hindsight how he was attempting to look out forthe group and prevent more murders from taking place. Thank you for stoppingby, anon!

[pyropsychiccollector]

Naekusaba Drabble - A Rival Appears!

For the first time in her life, Mukuro Ikusaba despaired. She was an ugly, utterly useless, totally uninteresting, pitiful outcast of a teenage girl.

... Oh wait. Those weren't new thoughts at all. Mukuro always thought that about herself. The only difference this time was just how inadequate and pitiful she felt, in the face of a new threat.

... Naegi-kun was hanging out with an ACQUAINTANCE from childhood. One Sayaka Maizono. Ultimate Pop Idol, a figure greatly admired by girls everywhere and loved by men of all ages.

Why WOULDN'T she feel totally worthless compared to the Pop Idol? Maizono was cute. Sexy. Had an appealing (albeit playful) personality. She was confident. She pursued her dreams without hesitation. She had incredible intuition and smarts. AND she had history with Naegi-kun.

Mukuro didn't stand a chance. That's what she told herself, even as she scowled cutely at the giggling pop sensation, who was eating her lunch with Naegi-kun. For once in her miserable, wretched life, Mukuro Ikusaba was trying to think on her own two feet, without Junko telling her what to do. She was the older sister, damnit! She should be able to function autonomously, even if she was a soldier that took orders.

... But hatching a scheme to steal back her Naegi-kun was proving to be too hard. Junko would've thought of a million different ways to nab him AND humiliate Maizono... But Mukuro honestly didn't care about that part. She was too NICE, not wanting to hurt her classmate.

That didn't mean some not-jealousy was rolling around in her gut... Maizono's skin was so flawless! Not a single freckle, and it wasn't FAIR!

A voice from... Well, not Heaven, because as much she loved her sister, Junko was too mean and calculating to be from there... So a voice from the "other place" rang out, coming to her rescue.

"It's dangerous to go alone~! Take this!"

Mukuro expertly caught the small thing Junko pitched at her. ... It was an earpiece. A high quality one that was subtle, and Junko would not be picked up by anyone but her.

... Oh well. All's fair in love and war~.

~*~

Mukuro was scowling cutely again as she accompanied Naegi-kun and Maizono to the movies later.

Junko had helped her pick out a sexy black skirt and a top with one sleeve during lunch. That part went off without a hitch, even though Mukuro was a little mortified with wearing something that showed so much of her body. ... How was she supposed to be packing weapons with such an outfit?! If... If Naegi-kun's Luck kicked in and some mugger tried to shake him down, Mukuro would have to rely on her physical fighting skills, which might not cut it if the mugger had a gun; she'd still be able to take him or her down, but the chance of Naegi-kun, or even Maizono getting hurt, was high.

... Never mind the embarrassment Mukuro felt with showing so much skin. Been there, done that. This outfit wasn't even the worst one Junko offered her.

The next step that went off without a hitch was acquiring the movie ticket before talking to Naegi about going with him (and inevitably Maizono). Due to her Ultimate Analyst ability, Junko knew Sayaka was planning to take Naegi-kun to the movies that afternoon, and she knew exactly which one the pop sensation picked out for them. So Mukuro feigned the "coincidence" that she would be going to see the same movie. Maizono saw through the bullshit, of course, but Naegi-kun was adorably oblivious.

... Where Mukuro flubbed up was the proposal to go to the movies. Junko WARNED her not to reveal her hand too early, to wait until after school to change into her new outfit... But Mukuro just HAD to be greedy and fish for compliments from Naegi-kun. And now she was paying the price because Maizono was wearing a sexy outfit of her own as she stood on the other side of Naegi as they walked to the theater. Naegi-kun seemed to be dressed the most casual, but neither girl seemed to mind.

They were too busy shooting each other side glares when Naegi-kun wasn't looking. Mukuro had revealed her hand too early, Maizono knew what was going on, and she was once again more gorgeous than Mukuro (at least, in the Soldier's probably worthless opinion).

Maizono: 1 Mukuro: 0

~*~

Maizono was a dead girl when they had their little tete-a-tete later. She had NO idea what she was getting them into.

Maizono was cheeky and had them watch a horror flick. For one, just to give Naegi-kun some heebie-jeebies to tease him about later, and two, because he was a boy, and therefore must've liked that genre. Mukuro knew that was what Maizono was thinking.

Oooooh, she was wrong. So, so unforgivably wrong.

Halfway through, poor traumatized Naegi-kun was curled up in his seat and quivering, and on the other side of Naegi-kun, Maizono didn't look to be much better, looking spooked and like she'd pass out any second. Mukuro herself was faring slightly better, as a movie cannot hope to compare to the bloodshed and horrors she witnessed on the battlefield. Though she would admit that even she thought the movie was disturbing. But what the hell did you expect when the Ultimate Director and Ultimate Scriptwriter put it together?! Maizono, you fool!

... At least Junko seemed to be enjoying herself, up in the booth where the movie reel was rolling. She'd paid off the employee to not rat out she was there. Mukuro could actually hear her giggling a few times through the earpiece, especially during the gory parts... But, that was Junko for you.

As Naegi-kun quailed in fright, Mukuro felt empowered to reach over and draw him into a comforting embrace. Junko applauded her initiative for once, though she was quick to go back to criticizing, saying how she could've showed it a lot sooner than that day. But that was okay, Mukuro still loved her imouto~.

Especially when said imouto gives her opportunities to snuggle up with her precious Naegi-kun, and Maizono was too spooked to pay them any mind.

Mukuro: 1 Maizono: 1

~*~

The rather eventful day came to a close as she and Naegi-kun walked Maizono home first. The pop sensation grumbled sourly how the war was far from over, and Mukuro didn't really need to be petty and gloat. The best revenge for the idol assuming to steal her precious Naegi-kun was to act cordial and kind.

... You know, at least in front of Naegi-kun. Tomorrow would be different of course. Junko was yelling to take her head off, an obvious and morbid reference to the movie... Maybe it was a bad idea to let Junko unofficially tag along? She sounded a "little" more excited than usual... Even for Junko.

Still, bloodthirsty sisters and bitter rivals aside, Mukuro had a lovely time, arms and hands never leaving Naegi-kun even as they left the theater. There wasn't some unfortunate mugger or anything eccentric befalling them as Mukuro escorted Naegi-kun home. He was grateful for the comfort and protection, and...

"I can't wait to hang out with you again, Mukuro! See ya tomorrow!" Makoto called as he disappeared into his house.

For several long moments, Mukuro stood outside Naegi-kun's house, unable to move or do... anything. Her face was a bright red, visible even in the dark night. And though she swears Junko couldn't have seen her face, her imouto still managed to sound impatient through the earpiece.

"Stop grinning like an idiot be and daydreaming about your boytoy and come make me dinner! All that despair really worked up an appetite~"

Mukuro sighed as she shelved away the warm, fuzzy feeling fluttering in her chest into the back of her kind for now and returned home as Junko wanted. She would get more cuddle time with Naegi-kun. All in due time~.

Mukuro: 2 Maizono: 1

... For now.

[goldstarzzz]

V3: The RPG

Everyone knows Junko loves playing high-stakes games with her classmates, but sometimes even she can enjoy something for the more casual player.

I wrote this a couple months ago as a late birthday present for @jinjojess, but since V3 just released in English, I decided to post this. Warning, this has MAJOR V3 spoilers, so don’t read if you haven't finished the game.

Words: 2241 Rating: Teen (like honestly, it's general but there are swears so) Characters: Tsumugi Shirogane,Shuichi Saihara, Yasuhiro Hagakure, Junko Enoshima, Touko Fukawa, Hifumi Yamada, Sakura Ogami, Kyoko Kirigiri, Makoto Naegi, Mukuro Ikusaba, Byakuya Togami (mentioned), Leon Kuwata (mentioned), Maki Harukawa (mentioned), Himiko Yumeno (mentioned), Ki-Bo (mentioned), Chihiro Fujisaki (mentioned)

The atmosphere was tense as a terrible realization was looming among everyone’s minds, it had finally become clear to the ‘students’ of Gifted Inmates Academy that their belief that they were the last survivors of humanity and former students was just a lie that had been implanted in their minds by the Ringleader of the Killing Game they were forced into, the girl with the Super High School Level Cosplay talent known as Tsumugi Shirogane. The truth behind everything had become apparent to the student, but it was a truth that seemed so impossible to them that they couldn’t quite grasp it, even with how obvious it had become.

 "If what I had said about my inability to cosplay real people is true, then what does that mean about Hope's Peak Academy?" Although Tsumugi had lied about many things, she remained steadfast that she was unable to cosplay as real, living people and yet there she was, disguised as Makoto Naegi, the supposed Super High School Level Hope of the Hope’s Peak Academy Killing Game. Any possible options were wiped out by the fact that she was able to dress this way without getting sick, there was only one answer for here question.

 Elsewhere, far away (in a manner of speaking) from the trial that was happening with the students of Gifted Inmates Academy, a voice whispered ("Wait... Enoshima-chi, am I reading this right?")

 ("Yeah, just read it already,") another voiced responded hurriedly.

 "Could it be that it's... fictional?!" the Super High School Level Detective Saihara Shuichi finally responded to Tsumugi’s question. Almost as if it was a direct response to his answer, Shirogane changed costumes. Her speed was remarkable, in the blink of an eye, she managed to completely change her look from Naegi to Byakuya Togami, the Super High School Level Scion.

 "That's right, the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History never actually took place in reality. Yeah, Hope's Peak and the Future Foundation and the Remnants of Despair, they don't exi-"

 "A-all right, I've heard enough of this!" Another voice from elsewhere broke through the scene that was going on, completely disrupting it.

 "HUH?! Aren't you supposed to be dead?!" Junko Enoshima said testily, clearly annoyed by the sudden intrusion.

 “Y-you know that’s not what I-I’m talking about!”

 In Hope’s Peak Academy’s Rec Room, Touko Fukawa was trying her best to look confrontational towards the group of six that were huddled around a table filled with notes and drawings and character sheets. Hifumi Yamada, Sakura Ogami, Kyoko Kirigiri, Makoto Naegi, Yasuhiro Hagakure, and finally Junko Enoshima turned in their chairs to look at the girl who had been lingering about listening to their roleplay.

 “You’re weird meta narrative was b-bad enough, but I won’t have you dragging Byakuya-sama’s name through the mud with that terrible impression of him!”

 “Hey, don’t blame me, I’m just following Junko Enoshima-dono’s instructions, being the Ringleader isn’t as fun as you’d think it’d be with the DM basically breathing down your back,” Hifumi Yamada sighed. As the Super High School Level Doujin Writer, he’d just wanted to play as a character that shared his love of fiction but that was pretty much pinned down when Junko revealed to him that he was the Mastermind and had to try to blend into the background. Now that they were at the forefront of everything, he barely had any control over what she did.

 “Actually, that’s a genuine point of criticism for me as well,” Kyoko spoke up, “Quite honestly, I haven’t really been putting any effort into playing for a while. I wasn’t expecting much challenge from the mysteries you set up, so that wasn’t an issue for me but… Forcing my character into a romantic subplot with Kuwata’s wasn’t the direction I was hoping to take Harukawa.”

 “Hey!” Junko pretended to snap, she knew that her friends would get pissed off like this at the last minute but honestly she had too much fun fucking with them in the game and this final outburst was almost entertaining even with how predictable it was. The feeling of being frustrated at not being allowed to play how you wanted and the feeling of being totally cornered by your friends in a heated argument, they were despair, they might’ve been a mundane kind of despair, one that wouldn’t normally satisfy her, but they were definitely despair.

 “I wouldn’t have had to force you guys into so many weird spots if you’d break out of your comfort zone. Look at Ogami, she’s roleplaying as a tiny magician girl who barely puts effort into anything, her total opposite, and how many times have I pushed her into a weird spot? Basically zero.”

 “I don’t appreciate being used as an example like this,” Sakura said, “While it’s true that I took our game as an exercise to try to put myself in a different mindset, I don’t feel that everyone else should be forced into a characterization that feels alien to them or makes them feel uncomfortable. Besides, my character has barely had any major effect on the overarching plot.”

 “Yeah, I haven’t really spoken up about this,” Makoto started to speak up, “But that whole shift that Ki-Bo did earlier in the chapter was kinda the opposite of what I was going for with him. And to have it turn out that the character that I’ve been playing as it completely dependent on some inner conscience before turning into someone who’s as disagreeable as that…”

 “Naegi-chi, you’re completely overreacting, all of you are,” Yasuhiro laughed, “Enoshima-chi has been fine about controlling out character, sure sometimes she needs to keep things on the rails, but she’s been a great DM. I have literally no complaints about how my character has been handled at all!”

 “W-what are you talking about?! You’re literally the worst out of all of us!” Touko shot out.

 “Yeah, Junko Enoshima-dono has basically been sock-puppeting your character from that very beginning,” Hifumi joined in, “And you’ve just been taking credit for solving all the mysteries by yourself!”

 “Hey?! What are you guys talking about? Everything I’ve done has been totally all me! Enoshima-chi hasn’t given me any direction at all!” Yasuhiro waved his hands panickedly in a dismissive notion, accidentally revealing the notes that Junko had told him to follow.

 “You’re h-holding the script in your hands right in front of us, you moron!”

 “Well… Why do you even care about all this anyway, Fukawa-chi?! Fujisaki-chi killed your character off two whole chapters ago!”

 “I-I’ve already invested hours of my life into this stupid game already, there’s no way I’m not going at least see the dumb ending,” Touko said, “Besides, I couldn’t find where Byakuya-sama wondered off to… A-actually, I haven’t seen anyone else all day except all of you and I’m having some writer’s block so I don’t really have a choice but to listen in.”

 “Come on, Hagakure. You really haven’t been paying much attention,” Makoto said, “I mean, you didn’t even pick up that everything we’d been told was a lie and even I was able to piece together that much. Although, I’m sure Kirigiri had pretty much figured everything, right Kirigiri?”

 It was then that everyone realized that Kyoko had slipped out of the room while everyone was caught up in their arguments without any noticing. The realization of her sudden absence tripped the conversation, causing a silence in the room.

 “Well it seems that we won’t be able to finish our game today after all,” Sakura spoke up, “Enoshima, given the discussion that has been inflamed, perhaps you could share the ending that you had in mind for the conclusion of your campaign since I don’t think anyone seems to be interested in continuing with this storyline any longer.

 Junko was bored. She should’ve expected this (in fact, she did expect this) but the charm of that mundane, everyday despair she felt had quickly worn off and her excitement had waned to nothingness. Junko quickly glanced at the clock and wondered where Mukuro was. Knowing her useless sister, she’d gotten cold feet and Touko’s inability to find anyone was just because everyone was avoiding her gross smell.

 “Well…” Junko explain in intricate detail exactly what she had planned out: about how this was DanganRonpa V3, DanganRonpa 53; how she didn’t know roman numerals fucking worked; how those who survived were at the mercy of their audience and how they’d sacrifice themselves to give the audience an ending they didn’t want by destroying the school with them inside; and how they’d miraculously survive through the falling rubble while Tsumugi and Ki-Bo perished, “And then the campaign would close with you questioning if what Shirogane told you about your personalities being fake was even true in the first place.”

 Junko looked around the room at everyone: Touko and Hifumi both had dumbstruck looks on their face in disbelief of the terrible ending Junko had in mind for their characters, Makoto rocked back and forth in his seat slightly with an indecisive look on his face, Sakura’s front was readily readable but Junko knew that she thought the ending was bad but was keeping her criticism to herself. She noticed Touko take a look around the room herself. Upon seeing Hifumi’s shared expression, she spoke up.

 “O-okay, when you make me share a literary opinion with a hack like this who only writes immature garbage, then it sh-should be obvious that you cannot in any way or form craft a story. The e-ending was fine enough even if it was a little rough until that epilogue j-just completely destroys what you were working for.”

 “Not to mention this campaign feels like the sequel to a game that doesn’t exist yet. I mean this is the fifty-third Killing Game and yet we don’t know about a single one other than that one of them apparently involved alternate version of us? In fact, I don’t get what you were going for with that at all, why did it use some alternate history where we were locked up into Killing Game instead of safe in the bunker? This whole game it just doesn’t work at all, Junko Enoshima-dono.” Hifumi added to Touko’s criticism and Sakura silently nodded in agreement.

 “I don’t know…” Makoto said, coming to Junko’s defense, “I kind of liked it a bit. It’s a little hokey, but I’d really prefer that everybody not die in the end. If I had one criticism, I’d probably have Ki-Bo turn out to be all right after all and be able to function without Team DanganRonpa’s interference. Like… Maybe one of the upgrade Iruma gave him ended up letting him be able break their control and be free and they found him, still alive in the rubble. Something like that. It’s like a surprise plot twist, but in a happy way.”

 Everyone stared at Makoto.

 “Yeah, you get totally get what I was going for there, Naegi! I just wanted an ending that made all the dreary despair leave you heart. To let the players know that from there on out everything would be okay. It’s an ending where hope wins,” the words that came out of Junko’s mouth physically pained her and she loved it before dryly adding,”…Again.”

 Almost as if on cue, a small round canister rolled into the room and clinked against the table where everyone was gathered.

 “Huh, what’s-“

 “Ugh, finally she’s here,” Junko said as she quickly pulled out a gas mask from under the cushion of the chair she was sitting on and strapped it over head, “It’s about time you arrived, Mukuro!”

 The canister exploded into a gas cloud that started suffocating Junko’s classmates and slowly caused them to become sluggish and lose consciousness.

 “Junko-chan, I’m here,” Mukuro Ikusaba, the Super High School Level Soldier and Junko Enoshima’s twin sister, muffled through a mask as she walked the cloud of gas that was overtaking the room. Mukuro hadn’t talked to her sister since her character was murdered in the game, but today was the day that they had set to finally put their plan into motion and so, after waffling about whether she should start to go through with it or not before talking to Junko, she stuck to what they had arranged.

 “I’m sorry that I’m a little late… And for killing you in the game.”

 “Yeah, yeah, I’ll pay you back for it later, now shut up and go find Kirigiri since she slipped out of here while you were off being useless, I’m gonna speechify here.”

 As Mukuro left the room to hunt down her last remaining classmate, Junko cleared her throat to speak with her semi-conscious classmates, “None of you guys need to worry about how fucking terrible that roleplay was (and yes I know it was fucking terrible for you guys to play through, do you really think anyone with a basic grasp on the ability to DM would godmod characters that much and lead it to such a mediocre ending), for when next you wake, you will have forgotten everything… Well not everything everything, more like everything since we first came to this dump three years ago. Oh and don’t worry, I’m taking all of your criticisms of New DanganRonpa V3 into account for our next campaign: DanganRonpa: The Academy of Hope and the High School Students of Despair. Think of it as a prequel!”

[junkobears]

You said you are always ready for ask memes, no matter how old are they. This your next big challenge, and I'm pulling out the BIG GUNS. Tsumugi Shirogane for character ask meme!

FINALLY SOMEONE SENT TSUMUGI FOR THE CHARACTER ASK MEME… I’ve been waiting for so long. Bless your soul and dedication to never letting this character meme die, anon(s). It is hella appreciated! Obviously huge, huge, HUGE!!! #V3 spoilers ahead:

general opinion: fall in a hole and die | don’t like them | eh | they’re fine I guess | like them! | love them | actual love of my life 

hotness level: get away from me | meh | neutral | theoretically hot but not my type | pretty hot | gorgeous! | 10/10 would bang

hogwarts house: gryffindor | slytherin | ravenclaw | hufflepuff (this was kinda difficult to choose… Slytherin kinda works too since Tsumugi is INCREDIBLY cunning and sneaky throughout the game, and takes whatever methods necessary to preserve herself and keep the killing game running smoothly… but I think Hufflepuff’s a better fit overall. Tsumugi absolutely is loyal to DR to a massively dark/twisted degree, and she’s always banging on about being SO NORMAL AND BORING GUYS & most of the fandom hates her for being so boring and lame compared to Junko that…. Yeah the one house everyone thinks is lame in comparison and accepts everyone into its ranks, fits best IMO. Plus I don’t like auto-sorting villains into Slytherin, haha.)

best quality(s): Tsumugi is an amazing foil to Junko, and I really enjoy both how different she is as an antagonist and how incredibly similar she is at the same time. Again I love how shamelessly sneaky and manipulative she is throughout the entire game, seriously play through V3 again and SO MANY of her more useless/off-topic moments are so goddamn suspicious in hindsight, the amount of foreshadowing is excellent.

I find Tsumugi’s complete lack of ‘true identity’ to be fascinating as well, since she is basically a gaping emotionless void of a person who tries to fill that hole with fiction. Just like Junko and despair. It’s kinda interesting how even ‘Tsumugi Shirogane’ comes across as just another character role she’s playing in hindsight. The huge amount of ambiguity surrounding her true nature and exact role behind the killing game is just really intriguing to me personally, just like how I loved Junko’s ambiguous nature in DR1. I hope there will be no sequels that ruin this aspect of her character like what happened with Junko (its gonna tho, sigh).

And honestly? I just find Tsumugi to be incredibly relatable. This sounds very concerning I know haha. But she is by far the most normal person in this series (which was obviously intentional), she really comes across as someone you could meet anywhere in fandom spaces and have a somewhat average/pleasant convo with about your weird interests. She’s a huge goddamn nerd basically. She’s everyone in this entire fandom (which people clearly Do Not Like To Be Reminded Of). And of course, I relate to being obsessed with Junko and being driven murderously insane by this awful, awful series, lmao.

worst quality: She has by FAR one of THE worst tastes in fiction I have ever seen. Don’t fucking tell me Saihara was ever going to be a compelling character arc, Tsumugi. I don’t give a shit about your fave boring woobie pretty boys. On a more serious note, I understand what they were going for with making her so background for the whole game, since she doesn’t want to draw attention to herself and only sees herself as an ‘observer’ watching the game rather than interacting with it… but I still think she should’ve been more involved with SOME pre-Ch. 6 events. Beyond I’M ALLERGIC TO REAL PPL!!!!!! Could’ve been used as more evidence of how much she flips out at any instance of her Fangan Ronpa scenario being slightly changed, and just. To have more time spent bonding with her so the Reveal is more painful for both the survivors and fans? If that makes sense. The Student Council was an okay start but that never amounted to much.

ship them with: Just like with Junko, Tsumugi is my new shipping bicycle, I can and will ship her with basically whoever tickles my fancy at the moment. Especially with GIRLS. I even read a Tsumugi/Saihara one-shot the other day and somehow ENJOYED? it? like… thats how much I can ship her. But faves would be: JUNKO ENOSHIMA, Koizumi, Tojo, Akamatsu, Komaru, Iruma, Tsumiki, Maizono, Amami, Ouma (yes drag me). It could go on, haha. I wanna explain these in detail but this is already so long /tear

brotp them with: Kiibo, Gonta, Hinata, Mukuro,

needs to stay away from: This horrible fandom which doesn’t appreciate her character enough, writing her shitty fanfics,

misc. thoughts: It was kinda obviously gonna be the twist, but also I’m so glad I managed to predict that Tsumugi was V3′s mastermind like immediately after talents were revealed. Kodaka is extremely terrified of fashion, clearly. The fucking wuss. Also I KNEW he would never resist making SHSL Cosplayer, well, cosplay Junko to troll everyone into thinking she was back again haha. Perfect successor mastermind in every fucking way, after Junko, Tsumugi is by far the best damn character in this series, and single-handedly made V3 worth the suffering. She’s a perfect addition to my fave archetype: “Cute Girly Girls who also are incredibly awful/evil”. DR gives me so many of them! It’s the only reason I stay anymore.

Holy fucking shit this got so goddamn long. And I still don’t think I explained my reasons for liking Tsumugi’s character very well! I feel like I’ve left out so much… I’ll end it off with this: her design is fucking adorable and her Japanese VA smashed it, especially in the last trial, with how smug-sounding and uncaring she was with every new reveal. So goddamn great. And I might be one of the few people who actually… LIKE her English VA? It’s so goddamn squeaky and obnoxious I love it haha. It’s actually perfect for her character. Piss the fandom off even more, gurl.