#the real ending tsumugi got from fine

[alkaloidalypse]

im too tired to make a long essay of me overanalyzing the mv so im just gonna rocket fire my general thoughts about it 

SIKE this game has me on a chokehold i can never stop overanalyzing

LIKE THIS SHOT. ITS SUCH A TINY CHANGE IN EXPRESSION, SO LITERALLY TINY, BUT IT CONVEYS SO MUCH EMOTION AND I HATE IT HERE 

no but seriously i infer its because natsume was the one who wrote their ‘happy ending’. so him having an expression like this is like a ‘4th wall breaking’ because natsume was the writer in this ending. but this ending never happened. 

alternatively, it could just be a genuine expression he would have made if they did have this ending. im not entirely sure if its meant to be negative or a positive emotion but im guessing its more positive. like a “we did it. we’re here. im happy we’re all here together and i won’t have it any other way”

then we have this specific shot

“We want to feel your rhythm (Right here).”

do i have any idea whats going on right here? no. i just unfortunately have a lot of emotions 

---

the second part i want to at least talk about was the choice to change the instrumental of the animation mv. put it simply, i love both renditions but i wondered why they decided to make the instrumental different. from what i remember, the instrumental for genuine revelation was the same for the animation mv, so why the change?

im not going to guess the music direction they took but there is something i realized upon listening to both of them. 

ive listened to the original more times i could count now, and i remember how ‘happy’ it sounded until you see the lyrics and remember the story of the five eccentrics. its from there the ‘happiness’ of the song lessened to something more bittersweet in a way. the music is happy, but their story is not. they aren’t the winners, so they sing their sorrows, lament on the fate they are being pushed into but at least being able to find joy having each other, even if in the end they have to suffer for it. and as the listener, while enjoying the music i don’t necessarily feel joy (it is still a beautiful song)

but the new mix of eccentric party night, the whole music video, i can’t keep up with it. there were so many things going on on screen and the instrumental is so drastically different from the original. the build ups, the techno sounds, honestly all of that reminded me of a rave party

and that’s when i realized. that’s exactly what the animation mv was about. its a freaking party. no duh, its in the title. but they basically took that word and use it in their mv tenfold. a party is a celebration, a happy occasion, and in this ending that’s impossible to achieve, there is something worth celebrating

the lyrics are still the same, their voices are still the same. but somehow, the energy and vibe was completely changed. its like they’re hyping the crowd up to join in their party. theres birds flying, sparklers around the stage, natsume doing magic that affected the whole room, glowing balloons and said balloons being released into the air. freaking confetti everywhere, the lights changing depending on the chorus and verse and GOD there’s just so MANY things going on and it never stops. its a goddamn party and im loving it

even the group itself, they kept on jumping and twirling around while still doing the main choreography and keeping this energy up the entire time

honestly, i have not felt this hyped listening to an enstars song before. every time i watched the mv i just want to jump and join them in their dancing. i should be sad. i should feel bittersweet about it. but for some reason, im not

maybe eventually i’ll feel that same sadness i did for the original, but for now i hope there’s a full version with this mix. because i would love to dance around my room to this song

[sucantslay]

Natsume Sakasaki -Analysis

(from Reminiscences Selection ELEMENT)

and more?

DISCLAIMER + WARNING!!!

I said it before, but I'll have to say it again that this is my PERSONAL ANALYSIS. If anything feels out of place, pls, feel free to have your own thoughts on this. ( Maybe your p.o.v is different from mine )

My English is bad...sorry, but I'll continue to improve it!

I'm not good with analysis so if anything makes you confused, pls do ask. I would love to help you with any problem(that I'm capable of)

Ok~ Let's go!

For those who think the war didn't affect on Natsume much since he looked un-scratch. Then, the answer is a no and yes.

I'm not going to talk about it like, fine by physic and hurt by mental because ( except Eichi ) none character at the end of the war got any physical problem on them. Mostly came from mental then it affects their physical state like Rei or Shu.

Kanata? No, he just lost his beliefs and changed for the better good ( Chiaki saved him in time )

Rei? Got sent away and later on turned into a daunting old man. In his case, he had a bad relationship with Ritsu and his mental problem affected on him made him act and do things like a granny.

Shu, got defeated and had a mental problem after that ( He's getting better later on )

Wataru is...kinda ok actually. Since he was able to figure out Eichi's plan so it didn't do much on him.

Natsume was being protected by the 2yr members of 5 Eccentic so of course, no damage was taken either.

But the thing is, Natsume wasn't able to join the real fight, most of the time, he had to stay back and watch as all his Nii-san fell apart. One by one.

Like, when all your friends got hurt but you can't do anything but stand aside and witness their fall down.

That is why he was so angry. He feels left out.

And he blames it on himself, that he's not as good as them, and that's why he never got a chance to stand up and fight with them.

Now, let's go back in time *click click the turnback button*

He does look a bit uncomfortable when he meets Tsumugi, but most of that is after he knows that Tsumugi knew he's past.

It's like: "Oh...no no, I hate that time and I hate you for being the witness of that old me. Too bad I can't make that memory disappear out of your head so I'm just kinda uncomfortable with you for remembering that stuff."

He starts to get a little un-friendly but then later on, it gets worse, when he learns that Tsumugi is a member of Fine and watches Eichi as his friend.

He goes soft when being with the 5 Eccentric for sure.

But it is still nothing compared to the mad and hatter-like after the war ended. When he ignores Tsumugi and anyone he doesn't care or give a sh^t about. ( He does care about Tsumugi. Sometimes he just acts a little unsettled with anyone he doesn't care/know about. It's not a completely don't care but...ya know what I mean )

( From Chapter 3/ In the rose garden )

So, what made him become like this? It was the war.

It is a yes when it comes to the war's effect on him. It's not as heavy as Shu or Rei or a total change in look and understanding like Kanata but it did have some effect on him.

Hence, it doesn't mean that he's fine. He's better than most but not fine.

How you do think that THAT big of an event can't be able to do something to him. It does!

And to whoever writes his character, I wish your pillow cold on both sides! Because he is such an interesting character to look into.

It's worth pointing out that the feeling of Natsume being an outsider isn't just an experience for him but also for the reader, the viewer who watches the anime and Element 3D version.

Consider the fact that in each episode, an Eccentric was being defeated or was mentioned about their fall.

There was nothing about Natsume but locking himself in a room and keep on writing the script for a happy ending that he was yearning for.

( this is a part of the Black Bird story/ the moment when the script got burned )

Kanata was defeated, then came Shu.

At the time Natsume was writing the script, it was already the end of it all. The situation can no longer be saved.

The Eccentric Party Night? It was all Natsume's dream.

The time when he gets to be with all his beloved Nii-san is in Episode 2. Then later on in Episode 5 when the last Eccentric are being executed.

It was the beginning and the end.

And I don't think if Natsume's plan got accepted by Wataru mean they'll win either. Yes, it is bad for the school as Wataru and Eichi mentioned in Episode 6, but I'm scared for the others who have already been defeated, can they able to gather strength after all the brutal executes their been through.

Simultaneously, the students still hate them. Their anti-fan exists.

They'll have to survive another war even if Eichi's already been taken down.

So in conclusion, if we put the Eccentric Party Night scene out of the picture, then Natsume does seem to be left out.

That why he was so mad, that why he wanted revenge. Even if none of his Nii-san want to, he wants it. Not just for them but also for himself.

He wants a chance to stand up with his own two feet, defeat the bad guy, and show all his beloved brothers that he has finally grown up.

Last but not least! He feels betrayed when Wataru joins Fine. But I think he did understand Wataru's decision. That why he still call Wataru his Nii-san, that why he just a little crappy but not a totally hated form of treatment for Wataru.

You can say he has a soft spot for Wataru, but he didn't beg nor have any rejection over it, he just went: "Why did my beloved Nii-san have to stay in the same unit as that demon...now it is even harder to take him down...what a headache."

He knows Wataru well, and lets Wataru do as he likes. And I think that was a very grown-up of him. After all that begging for the plan to be accepted by Wataru. After all that panic and suffering for his older senior to win it even if there was already no redo.

The Natsume now is calmer than before. Of course, he still has a lot to learn and more room for development, but yes, he may have some improve.

That all~ That alL~ ThaNk yOU for REAding~ XoxO!

Also made one for Tsumugi in the past if you want to read another analysis: https://www.tumblr.com/sucantslay/745663127662837760/aoba-tsumugi-analysis-from-the-animation

[aparticularbandit]

so i'm gonna start with what i wanted from gonta killed miu and why i'm kind of disappointed they went with kokichi convinced him that mercy killing everyone was the best idea because everywhere is hell and maybe i just don't like that. i just don't like that anyone would end with we're better off dead than alive. and that's probably a personal thing which i can talk about in a different post (or not because mental illness and family stuff) but like. i hate that actually.

but what i thought was going to happen was that gonta walked in on miu in process of killing kokichi and got protective (because gonta is - as a character note - extremely protective) and accidentally killed her in the process of saving kokichi.

and that's accidentally in two forms: 1) like literally accidentally pulled her off and threw her away accidentally but also even more important 2) gonta doesn't know how the virtual world works and miu didn't tell them fatalities in the world would equal fatalities in the real world, he could kill miu in the virtual world thinking she would be fine and then OH NO ACTUALLY SHE IS NOT FINE. like playing into the idea that a character who does not know how a thing works and has been lied to about how a thing works and maybe wouldn't have understood how a thing works even if he had been told and having it truly, honestly being an accident and still punished by monokuma would hit harder. for me.

but i guess you got people in both the other main games shooting for a full party kill (aoi, nagito), so you gotta have that in here, too, so. meh.

i liked that gonta put his cords in the wrong spot (because left-handed instead of right-handed), and i liked that gonta did not know that he'd killed miu and had to learn it the same way that everyone else did because gonta also could not believe that he killed someone. (but also the mikan case 2-3 trial vibes that gave me. the absolute mikan vibes. if tsumugi is actually writing the script for this whole thing, you can see her love of certain tropes and moments and characters that happened in the original series and how she's bring out her highlights, especially in the last two cases.)

i don't like that the way it's constructed feels like it takes away from gonta's agency.

like, yes, gonta chose to mercy kill, but he did so at kokichi's suggestion. almost everything gonta did was set up and scripted for him by kokichi, so it really feels more like kokichi's kill, even though it was gonta's. and i guess that makes sense because kokichi's using gonta to kill miu in self-defense - he's literally using gonta as his weapon, as his tool, in the way that peko said fuyuhiko was using her. and i hate it.

sure, the reveal that whatever is going on outside is just as bad is what is going inside made gonta so depressed that he was fine with killing everyone else is a big deal, but like.

thanks, i hate it.

hate's a strong word.

i don't like it.

but i liked alter ego gonta! waiting for him to make a reappearance, unless tsumugi is better at killing ai than junko.

[aeoki]

SHINSEKAI - Prologue

Location: Tohoku Qualifiers Stage Characters: Mika, Shuu, Sora, Natsume & Tsumugi Season: Winter Writer: Akira

TL Note:

For those who have difficulty understanding, this is an idiom that means when you’re in a difficult situation, you’ll accept any help, but once you’re out of that difficult situation, you’ll neglect that help until you need it again.

< Mid-November. The opening of the “SS” Qualifying Rounds in the Tohoku region and the final battle of the “Championship Match”. >

Shuu: It’s our victory, Boy.

Natsume: …………

Shuu: Well, it’s the only natural outcome. You and I stand on two very different places. The difference between our many years of training and our honed abilities is as large as the difference between the earth and the heavens.

While you have all been indulging yourself in this game of pretend war and politics, we “Valkyrie” have simply been in pursuit of our arts.

You were making small steps all this time while we were running to turn our ideals into a reality!

And this is the fruit of our labour!

“♪~♪~♪”

Behold! The apotheosis of “Valkyrie”! Kneel! Before the beautiful art we’ve woven!

You foolish idols who have neglected your hard work! Succumb to the blinding brilliance! Ka ka ka ka ka!

Tsumugi: Well, we weren’t exactly slacking, though.

If you said we were sidetracked, then I suppose we were.

Shuu: ? I don’t quite understand but don’t talk to me in such a friendly manner, Aoba. I have not forgiven your betrayal from years ago!

Tsumugi: Say what~? Everyone else prays no more once on shore[*] and whatnot and they’ve been trying not to touch upon that topic, though?

Shuu-kun, I see you and Natsume-kun still bear anger towards us “fine”.

Natsume: Hearing you say “us ‘fine’” irritates me, thouGH. I can’t speak for Shuu Nii-san but I’m not that angry anymoRE.

However, I can’t simply pretend the past “never happenED”.

From the immense amount of emotions that were born from that trageDY, Shuu Nii-san used it to channel his flames of anger into his art and I used it as the base of my magIC.

That’s all there is to iT. It’s not about who’s at the top or the bottom nor is it about who’s won or loST.

I’m also moving forward, like yOU, Shuu Nii-san.

If you didn’t notice thAT or pretended you didn’t see iT… No, if you think I’m still a helpless child who cannot do anything, thEN…

You may be proud of your victoriES, Shuu Nii-san, but you might end up in tears latER ♪

Shuu: Non! What a filthy choice of words! That sort of inferior phrase does not suit us at all!

Natsume: YeAH. You would refuse to understand if I chose to word it that wAY, Shuu Nii-san. In other words, you won’t be able to notice our real intentioNS. This too is that sort of magIC.

Mika: ? Do you understand what they’re sayin’, Sora-kun?

Sora: HaHa~♪ Sora has no issues understanding them! Sora knows the premise so Sora can understand by working out the meaning~

Mika: What~? Whenever “Valkyrie” and “Switch” got together for work, we made a promise we’d stay in a corner ‘cause we’re the “kids who don’t know what’s goin’ on”, right~?

Sora: Heheh ♪ Sora has grown up, Mika-chan-san!

Tsumugi: Fufu. Well, in any case, allow us to applaud you: Congratulations on making it past the “SS” Qualifying Round in the Tohoku region, Shuu-kun.

Shuu: Hmph. It seems you’re making me repeat myself, but it was only natural for things to turn out this way.

One month has slowly passed without holding the Qualifying Round and which unit would make it past the Qualifying Round…

Would be decided in the form of a live battle tournament very reminiscent of Yumenosaki.

It’s only because I also approved of that decision, so we decided to cooperate and stand on the stage for the “Championship Match” which you three are hosting.

Tsumugi: Ahaha. The public’s reaction is rather vague, though. It seems there are people who have booked hotels to watch the entirety of the Qualifying Rounds, as well.

It would be unfortunate for all of it to end in the blink of an eye.

I think local companies have also made preparations in accordance with the Qualifying Rounds, but we’re the ones who chose to ignore all of that.

Shuu: Hmph. I’m sure you lot in “Switch” will have prepared some sort of magic that would entertain those who still have regrets.

That sort of narrow-minded behaviour is your forte, isn’t it?

Natsume: …………

Shuu: In any case, we’ve proved that “Valkyrie” is far superior. We’ve done it in the simplest way that even philistines can understand.

We’re satisfied with that. At the “Antique Market”, we were criticised by “Double Face” who claimed we were weak in dreamfests, however, we’ve been able to prove that wrong, as well.

Behold! We’ve demonstrated our overwhelming abilities and have emerged victorious!

Tsumugi: Well, if you put that much time and money into preparing for such a performance, the other units – including us – wouldn’t be able to stand a chance.

It’s a very conventional “Valkyrie” tactic, though.

Sora: HiHi~ That’s why it’s easy to predict what you’ll do ♪

Mika: ………?

Natsume: WeLL, bathe as much as you like in your triumph right nOW.

I don’t intend on hurting my brothers in tHE “Five Oddballs” and this is also one of my desired outcomES.

But if you still see me as a helpless child who cannot do anythiNG, then all I can say is, you have my condolencES.

Shuu: ………?

Natsume: The curtain of the “SS” Qualifying Round in the Tohoku region has fallen with “Valkyrie’s” victoRY. But this is where the real story unfolDS.

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Next Chapter →

[twilightmalachite]

Altered - Heaven and Hell 24

Author: Akira

Characters: Tsumugi, Rei

Translator: Mika Enstars

"…I’m sick of “you guys”."

⚠️ This is an import from a unproofed Twitter Livetweet!

Season: Winter

Location: Yumenosaki Academy Library

Content Warning: Contains references to suicide.

Rei: Lemme ask you, actually. Why should I have to do something?

Tsumugi: Why, huh—

Rei: Just ‘cuz I could’ve? ‘Cuz I’m the Superstar Sakuma Rei-chan who could’ve? ‘Cuz I could’ve, I should’ve?

My will, my wishes, my heart isn’t bein’ taken into account.

Why is everyone always trying to make me do everything?

So, I was sick of it, honestly.

Even Keito, who’s always proddin’ at me, begged me. “I’m begging you, please do it. As long as it’s you, it can be done.”

When I looked into that guy’s eyes as be begged at me so, I hated fuckin’ everything.

…I’m sick of “you guys”.

Tsumugi: Rei-kun…

Rei: Ah, I get it already. I’m actin’ like a child. People have positions in society, and they gotta play the role they are expected to play, even out of obligation.

But you know what? I was still just a kid, I couldn’t take that.

Even I was a kid, too, y’know. That was why I sang rock music.

It made me feel a lil’ better, but it didn’t save my soul.

I’m not pure like that “Lil’ Puppy”. I don’t actually love rock music. I was just consumin’ rock as a distraction, just as everyone else consumed me.

But, thanks to that Keito comin’ in there and strikin’ me, that underground live house is no longer a place where I can distract myself.

Every time I’m there, I get irritated, only bein’ able to think of things I hate.

I’ve lost my safe haven.

And I no longer have energy to search for a new one.

Tsumugi: … …

So that’s why you chose to overlook us.

Even though we were trying to subdue you.

Rei: Puttin an end to my borin’ life was the best thing I could’ve asked for. I wished more than anyone for Sakuma Rei of the Five Eccentrics to be subjugated.

For that guy to be trampled and ground into dust, and erased from this world as soon as possible.

That was how I felt at that time.

And so, I overlooked you guys. You probably didn’t realize it, but I even supported ya from behind the scenes.

How come the Yumenosaki administration chose to overlook the student’s steadily growing power?

Did they leave the student council to bend the school’s very rules simply out of incompetency?

Who knows, really. Maybe they got a push from a certain someone who happened to be well-liked by adults.

You guys were busy buildin’ the cross on which you would eventually be crucified upon.

Tsumugi: You had become desperate and wanted to kill yourself.

You must’ve been in so much despair, Rei-kun.

I’m sorry. It was you who saved me, yet I never realized your real intentions.

Rei: Don’t apologize, I had also been maskin’ that depression I had to keep it hidden.

Ahh, I’ve always been bound by my very own character. As everyone’s favorite superstar, Sakuma Rei-chan.

So, I’m tossin’ “that guy” out, and lookin’ for a new character.

And, besides. I feel like it’s my fault for bein’ so desperate back then. I’m like, “Are ya kiddin’ me, are you an idiot?”

If it had been just me, that’d be fine. I didn’t care what cruelty I faced, ‘cuz it’s what I wanted. But truthfully, I’d always felt alone back then, even when there were lots of people surrounding me.

And so, I had only been thinkin’ of myself. Like some grandpa, I’d figured to prep my grave while I’m alive or whatever. Like the selfish person I was.

But, there were people other than me who were gonna be put within that grave.

At that time I never imagined that I would love them so much.

I never thought I’d have a friend who was equal to me.

Tsumugi: The Five Eccentrics, right?

Rei: Yup, the friends you guys gave me. No sarcasm intended. It was you who brought us together, where we then found each other.

Five people, who otherwise would have been alone, were able to find those the same as themselves in this wide world.

It was a miracle.

But, that is where I’m troubled. I regret it now. I shouldn’t have acted so prematurely, I shouldn’t have overlooked you guys out of despair.

Tsumugi. Just as you said, I could have stopped you guys.

But, I didn’t stop you guys. Because I had abandoned myself out of desperation.

I thought I had lost everything. I didn’t believe it would be possible for me to gain somethin’ new and precious again… I never believed it’d be through them.

I hadn’t even considered the possibility at the time.

That is my failure, my sin.

My greatest mistake.

I honestly wish I could punch myself from back then in the face. Tell him, “what’re ya doin’ givin’ everythin’ up, givin’ into your despair like that!?”

But, well, you guys already beat me up, so why bother goin’ out of the way to beat myself up too?

When I try to hurt myself like that, I’d just sadden others more than I hurt myself.

Tsumugi: Then, why—

If you realized your mistake, why didn’t you act? You could have turned it around from any situation.

Eichi-kun was in so much of a hurry, I doubt he would have been able to respond in time.

Even at the final performance, you could have won if you moved with all your might, and ignoring all the plot points up until that point you could have been victorious—It should have been possible!

And yet, even then, you didn’t do anything.

Rei: You don’t know why, Tsumugi?

Nah, you should know the reason by now.

While you’re now able to empathize with a story to the point of shedding tears…

I empathized with the author and protagonist of the story.

He had just looked so happy at long last, how could I ruin a moment like that?

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[su-scream]

Eichi little life summary!

So, you all know that Eichi was not a very healthy kid. Most of his youth is set in stone in the hospital.

His only entertainment is the TV, and all other stuff that can use to watch things that are outside of that dam hospital that he hate to stuck in.

(Circus event storyline)

He got amazed by idols and came the love and obsessed with it.

Eichi got a chance to witness Wataru's show ( even if it from a TV or something ) and yes, he became an Wataru hardcore fan.

There are lots of time Eichi mention that he get to witness or having an idea for the next festival/show from when he was in the hospital and watching other idol shows.

To Eichi, Wataru was shiny little star. Far away from him. Even if he's an rich as hell kid, even if he was somewhat a heir, he understand that he can't reach out and touch it. For that star was too far and gorgeous for a person like him to touch.

And this is a welcoming change! I mean, Eichi came from a rich household and was canonly acted like Tori when he was young. But when he gets to know about idols and gets to know Wataru from that square and flat TV screen, he realizes his limit.

When he wants to be as beautiful and shiny as Wataru, following his pure love for idols. He begged his parents to let him study at Yumenosaki school. And after all that effort? What did he get, a school that was full of terrible people and a broken system.

That is why he started the war, he made an effort to make the school a better place. He made 5 Eccentric, came up with Fine to defeat them, to brighten up the school.

Then, he died. Like a burning star that ran out of energy and was on the vein of death.

That why, the first time he got send back to the hospital, he said: "I don't want to die."

But at last, when the war ended, he wishes to die.

He had did such a brutal things, never did he wish for forgiveness. Eichi is...not an evil villain, he's a well-written character who understand the action he made.

Eichi was desperate to die not because he was so sick that he can't keep up with the idol work anymore. But because he was sunken down into the states of agony and pain. He's an animal, moaning for his own death to come.

To Eichi, he has finished his mission to made this school a better place. Now, for he had committed such faults. Brutally, hurting people, made them suffer. He thoughts, maybe even god wouldn't forgive him.

He should've been dead.

What did he do, why, he was doing this for the benefit of the school, yes. Because he love idols, he don't want to see them rotten away from the bright and shine a like that he always see on the TV.

He was planning his doom from the very beginning. That why he made a contract with Fine instead of a bonding friendship.

If he die, he want them to live freely. Don't moan for him, don't be sad when he die. He don't feel like he deserve it at all.

That is why, Tsumugi is called a "Bluebird" and when Fine is no more when Wataru visits Eichi, he calls Tsumugi: "The bird blue you set free."

The bird Eichi set free, wishing that it would never go back to him, the one who had hurt them once.

Back to Wataru.

Eichi always has eyes on him, but even if they are standing next to each other, having a normal conversation. He still has this uncomfortable feeling in his heart.

This can't be real. To Eichi, this talk, this meeting, he's smiling face with joy and grief was not for Eichi but for something else.

He just, can't put his head together to believe that the unreachable star is now right in-fort of his eyes.

There was too much on his mind that it crashed and went all empty at that moment.

Oh god! He just saw such a pathetic side of me.

Why is he here? How did he get in, this shine star that I can't never reach just land it down like this?

No, don't forget what you have done Eichi! Maybe, he was here for revenge, yes, that could only be the reason why! He wasn't here for me, he was here for all his precious friends...

Unlike me, who had broke their bond with the one that could have share joy and pain with me.

He push Wataru away with all his might, but at the end, Wataru won. Convince him to think otherwise, stop trying to made himself disappear.

Because, look! His lovely shiny idols that he always looks up to is here, ready to stay by his side. Why bother to run away now? There's a new chance, so why don't you trust me, the Amazing Wataru before giving up on yourself?

And, somehow Wataru was able to rub it off on him.

Saved him from finding his own way to doom. Pull him away from the road of suicide.

Wataru needs him. That the reason.

Wataru wants to be his next company, help Eichi to get through the hardships.

And that...save Eichi. He was no longer want death to come and pick him up. He want to stay.

Even if, he have to one again be the villain of the story. Wataru was there for him, why bother giving up now? He realizes, he still got lots of things he wants to do and lots of time to speed with Wataru.

He was saved...and from that moment on, he decided to live a life.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

💋 - I wanna hear these pregame headcanons

//Alright fine, I'll summarize them as quickly as I can.

//However, these are CANON to the blog, so I might have to cut anything spoilery. Plus, some of them are pretty heavy, so keep that in mind

Kaede and her twin sister Kaori cut all ties with their birth parents because they did not agree with their life choices. Though they stuck together for a long while to carry each other through life, Kaori ran with a bad crowd, which caused her and Kaede to drift apart. Eventually, Kaori died in an accident, forcing Kaede into despair and taking away all faith she had in humanity.

Pregame Shuichi, much like V3 Shuichi, lived with his uncle thanks to his parents having a "hands-off" way of raising him. When he was in 5th grade, he solved a case of stolen lunch money at his school completely by chance; which resulted in a constant array of bullying from the friends of the thief who got expelled. This led Shuichi to question whether it was safe to reveal the truth or not, hence the inspiration for his Killing Game attitude initially.

Kokichi was raised by an abusive mother who lashed his neck and shoulders with a belt (which is why he wears the scarf.) The reason he joined Danganronpa is that the one thing that kept him going through his rough childhood was watching the goofy cartoon villains on children's TV shows.

Kaito's mother died from childbirth, and after becoming depressed as a result, his father drank himself to death, causing Kaito to be raised by his grandparents from a young age. Due to being a troublemaker who constantly got into fights with people, including his school teachers, great stress was put on the two old-timers. The reason why Kaito entered Dangarnonpa to achieve fame and fortune is because he wanted to stop being a burden to them and make life a little easier.

Maki pre-V3, much like post-V3 Maki, was raised as an orphan. With the help of an unknown best friend, she got a shady job (the inspiration for her talent and backstory in V3) and joined Danganronpa on a mission to find her real parents, hoping they would recognize her.

Tsumugi initially joined Danganronpa 52 to become more confident in herself, and to be someone else that she could truly be proud of. She stayed on Team DR who allowed her to write the 53rd season.

Keebo, originally a human before turned into the Ultimate Robot, was Tsumugi's childhood friend who she allowed to be incorporated as an additional cast member in the Killing Game narrative (this was based on a comic by chibigaia)

Rantaro first participated in the 52nd Killing Game to make money and support his very large family, but became trapped in the Killing Game cycle and was forced to participate as the Ultimate Survivor at the end of the game.

Miu was a gyaru through and through, being as much of a bitchqueen in real life as she is in the Killing Game, while also being a surprisingly studious and intelligent girl, but her attitude changed a lot after she suffered in a car crash (just like in V3's universe) which left her with some nasty body scars that she's embarrassed by.

Himiko was born (and in Survivor canon, does still have) autism, and as a child, was constantly depressed and out, like nothing she ever did really mattered.

Tenko was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age, and while she's not as violently misandrous as she is in the Killing Game, she has terrible androphobia, which she joins the Killing Game in hopes of overcoming.

Angie is an outcast due to being a religious foreigner, and living as a true example of a third-culture girl. Trying to let people know she only wants to make friends and is completely normal is the reason she signs on V3.

Kiyo had a sister IRL who was also very sickly, that he was very close with, however, not to the extent that he is in V3. He tries to get a well paying job to support her, and joins Danganronpa because it's her favourite show, and he wishes to rekindle her faith in life by being on it (with the results being completely out of his control)

Despite her capabilities, Kirumi gained a rep as a "useless tall girl" amongst her peers, even though she acts mature and is still a workaholic. She doesn't have many friends, and joins the Killing Game because "she wants to be useful to others." She also STILL doesn't know how to cut Konjac.

While I never really put my finger on what exactly his case would be, I pictured Ryoma being a man with many regrets in life, having lost many relationships due to his nature and actions, and feels innately guilty because of his past. He joins Danganronpa because he believes the suffering he recieves will redeem him of his past actions.

Much like his backstory within V3, Gonta was much bigger than most kids, leaving many of them to be afraid of him. Not only that, but because he lived in a wealthy family, everyone else thought he believed he was too good for them. His only friend growing up was a husky dog, which inspired the aspect of his backstory where he was raised by wolves.

-Mod

[viatrix-glow]

I HAVE FINALLY FINISHED MY RENDERS/LAYOUTS/WHATEVER FOR MY ENSTARS OC….. and now i will dump a bunch of information about her 🤲🏽

here’s some outfits for her!! tbh the winter one was made on the spot soooo idk if it’ll actually stay

here’s the faux scout cards <3 they took way too long to make and yes i stole the bg of the second one from mika’s card (the first is also from the game). i’m not drawing a background

heres some more info about her. no organization im just gonna spout some rapid fire facts. keep in mind she is a little bit (a lot bit) of a self indulgent oc <3

-she is what i am dubbing a fill-in idol. essentially, she’s an idol who fills in for other units when they’re missing a member for a performance . this is why she works with valkyrie most often (she can take the roll of shu or nazuna for ex songs)

-her first name comes from a song (hikari by royal scandal). no real reason i just like the song lol

-she left switch on very good terms (she’s still besties with all 3 of them). she just left because she thought the unit functioned better as a trio (“you three shine brighter on stage without me~”) she still performs with them from time to time though (usually for smaller audiences, or she just joins them for practice)

-she’s been friends with mika since before they entered yumenosaki (they applied together), and became close to arashi in her first year too. she had planned on trying out for valk alongside him, but got caught up with switch

-speaking of switch! she runs into tsumugi on the day that he first visits the library (with the key rei gives him to get into the secret area) and recognizes him as one of the fine members . she goes with him to the library and meets natsume there (same scene as canon just. she’s there .) she gets along really well with him (and with mugi), which is why she ends up as a member of switch during her second year.

-she used to have a crush on nazuna (product of watching the performances and going to mika’s practices) . not really relevant i just wanted to throw it out there. does she have a crush on someone now? i don’t know

-her last name (yuuta) is intentionally the same as my twst oc, aurelia . they are sisters (aurelia is the older one by a year and a few months -(her bday is 2/2)). my thought is that when aurelia is sent to the world of twst, somehow the people who know her in her or world forget about her, so hikari doesn’t remember her as of now .

-she works part time at the same diner/restaurant/whatever as niki. he has to teach her a Lot about cooking though (she’s getting better)

-she absolutely Hates hates hatesssss rinne and crazy:b when they first start to cause trouble. she’s very protective over her friends and the other idols at es. even though she dislikes eichi for everything he did, she recognizes and appreciates the work he’s put into making es. she doesn’t like how crazy:b throws themselves into others live shows (live shows are so important and personal to units!!), and she gets very snappy and upset with them for it. however, she does her best to keep the peace when she’s around them because they’re under the same agency. after the main story stuff in !! finished though she begins to understand the position rinne +the bees were in, and she starts to forgive them and grow somewhat close to them. i would put them in the frenemies area

-i think her shuffle unit would be flambé!…? i tried to make it branco since they only have 4 members, but since she works with sora so often i think that disqualifies her. i really would like her to be in blend+ but again. same problem

-i think she’s close with anzu too. girlies gotta stick together! her, anzu and naru can go out for girls nights together

-the only unit she doesn’t really fill in for is 2wink because . the whole twin dynamic. kinda hard to replace one . and mam/doubleface obv

ok i’m running out of thoughts it’s 12am but that’s my oc!!!! if u read all of this thank you i love u <3

[non-fantasy]

Okay so I'm assuming you know their names right but just in case Eichi is the blonde one and Wataru the blue haired one.

and Eichi didn't really start the war because of Wataru but because the system in the school was so bad and everyone was unmotivated and there were a few talented ones and then there was the rest. Right.

So the thing with Wataru actually goes wayyy back to the days when Eichi was still a child stuck in a hospital room for most of his life and he would spend a lot of time watching idols on TV. That's where he saw Wataru for the first time (not as an idol but as a magician I'll get to that point later). And that somehow kinda in a way gave him back his way to live if I start talking about this now I'll never shut up but that's roughly the gist of it.

So Eichi, out of his love for idols, along with Keito (green haired glasses kid, kinda looks like a father) and Tsumugi (bue haired glasses kid, kinda looks like a pathetic wet mop of a man) started planning this school revolution where they picked out five of the most talented, extraordinary students (The five eccentrics) and had them go against the student council units.

Why am I telling you this? Because this is important backstory that's good to know. It's incredibly vague though but I will spare you the details because this would make this longer than needed

Anyways one of those Students is Wataru. And all five of them were supposed to be "Executed" but actually only four of them were (Natsume (red hair with white streaks, wizard kid) didn't get one). Wataru got his execution last. I will spare you the details.

In a novel, daydream, there is a scene after Watarus execution with Eichi and Wataru backstage. Eichi, exhausted from the performance, collapsed straight into Watarus arms and proceeds to throw up blood right onto Wataru (couple goals amirite).

Anyways, later, after some time (again, I will spare you the details), Wataru joins Eichis unit, fine, because he has taken an interest in Eichi as a person. And, again, some longer time later that has developed into Wataru finding genuine happyness in fine and having genuinely fallen for Eichi.

And there's also EP:Link, which is notorious for being one of the, if not the Wataei story of all time because that really. it does something to a person. Eichi is worried Wataru might leave the idol industry to pursue his acting career and there's the. the rooftop scene which basically goes:

“You estimated when I would love both you and fine deeply, when I most certainly would not wish to part with you… And then you'll fade away, as if you were nothing more than a mirage, abandoning that which could have survived if given only a single drop of water. The moment that I yearn for you and pine for you — the moment that I realize I've fallen in love with you — you’ll disappear from my hands. Just like the bluebird of happiness…" (<- real in-game dialogue from Eichi to Wataru) "Eichi I want to be "the real thing", - the real bluebird of happiness that you were unable to obtain in the past. Being more realistic than the real thing is precisely what a supreme actor is, after all. That being said, even if I prepare a hundred million words now, they will surely mean nothing to you, so allow me to express my feelings with actions instead. This time, for certain, I will ensure that you do not misunderstand anything; in a way that is simple and easy to understand, allow me to express everything that I am. Eichi. Here, please accept this."(<- Watarus actual in-game answer (which, not to pat myself on the back, I can quote half of from memory))

And he then hands Eichi his mask (which is pretty much his trademark at that point) with the words:

"This is me, and I offer this to you."

Eichi then proceeds to try to make sense of this because his mind won't let him accept that Wataru actually did mean it as "I'm staying with you." and in the end when he finally realizes that that's the only logical answer he accepts it and it's basically a marriage proposal it's a whole ordeal it's wonderful really.

That's the basic rundown I feel like I went a little overboard but yes that's them they're awesome I can talk more this is just ! era but there's also !! era and everything that happened between and you don't even know about Tempest yet

oh no wonder you people are insane over these guys. this is like morphine and i am talking from the fucking summary that leaves out details.

[icharchivist]

i'm back!! it's been a while since I've been in your askbox, i forgot how nice it was :) and i am having fun! talking about chs 10-21 right now... this will probably be ask 2/3 about winter!

i really loved how everyone just kind of rolled with the android thing, and after suspecting that he was human, still attested that like. okay well whether he's human or android, let's care about him. he's guy, after all. I'd suspected guy wasn't actually an android (though admittedly, I kind of wanted him to be, because like, thats fun, and i have a lot of thoughts on robots-as-humans, but I think it's a bit too high concept for a3... well, real-life a3, at least. clockwork heart can deal with that stuff instead)

but, to that end, I'm glad that they figured it out pretty quickly? like, guy has that "defragmentation" dream, and azuma comes in the next day like. pretty sure he's human, guys, and then it gets resolved from there. I felt like they let it go on for a proper amount of time. i got so excited when one of the ch titles was "defrag" bc I'd listened to guy's chara song before... can't wait to look up the lyrics once i finish act 2! azuma bringing up the idea is also very neat, since he's the one that calls guy "mr. android" / android-san... like it shows, I think, a kind of awareness from him, when he calls guy that? as a playful sort of test like, ah yes, you, an android, which I totally believe you are... it's very neat is what I'm saying. it's really funny that azuma's so confidently like. androids don't dream. I've never read it but there's this one book called "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and it's the inspiration for like, the film Blade Runner? so i kept thinking of that every time they brought it up.

i have a couple of thoughts on guy and citron's relationship and his backstory but!! a couple things i wanna address first of course: the play, and the various looks into winter we get

I think it was really neat that guy got to have an individual interaction with every member of the winter troupe! it was such a great way to reflect back on what they'd been through, and a clear demonstration that the a3! writers absolutely UNDERSTAND what they're conveying!! like, it's nice to know that a3!'s story being so good isn't just like, chance or accident--they absolutely have set up winter to me a troupe that's a bit older and a bit more reserved. it's really nice, too, that as with tsumugi saying that they needed to learn how to close that sense of distance, every member tries to offer up information about themselves and bond with guy. they're trying to not repeat the same mistakes! with the android thing, they even overstep a little while questioning guy, and that's like... something they would've never done before! because they wouldn't have tried to push anything.

the homare section probably hit me hardest. i mean, i was anticipating it and all, but it's like... i was proved so right that it hit me harder? like, yeah, homare relates to guy about not expressing or understanding emotion in a "standard" way... that's exactly what i'd wanted to happen! his poem in this segment was also ace. great vocalization the syllables of it sounded so fun and good. i wonder if homare likes to repeat fun-sounding stuff that gets stuck in his head... i do that all the time. like killua's low voiced baaaka. i repeat that to myself just for fun sometimes. i also really like how homare talked about his watch. like, first off, he so easily says that tasuku will fix it for him again... it's just such a lovely feeling of like, homare can trust his friends enough that he knows his watch is fine... how dear! but also he describes this was as "a symbol of sorts of that fear" referring to the idea that he's "broken" and can't function normally in the world and will like... be discarded, right? and then he says that despite that fact, he keep s it with him because it's also part of how he's overcoming that fear of his. I really liked this presentation of it because I think it's one that is respectful of like... my complicated feelings towards homare's grandmother, who loved him, but wasn't kind about the way she did, I think. so I like that he acknowledges the watch for the gift it is but also doesn't shy away from the fact that it caused him pain. I also really like that he said the point isn't to understand but to feel compassion... yeah! like, there's different ways of communicating with others that's not just simple empathy, which I think is so cool.

and then homare and hisoka... along with homare smiling while talking about what a pain hisoka is, his voice sounds so clearly joyful. and homare says that, too! that it's all such a joy.

i was attacked in particular by this moment bc I'd had a small wip from when I'd just finished awakening moon, concerning like... chikage and homare, where they kind of examine their relationships with hisoka and stuff? and there's this bit I'd written where chikage asks homare something similar to what guy asks here, which is essentially like: why do you bother. isn't hisoka kind of annoying the way he is?

and I'd written:

"But you see, the fondness I feel for our dear troupe’s Hisoka… I find it blooms even more when complains!" Homare's eyes twinkled. "An anger that’s sticky sweet and light as air… surely the Hisoka who is more fair is less himself, true? So, to see him as he is, for me, is a great treasure!”

and. putting that up against a3!, which has homare say this:

"I find myself quite fond of Hisoka Mikage, and everything that makes him, him. I would rather not have another."

it's like... the same intentions! so I was absolutely stricken. and as always i love how much homare adores hisoka... like, just before this he's like. yeah hisoka's a pain. and he's unsociable. and like other insults to his character. and then he's like. well. i do love all of that. it's so... homare!! i love you...

hisoka's bit was very nice... and he's right, azuma does need to be protected sometimes. I like how clearly they state some stuff here, it's so cool. on that note I'm so happy azuma's got a roommate now and won't sleep alone. like... that's so awesome. and when azuma tells guy about a bit of his past, guy!! instinctively pats him on the head!! that's WONDERFUL!! i cheered when that happened. i feel like azuma would really benefit from being around someone who's like... just very naturally physically affectionate, and if guy is patting azuma's head on instinct... i bet he'd help make azuma feel less alone. also azuma saying that he used to think of tasuku as someone cold and insensitive... but now he's realized just how sweet he is, that got me!! i think it also really outlines how like. serious nocturnality was. like, azuma and tasuku not being super close wasn't just like. minor awkwardness. they'd kind of majorly not understood each other? which is why that event is so good.

it was also neat that tasuku was like "oh you'll understand tsumugi through acting" and tsumugi said the exact same thing. nerds (affectionate). they're so funny like first off all the fact that according to azuma when they get drunk they just argue about theater together... or like, after tasuku and guy did that impromptu street act, tsumugi was like. how could you not invite me??? and instead of tasuku being like. it was spur of the moment how could i have he instead decided to be like well someone doesn't wake up early enough in the morning! like. they're so sweet. also the way tasuku's like. guy, do NOT ask tsumugi stuff about me. that's a real "old friends" thing you do...

next point on the list: the phantom of the opera!

had to wikipedia the actual phantom of the opera bc admittedly. i did not know anything abt it. i think it's really interesting how tsuzuru leaned harder on themes of revenge in order to make the play work without romance, and i have to say, I think he achieved it! like, from a quick google, the phantom was born with his face being disfigured, where as here, he was burned in the fire of like. competition. so it really changes him from being like. a guy that never received love and is desperate for it, if he's someone who hasn't been like, hiding his face since birth. the phantom being like, “this scar is evidence of your sins" reminded me of skip beat! which I don't know if you've ever read... but there's a character someone acts as, called mio, who's like that.

since tasuku said guy could understand tsumugi through his acting, I have to say I'd agree, because chris here has a lot of qualities that remind me of tsumugi? like, the criticisms of his voice levelled towards him is that it's “delicate, intimate, ill-suited for a concert hall” which is rather... similar to how tsumugi's acting has been criticized, isn't it? it's nice to see tasuku play raoul and be nicely supportive of tsumugi, too. I would be so interested to see how they staged this, like, did they sing the opera? did they get voice samples? did they get someone to play strings for all the opera bits as a way to suggest voice? would be cool to know. there's a line in the play where raoul's annoyed that the phantom has completely Replaced chris’s voice in one of his performances... they kind of drop that line of thought in this abridged version of the play, so I wonder if it'll get addressed a little in the story? i'm excited...

them watching winter's original performance was cool! like, apart form the fact that guy had seen it, which is neat, i imagine it must have taken some skill to play christine. in terms of winter playing female roles, my mind went to homare instead of azuma first, which proves that. we're of the same mind. he's right, anyways--“beauty and art know no gender!” homare can be the tallest most beautiful lady if he wishes...

i did laugh when izumi was like. the phantom in the play hides all his pain and suffering inside, motivated by only the thought of revenge… I wonder if guy can express that kind of emotion?

me, reaching through the screen to place a hand on her shoulder: listen, tsuzuru wrote this. expression may be an issue but guy likely has at least some of these emotions in him. tsuzuru’s a precog about this kind of thing and also probably particularly emotional about citron right now

speaking of, apart from tsuzuru writing the play and chikage getting data from the microchip, spring's kinda been... absent? like, I guess it's because citron is gone, and it's not like we've seen much of summer or autumn, either, but like... i dunno. I wouldn't be surprised if they were concocting travel plans to zafra without telling anyone. mostly because I think it would affect citron emotionally if they were that ridiculous for him. and spring's always been kind of ridiculous... see how they were with itaru leaving, or with chikage, or with masumi at the airport... I think citron should get something dramatic there, too.

while I'm on ridiculous speculation I can't believe citron's brothers are orange, navel, and tangerine. like... really...? do you have a gay cousin called grapefruit, too? like at least citron is citronia, yknow? anyways, like he said, he gets along quite well with his youngest brother, in comparison to the other two. of the little we've seen, his youngest brother seems kind of muku-esque? and citron's always so sweet towards muku... I wonder why that's part of it. like, he was willing to play prince for muku in blazing beachside passions iirc? i think he just values like. having that sibling connection be strong, too.

right but my wild speculation was that orange and navel are soooo hammy in terms of implying, like, wow, citron, I thought you were dead! and saying they hope his coronation goes without...... .... .... incident, so it would be fun and also devastating if the person plotting for citron's demise was actually his youngest brother. just saying.

the two CGs so far were also really really good. guy with the flowers was like... so pretty. and then him having a nightmare was. well he was also pretty there. but it was a good moment to pick. "defragmentation" is literally his character song and his mental turmoil with emotions and stuff is a pretty big part of him. now that he's actually emoting in rehearsal, izumi was like "i'm sure the play will go smoothly!" and in my head i laughed bc hello. we hae 17 chapters left. i don't think so.

and now finally i get to discuss citron and guy's relationship!

first off, it makes even clearer sense that citron speaks of class / status difference when discussing how a clockwork heart relates to him and guy, because he knows that guy isn't even an android. i really enjoyed the little moments of conversation that guy flashbacked to, because they're really interesting in terms of what citron's saying. like when he's asking "guy, why must we always fight like this?" or other things, citron is trying to prod him into expressing his emotions, but he's doing it with this sense of insecurity in their friendship, too. like, he wants guy to have fun when he's having fun, so the relationship feels real and not one-sided. he wants guy to feel sad about them fighting, because it means they care about each other. etc. citron's been so good this entire arc so far... i really love that we get to see him being kind of perceptive and stuff. he's always been that way, it's just more obvious here. and i love that it doesn't really change what we know about citron, too. he can say cutting words towards some of his brothers and tell zafra guy betrayed him, and he can extend so much love and care towards guy by giving izumi that charm, which is a really sneaky thing to do. ah. it's interesting how izumi and guy differ in their views of citron and guy's meeting... guy thinks of himself as a new interesting toy that a prince picked up, and izumi denies that, but I actually think both are a bit incorrect? like, I think citron picked guy as his attendant in a very selfish, kind of bratty move as a prince who wanted friends. and then after he'd done that, he decided to treasure him as much as possible. but that initial meeting... I think it was a rather ordinary spark of curiosity, and then guy became important for citron. which he clearly is, now. I can so clearly imagine a younger citron seeing that message from guy's dad and then committing to trying to find a way to make it work.

speaking of. i was sympathetic regarding guy's mother's worries, because like, hey, she's in a foreign country and married to someone who's not really financially stable in any sort of way. however, considering that her new husband was The Worst, it's not like she was divorcing guy's dad out of concern for guy, I'm pretty sure. it was nice to learn about guy's past, though! the VA did such a good job with guy's initial emotional outburst--it startled me when he got mad the first time! i realized just how much of a contrast there was. also when he cries and instictively calls it oil and homare is like. well, taste it, why don't you? that's such a poet thing to do...

i think that's the sum of my thoughts! i've been taking a few notes on zafra... seeing that it's described as being from west asia, it feels like the writing is pulling from... lets say, flat? depictions of like, i don't know. the disney aladdin kind of vibes. I'm kind of intrigued by the tourism industry being such a big part of the the country, though... like, would citron's disappearance not be more public news? or does no one know the heir until he's been coronated... just some musings. it's very nice that they have jasmine there... it's one of my favorite plants, and in the indian weddings I've been to, we all wear it in our hair. part of the reason I'd kinda wanted guy to be a bonafide android is because I think it would be interesting for a place like zafra to be a really tech-heavy place considering traditional depictions of that region. anyways, I suppose I'll just see what's going on as it develops...

YIPEEE WELCOME BACK!! twice in one day, you've advanced fast!!! always nice to see you back in the askbox ;DD

under cut!

YEAH GOD i love how they rolled with it. tbh the fact it was Winter probably made it easier to swallow i mean. Team "i mean we experienced supernatural events in here, so why wouldn't an android exist". But it's nice that once they had doubt about him being human they still tried to approach it kindly as it is and still were really concerned about him. (understandable though, but yeah, this would be only for Clockwork heart in that regard)

but yeah i do like that it's been handled quickly, and like… it makes sense from our resident night terror guy to look at Guy trying to frame his own night terrors as something else and going mhmmmmm yeah no something is up here. + Azuma being a therapist he was basically having all of the reasons to see right through it. but yeah i do think they managed to keep it up for the right amount of time. And Defrag is such a good song so <33 hope you'll enjoy it once you check the lyrics! And you're so right about the way Azuma himself calls him android-san in a way that's so playful since he's the one person who can figure out just how human Guy actually is. And true about that book, it probably fits the theme pretty much on that regard.

YOURE SOOO RIGHT this chapter really showed the writers are really deliberate in their way to write Winter and it really worked wonders on that regard. Honestly as someone who was pointing those things out before the release of this chapter, i was so vindicated when they kept putting into words what i've been saying all along. I was so happy.

Guy is really in this situation where he has a bit of everyone's struggle in him, so the way Winter had to learn to approach one another is really having its pay off right here with how, now they know, and Guy is joining, and they know how to help him now. it was so so good. In the past, indeed, they would have ignored it. but now they had learnt so much from one another that they were ready to take care of Guy. It's so much to me.

God i was waiting for you to experience the Homare section. you already felt so strongly for Homare with his own focused stories, and you immediately figured Homare should connect with him on the android side, and the story reward you by giving you exactly what you expect. Also loving the little moment of you relating to how Homare loves sound <3 it actually reminds me of how when i was in poetry class in my English cursus, our teacher read us poems in other languages that even he didn't understand, and he said "poetry isn't always in the meaning, sometimes it's just about how it sounds. It could mean nothing, but the fact those words sounded this way is what makes it precious. sometimes it's even better to read poetry from language you don't know, because then when it clicks, you understand the poetry without having to understand what it says". During that lesson i immediately thought about Homare and the fact he canonically has a lot of fans oversea. This is exactly this logic going on here. THE WAAATCH GAAAH THE WHOLE THING. EXACTLY LIKE YOU SUM IT UP YEAH. Like it is all of those feelings that really brewed since MMMBM that it just ends up being so good when Homare can put everything into words like this. it's so touching.

AND YEAH. THE PURE JOY. GAAAHH. I love them your honor……..

AND OH MY GOD. OH MY GODDDDD??? you literally nailed Homare so much that on writting a piece before The Greatest Journey you nailed EXACTLY how Homare would so fondly talk about Hisoka being a pain in the ass (affectionate) and how he wouldn't be Hisoka if he wasn't also a little annoying. I love this so much it's so so good. you totally nailed it.

AND YEAH… The way Homare talked baout Hisoka here just makes me cry like. it's really just, loving him even so, or like, bECAUSE he's a pain at time. because it's so Hisoka, it's so unbashedly him, that it's just so good and just. god. it's adorable. Homare you're so sweet i love you so much he's so loving.

Hisoka's bit was really soft yeah. The fact he immediately talks about protecting Azuma just makes me so teary. Like yeah Azuma does need it!! but at this point where they haven't had big moments aside from how Azuma always take care of Hisoka it's just so so touching. AND YEAH. AZUMA FINALLY HAVING A ROOMMATE. i'm so happy for him. I looked forward the winter rookie ever since Azuma opened up about his night terrors and the fact Guy is the perfect roomie makes it so perfect i'll never stop crying about it. AND GOD YEAH. Azuma both having done so much work he's able to open himself up like this AND Guy being able to give Azuma the affection he needs even though at this point Guy has closed himself from his emotion it's just. it's so touching. As for Azuma's comment on Tasuku it's something that really got me too because, 1) i had the same process with Tasuku back then so i felt it, and 2) this is really the confirmation of just how their relationship in the first winter chapter was genuinely incompatible at the time. Like both of them basically were miscommunicating on their affection language and it really actually put a major divide between them, but since they're polite adults, a lot of people don't really realize that they REALLY didn't get along in the first chapter??? Nocturnality really changed the way they viewed each other, especially how Azuma saw Tasuku, and it was so great and i love that The Greatest Journey just plainly said it. again it was a moment of vindication for me because i've been saying it ever since i've first read Nocturnality and it clicked, and i've seen a lot of people not really realizing how bad it was??? (of course it's not your case, we were discussing it so much back then ahah). I love how The Greatest Journey really show us, well, what a journey it was for Winter to finally come to the same page. what a time.

Tasuku and Tsumugi are such major nerds though god. and YESS they're just so cute i love Tsumugi being pouty about not being able to join. They have such a good dynamic, always. And i love love everything you say there yes. it's so perfect.

And ooohhhh, welcome to the world of POTO i actually had. so many thoughts about Guy being casted as Erik then because a lot of things made sense to me from that moment. So, Erik's facial disfiguration depends on which adaptation you read/watch in general also, so it's probably the reason Tsuzuru picked inspiration from others adaptations. To me it struck me to have Guy play Erik because Erik is not a phantom -- he's a guy, who's basically been made the monster by the people around him so much so he basically believed himself to be a monster. but it's being shown compassion by Christine that makes him realize he doesn't have to be the monster people made him out to be, and it's why he let her go, let his bitterness go. So i kinda saw coming that Guy wasn't an android for the same reason -- he's just a guy (lol) who was told he was an android by people around him, so much so he basically believed himself to be an android. But by being shown compassion, he realizes he's not what people tried to make of him. Also in the original book, Erik once travelled in the (orientalist) middle east and became the assassin for the royal figure of that country, and killed for him and all, until eventually he was considered a liability and had to run away back to Paris, and he's followed by the Persian, a man who is trying to take care of him because of this situation. On that end i think it kinda suck that A3 stuck to it lol but the "became a tool in the middle east to the royal family, but once he came back home he still had people from here showing him affection" is also here in guy's storyline. tho the similitude to skip beat seems cool :oo

In term of Tsumugi=Chris, you really nailed it, it really fits him very well. Ironically just like Chris(tine), Tsumugi needed a little push from good friends and maybe supernatural intervention in order to be given a chance. i think they mention somewhere for the opera, how they did it? so if they don't mention it since then i'll tell you, else you'll see -- however i must address that, to "train", the N cards for POTO are all about the Winter Troupe going karaoke in order to see if they could be opera singers. (also major recommandation of Hisoka's SR Backstage because he's so funny in it it's one of my favorite backstage ever)

Honestly nowadays most of Winter could easily do feminine roles and like. I feel you, Homare would be perfect. Hell, considering he played a woman role recently and he was the most gorgeous woman i've ever set my eyes on, i think it's fair to say that Homare is 100% right and that Hisoka dismissing it is WRONG and STUPID and --

AND HELPPP. Izumi, how could you doubt Tsuzuru? Like sure Guy may struggle, but the whole point is that with Tsuzuru's ability you just need to wwait a little and Guy will connect with it so hard it's going to rewire his whole life. This is Tsuzuru's power. if Tsuzuru wrote it this way, it'll be fine. and you're personally so right about how you word it lmao

"it would affect citron if they act ridiculous for him. and they're kind of ridiculous" this is the best summary of spring i've ever seen. you're so right. They're so overthetop and ridiculous. You know that if they want to get Citron back they'll get him back in style. they're only keeping quiet for the grand final. or something.

gd yeah Citron's brothers' names are awful. ALSO THE GAY COUSIN LINE IM DLKFJDLKFJDL KIRI YOURE AMAZING. but yeah. Citron i could believe with Citronia and all, but the brothers' names are just… A3 please try to not make those a joke……… Tangerine really is a lot like Muku yeah. It's mentioned at some point and yeah, i think Citron really saw Tangerine in Muku so much so he imprinted on Muku right away. It's really sweet.

your speculation game is incredible though no note lmao

and you're sooo right about the CG. In the spring chapter the CG were Chikage at what he does best (trickery, also "playing" games with Spring), Chikage at his most vulnerable (crying with Hisoka) and Chikage's journey with his troupe (sleeping with them) (you know what i mean). Autumn and Summer kinda had another formula but one that fits both of them. it's Kumon and Azami doing what they do best (Baseball, Make Up), an emotional catharsis moment (Kumon crying after the play, Sakyo worrying about Azami), and members of the troupe without the rookies, but concerned for them (Yuki&Tenma's phonecall, Autumn's fursona beatdown). So far Guy is pretty much "Guy at his most Vulnerable" (Defrag), and Guy discovering new way to do things, which i think fits closer to the first paterns, as he's bonding with Winter/Tsumugi there. But yeah it was just, such a good choice aaaahhh.

"izumi was like "i'm sure the play will go smoothly!" and in my head i laughed bc hello. we hae 17 chapters left. i don't think so. " DLKFJDLKFJDLKFJDFLKJDLKFJDKLFDJFD PLEASE HELP. yeah. yeah.

As for Citron and Guy let's go-- yeah it reframes how Citron immediately related to Clockwork Heart, because even if S isn't human, Citron could just see his relationship with Guy there - and Guy is human, so S is just as human to him. Doesn't matter what would make him less of one. he's like his good friend. And i love the way you explain it, yeah, completely. Like Citron just wants it to be real for Guy too, and of course he's hurt by Guy's standoffishness, a bit for his own reasons of course, but also mostly because Guy himself is isolating himself and Citron would love to just be allowed in. And i think it reflects also on his relationship with Spring, why Citron was always bothering Masumi in particular for instance since Masumi was the one who closed his feelings off the most- i think Citron just saw how much Guy closed himself in and therefore made this distance between them and just, didn't want it to happen again if he could avoid it. And i really agree on the way their first meeting went there. I do think it was a mix of both. Izumi is projecting an emotional and rational adult she knows on an isolated child, while Guy is projecting a lack of emotion that he has been subjected with his whole life on Citron. but i 100% agree on how you read Citron was actually like.

and god. yeah the mother's stuff were a bit rough. I admit it's something i had such a difficult time with for very "related a bit too hard to the situation and hurt myself in the process" type that a3 does too well (because why is it that when it's relatable it's genuinely cutting ways too deep and close to home? a3 answer for your crimes). But learning about Guy's past and how much it affected him was really nice, yea. And you're SOO right about the voice acting, it was such a good job, god. I love the range he has, especially when he sets up this monotony with Guy and then finally he's allowing the emotions to burst. it's so so good.

AS FOR THE OIL. OH GOD. first, so true about Homare being so poetic about it. second, That reminds me of a post i saw once on here about how the rookies are, all four of them, the four characters of the Wizard of Oz. Four people who are set to look for something they're missing only to realize they had it all along. i'm summing it up a bit but definitely read it, it's no longer spoilery for you and the wording of the post itself makes me cry because it really made it so clear. Chikage as the Scarecrow looking for a brain, because Chikage was so lost in his grief he couldn't think for himself. Guy as the Tinman looking for a heart, not believing he had emotions while they were here all along. Kumon as the cowardly lion looking for courage, because his anxiety is what is holding him back, and yet he still has the courage in the end to seek a better ending for himself. And Azami as Dorothy, just looking to return home, even though his family here wouldn't listen to them, having to chose between home and something they loved and being told they can't have both while they want both.

S O Guy seeing his own feelings running like oil really fits in this metaphor as well because the tinman in the wizard of oz constantly needs people to oil him so he can move - in this situation Guy needed poeple who could help him process his emotions some way so he could move forward.

Just. muah.

as for the closing words yeah i. i do think that Zafra is basically an orientalist caricature in some way, which is pretty sad. A3 is such a fantastic game once it comes to how some people process trauma, a lot of mental health related deep dive that i rarely saw treated with this much love and compassion anywhere, also with quite the way to play with gender norms and all…. but when it comes to being culturally sensitive, they end up dropping the ball more often than not and that's really such, such a shame. Zafra being such an important "lore piece" it ends up being really more cringey than when it's just their plays being insensitive. it really blows. But in a more wastionian approach it can be funny to think about how this country is supposed to work, as you said about the tourism and all. As for Jasmine, it's so nice that you ended up liking seeing it aahh. Guy makes a big deal out of Jasmine flowers during his base SSR backstage if you ever feel like reading it? it was pretty nice. Though you're right, Zafra being tech heavy with an actual android could have been very fun. and i'm sure there would be some interesting storylines to have with that but alas…

I hope that despite the insensitivities you'll end up liking the end of the story.

as usual i loved to read your takes <333 it made me emotional about the boys all over again… them…. Take care and see you soon ;D

[420technoblazeit]

no but like. tsumugi as a villain had no flavor whatsoever. idk if they were going for a makoto parallel with her whole 'oh i'm so boring' shtick but it kinda came off as the writers being self aware about their bad characterisation and going through with it anyway. it was so lazy. the whole appeal of the traitor concept is that this person you trusted, who you got to know on a personal level and connect with, was always planning to backstab you

but at no point in time did i feel like i really connected with her. she was just kinda there to have funny reactions and make nerdy references. which is fine as a character trait but that's not a substitute for a personality. and i think the writers were hoping that by making her pop culture savvy everyone would immediately like her. but even the playthrough gamers i've watched who liked her at first eventually got bored of that shtick. and aside from that she doesn't have any substance at all

the only real appeal tsumugi has is what she represents in the context of team danganronpa and the outside world. the idea that she pre-determined the first three cases and messed with everyone's memories and personality is horrifying. more than the previous two games, that means that everyone in v3 was stripped of their free will. worse yet it's broadcast to an audience that finds entertainment in it and in a sick twisted way wants to be them. it's the terror of knowing that your very identity is a lie given to you by the people who watched you suffer all this time and profited from it

like tsumugi did have really good moments! the part where she tells maki that she was always meant to fall in love with kaito was fucked up! especially because from maki's perspective that was the only thing she'd ever chosen for herself. at her core she's a lonely person who had all her relationships taken away from her, and then kaito dies and she has to question for feelings for him as well. and it's in front of an audience. all that pain and grief is broadcast for everyone to see

so i don't think the ending plot twist of v3 was necessarily bad. the problem i have with it is that the people it wouldve mattered most to are already dead. ryoma and kirumi's entire trial was on the basis of false memories. kaede was literally framed and falsely executed. kiibo was built only to be used as a camera to watch the killing game and carry out the wishes of the audience. i want to see how they would have reacted to the plot twist and to the idea that the people they are now are just pre-written characters. idk i feel like they could have done more with the concept if the whole thing was a virtual world or something

[cookiesnt]

Kokichi, Kaito and Kiibo saving their little sister from being killed

**MASSIVE V3 SPOILERS IN KAITO’S SCENARIO**

I loved writing the one with Mondo, Gundham and Kiyo, so let’s hope these live up to expectations!

Kokichi:

You were making your way to the dining hall for a snack.

The 2nd motive had been dealt out about a week ago, and people were getting tense.

Except for your big brother Kokichi. He was his usual care-free self.

It was a little annoying, but at least he was feeling okay.

As you skipped through the halls, you passed Kirumi.

“Hi, Kirumi!”

She nodded in your direction, but she seemed nervous.

“Is everything okay? You look upset...”

She sighed and looked at you.

“I found my motive video...”

She started to fiddle with the pockets of her dress and it looked like something was in them.

“W... What was it?”

She sighed once again and reached into her pocket.

“I’m sorry, Y/n.”

“What do you- H-HUH?!”

She pulled out a small knife from her pocket.

“I need... I need to escape!”

She charged towards you and you screamed, running in the other direction.

You weren’t even looking where you were going. You were just running and screaming.

“K-KOKICHI! KOKICHI! HELP ME!”

You continued to run with tears blurring your vision.

Kirumi’s footsteps were getting closer, so you sped up.

You eventually found yourself cornered.

“N-No...”

She walked towards you slowly, but you couldn’t run anymore.

“K-Kirumi please-”

“I’ll make it painless, Y/n. I promise.”

She grabbed your arm.

“Just close your eyes and it’ll all be over...”

She raised the knife in the air, and then just as she went to bring it down-

“What are you doing?”

Your eyes widened and so did Kirumi’s, only her eyes were wide with fear.

“K-KOKICHI!”

She let you go and you ran towards him.

He pulled you behind him immediately.

“K-Kokichi I swear this isn’t what it looks like!”

“Oh? What is it then, Kirumi? Because to me, it looks like you were about to kill my little sister.”

He looked down at you with a grin.

“Is that right, Y/n? Is that what I saw?”

You nodded, clinging to his shirt.

He sighed and shook his head, looking towards the maid.

“I hate liars. You know that, right? So I’d suggest that you run along and don’t get near us either again, okay?”

Kirumi immediately sprinted away, leaving you with your brother.

He knelt down to your height with a serious expression.

“Are you okay?”

You nodded softly and hugged him tight. He reciprocated.

You nuzzled into his shoulder and started to cry.

“It’s okay now, my little grape soda... Your big brother is gonna keep you safe forever and ever...”

Kaito:

You were in the library, reading a book.

It had been a few days since the killing game had began.

You felt safe having Kaito around, so you didn’t mind being alone.

As you were reading, you heard the door to the library swing open

You looked up from your book for a moment and smiled as Tsumugi walked in.

“Hey, Tsumugi! What’s up?”

She waved and sat next to you, smiling when she saw the manga you were reading.

“Ah! The Promised Neverland! Excellent choice!”

You smiled.

“Yeah. Thanks for recommending it!”

She smiled and nodded.

“No problem! By the way, I need your help with something real quick.”

You put the book down.

“Whatcha need?”

All of a sudden, her smile faded.

“Uhh... Tsumugi?”

“I worked my entire life for this... For all of this... and all you do is sit and watch!”

“W...What do you-”

She grabbed your wrist and pinned you against a wall.

“Danganronpa can’t end... It can never end... So there must be a first kill!”

“W-What’s going on?! What are you talking about?!”

“Since I’m about to kill you, I guess it’s fine to confess... I’m the mastermind, Y/n Momota, and your death will be ruled as a tragic accident...”

Your eyed widened and you let out a scream.

“N-NO! LET ME GO!”

She smirked evilly and shoved you against a bookshelf. You hit your head pretty bad and got dizzy.

“Oh dear! The shelf is about to fall... A tragic accident...”

Just as the shelf began to fall, and before you had a chance to react, you were shoved out of the way.

“WHAT IS- AHH!”

The shelf fell down... and took Tsumugi with it.

You looked up at who had shoved you, your eyes widening as you saw Kaito panting heavily.

He pulled you close so you couldn’t look at the blood pooling on the ground.

“I’ve gotcha... I’ve gotcha... You’re okay, Y/n...”

“I-I just- I-I don’t- W-What happened?!”

He tightened his grip and began to softly stroke your hair.

“It’s okay now, it’s over. You’re safe.”

You hid your face in his chest and started to cry. The door slammed once again and Maki ran into the library.

There wasn’t a body discovery announcement.

Kiibo:

You were charging in your room.

Kiibo’s battery was larger than yours, so you had to charge once during the day, like a child taking a nap.

Professor Idabashi had only built you 5 years ago. You were still very young and naïve.

For that reason, Kiibo was very protective over you.

He had seen you be built and watch your AI develop into what it is now.

That’s why he called you his little sister.

Your eyes fluttered open as your charge finished, and you pretended to yawn.

You looked around the room and noticed a figure standing there with you.

“Huh? Oh, Miu... What are you doing here?”

She looked occupied, digging through a bag.

“I’m gonna do some work on your body!”

You shook your head no.

“My body is different than big brother’s. Since I’m still so young, only Kiibo and Professor Idabashi can do any work on it.”

She groaned, annoyed.

“You really can’t read the room, can ya?!”

“Well, not really... Kiibo is better with humans than me...”

It was only at this point when you realized that something was wrong with your charging station. You couldn’t move.

“W...What’s going on?!”

Miu smirked.

“I messed with your station a bit. We’re gonna have some fun!”

“B-But Miu, I mean it! Only Kiibo and professor can work on my body! My AI is stored locally and if you’re not careful you could delete it! Since we don’t have an internet connection, I wouldn’t be able to access the cloud storage!”

“So your body would basically be a corpse, then? Looks like I’m escaping!”

Your eyes widened and you started to struggle.

See, your body may have been smaller and weaker than Kiibo, but your emotions program was even more advanced than his. You could feel every single emotion a human could.

“N-NO! MIU NO! DON’T!”

You sent out a radio signal of distress to Kiibo, hoping he could get to you in time.

Miu approached you with a wrench.

“D-DON’T! MIU I’M B-BEGGING YOU!”

Just as she was about to loosen some screws, the door slammed open.

“K-KIIBO!”

“AH SH*T!”

Without even taking her wrench, she sprinted out of the room.

Kiibo went to chase her, but then you cried again.

“H-Help...”

He immediately went to your side and began to repair your charging station, freeing you.

“Are you alright?! Do you have any major damage?”

“N-No, but she w-was going to d-delete my AI...”

He sighed and put his hand on your head.

“I can do a backup to my spare local files... Here, plug yourself in.”

[detectivenyx]

About your response to my question about Byakuya, I've noticed that in the fanganronpa community, there is this expectation of a "Tsumugi". More specifically, a character who is secretly the mastermind amongst the group of participants. V3 was the first game to have something explicitly like this. Mukuro exists but she died too early to do anything; Hajime and Izuru are separate personalities and Izuru wasn't part of the killing game. The MM would most likely live to around the end of killing game and then probably die. It going to become formulaic even if the motive is unique and well-written. I appreciate that SDRA2 so far did something unique with having the MM be revealed in the prologue while having VOID (a group of traitors working for the mastermind). I know that a killing game like this by nature has to have SOME mastermind but I believe there is some missing potential with incorporating the mastermind into your story rather than another Junko, another Tsumugi, or even another Mikado (SDRA2) (or even another "The Protag is the mastermind" shocking). Of course, there is nothing wrong with including these formulas for the mastermind as long as it fits the story the best.

(cont)

Mastermind AU Shuichi is overrated. It makes sense but for some reason, it feels like too much of an obvious choice. Also, I'm not an angst/hurt/betrayal fan so making someone like Tsumugi (a character who doesn't have any close relationships with the cast) works fine for me. Tsumugi may seem like an obvious choice too but at least it would be more comedic than edgelord MM Shuichi. After reading the ongoing fanfiction, I find the idea of Tsumugi being revealed as the mastermind early and having the rest of the cast deal with her very interesting and entertaining. Mastermind Tsumugi in general is really interesting and I wish they delve deeper into her in canon. I like it when fanfics show not only how crazy Tsumugi is but how human she is with deep flaws, incompetence, and insecurities, unlike Canon Junko. (See I'd Trade My Life For Yours).

okay, before responding, i am pretty sick and tired of people just willy-nilly spraying spoilers about good fangans/fanfics because it means i have no real investment in reading them. i'm tagging the spoilers and posting a heads up after this in case someone doesn't have them tagged (this exact attitude from SDRA2 fans put me off ever bothering to play it - in all honesty if SDRA2 fans ever got into the MCU it'd be dead in the water within a few weeks). if i had nothing to say, i wouldn't even respond to this ask. im not mad if it's the canon, since i expect that if people are following me they have played the whole game (or are smart enough to have the canon games tagged), but i am mad when it's fan content.

i think the fangan community is a little more justified in adding 'tsumugi' in - even back in the pre-v3 days, masterminds among the cast were pretty common for fan content, and are more of a construct of a DR game like the murder cases, rather than cramming a character to fit an archetype. there isn't a lot you can do with the mastermind; someone does have to be behind everything.

there really isn't a lot you can do - DR1 already did the 'basically outside force is the one behind the game' with junko, did the 'mastermind forgot who they were' with izuru (and it fucking sucked because we only got introduced to izuru like 45 minutes before he was revealed as the mastermind), did the 'mastermind fucking sucks' with kazuo, and 'mastermind is a participant' with tsumugi. every mastermind trope was already done except for revealing them instantly, which was done in SDRA2 (and mikado is still a killing game participant that, for some reason, everyone just lets live), and revealing them halfway through, which you then have to justify why they were revealed halfway through, probably the least satisfying time to reveal the mastermind (i don't care if it's subversive, it makes your mastermind look incompetent, and of everyone, your mastermind is really not who you want to be incompetent)

even if you argue 'kill the mastermind early', technically they did that with mukuro - she wasn't the 'true' mastermind, but she was definitely one of them, and convincing enough for kyouko to believe she was the true mastermind. killing them halfway through the game also presents its own issues - they need to be replaced, but it also means both masterminds are a lot weaker since they only get about half the amount of time that a 'boring' mastermind would get to push forth their version of the game. trying to reinvent the mastermind with writing gimmicks, subverting the trope for the sake of subverting the trope, will just result in the mastermind being fucking garbage.

junko wasn't a great mastermind because her tropes were never done before, junko was a great mastermind because she did the tropes in a fucking terrifying way. 'looks human but isn't' is a terrifying trope, and to see junko be little more than flesh and blood in body, but thoroughly inhuman in her soul and mind, was absolutely thrilling in my opinion. and kind of relatable in the way it was executed - being the ultimate analyst, things became predictable to her, and thus she sought more and more extreme ways to feel anything, with the only other emotion she could really feel being despair, and launching herself into that because at least it wasn't boredom.

tsumugi's terror comes from the fact she is scarily human, but not quite; and i think diving into her psyche and humanizing her more would actually wind up ruining her. we already know what she is. she's a fanatic - nothing but danganronpa matters to her, and she echoes real fans who take their love too far. as for her getting revealed early on? she just straight up wouldn't survive. maki would've killed her by chapter 3 at the latest because of those flaws - tsumugi would've needed obscene amounts of plot armour to survive. her flaws and insecurities don't matter once she doesn't need to pretend to be like everyone else.

[moonlight404-translates]

A3! Mankai Stage | 大切なもの (Taisetsu na Mono) Winter 2020 Scene Translation

A small translation of the scene where the song Taisetsu na Mono sung by Hisoka (Keisuke Ueda) appears in the stage play.

Disclaimer: The translation was done completely by ear (except the song), so it could be not completely accurate. Feel free to point out any mistake I could have made.

The scene translation is focused on Hisoka’s memories. I’ll skip some lines said by other members. The lines in italics explain what is happening in the scene. Also, get some tissues...

--------------------------------

After Homare complains about the 3 members that are late for the practice…

Tsumugi: Before that, can I have a word? Tsumugi: There’s something I would like you to hear, Homare-san. Homare: …What could it be? Tasuku: Arisugawa… here. Homare: Aah! Christine! Homare: After all you were the real culprit here! Tasuku: You… Hisoka: That’s not true... I was the one who had it Homare: It was you, Hisoka-kun? Hisoka: …Yes. Homare: But, why did you do it? Hisoka: Well…

A tick tock resounds, we go back to the past, and a slow melody starts to sound... Members from other troupes (Citron, Kazunari and Tsuzuru) appear, they bump into Homare… the time stops for a bit, and his pocket watch falls...

Hisoka: (Ah? Alice’s watch fell) Hisoka: (He hasn’t noticed it…)

The memory continues, and Homare…

Hisoka: (Ah, he left…) Hisoka: (What should I do? I think I’ll pick it and give it to him…) Hisoka: (Hm? This watch is broken. It could have broken now, but I think he said it was broken before...)

Citron is messing around and ends up bumping Tsuzuru… but the time freezes for a bit...

Hisoka: (Wait, no…)

Hisoka pushes Tsuzuru before he destroys Homare’s watch, and falls. Citron and Tsuzuru are surprised about what happened.

Hisoka: Sorry, I fell down… 

Hisoka takes Homare’s watch.

Hisoka: (I’ll give it back to him later)

The tick tock resounds again, and takes us to another time...

Homare: Apparently the culprit couldn’t be found, this was Homare Arisugawa. Hisoka: (Oh right, I forgot to give it back to him) Azuma: But I still think is impossible that someone in the company stole it. Hisoka: (It’s not like I stole it, but it could be seen like that right now) Hisoka: (They could even think I was the one who broke it) Homare: There’s no case if it got lost. This incident is unsolved… I’ll just give up on it! Hisoka: Give up on it? Hisoka: (It looked like something important... is it because it’s broken?)

Homare: It’s fine, that thing was unneeded from the start... Hisoka: (Is something unneeded?)

Hisoka keeps thinking about this while the scene continues… now everyone is gone...

Hisoka: Hey, Director. Hisoka: About Alice’s pocket watch... Is it necessary to him? Or unnecessary? Hisoka: I thought it was something important, but he said it was an unneeded thing. Hisoka: Alice is always so simple and stupid that I don’t understand him. Director answers. Hisoka: Then why did he say it was unneeded? Hisoka: You don’t know either? I see… Hisoka: Hm? You’ll search for his watch? But you don’t understand Alice’s feelings and he said it was unneeded before, why do you want to find it? Director answers. Hisoka: Even if I can’t understand the other person’s feelings, I can try to think how it is to be in his shoes...

Hisoka: If something someone important gave me just disappeared… how would I feel?

♪ The feeling of losing something important will the me without memories get to understand? I’ll try to imaginate a precious thing someone important gave me.

On a cold night… the feeling of a warm hand… I shouldn’t understand it, even so, somehow, I think I can do it… ♪

The tick tock resounds one more time, the time is moving… Hisoka goes to see Tasuku.

Hisoka: Please fix it. Tasuku: You found Arisugawa’s pocket watch? Hisoka: I’ll give it back to him once is fixed. Tasuku: Sigh… I think it's impossible for me to do it. This isn’t something for amateurs. Hisoka: But I heard you could fix the TV… Tasuku: A TV is different from a pocket watch. Hisoka: Maybe we won’t make it well in the performance if it’s like this... Because it’s the last component… Tasuku: The performance? But it’s almost impossible to fix it before it.

Hisoka still tries to give the watch to Tasuku…

Tasuku: Fine, I’ll try but I can’t assure it will be fixed Hisoka: Here, I’ll… Tasuku: I don’t need a marshmallow…in exchange, make sure to act the best  you can out there. Hisoka: Thank you, Tasuku.

Hisoka is leaving the room when…

Tsumugi: Hisoka-kun, what happens? Hisoka: Nothing… 

Hisoka leaves the room quickly… and the flashback ends with a tick tock sound…

Hisoka: For me who doesn’t remember anything, there’s no memories or important things behind. So I can’t understand Alice’s complicated feelings. Hisoka: But, when I tried to imagine his feelings, I thought the watch was something irreplaceable for him. Homare: That’s why you fix it for me? Hisoka: Yes Tsumugi: But, why didn't you say anything about it all this time? Azuma: Yes, you should have said something if you had it. Hisoka: Since maybe it couldn’t be fixed, I thought Alice would be downhearted... Homare: Hisoka-kun…

[aeoki]

SHINSEKAI - Magicians of ES: Chapter 1

Location: SHINSEKAI Control Room Characters: Sora, Natsume & Tsumugi

< One week later. In the “SHINSEKAI” control room in the Tohoku region. >

Tsumugi: I suppose this would be their limit.

Natsume: YeAH. It’s possible to sustain them for this long due to the latest equipmeNT, but there is a limIT. Their bodily functions will be badly affected if they were to be logged in for a long period of tiME.

It’s the same as a trip to spaCE. If the human body is in an environment different to where it’s normally supposed to live in for a long tiME, it’ll start to break doWN.

So we’ll log out the players as plannED. And we’ll let them rest for a few days in the real worLD.

By doing that, we should be able to relieve any issues the body hAS. That’s the sort of experimental data we’re seemingly gettiNG.

Tsumugi: Well, it’s the latest technology that we’re unfamiliar with, so we should be careful. Our contract with ES does state that they will take full responsibility, though.

But if victims do arise, we wouldn’t be able to sleep very well at night.

Natsume: Speaking of victiMS, “Valkyrie” are just victims who got dragged into thIS.

We’re doing this because we received orders from the higher-up to do sO, but I felt sorry for them in the beginniNG.

Tsumugi: Ahaha. I’m sorry, it’s all because I’ve been ordered to not go against what they tell us to do…

But if things take a turn for the worse, I’d ignore the “order” and save them, though.

Natsume: YeAH, I have no objection to thAT.

Sora: Sora, too! That’s because Sora and the others in “Switch” are not “evil magicians” ♪

Natsume: YeAH. Ultimately, not having the liberty to do whatever they please within a great government or religion is what magicians aRE.

Unlike “Trickstar” and “Crazy:B”, we have no intentions of recklessly going against the higher-ups, thouGH.

We bear different positions – different identitiES. We’ll use our methods to etch our ideals in ink and to take hold of our dreAM. …I won’t let anyone make complainTS.

Tsumugi: Fufu. Everything is going smoothly right now, so we can breathe a sigh of relief. I hope things will continue this way, though.

Sora: HaHa~♪ Sora is also doing his best alongside Senpai and Master~ to ensure a happy ending!

Natsume: YeAH. Compared to “Valkyrie” who are struggling against heavy odds in-gaME, it’s rather easy for us as all we have to do is simply watch over thEM.

Sora: Actually, Sora wanted to play inside “SHINSEKAI”~ It’s a bit boring just watching.

Tsumugi: I’ve said this a few times before, but we’ll take care of what needs to be done, so it’ll be fine for you to play in “SHINSEKAI”, Sora-kun.

Sora: No, no! Sora isn’t a child who will push his work onto the adults and play around innocently!

Tsumugi: Right. We’re counting on you to do your part too, Sora-kun ♪

Natsume: In reality, after Sora became the focus of our activitiES, “Switch’s” reputation has skyrocketED.

We only achieved that because you held our hands and pulled us aloNG.

But at this point in tiME, we’re lacking in achievements to our naME. We can’t say it’s better compared to before and leave things theRE.

We need power in order to change the worLD and in this industry, ES single-handedly shoulders thAT.

They lay low after they were established for a little whiLE, but ever since “SS” began, ES started genuinely baring their fangs as the gigantic monster they aRE.

We “Switch” will smoothly manoeuvre around that and create even a fraction of a world where unhappiness and sadness do not exiST.

The testing conducted in this “SHINSEKAI” which utilises “SSVRS” is that very first stEP.

“SSVRS” is a device which allows unparalleled dreams in the world to turn into a reality and its profits are immeasurabLE.

We’ll make it an exclusive patent from our agency and it’ll be a huge commercial produCT.

We’ll change the world with new technoloGY. Just like how the internet and smartphones dID.

Tsumugi: Ahaha, Our agency never has the money nor the power, so it’s nice that we’re able to attain a large source of income like this.

It’ll be a great help in terms of managing the agency in the future.

Natsume: YeAH. Within the four great agencies, apart from the huge RhyLin, StarPro and CosPro have millionaires supporting thEM.

I say the four great agenciES, but there is a clear disparity between our economic power and theiRS.

Tsumugi: It would have been great if Suou-kun could support us, though.

Compared to Eichi-kun and his group, they almost seem poor and it seems they’ve run into some trouble at home as well…

Sora: Yes… Sora often chats with Tsuka-chan on “Hallhands”, but it looks like things are really bad right now?

Natsume: YeAH. In reality, we can’t continue to keep relying on “Knights” even though they’re a unit with steady populariTY.

But with this “SSVRS”, we can shrink the gap between us and the other agenciES.

Even without assistance from other agencies or “Double Face” having to come in to keep things in cheCK, we should be able to boldly and freely hold our activities in the futuRE.

Tsumugi: Yes. Justice without power is powerless and power without justice is violence. Let’s work hard to use the power we’ve gained righteously and act appropriately.

So we no longer bear any regrets.

Natsume: YeAH. We don’t know what will happen in the futuRE, but let’s stop watching on the sidelines without doing a thiNG.

Complaining from the inside won’t change a thiNG. Let’s get ourselves involved in the stoRY.

This time, truly, to reach a happy endiNG.

Sora: …………

Natsume: ? What’s wroNG, Sora? Sorry, we ended up talking between ourselves agaIN…

Sora: HiHi~♪ Sora loves watching that more than playing video games ♪

Oh, not that, Sora felt something weird when Sora looked at the in-game data…

Natsume: Felt something weiRD?

Sora: Sora can’t explain it very well but it feels like someone else is trying to overwrite the story we’re trying to write out…?

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[twilightmalachite]

Altered - Angels and Devils 6

Author: Akira

Characters: Nagisa, Tsumugi

Translator: Mika Enstars

EN Proofer: PitXRoxas

"…I don’t fit in. I can’t align. I have trouble, and everything goes wrong."

Season: Spring

Location: Soundproof Practice Room

⚠️ This is an import from a unproofed Twitter Livetweet!

Reminiscence. Late spring during the war era, when Nagisa was a 2nd year, in the Yumenosaki Academy lesson room…

Nagisa: …“fine”?

…That’s, a musical notation. Right?

…The meaning being, “it ends here”.

…On the surface, it can also be read it as, fine (/faɪn/), though.

…With, so many possible meanings for the word, how will one know which one it was intended to be named after?

…“Pleasant”. “Agreeable”. “Happy” “pleased” “love”.

…Mhm. It’s all overrun by the positive meaning of the word, fine (/faɪn/).

…“His” true intention of its name, is the musical notation, as I had read it.

…“It ends here”.

…But then what is he trying to end, and why?

Tsumugi: Um~…Were you on the phone?

Nagisa: …Tsumugi-kun.

…Mhm. Hehe, I was given this thing called a smart fone, so I gave Hiyori-kun a call. I mean, called him.

…There are bunches of things I want to talk to him about. I mean, a whole lot of things.

Tsumugi: Erm. …But the smartphone isn’t turned on, though, is it?

Nagisa: …?

…So, I can’t do calls with this? I mean, make a call?

Tsumugi: You can, I just don’t think any call was going through. But, wait… It did seem like you were having a conversation like normal, though?

Nagisa: …It appears I was having a conversation with, an imaginary Hiyori-kun.

…That would explain why I felt we were having a more established conversation than usual.

…Fufu. Having spent too much of my time alone, I can’t, really tell the difference between imagination and reality, anymore.

Tsumugi: A-Aren’t you a strange one… If you’d like to give Hiyori-kun a call, would you like to use my smartphone?

Tsumugi: Eichi-kun used his pocket money to give me the latest model smartphone, saying it’s for work. I’ve got to put it to efficient use!

Nagisa: …I don’t, really know how to, use it, though.

Tsumugi: Let me teach you then, alright? It’s easy once you get used to it!

Nagisa: …Why is it that you are so kind to me, like this?

…I still, I haven’t yet chosen to join you as a colleague yet, of fine.

Tsumugi: Well, unfortunately, we are already colleagues on paper… Eichi-kun had slighted you guys into signing the contract, you know.

Under school regulations and the terms of the unit system, you guys are currently members of our fine.

I’m the leader, but more like a representative in name only, while Eichi-kun is the real representative behind-the-scenes who does the money management and planning.

And as for you, and Hiyori-kun too, the faces of fine… Or rather, we want you to be our figureheads.

I’ve been working hard to gather as many people as possible to join fine, but you two are the only ones who can rival those formidable geniuses, the Five Eccentrics.

Nagisa: …I’m sure Hiyori-kun can be, although I’m unsure if I’d be of much use to you...

...I assume the reason I’m here is as a means to ensnare Hiyori-kun into the unit, once I’m recruited in... isn’t it?

Tsumugi: That’s not true~! Although you do lack common sense and don’t seem to know how to perform idol activities properly, your physical ability and talent is outstanding.

So much so that it’s comparable to the Five Eccentrics, if not surpassing!

You are a rough stone that will shine once polished. All we want to do is to help you shine.

In the current corrupt environment Yumenosaki is now, you will only become buried and rust. I can’t stand by and let that happen… It would be such a waste!

Nagisa: …Am I worth that high of a price, that you’re willing to pay for?

…No, that’s not it. Perhaps that is just nothing but sweet talk, in order to draw me into fine.

…I am not sure. Dealing with real people, is hard.

Nagisa: …It’d been just me for the entirety of my life. Spent alone, I mean.

…Staying true to my father’s teachings, I have been striving to embody the idols he loved.

…But, it appears that the kind of idols I’d envisioned at my young age, differ quite a bit from real idols.

…I don’t fit in. I can’t align. I have trouble, and everything goes wrong.

Tsumugi: Due to that, you’ve been labeled as a problem child full of eccentricities. If I’m being frank, that was my impression of you for a while too.

But I was able to understand after watching you. You hold no malice within you. You’re not causing problems because you want to.

You simply have trouble fitting in, in this reality.

But you are aiming to become an idol more genuinely than anyone else.

Compared to those of us already starting to war out at the age of high school… You are dazzling, facing directly ahead.

I really envy you for that, Nagisa-kun.

Nagisa: ~…♪

Tsumugi: ? …Why are you doing a weird dance all of a sudden?

Nagisa: …To show joy. I mean, to express my joy.

…Because, I am an idol.

Tsumugi: (He really doesn’t align with others, huh~. He appears stern and unapproachable, but his words and actions are somewhat innocent, with a child-like charm.)

(Will it be possible to turn such a child so distant from this world into a ready-to-use asset?)

(Eichi-kun’s behavior is so reckless too~… Why the hurry, what’s there to rush for?)

(Is he so driven by impatience that he’s losing sight of the reality of the situation?)

(Eichi-kun was born sickly and weak, so his life is uncertain. Just letting the problem persist into the future probably doesn’t seem feasible to him…)

(Still, I feel like it’s a bit too unreasonable… He was planning to set up a match in the fall or winter of this year, once the notoriety of the Five Eccentrics gains traction.)

(But I don’t think we’ll make it in time. Shouldn’t it be alright to just start next year during our 3rd year?)

(And instead use our 2nd year as a time of careful planning, as a preparation period.)

Nagisa: Tsumugi-kun, Tsumugi-kun.

Tsumugi: Ah, yes, what is it? I’m sorry, you went out of your way to dance, and I didn’t even think to stop and watch.

Nagisa: …That is all right. It is up to the recipient to decide whether or not to accept. The favor, I mean.

…More importantly, your phone has been ringing for quite a while now.

…Or, maybe that’s also just a hallucination of mine? A figment of my imagination?

Tsumugi: Oh, whoa, you’re right! I didn’t notice at all. I guess I’m pretty tired too, my attention span is a little low…

Wait, is this a call from Hiyori-kun? Oh geez, and this guy gets in a bad mood when the phone isn’t answered quickly enough, too!

Nagisa: Eh, Hiyori-kun? I wanna talk with him too, this time with the real Hiyori-kun…♪

Tsumugi: Don’t cling to me like that, Nagisa-kun! I can’t answer the phone, it’s too difficult to move!

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