#this is where dr3 fails actually

[aparticularbandit]

Kyoko in DR3 looked at her impossible task - solve the murders before she and Makoto both die - and then, when forced to make a choice between save herself or save the person she loves?

Made the same choice Yui did.

And that's Yui's influence.

Pre-Black Challenge Kyoko could never. Her family creed is to put the case first, even above family (which is why Jin split - because Grandpa Kirigiri wouldn't let Kyoko go see her dying mother because they were on a case, and Mama Kirigiri died - and Jin was right for splitting, but he was wrong for leaving Kyoko there).

During DR Kirigiri, we see Kyoko making the comment that sometimes you have to let people die to solve the case, and every time she makes that claim, Yui rebukes her. No. We try and save everyone. We save as many people as we possibly can. Like them or not, we go to save them, even at the risk of our own lives.

Saving victims is the most important thing.

And we see Kyoko learning from this in vol. 6 - we maybe can't win the sniper game, but we can try to keep everyone from getting on the island. (Except there are flaws in that plan which she quickly brings up.)

Kyoko doesn't pull Makoto into her investigations because then he would be at risk from the mastermind, made most blatant when Junko bops him on the head and steals the Hope's Peak yearbooks.

Junko is playing a game with Kyoko.

Makoto becomes alibi and bait.

DR3 and Kyoko's choice to sacrifice herself to save Makoto, even though he might not be able to figure things out, is an homage to Yui and what she learned from her.

(It's also her way of saying that she's tired of other people dying for her. That she's taking the bullet this time.)

This is how you recontextualize canon.

[everythingne]

you have me and I have you -- DR3

Taking the twins to meet Daniel at a race nearly ends in disaster for the youngest, luckily you remember a little saying that goes a long way for when her emotions get too big for her all weekend away from her favorite person on the planet.

daniel ricciardo x wife!mother!reader

warnings/notes: probably inaccurate f1 information (specifically with where they live but idc its my fic), i'm not going off any actual timeline of real events dude this is just vibes, maxiel content bursting out of this fic, might make this little family a series i dunno, i don't have the most knowledge of daniel's career so mind some gaps

--

You and Daniel lived an exceptionally private life--surprisingly. Alpha Tauri's home base was in Faenza, Italy. And when Daniel was announced to be driving for them, you both tossed around a few different city names until Max of all people found you both a quaint little house just outside of the main touristy parts of Ravenna.

Somehow the world champion knew the both of you would find it was a perfect spot to nestle in for the time being. You knew that once the girls really got into school, like proper schooling, you'd have to settle them near Daniel's family. That's what you'd agreed to do when you planned to return to teaching full-time, but for now, Ravenna worked beautifully.

And it was beautiful too.

You had moved and traveled a lot with Daniel due to his career, it had never bothered you in the near decade the both of you had been together. The two of you never fought, sure you argued, but nothing hateful. It was usually a 'stop overthinking this' or 'stop overworking yourself on that' and with two perfectionists who adored their careers and families it could get a bit tense. But, you loved Daniel more than anything, and he loved you just the same. So it always worked out in the end.

Three years dating, one year engaged, seven years married, five years parents. Parents. Two beautiful twin daughters, you hadn't not been trying for kids, and though the girls were a surprise, they were happily welcomed by the Ricciardo's and your family when announced. And of course their loads of F1 uncles, like Max, Yuki, Lando, and of course Pop Pop and Grannie Horner, who had just about died when the youngest of the two twins--Rosella, called them that without you or Daniel prompting her to.

"She speaks the truth!" Daniel had laughed when Geri scooped the little girl up in her arms and squeezed her, kissing her forehead. Max had just laughed for like ten minutes at Christian's face before the man finally made some remark that he was "finally old enough for that title."

And then a few months later little Penelope would do the same, with a quite similar reaction.

Life in Ravenna was perfect, and you had been blessed with a remote job that allowed you to work anywhere making your life a breeze of constant travel, love, and spending nights alongside your husband or his family and friends in lavish hotels for grand prix.

Speaking of Grand Prix, it was time to get the girls moving. The two of them, Rosella Grace Ricciardo and Sienna Michelle Ricciardo, are currently settled with their suitcases beside them in the living room as you finish unplugging the necessary items and locking up the house. Rosella was playing with her stuffed bear, idly singing some song her grandparents had been trying to teach her, and Sienna was currently trying to repack her bag that you had so meticulously put together.

"Si, stop messing with your bag, sweetheart." You try to not let any annoyance sink into your tone but fail a little as you make your way to the foyer.

"Sorry, Momma." Sienna pouts and hides in on herself, her big brown eyes and bouncy curls making you think of her father--who was currently in a car going god knows how fast on the track. Max had been the one to invite you to Miami, saying it would be good to get the girls there to surprise Daniel.

What he hadn't thought of was how hard it is to get two twins through the airport, who look exactly like Daniel Ricciardo, without raising any eyebrows because this was their first appearance at the track since they were toddlers and didn't look like much of anyone except for having Daniel's undoubtedly huge smiles.

"Hey," you say, but don't explain the sentence that brings both of your daughters immediate calm, "You have me and I have you."

The sentence, something from the night before you married the girl's father basically equated to 'we've got this, don't freak out, I'm not mad and you're gonna be fine.' and whatever else it needed to at the moment and it had been a constant in the past seven or so years of your life.

And Sienna calms herself immediately, nodding at you.

You peck a kiss to Sienna's hairline as you repack her bag, "All better, nothing to be sad about, okay?"

She nods, taking her bag and helping her sister grab her stuff as you get them out to the car. The two are pretty well-behaved by now and have learned when to do as you ask and when it's okay to play around a little. You thank Daniel for that, he'd always set a good example. Once everything is in the trunk, you secure the girls in their seats and then thank one of the women you'd become close with down the road for driving you to the airport.

Natalie grins, patting your shoulder as you settle in with a big huff, "I just wish you luck getting them through the airport by yourself! Usually, you have Michelle with you."

"Well, Michelle's unable to come to Miami because she's working, so it's just me this time!" You try to hide your annoyance at the whole situation already, but Natalie just laughs as she starts to drive through the streets of your beloved town.

"Don't stress it, those girls are too well-mannered to cause a fuss."

"I hope so." You sigh, glancing over your shoulder at the both of them.

--

The airport in Italy is a breeze, it's the Miami airport that gives you trouble with the girls because one file isn't filled out correctly. One fucking file. You end up leaving poor Geri Halliwell in the pick-up lane for like an hour while you scramble to fix it so you're not shipped off back home with the girls, who are tired and miserable and just wanna go to bed.

And you'd run out of snacks on the plane, which was another level of catastrophe as Rosella complains every two seconds she's starving and going to die while Sienna complains her feet hurt and makes you carry her around.

Luckily, the airport staff seems to take a bit of pity on you and push you through as quick as possible. You stumble out to the pick-up line to find your ride, the warm Miami air making the girls want to play a bit. Setting down Sienna you make both girls keep one hand on your suitcase as you meet Geri halfway to the car and she kneels down to give the twins hugs as they scream her name.

"So much for discreet." You huff, watching Geri happily interact with the girls. And you learn right then that she's always planning ahead (maybe it's the whole having four kids thing) as she pulls out two little baggies of packed snacks for the girls from her coat.

Once the girls spot Christian, it's game over as they sprint with their little suitcases bouncing behind them and he barely has time to kneel before they're trying to hug him.

"Lookin' good Mama," Geri grins as she picks up Sienna's discarded backpack and you laugh off the compliment as she stands, placing her hands on her hips, "I'll take it they missed us?"

"They wouldn't shut up about getting to see you guys all week after Danny left," You let her pull you into a hug as she kissed your hairline. She helps you get the girl's stuff in the car while Christian entertains the two who sit in the back seat and you end up between your daughters on the drive to the hotel.

"We rented you a room on another floor just for tonight, we figured you'd wanna surprise Danny at the race." Geri turns to talk to you as Christian drives and you nod, leaning forward so she can sit straight. Sienna's babbling to Christian about class, Rosella trying to butt in to get his attention too, and you lean your head on Geri's seat.

"Thank you guys, I'm serious when I say I'll pay you back."

"It came out of Oracle Red Bull Racing's pocket, not mine." Geri holds her hands up and you let out a soft laugh, finally feeling the weariness of the nearly twelve-hour flight.

When you make it to the hotel, Christian goes first to ensure the coast is clear, and you find they've already checked into the room so you're able to go straight up. Once inside, you thank the Horners one more time with tight hugs and a promise to bring them around to Italy soon before shutting the door.

"Momma!" Rosella whines as soon as the door is locked and dead-bolted shut, "I'm tired!"

"Me too!" Sienna copies her twin and flops on the floor and you laugh.

"Let's get you two ready for bed, yeah?" You muse, grabbing the suitcases and flipping them open, and letting the girls pick out the pajamas while you do the same with some loungewear. It's only around five at night, and you do still need to feed the girls a proper dinner, so you assume a short nap with a break for chicken nuggets before bed will be perfect.

--

You rouse from sleep to two sets of little hands hitting you, the girls giggling as they whisper, "Momma, momma!"

"Mhmn," You groan, rubbing your face, "Yeah?"

"Daddy called you, Rosella answered it like a big girl!"

"Mhm!" Rosella cheers, leaning to not-so-secretly whisper, "I didn't even tell him the big secret!"

"That's great--" You go to say sleepily and then you blink your eyes open when you hear Danny laughing over the phone and you sit up to your elbows and snag the phone from her.

"Both of you, shoo." You wave a hand and the girls shriek as you curl your fingers like you're going to tickle them and then sit up in bed.

"I swear I set an alarm." You laugh, rubbing your eyes as you check the clock--in Italy, it would be noon right now which would be typical for your afternoon nap with the girls.

"No big deal. I just wanted to call you when I was getting up for race day." Daniel yawns and you can imagine him rubbing at his face as he lets out a muffled groan over the phone, "How are you and the girls?"

"They're having a blast but being little tornadoes," You huff, "but I'm managing."

"Ah, that's my girl. Superstar mom." You can physically hear Danny's smile in his voice and it makes you laugh, when you ask him how he's doing he regales practice and qualifiers as you get yourself out of bed and grab the girls a change of clothes. Mouthing for them to get in the shower as you mute the phone so Danny doesn't hear the water as you turn it on. Walking back to supervise from the doorway you pop in a few questions here and there.

By the time the call is wrapping up, Sienna's gotten soap in her eyes, so you bid Daniel a quick goodbye as you scold Rosella for splashing her sister in the face and end the call. You double-check to make sure it's actually ended before you move into the bathroom.

It takes an hour for you to get ready, which means by the time you're bringing the girls down to meet with Geri, her kids, and Kelly and Penelope, all the drivers are making their way to the track.

But, of course, you have to run into Charles in the elevator.

"Didn't know you were gonna make it this weekend," Charles says as you step in, the girls shy away from him a little, especially Sienna who practically buries herself behind her sister. You laugh softly.

"Guys, it's just Charles." You say over your shoulder and they both peek up again before gasping and jumping over to hug him. He kneels down to the girls, accepting both of their tight hugs as you speak,

"We weren't until Max told me he got us paddock passes,"

"They're still that close, huh?" Charles stands once the girls release him and you shrug,

"I think Max feels bad for how it ended with them in Red Bull, kinda like how Lando and Daniel are still super close after McLaren because of--God, don't get me started actually." You pinch your nose, the wound of McLaren's drop of Daniel had been the most difficult part of your partnership with Daniel thus far. You hoped it stayed that way.

"I'm glad they're still close." Charles smiles and then bids you goodbye as a Ferrari employee starts scolding him in French--or Italian, or maybe both, as she drags him off in the opposite direction.

You cart the twins off to the little restaurant within the hotel, thanking the hostess who brings you to Geri and Kelly's table and you greet them with a happy smile. Once the kids are all introduced and settled, you relax and roll out your neck.

"I am exhausted." You announce and Kelly pushes a mimosa towards you, grinning, and you happily take it. Breakfast goes relatively well, Penelope wants to sit in your lap halfway through because she missed you, and Bluebell updates you on her applications for university.

The Halliwell-Horner kids are a mess of different parents, but all act just as loving as your own twins, it makes you smile as you notice Bluebell pause mid-sentence to make sure her sister ordered her food correctly and her brother has enough to drink when the waitress comes around to check on you all.

And then Sienna gasps and points at the TV, squealing at an ear-piercing decibel, "Dad!"

"Shh!" You hush her, both Kelly and Geri laughing as you try and handle the two kids who are excitedly pointing out their father on the TV. It's interviews from yesterday on replay in preparation for the race later. And the twins won't stop even with you, Geri, Kelly, and the other kids at the table (save for Geri's youngest) trying to hush them.

"Girls. Knock it off or we're going outside!" You hiss through your teeth, pointing at the two next to you, and Rosella literally screams 'no' at you.

"Good grief." You sigh, then grab her by the waist and wave for her sister to follow you. While Sienna's a little hesitant, a gentle tap from Geri makes the girl scoot off her chair and follow you and a screeching Rosella out of the small restaurant. The three of you settle on the floor as you try to calm a clearly upset Rosella, who curls into your side.

"C'mere, Si." You hold an arm out as you sit on the floor and Sienna curls into your other side. You wipe the frustrated tears off Rosella's face, she had always been attached to Daniel by the hip, you weren't sure why you assumed this would be easier for her than her sister.

"I know you guys are excited to see your dad, I know, I am too." You say to the two twins who sit in your lap on the floor in probably the nicest hotel in Miami, "I miss him just as much as you guys do but... we have to be quiet in restaurants. We can't start screaming like we're at home, okay?"

"Momma, 'm sorry Momma." Rosella sniffles and you pepper soft kisses to her hairline and wipe the tears from her face as Sienna gives her twin a hug.

"It's okay, darling, you know you have me and I have you, yeah? You just have big emotions you wanna get out, but we have to remember inside voices and that there's always a time and place for everything, okay?" You rub her back as she hiccups, big tears rolling down her face as she starts calming down with big gasps.

The girl nods, scrubbing at her face and you give her a little kiss on the top of her forehead before giving Sienna a kiss there too.

"Are we calm enough to talk now, Ella?" You say softly and the girl nods, you scoop her up and bring Sienna back in so she can sit at the table and eat, informing Geri and Kelly you'll be right back after you take Rosella on a little calm down walk.

And you end up in a little courtyard, bouncing Ella on your hip as she speaks softly as you pause at a fountain.

"And Daddy's always there when I'm sad." She recounts as she hiccups, still crying a little as you rock her and rub her back, "and I got sad he wasn't there, and then he wasn't there to make me happy, and it made me more sad."

"Oh honey, it's okay." You look over your shoulder, swearing for the third time you're seeing Lando out of the corner of your eye--which is impossible because he's at the track and you're just being paranoid.

"Big emotions come out sometimes, it's happened to me. When your dad and I got married, I freaked out on him the night before because I was so stressed something would go wrong. I screamed at him, like a full freakout," You sigh, pressing your lips to your daughter's hair before whispering, "You know what he did?"

"What did he do?" Rosella sits back so she can look you in the eyes, you bounce her up and readjust your grip.

"He held me like I'm holding you now and he said 'I know you've got big emotions and so do I, but you know what we also both have?'" You remember the way he'd pressed his lips to your hairline, hands tucking you into his body as he cradled you in the bathroom of the wedding suite in the hotel,

"And I said 'no' because I was having big emotions, and he said 'You have me and I have you.' Just like right now, Ella, you have me and I have you."

"Oh! That's why you and Daddy say that." Ella smiles, kicking one of her feet a little and you nod. She wipes the last of the tears from her eyes and you kiss her cheek, before walking back to the restaurant when she claims she's finally calm enough to eat and be a little quieter.

--

About ten thousand things are happening in the Alpha Tauri garage when you sneak in with Yuki's help. You see Daniel off to the side, talking with some engineers with a stressed expression, and instead of walking over to wrap your arms around him like you want to-- you cart the twins off to his driver's room and settle them in there.

"Should I get him?" Yuki asks once he's finally gotten Sienna to pry off his leg and you laugh, shaking your head.

"Surprise, remember?" You speak softly, hushing the giglging twins.

"Yeah, but he's..." Yuki makes a face and you roll the idea around in your head. The girls had never seen Daniel frustrated, any sort of negative emotions you and Daniel tried to keep away from them.

"How bad?" You ask, mouthing one to ten, and Yuki mouths back a solid nine. So you groan, dragging your hands down your face and holding up a hand for him to wait while you kneel down and wave the girls over.

"Listen, Ella, Si." You poke their arms playfully as they quiet down their giggles when you slowly lower your hands to the floor, "Quiet time, okay? Momma's gonna go out and see where Daddy is, and I might bring him back here, okay?"

The girls nod and you kiss both of their foreheads before leaving the driver's room with Yuki and speaking softly, "I'll come with you."

He nods and waves you along, making his way through the back hall and back into the main area of the garage where Daniel was standing with his back to you. Mouthing good luck, Yuki slips off to stand beside Daniel as they talk racing stats. You just stand for a while, watching your husband as he clearly fusses over some fudging of numbers and how the team seems to be running whatever tactic on a sort of hail-mary moment. You know he hates leaving it up to fate.

"Okay, well," Daniel groans, clearly wanting to change strategy but knowing he's unable to do so, "I don't even know."

Yuki suggests something, but it gets shot down, and then you slowly start to inch forward. You see the videographers and photographers readying themselves for the moments, cameras lifting up high as they wait for the moment or whatever line will come out of your mouth.

"This is literally just as frustrating as getting the twins to relax on a plane," Daniel complains, Yuki smirking and biting the inside of his cheek as you finally cross the room to stand behind your husband.

"I dunno, I did pretty well--"

"--Holy shit!" Daniel shouts, barreling himself into you as he sweeps you off your feet in a loud laugh, "Oh my god! Hello! What?! When did you get here?!"

He sets you down after a tiny spin and presses a long kiss to your lips before you can explain, his hands firm on your hips and your arms tossed around his neck, just like puzzle pieces.

"Max got me passes, we got in last night. Blame the entirety of Red Bull." You wave a hand and Daniel kisses you once more, arms now wrapping around you.

"Okay, fuck strategy for a moment, I need this." He says to the Alpha Tauri team who wave him off and laugh, and you let Daniel just bury his face in the crook of your neck, breathing in the way too expensive Dior perfume he'd bought you for your birthday, and sigh out his stress.

"You have me and I have you." You murmur to him, pressing your lips to the side of his head, since it's all you can reach at this angle, a very similar angle to which his mini-me had been held in only a few hours prior.

"I know." He steps back, then blinks at you, "Wait. The twins are here too aren't they?"

"How the fuck--"

"You aren't wearing your necklace you always wear when you have someone babysit them for the weekend." He pokes the necklace you are wearing, one of your last names written in one of the prettiest fonts you'd ever seen, the gold blackened and dirty from its constant wear. A wedding gift from his mother.

"You little shit." You whisper, before turning and shouting, "Ella! Si!"

And it's like they were waiting for it because the sound of the door slamming against the wall followed by the patter of small sneakers sounds through the garage as the twins sprint to find you and their father. Their joyful screams overlap as Daniel drops to one knee to scoop both girls in his arms, fawning over their matching sundresses (custom-made to be the same color as his racing suit, as is the dress you wear) as he lifts them up to your height.

"Look at my girls." Daniel smiles, letting the twins babble on about whatever as he turns to press a kiss to your cheek, "Thank you."

"Thank Max." You step up to take Sienna from his arms so he can easily hold Rosella, but the arm you've freed snags you by the hip and pulls you close.

"There we go!" He grins at you, "All three of my girls in one place, yeah?"

And it's perfect, a little slotted puzzle piece, and regardless of if they figure out whatever issues are going on with the car you know Daniel will be loving every minute of Miami this year. Just because the three of you are there as his backbone.

[repo-net]

alright fellas let's get a discussion going

assuming that a high-school aged nagisa starts to develop feelings for someone. the type that makes him think 'oh fuck i fell for a person again'

the question: how does this nagisa handle this realization?

does he pull the trigger and go for a confession, wanting to be honest with the person and realizing these feelings are fleeting and he craves someone's affection and approval too much to not try and win this mystery person over?

does he just lie back and wait for the other person to make a person first patiently, just hoping that they return his feelings so he doesn't have to worry about the consequences of a failed confession and the feeling of rejection again?

does he pretend it doesn't exist until it actually just doesn't, bottling it up and trying to not think about it (usually failing) because the last time he fell for someone; it ended absolutely atrociously and he's far too afraid of getting broken a second time?

i mean, i ask this because i know full well that each of the three i sent above is a completely reasonable take of how he'd react since he's just that big of a mess, no matter how much he'd try to convince you otherwise

god post-udg/dr3 nagisa content is like the best thing ever man there's just so much to peel off of his character and see where you take him. so good. i love nagisa shingetsu.

[goshdangronpa]

For the i send ya a character and You do something

Hiyoko Saionji from the hitgame dangansopa.

also Ibuki h hehehe

Let's do one at a time ^^" Starting with your fave, Hiyoko!

Yeesh, I've gotta start putting readmores on these

Sexuality Headcanon: Not sure if there's a label for this (.......demi?), but Hiyoko seems like the type who latches onto a single person at a time, if at all. She won't consciously look for a girl or guy, may not even say someone's attractive if randomly asked, but when someone's got it, she's hooked.

Gender Headcanon: I believe that some people are only passively cisgender, meaning they've never actually ruminated on their identity and considered that they might be something else, and that trans people would be less rare (if still in a very small minority) if more people did. My hc is that Hiyoko's passively cis in SDR2, and that if she grows up, gets more exposure to the idea, and opens her mind enough to question herself, she might enjoy life as a more androgynous person ... Whoa, I just projected myself onto Hiyoko.

A ship I have with said character: I know you love hiyobuki, zombyne, and I'll never take that away from you. That said, I'm basic, so I'll go with mahiyoko for this post. What does Hiyoko like about Mahiru? She's a cute redhead who takes no crap when people fail to meet her high standards, a sweet girl who'll willingly shower with a near-total stranger in a killing game, a true friend who even helps her with her own clothes. What does Mahiru like about Hiyoko (arguably the real question)? I enjoy the notion that Mahiru's more amused by Hiyoko's antics than she lets on. Don't forget, she also has a low opinion of Mikan - not as much as Hiyoko, but not enough to defend her from what are obviously unserious insults. When you're always the serious one, it's nice to let your hair down around someone. I also like the idea that Mahiru loses her goddamn lesbian mind when Hiyoko comes back from summer break taller than her.

A BROTP I have with said character: And this is where I'll talk about Ibuki! Forget the Twilight Syndrome stuff (the writers of SDR2 sure did!). Just look at their interactions! When Hiyoko basically tries Ibuki's whole life in the first trial, Ibuki shouts in amusement something like "You've pierced me with your arrow of truth!" She either knows this girl isn't serious, or she doesn't care if she is. Then the only person in the whole goddamn group who likes Ibuki's music is the most annoying bully in the bunch. That's a terrific joke that works perfectly for Hiyoko as a character. Of course the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, who likely grew up sheltered in one of those homes where modern pop is forbidden and Harry Potter is considered Satanist, would have her mind blown by Ibuki's metal freakouts. Hiyobuki as a ship is great, but even just being besties is awesome for them ... though I think they could also enable each other in just being so mean to people lol

A NOTP I have with said character: I don't have many NOTPs in general ... but I can safely rule out Teruteru after that scene in DR3. Yiiikes.

A random headcanon: Hiyoko was perfectly capable of tying her obi on her own. C'mon, she's not that childish. Occam's Razor would dictate that things went exactly as stated in the game's dialogue ... but what if Hiyoko just neglected showering altogether because she's depressed? You know, cuz she's in a goddamn killing game with a dozen-odd total strangers? Then the one person she likes and kinda trusts offers to join her in the shower and suddenly this obi thing goes from an excuse to an opportunity. When Mahiru dies, though, Hiyoko's shattered, and that comes out in her newfound inability to properly dress herself. This manifestation of her grief gets so bad that it ultimately kills her. What a tragedy: opening up to another person leaves her totally helpless against the person she dismissed as the weakest in the group. There's a fanfic in this ...

General Opinion over said character: No one needs to like Hiyoko for whatever reason. That said, the most common reason I've observed in the haters is that they wouldn't want to be friends with her in real life. In my opinion, that's an extremely boring way of looking at fictional characters - it's not like they'll ever like us back, right? Might as well enjoy Hiyoko for playing a highly important role in the SDR2 ecosystem: the mixer! It's boring if everyone's all nice and stuff. Besides, Hiyoko's no simple bully, nor is she a lost cause. Like any Danganronpa character, the girl has her own hidden depths that make her more compelling than the haters might expect. I'd elaborate ... but anyone interested should reach out to zombyne, or the many other cool people I've met who enjoy Hiyoko as a character.

[mozillavulpix]

everyone has their way to rewrite Danganronpa 3′s “how did Junko turn Class 77 into Ultimate Despair”, here’s my version

So basically Junko gets them all together and forces them to decide a Trolley Problem. On one end is Chiaki, and the other end is the Reserve Course. If they choose to save Chiaki, Junko will turn on the Suicide Video in the school, making everyone in the Reserve Course choose to kill themselves. And if they choose to save them, Chiaki will die. And while they’re all arguing amongst themselves, not sure of what to do, Junko makes them both happen, basically saying that people that indecisive could never be Symbols of Hope and the deaths that are happening are their punishment. And as they’re watching with horror, Junko manipulates them into deciding it’s all their fault and they should just stop caring altogether like her.

I just think it’d tie so much together:

It’s obviously a call-forward to the ending of DR2, where they have to decide whether to sacrifice themselves or the world, and find themselves unable to choose. Thematically, it’s so brilliant to have their final hurdle before being able to leave the program be a similar thing to what plunged them into Despair in the first place, and logically, it also explains how Junko was so confident that they wouldn’t be able to shut down the program - she’s already seen them fail to make a decision like this before.

It’d be a way to call out their implicitness in the dangerous mindset that Hope’s Peak drilled into them. They’d have plenty of reasons to have a gut reaction to want to save Chiaki first - they know her personally and have formed a bond as classmates, and they have Nagito with them who idolises all Ultimates. But that also means they’d be deciding the deaths of thousands of people just because ‘they’re talentless’ or ‘they don’t know them’. The fact that they can earnestly choose things like that without hesitation makes them wonder if maybe they’re the truly messed-up ones. (Which they’re not, it’s all Junko’s fault, but she’s manipulating them into thinking so.) 

Or on the other hand, if the fact they have enough empathy to want to help the Reserve Course students over Chiaki makes them ‘failures’ in this talent-obsessed society. If they can’t make the hard decisions to be Symbols of Hope, maybe they should try being Symbols of Despair instead?

It can also tie into Twilight Syndrome, Fuyuhiko’s grief over losing his sister making him determined not to let Chiaki die, but Mahiru’s grief over what happened to Sato making her wanting to protect the talentless people and insulted that Fuyuhiko would treat them as disposable victims again.

Between all that, tensions would get high, even if they overpowered Junko she would probably have plans for that, there’s no way she’d tell them how to save both of them even if she was tortured, and there’s also Nagito who could just make things way more complicated.

(Like sure, you could argue Nagito’s luck should make it so that what he wants happens, and he certainly doesn’t want Chiaki to die, but we know he falls to Despair. So Junko is clearly stronger than his luck, or at least knows how to manipulate it to her benefit)

And it’s only when that reaches a boiling pitch that Junko drops the ball, kills all of them, and tells Class 77 that this happened because of them and this messed-up world and they’d be better off joining her in the new world to come.

Sure, if you stop and think about it, you’d realise none of this is Class 77′s fault and Junko is pulling all the strings, but they’re high-strung teenagers with trust issues of their own and they’d probably be too busy dealing with the whole ‘actually all of society is collapsing too’ to really reflect on it. And maybe dealing with their grief by self-sabotaging and destroying society themselves.

anyway that’s how I think you can do “they all fall to Despair” while keeping the broad strokes introduced in DR3 but making it more subtle and not “the brainwashing anime did it”

[pompadorbz]

I love that danganronpa had the opportunity to make two separate animes about their game and failed so miserably both times.

While thh anime does manage to give some scenes the visuals we dont get to see in the game itself due to its much more limited style, thats sorta all it really has to offer??? The anime has the opportunity to get real stylized but doesn't take much advantage of that beyond reanimating the executions. Instead, the anime is a reminder that you can't really squeeze a 30+ hour game into a 12 episode anime without cutting corners and missing out on major plot details. Then you get people who never actually see the first game in full due to the anime acting as a summary. It makes the entire first game seem skippable if you haven't played it yet.

Dr3 has this whole other issue where it just retcons everything up and down the stairs because????? I dunno why so much was retconned????? Like i honestly could not tell you. Then there's the part where it hits you with the worst possible ending for this series with FULL CONFIDENCE. like this is how they concluded this ENTIRE arc and it makes me insane.

I think maybe instead of what we got. We couldve just had like thh anime is pre tragedy. Sdr2 anime is pre tragedy. No retconning, no bullshit, just that with some dr zero spice to see how the beginning of the tragedy affected everyone, and how different it was for each respective group. It can remain totally canon compliant and still slap.

[thelemoncoffee]

For the tag, it was Vil Schonheit, the Pomefiore dormhead. He was a well known actor, model, and influencer. A real genius in his work, and deeply passionate at it. Wish with all of his heart to play the hero for once and be on stage till the very end. Hence why he want to be the fairest one of all.

Also, I can see Shuichi to be a really great antagonist, and many of his fans thought that he will also surprised them by being the secret mastermind or something for dr3. But turns out he stay as the protagonist, and a good one too!

Also, what if Kokichi, despite being just a hobbyist actor, actually tend to get the role of either the hero or the sidekick. Like, he often play the role of the good and kind guy. So it was a surprise when he play the role of the antagonist.

(okay yeah that tracks for Vil.)

Shuichi's actor being someone who gets typecasted as villians is absolutly my desire for badboy Shu manifesting in a funky way in this au. also as much as i lile the idea of him hoping for a mastermind reveal thing, he'd know good an well he wouldn't get it cause soon after getting his role he'd recive the full script. at best he'd have a hope like that for all of an hour or so. fans can guess all they want tho

as of Kokichi's actor, i imagine because doing film acting is not easy to get your foot into the door of- especially as a hobby- he's more of a stage actor for volunteer theaters. because of this while i think it'd be funny if he got type casted as a good guy alot, theater casting doesn't operate the same way as film and he'd more likely be either trying to score any lead role and failing, or vibes playing minor characters but gets picked for double casting in situations where a quick costume change is needed cause of how quick he is on his feet.

[eggs-can-draw]

Nanami anon: You know, if we want to indulge Tsumugi a little, there’s technically canonically been 53 killing games in total, across various organizers. There are probably still some people alive from some of those games. I wonder what are they up to? you: Therapy hopefully Yin: first two is dr1 and dr2 obvi, what if Rantaro was present in the other 51 Nanami anon: Like most of them were FF experiments leading into V3? … you know, if we take Rantaro at his word, he’s got at least a few siblings, too… Maybe they weren’t always his siblings though. Maybe they were people he met in the games, and became close with. Maybe they’re, you know… Mega traumatized or NWP comatose or smth you: Victims of the FF slowly fine tuning the simulation

me: dr3 is counted in this, so 50 and I said it when Izurufied Rantaro was mentioned in the general, but they'd put him through that many in the testing phase to accommodate the back-up plan of making him the Ultimate Hope if it fails with Shuichi in the killing game, then they have him mentally prepared to be more easily convinced to participate in the next Kamukura project Yin: and y'know how I asked about Rantaro going through so many that he doesn't have any memory left? well going through 50 killing games is gonna make him loopy to put it lightly lol me: 50 is a nice sized test sample to play out many scenarios they thought of as well you: Ff agents like “hehe what it this one was on mt Everest” Meanwhile Rantaro suddenly on mt Everest with nothing but a shitty school uniform me: just entirely over-written and when he comes out they don't even have any early childhood things to show him since they don't know where he came from either you: They’d still have SOMETHING to show him he’s lived on Jabberwock since like age 6 me: it's all just gone forever up to the point when he meets Komaeda at 6 years old you: I don’t think it’s gone forever but it’s definitely significantly harder to wake up Yin: oh when the parents learn about the other 50 games they are gonna RIOT lol

Nanami anon: Komaeda: we haven’t seen Rantaro around for a bit, have we? Koizumi: yeah I wonder what rascally things he’s getting up to Rantaro: [is trapped in a hell dimension] Still, there’s gotta be some other people who went through at least some of those rounds with him. I wonder where they are me: As for other participants, they were probably other lower ranking/intern FF members who signed a NDA and in the final run, it's FF employees that comment in Kiibo's twitch chat. Actually, what if, she was picked to play the mastermind out of all of them based on performance in the previous ones so she's also been to loops

Rantaro really goin through it

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Rank your favorite Masterminds, GO!

*Siiigh* Alright, I guess I can do this real quick. But if there’s one thing to know in advance when I talk about all these, I actually have problems with pretty much every DR/DRA antagonist.

//To start with, even though I’m fully aware of the issues with her character, I still stand by my belief that Junko is the best villain in the main series. Especially in Danganronpa 2. Most of the time she comes off as cartoony and you can’t really take her seriously, even if she is the woman who basically destroyed the world, but at the same time there is an element of true unadulterated sadism that comes out of her every now and then, and those are the moments where you actually see how evil this girl is and believe that she really could be responsible for humanity’s destruction. People in DR’s franchise tend to get sick of Junko, but in my opinion, every other villain in the series fails to emulate the level of villainy Junko carries.

//Monaca is our prime example. I might like Monaca if she had her own clear-cut character traits, but in general she just seems to be Junko 2 (which is ironic given that her entire goal was to then Komaru into Junko 2). If there’s one thing that Monaca does have above Junko, it’s a more fleshed out backstory, but at the same time, it doesn’t do much for her overall character. Danganronpa lore does state that Junko and Mukuro had rough childhoods and were even homeless for a time, but this time seems to have no effect on the Junko we know and hate. As far as anyone’s concerned, she was always a fucked up person. You’d think that Monaca’s consistent abuse from her father and stepbrother would be what causes her to snap, go crazy and use her sick and twisted, but genius mind to perform her evil deeds. But no, she’s in the exact same boat. She was just fucked up even without all the abuse. Monaca ultimately just never felt…finished, really.

//If we’re counting Izuru, then I’ve got some problems for him, and ironically enough, the main one is that he is just…super boring. And Izuru is actually barely ever shown or mentioned in DR2 until his actual reveal, Most of what’s actually shown of Izuru is in DR3, UTDP and DRS, the latter two which aren’t canon. But what IS shown is mainly just a stone faced guy who is just perpetually done with everything, and that’s about it. He’s a cool concept, but not a cool character.

//Utsuro from Another and Another 2 is in the same boat. He’s a bit better than Izuru because he actually has some semblance of a personality, and does seem to actually have things he cares about and a creed that isn’t quite like Junko’s or any mastermind that came before him, but he has his own issue. The main one is his power of Divine Luck, which has the same effect on his character as Izuru’s Ultimate Talents do on him. But the difference is in the larger scheme of things, Izuru’s talents were given to him when Hajime Hinata was lobotomised and modified, so with the mechanics and lore of the sci-fi genre at large, it makes sense. For Utsuro and Divine Luck however, it’s just “oh he was born with it.” That’s not interesting, it’s lazy, especially because of the constantly changing concept of luck across Danganronpa as a franchise. So while I didn’t hate Utsuro and while I thought the Yuki twist in the end was done well (they are the same character basically, but Izuru and Utsuro’s backstory’s are kind of the reverse of one another, which I appreciate) he’s nothing I really thought to write home about.

//AKANE TAIRA on the other hand, the OTHER mastermind of Another 1 is FUCKING FANTASTIC. Everything from her involvement across Another 1 and 2, her reveal in the end, her backstory, her character writing, her turnaround and redemption in the end; all of it was GLORIOUS. Maybe it’s a bit much saying this, but it’s kind of rare to see any of LINUJ’s characters get actual development, and Akane was handled super well in comparison to a lot of his characters. Not to mention her connection to Sora, who as I stated is my favourite PROTAGONIST, is also super interesting. I just really liked Akane’s moments across basically all of both games and I thought she was all around a super interesting character.

//Next is Tsumugi. And as you know, Tsumugi is important to me because she is the current main antagonist of Survivor. How do I feel about her in the canon games. If I can be blunt, one of the things about V3 that makes it so polarising for me is its cast. Half it’s cast is made up of some of my favourite characters in Danganronpa overall (Kaito, Kaede and Kokichi specifically) while the other half are some of my least favourite in the series overall (Kiyo, Angie and Tenko mainly) and Tsumugi unfortunately falls into the latter category for basically the exact same reason as Izuru. She is just so stupidly uninteresting. She gets props for being a mastermind who is truly her own evil and separate from Junko, as well as the fact that I think Dorothy Fahn’s voicework is really good with her specifically, but outside of that, as well as a cute and nice design, Tsumugi is just as she calls herself throughout the entire game - “plain and boring” even to the end.

//And lastly, I really need to apologise for this hot take, but if I’m being super honest, I REALLY don’t like Mikado at ALL. He’s just such a clown of a character with no depth to him outside of the twist of him being an AI. And while it is interesting that the Mastermind of the Killing Game is revealed from the start and actually serves as a participant in the game, it ultimately reduces the overall impact of the games main story when you know from the beginning who you can attribute all the bad events back to. I might not feel this way if Mikado was more of a twist villain in that he acted as a mastermind under the person who was REALLY pulling the strings, but that isn’t what happened. His plan was solid and he’s not bad by any sense of the word, but he’s just kind of messy in my eyes, like LINUJ decided on this plot point and then didn’t know what to do with it.

//Those are my thoughts and feelings, so here’s the final list from Best to Worst

Akane Taira

Junko Enoshima

Utsuro

Izuru Kamukura

Tsumugi Shirogane

Monaca Towa

Mikado Sannoji

[nco05]

hey sorry couldn't help but read ur tags on my checo quote and im just wondering if by tumblr page you meant my blog? i posted that quote precisely bc i find that checo gets a lot of xenophobic hate/comments in f1 and that f1blr fails to address it, and as a latina that really hurts to see. so i just hope you're not referring to me and if so i was hoping you'd point me to what exactly ur referring to. thanks! <3

No no that was not directed to you IN THE SLIGHTEST! NOT AT ALL! Not a sliver of a percentage was that supposed to be an attack on your person! That is just an uncalled for action on a stranger who could live an entire ocean away from where I live

I did not mean to hint it was you who is the problem. My sincerest apologies! I'm so so sorry!

With "this Tumblr page" I meant my own! No one else but my own! I have a tag for CL16 & LN4 that is also like that. It's to highlight all these 3 motorsporters are more than the roles pushed on them that I find gross: CL is more than just a pretty boy, he is not dumb. He is smart (mathematic wizard & trilingual? OK COOL!). LN is more than the infantilisation he gets (he's nearly 23 ew 🤢) or lately a bitch (cuz he's more confident & shit idfk). SP is not any stereotype to his ethnicity (as you said you are from a latin-region also so you know better than me which ones they are)

I meant the xenophobia Checo has to deal with from the media. Specifically the British media (you know how they be) but also the general media. Then too some part of this fanbase which you've also said to me (what I've seen specifically was from the toxic DR3 fans who hate RB but want him back there which makes no sense? On a minor extent the odd PG10 fan that is like that - not you & not me (well I try to just have a good time)!)

I went back in the RB & I clarified it there further what I actually meant 😌

But if you want me to delete the RB. That is fine. I'll do it

Have a nice whatever part of the day it is for you! Enjoy race weekend later this week (I hope the PG10-score streak of 2 goes to 3 but the AT is unpredictable + unstable af & their strategies are eeeehhh too) 💃🏽

Again so sorry for the misunderstanding on my part. Hope there's no hard feelings here 🤞🏽

[deadmandairyland]

Had an idea for “movie posters” for my Fog Cutters crossover fic (which I just recently decided to start over from the beginning... eventually). But fuck if I’m able to draw anything close to what’s in my head. But I also don’t want to just... forget it? So I’m deciding to describe the posters I’m envisioning in my head instead. Apologies in advance if you haven’t read my first attempt at writing the fic (which is on AO3) and you end up super lost.

NOTE: All characters are Danganronpa characters unless I specify otherwise. Doing this so it’s easier to follow along, even though the other series are pretty well known. I may also point out Danganronpa characters if I feel I might need to.

Also should probably point out just in case, all of the characters mentioned in this post are portrayed as being between the ages of 20 and 40 in this fic. In case that’s context you need for one reason or another.

So there are three posters that have Kyoko, Shuichi, and Makoto in the middle, standing in like a triangle formation, where one is being focused on and facing the viewer while the other two are facing other directions. In each one they are in the same pose (in the direction of where they’re facing, of course): Kyoko has her arms... not crossed, but like she’s holding her arms, right? And she’s wearing something like her DR3 attire but with hair closer to her DR1 self. Shuichi looks similar to his pregame look, with baseball cap and suit and tie, and he has one hand in his pants pocket and the other is holding the bill of his cap. And Makoto, who is either wearing a suit similar to his DR2 ending self or DR3, or wearing a hoodie under his suit because I mean that’s basically his DR1 look anyway, but regardless of all of that has his DR1 hair because I think it just fits him better, has his hands in his suit pockets.

The posters would then have other characters in the background that relate in some way to the character focused on. Won’t go too far with the spoilers and won’t go into detail on the rest of these characters’ clothing but I wanted to share a few of these ideas.

Kyoko:

Yui Samidare would be somewhere above the trio, probably somewhat transparent or angelic looking to hammer her home as a Lost Lenore kind of figure. Licorne should also be in the poster somewhere, but not necessarily transparent/angelic because he’s, y’know, alive.

Naoto and Akechi (Persona) would also be in the poster somewhere, and Tsumugi (Danganronpa) is also there with them because I want to make Naoto and Tsumugi cousins in this story. (Mostly doing that because they both have blue hair and have the same family name, so I mean... it works?)

Fuyuhiko and Peko would probably be on this poster too, looking all tough and shit. And if they’re not here, they’d be on Shuichi’s poster.

Fuhito, Jin, and maybe Kizakura and Nanamura would probably appear too, for backstory reasons.

One thing I failed to mention before is that each of these posters would have someone on a motorcycle somewhere (which is part of the reason why I don’t think I could make this even if I had the drive to). Now this is probably the biggest spoiler that I’m willing to share here, but the biker in this poster is a Kamen Rider spoof that wears a Monokuma mask and calls themself “Kuma Rider,” and they’re getting some fucking air in the background, red scarf flowing in the wind. No, I will not budge on this one, no matter how stupid the idea probably is. I actually have plans for Kuma Rider.

If there are any other characters that would be on here, they’d probably spoil too much, so perhaps it’s for the best I’m not actually making these. And this could go for all three of the posters, really.

Shuichi:

Another reason why it’s probably a good thing that I’m not actually making these: unlike Kyoko and Makoto I don’t really have many ideas on who would be on Shuichi’s poster. I mean there are a few obvious choices, but beyond them everyone else wouldn’t necessarily be tied to Shuichi specifically.

The obvious choices are, of course, Kaede and Kokichi. Other members of DICE (or at least the characters who are presented as members of DICE in this fic) would probably appear as well.

Since Kaede is going to be portrayed as someone who works as a pianist at a Broadway-like theater, other people who work at that theater would probably be included on this poster. This includes a character that I really hope I can do justice when/if I get that far in the fic: Chaplin Sukegawa (Deadman Wonderland), who I’d portray as a famous stage director.

There are two people on the motorcycle in this one: The DeLites (Ace Attorney), who are just some of the characters that I’m including in this story just to fill out the ranks of DICE, but they’d probably be among the more prominent ones. Definitely the biggest spoiler in this part of my post, but nothing major. (And yeah, they would be the DeLites here, partially because I’m more familiar with the English translation’s names but also because I’m portraying the setting this takes place in as a Japan/US hybrid not unlike the translations of Ace Attorney, so I feel it’s fitting)

Again, if Fuyuhiko and Peko aren’t on Kyoko’s poster, they’d be here, probably.

Makoto:

Another reason why this is probably a bad idea: if we’re being really honest here, this is more Chihiro’s poster than Makoto’s, since Makoto (outside of being Kyoko’s Watson and having slightly-more-wholesome-than-usual relationship drama) is mainly here to connect Kyoko’s story to Chihiro’s. Pidge (VLD) and Futaba (Persona) would be here somewhere, as well as Miu and probably Kazuichi since he’s also kinda in the friend group somewhat. The biker on this poster would be Mondo, looking like he’s about to drive off into the sunset never to be seen again. Taka would probably also be here for reasons. ...So yeah, it’s largely Chihiro-centric, with a few exceptions.

So if you haven’t seen my first attempt at this fic, or you are just unfamiliar with my taste in Makoto ships, Chihiro and Aoi are given a great deal of importance in the poster, probably looking like a reprise of the All Star Apologies title card, but maybe less dramatic.

Don’t worry, Aoi would get some love too. Yuta and Sakura would probably be on this poster as well.

Honestly, if there’s any place to put Rinichiro Hagire (Deadman Wonderland), who I had already established as a villain in this fic, it would probably be this poster. And there are reasons for that that I won’t go into because... again, spoilers.

So yeah, I don’t know why I felt compelled to share this idea. I guess a part of me thinks it’s kinda neat, but way too ambitious for me to handle. I also don’t quite care enough to ask or pay anyone to make it either. And I probably spoiled too much of my fic idea already. At least the BIG big stuff hasn’t been spoiled. But eh... just thought I’d share. It’s fun to share this stuff. Thanks for your time. Someday I will give this fic another shot. Hopefully.

[catboyebooks]

we have three FTEs left with nanami and i really hope we'll have time to do all of them this chapter, but at the very least we can spend time with her right now.

initially the two of them hang out playing games in the hotel lobby, but nanami ends up nodding off and hinata suggests they go hang out at the ranch together, see the animals. nanami says she isn't that fond of animals actually, she seems to think interacting with living things is a bit scary and unpredictable and goes on a little tangent here where she says she's better at the type of games that use predictable math, as opposed to having to "manage relationships and guess what characters are feeling." i know this is about her being an AI but the neurodivergence energy is strong with this one. hinata's alternate suggestion is that they just observe the animals rather than trying to interact up-close, which nanami agrees to.

once they get to the ranch however nanami does decide to go up to and pet the cow (cow doesn't mind) and she remarks to hinata that this is easier with animals than it is with people. she says "if you touch a person, something is born from that interaction, right? repulsion, anticipation, whatever" and then says she's nervous about that kind of stuff and would prefer to remain an "innocent bystander" as long as she can. hinata thinks that this is a little odd, but he gets it.

the conversation then gets derailed a bit when hinata suggests they milk the cow and it turns out nanami isn't aware milk comes from cows. he's happy to explain but, again, baffled as to why she doesn't know this stuff.

i don't think there's much for me to unpack here that isn't obvious but i do kinda wanna talk about an aspect of this relationship dynamic that i really like. even before knowing this relationship was doomed all along, as in, this nanami isn't real and the real one died years ago, you can tell this is going to go absolutely nowhere because neither of them are ever gonna make the first move. nanami pretty much says here that she's not ready to take the relationship any further because of a fear of intimacy (without knowing the twist this makes sense as a sentiment that a sheltered, possibly neurodivergent young adult might express, but of course she's also an AI who exists only in this VR program — she doesn't have any experience having human relationships of any kind, and it seems vaguely unethical for her to try and engage in one with any of the people here, who don't even know she's not real), even though it definitely seems like she likes hinata. as for hinata, well, he clearly likes nanami too but this is the "friendship always seemed embarrassing" guy. this is the "i don't know if it's appropriate to call us friends so how about comrades?" guy. when it comes to having relationships of any kind with other people he clearly doesn't know what the fuck he's doing. i'm not totally convinced he's even realized he has a crush on her at this point. like there's just no way this relationship is going anywhere, at least not anytime soon, aaaand there's very little time left for these two at this point. especially given the dr3 context that nanami (actual) was the closest thing hinata ever had to a friend before the events of this game, and that back in high school they seemed to be crushing on each other but the relationship never had the opportunity to go anywhere, this is some compelling tragic failed romance arc shit. you can see why this would work, too — they play off each other well (with occasional moments of banter, even), they're both similarly socially isolated and awkward, their FTEs all feel a bit like dates (not unusual for FTEs and certainly not unique to hinata and nanami, but the vibe is particularly strong and consistent here). and yet it all just feels so doomed. i dunno. i like it

[ruby-whistler]

You've probably talked about this kinda thing before (I'm willing to hunt down the post if so), but I'm pretty new to your blog and I'm curious; what makes you like c!Dream so much? Other than, like, his potential - or the skill that went into writing him - I mean specifically as a character, what causes you to sympathize with him as opposed to others like Wilbur or Quackity?

If it's personal you obviously don't have to answer! I've just read tons of posts like that from c!Tommy apologists and I realized I'd never read one from the other side of things (so to speak) and I think you present your ideas and stuff rly well :p

Alright, I’ve made a couple of replies like this, but this one is going in the masterpost to later link it to people - thank you for your interest, and I hope you don’t mind this one being a bit detailed.

Initially, on more of an emotional level, the answer to that question would be Dr3. It was how I got into Dream apologism, it justified my compassion for the character, and made me feel more comfortable where the rest of the fandom was overwhelmingly negative.

The c!Dream that people portray seems unsympathetic, and pretty fitting on the surface - a relentless manipulative villain with an insatiate thirst for power who threw away his friends in order to gain control over others for the sake of being on top.

Until you actually look into canon, and do some analysis, and realize that's,,, rather far from the truth.

See, the thing about c!Dream is, that he's a person much like anyone else in the story. He's not a "villain" or some morally black character only because of his actions. It's all about context, which doesn't excuse actions, but it might explain them and make an impact on the way we view the character himself.

In this fandom, people usually look at him, and then throw both accurate characterization and any of that context out the window.

Because power, and hurting people, and chaos isn't his goal or his motive. It's a means to an end. Everything is a means to the end to this character, including himself, which I find fascinating.

Is it wrong to do? Yes. Will it get him closer to his goals? Yes? Then he's going to do it, no matter who gets hurt in the process. No matter if he gets hurt in the process.

And this ruthlessness is not inspired by cruelty, this efficiency isn't out of enjoyment. It's out of genuine attachment and perhaps even desperation, but that's difficult to get into.

He's had such a downward spiral into doing continuously worse things - and for what? For control? For power? No, he never cared about that in the first place, why would he start now?

Do you know what he did care about?

His friends. The server. The people he feels responsible for.

c!Dream's goals have never been selfish at all, no matter how much people try to paint it that way. His ends were always for others - considering how likely the theory that he got himself locked up on purpose is, that enforces the sentiment even more.

If he didn't care about the server, why would he fight against L'Manberg and then list his reasons for it always as reasons "we" had? He pretty much never used "I" when talking about it, I know because I counted it.

If he didn't care about the people, why would he stand against Schlatt - despite understandably still despising L'Manberg - and actively support them in getting their country back when he could've just left them alone? Schlatt wasn't hurting him. Wilbur taking a tiny piece of land wasn't threatening him.

Manberg was threatening the server's peace, which is why he fought against it. L'Manberg threatened (and ruined) the server's relative peace and unity, which is why he fought against it.

It was never him fighting to control the server, it was him fighting for the server and the people in it, even if he ended up hurting them in the process, and that's pretty clear from analysing his motives before the second season.

And yeah, his thinking is flawed, I noticed - but cc!Dream has confirmed his goal in the end is for everyone to get along and, well, stop hurting each other, as well as him having an "ends justify the means" mentality.

And I guess that silent realization of - hell, he cares - was what drew me to have such a strong attachment towards the character.

So thinking about him forcing himself to do all this terrible stuff - about him being stuck powerless inside a cell, hurt over and over again - about just how desperate he must've been, alternatively, how ready to sacrifice himself he must've been back at the Finale.

If you recontextualize the story from c!Dream's perspective, it all falls into this picture of someone who wanted to protect people more than anything, and who cared more than anyone, and ended up losing everything, not entirely by his own fault, but because of the cycle of violence he was actively trying to stop.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Dream is incredibly selfless both in his overarching goals, and in his smaller more immediate ones. He will, more often than not, put himself in a disadvantageous situation if it means his friends or allies aren’t caught in the crossfire or harmed.

His relationship with his friends - Punz, George and Sapnap specifically - is incredibly tragic. He wanted to protect Punz, he showed genuine concern about him, he was willing to have one less person on his side just so that people wouldn't target him.

He wanted to protect George, but he hurt him in the process, because he was too caught up in being in the right, and Sapnap was distraught thanks to Tommy telling him that Dream doesn't care about him, and Quackity who despised Dream was there to fan the flames, so they fell apart rather easily.

He wanted to protect the cat, and he failed.

He wanted to protect Techno, stand up to Quackity, and he failed.

If you think about it, he failed to protect everyone miserably.

Alright before I break down sobbing incoherently - as you can probably see, my sympathy towards c!Dream doesn't come from him being a good person to any degree, more from just incredible amounts of sadness.

You see, c!Dream is a very reserved character, and he puts up the "cruel scary villain" front on purpose, and he doesn't talk about his emotions on purpose. However what we see of him is pretty much enough to classify him as a rather tragic character.

Most of his actions, with enough context, shift the way I think about the character in a more positive direction only because if I like the way a character is written, it's going to bleed into my feelings for the character himself. Ruthless villains are my jam. A character being fun to analyse and too complex to complicate further is pretty much the only thing I need to become attached.

Did I mention the prison arc yet? I cannot see a character suffering and not be sympathetic, I don't think that's a thing with me. Healing arc potential, isn't it?

A lot of people also relate to the character on a deeply personal level! Trauma responses such as cutting people off and emotionally isolating yourself, trying to regain control of your environment or to get back the past, some people even relate to,, what's being done to him during the prison arc. There's definitely some amount of projection going on, but I'd say I only do it to a degree where when I'm depressed I'll start relentlessly posting about a healing arc.

It's just hard to see a villain with good intentions hurt and alone, even if he's done terrible things, and not feel some amount of empathy. Most people don't care to see him that way, but my blog's mostly a place for those who do.

Anyways, here are some essays to check out perhaps if you've read this far that elaborate on some of the points further-

[ x ] [ x ] [ x ] [ x ] [ x ] [ x ]

- and here's an explanation like this from a fellow Dream apologist. Might be useful to get multiple perspectives on the subject. Feel free to also send asks if you have any questions! That's what I'm here for.

[magioftheseas]

A Smile In Fragments

Summary: When Komaeda first woke up, Hinata didn’t know what he was expecting. Maybe he wanted Komaeda to scream, maybe he wanted Komaeda to cry, or maybe... Maybe deep down, he wanted Komaeda to smile at him and accept his situation with that carefree calm he had been stuck on for months now.He got that in the worst possible way.

Rating: T+

Warnings: Suicide attempt which results in copious gore.

Notes: This is another old-ass wip that I finished up and posted, which means it was written pre-dr3. Back in the day, I was curious about Amnesiac Komaeda AUs set post-sdr2, so I tried my hand at it. This is what happened. Yeah. It’s, uh, pretty rusty but I guess I have some amount of fondness for it.

***Alternate Ao3 Link***

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Just Komaeda smiling at him was enough to make him snap.

“What,” Hinata snarled, stalking forward as the boy in the sheets faltered. That damn smile wilted but Hinata only felt his anger flare burning hot before his eyes. “What the hell were you even thinking?”

Komaeda hesitated to answer and Hinata loomed over him, fists shaking at his sides and glare absolutely poisonous. That the other couldn’t dignify him with some self-righteous answer was even worse. “Do you even understand the shit you’re in right now? Did you honestly think pulling that stunt would make anything better? I was trying, alright? I was trying to help you only for you to just...”

He stopped, trembling with fury and unable to even say it as he shut his eyes. Komaeda made a noise. A familiar sound that has Hinata nearly lose his temper and commit an act he’d regret... But instead, he lets out a heavy sigh and gives Komaeda a look of disgust.

His look drops when he sees how Komaeda’s reacting—how he’d been reacting ever since Hinata started yelling at him.

Komaeda looks terrified—sincerely, purely scared in a way that Hinata had never seen before. He’s back against the wall, knees tucked between them like a barrier and arms pressed close against his chest. His body’s wracked with tremors, his eyes wide like a child’s, and Hinata’s anger utterly dissipates back into worry.

“Komaeda...?” he asks, voice softer with a bit of a waver. “What’s wrong?”

“I-I’m... I’m sorry...” Komaeda manages just as the nurse bursts in.

“Hinata-san,” she says and Hinata has to tear his sight away. He hears Komaeda stifle a sob, and the seriousness in the nurse’s eyes doesn’t stop him from flinching. “We need to talk.”

--

When Komaeda first woke up, Hinata didn’t know what he was expecting. Maybe he wanted Komaeda to scream—his plan failed after all, tremendously so because not only were they all still alive, but he was still alive as well...and the only person who really died was never living in the first place—or maybe he wanted Komaeda to cry—I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it, but how likely was that—or maybe... Maybe deep down, he wanted Komaeda to smile at him and accept his situation with that carefree calm he had been stuck on for months now.

Instead, Komaeda shut down as soon as he woke up. He shut them out.

He was in poor condition upon waking and needed to be nursed, so it didn’t require much effort on his part. The rest of them avoided visiting him, too, except for Hinata who was desperate enough to want something...and maybe a little bit anxious because he remembered the last time they left Komaeda alone to his own devices. Not that it mattered, because even when Hinata tried to be polite, Komaeda seemed content to ignore his existence. Like he really was the Ultimate Nobody.

It made him angry enough to stop trying. But he still worried—that traitorous niggling feeling digging under his skin like a parasitic worm and aggravating him to the point where he felt like he was going to go insane. But there was nothing he could do, right, if Komaeda wasn’t going to acknowledge him—there was nothing he could do...

But, god, desperately and shakily pressing torn bits of fabric to Komaeda’s head in a frenzied attempt to stop the bleeding—if there was really nothing he could have done to prevent this...

“Don’t, please don’t die,” he begged, heart pounding. He already called Naegi in hysteria but Hinata was terrified at the bleak, real possibility that it’d be too late. Komaeda’s eyes were already fluttered shut and blood was still pulsing and slicking his trembling fingers. “Please, Komaeda, stay with me, stay with me... I-I can’t...”

It’s only by the time the others get there that Hinata realizes he’s been crying. He tries to wipe the tears away but ends up smearing Komaeda’s blood on his face instead. In seconds, he’s hyperventilating as Naegi takes his shoulders and murmurs to him: it’ll be fine don’t lose hope Komaeda-kun will be fine, you saved him Hinata-kun it’ll be fine...

In the end, Komaeda is saved. Hinata washes away his blood from his hands. And when Hinata hurries to go visit him, Komaeda turns and gives him a smile.

--

Komaeda smiled at him again when he entered. But this time the smile was tinier, more fearful—and the more Hinata thought about it, the more the smile from before seemed more for the sake of platitude. And yet he got angry.

This wasn’t the time to feel guilty over it. But he should...

“I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier. I...” I wasn’t aware of your condition. But I say something like that, and he’ll know I meant it. The yelling part. I did mean it. But I wouldn’t have been like that if I knew... Does that even mean anything? Does apologizing mean anything? What am I supposed to...? “I’m sorry, Komaeda. Do you really not...”

“I forgive you.” Komaeda’s smile was still meek, but also a bit wider, and Hinata didn’t know if that was good or not. He shouldn’t get conceited when Komaeda still seemed so unsure and insecure. “From what I can tell, I think I’m at fault too... You did say you trying to help me, so... Ah, it’s fine. I just ended up startled, because...you know...”

It’s not like you would even know why I’d lose myself like that... You don’t even know who I am anymore... And it’s weird that he’d be so sheepish about it, too, because it’s not like Komaeda chose to conveniently get retrograde amnesia when he did. Hell, the amnesia thing was probably the furthest thing he was aiming for and that was...

Just fine. As far as Hinata was concerned, when things don’t go Komaeda’s way is preferable to otherwise. Komaeda’s way was twisted and distorted and could invariably lead to disaster. Hinata was aware of this from experience, though he was also aware he didn’t fully understand it. It was entirely possible he never would. Still... “Is there anything you want?”

“Huh?” Komaeda looked at him, his head at a bird-like tilt and wide doe eyes. “I’m...sorry? I don’t know if I can answer that question easily...especially when I’m not entirely sure if I can trust you. Yet, at least.” He looks almost apologetic and Hinata really doesn’t get that either. But finally, Komaeda’s looking a bit bright again, and it’s more of a relief than he cares to admit. “So the nurse did explain what’s wrong with me, right? Recently wrong, I mean. There were problems before... Ah, but I don’t know if you know about that so I’ll just stop here. Did she tell you or not?”

“You don’t remember,” Hinata states it bluntly, his throat thick as Komaeda nods in response. “You’ve experienced trauma that resulted in you losing your memories. You... You don’t remember me anymore, do you?”

“No, I don’t,” Komaeda says, his smile sad. “Nor do I remember how I got here. But I’m not completely a blank slate if it means anything! I remember some things that happened to me before—like once, I had a dog? Ha-ha, something like that... There are still holes in the memories, sadly, but at least they’re still there. If it helps, I think one of the last things I remember is getting an acceptance letter.”

“An acceptance letter? For where...?” Hinata was already dreading the answer. Komaeda chewed on his lower lip with a soft hum.

“Some esteemed academy... But I don’t recall the name...”

“Was it Hope’s Peak?” Hinata’s stomach drops. “Y-You...don’t remember Hope’s Peak?”

“Was that the name of the school? That sounds about right.” Komaeda didn’t sound so sure despite his chipper tone. “Sorry, my memory stops there. But since I’ve been diligently explaining my delicate situation, perhaps you could fill me in a bit on the things I don’t know? It’d only be fair, after all...” He holds up his left wrist, tracing the bandages around the stump as he observes it in plain curiosity. “I’m not entirely sure how I got this. The nurses won’t tell me and to be frank, I highly doubt it was from the incident that resulted in my amnesia. It’s a bit healed over and... I think that acceptance letter was a while ago...before this. I’m not sure, but do you know?”

“I-I...” Hinata hesitates, blatantly. “I-I wasn’t there...when you lost it... S-Sorry...”

“So you don’t know? How disappointing.” Komaeda sighed. “Isn’t that so unfortunate? How am I supposed to write? My handwriting’s awful enough as it is and... Oh. Right. Your question. No, I don’t remember going to school at all. I just remember getting accepted.”

“Do you remember anything after that?” Hinata asks. “Like...your classmates? School assignments? F-Field trips?”

“Hm. Those are some generic questions. I get the feeling you’re hiding things from me...” But Komaeda grinned cheekily as Hinata froze for a moment. Komaeda laughed it off like it was no big deal. “Ah, it can’t be helped. But no, sorry. I barely remembered the school’s name after all. Oh, wait, I do remember being on a boat... Actually yeah. I was on some kind of boat.”

“Do you like boats? You seem to be enjoying yourself.”

Hinata blinked hard to dispel the image, but Komaeda turned to him with realization clear in his gaze and face lighting up. “That’s right! You were there, weren’t you? You have the same eyes from earlier, though I see you cut your hair... Funny, didn’t you never want to see me again? You were quite cold, you know...from what I remember. What else were we discussing?”

“It’s not important,” Hinata says, voice quick and thick. “None of those things are important anymore. I didn’t mean anything I said back then. That... That’s not me anymore, so you mustn’t worry.”

“Oh...” Komaeda looks a bit disappointed, but still a bit hopeful. “Um. I don’t remember you introducing yourself...”

That’s because I didn’t. Not back then. I didn’t deem it important.

“What’s your name again?”

Hinata swallows. “Hi...Hinata. Hajime Hinata. I was...” Your classmate? But that’s not true, is it? I was never in that...

“My friend, right?” Komaeda asks, and Hinata’s chest seizes up for a moment. And Komaeda looks bashful too, rubbing at his shoulder with a light blush on his face. “I really am sorry... I must have worried you a lot to make you so angry... Though I don’t know how good my words are when like this. But really, I sincerely appreciate you caring so much. Especially since our first meeting didn’t go so well... But since you’ve changed, I guess... We’re friends now?”

You’ve got that wrong. I didn’t understand you. I don’t even know if I can forgive you. Even though you’re alive now, I feel like things have never been more complicated. I don’t know what we were, but it sure as hell was not...

“Or I’m wrong,” he hums, halting Hinata’s thoughts with a self-effacing sigh. “For all I know I could have just been a troublemaker you got saddled with. Isn’t that more likely?”

Hinata doesn’t answer, but Komaeda gives him another sincere smile that takes his breath away. “But I still like you, Hinata-kun. You must be a really kind person to worry so strongly over someone like me. I don’t have to remember our exact relationship to notice that; especially when you were so fired up earlier. I’ll try and do my best, so don’t fret so much, okay?”

I...I may never understand this person...

--

“I don’t want to go back.”

The words were simple, clear, and concise. And yet, they didn’t make any sense at all.

“Komaeda,” Hinata groaned, reaching for the other only for him to avoid his hand. Komaeda’s stare remained—those same wide doe eyes and lips pulled into a neutral straight line—but Hinata grew more agitated by the minute.

The wind blew, ocean waves crashing below, and when Hinata’s eyes drifted from Komaeda, they landed immediately on the edge of the cliff not too far behind the two. The idea appeared in his head and soon sank to his gut, and Hinata nearly begged as he attempted to grab Komaeda. “Come on...!”

“If you’re going to take me back,” Komaeda murmured, face unreadable as he continued to evade his swiping hand. “Then I have no choice.”

“Please, please don’t...”

“Hinata-kun.” It was the first time Komaeda had said his name in months, and it sounded raspy. Awful. Hinata hated the way Komaeda said his name. But he still missed it. And that just made it worse. “What do you think will happen? Good luck or bad luck? Make a prediction—just like you did the first time we met. Hopefully, you won’t be wrong like last time.”

Hinata shouted his name, fear breaking through his anger as he launched himself forward towards the other. He missed Komaeda by mere centimeters and he only saw a blur of white and blue before there was only the barren cliff before him.

Whatever shock he would have gone into was shattered when he heard the soft, muted impact from several feet below.

--

“Oh good morning, Hinata-kun!” Komaeda brightly greeted him, waving his good hand once he saw Hinata standing blankly in his doorway. Hinata wasn’t sure how he looked, and Komaeda gave no comments to it, but there was a slightly concerned way to how Komaeda tilted his head and smiled a bit more. “It’s a bit early... Is something wrong?”

“...Nightmare. I had a nightmare.” With those words out, he stumbled to get close, nearly tripping in his haste to reach out and grasp Komaeda’s still elevated hand. He squeezed it once, briefly, and pulled his hands back to wipe his clammy palms off his pants. “Sorry. I... I just had to make sure for a moment.”

“It’s fine...” Komaeda pulled his hand close, curling it against his chest. His worried smile remained on his face, and Hinata tried not to stare at the bandages wrapped around his head. There were scars there before, from previous hospital trips, and Hinata can only imagine how much worse they’d look now with where his head had bashed on a rock.

“Um... Hinata-kun?”

Hinata’s gaze snapped back.

“I’m sorry,” Komaeda spoke with such ease, and yet, so much regret. “I’m really, really sorry. I just... I feel like I should beg you for forgiveness.”

You should, but I won’t be happy when you’re like this. It’s...

It’s fine.

“Komaeda...”

Even if I won’t ever understand, even if we’re just back at square one again... Even so...

“I should’ve said this earlier,” Hinata said, forcing a smile. “Welcome back.”

Komaeda blinked at him, but he smiled once more. It actually wasn’t half-bad. It might’ve even been a little lovely.

I can keep trying a little while longer.

[saimotass]

little things in v3 that make me appreciate the game slightly more (spoilers)

the fact that the two incest plotlines can directly be traced back to tsumugi, whose fantasy in her love hotel event deals with her and shuuichi being stepsiblings. the fact that brother-sister incest happens twice within this killing game (with korekiyo & miyadera, and monotaro & monophanie) could be just tsumugi trying to extend her incest fetish to the public.

tsumugi probably named monophanie that way because she knew that she wanted to make kaede the protagonist (at least for the first trial). monophanie sounds like monophony, a term in music that refers to a unified, completely homogenous sound, such as a single instrument in a piece, or every instrument playing the same exact melody.

tsumugi's place in the trial room is exactly where junko's was, right in front of monokuma. she wanted to copy junko's killing game so much that she wanted to take the role of being in her position.

because it's so ambiguous whether tsumugi ever says the truth at all during her entire confrontation, it's almost to the point where she doesn't even have her own identity, and tsumugi shirogane could just be another fictional character she made up for herself. she could have deliberately chosen to raise her voice and have blue hair to pay homage to sayaka, who technically started the killing game in the first place.

the monokubs all have different homages to various former contestants in the killing games. monokid is a guitar player like ibuki and has syo & junko's long tongue. monodam is a robot much like mechamaru, and his name could be a reference to gundam, while his attitude seems pretty similar to twogami's (wanting everyone to get along regardless of whether it's possible or not). monosuke has a gruff attitude similar to mondo, enjoys baseball like leon, and is associated with money like celes and togami. monophanie is sweet and shy but still obedient and cruel, like mikan and touko, and her color scheme brings monomi and chiaki to mind. monotaro has a scarf like gundam, uses throwing stars that bring to mind izayoi from dr3, and has a leadership quality to him like kiyotaka and twogami.

the monokubs have similar color schemes to the warriors of hope, with a few of them having similar traits to them. monotaro and masaru are both the "leaders" and hotheaded, and are orange-red. monophanie and kotoko are both submissive yet still scary, and are pink. monodam and monaca both control their friends and associates and become power hungry because of it, and are both green. monokid and nagisa don't have much at all in common, but are both blue. monosuke and jataro also don't have much in common, but are both associated with neutral tan colors.

tsumugi and the ultimate impostor both show up in this game, but tsumugi is impersonating them, which would probably be her dream -- she's essentially cosplaying a cosplayer who's cosplaying as someone with no identity.

tsumugi doesn't end up contributing a lot because she's an intern for team danganronpa -- she's not used to having a say in major decisions and big meetings, since she's low on the chain of employees.

you never actually see tsumugi's face in the shot of everyone after kaede's execution, probably because she was either smiling or just completely expressionless. she got away with murder by killing another person, and as such would probably be incredulous or ecstatic about the result of the first trial.

when kaede asks tsumugi about her favorite anime, she mentions hers, and her favorite episode of said anime is episode 53. she probably was lying here, and just said that number in a panic. she hadn't probably thought that far into her backstory as tsumugi.

tsumugi probably planned for shuuichi, maki, and himiko to still survive the school being destroyed, since she gave them some of the most emotional moments in the game, killing the people closest to them. shuuichi had the deaths of both kaede and kaito, maki had her breakdown after kaito's death, and himiko lost both angie and tenko within the same trial. it would make sense that she had planned for them to survive through the whole thing, even if kiibo kind of sidestepped her plan a bit.

at the end, before her execution, tsumugi seems actually pretty neutral about her plan failing, even saying that she's proud to have made a perfect copy of the original killing game's plan. this could mean that she intended for the entire thing to fall apart, bringing an audience surrogate, a masterful liar and criminal, and a gifted detective into the same season all together.

kaito's illness was either planned from the beginning, or implemented after tsumugi realized how close he and shuuichi had gotten, and how helpful kaito's been to him. kaede was an easier target because there was a believable reason to execute her in everyone else's eyes. kaito probably would have never killed if he hadn't been battling his illness, since he agrees to help ouma in chapter 5's plan knowing that his time is limited. tsumugi probably instilled a handicap on him, knowing that he was the most hopeful and optimistic of the characters besides kiibo, who she could easily manipulate since he was essentially just a standin for the audience itself.

the inclusion of the remnants of despair as a plot point for part of the game makes sense when tsumugi is revealed to have created the entire season. she's a huge fangirl and wanted to have a nod to the second game. it also would make sense as something that she would just randomly throw in as a means of fanservice to the audience.

the demo's whole gimmick of makoto, hajime, and hagakure being part of the game alongside the new characters is put in a new light after the reveal that the original games were just works of fiction in v3's universe. plus, it's implied that makoto and hajime are actors, which would make sense. technically speaking, everyone in v3 is an actor as well, and with tsumugi cosplaying as a bunch of previous characters in the final trial, chances are that the makoto and hajime actors aren't the original characters, merely portraying them.

tsumugi being the mastermind makes so much sense, and the theme of truth vs. lies makes sense in terms of her constant denial that fiction can't influence reality. as a big fan of danganronpa before becoming part of the games themselves, she's more than likely well aware of the effects that fiction can have on real life, and probably agrees with shuuichi deep down.

the parallels between tsumugi and junko are interesting, but the ways in which they die are the most. they're both crushed to death, and while junko's smiling the entire time (save for the very end, when the crusher stops momentarily, allowing her a bit of confusion as to why it isn't working before she dies), tsumugi is just blank the entire time. it goes to show how even though she got to live her dream and become her idol, she just didn't have the same dedication and devotion to the cause that junko did.

also, kokichi and tsumugi are both crushed, and both were suspected of being the masterminds, also being the representatives of two criminal groups. they're very good antitheses to one another when you start to compare and contrast the two.

i could keep going but honestly we'd be here for a while

[aseriesofunfortunatejan]

I think Teruteru should've been a Hopeless Romantic flirt but still fails. DR2 didn't need two pervy weirdos the other being Kazuichi. And I feel like the writers didn't care and went completely overboard on Teruteru's inappropriate behavior and tried way to hard to making him unlikeable as possible. Asking Sonia to suck out poison was gross. I feel like the writers thought his Free Time Event was going too smoothly so they added the drugging part, which came out of nowhere. Teruteru should be the type who wouldn't but drugs in his food for dubious reasons. He's actually likable in the Manga and DR:S where's he's 75% less pervy.

Well, I'm a Souda defender. BUT I will agree with you that we didn't need two obvious perverts/weirdos. I think Souda is flawed, immature and indulges in stalkerish behaviours, but that it's just fine to have a character like that - but having him *on top* of having a super perverted character in Chapter 1 feels like a lot, and unneeded.

I guess the issue with Teruteru being a hopeless romantic who fails would be that he's also "the ugly character" (not my words... Ibuki's, I think. But that goes to show that's how he's meant to be perceived. Which is its own can of worms.) I feel like he would need to have other obvious flaws still, to not make it just a mean diss towards his appearance - or it would have needed to be an entire plot point of its own. At least him being constantly rejected because he's too perverted makes sense.

It's true that Teruteru's FTE is just... odd. Why is it like that? I wonder if the original Japanese text is exactly just as weird/bad. The drug insinuation genuinely doesn't make sense. Its writing is vague, AND goes against his claim in Chapter 1 that drugging his food would mess with the taste, which he would never allow. (Plus, when that actually happened in DR3, it was made extremely obvious that Teruteru wasn't behind it.)

There are many manga adaptations, so I'm not sure which one you mean. It's good to hear that he's better in DRS, though, since I haven't played it myself. I wonder if he was alright in UTDP too?