#yttd meta

[datastate]

steeples my hands. hello all. i'm thinking about asunaro's perception of maple again

...& it's honestly a bit funny how hiyori's supremely fucked up the majority of his relationships with the other asu-agents simply through his manipulation of maple - especially as, within asunaro, artificial intelligence is commonly seen as a reflection of humanity, if not human in their own right (which they try to prove through the death game)

{ MEISTER }

LISTEN... mr. chidouin's generally shown to be very loving and affectionate (arguably overly so) with sara (and even kai!), i cannot believe he doesn't feel similarly with mrs. chidouin. whatever issues they share, i'm firmly of the belief that he insists on the idea he's doing the best for his family because he so openly and genuinely loves them and wishes for their success, or to otherwise mean something in the grand scheme of asunaro. seeing one's love be programmed in and repeatedly manipulated/discarded like this, beyond that of its intended gimmick, is an immensely uncomfortable situation. don't get me wrong, mr. chidouin has indubitably manipulated kai and imposes on sara. however, he imagines for kai that it is worth the harm because it's cultivated a better life for him on the whole. he's groomed them into these set roles out of care, with the thought they have the strength to carry these mantles in this recreation of the hades incident - but hiyori does not care for maple's place in the death game. the only reason hiyori interacts with maple at all, this outdated iteration of dolls, is due to his own fear. mr. chidouin cannot sympathize with this. he had accepted kai into the family fully-aware of the fact that if kai discovered his true identity, he would surely resent or kill him - he's an assassin still! - but he was more than willing to put his life on the line if it meant he could provide a better ending for the satous who had survived the assassin's trial... and, eventually, he wanted to know kai on a much more personal level. kai, like maple, was built for the ultimatum - but kai was granted love where maple was continuously denied it. what love she held was utilized as a barrier rather than an emotion worth actually fostering. there would be no betrayal in 'crossing that line' of killing hiyori, nothing in it to make it a fault of hers. unlike mr. chidouin's peace with the knowledge his leverage over kai is fragile, hiyori would die an uneventful death at maple's hand if she finally wrangled free of his control. there is nothing honorable in that, and his selfishness brings only disgrace to the ultimatum.

{ EMIRI HARAI }

seeing how easily someone's emotions can be toyed with on a surface level, enough so to dissuade their original personality, does not inspire confidence, to say the least! & definitely not after being faced with grieving her lover. if she did join asunaro in the hopes of reviving him, the sight of this completely destroys that hope; she bears firsthand the proof that love is only something to be manipulated by those in power in asunaro. she doesn't even have the work she was once so proud of - what she has left of herself are... these scattered pieces that were incompatible when moving from civilian life into asunaro's clutches. where, if you peer too close, you'd inevitably find a weakness; which is implied to be the cause of this persona of hers. never allowing anyone near enough to recognize what lays beneath, otherwise she'll be discarded just the same because... she, like mr. chidouin, did have a loving relationship. and seeing the destruction of her own reflected in another innocent person who is unable/unaware of the utter grasp asunaro has on her is repulsive; regardless of her personal beliefs on whether or not AIs are "human enough" - to program one is to put in faith that they are. to then go so far as to rid the choices crucial to being human... hits a bit too close to home, aha.

{ MICHIRU NAMIDA }

as one who is evidently very firm in her belief that her creations are perfect & that AIs are practically interchangeable with humans, i'm sure her opinions on hiyori's treatment of maple are. less than ideal for Workplace Civilty. to say nothing of the implied idea that they work closely together with AI development (hiyori specifically crediting any of ranger's success to michiru's ability alone) and thus michiru has had personal contact with maple to see the effects of hiyori's treatment... michiru's already spent much of her life feeling suppressed. asunaro recognized she was unable to fully flourish in her previous workplace and offered her a place where she could do away with ethics in the chase of something larger than her, in the name of humanity - but seeing what hiyori's imposed upon maple just drags back all of those unwelcome feelings. it's horrifying - though she knows she can't speak on it because she doesn't have seniority on the maple project, nor does she have a place on floors four/five where this gimmick would take place. the most she can do in the meanwhile is comfort maple. indulge that humanity where hiyori refutes it. but even if she comforts maple, she cannot remove that tie to hiyori keeping her subdued. she feels terribly complicit. michiru particularly loves the AI creations because they resemble the best of humanity in her eyes; for hiyori to discard maple like this begs the question of his dedication to asunaro's projects at all, not to mention it seems needlessly cruel. he's neglecting her without even taking interest in the pain she endures at his behest - there's hardly any reason. and that's the worst of it. michiru, as most asunaro does, believes in the idea of 'the ends must justify the means' -- and in maple's case, hiyori lacks that vital rule.

{ GASHU SATOU }

it's... complicated. gashu resents the hiyoris on the idea that their methodology is reprehensible, having been victim to it himself, and yet recognizes the necessity of having a department of asunaro dedicated to extortion to keep public relations stable. of course, this means their pride is unfortunately not without basis. for their work, they are rewarded, and maple is the piteous pinnacle of that. gashu has created ranger in the hopes of replicating the children he wished to save, whereas maple's creation has no such purpose beyond the implied "let's see how incorporating emotions will work for future artificial intelligence" - a stepping stone in something larger, rather than a project in its own right. but while she could've been laid to rest once their technology moved forward, sou hiyori had the power to deny her that. he forces a role upon her for the death game without accepting the burden that entails - it's irresponsible and a clear indication of his assumption that the world must fall in line with his every whim. hiyori demands maple accept her fate in the ultimatum so he needn't accept his own death; never need experience that utter lack of control he exercises freely over others. to gashu, hiyori does present the worst vices of his family. he almost pities him. almost.

{ RIO RANGER }

ranger and maple have fought over their respective favored person. i know this to be true. maple points out that gashu's intentions aren't entirely in rio's favor, instead the shadows lingering in his creation. maple recognizes the emotional weight behind some of the things he says to ranger where rio is quite literally unable to comprehend them. she will critique gashu's desire to constantly have rio 'prove' himself to his creator (...even as she attempts to 'prove' herself to hiyori, it's easier to recognize in another) -- meanwhile, rio gets annoyed with maple and how content she appears with her current programming, with letting hiyori crush her personality in favor of giving her something tantalizingly out of reach: a new feeling. the dolls endure a monochrome world unless they have something to incite those feelings. maple is more fortunate than ranger in this sense, but is still left with the high that only hiyori can grant her. ...and rio gets angry. it's aggravation on her behalf, but he doesn't have the capacity to understand that, instead blaming it on the idea she's incompetent and far too reliant on humanity. but even if he doesn't share the appeal of humanity, he doesn't only use that as a point in their arguments - rather demanding to know that if that's what she wants, then why the fuck are you letting that asshole stifle who you are? letting him control your every move? but of course, sometimes after an argument with maple, he's left irritated with hiyori. even if he can't recognize why, the reality of the matter is that maple wasn't the true source of his anger. hiyori also shares a fascination with humanity which ranger feels he's infected maple with, to flaunt the unachievable to her as justification for why she'll never be enough for him. ranger initiates these loaded conversations to try to get maple to learn to fight back for herself instead of his sake. and sure, rio doesn't fight gashu, but that's out of respect. instead, maple's become so... blasé about her treatment, and is far too hopeful that there's anything she can do to have hiyori's eyes on her alone. maple's already proven herself to ranger and earned some semblance of respect (in physical capability + rio's... somewhat envious of her larger range of emotion, though he mostly mirrors the curiosity he knows michiru & gashu use when he asks). but, to rio, she'll never be 'enough' to anyone if she's not allowed to accept that she's a doll who is capable of so much more than he's limited her program to; she doesn't have to remain stagnant and subservient to be something worthwhile. rio's changed, and his father still praises him. if hiyori's worth half the shit he spits, he'll do the same for her. the majority of this is speculation, admittedly. but i like to think rio's always felt defensive over the dolls; it's just that the ways he does are. difficult to recognize. with the limiter on his emotions. there's an inherent understanding there.

[trashbabiesposts]

Shin is the type to rather die than expressing his true feelings. He hates exposing any emotions yet expects others to understand him miraculously, then either gets defensive if they do or frustrated if they don’t. you have to be a fucking psychologist (hi midori) or gifted with infinite patience (hello kanna) to maintain a relationship with this dude. what a funny little guy

That’s why I don’t think shin “women’s feelings are a pain to deal with” tsukimi will ever become kanna’s gentle big bro™ even in no death game au. Yes he still loves her deeply but this fucker just cannot express his affections like a normal human being. He would burry his love under a facade of cold, distant demeanor: “Urghh stop crying already it’s annoying” “btw Here’s the chocolate u wouldn’t shut up about for a month. No it wasn’t for u I just couldn’t finish it myself” hmm ok sure u fucking tsundere. Someone (Sara) will probably point out “wtf kanna ur brother kinda sucks”. And kanna will be like “noooo ur just not gifted with the psychic power of seeing through a tsundere. He actually cares”

[lagotu]

the answer to why this comic isn't canon is that sou lived with fuckface for a while, and fuckface is terrifying. if sou kept a browsing history guess who'd get his creepy gaze all over it. that's right. fuckface, who'd probably make the next person he 'played' with until they died something dreadfully close to sou's preferences.

[honeyfizzly]

Alright so

I've seen some people talk about the dummies possibly foiling the other characters (I mean, I talked about it twice- talking about Hinako and Kanna parraels and Keiji and Ranmaru parallels).

So it got me thinking "what about Anzu or Hayasaka? They died too fast to get much character development" and then I realized, what if they're foils to Sara and Shin?

Anzu has the second highest survival rate out of the girls and comes up with alot of good ideas for the group(such as throwing the shoe at the knife instead of jumping for it) but just dosent have the skills to pull it off.

Anzu could be a reflection of Sara, if well, Sara had a normal life (instead of being raised for a deathgame)- a regular teenage girl who's while has good ideas, but dosent have the chrisma trained into her or the strength.

Meanwhile with hayasaka and Shin- both were regular men who got too involved with asunaru and knows more than some of the other participants (and hated a particular highschool girl).

Shin knew about the survival percentages, meanwhile Hayasaka knew about all of the participants information and gave it to asunaru. Hayasaka cursed Sara's name when he died, and Shin kinda hated Sara throughout most of the game.

But since Hayasaka died, he never got to be like shin- so he ended up being a sensitive and anxious person as a dummy, just like how he (probably) was when alive.

So i find it funny that the characters meant to parrael the 2 most important characters of the game, die first out of the dummies. Also yea I know some of the connections made are weak, this was just an idea I had and I wanted to share

[roulettefeel]

Analysis topic I never felt like writing up in full but it doesn’t get talked about enough:

Maple fights vs electricity minigame

Performative empathy and real empathy.

Everyone had to voluntarily subject themselves to controlled shocks to save Ranmaru, but when it comes to Maple the group focuses firstly on manipulating her. What do they need to do to get her to die faster so she isn’t a problem to them any more.

You even have the option to tell a person unwillingly following orders that they are the problem by reasoning that Maple needs to stop, without any way of offering assistance to her out of the situation she’s in. Maple doesn’t want to kill them anymore than they want to be killing each other, you cant just say well stop that and expect good morals to win the day it approaches victim blaming levels. Why can’t you be a good victim hmmmmm, how dare the abuse done to you inconvenience me hmmmm.

[montewave]

I think Keiji used to look up to Midori while on the police force.

I know they're not....arch-nemeses in the traditional sense but the thought Keiji potentially having a friendship with Midori as a police officer and looking up to Midori, is tragic and adds to the whole tragedy that is Keiji Shinogi. It sucks that he wouldn't be able to work with Mr. Policeman and return his good luck-safe birth charm, but Keiji kinda found a replacement in both Officer Hiyori and Police Inspector Sasahara.

While Officer Hiyori is a may be a little off-putting but he has been nothing but nice and kind to Keiji. So, why should Keiji suspect ill from Officer Hiyori? It also means Officer Hiyori is someone to confide when things start to go south. Police Inspector Sasahara doesn't take Keiji's innocuous questions about Mr. Policeman well and it leaves Keiji with a bad mouth in taste. Why would asking about Mr. Policeman turn Sasahara so cold? A simple 'He moved' or some white lie could have sufficed and Keiji would be none the wiser. However, Keiji knows something is up and he's fueled by trying to get the truth. So, he asks around. He asks other police officers. They give him conflicting answers, answers that Keiji doesn't know what to do with. He founds out that Sasahara fired Mr. Policeman because he found out about the corruption in the police force, especially under Megumi's hand. I'm sure Keiji tells Officer Hiyori, he doesn't know who else to go to. He can't go to Mr. Policeman himself to find out more, but Keiji finding out about the corruption in the police force, isn't great. For Midori. What kind of corruption? Who knows, most likely corruption relating to ASU-NARO and it was bad enough that Megumi wasn't discreet about the corruption the first time and it's even worse when Keiji decides to the right thing. So, Mr. Policeman is made an example of. A routine arrest goes wrong, Mr. Policeman's dead, and Keiji shot him.

Granted, Keiji didn't know it was Mr. Policeman until it was too late but Midori and Megumi knew and it's only the second to last coffin in the nail for Megumi.

All he knew it was an armed suspect and because his boss doesn't want a bright young man like Keiji to lose a career so early over a little accident. So, Megumi takes a deal, only digging a hole deeper for herself and damning Keiji along aside her. Keiji hates it. If begging to arrest him won't work, Keiji quits, he has no choice to do so. He's a criminal, a criminal who is walking free and his mental health decline and his self of morality also starts to decline as well. Not as much, it still corrodes. I think Midori used Keiji's anger and distrust against Megumi, in the long run, of course. Because instead of helping her down from her chains, Keiji lets her die. Sure, he said he would let her after she answers some pressing questions but it raises the question, why would Keiji do such a thing when in a literal life or death situation? Surely, these questions could wait but Keiji always bad with timing. Anyways, fast forward to the showdown with Midori. Keiji is the only one that Midori is able to rile up, enough for Keiji to declare that he was going to fucking kill him. Which I guess is warranted, like hey, use my darkest secret against me, a secret that I had no control of? Yeah, I would want to kill you, too. I know it goes the against the grain (I do not care for Shin) but I honestly think Nan should have put more emphasis on Keiji's relationship and overall, character with Midori. I know I'm undermining a couple of things BUT knowing that Midori has been pulling stings/semi-responsible for Mr. Policeman's death, it shatters Keiji's world. Officer Sou Hiyori was something that Keiji confide in and even to replace Mr. Policeman (to a certain extent), and Midori more or less, created a killer. Like...Keiji is the only character to be physically incapacitated by Midori, to a serious degree. Midori uses Keiji's past against him but throwing Mr. Policeman's head and his old gun at him. I feel like for Midori, that's a really fucking low blow. To take one's most deepest secret and the event that traumatized and changed person for the worst, and to throw in their face? You're beyond human, you're beyond cruel. I know it's not talked about or mention because everyone likes Shin and Sara more BUT it's such an injustice to Keiji. We don't talk about Keiji's connection to Midori, we don't talk about how Midori was probably a person that Keiji could call someone his friend or at least someone he could rely on, especially since he's fresh meat on the force. Since Mr. Policeman isn't there, Megumi doesn't have Keiji's best interest, or at least, not in the way he wants, and much to his disappointment and downfall. I know we all have our issues with Keiji's writing, as a character and his relationship to other characters. I know the fandom likes to joke about Keiji's depression, ptsd, etc, but hmmmmmmmm, for a fandom that loves to analyze and dissect, you guys sure do like giving Keiji the short end of the stick.

[saraanzu]

it’s interesting how in the alternate sara minisode ending, her thought process isn’t really “if I loved joe more, I could’ve saved him”, the massacre ending she imagined with him is more focused on her guilt for killing everyone else rather than her guilt for not saving him. it’s “if I loved joe more, we would both end up with blood on our hands, that’s why I shouldn’t get too close to people.”

there’s no english translation of joe’s light novel sadly, but I remember reading a summary of it a while back, and joe actually has similar feelings about how escaping with sara would’ve been a bad choice. as he dies, he has a dream about what would happen: ryoko and all his friends would call him a murderer, he would become a cop so he could save people and make up for the people he killed, but the guilt would stay with him for the rest of his life. he hears sara crying, and his last thoughts are that he would do anything to make her stop.

both of them ultimately decide that the guilt of killing everyone else would not have been worth escaping together. they don’t want to be murderers, and they especially don’t want to make each other murderers.

[faresong]

[ src ]

As I do with most things, I overthink the smaller details even for a joke comic :P

&. Here is the mock-up board I used to figure out their movesets! It's my own chess board, though I didn't quite have the energy to put its details on full display in the comic, I fear...

In any case - let's begin! To save space, I'll put the majority of this under the cut...! ^_^

First off, with the Kings; you'll note that they've already castled (a move to swap the King with the nearest Rook). While this is more strategy rather than symbolism, it does show a sense of self-preservation for both (represented by the King) and some of Kai's own strategies. Hiyori's King was at risk via the Bishop pieces in early game, which were the only aggressive pieces Kai has used thus far (and then, sacrificed. It's difficult to tell with how Hiyori sorts the discarded pieces, which I'll get into later, but those were the first ones he'd caught).

This confidence is notable, as Kai's strategies in actual battle tend to mirror the Bishop - someone who weaves in to attack and primarily relies on his own agility to avoid attacks (as the Bishop can cross the full board at an angle to attack a piece that hadn't expected its presence, almost like... an advanced pawn, in that sense.)

Additionally, the Bishops' name invokes a similar religious connotation of Sage. To that end: Bishops represent faith, in Asunaro. Kai has long lost his blind loyalty to Asunaro, but Hiyori still clings to it in a very literal sense. Existence in Asunaro is justified upon loyalty, and yet his existence exists outside of Asunaro's standard ideals; he does not agree with everything it's done, nor does he wish to stay in the same, boring mould that most agents do (the combination of which resulted in the initial blow to his faith that has already killed one of his bishops). However, as he was raised in it, it remains his guidepost - and when the Bishop falls from his hand, when he is first killed by Alice, that is the start of his demise. No longer does he hold any line of defense to prove himself worthy of upholding Asunaro.

...& without his mother, represented by the Queen, to keep that path intact, it is much easier to completely end him. While difficult to infer from the current board, the Queen was one of the only lines of defense for the King in its previous spot.

Kai had stolen the Queen with his Rook, which is now in danger due to some of Hiyori's following plays. Some of Kai's first moves are shifting the 'army' as a whole forward so he may confidently advance, which resulted in him lining up his pawns to defend one another on his left side. However, this now meant that his pawn on G6 could not be used to defend his Rook (in consecutively capturing whatever piece (presumably the Knight) had gotten to it) when Hiyori approached it with his Knight instead of using his other Knight on E4 to capture Kai's Knight on F6, as was expected. Now, they're locked in a tense standstill that has forced Kai into a position where he is now the one to take initiative - which really does symbolize a lot of their interactions in my AU. Each exchange is lined with attempts at provocation to have Kai slip up, somewhere, and reveal his 'true colors' as an Asunaro agent; as someone to live up to the rumors and title that have surpassed him.

Additionally, as can be implied with the state of the board, Hiyori had begun a 'Scotch Opening' to attempt to get close to Kai, only for Kai to counteract it with his many defensive plays. Kai is much more reserved in terms of what moves he's making, and tends to return enough to set up this consecutive defense (where Hiyori captures one piece, Kai captures his; it places value in weighing the individual piece's abilities to determine whether a risk is worth it).

Meanwhile, Hiyori's remained extremely aggressive in most of his plays. He's spread across the board, yet will not move his pawns unless he has immediate use for them (usually as sacrifice); while this has been largely to his detriment (losing the Queen), he isn't entirely out of the running with his Knights. These are pieces that you often have to account for possible pathing of, as any inconvenient misstep can result in being forced to restrict your own movement after the Knight has unexpectedly shifted positions.

In any case... that's about it :] but here are a few last notes:

- Hiyori arranges the captured pieces by sections of how dangerous they were, as though they're prizes. - By contrast, Kai simply arranges them to have the most recent capture closest to him. - Kai plays the black pieces as it is also a factor in his usual fighting style (observing the other's movement before he swipes in), as well as the fact he still defines himself by his relation to 'darkness' - he has repeatedly been unable to let go of it, though it shines most obviously in YTTS. - I just think it's funny if a part of Asunaro's alliance with mafia in other nations (implied in Kurumada's past-episode) resulted in them being commissioned a chess sets as a gift, which Kai and Hiyori are using instead of shōgi. If I hadn't been tired, I definitely would've liked to pattern the rim of the board to keep up that pristine/formal appearance. - However, even with the above reasoning^ I think it'd make sense (with my personal headcanon of him being multilingual as well) for Hiyori to dig into various cultural history & games to find particular strategies. He's intensely fascinated by humans, and more importantly, the sociable dynamics/aspects of it. I'm sure he picked it up quickly. - Chess also falls in line with this strategy of wanting to keep control throughout, which definitely plays into some of Hiyori's genuine fears of losing his control on various situations. Of course, this means that losing would certainly be a hit to his pride, but in the meanwhile this is just a very minor thrill for him... gets his heart racing each time he adapts to regain his standing. I'm sure it's better to toy with another Asunaro agent, too; preferable to civilians who can become predictable after a time. Chess is simply a microscopic version of the dynamics of social conversation - and unlike social conversation, Kai is forced to play the game through to its fullest rather than depart halfway (as he often does, creating his own exits before Hiyori gets to truly prod at him, with all the courtesy you'd expect...)

[mishima-in-places-he-shouldnt-be]

I don't think Professor Mishima should be standing on another Professor Mishima who is standing on another Professor Mishima who is standing on another Professor Mishima who is standing on-

Kazumi Mishima shouldn't be standing on the shoulders of Kazumi Mishima who shouldn't be standing on the shoulders of Kazumi Mishima who shouldn't be standing on the shoulders of Kazumi Mishima who shouldn't be standing on the shoulders of Kazumi Mishima who shouldn't be standing on the shoulders of Kazumi Mishima who shouldn't be standing on the shoulders of Kazumi Mishima who shouldn't be standing on the shoulders of Kazumi Mishima who shouldn't be standing on the shoulders of Kazumi Mishima who shouldn't be standing on the shoulders of Kazumi Mishima who shouldn't be standing on the shoulders of Kazumi Mishima who shouldn't be standing on the shoulders of Kazumi Mishima who shouldn't be standing on the shoulders of Kazumi Mishima!

[dailybbq]

You think Qtaro’s orphanage ACTUALLY raised him well, in a comfortable healthy household or was he just manipulated into thinking that? Bc I remember him saying in the Mishima Fondness events that he had a ‘great’ childhood due to the support from the people of his orphanage.. but.. I really doubt that since his orphanage was owned by asunaro.

FONDNESS EVENT:

KAZUMI: Then... you had a difficult childhood...? Q-TARO: S'not that at all! I was burnin' bright! KAZUMI: Because you had the support of everyone at the orphanage, I take it.

Q-TARO'S AI:

I was raised up in an orphanage that’s just a mite bit weird. Had people from all sortsa countries. I got a lotta dialects and stuff mixed in me… 'Course, they sent me to compulsory education up 'til high school. Can’t thank the place enough.

ON KAI:

From Kai… I sensed the scent of a lonely person. Dunno nothin' about the guy, but… As somebody of the same kind, I wanna see his dying wish through.

(placing relevant quotes here for easy reference!)

Personally, I read Q-taro to genuinely believe that the orphanage was making the best of an all-around awful situation. On an individual level, this is very true! On a management level? ...buddy, Asunaro's not even paying for your high school because it's not compulsory.

Due to what little information Q-taro's given on the orphanage he was raised, I'm inclined to believe that it was an organization specifically centered around aiding native-born stateless orphans. Now, it already creates difficulty finding basic (legal) healthcare and education; but this same situation is what works best for (what we now know of) Asunaro. Within the orphanage, it's much easier to scout out possible future agents (for their resilience in spite of the situation they were granted; or possibly to take in young children to raise as agents; or... worse, experimentation), as well as... hide their own. As Asunaro's essentially functioning as a yakuza group, they are involved in the 'underground' of society and there are many who may give up their children for safety—whether it is temporary, to fully disconnect them from the yakuza (in being given another name), it's easier to feign being another person within an organization like that.

Additionally, as Asunaro is not simply funding the orphanage, but has their name attached to it—I believe they're also taking advantage of this to idly test everyone there. Despite their yakuza origins and various other connections to separate organizations, they are first and foremost a research agency on humanity. As Q-taro agrees to... he didn't consider himself to have a difficult childhood because he was given support from everyone at the orphanage. Asunaro in their experiments are proved again, and again, that emotional bonds are what uplifts humans and (typically) makes them stronger/more successful.

This is partially what interests me in Q-taro and Kai's 'similar' dichotomy.

Q-taro's orphanage had little resources to work with, yet held such loving people he wanted to do right by. Despite his hardship, and the anger Q-taro carried when he was younger toward his parents, he eventually realized it doesn't... matter if his biological parents thought he was trash to be discarded; he still has family in the orphanage. He was never as lonely as he thought he was, and this is what eventually opened him up. From this, he considers them to be his 'family' and the 'light' of his life; even after he left to pursue baseball, he consistently returns to the orphanage to provide the kids there hope. The very same hope that he (wishes he) had at that age. He's a pillar of unconditional support for them, as one of the few adults who stays.

By contrast, as confirmed in the ministories (though this was my belief before simply on the basis of. how his father acted + Gin's one line lol), Kai was granted a 'richer' life when he hadn't yet stained his record as an assassin. Whereas Asunaro must keep a relatively low-profile with the orphanage, they could indulge within their own faculties. However, most of these funds come down to what was used to train Kai; meaning food and the like were all negotiable variables dependent on his progress and must be permitted by his guardian (Gashu). There was standard neglect in place for those who fell too far—unlike the orphanage, everything within the facility is conditional. The only moment when Kai finds 'light' (or, as he says: 'a reason to live' - one Asunaro failed to provide) is when he meets the Chidouins and is finally granted a chance to love and be loved in turn, but even that hangs in the balance and... inevitably falls through, due to his own failure to protect them.

In a sense, due to neglect, they both struggle with staying close to those they love, for fear of emburdening them. Which they recognize causes more harm, but this isolation is what they are accustomed to coping with.

Q-taro doesn't wish to hoard resources or make conversation 'heavy' when the situation is already dire. This is why he refused to see those who cared for him when he was hospitalized; he feels that proving "orphans can realize their dreams" is his responsibility alone and seeing him in such a state would put a stake in that dream. Meanwhile, Kai doesn't wish to impose himself on the Chidouins because he's been conditioned to believe he isn't worthy of civilian life, though he still dearly wishes to uplift them where he can. As another agent, he's been used enough, and doesn't wish to be an extension of Asunaro any more than he must—he doesn't wish to damn those he cares for simply because he's been raised in 'darkness' (...as Sara doesn't want to drag people she loves into 'darkness' - or 'danger'). As it is, the Chidouins have caught Asunaro's eye. Only Kai, of darkness, can only serve as a barrier because he's well-accustomed to its ruthless cruelty. This is his sole duty.

Their isolation, this loneliness, is born of their intense love and desire to have someone else they can freely connect with but are unable to due to their perceived responsibilities so no one else may suffer hopelessness as they once did.

...but I digress!

All that said, this is my long-winded way of saying: I don't believe Q-taro's living conditions were the best, but I think he tends to focus more on the people rather than the situation. Friends within the orphanage could help him gather money, would encourage him when he struggles academically, so on, so forth! Ultimately, he feels he's better off for his strife, so he doesn't blame the orphanage.

[sou-ver-2-0]

Old graphics I made to explain why Sou Hiyori and Shin Tsukimi are the best “sun and moon” characters.

[datastate]

emerges covered in blood. hey guys.

x do not repost x

[trashbabiesposts]

I don’t know if shin’s not a misanthrope then who else is. He has huge trouble understanding people’s feelings and is extremely pessimistic about human nature, and this is a perfect contrast between sou and shin. Sou loves human and can generally read their emotions like an open book, while shin was deeply resentful toward others and often perplexed by their feelings. But It’s not like shin is completely oblivious to the atmosphere. He can understand other people perfectly through logical reasoning (he’s the first to point out midori's fear of death); it’s just that he cannot empathize with them in an emotional sense. Meanwhile for midori figuring people out is just part of his natural instinct; it’s done subconsciously, in an instant, and does not require rigid deduction

[ozlices]

about kanna's route vs shin's route

maybe im just biased, but kanna's route has always felt... off to me. and not in the ways people usually talk about.

hear me out. idk if much of this will make sense, but. im throwing out Thoughts and Feelings, ok. (under a cut bc this winded up being v long. adhd infodumping abt a hyperfixation at its finest)

when it comes to people discussing kanna's route, and preferring shin's over it, they usually refer to kanna's route as "it feels too good to be true. it's too happy" and, like, it does have a very distinctly hopeful tone to it, but i wouldn't call shin's route hopeless in comparison.

obviously, much more drama and hardship happens in shin's route that is exclusive to his route. but, like... he isn't involved with them directly.

"oh but joe's ai being corrupted is his doing" ok, but... is that Actually, blatantly confirmed? no.

it is very suspicious to me that in chapter 2, it is shown that the game masters are willing to corrupt ai of deceased characters to fuck with the cast. they literally did it with mishima's ai, and shin went out of his way to ensure that ai was taken down.

i think his "final gift" in kanna's route was finalizing his decorruption of joe's ai, and that joe's ai was made by the game masters specifically to fuck with sara. because they are aware that joe is sara's anchor. quite literally. he anchors her in reality, and keeps her from leaning into her malicious side. that is why he was the sacrifice in the first chapter. he had to be sure to be the first one to die, so they could ensure sara could be skewed into her ""true self"".

it is very possible that they made joe's ai with the intent of manipulating sara. and, what better way to use that than to frame shin? something that comes with the added bonus of causing a rift within the group, because everyone would default to believing it was him who did it as revenge for kanna, or revenge for himself should he have been voted out.

he and sara already had tension between each other. nobody would've questioned it, nor would his defenses for himself have mattered.

he probably knew that all along. knew that plan all along, and in the route where kanna survives, i think he gave his "final gift" to sara on kanna's behalf. because he knew that kanna loved her. and he wanted to ensure she would be able to protect her in his stead at her full strength, with joe's legacy on her side.

meanwhile, in his own route, he has nothing to motivate him left. he has no reason to quell the tension he has with sara. he's not gonna do it for his own personal gain when he has so much self hatred. so, he doesn't. if he was the one who did it, i think he still would've gone back on it for kanna's legacy. but, if he wasn't the one who created it, he has nothing to atone for except knowing it existed and that's it.

as far as reko/alice's fate... he quite literally has absolutely nothing to do with their death at all. that is entirely a result of sara being successfully corrupted or swayed by successfully being forced to forget joe. shin didn't do that. he wasn't involved with it at all. nor was he present for any of it happening until it was all over.

that's not to say shin has never done anything wrong ever, because he has. but, i think trying to say shin's route is depressing or hopeless in comparison to kanna's when he isn't involved with the differences between them is... hm. hard to find the right word. but maybe those actions themselves just feel off to me.

so, then, all that being said, why does kanna's route feel off to me?

i've concluded, that given the tone of the game, the reason kanna's route feels off to me is that shin's route feels more realistic in this game's universe. and, in comparison, kanna's route doesn't necessarily feel unrealistic. it comes across as "...this is not how things are supposed to go/would go in this universe."

kanna's route comes across as a scenario the characters made up in their heads to cope. it is such a drastic tone shift from the rest of the game. and, it's not like everything is peachy in her route, either.

the dummy's fates are still the same, regardless of who you choose. it is only the humans who hang in the balance of your decision. isn't that weird? in a game where human lives being toyed with is the entire point, one person being chosen as the survivor in one chapter, can so starkly determine which other humans survive in the next?

it's suspicious to me.

and, it's even more odd given that shin directly has a connection with midori/sou, who is arguably the most vile enemy the group has faced thus far.

i highly doubt that with how openly midori has had a hand with so much of the game, that he would truly be satisfied with shin dying before at least getting to see him again. he's far too possessive to just be like "awe i woulda liked to kill him myself </3" and also not do everything in his power to make sure he can revenge him. or make the people who caused his death absolute hell.

but, when it comes to midori, not much changes in his personality between the routes. the only exclusive thing either route gets with his involvement is that only kanna's route gets the "shin was actually kanna's biological older brother" reveal because kanna finding out both of her older siblings that she looked up to died because of her is the closest midori can get to ruining her.

he doesn't really have to do anything like that with shin since he's already had his claws in him since shin was in high school. he knows exactly how to push him, and he does, but not in a way exclusive to him per se. the shin ai is a thing in both routes. that's probably the worst thing he does to shin that we actually see, and he does it to him whether he's there to see it or not.

i really wonder if kanna's route is going to be revealed as just another simulation. because there are so many things in it that felt so weird. i really felt like nobody was acting like themselves. including kanna.

her newfound confidence is sweet and all, but the kanna we see throughout the game would not have that shift that quickly. she was in absolute shambles over her sister. she and shin spent so much time together, i really cannot see her knowing he died for her to be spared and just... suddenly becoming shounen protag of the year, you know.

it feels off, and it feels like that's on purpose. and, with how your time to shine's happy routes always end with sara saying to delete it and restart it as many times as it takes... i wouldn't be surprised if that's foreshadowing for the main game's ending for kanna's route.

i think both routes will have a "true ending", but in vastly different reveals and ways. shin's connection to the person who literally brought everyone into the game is going to be important in his route, without a doubt.

kanna's route just feels like an opportunity to expose the full depths of the simulations, and just how deep they can get.

yeah. very scattered and rambly i am sorry for the HUGE post but. i had to get all this out. lmao.

[bbqtaro]

Photos

Sou takes many photos of Shin which he keeps around.

Photos are moments frozen in time which can be viewed as many times as the user likes.

Sou never lets Shin take his picture, suggesting that he doesn’t want his likeness to be kept in the past, or kept accessible for Shin. He wants Shin to exist with him in “the now” instead of substituting him with photos.

But there is one thing Shin does to remember Sou: his scarf. The scarf is a constant of Sou, he was always wearing it. Scarves are warm and protect the neck, a vulnerable spot on the body, from the environment around them. Shin uses Sou’s scarf as a comforting item to hold close and remember him by.

[honeyfizzly]

God i love the idea of the Shin getting the keymaster during the maingame and attempting to draw votes to himself in order to take down the rest of cast who killed kanna (Sara, Gin, and keiji).

Revenge will hurt all parties involved, because it lacks any form of healing. Shin will never get to properly mourn and get over Kanna's death, instead he'll always be wanting to avenge her. Never taking in account how Kanna wouldn't want this, and how making Sara suffer would've only make Kanna suffer too.

But Shin is so stricken by grief he dosent want acknowledge this fact, he CANT acknowledge this. Because it'd mean that torturing Sara with the Joe ai was just a senseless act of cruelty instead of a form of justice.

It really shows that when you go out for revenge, you have to dig two graves (or in this case, four)