Do you think about Nagito's turn from Chapter 1's class trial onwards and miss the good old days of thinking that guy is scary? Do you also happen to be a x reader simp just like me and interested in romance accounting for these spooks at the same time??
Then you're in the right place because I have this Nagito x reader fic about all of those things and more wow more I can't believe it--
Danganronpa Another Episode: Hope Starved Theater
Rating: M | Nagito Komaeda x femreader | Summary:
In a building too uncanny to be considered a hospital, you wake up from a coma struggling with the loss of years of memory. However, the gaps begin to fill when you come face to face with the only other person present, an old friend named Nagito Komaeda. He seems to have been responsible for you while you were unconscious, and was eagerly waiting for your awakening in preparation for something, but what exactly compelled him to transport you to this location? That question soon becomes inescapable, and whether the answer carries hope or despair is up to you to unravelβ¦
Currently, the story has 8 chapters out but those 8 chapters total to 176k words which I don't know sounds like a sizable readable chunk to me! The intention here was to write a reader fic in which I would be able to portray as many facets of Nagito's character as I can think of, drawing from research of the source material. With this in mind, character accuracy and tone accuracy were the main focus of my efforts and continue to be as I write the second draft. Because that's right! I'm on a second draft stage I technically already finished the fic in other words ooooo stick with me it'll be complete for sure oooooo π»π»
(fanfiction progress status below:)
18/07 update: Next chapter is an interlude! But it's also gonna be one of the most important chapters in the story. I want it to be impactful, and because of that I ended up scrapping most of what I had and writing essentially a third draft for it. So, getting that done is a priority before returning to the rest of my second draft, but I'm taking advantage of this opportunity and lack of monthly schedule to finally put out the side content I had pre-cooked since forever which I didn't have the chance to upload until now. Second chapter of that currently out, buuuut the author's notes are coming in tomorrow because I need to sleep aaaaaaa--
Author's Notes Index:
Prologue: Pre-Determined Checkmate
Chapter 1: Cemetery Under the Unfamiliar Ceiling (First Half)
Interlude: Lost Golden Years (1)
Chapter 1: Cemetery Under the Unfamiliar Ceiling (Second Half)
Interlude: Lost Golden Years (2)
Chapter 1: Cemetery Under the Unfamiliar Ceiling (Checkpoint)
Interlude: Lost Golden Years (3)
Let's Look Back at Chapter 1 of My Fanfiction With Junko Enoshima
Chapter 2: What Does Oolong Tea Wish Upon the Seven Stars? (First Half)
There is also now a separate entry in AO3 with all of the side stories that I wasn't able to include in the main story proper!
Hope Starved Theater Side Content Compilation
It's exactly what it says on the tin and has extra content in the same universe for the people who might like it. If not convinced I have a cutie pitch for it too π³
Side Content Author's Notes Index:
First Time in the Clock Tower
Feel free to ask me about current progress or anything else! Thank you very much for taking the time to read and I hope that it can be an experience worth your time.
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Hi Archsimp! I'm just such a big fan of your really cool shipping headcanon ask index that I went out of your way to send you an ask specifically so you plop your headcanon right in there! You won't even have to make a new index! That's so cool and practical! Please give me the Nagito/Akane set-up of all time! I believe in you...
Hi Archsimp! I can't believe you were so considerate as to do such a cringe nerd thing all in order to make me able to plop my shipping headcanons right into my cool shipping headcanons ask index!! It's almost as if you had my best interests in mind...
Nagito/Akane, you say? What a coincidence! I was just thinking about that one! For no particular reason of course. Literally I guess if you consider the luck factor--
To be fair it wouldn't have been my first time considering it, but I only went as far as to find it curious and both Nagito and Akane are certified statue fearers (and I guess I did think about the dynamic way before on Akane going back in time). My thoughts don't have to be very deep okay... But anyway right now though we're deep into the depths of the "how do we set them up" trial grounds but where there's a will there is a way and where there is a challenge there is a will so first things first, Nagito and Akane are very much opposites in terms of their personalities and temperaments. I think we can agree on that as a baseline: Akane acts on instinct and follows her heart, she's a very outdoors kinda girl who likes moving around and she appreciates the simple things in life which don't come by as easy as it could for other people; Nagito is someone who if anything overthinks what might happen and sets aside emotion to look at the situation in a logical way, while also disregarding the fundamentals in life compared to a higher purpose which he'd like to fulfill, also this depends on how noodle you'd like Nagito's arms to be but I'm gonna dish out my headcanon where they are very noodle. Akane's hated Nagito ever since his reveal, to the point she even tries to kill him late into the game, and Nagito's successful attempts at talking to Akane are like I don't know, one? They seem to work at completely different wavelengths, and when they intersect it's usually in the negative.
But then again if that did stop us where would all our glorious toxic doomed yaoi have gone? It certainly won't stop us here. Besides, it's not like they have absolutely nothing in common. The first thing popping to mind to me would be that both are familiar with misfortune: Nagito has lived surrounded by tragedy all his life and seen it all because of it, and Akane while not surrounded by accidents all the time has also clearly seen it all but from a lens surrounding the theme of poverty. I guess we can bring that back to opposites where poverty is just about the one misfortune Nagito's never experienced, but I think that both are technically used to survival situations because of the rough lifestyles they've had to lead and have a level of composure before these situations as a result. Basically, they're both resilient. What's more, they're both practical in mindset technically: Akane is more passionate and in that sense is driven by her emotions, but in the end she's also someone whose priorities are centered around fundamentals of living and wants things simple on what she's gotta do, so while she is emotional, she also seems to me to be someone who wouldn't want things like "whining"/nagging and the like getting in the way of something being done if it has to be; while I think Nagito is also someone who puts his own emotions aside for what has to be done. It's also ironic because the result is Akane seems more blunt at first and Nagito seems more compassionate at first, but it would end up being that they're both the other way around when rattled, where Nagito would be cold and Akane would be hot I guess but I think both appreciate getting things done. They're also both in that sense proactive, where even though Nagito doesn't look like it, he seems to not like standing still and doing nothing, and Akane is much the same way, just for different types of activities.
And so what does this mean? It means that maybe probably if it were up to me I would want to create a common thread from a practical objective, so a dynamic that starts over strictly business. I mean, in a way, as both are straightforward in wanting to get things done but also can do everything the other can't, so long as Akane can be reined in to some extent and honestly Nagito could probably use that too they could theoretically work together and get a lot of things done. Rather, I also feel like the process of I guess trying to guide Akane and lead her into doing things sounds like something Nagito could feasibly think up on how to do, so if there was a sort of initial moderating character in the middle to let the two do things then I think it could be a funny narrative where these two completely different people at first are completely out of sorts with each other but end up doing their own jobs well, earn each other's respect in that sense (I feel like Akane would forget like a day afterwards though and so it'd need a bit of a repeating factor) and that would turn the negative into more of a neutral where they could rely on the other for the things they know they aren't good at. I guess in that sense it would be like, at a conscious level Akane forgot all about whatever Nagito did but then if something really convoluted is in front of her she'd get frustrated and go like Hey Nagito!! You deal with this! like from instinct and if you asked her she'd be like I dunno but isn't he good at this stuff? and just shrugs it off.
Akane in that sense is interesting because you need to take your time just for her to acknowledge your existence at the level of your identity, unless you're particularly strong and so interest her by default. But otherwise she isn't very interested in other people and they're more like just there while she reacts to them. She ends up remembering Hajime's name by her final time event, which continues off the last and involved Akane showing weakness, something that deeply affects her. Hajime was otherwise being sort of forgotten where he's there and Akane knows him but he's not important enough that she's memorized him entirely. I feel like for this instance since Akane's known everybody for a good while for it being post-canon she probably remembers the names by now but wouldn't really care about Nagito besides the part where they're in this together and whatever negative leftovers she has (he's creepy/annoying/troublesome) that are like engraved in her instinct but that in that sense if things continue to happen, they would tip the scale in said instinct that it would be more neutral (he's weird but useful) and then I feel like when Nagito would want Akane's help he'd end up thinking about how to bait her into doing what he wants generally-speaking, Akane is drawn to the simple things in life? Cue Nagito trial and error trying to lure Akane to doing things, because I feel like though he'd have some general idea that the things she cares about are very clear, Akane is someone who is so driven by her immediate whims that she just won't feel like doing things and so I'd imagine that effect of receiving the bait but peacing out anyway. But from the experience it would go from (he's weird but useful) to (he's weird but he's useful and he's giving me stuff lately) and I'd feel like to her it's not suspicious because if he's up to no good she can kick his ass anyway so what's important is if what he's doing still indeed qualifies as giving her the appropriate bait. Like, to think that far she'd need to put her brain in the scheming which she doesn't wanna that's a pain so she won't.
I guess we could make a flow where in the process, we can take advantage of something that would have Akane scared, but personally I want the plot twist where Nagito is actually scared shitless too so he's not particularly strong in comparison but so he did witness Akane being weak technically but at the same time he is so scared and also a wimp from Akane's perspective that we can maybe think seeing him makes her feel stronger so she stands up to that danger Nagito is like N-No, Akane! If you do something like that, you'll...! and she'll be like Just stay there!! and she's trembling a bit but charges like whole warcry and it turns out to have just been a stray cat moving and both Nagito and Akane are shooketh, they stare at each other, Akane is like Look!! You were gettin' scared for no good reason! You're sure jittery! and Nagito is there like Hahaha... Sorry for bothering you... It's a good thing you were there to save me (knows there was nothing to be saved from) and Akane is there like Watch it next time! and leaves but because she was also scared and felt more in her element having to stand tall I'm going to do a table turn here where I'm going to speculate based on Akane's potential dynamic with her siblings (who are probably dead RIP) and that in that sense, Akane would have a perception of weak people to watch out for, and since she now remembers Nagito from association, and in her mind he's weak, I'd want this ironic sort dynamic where for things which Nagito would be cautious of, Akane would be cautious of them too and be on the lookout for him to where she feels she would be protecting him because he's like, scrawny and looks like he could be passing out at any moment and that would be bad, right? he's not that bad a guy after all
and Nagito would be somewhat confused himself but I think in this case after a while of that dynamic where I guess there's someone watching out for Nagito for the first time in his life rather than the other way around the plot should advance where some sort of larger conspiracy that came in from the previous time they were working together rears its head but it's sneaky and sucks and this goes beyond the realm of brute force so Nagito is pretending everything is super okay while working against that in the background where Akane wouldn't know what's happening until it's seemingly too late, and it would be the other way around where Nagito would be able to save Akane from some kind of ambush and dismantle the whole conspiracy... And Akane doesn't really get the full full picture there but gets that Nagito did save her and that something amazing took place but I feel like that would make her have very mixed feelings like yeah would've been bad if she weren't saved and she is thankful but at the same time she was powerless before the trap she got herself into or at least felt that way and also it was that Komaeda of all people who saved her currently thinking she would storm out of there after a bit and not want to see Nagito who would also assume that it only makes sense she wouldn't want to see him
But then I think it would be that Nagito is like sighing off somewhere like thinking about Akane, and I think it's because if he has to start thinking about her from the time spent with her to begin with, then probably he's had to consider the grievances he has in like communicating with her, getting her to do things, etc... But at the same time, she does whatever she wants, her strength is like some bestowed by the heavens tier power that she is passionate to continue to improve, and she can fight for the people she holds dear to her, and I feel like in a way being someone who is simply confident as a way of being is something Nagito wished he could have been, and Akane in particular has that aura, since she bothers seemingly only with what she wants to be bothered by, and so if he had to spend time with her, he would maybe have to find himself perceiving these qualities too and they would contrast with his own shortcomings and to him it'd be no wonder Akane would want nothing to do with him, even if he found himself drawn to the type of freedom and confidence she enjoys, and her drive for it that could make it seem like she could do anything. When I think of Nagito, I think about this deep sense of inferiority, and in that way, he finds it super cool that there are people out there who are superior but I think that at the same time that emphasizes to him the shadow cast by them, how inferior he is like even though technically things she ended up doing were because he was there but that was just support it doesn't count anyone could do what he did somehow...
and then Nagito is leaving and Akane falls off a tree she was climbing, Nagito gets absolutely smashed he did not survive this encounter and Akane sees who it is and Nagito sees who it is but they actually both apologize and Nagito is like A-Akane? because why is Akane of all people apologizing to him.png and Akane would be like W-what's with you? Are you too hurt to go to Mikan? and Nagito would be like No, I'm... I mean, it does hurt, but it's not something you have to-- and Akane would just grab him like Stop beatin' around the bush and let's go! You piss me off! Always actin' all weak and cowardly! A-and then, all of a sudden, you... You end up doing something weird and you pull the rug from under us, don't you?! I... I won't be fooled by you anymore! and there's Nagito like Owari-san...moding and she drops him off but before she leaves, Nagito is like Hold on. You're also hurt... Look and Akane hadn't even noticed and also Nagito held her wrist so she's staring like wide eyed for a bit but she shakes him off like It'll get better if I just lick it! but it doesn't she ends up going to Mikan directly some other time who is shooketh and she asks about what's going on and Akane is actually not even sure herself and has no idea what to say like I dunno!! I'm just really pissed at Nagito right now! but then take a moment like He's not still at the hospital, right? and Mikan says no and Akane leaves like Good!! I'm headin' out then! and she tries to like distract herself training
This to me would start some kind of arc where Akane is distracting herself from Nagito who she has some intense mixed feelings about but ends up meeting him some way or another throughout every day and since the first time he saved her front and center she's been as if forced to notice all the times he's specifically going out of his way for her in some consideration that she's never been shown before that makes her feel weird and so she's pissed!!! Why's a scrub like that have to enter my line of sight?! and Ibuki who is like miles ahead while kilometers back just says that it's love because it vaguely sounds like it but she also kinda doesn't believe it because there's nothing in common between these two people and they aren't seen like together together so if anything it would be more normal if Akane was just pissed at Nagito but Akane is like What...?! W-what're you talking about all of a sudden?! You... Say that again and I'll kill you!! cue Ibuki spooketh shooketh I'm not gonna fall for a guy as weak and pathetic as Nagito!! Like I'd become weak... For a guy like that...! I hate him!! and Nagito would have been listening like You're exactly right... Even the thought of it is bound to disgust you, so Ibuki's joke was really in poor taste. and Akane would flinch like Hyah...?! N-Nagito?! It's bad to eavesdrop, y'know?!
But it's not something you have to keep a secret, right? How you feel about me... That's only obvious and Ibuki is eating popcorn in the middle of this while producing an anime sweat drop down her face because this is looking an awful lot like a drama in real life w was Ibuki actually kind of maybe a little bit right is Ibuki the prophet of a new age?? E-Even then... It's unfair!! You're always where I go, all up in my business and looking at me like that... I'm sick of seeing you! and everyone else goes in to mediate and Nagito is like Yeah, that reaction is only natural. and Akane like Huh...?
I've been using you this entire time. I knew you would be useful if you were motivated to help, so I did what I could do approach you, and even laid out bait for you... On top of that, I even hid it all from you and let you protect me. After being treated like that, there's no way you'd want to see me. I understand those feelings perfectly. and it's kind of ironic because Akane doesn't really care about any of that because she benefited from the things Nagito did and so the idea in my head was more of Nagito projecting the conspiracy that any progress that happened in their relationship was more so artificial from his scheming and that Akane would have always thought he was bother and would have truthfully felt like he was a slimy guy using her, and that otherwise she wouldn't hang out with him. Which in a way this is one of those things in life that at times are partially true but aren't completely true where yeah if he hadn't tried to reel her in for those practical purposes in the first place then they wouldn't have been working together and getting along but from there it doesn't mean that everything else is just convenience and any relationship starts from some kind of initiative, but you know this is the drama happening right now Nagito is assuming that Akane hates him because Akane said she hates him ahem ahem It's not like I try to be in your way, but since we all live in the same island and frequent the same places, I just haven't been able to completely avoid you. And because of that, you're even being the target of such slander... I really apologize. I'm sorry for getting in your way. It might take a while, but if it will make you feel better... I'll leave.
Wha...? and Ibuki is shooketh and everyone else is shooketh but Nagito said his piece and left and is like maybe thinking that it's already a good thing he feels like he'll miss everyone like he could be listing out his friends and feel fortunate that he'll still get to work with them even from afar, reports could be like letters! Everyone looked really worried... Would it be bad to at least be happy about that? But, it's true... To think I would have so many people willing to care about my well being... I'm truly lucky and sort of avoid the topic of Akane all together in his mind as he's preparing everything in a very cloudy way we can amp the drama the soap opera never ends because later later the cloudiness is from the moisture in his eyes and he notices from a mirror like Huh...? Why am I... and start laughing to himself because that question would pan him back to Akane saying he pissed her off and that she hated him and didn't want to see him, that she would never be weak for a guy like him and he could realize in some way or another that he liked Akane somewhere down the line and if so then it's a good thing a creep like him would leave her side so she can be at peace! and there would be this underlying process of just disbelief that he could have been at all falling in love with someone when he doesn't have the right, and maybe could attribute it to the hope he'd gained after the OVA that he was getting closer to everyone, but even then, something like romance is going too far like being disgusted at himself to the point he could laugh, and since Akane always had good instincts it'd be no wonder she had come to distance herself from him like
ramble ramble ramble ramble spiral time he is not okay he is wondering how he even developed such feelings in the first place he is taking the moments he remembers and feeling frustrated about them where he could almost feel like he hates Akane and is hurt because of her but that very feeling proves to him that he's better off leaving because the more he remembers the times from then on out when she started to notice him how she would worry about him in particular and how she didn't need him to try too hard to speak and how she could talk about beating up whatever was in his way, how she could smile at him and say she didn't mind him being there and watch because it turns out he's a good guy, even if he's weird like we can amp the drama FURTHER flashback cue the flashback like Akane big grin like You're a weird guy, but... Hehe, you're not so bad after all! I don't hate ya anymore! I don't get a word of what you're saying, but if you're in trouble... Just tell me! I'll beat the crap out of it! and it was technically the first time someone said they'd protect him and as other people are telling him to reconsider, he's too hard in the spiral to actually listen and it has to be
of course just to amp the drama choo choo all aboard the soap opera train Akane in the background of that was actually more like W-what do I do? He's leavin' the island! since the truth is she wasn't expecting him to actually leave and didn't want him gone in the first place and everyone at first thought he might calm down and not leave too except he's serious and so Mahiru is like Look, I know Nagito can be a creep sometimes, but it's not like he's been up to anything bad lately, and he looked pretty hurt, so... Just apologize to him for now. Okay? and Akane is there like conflicted but probably Nekomaru would be the final push telling her that it's right now that she's looking the weakest and most pitiful because she isn't facing her feelings and that isn't the Akane Owari he knows GO GET HIM BACK AKANE!! FOLLOW YOUR HEART!! and she'll go like Right on!! and do a mad dash to the boat, but while she doesn't make it, we know a Danganronpa when we see it so clothes off she is jumping in she is naked and swimming full force to Nagito he is shooketh how is she catching up wait a second A-Akane?! and he has to find a way to get her up the boat or else she might just continue swimming all the way, but in the process Nagito falls off the boat himself but that's okay, Akane's like Gotcha! and Nagito is getting dragged through the water back to the island like he is swallowing water he's there by the shore now with Akane who is like All right!! like she just broke a sweat and that somehow was refreshing but he's like knocked out on the beach, and everyone else was giving chase to Akane who went to try to get Nagito but arrive to a naked Akane giving Nagito CPR and have no idea how to react except Mahiru is holding back people like Teruteru and Sonia is fetching Akane's clothes and Nagito is still there just Akane... Why...?
Hell if I know... Just shut up and rest. and he's taken to the hospital where Nagito was going to think she would leave but she actually doesn't and stays. there. she is there and she is a little fidgety. But Nagito tries to open his mouth to speak like Um-- and Akane is glaring at him like Sleep already!! And stay there!! I'm keeping watch... S-So you can't leave even if you tried! Not even if you use any tricks! and so Nagito is shooketh but can't speak without being glared at with murderous intent and so has to close his eyes even though he's too confused and in his own thoughts to possibly sleep it out, and if anything he'll eventually open his eyes to Akane sleeping next to him, except she opens her eyes instantly when he moves like scaring him instantly Woah!! she was watching and she is back to glaring at him murderously S t a y t h e r e ! and so Nagito doesn't sleep the whole day, the whole night, his wrist hurts because Akane was grabbing it, and it's Akane who he hears yawning saying she had a good nap like Oh, you're awake? What's with that... You're not gonna tell me you didn't rest, are ya...?
With you watching over me like that, there's no way I could sleep... but he can't say it he's like N-no, I'm feeling much better now! Really! with Akane like narrowing her eyes like Hmmm? against the Nagito ^^ and Akane like That sounds like a lie, but... I'm sick of sittin' around, so we're outta here. C'mon. and just drags Nagito out of there like it makes sense even though she had forced him to stay in one place that whole time which Good grief... You're really selfish from beginning to end, and... I can't understand what you're thinking at all... But, that's exactly why... I... and Akane takes him back to the beach like ... I'm lettin' go of your hand. But you can't go anywhere!
I-I won't, so... Could you please tell me this? If you hate me, why would you go out of your way to bring me back to this island like that...? and Akane is there like for a second silent, then just that one sprite hand on back of head looking aside That's obviously 'cuz I don't hate you... You're annoyin', and a creep, and you're weak, and a coward, and you're just the worst... komaeda in shambles.png But... You can do what I can't, right?! When I'm with you, I feel like I can go anywhere... I... I need you, Nagito...! Ever since I've gotten to this island, I've never been alone. I learned what it means to live because of everyone here, but lately... Because of you, I feel like I can rest easy more than before. I've been lettin' my guard down... I've been feelin' weaker and weaker and it's all your fault! S-so, you better take responsibility!
Take responsibility...? B-but how...? and Akane is like You're stickin' with me forever! If you're gone... I feel all weird inside and can't focus at all! and Nagito is shooketh and having a hard time processing that like Th-that's... I'm the same way, but... and Akane is like What...?! You too?! Then why did you leave?! and Nagito is like That's because you said you didn't want to see me-- You can't!! Don't even think about it!! and Nagito is like wondering if he isn't trippin like he's still sort of in a daze about things and goes like All right. If that's what you want... I don't mind. and Akane is like G-good! Now follow me! and basically Akane is dragging him around as she trains and does whatever while Nagito is still kind of in a daze so it takes him a while go like Hey, Akane and her like What's up? and him to go like When you say you feel weird, do you mean... It hurts here...? and he points to his chest and Akane is like Yeah, that's it!! You really know anything! So you know what kinda illness I have? and Nagito is like Well, I have a feeling I might know, but... With just this information, I can't determine that for sure. You're saying it hurts, but concretely-speaking... When does it hurt for you? and Akane is like Well, that's... When I see you here and there, or when you...
And Akane would be feeling that sort of while trying to vaguely recall moments like when he took her hand that one time she got hurt, and Nagito seems to be strange with personal space anyway in terms of what the anime tries to show so there would be Nagito like trying to peer into her expression like being curious that she stopped there and so approaching in case there's something like When I do what? and Akane would be stepping away like W-when you get close like that! and Nagito is deep in thought by himself because he's a nerd Hmmm... Even at this distance, you feel that way...? Then, when you were holding my hand a while ago, could it be there was a change in your heart rate?
In my heart rate? and Nagito is like Such as your heart beating really fast, like it's leaping out of your chest and Akane is like Both of those!! It's really annoying! I'm tryin' to hear the surroundings so I can't afford to hear my own heart! It only happens when you're around and it's a huge pain. But, it was even worse when you were gonna leave the island. It's like I was sick all over again! and Nagito is like Is that so...? What a coincidence. When I thought I had to leave you behind, I felt like that, too. It seems like... We both have the same symptoms. and like my reasoning right now is I'm assuming a post-canon setting, it's been quite a while since the anime happened so he's been with everyone for a while longer than Island Mode, and Island Mode is when he realizes hope is inside him, so I would be primed to think that Nagito wouldn't be in the same utter abyss of self-esteem he would have been before and that it would have been more like Akane's reaction to him would have made that resurface, where otherwise he would have been living out his days still impressed that there are people who care about him and so in that sense, if he can detect people are actually okay with him in his vicinity and he would have friends in Hajime etc then while he wouldn't immediately think of love, the leftovers from the soap opera would have had him realize it and from there Akane isn't a sort of idol anymore in that same way but you know a friend too and so from there it would be like sure Nagito would have maybe never figured someone would actually like him back even if he liked them but it does turn out Akane likes him back then it would be good news and also sort of incidental from a sequence of events that appears pretty unfortunate until getting here so in my head, this is happening for Nagito to ascertain this suspicion, which could be wrong and just him tweaking, and then if it seems actually to be true, then it would be extremely fortunate and he would be happy, but from his knowledge pool of Akane he has this understanding that it wouldn't benefit him to bring that truth to light right now and just let things happen more at her pace
but anyway (massive ramble but you know since woopsie I hadn't much addressed some of that which is definitely in my head and working towards building this prototype together) Akane is like That's weird! Did I catch it from you? Or was it the other way around...? Well, whatever! You know about it, so you can heal it, right? and Nagito is like Nope! I'm pretty sure not even Mikan can do something about this, so you're better off giving up. But still... I see, so that's why... Hm hm hm hm... and Akane like What's with that laugh... You're creeping me out and Nagito is like It's nothing. Don't worry about it. Anyway, it's true that I'm also to blame for this current situation, so I'll do as you said and take responsibility. For as long as it's possible for me, I promise to stay by your side...
But you already said that, right? W-what's wrong with you, bringing it up again all of a sudden...? and Nagito is there like Who knows? I just felt like saying it. Though, since that's been decided now, I'm starting to get excited... After all, it means I'll have to continue supporting you for the foreseeable future, right? It's definitely going to be tough, but at the same time... That's precisely why I'm really looking forward to that future as we speak. That's right, even more than before, I feel a desire to live and see how far you'll-- Huh? Akane? but she is gone, she smelled food in the air she is tracking it I mean Nagito isn't leaving her permanently permanently so that issue's gone so she's gone too woosh W-wait, Akane! and for the gags, Nagito has to go find her and everything goes kinda back into daily life THE END
except it's not ACTUALLY the end I BAMBOOZLED YOU technically my brain thought waaaaaay farther ahead like to the point the relationship would be established and things would calm down but it would require another wall just to describe it? and would also involve maybe more mature topics going in so I'm just gonna leave it at this for right now as a foundation reference for a potential progression. Whenever there are options related to romance for Akane in Island Mode, she seems to respond negatively like she doesn't get it or gets flustered at a situation that could be romantic so I have this idea of her where she would be pretty dense like it's practically never on her mind and then when it is she has a hard time regulating her emotions and starts getting flustered. In that sense, while thinking about the end of this scenario, I was thinking the whole trope of Akane being too dense to realize it was because she was in love could make sense even after Ibuki teased her because chances are Akane forgot all about that because Nagito peaces out that very moment and that's more important and so it completely flew past her. I also feel like her views of romance could be skewed in a way Akane could not intuitively think about the romantic aspect of it when her experience is probably with seeing relationships that are mostly carnal or transactional, and so I'm thinking she could also be someone who associates a relationship with that instead. I think because of that there'd be this initial hurdle, which would be easier or harder to get through depending on who the other party is, but I think Nagito would also be a sort of roundabout person about his feelings meaning that I think there would be a somewhat eventful transition period before the relationship is actually established, at which point everything is very chill with the world again. Until some fight breaks out. Then it'd be brutal
(I feel like probably it'd be breaking off for a while tiers of brutal and so there'd be this passive aggressive aura surrounding Nagito and then this full on aggressive aura surrounding Akane for the time in which they're upset for which the friends would clutch up and mediate and it would turn out to be for something fixable and they end up feeling it weird that they're not together and so they're still throwing not-nice lines at each other up until one or the other apologizes and they fold and it goes back to normal but it took days and was practically dangerous)
I think Nagito and Akane could lend to a bunch of hijinks and sounds funny to watch as an outsider because like the cast would look at them and think like how do they talk? how do they hang out? they don't have anything in common and it's true they barely have anything in common but I think it would be fun where the interests are completely different, but the principle they have in hanging out is similar where Akane would be there for Nagito whenever she feels like it and vice versa that Nagito would be there for Akane when he feels like it, but neither are doing the things the other are doing. Because they would rather die. Like I made this small arc where Akane is forcing him to stick around but that would be like for that one day because of context because otherwise I think Akane is too much of a free spirit to be concerned with seeing someone else for a long time so then if Nagito isn't there she doesn't care because when she wants to go up to him she'll just do and she expects vice versa to happen. And in that sense, I feel like Nagito is probably a more independent type of person anyway, so he wouldn't mind it being that way either, but because they like each other they would more or less hang around a good amount of time anyway. And they're sitting at a table eating together, everyone is staring like but what would they even talk about? except they'll talk about not that much or it's Nagito yapping in Akane's direction some story that she might find interesting, and they're perplexed like how is this working out? But I feel like with everything settled, they would be sort of very practical and chill and whatever is happening between them would be strangely private so then the most apparent out of them working together would be literally when they're working together and Nagito just sort of knows what Akane is thinking most of the time and Akane is also cooperative for the most part and they have high expectations out of each other
I think that in terms of energy levels they seem opposed but if they do have something in common they would go at it with the same amount of energy so Akane would want to fetch food and Nagito would also be strangely familiar with scavenging and they would go fishing and the two are both like, serene just staring at the sea... I think there's something amusing about how both are proactive and so would not stand for doing absolutely nothing and in that sense if excited would drag the other but that at the same time would also stand for just being in the company of someone trustworthy, like, doing something but not necessarily having to speak? I think that the sauce is here somewhere but that I had to tldr it and also not completely contemplate differences in post-canon that can be extrapolated, but you'll have just deal with it because it's the rambling that popped to mind <3 My inability to tweet will be the death of me... If there was someone reaching the end of this thank youuuuu for your time and there may be more... Somewhere... Some day...
Thinking about how Akane might be forgetful in general but that part of the reason she doesn't really bother to remember people much also seems to be related to the fact that she was raised in an environment where she could easily expect them to be dead and how this is why everyone is sort of equalized to her beyond fighting prowess
English localization doesn't include the nuance?
Lemme grab for you my friends
"Even if I remember their names... The next time I call 'em, I could be doing that to 'em as corpses..."
So Akane is actually saying that the next time she could call people's names it'd be them already dead right in front of her (technically the sentence is like "next time I call them, I might be doing that to corpses" but the corpses would likely be the corpses of the people who had those names so I specified in case it would be more unnatural literally-speaking), not that she would be referring to people already dead remotely. It paints a darker picture, where Akane would be calling to someone who won't answer her.
Gonna store all Danganronpa shipping headcanon and thoughts-related asks in their own post because I know my big boy index is gonna hit the link limit at some point, so this post is going to be linked to that index beforehand! Anyone can feel free to stimulate my brain and ask me about ships, even if one already in this index!
As a rule of thumb, I'll use Character First Name/Character First Name rather than a ship name just because there are times the ship will be too rare to have a ship name and I'd want a uniform format for all entries. It's all in alphabetical order to show no bias! Also, all entries are standalone, so the numbers are just because the same ship was asked for more than one time. Without further ado!
A
Akane/Sonia
Aoi/Sakura
B
Byakuya/Celeste
Byakuya/Chihiro
Byakuya/Yasuhiro
C
Chiaki/Nagito 1
Chiaki/Nagito 2
Chiaki/Nagito 3
F
Fuyuhiko/Teruteru
G
Gundham/Nagito
Gundham/Nekomaru
I
Ibuki/Ultimate Imposter
Izuru/Nagito
J
Junko/Makoto
K
Kazuichi/Leon
Kiibo/Kokichi
Kiibo/Nagito
Komaru/Toko
Kyoko/Nagito
M
Mikan/Tenko
-
Thank you very much for your time and I suppose for anyone who finds this in the wild, hello! It's nice to meet you... It would be nice if this gradually got bigger, but it will regardless serve at least me well to be able to revisit my posts without having to scroll around hahaha
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Something I think about a lot when it comes to Akane is this moment
Hajime:
Like the whole final free time event is technically juicy, but Akane doesn't talk about her siblings in the bulk of the base game and when they're referenced, I feel like they show a facet of her that also doesn't show up a lot. Normally, Akane shows herself not interested in people unless they have a certain amount of strength, which she herself says in her free time events:
Akane also tends to deal with things as they come and works heavily on whims, so her attitude can appear dismissive of people and their feelings, and these above lines look like they imply Akane disregards the weak, but I feel like thinking of the lifestyle she's led, where she had a lot on her plate taking care of her massive family, it would make sense that there would be a dynamic between her and those weaker than her, at least starting from her siblings, and it seems like she can project this to other people too, because she also doesn't allow Hajime to go against principles that she would teach to her siblings. With her tone, she seemed worried about crossing the road as a clear hazard, and another thing that interests me is how she acts towards Hajime midway into her free time events:
Hajime:
Akane recognizes Hajime, but sees him as smaller and weaker than her. She wonders if he's okay through the standpoint of survival, if Hajime is eating enough. Food is an important thing for Akane not just for the gags, but when it comes to her fundamental characterization surrounding the life she's led which pushed her to prioritize and value the essentials for survival above all else, so this question has meaning because food is important to her. In that sense, as soon as Hajime was in her line of sight and she could remember him okay, she was watching out for if he was hanging in there, telling him that he's gotta eat to survive. I feel like in that sense, it shows a facet of Akane who is attentive to other people if she is noticing them, and that probably, towards people she cares about, she would be more observant of them and expressing this emotion in being attentive to the ways in which they can secure the fundamentals and survive. I feel also like there's an implication of a facet of Akane who feels somewhat compelled to watch out for people who are small and weak, and that in turn this makes it interesting to try to outline the way she watches out and cares for people by default.
Hi Archsimp I have a migraine so I'm functionally illiterate rn but I wanted to say hi and hello and I hope ur doing well and I always smile when I see you on my dash π totally unrelated how do you think Komaeda would cope with a migraine? Do you think he gets them often? Would he just tank it and move on or would he rest? Or would it be situational? I assume situational as are all things Komaeda AKA the number one "Idk it depends" guy but idk take this concept and go wild
Henlo!!! always greeting me so polite π³ First off, π«
The afflictions are spreading within the moots again... I wish you a very ability to rest and recover if possible π«π«
As for this line of questioning, ngl I almost never think about these types of headcanons unless it came up somewhere like in my fanfiction incidentally so it's gonna be off the top of my head and skipping over the disclaimers you already stopped to bar me from the long-winded version of them but hmmm! Nagito with migraines... Hmmmm... You see left by myself and with full freedom I always end up thinking, "Which would be funnier?"
I guess to put him through a situation similar to ours like draw out the migraine energy by putting him in a specialized magical field for migraines, let's yeet Nagito into an office. Summoning ritual (disclaimer one does not technically need a summoning ritual to summon migraines unfortunately).
Man but I like when Nagito is at a just right level of annoying so then to me I feel like it would be great if everyone around him is struggling like dead on the inside and outside, afflicted by all the ailments
And then there's Nagito "Haha all the easy cases fly to me" Komaeda just ^^ Haha you guys look like ghosts, he says ghostly after downing the 5th soda of the day Do you need any help? I was just about to ask for more work ^^ And he does get the work distributed to him but it's gonna turn out to be easy anyway because he magically gets the easy ones
There's gonna be a huge spike in volumes of work one day and it's gonna be the exact day Nagito is struck with a technical issue on his computer that renders him unable to work the entire day, and he approaches his co-workers like, Sorry haha if only I could help... I'll cheer you on from afar! and they are in shambles
It could also be the worst work day of Nagito's life he got all the hardest stuff to do that day and then it turns out he gets to leave early and then he rests up, he comes back he's doing great he always looks like he's doing great (inwardly he's not doing that great) so then in my jester heart I'd want him to not have the migraines 90% of the time just so he can be that guy like I don't want him to have that relatable dying work guy factor
I feel though like in that sense too even if he was a dying office guy he would probably mask it with a smile until he just about passes out or needs a hospital and so then maybe he's suffering with a migraine, he sounds slower he seems to have no patience he snapped at me :( what's up with Komaeda today but then people don't know he's actually having the migraine of his lifetime which also makes him grumpier about things that would've bothered him less before but now they're annoying I feel in my brain Nagito would be like the type of co-worker who is inwardly keenly aware of how incompetent other people are and thinks about it but usually handwaves it it's okay everyone is nice anyway the work gets done anyway it's all good but then if it's this type of stress situation then some kind of harsh comeback happened and the recipient of it is like scarred for the foreseeable future
So I think in a situation where Nagito would have to do something he might tank it and then only let his guard down in a place where he can rest and doesn't have to do anything. I think it wouldn't even be that he deliberately hides he's feeling terrible it'd just be that since he'd be like yeah haha... I'm feeling pretty terrible right now... the ^^ energy would make everyone else not take it that seriously until he looks like he's about to pass out or something, and then if he doesn't then Nagito could probably be absorbed into what he's doing while feeling terrible that he's focused on that task instead of his own health maybe? Maybe
I guess in that sense the Komaeda in my heart for now would situationally get migraines, but I think there could be a nice enough foundation for a Nagito who is afflicted with migraines at occasion I just have different priorities aka the comedy
Either way thank youuuuuu for asking I like to think thonk about Nagito headcanons!! Would also be nice if the comedy weren't just funny for me but could make you feel a lil better in spirit π«
Checked Akane's height and felt the whiplash at Nagito being taller than her
Now I understand my wife (nearly the same height as Akane) when she was complaining about how /reader fanfics always describe the guys towering over her despite her own height and she learned fear when I told her, "Well, Nagito is taller than you so you don't have to worry about that :)"
I realized that my style of posting lends me to not being particularly annoying since I concentrate everything I want to say into one post in other words I'm so ignorable in a dashboard
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Hiiiii, Archsimp! I wanted to drop by and share a theoryβthough I should make it clear that Iβm terrible at coming up with theories; I just really love your fanfic. What if Mitsuiβaka the readerβhad succumbed to despair before Nagito put her into a coma? Maybe she killed the people close to her while driven by despair, or perhaps the people who mattered most to her died, and that trauma pushed her toward the side of despair. And maybe, seeing her like that, Nagito thought it would be best to stop her in order to preserve her image of hope. If thatβs the case, Nagito probably figured that if she woke up, she could end up either on the side of hope (without memories) or on the side of despair (with memories). Anyway, this might all sound pretty silly, but itβs my theory, hehe. Thank you so much for creating and sharing this fanfic!
οΌ―(β§ββ¦)οΌ―
aaaaaaaa henlo !!!! Finally got time to type longer stuff gosh
But anyway I don't think it sounds silly at all! I did write this story sort of hoping it would spawn theories surrounding what exactly is going on, or like I guess at least engage one's brain to be wondering what the truth might be? I've seen a theory here and there and I'm happy to get more from that perspective of keeping people on their toes. However, I'm also in this position where I can't lightly make comments on what I think just because I wouldn't want to let something slip that would alert the theory to being true or false. I'm not too sure myself what the boundary for yapping would be, like for example if I said it was interesting, would that sound like the observation of an outsider and make it seem like I'm saying it's not true? Or like if I said that it follows the themes of the story, would it make it seem like I'm saying it's true? Or vice versa? I love to yap but my yap is being put to the test. Either way what I can't express in words I will express in LURV SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
And maybe if I can't speak, I can make someone else speak...
Junko!!!!
Junko!!!!!!!
I heard you the first time, baby!! Hell yeah!! It's Junko Enoshima all the way from the fucking afterlife!!
It's more comfortable than it sounds, but... It's also really boring... I mean, you're dead, so you know... There's nothing to do... All you can do is watch, and that gets stale after a while...
Sounds like hell enough for you! But anyway what do you think?
My thoughtsh, you shay? You're tellin' me to look up from this paragraph, right? Well, lemme shee...
Hmmm, uh-huh... To preserve her image of hope, huh... Got it!
It would seem you're troubled on how to reply to this theory without giving spoilers away, correct? Since there is nothing more sinful in a mystery than to know exactly how it will unfold. Naturally, I am more than capable of being hopelessly vague in my reply about this theory. And eloquently, at that.
But then again... That's not why I was called to a place like this, right? We're not girl pals or anything, so if I'm here, it's gotta mean this has something to do with my whole advisor gig with you. So, here's the big money question! Drrrrrrrrrrrrr... Ta-dah! From Junko Enoshima's perspective, is this theory despairful enough to fit in this fanfiction?! Place your bets now before the time runs out!
Not that there's any time here--
Time'sup'cuzIdon'tfeellikewaitingsotheanswerisyes!! Congratulations!! Clap clap clap clap...! Your plot points have successfully passed the preliminary criteria to be considered for this story! As for whether they'll actually make it in, though, that's up to all of you outside of this dimension and has nooothing to do with me! I mean, that Mitsui girl is getting beaten up and tortured anyway, and it's still gonna have that same outcome, right? It's not like I'm physically there pulling the strings, so that's about what we can expect from a scrub like Nagito.
However, you would do well to remember this, human. As long as the seeds of despair continue to be planted, despair can always continue to grow! Yes, it shall grow even past our legacy and consume all of your hopes!
But I'm dead so I don't really care what happens from here! Anyway, I already gave you my answer and you're running out of inspiration-- so I'm gonna leave before I get too bored to move! Bye-bye!!
Have you ever thought to yourself, 'Damn, I wanna figure out what to do with Nagito but I don't get how his luck works?' Or even, 'How come his canon husband Hajime Hinata won't get struck by a meteor the moment they shake hands?' Because so have I! The goal is to try to and fail to embody Junko Enoshima and her inexplicable ability to predict Nagito's luck!!
1
What Is Luck?
Thankfully, Nagito has an answer for this very question, but while I could just send that very same answer, I think it's more worth it to look at various general statements Nagito makes about his own luck at the same time. But first, said answer:
(Hi canon husband)
By itself, it's hard to understand because it's meant to be coupled with statements he's made in previous free time events.
Here's where it starts taking shape: luck by itself is an absolute power, meaning that it always is effective, but it can't be directly controlled. Now, I know what you're thinking: 'But Nagito controls his luck all the time in the game!' However, this doesn't make Nagito's own statement untrue. What's being said here is that he can't wield this absolute power of his own will. So, Nagito can't just will luck into giving him the exact events he wants. In the games, he obeys to the principles he knows of luck and then just puts his faith in the fact that the outcome will be something favourable for him. This means that he isn't controlling luck as much as he believes it will come in clutch for him whatever happens, and he just sets the stage for that to happen. But, it could have a completely different result than what he's expecting, like how he didn't die in Chapter 1 and how the traitor didn't live in Chapter 5.
Meanwhile, Nagito's own luck is defined by the consistent expectation of a positive result that can override the negative outcome that came before. Combined, Nagito would be essentially saying that this luck can't be wielded or resisted, and that it works as the hope that he was born with, which is to say that it's what he can personally look forward to in a feasible manner. This also means (and I know it'll sound really obvious but I've seen this before) that for this expectation to happen, Nagito's luck would have to apply to him so the luck is defined by things that happen in his life.
Sounds great, huh?? Except no!! It gets more complicated than that!!! Because why would it not!!!
Why would this just happen to you? Where's the luck that would come from it?
Because you sure were hyped for it here...
And now the principle is in reverse...
So what does it mean?
Here Nagito refers to a cycle of good luck and bad luck, but in thinking about that at face value, we'd have to erase all instances of Nagito just always being able to stay hidden in hide and seek, or always capturing the flag on his first try where clearly he can tend towards an event that is considered lucky. After all, if it were a cycle, it would have to be preceded by something else, right? But, most events in Island Mode are talked about as if standalone, and in the game proper, Nagito isn't always at all times every time experiencing some form of random event. There are simply times where nothing is happening.
So, can we call this a proper continuous cycle, or would it actually be more intuitive to think of that sentence as just a way to phrase the fact that Nagito sifts through good luck and bad luck in his life? I personally believe the latter is more compelling. However, this doesn't mean that we can ignore the supposed hopeful nature of Nagito's good luck, because there is bad luck that occurs which becomes good luck in the actual material. For example, the fact that he survived Chapter 1 and Byakuya (you know what I mean) died in his stead.
Another thing about the functioning of luck I'll mention is something Nagito says in the OVA:
I think that because of how for example, being the one person to win something out of thousands would make you lucky, it would mean that other people being unlucky would make you luckier, and other people are thus prone to being unlucky around Nagito. This manifests also in the source material, both in the death of his parents, how Byakuya dies in his stead, etc... However, as for whether this exact principle is absolute should maybe be taken with a grain of salt. I think that believing this holds true is just as valid as thinking it doesn't, and the reason I'm saying not fully buying it is possible is because this is something Nagito is saying in the simulated universe where he's just unlucky, which doesn't truly happen in the Danganronpa universe, considering being lucky implies being unlucky (as in having bad things happen to you) necessarily.
Additionally, in V3's bonus mode, when Celeste, Makoto and Nagito gather, this fixed luck principle doesn't come into effect either as only the headmaster loses in mahjong while the three remain lucky. The context for this line in the OVA is that Nagito then wants to say that there's no greater honour for him, who has no talent, than having the ability to make the world better by absorbing bad luck. This being a world that's meant to simulate an alternative happiness, I think it's plausible to conclude that this absolute principle is exclusive to the simulation in order to make him feel useful despite his still lacking self-esteem, and that other people being unlucky relative to how lucky someone else is is applicable but also depends on their own luck that they're born with. Basically, there is a clear element of truth here anyway from the fact that other people are usually less lucky than Nagito, but that luck being limited might not be that clear and certain outside of the OVA.
Other than that, though, the answer to what luck truly is and how it works is, 'Who knows?' Considering it only manifests occasionally and without a specific time pattern, Nagito's luck basically happens whenever you the writer can will it so. The same applies for what type of luck it is. Still, in lieu of the general statements made by Nagito plus all instances of luck he names, I have this following handy dandy mind chart:
However, to explain this in more detail, we need its own section! Yay!
2
The Principle of Happenstance
What's good luck? What's bad luck? What's luck in the context of Danganronpa in practice? To Nagito, it's an absolute power, and good luck comes in after bad luck (or vice versa), but what does that mean? I unfortunately don't have all the answers but have instead food for thought for all fellow academics out there.
When we ask, is it good luck if nothing happens and everything is peaceful? Or, is it good luck if something doesn't make anything bad happen? The answer seems to be no. When nothing comes out of something, that's a type of bad luck. It puts the nurse example from his free time events into context:
Ideally, you'd want not to get hurt, but to have this good thing happen, a bad thing had to happen in that sequence. Since the bad thing led to that good thing, it was good luck overall. Meanwhile, if nothing had happened? It would probably mean that meeting would never take place, so the person who doesn't get hurt isn't lucky. So, each day spent in peace is like a moment of losing the lottery, as there's no opportunity for something to happen.
This seems to work off of the logic that, for example, if you happened to be the only survivor in a mass shooting, you'd be considered lucky. It denies the logic that the person never involved in that shooting would be the lucky one, because that person didn't have anything happen to them. So, they didn't get lucky, meaning they're unlucky by default. This understanding gives further weight to how Nagito feels about negative happenstance, in how he can look forward to it like he does for the killing game:
Because something IS happening, Nagito knows that something good based off of that event will occur. Meanwhile, like we can see with Island Mode, when nothing does happen, there's hesitation about what that'll mean for him, since there's nothing that can be expected from an uneventful moment. Nagito can think that something good will happen since nothing happened, but it stands a clearly different level of engagement than if something did happen. This means that where luck truly shines is when bad luck is involved, which is the point that mirrors hope and despair exactly as Nagito sees it.
In other words, luck in Danganronpa, and as a result Nagito's own luck is based off of Something Happening. Which sounds painfully obvious, but that actually also puts every random standalone event in the same context: an average result doesn't invite good luck, so if for example Nagito has to pull on any gacha banner, it would always have to result in a rare character coming out. If that pull were as normal, it wouldn't mean anything so it wouldn't happen. Nagito can remain never found in hide and seek because even if it's technically uneventful, it's rare. So, unusual or eventful things usually happen to Nagito, and then when it comes to things that aren't necessarily tied to luck conventionally, like just doing a task, a sequence of happenstance between bad luck -> good luck to good luck -> bad luck can happen.
Or, so I've concluded. I think there's no need to be strict about this since there's no clear clear statements, but that abiding by this principle of eventfulness in Danganronpa luck, being lucky can feel more in-line with things seen in the source material.
3
The Impact Of Luck
Besides luck itself is the way luck makes Nagito who he is. The first example being how the way his luck works and how he sees hope are equivalent, and for more context on that here is the shameless plug to my post about Nagito and the H-word, but luck has a deeper impact than that, affecting Nagito's self-perception as well as the despair in his own life.
I know the first thing popping to mind is the examples of his luck that he gives in the free time events, but I want to approach something else: Nagito feeling like his talent sucks.
The important things in this statement are what's in the second sentence. He might do amazing things through luck's influence in the game, but putting oneself in Nagito's shoes here, it's possible to consider that doing something amazing would mean that he's doing the amazing thing, and not whatever force messes with events. Luck isn't something he does, but something that happens to him, and this difference distinguishes him from the Ultimates, whose talents are all things that they do and can be trained to reach bigger heights. Conversely, luck is innate and can't get better than what it already is.
(ah fuck I already switched Danganronpa 2 to Japanese and I don't have the screenshot on hand god forgive me I might as well transcribe the line)
I've never... thought about having to overcome anything before. It's not like I'd run away from my problems, but... It's more like, I was just living my life without even thinking about them at all. Even so, I was still able to live...
(Chapter 1, pretty much the morning after Nagito dropped the letter on Byakuya)
It's subtle, and I think it can be contested by someone who has a different theory potentially (and if so please appear and tell me this theory posthaste), but my view on it is that the implication is Nagito could just trust luck to give him a favourable outcome, so he feels like he hasn't had to try hard or that it's worth overcoming something. If fate just moves on its own, why even try? There's meaning to this dialogue being from Chapter 1, because Nagito has to steel himself for the plan he's about to put into motion, as it involves working with the Ultimates to overcome the killing game. Still, just because it's dialogue from early on doesn't mean that it doesn't hold general meaning, because the fact that there's supposedly not much he by himself can bring to the table contributes to the view that he has no value. The specifics have more expansion in the hope post and it also edges more into how to perceive value in Nagito's lens, so I'll leave it at that, but basically, luck is related to this notion of value too probably!
Another thing is Nagito's will to live.
The eventful nature of luck means that Nagito goes through terrible events with consistency, so luck is both what kills his hope and what gives him hope at the same time. For him to be lucky, something needs to happen, but that happenstance itself breaks peace and makes him disillusioned with the world. However, since there is always good luck afterwards, Nagito clings to that notion so that he can see hope. This can lead me to send that quote where Nagito talks about being released from the cycle of good luck and bad luck and how hope was inside him the whole time, but that's also a value and worth ramble for another value and worth day.
Lastly, Nagito is affected by luck in how he thinks-- Or rather, overthinks-- Every situation. This thinking sharpened his wit but it makes him paranoid as a result, able to imagine scenarios for what may happen wherever he is as we can see from most of Island Mode:
(don't mind the messy nature of my own research please)
This means that when Nagito is thinking something lucky or unlucky will happen, he's imaginative enough that he's thinking of concrete and specific scenarios. So it's not 'Goodness, I feel the vibes in this room to be off' and more like 'We are near a cliff and there are strong winds and waves you will be swept by these waves instantly and I will never see you again but if you don't hit the rocks in the process it could have been worse' tiers of potential scenario-making (with room for simplification as per the evidence above but you get the idea).
Now, one thing that may pop to mind for this category is the idea that Nagito's state of having no friends or anyone in his life was caused by his luck killing them. It was certainly his luck that resulted in the deaths of his parents, but as for whether the same happened to any classmates, friends, other relatives... There's no real evidence of this in canon, and Nagito doesn't say anything to that effect, either. Nagito names potential ways Hajime can be in danger in Island Mode, but not all of them result in death, and if he was that afraid of someone dying in his presence, it'd put to question why he'd hang out and then want to be friends with Hajime at the end of Island Mode to begin with. Rather, if luck was that effective, it'd make it hard for anything to happen in the actual game, so I personally don't make this attribution, but don't deny the potential for casualties that luck has, and how the deaths of others to it would for example make Nagito desensitized to tragedy. Nagito has seen it all and knows that everything will be okay for him, so he still holds out hope and excitement for terrible outcomes.
Anyway, what that does mean is that no, his husband (or you if you're more up the speed of marrying Nagito yourself) will not instantly drop dead. Probably.
4
Conclusion
Luck in Danganronpa is based on the idea that you are lucky by lucking out of something, and Nagito's luck is this on steroids because he can luck out of anything. Except when nothing happens. Which can be any time in the source material. In other words, if you just make Nagito lucky at a time something could happen, and the rare outcome happens in this event, you're probably applying plausible Nagito RNG. The general rule of thumb is that Nagito will always end in an outcome that is favourable for him, and that this would be preceded by bad luck.
Unfortunately (?), we can't become Junko Enoshima, but hey... At least we can maybe understand some of the underlying nuance in the luck and how it affects Nagito in the process. Maybe. I personally found others becoming sort of lost in the sauce of how to make sense of the luck aspect of Nagito's character and also in trying to make it tragic by bad things happening to other people. While I understand the sentiment, since I love consistency myself, the random nature of luck makes it hard to make it so something is absolutely always happening. When it comes to things happening to other people, the question I'd like for everyone here to ask is, 'How does Nagito come out lucky from this?' Because in the end, the reason he could cope is that something good supposedly came out of it.
Maybeeeee there'll be a sequel but I have no idea and while you can ask me anything I am no Junko and can only offer funny headcanons for RNG... See you maybe next timeee--
But yeah both this and the above are together one Komaeda monologue which is meant to set the tone for Nagito being spooky and leaving no room for doubt on that end. The first chapter had Mitsui scrambled on what to think because of the gravity of the situation and her condition, and has to get this wake-up call that implies there are bigger things at stake than her own health, and they're based on something like hope. In that sense, I was hoping to mimic the type of horror that comes in from Chapter 1 of Danganronpa 2, the realization that Nagito can be dangerous and that he is looking at things in a way different from most other people. The first half while bleak at least is being explanatory but the second half sounds only terrible to be hit with. I would just about disintegrate. Nagito has these moments while speaking where he's demanding a hope-related thing from the other party, and here I'm emulating that, envisioning that swirly eyed Komaeda vibe here while hiding from you the fact that I edited this in post and who knows I might even edit it harder
This part is like augh oof goshie trying to evoke the vibe that other characters in Danganronpa 2 did where they view Nagito as having no empathy regarding the events except here we're getting deeper into the depths of hell because the circumstances are more extreme. The extreme here was also contemplated in the scope of this being a Komaeda with The Hand, but there are essentially themes here from Danganronpa 2 that I was hoping to get in there strongly about the impression that Nagito can give with the ideas he has, and his imposition of them.
"Your predicament right now isn't just 'as if it was' a game. It really is a game..." is a line I was very particular about like full-on vivid in my mind where essentially Mitsui is taking real life to be different from the scope of the game, something heavier, but here I'm taking a page from the Servant book or trying to anyway where there is the emphasis on a game, which is being used to cause growth. This IS a game. Games are real in real life, Mitsui. Get with the program...
This is one of those things where I know that I feel this way from Ultra Despair Girls, but my memory really just has it recorded like that without big detail but it's vivid in my heart that Nagito could probably actually say this and in that exact way. Trusting myself bro after spending too long in research hell...
A few things about the story's structure in general are that since this is a mystery story where a lot just remains up in the air for a good while, I knew there had to be an element of the reader character making theories as she goes for what might be going on. The other thing is that in terms of the plotline itself, it ended up this way because I wanted to engage in some form of Danganronpa gameplay where I could portray Nagito in a situation of debate. For that end, this premise about being forced to investigate a murder serves to bring the horror and the gameplay simulation into one place and is NOT there for yandere purposes I swear
I originally wanted the explanation of all the caveats and etc faster but honestly there's so much going on in terms of like getting dropped into the setting, getting dropped into feeling terrible from being fresh out of a coma, gettting dropped into feeling terrible because Nagito is terrible, etc that just the impact of these things was enough for me to keep the basic information as is, where we at least for this chapter know that Mitsui is there to investigate a murder.
This dialogue is also a bit on the archaic (first draft) side, but this moment in particular is not only the arrival of the strange name that is Mitsui Chirikata (kanji is ζ²»ηζΉζΊδΎ), which the latter was out of compromise with my wife because she was in charge of telling me what would fly in terms of my target audience, and she told me to make it Mitsui. My original idea was that the name was going to be for someone who is meant to be cool and intimidating, and with the Danganronpa naming convention being broad enough I was going all the way for a shounen anime vibes name like Ryouga Chirikata (ζ²»ηζΉηι ) but this was also a timeline where I expected reader to be called Chirikata-san instead and also my wife had disapproved of that one too anyway and Ryouga wasn't gonna cut it either I was surrounded on all sides is all I'm saying
Here is still significant though because I figured it would be sort of spooky sort of a flex if there was a segment in which Nagito was double-checking if the amnesia thing was for real while also introducing this key name to the fray, though the fact the name plate was there wasn't for that 4D chess (as in the one about the amnesia) originally. So it's also meant to be adapting to this situation, so it's trying to imply some form of cunning.
This phone call gets more cursed from here though it only goes downhill from here
Mitsui takes her conclusion about these lines fairly fast but this is a string of lines that I wrote considering the possibility for some level of ambiguity where was it really a taunt? Or did he actually mean it? Since Mitsui is a narrator like Hajime who made his own judgements of what Nagito means, the vibe check isn't law which is good for me to take advantage of in this story that's meant to be spooky. But it does have its basis on Nagitos ranging from Chapter 1 to 3, even if not fully a 1:1 of the lines, but this idea of answering more to the side than directly and with it implying some taunt that isn't very clear on its intention but manages to be scary. The scary part isn't fully the taunt but more like the implications behind it, since Mitsui had been weighing in the red flags since he left the building and so the response is as if reinforcing those red flags.
This Komaeda paragraph is notable to me because I remember being in discussion with my friend about different iterations I had of it in an attempt to have it in-character. It was an important moment because it's when Nagito finally kinda tackles the part where Mitsui is kinda been very kidnapped but then again!! It's what you wanted anyway (so it's totally okay)! And okay you might not want it right now but it's for your own good totally (so it's okay)!! And I mean it's not like you can move or even remember where to go anyway (so it's totally okay??)!! The point was to showcase what I call a horror by purity of intent where Nagito tends to justify what he does as righteous and is acting thinking he's doing the right thing for people even if said people are not very happy about it, and there's some kind of reasoning and argument attached usually, which he won't much budge on.
There's a chimera of different Komaeda things going on in this paragraph, taking from the "I understand how you feel, but" plus "Think about it this way", describing the situation in a sort of succinct way, ellipsis... change of mood, round of questions which to Nagito actually have an answer so it's more asked to guide the other party's thoughts to that (correct) conclusion and then asserting it as final
Like, I knew I wanted a sort of argumentation that made it seem like yeah I know it sucks... but anyway no you still have to be here and if anything it's a good thing you're here actually-- which is of course meant to be baffling and conventionally make zero sense. I have a few of the early attempts archived while talking to my friend and they're definitely funny to look at behold the archsimp OOC of all time
idk friends writing komaeda is hard πΆβπ«οΈ
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this is lies and deception this is the cover for an iteration of the distant past where I was ignoring the localization and so had everything in the format that I guess I see with some frequency too, like with honorifics and stuff. I guess if this fic were like the localization of an original japanese script (it isn't but you know) it would be that right now it's covering the original issue here where reader does remember Nagito's name, but calls him Komaeda-kun, and from there Nagito assumes that there's something off
And from there is piecing together that there's some for real amnesia going on based on the whole... blunt head trauma ow
It's meant to be a little unsettling because it's accounting for the possibility that reader is actually faking the amnesia, even though there were good odds she could have memory issues. The idea in my mind was that actually I'm not that at liberty to say-- but I guess to some extent it's meant to be spooky also in the way where in this situation, there's a part of Nagito that is still composed and also calculating, while accounting for multiple possibilities.
You might have just woken up from a coma and have amnesia and all, but...
I feel like Chapter 1 (first half) has the most leftovers from the first draft as in things that are really old to the point that they're more so from older iterations than the actual final ones. Like, me right now, I wouldn't have written it like this? If I were to have the prose match the reader character. At the same time, to be honest, I didn't really replace it because I felt like it has some degree of sense with the character anyway so it's just barely in-character (with the reader character? archsimp what--).
With Nagito's dialogue I feel a bit the same way here where I think I'd have a different character voice altogether if I did that from scratch, but as technically I get where I was going with it here (some English localized equivalent of also some kind of γγ€γ¦γͺγγͺβ¦), I figured that it's not too off the mark and still have it this way. Rare lenient archsimp moment
When it comes to the turmoil, there's meant to be a set of contradictory emotions happening for now, but where it seems to end up boiling down to fear, this massive regret and anxiety...
In the end it's also pretty significant to me how essentially reader's current physical condition is so bad that it also has to be the other way around, that since there's nothing to resort to and otherwise it's complete despair, that at the same time there's this hope that Nagito would save her, even though she also doesn't want that to happen, and it's very sad π’
I had a few things to think about regarding reader's condition, of which a few are more related to how to have that lean more to how it might happen in Danganronpa while others were in the interest of being more bleak, but one thing I drew from research off of waking up from a coma and the general condition was the concept that there were different levels of consciousness, and how the process of waking up from a coma isn't just opening your eyes and everything's cool. There are also other things I had in mind, in particular relating to blunt head trauma that are being combined with some effects from coma that I drew from research that at this point barely remember, but I was taking advantage of the absolute terrible combo of afflictions here (dizziness, limbs absolutely sore and hard to move properly, memory is scrambled, and waking up had happened before lucidity). The latter in the parenthesis was on my mind that moment because I felt it would also be bleak for there to be this type of confusion right now, like... Am I actually properly, completely awake? Does my memory still even work properly? Can I trust my own memory?
I guess before everything somehow gets worse, it was already pretty bleak because this story has as its foundation the massive debuff that came with waking up from a coma...
