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oumakokichi · 7 years

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I really appreciate the way you discuss character/writing flaws without being dismissive. I feel like it's an unfortunately common trend in fandom nowadays to have "x character is bad because they did x" discourse floating everywhere. It's so refreshing to come to your blog and see an honest discussion of Momota's more problematic moments without the implication that his misogynistic comments completely negate his good qualities or make him a terrible, irredeemable person. Thank you again!!

Thank you so much! I always want to be as unbiased when discussing characters as possible on this blog, so I’m glad if I’ve been able to accomplish that! I know that it’s impossible for anyone to ever be completely, 100% unbiased, of course, but I do try to keep things as objective as possible when discussing things here, even if I share my personal opinions as well.

Ndrv3 is such a great game with really enjoyable characters that I feel like it’s unfair to dismiss almost any of them entirely just because of their flaws. There are elements to all of them that could have been handled better, of course, but I don’t feel like that immediately dismisses all the good things about their characters either.

Not to mention, flaws are extremely important and necessary for character growth and development! Characters without any flaws at all tend to stagnate and feel dull and one-dimensional. Characters with flaws, on the other hand, can either improve themselves and become better people–or intentionally embrace those flaws and become even worse, for the sake of being antagonistic and awful (which is fun in its own way). The problem isn’t when a character has flaws, but when those flaws aren’t really treated like they’re a problem by the narrative itself.

Momota’s character arc could certainly have benefited from having his flaws addressed a little more directly, but I feel like that still doesn’t undermine his importance as a character. He’s still incredibly necessary to the entire plot of ndrv3, and he makes huge sacrifices and efforts which shouldn’t be entirely dismissed just because he also does and says stupid things sometimes. He’s human, he messes up sometimes, but that doesn’t make him awful or irredeemable.

I think sometimes it’s easy to forget what kinds of circumstances the characters are in, too, but the fact of the matter is that every DR game is ultimately a story about a bunch of teenagers (or people who think they’re teenagers, anyway) in a horrible situation where they’re coerced into being paranoid and on-edge and generally not at their best. That’s not to say that every single thing they do is excusable, because plenty of DR characters have done really awful, inexcusable things, but it does certainly explain their actions a lot more.

Even without all the additional factors like being in a literal killing game, I know I myself wasn’t necessarily the best person back when I was in high school. Sometimes I had harmful sentiments, I said stupid things–and I had to learn and develop from my mistakes. So I think it’s only fair to keep in mind that most characters aren’t necessarily irredeemable or awful just because of a few mistakes or flaws either.

I’m just really glad if I’ve been able to convey my thoughts without coming across as too judgmental or unfair. I love discussing things on this blog with people and hearing different opinions and takes on characters, so I’m happy if I’ve been able to encourage that kind of thing. Thank you so much for your support!

#ask #opinions #okay to reblog #no spoilers this time #unchangingmelody

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lalikaa · 7 years

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A L P H O N S E ;)

LAUREN IM CRYIN ILU SO MUC H

OK HERE WE GO :’)

A- ALPHONSE ELRIC (SHOCKER, I KNOW)L- Luna LovegoodP- Phichit!!!! my son H- Haruhi (from Ouran!)O- Olivier Mira Armstrong N- Neville Longbottom, my loveS- Suga!! E- ELLIOT

#ask things #lauren thank yooooou #all the love #unchangingmelody

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bloody-bunny-book · 7 years

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rules: complete the survey and say who tagged you in the beginning. when you’re finished, tag 5 people to do this survey. have fun and enjoy! Now I’m tagging: @the-vashta-nevada, @devicing, @weremermaid, @unchangingmelody, @kiichiatra, but anyone else who wants to can give it a go. ;) (warning: this is hella long)

1 - Are you named after someone?

Nope.

2 - When was the last time you cried?

Last week when a friend passed. :(

3 - Do you like your handwriting?

Oh fuck no

4 - What is your favourite lunch meat?

greasy miso fish with the soft, chewable bones

5 - Do you have any kids?

Too many. Dear lord, too many. 😰 (I teach probably 500 kids total)

6 - If you were another person, would you be friends with you?

Probably not. Fuck that Kyatto.

7 - Do you use sarcasm?

ME?

8 - Do you still have your tonsils?

Sadly. 9 - Would you bungee jump?

If the right person pumped me up for it...

10 - What is your favourite kind of cereal?

Honeynut Cheerios, fak yeah

11 - Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?

Dear god, I live in Japan!

12 - Do you think you’re a strong person?

I have to be. :)

13 - What is your favourite ice cream flavor?

Vanilla.

14 - What is the first thing you notice about people?

Their noses. I have a weird preoccupation with noses, since I had cosmetic surgery on mine. Rest assured, I like most people’s noses--it was just my own I felt really self-concious about.

16 - What is the least favorite physical thing you like about yourself?

I’m still weird about my nose. Otherwise, probably how short and curvy and generally “feminine” my body is. :/ I don’t necessarily want to change sexes, but if I could I would swap bodies with someone who could pass as both. Someone taller, more androgynous, like. (that’s my gender dysphoria)

17 - What color pants and shoes are you wearing right now?

Black jeans, dark gray socks. I’m chillin on the tatami right now trying to keep warm. :) 19 - What are you listening to right now?

"Your Hand” by Whisper in the Noise--they’re the group I’m most excited to have discovered recently. Their music just puts me in this really ethereal, enchanted headspace, and helps me work on writing. It’s kind of like opening your eyes in a saline solution; their music is just a very similar tempo and aesthetic feel to what I’ve already got in my head. Soothing.

20 - If you were a crayon, what color would you be?

White crayon. White shouldn’t be underestimated--it’s essential for blending the other colors.

21 - Favorite Smell?

The smell of my kitty, when she isn’t all stanky.

22 - Who was the last person you spoke to on the phone?

Softbank, cuz those mofos shut off my internet!

23 - Favorite Sport to Watch?

Does watching a friend play fantasy RPGs count?

24 - Hair Color?

Purple-black

25 - Eye Color?

Hazel.

26 - Do you wear contacts?

Yepper depper.

27 - Favorite Food to Eat?

Right now, yogurt.

28 - Scary movies or comedy?

Scary movies!!!!!! :DDDD

29 - Last movie you watched?

A Streetcar Named Desire (starring my queen, Viven Leigh)

30 - What color of shirt are you wearing?

Burgundy sweatshirt with a black skull print.

31 - Summer or Winter?

Aesthetically winter, physically summer (the cold is killing me)

32 - Hugs or Kisses?

Hugs. Unless it’s a soft kiss, they make me kinda uncomfortable (except in cases where it’s That Special Person ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°))

33 - What book are you currently reading?

Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

34 - Who do you miss right now?

all my Oita Prefecture buds ;) We hang out every weekend though.

35 - What is on your mousepad? Some kind of traditional Japanese weaving with a felt rabbit. I bought it......... holy hell, I bought it 8 years ago when I went to Japan the first time, as a souvenir at a small castle in Nagoya. I wanted it because of the rabbit (reminded me of Haku, from Naruto, who was and still is one of my favorite characters). 36 - What is the last TV program you watched?

The OA

37 - What is the best sound?

My heater purring along :) Almost as good: Fenbae being a salty angst bomb while I steal his heart and save Kirkwall from the templars

38 - Rolling Stones or The Beatles?

I know The Beatles better (as in, I know a few of their songs). We sing them a lot in English class

39 - What is the furthest you have ever travelled?

Whichever is farther from my hometown, China or Japan. I’m inclined to say where I am now is the farthest I’ve ever been from where I was born.

40 - Do you have a special talent?

Uh. Moving my eyes like a chameleon. Ventriloquist whistling. Trill-whistling so I can mimic a cricket. Being super energetic (once I’m awake) and having boundless energy for hiking, biking, and rolling around on people’s floors. :P

41 - Where were you born?

Los Angeles.

#an answer #the fun never stops

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stvivi · 9 years

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unchangingmelody replied to your post “i got a new haircut like a week and a half ago”

YOU'RE A CUTIE

THANK YOU!!!

#response #unchangingmelody

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j-amatus · 9 years

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whenever you draw Elliot and Leo it feels like Christmas morning :)

omg… omg thank you

#(sobbing)#unchangingmelody #ask

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inyourlosingeyes · 9 years

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5, 7, 11, 12, and 20 for the music thing!

5: A song that needs to be played LOUDBlank Space by T-Swift

7: A song to drive toSince U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson

11: A song that you never get tired ofWannabe by Spice Girls

12: A song from your preteen yearsBring Me To Life by Evanescence

20: A song that has many meanings to youFix You by Coldplay

#ask #unchangingmelody #i almost just put blank space for all of them?

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oumakokichi · 7 years

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Hey there! I hope you're having a great day! I saw your tags on that beautiful Hogwarts AU fan art and saw that you headcanon Ouma as Slytherin. I get super into house sorting whenever I do character analysis and I've been going back and forth on whether I see Ouma as Ravenclaw or Slytherin for MONTHS now. In your opinion, what makes Ouma a Slytherin? (I'm also curious about how you headcanon the other characters, but I feel like that would make for a very long ask haha!)

Thank you so much! I hope you’re having a great day, too!

For me, Slytherin was the instant choice for Ouma. He couldfit for Ravenclaw just as easily, even Hufflepuff to some degree, but the mostimportant factor (in my opinion anyway) is that I think he’d honestly want tobe in Slytherin. Since the Sorting Hat takes personal preference into account,I think that’s what would really seal the deal.

It’s interesting, because Slytherins and Ravenclawsdefinitely have certain similarities in common. Both are probably the housesmost concerned with academic pursuit—though for Slytherins, that usually has todo a lot more with personal goals and ambitions, and with Ravenclaws it tendsto be more about an innate curiosity and desire to learn more about everything.Both houses are driven, both are competitive, and both have a knack for beingclever.

But there are definitely some differences, too. WhereRavenclaws are about academic pursuit in the general, because their curiosityoften extends everywhere and to everything,Slytherins tend to display more… tunnel vision, so to speak. They care abouttheir interests, their personal goals, and anything that can help them achievethose goals. Anything that doesn’t fall within that range of interest gets cutout of the loop entirely, and god forbid you get on their bad side.

A Ravenclaw is often going to want to know the answer tomost things they come across. Why does this work the way it does? How does itwork? Who put it there? These are the questions they’re likely to ask, and alsothe reason why Ravenclaws are often pretty suited to interests like writing,journalism, teaching, and researching. That’s not to say these are the onlyinterests any Ravenclaw ever has; all Hogwarts houses tend to display qualitiesfrom the other houses too, in my experience. But the house you’re sorted intois a reflection of which qualities you prioritize, while other qualities orinterests tend to be secondary.

A Slytherin isn’t preoccupied about the answer per se butthe end-goal. And that’s the main reason why I feel Ouma fits for Slytherin soperfectly. The “why” and “how” and “who” matters very little; in the end, everythingcircles back around to the objective. Those questions only become relevant ifthey serve a clear purpose in helping to further said objective. Ravenclawsoften like knowing the answer to riddles and mysteries. Slytherins, bycontrast, enjoy posing the riddles and mysteries—or being them.

This sort of tunnel-vision, in-or-out mindset is typicallyapplied to people, as well. Slytherins can display quite a lot of loyalty tothe people they care about. But unlike Hufflepuffs, whose loyalty is their predominantfeature and often more broadly applied to likeminded people and to societalrules in general, Slytherins are much less concerned about the rules, and muchmore selective about the people they’re loyal to.

To put it in perspective, in a marathon race, a Hufflepuffwould be far more likely to finish the race fair and square, and to try andmake sure everyone crosses the finish line at one point or another, because that’sthe fair and objective thing to do. A Slytherin would be concerned withcrossing the finish line and gettingthe people they care about in the race to cross it with them—and anyone elsegets left behind.

Someone had a really good post at some point too, about howa Hufflepuff is the friend who stays up all night to help you study for a testthe next day, while a Slytherin is the friend who gets you a cheat sheet. That’sa pretty good descriptor, in my opinion.

Back to Ravenclaw and Slytherin comparisons though, I feellike a Ravenclaw’s search for answers, understanding, and the truth is mostlywhere Ouma differs. Ouma is a deeply paranoid person and wants to confirmthings with his own two eyes, but he’s not the kind of person who prioritizestruth above all else. Quite the contrary, his preference for lies and the “infinitepotential they possess” means he’s much more aware of the truth’s ability tohurt others than most people.

If it came down to his own personal choice in whether hewanted to be sorted into Slytherin or Ravenclaw, I think he’d pick the formermostly because he would rather take the sly, mysterious, and cunning appeal ofSlytherin house over the wit, wisdom, and truth-seeking appeal of Ravenclaw.

…Not only that, but if there were ever a Hogwarts AU, I’vebeen convinced for a while now that Ouma would absolutely come into the schooland convince everyone that he was the Heir of Slytherin (despite probably noteven being a pure-blood). The mental image of Ouma, age 11, pulling an “I’m theevil mastermind” routine is pretty hilarious, really.

This is just my take on it, though. There might be somepeople who disagree, but I really do think Ouma fits for Slytherin the best. Ireally love Hogwarts houses—it’s so much fun to discuss them, so thank you forasking!

#ask #opinions #ndrv3 spoilers //#my meta #okay to reblog #unchangingmelody

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oumakokichi · 7 years

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I might have missed an ask along the way, but have you discussed the dynamic between Momota and Ouma yet? I understand Japanese enough to get by without the occasionally misinformed/misleading translations and I am FLOORED by the lack of people talking about the dynamic shift between them in chapters 3 and 5. I guess I just wanted to know what you had to say on their relationship since your metas are always on point (also bc my friend and I can only scream at each other about these two so much)

I wanted to answer these two questions together because I’mactually very excited to have a chance to talk about this! Ouma and Momota’srelationship and the way in which the dynamic between them shifts is one of themost fascinating parts of Chapter 5, in my opinion.

If Chapter 5 in every DR game is about encouraging theplayer to put aside their preconceptions in order to find the truth (trustingthat Kirigiri is lying to Naegi for a good reason, understanding that justbecause Komaeda’s murder was gruesome and horrible didn’t necessarily mean hewas killed by someone else, etc.) then ndrv3 Chapter 5 really, truly takes thecake: complete cooperation between a culprit and victim is definitely a firstin a DR game.

There are so many intentional parallels and points ofdifference between them, in much the same way that there are parallels betweenOuma and Saihara, or Saihara and Momota. I feel Saihara himself managed tosummarize it best when I was translating the Chapter 5 post-trial, and when hesaid that they “had lost the friend that they could trust the most and thefriend that they could trust the least at the same time.”

I’ll be discussing Ouma and Momota’s relationship prettythoroughly under the read more, so there will be quite a few endgame spoilers.Please read only if you’re comfortable! I’ll also be referencing things fromthe Chapter 5 post-trial quite a lot, so if anyone hasn’t read it yet, there’sa translated transcript of the whole thing here!

So, for most of ndrv3 I don’t think anyone quite expectedsuch an effective and incredible alliance between Ouma and Momota preciselybecause they are so different. For most of the early chapters, and especiallyChapter 4, the emphasis is placed on their inability to see anything from theother’s perspective.

To Momota, Ouma is simply the worst. He’s cynical, he’s cryptic, he seems to relish in saying crueland sadistic things to the group at large, and he absolutely will not playalong with Momota’s “power of friendship” shounen protagonist wishes. Momota isprimarily concerned with motivating and inspiring others, and Ouma’s constantapparent attempts at sabotaging those motivational speeches seems nothing butchaotic and heartless. Therefore, he hates him.

To Ouma, Momota is incrediblynaïve and foolish. His attempts at motivating and “trusting in” the others arenothing but a parallel to Kaede’s early attempts at the same thing, and Oumaabsolutely hates the hypocrisy of someone claiming to trust everyone sowholeheartedly when they themselves are keeping huge secrets (such as Momota’s illness,which is a huge risk to his own safety and could very well backfire if he wereto die suddenly with no one knowing about it). Momota’s beliefs seem likelittle more than idealism without being willing to make cold, hard sacrificesin order to actually keep others alive. What’s more, he feels Momota’s rashnessand tendency to rely on yelling and getting angry is a spark waiting tokickstart the killing game into action. So he looks down on Momota, and thinkshe’s a loose cannon waiting to misfire.

This conflict between them reaches its obvious boiling pointin Chapter 4. After Miu’s death, Momota wants Saihara to become more confidentin his reasoning and believe in himself—but by relying on Saihara’s skills as adetective without actually encouraging him to doubt or suspect others, this isdangerous. By contrast, Ouma notices the others’ complacency and wants Saiharato trust absolutely none of them, but to work with himself instead—but thiskind of isolation from a friend group which provides so much support for one anotheris equally dangerous. Saihara understandably is torn between their conflict formost of the chapter.

The actual trial in Chapter 4 features both of them clashingover ideology and trying to force Saihara to pick a side once and for all. And both of them are ultimately surprised bythe turn of events, which is, I think, precisely why they both begin toreevaluate their plans and strategies in Chapter 5.

Momota is forced to reevaluate his “trust everyone, believein your friends, don’t doubt anyone even if the facts tell you to” strategyprecisely because it gets Gonta hurt so badly. By fighting against the obviousoutcome of the trial and prolonging the inevitable, Gonta became more confused,more upset, and the truth hurt that much more because it was slow and painfullygouged in, rather than accepted quickly and all at once. As angry as Momotagets at both Ouma and Saihara in Chapter 4, it’s clear that he knew he himselfwas partially in the wrong for denying the facts and for blaming Saihara for “betrayingGonta”—because he definitely begins acting guilty and readjusting his plans inChapter 5.

Ouma, of course, felt that his strategy was right up untilthe very end of the trial. He wanted initially to reveal the truth gently andin a much more roundabout fashion—but Momota and the rest of the group’srefusal to believe it unless it was presented coldly, harshly, and by ruthlesslyeliminating every other possibility made him angry enough that he “proved” tothem how horrible the truth could be when used as a weapon. He was confidentthat his methods and his doubt for everyone was right, up until the very end—whenSaihara and the rest of the group still ultimately chose to support Momota, andwhen it became clear that Ouma’s own façade and aggressive actions wereprecisely the reason no one could understand him or what he was trying toaccomplish. His intentions were right, but his methods were wrong, and this is exactly what forces him into such atight spot in Chapter 5.

By reevaluating their actions and their plans, these twoarrive at the very unlikely alliance we see in Chapter 5. Ouma isolated Momotafrom the rest of the group because he believed he would likely rile up everyone’smorale and possibly jumpstart the killing game again. But instead he was verysurprised when, contrary to his expectations, Momota stopped Maki from killinghim outright with the second arrow. For all that Momota was reckless and tendedto view things in very shounen-like terms of “good guys vs. bad guys,” he stillsaved Ouma’s life. Even if it was more for the sake of preventing Maki frombecoming a killer than actually protecting Ouma, that was still the end result.And that is exactly where I think Ouma’s opinion of Momota began to change.

The fact that he told Momota directly after that point, “You’rereally not boring after all” is perhaps the highest compliment Ouma had tooffer him. To Ouma, who constantly seeks out fun and interesting things as adistraction, and who can predict so much, boredom is the worst. Being “notboring” in his eyes is the equivalent of holding someone in very high esteem.After all, these are words he offers only to characters who impressed him insome way or other, including Saihara, Kaede, and Momota himself.

While Momota was clearly reevaluating his plans and feelingguilty for the things he had said to Saihara in the previous chapter for mostof Chapter 5, I don’t think his opinion of Ouma quite changed until theirconversation in the machinery bay. It was at that point that he finally sawexactly how far Ouma was willing togo in order to stop the killing game, and exactly what kind of crazy,over-the-top, ridiculous stunts he was capable of thinking up. Ouma’sintelligence and ability to draft the script and diagrams on such short noticeimpressed Momota, but I think his “guts,” if you could call it that, impressedhim even more. Momota was someone who was all about willpower and “fightingspirit.” And Ouma’s tenacity and willingness to stop the game no matter what ittook was the very definition of those things.

Their dynamic is incredibly interesting, because theiralliance was something absolutely no one expected. Not themselves, not theirclassmates, and certainly not the ringleader. The killing game was supposed tobe a situation in which trust and cooperation was impossible right from thebeginning. The idea that a culprit and victim would ever cooperate then,especially when Momota and Ouma were paralleled so thoroughly as “the hero” and“the villain,” was absolutely unthinkable. And yet it happened, because despiteeverything, both of them were actually willing to set aside their extremelydifferent beliefs and work within a middle ground.

As always in ndrv3, working within the middle ground is thebest option. Ideals get you killed. Reckless,naïve optimism and trust is just asdangerous as refusing to trust anyone at all. Only by showing that they wereboth willing to think more realistically about the situation they were in andcooperate were they capable of accomplishing a plan so incredible that, hadthey really carried it out to the fullest (meaning, had they actually beenwilling to bet everyone’s lives on their plan) they did stand a good chance offorcing Monokuma to make the wrong judgment in the trial and ending the killinggame then and there.

They were so drastically, incredibly different on thesurface. Momota constantly calling himself “the protagonist” and maintainingthe image of a shounen hero who fights with willpower and “the power offriendship” parallels and complements Ouma’s villain façade perfectly,mimicking Ouma’s constant claims that “trusting everyone will get you killed”and setting himself up to be someone hated by everyone else. And yet it’s truethat at heart, both of them were arguably the people thinking the most aboutthe group’s well-being. Their intentions, rather than their individual beliefs,were the reason it was possible for them to cooperate.

Even to the very end, I don’t think that either of them everfully agreed with the other’s perspective. Ouma definitely believed Momota wasstill foolish and rash, and judging by Momota’s willingness to believe thatOuma was “probably just lying to him again” when Ouma confided that he hatedthe killing game and everything it stood for, showed that they really didn’ttruly agree with the other’s mindset. However, there was undeniable respectthere between them. And I think that precisely because they could never trulybe like the other, there was admiration, too—Momota clearly admired Ouma’sability to think up such incredible plans and stunts, and Ouma no doubt admiredMomota’s very real ability to inspire change and development in others.

I absolutely love their dynamic myself, and I’m sad thatthere’s not nearly enough art of them or of Chapter 5 at the moment, becausethis kind of potential for two characters to get along even though they stillhave their differences is something I love to see in fiction. I blame most ofthe current lack of attention to their dynamic on the fact that many people inthe west haven’t played the game or seen spoilers yet, but also on the Japanesefandom’s rather lukewarm response to Momota’s character design. I’m hoping thatmore fanartists will appreciate him as time goes by because he’s a fantasticcharacter, and his and Ouma’s collaboration was an incredible plot development.

Chapter 5 hurts so much because the loss of both Ouma andMomota to the group was such a blow. They went through huge lengths, ultimatelynot to actually create a “completely unsolvable case” (because they bothdefinitely left clues) but to try and get Saihara and the rest of the group tosolve their case first and then solve the mysteries they themselves wouldn’t bealive to see the answers to. They formed an incredibly unlikely, incredibly effective tag team.

This has gotten pretty long by now, so I’ll finish up, butthank you both so much for asking! I love Chapter 5 and I’m so glad there aremore people interested in Ouma and Momota’s dynamic. Their cooperation was soessential to the last stages of the game, so I really hope more people come toappreciate how they both interacted and collaborated from here on out!

#ndrv3 #new danganronpa v3 #kokichi ouma #kaito momota #oumota #ndrv3 spoilers //#my meta #okay to reblog #i'm so constantly upset over chapters 4 through 6 #devicing #unchangingmelody

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