There’s been some life stuff shifting which means I’m going to have a new monthly expense starting soon and I haven’t been given hours at my day job for months now due to over staffing so
Here’s a little rant that’s been on my mind for a bit, but my personal conspiracy theory (kai-spiracy theory if you will) is that his character was sanded down and defanged for Kaimon yaoi and that’s why his character outside of the dynamic he has with Damon is so bland.
They could’ve made him messy and catty and vindictive and pathetic in a non-enduring way. Like, he’s the Ultimate Influencer, just let him Influence. Because as it stands he’s just kinda some bisexual guy with 5,000 instagram followers and a great fashion sense.
And I like Kaimon, I think it’s nice. I like Kai. I think he’s fine. I’ve read my fair share of Kaimon-centric fics because I like them and think they’re cute. But thank GOD they killed him off instead of Grace because I can’t think of anything he could’ve offered to the plot outside of yaoi unless they buckled up and (god forbid) let him do something that would’ve made him slightly less ship-able.
Damon, being a debater, focuses on logic (logos) when he’s trying to be convincing. Kai, however, could’ve been an emotional manipulator (pathos) that would’ve contrasted Damon nicely.
Kai gaining Wolfgang’s ire along with Damon and Eva by constantly calling him out on his bs. The three outcasts hanging out together leading Kai to take an interest in Damon since the latter doesn’t respond to the former’s emotional jabs in expected ways. Both are shunned by the rest of the group since they both can’t stop being devil’s advocate in every conversation. The two have a five-chapter spanning argument where Damon is getting more and more frustrated with Kai’s completely illogical way of debating. Jean still unsuccessfully tries to kill Damon and in this scenario the attempt on Kai’s life also fails so there’s a new level of trauma bonding. Eventually (maybe chapter 4 or 5?) Kai and Damon lay awake at night and just…talk. Normally. Openly. About why they are the way they are, about their real thoughts and feelings, and about everything that’s happened in the killing game thus far. In the final trial everyone is hurt and betrayed at the reveal that Damon took a traitor perk expect Kai who just quietly understands.
I think it’s been confirmed that the pathos route wasn’t going to have any overarching narrative importance, but in the ‘Kai manipulator’ scenario it could be a ‘Kai route’ of sorts (maybe unlocking new events and cgs in the following chapter?) and if you get all of them in one playthrough a secret ending unlocks.
Okay so I swear I do have actual critiques of P:EG chapter 1 but there’s this very personal petty gripe I’ve had since it released that has only deepened with time so I’m gonna scream into the void for a bit no one has to read this don’t take it too seriously I know it’s probably just a me thing
THAT BEING SAID…
Was I the only one a little weirded out by the whole wolfgrace hookup thing in chapter 1 (the handling of it not the ship itself)
I genuinely can’t tell if it’s a writing thing or a me being asexual thing but it felt entirely unnecessary? Especially when Cassidy and Jett are going “oooh they totally did it” during Wolfgang’s murder trial with Grace standing right there and Eva’s going “ew gross” they’re all acting like middle schoolers why was it included it wasn’t funny it was deeply uncomfortable
And the whole thing had no further plot relevance either????
Why?? Was it just set-up for Wolfgang being revealed to be an unemployed fuckboy in chapter 5?? Surely there was a better way of going about all of this????
Things that I think would be very funny to happen in a ghost AU:
The effects of the drug still linger on Wolfgang until after the trial happens, meaning the first thing Eva sees after crawling out of her execution and taking Tozu and Mara’s tunnels back up to the arena is him freaking the fuck out because he has no memory of the past 12 hours and only knows that he somehow died
At that point she is so done with everything that she snaps and straight-up tells him to his face that she killed him and that he deserved it
She refuses to give him any more details so he spends a good chunk of his time after that following people around searching for specific details
While they’re following Damon around, Eva is like “god these people are all fucking assholes I hope they all die just as painfully as I did so they know how it feels” and two seconds later Tozu appears to give Damon the perk
Wolfgang spending the entirety of Chapter 2 Daily Life absolutely appalled that 1. Tozu introduced paywalls for basic needs, and 2. Wenona and Ulysses were given the most money of all of them and the first thing they did was start a class war
Eva insists on calling Ulysses ‘Dwight’ to be petty every time they talk after they find out his real name. Wolfgang quickly loses count of how many times he has to tell her off about this
Following up on that: Ulysses goes through a heel-face turn after seeing how his actions hurt everyone else and tells the rest of the ghosts he’s going to try and be better from now on, to which Eva replies “ok Dwight”
Post-trial, Jean says something like “Damon really is sharper than even I thought. This may be hypocritical for me to say, but for the survivors’ sake, I hope he lives for awhile so he can continue to fight so vigilantly for the truth in any future trials”, and Wolfgang and Eva look between each other like “who’s gonna tell him”
The students are able to figure out a good chunk of the stuff happening behind the scenes, including Tozu and Mara not actually being in charge of the Killing Game and not really even liking it that much, by just following them around
Wolfgang is understandably empathetic when Kai wakes up, but Eva- who, at this point, has gone through this whole song and dance three times, and would still be beyond tired of Kai’s whining even if she hadn’t (despite the whining being completely justified in this case)- is just like “oh just GET OVER IT would you”
During the trial, Kai says “man this case is really tough, but at least Damon’s here to help everyone not die! I have total faith that nothing will ever happen to Damon and he’ll always be on their side no matter what!”. Wolfgang, Eva and Jean watch as Ulysses proceeds to solemnly crush Kai’s dreams in real time
After the trial, Toshiko goes down through Tozu and Mara’s tunnels to check on them, and Kai tags along, worried about Damon but still curious what the hosts are up to and too concerned about Toshiko to let her go by herself. They go down there and immediately walk in on Cassidy reprimanding them and five minutes later are frantically trying to explain the situation to the others
Damon finding and reading Kai’s letter behind the mirror while Kai is going “no nO NO NOT LIKE THIS-“
Toshiko is loving every minute of it obviously
Cringing all around at Jett rejecting Mark
All of the ghosts screaming and losing their minds over Mark’s choice of suicide being via bomb while Toshiko nods sagely and waxes poetic about tragic unrequited love or something
Everyone is so focused on trying to educate Toshiko on the unromantic complexities of suicidal ideation that they miss the moment of detonation and are very confused as to where Ingrid came from??
“Y’all will never believe it! Someone tried to kill Mark with a bomb! I’m so glad it was me and not him, and now I can rest easy knowin’ I gave my own life so his can keep goin’!” :)
A very hard conversation about Mark’s attempt ensues that includes Damon’s perk thing & the Cassidy mastermind situation to get it out of the way
Same conversation when Mark shows up (he really doesn’t give a shit about any of this anymore though)
During the trial Jett takes his helmet off and Kai out loud goes “HE’S HOT??”
“I take everything back 100% valid crashout on Mark’s part” “Kai no”
Toshiko is annoying the shit out of Mark because she won’t shut up about true love or something
Jean also gives a casual open invitation to Mark to join his polycule. Mark neither accepts nor declines.
The bedlam that ensues after Wolfgang’s fraud reveal…unmatched
Eva is somewhere between elated and livid, Ulysses thinks some stuff actually makes more sense now, Jean and Ingrid “aren’t mad, just disappointed”, and the others are really hurt and betrayed
Overall Wolfgang gets pretty iced out by the rest of the group
Desmond decking Damon is followed by an unheard chorus of “boo!!”s from Eva and Kai
Toshiko is yet again going feral over a toxic relationship…this time it’s Desmond and Eloise which leads to another intervention and-hey! When did Desmond get here?
The despair Desmond feels when Eloise is executed…
Desmond and Eloise’s reaction to Damon’s perk is “That BITCH!!!”
Their reaction to Cassidy mastermind is “THAT bitch???”
THE CASSIDY REVEAL!!
All the ghosts yelling at the living students the way one yells jeopardy answers at their tv leading up to the mastermind reveal
The only ghost that hangs out with Cassidy is Wolfgang and that’s only because none of the other dead students want anything to do with those two
Damon choosing to die rather than killing another student gets actual applause from a few ghosts
Kai stays by Damon’s side as he dies…Kai being the first face Damon sees after dying…Kaimon ghost kisses…
(I’m not even a Kaimon shipper but I know peak potential when I see it ✨)
Wait are all the ghosts tied to the academy’s grounds?? Can they leave to haunt their families?? When the killing game ends to they move on to the great beyond??
The thing I’m really struggling with in regard to all the leaks is trying to find the theme/moral/message of the story that ties ever together.
While Danganronpa isn’t exactly the pinnacle of stellar writing, each of the mainline games have clear messages, for example:
THH is obviously about hope is the face of unending despair, as well as having empathy and forgiveness for the people around you; Makoto firmly believes that the murders aren’t happening solely because his friends are bad people, but because they’re in a killing game that is pushing everyone to their breaking points. He forgives Sayaka for trying to frame him and Hina for trying to avenge Sakura because he has faith in the friends that he knows and he carries their deaths - all of them, not just the victims - with him because to forget the bad things would mean forgetting them entirely. His support & rival and their arcs also mirror Makoto: Kyoko starts out cold, believing the truth is all that matters but grows softer and more emotionally driven as she’s influenced by Makoto and eventually ends the story having gotten emotional closure for her past; Togami not only starts out as a prick that sees the other students as disposable, but also as an extremely jaded person that doesn’t seem to understand that the others aren’t secretly as conniving as he is until chapter four when he’s proved doubly wrong about both Sakura and Hina’s motivations (which proves why he could never have solved that case), after which he starts making a slow but steady effort to connect and understand other people. Junko as a villain also contributes to this theme being the least empathetic towards literally anyone as she’s more focused on finally getting that one moment of relief from her boredom. The coup de grâce of the sixth trial is the students choosing to kill Makoto to stay in the secure vault of a school (rejecting empathy and compassion in favor of self preservation) or all leave together into what remains of the world (having hope that the world is never beyond repair as long as there are people willing to move forward hand in hand to repair it).
THH, despite its flaws, feels like a cohesive narrative because it has a clear through line that I just haven’t seen yet in any of the P:EG leaks.
Remembered that while the death order was set in stone, anything chapter 3 and beyond was still just vague brainstorming. So Mastermind!Cassidy is a fixed thing but the details were probably still somewhat malleable, meaning they had time to ditch the “anti rich cult” thing or whatever it was and go full throttle into the “Cassidy is evil Mr Beast” angle.
I’m just imagining the chapter 6 reveal starting with a dramatic and heart-wrenching accusation towards Cassidy that immediately gets undercut by Cassidy cheering that they’ve won!!!! Congrats!!!! Confetti!!! This has all been an elaborate game show that she’s made up for them to all participate in.
Which means everyone that’s died is actually fine, right? Right???
NOPE. What fun would there be if people didn’t actually die? What about the stakes? The viewer engagement?? Won’t anyone think about the viewer engagement!
Cassidy in no way, shape, or form understands she’s done anything wrong. The viewers demanded more, and she gave them more. This isn’t a betrayal of any kind because the other fifteen students aren’t really human to her. These aren’t people with complex lives, loved ones, hopes, dreams, thoughts and fears…they’re the Contestants that simply exist to play her game. What she feels towards her dead classmates is comparable to how one feels about losing pieces in chess. She interacts with them the way one might interact with a NPC in a RPG.
To be clear: Cassidy is not having a break from reality; she knows this is real, that real people are dying and that she is in full control of it all. There’s no delusion about believing she’s actually in a video game where she’s the protagonist or the final boss or whatever.
She knows what she’s doing. That this is all real.
She simply does not care.
And she doesn’t understand why anyone else does.
Post reveal Cassidy remains her regular, chipper self, because why wouldn’t she be? There’s a certain level of horror found in someone both cheery and nonchalant about how deeply bloody their hands are. Even during her execution Cassidy seems to be enjoying herself…it’s just one last game, and since she knows she’s already lost she might as well have some last minute fun, right?
The sanctity of life could be a running theme; Cassidy seeing nothing sacred about human lives, Damon believing people only have value if they meet some arbitrary standard of “success”, and Diana feeling deeply how precious every life is would make an interesting villain/protagonist/rival dynamic. It also gives Damon’s final sacrifice some added weight as he grapples with opposing viewpoints, choosing between Cassidy’s way of thinking (sacrificing someone else, reducing them to a pawn that’s been captured just so he can live) or Diana’s (these are people, human beings that he’s laughed and cried and raged with, and he can’t bring himself to snuff out dehumanize any of them in that way). Maybe there’d be a plot twist where Damon’s bracelet malfunctions and he survives the poison, tying everything together satisfyingly
Anyway. Apologies if any of this is disjointed or not fully fleshed out…I could probably elaborate about a couple of these ideas but this scenario has already gotten so far away from me.
Fuck Fraudgang tho, if the whole "his talent was brought w daddy's money/he's not an actual lawyer" thing was meant to make us sympathize or feel bad for him that did the opposite cuz i hate him even more now like lowkey rolling my eyes seeing my friends go "Wolfgang isn't bad he just has a lot of issues" so much
I seriously don't understand his writing. They seem to jerk him around so much that it leaves it all feeling extremely convoluted and its just bad writing overall. Part of me wonders if they thought they couldn't make a bad person into somebody was could be begrudgingly sympathetic to, but alas.
Also about what you say in regards to him, Diana and Grace, the whole fraud reveal would serve as a moment for them later on because "omg this guy we were putting on a pedestal was actually a fucking liar" and like. I get it? It's like, maybe it's comentary on putting too much faith on someone you don't know completely and just blindly believing them, but why did we need two whole characters for that? Diana at least has her "being the antag to Damon's protag" thing going on but i really haven't seen much about Grace in the leaks/explanations at all + apparently her and Diana were meant to later bond over both feeling hurt over finding out Wolfgang is a fraud and like. Man, couldn't you guys think of more to do with thes girls that doesn't involve this guy?? These two would NOT pass the Bechdel test-
Why Wolfgang needs to be involved in Grace and Diana becoming friends at all confuses me…I’m pretty sure it was confirmed they would’ve been rooming together chapter 2 onward so it would be super easy to have them bond while living together?
Consider: Diana honed her talent by doing makeup for the popular girls at school and getting brought into their fold (meaning she’s a bit of a follower) and Grace was the leader of a girl gang…Grace starting a “gang” in the killing game with Diana as her second in command…it might be a gang with just the two of them and they don’t really do any “gang” things but this is how Grace understands friendship and Diana’s going with the flow…the rabid golfer adopts the adorable makeup girl as a little sister…Grace helping Diana stand up for herself and have a voice…Diana helping Grace manage her temper and collaborate with others…the “gang” leading the revolution against Wenona and Ulysses in chapter 2…the sleepovers…an event with a cg of Diana doing Grace’s nails…Diana giving Grace a makeover in the epilogue after they’ve escaped the killing game…Grace getting a pink streak in her hair and Diana having a blonde streak in hers…Diana becoming the “little sister” of Grace’s irl gang…Grace going on rants about Diana’s shitty high school friends…yin and yang friendship…no men involved…do you see my vision???
Has there been any sort of direct confirmation on the legitimacy of the P:EG “leaks”?? I’ve managed to avoid them entirely thus far, but I’m seeing some of the reactions to them and they’re predominantly negative?? The most I’m gathering is staff has said the leaks are “out of context”, which can mean anything from “they’re all true we’re just defensive due to the backlash” to “they’re barely true and are riddled with misinformation” and every possibility in between.
I kind of want to see the leaks but I’d like to know if I should read them with a “this is basically someone’s fanfic” mindset or an “everything’s been spoiled anyway so I might as well read it and maybe write a fix-it fic”
i really do think that there isnt a problem in continuing to create fanwork for pjeg in the fact that the project as a whole was not an issue. it was the inaction of those leading it that caused its downfall, but the game itself was a passion project for many, many innocent people, and was the first major project of some people on the team. It doesn't deserve to be ruined and forgotten, as it currently stands
An important message to the Project: Eden's Garden fandom:
//Fucking hell, here we go again.
//I'm going to put most of this under the cut because this post is going to touch on some genuinely uncomfortable and triggering topics, and I want to be upfront about that from the start.
It’s impossible to talk about the current situation surrounding Project: Eden’s Garden without addressing the severity of what’s come to light, so just...be warned for some sensetive topics.
//Okay, so...
//For anyone who isn’t fully aware of what’s been happening, here’s the very short version.
//One of the game’s voice actors, Faza, the voice behind Mark Berskii, was exposed for having dated a 15-year-old while being 20 years old.
//That alone is deeply disturbing, but what makes the situation even worse is that it has come out that Sozzay, the project lead, was aware of this for quite some time and chose not to act. Action was only taken once the situation became public.
//And since this news broke, within what feels like mere hours, everything has begun to spiral. Longtime fans, passionate supporters, and community members who have followed this project for years are now walking away from it entirely. Some are calling for the project to be cancelled outright, feeling that what’s happened has irreparably tainted it.
//Let me be absolutely clear. I implore you to read the next paragraph VERY. VERY. CAREFULLY.
//NOTHING, and I mean NOTHING, in this post is meant to defend what happened.
//What Faza did is ABHORRENT. There is NO justification, nor nuance that softens it. It is predatory, harmful, and indefensible.
//As for Sozzay, while her actions are different in nature, they are still deeply wrong. Knowing about something like this and choosing silence is not neutrality. It is complicity. Waiting until this recent exposure forces your hand is nothing more than damage control.
//She is an iredeemable COWARD, and it sickens me to say that because I have known of her and respected her for a long time now. I certainly don't anymore. This situation should never have been allowed to exist, let alone persist for years.
//But what I want to talk about, because I’m not seeing it discussed nearly enough, is the fallout.
//Because Eden’s Garden is not just two people.
//For the past five years, this has been a massive collaborative effort. Over a hundred people have poured time, creativity, and passion into building something they love. A FREE project, driven not by profit but by admiration for the series that inspired it.
//That kind of dedication is built through years of work, trust, and shared enthusiasm. And that’s why it’s so frustrating to see the narrative shift into something way more destructive.
//I get that the situation is bad, and that's putting it lightly, but people do not have the right to flatten that entire effort or call for the complete destruction of the project or to harass its contributors because of the actions of TWO INDIVIDUALS!
//Accountability matters. But SO DOES FAIRNESS.
//What makes Sozzay’s failure especially damaging isn’t just that she covered for someone who engaged in predatory behaviour. It’s that her decision has now dragged the entire team into the mud alongside her. She created a situation where the reputation of dozens upon dozens of innocent contributors is now being questioned.
//And realistically, it’s very likely that most of the team had no idea any of this was happening. That’s exactly what investigations are meant to determine. Until that process plays out, assuming collective guilt is not only unfair, it's actively harmful to everyone involved/
//People have every right to be angry. They SHOULD be angry. And lengths should be taken to help and protect the people who were ACTUALLY victimised by this.
//But so much of this aggression is just blatantly misdirected! What I’m seeing in some corners of the community doesn’t feel like a pursuit of justice; it feels like opportunism. Like some people are using this situation as an excuse to tear down something they already disliked, rather than engaging with the issue in good faith.
//And that’s deeply frustrating!
//Stop talking like the entire team was involved! Stop acting like every contributor deserves backlash! And for fuck's sake, stop using the fact that a child was harmed as an excuse to be an ASSHOLE!
//Because that's JUST AS DISGUSTING in my eyes! And obviously I'd like to believe that most of the people speaking up about this have good intentions, but by God you are not showing it!
//There’s also been a lot of frustration surrounding the official response. And honestly, I understand why. I've posted it here below for those who haven't seen it:
//It felt vague, overly cautious, and frustratingly indirect. Neither individual involved was named, and the situation was referred to as "allegations," despite how widely it has been substantiated.
//But it’s important to understand why that language is used. In situations like this, wording matters legally. Saying "allegations” is a safeguard, and it doesn’t mean the team doesn’t know what’s true.
//And it doesn’t mean they’re defending what happened either. It means they’re trying to avoid creating further legal complications while responding to a crisis.
//Could the response have been better? Absolutely it could. But I don’t believe that phrasing alone tells the full story of where the team stands. And just looking at how many of them have responded on their personal twitters has only reinforced that belief.
//When something you’ve supported for years is shaken like this, it hurts. It’s disappointing, not to mention infuriating. Especially if you're someone like me who considers Eden's Garden one of their all-time favourite Fangans.
//So once again, I’m not writing this to forgive anyone who caused this situation. And I’m not writing this to excuse what happened, because fuck that.
//I’m writing this because I still care about the project, and about the people who have poured their hearts into it.
//And I want to believe that something built on that much passion doesn’t have to end here. That it can grow, learn, and move forward, without the people who caused this harm, and with accountability where it’s deserved.
//I know this because...it's happened before!
//If Sozzay does get ousted from the project, as they rightfully should, this would be the second time that Eden's Garden has had to fire its project lead. Not a good look, but what we should be paying attention to is the fact that they've been down this road before, and they came out the other side stronger because of it.
//We can be angry. We SHOULD be angry. But we should also be careful about where that anger gets directed.
//Because if we’re not, we risk destroying more than just what’s broken. We risk destroying everything that was good about it too.
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