I don’t know if you’ve been asked this this before, so apologize in advance if this is a repeat ask, but how do you think Credits Shuichi and Kokichi would act if their roles were reversed, with it being pg!Shuichi and in-game Kokichi. I feel like Kokichi would probably be weirded out by Shuichi while pg!Shuichi grapples with both wanting a TV show character and his best friend and while somehow having neither. I thought it would be neat to hear your thoughts on it.
Also, I feel the need to say that Credits is probably one of my favorite fics of all time, and it really does make my day whenever I return to revisit it (and I go absolutely feral when I discover there’s an update)! It’s increasingly clear that there’s a large amount of love put into the story, and I hope that with every kudos, comment, and interaction you are having the love returned. I really admire your writing and hope to write like you someday!!
Oh man! What a fun question! Would you believe me if I said I'd actually never thought about it before?(/affectionate)
I think in Credits!Canon—assuming such a thing was allowed to happen without Team Danganronpa having a legal meltdown—you'd be right on the money in terms of how pg!Shu and ig!Ko would react to one another!
Shuichi would be in AWE of this Danganronpa character brought to life! I don't think he'd fully understand the consequence of such a thing at first, being too tunnel visioned and giddy about his best friend's new role!
Kokichi would be suuupeerrr weirded out by this fanboy, being highly suspicious of him and disappointed in the lack of ig!Shuichi's traits (TBH I don't think he would've stuck around long enough to really notice them!). pg!Shu is just too immature and all over the place for Kokichi to really cope with—so he simply wouldn't!
pg!Shu would probably only start to realize something is very very wrong when Kokichi doesn't just drop the act and go back to normal after he's seemingly had his fun (I don't think anyone in Credits! really understands how the implantation tech works nor do they realize/understand how "resolute" it is outside of select parties, heh wink).
Shuichi would start to think that Ko is doing this on purpose as an ironic punishment for being so Danganronpa obsessed which would spark an apology tour of sorts (que asskissing!). 'Course this Kokichi has no context for the things Shuichi is apologizing/trying to make up for (he's got a bit of context and can kind of infer the rest) and would probably decide to bolt before things can get even more uncomfortable.
Once the epiphany dawns on Shuichi that this is real and possibly forever, he'd start to have his regrets and really lock in.
In terms of timeline, I think Kokichi would humor Shu by going to his apartment the first night post-game as way to gain some clues and insight on WTF is happening (also a misguided hope that his Shuichi is in there somewhere). He'd pick up on the subtle clues of the situationship that had gone on between his previous self and this Shuichi, he'd notice pg!Shuichi's shortcomings immediately, and probably ditch the fanboy's ass in the morning!
He probably wouldn't bother visiting his old home, in favor of starting new and trying to come up with his own, independent game plan for taking down Team DR out of spite and nothing better to do.
(TBH, I don't think Credits! ig!Kokichi would take well to the Outside World revelation nearly as well as current Credits!Shuichi did.)
From his POV, not only has Team DR taken everything from him (DICE, his friends, his crush), he has nothing to return to (shitty home life, no friends, pg!Shuichi), so he might as well watch it all burn down!
Admittedly, I don't know if I have a firm grasp on ig!Kokichi just yet. I can write him in snidbits, but it's hard for me to totally get into his head. I do believe he likes and trusts Shuichi the Detective, but I don't think he would tolerate Shuichi the Fanboy nearly as much.
Seeing Shuichi like that instead of the composed albeit easily flustered dark clad boy who can match wit and interest him just-so would probably break something in Kokichi, like the straw that broke the camel's back.
I don't wanna say that this version of the story doesn't have legs—it might for a better writer, perhaps!—but it's hard for me to see how it would be resolved.
Maybe pg!Shuichi would attempt to hunt down wherever ig!Kokichi ended up running away to, proving that he still harbors his wit and detective prowess through a showcase of inference, subtle attention to detail, and ability to passively read/retain information. Maybe ig!Kokichi would be impressed enough to try to "use" Shuichi to help take down Team DR via his own methods of manipulation only to begrudgingly find that his infatuation (and interest) with the Detective lingers, even in this bargain-bin dweeb.
Maybe the ||Spoiler Thing|| that our current Credits!Shuichi is planning to do would cross this ig!Kokichi's mind and the plan would carryout the same. Or, maybe he'd come up with his own solution on resolving both his interpersonal and external conflicts altogether! It's hard for me to say.
As always, I root for Saiouma coming to pass, but I'm afraid I don't have all the answers here!
I'm flattered that you enjoy my writing so much, though! That is something I get self-conscious about. I'm always afraid I'm too wordy with an inability to be concise, but I am occasionally proud of my own prose!
Thank you for your support of Credits! and the Just Enjoy the Show AU! Comments and Bookmarks fuel my determination to tell this story! And I do wanna tell it—I want to tell it right.
